The Watering Hole: February 5 – At 69 -

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I am beginning to wonder if there will ever be peace on Earth.

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to present your thoughts on any topic that comes to mind.

151 thoughts on “The Watering Hole: February 5 – At 69 -”

  2. This is what I do when I’m feeling down. Can’t claim the music but the vocals are mine after many, many Bacardi Cokes and Herb, I thought it would go well with WonderGoon’s comment although it should be on the nostalgic music thread below…Here goes…Gulp!:

  5. Did you know that the symbol above (what we commonly call the “Peace” symbol) was created by overlapping the semaphore code for the letters “N” and “D”, which stood for “Nuclear Disarmament”?

  7. Agreed, Shayne!

    Wayne, I did not know that … That makes it all the more peaceful to look at … :)

    Must shovel the remains of the previous snowfall in preparation for another weather event here tonight … At least the sun is shining now ~

  8. If what I’ve seen is accurate, there will be peace among mankind – after the ice.

    I had a vision once, I was high above the earth. The entire eastern seaboard of the U.S. was in flames…then the earth was shrouded in fog. Next, I was sitting in tall grass with a group of children. Other children nearby were running in the grass, playing. A child had just asked me a question, and I spoke, ‘people weren’t like that before the Ice.’ We had changed.

  9. Where is all the traffic about the natural gas line from Egypt to Israel being blown up? Shouldn’t this be a top story by now?

  10. MSNBC is reporting a gas leak caused the explosion, not terrorists. The Mubarak regime wants to say it was terrorists, to blame the protests for decreasing security elsewhere. No one was injured and the pipeline is shut down, so the situation is under control. The protests are still the story.

  11. house,
    It looks like you are right. Gas company officials are citing a gas leak as the cause. Government officials are calling it potential sabotage.

      • Gummitch would love this ThinkGeek catalogue:

        Bacon salt
        Baconnaise
        Bacon lip balm
        Canned bacon
        Bacon popcorn
        Bacon hot sauce
        Bacon plush toy (it talks!)
        Bacon scarf (really pretty!)
        Bacon t-shirt, with symbols taken from the periodic table of elements (barium, cobalt, nitrogen)

  15. Florida really has its share of creeps.
    I’m not saying that everywhere else is exempt but we really have more than our share of predators.

  16. Zooey, have you seen epic mealtime?

    Thay are the gods of cooking with bacon, and meat, and bacon, and more bacon.

  17. Bacon lip balm

    Is it really made out of bacon – even if it’s ‘bacon flavor’ – the thought leaves the stomach roiling.

    • Ebb, I think it’s just bacon flavored. They added a disclaimer that said they are not responsible for any tongue kisses the wearer might receive from dogs. :P

  18. I think that’s what that kid in the ‘death by puppy’ video was wearing. Bacon lip balm.

  19. Mubarak truly needs to ‘wake up’ – shaking up the leading party (NDP ) isn’t going to placate the citizens. They want HIM GONE NOW.

    I’m impressed and love this intelligent protest.

  20. The day’s activity was relatively calm.
    The protesters are not at all placated – there was an announcement of the shake up – ousters of some and replaced by others of the leading NDP party.

    Short of watching Mubarak stepping down and actually watching him vacate the Presidential Palace seeing him physically leaving- the citizens will not be satisfied.

  22. Did you know that the symbol above (what we commonly call the “Peace” symbol) was created by overlapping the semaphore code for the letters “N” and “D”, which stood for “Nuclear Disarmament”?

    Pups.

    Zooey, I’ve had chocolate-covered bacon.

  23. gummitch, was it dark chocolate? That’s a serious question as I can taste that combination.
    Milk chocolate would seem too sweet.

  24. Mostly, I only eat dark chocolate. Don’t care for milk chocolate at all.

    Thanks for fixing my Italics, Zooey (?) I ran off to TURN THE BACON!

  25. My best friend’s son is a student at Caltech. A few weeks ago the LA Times had a big story about how students at elite universities handle stress. Now, this 5′ 9″, 130lb kid is a baconoholic. The article ran with a big color photo closeup of his head — replete with his huge “Jew-fro” — as he was chomping into a sandwich consisting solely of one pound of bacon. Yes, he ate it all in one sitting.

    • OMG, badmoodman. That makes me feel ill, and I love bacon.

      At least he has the rest of his life for his cholesterol levels to settle down…

  26. Reuters reports:

    Egypt’s State TV is reporting that Hosni Mubarak resigns as head of ruling party.

    The leadership of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party resigned on Saturday, including Gamal Mubarak, the son of embattled President Hosni Mubarak, state television said.

    • • But take it easy all, he’s still President.

  27. I believe that humans are not wired for peace even though it’s a beautiful concept. Everything has its polar opposite. In order to have peace, there must be war. It is the yin and the yang. It is the birth and the death.

    • Ebb, it’s the thinkgeek.com catalog. It’s got some pretty cool stuff, that no one really needs. I think my birthday and Xmas shopping needs for the men are taken care of for the next few years!

  29. Bacon, bacon, bacon… nitrates, nitrates, nitrates… stomach cancer… the end. My mother died from stomach cancer. One of the main foods in her diet was bacon and luncheon meats. Needless to say, I don’t eat luncheon meats and perhaps once or twice/year, I will have a bit of bacon. It is not what I would choose as “comfort food”.

  30. Sure it’s soap and will get you clean, but it looks like bacon. And it smells like bacon. And it comes in a collectible tin. And showertime will never be the same again.

    umm, NO!

  31. There should be a warning: for solo showers only.
    Not recommended for dual showering.

    or some such thing.

    There must be a line drawn.

  32. Yeah, I think you have to be male to appreciate all the “blessings” of bacon.

    Shorter Zooey: “Men are pigs.”

  37. vinyl – yes there are women who enjoy bacon – some of us don’t want to shower, with our partners, using bacon soap!

  38. Yes, this is true but your dog would welcome bath time with bacon scented soap.

    And if it were my dog, she promptly go outside after a bath and roll in armadillo poop.

  39. This is clever and hilarious – if the English subtitles don’t appear – click the small cc bottom right of the video.

  42. Florida, they’re like speed bumps in the road at night.
    Sad really because they are harmless for the most part.

  43. There are few things on this planet more maloderous than a dog that has rolled in fetid armadillo poop.

  44. Oh, I’m such a virgin when it come to travel – in my own country.

    I sense a road trip to check out the Armadillo! ;>

    Alabama has Pelican’s, Armadillos and houses of roberts —- it’s on my itinerary!

      • When I lived in Louisiana, the Cajuns used to brag that they’d eat anything, and I really think it’s true. Here’s a joke they used to tell:

        Why did God create armadillos?

        So Cajuns could eat possom on a half shell.

  45. Zooey, after that ‘joke’ I may have to be on a ‘fast’ were I to travel in the south of our country.

    ————

    Shayne, you’ll have to limit the armadillo to the wintering Belize commune. Doesn’t sound as if it’ll be happy in BC.

    • Heads-up all you Zoosters — especially the newbies.

      I’m putting up a cesspool party tonight, and that means it’s password protected. If you’ve never received an email from the Zookeeper giving you the password, then there’s no getting around the velvet rope.

      If you’d like to get past our gorilla bouncer, then you’ll have to leave approval in this comments section for me to put you on the email list. I will use the email address that is attached to your WordPress account. If you’d like me to use a different address, just let me know by return email.

      The cesspool party will be scheduled for 6 p.m. PT!

  47. There was one of those roadside BBQ pit restaurants in Jax back in the early 80′s that had smoked armadillo on the menu. Not what you’d call a big seller.

  51. Srsly hooda? This guy told me a lot of other funny yarns too, so I never knew whether to believe him or not.

  53. Raven, Hooda is correct – I’d just read about that, familiarizing myself after House and vinyl saying Armadillos are present in their states:

    One in six armadillos found in Texas and Louisiana coastal marshes harbor leprosy. Leprosy infected armadillos shed M. leprae to their environment and even casual association with armadillos can expose a person to M. leprae. The raw organ flesh or blood of infected armadillos contains large numbers of leprosy bacilli and contact with armadillos from some low lying environments in Louisiana and Texas may present some increased risk for human infection.

  54. Thanks folks. Not that I would mess with them anyways. They’re in the same category as snakes, which to this day I still will not handle.

  55. contact with armadillos from some low lying environments in Louisiana and Texas

    So stick with armadillos from the high rent districts and avoid tea baggers in LA & TX, just to be safe.

    • Oh yeah, the leperous armadillo. The last so-called leper colony is in Louisiana. I don’t know if it’s still open or not.

  57. I’ve never seen a turkey vulture with leprosy and they eat them up as fast as they get hit.

  58. I think I’ll go scrub the kayak with bleach.

    Not knowing any Raven particulars, is that a euphemism? Cuz if it is, it’s a beaut.

  59. The turkey vulture’s digestive system has the unique ability to kill any virus and bacteria in the food the bird eats. If cornered by a human or animal that is perceived as threatening, the turkey vulture may roll over and play dead, or project offensive smelling vomit as a defense.

  60. Not a euphemism ebb, I’m pretty careful about not transferring aquatic invasive species from different bodies of water, zebra mussels, snails, etc.
    I was down on the Teas Gulf coast earlier this winter in the salt marshes, hope I didn’t pick up any loathsome bacteria…

  62. And it was badmoodman who queried as to euphemisms, not ebb.
    Time to take a nap and start fresh in the evening.

  64. Zooey, have you had the opportunity to watch them fly, soar or just glide along looking for a snack?

    If it weren’t for T.Vs we’d be knee-deep in carrion.

  66. Georgia Bulldogs Mascot Uga VIII Dies

    Uga VIII, Georgia’s white English bulldog mascot, died Friday from lymphoma, ending his reign as mascot after only half of a season.

    Uga VIII took over last season for Russ, Uga VII’s half brother who filled in as mascot in 2009 and early in 2010.Felton said Russ again will step in as the school’s mascot.

    Uga VIII, who was 17 months old, lived with the Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler family of Savannah, Ga. The family has owned the Uga line of mascots for 50 years.

    This just makes me sad.
    I reported here when UGA VII passed in November of 2009. He was only 4 years old, and died unexpectedly after just two seasons. The first six bulldogs in the line averaged serving nine years each as mascot. Hopefully, Uga IX will enjoy better health than his recent predecessors.

  67. Vultures of all types are amongst the smartest of birds. One of the raptor shows at Bristol Ren Faire was a rescue group, and many of their birds were unable to be returned to the wild. Amongst these was “Buzz” the (seriously, if you can’t guess … )

    Buzz wasn’t much on flying any more, but he was quite fond of his handler. So he’d go hopping up and down the horse track (where they also held the jousts, at different times of course) playing tag with the handlers and varioiusly amusing himself.

  68. Too true.
    A lot of people find vultures offensive but I for one find them to be one of the finest soaring birds of the animal kingdom.
    We have a lot of bald eagles that winter in Florida and they follow the vultures in search of easy pickins.
    There are some truly beautiful carrion birds in South America with beautiful plumage.
    (dear gawd I hope I didn’t start anything with the “beautiful plumage” line)

  70. Look, my pet vulture tells me when I need my beauty sleep just about every night. By midnight, I look like this: :mrgreen:

  74. House – that happened to twice – WP eating comments just ‘because’.

    ———————-

    whom – I’ll take the bacon – skip the martini.

  77. Georgia Bulldogs Mascot UGA VIII dies

    UGA VIII, Georgia’s white English bulldog mascot, died Friday from lymphoma, ending his reign as mascot after only half of a season.

    Uga VIII took over last season for Russ, Uga VII’s half brother who filled in as mascot in 2009 and early in 2010.

    Felton said Russ again will step in as the school’s mascot.
    Uga VIII, who was 17 months old, lived with the Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler family of Savannah, Ga. The family has owned the Uga line of mascots for 50 years.

    This makes me especially sad.
    I reported here when UGA VII passed in November of 2009. He was only 4 years old, and died unexpectedly after just two seasons on the sideline. The first six bulldogs in the line averaged serving nine years each as mascot. Hopefully, Uga IX will enjoy better health than his recent predecessors.

  79. Off Topic, not related to Egypt or Bacon…

    Grandchild number 4 is on its way… tonight…

    My daughter is scheduled for a C-Section Monday morning, but baby isn’t waiting. She’s in early labor and is heading to hospital. Baby is breeched so her doctor can’t let her labor away for too long. Sure wish I could be with her in San Antonio, TX, but that’s so far from New Jersey.

    She’s in good hands with her husband.

    Sitting here, just waiting…

    • Congrats, Theresa!!

      My sister’s second didn’t wait for the scheduled C-section either. My niece is just like her mom — came into the world quickly, and hasn’t stopped since.

      Let us know what flavor grandbaby you get!

  80. Since I usually compose at C&L, I have it on my clipboard if there’s much code involved. Those are the ones that usually end up in the spam bin.

  83. Perhaps they should move away from the ‘pure breed’ line of bulldogs. Or go to a new line.
    That is very sad – seems the newer ‘rah! rahs!’ may have some genetic problems.
    That article did say the family had been doing this for 50 years – inbreeding along the way, may be? Or just too much ‘pure’ breeding?

  84. On a different note:

    Men are Pigs
    Pigs are Bacon
    Men are yummy.

    (OK, technically that’s an enthymeme, but filling in the missing premise is trivial.)

  86. Yup Zooey, skeeves me too. A Bacon Martini is up there with baconaise on the gag meter. There was a show on TV not too long ago: Bacon Paradise. The combinations were so strange, but I swear, I could smell bacon in my room. Got up the next morning and just had to cook a pound of bacon.

    • I’ve heard the way to break a hunger strike is to fry bacon nearby. Prolly wouldn’t work with Muslims or Jews, but otherwise I think it might work!

  90. My last grandchild, who was born on December 21 has a unique knickname: we call him Ham. Ham is bacon.

  92. Zooey and Gary,

    Thank you for your wishes and I will let you know when the little one arrives. From my favorite kids’ album, Not For Kids Only… Garcia/Grisman…

  93. whoms,
    Congrats on the upcoming event. We will all pray for you. If the kid decides the right time, then the outcome should be good. A breach is rarely a problem these days.My mom has three in one day in 1944.

  94. Walt,

    I agree. Baby comes when baby decides to come. That’s the way it’s always been, and always will.

    What do you mean about your mom? Are you one of those three, or other siblings. It’s been a long day and I could be a little dense.

  96. zx, excellent – laughing – especially since vinyl keeps insisting about dogs would go all ga-ga over bacon lip gloss; oh, and bacon soap.

    Did you see Zooey 12:57p Post?
    Are you on the list?

  97. zxbe, we have a “pet wall” at work where people hang photos of their furry friends. Someone hung a package of bacon-flavored tennis balls on it.

  99. ebb, glad you enjoyed it. I am on the list and got the e-mail. :)

    gummitch, if I were a pet owner I’d snatch those up for Fido. lol

  101. Excerpts from a Dogs Diary: 
     
    8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!
    9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing! 
    9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
    10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
    12:00 pm – Lunch!? My favorite thing!
    1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
    3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
    5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
    7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
    8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
    11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

  102. Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary: 

    Day 983 of my captivity.
    My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

    They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

    The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

    Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.

    There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food.  I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

    Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

    I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

    The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now …

  104. Zooey, just a thought: perhaps on the protected thread should be stated “Enter THE password”?
    As it reads, now, “Enter YOUR password” – one would think their personal password would be the ‘key’ to unlock that cage.

      • Repeat from earlier:

        Heads-up all you Zoosters — especially the newbies.

        I’m putting up a cesspool party tonight, and that means it’s password protected. If you’ve never received an email from the Zookeeper giving you the password, then there’s no getting around the velvet rope.

        If you’d like to get past our gorilla bouncer, then you’ll have to leave approval in this comments section for me to put you on the email list. I will use the email address that is attached to your WordPress account. If you’d like me to use a different address, just let me know by return email.

  105. Gary, I see they interviewed ‘Mel’ the cat for that diary! Except, thank the stars, there are no stairs.

  106. Outtakes from a dog’s diary…

    8:30 am – Where shall I poop today?
    9:35 am – I wish they’d brush the hair off the seat and clean my window…
    10:00 am – I hate having such a short leash.
    10:50 am – The littlest kid rubs me the wrong way.
    12:10 pm – Kibbles? Again?
    1:25 pm – Hard to find a proper place to play, I wish they’d clean up all this crap.
    3:15 pm – Oops, wagged a little too hard too close to the baby’s face…
    5:15 pm – Milk Bones? Again?
    7:10 pm – Why does master’s girlfriend always grimace when I drop the ball at her feet?
    8:15 pm – I wish they’d let me have the remote once in while.
    11:00 pm – Why do I have to sleep outside?

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