tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post517068335232485906..comments2023-11-03T03:17:27.053-05:00Comments on NPR Check: Q TipsMytwordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307620268159811668noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-20752693828275964932011-04-04T07:49:30.202-05:002011-04-04T07:49:30.202-05:00NPR "journalism" is basically "cook...NPR "journalism" is basically "cookie cutter journalism."<br /><br />They write an opening (shallow) introduction which indicates that there are "two sides" to the issue and then bring in (ideologically driven) "experts" to represent the two sides and just let them talk.<br /><br />No probing questions and certainly no analysis.<br /><br />The ombudsman and others at NPR get FAR more upset when their colleagues stray the slightest bit from this pattern than when they get a story completely wrong as with claims about Iraqi WMD that led to war.<br /><br />In fact, when you stray, you get fired.<br /><br />When you get it completely wrong, you just shrug it off with the excuse that "everyone did".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-81567707830391316722011-04-04T06:01:41.682-05:002011-04-04T06:01:41.682-05:00Report on Social Security this morning (by Scott H...Report on Social Security this morning (by Scott Horsley) and host comments were just awful (Mon. 4/4. <br /><br />Without considering merits of and need for social security cuts now, NPR piece strived for a false equivalence that social security is a Democratic sacred cow. Included Sanders rant without any justification for his position. Wall Street financed Third Wave was included for the "rational" adult Democratic position.<br /><br />At times I wonder how much of NPR's funding comes the financial sector "titans" that also fund Third Wave. But, actually, I don't think that is the source of the problem. NPR reporters and hosts are just stupider (unable to understand even moderately complex ideas) than we thought and reflect all of journalism's modern failings. (See Jay Rosen)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-62533804934612317162011-04-03T21:47:44.974-05:002011-04-03T21:47:44.974-05:00I did not hear the Burnett looting "report,&q...I did not hear the Burnett looting "report," but linked is a trenchant take on the looting versus gov't malfeasance story in Katrina. Yes, parallel cases of gov't malfeasance might be the place a journalist could look in doing a cultural analysis of disaster management, where data could actually support the story.<br /><br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/26/katrina-racism-us-mediaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-25356031427486638972011-04-03T18:44:56.714-05:002011-04-03T18:44:56.714-05:00NPR obviously thinks the Japan nuclear crisis is a...NPR obviously thinks the Japan nuclear crisis is a big joke, actually entitling an article talking about radiation levels in milk <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/31/135015438/got-radiation-only-harmless-traces-found-in-u-s-milk" rel="nofollow">"Got Radiation?"</a> as a play on the Got Milk" commercial.<br /><br />Is this how real journalists behave?<br /><br />Is this the kind of "news" organization that should continue to get public money?<br /><br />Really?<br /><br />If you want to see how a real journalist handles this kind of crisis, read what John Vidal of the Guardian UK has to say. He puts it in context, noting that much of the information at this stage coming from official sources is NOT trustworthy:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/01/fukushima-chernobyl-risks-radiation" rel="nofollow">Nuclear's green cheerleaders forget Chernobyl at our peril</a><br /><br />"We still don't know the final outcome but to hear experts claiming that nuclear radiation is not that serious, or that this accident proves the need for nuclear power, is nothing short of disgraceful." -- John Vidal (Guardian, UK)<br /><br />"The authorities reassure us by saying there is no immediate danger and a few absolutist environmentalists obsessed with nuclear power because of the urgency to limit emissions repeat the industry mantra that only a few people died at Chernobyl – the worst nuclear accident in history. Those who disagree are smeared and put in the same camp as climate change deniers."<br /><br />"I prefer the words of Alexey Yablokov, member of the Russian academy of sciences, and adviser to President Gorbachev at the time of Chernobyl: "When you hear 'no immediate danger' [from nuclear radiation] then you should run away as far and as fast as you can."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-72237096510448302602011-04-03T16:24:31.457-05:002011-04-03T16:24:31.457-05:00Searching for "Tea Party" at NPR produce...<a href="http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=%22tea+party%22" rel="nofollow">Searching</a> for "Tea Party" at NPR produces about 2,090 results, including this mornings, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/04/03/135075539/from-the-tea-party-mixed-views-on-libya" rel="nofollow">From the Tea Party: Mixed Views on Libya</a> which included this unchallenged gem akin to "Govt hands off my Medicare!":<br /><br><i>David Show of Uniontown, Pa., said he doesn't like the U.S. taking a back seat to NATO.<br /><br />"It's great to have the other countries involved with it, but when it boils down to it, we are the country that's done the great things in the world," he said. "We are the leaders, and that's a role we still have to have."</i><br /><br>Contrast that with a <a href="http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=%22code+pink%22" rel="nofollow">search for Code Pink</a>, which produces about 32 results. <br /><br>Not a breath about how <a href="http://whowhatwhy.com/2011/04/01/%E2%80%9Cgrassroots%E2%80%9D-fraud-suits-corporations-to-a-tea/" rel="nofollow">Fraud Suits Corporations to a Tea</a>geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-92103452535665334392011-04-03T11:44:35.745-05:002011-04-03T11:44:35.745-05:00Liasson blames the internet! "This isn't ...Liasson blames the internet! "This isn't something we'd pay attention to," she says.<br /><br /><br />I just did a quick search at npr.org. There are no less than 12 stories that have aired about Pastor Jones.Archtypehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08227512272573153066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-5458103178369951592011-04-02T22:03:33.764-05:002011-04-02T22:03:33.764-05:00It's clear as day that TEPCO is being pressure...It's clear as day that TEPCO is being pressured by the Japanese government to say that their radiation measurements might have been "wrong" (software glitches, etc).<br /><br />In all seriousness, measuring radiation is really not difficult.<br /><br />The idea that all the high radiation measurements are simply "errors" is just total bullshit.<br /><br />The fact of the matter is, the Japanese government has a HUGE incentive to the lowball the magnitude of the Fukushima disaster.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-48945659825659511492011-04-02T13:23:59.459-05:002011-04-02T13:23:59.459-05:002.
What’s more, NPR has become a very expensive o...2.<br /><br />What’s more, NPR has become a very expensive operation to sustain. They used to be a good little earner of ‘alternative prestige’, with very low overhead. We know how readily this appealed to the Corporates as an avenue into ‘thinking people’s minds. However, it’s 2011 now. Cheney-ist no-sin deficit spending is vaporware, and Lloyd Blankfein & Co, still demand their bonuses. If the BBC has made massive cutbacks, and ABC hacked off a huge percentage of its news staff, why should NPR remain sacred? Time to dunk a tea bag in their Morning Edition mug and squeeze all the life out of it, as it were. Not even the Koch Brothers are gonna wanna fund some ramshackle outfit just for ‘prestige’ when they’ve got Fox News – or whatever OTHER, more odious mutation comes down the block - as more effective vehicles that reach far more people. That’s one of the very few good things about ruthless capitalism: sometimes the true rubbish withers and dies of its own accord.<br /><br />NPR is fast becoming a mere annoyance that serious listeners won’t even bother with. With new apps appearing hourly via other devices (I’ve said it before), why would you even bother with NPR anymore? And with their supposed agent of rebirth and reinvention, Viv Shill-er now gone, who’s gonna be able to keep ‘em in the Promised Land high-rent district? Any upcoming clever media person with exciting ideas wouldn’t touch an NPR opportunity with an insulated hundred foot pole, except possibly as a Friedman Time Unit ‘learning experience’ before dumping it and moving on. What’s the alternative? Even MORE mediocre management, before it’s down-the-drain time, you can be sure.<br /><br />(If I was an NPR exec, I’d at least have covert talks with Amy Goodman or equivalent, for ideas, if nothing else – and there WOULD be nothing else, I’m certain.)<br /><br />Prediction for a future Wikipædia entry: ‘NPR was a mainstream media clip-joint that ran from c. 1970 to 2012…’ Or something like that. Of course the NPR superstar stalwarts will be bitter, and feel cheated, and wonder how it all happened. That’s the curse of NOT admitting that you’re in a competitive, commercial game: vanity, entitlement, and thinking you’re ‘special’ are all self-delusional. I almost feel sorry for them, but they as a unit – with very few exceptions – have failed. Time to get on with it.<br /><br />So that’s my send-off to you, NPR. No bitter obscenities necessary. No Ed Murrow sign-offs with good wishes, either. Lots more could be said, but you already know it all.<br /><br />And ye who guard this blessed blog, strength to all for the job ahead, and best of Murrow luck!Porter Melmothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473990960543501439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-24350963722812429362011-04-02T13:23:27.942-05:002011-04-02T13:23:27.942-05:00Sorry to ruin anyone’s post-Simonized glow of a Sa...Sorry to ruin anyone’s post-Simonized glow of a Saturday, but here goes…<br /><br />Yeah, I skimmed that limp ‘defense’ of NPR that Ms Shepherd made (even though she insists she doesn’t defend anyone but herself). Typical wimpy sullenness from a network that’s never been known for toughness or grit, except when self-promoted. (Aside: I find it curious that supposedly hip NPR retains the term ‘Ombudsman’ “with Alicia Shepherd”!!! - she does kind of talk like a guy - instead of the more PC ‘Ombudsperson’; their true conservatism is showing!) As usual (s)he sounds like a spoiled child whose ice cream cone has dropped in the dirt. Very NPR… The Om has spoken! Does anyone really care?<br /><br />As usual, I’m left with the ‘how low broadcasting has sunk’ cliché. That’s why I’m not bothering with direct NPR contact anymore. It’s tedious and boring, and so predictable. OF COURSE NPR’s gonna be lousy. That’s what they ARE.<br /><br />I have to keep reminding myself: irreplaceable time is better utilized elsewhere. I would brand their home station as WOT (Waste of Time, natch). Right now the only thing NPR has going for it is their stranglehold on accessibility – the quick turn-on of the radio. But so what? You can get the NYT in Tuttle, ND, but readership is still tanking. People are moving on to other stuff.<br /><br />In NPR’s case it’s content: cheesy personalities who aren’t lovable in the least, who now face irrelevance and unnecessary presence. Why should anyone be loyal? For the longest time they enjoyed a comfy little niche, but then they made the bid for the fast lane, where there just isn’t room enough for a diversity of players. NPR never was up to the task of posing as one of the Big Boys. They don’t have the ‘stuff’, either journalistically or in the sleaze department. Indeed, they’re sleazy, but not ‘smart’ sleazy. They think they’re smart, but in fact they’re just tiresome products of privilege that feel entitled to be regarded with not only respect, but astounding success as well. They rely on a reputation for ‘excellence’ that’s based on very few examples of quality. Even more glaring is that their alleged success has actually ruined them. High salaries have ensured that mediocrity runs from management all the way down.Porter Melmothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473990960543501439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-69243056509097570392011-04-02T13:19:50.906-05:002011-04-02T13:19:50.906-05:00I hear ya, Grumps. O'hanlon sounds like a car...I hear ya, Grumps. O'hanlon sounds like a caricature of General Warlove.geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-72860410179190334072011-04-02T13:14:35.581-05:002011-04-02T13:14:35.581-05:00As to Sheepheard's histrionics
While it's ...As to Sheepheard's histrionics<br /><br><i>While it's never been my job to defend NPR, this is a moment when I will since I have a front row seat behind the scenes at NPR.</i><br /><br>...but, all she has ever done is defend NPR. Maybe she does that part on a volunteer basis?geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-18875479264500518162011-04-02T13:10:56.575-05:002011-04-02T13:10:56.575-05:00Dr. Michio Kaku does a science program called &quo...Dr. Michio Kaku does a science program called "Explorations" which airs on Pacifica. Listen to <a href="http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/68614" rel="nofollow">his assessment of Fukushima</a> to get a feeling of what honest, dispassionate reporting might sound like. It's the very first part of the program.geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-55980876161839586352011-04-02T11:27:23.333-05:002011-04-02T11:27:23.333-05:00To Simonize: To airbrush as much real news out of...To Simonize: To airbrush as much real news out of a news "magazine" and frame what little remains in terms of righteous American Exceptionalism. Then stuff the yawning gaps with gaudy puff fluff.geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-86829842940669640632011-04-01T16:23:49.056-05:002011-04-01T16:23:49.056-05:00Ombots latest is hysterical. http://tinyurl.com/3p...Ombots latest is hysterical. http://tinyurl.com/3pe6m4zAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-74257609301710792542011-04-01T15:41:37.478-05:002011-04-01T15:41:37.478-05:00Following up on Larry's comment bout Negropont...Following up on Larry's comment bout Negroponte. It's like NPR is having a contest to get every failed Bushie to comment on Libya, of course NPR never asked why Bush normalized relations with Libya (Anwer: "I'll take 'Thing Texas Oil Companies Want' for $300 Alex").<br /><br />Anyone else notice failed expert Michale O'Hanlon was used again on yesterday's ATC.<br /> <br />Really NPR? Really? Using discredited (outside the Beltway at least) Michael O'Hanlon AGAIN?<br /><br />"O'Hanlon and some other analysts are now no longer predicting a fight that will end in a matter of days or a matter of months, but possibly years."<br /><br />Let's review Mr. O'Halon's record, he's now 3 for 3:<br /><br />-He was wrong about Iraq.<br />-He was wrong about Afghanistan.<br />-He's now wrong about Libya.<br /><br />(Bonus: He was also wrong on DADT too.)<br /><br />Yet NPR will undoubtedly use him again and again no matter how many time he fails. <br /><br />My guess is as long as an "expert" recites the GOP approved Right Wing pro-military meme of the day, they will be used by NPR as a source for "wisdom" on America's military exercises.<br /><br />NPR would rather be Right Wing in its reporting than actually be right in the facts. Or does NPR just admire O'Hanlon perfection, he's always 100% wrong on everything. Maybe they just ran out of ex-Bushies to pontificate. <br /><br />In NPR's defense, maybe it has a attraction to failed chicken hawk war cheerleaders: "I wish I knew how to quit you."<br /><br />Glen Greenwald described O'Hanlon be:<br /><br />[O'Hanlon] "specializes in establishing himself as a "testosterone-laden tough guy" by cheerleading for wars and urging that we send other people off to fight them -- all from the safety and comfort of his Brookings office."<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/02/02/o_hanlon<br /><br /><br />Also, demi-rant: What's with NPR never, never, ever, mentioning Bush normalized relations with Libya and then sold him close to $50 million in weapons? Yeah, I know NPR is a memory hole.<br /><br />It's Friday! Greetings to all my fellow "NPR Fools" for me it's on to some vino.<br /><br />-GD<br /> NPR.org nom de plume "Modest Egotist (Dances with typos)"GRUMPY DEMOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076837066633851919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-69208438643063754962011-04-01T15:15:09.033-05:002011-04-01T15:15:09.033-05:00yesterday morning I caught a whif of the propagand...yesterday morning I caught a whif of the propaganda as john negroponte mentioned 'slaughtering civilians', immediately followed by a c.i.a. asset at George Washington University mentioning the 'slaughtering of civilians', which happens to be the exact same phrase BHO has used. Leaving aside the absolute irony of john negroponte's concern for the 'slaughtering of civilians', when three 'experts' come up with the same tag line, one knows one's being had.larry, dfhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-14093497171175085352011-04-01T14:48:13.903-05:002011-04-01T14:48:13.903-05:00By the way, still nothing from NPR on Rhee.By the way, still nothing from NPR on Rhee.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-37067042042832822192011-04-01T14:35:37.226-05:002011-04-01T14:35:37.226-05:00Got to agree with MTWords.
While its bad enough t...Got to agree with MTWords.<br /><br />While its bad enough to over-hype the Tea Birthers like NPR did. I think they may be even over stated the attendance numbers.<br /><br />NPR said "hundreds" while Bloomberg reports "dozens of Tea Party supporters gathered outside the Capitol today."<br /><br />http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-31/republicans-promise-at-tea-party-rally-to-stand-firm-on-spending.htmlGRUMPY DEMOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076837066633851919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-83819050304099219822011-04-01T12:52:52.058-05:002011-04-01T12:52:52.058-05:00Once again, NPR is "disappearing" storie...Once again, NPR is "disappearing" stories.<br /><br />Two stories by the same authors came out of AP today.<br /><br />One was entitled <a href="http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/01/general-as-japan-earthquake_8385814.html" rel="nofollow">"Japan nuke plant leaks radiation into groundwater"</a><br /><br />But that story (which WAS on the NPR website but is no longer accessible) has now been "Displaced" by <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/04/01/135031297/japan-nuke-plant-leaks-radiation-into-groundwater" rel="nofollow">"Japan Utility Ordered To Review Radiation Figures"</a> <br /><br />The two articles give quite different impressions:<br /><br />The first is quite alarming.<br /><br />The second raises the question of whether the TEPCO numbers are reliable.<br /><br /><br />From "Japan nuke plant leaks radiation into groundwater" includes the following quotes:<br /><br /><i>"TOKYO, Japan -- Radiation exceeding government safety limits has seeped into groundwater under a tsunami-crippled Japanese nuclear plant, according to the operator, but experts said Friday that it was unlikely to contaminate drinking supplies.<br /><br />"The groundwater contamination was found in concentrations 10,000 times higher than the government standard for the plant. The iodine-131, a radioactive substance that decays quickly, was nearly 50 feet (15 meters) below one of the reactors, according to TEPCO spokesman Naoyuki Matsumo."</i><br /><br />But you can no longer read that story at NPR because NPR has broken the link!<br /><br />If you go to <a href="http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=leaks+radiation+into+groundwater" rel="nofollow">this NPR page</a>, which shows the results of an NPR site search on "leaks radiation into groundwater", it shows two articles with the same "base URL" <br /><br />http://www.npr.org/2011/04/01/135031297/japan-nuke-plant-leaks-radiation-into-groundwater<br /><br />But the article from which the base URL was obviously taken <br />"Japan nuke plant leaks radiation into groundwater" is no longer accessible and the link for that article now takes you to the article<br /><br />"Japan Utility Ordered To Review Radiation Figures" <br /><br />Note the "ps=rs" after the URL.<br /><br />Now, I have no problem with NPR reporting that some Japanese government officials have raised questions about the TEPCO numbers.<br /><br />But PRESENT all the information. <br /><br />None of this "disappearing" previous articles crap.<br /><br />And at the very LEAST, NPR should place the latest "Japan Utility Ordered To Review Radiation Figures" in context to give some perspective.<br />For example, NPR should be looking at outside monitoring to see what it says about likely radiation levels coming from Fukushima.<br /><br />If one does this, one finds that there is reason to believe that there IS INDEED a lot of radiation being released into the environment by the nuclear plants (is that really surprising given that several reactors have experienced at least partial meltdowns and that at least one of the containments may be cracked and that spent fuel pools lost coolant water for some time?)<br /><br />Examples <br /><a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20305-caesium-fallout-from-fukushima-rivals-chernobyl.html" rel="nofollow">Caesium fallout from Fukushima rivals Chernobyl</a> and this <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20324-iaea-says-fukushima-fallout-warrants-more-evacuation.html" rel="nofollow">IAEA says Fukushima fallout warrants more evacuation </a> and this <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20285-fukushima-radioactive-fallout-nears-chernobyl-levels.html" rel="nofollow">Fukushima radioactive fallout nears Chernobyl levels</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-60429058828776032012011-04-01T08:06:57.633-05:002011-04-01T08:06:57.633-05:00The Ron Schiller affair showed that NPR is like th...The Ron Schiller affair showed that NPR is like the wife or girlfriend in an abusive relationship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-46618381946800692142011-04-01T06:14:59.252-05:002011-04-01T06:14:59.252-05:00This morning (Fri) makes THREE major NPR news feat...This morning (Fri) makes THREE major NPR news features on a rally of "a few hundred" tea party extremists - I've posted it in my Tweets (see sidebar) and commented on NPR's site. Arrggggg.Mytwordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04307620268159811668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-30322919090931378112011-03-31T23:11:08.982-05:002011-03-31T23:11:08.982-05:00KCRW is the Santa Monica (SoCal) station with a re...KCRW is the Santa Monica (SoCal) station with a repeater out here in the Coachella Valley, so I listen either to that one or KPCC (Pasadena City College), which also broadcasts out here. Neither one has any local news worth its salt. KCRW has Warren Olney, who started the program Which Way LA after the Rodney King riots - but its modus operandus is to get AEI idiots to debate Cato Institute idiots. Warren has responded to my complaints by saying, "But these are the experts, we need to hear them." Shit. KPCC has some lady who does something similar - neither one has a budget that provides for reporters to go to the state capital and find out what's going on. The net result is completely uninformed public too apathetic to even bother voting most of the time. VERY FRUSTRATING!<br /><br>And when they get their 3 minutes of "local news" during the ATC or ME programs it's always with a tentative tremulous voice which you can sense is thinking to itself, "Gosh, I wish I had sonorous tonsils of a Rene Moneydame or Steve Ingotskeep."geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04300772545812600392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-34003069227097567252011-03-31T12:38:11.583-05:002011-03-31T12:38:11.583-05:00Over at Altercation, they do a break down of NPR&#...Over at Altercation, they do a break down of NPR's (not an)Ombudsman statements about journalism (scroll down):<br /><br />"I recommend checking out NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard’s Washington Post webchat. It presents a near-perfect distillation of the current conventional wisdom about modern media ethics and its obsession with hiding reporters’ personal beliefs. Indeed, read through Shepard’s answers to the online questions and it becomes evident that her real beef with NPR executive Ron Schiller is his violation of this supposed code of journalistic omerta."<br /><br />Pretty good description of NPR's "view from no where".<br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/blog/159173/money-talkingGRUMPY DEMOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076837066633851919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-24027727397755685152011-03-31T10:32:48.543-05:002011-03-31T10:32:48.543-05:00Patrick:
Some of the looting after katrina was un...Patrick:<br /><br />Some of the looting after katrina was undoubtedly real (documented with video footage from various news sources).<br /><br />But my point above is that what Burnett is doing in this case is essentially drawing rather sweeping comparisons between the two cases based on what is not even close to being "scientific" evidence -- and simply assuming that "culture" is the deciding factor in what he PERCEIVES (based largely on hearsay evidence) to be a significant difference.<br /><br />That makes his ramblings little more than worthless nonsense, or "stupid", as your fiance' put it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-80771586169581833412011-03-31T09:26:46.924-05:002011-03-31T09:26:46.924-05:00An additional comment on the John Burnett story. I...An additional comment on the John Burnett story. It struck me as I listened to it that he is quite likely the source of all these rumours about looting and burglary. He seemed almost desperate to find people acting like barbarians. I guess it isn't exciting to find generally unselfish people looking out for each other.<br /><br />The story after that about the film score composers was probably bewildering to the subjects being interviewed as MonFeign used her tone of moral outrage on one of the composers as she could not comprehend why anyone would recast a Radiohead song into a choral piece sung by children which incidentally made the piece far better than the original. I didn't hear the whole piece as I was listening to my fiancee's comments about the Japanese looting story which she thought was stupid.Patrick Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12398291623086774963noreply@blogger.com