Grumpy Editor

ALL TROOPS DUE TO RECEIVE VIRUS SHOTS

Mandatory COVID-19 inoculations for U.S. Armed Forces personnel seems to be a normal routine, so why the fuss by some, asks Grumpy Editor.

Military personnel need protection from dangerous infections they can contract during training, based on occupation, during overseas deployment or because of underlying health status.

Yet, there is some static.

Despite a massive effort by the Pentagon to promote the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. military's opt-out rate for vaccinations may be far higher than the 33 percent figure defense officials have used publicly, reports CNN, adding conversations with military medical officials and service members, as well as data from several bases and units around the country, suggest the current rejection rate may be closer to 50 percent.

Grumpy Editor recalls a time years ago when just-inducted military recruits, who become government property, did not have much to say when lined up for physicals.  They received an experimental flu shot that was not entered on their shots record.  But it worked.  No flu, even in cold regions.

Things are changing. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is preparing to issue a mandate for all troops to receive the coronavirus vaccine after the Food and Drug Administration gave its full authorization for one of the shots.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

AVERAGE AGE --- 22.   Among the 13 U.S. service members lost to a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, 10 of them were from Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base near San Diego. Average age: 22.

 

NEWSPAPER SELLS BOOZE.  The newspaper in Stapleton, Neb., finds a way to increase its revenue and supplement the entire town of 267 residents:  it opens a liquor store in the backrooms of its offices.  Asked “what residents would like to see in the town and wine and spirits was pretty much at the top of the list,” says Marcia Hora, owner and publisher of Creative Printers.

 

"TERMINATOR" LOSES SPONSOR.   Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger's rant about people who don’t wear masks cost him a corporate sponsor, REDCON1, a sports supplement company, at his upcoming bodybuilding competition in Columbus, Ohio.  In an interview with CNN, the former California governor called Americans who oppose wearing face masks "schmucks."

FRB RATES TO CHANGE.  The Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell says the Fed plans to dial back its ultra-low-interest rate policies this year as long as hiring continues to improve, signaling the beginning of the end of the Fed's response to the pandemic recession. 

BORDER ENCOUNTERS JUMP.  U.S. Border Patrol reports nearly 200,000 encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border last month, highest monthly total in more than two decades.  The number of monthly encounters had fallen to 16,182 in April 2020, shortly after the coronavirus outbrteak. 

 

PAROLE VOTED FOR SIRHAN SIRHAN.  More than 50 years after he was convicted of killing former U.S. Attorney General and Democratic Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, California officials vote to grant parole to Sirhan Sirhan.

MORE JOURNALISTS SET FOR KC STAR.  McClatchy, with 30 newspapers in the family, promises more journalists and an expanded Sunday print edition for The Kansas City Star and three smaller publications.

 

WW II VET MEETS KIDS HE SAVED.  World War II Army veteran Martin Adlder, 97, visiting in Italy, meets three Italians who, when children, were saved by the then soldier as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944.

 

 

250,000 MASK-LESS MOTORCYCLISTS FLOOD SOUTH DAKOTA TOWN

 

 

Despite the worldwide emphasis on masks, an estimated 250,000 mask-less motorcyclists this week are buzzing around a small South Dakota town for the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Sturgis, with a population of 7,000, is the scene of the 10-day event.  Most residents fear the gathering of mostly Harley-Davidson motorcycles could lead to a massive coronavirus outbreak.

 

Officials are worried that social distancing will not be possible at the event.

 

An Associated Press reporter on scene says masks were almost nowhere to be seen, counting fewer than 10 among the rally’s thousands over a period of several hours.

 

South Dakota to date reports about 9,000 cases of the virus, among the lowest state tally in the country.  Meade County, home to Sturgis, tallies about 78 infections.

 

CNN reports Monument Health, the local hospital system, adds 172 "Covid beds" in preparation for the rally and is prepared to offer 1,300 Covid-19 tests to anyone who is asymptomatic but concerned about the disease after the rally ends.

 

The event stretches for miles beyond the city and also attracts tourists and vendors each year from across the country, points out CNN.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

FORTUNE MAGAZINE WITH COVER STORY ON STEVE JOBS BRINGS BIG BUCKS.  An Oct. 9, 1989 Fortune magazine featuring a Steve Jobs story with the cover autographed by him sells at auction for more than $16,000.  That's more than 4,500 times the original $3.50 cover price.

 

NETWORKS EXPAND LATINO COVERAGE.  NBC News and Noticias Telemundo are combining resources to expand coverage of the Latino community that will be presented in both Spanish and English.

 

PANDEMIC HITS THEATERS REVENUE.  AMC Theatres, the world's largest cinema operator, loses $561 million in its most recent quarter as revenue collapses because of the pandemic. 

 

STAFF INCREASES LOOM.  Look for staff increases coming at USA Today and Gannett's network of 260 regional dailies. Gannett employs about 5,000 journalists. 

 

BARTIROMO MARKS ANNIVERSARY.  Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo celebrates the 25th anniversary of being the first TV journalist to report from the New York Stock Exchange floor.

 

EXPENSIVE PENNY.  A nearly 230-year- old U.S. penny --- a 1793 Strawberry Leaf cent --- is sold for $660,000 at auction.  Since 1890, the coin has been auctioned four times.

 

GHOSTS WON'T LIKE THIS.   There is increasing talk about cancelling Halloween this year because of the coronavirus.  It would mark the first time Oct. 31 is not celebrated.

 

AIR FORCE WOMEN ALLOWED ADDED GARB.  Women in the Air Force now have the option of wearing pants with their semi-formal “mess dress” uniforms instead of a floor-length skirt.  Before the change in policy, women were required to wear a floor-length skirt with the mess dress uniform, which is the Air Force equivalent to the civilian world’s evening  gown. 

VIRUS TRIGGERS CLOSINGS OF THOUSANDS OF RESTAURANTS

Uncertainty on indoor dining is a key factor in the continued shuttering of restaurants around the country, notes Grumpy Editor.

Already, stemming from the coronavirus sweeping the nation, indoor dining stops at nearly 90,000 restaurants in the U.S., according to the National Restaurant Association.  An additional 10 percent of independent operators could close doors by year end.

Hardest hit are restaurants in downtown commercial districts that usually attract office workers --- who are now working from home or elsewhere.

In California alone, according to Yelp, more than 2,200 restaurants (out of a federally-tallied 81,500) have closed this year stemming from the pandemic.

Yelp notes a 23-percent increase in permanent restaurant closures from a month ago. Bars and clubs are also closing forever at high rates: 44 percent (as of July) of 5,454 temporarily shuttered bars and other nightlife establishments.

Cities experiencing the most temporary and permanent closures include San Francisco, Las Vegas and Honolulu, says Yelp.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

BASEBALL OPENER SETS VIEWER RECORD.  Baseball's opener, in the shortened season, between the Yankees and Nationals on ESPN draws 4 million viewers, the most watched regular season Major League Baseball game on any network since 2011.

SIBERIA WARMS UP.  The United Nations weather agency reports the average June temperatures in Siberia were 18 degrees Fahrenheit above average. 

KOREAN WAR VET FINALLY GETS MEDAL.  Korean War veteran Donald L. Roy, after 67 years, finally receives the Bronze Star medal awarded decades ago for service as an Army medic. The 90-year-old Roy, who was supposed to receive the Bronze Star in 1953, is presented the medal at his home in Standish, Maine.

MARINES SHELVE TANKS.  Deactivation of Marine Corps tank battalions begins following a directive to divest material which could not survive modern warfare.  Companies within the Marines' 1st Tank Battalion in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and the 4th Tank Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., held deactivation ceremonies last week. 

CHICAGO KIDS GRAB CARS.  Chicago police say a group of children, ages 10 to 17, carjack at least 16 vehicles since late June in the generally peaceful South Side neighborhood.

ARCTIC SEA ICE AFFECTS POLAR BEARS.  Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change, a study predicts. Scientists say some populations have already reached their survival limits as the Arctic sea ice shrinks.

N.Y. TIMES SHIFTS HONG KONG STAFF.  The New York Times, in response to a darkening environment for media, relocates one third of its Hong Kong staff to South Korea. 

BAYER LOSES ROUNDUP APPEAL.  In a California court, Bayer lost an appeal in the initial case going to trial linking its Roundup weedkiller to cancer. Bayer maintains Roundup and glyphosate, the active ingredient, is safe.

MAYFLOWER REPLICA READY TO SAIL.  Replica of the Mayflower, which brought pilgrims to Plymouth, Mass. in 1620, is ready to embark next month from Mystic, Conn. to New London, Conn., after three years and $11.2 million in renovations.

HANG IN THERE.  It's just 99 days to Election Day.

FOREIGN VIRUS AFFECTS NEWSPAPERS AROUND THE COUNTRY

A suspected malware computer virus from overseas caused thousands of newspaper readers around the nation to miss their Saturday print editions, observed Grumpy Editor.

Especially hit hard was the Southwest U.S. where silent presses affected readers of the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, San Diego Union-Tribune, New York Times and others. 

The virus caused problems at the downtown Los Angeles Times production facility that also prints regional editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. 

The Times said the problem was first detected Friday and technology teams made progress but were unable to clear all systems before press time.

All publications within The Times’ former parent company, Tribune Publishing, had problems with print production Saturday.

The Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, which were previously owned by Tribune Publishing still share some production technology with the company.

Tribune Publishing said malware affected its ability to print newspapers across its chain of outlets, including the Chicago Tribune,  New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel.

The computer malware was detected Friday and "impacted some back-office systems which are primarily used to publish and produce newspapers across our properties," said a Tribune spokesperson.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

NO EYEBROW RAISING WITH STOCK MARKET GYRATIONS?  While Washington thrives on investigations, nothing is being mentioned about checking into the wild ups and downs of the New York stock market in recent days.

JOURNALISTS FEATURED TONIGHT IN TIMES SQUARE.  Ringing in 2019 will be a group of journalists appearing on stage with the Committee to Protect Journalists. The journalists will push the crystal button that signals lowering of the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square, New York.

PELOSI SPOTTED AT HAWAII RESORT.  Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi was spotted at Hawaii’s Fairmont Orchid resort that charges $899 a night for a standard room and up to $4,899 for the presidential suite. 

PLAIN DEALER TO CUT STAFF.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer plans to lay off 29 union employees, mostly copy editors, page designers and illustrators, after March 2019 and outsource most of those jobs.

MSNBC BEATS FOX NEWS.  MSNBC beat out Fox News in key ratings for the first time in 17 years.  MSNBC averaged 1.56 million total viewers during the "sales day" (6 a.m. to 2 a.m.) between Dec. 17-21, making it the top cable news network in the key 25-54 age demographic.

NO EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN OBSTRUCTION.   Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, said his agency found no evidence of foreign direct interference in the midterm elections.

MLB AVERAGE SALARY DIPS…JUST A BIT.  Average salary for major league baseball players in 2018 was $4,095,686.  It made headlines in some sports sections because it dropped $1,436 from the prior year.

‘JUSTICE’ PICKED AS WORD OF YEAR.  Merriam-Webster selected “justice” as its 2018 word of the year.