SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:31 P.M. ET: 

THE WILLIAMS DECISION – From The New York Times:  "NBC is planning to announce Thursday that Brian Williams will not return to his position as the anchor of its 'Nightly News' show, four months after the network suspended him for exaggerating his role in a helicopter incident in Iraq, according to two people briefed on the discussions.  Mr. Williams is expected to move to a new role primarily at the cable news network MSNBC, probably in a breaking-news capacity in the beginning, according to one of the people.
Lester Holt, who has been filling in for Mr. Williams as anchor, will take on the position permanently, one person said."  Sending Williams to MSNBC is like sending him to the Titanic after it hits the iceberg.  Lester Holt has done a capable job, and it is no surprise that his anchor role has been made permanent.

CONFIDENCE IN RELIGION DECLINES – From USA Today:  "Americans have less confidence in organized religion today than ever measured before — a sign that the church could be 'losing its footing as a pillar of moral leadership in the nation's culture,' a new Gallup survey finds.  'In the '80s the church and organized religion were the No. 1' in Gallup's annual look at confidence in institutions, said Lydia Saad, author of the report released Wednesday.  Confidence, she said, 'is a value judgment on how the institution is perceived, a mark of the amount of respect it is due.' A slight upsurge for Catholic confidence, for example, parallels the 2013 election and immense popularity of Pope Francis.  Overall, church and organized religion is now ranked in fourth place in the Gallup survey — behind the military, small business and the police — while still ahead of the medical system, Congress and the media, among 15 institutions measured."  America without its religious heritage is not America.  But religious groups must do a better job of showing the importance of their message.  It is eternal values, foundation values, that people seek, not trendiness or political correctness posing as morality.

BUCKS – From the Washington Post:  "Will it be Susan B. Anthony or Harriet Tubman? Eleanor Roosevelt or Rosa Parks? Or another important woman from American history?  These will be among the names the nation ponders after the Obama administration’s announcement late Wednesday that a woman will be featured on the $10 bill, the first time in well over a century that a female portrait will grace the United States’ paper money.  The redesigned bill will be unveiled in 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the right of women to vote. The Treasury Department is launching a massive public campaign to solicit suggestions through social media and town halls for what the bill should look like and who should be on it. The only requirements for candidacy are that the woman be deceased and embody the theme of the bill’s new look: 'Democracy.'"  I have no problem with a woman on currency, but don't the people's elected representatives have any say in this?  Every group will probably demand their own currency. 

CHANGING CULTURE? – From Racked:  "The overall market for luxury goods has grown steadily since the end of the recession, but the biggest luxury brands in the world are still worried about logo fatigue. According to the Washington Post, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada are struggling as wealthy customers continue to favor less ostentatious accessories. 'I think as customers have begun to notice changes in their own income and the income of others, they begin to feel a little bit of yuppie guilt around purchasing the logos,' Charles Lawry told the Post. Lawry is an assistant professor at Pace University who studies luxury marketing. 'It’s the idea of not wanting to seem as if you’re trying to brag about the products that you own.' Johann Rupert, chief executive of Richemont, is concerned about how income inequality will affect the luxury business. 'This is really what keeps me up at night,' Rupert said at a conference last week. 'Because people with money will not wish to show it. If your child’s best friend’s parents go unemployed, you don’t want to buy a car or anything showy.'"  Fascinating cultural development:  inconspicuous consumption.

June 17, 2015