Fireworks light up the sky over Malaysia’s landmark Seri Saujana Bridge in the administrative capital of Putrajaya outside Kuala Lumpur September 2, 2007. REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad
 

This can’t be real. It looks too perfect. I’m surprised this got by the photo editors without the tag ‘illustration’ attached to it.

Lamplight

Thanks. In this instance, we’ll take “too perfect” as a compliment to the photographer. The shot was not manipulated in any way.  Like most good fireworks pictures, a long exposure of several seconds was used, to capture multiple bursts of fireworks. Actually, I like the one below, from the same shoot, even more: GBU Editor

Starbucks opens first coffee shop in Russia

Alyona Mikhailova, 34, placed Russia’s first official Starbucks order, for a venti, or medium, cappuccino.

This is incorrect as Venti is actually the large size in Starbucks’ lineup. Grande is the medium size.

P.P.

We corrected: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Alexander Natruskin

A horse-drawn carriage travels through the 1.2 km-long passageway known as the Siq in the ancient city of Petra August 29, 2007. The Siq is a single block of sandstone rock that was rent apart by tectonic forces. Petra in Jordan was recently named among the modern-day seven wonders of the world chosen in a poll of 100 million online voters. REUTERS/Steve Crisp

Fabulous pictures from Steve in Petra.

L.G.

Yes, it made a great slideshow, which may be found here: GBU Editor

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti morre aos 71 anos

Nascido em 1935, o tenor teve um pai banqueiro que gostava de cantar e uma mãe que trabalhava em uma fábrica de cigarros. As pessoas de Modena, uma cidade provincial ao norte da Itália, ficaram de luto pela morte de um homem que permaneceu ligado a suas raízes mesmo sendo um superstar.

I was reading Reuters’story about Pavarotti’s death at Brazilian Yahoo and realized, that Pavarotti’s father’s profession had been translated from “baker” to “banker,” giving a completely different background for the famous tenor.

Jose

Yes. We corrected: GBU Editor

President George W. Bush (C) poses with members of the Australian military during a visit to Garden Island navel base before the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Sydney September 5, 2007. REUTERS/Pool

You have a photo appearing on Yahoo that contains a misspelling in the caption (naval/navel). It could be that they store lint at Garden Island.

Mike J.

We made the same error in several captions from that series. We corrected: GBU Editor

WITNESS-For Iraqi reporter, the hardest job is being a mum

By Aseel Kami

BAGHDAD, Sept 2 (Reuters) - People ask if it is tough being a journalist in Iraq. For me the hardest job is being a mother.

I was very touched today to read Aseel Kami’s article, published in the Oman Daily Observer. It is the first article I have read out of Iraq that has described the reality of being a local working mother in a war-zone. It is impossible to imagine how normal life can proceed under the conditions in which the Iraqis are living. All Aseel’s concerns are those that mothers everywhere share but worrying about suicide bombers and mortars hurting your child is chillingly different from stray traffic.

I take my hat off to her in admiration. I will be watching for her byline in future and wish her and her friends and family very good luck.

M. S.

Thank you for noticing: GBU Editor

Facebook, the social-network site that has enjoyed explosive growth in new members in recent months, plans to let users tell the rest of the world how to find them on the site. Members have a choice whether to keep their listings private or to allow Facebook to make their name and profile picture available when outsiders search the site.

Is this a good opportunity for even more social networking or is it a step too far?

Animal rights protesters hold up placards denouncing cruelty to animals before Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback Michael Vick’s arrival in federal court to face federal dog fighting charges in Richmond, Virginia July 26, 2007. Illegal in all 50 U.S. states, dogfighting is condemned even by social conservatives and avid hunters for whom animal rights is seldom a priority. This probably says as much about the dog’s high standing in U.S. culture as it does about the cruelty of the blood sport… REUTERS

Your photo caption is in poor taste, and you should be ashamed. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.

P.B.

Yes, it was a bad caption, which was borrowed from a story whose lead badly needed improving. The phrase …even by social conservatives and avid hunters for whom animal rights is seldom a priority… was subjective and should not have been posted as it was, in a story or a caption: GBU Editor

Your reporter states that globalCOAL is the first international exchange to list physically traded coal futures contracts later this year. In fact, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the world’s largest physical futures exchange, has listed a physical Central Appalachian coal futures contract since 2001. Will you please correct the story?.

Anu Ahluwalia
Director of Corporate Communications and Media Affairs
New York Mercantile Exchange

We corrected:GBU Editor

Save the planet before it’s too late, Pope urges
 

Intentionally wearing green vestments, he spoke to a vast crowd of mostly young people sprawled over a massive hillside near the Adriatic city of Loreto…  

I’m sorry to tell you that was not a special environmetal color, but just the liturgical color for that Sunday. In fact this part of the Catholic liturgical year called “tempus per annum,” the liturgical color to be worn in the Mass is green, that expresses the hope Christians have in Christ.

Gianfranco

Several readers called this to our attention. We fixed it very quickly in the story, but through poor internal communication, the problem word, “intentionally,” remained up in our video clip of the story quite a bit longer: GBU Editor