Grumpy Editor

U.S. HOUSING MARKET SIZZLES, TRIGGERING BIDDING WARS

House prices are skyrocketing around the nation, bidding wars are the norm and supply is scarcer than ever, notes Grumpy Editor.

Bloomberg also finds the market is too hot even for homebuilders.

“Demand is so fevered and construction costs are climbing so quickly,” observes Bloomberg, “that overwhelmed builders are suppressing orders and shifting away from fixed prices.”

Bloomberg adds, “In a global economy roiled by supply shortages, the U.S. housing market is struggling with a collision of pandemic-related forces that’s holding back new inventory just when it’s needed most. Buyers are stampeding for new homes as remote work upends employment, while soaring lumber costs and a shortage of workers are slowing construction. The result is home prices, already reaching unaffordable levels for many Americans, are set to keep rising.”

 

About 19 percent of builders are delaying sales or construction and 47 percent have added escalation clauses into contracts, allowing them to lift prices as costs increase, according to an April survey by the National Association of Homebuilders.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

AP MARKS 175TH YEAR.  The Associated Press is celebrating its 175th anniversary this month.  The AP was formed in May, 1846 when five New York city newspapers funded a Pony Express route through Alabama to carry news about the Mexican War to the northern part of the country. Today, it has bureaus in 250 locations in more than 95 countries and produces 2,000 daily stories and more than a million photographs a year. 

MEDAL OF HONOR AWARDED --- FOR KOREAN WAR ACTION.  President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor on Friday to Ralph Puckett Jr., a 94-year-old retired Army colonel who led the capture and defense of a hill during the Korean War against an overwhelming Chinese attack.

VANDENBERG GETS NAME CHANGE.  Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, gets a periodic name change --- this time to Vandenberg Space Force Base. Space Force in 2019 was created as the sixth uniformed military branch.

 

NEW MISS UNIVERSE.  Andrea Meza, who holds a software engineering degree, is the new Miss Universe.  She edged ahead of Miss Brazil.

 

FOR DOGS...NO BARKING?  North of the border, Calgary's pet ownership bylaws are being updated and some of the proposed changes have some dog behavior experts worried...namely no barking.

 

GREENLAND OFF THE MARKET.  The U.S. is no longer interested in buying Greenland, says President Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken.  “I can confirm that’s correct,” he tells reporters.  Former President Donald Trump eyed purchasing Greenland, a self-governing part of Denmark, even as its leaders said it wasn’t for sale.

 

 

U.S. PLANES FLY NEAR NORTH KOREA, SORT OF LIKE THE EARLY 1950s

Reminiscent of the Korean War days in the early 1950s, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force spy planes fly near North Korea several times in recent days, as Pyongyang condemned Washington's North Korea policy and the latest satellite imagery showed activity at Nampo shipyard, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

It was during the Korean War that the newly-independent U.S. Air Force became involved.

But in those days U.S. aircraft could chase the “bad guys” only to the Yalu River, thus allowing enemy planes to escape into China.

At that time it was common for F-86 Sabre jets to tangle with Soviet MIG-15 fighters.

World War II-era prop-driven P-51D Mustangs were pressed into ground-air support role and large formations of B-29 Superfortresses were used on strategic bombardment missions.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

BROADWAY GOES 100 PERCENT SEPT. 14.  New York City’s Broadway, closed since March, 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic, is set to resume shows at 100 percent capacity on Sept. 14. 

FORBES IN ACQUISITION TALKS.  Forbes Media enters talks to be acquired by a group led by GSV Asset Management, in a deal that values the business-news publisher at more than $600 million, reports Bloomberg News.

PRESERVING COAST GUARD CUTTER SOUGHT.  A U.S. Coast Guard cutter with an historic tie to 9/11 may be headed to Indonesia, but a former crew member is campaigning to preserve it as a memorial to the terrorist attacks in New York City.

ARMY TO OFFER BONUSES IN SOME POSITIONS.  The U.S. Army, in an attempt to bolster recruiting as the pandemic stretches into a second year, will offer extra bonuses starting next week to individuals who commit to serve in 11 high-demand positions.

GEORGIA WOMAN HEARS LOTS OF BUZZING.  A Decatur, Georgia woman was shocked to find a swarm of at least 100,000 bees living in her house.  It marks the fourth time she has had to remove bees from her home.

PET PYTHON ESCAPES FROM CAGE.  A  28-pound, 11-foot-long pet python escaped from a cage in a Yokohama, Japan, man’s home, prompting a search and sending shudders through the local community.

ORBITING BOTTLE OF WINE SET FOR AUCTION. Up for auction is a bottle of Pétrus 2000, made from merlot grapes in France’s Bordeaux region, that spent 14 months orbiting Earth as part of a privately-funded research study on food and agriculture.

 

U.S. BIRTH RATES SLUMP.  Showing a continuing U.S. fertility slump, birth rates last year were the lowest since the government began compiling them in the 1930s.

 

BULL FIGHTING RESUMES IN MADRID.  Thousands show up in Madrid as bullfighting returns after more than a year absence stemming from the pandemic. 

U.S.-NORTH KOREA TALKS PROVIDE LITTLE ACTION --- AGAIN

Grumpy Editor observed "there wasn’t much action coming out of the latest U.S. talks with North Korea focusing on nuclear disarmament."

Was that line from last week's two-day summit in Hanoi?

No, it was from Grumpy Editor's posting on Feb. 27, 2012 under the headline:  LATEST U.S.-NORTH KOREA TALKS PROVIDE LITTLE ACTION.

So, exactly seven years later, there has been no change in North Korea stringing the U.S. along in talks such as the meeting last week between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Also, North Korea continues the threat that it is ready for war.  

Mentioned as one of the upcoming highlights during the two-day summit was a joint signing ceremony that would officially end the Korean War.  But that was cancelled.

Few in media seem to be aware that the Korean War, which started 69 years ago --- before most people in media were born --- remains open-ended.  A peace treaty was never concluded.

Also labeled "The Forgotten War,” the Korean War erupted when 135,000 communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea in pre-dawn hours of June 25, 1950. Battles, many involving Chinese soldiers, ended with a cease fire on July 27, 1953. 

For the U.S., that war resulted in 33,739 military lives lost and 103,284 wounded in action.  More than 7,500 U.S. troops  remain unaccounted.

So we'll see what happens at the next two-day summit.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

L.A. RECORDS COLD FEBRUARY.  Last month turned out to be the coldest February in downtown Los Angeles since 1962, with the average high temperature at 60.6 degrees, eight degrees below normal, tallied the National Weather Service.  Snow fell in some parts of the city.

 

VETS WITH PURPLE HEARTS GET FASTER ACTION.  In efforts to provide faster claims decisions, the Department of Veterans Affairs starting next month will give priority consideration to combat veterans with Purple Hearts when processing claims.

 

ACCUWEATHER'S ABRAMS RETIRES.  AccuWeather’s popular meteorologist Elliot Abrams retired, marking the end of a 51-year broadcasting career for one of America’s most highly regarded weather forecasters. He said he knew he wanted to be a weatherman when he was five years old.

 

CONDUCTOR ANDRE PREVIN DIES.  Pianist, composer and conductor Andre Previn died, age 89, in his Manhattan home. Once married to actress Mia Farrow, Previn went overseas during the Korean War as a member of  the 40^th Infantry Division, which contained many California National Guard members. 

 

G.E. TRIMS 30,000 FROM PAYROLL.  General Electric disclosed that last year in let go 30,000 workers as the conglomerate sold some of its operations.   About 283,000 workers remain.

 

BRYCE HARPER IN RECORD BASEBALL DEAL.  Baseball player Bryce Harper, a star outfielder, signed a record $330 million, 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, marking the largest such financial deal in baseball history. 

 

MERRILL LYNCH NAME FADING.  Bank of America said it would phase out the Merrill Lynch name from its family of operations. However, it will rename most of its wealth management operations Merrill.  BofA acquired the investment bank, founded in 1914, 11 years ago.

 

BLOOMBERG EXPANDS IN BEIJING, SHANGHAI.  Bloomberg Television is opening a studio in its Beijing bureau while constructing another studio at its Shanghai bureau that will be operational soon.

 

VINYL DISCS COMEBACK CONTINUES.  Recorded music retail revenues in the U.S. last year increased about 12 percent, to $9.85 billion.  Sales of the old favorite, vinyl, continued a comeback, up 7.9 percent, at $419.2 million. 

WARNING ISSUED ON BAHAMAS.  U.S. State Department issued a level 2 travel advisory warning for the Bahamas, triggered by crime, including burglaries, robberies, sexual assault and risks associated with using unregulated recreational watercraft.

EX-BUSH SERVICE DOG JOINS NAVY.  Sully H.W. Bush, the former service dog to late President George H.W. Bush, started a new job with the Navy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington. The yellow Labrador was appointed to the rank of hospital corpsman second class.

'NUCLEAR BUTTON' EXCHANGE STIRS MEDIA COVERAGE

Grumpy Editor finds it interesting that most U.S. news --- and social --- media went ballistic last week, spilling over to the weekend, when North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump compared buttons --- nuclear buttons, that is.

The nuclear button exchange started when Kim said in his New Year’s speech that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal was now essentially complete and the launch button was “always on the desk in my office.” Trump responded by tweeting “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”

The response online and in print was generally one of concern that a subject so stark and potentially catastrophic as nuclear weapons was being blithely discussed by men with the power to use them.

Answering that, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said:  “I don’t think that it’s taunting to stand up for the people of this country,” adding that people should be concerned about Kim’s “mental fitness."

Surveying stories on the buttons during the past week, Grumpy Editor noted not one mentioned the Korean War --- technically still not officially ended --- which the U.S. entered on June 25, 1950, long before most current news folks were born.

Labeled “The Forgotten War” because over the years little was mentioned about it despite 33,739 U.S. military personnel killed and 103,284 wounded in action during the three-year conflict.

Since 1953, despite countless talks, North Korea continued saying it is ready for war with America. 

Now it brags that it has nuclear missiles that can strike any part of the U.S. 

Tough talk is what the communist nation understands.  And, shocking as it is to much of U.S. news media, talk of “a bigger button” gave Kim and company something to ponder as this week North Korea readies what satellite imagery shows another possible rocket test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station close to the northern border with China.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

SOLID ECONOMY AHEAD, BUT…   Fortune’s Alan Murray said that while all signs point to a solid economy in 2018, with tax cuts boosting growth, “that’s precisely the reason to start worrying.”  He noted economic expansion is eight-and-a-half years old, and come spring, it becomes the second longest on record, unemployment is at all-time lows in 13 states and wages are starting to rise. “As a result," he added, “there’s a steadily growing danger that something will happen to end the streak— a spike in interest rates powered by the Fed, a collapse in the stock market caused by a re-valuation of tech companies, a trade war sparked by the president, or a nuclear standoff with Kim Jong Un, to name a few.”

AROUND-THE-CLOCK FODDER FOR CABLE NEWS CHANNELS.  Michael Wolff’s inside-the-White-House book — Fire and Fury— loaded with details (some questionable along with errors pointed out by readers) about the White House under Donald Trump, prompted the president to fire salvoes against former aide Steve Bannon for derogatory quotes. Cable news channels went wall-to-wall with discussions linked to the book.

BANISHED WORDS LIST FOR 2018.  Wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University issued the 43rd annual banished words list for “Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”  Among them with their comments:

Tons. Refers to an exaggerated quantity, as in tons of sunshine or tons of work. “Lots” would surely suffice.

Dish. As in to dish out the latest rumor on someone. Let’s go back to “talks about” and leave dishes in the cupboard.

Pre-owned.  What is so disgraceful about owning a used car now and then?

Let that sink in.  One could say shocking, profound, or important. Let that sink in.

Let me ask you this.  Wholly unnecessary statement. Just ask the question already.

Fake News.  Once upon a time stories could be empirically disproved. Now “fake news” is any story you disagree with.

Hot water heater.  Hot water does not need to be heated. “Water heater” or “hot water maker” will keep us out of hot water.

LETTERMAN RETURNS TO TV.  Among Dave Letterman’s guests when he returns with a TV talk show on Friday on Netflix is former president Barack Obama.  Other guests slated include George Clooney and Howard Stern.  Name of Letterman’s hour-long show:  My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with Dave Letterman.

ANOTHER BOMB.  Scary new phrase getting a big play in broadcast and print last week was “bomb cyclone.”  It applied to a massive winter storm in which the barometric pressure drops rapidly, at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.

MORE SEARS STORES TO SHUTTER.  Sears announced it will close more than 100 Sears and Kmart stores.  The move follows several previous rounds of closures in recent years.

CADDIES ZOOM IN CHINA.  General Motors sold more Cadillacs in China than in the U.S. last year:  175,489 to 156,440.  GM began selling in earnest in China only in the last decade.

CABLE NEWS CHANNELS GO DARK.  Life Time, a multi-state fitness operation based in Minnesota, has banished all-news cable channels — MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and CNBC — from its screens at its centers, because a growing number of patrons think they don’t fit a healthy lifestyle.  Only USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, ESPN and local stations remain on the TV screens.  A spokesperson said the fitness centers dropped cable news outlets based on “many member requests received over time across the country and in keeping with our overall healthy way of life philosophy and commitment to provide family-oriented environments free of consistently negative or politically charged content.”

Almost forgotten: Korean War remains open-ended

So North Korea is acting up again?

Well, what else is new? asks Grumpy Editor.

Few in media seem to be aware that the Korean War, which started 67 years ago, remains open-ended.

Also labeled the “forgotten war,” the Korean War erupted when 135,000 communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea in pre-dawn hours of June 25, 1950. 

Battles ended with a cease fire on July 27, 1953. 

North and South Korea technically remain at war with no peace treaty. 

For the U.S., it resulted in 36,940 military deaths, 103,000 wounded, 8,142 missing in action and 3,746 prisoners of war. 

North Korea now likes to shake up the U.S., South Korea and Japan, among others, by conducting a series of nuclear and missile tests.

Over the weekend North Korea showed off its military arsenal during a Saturday parade that was widely covered. Then later, the latest --- and much touted --- North Korean missile blew up almost immediately after its test launch.

Meanwhile, with rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, less covered is a U.S. aircraft that arrived on Okinawa.  The WC-135, also known as the "nuclear sniffer," specializes in detecting radioactive debris after a nuclear device detonation.

President Donald Trump last week tweeted, “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.”

As far as “help” is concerned, what seems to be forgotten is that China indeed helped during the Korean War --- by providing support in both material and especially in soldiers (battling U.S. troops on the ground) to aid North Korea.

What many seem to overlook is that nuclear disarmament talks have been going on for years.  The routine has been for North Korea to talk, followed by pauses, then more talks, followed by no final action.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

With all the highly negative publicity triggered by United Airlines actions over the past week that sparked outrage following the dragging of a ticketed and seated doctor passenger off a plane to make room for a United employee, and issuance of a string of apologies from United CEO Oscar Munoz, major media missed these:

Munoz last year won PRWeek's Communicator of the Year award and Fortune magazine's Business Person of the Year list (No. 20).

Talking Biz News reports Marijuana Business Daily now is an Associated Press member, giving the cannabis-focused publication access to marijuana-related stories from around the world…Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, which nudged past GM in market value last week, reveals the electric car company will unveil its first semi truck in September, followed by a pickup truck in about two years…Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says it has withdrawn its application to the Federal Reserve to boost its ownership of Wells Fargo beyond 10 percent. Berkshire is the largest shareholder in the San Francisco-based bank that has been smacked by a scandal involving creation of unauthorized customer accounts…In a compilation obviously before an anticipated high snow melt in coming weeks, American Rivers, a national conservation organization, labels the lower Colorado River as the most endangered river in the nation. The river supplies water to Southern Nevada, Arizona, California --- and seldom-mentioned Mexico.

 

Another Mexican reporter killed.

A police beat reporter for Colectivo Pericu is shot and killed in La Paz on the Baja California peninsula.

It marks the sixth attack in one-and-a-half months against journalists in Mexico and the fourth that resulted in death.

Media mum on Okinawa battle, Korean War anniversaries

 

Two major anniversaries shamefully went unnoticed by major media --- and the White House --- last week: The 70^th anniversary of the 82-day Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest and costliest of World War II in the Pacific, and the 65th anniversary marking the outbreak of the three-year Korean War which remains open ended following a July, 1952 cease fire, noted Grumpy Editor.

But those anniversaries were remembered overseas.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe placed a bouquet of flowers at a memorial service in Japan as he marked the Battle of Okinawa anniversary with 5,000 people in attendance.

The American victory over Japan was costly.  The U.S. suffered substantial losses in Okinawa: on land and at sea, more than 12,000 Americans were killed and more than 36,000 were wounded while 36 American ships and nearly 800 aircraft were lost.

Meanwhile, the Korean War anniversary was observed in South Korea, North Korea and even New Zealand.  North Korea marked the date with 100,000 participants in a rally at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Stadium.

The Korean War, often called the “Forgotten War,” resulted in 36,574 U.S. military deaths and 103,284 wounded.

Among media that did remember the Korean War anniversary were KHON-TV, Honolulu covering ceremonies at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and TV stations WGCL, Atlanta, and WCSC, Charleston, S.C. that used a six-sentence CNN story recapping the Korean War.

Generally, most media delight in spotlighting anniversaries, no matter how old.  Just last week print and broadcast outlets ran a story commemorating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, a charter agreed by King John of England in 1215.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Looks like financial events in Greece will continue to affect up and down movements on the New York Stock Exchange this week…Whose house is it?  When a heckler interrupted Barack Obama’s gay rights speech at the White House, the president told the transgender woman, “Hey, listen, you’re in my house.”  (It may have slipped the president’s mind, but the White House is known as the People’s House.)…Ho-hum, keep trying.  From the Washington Examiner:  "House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that the GOP will keep trying to repeal ObamaCare, after a Supreme Court ruling that upheld subsidies to people using the federal insurance exchange and basically left the law intact"…Guess what influenced TPP votes?  In connection with Congress’s action with the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, The Guardian, London, cited backers of the trade deal “turned on the cash spigot” with donations to U.S. senators between January and March when fast-tracking the TPP was being debated.  It said out of $1,148,971 from corporate TPP supporters, an average of $17,676.48 was donated to each of the 65 “yea” votes, with the average Republican member receiving $19,673.28 while the average Democrat received $9,689.23…Media runs with it, not raising an eyebrow and asking “how calculated” when a White House-released study on climate change comes up with a figure.  As the Washington Post put it: “A global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions would prevent nearly 70,000 premature American deaths annually by the end of the century”…Media continued to call inflation tame, even after the Commerce Department noted the personal consumption expenditures index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in May from the prior month, biggest rise in more than two years…El Monte, Calif. police responding to a burglary report chased a man riding a bicycle.  The bicyclist crashed into a bush and ran off as police gave chase on foot and arrested him.  But on returning to their police vehicle --- it was gone, stolen by someone who left it, motor idling, on a freeway onramp…Cheers to The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, W. Va.  The newspaper welcomed 15 high school students to a four-day workshop last week that included participating in news coverage planning sessions, talking to reporters about various aspects of their jobs, learning about digital media, observing production of a newspaper page and accompanying reporters on assignments.

 

Finger-licking good?

Most front-page stories in the past week were rather glum but Grumpy Editor saw a line on Thursday’s Drudge Report that triggered a rare (these days) belly laugh:

Indiana cops arrest man spotted licking a toad…

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Editors overlook event marking last U.S. bayonet battle

Overlooked by U.S. media was an anniversary ceremony at South Korea’s Osan Air Base last Thursday marking the U.S. Army’s last known bayonet charge, known as the Battle of Bayonet Hill on Feb. 7, 1951, during the “forgotten” Korean War --- which remains open ended, notes Grumpy Editor.

The battle --- involving the Army’s 27^th Infantry Regiment’s Easy Company --- pitted Americans against North Korean and communist Chinese soldiers.

Nine U.S. infantrymen died in capturing so-called Hill 180 while 47 enemy troops were left dead on the slope.

 

Revised Condé Nast contract irks writers

Freelance writers are grumbling over a revised Condé Nast master contract that includes a line declaring the publisher owns television and movie rights to all stories that appear in its magazines.

It could mean a financial loss into six figures for contributors.

Condé Nast’s two dozen titles include Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, Self, Golf Digest and Brides. Advance Publications is Condé Nast’s parent.

No Saturday mail affects some publications 

The Postal Service’s planned termination of Saturday deliveries starting Aug. 3 will affect distribution of some publications.

The National Newspaper Association notes about 30 percent of its member papers rely on Saturday mail deliveries.

Time magazine subscribers receive the mailed weekly on Fridays or Saturdays.  Bloomberg Businessweek, which already is using alternate means to get its weekly issues to some subscribers, figures a quarter of its subscribers will see mail deliveries extended to Mondays.

The Postal Service figures ending Saturday deliveries would help save the agency about $2 billion a year.

 

In case you missed these…

The Weather Channel stirs up its own storm by labeling the weekend northeast blizzard Nemo.  Turning thumbs down on the name include the National Weather Service and independent meteorologists…Look for President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address tomorrow to work in the often mentioned-for-months line:  The economy is heading in the right direction…Not a good time for copy editors.  The sharp-eyed word/fact/grammar watchers are sacrificed more than any other newsroom personnel --- with a 50 percent reduction in the past five years…No major headlines, as a Navy budget is being considered in Washington, on how the Navy’s fleet is down to 287 ships, the smallest American armada since the early 1900s.  A 2010 independent panel called for a fleet of 346 ships…The Washington Post Co. signs an agreement to sell its Herald, in  Everett, Wash., daily it has owned since 1978.

Quiet Fed pay raise; overused fiscal cliff; ‘new’ Tribune

Despite a heavy flow of news stories on fiscal crisis and spending cuts at year-end 2012, somehow overlooked by major media was President Barack Obama’s executive order granting federal workers a pay raise, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The Weekly Standard’s Daniel Halper got wind of it and covered the development on Dec. 28. 

That was on a Friday afternoon, a time when most key media are snoozing. 

The raise becomes effective March 27. 

As an example of the pay increase:  Vice President Joe Biden will make $231,000 a year, up from $225,521. 

See how other federal workers fare here:  

Halper points out that a senior Republican congressional aide who reviewed the executive order and consulted with the Congressional Budget Office says the pay raise for federal workers will cost $11 billion over 10 years.

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“Fiscal cliff” much overused by media in 2012 

Fiscal cliff, meanwhile, was one of the most overused phrases by print and broadcast media in 2012. 

Yet, the phrase is now new. 

Some writers credit Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke with the words when he warned the House Committee on Financial Services last Feb. 29 of the coming “fiscal cliff” that would take effect with upcoming spending cuts and tax increases. 

Annalyn Kurtz, a reporter at CNNMoney, finds the earliest reference to the term was in a 1957 New York Times article on home ownership. 

Kurtz also notes Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) used fiscal cliff in 2008 in describing Obama’s spending program while Reuters used the phrase in several articles two weeks prior to Bernanke uttering the words in February.

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Future owner candidates eye Tribune Co. assets 

Now that Chicago-based Tribune Co. enters 2013 emerging from bankruptcy, talk centers on new owner candidates. 

Tribune Co. properties include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Baltimore Sun, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) plus 23 television stations. 

Coming out of bankruptcy, senior creditors Oaktree Capital Management, Angelo, Gordon & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. now control the Tribune Co.’s portfolio of publishing and broadcasting assets, which are expected to be sold. 

Among names mentioned as possible future owners: 

Aaron Kushner, owner of the Orange County Register.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (for the Los Angeles Times).

Doug Manchester, San Diego real estate developer who bought the Union Tribune (now U-T San Diego) newspaper in 2011.

Austin Beutner, former venture capitalist and former deputy mayor of Los Angeles (for the Los Angeles Times).

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In case you missed these... 

Ten minutes into the 2013 Tournament of Roses parade yesterday, it was cutaway time in coverage for ABC and NBC networks which decided to air commercials just as the 100-plus-member precision-marching Marine Corps band passed the reviewing stand.  But the HGTV network, without commercial interruptions throughout, showed all…The Pasadena parade included the first Defense Department float.  It depicted the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. while an added attraction was an Air Force B2 bomber timed to fly over the reviewing stand at 1,000 feet as the Korean War float passed…The Food and Drug Administration moved toward approving genetically-modified salmon for human consumption…Chicago’s Sun-Times Media Group said it will consolidate its suburban newspaper chain…Most discussed story on news/talk radio in 2012 was the presidential election, topping chatter on the fiscal cliff, according to Talkers magazine…A dopey move by District of Columbia police was starting an investigation of David Gregory, Meet the Press host, after he held up to NBC cameras a high-capacity magazine during a gun control discussion.  Police said possession of a high-capacity magazine was not permissible.  One wonders if police would get as excited if a Washington Post photographer, for example, used a similar magazine to illustrate a story on guns.

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Note:  Going into 2013, Grumpy Editor with daily postings since September 2006, will now appear in expanded format weekly.

 

Obama hustles to North Korea border for photo op

Within hours of Air Force One’s landing in South Korea, President Barack Obama --- sensing a photo op with the presidential election less than eight months away --- was peering through binoculars toward North Korea yesterday in his first visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which has bisected the peninsula since the Korean War cease fire almost 59 years ago, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Chances are North Koreans had binoculars trained on the president who wore an identification badge reading:  Barack Obama, Commander in Chief. 

Reuters said Obama “spent about 10 minutes on a viewing platform at the DMZ, talking with some of the soldiers on guard as the flags of the United States, South Korea and the United Nations flapped loudly in the brisk, cold wind.” 

With print and broadcast media trailing his movements, the president visited the DMZ on the eve of a global summit on nuclear security hosted by South Korea. 

“You guys are at freedom's frontier," Obama told about 50 troops crammed into a dining hall at a U.S. camp near the DMZ, one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers. 

The Korean War remains open ended with no peace treaty signed. Battles ended with a cease fire on July 27, 1953.  

The Korean War, also labeled the “forgotten war,” erupted when 135,000 communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea in pre-dawn hours of June 25, 1950. 

For the U.S., the war resulted in 36,940 military deaths, 103,000 wounded, 8,142 missing in action and 3,746 prisoners of war.  

Prolonging the war were entries of communist Chinese soldiers battling U.S. troops on the ground and Russian pilots in Soviet-built jets fighting U.S. airmen.

Chinese troops killed or captured thousands of U.S. military personnel and managed many prisoner of war camps in North Korea. 

Obama was threatening to cancel planned U.S. food aid to North Korea following its announcement that it plans to launch a long-range rocket next month.

 

Obama's image on U.S. flag irks veterans in Florida

Following a Florida television station report about a desecrated U.S. flag, a dozen veterans descended on Lake County Democratic headquarters, resulting in the flag --- bearing President Barack Obama’s image replacing the 50 stars --- being removed from a flagpole at the site, notes Grumpy Editor.

A number of Web sites jumped on the story aired Tuesday on WFTV, Orlando.

But, surprisingly, the report was missing from most newspapers yesterday --- and today. 

The TV station reported Korean War veteran Don Van Beck said his blood was boiling.  "I can't describe how upset I was because you just don't do that to the American flag," he declared.

Other veterans joined him in expressing outrage. 

Greeting them where the flag was flying, Lake County Democrat Party chairwoman Nancy Hulbert said, "This is private property. This is private property. You're not allowed to touch anything. I'll call the police." 

But she went online to look up the flag code --- which should have been done prior to raising the altered flag.  The flag then was taken down. 

"If you've been a veteran and fought --- and some died for this flag --- you don't want to see it desecrated,” emphasized Van Beck.  "That's how simple it is."