A lot happened this past week. From the deaths of two people I greatly admired to the horrible train crash in Philadelphia and the exhilarating win of American Pharoah at the Preakneess, it’s been quite a week of newsworthy events.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights
America’s complicated relationship with religion
It’s Sunday and that means the faithful are waking up and heading to church. Early this week Pew Research Center released a study on America’s Changing Religious Landscape. The stats had people buzzing about America’s faith, or the lack thereof. According to Pew, between 2007 and 2014, the share of Christians in the U.S. fell from 78.4% to 70.6%. And those who claim no religion at all grew from 16.1% to 22.8%. Many announced the death of Christianity. But the story is a bit more complicated. Here’s a couple of good explanations of what’s really happening:
Singing the Blues
On Thursday, blues legend B. B. King died at age 89. The 15-time-Grammy winner played guitar like no one else. He cherished his guitar so much, he named it Lucille. As the story goes, King left his guitar in a bar when a fight broke out between two men arguing about a woman. The fight started a fire and King ran back in to save his precious guitar. King later found out the woman’s name was Lucille. He was dubbed ‘B.B.,’ short for ‘Blues Boy,’ early in his career. His style of playing influenced guitarists like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. B.B. King was ranked number six on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Living in Memphis, a fun outing was heading to B.B. King’s Blues Club down on Beale Street. Unfortunately, I never caught him live. Although he suffered from diabetes, King kept performing until late last year. One of my favorite performances was of him and John Mayer at the Grammy’s.
Death of William Zinsser, 92
William Zinsser, the man who taught millions to write with clarity, simplicity, and brevity, died Tuesday. He was 92. His book “On Writing Well” is considered a classic on the craft of writing, a great companion to Strunk and White’s“The Elements of Style.”
Two down, one to go
Yesterday, in a deluge of rain, American Pharoah won the 2015 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. The stage is now set for the possibility of a Triple Crown—American Pharaoh won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. All eyes will be on the colt at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.
The closing of an icon
Finally, the popular toy store FAO Schwartz announced this past week it was closing its it iconic NYC store on Fifth Avenue. It feels like the end of an era. Remember, the scene in the 1988 Tom Hanks film “Big” when Hanks and Robert Loggia played chopsticks on the giant keyboard?
Carol Pipes 