Members of the protest group Code Pink taunt local school children with chants about the war in Afghanistan as the children and their families arrive for a Halloween reception by U.S. President Barack Obama and his family at the White House in Washington, October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst   

I must strongly protest your caption on the photo of protesters outside the White House. Using the verb “taunt” with “local school children” as its object is inaccurate, pejorative and unwarranted.

Who is paying you to run such captions?

L.S.

Nobody is paying us to “run such captions.” Our photographer says the protesters said things to challenge and confront the children and their parents. For example, one protester dressed as a Wicked Witch was saying things like, “More pretties to die in my war! More pretties!”

He said they were not just protesting the war in general but were, in effect, telling these families that their children were going to die at war. That sounds pretty much like taunting to me: GBU Editor

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Queen of Denamrk Margrethe II arrives at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Congress at the Opera house in Copengahen October 1, 2009….

Did you notice this caption talks about COPENGAHEN?

Surprised

Sigh. Yes. And Denamrk, too. We had to correct a whole bunch of photo captions in this series: GBU Editor

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A group of deers are seen during the Station fire in the Glendale area of Los Angeles, California September 1, 2009… REUTERS Photo

A could of vapor and smoke is seen from Victory Park near Pasadena…  (AP Photo)

Duncan Baird, a 62-year-old retired firefighter, makes a screen box for shifting at his home destroyed by wildfires… (AP Photo)

Firefighters gather for a briefing at the Station Fire Incident Command Post in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Clinging to the sere foothills overlooking the massive Hansen Dam, the base camp is a military-style bivouac whose itinerant residents are battling back the flames… (AP Photo)

I am appalled at some of the captions that have accompanied the pictoral essay of  the Station Fire in California.

A group of deers? It’s called a herd. Deers? Deer is singular and plural, and proper in both cases. “Deers” just sounds… dumb… Especially when combined with “group.”

A could of vapor and smoke? What exactly is a could?

…makes a screen box for shifting at his home destroyed by wildfires… The word is SIFTING. You SIFT things, like rubble when you want to find lost articles.

“Clinging to the sere foothills…  the base camp is a military-style bivouac whose itinerant residents are battling back the flames…

Sere foothills? By chance are you referring to the San Gabriel Mountain foothills (which is where the Station fire is burning)? Or did the author mean seared foothills? Itinerant residents? I do not believe this is the proper use of the word itinerant.

Please try not to use fancy words when the basics elude you.

Thunderhog

I agree these are not great photo captions, but only one of them is ours. Mea Culpa on the group of deers. Everything else seems to be from Associated Press photo captions: GBU Editor

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Tarantino’s “Basterds” leads world box office

LOS ANGELES, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Director Quentin Tarantino scored the best opening of his colorful career with his World War Two thriller “Inglourious Basterds,” which topped the worldwide box office after selling $65.1 million worth of tickets, its distributors said on Sunday.

The last time I looked, it was spelled ‘Bastards’. It’s not a typo either. The journalist has spelled it incorrectly throughout the article.

Can I replace him?

Writing Star

No, you may not replace him. He correctly identified the title of the movie throughout the story. It wasn’t our idea to spell it that way: GBU Editor

Cast member Brad Pitt attends the premiere of “Inglourious Basterds,” August 10, 2009. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

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45 tonnes is not 40 million kg.

Scott

No. We removed the faulty conversion: GBU Editor

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Guests look at the 1920 Chevy Model T truck during the Barrett-Jackson auto auction in West Palm Beach, Florida April 11, 2009. The three day event sells most of the top-rated collectible vehicles from around the world and will include some of the GM Heritage Collection, like the 1920 Chevy Model T truck. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

There is no such thing as a “Chevy Model T…” truck or anything else.

The Model T is a Ford Motor Company product produced from the early nineteen-teens into the late 1920’s. And until being surpassed by the VW Beetle in the 1970s was the most produced automobile in history.

V.A.

Judging from numerous references in assorted classic vehicle Websites, Chevy also produced a Model T.

To quote from one of them: Chevrolet began producing trucks in 1918 with the 490 light delivery chassis cowl sold at $1,000 and the one-ton Model T “Ton” truck that sold for $1,245. The truck buyer had to purchase separate bodies and cabs from an outside independent body company. GBU Editor

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A suspected gunman walks in the premises of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Victoria Terminus railway station in Mumbai November 26, 2008…  REUTERS/The Times of India

Reuters’ caption for the photo begins: “A suspected gunman walks…” Notice the object the terrorist is holding in his hands. It’s a gun. He isn’t a “suspected gunman,” he’s a “gunman.”

This kind of silly political correctness infects reporters and news services world-wide. They think they’re being scrupulous - the man hasn’t been convicted of being a gunman yet! - when in fact they’re just being foolish.

Dick

Our reference was not a result of his not having been convicted. Rather, it was chosen because we could not be absolutely certain that he was not part of the military or police operation: GBU Editor

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Actor Stan Waterston arrives for the 36th International Emmy Awards Gala in New York, November 24, 2008. REUTERS/Chip East

I think you meant actor Sam Waterson.

A Fan

Yes, thanks. We corrected both names in the caption: GBU Editor

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Actor and Porsche owner Jerry Seinfeld waves as she is announced at a Porsche presentation during the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles November 19, 2008. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

She? Do you know something about Seinfeld that we don’t?

Curious

No. We corrected the caption: GBU Editor

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Demonstrators march through the Zhongxiao area while carrying portraits of Republic of China founder, Sun Yat-sen, during an anti-China protest in Taipei October 25, 2008…. REUTERS

Your photo caption is wrong! The person in the portraits is Chiang Kai-Shek, not founder of ROC Sun Yat-sen. I appreciate if you could make the correction.

Jean

Ouch! Yes, we corrected: GBU Editor.

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