Here We Go Again

"People everywhere confuse what they read in the newspapers with news."

       - A.J. Liebling, journalist (1904 - 1963)

On 10/16/03 I linked to a Washington Post article about our soldiers' morale in Iraq.  While reading Glenn Reynold's InstaPundit, I became aware of a military wife, Sarah Walters, who takes exception in her post, "Speak of the Devil, And He Shows Up...," to the paper's coverage of the Stars and Stripes survey.  It's worth a read even though it is a bit long.  Her plea:

"Skip the Washington Post and read the news directly from the Stars and Stripes.  They let you draw the conclusions yourself and don't editorialize with headlines like 'Many Troops Dissatisfied.' "

There were seven articles in the Stars and Stripes.  The Post took the first three, sifted most of the positive aspects out, and presented a negative view of troop morale on the front.  This made Mrs. Walters furious.  I'll have to say it makes me a little angry too.  But, hey, what do you expect?  It's big media's mission these days to paint as bleak a picture of the Iraqi situation as possible. 

Man seems fascinated with erecting tall buildings.  Thanks to the Drudge Report I see that Taiwan now lays claim to having the world's tallest.  It's 1,676 feet tall, eclipsing the 1,483 foot Petronas Towers in Malaysia by 193 feet. 

But wait.  The Chinese, of recent manned spaceflight fame, say they are building one even taller.  It's in the Shanghai World Financial Center and will dethrone the Taiwan structure in 2007.  Stay tuned.