It's the 4th of July or Amexit as we call in in the UK
— Unnamed Insider (@Unnamedinsider) July 3, 2016
A friendly reminder: July 5th is one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters. pic.twitter.com/vlULEwiXcZ
— Matthew Inman (@Oatmeal) July 3, 2016
Too late for this year, but they’re working on a drug for that. Per the Washington Post:
… As dog owners may know, roughly a third of dogs are susceptible to what veterinarians call noise aversion. When exposed to loud sounds, the pooches may shake, whine or, worse, scamper free from their leashes and homes in search of safer havens. Fireworks are a powerful trigger.
With training, like the techniques used to turn gun-shy pups into hunting dogs, pets can learn to stop fearing fireworks. There are a number of temporary solutions, too, recommended by groups like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Some owners transform a tub or closet into a pup-friendly refuge. Or they try to tucker their pets out in the hours before the festivities begin so the animals snooze through the blasts. (The ASPCA also has an app to track lost pets.)…
And if Fido is not appropriately mellowed out despite being confined in a tub, secured in a ThunderShirt or spiked with melatonin, there is now a drug specifically meant to treat dogs with noise aversion. Approved by the FDA in November under the trade name Sileo, the drug is an oral gel containing a pinch of a chemical called dexmedetomidine. Squeeze a bit of the gel onto a dog’s gums before fireworks, and as the drug is absorbed it dulls the effects of norepinephrine.
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter with similar effects to adrenaline, and when suppressed it curbs the flight-or-fight response. Dexmedetomidine works a similar way in us, too, as doctors have used the drug to relax humans undergoing colonoscopies. The goal, according to Zoetis, the animal health company marketing Sileo in the United States, is to calm spooked dogs without stupefying them…
***********
Apart from keeping an eye on the four-foots (and possibly enjoying the sparkly boom-claps your own self), what’s on the agenda for the day?
You want to impress me, fireworks? Land on Trump.
— Jake Vig (@Jake_Vig) July 4, 2016
Baud
Please don’t blow stuff up.
Happy 4th!
Major Major Major Major
Young Samwise couldn’t be bothered to be startled by the fireworks, so far. But he’s used to lots of city noises.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Happy 4th.
The “Big Puppy”(Nikki the 9yo Cocker Spaniel) has been pretty mellow about this year’s fireworks. I’ve even had the door open to cool the place down. I would chalk it up to some loss of hearing, but as the wife discovered on Thursday her hearing is perfectly good. The conversation goes as follows:
Madame: Nikki was barking before I got to the gate, how did she know I was here?
Me: She heard you set your car alarm.
Also I’d like to thank all of you for your kind comments about the album I put up of UCLA pics that I put up the other day. One commenter asked, I think it was Catclub, there were no IR pics. I use a separate camera to take IR pics and it was too much to carry both on the bus/train/subway/train/bus. But I will head back to UCLA in the next few weeks and take the IR camera.
And, as a Happy 4th present, I give you: Mount Whitney & Manzanar – From the Archives.
Keith G
Another reason to celebrate as Nigel Farage says he is standing down as leader of the UK Independence Party.
Another rat jumping off before stormier seas?
Randy P
Our beloved black lab was very noise averse, especially fireworks. One year I thought she’d enjoy the beach as many labs love swimming and I’ve seen lots of dogs playing in the surf. But something about that surf sound terrified her and I couldn’t even coax her up to the top of the hill where she could see it.
Good morning from Denmark, BJers, where there is nary a firework nor mention of American politics. Kind of restful. I told myself I was going to stay away from US political sites and the Trump outrage of the day while over here. But addiction is a powerful thing…
raven
They have made fireworks legal in Georgia but I’m not sure that has made anything worse than it was when people had to drive across the border to get them. Our neighborhood listserv has had pleas for people not to shoot them off because of dogs and kids but it’s a waste of breath. Our pups are not bothered so we are lucky.
This was the best shot I got Friday night when the city did their fireworks.
Keith G
Speaking of the day, I just purchased this Audible Daily Deal ($3.95) Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick. This looks like a fascinating book. I will tackle this as my observance of the 4th.
Link for book description
raven
@Keith G: We’re watching John Adams over the weekend, Bunker Hill was in episode 1.
Baud
@raven:
Via Reddit, a drone flying through fireworks.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: As the second commenter said over there, “Ohhhhhh Ahhhhhh”.
rikyrah
Good Morning ?, Everyone ?
Baud
@BillinGlendaleCA: Don’t you use Flickr? I’ve been looking for cloud based storage for my personal photos, and Flickr seems to offer the most free storage. What do you think of it?
@rikyrah:
Good morning, fellow American.
??????????
rikyrah
Happy 18th Birthday to First Daughter Malia Obama ?
raven
@Baud: Nice, I use flickr and google photos.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
All Fall Down
Nigel Farage out as leader of UKIP.
hahahhahahahhahahahah. Happy Independence day. hahahahhahahhah
Farage, Boris, Cameron all out, with Corbyn dead man walking.
Ya play with matches, ya get burnt.
raven
@Baud: The link from google photos was not blind so I deleted it.
Baud
@raven: I just started using Google phones, but I find it isn’t as easy to do things as I’d like. I wish you could upload a folder into a specific album, but I can’t find a way to do that.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: I like Flickr, though I’ve heard rumors that they may not be long for this world.
raven
@Baud: It may be that flickr is a better choice. My problem is that the “Auto Upload” function went apeshit and created hundreds of albums with just one or two photos. I’m slowly deleting them but it is a pain in the ass.
seejanerun
My dogs are chill with fireworks and thunder but one of them is terrified of the hydraulic sound made by our automated garbage trucks. It reminds me of the tardis so maybe I could have her watch Dr. Who with me to desensitize her.
Baud
@BillinGlendaleCA:
@raven:
Thanks. I’ll wait and see.
hamletta
My kitty, Miss Sophia, grew up in East Nashvul, so she can smell a tornadic thunderstorm, or something like it, so she goes to the closet.
It’s framed-in like a phone booth, so why not?
Baud
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: It is pretty funny.
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: I tried the auto update feature for about one day, and that was it. Anyway, I run most of the photos that I post through Photoshop first.
raven
The Peachtree is off with the wheelchairs! It’s been 20 years since I ran it.
raven
@BillinGlendaleCA: I don’t know what I did wrong but it sucked up pics from external hard drive and overloaded me.
Mustang Bobby
Fireworks never bothered my Sam. The only time a sound seemed to bother him was when we pulled the car over to let a fire engine pass with its siren wailing, and he pointed his muzzle at the sky and howled. That was it.
Betty Cracker
@Mustang Bobby: When she was a puppy, my dog Patsy Marie would howl whenever an ice cream truck was in the neighborhood. It was the cutest thing. But she grew out of it, unfortunately.
The worst holiday for my mutts is Halloween. All the strangers coming to the door and wandering the streets drives them batshit.
Cat48
Happy 4th everyone, enjoy your feasts and family.
OzarkHillbilly
The only sound to really bother the Woofmeister is rain on the metal roof. Thunder, fireworks, firearms… No problem. Rain on the roof? Into the corner behind the bed.
MattF
@Keith G: @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: It does appear that the whole group of British political leaders has fallen. Corbyn may, somehow, survive as Labour Party leader, but as far as the parliamentary party is concerned, he’s a dead man walking.
bystander
@rikyrah: I didn’t realize Malia’s birthday was the 4th of July. I had an aunt who was also born on the 4th. My grandparents gave her the middle name “America”.
Watching Howard Dean slap the teevee talkinghead around Is the only enjoyable thing about MSNBC. They are really doing a hatchet job on Clinton.
sm*t cl*de
Come,fireworks, and land on Trump!
Even as his ratings slump,
He is not worth a toxic dump.
Swarm over, Death!
Baud
@bystander: Get used to it. They’ll get worse after she’s elected.
donnah
Our old lady dog Wendy was not afraid of loud noises when she was younger, but she got terrified as she aged. Now that she’s fourteen, she’s mostly deaf and she doesn’t even realize they’re going off.
My youngest cat, on the other hand, was wide-eyed and bouncing around the house like a pinball.
Scapegoat
Here’s a novel idea: How ’bout limiting fireworks to, say, uhm… July 4?!?!
Not to mention, did I miss the memo where small neighborhood fireworks done two weeks(!) early were being extended from 15 minutes to a 45 minute phantasmagoria, meant to rival the muscular displays of a major city? (Say…How about replacing a few roads or improving social services with those funds?)
Not to be all buzz-kill for the blow-em-up crowd, but 1 week before and 2-3 weeks after July 4 of random concussive activities gets a little (okay, A LOT) old — especially when trying to get an exhausted infant to fall or stay asleep.
Sparklers? Absolutely!
M80’s? Gahhhh!
/rant from an I-must-now-be an Old?!?!
amk
After stirring all kindsa xenophobic shit, the pos coward nigel farage quits. hint, hint, deadbeat donnie?
MattF
@amk: It’s been noted in the UK that if the Queen resigns, they get Charles. No one wants that.
Uncle Cosmo
@Keith G: Niggling Falange stepping down? In favor of Oswald Mosley’s ghost? Or is Martin Bormann flying in from Paraguay to claim the throne?
It would be fitting, as NF takes that first step down, for the nearest person to trip him so he lands full force on the UK’s Most Punchable Face–his own.
Cat48
Hopefully tonight will be the end of fireworks for the 4th, a large display on the harbor which attracks thousands. All the fun is 1 1/2 miles away and it’s quite loud. Then just the neighborhood cranks will be left.
Ultraviolet Thunder
Happy Independence Day.
I’m spending the day up a ladder in 100 degree heat looking after a sick welding laser. That’s fine. Rather be doing this than killing time at home.
As for the defections from UK government I guess that shows where the weaknesses are. I hope they will come through Brexit stronger.
p.a.
Good morning. Happy Fourth!
satby
Happy Fourth everyone! It’s rainy and cool here, so that should tamp down some fireworks today. It seemed pretty subdued yesterday around here compared to other years, but then most of my neighbors are in their 70s, so we all go to sleep early now. It stays light until almost 10, so it’s not worth shooting anything off until later.
p.a.
@efgoldman: Waste Warwick…
germy
Was it someone here who said that most of the Independence Day holidays celebrated in countries around the world are because of the British Empire?
Cat48
@bystander:
I read that Malia is going to be an intern in the Embassy in Spain this summer. That should be,an exciting adventure for an 18 yr old. It starts soon in July.
Patricia Kayden
@Keith G: Wow. Now that is shocking.
Happy Independence Day to all.
Patricia Kayden
@rikyrah: Echoing your B’Day wishes for the First Daughter.
RK
“If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.” – Thomas Day, 1776
On the shoulders of giant racists.
Happy 4th everybody.
Amir Khalid
@germy:
We in Malaysia celebrate the 31st of August for precisely that, independence from the British.
germy
@Amir Khalid: I’m curious… are fireworks part of your country’s celebration? Or is that a uniquely American thing on Independence Day?
Cat48
@efgoldman:
I’ve never gone bc there’s only one way in and one way out. Lots of road rage, I always follow the local PD Twitter as they urge patience. I’ve observed them from the other side of the harbor once. That was enough. The beach fireworks are also easier to escape than the harbors. More ways out.
debbie
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
I believe Nigel’s exact statement was, “My work is done.” I’ll be curious to see what his next destructive project is.
dmsilev
@efgoldman: My parents and I are going to the concert tonight. Well, to the fireworks; we’ll ignore the concert per se.
satby
@efgoldman: a friend told me last night that the concert and fireworks traditionally held on the night of July 3rd aren’t happening in Chicago this year due to budget cuts. And the Taste of Chicago that used to run for 10 days is down to about 4 days. That really stinks.
geg6
Koda sits and shivers on my or John’s feet during fireworks and thunder storms. Lovey waits and throws up all over the bed clothes to demonstrate her fear. That’s happened the last two nights. Fun.
Amir Khalid
@germy:
We have fireworks over the Petronas Towers to mark the New Year and Merdeka (independence) Day. Before the Towers came up in the mid-1990s, the fireworks display was over the Parliament building. Right now, I can also hear kids playing with their Eid al-Fitri fireworks, a rather dangerous tradition the law hasn’t quite managed to kill off.
satby
@germy: Fireworks were developed in China, Asia had them for celebrations hundreds of years before the western world did.
JMG
The Esplanade concert. All the discomforts of Woodstock without the sex, drugs and rock and roll. No, thank you. Will attend suburban town fireworks display as usual. Just as much fun, ever so fewer hassles.
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: but… FREEDUMB!!!!
satby
And an early Eid Mubarak to you, Amir!
germy
@satby:
Yes I know. I didn’t make myself clear in the question; I was wondering if other countries equate fireworks with Independence Day.
Gator90
Picture us coolin’ on the 4th of July
And if you heard we were celebrating
That’s a worldwide lie!
-Public Enemy
Amir Khalid
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy): This is Danny Federici’s final performance with the E Street Band, a month before he passed away.
Immanentize
I do enjoy a Monday holiday. Happy 4th, All
PaulWartenberg2016
I’m gonna blog like crazy today, I’m gonna do a Four-for-the-Fourth so I can cover all the bases I wanna talk about right now.
I’m also gonna catch up on my writing for Camp NaNo today so I can feel good about my fiction writing as well.
(psssst I have a new book out)
My best friends are all off on their vacations, so it’s just me sitting down here by my lonesome. Again. I’m tempted to stay in tonight and not do a fireworks show. It may rain tonight anyway.
gogol's wife
@Scapegoat:
I’m with you all the way. The municipal “celebration” was Saturday, ruining the conversation at a friend’s dinner party, then last night there was something or other at the local lake, ruining the first hour of Endeavour. I want “silent fireworks” (see NYTimes article on this wonderful innovation now being used in Europe).
bemused
I met a 3 month old wire haired terrier yesterday. What an adorable whiskery face. His coloring and markings are gorgeous. He is sweetie cuddling in my niece’s lap for a contented nap.
rikyrah
@Keith G:
Ain’t that a muthaphucka.
He destroys the country, then runs away like the punk azz mitch that he is. ????
So, leave voters. .. can it be any clearer that you were phucking RUBES?
vtr
About 15 minutes after this thread began, our old orange tiger Philip, who somehow escaped last Tuesday, came home. Thank you. Last Saturday we got a black and white kitten from the shelter. Now we’re back up to four.
catclub
@BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks! It was me.
SiubhanDuinne
@Scapegoat:
Fireworks — noisy, amateur, nearby fireworks, not the official municipal show — began around 11:00 last night and went on until 2:00 a.m. It will happen again tonight. I, and I’m sure many others, won’t get a decent night’s sleep until these idiots use up their apparently limitless supply.
germy
RawStory headline:
Dork
@Gator90: Also perhaps related to the 4th…
I dialed 911 a long time ago
Cant you see how late they reactin’?
bystander
@Cat48:
Obviously a result of her bundling campaign contributions.
Schlemazel Khan
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
Don’t know if anyone saw it but I posted a link last night to an article in the Scotland Herald about why Labour is so anxious to be rid of Cobryn. Seems that they are unhappy about his weak defense of Stay but thats just cover. The official report on how the UK got it so wrong leading up to the Iraq invasion. Labor wants Corbyn to not be in a position to call for a trail of Blair.
Betty Cracker
I know just how the Obamas feel today…my kid is about two weeks younger than Malia. An adult already? Didn’t we just take her to her first day of kindergarten about two months ago? WTF?!?
Patricia Kayden
@Cat48: Maybe I’m being unnecessarily paranoid but I wish it wasn’t publicized where Malia was going to intern. I just worry about the hateful Americans who may decide to try to harm her. But I guess that’s what all that Protective Service security is for.
bystander
@debbie: I’d hate for Farage to find out that parts of Hadrian’s Wall still stand. He would sell the stones to fund national healthcare, of course.
OzarkHillbilly
@Betty Cracker: All I felt was a sense of relief.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Farage accomplished what he set out to do. It would be all down-hill from here for him. Why not declare victory and go home?
It seems like the longer this drags out, the less likely that the UK actually leaves. But we’ll see.
Cheers,
Scott.
Schlemazel Khan
@efgoldman:
A classmate in Jr High was making fireworks in his basement one summer. He was using a coffee can to mix ingredients. Metal is a big no-no. The can blew up. He was lucky in that the stuff was not compressed which lessened the force but he did end up at the University hospital having bits of Butter-Nut tin removed from around his heart. He missed a few weeks at the start of the school year.
MikeS
@catclub: A Map of all the Countries in the world that England/Great Britain has invaded. Only 22 left to go and they will have the complete set!
workworkwork
Gonna do some ‘nerd stuff’. Microsoft just recently open-sourced a bunch of their development technologies so I’m working my way through the documentation. I have a little project (web app with database) that I’m putting together piece by piece. As I do, I’m writing up my own set of documentation from the perspective of someone who hasn’t been marinating in Windows-only programming for the last ten years. (In other words, my students. Okay, also me.)
Yes, learning new stuff and writing about it is what I consider fun.
I’m ahead of schedule on my course dev work and I don’t start teaching my new class until tomorrow.
Amir Khalid
@bystander:
The name “Farage” makes me a little uncomfortable. As it happens, faraj (same pronunciation) is Malay for “vagina”. (Not a profanity, but the word one’s doctor would use.)
moonbat
Our two year old pup Larry is terrified of fireworks, and being that this is Philadelphia, every yahoo within a 50 miles radius of Independence Hall thinks it is right, nay his god-given duty, to shoot off fireworks in our neighborhood for a week before and a week after the Fourth. The little guy was too scared to pee on his walk last night so many were going off unexpectedly and so got me up at six this morning so he could go out. Happy Fourth!
Schlemazel Khan
@Schlemazel Khan:
Thats what I get for post BC (before coffee). The official report on Iraq is due out soon. People know whats in it apparently and there is ‘danger’ that Cobryn will demand Blair stand trial for his part in lying & double-dealing. Labour wants him to STFU so they can pretend it was not their fault.
Alex Salmond: The coup against Corbyn was planned to stop him calling for Blair’s head after Chilcot
LINKY BIT
Amir Khalid
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
I can imagine Angela Merkel looking daggers at them in the meetings and demanding, Warum seid ihr noch hier?
Schlemazel Khan
@Amir Khalid:
Every time I see his name I think of the lady knitting by the Guillotine in “Tale of Two Cities”
the ‘La’ was just added to make it French
OzarkHillbilly
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: My feeling is they will get cold feet and find a way to stay, but there are more than a few in the govt*** saying, “The people have voted. We have to follow the will of the people.”
***most notably the esteemed lady, whose name escapes me, who may well be next in line for the PM. (even tho she was on the side of ‘Remain’)
hovercraft
@bystander:
How many millions is that going to cost the American taxpayers. Eleventy ?
Happy Birthday Malia.
Happy Birthday America.
gex
@germy: John Oliver mentioned it in his piece too.
Felonius Monk
Happy Birthday Balloon-Juice Patriots! Ain’t this a Great Country?
schrodinger's cat
Happy 4th, fellow jackals and hyenas!
hovercraft
@Patricia Kayden:
There was no secrecy last year about her internship in NY on the set of girls. The secret service may not like it, but I think even if the did not announce it people would blab about her presence on social media anyway. Her poor parents having to worry about their 18 year old baby on her own out in the world, with security concerns layered on top. I can’t imagine.
Miss Bianca
Happy Fourth, AL and all y’all!
Today I’m going to try to help out at the Democrats’ barbecue in my town whilst avoiding the open-carry nuts who have made a habit of descending on our Fourth of July parade because FREEEEDUMB!! This is going to be a tricky needle to thread. Then, later, fireworks over the lake, which I have taken to watching from the deck at the house – a little far away from the action, but also much less stress on the puppers – noise from the booms not nearly so loud as being down on the ground at site.
Or I may just skip it all and head to Salida to watch the Salida Circus at Riverside Park.
schrodinger's cat
I have a question about buyer’s agents. As a first time home buyer, its seems like its a good idea to go through one. Do any BJers have any experience with the species. How do you go about hiring one? I have short listed two based on my research, online and talking to friends who have bought houses recently.
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
I think you mean the Home Secretary, Theresa May.
dmsilev
@schrodinger’s cat: I started by writing to the ones on my short list, saying that person so-and-so recommended them to me, that I was interested in buying in such-and-such neighborhood, and then asking to set up a phone call. Then, picked the one that I felt the most comfortable with.
Miss Bianca
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Oh, my goodness! Well, he did just vote to put himself out of a job, didn’t he? As EU parliament member and all? You mean the blowback from Brexit got to be too much even for him? Ohhh….could not happen to a nicer guy!
germy
@schrodinger’s cat: We used a buyer’s agent many years ago. This was pre-internet, when you needed a giant, phonebook-sized volume to see home listings. We gave her an idea of what we were looking for, and she showed us around. I figured the seller had an agent looking out for his interests, so we needed someone on our side.
Most recently, we dealt only with the seller’s agent. He pretended to care about us, but he was obviously batting for the seller.
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporatist Shill
Gonna rain all day here.
We called our camping short yesterday morning as it started to roll in to where we were at. It was a nice campground, but the tent sites were pull-in, so it was crowded. LOTS of Authentic American drama as Appalachian-Americans shouted such charming things at their children like “shut your fucking face afore I smack the shit outta you” (to be fair, I kinda agreed with the sentiment, as this seemed to be the predominant sort of communication which occurred between 11 pm and 1 am – my real objection was when this also seemed to be a morning and late afternoon expression as well). Plus, there were passels of ill-behaved, barking dogs brought by said Authentic Americans. There was also the glorious scent of stank-ass ditch weed, the wise aphorisms of romance and drunkenness delivered by a 20 year mom of a 6 year old to her 13ish cousins (she had a lot of wisdom to impart, it being after 11 and I guess the cousins having some hookup plans with the fine young men in the park). I can’t say as I was sad to leave that campground.
We’re just gonna get a pedicure, see a movie and binge watch Marco Polo while avoiding my mom so we don’t get sucked into going to my uncle’s perennially awful July 4 dry gathering.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@schrodinger’s cat: We had one in ’98 and it worked out reasonably well. The main benefit was that she had access to lists of homes for sale (or soon to be for sale) before they showed up on the Internet. There wasn’t much negotiation about price around here, so that wasn’t a reason to get a buyer’s agent. The agent on each side usually got 3% around here – dunno how it works now with Redfin and the like using lower commissions.
If you’re buying your first place, find someone that you trust to work with you. You don’t want to be at the mercy of the seller’s agent. Whether that’s a buyer’s agent or a real-estate attorney or whatever, I dunno what would be the best fit for you. We looked at more than 100 homes and made offers on 4 before we succeeded (over a period of about 3 months). Find someone that you get along with and trust in case it takes a while for you, too.
Have a good relationship with your lender, too. Don’t fall for broker’s claims that they can get you some exceedingly cheap loan – often they don’t start looking for a loan for you until late in the process and things might be different then. We had a lender we trusted and I wanted a loan that wouldn’t be sold and that didn’t have a tax escrow account. It cost a little more, but there was the peace of mind that the paperwork and tax payments wouldn’t be messed up later (we paid the property taxes ourselves twice a year).
HTH a little. Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
Shell
On one well-known food blog, they had a DYI for making homemade sparklers. Always felt bad that they were banned along with every other kind of fireworks so was curious…
Yikes! It must have listed at least ten different kinds of chemicals. I didn’t even want to look at them, let alone have them in my house.
MomSense
Had to skip a family party yesterday because I have a bad cold or something. Today we are meeting some cousins who are taking their kids and mine out to an island for the week. They are going to ride bikes and do polar bear swimming (water never gets warm there). I’m tempted to take the pup with me and do a hike and swim with her but my energy is rapidly waning.
germy
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: good advice.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@schrodinger’s cat: I’d use a buyer broker – here they share the commission with the seller’s agent – and will advise you about important things to consider that the listing agent cannot. That agent’s duty is to the seller.
Get a buyer broker, and hire an inspector for anything you make an offer on. That’s the kind of thing your own agent will be invaluable for. S/he can also make sure you’re including all the contingencies that will protect you in an offer contract.
I’ll just be blunt – I’d never go house shopping without a buyer broker.
Miss Bianca
@raven: @BillinGlendaleCA: by the way, all y’all who post such lovely photos amaze and delight me. I am the most camera-challenged person this side of…well, John Cole, probably.
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporatist Shill
@MomSense:
Summer colds are just THE BEST!
BD of MN
Our two rescue Great Pyrs are terrified of fireworks, last night was no fun. When we had the female in for an x-ray a couple of years ago, they found some buckshot lodged in her ass. So their aversion could very well be doggie ptsd.
Annnd the first firecrackers of the day went off at 9:11. Must be some eeebil moooslim furriners who hate Murrica…
Miss Bianca
@PaulWartenberg2016: Hey, I have a question for you about Camp NaNoWriMo cabins! How much do you have to specify to be put in with online friends? : )
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporatist Shill
My nitwit Tervuren doesn’t flip over thunder or fireworks.
He flips out and flinches over fluttering fabric, though. He also hates the UPS man and that truck – THAT HULKING BROWN TRUCK. – with the heat of a thousand suns. Given an opportunity, my sweet-natured, kind-to-kids-cats-and-strangers Belgian Tervuren would attack, knock down and eat the UPS man….
satby
@germy: ah, sorry, I misread!
JPL
Trump is going to meet with Joni Ernst today. I still want him to select Michelle Bachmann, though.
MattF
@schrodinger’s cat: Yes, although it happened a while ago. I found mine on a recommendation from a friend, and she was great. On the first day, she drove up to my apartment building, pointed to the seat next to her and we drove off to look at places. The other candidate agent gave me a little lecture on having a ‘learning experience’. Easy choice.
First-time buying (and financing) is a maze, and you will need competent guidance.
Schlemazel Khan
@germy:
By law here in MN the sellers agent has to represent the sellers interest. If you use a buyers agent they by law must represent your interest so you would have the right to at least complain to the state agency that monitors them. Depending on what is provable (probably not much) you would also have the right to sue.
I ended up bringing my own lawyer to our first closing because the buyer was a dick and the agent thought she was going to get a ton of future business from him so she tossed us overboard. Long story but I had her over the barrel & her commission from the sale was $500 and the other guy never bought another house through her.
lol chikinburd
Woke up in my own bed and not in a hotel for the first time in two and a half months.
I’ll “celebrate” by putting another dent in the unpacked boxes. Come to think of it, I think I’d rather be doing that anyway than contemplating our place in human history. Anyway, enjoy the holiday.
Cat48
@Patricia Kayden:
No, I worry too about her being safe. I think that the Ambassador in charge is a friend of the president’s. So between them & SS, hopefully she will be ok.
JPL
@schrodinger’s cat: You have to make sure that you like the agent, since you will be spending time with that person. For me that is key.
Immanentize
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I agree with hhafI — in the Boston area, the buyer and seller agendts usually split a 6% commission. Which means they are both working for the deal in the end.
I also agree with Scott about the lender! Get a pre-approved loan amount if possible. It really puts your offer to the top of the pile if there is any bidding war. We were fortunate to have USAA which is a completely transparent lender. Yea American Officers!
satby
My local classical station is playing Copeland’s Abraham Lincoln, A Portrait right now. I love this piece, though I wish it was the James Earl Jones version.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
That’s pretty cool. I remember one year watching a big fireworks display and noticing a plane flying way overhead. Was very envious of the passengers — I think it would be very neat to see a splashy fireworks show from above.
Amir Khalid
@SiubhanDuinne:
There are some wonderful videos on YouTube of fireworks displays shot from the inside with a drone.
NotMax
Have never been a fan of fireworks. Just don’t find any attraction in watching things exploding
For the holiday: Sousa’s “The Liberty Bell.”
satby
@SiubhanDuinne: One of the years I traveled a lot I did come home over a lot of firework shows as we crossed from the east coast to Chicago (late flight) and it was cool, but the plane moves so fast and the view through those tiny windows is so limited it doesn’t last long.
satby
@Amir Khalid: Yeah, those are better!
RaflW
A friend of mine who is US born to parents who emigrated from India (and is married to a local girl, with three biracial kids) wrote this today. I think it’s perfect:
“240 years ago today, 56 wealthy white men declared independence from the United Kingdom. They established a new nation based on the principles they saw as necessary to establish their freedom. Today, we all celebrate that day as Independence Day.
But the story of this country is not in the actions of those 56 men, it is actually in the fights for freedom that followed. It is in the fights for the emancipation of black people, the sovereignty of Native Americans, and the equal rights of women, immigrants, and LGBTQ people. It will be in the fights for the freedom for those whose oppression we cannot even understand or comprehend yet.
Those 56 men may have declared independence for some that day, but the last 240 years have been filled with countless others who have courageously fought and continue to fight for their own independence. So on this Independence Day, let us honor them. Instead of simply celebrating what those 56 men did, let us resolve to continue the fight for our own freedom and for those around us who are still oppressed.”
catclub
@Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporatist Shill: Our terror tabby growls her little growl and runs away to show her hate of the UPS truck and man. But it is still good early warning that the UPS truck is here.
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
Ah, the theme music from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
ThresherK (GPad)
@rikyrah: Wow, I didn’t know that. Cool.
The only fictional character I can come up with born on 7/4 is Johnny Sims, the male lead in King Vidor’s “The Crowd”.
schrodinger's cat
@catclub: Terror tabby is a perfect name for the boss cat. He has 3 modes of operation, the aforementioned terror tabby, lover boy and sleeping tiger.
JPL
I’m leaving shortly to listen to some bluegrass music and have some bbq.
@RaflW: I’ll keep that in mind today. What a nice sentiment.
Just One More Canuck
@NotMax: I cant listen to that without picturing a giant foot coming down at the end
karen marie
@Cat48: When I lived in the West Fenway, a bunch of gardeners and neighbors would have a barbecue in my perfectly located three-plot space in the Fenway victory gardens,, then watch the fireworks from the open area right outside my gate. It was the best. I should never have left.
schrodinger's cat
@RaflW: Your friend needs to give a tad more credit to the 46 guys, there was more to them then big rich and white. And I say that as someone who does not worship at the altar of the Church of Founding Fathers.
The Ancient Randonneur
@schrodinger’s cat: I highly recommend you procure the services of an EXCLUSIVE buyer’s agent or broker. Exclusivity is important. Brokerages that also accept seller listings have an inherent conflict of interest. They do make a difference and I have had excellent service both times.
germy
FlipYrWhig
@ThresherK (GPad): “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy…”
PaulWartenberg2016
Good God even the rat most responsible for the Brexit vote – Nigel “The Duke of Immigrant Fearmongering” Farage – is quitting his leadership spot and running for the hills.
What a bunch of cowards the Leave people are turning out to be.
Tripod
Spain has to be #2 on the list of independence days created.
Like in the US, it is often different than ratified constitution day or colonial hand-off day.
The Dangerman
Maybe Trump should hire some decent damage control people:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/749961528422625281
Old Dan and Little Anne
Went out to get the hound in the middle of this thread and he is gone once again. Fucking asshole.
Schlemazel Khan
@germy:
OK, if King & Walnuts are on board something sneaky is being pulled. Anyone know the reason this is an issue now & why those two joined in?
Cat48
@karen marie:
That sounds like a perfect way to watch fireworks, no sitting in traffic for hours, etc. Sounds great.
Tripod
@germy:
On this day in 1910 he defeated white, ex-heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries. Race riots (the polite village term for lynchings) ensued.
It was filmed, and was one of the biggest box office performers of early cinema.
Kathleen
@Betty Cracker: My youngest grandson is 4 days older than Malia and just got his license and his first job at Publix in Riverview. I thought my daughter grew up fast but my grandsons grew up in the blink of an eye. Too scary how quickly time flies by, especially 2016.
trollhattan
@PaulWartenberg2016:
They’re like the dog that finally caught the car, “Now what?”
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@RaflW: That’s a wonderful statement.
tybee
@germy:
“…and they wouldn’t let Jack Johnson on board,
they said this ship don’t haul no coal,
fare thee well, Titanic, fare the well…”
well, crap. the link didn’t take.
look up Jaime Brockett’s “Legend of the USS Titanic”
Amir Khalid
@PaulWartenberg2016:
Faraj said he’s achieved the main goal of his political life — get Britain out of the EU — so now’s the time to quit. Then again, this is the third time he’s quit the leader’s post at UKIP, so maybe he’ll think of another way to damage Britain and decide to come back.
Patricia Kayden
@JPL: Sarah Palin, all the way!! Gives her another job to quit.
schrodinger's cat
@The Ancient Randonneur: I couldn’t find any exclusive buyers’ agents in my area, perhaps because its not large enough to support them?
karen marie
@Schlemazel Khan: I don’t know about King but McCain’s reelection is not a slam dunk. I think he’s trying to generate some positive buzz with “those people.”
trollhattan
@Shell:
Junior high was the perfect age for concocting things that go boom, make pretty colors and/or fly. Then by high school ones attentions pivot elsewhere, hopefully while still in possession of all ten digits.
Living in a state with only “safe and sane” fireworks is a catalyst for such inventiveness.
trollhattan
@tybee:
The local hippie FM station actually had that on rotation for a time.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Returning to trumpeting, as opposed to whistling, tweets, Corey Lewandoswki calls the backlash against the Star of David “political correctness run amok” (sorry, no link). And of course He, Trump calls it a “sheriff’s star,” blown out of proportion by the media.
I’ve seen several people argue that it’s a 6 pointed star rather than the interlocking triangles of a Star of David. While (most of them) admitting that’s its origin demonstrates the intent. But when I looked at the image again, I notice something: the point size selected for the text is such that triangle bases are really highlighted. I found that striking, and while the center text does bleed out of the triangle sides, the bases are pretty clearly marked. Thoughts?
Tony J
@Schlemazel Khan:
I have heard that, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. The core of the Establishment Labour Party is still chock full of Blair loyalists, and a lot of sitting Labour MPs voted in lockstep for his wars. They’re not going to be very eager to revisit their cock-ups, and even less eager to come out openly in defence of their King-in-Exile if Corbyn does back giving Blair his day in court. Knifing Corbyn in the back using the Brexit referendum as an excuse seems to have been their plan regardless of the actual result, as evidenced by the current front-runner’s people claiming the website name ‘angelaforleader’ a couple of days before the vote took place. Oopsie.
Such ‘honourable’ men and women, such ‘concern’ for the Party and their country. I know this because the political media over here tells me so, with a not-at-all suspicious regularity.
trollhattan
@germy:
Called “double-ending the deal” in our area and while legal is very problematic, especially for the buyer. The agent, of course, gets both the sales and purchase commissions.
Eric S.
@satby: Chicago cut the fireworks and The Taste for budgetary reasons but also because of a string of violence over the years.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): You might just be seeing jpeg compression artifacts or something.
I assume they just picked a font size that would let “Candidate” fit and used the same size for the rest of the text.
Just a guess.
Cheers,
Scott.
rikyrah
@RaflW:
that was beautiful
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@schrodinger’s cat: It’s entirely possible that not every region will support such agencies. My view is that an agent representing a buyer is representing that buyer for the purposes of the search. The fact that a brokerage also takes listings has never troubled me because a buyer’s agent wants to get a buyer to a house that the buyer wants to purchase, regardless of what agency has the listing.
Some people are troubled by using an agency that lists as well as buys, and I’m not one of them. No agency makes a commission until a sale is closed, so all agencies have an interest in closing a sale. I understand the position w/r/t a conflict of interest, but I don’t subscribe to it.
MattF
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): The star + the background of $100 bills was the giveaway for me. No need to be subtle here.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@MattF: That combination is completely unsubtle; my point was the graphics internal to the star undercut the ” just a six point” even more. The whole thing was easy to see for what it is – a trumpet (truly accidental the first time I wrote it!).
Tripod
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
It’s a six pointed star taken from a white power site, sitting on a stack of money.
That doesn’t need any clarification. He’s a liar and a knave.
Miss Bianca
@Tripod: yeah, but you know…emails. And Benghazi! And Bill and Loretta! So.much.worse than anything the Donald trumps up!
MomSense
@Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporatist Shill:
SO. MUCH. FUN.
My big hike today is going to be to the rocking chair on the porch.
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
I’d say a good home inspector is the most important thing and to make sure you can get out of the sale without losing your deposit if the inspector discovers mold or asbestos or something terrible.
Ruckus
@NotMax:
I find myself in the same frame of mind these days. Maybe it’s the way our current political system/media seems to be working, maybe it’s just getting older, maybe something else, but I’d like to see us build things, make them better, not just blow them up and then stand there wondering what went wrong.
RealityBites
Supposed to rain all day and night here. Guess I’ll spend my day off with the shop vac in the basement. I am on the edge of the area of WV and Va that flooded. I hope this rain doesn’t cause any more problems there. Wishing everyone a safe holiday. And thanks to everyone who helps their fellow Americans in time of need.
satby
@karen marie: I feel that way about leaving Chicago. But I wanted to get deeper into rescue fostering than I could in any incorporated area, and I always wondered about living in a rural area since my grandparents were almost all farmers (one cop).
So it was a mixed success, we were able to save and adopt out many more animals than I could have managed legally otherwise, but it was difficult and isolating too. Don’t regret it, sometimes you need to try something way different.
Mnemosyne
@RaflW:
If he likes musicals, your friend might enjoy this Vox article about how Hamilton is fanfic that puts people of color into familiar history. Also has a short discussion about how you can tell it’s a successful work of art because the NY Times got all butthurt about “inaccuracy” but never even mentioned the multiple inaccuracies in 1776 until recently.
J R in WV
Had a restless night. Mrs J sometimes has restless legs, and runs wind sprints all night, and other times she has very active dreams, and shouts orders to her girl scouts, or whomever is in the dreams with her.
So now she’s napping quietly, and I’m gonna join her. Some mornings I have coffee and it just puts me to sleep. Today we woke up late, so I just had lunch, and now, good by.
See ya all later!
Eric U.
@Scapegoat: I don’t have any close neighbors that shoot off fireworks, but the local summer league baseball team has a show every home game, and they are close enough to us to bother the one dog that is sensitive to noises. She has her hiding places though.
Utahns celebrate a holiday to commemorate the pioneers, and the home fireworks are really obnoxious. That goes on for a long time. Then they do it over for the 4th
Thinking about using the ace bandage thundervest trick. This dog has a tendency to ruin clothing items, so buying another thundervest doesn’t seem like a good investment. She is terrified of thunder, will not go out if it’s going to rain
Ajabu
@Amir Khalid:
And in Jamaica we do August 6th (my birthday) for the same reason.
Linnaeus
Happy Independence Day, fellow BJ-ers! Here’s some Schoolhouse Rock for you.