Thursday, April 26, 2007

Is this Ireland?



We don't know. It appeared on National Review's The Corner this morning, posted by John Derbyshire --

A friend sent the attached picture, with the following message:

"We've all seen the faces of those ravaged by the floods of Sri Lanka & New Orleans. This award-winning photograph of the recent flood waters rising in Ireland captures the horror & suffering there. Please keep these people in your thoughts & prayers."


It's looks fishy. "Recent flood" Where and when? Why no location or date on the photo? And many things look wrong. There's no tradition of outdoor drinking stands in Ireland (although of course there is outdoor drinking). The men are drinking from bottles and small glasses, not pints. And the look is so stereotypical that it can't be Irish, at least not today's Ireland. This photo has circulated on the web, apparently as a chain e-mail with text very much like Derb's friend supplies. Putting together some of the background colour schemes with the general look and major news over the last few years, we think it's Romania.

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