Grumpy Editor finds it interesting that most U.S. news --- and social --- media went ballistic last week, spilling over to the weekend, when North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump compared buttons --- nuclear buttons, that is.
The nuclear button exchange started when Kim said in his New Year’s speech that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal was now essentially complete and the launch button was “always on the desk in my office.” Trump responded by tweeting “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
The response online and in print was generally one of concern that a subject so stark and potentially catastrophic as nuclear weapons was being blithely discussed by men with the power to use them.
Answering that, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “I don’t think that it’s taunting to stand up for the people of this country,” adding that people should be concerned about Kim’s “mental fitness."
Surveying stories on the buttons during the past week, Grumpy Editor noted not one mentioned the Korean War --- technically still not officially ended --- which the U.S. entered on June 25, 1950, long before most current news folks were born.
Labeled “The Forgotten War” because over the years little was mentioned about it despite 33,739 U.S. military personnel killed and 103,284 wounded in action during the three-year conflict.
Since 1953, despite countless talks, North Korea continued saying it is ready for war with America.
Now it brags that it has nuclear missiles that can strike any part of the U.S.
Tough talk is what the communist nation understands. And, shocking as it is to much of U.S. news media, talk of “a bigger button” gave Kim and company something to ponder as this week North Korea readies what satellite imagery shows another possible rocket test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station close to the northern border with China.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
SOLID ECONOMY AHEAD, BUT… Fortune’s Alan Murray said that while all signs point to a solid economy in 2018, with tax cuts boosting growth, “that’s precisely the reason to start worrying.” He noted economic expansion is eight-and-a-half years old, and come spring, it becomes the second longest on record, unemployment is at all-time lows in 13 states and wages are starting to rise. “As a result," he added, “there’s a steadily growing danger that something will happen to end the streak— a spike in interest rates powered by the Fed, a collapse in the stock market caused by a re-valuation of tech companies, a trade war sparked by the president, or a nuclear standoff with Kim Jong Un, to name a few.”
AROUND-THE-CLOCK FODDER FOR CABLE NEWS CHANNELS. Michael Wolff’s inside-the-White-House book — Fire and Fury— loaded with details (some questionable along with errors pointed out by readers) about the White House under Donald Trump, prompted the president to fire salvoes against former aide Steve Bannon for derogatory quotes. Cable news channels went wall-to-wall with discussions linked to the book.
BANISHED WORDS LIST FOR 2018. Wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University issued the 43rd annual banished words list for “Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.” Among them with their comments:
Tons. Refers to an exaggerated quantity, as in tons of sunshine or tons of work. “Lots” would surely suffice.
Dish. As in to dish out the latest rumor on someone. Let’s go back to “talks about” and leave dishes in the cupboard.
Pre-owned. What is so disgraceful about owning a used car now and then?
Let that sink in. One could say shocking, profound, or important. Let that sink in.
Let me ask you this. Wholly unnecessary statement. Just ask the question already.
Fake News. Once upon a time stories could be empirically disproved. Now “fake news” is any story you disagree with.
Hot water heater. Hot water does not need to be heated. “Water heater” or “hot water maker” will keep us out of hot water.
LETTERMAN RETURNS TO TV. Among Dave Letterman’s guests when he returns with a TV talk show on Friday on Netflix is former president Barack Obama. Other guests slated include George Clooney and Howard Stern. Name of Letterman’s hour-long show: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with Dave Letterman.
ANOTHER BOMB. Scary new phrase getting a big play in broadcast and print last week was “bomb cyclone.” It applied to a massive winter storm in which the barometric pressure drops rapidly, at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
MORE SEARS STORES TO SHUTTER. Sears announced it will close more than 100 Sears and Kmart stores. The move follows several previous rounds of closures in recent years.
CADDIES ZOOM IN CHINA. General Motors sold more Cadillacs in China than in the U.S. last year: 175,489 to 156,440. GM began selling in earnest in China only in the last decade.
CABLE NEWS CHANNELS GO DARK. Life Time, a multi-state fitness operation based in Minnesota, has banished all-news cable channels — MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and CNBC — from its screens at its centers, because a growing number of patrons think they don’t fit a healthy lifestyle. Only USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, ESPN and local stations remain on the TV screens. A spokesperson said the fitness centers dropped cable news outlets based on “many member requests received over time across the country and in keeping with our overall healthy way of life philosophy and commitment to provide family-oriented environments free of consistently negative or politically charged content.”
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