Cheers & Jeers
AP
Heinz Field is viewed Monday on the North Shore in Pittsburgh.
The further one wades into Ryerson Station State Park鈥檚 zero gravity pool, the deeper the water gets. A big, green, twisty slide splashes into the deep end of the pool, and the complex鈥檚 on-site spray park adds another element of fun to the water amenity. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Frank Augstein/Associated Press
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London, July 6.
Jeers: The football stadium where the Pittsburgh Steelers play has been known as Heinz Field for a little more than two decades. Sure, it鈥檚 a corporate name, but it鈥檚 a name with deep roots in the region. But that local tie will soon be severed, with the announcement that Heinz Field is becoming Acrisure Stadium. Though Acrisure sounds like an over-the-counter medicine for uncomfortable bodily conditions, it鈥檚 actually an insurance brokerage firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich., more than 400 miles from Pittsburgh. Once the new name is attached, Acrisure Stadium will join the list of such other unfortunately named venues as Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater, Smoothie King Center and Talking Stick Resort Arena. One observer on Twitter opined, 鈥淎crisure Stadium replaces Guaranteed Rate Field as the worst venue name in pro sports.鈥�
Cheers: As we land smack in the middle of hot-weather season, the opening of a new swimming complex last week in Ryerson Station State Park in Greene County is a welcome development. What makes it even better is that it is environmentally friendly. Water in its spray park is reused and the parking lot is covered in a solar canopy. According to Cindy Adams Dunn, the secretary of conservation and natural resources, the energy for the park is solar and it is at net zero in terms of energy consumption. Melody Longstreth, director of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce, said, 鈥淩yerson has a place in everyone鈥檚 heart in Greene County. 鈥� The new technology and the new beginnings that we are seeing here are just outstanding. This is something that is vital to our community. We are in a beautiful, beautiful place.鈥�
Jeers: Having parties during government-mandated COVID-19 lockdowns and promoting an official with a reputation for sexual misconduct seem like piddling scandals in the United States, particularly in light of the revelations of the Jan. 6 committee. But those scandals and others were sufficient to bring down the curtain on the premiership of Boris Johnson in Britain. Members of Johnson鈥檚 Conservative Party rose up en masse last week to let their leader know that his shenanigans and prevarications had grown tiresome, and it was time for fresh, less blighted leadership at 10 Downing Street. Some American politicians should take note. Throughout his career, the soon-to-be former prime minister has developed a reputation as an entertainer, and one seemingly incapable of shame. It鈥檚 nice to know some of his colleagues have some.
Jeers: What do you think of when you hear the term 鈥渋nvoluntary relocation?鈥� People having to move out of a neighborhood to make way for a highway? Or someone who has to pull up stakes to a less desirable city in a corporate reshuffling? Well, in Texas, some educators believe that 鈥渋nvoluntary relocation鈥� is the best way to describe slavery. According to the Texas Tribune, a proposal was made to the Texas State Board of Education that slavery be called 鈥渋nvoluntary relocation鈥� in second-grade social studies classes. This comes one year after legislators in Texas approved a law prohibiting the exploration of topics that might make students feel uncomfortable. So, according to this way of thinking, 鈥渋nvoluntary relocation鈥� just sounds a little less harsh than 鈥渟lavery.鈥� Annette Gordon-Reed, a history professor at Harvard University, said the idea was absurd: 鈥淵oung kids can grasp the concept of slavery and being kidnapped into it,鈥� she said.