Grumpy Editor

AIRLINES, WITH PILOT SHORTAGE, EXPECT VERY BUSY SUMMER

Airlines are expecting a very busy summer travel season and despite more workers than they have had in two decades, it may not be enough to handle the action, notes Grumpy Editor.

United Airlines plans to add 15,000 workers this year.

Delta Air Lines is seeing record advance summer bookings with much activity focused on international travel.

The air-transportation industry had an estimated 534,400 employees in March, up 9.5 percent from a year earlier and the most since April 2003, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A major thorn is an ongoing pilot shortage.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

CARS RETAINED LONGER.  Americans are retaining their cars longer.  Average age of a passenger vehicle hit a record 12.5 years this year, according to data gathered by S&P Global Mobility. The pandemic in 2020 triggered a global shortage of automotive computer chips.  The shortage drastically slowed global assembly lines. 

NATIONWIDE BRIDGES EXAMINED.  Collapse of a Pittsburgh bridge triggers a  nationwide examination of more than 10,000 bridges with similar construction.  Corrosion is the problem.

CANINE HELPS POLICE FIND DRUGS.  A dog named Joel, with a fine nose for cocaine, helps Italian police seize about three tons of the drug hidden in boxed bananas shipped from Ecuador.

WALL STREET JOURNAL ELIMINATES TITLES.  The Wall Street Journal is eliminating titles — Mr., Ms., Mrs. — in sentences because, as the editor puts it:  “It can slow down readers enjoyment of our writing.”

BEST BEACH IN FLORIDA.  State park on St. George Island just off the Florida Panhandle gets top honor as best beach for 2023, from Stephen Leatherman, professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University. 

DOG DRIVER BLAMED FOR SPEEDING.  A man is arrested after blaming his dog for driving over the speed limit.  Police say he swapped seats with the animal when he got pulled over in Springfield, Colo.  Police say he was going 52 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone..

HIPPO CAPSIZES CANOE.  A 1-year-old child died and 23 people were missing after a hippopotamus charged into and capsized a long wooden canoe on a river in southern Malawi.  The canoe was carrying 37 people across the Shire River on their way to neighboring Mozambique.

DOG FOOD PRICES JUMP.  Prices for popular dog food brands on Amazon.com jump 45.5 percent since 2020 --- from $27.91 per product to $39.56 per product, according to Veterinarians.org.  Cases of wet dog food that cost $19.92 in 2020 now sell for $28.65 on average while the price of a bag of dry dog food increased from $35.91 to $50.54.

Confusion prevails as EPA clamps down on coal power

Those concerned about ever-increasing electricity bills, as low-cost coal-fired power plants are shuttered or reduced in numbers, should be aware that confusion --- overlooked by most media --- exists in Washington on tough upcoming requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency as it moves to control carbon pollution, notes Grumpy Editor.

Associated Press writer Dina Cappiello, in a weekend story, pointed out, “the federal government’s own analysis of the new power plant proposal concludes that it would have a ‘negligible’ impact on carbon dioxide emissions, pose little to no costs for the industry and provide no additional benefits to the public by 2022.”

The EPA, Cappiello mentioned, “does not anticipate this rule will have any impacts on the price of electricity, employment or labor markets or the U.S. economy.”

However, Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) declared the EPA was holding the coal industry to “impossible standards,” added Cappiello.  “If these regulations go into effect, American jobs will be lost, electricity prices will soar and economic uncertainty will grow,” warned Manchin.

(Manchin, born in small coal mining town Farmington, W. Va., was governor of the state from 2005 to 2010.)

EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, reported the AP writer, said the proposed regulations, “rather than killing future coal, actually sets up a certain pathway forward for coal to continue to be part of the diverse mix in this country.” 

 

Most Democrats flee latest Benghazi hearing

Ignored by most media was a shameful Capitol Hill happening involving some members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who left the second portion of Thursday’s hearing on the Benghazi attack that resulted in the murders of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, observes Grumpy Editor.

But Katie Pavlich, writing on the Townhall.com website, noted, “The majority of Democrats on the committee left the room and refused to listen to the testimony of Patricia Smith and Charles Woods. Ms. Smith is the mother of Sean Smith, an information management officer killed in the 9/11 Benghazi attack. Charles Woods is the father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, who was also killed.”

That resulted in most of the far side of the room, where Democrats sit, becoming empty. 

Pavlich added the only Democrats who stayed were Elijah Cummings, ranking member from Maryland, and California Rep. Jackie Speier. 

Seventeen Democrats are on the committee.

 

In case you missed these…

Marking the 17^th anniversary of Fox News Channel, its prime time lineup starting Oct. 7 has Greta Van Susteren moving to 7 p.m. (Eastern), Bill O'Reilly remaining at 8, Megyn Kelly's "The Kelly File" at 9 and Sean Hannity shifting to 10…In other TV news:  Final season of "Mad Men" on AMC actually is split over two years with seven episodes airing next spring and another seven in 2015. The saga of Madison Ave. advertising folks in the 1960s started in 2007…The 1960s lives again as CNN reached a deal with actor Tom Hanks and his film and TV production company, Playtone, to create a 10-part documentary on The Sixties. 

In print action: The Kiplinger Letter, which calls itself the most widely read business forecasting periodical in the world, is marking its 90^th year of weekly economic and political predictions.  Spokesperson Jessica Weeg said the oldest continually published newsletter in the U.S. “pioneered a concise, telegraphic style that was widely emulated by other publications in the decades to follow”…Nancy Gibbs was named managing editor of Time magazine --- the first woman to lead the publication that first rolled off presses on March 3, 1923…Boosting coverage on its pages, the Indianapolis Star is aiming for more national and international news, plus expanding local coverage, through a partnership with USA Today.  But it’s all in the family, since The Star and USA Today are owned by Gannett Co.

Double duty in U.S. government building:  The Washington Examiner reported the roof of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington, D.C. was the scene Wednesday night of a same-sex marriage between a worker, described as a regional solicitor, and his long-time partner.  No names were offered.

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez was not on the scene.

U.S.’s $2 billion clean air package story mostly buried

With most editors focused on a flurry of Washington developments plus problems connected with a tropical storm and expanding wildfires, many missed a $2 billion clean energy package that the U.S. announced during a three-day United Nations conference in Rio de Janeiro attended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Editors who drive to work dodging growing roadway potholes, not fixed because of lack of funds, should be concerned on $2 billion more going in the form of grants, loans and loan guarantees for programs to advance the adoption of clean energy solutions in developing countries. 

"In the 21st century, the only viable development is sustainable development,” said Clinton to delegates from 192 nations.  “The only way to deliver lasting progress for everyone is by preserving our resources and protecting our common environment." 

Earlier, a State Department spokesperson mentioned, “The UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative represents an important opportunity for the international community to address issues critical to the future of sustainable development, energy access and economic growth.

“Expanding the use of efficient and clean energy technologies is a priority of the Obama Administration, domestically and internationally, and increasing energy access is a central challenge facing the world.”

With all this going on in Brazil, lacking in news reports from current heavy flooding from a tropical storm in Florida and major wildfires in several states, including Colorado, affecting many thousands of residents, was any mention of financial aid including assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

 

Energy Secretary Chu doesn’t drive to work, but…

Facing a House Subcommittee on Energy and Power on a budget request yesterday, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu --- after mention of a battery-run Chevy Volt ---  revealed he didn’t drive a car and added, “I don’t own a car at the moment,” observed Grumpy Editor.

It sounded like he was doing his best to go green.

That got a lot of coverage on radio and television news, including some comments that Chu is trying to save energy, namely gasoline consumption.

On one TV network, it was suggested that perhaps Chu walks to work.

But few bothered to check further to uncover how he reaches his desk.

CNSNews.com did.

Craig Bannister, director of communications for CNSNews.com, pointed out that while Chu technically may not own a car, an Energy Department spokesman confirmed that Chu’s transportation to work is provided by a security detail.

And that his wife owns a car.

Far from being a Chevy Volt, however, a source identified the vehicle as a BMW 325i that requires premium gasoline.