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#1 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 entitled Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks— his first-ever comprehensive museum exhibit — opens on May 27th (running through October 2nd) at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, Texas.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this rather lengthy (yet never dull) account about the steady transformation of the state of Idaho from a red state (especially in the north) to a full-fledged right-wing redoubt. Although she lost her bid to unseat the incumbent governor, the essay cites Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin asking one of the state’s two full-time rabbis to join her anti-Semitic task force - yet he declines, as it's meant to be a geo-political group, not about the lives of Jewish citizens.
CHEERS#2 — hooray, this week’s post worked! Sorry for the jumble last week — sounds like a few others had trouble, too. At first, I considered making this week’s poll a two-week “Who Lost the Fortnight” — but so many entrants stepped-up this week, there were space limitation issues, so that idea was scrapped.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Poky Blue the Cat— a Rhode Island kitteh who was rescued from a tree after five days and returned to his home.
SMALL WORLD— a Polish-born state trooper in Connecticut was skeptical when receiving a call about a vehicle needing assistance on Interstate 84 ... with a former Polish president … but sure enough, it was Lech Walesa— here in the US to champion the cause of Ukrainian refugees, with > 3.2 million now in Poland.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Lil Bit the One-Eyed Cat— a North Carolina kitteh who went missing for ten days (and feared killed by coyotes) — when in fact she showed up at the home of a humorist newspaper columnist/author and rescued.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at a high school teacher of mine in 1974 … who became an adjunct psychology professor for my twenty-one year-old niece in 2022, and the good feelings this engendered.
FATHER-SON?— Sen. Ted Cruz and the former Duke University basketball player (now on the Milwaukee Bucks) Grayson Allen.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… no time for a full profile, so here is a song with mixed cheers (and a jeer).
FOUR CHEERS to the great blues guitarist Elmore James: in the eyes of the All Music Guide’s Cub Koda, “The most influential slide guitarist of the postwar period”, who was among the musicians who migrated north from Mississippi to help shape the sound of Chicago blues. Although he died in 1963 at only age forty-five (due to a recurring heart condition) and did not live to have the financial success of the later blues revival, he was inducted into the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence.
This particular song he wrote has spirited cover versions by the original Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Green, recorded in Chicago) and later by George Thorogood and the Destroyers.
TWO-and-a-HALF CHEERS to the primary loss of young Mr. Cawthorn … who indeed has the Madison Blues (albeit only losing by a scant 1-½ %).
THREE JEERS to the North Carolina GOP — who had ample substantive reasons to throw him under-the-bus (which you’re no doubt aware of), yet chose to do so (1) only after the GOP cocaine orgy accusations, and (2) by releasing photos/films shaming sexuality/kink … aimed at the worst elements of its base.