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 entitled Goya-Chagoya— matching drawings by the legendary Spanish artist Goya with modern re-interpretations by the Mexican-born Enrique Chagoya — will be at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri to February 12th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay by David Dayen (Dday) on Lisa Epstein— an oncology nurse who fell victim to foreclosure fraud during the collapse of the housing bubble — and how her subsequent activism helped lead to a judgement against a fuel card company with hidden fees … without notifying customers.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Lilly the Cat— a suburban New York kitteh who went missing, but came home a week later: letting her family know she had returned by … activating the doorbell camera (that she knew about).
IN RESPONSE to complaints from city residents (about noise from early morning trucks and the disruption caused by squads of deliverers on electric bicycles and scooters) France has is trying to crack-down on so-called dark stores— city-center food depots used only for instant home deliveries ordered over the internet — which have replaced actual stores (where people could shop).
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Capone the Cat— a NYC stray who settled into a garbage pile, afraid to move and barely eating — but became an instant lap cat when rescued, and has now been adopted.
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 cat cafés— why they started in east Asia and how they function today in the West.
THIS WEEK’s POLL is a Trump/Putin World edition … next week will revert back to a more standard Who Lost the Fortnight? edition.
FATHER-SON?— NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and a soon-to-be University of Texas quarterback (and already being compared to Elway by some) — Arch Manning (in reality, the nephew of Peyton Manning, who played in Denver for team president Elway).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… no time for a full profile: instead, a short hymn sung by one of my favorite veteran musicians: Steve Winwood (of Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and solo fame).
During the height of the pandemic, he downloaded free videos of himself and other musicians (working remotely) on some of his catalogue — here, for instance, is such a rendition of his first big hit in the USA — Gimme Some Lovin’ (from 1966 with the Spencer Davis Group) which you can hear at this link.
Just recently, I heard a solo tune he recorded (in that difficult time) outdoors on his own property in August, 2020. Now the Green Blade Riseth is a British hymn for Easter (about the Resurrection, using springtime as an analogy) — often sung at funerals — set to the music of the French Christmas carol Noël Nouvelet. So it may seem oddly timed here, not to mention a departure from his normal work.
But it’s Steve Winwood … so of course he’ll make it work.
Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain, Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain Love lives again, that with the dead has been Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain Thy touch can call us back to life again Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green