Bad Reporting

[SeanF]

I tried the one in the rebuttal article and got the same thing, but yours worked.

The one in the rebuttal article is split across two lines. You've got to combine the two lines to get the full URL.

I'm guessing the rebuttal article is where Swampyankee copied-and-pasted his link from, too, because it's split at the exact same point his is truncated.

[NEOWatcher]

This is another example of the reporter omitting the answer to the root of the argument.

Westminster Says Family Has To Get Rid Of Their Chickens

For Spencer this issue is about more than just pets. Her husband is chronically ill and uses the birds for therapy. He even sent a message to the city from the hospital in the form of a photo that says “Save My Chickens.”

What kind of therapy could the chickens possibly be providing especially if he's in a hospital?

....Well... Besides chicken soup. But that can be accomplished within the 14 day time limit.

[Strange]

A great article about how a piece of research on how circularly polarised light could explain the preferred chirality of naturally-occurring organic molecules, such as amino acids, turned into DO INTELLIGENT DINOSAURS REALLY RULE ALIEN WORLDS?

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4105

You could hardly make this stuff up. Except that science reporters do, every single day.

[primummobile]

A great article about how a piece of research on how circularly polarised light could explain the preferred chirality of naturally-occurring organic molecules, such as amino acids, turned into DO INTELLIGENT DINOSAURS REALLY RULE ALIEN WORLDS?

From the article:

(Come on. An apatosaurus is not going to pass the physical.)

Of course not. Everyone knows that Brachiosaurs are more physically fit for space flight!!

[Noclevername]

Dinosaurs, baboons, and science journalists

Which one has a walnut-sized brain?

[danscope]

How many of these "articles" are written in crayon? Sheesh ...

[DoggerDan]

What kind of therapy could the chickens possibly be providing especially if he's in a hospital?

....Well... Besides chicken soup. But that can be accomplished within the 14 day time limit.

And by proxy of Campbells.

[NEOWatcher]

Another example of how we have to credit new technology no matter how weak the connection is...
East Texas teens find plane wreckage using light from cell phone

The group eventually located the wreckage using the light from cell phones, according to Billy Dyson. "We walked past the little light over there to the right and we were going to keep going and we all stopped and looked back and there was a big fire over there. So we took off running as fast as we could and there was a plane crash right there."

Amazing, if it wasn't for that glow from the cell phone they would have never seen a big blaze in the woods.

[Durakken]

Amazing, if it wasn't for that glow from the cell phone they would have never seen a big blaze in the woods.

I feel sorry for the eyes of the person who has a cell phone that bright.

[NEOWatcher]

I don't know who lost this one in the translation, but this simple little mistake makes a HUGE difference in the story.

Helium shortage could have serious impact on Wisconsin

The problem is that we don't have enough refineries right now to get us enough helium, and we need a lot of it for our MRI magnets," Hausmann said.
Lighter-than-air helium is the second-most abundant element on Earth, so a shortage seems almost unthinkable.

Sorry, but it's the second most abundant element in the universe... It's rare on Earth.

[Tobin Dax]

"Oh, you're out of helium? Let me pop on over the sun and get some." Yeesh.

[Jens]

I don't know who lost this one in the translation, but this simple little mistake makes a HUGE difference in the story.

Helium shortage could have serious impact on Wisconsin

Sorry, but it's the second most abundant element in the universe... It's rare on Earth.

Apparently they've tweaked the article, so that now it only says "one of the world's most abundant elements," which is a bit ambiguous because I'm not sure what world means. . .

But anyway, I think it's one of those mistakes that seem preposterous but are easy to make. I once remember reading an article where the write said the space shuttle "reenters the atmosphere at 27 times the speed of light". . . Darn fast rocket, that is! I suppose the advantage is that it can land before it took off.

[Solfe]

The story of the guy slapping a toddler on an airplane kind of annoys me. Initially, many of the headlines read like:

FBI: Man Slaps Crying Toddler on Flight or
Man Loses Job Over Slapping Toddler

Such titles made the situation appear overblown. Sure, spanking your kid on a airplane isn't great, but it isn't exactly "evil", usually...

What this guy really did was slap someone else's toddler, then he went on an alcohol fueled racial rant on a plane. Now, that is slimy and evil (and more than a little stupid). Apparently when someone goes crazy and over the top, the headlines get toned down.

Now that I check, most of the headlines are more appropriately worded to fit the facts.

[Gillianren]

If he lost his job over it, my first assumption would be that he worked for the airline, but apparently, I am wrong.

[Van Rijn]

Apparently they've tweaked the article, so that now it only says "one of the world's most abundant elements," which is a bit ambiguous because I'm not sure what world means. . .

They're still wrong. Since helium doesn't combine with anything (unlike hydrogen) and since it is easily lost (like hydrogen) pretty much all the helium on Earth is produced by radioactive decay. Relatively speaking, there isn't that much in Earth.

[Van Rijn]

Here's a better article on the shortage issue if anyone is interested:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us...-sky.html?_r=0

[Jens]

They're still wrong. Since helium doesn't combine with anything (unlike hydrogen) and since it is easily lost (like hydrogen) pretty much all the helium on Earth is produced by radioactive decay. Relatively speaking, there isn't that much in Earth.

What I was questioning was the meaning of the word "world." If they say "the most abundant on earth," that's clearly wrong, but if they say "in the world," what does that mean? Is "world" the same as "earth," or does "world" mean "the universe"? Merriam Webster's give two different definitions of the word, one "earth" and the other "universe." I know we normally think of it as meaning "earth," but it's a bit of a more nebulous concept I think.

[Gillianren]

I've never used "world" to mean "universe" in my life. I've used "world" to mean several things that aren't quite the same as "Earth," but it's an odd and inaccurate phrasing the way it's used here.

[NEOWatcher]

I've never used "world" to mean "universe" in my life. I've used "world" to mean several things that aren't quite the same as "Earth," but it's an odd and inaccurate phrasing the way it's used here.

Same thing. I have no rule on using the word "world". But; if I had to narrow it down, I tend to think of what we Earthlings inhabit. So; it can extend toward space, but only to such a small scale that it can not, in any way, extend toward universe.
For example. The ISS is part of our world. The moon landing artifacts are part of our world. Voyager is part of our world. But; none of those imply that their surroundings are part of our world.

If he lost his job over it, my first assumption would be that he worked for the airline, but apparently, I am wrong.

That was my assumption too. What I haven't heard was the company's justification. He has not been proven guilty yet (although, I find it unlikely he isn't).
I applaud the move, but as a company, I would think it would be more of a suspension until the facts have been established. At least from a legal perspective.

[Donnie B.]

If he's not in a union, the company doesn't need to justify anything. It's employment at will (both on the part of the employer and employee).

The exception would be if he were discriminated against in one of a few specific ways, such as his age or race. In this case, though, I think the company could simply say "we don't want our business associated with that sort of behavior" -- meaning the slap, the racial slurs, or both.

No conviction required.

[Tobin Dax]

. . . but it's a bit of a more nebulous concept I think.

I sure hope that was intentional.

[Jeff Root]

I've never used "world" to mean "universe" in my life.

I expect that you have, but you've forgotten. I'm certain
that you've read it used by others to mean "universe".

I've used "world" to mean several things that aren't quite
the same as "Earth," but it's an odd and inaccurate phrasing
the way it's used here.

It is odd, clumsy, and misleading. If it was intended to
mean "Earth", then, yes, it is inaccurate.

My dictionary has a section on synonyms for "earth":

earth is applied to the globe or planet we live on, but
in religious use is opposed to heaven or hell; universe
refers to the whole system of planets, stars, space, etc.,
and to everything that exists in it; world is equivalent
to earth, especially in its relation to man and his
activities, but it is sometimes a generalized synonym for
universe.

I think of "the world" as equivalent to the Greek "cosmos",
and "Earth" as equivalent to the Latin "terra". On the other
hand, Earth, Luna, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and so forth are all
worlds. Science fiction writer David Gerrold titled a book
about the making of the original TV series, "The World of
Star Trek", using "world" in a deliberately ambiguous way.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Gillianren]

I expect that you have, but you've forgotten. I'm certain that you've read it used by others to mean "universe".

As to the first part, why do you assume that? It's incorrect, inaccurate, and unhelpful to use the word in that way, and I wouldn't do it. As to the second, maybe I have, and then I shuddered.

It is odd, clumsy, and misleading. If it was intended to mean "Earth", then, yes, it is inaccurate.

And I can't see how it would mean anything else.

My dictionary has a section on synonyms for "earth":

What dictionary is that?

I think of "the world" as equivalent to the Greek "cosmos", and "Earth" as equivalent to the Latin "terra". On the other hand, Earth, Luna, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and so forth are all worlds. Science fiction writer David Gerrold titled a book about the making of the original TV series, The World of Star Trek, using "world" in a deliberately ambiguous way.

That last isn't quite related. While the "world" of Star Trek covers quite a lot more than a single planet, the concept of "world-building" predates science fiction and refers to how a writer constructs the realm their characters inhabit. In general, I think most people use "the world" most of the time to mean "the Earth." "A world" is a planet. In the original Old English, it meant "the human sphere," roughly. Anything outside Earth wouldn't count as the world, because there were no people there. This is still essentially true, and I think the vast majority of people use it that way. I do not remember ever hearing it used otherwise, and I would have corrected the person who did.

[NEOWatcher]

It's a sad state of affairs when a science reporter doesn't even recognize the difference between the Shuttle, and a Space Station.
horrible weather delays shuttle crews return
Ok; I can see if he's considering the soyuz to be a shuttle, but he should say that. The only time he says the word "shuttle" is in referring to STS.

[Tobin Dax]

The headline might not be the writer's fault, especially considering that she only used the term "shuttle" within the article to refer to the shuttle program. The headline is also accurate on space.com.

[NEOWatcher]

Considering I hear a lot of cars with bad or modified mufflers, I thought I'd check out why this particular one led to it's outcome.
Vermilion: Loud muffler leads police to discover underage alcohol purchase

Yep; all because of a loud muffler. It's not as though any of the following mattered:

Police say an officer noticed a car that appeared to be speeding [...] The car allegedly did not stop at the Jerusalem Road stop sign[...] The car started to speed up quickly, making the tires squeal and the car was noticeably loud. The officer pulled the driver over and discovered fresh cans of beer in the vehicle

But; my real beef (sorry) is the reporting about how meat cuts are being renamed.
It seems like nobody is looking into the facts and reporting based on snippets of information.

Of all the reports I have read, nobody has referenced any kind of chart or translation matrix of what the names are. Is this in preparation for selling a secret meat decoder ring?

This is the one that kind of tipped it for me... Meat labeling: No more butt jokes at the meat counter - No more Chateaubriand, filet mignon
"to make the terms less confusing and less embarrassing to ask for."
I've never heard of anyone embarrassed to ask for certain cuts of meat...

After all, what 12-year-old wants to eat pork butt for dinner?
Who tells their kids what the cut of meat is? I don't know about anyone else, but I've always been told what it is by how it is prepared.
And; speaking of preparation...

Also gone, for sounding too French or too old fashioned: Chateaubriand.
Uhm... Chateaubriand is a way to prepare a tenderloin filet. It is not a cut of meat.

But the favorite steak of millions of Americans, filet mignon, will now be called tenderloin filet, possibly because it sounded too French
or possibly because its a filet that comes from a tenderloin.

And then there's the final sentence...
As always, don't waste your money.
How does this statement relate to the story? Are you telling me I shouldn't waste my money by buying meat?

[Fazor]

I saw the meat-cut story on TV yesterday, and they literally said, "Meat is being renamed because it's considered too confusing. Pork Chops will now be called Porterhouse Chops, Ribeye Chops, and New York Chops."

Yes, much less confusing. Thank you so much.

[Jens]

And then there's the final sentence...
As always, don't waste your money.
How does this statement relate to the story? Are you telling me I shouldn't waste my money by buying meat?

No, they mean you shouldn't waste your money buying their newspaper.

[NEOWatcher]

I saw the meat-cut story on TV yesterday, and they literally said, "Meat is being renamed because it's considered too confusing. Pork Chops will now be called Porterhouse Chops, Ribeye Chops, and New York Chops."
Yes, much less confusing. Thank you so much.

I agree. Why call them chops at all. Has a cow part ever been called a chop? It's all loin.
That's why I want to see a chart. Maybe most of it makes sense, but the snippets I'm getting don't.
And calling it by the city? Yep; clear as mud. I still hesitate between Manhatten and New England... or should I say red and white clam chowder.

[Trebuchet]

Cow parts have most certainly been called chops in the past. It's pretty much out of use now, however. We call them steaks, instead. A full cut pork chop is essentially the same cut as a T-bone steak.