Tag / Nate Fakes

by zbicyclist

Two-door Cat

I get “Tudor Cat” out of this, but are Tudor Cats a thing?

A quick search pulls up this gruesome information:

“Cats were not a popular Tudor pet due to their association with the Devil and witchcraft. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII decreed in his bull against witches that cats were unholy creatures and were to be burned along with the witches that owned them, although I haven’t been able to find that instruction in the bull myself. When witches were burned at the stake it was often said that a black cat leapt out of the flames.

“At the coronation of Elizabeth I in January 1559, a dozen or so cats were stuffed into a wickerwork effigy of the Pope and paraded through the streets of London before being burned on a bonfire. Their dying shrieks were said to be the devils inhabiting the Pope’s body. Horrible!”

On a more positive note, that same web page notes this history of having a cat at 10 Downing Street.

“The resident cat, used as a “mouser” today, in 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister’s residence in London, is thought to date back to the time when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey placed his pet cat by his side, on a cushioned chair, while undertaking his duties as Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor. A bronze statue of Wolsey in his hometown of Ipswich in Suffolk features a cat peering out from behind his chair and clinging to his robes. It’s a beautiful feature of his statue.”

Larry, the current cat at 10 Downing Street, has served since 2011, through several prime ministers: Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak, Starmer, and likely Burnham soon.

Still, it seems quite a stretch for Nate Fakes to be referring to these cats of Elizabethan times. Is there something closer to the 21st century I’m missing?

by multipleciduers

Sunday Funnies – LOLs – July 19, 2026

Mitch4 sends in the LOL (and Geezer Alert):

From 1954.

Usual John sends this in:

This appeared yesterday, so that makes today Ice Cream Day. I plan to celebrate!

by zbicyclist

Slide into My DMs!

Boise Ed sends this in: “I have no idea what’s going on with this playground.”

When your editor thinks of DM, he thinks of District Managers, which is no help at all.

From Merriam-Webster:

“DM stands for “Direct Message,” which is a private message sent between two users on a social media platform, messaging app, or online community” (Merriam-Webster)

“Dating/relationships: “Slide into my DMs” is a common phrase for initiating a private conversation, often with flirtatious or romantic intent”.

That sort of helps. So the slide is flirting with the swing set? Is that it?