One of many reasons I don’t like NPR

Headline for story: ‘China’s Air Pollution: Is The Government Willing to Act?’

“This may be the best news I've heard about air pollution since I first lived in China 16 years ago. The nation's air problem is profoundly depressing. There were times, even a dozen years back, when I would land at the airport in Beijing, only able to make out the runway 50 feet before we touched down.

“Inevitably, I would wonder: Why am I coming back?” – Frank Langfitt.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/24/186246634/chinas-air-pollution-is-the-government-willing-to-act

OK. What’s this story about – air pollution in China, or Frank Langfitt’s trips to China?

What was once taught in journalism school: The reporter is not part of the story. The reporter’s job is to report. What he thinks is not important.

But, journalism is outdated. Colleges now teach “communications.” It seems, though, that the more communication is taught, the less there is.

Found at www.fark.com

Here’s a good headline*

‘Pakistan arrested drone-killed American in ‘08’

Pakistani police said they arrested part of the man over there, part of him over there, part of him in what remained of his car …

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/may/24/pakistan-arrested-drone-killed-american-0-20130524/

*For the class on how not to write a headline.

Truck hits bridge support; bridge falls

“For reasons unknown at this point in time, the semi struck the overhead of the bridge causing the collapse.” -- Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste.

(Here’s a guess: The load was too high!)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/state-patrol-i-5-bridge-over-skagit-river-collapses-in-nw-wash-vehicles-people-in-water/2013/05/23/ef618aaa-c41c-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html

From Norway, praise for murderers of British soldier

“Wonderful news from England. A terrorist pig from the British army has been slaughtered by our brave brothers. Allahu Akhbar!

“May Allah SWT reward their actions and intentions and humiliate the enemies of Islam in the worst possible way.”

www.gatesofvienna.net

People this stupid should pay a tax for breathing

Don’t anger the Muslims

“The flag of St George will not be flying over Radstock any time soon after town councillors decided it was inappropriate because of its links with campaigns against Islam hundreds of years ago.”

(“Campaigns against Islam”? Could that possibly refer to the centuries-long wars that began after Muslims captured Christian lands in the Middle East? AKA “Crusades,” but you certainly should not say that word, since it offends Muslims even more than the red cross on white background. How long before the Red Cross has to get another emblem? Wait! I know! The International Red Cross can call itself Red Crescent! That won’t piss off any wog Muslims.)

“Councillor Eleanor Jackson (Lab, Radstock), a university lecturer and teacher, said its use during the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries could mean the English national flag could be seen by some as offensive.

“She added: ‘My big problem is that it is offensive to some Muslims but even more so that it has been hijacked by the far right. …”

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Radstock-town-council-rejects-St-George-flag/story-19002784-detail/story.html

Half-masted at www.maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com and www.peekinthewell.net

(In 1749 Thomas Merriman and Thomas Merriman the Younger were transported from England to the Virginia Colony after being found guilty of some heinous crime in England, perhaps pinching a loaf of bread or some such. Thank you, Crown Prosecutor for getting my ancestors out of your country.)
Don’t say bad thins against these people. You might hurt their feelings.
“Five years ago, the sight of Muslim terrorists beheading British soldiers was a horror that could happen in Afghanistan or Iraq. Now it has happened in broad daylight in the capital of the United Kingdom.

“In a decade, 600,000 white Londoners have fled the city. Those are the sorts of numbers you would expect from the Syrian civil war. Their place has been taken by the million Muslims occupying the city.” – Afghanistan Comes to London.

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/

In Little Rock, a Muslim killed one soldier and wounded another in front of a recruiting station. At Fort Hood a Muslim officer killed a dozen soldiers and a 62-year-old civilian physician attendant and wounded 30.
Don’t say bad things about Muslims.

Warehouse 13

While watching Claudia and Steve attempting to find the cause of adrenalin depletion of jockeys on Warehouse 13 the other night, my wife said, “Remember Steve’s first appearance, and they made so much of his homosexuality?” I said I did remember, and I did, because at the time I wondered why writers or producers decided the show needed a homosexual, except maybe so as not to have more of what pop psychology calls “sexual tension,” as is evident between Myka and Pete, and to some degree between Artie and Leena, even though Artie killed her, but I have an idea he didn’t really, that she will make a comeback somewhere and the plot will be Artie was under the spell of an artifact and Leena was on a special mission, so that is why she was gone so long.

Maybe writers decided not to have more sexual tension; maybe one set of tension was enough. Or … Maybe writers and producers or people who put pressure on TV shows, no matter how disguised, maybe somebody decided, “You know, we need a gay character.” And the show got a homosexual character.

My wife said, “They haven’t mentioned that he is gay since his first appearance.”

I said, “You’re right. But, most science fiction fans are traditionalist.”

Besides, working with Allison Scagliotti every day would make a gay man straight.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old American girl builds super-fast phone charger

Esha Khare has created “a device that can charge a cellphone super fast in 20 seconds.”

“Called super-capacitor, the device can do up to 10,000 cycles, as against 1,000 that conventional battery chargers do.”

http://newseastwest.com/indian-american-girl-esha-khare-invents-device-that-charges-cellphone-in-20-seconds/

As for the myth that pretty girls don’t like math, science and technology …