by Grania
Welcome to the weekend, even though it is a grey and wet weekend here in Ireland.
In history today:
644 – Umar ibn al-Khattab, companion to the Prophet Mohammed, and the second Muslim caliph, was assassinated by a Persian slave in Medina.
1534 – English Parliament passed the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Anglican Church, supplanting the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
1838 – The Times of India, the world’s largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper was founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
1883 – In the American Old West self-described “Black Bart the poet” attempted his last stagecoach robbery, but he left a clue (his handkerchief) that eventually lead to his capture.
1997 – The United States of America imposes economic sanctions against Sudan in response to its human rights abuses of its own citizens and its material and political assistance to Islamic extremist groups across the Middle East and Eastern Africa.
Today’s birthday candidates are boxer Larry Holmes (1949), American football player Colin Kaepernick (1987) , US politician Michael Dukakis (1933), UK singer Adam Ant (1954) and comedian Roseanne Barr (1952).
In Dobrzyń today Hili appears to be out of sorts.
Hili: I’m quiet and humble.A: And?Hili: Never mind, it will soon pass.
Hili: Jestem cicha i skromna.
Ja: I co?
Hili: Nic, zaraz mi przejdzie.
Click through on this one for a thread of the cats of this library.
Meet Byron ( after the poet Lord Byron ) and Teresa ( Lord B.'s last passion, also called Teresina/Terry ). They are from a small crew of adopted cats hosted at the Biblioteca Classense in Ravenna, Italy, where the British writer spent some years of his legendary life. #Byron pic.twitter.com/z6O8P2c1pR
— Debora Sanfilippo (@Debora_Milano_) November 3, 2018
A cloud formation you may not have seen before.
Original Tweet…Amazing pic. I had not seen it on Twitter so Twitter from Facebook with full attribution to NOAA and the pilot, https://t.co/PpBKz5BA6m
— Marshall Shepherd (@DrShepherd2013) November 2, 2018
Have a little priest (click through for the whole thread)
I have a long and boring train journey ahead of me today so here's a thread of post Reformation Archbishops of Canterbury as crisps:
— Fergus Butler-Gallie (@_F_B_G_) November 2, 2018
If you’re looking for a desktop background with a space theme, the image truly is spectacular.
Doing some writing and came across this Hubble image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, which is around 25 million light years away and is twice the size of the Milky Way containing a trillion stars. You can download it at a resolution of 15852 x 12392 !!!!https://t.co/NuWLjrfEim
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) November 2, 2018
A labor of Hercules from a performance poet who has re-invented a type of Rick-rolling.
https://twitter.com/hurricane_ros/status/1058378702030102529
A thread about first person to run across Westminster Bridge within the twelve chimes of Big Ben.
https://twitter.com/meandmybigmouth/status/1058436132206268416
A house-proud fish
This fish knows how to say NOPE 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/rUlLDBwoe5
— The Dodo (@dodo) November 2, 2018
14 seconds of lion cubs playing
https://twitter.com/AMAZlNGNATURE/status/1058500530241134592
And a baby tiger
https://twitter.com/BoringEnormous/status/1058456078629920768
A cautionary tale
This is why you should always keep your windows closed when going on a self-drive safari in Kruger National Park! 😅🦁 pic.twitter.com/U4z060XiTA
— Meet My Mzansi 🌞 (@MeetMyMzansi) November 2, 2018
An unfortunately worded sign
https://twitter.com/YouHadOneJ0B/status/1058365615763873792
10 seconds of baby bat
https://twitter.com/FluffSociety/status/1058041016811470848
Jesus Christ is cranky lately
Solid tweeting all around here. pic.twitter.com/fuk3r0sM3T
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) November 2, 2018
Weird chemistry
https://twitter.com/PhysicsVideo_/status/1058218693535006723
An instructional manual; full article here. Get lost at football games…
‘Stand in a corner and cry softly. Chances are good…’ pic.twitter.com/FK9IOfUoFq
— Sorcha Ní Nia (@Luiseach) November 1, 2018
This is really clever
https://twitter.com/ZonePhysics/status/1057967639429926912
As is this
https://twitter.com/xxlfunny1/status/1058121523804995586
Hat-tip: Matthew
Reblogged this on chrismakan.
Those library cats – more pics of an artistic & ingenious nature of that library, books, cats & people HERE
“Athlete Florence Ilott races across Westminster Bridge at noon on April 14 1934. She achieves her aim of crossing the bridge before Big Ben has stopped striking 12 noon. The distance is 1160ft. Traffic and people cross the bridge in the ordinary way while this feat is undertaken. Big Ben is covered in scaffolding”
https://youtu.be/lgkamDHj1-M
Tip # 35 pretty much works for everyone, men, women, gay, straight…
My fraternity bought a six week old lion cub when I was in college. Made a great pet for two months. We then had to sell it. It was too big to control and kelp lunging at people and trying to bite them. But it was great while it was little🚍.
It’s gratifying to know that Florence Ilott, an amateur runner, went on to win many racing trophies. She died in her 80s with a mess of them. Also, that Scott Pack the tweeter is her son.
I generally recall that Henry VIII consolidated his power over the English church in 4 separate successive acts which the play “A Man For All Seasons” (interestingly a favorite of Christopher Hitchens) consolidated into one for purposes of dramatic license.
I somehow feel compelled to observe the occasion with this oldie from Herman’s Hermits.
https://youtu.be/4cly_2pGTNw
Beautiful clouds and mercury-aluminium!