How is everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Six.
Today we share articles on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, the creepy poisoning of one of the more powerful politicians in the state of Oregon, business secrets of one of the most prolific toy men of all time and an alligator attack is caught on video.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict Surprising Only To Biased Media.
For the past few weeks, all eyes were on Kenosha, Wisconsin and the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Friday, the verdict came down –– not guilty of all charges. Of course, the year or so since the riots in Kenosha that led to Rittenhouse’s charges gave ample opportunity for media commentary and for outlets to try Rittenhouse outside the courtroom. Matt Taibbi, publisher of the excellent TK News newsletter, writes in this post how it was pretty clear throughout the trial the prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict Rittenhouse. But that won’t stop the 24/7 Outrage Cycle coming from certain media outlets who for months labeled Rittenhouse a criminal. FYI…this is an abbreviated, free version of Taibbi’s article. There is a longer form piece for subscribers.
No Refs, No Games. Can Fans Play Nice?
A couple of times a year, I interview Illinois High School Association executive director Sam Knox. The conversation always drifts towards officiating and how there are not enough referees in the state to keep up with all of the demand of events. It’s not just Illinois that is seeing a shortage of referees. This article from the Christian Science Monitor takes a national look at the problem that is complex and shows no signs of dissipating. One jarring statistic –– in one east coast hockey association, the number of available referees has dropped almost in half in three years.
Who Poisoned Joe Gilliam…Twice?
A wild story about how one of the most influential voices in Oregon politics who fearlessly fought competitors in the grocery business was targeted — and silenced — with a poison called thallium. Not once but twice. Here’s a few of the opening paragraphs from the article via Willamette Week: “But for the past nine months, WW recently learned, Gilliam has been lying in a vegetative state at an undisclosed care facility in Clark County, Wash. Vigorous and athletic as recently as May 2020, he can now neither move nor speak. It wasn’t COVID-19 that laid him low. Nor was it heart disease or a car crash. It was poison.” Pretty compelling stuff.
California Football Powerhouses Feed The College Game.
Terrific narrative journalism from the NY Times on two California high school football powerhouses, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. The schools are separated by 24 miles and are arguably two of the most dominate programs in the state of California. The argument the author is making in this article is how Bosco and Mater Dei now, at the high school level, more closely resemble the colleges they annually send top recruits to. Is that a positive or negative trend? The articles examines the issue in depth.
The Incredible Tale Of The Toy Man You’ve Never Known.
This profile from Inc. of the prolific 74-year-old toy inventor Al Kahn kept surprising me, in all the best ways that a great profile should. It’s about inventions (Pokémon, Cabbage Patch Kids, Quiz Wiz were all his), reinventions and boom-and-busts cycles, in the marketplace and among partners. How’s this for a quote from Kahn from the article on how he focus-groups his new creations: “I don’t care if they say they love it. I want to know if they hate it.” An excellent read.
Alligator Chases And Attacks Swimmer.
"He tried to swim fast to get away, but the alligator managed to reach him and land a violent bite on the man's arm," said a witness to the incident. Is there anything else we need to know? Reptile vs. man? Reptile’s going to win that match up pretty much every time.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com