Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Garrison Keillor: A man walks into a bar in Oregon (Washington Post)
I heard about the patience of the Japanese linguist and the joyful spirit of the Holocaust survivor. These are the stories that matter.
Mark Morford: Fire of devastation, rain of compassion (SF Gate)
This is simply to say, the devastation might be staggering and the loss heartbreaking, but the outpouring of love and community support - occurring, as it is, smack in the face of every nasty Trump tweet, every hateful GOP agenda item, every bit of racist Breitbart propaganda, et al - is unutterably marvelous and radiantly humane. And for this, we can only bow in gratitude.
Roger Cohen: Daydreaming in Germany (NY Times)
America's word is a devaluing currency. Across Europe people roll their eyes at the mere mention of the American president.
Jonathan Jones: Raphael, the artist killed by too much sex? (The Guardian)
It may be a tall tale, but the legend that the artist overindulged with his mistress has served to keep his art alive.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave: "His Dark Materials: the enduring, terrifying appeal of Philip Pullman's world" (The Guardian)
La Belle Sauvage will return readers to Lyra's universe […], 17 years after Pullman's original trilogy ended. But His Dark Materials remains a radical read - and a true modern classic.
Alison Flood: Philip Pullman leads writers condemning 'pernicious' book discounts (The Guardian)
His Dark Materials novelist says today's steep price cuts devalue authors' work and cheapen the experience of reading.
Morwenna Ferrier: I'd love to abandon my morning routine - but who can escape its tyranny? (The Guardian)
Princess Margaret's morning habit included two hours of radio and midday vodka. Most of us stick to more mundane rituals to make life easier but rarely consider how limiting they might be.
Lauren Cochrane: Why has it taken so long for magazines to distance themselves from Terry Richardson? (The Guardian)
Reports of abuse on shoots have long swirled around the photographer - but only now does a major publisher appear to have banned him from its pages.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
wrote:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Contribution
"F" Words
The usually shy and reticent Dale sent this image:
Thanks, Dale!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Warning
Michigan Dogman
Michigan Dogman
It's a year with a 7, it's a year when Dogman roams about our neck of the the woods.
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
R.I.P. 'FAT MAN'.
EIGHT-YEAR STUDY CONFIRMS...
YOU CAN'T WORSHIP GOD AND MAMMON.
REPUBLICANS SUCK!
REPUBLICANS SUCK! PART 2
THEY'VE GOT A LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS.
BRILLIANT!
RENAME IT "TRUMP BUTT."
LET THE "CUB SCOUTS" RUN THE COUNTRY.
A FIRE THIS TIME.
OK!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
"Only" 100° today. Ack.
"Main Studio Rule"
FCC
The FCC has voted today to eliminate the so-called "Main Studio Rule," which requires local TV and radio broadcasters to maintain studios in the communities where they are licensed. (Often, that means the place where their physical antenna is located.)
Doing away with the rule, which was established in 1940, benefits the largest broadcasters, especially Sinclair, which is set to swallow Tribune Media to become even more of a behemoth. The commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines to eliminate the rule.
Critics of eliminating the Main Studio Rule say it will accelerate the already destructive tendencies toward consolidation. Corporate giants like Sinclair, the No. 1 station owner with more than 200 stations across the country, have centralized many facets of their news operations, which can deprive some smaller markets of boots-on-the-ground local reporting.
Skeptics of the current laissez-faire tilt of the FCC under Republican chairman Ajit Pai (R-Comcast), who has been assailed for being too friendly to corporate interests and for undermining net neutrality and other Obama-era policies, see this vote as fitting into that pattern.
FCC
Shocking! Fox Protected O'Really
Megyn Kelly
One of America's top TV personalities accused Fox News on Monday of protecting disgraced former presenter Bill O'Reilly (R-Mad At God) in the face of sexual harassment allegations.
Speaking on her morning show on NBC television, ex-Fox anchor Megyn Kelly said she sent an email to several Fox News executives in November 2016, expressing her outrage at O'Reilly's alleged behavior.
Her comments came after The New York Times reported Saturday that O'Reilly, who has since been fired, settled a sexual harassment claim by Fox legal analyst Lis Wiehl for $32 million in January.
He was later was offered a new contract -- but forced out again in mid-April after the Times revealed details of five other settlements.
"OJ Simpson was ordered to pay the Goldman and Brown families $33.5 million for the murders of Ron and Nicole," she said. "What on Earth would justify that amount? What awfulness went on?"
Megyn Kelly
Launches Campaign
Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman has launched a "Truth Campaign" to finance a documentary about his life and uncover the truth surrounding sexual abuse in Hollywood.
In an almost seven-minute video, Feldman explains his plans to shed light on alleged pedophiles working in entertainment. His plea is prompted by a chain reaction of sexual harassment allegations being brought up within the industry, starting with Harvey Weinstein.
"What I am proposing is a plan that can literally change the entertainment system as we know it," he says. "I believe that I can also bring down, potentially, a pedophile ring that I have been aware of since I was a child. Right off the bat, I can name six names, one of them who is still very powerful today. And a story that links all the way up to a studio. It connects pedophilia to one of the major studios."
As of Wednesday afternoon, his Indiegogo campaign has raised $23,317 of its flexible $10 million goal.
Feldman previously revealed that he and his childhood friend Corey Haim were molested as young actors by Hollywood heavyweights. In the video, Feldman calls upon his fellow '80s child stars to come forward with their own stories.
Corey Feldman
CBS Evening News Anchor
Jeff Glor
Emmy-award winning CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor has been named anchor of the CBS Evening News, the network's flagship evening news broadcast, it was announced today by CBS News President David Rhodes.
Glor has reported across the globe for virtually all CBS News broadcasts and digital platforms in his 10 years with the network. He has anchored numerous breaking news stories, including most recently in the field for Hurricane Irma and in the studio for the Las Vegas shootings.
Glor was a lead anchor on CBSN, CBS' 24/7 streaming news service, during its critical launch period. As CBSN continues to grow, Glor will maintain a prominent presence on the digital streaming channel.
Anthony Mason, who served as interim anchor of the broadcast in recent months, will continue in his role as CBS News senior national correspondent and co-host of "CBS This Morning: Saturday."
Jeff Glor
Newest Gouging
National Parks
The National Park Service is considering a steep increase in entrance fees at 17 of its most popular parks, mostly in the U.S. West, to address a backlog of maintenance and infrastructure projects.
Visitors to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and other national parks would be charged $70 per vehicle, up from the fee of $30 for a weekly pass. At others, the hike is nearly triple, from $25 to $70.
A 30-day public comment period opened Tuesday. The Park Service says it expects to raise $70 million a year with the proposal at a time when national parks repeatedly have been breaking visitation records and putting a strain on park resources. Nearly 6 million people visited the Grand Canyon last year.
Annual $80 passes for federal lands would not change, though fees would go up for pedestrians and motorcyclists. The higher fees would apply only during the five busiest contiguous months for parks, for most that's May through September when many families are on vacation.
The proposal applies to Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Zion in Utah; Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Joshua Tree in California; Grand Teton and Yellowstone in Wyoming; Mount Rainier and Olympic in Washington; Shenandoah in Virginia; Acadia in Maine; Rocky Mountain in Colorado; the Grand Canyon in Arizona; and Denali in Alaska.
National Parks
Wants America to Know
T-rump
President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Delusional) informed reporters on Wednesday he's a "very intelligent person" who was a "nice student" at an Ivy League school-as he blamed the press for any negative impression Americans have of him.
Trump spends a substantial amount of time tweeting insults at his political opponents and began his presidential campaign by referring to Mexican immigrants as "rapists." But on Wednesday, he said reporters suggest that he is suggesting that he is "uncivil."
"You know, people don't understand, I went to an Ivy League college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I'm a very intelligent person," Trump said. The president also said he has "one of the great memories of all time."
There has been some speculation that Trump was admitted to the elite school only because an admissions officer was a high school classmate of his older brother. Former classmates of Trump's said he spoke up in class a lot but didn't stand out as particularly brilliant and left a small impression on the school, according to The Boston Globe.
It's also no secret the president has a tenuous relationship with facts and frequently misspeaks. Recently, he struggled to pinpoint the location of Puerto Rico and also didn't seem to know he was the president of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Whether or not these are the signs of a "very intelligent person" is ultimately up to the American people to decide.
T-rump
World's Most Powerful Passport
Singapore
Singaporeans now hold the most powerful passport in the world, with visa-free access to more countries than any other nation in 2017, according to a new index.
Thanks to new developments with Paraguay, which removed visa requirements for Singaporeans, the city-state has managed to edge out long-time chart-topper Germany, in the newest Passport Index.
"For the first time ever an Asian country has the most powerful passport in the world," said Philippe May, managing director of Arton Capital's Singapore office which developed the index.
After Singapore comes Germany, with visa-free mobility to 158 countries, followed by Sweden and South Korea, which tie for third place with access to 157 countries.
The US is ranked 6th on the list, alongside Canada, Malaysia, and Ireland.
Singapore
NAACP Warns Travelers
American Airlines
A leading US civil rights group is warning black travelers against flying on American Airlines, saying that they could face "disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe" treatment.
The NAACP said Tuesday that a series of "troublesome" recent incidents "suggest a corporate culture of racial insensitivity and possible racial bias on the part of American Airlines."
"In light of these confrontations, we have today taken the action of issuing national advisory alerting travelers -- especially African Americans -- to exercise caution, in that booking and boarding flights on American Airlines could subject them disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions," it said.
Following a request from the rights group, American is extending an invitation for NAACP representatives to meet with airline executives at its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
American Airlines
Indigenous Population
Canada
Canada's indigenous population grew by 42.5 percent to 1.6 million in the decade to 2016 when the last census was taken, the government statistical agency announced Wednesday.
This amounts to 4.9 percent of Canada's population, and their numbers -- which include registered treaty Indians, Metis and Inuit -- are forecast to continue rising to more than 2.5 million by 2036, it said.
The figures confirmed a trend previously reported that found aboriginal people are "young in age and growing in numbers," Statistics Canada said in a statement.
The agency noted two main reasons for the jump: natural growth that includes increased life expectancy and relatively high fertility rate, and a higher number of people self-reporting as aboriginal.
The data painted a portrait of indigenous culture that is richly diverse with more than 70 aboriginal languages spoken.
Canada
In Memory
Fats Domino
Fats Domino, the amiable rock 'n' roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. He was 89.
In appearance, he was no matinee idol. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including "Blueberry Hill," "Ain't That a Shame" - originally titled "Ain't It A Shame"- and other standards of rock 'n' roll.
Domino's dynamic performance style and warm vocals drew crowds for five decades. One of his show-stopping stunts was playing the piano while standing, throwing his body against it with the beat of the music and bumping the grand piano across the stage.
His 1956 version of "Blueberry Hill" was selected for the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings worthy of preservation.
Domino became a global star but stayed true to his hometown, where his fate was initially unknown after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. It turned out that he and his family were rescued by boat from his home, where he lost three pianos and dozens of gold and platinum records, along with other memorabilia.
But in May 2007, he was back, performing at Tipitina's music club in New Orleans. Fans cheered - and some cried - as Domino played "I'm Walkin'," ?Ain't That a Shame," ?Shake, Rattle and Roll," ?Blueberry Hill" and a host of other hits.
That performance was a highlight during several rough years. After losing their home and almost all their belongings to the floods, his wife of more than 50 years, Rosemary, died in April 2008.
Domino moved to the New Orleans suburb of Harvey after the storm but often visited his publishing house, an extension of his old home in the Lower 9th Ward, inspiring many with his determination to stay in the city he loved.
The son of a violin player, Antoine Domino Jr. was born Feb. 26, 1928, one of nine children. As a youth, he taught himself popular piano styles - ragtime, blues and boogie-woogie.
He quit school at age 14, and worked days in a factory while playing and singing in local juke joints at night. In 1949, Domino was playing at the Hideaway Club for $3 a week when he was signed by Imperial record company.
He recorded his first song, "The Fat Man," in the back of a tiny French Quarter recording studio.
In 1955, he broke into the white pop charts with "Ain't it a Shame," covered blandly by Pat Boone as "Ain't That a Shame" and rocked out decades later under that title by Cheap Trick and others. Domino enjoyed a parade of successes through the early 1960s, including "Be My Guest" and "I'm Ready." Another hit, "I'm Walkin,'" became the debut single for Ricky Nelson.
Domino appeared in the rock 'n' roll film "The Girl Can't Help It" and was among the first black performers featured in popular music shows, starring with Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. He also helped bridge rock 'n' roll and other styles - even country/western, recording Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" and Bobby Charles' "Walkin' to New Orleans."
In 1988, all of New Orleans seemed to be talking about him after he reportedly paid cash for two Cadillacs and a $130,000 Rolls-Royce. When the salesman asked if he wanted to call his bank about financing, Domino smiled and said, "I am the bank."
In 1998, he became the first purely rock 'n' roll musician to be awarded the National Medal for the Arts. But he cited his age and didn't make the trip to the White House to get the medal from President Clinton.
That was typical. Aside from rare appearances in New Orleans, including a 2012 cameo spot in the HBO series "Treme," he dodged the spotlight in his later years, refusing to appear in public or even to give interviews.
Fats Domino
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