'Simpler' here is bad as well as 'elegant pontificate', so what does this mean?
"In journalism it is simpler to sound off than it is to find out. It is
more elegant to pontificate than it is to sweat." (Harold Evans)
Friday, November 05, 2004
Read the following and be ready to tell me what it means for next class.
DEAD CODE, IN ALL RESPECTS
In Dayton, Ohio, at a cemetery called Blocker Hill, there's a group of
tiny graves in which programmers at LexisNexis bury their dead programs.
Doug Perseghetti says: "The code wakes us up in the middle of the night.
Some things die gracefully and other things we've had to kill." In 1992,
dozens of mourners followed pallbearers who carried a wooden coffin
containing a printout of the former Database Update Control System, while a
trumpeter played "Taps" after eulogies were spoken and chocolate cake
served. Requiescat in pace. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 3 Nov 2004)
DEAD CODE, IN ALL RESPECTS
In Dayton, Ohio, at a cemetery called Blocker Hill, there's a group of
tiny graves in which programmers at LexisNexis bury their dead programs.
Doug Perseghetti says: "The code wakes us up in the middle of the night.
Some things die gracefully and other things we've had to kill." In 1992,
dozens of mourners followed pallbearers who carried a wooden coffin
containing a printout of the former Database Update Control System, while a
trumpeter played "Taps" after eulogies were spoken and chocolate cake
served. Requiescat in pace. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 3 Nov 2004)
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Lo has at least two meanings in English. The first in the Head Line means behold and is biblical the second lo is short for hello.
'Lo' and behold! The internet turns 35
Last Updated Fri, 29 Oct 2004 21:47:09 EDT
LOS ANGELES - Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles are celebrating the anniversary of the first message sent over what would eventually become the internet.
Leonard Kleinrock
In the 1960s, computer scientists at American universities and in the U.S. Department of Defence devised a plan for a network of computers that could all communicate with each other.
After the hardware was put in place, researchers at UCLA attempted on Oct. 29, 1969, to log in to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
In an interview on CBC Newsworld, Prof. Leonard Kleinrock admitted researchers weren't exactly prepared for the history-making moment.
"[The message] wasn't anything like 'What hath God wrought?' or 'Come here, Watson. I want you,' or 'a giant leap for mankind.' We weren't that smart," he said, referring to the first messages over telegraph, over telephone and from the surface of the moon.
In order to log in to the two-computer network, which was then called ARPANET, programmers at UCLA were to type in "log," and Stanford would reply "in."
The UCLA programmers only got as far as "lo" before the Stanford machine crashed.
But Kleinrock put a tongue-in-cheek positive spin on the less-than-momentous message.
"The first message on the internet was 'Lo!' What better prophetic message could you ask for?" he said.
The two computers wouldn't successfully link up until Nov. 21, 1969, but those two letters are considered the first message transmitted over the fledgling network.
ARPANET would grow to include more computers at universities and military bases across the U.S., before expanding into today's internet, which connects millions of computers worldwide.
Kleinrock said he predicted in 1969 that the small network would eventually expand across the globe, making a vast amount of information accessible at any time from anywhere in the world.
"The part I missed... was that my 97-year-old mother would be on the internet today," he said.
Written by CBC News Online staff
'Lo' and behold! The internet turns 35
Last Updated Fri, 29 Oct 2004 21:47:09 EDT
LOS ANGELES - Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles are celebrating the anniversary of the first message sent over what would eventually become the internet.
Leonard Kleinrock
In the 1960s, computer scientists at American universities and in the U.S. Department of Defence devised a plan for a network of computers that could all communicate with each other.
After the hardware was put in place, researchers at UCLA attempted on Oct. 29, 1969, to log in to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
In an interview on CBC Newsworld, Prof. Leonard Kleinrock admitted researchers weren't exactly prepared for the history-making moment.
"[The message] wasn't anything like 'What hath God wrought?' or 'Come here, Watson. I want you,' or 'a giant leap for mankind.' We weren't that smart," he said, referring to the first messages over telegraph, over telephone and from the surface of the moon.
In order to log in to the two-computer network, which was then called ARPANET, programmers at UCLA were to type in "log," and Stanford would reply "in."
The UCLA programmers only got as far as "lo" before the Stanford machine crashed.
But Kleinrock put a tongue-in-cheek positive spin on the less-than-momentous message.
"The first message on the internet was 'Lo!' What better prophetic message could you ask for?" he said.
The two computers wouldn't successfully link up until Nov. 21, 1969, but those two letters are considered the first message transmitted over the fledgling network.
ARPANET would grow to include more computers at universities and military bases across the U.S., before expanding into today's internet, which connects millions of computers worldwide.
Kleinrock said he predicted in 1969 that the small network would eventually expand across the globe, making a vast amount of information accessible at any time from anywhere in the world.
"The part I missed... was that my 97-year-old mother would be on the internet today," he said.
Written by CBC News Online staff
Monday, November 01, 2004
Look this over carefully, it can help you. Clark
-- Online Editing Tutorial
Sonia Jaffe Robbins runs an editing workshop in
the Journalism Department of New York University.
She puts her course materials on line in what
makes a really interesting site if you want to
learn about the finer points of sharpening
your written style.
The site includes lots of downloadable guidance
notes and course materials. 'Banished words',
editing tips and issues, hyphenation, spelling
FAQs, plus lots of juicy links to quizzes and
tests, plus you can take the 'Gullibility Test'
at the Museum of Hoaxes, and you can even check
if people are dead yet or not.
Even if you simply read the course materials, you
will learn a lot about improving your writing skills -
and you should have plenty of fun too.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/syllabus.html
-- Online Editing Tutorial
Sonia Jaffe Robbins runs an editing workshop in
the Journalism Department of New York University.
She puts her course materials on line in what
makes a really interesting site if you want to
learn about the finer points of sharpening
your written style.
The site includes lots of downloadable guidance
notes and course materials. 'Banished words',
editing tips and issues, hyphenation, spelling
FAQs, plus lots of juicy links to quizzes and
tests, plus you can take the 'Gullibility Test'
at the Museum of Hoaxes, and you can even check
if people are dead yet or not.
Even if you simply read the course materials, you
will learn a lot about improving your writing skills -
and you should have plenty of fun too.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/syllabus.html
This is part of the results from a servey on the publics perceptions of Gene Modified Foods. This is the paragraph on the European publics view of the media, which is critical in the same general way that the public is critical of the media. The point being that the media is recongnized as having an agenda too. That is selling more advertising and making a profit. How to do this. Simply sell more papers or get more listeners or viewers. The media has generally tried to do this with spectacle:
"In addition to being subtle interpreters of NGO agendas, people also tend to hold nuanced views of the media's role. Here, critical faculties are also prominent, as is a desire to see improvements. Europeans "...expressed great dissatisfaction with the way in which the media treated these issues. The media were criticized for their 'sensationalist' approach, which focused on scandals and controversies, rather than providing more balanced background information. [...] They also wanted to be told how a particular person had reached a particular position, rather than simply being presented with conclusions and entrenched views. Moreover, focus group participants clearly expressed the desire for information about the societal implications of GMOs, and not only about the technicalities of genetic manipulation" (Marris et al, 2001).
"In addition to being subtle interpreters of NGO agendas, people also tend to hold nuanced views of the media's role. Here, critical faculties are also prominent, as is a desire to see improvements. Europeans "...expressed great dissatisfaction with the way in which the media treated these issues. The media were criticized for their 'sensationalist' approach, which focused on scandals and controversies, rather than providing more balanced background information. [...] They also wanted to be told how a particular person had reached a particular position, rather than simply being presented with conclusions and entrenched views. Moreover, focus group participants clearly expressed the desire for information about the societal implications of GMOs, and not only about the technicalities of genetic manipulation" (Marris et al, 2001).
Here is an interesting interview from Powell's book story web site, with a writer Eric Hansen about writting. Clark
Eric Hansen
Describe your latest project.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer is a collection of off-beat non-fiction stories gleaned from the last thirty years of travelling to the far ends of the earth. Part memoir, part travel lit, but mostly about random meetings with strangers and unexpected experiences that have helped to give my life shape...and meaning. The book has been described as an assortment of memories polished by time. I like the sound of that. The book is the result of digging into my past in an archeological sort of way. Sifting through rubble, and sediment to uncover my past and its meaning (one of the great luxuries of being a writer). In a way these nine stories are what I think of as some of the significant building blocks which have made me the person and the writer that I am today.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer: Close Encounters with Strangers
by Eric Hansen
Writers are better liars than other people: true or false?
I think this all depends on a writer's skill at self deception. On the wall of my office I have a favorite quote by John Steinbeck. It reads: "The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty." I agree with this, but there are times when "truth of fact" and "truth of feeling" come into conflict. Good writing often favors truth of feeling. This defines the line between the craft of journalism and the fine art of writing and story telling.
What is your favorite sentence from another writer?
"Life is too short for dress rehersals."
— Robyn Davidson in Tracks
How did the last good book end up in your hands?
Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee. Recommended by Leyla, the English Lit major/stripper/lap dancer/student of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas/devoted mother/new friend that I write about in Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.
What was the best breakfast of your life?
Well, the worst breakfast, or at least the most challenging one of my life, was a bowl of steaming bee larvae soup, served by a family of nomadic hunters and gatherers deep in the Borneo rainforest. At least the larvae was dead before I put them in my mouth. The taste was similar to scrambled eggs, but I had a problem with the presentation.
One of the best breakfasts was served at Les Deux Magots on Blvd. St Germain in Paris: Early Spring morning... slanting sunlight shining through a sprinkling of rain. Wet cobble stones reflecting the sun light. Fresh orange juice, cafe au lait... and two perfectly toasted and buttered oblong slices of pain Poilane topped with grilled and melted rounds of aged goat cheese. I can still taste it. A perfect way to start the day.
Why do you write?
Writing forces me to go deep within myself, to search for layers of meaning on a daily basis. To create beginnings, middles and ends from chaos. I am probably best known for my travel writing about journeys to far off places, but what I have finally come to realize is that one of the most interesting places on earth is my mind and where it takes me when I let it wander.
Eric Hansen
Describe your latest project.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer is a collection of off-beat non-fiction stories gleaned from the last thirty years of travelling to the far ends of the earth. Part memoir, part travel lit, but mostly about random meetings with strangers and unexpected experiences that have helped to give my life shape...and meaning. The book has been described as an assortment of memories polished by time. I like the sound of that. The book is the result of digging into my past in an archeological sort of way. Sifting through rubble, and sediment to uncover my past and its meaning (one of the great luxuries of being a writer). In a way these nine stories are what I think of as some of the significant building blocks which have made me the person and the writer that I am today.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer: Close Encounters with Strangers
by Eric Hansen
Writers are better liars than other people: true or false?
I think this all depends on a writer's skill at self deception. On the wall of my office I have a favorite quote by John Steinbeck. It reads: "The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty." I agree with this, but there are times when "truth of fact" and "truth of feeling" come into conflict. Good writing often favors truth of feeling. This defines the line between the craft of journalism and the fine art of writing and story telling.
What is your favorite sentence from another writer?
"Life is too short for dress rehersals."
— Robyn Davidson in Tracks
How did the last good book end up in your hands?
Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee. Recommended by Leyla, the English Lit major/stripper/lap dancer/student of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas/devoted mother/new friend that I write about in Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.
What was the best breakfast of your life?
Well, the worst breakfast, or at least the most challenging one of my life, was a bowl of steaming bee larvae soup, served by a family of nomadic hunters and gatherers deep in the Borneo rainforest. At least the larvae was dead before I put them in my mouth. The taste was similar to scrambled eggs, but I had a problem with the presentation.
One of the best breakfasts was served at Les Deux Magots on Blvd. St Germain in Paris: Early Spring morning... slanting sunlight shining through a sprinkling of rain. Wet cobble stones reflecting the sun light. Fresh orange juice, cafe au lait... and two perfectly toasted and buttered oblong slices of pain Poilane topped with grilled and melted rounds of aged goat cheese. I can still taste it. A perfect way to start the day.
Why do you write?
Writing forces me to go deep within myself, to search for layers of meaning on a daily basis. To create beginnings, middles and ends from chaos. I am probably best known for my travel writing about journeys to far off places, but what I have finally come to realize is that one of the most interesting places on earth is my mind and where it takes me when I let it wander.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Well! You must have an opinion about this? What is it? Does the fool deserve to die by the hands of simpletons? Don't just re-act! Think about this from both sides and tell me what you then think. But please think first.
JAPAN SAYS KODA DECAPITATED
The Japanese government confirmed the headless body found in a Baghdad
field Saturday is that of 24-year-old Japanese tourist Shosei Koda, who
was kidnapped by a group linked to al-Qaeda.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/10/30/koda_hostage041030.html
JAPAN SAYS KODA DECAPITATED
The Japanese government confirmed the headless body found in a Baghdad
field Saturday is that of 24-year-old Japanese tourist Shosei Koda, who
was kidnapped by a group linked to al-Qaeda.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/10/30/koda_hostage041030.html
. CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HELPS FUND EPA STUDY
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62569-2004Oct25?language=printer
The American Chemistry Council is giving the Environmental
Protection Agency $2 million for a study to explore the impact of
pesticides and household chemicals on young children. The trade
association, which represents nearly 150 chemical and plastics
manufacturers and has a $100 million budget, spent more than $2
million on lobbying in 2003. The EPA says the money will help the
agency conduct "groundbreaking work" on how chemicals are absorbed
by infants and children as old as 3. "Environmental Working Group
President Kenneth A. Cook questioned why an agency with a $572
million research budget needed to accept industry contributions to
conduct scientific research," the Washington Post writes. "This is
a government function; we should be investing government funds to
be absolutely sure it's independent," Cook told the Post.
SOURCE: Washington Post, October 26, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098763202
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098763202
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504001
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504001
10. BEEF: IT'S WHAT'S FOR THE ELECTION?
http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=0d055714-3b88-4293-8ad4-618c868aafff
"U.S. and Japanese negotiators struck a deal Saturday to allow
limited imports of U.S. beef into Japan," reports Canadian Press.
Japan imported $1.7 billion of U.S. beef in 2003, but closed its
markets last December, after a Washington state cow was found to
have mad cow disease. The chair of the Canada Beef Export
Federation called the announcement was "old news," saying, "The
Americans are trying to put a new spin on it for their election."
The head of U.S. beef producer Creekstone Farms, which
unsuccessfully petitioned the USDA to do its own mad cow disease
testing, said, "We would still like to test."
SOURCE: Canadian Press, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504000
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62569-2004Oct25?language=printer
The American Chemistry Council is giving the Environmental
Protection Agency $2 million for a study to explore the impact of
pesticides and household chemicals on young children. The trade
association, which represents nearly 150 chemical and plastics
manufacturers and has a $100 million budget, spent more than $2
million on lobbying in 2003. The EPA says the money will help the
agency conduct "groundbreaking work" on how chemicals are absorbed
by infants and children as old as 3. "Environmental Working Group
President Kenneth A. Cook questioned why an agency with a $572
million research budget needed to accept industry contributions to
conduct scientific research," the Washington Post writes. "This is
a government function; we should be investing government funds to
be absolutely sure it's independent," Cook told the Post.
SOURCE: Washington Post, October 26, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098763202
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098763202
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504001
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504001
10. BEEF: IT'S WHAT'S FOR THE ELECTION?
http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=0d055714-3b88-4293-8ad4-618c868aafff
"U.S. and Japanese negotiators struck a deal Saturday to allow
limited imports of U.S. beef into Japan," reports Canadian Press.
Japan imported $1.7 billion of U.S. beef in 2003, but closed its
markets last December, after a Washington state cow was found to
have mad cow disease. The chair of the Canada Beef Export
Federation called the announcement was "old news," saying, "The
Americans are trying to put a new spin on it for their election."
The head of U.S. beef producer Creekstone Farms, which
unsuccessfully petitioned the USDA to do its own mad cow disease
testing, said, "We would still like to test."
SOURCE: Canadian Press, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504000
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504000
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Friday, October 29, 2004
Well recently we have had a few items about environmental pollution. The following is one of the worst such cases ever reported and it now seems to be the one that has affected the most people.
BHOPAL LOWBALL
Bhopal disaster victims seek to quadruple compensation
Victims of the devastating 1984 industrial gas leak in Bhopal, India, have appealed to the country's Supreme Court to quadruple the amount of compensation they will receive. They have long charged that the Indian government has been slow to distribute funds from a $470 million settlement paid by U.S.-based Union Carbide, owner of the plant, to the Indian government in 1989. On Tuesday, a favorable Supreme Court ruling ordered the government to release the money remaining from the settlement, some $330 million, and accepted a sharp rise in the estimated number of victims, from the 105,000 listed in 1989 to 572,000, accounting for new births and previously unreported cases. However, the victims are appealing to quadruple the amount, based on the higher number of cases, though it's unclear where the additional money would come from. At a press conference yesterday, victims pleaded their case and told their tragic stories, like that of 80-year-old Shanti Devi, who lost her husband and his two businesses and has been forced to spend her savings caring for her children and grandchildren. Devi is to receive $2,200 in compensation.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Mazhar Ullah, 29 Oct 2004
see also, in Grist: Rashida Bee of Bhopal, India, fights against the company that devastated her community -- by Michelle Nijhuis
BHOPAL LOWBALL
Bhopal disaster victims seek to quadruple compensation
Victims of the devastating 1984 industrial gas leak in Bhopal, India, have appealed to the country's Supreme Court to quadruple the amount of compensation they will receive. They have long charged that the Indian government has been slow to distribute funds from a $470 million settlement paid by U.S.-based Union Carbide, owner of the plant, to the Indian government in 1989. On Tuesday, a favorable Supreme Court ruling ordered the government to release the money remaining from the settlement, some $330 million, and accepted a sharp rise in the estimated number of victims, from the 105,000 listed in 1989 to 572,000, accounting for new births and previously unreported cases. However, the victims are appealing to quadruple the amount, based on the higher number of cases, though it's unclear where the additional money would come from. At a press conference yesterday, victims pleaded their case and told their tragic stories, like that of 80-year-old Shanti Devi, who lost her husband and his two businesses and has been forced to spend her savings caring for her children and grandchildren. Devi is to receive $2,200 in compensation.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Mazhar Ullah, 29 Oct 2004
see also, in Grist: Rashida Bee of Bhopal, India, fights against the company that devastated her community -- by Michelle Nijhuis
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Everything is not right not only here but everywhee:Canada slipping on environment: report
Last Updated Tue, 26 Oct 2004 16:47:02 EDT
OTTAWA - Canada's reputation as an environmental leader is slipping because most federal departments aren't paying attention to the impact of their policies, says a report released on Tuesday.
A report released by environment commissioner Johanne Gelinas says that salmon stocks are dwindling, oil is polluting the coasts and air quality is deteriorating – and all the while the government is failing to lead.
"I am concerned at signs that Canada's environmental status and reputation may be slipping," Gelinas said.
Canada's ranking on environmental objectives slipped to 16th place in 2003, from 12th in 2002, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
A cabinet directive issued 14 years ago, requiring all departments to assess the environmental impact of their policies, is not being followed, the report said.
"The overall results of our audit this year suggest that most departments still have not made serious efforts to apply the directive," Gelinas said.
There are no repercussions for senior officials who ignore cabinet directives on the environment, she said.
Gelinas said the tax system could be one of the most effective tools to promote environmentally sound behaviour, but the Finance Department has yet to try to determine how the system impedes or favours sustainable development.
Other problems identified in the report include:
• Three Pacific salmon populations designated as endangered.
• No decline in ground-level ozone, a component of smog known to damage the lungs and heart.
• Incomplete regulations on genetically modified fish.
• Oil pollution from ships in the Atlantic.
On the positive side, the report finds that Canada is meeting its target to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
Written by CBC News Online staff
Last Updated Tue, 26 Oct 2004 16:47:02 EDT
OTTAWA - Canada's reputation as an environmental leader is slipping because most federal departments aren't paying attention to the impact of their policies, says a report released on Tuesday.
A report released by environment commissioner Johanne Gelinas says that salmon stocks are dwindling, oil is polluting the coasts and air quality is deteriorating – and all the while the government is failing to lead.
"I am concerned at signs that Canada's environmental status and reputation may be slipping," Gelinas said.
Canada's ranking on environmental objectives slipped to 16th place in 2003, from 12th in 2002, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
A cabinet directive issued 14 years ago, requiring all departments to assess the environmental impact of their policies, is not being followed, the report said.
"The overall results of our audit this year suggest that most departments still have not made serious efforts to apply the directive," Gelinas said.
There are no repercussions for senior officials who ignore cabinet directives on the environment, she said.
Gelinas said the tax system could be one of the most effective tools to promote environmentally sound behaviour, but the Finance Department has yet to try to determine how the system impedes or favours sustainable development.
Other problems identified in the report include:
• Three Pacific salmon populations designated as endangered.
• No decline in ground-level ozone, a component of smog known to damage the lungs and heart.
• Incomplete regulations on genetically modified fish.
• Oil pollution from ships in the Atlantic.
On the positive side, the report finds that Canada is meeting its target to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
Written by CBC News Online staff
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Hi I know that with Minimata etc. there are some very big problems with chemical pollution in Japan. What chemicals exactly are being monitored and how? Take a look at the following:
CHEERS: WHERE EVERYBOY KNOWS YOUR GAME
Study of chemical impacts on kids raises questions
A study of pesticide and chemical exposures in children being conducted by government researchers is raising some disturbing -- and by that we mean "outright creepy" -- questions. For one thing, $2 million in funding will come from the American Chemistry Council, an industry group with, one might imagine, a vested interest in the results. While the ACC and the U.S. EPA both claim that the source of funding will have no effect on the study, enviros are skeptical of the whole deal. Also troublesome is the fact that children who participate in the two-year study must live in homes likely to be heavily polluted with pesticides (Hispanic migratory farm workers, perhaps?) and their parents must agree to have the home periodically sprayed with pesticides, for which they receive the princely sum of up to $970. So, what are they calling this exercise wherein the chemical industry pays to have poor kids up to three years of age exposed to chemicals and studied? The Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study, or CHEERS.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin, 26 Oct 2004
straight to the source: Chemical and Engineering News, Bette Hileman, 18 Oct 2004
CHEERS: WHERE EVERYBOY KNOWS YOUR GAME
Study of chemical impacts on kids raises questions
A study of pesticide and chemical exposures in children being conducted by government researchers is raising some disturbing -- and by that we mean "outright creepy" -- questions. For one thing, $2 million in funding will come from the American Chemistry Council, an industry group with, one might imagine, a vested interest in the results. While the ACC and the U.S. EPA both claim that the source of funding will have no effect on the study, enviros are skeptical of the whole deal. Also troublesome is the fact that children who participate in the two-year study must live in homes likely to be heavily polluted with pesticides (Hispanic migratory farm workers, perhaps?) and their parents must agree to have the home periodically sprayed with pesticides, for which they receive the princely sum of up to $970. So, what are they calling this exercise wherein the chemical industry pays to have poor kids up to three years of age exposed to chemicals and studied? The Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study, or CHEERS.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin, 26 Oct 2004
straight to the source: Chemical and Engineering News, Bette Hileman, 18 Oct 2004
Friday, October 22, 2004
Althogh this is all about a T.V. -PR scam this type of operation has been going on ..well.. as long as I have been involved in news reporting. The prewritten story which the hung over reporter rewrites a little or a lot but still tells the PR story rather then looking or finding their own.
VIDEO NEWS RELEASES: THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!
http://www.campaigndesk.org/archives/001015.asp
Thomas Lang and Zachary Roth have done some further sleuthing into
the Education Department's video news release (VNR) that featured
fake "reporter" Karen Ryan and promoted the No Child Left Behind
law. "It turns out that the No Child Left Behind VNR, presented as
news, ran more widely than we had thought - it's just that it
didn't always include Karen Ryan," they write. "A number of local
stations ran the VNR as is, and added a local twist by simply
having their own reporter read the script. And in an indication of
just how confident the Department of Education was that news
outlets would fail to adequately scrutinize the content of the VNR,
we've also found that it included sound bites in support of the
tutoring program from two figures whose appearance in the video
might have raised eyebrows had anyone thought to check. ... The
stations that took the time to have their own reporters record the
script of the No Child Left Behind VNR had to have been fully aware
of what they were doing: knowingly deceiving their viewers about
the origins of the story - not to mention committing plagiarism -
by passing off as their own original reporting words actually
written by a PR company hired by the Bush administration."
SOURCE: Campaign Desk, October 13, 2004
VIDEO NEWS RELEASES: THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!
http://www.campaigndesk.org/archives/001015.asp
Thomas Lang and Zachary Roth have done some further sleuthing into
the Education Department's video news release (VNR) that featured
fake "reporter" Karen Ryan and promoted the No Child Left Behind
law. "It turns out that the No Child Left Behind VNR, presented as
news, ran more widely than we had thought - it's just that it
didn't always include Karen Ryan," they write. "A number of local
stations ran the VNR as is, and added a local twist by simply
having their own reporter read the script. And in an indication of
just how confident the Department of Education was that news
outlets would fail to adequately scrutinize the content of the VNR,
we've also found that it included sound bites in support of the
tutoring program from two figures whose appearance in the video
might have raised eyebrows had anyone thought to check. ... The
stations that took the time to have their own reporters record the
script of the No Child Left Behind VNR had to have been fully aware
of what they were doing: knowingly deceiving their viewers about
the origins of the story - not to mention committing plagiarism -
by passing off as their own original reporting words actually
written by a PR company hired by the Bush administration."
SOURCE: Campaign Desk, October 13, 2004
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Saturday, October 16, 2004
OK here are two great things! The first is of course our tour of Asahi Newspaper this coming Monday. The other is a new and wonderful resource for Journalists and researcher offered free by the New York Times:
http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/cybertimesnavigator/index.html
Check this out! Go through a bunch on the items and familliarize yourself with this resource.
See you Monday.
http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/cybertimesnavigator/index.html
Check this out! Go through a bunch on the items and familliarize yourself with this resource.
See you Monday.
Friday, October 15, 2004
The Canadian Embassy, together with the Embassy of Ireland, will be holding
a Higher Education Fair at the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday, November 3,
2004 from 10:00 to 17:00. The purpose is let students and teachers know
about studying in Canada.
Institutions participating from Canada:
1. The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.)
2. The University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)
3. The University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta)
4. Acadia University (Wolfville, Nova Scotia)
5. The University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
6. The University of Winnipeg (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
7. Kwantlen University College (Surrey, B.C.)
8. Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, B.C.)
9. Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario)
10. Langara College (Vancouver, B.C.)
11. Red Deer College (Red Deer, Alberta)
12. Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Truro, Nova Scotia)
13. Algoma University College (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)
14. McGill University (Montreal, Quebec)
15. The University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
16. Fleming College (Peterborough, Ontario)
17. Saint Mary s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
18. Brock University (St. Catherines, Ontario)
19. The University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario)
Canadian Embassy, Public Affairs Section
7-3-38 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8503
Fax: (03) 5412-6249
Access: Exit #4 Aoyama Itchome station on the Ginza,
Hanzomon or O-edo subway lines
Map:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/ni-ka/site/images/tokyo_map-embassy.jpg
For fair enquiries and pre-registration:
Email: (English or Japanese) e-canada@zas.att.ne.jp
Website: (Japanese) www.canadanet.or.jp/study/univfair.shtml
--
a Higher Education Fair at the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday, November 3,
2004 from 10:00 to 17:00. The purpose is let students and teachers know
about studying in Canada.
Institutions participating from Canada:
1. The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.)
2. The University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)
3. The University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta)
4. Acadia University (Wolfville, Nova Scotia)
5. The University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
6. The University of Winnipeg (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
7. Kwantlen University College (Surrey, B.C.)
8. Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, B.C.)
9. Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario)
10. Langara College (Vancouver, B.C.)
11. Red Deer College (Red Deer, Alberta)
12. Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Truro, Nova Scotia)
13. Algoma University College (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)
14. McGill University (Montreal, Quebec)
15. The University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
16. Fleming College (Peterborough, Ontario)
17. Saint Mary s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
18. Brock University (St. Catherines, Ontario)
19. The University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario)
Canadian Embassy, Public Affairs Section
7-3-38 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8503
Fax: (03) 5412-6249
Access: Exit #4 Aoyama Itchome station on the Ginza,
Hanzomon or O-edo subway lines
Map:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/ni-ka/site/images/tokyo_map-embassy.jpg
For fair enquiries and pre-registration:
Email: (English or Japanese) e-canada@zas.att.ne.jp
Website: (Japanese) www.canadanet.or.jp/study/univfair.shtml
--
Thursday, October 14, 2004
This is an interesting article for many reasons. There is a strong reliance on "some people say" -were some people can say anything, but that does not make it true or even important unless some people listen and think it is. Again a discussion point for the class this week. Clark
This is from todays 'Japan Times' and well done.
Politicians block comic over 'fake' Nanjing Massacre tale
Shueisha Inc. said Wednesday it will halt publication of a "manga" comic featuring the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 in response to complaints by Japanese politicians who claim the slaughter never happened.
The comic series "Kuni ga Moeru" ("The Country is Burning"), authored by popular comic writer Hiroshi Motomiya, is a fictional tale about a bureaucrat in the turbulent times of the early Showa Era (1926-1989).
Publication of the series, which has been carried in Weekly Young Jump magazine since November 2002, will be temporarily suspended from the Oct. 28 edition. Weekly Young Jump is popular among Japanese men.
In the magazine's Sept. 16 and Sept. 22 editions, the comic described Japanese soldiers massacring civilians in Nanjing, China.
Thirty-seven members of local assemblies protested to the publisher on Oct. 5, saying the massacre was presented as if it really happened. They say the story deliberately distorted history by using a photo whose authenticity they claim cannot be confirmed.
According to the assembly members, there is strong evidence that the massacre never happened and that there is no proof that it did.
A Shueisha representative said: "Some people say the photo used for reference in the drawing cannot be authenticated. It was inappropriate to use such material."
"The parts related to the use of the photo as pointed out will be edited or deleted when the comic book is published," Shueisha said in reply to the complaint.
The Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal concluded that more than 140,000 people were killed. Some Chinese historians put the death toll at 300,000 in Nanjing alone. Japanese accounts vary from several thousand to 200,000 dead.
The Japan Times: Oct. 14, 2004
This is from todays 'Japan Times' and well done.
Politicians block comic over 'fake' Nanjing Massacre tale
Shueisha Inc. said Wednesday it will halt publication of a "manga" comic featuring the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 in response to complaints by Japanese politicians who claim the slaughter never happened.
The comic series "Kuni ga Moeru" ("The Country is Burning"), authored by popular comic writer Hiroshi Motomiya, is a fictional tale about a bureaucrat in the turbulent times of the early Showa Era (1926-1989).
Publication of the series, which has been carried in Weekly Young Jump magazine since November 2002, will be temporarily suspended from the Oct. 28 edition. Weekly Young Jump is popular among Japanese men.
In the magazine's Sept. 16 and Sept. 22 editions, the comic described Japanese soldiers massacring civilians in Nanjing, China.
Thirty-seven members of local assemblies protested to the publisher on Oct. 5, saying the massacre was presented as if it really happened. They say the story deliberately distorted history by using a photo whose authenticity they claim cannot be confirmed.
According to the assembly members, there is strong evidence that the massacre never happened and that there is no proof that it did.
A Shueisha representative said: "Some people say the photo used for reference in the drawing cannot be authenticated. It was inappropriate to use such material."
"The parts related to the use of the photo as pointed out will be edited or deleted when the comic book is published," Shueisha said in reply to the complaint.
The Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal concluded that more than 140,000 people were killed. Some Chinese historians put the death toll at 300,000 in Nanjing alone. Japanese accounts vary from several thousand to 200,000 dead.
The Japan Times: Oct. 14, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Papyrus is a newsletter which is now coming from Japan which covers education and current affairs topics. Usually worth looking at. In this issue there are a lot of topics which touch on journalism and an informed press. We'll go over them in class today and next week as well. Clark
****************************************************************
This message was distributed by Papyrus News. Feel free to forward
this message to others, preferably with this introduction. For info
on Papyrus News, including how to (un)subscribe or access archives,
see:.
****************************************************************
.............................................................. now that big TV media are joining
the branches of government including the Supreme Court in being partisan
to the Republicans, the Democrats seem to have no opening to expose the
facts. My apologies that much of this may be tedious to non-Americans,
but the post-War international order is breaking down due to American
unilateralism, and the Goebbels playbook is proving again that it works.
Who but Orwell could have predicted that democracy in America would not
survive into the 21st Century? - Ed.]
* Periodical articles
Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff
tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics
Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter, UC Berkeley, 27 October 2003
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml
Peace Prize Goes to Environmentalist in Kenya
"OSLO, Oct. 8 - Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who started an
environmental movement that has planted 30 million trees in Africa and
who has campaigned for women's rights and greater democracy in her
home country, was announced the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize"
Patrick Tyler, New York Times, 9 October 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/09/international/africa/09nobel.html
The Verdict Is In
"Sanctions worked. Weapons inspectors worked. That is the bottom line
of the long-awaited report on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. ...
nothing in the voluminous record provides Mr. Bush with the justification
he wanted for a preventive war because the weapons programs did not exist.
And as the war continues to bog down, the power of nonviolent international sanctions looks more muscular every day."
New York Times Editorial, 7 October 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/opinion/07thu1.html
The Battle of the Pump
By Thomas Friedman, New York Times, 7 October 2004
"The energy policy of President Bush and Dick Cheney is supporting the
worst Arab oil regimes and the worst trends."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/opinion/07friedman.html
Bush's Crimes
"Impeach the president? Yes. A well-documented case ties him to Abu Ghraib."
Bob Norman, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Florida, 30 November 2004
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/issues/2004-09-30/news/norman.html
Insane reality spins the head
Jimmy Breslin, Newsday.com, 10 October 2004
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/columnists/ny-nybres104001677oct10,0,2659563.column?coll=ny-ny-columnists
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh spills the secrets
of the Iraq quagmire and the war on terror
Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter, UC Berkeley, 11 October 2004
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/10/11_hersh.shtml
President Bush Unfit to Command
Yoshi Tsurumi [Bush's former professor]
Japanese Institute of Global Communications, 7 October 2004
http://www.glocom.org/special_topics/colloquium/20041007_tsurumi_president/index.html
TV channels to rubbish Kerry on eve of poll
Julian Borger, The Guardian, 12 October 2004
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1325120,00.html
Japan mulls multicultural dawn
Sarah Buckley, BBC News Online, 5 October 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3708098.stm
****************************************************************
This message was distributed by Papyrus News. Feel free to forward
this message to others, preferably with this introduction. For info
on Papyrus News, including how to (un)subscribe or access archives,
see:
****************************************************************
.............................................................. now that big TV media are joining
the branches of government including the Supreme Court in being partisan
to the Republicans, the Democrats seem to have no opening to expose the
facts. My apologies that much of this may be tedious to non-Americans,
but the post-War international order is breaking down due to American
unilateralism, and the Goebbels playbook is proving again that it works.
Who but Orwell could have predicted that democracy in America would not
survive into the 21st Century? - Ed.]
* Periodical articles
Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff
tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics
Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter, UC Berkeley, 27 October 2003
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml
Peace Prize Goes to Environmentalist in Kenya
"OSLO, Oct. 8 - Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who started an
environmental movement that has planted 30 million trees in Africa and
who has campaigned for women's rights and greater democracy in her
home country, was announced the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize"
Patrick Tyler, New York Times, 9 October 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/09/international/africa/09nobel.html
The Verdict Is In
"Sanctions worked. Weapons inspectors worked. That is the bottom line
of the long-awaited report on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. ...
nothing in the voluminous record provides Mr. Bush with the justification
he wanted for a preventive war because the weapons programs did not exist.
And as the war continues to bog down, the power of nonviolent international sanctions looks more muscular every day."
New York Times Editorial, 7 October 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/opinion/07thu1.html
The Battle of the Pump
By Thomas Friedman, New York Times, 7 October 2004
"The energy policy of President Bush and Dick Cheney is supporting the
worst Arab oil regimes and the worst trends."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/opinion/07friedman.html
Bush's Crimes
"Impeach the president? Yes. A well-documented case ties him to Abu Ghraib."
Bob Norman, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Florida, 30 November 2004
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/issues/2004-09-30/news/norman.html
Insane reality spins the head
Jimmy Breslin, Newsday.com, 10 October 2004
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/columnists/ny-nybres104001677oct10,0,2659563.column?coll=ny-ny-columnists
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh spills the secrets
of the Iraq quagmire and the war on terror
Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter, UC Berkeley, 11 October 2004
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/10/11_hersh.shtml
President Bush Unfit to Command
Yoshi Tsurumi [Bush's former professor]
Japanese Institute of Global Communications, 7 October 2004
http://www.glocom.org/special_topics/colloquium/20041007_tsurumi_president/index.html
TV channels to rubbish Kerry on eve of poll
Julian Borger, The Guardian, 12 October 2004
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1325120,00.html
Japan mulls multicultural dawn
Sarah Buckley, BBC News Online, 5 October 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3708098.stm
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