Friday, April 27, 2018

Yay, Friday, we greet thee! It’s April 27, 2018, and after speeding along through three out-of-season summer days, we’re downshifting hard into Portland’s default weather, rainy and cool. The highs for the last few days went 80-84-85; the forecast high for the next three go 59-60-58. There will be cloud cover and showers, and behind them an expanding moon, which hits fullness at about 6 PM Sunday. That would be the Full Pink Moon. Sunrise 6:04 AM, sunset 8:12 PM

A line was crossed today that’s never been crossed before…as North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un stepped over the most heavily militarized border in the world and set foot in South Korea, shaking hands with president Moon Jae-in; hand in hand they crossed back to the North for a moment, then held talks in the DMZ that resulted in their signing an agreement ending hostilities, reuniting families, connecting highways and railroads, and pledging to work together to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons for all time.

With EPA chief Scott Pruitt hauled before Congress to defend himself from charges that he has become the very embodiment of the swamp that Donald Trump promised to drain, Oregon’s powerful Greg Walden earned himself coverage in the New York Times as follows: “Greg Walden, Republican of Oregon and the chairman of the House Energy committee, offered light criticism before moving on to praising Mr. Pruitt for his efforts to roll back environmental regulations. ‘I am concerned that the good progress being made on the policy front is being undercut by allegations of your management of the agency and use of its resources.'”

Bill Cosby’s likely sentence on his sexual assault conviction will be three 10-year terms served concurrently. Two comments. First, I hope justice is also brought to bear on other men who wielded their riches, power, and fame as weapons of violence against women, and you can fill in the blank there with some very big names. Second, I was taught as a Lit major to separate the art from the artist. Sometimes you just can’t do it, but if Dr. Huxtable’s fictional family brings back warm memories from the 80s, I think that’s understandable. Just remember that character was a cover for some despicable behavior.

And now Tom Brokaw is accused of misconducting himself with two young women associates in the 1990’s, which he vehemently denies.

The Portland Tribune reports that a local police officer is being investigated for chasing a hit-and-run car into wrong-way traffic on I-84 last week, resulting in a head-on crash with a Broadway Cab that killed the fleeing suspect. That same officer had already been fired a year ago over an alleged sexual assault, but his union successfully fought the firing, and the fatal wreck happened two weeks after his reinstatement.

An unknown number of patients at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center may have been exposed to tuberculosis by a caregiver who was diagnosed with the illness.

Happy to see the 82nd Avenue of Roses returning this weekend! Good people who live and own shops on and near that very central boulevard are doing the hard work of growing the neighborhood’s spirit and image by planting roses, literally and figuratively, and anchoring it all with the first parade of Rose Festival season. Plus a carnival. Last year’s parade was sadly canceled because the political climate was at a boil, which threatened to splash onto the festivities. This year feels slightly calmer. Maybe we’re just used to the hot water.

It’s wildflower season in the Gorge! And an unusual situation: so many trails are closed on the Oregon side because of the fire last year that authorities are ticketing hikers who defy the signs, to the tune of $280. The Washington side is absolutely wonderful, and will be overrun this summer–which could be quite a challenge for the lightly-staffed search and rescue people over there. Don’t get lost, and if you do, well, don’t.

Happy Arbor Day! Here’s a question: in this city, with tree-lined avenues and boulevards in every neighborhood, rich and poor, hilly or flat, how many street trees would you guess there are in Portland? The answer, according to an inventory done of all 96 neighborhoods by the City of Portland, is 218,000.

Seattle’s pick in the NFL draft surprised some people when they took San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny, passing up higher-rated ball carriers from LSU and Georgia. As the New York Times put it, “Maybe Seattle knows something no on else knows about him.” Maybe!

News from the royals across the pond…William and Kate have named their baby Louis Arthur Charles. Arthur!

On the birthday calendar…the late Coretta Scott King (1927)…also Casey Casem, Samuel Morse, and General Ulysses S. Grant.

Note from ol’ broadcast pal Bob Calkins: HH title: has anyone suggested “News that won’t make you need booze?” Well…yes! You!

–“Baking Soda Could Help Prevent Autoimmune Diseases by triggering the spleen to promote an anti-inflammatory environment in the body.”

–“This 17-Year-Old Mexican-American Student, Raised in Poverty, Was Accepted to 18 Prestigious Universities”

–“Retired math teacher turns NYC subway into a classroom to tutor a dad, so he could better help his son who was flunking math.”

–“Firefighter dangled head-first in storm drain to rescue ducklings”

And from the Sacramento Bee:

–“Over the last generation, rates of arrests of Californians under age 20 have fallen by 80 percent, murder arrest by 85 percent, gun killings by 75 percent, imprisonments by 88 percent, … and school dropout by more than half while college enrollments have risen 45 percent.”

Finally, I’m stepping away for a week or two to burn both vacation time and jet fuel. I’ll check in from afar as always, while our house sitters keep things buttoned down on the home front. The Daily Drip will return in full form on ummm May 14. Several sneak previews: I’m playing with creating a new feature for the DD, kind of a companion piece to TMSG, that I’ll unveil in beta form on my return or soon thereafter. We’re also about to bring a Daily Drip Moment to the K103 morning show that will very possibly call for the occasional telephonic involvement of a Dripster or two. So these are some exciting developments! They’re made possible by you, and all the people who read, comment, “like,” share and participate so actively in the DD. Let me say Thank You, and I’ll check in from a certain foreign country where I’ll be looking for dandruff to brush off shoulders, because I hear they like that.

V-1!