clothes were tweed.

Baskin Robbins for an ice cream cone. When I got to the head of the line, the ice cream cone maker looked at me and said, "White cat or white dog?" I looked down at my sweater and had to laugh.

No matter how frequently I brush the cat (a shorthair) or vacuum, the fur remains.

Is there a political aspect to this amusing panel, or am I reading the wrong thing into it?

Dracula looks a little bit like JD Lang.

If they won't comply with your verbal request to move (most won't), they can be difficult to budge and don't take kindly to being dislodged from their warm and comfortable spot.

My cat has two cat beds, one of which is on my bed, and many comfy places to sit; yet, she will often commandeer my side of the bed or my favorite easy chair. Sometimes I let her remain in my easy chair because I don't want or really need to disturb her. I draw the line at my side of the bed. Luckily, Calliope and I, after 16 years together, communicate quite well. I usually only have to say, "You're going to have to move over," and she'll let me know she objects with some indignant meowing, but will then move to her side of the bed or to the back of the chair. Usually.

Thanks for explaining!

Last edited Mon Oct 21, 2024, 08:04 AM - Edit history (1)

dog, and a very small cat, and each has its own appropriately-sized bed. And in every one of them, the small cat is sleeping in the large dog bed. Poor dog has resigned look on its face, and either goes to squeeze itself into the cat bed, or gives up and goes elsewhere.

…either my husband or I get up from our chairs one or the other of our 4 cats will claim the vacated pre-warmed chair by the time we have taken a mere 2 steps away from it.

I hope all is well with you.

Yes, cat people know.

There's a reason you hear the term "feline overlords" around here so frequently.

They're compelling beings.

storm cell that was parked right overhead for quite some time. He hates the wind.

That’s a good thing. It’s not like you have a choice.

They sure are skilled manipulators.

I’ve casually observed election strategy and manipulation of the public mindset for a while. Not professionally, mind you. I’m, formally-speaking, just another retiree. But I do understand message manipulation. I watched how my successful salesman dad did it. How he worked the whole sloganeering thing. Absorbed a few things along the way. So I can see the manipulations and the “conclusions” those manipulations can move us toward. It’s SALESMANSHIP.

SALESMANSHIP. That’s ALL it is. But it’s a many-headed beast, and it can be VERY powerful and appealing. And fighters against it have to maneuver around all those many active tentacles. And WE may well be aware of it. But too many in the general population who don’t watch these things closely and/or analytically can be moved and manipulated and outright FOOLED into believing that messaging - and yes, that cold, craven SALESMANSHIP.

You’ve GOT to be watching for it and you’ve GOT to be ready for it. AT ALL TIMES. That is an absolute MUST.

While this a serious topic for such a light-hearted thread, I'll give it a wee bit of space.

There is a psychological technique that has been used by everyone from politicians to preachers, "life coaches" to litigators and many others besides. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can be used for good or ill, but what I've observed through the years since becoming aware of NLP through some its practitioners, is that it is often used to manipulate people without their consent, or to convince them that they need to consent to the NLP practitioner's methods for their own well-being. I've also recognized its techniques being used by politicians, marketers, and various charlatans and cultists, both religious and secular.


The worst of NLP practitioners use the techniques to control and manipulate others for their own gain. They use pseudosience (NLP itself is pseudoscientific), mis- and dis-information (including conspiracy theories) and fantastic promises to lure their victims and make them dependent.

The best defense against such manipulation--whether it's malignant or relatively benign salesmanship--is to be assertive, self-confident and a critical thinker.

Just serves to underscore how vitally important good honest and OBJECTIVE knowledge is.

The more you know, ESPECIALLY from credible sources, the better-off you’ll be. Just ALWAYS be aware of attempts to manipulate. NEVER FORGET to pack your critical thinking whenever you venture out. ALWAYS take it with you! AND ALWAYS make sure it’s FACT-BASED. NOT agenda-driven.

Spinners are lurking EVERYWHERE. Distractions and confusers are EVERYWHERE. Both the intentional ones AND the unintentional or accidental ones. KNOW YOUR STUFF ALREADY.

Btw, a lot of good useful bullshit-detectors and lie-debunkers are right here on DU. Anyone who isn’t gets found out pretty quickly.

Gullibility and willful ignorance are dangerous ways of being.