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— an exhibition entitled Edgar Degas: Multi-Media Artist in the Age of Impressionism— marking the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist Exhibition (held in Paris in 1874) — is at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts through October 6th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay about the 1968 Olympic star athlete Bob Beamon— who broke the world record for the long jump (normally broken in inches) by nearly two feet. The first-rate sportswriter Drew Lawrence catches us up with his life at age seventy-seven (including a career as a jazz drummer) and Webster’s has now coined the phrase Beamonesque (truly remarkable).
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Joey the Cat - an English kitteh who went missing five years ago. His family was heartened to learn that an elderly man had taken good care of Joey, who became the man’s companion throughout lockdown (and after the death of his wife) and only upon the man entering hospice was Joey scanned for a microchip ... and now, Joey returned home for his 11th birthday.
CHEERS to the members of Parliament in Gambia, who voted to uphold a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation, rejecting a controversial bill seeking to overturn the law after months of heated debate.
TV NOTES— tomorrow night at 8:00 PM Eastern, CBS and Paramount+ will air a one-hour tribute show to the late Bob Newhart— featuring clips (yes, including that one) and interviews with him and some of his co-stars and fans.
FRIDAY's CHILD is the late, great Prince the Hero Cat— who awoke his Maryland family to a house fire (when the smoke alarms were disabled due to ongoing painting) enabling them to escape … though losing his own life by re-entering the building (in search of someone else).
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 heartwarming Netroots Nation moment… a full seven blocks away from the convention center.
SEPARATED at BIRTH— two veteran British rock musicians: King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and the recently deceased Joe Egan (co-writer of Gerry Rafferty’s Stuck in the Middle With You) — and both were born in 1946.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… busy time for me, so only time for an uplifting 1962 tune by Nancy Wilson and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley.