Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II
I am worried about taking my dog to Europe for next summer. It will have to be in a customs kennel for a week. All the other dogs will be barking in French. will it get lonely?
So she answers:
I can see why that’s worrying — you’re thinking about this from your dog’s point of view, not just the paperwork. That’s a good sign you’re a very attentive owner.
The short, reassuring answer: your dog will not feel lonely because the other dogs are “barking in French.” Dogs don’t interpret language the way humans do. Barking, whining, growling, and howling are emotional signals, not linguistic ones. Stress sounds are stress sounds, no matter the country 🐶
A few important things to know:
1. Dogs don’t experience language barriers
Dogs respond to tone, rhythm, and emotion, not words.
A bark from a French dog and a bark from an American dog register the same way: another dog is nearby.
Your dog may actually find comfort in knowing other dogs are present, even if they can’t see them.
2. What will matter is stress level, not nationality
A customs kennel can be noisy and unfamiliar.
Your dog may feel unsettled at first because of:
New smells
Different routines
Separation from you
But that stress has nothing to do with “foreign” dogs — it’s about environment.
3. Dogs adapt faster than we expect
Most dogs acclimate within a day or two.
Kennels are designed to minimize isolation: regular feeding, checks, and some human interaction.
Your dog will likely spend more time resting than worrying.
4. You can reduce loneliness and anxiety
If allowed, send:
A blanket or T-shirt that smells like you
Familiar toys (nothing squeaky if rules prohibit it)
Written instructions about your dog’s routine and comfort habits
5. One week feels long to you — not to your dog
Dogs live much more in the present.
They don’t count days or anticipate the future the way humans do.
When you reunite, it will feel to them like you simply came back ❤️
If you want, tell me:
Your dog’s age
Breed or mix
Whether they’ve ever stayed in a kennel before
Liquor has always been forbidden on the West Point campus of the Military Academy. Still, for several years before this incident, Cadets were allowed to drink eggnog containing alcohol at the annual Christmas Eve celebration.
In 1826, word came down from the top that there would be no liquor in that year's eggnog, and cadets were warned not to take matters into their own hands. Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederacy, decided to disregard the warning and spiked the eggnog.
The problem was that six or seven other cadets also decided to spike the bowl, so the cadets ended up rip-roaring drunk. Fights broke out, and vandalism occurred, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Nineteen cadets (out of 182) were expelled, and another dozen were suspended for a year. Jefferson Davis evidently passed out before the damages started, so he got off with a wrist slap.
Among the cadets at the party were Robert E Lee and Joe Johnston, both of whom would lead Confederate Armies during the Civil War.
Those 19 cadets who were expelled might have played a part in the War, had it not been for some spiked eggnog.
Quote: billryanToday is the 199th Anniversary of one of the most infamous days in the history of the US Military Academy.
Liquor has always been forbidden on the West Point campus of the Military Academy. Still, for several years before this incident, Cadets were allowed to drink eggnog containing alcohol at the annual Christmas Eve celebration.
In 1826, word came down from the top that there would be no liquor in that year's eggnog, and cadets were warned not to take matters into their own hands. Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederacy, decided to disregard the warning and spiked the eggnog.
The problem was that six or seven other cadets also decided to spike the bowl, so the cadets ended up rip-roaring drunk. Fights broke out, and vandalism occurred, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Nineteen cadets (out of 182) were expelled, and another dozen were suspended for a year. Jefferson Davis evidently passed out before the damages started, so he got off with a wrist slap.
Among the cadets at the party were Robert E Lee and Joe Johnston, both of whom would lead Confederate Armies during the Civil War.
Those 19 cadets who were expelled might have played a part in the War, had it not been for some spiked eggnog.
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You seem to have a wealth of knowledge. This is one of countless posts along similar lines.
Do you really know all this stuff, or are you doing a copy/paste and not providing a link to the source?
Quote: DRichJared Issacman, my former boss and the founder of Shift4, was sworn in today as the head of NASA. He is a guy that I have a lot of admiration towards. From dropping out of high school, starting a credit card business in his basement at age 16, and becoming a billionaire with his little credit card company. I also like that he took up a hobby of flying, became an demonstration team pilot performing shows like the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, and bought up hundreds of former military jets and started the largest civilian owned air force. His company was hired by the U.S. Air Force to imitate Soviet air force maneuvers so the U.S. could practice shooting down Russians.
By the way, he also rented a Spacex rocket and commanded the first all civilian crew to go to space while generating over $200 million in donations for St. Jude's. He had so much fun he rented the rocket again and became the first civilian to do a space walk.
He is very accomplished.
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This interview with Jared Issacman dropped yesterday. It is conducted by Shawn Ryan who is former special forces.
Quote: KevinAAQuote: billryanToday is the 199th Anniversary of one of the most infamous days in the history of the US Military Academy.
Liquor has always been forbidden on the West Point campus of the Military Academy. Still, for several years before this incident, Cadets were allowed to drink eggnog containing alcohol at the annual Christmas Eve celebration.
In 1826, word came down from the top that there would be no liquor in that year's eggnog, and cadets were warned not to take matters into their own hands. Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederacy, decided to disregard the warning and spiked the eggnog.
The problem was that six or seven other cadets also decided to spike the bowl, so the cadets ended up rip-roaring drunk. Fights broke out, and vandalism occurred, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Nineteen cadets (out of 182) were expelled, and another dozen were suspended for a year. Jefferson Davis evidently passed out before the damages started, so he got off with a wrist slap.
Among the cadets at the party were Robert E Lee and Joe Johnston, both of whom would lead Confederate Armies during the Civil War.
Those 19 cadets who were expelled might have played a part in the War, had it not been for some spiked eggnog.
link to original post
You seem to have a wealth of knowledge. This is one of countless posts along similar lines.
Do you really know all this stuff, or are you doing a copy/paste and not providing a link to the source?
link to original post
Could be he knows all this stuff. There are such people. They do well on some game shows.
Quote: GenoDRPhQuote: KevinAAQuote: billryanToday is the 199th Anniversary of one of the most infamous days in the history of the US Military Academy.
Liquor has always been forbidden on the West Point campus of the Military Academy. Still, for several years before this incident, Cadets were allowed to drink eggnog containing alcohol at the annual Christmas Eve celebration.
In 1826, word came down from the top that there would be no liquor in that year's eggnog, and cadets were warned not to take matters into their own hands. Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederacy, decided to disregard the warning and spiked the eggnog.
The problem was that six or seven other cadets also decided to spike the bowl, so the cadets ended up rip-roaring drunk. Fights broke out, and vandalism occurred, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Nineteen cadets (out of 182) were expelled, and another dozen were suspended for a year. Jefferson Davis evidently passed out before the damages started, so he got off with a wrist slap.
Among the cadets at the party were Robert E Lee and Joe Johnston, both of whom would lead Confederate Armies during the Civil War.
Those 19 cadets who were expelled might have played a part in the War, had it not been for some spiked eggnog.
link to original post
You seem to have a wealth of knowledge. This is one of countless posts along similar lines.
Do you really know all this stuff, or are you doing a copy/paste and not providing a link to the source?
link to original post
Could be he knows all this stuff. There are such people. They do well on some game shows.
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Indeed. Any number of people interested in AP and savvy gambling have a surprisingly broad knowledge base.
History buffs, radio hams, enthusiasts of antiques and thrift shops, people who have memorized substantial amounts of the bible, people able to recite baseball card, comic book, coin and stamp prices... none of it particularly uncommon around here.
Quote: Dieter
Indeed. Any number of people interested in AP and savvy gambling have a surprisingly broad knowledge base.
History buffs, radio hams, enthusiasts of antiques and thrift shops, people who have memorized substantial amounts of the bible, people able to recite baseball card, comic book, coin and stamp prices... none of it particularly uncommon around here.
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We tend to be autodidactic. Nobody learned this stuff (the real stuff) from a professor in a lecture hall. And those who are autodidactic notice a lot of things and pursue them, thus acquiring new knowledge.
This is why I never challenge an AP when he says he can do some particular thing or beat some game. Because I do stuff a lot of people wouldn't believe either. So I just watch and listen. Monkey see, monkey do.
Yesterday, I asked about the P/E of a company and how it compared to its closest competitor, and got a lecture on why buying individual stocks usually doesn't work well.
Quote: billryanAmazon recently upgraded its Alexa devices, supposedly making them friendlier, but I find the Alexa 2.0 less useful. I asked about the weather, and it told me it was 56, with a high of 70 this morning. I wondered aloud if it was too cold to wear shorts for my morning bike ride, and its unsolicited reply was that she would look ridiculous wearing shorts for a bike ride. Still, as a personal assistance device, she was much more comfortable in my living room than on a bike. I asked my old-style echo, which hasn't been upgraded, whether it was too cold to wear shorts, and it replied that most adults find shorts uncomfortable below 60 degrees.
Yesterday, I asked about the P/E of a company and how it compared to its closest competitor, and got a lecture on why buying individual stocks usually doesn't work well.
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Please somebody pull my plug if I start relying on some dumbass AI for advice. If I can't figure out when I should or should not wear shorts outside and I need to ask AI, life is pretty much over for me. Put me out of my misery.
Less than an hour later, he passes a marked California Highway Patrol patrol car at excessive speed. He decides to run and gets clocked at 139 in a vain attempt to outrun the CHP.
The car was seized and may be confiscated. $80,000 for less than an hour of entertainment. You'd get better value on the Vegas strip.
Quote: billryanA man in California goes into a dealership and walks out with a 2025 Mustang equipped with an additional $40,000 custom performance package.
Less than an hour later, he passes a marked California Highway Patrol patrol car at excessive speed. He decides to run and gets clocked at 139 in a vain attempt to outrun the CHP.
The car was seized and may be confiscated. $80,000 for less than an hour of entertainment. You'd get better value on the Vegas strip.
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It would be nice if you would provide a link to the source for posts like this.
Quote: billryanA
The car was seized and may be confiscated. $80,000 for less than an hour of entertainment. You'd get better value on the Vegas strip.
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Awesome, I hope he loses the car.
Quote: KevinAAQuote: billryanA man in California goes into a dealership and walks out with a 2025 Mustang equipped with an additional $40,000 custom performance package.
Less than an hour later, he passes a marked California Highway Patrol patrol car at excessive speed. He decides to run and gets clocked at 139 in a vain attempt to outrun the CHP.
The car was seized and may be confiscated. $80,000 for less than an hour of entertainment. You'd get better value on the Vegas strip.
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It would be nice if you would provide a link to the source for posts like this.
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https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a69887136/ford-mustang-driver-arrested-139-mph-1-hour-after-buying-car-cops/
"This evening, the driver of this Mustang passed our Specially Marked Patrol Vehicle..."
I wonder what the phrase "Specially Marked Patrol Vehicle" means, because the police vehicle in the photo appears to be marked in the usual fashion. Perhaps the pictured police vehicle is not the "Specially Marked Patrol Vehicle"?
Lately, I have noticed many law enforcement vehicles on which the markings are extremely difficult to read, like this Louisiana State Patrol vehicle:
If one of these pulled up behind you and flashed its (presumably hidden) lights, would you obey it? From the front, you wouldn't be able to see the LSP graphics at all.
Dog Hand
Reminds me of that "Great White" rock band fire, but was pyrotechnics indoors, chained exit doors.
Quote: ChumpChangePeople have phones now to stare at the fire with instead of rushing to the exits.
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I did notice people still standing around while the fire was burning the ceiling. Reminds me if I see ANY uncontrolled fire in a similar situation to head for the exit. Death trap!
Quote: rxwineWhile there's still no official cause, champagne bottles with sparklers being held up near the ceiling in a celebratory manner may have caused that Swiss ski lodge fire when the ceiling caught on fire. Of course, not easy for a big crowd to get out, when there's a bum rush to escape out a normal sized door.
Reminds me of that "Great White" rock band fire, but was pyrotechnics indoors, chained exit doors.
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I thought I saw a picture of someone riding on someone's shoulders, carrying a sparkler-bottle high overhead. No idea if that image was contemporary or fabricated afterwards.
Quote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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I fly quite a bit but still always plan my path to the exit doors every time I sit on a plane. I am not scared to fly but it is always good to have a plan.
Quote: DRichQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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I fly quite a bit but still always plan my path to the exit doors every time I sit on a plane. I am not scared to fly but it is always good to have a plan.
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I liked that you have a plan to exit a plane in trouble when the truth is you should do what I do, kiss your ass goodbye ahead of time whenever you get on a plane because once there's trouble ain't nobody exiting. Not every plane gets to land on the East River and everybody climbs out on the wings waiting to be rescued.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DRichQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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I fly quite a bit but still always plan my path to the exit doors every time I sit on a plane. I am not scared to fly but it is always good to have a plan.
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I liked that you have a plan to exit a plane in trouble when the truth is you should do what I do, kiss your ass goodbye ahead of time whenever you get on a plane because once there's trouble ain't nobody exiting. Not every plane gets to land on the East River and everybody climbs out on the wings waiting to be rescued.
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Geez, do you have to be so negative all the time?
Quote: KevinAAQuote: EvenBobQuote: DRichQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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I fly quite a bit but still always plan my path to the exit doors every time I sit on a plane. I am not scared to fly but it is always good to have a plan.
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I liked that you have a plan to exit a plane in trouble when the truth is you should do what I do, kiss your ass goodbye ahead of time whenever you get on a plane because once there's trouble ain't nobody exiting. Not every plane gets to land on the East River and everybody climbs out on the wings waiting to be rescued.
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Geez, do you have to be so negative all the time?
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Not negative just realistic. And I'm not negative all the time far from it. As far as planes go when I grew up in the 50s and 60s there was plane crashes all the time that killed lots of people and in my mind thats still happening which of course it isn't. Not in this country anyway.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DRichQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
link to original post
I fly quite a bit but still always plan my path to the exit doors every time I sit on a plane. I am not scared to fly but it is always good to have a plan.
link to original post
I liked that you have a plan to exit a plane in trouble when the truth is you should do what I do, kiss your ass goodbye ahead of time whenever you get on a plane because once there's trouble ain't nobody exiting. Not every plane gets to land on the East River and everybody climbs out on the wings waiting to be rescued.
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You're thinking about a catastrophic hull loss crash, and you are likely to be right about the survivability of that, but more common than that or things like the Sully landing (and less newsworthy) are situations where the plane lands intact but they have to exit a smoked up cabin, or a possible fire from landing friction, not exactly on a runway or maybe not even at an airport, and then there will be climbing out on the wings and there's going to be bedlam and panic while this is going on, so it is best to be prepared and avoid preventable injuries.
After the attacks I usually sat near the front of the plane and am prepared to sit za-Zen in front of the cockpit door in case some nut tries to force his way in. Because I'm a nut too. Did you know pulling down someone's pants to his ankles is a very effective hand-to-hand combat tactic?
Quote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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Also do not take time to finish putting your shoes on. If you did it the right way you have socks on both feet and not walking on one bare foot.
Quote: billryanI tend not to take my shoes off in public, as I rarely wear socks unless in dress shoes. One less worry if I need to bug out.
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I have been in Florida now for over three years and have worn shoes once in Florida (other than when getting on an airplane). I have worn only sandals every single day in Florida except for my fathers funeral. I do wear shoes on an airplane because my feet always get cold.
Awful! How degraded an individual must be that even his wastes are unacceptable in the role of wastes, and he must buy artificial wastes.
Quote: AutomaticMonkeyToday I saw for sale, in a convenience store, containers of synthetic urine.
Awful! How degraded an individual must be that even his wastes are unacceptable in the role of wastes, and he must buy artificial wastes.
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"Synthetic urine is a man-made liquid designed to cheat drug tests, featuring similar pH, creatinine, and specific gravity, but labs detect it by looking for specific natural compounds."
Quote: AutomaticMonkeyToday I saw for sale, in a convenience store, containers of synthetic urine.
Awful! How degraded an individual must be that even his wastes are unacceptable in the role of wastes, and he must buy artificial wastes.
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Stores around here stock coyote urine. I'm sort of interested in how they gather it.
Quote: billryanQuote: AutomaticMonkeyToday I saw for sale, in a convenience store, containers of synthetic urine.
Awful! How degraded an individual must be that even his wastes are unacceptable in the role of wastes, and he must buy artificial wastes.
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Stores around here stock coyote urine. I'm sort of interested in how they gather it.
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I would guess they order it from the Acme catalog.
$66 a gallon?
Quote: rxwineYou could probably sell your own urine as coyote urine. Just label it "Coyote Urine"
$66 a gallon?
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With the number of times I urinate a night, I am probably missing out on a $100 a night..
Quote: billryan<snip>Stores around here stock coyote urine. I'm sort of interested in how they gather it.
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billryan,
The tricky bit is attaching it to the coyote... makes "belling the cat" simple by comparison 😆
Dog Hand
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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Also do not take time to finish putting your shoes on. If you did it the right way you have socks on both feet and not walking on one bare foot.
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Just bought for the first time two pairs of Skechers. I now hate myself for not having them forever. Takes no time to slip into them, they feel surprisingly snug enough, and are overall super comfortable. As DRich opined, I too wear sandals most often. But now for my 6:47am dog walk on dewy lawns it is Skechers! The second pair are golf shoes, and I’m not as confident I’ll like them as much as ‘regular’ golf shoes.
They are pricey even with all the offers and discounts.
Quote: SOOPOOQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: billryanA good reminder to be aware of your situation. Take a moment and pay attention to the closest exits. That's exits, not exit. You never know if the fire might be between you and the nearest exit. Leave at the first sign of fire, but don't cause panic.
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Also do not take time to finish putting your shoes on. If you did it the right way you have socks on both feet and not walking on one bare foot.
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Just bought for the first time two pairs of Skechers. I now hate myself for not having them forever. Takes no time to slip into them, they feel surprisingly snug enough, and are overall super comfortable. As DRich opined, I too wear sandals most often. But now for my 6:47am dog walk on dewy lawns it is Skechers! The second pair are golf shoes, and I’m not as confident I’ll like them as much as ‘regular’ golf shoes.
They are pricey even with all the offers and discounts.
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Leather shoes are the only shoes that last me a long time. I did like "Penny" loafers back in the day for the same reason.
In 1992 the city had 2 papers, a strike killed one and it was impossible to miss. When I was a kid I delivered both at various times. Lots of customers got both, everyday.
I made time capsules for some of my nieces and nephews, with a copy from the day they were born along with other things of that day. I joked that when they open it at age 18 they may say, "What the hell is this" upon seeing it.
Quote: ChumpChangeMy local paper is $1/copy, the NYTimes is $2 for non-Sundays. No longer 15 cents or 25 cents. I guess I'm out of touch with newspapers for the past 20 years. Nothing scares me like the police blotter section. People having to put up $25K to $50K bail for just about anything for nothing.
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When you have a history of bail skip, that's how it's going to be. People can be ridiculous like that; violate bail, miss court dates, violate probation, every time the system tries to give them a break they screw it up, probably thinking nobody is going to notice.
I remember when everybody wanted the Sunday paper for the coupons, and that 50 cent paper is going to have $5-10 worth of manufacturer's coupons. And people would trade them for ones they could use.
I have an online subscription to a newspaper I like. When I am in vacation in that area Monday -friday newspaper is $2. Saturday and Sunday are combined at $3.50. they do include the Sunday color comics in that edition. They are cutting costs. Some newspaper only publish twice a weekQuote: ChumpChangeMy local paper is $1/copy, the NYTimes is $2 for non-Sundays. No longer 15 cents or 25 cents. I guess I'm out of touch with newspapers for the past 20 years. Nothing scares me like the police blotter section. People having to put up $25K to $50K bail for just about anything for nothing.
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Quote: DRichI just read that Costco sells 200 million hot dogs per year at their food court stands. That number shocked me. That means $300 million a year in hot dog sales.
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That is an impressive figure, but the real number that counts is profit, and most people say Costco's dogs are a loss leader.
Yet another unique American experience I have missed out on, as I've never been in a Costco.
Quote: billryanQuote: DRichI just read that Costco sells 200 million hot dogs per year at their food court stands. That number shocked me. That means $300 million a year in hot dog sales.
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That is an impressive figure, but the real number that counts is profit, and most people say Costco's dogs are a loss leader.
Yet another unique American experience I have missed out on, as I've never been in a Costco.
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I read a few years ago that COSTCO profits were about equal to their membership fees. So roughly $65 per member annual profit.
