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

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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 — more than 100 works of Spanish and Portuguese 18th Century colonial art in an exhibition entitled Highest Heaven are at the San Antonio, Texas Museum of Art to September 4th.

Now in San Antonio, Texas

GET WELL to the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pianist Leon Russell— whom I profiled a few months back — now recuperating from a heart attack and expected to make a full recovery.

HAIL and FAREWELL to the former NBA star Nate Thurmond— whose arrival in San Francisco in 1964 led the Warriors to trade Wilt Chamberlain to Philadelphia to open up a spot for him — who has died at the age of 74 …. and to the original bassist in the Stax Records house band, Lewie Steinberg— who was the bassist on their classic 1962 hit Green Onions, before being replaced by guitarist Steve Cropper’s childhood friend Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn — who has died at the age of 82.

THURSDAY's CHILD is named Chance the Cat— an Indiana kitteh taken in by a public library after being found severely dehydrated, and who has become a favorite of the public after the death of the previous library cat.

         Chance the Cat

CHEERS to a great time in St. Louis at Netroots Nation — will have more to say in an upcoming Top Comments column.

ARCHITECTURE NOTES — the first phase of a restoration of the famed Roman Colosseum— financed by the CEO of the luxury leather goods firm Tod’s (which demanded little in return: no logos or pictures of its products were plastered across the scaffolding) — is complete, with Italy’s culture minister saying that after completion, “we will have the possibility to do cultural events of the highest level”.

FRIDAY's CHILD is named Boomer the Cat— an Australian kitteh who likes to skateboard past unsuspecting dogs, it would appear.

      Boomer the Cat

TV NOTES — Rolling Stone has ranked all of the cast members of Saturday Night Live— with some performers you forgot were ever part of the cast.

BRAIN TEASERS - try the Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC — first, from last week… and now the current one.

Reader Suggested SEPARATED at BIRTH from marykk — TV news personality Ted Baxter (as portrayed by the late Ted Knight) and Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN) — your GOP candidate for vice president. Whaddya think?

 Ted Baxter (by Ted Knight)     Gov. Mike Pence (I-IN)

...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… with Netroots Nation, no time for even a perfunctory profile. So, two songs for your consideration.

In honor of the reading that many of you probably indulged in, rather than watch the RNC … here is one for you.

Jimmy Durante wrote the lyrics to The Day I Read a Book (with music composed by his long-time musical collaborator, Jackie Barnett).

I’ll never forget the day I read a book …... It was contagious …. Seventy pages …. There were pictures here-and-there …. So it wasn’t hard to bear …. The day I read a book

It’s a shame I don’t recall the name of the book …. It wasn’t a history: I know, because it had no plot …. It wasn’t a mystery: because nobody there got shot ….. One day I read a book - I can’t remember when …. But one of these days, I’m gonna do it again!

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Fifty years ago this past Friday ….. this landmark album in British blues history was released. John Mayall provided a start for many future musicians, including Eric Clapton (2nd from left) and bassist John McVie (third from left) who co-founded Fleetwood Mac (along with fellow Mayall alumni Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood). Mayall also groomed future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, drummer Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, Journey, David Bowie),  Andy Fraser (Free), Harvey Mandel (Canned Heat) and many others.

     Mayall, Clapton, McVie, Hughie Flint

My favorite song from the album (only 2-minutes, but wotta 2-minutes).

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