Grumpy Editor

FEW MASKS SEEN IN PACKED SPORTS STADIUMS

With end-of-season baseball action filling stadiums — and the virus still a concern around the country —  why are very few masks seen? wonders Grumpy Editor.

At packed, close-seating 50,000-seat Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, for example, only two people with masks were observed in behind-home-plate TV shots.

 

On the other hand, on many TV channels, lone news presenters in the studios — or reporting alone standing streetside outside — are wearing masks.

 

Yet to gain entrance to a doctor’s office, even when empty or with few people waiting — wearing a mask is mandatory.

 

Confusing?

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

NORTH KOREA TERMS MISSILE TEST NORMAL.  Communist North Korea says its test of a “new type” of submarine-launched ballistic missile last week should be considered “normal activities” for the country and that it poses no threat to the United States.

 

FENTANYL LEADS IN OVERDOSE DEATHS.  Fentanyl – 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine – now is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S. along with other synthetic opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  Overdose deaths hit a new record in the U.S. at 96,779 from March 2020 to March 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

 

GOVERNMENT URGED TO RESTRICT FALSE INFORMATION.  Roughly half of U.S. adults (48 percent) say the government should take steps to restrict false information, even if it means losing some freedom to access and publish content, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 11,178 adults.  That is up from 39 perent in 2018. At the same time, the share of adults who say freedom of information should be protected – even if it means some misinformation is published online – has decreased to 50 percent from 58 percent.

 

COAL REMAINS KEY POWER SOURCE.  Coal, accounting for about 20 percent of U.S electricity last year, is on track to generate roughly 24 percent of the nation's power this year largely because natural gas, coal's main competitor, is pricier, says the Energy Information Administration. 

 

WAITING CARGO SHIPS SET RECORD.  The backlog of  more than 100 cargo ships anchored outside Los Angeles and Long Beach ports reaches an all-time high as a supply chain crisis continues to overwhelm America’s busiest port complex.  The bottleneck is expected to continue into next year. 

 

WOMEN DEPART WORK FORCE.  More than 300,000 women age 20 and over departed the work force last month, says an analysis from the National Women's Law Center.  It is the largest drop in this age group no longer working or looking for work since the same month last year.

 

GREYHOUND GETS GERMAN OWNER.  Dallas-based Greyhound Lines, largest intercity bus operatior in the U.S. serving large and small cities and dating back to 1914, has a new owner — from Germany.  The bus line has been hurt by the pandemic, low-cost airlines and ride-sharing services.

 

SURGE IN PET ADOPTIONS CREATES  BUSY VETS.  Many veterinarians point out that a surge in pet adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in business at vet hospitals, leading to long wait times, vet burnout and frustrated pet owners.

 

COOLER WEATHER SEEN TRIGGERING HIGHER HOME HEATING BILLS

 

Nearly half of U.S. homes heated with natural gas can expect to spend almost a third more on bills in upcoming months compared with a year prior, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The Energy Information Administration says bills would be 50 percent higher if the winter is 10 percent colder than average and 22 percent higher if the winter is 10 percent warmer than average.

 

The forecast rise in costs, according to EIA, will result in an average natural-gas home-heating bill of $746 from this month to March 31, compared with about $573 during the same period last year.

 

Homes heated by electricity can expect a more modest six percent increase in bills.

 

The agency points out natural gas futures this year reached a seven-year high and the likelihood of a more frigid winter than what most of the country saw last year.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

SINGER TONY BENNETT SETS RECORD.  Grammy Award-winning singer Tony Bennett, 95, set a Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to release an album of new material --- "Love for Sale," a collaboration with singer Lady Gaga.

 

KRISTOF LEAVING N.Y. TIMES.  New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof says he plans to leave the newspaper — but the 62-year-old is not retiring.  Rather, Kristof reveals he is considering a run as governor of Oregon.

 

ALITALIA ENDS FLIGHTS.  Alitalia, Italy’s bankrupt national airline, made its final flights after 74 years.  Replacing it as Italy’s new national carrier is Italy Air Transport, or ITA.

 

VA TO HIRE 2,000 WORKERS.  U.S. Veterans Affairs Department plans to hire 2,000 workers to deal with an expected increase in backlogged claims that have tripled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

 

COLOR OF YEAR: SOFT SAGE GREEN.  Paint company Benjamin Moore says the color of the year 2022 is labeled October Mist, a soft sage green that it calls “a  springboard for creativity.”

 

MOSTLY WOMEN QUITTING JOBS.  Focusing on employment, CBS News reports “Americans are quitting in droves, and they're mostly women,” adding almost three percent of workers left their jobs in August, a record.

CHER SUING OVER ROYALTIES.  Singer Cher is suing the widow of her former musical partner and ex-husband Sonny Bono over royalties for Sonny and Cher song and record revenue.

SHOOTING BEARS WITH CAMERA GETS JAIL TIME.  Trying to get a close-up picture of grizzly bears, a 25-year-old woman from Carol Stream, Illinois is sentenced to four days in jail and banned from Yellowstone National Park for a year.  She was charged with “disturbing wildlife.”

TRUST IN MEDIA REPORTING NEWS DROPS: GALLUP

Gallup finds Americans' trust in media to report news fully, accurately and fairly has dropped from last year, notes Grumpy Editor.

The pollster says trust fell to 36 percent, four percentage points below 2020.

Gallup reports a slim seven percent of adults have "a great deal" and 29 percent "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in newspapers, television and radio news reporting.

Combined, that puts it four points above Gallup's 32 percent record low in 2016.

These findings,  from a Sept. 1-17 poll, are the latest in Gallup's tracking of the public's confidence in key U.S. institutions that began in 1972.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

WILL HOLLYWOOD BECOME GHOST TOWN?  A strike looms for Hollywood’s major industry as its key union --- representing more than 150,000 behind-the-scenes entertainment workers --- approves a strike if negotiations over working conditions and pay break down.

 TEXAS HOUSING COSTS APPEAL.  A key reason Texas is one of the fastest-growing states is housing costs, finds a University of Texas, Austin, study.  Most homes cost under $200,000.  In California. as comparison, about 58 percent of houses cost more than $500,000. 

N.Y. LIBRARY LATE FEES GONE.  Libraries in New York City no longer will charge late fees and will waive existing fees for overdue books and other materials.

 

RARE DISH SELLS AT AUCTION.  A rare 16th century dish depicting the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah sells at auction at more than $1.7 million.  Discovered in a drawer at a Scottish house, the plate measures 11 inches in diameter and is believed to have been made by Nicola da Urbino around 1520-23.

 

RETIRED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS SELL FOR ONE-CENT EACH.  The USS Kitty Hawk and the USS John F Kennedy, warships from the Vietnam and Gulf wars, are sold for one cent each to a scrap metal dealer in Texas.

SMALL HOUSE PRICE TAG DRAWS INTEREST.  In the Boston suburb of Newton, where the median home price is more than $1 million, interest is focused on a $449,900 property for sale.  But it’s only 251 square feet, yet features a loft bed, kitchenette, skylight, room for storage in the basement and a large driveway. 

SQUIRREL STORES WALNUTS IN VEHICLE.  Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota, says he removed about 42 gallons of walnuts from his Chevy Avalanche pickup truck parked outside his home, after a red squirrel selected the vehicle as its winter storage area.

ANTARCTICA ENCOUNTERS VERY DEEP FREEZE.  While this year’s summer set records for heat in the U.S., Antarctica was in a very deep freeze.  Average temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station between April and September was minus 78 degrees, coldest on record, dating back to 1957.

BASEBALL GAME LENGTH GROWS.  Baseball games are getting longer.  Average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game this season is a record 3 hours, 10 minutes, 7 seconds.  Perhaps it’s time to speed up pitchers action from the mound.

SURGE IN BANK MERGERS SEEN FOR 2021

All is not quiet on the banking front.  Look for a surge in bank mergers this year, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

Those financial institutions are on pace to combine at a level not seen since the financial crisis of 2008.

 

Banks so far this year announced more than $54 billion in deals through late last month vs. $17 billion in mergers a year prior, reports The Wall Street Journal.

 

While the economy has recovered in many ways from last year, loan demand continues low while profits from lending are slim.

 

The focus is on major regional banks this year.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BUMBLEBEES DESTINED FOR ENDANGERED LIST.  Bumblebees in the U.S. soon could be declared an endangered species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a proposed rule.

 

WORKING WOMEN FEEL BURNED OUT.  In a Time magazine survey, 42 percent of women say they have consistently felt burned out at work in 2021 than in the prior year. A new report suggests pressure put on women to balance work and child care is leading to disproportionate levels of strain. 

 

CARGO SHIPS WAIT TO UNLOAD.  Dozens of cargo ships waiting in Los Angeles-Long Beach and New York ports face weeks of delays to unload amid surging demand for goods plus the ongoing impact of the labor shortage and the upcoming Christmas season.

 

PENALTIES IN WORKS FOR KILLING MIGRATIORY BIRDS.  In efforts to protect declining bird populations, the Biden administration moves to restore criminal penalties for accidental killings of migratory birds.

 

RV DEMAND REMAINS STRONG.  Demand for recreational vehicles remains strong.  Elkhart, Indiana-based Thor Industries sales of recreational vehicles in the July quarter jumped 55 percent.

 

THE ONLY WAY TO FLY.  A retired greyhound called Lewis flies business class on Singapore Airlines from Sydney, Australia, to Italy and celebrates his birthday during the journey when the crew throws a party at 33,000 feet.

 

WORLD WAR II VET GETS SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY.  A North Carolina-based club --- CarolinaCruzin4Jeeps --- gives Coy A. Shue, a World War II veteran who just turned 100 years old, a surprise birthday party.