From "A City With a Medieval History of Killing Cats Now Celebrates Them/Cat lovers from around the world gathered for Kattenstoet, a cat parade in Iepers, Belgium" (NYT).
I expended my second-to-last free gift link of the month on that because there are some cool and amusing photographs of the place. And there are still 10 more days — and all that Trump-trial business still remaining! Too bad! Belgians twirling in cat costumes and tourists cavorting in cat ears beat out NYT reporters informing us, moment by moment, about whether Trump's eyes are open or shut.
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I expended my second-to-last free gift link of the month
Dollars to donuts they let you distribute any Trump news they deem 'important'...
Middle-age liberal white women hardest hit.
Eh, women are more likely to be dog nutters nowadays. One was just eaten by her two XL Bullies in the UK. Oh well, anyways,
What's new, Pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
What's new, Pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
Pussycat, Pussycat, I've got flowers
And lots of hours
To spend with you.
So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose!
Pussycat, Pussycat, I love you
Yes, I do!
You and your pussycat nose!
What's new, Pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
What's new, Pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
Pussycat, Pussycat, you're so thrilling
And I'm so willing
To care for you.
So go and make up your cute little pussycat eyes!
Pussycat, Pussycat, I love you
Yes, I do!
You and your pussycat eyes!
What's new, pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
What's new, pussycat?
Whoa, whoa
Pussycat, Pussycat, you're delicious
And if my wishes
Can all come true
I'll soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips!
Pussycat, Pussycat, I love you
Yes, I do!
You and your pussycat lips!
You and your pussycat eyes!
You and your pussycat nose!
"At the time, the animals were seen as a symbol of witchcraft and evil, so their deaths were celebrated."
"At the Time"???
Ypers was ground zero for major WWI battles, and there are dozens of small cemeteries scattered around there holding French, British, American and German soldiers. There is also a very impressive WWI museum there called "They Shall Not Grow Old" in honor of the war dead. The museum will also provide free research regarding WWI casualties in the area if requested. My wife and I visited Ypers in 2018 during the WWI centennial to try to find the grave of her great uncle who was tragically killed in one of the last battles of the war. We did find it with the help of a local taxi driver and also collected information from the museum that documented his company, the location of his death and his first burial site (deceased were often temporarily buried near where they fell, then relocated to proper cemeteries by nationality shortly after the war.) We also found his relocated grave in one of the British cemeteries. The local Flanders citizens are extremely welcoming of visiting British and Americans because of the sacrifices that were made on the behalf over a hundred years ago. If you get the opportunity, I strongly recommend visiting Ypres and also the WWII Bastogne memorial sites to the East. It's all very humbling.
The evolution of "burdens". Today they are euthanized in a religious rite.
TO: Staff
FR: J. Kahn
RE: Anti-Catholic Submissions for Lent
Cat-tossing a go. Also liked baby-eating - strong but wrong.
"In Flanders fields..." they apparently threw cats out of belfries. Who knew?
We have a couple of million women (and more men than I care to acknowledge) in this country with pussy hats in their drawers, just waiting for the next Trump election. They could have been an important part of the celebration in Ypres.
I thought cats landed on their feet when thrown from great heights. Not exactly:
“Researchers found that cats landed differently depending on the height from which they fell. Cats that fell less than five stories almost always landed on their feet, resulting in higher numbers of limb fractures, though fewer injuries overall than cats that fell from over five stories. But the injuries were different in cats falling from more than seven stories, and they weren’t landing on their feet.
As it turns out, when cats reach terminal velocity [for a cat 60 miles per hour], instead of landing on their feet, they spread their appendages apart and attempt to land as flat as possible (on their chest) to evenly distribute the impact of the fall). This is why such a high percentage of the cats that fell from great heights had chest trauma while the cats falling from an average height of four stories had more broken limbs.”
This is the most interesting part:
“Cats can theoretically fall from just about any height, though these falls aren’t risk free. They can fall so far and still survive that we don’t even know what their true limits are.”
The purloined pussy... hat is a fetal... fetid exhibition of human rites that are exercised during progressive days of the week. The "burden" hunt has become a fixture of modern families in liberal societies, where they are pursued for social, clinical, criminal, political, and fair weather... climate progress.
Curiosity...
Cats win over everyone eventually. Thanks Toxoplasmosis.
Historical note: WW1 British soldiers called Ypres "Wipers".
This is 2024, you should never say "them/cats" unless you mean it.
"During the second week of Lent, on 'Cat Wednesday,' cats were tossed to their deaths out of the belfry tower onto the town square below."
The only thing bad about this tradition is having to wait until the second week…
With God as my witness, I thought cats could fly.
Wow, thanks @Eva Marie! Fascinating.
So, if cats were "tossed to their deaths" but don't die, what are the gentle townsfolk in the square below doing?
Cats gave a great advantage, not only can they spread the impact over 4 legs vs. 2 for humans, they have flexible spines.
They aren't built to fail, they're built to fall.
Ancient Egyptians held cats in very high esteem. Some deities were even depicted as cats, and mummified cats were often buried with their owners. About 3 years ago my wife and I traveled to Egypt for 3 weeks, and we saw some of the most exquisite bejeweled statues of cats in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Cats were also roaming around the ancient temples in Luxor, and they appeared to be well fed and taken care of.
Kind of a macabre festival enhanced by the fact that it's the location of the most awful battle of an awful war. I've read that the majority of WWI casualties were vaporized in artillery barrages. There were many brave men but their deaths were devoid of gallant gestures. This might have something to do with a witches' curse that's as persistent as the smell of cat urine. This is a place where bad things happen. Don't go there.
Althouse, I think you meant "Trump's CAT-LIKE eyes, open or shut."
Imitate the mainstream media and link two completely unrelated things just by saying it is so.
So, do you have to do this 9 times?
Apparently, Pope Gregory IX issued a Papal Bull declaring that cats have Satan's spirit. And so they were killed across Europe.
The mass extermination of the continent’s felines is considered an indirect cause of the Bubonic plague spread by fleas on rats, which would otherwise have been hunted by the dead cats.
Oops.
Also ordered the Jews to be enslaved and ran the Inquisition.
I didn't like cats. At all.
Until we got one.
Now, I'm going to wake him from his nap and rub his belly.
Muslims do the same thing with gays. They probably don't land on their feet.
"Also ordered the Jews to be enslaved and ran the Inquisition."
Netenyahu is that you?
Most cats are cool. Its fun to hang around them and observe them. Also, they like a certain amount of affection.
But Dogs are in higher, superior class.
"Apparently, Pope Gregory IX issued a Papal Bull declaring that cats have Satan's spirit. And so they were killed across Europe."
Yet another example of Papal bull. The word "cat" is nowhere to be found in the Bible, so Gregory's animosity towards felines stemmed from another source.
How long until they start throwing the excess tourists out of the belfry?
Hannio wrote: “The word "cat" is nowhere to be found in the Bible”
Letter of Jeremiah Verse 21 reads, "Bats, swallows, birds, and cats land on their bodies and heads. From this you will know that they aren't gods. So don't be afraid of them"
Not part of the Protestant Bible, but included in the Catholic Bible.
I understand the animosity to cats. When I was a kid, there were lots of feral cats and they were never spayed or neutered. So when females were in heat the fights between male cats were epic. The screeching, screaming was extremely loud and otherworldly.
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