Grumpy Editor

BEING A JOURNALIST OUTSIDE THE U.S. IS RISKY

It’s dangerous being a journalist overseas, notes Grumpy Editor.

Driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Haiti and Mexico, 67 news media workers were killed around the world last year, up 50 percent from the previous year, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists. That’s the highest number since 2018.

 

The CPJ pointed out that 35 of the 67 killings took place in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti.

 

Ukraine is a high danger area.  Fifteen news workers were killed there last year.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

TIPPING GETTING ATTENTION.  An Associate Press story reveals “across the country, there’s a silent frustration brewing about an age-old practice that many say is getting out of hand: tipping.”  It pointed out that “some fed-up consumers…wonder are we going to be tipping our doctors and dentists, too?” 

 

BUTTERFLIES GET FEDERAL AID.  California’s declining monarch butterflies are getting millions of dollars in federal aid.  A grant through the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program aims to conserve habitat for butterflies, insects and other pollinators.

 

DYING AT HOME ACCELERATES.  Something triggered by Covid?  The proportion of Californians dying at home, rather than in a hospital or nursing home, accelerated during the pandemic, a trend that has outlasted the rigid lockdowns linked to the initial shift.

 

MEXICO FROWNS ON SMOKING AT BEACH.  In Mexico, smoking on the beach and other public places now could cost puffers a $500 fine.

 

WASHINGTON POST LAYS OFF 20 STAFFERS. In a rare move, The Washington Post laid off 20 people and will not be filling 30 vacancies. The number of layoffs was smaller than many staffers had anticipated.

 

CAN JOURNALISTS BE TRUSTED?   The annual Edelman Trust Barometer report, by international PR firm Edelman, reveals journalists are among the least trusted groups — and news sources remain widely distrusted.

 

POPULAR DOG NAMES OF THE YEAR.  The American Kennel Club reveals the most popular dog names for 2022:

Female:

1. Luna
2. Bella
3. Daisy
4. Lucy
5. Willow
6. Penny
7. Sadie
8. Maggie
9. Rosie
10. Ruby

Male

1. Max
2. Milo
3. Cooper
4. Charlie
5. Teddy
6. Tucker
7. Buddy
8. Bear
9. Rocky
10. Leo

 

 

 

WITH WATER, FISH GET PREFERENCE IN CALIFORNIA

When it comes to water, fish get preference over humans in northern California — and that is causing a stir, observes Grumpy Editor.

Bipartisan lawmakers say too much of the state's stormwater, stored to protect imperiled fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, is flowing to the Pacific rather than being pumped to reservoirs and aqueducts.

Legislators, many from drought-starved agriculture regions of the Central Valley, in strongly-worded letters have implored state and federal officials to relax environmental pumping restrictions that are limiting the amount of water captured from the delta. 

“When Mother Nature blesses us with rain, we need to save the water, instead of dumping it into the ocean,” Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN TRAVEL BAGS GROWS.  Lots of firearms --- most of them loaded --- show up in travel bags at airports.  The Transportation Security Administration last year discovers a record of more than 6,500 firearms in carry-on bags during security checks at 262 airports.  That's the highest number since the federal agency was founded 22 years ago.

GAS-ELECTRIC CORVETTE SPEEDY.  General Motors' first Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, it's first gas-electric hybrid Corvette, also will be the fastest version of the sports car.  It can go to 60 miles an hour in 2.5 seconds.  Price tags start at about $104,000.

RECORD SIZE TOAD.  Australia’s Conway National Park captures a cane toad that weighs nearly six pounds, making it possibly the largest on record.  Because of its size, it is labeled Toadzilla.

OLDEST LIVING DOG.  Marking a Guinness World Record, the world's oldest living dog is Spike, a 23-year-old chihuahua mix in Camden, Ohio, that enjoys crunched up Doritos, walks and Saturday baths.

WARMING UP.  A report in Journal Nature notes temperatures on the Greenland ice sheet are the warmest in at least 1,000 years.  Scientists find between 2001 and 2011, average temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than it was during the 20th century.

HIGH SCHOOL BRIGHT SPOT IN TOWN.  Lights in a large regional high school in Wilbraham, Mass. have been on around the clock for a year and a half.  Software that runs the 7,000 lights in the building failed in August, 2021, running up the bill for illumination.

BEAVERS RETURN AFTER 400 YEARS.  Two beavers are released in the southern English county of Hampshire. It’s labeled a “truly historic event because it marks the first time in 400 years beavers are in the area.  They were extinct for centuries in many parts of the continent after being hunted for their fur and meat. 

ALL ABOARD.   Husband and wife buy a bus for their dog walking business in Alaska.  Activity has grown so now the bus has a load of canine passengers that head for a daily adventure.  

 

LAST YEAR THIRD MOST COSTLY WITH CLIMATE, WEATHER DISASTERS

 

Climate and weather disasters last year resulted in about $165 billion in damage, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

That’s the third most costly year since 1980, tallies the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

 

NOAA says 18 disasters — from wind storms to floods — hit the U. S. in 2022. 

 

Extreme weather periods are costly when they strike developed population centers, putting more people in harm’s way.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BACK TO THE OFFICE FOR DISNEY STAFFERS. It’s back to the office for Walt Disney Co. workers.  Employees are told they would have to work four days a week, Mondays through Thursdays, from a Disney office starting March 1. 

 

RETIREES RATE FLORIDA TOPS FOR RETIREMENT.  Florida is the most popular destination for retirees.  It is followed by North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and Georgia.  About one in eight retirees who relocated out of state reported doing so to cut housing expenses. 

 

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FINES CITY NATIONAL BANK.  City National Bank is accused by the Justice Department of discrimination by refusing to underwrite mortgages in predominately Black communities.  It is requiring the Los Angeles-based bank to pay $31 million — largest redlining settlement in department history.

 

DRUG PRODUCERS PRIORITIZE MEDICINES.  Drug producers are prioritizing complex biotech medicines over treatments that can be given as pills because recent U.S. legislation gives biologics a longer runway before becoming subject to government price limits, say top industry executives.

 

UKRAINIANS TRAINING AT FORT SILL.  Ukrainian troops this week at Fort Sill will start training on the Patriot missile defense system.  It's to prepare the Ukrainians to use the Patriot system, which the U.S. is giving to them.

 

BALMY WEATHER TRIGGERS CHERRY BLOSSOMS.  Warm weather is making cherry blossoms appear early this year in Tokyo.  The blossoms are attracting visitors and photographers well ahead of usual peak time in late March and early April. 

 

 

MANY ACCOUNTANTS, AUDITORS EXIT THE FIELD

 

Many accountants and auditors around the country are calling it quits, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

In the past two years more than 300,000 — a 17 percent decline — left their jobs, according to The Wall Street Journal.

 

“The exodus is driven by deeper workplace shifts than baby-boomer retirements," it points out.  “Many college students don’t want to work in accounting.  Even those who majored in it.”

 

A recruiting firm director mentions  “the field still suffers from a stigma that it is uncool, with tedious work and daunting hours.”

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

HOUSE DRAMA LIFTS C-SPAN RATINGS.  Speaker drama in the House of Representatives last week boosted C-Span’s television ratings.  First day of the new Congress was watched by 379,000 households, a hefty 161 percent increase from opening day of the prior Congress, according to a viewership tracker.

 

U.S. ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES GROW.  Electric vehicle sales in 2022 rose to 807,180 from 490,456 in 2021.  That accounts for 5.8 percent of all vehicles sold, up from 3.2 percent a year prior.

 

WORLD POPULATION UP 0.9 PERCENT IN YEAR. Entering the new year, the Census Bureau puts the world population at 7.9 billion, marking a 0.9 percent increase from the previous year.

 

HOME RUN BALL SELLS FOR $1.5 MILLION.  Baseball player Aaron Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball, caught by a fan on Oct. 4, sells to an anonymous buyer at auction for $1.5 million.

 

PUTIN’S ANNUAL NEWS CONFERENCE SHELVED.  Russian president Vladimir Putin, in a ritual designed to polish his image, scrubs his annual year-end news conference following a series of setbacks in Ukraine. 

 

NEVER TOO OLD TO WRITE.  Joan Donovan donned a cap and gown for a private graduation ceremony outside her Florida home to celebrate earning her master's degree in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University...at age 89.

 

D.C . MEMORIAL TO HONOR WORLD WAR II WOMEN.  A memorial, set to be built in Washington, will commemorate the millions of World War II women who took over jobs — ranging from pilots to letter carriers —  traditionally held by men.

Grumpy Editor is taking a holiday break, will return Jan. 9.

COLDER THAN EXPECTED WINTER MEANS HIGHER HOME HEATING BILLS

The “once in a generation” winter storm smacking a chunk of the U.S. will result in higher heating bills in coming days, notes Grumpy Editor.

Average home heating cost is projected to jump a hefty 17 percent from last winter,  according to a report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

Those with homes relying on natural gas heating will spend an average of 25 percent more this winter, projects the U.S. Energy Information Administration while those using heating oil are projected to spend 45 percent more.  Electricity users face an 11 percent hike and propane the least, at one percent. 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

U.S. ADDS 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2022.  The U.S. population expanded by 1.2 million people this year, with growth largely driven by international migration.  The nation now has 333.2 million residents, according to estimates.

BIRD FLU OUTBREAK BOOSTS EGG PRICES. An avian-influenza outbreak is driving egg prices to new records.  The disease, hitting all states, has killed millions of egg-laying chickens and turkeys.

“MADE IN CHINA” LABEL FROWNED ON.  World Trade Organization arbitrators conclude the U.S. was out of line in requiring Hong Kong-made  products to be labeled “Made in China.”

HOME SALES SLIDE FOR 10TH STRAIGHT MONTH.  Existing home sales in November across the country slid for a 10th straight month.  Potential buyers are pushed out of the market by home prices and high mortgage rates.  

BARNES & NOBLE TO ADD 30 STORES.  With robust customer demand, Barnes & Noble plans to add 30 stores next year.  All booksellers are getting a sales boost from people turning to books while confined to homes.

D.C. METROBUS RIDES TO BE FREE.  In an effort to increase ridership and reduce road congestion, the District of Columbia plans to make its Metrobus service free for all passengers.  Not included are subway and rail services.

POSTAL SERVICE AIMS TO BUY ONLY ELECTRIC VEHICLES.  The U.S. Postal Service plans to buy only electric delivery vehicles starting in 2026.  USPS plans to spend $9.6 billion over the next five years updating its fleet.

GRUMPY EDITOR WISHES A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

ACTIVISTS CONCERNED ABOUT PROPOSED MINE NEAR ENDANGERED NEVADA WILDFLOWER SPECIES

 

Endangered items cited by activists always grab attention of media, observes Grumpy Editor.

Latest is a wildflower, Tiehm’s buckwheat, found only in a section of Nevada’s Esmeralda County.

 

Activists are concerned because a proposed lithium mine is slated to be built on much of the plant’s limited habitat and wipe out the species.

 

Ioneer, an Australian mining company, proposes a 1,000-foot deep open pit lithium mine where much of the buckwheat’s habitat lies.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

EARTH EXPERIENCES 5TH WARMEST FALL.  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports Earth had its 5th warmest autumn on record.  It also mentions last month was the ninth warmest November in 143 years.

ROBBERS IMPERSONATE FBI AGENTS.  Washington D.C. police are actively investigating a case where four people in tactical gear impersonated FBI agents during an armed robbery at a home. 

MOVIE THEATER ATTENDANCE DROPS.  Movie theaters, hit with COVID around the country, see b0x office action drop 34 percent from this time in 2019.  Analysts are hopeful things will improve in 2023 and beyond. 

MILITARY HOUSING ALLOWANCE RAISED.  The Pentagon plans to raise military housing allowances in the U.S. by 12 percent on average next year. It’s the largest year-over-year jump in housing allowances in many years.  The payments to about one million service members will total an estimated $26.8 billion.  

SOME DARK CHOCOLATE CONTAINS HEAVY METALS.  Consumer Reports says some kinds of dark chocolate contain potentially dangerous amounts of heavy metals.  Measuring the amount of heavy metals in 28 popular brands of dark chocolate bars, cadmium and lead is found in all. 

PARIS TOP DESTINATION CITY.  A report by British market research company Euromonitor places Paris as the world’s top city destination this year.  Here are Euromonitor’s top 10 ---

1. Paris 
2. Dubai 
3. Amsterdam 
4. Madrid 
5. Rome 
6. London
7. Munich
8. Berlin 
9. Barcelona
10. New York

 

IT’S BEEN A DANGEROUS YEAR FOR JOURNALISTS

The International Federation of Journalists says 67 journalists and media staff have been killed around the world so far this year, up from 47 last year, notes Grumpy Editor.

An Associated Press report also mentions the Brussels-based group tallies 375 journalists are in prison for their work, with the most in China, Myanmar and Turkey. Last year’s report lists 365 journalists behind bars.

 

With the number of media workers killed on the rise, the group called on governments to take more action to protect them and free journalism.

 

“The failure to act will only embolden those who seek to suppress the free flow of information and undermine the ability of people to hold their leaders to account, including in ensuring that those with power and influence do not stand in the way of open and inclusive societies," declares IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

WORDLE POPULAR AROUND THE WORLD.  Google’s most searched term globally:  Wordle. The daily word game has found mass appeal. It stems from software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021.  

 

OPERATION CHRISTMAS DROP.  The U.S. Air Force leads the way on Operation Christmas Drop in delivering essentials to remote Pacific islanders — something it has been doing for seven decades. The U.S. Air Force this year is joined by air force crews and aircraft from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

 

NAVY ACCEPTING LOWER ENLISTMENT SCORES.  To bolster enlistment numbers, the  U.S. Navy is accepting recruits who score in a lower qualifying range on entrance exams as service leaders grapple with a complicated U.S. job market.

 

L.A. NOT AS BRIGHT AT NIGHT.  Los Angeles has become darker at night with  7,000 street light outages.  Most outages are due to copper wire theft— and the city lacks the budget to repair the outages.

 

UROLOGIST LABELED MOST STRESSFUL JOB.  There are many stressful jobs in the workforce but the most stressful in the U.S. is urologist, a medical position focused on the genitourinary systems.  But it pays around $208K a year.

 

HALF OF CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS HAVE COVID.  A cruise ship, The Celebrity Eclipse, is reported to have half of its 3,420 passengers Covid-positive. It docked at Sydney, Australia.

LOOKING FOR FUN?  Here's how U.S. cities rank.   

Top 20 Most Fun Cities in America 1. Las Vegas, NV 11. Cincinnati, OH 2. Orlando, FL 12. Tampa, FL 3. Miami, FL 13. Fort Lauderdale, FL 4. Atlanta, GA 14. Portland, OR 5. New Orleans, LA 15. Denver, CO 6. San Francisco, CA 16. San Diego, CA 7. Austin, TX 17. Washington, DC 8. Honolulu, HI 18. Houston, TX 9. New York, NY 19. St. Louis, MO 10. Chicago, IL 20. Los Angeles, CA

WHITE COLLAR WORKERS HIT BY RECENT LAYOFFS

 

Recent layoffs have smacked white-collar workers the hardest, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

“Demand has fallen sharply for profesionals in technology, legal, scientific and finance fields,” notes The Wall Street Journal.

 

Amazon. com, for example, is cutting roughly three percent of its staff.  That translates to about 10,000 workers in its retail, devices, human resources and other divisions.

 

Salaried and office staff also are being hit at Ford Motor Co. and Walmart.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

NEW YORK TIMES STAFFERS EYE WALKOUT.  Chairman of the guild representing New York Times staffers, advises the newspaper’s publisher that “if there is no contract by Dec. 8, we are walking out.”  That will involve more than 1,000 employees.

 

MORE WOMEN IN GOVERNOR POSITIONS.  Going into the new year, a record number of women will hold governor positions.  Four newcomers join eight already in that post.

 

‘GASLIGHTING’ IS WORD OF THE YEAR.  Merriam-Webster names “gaslighting” word of the year.  It means behavior that is grossly misleading or downright deceitful.

 

WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE TO FADE.  On Christmas Day The Washington Post is ending the print version of The Washington Post Magazine. The magazine has 10 staffers.  Those positions will be eliminated.

 

NEW FLYING WING AIRCRAFT DEBUTS. A B-21 Raider, first new long-range bomber in more than 30 years, debuts in Palmdale, Calif.  At a $750 million price tag, the B-21 boasts a futuristic flying-wing design and can fly deep behind enemy lines evading detection --- and could eventually fly without a pilot.

 

DOG SAVES OWNER IN HOUSE FIRE.   Kansas man, asleep in his bed, credits his dog with saving his life in a house fire.  With a portion of his house engulfed in flames, his whimpering six-year-old pit bull nudged his head.  Both escaped the flames.

 

CANINES FAVOR ELECTRIC CARS.  In other canine news --- after observing 20 dogs on short journeys in electric and diesel vehicles, researchers find they were more restless in diesel.  They also note dog heart rates are reduced up to 30 percent in electric cars.

 

NOW THERE’S A SHORTAGE OF BOMB-DETECTING DOGS

 

The pandemic has complicated a shortage of dogs needed in bomb detection work, notes Grumpy Editor. 

 

The U.S. draws about 90 percent of its detection canines from overseas, particularly from European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. Dogs receive advanced training in a number of subspecialties, including bomb and drug detection, and search and rescue.

 

“The canine nose is the best technology we have for locating explosives, so we need to have a very consistent and high-quality source of dogs,” says Sheila Goffe, vice president of government relations at the American Kennel Club.

 

In 2016 testimony, Cindy Otto, executive director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania, warned the Senate Homeland Security Committee about these risks. “By outsourcing our national security requirements, we give up control of the type of dogs, the health of the dogs, and the early training of the dogs,” she said.  “We also are at risk for supply interruption due to politics, disaster or disease.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

OVERBOARD SHIP PASSENGER RESCUED.  A 28-year-old man spends hours in Gulf of Mexico waters after falling overboard from Mexico-bound Carnival Valor about 10p.m. Wednesday.  Coast Guard rescue crews pulled the man to safety six hours after receiving word of the overboard passenger.  Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves says the man did not have a flotation device and survival at sea without one is unlikely.  "It makes it more miraculous that we were able to find him conscious and treading water," he points out. 

 

WORLD'S OLDEST LIVING CAT.  Flossie, at nearly 27 years old, is named the world's oldest living cat by Guinness World Records. The female feline lives in London and is in good health but has poor eyesight and is deaf.

 

TOKYO TOPS LARGEST CITIES LIST.  Largest city in the world in population is Tokyo:  37,435,181 at last count, estimates the United Nations. In second place is New Delhi, India, followed by Shanghai, San Paulo, Mexico City, Cairo and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

MARILYN MONROE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED.  More than 175 of actress Marilyn Monroe's personal belongings will  be auctioned Dec. 17 and 18 in Hollywood.  Among the items is a note from her father, Stanley Gifford.

 

BRITISH FISHERMAN LANDS MASSIVE CARP.  U.K. fisherman Andy Hacket, after a 25-minute battle, pulls in a massive carp that weighs 67.4 pounds from a lake in the Champagne region of France. The massive carp looks like an irregular-size goldfish.

 

AIRPORT AGENT SPOTS LIVE CAT IN BAG.  A JFK New York TSA agent spots a live cat trapped inside checked luggage and rescues the orange tabby from the bag headed for a flight to Atlanta.  A TSA spokesperson says the cat did not belong to the person with the suitcase.

 

AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES DOMINATE "BEST" LIST.  U.S. universities dominate the just-published “2022 Ranking of the Best Universities in the World” with 234 institutions listed.  It notes Harvard University hosts the highest number of leading scientists in the world --- with 2113 scholars.