Grub is not a normal cat. He has a genetic disorder that's quite rare in cats, so rare that medical specialists are studying him to learn about it. You might imagine that it's less rare than they know, because most cats with mucopolysaccharidosis don't survive long enough to be properly diagnosed. Grub is in the home of a very caring foster family that became his forever family. He can get around, but he can't run or jump and has various special needs, in addition to looking different from the average house cat. But he's a calm and affectionate kitten, and relates well to his caregivers. Grub is also very much loved by his humans, who want to make the most of the time he has. You can follow Grub's progress at Instagram.
Wednesday, February 04, 2026
Cat With Rare Disease Finds Loving Home
How K-Pop Makes Two Languages Cool
K-Pop music arose in the 1990s, but you probably didn't know that because it was in Korea, and it was sung in the Korean language. Still, the music was inspired by the American pop scene, so occasionally, song producers would sprinkle in some English terms to make a song more "cool." A few more English terms, plus American soldiers rotating in and out of South Korea, and K-Pop started gaining a foothold in the US. And you couldn't miss the explosion of "Gangnam Style" in 2012. With a new audience, K-Pop songs incorporated more and more of the English language without losing their Korean audience.
So what's wrong with mixing languages in a song? Nothing at all! In fact, linguist Dr. Erica Brozovsky thinks it's wonderful, and tells us how K-Pop influences young people to learn a second language.
Miss Cellania's Links
5 Medical Operations From Around the World That Ran Into Huge Twists.
The Horror of the First Electric Chair Execution. (via Strange Company)
The only person to win an Olympic medal and a Nobel Peace Prize. Philip Noel-Baker was the very definition of an overachiever. (via Damn Interesting)
In 2017, I accused the Today show’s longest-serving anchor of sexual misconduct. I was no one’s perfect victim. Thoughtful discussion at Metafilter.
In 1971, Young Oprah Winfrey Won the Miss Fire Prevention Contest in Her Hometown of Nashville. (via Memo of the Air)
The Sphinx Observatory – Science at the Top of the World.
Melania documentary breaks Rotten Tomatoes record as most polarizing movie ever after 99% RT audience score. (via Fark)
The Smithsonian Guide to Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary.
Cat Communication
What do I want? Stupid hoomans, can't you figure it out? I'm standing here next to my food dish. I only come to this spot for food. But I'm not eating; I'm staring at you. Why? Because my food dish is empty! Can't you see? Do I need to point it out to you? Okay. Again. Again. Stupid hoomans! (via Michael Leavitt)
Big Bunch of Bananas
Morning.
— Frostbitten Flamingo (@flemtheparrot.bsky.social) February 1, 2026 at 2:59 AM
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Tuesday, February 03, 2026
I Still Haven't Found My Sweet Child
What if you took the lyrics to "I Still haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2 and sang it to the tune of "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns 'n' Roses? It's already been done. Two great tastes that taste great together, as Reese's would say.
Why Do So Many Americans Not Know How Their Government Works?
I'm a Boomer, so all my civics education took place in elementary school. But it didn't stop there because I had to use that knowledge understand what was going on, like the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Cold War, etc. etc. Fifty years later, we have the technology to allow anyone to avoid any news altogether or select the slant of what they learn and don't learn about what's going on. And boy, people are really taking advantage of that opportunity for ignorance. The Founding Fathers would be ashamed.
Dancing Cougar
How do you make a dance team's routine much cooler? Put a talented dancer in an animal costume! We learned that watching the cheerleader wearing a T-rex costume for Halloween. So watch the BYU Cougarettes get upstaged by the mascot Cosmo Cougar at a football game. They're all excellent dancers, but who can resist a dancing wild cat in football uniform? (via reddit)
Walter
I had to read this twice to get what's happening, but it was worth it. This comic is from Respawn! comics. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Monday, February 02, 2026
The Haunted Comedy Store
The Comedy Store in Los Angeles opened in 1972 and soon became a mecca for those hoping to break into the big time in standup comedy. The nightclub became famous for incubating the careers of some of the biggest comedians of the last 50 years. Of course, there have been plenty of comedians who graced the stage at The Comedy Store or else waited tables and never made it big. And some of them swear that the place is haunted.
Homeowner's Procrastination
When you buy a house within your means, the rest of your life will be spent dealing with time and money and priorities. You look at the place, as I did with my first house thirty-some years ago, and say, "The first thing that has to go is these drop ceilings." Then you move in and instantly need to build a shower, because your large husband displaces so much water in the small tub he can't get warm, much less clean. Then there's the heating problem, and the plumbing problems, and then the kids arrive and you need more bedrooms and bathrooms. When I moved out 14 years later, the drop ceilings were still there. Laurence Brown talks about this phenomena in his latest video about owning a Chicago home. There's a 90-second ad at 3:15.
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