How is everyone’s weekend going? Happy Father’s Day to all dad readers of the read the Six.
Saturday, I attended my first Illinois high school outdoor state championship game in two years. The boys lacrosse state title game between Loyola Academy and Lake Forest High School was exciting and thrilling, featuring a high level of play, the game won by the Ramblers (I’ll be writing about it more in the newsletter this week.) The almost-capacity crowd at Forest View Athletic Center in northwestern suburban Arlington Heights was loud, boisterous and maskless. No vaccine cards needed for entry. No overstressed administrators. Just pure competition under gorgeous, sunshine-filled skies.
It felt like 2019 again. And another step closer to a return to life free of public health restrictions. We’ll see if there’s any carry over into the fall.
Today’s Six includes stories on how the labor shortage is spiking a rise in new businesses, nonsensical wokeness in fiction writing, a tribute to a classic film that just reached an anniversary and a New England man takes a dive into the sea he won’t soon forget.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
Why Can’t Companies Find Workers? Many Are Starting Their Own Businesses.
The labor shortage in this country has been widely reported. The number of open jobs—9.3 million as of this week—is the largest on record in U.S. history. Reasons given are the abundance of government subsidies incentivizing people to stay home. Another? Business startups. USA Today takes a deep dive into how entrepreneurship is another root cause of the worker shortage.
What Is Trump Up To These Days?
We almost half a year since the transition in the White House. What is the former president been doing with his time? Bloomberg News gives readers insight into the comings and goings of Donald Trump, now a full time Florida resident. Banished from social media, the daily news cycle is absent of Trump rants on current events. One pundit refers to Trump’s lifestyle in the Sunshine State as the “Fortress of Solitude.” Whatever Trump is up to, it involves golf, money and selfie requests.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark, 40 Years Later.
I remember a time when a film or television show dominated pop culture not just for a minute, but for a month. Or in the case of the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” an entire year. In June of 1981, the character of Indiana Jones was first introduced to American audiences. And we went to the theater and kept going back. The Ringer takes a look at the movie’s influence, legacy and still-massive appeal four decades after release.
Fictional Characters Now Targets of Cancel Culture.
I do read fiction from time to time (currently reading a terrific novel called “Bad Axe County” from author John Galligan). One thing I’m always certain about fiction…it’s made up. The characters aren’t real. Slate Magazine delves into why some novelists are now getting blasted online when their characters—yes, fictional characters—say or do things that a few readers don’t like. One spot on sentence from the article: “It’s perplexing that people who are always rhapsodizing about how much they love reading can be so very bad at it.”
Farewell, Millennial Subsidy Lifestyle.
You’re paying $150 for an Uber ride from the suburbs to River North? Or $500 a day for Airbnb apartments? When those things were cheaper (not that long ago) it was due to the subsidies being underwritten by the tech companies that founded those services. Those subsidies are eroding, according to this New York Times article and not just for millennials.
Lobster Diver Swallowed By Humpback Whale.
Saw a video circulating online this week of a New England man being interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Once I realized what it was about, I had to dig more into the story. Here’s the skinny: A 56-year-old commercial lobsterman went for a dive off the coast of Massachusetts…and soon found himself in the jaws of a humpback whale. The Cape Cod Times has the incredible tale of what is apparently a once-a-century event in the world of lobster diving.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody and fantastic Father’s Day. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com.