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 and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES #1— two feature attractions this week for next week’s Netroots Nation(and thanks to generous grants, both museums have free admission).
An exhibition entitled The Art of Pattern: Henri Matisse and Japanese Woodcut Artists— pairing several paintings and prints by Matisse from the 1920’s, with Japanese woodcut artists working in the 19th century — is at the Baltimore, Maryland Museum of Art through January 5th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ#1 is this essay by the married wine columnists/authors I have featured, Dottie & John, who note — while acknowledging that the quality of mediocre wine has risen due to advances in sanitation, technology and enhanced knowledge — that every once in awhile, they come across a Yech! wine.
THURSDAY's CHILD is one of the kittehs on a houseboat in the canals of Amsterdam— purchased over 55 years ago by someone who ran out of space to rescue cats, and The Catboat is now a popular sight for visitors.
PROGRAMMING NOTE— due to my attending Netroots Nation in Baltimore, there will neither be a Friday Cheers & Jeers posting, nor a Sunday diary with the loser of the week poll. If you’ll be attending, I hope we have a chance to meet. And I will return two weeks hence.
YOUR WEEKEND READ#2 is this (no paywall) essay by legal analyst Andrew Weissmann — who has (for some time) been saying that in the absence of a January 6th trial before the election: the solution is for Judge Chutkan to hold an evidentiary hearing on what are “private acts”. Now that SCOTUS has authorized this, Jack Smith could conduct a mini-trial, just without a jury and verdict.
FRIDAY's CHILD is the intrepid Larry the Cat - the chief mouser at No 10 Downing Street the past 14 years, and as of today: after outlasting five Tory prime ministers ... he now has his first Labour prime minister in Keir Starmer.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
YUK for TODAY— among those Tories losing their seats: Jacob Rees-Mogg, whom The Economist once described as “A neo-Victorian backbench novelty” and:
Former attorney general Sir Robert Buckland lashed out at colleagues ... warning that the upcoming Tory leadership contest was "going to be like a group of bald men arguing over a comb".
(Ummm … I resemble that remark).
ART NOTES #2— an exhibition entitled Healing the Body, Healing the Soul: Methods of Therapy in Medieval Europe— featuring works examining medical theories, medicine in practice, saints and health, pilgrimage, and spiritual exercise — is at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland to December 15th.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at the British general election (as noted above).
OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS?— two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: the late Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and Carlos Santana.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… too hectic preparing this week for a full profile … for now, this 1970 rendition of a 1967 Young Rascals tune.
How Can I Be Sure (written by Rascals members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati) reached #4 on the charts in 1967 (though did not chart in Britain). Subsequent cover versions include David Cassidy in 1972 (#25 in the US and #1 in Britain).
The first time it charted in Great Britain was by Dusty Springfield in 1970 (reaching #36) and here she is singing it on a TV variety show that same year.