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 Laramie, 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 of paintings (including FDR’s “Four Freedoms”) in an exhibition entitled Norman Rockwell: American Freedom will be at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas through March 22nd.
SINCE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE was legalized in Britain four years ago, the divorce rate for female couples is notably higher than for males: with at least one possible explanation being that female couples “move quicker from first dates to marriage than gay men”.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY recently listed its ten most-circulated books of all time— including Charlotte's Web, To Kill a Mockingbird, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and Fahrenheit 451.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Max the Cat— a sixteen year-old California kitteh who fended off three coyotes (as seen on CC-TV) without being harmed before his family came out and scared the intruders away.
ENVIRONMENTAL NOTES — the nation of Indonesia has long-range plans to move its capital to a new city on the island of Borneo. That is because the city of Jakarta is sinking: flooding becoming worse due to a growing population with inadequate sewers, plus forest burning and the effects of climate change.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named CVS Cat— a South Philadelphia kitteh who used to walk into a CVS pharmacy with his elderly owners, but who have left the area. Now he is a fixture at the store, and there is a campaign to find him a new home where he can stay at night.
BRAIN 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 two musicians who died early — one murdered by his common-law wife at the nightclub he was performing at, the other endured two liver transplants (due to a case of hepatitis developed at a young age) and died awaiting a third … yet they performed together on a landmark 1960’s recording.
EVERY-NOW-AND-THEN I get a little wistful: about being just too young to have gone to the Fillmore East, seeing some of the rock and blues bands that didn’t last into the 70’s, when I came-of-age (and of course, John Coltrane). Then I recall this passage (about encountering Jimi Hendrix) from page 108 in Pete Townshend’s autobiography, which reassures me:
“He was a mesmerizing performer, and I hesitate to describe how fantastic he was to actually see play live, because I don’t want to make his legions of younger fans feel they’ve missed out.
We all miss out on something. I missed out on (Charlie) Parker, (Duke) Ellington and (Louis) Armstrong”.
OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS? — Australian assisted-suicide activist Philip Nitschke and the recently convicted Nixon-loving Roger Stone.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… in this January 13, 1968 episode of Get Smart— fifty-two years ago, this week — secret agents Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 (and Barbara Feldon turns age eighty-seven in March) seem to be ... getting down with the music .... in what TV Guide named as #67 in its 100 Greatest TV episodes of All Time .... well, here's an explanation:
Many of the country's teenagers are dancing constantly, under the spell of the Groovy Guru, who is helping KAOS take over the country via its teenagers. The CONTROL agents who are sent after the Guru end up dancing under his spell also.
Max and 99 head into the Guru's meditation palace to stop the Guru, armed with a lie pill in case of capture. They discover that the Guru plans to incite the nation's youth to riot and destroy all government institutions. The Guru will accomplish this by broadcasting a special song (sung by the Sacred Cows) during his live broadcast ..... unless CONTROL can stop him.
As Agent 99 indicates ... the Sacred Cows ... are the "hottest rock group in the country" ............ although just what country isn't revealed.
Portraying the Guru is the star of "F Troop", Larry Storch - who is still alive at age ninety-seven, bless him - and in this photo, doesn't it look like he's got an early edition of an Apple laptop?
Meanwhile, The Sacred Cows were session musician Jerry Scheff (bass) and two others, whose identities are unclear (different sources list different names).
You'll just have to watch the (short) video below to learn if the world was saved or not ..... but here are the lyrics that threatened our world, fifty-two years ago ....
Thrill, thrill, thrill Kill, kill, kill Make the scene, Knock off a Deanx xYouTube VideoYeah, yeah, yeah Bump off a square That's what it's all about Hate is in Love is out