Grumpy Editor

Merriam-Webster adds 1,000 fresh words to dictionary

Grumpy Editor observed copy editors now have to contend with more than 1,000 fresh words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary including what its producers said are "terms from recent advances in science, borrowings from foreign languages, and words from tech, medicine, pop culture, sports and everything in between.”

What’s puzzling, however, is some words have been around for a while.

Take, for example, “ping.” It is listed as one of the additions, although its use (via the Navy) goes back to World War II. As the dictionary explains it, ping is “the pulse of sound waves reflected from or emitted by a submerged object in submarine signaling or detection and heard by special apparatus.”

Seems we have heard that word in scores of movies since WWII.

Ping also is described as “a sharp sound like that of a striking bullet
” and “a signal sent from one computer to another across a network for usually diagnostic purposes.”

Among other new words:

Photobomb --- to move into the frame of a photograph as it is being taken as a joke or prank.

Safe space --- a location, as on a college campus, intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism or potentially threatening actions, ideas or conversations.

Humblebrag --- when a person makes a modest or self-critical comment about himself or herself that is really meant to draw attention to their accomplishments or impressive qualities.

Fast fashion --- clothes that are manufactured and sold cheaply to keep up with new trends.

Woo-woo --- another vintage word now defined as dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural or unscientific. (Actually, “Woo-woo goes back to Feb. 1, 1939 when Harry James and the Boogie Woogie Trio recorded a 78 r.p.m. jazz instrumental disc.)

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE..

Misleading media: Chatter on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, along with other media outlets, wrongly pin upcoming Social Security cuts on Donald Trump. Long before Trump took office last month, Social Security reforms passed by Congress mandated a reduction of 24 percent in benefits by 2050 --- accomplished mainly by gradually raising the program’s full retirement age from 65 to 67…CNN came up with this headline on Friday when Trump greeted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House: Donald Trump shook the Japanese Prime Minister's hand for 19 seconds. (That was probably considered a “scoop.”)  The play-by-play story said, “Trump pulled Abe's hand closer, patted it several times and held on for 19 seconds. When they completed the handshake, Trump pulled away and Abe made a regrettable facial expression”…NewsBusters noted that at the White House press conference with Trump and Abe “all liberal three networks were not chosen to ask questions.  ABC didn’t even bother to cover the event live. Only CBS and NBC broke in. Instead, Trump called on Daniel Halper of the New York Post and Blake Burman of Fox Business. Prime Minister Abe took questions from Japanese reporters”…As noted by CNSNews.com, Piers Morgan, editor-at-large for The Daily Mail, London, on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson program said, President Donald Trump has good reason to distrust liberal media outlets such as CNN and the New York Times, which are "utterly determined to bring the Trump presidency crashing down”…The Trump administration will continue using the term "fake news" until the media understand that their "monumental desire" to attack the President is wrong, said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump...Gallup poll found confidence in the economy rose to new highs at the time Trump entered the White House, adding optimism was higher in January than any month since 2008.

Coffee drinkers perk up. A bill introduced in Oregon would impose an excise tax of five cents a pound on wholesale transactions of coffee beans and ground coffee in order to fund education programs…Two more dailies, tracing roots to the late 19^th century, fold. Massachusetts Mondays through Fridays papers The Malden Evening News and the Medford Daily Mercury stopped publishing print and online editions…North Korea fired a ballistic missile that soared east towards the Sea of Japan, latest in a number of nuclear tests in the past year…Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder’s ’s law firm, Covington and Burling will be paid $25,000 a month from the California Legislature for 40 hours of work providing “legal strategies regarding potential actions of the federal government that may be of concern to the State of California.”

Brown likes brown.

Noting California Gov. Jerry Brown refuses to scratch the word “drought” from his current vocabulary triggered a long-time resident to comment:

“Yet no matter how much rain or snow we get, Gov. Brown will always say we are in a drought.  He wants the state to be brown!”

Word watchers release 2017 list of banished words

Wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., announced their 42nd annual list of words banished from the queen's English for mis-use, over-use and general uselessness, notes Grumpy Editor.

The keen-eyed word watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from news plus education, technology, advertising and political fields.

Among the latest, with the word watchers' comments:

You, sir - Hails from a more civilized era when duels were the likely outcome of disagreements.

Focus - Good word, but overused when concentrate or look at would work fine. 

Town hall meeting - Candidates seldom debate in town halls anymore.

Guesstimate - When guess and estimate are never enough.

Historic - Thrown around far too much. What's considered as such is best left to historians.

Manicured - As in a manicured lawn. Golf greens are the closest grass comes to being manicured.

Echo chamber - Lather, rinse and repeat. After a while, everything sounds the same.

On fleek - Anything that is on-point, perfectly executed, or looking good. Needs to return to its genesis: perfectly groomed eyebrows.

Ghost - To abruptly end communication, especially on social media.

Dadbod - The flabby opposite of a chiseled-body male ideal.

Selfie drone - In what could be an ominous development, the selfie --- an irritating habit of constantly photographing and posting oneself to social media --- is being handed off to a flying camera.

Frankenfruit - Another food group co-opted by "frankenfood."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

The editorial board at the Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says “the FBI has some explaining to do" in connection with Friday's shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that killed five and wounded eight, asking, "Given that (the shooter) reportedly suffered mental health problems, that he told FBI agents he was hearing voices about ISIS and that he was held for psychiatric evaluation in Alaska just two months ago, how is it even possible that Esteban Santiago was allowed to fly with a gun?"  The board points out "the FBI said Saturday that Santiago wasn't even on the federal no-fly list" and asks, "How many warning signs, red flags and alarm bells does the agency need to recognize that someone poses a danger, deserves ongoing scrutiny and shouldn't be allowed to possess ---  let alone fly --- with weapons and ammunition?"

While print and broadcast media are heavy on coverage of a major winter storm hitting the South, most are ignoring an “epic storm” slamming California and other areas in the West with heavy rain, floods and snow.  The question now:  Will the word “drought” continue in Golden State weather stories?...North Korea declared it can test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported yesterday... For those wondering about Greta Van Susteren's whereabouts since leaving Fox News, today she debuts on MSNBC at 6 p.m. (Eastern) with "For the Record" featuring news and analysis from Washington...Craftsman, the tool brand of Sears Holdings for 90 years, is being acquired by Stanley Black & Decker.  Sears also is closing 42 Sears and 108 Kmart stores…ALM Media, which produces a number of law journals, including American Lawyer, cut about two dozen staffers from newsroom, marketing and advertising departments…Talkers, which covers talk radio, says Russia's hacking of the DNC’s email was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio last week.

A Rasmussen Reports survey finds that nearly half (48 percent) of all likely U.S. voters believe most reporters are biased against president-elect. Donald Trump.   Only 12 percent think they are biased for Trump, while 31 percent feel most reporters try to be fair and balanced. 

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Words major media omit with Trump: temporary, illegal

 

Major media, including most columnists and on-air reporting, in quoting Donald Trump in interviews or at rallies since he announced his run, tend to leave out vital words from speeches by the Republican presidential candidate, observes Grumpy Editor.

Two potent overlooked words that have led to much discussion in print and radio-TV over the past six months are illegals and, more recently, temporary.

In early references to those crossing into the U.S. from the southern border, Trump cited illegals. But media implies all immigrants, thus stirring up a storm.  Latest word skipped in reporting Trump’s output is temporary, in connection with banning Muslims from entering the U.S.

Among latest examples are two lengthy Washington Post stories that also made the rounds in other newspapers last week. One, which had a flavor that should have put it on the editorial pages, states, “Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States marked a sudden and sizable escalation…in the inflammatory and sometimes demagogic rhetoric of the candidate…” After posting on the Web, that story --- with “temporary” nowhere to be seen --- brought more than 7,500 mostly harsh comments from readers by the next day.

The other Post story's lead mentions “the GOP presidential front-runner’s call to bar Muslims from entering the United States…” and is repeated some paragraphs later --- with “temporary” not appearing in the text.

Smaller dailies also jump in. For example, the Las Vegas Sun, in a long editorial last week, cites “The compelling reasons why Donald Trump is unfit for the White House continue to mount, the latest being his threat to ban Muslims from entering the United States…” “Temporary” is left out.

Not all newspapers skip the “temporary” word. A front-page Wall Street Journal story at the same time leads off with “Donald Trump’s call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S…”

            +                          +                          +                        

Survey backs Trump on Muslims plan

Trump’s proposed temporary ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. has the support of a sizable majority of Republicans and a plurality of all voters, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted Dec. 8 and 9.

Rasmussen finds 66 percent of likely Republican voters favor a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. until the federal government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists while 24 percent oppose the plan, with 10 percent undecided.

Among all voters, the survey shows 46 percent favor a temporary ban while 40 percent are opposed and 14 percent are undecided.

 

(See Gallup "confidence" survey taken on same days, below.)

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

CONFIDENCE IN U.S. PROTECTION DROPS. Americans’ confidence in government protection from militant attacks falls to its lowest level since 2003, according to data from a Gallup poll Dec. 8 and 9, the same days as the Rasmussen survey.

HAPPY DAYS? The Federal Reserve reports U.S. households saw a $1.23 trillion drop, or 1.4 percent decline, in net worth in the third quarter. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center study reveals the U.S. middle class no longer is the majority, now only 50 percent of the adult population, down from 61 percent in 1971.

MOVIES BETTER THAN EVER? In connection with the upcoming Oscars, Stephanie Merry in the Washington Post says, “this time around the movies are more than serious. They’re nightmare-inducing. You’ve got a bear trying to eat a man and slow-motion throat-slitting; a teenager held captive in a shed and dead bodies hidden behind drywall."

KEEPING THE NEWS STAFF BUSY. A San Bernardino “massacre spurs interest in gun buying” story in the Los Angeles Times sports a mighty five bylines.

GETTING THE DATE RIGHT. A Reuters story on gun control activists is accompanied by a Reuters photo showing four handguns displayed side by side with a caption pinpointing the date the picture was taken --- Nov. 13, 2014 --- just in case the weapons changed somewhat with age.

JUMPING TO A CONCLUSION ---

A Fox News headline on the Web sums it up:  Burglary suspect hides in Florida lake where gator eats him.

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‘Midget,’ as with raisins, looms as another banned word

 

“Midget” is another word that seems likely to be banned --- at least by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in connection with raisins, notes Grumpy Editor.

It would join forbidden words (in California): alien, husband, wife.

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking comments on “modifying the raisin standards to remove the term midget,” that has been used to describe small-size California raisins for 37 years.

The proposed action gets applause from Little People of America which, for years, has been pushing to drop use of midget.

The LPA, a nonprofit organization that provides support and information to people of short stature and their families, long has described the word midget as offensive.  Four years ago it wanted the Federal Communications Commission to fine TV and radio stations that allow the word to be broadcast on public airwaves.

Elimination of midget by the USDA would pose problems for companies that deal in dried fruit, such as Nuts.com, Cranford, N.J.

Its website proclaims:  “Our midget raisins are the perfect size for baking! Add these sweet mini raisins to oatmeal cookies, scones, bread, or any baked treats your heart desires."

 

In case you missed these...

 

SWAYING PALM TREES DELIGHT EDITORS

Always on the outlook for hurricanes, print and (especially) television media were excited over Atlantic tropical storm Danny, upgraded to a hurricane on Thursday.  But Danny fizzled back to tropical storm at the weekend as it headed toward Puerto Rico…Speaking of hurricanes, editors also are moved with anniversaries.  Currently on their “remember when” hit parade with numerous stories continuing into this week:  Hurricane Katrina that smacked Louisiana with force on Aug. 29, 2005.  Some newspapers already have spotlighted a half page of material, including art, on the storm’s 10^th anniversary.

 

AND IT’S NOT OUR 51^ST STATE

Growing concern over China’s slow growth continued to send the stock market south on Friday with the Dow dropping 530.94 points to 16459.75 --- plunging more than 1,000 points in a week and another 1,000 points in the first four minutes of today's trading…Donald Trump mentioned Oreo cookies in his Friday night rally in Mobile, Ala. while most media earlier overlooked plans by Mondelez International to shut down a Chicago operation that produces the popular cookies, eliminating up to 600 jobs, and shifting production to a new facility in Salinas, Mexico…A California tax-raising ballot measure passed three years ago designed to generate more than 11,000 clean energy jobs each year has created only 1,700 jobs since 2012, reported Associated Press.

 

EPA RELEASES DOCUMENTS AS MIDNIGHT NEARS

Internal documents, requested by Associated Press from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the accidental discharge of 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colo., were released Friday night at about 10:30, Eastern time, well after deadlines for Saturday morning newspapers.  AP found the information indicated EPA managers were aware of the potential for a catastrophic "blowout" at the abandoned mine.

 

BANK OF AMERICA UPS RATES, BUT NOT TO SAVERS

Bank savings interest rates may be negligible, but Bank of America quietly gave its board of directors a pay boost, with the lowest paid now making nearly $280,000 a year in cash and restricted stock, up about $36,000…Border wall (but not U.S.) going up:  Turkey has started construction on a 28-mile-long concrete wall along a key stretch of the border with Syria…CNNMoney reported radio audience in the U.S. increased in the second quarter to its highest level.

 

"Reporters" caught wearing unusual clothes:  Posing as reporters, two men dressed in firefighter gear and bearing phony media credentials were nabbed trying to gain access to a wildfire near California’s Walker Lake.

Authorities said it’s not unusual for people to try to gain access to fire areas in efforts to steal equipment and supplies.

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‘Alien’ joins ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ --- banned in California

 

California Gov. Jerry Brown has stirred up the Golden State again by banning the word “alien” --- and this does not refer to an extraterrestrial or creature from outer space, notes Grumpy Editor.

The word, starting Jan 1, will be a no-no in California labor laws.

It follows a new California law this year that banned the terms “husband” and “wife.”  Those words have been replaced with gender-neutral “spouse” to accommodate same-sex marriages, legal in the state.

“Alien” was inserted into various provisions in the California labor code in 1937.

That’s when “alien” referred to a resident born in or belonging to another country who had not acquired citizenship. In other words, a foreigner.

The federal government and other states continue to use “alien” to describe foreigners.

All this is making things difficult for dictionary producers.

Meanwhile, in still another California first, San Francisco --- in an action to combat public urination, a chronic problem in that city --- announced it will be coating walls of buildings with a liquid repellant that splashes pee back on offenders.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE ---

While the focus lately has been on Iran, North Korea is acting up again, threatening to "retaliate against the U.S. with tremendous muscle" if it didn't cancel multinational military exercises scheduled to start today…The military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported more than 35,000 combat veterans have had their health care delayed by a Department of Veterans Affairs computer program that automatically put them in limbo, many for years…Apple Inc. has hired more than 11,000 women worldwide in the past year, a 65 percent increase from the prior year…An Associated Press analysis found federal review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline has taken five times longer than the average for such proposals…Stretching the police beat to China:  An Associated Press story reported a Chinese woman was stabbed to death and her French companion was injured by a 25-year-old Chinese man in one of Beijing's busiest shopping districts in broad daylight…Remember when a one percent gain in sales was considered small?  A major Wall Street Journal story on Friday exclaimed U.S. retail sales shot up 0.6 percent last month…News releases good as gold?  Hackers pocketed as much as $100 million from 150,000 press releases before public release via distributors Business Wire, PR Newswire and Marketwired…CNN reported a vintage Douglas C-47 transport aircraft used in World War II was weeks away from being dismantled when a donor and non-profit Dallas-based Commemorative Air Force, which preserves old military aircraft, raised $350,000 for its restoration…Expensive “ball field.”  Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dumped 96 million four-inch plastic black “shade balls” (price: 36 cents each) into a reservoir to block sunlight from penetrating the 175-acre surface.  Reason?  To curb evaporation and prevent chemical reactions that can cause algae and other problems, said W&P. (By the way, white balls would be more effective in reflecting heat from the sun).

 

A newspaper job that is really going to pot:

The Oregonian, Portland, was seeking an “experienced cannabis consumer” to review marijuana strains and other weed-related products in covering Oregon’s “robust cannabis culture and marketplace.”

No indication if reviewing/writing would be done in a tightly-sealed private office.

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‘Victory lap’ becomes very contagious term for media

Grumpy Editor notes newspaper readers/radio and TV listeners were bombarded last week with the much overused term “victory lap,” after the president trumpeted from the White House Rose Garden that 7.1 million people signed up by the deadline for the first round of ObamaCare.

Victory lap stems from motorsports to describe the extra lap around the racetrack after the end of a race.  It’s much like "hitting a home run,” as heard in baseball parks, to describe something such as a nifty presentation at the office. 

A sampling of headlines or leads from the many print/broadcast/Internet websites going for “victory lap” (emphasized in bold face, below) --- 

ABC News:  President Obama Takes Victory Lap After

Health Care Sign-Ups Top 7 Million

 

Washington Post:  7.1 million reasons for ObamaCare victory lap

 

NBC News:  Victory Lap: Obama Says Health

Care Law Is 'Here to Stay'

 

PBS News Hour: President Obama takes health care victory lap

 

Fox News:  White House runs 'victory lap' after 7M ObamaCare sign-ups, Republicans renew repeal fight

 

Roll call:  Obama, Democrats Have 7 Million Reasons for a Victory Lap

 

U.S. News & World Report:  Obama Runs Victory Lap on ObamaCare Sign-Up Success, Chastises Republicans

 

New York Post:  While ‘victory lap’ was not in the headline, it was in the lead of its story ---

WASHINGTON — President Obama took a victory lap at the close of the enrollment period for ObamaCare…

 

WebMD:  First paragraph under the headline, ObamaCare Hits Goal of 7 Million Enrolled --- 

The Obama administration took a victory lap Tuesday as enrollment through the health law’s exchanges topped 7 million... 

 

Meanwhile, in the Far East, English-language Japan Times picked up an Associated Press story, adding its own headline:

Obama takes victory lap after health care sign-ups top 7 million

 

Memo to media:  Did anyone check to see if there was an uptick in business at Victory Lap Auto Sales in Newnan, Ga.?

 

In case you missed these…

 

CBS ADDS COMBUSTION ENGINE SOUND TO QUIET TESLA MODEL S FOOTAGE.  Drivers of Tesla Motors, Inc.’s Model S electric car are still buzzing following CBS’s 60 Minutes report of March 30 that included several shots of the normally silent-running luxury car on the road --- but with dubbed-in sound of a traditional gasoline engine.  Seems strange that Scott Pelley, who reported the story (and whose wife, according to Fox News, drives a Tesla Model S), says he wasn't aware of the added audio ahead of time.  He didn’t comment on it after the segment with the false noisy engines aired. 

 

NEW JERSEY’S TOP DAILY, CUTS STAFF.  Advance Publications’ Star-Ledger, Newark, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, is cutting jobs, including one-fourth of its newsroom staff (leaving 156 on the editorial payroll), as it moves to consolidate operations and cut costs.

 

SUNDAYS WITH NEWS VIA NEW YORK.  The New York Times, seeking to bolster subscribers, is pitching its Sunday edition far from Gotham.  Folks in the far West are getting mailed pitches for subscriptions at $2 a week, with smaller print refining that to “for four weeks, plus free all digital access.”  Then fine print explains that after the introductory period “delivery will continue at the regular rate, which is $8.60 per week for Sunday delivery, unless you notify us.”  That’s $447.20 for a year of Sunday deliveries.

  

PATRIOTIC MARINE FLIES FLAGS, IS THREATENED WITH EVICTION.  Salem Run Apartment Homes in Fredericksburg, Va. threatens to evict a Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq because he is displaying the U.S. flag and a Marine Corps flag on his balcony.  Ex-sergeant Manuel E. Vega, who spent eight years in the Marines, told Examiner.com he has been flying the flags since October and apartment managers recently decided to take action via a warning tacked to his front door.  The notice reminds Vega that “you cannot have anything attached to the railing or any part of the building.”  Vega --- who received the Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal, combat action ribbon, presidential unit citation, Navy unit citation and good conduct medal --- says he will not back down.

 

SEND THAT MAGIFYING GLASS PRONTO.  One Reverse Mortgage, a Quicken Loans company, in pitching seniors with TV commercials, offers an illuminated magnifying glass as an inducement to seek more information.

For many, the magnifying item can be put to good use to enlarge the many lines of fine print that appear briefly on the TV screen.

 

 

Tesla Motors’ CEO disputes NHTSA’s usage of ‘recall’

An “auto recall” last week, involving Tesla Motors, Inc., wasn’t a true recall but most media played it up as one, irritating the electric car maker’s founder and CEO Elon Musk who disputed use of the “recall” term, notes Grumpy Editor.

Ordinarily, a recall means returning a product --- whether auto, electric drill, baby carriage, etc. --- to a dealer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started use of the recall word by announcing Tesla was recalling 29,222 Model S electric sedans because parts of the charging equipment could overheat.

Musk immediately sent out word that there was “some confusion in media reports” and “no Tesla vehicles are being physically recalled by Tesla.”

Indeed, the action --- said to affect under 3 percent of the vehicles --- did not require physical return of the electric cars.

NHTSA later admitted Tesla had already begun providing owners of the affected vehicles with a software update followed by a replacement electrical adapter to eliminate the problem.

Tesla sent an over-the-air software update last month and is mailing an upgraded US 14-50 adapter to affected customers.

The NHTSA  “recall” announcement was issued on the second day of the Detroit auto show where a Tesla executive revealed the firm’s 2013 fourth quarter deliveries surpassed expectations, with almost 6,900 vehicles sold and delivered.

Along with a mid-week announcement that Tesla is looking into a charging station network in China, the company’s stock --- despite the “recall” coverage --- closed Friday at $170.01, up 30.67 points from Monday’s $139.34 close.

 

In case you missed these…

TIME TO SHAKE UP READERS AGAIN.  The Los Angeles Times continues with periodic earthquake stories.  A weekend piece cites an estimated 75 (out of 1,500) concrete buildings in Los Angeles County could topple by violent shaking.  Also in the story:  City officials have known about the potential dangers of concrete buildings for more than four decades.  (A Dec. 30 Times story mentioned apartment houses going up over or near earthquake faults.) 

NO MAPS IN THE OFFICE?  Latest Southern California wildfire --- still kicking up smoke --- triggers confusion as to what direction it is from downtown Los Angeles.  The Los Angeles Times initially places the blaze near Glendora, north of Los Angeles, then switches to northeast.  Other media outlets (all the way to London’s Daily Mail) also report the location north in the early stages then switch to northeast.  To be precise, Glendora is 21 miles east-northeast of Los Angeles’ Civic Center.

FORBES ACQUISITION BEING EYED INTERNATIONALLY.  Companies from Europe to the Far East are showing interest in acquiring Forbes Media, parent of business magazine Forbes.  Meanwhile, Forbes magazine, established in 1917, is moving its base of operations from Manhattan to New Jersey.

STAFF CUTS FOLLOW PAYROLL EXPANSION.  The Orange County (Calif.) Register, after an aggressive staff expansion, is cutting 32 jobs. Parent company, Freedom Communications, last year launched a daily in Long Beach, purchased The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, and announced plans to roll out another daily paper soon in Los Angeles.

SENATORS SEEK MORE CHATTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE.  Some Senate Democrats feel climate change should be discussed more on major TV networks’ Sunday morning talk shows.  Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are gathering colleagues' signatures on a letter, soon to be directed to the networks, asserting they are ignoring global warming.

MEANWHILE, EXPERT SAYS ‘COOL IT’ WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.  MIT Professor Richard Lindzen, a leading international expert on climate change, tells Boston’s WBZ-TV changes that have occurred due to global warming “are too small to account for” and “global warming, climate change, all these things are just a dream come true for politicians” --- including opportunities for taxation.

GO TO JAIL, BECOME A JOURNALIST.  Key editors of San Quentin News, a monthly produced in the California prison, are serving long sentences. The editor-in-chief is serving 65 years to life for burglary and skipping bail.  The managing editor is serving 55 years to life for bank robbery.  Other newspaper staffers are inmates. 

‘Loose lips sink ships’ fades from Washington minds

Emphasized with great effect during World War II, the "loose lips sink ships" slogan apparently was nowhere to be remembered last week when the White House announced what used to be considered hush-hush details ahead of planned military action in Syria, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Looks like the Pentagon also had a fuzzy memory of that slogan created by the War Advertising Council and promoted by the U.S. Office of War Information during WWII years.

“Loose lips sink ships” was designed to prevent inadvertent disclosure of important information to the enemy.  That included plans on a pending attack, when, targets and duration.

Among items aimed at citizens and military personnel: 

Don't mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess. 

Don't disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft. 

Now, more than seven decades later, the White House in a mid-week announcement remarkably revealed a U.S. military attack on Syria could begin as early as last Thursday and consist of two or three days of missile strikes. 

The planned action was to “protect our national security interests,” explained the White House, adding the push for military action was to punish Syria for what the U.S. said was a chemical weapons attack.

The U.S. also alerted Syria that five cruise missile-carrying Navy destroyers (plus identifying the ships by name) were positioned in the eastern Mediterranean Sea ready to go.  Likely military targets were named --- giving additional advance word so that Syrian military assets could be moved or hidden. 

Later in the week the U.S. destroyers were joined by a U.S. amphibious assault ship, also named, carrying about 300 Marines, although word out of Washington was that there would be no boots on the ground. 

Military action then was shelved Saturday when President Barack Obama said he would seek congressional authorization before ordering any strikes in Syria.  But House and Senate members won’t return from their traditional summer recess until next Monday. 

For those, including some in Washington, who missed World War II history, D-Day --- the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 --- was carried out without advance word leaking out from Washington, the military or civilians, including members of the press.  That would be unheard of today. 

Location of the landing and military assets involved were a heavily guarded secret --- because loose lips sink ships. 

How big was that 1944 invasion?

About 5,000 vessels transported 150,000 men and 30,000 vehicles across the English Channel from Britain to French beaches.  It also involved six parachute regiments --- 13,000 troops flown from nine British airfields in about 800 aircraft, while 300 other aircraft dropped bombs on coastal Normandy. 

     And not a word leaked out in advance.

 

In case you missed these…

PETA has bad news for female chicken eaters.  Philadelphia’s KYW-TV, also known as CBS 3, uncovered this aimed at women:  "Eating chicken parts --- or, more specifically, chicken wings --- could shrink your baby’s man parts."  It cited a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that claimed, “The latest scientific evidence shows that the sons of pregnant women who consume chicken are more likely to have smaller penises because of a chemical found in the birds’ flesh.” 

In editing news:  Grammarly, an automated proofreader and grammar checker, zeroed in on spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in articles among top women's and men's magazines.  It found most accurate publications for women were Ladies’ Home Journal in top spot, followed by Glamour, O: The Oprah Magazine and Family Circle.  For men, GQ ranked No. 1, followed by Popular Mechanics, Maxim and Playboy…Quieter assignment in newsroom:  David Colker switched from an assistant business editor at the Los Angeles Times to the obituary staff where he will write and edit obits. 

Movies' negative impact on viewers:  A new Rasmussen Reports survey found 50 percent of adults figured the movie industry has a negative impact on American society, while 21 percent said the industry has a positive impact, 15 percent maintained it has no impact, and 13 percent were undecided…Boston radio station WBZ reported a South Boston condo owner was fined $25 a day for violating association rules by flying the U.S. flag in his window.  Condo association rules allowed only white curtains to hang from windows.  Fellow residents (obviously not patriotic) complained.

Tesla regains $18 analyst-linked one-day drop in 8 days; Kansas City Star cites Obama boost in middle class lives

After a Goldman Sachs market analyst’s comments sent Tesla Motors Inc. stock down $18.21 to $109.05 a share on July 16, the buoyant electric car maker steadily regained upward movement, capped by a positive outlook Friday from a Deutsche Bank analyst as the Palo Alto-based auto firm's stock jumped $5.32 to $129.39 a share, notes Grumpy Editor. 

That put Tesla $2.13 above its July 15 close of $127.26, a day before Goldman Sachs analyst Patrick Archambault set a Tesla price target of $84 a share, sending the auto maker’s stock south.  (Interestingly, two months earlier Archambault set a price target of $61.)

On Friday, Deutsche Bank analyst Dan Galves upgraded Tesla, saying the electric car maker “has taken a very large step ahead of the competition” and raised his rating to “buy” from “hold.”  He boosted his price target to $160 --- about double that of Goldman Sachs analyst Archambault two weeks ago. 

Despite a down market today, Tesla jumped to a new high, up $5.23 to $134.62.

Zig-zag comments with opposing analysts’ views are what trigger gray hairs on business writers and investors.  

Deutsche’s Galves told an Associated Press reporter:  "Several unbiased third parties (are) concluding that Tesla's first mass-produced vehicle is the best car they've ever tested.  In the eyes of many consumers and critics, (Tesla has) designed a superior car by taking advantage of the architectural attributes of an E-vehicle (such as battery placement underneath the floor of the vehicle), and using this to (the company’s) advantage (i.e. better handling, quietness, storage, interior volume)."

 

KC Star sees ‘gusto’ in Obama speech 

While many in the media cited President Barack Obama’s on-the-road speeches at two college campuses last week as recycled material --- although it included new remarks on “phony scandals” (such as Benghazi, IRS, and NSA spying) --- the Kansas City Star saw some nuggets that inspired an editorial.

The Star noted glowing pluses in the president’s comments for middle class folks. 

“Obama left the naysayers behind and pledged to spend the rest of his time in office fighting to improve the lives of the middle class,” read the Star editorial.  “He did so with gusto.” 

The editorial in the McClatchy Co.-owned newspaper also beamed, “His template is consistent, reasonable and refreshingly positive:  access to quality education from preschool to college, infrastructure upgrades, good paying jobs, home ownership, secure retirements and affordable health care.” 

The Star’s daily circulation, as of a March 31 tally by Alliance for Audited Media, was 189,283.  That compares with weekday circulation of 206,441 in September, 2010.

 

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    Political affiliations usually are indicated at first mention of name.

‘Chained CPI’ likely to see squeezed seniors grumbling; Associated Press bans use of 'illegal immigrant' term

“Chained CPI” likely will get little comment from most print and broadcast media on Wednesday when President Barack Obama’s budget plan is formally announced, yet, if initiated, the new formula for the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) will negatively affect millions of older Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, notes Grumpy Editor.

The traditional consumer price index (CPI), long used in calculating the annual COLA, would be replaced by “chained CPI” that reduces yearly expected benefit increases. 

More than 60 million Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments would be further squeezed while facing higher costs for utility, gasoline, food, health-medical and most other bills. 

Recipients growled when this year’s COLA rose a modest 1.7 percent --- about half of last year’s 3.6 percent. 

In switching to a lower “chained CPI,” the Obama administration's thinking is growth of entitlement programs would be slowed. 

It assumes when prices of various items rise, consumers switch to cheaper substitutes, thus lower price tags.

 

AP scratches 'illegal' from Stylebook  

The Associated Press now bans the term, “illegal immigrant.”  In its updated Stylebook, followed by most news gatherers, AP mentions “use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person; illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant.” 

So what is an acceptable variation? 

AP cites “living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.”  Except in direct quotations, AP adds, “do not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegals or undocumented.” 

News folks who consult dictionaries may become confused.  Among definitions for illegal in one dictionary:  “A person who has entered or attempted to enter a country illegally.” 

What’s Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano think about AP’s identification adjustment?  She tells reporters she didn’t “really get caught up in the vocabulary wars.”

 

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