http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that Catster diary for the cat Cooper (1991~2006) en Copyright 2013 by Cooper (1991~2006) & Catster Sat, 18 May 2013 06:13:10 PDT Catster Pet-o-matic Gennie - http://www.catster.com 360 http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/756395 Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:07:46 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/756395 "My first Christmas, 1988. I found a mouse on the tree!" ~ Scooper Hello Fellow Felines, Happy ... a photo of Scooter enjoying her first Christmas. Scootie Pie is one of our favorites around here. As her person notes in her profile, Scooter is a very lovey cat. So it is a special treat to see her showing up on Facebook. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/633710 Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:13:09 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/633710 Hello Fellow Felines, Well! When my attention was elsewhere, I had my 30,000th visitor! Thank you ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/473407 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:31:36 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/473407 "The playful kitten, with its pretty little tigerish gambols, is infinitely more amusing than half t ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/358807 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:15:46 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/358807 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today it's one year since I got here. We had a reunion of the all of u ... Camilla and Keiser both came here in the same year as me. We three all linked our diaries to one another on catster and now we sit around in the internet cafe and make snide remarks about current events to one another and stuff like that. I got to meet my person's other cats and we get together from time to time. I love my job at the library. It was a special day when Dewey Readmore Books came. Foudini the cat comes here a lot too. He wrote the book I told you about. And we love it when Smoggy comes by for a nap. Everybody wants to be by Smoggy when we have a group nap. He has the best vibes. Basil came here too. She is an outstanding napper as well and is very loved. Most of us call her Sweet Basil. I took a flight to the place where my body rests and peeked in the window. There was my person with her friends eating pasta and toasting me with red wine. I had a good long life with her and we really loved each other. It made me feel good to see her with her friends and she felt good when I flew by and gave her a high five. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/325423 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:23:55 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/325423 "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, fo ... Joey was a mighty smart cat and usually had something to say in a clever, sarcastic, New York kind of way. I am happy to say Joey got to see the last episode of The Sopranos since he was really hoping to get out of the hospital for that. He has told us a few stories about New York and stuff and his person and everything and it sounds like he was one of the especially loved kitties. I know Big Can Opener will miss Joey like crazy and I can only hope that knowing he is getting his way and flying around here will help her feel better. Welcome Joey. You add some class to the joint. Peace and love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/316688 Mon, 28 May 2007 16:51:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/316688 Hello Fellow Felines, What's up? I've been tagged! I'm all honored and stuff but what is there th ... stood up on my hind legs every night for my dinner. My person had a friend who’s cat did it and she decided I could too. 2. I was very fond of cicadas. Loved those tasty bugs! Full of protein! I wouldn’t mind being around for Brood XIII but I’ll just watch it from here. 3. I never was interested in beer or wine. Just like most cats, I was too smart to go for alchoholic beverages. 4. I never learned to play a musical instrument like Nora, but I did like to nap in my person’s violin case when she practiced. 5. I was a good mouser. Yep, those mousies never got by me. Neither did the bats. 6. My art installation, “Wicker Hamper With Feline Alteration” still stands as mute testimony to my artistic talents. 7. Mostly, though I was the sublime, well upholstered purring machine who kept my person company every night at bedtime. Now. Here's some kitties I'd like to hear more about... Smoggy Sir Higson Nick Keiser Basil Camilla Leo Tommy Yes, every single one of these cats has gone to the beyond. This is their chance to remind us all how much they were loved and how special they were. Peace and love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/298030 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:26:52 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/298030 "A friendship that can be ended didn't ever start." - Mellin de Saint-Gelais Hello Fellow Feline ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/283943 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:40:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/283943 Hello Fellow Felines, We have been joined by another esteemed elder in the beyond. The distinguish ... Snuffy, has joined us here after a long life. Here is his obituary as seen in e-mail: "Snuffy (Snuffleupagus) has gone to kitty heaven after 22 years of being Kristo's favorite pet. He was a good cat, and put up with alot of dogs and cats over the years, we'll miss him." Snuffy was named for Aloysius Snuffleupagus, a Sesame Street character to whom he bore no resemblance, being an attractive gray kitty with a white nose, white toes and lovely green eyes. We sit at his feet and marvel at his wisdom as there are only a few cats here who stayed on earth as long as Snuffy. Welcome to the beyond, Snuffy. Peace and Love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/267141 Sat, 3 Feb 2007 15:47:48 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/267141 "Il più piccolo feline è un capolavoro" - Leonardo Da Vinci Hello Fellow Felines, Another kitt ... Keisermade a sudden departure late last night. Well, since it was in Australia, it's tonight, but since time means nothing here, that is neither here nor there. Keiser, aside from being very attractive, was also very bright and had her own blog, full of photos and interesting information. She was full of opinions. But aside from that, she was a loved companion and always included incidents from her life and menu for us to enjoy as well. Welcome to the beyond, Keiser. As Leonardo said, "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." Peace and Love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/249283 Sun, 24 Dec 2006 23:11:14 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/249283 "The approach of Christmas brings harrassment and dread to many excellent people. They have to buy a ... eggnog and singing carols but there is very little of the fuss with shopping malls and office parties and all of that. It's nice to see all the decorations when we go flying around. Some people are going to have some hefty electric bills to deal with in a couple of weeks, but it's really pretty from the sky, may I just say. Flying is so lovely. It was clear tonight and the moon was a slender crescent, making the stars and all the decorations more bright. Speaking of stars, thanks to all the cats who gave me rosettes and stars. Catster really helped me and my person deal with my departure to the beyond. We are sleeping in heavenly peace. Peace and love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/241508 Wed, 6 Dec 2006 19:26:39 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/241508 A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of a ... Dewey Readmore Books will be arriving shortly. You may already know about Dewey from reading about him in Keiser's diary. He was dumped in the Library's book return when he was a kitten in 1988. He stayed there for 19 years until he peacefully died in the librarian's arms. Here were his duties: 1. Reducing stress for all humans who pay attention to him. 2. Sitting by the front door every morning at 9:00 am to greet the public as they enter the library. 3. Sampling all boxes that enter the library for security problems and comfort level. 4. Attending all meetings in the Round Room as official library ambassador. 5. Providing comic relief for staff and visitors whenever possible. 6. Climbing in book bags and briefcases while patrons are studying or trying to retrieve needed papers underneath him. 7. Generating free national and world-wide publicity for Spencer Public Library. (This entails sitting still for photographs, smiling for the camera, and generally being cute.) 8. Working toward status as world's most finicky cat by refusing all but the most expensive, delectable foods---and even turning up his nose at those most of the time. We are all looking forward to meeting Dewey! All the Love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/234293 Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:47:20 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/234293 "The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it wi ... Scootie Pie and Kazumi Joy who are Catster Earth Friends. Then there's Basil and Camilla who are Catster Friends Here now. (In fact, Basil is right next to me here at the intenet cafe right now!) There's also Soot, who was my buddy around the house. But today my story is about Smoggy. I didn't meet Smoggy until he came here. He's a Catster Cat, but is much more famous on Flickr with his own group and calendar and everything. He was from Australia and has friends all over the world! He arrived here around the same time Basil did and they are friends. It is wonderful to meet new cats here and hear their stories. Smoggy is very popular here, just like he is on Flickr, because he is a bright shining spirit and always greets everyone on his way. He is very dear. We love him very much. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/232094 Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:09:20 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/232094 "No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap." - Carrie Snow Hello Fellow Felines, I hope man ... group nap we had here. There were countless cats here. All colors and sizes with many voices and all that. That many cats waving their tails and shaking out their wings and wiggling their whiskers and meowing at the same time was quite a commotion. Then we all settled down. I managed to find Basil, Camilla, Patrick, Sir Higson Nick and Smoggy to sleep with. We put Basil in the middle so she was all snugged in and cozy. Then we had a couple of OM's to calm everyone down and get us all on the same page. AAaaaaUUuuuuMMMmmmmmmm! Then there was some scootching around and rustling of wings and, one by one, we all went to sleep. It was so nice and warm. Lots of purring. Some kitty behind me made mittens on my back the whole time. My person used to massage me right between the shoulder blades and I forgot how much I loved it. It was a great massage. Calm settled over the group and soon we began to just glow with peace and love. It was transplendent. We could feel the companionship with all those still on earth who participated in the nap and it was just the best nap ever! All the Love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/231019 Sat, 11 Nov 2006 03:41:46 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/231019 Hello Fellow Felilnes, Several of us were here to welcome the lovely Basil when she arrived. She m ... Basil when she arrived. She made it on her biggest journey of ever and arrived. earlier than she and her people would have liked, safe and sound. She wanted to stay with them because she understood their exceptional love and devotion better than most of us had on earth, but her body was done. Her beautiful shining spirit lights our way here. She is busy with school, but I heard that she is one of the best students and is at the top of all her classes. Even though she liked cozy, close spaces on earth, she is surprisingly excited to get her wings and fly. She understands that she is free here and everyone she meets sees her for the wonderful shining spirit she is and we bask in her love and shine ours on her. I liked the story of the neighbor cat who visits her resting place. The lady where I rest put a chipmunk that went the the chipmunk beyond in the ground by me. I kind of like that. My person doesn't come where I lie as much as Basil's because I'm not at her house. She did come, though, on the Day of the Dead and put a candle for me. I saw its tiny point of light when I was out on a flight that night. We are planning a group nap soon. If you are not doing anything Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (Greenwich mean time. Adjust your clocks accordingly.) feel free to join us in spirit. We will be a large glowing mass of purrs. All the Love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/225985 Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:12:23 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/225985 Hello Fellow Felines, My friend Camilla got her wings. We knew she had been feeling poorly, but sh ... Camilla got her wings. We knew she had been feeling poorly, but she didn't make a big fuss about it. So typical of the fine lady she was. She was smart and classy and cute and will be greatly missed on earth. However. The beyond will be a better place for her presence. Maybe she can get a job here at the library. I would just love that. I really like my job here. I get to reshelve the books and put the new books on the shelves and recommend books and all that kind of stuff. I'm finding all kinds of wonderful stuff. Here is a quote I found for Camilla's people: Tomorrow, I will continue to be. But you will have to be very attentive to see me. I will be a flower, or a leaf. I will be in these forms and I will say hello to you. If you are attentive enough, you will recognize me, and may greet me. I will be very happy. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk (1926-) ~ My person likes this quote very much. She has been looking more carefully at flowers and leaves and the moon and all that stuff for signs of me and is glad that I am happy. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/218188 Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:00:27 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/218188 Friend, don't cry with the moon of your face turned away. Love's ways are like this: as curled ... tail shaved didn't get in there, I'm happy to say. But today's best news is the great movie my friend Scooter made. Scooter is a great friend to many cats and I'm happy to be one of them. So many of you have continued to stop by to visit. That makes me feel good, and my person too. But right now, go see Scooter's movie. It's great. She's the coolest cat ever. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/215195 Tue, 3 Oct 2006 20:01:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/215195 "Tis the witching hour of night, Or bed is the moon and bright, And the stars they glisten, gliste ... gibbous moon, shaped like a cat's eye. I looked down to see if my person noticed this and there she was, looking up my roof where I spent many happy hours walking around and catching bats and stuff. I looked at her with my gibbous moon cat's eye and saw that she was well and she saw that I was well and it was good. I'm going out for a flight in the stars. There are some puffy clouds. Should be a good one. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/213246 Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:13:07 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/213246 "Singing hymns and waving palm branches through all eternity is pretty when you hear about it in the ... The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat. It's very good. I had my person read it and she found it very comforting and liked the part about dreams. Here is a song by Foudini: People live in houses All filled with mouses And that is why they need a cat like me Who catches all the mice for free. Open up the back porch door, Leave some crumbs upon the floor, All I need is food to eat, And mouses, mouses, mouses! Once there was a neighborhood with three ravens in a wood But there were no mouses there Running under easy chairs So I said, It's time to go, I must hunt my mice, you know, All I need is food to eat, And Mouses, mouses, mouses! Open up the back porch door, Leave some crumbs upon the floor, All I need are sunny days, And mouses, mousses, mouses! I can't wait to see what other books I find. All the love, Cooper P.S. Foudini's person told my person that he is here! I hope he comes to the library!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/211562 Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:34:47 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/211562 Hello Fellow Felines, Greetings from the beyond. It's definitely a good thing we have an internet c ... Milagrito. He is a good writer and knows his way around the legal world because his person is going to be a lawyer. So, anyway, he wrote me a will. This is more of a comforting message for those who miss me. You know, the birdies, the doggies, other kitties and all that and of course my person. I think it is a great will. Last Will and Testament of a Cat I hearby revoke all previous wills, and make my bequests to you all so that you may never forget me--not that you could. I am hard to forget. To the birds that fly outside my window, I leave my beautiful eyes, So they may be soulful as well as free. To the dog, I leave my paw print, so that he may step lightly and silently, something dogs never do. To the mice and rats who live in the basement, I leave my lovely fur. I always felt sorry for you in your plain wrappers. To that cat who once fought me, I leave a bent whisker over which spells have been spoken. You will never again win a fight. To my friends, I leave my toys, to divide among themselves according to their tastes and athletic ability. You’re never too old for toys. To my best cat friend, I leave my tail. Wrap it around you when you want my embrace. To the poor cats with no home, I leave all my blankets and beds, cat trees, cat tents, and the sofa (they need a new one anyway). Nothing makes a home like a good bed. Finally, to my beloved human, I leave an album of memories and everything I have taught you, about watching and learning (how I love that intelligent look on your face) and living with another creature whose soul is as large as yours, even if his body is small. Thank you Milagrito. You are a great friend. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/209471 Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:26:23 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/209471 "This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless, Away from books, away from art, the ... my wings! As you can see they are beautiful. You can't see how light and powerful they are. That's why we had to have flight school. We just started out with little training wings. They required a lot of flapping, but we had to learn take off, landing, navigation and etiquette. That's right, flying requires manners so we don't have accidents and stuff. When we knew what we were doing more, we got bigger, temporary wings. Wow! Whoosh! We were flying around like a bunch of out of control bats, flapping all over the place at first. We had to learn how not to steal another cat's breeze if they were soaring and not to fly in front of one of us taking off or landing as these are harder than just flying. So anyway, tonight I'm going for my first night flight in the stars. For real. I've dreamed of this for a long time. I bring all of you with me in my heart. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/207493 Sat, 16 Sep 2006 07:58:41 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/207493 "The tree rustled. It had made music before they were born, and would continue after their deaths, b ... in between. I am gone from my person, but not quite all the way yet. So, in little ways, I can still send waves of love to my person. I have selected sound as my medium. So, every so often, my person can hear me. One time, she was driving to her friend's store (which goes right by Dr. Shawn's office where, as you will recall, I left my body behind.) Anyhow, on the way there, I made it so a "meow" came out of her purse on the passenger's seat. She looked over and said, "Pooter! Are you in my purse!?!" Well, I wasn't really in her purse, but I wanted to say hello and thank her for being so nice and that I still loved her from the beyond and all that, so that's why I made a meow sound happen. And then, around that same time, when she was sitting at the computer looking at photos of none other than my lovely self, I made it sound like my tags were ringing on my food bowl. Just a little, so she could know I miss her too but that everything is all right. Needless to say, selecting my food bowls had special significance because my dinner was so important to me and I had to say thanks for all the dinners. I am working on a purr sound, but that seems more difficult. Maybe because it's a low, subtle sound, but I am still trying on that because I know how much she loved that one. Well, let's face it, we both loved that one. So anyway, all you cats, we can wait for you over here. Time means nothing here but to you guys over there, your people treasure every moment with you, so stay there as long as you can. All the love, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/203364 Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:15:08 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/203364 "Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." ~ Vietnamese Proverb Hello Fellow Felines, ... Zachary was Siamese and he sort of has attitude. He told me about the time he was staying with my person's sister and didn't come in when they called them. He was busy. So anyway, later. when he wanted to come in, they were sleeping so he broke in! Scared them half to death when he ripped off the bedroom screen, but that was Zach. Nija came after Zach. She was all black and part Siamese. A sweet little halloween kitten. Unfortunately, sweet but not smart enough to not eat some styrofoam when she was too tiny to digest it. So she is a very tiny kitten with her wings. She knows a lot though because she has been here lots longer than she was on earth so her knowledge is different than ours but she is probably the most spiritual of all of us. Frida was Siamese too. She was the runt of her litter and tells about coming home with my person in her pocket. She never did get very big, but was especially popular. People would come to visit her and she was a supersweet cat. Frida is my personal favorite because, well, Scootie Pie knows. We all agree my person is very loving but not in a smotherey way. I really appreciated that when I was feeling so tired. She gave me my space even when she was starting to miss me when I didn't come on the bed any longer to sleep with her. I still came by the bed in a protecting the pride posture with my back to her, watching out for her. We all watch out for her from here and feel her love and send it back in wonderful magical river of love that flows all ways. Love to all, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/202673 Mon, 4 Sep 2006 17:43:34 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/202673 Vital spark of heav'nly flame! Quit, oh quit, this mortal frame: Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flyin ... beyond. I'm getting settled in. I have classes and orientation and flight school and all that. I made sure I found an internet cafe as fast as possible to keep in touch. We get Catster and Yahoo and lots of other stuff on the computers here. My intake counselor told me the beyond is a pretty individual thing and it's pretty much what you can think up and want, so I guess I wanted to stay in touch pretty bad, because I found the interned cafe almost as soon as I got here. I am gone though. It was quite an experience, I must say. My first out of body experience! I was so tired. My person knew it. I'd been slowing down and getting pretty bony and stuff, so we were kind of prepared to say good bye if we had to that day we went to the vet. Dr. Shawn was a really nice gentle guy. He put me in a room with a soft fluffy blanket and my person came in and petted me and talked little sweet nothings in my ear. She asked me what kind of flowers I wanted and I told her, marigolds. That was kind of my way of also telling her where I wanted to rest too because she has good friends who have tons of marigolds in their garden. So anyway, Dr. Shawn gave me the shot and it was amazing. One minute I was purring and then I thought I fell asleep, but then WHAM! I was out of my body watching them from above! I saw a teardrop fall from my person's eye down to my fluffy blanket, and there was my body! They were talking and he put his hand on her shoulder and told her she did the right thing. I was enjoying this, watching people. Not too crazy about watching the poor, tired body I just left, but I felt so much better, I couldn't worry much about that. My person put my body in the carrier and left. She was so gentle and loving, I felt sad to have to leave her. So, I watched some more. They went to her friend's house and dug a hole. Then they wrapped my body up snug and tight in a towel and laid it gently, in the hole and covered it up. Then, just liked I asked for, they collected a bunch of marigold flowers. They arranged them all around on my fresh grave and my person said, "Look! It's a heart!" Well, whose idea do you suppose that was? I had to say good bye too. Then I flew on over. Over the houses and the parks and the lake and then the clouds and everything. Love to everyone, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/200712 Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:30:48 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/200712 Hello, My dear, sweet Cooper got his wings today. He had been failing all summer and finally was s ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/194229 Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:16:21 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/194229 "The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes." - Frank Lloyd Wright Hello Fellow Felines, ... Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/190086 Sun, 6 Aug 2006 22:25:07 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/190086 "I love animals. I once had twenty-six cats." - Andy Warhol Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is ... Andy Warhol was born in 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of Slovakian parents. In 1949, he went to New York City and began doing magazine illustration and advertising. He was one of the founders of the Pop Art movement in the 1950's. He made silkscreen prints, so he could, not only to make art of mass-produced items, like soup cans and cola bottles, but to mass produce the art itself. He did lots of pictures of American cultural icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. In the 1970's he founded Interview Magazine. He was only fifty-eight when he died from gall bladder surgery. He left so much stuff that it took Sotheby's nine days to auction his estate after his death for over US $20 million. But I don't care so much about that. I like him because he liked cats and wrote one of my books in my personal library: Cats, Cats, Cats, which I have mentioned before in my diary. Who doesn't love an artist who loved cats? Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/186997 Sun, 30 Jul 2006 18:39:52 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/186997 "Cooper, you are tabbylicious!" - My person Hello Fellow Felines, Gosh it's hot. Extremely inco ... tabby. Tabbies are not a breed. No, they are a cats with a distinctive patterned coat that has stripes, dots and/or swirling patterns. The tabby pattern occurs naturally and is probably from the original coloration of the domestic cat's distant ancestors. They traced back the name of "tabby" to be from the Attabiyah section of Baghdad where a type of striped silk was made that was later used to describe cats. In cat genetics, pattern is not related to color, and so the tabby pattern may occur in any color cat. Like me, for example. I'm orange and white but the orange parts have tabby markings, making me especially handsome. Here's the cool thing. Lots of tabbies have an "M" on their forehead. There are stories about the "M" and my favorite is about Mohammned's cat. It goes like this… "Perhaps most memorable story — and certainly the loveliest — was of Muezza, Mohammed's favourite cat. It was curled up one day on the sleeve of his robe when the call to prayer was sounded. Mohammed had to leave, but rather than wake the animal he cut off his sleeve and quietly sneaked out. When he returned, the cat awoke and bowed to him in thanks. In return, it is said, Muezza was guaranteed a place in Heaven.." Let's hear it for tabbies! Cooper P.S. Thanks for all the visitors who cranked up my total to 15000! I think it's so cool that we have a place at Catster to make friends and visit each other and stuff! Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/181079 Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:48:28 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/181079 Hello Fellow Felines, We are roasting here in Wisconsin. Having some Dog Days around here. I've b ... Dog Days around here. I've been hanging out in the bathroom wrapped around the coolest thing - the toilet. Don't laugh. It is the coolest thing when there's no air conditioning around. Unless your person leaves the door open and you can sneak in the laundry room and cool off. I'm ready to believe Al Gore. The earth is warming up. The ice caps are melting. Cats in fur are melting too... Yesterday, my person gave me a bath. I was too hot to yell or say anything. I did feel better but you should have seen me. Not that there will be a photo. I didn't even let her think of the camera. It's supposed to cool off. Down to 85F tomorrow! Good thing. In fact the breeze coming in now is getting better already. Stay cool, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/174833 Tue, 4 Jul 2006 19:50:12 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/174833 " War is not the answer. Violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is possible." - Ron Kov ... Ron Kovic Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's the Fourth of July. Ron Kovic is 60 years old today. He's the guy who went to Viet Nam to be the best soldier he could and win all the medals he could. He did get a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He also came back paralyzed from the chest down. Since that time, he became one of the best known peace activists among the veterans of the war. He wrote the book Born on the Fourth of July. It was about his patriotism and war experiences and then how he was treated on returning from war. His book was made into a movie and he and Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay. Tom Cruise played him in the movie. He got the Golden Globe award for best screenplay on January 20, 1990, which was exactly twenty-two years to the day that he was shot and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. He also got nominated for an Academy Award for best screen play. Ron Kovic is still speaking out against war. He now lives in Redondo Beach and paints, gardens and plays the piano, when he's not doing stuff for peace. Happy Birthday Mr. Kovic! Many more to you! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/174442 Mon, 3 Jul 2006 21:46:05 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/174442 Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener That is what I truly wish to be 'Cause if I were an Oscar ... 70th anniversary of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The first Wienermobile was a 13 foot long hot dog. These days, it's 27 feet long and has a super V-8 engine and GPS navigation system. They make Oscar Mayer hot dogs here in Madison and it's not uncommon to see theWienermobile sitting in the parking lot at the factory or driving around town. They have six of them and recent college graduates compete hard for the opportunity to drive around for a year as ambassadors for all things hot dog. It's possibly one of the coolest advertising things a company has thought up. A giant hot dog you can have a ride in if you are especially lucky. Or maybe you can get a whistle. It's a fun, cool thing and those wienermoblies will be out spreading crazy hot dog love for years to come. Happy Birthday Wienermobile. You're looking good for 70! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/172272 Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:45:56 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/172272 "We used to joke, 'Jack's on duty', never knowing he'd go after a bear," - Donna Dickey Hello Fel ... tale of a spectacular orange cat. Yeah, Jack, who lives in New Jersey doesn't like anybody in his yard. So when a bear came in his yard, he chased it up a tree! And not just once. No. The bear came down, and Jack chased him up another tree! First the neighbors just thought Jack was having a look at the bear in the tree. It took them a while to realize that the mighty Jack had terrified the bear up the tree. They had to call Jack to come inside so the bear could come down out of the tree. Some cat, I say. And orange too! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/168181 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 21:19:22 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/168181 "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the ... portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived on Galveston Island to take possession of the state and enforce slaves' new freedoms. Here is a nice poem in honor of Juneteenth We Rose From Africa’s heart, we rose Already a people, our faces ebon, our bodies lean, We rose Skills of art, life, beauty and family Crushed by forces we knew nothing of, we rose Survive we must, we did, We rose We rose to be you, we rose to be me, Above everything expected, we rose To become the knowledge we never knew, We rose Dream, we did Act we must - Kristina Kay Happy Juneteenth! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/167516 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:11:20 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/167516 "...Birthday greetings, bottle of wine..." Hello Fellow Felines, Well, yesterday morning, on the ... radio, I heard that today is the day that Paul McCartney was singing about all those years ago. That's right, Paul McCartney is sixty-four today. Here's the words... When I'm Sixty-Four When I get older losing my hair many years from now Will you still be sending me a valentine, Birthday greetings, bottle of wine? If I'd been out til quarter to three would you lock the door? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four? Oh, you'll be older too - Ah And if you say the word, I could stay with you I could be handy mending a fuse when your lights have gone You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings, go for a ride Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four? Every summer we could rent a cottage in the Isle of White, If it's not too dear We shall skrimp and save, grandchildren at your knees, Vera, Chuck, and Dave Send me a postcard, drop me a line stating point of view Indicate precisely what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, wasting away Give me an answer, fill in a form, mine forevermore Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four? Happy Birthday, Sir Paul. We love you! Many more! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/167058 Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:25:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/167058 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it was on this day, in 1995, the new web site, Astronomy Picture of the ... picture. A whopping fourteen souls surfed in to have a look. They estimate that over 400 million space-related images have been served up since that time. These images are served up by NASA and Michigan Technological University. Well, I went on that site and looked up "cat" and sure enough, felines are in space. A picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Cat's Eye Nebula was posted after only sixteen days on June 28th. The Cat's Eye Nebula is "one of the most complex "planetary nebulae" known." It's a dying star, three thousand light years away, throwing off shells of glowing gas. (Pretty sure I remember Keiser directing us to this beautiful image in the past.) That's not all. No, theres a Cat's Paw Nebula too! So, next time somebody accuses you of getting your paws into everything, just point them to outer space. That'll impress them! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/164061 Fri, 9 Jun 2006 11:29:24 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/164061 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's happened. They've got a reality show about cats. They're putting ... reality show about cats. They're putting 10 cats in a house like in Big Brother or Survivor. They're calling it Meow Mix House. The cats, have been picked from from shelters or rescue groups around the United States. They will be living in aWebcam-equipped "Meow Mix House" on Madison Avenue in New York. They will have the episodes on the Animal Planet channel on TV. The grand prize they are going for is an executive-level job with Meow Mix cat food. I'd take the executive pay and go for a job as taster myself. The thing I like about this publicity stunt for Meow Mix, is that it is increasing awareness of the importance of pet adoptions. So many of you at Catster are here because somebody came to a shelter and brought you home and I think that's the best. Anyway, every week a cat leaves. (Gets to go to a fur-ever home with a year's supply of Meow Mix.) They have competitions for best purr and stuff like that. Viewers can also vote and the most popular cat by popular demand will also get an as yet unspecified position with the Meow Mix folks. So, "Kitties, start your engines!" Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/163248 Wed, 7 Jun 2006 08:59:32 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/163248 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, yesterday Camilla had a pretty good story about the resilience of cats. ... Camilla had a pretty good story about the resilience of cats. I found one too. Since it is in British English, some of the details are a little fuzzy. I didn't know cars had wings. Maybe Sir Higson Nick could let us know about that. (Sir Higson Nick is not well and may appreciate your kind thoughts right now as he is sprouting his own wings.) Anyway, here is todays story: Kitten caused sqeaky car Mechanics who examined a car after the owner complained of a squeaking noise found a kitten hiding in the wing. Italian motorist Vincenzo Frustaci eventually pulled over and called for help after a 900 miles trip to the Austrian capital Vienna. He told the Austrian equivalent of the AA that he had heard the strange sound throughout the drive from Avellino in the Campania region of Italy. It was only when he reached the capital that a mechanic found the problem - a young kitten trapped in the wing. Mechanic Hans-Juergen Heindl said: "I could hear the sound coming from above the wheel, even when the car was not going, which was strange for a start. I couldn't believe it when I saw a kitten in the wheel bearing." The young cat was handed over to a local vet who said it was scared but amazingly unharmed. I think the kitten's name should be Squeaky. He had to squeak a lot to finally get noticed! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/162915 Tue, 6 Jun 2006 10:34:11 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/162915 "It's no sign because you're a 'door mice' that you gotta haul a door around with you --" Krazy Kat ... Wikipedia. Anyway. Today I found the feature article is about Krazy Kat. Krazy Kat was a cartoon cat who lived in Coconino County. The three main characters in Krazy Kat's world are Ignatz Mouse, Officer Pupp, Krazy Kat. It's sort of a love triangle. Krazy Kat loves Ignatz Mouse, but it is unrequited love. In fact Ignatz Mouse is always throwing bricks at Krazy Kat. Officer Pupp loves Krazy Kat. When Krazy Kat's creater, George Herriman, was asked if it was a girl or boy cat he responded that Krazy was "something like a sprite, an elf. They have no sex. So that Kat can't be a he or a she. The Kat's a spirit - a pixie - free to butt into anything." This cartoon was quite charming and although it wasn't wildly popular with the general public, artists and intellectuals liked Krazy Kat. William Randolph Hearst liked it so much that when Mr. Herriman died, he didn't try to find someone else to continue the cartoon which is what they usually did in those days. So, you go Krazy Kat! You free spirit, you. Butt in all you want! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/162791 Mon, 5 Jun 2006 23:51:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/162791 "I think that has cost China more in public image than any other single image in modern times." - Ri ... stepped in front of a tank that was leading a bunch more tanks into Tiananmen Square. The tank stopped. Then it tried to go around him. So he jumped in front of it again. It was like he was dancing with it. Then he climbed up on the tank! The photographer, Jeff Widener, took a picture seen around the world. The Unknown Rebel was what they called him because who he was or what happened to him is a mystery. Time Magazine named him one of the most important people of the century. We don't know what happened to him, but this is the day to remember him! Tank man! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/161238 Thu, 1 Jun 2006 19:18:57 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/161238 Hello Fellow Felines, Welcome to the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. This is an "ongoing event in ... Atlantic hurricane season. This is an "ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation." It starts today, June 1, 2006, and lasts until November 30, 2006. Anyway, this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released their forecasts for the 2006 season. They predict 13 to 16 named storms, with 8 to 10 becoming hurricanes, and 4 to 6 becoming major hurricanes. Sounds like a busy year. So anyway, hurricanes get names. That's so they can be tracked for example if there is more than one blowing at the same time. For hundreds of years, in the West Indies, they named hurricanes after the saint's day they happened on. In Australia they started naming them after women back in the 1800's and then in 1953 the U.S. National Weather Service started using female names for storms. In 1979, they started using both men's and women's names. Here are the names for this year: Alberto ,Beryl. Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon,Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk,Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty , Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William. I don't notice any Coopers and that's fine with me. I don't need that kind of fame. Ciao for now. Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/160653 Wed, 31 May 2006 11:44:10 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/160653 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, in my surfing today, I found the best poem. I thought I'd share it wit ... The Cat II From his fair and brown fur Comes a so soft perfume, that one evening I was fragrant of it, to have Pat him once, only once. He is the domestic spirit of the place; He judges, he sits, he inspires All things in his empire; Perhaps, is he fairy, is he god? When my eyes towards this cat which I love Attracted as by a magnet, Turn over submissively And when I look in myself, I see with astonishment The fire of his pale pupils, Bright lamps, alive opals, Which contemplate me fixedly. - Charles Baudelaire Pretty nice poem, no? I think it shows us felines in the proper light! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/160348 Tue, 30 May 2006 17:00:13 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/160348 Our cat seems to be left-handed. Is that possible? Are animals right- or left-handed, as humans are? ... wrote to Cecil at The Straight Dope. Cecil, being Cecil, got right on it and found a scientific study: "Paw Preference in Cats Related to Hand Preference in Animals and Man" by J. Cole, University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, England. Yeah, they have spent time on this question in the halls of science. Professor Cole set up a test for 60 cats. He put rabbit meat in a tube and watched to see what paw the cats favored. Of the 60 cats, 35 did favor one paw over the other. And of those 35, two thirds were left pawed! More lefties in our ranks! What's more, the 35 cats with a paw preference figured things out faster than the ambidextrous cats. According to Cecil: "Presumably if you practice constantly with one paw, you become more skillful than if you squander your playing time on two." So next time you're batting around a furry rodent, or some such thing, practice favoring one paw (I recommend the left.) Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/159525 Sun, 28 May 2006 16:52:47 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/159525 â��The history of astronomy is a history of receding horizons.â�� - Edwin Hubble Hello Fellow Fel ... Manhattanhenge! On this day, the earth and sun line up so that, the last 15 minutes of daylight, the sun shines directly along all the east west streets. This makes for a pretty impressive sunset. This line up also occurs on July 13. This would take place on the equinox if the grid of Manhattan was lined up directly east-west. But Manhattan is rotated 30° east from geographic north, so it happens on May 28 and July 13. We heard about this on the radio on Friday and thought it would be an interesting story to share. It is speculated that future anthropologists, when studying the archeological site of Manhattan "might take the Manhattan alignments to be cosmic signs of Memorial Day and, of course, baseball’s All-Star break." Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/159012 Sat, 27 May 2006 09:08:10 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/159012 'At last the might task is done; Resplendent in the western sun; The Bridge looms mountain high ... Golden Gate Bridge was opened for foot traffic about 200,000 people took the walk from San Francisco to Marin County. Joseph B. Strauss was the chief engineer who thought up connecting the two and was drawing up plans from about 1921. When it was done, after about three years of construction, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Golden Gate Bridge is painted orange vermilion, otherwise known as International Orange. They chose that color because it goes with the natural surroundings and it shows up better in the fog they get all the time around there. My person has been on the Golden Gate Bridge and has some advice. Be sure your car is in good working order. If you break down on the bridge, they have trucks that come and push you to the other end. Yes, they are paying close attention to what is going on there on the bridge to keep things moving. There have even been two babies have been born at the toll plaza so far. The Golden Gate Bridge, resplendent in the western sun. Just one more reason to love San Francisco. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/158060 Wed, 24 May 2006 15:10:05 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/158060 Any person who has sentiments, cannot cross this bridge in continuation, the grandeur and beauty com ... Emily Roebling was the first person to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. We should probably go back to her father-in-law, John Augustus Roebling, who invented the twisted wire-rope cable. He became known as a good bridge builder and was the guy who was going to connect Brooklyn to the island of Manhattan. But he got hurt and died. Anyway, at the age of 32, John Augustus Roebling's son, Washington Augustus Roebling found himself in charge of the project. They had to dig out the riverbed pretty deep to set up the supports. What he did was, he designed special pneumatic 'caissons'. The caissons were gigantic, airtight, wooden mining chambers, 160ft long and 100ft wide, filled with compressed air. They put granite blocks on top of them, to help push them down their mine shafts. The miners worked in these caissons, digging up the mud and junk in the bottom of the East River. A lot of them got Caisson disease. Some died. Washington Roebling got a bad case and was bed-ridden for the rest of the construction. Lucky for him his wife was a strong, smart woman, because he watched the bridge from his window and she was in charge of the project. When it was built, it was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world and was the world's longest suspension bridge with a span of 1,595.5 ft. So all you Brooklyn cats and you New York cats, have a look out the window and have a look at the Brooklyn Bridge! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/157399 Mon, 22 May 2006 21:16:09 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/157399 The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." - Sherlock Holmes ... Arthur Conan Doyle was born. He was trained as a doctor. In between patients, he started to write stories. His most popular character was Sherlock Holmes. Holmes ends up being in a total of 56 short stories and four Doyle novels. Sherlock Holmes is famous for using logic and astute observation to solve cases. He is probably the most famous fictional detective, and indeed one of the best known and universally recognizable literary characters. In fact, Sherlock Holmes is so famous that Google celebrated by having their logo dressed up with Holmes smoking his pipe and looking through his looking glass for clues. In other news today, I'm about to hit 10,000 viewers!! I can't even believe that! Let me know if you are 10,000! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/156862 Sun, 21 May 2006 09:54:07 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/156862 The aeroplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery Hell ... Antoine de Saint-Exupery Hello Fellow Felines, I heard a good poem on the radio this morning. It has birdies in it... I shall keep singing! I shall keep singing! Birds will pass me On their way to Yellower Climes— Each—with a Robin's expectation— I—with my Redbreast— And my Rhymes— Late—when I take my place in summer— But—I shall bring a fuller tune— Vespers—are sweeter than Matins-Signor— Morning—only the seed of Noon— - Emily Dickinson In other airborne news, on this day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, for the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. And then, just five years later, in 1933, Amelia Earhart lands in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Let's hear it for those in flight! I fly in my dreams. I hope you do too! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/156596 Sat, 20 May 2006 09:57:20 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/156596 "They go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety of the citizens of Brooklyn," Mr. H ... It's a fur cop A crime-fighting kitten has been given a special award for undercover work that helped cops snare a bogus vet. Fred, a former stray, lined up with 20 police, fire and court officers being recognised for heroism to get a plaque from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. He helped arrest Steven Vassall, who had allegedly performed a botched operation on a dog, Burt the Boston terrier, reports Sky News. Vassall, 28, was called to an apartment rigged up with a hidden camera where he was to pick up Fred to neuter him. He was allegedly caught on tape telling an investigator posing as Fred's owner he could do the operation for $135. As soon as he walked away from the house carrying the cat in a box and the cash, he was arrested. Vassall is charged with treating pets without a licence. Mr Hynes said the award winners exemplified the best in law enforcement. "They go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety of the citizens of Brooklyn," he added. Let's hear it for Fred! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/154455 Sun, 14 May 2006 14:10:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/154455 "I think my life began with waking up and loving my mother's face." -- George Eliot Hello Fellow ... Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/153547 Thu, 11 May 2006 20:12:37 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/153547 Hello Fellow Felines, Cats have been inquiring. Where am I? Well, I've been in the lazy zone. S ... Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/144407 Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:21:57 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/144407 Hello Fellow Felines, I found out about some Chinese cats who are doing a good job and getting rewa ... Villagers Put on a Banquet for Cats "A Chinese village splashed out on a fish banquet for more than 200 cats to thank them for their hard work. Residents of Sanjiang, in Guangdong province, wanted to thank the cats for eradicating rats from their farms. China Daily reports the village committee spent about £860 (1,523.91 USD) to purchase the cats which they released in about 250 acres of land to control the rats. The move was a success and villagers decided to reward the cats for the good harvest they expect this year as a result. The village suffered a rat infestation after snakes were caught and slaughtered by local residents in previous years." About that cat Molly, who was recently pulled out of a wall after 14 harrowing days, I am not saying anything since she got all the press she needs. However, if you'd like to help Animal Care & Control of New York City pay for the effort and building damages, here's your link. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/144097 Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:20:49 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/144097 "As with most legends, it's what we want to believe that counts." Hello Fellow Felines, Well, to ... Lady Godiva. Lady Godiva was married to Leofric, Earl of Mercia, one of the most powerful noblemen in the land and lord of Coventry. So, taxes. The people of Coventry were getting taxed more than they could stand it and Lady Godiva, who was by the way quite beautiful, begged her husband to lower the taxes. And Leofric, as legend has it, said he would lower taxes if she would ride a horse through Coventry bare naked. So, she said if everyone in Coventry would go inside and not look, she would do it. The people of Coventry decided they needed to lower their taxes more than they need to see her naked, so they kept up their part of the bargain and so did Leofric. He eased up on the taxes. Well, there really was a Lady Godiva. She was probably called Godifu and lived from 980 - 1067. The city of Coventry is happy to exploit this legend and they have a statue of her in the center of the city. Anyway, if you don't have your taxes filed by now, get that extension filed. Party at the Post Office tonight! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/143640 Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:12:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/143640 "The cat is a hero," - Uwe Beier Hello Fellow Felines, Here's a heartwarming story from Germany: ... story from Germany: "BERLIN (Reuters) - A cat saved the life of a newborn baby abandoned on the doorstep of a Cologne house in the middle of the night by meowing loudly until someone woke up, a police spokesman said Saturday. "The cat is a hero," Cologne police spokesman Uwe Beier said. "Its loud meowing got the attention of the homeowner and saved the baby from suffering life-threatening hypothermia. The homeowner opened door to see why the cat was making so much noise and discovered the newborn." Beier said the boy was taken to hospital at 5 a.m. on Thursday, when overnight temperatures fell toward zero, and had suffered only mild hypothermia. He said there was no indication of what happened to the boy's mother." Pretty good story, wouldn't you say? Maybe when we think of The Worst Cat Ever, we can remember this cat and they will balance each other out. Today, let's just think about the hero cat. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/143455 Sat, 15 Apr 2006 22:37:31 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/143455 "The smallest feline is a masterpiece." - Leonardo da Vinci Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is ... Leonardo da Vinci Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is Leonardo da Vinci's birthday. He was born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci in 1452. He is famous for his art. Like the Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper. But, he was more than just an artist. He was interested in all kinds of things and kept notebooks with ideas and drawings and stuff. The range of subjects he was interested in was mind boggling. There was anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to name a few. We watched a show on TV a while back about Leonardo and it was very interesting. Some of his observations about the flow of blood in the heart and the way the heart beats is just being rediscovered by cardiologists now. He was a good engineer and inventor. His notebooks were full of designs for machines. On the TV show we watched they built a flying machine he had designed and it actually flew! His notebooks were interesting. They were full of drawings and notes. Since he was left-handed, he wrote a lot of his notes backwards and they can only be read easily with a mirror. Was he just smart? No, he was a handsome guy too and he loved animals. He was a vegetarian! It was said that he would buy caged animals at the market just to set them free! Leonardo da Vinci. He thinks we are masterpieces! What a guy! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/142855 Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:08:55 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/142855 "We live with the dust, eat it, sleep with it, watch it strip us of possessions and the hope of poss ... Good Friday actually. But in 1935, April 14 was a Sunday, a very Black Sunday. Yeah, a big dust storm roiled up in the great plains states. It went from a pretty nice, sunny day to night when the dust blew in. When it was done, the landscape was changed. Talk about an environmental lesson! Yeah, the plains states turned out to be not such a good place to plow up the sod and grow wheat. They suffered a drought and the soil eroded and blew away. In huge, big, giant clouds. The effects were felt as far away as New England where the snow turned red one year and Chicago got about four pounds of debris per day dumped on them from the erosion. People suffered. Hundreds of thousands were Hundreds of thousands were displaced when their homes were foreclosed for unpayable debts John Steinbeck's book, The Grapes of Wrath was about this time in history and the movie was pretty good too. Anyway, let's try to remember not to make Mom Nature mad. The consequences can be dire! Ciao for now. Cooper P.S. In India lots of people are celebrating the new year. If you ask me, this is a great time for that. It feels newer now than in January. New lambs, new flowers, birdies singing, nice sunshine. Yeah! Happy Vaisakhi! Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/142147 Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:22:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/142147 "April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers." - Edna St. Vincent Millay Hello Fello ... Edna St. Vincent Millay Hello Fellow Felines, Well, finally we are actually seeing some spring weather. My person actually opened the porch door so I can have a look out and see what the squirrels and birds are up to. One of the flowers that we love here in Wisconsin are Siberian Squill which is also called spring beauty. It comes before much of anything is happening. Maybe a crocus or two, perhaps a daffodil. They carpet the ground with beautiful flowers. The are the most lovely blue color! They even have purple pollen! The bees like that! So, spring is finally busting out around here, babbling and strewing flowers! Yay! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Thanks to the feline who just brought my visitors up to 7000! Waa Hoo! Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/140971 Sun, 9 Apr 2006 20:56:57 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/140971 "He's the world's oldest chimp and in excellent condition," - Dan Westfall Hello Fellow Felines, ... Tarzan in my diary so now it's Cheetah's turn. Today is his birthday in the year 1932. Which makes him, (let me get my catculator...) 74! That's a Guinnes World Record Cheetah starred in twelve Tarzan movies in the 1930's and 1940's. Cheetah, is retired now. His trainer, Tony Gentry, was worried about Cheetah's fate and his nephew, Dan Westfall, is now Cheetah's caretaker. He started C.H.E.E.T.A., which stands for Creative Habitats and Enrichment for Endangered & Threatened Apes. So Cheetah no longer drinks or smokes and he is making paintings for people to buy if they want to help C.H.E.E.T.A. So. Cheetah! Have a great birthday. I just have one question: Why are you named after a cat? Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/140611 Sat, 8 Apr 2006 21:02:54 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/140611 â��Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be ... Happiness never decreases by being shared.” - Buddha Hello Fellow Felines, On this day in in 563 B.C., Siddhartha Gautama was born. He was born a prince in India, or at least of a privileged family. He never knew suffering or poverty and when he did see outside his protected world, Gautama left home, his possessions, and his whole family at age 29, to search for enlightenment. He searched for many years. Then, he sat down under a pipal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree, and said he wouldn't get up until he had found the Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment. Many statues show him at this moment touching the earth as he finds Truth. Then, for the rest of his life, he went around in northern India and preached. He taught about the The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Many cats are Buddhist. You can see us meditating all the time if you just look. And we are always ready to share happiness. Just listen to us purr. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/139221 Wed, 5 Apr 2006 10:34:26 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/139221 "Well this is beneath trivia! We need a new word for how insignificant this is!" - My person Hel ... punctilious. No this is a brand new, fresh, for the first time word: Drivia! Driv-i-a (dri-vE-&) n. pl..Insignificant matters of such unimportance as to be a colossal waste of everyone's time. The adjective form of this would be Drivial. This is a portmanteau or frankenword. Yeah, I just stuck drivel (or dross) in front of trivia to get a word that more clearly expresses the meaning we are going for here. The drivial piece of informational flotsam that prompted our new word was found in Wikipedia! I'd like to note that my person also received three e-mails about this fascinating tidbit. And here it is: "On April 5, 2006 at two minutes past one o'clock in the morning, it will be 01:02:03 04/05/06 -- this will be the only time this century that this occurs (for countries observing the mm/dd/yy date convention at least)." Let's hope there weren't too many who set their alarm clocks to get up and observe this amazing event in this century. I mean, we've got global warming and prison overcrowding and social injustice and stuff to think about. Drivia! A word for the times! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/139067 Tue, 4 Apr 2006 22:28:53 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/139067 "Her buildings fit their setting because they grew out of the history of the land.  They belonged." ... Mary Jane Elizabeth Coulter was born on this day in 1869 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1902, she got a job with as chief architect and decorator for the Fred Harvey Company. The Fred Harvey Company had concessions at Grand Canyon National Park. So, anyway, Mary Jane Coulter designed many of the buildings people love at Grand Canyon: Desert View Watchtower, Hopi House,Hermits Rest, Bright Angel Lodge, and Phantom Ranch. Many of her buildings don't look like they were built by an architect; they hardly even look like modern buildings at all. They look more like old Native American dwellings, even ruins.  Mary Jane Coulter did this on purpose. She was even known for making masons tear down walls if they were too neat. She wanted them to look natural. She was fascinated with Native American culture and the Mexican roots to western culture. She liked to make up stories to go with her buildings. She thought up the name Hermit's Rest after hearing about a man named Louis Boucher who lived at the head of Hermit Canyon who guided tourists to and from the canyon in the 1890s.  She worked for the Fred Harvey Company until 1948. Unfortunately, a lot of her buildings were demolished and torn down and stuff. Now more people are aware of her work and most of the buildings that are still standing are historic landmarks and stuff. Mary Jane Elizabeth Coulter. Let her buildings stand! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/138464 Mon, 3 Apr 2006 14:18:03 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/138464 "The chimpanzee, perhaps more than any other living being, has served to blur the line that we once ... Jane Goodall Hello Fellow Felines, Well, March was National Women's History Month and I didn't say a word about it. Baad cat! Anyhow, today is Jane Goodall's birthday! She's one cool lady! She liked animals ever since she was really a small girl. Also, she dreamed of going to Africa and when a friend invited her she jumped at the opportunity. That's where she met Dr. Louis Leakey who was a famous anthropologist and paleontologist. He hired Jane to study wild chimpanzees in their habitat. She turned out to be an excellent choice, as an endlessly patient and diligent researcher. She's the one who discovered that chimpanzees use tools. So much for the theory that humans are different from other animals because they are tool users! Ha! Anyway, Jane Goodall, stayed a long time in Africa and really liked it there and did a lot for the chimpanzees and people there and they liked her back. Jane Goodall has had a long career and has done lots of good things for animals like speaking out for primates used for research. At an age when so many people have retired, Jane Goodall is still working for conservation and peace and the chimpanzees. Happy Birthday Dr. Goodall. Many more! Love, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/138041 Sun, 2 Apr 2006 15:26:42 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/138041 Hello Fellow Felines, Sometimes, to sound even smarter than I actually am, I throw in a few words o ... babel fish, the online translation tool. It is actually helpful if you find something in another language you can't understand and it will translate it for you. Sort of. Just to check it out, I translated yesterday's blog to Spanish and back into English. See what you think... Hello Felines Of The Companion, Happy Day Of The Idiot Of April. You have a flat tire, its undone fly and we finished working of the food for cats! Hardly teasing. But really, some of them fill up them think until idiot who people in this day are outside this world. Grandma of my person did crepes with fine cardboard in them for its papa and uncle. One is awhile, but it had here quite good in Madison in 1933. Capitol-Tiempos de Madison disclosed yes that the building of capitol was destroyed by a "series of mysterious explosions." They demanded that the explosions were caused close: "great amounts of gas, generated with many weeks of the tedious discussion in the compartments of the Senate and the assembly." They even included the photo (false) of a of the vault of capitol ruined everything for above of the "explosions." Enough the people did not think that she was specially amused. Some of her was probably politicians. And some of her was probably the people who remembered that the building of capitol had an unfortunate history of the collapse (in 1883) and of the fire (in 1904). Frank Lloyd Wright describes the collapse: "the inner columns had fallen and the inner construction of the joint one was a gigantic pile of the wastes in the cellar.... whitened by the lime dust as the sculpture is white, the men with the bloody faces wine sinking violently of the entrance of the cellar that pressed outside hidden on of its heads with its arms, fighting of masonry and falling emits..." Therefore, in any case. It does not believe that everything that you hear today. Ciao for now, wine manufacturer Who knew my name meant wine manufacturer? I thought a Cooper made barrels. Anyway, if you want to look smart, better not try babel fish. You may come off looking like some sort of hapless victim of word salad. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/137818 Sat, 1 Apr 2006 20:39:01 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/137818 "(It) was not only tactless and void of humor, but also a hideous jest." Hello Fellow Felines, H ... Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/137351 Fri, 31 Mar 2006 15:44:40 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/137351 "The temples and gods of pre-Columbian Mexico are a pile of ruins, but the spirit that breathed life ... Octavio Paz Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on this day in 1914, the Mexican writer, poet and essayist Octavio Paz was born. He was a prolific writer and had lots to say about politics and love and stuff. In 1990, he got the Nobel Prize for Literature "for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity" Here is one of his poems that I like a really lot: Wind and Water and Stone The water hollowed the stone, the wind dispersed the water, the stone stopped the wind. Water and wind and stone. The wind sculpted the stone, the stone is a cup of water, The water runs off and is wind. Stone and wind and water. The wind sings in its turnings, the water murmurs as it goes, the motionless stone is quiet. Wind and water and stone. One is the other and is neither: among their empty names they pass and disappear, water and stone and wind. Happy Birthday Mr. Paz! Thanks for all the nice poems! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/136821 Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:19:08 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/136821 "They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a twenty-two length lead! He is going to be the Trip ... Secretariat's birthday. He was born on this day in 1970. He was quite the horse! I mean, how many horses get their own postage stamp? Or their photo on the cover of Newsweek? He was super-fast and the records he made at the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont are still the times to beat. In 1973, he was the first horse in about 25 years to win the Triple Crown: The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Lots of people think he was the best horse ever but Blood-Horse magazine ranked him #2, after Man O' War in the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century. In 1974, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Then, in 1989, he got laminitis and had to be put to sleep. When they did an autopsy on him, the doctors found out that his heart was huge. It was about three times the size of a normal horses heart and weighed 21 pounds. It had no signs of disease, so it looks like Secretariat was just a horse with a lot of heart. Because he was such an exceptional horse, he was honored to have his entire body buried. Usually, they just bury the head (to symbolize intelligence), heart (to symbolize strength), and legs (to symbolize power). So Happy Birthday Secretariat! Hope you are galloping in the clouds with the fillies! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/135883 Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:24:35 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/135883 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the 27th of March and in 1912 this day, President Taft's wife ... coming of spring and the city celebrates with over a week of events. From year to year, the trees don't always cooperate and bloom at the same time of the festival. This year they are supposedly at peak right about now. It depends on the weather and they watch really closely to predict when they will bloom. In Japan, they call it Sakura Matsuri in celebration of the coming of spring. In Washington, D.C., they have somewhere around 3750 trees in 12 different kinds. So when the bloom, it has to be an explosion of beauty in celebration of spring. Thanks, Japan! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/134197 Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:24:24 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/134197 "Today, according to the 2nd World Water Development Report, 1.1 billion people are without safe dri ... World Day for Water by adopting a resolution. They decided that it was an issue important enough to think about and have conferences and everything every year on this day. Water isn't the favorite thing of felines, but just think. What if there wasn't any clean water and we had to drink Pepsi or something like that. Or if they made us drink bottled water and we had to pay a lot and couldn't afford it? Think about if you couldn't stay clean. Oh man, that would just make me crazy. Water is, like, sacred to a lot of cultures and this year that's what they are talking about at the World Water Forum in Mexico City. I, for one, am grateful to be a kitty who can have a nice drink of clean water out of the bathtub faucet whenever I want and wish them the best of luck at the World Water Forum in helping all cats and their people everywhere to get good water in their life. Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/133601 Tue, 21 Mar 2006 09:15:26 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/133601 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today has been proclaimed by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Sci ... World Poetry Day! So, in celebration, I'm including a poem from one of my favorite books, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, The Song of the Jellicles. I had two brothers who were Jellicles as well as a good number of friends. The Song of the Jellicles Jellicle Cats come out tonight, Jellicle Cats come one come all: The Jellicle Moon is shining bright-- Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball. Jellicle Cats are black and white, Jellicle Cats are rather small; Jellicle Cats are merry and bright, And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul. Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces, Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes; They like to practise their airs and graces And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise. Jellicle Cats develop slowly, Jellicle Cats are not too big; Jellicle Cats are roly-poly, They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig. Until the Jellicle Moon appears They make their toilette and take their repose: Jellicles wash behind their ears, Jellicles dry between their toes. Jellicle Cats are white and black, Jellicle Cats are of moderate size; Jellicles jump like a jumping-jack, Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes. They're quiet enough in the morning hours, They're quiet enough in the afternoon, Reserving their terpsichorean powers To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon. Jellicle Cats are black and white, Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small; If it happens to be a stormy night They will practise a caper or two in the hall. If it happens the sun is shining bright You would say they had nothing to do at all: They are resting and saving themselves to be right For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball. -T.S. Elliot So, happy World Poetry Day everyone! Ciao for now, Cooper Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/132384 Fri, 17 Mar 2006 21:28:58 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/132384 Hello Fellow Felines, Stephen Perry was an inventor and invented things made from vulcanized rubber ... vulcanized rubber. Anyway, on March 17, 1845, Perry patented the rubber band. Depending on where you live, your people may also call it a binder, elastic or lacky band or gumband. Rubber bands have many uses from bundling objects together, powering toys to deadly weapons. Using rubber bands in combat has been studied extensively and reported on. Science has also taken great interest in rubber bands. Several experiments have been reported in the literature. So the next time you look at a rubber band, just remember Stephen Perry and just how amazing his invention was all those years ago. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/131641 Wed, 15 Mar 2006 21:07:54 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/131641 "Et Tu Brutus? - Julius Caesar Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the Ides of March. That just mean ... Ides of March. That just means the middle of the month. But then, in 44 B.C. that was the day the Julius Caesar got killed. Some Roman senators led by Cassius and Brutus thought Caesar was becoming too bossy, and they made a plot to assassinate him at a senate meeting on March 15. Many of the conspirators were friends of Caesar, including Brutus. So they grabbed him and stabbed him. Yeah, it was a very bad day for Julius Caesar. And the omens were bad for him, including his wife's dream that he was lying on the ground dead. And the seers told him to "Beware the Ides Of March" But he went to the Senate, just like any other day. So he died and his last breath contained gazillions of "breath" molecules, mostly nitrogen and carbon dioxide. In fact, on the radio this morning, they said it was 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules. So the theory is that if you take a deep breath, you will get one of his molecules from his last breath from March 15, 44 B.C. So, on this day, why not take a breath and share one of his molecules. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/130678 Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:43:53 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/130678 "It's great that thanks to Google Mars, now everyone, everywhere can explore this neighbor world usi ... Percival Lowell, the founder of Lowell Observatory. And Google is celebrating in style Today, they are launching Google Mars! It's a huge, super colorful, picture-puzzle image of Mars made by researchers at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility. Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System took the pictures. Stuff you can look at on the site include, the giant volcano Olympus Mons; the landing sites for the two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity; and the equatorial grand canyon of Mars, Valles Marineris. Anyway, go have a look. It will blow your mind! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/129661 Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:36:50 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/129661 "If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more." - ... Harriet Tubman Day! She was born Araminta Ross, a slave in Maryland's Dorchester County around 1820. In about 1844, she married a free black named John Tubman. In 1849, Harriet Tubman was afraid that she was going to get sold so she ran away. She set out one night on foot leaving behind her husband. She followed the North Star by night, making her way to Pennsylvania and soon after to Philadelphia, where she found work and saved her money. She went back to bring her relatives north. She was a force to be reckoned with. When fugitives got tired or scared, she pulled out her gun and said, "You'll be free or die." She was only about five feet tall but she was smart and strong. In the Civil War, she served as a nurse, cook, scout and spy. She was paid only a total of $200 in three years of service. She never got paid her back military pay, and when she applied for a pension, they denied her application. After the Civil War, she continued her work, and helped to established schools for freedmen. Also, she raised several children as her own and provided shelter and support for several aged, impoverished former slaves in her home in Auburn, New York. In 1896, she spoke at the first meeting of the National Association of Colored Women. She died on March 10, 1913. She was buried with full military honors. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/129327 Thu, 9 Mar 2006 20:47:18 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/129327 "Barbie is so ubiquitous, such a cultural icon, that her meaning has become invisible." Hello Fel ... Barbie's birthday. She's 47 today! It was on this day in 1959, that she debuted at the American International Toy Fair. She had a black and white striped bathing suit, open-toed high heels and sunglasses. Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie was based on a German doll. Bild Lilli who wasn't a very nice girl. She was a cartoon character created by German cartoonist Reinhard Beuthien on June 24, 1952 for the newspaper Bild-Zeitung in Hamburg, Germany. Anyway, Ruth Handler had been thinking of making a doll and when she saw Lilli, when she was traveling in Europe, she got one and brought it back to the United States to use as a reference for Barbie. So, the rest is history. Barbie is a fashion doll and she has kept up with the times and has had a number of careers. They say that if every Barbie ever sold were laid end to end, the dolls would circle the world seven times. I wonder if they ever laid out all the cats in the world end to end. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Milagrito sent me a note about putting all the cats in the world end to end and I though I'd share it because I liked it so much: "Well, if they did that, we would all play with the tail in front of us, which would make that cat run, which would make us chase the tail, causing the whole line of cats to rotate and creating a phenomenon similar to the rings of Saturn. It sounds fun but hard to organize." I think Milagrito has hit on an important feline characteristic. Barbies would be lots easier to organize than cats! ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/128829 Wed, 8 Mar 2006 17:07:47 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/128829 "March 8th, International Women's Day, is the foundation of National Women's History Month because i ... National Women's History Project Hello Fellow Felines, Today is International Women's Day. It is a day where women all over the world celebrate the advances made for equality, justice, peace and development. In a lot of countries it is a holiday and women get flowers and things like that. Women struggling for their right to participate as equals in society goes back to the early days of history. The idea of having a day for women came to being around the turn of the century when industrialization was making things especially hard. Women were marching and protesting for better wages and conditions at their jobs. It went international in 1910 when they voted on it in Copenhagen. The first official celebration was in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland where about one million women and men showed up. It wasn't even a week later that there was a bad fire in New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. One hundred and forty six people died due to unsafe conditions and practices. This terrible fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards. Then, in 1945, The Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco, was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human right. Then, in 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. So, if you happen to know any women, be sure and be nice to them today. (And everyday!) Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/128558 Tue, 7 Mar 2006 21:01:08 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/128558 "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the c ... Alexnader Graham Bell got the patent for the telephone. Patent Number 174,465. He actually applied for it the same day as a Chicago electrician named Elisha Gray who had pretty much the same device. He only beat Mr. Gray by two hours. He tried to sell his patent to Western Union for $100,000, but Western Union said no. The telephone. One of my favorite household electronic devices! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/127195 Fri, 3 Mar 2006 20:36:55 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/127195 Hello Fellow Felines, Here's a story about a cat in Australia who got lost and found thanks to tech ... technology: Lost Kitten Shows up 850km Away March 04, 2006 Just how household cat DC vanished from his home at Bondi, in Sydney, last month remains a mystery to his owner Niki Chapman. But even more staggering is how DC, who at eight months old is barely more than a kitten, turned up 850km away at Melbourne's St Kilda beach two weeks later. "It's absolutely amazing, I can't believe he was found in Melbourne," a relieved Ms Chapman said today. "I was completely surprised, I actually thought it was a joke." Ms Chapman had given up hope of finding DC alive after his disappearance on February 19. She'd heard that a cat matching his description had been run over in her beachside suburb. "I was convinced he was gone and I literally came home and got rid of the cat food and the cat toys," she said. "And then the day after, I got a call from someone saying they'd found him, and gave me a number for a veterinary clinic for me to call. "The number wasn't working so I rang the people back and they asked if I was remembering to put the `03' in front of the number. "I nearly fell off my chair laughing." DC, who was found by a passer-by at St Kilda, was fitted with a microchip which enabled his owner to be traced. Ms Chapman today praised the technology which led to her happy reunion with a hungry and thirsty DC a fortnight after he disappeared. "There's no way they would ever have traced him back to me if he wasn't microchipped," she said. But she's still trying to figure out why DC chose the highway over her way. "Maybe he escaped from here," she said. "He's a house cat so he doesn't have a collar, so perhaps someone thought he wasn't owned and took him along for a ride." After hearing Ms Chapman's story, NSW Local Government Minister Kerry Hickey urged people today to microchip their pets. "Microchipping and registration offers lifetime protection for your pet," he said. There was no truth in the rumour DC had gone to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games, Mr Hickey's spokesman said. Sounds like DC is one lucky cat! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125984 Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:53:32 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125984 Thirty days has September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Except Februar ... February, which has twenty-eight, In a Leap Year, twenty-nine. Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the last day of February. And not a moment too soon if I may say so. Yeah, if you live in Wisconsin, February is not a month you want dragging on. We are sick of winter, snow, parking in snow drifts, runny noses and eyes, not being able to go on the porch, no birdies. Yeah, February can get lost. But our friend Keiser has a point. How come February has only 28 days? Well, apparently, keeping track of the days and months and years and full moons and all that stuff is not as easy as one might think. In fact, back in the olden times, the calendar only had ten months. They started up in March and finished in December. Because, they were most interested in the seasons and growing food and stuff like that back in the olden times. Anyway, a Roman king by the name of Numa Pompilius decided to make the basic Roman calendar. He made it 355 days long and added the months of January and February and when he got done calculating stuff, February had 28 days. People were by no means done fussing around with the calendar. At one point the Swedish had a calendar that had a February with 30 days. Yeah, they messed around with leap days for a few years and, voila! February in 1712 in Sweden had 30 days! I, frankly, am just as happy that tomorrow is March! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Thanks to Keiser for making me think of this topic. I suppose it makes less sense in the southern hemisphere but the calendar guys were mostly operating in the northern hemisphere. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125692 Mon, 27 Feb 2006 21:05:31 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125692 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is Polar Bear Day. Yeah, a day for our furry friend, Ursus maritimus a ... Polar Bear Day. Yeah, a day for our furry friend, Ursus maritimus aka white bear aka northern bear aka sea bear. Polar bears are the largest carnivores on land, although some never step on land, and move from one ice floe to another. And since they only live waaay up north, they are well insulated in order to stay comfortable in the harsh climate. They have thick white fur and about four inches of blubberly fat. In fact, they are so well insulated that scientist can't see them on photos taken with heat sensitive-film. Pretty amazing huh. Polar bears are pretty smart and like to play too. And here's a good one: they hiss like a cat when they are mad! If you want to go see the polar bears, you can go to Churchill, Manitoba in Canada and ride in a tundra buggy. We recently watched a show on television that said that the polar ice cap is shrinking due to global warming. This is not good news for polar bears. Let's hope those big guys are going to be okay. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125256 Sun, 26 Feb 2006 19:53:48 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/125256 "How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, ... Johnny Cash Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on this day in 1932, John Ray Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. By the time he was five. he was out, working in the cotton fields, singing along with his family while they worked. In his family, his mother was the singer and she played the guitar. He didn't learn to play until he was in the Air Force, stationed in Germany, In 1953, while he was in the Air Force, he saw the movie, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. It had great impact on him. Ever after, he had empathy for people in prison and did shows in prisons. It is also the source of his song Folsom Prison Blues. He recorded this song when he got back to the States after the service and it made him famous. He was always struggling between being a bad boy and redemption. It's like the thread running through his work. June Carter was the love of his life and she got him to pretty much Walk the Line. They got married in 1968 and stayed married until she died. He only lived a few more months after that. I like what Bono said about Johnny Cash: "Every man knows he is, basically, a complete sissy compared to Johnny Cash." Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/124341 Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:49:23 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/124341 "(I'm) just partial to big cats, and they're nice and keep you from being stressed. And I just love ... news lately? There's some big cats out there! They are calling a 33-pound cat in Qingdao, China, a "feline monster" because of its 31-inch waist and large size. Imagine that! A 31-inch waist! When she saw that, my person got out the tape measure and my waist is 20 inches. This cat eats six pounds of chicken and pork every day! My waist might expand if I got that for dinner too! Then, there's Romeo. He got dropped off at the Sacramento County Animal Shelter clocking in at ... 33 pounds! Yeah, they named him fat cat pretty much right away. They'd never seen such a big cat before. Apparently, he was pretty charming too, because, "Instead of being euthanized after the five-day period, "fat cat" was sent to the Happy Tails Shelter, which has a no-kill policy." So, Victoria Meyers adopeted him and put him on a diet. His target weight is... 20 pounds. Perfect! Chow for now, Cooper P.S.This just in ...The worlds fattest cat was a neutered male tabby named "Himmey", owned by Thomas Vyse of Redlynch, Queensland, Australia. When Himmey died of respiratory failure he weighed a whopping 46 lbs 15.5 ounces! He had a 15 inch neck, was 38 inches long, and had a 33 inch waist. (No verification) ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/124117 Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:06:14 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/124117 "Weâ��ve never fought a damn war anywhere in the world where they didnâ��t kill innocent people. If ... Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr., the pilot who flew the Enola Gay, (named after his mother) to Hiroshima to drop the atomic bomb. They dropped "Little Boy" that day. Mr. Tibbets was born in Quincy, Illinois in 1915. His family moved to Florida and he was twelve, "Paul had his first airplane ride. As part of an advertising stunt, he threw Baby Ruth candy bars, with paper parachutes attached, from a biplane flying over a crowd gathered at the Hialeah horse track near Miami. From that day on, Paul knew he had to fly." On February 25th, 1937, Paul enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps. Then, in September 1944, Paul was given the responsibility to organize and train a unit to deliver the nuclear weapons in combat operations. So, he was given a lot more responsibility than just flying a plane. Mr. Tibbets. One tough guy! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/123734 Wed, 22 Feb 2006 18:45:59 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/123734 â��Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor ... Edward Gorey If you have a copy of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats with illustrations by Edward Gorey, then you know who I'm talking about. He actually did a lot of drawings and books and stuff. He wrote more than one hundred books including, The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Gilded Bat, The Epiplectic Bicycle, The Glorious Nosebleed, and The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas, to name a few. He loved cats and had a lot of them himself. If you look at his cat illustrations it's easy to see that it's true. He liked lots of animals and part of the mission of the Edward Gorey House includes " raising awareness about local and national animal welfare issues." He even likes bats! How cool is that? He has his wings, but I hope he's having a nice birthday. He sounds like my kind of guy! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/123344 Tue, 21 Feb 2006 18:49:25 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/123344 Hello Fellow Felines, How is everyone today? I'm a bit more tired than usual. Just a bit, being a ... covers were flapping all around and so was I, since I come up on the bed as soon as she goes to bed. Then she started singing! Yeah, all that insomnia made her remember a song her father used to sing that he learned in the Navy during WWII. Those guys did their job, then they had a bunch of free time to make hooch, write letters to their girlfriends and families and make jewelry out of the shells they found on the beach and dream about Mom's Home Cooking. So. here's what she was singing: Fried ham, fried ham. Cheese and baloney. Bananas and Jello, and after the macaroni, We'll have onions and pickles and pretzels And then we'll have more fried ham. Fried ham, fried ham fried ham! There were probably more verses with mayonnaise, and peanut butter and pancakes and bacon and spaghetti and lots of other food that people away from home get homesick for. This is the only verse my person can remember, but there was one with "There's room here for more beer" so she knows there's more to the song. If you know somebody who's far from home, maybe you should send them some brownies or something. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/122294 Sat, 18 Feb 2006 22:10:38 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/122294 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today, February 18, is the birthday of Louis Comfort Tiffany, famous f ... Louis Comfort Tiffany, famous for his stained glass design, among other things. He was the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany who started the Tiffany's store that sells jewelry in New York. He was interested in various aspects of art and was a good painter and designer. He joined with some other artists to form a firm that would apply aesthetic idealism to the practice of interior design. He began experimenting with the chemistry and techniques of glassmaking at the age of 24 and in 1885 he founded his own glassmaking firm, where he used opalescent glass in a variety of colors and textures to create a unique style of stained glass. This was the beautiful stuff that we can see today in his lamps and stained glass windows. Talk about beautiful! No wonder they are worth a bunch of money today! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/121760 Fri, 17 Feb 2006 10:55:21 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/121760 "Cabbage: A vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head." - Ambrose Bierce, American writer ... Cabbage Day! Cabbage, one of the oldest vegetables, is still a popular, cheap vegetable with lots of vitamin C. There is evidence that cabbage has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and domesticated for over 2,500 years. Here's an example to show how long people have been enjoying cabbage: Emperor Claudius called upon his Senate to vote on whether any dish could surpass corned beef and cabbage. They said NO! Of course, if a vegetable has been around that long, there's going to be some stories about it. They say that babies come from the cabbage patch. Another piece of lore says that Babe Ruth used to wear a cabbage leaf under his hat during games. He would switch out for a fresh leaf halfway through each game. The list of health advantages to eating cabbage is long. It is said to regulate blood pressure, help intestinal health, have a natural antihistamine for allergy sufferers, aid in blood clotting, help with stomach ulcers, relieve constipation and, a chemical (isothiocyanates) found in cabbages may lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers by as much as 38%. Can you believe it? Here's some advice for World Cabbage Day: Live life like a Cabbage. Live close to the Earth, keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/121454 Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:12:33 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/121454 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, we are having a snow day here. Yeah, it's a winter wonderland. And ju ... winter wonderland. And just Tuesday, it was in the fifties. My person came in saying she didn't even need her gloves. Well, we are in Wisconsin. Don't like the weather? Just you wait! So, spring Tuesday, winter Thursday! Well, what with the weather going crazy, so are everybody's sinuses. We are sneezing around this place. In history, this is the day that in 600, Pope Gregory I decreed that "God bless you" was the correct response to a sneeze. It is thought that this blessing originated near the start one of the more minor plagues. Crowds took to the streets praying to God and when a person sneezed they were immediately blessed "God bless you!" for fear that they may be developing symptoms of the plague. Here are some other stories about getting blessed for a sneeze: *The heart stops when you sneeze (it doesn't), and the phrase bless you was meant to encourage your heart to continue beating. *A sneeze is the expulsion of some sort of evil, and the phrase was meant to ward off the evil's re-entry *Your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, and saying bless you prevents your soul from being stolen by Satan or some evil spirit. Thus, bless you or God bless you was used as a sort of shield against evil. *A sneeze is good luck, and saying "bless you" was no more than recognition of the sneezer's luckiness. I like that last one. With all the sneezing going on around here we should be winning that TV Catster is giving away! Achoo! for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/120542 Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:57:13 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/120542 "...Traditionally felt really exclusionary if you didn't have someone in your life," now "everyone's ... commercialism has started to spoil Valentine's Day. It is the third most gift-giving holiday after Christmas and Mother's Day and people are getting tired of the pressure. The jewelry stores, the card stores, the chocolate stores and the restaurants, to name a few, have finally gotten just too greedy and are suffering a backlash of public opinion. I watch TV. I've seen the sappy ads for diamonds and stuff. And I can see people's point. Yuck! Anyhow, it's kind of a double whiplash. People are sick of mushy stuff and all those people who don't have a special someone want in on all the friendly card stuff. Brian Unger, on Public Radio reported on people wishing Happy Valentine's Day to friends: "I love you, but not in that way.". Yeah, people have been saying Love Stinks for a while now. If you think Cupid has bad aim, you are not alone. So, to all my kitty friends: I love you, but not in that way. (Well maybe, Scootie and K.J.and Camilla and Keiser. Oh, gosh, I am a swashbuckling knave!) Love, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/119593 Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:15:36 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/119593 â��An American Monkey after getting drunk on Brandy would never touch it again, and thus is much wis ... Darwin Day, in celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday. Charles Darwin was born on this day in 1809. As a young man, he studied medicine and theology. He wanted to become a naturalist. He got job as a gentleman's companion to Robert FitzRoy, the captain of HMS Beagle, on a two-year trip to explore the coastline of South America. Well, most everyone has heard what came from this. He saw lots of interesting things on the coastline relating to his geology studies. Then when he got the the Galapagos Islands he could clearly see how the animals on different islands, left to their own devices had changed and this influenced his ideas. It wasn't until 1859 that he published his ideas inThe Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Yeah, it took him a while because he was pretty sure this idea was going to be hard for a lot of people to swallow. Sure enough, his theories met with some controversy at the time and still seems to be controversial even today. A lot of churches decided, that since Darwin's birthday was on Sunday this year, they would use this day to address the compatibility of religion and science. I, for one, would like to go to the Galapagos Islands and see the Blue Footed Boobies! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/119017 Fri, 10 Feb 2006 10:28:19 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/119017 Hello Fellow Felines, Well I found us something to celebrate. Plimsoll Day! Yeah, today is the bi ... Plimsoll Day! Yeah, today is the birthday of Samuel Plimsoll. He was born in 1824 in Bristol, England. He was a businessman and he fell on hard times. Yeah, he was miserably poor for a while. This experience made him promise to help their lot when he got rich again. At this time the ship owners had a scandalous practice of overloading ships, making them very dangerous. But they insured them so if they sunk, they got money anyway. Well, where did that leave the sailors who decided they were not going on those dangerous ships? They got to go to jail. Anyway, Mr. Plimsoll entered Parliament in 1868 in order to do something about the dangerous ships. The ship owners didn't like it, but after a lot of fussing around, he came up with the Plimsoll Mark. This mark can be seen on ships everywhere today. The line shows the highest safe level to load a ship. The different lines are for different water that the ships sail in because most of us know we float better in salt water and different water in different places floats ships better than others. Here's the kinds of water on the Plimsoll line: TF - Tropical Fresh Water F - Fresh Water T - Tropical Sea Water S - Summer Sea Water W - Winter Sea Water WNA - Winter North Atlantic Can you believe it? It was called "One of the greatest shipping revolutions ever known..." So, Happy Birthday Mr. Plimsoll and thanks for your work! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/117588 Sun, 5 Feb 2006 18:25:05 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/117588  "You can just say I am a friend to any brave and gallant outlaw, but have no use for that sneakin ... Belle Starr Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on this day in 1848, Belle Starr was born, Myra Maybelle Shirley near Carthage, Missouri, into a farming family. She was a Wild West gal who was great in a saddle and was handy with a gun. She fell in love young with a rather questionable character and got married the first time at 15 years of age. That husband got killed in Paris, Texas in 1874. Then she married Sam Starr, an Indian. She spent quite a bit of time in bars, drinking and gambling and stuff and liked to ride through town on her horse shooting off her pistols. She and Sam were found guilty of stealing a horse and she served six months at the Detroit House of Corrections in 1883. Then, to quote her, "After a more adventurous life than generally falls to the lot of woman, I settled permanently in the Indian Territory, selecting a place of picturesque beauty on the Canadian River. There, far from society, I hoped to pass the remainder of my life in peace and quietude." Of course, the word got out that she was there and she started having outlaw visitors, including Jesse James. She died when she was 40, riding back from the general store on her horse, shot in the back. They didn't figure out who did it. On her gravestone, it says: "Shed not for her the bitter tear, Nor give the heart to vain regret, 'Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that fills it sparkles yet." Belle Starr, another Wild West Woman! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116812 Fri, 3 Feb 2006 07:48:59 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116812 Hello Fellow Felines, Today I heard a good poem on the radio. Here it is... Explaining Relativi ... Diary of a Cell. © Steel Toe Books. A poetic science lesson with mice! Pretty good, no? Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116510 Thu, 2 Feb 2006 08:38:40 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116510 Hello Fellow Felines, Well Jimmy the Groundhog did not see his shadow this morning, thus predicting ... Jimmy the Groundhog did not see his shadow this morning, thus predicting an early spring. We may want to note here that Jimmy is correct 10 out of 14 times but when they say six more weeks of winter around here, everyone knows that's just silly. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, but that's 654.49 miles away so I think we'll stick with Jimmy. Today the pagans are celebrating Imbolc. The Pagans are close to nature and what is going on in the natural world. They took this holiday from the Celts. For them it marked the onset of lactating of the ewes who were going to have spring lambs. Like a lot of Celtic holidays, they celebrate with fires. When Christianity got in the picture, they pasted St. Brigid on as a holiday to mark that day. Most importantly, we can get a whiff of spring and we know the baby lambs are coming and with them, Spring! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116378 Wed, 1 Feb 2006 20:02:28 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/116378 "How lovely are the portals of the night, when stars come out to watch the daylight die." - Thomas C ... stars come out to watch the daylight die." - Thomas Cole Hello Fellow Felines, Well, we made it through another January. Yeah, it's February first. And, it's Thomas Cole's birthday. He was a painter and is credited founding the Hudson River School. His painting, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm is a pretty good example. Mr. Cole was born in England in 1801 but his family came to America in 1818. By the time he went back to Europe to study, he was already one of the founding members of the National Academy of Design and was consicered America's leading landscape painter. He was a pretty romantic guy and wanted his paintings to convey a message of high-principled, intellectual content and stuff. You can sort of see stuff like that in the thunderstorm painting, more commonly known as "The Oxbow". It shows the power and majesty of nature and also man living in peace and harmony in the landscape too. Thomas Cole didn't live very long, but he left a legacy. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/115316 Sun, 29 Jan 2006 18:07:18 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/115316 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, this is Chinese New Year. Yeah, this is the lunar year 4704. Apparent ... Chinese New Year. Yeah, this is the lunar year 4704. Apparently, Chinese people get pretty worked up about the New Year. They celebrate for 15 days! Today is the new year and it's the year of the dog. "The dog, is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits. People born in this year are loyal, honest, and trustworthy, but can also be stubborn and selfish." Speaking of dogs, this is the day, in 1929 that the Seeing Eye Dog organization was formed. So, although, I personally, don't get along with dogs too well, they aren't totally useless. Believe it or not! Anyway, Happy New Year everyone! It's only Year of the Dog for one year, then in 2010, on February 14th, it's Year of the Tiger! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/114619 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 11:59:49 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/114619 "Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together" make genius. Love, love, ... Mozart's birthday. Not just any birthday, though. This is his 250th birthday! On January 27, 1756, he was born Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart in Salzburg. And if you think they're not partying in Salzburg, think again. It's a two week geburtstagfest. Little Wolfgang was a child prodigy. He was composing when he was five and performed at a very young age in Paris and London. The radio is playing all Mozart all day today and it is very lovely and charming. He only lived to be 35 but he composed forty-nine symphonies, forty concertos, and a wide range of other works, including operas such as The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. Happy Birthday Mozart. We love, love, love you! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/114053 Wed, 25 Jan 2006 15:50:32 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/114053 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the birthday of William Shanks, the English mathematician, born in ... William Shanks, the English mathematician, born in 1812. who died in 1882. In 1873 he calculated p (pi) to 707 places. In 1944 a guy named Ferguson discovered that his calculations were only correct up to the 527th digit. Note that 30 places would be enough to calculate the circumference of the universe to the nearest millimeter! Here are the 527 correct places: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592 3078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446 0955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895 4930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648 5669234603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881 7488152092096282925409171536436789259036001133053054882046652138 4146951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118 548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949129833673362 He published a table of primes up to 60, 000. Yeah, this guy liked long numbers. Just last year, in mid-December, researchers found the world's largest prime number, known as M30402457. That's the same as 2 to the 30,402,457th power minus one, a number that is 9.1 million digits long. I won't bore you with the details here, but I'll bet Mr. Shanks would have loved it. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113628 Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:05:00 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113628 Hello Fellow Felines, Well I've been on Catster a whole year now. Today is my one year anniversary ... anniversary. It's been great. I've made a bunch of new friends, and blabbed on all sorts of topics. Plus, I've had five thousand visitors to my page. Thank you all for visiting! Just think. If I had a dollar for every visitor, I could go to visit Keiser in Australia and Camilla in Florida. And my special Scootie Pie friend, Scooter in Albuquerque. Yeah, I'd be all over the place. Oh! Wait! I don't like to travel. Okay, maybe a cyber party then. Yeah a nice cyber nap after a nice cyber feast with a few stories and jokes. (Not practical jokes, though. Just stories.) My friend Soot is here visiting right now. We like to tell jokes but I can't write any of them in here. They fall under the category of "may offend some readers". That's right, we are Bad Boys! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113449 Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:27:15 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113449 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's been a good day for napping. My person came home from lunch and I ... wine, because she laid down when she got home and proceeded to "rest". I rested on her chest and we had one of those lovely cat/person naps I do so enjoy. Today is the birthday of Django Reinhardt, gypsy jazz guitarist. He was born Jean Baptiste Reinhardt in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium in 1910. He suffered bad burns in a fire of his gypsy caravan when he was eighteen and developed a style of playing that emphasized his uninjured fingers. In the 1930's he played in the "Quintette du Hot Club de France". The group included Stéphane Grappelli and they made quite a few recordings. Django Reinhardt became internationally known as one of the very few major European jazz musicians. Gyspy Swing is a different king of music, but you might want to check it out. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113171 Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:44:15 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/113171 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today, January 22, is Answer Your Cat's Question day. So, if you have a ... Answer Your Cat's Question day. So, if you have any burning questions, ask you person today because they have to answer you. Really though, how many questions do we have? We already know pretty much all we need to know to get by in this world. I'm just grateful it's not Ask Your Cat a Question day. Like, "Why do you sleep so much" or "How come you're such a finicky eater?" or "What are you thinking about?" Like this stuff is any of their business and they have any right to be nosing in our personal business. We might have some questions though. "Is it such a chore for you to get me the good treats?" Or, "Must we always wait until exactly 5:00 p.m. for Dinner?" "Do you have to use the flash when you take my photo?" Yeah, I guess we have a few questions. If you have any that are just bugging you this is your day to ask. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Today is also the anniversary of the decision on Roe v. Wade which declared that the guarantee of liberty in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution extends a right to privacy "broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/112338 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 20:37:25 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/112338 "Pluto --this was the cat's name --was my favorite pet and playmate..." The Black Cat ~ Edgar Allan ... Edgar Allan Poe. He was a writer that almost everybody knows about. He wrote poems. One really famous one is The Raven. This poem about a bird visiting a distraught lover of a dead woman was wildly popular ever since it was written and has spawned a raft of parodies and works influenced by it. Most of us remember quite a few of his stories, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death and the one I like, The Black Cat. Yeah, they are all deliciously creepy. In The Black Cat, the cat starts out nice and everything is fine and then the guy starts drinking and is mean to the cat and other stuff happens and it gets real bad. I'm just going to say that the cat wins in this story. Edgar Allan Poe influenced a lot of people right up until the present. He only lived about forty years, but his writing was singular enough to start off people writing detective stories. His, character, Auguste Dupin was the prototype for many that came later, including Sherlock Holmes. A lot of science fiction writers also site Poe as an influence. So maybe when the Raven said, "Nevermore..." he meant we wouldn't see the likes of Mr. Poe any time soon again. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/111724 Tue, 17 Jan 2006 18:25:09 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/111724 "Oh, it was baaad!" - My person Hello Fellow Felines, On this day in 1982 it was a Sunday. Cold ... Cold Sunday. Yeah, it was really cold. Really, really cold. My person can remember it because she brought the battery in from her car to keep it warm. She took it out and when she put it back in her car, still no go. Maybe it's because it was -31F! Yup, it was dreadful, by all accounts. It was a day that went down in the meteorological record books. The cold was blamed on "an unusually strong high pressure system over Saskatchewan with a core pressure of 31.15 inHg (105.5 kPa), a level rarely seen outside of permanent polar areas such as Siberia and Antarctica." And, as if that wasn't enough, there had recently been snow, so we had an albedo working against us too. The albedo is the whiteness of the snow reflecting back any warming properties the sun has to offer. Madison, here, set an all time low for this day of -31F. (It's been colder here, but not much..)I think people were pretty unhappy that day. Hundreds of towns and cities from North Dakota to New Jersey to Mississippi broke records on that day and a lot of them haven't been broken since. Today the low was 21F. That's 50F difference! Oh man. I have to go cover up. Man, that is bad! Stay warm, all, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/111315 Mon, 16 Jan 2006 12:27:54 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/111315 "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of ... Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. After lots of fussing around, our legislators finally decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate Dr. King's birthday. His birthday was really yesterday, but it's not a holiday unless you get a work day off around here. Dr. King had a solid education and was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was only thirty five. He held a high position in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Dr. King led the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the bus boycott. He took a lot of heat for his position too. He got arrested, his house got bombed and he took a lot of personal abuse. But he stuck to it and the supreme court of the land came out on his side too. Dr. King kept on although he knew his life was in danger. My guess is that he knew he would not die an old man in his bed, but that didn't stop him from doing what he felt was his duty. If anybody deserves a special party every year on his birthday, I have to say Martin Luther King, Jr. is a good choice. The theme of today's holiday is service. We are urged to get out there and love and help others. We are just cats, but that doesn't mean we can't wash each other off, or give our people extra head butts or share our treats or sneak up and purr some extra today. And encourage your people to do something nice for someone else in their world today too. And every day. Love to all, Cooper P.S. I hope you clicked on the first link. It has Dr. King talking about greatness and service. Also, Kazumi Joy sent me a note with a sermon he made about remembering him. I'm going to add it to this entry because I really liked it. (Thanks K.J.) Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta (4 February 1968) Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator — that something we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. Every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning. If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that's not important. Tell him not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/110327 Fri, 13 Jan 2006 05:03:00 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/110327 Hello Fellow Felines, Well it's Friday the 13th. Those of you with paraskavedekatriaphobia may wan ... paraskavedekatriaphobia may want to stay under the covers today. Tomorrow is full moon. The Native American name for the full moon in January is called the wolf moon for the wolf packs howled hungrily outside their villages. Anyway. I found a poem about The Cat and the Moon by William Butler Yeats. It's about Minnaloushe, who's eyes change with the moon. I haven't looked into this, but you felines may want to check your eyes and see if yours change like Minnaloushe's... The Cat and the Moon THE CAT went here and there And the moon spun round like a top, And the nearest kin of the moon The creeping cat looked up. Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon, For wander and wail as he would The pure cold light in the sky Troubled his animal blood. Minnaloushe runs in the grass, Lifting his delicate feet. Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance? When two close kindred meet What better than call a dance? Maybe the moon may learn, Tired of that courtly fashion, A new dance turn. Minnaloushe creeps through the grass From moonlit place to place, The sacred moon overhead Has taken a new phase. Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils Will pass from change to change, And that from round to crescent, From crescent to round they range? Minnaloushe creeps through the grass Alone, important and wise, And lifts to the changing moon His changing eyes. - William Butler Yeats And why not leave a treat for Catster's own Minnaloushe? She likes pink fuzzies and yogurt. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/109878 Wed, 11 Jan 2006 10:27:28 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/109878 "I'm not going to put it on eBay." - Traci Allen Hello Fellow Felines, Big word for the day: hol ... holoprosencephaly. It's a medical condition where babies don't form right in the face and brain. They can come out with a slight harelip, or a cyclops. (Okay, that guy was fake.) People thought the photo of Cyclops, the kitten born with one eye was fake too, but medical science confirmed that the poor little Cyclops was a case of holoprosencephaly. His kitten-mate was born normal. Traci Allen, the person of Cyclops, stayed up all night feeding little Cy and keeping him comfortable until he got his wings, poor thing. I'm just glad that he got born in a nice place where they kept him comfortable for his short life and were kind to him. Think about people who are born that way. It's not their fault. And other people look and point and all kinds of mean stuff forgetting that there, but for the grace of Bast, they go. And people with different faces are just like other people inside: good, bad, mean, nice, talented, funny, smart. Most people find Joaquin Phoenix very talented and handsome, but my guess is that he took some teasing when he was little. Anyway, Traci Allen, kept Cyclops in case medical science wanted to have a look, but she promised: "I'm not going to put it on eBay." Thank you for that. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/109437 Mon, 9 Jan 2006 20:54:28 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/109437 â��Where has he been? Whatâ��s he been doing for the past year and a half? Itâ��s just weird. But w ... came back just the other day. His person recognized him right away by his meow, but got out the baby pictures anyway, just to check and, sure enough, his markings matched and everything. Harley's not saying what he's been up to all this time, but he showed up in pretty good shape. He went to the vet and his only problem was a few earmites. That didn't keep the vet from saying he'd used up his nine lives. I doubt it. We felines are pretty clever. I think Harley has proved that again in case anyone was wondering. Not to mention the fact that he is one pretty good looking orange and white cat. I'd love to have a chat with Harley. He's probably got some pretty good stories. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/108988 Sun, 8 Jan 2006 11:27:02 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/108988 "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can under ... Stephen Hawking's birthday. He was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's death. He is 64 today. Which may seem ordinary to you unless you consider that he has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and has had it for all his adult life. Well, that is pretty amazing, but the more amazing thing about Professor Hawking is that he is super smart. Apparently, he was doing amazingly well at school, but was pretty bored with his classes. Then when he found out he was sick, he chose to apply himself and took on the study of theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity. I think that's "Life, the universe and everything" to us felines. So he drives around in a a souped up wheel chair and has a state of the art voice synthesizer, which he likes, except it gives him "an American accent." His book, A Brief History of Time : From the Big Bang to Black Holes was a best seller, even though it is widely suspected that lots of people just put it on their bookshelves to look smart. (It's not about cats, so I don't have a copy myself.) Professor Hawking has a pretty good sense of humor, like many smart people which is always a good thing to have. He has made it into today's popular culture in a big way too. He's been on Startrek and The Simpsons So, anyway. Professor Hawking. Quite a guy. Happy Birthday! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/107677 Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:44:47 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/107677 "He's my hero," - Gary Rosheisen Hello Fellow Felines, Tommy is our cat of the day! He called ... dialed 911 and when the police got the call, nobody said anything. So, they called back and nobody answered so they decided they better check it out and found Tommy sitting by the phone and Mr. Rosheisen on the floor. "I know it sounds kind of weird," Officer Patrick Daugherty said. So Tommy saved his owner. What a great cat! I hope he's getting a nice fluffy bed and all the tuna juice he wants. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/106967 Sun, 1 Jan 2006 10:46:09 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/106967 I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. - J. D. Salinger ... Happy New Year, everyone. I, for one, am not planning on making any resolutions. I am just fine exactly as I am, thank you very much. My person, however, could resolve to be more punctual with my dinner. Anyway. Today. It's the birthday of J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, the story of Holden Caulfield a disaffected teen who has been kicked out of his third prep school and spends his Christmas loitering about New York, drinking heavily and such. My person loved and probably most other semi-literate, disenchanted teens did as well. Mr. Salinger shuns the public life and doesn't talk much to the press, so speculation abounds as to what he's up to these days. It is reported that he still likes to write but just for himself. We hope some of this work comes to light at some time. He had a hard time in World War II and this may have given him some access to the mental state of Seymour Glass on his last day on earth as chronicled in the short story, A Perfect Day for Bananafish. So, Happy New Year to all and Happy Birthday to Mr. Salinger Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/105851 Wed, 28 Dec 2005 10:42:23 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/105851 "Apart from the final injury, all of the cat's injuries were survivable and treatable." - Dr. David ... caught it on film. Mixey's owner, Mahmood Alnajar, had closed circuit television which taped the whole thing. So, Barry Haggerty, from Olney, Buckinghamshire, hit the cat Mixey on his way to work. Didn't kill him the first time, so he went back and ran over him TEN MORE TIMES until Mixey was dead for sure. Apparently, this happened in April. Mr. Haggerty appeared in court all contrite and said, ""I feel really awful. My only thoughts were how can I stop this animal suffering. The only thing I had was the car. I thought I was acting in the best interests of the cat." Well, maybe, but somehow I rather doubt it. Ten Times. In a two and a half minute span of time. What do normal people do when they hit an animal? Get out and see if there is anything they can do to save it. They didn't make Mr. Haggerty go to jail but he has to do community service and pay £4,182. (In dollars, that's $7203.91.) I hope they also said that he can never have any cats of his own, ever. I wouldn't even mind if they took away his driving license. In memory of Mixie, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104902 Sat, 24 Dec 2005 13:31:26 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104902 Hello Fellow Felines, Some Christmas stories are made up like "Twas' The Night Before Christmas" A ... Twas' The Night Before Christmas" And "A Christmas Carol" And some are real. The carol about Good King Wenceslas is about a real person. He was was born around 907 in the castle of Stochov near Prague. His mother, Drahomira, was a nasty queen and he took over to be king. He was Christian when Bohemia was mostly pagan. He was known as a good, fair king who cared for the poor and all that. But, his brother, Boleslav, murdered him on the way to mass. He was only in his early twenties and had been king for fives years. Today he is remembered as the patron saint of the Czech Republic. So, Merry Christmakwanzikah to all and to all a good night. Love, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104655 Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:58:22 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104655 Hello Fellow Felines, In Mexico, they really celebrate Christmas. And in Oaxaca they are famous in ... Oaxaca they are famous in Mexico for celebrating Christmas. Everywhere you look are poinsettias. And on the 23rd, there's quite a few radishes. Yeah, today is Feast of the Radishes. The people carve stuff out of big radishes. It's pretty amazing to see what you can do with a radish when you put your mind to it. So, anyway, people carve little scenes and stuff out of radishes and set them up and the Governor picks out the winners and bestows ribbons. A special treat on this day is to have a buñuelos. And another thing they like to do is smash plates in the streets. Then, they have fireworks at night. I must say, this sounds better than all the shopping people do around here! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104355 Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:10:46 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104355 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the birthday of Cc the first cloned cat born. Texas A&M University a ... Cc the first cloned cat born. Texas A&M University announced her birth on Valentine's Day in 2002. The interesting thing is, although Cc is the exact genetic replica of her mother Rainbow, she doesn't look like her or act a lot like her. In fact: "Rainbow the cat is a typical calico with splotches of brown, tan and gold on white. Cc, her clone, has a striped gray coat over white. Rainbow is reserved. Cc is curious and playful. Rainbow is chunky. Cc is sleek. Sure, you can clone your favorite cat. But the copy will not necessarily act or even look like the original." Yeah, I guess genes aren't everything. But that's okay. Cc is mighty cute. She now lives at the house of Duane Kraemer and his wife Shirley. He is one of the team members of the group of scientists that did the cloning. Maybe this should be a lesson to people who want to spend a bunch of money and get a carbon copy of their dearly beloved pet. Let us go. Let us go when we get our wings. There are lots of other cats out there that really need a home and love and all that. Save your money and give some poor homeless cat that love and care. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104075 Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:44:12 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/104075 Hello Fellow Felines, Yes. It's the shortest day of the year. (In this hemisphere anyway. Our fri ... Saturnalia was pretty cool. They suspended all business transactions and even war. And, get this, the slaves got waited on by their owners. I am hoping my person does not get wind of this, I don't feel like cleaning the apartment, although I'm not above licking off the good stuff from the kitchen floor it she spills tuna juice or anything like that. So, anyway, on this day the Sun appears over the Tropic of Capricorn, roughly 23.5 degrees South of the earth's equator, its farthest below the celestial equator when viewed from the northern hemisphere. The word for it, Solstice, comes from latin and it means "sun stand" or where the sun comes to in the sky at noon. So this is the day that the sun stops going south at noon and starts coming back north. The people in the Land of the Midnight Sun are in for a long winter's night at this time of year. But they are pretty creative and make hotels of ice where you can stay. That's not for me, but you Norwegian Forest Cats might like it. In other news, the lake we live by froze over while I wasn't paying attention. On Monday. That's only one day before the median date for this lake. The earliest it ever froze was in 1980 on November 23. And the latest was in 1932 on January 30. This lake is possibly one of the most studied lakes in the United States, so we are not lacking for data here. Have you noticed Secret Santas tippy toeing around? I'm loving it! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/103945 Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:27:32 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/103945 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, my person is back here. She was house sitting for a while there and I ... cookies while she was away! You may want to give this recipe to your person. Especially if you like cheese!! Savory Cheese Treats   3/4 cup white flour   3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese   5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese   1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream   1/4 cup cornmeal Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine cheeses and yogurt. Add flour and cornmeal. Knead dough into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch. Cut into one inch sized pieces and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen. You can also find other recipes for Chick N’Biscuits, Crispy Liver Morsels and Tuna Tidbits at the same place. Happy Holidays, you guys. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/103164 Sun, 18 Dec 2005 20:20:15 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/103164 "To be in a beer commercial â�� that's about as good as it gets." - Carson Williams Hello Fello ... Christmas lights are the real thing. People were thinking that the video that was going out on the internet was a fake. When we saw the three minute video with the lights all over the yard jumping and flashing and stuff to the tune of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizard in Winter" we just loved it but wondered what the neighbors thought. I thought he was pretty nice to have the music on people's car radios than blasting out of speakers on his porch or something. Well, it turns out that Mr. Williams has turned off the lights after somebody had a fender bender out in front of his house in all the traffic driving by to check out the phenomena. Yeah, he got quite a bit of attention. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra invited him to a concert and a the Miller Beer company showed some interest in using his lights in a beer commercial. We can't wait to see what he comes up with next year. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102995 Sat, 17 Dec 2005 08:23:39 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102995 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today, in my surfing around looking for something to discuss, I found a ... Deborah Sampson, or as she was known in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army at Bellingham, Robert Shurtleff. That's right, she enlisted to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Back home they were murmuring about her and she was excommunicated from the First Baptist Church of Middleborough, Massachusetts, because of a strong suspicion that she was "dressing in man's clothes and enlisting as a Soldier in the Army." She was wounded three times and she took care of her own wounds so as not to get found out. Later, though, she had a fever and the doctor treating realized she wasn't a man. He didn't tell on her, but took her to his house to get better. When she got better she was honorably discharged and given money to get home. She got married to a farmer, Benjamin Gannett, and had three children and taught school after her military career. Paul Revere himself sent a letter to Congress on her behalf in 1804, and after that she started receiving a U.S. pension in the amount of four dollars per month. Yeah, quite a lady, Mrs. Gannett. More power to her! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102909 Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:00:39 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102909 "I have never thought of writing for reputation and honor. What I have in my heart must come out; th ... Ludwig van Beethoven Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the day that the historians say is the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. It was in 1770 and they are not sure but are pretty sure that this was the day he was born. Anyway, he is considered one of the best composers of all time, ever. His Ninth Symphony is very famous and is glorious with singing and everything. They pull out all the stops when the perform this one. The miracle of this is that he couldn't hear at all any more when he wrote it. It's not much of a surprise that this was very hard on him to lose his hearing and he contemplated suicide. But, no, he did not snuff himself. He stayed and composed more music. Apparently he was a rather crabby person and didn't pay a lot of attention to his appearance. Music was it for him. And his music lives on. He had a big influence on composers who came after him. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to the Beethoven: Violin Concerto with Itzhak Perlman. Very nice. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102504 Thu, 15 Dec 2005 09:36:44 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102504 Hello Fellow Felines, Oui! Oui! Today is the birthday, in 1832, of Gustave Eiffel, famous for des ... Gustave Eiffel, famous for designing and building the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, the Eiffel Tower is a pretty big deal. It was built between 1887 and 1889. Just last year, 6,230,050 people visited it. And how about this: every five years, they paint it and it takes 50 tons of paint! It was the tallest building in the world until 1930 when they built the Chrysler Building in New York. Also, Gustave Eiffel created the armature for the Statue of Liberty and the Garabit Viaduct. Yeah, he lived a long time and was pretty much busy the whole time. If you haven't been the the Eiffel Tower, you should go. You can even ice skate there! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102016 Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:45:40 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/102016 "It is not all bad, this getting old, ripening. After the fruit has got its growth it should juice u ... Emily Carr Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the birthday of Emily Carr, the Canadian VanGogh, was born in 1871 in Victoria, British Columbia. She studied in San Francisco and Paris and then went back to live in Canada. She really liked the Indians there and was good friends with them and painted a lot of their art. They liked her too and the Tlingit First Nation of British Columbia nicknamed Carr Klee Wyck, "the laughing one." She really liked animals and had a lot around her all the time. Those in the know rank her work with that of Georgia O'Keefe and Frida Kahlo. She was mostly unappreciated in her lifetime which is hard to believe when you look at her art now. If you want to read a good book about her, try The Forest Lover. So anywary, liked nature, liked animals, did good art. Emily Carr. Hope she's having a good laugh on this birthday! I am going to guess she was juicy all her life! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/101779 Mon, 12 Dec 2005 15:04:01 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/101779 Hello Fellow Felines, My person found this on the internet and I thought it was pretty cool: By ... ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/101162 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 10:47:57 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/101162 "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - ... Emily Dickenson Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the birthday of Emily Dickinson, a really good poet. She was born in 1830 in Amerst, Massachusetts and lived most of her life in her family home there. She was very private and quiet. By the time she died, only seven of her poems had ever been published. Yeah, she worked in quiet obscurity, pretty much her whole life. She's now up there with Walt Whitman, as one of the two great American poets of the 19th century. Anybody that says that hope is a thing with feathers is my kind of poet! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/99885 Tue, 6 Dec 2005 11:59:04 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/99885 "People tell me that when I am in heaven they will remember this picture." - Alfred Eisensteadt H ... Alfred Eisensteadt Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on this day in 1898, Alfred Eisensteadt was born in Dirschau, West Prussia. He came to the United States in 1935 and got a job at Life Magazine as a photographer where he stayed until 1972. He is most famous photo is the VJ Day Kiss. He never made a big fuss, waving his cameras and equipment around. He said: "I just kept motionless like a statue." he said. "They never saw me clicking away. For the kind of photography I do, one has to be very unobtrusive and to blend in with the crowd." He did over 80 covers for Life Magazine. He took statesmen, and stars and lots of stuff in between. Here's what one gallery says about him: "Long acclaimed as the father of modern photojournalism, Alfred Eisenstaedt has chronicled the last century with more published photographs than any other photographer in history." Well, Mr. Eisenstaedt, it's for pretty sure you're in heaven now and we remember lots of your pictures. Happy Birthday! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98981 Sat, 3 Dec 2005 13:28:05 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98981 "I never met an animal I didn't like." - Andy Warhol Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I got a new boo ... Andy Warhol. Except he didn't really do it. Because he already had his wings when this book was published in 1994. It was published by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., established in 1987, when he died. Cats, Cats, Cats is a collection of cat art that Andy Warhol made and it has quotes from him too. It's not a big, long book with a lot of words, but I like it. Andy Warhol had some pretty smart things to say. Like: "I'd prefer to remain a mystery." Which sounds like a pretty catly thing to say. Another good quote in the book is: "I love animals. I once had twenty-six cats." Or, here's a good one: "I wish she'd just let me sleep." Doesn't that, ever so often, just sum up how we are feeling? Just let us sleep. It's in our job description. Just go look it up! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98853 Fri, 2 Dec 2005 17:14:41 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98853 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, we cats have a variety of ways of communicating. Depending on what moo ... James Joyce noted in Ulysses, the sound of an increasingly annoyed cat is "mkgnao", "mrkgnao" and "mrkrgnao". These are actually cat cusswords. My person can usually tell by these words and my tone of voice that it's really time for dinner when I start cussing. I can get darned snarly when it's dinner time and she is not paying proper attention. Mom cats kind of trill at their babies to get their attention and talk to them. Soot and I talk to each other like that too and put the little trill in with our meows too to add to the mix. Yeah, cats have lots to say if you care to take the time to listen. I like what Camilla says: Murr. You'll have to ask her what it means. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98445 Thu, 1 Dec 2005 12:37:05 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/98445 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is World AIDS Day. They picked December 1 because, back in 1981 the fi ... World AIDS Day. They picked December 1 because, back in 1981 the first case was diagnosed on this day. Since that day, AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, making it one of the worst epidemics ever. Even though, there is now improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many places in the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005 of which, more than half a million (570,000) were children. That means, every minute a child dies of AIDS. We hate it when kids get sick and die. That is really bad. So, World AIDS Day. "It celebrates progress made in the battle against the epidemic and brings into focus remaining challenges." I have my red ribbon to express solidarity with those fighting AIDS. Put yours on too. (If you want to put a virtual one one on your website, go here.) Love to the lost ones, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/97295 Mon, 28 Nov 2005 09:04:12 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/97295 I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none ... not so furry) fantastic felines visiting my page. Too groovy. What else is 4000?... A baby Blue Whale weighs 4000 pounds. Man, that's (One moment. I have to check my catculator...) 200 times what I weigh. That's huge! If an average cat weighs about 9 pounds, then about 36,000 pounds of cats have visited me! That's awesome! I get about 110 crunchies in my bowl per day. At that rate it would take me more than a month to eat 4000 crunchies! 4000 is a big number. And if I had $4000.00, I could buy 1983.564 pounds of Hill's Science Diet Feline Hairball Control Formula Senior a.k.a. crunchies. Oof. All this catculating is wearing me out. Time for a couple of crunchies and a nap. Love you all, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95641 Tue, 22 Nov 2005 16:40:16 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95641 Yes It could happen any time, tornado, earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen. Or sunshine, lo ... Yes It could happen any time, tornado, earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen. Or sunshine, love, salvation. It could you know. That's why we wake and look out--no guarantees in this life. But some bonuses, like morning, like right now, like noon, like evening. -by William Stafford, from The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95404 Mon, 21 Nov 2005 20:21:52 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95404 "My painting is visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees ... René François-Ghislain Magritte, more commonly known as René Magritte, the Belgian artist. He was born in 1898. His paintings were, mostly, surrealist. He painted things in the normal way, but things weren't happening in a normal way. Lots of guys in bowler hats show up in his work. Or stuff like shoes with toes. He seemed to like clouds. Yeah, this guy really knew how to play with our heads. But in a more subtle way than a lot of other surrealists. It wasn't usually bad-dream stuff. More like, "Hmm, I'll be thinking about that for a while..." So, some thought for Mr. Magritte on his birthday. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95014 Sun, 20 Nov 2005 16:43:13 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/95014 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is Ngày nhà giáo Viet Nam (Vietnamese Educator's Day) Students ... bat downstairs. It was a pretty smart one. It followed her to the laundry room and flew right out the door as soon as she opened it. None of that spastic flapping around I usually enjoy so much. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93829 Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:13:44 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93829 Out of the bosom of the air Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken, Over the woodlands brow ... Snow. Such a wondrous thing. Nature takes plain old water, and makes it into fantastic crystals of infinite beauty. No two are alike. Every one is different from every other one. Yeah, when the snow comes, it coats the world in a soft, quiet blanket. Sounds are muffled and things slow down. Like traffic. If enough snow comes down, things pretty much stop. Like school and work and stuff like that. Just like a lot of other things, in moderation, snow is pretty much okay and wondrous and beautiful and all that. Right now, it's beautiful. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93602 Tue, 15 Nov 2005 21:21:47 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93602 "The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive on the desert even th ... Georgia O'Keefe. She was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on November 15, 1887. She married a famous photographer, Edward Stieglitz, who was 23 years older than her. He took lots of photos of her and sponsored her art and showed it in his studio. She painted a lot of pictures of New York when they lived there and of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains where they would go for the summer. It was around 1924 that she started painting her famous flower paintings. She said, "I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it." In 1929 O'Keeffe took a vacation with a friend to Taos, New Mexico. She discovered that she loved the dry open spaces in the desert. Georgia O'Keefe lived to be 98 years old. More power to her! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93210 Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:06:29 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/93210 Hello Fellow Felines Well today is the day, in 1889, that Nellie Bly set of on a journey around th ... Nellie Bly set of on a journey around the world in 80 days, like in Jules Verne's book, Around the World in Eighty Days. This was an assignment from the New York World, the newspaper where she worked. Well since she was a woman and an over-achiever, she beat Phileas Fogg. She made it back in seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds. She was the first woman to travel all around the world without a man along with her. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864. She got a job in Pittsburgh on the Pittsburgh Dispatch when she got mad at an article they published and wrote a strong letter of rebuttal. That's where they gave her the name Nellie Bly from a popular song of the day by Stephen Foster. The first assignment they gave her at the New York World was to report on the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. She got herself committed and stayed there for ten days and came back with an article with first hand descriptions of the conditions and treatment in that place. She was one of the first reporters to use undercover reporting. Yeah Nellie Bly was a role model for women all over the place! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Today is also the birthday of Claude Monet. His Water Lilies at the Orangerie in Paris are awesome! ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/92810 Sun, 13 Nov 2005 15:54:18 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/92810 "It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears." - Louis Dembitz Bra ... Louis Dembitz Brandeis who served as a Supreme Court Justice from 1916 to 1939. He graduated from its Harvard law school in 1877 at the head of his class. He got a job in Boston and took an active role in progressive causes. Back in 1908 he wrote a brief that gave social authorities with information on the issue of the impact of long working hours on women. It was the first time in the United States that social science had been used in law and changed the direction of the Supreme Court and of U.S. law. The Brandeis Brief became the model for future Supreme Court presentations. When President Wilson nominated him as Justice of the Supreme Court there was huge fuss because a lot of people thought he was too radical. But once he got the job, Brandeis became one of the most influential and respected Supreme Court Justices in United States history. A lot of his decisions backed personal rights and liberties. He even had a university named after him. And an award. Some guy! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/92454 Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:19:05 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/92454 "The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds." - Paul Linnman Hello Fellow Felines, M ... story I heard! About a whale that was rotting on the beach so they decided to explode it! It happened on this day in Florence, Oregon in 1970. Yeah, they were interviewing the journalist, Paul Linnman, who covered the story and they had a tape of the event. They were there talking to people and then the whale got detonated and boom! Then, pretty soon you could hear big loud splats of dead whale blubber plopping around the place. I guess it was pretty bad. Apparently they miscalculated the amount of explosive to thoroughly blow up a whale and so the whale had it's revenge on all those people who came to see it blow up. Walter Umenhofer may have regretted it more than most as a 3-foot by 5-foot piece of foul-smelling, rotting whale blubber totally crushed the top of his car. At the end of his news story, Paul Linnman remarked, "It might be concluded that should a whale ever be washed ashore in Lane County again, those in charge will not only remember what to do, they'll certainly remember what not to do." Well, it's time for my dinner. I'm not hoping for whale blubber. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91906 Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:41:51 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91906 The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. - Gord ... 30th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It's a song by Gordon Lightfoot, but it's also a true story about a freighter that went down in Lake Superior in a really bad storm. He sings this song at every concert he ever gives and has been a guest at the memorials of many of the crew on that ship who were lost. It was a really big ship. At 729 feet long, she was at that time the largest freighter on the great lakes when she was christened in 1958. It was named after the guy who was the new board chairman of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, whose grandfather and five great uncles had been ship captains. The Edmund Fitzgerald never made a distress call. So nobody knows exactly for sure what happened. In the last contact they said: "We are holding our own." And that's the last anyone heard from them in the snow and the wind and the waves. They went down and all 29 men on the ship were lost. The bells will ring 29 times this Sunday at the Mariner's Church of Detroit. Love to the lost ones, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91337 Wed, 9 Nov 2005 10:11:38 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91337 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, this was before I was born, but on this day in 1989 the Berlin Wall cam ... Berlin Wall came down! Yeah, They put up a wall all around West Berlin to keep it separate from the rest of East Germany. They divided Berlin into four parts after World War 2 and they put a wall around the three parts controlled by the United States, Britain and France. My person was there in the summer of 1989 and said it was most interesting. Going to East Berlin was like going back in time. West Berlin was all 20th century and expensive and fancy and East Berlin was all drab and stuff. And they went through the Ghost stations in the subway, stations that were closed and not in use. They were huge pitch-dark empty spaces. She later learned that guards were posted in those stations to get people who tried to escape. What a bad job that would be. Since West Berlin was an island of the west in a sea of East Germany, lots of people tried to get over the wall to freedom. About 5,000 people made it into West Berlin; 192 people were killed trying to cross and around 200 were seriously injured. One pretty interesting escape was 57 people who escaped through a 475 foot tunnel dug by West Berliners. So, anyway, finally in 1989, on November 9, Günter Schabowski, the East German Minister of Propaganda said that East Berliners would be allowed to cross the border with proper permission. Well, before they knew it, there were thousands of people demanding entry into West Berlin. Way too many to control. So they just let them run into the arms of the West Berliners waiting for them. Best party ever! Pieces of the Berlin wall can be found lots of places. Good reminder, I say. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. I, for one, find it ironic that this is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a very bad night. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91208 Tue, 8 Nov 2005 20:32:23 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91208 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on this day in 1895,Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was doing some experiments ... Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was doing some experiments in his laboratory on the flow of electricity in cathode ray tubes and noticed some stuff glowing over in another part of the lab. He figured that it was some unknown form of radiation causing this. Well, he thought he was on to something so he really started experimenting. But when he saw an image of his skeleton, he decided to do his experiments in secret in case people thought he was nuts. He wasn't nuts. He discovered x-rays. Thanks to him, doctors can look inside people (cats too if necessary) and see if everything is okay inside of them or not. He got the first Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901, "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him." He was a pretty modest guy. He didn't take out any patents on x-rays. On moral grounds! And he didn't even want x-rays named after him. They were, but they are more commonly known as x-rays these days. Just imagine how many lives Mr. Röntgen has saved with his discovery! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91023 Tue, 8 Nov 2005 11:07:01 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/91023 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I'm not sure how it happened, but I am Cat of the Week! Wahoo! Here' ... Cat of the Week! Wahoo! Here's a little haiku to celebrate the occasion... You think I'm handsome? And brilliant and all that stuff? I am all humbled. Thanks everybody! Love and kisses, purrs and treats to all! Cooper P.S. A shout out to Molly Golightly who picks Kitties of the Week!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/90325 Sat, 5 Nov 2005 07:58:28 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/90325 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, on November 5, 1935, the board game Monopoly was released by Parker Bro ... Monopoly was released by Parker Brothers. The game had been around for quite a while and in 1934, Charles Darrow came to Parker Brothers with his version of the game. They said no. Well, it was the depression and Mr. Darrow didn't have a job, so he made copies of the game himself and sold them. Then he had a bunch made by a printer friend of his and sold them to a store because he couldn't keep up with the demand and Parker Brothers decided that maybe it was a good idea after all. It's a pretty good game. Maybe that's why it's in the Guinness World Records for the most played board game. As of 1999, Monopoly has been played by 500 million people worldwide. There's lots of versions too. There's the Atlantic City version version. And the London version. And lots of special editions. People love making records with this game. The longest Monoply game on record took 1,680 hours (70 days)! And how about this: Parker Brothers prints about 50 billion dollars worth of Monopoly money in one year! The ambassador of Monopoly, Mr. Monoply, was known as Rich Uncle Pennybags until 2000: "Hasbro, in an apparent effort to render its property bland and prosaic, officially changed the name of its most popular game's mascot to "Mr. Monopoly." Isn't that a sad thing? You'll always be Uncle Pennybags to us! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89821 Fri, 4 Nov 2005 11:51:34 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89821 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the day, in 1922, that Howard Carter found the tomb of King T ... Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tutankhamen, the boy king. He was only nine years old when he became king. Yeah, King Tut wasn't one of Egypt's great leaders. And maybe this protected his tomb. It didn't get raided much, so when Mr. Carter found it, it was spectacular! Yeah, it was jam-packed with riches and stuff. Scientists are still fascinated with King Tut and are still finding out stuff about him. Like, maybe, what he looked like. And if he got murdered or not. They found out that he died of gangrene from a broken leg. So much for the theory that had been around that he got murdered. King Tutankhamen's riches are going to be in the United States for several months this year. Check it out! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89555 Thu, 3 Nov 2005 15:09:57 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89555 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, here is something that happened in Germany. It shouldn't have happened ... Cat ran off with severed toe "A cat ran off with its owners toe after he accidentally chopped it off and then left it on the floor while he called an ambulance. Udo Ried, 41, was slicing bread in his kitchen in Luebeck, Germany, when he dropped a large kitchen knife onto his bare foot, chopping off his second toe. While Ried was hopping to the bathroom to get a bandage and at the same time using his mobile phone to call emergency services, his cat Fritz pounced on the bloody toe and ran off with it into the garden. Ried tried to get the toe back but after a few minutes he was forced to abandon the search to seek medical attention. A spokesman for Luebeck hospital said they would have been able to reattach the toe if the cat had not stolen it." It looks like we are just going to have to admit that there are a few cats that are not very nice. And be glad it's only a few. In defense of Fritz, I would note that, perhaps, had Mr. Reid picked up the toe before hopping off, this story wouldn't have made the news. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89034 Tue, 1 Nov 2005 21:19:34 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/89034 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the day, in Mexico, they remember those who are no longer with ... Dia de Los Muertos. People in Mexico have been celebrating this for a long time. When Roman Catholics got there, they pasted All Saints Day and All Souls Day on the Mexican Festivities that were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, who was known as the "Lady of the Dead". They dedicated the festivities to children and the lives of dead relatives. These days, in Mexico, they make sugar skulls and other stuff we may think is morbid, but they don't see it that way. In some places, they stay up all night in the cemeteries with their relatives. In some places, they put a little altar to remember their relatives who have died and have food and drinks for them for when they come to visit. I think it's a good idea. I like to remember Patrick, my friend who got his wings just last May. And the ever so handsome Luna. And all the other friends who already have their wings. Yeah. That would be a good party. We could have sushi, pate and caviar and lots of treats and tell stories and remember stuff we did and mice we caught and tell jokes and stuff. Then, we could roll around in some catnip and scamper around a little. And then maybe a group nap. Oh yeah. Mexico has some great ideas. Take a moment to remember your dead friends and relatives and leave them a treat or a candle or some catnip. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/88358 Sun, 30 Oct 2005 19:50:06 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/88358 Hello Fellow Felines, Well it was a Sunday night, October 30 in 1938 when Orson Welles scared a lot ... Orson Welles scared a lot of people with his Mercury Players radio play "The War of the Worlds." Yeah, they presented H.G. Wells' book "The War of the Worlds" it in the "mockumentary" style like news happening in the middle of a regular music show. A lot of people didn't hear the part where the announcer said, "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air in "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells." So, anyway when they said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News..." People paid attention and thought that the "observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars." were real. Then, when "a huge, flaming object, believed to be a meteorite" was reported, people put their shoes on and went to Grovers Mill, New Jersey to check it out. Even some scientists from Princeton went. Things got worse and worse from there in the play and people got really scared and some even had to have medical treatment, they got so upset. Yeah, Orson Welles played a pretty good April Fool's joke on America. He was sneaky enough to do it in October. Therein lies the genius! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/87924 Sat, 29 Oct 2005 09:38:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/87924 Hello Fellow Felines Well today is the birthday of, scientists and author, Carl Djerassi. He was ... Carl Djerassi. He was born in Austria in 1923 and then moved to the United States in 1941. He got his PhD right here in Madison, Wisconsin in 1945. If we do the math, he was about 21! He invented synthetic progesterone which was soon being administered as contraceptive. ("The Pill"!) His list of awards and honors is as long as your arm. Yeah, he even has his own stamp. This guy is your basic renaissance man. No, it wasn't enough to be a scientist. He had to write poetry and books and collect art and stuff. He likes to write books about "science as fiction" and plays and stuff. Yeah, for 82, he's a pretty busy guy. Many more Dr. Djerassi! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/87111 Wed, 26 Oct 2005 15:37:05 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/87111 "Common sense is not so common."  Voltaire Hello Fellow Felines, I'm sure most of us have hear ... Head butt is listed in the Top 20 on the OxymoronList. A few others are jumbo shrimp, plastic glasses and healthy tan. An oxymoron is "A rhetorical figure in which an epigrammatic effect is created by the conjunction of incongruous or contradictory terms" I wouldn't have thought of this but my person was serving me dinner this evening and my bowl was still a bit wet and she said, "We don't want you to have mushy crunchies today." Mushy crunchies. Well, there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Of course, this train of thought fascinates people who like to think about words and stuff. Dr. Mardy Grothe wrote Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths. If you need more oxymoronica, this looks like the place to get it. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/86689 Tue, 25 Oct 2005 06:55:11 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/86689 Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others. - Rosa Parks Hello Fel ... Rosa Parks has died. But she lived long enough to see the rewards of her hard work to see that black people were treated like the human beings that they are. She really wasn't just a "tired seamstress" that day on the bus. She was a person with a history of commitment to civil rights and worked for this cause before and after the incident that made history: her refusal to give up her seat in a bus. Just think. What if you were a calico cat and they said, "You can's use this drinking fountain, I don't care how thirsty you are. Calico cats can't use this one." Or how about, "That litter box is not for you. I don't care how much you need to pee, go outside in the back yard." What about, "Calico cats can't eat here. If you want some food go around back in the alley and see if you can get some leftovers." How about, "We're not going to give you medicine for this. We want to see what happens when this disease isn't treated and we figure calico cats are a good experimental animal." Or, "Perhaps you have an opinion, but that doesn't mean we are going to let calico cats vote." And, "Don't make a fuss about your situation or you'll never work in this town again!" How about, "That patch of sun is not for calico cats to nap in. Yours is over there. Unless I happen to want it. Then forget about a nap." Rest well Rosa. We love you. Cooper P.S. Today is the birthday of Anne Tyler. Her first book, If Morining Ever Comes was publish when she was just 23 years old. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/86560 Mon, 24 Oct 2005 18:16:58 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/86560 ". . . my work, which I've done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise I now e ... Anton van Leeuwenhoek. He was born in 1632 and lived in Delft. He started as a young man trained as a textiles merchant and used a magnifying lens to examine fabric and count the threads of the weave. He soon got fascinated with small stuff and learned to grind lenses and started using lenses together to get higher magnification. He invented about 400 kinds of microscopes. There's only nine of these left. The strongest one of these can magnify up to 270 times but they think that he had some in his day that could magnify up to 500 times. He saw all kinds of stuff under his microscope and observed and described muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa and blood flow in capillaries. Maybe he's not the first person to make a microscope, but he gets the credit for introducing it to the attention of biologists. My person still has a microscope that her father got her when she was a kid. It sits on the shelf, gathering dust, but she would tell you that Sunday afternoon pond scum investigations were pretty fun! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/85563 Fri, 21 Oct 2005 08:57:14 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/85563 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, as we discussed earlier, most kitties have five front toes and four bac ... discussed earlier, most kitties have five front toes and four back toes on their paws. Not Five Toes. No, Five Toes, who lives in Dobsen, North Carolina, has five toes on each paw. That's how this kitty got her name. But, of course, that's not enough to get you on TV. So, one day in December, Five Toes let her person, Bill Whittington, see that she had an extra tongue. Imagine that! Two tongues! Poor Mr. Whittington was a bit freaked out when he saw Five Toe's two tongues flickering in a most unusual manner. But really. Just think. You'd sure be able to drink your water faster with two tongues. Yeah. (I'd probably have one or the other hanging out half the time as kitties are occasionally known to do.) Five Toes is so special that she's going to be Ripley's Believe It Or Not! You go, Five Toes! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Thanks to Madeline, for letting me know about Five Toes' gender. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/85454 Thu, 20 Oct 2005 21:12:13 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/85454 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it was on this day, in 1973, that the Sydney Opera House was opened wit ... Sydney Opera House was opened with Queen Elizabeth II officiating. When the architect, Jørn Utzon, got the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2003, they said, "Jørn Utzon created one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty known throughout the world. In addition to this masterpiece, he has worked throughout his life fastidiously, brilliantly, quietly, and with never a false or jarring note." He actually designed the building in 1957 and then figured out how to make the lovely shells later. They are based on slices all taken from a sphere of the same size. Plus, these lovely shells are all covered in tiles. It's a really neat complex known all over the world. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84963 Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:38:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84963 Scurrying about, Hiding their nuts for winter, Squirrels make ready. - Cooper Hello Fellow Feli ... watch me back. Apparently, squirrels have come to the attention of others before me. There's quite a lot of information about them on the internet. Yeah. Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, squirrels, blah, blah, blah. They are just cute rodents. Well, one thing I found was squirrel fishing. Yeah, is seems that the folks at institutes of higher learning have a little too much spare time on their hands. Time to carry out silly experiments. Squirrel fishing may have originated at Harvard, or Berkeley. People have been doing this for years with cats and they don't call it "catfishing." Ha, ha, ha ha! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84538 Mon, 17 Oct 2005 20:53:14 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84538 Hello Fellow Felines, Sometimes in my fantasies I am a swashbuckling knave! Like Puss in Boots. T ... Puss in Boots. That was one clever cat! Yeah, the story of Puss in Boots was that a miller died and left his son nothing but the cat from the mill. But this wasn't any old cat. This cat could talk. It said, "You have nothing else to do Master but to give me a bag and get a pair of boots made for me, and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion in me as you imagine." So the cat went out hunting and took stuff to the king in the name of his master, "Marquis de Carabas" and made friends with the king. This cat also noticed that the king had a very beautiful daughter. This cat managed to get rid of a bad ogre and installed his master as the Marquis of all the ogre's lands. Yeah, he was pretty clever. His master even got to marry the princess. Some critics don't like this story because the cat is sort of sneaky and makes stuff up and and everything, but I think it's a pretty fun story. So, my person found a way to dress me up that I can get on board with. Photoshop. Yup, check me out in my Puss in Boots outfit! I should get some pretty good treats on Halloween! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Tonight's Full Moon. It's a big, bright one, out there. It's the Hunter's moon, or the moon of falling leaves, depending on who you're talking to. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84019 Sun, 16 Oct 2005 09:43:52 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/84019 I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex. - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dor ... Oscar Wilde. He was a playwright and famous for his wicked wit. Among other things. He spent a couple of years in prison just for loving men. While he was there he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, It showed that he got more serious in jail. When he was in school, he took a dunking in the River Cherwell for his involvement in the Asthetic Movement. A bit poncy for their tastes, I guess. He taught aesthetic values in London and came to the U.S. and Canada on a lecture tour. He really was pretty brilliant and published a book of poems pretty soon after he got out of college. His plays are what are most remembered, probably. The Importance of Being Ernest is most amusing. My person saw that one and came home and told me about it. (It was made into a movie in 2002) His book The Picture of Dorian Gray, was also made into a movie. Angela Lansbury got nominated for an Oscar for her role in it. (It's her 80th birthday too, today! Happy Birthday Angela!) Prison pretty much wrecked his health and he went to France to live in penniless exile under an assumed name: 'Sebastian Melmoth' Oscar, it's your wit we will remember. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83938 Sat, 15 Oct 2005 20:40:22 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83938 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, this is a topic we've touched on earlier. The Gregorian Calendar. Yes ... touched on earlier. The Gregorian Calendar. Yes, today is the day, in 1582, that it was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, to start using the Gregorian Calendar. The one that they had before that was the Julian Calendar and it was a little wrong. Not much, but enough so that dates had drifted by ten days for the vernal equinox. This was bad in the Catholic Church because they figured out when Easter was by the vernal equinox. As we discussed in previous entries, all of Europe was not all that anxious to get on board with the new calender. When the pope decreed it, only Italy, Poland, Spain and Portugal adopted the Gregorian Calendar. The British Empire didn't adopt it until the British Calendar Act of 1751. So now, most of us are on the same page and keeping track of the moon pretty well and stuff, so we can sleep peacefully in our beds tonight. Thanks Pope Gregory XIII! Sweet dreams! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83514 Fri, 14 Oct 2005 10:23:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83514 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the day that, in 1947, Chuck Yeager officially broke the sound ... Chuck Yeager officially broke the sound barrier. He was flying a rocket powered Bell X-1 that he had named 'Glamorous Glennis' (after his wife), which you can go visit in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The story has it that General Yeager was out riding his horse a day or so earlier and fell off and broke a couple of ribs. He was so scared he wouldn't be able to make the flight and make the record that he went to a veterinarian to be treated and didn't tell anybody. Pretty much everybody knows what happens when a plane breaks the sound barrier these days. BOOM! Yeah, it makes a big noise. "When an airplane travels at a speed faster than sound, density waves of sound emitted by the plane cannot precede the plane, and so accumulate in a cone behind the plane. When this shock wave passes, a listener hears all at once the sound emitted over a longer period: a sonic boom. As a plane accelerates to just break the sound barrier, however, an unusual cloud might form." So let's hear it for General Yeager! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83162 Thu, 13 Oct 2005 06:05:07 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/83162 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I'm feeling pretty good today. I was on Amazon.com today and thought I ... Wrong Way Corrigan. "Hmmm.", I thought to myself, "I better check this out." Click. Voila! It's my diary page!!! I'm not just sure how this happened. Maybe it's because I have an account on Amazon.com. (Gotta keep track of all the cat books I have on my wish list and review the good ones.) Maybe one of you guys set up the link. If that's the case, I hope you'll come forward to take the credit if I get famous. In case of royalties and stuff like that, you know. Speaking of me, my person put some of my pictures in the photo contest. She decided it was a good way to put some more photos of me doing different things. There's one of me sort of standing on my hind legs. You can see my splendid portly furry physique in all its glory. Be sure and check it out! Okay, I'm done bragging for today! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/82282 Sun, 9 Oct 2005 16:33:54 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/82282 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, if we can imagine that Mark Chapman didn't have any bullets in his gun ... John Lennonwould be 65 years old today. As one of the Beatles, he was one of the first musicians who woke up my person to popular music. She could sing their songs and remembered all the words. She and three friends performed as "Beatles" in eighth grade and had the whole auditorium screaming. (It wasn't her and her friends, it was the Beatles. But it was very fun, I'm sure.) But we like John Lennon because he was for peace and that stuff. There is even a petition to make every October 9 the John Lennon Day Peace And Love On Earth. I think it sounds like a pretty good idea. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/81229 Wed, 5 Oct 2005 07:25:36 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/81229 Hello Fellow Felines, It's October already. Hard to believe, especially since the temperature is g ... Monty Python's Flying Circus. They got a lot of mileage out of stuff like Spam, the plague, Lumberjacks who liked dresses, dead parrots, the Spanish Inquisition and subjects of that sort. My person's favorite from the group is Michael Palin, since he's done travel videos and stuff she likes. They are now getting more mileage out of Spam, the delicious canned meat product. Spamalot the broadway musical is a hit and won some Tonys. I wonder if I can get my person to get me some Spam Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/80564 Sun, 2 Oct 2005 18:45:15 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/80564 The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi. The name Mahatma is taken from the Sanskrit term of reverence "mahatman," meaning “Great Soul.” He put forth to the world the concept of non-violent protest, called Satyagraha, and brought the issue of India's independence from England to the world's attention. His ideas influenced others, like, Dr. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Here is the list of seven deadly sins he made up for the world today: Wealth without work Pleasure without conscience Knowledge without character Commerce without morality Science without humanity Worship without sacrifice Politics without principle I like him for what he says about animals. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/78595 Sun, 25 Sep 2005 09:15:12 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/78595 Hello Fellow Felines, Maybe you have noticed. Around this time of year you can see Monarch butterf ... Monarch butterflies who are making the trip to Mexico to spend the winter in a warmer climate. You can usually tell these butterflies because they seem to have a more businesslike look. Yeah, they are not aimlessly fluttering around. They have a mission. Monarchs are the only butterflies that are known of to spend the winter as adult butterflies. Other kinds overwinter as eggs or pupa. So, since they are butterflies instead of eggs, they get to vacation in Mexico. (Or another warm area, like in California, depending on where they were born.) Most monarch butterflies live two to six weeks, but the ones who migrate, live several months. When they wake up from their winter torpor, they fly north to the first milkweed they find and hang out there, get married and have eggs. So, it's a mystery how they figure out how the migration thing works since they do it over several generations, but they do. Oh yes, because they eat milkweed, they don't taste very good, so if you see one, just wish it a good journey and eat some other bug. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/78381 Sat, 24 Sep 2005 09:51:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/78381 Hello Fellow Felines, Greetings. Sorry about my laziness regarding sending out messages lately. I ... cats with wings every now and then and maybe they aren't mythical beasts at all. Maybe they are just mutants. But that word sounds bad. Maybe they are just special kitties. You can see some pictures if you go to the article. Check it out. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/76600 Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:14:23 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/76600 Hello Fellow Felines, B.B. King is 80 years old today. He is one of the most popular and cool blue ... B.B. King is 80 years old today. He is one of the most popular and cool blues musicians around. He makes his guitar, Lucille, moan and wail the blues. When he is on the stage the love just pours out over the crowd. I most particularly like his music when my person plays it. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/75787 Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:41:55 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/75787 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the morning, in 1814, Francis Scott Key, lawyer and amateur poe ... Francis Scott Key, lawyer and amateur poet, saw the American flag still flying at the Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. He was so happy, he wrote a poem, The Defence of Fort M'Henry. Mr. Key wanted the the poem put to the music of John Stafford Smith's song: To Anacreon in Heaven. It wasn't until 1931 that this song became the national anthem of the United States. Thanks Mr. Key! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/75118 Sun, 11 Sep 2005 13:41:39 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/75118 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's September 11. I think we all remember all to well that date. Yes ... World Trade Towers came down with a terrible rumble heard all around the world that still echos today. Many lives were lost, but also some new ones were born too. Like the Kitty, Hope, who had three kittens in the rubble of the buildings. She didn't have a name that anybody knew when they found her in a box of napkins with her three kittens, but they called her Hope. And her kittens were called Amber, Flag and Freedom. Pretty good names, all in all. I thinks it's the kind of story we should read on a day like today. Best wishes to you Hope and Amber, and Flag and Freedom! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/73378 Sun, 4 Sep 2005 22:08:58 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/73378 Hello Fellow Felines, We know legislators have too much time on their hands. How do we know this? ... laws about cats. I'm not making this up. Here's some stuff I found just surfing around. In California, every person who willfully abandons any domestic cat or dog is guilty of a misdemeanor. (All right, that one makes pretty good sense, except it should be a felony.) In Sterling, Colorado, cats may not run loose without having been fit with a tail light. (Yeah, fit me with a tail light. Ha, ha, ha ha!) In Columbus, Georgia, cats may not yowl after 9 o'clock p.m. (Sure guys, but remember to leave us alone if we are caterwauling at 8:59 p.m.) In Zion, Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals kept as pets. (Some legislator saw that dogs playing poker picture and thought it was real!) French Lick Springs, Indiana, once passed a law requiring all black cats to wear bells on Friday the 13th. (I think we discussed Friday the 13th and stuff like that already.) In Kentucky, dogs are not allowed to attack or bother cats, though they can legally fight with each other. (This one is the first one that makes any sense at all.) In Reed City, Michigan, you may not keep a pet cat and a pet bird on the same premises. (Well, duh.) In Virginia, state law prohibits a dogcatcher from bothering cats while looking for dogs. (Another one that can stay on the books, if you ask me.) In Madison, Wisconsin, the law will not allow joint custody of a family pet when a couple divorces. The animal is legally awarded to whoever happens to have possession of it at the time of the initial separation. (Apparently this is not a joke.) So make sure you behave and no yowling after 9:00 p.m. And if you happen to be in International Falls, MN, don't chase a dog up a telephone pole. Totally illegal. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72924 Fri, 2 Sep 2005 20:13:58 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72924 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the birthday of Lydia Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. ... Lydia Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. She was born on this day in 1838. She studied music and wrote a lot of songs. One of them, "Aloha Oe" tells about to lovers who reluctantly depart, is her most famous. She wrote about 160 songs and chants including one, KA WILIWILIWAI (The Lawn Sprinkler) about her neighbor's lawn sprinkler. Her brother died n 1891 and the throne went to Lydia Liliuokalani. One of the first things she did was to recommend a new Hawaii constitution. She thought the "Bayonet Constitution" of 1887 limited her power and the political power of native Hawaiians. American interests in Hawaii began to consider annexation for Hawaii to re-establish an economic competitive position for sugar. A group led by Sanford B. Dole (Name sound familiar?) sought to overthrow the institution of the monarchy. The American minister in Hawaii, John L. Stevens, called for troops to take control of Iolani Palace and various other governmental buildings. In 1894, the Queen, was deposed. Too bad. She was more interested in the native Hawaiian people than big business and look where that got her. Anyway. Happy Birthday Queen Liloukalani! Me ke aloha pau`ole, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72150 Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:36:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72150 "[We] must thank the gods for art, those of us who have been fortunate enough to stumble onto this m ... Robert Crumb a happy birthday. He's 62 today. He's the guy who created the "Keep on Truckin'" guy from the '60's. He had a hard childhood and his drawing kept him from going bonkers. He worked for a while making greeting cards and then eventually moved on to comic books. In his Zap Comix, Crumb used old early-century cartoon styles to produce satirical stories that were sexually and politically outrageous, especially when seen in comic book form. He also invented Fritz the Cat, "a trouble-making, anti-establishment, college-age feline whose adventures consisted of having his way with as many anthropomorphic female animals as possible, while staying one step ahead of the law." Yeah, when Fritz got his own movie, they had to give it an X. Bad Cat! So, anyway, Robert Crumb moved to the South of France with his wife and daughter, where he still lives today. Yeah, he let all his weirdness spill out all over on the page for everyone to see. Happy Birthday Robert Crumb! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72055 Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:43:18 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/72055 Hello Fellow Felines, Here's what's going on in Itzstedt... BERLIN (Reuters) - German po ... ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71766 Mon, 29 Aug 2005 10:10:05 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71766 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the day that we cross the 2222 line. Yes, 2222 visits to my p ... RFC 2222 (rfc2222) - Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) RFC 2222 - Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) ... RFC 2222 (RFC2222) Internet RFC/STD/FYI/BCP Archives ... Myers Request for Comments: 2222 Netscape Communications Category: Standards Track October 1997 Simple Authentication ... 2222 Agricultural and Fish Products Inspectors Quick Search. 2222. Agricultural and Fish Products Inspectors. Agricultural and fish products inspectors inspect agricultural and fish products for conformity to prescribed production, storage and transportation standards. Kenyon 2222 Boom Section Spars, Rigging, and Hardware for Sailboats. Rig-Rite, Inc. 63 Centerville Road, Warwick, RI 02886 USA. Phone: (001) 401-739-1140 -- FAX: (001) 401-739-1149. www.RigRite.comOrdering/Questions. Kenyon Spars 2222 Boom Section AB 2222 Assembly Bill - CHAPTERED CHAPTERED ... BILL NUMBER: AB 2222 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT CHAPTER 1049 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER ... to civil rights. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2222, Kuehl. Civil rights: disability ... DiaPharm | Products | Substrate DS-2222 Prothrombin, the natural substrate of Factor Xa, is cleaved by Factor Xa at two positions, each proceeded by the same four amino acid sequence. So, unless you are a computer dude, or a Canadian agricultural and fish products inspector or a sailor or a legislator or a scientist, perhaps the number 2222 isn't the most interesting things! I am none of those things and I'm THRILLED. Thanks to you all for stopping by. Come again, any time! Kitty kisses to all! Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71630 Sun, 28 Aug 2005 17:58:26 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71630 War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within the ... Leo Tolstoy. He's the guy who wrote War and Peace. His book Anna Karenina, was honored by Oprah as an Oprah's Book Club book. In The Sebastopol Sketches, he gets into war from his experiences in he Crimean War and I don't think he liked it very much. Anyway he was a pretty good writer, from this feline's point of view and plus he liked animals. Get this: "A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite." Sounds like a pretty nice guy. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. This is also the day that Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech in Washington D.C. in 1963. At the risk of getting a bit windy today, here is a part of that: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today." ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71457 Sat, 27 Aug 2005 22:30:37 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71457 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the birthday of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, otherwise known as Mother Te ... Mother Teresa. She spent most of her life helping the poorest of the poor. Here's something for your refrigerator door: THE SIMPLE PATH The fruit of silence is PRAYER. The fruit of prayer is FAITH. The fruit of faith is LOVE. The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE. Ciao for now Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71072 Fri, 26 Aug 2005 09:42:18 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/71072 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's finally happened. They've got humans on display at the zoo. Yes, ... humans on display at the zoo. Yes, the London Zoo has a display of homo sapiens prancing about in their skivvies. It doesn't sound like they checked their egos at the gate, which may be a bit more interesting but what do you expect from humans, right. I mean, I've seen my human up to all sorts of things when she was pretty sure I was asleep. You know what I mean: eating the whole box of cookies, prancing around in front of the mirror in the new shoes, watching the answering machine answer, painting her toenails... All sorts of behavior that she thinks nobody is paying any attention to. Yeah, when they get humans doing that sort of stuff at the zoo, you might get my attention. I'll just keep an eye on my person for now. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/69566 Mon, 22 Aug 2005 18:50:00 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/69566 Hello Fellow Felines, The holiday you've all been waiting for. I know it! National Punctuation Da ... National Punctuation Day® is a a celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotes, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons and the ever mysterious ellipsis. Here are some suggestions on good ways to celebrate National Punctuation Day®: >Sleep late. >Go out for coffee and a bagel (or two). >Read a newspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors you find (or think you find but aren’t sure) with a red pen. >Take a leisurely stroll, paying close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words. >Stop in those stores to correct the owners. >If the owners are not there, leave notes. >Visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style. >Look up all the words you circled. >Congratulate yourself on becoming a better written communicator. >Go home. >Sit down. >Write an error-free letter to a friend. >Take a nap. It’s been a long day. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/67816 Sat, 13 Aug 2005 10:56:58 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/67816 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is the birthday of Annie Oakley. She could handle a gun better th ... Annie Oakley. She could handle a gun better than pretty much anybody before or since. Remember Calamity Jane? Well Annie Oakley was in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show just like Calamity Jane. She was born Phoebe Ann Mozee on this day in 1860 in Patterson Township, Ohio. Her family was really poor and she started shooting game when she was about nine to help put food on the table, and sold some at the general store too. She beat Frank Butler, a expert sharp shooter, in a shooting match on Thanksgiving of 1875 and the world began to discover the expert sharp shooter Annie Oakley. She ended up marrying Frank Butler and they were both in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She really was an amazing marksman. (Er, marksperson, I suppose.) Once, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, had her knock the ashes off a cigaret he was holding in his mouth! They ever made a musical about her: Annie Get Your Gun! I even think I've heard some of the songs like "Anything you can do, I can do better". Another Wild West Gal! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. August 13 is also Fidel Castro's birthday. I'll leave that to the astrologers to mull over. ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/66985 Thu, 11 Aug 2005 07:15:35 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/66985 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, my person is in school for a while and she has been totally hogging the ... school for a while and she has been totally hogging the computer doing her homework and stuff. I just sit and watch and rub on her legs and meow, trying to get her to get annoyed and go away but she just pets me and tells me what a good kitty I am. Humph! Plus it's been pretty hot, so I've been doing a lot of just lying around too. I just had to note that today's Itzhak Perlman's birthday. I heard it this morning on Public Radio. We've been hearing a lot of him playing his violin and it's quite nice. Stay cool, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/65507 Fri, 5 Aug 2005 20:39:08 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/65507 "We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected." ... ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/64285 Mon, 1 Aug 2005 20:09:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/64285 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, there it is. I've said it. It's out there for everyone to see. That's ... retrosexual. And I don't care who knows it. We've all heard about the metrosexual. Nothing that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, my friend Socks is metrosexual. His profile notes that he loves to watch the Style Network on TV. Well maybe if my person had cable things would be different, but I doubt it. I happen to love the Red Green Show. Pretty sure those guys are retrosexual. Then there's the issue of my splendid portly physique. That's right, you don't see me stressing about my bod. I'm pretty satisfied with things the way they are. And thank god my person doesn't try to put me in the bath or put powder or flea stuff on me or anything. Man, that's just awful. Yeah, grooming products are not for me. I do have a pretty snappy collar with zebra stripes on it but I prefer to think of it as the Earnest Hemmingway safari look. I'm not stylin'. I'm just studly. And in case you happen to be curious about the word itself, retrosexual is called a portmanteau or as I like to call it, a frankenword. Some other good portmanteaus are the delicious treat turducken or India's fabulous film center, Bollywood. Well, there you have it. More information than you wanted about me and a few other things as well. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/63916 Sun, 31 Jul 2005 18:04:27 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/63916 Hello Fellow Felines, Cats with jobs. Really not a bad idea. Keeps us out of trouble and stuff li ... ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/63433 Fri, 29 Jul 2005 13:27:43 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/63433 "The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man's observation, not overturning ... Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. It's named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton who started one his novels, Paul Clifford, with "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." Here is this year's winning sentence: "As he stared at her ample bosom, he daydreamed of the dual Stromberg carburetors in his vintage Triumph Spitfire, highly functional yet pleasingly formed, perched prominently on top of the intake manifold, aching for experienced hands, the small knurled caps of the oil dampeners begging to be inspected and adjusted as described in chapter seven of the shop manual." The pinnacle of bad sentences as judged by some English professors at San Jose State University. To quote one of the judges: "We want writers with a little talent, but no taste," San Jose State English professor Scott Rice said. "And Dan's entry was just ludicrous." Let's hear it for ludicrous! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/62238 Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:21:23 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/62238 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the day that, in 1978, Louise Brown was born. She was the fir ... Louise Brown was born. She was the first test tube baby. Her mother couldn't have babies without the help of a fertility specialist. So, she underwent in vitro fertilization and had the first baby born using this proceedure. These days, Louise is a postal worker and seems like a pretty normal person, which is good to know. Now, if you are interested in some test tube cats, there's some guys at Genetic Savings and Clone that will help you with that. For $32,000 you can get an exact genetic replica of your pet. If you ask me, I'd have to say that there's an ethical can of worm I'd just as soon see stay shut, but it's already opened. So lets hope they can come out as normal as Louise! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61823 Sun, 24 Jul 2005 09:00:33 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61823 Hello Fellow Felines, Well Lance Armstrong has won the Tour de France for the seventh and last time ... Lance Armstrong has won the Tour de France for the seventh and last time. He's going to let someone else win next year, for a change. Somebody else can wear the Yellow Jersey and ride into Paris with a bottle of champagne in one hand. I'll bet the United States Postal Service is glad they decided to sponsor him when nobody else wanted to sponsor somebody who had had cancer. I haven't read his book, but maybe now I will. Seven times winning such a hard race is a lot. More times than anybody else. Even so, he says the hardest thing he ever did was win against cancer. I'm sure it didn't hurt that he was a healthy, strong athlete when he got cancer, but nobody wins the Tour de France seven times unless he has a strong will. A really strong will. (And a one-in-a-million physiology!) My person likes that he says he's proudest of surviving cancer. It seems like he's done a lot for people with cancer by making that an important thing that he talks about. Yay, Lance! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61705 Sat, 23 Jul 2005 18:47:28 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61705 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I'm not much for talking about motorized vehicles, but today is a big d ... Model A. This car sold for a base price of $750.00 an it could to up to 45 miles per hour. That was probably a lot in 1903. Henry Ford was pretty far out on a limb, so to speak, when the first Fordmobile was sold. They had gone through almost all their assets and had a whopping $223.65 left in the bank. Fortunately the Fordmobile was a great success. Henry Ford thought up mass production. His idea of reducing the cost of cars by making them on an assembly line revolutionized industry. And that's why Ford is a name we all associate with cars! I'm still not interested to go for a ride, though! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61463 Fri, 22 Jul 2005 19:16:24 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/61463 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's July 22. This is the day, according to some sources that the a Pie ... Pied Piper drove the rats out of Hamelin, 1284. It's been told in fairy tales and poems and stuff but it's kind of a creepy story. Because there is evidence that the legend is based on fact. Apparently, this Pied Piper guy lured all the rats out of the houses in Hamelin and down to the River Weser where they all drowned. Then, the people of Hamelin decided not to pay him after he got rid of the rats like they asked him to. Anyway, he came back later and lured all the kids out of Hamelin with his pipe again and they were never seen again. They say two escaped. There was a stained glass window in one of the churches in Hamlin in memory of the children in about 1300. The window isn't around any more but it's described in several other stories from around 1400 to 1700. What I'd like to know is where were the cats when all of this was going on? Cats are excellent at keeping rodent populations in check. What were they doing in Hamelin at this time? I suspect the people of Hamlin didn't properly respect the value of cats at this time. Just think, more cats in Hamlin and we could have avoided the whole mess. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/60327 Mon, 18 Jul 2005 17:24:41 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/60327 "For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday." -- John Herschel ... John Glenn, the first guy to go into space for the United States. There were dogs and chimpanzees. There also was the Russian, Yuri Gagarin. But, on February 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States. He flew 59 combat missions in World War II, and he sonic boomed his way from California to New York in 1957. He also got into politics and was the Democratic U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1974-1999. In 1998, when he was 77 years old, he went into space again. The oldest guy to go into space! He was sent on Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-95 in order to study the effects of space flight on the elderly. So, you go, Mr. Glenn. There may not be a cure for the common birthday, but you wear it well! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/60064 Sun, 17 Jul 2005 16:58:46 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/60064 "My compass froze. I guess I flew the wrong way," - Douglas Corrigan Hello Fellow Felines, Today ... Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan's flight from New York to Dublin, Ireland. His flight official plan was to go to California but, instead, he landed in Ireland. He had applied for permission to fly across the Atlantic but his plane was pretty rickety. It was a 1929 Curtis-Robin monoplane (nicknamed Lizzy). The Bureau of Air Commerce told him no way was he flying across the Atlantic Ocean in his rickety plane. He claimed failure of his navigational equipment when he landed in Dublin and never admitted he had planned to go anywhere but California on his flight. So anyway, they called him Wrong Way Corrigan ever after. He was an instant hero in Ireland and the United States and had a ticker tape parade in New York. The Bureau of Air Commerce did give him a five day suspension. He went on to work as a pilot in World War II and later as a test pilot. But he got pretty famous for going the wrong way. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59759 Sat, 16 Jul 2005 09:05:32 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59759 Hello Fellow Felines, I can't believe this has happened. I have a D-O-G on My Page! Yuck! Acutal ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59642 Fri, 15 Jul 2005 17:57:29 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59642 "In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, th ... atomic bomb, in the desert of Alamogordo, N.M. During 1942, partly because the Germans were racing to make a bomb like this, the Manhattan District of the Corps of Engineers was formed to construct three secret "cities" for major portions of atomic bomb development. At Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a nuclear reactor and plant for separating uranium 235 from natural uranium was built. In Hanford, Washington, three reactors were built to extract plutonium (another element with atoms that could be split) from a non-fissionable type of uranium. Finally a lab for the design and construction of the bomb was built at Los Alamos, New Mexico. In June 1942, J. Robert Oppenheimer had been appointed the director of the Manhattan Project. When he saw that first bomb exploded, he said, "We knew the world would not be the same," Within a month, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities. Japan surrendered on August 10, 1945. In 1953, at the height of U.S. anticommunist feeling, Oppenheimer was accused of having communist sympathies, and his security clearance was taken away. In the last years of his life, he thought and wrote much about the problems of intellectual ethics and morality. We need some more thinkers like him around today. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59328 Thu, 14 Jul 2005 14:44:50 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59328 Hello Fellow Felines, I got a note from Patrick, who was a really neat cat. He has his wings now, ... Patrick, who was a really neat cat. He has his wings now, but he wants us to know he is okay and everything. Here's a copy of his message to me: hi cooper, thanks for your message. i had a lot of cat angels who helped me cross over and get adjusted to my new home here. school's over for now. :) i don't sense any new cats living with my mom yet -- i think she misses me too much still. she needn't mourn so much, though; if she knew how beautiful it is over here i don't think she'd be sad for me at all. it's ever so beautiful and peaceful, and i have ever so nice fluffy wings. i can fly as much as i like, which is all the time because it's so much fun. and there's lots of songs over here which are just like my mom's cat songs but even nicer. my mom was really nice and took the best care of me ever, and she sends me wave after wave of love every single day. i like to go flying over these waves of love and flap my fluffy new wings, soaring just like a birdie from back on earth. if i see any little cat-beings here who need to find a nice place to live on earth, i'll tell them how to find my mom -- just follow the waves of love back to the shore, and there she'll be. your friend, patrick What a sweet cat! Yeah we still miss him and his great diary, but it's good to know he doing well in the next world. It's comforting knowing there's nice cats there waiting for us. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59060 Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:04:38 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/59060 Hello Fellow Felines, Science is at it again. They've made a fake cat. Since some of the scientis ... Robokoneko! It looks a lot like a toy, but these guys are pretty serious about it. It's in the Guinness World Record for the most complex artificial brain. It has 37.7 million artificial neurons! The Genobyte Corporation of Colorado, USA, with Advanced Telecommunications Research, Japan, designed it. It doesn't look much like a brain if you ask me. And Robokoneko, isn't going to fool any of us real felines. But, it is smart enough to land on its feet. And it's kind of flattering that a bunch of scientists thought enough of us to put the most complex artificial brain in a fake cat. Felines RULE! Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58851 Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:49:13 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58851 Hello Fellow Felines, Polydactyl cats have extra toes. Most of us have five toes on our front paws ... extra toes. Most of us have five toes on our front paws and four on our back paws. One moment. Let me get out my catculater... Yes, that's 18 toes on most of us. Then there's some special cats out there with big mitten feet. They have extra toes. Sometimes they call them Hemingway cats because Ernest Hemmingway, the writer, had a house in Key West and a good portion of the cats that lived there had extra toes. There are still bunches of cats that live there and they still have lots of toes. We're here today to talk about the cat with the most toes ever! Jake, a cat from Bonfield, Ontario, Canada, has 28 toes. That's ten extra! According to the Guinness World Records, that's the most toes ever! A vet had to examine him and verify that Jake has 28 actual toes with pads and nails. The whole deal! So, until another cat shows up with 29 toes, Jack holds the world record. Count your toes, you guys! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. On this day in 1817, American author and philosopher , Henry David Thoreau, was born. Here's a little something he said about kittens: "A kitten is so flexible that she is almost double; the hind parts are equivalent to another kitten with which the forepart plays. She does not discover that her tail belongs to her until you tread on it."- Happy Birthday H.D.! ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58466 Mon, 11 Jul 2005 08:18:39 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58466 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's happened. My person got a digital camera. Guess who's never goin ... digital camera. Guess who's never going to get any peace from now on. "Hey Cooper, look this way!" FLASH! "Oh, look how cute!" FLASH! "Cooper, do that again.! FLASH! So far, I'm one step ahead of her as you can see. Yeah, baby! I love it when I see her pointing the thing at me doing something cute and right at the last minute, Zoom! I'm in another time zone! I'm sure it won't be long before she catches me with this one, but until then we can expect a lot of tail shots. But that's not the worst part. No, she's been totally hogging the computer, trying to figure out the computer part of the set up. As you can see, she's getting a handle on that, but man, some of the words that came out of her mouth. My poor ears. "Poop!", "Darn!", "Gosh dang!" and a bunch of other stuff. I have to hand it to her though, she didn't just give up. But, man! Spare a guy's ears! Anyhow, I just sneaked up here to quickly gloat over the lame photo of me that I posted to show how far she has to go. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58024 Sat, 9 Jul 2005 10:11:41 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/58024 "Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no ... Nikola Tesla Hello Fellow Felines, This is the birthday of Nikola Tesla. He was born right at midnight in a lightning storm in 1856. He worked as an electric engineer in Budapest and Paris before coming to the United States with a letter of recommendation to Thomas Edison and four cents in his pocket. His work with alternating current allowed it to be transmitted over long distances and the is the basis for today's technology. The 1893 World's Fair in Chicago had Tesla's fluorescent bulbs illuminating the exposition with AC power. He moved to Colorado in 1899, where he had space to do high-voltage high-frequency experiments. This was when he proved that the earth was a conductor and produced artificial lightening. That was pretty spectacular! When he was 75, in 1931, he was on the cover of Time Magazine. Unfortunately, he had some mental problems. He showed signs of having obsessive compulsive disorder and came across as sort of a mad scientist. But he was on the cover of Time and PBS even made a show about him, so I'm pretty sure he had stuff to offer us in this world. I have nothing but respect for a person who can play with such high voltage for that long and not get fried. I have to hide in my dooty box when it storms. Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57807 Fri, 8 Jul 2005 11:07:33 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57807 "If you had asked me as a 17-year-old whether I would go to sea on a raft, I would have absolutely d ... Thor Heyerdahl Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the day, in 1969, that the Norwiegan explorer Thor Heyerdahl landed in his reed raft, Ra II, in Barbados 57 days from Morocco. He was trying to prove that these reed boats were more seaworthy than scholars thought they were. He thought that ancient Peruvians could have made it to the South Sea Islands and set about to prove it with replicas of their boats. My person told me that when she was in Lake Titicaca, she saw that they put fierce faces on the front of their reed boats, which they hadn't done before Thor came along and showed them that that's what the Nordic guys had done. His theories may not match up with genetic evidence, but his adventures sure got a lot of attention. Thor had a lot of adventures. He started on on his honeymoon, moving to a tiny island in the South Sea Island of Fatu Hiva. He was having adventures and exploring things and ideas until he died. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. To all the people in London having a hard time now. Get well soon. *Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57453 Thu, 7 Jul 2005 05:53:12 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57453 Hello Fellow Felines, Here's a note from the S.P.C.A. Tell you people you don't want to fall out t ... S.P.C.A. Tell you people you don't want to fall out the window! They say cats survive falls and all that but who wants to walk around with a lampshade around your neck and casts and stitches all summer? Or, pushing up daisies? WHAT CAT OWNERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIGH-RISE SYNDROME With summer in full swing, many pet parents are eagerly opening their windows to enjoy the weather. Unfortunately, they are also unknowingly putting their pets at risk. Unscreened windows pose a real danger to cats, who fall out of them so often that the veterinary profession has a name for the problem—High-Rise Syndrome. Falls can result in shattered jaws, punctured lungs, broken limbs and pelvises—and even death. “During the warmer months, we see approximately three to five cases a week at our animal hospital in New York City,” says Louise Murray, DVM, director of medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. “Pet owners need to know that this syndrome is 100-percent preventable.” To keep your cat safe this summer, the ASPCA recommends that you take the following precautions: To fully protect your pets, you’ll need to install snug and sturdy screens in all your windows. If you have adjustable screens, please make sure that they are tightly wedged into window frames. Note that cats can slip through childproof window guards—these don’t provide adequate protection! If this helps one cat, I've done my job! Ciao for now, Cooper ~Stop by and visit Keiser and Camilla two kitties who are thinking all the time.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57243 Wed, 6 Jul 2005 10:31:16 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/57243 "I never knew I was a surrealist till Andre Breton came to Mexico and told me I was." - Frida Kahlo ... Frida Kahlo Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the birthday of Frida Kahlo, the Mexican surrealist painter. If you believe Frida Kahlo. If you believe her birth certificate, her birthday was yesterday. But it's her life, so I think she can decide what day she was born if she wants to. In her lifetime, her husband, Diego Rivera, was more famous than her. He was a mural painter and many of his murals can still be seen in Mexico and other places. She was a good student, and when she was a teenager, she was in a really, really bad bus accident. She spent a long time in bed and that's when she started painting. To entertain herself. She turned out to be pretty good. She already knew who Diego Rivera was then and took her paintings to him to see if he thought she could make it as a painter. That's when they started getting together and she painted more. Frida Kahlo used to wear the clothing of indigenous Mexicans even though she was no more than half Mexican by blood. Her father was from Germany. They made a movie about her, which just made her more famous. A lot of her paintings are of her. She's easy to recognize, because she painted in her little mustache and her eyebrows that met above her nose. According to Frida, "I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." Since she was in pain a lot from her injuries and from Diego being a bad husband, a lot of her paintings are hard to look at. But very interesting. Lots of them have animals and stuff because she loved animals. Even though I never saw a cat in any of the paintings in my person's book, I'm going to go ahead and assume that Frida liked cats. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Frida! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56972 Tue, 5 Jul 2005 09:21:35 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56972 "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." --From Hamlet (I, iv, 90) Hello Fellow Felines, ... Catster's Testing Cat. I, for one, would like to know what is going on. This cat has three rosettes! (One from Sassy, a D-O-G!) He has 27 friends and has been corraled four times. This cat looks for all the world like a real cat. Not a stuffed animal. Not a battery operated feline. No, it looks Exactly Like a Real Cat! So what is a fictitious cat? Is it a real cat with delusions of fictitiousness? Is it a D-O-G in a cat suit? Some other mammal that resembles a cat, perhaps a raccoon? Or has computer animation gotten so good that they create a mock up cat that appears to be real, yet is fictitious? Shall we make friends with it? Let it into our midst? Or shun it as a pretender? Who knows? Maybe it aspires to be a real cat and doesn't like to be fictitious. You know, like Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy, it wants to be a real cat. Or it's just really shy and is pretending to be a fake cat and waiting to see what we will do about it. Deciding if to come out of the closet or not. Well, let's keep an eye on him and not make any sudden moves around him. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Today is the birthday of Jean Cocteau. He's the guy who said: "I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul." Born in 1889.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56487 Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:29:32 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56487 Hello Fellow Felines, One of the kitties in Diary of the Day is lost. Jürgen ran outside with his ... Jürgen ran outside with his siblings and got scared by a big truck and ran the wrong way when everybody else went inside. I know exactly how he felt. I never go outside. But one time I did. I mean, heck, why not? Other cats do it. They come back and everything. My friend Soot went out all the time. So my person said, "Okay Pooter, if you want to try... I'll let you out." So we went out. I kind of stood on the front walk very carefully checking things out. There was a big truck delivering a futon or some such thing down the street. It was really big. It was making me nervous. Then, suddenly, it started to ROAR! And it was MOVING! Oh man, that was too much for me. I ran for the door and my person let me in, but then there was another door and I butted and butted it but it wouldn't open! It was locked and my person couldn't get there in time for me. I butted it pretty many times before she unlocked it. And she laughed! How embarrassing! I didn't think it was the least but funny, but my person laughed at me. What if that truck got me? Then who'd be laughing? Nobody! So, anyway, when Jürgen says he ran the wrong way, I can totally understand where he's coming from. Safe journey home, little guy! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. In other news today, Gaylord Nelson, the former governor and U.S. senator from Wisconsin who founded Earth Day and helped spawn the modern environmental movement, died today. He was 89.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56379 Sat, 2 Jul 2005 17:03:20 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56379 "If the FAA was around when the Wright Brothers were testing their aircraft, they would never have b ... Larry Walters Hello Fellow Felines, Well on this day in 1982, Larry Walters, took a ride in his lawn chair. He used 42 helium balloons to lift himself to about 16,000 feet, a little more than he actually had in mind before his trip began. He was up way too high to follow his original plan of shooting the weather balloons to bring himself down so he stayed up in the air for quite a while. He managed to drift into airspace of an airport and pilots were reporting seeing this guy in a lawn chair suspended below a bunch of weather balloons. Eventually, he did shoot a couple of balloons with his pellet gun and started to descend. Then he got his contraption stuck in some power lines and caused a power outage. He did manage to get down from there, where the police were waiting for him. On landing, when reporters asked what the heck made him do it, he said: "A man can't just sit around." This did get him some fame. He got on some late night TV and an honorable mention in the Darwin Awards. He gave his lawn chair to a kid in the neighborhood. That guy still has it. You can see him here. What's everybody doing this year for the 4th of July weekend? Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56198 Fri, 1 Jul 2005 16:19:28 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/56198 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, here it is July already! How in the heck did that happen? I guess tim ... U.S. Postage Stamps with glue on the back came out. One for five cents had our friend Benjamin Franklin on it. They were honoring him because among his other accomplishments he was the first Postmaster General. The other stamp had George Washington and that one was for ten cents. These stamps were only five cents and ten cents in 1847, but if you're a stamp collector with one of these stamps, you can sell it for a lot more these days. In case you didn't think cats ever got to be on stamps, think again. On September 20, 2002, with a First Day of Opening ceremony at at the American Humane Association's National Conference in Denver, the Spay and Neuter Stamps were issued. They are quite adorable, thank you very much. And remind people that with all the homeless cats, maybe, even though kittens are cuter than heck, we don't need all that many more. Okay, everyone. Stay cool and stay out of traffic on this busy weekend! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. In other news today, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman and a key swing vote on the Supreme Court, announced her resignation today. The wrangling over her replacement should be quite tempestuous.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55978 Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:15:54 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55978 Hello Fellow Felines, Let's talk about the Best Herb Ever today. You know the one, the one that ma ... Nepeta cataria. It came from Europe, but you can find it pretty much all over the U.S. My person has located a stand in the back of the parking lot at her favorite shopping mall. Yeah, you won't catch her paying for catnip. Because I am one of the cats who doesn't get too excited about catnip. I like it, not to say I don't, but I just don't go wild over it and lose my mind or anything like some cats do. Not just house cats, either. Big cats, like cougars, bobcats, lions, puma, leopards and lynx also get all goofy on catnip. It is inherited and they say that 10% to 30% of house cats just don't get off on "nip" The stuff in catnip that makes cats all crazy is nepetalactone, a volatile organic compound. That's chemistry speak for it's smelly. Smells good to us. It smells kind of minty. That's because it's related to the mint family. So, when we are rubbing around and rolling around in catnip, that's to make it smell even more, because that's the part we love. However. It's not just cats that find catnip useful and nice. People have been using it for its curative properties. Before Chinese green tea was so readily available, catnip tea was popular. And it was used for headaches, stomach aches, cramps, and stress and also as a sleeping aid. Lots of people also use catnip tea to treat colds, flu, and fevers. In France, they use catnip to flavor foods. The fresh leaves can be used as meat tenderizer and marinade. It has also been used to treat cancer, scurvy, flatulence, and nausea. And, get this. Freshly picked catnip leaves can be rubbed onto your pet's coat to drive fleas away! Even better: One form of the chemical in catnip repels cockroaches 100 times better than DEET! So is this the best herb ever? I think so. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55491 Wed, 29 Jun 2005 17:53:14 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55491 Hello Fellow Felines, On June 29th, in 1972 in Furman v. Georgia (69-5003), the US Supreme Court r ... Furman v. Georgia (69-5003), the US Supreme Court ruled by a vote of five to four that capital punishment, was unconstitutional. The majority held that, in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, the death penalty qualified as "cruel and unusual punishment" mostly because states employ execution in "arbitrary and capricious ways," especially in regard to race.     It was the first time that they had ruled against capital punishment. But, the Supreme Court suggested new laws that could make death sentences constitutional again, such as the development of standardized guidelines for sentencing juries. So, it wasn't a total victory for opponents of the death penalty.  Anyway, a mere four years later, in 1976, with two thirds of the US population still supporting capital punishment, the Supreme Court acknowledged progress made in jury guidelines and revived the death penalty under a "model of guided discretion." In 1977, Gary Gilmore, a career criminal who killed some old people because they wouldn't let him use their car, was the first person to be executed since the end of the ban. Defiantly facing a firing squad in Utah, Gilmore's last words to his executioners before they shot him through the heart were "Let's do it." Sometimes history repeats itself. Sometimes it should just turn around and kick itself in the butt. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. In better news today, the writer/pilot, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in 1900. He's the guy who wrote The Little Prince.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55384 Tue, 28 Jun 2005 11:24:12 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55384 Hello Fellow Felines, Yeah. KaChunk! That's the sound we hate to hear when we see the little knob ... refrigerator infractions. What do people expect? It's not like we can sleep all the time. We have to check everything out and make sure it's all in order. What we think is "in order" may not be the same as what our person thinks. I say, they asked for it when the lock went KaChunk! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Thanks to the lovely Scooter for my Rosette. I will treasure it for the next 30 days!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55210 Mon, 27 Jun 2005 19:16:45 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/55210 Hello Fellow Felines, Too hot to say much. Just a lazy word or two, Before I take my nap. Ci ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/54380 Fri, 24 Jun 2005 13:40:09 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/54380 Hello Fellow Felines, You've probably seen these around. The Japanese kitty waving hello. It's re ... Legend has it that there was this little, run down temple that had a cat named Tama that lived there. The old guy who took care of the place couldn't really afford it but he let Tama live there. One day it was raining and a big shot named Naotaka Ii was standing under a tree to stay dry. Anyhow, Tama waved to Nakota Ii and beckoned him in to the little temple. So he went in and as soon as he did, boom! Lightening struck the tree. Tama saved his life! So, the Nakota Ii saw that the temple prospered and the name was changed to Goutokuji. When Tama died it was buried at Goutokuji's cat cemetery with all due respect, and Maneki Neko was invented admiring Tama. That's one story. There are others too. But the Maneki Neko kitties are very popular in Japan and you can see them around lots of places. They are very cute. The wave their right or left paw and come in various colors which have various meanings that Japanese people know. If you'd like to see them dance, click here. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. We have our own Maneki Neko on Catster. Check him out!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/53664 Tue, 21 Jun 2005 18:50:42 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/53664 Hello Fellow Felines, Today is the longest day of the year for us here in the northern hemisphere. ... longest day of the year for us here in the northern hemisphere. Yup, the days, will be getting shorter from now on. Of course, days like this in the calendar are always associated with ancient celebrations because people back in the olden times were lots more tuned into what the sun, moon and stars were doing in the sky. So, there's lots of celebrations and rituals and stuff like that connected to this day. And a lot of old formations like Stonehenge and stuff built to keep track of these occurrences way before calendars and everything. Just like with other stuff, there's religious holidays tacked on top of the older ones. Midsummer Day, or St. John's Day, the Feast of John the Baptist, is celebrated on June 24. That used to be when the summer solstice occurred, but not anymore. What with changing calendars from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and the tropical year and stuff like that, things moved around. You can throw leap year in with this mess too. The peoples that live really north are more likely to celebrating this day big time because it's more noticeable. You've probably heard of the "Land of the Midnight Sun" This time of year they hardly have night at all. Shakespeare had a pretty good play about A MidsummerNight's Dream. It's full of nonsense and fun and enchantment and stuff. You know, fairies, beasts, princesses and love and other stuff. It is a merry, joyful holiday, so go out and make merry. I'm going to see if I can get a Midsummer's treat! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/52569 Fri, 17 Jun 2005 15:54:31 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/52569 Hello Fellow Felines, Okay, it's about time for a botany lesson. I mean we like to eat plants, rig ... Pussytoes! Isn't that a great name? Some botanist thought of us when naming this plant. They also call it Antennaria. They are related to daisies and there's quite a few kinds and they have cute, funny looking flowers that kind of look like a little kitten foot. Pussytoes. Just makes me smile. These plants have been used to treat coughs, colds, pulmonary inflammations, dysentery, bruises, as a post childbirth tonic for mothers and snakebite. Sorry, I don't have any recipes for how to use them, but it is interesting, don't you think? So, next time you think plants aren't very interesting, remember Pussytoes! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/52178 Wed, 15 Jun 2005 21:49:18 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/52178 The cat in gloves catches no mice.. - Benjamin Franklin Hello Fellow Felines, Quick! Who's the ... Benjamin Franklin. He was quite an all around guy. He helped organize and participated in the Junto, a bunch of guys in business who liked to debate morality, politics and philosophy. Ben Franklin worked with these guys in Philadelphia to make a paid city watch, volunteer fire department and subscription library and also the American Philosophical Society. In 1732 he Published the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack with stories about "Poor Richard" with advice on how to get ahead in the world. Like "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.." Stuff like that. Anyhow, it is said, that it was on this day in 1752, that he did his famous experiment with a kite and a key in a thunderstorm proving that lightening is electricity. From this, the lightening rod was invented, which prevented a lot of lightening damage and stuff. He invented other interesting stuff too. Bifocals. Swim fins! (I'm not making this up.) Also the Franklin Stove where people could heat their homes and use it to cook too. Yeah, sounds like the guy you want to look at when you're looking at your $100 bill. The advice about the gloves sounds pretty good too. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/51290 Sun, 12 Jun 2005 08:57:14 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/51290 The air is hanging. Clouds are murmuring above. Soon the storm will come. ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50921 Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:09:26 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50921 Hello Fellow Felines, I think we have a cautionary tale today for all felines everywhere in today's ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50695 Thu, 9 Jun 2005 11:09:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50695 Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a rather dangerous lifestyle. A recent study found that ... Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology All About Birds Hello Fellow Felines, As an avid birdwatcher, I am proud to have a bird named after me! Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii. Well, not really named after me. It is named after William Cooper, a guy who collected the specimens that were used to describe the species back in 1828. Cooper's Hawks like to eat other birds and little furry mammals too. You know, cute little chipmunks and stuff like that. So that is something we have in common. Our favorite cuisine. He just grabs them in his sharp claws and squishes them. Out west he eats lizards and snakes and stuff like that. I draw the line there. He can have the snakes. I might like a lizard, though. It's not a really big hawk, just about the size of a crow. They are found across the USA, Mexico and southern Canada through Central America to Costa Rica. The ones that live more north like to migrate to warmer climates for winter. Smart birds. Sounds like it's a pretty tough life being a hawk. I'm not sure I can imagine being hungry enough to break my bones to grab some dinner. Ciao for now, Cooper Cat]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50523 Wed, 8 Jun 2005 18:22:16 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/50523 Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. - Frank Lloyd Wright Hel ... Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He's probably the most famous architect of his time. He lived around here for many years and people still tell stories about him. He was a genius and no one was more sure of that then him. This tended to rub some people the wrong way, but he did some pretty neat houses and buildings. He was really keen on having the building reflect the environment it was placed in. One of his famous houses, Falling Water, or the Edgar J. Kaufmann House, was built over a stream and has a waterfall. When my person first came to Madison to live, one of his houses was right in her neighborhood. Eugene Gilmore House, or airplane house, as it's called. Well, the first time she saw it, she got so discombobulated that she was lost for a while, having just moved to Madison and all. One of his buildings took a long long time for the people in Madison to build. Monona Terrace. He first drew up the plans in 1938. After a lot of haggling, and fussing around, in 1992 the city finally voted to build the building. The outside is pretty much his design but the inside got all changed around and doesn't seem much like his work. It is a nice addition to the city and they have nice events there in the summer and stuff, but I bet Frank would have burst an aneurism if he saw the inside of the place. He lived a long time and worked pretty much the whole time. You can like him or not, but his buildings are still turning heads. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/49032 Thu, 2 Jun 2005 17:01:23 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/49032 Hello Fellow Felines, Yes, today is Tarzan's birthday. Well, not Tarzan, really, but Johnny Weissm ... Johnny Weissmuller. He played Tarzan in twelve movies and was everybody's favorite. He was born János Weißmüller in Freidorf, Austro-Hungary on June 2, 1904. The family moved to the United States when he was three. He was sickly as a kid and started swimming on the advice of a doctor. That worked out pretty well for him, because he was one of the best swimmers in the world in the 1920's, He won five Olympic gold metals and one bronze. He was pretty unbeatable. He won fifty-two National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. Not bad for a sickly kid! Somebody saw him swimming in a hotel pool and thought he might make a good Tarzan. He invented the yell that everybody remembers. You know the one. The "now traditional ululating, yodeling Tarzan yell." Of all the Tarzan movies, his were the favorites. My person loved them as a kid, she told me. All those good guys and bad guys and lions and Cheetah and stuff. Yeah. Great stuff! One story says, he was getting surrounded by hostile military sorts on the golf course in Cuba. He let out his Tarzan yell and they forgot they were mad and got all excited to actually meet Tarzan! Saved his butt. In 1983 he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame. Most of remember him best at Tarzan and he was a really cool Tarzan. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48785 Wed, 1 Jun 2005 17:05:16 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48785 Hello Fellow Felines, You may not believe this but there is quite a bit of interest in our purring ... Why do cats purr? How do cats purr? What does it mean? And, of course. What's in it for humans? Heck, man, we purr because it feels good, right? Just like a great massage from the inside. The articles say we purr when we feel happy and are enjoying that heavy petting session with our favorite person. However. Articles also say that mom cats purr when they are having their kittens. Which leads some to believe that cats also purr when in pain. I purr when I see dinner on the way and I understand that that's not at all uncommon. What can it hurt? They hear us purr, maybe we get a little lagniappe. And mom cats purr so their little tiny, blind, deaf, helpless kittens can find them and have dinner and, you know, all that great bonding and warm, humid love. My person has always thought that purring is a healthy thing and likes to see that I purr as much as possible. Well, sure enough it is a healthy thing. It might even be healthy for humans. Get this: we purr at between 25 and 150 hertz. That's how fast we rattle and hum. It turns out that that frequency has been shown to help healing and improve bone density in people. Depending on the source, nobody knows how cats do it. Purr! Some say it's the "intermittent signaling of the laryngeal and diaphragmatic muscles." And "it is believed to be the vibration of blood vessels rather than something vibrating in the cat's larynx." Well, I'm not telling! Nope! But I'd be happy to purr up a storm almost anytime! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48413 Tue, 31 May 2005 09:51:04 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48413 "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and ... Walt Whitman Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is the last day of May. And, it's the birthday of Walt Whitman, world famous poet and humanist. He's considered one of America's best poets and was a great influence on many poets that followed him. And not just in the United States, but also in Latin America and France and stuff. Anyway, in 1855 he first published his book with 12 poems: Leaves of Grass. In it he was gloriously honest and the Dept. of the Interior said he couldn't be a clerk there anymore because his book was "immoral". He mostly educated himself. He only went to school about six years, but then read a lot and learned from all he read. He had a lot of different jobs and did a lot of things, teacher, journalist, etcetera. And, during the Civil War he worked with the sick and injured in the hospitals offering them comfort and assistance wherever he could. He sounds like a pretty nice guy. Anybody who wants to stand and look at me long and long is my kind of guy. I don't think I would have minded at all being his cat. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48236 Mon, 30 May 2005 17:07:55 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48236 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is Memorial day. To lots of us it means a long weekend. And it i ... Memorial day. To lots of us it means a long weekend. And it is. But almost all of us know somebody who was in a war somewhere. Someone who was lonely, homesick, cold, wet, muddy, bored, hungry, scared, tired, hurt, or lots of other bad stuff. War seems like a bad idea to me. I think people should just negotiate things out, but it's pretty sure that you're going to get somebody in charge who won't negotiate or some such thing and then our young go off to stand up for our side. So, anyway, they decided to honor the veterans on this day. On May 5, 1868, Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. They thought this date was chosen because flowers would be blooming all over the country. Ever since then, we have honored our war dead on Memorial Day. So when you are enjoying whatever tasty morsel drops of your person's plate at the barbeque, don't forget why we are having a long weekend! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Dedicated to my person's dad who went to WWII but didn't talk about it much.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48010 Sun, 29 May 2005 17:46:51 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/48010 Hello Fellow Felines, On this day in 1848,Wisconsin, my state, became one of the United States. ... Wisconsin, my state, became one of the United States. "The word "Wisconsin" comes from an Indian term "wee-kon-san" meaning "the gathering of the waters." It's true. Madison, where I live, has the capitol sitting between two lakes. I can only see one of them when I go on the roof and sit on the chimney, but I can also look the other way and see the capitol. We are called the "Dairy State" and we do have a lot of cows, but I think California makes more milk than we do now. Anyway, every summer, we have cows downtown on a Farmer's Market Saturday. Moooo! Our state quarter shows a cow, some corn and a big cheese. Yeah we are the cheeseheads. Very urbane and sophisticated. Well, this is a place for the stout of heart. Definitely not for sissies. One winter and the sissies are putting up the "for sale" sign. But we are totally open for business in summer. Come see us now when we are in a good mood and it's totally beautiful in Wisconsin! We'll be right here! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47800 Sat, 28 May 2005 18:18:41 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47800 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I just have to tell you about this great movie. The Wild Parrots of Te ... The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. It's really good. It's about a wild flock of cherry-headed conures that live in the Telegraph Hill part of San Francisco. This guy, Mark Bittner, started watching them in 1990 pretty much full time. It was a small flock then and he named them and got to know them pretty well. He fed them and they liked to come and see him and get bird seed and hang out. He watched which ones were pairs and how long they stayed together and when they had babies and all that stuff. He was really good friends with some of the birds. Wait for the story about Tupelo. Or Mingus. Or Connor the only blue crowned conure in the flock. Bit by bit he got more serious about his observations and started taking pictures and recording data and incidents and taking care of them if they got hurt or sick or something. Pretty much, before he knew it, he had enough information to write a book: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill : A Love Story . . . with Wings! So, anyway, along comes Judy Irving who wanted to make a more personal movie about an environmental topic. I think she did a great job. Plenty of birds for us cats to watch and enough about Mr. Bittner to see what a good guy he is. San Francisco comes off looking pretty good too. Watch it yourself and see! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47431 Thu, 26 May 2005 18:44:16 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47431 Hello Fellow Felines, This may not be news to you, but a lot of people think this stuff is importan ... hairballs." The science happened right here in Madison where I live. Yeah, cats are well respected in these parts. The scientists were actually interested in what hairballs are made of. They were pretty sure it was hair. No big surprise there. Mark Cook, animal scientist at the University of Wisconsin actually told the Purina Pet Institute to send him some hairballs to see what they were made of. Yuck! They found out that hairballs contain up to 30% fat. Yeah, the hair sits in our stomachs and gets all gooked up with fat until we arf it up. Lovely. Anyway, these guys thought up a way to make catfood that would help the hairball problem. They decided that if they gave us food that broke up the fats in hairballs, we could just digest the mess and not arf them up. They started the experiments with detergent. When that seemed to work pretty good, they tried a food-grade fat emulsifier. So, anyway, now, I guess you can buy this food if you don't want to deal with hairballs. I eat Science Diet Hairball Light which relies of the theory of more fiber in the diet to help hairball sufferers. I'm actually pretty satisfied with my situation but if you're driving your person nuts, maybe Purina is the stuff for you. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47191 Wed, 25 May 2005 17:39:03 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/47191 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today's news includes the story of Tim Pruitt, who caught a 124-pound b ... Tim Pruitt, who caught a 124-pound blue catfish. I'm not exactly sure what a cat fish is. I wonder if it's like a mermaid. You know, part fish and part cat? Whatever it is, it's big. It's like bigger than five of me! And TEN of most of you guys! I guess it's pretty big if it's a world record. It's 58 inches long and 44 inches around! That's quite a hunk of fish. The previous world record was 121 pounds 8 ounces! It sounded like the catfish would have preferred to stay in the Mississippi River. It took Mr. Pruitt over a half an hour to catch him and at one point the catfish was winning. He pulled Mr. Pruitt's boat with him, his wife and a friend around on the river. And if you happen to be in Kansas City, you can go to Cabela's and see the catfish. He didn't release it back to the river like he was thinking of, but donated the it to them so people could see just how big a catfish can get. I hope that catfish gets to go back to the river sometime when people are done looking at it. Wish I could go to Kansas City and have a look. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. The Santee Cooper Cats have growth charts for catfish that stop at ten years old. A ten year old catfish can be 34.1 inches. That makes our record keeper somewhere around 20 or so. Oh yeah. Take him back to the Mississippi! (Update: Tim Pruitt's instincts were right. That poor catfish died on it's way to Cabela's. And they said it was about 30 years old.)]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46870 Tue, 24 May 2005 10:15:07 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46870 Hello Fellow Felines, Well Merriam Webster says: hai·ku Pronunciation: 'hI-(")kü Function: noun ... Merriam Webster says: hai·ku Pronunciation: 'hI-(")kü Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural haiku. Etymology: Japanese : an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. So, anyway, here is mine for today: Sitting by the stairs. Peeking through the banister, At the stuff below. Here are a few more I found online that you may enjoy: You must scratch me there! Yes, above my tail! Behold, Elevator butt. You're always typing. Well, let's see you ignore my Sitting on your hands. Yes, Haikus are a neat tidy way to get your point across poetically. Who knew I was a poet? Stay tuned for more! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Haiku to Caster upon awarding my blog "Diary of the Day": Oh my gosh, you guys! I'm totally blown away! Thank you very much!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46522 Mon, 23 May 2005 19:27:33 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46522 The moon shines bright: in such a night as this Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice Hello Fell ... The Full Flower Moon.That's what the Native Americans called the full moon in May, because usually there were lots of flowers out for the full moon in May. That's how they kept track of the months of the year. By naming them for what was going on at the time. A full moon is when "the visible Moon is fully illuminated by direct sunlight." It really brightens up the night. And I've heard that that's about how much better we see than people. In the dark, we can see as well as if the full moon was out. That's a lot. There's a lot of beliefs about the full moon and how affects people. Police and emergency room staff will usually swear that the full moon brings out the crazies. They even say that ladies are more inclined to give birth when the moon is full. My person was born on full moon! We know that the moon makes the ocean have tides. It's something about the "...action of the resonant pattern has been set in motion by the gravitational effect of the orbiting moon on the rotating earth over a long period of time." Yeah, okay, that doesn't mean a lot to us here in the landlocked Midwest. Just the same, the full moon is a beautiful thing. Hope you get to see it! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46362 Sun, 22 May 2005 20:10:20 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46362 Hello Fellow Felines, I figure, before the planets aren't in my sign anymore. I should do a blog on ... Taurus. We are determined, productive, practical, reliable and resorceful.. We are Ruled by Venus, and love material comforts, sensual pleasures and beauty. Of all those, most especially, a fine meal! Taureans may be stubborn, but their steady demeanor makes them reliable and loyal. I, personally, prefer the word determined to stubborn.We are slow to anger, but when we get mad, stand back! There might be a natural disaster or something. We easily develop deep sentimental attachment to stuff in our lives and tend to be very resistant to change. If it's not broke, don't fix it, I say! Taurus, symbolized by the Bull, is a Fixed Earth sign. Other sources say, we are loving, generous and trusting as well as patient and artistic and domestic and stuff. We like to listen to good music and often have a rather melodious voice. We love physical activity, comfort, and demand quality in all aspects of life. We want to be treated well, and will treat our person well in return. We are strong willed, possessive, and intensely emotional. Our person shouldn't try to boss us around because there's no way to get us to do anything we don't want to do anyway. Well, I'm pretty sure you can say that last line about any cat! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. To check your own sign, see FooFoo's Cat Astrology. ( Not to be confused with FooFoo's Chinese Antique Furniture, Inc)]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46348 Sat, 21 May 2005 18:26:24 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46348 "Flying may not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price." - Amelia Earhart He ... Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 14 hours 56 minutes. She got the National Geographic Society's gold medal from President Herbert Hoover; Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross. She wrote "For The Fun of It" about her journey. Strong north winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems plagued her flight and made her land in a pasture near Londonderry, Ireland. "After scaring most of the cows in the neighborhood," she said, "I pulled up in a farmer's back yard." Amelia Earhart was pretty cool. She took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921, when she was 23. Six months later she had saved enough money to buy her first plane. It was yellow and she called it Canary. This was the plane she used to set her first women's record by going to an altitude of 14,000 feet. In 1928, she was the first woman to cross the Atlantic. She went with two other guys. It was big news all over the world and they had a ticker-tape parade in New York and President Calvin Coolidge had a reception for them at the White house. After this flight, that was it. Flying was what she did. The last flight she made was her attempt to fly around the world in 1937. She was lost in the South Pacific and although the United States spent four million dollars looking for her, she was never found. Her life wasn't long, but it sounds pretty fun. Yeah, she was sensational! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46096 Fri, 20 May 2005 07:23:44 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/46096 Hello Fellow Felines, I heard a good poem on the radio this morning: To My Cat with an Eating Di ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45810 Wed, 18 May 2005 18:15:46 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45810 Crime Report: Feline Infraction Perpetrator: Cooper (a.k.a. Pooter, a.k.a. Tinkerbutt, a.k.a. F ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45749 Wed, 18 May 2005 12:53:55 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45749 Hello Fellow Felines, My person was showing me this cool book, "Why Cats Paint". Man, it is great. ... Why Cats Paint". Man, it is great. It's got all these cats painting and it describes their various schools of art and stuff. To quote the front flap: "Why Cats Paint presents a cogently argued theory based on recent evidence which clearly supports the view that some cat's marks are aesthetically motivated and should be regarded as genuine works of non-primate art." The whole book is full of the pseudo snooty pooty art jargon that will make you bust a gut. Who knew I was doing "litter tray pattern art" when I was just trying to cover up the turds in there? Or making a "temporary installation" when I set down a dead bat, just so, for my person to admire? If you remember Koko, the gorilla who wanted a cat, she does art too. But of course she is a primate so this book does not apply to Koko. Yeah, there's even a work of some window blinds that have been worked on pretty thoroughly. I think the cat just wanted to mess around and see outside, but they treat is as serious non-primate art. And there's some good upohlstery, uh, alteration. Some may call it destruction, but the authors would beg to differ. I'm thinking of having the wicker hamper I've been working on, photographed so my person can submit it for consideration in the Museum of Non Primate Art. Oh man, maybe I can be famous! I've been working on that hamper for years! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. For a test to see if you may have artistic sensibilities, have your person check the Methods for testings Feline Creative Intelligence.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45602 Tue, 17 May 2005 17:24:01 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45602 Hello Fellow Felines, Well this is an old story about a cat, but again, a really good one. You may ... Scarlett the homeless mom cat who went into a burning building in Brooklyn to save her five kittens. You should have seen her. She really got hurt bad. She got burned and a lot of her hair came off and everything. She went into the fire five times. Once for each kitten. Then after they were all safe and accounted for, she took her four week old kittens across the street, one by one. She was a real trouper. A firemen, David Giannelli, a 17-year veteran with Ladder Company 175, took Scarlett and her kittens to the North Shore Animal League where they took care of her. It was a big story in the news and Scarlett and her surviving kittens were adopted as soon as they were well. She has a web site about her and a book too. Yeah, Scarlett is famous as well she should be. Best Mom Cat Ever! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45291 Mon, 16 May 2005 09:03:18 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45291 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today is May 16. On this day in 1919, in West Allis, Wisconsin in, Wla ... Wladziu (Polish for Walter) Valentino Liberace was born. He was one of the four children of Salvatore and Frances Liberace. He grew up in a musical family. His father was Italian and played french horn for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. His mother was Polish and she played the piano. When Liberace was 14 he debuted with the Chicago Symphony. He went on to play in flashier venues and had a TV show in the 50's. (My person loved this show and enjoyed the candelabra he had on his piano as much as any of his fans.) Also. in 1953, Liberace played to a full house at Carnegie Hall and same year made a record-breaking appearance before 16,000 at Madison Square Garden. He was famous for his fancy outfits and rings on every finger and fancy cars and all that. I bet his house was fancier than Donald Trump's. And he had a lot of fun with it. That was the great part. You know, he lived at Bling Central and drove the Blingmobile and wore a lot of Blingwear and stuff. The achievement he was most proud of was the establishment of the non-profit Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts. This is my favorite part. He made a lot of money and then he wanted to help other talented people go to school. We like people like that. Maybe he didn't wear a stuffy tuxedo, but I think this guy had heart! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45117 Sun, 15 May 2005 10:09:05 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/45117 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, seventy-five years ago, on May 15, 1930, Ellen Church , the first airli ... Ellen Church , the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight between San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo. She really wanted to be a pilot, but in those days they just couldn't give a job like that to a woman. Since she was a nurse, she suggested they put nurses on flights to act as stewards like on ships. Well, they took her up on that one so she was the first flight attendant. Back in those days, they had to do a lot of stuff that they wouldn't do today. Like dragging suitcases on the plane and screwing down seats that were loose and help the pilots push the planes into the hanger! They had to be nurses in those days and smaller than 5'4" and 115 pounds. Also be single and less than 25 years old. Little bit sexist, wouldn't you say? I mean, planes were smaller those days but I'm pretty sure a married 26 year old woman could screw down loose seats as well as a 23 year old single one. Those were different times, I guess. Anyway, Ellen Church went back to school and got a degree. Then she served as a captain in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II. They even gave her the Air Medal for her wartime heroics. After that she worked as a nurse. I'm totally with anybody who wants to fly. I do it all the time in my dreams! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44844 Fri, 13 May 2005 12:18:20 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44844 Hello Fellow Felines, Well here's the $64,000.00 word for the day: paraskavedekatriaphobia. That's ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44385 Wed, 11 May 2005 05:57:35 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44385 You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll ... Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winning physicist. "He developed a new formulation of quantum theory based, in part, on diagrams he invented to help him visualize the dynamics of atomic particles." And drove around in a van with those diagrams painted all over it. Early in his career: "Mr. Feynman caused consternation in his years with the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb, by figuring out in his spare time how to pick the locks on filing cabinets that contained classified information. Without removing anything, he left taunting notes to let officials know that their security system had been breached." You may remember him as the one who led investigation of Challenger explosion with the demonstration of the O-ring in the glass of ice water. Also, today, they are unveiling a Richard Feynman stamp and renaming a street in his boyhood neighborhood of Far Rockaway, New York. Like many really smart guys, he was quite a character. He liked to drum and was working on getting a visa to the little known country of Tuva in is last years. His book: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character, was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 14 weeks. Happy Birthday to the multi-talented Mr. Feynman. I'd watch birds with you any day! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44309 Tue, 10 May 2005 18:00:42 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/44309 "Speedy does not acknowledge that he is dysfunctional in any way." -Dr. Jeszenka Hello Fellow Fel ... Speedy, the kitten who was found at three weeks old and brought to Dr. Jeszenka because he seemed to have a problem. Sure enough, although "Cats as a rule, have a very strong gene pool.  Birth defects are very rare." Speedy was born without a pelvic bone. He didn't seem to mind. He pretty much got into everything he could just dragging his hind end around like it was the normal thing to do. Well, since he had the good fortune to be taken to a really nice veterinarian's office, Lincoln Highway Veterinary Clinic in Lancaster, PA, it was decided that Speedy was going to get some help. Of course, it didn't hurt that Speedy had a great personality and was playful and basically a fun guy, not to mention, cute as heck. Anyway, they made him a little cart so his back end could just roll around rather than drag. They even got the K'NEX® toy people to donate parts to make his little cart. So, it looks like there actually are nice veterinarians. It's not an oxymoron like some would like to believe. That Dr. Edwin Jeszenka didn't have to take care of Speedy and fix him up, but he did. I think that's a pretty cool story. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43894 Sun, 8 May 2005 16:48:44 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43894 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today is Mother's Day in the person world. I know a lot of you guys don ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43649 Sat, 7 May 2005 11:17:04 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43649 Make love, not war! -Peace rally Hello Fellow Felines, Well, here it is, Saturday. Not much goi ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43176 Thu, 5 May 2005 20:06:30 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/43176 "It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes what you do and makes it larger th ... Carnegie Hall, with a concert conducted by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He's the The Nutcracker Suite guy, in case you were wondering. Andrew Carnegie, a really rich guy, had it built starting in 1890 and owned it until it was sold by his widow in 1924. He gave lots of his money to good causes. There are lots of libraries all around with his name on to name a few. Anyway, Carnegie Hall fell on bad times and was slated for the wrecking ball when Isaac Stern decided that it should be saved and convinced the City of New York to buy it. Then in 1964, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Now the main hall is called Isaac Stern Auditorium. And in case you think they're stuffy at Carnegie Hall you can get a t-shirt there with the joke on it: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" on the front. And "Practice, practice." on the back. I've heard of cats that play the piano, but only when they want their dooty box cleaned. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. A shout out to all you Mexican cats (especially my friends Odin and Cooper) and a feliz Cinco de Mayo to you!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42852 Wed, 4 May 2005 12:23:43 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42852 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, my friend Patrick got his wings. He's out there flying around with the ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42847 Tue, 3 May 2005 11:49:26 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42847 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, according to Catster, I'm 14 years old. Well, slow down fellas, not qu ... Heaven in your mouth! And I never got a taste just because I went to visit Katy and got stuck in there for the duration. Anyway, I'm content to let the years go by. Just not until they really go by, thank you very much. So, I'll be 14 in a week or so, no matter what it says on Catster. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42555 Sun, 1 May 2005 08:15:36 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/42555 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today, May 1 is my person's birthday. She made tiramisu for her friend ... Calamity Jane's birthday, as my person likes to note. Calamity Jane was a famous person in the wild west. She was born Martha Jane Canary on May 1, 1848. She drank and swore and rode and shot up the bars just like men. Maybe better. She was a cowgirl with the Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. She did a lot of brave stuff and one brave stunt got her her name, Calamity Jane. She rode right into the middle of a really bad battle and saved the captain. Pretty much everybody else got killed but she saved that guy. Then, in 1878 she nursed many in Deadwood when they had a small pox epidemic. And when she died she asked to be buried next to Wild Bill Hickok at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota. And she was. May 1, pretty good day to get born. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/41372 Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:35:31 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/41372 Hello Fellow Felines, Today, April 26 in 1785, John James Audubon was born. "Audubon was born in S ... John James Audubon was born. "Audubon was born in Santo Domingo (now Haiti), the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and plantation owner and his French mistress. Early on, he was raised by his stepmother, Mrs. Audubon, in Nantes, France, and took a lively interest in birds, nature, drawing, and music." He did a bunch of other stuff and then went out to do drawing of the birds of America. He took his wonderful drawings to England and they loved them. He was a hit. His book had 435 life sized prints of America's birds. Good enough to eat! In 1886, "George Bird Grinnell, (Check out this guy's middle name! I didn't make it up!) editor of Forest and Stream, invited readers to write in and sign a pledge against harming any bird. Close to 40,000 people respond, and Grinnell names this fledgling group the Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds, after the American naturalist and bird artist John James Audubon." People in the Audubon Society do phenology, sort of. They go out and count birds on various days that they decide ahead on. Like Christmas and stuff. I'd be happy to help, but I suspect they might not appreciate a feline scaring all the birdies and making the counts inaccurate and stuff. So, I just watch birds on unofficial days and talk to them from inside or on the porch. Anyway, Happy Birdthday to Mr. Audubon, the guy who loved birds so much that he went out and painted over 400 of them, life-sized and in living color! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40837 Sun, 24 Apr 2005 10:37:35 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40837 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today I was out in the hallway eating plants for some dietary roughage ... gorillas in Rwanda. They are mainly a peaceful bunch, but poachers get lots of money for gorilla parts and life if rough in Rwanda so the poachers beat up and kill the gorillas for the money. Pretty bad situation. Especially bad if you know about Koko. Yeah, Koko is this gorilla who learned how to sign. Gorillas can't talk like people because they don't have the right structure of their mouth and throat and stuff, but Koko learned a lot of words in American Sign Language, which is how deaf people talk, and showed people how smart animals really are and could tell them what she wanted and stuff. She even made up new words sometimes if she hadn't learned a word for what she wanted. She also liked to look at books and stuff and got the idea that she wanted a pet. A CAT! That's right, Koko signed that she wanted a pet kitty for her own. Really bad. And she got one. It was such a good story, they even made it into a book. Here's how the book starts: "Koko's full name is Hanabi-Ko which is Japanese for Fireworks Child. She was born on the fourth of July." So you know you're in for a good story. Not to mention it has great pictures. Yeah. Any gorilla who wants a cat for a pet is my kind of gorilla. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40636 Sat, 23 Apr 2005 10:20:54 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40636 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today in 1564 William Shakespeare was born. And on the same day in 161 ... William Shakespeare was born. And on the same day in 1616 he died. Anyway, that's what the historians say. In honor of Mr Shakespeare and others, UNESCO declared today World Book and Copyright Day. "On 23 April, World Book and Copyright Day seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright in over one hundred countries." Mr. Shakespeare was a prolific writer. Lots of sonnets and plays. I haven't read much in the sonnet department, but my person comes home from the theater and tells me about the plays. I have to say, they pretty much have it all. Comedies, tragedies, magical stuff, treachery, you name it. I like the one about where the fairies make people fall asleep and turn up as asses and stuff. Then when people get mixed up as each other. And the one with the big storm. That one sounded really good, except for the monster. There's usually the royals and then a bunch of rowdies to in each play, so if one play isn't enough, there's two stories going on. The place my person goes is outside so sometimes there's animals. She saw a bat pee once when it flew over the crowd. Little tiny droplets of pee sparkling in the stage lights. Man, we both had a good laugh over that one. Then there was the time skunk came to see the play. Took some people's attention away from the play for a moment. Yeah, it sounds like pretty much fun, but I think I'll stay here and let my person tell me about it. I don't much like cars. Happy Birthday to the Bard. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40230 Fri, 22 Apr 2005 12:50:38 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40230 "Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the ti ... Earth Day. It's a day to remember we live on earth and to try to be nice to each other and the trees and the animals and the flowers and even the bugs and stuff. This is the thirty fifth anniversary of Earth Day. It started here in Wisconsin with Senator Gaylord Nelson who thought the idea up of thinking about everything we do and the impact it has on our environment. So many things we take for granted here are big issues in other places. Like water. I like it when my person lets me drink out of the faucet in the tub. I follow her in every morning and sit and wait for her to turn it on. Well, lots of people don't even have faucets. Or fresh water. Yeah, there's lots of ways to love the earth. Don't pollute. Recycle. Go Organic. Think twice about buying that gas guzzling car. Turn out the lights when you leave the room. Don't worry about us on that one, we can practically see in the dark! Haven't you seen us with our paws over our face trying to sleep when the lights are on! Yeah, we cats are all for the earth. Um. Maybe we felines could refrain from consuming any birds on this day. If you're reading this, you're probably getting fed pretty well at home anyway, right? Even if it is that lo-cal no hairball sawdust food! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40031 Thu, 21 Apr 2005 18:20:22 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/40031 "Few are altogether deaf to the preaching of pine trees. Their sermons on the mountains go to our h ... John Muir was born in 1838. He was born in Scotland. Then, he came to University of Wisconsin, here in Madison to study and went on to be pretty famous as a naturalist and stuff. " He is one of California's most important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." He's the one who helped convince Teddy Rosevelt to start the National Monuments and Yosemite National Park. He's the guy on the California State version of the quarter. Arnold Schwartzenegger said: "John Muir has been a role model to generations of Californians and to conservationists around the world. He taught us to be active and to enjoy -- but at the same time protect -- our parks, our beaches, and our mountains." In California, they have a monument named after him, Muir Woods. When describing it he said: "This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world." He sounds like a guy who really, really loves trees. Happy Birthday John Muir. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39933 Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:22:51 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39933 Hello Fellow Felines, History doesn't always have nice stuff for us to note. Today is a day that ... Adolph Hitler was born. I'm just guessing here, but I think things in the world would have been better if young Adolph had done better in school and become an architect or artist like he originally wanted. The man was not normal. And for some reason, he got a bunch of people to go along with his crazy ideas. He murdered a lot of people just because he decided that they weren't perfect enough, or something. What if Catster decided that all calico cats had to go? (There goes my mom and my sister and me too if they see my little smudge on my butt. Yup, I'm calico if you really look carefully.) So anyway, here's the train, hop on. Slam! "Ha! You're going for a long ride now. No food for you. Or water, or even a litter box, you inferior calico cats! Then, when we get there, you are all going to have really hard jobs in terrible conditions. And not much food there either. Yup. You're going to slim down. A lot." Oh, I forgot, before they put the calico cats on the train, they came to their houses and were mean to them and took all their stuff. Their food bowls. Their scratching posts. Their catnip toys. Their collars and any nice tags or anything they liked to rattle for attention. All gone. And in case they were hiding out, their Siamese and black and white and tabby friends all got in trouble for helping them hide. And then, if the calico cats got too tired to work or too old or sick, they gave them a rock and said" "Here, take this soap. You're going to take a shower." And the calico cats said. "Man, that's a rock. I'm not stupid." But no. Just shut up and go in the shower. And those calico cats were never seen again. Yeah. A really bad story. Let's hope somebody learned something from that mess. Love to all the lost ones, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39675 Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:50:17 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39675 Great nations write their autobiography in three manuscripts -- the book of their deeds, the book of ... Julliard School started. Twenty million! Man, that's a lot of money today! Think what it must have been in 1919 when he died and left all that money so that musicians from all over could come and learn and study with the best. Wow. Hats off to Mr. Julliard! And Happy Birthday! Closer to home, my friend Soot is here visiting. This means I can sneak to where he is staying and snarf on his food. He gets canned food and I go and sneak in for a snack whenever I can. I never get canned food here. But, maybe that's why I still have all my teeth too. Hah! I must be sly about this, however, or my person cuts back on my sawdust food. We hate that! Back to napping. I'm going to write a symphony in my dreams! Can't you just see me conducting with my tail waving about most expressively? Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39168 Sun, 17 Apr 2005 08:47:06 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/39168 Hello Fellow Felines, I just got a new friend Patrick. He is pretty sick, but he has a really nice ... Patrick. He is pretty sick, but he has a really nice diary and he writes his dreams. He told me dreams are important so I thought I'd put my excellent dream I just had. Since I'd been thinking about Patrick, big surprise, he was in my dream. We were sitting around talking and thinking of what we'd like to do. I suggested a motorcycle drive since it's spring and so beautiful outside. He said he'd always wanted to go on a motorcycle so, since this was a dream, we got on our motorcycle and away we went. We were zooming down country roads with lots of trees and flowers and stuff, our tails flapping in the breeze, and then we saw an ice cream place. They were really nice there. They told us our money was no good there and gave us all the ice cream we wanted. Patrick had barbeque chicken ice cream and I had sushi ice cream. Man, it was fantastic. Then we saw a huge patch of tiny spring catnip. Well, we had to roll around in the catnip until we were helpless with laughter. That Patrick has a wicked sense of humor. I thought I was going to bust a gut laughing. Yeah, that was an excellent dream. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. In other news today: Thornton Niven Wilder was born April 17, 1897, in Madison, Wisconsin (That's where I live!). Arguably one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century, Wilder is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both literature and drama. He wrote "Our Town" that almost everybody knows.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/38749 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 11:17:26 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/38749 Hello Fellow Felines, It's totally Spring here. The sun is out. The sky is way blue and there are ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/38012 Tue, 12 Apr 2005 11:07:13 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/38012 Hello Fellow Felines, It looks like Wisconsin is fixing to be a more dangerous place for cats to ru ... dangerous place for cats to run around outside with the appearance of criminal intent. Yup. The hunters think it would be a good idea to shoot stray cats on sight. They claim we kill songbirds and other small animals and affect the ecology. How about those bulldozers, man? They are taking away habitat faster than you can say "Tufted titmouse". Can we go out and shoot the bulldozers! Oh no! That would be interfering with progress. No. Let's pick on the felines! Apparently, "studies" have shown that cats eat birds! Brilliant! So those mean hunters aren't picking on kitties. No! They're saving birdies. Oh, by the way, a lot of those hunters wouldn't mind blowing some doves to smithereens, but that's a different issue. This issue relates back to what we've discussed before. Problems of cats with nobody to live with. Cats can get by without people. They can take care of themselves, but life is a lot better if we have people to see to our needs. So bring us inside, keep us fed, don't let us make excess kittens and the world will be a better place. Just don't shoot us for heck's sake! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. This just in. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has ruled out a free for all on feral cats for the time being, owing to the many questions and problems associated with killing stray cats. Whew!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37582 Sun, 10 Apr 2005 15:58:22 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37582 Hello Fellow Felines, Well on this day the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cam ... American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came into being. That was back in 1866. There were lots more horses around then, and they weren't having such a great time. In New York, anyway. They had to work really hard and too bad if they were tired or sick or thirsty or any of that. Well Henry Bergh had a look at that and didn't like what he saw at all. So what he did was to organize the A.S.P.C.A. and they got the New York legislators to make a law so it was illegal to be mean and cruel to animals. This also included cats and dogs, thank you very much. I've seen the stories of so many of you guys of how you found you way to your homes and lots of them are pretty scarey to an only cat like me who's had it pretty soft my whole life. So, I'm really glad that the A.S.P.C.A is out there. Cheers to them! Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. A shout out to any of the persons who help with the ASPCA and any of its affiliates. We love you! Meow!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37171 Fri, 8 Apr 2005 08:46:09 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37171 Hello Fellow Felines, Well today being a nice day, my person opened the porch door and there was a ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37009 Thu, 7 Apr 2005 13:52:53 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/37009 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, there it is. Our word of the day:phenology. What is means is "Recordi ... phenology. What is means is "Recording and comparing the dates of various natural events such as bird migration, plant budding, flowering or fruiting, insect activities, stages of birth and death." We've got phenology going on all around the place these days. The lake isn't ice anymore. Can't give you the cxact date on that because I don't look at it every day, but it sure is nice to see a nice crisp spring blue with wavelets on it. The best phenological event I noticed today was Forsythia bushes with their yellow flowers. Yeah, that's really a good one. There's daffodils too and crocuses and all kinds of stuff going on. Yeah, this is great. My person put the door to the porch open. I'll have to be on the lookout for animal events out there. Most of these events are related to weather. They can be related to events like volcanoes too. Volcanoes put out a lot of sulfuric acid and ash that make a shiny layer on top of the atmosphere deflecting the suns rays. This can make the weather cold. I still remember 1992 the year after Mount Pinatubo blew and it was a really cold summer, that year. So, phenology, keeps track of this stuff in people's back yards and stuff. The information is very helpful to scientists and stuff. If you want to be a phenologist, it's pretty easy. Just click here. Think how impressed felines will be at parties! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/36721 Wed, 6 Apr 2005 09:22:27 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/36721 I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul. -- Jean Cocteau ... Jean Cocteau guy a happy birthday. He was born on this day in 1889 and lived to 1963. Did you ever hear such a nice quote? He was a French guy, so that's why he was called Jean. I think that's French for John. (This information is not available in my French for Cats book, so I am just guessing here.) Anyway he did art and he wrote and made movies and all kinds of stuff. He could have stopped after he wrote this quote and would have had a pretty good legacy, if you ask me. Au revoir, mes chers amis de chat ! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/36340 Mon, 4 Apr 2005 14:56:57 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/36340 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it get Well it gets more spring-like every day around here. Big, fat ... Turdus migratorius) are back on the scene. They sing really pretty. They are in the thrush family and it's nice to hear and see them around as they are a good sign spring is progresssing as expected. Where they got that terrible scientific name is a mystery. Turdus. That just sounds yucky to me. Migratorious isn't so bad. Even though some of them hang around all winter, most of them go to Florida of somewhere to avoid winter and they must have a nice time because they look pretty succulent and delicious in the spring. I doubt I'll ever get the chance to have a taste, but looking is not forbidden. My person changed her clock here. Then she was late to work today anyway! The days are getting longer as the earth turns and this hemisphere gets more sun. The first person to think up Daylight Savings Time was Benjamin Franklin. He was waking up really early in Paris when he was visiting there and thought they might save candles or whatever. People are always running around doing what their clocks say. Pretty nutty, if you ask me. I'm getting my dinner an hour earlier than usual so, I'm not complaining about it too much. Gotta go eat! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/35894 Sun, 3 Apr 2005 15:36:13 PDT Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/35894 "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. " - Winston Ch ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/35463 Fri, 1 Apr 2005 14:13:01 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/35463 "The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." -- Mark Twai ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34910 Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:34:37 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34910 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, today, March 30 is the birthday of the lovely Astrud Gilberto, the Braz ... Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian singer famous for her song, "The Girl from Ipanema". "Born in the Northeast of Brazil, in the state of Bahia, one of three sisters of a German father and a Brazilian mother, Astrud grew up in Rio de Janeiro. She immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s, where she resides since then." She sings really pretty. I love it when my person puts her music on the stereo. Makes me feel so happy and peaceful. And maybe that's partly because she is an animal lover and is involved in preventing cruelty to animals. She has quite a lot to say about this subject on her web site. There's a really long essay telling about how animals are used in testing and other really bad stuff. So, I think all Catsters should wish Astrud a very happy birthday and many more! Kitty Love to the Girl from Ipanema! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34922 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 11:24:27 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34922 Bonjour Fellow Felines! Today is the day that, in 1989, I. M. Pei's pyramidal entrance to the Louv ... interesting to me. At the time, it was quite an uproar putting something so modern by the Louvre. But the French came around: "Francois Mitterrand inducted I. M. Pei as a Chevalier in the Legion d'Honneur, and raised him to the rank of Officier upon completion of Phase II of the Grand Louvre in 1993." This is probably the work he is most famous for even though he's done lots of stuff. The National Gallery in Washington D.C., he did some pyramid kind of stuff before the thing in Paris. Ieoh Ming Pei looks like a nice guy. I wonder if he likes cats. Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34423 Sun, 27 Mar 2005 10:13:51 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/34423 Hello Fellow Felines, Well it's Easter. Chocolate bunny, marshmallow chick and colored egg day. I ... Chocolate bunny, marshmallow chick and colored egg day. It's interesting that so many of our holidays are simply pasted on top of pagan holidays. "Eostre is the Pagan holiday that celebrates the return of spring and the balance between light and dark on, or around, the Spring Equinox. Eostre was the Pagan goddess of dawn, fertility and new beginnings. The Christian celebration of Christ's rebirth, Easter, is also celebrated around this time and got its name from Eostre." And get this: "Eostre gave a rabbit friend the power to lay eggs once a year - on the Spring Equinox. The eggs symbolized new beginnings and the rabbit symbolized fertility." So, remember, there's lots of folks (and felines) celebrating their own version of the holiday in their own way. Like the bunnies that get to lay eggs. (Just as glad it's the bunnies, thank you very much.) And the people who celebrate Christ coming back from the dead. Let's face it folks, there's a lot out there that defies explanation and a lot more to see if we can take the time to pay attention. And spring is here, if you pay attention. The days are longer, the sun is (a little) warmer. The birdies are coming back. There's little sprouts coming out of the ground to have another go at being flowers and plants again this year. So, if you want to go to church, do that. Or, if you want to go out and dance around in the meadow with flowers in your hair, do that. Or, if you want to lay Eostre eggs, do that. It's really up to you. Just do something because the world is waking back up. Coming back to Life! Springtime love, Cooper P.S. Sorry, this blog is specific to the Northern Hemisphere. You guys south of the equator will have to wait six months for your turn. Right mates?]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/33642 Wed, 23 Mar 2005 20:35:27 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/33642 Hello Fellow Felines, Divine cuisine: Food that is sooo delicious that you approach nirvana just fr ... marshmallow(Althaea officinalis). Now they just use gelatin. If you want to go to the trouble of making your own marshmallows, there is a recipe in the How Stuff Works website. So, now you know about my weird food habit, marshmallows. I've seen some of the stuff you other felines eat so it's not That Weird. I've also outed my person as a stove marshmallow roaster. Yes. It's a good day! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/33363 Tue, 22 Mar 2005 15:28:30 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/33363 "If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." - No ... Mark Twain fully understood and appreciated cats. He also understood the value of relaxing as demonstrated in the following quote: "Honest poverty and a conscience torpid through virtuous inaction are more to me than corner lots and praise." - "A Cat-Tale" I think his cats loved him back too. Here's a story about his cats: "He would call (the cats) to "come up" on the chair, and they would all jump up on the seat. He would tell them to "go to sleep," and instantly the group were all fast asleep, remaining so until he called "Wide awake!" when in a twinkling up would go their ears and wide open their eyes." Public television had a really good show about him a while back. It went back to his youth in Hannibal, Missouri and his days as Samuel Clemens. He worked a while as a riverboat pilot. His pen name, Mark Twain came from this. It means two fathoms, deep enough water for a riverboat. Then he wrote a bunch of books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and lots of other stuff too. Really good books. I don't think I would have minded being one of his cats one bit. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. The lovely Hazel Lucy has a great Quote on her personal webpage: "I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting." -Mark Twain]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32326 Thu, 17 Mar 2005 15:57:15 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32326 Hello Fellow Felines, Well Happy St Patrick's Day, or Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit is how they sa ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31848 Tue, 15 Mar 2005 14:51:24 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31848 Hello Fellow Felines, Man, I love Catster. I get to look at all kinds of cats and read their sto ... Oslo contributed a good piece about this issue the other day. I guess I live a sheltered existence, because I've never heard much about this cat abuse stuff before and, frankly, it turns my stomach! To think we were given such high status in ancient Egypt. I mean, cats went around wearing jewelry and all that stuff. My person has a little cat statue from an Egypt museum and it has on a necklace. I'm not saying I want a necklace but I certainly enjoy rattling my tags on my collar to shake things up a bit. I just can't understand why anyone would be mean to a cat. Are we not beautiful and loveable and all that? Well, of course we are. So stamp out cat abuse! Wherever you see it. Everybody! Rattle your tags! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32117 Mon, 14 Mar 2005 16:06:46 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32117 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I donâ��t speak French, but my person has this pretty good book, "Fren ... French for Cats” by Henri de la Barbe. It is indispensable if you are wooing the opposite sex and are looking for ways to impress them by speaking the international language of love. It’s kind of like a phrasebook. It has French for all kinds of situations and it has pictures! Very Amusing pictures.. It could really come in handy. For example, if you have a French vet. You can tell him/her in French that you do not want to have all your toenails pulled. Or, that you do not wish to be neutered. (Je ne veux pas être change) Pretty important if you’re thinking of kittens in the future. You also can announce in French the impending appearance of a hair ball. (Je crois que je vais une boule de poils) Our people are always interested in our creative endeavors. Or you can tell them in French when it is time to clean your dooty box. It’s so much more refined than scattering turds all over the place. When they sit in your nap spot, you can start with the polite: “Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding.” (Il y a peut-être eu un malentendu) Then, if that doesn’t work there is the French for “Remove yourself from my nap place at once!” Oh yes, this one should be on every cat’s bookshelf Au revoir pour maintenant, Tonnelier (Cooper) Merci to BabelFish for technical assistance]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31293 Sun, 13 Mar 2005 08:21:45 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31293 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, here it is. A perfectly lovely Sunday morning. My person opened up th ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31148 Sat, 12 Mar 2005 15:13:41 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/31148 Hello Fellow Felines, Man, I just got done with dinner. I'm pooped. Just a little note here, the ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/30662 Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:00:04 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/30662 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, it's snowing here today. My person mentioned something about going out ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/30065 Mon, 7 Mar 2005 21:20:53 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/30065 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, we all have things we like or not. I love chin rubs and butt patts. E ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/29314 Fri, 4 Mar 2005 08:19:56 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/29314 Hello Fellow Felines, I just had to share this one! Let's all say a little thank you to the big Ca ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28917 Wed, 2 Mar 2005 10:50:56 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28917 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, my person came home the other day and told me she got "downsized". Ap ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28529 Mon, 28 Feb 2005 16:40:38 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28529 Hello Fellow Felines! Well, tomorrow is March and it was snowing here in Wisconsin today, so I thin ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28245 Sun, 27 Feb 2005 09:44:11 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/28245 Hello Fellow Felines, Most of our people think we just hang out and nap and stuff while they are o ... Poon's site to enjoy the pictures of him rolling around in catnip. It's a riot! Freddie Street Cats have a wonderful site with nice art and all kinds of stuff. It's jam packed with tons of stuff for you viewing and reading pleasure and it very attractive. Sometimes, when you're not really searching for cat stuff, you find it anyway. This Andreas seems pretty nice and has an interesting site which also includes a page: "The CAT User's Manual User Installation and Maintenance Documentation" This is especially amusing if you're into computers. He does include helpful information for transporting cats internationally into the U.S. I think he likes cats a lot. Most everybody knows cats aren't all sweetness and light. We can be crabby and mean and get into all sorts of mischief. That's because we never really went for the domestication thing. We just behave well so we can live indoors, get spoiled and eat something besides bugs and mice. That's why MeanKitty strikes a chord with so many of our people (and us) Look for me at MeanKitty. And in case you are still reading, there's Live Nude Cats! Be sure to check the link "No, I am only a kit..." that will take you to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center. Then, feel free to enjoy the nudes. Hot, hot, hot! Okay, back to surfing! Ciao for now! Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/27337 Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:11:45 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/27337 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I really don't know who to thank, but thanks anyway for making my diary ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32161 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 21:04:03 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/32161 The naming of cats is a difficult matter. It isn't just one of your holiday games. You may think at ... atom bomb.. Those were Little Boy and Fat Man. "Little Boy was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. It exploded approximately 1,800 feet over Hiroshima, Japan, on the morning of August 6, 1945, with a force equal to 13,000 tons of TNT. Immediate deaths were between 70,000 to 130,000." "Fat Man was the second nuclear weapon used in warfare. Dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, Fat Man devastated more than two square miles of the city and caused approximately 45,000 immediate deaths." Just in case everyone has forgotten, the atom bombs had nicknames. I think people may want to think about that when considering the state of the world. Two bombs don't necessarily make a right, even if they have cute names. My nicknames came about from more charming circumstances. I'm called Pooter because I'm just totally cute. I was more so as a kitten but those days are over. Fun, but over. I get called Tinkerbutt when I rattle my tags to let people know I'm around. I also occasionally let out an annoyed sigh when I think things aren't going the way I'd like to see them go. My name Fat Boy comes from my splendid portly physique and is not in any way related to a weapon of mass destruction. Regarding my name that ONLY I KNOW... Well, as you can guess, that information is strictly classified. You may want to read Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Some of those cats have phantasmagorical names. The poems are pretty good too. That T.S. Eliot had a pretty good insight into cats. Ciao for now, Cooper P.S. Feel free to leave me a treat. As long as you aren't trying to bribe my private name out of me.]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/25703 Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:08:47 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/25703 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, here it is. The big Love Fest. Valentine's Day. When our people decl ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/24635 Tue, 8 Feb 2005 13:16:37 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/24635 Hello Fellow Felines, I just got a letter from Kaiser. In Australia! Hi Kaiser! You are so cool! Th ... Kaiser. In Australia! Hi Kaiser! You are so cool! This Caster is great. I'm getting friends all over the world. And I don't have to even leave the house. (I'm not much of a traveler. Maybe I'll tell you about the front walk incident some day.) My person likes to travel. I don't like that much because that means I'm left by myself. Once she left me for five weeks. That was the worst. Usually she comes back sooner than five weeks. I was very worried that time. She came back very skinny and tired from that trip, but with a suitcase of funny smelling sweaters and stuff, so I know she went pretty far away. Anyway. I'm getting friends from far places: Brazil, France, Germany the Philippines and all kinds of places. Makes me feel so worldly. Cats RULE. All over the world! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/24418 Mon, 7 Feb 2005 15:44:16 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/24418 Hello Fellow Felines, I may have already mentioned, I lucked into some pretty cushy living arrangem ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/23256 Tue, 1 Feb 2005 19:33:24 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/23256 Well tomorrow is the big day. The local rodent, Marmota monax, steps out of his burrow and predicts ... Jimmy the Groundhog, our local guy, predicts an early spring! This calls for a treat!]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/23091 Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:12:55 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/23091 Hello Fellow Felines, I think we can agree that, for the most part, we are a pretty spiffy looking ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22801 Sun, 30 Jan 2005 12:54:25 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22801 Hello Fellow Felines, I've been a Science Diet cat pretty much my whole life. When I first came ho ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22611 Sat, 29 Jan 2005 16:02:07 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22611 Hello Fellow Felines, Well, I think we can agree on the fact that one of the things we do very, ver ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22449 Fri, 28 Jan 2005 21:16:08 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22449 Hello Fellow Felines, Has anyone noticed that our people think we don't have a clue what's going on ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22162 Thu, 27 Jan 2005 11:02:25 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22162 Hello all my feline friends! I just woke up from a lovely nap. I nap more these days than my ear ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22061 Wed, 26 Jan 2005 18:16:36 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/22061 Hello you guys. I suppose you are wondering about a cat who claims to have answered the phone. I ... http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/21766 Tue, 25 Jan 2005 10:57:12 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/21766 Hello, all my new friends! Well, I'm an only cat so this "friends" business in something new to me ... Cassie for a friend. When my person showed me the main photo I wasn't so sure. I mean, a pink Barbie house? Then she showed me the one where she's in the fridge and in I knew that this was my kind of cat. I'm not generally allowed in the fridge but, on occasion, it doesn't shut as tight as it should and then.... Partay! One time, I found a bunch of chicken while my person was at work. So much for Science Diet that night. I so did not care! She can leave the door to the fridge open any time. So Cassie, next time you're in the fridge, be sure to check for chicken or fish. And Barli, a EuroCat! Makes me feel even classier than I already am. Good to know I've got somebody so cool waiting for me in the afterworld when it's time for The Big Nap. Then there's Mercedes! Wow! There's a cat who knows how to relax. And how to have a good time. Like, she's having a good time with all of us guys who've had "the operation". Man, I'm all riled with no place to go. Give me a treat! Ciao for now, Cooper]]> http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/21591 Mon, 24 Jan 2005 14:08:34 PST Cooper (1991~2006) ~ writing at catster.com http://www.catster.com/cats/110941/diary/This_and_that/21591 Hi Fellow Felines, Not much goes on around here. Usually it's the same old, same old. Dinner at 5 ...