Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

This really is a full service blog.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Republicans in disarray!

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

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

So many bastards, so little time.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Saturday Night Open Thread: Too Friendly, Too Sweet

Saturday Night Open Thread: Too Friendly, Too Sweet

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Looks like we could use an open thread.I don’t know if we’ve covered this little guy here yet. Cute little thing flunked out of police training. But it’s all good, he’s got a new job as the Governor’s dog:

He participated in months of training at the police dog academy, but ended up being a doggy dropout out because he “did not display the necessary aptitude for a life on the front line,” according to the BBC.  Instead of tackling suspects or sniffing out explosives, Gavel preferred belly tickles and cuddles from strangers.

But Gavel had made a good friend, who helped him land on his paws: the governor of Queensland.
Gov. Paul de Jersey adopted Gavel and gave him the prestigious job of vice-regal dog.

“He may have missed out on becoming a Queensland police service dog, but it is abundantly clear that Gavel has the characteristics necessary to adequately fulfill duties as Queensland’s official vice-regal dog,” he wrote.

His new job responsibilities include welcoming visitors and attending official ceremonies. He even signed an official contract.

More photos and a cute video are here.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    TaMara (HFG)

    Here’s hoping my neighbors didn’t call the police, as I was just outside for an hour, digging a big hole, in the dark. It was 90+ degrees today, so I didn’t feel like doing much gardening until the sun went down.

    I’m working on making a fire pit by the patio. Or at least that’s what I’m telling the cops when they show up. LOL

  7. 7.

    jl

    ” Instead of tackling suspects or sniffing out explosives, Gavel preferred belly tickles and cuddles from strangers. ”
    Awwwww…. so cute….and now he is the vice-regal dog.

    So, I guess there was already a regal dog in Queensland? Or only the Queen back in England gets to have regal dogs?
    But, still cute.

  10. 10.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: Is much of the BJ commentariat in California? Maybe someday we could dragoon a front pager into visiting and get a meetup going. Might be nice to attach faces to names.

  11. 11.

    seaboogie

    @MisterForkbeard: Presumably if she drools like that, when she wakes up she licks a paw and wipes her face as if to say “I meant to do that, and you can thank me for it later”.

  12. 12.

    Major Major Major Major

    Anybody got a recommendation for a good computer game? On a Mac, have Steam. A little burned out on WoW right this second. The last game I played was the new Zelda, which was amazing.

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    @Major Major Major Major

    Dunno if it’s your type of thing, but might give Astroneer a quick look.

    (Gawd, there’s a lot to do on WoW once one hits 110. Cannot believe my main is up to needing 1.1 BILLION artifact points to buff up the concordance trait in the class hall forge.)

  17. 17.

    TenguPhule

    If you are just looking to kill some time, kongregate.com has a bunch of games of all different kinds that you can try. Lots of independent developers too. Its all hosted online, so you just need to register if you want to play some of the games that save your progress.

  18. 18.

    Major Major Major Major

    @NotMax: I just finished the Broken Shore questline today and don’t feel like getting yelled at by strangers so I’m not going to try one of the raids I don’t know.

    @TenguPhule: I am into many genres. My favorites in any genre tend towards the quirkily-written or bigly immersive. In the last few years I’ve very much enjoyed Broken Age, the Metal Gear Solid games, Kerbal Space Program, I almost got into EVE Online but realized I would drive myself insane if I did…

    ETA: Would murder somebody for a PC to play Elite: Dangerous on right now.

  19. 19.

    NotMax

    @
    Major Major Major Major

    I intensely dislike raid instances and stay away from them as much as possible. The whole ‘being forced into doing dungeons’ in Legion is bad enough (and ignorable after one completes the class hall quest line).

    (New convoluted raid opens up with drop of the Big Patch on Tuesday so everyone will be a newbie in that one, though.)

    Recommended Astroneer as I seem to recall your were (are?) a fan of Kerbal.

  24. 24.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @jl:

    I guess there was already a regal dog in Queensland?

    As the Governor’s pet, he would qualify as a vice-regal doggie.

  25. 25.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: Tons of recommendations, but not sure what your favored gametypes are.

    If you have a PS4, I’d give Horizon: Zero Dawn a shot. It’s a fantastic open-world game that’ll be just similar enough to Zelda to keep you interested while maintaining it’s own very unique identity.

    As for PC games… I’m not sure if you’re bootcamping over to Windows, but if so Everspace is a good roguelite. Endless Space 2 is a great 4x game, and Prey is a fantastic game, especially if you liked older games like the System Shock series.

    If you want a fun game you can just sock some time into, pick up Crypt of the Necrodancer. It’s a dungeon crawler where you should move in time to the music. Fairly amazing soundtrack as well, if you like EDM/electronica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIr4C5Ztlcg

  26. 26.

    NotMax

    Come to think of it, Gavel de Jersey sounds like a name plucked from a period bodice ripper.

  30. 30.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: Everspace is pretty good. Like many semi-persistent rogue-lites, you just get trashed when you first start playing and it’s kind of frustrating. But it gets fairly addictive quickly and then you start getting good unlocks for your ship… and it’s also ludicrously pretty.

    If you haven’t played it, Shadow of Mordor is fairly fantastic, if just for the persistent enemies that remember you. And if you don’t mind butchering the lore from Lord of the Rings. I’m going to plug Crypt of the Necrodancer again too, since apparently it also runs on OS X. :)

    Last: How was the Cat Cafe? Haven’t been to one yet. Right now I’m constantly bouncing between the north bay and the peninsula, so I haven’t had a ton of time to wander around SF itself in a few years.

  31. 31.

    Major Major Major Major

    I guess I can just hold my breath until Star Control: Origins comes out.

    No, I don’t know why I suddenly need a game to play.

    Edit: @MisterForkbeard: It was fun, it was a cat cafe. We didn’t pay to go hang out with the actual cats though, that’s extra. But they ended up getting to meet Samwise, who is two cats’ worth of cat anyway.

  33. 33.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    And I forgot to check the dates — it actually happened last year.

    Reading about it in various places, it always amazes me how many people are unable to distinguish between I am not surprised that an asshole got hit in the head with a baseball bat and It was right that she hit the asshole in the head with a baseball bat.

    No, she probably shouldn’t have hit him, but are we really supposed to act surprised and be horrified that an Islamophobic, racist, misogynistic “preacher” who uses a megaphone to scream at high school girls that they “deserve to get raped” eventually gets physically attacked?

  34. 34.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: If you someone goes out and tries to start a confrontation, I have a hard time feeling sympathy for them when it happens. Even if I know the violence itself was wrong, I feel like the guy deserved what happened to him.

  35. 35.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    My 17-year-old niece is currently obsessed with “Bendy and the Ink Machine,” which is a horror puzzle game that will eventually have 5 chapters, with two released so far.

    She showed me videos of other people playing it and it’s pretty cool. You’re in an abandoned animation studio trying to figure out what went horribly wrong and why one of the studio’s stars seems to have been sacrificed in some kind of satanic ritual.

    It’s not the world’s greatest graphics, but they’re well thought-out and period appropriate.

  37. 37.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: Bay Area for me. Mostly in the North Bay and on the Peninsula for life/work reasons, but I get around the entire area every few months.

    Come to think of it, I haven’t been in LA for almost a decade. Time flies.

  40. 40.

    Suzanne

    @Mnemosyne:

    Reading about it in various places, it always amazes me how many people are unable to distinguish between I am not surprised that an asshole got hit in the head with a baseball bat and It was right that she hit the asshole in the head with a baseball bat.

    Even here. I’ve made statements such as, “Violence is the understandable and predictable response to violence,” and have had people take issue. I’m not endorsing violence. I just can just comprehend how it happens.

  42. 42.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: OH. If you haven’t played it, pick up The Stanley Parable and play it right now. Or even just the demo, since they’re completely different and both amazing.

    The Stanley Parable is the type of game I spontaneously buy for people when I find out they haven’t played it. Clever people, anyway. :)

    EDIT: @NobodySpecial: Right? Horizon is really good. I stopped playing it to play Zelda, beat Zelda in a few weeks and then went right back in.

  43. 43.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Basically, the best way to do a meetup is to say, “Hey, everyone, I will be in X city on Y day. Who wants to meet up?” And then people meet up or not depending on their inclination.

    Usually Anne Laurie is happy to help coordinate, but she’s been super-busy with real life stuff lately, so TaMara and Alain are usually willing to help as well.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    There are lots of videos online of people playing it if you’re curious to see what the gameplay is like. It’s not the most technologically advanced game, but it makes up for it with an intriguing story and really good art direction. And it’s super creepy without being gory (so far, at least).

  46. 46.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: I’ll try to coordinate something soonish, maybe? The problem is that I often don’t have a ton of time to actually hang out in the thread to do the coordinating, so maybe I’ll wait awhile. :)

  49. 49.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: And I just saw that you like “quirkily written” stuff. For the love of god, pick up the Stanley Parable if you haven’t already.

    Also, don’t watch any Let’s Plays or look into what the game is about. Go into it blind.

  50. 50.

    Major Major Major Major

    @ruemara: I know the EN raids well, and “just don’t stand in shit and hit the boss” is bad enough advice to wipe a party on Ursoc. I tried Trial of Valor once and the raid party fell apart halfway through the thing with multicolored breath or whatever because nobody was remembering to… something something, multicolored breath trick.

    @MisterForkbeard: Already downloaded the demo :)

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    That’s why you email one of the front-pagers (preferably Anne Laurie, TaMara, or Alain) and ask them to create a front-page post for you once you have a proposed date/time. Then everything ends up on that one post and you don’t have to keep track of multiple ones.

    I keep saying “pick a date/time first” because, like any large meeting, it’s the only way to get everyone herded to a single time. Otherwise you’ll never get a consensus on the date.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    Because I am bad at videogames, the most complicated one I can do is Monument Valley (and now Monument Valley 2). I prefer having unlimited time and no threat of dying because I don’t like my fun time to have that kind of stress attached. ?

  58. 58.

    ruemara

    @Major Major Major Major: Ursoc is run the hell away when he focuses on you. Melee is going to take some of that damage. Besides, everyone is overgeared for it now anyway. The doggo in the Trial of Valor is hella easy. Stay in the same color of breath thing each time, when he starts to run towards you, avoid him and otherwise hit the boss. The really hard part is getting a decent tank who understands the Helya fight and how to keep the bulk of the mobs off the stairs so their muck gets washed away in the waves.

  59. 59.

    WarMunchkin

    @Major Major Major Major: I’ve been re-playing Don’t Starve. It’s a game like Minecraft, if Minecraft had a snout, long fangs, thick, spiny fur and intent to rip your face off. It’s an uncompromising rogue-like survival game, and incredibly fun. I also recommend Psychonauts, if you like story and Zelda-like gameplay, FTL if you like to lose a lot of games, Stardew Valley if you want something mindless and relaxing, and Nier: Automata if you like action hack-and-slash with philosophical story and atmospheric soundtrack.

    I’ve been reluctant to comment since, well, the election.. And I’d like to start by wondering who made James Comey into the new David Petraeus, Last Honest Man In Washington?, and who will be the first stupid-ass pundit who will say the words “President James Comey”? I remember what that man did, and how his own ego and desire to insert James Comey, Last Honest Man In Washington, into the conversation brought about the disaster of Election 2016 in part. The man is no patriot.

  61. 61.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Shalimar: GOG has some good stuff on sale, too. Witcher 3 (with all expansions) for $25 is a real steal. Halcyon6 for $12 is also a good, cheap way to spend your time.

    @WarMunchkin: Never did beat the Talos Principle, but it’s pretty great. Hard to believe it’s from the Serious Sam guys.

    So long as we’re still tossing out recommendations, I was really surprised by how much I liked Tales from the Borderlands. Smart, funny, AND emotional. Super hard to do, and yet I don’t know anyone else who’s actually played it.

  62. 62.

    Major Major Major Major

    @ruemara: Then either I’m illiterate and surrounded by morons, or the online documentation for Trial of Valor leaves something to be desired. (I don’t really chat with too many people, since they’re assholes…)

    @WarMunchkin:

    who made James Comey into the new David Petraeus, Last Honest Man In Washington?

    Rhymes with ‘Spaymes Joemey’.

  63. 63.

    Shalimar

    @MisterForkbeard: I bought Starflight 1 and 2 even though I will never play them again, because they were awesome 30 years ago and I wanted Rebel Galaxy free. Other than that, I probably won’t buy anything this round. I have too many games already that I haven’t played yet.

  64. 64.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Shalimar: I hear that. My backlog is stupidly big, and I keep adding to it. Getting a Switch didn’t help me any. :(

  65. 65.

    Morzer

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/11/the-weaker-sex-science-that-shows-women-are-stronger-than-men

    Women may hold the key to prolonging life – in extremely old age, the gap between the sexes is glaring
    “Pretty much at every age, women seem to survive better than men,” says Steven Austad, an international expert on ageing, and chair of the biology department at the University of Alabama. For almost two decades, he has been studying one of the best-known yet under-researched facts of human biology: that women live longer than men. His longevity database shows that all over the world and as far back as records have been kept, women outlive men by around five or six years. He describes them as being more “robust”.
    …
    How and why would one sex have developed a survival edge over the other?

    Studies of hunter-gatherer societies, who live the way we all may have done before fixed settlements and agriculture, provide a few clues. Many anthropologists studying tribal communities in Africa, South America, Asia and Australia believe early humans lived fairly equal lives, sharing responsibility for food, shelter and raising children. The Flintstones model, with wife at home and husband bringing back the bacon, just doesn’t stand up. Instead, the evidence shows that women would have done at least the same physical work as men, but with the added burden of bearing children.

    “There’s a general consensus now that hunting-gathering societies, while not perfectly egalitarian, were less unequal, particularly with regard to gender equality,” says Melvin Konner, professor of anthropology at Emory University in Atlanta, who has spent years doing fieldwork with hunter-gatherers in Africa. “Because of the scale of the group dynamics, it would be impossible for men to exclude women.”

    The more research that is done, the more this is reinforced. Even hunting – that prototypical male activity – is being recast as a female one, too.

    I thought this might be of some interest.

  68. 68.

    sm*t cl*de

    Instead of tackling suspects or sniffing out explosives, Gavel preferred belly tickles and cuddles from strangers.

    So do I!

    His new job responsibilities include welcoming visitors and attending official ceremonies.

    I can do that! And I’m hairier than Gavel!

  69. 69.

    bystander

    @Mnemosyne: The Corgi was only 5 years old. Do Corgis have short life spans? The one across the road has been barking up a storm for years and years.

  70. 70.

    Elizabelle

    @Mnemosyne: I miss Sutter Brown. Great dog. It does seem corgis are susceptible to cancer; lifespan seems to top out at 13 or 14.

    And I love Gavel! Greet on, nice doggo.

  73. 73.

    Bruce K

    I’m gonna be charitable to Comey and assume that sometime between Election Day and his firing, he had at least one “My God, what have I done?” epiphany moment, and that his actions since have been an attempt at redemption, or at least at setting right what he knows he put wrong.

    As for games … I can recommend the Portal series to anyone who hasn’t experienced them.

  75. 75.

    Camembert

    @Mnemosyne:

    Armed with a search warrant, officers found a small amount of marijuana and a glass pipe in Brubaker’s car

    “Found.” Jeebus I hate the war on weed.

  76. 76.

    Miss Bianca

    @Suzanne:

    Even here. I’ve made statements such as, “Violence is the understandable and predictable response to violence,” and have had people take issue. I’m not endorsing violence. I just can just comprehend how it happens.

    Same. Even a sentiment as seemingly anodyne as “I start to understand why people WANT to return violence for violence in the Trump era” was enough to bring on the moral finger-wagging. Wasn’t saying *I* particularly wanted to start attacking people…just that I was starting to understand why people might start to dream of fighting fire with fire, and fists with fists.

  78. 78.

    WarMunchkin

    Re: my anti-Comey rant, here’s a headline from the Daily Beast this morning.

    >James Comey Is The Sex Symbol America Needs Right Now

    Fuck me. It’s not even a joke article.

    Take Comey’s testimony, gracefully bring down Trump, then dump him.

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