New Clues in Mickey Shunick's Disappearance

Shunick Family Photo

A few days after police released surveillance video of Michaela "Mickey" Shunick riding her bike home from a friend's house, two fishermen spotted it in the Atchalafaya River.

Police later discovered the black and gold Schwinn in a muddy basin under a bridge in Whiskey Bay Sunday morning. The bike was located over 25 miles from where Shunick, a senior at the University of Louisiana, was last seen on surveillance footage riding her bike home from a friend's house at around 2 am May 19.

Investigators have identified two of the three vehicles shown on the same surveillance cameras, but have ruled out any involvement by the drivers of the four-door car and white, four-door pickup. They are still looking for the owner of the third vehicle, a white Chevrolet Z-71 pickup, to determine whether that person has any involvement in the case.

Police speculate that Mickey might have been hit by a car or truck as she was riding home because her bike had a damaged rear tire and a bent rim. Hope still exists that Shunick might be found alive.

Read More

Big Week for Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg capped a week that included turning 28 May 14 and taking Facebook public May 18, by marrying his long-term romantic interest Priscilla Chan Saturday. Typical of his style, Zuckerberg and his bride kept the ceremony low-key and held the number of guests to under 100. He gave her a ring designed to encase a simple ruby to mark the occasion. Even the guests didn't know that the reason they received an invitation involved a marriage ceremony. They thought they were celebrating Chan's graduation from medical school.



After extolling the virtues of Wall Street on the day of Facebook's IPO, Zuckerberg beamed his greed in a wide smile and bragged about the fact that Facebook surpassed the net worth of many blue chip companies, catapulting him to the uber rich category. After the closing bell, he shouldn't have felt quite so filled with himself, because opening day disappointed analysts and investors.

He must now report to an exacting boss, the people who purchased stock and now share ownership of the company he founded eight years ago. Perhaps that will inspire him to toss the hoodies and dress in business casual when he appears in public. He has much to learn about inspirational leadership.  Ham on Wry predicts we might see some petulance from the man who rocked the world of social media.

Read More

Soring, the Horrific Practice Used to Train Tennessee Walking Horses

A Tennessee Walking Horse Showing a Natural Gait

Ham on Wry felt pure revulsion when the story broke May 17 about a trainer who had beaten a Tennessee Walking Horse, using the practice of soring. Soring involves using chemical agents on the pasterns, bulbs of the heel, or coronary bands of the horses, causing burning or blistering of the horses' legs in order to accentuate their gaits. Trainers must use a brush and wear gloves when applying the caustic substances because of their toxicity. They then wrap the horses' legs in plastic while the chemicals are absorbed. Soring causes extreme pain, and horses often can't stand after the treatment. In another method, trainers use pressure shoes, where the hoof is trimmed to the quick so that the sole is in direct contact with the pad or shoe. The horse may then be "road foundered," ridden up and down hard surfaces on the over-trimmed hooves, until they are very sore.

Gait After Soring

St. Francis of Assisi captured the essence of the type of person who would treat an animal as abusively as the trainers who use soring on Tennessee Walking Horses. “If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men”  He has been proven right when it comes to predicting psychopathic behavior. Studies have shown a strong correlation between people who torture and murder animals and those who eventually do the same to human victims. 

Damage After soring

Pepsi announced Thursday that it had ended sponsorship of the National Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee, after seeing a video shot by the Humane Society of the United States capturing footage of soring as it occurred.  Ham on Wry applauds Pepsi's immediate response and would drink Pepsi as a show of support, if I drank colas. 

As seems more and more typical of state lawmakers, instead of policing organizations that make a living using animals, they have outlawed undercover investigations. Now there's an innovative solution. Stick your head in the ground and pretend not to see. I'd love to punish the trainers who use soring by applying the same treatment they use on horses as their punishment for the damage they cause to otherwise gentle animals.

Shame on all of those who have turned a blind eye to such cruelty!

Read More

The Sad Case of Brooklyn, the Greyhound

Ham on Wry is publishing this blog using the contents of an e-mail sent by a friend and fellow writer to raise awareness of the plight of greyhounds used at race tracks around the world. I have removed the direct links in the original message, except for the one to the site of the organization that created the petition. Readers can choose to act or not, but a racing greyhound's life is anything but pleasant. Greyhound rescue organizations make a huge difference, and I'm told these dogs make docile, wonderful pets. They're grateful for a more typical dog's life.


Dear Friends,

Today we bring you troubling news about Brooklyn, one of the greyhounds racing at the Canidrome, Macau's only dog track. Brooklyn has been injured and his immediate future is now very uncertain.

On May 5, the four-year-old dog fell while racing. Track records document that he was cut and wounded.

This was the fourth race in a row in which he has finished in fifth place or worse. According to the Macau Daily Times, when dogs finish outside the top three in five races in a row, they are destroyed. As many as 400 greyhounds are killed each year. We know that Brooklyn's days are numbered and your help is needed to force the Canidrome to release him.

As revealed in our published analysis of January 2012, in a ten-week period from October 21, 2011 through December 31, 2011, more than 300 injuries took place at the Canidrome. Of these, 54 injured dogs were "recommended to retire."

But there is no "retirement" program for greyhounds at the Canidrome! Unprofitable greyhounds are simply killed at a rate of 30 each month and new dogs are shipped in to take their place. As Albano Martins, head of the Macau Society for the Protection of Animals (ANIMA) has stated:

Dogs are just "things" here. They are bought, sold and then thrown away like garbage.

There is some good news to share today, however. Last week, Albano received a letter from track officials promising to let one dog leave the facility and to launch an adoption program in thirty days. But thirty days is too long for Brooklyn and unfortunately, the track already made this same promise two months ago.

So now Albano has requested a meeting with Macau's Chief Executive to force the track to act. You can help now by signing our petition to Chief Executive, Dr. Chui Sai On or by e-mailing him directly at gce.raem.gov.mo.

Sadly, unless Brooklyn receives the help he deserves, he will be killed. Please take action now and give Brooklyn the second chance he deserves. You will find regular updates on Brooklyn, related news stories and blogs at www.RescueBrooklyn.org.

Thank you for caring!

Christine A. Dorchak, Esq. President, GREY2K USA

Carey M. Theil Executive Director, GREY2K USA

Read More

Facebook Co-Founder Renounced American Citizenship to Save Taxes

Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, moved to Singapore last September in advance of Facebook's public offering of stock. In doing so, Saverin will avoid a significant portion of taxes he would owe if he had remained in the United Sates.

After his relationship soured with Zuckerberg, he was booted out of the company, but he won a four percent share in a lengthy court battle.

So why does Ham on Wry care what Eduardo Saverin does? Because his actions illustrate the mindset some members of the One Percent have, and it has a connection to the blog's May 12 post.

In theory, the uber rich will reinvest money into the economy here and will increase the wealth of the middle class eventually. What a bunch of bunk! He helped to create something that no one really needs. Many people have a Facebook addiction, but that doesn't mean they need it.



Saverin, the son of a wealthy Brazilian, moved to the United States to avoid being kidnapped for ransom and met Zuckerberg at Harvard University. This country offered him the opportunity to create wealth.and attend a world-class university. His gratitude is truly underwhelming (yes, it's a legitimate word). People like Saverin care mainly about retaining wealth and not so much about giving back to the country where he made the money.

He received citizenship as a means of escaping possible harm and renounced it so he could hold on to this money. That, readers, blows a hole in the notion propounded by so many Republicans that the wealthy pay their fair share already. Oh, a few people like Warren Buffett are committed to stepping up to the plate to pay more taxes, but too many are consumed by greed and the power that money buys. They prefer to keep it and use if for themselves.

Shame on Eduardo Saverin for his selfishness and his manipulation of our system. Moving to Singapore isn't illegal, but it certainly smacks of ingratitude. The same can be said of people like Mitt Romney who have offshore accounts so that they can avoid paying taxes. Most readers don't have the luxury of having so much money that they can ship it out of the country clandestinely. I'm tired of Americans succumbing to the wool pulled over their eyes. These people would have plenty of money, even if they paid 50% in taxes, because the have so many loopholes.

Eduardo Saverin has shown total disregard for American citizenship.  Good riddance!

Read More

Former Romney Colleague Vehemently Defends "The One Percent"

Edward Conard, a former Bain employer who once worked for Mitt Romney, has written a book, “Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About the Economy Is Wrong,” in which he writes a treatise on the importance of the 1%. His conclusion comprises arguments in support of his belief that the vast income inequality in the United States reflects just how well our economy is working, and if the number expands, all economic classes would benefit.  Better for whom, Mr. Conard?


He erroneously asserts that the wealthiest 1% made their money by taking huge risks on innovative ideas that eventually reaped them mega bucks, while creating a plethora of jobs. I can buy that premise for people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, but many people who have made it to the top did so as CEO's of companies they didn't establish. Other gained monetarily be chopping and dicing American companies, with some forced into bankruptcy and others outsourcing jobs overseas. Thanks for that! I absolutely adore trying to explain a customer service issue to people in another country who must transfer me back to the US because they don't have the authority to handle my problem. This is, if I can negotiate through the automated voice response system that winds callers through myriad sidetracks before reaching a human. Count that so-called innovation as one of my biggest pet peeves.


The disparity between the average income of $51,000 for the 99% and $717,000 for the 1% provides reason enough to lament. It gets worse. The top 1% controls 43% of America's wealth. It doesn't take a math whiz to subtract 43% from 100%, leaving 57% of the nation's wealth in the hands of the remaining 99%. I don't care how you cut the pie, Mr. Conard, that leaves very little for the rest of us to live comfortably. Many Americans have devoutly clipped coupons, shopped sales and frequented discount stores to make up for rising a food prices, soaring health costs, and shrinking earnings.


Conard asserts that we simply need more innovators. I say we need more quality innovators and vastly more people who execute the innovations here in the US. Apple manufactures its iPads in China, rather than here. Thousands of examples of this type of outsourcing, which decimated many areas of "The Rust Belt", exist. I'm certain Conard would label that an innovation, but I disagree. It's an unwanted change that resulted in poor quality products, including contaminated drywall, baby clothes, children's toys, and clothing with mismatched seams and lacking in finishing work. I'm positive readers could share hundreds of additional examples relating to sub-par Chinese products.


Draw your own conclusions, Readers. I'm skipping "Unintended Consequences." I think Edward Conard has lost touch with his middle class roots, and he misses one salient fact. Many of the 1% gained their riches by losing their integrity and taking money that they didn't earn. Bernie Madoff was aptly named, because he made of with billions from his investors. The lack of a moral compass is the biggest unintended consequence of all.

Read More

US Conference of Catholic Bishops Launches Girl Scouts of America Inquiry

Anna Maria Chavez, Girl Scouts of America CEO/AP file photo

Ham on Wry finds it interesting that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is investigated the Girl Scouts of the USA. Why?
Because they have concerns about program materials that some Catholics find offensive, and they claim the Scouts associate with groups that promulgate positions which conflict with church teaching. Huh? I didn't realize that the Girl Scouts is a Catholic-sponsored organization that must abide by the tenets of the church. Wait! The Girl Scouts don't fall under the Catholic hierarchy.




This ridiculous situation offers another example of the ludicrous charges brought about by conservative religious leaders that waste the time of an organization that has existed for 100 years and has helped millions of girls learn the value of teamwork, responsibility, and dedication to principles of honor. Perhaps the Catholic bishops should reflect more on the atrocities of sexual abuse that occurred under their watch. Not only did they turn a blind eye to the thousands of children affected by these crimes, many labored to cover it up and transferred the criminals to other parishes, enabling them to continue the abuse. The kind of damage wreaked by that kind of atrocity lasts for a lifetime.

Ham on Wry offers this suggestion to the Girl Scouts of the USA. Don't make changes based on this unfounded inquiry. Push back and remain true to the founder's purpose and to the organization's mission. The blogger also suggests that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launch a thorough investigation into their own internal affairs. Perhaps it is targeting the Girl Scouts as a red herring to take heat off the Catholic Church, which still has much to accomplish before it can ensure the safety of its young parishioners. Stop worrying about other organizations until your own "house" has been thoroughly cleansed of clergy that abuse children!

Read More