Apparently, the folks at the New York Subway have now chosen to embrace their resident rodents and make them part of the Subway Culture. And I don’t mean the sandwich shop.
Now, when you see a rat on a New York subway, you can take its picture and post it at A Rat-Free Subway, where people will vote on it. Grand prize winner receives a monthly transit pass.
Caution: Some of the pictures on this video are really gross.
Blogs and Articles in No Particular Order
What’s the Etiquette for Abandoning Ship? Good to know if your captain likes to do personal favors for his waiters, like, oh, sail too close to land.
Lewis Campbell is both profound and eloquent in his blog about events and people at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan at his blog, Gordian Knots of Self-Delusion. Afterglow
Bagram AFB, image from globalsecurity.org
The healing power of dance from Pat Thunstrom. Care to Dance?
Russian Villager Mistakenly Buys Kalashnikov Arsenal via Samuel Clemons.
Fantasy Author Jim C. Hines does hysterical imitations of the women on the covers of fantasy novels. Striking a Pose
How cool is this toy? The Triton Submarine via James Rollins.
Why Morris Animal Foundation and Animals Love Betty White, via Amy Shojai.
August McLaughlin reminds us why integrity of fact is so important. Truthiness: Raising the Bar in the Blogosphere
I Will from Celeste Alluvial at Mortal Hearts with Immortal Souls.
Crazy Concept Cars: The Nissan Pivo by Nigel Blackwell.
Blogs about SOPA/PIPA
Comments from historical fiction author and publishing attorney Susan Spann at Spann of Time. SOPA, PIPA, and Freedom of Expression
Why SOPA is Dangerous by Chris Heald.
From Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds. Why SOPA and PIPA and Other Anti-Piracy Bullshit Measures Matter to Writers
In honor of SOPA and PIPA, I’m passing along this Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter Skit from last week’s Saturday Night Live. Enjoy the freedom while we can.
What do you think? Has New York given up on its rat problem, or is the Rate a Rat contest going to result in cleaner subways?
All the best to all of you for maintaining your desired level of rodent infestation.
Piper Bayard–The Pale Writer of the Apocalypse
LOL.. love the snl hogwarts scene.
Hi Jeyna. Thanks for visiting. Sorry for the delay in approving your post. The work generating member of the team (Piper Bayard) is gone this weekend. The rest of us have been sampling her liquor cabinet and her wine cellar in her absence so we’re a bit slow in our responses. Forgive us.
Loved the SNL skit – too funny! I don’t see too much SNL these days (usually asleep by 11, LOL).
Have a great weekend, Piper!
Hi K.B. Piper went to visit a sick friend this weekend and will be off line. I have decided to upgrade her weekend to “Piper went to Italy to teach a maritime safety class entitled “don’t put the big floating thing in the rocks”.
Enjoy your less glamorous weekend and drive carefully.
I think it’s a clever way to find prospective new members of Congress.
Hi Dave. Sadly true.
ferrets have been great ratters for a long time. onboard ships my forebears could go where no mere terrier or cat would tread. have a rat in the attic? send in the ferrets! alas, now we are unemployed….. errrrrrr we are consultants..that’s it: consultants … we sit around and crack smarm on Twitter and try to train da pet humans to keep it down while we are napping; which was in line with the whole ratter profession. seems in the “handbook for ratters” the pet humans were warned to keep a pooch handy. we ferrets were apt to sneak into the rat hole, make the kill, then lie up and snooze for a few hours, and even run off, and start colonizing the planet, or hooking up with mayans, and aliens and ruling the Universe.
i must go, the twin masseuses are available in a few, and i have to call my therapist.
i tweet at @Samuel_Clemons
Hi Samuel. Let us know how it goes with the twins.
Rats – pictures – EWWWWW!!! LOL….the things people come up with!!!
LOVE the SNLK clip – tooo funny!!!
Hi Natalie. Piper is gone from her computer this weekend while she is in Italy. In her absence I am trying to create an image of utility by answering our visitors today.
Love Dan Rad – he has grown up to be a good man, without the ego he could have easily had. Loved that skit,too. And LMAO on the rat contest. Only in NYC, I suppose.
Thanks for the links – lots to catch up on. Have a great weekend:)
Hi Stacy. Thanks for visiting.
Yipes! The no-rat subway story reminds me of an outbreak in the plumbing system in St. Paul years ago. (Let’s just way many women tried to master man-style toilet use…
) Rats are cute, from far away.
Thanks so much for including my blog in your mashup, Piper! You are one of the most supportive, talented bloggers out there. Means a bunch!
Hi August. In piper’s absence I feel suddenly powerful and willing to promise whole new levels of support from Piper. If you guys knew how she spoils me you would realize the potential benefits of life with Piper. I would suggest that you start by requesting a chocolate cake.
Just know that Pipers absence from duty are for a good cause. The Italians needed her help this week.
Ewww on the rats! I see a book in the making, though–remake of “Ben” et al. *s* Thanks for the mention. I actually got to interview Betty White one time, she’s an absolutely lovely lady.
Hi Amy. Piper is gone from the net this weekend but if she were here she would say thank you, welcome and possibly other socialy appropriate things. Instead you’re stuck with me but thank you for stopping by.
The Rat program might help, either way, its a pile of fun and who knows what tangent shows it may launch. Such as, Survivor: Subway or Who wants to be a Rat-catcher? Cool stuff you find, Piper
Hi Gene. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend.
I’m not afraid of very many creepy crawler animals–but rats are one of them! I couldn’t watch the rat clip, it’d give me nightmares. Yeesh, I hate rats.
Hi EllieAnn. I share your dislike of rats. Fortunately the 4 legged ones are easy to kill but the Boulder Colorado Rat Rescue Mission would try to intervene. This is not another colorful story that I invented in my twisted mind. There is such a group.
Thanks for Afterglow link. Makes me even more grateful for those who serve.
Hi Ken. Thanks for your visit. Writing about war experiences can be very difficult. I think Lewis Campbell did a great job. I hope that he decides to write a book.
The rats were…gross. It’s kind of funny, though, that they have a website for it. Loved the Harry Potter skit. We’re usually up when SNL is on, but we forget to watch it.
As for the SOPA and PIPA, thanks for the link to Chuck Wendig’s post. I had missed it.
Hi Catie. Piper would say hi but she is in Italy. She said the maritime investigation is going well.
“We’re usually up when SNL is on, but we forget to watch it.” As a professional relationship consultant I suggest that you continue avoiding late night TV. There are more important and urgent matters that you and your sweetie should be attending to at that hour.
Hi Piper. A great laugh. I was drawn to the submarine, of course, but disappointed to find that you apparently have to navigate the wonders of the deep blue is sweaty underwear. Those guys may have 331 years of combined experience but they need to get Clive Cussler in for tips on looking cool while operating a machine.
Cheers!
Hi Nigel. Piper is attending to urgent matters in Italy this weekend. In her absence I thank you for stopping by.
Your article on the little Japanese concept car was fun.
Those taxpayers that feel confused by Pentagon press releases should read your article about the f-16 fender bender.
Loved the Harry Potter video- too scared to watch the one about the rats.
Thanks for stopping by Alica. The rats are by no means a mandatory pleasure.
I sooo want this submarine! And Mr. Radcliffe is a great sport, isn’t he?
Hi Fabio. For a reasonable price we can get you that submarine. Please send a deposit at your earliest convenience to our bank in Nigeria. Thanks for stopping by.
Why oh why did I watch the whole rat video? Ewww! Much better with the SNL skit. At least it didn’t have any mutated rats. I need that Nissan Prvo, it’s way too cute. I can’t help but wonder if it rolls, will it just flip back over on its wheels. Hope so.
Hi Tameri. “Why oh why did I watch the whole rat video? Ewww!” That’s a deep and important question. For a reasonable price we’ll be happy to provide you with an interesting answer suited to your tastes.
Know that in Piper’s absence I am happy to provide answers. If you are fortunate enough they may even relate to the questions asked.
Overjoyed for Piper, our loss is Italy’s gain, but i’m hoping rats with accents aren’t keeping her up at night. Ah, right. It is day there at the moment. I’ve come to the decision that, if I have to see rats, I’d prefer to see photos of live ones rather than dead ones. That was a beneficial bit of introspection. Thanks for that.
Lovely End of the World, as usual. Thanks for the intro to Thunstrom and Hines. Although their posts were on opposite ends of a spectrum, I enjoyed them thoroughly. Mr. Thunstrom’s honesty in his post on male spousal abuse was raw, honest, and hopeful. Kudos for his bravery.
FYI, Sammy needs his cage cleaned. Three ferrets are messier than one.
.
Hi Kathy. Piper reached me on sat com this morning to inform me that she would not be long delayed. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that that every other sailor in the Mediterranean region had in fact already completed “don’t drive the big floating thing into the rocks” training and that the Italian Maritime community is currently seeking an “up close and personal” conversation with Captain Bozo.
I won’t say anything about Sammy. One ferret can be dangerous. Multiple ferrets constitute a task force from hell. Best to not agitate them.
Thanks for the link Piper! That skit was hilarious, too. Great round up all around!
Hi Susan. Piper is gone this weekend. Thank you for stopping by.
That Potter skit=happiness. Have a great weekend Piper!
Hi Clay. Good to see you…well good to see the digital data that you created.
Oh my gosh, that snl skit was hilarious! I had to go share it with my sister..LOL Hope all’s well in your neck of the woods, Piper!
Hi Paige. Piper is in Italy but should be back soon. In fact she should be zipping back over the Atlantic as we speak.
OMG. I had not heard about this. So disgusting, but very New York! LOL.
I watched the SNL with Harry Potter and honestly thought that skit was the best out of all of them. It wasn’t a very strong episode, sadly….