⚽️ Euro 2021 Round of 16 Day 4: England Knocks Out Germany, Ukraine Outlasts Sweden ⚽️

Euro 2021 Round of 16 Scores: Day 4 

England 2, Germany 0 - For a very long time, the Germans always seemed to torment the English in football. The last time that England earned a meaningful win against Germany was back in the World Cup Final in 1966, when England earned their sole major tournament title. Back then, there were still two different German nations, because those were the days of the Iron Curtain.   

Since then, the Germans have become a dominant force in international football, winning numerous major tournament titles. England, meanwhile, never seem to go as far as Germany, and always seem to be watching on the sidelines when Germany is competing for some major title. When they have met in head-to-head competition, Germany always seems to get the better of them.  

But all of that changed recently, and it culminated with England's incredible win against Germany yesterday in the round of 16 at the Euro tournament. 

The game was nodded up in a scoreless tie throughout the first half and well into the second half. But that was when the fireworks started, and the crowd erupted.

It began with a brilliant goal by Raheem Sterling in the 75th minute to give the home team the 1-0 lead, quite late in the game.

Not much later, Germany's Thomas Müller missed in what seemed to be a sure breakaway goal. He fell to his knees, devastated. The star of the 2014 World Cup championship team usually does not miss those kinds of sure things, but he did in this game. Germany never recovered.

Finally, Harry Kane got a beautiful header in the 86th minute, which was effectively the clincher, amidst wild celebrations at Wembley.

England finally knocked off the Germans in a major tournament. This marks the second straight international tournament where the English National Team has gone farther than the German National team, and this time, they outright did it by beating the Germans, and earning it the hard way.

Now, England will take on Ukraine on July 3rd. England, who were semifinalists in the 2018 World Cup, is now considered the favorite to reach the final on their side of the draw, and one of the favorites to win it all. 

Ukraine 2, Sweden 1 - I actually watched this game live. And let me tell you, it was one of the most admittedly boring games that I remember seeing. Literally, I was struggling to stay awake, watching both teams play with an overabundance of caution. 

It did not start out that way, though. Oleksandr Zinchenko broke through first for Ukraine, scoring a stunning goal in the 27th minute that gave the upstart Ukrainian side the 1-0 lead.

The Swedes remained calm and struck back, however. Emil Forsberg struck back with a tying goal for Sweden in the 43rd minute, and the game was tied at halftime.

That was when the game seemed to slow down, and became dull. It seemed like both teams would just pass the ball, maintaining possession but not trying to create any real scoring chances, content to try and go into extra time. Then, the first extra time seemed like more of the same, and the game felt like it was headed to a shootout. 

But then something strange happened. In the 99th minute, Sweden's Marcus Danielson went for a ball but his high kick hit Ukraine's Artem Besedin. His knee seemed to bend in a very disturbing and unnatural way. It was brutal to watch, and earned Danielson a red card. Rarely can I remember seeing a red card that seemed more deserved, frankly.

If there was a turning point, that was it. Both teams had seemed content to play it safe, to not take chances and wait for the shootout. After the first extra time session ended, however, the Ukrainians took a different, more aggressive approach, feeling that they now had a chance to win the game outright with the man advantage.

They had some good opportunities, but it seemed like they just could not convert. Indeed, it still felt like this game was destined for an inevitable shootout. 

Then, out of nowhere, seemingly, Artem Dovbyk scored on a tremendous header in the first minute of extra time in the overtime session, virtually guaranteeing Ukraine the win. Indeed, time ran out on the Swedes, and the Ukrainian side earned their first ever win in elimination round in the nation's football history.

What a win! What a dramatic way to win it!

Dog Days of Summer: Record Heat in Pacific Northwest, Scorching Heat in Northeast

Not too long ago, during an unusually cool spring in 2020, I posted something on Facebook about how unusually cool it had been at the time. It was not meant to be a political post, honest. Yet, there was a guy – a former high school classmate and proud Trump supporter and science denier – who decided to take that opportunity, if you will, to throw shade on the whole “global warming theory.”             

He lived in Florida, and it was unusually cool in Florida at the time. Of course, he felt hat this disproved global warming.             

And so I uncharacteristically went off on him a bit. Mostly, it was frustration at this kind of thinking, with people who clearly do not make the effort to even try to understand the things that they criticize even a little bit. Maybe he listens to any number of prominent conservative radio talk shows, or FOX News, or perhaps some conspiracy theory videos on Youtube. Maybe he even did some research on the internet.             

One way or the other, he felt himself up to the task of challenging scientific expertise, based on how it was cooler than usual in Florida lately at that time. So he made those arguments, and felt that he had his checkmate point, because obviously, there was no other explanation for cooler than normal temperatures in Florida than that global warming was merely some Chinese hoax, and not real at all.             

Right. So I told him what anyone who actually respects science enough to believe in it would tell him. If he bothered to try and understand it, he would have learned that “global warming” was a deceptive name, and that climate change is probably more accurate. Scientists had long suggested that the climate would grow more extreme, and not merely hotter and hotter, all of the time. We would see more storms than ever before, and they would be more severe. And indeed, we had seen some unbelievable storms, supposedly once in a century storms that seem to happen nowadays once every few years, from Katrina to Sandy to Harvey, and those are just three, and restricted to the Caribbean and the United States.             

Also, I told him that it seemed strange that he noticed how his Florida community being a bit cooler proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that global warming was a hoax, yet he seemed not to have noticed record hot  temperatures in places all around the world in 2017, which had been passed by new records in many of those same areas in 2019.             

Surely, science skeptics are also not paying attention to the weather around North America recently, either. Because in the northwest, temperatures are exceedingly hot, and not just breaking records, but shattering them. In Portland, Oregon, on Monday, it reached 116 degrees, following a weekend where it had been 108 on Saturday and 112 on Sunday. Prior to this year, the record heat in Portland had been 107.             

Seattle also has seen incredibly hot temperatures, as it reached 108 degrees on Monday. It was 112 in Spokane.             

Some places were even hotter, incredibly. In Lytton, British Columbia, Canada – not a place normally known for very hot temperatures – it reached a sizzling 118.2, easily a record for that community. We are in the middle of a heat wave in northern New Jersey, as well. Yesterday was hot and muggy and miserable, one of those days where you almost break out in sweat as soon as you open the door, and feel that overly hot air all over, giving you that uncomfortable embrace. But I still feel bad for those people in the Pacific Northwest right now.             

And I also wish that people like my old high school classmate would actually pay attention to these kinds of trends, with new record hot temperatures seemingly being established every year in various corners of the world, again with an alarming regularity as the years pass, not to mention the severity of storms when they come, instead of simply sitting back on a cool spring day and taking that as confirmation that global warming is a Chinese hoax.             

Damn, those Chinese sure made this hoax convincing, didn’t they?

Portland, Seattle and Canada crush all-time heat records for second straight day by  Jason Samenow and  Ian Livingston, June 28, 2021:  

Portland and Seattle hit all-time highs of 116 and 108 Monday, while a town in Canada surged to a national record of 118.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/06/27/heat-records-pacific-northwest/

⚽️ Euro 2021 Round of 16 Scores: Day 3 France & Croatia, World Cup 2018 Finalists, Knocked Out ⚽️

Euro 2021 Round of 16 Scores: Day 3 

Spain 5, Croatia 3 - The first of the two 2018 World Cup finalists to get knocked out on this day, Croatia lost to the mighty Spanish team, which is emerging as the likely favorites to win it all.

Spain was actually dominating this game 3-1 entering the final minutes of regulation, then had to survive an inexplicable and highly uncharacteristic collapse, as they allowed two goals in the final few minutes of play. Croatia was able to force extra time, despite seemingly being on the way to defeat, and thus elimination, in regulation play.

Once in extended time, however, it as all Spain again. They scored two goals in a span of four minutes to put the game, and the Croats, away. Croatia falls short, but they can be proud of their effort in this game nevertheless.

  

Switzerland 3, France 3 (5-4 penalty kicks)  - This was the second game of a great day in European football play, and the second consecutive game that went into extra time. Unfortunately for me, France was the second of the two World Cup finalists of 2018 to get knocked out.

For a recap of the game, I figured I could use my brother's email description here:

The good news is that although Les Bleus played like shit in the first half, and perhaps the first ten to fifteen minutes of the second half, they finally started showing glimpses of why they're ranked number 2 in the world, and of course the reigning world champions. They scored 3 goals in the second half, and led 3-1 in the 75th minute. The bad news is that the defending was abysmal, which means that the Swiss managed to score two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime. Neither team could find the back of the net in overtime, so it went to penalties, and Switzerland won that shootout 5-4. Every player on both sides converted his attempt until Mbappé's shot was blocked. Not that I blame him. Like I said, it's the defending that caused France the victory. When you're up by two goals late in the second half against a relatively modest opponent like Switzerland, you need to seal the deal, and Les Bleus simply failed to do that. Anyway, the next opponent for Les Bleus would have been Spain, and quite frankly you need to play WAY better than France has been playing to get a good result against La Roja. Oh well. There's always next year's World Cup. (Which I don't plan on watching by the way, seeing as I consider it a travesty that a country like Qatar, with its disgraceful human rights record and inexcusably poor treatment of migrant construction workers, was selected to host a major international sporting event.)

Yes, France is eliminated. And as my brother already mentioned, it wound up being Mbappé, the biggest star of French soccer, who wound up kicking the shot that ended up being blocked. But he is a tremendous player, and I for one am glad that he is on France. Not going to be too hard on him. It kind of reminded me of Roberto Baggio in the 1994 World Cup final, when the biggest star on the Italian team missed the key kick.

One thing that definitely makes this otherwise bitter pill a little easier to take is that France has been on a tremendous run up to this point. They entered the tournament as the number two ranked team in the world, had gone to the final in the previous Euro tournament of 2016, and most obviously, they won the World Cup in 2018. So I am not too sad.

This was, ironically, the first game of the tournament that I got to watch a lot of. Managed to get home early enough to catch the end of it, at least the end of the first extra time session, all of the second extra time session, and then the nerve-racking shootout.

Unfortunately, this just was not France's day, nor France's tournament. But I still feel good about where French soccer is presently, and look forward to the future with this still very talented and promising team.

How Different Was the World Back in 1993 When the Montréal Canadiens Last Hoisted the Cup?

Later today, Canadiens de Montréal will play in their first Stanley Cup Finals game in 28 years. Yes, that's right, the last time that the Canadiens played in such a game was back in 1993.

What was different back then?

Well, Canada had three different people who served as Prime Minister that year: Brian Mulroney, then Kim Campbell briefly, and finally, Jean Chrétien. Bill Clinton had just begun his first term in the White House. The Soviet Union had officially dissolved just a year and a half earlier, and there were still apartheid practices and laws in the books in South Africa, where the country was still ironing out the sweeping changes that would shortly come to the country. François Mitterrand was still President of France, Helmut Kohl was still Chancellor of a what was then a still fairly newly unified Germany (the Berlin Wall had only fallen less than four short years before). The Euro had not yet been introduced as the official currency in numerous European nations. China was not yet a superpower, but Japan still seemed to be an economic superpower, or bordering on being one. There had been a terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in New York City just months before, but nothing on the scale of what would happen more than eight years later. Few had ever heard of the internet, email, or even the "World Wide Web," all of which was shortly about to emerge. 

Entertainment was still radically different back then, as well. In music, Nirvana and Pearl Jam ruled the airwaves of the still fairly new and trending, so-called "Seattle sound" bands that had emerged not long before. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were rock's royal couple. Guns 'n Roses was still hugely popular, but already on their way down. Three of the four Beatles were still alive. OJ Simpson was known as a football commentator for NBC Sports, and still starring in those car rental commercials. MTV still actually played music. On television, Johnny Carson had retired only one year earlier, and there was a big late night battle raging between David Letterman and Jay Leno. Cheers had only recently aired their series finale. Nobody had heard of shows like "Frasier" or "Friends" yet, let alone "reality television." The highly anticipated movie Jurassic Park was about to be released. 

As for sports, the Canadiens would win the Stanley Cup for the second time in seven years. Canada had won the Stanley Cup for seven straight years from 1983-84 until 1989-90, and the victory by the Canadiens would make it eight Stanley Cup wins in an span of a decade for teams north of the border. In basketball, Michael Jordan was king, and his Bulls had just won their first three-peat, overcoming an 0-2 series deficit to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then defeating the Phoenix Suns in six in the NBA Finals. The Dallas Cowboys had emerged as the new, powerful dynasty, and seemed set to dominate the nineties, while the Buffalo Bills had just lost their third of what would be four straight Super Bowls. The Toronto Blue Jays had won the World Series the previous year, and would eventually go on to win the Series for a second time in a row later that year. In tennis, Pete Sampras was rising, and would eventually win his second career Grand Slam title at Wimbledon just months later, following that up with a second career US Open title, and winning the year end number one ranking for the first of six consecutive years, although that would be later. Monica Seles was stabbed, and Steffi Graf rose back to the top of the women's rankings. Few people had heard of some now household names, like Martin Brodeur, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, or Tiger Woods. Sidney Crosby and LeBron James were still just kids yet. The "Curse of the Gambino" was still active in Beantown, and neither of the Chicago baseball teams had won a World Series since before the end of World War I. 

In my own personal life, I had just begun college in January, at Bergen Community College, and had been elected Secretary of the Environmental Club. The college felt like a new lease on life for me, as it seemed far more interesting and challenging - but in a good way - than high school had been. At the time, it seemed that many of the people at the college were activists and much more sophisticated than me. I was still only 18 years old, and could more or less get away without shaving after a week or so, although it was pleasing that my goatee was beginning to come in a bit more pronounced than ever before. There were things like back, neck, and shoulder pains which were still blessedly far off, although I got more migraine headaches back then than I do nowadays.  

What the world was like in 1993 when Canadiens last won the Cup

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/world-like-1993-canadiens-last-won-cup/?fbclid=IwAR3Gxh-d-_i8tJoQ4zH_GAw5j66yR-KcpoGdVPS3QJh-CdlYEa-8SW3ufaU

Euro 2021 Elimination Round Day 2 Update

Euro 2021 Round of 16 Scores: Day 2

Czech Republic 2, Netherlands 0 – This result admittedly came as a stunner, at least to me. I fully expected Netherlands to advance.  

Instead, they got dominated. At least in the second half they did, anyway.  

Of course, it did not help that the Dutch seemed to shoot themselves in the foot. Matthijs de Ligt received a red card in the 55th minute of what had been, to that point, a scoreless and very tight game.  

But this unforced error meant that the Dutch team was playing short-handed, with only ten players. And the Czech Republic took advantage in a big way.  

Tomáš Holeš broke through first, scoring in the 68th minute to give the Czechs a 1-0 lead.  

Then, star Patrik Schick got what was likely the backbreaker in the 80th minute, putting the game out of reach, allowing the Czechs to advance, and sending the Netherlands home much earlier than they wanted to. The Dutch had been hoping for a strong tournament after missing the last World Cup in a stunner. Seems like they will have to wait until next time.  

Belgium 1, Portugal 0 – It was a very hard fought, close contest between the defending champions Portugal, and the Belgians, who had placed third in the most recent World Cup.  

Indeed, the two teams were deadlocked in a scoreless draw until Thorgan Hazard broke through with a goal that stunned the Portuguese.  

Statistically, Portugal dominated the game. They had significantly more shots on goal, more corner kicks, owned a decisive advantage in time of possession, had greater pass accuracy, and fewer fouls. On almost every level, you might have thought that the Portuguese would have earned the win.  

About the only thing where they did not have the advantage was in converting opportunities into scores. The Belgians themselves only broke through once, but with their stellar defensive play, it was enough.  

Just like that, one of the powerhouse teams, the team that went all the way in the last Euro, has been eliminated, while Belgium must feel like they are flying high.

Euro 2021 Update Day 1

Euro 2021 Round of 16 Scores: Day 1

Denmark 4, Wales 0 - Not exactly a competitive game. Statistically, the Danes had a slight edge in terms of time of possession and passing accuracy. however, they enjoyed far more decisive advantages in corner kicks, in shots on goal, shots on target, and of course, in actually converting those shots into goals. 

Kasper Dolberg put Denmark ahead to stay in the 27th minute, then added a second goal in the 44th minute, giving the Danes a comfortable 2-0 lead by halftime. 

Their defense remained solid, making that two goal margin stand up. They maintained a clean sheet throughout the second half, and then Joakim Mæhle provided the third goal to ice it in the 88th minute, giving Denmark an insurmountable three goal lead with time growing very short.

Harry Wilson of Wales received a red card in the 90th minute. Finally, the strong Danish side put the cherry on top with Martin Braithwaite giving the Danes a fourth goal in the fourth minute of added time for the decisive 4-0 margin. 

Not a good day for Wales, but a fantastic win that left little room for doubt by the Danish National Team. 

Italy 2, Austria 1 - A much more competitive game than the first one. Statistically, the teams remained fairly even, although the Italians enjoyed more shots on goal, and better quality ones generally, as well. In the end, however, it was how well they converted in the extra time that proved to be the difference, and allowed Italy to advance to the quarterfinal round. 

This was a scoreless tie until the teams seemed to explode in the overtime session. 

Very quickly, however, the scoring started, as Federico Chiesa put the Italians ahead in the 95th minute.

In the 105th minute, Matteo Pessina got a goal to put Italy ahead, 2-0.

However, Austria would finally answer when Sasa Kalajdzic got Austria on the scoreboard in the 114th minute. 

But it was a case of too little, too late. 

Book Review: Joel Selvin - Altamont The Rolling Stones the Hells Angels & the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day

So, I happened to watch a movie that, somewhat surprisingly, I had never seen before. It was "Gimme Shelter," which documented the American tour of 1969 by legendary rock band, the Rolling Stones. Much of it, if not most of it, centered around the disastrous Altamont Music Festival, which took place on December 6, 1969. There had been numerous major musical events and festivals in the latter part of the sixties that wound up being for free, and which also have come to be regarded as huge successes. From the Human Be-In in early 1967 which some credit for giving birth to the "Summer of Love," to the Monterey Music Festival later that same year, to the most famous one which towers over all of them, and which stands today as a unique and shining example of the best that sixties idealism and counterculture had to offer, Woodstock. 

Surprisingly, the three largest rock acts of the sixties were absent for Woodstock. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones had all missed out on what proved to be, by and large, the defining cultural moment of the sixties and the counterculture. The Rolling Stones, trying to get back into the forefront of the rock scene while making inroads into the counterculture, and trying to counter stinging criticisms of high ticket prices, and perhaps trying to establish their own defining cultural moment to compete with Woodstock, if you will, pushed for a free concert of their own. This was prematurely called "Woodstock West," and indeed, it would prove to be a free concert, as promised.

That the concert indeed was free turned out to be the only positive thing that held true to all of the glittering promises of what this concert was going to be. One thing was clear beyond any debate or argument: this was no Woodstock of the West, or even anything remotely comparable. In fact, Altamont turned out to be a disaster. If Woodstock had been the shining example of the best that the sixties counterculture had to offer, than the Altamont Music Festival, held less than four months after Woodstock, instead showcased the very worst that the counterculture had to offer. 

Yet, comparatively little is known about Altamont, even though it's impact on the sixties was hugely significant. Perhaps since it was largely regarded as bad news, as a buzzkill of a generation, and literally the scene of at least one outright crime, it was not document and glorified nearly as much as the success story of Woodstock. In fact, it seemed largely to be ignored, which is something that Joel Selvin noticed. 

“Nobody had done a comprehensive account of the debacle since the original report in Rolling Stone,” he says. 

In this book, Joel Selvin examines in detail just what went wrong, and why it went wrong. Not only why it went wrong, but how, in reality, it probably should have at least been pushed back, if not cancelled outright. Everything went wrong with this concert right from the beginning. As Andy Greene states in a 2016 review of the book for Rolling Stone magazine:

Selvin lays out how what was supposed to be the “Woodstock of the West” turned deadly. Blame goes all around: Mick Jagger, occupied with a U.S. tour, was uninterested in “practical realities” like food, water and bathrooms, and left logistics to the less-experienced team of the Grateful Dead. Selvin brings new details to light about the other deaths that received less media attention: a 19-year-old who drowned in a canal while sneaking in, and two men who were run over at a campfire by an unidentified car thief who managed to slip away from police after they questioned him. He also corrects many myths, like the story that three births happened at the fest (in fact, there likely weren’t any). “That myth was probably developed to ameliorate the violent deaths,” says Selvin. “We pieced together a portrait of a disaster that spun out of control almost as soon as the idea entered the ether.”

One thing became clear as I got further and further into this book: Selvin researched this for a very long time. it is very thorough, and is a solid example of fine journalism. He takes an unflinching look at everything and everyone that was involved, and you really feel like you get to understand exactly what went wrong, and why it went wrong. Also, how, in fact, it could and should have been foreseen. Not only is it amazing that this concert actually took place, but frankly, it is almost surprising that it did not turn out even worse than it wound up doing - not that it was so great, obviously. 

There are times when Selvin inserts his opinions and judgement values. This felt a bit too much, at times, and it was distracting, such as his skeptical attitude towards Woodstock, when he dismissed the idea that it was the symbol of peace and love and non-violence. He cited some examples of how it was not, such as people burning down a hot dog stand because of overly high prices. He might have a point there, but then he talked about people getting high and traffic jams, and how then Governor Rockefeller of New York almost called in the National Guard, and how this would have altered the popular image and legacy of Woodstock. Maybe, but he seems reluctant to give Woodstock any credit. The fact of the matter is that we do not know what would have happened had the National Guard gone in, because they were not actually called in. And even mainstream establishment news sources at the time marveled that a crowd of half a million people could assemble so relatively peacefully and without too many major incidents. There was one accidental death that had nothing to do with the crowd, but rather happened when a farmer on a tractor trailer ran over a kid sleeping on his field. It felt that Selvin glossed over the largely successful story of Woodstock, and seemed set instead on undermining the rather glowing reputation of the famous, even legendary music festival that in some respects has come to symbolize the sixties themselves.

In the end, Selvin lays blame at the feet of numerous people, including the Hell's Angels, who came across looking like brutes and thugs, as well as the Grateful Dead, who first recommended the Hell's Angels to the band who was the driving force behind the concert: the Rolling Stones. It is the Stones who Selvin ultimately holds most responsible for the disaster at Altamont, and in this, truth be told, I think that he makes a strong case. I know that some people in some reviews of the book took exception to this. Even my own brother recently suggested that the Stones were more innocent bystanders than active participants in how Altamont ultimately turned out to be a disaster. 

Here is one person who kind of typifies this feeling. She reviewed the book, and expressed her dislike of Selvin laying most of the blame for Altamont at the feet of the Stones (see link for Kate's Review below):

My one qualm that I had with this book is that Selvin, while trying to ease blame off of the usual suspects and showing it as a perfect storm of nonsense, kind of throws the Stones under the bus a little bit. Do I think that the Stones were idiots to agree to this entire thing given how shoddily planned it was? Totally. Do I think that Jagger was disingenuous in his dealings with the press when asked about pricing for their tickets? Yes indeed. But Jagger was twenty six. Richards was twenty five. Grown men, yes, but young, and they had been surrounded by yes men for a few years whose jobs were to shield them from this stuff. It’s not fair to humanize the Hells Angels, who were stabbing, beating, and roughing up concertgoers, and then imply that the Stones were to blame for all the violence. I call bullshit on that. And I also wonder how witnessing this traumatic event, liability in question or not, affected the members of the band. After all, shortly thereafter at least Richards starting doing heavier drugs than he usually experimented with. It may not be connected but it did raise some questions.

Yes, the Stones were young, and probably did not fully realize all of the ramifications of their actions. But youth and naïveté cannot completely vindicate or exonerate them in this case. Plenty of people as young or younger than the Stones were then have been held rightly accountable for their actions when it is deemed necessary, and the Stones should have been, too. More on why they were largely responsible shortly. Also surely, this reviewer is not the only one who took exception to the humanizing of the Hell's Angels. However, the Hell's Angels, for all the deserved criticism that has been leveled at them for their role in Altamont, are, of course, human beings. We do not have to like their actions, but we need to understand their motivations if we are too understand how and why Altamont turned out so badly. And that means actually listening to what the Hell's Angels have said, and understanding their point of view regarding this event. 

After reading Selvin's book, however, some things became very clear. I will elaborate on them in a later blog entry, which I hope to publish as soon as tomorrow. However, there are certain things that, when taken as a whole, become undeniable, and point to the Rolling Stones as the main targets of why the concert went so horribly wrong. These include but are not necessarily limited to the fact that the Rolling Stones, wanting very much to be a part of the sixties counterculture yet sensitive to criticisms that they were charging too much for tickets to their concerts, the Stones - and Mick Jagger in particular - insisted on holding a free concert as their answer to these criticisms. Indeed, off the chart expensive ticket prices for Stones shows in 1969, which set all sorts of records for just how expensive they wound up being, proved to be the beginning of what turned out to be a trend for the Stones, as they have consistently faced criticism for high ticket prices ever since. And while the show was indeed free for those who wanted to attend, the Stones themselves were getting paid because a movie was being made documenting their tour, something that would turn out to be a factor in why Altamont, specifically, proved to be such a disaster. 

Why?

Because the site of the concert itself proved to be so chaotic, that it made Woodstock seem very well-organized and stable by way of comparison. It is well-known, of course, that Woodstock had to change the site of the concert with just four weeks left. But the "Woodstock West" concert was supposed to be held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park initially, site of numerous other free concerts in the sixties. When could not happen, it was supposed to be elsewhere in the city. When San Francisco itself proved impossible, it was then moved to another location not too far out of the city, and indeed, everything was being prepared for the concert, until the owners of that venue received word that the Stones were making the movie and were going to be paid for it, and so they wanted a piece of the pie. The Stones, not wanting to share any of the money, decided to move the site of the concert yet again. With just days to go before the concert was supposed to take place, the Stones desperately went looking for another site.

When Dick Carter, the owner of the Altamont Freeway, offered his site to host the concert just for the publicity, hoping to get his speedway on the map for possible future events, the Rolling Stones were desperate. After checking the site, many thought it would not be suitable. Also, there was not much time left before the concert was set to take place. But the Stones insisted that the concert needed to take place, and they also were adamant about not sharing any profits from their movie. So despite some warning signs that things were not going well, they jumped on the opportunity and moved the show to Altamont. There were some minor details, like security, and inadequate parking, medical and bathroom facilities, but the Stones outright said that they would worry about little details like that later, even though the concert was set to take place in less than two days time. The official announcement for the change of venue went out, and with less than forty hours to go, helicopters and a crew of busy workers rushed like mad to get everything off of the prior venue and set everything up at Altamont. Despite all of the warnings - and there were no shortage of signs that everything was going wrong, and that the concert itself could prove to be disastrous - the Stones were the ones who insisted, and got their way. The concert was to go on as planned, despite a lack of plans to actually make the concert work. 

The Hell's Angels were hired as a de facto security force, because Mick Jagger hated cops, and absolutely insisted that he wanted not one single police officer there. This, despite the Hell's Angels themselves warning that they had no intention of doing security work, much less acting as some kind of police force. So a deal was arranged that the Hell's Angels would protect the stage, and would receive $500 worth of free alcohol as compensation. In retrospect, this seems like a disaster waiting to happen, but that was the arrangement at the time. And indeed, a disaster is what the event turned into. In fact, after reading Selvin's book, what struck me is that things did not turn out even worse than they actually did, as bad as that was nevertheless.

In the end, it is difficult not to believe that the Stones, having missed the seminal cultural moment of the era, wanted to recreate another Woodstock, and to be highly regarded by the counterculture of that time, while also conveniently keeping every cent of profit from the tour, the movie, and Altamont. But it clearly was no Woodstock, and the Stones were able to let go their inability to be fully accepted or trusted by the counterculture. However, they indeed kept all of the profits, to a ridiculous extent. Again, more on that in my later blog entry about Altamont.

As for this book review, if you want to learn more specifics about the Altamont Music Festival and why it went wrong, you could hardly do better than this book by Joel Selvin. Highly recommended!

All of the quotes used above were taken from the following two articles (see links):

Why Altamont Was Doomed New book tells full story of rock’s most notorious fest by Andy Greene,  August 4, 2016: 

https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/why-altamont-was-doomed-248469/

Kate’s Review: “Altamont”

https://thelibraryladies.com/2016/12/20/kates-review-altamont/

https://www.librarything.com/work/17879185/reviews/179724809

I added the titles of Youtube videos that are related to this book, and about Altamont and the sixties counterculture more generally. Enjoy!

Jeanne Rose on the Altamont Speedway Free Music Festival

Joel Selvin: Altamont And The End Of The 1960S?

KSAN's Post-Altamont Broadcast

MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL--40 YEARS AGO DOCUMENTARY

Les Habs Score Series Clinching Goal in OT to Advance to Stanley Cup Finals For First Time Since 1993

 

Les Canadiens de Montréal

Admittedly, I was getting nervous. This game seemed a little too similar to Game 4, when the Canadiens seemed to own a lead until the third period, when the Vegas Golden Knights scored to tie it.  

In overtime in that game, visiting Vegas also managed to notch the winning goal in overtime to take the game and even the series up.  

Now, here we were again, this time a couple of games later. But the situation seemed similar enough. Montreal owned a series lead, this time three games to two, with a chance to clinch the series with a win, and earn a berth in the Cup Finals. They led 2-1 after two periods, and if they played well enough in the third, they would finally get back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993, with a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since then, as well. All they had to so is…  

And then, just like that, Vegas scored the tying goal, early in the third period. The game was tied, 2-2.  

I was not able to watch on television, because I was at work. But since last time, I had kept the score on Google, and since this familiarity gave me a bad feeling – and also since, admittedly, I can be a bit superstitious when it comes to sports in particular – it seemed like a good idea to close the browser and focus on other things, only occasionally checking in to see if there were any updates as to the results. As if my seeming outward indifference might help lift the Canadiens to victory or something. Lol.  

In any case, this is what I did. And that sinking feeling returned with each update, as the third period grew old, and then eventually, expired.  

Overtime.  

The Canadiens had lost that last overtime game at the Centre Bell, and yes, I was nervous. So I quickly closed the browser once again, returning to other things.  

When I checked next, the Canadiens had scored the winning goal in overtime, and thus punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.  

That’s right. The Canadiens entered these playoffs as, for all intents and purposes, the lowest seed. They had accumulated 59 points, the lowest of any team to qualify for the playoffs. So most assumed that they would lose quickly, and that would be that. Indeed, when Toronto took a three games to one lead in the first round series, it seemed to be par for the course. I will admit that at that point, I had also assumed that they would likely lose Game 5 soon enough, and that one the road to the Stanley Cup, they would then quickly take the first exit.              

However, that was exactly when the Canadiens began to show what they are capable of. They won Game 5. Most people probably assumed at that point that it was just forestalling the inevitable, but they then took Game 6, They had forced a Game 7. And while the prospects of going to a rabid arena in downtown Toronto for a seventh and deciding game may have seen daunting, the Canadiens had given themselves a chance, and that is really all you can ask for. They outplayed the Maple Leafs, and suddenly, they had managed to achieve a rare feat, coming back from down 3-1 to win a series.              

In the second round, the Canadiens were simply on fire. They took the first game in Winnipeg, and then followed that up with another win on the road in Game 2. They walloped the Jets in Game 3, but then had to survive a tough time in Game 4, before ultimately doing just enough to win the game and clinch yet another series.              

Now, against the favored Vegas Golden Knights, the Canadiens have pulled the feat off once again. They lost Game 1, but then won the second one. And so, they had a chance to take the series by the throat if they could win their two home games. They took the first home game, but then lost Game 4, as was mentioned already earlier here.              

But in Game 5, the Canadiens were at their best. Despite being on the road against a tough Vegas squad, Les Habs convincingly outplayed the Golden Knights. Ultimately, they managed to dominate that game, which gave them a great opportunity to clinch the series, and their first appearance in the Cup Finals in nearly three decades, and to do it right at home, at the Centre Bell in Montreal.              

Obviously, they capitalized.              

It all started when team captain Shea Weber scored on a power play in the first period, giving Les Habs the early lead.              

Alec Martinez of the Golden Knights scored to tie the game again, but Cole Caufield, who has emerged as a breakout star in these playoffs, scored, giving the Canadiens the lead once again. They kept it until the third period, when Martinez scored again for Vegas, tying it up. Ultimately, regulation time ended with the game tied.              

So it went into overtime.              

It was then that Arturi Lehkonen scored the winning goal less than two minutes in the overtime session. That was game, set, and match.              

Team owner Marc Bergevin donned his now usual red suit and did a celebratory dance after his team clinched the series win.              

As for Montreal, the city went wild, obviously, as well. There were fireworks and wild celebrations in the city of Montreal after their beloved hockey team won. Of course, the game had taken place on what is the likely the biggest holiday in the province, so people were already celebrating. But the Canadiens gave them even more reason to celebrate, and the city clearly obliged. Most likely, so did the entire province of Quebec. Hopefully, so did the res of the entire country of Canada, for which the team is named.              

One interesting note: the Canadiens have a storied history, as one of the most decorated sports franchises in North America, if not the world. However, they received one trophy that the club had never won in their history before last night: the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. That is because this is traditionally the Western Conference championship trophy, and the Canadiens obviously play in the east.              

Now, they await the winner of Game 7 between the visiting New York Islanders and the hometown Tampa Bay Lightning. That in and of itself should be a great game.              

The Canadiens have faced a number of teams in the Stanley Cup Finals over the course of their decades of existence, but they have never faced either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the New York Islanders.              

Whoever emerges, the Canadiens are looking like they have a real chance to win. This will be the sixth time that a Canadian team has reached the Stanley Cup Finals since the last time that a Canadian team won the Cup. That, of course, was the Canadiens themselves, and this is the first time since then that Montreal has qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks came close twice, in 1994 and in 2011, losing in Game 7 both times. The Calgary Flames were cheated, and should have won it after taking the lead in Game 6 in 2004, but were robbed, and ultimately lost the series in Game 7. Edmonton also lost Game 7 in 2006. The only other Canadian team to have qualified during that stretch was the Ottawa Senators, who lost a short series to Anaheim that only went to Game 5.              

Montreal, however, has the most storied franchise not only north of the border, but in the NHL overall. They have a proud tradition, and a young and hot team that seems to be hitting their stride at the right time. They may finally break through and end the Stanley Cup drought north of the border.  Surely, you know that I will be pulling for the Canadiens to achieve what no other Canadian team has managed to achieve in the better part of three decades now.  

Go Habs, Go!!!

Les Canadiens de Montréal

Today, June 25th is Global Beatles Day

 

Photo by Luiz Fernando Reis (Bealtes cor 36 on Flickr) 

Creative Commons License -https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Image courtesy of niteprowl3r Flickr page -  beatles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sreichenbach/3025971406/in/photolist-5BoTSN-6Kp6DG-9oQPyZ-6Kp8vw-6Kp9oJ-6KjXm4-6KoV2S-6KjVca-eC4tTE-6Kp3Qm-6Kp3hq-6KoWdy-6KjLZg-6Kp5yf-6KjUgt-6Kp6TN-6KjXdM-6Kp45N-6Kp1WY-6KoUGs-6KoVYG-6KoUx9-6Kp153-6KoX3q-6KoZUu-6KjLoH-6KoVv9-6KoXvh-4vA8mP-6Kp4SW-6KjWq6-6Kp4xm-6KjVXZ-6Kp4hS-6Kk1G6-6KkdtD-6KjMRH-6KoVS5-r1ZqRn-6KjZfx-6KjMrx-6KjZue-6KjYzt-6Kp7D9-bCr2k3-aWjPYX-6KvxqP-6Kp7R7-aUXW5n-6KjZW8

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Today is one of those strange holidays, the ones that you never heard about until very recently. Yes today, June 25th, is just such a holiday. It is known as Global Beatles Day.

Why such a seemingly random day?

Well, it is not actually that random. It was on that day back in 1967 that the Beatles performed on a BBC program, known as "Our World." They performed their then new song, "All You Need Is Love," during the broadcast, which was aired before an international audience.

Also, this day happens to more or less fall in between the birthday of two of the Fab Four, the two who still survive to this day. Paul McCartney's birthday just recently passed. It was on June 18th. And Ringo Starr's birthday is July 7th, when he will turn 80 years old!

So again, not so random.

But as a big fan of the Beatles, it seemed appropriate to honor the band, and the ideals of peace and love and great music, that the band has come to symbolize.

That said, Happy Global Beatles Day! I recommend celebrating by picking up your favorite album or two from the Fab Four, and giving it a listen. 

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day / La Fête nationale in Québec ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

 

Photo courtesy of Kyle MacDonald - Quebec_flag: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemacdonald/66650789/in/photolist-6TAXx-6PByUt-o8KnGq-4qPhBC-5ayiie-dCfaHU-4YWgTR-6PBuWD-6PBv3k-8874k4-36C9nK-4Z1xFE-7VsSSh-5CVqmf-qnS9jk-3nYz4N-5uNoVP-8bGnfH-cqskgq-5pjedd-dfMmsL-4UK1Et-9t8Dvq-6ZxwKV-brZuEu-6zaCBc-5iPhim-9Qpwe1-4q3mX4-5Crg5U-3Da8ic-4sAr6C-8f6xSg-5hF28N-6BXydy-5huVVF-wwDQK-fwsa8H-5H9Tr5-5aCvVE-5ayg9T-5aCvBs-6Qskwq-cGmdvJ-4zYTWw-bDn7n-4qLneS-3bx179-ajGUD1-8acMDC
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/



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Today, June 24th, is Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, which is celebrated in certain parts of French Canada, particularly in Québec. It is the feast day honoring St. John the Baptist. He was the Jewish preacher who baptized Jesus.

It is know as La fête nationale in Québec province, having been given a nationalistic flavor. For pro-independent nationalists, it is almost equivalent to Independence Day (the 4th of July) in the United States. It has become an expression of francophone pride, often taking the form of flag waving, much like in the United States. For many Québecois, it is essentially their answer to the Canada Day festivities a week later, on July 1st. For other French Canadians who want to remain part of greater Canada, it is still a holiday to be enjoyed. Businesses are closed and people are off from work, much like the rest of Canada on Canada Day, or like Americans on Independence Day. It is a day of barbecue and parades and public shows of patriotism, perhaps concerts or other festivities, all ending with a grand fireworks show at night.

I was blessed to be in Québec City once for this holiday, and it was very exciting! This was back in 2008, when that city was celebrating it's 400th anniversary. It was incredibly crowded, and we had our very young son with us. He was not yet three years old, and the crowds were a bit too much (which was the main reason that I would not fight hard to get a good spot at the Paul McCartney concert that he gave in Québec City to honor it's 400th anniversary a little less than a month later.

To any Québecois and other French Canadians out there who celebrate the holiday, enjoy this Saint-Jean Baptiste Day/ Fête de la St Jean-Baptiste/ bonne fête nationale!

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⚽️ France Wins Group F After Draw With Portugal ⚽️

  

The final day of round robin play for Euro 2021 happened yesterday, and it proved to be a very busy day indeed. All of the final pieces of who will participate in the elimination round puzzle fell into place. France was one of the nations that advanced. In fact, they managed to win their group, despite not having won either of their last two games.              

They faced Portugal yesterday, the same team that had defeated them in the Euro Final in 2016. France surely wanted revenge for that one. While they got what they wanted overall in terms of winning their group, which was this tournament’s “Group of Death,” it was hardly revenge, as the two teams ultimately wound up tying.  

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo struck first with a goal in the 30th minute.  

However, Karim Benzema had a big day for France. He was able to get the tying goal in the second minute of extra time, so the two teams were nodded up at 1-1.  

Benzema struck again in the 47th minute on a penalty. France took the lead for the first time all day, up 2-1.  

Ronaldo, though, also had a very big day for Portugal. He scored again in the 60th minute on a penalty to tie the game back up.  

And that was the way that this particular game wound up, as neither team was able to score again.  

Meanwhile, Germany flirted with a loss to upstart Hungary, but ultimately was able to salvage a tie in that game. Both games in Group F wound up in 2-2 ties. Since France had defeated Germany, and then tied both Hungary and Portugal, they accumulated 5 points, which was one more than either Germany or Portugal, and so they won the group. Germany earned the second place for the group, having the tie-breaker advantage with the head-to-head win over Portugal a few days ago. That said, both Germany and Portugal advanced to the elimination round as well. Germany will play England in what will surely be a highly anticipated match, while Portugal will play Belgium.  

As for Les Bleus, they will play Switzerland on Monday, June 28th, in the first elimination round game for both teams.

Trump Wants to Sue All Americans Who Voted Against Him

The Onion is still the best satirical publication that I know of, and pretty much by far, at that. Still, there is another site, Baylonbee.com, has had some pretty funny spoof articles from time to time, as well.              

Here is one that had a pretty funny title. It was funny, because it felt like it had a grain of truth to it. The title is as follows:              

Yup, that pretty much feels like it sums up what’s going on, and the demented mindset by a man-child currently still serving as president, as well as prominent members of his cabinet. Also, this same frankly pathetic mindset is shared as well by his legion of loyal supporters, who never seem to question a thing that he says or does.              

Indeed, it often feels like what Trump is saying is that any “real American” would obviously be an admirer of his, and would support everything that he does. Certainly, Trump fans seem to believe this. Perhaps that is why they have such a difficult time accepting that their man could actually lose an election.              

The thing is, it really should not be difficult to believe, at all. In polls, Trump never so much as reached 50 percent approval ratings, and his disapproval ratings remained consistently higher than his approval ratings. This was true generally, but it spiked up when it came to certain things, such as his handling (or rather, mishandling) of the coronavirus pandemic. It is now known that he covered up the level of seriousness of the threat it posed to the country, and he was inconsistent in how he dealt with it, at times acting like it was indeed very serious, and at other times, he downplayed the seriousness of the threat and scoffed at the medical advice by experts to try and contain the threat.              

Indeed, on many levels, most Americans disapproved of the job that Trump was doing. He received serious backlash for certain actions, like when he had difficulty clearly condemning outright Nazis and white supremacists. Most Americans, even many fellow Republicans, were not huge fans of his ridiculous, trademark tweets. In fact, most Americans wished that he would tone down much of his divisive rhetoric, and a large percentage of Americans felt that his personal behavior was a bit too much.              

Also, let us remember that he lost the popular vote in both the 2016 and 2020 election. He lost the popular vote in the 2016 election by 2.7 million, although he was officially declared the winner because of the Electoral College system. In 2020, he lost the popular vote by over 7 million, as well over 81 million Americans came out more to vote Trump out than anything else. There were people literally dancing in the streets in scenes similar to fans in a city that just won a major championship will often do, and these kinds of celebrations were seen in cities literally across the nation from coast to coast.              

So, it is not so hard to believe. Unless, that is, you are a brainwashed member of Cult 45, who believes that they are, in fact, secretly a majority, and perhaps even believe themselves to be a massive majority, at that. In one debate against a Trump supporter, the Trump fan predicted that Trump would easily win the 2020 election, and that 100 million Americans would come out to vote for him in this election.              

Sure enough, the only people who have a difficult time believing that Trump lost would be Trump himself, and of course, his loyal supporters.  For the rest of us?  No, not so hard to believe.  This spoof article, though, points out the absurdity of Trump making outlandish claims of massive voter fraud and millions of “illegal votes” effectively robbing him of what he at least publicly pretends was his election win.  

Below is the link to this article. I should warn you that the title seemed funny, and for me, the assumption was that the article would be quite humorous. But the article itself was frankly not all that funny. Still, worth sharing, so here it is:

Trump Files Lawsuit Against Everyone Who Voted For Biden by Babylonbee.com, December 11th, 2020:

https://babylonbee.com/news/trump-files-lawsuit-against-everyone-who-voted-against-him?fbclid=IwAR1cCSF3aoEjUjWW8im0lUIaqvqEYTDaT6i0p7PHrtSfGI49Bx18XeVadjo

Visiting Princeton During the 2021 Cicada Invasion

 

Yesterday, my son and I went to the campus of Princeton University, which has long been a favorite Jersey destination of mine. I first visited Princeton somewhere around 2001, when a friend and fellow Rutgers alumni (we both graduated from Rutgers that spring) and his wife showed my then wife and myself around the campus. It was beautiful, and I felt like it was strongly reminiscent of Europe.              

Since then, I had visited the campus a few times, as well. Once or twice in the years that followed, and then much more starting around 2011. Then, in 2012, I moved fairly close, in Hillsborough, and visits to Princeton suddenly came much more frequently. Usually, I will visit Princeton a few times each year. For a while there, I was visiting the campus at least once a month on average, although that was a difficult thing to continue.              

My son just got out of school, with his last day technically having been last Friday. I wanted to spend time with him for Father’s Day after I got off from work, and we enjoyed the gardens at the Skylands Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, New Jersey. This is also a favorite spot to visit, and has been since my childhood, when my family first visited the park shortly after moving to neighboring West Milford. We enjoyed some ice cream later in the afternoon, and then ate dinner at Tim Horton’s. It is a Canadian chain, and is a staple north of the border, but there are far fewer of them south of the northern border. There are quite a few up around northwestern New York, particularly around the Buffalo-Niagara Falls region near the Canadian border, and a few that I saw up in Maine, as well. There used to be one on the Connecticut-Rhode Island border up on I-95, as well. One in Pennsylvania by Susquehanna, just after crossing the border into Pennsy from Binghamton. And there are two in New Jersey, one in Stockholm at a bowling alley (but it’s a pretty crappy one), and then another by me, near Hillsborough at the traffic circle. I think it might be Somerville or Raritan, although I could be wrong on both scores. But we pas by it all of the time, and he said that he was in the mood for it, so we went. It did not require much arm twisting on his part to convince me, because I enjoy it, as well.              

In any case, Monday was going to be a visit to either Duke Farms or Princeton. I checked Duke Farms online, and found that, rather annoyingly, they were still closed. While other parks opened with limited basis and with mask requirements last year, Duke Farms just remained closed instead. But now, as we fast approach the midway point of 2021, and as everything seems to be opening back up fully, and mask requirements are starting to be relaxed, Duke Farms still remains closed.              

Princeton it was going to be.              

Now, to be sure, Princeton was the main place I had been leaning towards, in any case. But it would have been nice to have a choice, or to know that Duke Farms will be an option the next time that I have my son with me down in Hillsborough. It is always worth a visit, and reminds me a bit of Skylands.              

Anyway, we went down to Princeton on a hot and stuffy, almost oppressive, early summer afternoon. And as we were driving down, I heard a weird noise. Turning down the volume of the music that we were playing, I asked my son if he heard that, and he confirmed that he did. How could he not, since it was so loud? But he noticed that the noise level did not change when I either accelerated or broke, and he was right. I opened my window, then opened his passenger side window, and noticed that the noise was much louder on his side, which was filled with woods. I also noticed that as we went away from the woods, the noise grew a bit quieter. Once we got to more suburban style neighborhoods, with the woods pushed back even further, the noise receded still more.              

By the time that we got to downtown Princeton, the noise was not dominant, almost overbearing, as it had been in the woods.              

Yet, it was still definitely present.              

But any thoughts or concerns that it might be the car, and that I might need to take it in, melted away once we opened the door and stepped outside. We could hear the noise – which we were sure were either locusts or cicadas – quite clearly.              

We had found a spot in the parking deck, and then walked outside, and I saw a dead one. I pointed it out to my son. I need not have done so, but could not know that yet at the time. Because there was another one a few paces away from that. Then another one, and then one that was alive. This was in an alley, on hot asphalt, which was a bit surprising.              

As we crossed Nassau Street and visited the campus, the noise became, once again, quite overwhelming. When we passed by trees and/or patches of bushes, the noise was very loud. At one point, we decided to take a break from walking around in the unrelenting sun and humidity, and sat in the shade. Now, we could see them everywhere. They were flying around, into the trees. One landed on my ankle, another on my son while he was reading (we read together, aloud). They were all over the place, and at times, they got very loud.              

This was something I had only heard of before, but had never experienced. It was something very, very different than anything I had experienced before. It was interesting, and simultaneously a bit alarming. Later on, when I did a bit of research, I learned that, in fact, Princeton has a history of these things coming around once every 17 years, something that I had been completely unaware of before. Bob Dylan recalled taking David Crosby to the Princeton University graduation ceremony in 1970, and calling it the “Day of the Locusts” (even though they were, in fact, cicadas, although the two are often mistaken for one another). They came again in 1987, and again in 2004.              

Now, here they were again in 2021.              

To be honest, I think that we caught them at the tail end of their periodic visit once every 17 years. As loud and as clearly present as they were everywhere we went, especially in green spaces and by trees and bushes, they nevertheless looked like they had little to no energy. Many of them appeared to be dying. One that my son pointed out was missing it’s tail, or stinger, or whatever it was. Not sure if some creature had bitten it off, or what had happened, but that poor guy was still alive.              

This was highly unusual, and again, nothing that either of us had seen or experienced before.              

In the modest research that I did afterwards, I discovered that these cicadas are specific to Princeton, and maybe some neighboring towns, as well. Only the males sing, to attract the females, which just goes to show the lengths that males - no matter what the creature may be – will go to just to try and attract the attention of females. I laughed recalling how I saw a beautiful peacock in Poland in 2013, spreading his impressive and very colorful wings and shaking them (they were noisy, too) at the females, who just walked indifferently by, clearly unimpressed.              

This bunch were part of whart is known as “Brood X, and they span numerous states, from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, to western Ohio and Indiana, a bit into Michigan and Illinois, and even down in North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Georgia, with some other potential populations in states as far away as Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. There may be some as far north as New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, as well.              

Very fascinating stuff.              

As far as how loud they are, they can be extremely loud, reaching up to 90-100 decibels. Again, we heard them in the car with closed windows, with the air conditioning on and the music at a decent level, and they were clearly audible. They reminded me of lawn mowers, and at times, they could be really loud, almost impossible to ignore.              

Indeed, also, my suspicions were correct: they came out in May, and would last usually around two to four weeks. Since it is now fairly late June, we probably again got the very end of them, but if most of them were gone by this point, then it is difficult to imagine their presence on this day being milder than what I presume it was three or four weeks ago. Again, they were everywhere, and they could be deafening. No way for us to know, but I wondered if they still were loud at nighttime, like grasshoppers and crickets in the woods on warm nights.             

Cicadas do not bite or sting, and in face, and really pose no danger to humans. They do not carry diseases. In fact, they can be good for the local environment, which I was surprised by. Guess I had mistaken them for the infestations of locusts, who have been known to do serious damage to crop yields in other regions of the country.              

And yes, they sound nothing like any insects that I have ever known. Probably, the closest would be crickets, but they make very different noises than crickets. I took some pictures and videos, including one in a section of the campus where they seemed to come in particularly loudly as we were passing through. It was a courtyard, and so perhaps the closed off section with stone walls allowed the noise to bounce and echo, if you will. You can watch the clip for yourself, although it likely will not do justice to just how loud they are in person, where you feel yourself surrounded by them, and their noise.

Here is a video clip of how noisy the cicadas can be during our recent visit to Princeton:

Cicadas attending Princeton University:

https://youtu.be/1403dRAHBOk