E-mail scandal mongers flourish

Nor do I care about John McCain's cheating on his first wife with his second wife, Cindy, or allegations by Bush apparatchiks in South Carolina that McCain's adopted daughter is really his illegitimate 'love child', or, that his present wife was once dope-addicteD.

So, quit emailing me this tripe. Your messages are like the perverted obscenities scrawled on a neighborhood wall. Except this time, it's my wall

? The ease of bulk emailing has created a new class of mean-spirited gossipers who send out one-sided political smut without checking the accuracy of what they copy and without adding a single line of what they believe themselves

? If they cared, they could easily separate truth from fiction, or the worthwhile from the vile. In fact, accuracy can be quickly verified by copying key words of a story and pasting it in snopes.com.

But that's asking too much because these "True Believer" bulk emailers are ignorant, cowardly, and lazy political voyeurs who copy various right- and left-wing political commentaries from political forums and send them to their friends, enemies, relatives, ex-spouses, neighbours, and almost anyone from whom they managed to get an e-mail address. Then, when you give a thoughtful reply, they run and hide

? In comparison, I rarely get this rubbish from my Panamanian friends and acquaintances. The hate and venom just isn’t there

CAT TALK. Cats are mysterious. Dogs, are OK, but they have to be taken for walks and require the constant showing of affection. But cats only require light companionship and the occasional embrace (like some spouses after forty years of matrimony). They are low maintenance and impressively independent.

? Both my two street cat (callejeros) companions were adopted from the Spay Panama refuge two years ago. Tigger and Ziggy are now grown up and are delightfully mischievous: Ziggy sometimes edits my work on the computer while I sleep. He also has a Q-tip fetish and habitually tips over the bathroom trash basket in his nightly Q-tip quest. Tigger is a lizard hunter who spends hours on the prowl on the back balcony.

? If you would like to share in this kind of pet companionship, contact Madame Chang at Spaypanama.org. Also, if you know someone who has recently lost a pet, consider registering your regrets on the Spay Panama website along with a small donation. That will make you feel better and at the same time you are contributing to the well being of other animals.