In the News Today: Muhammad Ali and More

Muhammad Ali’s interfaith funeral was held today, and it was an event worthy of the boxer known as The Greatest.  Highlights included comedian Billy Crystal’s funny and touching remembrance …

… Rabbi Michael Lerner’s impassioned call for social change …

… and the first eulogy, given by Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali.

If you missed the fascinating New York Times story on Lonnie’s relationship with Muhammad — including the photo of their first meeting in 1963 when he was 21 and she was six — read it now.

I’ve been wanting to put together a list of Ali links the way I did for David Bowie and Prince, but there is so much good Ali content that I’m overwhelmed. I mean, the man accomplished amazing things in 10 seconds.

View post on imgur.com

I’m going to do my best to pull together a reasonable amount of highlights though. Check back with me on Sunday!

Also in the news today: It’s eighth publishing anniversary of ProPublica, the non-profit, non-partisan and non-ideological investigative-journalism organization. Yay!

? Do you know what today is…. ?

It’s our 8th publishing anniversary! Things have changed a bit since 2008. pic.twitter.com/rTLTVMA6qv

— ProPublica (@ProPublica) June 10, 2016

As you might recall, MrB was the founding editor-in-chief, CEO and president of ProPublica from 2008 through 2012. He’s still the executive chairman, and he’s in the office every day. So many people thought ProPublica was a bad or even dangerous idea when it launched. Since then it’s won three Pulitzer Prizes, two Emmys and a Peabody Award, among other honors. Twirling on them haters!

Speaking of anniversaries, it’s the 25th anniversary (OMG!) of the final episode of Twin Peaks, one of my all-time favorite shows. The Twitter Moments page says the finale “has been deemed one of the weirdest and most disturbing finales in TV history.” I’ve been laughing to myself all day about that, thinking that one of the weirdest and most disturbing moments on television PERIOD was the Twin Peaks scene in which the Horne brothers devour brie-and-butter baguettes in a peculiarly lewd way. I can remember laughing in disbelief at the sexually charged sandwich scene.

Ever since then, I’ve never been able to look at a hunk of brie without giving it a knowing wink. That pervy cheese!