Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I really should read my own blog.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

When I was faster i was always behind.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Not all heroes wear capes.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

People are weird.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

You are here: Home / Archives for Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging

Cat Blogging

Fried-Day Open Thread: Let’s All Stare into Space for a Bit

by | 86 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Look at this guy. Gazing out the window all forlorn. Nobody’s threatening your voting rights or raising interest rates just before you’re about to start the remortgaging process or jacking up your energy bills just in time for autumn, bro.

Fried-Day Open Thread: Let's All Stare into Space for a Bit

And that’s just the financial stuff. That said, I don’t have time to stare into space, as much as I want to. So I guess it’s good to be able to delegate that to a cat.

Open thread. Weekend plans? I’m cleaning and podcasting and getting ready for my parents to visit. You?

Fried-Day Open Thread: Let’s All Stare into Space for a BitPost + Comments (86)

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

by | 202 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Thank you, Adam:

😻🌸 The sky is blue, the mood is cheerful, and only this red-haired beauty knows the secret to true happiness: find a warm brick, stretch out comfortably, put your face in the sun, and forget about all your problems! It's spring!

[image or embed]

— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 2, 2026 at 8:02 AM

Stand Up For Science, March 7th, 2025 and again next week. Spread the word, please. www.standupforscience.net/march7

[image or embed]

— Matt Beckman (@daphsci.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 9:59 AM


List of local rallies

Every Lunar New Year for the past 14 years, a Southern California Buddhist temple has displayed what it calls the "10,000 Buddha Relics."

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) March 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM


(Even though my parents were college educated, I grew up in a home with plaster saints, scapulars, holy cards, and an array of ‘special’ rosaries. People like aids to religious belief that they can see & touch.)

Hundreds of people gathered here at a temple believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, one of the most revered Hindu gods. They are here to celebrate Holi, the festival marking the arrival of spring.

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) March 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Elon Musk is expected to take the stand in a shareholder trial Wednesday in San Francisco, where he’s accused of making false and misleading statements that drove down Twitter’s stock price before he bought the social media platform for $44 billion in 2022.

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) March 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM

BREAKING: State Rep. James Talarico wins the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas.

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) March 4, 2026 at 2:50 AM

BREAKING: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn advance to a May runoff in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate. bit.ly/4b0Ldyz

[image or embed]

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) March 3, 2026 at 10:52 PM

What just happened in Dallas County is one of the most blatant voter suppression operations I've ever seen—and it happened in a *primary*.
In March. Imagine November.
I broke it down here:
open.substack.com/pub/objectio…

[image or embed]

— Eliza Orlins (@elizaorlins.bsky.social) March 3, 2026 at 11:29 PM

Wednesday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (202)

CatGPT Open Thread

by | 46 Comments

This post is in: , ,

The Horrors come thicker and faster. In my personal corner of the world, the pressing issue is AI and the big chunk it took out of my income over the last six months. Contra the advice from this AI startup founder* (written with LLM assistance, natch), I am planning to go all-in on the other AI: Animal Intelligence.

behold, Monty the oracle

I guess I could also call him Clawed, or Purrplexity (Gemeowni is right out). Unlike your sycophantic chatbots, when I ask him to do a task for me, he baps me in the face. He also doesn’t burn a small city’s worth of power when executing tasks. Figured you all would want to know about this important breakthrough.

Open thread.

 

*If you want, you can read an annotated version of this piece by professional AI scold Ed Zitron, here.

CatGPT Open ThreadPost + Comments (46)

Midday Open Thread: Michelle Obama on Kimmel

by | 107 Comments

This post is in: ,

I needed this today. You may, too.

 

This came across my feed today (because as a kid, man, oh, man did I have a crush on this guy and of course I follow him now). I thought it was fitting. I went and looked for the George Harrison version and you can listen here.

Bonus kitteh:

This is a big deal for this little guy, and you can read why here.

 

Totally open thread

Midday Open Thread: Michelle Obama on KimmelPost + Comments (107)

Absolutely Open Thread (Bonus Travellin’ Cat Tale)

by | 56 Comments

This post is in: ,

For all your not-#NoKings related weekend comments…

Bonus:

100 miles into road trip, family realizes their cat is on top of their van. The Denardo family had already driven for 2 hours when they stopped for gas, and saw that Ray Ray the cat had come with them.
That’s a badass cat.
🎁 article 👇🏼

[image or embed]

— 🇺🇸 Pithy Packy 🇳🇱 (@pithypacky.bsky.social) October 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM

The photos at the link are worth the click — Ray Ray seems rather more perturbed about his new harness, at first, than he does about enjoying Times Square. Gift link:

Tony Denardo plans to run a marathon in every state — which is why his family set out on a road trip to Keene, New Hampshire, late last month. The Denardos brought their youngest child and three of her friends with them, and decided to continue on to New York City after the race.

They left their home in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, early in the morning on Sept. 26, and drove east, stopping for gas and a bathroom break after about 100 miles.

Tony got out of the van, and when he looked up, he saw the family’s 8-year-old cat, Ray Ray, perched atop the roof. Laughing and completely floored, Tony called to his wife, Margaret, to come see for herself.

“All these things are going through my head. The roads that we’ve traveled on, the semitrucks that we’ve passed, the hills, the stop signs, everything. How did this cat stay on there?” Margaret said. “And he was completely unfazed. He’s stretching like he just got up from a nap.”…

The family found a Petco and stocked up on the supplies Ray Ray would need for a week away, including a harness, leash and a cat backpack so they could easily take him along while sightseeing.

Ray Ray seemed to adjust quickly to being a traveling cat, hopping in and out of the backpack and walking on a leash around tourist attractions in New England and New York.

He even crossed the finish line of the marathon in Tony’s arms. The story was first reported by a local Pennsylvania publication, the Leader Times…

This isn’t Ray Ray’s first daring escapade — though it is his longest. He has always loved cars, and the Denardo family first found him as a stray kitten under the same van he would one day ride on top of for more than 100 miles. Once he secretly stowed away with Margaret’s parents for a trip to the car wash — thankfully inside the car that time…

“He’s always been extremely friendly,” Margaret said, explaining he was happy to accept pets and belly rubs from strangers on the trip. “He just wants love.”

And, apparently, a little adventure.

Absolutely Open Thread (Bonus Travellin’ Cat Tale)Post + Comments (56)

Open Thread: A Fireworks Problem I Had Not Considered

by | 32 Comments

This post is in: 

Fireworks suck! Here are some tips from cat behaviorist @mikeldelgado.bsky.social for keeping your cats safe and happy this 4th of July. www.instagram.com/p/C87GFSBpgyk/
1. Make sure your cats are inside. Even if they normally go out, the 4th is not a good day for them to roam. (con't)

[image or embed]

— Cats of Yore (@catsofyore.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 6:56 PM

2. Provide lots of hiding places like boxes, clamshell or cave style beds, cat tree cubbies, etc.
3. Consider making a quiet room, i.e. put their food, water, litter, bedding, toys, etc. in one closed room – especially if you’re having a party.
4. Implement buffer noises such as fans and soft music.

5. Engage them in play if they’re into it! It can be a good distraction and tire them out.
6. If your cat is hiding, it’s probably best to leave them alone or just speak to them in a soft voice. Don’t drag them out to “comfort” them – it may have the opposite effect.

7. It’s probably too late to get medications now if you don’t already have them, but if your cat experiences stress during fireworks don’t forget to inquire about it during their next visit so you can be prepared in the future! 💥

I would also add that you should not leave your cat alone in the home with screened windows open. I have heard way too many stories about terrified cats busting or clawing through screens and getting lost while experiencing fireworks distress. If you must leave them make sure they are secure!

(I had heard of terrified dogs doing this, but for some reason it never occured to me that cats might react that way.)

Open Thread: A Fireworks Problem I Had Not ConsideredPost + Comments (32)

You May Approach the Throne Respite Thread

by | 77 Comments

This post is in: ,

Jesus God, I need a little break from everything in the news right now. Been in a doomscrolling loop.

In case you do, too, here is a respite thread, closely monitored by this cat The Child and I saw coming back from school this afternoon.

You May Approach the Throne Respite Thread

Talk about anything you want; try to avoid politics for an hour, lest Judge Ginger up there gives you a swat.

UPDATES: mali muso and family are about to adopt this Very Good Boy, and I thought you’d like to see the adoption center’s video for him. Meet Luke:

Also, commenter Joyce H mentions that the first book in her Regency Mage series, Mary Bennet and the Bingley Codex, is currently free to download and read on Kindle (device or via iOS app) until this coming Wednesday. If you love Jane Austen AND magic, this sounds like your ideal opportunity for escapism. This is the top UK review:

You May Approach the Throne Respite Thread 1

Support a fellow Jackal, stop thinking about The Horrors for a bit. Win-win.

You May Approach the Throne Respite ThreadPost + Comments (77)