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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2019 12:59:04 GMT
People in cities (at least) need to keep their dogs on leashes. What the hell, people? There is one guy in our neighborhood who regularly walks his three dogs without any of them on a leash. They're well behaved, I'll grant that, but you never know when someone else's dog will cause yours a problem, or when a squirrel or rabbit or something will wreak havoc. It only takes a second for a fight, a bite, or an accident. There are a few other people who either let theirs roam fenceless yards or walk them without leashes, too.
I'm more aware of it since "adopting" my girlfriend's dogs. Drives me crazy. Seems like tempting fate.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 2, 2019 17:38:54 GMT
People in cities (at least) need to keep their dogs on leashes. What the hell, people? There is one guy in our neighborhood who regularly walks his three dogs without any of them on a leash. They're well behaved, I'll grant that, but you never know when someone else's dog will cause yours a problem, or when a squirrel or rabbit or something will wreak havoc. It only takes a second for a fight, a bite, or an accident. There are a few other people who either let theirs roam fenceless yards or walk them without leashes, too. I'm more aware of it since "adopting" my girlfriend's dogs. Drives me crazy. Seems like tempting fate.
One of my hobbies is cycling. There's nothing like getting chased by a dog while riding a bike! Let's just say I've learned to avoid certain streets where leash-less dogs are known to roam. Speaking of 4th of July, I can't get over this Nike/Kaepernick/Betsy Ross controversy. Speaking of cycling. Yesterday, while riding, I noticed 8 Betsy Ross flags. While it may just be that I'm noticing them now (whereas in the past I may not have thought about it), the fact that it's been nearly a full month since 4th of July makes me think that it's a response to the controversy. So, anyone else noticing an uptick in Betsy Ross flags in their neighborhoods?
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2019 17:43:00 GMT
I haven't. It's almost comical. Such a non-issue. I don't understand why people seem to seek out issues to fight over.
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Post by kds on Aug 2, 2019 18:25:44 GMT
People in cities (at least) need to keep their dogs on leashes. What the hell, people? There is one guy in our neighborhood who regularly walks his three dogs without any of them on a leash. They're well behaved, I'll grant that, but you never know when someone else's dog will cause yours a problem, or when a squirrel or rabbit or something will wreak havoc. It only takes a second for a fight, a bite, or an accident. There are a few other people who either let theirs roam fenceless yards or walk them without leashes, too. I'm more aware of it since "adopting" my girlfriend's dogs. Drives me crazy. Seems like tempting fate.
One of my hobbies is cycling. There's nothing like getting chased by a dog while riding a bike! Let's just say I've learned to avoid certain streets where leash-less dogs are known to roam. Speaking of 4th of July, I can't get over this Nike/Kaepernick/Betsy Ross controversy. Speaking of cycling. Yesterday, while riding, I noticed 8 Betsy Ross flags. While it may just be that I'm noticing them now (whereas in the past I may not have thought about it), the fact that it's been nearly a full month since 4th of July makes me think that it's a response to the controversy. So, anyone else noticing an uptick in Betsy Ross flags in their neighborhoods? I can't say I've seen a single one anywhere in my region. Frankly, I'll be happy with Kaepernick just goes away. It seems like every year, right when football's about to start, his name pops up for one reason or another, and nothing having to do with football.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2019 19:21:23 GMT
If it were possible to agree more than 100%, I would. But to say "I agree 110%" I'd have to write it in the "Damn You, Pop Culture" or a pet peeves thread, because that's a pet peeve of mine!
But really, can't we let football be football? Let basketball be basketball? Let TV and movies be TV and movies. Quit harping on what everyone HAS TO DO and HAS TO THINK. Quit making disagreement some sort of moral judgment of damnation to hell (or immediate canonization). I mean, seriously. Relatively speaking, considering the whole world and the span of history, we've all got it about as good as anyone has ever had it. So let's just relax and keep our disagreements in perspective!
OK, that's all. Here ends my grumpy old man rant...
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Post by kds on Aug 2, 2019 21:24:20 GMT
If it were possible to agree more than 100%, I would. But to say "I agree 110%" I'd have to write it in the "Damn You, Pop Culture" or a pet peeves thread, because that's a pet peeve of mine!
But really, can't we let football be football? Let basketball be basketball? Let TV and movies be TV and movies. Quit harping on what everyone HAS TO DO and HAS TO THINK. Quit making disagreement some sort of moral judgment of damnation to hell (or immediate canonization). I mean, seriously. Relatively speaking, considering the whole world and the span of history, we've all got it about as good as anyone has ever had it. So let's just relax and keep our disagreements in perspective!
OK, that's all. Here ends my grumpy old man rant... I agree 100% + 1. These things are supposed to be escapes from the troubles of the world. I don't need an athlete, actor, or musician telling me how I need to think. This is one of the reasons I tend to gravitate to the mindless pleasures of Jimmy Buffett, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Sharknado, and Beach Boys 85.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2019 21:55:07 GMT
Yep. I don’t mean to belittle the real problems and disagreements people do have (and you know I enjoy politics, etc); I’m just saying that to focus on them exclusively just makes things worse.
My mindless fun also includes cooking shows, sitcoms and (thanks to the gf) some of the absolute dumbest reality tv ever. But you just can’t be wound up to 10 all the time. (As I type that I’m having a cold beer and some mixed nuts on the patio in my backyard. Sorry, Mr Kaepernick, but life is good.)
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Post by kds on Aug 2, 2019 22:07:33 GMT
Yep. I don’t mean to belittle the real problems and disagreements people do have (and you know I enjoy politics, etc); I’m just saying that to focus on them exclusively just makes things worse. My mindless fun also includes cooking shows, sitcoms and (thanks to the gf) some of the absolute dumbest reality tv ever. But you just can’t be wound up to 10 all the time. (As I type that I’m having a cold beer and some mixed nuts on the patio in my backyard. Sorry, Mr Kaepernick, but life is good.) Funny you say that. Im on the deck, a few beers deep, grilling dinner. My wife and I like a few brainless sitcoms too.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2019 22:13:29 GMT
Enjoy the summer evening! With that, I sign off for now!
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 3, 2019 13:39:42 GMT
People in cities (at least) need to keep their dogs on leashes. What the hell, people? There is one guy in our neighborhood who regularly walks his three dogs without any of them on a leash. They're well behaved, I'll grant that, but you never know when someone else's dog will cause yours a problem, or when a squirrel or rabbit or something will wreak havoc. It only takes a second for a fight, a bite, or an accident. There are a few other people who either let theirs roam fenceless yards or walk them without leashes, too.
I'm more aware of it since "adopting" my girlfriend's dogs. Drives me crazy. Seems like tempting fate.
Where I live (central/eastern PA), you can be fined for letting your dog run free. And they actually print the names of the perpetrators in the local newspaper in the Police Log.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 4, 2019 13:37:34 GMT
Rough night in Dayton and El Paso.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 4, 2019 16:16:00 GMT
Rough night in Dayton and El Paso. Very sad. Depressing. And scary. You can't even go shopping, to a movie, or to church (!) anymore without the fear of something like this happening. And there's no answers. It certainly puts things in perspective. We're on here complaining about songs or singers or sports and then something like this happens. Not just lives but families are ruined. My thoughts are with everyone affected by these tragedies.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 4, 2019 16:32:16 GMT
You know what's nuts? Actually murders by strangers--though I can't say for mass shootings--are down substantially from where they historically were. But with such powerful media focused on incidents, it's exactly the word you said, fear. It's quite literally terrorism, which is defined basically as relatively small or few incidents causing disproportionate fear.
Don't get me wrong: we have way, way, way too many incidents. The violence is unacceptable. But it's still not anywhere near as dangerous as things we do everyday (like drive our cars). It's just so horrific, it gets into our heads and into our souls, and it makes us afraid. Those people committing these crimes are so disgusting, so pathetic, so sick (which unfortunately is probably the biggest thing: sickness of their minds).
The poor families of the deceased, the poor injured, the poor traumatized.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 4, 2019 18:13:34 GMT
You know what's nuts? Actually murders by strangers--though I can't say for mass shootings--are down substantially from where they historically were.
When you say that murders by strangers are down, are (most) mass shooting victims included in that total or not? If so, that is surprising to me. I say "most" because some victims are not strangers (e.g. some workplace and school shootings). Man, what a depressing topic!
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 4, 2019 23:28:12 GMT
Mass shootings are included in the total (but are just a part of it). I can't quickly find the specific stat, but one that should work for our purposes is found in Steven Pinker's "Enlightenment Now." Per FBI crime reports, despite a slight uptick beginning around 2013, we hover around 5 homicides per 100k people. In the past 50 years, the past 10-15 years are the lowest rates. (They were more than twice that--above 10 per 100k) around 1980.) And if you look back further to when the country was settled, the same rates were as more than 10x that and have fallen dramatically.
Mass shootings make the news, but they aren't enough to actually raise our homicide rates anywhere near what they regularly, always were for most of history.
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