So this happened in Florida:
Zebra escapes from private property, gallops around Florida neighborhood. Authorities have since captured the zebra. https://t.co/oSvfiBQ0Pg pic.twitter.com/ngaKojgXnp
— ABC News (@ABC) May 6, 2017
From WFTS Tampa Bay:
WIMAUMA, Fla. – An escaped zebra caused quite a scene in Hillsborough County on Friday.
At about 2:00 p.m., the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck was traveling westbound on SR-672 just east of Amber Sweet Lane in Wimauma when a zebra that was walking along the side of the road ran into the driver’s side of the truck.
The impact broke the side mirror and shattered the mirror. Some of the glass hit the driver.
After the impact, the zebra ran into a field. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office aviation team responded and was able to guide the zebra in a safe direction. It was corralled by deputies and employees of its owner.
The zebra was returned to the owner, and the driver was transported to Brandon Hospital.
Mark Ross captured the zebra on video running through his backyard and posted it to Facebook.
Open thread!
Thru the Looking Glass...
So it seems everyone is focusing on the Federal investigations going on here… FBI, House, & Senate… not much commentary on the State of NY & their investigation… I think money laundering is the gist?
Anyone have any idea how good that case is?
I’d settle for convictions for money laundering…
amk
That’s why you have to be born as a donkey. No one chases an ass.
trollhattan
Don’t know about the rest of y’all but a few roaming zebras would improve my neighborhood bigly.
SiubhanDuinne
Was there a gator in hot pursuit?
And BTW, what kind of private property did the zebra escape from? If it was Busch Gardens, I’ll give it a pass (not really). But if some rich jerk is keeping it as an exotic pet, I have major problems with that.
Lizzy L
Oh, I love this.
When I visited Hearst Castle 25 years ago, there was a herd of zebra on the grounds. Gone now, I think.
seaboogie
Passenger in truck turns to driver and says “forget it Jake, it’s Florida.”
My fave FL pic/commentary on the news of the day was one of an alligator at the bottom of a pool, captioned “High Risk Pools”. I laughed. Out loud.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: This was Brandon area. So miles away from Busch Gardens. There are some animal rescue/rehabilitation type places in rural parts of Hillsborough County. Or, at least, there used to be.
seaboogie
@Thru the Looking Glass…: I met a guy who shared a jail cell with Al Capone – worked for him as a safe-cracker. When I met the fellow, he worked as a clown for children’s parties.
Adam L Silverman
You all have a good night, I’m going to rub doggie bellies and then rack out.
Mnemosyne
@Lizzy L:
I just Googled it and they’re still there, living wild. The Hearst Castle staff estimates there are about 80 of them running in different herds.
Origuy
Is it time for a music thread? I’m listening to a fabulous young fiddler, Hanneke Cassal. She played for one of our Scottish country dance parties a few years ago. Seems to have been just about to take off; she is on tour at the moment.
A Couple of Scottish Strathspeys
meander
Seems like WTFS would be more fitting call letters for a Florida station.
efgoldman
@Adam L Silverman: You may want to wait a minute or two. Anaheim moribund trailing 3-0 with three minutes left, got two quick empty net goals (first one a very lucky bounce off Dreisedel’s ass)
Not another OT late game!
Holy shit they tied it with 18 seconds left!
danielx
Saw a fox in the front yard this evening. I may have to get one of those wildlife cameras just to see what’s going on at night.
ArchTeryx
Adam, you’re always the one saying “stay frosty”. It’s a weird thing. In World of Tanks I *am* the frosty one. People yelling at each other and cussing each other out, I just stay calm no matter what shit goes down, and if I get killed early? I just take my lumps and wait for the next round.
But this situation has me utterly, totally freaked. The stakes are a lot higher then a round in an arcade game and I fail that test, apparently.
JCJ
@efgoldman:
That was a crazy final few minutes of the period.
TriassicSands
@amk:
No, but they’ll elect one.
@SiubhanDuinne:
The rich don’t have rules. (But I agree with you — wild animals, aka exotics, should be left in the wild.)
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Thanks. The language in the article (“It was corralled by deputies and employees of its owner. The zebra was returned to the owner, and the driver was transported to Brandon Hospital.”) struck me as a bit coy.
As I believe I’ve mentioned, I lived in Temple Terrace for six years, just a short distance from Busch Gardens, so my mind naturally went there. Well, except for the coyness in the article.
Mnemosyne
I need to go start getting ready for my day trip tomorrow and get to bed early so I don’t spend the whole time on the train sleeping. It won’t be much of a writer’s retreat if I waste my time that way.
I need to be parking my car by 7:30 am tomorrow since the second-cheapest lot is almost a mile away. Sigh.
Eljai
It’s a horse in striped pajamas! Okay, you have to be over 45 or so to get the Captain Kangaroo reference.
efgoldman
@JCJ:
Three goals in three minutes, empty net. Only time I’ve seen something like that was in a college game.
Couple of years ago a college team in the frozen four (Providence, maybe?) got two in just over a minute, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen three.
Adam L Silverman
@efgoldman: I’m watching it. Just because I was signing off from here didn’t mean I was turning the game off.
Adam L Silverman
@ArchTeryx: I’m not trying to crap on your response. It is completely legit. I’m just recommending that you step back, evaluate, and then respond accordingly when appropriate. Everyone is going to respond differently. Almost all, if not all, of those responses are legitimate. It is what you do after the initial response that matters.
EBT
Another Ferguson protester was shot in his car. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ferguson-protester-edward-crawford-subject-iconic-photo-found-dead-n755401
ArchTeryx
Time for me to get some rack as well. Sleep tight everyone!
And thank you again, Adam.
Mike J
@efgoldman: I remember when Man City got 2 in stoppage to win the league.
Millard Filmore
@amk:
Eh? All the men I know do that!
efgoldman
@ArchTeryx:
Whenever something potentially bad happens, mrs efg totally freaks and assumes not only the worst possible, but the worst of all imagined possibilities. And there’s no comforting her, I just have to wait for her to wind down
When her brother got cancer eight years ago, he was going to be dead in a week. He lived five+ years.
When I had a stroke eight years ago, I was going to be a basket case for life. I went back to work until I retired, I lead mostly a normal life (some small deficiencies)
When my kidney disease was diagnosed, I was going to be on dialyses in a week, terminal in a year. I am on the transplant list, but I’m not even on dialisys yet.
When our daughter (36) was diagnosed with a mild, non-progressive form of MS, she was going to be totally disabled in six months, dead in a year. Her prognosis is a normal life span, mostly sympton free.
You see where this is going, don’t you?
The senate is going to suspend every rule they ever had, pass the house bill in toto, it will be in effect by June and she will then be without coverage.
That’s not going to happen, of course. Something may come out of the senate, or it may not. If they can’t get it under reconciliation it’s dead. If enough Republiklowns here from enough constituents, and a few of them actually have a moral compass, it likely dies. They may pass something which sounds like what the house did, but really isn’t. They may pass something, but to avoid the kind of blowback (and re-election problems) the house is getting, they may move the effective date out far enough that she’ll be 65 (she’ll be 63 in July).
I’m on Medicare, and we’re in a very blue state surrounded by blue states. However we’re much too small to even think of setting up a state plan, like CA or NY. Maybe if the shit really hits the fan, maybe multiple blue states in the Northeast and New England can form a consortium .
Who knows?
NotMax
Mentioned sans further comment.
efgoldman
@Adam L Silverman: @JCJ: I stay up late as anybody that reads my comments knows. But these late-starting OT games are gonna’ kill me.
laura
@NotMax: found that consuming two pints of beer can cut discomfort by a quarter.
I’m happy to report that I’ve consumed the suggested dosage -Sharp IPA’s and can report that my discomfort has reduced markedly.
NotMax
@efgoldman
Cradle robber. ;)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@seaboogie:
Clowns are frightening.
NotMax
Winter Kills just now running on TCM. Recall mostly liking it when it played in the theaters. Don’t at all remember it looking as if it was filmed using a Super 8 camera.
Aleta
@seaboogie: A friend of mine married a guy whose relative had been in Al Capone’s gang. She was never into fancy stuff, but now wears this diamond ring that had belonged to the gang member. I don’t find diamonds that interesting or attractive, but this one, WoW, it’s extremely beautiful.
Major Major Major Major
We had a big ‘ol snake come up outside the window at work today.
Maybe not that big, 4 feet. Still.
I got my new Wacom drawing tablet for my birthday today, got it set up, and wow, digital figure drawing is not like riding a bicycle. Been a good ten years. But, well, there’s a line from Adventure Time that I always think of at times like this–kind of sucking at something is the first step to being pretty good at it!
John Revolta
according to new research, drinking two beers is more effective at relieving pain than taking painkillers.
And frankly, probably easier on your liver than Tylenol.
John Revolta
@Major Major Major Major: Ummm……..yikes?
Fucker looks more like 6 foot to me
Major Major Major Major
@John Revolta: Yeah, I’m not awesome with lengths and distances.
John Revolta
@Major Major Major Major: Well, Happy Birthday in any event. And watch out for the reptiles.
Elizabelle
@efgoldman: Thank you for your wise counsel here.
Deep breath, and hold on. Things could play out better; could play out more slowly.
Saw the jackalcommunity’s concern for Yarrow; glad to hear that that pal is fine. But not surprised to see someone(s) at the end of his/her rope.
I’ve thought for a while that, even if he didn’t get a “win” on healthcare, Trump — and advisors/allies — were continually bringing up
legislating onfucking with healthcare as a terror tactic. It’s a deadly serious topic for many, and if you can instill fear and despair and learned helplessness in some proportion of those who depend on healthcare, or whose loved ones are vulnerable, you increase your power.The terror won’t hit those who are oblivious: those who are checked out, blinded by ideology/”Christian” theology gone cruelly wrong, or just not bright and/or unempathetic (ie. your stereotypical Trump voter), but it terrorizes those who see the potential of losing life, actual limb, and chance of a relatively productive — or at minimum — less painful and/or longer existence.
Actual existence.
These fuckers are evil. Pure evil. The mask has slipped off even baby blue Paul Ryan. Having someone return from government-paid for foot surgery (on an injury that’s years old), scooting to congress on his government-paid for medical transport device, so he can vote against healthcare for a lot of his constituents and fellow Americans — it’s both psychotic and very blackly funny. That was the face of malevolence, Jason gliding in to vote. Pull up those ladders for others.
Further, some people here deal in hyberbole regularly. You might think a bit on how your apocalyptic fantasies and predictions sound to someone who trusts you, and is in the throes of despair and terror.
What the Republicans in Congress did is horrible, but it’s not game over yet. Please remember that. We are not without a voice, not without power.
I’d say a lot more pink hats and marches are in order. Lots of them. Show our strength. Take our families, including young ones, to them. Keep calling and writing and informing our peers.
We are powerful. Don’t let them take away that power.
Don’t let them take away you.
seaboogie
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I forgot a trigger warning for Omnes. Anyway, here is a link to the the fellow in question – sans scary pictures…
?BillinGlendaleCA
@seaboogie: I’m fully in agreement with Omnes, clowns are fucking scary and a menace to society.
ETA: Went straight? He became a fucking clown!
seaboogie
@seaboogie: dagnabit – this used to work (Steep – if you are around you will educate me). Anyway, here is a naked link:
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/23/obituaries/red-rudensky-89-safecracker-who-went-straight.html
?BillinGlendaleCA
@John Revolta: Looks like a gopher snake, they’re harmless. It’s the ones with the diamond markings and the funny tail you have to worry about, though most people get bit when they step on them.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Major Major Major Major: Happy b-day, the Wacom tablets are really nice. I use mine with Lightroom, though I also ended up getting a SurfacePro.
Major Major Major Major
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Gopher snake was my guess, we have ’em around here. If you look at that guy’s tail it looks like somebody beat us to stomping on him though.
Here’s what I drew tonight with my new tablet, first digital drawing in over ten years. It’s not the very worst thing in the world. Old character of mine, his shirt’s supposed to be three colors but it just looks like a bad shading job if you don’t know.
seaboogie
@Major Major Major Major: Love the natural world inserting itself into our screen-obsessed lives, and so – your snake. Think it’s a reminder of what is really happening in the world. Then again, after my old cat died, there was a five-legged spider on the wall that I named “Starfish” and befriended. Pretty sure I am a weirdo, and also grown comfortable in that.
seaboogie
@?BillinGlendaleCA: C’mon, man – you have to admit that that was one heck of a life that he lived. Weird CV, tho’….
Elizabelle
@seaboogie: Whoa. That’s a life story. Would make a movie.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Elizabelle
@Major Major Major Major: You are talented. Good drawing.
Major Major Major Major
@Elizabelle: Thanks. Something’s off, I think it’s the left arm, but, one step at a time.
Peale
Got back home from the Philippines trip…I used to be relaxed and then I decided to try to catch up on the news. Its not gotten much better around here in the past two weeks, has it? Didn’t think so. You all were supposed to pull off the coup while I was out of the country. Now I’m going to have to get my own hands dirty. Thanks a lot.
Shalimar
@efgoldman: Spoiler alert: no republican senators have a moral compass. On the other hand, unlike the House where the caucus has turned over quite a bit in the last decade, the majority of senators were around for the 2006 debacle after they flirted with cutting social security. Maybe fear of that happening again will save us.
Steve in the ATL
@Peale: and you were supposed to take care of Duterte while you were there!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Peale:
I blame Obama.
JGabriel
WFTS Tampa Bay via Adam @ Top:
I’d love to see the insurance claim on that one.
Gvg
There used to be zebras in a pasture with horses and cows beside I-75 near Ocala on the east side. No idea who owned them or why. Didn’t always see them returning from Orlando. Since my parents moved to Gainesville I don’t make that drive as often. Normally I’d be against random people with exotic pets, but they seemed alright as herd animals.
Steeplejack (phone)
@NotMax:
It was weird. TCM was showing it in 4:3, but I looked on IMDB and the original format was widescreen. Maybe they were running somebody’s muddy old VHS print. I was tired and didn’t stick with it.
tybee
some decade or so ago, there was an endangered species breeding program on St.Catherine’s island off the coast of Georgia. the species included some odd looking ibex things, some large cranes/storks, lion tailed macaques, ring tailed lemurs (which roamed the island freely as they don’t swim) and a pretty large herd of narrow striped zebra.
it was odd to be sitting in a large pasture on an island off georgia in an open jeep with a herd of zebra thundering by on both sides of the jeep. way cool but odd.
Tenar Arha
@efgoldman: Massachusetts hospital & insurance networks overnight were rocked as if by an earthquake when someone in another state said the words “consortium” and “New England” in the same sentence.
Yutsano
@Thru the Looking Glass…:
Never forget: what finally got Al Capone was tax evasion.
JGabriel
@Yutsano:
… and syphilis.
Quaker in a Basement
Was the zebra being pursued by a lion, a hippo, and a hypochondriac giraffe?
Seen that.
Ksmiami
@Elizabelle: So I have been thinking about it more and there are so many reasons why US healthcare is fucked up, but the things I keep coming back to are: A complete lack of basic transparency, no competition in a lot of communities, Insurance companies and the AMA preventing the increase in the numbers of MDs. I think the overall system even with ACA is a nightmare that pads the costs in every way and is still incredibly difficult for most Americans to navigate. So let’s keep fighting for the ACA, but lets rethink medicine as an industry. I recognize too that we have amazing Drs, researchers and companies pioneering cures and life altering technologies and we still need to encourage this. Just some thoughts for a Saturday so ppl don’t give up and start looking to work around road blocks (the GOP). Additionally, maybe it’s worth building an underground railroad sort of thing so needy Americans can get care outside of the US.