Ringling Bros. circus to close after 146 years
I&#x27;ve got a lot of mixed emotions about this. It was interesting that CBS aired a story on Friday about the &#x27;first female ring master&#x27;[1] and then it drops that the show is closing.<p>An acquaintance of mine from grade school has pretty tirelessly crusaded against circuses for their mistreatment of animals. And for them, even the notion that you could &quot;take excellent care&quot; of an animal in your care that your raised from birth is an abomination if that animal is not allowed to run free in their original habitat (not that they would survive at that point but still...) But I&#x27;ve always enjoyed people pushing themselves to the edge to see if they can. As a result high wire acts, trapezes, and even the clown routines are fond memories for me.<p>If I&#x27;m honest with myself though it is just nostalgia for a different time. That time is past, whether or not there is a circus to go to.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbsnews.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;ringling-brothers-woman-ringmaster-first-kristen-michelle-wilson&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbsnews.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;ringling-brothers-woman-ringmast...</a>