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.
Kwame Braithwaite, 1972
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.
Rescued cat
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).
Bodega Cats
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?
Jon Huertas (b. 1976)
W. Valderrama (b. 1980)
...... 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.
Todd Snider (1966-2025)
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.
