Truth or Fiction #288
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
Truth vs Fiction
There is no doubt, as a journalist or as a news consumer it is getting harder and harder these days to separate truth from fiction, especially when dealing with a war zone.
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| (Courtesy Univ. of Texas) |
But sometimes you have to use common sense to figure things out.
For example: I am a bit perplexed by most of the media around the world continues to use the civilian casualty figures in the Gaza war. There is no question that thousands of civilians have been killed, and that is a tragedy. The Palestinian Health Ministry CLAIMED that number at 36,700 this week.
And most of the media will use that number. What irks me is that number is a "claim" by a terrorist group that cares little about the safety of its own people and puts out that number for propaganda purposes.
Israel continues to point out that that "claimed" number does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Hamas reportedly had about 40,000 fighters when the war began, though there is no way to confirm that either. Israel claims to have killed nine thousand of them and that figure, whatever it really is, is most likely included in the Health Ministry's claimed casualty count.
Another untruth that has been circulating: Hamas claims that no aide is getting through to the general population, increasing the misery and death. But there are clear pictures of hundreds of trucks heading into Gaza every day. Where is all that food and water going?
There are lots of "claims" from both sides. And we may never know the real number of people who died in this disgusting conflict.
What we need though, is a bit more skepticism in the media and the public about claims from both sides.
Truth is the first casualty of war. Let's have some responsible reporting to cut down on the disinformation.
Hamas is not a reliable source. Anything they claim should be subject to more scrutiny and if reported clearly, labeled as a "claim," not as a fact.
Israel often holds back or hides negative information from the world and even its own people, but eventually, because it is a Democracy, the real story gets out. It just doesn't happen in real time which often inflames reaction.
When reading or seeing anything that comes out of that war, be skeptical and don't rush to judgement on what's really going on.
News You May Have Missed!
The Heat Is On!
The temperature on the Earth is heating up, reaching an all time high in 2023, though a new report says the rise in temperature from climate change is not accelerating.
A group of 57 scientists from around the world looked at last year's burst of heat and concluded that climate change is responsible for the increase, but not at a faster rate than in any recent years.
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| ("Earthrise" from the Moon, Courtesy NASA) |
Last year the world-wide temperature rose to 0.26 degrees Celsius, up from 0.25 in 2022, continuing an upward trend.
That's not a significant difference, but it does make this past year's rate the highest ever.
The U.N. Scientific assessments determined that the world is 1.43 degrees Celsius warmer now than the it was between 1850 and 1900, and about 1.31 degrees of that increase can be traced directly to human activity and not general weather patterns.
The report says if the world keeps using coal, oil and natural gas as a major energy source, the world temperature will surpass the 1.5 degree threshold within four and a half years. (That's an increase of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.) Such a threshold would severely damage the Earth's ecosystem, including the eventual loss of the planet's coral reefs, Artic sea ice and a number of species of plants and animals. It would be accompanied by nastier extreme weather events that will kill people.
The political will to do anything to reduce fossil fuel emissions world wide remains elusive, so there is a strong possibility that the warming trend will continue in the near future, placing more and more people at risk.
https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-accelerating-record-hot-deadly-434881547b4585a32fa906cf5495d3f0
Of Note: The spectacular and world-famous "Earthrise" photo shown above was taken by Apollo 8 Astronaut William Anders in 1968 as he, James Lovell and Frank Borman became the first humans to orbit the Moon.
Anders died this past Friday in a small plane crash between two islands north of Seattle. He was the pilot and flying solo at age 90.
Another Example Mixing Church And State?
There's a program in Indianapolis that is running Bible instruction for public school children during school hours, which is raising some controversy.
The Ohio-based group called LifeWise Academy does not work in the schools. But the students are transported elsewhere during school hours to get Christian religious teachings. And the group wants to triple its current program into new school districts.
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LifeWise is trying to expand into other states, and the group is pushing laws that would require the public schools to cooperate with off-site religious programs. Oklahoma's Republican Governor signed such a bill into law this past week. Similar bills have been introduced in Ohio, Nebraska, Georgia and Mississippi.
LifeWise will now be available in 520 locations in 23 states next school year, up from 13 states. So far there are 31,000 students enrolled. The people at LifeWise want to expand their program to 50 million public school students nationwide. Parents have to consent for their children to attend the off-site classes.
The curriculum was developed in conjunction with the Gospel Project, which is produced by an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention.
But participating school districts are being asked to release students from class time to attend this program, and it is creating a scheduling and transportation problem for school districts. And even though the teachers in these off-site classes are volunteers, much of the logistical burden to get students to the classes is falling on school staff and teachers who are public school employees. Critics say that is a First Amendment violation.
The curriculum is described as "non-denominational," but it is based on Christian theology.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week the dumbest quote comes from Republican presidential nominee and convicted felon, Donald J. Trump. I know, I promised not to use him again, but this one is so egregious I needed to.
Mr. Trump was in Las Vegas for a rally this weekend. People waited for him in the searing heat with temperatures hovering near 103. And at one point in the speech, he asked them not to die from that heat.
"I don't want anyone going on me. We need every voter. I don't care about you, I just want your vote."
Then he said it was a joke, and the media would take it out of context. But then he went on to complain about the heat and how he was "sweating like a dog," and added a complaint:
"They don't think about me. This is hard work."
Like I said last week, do you really want this guy answering the phone at three o'clock in the morning when there's an international crisis?
(Your suggestions and comments are welcome)
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HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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