1 SUN NEWSPAPER CHAIN PULLS OUT OF ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL Do you honestly think this is the time to tell the world that your newspaper refuses to be held to any standards? (Winnipeg Free Press)

2 THE COLLAPSE OF RUPERT’S LAND … 9/11 widows are now demanding an investigation into Rupert Murdoch, (Politico) Media Matters For America is wondering why Hollywood isn’t as upset over the News of the World phone hacking as everybody across the pond is (and suggests a few reasons why) (Media Matters). Roger Ebert doesn’t like Rupert Murdoch, (Chicago Sun-Times) and neither does some half-cracked Republican Representative from New York who previously persecuted Arab-Americans and demanded the continuing use of waterboarding interrogation. (Google) That’s right, the guy that owns Fox News is losing the Republican Party. Just like he’s losing everything else. (The Globe and Mail) Including his iron-fisted grip on the British electoral system. (The Guardian)

3 SPEAKING OF THE MEDIA It looks as though Gerry Steen (or is it Jerry Steen?) is no longer doing the morning show on News Talk CJME. When a morning host gets bounced from the gig, it usually means that the ratings aren’t good, which probably explained the departure of Steen’s predecessor, Dave Arnold last October. (Air Checker) Of the two, I preferred Arnold: his on-air persona appeared to be of a guy who was knowledgeable, affable, and respectful of his audience. Unfortunately privately-owned talk radio stations are the domain of leather-lunged old white guys pushing the mantra of grouchy silverback exceptionalism in their own pity-party world. (CJME) Guess what Mitchell Blair’s calling will be in 2020? By the way, happy eighth anniversary to Dan Reynish at his job as Saskatchewan Weekend host at CBC Saskatchewan.

4 HOW STADIUMS PROMOTE AN ECONOMIC RENNASIANCE Take a look at what’s happened in Cincinnati district’s Hamilton County since the city poured millions of taxpayers’ dollars into the Bengals’ home stadium. Somewhere a former city financial controller is saying “As God as my witness, I thought this turkey could fly.” (Wall Street Journal) What lessons can we learn from this when the city and province talk about building a new Roughriders’ stadium? None whatsoever. As we all know, Saskatchewan is a special place.

5 THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE One of the most surprising thing about the spoiled upper middle class white evangelical tantrum-throwing pity party called the Tea Party is that they seem to think things will run fine, normal, just tickety-boo when they smash things up. It doesn’t work that way: the Minnesota Republicans/Tea Partiers seized up the state government’s budget debate like the transmission of a 70-year-old poorly maintained John Deere AR and now the state is running out of beer (Minneapolis Star and Tribune)

6 THE BIRTH OF A NEW MEME Someone with more time and imagination than me spliced a scene from George C. Scott’s “Hardcore” movie (wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right) with the trailer for the new Adam Sandler torture device movie Jack and Jill.

Hey, it made me laugh. Can’t say the same for anything Sandler’s done since Happy Gilmour.

YOUR MUSICAL MOMENT OF ZEN In honour of British journalism, I give you The Jam, singing News of the World.