So, one of our three critters successfully dispatched a rodent.

The unlikely suspects:

1) Sandy, an eight-year old, 10 lb long haired dapple dachshund who has some predatory instincts, but to her owner's knowledge has never actually caught anything.

2) Hazard, a partially deaf, extremely chill cat my roommate found wandering as a kitten in the middle of the road. He still has fighting instincts when cornered, but apparently doesn't notice anything from keys jangling to vacuums. He did, however, freak out majorly from fireworks, so he might have some hearing in unusual ranges (maybe even the rodent range).

3) Ash, the kitten I adopted from the shelter long before his mom would have taught him how to hunt. He's much more of a "cat", and has always enjoyed thrown or moving toys and attacks them viciously, but usually would then bring it back for me to throw again. It could have been him, but if it was I think I would have woken up to the rodent on my bed, deposited there because it stopped playing but Mommy can throw things and make them move again.

It wasn't eaten, just killed. All three critters are well-fed, and got treats since we couldn't tell which slew the dragon.

This "Bernie Sanders Glowsticks" Meme Was Made by Someone Who Wants to Kill You

Edited to delete link to picture just to make sure no one here falls for it.

http://mic.com/articles/143020/bernie-sanders-glowsticks-chlorine-and-isopropyl-alcohol

GD:P Meta Lesson 101: Trolls: Don't feed them, don't accuse them.

At some point everyone has to be responsible for their own behavior, and remember that "s/he started it" wasn't a good excuse for bad behavior even in gradeschool. Civility should be the ideal.

But not everyone is civil. Some, as the article on this subject I'm highlighting mentions, are just assholes online because it's easier to be an asshole when you're not face to face and we all gotta vent somewhere. Sometimes there are genuine disruptors, often referred to as "trolls". The meme that there is a mighty Clinton paid troll brigade doesn't help -- those are not trolls, but shills, and accusing Clinton supporters of being either for having the audacity to express their opinion is REALLY GETTING OLD... uh, sorry about that. I'll moderate my volume....

Still, the way of dealing with both is the same. Since you can't control their behavior, you control your own.

There are three rules to remember if you think you're dealing with a "troll":

1) Don't feed the trolls. If they're doing it for personal amusement, they are just going to get enjoyment from your responses. If they're a volunteer or paid brigade supporting or opposing a candidate, your reply gives their arguments a kick and more visibility, which accomplishes their goals for them. Disruptors thrive by disrupting. If you ignore them, they can't disrupt anyone, get bored/told by the imaginary payroll manager to move to another forun, and go away.

2) Don't accuse them of being trolls. Not only is that feeding them, the article points out that sometimes it's hard to tell a real troll from J Random Asshole. Remember what opinions resemble -- we all have them, at least one person on the Internet thinks ours stinks, and usually vice-versa. Plus, it's a really lame thing, to go ad-hominem when you can't find another reason to say why they're wrong. Lastly, it's a personal attack, and recent Ask the Admins indicate there will actually be RULES here after the primary is over! Which is to say, better to start practicing new arguments. Just not with trolls.

3) Report suspected trolls to the Malicious Intruder Removal team. Even if the troll has been subtle/prolific to not be caught right away (the vast majority of Obvious Trolls are Obvious), if circumstances warrant they can get Admin to make the call if needed. Don't try to play detective on your own, especially not in public forums.

Remember, the idea of "trolling" came from fishing. If you think someone's a troll, don't take their bait!

Congratulations, Bernie supporters, staffers, and volunteers!

They deserve a round of applause from everyone.

Remember, the Primaries are not supposed to be a fight, but more of a job interview with each voter.

Congratulations, Bernie, the voters in Indiana chose you.

Blast from the past: DU's old rules!

To my fellow Hillary supporters: this isn't the time to gloat.

I have been lucky enough to see few posts actually doing so, but even a few are too many.

Because I was her supporter in 2008, and really did believe in her vision, I remember how disappointed I was when I had worked my heart out for a candidate who came so close, but didn't win. It didn't mean I approved of everything she did or said, but I was proud of her for being gracious in defeat once all votes had been counted. I was proud of her that, even in her letter to the Superdelegates asking them to consider her, she said no matter what that she would work to unite the Party.

The people who worked (and are still rightfully working) for Bernie, for his vision and message, are feeling the same things Hillary supporters felt after the math was just no longer sustainable for Hillary. Feeling disappointment, feeling helpless since despite all their work Bernie doesn't have a great shot at winning anymore, feeling voiceless particularly if they haven't been able to cast a vote yet, and feeling like the Party doesn't care about their issues.

The last thing they need to help overcome such feelings is for Hillary supporters to gloat, suggest their vision wasn't a good one (it was), suggest they were insincere, or suggest that just because they can't, just yet, bring themselves to vote for the likely Nominee that they are actually supporting the GOP's values.

For everyone, no matter what another person says or does to provoke us, it's our responsibility to choose our own reactions. There have been horrific attacks against Hillary that, in my opinion, remind me of what I expect to see on Free Republic or Redstate. But if posters like that drive you batty, we have the ignore feature. There's no need to take the low road.

Essentially, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. That's the best thing Hillary supporters can do right now -- be sympathetic and as a result, take the high road.

----

On edit, just to be clear, I admire the people who can engage those posting majorly OTT attacks against Hillary without resorting to personally attacking the user saying them. I try -- sometimes with humor, sometimes with facts. But there are some things that have been said that all I can do is alert, and some posters repeatedly saying them that made it better for my serenity to let them have their DU, and let me have mine.

But at some point probably before August (at the latest, Labor Day) this website generally goes into "GE Footing". Whoever our Nominee is, he or she will not be subjected to those attacks on DU then, unless Skinner changes a long-standing TOS provision. People making those attacks repeatedly will lose posting privileges.

Also, there is a difference between being happy for your candidate's win, and happy for another's loss. The only people I might gloat a little (edit: okay, a lot) at their loss have Rs beside their names.