Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat)

Le Chat Noir (French for "The Black Cat") was a nineteenth-century entertainment establishment, in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. Appropriately, friends Luly, Paul, Sandra and myself own black cats and lean bohemian.

Together with artist extraordinaire Ileana and many other special friends, we are known to frequent the local nightlife with gusto.

Today's subject came from an inadvertent use of the title phrase in a friend's post, which prompted me to delve more deeply into the subject matter.

Le Chat Noir opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by the impresario Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 not long after Salis' death (much to the disappointment of Picasso and others who looked for it when they came to Paris for the Exposition in 1900).

Le Chat Noir is thought to be the first modern cabaret, a nightclub where the patrons sat at tables and drank alcoholic beverages while being entertained by a variety show on stage. The acts were introduced by a master of ceremonies who interacted with well-known patrons at the tables.

Perhaps best known now by its iconic Théophile Steinlen poster art, in its heyday it was a bustling nightclub that was part artist salon, part rowdy music hall. The cabaret published its own humorous journal Le Chat Noir until 1895.

The News As I See It: Kim Kardashian posted a naked selfie last weekend and yesterday, Sharon Osbourne got inspired and posted a naked selfie. That explains why today, authorities shut down Barbara Walters' Internet service.

Kraft has announced that they've gone natural. I first assumed that natural meant they were making their products in the buff.

When they say "natural," they mean they have removed all artificial preservatives, flavors, and dyes from their classic Mac and Cheese recipe. I don't get it. I was not aware that a packet of dust was a technically a recipe.

Kraft claims you can't taste the difference and they can prove you can't taste the difference because they changed the recipe three months ago and they've now sold 50 million boxes of the new recipe without people noticing.

This Date In History: 1861; The Confederate States of America adopted its constitution. 1888; A torrential rainstorm hit the East Coast. The rain turned to snow the next day and it became the Blizzard of 1888, the most famous snowstorm in American history. It caused more than 400 deaths.

1930; William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to be buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. 1941; President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Bill. 1942; General Douglas MacArthur leaves the Philippines saying, "I shall return."

1985; Mikhail Gorbachev became head of the Soviet Union following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. At 54, he was the youngest member of the ruling Politburo. 1990; A newly elected parliament in Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

1990; Augusto Pinochet of Chile, dictator since 1973, steps down. 1993; Janet Reno won unanimous Senate confirmation to be the first female U.S. Attorney General. 2004; Over 200 people were killed and over 1,400 were injured when bombs exploded in Madrid train stations. Al-Qaeda took responsibility for the attacks.

2011; Japan is hit by an enormous earthquake that triggers a deadly 23-foot tsunami in the country's north, about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. Cooling systems in one of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station fail shortly after the earthquake, causing a nuclear crisis.

Picture Of The Day: There are some black cats, however, who would never fit in at Le Chat Noir.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) If a state trooper asks, "You drinking?", the correct answer is not, "You buying?" 2) The best thing about telepathy is..... - I know, right? 3) My friend's mother-in-law is coming to stay with him for a week. He spent the day clearing out half of his closet so she would have a place to hang upside down and sleep. 4) I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability. 5) Sixty percent of all pit bull attacks occur when tying the bandanna around its neck and putting the sunglasses on its face.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Pisces - March 11th: Teepees are a saucy place to hide out and make love but it's really not the same ambiance and the room service is not as good. If you insist on gambling at the roulette table, play $5 on number 38.

Birthdays: Sir Malcolm Campbell, automobile and speedboat racer 1885, Vannevar Bush, engineer 1890, Harold Wilson, statesman 1916, Ralph Abernathy, civil rights leader 1926, Rupert Murdoch, publisher 1931, Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice 1936.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: One day a teacher was teaching religion, when she asked the class, "What part of your body do you think goes up to heaven first?" Two children rose their hand. One was little Johnny.

Hesitant to pick on him she chose little Mary. Mary answered, "I think your heart goes first because, that's were your emotions of love are." The teacher said, "Very interesting. Mary."

Seeing no one else had their hand raised but Johnny, she finally called on him. Johnny said, "I think your feet go up first." Confused but relieved the teacher said, "Why is that?"

Johnny replied, "Once when I walked in my parents room, I saw my mom with her feet in the air saying, 'Oh God!' If Dad hadn't been on top of her holding her down, she'd be in heaven"

A man goes over to his brother's house, all bruised and his clothes torn. His brother says, "Man, where have you been?" The guy says, "I just got back from burying my mother-in-law,"

His brother asks, "How did you get all bruised and your clothes torn from burying your mother-in-law?" The guy replied, "She wouldn't lie still....."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A man was coming out of church one day and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed the man by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"

The man said, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor." The Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service!"

The veterinarian told the blonde that her dog needed some exercise. He said, "You need to make sure this dog runs around. Try playing a game of fetch with him."

The blonde said, "I can't play fetch with my dog." The doctor said. "Why not?" She replied, "He can't throw."

That's it for today, my little petunias. Remember, there is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

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Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !