The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Earnhardt Jr. takes centre stage at Daytona 500

Earnhardt has never won the “The Great American Race” but, having left DEI, the team founded by his late father, at the end of last season he is confident that he can break his duck with the sport’s dominant team.

As an avid Nascar fan it is very disheartening when when people do not give my favorite sport the same respect they give the NFL or NBA or other sports. Check your facts. Dale Jr. has in fact won the Daytona 500. The year was 2004. These facts can be found simply by googling past Daytona 500 champions.

Matt C.

Several readers noticed this one. We corrected: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo of 2004 finish by Charles W. Luzier 

Picnic site blast kills over 80 Afghans

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed more than 80 people at a picnic spot in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Sunday in the most deadly attack since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, the government said.

They were not picnicing, they were murdering dogs. I hope you get your priorities straight, I usually rely on you for my news.

Chris F.

Several readers objected to our use of the “picnic site” angle in the headline and lead. It would have been more relevant to have referred to the dog fight that was being held, which we mentioned further down in the story: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Ismail Sameem

Bush starts Africa trip with call for Kenya deal

Bush, who was accompanied by his wide Laura, is avoiding Africa’s conflict hotspots and visiting five states carefully chosen to show a different face from the poverty-plagued and war-stricken continent normally portrayed by the world’s media.

I noticed a quite funny, but perhaps offensive (to some), typo. You are referring to my president’s wife as “wide.” Thanks for the giggle.

And thank you very, very much for the great news (this part is serious).

Shane 

Ouch. We fixed it: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Jim Young

British Moon probe wins UK-NASA backing

LONDON (Reuters) - A plan for the first British-led mission to the Moon won the backing of an Anglo-American space committee on Friday

Potential targets for the MoonLITE probes include the Moon’s permanently dark far side and its two shadowed polar regions.

The far side of the moon is, of course, not permanently dark, it’s just facing away from us. When the side that’s facing us is dark, the far side is in full sun. It goes from light to dark to light again every 28 days.

Al

Several readers called this to our attention. We corrected: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Mario Anzuoni

A Golden Labrador Retriever is judged during competition at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, February 12, 2008. REUTERS

Tell your photographer that there is no such beast as a “golden” Labrador Retriever. There is a Golden Retriever, which is a separate breed. The caption is for a picture of a YELLOW Labrador Retriever. Labs come in three colors - black, chocolate (not liver or brown) and yellow.

G.F.

Thanks. Two wonderful breeds of dogs, but as you say, two different breeds. We corrected: GBU Editor

U.N.’s Ban condemns shooting of E. Timor president 

I noticed this article refers to Ban Ki-Moon by his first name. It is inappropriate to refer to someone who is respected by his or her first name only. This is one of the world’s most pre-eminent leaders and it is more appropriate to refer to him by his surname when only one name is used.

Z.L.

Ban Ki-Moon is South Korean. Ban IS his surname: GBU Editor

REUTERS/Bernat Armangue/Pool

Obama takes on rivals over economic woes

“We believe it’s next to impossible for Senator Clinton to close that pledged delegate count,” said David Poufs, Osama’s campaign manager. “The only way she could do it is winning most of the rest of the contests by 25 to 30 points.”

The New York senator dismissed Osama’s criticism over the economy, saying his plans fell short on extending health care to all Americans, on dealing with the mortgage crisis and expanding the use of renewable energy.

I am sure it’s a simple typo, but please be aware that Sen. Barack Obama was referred to as “Osama” in the article. Luckily the error was buried on the third page of the story, but I still hope you are able to correct it quickly and that the story is not sent out this way to print publications. Thanks for your prompt attention and for your good work in other respects.

L.K.

Your online story titled “Obama takes on rivals over economic woes” has many incorrect references to Obama as Osama. Not once, or twice but three times or maybe more. For a reputable source like Reuters I’m dissapointed in these sloppy errors.

Thanks for making the corrections.

S.T.

The name was fine in most versions of this story, but was changed several times in the online version due to human error. We corrected, but lots of people noticed: GBU Editor 

REUTERS photo byJohn Gress

Prince William and pals run up huge bill

By the end of the evening, the bill was a whopping 1,300 pounds ($2,600), picked up by one of William’s friends

Let me re-write this NEWS for you…Prince William and 47 of his friends spent a whopping £27 each on a recent visit to a eatery.

In other ‘Latest’ news my cat and lamb and chicken for breakfast this morning…

Mark 

Whopping bill? Just over £26 per head for a major curry fest? Bollocks - that is seriously good value. I live in the middle of the countryside and we certainly would pay that for 2 courses with drink - no wonder celebrities mistrust the press.

If you really think that is a huge bill then I do wonder what Reuters staff spend when they go out with their friends. Pick on someone your own size.

F.R.

A number of readers objected to the implication that this bill was somehow whopping. It may have been large, but not when one considers how many people were eating: GBU Editor 

REUTERS photo by Darren Staples

Is that the final news?

Alinea

No. That is an advance version of the story that was posted prematurely through a combination of human and technical error.

We pulled down this version when we discovered it, and later filed the proper story: GBU Editor

Mon-farm productivity rises 1.8 percent

Don’t think is is correct. It should be Non-farm.

Encycloman

Of course. What sharp eyes you have. That was only up for scant minutes before we corrected: GBU Editor