>From:    Edward Lipinski <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: TV's Funniest Videos Comic Sequence of Ferret Chomping Kid's Nose?
>2.) With respect to Bill Killian's portrayl of apparently holding a ferret
>up to his kid's face
 
Do you take recreational hallucinogenics? <grin>  You have in YOUR mind
invented a picture and continue to complain about it.  I have no idea of
where you got the idea that there is a picture from us where a ferret is
held up to a child's face.  There is a picture on my web page of Derek
and a 5 or 6 week old kit eyeing each other.  There is another of Furball
sleeping with Derek (although I think Derek is actually awake in that
particular shot) in Derek's carrier.  There is no picture of anyone holding
a ferret up to Derek's face (and never has been).
 
>Bill Killian: I'll get right down on my hands and knees and pray to God (or
>in you case to Buddha) that you get rid of that depiction on your web page
 
That picture doesn't exist.  Pray to whoever you chose about whatever you
chose if it makes you feel better.  And no I will not remove either picture
that is there currently portraying Derek in close proximity to a ferret.
Nope.  No how.  No way.  Well not anytime soon unless I end up with better
pictures...
 
>And speaking of your other picture on your web page ... the picture of your
>beautiful wife to the left of the massive ferret(s) heads on the right, I
>must say I am constantly amazed at the size of that giant ferret.
 
Best I can guess is you are talking about the picture of my daughter
Courtney with "Pagoda aka Fat Elvis the Las Vegas Years".  Yes he is that
big.  But of course Courtney isn't exactly a 'big' girl.  That picture is a
frame grab of a TV News telecast.  There could be some 'distortion' due to
the focus of the TV camera on a young lady holding the ferret forward
toward the camera.  Elvis at that point weighed a hefty seven pounds.  He
has the sweetest personality of any hob I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
Wonderful hob.  Pure American to dispell ideas that foreign ferrets are
larger than American ferrets.  Ask anyone who has met Elvis.  He has never
lost a 'heaviest hob' competition.
 
>I suppose that is a giant ferret alright ... but you know, I can't help but
>wonder if you've done a little, ah, well a little fudging there (I don't
>want to say untruthful), but I just gotta ask you Bill, did you superimpose
>two photos into one and not make that fact obvious to the public?  Huh?
 
There is exactly one picture on my site that I did any 'editting to.  On
the frame grabs of the local news broadcast I took the most flattering
image I could from the short segment of Sally Heber but took the caption
from a different grab that had her mouth in a less graceful position and
superimposed that on the nicer facial expression.  That is why the caption
is in a slightly different position than the caption on other pictures.
I don't think that that 'edit' distorts anything.  It just lets Ms. Heber
look 'better' and uses graphics that were chosen by WTTG channel 5 to
caption 'her' anyway.  Other have been cropped one the edges in some cases
but no manipulation of images of people or ferrets in any image on our
pages.
 
>*DOMESTICAL and certainly not domesticated.  Why?  Simple.  Domestication
>is a process and certainly not a completed state as the use of the term
>"domesticatED" implies.
 
That is a nonsense word.  The ferret is fully domesticated.  Domestication
is a process and the ferret is completely through that process.  There is
still manipulation of the ferret through selective breeding - but that
proves that the ferret IS domesticated.  Thats part of the scientific
definition.  If you want to be a part of a meaningful dialog you have to
agree to use words with at least some agreement as to meaning.
 
>The ferret is constantly being retrained (each from the time of their
>birth)
 
Well make that ferrets are 'trained'.  As are all pets with significant
intelligence.  But human children are trained as well.  In manners as
well as standard verbal skills from infancy.
 
>[Moderator's note: I met one of their ferrets at a show a few years ago.
>Probably the biggest ferret I've ever held and it was not yet fully grown.
>So, no -- I don't think we're dealing with retouching here -- that was one
>LARGE ferret!  BIG]
 
That might have been Elvis...  OR Genghis Khan also pictured on our web
site.  What was amusing was watching Bob Church's reaction to our big
boys.  He was showing off his admirable hobs and describing how large they
were.  Then showed him ours... <snicker>
 
>From:    petersen <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Euthanizing Ferrets; food; Killian ferrets
 
Thanks for the kind words.  (And again thanks for all your help, we hope
to achieve some level of normalcy this year)
 
>I've met some ferrets who were not trustworthy with children and some
>children who were not trustworthy with ferrets.
 
Exactly!  I don't like the direction some folks want to take with the
overdone disclaimers.  If you are a parent and have a ferret it is
your responsibilty to know both your child and your ferret and make
your own determination that that ferret and that child are compatible
and to what level of trust.
 
-bill
 
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2572]