Cuba conducts war games with U.S. invasion in mind

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba began its biggest military maneuvers in five years on Thursday, saying they were needed to prepare for a possible invasion by the United States.

In regards to the headline, “Cuba conducts war games with U.S. invasion in mind” , I thought I’d point out that the way you folks worded that little gem would have had Chicken Little running around without a head, screaming…”The Cubans are coming! The Cubans are coming!”

Like they’d been waitng all these years to get even for the Bay of Pigs or something….

E.J.

Several readers were somewhat amused by this headline, which was ambiguous to say the least: GBU Editor

A Cuban soldier carries signalling flags on a military truck with artillery during ongoing war games in an undisclosed location November 28, 2009. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan

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Former guerrilla favored to win Uruguay election

Former President Pedro Bordaberry, who finished third in the initial round, has thrown his support behind Lacalle, whose candidacy marks a comeback after his presidential term ended with corruption accusations involving several top aides.

In the article you mention ’former president Pedro Bordaberry’. The author is confused or didn’t research enough on Uruguay.

Pedro Bordaberry never was president and this year he was a candidate for the first time. In fact, it was his father -Juan María Bordaberry- who was president.

Javier

Ouch. We corrected: GBU Editor

Pedro Bordaberry walks outside the jail where his father, the former Uruguayan president and dictator Juan Maria Bordaberry, is held in Montevideo November 17,2006. A Uruguayan judge ordered ex-dictator Juan Bordaberry and Blanco be held in jail while they are tried for their role in four 1976 murders, an official at the Supreme Court said on November 16, 2006. REUTERS/Pablo La Rosa/Files

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Please pass on my congratulations to your photographer who took the picture of a ballerina smoking in a cafe in Zagreb, Croatia. As a former dancer, and life-ling smoker, i found it a very piquant image, beautifully shot with just the right amount of absurdity — and of course i emailed it to all my dancer friends!

Marian

Thanks for noticing: GBU Editor

A Croatian ballet dancer smokes in a theatre cafe during a break in rehearsals for a new ballet show, in Zagreb November 26, 2009. The authorities imposed a ban on smoking in public in May this year but had to abolish it after widespread protests this summer.  REUTERS/Nikola Solic

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Donny Osmond dances to victory on “Stars” finale

He pulled his sister Marie, who competed on a previous season, from the audience to join the ballroom floor celebration that capped a two-hour live broadcast from Hollywood.

It was not Donny’s sister Marie he pulled from the audience.

It was his wife Debbie that he picked up and carried to the center when he got the trophy.

Jan

Several readers commented on this.

Actually he brought both of them out. His wife came first, Marie came second. You had to watch the entire thing to see that part of it: GBU Editor

Donny Osmond, September 10, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

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Cadbury hits new high as bidders circle

Many analysts doubt whether either of these three would bid alone, but possible combinations of them could trump Kraft’s current cash and shares bid of 9.9 billion pounds ($16.4 billion) or push the American food giant Kraft to raise its offer.

In my Canadian Oxford Dictionary the definition for “either” is “one or the other of two”.

Should I return my dictionary?

R.O.H.

No, your dictionary is fine. We fixed that error in a subsequent update of the story: GBU Editor

A Ferrero Rocher chocolate is seen in Milan, November 20, 2009. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

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Darwin book found on shelf worth up to $100,000

That is one expensive shelf! Have your copy editor read about dangling modifiers.

I suggest “Darwin book worth up to $100,000 found on shelf.” Unless, of course, you did mean that the shelf was worth so much money.

C.W.

A number of readers were amused by this one. We later improved it: GBU Editor

A detail of British artist John Collier’s 1883 painting of Charles Darwin. REUTERS/Tal Cohen

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FX nabs rights to air “Twilight” saga

Summit has yet to green-light production on “Breaking Down,” an adaptation of the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series.

Just wanted to let you know that your article “FX nabs rights to air “Twilight” saga”, has a typo.

The fourth book is called “Breaking Dawn” not “Breaking Down”.

Learn to do your research better and learn to read, jeez.

Duke

Lots of readers noticed this mistake in a Hollywood Reporter story which moved in our entertainment feed. We corrected: GBU Editor

Actor Robert Pattinson, star of the new film “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” poses at the film’s Los Angeles premiere, November 16, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

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In New York, job winners will tweet from toilets

They won a contest that included aspiring actors, students and even a businessman hoping to seed his enterprise for the jobs to greet and chat with tourists and hoards of holiday shoppers visiting the Manhattan restrooms.

In this article the author uses the word “hoards” when he should have used the word “hordes”.

I quit reading CNN.com because of the large number of spelling and grammar errors. And now I’m starting to notice a few errors on Reuters as well. If these errors aren’t being caught, then it really makes me wonder about your fact checking as well.

Cheez

We did indeed use the wrong word: GBU Editor

A toilet is displayed at a promotional event for Charmin Restrooms in New York’s Times Square, November 23, 2009. REUTERS/Finbarr O’Reilly

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Transsexual in Italian political scandal murdered

ROME (Reuters) - A Brazilian transsexual caught up in a scandal which prompted the resignation of a senior Italian politician — the center-left governor of Lazio region, which includes Rome — was found burned to death in his home Friday.

I find it shocking that in this day and age, you still refer to a male-to-female transsexual as a “he”. I find this both old fashioned and disrespectful to the person you are reporting about.

Whether she was a prostitute or not, she was presenting herself as a female - likely because that’s what she felt she was. Most publications in the US honor this nowadays. You should, too!

Nicole

The deceased is a transsexual *woman*. Referring to her with male pronouns or as a person of indeterminate gender is inaccurate as well as demeaning. I honestly expected better from Reuters as a major news organization.

Chancellor

A Brazilian transsexual … found burned to death in his home Friday.”

His? Shame on you. This is transgender week of remembrance. I’m astonished that Reuters of all organizations could do this.

Liz

A number of readers objected to our choice of pronouns. In the past we have used “she” to describe her, and we will do so in future stories: GBU Editor

Brenda, one of two Brazilian transsexuals who were involved in a political scandal last month with the former governor of Lazio region, is seen in Rome, in this October 24, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

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Susan Boyle album sets pre-order record on Amazon

Amazon said that Boyle’s album was not only the top CD pre-order in the United States, but also the biggest around the world in the 14-year history of it’s web site.

Obama in Asia - building block or bow?

“The United States is a big power that became used to having it’s way,” said Liu Jiangyong, a professor of East Asian security affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Please tell whoever is responsible that “history of it’s website” should not have an apostrophe .. If Reuters gets such a basic thing wrong then we are all in trouble !!!

Mackenzie

Would you please inform your writers and editors that the possessive form of the word “it” does not have an apostrophe? It’s with an apostrophe means “it is”.

P.J.R.

I have never bothered to write any news organization about anything, but seeing such an amateur grammar mistake by what I have considered to be a a solid source of news and analysis for many years was too much. This is truly sad.

English is my third language and I still cringe at this kind of mistake.

Vlad G.

Sigh. This mistake, which we make way too often, drives readers crazy: GBU Editor

Celtic supporter Susan Boyle waves to the crowd at half time during their Europa League soccer match against Hamburger FC at Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, October 22, 2009. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

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