ONE-THIRD OF FAMILIES EAT IN SILENCE

Overlooked by most U.S. media is a British news report that finds one third of families eat in silence during meal time, notes Grumpy Editor.

Three out of 10 respondents say they struggle to find what to talk about at dinner and many parents draw a blank on what to discuss with their offspring, according to the survey of 2,500 U.K. parents by Tex-Mex food producer Old El Paso.

 

Among other findings:

 

   Four out of 10 parents don’t eat dinner at the same time as their children on most days.

 

   One in 10 never eats dinner at the same time as their families.

 

   More than one in five respondents admits watching TV than interacting with the family.

 

   Almost half say they usually stare at their phones while eating.

 

   With families that chat around dinner tables, popular topics are weekend plans (47%), followed by school gossip (44%), the meal being eaten (43%), homework (37%) and popular TV shows (37%).

 

“To get the most out of family mealtimes, the table needs to be filled with the happy noise of conversation, chat and laughter. The more we engage, the closer and more connected we feel to each other,” comments psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

 

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EMPTY U.S. NAVY BOAT DRIFTS ACROSS ATLANTIC.  A small U.S. Navy boat, last seen a year ago, is discovered off the coast of Ireland.  A crew from the Doolin Ferry Co. spotted it while en route to Inis Oirr, an island in Galway Bay.  The four-year-old boat, lost during a training exercise, is a U.S. Navy High Speed Maneuverable Surface Target (HSMST) that was based about 3,300 miles away in Norfolk, Va.

 

DEFICIT TOPS $1 TRILLION PLUS.  The Treasury Department says the U.S. deficit tops more than $1 trillion in the first 11 months of the fiscal year. 

 

SAN FRANCISCO PLANS TO CHARGE DRIVERS ON FAMOUS CROOKED ROAD. San Francisco soon will charge drivers who use the famous crooked Lombard St.  Suggested cost:  $5 per car on weekdays, $10 on weekends and holidays.

 

DOW RISES EIGHT STRAIGHT TRADING DAYS.  With improving sentiment in U.S.-China trade relations, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rises on eight straight trading days, closing Friday at 27,219.52.

 

TEN MOST CENSORED COUNTRIES.  Eritrea, in east Africa, is the world's most censored country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJR).  It is followed by North Korea, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Irna, Equatorial Guinea, Belarus and Cuba. The list is based on CPJ's research on the use of tactics ranging from imprisonment and repressive laws to surveillance of journalists and restrictions on internet and social media access.

 

SNOW FALLS IN TAHOE BASIN.  National Weather Service says a cold front passed over the northern Sierra Nevada last week, pushing temperatures below normal and leaving an inch of snow in the Tahoe Basin and drivers  in the Mount Rose area encountering snowy conditions.

 

EDITOR & PUBLISHER GETS NEW OWNER.  Editor & Publisher, known as “the bible of the newspaper industry,” is acquired from Duncan McIntosh Co. by digital media veteran Michael Blinder, who plans to broaden the publication's mission. 

OXFORD RATED BEST UNIVERSITY IN WORLD.  Britain’s University of Oxford ranks as the best university in the world, followed by the California Institute of Technology, according to a list prepared by a London magazine, Times Higher Education.

NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN.  The Battle of Inchon, an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that ran four days at this time in 1950, resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command.  It involved 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, leading to the recapture of Seoul, the South Korean capital, two weeks later.