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Post by 3piggles on Jun 8, 2017 19:44:31 GMT
Does bad weather tend to reduce the number of people who turn out to vote? It's been known to over here.
I think they learn our schedules, and try to work those schedules to their advantage. Mine are always right at the front of the cage as soon as I come out of the bedroom in the morning, or as soon as I go into the kitchen. They know where the food is, and they know they get a treat first thing in the morning, so it's my schedule they know.
I love it when they talk to each other, chirping, purring, wheeking and generally carrying on, usually over a treat.
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Post by bazookagoof on Jun 9, 2017 0:12:30 GMT
I think they learn our schedules, and try to work those schedules to their advantage. Mine are always right at the front of the cage as soon as I come out of the bedroom in the morning, or as soon as I go into the kitchen. They know where the food is, and they know they get a treat first thing in the morning, so it's my schedule they know. Oscar does the same thing; when I get up in the morning I head to the bathroom to shave, and I can hear him wheeking and scurrying around his cage impatiently. He quiets down when I leave the bathroom, because he knows the next step is the morning snacks!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 9, 2017 8:35:48 GMT
They do Baz love, if you behave a certain way or do a certain thing that they recognise, they respond accordingly. I don't understand politics Bean hunni but apparently they tories have got in but there is a major problem. Oh I do hope so!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Jun 9, 2017 8:37:17 GMT
Does bad weather tend to reduce the number of people who turn out to vote? It's been known to over here. Apparently not. Perhaps that's related to the fact we generally have elections in the fairer months, so weather extreme enough to affect behaviour is relatively rare. I think how close it is is what gets the most people moving.
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Post by Bean on Jun 9, 2017 8:46:44 GMT
I don't understand politics Bean hunni but apparently they tories have got in but there is a major problem. Oh I do hope so! They have won the most seats, but not enough to lead on their own, so will have to get together with another smaller party to form a government. I think the DUP look the most likely - they're a party in Northern Ireland who have enough seats to take the Tories over the threshold of 326 seats, and they've already said they'd be up for a coalition. I'm glad the Tories haven't done as well as they expected, but it's all still a mess!
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 9, 2017 16:48:21 GMT
There must be something in this election for the DUP, which also means as soon as the Tories don't meat DUP expectations, the DUP will withdraw its support. So the Tories may have the most seats, but they aren't completely in control.
We democrats are hoping to take away the majority seats that support Trump, in 2018, making him the same level of lame duck that Obama was, when the republicans stopped everything he wanted to do, including nominating the supreme court justice, which was his right.
Our elections are in November, which is usually a mild month, no raging weather of any kind. I think because many people have to take public transportation to the polls, which means being outside a lot in sometimes heavy or wind-blown rain, they tend to stay home rather than getting soaked. Polls were often full, so lines of voters waiting outside to even get in to vote. Also, Americans seem to discourage easily when it comes to voting. Obama used social media, which got a lot of voters to the polls. This last election was so horrible, it also got a lot of voters to the polls.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 10, 2017 15:09:46 GMT
We vote by post Piggles love as it is s much easier for us. Yes Bean love, it is a dreadful mess but I really didn't want the Tories having absolute power. For one reason they will bring back fox hunting and all those toffee-nosed twats will be in their pink again terrorising little foxes. There are other issues, of course, the Tories do not give a damn about ordinary people.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 10, 2017 16:33:57 GMT
We have what's called an absentee ballot, which is for people who can't physically get to the polls. I need to ask about that in this town, as I can't stand in line, and I had to stand in line for almost an hour, at the last election. I can't do that again. Each city/town has it's own options, so I'm not sure what the options are in this town.
Also, the state just passed another voter registration law, all of them allegedly aimed at stopping all the voter fraud we don't have. These laws are really aimed at making it harder for people to vote. Many elderly and poor people don't have a driver's license or a picture I.D., both of which cost money and require going to the registry of motor vehicles to have your picture taken and the I.D. made. Since the poor can't afford the I.D.s, and elderly can't get to the registry, they'll be left out of the vote. So much for our constitutionally required equality in voting.
I feel quite strongly about electing or reelecting democrats who will break the republican majority at the state and federal levels, and stop this rampant destruction of human rights.
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Post by Bean on Jun 11, 2017 7:43:01 GMT
The DUP are not a good lot for the Tories to be getting into bed with. They hold some pretty backwards views - they're very religious and are anti same sex marriage, anti abortion and don't give a monkeys about global warming. I believe one of their main founding leaders is a creationist and that there was some campaign to stop a museum having an exhibition on evolution.
Worse then that, all the conflict in Northern Ireland (which has got so much better, but the situation is still strained) relates to there being two groups that can't get along - the unionists and the nationalists. The government here play a significant part in helping to resolve issues, but how can they now be an effective intermediary when the government is partly made up by members of one of the parties, and specifically the party that want to be part of the UK?
None of the other parties with enough votes to help the tories would buddy up with them, so the DUP are the obvious choice in that sense, but I think it's a big mistake.
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 12, 2017 19:59:02 GMT
I did some research on the DUP. I'm really amazed how parallel our two countries are running, politically. It's looking as if the republican health care bill may be dead in the water, because the staunchest republicans, the Freedom Party, thinks it's too moderate. They want a total repeal and replacement of Obamacare. They don't care if Obamacare covered 90% of what needs to be covered, or if people are left without health care, as long as Obamacare is repealed and replaced. The republicans, our version of the Tories, is trying to run a country while accomplishing some of their most important goals. It looks bad for them come reelection time, that they took health care coverage away from all but the wealthy, and told all of their supporters Tough Luck!
The most conservative republicans also want to see christian biblical law enforced in this country. That would undo rights to anyone except heterosexual males, and possibly only to white, heterosexual males. The US would be worse than Iran in its intolerance of anyone stepping out of their narrow line of regulations, while they, of course, would be preaching do as I say, not as I do.
I can understand how the DUP got a hold in Northern Ireland, but how did their equivalent get a hold in the US?
Unfortunately, the remaining parties in the US are the Libertarians, who want government out of everything, and the Green party, who want green legislation to save the country and the planet, which is exactly the opposite of what the republicans want.
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Post by Bean on Jun 14, 2017 8:32:18 GMT
It's a shambles, that's for sure! And it makes me resent the media even more -they're just waiting there for anyone to put a foot wrong so they can lay in. It totally confuses the whole process because of how much power and influence they have.
There's been an awful fire in a 24 storey block of flats in London overnight. I'm not sure what happened as it's gone up so quickly after starting on around the 4th storey - firefighters have only been able to fight it from the outside because it became so intense so quickly and the building is also now deemed unstable. It looks like a lot of people will have lost their lives.
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 14, 2017 16:00:44 GMT
I've been following the fire news on BBC. Horrible, and at a time when London is on edge, anyway. I really hope this wasn't a terrorist act. My heart goes out to the people in that building, and the loved ones of those who died. I've always had a fear of high rise buildings for that reason. My parents lived on the 20th floor in SF, and the highest ladder only goes to the 10th floor. They were told to get down to the 10th floor. What if the fire is on the 11th floor? I think I would be okay as long as I wasn't any higher than the 10th floor. When it rains, it pours. Hopefully London and the UK in general will get a respite from all the bad things happening We've had more shootings, the latest was in Virginia. Every day the news has a segment about someone opening fire on people someplace, yet the gun rights advocates say there's no reason to limit who can have a gun, or under what conditions. 45 has validated every bad thing in our society, making it his campaign platform, and trying to make it all law. At least the court of appeals upheld the ruling against his travel ban. Of course, he and Pence immediately took to Twitter and tweeted about how wrong these judges are thinking they can stop a president from doing what he wants to do. I think 45 actually believes, as president, he can do anything he wants to do. He's a petulant, pouty brat when he's told NO. Something I don't think happened very often before he became president.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 15, 2017 8:18:42 GMT
Hasn't it been a dreadful couple of days for you and for we Brits Piggles love? It just goes from bad to worse. I do not like high rise buildings either but this one had no safety precautions at all, it is tragic.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 15, 2017 20:54:54 GMT
I read about that. I don't know if charges will be filed against the contractor who did the renovations, or against the councilors who allowed the renovations with no sprinklers to meet code. They should all be charged with murder, as this could have been avoided. I understand a lot of donations have been made to those left homeless. That's wonderful, but it won't bring back the dead
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Post by Bean on Jun 16, 2017 4:59:15 GMT
I think it'll be a while before it becomes clear exactly what happened - how it started, why it spread so fast and why the safety systems were completely inadequate - but I hope lessons can be learned. And as you say 3piggles, it's great to see a community coming together to help each other, but it'd be far better if these things never happened.
I heard about the shootings too, it's awful that it's become such a routine thing (although depending on who's getting shot, we hear more or less about it).
There's a really interesting series on the BBC at the moment called Life Swap Adventure, where two people from different countries and ways of life swap places for a week. One was a fisherwoman from the UK swapping places with a businesswoman from Taipei. They were both so lovely and open minded in their adventure, it was lovely to watch (and pretty much every episode ends with the conclusion that people living simpler lives are happiest!). There's one coming up where there's a gun-toting woman from Alaska swapping places with a military wife from over here - they've shown clips of the American woman being questioned about her attitude to arms and her saying things like 'Guns don't kill people sweetie, people kill people!' so I'm getting ready to roll my eyes a lot during that episode!
I was wondering why you were calling him 45 (my first thought was of vinyl!) but I've got it now!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 16, 2017 8:48:53 GMT
As someone said last night, even though it wasn't wealthy where the tower block was, it was in one of the wealthiest boroughs. It really makes me sick to think of the inadequate protection those poor people had and yet if it had been a block on Canary Wharf for instance, ever possible safety net would be in place.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 16, 2017 17:19:34 GMT
I'm afraid you're right, Jo. I don't know if the tower that burned was low income or not, but if it had been a place where "important" people had lived, or had been an historically important building, it wouldn't have happened. It is sad that so many people died in a fire that didn't have to happen Bean, technically it's true. Guns don't kill people any more than vehicles kill people. Put a loaded gun in the hands of someone with a grudge, or who isn't quite right mentally, and it becomes a weapon. Put a vehicle in the hands of a driver under the influence, or feeling road rage, and it becomes a weapon. We have laws to supposedly stop people who shouldn't have access to weapons, from having weapons, yet those people constantly fall through the cracks. The drunk driver who hit and killed a family of 5 probably had former drunk driving convictions, possibly was even driving with a suspended license and registration. The laws aren't adequate, and it keeps coming back to haunt us. Same with gun laws. No convicted felon can have a gun. No one who was involuntarily institutionalized can have a gun, but until these people commit a crime, many just fly under the radar, with ever local, state, county and federal agency that could have recognized them as problems, underpaid and overworked, so the people never get the help they need. We actually don't need more gun legislation. We need more funding for mental health treatment centers, and for psychological testing at all levels of society, but that won't happen. It's probably against the constitution somehow. It is really sad. Shootings seem to come in cycles, depending on how frustrated the populace is. The more frustrated, the more those on the fringe lose control and start shooting. In some cases, though, shooting is just a way of life. In the poor black and latino communities, gangs rule the neighborhoods, and they control people by shooting anyone who disagrees with them or gets in their way. This has been the case for eons, and despite many attempts to stop it legally, it never stops. Gang members are like ants. Kill one, and a thousand take it's place
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 17, 2017 13:27:47 GMT
Sadly we are both right Piggles love, I sometimes despair about the world we live in. Yes, only people kill people and it is a shame that there are so many types of weapon out there which can be used. Gang warfare is dreadful, I wish we could put a stop to it once and for all as I can imagine how afraid the people are who live in the poor communities you speak of. There are parts of London and other big UK cities which are going exactly the same way, the police, or many of them are scared so what chance to we have?
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 17, 2017 20:34:49 GMT
I've almost always lived in rural areas, and find cities overwhelmingly full of people. I'm not a crowd person anyway, and there's no way to exist in a city without being in a crowd. It seems to make tempers flare, and probably shorten them, and of course, it's a perfect climate for criminals. Sadly, it's also the perfect place for innocent bystanders to get hurt. There are so many people, and most of them are oblivious to what's going on around them(seems to be a survival strategy for city dwellers) that they are perfect targets. I have trouble with super market crowds. Cities totally do me in.
Gun violence has always been a problem in the US. It flares up periodically, but even when a president gets shot, or the congressman who was shot the other day, it won't make a big change. There are people who care more about having guns, than they care about anything else. There are also aggitators who keep telling gun owners, if they allow any restrictions at all, their guns will all be taken away, and they won't be able to have any guns. For all the fools who believe fake news, all the latest presidential supporters, this is beyond intolerable.
Basically, there are a lot of good(mentally healthy, good character, good personality) people who own guns, who shoot competitively, and even who hunt. They're not the problem. It's the ones who think having a gun makes them important, or who aren't mentally stable, and there are an awful lot of those people. How can laws be made to treat the good people well, stop the jack asses, and help the mentally unstable? That's why nothing gets done. People want to pass one law that does it all, and that never works.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 18, 2017 13:37:23 GMT
I have usually lived in the outer boroughs of cities Piggles love but have always wanted to live in the country. Where I am now is as close as I will get as it is so expensive. If I lived somewhere remote I would definitely have one. There are too many guns around all over the place but I can see their advantages in certain circumstances.
Hugs Jo xx
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