Grumpy Editor

WANT TO BUY A U.S. LIGHTHOUSE?

 

Ten lighthouses around the U.S., most a century old, are available for acquisition, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The protectors of America’s shorelines are being given away at no cost or sold at auction by the federal government.

 

Development of modern technology, including GPS, means lighthouses are no longer essential for navigation, says John Kelly of the General Services Administration’s office of real property disposition.

 

While the U.S. Coast Guard often maintains aids to navigation at or near lighthouses, the structures themselves often are no longer mission critical.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

THIRD BUSIEST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND TRAVEL.  AAA predicts 42 million Americans are expected to travel over this Memorial Day weekend, making it  the third busiest Memorial Day Weekend since AAA began tracking holiday travel.

 

NUMBER OF OLDER RESIDENTS GROWS.  The share of U.S. residents 65 and older grows by more than a third from 2010 to 2020.  That's the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years.

 

FORD BRINGS BACK AM RADIO.  Ford Motor is bringing back AM radio in its 2024 electric vehicles bcause of concerns over public safety.

 

HURRICANE SEASON TO BE “NEAR NORMAL."  NOAA forecasters predict a “near normal” Atlantic hurricane season over the next six months — with 12 to 17 large storms.

 

NEW YOKERS FEAR SINKING INTO OCEAN.  New York’s massive syscrapers are weighing it down and leaving it more vulnerable to sinking into the ocean, relays USA Today, citing new research, adding the city has more than a million buildings, weighing around 1.7 trillion pounds. 

 

EVERLEIGH TOPS BABY NAMES.  Most popular baby name last year was Everleigh with nearly 25 times the number of infants getting that name in 2022 than in the prior year, reports Axios.

 

BLACK BEAR STEALS 60 CUPCAKES.  A hungry black bear in Avon, Conn. barges into a bakery and grabs 60 cupcakes before departing. There are 1,000 to 1,200 black bears living in Connecticut, the state environmental agency says, with sightings last year in 158 of the state’s 169 towns and cities.

 

CROCODILES KILL FARMER.  Forty crocodiles killed a Cambodian farmer while he was attempting to wrangle one of his reptiles.  The victim had entered the enclosure so he could remove one of the crocs from a cage where it had laid eggs.

LESS BANG FOR THE BUCK SEEN FOR FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS

 

Look for July 4 fireworks to cost more, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Although there is more inventory this year, prices are up 25 percent, says an official of a main manufacturer.

 

Shipping costs, a main factor, have increased $8,000 to $10,000 per container to about $45,000 per container since 2019, tallies the American Pyrotechnics Association.

 

Outlays for fireworks will be competing with food, gasoline and other items that have jumped in price.

 

Also affected:  Some fireworks shows may be affected by the lack of pyrotechnic specialists.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

TWO BREEDS DEBUT AT DOG SHOW.  The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show debuts two new breeds, the Mudi and the Russian Toy.  The Mudi is a herding dog breed from Hungary. The Russian Toy is a small, lively dog with long legs, fine bones and lean muscles. 

DEATH VALLEY HEAT CLAIMS VISITOR.  A California man was found dead in Death Valley National Park after running out of gas and walking in an extreme heat wave, park officials say. A heat wave brought temperatures up to 123 degrees.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT SEEN.  Climate change could have a dangerous impact on about one-quarter of the world’s population by 2050, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.  Scientists in the study claim that if the Earth’s temperature goes up 2 degrees Celsius, drought conditions will be inevitable to 25 percent of the population

SMALL-BUSINESS OWNERS PESSIMISTIC.  Small-business owners' expectations for the future are at a 48-year low, according to a survey.  Small-business owners remain pessimistic about the second half of this year over supply chain disruptions, inflation and labor shortage.

LEGO PLANS FACTORY IN VIRGINIA.  Lego Group, world’s largest toy maker, plans to invest more than $1 billion to build a factory in Virginia that will be entirely carbon-neutral.  The factory will be Lego’s seventh globally.  It also plans to open a factory in Veitnam.

 

ROUSH PUBLISHES 10TH BOOK.  Chris Roush, business journalism expert and behind Talking Business News (TBN) on the web publishes his 10th book, “The Future of Business Journalism: Why It Matters for Wall Street and Main Street.”

 

ALASKA CRUISES REQUIRE MASKS AGAIN.  Cruise lines Princess Cruises and Holland America on select Alaska trips are again requiring masks for voyages to that area amid a COVID uptick in the state. 

 

DOG SETS HOUSE AFIRE.  A dog in Missouri accidentally manages to activate a touchscreen button that operates the kitchen stove. That fills the kitchen with smoke that leads to a full-on fire in a home.

 

CHINA LAUNCHES 'SOPHISTICATED' AIRCRAFT CARRIER.  A third aircraft carrier launched by China is termed "sophisticated."  It's equipped with electromagnetic catapults for launching aircraft. 

MEMORIAL DAY HONORS, MOURNS MILITARY PERSONNEL

 

Memorial Day today may be a pleasant time to relax and be with family and friends, but it's also a solemn time of remembrance, reminds Grumpy Editor.

 

The federal holiday honors and mourns military personnel who have died in the performance of military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. 

 

From the Memorial Day Foundation (its mission is to increase awareness and respect for Memorial Day) here are a few customs aimed at honoring fallen service members:

• Fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon
• Observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time
• Place flags or flowers on veterans' graves

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

OSCARS SLATED FOR MARCH.  After a year of disruption, look for Hollywood’s 94^th Oscars to be held next March 27. It will be broadcast on ABC.

 

NAVY SHIP SHORTAGE ILLUSTRATED.  Shortage of U.S.  Navy ships is illustrated with the USS Ronald Reagan --- the only aircraft carrier based in the Asia-Pacific region --- shifting to the Middle East this summer to cover U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan.

 

WORLD WAR II VETERAN RECEIVES COLLEGE DEGREE.  Bill Gossett, 97, from Illinois, who left college to serve in the Army Air Corps in World War II returned to finish his education nearly 80 years later.  He completed his Associate of Arts degree in 2020, but had to wait until recently for a graduation ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

LONG-TERM SHELTER DOG FINALLY FINDS HOME.  An Ohio animal shelter finally finds a home for Mica, a 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer/Labrador mix in a shelter for six and a half years, reports the League for Animal Welfare.

EIFFEL TOWER REOPENS JULY 15.  Paris’s Eiffel Tower, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, will reopen July 15 after being shuttered for a second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

EXPENSIVE SANDWICH TO DEBUT IN DISNEYLAND.  The Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California, on Friday introduces one of the most expensive sandwiches in the world: $99.99.  But the panini sandwich will serve six to eight guests.

 

HUGE ANTARCTIC ICEBERG BREAKS OFF.  The world's largest iceberg breaks off the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica's Weddell Sea. The iceberg measures around 105 miles in length and 15.5 miles in width.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE SET TO RESUME TRIPS.  Subject to approval by obtaining a conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Norwegian Cruise Line plans a return to sailing in the United States from Aug. 7, more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

Grumpy Editor gets into holiday spirit, returns Jan. 4

Eating 150 million hot dogs seen on Fourth of July

 

Grumpy Editor, in holiday spirit as we celebrate the Fourth of July, notes it is a hot day for hot dogs with 150 million of them due to be consumed, contributing to total spending on food today of $6.77 billion, according to personal finance website WalletHub.

 

WalletHub also sees (overlooked) chickens in the holiday picture, too.  It anticipates 700 million pounds of the birds are purchased in the week prior to the holiday.

 

In addition, about $324 million worth of fireworks will be ignited today, although fireworks this year are cancelled in many dry brush areas around the country.

 

While the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, annual value of American flags --- most made in China --- is $4.4 million, figures WalletHub. 

 

WalletHub also cites the top five most popular Fourth of July destinations as Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Orlando and San Diego.  Las Vegas, however, also has the highest average price for a Fourth of July party ticket --- $124, making it eight times more expensive than Atlanta, the lowest, at $15.

 

And which city has the longest fireworks show? 

 

St. Petersburg, Fla., where the pyrotechnics run a full hour. 

 

 

 

Now, Grumpy Editor has to fire up the grill for a batch of hot dogs.

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Feds place barriers in illegals coverage by media

A guide to the bang and flame: how to shoot fireworks.

Time for Grumpy Editor to get behind the charcoal grill

 

Grumpy Editor is taking this Monday --- Labor Day --- off.

Grumpy Editor taking Memorial Day week hiatus

 

With Memorial Day, Grumpy Editor is taking a break --- and will return on Monday, June 1.

Grumpy Editor observes Labor Day, returns tomorrow

 

Grumpy Editor is taking the day off today, Labor Day; will resume Tuesday.

Grumpy Editor observes Labor Day, returns tomorrow

Grumpy Editor is taking the day off today, Labor Day; will resume Tuesday.

Obama –-- plus Hillary –-- visits arouse Martha’s Vineyard

President Barack Obama, three days into an eyebrow-raising summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, already is gearing up for another fundraiser, this one tonight on the island, an affluent summer colony off Cape Cod, notes Grumpy Editor.

With the president in a rented three-story, seven bedroom, 8,100-square-foot home on the island over the next two weeks are wife Michelle, daughter Malia and dogs Bo and Sunny.  The vacation comes at a time of mounting crisis in Iraq with U.S. air strikes on terrorists, Hamas threatening major escalation in rocket strikes on Israel and widening problems stemming from illegals crossing the southern border. 

Added to all this, a secondary political attraction arrives Wednesday when former First Lady Hillary Clinton is scheduled to arrive on the island for a book-signing event. 

Meanwhile, some Martha’s Vineyard merchants --- such as ice cream shops and restaurants --- are excited, feeling that the president’s presence on the island will boost business in a season that has been slow. 

They overlook grumbling from others stemming from heightened security activity in the air and on the ground plus road delays and slow traffic as presidential motorcades make their way around the island to a golf course, a restaurant or to other locations such as in the past --- bicycle rides. 

Among major growlers:  private fliers. 

With the president on the island, the Federal Aviation Administration has instituted a 30-nautical mile perimeter temporary flight restriction for Martha’s Vineyard that runs through 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, reveals Sara Brown, Vineyard Gazette reporter. 

Obama was off to a golf course within 30 minutes of arrival on Saturday.

 

DID YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISS THESE?

Declaring corporate America has done well under his economic policies, President Barack Obama tells London-based Economist magazine that chief executive officers should stop complaining about regulations and show greater social responsibility…An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds six in 10 Americans are dissatisfied with the state of the U.S. economy, more than 70 percent believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and nearly 80 percent are down on the country’s political system…Okay, so it's "torture" for the bad guys:  In changing editorial word usage, The New York Times no longer will describe interrogation methods on terror suspects as “harsh or brutal” and now will term the procedures “torture”…A University of Southern California study finds Hollywood movies are under-representing non-white ethnic groups in the U.S., with Hispanic actors cast in five percent of speaking parts in last year’s 100 top grossing films despite making up more than 16 percent of the population; black actors appeared in 14 percent of roles while 17 percent of movies had no black speaking parts…Unsettling news for J-students:  In another study, the University of Georgia Grady College finds 2013 consumer magazine starting salaries of graduates with bachelor degrees in journalism sank $5,000 a year lower than the prior year…Not much mention in print or broadcast outlets that USASpending.gov, which tracks government spending, can’t locate at least $619 billion from 302 federal programs…More military trimming: Because of “financial restraints,” the U.S. Air Force’s 65^th Aggressor Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, will be deactivated on Sept. 26…Hollis R. Towns, executive editor/vice president news at New Jersey’s Asbury Park Press, informs readers the newspaper is “hiring more reporters to help cover the community better” and “establish better relationships with you” while “putting more resources into digital”…Los Angeles radio station KFWB next month switches from its long-time news/talk format to all sports chatter.

 

In discussing the thousands of young illegals showing up at the southern border, Vice President Joe Biden declares:  "These are not somebody else's kids. These are our kids."