European Culture Bigshots

I’ve always been a culture vulture. Literature major, art history minor, big classical music goer, repertory film type …

I’m also a big geography nerd. Put the two together, and you get … something like this.

So, what is this, exactly? Well, basically, I tried to see if I could name a writer, musician, composer, and director for all of the countries in Europe. 

Yeah, France, Italy, Germany … easy-peasy. But, how about Serbia, though, or Portugal, or Finland? A little more difficult, huh?

Nada

Slovenia, the Baltics, Montenegro, N Macedonia, Luxembourg, Bosnia, Albania (and Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, Vatican City & Liechtenstein)

One-Offs

Portugal – Luis de Camoes (writer)

Bulgaria – Christo (artist)

Finland – Sibelius (composer)

Denmark – Hans Christian Andersen (writer)

Ukraine – Nikolai Gogol (writer)

Ireland – Joyce (writer)

Netherlands – Rembrandt (artist)

Twos

Switzerland – Hermann Hesse (writer), Paul Klee (artist)

Poland – Chopin (composer), Polanski (director)

Sweden – Strindberg (writer), Bergman (director)

Romania – Ionesco (writer), Brancusi (artist)

Threes

Hungary – Liszt (composer), Alexander Korda (director). Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (artist)

Norway – Ibsen (writer), Munch (artist), Grieg (composer)

Greece – Homer (writer), El Greco (artist), Costa-Gavras (director)

All Four

Belgium – Rubens (artist), Georges Simenon (writer), Cesar Franck (composer), Chantal Akerman (director)

Austria – Mozart (composer), Gustav Klimt (artist), Fritz Lang (director), Stefan Zweig (writer)

Czechia – Kafka (writer), Dvorak (music), Alphonse Mucha (artist), Milos Forman (director)

Britain – Shakespeare (writer), Hitchcock (director), JMW Turner (artist), Benjamin Britten (composer)

Spain – Picasso (artist), Cervantes (writer), Manuel de Falla (composer), Pedro Almodovar (director)

Russia – Tolstoy (writer), Tchaikovsky (composer), Wassily Kandinsky (artist), Sergei Eisenstein (director)

Germany – Beethoven (composer), Goethe (writer), Albrecht Durer (artist) Werner Herzog (director)

France – Proust (writer), Monet (artist), Debussy (composer), Godard (director)

Italy – Dante (writer), Michelangelo (artist), Verdi (composer), Fellini (director)

Who knows, maybe I'll do non-European countries next.

Hot Pols

Welcome to my extremely sexist blog post. Yup, I really am ranking the hottest babes in the very serious (to some, at least) field of US politics.

I’ll be focusing on:

• The big positions – US senate, US rep, governor
• Elected offices only 

As for that last bit, I originally wanted to figure out which party had the hottest babes. 

Now, numbers-wise, they’re pretty evenly split. The top babes, though, are definitely R’s. Now, I’m not sure if that’s because they actually are hotter, or just because they seem a lot more willing to don a bikini.

Anyway, let’s check it out …

25.  Kirsten Gillibrand 

New York, Sen, D

NOTE:  Graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth

24.  Catherine Cortez Masto 

Nevada, Sen, D

NOTE:  Half Italian, half Mexican

23.  Marie Perez 

Washington, Rep, D

NOTE:  Made the New York Times Style Magazine list of the Most Stylish People 

Though you wouldn’t know it from here

22.  Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 

Florida, Rep, D

NOTE:  Indicted on 17 counts for theft of $5 million in FEMA funds & making illegal campaign contribution donations

21. Emilia Sykes 

Ohio, Rep, D

NOTE:  Dad was a state senator & mom a state rep

20. Mikie Sherrill 

New Jersey, Gov, D

NOTE:  Naval Academy grad & Navy helicopter pilot

19. Shontel Brown 

Ohio, Rep, D

NOTE:  Won her 1st position (city council) by 7 votes

18. Julia Letlow 

Louisiana, Rep, R

NOTE:  Has a PhD

17. Gretchen Whitmer 

Michigan, Gov, D

NOTE:  Has 3 tattoos

16. Beth Van Duyne 

Texas, Rep, R

NOTE:  Grew up in NY

15. Katie Britt 

Alabama, Sen, R

NOTE:  Married to a former NFLer

14. Nanette Barragan

California, Rep, D

NOTE:  Has played in the Congressional Baseball Game & Congressional Women's Softball Game

13.  Nancy Mace 

South Carolina, Rep, R

NOTE:  Graduated magna cum laude from the Citadel

12.  Lori Trahan

Massachusetts, Rep, D

NOTE:  In Lowell High School’s Sports Hall of Fame

11. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

New York, Rep, D

NOTE:  Former waitress & bartender

10. Jasmine Crockett 

Texas, Rep, D

NOTE:  Called out Marjorie Taylor Green’s (see below) “bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body” on the house floor

9. Laura Gillen 

New York, Rep, D

NOTE:  Taught scuba in Thailand

8. Laurel Lee 

Florida, Rep, R

NOTE:  Fomer judge & Florida secretary of state

7. Lisa McClain 

Michigan, Rep, R

NOTE:  Maiden name is Iovannisci

6. Ashley Hinson 

Iowa, Rep, R

NOTE:  Former TV news babe

5. Claudia Tenney

New York, Rep, R

NOTE:  On basketball, curling & equestrian teams in high school

4. Lauren Boebert

Colorado, Rep, R

NOTE:  Got into a screaming match with Marjorie Taylor Greene (see below) in the house ladies’ bathroom over a vote for speaker

3. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Georgia, Rep, R

NOTE: Big-time CrossFitter (trainer, franchisee)

2. Maria Elvira Salazar

Florida, Rep, R

NOTE:  Former TV news babe

1.  Anna Paulina Luna

Florida, Rep, R

NOTE:  Has appeared in SI & Maxim

Countries with a Single NFL Alum

About 5 years ago, I did something similar for baseball. So, why not do the same for football? 

NOTES:

• As before, I’m only doing real countries. So, places like Hong Kong, Marshall Islands, Kosovo … are out
• Same goes for NFL teams – Columbus Tigers, LA Buccaneers, Pottsville Maroons …

Angola – Christo Bilukidi

DE, 3 yrs, 3 teams, 2010s

Fun fact – has lived in Angola, France & Canada

Is now selling real estate (Christo’s on the right)

Armenia – Mike Gulian

T, Brown, 5 yrs, 3 teams, 1920s

Fun fact – first name was Milanese

Bolivia – Wilson Alvarez

K, Seahawks, 1981

Oops, wrong one

Brazil – Cairo Santos

K, Tulane, 12 yrs, 5 teams, active

Fun facts – discovered American football as an exchange student

2012 Lou Groza Award winner (best college kicker)

Chile – Sammis Reyes

TE, Commanders, 2021

Fun fact – 6’6” and originally a basketball player

Cyprus – Garo Yepremian

K, 14 yrs, 4 teams, 2-time Pro Bowler, led NFL in scoring

Fun fact – most seasons for a player who did not go to college

Now, known solely for this play, poor guy

El Salvador – Jose Cortez

K, Oregon St, 6 yrs, 7 teams, 2000s

Fun fact – came to US at age 15 as undocumented alien; became a state trooper upon retirement; fired for sexual assault

Fiji – Freddy Keiaho

LB, San Diego St, 4 yrs, Colts

Fun fact – born Naivote Taulawakeiaho

You can find him on LinkedIn, selling pools

Gambia – Ali Gaye

LB, LSU, 2 yrs, Titans, active

Fun fact – immigrated at age 12

Guinea – Kwity Paye

DE, Michigan, 5 yrs, Colts, active

Fun fact – Liberian, born in Guinea as a refugee

Guyana – Lance Schulters

DB, Hofstra, 10 yrs, 4 teams

Fun fact – currently assistant defensive coach for Atlanta

Iran – Shar Pourdanesh

T, Nevada, 5 yrs, 2 teams

Fun fact – formerly in CFL

Libya – Tony Cherry

RB, Oregon, 2 yrs, 49ers, 1980s

Fun fact – another CFLer

Paraguay – Benny Ricardo

K, San Diego State, 7 yrs, 5 teams

Fun fact – TV analyst, actor, comedian; married to former Playmate Monique Noel

 

Benny on left, Monique on right