Grumpy Editor

Forbes lists steps to squash North Korea’s antics

With the firing of another, more advanced, North Korea ballistic missile on Friday, what’s taking it so long to crack down on the Communist nation that has been a thorn in the U.S. side for decades, asks Grumpy Editor.

With the latest test, experts said North Korea now placed the continental U.S. firmly in range of a strike.

That should stir up Washington.

But it’s vacation time.

North Korea has been acting up for years, since the three-year Korean War shooting stopped with truce talks --- still open ended --- that started July 27, 1953.

Thus, the so-called “forgotten war,” in which 33,739 U.S. military personnel lost lives and 103,284 were wounded in action, has not officially concluded.

Under a headline,“Crackdown on North Korea unavoidable now,” Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief, Forbes magazine, in the current (July 27) issue listed “several steps the U.S. should take immediately, which would start to inflict serious economic pain on Pyongyang and put pressure on China to make good on its pledges.”

Topping the list was one suggestion that was just nailed down on July 21 when the Trump administration said it would bar Americans from traveling to North Korea.

Other steps mentioned by Forbes:

* Put North Korea back on the U.S. list of terrorist states.

* Start applying serious sanctions on all banks and companies that do business with North Korea.

* Announce that the U.S. Navy would be free to interdict ships suspected of transporting North Korean military products, including nuclear parts, or of transporting military items or nuclear parts to Pyongyang.

* Step up our antiballistic missile efforts, with the stated goal of shooting down any future missiles fired by North Korea.

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Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, says the Coast Guard is busier than ever chasing drug runners, but that it can't do the job without more money, pointing out last year the Coast Guard couldn't chase hundreds of drug shipments it knew about. Much of the fleet is decades past retirement age and the Coast Guard needs $1.5 billion just to catch up on maintenance.

Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker reminds his staff: “In a turbulent political age, there’s been much public discussion about trust in the media. You’ve heard me talk a lot about trust and our overriding obligation to be fair and objective as we cover politics --- and indeed all subjects. When relations between government and the media are especially strained, it’s more important than ever that we maintain our composure and our commitment to reporting the truth, without political or ideological slant.”

In the latest New York Times buyout program, some key editorial staffers will be exiting. Among them: Michael Gordon, national security correspondent. He will depart in September after three decades at the paper. Also reported to be leaving are book critic Michiko Kakutani, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter James Risen, media editor Bruce Headlam and columnist Charles Duhigg, another Pulitzer winner. With the buyout program more than 100 copy editors will see their jobs eliminated.

Fox News Channel spent more than $100,000 for a New York Times ad to spotlight a recent Times review proclaiming the "Fox & Friends" morning show is "the most powerful TV show in America."

David Perlman, 98-year-old science editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, is retiring after nearly seven decades at the newspaper. Asked what he thought of many newspapers eliminating science editors to save money, Perlman says, “I think it's absolutely obscene.”

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds 50 percent of likely U.S. Voters believe the media have too much power and influence over government decisions.

U.K. paper: North Korea eyes subs for missile launching

Grumpy Editor notes that following North Korea's recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile with technology for mounting a nuclear warhead, Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that North Korea does not have "the capacity to strike the United States with any degree of accuracy or reasonable confidence of success."

Yet, at the same time, London-based The Sun newspaper reported North Korean SINPO-class submarines --- designed to launch ballistic missiles --- have been spotted in international waters engaging in "unusual activity."

The story said North Korean watchers, via satellite images, spotted changes on the boat and its home dock and "believe satellite images indicate preparations for a major operation."

The Sun pointed out, “While the precise reason for this movement is unclear, one possibility is that it may have been long-term preparations for the recently reported voyage or an upcoming missile test."

Other images show "huge development" at a shipyard where North Korean submarines are based.

The Sun explained, "Long-range ballistic missiles (ISBMs), and their submarine-housed counterparts (SLBMs), are rockets which can carry nuclear bombs and would be capable of striking the U.S.West Coast, including cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle.

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Another Trump-Russian breaking news revelation stemming from the G-20 dinner in Germany. Grumpy Editor gets a hearty laugh seeing Gary Varvel’s editorial cartoon for the Indianapolis Star in which a TV news reader reveals: “Trump had Russian salad dressing.”

Indeed, Washington media get excited in uncovering "President Donald Trump had another previously undisclosed conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Germany." (This was at the dinner for world leaders in Hamburg.)

Summer doldrums hit the Washington Post newsroom. It grabs an exclusive with the revelation that President Donald Trump "can usually make it about a third of the way through an interview without mentioning Hillary Clinton." In a lengthy story, complete with charts, writer Philip Bump uncovers, "In fact, in 19 interviews that he’s conducted since becoming president, we found that Clinton tended to be mentioned much earlier than a number of Trump’s other favorite topics."

Bloomberg reports Lloyd’s of London warns a global cyber-attack could result in up to $121.4 billion in damages. Meanwhile, Bloomberg and El Financiero launch Bloomberg Businessweek México, a Spanish-language, bi-weekly edition. The magazine will include local content from Mexico-based Bloomberg News and El Financiero journalists.

Four members of a television reality show film are robbed at gunpoint in a parking lot in downtown Oakland with $50,000 worth of equipment and personal items grabbed, according to victims and authorities. The head of the crew says he was thrown up against a wall and that he and the other victims were forced to lie on the pavement, where two robbers put guns to their heads and threatened them.

British Broadcasting Corp. reports officials in India say food served on board Indian trains and at railway stations is unfit for human consumption. Checking 80 trains and 74 stations finds some food contaminated while packaged and bottled items are past expiration dates. As a result, the railway ministry says a new catering policy would lead to quality food for rail passengers while promising new kitchens and upgrades to existing ones.

CNSnews.com notes TV networks spend 55 percent of their time covering Russia-Trump yet only 6 percent of Americans say it's a "top issue."

It happens in Britain, too. A five-year-old girl in London is left in tears after local council officers fined her 150 pounds ($195) for selling lemonade without a license near her home. The homemade lemonade was designated for fans attending a nearby dance festival.

Is the Los Angeles Times getting ready to move?

Will the Los Angeles Times move from its historic location in downtown Los Angeles where it has been based since 1935? asks Grumpy Editor.

LAObserved last week mentions, “The Los Angeles Times has a deal to leave its art deco home (since 1935) at 1st and Spring streets in Civic Center and move across downtown to the 62-story Aon Center.”

But a few days later the weekly Los Angeles Business Journal reports “The Los Angeles Times has no immediate plans to relocate operations after its historic downtown headquarters was sold nine months ago…”

The Business Journal quotes the Times communications director saying, “We have not signed a new lease. We are currently researching our options for the future, which include remaining in the building or selecting a new location.”

The current site is conveniently across from City Hall and close to courts and police department headquarters, making it easy for reporters to cover.

The current lease at the Times building runs until June, 2018 "with options to continue beyond that date," points out its PR person.

The Times is a renter in the former corporate home of the Chandler family media empire and is increasingly a smaller presence in what used to be called Times Mirror Square.

The editorial staff now fits on only two floors.

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In a Friday conference call, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed frustration with the federal government, declaring: "Since the Great Recession, which is now eight years old, we've been growing at 1.5 to 2 percent in spite of stupidity and political gridlock, because the American business sector is powerful and strong, What I'm saying is it would be much stronger growth had we made intelligent decisions and were there not gridlock." That triggers The Wall Street Journal to comment: “Jamie Dimon sure knows how to liven up an earnings call.”

Projections indicate Social Security recipients in January can expect to receive their biggest payment increase in years: 2.2 percent, or about $28 a month for the average recipient. That compares with tiny increases in benefits in recent years. For this year recipients received an increase of 0.3 percent, after getting nothing last year.

A new island popped up off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It’s a mile-long, crescent-shaped sand bar. Locals named it “Shelly Island” stemming from its abundant shells.

Will other airlines follow? Air India introduces a cost-cutting measure: Meatless meals for those in economy class on domestic flights "to reduce wastage, reduce cost and improve catering service."

Five Okinawa-based U.S. Marines, making their way down Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak 60 miles outside Tokyo, ran across a medical emergency when a 28-year-old Japanese woman was shaking violently on the ground, suffering from a seizure. Stars & Stripes reports the Marines did not hesitate and “immediately sprang into action. They stripped off their shirts, and using their walking sticks, fashioned a makeshift stretcher,” adding “They carried the woman down Fuji’s winding trails until they reached medics, potentially saving the young woman’s life.”

Nancy Pelosi still thinks George W. Bush is president. During an interview with Oakland’s KTVU, the House minority leader for the fifth time in recent weeks referred to President Donald Trump as “President Bush,” points out The American Mirror.

Does this excite Washington? North Korea warns it will “turn self-destructive U.S. into a pile of ash” if President Donald Trump orders attack on its nuclear sites, reports The Sun, London.

How much does CNN like the White House? The channel last Wednesday airs a prime time special: “White House in Crisis.”

CBS and Britain’s BBC enter a partnership to share video and other newsgathering resources to boost worldwide reporting capabilities.

Another example of the closeness between North Korea and China: China buys iron ore from North Korea.

Washington slow to recognize antics of North Korea

North Korea’s test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, that experts say could reach Alaska, put the communist nation back into the spotlight and front pages, notes Grumpy Editor.

So now much media chatter is all about North Korea.

But today, Grumpy Editor goes back six years and repeats a Feb. 27, 2011 posting under the headline --- Almost forgotten: Korean War remains open-ended --- that illustrates Washington’s slow movement to recognize a long-running international problem.

In that 2011 material, Grumpy Editor points out the close ties North Korea had during the Korean War with the Chinese and Russians, namely Chinese soldiers battling U.S. troops on the ground while Russian pilots in Soviet-built jets were fighting U.S. pilots in the air.
The closeness of North Korea, China and Russia continues today. Thus, it is a key reason China and Russia will likely provide no solid help in curbing the current doings of North Korea.

They have been buddies for years.

From the Feb. 27, 2011 Grumpy Editor:

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News junkies, including journalists, are aware that the U.S. currently is involved in three military actions --- in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya --- but most overlook a fourth, rather silent, that remains open-ended after 58 (now 64) years, reminds Grumpy Editor.

That’s the Korean War. Battles ended with a cease fire on July 27, 1953.

So it’s interesting to note that North Korea this week, on the 58th anniversary of the truce, is "eager" to sign a peace treaty that puts the cap on the 1950-1953 conflict that, for the U.S., resulted in 36,940 military deaths, 103,000 wounded, 8,142 missing in action and 3,746 prisoners of war.

The Korean War, also labeled the “forgotten war,” erupted when 135,000 communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea in pre-dawn hours of June 25, 1950.

The conflict was extended with the entries of communist Chinese soldiers battling U.S. troops on the ground and Russian pilots in Soviet-built jets fighting U.S. airmen.

Chinese troops killed or captured thousands of U.S. military personnel and managed many prisoner of war camps in North Korea.

North and South Korea technically remain at war with no peace treaty.
In addition, talks are expected to focus on a resumption of six-nation (China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, North Korea, U.S.) nuclear disarmament talks, something that has been going on for years.

Don’t count on progress.

Over the years, North Korea’s routine has been to talk, followed by pauses, then more talks, followed by no final action.

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CNN and the New York Times continue to stir up Russia-Trump (routine) meetings…this latest one about adopting Russian kids.

From CNN: “Donald Trump's oldest son has told CNN that he, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort met with a Russian lawyer last year --- the first known meeting between some of the highest members of the Trump team and a Russian national during the campaign. The New York Times, which first reported the previously undisclosed meeting, says it occurred at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016 --- two weeks after Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination.

"It was a short introductory meeting," Donald Trump Jr. said in a statement to CNN. "I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government.”

Will the meeting in Russia of President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump put a cap on the long-running word “meddling” in print and broadcast media? Probably not.

Look for a fight in Congress in coming months over how many troops should be added in the Army next year. The House Armed Services Committee approved a $625 billion version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018. It calls for adding 17,000 soldiers. Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s $640 billion version puts the figure at 6,000 more soldiers.

While parts of Nevada and Arizona are baking under a hot sun, thousands of snowboarders and skiers have been taking advantage of lingering snow in Squaw Valley in California, as slopes remain open, stemming from a huge snowfall this year.

Forget climate change. The New York Times raises a new concern via a story with a Cape Grim, Tasmania dateline: “excess carbon dioxide scorching the planet.”

English-language weekly Moscow Times, with a circulation of 55,000, ends its print edition with a July 6 souvenir issue.

Fortune magazine reports the top five companies that care most about customers are Disney, Amazon, UPS, FedEx and Cosco, while companies that care least about customers are Wells Fargo, Comcast, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and JP Morgan Chase.

Carmaker Volvo, now owned by China's Geely, reveals it will abandon the conventional combustion engine by 2019, then sell cars powered only by hybrid or fully electric motors.

The edible SPAM, not the computer kind, celebrates
80 years in pantries around the world.

Sony plans to resume production of vinyl records

It didn’t get much media coverage, but record collectors will be happy to learn that Sony Music Entertainment plans to start pressing vinyl records again before next spring, notes Grumpy Editor.

Sony, the world’s second largest record company and owner of RCA and Columbia labels, halted vinyl record production in 1989 as compact discs took over the market.

Behind the comeback: Young music lovers claim vinyl produces a warmer, more vivid sound.

Plans call for Sony to produce vinyl records at a factory near Tokyo.

Look for turntables and other vinyl-related accessories to gain fresh attention.

Vinyl revenue reached its peak in the late 70s and early 80s, when more than half a billion records were sold annually in the U.S. alone.

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The New York Times idea of restructuring the newsroom operation and eliminating a stand-alone copy desk (with more than 100 copy editors) outraged employees who staged a march around the Times building. Current copy editors are invited to apply for about 50 other positions.

Political correctness reaches into California’s Disneyland where the park area spotlighting the swashbuckling tradition of abducting and exploiting women in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction is undergoing a makeover.

Heavy coverage of Greta Van Susteren’s sudden departure from MSNBC after being with the cable network for less than six months never got around to indicating the reason why.

Strangely, on and on goes the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who is facing the charge of endangering Army buddies by walking off his post (as a private) in Afghanistan --- eight years ago. That’s two times the length of World War II.

Unlike when California faced drought conditions, not much was reported last week when central California homes received water damage from swollen rivers triggered by melting snow.

The Labor Department reports Americans spend more time working and less time sleeping, based on a 2016 survey.

Late night talk show (Coast to Coast AM) host George Noory’s latest book, Mad as Hell, reveals his concerns about the state of America and his worries about its future, declaring: “We live in a dangerous world that is sorely in need of an effective political system. I hope this book will inspire and encourage people to pull together as a society and put in the hard work it will take to bring back the America that makes us proud.”

Jakarta, Indonesia TV stations provided live coverage on the arrival of former President Barack Obama and his family on the last leg of a 10-day vacation in Indonesia, where they visited ancient temples and went whitewater rafting. Jakarta is Obama’s boyhood home.

When driver Andy Mitchell spotted a young man in a fast food uniform walking along a road on a 95-degree day in Rockwall, Texas, he felt compelled to offer 20-year-old Justin Korva a ride. Mitchell learned that Korva normally walked three miles to work and home every day. This led to a donation box in town and in 48 hours $5,500 was raised, leading to purchase of a car for Korva through a local dealer.

Main reason Congress is not getting much done: Members will have 218 days off this year.