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At long last, there are people actually looking at what Rupert Murdoch has done to journalism in theworld.

It's about time somebody, some-where recognized the smarmy, low-brow, titillating sensationalism that has been passing as news for what it is. It may have started with the properties owned by Murdoch, who never met a salacious bit of gossip he didn't think was worth printing and promoting, but American media, sadly, has followed like lem-mings.

I say hurrah for the British authorities who are finally taking notice that their beloved tabloids are committing crimes in order to provide them with the most sensa-tionalistic yellow journalism possi-ble every day. Apparently nobody gave a stale scone if they were right or correct, just that they were first andhad that naked girl onpage 3.

These guys were committing crimes. Real crimes that in our court system would be felonies, all in the name of journalism.

The editors and news directors who trained me would be sticking their Exacto knives, red pens and video spikes in their eyes if they'd see this pond scumbeing passed off as credible news.

The Murdoch kind of “journal-ism” has always offended me and I am wondering just how far the scandal might spread. This week, ole Rupert said that if these crimes had spread to the United States, he would handle the situation in the same manner, that is, close the paper as he did The World News in

Britain.

Rupert, sweetie, I just can't wait. Does this mean that Fox News will no longer be a mouthpiece for the Republican conservatives? Will you require that they practice actu-al journalism and include facts, rather than wild conjecture in their reports. Really? That would be quite a change for them and I won-der how many of these overly made-up, under-principled mouth-pieceswill be able to adapt. See, I'm still reeling from some of the absolute falsehoods and out-and-out lies they've passed off as facts and news. Frankly, I wonder if there is any way to mitigate, much less cure, the damage that has been

done by these fools pretending to know what they're talking about.

Are you aware, Rupert, that they have told the American people fool-ish enough to watch them that, “We're the only country that has automatic citizenship upon birth”? That's a big fat lie and you, of all people, know it.

They also stood by this one: “We're going to be looking at $8 bil-lion a day that we're going to be pouring into foreign countries in order to import make-up fuel that we're going to need to take the place of what we could have gotten out of the gulf.” That's also patently and completely false----I looked it up, Rupert.

Or this one: “American troops have never been under the formal

When the local meteorologist announces that it is a “severe weather day,” we usually envision 3-feet of snow, a tornadowarning or at the least, damaging highwinds. We don't, here in Michigan, usually think he means the heat.

That wasn't the case last week, however, when record-breaking high temperatures sent hundreds to community-opened cooling centers and the demand for air conditioning taxed the electric grid into rolling blackouts.

Nobody will deny that it was hot, and nobody can deny that the heat presented almost as serious a health risk as other weather-related tricks Mother Nature has been inflict-ing onus lately.

We'd just like to say a word about the communities who took pro-active and immediate action to provide cooling cen-ters for senior citizens and others who may not have had any access to air conditioning during these inclement days. In Canton Township and Westland, officials made sure, as soon as temperatures began to rise and the weather forecasters predicted even more heat, that cooling centers were ready

for residents.

In Canton, the emergency management planner, Kathy Rich, was on this at once, gearing up staff at the Summit on the Park to take in anyone who might need relief from the life-threatening temperatures. In Westland, Mayor Bill Wild announced the opening of several cooling centers in city facilities throughout the area----knowing that there were many seniors in the community who were without air condi-tioning. In Romulus, the senior center had already been open, staffed with volunteers, to ensure the health of those without the physical resources to fight off the health threat

such temperatures presented.

As conditions worsened, other communities joined in and found places where thosewith small children, senior citizens or those with health problems could go to find some relief as power outages threatened even thosewho usually had access to air conditioning.

These are difficult economic times for all thesemunicipal-ities, we know that, and we know that utility bills take a huge bite out of the funds remaining in city budgets. But these community officials and leaders didn't hesitate to take the threat to residents seriously, nomatterwhat the cost. Sure, the threat wasn't as dramatic as a tornado or major storm and probably couldn't compete with many other phe-nomenon Mother Nature has up her sleeve to show us just who is really in charge of this planet, but it was devastating and it was a threat.

We'd just like to say thanks to all those who took this seri-ously, understood the potential problems and got in front of the situation to prevent catastrophic outcomes. You guys areway cool.

One of the premier auto events in the countrywill officially open tomor-row when the Concours d'Elegance of America welcomes car enthusiasts fromaround theworld.

The event, attended by collectors of, and investors in, extremely high-end, rare and vintage automobiles, is one of the most prestigious shows in the country. Those attending are in the circle that considers these auto-mobiles moving art and view their designers and creators with the same deferenceduePicassoorMonet. This isareallybigdeal.

When it was announced last year that the show would be moving from Meadowbrook, where it had been for three decades, to The Inn at St. John's inPlymouth, the real significanceand prestige associated with the exhibit wasn't fully understood by any but those involved in thearrangement. Now, the impact of having this type of display drawing a crowd of upper echelon automobile enthusiasts is becoming more and more apparent. Attending this event will be individu-als ready to bid on a Dusenberg appraised at more than $1 million. The auction will feature cars of the rarest vintage, from the 20s, 30s and 40s, many valuedat hundreds of thou-sandsof dollars.

The vehicles, most in the original mint condition, really areworks of art and the exhibit will alsopay tribute to designers and award winners during theweekendevent.

There will also be dragsters and race cars on display, many of which will run on the track at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, a first for theConcoursd'Elegance. This is a chance for the entire community to shine----to show the ability of the community to provide the type of venue and atmosphere needed for an event of this type. The Plymouth community hasn't failed to impress organizers, either. Volunteers from the Rotary Club will be parking visitors' cars on the public exhibition

To the editor;

As we enter into our sixth sea-son, Barefoot Productions would like to remind you of some of the moments we've shared. From Shakespeare to Agatha Christie to Neil Simon, you have enjoyed qual-ity performances in our ever-changing theater. In addition, there have also been several nights of comedy andmusic, murder myster-ies andholiday fun.

Barefoot Productions, Plymouth's secret gem, finds itself in dire need of funds. We need your support. We have been fortunate to enjoy grants from the Wilcox Foundation, but it will come as no surprise that we have been hit by

the economic challenges and rising costs.

Help us keep our doors open. It is imperative that we raise $12,500 by July 31. This seems like a large amount-and it is-but every dollar counts and every donation will put us closer to our goal of keeping our doors open so we can produce shows for you. Barefoot Productions is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, and any donations you make will be 100 percent tax deductible.

We hope to see you at our upcoming Three Nights of Woody Allen & Music on Aug. 6, and Aug. 20. With your help, we can build upon our five years and 24 shows and produce our planned fall sea-son, which promises wonderful