Grumpy Editor

MERRIAM-WEBSTER ADDS WORDS WITH NEW MEANINGS

Folks at Merriam-Webster remind that the "English language never sleeps and neither does the dictionary,” notes Grumpy Editor.

"The work of revising a dictionary is constant and it mirrors the culture’s need to make sense of the world with words," they point out.

Merriam-Webster last week adds 640 words, explaining what’s behind some old words with new meanings, such as:

 

• Tailwind and headwind: These words are now often used figuratively to refer to a force or influence that either helps or hinders progress.
• Peak: Metaphorically extended to mean “being at the height of popularity, use, or attention,” as in “peak television” (or maybe “peak word nerd”). 
• Goldilocks: Even a fairy tale can become a metaphor, and this new colorful definition, referring to the character whose preferred porridge is neither too hot nor too cold, has inspired astronomers to use it to describe “an area of planetary orbit in which temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold to support life.”
• Snowflake: Now used to mean both “someone regarded or treated as unique or special” and “someone who is overly sensitive.”
• Purple: Extending the blending of red and blue to the metaphorical level, purple can now refer to geographical areas where voters are split between Democrats and Republicans. 

Among new entertainment words: 

• Buzzy: Causing or characterized by a lot of speculative or excited talk or attention (that is, generating buzz).
• Bottle episode: An inexpensively produced episode of a television series that is typically confined to one setting. 
• EGOT: An entry in the dictionary seems like an appropriate award for the acronym that stands for the rare achievement of winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

The word compilers explain that “each word follows its own path at its own pace before its use is widespread enough to be included in a dictionary."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

SOURCE OF NORTH KOREA'S MERCEDES A MYSTERY.  Daimler AG, the German multinational automotive corporation, says it has no idea where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got his armored Mercedes limousines since it has no business dealings with the communist nation. Kim used Daimler-branded stretch limousines at several very high-profile summits, including his meeting last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and earlier in summits with President Donald Trump.

 

VATICAN AIDS MIGRANTS IN MEXICO.  Pope Francis provides assistance for food, lodging and basic necessities in donating $500,000 to help migrants in Mexico.

 

TRUMP PRAISES DRUG-DETECTING DOGS.  President Donald Trump praises drug-detecting canines at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, calling working canines "the greatest equipment in the world."

 

18 COLONOSCOPES STOLEN.  Three people broke into a medical facility in Wynnewood, Pa. and fled with 18 colonoscopes.  The devices, reportedly worth a total of about $450,000, are used for examining the health of patients’ colons.

 

CALL OUT FOR WWII CLICKERS.  So-called “clickers,” used in World War II ‘s D-Day Normandy landings to determine friend or foe, are being sought to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the landings.  Two clicks in response to one meant it was a friend.  About 7,000 of the devices were produced.

 

CALIFORNIA DINERS SUBJECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE SURCHARGE.  People eating at California restaurants may start to see an optional 1% surcharge added to their bill to fight climate change. The money will go to a public fund that helps farmers who use practices that reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

 

ECONOMY UP, YET STRESS UP.  A Gallup poll finds “even as the economy roared, more Americans were stressed, angry and worried last year than they have been at most points during the past decade.” In asking about their feelings the previous day, 55% mention they had experienced stress during the day, while 45% say they felt worried a lot and 22% reveal they felt anger a lot.

  

SOME AMERICANS PLAN TO SKIP VACATIONS.   More than one in four Americans have already decided to forgo a summer vacation this year and another 22% remain undecided, according to a Bankrate survey of almost 2,600 adults.  Biggest reason?  They can’t afford it.

 

3M TO CUT JOBS.  3M Co., a favorite with investors over the years since debut of Scotch tape, plans to eliminate 2,000 jobs and restructure its sprawling business.

 

MIDDLE CLASS SHRINKING.  An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report warns the middle class is shrinking while its economic power is fading in the U.S. and rich nations, thus threatening political stability and economic growth.

MONEY MAGAZINE PRINT VERSION ENDS AFTER 47 YEARS

Money magazine, which debuted in 1972, publishes its final print edition with the June/July issue, notes Grumpy Editor.

That is sad news to many readers, especially those who renewed subscriptions in recent days.

Money, with almost 2 million circulation, lures readers with articles covering personal finance topics, including investing, saving, retirement, home improvement, taxes and family finance.  It also attracts attention with its annual list of "America's Best Places to Live."

However, a digital version will be available.

Money outlasted competitor Smart Money, launched in 1992 by Hearst and Dow Jones, which printed its last edition in September 2012.

Meredith Corp. welcomed Money in a $2.8 billion acquisition of Time Inc. in January 2018. Then it put Money on the block a few months later along with Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.

Des Moines-based Meredith has been trying to sell Money, putting a $10 million price tag on the magazine.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

LYING AND WASHINGTON GO TOGETHER.  "Lying is the word that I would use to describe this town (Washington).  I don't know if it will ever stop.  It's gotten worse rather than better, and both sides do it.  You've got to listen very carefully to what they're saying," C-Span founder Brian Lamb tells The Wall Street Journal.  Lamb, 77, signs off from that cable channel on May 19.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FILINGS DROP.  The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment benefits falls to a 50-year low in the week ended April 13 while the unemployment rate last month reaches a low 3.8%.

NO END IN SIGHT FOR AFGHANISTAN WAR.   Deaths of three U.S. Marines in Afghanistan reminds Americans that after almost 18 years of fighting there, no end is in sight.  

TRUMP PLANS JAPAN VISIT NEXT MONTH.  President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, plan a state visit to Japan May 25 to 28 to visit the newly enthroned emperor.  

GROCERY STRIKE AFFECTS NANTUCKET.  Two Stop & Shop grocery stores on Nantucket, 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, are involved in a company-wide strike, making food shopping difficult for the island’s 11,000 year-round residents. 

 TWO CLASSIC SITCOMS RETURN FOR ONE NIGHT.  In a live, one night only event, a 90-minute ABC-TV special on May 22 brings back two updated classic sitcoms:  All in the Family and The Jeffersons. 

CROWLEY JOINS TREASURY DEPARTMENT.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to hire Monica Crowley, a regular Fox News guest, as assistant secretary for public affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS NOW ALLOWS USE OF % WITH FIGURES

Over the years, one word --- percent --- triggers much confusion, and continues to do so, notes Grumpy Editor.

Is it percent, % or per cent?

It causes copy editors to grumble.

The Associated Press, in updating its stylebook, is allowing use of % with figures such as income rose by 14% rather than 14 percent.

That makes headline writers happy.

As Merrill Perlman at Columbia Journalism Review points out, "Thus continues the evolution of  ‘percent.’ In the early part of the 20th century, a common rendering was ‘per cent,’ two words with a period after the “cent,” possibly because it was abbreviating the Italian ‘per cento’.”

Perlman adds, “The first formal AP stylebook, in 1953, called for “per cent,” and that stuck at least through the 1970 stylebook. By 1977, though, it had come together as ‘percent.’ That’s common in the United States, though British English leans towards ‘per cent’.”

However, some confusion continues.

Perlman mentions The Chicago Manual of Style says, “In nontechnical contexts, the word percent is generally used; in scientific and statistical copy, the symbol % is more common.”

One wonders what % of readers care about the change.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

   

GASOLINE PRICES SOAR IN CALIFORNIA. Four-dollar a gallon gasoline is the average in two California counties -- San Luis Obispo and Mono. In San Francisco, the average price is $3.98. Average price in the Golden State is up 20 cents a gallon to $3.83 just in the past week — and heading higher this week.

FREE ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR WRITERS. The spring 2019 issue of Writers Tricks of the Trade, a free magazine, is unveiled online today. Produced by Las Vegas-based Morgan St. James, author of 16 books, the 40-page issue provides information and news of interest to freelance writers. View it at http:bit.ly/WTTSpring2019.

CHRIS MATTHEWS BLASTS TRUMP.  Fox News reports MSNBC host Chris Matthews blasts President Donald Trump for playing the "political sidekick" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

B OF A RAISES MINIMUM WAGE.  Bank of America is raising its minimum wage starting pay to $17 an hour effective May 1, on the way to reaching $20 an hour in 2021.

NETFLIX PLANS TO ADD FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD THEATER.   Netflix is in talks to buy the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The Egyptian’s price tag is said to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

PARADE OF HIGHER TAXES LOOMS IN GOLDEN STATE. Democrats in the California legislature introduce bills that hike taxes on residents who use or buy firearms, tire changes, oil/gas and water.

LAST OF WORLD WAR II DOOLITTLE RAIDERS DIES. Retired Lt. Col. Richard (Dick) Cole, 103, last of the 80 Doolittle Tokyo Raiders who carried out a U.S. attack on Japan during World War II, died last week in a San Antonio military hospital.

TOP BABY NAMES OF YEAR.  Nameberry, a baby-naming site, tallies the top baby names making the rounds this year.

  

Girls

1. Posie
2. Isla
3. Olivia
4. Aurora
5. Maeve
6. Cora
7. Amara
8. Ada
9. Amelia
10. Charlotte

Boys

1. Milo
2. Jasper
3. Atticus
4. Theodore
5. Asher
6. Silas
7. Jack
8. Finn
9. Henry
10. Felix

 

BILLIONS OF ROBOCALLS REACH 'EPIDEMIC' STAGE IN U.S.

Robocalls affect any person who possesses a telephone.  Yet, most media somehow ignore the big and growing problem that irks millions of Americans, notes Grumpy Editor.

About 26.3 billion robocalls were directed at Americans last year, up 46 percent from 2017.

While people can register with the National Do Not Call Registry, illegal robocalls --- many from foreign locations --- grow like a fungus.  It's not unusual for some people to receive 10 or more robocalls a day, the largest source of consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission.

The May issue of Consumer Reports terms robocalls "epidemic."

CR mentions "the telecom industry has promised to roll out new technology that, though not stopping robocalls on its own, would identify calls as potentially fraudulent so that consumers can decide whether to answer."

Grumpy Editor finds it interesting that when some nabbed robocallers go to court, they get off easy.

Examples CR cites:  One outfit that blasted millions of unlawful robocalls was ordered to pay $2.2 million.  But the Federal Trade Commission suspended that judgment upon payment of $65,000 --- based on inability to pay. Another operation that engineered billions of illegal robocalls was ordered to pay $2.7 million by the FTC, growing to $9.9 million when factoring in other people in the scheme.  But this was cut to $510,000 because of inability to pay.

There may be hope ahead.

Introduced in Congress in January is a bill called Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act.  It would make robocall fines bigger and easier for the Federal Communications Commission to obtain.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

GEORGIA SEEKS JOURNALISM ETHICS BOARD.  Republicans in the Georgia House file a bill that proposes a "Journalism Ethics Board" to oversee news coverage in the state.  The bill calls for the creation of an "independent" board --- housed at the University of Georgia's journalism and communications school --- to make "canons and ethics" and "rules and regulations" for journalism in the state.

UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS DECLINE.  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decline 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 202,000 for the week ended March 30, lowest level since early December 1969, reports the Labor Department. 

 

BIG SHAKER "OVERDUE" IN GOLDEN STATE.  California is in an earthquake drought, proclaims the Los Angeles Times in a periodic, lengthy, illustrated feature.  The latest, in a series of efforts to shake up readers, mentions it has been almost five years since the state experienced its last earthquake of magnitude 6 or stronger.

 

WIND TURBINES CAUSE CANCER?  The White House is refusing to explain why President Donald Trump claims, falsely, that the noise from wind turbines causes cancer, notes CNN.

 

BULLETPROOF VEST AT BORDER MOCKED.  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) mocks Lawrence Jones for wearing a bulletproof vest while reporting for Fox News at the southern border.  Jones says border patrol agents advised him to wear the protective garment, because “we control this side of the border, but the cartel controls the other side of the border. There’s been gun fights.”

 

MEASLES CASES RISE.  More people are sickened by measles in the first three months of 2019 than for all of 2018.  It's the second-highest number reported since U.S. health officials declared the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease “eliminated” in 2000.

 

12-YEAR-OLD TO ADDRESS COLLEGE GRADUATES.   University commencement speaker is added to 12-year-old Hilde Kate Lysiak’s accomplishments that include crime reporter, publisher, author and subject of a television series.  She is scheduled to address graduates of West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media next month in Morgantown, W.Va. Hilde first came to national attention at age 9, when she covered a homicide in her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pa., and for her self-published newspaper and website, Orange Street News.

13-YEAR-OLD BUYS CAR FOR MOM.  A 13-year-old boy surprises Krystal Preston, his single mother in Nevada, by presenting her with a white 1999 Chevrolet Metro, earned by mowing yards and clearing yards.

TRUMP AGAIN NIXES CORRESPONDENTS DINNER.  President Donald Trump says he's got better things to do than attend the "boring" and "negative" White House Correspondents' Association dinner April 27.  He will be holding a rally at that time, skipping the dinner for the third year in a row.

 

 

MEDIA SHOULD REFRAIN FROM NAMING MASS SHOOTERS, SAY EXPERTS

Grumpy Editor agrees with the growing movement for print and broadcast media to refrain naming mass shooters because it fuels celebrity-style coverage that encourages more violence.

Too many news outlets go into detail with biographical material on trigger-happy gunmen, often anxious to see that information along with photos that sometimes go back to high school days.

A recent Associated Press story by Lisa Marie Pane, mentions Adam Lankford, a criminologist at the University of Alabama who studied the influence of media coverage on shooters, saying it’s vitally important to avoid focusing excessive attention on gunmen.

“A lot of these shooters want to be treated like celebrities," adds Lankford. "They want to be famous. So the key is not to give them that treatment."

The criminologist argues attackers are trying to outdo previous shooters with higher death tolls and media coverage encourages copycats.

James Alan Fox, a professor at Northeastern University who has studied mass shootings, tells AP's Pane that naming shooters is not the problem but it's over-the-top coverage that includes details about the killers, such as their writings and their backgrounds, that “unnecessarily humanizes them.”

Fox adds, “We sometimes come to know more about them --- their interests and their disappointments --- than we do about our next-door neighbors."

Pane reminds that “late last year, the Trump administration’s federal Commission on School Safety called on the media to refrain from reporting names and photos of mass shooters. It was one of the rare moments when gun-rights advocates and gun-control activists agreed."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

MARINES MIXED TRAINING ENDS.  The Marine Corps experiment integrating female recruits into an all-male unit in boot camp ended Friday.  It lasted three months.

MANY SPORTS EDITORS SNUB BASEBALL.  While many newspaper sports pages curb baseball coverage with the season opener Thursday, the Wall Street Journal on Friday runs a four-column front-page photo spotlighting the Milwaukee Brewers - St.Louis Cardinals game, with additional baseball coverage inside the first section.

DODGERS BELT EIGHT HOMERS IN GAME.  Speaking of baseball, first game of the season sees Los Angeles Dodgers players belting eight home runs, setting a major league record for opening day in a 12-5 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

TAXPAYERS FOOT $25 MILLION PROBE.  The two-year probe by special counsel Robert Mueller that finds President Donald Trump and his campaign did not collude with the Russians cost American taxpayers $25 million.

SCHUMER CALLS TRUMP UNIFORMED.  CNSNews notes Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) on the Senate floor calls President Donald Trump "the least informed president we have ever had in American history."

WHITE REPORTERS BANNED BY CHURCH.  Breitbart reports white members of the press barred from entering the Bolton Street Baptist Church for a community event highlighting black mayoral candidates in Savannah, Ga.  Sign on the church door: "No media (T.V., Radio, etc.). Black Press Only!" 

IWO JIMA BATTLE REMEMBERED.  A dozen of the dwindling number of U.S. World War II veterans of the February 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima are among those allowed onto the island last week for an annual remembrance ceremony.

MEMOIR ON TRACK TO SET RECORD.  Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" sells nearly 10 million copies around the world since its November release.  It could set a sales record in its genre.

MELTED SNOW LEAVES OFFENSIVE SHAPE.  A Tennessee woman claims her homeowners association is fining her $100 because heat from her parked car's engine melted snow underneath resulted in "displaying offensive images or slogans."