Tag Archives: buffalo

American Buffalo – Steven Rinella

by Myrna Posted on April 12, 2018

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American Buffalo

In Search of a Lost Icon

Steven Rinella

Genre: Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: December 2, 2008

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Seller: Penguin Random House LLC


From the host of the Travel Channel’s “The Wild Within.” A hunt for the American buffalo—an adventurous, fascinating examination of an animal that has haunted the American imagination.   In 2005, Steven Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo, or American bison, in the Alaskan wilderness. Despite the odds—there’s only a 2 percent chance of drawing the permit, and fewer than 20 percent of those hunters are successful—Rinella managed to kill a buffalo on a snow-covered mountainside and then raft the meat back to civilization while being trailed by grizzly bears and suffering from hypothermia. Throughout these adventures, Rinella found himself contemplating his own place among the 14,000 years’ worth of buffalo hunters in North America, as well as the buffalo’s place in the American experience. At the time of the Revolutionary War, North America was home to approximately 40 million buffalo, the largest herd of big mammals on the planet, but by the mid-1890s only a few hundred remained. Now that the buffalo is on the verge of a dramatic ecological recovery across the West, Americans are faced with the challenge of how, and if, we can dare to share our land with a beast that is the embodiment of the American wilderness. American Buffalo is a narrative tale of Rinella’s hunt. But beyond that, it is the story of the many ways in which the buffalo has shaped our national identity. Rinella takes us across the continent in search of the buffalo’s past, present, and future: to the Bering Land Bridge, where scientists search for buffalo bones amid artifacts of the New World’s earliest human inhabitants; to buffalo jumps where Native Americans once ran buffalo over cliffs by the thousands; to the Detroit Carbon works, a “bone charcoal” plant that made fortunes in the late 1800s by turning millions of tons of buffalo bones into bone meal, black dye, and fine china; and even to an abattoir turned fashion mecca in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, where a depressed buffalo named Black Diamond met his fate after serving as the model for the American nickel.  Rinella’s erudition and exuberance, combined with his gift for storytelling, make him the perfect guide for a book that combines outdoor adventure with a quirky blend of facts and observations about history, biology, and the natural world. Both a captivating narrative and a book of environmental and historical significance, American Buffalo tells us as much about ourselves as Americans as it does about the creature who perhaps best of all embodies the American ethos.

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American Buffalo – Steven Rinella

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Here’s What We Know About the Rape Case Rocking the NHL

by LolitaYork Posted on September 28, 2015

Mother Jones

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Back in August, NHL All-Star Patrick Kane was accused of rape by a woman he met on a night out in the small town of Hamburg, New York. News of the resulting sexual-assault case against the Chicago Blackhawks forward has dominated hockey’s preseason, and it took a bizarre turn on Thursday, when the lawyer for the woman accusing Kane of raping her quit following what’s being called an elaborate hoax.

Grand jury proceedings have been delayed, and evidence from the accuser’s rape kit, leaked to the press, have led to plenty of premature speculation about what actually happened. Twists and turns aside, the case has pulled the NHL into what’s become an ongoing controversy over how pro sports leagues handle domestic violence and sexual assault. Here’s the backstory to the Kane case:

Is Patrick Kane a big deal? Yes. Consider this: The Buffalo native joined the Blackhawks as the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, and the team has won three Stanley Cups in the last six years. When the United States earned the silver medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kane, now 26, was the youngest player on the squad.

What’s the case against him about? On the night of August 1, Kane allegedly invited two women to his lakefront mansion in Hamburg after meeting them at Skybar, a popular Buffalo nightclub. An off-duty Buffalo police officer who had been hired as a driver by Kane took the three and Kane’s friend to the home in the early morning of August 2. (The officer, Lt. Thomas English, told the Buffalo News that he hadn’t seen improper behavior at the bar and left after he dropped the group off at Kane’s house.)

The 21-year-old alleged victim told investigators that after the group made it to Kane’s house, “she went by herself into another room, where Kane followed her, overpowered her and raped her,” according to the Buffalo News. The accuser and her friend reportedly left the house and called a relative after the alleged incident. She then went to a local hospital for an examination, and police were called. No charges have been filed against Kane. At a press conference on September 17, Kane apologized for the distraction and said he was confident of “having done nothing wrong.”

What’s the “hoax” controversy? For more than a month, Erie County authorities have been investigating the allegations against Kane. Last Sunday, in an apparent leak to the press, the Buffalo News and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that DNA tests of the accuser’s rape kit “showed no trace of Kane’s DNA was found in the woman’s genital area or on her undergarments.” Kane’s lawyer, Paul Cambria, later told the Chicago Tribune that the rape kit results had been shared with both him and the accuser’s attorney weeks earlier. (The tests also found traces of Kane’s DNA under the accuser’s fingernails and on her shoulders.)

The case took a bizarre twist this past week, when the accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, told reporters the accuser’s mother found a “rape kit evidence bag” at her front door. At a press conference, he said the bag had once contained a rape kit and raised concerns that the evidence had been tampered with. Eoannou called for an investigation into how it landed at the mother’s front door.

On Thursday night, Eoannou walked back the claims he made the night before and told reporters he would step away from his client’s case. After hearing the mother’s explanation of how she obtained an evidence bag, Eoannou said, “I lack confidence in the story that was told to me.”

Then, on Friday, Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III pushed back on claims that evidence had been tampered with, telling reporters, “We believe that a person, the complainant’s mother, has engaged in an elaborate hoax.”

Sedita explained that hours after the alleged incident at Kane’s house, the accuser traveled to her mother’s house to change her clothing. She and her mother returned to the hospital to undergo a sexual-assault exam. When the examiner found out the accuser had changed her top, a nurse asked the mother to go home and put it in a sealed bag bearing the hospital’s label, the victim’s name, and her date of birth. Sedita said at the press conference the mother hadn’t told police that the hospital bag had been left at her house. Instead, when investigators stopped by the house to pick up the top, they placed it in their own evidence bag instead of the bag the mother had been given at the hospital. (The accuser’s mother denies the whole situation was a hoax.)

So the “rape kit evidence bag” on the mother’s front steps turned out to be a hospital bag all along. The kit never left the forensics lab. (Sedita showed surveillance video supporting that.) Roland Cercone, another lawyer for the accuser, wrote in a letter to the Chicago Tribune on Saturday that the accuser’s mother would cooperate with investigators in an inquiry into the bag, calling the whole situation a “mess.”

Grand jury proceedings have been delayed. Sports law expert Michael McCann told SI.com that the most recent events lower the likelihood Kane will get charged and raise the possibility of a settlement between the two camps. (Kane’s attorney denies any such talks are taking place.) Or the DA’s office could close the case without a grand jury hearing and without charges.

“The question in my mind isn’t when this case goes to a grand jury…it’s if this case goes to a grand jury,” Sedita said.

How has the NHL responded to the accusations? Following the mess created by the rape kit controversy, a handful of sportswriters have written that it’s finally time for the NHL and the Blackhawks to suspend Kane with pay while the investigation is underway. There’s some precedence for this in the NHL: A year ago, the league suspended Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov pending a domestic-violence investigation by the league itself. (Voynov eventually pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. This month, he decided to leave the NHL and return to Russia.)

But no sanctions have been brought against Kane, who is currently training with the Blackhawks as the season approaches. In fact, last week, flanked by the Blackhawks’ president, general manager, and coach, Kane read a prepared statement, calling the case a “distraction” and saying he’s “confident once all facts come to light I will be absolved.” And Wednesday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told reporters he doesn’t “think today’s developments really have any direct impact on Kane’s status from the league’s standpoint.”

How does this case fit in with other recent accusations against pro athletes? The allegations against Kane come amid growing backlash across pro sports over the way leagues and teams handle accusations of violence against women. The NFL faced harsh criticism last year when then-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended for just two games following his offseason arrest for assaulting his fiancée. After public outcry and the release of video footage of the assault, the Ravens released Rice.

In the post-Rice era, some leagues appear to have taken a more proactive stance against domestic violence. In March, NASCAR suspended (and then reinstated under indefinite probation) Kurt Busch on the basis of domestic-violence allegations; less than a month ago, the Cleveland Browns indefinitely suspended offensive line coach Andy Moeller after an alleged assault against a woman in his home.

But the NHL has so far backed away from any change. In an interview last October, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league doesn’t need to formalize a new policy because “our players know what’s right and wrong,” adding that there are mechanisms in place “to hopefully not get to that point.”

Still, according to some hockey writers, the Kane case is the NHL’s opportunity to redefine their stance on domestic-violence allegations against players.

“Allowing Kane to attend training camp sends a message to the accuser that she does not matter,” wrote five hockey journalists for SB Nation. “If the NHL wants to repair its relationship with female fans, the league needs to send the message that sexual assault allegations will be handled seriously and properly, regardless of who you are or how many Stanley Cup rings you have.”

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Here’s What We Know About the Rape Case Rocking the NHL

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Jiggle Tests, Dunk Tanks, and Unpaid Labor: How NFL Teams Degrade Their Cheerleaders

by FreddyCaruso Posted on May 22, 2014

Mother Jones

NFL cheerleaders might appear to be a happy, peppy bunch, but off the sidelines their working conditions are far from cheery. On Monday, a former cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sued the team, claiming she was paid less than $2 per hour during her 2012-13 season of work. It was the fifth such lawsuit this year; cheerleaders for the Oakland Raiders (Raiderettes), the Cincinnati Bengals (Ben-Gals), the New York Jets (Flight Crew), and the Buffalo Bills (Jills) have filed similar suits. (In March, the Department of Labor ruled that the Raiderettes didn’t qualify for minimum-wage laws because they’re “seasonal workers.”)

So what’s it like to professionally cheer for America’s favorite sport? The allegations and evidence provided in the five lawsuits, plus a leaked 2009 employee manual from a Ravens cheerleader, give us a glimpse into the life of the women dancing on NFL sidelines. Here are 11 things they have to deal with:

Long game days, with little or no pay: NFL cheerleaders are often paid a flat rate for games that translates to a few bucks an hour, at best. Between arriving before the game and staying after it, cheerleaders work up to nine hours on game days. The Ben-Gals are paid $90 per game, and the cheerleaders for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers make $100 per game. The Raiderettes and the Jets Flight Crew make slightly more: $125 and $150 per game, respectively. The Buffalo Jills, whose operations were suspended in April after five Jills sued the team, seem to get the stingiest deal—they aren’t paid for games at all. Instead, they receive a game ticket (worth $90) and parking pass (worth $25) for each home game, which they can sell if they choose.

Not getting paid to practice: A lot of practice goes into that perfect halftime show, but many squads—including the Ben-Gals, Jills, Raiderettes, Flight Crew, and Buccaneers cheerleaders—are not paid for practicing. Cheerleaders for these teams are required to practice between 6 and 15 hours per week.

Making public appearances for free: The real money for cheerleaders often lies in public appearances at community or corporate events—Ravens cheerleaders can make about $50 per hour for corporate events. But they’re also required to attend charity events twice a month, sometimes for free. The Ben-Gals, Raiderettes, Jills, and Buccaneers cheerleaders have similar setups. Between practice, games, and unpaid events, Jills allege that they work about 20 hours a week for free.

Being auctioned off and sitting on the lap of the highest bidder: The Jills lawsuit detailed a number of public appearances involving “demeaning and degrading treatment,” including the Jills Annual Golf Tournament. First, golfers dunk bikini-clad cheerleaders into a pool of water. The cheerleaders are then “auctioned off” and ride around in a golf cart for the rest of the event with the winning bidder. Because there’s not enough room in the golf cart, Jills often sit on the bidders’ laps. Jills aren’t paid for the event.

Being fined for bringing the wrong pom-poms: Adding insult to already puny wages, some teams fine heavily for minor infractions. If a Raiderettes cheerleader forgets to bring the right pom-poms to practice, she’s fined $10. The same thing happens if she wears the wrong workout gear to a rehearsal, she forgets to bring a yoga mat to practice, or her boots aren’t cleaned and polished for game day. When one Raiderette accidentally got a Sharpie stain on her top at a calendar signing, she was required to buy a new one.

Buying dozens of copies of the calendars they posed for: Several teams produce swimsuit calendars featuring their cheerleaders. Instead of paying them for the photo shoots, some teams make cheerleaders pay for the calendars and sell them on the side. The Ravens cheerleaders are required to buy at least 100 calendars at $12 a pop—installment plans are available—and then sell them for $15 apiece. They get to keep the earnings, but if they don’t sell their share, they’re stuck with the debt and a whole lot of calendars.

Passing the “jiggle test”: It’s no secret that cheerleaders have to be in good shape, but turns out that being eye candy for the millions of football fans also means being subject to body-policing off the field. Coming in overweight can mean being benched for a game—which effectively means losing about an eighth of your income from games—or being dismissed from the team altogether.

Different teams have different weight-judging strategies. The Jills allege being subjected to a weekly “jiggle test,” which consisted of doing jumping jacks while their stomachs, arms, legs, hips, and butts were scrutinized. (The Jills manual also instructs, “Never eat in uniform unless arrangements have been made in advance. Just say ‘Thanks so much for offering but no thank you’…NEVER say, ‘Oh, we’re not allowed to eat!'”) Ben-Gals are required to weigh in twice a week, and if they come in more than three pounds over their “goal weight,” they face penalties: extra conditioning after practice, benchings, probation, or dismissal from the team.

Trips to the salon on your own dime: Being thin and toned is only the tip of the beauty-standard iceberg. Cheerleaders are expected to wear their hair and makeup in very specific ways, but often aren’t reimbursed for the cosmetic products and salon visits it takes to follow the rules. (Check out the Jills beauty and etiquette manual below for specifics.) The Ravens demand that the girls stay tan, keep their nails manicured but not too flashy, and get their hair dyed at least two weeks prior to every game. The Jills buy their own uniforms for $650 apiece, and while in uniform, are required to wear “foundation, blush, three natural eye shadow colors (lid cover, highlighter, definer), eye liner, mascara and red lipstick.”

All this grooming gets pricey—one former Ravens cheerleader says that keeping up her hair and makeup could cost more than $1,000 per season. A member of the Jets Flight Crew alleges that the team “required her to wear her hair straight, which in turn required her to see a hair stylist each week at an approximate cost of $45 per styling.” The Raiderettes handbook, according to an ESPN the Magazine article, simply says that it’s possible to “find yourself with no salary at all at the end of the season.”

Being instructed on how to use a tampon: Jills are given a manual that covers “appearance etiquette” and “etiquette for formal dining.” The guidelines are impressively detailed; for example: “If you are served pasta, never cut it to eat. Twirl a small portion on your fork with the assistance of a spoon.” Jills are instructed how often to brush their teeth and wash their faces (“Make-up left in the creases of your skin creates early wrinkles”). The manual even tackles what it calls “lady body maintenance.” “A tampon too big can irritate and develop fungus,” it reminds cheerleaders. “Products should be changed at least every 4 hrs.”

The full manual:

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Jills Glamor and Etiquette Rules (PDF)

Jills Glamor and Etiquette Rules (Text)

While we’re on the subject of lady parts, the Ben-Gals handbook (read the full version here) stipulates that “no panties are to be worn under practice clothes or uniform, not even thong panties.”

The Raven cheerleaders’ social-media presence is subject to a similar amount of micromanaging. According to the 2009 employee handbook, “If you participate in any social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook you are required to ‘Friend Request’ your director.”

Keeping these policies under wraps: It may be impolite to discuss money, but many cheerleaders are explicitly barred from talking about their income and their squad’s fee policy. The Jills handbook instructs: “NEVER discuss income!” The Ravens cheerleaders and the Raiderettes are also told to hold their tongues about the public appearances they’re required to make.

And doing it all with a smile: In their etiquette manual, Jills are instructed: “Do not be overly opinionated about anything…Be positive and consistently optimistic about everything…Never complain!” Ben-Gals are required to follow rules guiding their “attitude and behavior,” as follows (emphasis theirs): “Insubordination- Webster defines this word as ‘not submitting to authority; disobedient.’ Syn. Rebellious, mutinous, defiant. Insubordination to even the slightest degree IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TOLERATED!!! You will be benched or dismissed!!!” ; “Authority- ABSOLUTELY NO ARGUING OR QUESTIONING THE PERSON IN AUTHORITY!!!”

Looks like NFL teams might be out of luck on that last one.

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Jiggle Tests, Dunk Tanks, and Unpaid Labor: How NFL Teams Degrade Their Cheerleaders

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