Grumpy Editor

Thirsty Nevadans take only 3 percent of Colorado River

Periodically, especially during dry years, such as 2013, thirsty-for-stirring-things-up media put the spotlight on how less Colorado River water looms for the Southwest --- especially the growing Las Vegas area --- and certain steps will have to be taken to limit usage, observes Grumpy Editor. 

But what is not emphasized is that the whole state of Nevada, not just Las Vegas, sips only 3 percent of the Colorado River water released from Lake Mead while a foreign country, Mexico, siphons five times more from the same source. 

The water also is shared by six other states:  Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.  Mexico was included via a treaty way back in the 1940s. 

So it’s not unusual to read predictions such as “without dramatic and wide-ranging action, population growth and climate change will overwhelm the Colorado River within 50 years.” 

It’s natural for dry periods to alternate with wet seasons.  

With the latter, when there are large spring-summer runoffs from heavy snowfalls in western mountains, very little “water pinch” rhetoric emanates from media. 

If water supply is of such concern, then perhaps the decades-old treaty with Mexico should be renegotiated to reflect population changes in the U.S.

 

Keystone XL pipeline hits another federal bump 

Grumpy Editor notes the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, long in the works, now is sidelined by the Interior Department that is concerned on effects mainly on wildlife. 

The pipeline would extend 1,700 miles from Canada’s oil sands to Texas Gulf Coast refineries and create thousands of jobs while cutting U.S. reliance on imported oil. 

As pointed out by Los Angeles Times writer Neela Banerjee last week, a 12-page April 29 Interior Department letter, but posted mid-August, “grimly catalogs many ways Keystone XL could harm wildlife: ‘species displacement, increased predation rates and predator travel lanes, increased nest parasitism, vehicle collisions with wildlife…invasive plant species, increased wildfire risk, lower wildlife density, increase in collisions with power lines and electrocutions on power poles … and increase in poaching.’” 

(Sounds almost like what happens daily along Los Angeles freeways.) 

The Interior Department comments contradict the State Department’s March draft environmental assessment, which concluded the project would have only a temporary, indirect impact, noted Banerjee. 

The Times writer also mentioned: “The State Department could issue its final environmental impact statement at any time. The Obama administration must then determine whether the pipeline serves the national interest, based not just on the State Department's analysis, but those of other federal agencies, too, such as the EPA and the Interior Department.”

 

In case you missed these… 

Publishing items:  Other publications must be drooling at the WSJ. monthly magazine for September, which is packed with ritzy ads.  With 160 pages, readers don’t get to the list of editorial contents until page 37…Koch Industries Inc. over the weekend ended speculation on buying the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune or other Tribune Co. newspapers.  Brothers Charles and David Koch say they are no longer interested.  This must have brought relief to some L.A. Times staffers who earlier vowed to quit if the billionaire brothers took over.  Name mentioned now is Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman, who has expressed interest in the L.A. Times with its closeness to the entertainment business…A large group of Egyptian protesters, opposing the Muslim Brotherhood, gathered in front of the Washington Post Thursday, temporarily shutting down the main lobby.

With Army soldier Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday for leaking 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents over seven months in 2010, Grumpy Editor finds it strange that not one newsperson asked how a 22-year-old private first class (with one stripe on sleeves), could be placed in the sensitive position of intelligence analyst.  Manning last week announced he replaced his first name with Chelsea and intends to live as a female…Walt Disney Co. plans to lay off about 175 people in its Disney/ABC Television Group…A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds 79 percent of adults believe most Americans watch too much television…Easy-to-take Vin Scully, 85, who returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast booth in 2014 for his 65^th season with the team, terms the long-term relationship “a love affair that continues”…Former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will be one of the hosts on CNN’s revived half-hour political debate show, Crossfire, which restarts on Sept. 16. 

While most media have become silent on IRS and Benghazi scandals, on Thursday they jumped to write or air material on the 40-year-old Watergate event based on additional Richard Nixon tapes.

Some duplication seen in latest EPA auto emissions plan; Melting Arctic ice gets blame for cold Easter in Europe

Media on Friday heralded the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed plan, known as Tier 3 standards, to reduce smog-forming emissions from vehicles, which Grumpy Editor finds duplicates some of the results from installation of “three way” catalytic converters used in vehicle emission control systems since 1981, an improvement from earlier devices that debuted in the 1975 model year.

The EPA says the proposed Tier 3 standards, due to take effect in 2017 and boosting the price of gasoline and vehicle price tags, would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and cut nitrogen oxides by 80 percent.

With the latter, no mention is made --- or injected by auto or environmental writers --- that three-way catalytic converters and other technological advances have led to motor vehicle nitrous oxide emissions falling to 8.2 percent by 2008, from a high of 17.77 percent in 1998.

Regarding sulfur, a program phased in by the EPA from 2004 to 2007 --- and still in effect --- reduces the sulfur content in gasoline by up to 90 percent from “uncontrolled levels.”

The Obama administration’s latest anti-pollution proposal, notes The Associated Press, puts in place “the first standards to reduce the pollution from cars and trucks blamed for global warming.”

 

“Ocean heat” triggers cold Europe

Speaking of global warming, Easter was accompanied by unusual freezing weather for Europe with Great Britain recording the coldest March in 51 years and Berliners viewing another snowfall.

What’s behind the unusual meteorological conditions?

An AP story Friday points to melting Arctic sea ice as the culprit, explaining:

“The theory is the loss of sea ice means more heat is released from the open ocean, warming the layer of polar air over the water. That reduces the temperature and air pressure differentials with more southern latitudes, increasing the likelihood of a negative state in the atmospheric circulation.

“Experts stress that winter weather is affected by many other factors, but several studies have shown the Arctic melt loads the dice in favor of colder and snowier winters in Europe.”

Got that?

 

In case you missed these…

CBS Corp. pays about $100 million to acquire 50 percent of TVGN (formerly TV Guide Network), which includes TV Guide and TVGuide.com that had been owned by One Equity Partners, a unit of JPMorgan Chase…Fox Soccer Channel, the only U.S. TV network dedicated to soccer, makes way for a youth entertainment network in September…Talk show host Heidi Harris concluded one year with Salem Communications’ KRLA and KTIE in the Los Angeles area and announced “I have some news that is GREAT news for me,” but did not reveal it.  Earlier, she was popular with morning shows at KXNT and KDWN in her hometown of Las Vegas…Michael Happ, who graduates next month from Omaha’s Creighton University, purchased the Beacon Observer in Elm Creek, Neb. and already rolled up his sleeves to edit and write…In honor of their 15 years together, Tammy Duffy took out a full-page ad (tab: $900) in the Trentonian, Trenton, N.J. for an obituary on her “amazing dog,” Ginger.

Record-setting July temperature gets varied treatments

Whew!  Sure, it was hot in July as new U.S. records were set in some of the lower 48 states, but some newspapers --- via their reporters’ writings --- made it appear as a major sizzling advance, finds Grumpy Editor. 

Reports on hot July appeared every day so far this month. 

The Wall Street Journal yesterday, for example, placed a two-column reference to an inside story near the top of the front page.  It teased:  “July was the hottest month on record in the contiguous U.S., blazing past 1936…” 

Average temperature for the lower 48 reached 77.6 degrees in July, edging the previous record of 77.4 degrees set in July 1936, at the height of the Dust Bowl, based on figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

That’s a tiny increase of 0.2 tenths of a degree. 

The Washington Post, among some other publications, however, reported Wednesday that the new record was 0.2 degrees (note the s) hotter than the previous record set in July, 1936. 

Copy editors missed the s.  By noting temperature that way, rather than 0.2 tenths of a degree, the Post made it appear 10 times hotter for July, 2012, compared with 76 years ago. 

Weather writers often do this with rainfall, too, citing a storm brought 0.24 inches of rain rather than 0.24 of an inch. 

Some reporters worked in July temperatures “reached triple digits” in Arizona and Nevada.

Well, that’s normal.  No sea breezes in that region.

For those who stress global warming, the July average temperature in the lower 48 also reached 77 degrees in 1902 when Theodore Roosevelt was president, long before industrialization of America and decades before “greenhouse gases” entered weather discussions. 

Strangely, the Weather Channel’s Website did not mention the degrees in a “hottest month on record” report comparing July, 2012 with July, 1936.  However, it liked the line, “July, 2012 was the hottest of more than 1,400 months that we've gone through since 1895.” 

Pass the lemonade.

 

Kiplinger’s future lighting story skips toxic CFLs mention

A glowing story in the January issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine on the upcoming replacement of the long-used traditional incandescent light bulbs overlooked mention that compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, one type of substitute, contains toxic mercury that can pose problems, notes Grumpy Editor.

Under the headline, “Incandescents Take the Heat,” CFLs, Halogen bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are cited as replacements when new energy standards go into effect next month. 

But the main concern, not touched on in the article, focuses on the replacement CFLs, produced mostly in China.  They are being promoted in efforts to go more "green” and conserve energy.

A few vigilant newspaper editorial writers in recent months have alerted readers to problems with CFLs which entered the future lighting picture when Congress four years ago passed an energy bill that essentially banned the traditional incandescent light bulb that received a major thrust in 1878 from Thomas Edison’s research. 

Many officials apparently remain unaware that when a CFL bulb (a small glass tube twisted into a spiral) shatters, mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled, and as a fine powder it can settle into carpet and other textiles.

A Scientific American posting three years ago was among the first to point out highly toxic mercury is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. 

The director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division at that time recommended opening windows and stepping outside, then quickly ventilating the room when a CFL bulb breaks. 

"Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out,” was the warning.  

In July, U.S. House efforts to repeal use of CFLs fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage --- without a peep from the current EPA.

 

Passing asteroid grabs space while NPP gets snubbed

Receiving much print and broadcast attention was a 1,200-foot-wide asteroid that zipped pass Earth yesterday, affecting no one, while last month’s launch of a NASA satellite for climate research and improved weather forecasting --- with output affecting millions in the U.S. alone --- received scant coverage, notes Grumpy Editor.

With the asteroid, editors, naturally, are always interested in objects (this one the size of a city block) hurtling through the atmosphere, even though this chunk passed Earth 201,700 miles away while traveling about 29,000 miles per hour. 

Meanwhile, the Oct. 28 California launch of a $1.5 billion Earth-observing satellite, the size of a minivan, with new technology to beef up weather forecasting and climate research receives limited coverage. 

For newspapers, maybe it's because the lengthy nine-word identification --- National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project --- is difficult to fit into a headline. 

Labeled NPP for short, it carries five instruments to study temperature and water in the atmosphere, how clouds and aerosols affect temperature, and how plants on land and in the ocean respond to environmental changes.

NPP’s daily observations transmit about four terabytes of data.  That’s equivalent to about 800 DVDs. 

Expected to operate at least to the end of 2016, NPP is one of 14 Earth observation missions managed by NASA. 

 

L.A. Times writer gets layoff word while in the Arctic

Grumpy Editor recalls with media layoffs in earlier years, Friday afternoons were the dreaded times editors called staffers together and announced those slated for sad, usually unexpected, departures.  Others simply were sent pink slips. 

Nowadays, emails --- received at home or at newsroom desks --- sometimes are used to convey departure words from management not wishing to face staffers. 

About the strangest place to get a layoff email:  Alaska, 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle --- and almost 3,000 miles from the newsroom. 

That’s the location of a recent message received by Margot Roosevelt, environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times. 

Kevin Roderick in his LAObserved.com disclosed where Roosevelt received The Times email, along with her farewell note to the newsroom. 

“I was about to get on a helicopter (thanks to a two-week science journalism grant) with biologists who study how Arctic fire is changing earth’s climate,” wrote Roosevelt, who joined The Times four years ago after 20 years with Time magazine and 13 years with the Washington Post. 

“Been sleeping in a cold tent, fending off mosquito swarms and happily roaming over moss-green tundra, the lavender peaks of the Brooks Range in the distance,” she continued. 

“I’ve loved the L.A. Times. I’m grateful to have worked with so many people I admire.  I’m heartbroken to be leaving.  Please keep in touch.”

Meanwhile, among others in a new round of layoffs at the L.A. Times, Roderick mentioned Tim Rutten, op-ed columnist and book reviewer, would be laid off after 39 years --- one year short of retirement.

 

House effort to repeal curly fluorescent bulbs flickers out

U.S. House efforts this week to repeal curly, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which contain toxic mercury and are slated to replace long-used traditional incandescent bulbs, fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage --- without a peep from the Environmental Protection Agency, notes Grumpy Editor.

The EPA, with 17,000 employees at Washington headquarters, 10 regional offices and 27 laboratories, is charged with protecting human health and the environment. 

A few vigilant newspaper editorial writers in recent days alerted readers to problems with CFLs which entered the future lighting picture when Congress four years ago passed an energy bill that essentially banned the traditional incandescent light bulb that received a major thrust in 1878 from Thomas Edison’s research. 

While CFLs, made mostly in China, got the green light with new energy standards set to go into effect next year, officials have curtailed or banned mercury use in other applications, including thermometers and automotive and thermostat switches. 

Many lawmakers apparently remained unaware that when a CFL bulb (a small glass tube twisted into a spiral) shatters, mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. 

A Scientific American posting three years ago was among the first to point out highly toxic mercury is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. 

At that time, the director of EPA’s Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division recommended opening windows and stepping outside then quickly ventilating the room when a CFL bulb breaks. 

"Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out,” he said.  With central heating system or an HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) system, he warned, “you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down.”

 

Smokey Bear unveils wildfires app; PSAs urge caution

With major wildfires in New Mexico, Arizona and elsewhere, new Smokey Bear radio and television public service announcements (PSAs) for the U.S. Forest Service are being aired, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The cartoon character Smokey (so named with the debut back in 1944 when the Forest Service spelled smoky as smokey --- perhaps because proofreaders were hard to come by during World War II) attired in forest ranger uniform, doubles as the symbol of conservation/protection of U.S. forests and "spokesperson." 

The Forest Service, assisted by the Ad Council, figures people, especially campers, should be reminded to put out campfires and outdoor barbecues --- and use caution with fireworks. 

Something new this year is Smokey Bear’s first mobile application. 

The free smartphone app is designed to provide critical information about wildfire prevention, including a step-by-step guide to safely building and extinguishing campfires, as well as a map of current wildfires across America.

The real-time wildfire map (now showing locations of three dozen large incidents) and other information are available through Smokey’s Web site:  www.smokeybear.com. 

Many Americans believe lightning starts most wildfires, says the Forest Service. In fact, the agency points out, nine out of 10 wildfires nationwide, on average, are caused by people. 

Principal causes are campfires left unattended, trash burning on windy days, arson, careless discarding of smoking materials or barbecue coals and operating equipment without spark arrestors.

 

Fewer fingers on Yellow Pages loom in San Francisco

Future deliveries of printed Yellow Pages look glum in San Francisco as the Board of Supervisors takes a final vote this week calling for restricting directory deliveries only to residences and businesses that request them, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Yellow Pages put a blight on the community and banning the book of names, numbers and addresses will protect the environment, claims the board. 

The likely ban on unsolicited distribution of Yellow Pages is the latest in a series of “green” measures in the City by the Bay.

An estimated 1.6 million Yellow Pages directories are distributed annually in San Francisco. 

A ban would make San Francisco the nation’s first city to thwart Yellow Pages distribution. 

Backers say the Internet makes the directories unnecessary. 

"If we're serious about the environment, it's time we recognize that phone books are a 20th century tool that doesn't meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century," Supervisor David Chiu pointed out when his directory-banning idea surfaced three months ago.

 

Good Friday battles Earth Day for media coverage today

Grumpy Editor figures some newspaper editors faced tough decisions in deciding front-page play today:  focus on Good Friday or Earth Day.

Both fall on the same day this year.  Both are celebrated around the world.

In the end, since this is 2011, Earth Day is getting the nod from eco-minded editors.

As an example, this week's Bloomberg Businessweek in "events of note in the week ahead" lists two items for today:  Italy's retail sales and Earth Day.  

Earth Day started 41 years ago while Good Friday’s originations go back centuries, perhaps to the 4^th century, or earlier.

Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  For many, it means going to church.

Falling on the last Friday before Easter, Good Friday dates vary each year, occurring between March 20th and April 23rd.

Earth Day, meanwhile, is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.

Some celebrities grab newspaper space and television time by their “green” actions.  Just yesterday, for example, a news release --- in connection with Earth Day --- cites actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. who “chooses to ride a bike when weather and fitness permit and takes public transportation if available to cut down on traffic and pollution and lessen our dependence on foreign oil.”

Noteworthy, however, is that Good Friday gets the edge when it comes to closing non-religious operations to mark the day.

It’s the basis for the U.S. stock market being shuttered today.

In many parts of the U.S., state, county and municipal offices are closed on Good Friday “for the Easter holiday,” giving workers three-days off.