Here we are once again, night owls and early risers.
Exhausted for a day I didn’t do too much. Snowed all day, not sticking, so that’s good, but made for a lazy day if you didn’t count all the Great Dane feet I had to wipe mud off of all day. They do love to play in the snow.
A bit of fun to end the week:
The dogs were good again this week:
And finally, this happened and while I feel for the organizers, this seems like a metaphor for current events.
Lexington built a monument to 1775. It collapsed like the country it tried to celebrate.
byu/EsperandoMuerte inmassachusetts
There are more LOL comments at the link.
This is an open thread
War for Ukraine Day 1,149: From I Alone Can Fix it To I’m Going To Just Take a Pass
frosty
So many good dogs. I love the story about Buford.
J. Arthur Crank
I did not know there were beavers in the Czech Republic. This is what a full service blog looks like.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Thank you so much for the dog video (this one ❤️ and the last one too). Wonderful, especially where the two Goldens switched the Cone of Shame. And the dog who dropped dried dog food out of his mouth in order to go for a walk!
Dman
Just saw this
<span;>BREAKING: SCOTUS orders the government not to remove from the country, for the time being, any of the individuals slated for possible deportation to El Salvador. The vote is apparently 7-2, with Justices Thomas and Alito in dissent
NotMax
Dog v. dog: “I’m gonna get ya, big guy.”
:)
Gloria DryGarden
Im loving the giraffe photo featured in the sidebar.
i knew a cranio sacral teacher in Boulder who had all these large angel figurines on his window sill, during class. I kept gazing at them, they were quite beautiful. I finally asked about them, or remarked on his angels, and he told us they were giraffe vertebrae. Giraffe vertabrae. Astonishing. Each about 6-8” tall, if I can recall correctly.
At the zoos, giraffes make some of the best eye contact, of any of the creatures there.
Martin
I think this story needs more traction.
One of the founders (Greñas) of MS-13 has now been sent back to El Salvador TWICE by Trump after the US TWICE arrested him on terrorism charges. He was part of the group of flights that Garcia was on, and it seems likely that the administration was just rounding up people to be on those flights to mask their second return of an MS-13 leader. This should be THE story – that Trump keeps releasing MS-13 leaders and instead imprisoning presumably innocent people.
prostratedragon
@Martin:
Asha Rangappa has some thoughts on what scams are being worked by these two — 47 and Bukele — and why they want to keep the bargain they supposedly have struck a secret, breaking U.S. law in the process naturally.
bjacques
@prostratedragon: yeah, I don’t think it’s a secret anymore. I wonder if the story is getting any play down there? It may be common knowledge locally, but having that dirty laundry aired internationally, especially during tourist season, might be a bit awks.
Princess
@Martin: I wouldn’t put it past Trump.
sab
@Gloria DryGarden: I still remember going to the NY World’s Fair in 1964 and one of the African countries had a restaurant that looked like a tree house with a thatched roof. It was at second story level with open unscreened windows and there were giraffes looking in at us dining. I remember them taking food, but that might just be a childish fantasy.
I only learned last year that there are different types of giraffes, with regional variations in their markings.
Baud
Boston’s Old North Church Last Night
Awesome photos.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I love the dogs of the week videos! The one flinging mud made me laugh
Geminid
The second round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have begun, at the Omani embassy in Rome.Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Secretary Araungchi lead the American and Iranian teams.
There were some interesting meetings in Tehran this week. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Sultan visited, and besides talks with his Iranian counterpart, bin Salman also met with President Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Khameini. He delivered a letter from the Saudi king to Khameini.
Gloria DryGarden
@sab: I think I read there are 3, or 4 species, sub species. With slightly different names. One subspecies is endangered, or has a very small population. It’s hard for me to tell them apart
in videos, and at the zoo they seem such calm placid animals, I was surprised to watch YouTubes where the giraffe might charge humans…
Gloria DryGarden
@sab: that must have been amazing to eat with giraffes looking in and keeping you company..
Geminid
@Geminid: Two small corrections: its Iranian Foreign Minister Arangchi, and the talks are happening at the Omani ambassador’s residence. Axios’s Barak Ravid’s article on the talks is titled, “U.S.-Iran nuclear talks begin as Trump backs diplomacy over strikes.”
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/19/us-iran-nuclear-talks-rome-witkoff
RevRick
@Baud: The Episcopalians represent!
RevRick
@J. Arthur Crank: In today’s Abbreviated Pundit Roundup at DailyKos, Robert Tracinski talks about how, as a small government conservative, he has come to appreciate what he calls state capacity. That the goal is effective government, and a bloated bureaucracy can hinder its goals, a point the beavers made without knowing.
He sees an acknowledgment of this on the left amongst “supply-side progressives”, who understand that regulatory barriers need to be removed for goals like making housing and healthcare more affordable and accessible.
The beavers are a great testament for Earth Day, April 22nd, as effective natural governance.
RevRick
@Gloria DryGarden: There are nine species/subspecies of giraffe, and three are listed as endangered: the West African, Korodofan, and Nubian, while the Reticulated and Masai are listed as threatened.
WaterGirl
Loving the dogs of the week, brought to us by TaMara.
Glidwrith
@RevRick: In terms of making housing and healthcare more affordable, I think a lot of the “regulations” are actually the means of keeping “those people” from having either.
It’s not that there are regulatory barriers as that a bunch of folks don’t want the “other” to have housing or health care.
Betty
Very late to the Thread but just want to say thanks. These posts offer respite to weary souls.