Grumpy Editor

SOME RETAILERS RATED 'NICE' IN USING CHRISTMAS IN ADVERTISING

Some retailers during the holiday season refrain from using the word “Christmas” in advertising and the American Family Association (AFA) notes them on its list of "naughty" companies while branding "nice" another list of firms that use Christmas, observes Grumpy Editor.

The AFA, headquartered in Tupelo, Miss., placed these companies on its “nice” list:

1-800-Flowers.com, Ace Hardware, AFA Online Store, Banana Republic, Bass Pro Shops, Bath & Body Works, Bed Bath & Beyond, Belk, Big Lots, Books-A-Million, Cabela's, Cracker Barrel, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillards, Do-It-Best Hardware, Dollar Tree, Fred's, H.E.B. Stores, HSN.com, Hallmark, Harbor Freight, Harris Teeter Stores, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, Hy-Vee Stores, JCPenney, JoAnn Fabrics, Kirkland's, Kmart, Kroger, L.L. Bean, Lowe's, Macy's, Marshalls, Meijer, Menard's, Michael's Stores, Neiman Marcus, Pier One Imports, ProFlowers.com, Publix, QVC.com, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Scheels Sporting Goods, Super D Drug, TJ Maxx, Toys R Us, True Value, Wal-Mart and Zappos.com.

The AFA evaluates five areas to decide whether a retailer is "Christmas-friendly" in its advertising: print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), website, social media (Facebook, Twitter) and/or personal visits to the store.

“If a company has items associated with Christmas, but did not use the word ‘Christmas,’ then the company is considered as censoring Christmas, pointed out AFA.

The list is continually updated, added AFA, and only national companies are evaluated “naughty” or “nice.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

FEDEX DRIVER SAVES FLAG.  An unidentified FedEx driver in Maryland saw an American flag on the ground from a wind-blown broken flag pole, made a quick unscheduled stop on his delivery route to work the flag in the proper triangular fold and place in on the porch of the home.  The action was captured on video.

 

RADIO STATION BANS CLASSIC SONG.  FM radio station WDOK in Cleveland pulled the 1940s classic song, "Baby It's Cold Outside," from its lineup after one listener expressed concern over the lyrics. In the tune, which has been spotlighted by many artists since its debut, a female sings: "I really can’t stay,” to which a man responds: "But baby, it’s cold outside.”

 

JERRY SPRINGER TO BECOME JUDGE JERRY.  Jerry Springer, best known as host of “The Jerry Springer Show” and who started his career as a lawyer, next fall will debut as “Judge Jerry,” where he will hear testimony and render verdicts before a studio audience on NBC.

"MISINFORMATION" RATED TOP WORD IN 2018.  “Misinformation,” judged word of the year from Dictionary.com, was selected to serve as a “call to action” in the battle against fake news.

As China rebounds from lows, Wall Street smiles again

 

With most U.S. stocks rebounding and the Dow Jones Industrial Average opening today again near the 18000 level, Grumpy Editor noted that a key factor behind the action is that the bull market has made a comeback in China.  It was only a few weeks ago when just mention of China’s slow growth shook up Wall Street, sending the U.S. stock market south followed by much volatility during the late summer days.

But wait --- hold the phone!  In the first four hours of trading today, U.S. stocks dropped 213 points after a report on weak Chinese trade data and another report warning of a global slowdown.

Trading last week pushed the Dow back into plus territory for 2015, with the blue chip index adding 46.90 points to 17910.33 on Friday.

On Aug. 21, for example, the Dow industrials dropped 530.94 points to 16459.75.  Investors saw a plunge of more than 1,000 points in a week.

But now, after a volatile summer, the Shanghai Composite Index has jumped more than 20 percent since the Aug. 26 summer selloff bottom.

However, some U.S. investors continued to be uneasy.

Concerned that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, shaky investors over the past few days sold income-yielding stocks such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) --- all because of a possible tiny increase of 0.25 percent in the current Fed funds rate that is effectively zero, an all-time low, compared to a hefty 20 percent in 1979-1980.

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE…

         First, a trio of climate change/global warming items ---

PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE.  Climate change was a factor when President Barack Obama on Friday nixed the XL Pipeline saying:  “America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change.  And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership."  The project, connecting Alberta’s oil to Gulf Coast refineries, would create thousands of U.S. jobs and boost energy security.

ANTARCTICA ICE INCREASES.  After more than a decade of research indicating that Antarctica is losing ice, contributing to rising global sea levels, NASA scientists now concluded the continent --- about the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined --- is gaining more ice than it has lost.  That finding inspired London’s Daily Express on Friday to proclaim in a headline:  MELTDOWN MYTH: Antarctic ice growing is just the first EVIDENCE global warming is NOT REAL.

CBS SPOTLIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE.  Taking the opposite view of London’s Daily Express, CBS News came up with a Thursday report declaring government scientists said “14 of last year's extreme weather events were made worse by climate change caused by pollution,” citing examples that include the 2014 California wildfires, and "cyclones in Hawaii.” (Cyclones, by the way, are labeled hurricanes in the U.S.)  The report also mentioned “California continues to feel the effects of climate change.”

MISSED RUSSIA-CHINA WARNINGS OVER PAST DECADE?  On Saturday --- despite years of anxiety in Washington --- Defense Secretary Ash Carter accused Russia of endangering world order and expressed concern about China's expanding influence and growing military might.

WHY TV SHOWS ARE GETTING SHORTER.  Cable networks collectively averaged a time-grabbing 15 minutes, 49 seconds of commercials per hour last year.

OOPS!  CHECK THOSE ITALIAN PRODUCTS.  Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker got her countries mixed up in a Jeb Bush piece with a line mentioning “he tossed a slice of Prosciutto to the fragment of the GOP base that still hates all things French.”  (Strictly Italian, thinly-sliced dry-cured ham served uncooked is called prosciutto --- without a capital P.)

CALIFORNIANS NOW TOLD TO SKIP CRABS.  The California Department of Public Health advised consumers to skip eating Dungeness and rock crabs because of high levels of a toxin (domoic acid).  This set off heavy grumbling in the Golden State’s seafood restaurants and markets.

READY TO FLY IN AN AIRCRAFT --- MADE IN CHINA?  China’s first large passenger jet, designed to rival Boeing and Airbus Group, rolled off an assembly line last week.  However, with tests and certification, the twin-engine model was expected to take three years before deliveries to carriers.

 

VINTAGE STUDY APPEARS.  Somehow an aged (28 years old) study making the rounds in media last week noted consuming 1.4 ounces daily of xylitol, a sugar substitute, will trigger diarrhea for many.