Re: ...and a mini pony.

1

those would be such chick-magnets.

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2

Controversy!

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3

There are options.

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4

I want a Seeing Eye Maltese Dwarf Elephant. (Can you housetrain a Seeing Eye horse, or does the blind guy have to stay outdoors all the time? Because that could be a drawback.)

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5

We are ignoring the important thing here, which is that Labs has gone blind.

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6

Can you housetrain a Seeing Eye horse

Sure looks like it.

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7

God I hope not: The horse is gonna make a mess of that sofa

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8

Me, I want a seeing-eye head-squid.

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9

5: from too much cry cry crying, I guess.

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10

Ah, the perils of shaving one's palms while blind.

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11

I just want an all-seeing eye, in the middle of my forehead.

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12

Ben, its been tried. I think a bad time was had by all.

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13

Wow, who would have known horses were smart enough for this.

In my experience the average horse is rather dense.

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14

Dogs are the only animal that has been bred for stupidity.

Or so I've been told.

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15

Dogs are the only animal that has been bred for stupidity.

The intelligence differential between wild turkeys and domesticated turkeys is pretty damn vast.

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16

The speed of uptake on LHF in sexual matters is vastly different to the speed of uptake on political LHF around here it seems.

Well Im not going to bite first in re 14.

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17

LHF – that's the band that straddles the more prominent bits of the spectrum, right?

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18

Offtopic, but:

I got the job. I start in 2.5 weeks. Thanks to all for the vibes!

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19

LHF?

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20

apos, #8 is really creepy. I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

crongrats, Chopper. Is McDonalds looking to hire more people? 'cuz I'm looking...

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21

Low Hanging Fruit, I think Austro means.

Congratz chopper. Can those vibes be redeemed for cash value?

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22

I feel stupid.

I saw the braille at the top of the screen and by reflex I felt for the bumps on my monitor.

So stupid.

Rich

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23

Offtopic, but:

I got the job. I start in 2.5 weeks. Thanks to all for the vibes!

Chopper first off well done, honestly.

Now then. What is it worth to you not to have your employer see this?

That is indeed quite the mullet. I had one as well. Hair to my shoulderblades, with a flattop on top.

In my defense, it was South Dakota in 1989, and I was listening to a lot of Iron Maiden.

hmm?

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24

Austro, if I spent my life worrying about having to conceal previous hair/lifestyle choices...well, I certainly wouldn't have had as much fun as I have.

Thanks, all.

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25

Vibes can be redeemed for .01 cents cash value. One per user. Please present in person at my house.

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26

Low Hanging Fruit, I think Austro means.

You mean it has nothing to do with straddling something prominent, nor with lesbians?

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27

Good for you, Chopper.

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28

but maybe with straddling low hanging prominent lesbians

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29

Christ, those head-squids. Just when you thought Nature was really cute with those microhorses. . . .

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30

Ah, head-squids. Coming soon to a disgruntled postal worker near you!

And even though #3 is a comedy site it begs the question, would pigs make good seeing-eye animals? They are incredibly smart after all (except for the cannibal pig my cousins had as a pet when we were little. It liked to eat porkchops.)

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31

It does what to the question, now?

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32

Congrats, Chopper!

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33

Every pedant's favorite topic.

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34

I admit my grammar is not what it should be (my first slam by wolfson!), but doesn't the phrase "beg the question" mean "makes you wonder?" I've always heard it used that way.

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35

That is because the people with whom you discourse are fools!

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36

Oh Karyn. Karyn Karyn Karyn...

Here to start...

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37

Our own Matt Weiner recently found the courage to weigh in on this controversial topic.

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38

*blinks*

*thinks - "well that was toleran"t*

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39

Oh, I see. My mistake :)

Revised: And even though #3 is a comedy site it raises the question: would pigs make good seeing-eye animals?

Better?

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40

Yes. In the linked post I said, "[c]onstantly trying to correct people who use 'beg' to mean 'raise' is futile," and I could have added, "but inevitable at the Mineshaft."

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41

But I don't constantly try to correct people. I support this claim with two points:

1. I'm doing it now, for instance.

2. To me, if you say "so-and-so tried to correct wossname", you're saying that so-and-so failed. But clearly this was a success.

Permit me to employ some more emphasis.

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42

Wolfson wolfson wolfson. If I say "so-and-so tried to correct wossname" I'm implicating that so-and-so failed. But I'm not saying it. Read chapter 2 or 3 or so of Jennifer Hornsby's Actions, or the article by Brian O'Shaughnessy (I think) that she cites therein.

If you can provide an example of someone using 'beg the question' to mean 'raise the question' at the Mineshaft without someone's correcting that person, I will withdraw 'constantly'.

(Shorter: pwned, loozer.)

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43

And shouldn't 41, point 1 be "I'm not doing it now" in order to support your conclusion?

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44

Yes. It should be. I simply don't know what happened.

Re 42: can't I be permitted to speak colloquially, while simultaneously expecting others to speak precisely? "Saying" has, as one of its colloquial meanings, "implicating", as I'm sure you're aware.

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45

Yes but one of the corollaries is that I can say "Constantly trying to correct" without even a false implication when there is some uncertainty about your success in even one case. We have not, for instance, succeeded with Mr. Drum; he remains not right.

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46

Did we try to correct him here? I didn't even participate in the J&BHB thread, IIRC.

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47

If you think you're going to resolve this here, you've got another... oh never mind.

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48

Someone did, which is all I need for the truth of my original statement and all its implicatures ('at the Mineshaft' doesn't restrict 'constantly trying to correct' in the first subsentence, whose predicate is 'is futile'). And even for you in particular, I cannot be certain that all your attempts to correct have succeeded even if in fact they have--again enough to satisfy the implicatures. Also.

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49

I suppose it is possible to breed the smarts out of a dog but they don't seem to be able to breed smarts into a horse. They seem like huge skittish four year old kids.

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50

What does "PK" stand for? Pseudonymous Kid?

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51

What does "PK" stand for?

What? You never saw Trobriand Cricket?

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52

"pot, kettle"

(not entirely unprecedented)

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53

I didn't, apo--what's the ref?

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54

The PKI were the communists in Indonesia...

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55

PK is also a mystical power.

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56

Trobriand Cricket is a fascinating anthropological documentary from the '70s about how the natives of the Trobriand Islands had taken the game of cricket (introduced to them by British colonialists, natch), and adapted it to incorporate many of their native traditions. The PK reference is explained in the eighth row of this table. PK stands in opposition to the "gentlemanly cheer" of the Brits, which I thought would please you, given this.

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57

I was close.

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58

Trobriand Cricket apparently rules. I like the any number can play part. 50-60 people per side. Plus since it is fixed, they will probably let anybody play. I'm in.

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59

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...the tiny ponies!!!! Hahahaha! Bravo, Fontana! Did anyone appreciate the delicate conscience of these trainers whose extra purpose is... "helping the tiny horses by providing them with a higher-purpose in life"?!

Also, I wonder why "there is a strong demand for Guide Horses among blind horse lovers"? Why would they want to use "blind horses" to lead the blind? Maybe because they're such great lovers.

Oy, luv the mini ponies. Thanks, FL.

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60

I know. I was on my way to look for a frauhaus. You frats are just irresistible. Ding dongs and all.

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61

I suppose it is possible to breed the smarts out of a dog but they don't seem to be able to breed smarts into a horse. They seem like huge skittish four year old kids.

They're not stupid, although they do tend to be skittish and resistant to following directions. They're one of the least domesticated of the domesticated animals, they've still got a lot of "wild" in them.

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62

Um, 61 was me.

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63

I know this is now dead, but, what the hey.

The "wild" in horses seems to be of the form:

"What's that? It is scary. I hear something. I'm scared. Should I run? I'm gonna run. A paper cup on the floor. Ahhh! Where could I run?"

The four year old is:

Do you have a treat?

No.

I want a treat.

No.

Do you have a treat?

Go away.

Did you give him a treat?

Go AWAY! (with push)

(move away five feet, come back)

I think I smell a treat.

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