Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Me, softly: "Bug."

Perrine, as she leaps to her feet and bounds over: "eeee-i?"

She then proceeded to run right past where the fly had landed, turn around, and look at me with an, "all right then, where?" expression on her face. *sigh* She'd been chasing it enthusiastically earlier -- every so often she'd lose track of it and look to me for guidance (but I wasn't doing even as well as she was at tacking it as it flew into and out of shadows) -- but then it had disappeared for a while and she got me to throw toys for her until she'd burned off some of the nervous energy from an unsatisfying hunt.

I kept trying to show her where the fly was. I tried pointing cat-style, pointing dog-style, pointing human-style, and picking her up and setting her down facing the fly, but she didn't interpret any of these as answers to the question, "bug where?".

I love my cat, but we do need to work on the communication thing. At least as far as it applies to cooperative hunting.

Me, softly: "Bug."

Perrine, as she leaps to her feet and bounds over: "eeee-i?"

She then proceeded to run right past where the fly had landed, turn around, and look at me with an, "all right then, where?" expression on her face. *sigh* She'd been chasing it enthusiastically earlier -- every so often she'd lose track of it and look to me for guidance (but I wasn't doing even as well as she was at tacking it as it flew into and out of shadows) -- but then it had disappeared for a while and she got me to throw toys for her until she'd burned off some of the nervous energy from an unsatisfying hunt.

I kept trying to show her where the fly was. I tried pointing cat-style, pointing dog-style, pointing human-style, and picking her up and setting her down facing the fly, but she didn't interpret any of these as answers to the question, "bug where?".

I love my cat, but we do need to work on the communication thing. At least as far as it applies to cooperative hunting.

Just about all of a comment (everything but the first line) by osewalrus, 2007-12-18:

Bluntly, this is what sank Hilary Clinton's healthcare plan in '93. She and Ira Magaziner spent endless hours negotiating with the insurance industry and the drug industry to try to come up with a plan sufficiently palatable to get buy in. The result: a plan no one liked and the drug companies killed.

This is also why the tech companies get spanked on a regular basis. They are always looking to cut a deal with the intellectual property mafia. But the IP mafia never cut deals. And if they pretend to do so (such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act), they will come back again and reopen them before the ink is dry.

Drug companies and others who profit off the current health care mess will fight tooth and nail against any change contrary to their interests. The formulation of public policy must take this into account, and must distinguish real problems of implementation and sustainability from industry posturing. As I often explain in my day job, I am not interested in solutions that won't work because they are a waste of time and do more harm than good. But I don't "negotiate" with broadcasters for use of the broadcast white spaces -- I fight them. I don't "bring everyone to the table" to address network neutrality -- I put out my vision, evidence and arguments and expect the industry to put out theirs.

The next President is going to have to fight against corporate interests to change the status quo. Of course the drug companies will have influence -- this is a democracy and the "right to petition government for redress of grievances" (lobbying) is guaranteed even to artificial persons by our Constitution. But if the next President goes in thinking s/he can "negotiate" with industry and "cut a deal" that has "broad stakeholder support," then s/he is either hopelessly naive or selling soothing syrup.

Just about all of a comment (everything but the first line) by osewalrus, 2007-12-18:

Bluntly, this is what sank Hilary Clinton's healthcare plan in '93. She and Ira Magaziner spent endless hours negotiating with the insurance industry and the drug industry to try to come up with a plan sufficiently palatable to get buy in. The result: a plan no one liked and the drug companies killed.

This is also why the tech companies get spanked on a regular basis. They are always looking to cut a deal with the intellectual property mafia. But the IP mafia never cut deals. And if they pretend to do so (such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act), they will come back again and reopen them before the ink is dry.

Drug companies and others who profit off the current health care mess will fight tooth and nail against any change contrary to their interests. The formulation of public policy must take this into account, and must distinguish real problems of implementation and sustainability from industry posturing. As I often explain in my day job, I am not interested in solutions that won't work because they are a waste of time and do more harm than good. But I don't "negotiate" with broadcasters for use of the broadcast white spaces -- I fight them. I don't "bring everyone to the table" to address network neutrality -- I put out my vision, evidence and arguments and expect the industry to put out theirs.

The next President is going to have to fight against corporate interests to change the status quo. Of course the drug companies will have influence -- this is a democracy and the "right to petition government for redress of grievances" (lobbying) is guaranteed even to artificial persons by our Constitution. But if the next President goes in thinking s/he can "negotiate" with industry and "cut a deal" that has "broad stakeholder support," then s/he is either hopelessly naive or selling soothing syrup.

For reasons consisting of my having a really bad day pain-wise, brain-fog-wise, and sleep-wise, I failed to get downstairs to add food to Perrine's bowl this morning. So this evening, every time I disturb her sleep (on, between, or against my legs) to shift position, Perrine looks at me, looks hopeful, and jumps off the bed to run in the direction of the kitchen.

Hope springs eternal in the feline tummy.

The painkillers I finally remembered to take (see remark above regarding not having a good brain day) are starting to work, so it's well past time to make my way to the kitchen to feed both of us.

For reasons consisting of my having a really bad day pain-wise, brain-fog-wise, and sleep-wise, I failed to get downstairs to add food to Perrine's bowl this morning. So this evening, every time I disturb her sleep (on, between, or against my legs) to shift position, Perrine looks at me, looks hopeful, and jumps off the bed to run in the direction of the kitchen.

Hope springs eternal in the feline tummy.

The painkillers I finally remembered to take (see remark above regarding not having a good brain day) are starting to work, so it's well past time to make my way to the kitchen to feed both of us.

A little after 21:00, I started hearing sirens. Lots of sirens. And then more sirens. And seeing lots of flashes of red and blue light on the curtains. Eventually the fact that I'd heard even more emergency vehicles go by than for the largest fire I've seen around here, so I went upstairs to watch the last of the procession and try to figure out where they were headed. I saw a long line of police cars, every one with its siren and flashylights on, zooming up Lombard St. single file. At least one of the cars was a different colour than the city police cars.

I had planned to turn on the television news at 23:00 to see whether they said anything about it, but I lost track of time. Whoops. I wonder what was going on.

A little after 21:00, I started hearing sirens. Lots of sirens. And then more sirens. And seeing lots of flashes of red and blue light on the curtains. Eventually the fact that I'd heard even more emergency vehicles go by than for the largest fire I've seen around here, so I went upstairs to watch the last of the procession and try to figure out where they were headed. I saw a long line of police cars, every one with its siren and flashylights on, zooming up Lombard St. single file. At least one of the cars was a different colour than the city police cars.

I had planned to turn on the television news at 23:00 to see whether they said anything about it, but I lost track of time. Whoops. I wonder what was going on.