Grumpy Editor

Do campus fees result in some students being homeless?

Hard to believe, but a study found one in 10 California State University students is homeless and one in five doesn’t have steady access to enough food --- yet students pay thousands of dollars in annual tuition fees, observed Grumpy Editor.

The study --- not widely reported --- was conducted by the CSU system, largest public university system in the country, with 460,000 students at 23 campuses.

University officials said students aren't required to report unstable housing conditions and many don't seek help “because of the shame associated with homelessness.”

So the homelessness figure could be higher.

CSU undergraduates pay the systemwide tuition fee of $5,472 per academic year for enrolling in more than six units per term and $3,174 for enrolling in six or fewer units.

Students enrolling in graduate programs and other post baccalaureate students pay a tuition fee of $6,738 for more than six units and $3,906 for six or fewer units.

In addition, students at each campus face mandatory fees, varying by location.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Major overreaction?  It should be noted, following the British vote to leave the European Union, that the U.K. accounts for only about four percent of the world economy...Overlooked quotes on taxes in an election year:  "We have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world --- 39 percent.  Other countries over the past 20 years have been steadily lowering their corporate tax rates.  Ours has stayed the same.  We also have very unpredictable regulations," said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow and director at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and former U.S. Labor Department chief economist...Bank of America Corp. will pay $415 million to settle allegations that its Merrill Lynch unit misused billions of dollars in customer funds...Pacific Gas and Electric Co.will shutter its Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, last one in California, in 2025...Overlooked story:  The U.S. Senate voted down a Republican-backed proposal to expand the F.B.I.'s secretive surveillance powers following the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub...Bloomberg reported the U.S. commercial real estate market could be headed for a slump...Behind Californians leaving for other states: High home prices, worsening traffic, high taxes and a generally more expensive cost of  living.  In the past year, the number of people departing the Golden State exceeded by 61,100 the number who moved to California from elsewhere in the U.S., according to state Finance Department statistics. The "net outward migration" was the largest since 2011, when 63,300 more people fled California than entered...The Council of Economic Advisers reported the proportion of working-age men dropping out of the labor force in the U.S. is higher than in any other advanced economy in the world except Italy...The Japanese government said it is aiming to double the number of tourists visiting Japan to 40 million within four years...A Harvard survey reported by the Washington Examiner:  Home ownership hit a 48-year low, driven in part by foreclosures that put 9.4 million out of their homes...Weather blamed --- again:  Jane Harman, president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said women are disproportionately affected by climate change in developing countries.

 

A half century on TV.

KTRK-TV news anchor Dave Ward was honored last week as the person with the longest career as a television news broadcaster.

He started at the Houston station Nov. 6, 1966.

 

June brings heavy travel schedule for Obama family

While President Obama and the first family’s western vacation trip over the weekend was heavily covered by print and broadcast reporters, U.S. media have been quiet on Michelle Obama’s overseas trip next week with daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, observed Grumpy Editor.

In marking the 100^th anniversary of the U.S. national park system, the Obamas spent the weekend at California’s Yosemite National Park where, in a speech against a mountain backdrop, the president pinned a heat wave on climate change.

It followed a Friday visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.

In travel to the other direction, the First Lady and family companions head for Liberia, Morocco and Spain, June 27 to July 1 to promote her year-old global girls' education initiative.

The aircraft Mrs. Obama usually travels on costs $11,684 an hour to operate, and figuring about 25 hours on the upcoming trip, the bill should amount to just under $300,000 for flying, calculated the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

The London-based newspaper also pointed out the First Lady “racked up $424,142 on travel and expenses for the plane crew on her 2011 trip to Botswana and South Africa.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Washington thinking:  House Speaker Paul Ryan said he feels a responsibility not to lead "some chasm in the middle of our party" that would hurt GOP chances to win the White House...In the “huh?” department: NBC's "Late Night" host Seth Meyers announced the ban of Donald Trump after Trump revoked Washington Post press credentials over a headline he didn't like. Said Meyers: "As long as the Washington Post is banned from Donald Trump's campaign, Donald Trump will be banned from ever coming on this show."  Trump earlier called the Post "phony and dishonest' in its coverage of his reaction to the Orlando shooting...Think of Iowa and envision corn fields? The Hawkeye state now has 19 state-licensed casinos with the opening last week of Rhythm City Casino resort in Davenport. It attracted more than 1,000 invited guests, many dressed in tuxedos and sequined cocktail dresses…Dozens of protesters said “journalism matters” at a rally outside The Denver Post building on Friday to take a stand against job cuts at the newspaper…Another consumer credit warning shot? Synchrony Financial, largest issuer of retail-store credit cards, raised its outlook for credit losses over the next year. It triggered a selloff in shares of Synchrony and sector rivals Capital One, Discover Financial and Ally Financial…The Washington Post reported the parent company of news and gossip site Gawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday and subsequently put itself on the market for a buyer…Tesla opened a 400-square-foot gallery in the men’s department at Nordstrom’s, at The Grove mall in Los Angeles. It spotlights the electric car maker’s Model X SUV…A report that Gannett Co. planned to add to its stable of New Jersey papers by snapping up The Record and some weekly papers, owned by the North Jersey Media Group, sent a jolt through the Record newsroom. 

American boardrooms remained more than 80 percent male last year.

That finding came from research by Catalyst, a nonprofit organization with a mission to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion.

U.S. newspaper jobs plummet 60 percent in 26 years

"Stop the presses," is happening with greater frequency.

Newspaper shuttering, triggered by drops in circulation and advertising revenue, resulted in a steep decline in newspaper jobs, down 60 percent since 1990, noted Grumpy Editor.

Bureau of Labor statistics data show employment on newspapers dropped to about 183,000 in March from 458,000 in 1990.

Also hit, but to a lesser extent, was over-the-air radio broadcasting where employment declined 27 percent since 1990.

However, employment in internet publishing and online broadcasting over the same period increased to about 198,000 from about 30,000.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

A new policy involving tattoos in the Marine Corps produced 32 pages of regulations and glossaries, as guidance to make sure skin art is acceptable to the brass.... Behind the headlines?  The Washington Post suggested it may change its drug policy --- to stop testing staffers for marijuana use...Seems every time the Dow Jones Industrials pass the 18,000 mark --- as happened again last week --- the numbers tumble in later trading sessions...A U.S. district judge put on hold San Francisco's plan to put health warnings on ads for soft drinks with sugar.  The American Beverage Assn. cheered the ruling...Another U.S. submarine leaves the fleet.  The USS Houston, a 362-foot-long Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine commissioned in 1982, was on its way to Bremerton, Wash., where it is scheduled for decommission on Aug. 26...An advertising business probe found rebates and other non-transparent practices are “pervasive” in the U.S., reported The Wall Street Journal.

Live action ---

Telemundo reporter Iris Delgado was slapped in the face and bashed in the head by a woman (saying “excuse me, excuse me”) during a live TV broadcast outside City Hall in Philadelphia.

The reporter is taking time off to recover.

Obama: Women in combat positions boost U.S. military

Many news editors around the country, more concerned with Hillary-Trump doings, missed some comments by President Barack Obama Thursday to graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy where he declared the U.S. military is stronger because women can now serve in all combat positions and because the U.S. is closing the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, observed Grumpy Editor.

His remarks, which undoubtedly caused some generals to squirm, were caught by Melanie Hunter at CNSNews.com who noted the president also declared, “We live our values when our military like America itself truly welcomes the talents of all people. We’re stronger when our gay and lesbian cadets and troops can serve their country.”

Hunter added, “Obama recited the names of several Muslim-American cadets, saying America is ‘stronger’ when cadets like these ‘know that we celebrate their service as proud patriotic Muslim-Americans who are so serving in our armed forces.’ ”


She mentioned Obama concluded with, “We can never know what the future holds, but in the not-so-distant future when I’m no longer president, I will sleep well at night, because I know that men and women like you serve to keep us free.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Today marks the 72nd anniversary of D-Day that saw an invasion force --- a heavily-guarded secret with no leaks by media, as would happen today --- of more than 6,000 ships that stormed beaches of Normandy, France.  The World War II action involved nearly two million soldiers, sailors and airmen.  See if your local newspaper noted the anniversary...Friday’s May jobs report showed only 38,000 new positions, less than one-quarter of the jobs anticipated. The number fell more than 100,000 short of expectations. Again, with media focused on Hillary-Trump, this negative-on-the economy news was mostly overlooked...Hidden or missed in weekend reports:  President Obama shortened the jail time of 42 drug offenders, half of them serving life terms...A poll of Fortune 500 CEOs found the top three challenges facing companies are increased regulation, technological changes and cybersecurity...Amazon placed Seattle at the top of its list of most well-read cities determined by purchases of books, magazines and newspapers.  Others in the top 10: Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Las Vegas, Nev.; Tucson, Ariz.; Denver, Colo.; Albuquerque, N.M., and San Diego, Calif…The Bellevue (Ohio) Gazette, founded in October, 1867, published its final edition on Wednesday...In the huh? department: A June 2 editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune urged Republican readers to write-in President Ronald Reagan instead of voting for Donald Trump in tomorrow's California GOP primary...Lee Ann Colacioppo was named editor of the Denver Post. It marks the first time in the paper’s nearly 124-year history that a woman will lead the newsroom.

Want to know where your taxpayer dollars go?

The government spent more than $1 million to study whether cheerleaders appear more attractive when they are grouped together in a squad, the Washington Times noted.