We’re still on with the Caturdays, so send me any good cat-related items.

First, from the BBC’s “Science Focus”, we learn why many cats go wild after they poop in their box, running about willy-nilly with the “zoomies”.  Click on the headline below to learn why:

The (non) answer:

Ah, the zoomies. There’s nothing quite like watching your cat pinging off the walls like a pinball. One minute they’re flying across the sofa, the next, they’re launching themselves at the lampshade. They’re here, there and everywhere, all at once. Then they fall asleep.

Most cats get the zoomies, also known as ‘frenetic random activity periods’ or ‘FRAPs’, at some point. Cats are crepuscular, so the behaviour is more common at the start and end of the day, and occurs more frequently in kittens and younger cats.

It also happens after pooping (hence the terms ‘poophoria’ and ‘crapnfrap’) and various reasons have been put forward for this.

Some people think it’s a reaction to a dirty litter box. Cats are clean animals, so they want to get away from their faeces as quickly as possible.

Some think it could be a sign of a gastrointestinal infection or other digestive problems.

Another theory is that the behaviour harks back to the animal’s wild past. Faeces smells and can attract predators, so scarpering quickly after the deed is done can help to avoid unwelcome attention.

Meanwhile, gastroenterologist and author Dr Anish Sheth (who coined the term poophoria) has suggested that passing a big stool can stimulate the vagus nerve, which links the brain with key organs in the abdomen.

According to the theory, this leads to a drop in heart rate and blood pressure, which reduces blood flow to the brain and can trigger a feeling of light-headedness. This results in the moment of frantic feline folly that is the zoomies.

It’s an interesting theory, but rather than making an animal more active, vagal activity is classically thought to make animals more, rather than less, relaxed. So, for the time being, the jury is out.

The dirty litter box theory is of course testable: just compare the rate of zooming of various cats using their clean vs. dirty litter boxes (I envision a two-factor chi-square with the factors being “clean vs dirty” and “zoomies vs. no zoomies”).  The wild cat theory can be tested by looking at whether indivuidals of Felis silvestris in nature get the zoomies in the wild after pooping (I don’t believe this theory).  The “I feel good” theory is the one I find most appealing, although I attribute it to feeling light-bodied-ness rather than light-headedness. It feels good afterwards!

As always, we don’t know the answer for cats.  For humans, I have asked all my philosophical friends this answer: “Is the relief you feel after having voided your bowels when they’re very full a form of pleasure or simply the relief of pain (or both)”? Answers vary. I wonder if humans would get the post-poop zoomies if it were socially acceptable.

Here’s a video which recounts the phenomenon and accept the vagus-nerve theory.  I bet there is no solid scientific evidence supporting it!

Note that cats do NOT get the zoomies when they’re high on ‘nip.

********************

AND WE HAVE A CEILING CAT!

Reader Bill found a genuine Ceiling Cat outside outside Datca, Turkey. When I asked for more information, he said this:

It’s one of about a zillion well fed cats that wander the very quiet streets of Eski Datca. They climb over everything and this one was inside a cafe, presumably having climbed through a hole in the netting. She was bathing herself up there when we arrived and then went to sleep. My two-year-old is fascinated by them, so it was something of a cat tour through the old city. We left it happily snoozing up there when we departed.

Voilà!:

Note that the iconic Ceiling Cat (photo below), is orange like the one above. Ceiling Cat above must be resting on the Seventh Day of Creation.

*********************

From the daily dot we read about a cat dyed in rainbow colors. I think this is taking Price Month too far.  Click below to read the tail:

x

An excerpt:

A black cat transformed into a rainbow for Pride Month has garnered millions of views on TikTok—and sparked a heated debate about whether the colorful makeover was safe or ethical.

In June, user @cattledoggdallas posted a clip of their freshly dyed pet, showing off streaks of pink, blue, purple, orange, and yellow.

“Haters will say it’s fake,” the creator joked in the caption, before adding: “Is it REALLY Pride Month without a rainbow? The answer is NOPE. Stay tuned for more creative grooms from me.”

As of Tuesday, the content creator’s initial video had garnered over 1.9 million views. While some commenters were amazed by the cat’s transformation, its new coat also brought questions, including from some who wondered whether the colors would last.

Here’s that video:

@cattledoggdallas

Is it REALLY pride month without a rainbow 🐈‍⬛!!! The answer is NOPE. 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 Stay tuned for more creative grooms from me or the one and only @Bridgit’s Barking Bow-tique 🤩 • #foryoupage #viral #trending #cat #pridemonth #pride

♬ son original – ACCOUNT FOR SALE.

More:

Earlier this week, @cattledoggdallas answered that query with a follow-up clip. Two months on, the colors had faded but were still visible.

“The color held so well, and I’m still extremely happy with it,” they wrote in the caption, showing off the still-multicolored feline in a second clip.

and the followup clip:

@cattledoggdallas

Replying to @juliannasta57 A little faded? Sure! But she’s definitely still rainbow🤣 The color held so well, and I’m still extremely happy with it! • #fyp #viral #trending #cat #pride

♬ Goodies (feat. Petey Pablo) – Ciara

But you are surely wondering, “Is this bad for the cat?”  The article gives the details:

Many of the comments on both TikTok videos share concern for the cat’s well-being, with some questioning the safety of dye on pet hair.

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A veterinarian told DailyMail that dyeing a pet’s fur is a controversial move, and whether it’s okay depends on several factors.

Rover reports that natural or pet-safe dyes can sometimes be used without immediate harm, but added that any decision to dye a pet should put the animal’s well-being first and weigh the potential downsides carefully.

After all, some pets have sensitive skin and can develop irritation or allergic reactions to dyes. The process itself can also be stressful for animals that are not used to being handled for extended periods. And, unfortunately, even with pet-safe dyes, there’s a risk of accidental ingestion or skin or coat issues.

Because of these risks, many have argued that forcing an animal through this process solely for human aesthetic purposes is unnecessary, or even unethical.

That said, if you decide to move forward with dyeing your pet, TheVets recommends consulting a veterinarian or an experienced groomer first to ensure the product is safe for your pet. If you insist on doing it yourself, they advised using dyes specifically formulated for animals and testing a small patch of skin before coloring the entire coat.

There are also safer alternatives to completely dying your pet. TheVets suggested using chalk or non-toxic food coloring, which they said can create the effect without the risks. Pet owners can also try accessories like bows or bandanas, which add flair without affecting the fur.

. . .Some viewers commenting on @cattledoggdallas’s video similarly questioned whether it was ethical to dye her cat’s fur.

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“Poor kitty,” one wrote. “Cats are not toys,” another added.

“Using your cat as a toy is horrendous,” added a third.

Others defended the cat owner, noting the detailed patterns suggested the cat didn’t mind and was well taken care of.

“I can’t believe you would do this,” one woman quipped. “Now your cat is gonna think it’s a rainbow and fly into the sky.”

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Lagniappe, from Ancient Archaeology and Aliens:  I suspect the cat photo might have been inserted, but the cat door is for real. Text from the BBC  (their bolding):

 A hole in a door at a cathedral is thought to be the world’s oldest cat flap.

The door at Exeter Cathedral dates back more than 400 years, records have shown. The hole leads to a cavity behind a large clock.

The hole was cut as part of a refurbishment attempt in the 16th Century to keep rodents under control.

Diane Walker, cathedral historian and author, said the bishop cut the hole to allow his cat to “catch rats and mice”.

She said: “This door has lots of legends associated with it, but there are facts that we also know, and there is a hole at the bottom of this door.

“We have a record that says there was a payment of eight pence for the carpenters to cut a hole in this door for Bishop Cotton, and Bishop Cotton came here in 1598.”

Records found the space was excavated in 1376 in order for the clock to be installed, and that rodents were attracted to the cathedral by the animal fat used to lubricate the clock.

Other records showed that cats were on the payroll of the cathedral.

Ms Walker said: “Back in the 14th and 15th Centuries we have records in the cathedral of payments of 13 pence a quarter for the cat and occasionally 26 pence a quarter for the cat.

“We don’t know if that was double rations because they had been doing a good job or whether there were actually two cats.”

Yesterday I posted a critique of a column by Kavita Narayan in The Humanist, published by the American Humanist Association. The column basically took the stand that all kids who want to transition should be free to do so at any age, receiving full “affirmative care”, with surgery and hormones if they so desire. It was full of omissions and misconceptions, and you might have a look at it again (yes, it’s a bit long).  The column was brought to my attention by a reader who wishes to remain unnamed for obvious reasons, and I mistakenly said he/she was a member of the AHA, which he/she is not. But it doesn’t matter, as you don’t have to be an AHA member to see the problems with Narayan’s piece.

I asked for permission to publish the reader’s letter to AHA, which I got. It was sent to the AHA’s Executive Director (Fish Stark) and President (Candace Gorham), and here it is (bolding is the author’s)

From: NAME REDACTED
Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 11:19 AM
To: Fish Stark <fstark@americanhumanist.org>; Candace Gorham <cgorham@americanhumanist.org>
Subject: Beyond the Binary

Attn: Candace Gorham, Fish Stark

I do not believe in any gods but I do believe in human duty to not harm others.

That’s why I find the claim that your organization supports science is hollow, in the light of what you published today in The Humanist. In particular, the article “Beyond the Binary: Humanism, Gender, and the Fight for Inclusive Healthcare” supports the approach to Trans health care where science and compassion take a back seat to ideology and propaganda.

It would be OK if there were no harm in it, but removing genitals of youngsters, who at some point in their youthful explorations expressed a transitory dissatisfaction with their biological sex, is NOT harmless. It leaves them scarred for life and unable to have sexual satisfaction ever. It is unbecoming of a humanist to promote a treatment that disables for life, even if meaningful consent could be obtained, which it cannot be due to the age of the victim.

A safe approach to transition would be possible if medical professionals (and not activists or medical profiteers) were involved in finding out if there is an actual gender dysphoria that does not go away with maturity. But that’s the problem is it not? Psychiatrists have for a long time refused to treat young people because so many aberrations happen in the mental life of teenagers. But that was not good enough for Trans activists, so they replaced professional judgment with a cavalier approach of transitioning every kid that would be amenable to it.

I am eagerly awaiting the coming of lawsuits by de-transitioners, who were approached as kids by trans activists, but now begin to understand the irreversible nature of the treatment and what it took away from them, permanently.

Regards,

NAME REDACTED

2.)  You say this:

“comprehensive assessments by medical professionals are necessary to determine whether medical intervention is the correct course of action for youth. The great news is that this is already standard practice

That is not true. It is a practice, but it is not standard practice in the medical/psychiatric community, and I think you know that. At least in blue states, any kid who wants to get affirmative care, including hormones and surgery, will find it fairly easy to do, even if they are way below eighteen years old. The standard practice for several years has been to “believe the kid”; and if you do, it’s not long until someone gets a prescription for hormones and, if wanted, permission for surgery.

3.) Narayan’s article does not link to all the relevant peer-reviewed research in the area, as I pointed out.  It doesn’t mention, for instance, that if affirmative care is not given, most children with gender dysphoria (GD) come out as gay. That is important, and belies your view that kids with persistent gender dysphoria should indeed be injected with hormones and sometimes given surgery.  The fact that most people who transition say they’re happy with it may be true, but given the “buyer’s remorse” phenomenon, I am not willing to believe that nearly all of them are.  Many become life-long patients with problems such as sterility and other issues that come with hormone replacement. Further, the article distorts the issue of suicidality, which in the best study known (neglected by you and Narayan), gender dysphoria, whether or not it is addressed medically, has no effect on suicidality or suicide rates because of the conflation of GD with other psychiatric issues that are connected with suicide

4.) Puberty blockers, the essential first step in giving children time to see if their dysphoria is more than “transitory,” are not known to be reversible or safe over one’s lifetime.  There is sufficient lack of evidence for their safety that several countries have made their use only clinical or experimental. It will be a while until we know their long-term effects. Neglecting to mention this is of course dangerous.  And since virtually everyone has finished puberty by age 18, there is really no need to give puberty blockers at all.  Does the AHA agree? You don’t say and we don’t know.

In the end, you make a lot of nice noises but avoid speaking about the hard issues of transitioning: the ubiquity of problems with “affirmative care”, the cavalier response to lower age limits for such care or of parental consent, the potential dangers of puberty blockers, and, above all, the inability of children of adolescents to weigh the pros and cons of medical intervention—intervention that may affect a young person’s life forever.

If the AHA is serious about what you say, they should add these caveats to its published statement about protecting LGBTQ+ rights, which does not address these issues. Nor does it address certain trans “rights” that are deeply controversial, like the “right” of trans-identified males to compete in women’s athletics, the “right” of trans-identified males to serve as rape counselors or officials in battered women’s shelter’s if biological women don’t want them, the “right” of trans-identified males to display their penises in women’s locker rooms, and the “right” of trans-identified males to be put in women’s prisons. After all, you seem to agree with Narayan’s view that everybody has the “right” to be recognized as whatever they think they are. Surely you are not obtuse enough to know the problems this would cause.

Which brings us back to your shameful penalizing of Dawkins for simply raising that issue as a thought question. I know the AHA is too cowardly to give him back the award, which he deserved, but I can say that many of us pulled away from the AHA when you did that, for it was simply an instance of virtue signaling.

Welcome to CaturSaturday, August 30, 2025: only two more dasy to go until we’re into September.  It’s the Sabbath for Jewish cats, who employ non-Jewish cats (שבת גוי קעץ) to do their work, and also  National Toasted Marshmallow Day. I like mine burnt black, so I surely ingested a lot of carcinogens when I was young. But toasted marshmallows are a crucial ingredient in S’Mores, one of the great culinary inventions of the West.  The one below, however, has a marshmallow that isn’t sufficiently toasted, nor is the chocolate melted.

It’s also National Mai Tai Day, National Slinky Day, International Bacon Day, and National Beach Day.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the August 30 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*I’m happy to hear that the U.S., after “consultation with Europe,” has decide to start making weapons available to Ukraine.

Europe has begun buying American weapons for Ukraine in earnest, only weeks after President Trump struck a deal with NATO allies to do so.

The latest sale, announced by the State Department on Thursday, will send 3,500 extended-range cruise missiles and GPS navigation kits to Ukraine once Congress formally approves it, as expected. They cost $825 million, paid for by Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, with some unspecified financial assistance from the Pentagon.

The missiles can be fired from fighter jets, and have a similar range to the Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles that Ukraine has used to strike Crimea and into Russia.

The sale marks one of the first purchases by European countries on behalf of Ukraine since Mr. Trump and other NATO leaders reached the deal. It is a policy shift for the United States, which had provided about $67 billion worth of weapons and other military aid directly to Ukraine during the Biden administration.

It will also offer a financial windfall for American weapons producers while shielding Mr. Trump — who has expressed skepticism of devoting U.S. military support to Ukraine — from accusations of direct involvement in the war..

“It’s not a game changer for Ukraine’s Air Force, but it might signal that there’s a productive conversation between Europeans and the Trump administration, in terms of future supply of modern equipment to Ukraine,” said Rafael Loss, a defense and security expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

It’s not clear whether the European countries who have bought these weapons will give them to Ukraine or sell them, but what’s important is that Ukraine gets weapons, and that they come from the U.S.  This of course is not a move towards peace between Russia and Ukraine, as it will piss off Putin big time, but it shows that Trump has pretty much given up on bringing us “peace in our time,” and, importantly, is supporting the small beleaguered nation that was attacked for no reason by a despot.

*Although U.S. Presidents have Secret Service protection for life, Vice-Presidents get it for only six months after leaving office. That means that Kamala Harris’s time is about up, but Biden had, before leaving office, extended it for a year beyond that. Now Trump has curtailed Harris’s protection, just as she’s about to go on a book tour. I will not read her book.

President Donald Trump has revoked the Secret Service detail for former vice president Kamala Harris that President Joe Biden had previously extended, according to multiple people familiar with the decision and a copy of a letter terminating the detail.

The decision comes about a month before Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the 2024 election, is scheduled to embark on a national book tour that will be her first extended public exposure since leaving office.

Federal law gives vice presidents six months of Secret Service protection after they leave office, though Biden, before his presidency ended, had extended her detail for another year, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke about it on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The White House informed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem on Thursday that her department, which includes the Secret Service, could end protection for Harris on Monday, according to a copy of a letter reviewed by The Washington Post.

A senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, confirmed that Trump had canceled Harris’s extended Secret Service protection. The official emphasized that vice presidents typically only have a detail for six months.

White House spokespeople did not immediately comment on why Trump made the decision.

Well, we know why Trump did it: Harris was his opponent and he’s not going to let her have any perks.  Here’s her new book, which comes out on September 23 (the title refers to the period between when Biden said he wasn’t running for reelection and the election itself). Click to go to the Amazon site. I think the subtitle should be “Do you think I fell out of a coconut tree?”:

Ms. Cook finds herself in that position because of President Trump’s decision on Monday to seek her ouster, and her own decision on Thursday to file a lawsuit challenging her attempted dismissal. Those two actions set the stage for a landmark legal battle, one that is bound for the Supreme Court, over the president’s explicit attempts to take control of the central bank.

“Governor Cook has been thrust into a role she did not seek and doubtless would prefer to shed — suddenly being cast in a larger-than-life struggle to defend an institution that has helped foster the economic and financial success of the U.S. over the post-World War II period,” said David Wilcox, who is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a former leader of the Fed’s research and statistics division.

On Friday, a federal judge in Washington will hold the first hearing in the case, which will focus on Ms. Cook’s request for a temporary restraining order. If the court grants the order, it will allow her to continue serving on the Fed’s board while she contests her firing.

Ms. Cook was not expected to be in this position. Mr. Trump has made no secret of his desire for lower interest rates, or of his anger at central bank officials for refusing to deliver them. But for months Mr. Trump had focused his ire on Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, repeatedly threatening to fire him and, at one point, even waving around a letter that purported to do so.

Then, last week, Mr. Trump turned his attention to Ms. Cook after an administration official accused her of mortgage fraud tied to her purchase of two homes in 2021, before she joined the Fed. She has not been charged with any crime.

Ms. Cook, who said from the start that she would not be bullied into resigning, must now defend not only herself but also the Fed as a whole. She must do so without the formal institutional backing of the central bank, which for legal reasons cannot defend her directly. Instead, she will be represented at Friday’s hearing by her own private attorney.

In fact, Ms. Cook’s lawsuit names as a defendant not just Mr. Trump but also Mr. Powell and the Fed’s board of governors. The decision to include her associates at the central bank reflected a need to prevent anybody from executing what the president had demanded before the courts ruled on the case. Still, at least on paper, Ms. Cook is suing two of the world’s most powerful men and one of its most important institutions.

It’s very strange that while she intends to defend the Fed and its actions, she’s also naming it as a defendant in her lawsuit!  The explanation above—that Cook’s suit will prevent the Fed from lowering its interest rate—is not clear from me.  Somebody with more legal savvy than I should explain it in the comments.

*Texas is cracking down on abortion pills, with the first step being the state House of Representatives approving a bill that allows Texas residents to sue companies who provide abortion pills—even to people outside of Texas, where they are legal.

A measure that would allow nearly any private citizen to sue out-of-state prescribers and others who send abortion pills into Texas has won first-round approval in the state House.

It would be the first law of its kind in the country and part of the ongoing effort by abortion opponents to fight the broad use of the pills, which are used in the majority of abortions in the U.S. — including in states where abortion is illegal.

The bill passed in the House on Thursday and could receive a final vote in the Republican-dominated state Senate next week. If that happens, it would be up to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, to decide whether to sign it into law.

. . .Even before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed state abortion bans, pills — most often a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol — were the most common way to obtain abortion access.

Now, with Texas and 11 other states enforcing bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and four more that bar most of them after the first six weeks or so of gestation, the pills have become an even more essential way abortion is provided in the U.S.

Under the bill, providers could be ordered to pay $100,000. But only the pregnant woman, the man who impregnated her or other close relatives could collect the entire amount. Anyone else who sues could receive only $10,000, with the remaining $90,000 going to charity.

The measure echoes a 2021 Texas law that uses the prospect of lawsuits from private citizens to enforce a ban on abortion once fetal activity can be detected — at about six weeks’ gestation. The state also has a ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancy.

. . . Anna Rupani, executive director of Fund Texas Choice, a group that helps women access abortion, including by traveling to other states for it, said the law is problematic.

“It establishes a bounty hunting system to enforce Texas’ laws beyond the state laws,” she said.

While most Republican-controlled states have restricted or banned abortions in the last three years, most Democratic-controlled states have taken steps to protect access.

And at least eight states have laws that seek to protect prescribers who send abortion pills to women in states where abortion is banned.

This cannot be constitutional.  A woman who gets pregnant can sue companies that provide legal and FDA-approved abortifactants? How can that be legal? Even given the present Supreme Court, I can’t see how they can allow one state to ban actions in other states where those actions are legal. This will not stand, even if it passes (I’m not betting on that, though).

*As I’ve said, while I’m happy for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have found each other, I don’t think their recent engagement is the equivalent of the Second Coming. But a professor at the University of Tennessee does: he apparently canceled class because he couldn’t process the Big News! And it was on the day of a midterm exam (see video below):

A University of Tennessee professor is going viral for cancelling class just moments after news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement broke — sending ecstatic college kids running for the exit.

Professor Matthew Pittman was dubbed “favorite teacher ever” as he was filmed letting his students leave class to “process” the big news.

“Taylor and Travis just got engaged,” he said in the clip.

“Due to this information, I can’t focus, you all can’t focus. Class is canceled, get outta here. We need time to process this information.”

A video of the teacher announcing the cancellation of class.  BUT SEE BELOW!

BUT. . . as the Knox News in Knoxville reveals, the whole thing was a setup! It’s FAKE NEWS!

Pittman, who in the video pretends to be a biological chemist, actually teaches a social media strategy course at UT. And, students never got to leave class early. The TikTok was filmed before class ever started that day, according to Pittman.

“We have a biochem midterm today, but Taylor and Travis just got engaged,” Pittman said in the video.

The 200 students in the class played along, reacting as their professor spoke and then running out of the room on camera.

The video has more than 274,000 likes on the UTK social media TikTok account, with thousands of comments believing Pittman’s lie was real. Even the Empire State Building, Marriott Bonvoy and Betty Crocker official accounts left comments.

“Yesterday was something I wanted to do, but the students always help refine the ideas, and volunteer for specific roles,” Pittman told Knox News in an email when asked how he came up with the unique video concept.

Though the University of Tennessee video was a setup, Pittman’s appreciation for Taylor Swift is not a lie. He has been following Swift since “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” came out in 2008, the professor said.

The weird thing is that the New York Post, which carried the article above the video, hasn’t admitted the article was dead wrong.

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, a philosophical discussion is proceeding:

Hili: Could a herd animal be an individualist?
Andrzej: Sure, but the rest of the herd will say it’s a heretic.

In Polish:

Hili: Czy zwierzę stadne może być indywidualistą?
Ja: Tak, ale wtedy inni członkowie stada mówią o nim, że jest heretykiem.

******************

From Bored Panda: A sweet potato (or yam; I can’t tell the difference) that looks like a seal (no ears, so it’s not a sea lion). Photo is uncredited; h/t Ginger K.

From Cat Memes:

From Meow. The girl is Paula Chandoha, whom I knew because she used to work in the Museum of Comparative Zoology when I was a grad student. Her father, Walter Chandoha, was a famous animal photographer who took this shot (Wikipedia quotes him as saying, “Cats are my favourite animal subject because of their unlimited range of attitude, posture, expression and coloration.”)

Masih is quiet again today, so we have a tweet from her substitute. This is one that is Masih-approparite but Rowling retweeted.  I can’t embed it as it’s been made private. But you can see the video by clicking on the screenshot:

From Simon. Obama deserved it more than Trump will (I am guessing), but I didn’t think Obama deserved it:

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum.bsky.social) 2025-08-29T11:59:31.380Z

From Luana, who wonders if this applies to non-black people as well. You can download the paper here.

New argument in defense of abusive ad hominem arguments:

“Ad hominem arguments are typically viewed as fallacious within dominant white Western argumentative frameworks…I argue the nuanced use of abusive ad hominem arguments within African American Argumentation (AAA) is a… pic.twitter.com/ZTCCAP99CM

— Brandon Warmke (@BrandonWarmke) August 29, 2025

From Malcolm; an explanation of the Trump Personality Cult:

Brilliant explanation of the Trump Cult‼️ 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/5ahzcOM4YJ

— Meidas_Charise Lee (@charise_lee) August 9, 2025

One from my feed; this is very sweet, and I hope it’s true.

A bird that brought all its friends to thank the lady who rescued it
pic.twitter.com/xgCaHTDMe7

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 29, 2025

One I reposted from the Auschwitz Memorial:

An 18-year-old Czech Jewish woman died in the camp.

— Jerry Coyne (@evolutionistrue.bsky.social) 2025-08-30T09:39:38.013Z

. . . . and two posts from Dr. Cobb. First, Ceiling Cat bless America!

Latest @theguardian.com cartoonwww.theguardian.com/commentisfre…

— Ben Jennings (@bjennings90.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T17:22:40.265Z

An amazing set of picturex:

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

— Patrick Vallely (@pjvphotography.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T16:18:28.171Z

There’s not much to tell: Hazel and Dolores remain in the pond, and are still BFFs, always swimming, eating, and sleeping together. I’m glad they’re friends.

Yesterday, however (the video below was taken the day before yesterday), the ducks were skittish, staying on the shore and not going into the water. I did feed them a bit on land, but I think they were temporarily traumatized. My theory—which is mine—is that somebody scared them in the pond. (Someone went in the day before to clear out the water lettuce, an unrooted annual plant, all of them eventually floating to the drain. Their introduction was unwise.)

At any rate, here they are from two days ago, in two photos and a video:

Together forever and never to part
Together forever we two
And don’t you know
I would move heaven and earth
To be together forever with you.

Welcome to Sunday, the sabbath for goyische cats. It’s August 24, 2025, and back to school time. It’s also National Waffle Day, which you can even have with chicken (I haven’t tried that.) Here are waffles with ice cream (the waffle itself dates back to the 14th century):

It’s also National Peach Pie Day, Vesuvius Day (the date of the Big Eruption in 79 AD is not known, though Aug. 24 is often mentioned), and Shooting Star Day. Here’s a video of a big meteor shower, which I’ve started in the middle to leave out the preliminary irrelevant stuff:

Last night I had a weird dream: I had to give a biology lecture, and Richard Dawkins was in the audience.  But I had to use the old-fashioned 35 mm slides, and the box of slides was all mixed up, and included irrelevant ones. I never have good dreams, but at least I got some sleep.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the August 24 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*Remember Kilmar Armando Ábrego García? A Salvadoran immigrant to the U.S., he came here illegally but was protected by a judge from deportation because he feared gang violence if he went to his natal land, and he was allowed to stay here and work legally. He also had a spotless crime record and was complying with all legal requirements (he was married to an American, too). But he was illegally imprisoned (without trial) and then deported to the hideous Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center (the U.S. paid off Salvador for this). Now, accused of being a member of the MS-13 terrorist gang, and of engaging human smuggling, he was offered a plea deal that would deport him to Costa Rica if he pled guilty and served his sentence. He refused, and now they’re going to send him to Uganda instead.

Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be sent to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing.

The Costa Rica offer came late Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadoran national would likely be released from a Tennessee jail the following day. Abrego Garcia declined to extend his stay in jail and was released on Friday to await trial in Maryland with his family. Later that day, the Department of Homeland Security notified his attorneys that he would be deported to Uganda and should report to immigration authorities on Monday.

His attorneys declined to comment on whether the plea offer had been formally rescinded. The brief they filed only said that Abrego Garcia had declined one part of the offer — to remain in jail — and that his attorneys would “communicate the government’s proposal to Mr. Abrego.”

Filed along with the brief was a letter from the Costa Rican government stating that Abrego Garcia would be welcomed to that country as a legal immigrant and wouldn’t face the possibility of detention. An additional benefit of the offer would be that Costa Rica is a Spanish-speaking country, like Abrego Garcia’s native El Salvador. Abrego Garcia would only be deported to Costa Rica after serving his sentence on the smuggling charges, according to the brief.

Abrego Garcia’s case became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, despite a judge’s earlier determination that he faced a “well-founded fear” of violence there. Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, only to detain him on human smuggling charges.

Absolutely unbelievable. He was released from jail to await trial, having refused one deportation “offer,” and now they’re going to snatch him up again and send him to Africa. For crying out loud, at least give the man a trial for his accused crimes. If he’s not guilty, then let him live his life in America.  I was in favor of curbing immigration, but this is too damn far!

*Trump seems to have given up, at least temporarily, in his attempt to settle the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump is signaling that he would step back for now from efforts to reach a Ukraine peace deal, expressing frustration over rising casualties and the failure of the two sides to come closer to a peace agreement.

“I’m not happy about anything about that war. Nothing. Not happy at all,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.

He added that he would make an important decision about the future of the conflict in “two weeks,” a phrase that he often uses not to specify a precise time frame, but to indicate that he wants to put off a decision for a while. After that time, he said, “We’ll know which way I’m going, because I’m going to go one way or the other.”

The comments amounted to a significant shift from a president who had projected great confidence over the past several weeks in his ability to obtain security guarantees for Ukraine and a swift meeting between the warring leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.x

During the course of this week, Trump has gone from boasting that he could bring a quick end to the war to expressing skepticism that he would be able even to bring the leaders together for a face-to-face conversation.

Trump has invested significant time and energy in efforts to bring about a quick end to the war, including a summit in Alaska with Putin just over a week ago, followed by meetings with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday.

For all the diplomatic pageantry, however, there’s been little sign of progress, with Moscow resisting any proposals to cease its attacks on Ukraine or accept anything short of its maximum goals for the war. Outside analysts have suggested the White House misunderstood Putin’s aims and may have been influenced by wishful thinking.

For now, Trump said, he would give Putin time to decide whether he would meet with Zelensky, as the president had requested.

Time is only on Russia’s side, for they’re slowly taking more and more territory beyond what they’ve got in the east.  And we all know that if there eventually is a peace, Putin won’t agree unless he gets to keep what he’s conquered. And Unless Europe steps in and does something drastic, I fear Ukraine is doomed to become part of a new U.S.S.R.

*As you’ve heard, California is trying to rebalance Texas’s pro-Republican gerrymandering with its own Democratic equivalent. According to the WSJ, “A partisan shot fired in Texas reverberates around the country,” and not necessarily to Democratic advantage.

Standing at the wooden lectern at the front of the state House chamber, Republican state Rep. Todd Hunter put the purpose of his legislation to redraw Texas’ congressional map in forthright terms. “The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward,” he said: “Improve Republican political performance.”

What might once have been considered a damning admission was embraced as an explicit rationale as the state House proceeded to pass the map on a party-line vote late Wednesday. Democrats charged that Republicans were shamelessly redrawing the lines ahead of the usual decennial schedule at the behest of President Trump to add five potential congressional seats for their party—and Republicans largely agreed.

The redistricting plan, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in the coming days, has set off a national partisan arms race, reshuffling the landscape for next year’s midterm elections and potentially permanently altering the parties’ electoral calculations. California has already begun a high-stakes gambit to redraw the massive blue state’s congressional lines in response, while other red states, egged on by the White House, are jockeying to follow Texas’ lead.

The upshot of the redistricting wars looks likely to benefit Republicans overall. And the episode seems fated to stand as yet another illustration of Trump’s willingness to use his stranglehold over his party to maximize his power, polarizing the national landscape and trampling long-held norms in the process, and leaving the opposition dazed.

. . . Yet the redistricting battle has forced Democrats, many of whom previously decried the age-old practice of gerrymandering as an affront to democracy, into the awkward position of pursuing it in one state even as they fight it in another. A bill backed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to change that state’s maps to add more Democratic seats was passed by the state legislature and signed by Newsom on Thursday. It sets a special election in November asking voters to approve a temporary suspension of the state’s independent redistricting commission.

. . . Nationally, some blue-state Republicans have expressed alarm at the multistate redistricting scramble that stands to put their seats at risk. But other red states, including Indiana, Florida and Missouri, are moving ahead with efforts of their own to draw more Republican districts. No such prospects appear realistic in other blue states ahead of the midterms, meaning the net effect of the national changes is likely to favor Republicans even if California’s gambit succeeds.

But the last paragraph underlines the real problem for Democrats:

“The president created the opportunity for it and he requested it, and as far as I can tell there is no downside to us as Republicans to complying with that request,” Rep. Mitch Little, a Dallas-area Republican, said in an interview. For all Democrats’ whining, he said, they still haven’t presented a viable alternative to GOP policies, he said.

“They don’t have an alternative that resonates with the average person trying to raise a family, buy a home and live their lives,” Little said. “In politics, like in the woods, you don’t have to outrun the bear—you just have to outrun your buddy.”

So who are the Democrats’ “buddies”? Gavin Newsom, J. B. Pritzker.  I can’t see these, as they’re too progressive for centrists.  We need a damn LEADER!

*If you’re a yogurt fan—and who isn’t?—you’ll want to read the NYT Wirecutter’s selection of the 11 best plain yogurts, each in its own class (they tasted 54 brands).  I’ll put them here; you can thank me later. Quotes are indented:

1. Best traditional whole milk yogurt. The lusciously rich La Fermière Whole Milk Yogurt drew enthusiastic praise from testers. The addition of cream to the milk and cultures gives the yogurt a velvety texture that clings to the spoon and feels, as multiple tasters described it, “luxurious” to eat.
2. Best everyday traditional whole milk yogurt. We tried several options from Trader Joe’s, and this Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt impressed us for its mild, milky-sweet flavor.
3. Best budget traditional whole milk yogurt. Aldi’s Simply Nature Organic Whole Milk Yogurt evoked comparisons to clover and spring grass, with tartness coming through at the finish. The assertive milky flavor, reminiscent of sweet cream, set it apart from other yogurts in the category.
4. Best lowfat traditional yogurt. Whole Foods 365 Organic Low-Fat Yogurt was smooth and a bit runny — on par, texture-wise, with several of the other low-fat traditional yogurts we tried, such as Nancy’s and Stonyfield. But it was more whey-forward, with multiple testers picking up on an acidic brightness lingering under the creamy base.
5. Best nonfat traditional yogurt. We struggled to choose a pick in the nonfat traditional category. Many of the yogurts tasted similar to one another, and few of them wowed us. As one tester said, “If you’re going to go nonfat, go Greek.” The exception was Trader Joe’s European-Style Nonfat Yogurt.
6. Best whole milk Greek yogurt. Our favorite Greek yogurts tended to land on the plush and lofty end of the spectrum, and Friendly Farms Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (from Aldi’s house brand) delivered on that front.
7. Best ultra-thick whole milk Greek yogurt. The runaway thickest yogurt we tried was Fage Total 5% Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, a supermarket trailblazer. It was as dense and compact as clotted cream. [JAC: This would be the one I’d go for!]
8. Best organic, silky-smooth whole milk Greek yogurt. Of the smoother Greek yogurts, Wallaby Organic Whole Milk Greek Yogurt was our favorite. It was velvety and rich — a textural dead ringer for sour cream. (365’s whole milk greek yogurt was a close second but not quite as smooth.)
9. Best lowfat Greek yogurt. Fans of super-thick Greek yogurt should consider Fage Total 2% Reduced Fat Greek Yogurt. It was simultaneously push-back-against-the-spoon dense yet fluffy and airy enough to resemble whipped butter.
10. Best nonfat Greek yogurt. We were pleasantly surprised by the luscious texture of many nonfat Greek yogurts we tasted. But Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt (which stands for zero fat, zero added sugars, and zero artificial sweeteners — true for all the nonfat Greek yogurts we tested) was our favorite, with its mildly tart flavor and satisfying richness.
11. Best budget nonfat Greek yogurt. [A tie!]: Our tasters were split on Aldi’s Friendly Farms Nonfat Greek Yogurt. Some found its tart cranberry undertones too astringent and its finish a bit starchy and mouth-drying. If you’re more likely to shop at Trader Joe’s than at Aldi, Trader Joe’s Greek Nonfat Yogurt performed nearly as well in our taste test as our nonfat Greek pick from Friendly Farms.

Note the number of Aldi’s brands. You should seek them out. I used to love Cabot’s whole-milk yogurt, but they no longer sell it in Chicago. The article also gives other yogurts worth considering. Also, heed this:

Greek yogurts are made much in the same way as traditional yogurts, with the primary difference being that they are strained of whey after incubation. The straining process results in a noticeably thick yogurt that typically contains twice the protein and half of the lactose (the natural sugar found in milk) of traditional yogurts.

*More persiflage: a Minnesota high school football team has to readjust its schedule after a pair of osprey nested in a stadium floodlight, and turning it off would cook the eggs and babies.  Well, they have to deal with that, and have done so the right way:

Turn off the lights. The Nesting Ospreys have defeated the Apple Valley Eagles in Minnesota high school football.

They haven’t actually played each other, but the ospreys took charge when they built a huge nest to raise their chicks, high up on a light pole at the Apple Valley High School football field. Because of it, the migratory raptors that are protected under state and federal law forced the school, known as the Eagles, to rearrange their football and soccer schedules, switching to day games instead of night.

Turning on the hot floodlights would have risked cooking the birds and starting a fire.

“When you tell someone this story of ‘Wow, we have to reschedule because there’s an osprey nest in our stadium,’ they’re like, ‘You can’t make this type of stuff up, right?’” said Cory Hanson, athletic director at the school in the Minneapolis suburbs

Working with the state Department of Natural Resources, the school has been sending up a drone twice a week to monitor the chicks so that once the young ospreys are old enough and fly off, crews can remove the nest and switch on the traditional Friday Night Lights.

Play on weekend days, for crying out loud! The ospreys are more important than night games, but at least the school and state realized it. I suspect (but don’t know) that it is illegal to touch or move the nest, and moving it would likely doom the babies.  Ironically, the football team is called The Apple Valley Eagles, and ospreys are often called “fish eagles.”

A video:

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is again wheedling for food:

Hili: Are you heading to the shop?
Me: Yes.
Hili: Get salmon, we’ll share it fifty-fifty.

In Polish:

Hili: Jedziesz do sklepu?
Ja: Tak.
Hili: Kup łososia, podzielimy się pół na pół.

*******************

From Cat Lovers.  Watch out for this armored kitty!

From the 2025 Darwin Awards!!/Epic Fails:

From Things With Faces: a grimacing butterfly:

Oy gewalt! Masih has stopped tweeting; I guess she’s too busy podcasting.  I’d rather die than do that. Fortunately, we have her substitute, J. K. Rowling, who is also trying to improve women’s rights. Here’s a tweet.

The man who witnessed me giving birth to his children might find it a tad odd that I keep announcing that I’m a woman before we have sex, but fine, I accept your terms. pic.twitter.com/J4jmrz4KUh

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 23, 2025

From Malcolm. I love this one!

mother cat rejoicing as her kitten takes its first steps

pic.twitter.com/ny8QIcqTOb

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 23, 2025

From Luana, who didn’t have kind words to say about this woman in Chicago:

Dear @realDonaldTrump … I’ve been carjacked in Chicago with my arm broken. I still don’t want you or your troops here. TIA. BTW there are no red hats here. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/f8NJ3xHL5O

— Jill Ciminillo (@jillciminillo) August 23, 2025

Two from my feed. This first one got me so steamed that I tweeted it AT Burger King, and I rarely direct tweets towards companies:

.@BurgerKing Hire this woman back immediately, or I’ll never set foot in your store again. How could you be so heartless? She ran the whole store BY HERSELF to support her kids, and you gave her the boot. Jerks. https://t.co/45Bv4BnmCH

— Jerry Coyne (@Evolutionistrue) August 23, 2025

Flamingo parade! Look how gracefully they walk:

Everybody! Stop what you’re doing and watch this. pic.twitter.com/ryUMgBEfKF

— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) August 22, 2025

One I reposted from the Auschwitz Memorial:

This Hungarian Jewish girl was gassed as soon as she arrived in Auschwitz. She was six. Had she lived, she'd be 81 today.

— Jerry Coyne (@evolutionistrue.bsky.social) 2025-08-24T10:45:20.247Z

Two posts from Dr. Cobb, who is relaxing on holiday. Matthew and I both like this first one:

Good gag on FB:Doctor: I'm sorry, but we had to remove your colon.Me Why?

— Rónán Hession (@ronanhession.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T19:43:22.371Z

. . . and a beautiful egg:

Please enjoy the absolute perfection of the egg of the Common Ringed Plover

— Lev Parikian (@levparikian.bsky.social) 2025-08-22T19:52:48.367Z

Today’s Jesus and Mo strip, called “groom,” came with this note:

No, I know. It’s not funny. Story here: https://amu.tv/183096/

Click below to read the details.  Western feminists should be up in arms about this stuff.

A few paragraphs from the story (it’s in Afghanistan).  Bolding is the author’s

A six-year-old girl was married to a 45-year-old man in Helmand Province, local sources said, in a case that has sparked widespread condemnation after an image of the wedding circulated on social media.

The ceremony took place in Marjah District, where the child’s father reportedly arranged the marriage in exchange for money. The groom, according to local sources, already has two wives.

The union was set to be formalized on Friday with the girl’s transfer to her husband’s home. However, Taliban officials intervened and temporarily halted the process. The man was briefly detained but not prosecuted. Instead, sources said, the Taliban instructed him to wait until the girl turns nine before bringing her home.

Images from the ceremony, showing the man beside the visibly young girl, have provoked outrage online and among rights advocates, who say the case reflects a broader rise in child marriages in southern Afghanistan — particularly in provinces like Helmand, Kandahar, and Zabul, where the Taliban exert strong control.

And the strip, which is funny, but in a very dark way.  Remember that Muhammad himself married Aisha when she was about six, and again the consummation had to wait until she was nine.  There is  general agreement about this among scholars of Islam, and is in the hadith.