In January, after the California restaurant chain Carl's Jr. began televising a commercial chiding competitors' chicken-nugget meals (the ad: executives examining a chicken in a futile attempt to find a body part called the "nugget"), the animal rights group United Poultry Concerns objected, not just because the chicken was mishandled but because the examination hurt the chicken's feelings (treated the chicken "derisively," United's chief Karen Davis told the Los Angeles Times). (A few days later, seemingly in support of Davis, Australian neuroscientists Charles Watson and George Paxinos announced the startup of their project to compile a comprehensive atlas of a bird's "sophisticated and complex" brain, emphasizing features in common with humans' brains.) [UnitedPoulty Concerns press release, 1-17-02; Los Angeles Times, 1-16-02]

The Los Angeles Times reported in January that the ex-wife of casino mogul Kirk Kerkorian had recently filed a petition claiming that the $50,000 a month in child support Kerkorian pays for his 3-year-old daughter is insufficient and asking a Los Angeles judge to up the amount to $320,000 a month. Included as little Kira's requirements are $144,000 a month for travel, $14,000 for parties (her first-birthday party cost $70,000), $10,200 for food (about $340 per meal), and $7,000 a month for little Kira to give back to the community (in charitable donations). [Newsday-AP, 1-14-02]

You *ARE* kidding, right? Please tell me you're joking.

The second story is a case of the mother's overweaning greed. The first defies imagination!

In answer to the title premise .. YES and YES

People in general are little brighter than morons and there are
waaaay to darn many Lawyers. [img]graemlins/homer.gif[/img]

[ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: MagiK ]</p>

The second one is true - either that or there was something _very_ like it in the scottish patpers 2 weeks back.

Concerning #2, the very wealthy frequently live in their own little world, untroubled by problems like finding a next meal or keeping warm in the winter. I've seen a few televised roundtables of the very wealthy, and the way they discuss world problems is so abstract, it's amazing.