Ed Tracey
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 Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985 — with 150 works from street photographers and photojournalists to painters and graphic designers — is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to January 11th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay by Amanda Marcotte, suggesting that the male loneliness crisis is being fed by the online influencers ... less due to ideology and more for subscription revenue.
THURSDAY's CHILD was rescued the day after a devastating Ohio house fire ... when the homeowners heard “faint meowing” coming from inside, and a firefighter was able to locate the kitteh.
PROGRAMMING NOTE — due to holiday travel next week, there will neither be a Friday evening C&J posting (nor a Sunday diary version). Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, everyone.
FRIDAY's CHILD is hoping that the NYC city council will pass a bill (by council member Keith Powers) legalizing bodega cats, as a petition this year drew over 13,000 signatures in support, including mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. (The bill is described in more detail in this week’s Top Comments essay of mine).
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 four topics: the Nova Scotia Christmas tree cutting, Bodega Cat legalization efforts, a long-missing singer who may now be located, and a song by the recently-deceased folk/country singer Todd Snider … that Tom Jones covered in epic fashion.
Reader suggested OLDER-YOUNG BROTHERS? (from Audri) — TV stars Jon Huertas (Castle, Generation Kill) and Wilmer Valderrama (That 70’s Show, NCIS). …. Whaddaya think?
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… reprising of one my stories from the other night.
Though I was not very familiar with the alt-country musician Todd Snider, many DK readers were (here, and here) after his recent death from pneumonia at the age of fifty-nine. A fan of John Prine, he seemed to carve the same path as him: find the nexus between folk and country music … add your own influences ... and extend it even further.
I knew him mainly for one song that he performed in his own style: Talking Reality Television Blues from 2019. I liked his short version (which concludes with verses about Krasnov) done in that alt-country style, which you can hear at this link.
Two years later Tom Jones did an extended, hard rock(!) version. He performed it live in London that same year, with the music even better than his studio version. Yet the live version focused on him (or his soloists) as you can see at this link. The studio version benefits from the many TV images accompanying the lyrics.
So … vale, Todd Snider … you gave us a song for the ages.
Poll 180 votes Show Results Who Lost the Week ?!?!? Mexican-born Joe Ceballos, the GOP mayor of a small Kansas town, arrested by right-wing Kansas AG Kris Kobach for alleged voter fraud and threatening deportation Georgia national Michail “Commander Butcher” Chkhikvishvili, leader of the neo-Nazi “Maniac Murder Cult”, pleading guilty to trying to organize hate attacks, including a plan to give poisoned candy to Jewish children in NYC Marjorie Taylor-Greene, whose abandonment of Krasnov and future resignation from Congress has left her without a political home Andrew Paul Johnson, pardoned by Krasnov for storming the Capitol, arrested on multiple Florida child molestation charges, falsely claiming he anticipated a $10 mill payout for Jan 6 (to silence one victim) Texas men Gavin Weisenburg & Tanner Thomas, indicted for both producing child pornography as well as plotting to invade a Haitian island, kill its men, and enslave women and children (after training for nearly a year) Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), indicted for stealing $5 mill in disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign following a unanimous House Ethics panel investigation ICE employee Alexander Back, among 16 men arrested in a Minnesota underage sex trafficking sting ... who told officers "I'm ICE" The rapper Pras, a founding member of the Fugees, sentenced to 14 years for his role in a scheme to funnel donations to President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign Sheikh Hasina, former autocratic prime minister of Bangladesh, convicted in absentia by its war-crimes court of ordering the army to crack down on student protests (killing 1,400) that ultimately forced her from office last year Larry Summers, forced to relinquish many of his public posts after being implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein e-mail revelations Eli Weinstein, whose long prison sentence for fraud was commuted by Krasnov in 2021, now sentenced to 37 years (and ordered to pay $45 mill in restitution) after being convicted of defrauding dozens of investors out of $35 mill The U.S. Coast Guard, forced to walk-back its previous downgrading of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses to merely describe them as “potentially divisive” Natalie Green, a former staffer to a New Jersey GOP congressman (and current law student), charged with lying to the FBI by faking a violent attack on herself, with anti-MAGA statements carved into her Andrew Tate, suffered a complete wipeout of his $800 mill trading balance on the crypto exchange Hyperliquid (even his $75k referral bonuses) due to use of high leverage and minimal risk management Former right-wing British politician Nathan Gill, sentenced to 10+ years after being convicted on 8 counts of bribery from a Russian agent (a close friend of Vladimir Putin) State Rep. Bryan Morse (R-NH), a supporter of both book bans and bathroom bans, removed from his committee assignment following his arrest this week for “revenge porn”, posting nude photos of a woman without her consent Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), facing a three-month ban on international congressional travel after an alcohol-related incident during a delegation trip to Mexico All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists All-of-the-above (every one equally) Multiple names listed (because no, they're truly not all equal) - please note in a comment (or, a write-in vote) 180 votes Vote Now! Who Lost the Week ?!?!? Mexican-born Joe Ceballos, the GOP mayor of a small Kansas town, arrested by right-wing Kansas AG Kris Kobach for alleged voter fraud and threatening deportation 1% 1 vote Georgia national Michail “Commander Butcher” Chkhikvishvili, leader of the neo-Nazi “Maniac Murder Cult”, pleading guilty to trying to organize hate attacks, including a plan to give poisoned candy to Jewish children in NYC 3% 6 votes Marjorie Taylor-Greene, whose abandonment of Krasnov and future resignation from Congress has left her without a political home 3% 5 votes Andrew Paul Johnson, pardoned by Krasnov for storming the Capitol, arrested on multiple Florida child molestation charges, falsely claiming he anticipated a $10 mill payout for Jan 6 (to silence one victim) 2% 4 votes Texas men Gavin Weisenburg & Tanner Thomas, indicted for both producing child pornography as well as plotting to invade a Haitian island, kill its men, and enslave women and children (after training for nearly a year) 1% 1 vote Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), indicted for stealing $5 mill in disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign following a unanimous House Ethics panel investigation 1% 1 vote ICE employee Alexander Back, among 16 men arrested in a Minnesota underage sex trafficking sting ... who told officers "I'm ICE" 3% 5 votes The rapper Pras, a founding member of the Fugees, sentenced to 14 years for his role in a scheme to funnel donations to President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign 1% 1 vote Sheikh Hasina, former autocratic prime minister of Bangladesh, convicted in absentia by its war-crimes court of ordering the army to crack down on student protests (killing 1,400) that ultimately forced her from office last year 2% 4 votes Larry Summers, forced to relinquish many of his public posts after being implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein e-mail revelations 22 votes Eli Weinstein, whose long prison sentence for fraud was commuted by Krasnov in 2021, now sentenced to 37 years (and ordered to pay $45 mill in restitution) after being convicted of defrauding dozens of investors out of $35 mill 5% 9 votes The U.S. Coast Guard, forced to walk-back its previous downgrading of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses to merely describe them as “potentially divisive” 1% 2 votes Natalie Green, a former staffer to a New Jersey GOP congressman (and current law student), charged with lying to the FBI by faking a violent attack on herself, with anti-MAGA statements carved into her 1% 2 votes Andrew Tate, suffered a complete wipeout of his $800 mill trading balance on the crypto exchange Hyperliquid (even his $75k referral bonuses) due to use of high leverage and minimal risk management 7% 13 votes Former right-wing British politician Nathan Gill, sentenced to 10+ years after being convicted on 8 counts of bribery from a Russian agent (a close friend of Vladimir Putin) 0% 0 votes State Rep. Bryan Morse (R-NH), a supporter of both book bans and bathroom bans, removed from his committee assignment following his arrest this week for “revenge porn”, posting nude photos of a woman without her consent 0% 0 votes Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), facing a three-month ban on international congressional travel after an alcohol-related incident during a delegation trip to Mexico 0% 0 votes All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists 23 votes All-of-the-above (every one equally) 67 votes Multiple names listed (because no, they're truly not all equal) - please note in a comment (or, a write-in vote) 8% 14 votes
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