Grumpy Editor

TECHNICAL WORKERS SHORTAGE AFFECTING U.S.

A shortage of technical workers is hitting the U.S., notes Grumpy Editor.

A major problem is older workers in skilled trades are retiring and the available supply isn’t meeting demand.

The construction industry, for example, faces a gap of 500,000 workers, according to an industry source.

As America de-industrialized in the second half of the 20th century, education was reimagined to emphasize seeking four-year college degrees, says Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Some 30 million jobs in the U.S. are paying an average of $55,000 a year and don't require a bachelor's degree, according to one report.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

COLLEGE DEGREE VALUE QUESTIONED.  A Wall Street Journal-NORC at the University of Chicago Poll shows growing skepticism on the value of a college degree and record-low levels of happiness.

NORTH KOREA BOASTING AGAIN.  North Korea on Friday claimed to have tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone designed to generate a gigantic “radioactive tsunami” that would destroy naval strike groups and ports.

TOM HANKS SET AS HARVARD SPEAKER.  Actor Tom Hanks will be Harvard University’s principal commencement speaker on May 25.  University presidnet Lawrence Bacow called Hanks “a true master of his craft.”

EIFFEL TOWER GETS GOLD PAINT.  The Eiffel Tower in Paris is being painted in gold for the 2024 Olympics.  The work is expected to cost $60 million.

DRY-DOCKED VESSEL TIPS OVER.  A large research vessel tipped over while dry-docked in Scotland, injuring 25 people. The 250-foot long vessel, named the Petrel, was previously bought and outfitted by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. 

U.S. READIES BATTLE TANKS FOR UKRAINE.  The Defense Department is speeding up plans to send the U.S. military’s most sophisticated battle tank to Ukraine as the country braces itself for an expected increase in Russian attacks in coming weeks.

 

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.

 

MORE AMERICANS AGE 85-PLUS ARE WORKING

Not widely discussed is that about 255,000 Americans, 85-years-old and up, are working, representing 4.4 percent of those in that age bracket, a gain of 2.6 percent from 2006, notes Grumpy Editor.

So what are they doing?

The Washington Post aggregated census data from 2001 to 2016 to get an idea of specific occupations.  “Crossing guards are relatively likely to be age 85 or above,” observes the Post.  “The same goes for musicians, anyone who works in a funeral home, and product demonstrators like those you might find at a warehouse club store.”

Others eye management and sales, which involve less physical activity for seniors. Also driving trucks is attracting attention.

“By sheer numbers, the top job among the 85-plus-year-olds is farmers and ranchers,” the Post adds.  “It's also the one in which the distribution of older workers is most different from the distribution of the rest of the population. That category, which is distinct from farm laborers, houses 3.5 percent of the oldest workers --- but just 0.5 percent of the rest of the population.”

Grumpy Editor points out some folks in that age bracket are inspired to write memoirs.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BIG BALLOON TO GREET TRUMP IN LONDON.  A high-flying greeting for President Donald Trump on Friday when he visits London will be a 19-foot “Trump baby” balloon, bearing his likeness as a baby with a diaper.  The balloon, bobbing at about 100 feet, will be tethered to the ground in Parliament Square Gardens in London.

NORTH KOREA EYES SUB FOR MISSILE LAUNCH.  North Korea is reportedly developing a submarine capable of launching nuclear ballistic missiles.  Last year the communist nation talked about firing such missiles off the California coast. 

INVADE VENEZUELA?  President Donald Trump is very interested in invading Venezuela, notes Fortune, adding “an AP report details how he has repeatedly raised the issue with aides, who have repeatedly tried to explain how such a move could easily backfire."

MOMENT OF SILENCE IN NEWSROOMS.  U.S. newsrooms observed a moment of silence on Thursday for the five staffers of Maryland’s Capital Gazette who were killed a week earlier in one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in U.S. history.

INTERNS NOW GETTING PAID.  More companies are paying interns, a result of a tight labor market.  This is a switch from employing interns, a pipeline for young talent, free.

NO MORE U.S.-MADE AVON PRODUCTS.  Avon, after a century producing beauty items in the U.S., is selling its last domestic facility (in Morton Grove, Ill.) to a French cosmetics maker.

ELON MUSK SENDS ENGINEERS TO AID THAILAND RESCUE.  Tesla Inc.’s  founder and chief executive Elon Musk dispatches engineers from two of his companies to help rescuers in Thailand free the boys’ soccer team that has been trapped in a cave.

FALSE OFFER ON FREE DISNEYLAND TICKETS.  Disneyland is not giving away free tickets to 500 families to celebrate the park’s anniversary, despite an advertisement circulating on social media. The false offer looks like a coupon and features artwork of Cinderella’s Castle with Disneyland Resorts written to appear like the theme park’s trademark.

POLL BLAMES TRUMP IN MEDIA RELATIONSHIP.   A recent Rasmussen Reports survey finds 51 percent of likely U.S. voters say President Donald Trump is more to blame for his tumultuous relationship with most traditional media outlets, while 42 percent feel it’s the media’s fault.