Zane Larkin
Bio
I'm not a journalist, but I do publish like one.
Promising dogs, cats, politics and good old-fashioned common sense. Let's keep things civil.
Stories (14/0)
White Dog
When I first heard of White Dog, I thought it was an unintentional comedy. I discovered the film on a long-forgotten webpage where brief synopsis were given of obscure dog films (something I was very into at the time and most of which I would still watch today).
By Zane Larkin2 years ago in The Swamp
Trick, Treat, Repeat.
I have worked with dogs for more than seven years now, and when I got my first dog I very much thought that I would be an obedience person in terms of dog training. After all, almost all of my favorite breeds are known for their obedience and trainability, and I do enjoy some snappy compliance from my dogs when I ask them to do something.
By Zane Larkin2 years ago in Petlife
Lost In America
Not to be confused with UPS, the USPS (United States Postal Service), has been in the business of collecting, sorting, and delivering America's mail for almost two centuries. As a federally regulated service, the USPS has been responsible for people-- no matter where in the country they may live or how far out of reach they may seem-- getting their mail. And for quite a number of years out of that time, they've been a reliable service that could be depended upon to do the job. Recently however, things have changed.
By Zane Larkin2 years ago in The Swamp
Everyone's Favorite Co-Worker
It's common knowledge (or should be) that, for many dogs, a job of some sort is essential for their mental wellbeing. Whether that job is something as simple as putting their toys away or as complex as fetching a needed medicine bottle for a sick handler, most dogs enjoy having something to do, and if they can do it with their favorite human? Well, that's just better!
By Zane Larkin3 years ago in Petlife
America Is A Communist Country
In the truest sense of the word, Communism is meant to mean a system of governance in which the workers own the means of production. However here in America we have developed and popularized a very different meaning for this word, whereby we use it to describe any country whose government is really a form of dictatorship and where the people have no real freedom (e.g. China, Russia, and North Korea). In some weird way we have conflated this misuse of the word communism with socialism, and it is now seen as an irrevocable disability to be labeled as a socialist in this country, even though most of the people if asked without the stigma of socialism attached actually like and support socialist policies (Social Security, anyone?).
By Zane Larkin3 years ago in The Swamp
Everyone's A Racist
The other night I was talking on the phone with my brother, a news reporter, when he asked if I wanted to hear something interesting. Me being me, I of course said yes, and he proceeded to tell me of a government agency that was only accepting job applications from female minorities. When confronted about this and asked how that wouldn't be a violation of federal guidelines against job discrimination, they said that they were just collecting the information of female minorities who might be interested in the job, and that at a later date they would be opening the same data collection to other individuals who do not fit into that criteria, and then after that stage they would be opening actual job applications to interested parties. If any of that was hard to follow, it basically boils down to the fact that job discrimination is going on (albeit in the favor of perceived minorities), and that no matter who applies and when, the company is definitely going to hire a female minority because by opening applications to those individuals first they are clearly stating that that is the sort of individual they want for the position.
By Zane Larkin3 years ago in The Swamp
Have Dog, Will Travel
It can be hard to travel when you have pets, especially if you need to fly to wherever it is you're going. Rental cars don't like having pets in their vehicles because they leave behind dirt and hair, putting extra miles on your own car is hardly ever ideal, if you do fly there's always the worry about having to have Fido or Fluffy in the cargo hold, and even the best-rated boarding facilities can't always erase the lingering guilt over leaving a member of the family behind. But travelling with some pets-- dogs in particular-- can be very rewarding for both you and your dog.
By Zane Larkin3 years ago in Petlife
New Orleans, Old News
Last year, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, I took a little road trip out to New Orleans, Louisiana. I have been there once before a couple of years ago—a quite disastrous trip—however the change from then to now is quite a drastic one. Part of it, I am sure, had to do with the impending warning about Hurricane Sally, but most of the changes had been wrought by the closing down of the city due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
By Zane Larkin3 years ago in Wander