M. Jules Oppert (b.1825) was a famous linguist and translator , dealing with Mesopotamian cultures. He is known for his work deciphering Sumerian Cuneiform clay tablets, some of the earliest known writing. These messages were achieved with a stylus in damp clay, then hardened.
In case your Cuneiform has gotten rusty, the sample shown says, roughly, “Rhinos are mighty fine critters”.
Thank you for your good work, M. Oppert.
Since Baseball is the Great American Pastime, it seems fitting to salute it on July 4. In keeping with this theme, Rhinos draw your attention to Mr. Ernest Thayer’s momentous and definitive 1888 poem, Casey at the Bat. What a wonderful tribute to American character, in its combination of Optimism and Arrogance.
The rules of baseball are too complex for Rhinos to follow consistently, but that does not mean We lose interest from the stands. Enthusiasm is always contagious.
One thing though: baseballs are inedible. We know.
Mr. Bjarni Herjolfsson, a Norwegian, set off to visit family in Greenland, but got off course. There were no maps, and his sense of smell was not good. Anyhow, rather than Greenland, he sailed up the coast of North America, as it turned out.
He turned back to find Greenland, never setting foot on his Big Discovery, the first European human sighting of this continent. He later sold his boat to Leif Erikson, who made a settlement in 1000AD.
Rhinos were not there, but We find the idea intriguing. Ahoy.
On the chart, you can see the Rhino Brain. We are told that this proves that Rhinos have inferior mental capacity. Pardon Us if We don’t subscribe to that ‘scientific‘ assessment.
Obvious reservations present themselves: Maybe 1) Rhinos use more of our brain than other critters, 2) We store part of our wits somewhere else, like our kidneys or kneecaps, 3) We don’t fritter away our capacities; We mind our own business. Also Etc., Etc.
But these are not Questions Rhinos bother with. We are fancy free as is. Any Rhino could and would tell you, if asked.
Rhino Philosophers have always been struck by how insoluble many Questions seem to be. Thrash about as much as We like, We do not arrive at a useful or credible conclusion.
Consequently, Rhinos mostly approach Questions with the assumption that We will get nowhere.
Often We have been proved right, beyond Question.
Moveable type was first used in Europe by Herr Johannes Gutenberg. This method of printing was a Major Achievement in the history of Western Thought, whatever that may be.
Rhinos are partial to Herr Gutenberg’s beard, which was very stylish indeed. We do not have beards, but enjoy imagining them just the same. Why not?
Rhinos are illiterate, which would be a great problem if We did not know all We need to Naturally.
H. Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, born today in 1805, invented the Harmonica, back in the 1820s. It was a 4-inch cube thing with 15 notes, however many that is. In the background you can see 1820s Berlin, where he was busy.
Congratulations and many thanks, H. Buschmann, is what Rhinos all say.
You may already know this, but Rhinos can make a sound very much like a Harmonica, all on our own. It can be mistaken for a Wheeze.
Today in 1215, John I of England put the Royal Seal onto the Magna Carta, acknowledging that he was not the beginning and the end of every national discussion. He was helped to this realization by a group of angry, armed Barons. Very Big Deal in the history of government, though neither side kept to the agreement.
John was not trusted nor liked by his people. But! it allows YIR to quote from A.A. Milne’s, Now We Are Six:
King John was not a good man —
He had his little ways.
And sometimes no one spoke to him
For days and days and days.
Any opportunity to quote from A.A. Milne is an opportunity to be seized.
Today is Flag Day, so YIR is recycling a picture from last July. Not that it is a Classic, but it did not seem We were going to improve upon it, so We are submitting it in a timely manner. Punctuality taking the place of Originality.
The original posting was July 4, 2016. There are notes on Ms. Ross there which may still be of interest.
Long may We wave.
Your Inner Rhino 