Good morning on a chilly Chicago Sunday (it’s a few degrees above freezing): October 29, 2017. It’s a good day to be National Oatmeal Day, and I may well have a bowl with cinnamon and raisins. Most important, in the U.S. it”s
I had no idea there even was one (the website is here). The first ten American readers who send me photos of their American cat (because it’s an American holiday) will have them posted at the end of the day. You’ll have to be quick, and include a few words about your moggie. (Only pictures not displayed here before, please.) To start things off, here’s a photo of me a while back holding my beloved Teddy, who’s no longer with us (it’s a photo of a print):
More minor events on this day: On this day in 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, accused of treason and plotting against the King, was beheaded at the Palace of Westminster. On October 29, 1675, Leibniz first used the “∫” as a symbol of the integral in calculus. 112 years later, Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni was first performed in Prague. On this day in 1901, Leon Czolgosz, who had assassinated President William McKinley, was executed by electrocution—only 45 days after his crime. On this day in 1923, Turkey became a republic after the Ottoman Empire was dissolved. It’s now reverting to a theocracy. On this day in 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed for the second day in a row on “Black Tuesday,” ultimately bringing on the Great Depression. On this day in 1964, a load of gemstones was stolen from the American Museum of Natural History by a group of thieves (remember “Murph the surf”?). It was the biggest jewel heist in American history, and included the 565 carat (113 g) Star of India. Nearly all the gems were recovered and the miscreants jailed. Here’s the huge Star of India, a nearly flawless star sapphire as big as a golf ball; it was originally given to the Museum by owner J. P. Morgan:
Hili: I deconstructed a mouse.Cyrus: Don’t talk derridese.
Hili: Zdekonstruowałam mysz.
Cyrus: Nie derriduj.
Here are two tw**ts found by Matthew. The first one is fantastic, but sadly is done by Tetsuya Noguchi, a modern artist who paints in the old Japanese style:
An unusual animal event:
And a nice video of the Bronx Zoo’s new snow leopard cub, stolen from Heather Hastie:
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Around here, every day is cat day. But will send some photos, just in case.
Hah! The surfing heron was terrific. Very, um, Biblical.
On a side topic, I think PCC would appreciate that latest SMBC:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/discount-flight
AH yes, the upgraded economy class.
Form what I’ve read, Depp’s altered tattoo is more true.
My father and I often have similar tastes in opera and music, but we are split on “Don Giovanni” because he intensely dislikes any drama that introduces supernaturalism fairly late in the story, while the first half is played naturalistically. This, naturally, disqualifies Mozart’s opera for him.
My correspondent in Morgantown, WV, writes “Everyday is Cat Day”. And my San Diego correspondent adds “All hail our cat overlords.”
PCC and Teddy – adorable.
Boz Scaggs and Duane Allman – stupendous. I had the LP then the CD (which is about a foot away). Crank it up loud.
Imo it’s not the best representation of Duane’s blues playing, here it tends to tedious drawn out pentatonic/blues scale riffing.
On other hand, any of the blues tracks on the Live at Fillmore East album are dynamite. Concise, and well constructed. (They call it) Stormy Monday a standout masterclass in terms of buiding tension over just two choruses. Statsboro Blues one of the all time great examples of electric slide guitar playing.
I thought the snow leopard club appeared yesterday already?
Might have, but in the short version.
I haven’t watched the whole video. Seems like I was too quick to judge.