Category: Hili Dialogue

Thursday: Hili dialogue

April 19, 2018 • 6:30 am

by Grania

Good morning!

A noteworthy marker from today in history – the cartoon show The Simpsons made its debut in 1987 as a 2 minute short on The Tracey Ullman Show. I suspect it is safe to say that no-one thought it would still be running 31 years later. Whether it should still be running 31 years later is another question.

NASA TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) lifted off yesterday evening. It has its own website here if you want to follow its journey.

Other stuff from Twitter today.

A niche joke, both funny and painful to academics

In Ireland: Cows making like gazelles. Please note the grey skies that pass for “a lovely day” here.

The perils of asking for a cappuccino.

From the World Of Cats on the Internet today:

Gus’s staff Taskin sent us this picture of Gus exploring. It’s now snowless enough for him to roam, but he muddied himself terribly. In fact, Taskin says that this is the dirtiest Gus has ever gotten. He then proceeded to go back in the house and lie down on the harpsichord bench, getting it muddy.

And possibly the strangest thing you’ll see today (or not). Dozhdlivaya Istoriya (A Rainy Story) – a cat tale from the Soviet Union.

 

Finally, a bit of flattery in the feline world.

Hili: Why do people like quackery, pseudo-science and conspiracy theories so much?
A: Because they lack the feline perspective.

In Polish:

Hili: Dlaczego ludzie tak uwielbiają szamaństwo, pseudonaukę i teorie spiskowe?
Ja: Z braku kociej perspektywy.

Hat-tip: Barry

Saturday: Hili dialogue

April 14, 2018 • 6:30 am

by Grania

Good morning!

Today J.C. Penney opened his first store in 1902; Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush established America’s first abolitionist society in 1775, and in 1912 the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg on its first voyage to America giving the world it’s most memorable civilian sea tragedy and, some years later, it’s most excruciating ballad. In 1935 during the height of the Great Depression, Oklahoma and then Texas were hit by a severe dust storm that was to remove 300 million tons of topsoil. It was dubbed Black Sunday and compounded the economic damage already experienced in the region.

In slightly less serious affairs, please enjoy this cat scarfing down food as fast as it can go.

https://twitter.com/EmrgencyKittens/status/984457443013988352

Amazing footage of a Great White.

https://twitter.com/AMAZlNGNATURE/status/983535804755664896

A handful of Tribolonotus gracilis.

https://twitter.com/thehumanxp/status/984128957460119552

A cool scan of a snake mid-meal.

And a tale of a baby leopard.

On to Poland where Hili is receiving tributes from visitors to court.

Radek: I haven’t seen you for a long time.
Hili: Only because you haven’t been here for a long time.

 

In Polish:

Radek: Dawno cię nie widziałem.
Hili: To tylko dlatego, że dawno nie przyjeżdżałeś.

Finally, an update from Gus, who is looking particularly pristine today.

Hat-tip: Barry

Monday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)

April 2, 2018 • 7:00 am

It’s Monday, April 2, 2018, so Spring is well ensconced—in theory. Yesterday was the fourth coldest Easter since the mid-1800s, and it’s predicted to remain cold in Chicago for two weeks or so. It’s National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day as well, and this will most probably be my lunch. It’s also International Children’s Book Day, and I’m waiting patiently to hear some news on my own such work from the publisher.

April 2 was, historically, not a big news day. On this day in 1513, Juan Ponce de León first caught sight of land in what is now Florida.  On April 2, 1800, Beethoven led the first performance of his First Symphony in Vienna. On April 2, 1917, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson requested that the Congress declare war on Germany; Congress complied two days later. Finally, on this day in 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, setting off the Falklands War.  According to Wikipedia, here’s how London was informed:

At 16:30 local time on 2 April 1982, the last telex conversation between the operator in the Falklands and an operative in London, announced that the islands were under Argentine control.

LON (London): HELLO THERE WHAT ARE ALL THESE RUMOURS WE HEAR THIS IS LON
FK (Falklands): WE HAVE LOTS OF NEW FRIENDS
LON: WHAT ABOUT INVASION RUMOURS
FK: THOSE ARE THE FRIENDS I WAS MEANING
LON: THEY HAVE LANDED
FK: ABSOLUTELY
LON: ARE YOU OPEN FOR TRAFFIC (i.e. normal telex service)
FK: NO ORDERS ON THAT YET ONE MUST OBEY ORDERS
LON: WHOSE ORDERS
FK: THE NEW GOVERNORS
LON: ARGENTINA
FK: YES
LON: ARE THE ARGENTINIANS IN CONTROL
FK: YES YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH THOUSANDS OF TROOPS PLUS ENORMOUS NAVY SUPPORT WHEN YOU ARE ONLY 1800 STRONG. STAND BY PLEASE.

Notables born on April 2 include Charlemagne (742), Giacomo Casanova (yes, that one; 1725), Hans Christian Andersen (1805), Émile Zola (1840), Buddy Ebsen (1908), Alec Guinness (1914), Serge Gainsbourg (1928), Marvin Gaye (1939; shot to death 1984), Leon Russell (1942), and Emmylou Harris and Camille Paglia (both 1947). Those who expired on this day include Samuel “Code” Morse (1872), Georges Pompidou (1974), Buddy Rich (1987), and Pope John Paul II (2005).

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is engaging in classic feline dithering about whether to come in or stay out:

A: Are you coming back?
Hili: I have to think about it.
In Polish:
Ja: Wracasz?
Hili: Muszę się jeszcze zastanowić.

And in Wloclawek, Leon is chilling before the television. I have to say that he has strange tastes in programs.

Leon: Prepare me something to eat. I’m watching a serial now.

In Polish: Przygotuj mi coś do zjedzenia, teraz serial oglądam.

Big news from Winnipeg: Gus had a nap in the sun!

Reader Barry sent an Easter-related cartoon:

A tweet from Grania. I get why bath clogs have to be raised off the floor, but so high?

And a few from Matthew.  He insists on presenting another color illusion, but I expect readers to find out this is bogus:

Here’s the supposed proof (tweet can be found here):

Okay, this is an April Fool joke, but it’s not mine:

Dumb dog tries to get a statue to throw a ball:

Post-Easter eggs:

Here’s a possible successor to Bill Nye:

And a funny take on an ancient statue:

https://twitter.com/ArcheryButts/status/979678450733764608

Sunday: Hili dialogue

April 1, 2018 • 6:30 am

It’s April 1, 2018: April Fool’s Day, so look for a lot of bogus stories and articles on the Web. (You won’t find any here, I promise). It’s National Sourdough Bread Day, celebrating one of America’s contributions to world gastronomy. It’s also Edible Book Day, when real books made out of food are created and then eaten.

But mainly, it’s EASTER!

And from reader Jon, who says “this is from the Lost Gospel of Gary Larson”:

From reader pyers:

In Germany, reader Robert found this poster, adding “Something fitting for Easter, and further proof for the secularization of Europe: A current election poster by German spoof party ‘The Party’. The caption says, colloquially ‘Don’t waste your cross!'” [JAC: I translate it literally as “Don’t create shit with your cross”, with the cross referring to the mark on one’s ballot. The rest says “On 24 September, choose “The Party”.]

And a true Easter tale from Malgorzata:

Today Andrzej cut my hair and he put the hair outside for birds. When we went to sit on the verandah for a while, we observed a very nice picture: a sparrow discovered my hair and was busily collecting it for its nest. It flew away with the beak full of white hair—it looked like whiskers! And this is not an “April Fool” story—it was real.

I wish I had a photo of that!

Here’s my annual Jewish Easter joke; I posted it last year, writing this:

I love a good Jewish joke, and this is an excellent one for Easter. It comes from the site Southern Jewish Humor, which gets the story from Eli N. Evans, who wrote The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South:

Evans said he searched for the best example he could find of Southern Jewish humor.  He told the story of a Jewish storekeeper in a small town who was approached by the Christian elders to show solidarity for their Easter holiday.

Mr. Goldberg was chagrined but when Easter came, after sunrise services on a nearby hilltop, the mayor, all the churchgoers, and the leading families in the city gathered in the town square in front of his store.  The store had a new sign but it was draped with a parachute.

After an introduction from the mayor, at the appointed hour, the owner pulled the rope and there it was revealed in all its wonder for all to see: “Christ Has Risen, but Goldberg’s prices remain the same.”

Now the day’s events. On April 1, 1867, Singapore became a British crown colony.  On this day in 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for participating in the “Beer Hall Putsch”. He served only nine months, and dictated the first volume of Mein Kampf while in jail.  Exactly nine years later, the Nazis, organized by Julius Streicher, carried out a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned business in Germany: the first in many anti-Semitic acts. On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the “Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act” into law, which required warning labels from the Surgeon General on all tobacco products, and banned cigarette advertising on the radio and television in the U.S. beginning January 1, 1971.  On April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple, Inc. in Cupterino, California. The rest is history, and I’m using the company’s product at this moment.  On April 1, 1979, Iran, by a 99% popular vote, became an Islamic republic.  Exactly 20 years later, the Canadian territory of Nunavit was established, once part of the Northwest Territories.  On this day in 2001, Slobodan Milošević, former president of Yugoslavia, surrendered to police. He was tried on war crimes charges, and died in prison. Also on that day, the first modern country to allow same-sex marriage, the Netherlands, made it legal. Finally, on this day in 2004, Google announced it was making Gmail accessible to the public.

Notables born on April 1 include William Harvey (1578), Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755), Otto von Bismarck (1815), Lon Chaney (1883), Toshiro Mifune (1920), William Manchester (1922), Milan Kundera (1929), Debbie Reynolds (1932), and Jimmy Cliff (1948). Those who died on April 1 include Scott Joplin (1917), Max Ernst (1976), Marvin Gaye (1984; shot to death), Martha Graham (1991), Carrie “I fell in love with the actress” Snodgrass (2004), and Yevgeny Yevtushenko (last year).

Among those resurrected on this day was Jesus H. Christ (33 AD).

Here’s a nice Max Ernst painting, “Still Life with Cat” (or so it says on Pinterest; I’m not convince it’s an Ernst):

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili made her own April Fool joke:

Hili: Mother of God is watching over Poland.
A: What nonsense is that?
Hili: April Fool!
In Polish:
Hili: Matka Boska ma Polskę w opiece.
Ja: Co ty opowiadasz?
Hili: Prima Aprilis!
In Winnipeg, staff Taskin has built a special “enrichment feeding device” for Gus, and filmed him using it. Here’s Taskin’s description:

Here’s a special Gus video for you. Gus is hunting for some of his kibble and a few of the shrimp treats he loves. I saw this idea on a Simon’s Cat video a while back and finally got around to trying it.

For a nice Easter read, I refer you to Heather Hastie’s new post: “Third Month Mania: Bracket of Bullshit (Semi-Final)”, in which she’s having a contest between the dumbest things that happened this year.

And now, the tweets:

From Matthew: the birth of a baby chameleon. We’ve been having some debate about whether this mimics defecation by the creature, hiding the baby. The poo of this species is indeed brown:

The athleticism of a determined moggie:

Two videos of a standoff between lions and hyenas over a lion kill. Hyenas win!

A handful of living jewels:

And breaching whales:

 

Friday: Hili dialogue

March 30, 2018 • 6:31 am

It’s nearly April, for it’s Friday, March 30, 2018. It’s National Turkey Neck Soup Day, and WTF? In the US it’s National Doctors’ Day, a group that would probably prescribe turkey neck soup for colds.

Today I must hie to the suburbs to get the CeilingCatMobile emissions tested, something that happens every few years. My car is now 18 years old (with only 74,000 miles), but it always passes. Nevertheless, I approach each of these tests with the huge trepidation I felt when taking final exams in college. Will I pass? All this is by way of saying that posting will probably be light today, as I’ll be out in what they call “Chicagoland. (Note that there is no “New Yorkland” or “LosAngelesand”.) As always, I do my best.

On March 30, 1842, Ether anesthesia was used for the first time in an operation by Dr. Crawford Long to remove a neck tumor.  Exactly a quarter century later, the United States, via Secretary of State William H. Seward, bought Alaska from Russia for only $7.2 million, or a price of about 2 American cents per acre ($4.19 per square kilometer). This was again a bargain (though called “Seward’s Folly”), and had it not been done, Sarah Palin not only would have been able to see Russia from her house, but her house actually would have been in Russia.  On this day in 1945, the Red Army invaded Austria, capturing Vienna, while Polish and Soviet forces also liberated Danzig.  On March 30, 1981, John Hinkley, Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel, wounding three others, including White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was severely injured died from the aftereffects of his wound in 2014.  Hinkley was released from psychiatric confinement two years ago, and now lives with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I went to college, under strict legal supervision.  Finally, exactly one year ago today, SpaceX launched the first “reflight” of an orbital rocket—using a previously launched booster rocket.

Notables born on this day include the rabbi Maimonides (1135), Francisco Goya (1746), Paul Verlaine (1844), Vincent van Gogh (1853), Seán O’Casey (1880), Warren Beatty (1937), Eric Clapton (1945), my friend the science historian Janet Browne (1950; I implore you to read her two-volume biography of Charles Darwin, which is a masterpiece), and Celine Dion (1968; she’s fifty today). Those who fell asleep on this day include Beau Brummell (1840), Karl May (1912), Maxfield Parrish (1966; he was 94), James Cagney (1986), Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), who died in 2002 at 101 (a kvetch at my friend Anne Magurran, who, when I lived in Edinburgh while the Queen Mother was alive, wouldn’t let me go into Ladbrokes to make a substantial bet that the dowager would live more than a century), Alistair Cooke (2004), Dith Pran (2008), and Phil Ramone (2013).

Here are two lovely Goya paintings:

Riña de Gatos (Cat fight), 1786-1787

Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga, 1788, which has two cats and a magpie!

Today Hili is discussing her resemblance to Andrzej, and, not remembering this picture, I asked Malgorzata if this was Andrzej. She responded, “Yes it’s Andrzej taken some time when he was between 35 and 40. I don’t remember the exact date but we were still in Sweden. It’s a picture hanging on my bookshelf. You must’ve seen it without noticing.” Now I know, but I still don’t see the resemblance!

Hili: You must admit that we are alike.
A: Amazingly, and we have the same ironic facial expression.
In Polish:
Hili: Przyznasz, że jesteśmy do siebie podobni.
Ja: Niesłychanie i mamy ten sam ironiczny wyraz twarzy.

Up in Winnipeg, Gus has been outdoors a lot since the weather’s been warming up. Back inside (he gets “coming in crunchies” when he returns), he sleeps off his outdoor adventures on the Katzenbaum:

A cartoon from reader Laurie, part of Theo’s staff:

Matthew sent a clip from All in the Family, the best television comedy of all time.  The more things change, the more they remain the same:

Matthew loves illusions, and here’s a good one. How on Earth did the guy do it? Guesses or answers below, please.

A correction in the Wall Street Journal, tweeted by a reporter at the Jerusalem Post:

Check out these classic evolution texts (I have my own list). If you’re an evolutionist, you’ll recognize Ernst Mayr on the left, George C. Williams standing, and John Maynard Smith on the right:

A very bizarre parasitic fly does its business underwater, and then floats to the surface in an air bubble! (click on tweet to enlarge)

Here’s another human ailment besides smallpox that may be eradicated from our planet: (we’ve also gotten rid of rinderpest, but that’s a disease of domestic cattle):

Grania loves Maine Coon cats because they’re big and fluffy. Here’s an awesome kitten she sent. Look at that split face, a color difference that bisects the nose, too. Do you know why?

https://twitter.com/EmrgencyKittens/status/979161766402887680

Without a doubt this is the most bizarre skull I’ve ever seen!

The skull belongs to this creature:

Sound up to hear this baby bat and its keeper!

Grania loves interspecific affection between animals, and here is some in action:

Friday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)

March 23, 2018 • 7:00 am

We’ve made it through another week, as it’s Friday, March 23, 2018. Some snow is predicted for Chicago tonight, although it may barely miss us. Snowfall in the area is predicted to be between 6 and 10 inches. It’s National Chips and Dip Day, and unless I miss my guess this is an explicitly American contribution to world cuisine.

On this day in 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. This speech is credited with helping deliver Virginia’s troops to the American Continental Army (George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were in the audience: what a group that was!). On March 23, 1806, Lewis and Clark, having reached the Pacific Ocean with their “Corps of Discovery”, turned around and started trekking back home. They reached St. Louis on September 23 after 2½ years of exploring the West at the behest of Thomas Jefferson.  On this day in 1919, Mussolini founded the Italian Fascist movement in Milan. And, on March 23, 1933, the Reichstag of Germany passed the Enabling Act of 1933, which made Adolf Hitler the absolute dictator of Germany. Finally, on March 23, 1956, Pakistan became the world’s first Islamic Republic (before that it was a “dominion”).

Notables born on this day include Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749), Emmy Noether (1882), Juan Gris (1887), Eric Fromm (1900), Joan Crawford (1906), Wernher von Braun (1912), Roger Bannister (1929, died recently), and Rex Tillerson (1952, now fired by Trump). Those who expired on March 23 include Stendahl (1842), Raoul Dufy (1953), Peter Lorre (1964), Elizabeth Taylor (2011). Can you name how many times Taylor was married?

Here’s a Dufy drawing, “Le Chat”, from 1920:

I found a better version of my own “Whistler’s Mother” picture: an Amish or Mennonite woman I photographed on the train back from Madison. I love natural window light from the side.

Here’s the original by James McNeill Whistler, which I’ve flipped horizontally for comparison:

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is pontificating again (her beau Ignatz hasn’t been seen in three days):
Hili: It all looks different from my point of view.
A: Everybody has his own vision.
In Polish:
Hili: Z mojego punktu widzenia to wszystko inaczej wygląda.
Ja: Każdy ma swoją iluzję.

In nearby Wloclawek, the Dark Tabby Leon is nomming the flowers, though he shouldn’t:

Leon: Tulips have a more pronounced taste.

In Polish: “Tulipany maja bardziej wyrazisty smak.”

Gus went to the vet yesterday; his staff Taskin reported: “The funniest thing was that his nose, ears and foot pads went really bright pink from the stress. As pink as if he’d been out in the cold for a long time. Here are a few pics.” The captions are Taskin’s interpretations of Gus’s thoughts:

This can’t be good…
That sounds like a BIG dog…
That’s a BIG needle…
What a strange dream I had…

Gus is fine; he’s healthy, got two shots in the tuchas, and is going on a new wet food to keep his weight down.

From Matthew: a trailcam shows a puma (cougar) and her two kittens:

From Grania; read the news link and you’ll see that this is true. Yep, the Jews made the snow fall!

If you want a Cat in a Hat, this Japanese vending machine is happy to oblige:

Wednesday: Hili dialogue

March 21, 2018 • 7:00 am

Well, it’s Wednesday, March 21, 2018, and Spring is in its first 24 hours. That means it’s National French Bread Day, and, apropos, I’m having a baguette tonight. It’s also International Colour Day, World Poetry Day, and, in Poland and the Faroe Islands (!), Truant’s Day, when school kids play hooky.

News: A suspect in the Austin bombings is dead, apparently killing himself with another bomb in his car as police closed in. The deceased is described as a 24 year old white male; no name was given. Kudos to the police for tracking him down so quickly.

More news: Ringo Starr was knighted! (For longevity?) Here’s his announcement. Sir Ringo! (Or would it be “Sir Richard”?)

And today’s Google Doodle celebrates Mexican astronomer Guillermo Haro (1913-1988), noted for discovering and mapping nebulae and blue stars. Here he is among the stars:

It was a tame day for historical events, births, and deaths. On this day in 1556, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was executed for treason by burning at the stake. On March 21, 1804, the Napoleonic Code became the basis for French civil Law. On this day in 1871, journalist Henry Stanley began his trip to Africa to find David Livingstone. He found him in November of that year.  A day for evolutionists to remember: on March 21, 1925, Tennessee’s Butler Act was passed, prohibiting the teaching of HUMAN evolution (not evolution, as most people think) in Tennessee. That of course led to the Scopes Trial the same year, Scopes’s conviction, but a general victory for evolutionary biology.  On this day in 1935, the Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi, requested that all countries call “Persia” by its native name: Iran. And so it has become.  On this day in 1963, the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, in San Francisco Bay, was closed. It’s still accessible on a government tour, and I recommend you take it if you’re in San Francisco.  Finally, it was on March 21, 2006, that Twitter was founded. People have been squabbling on it ever since, but it has one use:

Notables born on March 21 include Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. (1867), Son House (1902), Éric Rohmer (1920), and Cenk “No Armenian Genocide” Uygur (1970). The only deaths of note on this day were Thomas Cranmer (1556; see above) and Pocahontas (1617).

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is kvetching. I was a bit puzzled, but Malgorzata again came to the rescue: “Hili wants a definite answer. She doesn’t like ‘probably’. ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ are proper words—not some some stupid ‘probably’.”

Hili: If I understand correctly, the winter is behind us.
A: Probably.
Hili: That’s a very stupid word.

In Polish:
Hili: Jeśli dobrze rozumiem, to zimę mamy za sobą.
Ja: Prawdopodobnie.
Hili: To bardzo głupie słowo.

Up in Winnipeg, Gus is chilling on the deck. His staff notes, “Here’s a Gus pic from yesterday morning. He’s on the deck,  which is wet from the bit of snow that was coming down. The blip on his face in the photo is a snowflake.” Note he’s wearing his harness and leash, as required by law.

This tweet came from reader Barry, who notes, “I’m surprised to see how long it took for it to read the riot act.”

https://twitter.com/_Thinker_Bell__/status/976101620562964480

Some tweets from Matthew. First, Millie the Mountaineering Cat! Be sure to watch the video with sound on.

Proud parents and their kittens:

I love ducks!

Really? There were marine sloths?

I believe I’ve posted this before, but you can’t see it too often:

A cosmologist discovers Mars—yesterday!