Gabe

The New York Times reported on afghan women protesting in the street for equal rights, or in this case, basic human rights. Later, a correction was posted saying that they actually favored rule by men—or at least the women in the photograph on the front page favored rule by men. I don’t understand how it could have been a mistake. Was the whole thing fabricated? I doubt it. There was video footage of the protest that appeared to match the story and the photo. This example really highlights the importance of not making errors in reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/pageoneplus/corrections.html?ref=todayspaper
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/world/asia/16afghan.html

Posted by knap0164 at 5:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Navy snipers killed three hijackers with three shots while towing their life raft that held the pirates and the hostage ship captain . The Navy had been told to shoot to kill if the captains life became in imminent threat. One pirate could be seen through a window as he pointed an automatic rifle at the captain. Meanwhile, the two other pirates could be seen above the top of the raft. the Navy seized their opportunity. Within minutes the captain was on the ship calling his family to tell them the Easter day good news. One pirate surrendered earlier in the day.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/world/africa/13pirates.html?hp
http://www.twincities.com/ci_12128259?nclick_check=1

Posted by knap0164 at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Antarctic ice shelf is gone much faster than had been anticipated, another example of global warming. Melting of floating ice does not raise sea levels, but it releases land-bound ice behind it that will.

http://www.watoday.com.au/world/polar-ice-bridge-set-to-collapse-20090406-9tvj.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5332BU20090404

Posted by knap0164 at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amphibians around the world are in trouble. Frogs especially are disappearing at alarming rates. They are particularly susceptible to pollution, but are also plagued with parasites and diseases. Affects to the food chain are becoming apparent. Many pharmaceuticals have been discovered from excretions from their skin.
PBS unveiled a Nature program Sunday afternoon addressing the disappearance of frogs.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/frogs-the-thin-green-line/introduction/4763/
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=282989&src=119
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gxv-xoTt2GR2Nisi2W_9wEG6mM9wD97CGLSG1

Posted by knap0164 at 5:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

China lifted its block of You Tube Saturday. The ban enacted Monday was an effort to block “fake” videos such as a one that surfaced showing Chinese police beating handcuffed Tibetinites. During the week, people in China that wanted to view the site had to use special software that gained access through a proxy server.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/world/asia/28briefs-brfTUBE.html?ref=world
http://mashable.com/2009/03/25/china-youtube/

Posted by knap0164 at 5:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man has been accused of fathering 8 children with his own daughter in Columbia. He claims innocence of incest -- that she is his stepdaughter. The man’s wife had died when the girl was 5 years old. The girl continued to live with him after that. She had the first of 14 pregnancies at age 13. She is now 35 and has been taken to a welfare institute for shelter and counseling. The man is being held in jail. Crowds gathered at the courthouse threatening the man’s life.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-lt-colombia-incest,0,1032977.story

Posted by knap0164 at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

China is "a little bit worried" about the safety of all the American debt it holds, Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday.
China has about US$1-trillion invested in America.
They have not seen a economic recession as bad as Europe or the United States.
But they are experiencing a decreased demand for exports, and job demand has fallen for the first time in 30 years.
source

President Obama assured China its U.S. investments were safe.
China also expressed concern that massive U.S. deficit spending and near-zero interest rates would erode the value of China's U.S. bond holdings.
source

Posted by knap0164 at 2:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Rising Dollar Lifts the U.S. but Adds to the Crisis Abroad
As the value of the dollar rises more investors are abandoning foreign ventures. Investments are still lower than they were in past years, but are not as severe as in other parts of the world. The effects of this trend is causing other countries to see a much lower rate of investment severely crippling the economy of some developing nations.

source1

Posted by knap0164 at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The associated press reported that survivors from the crash reported that the sound of the engines diminished as the jet literally fell out of the sky at an “odd angle” and crashed in a muddy field just short of the runway Thursday. There were 135 passengers and crew onboard. The plane broke into three pieces, but did not burn.

The star tribune reported that nine people were killed, and at least 100 were injured in the crash with dozens remaining hospitalized and one in critical condition. Investigators are looking into wake turbulence as possible cause of the crash. Wake turbulence is made behind a jet as it flies. Another jet had landed two minutes earlier.

Posted by knap0164 at 4:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The epicenter of global warming is at a Moulin, said Glaciologist Dr. Jason Box.
What’s a Moulin? It’s the equivalent of a bathtub drain on the surface of a melting glacier that is a mile deep hole that funnels millions gallons of fresh melt water into the ocean each day, Dr. Box said. There are possibly thousands of them on the continent of Greenland.
See a moulin for yourself.

Posted by knap0164 at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The AP reported Friday that Russian concerns will be considered as U.S. plans to locate missile sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Obama administration has not decided if it will go forward with the plan—that was shaped during the Bush administration—intended to protect Europe and the U.S. from mid-east missile attacks.
Russia is displaying concerns reminiscent of the cold war era, and is protesting an imbalance of power a little too close to home. They want to be included in development of these sites.
The U.S. government has signed deals with both Poland and the Czech Republic with NATO approval.
''What's left for us to do: To underline and remind people that Poland accepted the American proposal, that last year a deal was signed ... and that the agreement binds both sides, and I stressed that during today's talks,'' Poland's Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said.

Posted by knap0164 at 5:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The BBC’s most recent report on the wildfires in Australia Sunday evening reported the death toll from the fires to now be 108.
Thousands of fire fighters and the army are trying to extinguish many separate fires.
Arsonists were blamed for setting the fires. They will likely be charged with murder. (The sentence that makes this reference is worded in such a way that it sounds like people have been arrested but doesn’t actually say it.)
Fire was fueled by extreme temperatures and wind. The high temperatures were beginning to fall. People are waiting for rain to finally put the fires out.
700 homes and 115 square miles have been destroyed.
Most injuries from the fires have been from burns, John Coleridge from Alfred Hospital said.
"They range from minor, just the soles of their feet running away through embers, to people who've got major, life-threatening burns," he said.
The most recent AP story tells much of the same information. The order of statistics is somewhat different though.
(I need to aviod the tense shifts)

Posted by knap0164 at 2:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Humanitarian relief to Gaza sitting at entry points with perishables going bad, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Fear of accidentally allowing smuggled items across boarder to blame for the hold-up.
Egypt refuses to let anything cross into Gaza.
Israel lets very little through, and often requests items be repackaged.
Relief is mainly donated from Mideast nations, with some from Europe and other private organizations.
Items range from generators and water extraction equipment to baby formula and fresh meat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/world/middleeast/28egypt.html?_r=1&ref=world

Posted by knap0164 at 4:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)