Photo of the Day

 

This is a black and white photo taken at a park near our house in Bergen County, NJ.

Bogus: Boston Globe's Most Unexcellent Adventure In Reporting

A Boston Globe freelance writer fabricated large chunks of a story published this week, the newspaper said Friday in the latest incident to embarrass the U.S. media.

The Globe, which is owned by The New York Times Co., said it stopped using writer Barbara Stewart because of a story that ran on Wednesday about a seasonal hunt for baby seals off Newfoundland -- a hunt, it turns out, that had not taken place.

The story datelined Halifax, Nova Scotia, described in graphic detail how the seal hunt began Tuesday, with water turning red as hunters on some 300 boats shot harp seal cubs "by the hundreds."

Among the chunks fabricated are that the seal hunt took place, that the sea ran red, and pretty much everything else that the Boston Globe ran (and other outlets picked up by the way).

This is yet another example of editors not doing their jobs in policing the newsroom, of fact checkers who do not take the time to vet stories, and journalists who are more interested in getting copy than tracking down the story that actually happened, not what they wish would have happened.

NIMBY: Wind Farm's Revenge

Just when you think that alternative forms of power generation would be seen as a positive situation in the face of rising oil prices, a group of environmental activists want to stop the construction of an offshore wind farm.

The residents and elected officials say they fear the structures presence could kill migrating birds, restrict fishing, ruin ocean vistas and interfere with aviation. Another recurring theme was a fear that the windmills would somehow affect tourism.

Excuse me, but how tall are these windfarms going to be that they're going to interfere with aviation? How low are planes flying in the vicinity of the wind farm that they would pose a hazard? It sounds like a bogus argument to me.

Migrating birds are threatened by this? Okay. I might buy that argument, but is there any hard data that shows that this is the case. Or, are we talking about suppositions on the part of the activists who would rather cite scientific sounding issues than NIMBY.

Then, there's the issue of affecting and restricting fishing. That sounds plausible in the area where the wind towers are going to be built, but it discounts the possibility that the fish might seek refuge in those areas, allowing them to become even bigger. The wind farm might turn out to be a windfall (pun intended) for fishermen in the same way that sinking railcars turns into a magnet for fish and new undersea growth. You get eco-tourism, plus new fish hatcheries that allow fish stocks to grow in the area.

That's a positive, not a negative.

All in all, sounds like the activists don't want to have this in their backyard, and would rather cite dubious claims than hard science or facts in derailing a useful and necessary alternative to petroleum or coal based energy production facilities.

The Phantom Terrorist Attack: Or How Reuters Screwed Up

Reuters, which has not shown itself to be a particularly good reporting company, has apparently taken to reporting phantom terrorist attacks in Israel. They ran a story that essentially mimics an attack that occurred in November 2004 as though it occurred hours ago.

Does anyone at Reuters actually check to see if the stuff they're claiming to have reported actually happened.

Meanwhile, other news agencies might pick this story up and carry it without hesitation because of the way news feeds work.

It's already happened with Google News.

Hat tip: LGF.

Let's not forget that Reuters already knows that its reputation is in tatters. There's even been internal memos that state:

"Our content platform is burning," wrote David Schlesinger in a memo intended for 10 senior managers, but was read by thousands of employees in the company's daily briefing. "Our news is perceived as not having enough insight; our data is perceived as having terrible quality problems. Both news and data are not nearly the differentiating factors in Reuters' offering that they should be, that they could be, that they need to be."

Moral of the story? Be careful of what you read. It might not be true. And it doesn't take a blogger to make up nasty stories out of whole cloth. A 'reputable' news agency can do it all on their own.

More Mass Graves Found

The graves, discovered over the past three months, have not yet been dug up because of the risks posed by the continuing insurgency and the lack of qualified forensic workers, said Bakhtiar Amin, Iraq's interim human rights minister. But initial excavations have substantiated the accounts of witnesses to a number of massacres. If the estimated body counts prove correct, the new graves would be among the largest in the grim tally of mass killings that have gradually come to light since the fall of Mr. Hussein's government two years ago. At least 290 grave sites containing the remains of some 300,000 people have been found since the American invasion two years ago, Iraqi officials say.

Forensic evidence from some graves will feature prominently in the trials of Mr. Hussein and the leaders of his government. The trials are to start this spring.

One of the graves, near Basra, in the south, appears to contain about 5,000 bodies of Iraqi soldiers who joined a failed uprising against Mr. Hussein's government after the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Another, near Samawa, is believed to contain the bodies of 2,000 members of the Kurdish clad led by Massoud Barzani.

And yet, people still think that the war to oust Saddam Hussein was unjust, immoral, and unwise. The hundreds of thousands murdered by Saddam's regime would stand in silent contrast to the immorality of inaction on the part of the international community to stop the carnage imposed by Saddam on the Iraqi people.

Remedial Lesson

Here's a remedial lesson for some folks who are less than knowledgable about who US diplomats work for.

The United States ambassador to the United Nations works for the United States, not the United Nations. I know this is a difficult situation to discern, because "United" is found in both words, but here's the key:

If you're a United States ambassador to the United Nations, that means you're the ambassador for the United States. You do not work for the United Nations.

If you are unclear about the subject, then either your priorities are in the wrong place, or you're a Washington Post editorialistwho thinks that US Ambassadors serve the UN, and not the United States, when Milbank wrote:

Most Republicans skipped the hearing, leaving Democrats largely unchallenged as they assailed Bolton's knack for making enemies and disparaging the very organization he would serve.

This is the learned writing of someone who is a political reporter for the Washington Post. If they can get this basic fact wrong, what else is incorrectly reported?

As noted at NRO's The Corner:

As a dip[lomat] overseas, saw something in a Wash Post editorial on Bolton which irked me and shows the misapprehension of so many on this issue. The Post said words to the effect that `Bolton so derides the organization he would serve.' Our ambassadors don't serve the orgs to which they are posted. They serve the U.S. and U.S. interests. More importantly, they are `the President's rep to the country/institution,' not just State Department careerists on another assignment. Small but valid point.

Photo of the Day

 


Sloppy Joe's Bar, claims to be the originator of the famous sandwich. Mrs. Lawhawk and I both had the namesake sandwich and can attest to the ooey-gooey goodness. Just the right mix of spices and herbs (secret recipe, but I think Tabasco sauce plays a role somewhere). It's one of the few joints that actually live up to the billing. Oh, and it was a haunt of Ernest Hemmingway, who lived down the street.

I know some of you think this isn't much of a photograph on its artistic merit, that it is lacks the dynamics of people walking through the frame or other interesting events. It is a snapshot, and nothing more.

Trust me, you'll know when I am doing something artistic or when I'm simply sharing some old photos.

Get Behind the Online Freedom of Speech Act

Instapundit notes:

THE BLOGOSPHERE SHOULD GET BEHIND THE ONLINE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ACT, which has bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Tell the FEC to keep its grubby laws off your computer!

Absolutely.

They'll pry my free speech (typed of course in single spaced monotype) from my cold, dead fingers.

Hell Freezes Over; Media Yawns; Film At 11

Chrenkoff reports that there is quite a bit of good news coming out from Iraq these days (if you've been reading my site, and his, you'd already know this).

He notes:

As al-Dhari wrote, "We peacefully reject the occupation and object to terrorism in all forms, whether by an enemy of a friend, especially when this terrorism is aiming at the innocent, institutions, security and cultural establishments and the leaders of thought."

The reference to security is quite momentous, as it represents the first condemnation by the Sunni religious establishment of violence against Iraqi army and police.

How is it that an obscure blogger cuts to the heart of the matter in Iraq and the New York Times barely registers these kinds of events and statements?

Oh, and he reports that more mass graves have been uncovered in Iraq. Expect to see lots of stories about that on the evening news.

Elsewhere, Jheka reports that Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister has resigned again. Must be something related to the hundreds of thousands who continue to agitate against Syria's continued occupation of Lebanon. Can't really tell since the story doesn't quite make it above the fold in most papers.

In politics, it's business as usual, as the Tom Delay story is much ado about nothing when you consider that most everyone in politics has someone on the payroll who is a family member or close warm personal friend of the politican. It doesn't mean that Delay is correct, just that he isn't alone and those casting aspersions on Delay ought to think twice about throwing rocks. A boulder may come crashing back their way.

Meanwhile, the New York Times finally gets around to noticing that things aren't going too well in China. Riots are breaking out all over the place there. Too bad that Publiuspundit has been commenting on the issue for months, and even notes that the riots have been ongoing for the last six months due to the worsening conditions under the Communist government.

Then, there's the curious case of Giuliana Sgrena (she was the journalist who was shot at during an incident at a US checkpoint after she was freed from terrorists by Italian agents who paid a ransom). After a joint US-Italian investigation into the incident, the US military was cleared of any wrongdoing. Apparently, even though Sgrena had a version for every day of the week, no version could comport with the facts and ballistics (or the US witnesses). However, guess which version will continue to get airplay.

In Search Of The Big One

And I'm not talking about the end of life on the planet, or finding God. I am talking about al Qaeda's incessant need to launch a spectacular attack somewhere in the world so that it can show that it is still somehow relevant and instrumental in determining an outcome (any outcome) in the world.

This is why it continues trying to launch attacks on places like Abu Ghraib or using suicide bombers elsewhere in Iraq to kill large numbers of people.

Yet, it would be folly to think that al Qaeda has given up hope of attacking mainland United States targets. It is still possible that there are unknown cells targeting locations in the United States.

Such an attack could be spectacular - Oklahoma City bombing scale car bombings, or an event at a high profile televised scene as happened during the 1996 Olympic Park bombing. An al Qaeda attack on the homeland would renew calls against the current Administration and its national security efforts, possibly institute new rules far more stringent than the Patriot Act, and affect the markets and economic well being of millions of Americans.

Such an attack would reinvigorate al Qaeda, permitting it to expand its operational postures where it already has support/sympathy - especially where it can add personnel. Thus, defending against another major attack has to remain a priority for the foreseeable future.

This Isn't Turning Out To Be Indonesia's Century

First we had tsunamis and earthquakes. Now, we've got a volcano erupting that could affect tens of thousands living in the immediate area. More than 20,000 have had to be evacuated from the volcano's slopes.

That's part of the price paid for living on the Ring of Fire.

Is An Apology Forthcoming?

I doubt it. What would an apology from those who claimed that the Bush Administration was hyping some ancient threats against the Prudential Building in Newark, New Jersey, the Citicorp Center and New York Stock Exchange in New York City, or the World Bank and IMF buildings in Washington, DC right before the election for political gain actually mean?

Absolutely nothing. They've moved on to their next attack. The New York Times claimed the information used in the heightened alert was years old and openly available, so that it wasn't worth increasing the alert levels. It should be remembered that the information came from a captured computer in possession of a Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, who was captured in Pakistan. The Times claimed that this material was not sufficient to warrant an increase in the alert level at the buildings warned of a possible attack plan.

Meanwhile, there was always solid information about those threats, as indicated in unsealed indictments against three men who were casing those sites for intel and potential bombing.

The indictment includes information about what kind of information they sought, what they may have already obtained, and suggests that the terrorists had been planning an attack on those sites for years. It was only in August 2004 that the plot was uncovered in England, where the three men, and five others, were arrested.

The three men, Dhiran Barot, Nadeem Tarmohammed, and Qaisar Shaffi, are awaiting extradition to the US. There will be a fight on this as the UK frowns on the fact that the US still has the death penalty and would not extradite to a country who might put the individuals to death for their crimes.

Of the three, "...officials claim that Barot is a senior al Qaeda figure, known variously as Abu Eisa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi and Issa al-Britani, who scouted prominent U.S. financial targets at the behest of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden."

More information about the capture of al-Hindi and his co-conspirators from 2004. They had looked into using helicopters and limos to attack the targets.

If Aspirin Were Discovered Today, Would The FDA Approve It?

Consider the known side effects for aspirin, and then wonder whether the FDA would approve the drug had it been invented today.

The aspirin side effects include, but are not limited to:

stomach pain, heartburn, nausea and/or vomiting, as well as increased rates of gross gastrointestinal bleeding.

.

A.G. Bayer, which discovered and first sold the little white pills notes:

While the most common side effects associated with aspirin use are GI related, the majority of these are minor and resolve without medical intervention. In rare cases, more serious effects, such as bleeding, have been observed in individuals taking aspirin for extended periods of time. Even less commonly, hemorrhagic stroke can occur. However, the benefits of treatment have been shown usually to outweigh the risks in cases of long-term use to help prevent cardiovascular events in people at elevated risk for CVD (with FDA recommended doses ranging from 75-325 mg for MI and 50 mg – 325 mg for recurrent stroke)

Or, note the interactions between aspirin and other medications or conditions:

Aspirin should be avoided by patients with peptic ulcer disease or poor kidney function, since this medication can aggravate both conditions. Aspirin is avoided in patients taking blood thinning medications (anticoagulants) such as warfarin (Coumadin), because of an increased risk of bleeding. Some asthma patients can have worsening of breathing while taking aspirin. Aspirin can alter the blood uric acid level and is avoided in patients with hyperuricemia and gout. Children and teenagers should avoid aspirin for flu or chickenpox symptoms because of the associated risk of Reye's Syndrome, a serious disease of the liver and nervous system that can lead to coma. Aspirin is not habit forming. Aspirin can increase the effect of medicines used to treat diabetes mellitus, resulting in abnormally low blood sugars if not monitored. NSAIDs should be discontinued prior to elective surgery because of a mild tendency to interfere with blood clotting. Aspirin is best discontinued at least ten to fourteen days in advance of the procedure.

With all the problems associated with aspirin, would I consider not taking it if needed? Absolutely not.

All medications pose risks, and those risks are generally associated with the dosage and period of use. If there are safer alternatives, then those should be administered, but when a drug can provide a significant improvement in health and wellbeing, the potential of side effects must be weighed against the benefits.

This should all be kept in mind when taking any medication, including Bextra, Vioxx, or aspirin.

Righteous Among The Nations: Maj. Karl Plagge

Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, Israel has honored Major Karl Plagge for his work to save over 1,000 Jews from deportation to the death camps when the Vilnus ghetto was liquidated.

What makes this honor so interesting is that Plagge was an officer for Nazi Germany.

There are those who think that all Germans were evil, or that all the Germans looked the other way. Many did.

Some did not. Thankfully for the relatives of those saved by Major Plagge, he did not look the other way at the unspeakable evils perpetrated by the Nazis.

What The Left Is Hawking

And before the "everybody does it" apologists pooh-pooh this lunatic anti-Bush merchandise: There's tasteless political paraphernalia on both sides of the aisle, but I've already searched and there are currently no "Kill Kerry" products, blood-spattered or otherwise, being sold at Cafe Press.

"Oh, but it's all in good fun," the libs will shrug. Yeah, just like the Guardian's call last fall for someone to kill Bush. Just like the wave of campus attacks on conservatives. Just like the vicious anti-troops, anti-Bush slogans: "We Support Our Troops, When They Shoot their Officers" and "Bush is the disease. Death is the cure."

"Where's your sense of humor?" the libs will ask.

Where's their decency? Their sanity?

Welcome to the sick world of the pro-assassination Left.

I'm all for free speech, but these items do make one think about whether the Left (and in particular those who are hawking these materials) are crossing the line from free speech to hate speech, which is subject to criminal prosecution.

Rebuilding Downtown Manhattan

This is one of my longest running commentary tracks at Suite101.com, which deals with the rebuilding of the World Trade Center and associated issues. Give it a gander.

Lynne Stewart's Sentencing Date Pushed Back To September

While her sentencing date was pushed back to September, one of the jurors who found her guilty had no problem speaking his mind about Stewart:

Juror No. 8, who resides near Ground Zero, staunchly defended the Feb. 10 guilty verdict as a civic duty.

"We were sending a message. We were intending to send a message," he said. "Do not break the law. Do not conspire with terrorists."

Juror No. 8 and his fellow panel members convicted Stewart of being a material witness to terrorism, fraud and filing a false statement while she represented imprisoned blind Egyptian terror cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, the mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

She faces 30 years in prison for her crimes. Here's hoping that she receives the maximum sentence.

Why Is The New York Times Fishing For Op-eds?

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

The Department of Prereporting

From the pages of the Associated Press, comes this gem, which states that:

Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton faced tough questioning Monday from Senate Democrats on his nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Republicans were looking for swift approval from the Foreign Relations Committee.

The problem is, this story was published before the Committee session took place and John Bolton faced a single question.

No one has any idea the kind of questions Bolton will face, though this is a reasonable possibility considering some of the press surrounding his original nomination to the post.

The AP must have invested in the same precogs as the Department of Precrime. Problem is, this isn't science fiction written by Philip Dick. You can't invent the news out of whole cloth unless your name happens to be Dan Rather.

Photo of the Day

 


Key West Lighthouse. Taken October 2004.

About That Pulitzer Prize AP Won...

Here's a bit more information and background about one of the 20 pictures that make up the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photojournalism.

There's a discussion of the technical aspects of the photograph, which was interesting considering that I'm still learning the photographic arts. Then, there's a discussion over the ethical situation posed by the photo and its use as a piece of successful lynching propaganda.

UPDATE 04/11/2005 9:16AM EDT:
Wretchard has more bloggy goodness on the AP position regarding the photos.

The big question is why has it taken so long for the AP to craft an explanation that appears to be governed by the facts and images captured, plus the laws of physics?

Photo of the Day

 


Leaping lizards! Taken at the San Diego Zoo. April 2004.

This is particularly fitting considering all the grief that the Lizard Master at Little Green Footballs is taking because someone hijacked his name for purposes of spreading disinformtation at Kevin Drum's blog.