Grumpy Editor

NORTH KOREA LEADER (AGAIN) SAYS HE'S READY TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

A big yawner in the news is word that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un warns he’s ready to use nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the U.S. and South Korea, notes Grumpy Editor.

This has been going on periodically since the Korean War truce in 1953.

 

In his latest outburst, the North Korean leader unleashed fiery rhetoric against the rivals he says are pushing the Communist nation to the brink of war.

 

The most recent of many U.S.-South Korea military drills apparently inspired Kim’s latest outburst.

 

Observers say while Kim increasingly threatens rivals with nuclear weapons, it’s unlikely that he would use them against superior militaries.

 

 

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HUGE GEMSTONE DISCOVERED.  A huge pink 170 carat diamond is discovered in Angola.  It is hailed as the largest gemstone found in three centuries.

 

PARTS SHORTAGE AFFECTS AIRLINES.  With air travel, in addition to labor shortages --- from pilots to air traffic controllers --- airlines are struggling with finding spare parts and engines to keep their aircraft flying.

 

BUZZ ALDRIN'S JACKET AUCTIONED.  Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s jacket worn on his 1969 moon mission is auctioned off for nearly $2.8 million.  Auction house Sotheby’s says that amount is the highest paid for any American space-flown artifact.

 

ELEPHANTS AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE.  Climate change is affecting elephants in Kenya.  As Kenya battles its worst drought in four decades, officials say the crisis is killing 20 times more elephants than poaching. 

 

2024 REOPENING SEEN FOR NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL.  Notre Dame Cathedral, the 13th century Paris monument that caught fire in April, 2019, is on track to reopen in 2024, says France's culture minister.  It is being restored to its previous design.

 

NORTHERN NEVADA ADDS CASINO.  Northern Nevada’s first new casino in more than 20 years is set to open Aug. 30.  The casino and dining at Legends Bay Casino in Reno-Sparks, covers 80,000 square feet.

 

REMOTE WORKERS CITE DOGS.  Nearly half (48 percent) of remote workers who own dogs say they would work in a remote position so they can continue to be home with their dogs. Of those, 48 percent are women and 50 percent are men.

 

NORTH KOREA PLANS TO SPEED UP NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT

A few days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vows to speed up development of nuclear weapons, the Communist nation launches a ballistic missile, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The launch is North Korea’s 14th round of weapons firing in four months.

 

South Korea calls the repeated ballistic missile launches “a grave threat” that would undermine international peace and security.  It’s also a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such missile launches by North Korea.

 

Japan also condemns the launch, saying North Korea’s missile actions that “threatens the peace, safety and stability of the international community are impermissible.”

 

 

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ON THE MOVE.  Boeing Co. plans to move its headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area.  Behind the move:  its executives will be closer to key federal government officials.  Boeing moved its corporate offices to Chicago from Seattle in 2001.

 

DARING AFTERNOON JEWELRY ROBBERY IN PARIS.  Armed men in mid-afternoon rob a Chanel jewelry boutique in Paris then escape on two motorcycles.

 

MORE BEER FLOWS IN FIRST QUARTER.  The company that owns Budweiser says it sold more beer at higher prices in this year’s first quarter — for better-than-expected earnings.

 

LONGEST CAREER WITH SAME COMPANY SET.  A man who works at a Brazilian textile company sets a record (84 years) for having the longest career with the same company.  He turned 100 last month and made it to Guinness World Records.

 

AIRBUS PLANS EXPANSION AT ALABAMA FACTORY.  In an effort to boost production of its best-selling A320 single-aisle airliner, London-based Airbus SE plans to build a second assembly line at its Alabama jet factory.

 

KNEE PAIN FORCES POPE INTO WHEELCHAIR.  Knee pain forces Pope Francis to meet audiences in a wheelchair.  The 85-year-old pope is suffereing from strained ligaments in his right knee.

 

GOLDEN STATE'S FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK SHELVED.  California’s much touted plan to institute a four-day work week for hourly employees is shelved after it failed to advance in the state assembly.

 

ANOTHER JOURNALIST KILLED IN MEXICO.  Ramírez Ramos, 59, was the ninth reporter or photographer killed this year in Mexico, making the country the most dangerous place in the world for the press outside war zones.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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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. 

NORTH KOREA MOVES AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR ACTIVITY DESPITE PLEDGE

As indicated here on May 28 following heavy TV and print coverage that North Korea demolished what it claimed was “its only nuclear test site” in Punggye-ri: 

At that time, Grumpy Editor --- with a raised eyebrow --- asked, “with tricky North Korea, how do we know that no other test site exists in a country spanning 46,541 square miles topped with remote mountains and uplands that cover about 80 percent of the country's land area.“

So it comes as no surprise that on June 21 --- nine days after the Singapore summit with President Donald Trump --- released satellite images revealed a rapidly-growing major nuclear research center in Yongbyon.

That development comes despite negotiations with the U.S. and a pledge last month by North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un to denuclearize.

A statement signed by Trump and Kim after the summit said North Korea “commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

It was with much fanfare last month that North Korea brought in foreign press to observe the blowing up of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

At that time, caution was hinted by Britain’s Independent with:  “The North did not invite international inspectors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a serious concession.”

 

Explosions at Punggye-ri, deep in the northeast mountains, were focused on three tunnels and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

 

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FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTED.  With the suspect in the Capital Gazette shootings in custody refusing to divulge his name and with problems in getting his fingerprints, authorities turned to little-mentioned facial recognition technology to identify him.  Sixteen states allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use that method to compare faces to driver’s license and ID photos

SEAN SPICER EYES TV.  Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer is working on developing a television show in which he interviews guests on a variety of topics.  A pilot is in the works.

ARMY PLANS MORE TIME IN INFANTRY SCHOOL.  The Army will extend time in infantry school to 22 weeks from 14 in an effort to give recruits more weapons and combat training. 

HOT DOG PRESSES HORN.  In Somerset, Britain, a dog trapped inside a sweltering vehicle for 40 minutes outside a fast food restaurant repeatedly honked the horn to attract attention for help.  It worked and the small dog was rescued.

NO GLOBAL WARMING IN ARCTIC.  Iceagenow.info reported and illustrated, via a June 26 map, how the Arctic Ocean is almost totally ice covered.

BEAR HELPS SELF TO DOUGHNUTS.  In Hendersonville, N.C., a hungry bear wandered into a garage, found fresh doughnuts in a grocery bag, pulled them out at the door and proceeded to eat them, then wandered back into the nearby woods.

NORTH KOREA DISMANTLES NUCLEAR TEST SITE, BUT IS THERE ANOTHER HIDDEN IN MOUNTAINS?

Grabbing major television and print coverage by worldwide media was North Korea’s demolition of what it claimed “its only nuclear test site” in Punggye-ri.

But Grumpy Editor --- with a raised eyebrow --- asked, with tricky North Korea, how do we know that no other test site exists in a country spanning 46,541 square miles topped with remote mountains and uplands that cover about 80 percent of the country's land area.   

Much fanfare along with transporting foreign journalists to the scene of last week’s demolition set the stage for heavy coverage.

Caution was hinted by Britain’s Independent with:  “The North did not invite international inspectors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a serious concession.” 

Explosions deep in the northeast mountains were focused on three tunnels and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

Many foreign journalists, including eight from South Korea, took a long, rugged trip to get to the site where they spent nine hours.

Getting to the scene involved a dozen hours on a train, followed by several hours on a bus over bumpy dirt roads and then an hour hike to the site.

Meanwhile, a White House team over the weekend headed to Singapore for a possible summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who said he’s still ready to sit down with Trump regarding “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

 

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SCENTED STAMPS COMING.  The U.S. Postal Service, starting June 20, will issue scratch-and-sniff stamps, saying they “would add the sweet scent of summer” to letters.

OBAMAS TURN TV PRODUCERS.  Former White House occupants Barrack Obama and Michelle Obama have been signed by Netflix to a multiyear deal to produce television shows and documentaries.  That development put Netflix under fire over its content deal with the Obamas.  Some Netflix customers say they will cancel subscriptions over what they see as a political move by the streaming service, reports Fortune. 

WOMAN LEADS NYSE.  For the first time in its 226-year history, the New York Stock Exchange is led by a woman.  Stacey Cunningham, who started as a NYSE trading floor clerk, on Friday became the 67th president of the Big Board.

AIR FORCE HOPES TO LURE UP TO 1,000 PILOTS. With a pilot shortage, the Air Force is seeking the return of up to 1,000 pilots, combat system officers and air battle managers for up to 48 months active duty.

NETFLIX EDGES COMCAST.  Netflix Inc., the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 this year, beats Comcast Corp. in market value, highlighting the rise of video streaming over traditional television.

TESLA’S MUSK TAKES ON CRITICAL JOURNALISTS.  Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk says journalists are critical of the electric car maker because oil and traditional auto companies are some of the biggest print and TV advertisers, reports Bloomberg Businessweek. Meanwhile, Musk doesn't like how media reports on his cars' accidents.  So he plans to create a Yelp-style site where people can rate the credibility of news organizations and their journalists

CONSUMER REPORTS READIES INITIAL AD CAMPAIGN.  Consumer Reports magazine is launching its first advertising campaign, using the tag line “Keep it Honest,” reveals Chris Roush, Talking Biz News.

MANY HOUSEHOLDS STILL FACE TOUGH TIMES.  A Federal Reserve survey finds many U.S. households remain in a precarious financial position despite unemployment falling to the lowest level in years.

'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.

 

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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.”

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.

 

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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