JerryBaumchen

Hi folks, Sometimes a good guy with a gun is not necessary: parishioners hog-tied him with electrical cords. Parishioners stop gunman in deadly California church attack : NPR Jerry Baumchen

Hi Tri, Re: It isn't a commentary about abortion, but about the terminology that news conglomerate chooses to include in its style guide (and subsequent reporting), and why. IMO it is only this. Ms. Bottomly often writes as to why they use certain terminology in their newspaper. Re: I find the piece on its own lacking thesis. It is only lacking if you expected more. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, Nor do I. The US never used any nuke in the Korean War or the Vietnam War. I do not believe that if we were to give Ukraine any weapons that they would want, would WW III be the result. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Billy, Just a question - Re: I had my house broken into three times Were you home at the time of the breakins? Jerry Baumchen

Hi airdvr, I am convinced that any man who has a good woman in his life is very fortunate. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, I never get all a giggle and agog when it comes to war. What I do find ironic is how poor of a military the Russians have. Looks me that the all-powerful Russian bear has few teeth. And, everyone was so afraid of starting WW III. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, ^^^^ This. Jerry Baumchen

Hi folks, The following ( a rather long read, so you are warned ) appears today in the local newspaper & their on-line version of it. I consider it rather thoughtful. Possibly you will also. Jerry Baumchen By Therese Bottomly | The Oregonian/OregonLive After the historic leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion earlier this month, the issue of abortion rights leaped back into the news headlines. The court’s possible decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 ruling that said there was a constitutional right to abortion, means readers will be seeing a lot of coverage of the issue in coming weeks. That provides a prime opportunity to review our journalistic style guidelines for when The Oregonian/OregonLive’s reporters are writing news articles about abortion and abortion rights. Most news organizations follow writing guidelines for clarity and conformity. The Associated Press provides news articles to thousands of news organizations, and many follow its dictates on grammar, usage, punctuation and other points of style. Many newsrooms, like The Oregonian/OregonLive, have their own style guides, adapted to reflect local norms. For example, we tend to refer to Interstate 84, rather than the Banfield Freeway. Oregonians say “the beach” or “the coast,” while elsewhere in the country it might be “the shore.” Style decisions help readers by providing clarity and consistency and the right language choices make writing sound familiar and authentic to local readers. But style guidelines are also important because language choices convey powerful messages. Special interests of all sorts adopt language that helps make their case, softens harsh facts and – sometimes – cloaks the truth. Think of how businesses, perhaps even this one, inform you of rate changes: it’s not an increase, it’s an adjustment! I suppose it is the written equivalent of the television commercial listing all the nasty side effects of a medication while the screen shows smiling faces and jaunty music plays in the background. In the abortion context, The Oregonian/OregonLive largely follows AP style on word choice, with the primary goal being accuracy. The Associated Press Stylebook entry on abortion reads as follows: Use the modifiers anti-abortion or abortion-rights; don’t use pro-life, pro-choice or pro-abortion unless they are in quotes or proper names. So, to be clear, if we are quoting someone who uses the phrase “pro-choice” we would report their quote verbatim, but we would not use that label ourselves. Similarly, if “pro-life” is part of a group’s name, we report that, but we would not independently describe an anti-abortion group as “pro-life.” Some readers may disagree with these decisions, but once language has been co-opted by advocates on whatever side, it becomes politicized. For instance, think about the difference between “unborn child” and “fetus.” Fetus is the medically accurate term at a certain stage of pregnancy, but people who are anti-abortion tend to use “unborn child.” The AP Stylebook’s guidance on these terms reads as follows: Anti-abortion advocates say “fetus” devalues a human life; abortion-rights supporters argue “unborn child” or “baby” equate termination of a pregnancy with murder by emphasizing the fetus’s humanity. Write clearly and sensitively, using any of the terms when appropriate: Fetus, which refers to the stage in human development from the eighth week of pregnancy to birth, is preferred in many cases, including almost all scientific and medical uses… In scientific uses referring to the first seven weeks of human development after conception, use embryo. The context or tone of a story can allow for unborn baby or child in cases where fetus could seem clinical or cold… The abortion divide often is characterized as binary, when polling shows much more nuanced – and even contradictory – views among the American public. This is an area where journalists could do a better job in reflecting all of the shades of gray. For instance, a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found continued strong overall support for abortion rights: “More Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances (61%) than illegal in all or most circumstances (37%).” But here are additional survey findings, quoted directly: --Nearly half of U.S. adults (48%) say there are circumstances in which abortion is morally wrong but should nevertheless be legal. --Most people (72%) say that “the decision about whether to have an abortion should belong solely to the pregnant woman” describes their views at least somewhat well, and more than half (56%) say the same about the statement “human life begins at conception, so a fetus is a person with rights.” --And about a third of Americans who generally support legal abortion (33%) say the statement “human life begins at conception, so a fetus is a person with rights” describes their own view at least “somewhat” well. In times of high emotions and a politically charged atmosphere, when writing news articles journalists should lead the way in providing clear-eyed facts, solid data, and historical context. All of these contribute to accurate reporting of even the most divisive issues.

Hi folks, Add another shooting to the list: Mass shooting in Buffalo supermarket leaves at least 10 dead - oregonlive.com From the link: authorities called a “hate crime and racially motived violent extremism,” Jerry Baumchen

Hi folks, Slowly, things are looking better: Ukraine has won the battle of Kharkiv, analysts say, as Kyiv warns of ‘long phase of war’ | Russia | The Guardian Jerry Baumchen

Hi Monkey, Re: No need for the discussion. You come to a discussion website & say this. Akin to jumping into a swimming pool and being surprised that you have gotten wet. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Bill, Re: Tell Vladimir I said hello! Oh, come on. You must know he's a bud; he gets to call him Vladi. Jerry Baumchen

Hi folks, Anyone looking for a Caravan pilot: A passenger makes an emergency airplane landing in Florida : NPR He's experienced now. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Phil, Re: Mold and rot. Just like Russia. I think, more than we realize. I was reading an AP article in this morning's newspaper that said Russia was running out of modern missiles & would soon need to use their missiles that are over 20 yrs old. IMO so much for the 'all-powerful Russian military.' Jerry Baumchen

Hi Peter, Back in the 70's, RWS could not keep up with the production demands. So, they entered into an agreement with Guardian Parachute ( subsidiary of FXC Corp ) to build rigs for them. Three employees of Guardian stayed late at nite & built bogus rigs; these rigs were never entered into the production documents. They then sold the rigs out of their cars at various dz's in SoCal. When Guardian found out, all three were fired immediately. This was told to me back in 1978 by Chuck Embury, one of the three. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, Re: 17 mpg at $12-$16/gal doesn't sound very appealing, but I could afford to drive some. This is something I've thought about a fair amount recently. Both of my cars have 3.5L V-6 engines; one requires Super. I wonder just what is the tipping point on jump prices until people * simply say that it is too costly? Thoughts, anyone? Jerry Baumchen * People not making their livelihood via jumping.

Hi Girl, Re: I do most certainly object to demonstrations crossing the line of civility -- from blocking the street to threatening or encouraging violence. Today, I'm with you. Tomorrow, who knows. You have to break eggs to make an omelet. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Don, Re: Once a fetus is legally recognized as a person Some states have laws that if you kill a pregnant person, you are guilty of two murders. I have always disagreed with this. IMO it is the slippery slope to the quote. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Robert, From your link: the chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Party, said last week the allegations were “a fluid story” I'm thinking the only thing 'fluid' were the body fluids that were exchanged. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, Re: Which will make those expensive extraction processes less viable. When the anticipated costs are more than can be recouped, you will not find any investors. It is simple economics. Re: I know a couple guys who made a lot of money working those oil fields. They were smart enough to limit expenses, bank the cash and when the jobs disappeared, they were good. And, one who invested & went broke was John Connally of Texas. The last that I heard was that he was having a 'garage sale' on his front lawn. John Connally - Wikipedia Jerry Baumchen

Hi Bill, Not to sound all Doom & Gloom, but don't get your hopes up too high. As with any commodity, the price to harvest it will determine the retail pricing. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Robert, From your link: “There was nobody in that room that was not angry and upset about this,” They were angry and upset because he got caught. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Joe, If the Dems to not turn out to prevent a GOP takeover of Congress, then they deserve what happens. Don't like the reversing of Roe v Wade => then vote; that is your only recourse. Jerry Baumchen PS) Seems that the GOP wants to talk about something else: But in a state where abortions are legal up to 24 weeks . . . the campaign prefers to move on to other issues. Threat to Roe puts GOP on defense in 2022 battlegrounds - POLITICO

Hi folks, Another one had that Come to Jesus Moment: Jan. 6 defendant, who prosecutors say chased Officer Goodman, has cooperated with committee - POLITICO Jerry Baumchen

Hi Robert, Having watched #3 the other nite, I found it interesting how Big Oil likes to do the old Bait & Switch on the issues; 'Hey, look over here.' One I quite liked was where they said something about, 'Methane is not the problem is used to be.' When, before they were denying that it was any problem at all. FRONTLINE is always interesting to watch. Jerry Baumchen