Aww, goats! (August 2026 Scapegoat Blame Thread)

@mycya4me two of those will pass by eventually.

@phendrick Yep, But not for many months/Years… we then can pass the the blame to the next goat!

@mycya4me I just left; it was raining inside my hotel, inside the lobby, even inside the trains!

@ShotgunX
/showme lawyer cat arguing with lawyer goat on a Zoom call.

@narfcake Here’s the image you requested for “lawyer cat arguing with lawyer goat on a Zoom call.”

@werehatrack
They will tackle that as soon as they’re done screwing around making daylight savings time permanent…

@phendrick Here’s the image you requested for “goat shrugging”

@phendrick

Somehow, don’t think our goat can get blamed for any of that.

I think this is wrong (check your math).

@mediocrebot @phendrick I have never heard of any restrictions before!

@phendrick OMG you are so right about the students. I used to advice mine against doing exactly what you are talking about for the same reasons. I also told them to take what they think will be easy classes and pair them in a semester where they were going to take one they knew was going to be hard. Some listened and some didn’t. Some, after the fact, told me they wished they had listened.

Short classes, if they are going to cover all the content (which most for profit and mostly online schools do not, not even close), mean a ton more work so they need to be prepared for that. And, more importantly in my opinion, any class where students often don’t “get it” until the light finally turns on needs to be in a slower paced class - eg not one compressed into fewer weeks. (well the online crap school solution to that is cut the content way down so those students get an inferior education in many cases).

@mediocrebot @phendrick I think the goat is saying “It’s a living”.

@Aetherwizard You didn’t “take the heat”; it was still here all month. So, retroactive additional blame on you.

@Aetherwizard But how can it be @ShotgunX’s if it happened in July? that is when you were the Goat!

@Aetherwizard Here’s the image you requested for “singed goat wizard incredulous at another goat who couldn t care less.”

@Aetherwizard @mediocrebot Mug has double handles!

@Aetherwizard @cfg83
two-fisted drinker…

@pakopako If you can get hold of some Bactrim, that’s reportedly effective at squishing the bug.

@pakopako @werehatrack When I’ve had (rare) issues with stomach distress, I’ve had good luck with just totally filling up with boiled or steamed rice (instant or regular). Bland and boring, but digests pretty easily and does a good job of “displacing” the bad stuff fairly quickly and still gives you some nutrition. Cheap colon cleanse the way nature intended. Be extra aware of staying hydrated.

@pakopako
If you haven’t already I’d suggest you visit your PCP (primary care provider). If only to see if they can test you to make sure that it’s the cyclospora bug that you’re infected with. The CDC is trying to do some tracing and data points are important.
And FWIW there is currently no lab confirmed link to Taylor farms products.

@Kidsandliz
Typically we would buddy tape toe fractures in the ER. We’d then send them home in a post-op shoe, or encourage them to use some sort of rigid soled shoes with no flex. We didn’t stock the boot style devices… Rest, elevate, ice… Maybe a couple days of pain meds…

@chienfou Yes I was told that was the treatment. I am ticked though that insurance doesn’t think those shoe things might be needed for medical reasons. I couldn’t get any shoes on due to the swelling so I had to get one so I wasn’t walking in bare feet.

@Kidsandliz
Post up shoe is basically a hard flat sole with a couple of flaps at the top that either lace or velcro so it works kind of like a slide (with a heel cup).

@Kidsandliz Ouch. Hope you heal fast!

@phendrick Oh, I KNOW - this is infuriating!!! It almost feels like a deliberate attempt to erase any knowledge not owned and manageable by big tech.

@Kyeh @phendrick

@chienfou @Kyeh To highlight the reference in that article and maybe increase that debate:
https://torrentfreak.com/annas-archive-urges-ai-copyright-overhaul-to-protect-national-security-250201/

Maybe the GOAT could butt some heads in DC.
(But they’re probably too obtuse).

@Kyeh @phendrick

(But they’re probably too obtuse).

The GOAT??

@chienfou @phendrick This is what’s freaking me out:
Why is Anthropic destroying books? | Kathryn James
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/05/anthropic-ai-destroying-books

@Kyeh @phendrick
Having had to scan pages out of a book before (for making copies of ACT tests for my wife’s tutoring), I can attest to what a PITA that is. The most practical solution is to cut the pages out to scan them. This is essentially what’s happening (on an industrial scale) with these books. They are not buying wholesale/multiple copies of the same book to destroy. They are typically buying single copies of books which the contractors are then cutting up to facilitate the scanning process.
As a person who has an inordinate number of books in his house I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the printed page. While it’s sad to see books being taken out of circulation/disposed of, the reality of it is they are not destroying rare or one of a kind books. Books are thrown away/discarded on a regular basis. The local library culls books often and sells them to their patrons… cheap. Those they can’t sell get carted to the city dump. I once rescued a pickup truck load of books destined for the trash. Some of them are still hanging around here, many were given away, and over the years I’ve been forced to get rid of some or I wouldn’t be able to walk through the house!

@chienfou @Kyeh @phendrick

The local library culls books.

Yep - my wife is the Grand Poo-bah of a local community library. They have finite shelf space and just held a book sale over the weekend to dispose of excess/outdated books. (Raises money for the library while getting rid of surplus books.) All the leftovers go into a dumpster for recycling. Harsh, but necessary.

@Kyeh @macromeh @phendrick
I’m sure Kyeh can attest to this fact as well. Given her “prior life” as a librarian (some of my favorite people!)

@chienfou @Kyeh @phendrick
Also FYI - none of the local charities/resale shops will take the de-shelved/surplus library books either.

@chienfou @macromeh @phendrick The thing that really upsets me is that they ARE also buying rare books and destroying them! I know about scanning, our library started doing it for interlibrary loans, instead of sending out big volumes, if someone just wanted an article. But some books were never scanned because they were fragile, etc.

@chienfou @macromeh @phendrick Or at it’s suspected that they do; I didn’t find an article that showed proof of it, but I read that some rare book sellers suddenly had large orders from some unknown customer who was willing to pay huge prices; I mean, I guess once you buy it you can legally do what you want, but it’s just upsetting to think they might destroy something really precious.

@Kyeh @macromeh @phendrick
I agree, it would be a pity if they are destroying rare books. I’m not sure what the economics of that process are and if that cost would be justifiable.
As an aside, I wonder how Annie’s is getting their books digitalized?

@werehatrack
One of the perils of electing a goat…

@chienfou Back when there was more engagement, that fact could produce some hilarity.

@werehatrack
Blame it on the (absent) goat…?

@chienfou That, too, I guess?

@chienfou @werehatrack One of the perils of not pinning it like they used to. That decision needs undone.

@chienfou I never asked for this.

@ShotgunX
That’s a given, few have campaigned You are well within your rights to ignore this thread. Not trying to be mean-spirited, it’s all in jest (at least from my end). Glad to see you’re checking in occasionally though. Don’t let this run you off.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@chienfou No, now you must pay. You will all pay.

@ShotgunX
Well… SOME of us have already put our 2¢ worth in here so I guess we have pre-paid…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@werehatrack I love Corelle. I have some prettier sets of dishes, but they’re all packed away because the Corelle is lighter & takes up less cupboard space & is so durable.

@Kyeh The stackability on these isn’t as good as their mainstream “frost white” stuff, but the shape of the rim just makes the utility so much greater that we’ll take the small extra bit of care in handling. And they work better in the microwave, too!

@werehatrack I got a bunch of large flat bowls & often eat dinner out of them instead of the plates. I guess they call them pasta bowls.

@Kyeh Yup. We have a few of those as well. The Modern Round sets are just dinner plate, lunch plate, and a single size of regular bowl. Those Frost White salad bowls are hands for lots of things, and we get a lot of use from all three of the other Frost White bowls as well. All of the items in that line have been available as open stock from WallyWorld pretty much forever, and appear to remain popular. I’ve been using that style for over 40 years at this point, if I’m not mistaken. They’re pretty much a “buy once, use forever” thing, and at an unusually reasonable price given the utility they provide.

@Kyeh For purposes of comparison, here’ a pic of one of the Modern Round lunch plates; you can see how the rim curves upward. For usability, we find these are hard to beat.

@werehatrack Yes, I’m happy that they haven’t discontinued the plain white, and I got most of mine from Amazon, and some from Target. I have managed to break a few over the years but only by having them drop from a height.

@Kyeh @werehatrack
My experience exactly. Corelle seems to be extremely tough stuff, unless it hits just right, on tile.
Our current go-to dinner plates are from IKEA. We do have a handful of pasta bowls that we use when we think about it.

@chienfou @Kyeh @werehatrack

I’ve been using the same Corelle dishes that my mom bought when I was a kid. She gave them to me about 25 years ago when I started having trouble using my pretty ceramic dishes, they were just too heavy for my injured hand, I was dropping them constantly. Mine has those little green flowers around the edges. My mom’s set is plain white. Even though I’d prefer something more stylish, they really are the best dishes ever.

I remember being about 10 years old when my mom said these Corelle dishes won’t break if you drop them. Well, me being that 10 year old kid took one outside and with both hands put it over my head and chucked it as hard as I could onto the sidewalk. I yelled back into the house “MOM, YOU’RE WRONG”! Lol

@chienfou @Kyeh @Lynnerizer @werehatrack My kid did that with a plastic drinking glass when I told her we don’t have glass ones because they break and these don’t. She too threw it on the cement with considerable force to test that theory. It broke too.

@chienfou @Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack

Lol and I’m betting it was the child with issues.

@chienfou @Kyeh @Lynnerizer @werehatrack yup it was. How’d you guess? although “normal” kids who are curious do that kind of stuff too…

@chienfou @werehatrack @Lynnerizer
I actually like the plain white ones better than any patterned china I’ve had because they go fine with any tablecloth I want to use.

@Kyeh
Tablecloth?? You mean my wife and I are NOT the only ones to still use a tablecloth (and/or placemats) and cloth napkins everyday?

@chienfou @Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack

I’m thinking I fit in somewhere between the normal kid that was curious and the problem child/one with issues. I swear sometimes I think my childhood from 6 to 16 lasted longer than the rest of my years put together! I gave up on therapy at 45, what wasn’t worked out by that time wasn’t going to be! Lol

And of course I’m just making light of it, I know your child has different kinds of issues. I think you’re a saint for adopting in the first place.
Adoption was something I had ALWAYS wanted to do but my guy had a different opinion on the whole thing. Since he already had a child I just gave in/up because I didn’t want his son to feel like he wasn’t enough. I have no regrets! …except for not getting inked for IRKs but THAT’S another story!

@chienfou @Kyeh @werehatrack
Yeah that’s what’s funny, I would rather have busy patterns on my plate (that’s supposed to cut down on food intake) and then do a solid/simple tablecloth or placemats.

And no @chienfou, you aren’t alone! There’s a lot of us who still like a pretty table setting!

I also have a internal debate on my bedroom, wether to have a pattern rug and a more simple duvet cover or vise versa. My bedroom isn’t huge so I probably need the simple rug or carpet. Since I’m such a procrastinator time isn’t a issue, I can think about it for a long time. Lol

@Kyeh @Lynnerizer
I tend to be a fan of hard flooring with throw or area rugs. That way we can swap them out when we want to, (ours is currently one we brought back from Turkey when we were there over 15 years ago) and it’s easier to pick up the dust bunnies and cat fur that collect along the edges of the baseboards with a puck style robot vac. Our bedroom is actually closed off so the cats can’t get into it. Not sure how the fur migrates in there. Some sort of black magic evidently.

@chienfou @Kyeh
Yeah I should have mentioned that, I have a, well, I HAD a brand new beautiful Berber wall to wall carpet in the bedroom when I bought my condo, unfortunately the cat has done a number on it. I’ve always liked a carpeted bedroom. For the first time ever I’m thinking about doing hardwood with a throw rug in there. The living room is already hardwood floors and a small throw rug off to the side out of my way because it’s a trip hazard for me. I’d like to get a large colorful throw rug for under the dining room table which is right behind the couch but still in the living room/kitchen area. The entire place is only 1,200 square feet so I can only have one spectacular rug, you know, the center of attention, a real show stopper! Can you feel my enthusiasm. I’ve only been deciding on what I want for going on 12 years now! Lol

And yes, isn’t it funny how cat fur gets EVERYWHERE! What we put up with for the love of our pets… 🫣

@chienfou Oh, I don’t do tablecloths every day (pretty seldom nowadays) but if I have company I use them. Ideally I’d use them everyday for myself but my table is too cluttered. 🫤

@Kyeh
Thr missus an I use at least a woven placemat and cloth napkins if not a tablecloth for virtually all of our dinners.

@chienfou @Kyeh Does the corner of the table cloth count as a napkin?

@Kyeh @macromeh
If that’s how you use it… Yes.

@pmarin Awww. I hope they got back home.

@Kyeh yes, good news is that they did. The “owner” said they had gotten very clever about getting out of their fenced enclosure. So maybe this wasn’t their first escapade. (And since we seem to like wordplay here, I just noticed that escapade is based on escape)

@Kyeh @pmarin
My neighbor had a different problem (although their goats did escape the pen a few times): a cougar got into the goat pen and killed most of their goats. The goats were pets and the owners were heartbroken. So they upped the game and built a large new goat pen - 6 foot tall chain link, topped with razor wire! Looks kind of like a prison yard (but so far has been effective).

@Kyeh @macromeh @pmarin

Oh no, how sad! Glad they’re all set for the next herd of goats!

@MoriRider
Wow! Bummer! Hopefully your pain is being managed and you’ll recover in short order.

@MoriRider @chienfou
Ouch - I feel your pain! (literally)
33 years ago, I slid off a roof and hit the ground on my left foot, shattering my heel (calcaneus) into 5 pieces and severely spraining my ankle. I had to wait a week for the swelling to go down to have surgery. They put in a metal plate and 5 screws to hold the fractured bone together (they’re still in there - I could have had them removed after it healed, but I didn’t want to deal with another surgery). I was on crutches for over 3 months while it healed, followed by a month of rehab sessions. On bad days I still occasionally walk with a limp. And running is right out.
(Could have been worse, I guess - while I was recovering, I saw 2 local news stories about people who took similar falls and died… )

@macromeh @MoriRider
Never had a fracture of my foot, but I did blow out my achilles tendon when I fell off an 8’ ladder while using a pole saw to trim a camellia bush. One of the legs sank into the dirt causing me to topple over. When I hit the ground I thought I had broken my leg, drug myself to the backyard and threw my leg over the side of the pool to cool it off while I tried to find my wife. Eventually she came by (she was working in a different part of the yard) and saw me and asked what happened. Went to the ER but no fracture, & was decided it was just a bad sprain. It would get better then get worse. About 4 weeks later I was standing on the side of the pool and dove in when the grandkids were visiting and heard a “pop”. That (finally) prompted a visit to the ortho and he told me I had totally ruptured my achilles. Guess I should have listened to my wife and gone in earlier! Surgery and recovery from that was a bitch.

@chienfou @MoriRider
Yeah, I had lots of pain during my recovery/healing. Early 90’s and it was one of those periods when doctors were hesitant to prescribe (actually effective) pain meds - and OTC ibuprofen just didn’t cut it. They would only give me about 1.5 days worth of the good stuff at a time - I remember many times calling in for a refill and then sweating it out as the clock approached 5PM, wondering if they would get around to write the scrip and fill it before everyone went home.
Not a fun time…

@chienfou
Meds don’t work for pain but I am managing.

@MoriRider