Microsoft releases biggest patch on record

It said six of the patches were high priority and should be deployed immediately. The patches — which update software to write over glitches — are designed to protect users from hackers or malicious software downloaded from the Internet.

The word you are looking for is “crackers” NOT “hackers”. There is a huge difference, and it is quite offensive to use the incorrect term.

Please modify your article to reflect the correct usage, and any articles that you may publish in the future.

Man in Scary Mask

As someone who loves words, I’m unhappy when they get hijacked and given a new meaning for no good reason. However, I’m afraid trying to preserve the original meaning of hacker is just a lost cause.

To quote the Associated Press Stylebook, which is recognized by most U.S. media: “In common usage, the word has evolved to mean one who uses computer skills to unlawfully penetrate proprietary computer systems.” GBU Editor

A participant of the “Chaos Communication Camp - The International Hacker Meeting 2007″, sits with a laptop at a hangar of a former Soviet airfield in Finowfurt north of Berlin, August 8, 2007. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

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Obama has honor, and burden, of Nobel award

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Every U.S. president secretly harbors dreams of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

I saw the headline about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The reporter writing about the event starts off the article with pushing out his own opinion, that every U.S. president secretly longs to win a Nobel Peace prize.

How does he know this? He writes about it as if it is fact but it is totally unsubstantiated. Maybe he should back up that claim with interviews from every one of America’s past presidents saying “I want a Nobel Peace Prize”

Arthur

Sorry, but I have no problem with that statement. The piece was clearly labeled as Analysis, which means a certain amount of opinion is to be expected. I think it is perfectly reasonable to presume practically anybody who knows what the Nobel Peace Prize would want to win one.

Besides, if we backed up the statement as you suggest, with interviews with past presidents saying they wanted the prize, then these would no longer be secret dreams, would they? GBU Editor

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles after making remarks in the East Room at the White House, October 9, 2009. REUTERS/Jim Young

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Marge Simpson makes cover of Playboy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - “D’oh!” doesn’t even start to cover it. Marge Simpson — the blue beehived matriarch of America’s most loved dysfunctional family - is Playboy magazine’s November cover, the magazine said on Friday.

Simpson, tastefully concealing her assets behind a signature Playboy Bunny chair, is the first cartoon character ever to front the glossy adult magazine, joining the ranks of sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford.

The article says of the Marge Simpson character that she “is the first cartoon character ever to front the glossy adult magazine.”

This is incorrect. Leroy Neiman’s “Femlin” cartoon character has been featured on the cover of Playboy several times . Here is one example from August 1960:

Holy Smokin

Your article claims this is their first cover to feature a cartoon character. I believe that honor goes to Jessica Rabbit for their November, 1988 issue.

Mike

Some people may be over-thinking this a bit. I suppose it comes down to your definition of “cartoon character,” but the Femlins don’t seem to rise to the level of a walking, talking, animated character with a voice recognized by millions.  As for the Jessica Rabbit cover, it seems that was a real Playmate dressed as Jessica Rabbit, which isn’t really the same as having a cartoon character on the cover.

Pretty much everybody is reporting this as a first, and I haven’t seen the Playboy folks contradicting it. If anyone should be aware of their past cover content, they should: GBU Editor

Right: Marge Simpson is seen on the cover of the November issue of Playboy magazine in this handout released to Reuters on October 9, 2009. REUTERS/Playboy Magazine/Handout

Left: Femlin on a cover.

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Redskins’ season threatens to unravel after loss to Lions

“We need to get guys to stay together,” Redskins two-time Pro Bowl linebacker London Fletcher told reporters. “That is one of the main things you got to do.

The author states that London Fletcher is a two time Pro Bowler. In fact, he has been an eight time alternate while never actually having been elected or sent to the Pro Bowl.

I am not sure where the author got this information, possibly Wikipedia as it lists this incorrect information as well.

Alex P.

We corrected. A useful cautionary tale for journalists. There are a number of online sources presenting this as fact, when it is not: GBU Editor

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher in 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Eric Miller

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McChrystal tries to calm Afghans after air strike

Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:31pm EDT

YAQOUBI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan flew on Saturday to the scene of a deadly air strike by his forces, trying to cool anger that threatens his strategy of winning hearts and minds.

Afghan officials say scores of people were killed, many of them civilians, when a U.S. F-15 fighter jet called in by German troops struck two hijacked fuel trucks before dawn on Friday

Didn’t this airstrike happen some weeks ago?

Read the article…it implies it happened Friday. How irresponsible! Talk about stoking the flames!

Print an explanation immediately.

David D.

In posting some Afghan sidebar material on reuters.com, this old story inadvertently was re-posted. We removed the story, and posted an advisory for readers: GBU Editor

Afghan villagers pray over the graves of their relatives, who died in Friday’s air strike, near their village of Yaqoubi in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz September 5, 2009. REUTERS/Wahdat

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How is it that America had thousands of Tax Protests yesterday and you don’t have anything listed in your “Top Stories” section?

If there were thousands of individual protests across the county speaking out about war you would have been all over it. But when average American Citizens gather peacefully you act as if it didn’t happen?

Chris

Not one article online about the tea parties. If this had been done during the previous administration your reporters would have been falling all over themselves covering it. What a biased left wing organization. I won’t read your crap again.

S.A.

I have to say supporters of yesterday’s protests certainly did a good job of getting people to complain about our coverage.

We did include several paragraphs about the tea parties in our main Obama tax story yesterday, which seems about right for something that drew “tens of thousands” of people in total. These events make pretty good pictures, and we also did a photo slideshow on them today. GBU Editor

Some activists wear Boston tea party themed costimes as they gather to participate in a tax revolt rally in Santa Barbara, California April 4, 2009. Picture taken April 4, 2009. REUTERS/Phil McCarten

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Why don’t your rename your site the Obama’s election site? I did not know who to vote for but all the news media is pushing Obama so I will vote for McCain.

Mick I.

I visit your site many times every day and hace been doing so for several years. It is clear that you have decided to back the Republican candidate for President. My question is why would you drive millions of users away from your site and the many products & services it features?  

Robert Q. 

Hang on. Maybe you guys should talk to each other. These e-mails arrived about an hour apart: GBU Editor

Barack Obama photo: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

John McCain photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder  

Side effects mar Elan, Wyeth Alzheimer’s trial

CHICAGO, July 29 (Reuters)- Keenly awaited details on Elan and Wyeth’s new Alzheimer’s drug bapineuzumab show it raised the risk of a potentially serious side effect, especially in people with a genetic risk of the disease, the companies said on Tuesday.

I have thought long and hard about how Reuters released this story at 5:02 p.m. when the data itself were released at 5:00 p.m. This was a deeply complex clinical study, and the results have a myriad of implications.

Obviously, the story was scripted before the data release and published with an already established angle.

Steve O.

We did not do the story in two minutes, nor did we do it ahead without knowing the results.

On a complex story of this nature and importance, reporters are often given the information ahead of time under what is known as an embargo. That way, when the results are released publicly, we have an accurate story ready to go instantly. 

In this case, our reporter was briefed starting the day before the release, and was able to work on it throughout the day leading up to the 5 p.m. embargo: GBU Editor

Gore likely to star at Democratic convention

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - Al Gore, long mocked as an exaggerating bore, seems certain to land a lead role at the Democratic National Convention as an internationally recognized defender of the Earth.

Excuse me, but when an article begins with “Al Gore, long mocked as an exaggerating bore…”, I think it should be labeled as an editorial and not a news story.

Cyber Nut

If this was an opinion piece, I would understand the statement, but as a news piece, this is a very sad example of biased editorializing. Most of the mocking and claims of “exaggerating” come from highly partisan opponents, and should be identified as such.

Overall, starting this article on such a negative tone degrades the professional integrity of Reuters as a legitimate unbiased media resource.

D.C.M.

Only the nasty segment of the Republican party could be said to have “long mocked as an exagerrating bore.” That type of statement really has no place in a news article. If it was a Republican campaign advertisement then it should have been labeled as such. There is really no place for this type of yellow-journalism.

Richard S.

This is completely irresponsible, below the belt, nasty and unacceptable. No one, among Democrats, references Al Gore in that manner.

Belmont

I always thought that Reuters was an unbiased source of news. I’m a journalism school graduate. We never would’ve gotten away with lines like that at the University of Georgia. Neither should Reuters.

Laurie

How about leading your next story about G. Bush with: “the lying, drunken frat boy who openly defies the law and the constitution, and lies about wars he starts”?

T.J.

Quite a few readers wrote in to object to this reference to Gore: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Jim Young

New Hunter S. Thompson film focuses on writings

The documentary examines Thompson’s works, including his first piece for Rolling Stone magazine about the Hells Angels motorcycle club and his books “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ” and “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.”

I’m pretty sure it was for the National Observer, and it subsequently came out in book form (1967). But it very definitely was not for Rolling Stone. 

Robert W.

Apparently it was actually for The Nation. We corrected: GBU Editor