Grumpy Editor

NORTH KOREA’S LATEST MISSILE TEST SHOWS ITS ICBM COULD THREATEN U.S. MAINLAND

 

Experts say the latest missile to be test-launched by North Korea has the capability to strike the U.S. mainland, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The Communist country’s 12th test this year saw the latest ICBM soar higher and longer than a previous ICBM test in November, 2017.

 

Launched from North Korea’s Sunan area, it reached an altitute of more than 3,700 miles and treveled more than 680 miles. 

 

Sources said the missile flew for about 71 minutes.

 

North Korea’s state media reported that it met all the test parameters and that its use “can be guaranteed scientifically, technically and practically under wartime.”

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

CAPITOL RESUMES GUIDED TOURS TODAY.  The U.S. Capitol today will restart guided tours to the public for limited groups that have registered in advance.  The Covid-19 pandemic prompted the cessation of the tours two years ago.

 

CAR, TRUCK LEASING EBBS.  The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the percentage of new cars and trucks leased with activity dropping to 19 percent of overall retail sales through March 13, lowest since 2009.

 

LONGEST NON-STOP FLIGHT.  Air New Zealand plans its longest-ever non-stop passenger flight with an 8,828-mile New York to New Zealand flight.  It will take 16 hours, 15 minutes.

DOG NIGHTLY  VIEWS SUNSET.  Newsweek featured a photo of a golden retriever that nightly sits at the same spot on a bluff overlooking the ocean to observe the sun settling toward the horizon. 

 

DRIVING INTO ALLIGATOR PROVES FATAL.  A 59-year-old man dies after his car crashes into an 11-foot alligator on Florida road.  The impact causes John Hopkins’ car to veer off the road and flip into a ditch.  He is pronounced dead at the scene.

 

UNIVERSITY DEBUTS HAPPINESS COURSE.  Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey, introduces the world’s first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies.  It will cost students $17,700.

 

NEW COLA INTRODUCED.  PepsiCo and IHOP team to produce a limited-edition cola --- incorporating flavors of maple syrup and soda --- available only to the first 2,000 fans online who respond with photos of their pancakes.

MAURY POVICH RETIRING.  Veteran daytime talk show host Maury Povich, 83, is retiring, with the last original episodes of “Maury” set for broadcast in September after 31 years on the air.  NBC Universal says “the show has thousands of lively, entertaining and dramatic episodes that will continue to be successful in daytime for years to come.”

LION WANTS HAIR DONE?  Police and animal control officers capture a mountain lion trying to enter a beauty salon in a busy shopping center in in Irvine, Calif.  It was tranquilized by animal control and transported to a local veterinarian.

NORTH KOREA IN NEW ROUND OF NUCLEAR TESTING

While the news focus is on Russia and Ukraine these days, North Korea is on the road to new nuclear testing, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Construction activity at the country’s nuclear testing ground appears to be resuming, based on satellite images.

 

The action comes four years after leader Kim Jong Un declared the site’s closure and invited foreign journalists to observe destruction of tunnels.

 

Punggye-ri in the northeast part of North Korea is the site used for the last nuclear test five years ago.

 

The country has made nine rounds of missile launches so far this year.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

FLORIDA MANATEES GOBBLE LETTUCE.  More than 55 tons of lettuce are fed to starving manatees in Florida.  It’s part of an experimental program to help the slow-moving marine mammals since their natural food is being destroyed by water pollution.

 

CONGRESS PUTS STAMP ON USPS BILL.  After more than a decade in the making, Congress passes legislation designed to place the U.S. Postal Service on stronger financial footing.  It keeps six-days-a-week deliveries. The bill awaits President Joe Biden signing it into law.

 

NO PERMIT TO CARRY WEAPON IN ALABAMA. Alabama residents will not be required to obtain a permit or undergo a background check to carry a concealed weapon starting next year, following legislation signed into law.  It makes Alabama the 22nd state to adopt that policy. 

EARTH SAFE FROM ASTEROID.  Word that a 230-foot-wide asteroid is expected to hit Earth next year turns out to be a false alarm.  When discovered, astronomers thought it would hit Earth and "do real damage" to a city.

MAN'S CLOTHING CONTAINS LIZARDS, SNAKES.   A man at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico is caught trying to smuggle 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing.  Agents find they were tied up in small bags and say "they were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets and groin area.”

  

RUSSIA IN NAME AFFECTS BUSINESS.  Russia in its name is affecting business at New York City’s 100-year-old Russian Tea Room.  Despite its name, the Russian Tea room isn’t Russian at all.  It’s owned by a financial group incorporated in New York state.  But that hasn’t stopped protesters looking to boycott all things Russian. 

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.

Is it time to put a cap on North Korea's actions?

North Korea continues to be a thorn for the U.S., periodically saying it's ready for war with America and last week punctuating its latest threats by firing three nuclear missiles that splashed off the coast of Japan, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

After months of this routine, President Barack Obama last week moved to push efforts to tighten U.N. sanctions against the communist nation.

 

"The Obama administration running around and talking about meaningless sanctions is highly laughable," says North Korea state media.

 

Meanwhile, over the weekend South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se says North Korea's nuclear capability had grown to a "considerable level" and tougher sanctions and greater pressure are needed.

North Korea has been acting up periodically since the three-year Korean War shooting stopped with truce talks, still open ended, that started on July 27, 1953 --- well past a half century ago.

So, technically, the Korean War (often referred to as "The Forgotten War") --- in which 33,739 U.S. military lost lives and 103,284 were wounded in action  ---  has not officially concluded.

 

More than 7,500 U.S. troops remain unaccounted.  

 

Few in media are aware that a peace treaty was never concluded.  Many in media also overlook Russia (in the air) and North Korea's long-time ally China (on the ground) as active participants in battling U.S. troops and 16 other countries that dispatched manpower and equipment to the Korean War. 

 

On Friday in Pensacola, Fla., Hillary Clinton, a former Secretary of State, declares it's time for a "rethinking" of U.S. strategy for North Korea following the latest missile firings.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

After a Friday CNN/ORC poll reports Americans are feeling more positive about the economy than they have in nine years, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day by dropping nearly 400 points --- as investors become concerned that the Federal Reserve could be closer to an interest rate increase...Big PR problem with Wells Fargo & Co.  The financial institution is fined $185 million for encouraging employees, in efforts to reach sales targets and receive bonuses, to "illegally" sign up customers for deposit and credit-card accounts without their knowledge.  It is the biggest fine imposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, set up after the 2008 financial crisis to protect bank patrons. Wells Fargo shares on the New York Stock Exchange fell 2.4 percent on Friday...Although President Barack Obama's travel to Laos, apologizing for U.S.bombings during the Vietnam War, is widely heralded by media, no news outlet reported a current State Department travel alert cautions U.S. citizens on the risks of travel in parts of Laos because the security situation remains unstable...No sooner is Congress back from a seven-week break when members are soon to adjourn again early next month for election time, returning Nov. 14...After first-time admitting reporters on her campaign plane, Hillary Clinton remarks: "I'm so happy to have all of you with me.  I've just been waiting for this moment"...While Tesla Motors' "Autopilot" grabs a lot of media coverage following a crash south of Amsterdam, turns out the feature was not in use when the vehicle struck a tree at excessive speed, killing the driver...And how does Chicago rank?  The New York Times reports cities with a significant rise in murder rates:  Baltimore, up 20 percent; St. Louis, up 18 percent; Las Vegas, up 14 percent; Cleveland, up 10 percent while Chicago is tied for 20th place with a 2 percent increase...Howie Carr Radio Network signs Boston Red Sox pitching legend Curt Schilling who hosted his initial three-hour Saturday morning radio show on Sept. 10…Fortune's 19^th annual list of the Most Powerful Women in Business, shows 22 of them are CEOs, controlling companies with $1.1 trillion in market capitalization. This year's top 10:

1. Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
2. Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo
3. Marillyn Hewson, CEO, Lockheed Martin
4. Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM
5. Abigail Johnson, CEO, Fidelity
6. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
7. Meg Whitman, CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
8. Phebe Novakovic, CEO, General Dynamics
9. Irene Rosenfeld, CEO, Mondelez
10. Safra Catz, Co-CEO, Oracle

 

 

Greta Zimmer Friedman, the woman in a white uniform photographed being kissed by a sailor in Times Square on Aug. 14, 1945 --- V-J Day --- died at 92.

Known around the world as "The Kiss" photo of the event, it became one of the most famous of the 20th century.

Identified over the years as a nurse, Friedman actually was a 21-year-old dental assistant at the time.

 

--- 

 

Transported Hellfire U.S. missile winds up in Cuba

Not getting wide print coverage is the blushing case of a U.S. Hellfire missile that disappeared two years ago after departing Orlando International Airport for Spain, then moving on a truck through a chunk of Europe, eventually winding up a zig-zag trip in Cuba, observes Grumpy Editor.

What concerns many Americans is that technicians from not-so-friendly nations may perform reverse engineering on key parts of the Hellfire, an air-to-ground missile usually fired from helicopters.

Interesting is that much of the route taken by the wayward missile was not aboard U.S. Air Force transports.

The Wall Street Journal, aware of the newsworthiness of the stray missile, placed the revelation on Friday’s front page.

Citing thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba, the Journal’s Devlin Barrett and Gordon Lubold wrote, “For more than a year…American authorities have tried to get the Cuban government to return the missile.

From Orlando, the Lockheed-Martin inert missile was shipped in a crate to Spain for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization military exercise in Europe.

Then via truck it went through Europe, reaching Germany, then on to Paris where, via Air France, it was transported to Cuba.

One wonders what else Washington has misplaced.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

While Washington insists there is no U.S. inflation, the average nationwide apartment rent last year jumped 4.6 percent, up from 3.9 percent a year prior…Alcoa is shedding 1,200 U.S. jobs, including shuttering its large aluminum smelter in Indiana, hit by cheap Chinese exports…Magazine circulation folks continue to lie awake nights dreaming up lures to obtain subscriptions. Latest example: O, The Oprah Magazine mails a pitch labeled “credit adjustment” to a non-subscriber, indicating the recipient has “a credit of $48 toward the purchase” of the publication. Subtracting the $46 from the inflated $54 annual cover price, the “adjusted rate’’ is $8…On Pentagon orders, two more Guantanamo Bay detainees were released last week and delivered to Ghana…The Marine Corps has been instructed to end gender-segregated initial training by April to comply with Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s decision to open all military jobs to women. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is examining plans proposed by each military branch to open about 225,000 previously male-only jobs to females.

Iran gets nuke assist from U.S., missiles from Russia

 

With the heavy focus on terrorists in Paris over the past few days, missing the attention of most U.S. media were the latest on Iran’s nuclear activity --- boosted by the U.S., no less --- and pending delivery of surface-to-air missiles to Iran from Russia, observed Grumpy Editor.

The U.S. is among global powers helping Iran update and reconstruct a nuclear reactor that has been suspected of helping the Islamic Republic produce enough material for a potential nuclear weapon, reported Adam Kredo, senior writer for the Washington Free Beacon.

Kredo pointed out that Iran maintains that the U.S. and partner nations will soon provide “advanced equipment” for the reactor in Arak.

A spokesman for the Iranian nuclear authority said that while Iran could complete the modernization on its own, “it has sought the world powers’ assistance to accelerate the job,” added Kredo.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal’s Nathan Hodge, citing Russian news sources, reported Russia is moving ahead in delivering S-300 advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

Earlier delivery of the missiles, under a 2007 contract, was banned amid pressure from the U.S. and Israel, Hodge wrote, but Moscow has lifted the ban and Iran mentioned delivery could come by year end.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

In an ABC interview aired Friday, just hours before the Paris attack, President Barack Obama proclaimed ISIS had been contained.  “I don’t think they’re gaining strength,” he said.  “From the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them”… No sooner did the Dow Jones Industrial Average look like it was going to reach 18000 again, when --- poof! --- weak earnings and economic data sent it down to close the week at 17245.24, including a 202.83 drop on Friday.  Another downward movement factor with almost daily reminders on financial pages:  the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its Dec. 16 meeting…Following an investigation, the Navy said little could have been done to prevent crew members aboard the submarine USS Wyoming from secretly recording women showering on board, reported Stars and Stripes…Amid cries to improve veterans’ medical attention, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014.  Meanwhile, the VA Medical Center in Cleveland plans to open the first VA clinic specifically dedicated to transgender veterans needs, including primary care, hormonal therapy, mental health care and social work services…In the sky-is-falling department:  Among many climate-related risks to public health, mentioned in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report spotted by CNSNews --- a rise in cardiovascular disease in the Northwest, more allergies in Great Plains states, an increase in drownings in the Midwest, a disruption of community water supplies in Alaska, more cases of dengue fever in Hawaii and West Nile virus in the Northeast, higher incidents of heat stress in the Southwest and increased fish poisoning in the Southeast…Family Circle magazine is sending out renewal notices sure to spark subscription action “when you renew today."  It touted a “special bonus:  free delivery.”

There’s that word again:  A headline over an Associated Press story on Friday:

U.S. producer prices drop in latest sign of tame inflation