Odds & Ends: News/Humor (with a "Who Lost the Week?" poll)

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 Horses in the American West is on display at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno through July 3rd.

    Now in Reno, Nevada

HAIL and FAREWELL to the baseball pitcher Milt Pappas — known for being the man traded for future Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson and also for losing a perfect game on a very close 3-2 pitch in 1972 — who has died at the age of 76 …… to a musician whose passing may be overlooked due to the outpouring of tributes to the death of Prince, blues guitarist Lonnie Mack— an inspiration to many young rock players, whose active use of one inspired a guitar’s tremolo bar to become commonly known as a "whammy bar" and was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame in 2005 — who has died at the age of 74 ….. and to the oldest living male in the United States, Louisiana resident Felix Simoneaux Jr.— whose local elementary school would send classes to his house to ask him questions about “the old days” — who has died one month short of his 111th birthday.

THURSDAY's CHILD is named Blaze the Cat— a Virginia kitteh rescued from an apartment fire, revived using a pet resuscitation mask and is recuperating well.

          Blaze the Cat

DUE IN PART to health concerns and also just as a social activity, a group calling themselves Cairo Runners is now becoming a ubiquitous part of the Egyptian capital’s culture, one where exercise is uncommon (and diabetes more common).

CONGRATULATIONS to the avant-garde saxophonist Henry Threadgill— only the third jazz musician ever to win a Pulitzer Prize (after Wynton Marsalis and Ornette Coleman).

FRIDAY's CHILD is named Henley the Cat— a Florida kitteh who is the mascot of a minor league team in Lakeland, whose presence caused a delay in a game.

 Henley the 8th, I am, I am

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 a famous quote by the former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai— which became a metaphor about the “long-view of history” in Chinese culture … and yet (sadly) may not be as long as many of us had thought.

QUOTE for today: from the Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland, in a nice essay on Barack Obama’s advising the British people against leaving the European Union, as the claims that such a move will gain more favor with the US just won’t happen, according to the president.

It’s just too irresistibly tweetable to ask: if Obama’s for “remain”, and Trump and (Marine) Le Pen are for “leave” ….. whose side are you on?

SEPARATED at BIRTH — two of the many noted rock stars who have died so far this year: the Jefferson Airplane/Starship rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner and keyboard whiz Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame).

 Paul Kantner (1941-2016) Keith Emerson (1944-2016)

...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… one of the highlights from the 1968 Mel Brooks film The Producers— where, in order to run a scam by promising much, much more than 100% of the profits to investors, it was necessary to find a play that would close after only one night — was the audition for singing Hitlers, to appear in a play (written by a Nazi sympathizer) entitled Springtime for Hitler. In the starring roles are Zero Mostel (as Broadway impresario Max Bialystock) and a relatively young Gene Wilder (as Leo Bloom, his ….. accountant: making this film unusually relevant to me).

              Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom

Lots of earnest stage performers auditioned, yet none met the criteria of the director Roger DeBris and his associate Carmen Ghia — hired by Max Bialystock precisely because ……. “His plays close … before they even open!”

Roger DeBris & Carmen Ghia

Thus, it appears they are unable to find a suitable Führer ……………………..

Until, however …. in walks flower-power actor Lorenzo St. Dubois (or, LSD for short) — portrayed by the late Dick Shawn— who wanders into the wrong casting call (looking for “Boomerang”) yet is told by Max, “Yes, this is Boomerang!” — based on the what-have-we-got-to-lose? theory.

       Lorenzo St. Dubois

He proceeds to bring out “his band” — and in watching this again, I can’t help wondering if this provided a future inspiration for the video of Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love (with “his band”). Either way - this song wins the part of Adolph Hitler for Lorenzo.

And, unlike many films of the era — with pre-rock & roll era directors and producers who mock the emerging genre — Mel Brooks has fun with it, yet had some music that actually sounded like its era. Below is a (shortened) version of the song.

Love power.... I'm talking about love power The power of a sweet flower is gonna rule the earth And there'll be a great rebirth

Love is a flower that is fine When I'm walking with my darling and we're holding hands, And life is fine, 'cause she understands Walking down the sunny street Giving pretty flowers to the people that we meet

And I give a flower to the big fat cop He takes his club and he beats me up I give a flower to the garbage man He stuffs my girl in the garbage can And I give it to the landlord, when the rent comes 'round He throws it in the toilet ... and he flush it down It goes into the sewer with the yuck running through her, And it runs into the river that we drink Hey world, you stink!

x YouTube Video