It’s Monday, October 9, 2017, and I’ve decided to go to Cambridge (Mass.) for a little R&R next week. I see in the news that the sexual predator Harvey Weinstein has been fired from his company (one of those who fired him was his brother), and that Donald Trump has proposed a ridiculous DACA (“Dreamer”) emendation that won’t stand up in Congress because it’s not filibuster-proof. One piece of good news; one piece of bad. It’s National Dessert Day, which, sadly, falls on one of my fast days, but I have some ice cream in the freezer that I can nom tomorrow. It’s also World Post Day, celebrating the formation of the Universal Postal Union on this day in 1874. Think about it: without that, you couldn’t easily write to someone in another country (each pair of countries had to have their own postal treaty!).
On this day in 1604, “Supernova 1604” appeared—the most recent supernova visible to the naked eye in the Milky Way. Since the star was 20,000 light years away, the explosion actually happened about 18,400 B.C.C. (before Ceiling Cat). On this day in 1874, the Universal Postal Union was formed according to the Treaty of Bern (see above). On October 9, 1967, Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia, shot nine times at close range with a rifle. His last words were reportedly, ” “I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, coward! You are only going to kill a man!” Here’s a famous picture of Guevara taken after his death in the laundry room of a local hospital; it was released to prove to the world he was dead:
Exactly two years later, the National Guard was called out in Chicago to control demonstrations about the trial of the “Chicago Eight“. On October 9, 1981, France abolished capital punishment. And exactly five years ago, the Pakistani Taliban tried to assassinate the schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai. Two years later, at age 17, she was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize—the youngest Nobelist ever.
Those born on this day include Camille Saint-Saëns (1835), Alfred Dreyfus, French colonel (1859), Max von Laue (1879), Jil Ker Conway (1934), John Lennon (1940), Jackson Browne (1948), and Sean Lennon, John’s son (1975). Notables who died on this day are few: Oskar Schindler (1974), and Clare Boothe Luce (1987).
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, the animals are hungry, which is not news:
Hili: What would we like to eat now?Cyrus: Let me think.
Hili: Co byśmy zjedli?
Cyrus: Daj się zastanowić.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada, and Gus got some special noms. His staff reported and sent a video:
Gus is getting a bite of leftover turkey. I wasn’t sure if he would eat it, but as you can see, it went over pretty well.
And here are tweets pinched from Heather Hastie, who has a bunch of nice gun-control tweets up on her site. In this one, a 13 year old boy tries to buy cigarettes, porno magazines, lottery tickets, and a rifle at a gun show. He succeeds at only one task—guess which!
Wow … pretty much sums up America's gun problem pic.twitter.com/k1RXXcO4jG
— Zora Suleman (@ZoraSuleman) October 7, 2017
This is a baby caracal (Caracal caracal); I’m not sure if their voices become different as they age. (See one catch a bird here.)
https://twitter.com/planetepics/status/916775138150047745
This video perfectly captures the joys of kittenhood:
The Che poster adorned to walls of our 6th form common room in the 70s – & millions of teenager bedrooms!
Love those kitty cats. By the way, if you go over to Space.com another space x dragon is going up in 9 or 10 minutes.
“Who put the nine bullets in Che Guevara? 100 Bolivian sharpshooters”.
One man with a rifle.
Ruthless US global interests? You gotta be ruthless when you shoot a guy with his hands tied behind his back. Or an I wrong?
Heard about the Irish firing squad? They stand all round the prisoner in a circle…
cr
FAST day? Do you fast 2 days a week or what? Why? Weight? Life-extension?
We hommes d’un certain âge have to watch our boyish figures. 🙂
The Weinstein sexual harassment story should not go without more press. It was the press and one or two brave women who uncovered this guy. In the Hollywood environment it goes on without notice or regulation. And this is the so-called liberal center of the earth. Money allows bad things to happen in and out of politics.
I, for one, was deeply moved by the Donald’s speaking out against Weinstein on this — as I was by his sincerity in naming last April “sexual harassment awareness and prevention month.”
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in that comment?
cr
Think about how many accusations against Bill Cosby there were over the years that resulted in no action whatsoever until some male comedian called him a rapist. Actually, I shouldn’t say “no action”–the accusations resulted in character assassination by Cosby and women learned once again that it doesn’t pay to speak out.
To say Weinstein is the tip of an iceberg is a huge understatement.
Happy Leif Erikson Day!
Today is actually Thanksgiving day in Canada. But some people held their celebrations yesterday. My family is having their turkey dinner today. I’ll see if my kitteh will eat a little piece of turkey. I doubt he will, as he is very picky and only likes his kibble.
Che does not look dead in that picture. I know he is, but, it wasn’t a very convincing picture to show the world and prove it. A few years ago, I bought a t-shirt with the famous image of Che on it, while on vacation in Cuba. My (conservative) brother was aghast. “But, he was a terrorist!” he said, astonished that I would wear such a thing. It had never occurred to me that it would offend some people.
You mightn’t want to wear that t-shirt if you’re ever visiting Miami, Claudia, especially around Little Havana.
Duly noted!
Gus knows what’s good, and it’s turkey.
I’d like to know if your kitty will eat the turkey. Every cat I’ve had likes turkey (the real stuff, not deli turkey, though that’ll do). I had one cat, Mongo, who was a complete turkey freak. Couldn’t get enough. Just saying “turkey, turkey,” within earshot would have him at my feet in no time.
Haha – that is very cute about Mongo.
I’ll see later tonight if Bodie will take a bite of turkey. I have tried to give him bites of: steak, chicken, salmon. No dice. He turns up his nose. The only thing he likes (besides his own food) is to lick the last droplets of milk in my cereal bowl when I have finished eating. I can’t remember if I have tried him with turkey, but I must have, as he is 12 years old. I’ll let you know later! 🙂
I await the news. But if he turns up his nose at those three choice kinds of flesh, perhaps turkey is a no-go, too. He likes what he likes, as we all do.
Well, I tried…but he refused to even take a bite! He definitely “likes what he likes”. He is not as sophisticated a kitteh as Gus, methinks. For the record: I LOVE turkey.
Well, that answers my question. Thanks. More turkey for you! and leave a little more milk in your cereal bowl for Bodie.
Bodes will thank you for that suggestion.
That photo of Che – exactly my reaction too. He looks distinctly healthy and not in the least bit dead.
(I hesitate to suggest that they should have shot him a bit more for photographic effect…
And in saying that, please understand I mean no disrespect to Che, who I respect).
cr
It’s the open eyes, I think.