Looking for love

Cheap is sexy: First-date coupons are becoming all the rage

Did you buy into a half-off sushi deal on Groupon or a free movie ticket on LivingSocial this week? Go ahead and use it to impress that special someone, says CouponCabin.com.

According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for that site, 26 percent of respondents admit to using a coupon on a first date. The same amount said that they would react positively if their first date tab was picked up by a coupon: It's considered a good sign that you're smart with your money in these tough economic times.

Only 1 percent of respondents said that they'd walk out on the coupon-clipper.

Seventy-three percent of respondents said that a coupon wouldn't necessarily warrant a walk-out or deter them from seeing that person again; 3 percent said they'd speak up about their displeasure; 12 percent said they'd keep quiet but turn down date two; and only 1 percent said that they'd walk out on the coupon-clipper.

Even if the odds are in your favor, let us recommend that you err on the side of formal: If it's possible to surreptitiously slip the coupon to your waiter when your date goes to the powder room, do that, Romeo.

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Animal News

Tiger confined in backyard seized from Dallas home in cruelty investigation

DPD

Miserable tiger confined in a backyard in Dallas.

In another sad case of animal cruelty in Dallas, a tiger was found confined in a backyard cage in southeast Dallas.

The tiger has been seized, along with a menagerie of other animals commonly used in illegal fighting rings.

According to a release from the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Police executed four search warrants in an animal cruelty investigation on August 25 in the 5700 block of Johnson Lane.

Police were initially investigating a rooster and dog-fighting operation. While executing one of the warrants in that investigation, they found the tiger in an enclosure on the property.

Officers also seized dogs, roosters, and chickens.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and Texas Parks And Wildlife Department are assisting in the investigation.

The Dallas Zoo and Dallas Animal Services are also assisting the department.

Charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing.

Unfortunately, Texas is stupid and allows residents to own lions and tigers, as long as they register their animals with local authorities and register with the Department of State Health and Human Services. They're also supposed to carry a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance.

There are also caging requirements: Each tiger needs at least 300 square feet of space and an 8 foot fence. This cage must be covered but not if that enclosure is more than 1,000 square feet.

The 5700 block of Johnson Lane is outside Loop 12 but inside I-20, east of 342, west of I-45, in a backwater rural zone about a mile from Paul Quinn College.

animals