Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Everybody saw this coming.

I desperately hope that, yet again, I am wrong.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

It’s a doggy dog world.

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

Cole is on a roll !

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

So many bastards, so little time.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

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Late last night, I was watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, waiting in vain for the Working Group (that’s on tonight, as it turns out) and gaining confidence that “Best In Show” is actually a real documentary. This Shih Tzu named “Rocket” won the Toy Group:

rocket

It’s a badass Shih Tzu — look at the symmetry in those eyebrow and mustache hair strands, for god’s sake. Then today, via Gawker, I learned that Rocket belongs to Patty Hearst. Yes, that Patty Hearst. John Waters is a documentarian too.

Speaking of dogs on TV…[spoiler under the fold for latest episode of “Downton Abbey]

Goddamnit, Julian Fellowes! You had to kill off the most intelligent and admirable member of the “Downton Abbey” cast, didn’t you? Rat-bastard.

Reader Interactions

154Comments

  1. 1.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Oh shit, I was afraid of that from some of the veiled not-quite-spoilers I’d seen. Need to do some serious Downton catching up.

  2. 2.

    shelley

    They say a lot of people have lost power down in W. virginia due to the ice storms. Wonder if that’s why we haven’t gotten any pup updates from Cole.

    Have to confess I have a rather sour view on dog show ‘pure breeds.’ Breeders keep trying to accentuate the defining characteristic of particular variety. One example-why so man German Shepherds have hip dysplasia; breeders keep trying to increase that desirable slope to the hind quarters
    **************
    I cried when they placed Isis between the two of them in bed.

  4. 4.

    Betty Cracker

    RE: Downton — Rose has grown on me. At first I thought she was just an inadequate sop to replace Sybil, but now I like her. She’s a far more compelling and interesting character than Mary, who is a freaking sociopath. Edith has been too much of a doormat to root for; if she’d upend a soup tureen over Mary’s head, I’d respect her more.

  5. 5.

    Tommy

    OK two things. There is a toy dog apart of this and second how fast can get them to my house. I only know cats but pretty sure they’d rather be here!

  6. 6.

    Nicole

    An acquaintance gave me a link to a post from a former dog exhibiter complaining about dog shows being more about rewarding popular handlers and things than physical canine perfection. It’s always entertaining to read people complaining that sports aren’t fair.

    And I also read somewhere that Isis’ and Pharoah’s coloring is anachronistic; the really light Yellow Lab wouldn’t appear in the breed for some decades. Anyone know if that’s true?

    Aha! I finally placed who that Shih Tzu reminds me of:
    http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Flash-Gordon-Icon-flash-gordon-28302911-200-200.jpg

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I realize that what metro Atlanta is experiencing is as nothing compared with the Northeast, Midwest, and even big chunks of the South. Nevertheless, it is pretty cold (below freezing in mid-afternoon, and dropping); there have been power outages over a widespread area; and black ice is a real concern on the roads.

    All that is to say that I’m having a huge debate with myself about whether I should go tonight to see the Royal Ballet performance of “Winter’s Tale.” It’s one of their standalone HD in the Cinema transmissions, and sounds yummy for a ballet-loving Shakespeare aficionado like me. But I’m just not sure I want to drive home at 10:00 p.m. in what might be nasty road conditions.

    On the one hand.
    On the other hand.
    But.
    However.
    Nevertheless.
    Still.
    And yet.

  8. 8.

    Pogonip

    W. Va also had an explosion of oil on a train that caused some power outages, though I don’t know if it’s anywhere near Cole. He probably fell victim to the ice (not literally, one hopes).

    I have a suggestion. If he hasn’t already, I think he should invite Amir Khalid to be one of his front-pagers. Amir has shown himself to be a font of information on a region and a religion most Americans know little about.

  9. 9.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    gaining confidence that “Best In Show” is actually a real documentary.

    The friend who forced* that movie on me used to be active in dog show circles. She will swear on a stack of Bibles that it is, in fact, a documentary.

    *Her taste in movies and mine don’t overlap all that much, so I’m always a bit hesitant about her recommendations.

  12. 12.

    greennotGreen

    @shelley: Having worked in rescue for a number of years, I also have a sour view of dog shows, in fact, the snobbery of “purebreds” in general. I think I wouldn’t feel that way if there weren’t people busily breeding dogs while we’re busily putting them down. Here’s my proposal: you want a purebred, buy a purebred from a reputable breeder, but you also have to adopt a rescue dog.

    BTW, of my ten dogs, all are rescues except one (intended as a gift before I learned about puppy mills and unethical breeding.) Seven of them are likely purebreds.

  15. 15.

    Tommy

    @SiubhanDuinne: Go have some fun. Shakespeare isn’t my cup of tea. Just me. But I met one of my best friends in a blizzard. He and I came to each other, as the city of DC was shutting down. He was walking. I was walking in the middle of all of it. He said to me this is beautiful isn’t it. I was like yes it is fucking amazing.

  16. 16.

    Southern Beale

    File this under “I hate it when mom and dad fight”:

    HCA makes the case for subsidies
    Local hospital chain files brief in pending Supreme Court case, says ACA is working as intended

    HCA Holdings filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court last month in the King vs. Burwell case, expressing support for maintaining subsidies in states using the federal health insurance exchange.

    In the brief, HCA calls the petitioners’ interpretation of to whom subsidies apply “so absurd that Congress could not have possibly intended them.”

    The case centers on language in the Affordable Care act that says subsidies apply to “applicable taxpayers” who enrolled in plans “through an exchange by the state.” Subsidy opponents have argued the tax credits should be stripped from states without their own exchanges. However, HCA and other subsidy proponents have argued that interpretation is inconsistent with the intent of the ACA and other statutes surrounding the legality of the subsidies.

    As part of their argument, HCA officials provided a number of details on its exchange patients as examples that the ACA is functioning as intended, but could be significantly undercut if subsidies are dropped. Notably, they said exchange patients have nearly double the access to outpatient care and use HCA emergency rooms at a rate of 300 percent less than the uninsured.

    “The likely effect of stripping the subsidies is that many exchange enrollees will join the ranks of the uninsured and revert to the patterns of ER use that Congress sought to counteract,” HCA said in the brief.

    Further, HCA said that two-third of the company’s exchange patients are women, and 77 percent of oncology care provided to exchange patients at HCA facilities is for women, indicating that “many female patients who have moved from being uninsured to insured through the exchanges are better able to access medically necessary care.”

    HCA, which operates 270 acute-care hospitals, ambulatory surgery and psychiatric facilities, also said that in 2014, the company began seeing offsetting revenue gains from insured exchange patients. The company reported that exchange patients pay an average of $390 out-of-pocket per visit for care in HCA facilities, putting a dent in the billions of uncompensated care provided across the country.

    HCA, of course, is the for-profit hospital chain founded by the Frist family.

  20. 20.

    Tommy

    @greennotGreen: I am so what with you I don’t know where to start. How about a show of muts? I’d watch that show. Get them a home. I’ve never had a dog in my life. Always wanted this picture perfect English Springer Spaniel when I was a kid (and still!).

    Thinking of getting a dog for ages, I will take any mutt I can find that wants a home and won’t fuck with my cat!

  21. 21.

    Pogonip

    I got out to my car and, what was trickier, back in the house. (We have high porch steps, which I never thought about till very recently.)

    It occurred to me that if I put on a jingly hip wrap and can persuade a drummer to follow me around, I will have invented the Straight-Kneed Sideways Camel Walk. Or at least that’ll be my story.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: “Happy Valley” is awesome. It took me a few minutes to place “O’Brien” too — Finneran was wise to bail on DA for HV, though I do miss O’Brien and Barrow’s snarly scheming.

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    Watch 95% for Violet’s quips (“He’s a man. Men don’t have rights.) ”but now also, too, hate-watching Edith. Somebody should just steal that poor kid so she doesn’t have to spend her entire life around dear dreary mummy.

    We make a sport of watching Westminster over dinner, booing the toys (90% anyway) and mocking the non-sporting component of non-sporting while lamenting the noble Dalmatian’s criminal inclusion. OTOH I want half of the hounds and am likewise hopelessly smitten by most of the sporting group. Who the hell dresses the handlers? Yikes.

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @raven:

    A two-dog night?

    I had some intermittent flickering last night but no outages lasting more than a couple of minutes.

    My concern tonight is that there may be ice on the roads AND the possibility that traffic lights will be out. But I have looked forward to seeing this ballet since they first announced it months ago. So I’m really going back and forth on whether I should go.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Tommy:

    What a nice story. I’m admiring the bare trees here, all sparkling with ice. Treacherous if the boughs snap off and land on top of your house or car (or person) but breathtakingly beautiful to see.

    If I take your advice — which at this moment I’m inclined to do — I’ll post on an evening open thread.

  31. 31.

    trollhattan

    Forgot to mention last night’s best Westminster moment: the minpin jumping into the box. Hilarious–they should have instantly awarded group winner in lieu of that…whatever creature that is.

  34. 34.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne: Don’t know how to advise you. You’d probably love the performance.

    AND, since the snow/ice was such a clusterf*ck last year(?), maybe Atlanta will have its act together tonight, and have sufficient salt and treatment out on roads? Just drive as slow as you like; don’t let anyone tailgate or intimidate you, and be aware there might be black ice around.

    Oh, and no two champagnes at intermission. Alas.

  36. 36.

    Betty Cracker

    @trollhattan: I keep hoping Edith will rise up against her oppressors, but after four and a half seasons, I’m beginning to doubt her. I can’t remember where I read it, but some reviewer made a really good point about how half the time, the Downton Abbey writers don’t even deign to show us the juicy stuff. Like when Cora got called out for a private meeting with Mrs. Drew and then comes back to admonish Violet and Rosamund for not telling her about Edith’s spawn. WTF? Haven’t we earned the right to see the Mrs. Drew-Cora showdown?

  37. 37.

    Violet

    I just went and welcomed our new neighbor to the neighborhood by informing her that her pool guy or fence guy (probably fence guy) destroyed our garden bed. Again. Of course I have no idea who did it. Just come back to find it destroyed. No one around. No note. Nothing.

    I detest these people.

  39. 39.

    Tommy

    @SiubhanDuinne: I can’t tell you what to do, other than to say we became really good single dude friends. When I did not want to spend a week with this women in San Fran he took her ticket. He was a world traveler. I was not. Said we’d go to San Fran for a few days, but head north to hike around. My god. Might have been the most stunning place I’ve ever been. At least for me made the Rockies seem second school.

  41. 41.

    gogol's wife

    @Betty Cracker:

    Barrow just doesn’t work without O’Brien. He’s a good actor, but they really don’t know what to do with him.

    My new favorite is Spratt.

    Just as I knew all through Season 3 that Matthew was going to die, a “friend” told me about Isis before this season began, so I’ve been dreading it all the way through. They handled it very nicely, although I’m not sure why they needed to do it.

  42. 42.

    Violet

    @SiubhanDuinne: Can you indulge in a hotel room nearby? There are some last minute hotel room apps and websites. Maybe you could find something nice for a cheap price?

  43. 43.

    Tommy

    @Violet: You might be the in the top ten of people I’d like to meet face to face from here. Blind them with kindnesses. How do you get that upset?

  44. 44.

    cckids

    @Tommy:

    I am so what with you I don’t know where to start. How about a show of muts? I’d watch that show. Get them a home.

    Here in Vegas one of the shelters partners with a big hotel/cas1no to do this; they choose a number of dogs, give them a makeover & have a “Strut your Mutt” day. There are also lots of booths with products, info, etc. It is both a fundraiser & adoption event, and is generally very successful. Also lots of fun.

  45. 45.

    Elmo

    Still speaking of TV dogs, do we have any Walking Dead fans here? The Dobermans on Sundays show belong to a friend of mine. The male, Ricky Bobby, is not only the top UKC Dobe in conformation, he’s also trained in obedience and Schutzhund.

    She spends every spare moment working with her dogs, she has a whole houseful of rescued Dobes with health issues (brittle bone and VwD), and I am just over the moon for her.

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    How the Betters are helping the Lessers in tough economic times.

    SEATTLE — Instead of getting raises, workers at Seattle’s Space Needle say they got a presentation on “How to Live on Less,” KIRO-TV reports.

    The webinar apparently was emailed to Space Needle workers last month.

    “Four years ago, my wage was enough to live on in Seattle comfortably,” said elevator operator Michael Hall, who has worked at the Space Needle for 7 1/2 years. “I wasn’t living paycheck to paycheck. Since then, I’ve had to move back in with my parents outside of the city. Now I commute two hours each way to and from work.”

    Part of the presentation advises workers to budget and “Make it Fun!” Some tips include:

    “Learn to cook gourmet, not pay gourmet.”
    “Learn when your local museums, parks, and other places of interest offer free or discount days.”
    “Be creative.”

    Unite Here 8 is the union for Space Needle workers. The union said the last pay increase for employees was a 35-cent raise four years ago.

    Let’s see, that 2011 35-cent raise would have netted somewhere around eight bucks per week. Those moochers should have saved it instead of squandering on gourmet dinners!

  49. 49.

    Violet

    @Tommy: Because for a year and a half we’ve been surrounded by construction and the construction people have destroyed our and the other neighbors’ property, gardens, lawns, fences, leaving trash everywhere, blocking driveways, leaving massive trucks running for hours with diesel fumes filling the air, etc., etc. I’m absolutely sick of it. If I’m around I’m on them like white on rice, watching every move, documenting everything with my camera. If I’m not here I come home to find things destroyed. It’s been a hassle like you cannot imagine.

    The idiot rich people who bought the butt ugly house are the ones I introduced myself to today. They had no idea what their construction people had done. They don’t care. Rich. Entitled. Move into the neighborhood and want everyone to conform to their wishes, not adapt to the area in which they chose to purchase a house.

    There have been times over the last year when I simply have not been able to work because the noise and fumes have been so toxic it was impossible to be around. I was essentially displaced while the construction workers trashed the place.

    I’m fucking sick of it.

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    @Betty Cracker: Good point, an opportunity lost for some really withering dialogue. I have enough trouble keeping up with the time-jumps, much less filling in the plot holes.

  53. 53.

    Botsplainer

    @Betty Cracker:

    I keep hoping Edith will rise up against her oppressors, but after four and a half seasons, I’m beginning to doubt her. I can’t remember where I read it, but some reviewer made a really good point about how half the time, the Downton Abbey writers don’t even deign to show us the juicy stuff. Like when Cora got called out for a private meeting with Mrs. Drew and then comes back to admonish Violet and Rosamund for not telling her about Edith’s spawn. WTF? Haven’t we earned the right to see the Mrs. Drew-Cora showdown?

    I want to see a Downton Abbey – Marvel Avengers crossover. Watch Robert Downey interact with them at dinner, have some visiting fop insult Banner and Steve Rodgers, maybe have Scarlett show up in her black jumpsuit to upset everyone’s sense of propriety.

  56. 56.

    trollhattan

    @Iowa Old Lady:
    It’s maddening and depressing in equal measure. At a time Republicans seem to have decided to hitch their wagons to the “College education is a elitist fraud” star they seem hellbent on punishing every last hourly worker for not being sufficiently skilled and motivated to do the bootstrappy thing and get themselves a real damn job. A piece of of circular reasoning so perfectly round it’s housed in the National Bureau of Standards.

  57. 57.

    JPL

    @Elmo: I never saw it. There’s a warehouse type of building, I guess they show and it’s an event venue. The Goat Farm My son and significant other are considering it for their wedding. It’s a tad different from the other events sights they are looking at.

  58. 58.

    Belafon

    My favorite Wonkette title since BJ has started hosting them:

    “Americans Swear To Remember To Blame GOP For Shutting Down Homeland Security, LOL”

  62. 62.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Violet:

    Oh, I live only about seven miles away. The theatre is more or less in my neighborhood. And I decided to come. I really want to see this ballet, and I promise I’ll drive home carefully and not indulge in any adult beverage until I’m home!

  63. 63.

    JPL

    @raven: Have you been watching Grantchester? I’m enjoying it because it’s only a tad more intense than Rosemary and Thyme.

  64. 64.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: Our trees were covered with ice but I only saw one limb down and that was in the neighbors yard. The streets are dry but the ice storm intensified as it moved east with colder temps. Just drive slow and you should be okay.

  65. 65.

    Pogonip

    @Violet: They’ll care once the property damage claims start coming in. I’d file a claim on every damn thing down to the damaged petunias you got on sale at the big box, and encourage other neighbors to do likewise.

    And then let the air out of their giant American vehicle’s tires.

  66. 66.

    Schlemazel

    My brother & his wife raised show dogs and showed them for a number of years. I went with for a while to help & also to see what it was all about. My feeling is that “Best In Show” was too kind to dog people.

    I ended up with an Afghan hound, a beautiful & loving dog because of one odd thing that I think exemplifies how odd it can get. There was a woman that raised toy poodles and cocker spaniels. She ran around in one of those skooter chairs, not because she had to but simply because she didn’t feel like walking. She had a heart attack & died one night. Her husband came home, went into her kennels & shot every one of her dogs, 22 or 23 in all I believe. Then there was this Afghan, nobody knows how or why she had it but he decided to to shoot her, he saved her bald! I bought this sweety for $25 & she looked like she was on her way to boot camp with that cut.

    Just odd people

  67. 67.

    Pogonip

    @trollhattan: I wish I’d see some small signs of rebellion in stories like this. The longer the rage is pent up, the worse it’ll be when it finally erupts. It’s frightening.

  71. 71.

    Woodrowfan

    that dog is clearly a neo-Nazi Ukrainian fascist. And I think he impersonated Oswald on the Grassy Knoll! But will Zandar do anything about that dog listening to our hard drives? No, he will not!!!!

  72. 72.

    JPL

    @raven: It takes place in the fifties outside of London. Norton plays a vicar who is still haunted by his fighting in WWII and teams up with the local detective.

  73. 73.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Betty or any other Floridians: Does this strike you as the bad idea is seems to be to me?

    Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, is strongly considering a bid for U.S. Senate, calculating that having Hillary Clinton at the top of the 2016 ticket would help lift her candidacy in a year-of-the-woman campaign.

  75. 75.

    JPL

    @Schlemazel: Horse people are the same. Why pay a thousand and up to enter an event to get a ribbon. Maybe I need to ask Ann Romney but at least they got a nice tax deduction out of it.

  76. 76.

    Baud

    @trollhattan:

    “Learn to cook gourmet, not pay gourmet.”
    “Learn when your local museums, parks, and other places of interest offer free or discount days.”
    “Be creative.”

    Instead of hookers and blow, sniff glue and masterbate to a Sears catalog.

  79. 79.

    Violet

    @Pogonip: @efgoldman: The problem is, who do I sue? I can’t prove who did what unless I install a surveillance system. So far the construction company has been good about replacing and repairing damaged stuff. But it’s a constant battle dealing with it. The stress is grinding because it just doesn’t fucking end.

    The idiot lady who bought the butt ugly house (and I’m not just saying that–it’s ugly and doesn’t fit the neighborhood) had no idea what the construction people were doing via the access to her back yard. They have to go by our property to get to it and that’s when they damage our stuff. Over and over again. Of course she has no idea. Because why would she? It’s not like she would actually be responsible and oversee what the contractors she hired herself are doing in the yard–when she’s actually in the house. Why do that when they’re just fucking with the neighbors down the street and who cares about them? They’re just little people.

    Fuck that noise.

  80. 80.

    jl

    I thought that might be one of these alien overlords I keep hearing about. But it’s a dog?
    Well, could be either. If we’re going to have alien overlords, probably better to have a doggy one than many other kinds.

  85. 85.

    Denali

    Poor doggie on DA had to go because of her unfortunate name. Who would have known?

    As for Edith, I hope she finds happiness in rising to the challenge of running a publishing company. I think she can shake off her “poor me” personna. As for Lady Mary, can we say “self absorbed?’
    The Times does a great take down of DA on Monday.

  86. 86.

    trollhattan

    @Roger Moore: @BillinGlendaleCA:
    Why, I can recall a time when the official “yonder, thereabouts” was housed in a building in Washington, D.C., right next to the standard “passel” and across from the American pig poke (not the obsolete Imperial poke). Those were the days.

  90. 90.

    trollhattan

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    She jumped the shark for me a year or so ago when she defended keeping Cuba sanctions in place until they “released all the political prisoners.” Utterly tone-deaf and hard for me to believe such a south-Floridacentric stance squares with the national party. Made me question the party’s entire leadership structure.

  91. 91.

    Violet

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Apparently she’s seeking Rubio’s seat. I can’t see why this would be a bad thing. Rubio gone. A Democrat in the spot and DWS may move out of the DNC top spot. What’s not to love?

    I’m sure there are other Democrats who would be better but it’s more important to me to have a Democrat win the seat. If she can win that would be great.

  94. 94.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @trollhattan: I’ve long questioned the wisdom of having a part-time party chairperson. It’s a full-time job, don’t foist it off on some congressciter.

  96. 96.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Violet: I have no idea how she plays at home, she may well be the strongest candidate, and at this point I’m all about electability, but there’s this @trollhattan: kind of stuff, and this

    Liberal bloggers are irate that Wasserman Schultz, who co-chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red-to-Blue program, has declined to endorse the Democrats running to unseat Cuban American Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother, Mario Diaz-Balart.

    I don’t know how much influence her endorsement would have had, but I don’t think it’s a good sign, and it’s not like this or her criticism of the Cuba deal is gonna win her any votes from old Castro-haters, the only ones really paying attention to this stuff, I suspect..

  99. 99.

    Elmo

    @Violet:
    That’s why you sue HER, and let her file against the bonds or insurance of the contractors. It’s not your job to know who’s responsible – it’s hers. They are acting as her agents in doing the work. They aren’t doing it as a hobby. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, she is on the hook for the actions of her agents.

  103. 103.

    madmommy

    @Betty Cracker: It was probably at Go Fug Yourself. If you read their recaps of the show, the leaving out of big, emotional moments is often a topic of derision. It is crazy-making. I would have loved to see Cora and Mrs. Drew’s conversation, especially since Cora has been utterly clueless all this time with what is going on with Edith. I have a theory that Edith is actually the daughter of her aunt who became pregnant as an unmarried woman and gave the child to Robert and Cora to raise. She seemed rather keen to give up a year of her life to travel to Switzerland and stay with Edith through the pregnancy and weaning of the baby. It would also explain why neither Robert or Cora seem to be able to connect with Edith at all.

  104. 104.

    Pogonip

    @Violet: You sue the idiot rich lady who is responsible for the actions of her contractors. A good lawyer might be able to get you compensation for the emotional distress as well.

  105. 105.

    Tree With Water

    Dog shows don’t bother me at all. But Mrs. Simpson and the abdicated Edward actually convened a formal dinner, served at table by liveried servants, for (maybe) 20 of their closest friends fucking dogs. I’ve seen the photo. That bothered me.

  108. 108.

    trollhattan

    @Violet: @Pogonip:
    At this late date I’d think surveillance cameras are in order. Hell, even fake ones placed in obvious locations, but real ones would be better. Become That Lady.

  109. 109.

    gogol's wife

    @madmommy:

    That’s an interesting theory.

    I guess I’m the only one who didn’t mind their skipping the Mrs. Drewe/Cora conversation, even though I love the actress playing Mrs. Drewe. She can’t improve on “She won’t sleep else.”

  111. 111.

    Violet

    @Elmo: Except I can’t prove it’s her contractors. Could have been a utility truck. Or maybe kids messing around in there. Or something. Without some kind of proof or eyewitness (a neighbor did see one of the trucks hit our garden bed one time) there isn’t a case to go forward.

    I know it’s the contractors. I’ve been them hit it once or twice. The neighbor has. And the utility guys are in and out of there and never hit it. But knowing it and proving it are not the same thing.

  112. 112.

    raven

    There are dog show people that treat their dogs wonderfully and there are dog show people who treat their dogs like shit, just like everyone else.

  113. 113.

    madmommy

    @gogol’s wife:

    It’s probably not how it will play out, but it would be interesting! I so want Edith to grow a spine and stop being such a sad sack. Living in London would probably be better for her, because it seems she’s never going to get out from under the shadow of Mary. I feel badly for Mrs. Drew, and fear she’s going to be the one to blow this whole plan sky high. She’s living on the estate, so she’s going to be seeing Marigold all the time! I know it’s a different time, but none of them are giving any thought at all to the feelings of this woman who took the child in and raised her as her own for a year.

  114. 114.

    trollhattan

    @madmommy:
    This has been bothering me for a long while but I’ve finally figured out who Edith reminds me of: Prince Herbert in the “Holy Grail”

    King of Swamp Castle: One day, lad, all this will be yours.
    Prince Herbert: What, the curtains?
    King of Swamp Castle: No, not the curtains, lad, all that you can see stretched out over the valleys and the hills! That’ll be your kingdom, lad.

  115. 115.

    Buddy H

    What’s all this then:

    “One month before voters head to the polls for Israel’s national elections, Israeli State Comptroller Yosef Shapira released the long-anticipated findings of an inquiry into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s living and hospitality expenses, detailing a lavish lifestyle buttressed by the excessive and potentially illegal use of taxpayer funds.

    Accusations of improper conduct have long swirled around the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, and Shapira’s report provides documented corroboration to what Netanyahu defenders have long insisted was baseless gossip. The report comes as Sara Netanyahu has confronted charges of worker mistreatment in a civil court case.”

  116. 116.

    schrodinger's cat

    Isis is dead/dying because of her name. Can’t stand Mary at all. Her new haircut is terrible. She is such a nasty piece of work. I can’t believe that men find her irresistible. Pale as a ghost and all skin and bones is hardly my idea of pretty. In my opinion Sybil was much prettier.

  117. 117.

    Buddy H

    I love the guy who bobbed her hair, and put on a “continental” accent in front of her, and then as she walked away, turned to his assistant and in his real cockney voice said something like most of them look like shaved monkeys.

    My favorite character was the dog. And Grantham makes the stupid comment that “she probably doesn’t know who I am, just wants to be fed” or something like that, while through the whole show she follows him around adoringly.
    @schrodinger’s cat: I really thought Mary would fall off the horse during the race and break her neck. It seemed like Julian was teasing us in that direction anyway.

  118. 118.

    Violet

    @trollhattan: I’m already That Lady. I’m the one who, if I’m home and I hear a truck, runs screaming out of my house, camera in hand, yelling at the guys to move their truck if it’s one inch blocking my driveway and taking pictures of the license plate, the licensing info on the door of the truck and the driver.

    We’ve talked about surveillance cameras. I am back and forth on it because advertising that you’re That Person can make you more of a target because people get ticked off. And if they’re fake cameras I think you’re asking for trouble.

    It’s been a helluva year and I really thought it was done and then this happened today. After I’d spent the whole day accompanying my parents to doctors appointments and various other things. I’m beat and did not need this crap when I finally got home.

  120. 120.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Buddy H: Lord Grantham is pretty clueless too.

    I love the guy who bobbed her hair, and put on a “continental” accent in front of her, and then as she walked away, turned to his assistant and in his real cockney voice said something like most of them look like shaved monkeys.

    Wasn’t it funny how Fellowes had the haircut guy mention that the style looks good on Mary. We are supposed to love Mary and whatever she does.
    Its seems like the tiresome, Mary and her suitors plot is finally over.

  121. 121.

    Buddy H

    @schrodinger’s cat: I like how Rose’s suitor, when he admitted to her that he was Jewish, he winced slightly… as if expecting her to react with outrage. And she just stared at him like “so?”

    I wonder how far Julian will take this series? Will he put them all in old age makeup and bring them up to WWII?

  123. 123.

    Buddy H

    @Violet: I am back and forth on it because advertising that you’re That Person can make you more of a target because people get ticked off. I made the mistake of complaining about some vandalism, and became a major target, with nails in my tires every month and dog shit in my yard.

    Since we moved, I’m extra careful to be super nice to my new neighbors, even the guy with the gadsden flag in front of his house.

  125. 125.

    Buddy H

    @schrodinger’s cat: Interesting the “servant problems” that Granny is suffering. Her new maid brings out a totally inappropriate fur coat for the race. And the butler is beyond neurotic. In the old days, the maid would have known exactly how to dress her, and the butler would be unflappable.

  126. 126.

    Buddy H

    @schrodinger’s cat: Tom deserves better than Mary. I’m actually one of the few who found his schoolteacher friend charming.

    I liked the way she empowered Daisy, and the way she spoke up at the silly dinners. And cute as hell.

    My wife hated her.

  127. 127.

    Violet

    @Buddy H: Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t mind yelling at the contractors that much because they’ll move on. But I don’t really like having a camera out there. Especially if it’s not a working camera. I think it’s asking for trouble. Same reason I haven’t put up “No parking” signs or even “Please pick up after your dog” signs. The amount of dog shit people don’t pick up is staggering. But I think if I put a sign up they’ll throw it over the fence.

  128. 128.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Buddy H: She was OK. Daisy storyline this time was silly, giving up on her education because she is disappointed in the Labor government.

    ETA: Lord Merton’s sons have definitely upstaged Bunting as the worst dinner guests, ever.

  130. 130.

    Buddy H

    @Violet: that’s exactly what happened to me. After complaining about dog crap in my yard, I looked out my back window one day and saw the neighbor send his dog into my yard to shit.

    Stand up for yourself, of course, but be careful.. Sometimes people on a message board will tell you to Fight! Fight! Fight! while it’s really them saying “I’ll hold your coat while you go fight.” You have to live with neighbors. Think carefully before you act. It sucks that neighbors are thoughtless and rude. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

  131. 131.

    Miki

    Debby Downer here here – one who adores poodles and is rooting for the standard poodle tonight, but also one who owned and managed the vet care of a chronically ill standard poodle for 12 years. The conformation ring is not a good place for the dogs, although more and more show breeders/pedigree dog owners are doing more and better work to promote pedigree dog health. But it’s a struggle.

    Terrierman has re-posted a short video on his blog today check it out – http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2015/02/there-are-no-winners-at-westminster.html

  139. 139.

    jl

    @trollhattan:

    ” Importantly: how many RPG rounds came her way? ”

    She survived being within two feet of live Somali pastries. Harrowing story. Brave reporter.

  140. 140.

    gogol's wife

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    That’s the favored outcome of the people commenting at the NYTimes. I think it would be ridiculous.

    Matthew Goode is supposed to show up as yet another suitor for her. I’m sorry Julian Ovenden seems to be leaving, although they gave him NOTHING to do.

  142. 142.

    gogol's wife

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I actually like Mary — I think Michelle Dockery is a fine actress, as is evident whenever she gets a scene with Maggie Smith. The character of Edith is somewhat tiresome, but the actress does the best she can with it. The economy of the three sisters worked well, but it got upset when Jessica Brown Findlay left.

    I realize that most of my comments are compliments to the actors, but that’s what I watch the show for. There’s some incredibly good work on the part of virtually all of them, every week. Penelope Wilton and Jeremy Swift are my current favorites. Maybe the most masterly of all, other than Smith, is Leslie Nicol (Mrs. Patmore)

  146. 146.

    madmommy

    I watch mainly for the interplay between the Dowager Countess and Mrs. Crawley. If the show was just the two of them I would watch the hell out of it! The scenes with Mary and Mable Lane Fox are good too-MLF doesn’t back down from Mary and gives as good as she gets. Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Hughes are a great friendship as well, especially when they conspire to get around Mr. Carson.

  149. 149.

    bemused

    @Betty Cracker:

    Felloewes has been letting Mary’s snooty bitch flag fly again, so much so that I had been forgetting her human moments such as saving the pigs.

    @Napoleon:

    Me too. It’s one of those movies that I can re-watch and still lol.

  150. 150.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Elizabelle: That’s such great news. I love Uno. I still remember my delight as the BIS judge said “Let me have the beagle.”

  151. 151.

    debbie

    @Botsplainer:

    Ha! I want to see Opie from Sons of Anarchy invade South Park and avenge everyone who’s ever been mean to Butters. Then they could run off and have their own adventures.

    @trollhattan:

    I thought I was the only one here who hated Edith. “How dare you spoil my sorrow with your haircut!”

    Violet seems to be losing her edge sadly. Mary’s been a bit meaner to Edith lately, but she’s practically begging for it.

  154. 154.

    SWMBO

    I have DA on bluray and watched the last episodes this afternoon. Isis didn’t die because of her name. She was 15 or more years old.

    There is a lot of things that get tied up in the last shows. And Barrows doesn’t need O’Brien after all. Edith starts coming out of her doormat phase some. And Daisy gets her shit together more too. Mary gets surprised. And Rose is awesome.

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