Grumpy Editor

WORLD'S OCEANS REACH WARMEST TEMPERATURES ON RECORD

Climate change experts say the world’s oceans have reached the warmest temperatures ever recorded, notes Grumpy Editor.

Average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record last week, say climate change observers.

Oceans are a vital climate regulator as they soak up heat, driving weather patterns and producing half of Earth's oxygen.  Higher water temperatures disturb marine species like fish and whales as they move in search of cooler waters.

Some predatory animals including sharks can become aggressive as they get confused in hotter temperatures, note the experts.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

CONFIDENCE IN MILITARY EBBS.  Confidence in the military reaches its lowest point in 26 years, prolonging a steady decline in public opinion dating to 2018, finds a Gallup poll conducted in June.  The drop is part of a greater trend of decreasing trust Americans have for nearly all of the country’s institutions.

 

ADDITIONAL JOBS FORECAST EBBS.  U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs last month, less than the 200,000 economists were expecting and below the 209,000 created in June.  The unemployment rate dipped to 3.5 percent and average hourly earnings rose 4.4 percent. 

STORES LOCKING UP ITEMS.  Stores like Target, Walmart, Dollar General and Home Depot are locking up products to curb shoplifters. Missing inventory was talked about more during this previous quarter’s earnings call than any quarter on record, according to Bloomberg.

 

WORLD'S OLDEST MAN DIES.  The world's oldest man dies at 127 in Brazil.  Jose Paulino Gomes leaves seven children, 25 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT FALLS FROM CEILING.  In Huron, Ohio, a bank robbery suspect’s escape around 2 a.m. is thwarted when he falls from the ceiling of a drive-thru into a recycling bin where police were waiting for him and took him into custody.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER'S REMAINS FOUND.  The remains of a German mountain climber who disappeared while crossing a glacier near the Matterhorn mountain nearly 40 years ago is discovered in melting ice by two climbers hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, Valais, southern Switzerland.

BLACK BEAR SPLASHES IN SWIMMING POOL.  Burbank, California police department is called to find a black bear splashing around and escaping the heat in a backyard swimming pool before it scales over a nearby wall and climbs up a tree.

WATER SHORTAGE HITS CHINA DURING WORST HEAT WAVE

China, too, is facing a water shortage during the worst heat wave on record but it’s working on bringing rainfall to dried-up parts, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

From aircraft it is firing silver iodide rods (the size of cigarettes) into clouds to help form ice crystals, reports CNN. The crystals then help clouds produce rain. 

 

China's Ministry of Water Resources mentions drought throughout the Yangtze river basin is "adversely affecting drinking water security of rural people and livestock, and the growth of crops.”

 

Several regions on the Yangtze have launched weather modification programs.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

FLOAT PLANE ENTERS NEW YORK-D.C. SERVICE.  A new way to travel between New York City and Washington, D.C., is by float plane.  Using eight-seat Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, Tailwind Air will start two daily flights between the Skyport Marina near East 23rd Street in Manhattan and  College Park Airport just outside D.C.  The plane will take off from water in New York and land on the runway at Suburban D.C. airport in College Park, Maryland.  Flight time will be between 80-90 minutes and cost $395 one-way.

 

PANDEMIC TRIGGERS RECKLESS DRIVING.  The pandemic has triggered an upswing in reckless behavior on the road.  Crashes in 2021 were up 10.5 percent from the prior year. An estimated 9,560 people died in crashes in the first three months this year.  That’s equivalent to a death every 13 minutes.

 

MONKEY DIALS 911.  The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office was surprised to learn a monkey at the Zoo to You in Paso Robles called 911.   Deputies were dispatched to the zoo.  Seems that Route, a capuchin monkey, picked up the zoo’s cellphone from a golf cart and dialed 911.

AMERICAN AIRLINES ORDERS SUPERSONIC JETS.  American Airlines orders 20 supersonic jets for future faster travel.  The jets are in the drawing board phase, years away from production and flying. “Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” says Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr.

 

TERRIER ALERTS OWNERS ON HOUSE FIRE.  In Maryland, a Cairn terrier turns out to be a hero in alerting his owners on a house fire.  He barks until the family wakes up and escapes the blaze that destroyed the home.

 

CONDE NAST REVENUE GROWS.  While most digital publishers are forecasting slowdowns in advertising growth, Condé Nast this year expects to exceed the nearly $2 billion in total revenue it saw in 2021 thanks to continued growth in its advertising business, informs Axios. 

 

2021 BRINGS HOTTEST SUMMER ON RECORD

As autumn nears, the contiguous U.S. recorded its hottest summer on record, topping the previous high set in 1936 by less than a hundredth of a degree, tallies the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, notes Grumpy Editor.

NOAA’s climate report says between June and August, average temperature in the lower 48 states was 74 degrees Fahrenheit, adding 18.4 percent of the contiguous U.S. experienced extreme or record-breaking heat during the summer months.

California, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Nevada are especially hard hit by heat.

At one point last month, more than 200 million Americans were under heat advisories.

The record temperatures come one year after research suggests heat waves that caused the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, resulting in record-setting heat in the summer of 1936, were 2.5 times more likely to occur due to climate change. 

"It is likely that there will be more extreme heat wave conditions in the central U.S. in the future, given the rise in greenhouse gases levels, so communities and governments need to be prepared for this eventuality," study author Dr. Tim Cowan says.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE... 

MACHINE PULLS CARBON FROM AIR.  In Iceland, the world’s biggest machine captures carbon from the air.  Operators say the Orca plant can suck 4,000 tons of CO2 out of the air every year and inject it deep into the ground to be mineralized. Experts say the carbon capturing plant in southwest Iceland could eventually play an important role in reducing greenhouse gases that are warming the planet.

 

ELVIS'S HAIR-RAISING PRICE.  A baseball-sized clump of hair that came from the head of Elvis Presley sold for $72,500 in an auction that also includes the $1,012,500 sale of the performer's iconic jumpsuit from a 1972 Madison Square Garden performance. 

CANINE JOY RIDE ON BUS. A lost dog in England is reunited with his owner after climbing aboard a city bus, where passengers soon realized the canine was riding solo. Concerned riders posted pictures of the dog on social media that led to the dog being united with his family.

PAINT GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE.  Going the toilet paper route?  Paint is getting costlier and harder to find, making home improvement somewhat aggravating as lack of supplies and higher prices are making life more difficult for do-it-yourselfers.

 

OPENS BUSINESS, WINS LOTTERY.  Brian Woodle, 46, of Callahan, Florida just opened a car repair shop. "At the end of our first day,” he says, “I stopped by Circle K to get a few things and picked up a lottery ticket. Just like that, we won a million bucks!"  With the scratch-off ticket, Woodle chose to take a one-time payout of $880,000.

 

GOLD COINS FOUND IN FRENCH MANOR.   Builders discovered a stash of 239 gold coins at a manor in northwestern France that could earn up to 300,000 euros ($356,490) at auction later this month.

 

ROBOTS SERVE RESTAURANT PATRONS.  A restaurant owner in Dallas, Texas, is getting creative amid the nationwide staff shortage.  The operator of the Latin American restaurant La Duni, uses three robots to help serve hungry customers.

Are ‘fake temperatures’ next on the list for scrutiny?

Headlines over the weekend again proclaimed “sizzling” world heat --- but never deeply explaining exactly how that conclusion is reached, notes Grumpy Editor.

The latest report warns, “Earth in February sizzled to its second hottest temperature on record, behind only last year” with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calculating last month averaged 55.66 degrees or 1.76 degrees warmer than the 20^th century average.

The New York Times on Jan. 18 played up Earth “reached its highest temperature on record in 2016, trouncing a record set only a year earlier, which beat one set in 2014. It is the first time in the modern era of global warming data that temperatures have blown past the previous record three years in a row.”

In explaining how the readings are reached, The Times should be commended for explaining, "In addition to the surface measurements, satellites are used to measure the temperature of the atmosphere within a few miles of the surface.”

Amplifying that --- and seldom included in "global warming" stories --- Grumpy Editor points out main methods to measure air temperature today are via land-based thermometers, radiosondes (instruments on weather balloons) and satellites with microwave emissions. Other readings are compiled from ships and buoys.  On land, digital thermometers, periodically requiring recalibration, have replaced the long-used and accurate mercury bulb thermometers.

In tallying temperatures, however, in most cities readings can vary by several degrees.  In Las Vegas, for example, while the official reading may show 104 degrees, it can be 98 in other sections.

NOAA, in its global analysis this month regarding temperatures, explains it this way:

“In the atmosphere, 500-millibar height pressure anomalies correlate well with temperatures at the Earth's surface. The average position of the upper-level ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure --- depicted by positive and negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the February 2017 and December-February 2017 maps --- is generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively.”

Got that?

Earth’s radius, the distance from the planet’s center to its surface, is about 3,959 miles.  Circumference of the Earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles.  Earth has mountains, jungles, oceans, deserts, wastelands, lakes, rivers and concrete-laced cities.

That’s a vast area to compile accurate temperature readings.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Happy first day of spring!...Whew!  After weeks of media discussions and predictions on when it is going to happen, the Federal Reserve finally raised its benchmark lending rate a quarter point and projected two more increases later this year as inflation approaches its target.  Look for more predictions on when the second increase is expected…Colorful “live” chatter:  CNN’s Fareed Zakaria resorted to saying bullsh---ing four times on Don Lemon’s CNN Tonight program Friday evening in referring to President Donald Trump,..Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox News suggested Trump should form a “nonsense patrol” to cope with nonsensical charges…Veteran broadcast journalist Willow Bay has been named dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, effective July 1…In illustrating a story on current environment, the Las Vegas Sun ran an almost half-page photo of smog-cloaked Los Angeles using a vintage July 15, 1978 Associated Press photo...American Media, publisher of National Enquirer and Star, has agreed to buy Us Weekly, founded in 1977, from Wenner Media which has Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal in its stable.

 

Fortune magazine’s 20th annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, puts Google in the No. 1 spot for the sixth year in a row.

In second place is Wegmans Food Markets, which Fortune says has managed to keep a family feel among its almost 47,000 employees.

 

Federal workers told to “cool it” at home in hot D.C.

Federal workers in Washington apparently are not considered a hardy bunch when it comes to hot or cold weather, noted Grumpy Editor.

During winter, “snow days” keep many at home. Last week it was the heat.

The government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) encouraged federal workers (those paid by taxpayers) to perform their duties from home as the temperature soared to the upper 90s.

Apparently homes and apartments have better air conditioning than federal buildings.

OPM, which acts as the government's human resources department, said it was reminding agencies about "what they can do to protect all federal workers during potentially dangerous heat waves."

A memo warned “severe heat and humidity seen so far this summer make it necessary for us all to take precautions and protect ourselves and our family's health and well-being."

OPM also reminded federal workers to stay inside as much as possible, wear light-colored clothing and drink extra water.

"I know that all federal employees are dedicated and committed to doing all they can to serve the American people," wrote OPM Acting Director Beth Cobert. She added, “we all must be mindful of protecting our health during severe weather events --- whether cold and storm during winter or the kind of high temperatures and humidity we've been experiencing this summer."

 

One wonders what would happen to these folks if they were transferred to perennially hot summer cities such as Palm Springs, Las Vegas or Phoenix.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Although Hillary Clinton made history as the first woman to secure a presidential nomination from a major U.S. party, some key newspapers around the country placed dominant photos of overjoyed, smiling husband Bill on front pages instead of art of his wife. Among them were the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit Free Press and Seattle Times.

Reaction from Seattle Times readers, for example, was so strong that Leon Espinoza, assistant managing editor, apologized in print and explained: “Wednesday’s front page, which featured a banner headline, ‘Clinton makes history with formal nomination,’ failed to include a photograph of Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead a major-party ticket, instead putting the visual focus on former President Bill Clinton, who made an impassioned case for her election as the next president. The omission upset many readers. In hindsight, we focused too much on the live moment and not enough on the history being made. We apologize for missing the mark.”

 

A Travel + Leisure ad in the June issue brought some angry reaction from the American Family Association and some readers. A Hilton ad showed a gay male couple in bed holding each other and sharing earbuds. The AFA said it was "unnatural and offensive."

 

Look for some eyebrows raised at judging slated at the Salem, Ore. fair this month. Along with awards for best apple pies and plumpest pigs, pot will be judged for its finer attributes, including color, aroma, leaf structure and lack of pests.

 

Sharp-eyed TV viewers of the Democrats’ convention in Philadelphia noted there were no American flags on the stage on opening day --- but there was U.S. flag burning outside the arena.

 

In business news: Here we go again: Now September was being eyed by the Federal Open Market Committee as the time an interest rate hike may be back on the table after a Fed statement mentioned "near-term risks to the economic outlook have diminished”…On the other hand, an overlooked business story last week indicated the weakest U.S. recovery since 1949. Gross domestic product grew at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate of only 1.2 percent in the second quarter. Also on the negative side: U.S. homeownership rate fell to the lowest level since 1965…End of the line? Boeing Co. said that it might halt production of the two-deck 747 that was introduced in 1970.

 

A Los Angeles Times editor reminded newsroom staffers to keep opinions off social media…Too bad some cable and over-the-air TV talkers don’t get messages to cool it with on-air opinions.

 

Chicago TV news reporter Anthony Ponce, after working at local news stations for 13 years, has become a full-time Lyft driver.

He’ll also be interviewing and recording conversations with passengers to produce a podcast called "Backseat Rider."