About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And some little jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page. 

DOGS dream. Scientific research demonstrates comparable brain wave patterns in humans and dogs which validates this assumption. The conclusion is that dreams are part of the normal sleep cycle, and dogs do indeed have them! Arrow, in fact, talks in her dreams. A lot. Fizz takes note, analyzes them and texts those interesting findings to Arrow afterwards. 🐕🐕‍🦺😴

THERAPIST, a person who treats mental conditions by verbal communication and interaction; a psychotherapist. In these cellphone/texting times, we should double/triple-check what we text before the auto(in)correct (in)corrects us. For example, when you respond to a text question, “Where are you going?” Elaborate and (re)check. Don’t just type “...to therapist.” It may be sent as “...to the rapist.” It happens. 📱🥹📲

DO dogs like baths? Like most answers to grooming questions, it depends on the dog. Some dogs get anxiety when it's bath time, and others are just as happy to jump in a bath of water as they are in a pond or pool. But you should know. You don’t need to visit a dog behaviorist for that query and spend $150. Save the money for another fancy toy for your dog, okay? 🦮🛁🐕‍🦺

ONE thing common to all drama queen dogs (and hoomans) is that they want you to buy into their drama. So if you start yelling or panicking or getting all worked up when your dog is overreacting, then you will just be fanning the flames. So you two might as well make a Netflix series drama series. Why don’t you stay calm, no matter what. So the cat won’t ridicule you again on Facebook for all the silly drama that you and your dog do, 24/7. You dig? 🐕🥵🐩

WHY is a bank teller called “teller.” The term “teller” is from the Olde English, meaning “to count.” Okay, that makes sense. The person behind the counter “counts” the money that is being exchanged. While customers still call them “tellers,” most financial institutions have moved away from using the term. Fizz The Wiz told me bank tellers are also tellers of tales on Facebook when they are on a coffee break. I guess. 👩‍💻🧑‍💻🧑‍💼

DOGS read more into our tone and body language than our actual words. They focus on us and observe our physical clues to determine what we want them to do or not do. They watch our facial expressions, posture, and body movements. They listen to the tone of our voice. Reason why, lately, there’s been a 75.9 percent spike in depression among dogs. But not with cats. 🐕🥴🐕‍🦺

CATS are typically very stoic animals, so if your cat suddenly seems to be in distress–howling, crying, tossing the TV remote around–it is a cause for concern. Ching and Fizz aren’t whiner cats though. When Ching wants a backrub, she just cooly walks to the mat, no word, and we take heed. When Fizz wants to play with her spring toy, she calls us out for 3 seconds. Then she quiets down. When both ask how to find a new bird video/show on Netflix or YouTube TV, they send me a text or IM. 😸😼🙀

INTERROGATION, the action of interrogating or the process of being interrogated. In the very near future, police interrogation will be done by an AI that is programmed by a cat. Imagine that! 🗣👤🤖

DOGS read our body language and listen to our tone as we speak to them, which helps them decipher what we are telling them. This indicates that they also use both sides of their brain to understand human words. So yes, dogs are capable of knowing their name and nicknames. Cats though are a lot smarter. They know our names, nicknames, passport names, bitch names, TikTok names, 17 Facebook names, and passwords. 🗣🐕🐈

HIGH MAINTENANCE, of a person or relationship, or dog and cat, demanding a lot of attention and financial/luxury needs. Arrow: “I need 7 more minutes of sniff-sniff time every 30 minute interval on a day’s time. That’d be apart from morning bathroom and afternoon walk and evening bathroom. Ching: “My backrubs should be at 10:30 PM, to the dot. Not a minute late! And I want a larger TV screen for my bird video watch.” Fizz: “Don’t argue, that’s what our AI told us! Just do it!” 🐈👑🐕

Politics. Life. And Stuff.

Previously posted on my Facebook page.

I REMEMBER an 18-year old daughter of a friend in Long Beach CA who went to Haiti for “fun and adventure” to help earthquake victims and came home totally a new human being. Now she questions dishwashers and washer-dryers (“Can we do these with our bare hands?”) cars and SUVs (“Walking is exercise”), cellphones (“There were 5 public phones in an entire village of 1500) video games (“We played soccer in the mud! Awesome!”) and television (“TV was like a moviehouse, scheduled for 35 villagers to watch one movie each week”) etc etcetera.    

       Come to think of it, that's how I grew up. I may have gone old still a crazy dude, but I am proud to say that all my kids—although they use the internet and got cellphones—are still relatively old-school. Still, there are issues to deal other than a wireless abode, right? I'd rather worry about those... 

       When a child responds to, “Hey, did you check your Facebook today?” with, “I will for few minutes, I just need to finish this watercolor painting and I need to sleep early today for the volleyball game tomorrow,” then there is hope. No need to hire an “internet safety” tutor. Believe me, they know what “safe” is if their minds are working as natural reflex than brains that is so quick at electronic response. 🗽🏦🗽

IF we dig deeper and try to get off the Hitler horror cloud a bit and figure out how come the dude was able to convince minions to gather on his beck and call, we can see a parallel in current times. People are disgruntled and frustrated mainly by virtue of the One Percent's (eg Corporate World) machinations in complicity with governments. That is the kind of sociopolitical environment that a quintessential demagogue thrives. A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument. That is why elections are about winning and the best (or worst?) demagogues win. Many times strategists play around a certain effective rah-rah slogan that goes with charismatic leaders—and that spell victory. 

       In the US, I believe that the ruckus that ensued between camps of polar extremes (Trump against Sanders mainly) reflect a painful truth. Americans are pissed. As per a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, voter discontent has reached a fever pitch: 72 percent say their elected officials can’t be trusted, and two-thirds believe the nation’s political system is dysfunctional. Some 21 percent of people want the eventual president-elect to employ drastic makeover of government structures and start over from scratch. Such utter disillusionment mutates into two polar extremes that howl, “We need complete redress of the system!” which makes Republican frontrunner Mr Trump's “Bring back America to Americans!” battlecry and Democrat Bernie Sanders' “Power to the people!” chant seem very alluring and palpable—at least to the heart that bleeds. 🗽🏦🗽

       

MANY compare Donald Trump with The Fuhrer. True, The Donald's politics could be a bit blurry, uncontrollably assymmetrical mostly. He claims to run on a platform of populism, nativism, protectionism and authoritarianism—with strong opposition to immigration, free trade and military interventionism. Meantime, many detractors find his fiery espousals as white supremacist/racist and misogynistic—sending shivers of a Hitlerian blueprint. 

       But then, remember, the Adolf fella gained popular support in 1924 by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory. He denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. The kicker was his first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression. Hence, he lured back ethnic Germans to return to nativeland. Germany back to the Germans. And then he got really fucked up. Rest of horrible history.

       Trump's glib albeit straight-through rhetoric infers that the ills of current America is ushered by an immigrant community in connivance with giant corporations. And when we talk about the American who lost a factory job to overseas outsourcing and then sees Chinese products flooding retail shelves then comes home to an injured soldier kin languishing in alcohol, what do we see? Then Trump promises, “I will give your life back.”

       I refuse to sweepingly judge those who gravitate to Trump as idiots or morons. These are disenfranchised citizenry relegated to the background of a largely elitist, politically-correct and educated social enclave. Their woes and hopes accentuate “popular desires and prejudices rather than rational arguments.” Bottomline, the people want change. And Trump minces no words in saying, yes he can. Do I like him? No. I am just pointing some factors why he seems so popular. 

       We have to take note as well—elections aren't really about who is the most deserving, or right, or just candidate—it is all about winning, no matter what. It's all about numbers. Hence, the most popular ones, with the most formidable One Percent backer, win. How do the people conter that? Advocate to non-believers instead of pushing them away. 🗽🏦🗽