Wednesday: Hili dialogue

August 10, 2016 • 6:30 am

One week from today I’ll be home, which will be sad, as I’ll miss Dobrzyn. I won’t be traveling again until October—and then just to Pittsburgh. Today is August 10, 2016, and I’ll give a truncated version of today’s Big Events, since Grania informed me that listing many of them is too much for readers to absorb in the morning!

On this day in history, 2003 (from Wikipedia): “The highest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom, 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) in Kent, England. It is the first time the United Kingdom has recorded a temperature over 100 °F (38 °C).” It won’t be the last! It’s not all that rare to temperatures like that in Chicago—even higher if you factor in humidity. I understand that Brits die by the score at temperatures like that.

A notable born on this day: Phoolan Devi, the “Bandit Queen” of India (1963-2001), who, born in Uttar Pradesh to a low-caste family, led a rough and colorful life. She was a folk hero to Indians, especially women, despite her leading a gang that committed murders (she often murdered men who abused women and/or low-caste Hindus). She was arrested, jailed for 11 years, released, elected to the Indian parliament, and then assassinated in New Delhi the age of 37.

phollandevi

A notable who died on this day was Rin Tin Tin (1918-1932), the most famous American movie dog: a German shepherd who starred in many Hollywood movies and was a hug box office draw. Tin was succeeded by many other faux Rin Tin Tins (I remember some from my youth). The original d*g was rescued from a battlefield in World War I.

135th_Aero_Squadron_Group
From Wikipedia: Officers and men of the 135th Aero Squadron with their mascot “Rin Tin Tin” shortly after his rescue as a puppy in 1918.

Where_the_North_Begins_1923

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili gave me a warm greeting on my return from Poznan:

Hili: So how was it in Poznań?
Jerry: Wonderful, but even though it is nice everywhere, Dobrzyń is best of all.
P1040675
In Polish:
Hili: Jak ci było w Poznaniu?
Jerry: Wspaniale, chociaż wszędzie dobrze, ale w Dobrzyniu najlepiej.
There’s Polish wordplay here, as one of the roots of “Dobrzyn” is, as you see, “dobrze”, which means “good.” The last line is the Polish equivalent of “There’s no place like home.”

15 thoughts on “Wednesday: Hili dialogue”

  4. I’m just back in from an 18k run in the mountains with my own GSD – over some pretty rough terrain to boot. They are awesome dogs and I’m not at all surprised Rin-Tin-Tin was such a beloved character. Before I had Archer I never realised how utterly sweet they are. Big, fierce-looking, protective, but goofy and playful as well, and utterly devoted to their owner.

      1. We got lucky, it was perfect running conditions, a wee bit chilly and a little damp 🙂 so we said to heck with it and ran to the top of the fire road which over looks the city.

  5. What a story behind Phoolan Devi! Tnanks for bringing that to our attention. It sounds like something from the dark distant past but this was in today’s India. Very disturbing violent picture of rural life in the poorer parts of India.

    1. Quite an informative saga, indeed. Thank you, Dr Coyne. I, too, had not known of this person before this post !

      Blue

  6. And speaking of hot, today may be the most uncomfortable day of the summer in western Iowa. At 7 am the outdoors is like walking into a swimming pool. Brings back those lovely days in Guam or the Philippines. Dehumidifiers will be working overtime today.

    1. The summer in Southern Ontario has sucked. July and August pretty much every day with no rain and over 30C plus humidity.

  7. I recall from a documentary that the original Rin Tin Tin was a total *ssh*l* to work with, as he was very aggressive. Everyone hated him.

  8. Last summer (when we were in the UK) was pretty toasty too:

    Heatwave 1 July 2015

    The UK experienced a 1-day heatwave as hot air moved north from Spain, setting a new July temperature record.

    The highest temperatures were recorded across south-east England, reaching the low to mid-30s. Temperatures also reached 30 °C across parts of northern England, and the heat also extended to the far north of Scotland.

    Weather data

    Heathrow, Greater London recorded a maximum temperature of 36.7 °C, the highest July temperature on record for the UK, and just ahead of the previous July record 36.5 °C at Wisley, Surrey on 19 July 2006. This was the highest temperature recorded in the UK since the record-breaking heatwave of 10 August 2003. The only times a temperature of 36.7 °C has been reached in the UK in observational records were 9 August 1911 (36.7 °C at Raunds, Northamptonshire, Canterbury, Kent and Epsom, Surrey); this UK record stood for nearly 80 years until 3 August 1990 (37.1 °C at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire) which was broken again on 10 August 2003 (38.5 °C at Faversham, Kent).

    On 1 July the temperature also reached 35.7 °C at Kew Gardens and Northolt, Greater London, 35.3 °C at Wittering, Cambridgeshire and 35.2 °C at Faversham, Kent. Temperatures across the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of north-west and north-east England were also into the low 30s including 33.4 °C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire and 31.9 °C at Brampton, Cumbria. The heat extended to the north of Scotland with 29.0 °C at Aviemore, Inverness-shire and 28.0 °C at Altnaharra, Sutherland.

    A notable feature of the heatwave was the high temperatures early in the day. At 0900 GMT the temperature was already 32.5 °C at Heathrow, resulting in the highest night-time maximum temperature (2100 to 0900 GMT) on record for the UK. (Increased automation of the UK’s weather station network means that there are many more 12-hour observations of this type than in the past, since most manual stations only report 24-hour 0900 to 0900 GMT values.)

    36.7°C (98.1°F) is mighty hot in England!

    Luckily, that day we were in the Channel coast town of Lyme Regis and the weather was very moderate (wind off the water).

  9. I understand that Brits die by the score at temperatures like that.

    I understand a similar fate befalls mad dogs in the midday sun.

  10. I remember getting a Rin-Tin-Tin book (a novel?) and a Tintin book at about the same time in about grade 1 or so. That was confusing for a bit, especially as Tintin of course includes a dog (of a rather different sort) as a character.

  11. If Hoomins hadn’t invented sofas, it would be necessary for cats to develop thumbs and do the job for the poor benighted Hoomins.

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