In Joshua Abraham Norton declared himself Emperor of the United States Norton had made mdash and lost mdash his fortune in San Francisco shipping but he wanted a new identity America rsquo s first emperor When the San Francisco Evening Bulletin printed ldquo Emperor rdquo Norton rsquo s announcement most readers laughed Norton made pronouncements aimed at correcting society rsquo s ills printed his own currency and even wrote letters to Queen Victoria asking her to marry him and unite their kingdoms He wore royal military uniforms designed by local tailors One observer said Norton looked ldquo every inch a [... more]

Several years ago we brought home an adult black cat named Juno from the local animal shelter mdash a feline familiar with living outdoors Truthfully I only wanted help thinning our mice population but the rest of the family wanted a pet The shelter gave us rigorous instructions for what to do the first week They told us how to establish a feeding routine so Juno would learn our house was his home the place he belonged and where he rsquo d always have food and safety This way even if Juno might roam he would always eventually come home [... more]