Madoff friend Picower dead, found in pool

MIAMI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Palm Beach billionaire Jeffry Picower, described as the biggest beneficiary of Bernard Madoff’s fraud, died on Sunday after he was found lying at the bottom of the pool at his home, police said.

I think you will find that he died *before* he was found at the bottom of his pool, not “after”.

John

I appreciate the amusing point you are making, but I think our wording was fine. This story - and subsequent ones with more detail - went on to say he was pulled unconscious from the pool and later pronounced dead: GBU Editor

Bernard Madoff in a 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Files

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Anger in France and Poland after Polanski arrest

Artists and film makers also urged the release of Polanski, who faces charges of having sex with a girl of 13 in 1977, accusing Switzerland of being overzealous in pursuing such an old case and bowing to U.S. demands.

In an article on PolanskI, you say he faces charges of having sex with a girl of 13.

He’s not facing charges, he’s facing prison time. Can you actually put out a story that tells the truth and gives truthful background?

S.B.

Several readers pointed this out to us. Our subsequent stories on Polanski made his correct status clear: GBU Editor

Polish-born film director Roman Polanski  awaits a public talk in Potsdam February 19, 2009. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

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Mayors, rabbis arrested in NJ corruption probe

NEWARK (Reuters) - Dozens of New Jersey politicians, officials and prominent rabbis were arrested on Thursday in a sweeping federal probe that uncovered political corruption, human organ sales and money laundering from New York to Israel, officials said.

The 10-year investigation, dubbed “Operation Bid Rig,” exposed influence-peddling and bribe-taking among a network of public officials and a separate multimillion dollar money-laundering ring that funneled funds through charities operated by local rabbis, said the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, New Jersey.

The cast of the 44 arrested featured Hoboken, New Jersey, Mayor Peter Cammarano, who took office three weeks ago in the industrial city visible across the Hudson River from New York.

Get real. If this was a group of Republicans the party would be splashed all over the place. I am assuming that most of these were Demoncrats because no mention was made about the political parties. SHAME SHAME.

L.S.

We got several reader e-mails along these same lines. The party affiliation of the key players was relevant and should have been mentioned in our story. The two mayors in the excerpt above are Democrats: GBU Editor

A man identified as Daniel Van Pelt, a New Jersey Assemblyman, tries to shield his face as he exits federal court after being one of the more than 40 people were arrested in a federal investigation of public corruption and international money laundering, in Newark, N.J., July 23, 2009. REUTERS/Chip East

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Capitol police say suspect killed near Capitol

The shooting occurred after a Capitol police officer tried to make a routine traffic stop near Union Station, a police spokeswoman said. Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said the driver fled, nearly ran over two officers, struck a parked and then crashed into a police cruiser.

Robert Drumm, visiting Washington from Edmond, Oklahoma said he was walking near the Capitol when he saw police cars engaged in a high speech chase with a white Mercedes.

Between the words ‘parked” and “and,” I believe there should be another word (vehicle, car, bike, etc).

Ken

The article says there was a “high speech chase”.

Mario

Several readers pointed these out to us: GBU Editor

U.S. Capitol police officers and investigators work at the scene of a shooting where Capitol police officers shot a man involved in a car chase one block from the U.S. Capitol in Washington July 15, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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Madoff can expect de facto life term at sentencing

NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) - Admitted thief Bernard Madoff will leave his jail cell and be taken under guard to court on Monday morning to hear his punishment for running Wall Street’s biggest and most brazen investment scheme.

The opening sentence in this article is ignorant. It It is not a crime to run a big or a brazen investment scheme.

Iraqi relatives decry life for U.S. rape soldier

MAHMUDIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Relatives of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and killed along with her family by U.S. soldiers expressed outrage Friday that the ringleader received a life sentence in a U.S. court instead of execution.

Of course, the first sentence of the article makes the nature of the crime clear. If I were editor, I would have made the title: “Iraqis decry life for U.S. rape/murder soldier” which is even shorter than the original title:

Clem

Several readers made similar objections. They have a valid point. The murder element should have been in the headline: GBU Editor

REUTERS/Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office/Handout

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Man shot 34 times in head with nail gun

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian police released Friday a shocking x-ray photo showing the skull of a murdered Chinese immigrant shot 34 times in the head and neck with a high-power nail gun.

I believe you have a hoax. If you make this picture from a 2004 article at 50% opacity while making the picture in your article at 50% opacity, then line them up, what do you get?

Six nails that line up perfectly. Your picture is a fake.

Jeremiah

I’m impressed by your collection of skulls penetrated by nails, but we stand behind the one we used.

We compared our handout of the skull x-ray with 34 nails embedded in it with the 2004 X-ray of the skull with 6 nails embedded in it. We sized them identically, increased their contrast, decreased their density and rotated to line them up within a very small tolerance. We were not able to line up even two nails in each picture exactly.

We obtained this handout image by email from the New South Wales police media unit, after speaking to their duty officer. Perhaps more to the point, this image is material which a police prosecutor may use in court as evidence, which adds to its integrity: GBU Editor

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Somali militants fire at U.S. lawmaker

So far, pirates have generally treated hostages well, sometimes roasting goat meat for them and even letting them phone loved ones. The worst violence has been the occasional beating. No hostages are known to have been killed by pirates.

This statement is false.

On May 28, 2007, a Chinese crewman held hostage of the hijacked vessel FV Ching Fong Hwa 168, was executed by Somali pirates.

On Aug 19, 2008, a Philipino crewman of the hijacked vessel MV Bunga Melati Dua was killed during the initial seizure of the ship by Somali pirates.

Between Aug 10 - Dec 12, 2008, three crewmen of the hijacked ship MV Action died while being held hostage by Somali pirates.

I just wanted to bring this to your attention.

Gary

A number of readers commented on this one. While the “generally treated hostages well,” description appears to stand up as a general statement, we have modified our “no hostages killed” background material in this ongoing saga: GBU Editor

Suspected pirates keep their hands in the air as they are being apprehended by the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) in Gulf of Aden, Somalia in this photo taken on February 11, 2009 during a counterpiracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed their determination to continue striking shipping in the area’s strategic waterways. REUTERS/Jason R. Zalasky/U.S. Navy photo/Handout

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Somali pirates hijack Greek-owned ship

Some fear the bloody assaults by Washington and Paris to free their hostages may raise the risk of future bloodshed. The pirates have vowed to take revenge on U.S. and French citizens.

Everyone, including the U.S. government and military acknowledge that the growing problem of piracy off the cost of Somali requires more than a military solution. But to characterize a carefully considered rescue mission, made possible by expert training and extraordinary oversight as a “bloody assualt” fails to accuratetly report what happened.

Let us not forget that the pirates are the criminals here, and that every attempt was made to reason with them prior to this action.

Reuters is better than this.

Dee

Several readers objected to that description. We substituted a more neutral phrase in the next update, and will keep it in mind in future stories: GBU Editor