Photos of the Week (08/19/18)

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A pictorial week-in-review posted every Sunday morning.

1) President Donald Trump views air-assault exercises at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13, 2018, before a signing ceremony for H.R. 5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP

2) An Indian woman looks down the barrel of an 84mm rocket launcher during an Indian-army exhibition at Panther Stadium in Amritsar, India, on August 11, 2018. Photo: Narinder Nanu / AFP / Getty

3) Women from the Dominican Republic are apprehended by the border patrol for illegally crossing into the U.S. border from Mexico in Los Ebanos, Texas. Photo: REUTERS/Adrees Latif

4) Ed Bledsoe tries to hold back tears as he searches through what remains of his home on August 13, 2018, in Redding, California. Bledsoe’s wife, Melody, his great-grandson James Roberts and his great-granddaughter Emily Roberts were killed at the home in the Carr Fire. Read Bledsoe’s full story here.  Photo: John Locher / AP

5) Victims of clergy sexual abuse and their family members react as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on Aug. 14. A scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday revealed decades of child abuse allegations against more than 300 accused “predator priests” as well as claims that Roman Catholic Church leaders covered up the crimes and obstructed justice in order to avoid scandal. Photo:  Matt Rourke / AP

6) The collapsed Morandi Bridge is seen in the Italian port city of Genoa, Italy. Photo: REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

7) Italian rescuers climb onto the rubble of the collapsed Morandi motorway bridge searching for victims and survivors in the northern port city of Genoa on August 14, 2018. At least 39 people were killed when the giant bridge collapsed in the deadliest bridge failure in Italy in many years. Photo: Valery Hache / AFP / Getty

8) A man points his light at the Milky Way during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower at Mavrovo national park in Macedonia. Photo: REUTERS/OgnenTeofilovski

9) A girl lies in a hammock, with the Milky Way in the background, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower in Kozjak, Macedonia, on August 13, 2018. Photo: Ognen Teofilovski / Reuters

10) An alligator named Muja is seen in its enclosure in Belgrade’s Zoo, Serbia. Muja is officially the oldest American alligator in the world living in captivity. He was brought to Belgrade from Germany in 1937, a year after the opening of the Zoo. Muja survived three bombings of Belgrade, the Second World War and all the hardships the Zoo went through. Photo: REUTERS/Marko Djurica

11) Victor, a 620kg (97st) polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear began suffering from abscesses on their feet. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

12) A flying pig entertains crowds at the Queensland Royal Exhibition Show, known locally as the EKKA, in Brisbane, Australia. Photo: AAP/Dave Hunt/via REUTERS

13) A girl poses for a photo on a giant water lily leaf during an annual leaf-sitting event in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

14) A 1,800 square meters flower carpet on the theme “Guanajuato, cultural pride of Mexico” and made with over 500,000 dahlias and begonias is seen at Brussels’ Grand Place, Belgium. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman

15) A woman is concealed as she walks through a field of very tall sunflowers to cut some down in Ballygawley, Northern Ireland. Photo: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

16) President Donald Trump meets with supporters from a group called “Bikers for Trump” at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

17) Ivanka Trump tries out a pen that projects an image of the Moon as she tours the Astrobotic Technology facility with CEO John Thornton (L) and U.S. Representative Keith Rothfus (R) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo: REUTERS/Jason Cohn

18) Ivanka Trump poses with Kristina Hilko, Lauren Shovlin, and Anna Nesbitt, members of the Girls of Steel Robotics initiative, at the Astrobotic Technology facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo: REUTERS/Jason Cohn

19) A street artist creates soap bubbles in front of Old St. Nicholas Church in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 12. Photo:  Frank Rumpenhorst / AFP – Getty Images

20) People prepare hundreds of hot dogs in an attempt to break the Guinness record for the longest hot-dog line in Guadalajara, Mexico, on August 12, 2018. The record was set by creating a row of hot dogs that measured 4,649 feet long. Photo: Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty

21) A crown, flowers and pictures are shown placed at Aretha Franklin’s star on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake

22) The marquee on the Fox Theater shows the word “Respect” in memory of singer Aretha Franklin in downtown Detroit. Photo: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

23) The name of Aretha is posted above the Franklin Street subway station in memory of singer Aretha Franklin in Manhattan, New York, August 16, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

AND FINALLY,

The Deadly Waterfall in the Instagram Age

Week-ends (08/18/18)

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A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…

HEROES OF THE WEEK

Bill Vogt

Jonathan Alstott

Anonymous donor

VILLAINS OF THE WEEK

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Bad actors in the Catholic Church

Zach Smith

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”
President Donald Trump on former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman

“Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices. Speaking loudly and clearly for the Trump Administration, we won’t let that happen. They are closing down the opinions of many people on the RIGHT, while at the same time doing nothing to others…….”
President Donald Trump addressing his 53.8 million Twitter followers

“This is the post-Trump world were living in now. We’ve lost complete respect for everything and everyone in Washington. We’re now at a point where no one in D.C. works together. No one looks for common ground. The reality is, while this is going on in D.C., the American economy is growing at 4.1 percent, unemployment is down dramatically and taxes and regulations have been cut. What gets lost in the big media’s over-the-top coverage of petty D.C. beltway crap like the Omarosa tapes and revoked security clearances is that America is doing pretty great – again.”
Michael Reagan

“Local government officials in Illinois are resorting to fear mongering and hyperbole instead of learning the real facts. I thought it was important for Illinoisans to understand that Foxconn is a positive development with ample environmental protections that will make the Midwest the epicenter for cutting-edge technology. While it’s understandable that Illinois politicians want the best for their communities, they’re doing a disservice to their constituents when they don’t do their homework on this transformational economic development project.

“Foxconn is investing in an innovative and environmentally friendly water system that will recycle the water used in manufacturing, which will nearly eliminate the return of any manufacturing processing water into Lake Michigan. Because of this new technology, Foxconn’s daily water usage will be reduced to a mere 2.5 million gallons per day.

“To put this into perspective, Chicago is allowed to use 2.1 billion gallons per day. It’s interesting that a 2014 study found Illinois loses roughly 60 million gallons a day to leaking pipes, water main breaks and aging infrastructure. When you take that into account, Foxconn would use less than five percent of what Illinois leaks in a day.”
Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) is sending a message to Wisconsin’s neighbors to the south in order to clear up misconceptions on Foxconn and its environmental impact. This week he sent an open letter to Illinoisans

“My two teenage sons start school Monday. They’ve been walking through metal detectors to get to class since sixth grade. I don’t mind that at all anymore. This year, their public high school will start another kind of program. A different, new trend. Students will have their smartphones locked up in pouches.

“I do get some parents’ concerns. But — insert my applause emoji — I am thrilled my high-schoolers won’t be able to use their phones at school. In a note to parents, the principal says this will help stop a string of problems. Students cheating on math tests, distracting themselves and friends, even taking calls during class.

“The school also says ‘a large portion of students’ rush to lunch to get on their phones, isolating themselves while playing games. It hopes this new policy will help kids develop crucial face-to-face social skills. And use their new free time to join the extracurricular clubs that meet during lunch period.

“Maybe they’ll also tell more silly jokes. Flirt. Actually finish their lunch?! And I can think of another benefit.

“My sons will have six hours of the day free from the nonstop barrage of bad news alerts. The latest shooting, terror attack, disaster or potty-mouthed tweetstorm. Invaluable time to relax, and connect, without phones. I’m grateful to see some schools investing in that.”
Jennifer Ludden, National Public Radio

“Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.”
Former President Barack Obama on Aretha Franklin who died on Thursday at the age of 76

“Jokes are not real. People assume that when you say something that you believe it. It’s purely comedic invention. You know, I do this whole bit about Pop-Tarts and how much I love them. I don’t love Pop-Tarts. It’s just funny. It’s funny to say it, so I say it.”
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld explaining why he’s never apologized for a joke

“Before the election, we did a lot of Trump material, a lot of political material, and it was fine. … After the election, you started to hear comments from the audience, whether it was a yay or a boo, and we said, ‘We don’t want that. We’re not here to preach.’ So we started limiting the divisive political material from the act because you get that on late-night TV. It’s not something you want to pay [for]. We’re just trying to be funny.”
Comedian Steve Martin

“When it comes to politics, you don’t want to make half the audience feel like they’re inappropriate.”
Comedian Martin Short

“Omarosa’s new book Unhinged is out. And it’s already an Amazon best-seller. That’s just because Trump frantically bought up all the copies so no one can read it.”
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon

OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK

Milwaukee streetcar

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK

Many young women don’t fit the mold that the media and politicians often assume

The other side of the Dark Store loophole debate you never hear about

MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK

The president’s tweet calling former staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman a “dog” for betraying him and his administration with her new book, “Unhinged,” and her stash of secret White House recordings

MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK

A woman called police on a man who was getting into his own car in Milwaukee

 

 

The biased media, police group says no to the NY Jets, the elections, WI public school brass, and Sheriff Clarke

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Here are this week’s highly interesting reads:

Today’s highly interesting read (08/17/18): Time for the Rest of Us to Unfriend the Media

Today’s highly interesting read (08/16/18): Pro-Police Group Refuses to Partner With Jets Due to Anthem Protests

Today’s highly interesting read (08/15/18): 23 Election Winners and Losers

Today’s highly interesting read (08/14/18): Those poor public school administrators in WI

Today’s highly interesting read (08/13/18): The Death of One Thousand Cuts

It’s ELVIS WEEK – “Cheer up my brother”

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Today is the last day of ELVIS Week.

At Graceland today:

Mississippi Delta Blues Tour

Departs The Guest House at Graceland at 8:30 a.m. and returns by 6:30 p.m.  
$119/adults; $89/children ages 5-12; children under 5 are not permitted.
Rock ‘n’ roll has its roots in the music of the Mississippi Delta and blues and R&B artists such as B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and Ike Turner. The Graceland Excursions Mississippi Delta tour will trace the influences that inspired the creation of rock ‘n’ roll music. Expert tour guides will narrate this day-long adventure that takes a detour down the backroads and explores the deep roots of blues culture and blues history, while discovering delicious foods and reliving a musical revolution powered by raw emotion. Delta Tour includes:

  • Gateway to the Blues Museum: Learn the remarkable story of how the blues were born and the role Tunica and the Delta played in building the genre’s legacy. The museum features interactive exhibits, artwork and more, including a recording studio where you’ll learn the basics of blues music with a chance to record your very own blues song.
  • Delta Blues Museum: Explore the history and heritage of the unique American musical art form. The collection of artifacts at the museum includes musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters, photographs, costumes, folk art and much more. One of the largest pieces of the collection is the actual cabin where legendary blues artist Muddy Waters once lived.
  • Grammy Museum Mississippi: Located in Cleveland, MS, the museum is dedicated to exploring the past, present and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The museum features educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations, and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric display that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi’s songwriters, producers and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.
  • Southern Sounds at Dockery Farms: This historic site is where musicians invented the blues genre around the turn of the 20th century. It’s a mecca to blues enthusiasts and the home to Charley Patton, the “Father of the Blues.”
  • Lunch: Lunch on your own at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Elvis Live in Concert – with an All-Star Band

7:00 PM. Graceland Soundstage, Elvis Presley’s Memphis. $55
Celebrate the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s greatest hits with Elvis live in concert and on the big screen, in the tradition of Elvis’ legendary, live concert tours. A live, rock ‘n’ roll all-star band will accompany Elvis and bring this stage production to life at Graceland with former members of The Stamps Quartet and a very special guest appearance by TCB band member Ronnie Tutt. A not-to-be-missed concert event.

August 18, 1977, the funeral procession for Elvis was held. The caravan was led by a silver Cadillac followed by the white Cadillac hearse with Elvis’ body and 17 white Cadillac limousines on a two and a half mile ride to Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown.

In this video you’ll hear Elvis’ recording of the traditional gospel song, “Farther Along” that he personally arranged in 1966.

2018 POO Awards – Week 1

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Each week during this year’s high school football season as I have in previous years, I’m giving out a weekly POO Award to the Wisconsin high school football team that committed the most egregious act of poor sportsmanship by trying to humiliate its opponent.

My goal is to try to build awareness of the importance of sportsmanship.

POO stands for Piling On Offensively (Or if you prefer, Pouring it On Offensively)

For new readers, here is why we do the POO:

Pouring it on in high school football
Posted by Kevin Fischer on Oct. 6, 2007

BRADLEY TECH 64
MILWAUKEE WASHINGTON 6

That was the final score of the high school football game last night at historic South Stadium where I’m the public address announcer.

Bradley Tech remains undefeated and is clearly the best team in the City Conference, a conference not famous for high-quality football. The Trojans are a talented, disciplined, physical squad that like Milwaukee Riverside last season could go deep in the playoffs.

But what happened last night at South Stadium should serve as a lesson to other high school football programs. You don’t run up the score on a team that is already hopelessly beaten.

Everyone knew the Tech-Washington match-up would be lopsided. On Tech’s first three plays from scrimmage, they scored three touchdowns, and the game was quickly out of hand.

Leading 44-6 with about a minute left in the first half, Tech got the ball again near midfield. Refusing to run the ball or have the quarterback take a knee, Tech put the ball in the air, desperately trying to put 50 on the scoreboard before halftime. Tech got down to the one-yard line as time expired. Thinking there was still a second left on the clock, the Tech coaches frantically tried to call a timeout. Again, not satisfied with a 44-6 lead, Tech coaches (I emphasize coaches, not the players) wanted another TD.

As the referees huddled with the football on the half-yard line, I turned on the microphone and said, “Our clock has run out.” Admittedly, I was hoping common sense would prevail and the half would be over.

A few seconds later, crew chief Chuck Hinz picked up the football, faced the press box, and lifted the football above his head, signaling that yes, the half had indeed run out and no, Tech was not going to score 50 just yet.

That made the score 44-6 going into the second half. By WIAA rule, whenever the point differential between the two teams in the second half reaches 35 points or more, there is a running clock that only stops on a score, a charged timeout, the end of the 3rd quarter, or an injury.

Trust me. Had it not been for the running clock, Tech could have scored 80 points.

With 20 seconds to play in the game, Tech again refused to take a knee at Washington’s 2-yard line. Instead, the quarterback handed the ball off to a running back who scored an unnecessary and unsportsmanlike final touchdown to make the score 64-6.

I want to be clear. As I mentioned, this is a very good Tech team. The players only do what they are instructed, and Tech’s decision to run up the score at the end of both halves was uncalled for.

The counter-argument is that you should let the kids play and that competition is good and that you can’t fault Tech for Washington’s inability to stop them, etc, etc. etc.

We’re not talking NFL here, folks. This is high school football. There are many ways you can continue to play and keep the score respectable and avoid a brawl from happening.

You put in subs. You run the ball. You don’t call timeouts when you’re ahead by a mile. You take a knee and let the clock run out. All of these ideas were apparently lost on the Tech coaching staff.

Remember, this is a game featuring high school kids, many from the inner city. You start rubbing the other team’s face in it, and they get frustrated. I’ve seen it time and time again. They take swings and punches. Two Washington players got ejected as well as a coach. While I don’t condone those actions, Tech helped manufacture the bad attitude on the field.

Thankfully, no one got hurt in this one-sided affair.

Coaches are also teachers. The Tech coaches blew a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the athletes and the fans in the stands the value of fair play.

Tech also may have done a disservice to MPS football. It’s rare a TV crew shows up at South Stadium to film highlights, but last night, Fox 6 was there. After the 64-6 debacle, my guess is the TV sports directors will be reluctant to send cameras to future MPS games. What for? A 64-6 shellacking isn’t dramatic video.

And by the way, I’ve been going to City Conference football games for 40 years. I’ve NEVER seen a team fall behind the way Washington did last night and rally for a comeback victory. NEVER.

Shame on the Bradley Tech coaching staff for a total lack of good sportsmanship.
—October 6, 2007

Back to 2018 and this week’s dubious winner:

Week 1

Abbotsford 78, Crandon 0

The Barking Lot – America’s Finest Dog Blog (08/18/18)

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The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!

THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.

TODAY:  Sunny to mostly sunny.  High of 78.   “A”

SUNDAY:   Sunny to partly cloudy. High of  81.  “A”

Now, here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer, with this week’s main blog.

I can’t think of a combination that I love more:  the celebration of Irish culture, and dogs.  Really, it doesn’t get any better.  So this weekend, I’ll be in my glory at Milwaukee Irish Fest.  They are the only FOUR DAY ethnic festival which means more opportunities to enjoy phenomenal food, incredible music, and talented craftspeople.

Of course I can eat delicious food (McBob’s corned beef sandwich is a must, as are their Bailey’s chocolate balls.  I can drink Bunratty Meade to wash down a slice of Irish Cream cheesecake from the Tipperary Tea Room.  You get the idea.)  I can listen to toe-tappin’ hand-clappin’ Celtic tunes.  I can always find a new piece of Claddagh jewelry for myself and Kyla.  Did I mention yet that I can watch my talented husband emcee the Children’s Freckle Contest and the Children’s Red Hair Contest?  SO fun.

I went to the “preview” if you will, on Thursday with my friend Sharon and her daughter Eirinn.  O’Neill.  Yeah, I think it’s a darn cool Irish name too.  Eirinn and Kyla attend Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance together.  Needless to say, the highlight of our fest experience is watching our daughter perform on stage.

She just finished her Level 2 dance year and is eagerly anticipating Level 3 staring next month.  I don’t know where the years have gone.  She looks so grown up in her school dress and is working hard to earn her first solo dress!

20180811_100534

Kyla at the Milwaukee Feis August 2018, proudly displaying her medals & ribbons

In addition to all of those fantastic activities, there is one area of the grounds that I simply can NOT pass up:  the gorgeous Celtic Canines.

There is no other ethnic festival that can showcase so many breeds from one country.  You can swoon over Setters, tickle a Terrier, or wish for a Wolfhound.  Having an opportunity to pet so many sweet pups and talk to their owners is such a fun time for you AND for the dogs!

Every dog at the Celtic Canine Area is adorable.  Every.  Single.  Dog.  However, we’ve come to have our favorites.  When Kyla was little, we’d joke about how she could actually ride a certain breed like a pony.  You guessed it… we love the Irish Wolfhound.    It seems to now be a personal goal of Kyla’s to pet ALL the showcased ‘Hounds.  She has made great friends with several of them:

Irish Fest Celtic Canines 2016

Kyla and a ‘Hound friend, 2016

If you attend this year’s celebration (I should say WHEN you attend… how can you miss this???!!!) don’t forget to stop by the Celtic Canine area.  If you see our family, please stop by to say hello and tell us how much you enjoy reading The Barking Lot.  (Of course also ask Kevin when he’s going to get his lovely ladies their OWN dog so they don’t have to keep bothering the wonderful dog owners at Irish Fest and in their own neighborhood!)

We hope to see you this weekend at Milwaukee Irish Fest!  Slainte!

Image may contain: one or more people, dog and outdoor
—Jennifer Fischer

Thanks Jennifer!

Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

Death from a dog lick? Veterinarian explains rare infection triggered by pets’ saliva.

How dangerous is a dog lick or dog bite? Here’s what you need to know.

‘It’s heart-wrenching’: Unwanted dogs left on their own in Iowa forest.

We Tried It: Do Doggie DNA Tests Really Work?

Is it OK to let your dogs eat those wild mushroom snacks? The answer…

How helping paws are healing veterans.

COLUMN: My dog was looking into my eyes as she died: the grief of losing a pet is real.

Powerful women told me getting a dog is the key to success. They were right.

Dog stands on two legs to make room for other commuters on busy train.

THAT’S IT FOR DOGS IN THE NEWS.

HERE’S OUR DOG PHOTO(s) OF THE WEEK.

Kaylee Greer started Dog Breath Photography after photographing dogs for the MSPCA at Nevins Farm. Now, the Massachusetts native is about to premier her reality show, “Puparazzi,” on Nat Geo Wild. More details here in this report from NBC10 in Boston.

We close as we always do with our closing video.

From CBS News…

That’s it for this week.

Thanks for stopping by.

We kindly ask that you please share with other dog lovers you know.

See ya, BARK, next Saturday morning!