Grumpy Editor

WANT TO GUESS WHAT IS A 'VERY HIGH THREAT' TO AMERICANS?

Forget terrorists, unwelcomed packages through the mail, the approaching migrants caravan or super hurricanes, what the U.S. Geological Survey classifies as a “very high threat” are (ready for this?) --- volcanoes, observes Grumpy Editor.

 Government scientists have put 18 U.S. volcano sites on the danger list, topped by Hawaii’s Kilauea.

Others in the top five are Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in Washington, Mount Redoubt in Alaska and Mount Shasta in California.

This may come as a surprise to many readers:  Concord University volcano expert Janine Krippner declares, “The U.S.A. is one of the most active countries in the world when it comes to volcanic activity.”

Other centers of volcanic action:  Oregon's Mount Hood, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake; Alaska's Akutan Island, Makushin, Mount Spurr, and Augustine; California's Lassen and Long Valley; Washington's Mount Baker and Glacier Peak; and Hawaii's Mauna Loa.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

HALLOWEEN ATTRACTS BIG SPENDING.  With the spookiest day of the year two days away, WalletHub sees $9 billion in Halloween spending this year, with $3.2 billion on costumes and $2.6 billion in candy.  It ranks the top 10 cities for Halloween:  New York, Jersey City (N.J.), Los Angeles, Irvine (Calif.), San Diego, Santa Ana (Calif.), Chicago, Las Vegas, Irvine (Texas) and St. Paul (Minn.). 

MOST SAY U.S. GREATLY DIVIDED.  With eight days to go until midterm elections, an overwhelming majority of Americans say the U.S. is greatly divided, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.  Just 20 percent of those polled think the country will become less divided over the next few years, 39 percent think things will get worse, while 77 percent say they are dissatisfied with the state of politics.

SAME LAST NAME POPULAR ON BALLOT.  In Orange County, Calif., 24 Vietnamese Americans are running for office with 13 sharing the same last name —  Nguyen. They are candidates for state senator, city council, California Assembly, sheriff and Westminster mayor. 

YOUNGER TV  VIEWERS TARGETED.  NBC has its eyes on a younger audience with announcement of a new streaming news network, NBC News Signal. Instead of airing on traditional pay TV platforms, Signal will be available through NBC’s news mobile and over-the-top apps, as well as on other services including PlutoTV, YouTube and Twitter.

EUROPEAN UNION WOMEN EARN LESS.  Britain’s Guardian cites new figures from the EU that show women in the bloc still earn 16.2 percent less than men on average.

 ‘NAZI’ AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN CALIFORNIA.  A vintage World War II fighter aircraft painted with Nazi logos crashed and burned on a highway in Agoura Hills, north of Los Angeles.  An experienced commercial pilot is rescued from the aircraft owned by the Condor Squadron Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving aviation history.

CHINA INKS DEALS WITH JAPAN.  China's talks with the U.S. may not be going anywhere, but the country signed more than 500 business deals with Japan, including the revival of a big currency-swap agreement that's been on ice for the last five years, reports the South China Morning Post. 

HACKER BREACHES AIRLINE DATA.  A hacker made away with details on 9.4 million Cathay Pacific passengers.  It's the worst airline data breach yet.

MUSK’S TUNNEL SLATES OPENING.  Elon Musk's Boring Co. plans to open its first tunnel to the public on Dec. 10, reveals the Tesla/SpaceX/Boring CEO.  The tunnel, underneath the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, runs around two miles from a SpaceX property.  Musk says the public gets free rides the day after the unveiling. 

TRUCK SHORTAGE LEADS TO HIGHER CHOCOLATE PRICES.  Look for higher chocolate candy prices next year, caused primarily by an increase in freight costs.  Hershey and other food makers face record high shipping costs this year because of a shortage of truck drivers.

FEWER AMERICANS ‘UNBANKED.’  Percentage of Americans who do not have a bank account falls to a record low (6.5 percent) of households last year, reports the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

POLITICAL DEBATES, ADVERTISING GET LOW MARKS, FINDS SURVEY

A Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 68 percent of likely U.S. voters get most of their information about a political candidate from news reports, 13 percent get most of their information from debates, while seven percent rely most on political advertising or family and friends, notes Grumpy Editor.

Rasmussen also finds 46 percent of likely voters have watched candidate debates this midterm campaign season, while 49 percent have not watched any, adding "they’re split on whether those debates carry any value for them.” 

 

For the survey, Rasmusen contacted 1,000 likely voters Oct. 15-16.

 

Grumpy Editor adds that even with unlisted telephone numbers, the campaign season triggers an upswing in unwelcomed political calls morning, afternoon and night left on answering machines.

 

Since the calls are not requested, the candidates plugged mostly get a negative reaction, defeating the purpose of reaching into homes and businesses

 

Another way political candidates attempt to get the word out is via literature that fills up mail boxes --- and usually gets tossed into trash bins.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

DETAILS UPCOMING ON MISSING JOURNALIST.  Look for Turkey's president to provide details tomorrow on the investigation into missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS UP IN STATES WITH POT.  A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds traffic accidents are rising in states that have legalized recreational marijuana.

WHERE'S THE NATIONAL GUARD?  In Florida, armed looters are targeting homes and businesses that remain without electricity after being ravaged by Hurricane Michael earlier this month.

 

ALMOST HALF BILLION DOLLARS FOR PET COSTUMES.  More than 30 million people will spend about $480 million treating their pets to costumes on Halloween.  That's more than double the $220 million spent on pet Halloween costumes in 2010 when the National Retail Federation began tracking pet costumes.

 

UNWELCOMED BANK DROP-IN.  A slithering 6 1/2-foot python finds its way into the ceiling of a bank in China and spooks staffers during a meeting when it falls from the ceiling.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS BLOOM OFF-SEASON. In Tokyo, some of Japan's famed cherry blossoms bloom unexpectedly this month, raising eyebrows.   The pink and white flowers usually bloom two weeks in the spring.  Experts say a series of typhoons could have contributed to the phenomenon. 

PETA SUPPORTERS GO NAKED.  Animal rights activists, supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and covered in "bloody body paint," demonstrate topless on Thursday in New York City to protest outfitter Canada Goose over the treatment of coyotes and geese.

MARINE RECEIVES MEDAL OF HONOR.  Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. John Canley, from Oxnard, Calif., gets applause in the White House when he is awarded the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump.  Now 80 years old, he "fought with unmatched bravery" at the start of one of the Vietnam War's longest and bloodiest battles.

A HOME RUN THAT WASN'T.  Houston Astros are convinced that Major League Baseball robbed the team of a two-run home run by Jose Altuve when a fan reached out in an attempt to grab the ball. 

 

 

DESPITE MONTHLY PAY HIKE, MORE SENIORS FACING HARD TIMES

 

While seniors receiving Social Security will see monthly payments rise 2.8 percent, or an average of $40 a month starting in January, the number of older Americans filing for bankruptcy has increased, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Most media, focused on other events (mainly out of Washington) have overlooked this situation.

 

Risks associated with aging include less income --- sometimes attributed to vanishing pensions --- increased health care costs and higher charges for goods and services.

 

A Consumer Bankruptcy Project study finds the rate at which Americans 65 and older are filing for bankruptcy has increased two-fold since 2013.

 

While more than 12 percent of bankruptcy filers are now seniors, only about 2 percent were in that category in 1991.

Meanwhile, nearly half of middle-class Americans now face a slide into poverty as they enter retirement, concludes a study by Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New York.

The think tank says it is being driven by depressed earnings, lower asset values and increased health-care costs teaming to cause 74 percent in that category to plan on working past traditional retirement age. 

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

ARMY VET, 99, TOURS STATES.  With self-financing, Sidney Walton, a 99-year-old World War II Army veteran, is embarked on a 50-state excursion dubbed the No Regrets Tour.  He is making himself available to meet with anyone wishing for a last-chance encounter with one of the dwindling number of World War II veterans.  Last week Walton and his 62-year-old son, Paul, flew from Alaska to Hawaii, 14th state in the tour after visiting Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida and Alaska. Paul tells Stars & Stripes choice of each next destination is dictated by the cheapest flight available. Walton is slated to meet with President Donald Trump when he turns 100 on Feb. 11.

 

COLLEGE-EDUCATED NEWSROOM EARNS LESS.  Pew Research Center reveals  college-educated newsroom employees make less than college-educated workers in other industries and occupations. The median earnings of newsroom employees with a college degree are about $51,000, compared with about $59,000 for all other college-educated workers.

 

TESLA SALES BEAT MERCEDES-BENZ.  Tesla outsells Mercedes-Benz during the third quarter in the U.S. and could outsell BMW in the current quarter, stemming from Tesla’s Model 3 attracting more customers.

 

SCRAMBLED JETS AVOID HURRICANE MICHAEL.  While Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, sustains major damage when Hurricane Michael roared into Florida, the government saves billions of dollars by the commander scrambling the bases's 50 high-tech F-22 fighter jets and sending them to other locations.

 

WWII SAILOR VISITS FORMER SHIP.  Earl Laber, who turns 93 today as one of the last 10 surviving World War II crew members of a Navy ship that is the last of its kind still afloat, visited the USS Slater Friday at its Hudson River dock.  His three sons join him for the tour aboard the ship, now a floating museum docked at the Port of Albany since 1997. 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL WARNING.  Governments' plans for dealing with climate change are inadequate, according to a report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC says major cities and entire countries will be flooded unless countries work to limit global warming to "well below" two degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 

WALMART GETS INTO VIDEO.  Vudu, Walmart's video-on-demand service, makes a deal with MGM to create original series based on the movie studio's film and TV catalog. 

 

NETFLIX TO PRODUCE IN N.M.  Netflix plans to open a film and production center in New Mexico, planning to bring $1 billion in production to the state over the next decade while creating up to 1,000 production jobs a year.

 

AIR FORCE FIGHTERS GROUNDED.  A fighter jet crash last month in South Carolina leads to a temporary pause in all F-35 flights.  That affects 250 U.S.-owned jets plus nearly 100 that belong to other nations including Israel and Great Britain.

TRUST IN NEWS MEDIA FADES, SURVEY FINDS

A new survey finds trust in news media is going downhill, notes Grumpy Editor.

First off, for comparison, an older Gallup poll in asking about “the mass media, such as newspapers, TV, and radio” finds while 72 percent of Americans trusted the media in 1976, that went down to 32 percent in 2016.

Newer data comes from Simmons Research which describes itself as a leading source of cross-channel consumer intelligence, measures consumer psychographics, preferences, attitudes and media behaviors.

Simmons two months ago surveyed 2,009 Americans, asking them whether or not they trusted 38 different news organizations.

The chart, below, answers that question.

Leading the list is The Wall Street Journal, grabbing 57.7 percent in trust.

It is followed by ABC News, CBS News, BBC News (getting British into the act), Forbes and NBC News.

At the bottom is Daily Caller, with 22.5 percent.

A gloomy finding by Simmons:  13 percent of Americans say they find none of these news outlets trustworthy.  

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

OTHERS DO IT, ADMITS N.Y. TIMES.  Noted in a much-covered New York Times story, topped with three bylines, on Donald Trump’s wealth as a self-made billionaire — and taxes, or lack of:  “The wealthiest Americans rarely pay anthing close to full freight.  The Trump tax maneuvers met with little resistance from the IRS, the Times found.”

 

TOY CHAIN MAY REAPPEAR.  Toys R Us, which liquidated its U.S. assets earlier this year, may be making a comeback.  An investor group, made up of secured lenders, says its scrapping plans for an auction of the toy outfit, believing it stands a better chance on its investment by reviving the chain.

 

TRONC BECOMES TRIBUNE AGAIN.  Owner of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News and others, is changing its name back to Tribune Publishing Co. from Tronc Inc. effective tomorrow.  Tribune switched its 150-year old name in June, 2016, in favor of Tronc, a contraction of  Tribune Online Content.

 

BOOKSELLER MULLS BUYOUT OFFERS.  Barnes & Noble’s board of directors is reviewing the bookseller’s future after several parties express interest in acquiring it.

 

STORM-BATTERED U.S. FLAG SELLS.  A U.S. flag, shredded on live television last month as Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington, N.C., is bought at an E Bay auction for $10,900.   The unidentified person with the winning bid competed with two dozen others.

 

AMONG FIRST SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS IN NEW TERM.  Missed by media in focusing on other Supreme Court activities is its split over a potential habitat for endangered dusky gopher frogs in Louisiana timberland.

 

AND ON IT GOES.  North Korea warns Washington that ending the Korean War — still open since 1953 — shouldn’t be seen as a bargaining chip in denuclearization talks.  Meanwhile, a South Korean official says North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons.

 

NAVY SHIP SWITCHES VISIT TO SINGAPORE.  The USS Wasp, earlier denied a normally routine Hong Kong port visit by the Chinese in Beijing, makes a stop in Singapore.

 

AMAZON’S PAY RAISE INCLUDES CATCH.  Widely-covered news that Amazon increases its minimum wage to $15 an hour came with a catch:  the company is dumping monthly bonuses and stock awards for hourly workers.  Meanwhile, Reuters reports FedEx is offering retirement-age pilots between $40,000 and $110,000 to keep flying through the holiday shipping season, rather than retiring, indicating how FedEx is being strained by pilot shortages and rising cargo demand. At the same time, UPS is trying to recruit hundreds more pilots.

 

 

CHINA’S POLLUTION TRIGGERS DEATHS.  Air pollution in China causes, on average, 1.1 million premature deaths a year, according to a study from the University of Hong Kong, reveals South China Morning Post.  Researchers say pollution could be wiping $38 billion from the Chinese economy each year, due to those premature deaths and impacts on food production.   

 

AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY?  California Gov. Jerry Brown signs into law making the Golden State first in the nation to require publicly-traded California-based companies to have at least one woman on their boards.  The new law will ramp that up to three women by the end of 2021, depending on the board size. 

 

HAT’S OFF NEXT TIME.  Television reporter James Bunner, of NBC affiliate KTTC in Austin, Minn., is fired for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat while covering President Donald Trump's rally in Rochester, Minn.

 

 

 

 

Social Security COLA for 2019: Likely between 2.8 and 3 percent

Look for a 2019 Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) to be between 2.8 and 3 percent, calculates Grumpy Editor.  

That compares with 2 percent for 2018.

The official tally will be released Oct.11.

A big question is:  Will there be a boost in Medicare Part B premiums, as in 2018, that bites into a COLA increase. Part B covers doctors' visits and outpatient services.

 

Seniors faced with higher costs in vital areas such as health care, utilities, car insurance, groceries and travel will welcome a boost.

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics averages consumer price indexes from July, August and September to determine next year’s COLA for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS GETS SCANT COVERAGE.   The consumer confidence index reaches an 18-year high, climbing to 138.4 in September from 134.7 in August.  That’s the highest since September, 2000.  Meanwhile, U.S. economy racks up the best performance in nearly four years, with gross domestic product (GDP) growing at a robust annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter.

 

MISINFORMATION IS "CANCER."  New owner of the Los Angeles Times, billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, advocates for a change in how people consume news on social media, calling misinformation and how it's spread the "cancer of our time."

 

CADDIE HQ BACK TO DETROIT.  General Motors’ is moving its Cadillac headquarters back to Detroit after four years in New York.  Triggering the move is management wants Cadillac leaders to be closer to vehicle design and engineering.

D.C.'s SHUTDOWN SAGA CONTINUES.  Latest periodic cry of government shutdown ends when Congress last Wednesday approves a $854 billion bill to keep government open through Dec. 7.  So look for more talk about government shutdown in late October.

HALF OF TOP 10 TV SHOWS INVOLVE FOOTBALL.  What moves Americans to TV viewing? Football. With the top 10 shows in the Sept. 10-16 period, five spotlighted football, grabbing first, third, fifth, seventh and eighth spots.  Always high-ranking “60 Minutes” comes in at No. 2.

'DONUTS' DISAPPEARS.  Dunkin’ Donuts is dropping Donuts from its name because of the chain’s increased focus on beverages.  The shorter name takes effect in January.

CHINESE BLOCK U.S. SHIP TO HONG KONG.  While Hong Kong has been a traditional port of call for U.S. Navy ships, the Chinese government denies the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp a visit, causing a fresh U.S.-China chill.

TED TURNER SAYS CURB POLITICS ON CNN.  Ted Turner, CNN founder, says he still occasionally watches the network he started nearly four decades ago, although he thinks it's a little heavy on politics.