Good morning on a wet Chicago Wednesday—January 25, 2017. It’s National Irish Coffee Day (didn’t we just have that?), one of the few “sweet” drinks I actually like, particularly when made with Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, strong black coffee (preferably a triple or quadruple espresso), and real whipped cream. It’s also National Voters’ Day in India, the world’s largest democracy.
On January 25, 1858, according to Wikipedia, a famous occasional song had its debut: “The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.” On this day in 1915, trans-US phone service began when Alexander Graham Bell spoke from New York to his famous associate Thomas Watson in San Francisco. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics began in Chamonix, France, and, in 1961, JFK held the very first Presidential news conference (I bet he answered questions, too!). On this day in 1971, Charles Manson and three female members of his family were convicted for the Tate-LaBianca murders. Finally, on January 25, 1996, murderer Billy Bailey became the last person in the US to be hanged. He rejected the option of lethal injection, and the state of Delaware had to make extensive preparations and do a ton of research, for it hadn’t hanged anyone in five decades.
Notables born on this day include Robert Burns (1759; is it Burns Night tonight?), W. Somerset Maugham (1874), Virginia Woolf (1882), and Etta James (1938). Those who died on this day include Lucas Cranach the Younger (1586), Al Capone (1947, syphillis), Ava Gardner (1990, ♥), and Philip Johnson (2005). Here’s a section of “The Last Judgment” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (painted 1525-1530):
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, we have a Hili dialogue, so Andrzej and Malgorzata aren’t completely moribund—though I’ve not heard from them about their flu. Once again Hili is touting her appearance and lovely fur; as she once bragged, she’s beautiful to look at, lovely to touch, and her coat is suitable for every occasion.
Hili: Do I look impressive?A:No doubt for mice you do.
Hili: Czy wyglądam imponująco?
Ja: Dla myszy z pewnością.
Out in the windy wilds of Winnipeg, Gus got himself baked on ‘nip:. As staff Taskin reports:
I put new catnip in this large toy yesterday and of course Gus noticed immediately. 🙂
Here’s a photo of the stoned cat with this caption:
Look at that face! That ‘nipped out adorable face!
Finally, a nice tw**t about the World’s Worst Cat:
>>is it Burns Night tonight?
It certainly is – and I’m going out to catch a haggis and cook it!
Alan.
I caught one on its migration through London…
Was it of the clockwise or the anti-clockwise variety?
You can tell from the relative lengths of their left and right legs.
Because they spend most of their adult lives running around Scottish mountains, those who do so in a clockwise direction have evolved so that their right legs are shorter than their left ones – to keep them upright. The reverse is true of the anti-clockwise runners.
Alan.
BUT – I am out of whisky!!!
You’re outside your whisky? And this is a problem?
I’m outside venison haggis – just for a change. (Perfectly acceptable, but not worth crossing the road for.)
I hear firemen regard Nov 5th as Burns night .
I know ,bad taste .
Or worlds BEST cat. Ever.
Yes. A fine display of diversity.
Yes, I find her cute. Could be used as a mascot of a peace movement.
“Peace through Superior Fang Power”?
Rather, peace through non-proliferation of fangs (and carnassials).
Ummm, searches for a trope.
Fangs don’t kill birds ; cats kill birds.
Continuing the Natl.Gun.Assoc. quote mine,
Cats don't kill birds ; people who let cats out of their house kill birds.Watch out Jerry – Trump is sending in the Feds!
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-chicago-idUSKBN15907T
Ah yes, the party of small government and states rights strikes again.
Is that the first televised news conference? (I should think prior presidents held conferences with print and radio reporters.)
Gus ALWAYS cheers me up! These days, we need a lot of Gus (and Hili, of course).
“trans-US phone service” could have a different meaning today
Re the cat with the rats is that real ,or is it a hoax?.
There are many Google images of cats nursing rats so this must be real [no point in faking it]
Yes ,i now know ,and there is a cat that took over the care of 2 ducklings .
Cranach either wanted people to suffer or he thought Macabre was cool.
Maybe the two “National Irish Coffee Day”s are for two different nations? 😉
One is for stocking up on the ingredients, and the other is for re-stocking.
This doesn’t sound right to me, since the Wedding March is part of Mendelssohn’s incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, composed in 1842 and first performed with the play in 1843. The Wikipedia article on the Wedding March says it was first used at a wedding in 1847. So I guess Victoria and Friedrich’s wedding in 1858 was the first celebrity wedding to use it.
Apart from the Wedding March, the Overture and incidental music are perhaps best known today as the score for Balanchine’s 1962 ballet.