There is not much good you can say about those pictures of prisoner abuse in Iraq, except maybe one thing. The only thing that would have been worse is for the photos to have never made it before the public, if the abuse had occurred and been kept secret.
I do hope it does not escape the people of Iraq that the role of the press is vital to a democracy.
In a democracy, journalists get the information about abuse and tell the world about it. Truth-telling is the best first step toward a cure for abusive behavior. How many people died in that very prison under Saddam without their abuse ever being reported?
Democracies are messy and sometimes journalism in a democracy exposes the worst about ourselves. I hope you can find ways to talk about this with your public.
Geneva Conventions
Here are some resources assembled by Poynter’s Library Director, David Shedden.
SPJ, some time back, issued a guide to help you understand what the rules are about the treatment of prisoners of war.
The PBS NewsHour also has a deep and useful resource page.
Who Regulates Pet Cemeteries?
NBC 2 in Ft. Myers found that nobody regulates pet cemeteries in Florida. The station found that one of the largest pet cemetery companies in the region promises dignified pet burials, but really just left carcasses rotting in the open air.
Some states have lots of regulations. Here is the New York pet cemetery law (PDF).
Dairy Prices Rise
Milk prices are higher than three bucks a gallon nationwide now and some are predicting they will rise at least another 22 cents a gallon soon.
It’s not just cheese. Milk, yogurt, ice cream â€â€? across the board, U.S. dairy prices are at record highs. Nationally, a gallon of whole milk retailed last month at $3.02, 22 cents higher than a year ago; two-percent milk was at $2.93, up 20 cents. Wholesale prices for blocks of cheddar cheese were $2.10 a pound by late April, up nearly 25 cents from a month earlier.
“We’re much higher than previous records,” says University of Wisconsin dairy economist Ed Jesse.
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised the wholesale price farmers are paid for raw milk by 52 cents per gallon: about $1.69 for May, up from $1.17 last month and 95 cents a year ago.
Some of those higher wholesale prices haven’t yet been reflected in the dairy aisle, so retail prices should keep rising through June. After that, the industry expects prices to slowly sink again through the end of the year.
The Decatur (Ala.) Daily explains other factors that add to the higher prices:
Fewer farms mean fewer cows, though some farms have larger herds than others. Fewer cows produce less milk, especially since recently the supply of Monsanto growth hormone was cut. Monsanto growth hormone is injected into cows, causing them to produce more milk.
Other factors involved in milk pricing include gas costs to truck milk from state to state and prices for different grades of milk, which are blended in some products, complicating the matter further. Since mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was discovered in Canada last year, the United States has banned imported Canadian cows, which decreases the domestic milk supply.
Check out these city-by-city dairy prices from the feds (PDF).
Ice Cream Prices Rise, Containers Shrink
It is not just the price of milk that is pressuring ice cream manufacturers. Butter, cocoa, and even vanilla prices are up.
So WGAL-TV says ice cream makers may start using smaller containers so they won’t have to hike prices.
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