(Announcer voice): “The following paragraphs briefly contain language that may be inappropriate for all people except, apparently, for those in high office.”
Welcome to the Daily Deluge for this Friday, January 12, 2018. After yesterday’s dunking, the weather is improving in a big way, with showers decreasing and a high of 50 today, and then a most unusual and welcome sunny, dry and mild weekend. Portland officially endured .57″ of rain, but there’s .87 in my digital Bluetooth bucket. Portland tied a record high of 58 yesterday, the warmest day in almost two months. Sunrise 7:48 AM, sunset 4:50 PM.
How can I broadcast the news on the radio today and still keep my job, listeners, readers, and self-respect? Here we have a president who called Haiti and El Salvador and all of Africa “shithole countries” in the context of his not wanting the US to admit these human beings into our great land. He said he’d rather bring in people from Norway. And we have the chairwoman of the Multnomah County Commission apologizing in an open meeting for calling a sister commissioner a “bitch,” in response to a direct demand from the slur’s recipient. The problem for me is not so much the words as the human disregard they convey. And even though under FCC rules I could probably get away with relaying this president’s utterings on the news and not be slapped with a $325,000 fine, because in this case they have “political value,” I won’t do it, and I cite Aretha Franklin (and Otis Redding) as a precedent. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. To get some, you must show some.
Ugh. More thoughts later, and in the comment section for sure. OK. News:
Happy to say that the Columbia Gorge saw only a few minor debris flows in the Eagle Creek burn area during the downpour yesterday, but nothing major, like in California, and here’s why: the deep and extensive root systems of the burned trees continue to hold the Gorge hillsides, and will until they rot away in several years. When they’re gone, the hillside stability will be gone as well and mudslides are much more likely. It’s happened that way before. Thanks to PSU geologist Scott Burns, via KGW, for the insight!
Two children have died of the flu in recent weeks in Oregon. One was under 10, one under 5. Names and locations not release. The CDC says you can protect yourself and your kids by avoiding closing contact with sick people, covering coughs and sneezes, wiping down surfaces, washing hands carefully and frequently with soap and water, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. All of that takes mindful effort.
An elderly Salem couple escaped a burning RV.
An old oak tree 65 feet tall crashed at 1st and Walnut in Hillsboro.
Portland will get some of the good old national media attention that we love so much when Sixty Minutes does a piece on our town this Sunday. Allow me to paste from the CBS blurb: “Perhaps it’s fitting that “Portlandia,” the IFC comedy series lampooning Portland, Oregon, is in its last season. The city famous for its quirky, liberal citizenry seems to be changing into an edgier — and more expensive — town than the cuddly one satirized on television.”
The public radio show formerly known as “A Prairie Home Companion” broadcasts live across the nation from the Keller Auditorium tomorrow afternoon
Happy birthday to Howard Stern. Half his show has the maturity of a middle-schooler, but when he gets a serious guest in there, Stern is one of the most incisive and sensitive interviewers I’ve ever heard.
The richest person in the world, Seattle and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is 54 today. He’d be second richest if Bill and Melinda Gates were less generous with their charitable donations.
Couple random headlines:
“Harvey Weinstein slapped at Arizona restaurant”
“The Queen Has Been Forced to Fire Her Bra Fitter”
Tickets go on sale at 10 AM today for The Eagles’ May 5th concert in Portland.
Hitting #1 on this date in 1974 was Steve Miller’s “The Joker.” “Pompatus of love” may be a meaningless phrase, although one old Oxford Latin dictionary says it means “splendor.” Love is a many pompatused thing.
We’d love to see Marcus Mariota summon up his Duck mojo and lead the Tennessee Titans to deflate the egos of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a playoff game tomorrow at 5:15 PM on CBS. Nobody expects that will happen, but we’re Oregonians, and Oregon is for dreamers, and Mariota will always be an Oregon Duck.
Headlines for a Happy Heart!
–“Firefighter befriends boy he saved after Texas Church Massacre”
–“Bill Gates predicts investing in cancer therapies will ‘control all infectious disease'”
–“Mother and son go from homeless to college”
–“Deep freeze helps fight tree-killing insect in the Smokies”
–“Uplifting video shows deaf toddler hearing first ever tune”
Housekeeping business: Facebook has changed its algorithms to “prioritize what friends and family share and comment on while de-emphasizing content from publishers and brands.” That would explain the fluctuations in readership on the DD this week! If you’re having trouble finding it, just do a search for my name, and the DD is on my wall. Or go to johnericksonnews-dot-com.
The words in the news today are deeply saddening to me. I remember when Haiti was demolished by an earthquake, and President George W. Bush went down there personally to provide help and comfort. That’s the kind of people we are, or so I thought, and still do. All I feel like doing now is posting the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”
So….that’s what I can dish up and serve today, and I’m sorry that not all of it is fit for the breakfast table. Thank you for being part of this community. Have a wonderful weekend…and soak up some sun!
Portland's Daily Drip 