Grumpy Editor

IS IT TIME TO BRING BACK THE MILITARY DRAFT?

With happenings around the world, is it time for the U.S. to beef up its armed forces — via reinstating the draft? asks Grumpy Editor.

 

Since draft induction authority expired in 1973, it would take an act of Congress to reinstate it.  The president then would be authorized to induct civilians through the Selective Service Administration.

 

Mission of Selective Service, separate from the Defense Department, is to "register men and maintain a system that, when authorized by the President and Congress, rapidly provides personnel in a fair and equitable manner.”

 

Male U.S. citizens and immigrants ages 18 to 25 are required to register with Selective Service.  About 17 million draft-eligible men are in Selective Service files.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

32 CATS ACQUIRED.  The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center took in 32 cats at its Nevins Farm location after they are surrendered by an overwhelmed owner who  no longer could care for the felines.

 

GUN OWNERS SEEK SAFETY.  In a dangerous world, most gun owners say being armed gives them a greater sense of safety.  A Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 36 percent of American adults say they or someone in their household owns a gun.  

 

SEAN PENN BUSY IN UKRAINE.  Actor Sean Penn is in the Ukraine to film a documentary on the Russian invasion of that country.  Penn, in Kyiv, is seen attending a press briefing at the presidential office.

 

GUNS LIFT TRAUMA ACTION.  Guns have overtaken vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death from trauma in the United States, a new study finds. “Suicide is responsible for the most [years of potential life lost] due to firearm deaths, and continues to increase in the U.S. at an alarming rate,” writes lead researcher Dr. Joshua Klein, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, N.Y.

 

PET OWNERS MUNCH ON PETS' CHOW.  An astonishing 39 percent of pet owners admit they have sampled their pets ’chow, according to a survey by ElleVet.  Of those, 53 percent admit they did so purely out of curiosity — and 29 percent claim the pet  product tastes good.

 

KANGAROO ON THE LOOSE.  Police in southeastern Denmark appeal for public help to track down what appeared to be a kangaroo hopping across a field.  No one has claimed it so far.

 

ASSAULTS  AT MILITARY ACADEMIES RISE.  The Pentagon reports sexual assaults at U.S. military academies increase during the 2020-21 school year.  The report comes despite institution of many sexual assault prevention and treatment programs. 

 

NOAA PREDICTS RISING SEA LEVELS WITHIN TWO DECADES

Sea levels on coastlines in the U.S. are forecast to rise about a foot on average within two decades, notes Grumpy Editor.

The prediction comes in a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The report also notes sea levels around the globe are up about 0.55 feet in the past 100 years.

In the same time period, water along the East Coast will rise a few inches more compared with West Coast and Hawaii shorelines, adds the report.

Gulf coasts are predicted to be hit the most — with seas up about 1.5 feet.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

WHERE WERE CALIFORNIA AVOCADOS?  Widely circulated news reports last week mention scarce avocados in U.S. grocery stores because they are imported from Mexico with delivery suspended after an American inspector working in Mexico's state of Michoacan receives threats.  Not mentioned, however, is that avocados also are produced in the U.S. making them not as scare as reported. But all is well now after the U.S. on Friday lifted its temporary ban on imports of Mexican avocados.

CONDE NAST TURNS PROFIT. Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue, Bon Appetit and the New Yorker, says its publications turned a profit last year for the first time in years.  It attributes that to strong digital-revenue growth and cost savings from reorganizing global operations.  The publisher says it recorded nearly $2 billion in revenue last year, a double-digit-percentage increase from 2020.

 

CARGO SHIP ADRIFT IN ATLANTIC.  A massive cargo ship, transporting thousands of luxury cars, including 1,000 Porsches among 4,000 from the Volkswagen Group, is left floating in the Atlantic Ocean after it caught fire near Terceira Island in the Azores.  The ship was enroute from Emden, Germany to Davisville, Rhode Island.  The 22 crew members are safe after being lifted from the burning ship by helicopter.

TOP PAY FOR CITIGROUP CEO. Banking’s Citigroup, based in New York, is paying Chief Executive Jane Fraser $22.5 million for her first year in that position. The figure includes salary, cash bonus and restricted stock tied to performance metrics.

BLACK BEAR ENTERS 28 HOMES.  A 500-pound black bear has been roaming the streets in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe, about 100 miles east of Sacramento, for seven months. In that period it causes extensive damage at 33 properties and forcefully enters 28 homes, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

 WOMEN SOUGHT FOR SAUDIA ARABIA POSITIONS.  A Saudi Arabia rail company, seeking to recruit 30 female candidates to drive high-speed trains between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, receives 28,000 applications.  It marks the first time such roles have been advertised for women in the conservative Muslim kingdom.  

 SUPER BOWL GAMBLING SOARS. Gambling on the Super Bowl this year soars to records after legalized sports betting surges across the country with a report noting betting transactions are more than double last year’s total.

 

U.S. ARMY SEEKS A NEW LIGHT-ARMORED COMBAT VEHICLE

With the focus on Ukraine and Russia, a Washington Times story reports the Army "wants a new combat vehicle and is willing to pay more than $7 billion to the defense contractor that can provide it,” notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The service released a bid for the next generation Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, designed to allow troops to carry out a range of missions “while providing protected, sustained and networked mobility for personnel and payloads across the full spectrum of military operations," it adds.

 

The JLTV is a joint Army-Marine Corps project with the Army acting as the contracting agent, the Washingtonn Times points out. 

 

The light-armored vehicles designed to carry troops and cargo will replace part of the two services’ fleet of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, better known as Humvees.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

KOALAS BECOME ENDANGERED.  Koalas, arboreal herbivorous marsupial natives to South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory, affected by the area's 2019-2020 bush fire, now are considered endangered.

 

CONSUMER PRICES JUMP IN JANUARY.  U.S. consumer prices jump last month --- going to a 7.5 percent annual rate --- leading to the biggest annual increase in inflation in 40 years and fueling financial markets speculation for a hefty 50 basis points interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve next month.

 

ONE-THIRD FEEL U.S. HEADING IN RIGHT DIRECTION.  Thirty percent of likely U.S. voters think the U.S. is heading in the right direction, according to a Rasmussen Reports national survey for the week ended Feb. 3.  The finding is up one point from the prior week.

 

MORNING JOE ON MSNBC GOING TO FOUR HOURS.  MSNBC’s Morning Joe program expands to four early-morning hours starting April 4.  Co-hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist will lead the show during all those hours.

 

FEW BLACK WOMEN ARE FEDERAL JUDGES.  Black women account for a small fraction of federal judges.  Only 70 of the 3,843 people who have ever served as federal judges as of Feb. 1, 2022, have been Black women.

 

U.N. TO FOCUS ON PLASTIC POLLUTION AT SEA.  A United Nations meeting later this month will focus on plastic pollution at sea reaching high levels and what actions can be taken to stop such waste in oceans around the world.

 

NORTH KOREA AGAIN TOUTS MILITARY CAPABILITIES.  North Korea again boasts its military capabilities, including a missile it claims could strike the U.S.  With that bragging comes a North Korea Foreign Ministry statement proclaiming, "In today's world where many countries waste time dealing with the United States with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the U.S. mainland in its range." 

EARLY PANDEMIC LOCKDOWNS HAD LITTLE EFFECT IN REDUCING DEATHS, SAY RESEARCHERS

Early lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe had little impact in reducing COVID-19 deaths, finds Johns Hopkins University researchers, notes Grumpy Editor.

That event during the early phase of the pandemic two years ago reduced mortality by about 0.2 percent, note researchers.

 “We find no evidence that lockdowns, school closures, border closures and limiting gatherings have had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality," they add.

In addition, the researchers say the lockdowns did have “devastating effects” on the economy and “contributed to reducing economic activity.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCES MISSED THESE…

Pentagon trespasser

CHICKEN ENTERS PENTAGON SECURITY AREA.  A wandering chicken — a brave hen — walks around a security area near the Pentagon.  Apparently the answer to “why did the chicken cross the road” is to get to the Pentagon, posts the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Virginia.  Security people grab her.

DESIGNERS DISCONTINUE FUR ITEMS.  Some major designer brands are discontinuing fur in their products.  However, famous fashion label Gucci stopped using fur in 2018 and switched to faux furs in fashions, using a blend of modacryl, acrylic and polyester.

LASER BEAMS HIT AIR FLIGHTS NEAR SEATTLE-TACOMA.  Four air flights near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are hit recently by a laser as a record 9,723 laser incidents are reported by pilots last year — a 41 percent jump from 2020.

ARMY EXPELS THOSE WHO NIX VACCINE.  The U.S. Army begins to expel service members who decide against receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth orders commanders to begin "involuntary administrative separation proceedings" against those who refuse to get vaccinated or don't have an approved or pending exemption.

MORE PEOPLE HIT BY OMICRON IN RECENT WEEKS.  Omicron likely has gotten more people sick in the past six weeks than in any similar period since the 1917-18 flu pandemic, reports The Wall Street Journal.  Although Omicron has peaked in many places, this month likely will bring similar caseloads “as the variant continues to spread before it flames out,” adds The Journal.

CALIFORNIA AIMS TO PROP MEDIA.  Three California state senators propose a measure aimed at propping up media organizations that cover local news after decades of consolidation and closings in the journalism field.  "A vibrant local press that informs the public and acts as a government watchdog has been vital to the survival of American democracy,” says Sen. Steve Glazer.