Poynter Blog Network » Reporting, Writing & Editing http://poynter.blognetnews.com/writing/ Poynter Blog Network » Reporting, Writing & Editing blognetwork.poynter.org en Words at Work: Another Use for Books http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/fenX/~3/YGbVkyLwjl8/another-use-for-books.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:24:00 -0500 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/fenX/~3/YGbVkyLwjl8/another-use-for-books.html Laurie Hertzel, books editor at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, is running an office book sale for the next few days. All proceeds go to the ACES scholarship fund. Thank you, Laurie! Great way to  use leftover books.


[...] ]]> Untold Stories: The Gulf Stream http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/the-gulf-stream.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:09:32 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/the-gulf-stream.html Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Brysac, for the Pulitzer Center



Billboard_kerala

Trivandrum, November 30 -- ?Kerala is a consuming society, not a producing society,? we were told by an expatriate Keralite before we left the United States. Abraham George is a businessman- philanthropist, an acute observer of [...] ]]> Untold Stories: Nunavut: Two worlds collide http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/nunavut-two-worlds-collide.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:55:30 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/nunavut-two-worlds-collide.html

Just fifty years ago, the people of Igloolik, Nunavut were nomads. Today, Linda Matchan reports from Igloolik, examining the young people of the Igloolik community who cope as tradition collides with education and the modern world.

[...] ]]> Writing Tools: Angel vs. Devil on How Tiger Woods' Accident Should Be Covered http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=174182 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:56:49 -0500 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=174182
One side of me opposes capital [...] ]]> Untold Stories: Kenya: Fighting drought the traditional way http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/kenya-fighting-drought-the-traditional-way.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:52:36 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/12/kenya-fighting-drought-the-traditional-way.html

Philip Brasher, for the Pulitzer Center

DanMaize

It remains to be seen whether genetically modified crops will ever be grown in east Africa, but in the meantime scientists already are reporting some success with improving the drought tolerance of corn, known here as maize, the old-fashion way, [...] ]]> Al's Morning Meeting: Pew Study Finds Recession Delaying Marriages, Births and Independent Living http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174113 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:03:59 -0500 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174113 the recession is strongly altering how younger adults live. The Journalism Center on Children & Families explained the U.S. Census Bureau figures behind the report:

"Approximately 15 percent of adults younger than 35 [...] ]]> Gangrey.com: No Country For Old Typewriters http://gangrey.com/2274 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:12:20 -0500 http://gangrey.com/2274 [...] ]]> The Engine Room: 'Thousands of Vicks spray recalled' http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/engineroom/~3/QgcKa7dI6_k/thousands-of-vicks-spray-recalled.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:10:00 -0500 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/engineroom/~3/QgcKa7dI6_k/thousands-of-vicks-spray-recalled.html I like BBC News, I really do. But I did spot this recently:

Thousands of Vicks spray recalled
"Thousands of Vicks spray recalled" - shouldn't that be 'sprays'?

The headline on the story currently reads "Procter & Gamble recalls 120,000 Vicks nasal sprays" [...] ]]> Working With Words: Bringing Your Own ... http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/12/bringing-your-own-light-to-darkness-i.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:01:00 -0500 http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/12/bringing-your-own-light-to-darkness-i.html Bringing Your Own
Light to the Darkness

'I decided to love my way through the darkness of the world.'
--Cornel West, from his new memoir, Brother West: Living & Loving Out Loud. [...] ]]> headsup: the blog: Thick and fast they came at last http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/thick-and-fast-they-came-at-last.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:26:00 -0500 http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/thick-and-fast-they-came-at-last.html Today's sociolinguistics lesson: How many words does journalism have for "snow"?

After 13 years of plowing the sidewalks of 240 apartments on 20 acres in Detroit, Geraghty, 54, said he is grateful for any November without an accumulation of white stuff.

Bzaaaaaaaaat! Sit down, Detroit Free Press. [...] ]]> The Grammarphobia Blog: The genuine article http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/12/genuine-article.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:10:00 -0500 http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/12/genuine-article.html
[...] ]]> Al's Morning Meeting: Resources for Localizing Obama's New Afghanistan Strategy http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174071 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174071 send 30,000 or so additional troops. According to the Christian Science Monitor, he will also [...] ]]> alex gallafent: welcome http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/welcome/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:57:20 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/welcome/ [...] ]]> alex gallafent: who cares about the maldives? http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/who-cares-about-the-maldives/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:49:45 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/who-cares-about-the-maldives/ [...] ]]> alex gallafent: british vampires rule http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/british-vampires-rule/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:37:51 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/british-vampires-rule/ [...] ]]> alex gallafent: zen archery in nyc http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/zen-archery-in-nyc/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:31:37 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/zen-archery-in-nyc/ [...] ]]> alex gallafent: black sea hotel http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/black-sea-hotel/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:25:35 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/black-sea-hotel/ [...] ]]> alex gallafent: boom, bust & bertolt brecht http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/boom-bust-bertolt-brecht/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:16:04 -0500 http://gallafent.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/boom-bust-bertolt-brecht/ [...] ]]> The Engine Room: BBC News promoting unavailable content http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/engineroom/~3/GUOe9PQjjRo/bbc-news-promoting-unavailable-content.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:44:00 -0500 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/engineroom/~3/GUOe9PQjjRo/bbc-news-promoting-unavailable-content.html So I was reading a Robert Peston blog post on the BBC News website when I spotted what looked like an interesting article being promoted in the sidebar:

Link in sidebar of Robert Peston's blog

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link [...] ]]> Untold Stories: Kenya: Wild elephants won?t stop GMOs http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/-kenya-wild-elephants-wont-stop-gmos.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:12:35 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/-kenya-wild-elephants-wont-stop-gmos.html

Philip Brasher, for the Pulitzer Center

SarahElliott_DMRegister01

In some parts of the world, biotech companies have had to worry about keeping environmental activists out of their research plots. Companies can ill afford to have these big-money experiments ruined. Here in Kenya, scientists have a different worry - [...] ]]> Al's Morning Meeting: Seasonal Jobs Harder to Get This Holiday Season http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174008 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:08:32 -0500 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=174008
It is going to be a [...] ]]> Gangrey.com: And The Pursuit Of Happiness http://gangrey.com/2273 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:12:27 -0500 http://gangrey.com/2273 [...] ]]> Working With Words: A Note to Eric Fingerhut: This Think ... http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/note-to-eric-fingerhut-this-think-tank.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:23:00 -0500 http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/note-to-eric-fingerhut-this-think-tank.html A Note to Eric Fingerhut: This Think Tank
Gives Ohio Mostly C's in School Innovation

The Center for American Progress state-by-state report card gives Ohio mostly C's in innovation. That can't be good news to Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. On the other hand, [...] ]]> The Grammarphobia Blog: Free thinking http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/11/free-thinking.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:10:00 -0500 http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/11/free-thinking.html
A: They're both OK now, though "for free" apparently arose in the 1940s out of a confused conflation of "free" and "for nothing."

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) describes "for free" as [...] ]]> Blogslot: Ambush? Why Not 'Conflagration'? Or 'Gefiltefish'? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/billwalsh/~3/tGZq5-PdKvI/ambush-why-not-conflagration-or.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:31:00 -0500 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/billwalsh/~3/tGZq5-PdKvI/ambush-why-not-conflagration-or.html
Clearly, the horrible attack on police officers in Washington state was not an ambush. No accounts have the gunman hiding in the coffee bar waiting to spring out and shoot the officers.

But a police spokesman used the word "ambush," and it's a more interesting [...] ]]> Al's Morning Meeting: How to Report the Crisis Among Foster Kids Who 'Age Out' http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=173876 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:04:27 -0500 http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=173876 Spacer Corner Tab RELATED
Corner Tab Spacer Spacer Recession Affects Kids Leaving Foster Care

Inside Foster Care: A 3-Year Detroit Free Press Project
Spacer Spacer Stories about foster care have to be [...] ]]> headsup: the blog: Identification: How to get it wrong http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/identification-how-to-get-it-wrong.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:43:00 -0500 http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/identification-how-to-get-it-wrong.html Tell us about those suspects, Fair 'n' Balanced Network:

There are two suspects, one male and one black male, q13Fox.com reported.

So in Fox World (you can attribute it to the local affiliate all you like, but when you put it on the foxnews.com Web site, you [...] ]]> Untold Stories: God's Own Country http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/gods-own-country.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:57:30 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/gods-own-country.html Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Brysac, for the Pulitzer Center



Gods_country God's Own Country



Kochi (Cochin), November 27 --In the 1990?s, the wordsmiths in New Delhi struck upon ?Incredible India? as shorthand for the world?s most populous democracy. Not to be outdone, Kerala?s rulers rebranded their state [...] ]]> Untold Stories: Kenya: Testing ground for GMOs http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/kenya-testing-ground-for-gmos.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:37:03 -0500 http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/11/kenya-testing-ground-for-gmos.html Philip Brasher, for the Pulitzer Center

 DTMaizeCIMMYT 001

What happens here in Kenya could change the way the world views genetically modified food. Whether it really makes a positive difference in the lives of Africans remains to be seen. Why is Kenya key? The first reason is [...] ]]> headsup: the blog: Lede of the day: Wheaties test! http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/lede-of-day-wheaties-test.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:02:00 -0500 http://headsuptheblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/lede-of-day-wheaties-test.html You'd like to think some weary copy editor took up his (or her) dinted blade and went after this one out of a sheer sense of duty, fully expecting to be slapped down for his or her troubles:

Google the words Charlie Crist and [...] ]]> Words at Work: Primum non nocere http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/fenX/~3/T83BTqxPLRI/primum-non-nocere.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:58:00 -0500 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/fenX/~3/T83BTqxPLRI/primum-non-nocere.html A Columbia University statistics professor is complaining about a copy editor who changed all of his "for example" usages to "e.g." Aside from adherence to a stylebook or to save every possible bit of space, I'm not sure why someone would do that  but I wouldn't knock it on the [...] ]]> The Grammarphobia Blog: Pushing the etymology http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/11/pushing-etymology.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:10:00 -0500 http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/11/pushing-etymology.html [...] ]]> Working With Words: Taking Joy in the Merit of Others http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/taking-joy-in-merit-of-others-who-is.html Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:15:00 -0500 http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/taking-joy-in-merit-of-others-who-is.html Taking Joy in the Merit of Others

'Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own.'
--Goethe. You can review earlier mentions of the German poet and mystic here and here.[...] ]]>