We all have a job to do, in this world. Via commentor Germy Shoemangler, the Guardian reports:
In an outpouring of grief usually reserved for the passing of a cultural icon, thousands turned out at the weekend to bid a final farewell to a cat credited with saving an obscure Japanese railway line from financial ruin.
An estimated 3,000 people, including railway officials, attended Tama the cat’s Shinto-style funeral on Sunday, days after she died of heart failure aged 16 – the equivalent of about 80 human years…
From the Washington Post:
… A decade ago, Wakayama Electric Railway’s provincial Kishigawa Line had been losing about $4.7 million a year. Trains were arriving at the Kishi station in Kinokawa in Wakayama Prefecture empty. In 2006, the rail line watched its last human employee walk out the door, according to Agence France-Presse. Then Tama, a stray, strolled in.
The next year, Tama was named honorary stationmaster. Tourists started pouring into the area to see her wearing the uniform cap. She inspired T-shirts and stuffed animals. She even got her cartoon-likeness on a train…
“We are proud to have worked with Tama, who appeared in this world as a savior for Wakayama Electric Railway as well as regional train lines throughout the nation,” Wakayama Electric Railway president Mitsunobu Kojima said in a statement.
“We will name her as an eternal station master emeritus,” he added.
Tama was no kitten when she took over the stationmaster job, and 16 is a fair age for a cat. To me, her expression in the news photos says “I’ve done worse jobs for less rewards…”
***********
Speaking of doing what must be done, what’s on the agenda for the day?
sparrow
Stayed up too late reading political news on Greece and paying the consequences of sleepiness today at the meeting I’m attending. Media are mostly out in full-force against the Greeks and the leftist gov’t… not very sanguine for a good outcome here.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
David Malki! has been reading Balloon-Juice, I think. Today’s Wondermark comic.
Hey! I know that guy! :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Applejinx
I too have done worse jobs for less rewards. I have launched a music Patreon for the kind of proggy artmusic I grew up loving, which I can barely get anymore so I have to make it myself (certain current metal is in the zone but it’s so screamy and negative).
If you click on the Crush All Boxes logo there (did that myself too) you get my video for ‘Baby’s Prison’. FYWP won’t be letting me put two links, probably, so I’ll just stick with the one above. The reason I say it’s better with more reward is that one person actually promised to give me $5 a month… when I’m only asking $1 and refusing to gate anything off even then.
Since they’re the only person, it’s nice that they liked it. (this world blows my mind sometimes)
I’ve spent a couple weeks recording something else, and on the agenda for today (besides food shopping, thank goodness this week I’ve got money for food) is hooking up the iPhone 4s to film the painting of a watercolor for the video of the latest track (‘Arc Of Justice Bends Slowly’, this one instrumental) to be played backwards so it’s ‘unpainted’ over the course of the song. Also, probably spending hours getting the cell service for that iPhone shut off since I can’t afford it (it’s AT&T).
It’s strangely liberating to realize that there is not hope, that you have decided to do your thing regardless of success or failure (always believing that of course that means it will succeed, right? Wouldn’t be FAIR otherwise!) and then you wind up with failure and learn you weren’t lying: you will go down with the ship because there’s nothing else for you to do. There is no selling out when nobody’s buying. There’s no point NOT being good when you can no longer cash in by going evil. There’s no correlation anymore between survival and anything. Or possibly I’ve just flipped and gone insane.
Regardless, I’ve worked real hard for many years to be able to express music a certain way. If I gotta go anyway, I will do it playing, and if I have to be insane to try for a positive message in the middle of all this, well, millenium hand and shrimp I say.
And how’s your mornings, fellow commentariat?
Princess
Some thoughts, if you can spare them, for my Marta who is a calico like Tama. She has stopped eating and the vet can find nothing wrong, but she has lost a lot of weight and her personality has changed enormously in a very short time.
sparrow
@Princess: I’m very sorry! Is she very old? could be brain tumor?
Princess
@sparrow: She’s not that old — only eleven. The vet did a blood test and didn’t find anything. All she wants to do is sit outside under the porch.
OzarkHillbilly
B-J is running a script that has me at the speed of snail. Have a good day. Gonna go pick blackberries this morn.
EconWatcher
I don’t know how many of you all have been following Kevin Drum’s health progress on his blog, but it doesn’t sound so good lately. The chemo doesn’t seem to be killing off his cancer.
Valdivia
My almost 20 years old red tabby Sisu seems to be ready to leave us. He eats and drinks but is now exceedingly thin, his walking is wobbly and his meows don’t have their trademark roar. He’s found a closet where he has been hiding mostly for the last week or so. We are going to the vet at noon see what they say. Most of all we don’t want to have him suffer, and he’s had a long long life but it is so hard not to imagine him here. It will be a hard day. Sigh.
@Princess: I hope you’re girl gets better {{{hugs}}}
@EconWatcher: I read that last night. I hope this new medication does it.
danielx
Donald Trump is still a douchebag extraordinaire and Andrew Breitbart is still dead.
The latter thought, at least, is something of a comfort. Appalling thought: zombie Andrew Breitbart shambling up a staircase moaning “liiibeeerallls”…..
EconWatcher
@danielx:
Someone smarter than me commented that Donald Trump gives the other GOP candidates a perfect opportunity for a “Sister Souljah” type condemnation. The fact that none has taken the opportunity shows what they’re made of.
Elizabelle
Today we are all about cats in hats.
@Valdivia:
@Princess: Sending best wishes to pets in fragile health. Hope they improve.
Also hope Kevin Drum’s new medication will work and knock back the cancer cells. It could keep them at bay. Fingers crossed.
Drug is Revlimid, per Drum: “a highly controlled substance because it’s in the same family as thalidomide and can cause serious birth defects.”
Elizabelle
@sparrow: Were you reading mostly international press?
What is the press within Greece saying?
Valdivia
@EconWatcher: Exactly. Not a one has chastised him for calling Mexicans r.apists. I was delighted to see Mexico’s richest man Carlos Slim, break all business relationships with Trump.
@Elizabelle: Thanks.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Princess: Sending good thoughts your way. Best of luck for your kitty.
Cheers,
Scott.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Valdivia: 20 years is a long time. I’m very sorry that he’s having troubles. I hope that if his time is nearing an end that his passing is peaceful. Best of luck to you.
Cheers,
Scott.
JPL
@Elizabelle: This is from The Guardian
Reports are mounting that the Greek prime minister has not only accepted a deal but will travel to Brussels, possibly as early as this evening, to discuss it with senior EU officials.
We will see…
Xenos
@Elizabelle: For the press in Greece, sample some of the sites listed on wikipedia
If you have google chrome you can set it to translate automatically for you.
My sense, after reviewing it, is things are a bit chaotic at the moment and and reading the greek press does not give a clear story yet.
EconWatcher
@Valdivia:
Think about “Jeb!” Mexican wife, with children who are half Mexican. To my knowledge, he hasn’t said a word.
Iowa Old Lady
@Valdivia: So NBC and Mexico’s richest man react to Trump’s garbage, but his fellow Rs don’t. I guess I was used to conservative bigots paying no political price, so I needed this contrast to tell me how low
Rs have sunk.
Xenos
Interesting, that the wikipedia pages do longer mention that Arianna Huffington’s family in Greece published a paper supporting the government crackdown on the university students in the early 70s. Someone has been busy with the whitewash over there.
Baud
Good health to all cats and Kevin Drum.
Valdivia
@EconWatcher: Yes, I had not thought of that. It’s repugnant that they say nothing
@Iowa Old Lady: Just when you think they can’t go any lower…
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Thank you Scott. We have been very lucky with him.
Valdivia
@JPL: So if this is the case this whole thing with the referendum was a game of chicken?
@Baud: Gracias.
Apparently Ted Cruz just said on Fox that Trump is terrific, and NBC made a mistake. There you have it, GOP courage.
La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)
@Valdivia: I hope the vet can help Sisu stay with you a bit longer. Hugs to you and Sisu.
debbie
@danielx:
They’d be less timid if he wasn’t second in polling, I’d bet.
catclub
Well, if you talk about Greece, how about Turkey?
http://www.juancole.com/2015/06/turkey-ankara-imagines.html
Turkey seems to have been passively aiding ISIL, by looking the other way at border crossings. Now that may have stopped.
Valdivia
@La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes): Thank you so much. Our vet is really excellent and has a lot of experience dealing with elderly cats so I trust him when he tells us where we are with Sisu.
catclub
@Xenos: There has been a LOT of non-reporting on the Greek governments before Syriza. And how Goldman Sachs helped them lie their way into the Euro. (GS got paid first, natch.)
They really want Syriza to fail.
La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)
@Princess: Did the vet rule out hepatic lipidosis yet? Did the vet prescribe an appetite stimulant? Our girl Elspeth developed similar symptoms at about the same age. We did not catch the lipidosis until it was advanced but we were able to save her with very aggressive home care for a couple of months.
Maybe get a second opinion or consult a homeopathic vet if that’s feasible? It must be frustrating not knowing what is wrong. Good luck and I hope Marta gets better soon. Calicos are the sweetest.
Baud
Obama proposing new overtime rules today. Will be interested in Kay’s take.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Check downstairs.
Baud
Haha. Those two escaped murderers in New York wanted to flee to Mexico. Take that, Trump.
Baud
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Thanks. It sounds like it’s a good proposal.
Kay
My 21 old son was stopped in Indiana last night coming back from a concert in Michigan doing 55 in a 45. So they want him to consent to a search which he refused to do so they keep him there to run his license and order him out of the car. He hasn’t consented to a search so he locks the car when he gets out (which we tell our kids to do) and gets out and says absolutely nothing to them. He is very deliberate in all things and he just doesn’t talk very much so I think they interpreted this as not cooperating but this is just how he is and he gets more deliberate and quieter the more alarmed he is. They then call the canine unit, the dog indicates when they walk him around the car so they tear the car apart. During the search they are asking him the same questions over and over and he’s giving the same (probably one-word) responses over and over (this search takes an hour) and at one point one of them says (there are now 4 police there) “what would you say if we told you we already found something in your car” and he responds ” I would say there’s nothing in the car so you couldn’t have” and the cop slams him into the hood of the car for being “a wise-ass”. They find nothing in the car so allow him to leave after two hours.
So he gets home and he can’t find two textbooks that were in the car. They tore apart his backpack which was in the car and he took off when they released him so didn’t inventory his belongings before leaving the scene. Now I’m wondering if they took his books. He called the police station in Indiana this morning before he left for work and they say they don’t “see” the books and will investigate why the officer slammed him into the car for responding to a question.
catclub
@Xenos: There is an article on Greece by McArdle at Bloomberg View. I have made a point of not reading it.
bemused
@Valdivia:
Sad for you. One of our dearest kitties lived to 19 and we still miss her. I’ve known a few kitties named Sisu living in an area with many people of Finnish descent. Known a few dogs named Sisu also. Sisu is a good name fit for a cat.
Baud
@Kay:
That’s so awful. It’s like what you see in the news, but it’s different when it hits close to home. Glad he wasn’t hurt.
Iowa Old Lady
@Kay: As a parent, I find this story terrifying.
As a citizen, I find it outrageous.
BP? Up.
Baud
I don’t know why Greece can’t get financing from China. Aren’t they giving out money like candy in order to buy influence around the world?
germy shoemangler
Another reason to hate the Chamber of Commerce. NYT headline:
U.S. Chamber Works Globally to Fight Antismoking Measures
germy shoemangler
@Kay: Sorry to hear that. But it sounds like your son handled himself well, despite their attempts to provoke him.
With the price of textbooks being what they are, that theft was a cruel form of harassment.
I worry about stuff like that happening to my sons all the time.
JPL
@Kay: How awful.
TheresherK
@EconWatcher: Who’s gonna win the 2015 Bernard Shaw Award?
Because someone in our mainstream press should ask Jeb! “How mad would it make you, if you were a manly man, should a
criminal ra.pe your wifefellow Republican insult your wife’s heritage?”EconWatcher
I hadn’t realized, but Trump has been trying to bait Jeb! in all kinds of ways. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/06/28/donald-trump-jeb-bush-sees-me-as-a-threat/
I wonder if Trump’s vicious comments about Mexicans was an attempt to bait Jeb into rolling in the mud with him, or show himself a coward who won’t even stand up for his own family. Or maybe I’m overhtinking this, and Trump is just a stupid a-hole…..
Germy Shoemangler
balloon-juice commenter Tommy was right! He predicted this about Trump:
Kay
@Baud:
He’s a big, strong person. He says the dog handler was a little guy so they called the “big” cop for backup. He’s the one who slammed him into the car.
My husband was a prosecutor and is sort of a combative person by nature and they have now alerted him to an injustice. He will doggedly pursue them for months, if necessary :)
Gin & Tonic
Today is trash pickup day here, so I spent yesterday evening cleaning out the freezer in the basement. I hear people saying “whatevs.” Unfortunately, it appears that this freezer stopped working a couple of weeks ago.
This was an extremely unpleasant chore.
Baud
@Kay:
This makes me happy. I was hoping you were going to say something like this.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Gin & Tonic
@Germy Shoemangler: He’ll “consider” it. He won’t actually do it, of course, but he’ll “consider” it.
Germy Shoemangler
@EconWatcher: Quite possibly Trump is baiting Jeb! because everything is personal with Trump.
Also, I like the way Trump refers to himself in the third person. Sign of a true megalomaniac:
TheresherK
@EconWatcher: Who’s gonna win the 2015 Bernard Shaw Award?
I’m waiting for someone in our mainstream press to step up and ask Jeb! “How mad would it make you, as a manly man, should
a criminal rayyype your wifefellow Republican insult your wife’s heritage?”(PS Serious moderation here.)
rikyrah
KAY,
did you see this?
Obama Plans to Expand Overtime Eligibility for Millions
by Mike Dorning
The Obama administration plans to raise the wages of millions of Americans who work more than 40 hours a week by requiring their employers to pay them overtime.
Workers who earn as much as $970 a week would have to be paid overtime even if they’re classified as a manager or professional, based on draft rules to be announced as soon as Tuesday, said an administration official.
Many employees now receiving as little as $455 a week, or $23,660 a year — below the federal poverty line for a family of four — aren’t entitled to overtime pay because they are classified as managers exempt from overtime pay.
The regulations, from the Labor Department, would take effect in 2016, said the official, who asked for anonymity because the plan hasn’t been announced. Workers in retail stores and restaurants are among most likely to be affected.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-29/obama-said-set-to-expand-overtime-eligibility-for-millions
Kay
@germy shoemangler:
He was gone for 4 days at or around this concert and there was a side trip to South Bend to see a high school friend and a trip to O’Hare to take two people to the airport so he actually has no idea what’s in his car.
I am glad he knows not to consent to searches, ever.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Gin & Tonic: I got a new freezer week before last, we got rid of a shitload of stuff.
OT: Just upgraded to the latest(and assuming the last build of win10 before it goes rtm), pretty slick.
Baud
@Germy Shoemangler:
So Bush felt the need to respond to Trumo in a quiet room?
satby
@Applejinx: I often feel something like you do. It’s the PTSD of constant struggle and stress.
Just remember that feelings are just things, they can change. Things that seem hopeless usually aren’t. At least as long as we have the strength to keep going. Hope it gets better for you.
rikyrah
h/t POU
This should be replicated across the country
……………………..
IDignity was created to assist the disadvantaged in Central Florida to navigate the complexities of obtaining their personal identification, such as birth certificates, Florida ID cards and Social Security cards. These documents are essential to fully participate in our current day society. The need for such a program was recognized by members of five downtown churches who were unable to find a resource that provided such a service. This group developed a viable solution after meeting for a six month period of exhaustive research and interviews. A significant part of this solution was to expand the process that was developed at Project Homeless Connect (PHC), an annual service fair which utilizes various agencies working together symbiotically. The agencies that IDignity events host are: the Florida Division of Drivers License, Orange County Health Department (birth certificates), Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, legal counsel and others. IDignity provides these services more often and also incorporates the particularly difficult task of obtaining out-of-state birth certificates.
The overwhelming demand for these services at the PHC events had shown that more needed to be done. IDignity’s monthly events provided a viable solution. The acquiring of identification continues to become more difficult as stricter regulations are regularly being implemented for Homeland Security. Since May of 2008 IDignity has hosted monthly events at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission in downtown Orlando. Each event provides service to about 225 clients and often has to turn others away due to capacity and funding limitations. Clients are individually welcomed to the event and treated with respect and compassion throughout the process. In order to implement this program, it requires the assistance of nearly 100 dedicated volunteers and the professional staff of the various agencies. Volunteers will serve in a wide variety of roles including: introducing the process to clients, filling out forms for clients, assisting agencies or shepherding clients through the process. Interestingly, most of the volunteers leave these events feeling that they have been served themselves and regularly return with a desire to do more. Although each client’s case is unique, on average it takes about four hours of volunteer time and $125 to assist an individual in obtaining their essential identification documents. IDignity depends on the generous investment of time and resources by the local community in order to fulfill its crucial mission of restoring dignity and hope by providing identification
http://www.idignity.org/about
TheresherK
@Valdivia: Who’s gonna win the 2015 Bernard Shaw Award?
I’m waiting for someone in our mainstream press to step up and ask Jeb! if he’s man enough to be president: “How mad would it make you
should a criminal rhayppe your wifewhen a fellow Republican insults your wife’s heritage?”(PS Serious moderation avoidance going on here.)
raven
@Gin & Tonic: I had one die with the remnants of a side of beef in it. We didn’t know how long it had been down and we cracked it. Full of maggots. We closed it up and paid good money to have it hauled off.
satby
@Princess: @Valdivia: Sorry to hear about both Princess and Sisu. Best wishes for both your babies.
Edited when I realized Sisu is a boy!
Amir Khalid
@Baud:
The benefit to China needs to outweigh the cost of the exercise. As I recall, in Africa it has concentrated on countries like Nigeria that offer access to some sort of useful natural resource like oil or minerals. Buy Greece, not particularly well-known for natural resources, and what strategic influence do you get with Europe?
Baud
@Amir Khalid:
I don’t know. Foothold into the Eurozone? Military bases in Europe? Maybe nothing, which is why it isn’t happening.
TheresherK
@Valdivia: I nominate this as the Bernard Shaw Award Question of 2015:
What would happen if
Willie Horton sexually violated your wifeanother Republican insulted your wife’s heritage? Would you totallyfight Donald Trump on the playground after schoolwant the death penalty for himget mad, like a real man? America wants to know, Are you man enough to be President, Jeb?MomSense
@Princess: @Valdivia:
Sending good thoughts to Princess and Sisu and hugs to both of you. I went through that with my baby over the winter and it is the worst.
A video of ski patrol dogs for all of us this morning.
http://holykaw.alltop.com/this-video-about-ski-patrol-dogs-will-give-you-all-the-feels-video?gk4
Gin & Tonic
@raven: That smell really lingers.
ThresherK
@Valdivia: I nominate this as the Bernard Shaw Award Question of 2015. (Look for it at a Republican debate near you):
(I never get into moderation, but this is like the 4th iteration of this innocuous comment that’s flagged. Hope this work.
different-church-lady
Yes, that’s right Washington Post: in Japan you can run an entire rail line without any human beings!
Well no, actually, you can’t — it was that one station went unattended. Thus, the cat becoming the “station master”.
Yet another example of “if they can’t get the simple little things correct, how can you trust them on the big stuff?”
Denali
@Raven,
I really did not want to know about that.
@Applejinx,
Hope things get better for you soon! Iphones are available through Tracphone, I understand – no monthly fees.
raven
@Denali:Xin Loi.
Skippy-san
Tama-chan was an icon in Japan. I lived there for 9 years and he was always in the news-at least every six weeks of so.
Xenos
@catclub:
Good. That would not be healthy.
gene108
I do not want to go to work today. The weather is beautiful. A long weekend is coming up. I so badly just want to play hookie or cut class or whatever the adult equivalent is…but I got responsibilities…
gelfling545
@EconWatcher: Well, in fairness, it would be like discussing Plato with a garden slug.
Denali
@Raven,
Wow, could you make my morning and tell me “you wre right” in Vietnamese?
MomSense
@Kay:
Pursue those assholes! Pursue away. I’m relieved he is ok.
PST
@Valdivia: Best wishes to you and Sisu. I received good advice here a month or so ago when I was concerned about my old boy, Kenny, who was around 21 years old. He was losing a remarkable amount of weight, going from 12 pounds a couple of years ago to slightly less than five, even though he was still eating and did not show signs of pain that I could recognize. My thanks to everyone who commented. Our vet, someone we like and think well of, agreed without hesitation that it was his time. I miss him, of course, and still think I see him out of the corner of my eye from time to time, but I’m happy he got to live a full life and that it ended peacefully. I hope there is nothing wrong with pets of different species who only tolerated one another sharing an urn.
raven
@Denali: You numbah one GI. Or Chính xác if you prefer.
Kay
@MomSense:
He once pursued a fraudulent collectible doll broker for 4 years. The broker was selling the dolls to people in-county but they were somehow fake? I don’t recall how specifically.
Collectible dolls actually involve a lot of money, but people who don’t know that made fun of him for The Doll Case :)
Omnes Omnibus
@Princess: @Valdivia: Good thoughts for both of you and your feline friends.
Xenos
@Xenos: I went ahead and read it, and it was not all that bad. Of course, the main points were just borrowed from fellow Bloomberg columnist El-Arian.
WaterGirl
So touching, I teared up when I read that. That might be the coolest title I’ve ever seen.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: Uncle Duke from Doonesbury once demanded the title “Maximum Proconsul for Life” before he accepted a particular job.
WaterGirl
@Germy Shoemangler: That should read valued commenter up top! I always appreciate your links.
Chet
Ben Wattenberg has died.
Kay
@rikyrah:
I saw it rikrah but thank you for bringing it to my attention.
There will be ferocious pushback so what I would like to see is the administration and the “centrist” Democrats united to impliment and protect the new rule from Republicans with the same energy and focus they used to push the trade deal thru. Since this is between 5 and 7 million people affected and the trade deal is most favorable estimate 650k “jobs created” by 2026 I would expect MORE focus but I’ll take equal.
I know this sounds like I’m carping but I don’t care. I AM complaining. They pulled out all the stops for that trade deal. They had all hands on deck for a solid year prior to passage of Fast Track. They can do the same here.
Denali
@Raven,
Merci beaucoup in honor of the the French, who, I believe, had something to do with converting Vietnamese to an western alphabet.
Ghost of ThresherK's moderated self
@Germy Shoemangler: I want someone in a GOP debate to ask Jeb Bush if he’s going to defend his manhoodery, in the face of Trump picking on Jeb’s wife.
This is in the established tradition of Bernard Shaw, who knew Mike Dukakis had to personally electrocute his wife Kitty’s “ray pest”, or he wouldn’t be man enough to be president.
Gin & Tonic
@Denali: You might want to say “obrigado” as well.
debbie
@Kay:
They’re called pigs for a reason. I’m sorry your son had to go through that.
ETA: Good for your husband!
ETA again: You say he didn’t consent to a search, but then they went through his things. How did that happen?
Valdivia
@PST: Thank you for your words. It’s really how we feel, that it looks like it’s his time. He is a true fighter this one and we think he’s been hanging on by sheer will. It’s going to be very hard but if he’s in pain we don’t want that to continue.
@MomSense: @satby: Thank you so much.
Valdivia
@bemused: Sisu is a Finnish word for strength of spirit, how you survive a really hard winter. Sisu is meant to be that thing what makes Finn a Finn (or so I was told by a Finnish friend). And the name has suited him, he has strength of spirit in spades.
@Omnes Omnibus: Gracias!
@Kay: What an awful thing. Glad your son is ok. I would have been scared out of my wits.
debbie
@Valdivia:
I haven’t had a pet since the 1970s, but I’ve loved my friends’ pets as if they were my own. I’m sorry for you and for Princess. It sucks.
Germy Shoemangler
@WaterGirl:
Thank you. I still feel like I’m new here. There are so many commenters I consider my favorites because of what I learn from them. This is a great place.
Germy Shoemangler
@debbie:
they bring in a drug-sniffing dog. The dog reacts positively, as if there’s drugs in the car, and this gives them the right to tear the car apart.
But here’s the thing: They didn’t find anything. The drug-sniffing dogs who go all around the outside of your car can be prompted by the cops to react “positively” – in other words, it’s all bullshit.
Thank you Dick Nixon for your war on drugs. It’s done so much harm to this country and citizens.
You should have declared war on crooked, paranoid, right-wing politicians instead.
Valdivia
@debbie: Thanks. They crawl straight into your heart and make a home so it’s really hard.
Kay
@debbie:
Because the dog indicated, which is probable cause. I don’t know who he had in his car over 4 days or why the dog indicated or even IF the dog indicated because the dog’s handler interprets what the dog does.
It upsets me more with this son because he’s the kid who was a poor student and he is really doing well in a skilled trades course. That’s what the textbooks were for, that course- they’re more like workbooks. It’s the first time in his life he has done well at school. He completes the course at the end of July and he’s already got a part time job following a person who is certified. Part of the reason (I think) he didn’t do well at school is because he is inarticulate – he almost can’t speak in his own defense.
Germy Shoemangler
@Kay:
The dog indicates because the cop wants the dog to indicate. Don’t doubt your son’s friends or your son. The dog would indicate anything the cop pointed it to. Your son did a great job being calm in the face of outrageous harassment. I’m so glad your husband will pursue it.
My oldest son has a temper. I always nag him to make sure his inspection and registration stickers are up to date. I worry about him losing his cool with a cop.
bemused
@Valdivia:
Yes, I know the word well. My ancestry is Finnish. It means spirit, tenacity, strength and other similar traits. I joke that with Finns it’s a fine line between sisu and stubbornness.
Kay
@Germy Shoemangler:
A couple of years ago I watched videos that were taken when he and his older brother and sister were little. They were playing and they did all the talking. He’s actively playing with them but it’s almost like they filled in words for him. It was almost shocking to watch with some distance because those two were so verbal and chatty I never noticed at the time that he was mostly silent. I know “high verbal” counts a lot in school and really everywhere, that’s how people perceive “smart” so it was probably harder for him.
Valdivia
@bemused: I had no idea you were of Finnish descent. I love that word and have thanked my friend many times for suggesting that name for my cat. I have one other cat with a Finnish word for a name, Lumi.
SuperHrefna
@Kay: Kay that is awful! I think we have to put police reform to the top of our Liberal Agenda. They have been allowed to get completely out of control, and they no longer seem to see themselves as public servants.
catclub
@Kay:
Lucky in the case of the police. ‘Do not say anything to the police,’ is the first rule. Otherwise, a possible problem.
catclub
@Baud:
Yeah, but they want something back in exchange, and Greece has nothing they want.
Brachiator
@Iowa Old Lady:
Slim is not only Mexico’s richest man, he is among the top four or five richest men in the world. And yet, somehow in the mind of Trump and his fellow Republicans, Mexicans and Mexican Americans are worthless peasants trying to snatch scraps from hard working real Amurricans.
WaterGirl
@Kay: Bastards! When they abuse their power they hurt themselves as well as the rest of us – because they throw away the respect that comes with legitimate authority.
Bastards.
On the other hand, I am heartened knowing that your husband will likely pursue this.
Brachiator
@Kay: Sorry that your son was subjected to this nonsense, but very glad that the outcome was relatively not-too-bad.
Elizabelle
@Kay: Sorry to hear of your son’s ordeal. This is WRONG.
I am going to tell my sister’s family (nephews aged 16-22) about this.
Kay
@SuperHrefna:
It seems like it’s gotten much worse than it was. I remember getting pulled over in Wilmington NC at that age and I had this jovial, bantering conversation about my muffler. My whole sense was “this old man is genuinely worried about my auto safety”. Now it’s like “call for back up, he’s not on the ground handcuffed yet”.
bemused
@Valdivia:
We have Finnish names for our dogs, Kaija and Tukka, but not our cats. The Finnish language is not melodic like French, more hard sounding, so finding Finnish names for pets or children for that are pleasant sounding are limited. Second and third generation Finn-Americans usually passed on family Finnish names although I remember in the 90’s a couple named their boy Veikko and thought poor kid.
Peale
@Brachiator: Trump would be happy if Carlos Slim snuck over the border. It’s those poor ones who’re nothing but trouble. You know, “Send us your upper middle class and above elite, not your poor. Your well-heeled captains yearning to buy condos from me!.” It’s practically written on the Statue of Liberty.
Manyakitty
@Kay: Sorry your son had to deal with that nonsense. He’s lucky to have parents who prepared him well and know how to defend against such random abuse. Glad he kept his cool!
Manyakitty
Also, peace, health, and longevity all around.
Gin & Tonic
@Peale: Your well-heeled captains yearning to buy condos from me!.
Funny. Carlos Slim could buy every Trump property in New York for cash and not even notice it. Trump pretends to be rich. Carlos Slim is.
Felonius Monk
Donald Trump has stepped into the quicksand and the more he flounders around flapping his hairpiece, the quicker he is going to sink out of sight, probably forever.
I am somewhat sorry to see this happen, because I believe his continued presence in the KlownKar will help insure a rethug defeat.
Steeplejack
@Valdivia:
So sorry to hear about Sisu. My thoughts are with you.
Steeplejack
@Kay:
Sorry to hear about your son’s ordeal, and I hope your husband makes that police department miserable.
When I see this in news stories I always wonder whether the dog really “indicated” or if the handlers use some covert “Pick this one, Fido!” signal. Or if the dogs just indicate every time.
You never seem to read: “We were all up in this guy’s face, but then the dog came and didn’t find anything, so we apologized and called it a night.”
Steeplejack
@BillinGlendaleCA:
I signed up to get a free upgrade to Windows 10 on this ThinkPad when it comes out. Actually sort of looking forward to it—a rare feeling with Microsoft. I have a buddy who has been running it and says it is very good.
This thread looks like it might be dead or dying, but I’ve got a question about Android I’d like to ask you, if you’re still around.
Steeplejack
@Princess:
Sorry to hear this. I had an elderly cat who went through a similar spell. The vet kept her for a couple of days and rehydrated her. She perked up and had another good two or three years.
Paul in KY
@Applejinx: You know, there were now famous impressionist painters who didn’t get jack during their lives.
Paul in KY
@Valdivia: Best wishes there. Almost 20 years is a wonderful long life for a cat.
Paul in KY
@Kay: Very sorry to hear that, Kay. I think he basically did the right thing. In hindsight, might have been a bit more aggrieved and not so uncomunicative (assuming he is white, though).
Gravenstone
@Germy Shoemangler: I seriously wonder if at least one reason his fellows aren’t jumping on Trump’s comments is that they don’t want to deal with the inevitable nuisance lawsuit (or at minimum the loud and repeated threats thereof) that would follow.
Gravenstone
@Kay: What level of police were involved; local, county, state? Lots of those burgs in northern Indiana can be pretty ass backwards. Of course, rural Ohio law enforcement is little better, as you doubtless know.
Paul in KY
@catclub: (following musings only for white people, unfortunately): The police are always looking at your reaction. How would a totally innocent person react? How would someone react, if they might have some contraband, etc. (the supposed ‘reactions’ are what they think they should be or how they have been briefed, etc). Thus, if you are completely innocent of any perceived thing they pulled you over for or think you may have, then how would a law-abiding, true patriot, flag waving, tax-paying American citizen react?
I think the police think that you would be a bit pissed. Thus, you should communicate your pissed-offedness to them (in a non-hostile manner). IMO, to the police, people who clam up are not reacting the way they themselves would presumably react if pulled over for a completely BS reason.
Valdivia
@bemused: The names of your dogs are cool. I can’t even pretend that I get anything when I hear Finnish but I do like some of the words I have picked up. Must confess though that some of the names were very difficult to grapple with ;)
@Paul in KY @Steeplejack: : Thank you. Though we were prepared for our goodbyes, the vet who I trust is semi optimistic that it might not yet be his time, depending on what the labs return. He’s home lounging with the two young kitties staring at him.
Brachiator
@Peale:
I understand what you are trying to say, but I cannot imagine a universe in which Carlos Slim would give a crap about sneaking over anyone’s border.
Carlos Slim’s net worth is 72.9 billion USD. This makes him among the richest men in the world. Trump pretends to be worth 4 billion.
That Trump would stupidly tangle with Slim is funny as hell.
Steeplejack
@Valdivia:
I had a Finnish friend whose simple name, Anni, was impossible to get right. Something about not lingering over the two n’s in the right way.
Paul in KY
@Valdivia: Please give him a scritch for me :-)
Kay
@Gravenstone:
It was local. He didn’t even have to tell us. I knew it. I know exactly the shortcut he was taking. It’s a little different here. It’s county, local, state with county as the worst. Our local are not bad at all but state are best.
Valdivia
@Steeplejack: Yes, that combination of vowels and consonants that do not work the way you expect them. I had the same thing with my friend whose name was Rauno. Not even my spanish R worked in getting his name right.
@Paul in KY: :) He’s getting all the love here and I will pass that on!
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Steeplejack:
IIRC, it’s fairly common to get a false positive from a dog because the handler can unconsciously signal the dog to alert. Good handlers are very, very conscious of being sure to not give any indication to the animal, even unconsciously, but good handlers are few and far between.
bemused
@Valdivia:
Just be sure that the words/phrases a Finnish speaking person is teaching you aren’t swear words. Even if they do enjoy teaching unsuspecting people naughty phrases, you probably wouldn’t get into too much trouble repeating them. Maybe it’s changed in Finland but I know the Finns who settled in the US had pretty mild naughty jokes and language. Almost squeaky clean. I asked what the worst things one could say in Finnish but their answers was pretty disappointing.
bemused
@Valdivia:
Ah those rolling R’s are impossible without a lot of practice!
sparrow
@Elizabelle: Late reply, but the media inside Greece is 100% bought by “standard” parties so they are all vehemently anti-syriza.
Sam Dobermann
@Germy Shoemangler:
The victim of this sort of police abuse ought to quickly ask “How recently has that dog been recertified?” The training does “wear off” and if the dogs are not retrained and tested periodically they lose their ability to discriminate and/or to recognize scents.
And if they are rewarded — praised — for a phony id they quickly are deprogrammed.
I would love to defend a “dog gave probable cause” case into court.