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Midweek links

These are service dogs attending a performance of Billy Elliot to learn how to behave in a theater. More pix at the link.

9 Comments

  1. larryarnold
    larryarnold August 20, 2019 7:41 pm

    “Oh, lookie! There’s a hungry mountain lion.” (Sets phone on video.)
    There were also loads of videos taken by people while fleeing during the El Paso shooting.
    That’s not “tunnel vision,” it’s “funnel vision.”

    Which is better at soothing lonliness: dog or cat?
    Doh.
    AFAIK the only feline social interaction more complex than hooking up when the female is in heat is the lion pride. OTOH I can’t think of a canine species that doesn’t run in a pack.
    When was the last time you saw a service cat?

    In our house, the humans are there for when the cat wants his ears scratched.

  2. Pat
    Pat August 20, 2019 10:31 pm

    Dog vs cat: I’ve had both as pets, and sympathetic whimpering from my dog left me trying to console her, whereas a warm, steady purr from my cat reassured me I was going to be alright in the end. There’s a certain “Chin up, mate!” quality to the independence of a cat that inspires a person to try to find a way out of the mess.

    I think it depends on what the person needs from the animal to determine which animal helps relieve lonliness the best.

    The psychologists in these tests were trying too hard (as usual) to analyze the perception of the animal, rather than the needs of the individual. (They may have already made up their minds which animal was most effective, and why.) The sheer presence of another living entity often helps better than what the animal is. I had a hamster once that took away lonliness just because he was a warm living entity and I could talk to him. I was responsible for him, and he was someone to love and take care of — and that made the difference.

  3. Comrade X
    Comrade X August 21, 2019 8:36 am

    I love to play with my dog and get my cat!

    The cat complains but loves it, even though she bites the heck out of me if given the chance.

  4. david
    david August 21, 2019 12:34 pm

    Gold prices have allegedly been manipulated for over a decade by LIBOR. Google it for details. One of my rules is to never believe hucksters, con men, or commodity traders about the rising value of what they’re selling.

  5. Joel
    Joel August 21, 2019 4:50 pm

    Dogs in theater seats: “We have no idea what we’re doing here, but the Human said sit still and there are treats involved, so whatever.”

  6. larryarnold
    larryarnold August 22, 2019 8:54 am

    True, Joel.
    OTOH I have the same reaction at some of the events my wife takes me to.

  7. Antibubba
    Antibubba August 22, 2019 8:36 pm

    The real curiosities are the price of platinum (half of gold) and palladium (equal to gold!). What is happening there?

  8. John
    John August 23, 2019 6:51 pm

    Antibubba,
    You know the answer. It is the dynamics of supply and demand. Find a way to bring something to market for less than the offer price and you have incentive to engage in the enterprise. New uses, new demand, raises the offer price. Surplus supply drops the market price. Some sources of supply stop being cost effective and go off line. 🙂

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