Sunday Reads: The Goat Man Cometh
Posted: July 22, 2012 Filed under: A My Pet Goat Moment, Environment, Environmental Protection, Foreign Affairs, morning reads, Norway, Political Affective Disorder, Political and Editorial Cartoons, Syria, U.S. Politics | Tags: Aleppo, “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, Darrell Issa, Earnest Borgnine, Goat Man, Rupert Murdoch 44 Comments »
Vintage Ad, for what I don’t know…
Good morning…
The last few days have been emotionally exhausting. I feel the need to avoid any links to the killings in Aurora today. In fact, I have just a few serious links for you this morning, the rest is just fluff.
Can you believe it has been a year: Norway remembers Utoeya and Oslo victims, one year on
I can’t link to any other articles about the Norway massacre…it is just too upsetting right now.
The fighting in Syria has moved on to Aleppo: Syrian Troops, Rebels Clash in Aleppo
Syrian government troops clashed with rebels for a second straight day in the northern city of Aleppo, as the intensifying conflict sent thousands of civilians from across the war-torn nation pouring into neighboring Lebanon and Iraq.
Activists described the fighting in Aleppo as some of the fiercest to date in Syria’s commercial hub and largest population center. The city has remained largely loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and had been spared the daily bloodshed that has plagued other areas.
And one more serious link before we get to the “humorous” stuff. Did you all hear about this one? Murdoch Quits News Corp Subsidiary Boards
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as director of several subsidiary boards within his troubled News Corporation conglomerate, ahead of a planned company split.
A corporate statement said Murdoch stepped down as director of NI Group (formerly News International), Times Newspaper Holdings and News Corporation Investments. It linked the move to a recent announcement that the $53 billion media empire would separate its publishing and its media and entertainment businesses into two publicly traded companies.
Speculation has intensified in the last year that News Corporation could seek to sell its embattled British newspapers, in response to a phone hacking operation allegedly approved by senior editors at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid.
I wonder if the Koch Brothers would be interested?
Now, this first link is a serious story, and is not from The Onion. ‘Goat Man’ Spotted In Mountains Of Northern Utah (VIDEO)
A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has wildlife officials worried he could be in danger as hunting season approaches.Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said Friday the person is doing nothing illegal, but he worries the so-called “goat man” is unaware of the dangers.
“My very first concern is the person doesn’t understand the risks,” Douglass said. “Who’s to say what could happen.”
Sorry, but I have to do this…Bwaaaahhhhh.
Douglass said a man hiking Sunday along Ben Lomond peak in the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, spotted the person dressed like a goat among a herd of real goats. The person provided some blurry photographs to Douglass, who said they did not appear to have been altered.
Wildlife officials now just want to talk to the man so that he is aware of the dangers. There’s no telling what his intentions are, Douglass said, but it is believed he could just be an extreme wildlife enthusiast.
“People do some pretty out there things in the name of enjoying wildlife. But I’ve never had a report like this,” Douglass said. “There’s a saying we have among biologists – You don’t go far enough, you don’t get the data. You go too far, you don’t go home. The same is true with some wildlife enthusiasts.”
Douglass said 60 permits will be issued for goat hunting season in that area, which begins in September. He worries the goat man might be accidentally shot or could be attacked by a real goat.
And what about the guy who took the pictures?
Coty Creighton, 33, spotted the goat man Sunday during his hike. He said he came across the herd, but noticed something odd about one goat that was trailing behind the rest.
[…]
The man appeared to be acting like a goat while wearing the crudely made costume, which had fake horns and a cloth mask with cut-out eye holes, Creighton said.
“I thought, `What is this guy doing?’ ” Creighton said. “He was actually on his hands and knees. He was climbing over rocks and bushes and pretty rough terrain on a steep hillside.”
Creighton said the man occasionally pulled up his mask, apparently trying to navigate the rocky terrain. The man then appeared to spot Creighton.
“He just stopped in his tracks and froze,” he said.
Creighton moved down the mountain and hid behind a tree, then began snapping photographs.
The goat man then put his mask back on, Creighton said, got back down on his hands and knees and scurried to catch up with the herd.
“We were the only ones around for miles,” Creighton said. “It was real creepy.”
Okay, why do I get that scene from Woody Allen’s Everything you wanted to know about sex, but where afraid to ask? You know the one, with the sheep named Daisy?
Now that you have that image in your minds, lets move on to other things.
Take a look at this quick post: Darrell Issa Wants to Name Part of the Ocean After Ronald Reagan | Angry Black Lady Chronicles
This is downright asinine:
Issa reintroduced his bill Wednesday to rename the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which generally extends from three miles to 200 miles offshore, as the Ronald Wilson Reagan Exclusive Economic Zone.
~snip~
Under the proposal, references to the EEZ in U.S. laws, regulations, maps and other documents would carry Reagan’s name.
The key word here is “reintroduced.” This is not the first time that Issa has tried to name the ocean after Reagan. Apparently, Issa has introduced similar bills in the past. I’d congratulate him on his persistence if he weren’t such a douchebag.
I swear, you would think this Reagan Zone news sounds like it should also be an Onion piece, but it isn’t. Why not name that big floating plastic trash island in the Pacific the Issa Zone, because Issa is just about as full of crap as that pile of garbage, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
HowStuffWorks: “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”
Scientists find hundredfold increase in plastic trash in Pacific Ocean since 1970s
Okay, before I get to the cartoons, just a reminder. A couple of day’s after we lost Andy Griffith, we lost another fantastic actor. Ernest Borgnine, 1917-2012
TCM Remembers Ernest Borgnine Thursday, July 26
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will remember the life and career of actor Ernest Borgnine on Thursday, July 26. Borgnine passed away Sunday, July 8th at the age of 95. TCM’s 24-hour memorial tribute is set to begin at 6 a.m. (ET) with Borgnine’s performance in The Catered Affair (1956). The tribute will include such essential Ernest Borgnine films as The Dirty Dozen (1967), From Here to Eternity (1953), and Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). Borgnine’s Academy Award-winning role as Marty (1955) will air at 9 p.m. (ET) and there will be two showings of Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine (2009) as the actor sits down for a lively one-on-one talk with TCM host Robert Osborne. The following is a complete schedule (all times Eastern):
6:00 a.m. – The Catered Affair
8:00 a.m. – The Legend of Lylah Clare
10:30 a.m. – Pay or Die
12:30 p.m. – Torpedo Run
2:30 p.m. – Ice Station Zebra
5:15 p.m. – The Dirty Dozen
8:00 p.m. – Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine
9:00 p.m. – Marty
10:45 p.m. – From Here to Eternity
1:00 a.m. – The Wild Bunch
3:30 a.m. – Bad Day at Black Rock
5:00 a.m. – Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine
There is a very good article about Borgnine at that link, please give it read.
I will end today’s reads with a few cartoons:
Steve Benson on Creators.com – A Syndicate Of Talent
Chris Britt on Creators.com – A Syndicate Of Talent
I don’t know about you all, but I feel like I could hide in my room all day long… Enjoy your Sunday, hopefully everyone can relax and take it easy today.
Sima
dakinikat
ecocatwoman
fiscalliberal
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
quixote
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Video of manatee mating herd: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/mating-manatees-hollywood-beach-florida_n_1690387.html Lone female manatees in heat attract groups of males. Many times the female will beach herself to escape from the mass of excited males.
This fits with Rmoney’s rep so well.
LGF: Is Mitt Romney Buying Twitter Followers?
Kos’s hate mail post this week is funny.
Saturday hate mail-a-palooza: George Rockwell versus edscan
KVDR-TV Denver:
Police looking for second “person of interest” in theater shooting
Just saw this denial by police chief.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57477408/aurora-police-chief-no-other-person-of-interest/
Uh, good late morning…
I’ve got a few links for you all:
Bill Kristol: People don’t have a right to assault rifles | The Raw Story
Rupert Murdoch Tweets Support for Gun Control | The Moderate Voice
Interesting…yes?
Report cited by Bachmann claims Norquist linked to Muslim Brotherhood | The Raw Story
And no mention from Bachmann in her fanatic letter about Huma on the kind of Muslim threat Norquist has? Nuts.
Torrential Rains Kill 10 in Beijing
Take a look at the picture on that link.
Also, Paterno statue has come down. Now I am going back into the safety and security of my bedroom.
Good plan, JJ. I have a splitting headache and I fell down twice already this morning. I finally got the bright idea to just stay in bed.
Try to have a pleasant Sunday, everyone. Life is indeed fragile. Enjoy it while you can.
Be careful, Beata! I hope you can get rid of that headache.
That “goat man” story is very strange. Since we’ve been talking about psychological disorders, I’m going to speculate that this guy has a type of clinical lycanthropy–the belief that one has been transformed into an animal. The most common belief is that one has become a wolf, but delusions of transformation into many other animals have been observed.
There is also a syndrome known in Southeast Asia and Scandinavia as “amok” or “running amok” — in which the person loses control, dissociates, and attacks other people in a homicidal rage. It sounds a lot like some of our mass killings, but it is thought to be unpremeditated.
There are a lot of these weird psych disorders.
Sounds like the berserkers and “going berserk” among the Vikings.
Yes, that’s the Scandinavian version. Sorry, I should have noted the word. But they mean the same thing.
This rage syndrome also happens in the animal world. I got interested in the subject when I learned about dogs attacking for no known reason. Springer rage — is probably one of the most common names for this behavior in dogs. There’s a peer reviewed journal called “Aggression” which has articles about research on a whole range of species — which is thought to be cause by some sort of brain abnormality — chemical or even genetic or an injury.
Springer — refers to the Springer Spaniel — the breed in which this aggressive behavior was first observed. If my memory of the long technical article I read ages ago is correct — this rage was traced to a genetic defect in a show winning dog used to breed a whole line of rage prone dogs. However, this rage syndrome isn’t limited to Springer Spaniels — it has been found in rare dog breed and feral dogs. A few rare Stallions have also been reported to be prone to rage attacks. Elephants have been reported to go “rouge”.
So there is scientific research for some of animal behavior with multiple names in different cultures.
Boomer, does clinical lycanthropy apply to those cultures that practice shamanism and therianthropy/shapeshifting into animals, totem or not? Or does it only apply to cultures that are not shamanic in nature? I have a very strong interest in those cultures and wonder how they are viewed psychologically. Thanks!
No, it doesn’t refer to shamanic/mystical transformations. These are people who have a delusion that they have become animals.
I’m not BB — but there is a research specialty in Anthropology — which does study the subject of mental health in different cultures. Most of the classes for the Upper Division Anthro class are called: “Personality in Ciulture”. This was probably one of my most favorite classes — along with Ethology.
Each culture tends to define mental health differently. For instance the Kahuna, Shaman, Medicine man, Wise woman is respected and has responsibility for the religious ceremonies of the culture. In many Native American cultures the Gays were respected and were often also the shamans. There’s a whole series of books “People of …..” written by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. Kathleen is an Anthropologist and she often writes characters who in our culture would be considered mentally ill. She and her husband have done a whole series centered in the Chaco Canyon.
She has managed to put a lot of the text book material (Personality in Culture) into her books about the Early Native American cultures.
The Kivas (the round underground ceremonial and/or religious structures) probably provided entertainment as well as religious purpose. So were the medicine men and priests/priestesses religious leaders or actors? Probably both.
Yes this whole area still pulls me to the early Native American ruines of the Southwest.
Google — “personality in culture” for links to Journal articles etc.
Review of Personality in Culture
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1969.71.6.02a00230/pdf
I love learning about cultural differences in psychology too.
Or an Ethology student who wanted to study his subjects up close.
Could be, but for a study like that, you would need a better costume.
So true — and a mentor who would point out that a mask would get in the way of seeing. But I’ve listened to Animal Behavior presentations where the researchers did use fake animals to fool their research subjects. Some of the fakes were quite imaginative.
Then there are the truly delusional people as you mentioned.
This is so screwed up, there ought be be a goat joke in it somewhere.
Sexual assault victim’s tweets about attackers prompt contempt case against Louisville’s Savannah Dietrich
They attack her — show others the vids — well that’s Southern justice for you. The other case that comes to mind — the Cheer leader in Texas who was forced to cheer for her rapist. He of course continues his life and probably continues to rape other young women.
Ooops, sorry. I didn’t notice you had already posted that one.
I was just going to post on this atrocity myself!
The boys should be thrown into a room with a few pissed-off mountain goats. They have wickedly sharp horns and hooves. A mountain goat gored a man to death a couple of years ago in the Olympic Mtns — horn through the femoral artery, I believe, though he was just hiking by, not raping young women.
On second thought, throw that scumbag judge in with those mountain goats too.
I vote for your solution!! Animal justice for subhumans.
That case sounds a lot like the Texas cheerleader who was ordered to cheer for her rapist, who was on the basketball team.
It needed to be posted twice — another Texas war on women.
Can’t blame this one on Texas. This assholery took place in Kentucky.
Just finished listening to “Plastic Ocean,” an audiobook by Charles Moore, who first publicized the Garbage Patch. He was sailing a catamaran back to California from Honolulu in 1997 and took a shortcut though a rarely visited area called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. In short — he was appalled, started to research the problem and how plastics get into the oceans and break down into smaller pieces.
Plastic bits and their associated toxins are eaten by sea creatures which in turn are eaten by larger animals, which in turn…. Indigenous peoples in the Arctic who eat a traditional, marine-intensive diet, have higher levels of these toxins than do urban dwellers.
Moore believes that our plastics are more of a threat to ocean life than our carbon footprint. He points out that plastic trash in the ocean is not so much a result of individual littering as it is of industrial/corporate dumping and lack of responsibility.
Moore also believes than with science, ingenuity and creativity, we can figure out how to make non-toxic plastics, how to re-process plastics safely, and to find good alternatives. New jobs in science, engineering, and manufacturing — if we get governments and corporations thinking that way. He ranks public citizen activism as crucial, and points to manufacturers dropping BPA from baby and drinking bottles as a result of public outcry. Though he wonders if whatever the bottles are made out of now is any safer.
….A book-reportish comment, but I highly recommend the book.
Wall Street’s Biggest Heist Yet? How the High Wizards of Finance Gutted Our Schools and Cities
The complex machinations that pitted county treasurers against the deceptive wizards of Wall Street.
http://www.alternet.org/economy/156352/wall_street%27s_biggest_heist_yet_how_the_high_wizards_of_finance_gutted_our_schools_and_cities/?page=entire
You know those school bond and construction bonds we find on local ballots? Well it seems that Wall Street saw those bonds as something they could loot. Fast talking salesmen would descend on the districts with the newly passed bonds and convince the treasurers and finance departments that a complicated swap was just the deal.
The article details the double dealing and double talk.
Bottom line — we the tax payers have been ripped of yet again by the parasites of Wall Street. Why are school districts and cities going bankrupt — Goldman sach, City Bank, Bank of America, Chase etc. same old names same old games. The bright boys of Wall Street saw the money and decided to loot at a grass root level.
The Libor rate was used to manipulate, not just tens of trillions of consumer loans, buthundreds of trillions in interest rate contracts (swaps) with municipalities across America and around the globe. (Milan prosecutors have charged JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Depfa Bank with derivatives fraud and earning $128 million in hidden fees.)
So not only were these parasites paying mortgage games with homes — but also schools and community construction loans were seen as cash cows by the Wall Street parasites.
Also Matt Taibbi has been shouting about Libor as being the biggest rip off yet.
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/19/matt_taibbi_libor_rate_fixing_scandal
I am so glad that we have dakinikat’s insightful posts to help us understand LIBOR and other economics esoterica. And that we read about them early here on SkyDancing!
So true — now when I read complex economic articles I have the foundation to understand the vast impact of the crime.
DAK is the BEST teacher!!!
Thank you both!!!
This may not be a heist but probably has just as big an impact on everyone’s life. Over $21 trillion estimated hidden offshore from the tax men,
£13tn: hoard hidden from taxman by global elite
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/21/global-elite-tax-offshore-economy
This is interesting. James Holmes tried to join a Colorado shooting club, but was rejected because of his bizarre voicemail message.
That says something, and not good.
Every so often you see bizarrely unpleasant photos and sign-offs used by people as their avatar photos and blognames and the like. Always makes me hope they are none of my co-workers or neighbors.
Steve Rattner on Romney’s taxes:
Shall we start taking bets as to which “little people” will be blamed for trying to please the boss by finding every single tax dodging trick?
Romney will say — “I just signed the tax forms — I didn’t DO the tax form”.
The $100 million in an IRA — sticks out like a sore thumb.
For those of us who were wondering if Holmes could have been stopped — even if someone noticed that his behavior could become lethal to others???
The article linked below includes a story of how one women tried to alert the authorities that her friend had sent her emails where he said he wanted to kill people. She was told that only AFTER someone acts can authorities respond. (He eventually did seek help for his mental health issues.)
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1036268/the_colorado_massacre%3A_when_unspeakable_tragedy_becomes_the_new_normal/#paragraph3
NWR, all too true. Used to be laws to hold people against their will for evaluation or hospitalization were too lenient, and there were incidents of women being admitted as “insane” on their husband’s say-so, etc. Then the laws swung too far the other way, IMO.
My psych nurse-practitioner friends every so often tell me about situations where patients obviously need an in-patient stay, for at least a couple of days for evaluation and likely treatment. But if the patient is not at the present time a threat to her/himself or to others, there’s nothing that can be done. Funding for community mental-health services, which was never adequate, has gotten slashed. No one to follow up on those who go off their meds, waits of several months before a new-patient evaluation if you’re only “moderately” affected….
Seems like at least half of the publicized murders over the last few years in Seattle have been by someone who was mentally ill but off his meds.
We can’t prevent all mass-murders, but we could prevent some. But maybe I have my priorities wrong. Obviously the person chose to hear voices in his head and needs to go to church. Besides, we need the money for incentives for those job creators instead.
I cared for a mentally ill person for years, and I can testify to how difficult it is to get someone admitted to a psychiatric hospital when they don’t want to go. You basically have to convince the person to sign herself in and then she can sign herself out in a couple of days if she wants to. Even when someone does get into the hospital, they can still refuse medication and other treatments.
James Holmes was one of a few students in a competitive doctoral program and the school was responsible for his well being also. They should have noticed if he was behaving strangely. Unfortunately, the new federal rules about student privacy have limited what profs and administrators can say to parents. I really think this is a huge problem. I had some difficult situations around that when I was teaching university courses. Parents need to be contacted if their child is showing signs of serious mental illness, but it’s difficult.
Someone has suggested to me that the mother knew about the young man’s illness. I find that hard to believe, because the family seems to have been at least middle class and very supportive, according to friends and neighbors. If the parents did know, I’ll be shocked. The stress of such a difficult program could even trigger schizophrenia if Holmes has it.
JJ……Just wondering if you’d seen this cartoon. It’s really spot on and I knew you’d enjoy it.
http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/disclaimer_20120720/
Love it…
That’s so true!