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— this month, there will be an exhibition (from the museum’s own permanent collection) entitled Guarding the Art— across eras, genres, cultures, and mediums — selected by the Baltimore, Maryland Museum of Art security staff (who interact with visitors regularly), which opens March 27th.
THE PHOTO ON TOP is from fifty years ago … in the Summer Olympics of 1972, this was an ABC “Up Close and Personal” profile of US wrestler Dan Gable (whom I have profiled previously) — with this Beat Russians image from his basement, as he prepared to compete in the Olympics for (and won) the gold medal.
THURSDAY's CHILD is the late Micio the Hero Cat— who alerted his family that the roof on their villa in Lombardy, Italy was on fire, enabling all to escape … except Micio, overwhelmed by the smoke in the bedroom he sought shelter in.
YOUR WEEKEND READ— withe demise of Russia Today (RT) — is this essay by Eric Alterman in The American Prospect on his two encounters with the network.
BROADWAY NOTES— when renovations are complete this summer: the one hundred ten year-old Cort Theater will be re-named the James Earl Jones Theater— as the ninety-one year-old actor has appeared on Broadway twenty times (and won two Tony Awards) in his career.
FRIDAY's CHILDREN are some of the residents of a cat café in Lviv, Ukraine — who are vowing to stay open as long as they can.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz (one BBC answer will help answer an NYT question).
YOUNGER-OLDER BROTHERS?— two comics: Russell Brand and Weird Al Yankovic (who is to be portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe in an upcoming bio-pic).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… very hectic week, no time for a profile … but I did hear this song for the first time in years the other day.
Nowadays the band is listed as The Coasters … but at the time they recorded this in 1954, they will still known as The Robins. Riot in Cell Block #9 was written by the songwriter duo of Leiber & Stoller, and the Robins were the first act they signed to their new label (Sparks Records).
Special note: the lead vocalist was Richard Berry— who composed the song Louie Louie (with clean lyrics) that the Kingsmen five years later recorded with a terrible microphone … which led to an FBI investigation over supposed dirty lyrics.
On July the second, 1953 I was serving time for armed robbery At four o'clock in the morning, I was sleeping in my cell I heard the whistle blow then I heard somebody yell(There's a riot goin' on) (There's a riot goin' on) (There's a riot goin' on) Up in cellblock number nine
The trouble started down in cellblock number four And spread like fire across the prison floor I said, "Okay boys, get ready to run Here comes the warden with a tommy gun"
The warden said, "Come out with your hands up in the air If you don't stop this riot, you're all gonna get the chair" Scarface Jones said ... "It's too late to quit Pass the dynamite ... 'cause the fuse is lit"
In the forty-seventh hour the tear gas got our men We are all back in our cells ... but every now and then:
(There's a riot goin' on) (There's a riot goin' on) (There's a riot goin' on) Up in cellblock number nine