Experimental Petting?

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.

“Tales of When Amazon Goes Wrong. . . and Almost Makes It Right”

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*

“Consensus Science” Isn’t. Science, That Is

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*

“Against Stupidity. . . “

“. . .the gods themselves contend in vain.” – Schiller,

    Maid of Orleans.

    A frequent subliterate “Dunning-Krugerand” ploy when confronted with an argument they cannot counter is to accuse their interlocutor of throwing up incoherent word salad found by (virtually?) thumbing through a thesaurus and picking “big words” to confuse the issue. Of course, all that means is that the subliterate “Dunning-Krugerand” can’t comprehend clear, plain English that is composed of words outside his pathetically small vocabulary. It also means that the subliterate “Dunning-Krugerand” (probably) cannot conceive of an expanded vocabulary that does not issue from abusing a thesaurus.

    Those of use who grew up reading dictionaries for fun just laugh. Then we may, if sufficiently provoked, raucously mock them. Without end, until they slink away dragging their lobotomized Bonobo Chimpanzee ghost writer with them.

Writing Tip #4,957

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.

“You’re lost in the woods. What gun do you take with you for all purposes?”

Silly question. Presupposes I could get lost in the woods. Maps. Compass. Planning. Oh, plane crash? Outlier. Supposes I were to a.) get on a plane despite my aversion to Thugs Standing Around, b.) disregards the hassle would I have to put up with to even be ABLE to transport a firearm past Thugs Standing Around and c.) I’d still have a compass in stupidly TSA-limited EDC bag *heh*) and general knowledge of the area downed in.

Still, noodling around in the woods, if only one firearm carried, it’d probably be a Ruger 10/22 Takedown (model 11100, because 18.5” barrel as opposed to the 16.x” barrel. There’s room in the pack). If allowed 2, then selecting a handgun would be variable. Depends on area. Alaska? Yeh, not going there, and not only because I don’t want a .44 magnum as a backup. *ouch* Don’t own one anyway. VERY different to piney woods in America’s Third World County™ where a handgun that can handle “snakeshot” might be the choice (depending, in part, on area and season).

Still, “lost in the woods”? Who does that? Oh, yeh. Dunning-Krugerands. The same folks as would ask such a silly question. Got it.

If the “Feddle Government” Were to EVER Abide by the Constitution. . .

What the feebs don’t want you to realize – and what they constantly lie about – is that the 2nd Amendment forbids them from interfering with your collection (keeping) of any and ALL arms of all kinds. They REALLY do not want citizens to require a strict enforcement of the 2nd Amendment (thus saying goodbye to ALL feeb infringements).

But I’ll not live to see the day the feebs relinquish their tyrannical infringements (of ALL kinds, not just as applies to arms). The closest thing to eternal in this life is illegitimate government powers. Oh, well, “. . .it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”