I mean, to what perennial topic at the Hall is this storynot relevant? Getting serious, culturally, about reproduction. Gender role-bending. Even a more balanced view of the value of snakes. The only issue I can't tie in is education.
25 comments:
Tom
said...
Hm, I don't know. Maybe if Aristotle was quoted, and there were horses.
Also, did I completely miss the thread offering a 'more balanced view of the value of snakes'? Cuz, that's not one I would want to have missed.
You might need to find a way to tie this story to one of the great epics of the West: the Iliad or Sir Thomas Malory, say. Actually, I can do that for you.
I haven't been talking here about how strange it is that people dislike snakes? That's odd. I rant about it in the meatworld often enough. Didn't I post about the nice snake I found in my garden last year? Aren't my dogs always being bitten by well-meaning but misunderstood snakes?
Snakes, spiders, and mice. People should be kinder to them.
If you give me your snakes, don't blame me when your home is overrun by (enthusiastically reproducing) mice, while mine remains serenely human-dominated.
I haven't contributed at all to reproducing my own species, but I have engaged other species in my goals, by education and free-market incentives. My dogs and cats know a good deal when they see it. Even my snakes have nothing to say against me.
Actually, if I could catch another black snake, I'd put it in my basement. We have both mice and voles that are a constant irritation to me. Cleaning traps is a bother compared with the fire-and-forget solution that is a king snake.
It seems odd that no snake has stepped up to the obvious opportunity. Are you sure you're being nice enough to them? Snakes' feelings are easily wounded. Word may have spread among them of the unkind remarks you directed to the last snake that was in your basement.
Avoiding any comment on Zimbabwe PUA story, *snort* I figure snakes, mice, spiders, etc. all have their place. Under the proper circumstance, I've even been known to let the copperheads and diamond backs walk.
Mice, squirrels, birds, rabbits, and such were long absent from our sphere of influence. OK, make that our little black cats sphere of influence. She's now a bit over 18 years and her vision is impaired by Lenticular Sclerosis She only leaves the basement in the late evenings or on cloudy days and does not have the same interest in terrorizing the regional wildlife.
Exception clause: The black widow and brown recluse are two spiders with which I will not sign a non-aggression treaty. If they are in my house, they will be smote on sight.
Funny you should mention that. I just killed a whole nest of black widows a few minutes ago. I was delighted to find one the breadth of a quarter located right by my finger while working on the lower well.
Last fall I began to have hostile, intolerant feelings about the adorable fuzzy rabbit who hangs out near our garden. In fact, I'd like a nice big indigo snake to show up and eat him for me, so I don't have to blow him to smithereens personally. Or, more realistically, watch my husband (who is an incomparably better shot and less foolishly sentimental about our furry brethren) do it for me.
Sentiment does not enter into the equation when the subject is food, or something interfering with access to food... Just sayin'.
Which reminds me. I need to check the tracking on my newly ordered meat grinder. The LFTB aka Pink Slime news convinced me to retire the hand powered grinder for a device with a faster processing rate.
As long as there is electricity, no more hand cranking! Yeeeehaaaa!
If not exactly golden (and they do have legs, just vestigial ones that don't appear outside the boundaries of their torsos), certainly beyond my concern. But not my cats', as they demonstrated with great zeal in Las Cruces.
Even the most unjust resentment against snakes could not convert a vestigial, invisible leg into something there are too many of to keep track of at once.
Now, a great writhing mass of poisonous snakes on the move too close to me -- even I wince a bit at that picture. My placid benignity has limits when I'm scared.
"A goblin is a mythical creature, an evil spirit and there will have to be cleansing rituals at the school if the hysteria continues," said Dewa Mavhinga, a Zimbabwe[an] scholar.
Cleansing rituals, modern educational theories . . . superstitious activity connected with a goal only by magical thinking . . . lots of time and money expended with no demonstrable results.
Let's turn our public schools over to Zimbabwe. They'll do it cheaper.
25 comments:
Hm, I don't know. Maybe if Aristotle was quoted, and there were horses.
Also, did I completely miss the thread offering a 'more balanced view of the value of snakes'? Cuz, that's not one I would want to have missed.
I don't remember the snakes thread either!
You might need to find a way to tie this story to one of the great epics of the West: the Iliad or Sir Thomas Malory, say. Actually, I can do that for you.
I haven't been talking here about how strange it is that people dislike snakes? That's odd. I rant about it in the meatworld often enough. Didn't I post about the nice snake I found in my garden last year? Aren't my dogs always being bitten by well-meaning but misunderstood snakes?
Snakes, spiders, and mice. People should be kinder to them.
I don't recall, but while I'm prepared to give you the snakes, it's largely for the purpose of controlling the mice. :)
If you give me your snakes, don't blame me when your home is overrun by (enthusiastically reproducing) mice, while mine remains serenely human-dominated.
I haven't contributed at all to reproducing my own species, but I have engaged other species in my goals, by education and free-market incentives. My dogs and cats know a good deal when they see it. Even my snakes have nothing to say against me.
Actually, if I could catch another black snake, I'd put it in my basement. We have both mice and voles that are a constant irritation to me. Cleaning traps is a bother compared with the fire-and-forget solution that is a king snake.
It seems odd that no snake has stepped up to the obvious opportunity. Are you sure you're being nice enough to them? Snakes' feelings are easily wounded. Word may have spread among them of the unkind remarks you directed to the last snake that was in your basement.
Avoiding any comment on Zimbabwe PUA story, *snort* I figure snakes, mice, spiders, etc. all have their place. Under the proper circumstance, I've even been known to let the copperheads and diamond backs walk.
Mice, squirrels, birds, rabbits, and such were long absent from our sphere of influence. OK, make that our little black cats sphere of influence. She's now a bit over 18 years and her vision is impaired by Lenticular Sclerosis She only leaves the basement in the late evenings or on cloudy days and does not have the same interest in terrorizing the regional wildlife.
Exception clause: The black widow and brown recluse are two spiders with which I will not sign a non-aggression treaty. If they are in my house, they will be smote on sight.
Funny you should mention that. I just killed a whole nest of black widows a few minutes ago. I was delighted to find one the breadth of a quarter located right by my finger while working on the lower well.
I murder mosquitoes whenever I get the chance.
Last fall I began to have hostile, intolerant feelings about the adorable fuzzy rabbit who hangs out near our garden. In fact, I'd like a nice big indigo snake to show up and eat him for me, so I don't have to blow him to smithereens personally. Or, more realistically, watch my husband (who is an incomparably better shot and less foolishly sentimental about our furry brethren) do it for me.
Sentiment does not enter into the equation when the subject is food, or something interfering with access to food... Just sayin'.
Which reminds me. I need to check the tracking on my newly ordered meat grinder. The LFTB aka Pink Slime news convinced me to retire the hand powered grinder for a device with a faster processing rate.
As long as there is electricity, no more hand cranking! Yeeeehaaaa!
I wish I had invested in an electric one myself; but I'm glad to have the option, at least, of doing it by hand.
miss the thread offering a 'more balanced view of the value of snakes'
The use of snakes as a means of coercion to submit to the rape: subdued at gun or knife point – even with a live snake in one case
Snakes, spiders, and mice. People should be kinder to them.
Anything with more legs than I can watch all at once is evil incarnate. Spiders are on the ragged edge of that.
Eric Hines
Then snakes, with zero legs, should be golden.
Then snakes, with zero legs, should be golden.
If not exactly golden (and they do have legs, just vestigial ones that don't appear outside the boundaries of their torsos), certainly beyond my concern. But not my cats', as they demonstrated with great zeal in Las Cruces.
Eric Hines
Even the most unjust resentment against snakes could not convert a vestigial, invisible leg into something there are too many of to keep track of at once.
Now, a great writhing mass of poisonous snakes on the move too close to me -- even I wince a bit at that picture. My placid benignity has limits when I'm scared.
But not my cats', as they demonstrated with great zeal...
You know, I offered my wife a kitten if she would keep it in the basement where it would eat the mice.
'Ware the basement cat, Grim. Great mischief lurks in them. You might prefer a ceiling cat.
Eric Hines
...a great writhing mass of poisonous snakes on the move too close to me....
But that's because the mass looks like legs--too many to watch all at once.
Eric Hines
"But not my cats', as they demonstrated with great zeal...
You know, I offered my wife a kitten if she would keep it in the basement where it would eat the mice."
Speakin' of rat killin'
Son!
You can never go wrong with a Jerry Clower story; and that one happens to be my favorite.
The only issue I can't tie in is education.
From the sidebar to the story:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/9093657/Girls-at-Zimbabwe-school-attacked-by-goblins.html
"A goblin is a mythical creature, an evil spirit and there will have to be cleansing rituals at the school if the hysteria continues," said Dewa Mavhinga, a Zimbabwe[an] scholar.
Ta-daaaaaa!
Cleansing rituals, modern educational theories . . . superstitious activity connected with a goal only by magical thinking . . . lots of time and money expended with no demonstrable results.
Let's turn our public schools over to Zimbabwe. They'll do it cheaper.
They'll do it cheaper.
Or even more cheaply.
Another tie-in.... [g]
Eric Hines
Cheaplier.
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