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

Afternoon of Thor Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  March 12, 20153:54 pm| 153 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Domestic Politics, Open Threads

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A dog that is not mine:



This lovely girl is my sister’s dog, cousin to my boxers. She is around nine months old, I think. I’ve not shared her with you before because she’s never been still in my presence for more than a nanosecond.

My dogs are badly behaved, but I put up with it. My sister is more pragmatic; she calls in professional trainers to address annoying doggy behavior.

Her current trainer is trying to address an issue with the pup bouncing up on visitors. The trainer calls that behavior a “muzzle punch,” and for some reason that term is screamingly funny to me. And it would make a great band name!

Open thread!

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Reader Interactions

153Comments

  1. 1.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Buenas tardes, Señora Cracker. ¿Cuál es el nombre de la perra?

  2. 2.

    Cliff in NH

    March 12, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    the results of my telling my dog not to put her paws on people, now she stands in front of them on her hind legs to say hi. better than nothing I guess.

  3. 3.

    bmcchgo

    March 12, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    Muzzle Punch and the Thurston Howls -they’re a punk band that does only Olivia Newton-John covers.

  4. 4.

    BGinCHI

    March 12, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    I’d like to muzzle punch Bill Kristol, but I don’t think we mean the same thing.

  5. 5.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Making rapid progress, I see

  6. 6.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    A friend just had to put her old cat down. The kitty was used to her dogs and wandered into a yard where the dogs were not for friendly.

  7. 7.

    dmsilev

    March 12, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    @BGinCHI: Honestly, I’d settle for just plain muzzling Bill Kristol. Or maybe making him wear the “cone of shame” every time he appears on TV.

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Meanwhile, the rumor mill in Moscow and Kiev is running at warp speed, about the health (or lack thereof) of comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich. Much more military helicopter activity than usual around the Kremlin. A usually well-informed Ukrainian blogger is certain that effective control of the government at the moment is in the hands of Medvedev. Some Russian sources are indicating that VV has suffered a stroke.

  9. 9.

    Face

    March 12, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    Just dont let your trainer perform a “donkey punch” on this dog.

  10. 10.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    @dmsilev: That was a funny line in “Better Call Saul” when the vet sewed up Mike and Mike asked him if he had a sling for his arm! “I’ve got a cone”!

  11. 11.

    schrodinger's cat

    March 12, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    My solution to the rising cost of tuition

  12. 12.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Anyway, it would appear from the post title that the dog’s name is Thor.

    “You’re Thor? I’m tho thore I can hardly pith.”

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    It thought the post headline might be a reference to it being Thursday afternoon over there.
    ETA: And as far as I know, Thor isn’t a girl’s name.

  14. 14.

    jeffreyw

    March 12, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    This is Bella. The staff at a local nursing home asked if St Francis could provide them with a dog to replace one that passed. I’ve heard of organizations that took pets around for visits but they apparently wanted one to stay right there permanently. They took Bella over to see if she would work out and so far it looks like she has found a new home and many new doting parents.

  15. 15.

    Tommy

    March 12, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    @raven: So sorry to hear. I don’t let my cat out because not only are their dogs around that roam pretty free, there are other things that could kill her. I feel kind of bad about this. That she can’t climb a tree. Roll around in the grass. She lays most days on my pool table, then couch, finally the floor. She gets sunlight on her by doing this.

    But I guess she adapted. She is 8. Even if I leave the door open she seems to have no desire to venture outside. I like to think she knows she has it pretty good inside. Heck watching the Shark Tank the other day I bought her indoor grass. If cats could laugh, she laughed at me for spending that money.

  16. 16.

    Betty Cracker

    March 12, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Buenas tardes, Señor. Su nombre es “Truffle.”

    @raven: I laughed my ass off at the “cone” line. Also Jimmy’s description of Mike’s “bon vivant” personality.

    @Gin & Tonic: Nope. Just doing my part to keep Thor in Thursday.

  17. 17.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Last year I met a woman named Kyle, which I also thought wasn’t a girl’s name.

  18. 18.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 12, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    I don’t know why but dog pictures always make everything better.

  19. 19.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I sit corrected.

  20. 20.

    sharl

    March 12, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    Although I’ve never read his work (regretfully), I’ve seen the name Terry Pratchett come up often in book discussions. Sadly, he just passed away at age 66.

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 4:21 pm

    Scott Baio (star of Joanie Loves Chachi and Charles in Charge) has endorsed Scott Walker for President. Baio has also praised Donald Trump in the past, so make of this endorsement what you will.

  22. 22.

    The Dangerman

    March 12, 2015 at 4:21 pm

    Thor Muzzle Punch = Hammer of the Dogs?

  23. 23.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 12, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    @Amir Khalid: What I make of it is that most actors should shut up and look pretty unless they’re speaking words someone else wrote for them.

  24. 24.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    @Tommy: Yea, this is a drag. The cat was 14 and didn’t really stand a chance. I guess, like kids, you take a chance every day.

  25. 25.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: You ever see the Capote interview where he talked about how stupid actors were on Carson?

    just a quick clip here

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOIalRqy8e4

  26. 26.

    maeve

    March 12, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    It is now:
    http://marvel.wikia.com/Thor_(Female)_(Earth-616)

  27. 27.

    Tommy

    March 12, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    @raven: Yeah. The lady that lives behind me is a hippie liberal like myself. She has two shepherd mix dogs. She has not raised them to hunt cats, but sure my cat wouldn’t make it a few seconds with them. She has trained them not to jump the fence, but they could be in my yard in seconds if they wanted.

  28. 28.

    beltane

    March 12, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Matt Taibbi had something about this yesterday. There are rumors going around that Putin is no longer with us.

  29. 29.

    gogol's wife

    March 12, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Oh, don’t get my hopes up!

  30. 30.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    @Tommy: Like I say about Bohdi, he’s a good dog but he’s a dog. Cat are killing machines but you often don’t see them doing the deed.

  31. 31.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    Forget the dog, what a bitchin’ floor you’ve got there!

  32. 32.

    beltane

    March 12, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    @Amir Khalid: The GOP has always been popular among washed-up C list celebrities.

  33. 33.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 12, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    @raven: Marlon Brando was stupid? Wow. That’s one I wouldn’t have guessed.

    Obviously there are smart actors. And they all know way more about their craft than I do. But generally they’re not public intellectuals.

  34. 34.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Is it wrong that I wanted to quote you and reply THANKS, OBAMA!

    Or is it wronger that I thought maybe that would not be funny but just tasteless?

    I … I’m lost.

  35. 35.

    Betty Cracker

    March 12, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    @raven: Haha! I liked Capote’s comment on Jack Kerouac’s claim that he (Kerouac) didn’t need to edit his work: “That’s not writing; that’s typing.”

  36. 36.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: I don’t think Brando was anyone’s fool but he has said some stuff that other people thought was dumb. He once went off about Kryptonians in Superman the Movie in a rant a lot of people thought was dumb, maybe because they were way too invested in the comic book lore, I don’t know.

  37. 37.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: The rest of the interview is equally jaw dropping, I’ll try to dig it up.

  38. 38.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    @raven: Capote is the alluring mean friend:

    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/245/allure-of-the-mean-friend

  39. 39.

    Peale

    March 12, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    @sharl: He’s now free to go whichever way he wants to, as Death would inform so many others.

  40. 40.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    @sharl: Monstrous Regiment is great if you love feminism, political theory, and monsters.

  41. 41.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    “Truman Capote was fond of regaling people with an anecdote about one of his finer moments. At the height of his popularity, he was drinking one evening with friends in a crowded Key West bar. Nearby sat a couple, both inebriated. The woman recognized Capote, walked over to his table, and gushingly asked him to autograph a paper napkin. The woman’s husband, angry at his wife’s display of interest in another man, staggered over to Capote’s table and assumed an intimidating position directly in front of the diminutive writer. He then proceeded to unzip his trousers and, in Capote’s own words, “hauled out his equipment.” As he did this, he bellowed in a drunken slur, “Since you’re autographing things, why don’t you autograph this?” It was a tense moment, and a hush fell over the room. The silence was a blessing, for it allowed all those within earshot to hear Capote’s soft, high-pitched voice deliver the perfect emasculating reply:

    Truman Capote

    “I don’t know if I can autograph it,
    but perhaps I can initial it.”
    “

  42. 42.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I think we get way too hung up on name genders (funny how the names pretty much all flow in one direction). I love that in some countries, naming men after goddesses is a thing.

  43. 43.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    Geeze, funny site!

    History’s Greatest Replies

  44. 44.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    Did some Kremlin shill really give a quote that Putin’s handshake breaks hands?

    Worst gonzo comedy routine ever.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    March 12, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    It’s always hard to say with Brando because he loved to fuck with people, so it’s hard to be sure whether he was serious about something or just being an asshole for the hell of it.

  46. 46.

    Origuy

    March 12, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    @beltane: Bloomberg has more. Maybe he’s hiking the Urals Trail.

  47. 47.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:
    I know there are cultures where names are generally not gendered.

  48. 48.

    Betty Cracker

    March 12, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): Dumb or not, he sure was beautiful in his prime.

  49. 49.

    Origuy

    March 12, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: It’s a meme.

    On August 19, 1996, presidential spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky initiated a meme when he said in response to such a query that Yeltsin’s handshake was strong.

  50. 50.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 12, 2015 at 4:47 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Many years ago I used to watch a morning talk show host from NYC – Stanley Siegel. He was weird; half insane. At the end of every show he’s have his psychiatrist come out and give him therapy. Stanley would recline on a couch and talk about how he felt about how that day’s show went, personal issues he was having.

    It was a strange morning show at a time when weird, unexpected stuff often happened on talk shows. One morning Truman Capote was the scheduled guest. Apparently, Capote had been swallowing pills backstage. Any other talk show host would have cancelled the appearance, but not Stanley.

    Capote came out, and in a S L O W, slurred voice attacked all his jet set friends. I remember staring at my tv in disbelief seeing this obviously stoned, heavily-sedated author ranting.

    I’ve never seen the clip since. Someone at ABC must have erased the tape.

  51. 51.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    @Origuy:
    It sounds rather like that meme about Chuck Norris.

  52. 52.

    trollhattan

    March 12, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    @beltane:
    Don’t see anything on the Beeb, but they do have this. Nobody crank up the HODOR! beacon, m’kay?

    A former regional governor has been found dead in Ukraine, the latest in a series of deaths involving allies of deposed President Viktor Yanukovych. Oleksandr Peklushenko, former head of Zaporizhzhya, had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and authorities said initial inquiries pointed to suicide.

    A member of Ukraine’s Party of the Regions, he was being investigated over the dispersal of protesters last year.

  53. 53.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 12, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    The actor Ed Flynn got involved in a weird egg supply business (he would pipe them into your home) that ended in acrimony and lawsuits. Many celebrities signed up for the egg service.

    Marlon Brando was one of the actors who got HOOKED on Ed Flynn’s eggs, and even did a print advertisement for them:

    http://dangerousminds.net/comments/marlon_brando_egg_advert_mystery_solved

    The link includes a beautiful letter from Steve Allen’s wife to Ed Flynn, trying to cancel their egg account.

    Flynn apparently believed that once his comedic acting career ended, he’d be an egg magnate.

  54. 54.

    ranchandsyrup

    March 12, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    Saw today that the state of LA requires 350 hours of LEO training but 1500 hours to become a certified barber.

  55. 55.

    RSR

    March 12, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    BJ community: A strong and active supporter of public education in Philadelphia, Helen Gym, is running for city council here and is seeking a DFA endorsement.

    If you have a few minutes to check out the details her application, we’d appreciate it: http://democracyforamerica.com/campaigns/3693-friends-of-helen-gym

    Thanks!

    (I’m not affiliated with the campaign, but Helen is someone we desperately need to fight privitization, charterization, and ‘sale-to-the-highest-bidder’ destruction of Philadelphia’s public school system.)

  56. 56.

    Belafon

    March 12, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: Actors should realize they have a microphone that very few others have, but that they should claim to be an expert in what they know, and preface everything else with “As a public citizen…”.

  57. 57.

    rikyrah

    March 12, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    the dog is cute

  58. 58.

    MomSense

    March 12, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    Bella won the lottery ticket with that home. Can you imagine what that would be like for a dog? Lots of doting parents, skritches, and treats.

  59. 59.

    beltane

    March 12, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    @Origuy: The Atlantic stole your idea:http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/vladimir-putin-missing-rumors/387652/

  60. 60.

    MomSense

    March 12, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    I think I need to go to the naughty mat. Those pictures are …wow.

  61. 61.

    Librarian

    March 12, 2015 at 5:03 pm

    “I thought your dog didn’t bite.” “That is not my dog.”

  62. 62.

    Tenar Darell

    March 12, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    @Betty Cracker: As in Chocolate “Truffle”? Because that is an adorable (so cute you could eat her) puppy.

  63. 63.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    @raven:

    The way I heard that story thirty years ago, it involved the woman’s navel, not a napkin, and the punch-line about her husband was uttered by Tennessee Williams.

  64. 64.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    @Cervantes:
    These gay writers — it’s so hard to tell them apart, sometimes.

  65. 65.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    No, they were both there, having dinner together.

  66. 66.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    @Origuy: lol, okay that is funny

  67. 67.

    maeve

    March 12, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    If anyone has Kimble unlimited you can get “Capote” by Gerald Clarke for free – it is both amazing, funny and sad.

    Also not necessarily the actual truth – Capote himself frequently re-told things because a good story is better than the truth.

  68. 68.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    A quick search turns up several versions of the story on this page.

  69. 69.

    maeve

    March 12, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    @Cervantes:

    It was in a bar, not a restaurant, the drunken woman’s naked buttocks and the guy was a bartender not her husband, and the quip was by Capote’s lover not him – but Capote made it a better story to tell in interviews.

    At least according to http://www.amazon.com/Capote-Biography-Books-Into-Film-ebook/dp/B00CO9A33E/ – location 7653 (hey! I have a reference – it must be true! )

  70. 70.

    Betty Cracker

    March 12, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    @Tenar Darell: Yes, that’s it. We don’t know what kind of mix she is (she’s a rescue). Practically everyone sees chocolate lab in her, but we’re mystified beyond that.

  71. 71.

    Botsplainer

    March 12, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    @MomSense:

    The naughty mat sounds like a fun place…,

  72. 72.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    @maeve:

    Here is yet another version involving a menu rather than a navel.

    Enjoy.

  73. 73.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Hey, did I miss the discussion on here of Lindsey Graham’s military coup fantasies? It was a truly jaw-dropping statement.

    Also, who the fuck is stopping him from introducing a bill to enhance funding to the VA and also reintegrative and mental health services for returning vets? Anyone? Bueller?

  74. 74.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:
    As I understand, legislation about funding must be introduced in the House of Reptiles. Lindsay Graham is, alas, a Senator.

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    March 12, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    Rick Scott is tagging in for Rick Perry trying to raid California. Must be his sparkling personality that has him trying. Mister Governor Jerry, not impressed.

    Scott, like Perry a Republican, hopes to capitalize on recent labor disputes at California ports. In a letter to shipping companies Thursday, he said “Florida’s low-tax, business friendly climate and our commitment to investing in our transportation infrastructure are great reasons for you to consider shipping your goods through Florida ports.”

    He criticized California’s high taxes and unemployment rate, and he invited companies to a reception in Los Angeles on April 12.

    Like other East Coast states, Florida has invested in port upgrades in an effort to attract increased cargo expected to pass through the Panama Canal once it is widened, likely next year.

    In an email, Brown spokesman Evan Westrup touted California’s improving economy and balanced budget.

    Then the administration returned fire on Scott, the subject of controversy after the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting on Sunday reported that Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials had been ordered not to use the phrase “climate change” or “global warming” in official communications.

    “Our budget is balanced, our credit rating is up and we created more than a quarter of the nation’s jobs in January,” Westrup said. “We also believe in climate change. As one of the 60 million tourists expected to visit California this year, we hope the governor’s stay is both enjoyable and educational.”

  76. 76.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Oh, my bad, well maybe General Graham can march on the House Republican caucus with his uniformed brigades–?

    This is reminding me of something, what I don’t know.

    Also, is the House really originating budget bills like they’re supposed to? It seems like all they do is react and jerk around in different directions according to who tugged the hardest last. You’ll have to pardon my confusion, seems like the only funding they have a laser like focus on is their reelection committee.

  77. 77.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    Maybe Lindsey Graham thinks he is Hugo Chavez, but without the charm.

  78. 78.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:

    General Graham can march on the House Republican caucus with his uniformed brigades–?

    I’m sure the brigades will look fabulous.

  79. 79.

    Mandalay

    March 12, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:

    It was a truly jaw-dropping statement.

    It certainly was, and is he now back pedaling faster than Lance Armstrong:

    Graham’s spokesperson has clarified to Bloomberg that when Graham said “I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to,” that statement was “not to be taken literally.” Glad that’s been cleared up.

    A massively stupid and massively offensive thing for Graham to say.

    Yet for some reason, I find McCain’s casual rationale for signing on to the letter to Iran even worse:

    “It was kind of a very rapid process. Everybody was looking forward to getting out of town because of the snowstorm,” McCain said.

    These worthless and dangerous idiots are the two leading Republicans on defense issues. As Fred Kaplan said: “It is a useful thing when a political party reveals itself as utterly unsuited for national leadership”.

  80. 80.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    @trollhattan: Gov Jerry hasn’t seemed to be too impressed with Govs Christie and Perry in their attempts to drum up bidness here in the Golden State.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    March 12, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Maybe I just don’t understand the shipping business, but sending cargo an extra 3,000+ miles seems a little … impractical.

  82. 82.

    MomSense

    March 12, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    Guess I walked right into that one.

  83. 83.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    Florida’s low-tax, business friendly climate and our commitment to investing in our transportation infrastructure

    Low tax + business friendly and “investing in our transportation infrastructure” are fucking contradictions in terms, Skeletor you Renfield of supervillains you.

    However, speaking of transpo infrastructure, John “The Amtrak Hypocrite” Mica’s SunRail is a smashing success, running very busy on regular schedule regular fare weekdays, Phase II is plowing right ahead, and corporate sponsors are funding free trains on Saturdays for events including for Orlando City’s inaugural MLS game. Fuck yeah MLS!

    http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-kaka-friends-family-impressed-orlando-city-crowd-20150311-post.html

    http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2015/03/would-be-sunrail-riders-call-orlando-city-gameday.html

    No, the second link isn’t triumphal, it’s those bidness interests Rick Scott was referring to bitching about how public transit can’t get right, let’s spin record crowds on the train as a bad thing, hyuck hyuck.

  84. 84.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): If it’s going to the east coast, it might make sense.

  85. 85.

    gogol's wife

    March 12, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I like the tweet “Fifty shades of waiting for ‘Swan Lake.'”

    I also just saw the nickname “Putler” for the first time. I’m not a tweeter.

  86. 86.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    @trollhattan:

    He criticized California’s high taxes and unemployment rate, and he invited companies to a reception in Los Angeles on April 12.

    Another lie, for some reason usually when the press refers to headline state unemployment rates they are comparing people ON UNEMPLOYMENT. Wisconsin and Florida drop them off the rolls faster than other states do PROBLEM SOLVED.

  87. 87.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Why stop at Miami when you can keep chugging north to Baltimore?

  88. 88.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    FEC (Florida East Coast, which owns the FEC Railroad) doesn’t seem impressed by the EXPLOSIVE GROWTH POTENTIAL Scott is nattering about because they are spending their money building passenger train stations in South Florida and closing grade crossings, as if they expect modest freight growth on the one hand and some serious return on their real estate investments if they get that AAF passenger train running on the other.

    I can’t wait for AAF to happen. Living in Florida might finally not suck so damn much.

  89. 89.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: The weather’s nicer?

  90. 90.

    Allan

    March 12, 2015 at 5:48 pm

    Muzzle Tov!

  91. 91.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: I had to use teh Google to figure out what AAF was.

  92. 92.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: It’s not the Army Air Force?

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    March 12, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    @sharl: My husband had just informed me. He’s marvelous, and gone far too soon.

  94. 94.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    @raven: That was a few of the suggestions until I added train.

  95. 95.

    danielx

    March 12, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    Thread needs MOAR KITTEHS.

    Therefore, Zoey the Menace caught in the midst of a serious catnip binge, and….seriously relaxed after said binge, although definitely looking like she has issues with controlled substances.

    Also too, yes, she also looks like she has some weight issues and yes, she is on a diet. I suspect the diet is being sabotaged by a youthful accomplice who is aware of her taste for bacon. Actually, her taste for pork of just about any kind.

  96. 96.

    Betty Cracker

    March 12, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    @WereBear: There’s a thread on it downstairs. (Not that you can’t discuss it anywhere you damn well please — just wanted to mention there is a memorial thread!)

  97. 97.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:

    well maybe General Graham can march on the House Republican caucus with his uniformed brigades–?

    !

  98. 98.

    Schlemazel

    March 12, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    having taken muzzle punches to the nads from friends dogs I find nothing humorous about the name & congratulate your sister on any attempts to correct the situation!

    looks like a cutie though.

  99. 99.

    Schlemazel

    March 12, 2015 at 6:11 pm

    @Amir Khalid:
    kinda sad you know more about the US legislative system than many commenters.

    If you were more clueless you could maybe be a US Senator

  100. 100.

    sharl

    March 12, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    @Betty Cracker: D’Oh! I thought I was refreshing the page with sufficient frequency to keep up, but clearly not.

  101. 101.

    WereBear

    March 12, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Thanks, Betty!

  102. 102.

    Ruckus

    March 12, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    3000 miles/time and money. Especially after you get it off the ship you have to send it somewhere else anyway. Like west.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    March 12, 2015 at 6:23 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA:
    If it’s going to the east coast it probably already does.

  104. 104.

    Hal

    March 12, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    The snow is finally melting in my yard, and there is sooooo much dog poop. This is what I get for being lazy and not following the dog around with a pooper scooper because of the cold. I know what I’m doing this weekend.

  105. 105.

    danielx

    March 12, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    Making a wild guess, but predicting Kitty Light Catchers to the Rescue will go viral.

  106. 106.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    As I understand, legislation about funding must be introduced in the House of Reptiles.

    “Legislation about funding”? Are you referring to the so-called Origination Clause of the Constitution? Here is the gist of it:

    All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives […]

  107. 107.

    Amir Khalid

    March 12, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    @Cervantes:
    Does that mean that legislation about spending is not similarly restricted?

  108. 108.

    Tenar Darell

    March 12, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I want a rescue doggie about half her size, if I ever get a place and job I can have a dog. (I have a thing for Corgis, but I’m not sure my allergies could handle all the shedding /grin).

    O/T re: pets, I was joking in a previous thread about my need to be re-charging my iPhone 5, a lot, like your daughter. But, if she’s really having multiple “OMG must charge now” moments, she might want to use her birthday or holiday money to buy a battery case. I

    I just checked and the Mophie Heliums have dropped to between $35-40 on Amazon, which almost makes it reasonable enough for me for a few more months.

  109. 109.

    MomSense

    March 12, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I think appropriation was removed in 1787 and Senate given ability to amend.

  110. 110.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Not only that, the Supreme Court has ruled that even the Senate can initiate bills that happen to raise revenue under certain conditions — if, for example, it can be argued that the revenue raised is incidental and not exactly a “tax, in the strict sense of the word.”

  111. 111.

    Pogonip

    March 12, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    Has the sister tried holding Truffle’s front paws until it gets uncomfortable for Truffle when she jumps on people? We’ve tried that several times with various dogs and it always works in a couple of days. Also make sure to tell her what a good doggie she is the moment she’s back on all fours.

  112. 112.

    Pogonip

    March 12, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    @Tenar Darell: Those do eat power. The phones, not the Corgis.

    My grandmother had a Corgi, she didn’t shed excessively. (The dog.). She enjoyed herding me around the house, I was the only one who would play.

  113. 113.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 12, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    @Ruckus: True, when the canal is widened. Now, it might make more sense to ship across the US rather than trans-ship over the isthmus of Panama.

    Today’s computer surgery is complete, I now have 2x(12gb to 24gb) the memory that I had before.

  114. 114.

    ThresherK

    March 12, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: I remember seeing Orlando City when they were the old, old Orlando Lions. I don’t expect anyone to remember the Boston Bolts, but going from Boston’s favorite green-painted concrete pitch(TM), Nickerson Field, to Gilette Stadium is an incredible upgrade for the players’ knees. Too bad it’s not as transitable as in Orlando.

    As a football fan here in the USA I have no problem with their copying the nickname from one team to another. And it’s neat to see the team get, for want of a better word, promoted to MLS. What the buzz from up close?

  115. 115.

    jeffreyw

    March 12, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    Moar kitteh!

  116. 116.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 12, 2015 at 7:10 pm

    @gogol’s wife: “Putler” is very old hat.

    Interestingly, a Reuters story today indicates that a reporter made it into the area around Snizhne and found actual quotable people who tell where they saw a missile launched from that brought down MH17. Wonderful name for a town, too: “Red October.”

  117. 117.

    geg6

    March 12, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Definitely some chocolate Lab. She looks just like Koda when she was a pup.

  118. 118.

    Ruckus

    March 12, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA:
    Still older ships that fit in the canal. Sending a full one of those to the east coast has to be cheaper than unloading a big one here and train or truck to the east coast. Middle of the country maybe not, possibly not to the northeast. But anytime you add a layer of handling and shipping in smaller lots, it costs more.

  119. 119.

    Tenar Darell

    March 12, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    @Pogonip: I do not endorse dressing dogs in costumes, but the expression on his face! Equal parts mischief and happy.

  120. 120.

    Elizabelle

    March 12, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Gonna catch John Ridley’s “American Crime” tonight at 10 Eastern on NBC.

    Several of you have informed me it’s must see TV.

    But the pressure! Already missed 2 Better Call Sauls. Recording episode 5 at O dark hundred tomorrow.

  121. 121.

    Elizabelle

    March 12, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    @jeffreyw: OK, that kit is reminding me of some glamorous, just slightly cross-eyed actress. But who? Karen Black?

  122. 122.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    March 12, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Is that still the case when you’re shipping from China? It seems weird to me that it would be cheaper to send it by ship the entire way given the distance. And if, as Florida and Texas seem to be proposing, the plan is to bring everything to those ports, you end up sending things overland back to the West Coast anyway.

    Now, if they start splitting cargoes so items destined for the western part of the country go through West Coast ports and shipments destined for the eastern part of the country go through Florida or even Texas, that might make sense. But just doing a mirror image of the current practice + several thousand additional sailing miles seems like it would be more expensive even with reduced labor costs.

  123. 123.

    Elizabelle

    March 12, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Lindsey Graham is, alas, on C-Span 1 tonight. Eggs and Politics from NH. Think I will pass.

    House of Reptiles. snort

  124. 124.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @Schlemazel: junkpuncho was a catahoula all along?!

  125. 125.

    jeffreyw

    March 12, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    @Elizabelle: Mmm… Karen Black

  126. 126.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    @ThresherK: Yes, I remember the Boston Bolts! It was the name of our junior high team, too! Of course I never went but I did get to see BC women’s at big-donor-stadium, which led to my mother freaking out about brain injuries and the end of my soccer days :(((

    I do think that New England Revolution is one of the winningest names for a football club ever.

  127. 127.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): I do know some old longshoremen said they took away the job where they unloaded commodities from the ships and now they move vans–intermodal shipping containers–from the ships to ground, and the vans are sent by rail to Kansas where they unload the vans with non union labor, so rail from Galveston (?) to Kansas is probably not a biggie if that’s the plan.

    It is roundabout, though, and makes no sense for international car shipments, that much is true.

    edited for clarity

  128. 128.

    Another Holocene Human

    March 12, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    @efgoldman: FSM = flying spaghetti monster, or some mashup of the Fens, Muddy River, and Street grime? ;)

  129. 129.

    ThresherK

    March 12, 2015 at 7:57 pm

    @efgoldman: I’m thinking of its later iterations in my time for (and this is not a complete list) the USFL, WUSA, and NASL. By that point I could tell even on TV that the ball bounced incredibly high.

    When I saw the Bolts and Lions, c. 1990, my girlfriend was not impressed when I mentioned how we sitting in orignal stands dating to before WWI. “Feels like it” she said.

  130. 130.

    ThresherK

    March 12, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: As a fan of “Boston’s next team” since the Tea Men decamped to Jacksonville, I do like the moniker.

    Of course it does have that oddball thing where a singular name like Revolution is shortened to a nickname in plural, Revs.

  131. 131.

    Redshift

    March 12, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    One of our local state senators just described the Virginia State Senate as “the world’s greatest assembly of C students.” Hah!

  132. 132.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 12, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    This is a completely different topic for this open thread: Today, I was sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, looking at a copy of a mens magazine. In the back was an ad for “Athena Pheromones” featuring a photo of Dr. Winnifred Cutler.

    What amazed me is that I saw these exact same magazine ads back in 1985! With the same photo of Dr. Winnifred Cutler. They claimed (then and now) that if a man sprays some of this stuff on him, he will become outrageously attractive to all women.

    Wasn’t this exposed as bullshit decades ago? The ads are still running, so SOMEBODY is buying vials of this stuff.

  133. 133.

    gogol's wife

    March 12, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I got a book of piano arrangements that includes “I Dreamed a Dream.” Lots of fun to play!

  134. 134.

    Elizabelle

    March 12, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @jeffreyw: Yes. I think it is some Karen Black fu that kitten possesses.

  135. 135.

    raven

    March 12, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @Elizabelle: That episode is the best I have seen of either series.

  136. 136.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 12, 2015 at 8:14 pm

    My DIL just sent me to a section on Amazon called Amazon Smile.

    smile.amazon.com

    You can pick a charity and Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchases. My DIL asked me to pick the school she teaches at but there are lots of choices.

  137. 137.

    beltane

    March 12, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: I’ve seen those ads in the back of the New York Review of Books, which one would think has a readership that’s too intelligent to fall for this kind of snake oil. However, some people will try anything in the hopes of finding love.

  138. 138.

    Violet

    March 12, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    There was discussion of Howard Dean and the 50 State Strategy earlier today. Found this interesting:

    WASHINGTON – Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor, Democratic National Committee chairman and presidential candidate endorsed Jesus “Chuy” Garcia over Rahm Emanuel for Chicago mayor on Thursday.

    Important back story: When Emanuel was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he stuck it to Dean in 2006 – when Dean was the DNC chair. Emanuel wanted Dean to funnel millions of dollars to help House candidates. Emanuel taunted Dean’s “50 State Strategy” and a leaked story about how little Emanuel thought of Dean found its way into print.

    Also interesting:

    Embattled Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sustained a major setback in his bid to win a second term Thursday, as progressive opponent Jesus “Chuy” Garcia secured the endorsement of Willie Wilson, the third-place finisher in the first round of voting last month. Wilson’s endorsement has the potential to sway the city’s African American voters — a demographic seen as crucial to both candidates’ hopes of victory.

    Would love to see Rahm lose.

  139. 139.

    PurpleGirl

    March 12, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    @jeffreyw: Awww. That is a nice story. Wishing Bella a long and happy life with her many humans.

  140. 140.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 12, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    @beltane: It’s bizarre they’re still using the same Dr. Winnifred Cutler photos I remember from my 20s. Do Athena Pheromones also bestow immortality?

  141. 141.

    WaterGirl

    March 12, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    @jeffreyw: What shade of lipstick is that? It looks great with her coloring.

    edited

  142. 142.

    beltane

    March 12, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: They bestow immortality in the same way they bestow sexual attractiveness.

  143. 143.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 12, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    I keep seeing the walmart commercials for their family cell phone plan – the one where the father surprises his daughter with her own phone. She says “Eeee!” and gives him a big hug.

    They reshot the ending of the commercial after the murder of Mr. Garner. I remember the original version had the father being choked by the daughter, and couldn’t breathe. Walmart must have gotten complaints, because in the revised commercial, the father smiles while being hugged. But at the end of the commercial, in the lower right, you can see a still photo of the original, with the father bug-eyed and choking.

    Walmart tries to be sensitive, but they suck so bad.

  144. 144.

    JMT

    March 12, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    All the dog muzzle punches I’ve seen are much different than a dog doing happy jumping up greeting: a muzzle punch is usually a lightening fast defensive ‘get the hell away from me’ move. A muzzle punch hurts like fury if it connects with a human face.

    Early in my dog training career, I had a big fearful German Shepherd muzzle punch me in the mouth during a training session. I give him gold stars in restraint for muzzle punching instead of biting me. I got a nice fat lip out of it, and a good lesson in working with an anxious and tense animal. I backed off and slowed down and eventually could touch him all over while he stayed relaxed.

    A happy jumping dog can easily accidentally intersect with the face of a human who is bending down to pet him, but that’s bad timing and bad impulse control, not an aggressive or defensive muzzle punch. Teaching a bouncy dog to keep 4 feet on the floor when greeting humans is always a good idea!

  145. 145.

    jeffreyw

    March 12, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    @WaterGirl: er…wut?

  146. 146.

    Cervantes

    March 12, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    Possibly of interest.

  147. 147.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 12, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    @Betty Cracker: That’s one adorable pup, and she’ll learn to forego the (uninvited) muzzle punch, with patience.

  148. 148.

    Doug Wieboldt

    March 12, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    “Muzzle Punch” would be an excellent name for a craft beer!

  149. 149.

    Ruckus

    March 12, 2015 at 10:39 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    Isn’t that what I said?

  150. 150.

    Jebediah, RBG

    March 12, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:

    junkpuncho was a catahoula all along?!

    Is that a catahoula thing? We think Chucky might be a Catahoula and she has punched me (with paws, not muzzle) in the junk, in the belly, in the chest, etc., usually when she can’t contain her excitement about going for a walk.

  151. 151.

    Jerzy Russian

    March 12, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    @raven: OK, that was funny to read!

  152. 152.

    JGabriel

    March 13, 2015 at 12:28 am

    @Allan:

    Muzzle Tov!

    Damn! I was just gonna make the same joke.

    Good thing I did a find on Tov before posting it.

    Kudos, sir. You beat me to the muzzle punch.

  153. 153.

    Tim in SF

    March 13, 2015 at 2:59 am

    Dogs jumping up on people is not a behavior to untrain, it’s a behavior to grow out of. Untraining it is squelching the dog’s drive. I suppose that’s fine if you want a dog-shaped piece of furniture.

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