Some Non-trivial Things That Annoy Me.

[jamesabrown]

The Tough Coughed While He Ploughed the Dough.

[PetersCreek]

While paddling his pirough through the slough.

[grant hutchison]

While paddling his pirough through the slough.

Never seen that one. Is the same as a pirogue?

Perhaps he could then drive his brougham to the lough.

Grant Hutchison

[PetersCreek]

Never seen that one. Is the same as a pirogue?

Yes and that's the spelling I normally use. Pirough is a less common (mis?)spelling.

...and I've actually paddled one or two...on a bayou, not a slough.

[grant hutchison]

Yes and that's the spelling I normally use. Pirough is a less common (mis?)spelling.

...and I've actually paddled one or two...on a bayou, not a slough.

Surely that's a bayough?

Grant Hutchison

[PetersCreek]

Why dough yough saygh that?

[Solfe]

My wife and I have been taking in rescued animals for decades, since before we were married. Just one or two at a time so they receive the care they need. My first rescue was a cat named Bear, who's owner was having significant drug and legal problems. He met his match with our second cat Noelle. Bear lived for 24+ years, 22 of them with me. Noelle lived 17 years with us but passed away just after Bear. The next three cats were also rescues, one of which died at a young age of six or seven. The next two cats, Roxi and Benny were abused animals, but they have adapted well to our home and are wonderful.

This year we decided to put in a fence and adopt a dog. (The fence is for practical reasons, they like to hear adopters have fenced yards. The dog is actually a family member that happens to poop outside, she lives with us indoors.) We picked a lovely animal, a German Shepard/Beagle mix. We were able to foster her in our house for almost a month before making the adoption. We needed to be sure that she would get along with the cats, Benny and Roxy. Everything worked out wonderfully.

In the past, we have not know too much about where our animals came from, only caring that we could give them a new home. Today, while going through the vet records, I found the website of the place she came from in Arkansas. From a video on that website, I found out that she and other puppies were bred to be bait for training fighting dogs. That is heartbreaking. And it makes me mad.

The video starts a minute and 47 seconds in. My dog appears at the 1:52. She is the second from the right, with the black saddle. She appears again for a second or two later.

As angry as I am, I am extremely happy that these people got to her in time and sent her to us. They had help in the form of Wings of Rescue, an organization that flies animals from high risk situations to better areas for adoption. She flew in just about a month ago and luckily, my wife saw her first. The other three dogs in the cage at 1:52 are her siblings. They made it to good homes in the Buffalo, NY area, too. She was the last of the four siblings placed into foster care. All of them were adopted by the foster families.

[Jim]

My wife and I have been taking in rescued animals for decades ...

Good on you, and thanks.

I worked with a rescue group for a couple of years. (Hope to get back to that once my work permits.) We've had nothing but rescues - dogs and cats - for about 20 years now, most through shelters but one found by our son and another literally left on our door step.

... Noelle lived 17 years with us but passed away just after Bear. ...

Not uncommon with close companions.

We adopted two sibling kittens from the shelter. (Went to find one, they were sharing a cage, who could choose between them?) They've been together literally their entire lives. They're only a couple of years old, but I worry about the survivor when one of them goes.

... From a video on that website, I found out that she and other puppies were bred to be bait for training fighting dogs. That is heartbreaking. And it makes me mad.

There is a special ring in Hell for people who do this.

... All of them were adopted by the foster families.

Rescue groups refer to such folks (fondly) as Failed Fosters. We've fostered - but didn't keep - two dogs. We failed with a cat.

[msollot]

As angry as I am, I am extremely happy that these people got to her in time and sent her to us. They had help in the form of Wings of Rescue, an organization that flies animals from high risk situations to better areas for adoption. She flew in just about a month ago and luckily, my wife saw her first. The other three dogs in the cage at 1:52 are her siblings. They made it to good homes in the Buffalo, NY area, too. She was the last of the four siblings placed into foster care. All of them were adopted by the foster families.

Just as an FYI; I volunteer at the local humane society, and found out something interesting. North of the Mason-Dixon line (for non USA residents, google the civil war), the spay/neuter laws are strong, but south of that, not so much. As a result, there are excess dogs/cats in the south and shortages in the north. So, every so often, we will load a van in Atlanta with maybe 70 dogs/cats to be shipped north. It's my understanding that people in the destination city will get on our Facebook page and adopt the animals while they're being shipped. By the time the van arrives, they all have homes.

And I second Jim's comment about the special place in hell.

[Gillianren]

My ren faire boss's ex (he's actually had several girlfriends in the time I've worked for him, but that's how I always think of her; she was the woman he was with when I first got to know him) used to have racetrack rescue greyhounds. Actually, she never accepted that I'm simply not a dog person--I got called a bad person for that again yesterday--and tried to establish once that we were talking about the same person by describing her dog. I was stunned in part because the person we were talking about was also a merchant, and describing the woman's merchandise wasn't sufficient. "You know, the one who sells [whatever]" is a pretty common identifier in our group.

[Solfe]

My ren faire boss's ex (he's actually had several girlfriends in the time I've worked for him, but that's how I always think of her; she was the woman he was with when I first got to know him) used to have racetrack rescue greyhounds. Actually, she never accepted that I'm simply not a dog person--I got called a bad person for that again yesterday--and tried to establish once that we were talking about the same person by describing her dog. I was stunned in part because the person we were talking about was also a merchant, and describing the woman's merchandise wasn't sufficient. "You know, the one who sells [whatever]" is a pretty common identifier in our group.

Aw, that's bad. I am not a dog person at all, but my wife has never had a dog and my daughter has been begging for one for years. This is my last semester of no working, which was actually an accident. If a puppy was coming into our home, now is the time because I have a lot of free time to care for it. We have from now to til June to break her in, then the kiddos have all summer long to cater to her. She a good dog, so this isn't that hard.

I say this now, while she is standing on the dining room table waiting for dinner. This is going to be a long couple of months, but so worth it.

[Buttercup]

Just now saw news that a place an in-law is "vacationing" at got a rocket dropped in its southern part. Tiny nation. This is 5th rocket in a month's time. In-law due to arrive home by Monday (?). I hope in one piece and alive.

But I suppose in-law will be all starry-eyed and gushing like it's Hawaii on return.

[grant hutchison]

You know, if you're going to give so much detail, there's not much point in avoiding the name of the country.

Grant Hutchison

[KaiYeves]

You know, if you're going to give so much detail, there's not much point in avoiding the name of the country.

Grant Hutchison

Well, I can understand if she worries that readers with a connection to it might be insulted to see it described like that. For example, if it were Greece being described as dangerous and not worth gushing about, I would take offense as a Greek-American and as someone who visited this past summer.

[grant hutchison]

I have, by the way, travelled in quite a number of "dangerous" countries in my time - places under martial law because of civil insurrection, disputed border regions, and countries in which the rule of law sometimes doesn't prevail everywhere. You'd be surprised how quiet and normal life can be under these circumstances, and I certainly have fond memories of all these places. (The closest I've come to being killed by another human being was actually in the USA, out of the blue, in the forecourt of a petrol station.)

I understand that you're risk-averse, Buttercup, and perhaps your impression of foreign dangers has been exaggerated by the content of media reports - but surely your in-laws have a right to travel to somewhere they want to go, and to enthuse about the experience when they come home?

Grant Hutchison

[grant hutchison]

Well, I can understand if she worries that readers with a connection to it might be insulted to see it described like that.

Well, yes, I felt I probably understood the motivation. My point is that mentioning certain salient details as good as names a country, especially to people who know it well. So if there is damage to do in that regard, it's done by the description as much as by uttering the name.

Grant Hutchison

[Buttercup]

Grant, I consider myself smart (not risk-averse).

but surely your in-laws have a right to travel to somewhere they want to go, and to enthuse about the experience when they come home?

But it'll include a mini-sermon. And insistence that any news report or others' experiences (visiting or having lived there) are wrong. This in-law has rose-colored glasses on, frankly.

I don't share in-law's beliefs either. While I do hope for a safe return, I just really don't want to hear about it. (p.s. - 5th rocket attack in a month; but it's Hawaii!! )

[grant hutchison]

Grant, I consider myself smart (not risk-averse).

That's another one of those old triads, isn't it?

I am smart.
You are risk-averse.
He is frightened.

She is a holiday-maker.
You are a tourist.
I am a traveller.



Grant Hutchison

[pzkpfw]

Danger is everywhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...n_U.S._by_year

We'll all die. In the meantime, live!

[Trebuchet]

Battery fires from electronic devices. Usually a phone or vaping device in someone's pocket, but there've been a couple of horrifying stories lately; one of a small child who died in a fire caused by a "hoverboard"; and another of a woman's bluetooth headphones catching fire. While on her head. In an airliner. In flight. Holy cow!

[KaiYeves]

Battery fires from electronic devices. Usually a phone or vaping device in someone's pocket, but there've been a couple of horrifying stories lately; one of a small child who died in a fire caused by a "hoverboard"; and another of a woman's bluetooth headphones catching fire. While on her head. In an airliner. In flight. Holy cow!

While the earlier examples must have had different causes, I suppose modern spontaneous human combustion is no longer a mystery.

[BigDon]

While the earlier examples must have had different causes, I suppose modern spontaneous human combustion is no longer a mystery.

Slow fire burning human fat like a candle.

[KaiYeves]

Slow fire burning human fat like a candle.

That's what I had heard, yes.

[SeanF]

Battery fires from electronic devices. Usually a phone or vaping device in someone's pocket, but there've been a couple of horrifying stories lately; one of a small child who died in a fire caused by a "hoverboard"; and another of a woman's bluetooth headphones catching fire. While on her head. In an airliner. In flight. Holy cow!

Scary.

However - the case of the ecigarettes starting on fire in the lawyer's pocket during his argument is just darn funny. A lawyer with his pants on fire, literally.

[spare part]

Just now saw news that a place an in-law is "vacationing" at got a rocket dropped in its southern part. Tiny nation. This is 5th rocket in a month's time. In-law due to arrive home by Monday (?). I hope in one piece and alive.

But I suppose in-law will be all starry-eyed and gushing like it's Hawaii on return.

That's a good point, the murder rate in that country is higher than in Hawaii. Slightly. On the other hand, both places have a far lower murder rate than the state where you live.

Grant, I consider myself smart (not risk-averse).

Perhaps a smart person like yourself might want to consider moving away from such a dangerous place, to someplace safer. For example, the country you declined to mention.

This in-law has rose-colored glasses on, frankly.

There's a lot of that going around.

I don't share in-law's beliefs either.

I'd have a look at the facts. That way, you won't need to rely on beliefs.

[grant hutchison]

Looking at raw death rates by violence in each country is certainly interesting. I'd be very limited in my travel destinations if I took that as my only guide.
What you need to ask yourself is "Who are these violent deaths happening to?" Very often they reflect societal problems a traveller can easily avoid with prudence, common sense and forethought. To some extent there's always a random element, but even that can be controlled a bit by thinking a little about behaviour. What you do want to avoid are locations or situations where you will become a target because of something you have no ability to change or avoid.
People avoid such risks pretty much automatically in their own country, and are sometimes a little surprised to discover where they sit in the WHO league table when matched against what they think of as "dangerous" countries.

As I say, I've travelled in many places a lot higher up the "violent death" league table (several in the top twenty), but the closest I've come to being violent killed was a random and unforeseeable event in the USA. It took me a little time to get past that and start visiting the US again, and it actually involved making a rational analysis along the lines I've given above.

Grant Hutchison

[Noclevername]

I caught the hacking chest cold that's been going around my family.

[KaiYeves]

She is a holiday-maker.
You are a tourist.
I am a traveller.

"Holiday-maker" is one of my favorite British English words without an exact analogue in American dialect. "Vacation-maker" doesn't really flow in the same way and "vacationer" doesn't have exactly the same connotations--you couldn't as easily use it as derogatory, for example.

[Noclevername]

Battery fires from electronic devices. Usually a phone or vaping device in someone's pocket, but there've been a couple of horrifying stories lately; one of a small child who died in a fire caused by a "hoverboard"; and another of a woman's bluetooth headphones catching fire. While on her head. In an airliner. In flight. Holy cow!

A relative of mine managed to put a hole in a wall with an exploding vaping device. Number of fingers lost, zero. But this relative was not known for his good judgement even before this incident.

[danscope]

The vaping explains much.