I always get more felids from readers than I can use, which makes selecting the Caturday Felids a bit trying. But I try to put up a few on Friday as well, just to round out the week with Our Favorite Animal. Here are two cat-related items.
First, an update on Cleopatra (Cleo) from Joyce Carol Oates. She got a Bengal kitten from breeder Anthony Hutcherson, who has offered me one, too, so I’m watching Cleo closely to see what rearing a Bengalet is like. I already have an idea that they’re quite active—one bit of evidence is the way Joyce headed her email: “Cleopatra’s nap time is a very good time for all.”
Here’s the lovely little girl, but she doesn’t look like she’s napping very hard!
And reader Su Gould sent a “cat delivery notice”, equivalent to what UPS puts on your door:
What’s Dawkins doing in there? They already list Satan!
Richard is the Prince of Insufficient Light.
C”…address comments to Richard Dawkins or the dog!” Cackle!
And the dog, too. I mean, Richard is Darwin’s Rottweiler, no?
…but, that aside…I must note that Cleo really is one seriously cute kitten. Joyce is very fortunate to have been graced by Cleo with her presence. I should know, after all — I’m even luckier to have Baihu!
b&
The cat (or postie) is more likely to get an answer from Dawkins, since he exists.
The answer might be a return delivery of lion poo, still loaded in the lion. But that’s the risk of taking Dawkin’s name in vain!
What a charming little cat.
Yup. A real beauty.
Hmm…for whatever reason, I just happened to pay attention to the date at the top of this page…and realized that it’s 14 years to the day after a few hijacked airliners were flown into big buildings. All in all, probably a good thing that it’s pretty much just become yet another day.
…shame we’re still stuck with all the bullshit, all the wars and the police state, that day kicked off, though….
b&
And on this very day, a crane owned by the BinLaden Group – founded by Osama’s father Mohammed – fell on the grand mosque in Mecca during a heavy storm, killing 100+ people. Already I’ve seen people commenting about karma, Allah’s apparant annoyance with the Saudi’s, etc.
It’s easy to read supernatural intention in this tragedy, but at the end of the day it’s just a very tragic accident due to very bad weather.
News reports somewhere between 80 and 100 deaths.
Hmm…your note is the first I’ve heard of this and I’ve not seen anything else…but crane collapses, even in inclement weather, are, any more, always due to some form of malpractice by the owner / operator. Failure to properly install the equipment, failure to size it appropriately, failure to secure it as directed by the weather forecast…failure of some sort.
Pretty much the only two legitimate excuses would be sabotage (etc.) or a tornado (or hurricane) or some other natural disaster that caused widespread general destruction.
But if the surrounding structures were intact and unscathed…then I’ll place blame squarely on the bin Laden Group and its employees.
b&
Here is the article from the BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34226003 and here from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/middleeast/saudi-arabia-mecca-crane-collapse/
Thanks.
I’m definitely, emphatically going with malpractice on this one. It’s a large mobile crane on tank-like tracks. Meaning that it could be quickly retracted, lowered, moved, and secured. To not do so when weather reports include thunderstorm activity nearby is criminal.
We get similar storms here in the Valley of the Sun all the time. And there’s all kinds of construction all over the place, as you’d expect in any major metropolis. If something like that happened here…the blame would be on the owner, not the weather.
…and, honestly, I don’t think I’d give them a pass even if their weather reporting sucks. Those kinds of storms are clearly visible from any high perch at least fifteen minutes before they hit — more than enough time to secure the crane.
b&
You’re absolutely right. I fear though that no one will be punished, this being Saudi-Arabia.
…and the name on the side of the crane being bin Laden….
b&
Years ago our cat delivered, through the kitchen door, a chipmunk (chipus munkus). She dropped it on the floor and it hunched up in a fetal position as if it had been disabled.
“Get it out!” shouted mom.
I was foolish enough to pick it up. It sank it’s incisors cleanly into my finger down to the bone. One of the most painful experiences I’ve had.
Bonechipmunk.
meow
Well, at least the recipient of the official notice from the cat didn’t have to pick it up at the sorting office.
It’s a nice touch that, although the delivery notice includes highly specific information all the better to whet one’s anticipation, the cat couldn’t be bothered to tic which of the boxes actually apply.
That kitty is very cute and who wouldn’t want a fun, active pet? Trying but endlessly entertaining!
I hope whatever you decide, you get a cat of some sort!