February 28, 2026

I can't vouch for the attribution here ... I've heard other variations on this:

My grandpa notes the worlds worn cogs
And says we're going to the dogs.
His grandpa in a hut of logs
Vowed things were going to the dogs.
His grandpa in the Irish bogs
Swore things were going to the dogs
His grandpa dressed in caveman's togs
Moaned things were going to the dogs.
Now this is all I have to state
The dogs have had an awful wait.

Composed and Written

by G.W. Schill

https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/s96gio/help_found_an_old_handwritten_poem_in_this/

February 16, 2026

Western civilization is not being 'cancelled'. It is broadening and merging with other cultures.

When one of the headwaters of a huge river, such as the Mississippi, is declared to be the "source" of the river, you may wonder why, when there are multiple large streams merging at various points along the way, each a major river in its own right. The Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers all merge into the Mississippi -- so why is the "source" declared to be a spring which flows down into the Missouri ? Is it geographic distance ? Altitude ? Volume of flow ? Whatever the answer, there's bound to be a certain arbitrariness to the definition of 'source'.

So it is with "mainstream" civilization. Our own historical sources takes us back to Rome, and to Greece before that. The Greeks got their alphabet from the Phoenicians (after older scripts had fallen out of use) and some of our notions of law and civic order came from older Mesopotamian cultures. But along the way we incorporated lots of those things from other cultures -- numerals and, especially profoundly, place notation from India via the Arabs. Paper -- and paper money -- from China, as well as gunpowder, which led to guns, and profoundly shaped the course of Western culture. Rockets as pyrotechnics also came from China, but became real weapons in the hands of an Indian prince and his artisans (metal-bodied rockets, scarcely distinguishable from the "Congreve" rocket, which got the credit). Almost every aspect of knowledge which the Greeks preserved in their surviving writings were continued by the Arabs while the Dark Ages gripped Europe -- especially mathematics and medicine (Europeans continued citing Arab doctors for centuries). Maybe what describes the "mainstream" of civilization is not the place, language, or culture of origin, but the fact that it is OPEN to any rational input, and judges by practical results. RWNJs, especially those of a religious bent (or religiously "bent" ), like to refer loudly and frequently to "Judaeo-Christian" civilization/tradition/culture, (which became "Judaeo-Christian" in their rhetoric only to fend off charges of anti-Jewish bigotry) but it took a lot more than Judaism or Christianity to produce a highly technological, science-informed civilization -- indeed, religion has more often served as a dead weight on the back of progress. Maybe we should call it Western™ civilization since it's now more of a brand than a descriptive term, and is an inarguably profound influence on every culture today (whether they embrace it or not, they must react to it, and it shapes the world even against their wishes) while still being influenced by those it influences. Maybe someday we will just call it "global" culture, but for now I think many people would find that objectionable, thinking it diminishes their own culture(s), rather than (actually) inviting it into the mix. The one rule for joining this "club" is that you must allow your beliefs to be challenged, which is the antithesis of most RWNJ behavior. So while they are trying to run out in front and wave a baton, they are not the ones leading the parade. It makes them feel good to believe it, though.

Maybe someday we'll make enough progress it will just be known as "The Culture".

February 15, 2026

Why Valentine's day has a particular meaning for me ... I found a new love -- well, two of them --

When I taught in western TN for a semester I noticed some stray kittens hanging around the apt. I was renting. Cute little harlequin kittens, hanging around outside the apt entrances -- at first I didn't realize that there were two of them (eventually three) because their markings were almost mirror images. I asked the mgmt. office about them and they said there was a momcat and several kittens who had been hanging around the pool since mid-Summer. IIRC Mom was a tuxedo tabby (gray tabby w/white bib and feet); there were two candidates for Dad, both big, obviously intact toms who looked truly feral, as was Mom. The kittens were apparently growing up outdoors and hiding in hedges and maybe under foundations. By Jan. it appeared that one of the harlequin kittens had been run over and the other disappeared. It seemed no one else was going to do anything about them, so I decided it would be me (bear in mind I was pretty broke w/no job lined up after Dec., so not a casual decision). I borrowed a trap from the vet and set it up. Mom and three babies (or was it four?) were inside when I sprung the trap -- but the door hung, and all escaped ! Meanwhile I had been leaving food, water, and insulated shelters of a sort outside as the weather grew colder and colder. As the deadline for moving out approached, I got the cats gradually more accustomed to my presence and started letting them inside my apt., which revealed there were more of them than I realized -- apparently two successive litters from the same queen, with notable family resemblances, despite the huge variety of coats (tabbies, tuxes, harlequins, some orange splotches and orange stripes). Over the next few nights I stayed up late with the door partially open (despite Winter weather) and let them wander in when they wanted, encouraged by a game of "chase the vittle" with tasty cat treats. I had pet carriers set out with the doors open and old towels for linings, and some of them just walked in and set up camp. I also had two litter boxes which a few laid down in and even took a nap. But my lease was running out, and I needed to make some final decisions.

I had already visited the Humane Society, where a very nice, helpful, but waaaay too busy woman let me know my (realistic) options. One was Rabies Control, the worst option. I ended up taking two of the older litter there -- a handsome tuxedo and a gray tuxedo tabby -- on the assurance that local ladies kept watch on Rabies Control and scooped up cats if the cages were getting too crowded. Apparently, as long as the cages didn't fill up they could stay until someone adopted them. Still, it was wrenching to leave them there, in those cramped cages with dogs barking and baying in the next building. Their pictures were posted online to invite adoption, and before long they had been adopted, to my great relief. Leaving them with the Humane Society was out of the question as they were being inundated with a population explosion of feral cats, as locals didn't seem to do much in the way of spaying and neutering. They were too young for trap, neuter, and release -- and besides I was getting too fond of them. One had already taken a nip at my toes as they were hanging over the edge of the bed and they seemed like they were probably willing to settle in. But I had to move. So I kidnapped the orange-and-white one I had decided to name Caramel (once you name them, you're kind of stuck ). Drove 5-6 hours with him in a pet carrier, complaining all the while. I moved in with Mom (who of course gave advance permission for the new cats, to share the house with her two older cats) and had no kitten-proof area suitable for him, but needed to put a door between him and the other cats. Left him in the downstairs "workroom" (which wasn't seeing much use) with a food dish and litter box. He darted under some shelves and hid for the longest time. After 2-3 days he started coming out to get his food when I brought it, and eventually he settled in and met the other cats (both queens).

By this point, it was really deadline time for my lease, and I wanted to get two more kittens. I quickly caught a gray tuxedo tabby female and dropped her at the "Barn Cat Rescue" run by a local vet, who gave her the most economical spay and vax I could find. While I was waiting to pick her up I tried to get the remaining kitten, but he seemed to go crazy when I tried to catch him -- so much so that I was afraid he would injure himself if I didn't give up (he tried to jump through a window pane, apparently not understanding glass, and then tried to force his head underneath the back door, where there was only a small crack). I think he may have had some sort of vision problem, based on his strange behavior. He may have had hearing problems as well. Out of time, and with no clever solutions I could see, I abandoned him to take his chances in the wild, hoping that maybe he would meet up with his mother again. Then I picked up Ralph (named after one of the Monroe "Brothers" from Green Acres) and drove her all the way to Mom's. She recovered from the anesthetic and began complaining and poking me with her claws through the pet carrier's grille -- I had her in the front seat, so I could keep checking that she was OK. She got housed in the work room -- Caramel was much calmed down by now -- and went nuts. She jumped up onto a shelf and knocked down some picture frames, breaking all their glass. She crawled behind the dryer and clawed through the aluminum-foil wrapper of the exhaust, crawled into that and into an aluminum pipe, and was trying to force her way out of the narrow exit, which was covered with a flap. I had to pull out the dryer, cut the carpet and padding off of the stairs and saw in two a board of the stairway landing to get to the pipe she was in. I finally got it loose and let her escape forwards, since she seemed to be jammed too tight to go backwards. What an anxious episode that was ! There's still signs of damage to the stairs, where I never got around to putting the carpet back down. I think I had to lock her in a bathroom for a while, but eventually regular feedings got them both domesticated. Despite, or perhaps because, they lived the first several months of their lives outside, they've never shown any interest in escaping to the great outdoors, but have become sweet, lovable little house cats, who enjoy sharing a warm chair or bed with their humans (Mother and I are now jointly owned) and after the passing of Mother's cats they have the whole house to roam in. There have been times when I've worried that I might have to turn them over to friends or even a no-kill shelter when I was having such health and money problems that I couldn't properly care for them. It was getting close to the point where I was going to give them up if things got any worse, but slowly things have improved and they're still here, to my great satisfaction. When life is not going well, it's hard to handle by yourself, but a couple of non-human companions make it all feel better even though they don't solve any material problems. We've learned their habits and they've learned ours, and just sharing their company is a balm, sometime one sorely needed. I can't imagine trying to keep going without them to provide emotional support.

What's all that got to do with Valentine's Day ? Well, it was 2/14 when I left my apt. and drove Ralph to her forever home. I had still been looking for a name for her -- all my attempts to name the cats had been tentative, since their itty bitty kitty genitalia were not obvious, especially from a distance, and I had tried for ambiguous or unisex names. I happened to hear on the news that Mary Grace Canfield, who played Ralph Monroe on Green Acres, had just passed away and I decided to name my cat after that character -- Ralph, despite being female. I have since come to call her Ralphie Girl much of the time. (I also call her "Ratt-Butt", but that's another story.) Anyway, whenever Valentine's Day rolls around, I remember the saga of that time when I drove until late at night to give her a forever home, and the ensuing havoc that kept me up until the wee hours. But all's well that ends well.

(Gotta get that pix host set up, and post their portraits *someday* ....)

November 11, 2025

To split hairs, natural homones were *extracted* from livestock urine, ovaries/testes etc. where they were present.

Yam and soy steroids had to be subjected to ingenious chemical modifications to have the same molecular structure as the natural hormones; for commercial success, they needed to be available in quantity, and isolated fairly efficiently, both of which required considerable ingenuity, as well as considerable patience with trial-and-error results.

Chemically, there is no distinction between these particular synthetic hormones and those from natural sources (not true of all steroids in use, by any means).

For the synthesis from steroids found in yams, read up on Russel Marker: https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/progesteronesynthesis.html

For soy steroids, see the work of Percy Julian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Lavon_Julian

PBS has shown docs on both men and their work. They were working on similar projects at about the same time, but that often happens in science, as new discoveries lead to whole new fields of study, which lead to new discoveries. "Success" wasn't a one-time thing either, so "who was first" is kind of a fuzzy question -- or at least a question with a fuzzy answer.

November 9, 2025

When can we start calling him 'C. Montgomery Trump' ? He's farcically out of touch.

Yes, I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail. Am I too late for the 4:30 auto-gyro?
***
Mr. Burns: If the house catches fire, call this number
Marge : Uh-huh. The fire department
Mr. Burns: Yes. They're new. But they're good.
****
Ahoy-hoy? No you have the wrong number. This is 5246. In suspect you need more practice working your telephone machine. Not at all. Ahoy.
***
Re...cy...cling? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that term you adorable ragamuffin.
***
"Who could forget such a monstrous visage? She has the sloping brow and cranial bumpage of the career criminal."
"Phrenology was dismissed 160 years ago "
"Of course you'd say that... you have the brainpan of a stagecoach tilter!"
***
Ooh, don't poo-poo a nickel, Lisa. A nickel will buy you a steak and kidney pie, a cup of coffee, a slice of cheesecake and a newsreel... with enough change left over to ride the trolley from Battery Park to the polo grounds.
***
Let’s have a look at my stock portfolio. Confederated Slave Holdings, how’s that doing?
It's, um, stable.
***
I’m sure the manual will indicate which lever is the velocitator and which the deceleratrix.
***
You there, fill it up with petroleum distillate. And revulcanise my tyres post-haste!
***
I’m really enjoying this so-called “iced cream”!
***
A donut? I specifically said no ethnic food.
***
So you say Batista’s gone. Did you know that?
***
Mr. Burns: Smithers do you think you could dig up Al Jolson?
Smithers: Ummm... Remember we tried that?
Mr. Burns: Oh right, he’s dead... and rather pungent.
****

November 9, 2025

I thought these pix from the cover of 'The Economist' deserved an Original Post of their own ....

... just to help those having trouble answering the question, "Are you better off than you were under Joe Biden ?" ...

October 27, 2025

Zeus, the giant Maine Coon Cat

This Giant Cat Amazes People On The Internet As He Can Reach The Countertop Like It’s No Big Deal

A giant cat recently shocked the internet by amazing people with its size. Zeus is a Maine Coon cat from Moldova who is a staggering 39 inches tall when standing on his back legs!

In an interview with Bored Panda, Daniela, Zeus’s mom, wrote: “People are always shocked when they see Zeus, both in person and online. Many don’t even know Maine Coons exist, so their reactions are priceless. Even people familiar with the breed are amazed by his size. Some of the viral comments like ‘he’s a dog,’ ‘a werewolf,’ ‘a forest spirit,’ or even ‘a toddler in a costume’ always make me smile!”

So, without further ado, we invite you to take a look at this black (almost) lion!









Same hat size ?

***
more: https://www.boredpanda.com/giant-black-cat-zeus-mainecoon-official/

September 11, 2025

Bernard Herrmann !! I have an LP with this -- "On Dangerous Ground" -- the "Death Hunt" scene --- ***EIGHT*** horns!!

The camera work is a little odd -- too many closeups, never a wide shot of all the horns at once. Looks like (at least) five in the front row, four in the back. Liner notes from the LP say it was scored for eight horn *parts*, so maybe some doubling on some stands. This can't possibly have anything to do with the fact that conductor Salonen began as a horn player.

I kind of hate linking to YouTube because it's turned into such a stinking shitpile of surplus "features" that it bogs down any browser you can throw at it. But once you get it loaded, crank up the volume and let your hair stand on end !

Herrmann was an expert at using music to trigger emotions. It's hard to imagine hearing this in a dark theater while, on the screen, an alleged murderer is run to ground at night in a remote landscape -- and falls to his death.

Here's a movie music fan discussion of the movie itself. I've never actually seen it -- it wasn't a big commercial success, and I don't know that I've ever seen it on any TV channel.

August 29, 2025

recorded media should be exempt from any tariffs ... (posted by Discogs.com)

Records and Other Physical Media Should Be Exempt

Vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and other recorded media should be exempt from any tariffs under US presidential executive order.

The executive order going into effect on August 29, 2025, removes a long-standing “de minimis” tariff exemption for most goods valued under USD $800. However, this change does not apply to “informational materials” like music media, which are still exempt from tariffs under US law 50 USC 1702(b)(3).

US Customs and Border Protection confirmed the exemption on August 28, 2025, stating that the “duty-free de minimis treatment shall remain available for [sic] goods covered under 50 U.S.C. § 1702(b) – such as certain donations and informational materials.”

Simply put, music and informational media have always been exempt from tariffs and continue to be so at this time. This means neither sellers nor collectors on Discogs should be charged additional customs fees.

https://www.discogs.com/about/news/united-states-tariff-impact-music-media-2025/

August 13, 2025

I heard a rumor* that "Truth Social" was originally meant to be "Trff Social" ....

in honor of Trff Bmzklfrpz, dictator and proud of it.













*Meaning I just made it up, like it usually does.