"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
I’ve used “inside the ear pets” with dogs and horses (yeh, depends on the animal to an extent) to great effect—appreciation and calming—but I’ve not had good results with cats. . . *heh*
N.B. It’s more of a massage than petting, and part of a deeper, more massage-like petting/grooming of the critter than just simple stokes like most petting action, so it does take some practice.
Soooo. . . Tales of when Amazon goes wrong. . . and almost makes it right: Product ordered. Delivery date comes. . . and goes. More than a week past initially noted delivery date, product comes. Order says battery and charger included. Nope. After some. . . time and firmly expressed displeasure, refund made. Oh, wait! Amazon doesn’t want the product back? Yeh, shipping & handling, etc., eat up too much? Maybe want to assuage dissatisfaction? Maybe, but it’s Amazon, so who knows? If that’s the goal, it doesn’t work, though, because the “refund” is just about right to just buy battery and charger from manufacturer. Meanwhile, search out order for battery (make that “batteries”) and charger, place order, wait. Wait some more. FINALLY, maybe a month after initial order, can use the product. Probably. Did refunding the purchase price (w/o the tax, BTW) actually make me whole? Not when counting my time wasted, which is never a consideration for people who just DGARA about their customers.
*arrrgghh*
Son&Heir’s dog’s skin condition has almost entirely cleared up, so now it’s easier to collect that wonderful skin conditioner: Lab oil. *heh*
Of course, that’s just one issue the vet says is associated with canine lymphoma, but since it’s clearing up so nicely with treatment, and lymph glands are greatly reduced/reducing in size (were swollen to a painful degree), this is probably an “indolent lymphoma” (follicular lymphoma, perhaps?) —much more slowly acting than was first thought. At least his quality of life is at his old normal level: lots of energy, appetite, and. . . attitude (Good Dog 🙂 )
Have to see how the course of the disease and treatments go, but for a 9, almost 10, year old medium sized dog, he is at least able to act younger than his age, and may well meet expectations for a healthy lifespan for his size/breed.
Let hope be not dismayed.
Whenever I see or hear someone refer to “SettledScience®” or “consensus science” I think of the late 19th century when the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) here in the United States expressed concerns about the potential for the end of knowledge. Sadly, this is not a rare phenomenon in science, just a slight twist on the “We know it all; don’t bother us with anything new or contradictory” bent of “SettledScience®.”
Settled science or consensus science ain’t science. Settled science is a classic example of the kind of UNnatural stupidity that causes enormous harm. The most nefarious (and, I fear, widespread) form of stupidity is WILLFUL ignorance, and, due to conceptual and even pre-conceptual bias and the tendency among many to simply confirm their biases with “research,” this nefarious form of stupidity has always ALSO infected science.
In the public square, this frequently translates into “Scientism,” is a cultic adulation of “science” by fanbois who worship at the feet of “SettledScience®,” “scientific consensus” or other anti-scientific belief systems. And yes, the cult is, sadly, VERY widespread in our society.
Most people, let alone “Scientism” cultists, do not have the first clue about the scientific process and if asked about the value of falsification of a hypothesis versus replication and verification of a hypothesis (or any other aspect of the scientific process) would have no response but “Science!”
And unnaturally stupid self-made morons both abound and are the backbone of the electorate. No wonder the Framers sought to curb democratic impulses. Sadly. . . *sigh*
I am always looking for the good in folks. (I only seem to find that easily in most Third World County™ folks and a few friends and some family recently, but I still look.) In my diligent search, I found something good CwaZy (pervy, racist) UnKa JoE, ZOMBIE POOPY-PANTS President in Name Only could do to Make a Difference — in a positive way for a change! Yeh, I know. It seems impossible, but I’m good at searching out the impossible.
Ya see, his example may be a way of encouraging renewable energy. If the Oval Orifice could get behind *heh* harvesting the biomatter from his Depends® and shove it though a White House biogas digester it could serve as an example for others.
See? Positive. It’s a Good Thing.
First, not this well: I personally dislike Donald Trump and would avoid him if I happened across him in public (granted, EXTREMELY unlikely). I have my reasons and they are, perhaps, idiosyncratic.
But, let me be clear. Since I dislike and even disapprove of almost ALL politicians’ character and behavior, I only vote based on their policies and track record supporting those policies in and out of office. Voting based on liking or disliking a politician for personality reasons is an execrably stupid way to vote. It’s a classic ad hominem fallacy – no, not the “internet expert’s” definition, the real thing. So, on the record:
Biden’s record is one of CAUSING rampant inflation from the get go by DELIBERATELY hiking fuel prices, INCITING an immigration crisis, ENABLING a drug crisis (bumbling moron that he is), TURNING A BLIND EYE to a human trafficking crisis, a (INTENTIONALLY?) botched withdrawal from the Middle East, and an EXECRABLY lousy foreign policy regarding the Ukraine war and the problems in Gaza. And those are his ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
The above is quite apart from the fact that I utterly despise everything about Biden. My personal feelings about the scumbag have nothing to do with an honest assessment that he is an utter disaster as a president, even a dirty sock puppet president (which he is).
Trump’s record is that unemployment was at an all-time low, job creation was high, no new war started, energy independence, peace through strength, a fast track to getting a vaccine* for covid, extensive prison reform, education reform, stopping North Korea lobbing missiles over our heads via peaceful means, and strict attention to immigration law which strengthened national sovereignty.
Naturally, Dhimmicraps were adamantly opposed to every solid, beneficial accomplishment of DJT’s administration, and continue to be wittingly and adamantly opposed to ANYTHING that is for the good of the US and its citizens.
*vaccine? Such as it was; admittedly, out of the three choices available in the US as vaccines, one was a real one
BTW, I am thankful that the SCOTUS has gotten its collective head out of its ass recently and killed the absolutely WORST action DJT made while in office, the bumpstock ban, AND that DJT has recognized his error re: the Second Amendment (at least in public comments; we’ll have to see how that pans out in policy)
Eschew obscurantism, redundancy, and prolixity. That is, avoid arcane, esoteric, recondite, or obscure expressions; avoid undue repetition, reiteration, and duplication-reduplication of statements, and, above all, refrain from extreme, inordinate, unbridled, unchecked, and exorbitant wordiness.
YW.
Addendum: dictionaries are your friend. Thesauruses? not so much.
The really disgusting thing about politicians advancing ANY kind of gun control measures is that they know, they KNOW the laws already on the books are unconstitutional, despite US v. Miller (1939) et al, and yet, despite KNOWING the current laws are unconstitutional, they thumb their noses at the Constitution because. . . they can. And that is the even more disgusting thing about “gun control”: WE allow them to flout the fundamental law of the land. WE allow them to continue to violate their oaths of office.
Even worse, WE allow them to treat any constitutional restrictions on federal power as just paper restrictions to violate at will.
And that gives us state and local governments that play follow the leader into illegitimate exercises of power.
I have quite literally had more civil and well-reasoned conversations with atheists and (genuine, practicing) pagans about the Bible than I have had rational discussions about the passing scene with any Dhimmicrap. Of course, Repugnican’ts can be (almost) as bad, but at least I have never had a rabid Trumpist scream at me when I stated that I don’t like the guy, personally.
Dug out a holster I have rarely used and customized it a bit. I’ll use it, now.