I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled The Real and Reel Casablanca— opening 75 years after the famous WW-II attack on that Moroccan city, and with artifacts from that battle and the famous film — opens this week at the International Museum of World War II in Natick, Massachusetts.
Now open in suburban BostonWHILE MOST fans of the cartoons of Walt Disney focus on Mickey Mouse, the nation of Germany has always preferred Donald Duck— with speculation that they root for someone “who always manages to solve his problems, and what crazy ideas he comes up with."
GRIM REMINDER — a pro-Nazi rally in February, 1939 .... from a new six-minute documentary A Night at the Garden (the "old" Garden, my father would have duly noted). Of the 20k attendees ... I wonder if Frederick Trump was among them?
Not a “pro-American” rally … “pro-Nazi” in factHAIL and FAREWELL to the composer, musician and prolific arranger of choral music Robert De Cormier— who also found time to be the musical director for everyone from Harry Belafonte to Peter, Paul & Mary and later a music director in the state of Vermont — who has died at the age of 95.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Felony the Cat— now at work in the North St. Louis police department.
Felony the Cat in MissouriENVIRONMENTAL NOTES — the South American nation of Chile has opened Latin America’s largest solar farm— covering 691 acres in the Atacama Desert — and which can generate enough electricity to supply 240,000 Chilean households.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Pilot the Cat— a kitteh who went missing ten years ago, yet found in a most unusual way: after suffering burns during the recent northern California wildfires, now heading to his family’s new home in Colorado.
Pilot the Cat - heading homeBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at the documentary film Once Brothers— and the beginning of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, with its award-winning national basketball team a flashpoint.
Reader suggested SEPARATED at BIRTH from anon404 — Eric Trump and Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (as portrayed by the actor Rene Auberjonois). Whaddya think?
Eric Trump Deep Space Nine’s … Odo...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… a singer not frequently seen in the US these days (although she did a guest spot on American Idol a few years back) but certainly active in her native Britain … is the Scotswoman born as Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, and legally known today as Lulu Kennedy-Cairns ........... but you probably know her as just Lulu - who has a 50+ year career in both singing, TV hosting, acting, modeling .... whatever it is: she's done it.
Born in 1948, the Glasgow native had her first performance when she was very young and sang ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ in a small hall … and forgot the words. Her first hit (a cover of Shout) reached #7 in the UK charts while she was not quite age 16. As an 18 year-old, she toured Europe with The Hollies and recorded two German-language songs. She signed with the famous UK producer Mickie Most for three years, which she described as often unpleasant — still, all seven singles he produced made the charts and she praised him after his death in 2003.
She became an international star by not only acting in the 1967 film To Sir With Love but also singing the title track that reached #1 in the US. In 1969, her song Boom Bang-a-Bang was involved in a four-way tie for first place in the Eurovision Song Contest (a pan-European contest watched across the Continent) just after she married the late BeeGee Maurice Gibb (a marriage lasting only four years).
All along, she hosted a TV show (under different titles) in Britain from 1968-1975 (including a famous Jimi Hendrix appearance in 1969) and she recorded a 1970 album New Routes in Muscle Shoals with Duane Allman on guitar (her version of "Dusty in Memphis"). For much of the 1970's she appeared in stage performances, but found time to record the title track to The Man with the Golden Gun Bond film as well as recording two David Bowie tunes.
Since then, she has continued to record, host radio and TV programs, act as a model (she did say she gave up using Botox in 2008), judging talent contests, some acting .... she doesn't seem to let up having turned age 69 last week, becoming a grandmother in the process.
In 2002, she performed with Jeff Beck on the PBS Blues music film series hosted by Martin Scorsese — appearing on Mike Figgis's Red, White & Blues— doing a great job on songs like "Drown In My Own Tears". Her autobiography I Don't Want To Fight was published in 2002, and her book on beauty for grown-ups came out in 2010 (which she says she had to struggle with in her youth). In 2009, Lulu was one of a number of Scottish celebrities featured in the advertising campaign for Homecoming Scotland - a year-long event to encourage people around the world with Scottish heritage to return to Scotland.
Her most recent album was Making Life Rhyme in 2015, earlier this year appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? — a UK family tree program — and is now on tour of Great Britain through the end of the month.
And for someone who had been a Conservative Party supporter in the early 1980's: she became a big fan of Barack Obama after his election, commenting not only on his books but after hearing his mini-rendition of Al Green now goes so far as to say, "I want to record an album with him".
Lulu (back in the 1960’s) …. … and much more recentlyIt might do well to hear one of those 2002 duets with Jeff Beck to hear how she sings today: Cry Me a River was written by composer Arthur Hamilton (still alive at age 91) who was a high school classmate of Julie London (who made the tune famous in 1956). And below you can hear a different side of Lulu (from what you're probably used to hearing) sing it.
Now you say you're lonely You cry the whole night through Well, you can cry me a river I cried a river over you
You nearly drove me Out of my head While you never shed a tear I remember all that you said Told me love was too plebeian Told me you were through with me
And now you say you love me Well, just to prove you do Come on and cry me a river Cry me a river I cried a river over you
x xYouTube Video