Media irresponsibility strikes again

Just a quick note:

As some of you might be aware, there was some "rioting" in the streets of Montreal after the NHL team beat their rival in the first round of the playoffs, and several police cars were torched, with several more all but destroyed. All of the TV stations around sent teams (some stations had several teams assigned) to cover the events and take images.

The SPVM (Montreal police) has been asking people--through the media--for their images of the rioting so they can identify the culprits and, hopefully, arrest them. Today, the SPVM showed up at the TV stations to ask, without a warrant, to obtain the images of the rioting so they could be used to identify the rioters. The TV stations refused.

So the SPVM showed up with a warrant and took the images "by force."

Why not just release them? A lot of the images were shown--in a loop on some stations--so anyone could have tivo'd live TV. It's broadcast! The only difference is, I assume, that the stations' copies are slightly higher-quality and aren't partially blocked by computer graphics.

Still, it makes no sense that when the cops showed up to ask, not demand, the tapes, the stations refused. It's not like they were guilty of any wrongdoing!

Ah well, everyone knows the media will go as far as possible to hamper and question the lawful activity of the authorities (police, military, etc) without illegality.

Petraeus picked to lead Central Command

(Source: CNN.com)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been tapped to become chief of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

Petraeus replaces Adm. William Fallon, who said last month he was resigning. Fallon said widespread, but false, reports that he was at odds with the Bush administration over Iran had made his job impossible.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno will take over for Petraeus as commander in Iraq, Gates said.

Petraeus was picked in January 2007 to replace Gen. George Casey as the chief commander in Iraq, and won Senate confirmation that same month. He previously served as head of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and as a commander in Iraq and was one of the main writers of an Army manual on counterinsurgency efforts.

When your rack of medals look like a Soviet General's, you know you kick serious bootay.

The vanquishing of finals.

Well, exams and essays and everything naughty is over with.

I can now take a full week off. I'm headed home in a few hours, staying until Thursday or Friday, and spending next weekend in Toronto attending the fantabulistic Frankie Manning workshop. It should be most awesome. (If you don't know who Frankie Manning is, shame on you! That being said, look him up.)

It'll definitely be good to not only be able to sleep as much as I need to (several weeks of mild-to-severe sleep deprivation have made me... different) but to be home, away from all the craziness that grips RMC this time of year.

Anyway, I have yet to pack all my stuff, so it would probably be a good idea to get off the intertubes, yes?

I'll post some more tonight or tomorrow.

Les Blogues

vu par Rogatien !

Hilarant !