Zephyrist's sunday night briefs - week 12, 2007

Well this week saw the budget where Gordon Brown made finance look like magic. No one is quite sure whether they are better or worse off. Even the media have got themselves all confused.

Whilst everyone else was busy with trying to decipher the budget these are some of the articles I have been reading this week.

Journalists - lazy, lying scandalmongers, all of them. So yes, I'd love to be one for a day (Guardian Comment)

Stephen Merchant, half of the creative team behind "The Office" writes an article deploring the lack of professionalism in modern journalism. He suggests that a large amount of so called journalism involves journalists looking up rumours on the internet.

In a way I think that is only half the story, these days it is published or be damned, any media organisation can always retract at leisure. All media outlets in 24 hour news tend to change stories as they progress, so any rumour can be published and changed later, after all if they don't publish it someone else will.

Time change marks end of an era (BBC)

The time signal on the BBC, the beloved 'pips' of the British psyche are changing location. They will now be sent from Anthorn, Cumbria rather than Rugby, Warwickshire.

Fascinating, no really, well maybe.

Highway shut for butterfly travel (BBC)

In Taiwan a butterfly migration route crosses a major highway. So this year to protect as many of the butterflies as possible the Taiwanese government have put in several measures including closing down one lane.

What is truly stunning and must be an amazing sight is that they cross the highway at a rate of 11,500 per hour. Such an exact figure also makes you wonder how they counted them.

My National Security Letter Gag Order

Something from across the pond. The Americans in their hunt for terrorists are playing a bit fast and loose with due process. This article is more about the secrecy that surrounds such demands rather than the ethics of obtaining information. It also exposes the attempt to gag anyone that would seek to question the legality of such requests.

Well that's it another week of my briefs, enjoy.