Grumpy Editor

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.”

 

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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. 

STUDY FINDS SUMMER SUN CAN WIPE OUT 90 PERCENT OF CORONAVIRUS

Although cases have grown in the past week, a new study finds the strong summer sun is capable of wiping out 90 percent or more of coronavirus living on surfaces in just 34 minutes, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Scientists suggest “midday sunlight in most U.S. and world cities during summer” is extremely effective in inactivating the virus that causes COVID-19 when it’s been coughed or sneezed onto a surface.

 

It found the virus is most infectious during the winter months when it can live on surfaces for up to a day or more “with risk of re-aerosolization and transmission in most of cities.”

 

The study, appearing in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, is authored by Jose-Luis Sagripanti and David Lytle.  They are retired scientists from the U.S. Army and Food and Drug Administration, respectively.

 

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KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATED.  North and South Korea commemorated the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War with ceremonies and speeches recalling a devastating conflict that left millions of soldiers and civilians dead.  The war, which started on June 25, 1950, is still open ended with a truce not a peace treaty.

RELIEF PAYMENTS SENT TO DEAD PEOPLE.  Nearly 1.1 million coronavirus relief payments totaling $1.4 billion went to dead people, reports a government watchdog.

BLACK GETS A CAPITAL B.  The Associated Press writing style guide calls for capitalizing the 'b" in using Black when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context.  A decision will be made in July on capitalizing the term white, AP adds.

SEGWAY PERSONAL TRANSPORTER PRODUCTION ENDS.  Segway, maker of a two-wheeled personal transporter, is ending production of the vehicle.

OLYMPUS QUITS CAMERA OUTPUT.  Tokyo-based Olympus Corp. is quitting the camera business after 84 years. Its main product line now is medical-imaging devices.

RHODE ISLAND NAME CHANGE IN WORKS.  Rhode Island, incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1790, is looking to make a change with Gov. Gina Raimondo signing an executive order to drop Providence Plantations.

CHINESE NEWS OUTFITS CALLED FOREIGN MISSIONS.  The Trump administration labels four more Chinese news organizations as “foreign missions.”  They are state broadcaster China Central Television, the newspaper People’s Daily, Global Times and the semiofficial state-run China News Service.

 

GOLDEN RETRIEVER MARKS RECORD 20th BIRTHDAY.  A Tennessee dog becomes the oldest known living golden retriever in history after celebrating her 20th birthday.

 

EATERIES REDUCE MENUS.  Restaurants, including major chains,  are reducing the size of menus to streamline their operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 

TRUMP CITED AS WEAKER COMMANDER IN CHIEF.  A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds 56 percent of voters who are serving in the military or have served in the past now view President Donald Trump as a weaker military commander in chief compared to most recent presidents.

 

D.C. CORRESPONDENTS DINNER CANCELED.  This year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner is canceled after originally being postponed from April to Aug. 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

RENAMING JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT SOUGHT.  California Democrats in Orange County are demanding that the county’s John Wayne Airport be renamed and all likenesses of Wayne be removed from the airport, over “racist and bigoted statements” made by Wayne in a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine.

 

 

CORONAVIRUS FORCES SOME LOCAL NEWSPAPERS TO SHUTTER

 

The coronavirus crisis is smacking some local newspapers hard, forcing them to suspend publication, perhaps indefinitely, notes Grumpy Editor.

Forced closing of “non-essential” businesses --- ranging from movie theaters to restaurants to concerts--- is producing a sudden steep drop in ad revenue for newspapers.

Staffers are being laid off and print editions are ceasing to be published.

Typical are small weekly newspapers in California and Nevada.  Jeff vonKanael,  president of the Sacramento, Chico and Reno News & Reviews, says the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic “could be the end” for the organizations.

He reports the Chico News & Review, for example, lost 50 percent of its ad revenue in less than a week.

 

Media companies are working to offset revenue losses by turning to companies more likely to advertise now, such as streaming services, food delivery and e-commerce companies.

 

Meanwhile, The Denver Post is suspending its regular sports section "until things start returning to normal,” says its publisher, adding the sports staff will now be free to help the newspaper focus on covering the impact of coronavirus in Colorado.  On Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays the Post will produce a smaller than normal sports section, then on Wednesdays through Saturdays any sports news will be placed in the paper’s main section.

 

 

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CHINA REVOKES PRESS CREDENTIALS.  China revokes press credentials of American journalists representing The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.  It represents the largest expulsion of media since the Mao era, amid an escalating battle with the Trump administration over media operating in the two countries.

 

CENSUS BUREAU HEAD COUNTS EXTENDED.  U.S. Census Bureau is extending the deadline for head counts by two weeks --- now to mid-August, because of the coronavirus.

 

CORONAVIRUS HALTS DENTAL WORK.  Dentists in Nevada are being informed not to perform routine checkups and cleanings in response to the coronavirus.

 

PHYSICAL PROTECTION FOR BIDEN.  Former Vice President Joe Biden now has Secret Service protection as the Democrat presidential candidate is off the campaign trail amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

 

BIRTH IN WALMART STORE.  A woman gave birth in the toilet paper aisle of a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri.  A nurse shopping in the store provides a delivery assist.

 

BASEBALL WATCHERS ONLY ON TV PROPOSED.  Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon advocates starting the baseball season with fans only watching on TV. Doing so could allow MLB to test pace-of-play initiatives.

 

BANK OF AMERICA PLEDGES $100 MILLION DONATION.  Bank of America pledges to donate $100 million to support populations hurt by the coronavirus with the funds distributed to various communities as well as national and global organizations.

 

KANGAROO CONTRIBUTES TO TOILET PAPER CRISIS.   A kangaroo visits a campground in South Australia, enters the restroom to munch toilet paper from a bathroom stall.

MOSQUITOES: A BITING SURVEY IS SURE TO ATTRACT READERS' EYES

With summer around the corner, one way for newspapers to attract readers’ eyes --- while performing a public service --- is via a tally of top mosquito cities and how to cope with the stinging insects, observes Grumpy Editor.

Orkin, the pest control company, puts Atlanta in the top spot based on the number of mosquito treatments in the past year.

Filling out the top 10 are Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Kansas City and Charlotte, N.C.

Chelle Hartzer, Orkin entomologist, says "mosquitoes can transmit several diseases to humans including Zika virus, West Nile virus and several kinds of encephalitis. Each of these mosquito-borne diseases may have serious side effects."

Hartzer points out mosquitoes are able to breed in an inch of standing water, so it is best to remove any object that has the potential to hold water. That includes cleaning gutters to avoid  buildup of rainwater.  Water in containers such as pet water bowls, vases and bird baths, should be replaced every few days.

Adult mosquitoes like to rest in dark areas with high humidity, adds Hartzer.  Trimming shrubbery and collecting leaves can prevent lingering mosquitoes.

 

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SAILORS LEARN TO ‘FLY’ HOVERCRAFT.  The jargon is like flight training.  Sailors train for months to learn how to “fly” hovercraft.  Behind the controls is the “pilot,” called “craftmaster.”  Others in the crew of five:  engineer, navigator, loadmaster and deck engineer.  The Navy requires them to get quarterly and annual certifications and maintain a set number of "flight hours."

KELLOGG SHUTS OPERATIONS IN VENEZUELA . Kellogg Co., citing the deterioration of a country in the midst of an economic meltdown, says it is closing operations that employ 400 workers who produced the majority of the breakfast cereal consumed by Venezuelans.

LOOK FOR ADDED WALL STREET JOURNAL SECTION. The Wall Street Journal launches Exchange on June 2.  Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker says the “section will offer a lively and robust report on the week’s business news, featuring the behind-the-scenes narratives, colorful characters and incisive commentary.”

LUXURY REAL ESTATE HOT SPOT.  The hottest market in the world for luxury real estate is Victoria, British Columbia, reports Bloomberg, citing “thanks to Chinese and U.S. buyers, the provincial capital of 85,000 off Canada’s Pacific Coast shot to the top of the ‘luxury thermometer’ in the latest annual report from Christie’s International Real Estate.”

DATA SCIENTISTS GAIN ATTENTION.  Job postings for data scientists rises 75 percent from January 2015 to January 2018 at Indeed.com, while job searches for data scientist roles increase 65 percent. A growing specialty is “sentiment analysis,” or finding a way to quantify how many tweets are trashing a company or praising it.

TRUMP DONATES FIRST QUARTER SALARY TO V.A.  President Donald Trump is donating his 2018 first quarter salary to the Department of Veterans Affairs in support of caregiver programs, reveals White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

 

 

 

 

 

Shaky US. health care system shows widening cracks

 

Few people recall the days when newspaper staffs included medical editors who focused on doctors, hospitals, medicine and medical developments.  Among natural current topics for such a specialized journalist would be the difficulty one has in trying to contact a specialist to set a date soonest for an office visit or to reach a physician for input on a nagging medical condition.

Grumpy Editor knows of a woman with a severe back problem in late January whose earliest visit to a doctor’s group with 22 orthopedics was in far-off April.  Then there’s a senior bachelor who just returned home after spending three months in a hospital, terming the confinement “just terrible.”

What’s going on?

Dr. Diana Hoppe, an obstetrician and gynecologist, founder of Amazing Over 40 Inc., a health coaching certification program for women and an author/speaker who has been featured on a number of TV shows, including “Dr. Oz,” puts some light on the situation, listing what she calls “staggering, and depressing, statistics.”

• From 2011 to 2014, the rate of physician burnout increased to 54.5 percent from 45.5 percent, with the most common burnout symptom being emotional exhaustion.
• The rate of suicidal ideation among physicians jumped from 4 percent to 7.2 percent, an increase of 80 percent.
• Physician work-life balance is completely awry --- with 44.5 percent of physicians lacking adequate time for their personal and/or family life.

• The U.S. faces a shortage of as many as 90,000 physicians by 2025, including a critical need for specialists to treat an aging population that will increasingly live with chronic disease.
• Health care costs in the U.S. are higher than any other country.
• Eighty-six percent of all health care spending in 2010 was for people with one or more chronic medical conditions.
• About 70 percent of chronic conditions could be treated with lifestyle changes.

Dr. Hoppe hastens to point out that the most common chronic and costly medical conditions in the U.S. today are preventable. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and arthritis are conditions that could be treated with simple changes in patients’ behavior.

She cites four of the most common health risk behaviors that cause chronic disease are lack of exercise or physical activity, poor nutrition, smoking and drinking too much alcohol.

Her suggestion to doctors: “Rather than handing them a list of prescription medications, give your patients a weekly nutrition and exercise journal.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Grumpy Editor edges out Associated Press by 19 days in reporting an increase in cable and Internet charges to Cox Communications customers with the Feb. 1 posting on the fee battle between Cox and Las Vegas’ CBS-TV outlet KLAS…On top of a crime:  The Feb. 19 issue of a newspaper (largest daily in its state) reports a description of three men in connection with a bank robbery --- on Dec. 8.  Story includes what the bad guys were wearing (such as “a black hoodie and a white bandana mask”), like they might be in the same attire more than 10 weeks later…It’s layoffs for some Yahoo employees as it focuses its resources on four key verticals: news, sports, finance and lifestyle…What are consumers doing with the money saved on lower-price gas these days? One survey finds while many people say they put the extra cash toward savings, credit card data reveal the money is being spent at restaurants…Wine Market Council research finds millennials drank 42 percent of wine consumed in the U.S. last year, more than any other generation at an average of two cases per person…Bloomberg reports dozens of members of Congress plan to ask the Obama administration to review the planned acquisition of the Chicago Stock Exchange by a Chinese firm, to assess whether it poses a national security risk or a risk to the companies traded on the exchange…In Japan, as Shinzo Abe’s government seeks to silence criticism, Hiroko Kuniya, a leading TV anchor known for her tough questioning style, will be replaced in April after 23 years hosting a social affairs show on public broadcaster NHK...Hillary Clinton, in  a CBS interview Thursday says she doesn't believe she has ever told a lie and vowed to do her best to be honest going forward...Think of how many times South Carolina was mentioned on television in the past two weeks.

 

Paying monthly cable bill for this?

CNBC yesterday (Sunday) listed paid programming all day through 7 p.m. Eastern.

Media quiet as mystery disease affects 65 U.S. Marines

With print and broadcast media providing around-the-clock coverage of ebola, overlooked is a mystery disease that so far has affected 65 U.S. Marines, up from 31 last month, with more expected to become ill, finds Grumpy Editor.

The ailing 3^rd Division Marines recently trained at the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves in northern Okinawa.

In uncovering this, Matthew M. Burke, a reporter on the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, said, “Symptoms included fever and chills, head and muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, jaundice, abdominal pain, diarrhea and rashes. Some cases were mild; others required hospitalization.”

Burke mentioned Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joy Dierks, a III Marine Expeditionary Force preventative medicine officer, and her team from U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa were tasked with figuring out the cause and stopping it before more become ill.

One suspected source:  Leptospirosis, which the World Health Organization described as a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals. Early stages may include high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, chills, redness in the eyes, abdominal pain, jaundice, hemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes (including pulmonary bleeding), vomiting, diarrhea and a rash.

But pinpointing it will not come soon.  Burke said Dierks believes definitive answers are expected by the end of next month.

In the meantime, Marines continued training at the Jungle Warfare Training Center but water submersion in pools and pits was prohibited, added Burke.  Marines have also been instructed to wash down thoroughly after training and dry their uniforms.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

London’s Daily Mail reported China has toppled the U.S. to become the biggest economy in the world, citing figures from the International Monetary Fund that showed the Chinese economy was worth $17.61 trillion compared with $17.4 trillion for the U.S.  The newspaper added, “The White House seemed caught flat-footed by the news, crowing on Wednesday about America's relative economic strength in comparison with the rest of the world”…US Airways is facing a major PR problem from many of its passengers and others who noted hundreds of tweets following an onboard incident on a Portland, Ore. to Charlotte, N.C. aircraft Friday.  It centered on a flight attendant who refused coach-ticketed Army Ranger First Sgt. Albert Marle’s request to place his heavily-decorated jacket in a closet to avoid wrinkles.  Reason?  He wasn’t in first-class.  A first-class passenger observed, “I was really appalled at not only the way she looked at him but the way she spoke to him in an angry type of attitude.”  Read more via a New York Daily News account here…Another PR problem, now on a regular basis in the City of  Angels, stems from White House visitors, mainly for fundraising.  Grumbling Los Angeles area drivers met snarled traffic via street closures and detours last week in wide areas from eastside to westside. Motorcades with Vice President Joe Biden stirred things up Monday and Tuesday, President Barack Obama followed on Thursday and Friday with routes from Brentwood, near Beverly Hills, to San Dimas 28 miles east-northeast of downtown L.A....In a late decision, the press today will be allowed to cover Hillary Clinton’s speech to the University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation. Clinton’s fee for the speech at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip:  $225,000…While most people around the country are observing Columbus Day today, Seattle and Minneapolis are marking Indigenous People's Day. Associated Press mentioned it “celebrates the contributions and culture of Native Americans and the indigenous community" as well as "the rich history of people who have inhabited the area"...Retired NBC talk show host and car collector Jay Leno is negotiating with CNBC for a show about cars, a subject dear to his heart...Where are the fact checkers?  President Barack Obama, in a video message, offered advice to West African countries on how to avoid ebola. He mentioned:  "You cannot get it through casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus." Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was advising Americans who travel to ebola-stricken nations to "avoid public transportation”…Turner Broadcasting, with CNN, HLN, TNT and Cartoon cable networks in its family, said it would slash its work force by 1,475 positions.  Turner's parent is Time Warner Inc.

 

Getting it straight with a long-delayed fix:  The New Jersey Herald in Newton on Thursday issued a correction to a story --- published 162 years ago.  It related to a bear mauling a teenage boy to death.  The 1852 story didn't list a location of the bear attack, making it appear it happened in New Jersey. In the correction, with recent confirmation, the Herald said the incident actually happened in Arkansas.