The three photos above are the ones that really make me say aahh, and make me also wonder about how much video authorities have been looking through to spot the things they have found. In the first, you have the man who is wearing a backpack and then is not wearing a backpack. A very heavy backpack judging by the looks of it. In the second photo, you have a man on a roof. All by himself. He wanted to watch alone? The bottom photo is a woman holding a purse and then that same purse later turns out to be one of the bombs.
ALL speculation. There are threads upon threads of picture analyzing at reddit. I guess Enty didn't want to link there?
ReplyDeleteand at 4chan.
ReplyDeleteI've seen all of these except for the one of someone holding the purse; who's holding it?
ReplyDeleteAm I taking crazy pills? Because I see backpack straps on the guy in the "no bag" picture.
ReplyDeleteI see that as well.
Delete@karen: no, you're not, he has the backpack on in both photos to my eyes as well. Very clearly, in fact.
DeleteI thought I saw the same thing myself. I can't imagine all of the images flooding in that they are combing through. Can you imagine how intense that must be? I'm assuming that they start with the locations of the bags and work backwards.
DeleteEvery site has them from left to right and everywhere in between. NY Post has them on the front page.
ReplyDeleteAlso if you blow up the brown bag photo, she appears to be holding it with one finger, at least for the second (the bomb would have been too heavy for her to do that, it would seem). More likely the bag that exploded is in the first photo, already on the ground, still behind the barrier. In front on the man in the white hat.
ReplyDeleteWait...I'm speculating.
If you zoom in on the first pic you can still see the straps on his shoulders.
ReplyDelete@Lotta - at first i thought it was a phanton arm reaching out, but i think the woman is holding it with her left arm and it is resting on her right knee, which is jutting forward.
ReplyDeleteUnder normal circumstances, the roof thing would be odd, but so many people who lived in the area were going to their windows to watch the marathon; it doesn't seem like a huge stretch for someone to watch from a roof.
Yeah...I go EVERYWHERE alone, and I look hella-creepy. But not actually creepy.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Is this info what the FBI focusing on or conspiracy groups?
ReplyDeleteHell that first photo looks like he's wearing a backpack in the "no bag" photo. If you enlarge it you can see straps on his shoulders. And why would the woman still be standing in front of the bomb? To me this is the very downfall of the modern age: Tons of information available for millions to speculate on whether its accurate or not.
Can't trust the media.
ReplyDeleteFSP. That's my motto. Don't trust them it's all about page hits and ratings.
DeleteStill waiting on North Korea.
Thank you, I thought I was crazy -- even in the small photos it looks like the guy still has the damn backpack on, you can see what look like straps and the people behind are just where they should be to make room for that backpack.
ReplyDeleteThe purse photo doesn't make sense either, she's balancing it with the strap slung over her knee/fingers. And then there's suddenly more than just the purse on the ground. And the woman is ... still just hanging out right in front of the purse (does anyone know if this woman was hurt in the explosion?).
The guy on the roof -- OMFG I just CAN'T with how many people weirdly suddenly think THAT is a sight you'll never see in a major city during the day.
Why is someone on a roof top by himself suspicious?! I have a rooftop and am out there frequently alone when the weather permits. Guess I must be planning something horrific!
ReplyDeleteAnd I too see the backpack straps on the fella in BOTH pictures.
I understand needing to find these crazy fucks who did this, but I am not a fan of witch hunts or irresponsible reporting. Let the FEDs do their job and you stick to gossip. Sorry enty, but this rubbed me the wrong way.
Man on the roof - if you were ever lived in a major metro area, you know that roofs are the best place to see events on street level. I often go places alone. This has already been debunked.
ReplyDeleteAll of these conspiracy theories are just feeding the frenzied press to be the first to report stuff, and as we saw yesterday most of it is INCORRECT! It's disgusting.
The NY Post showed a picture of the suspects against the wishes of the feds:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/feds_have_men_in_sights_j43UJwXZncr0wmysU42scJ
This link is to a site that has a lot of photos isolating possible suspects. The photos are very interesting but IGNORE the rhetoric:
http://www.infowars.com/boston-bombing-culprits-found/
This is also a good source to see how news is being reported :
http://www.reddit.com/r/inthenews/comments/1chphe/boston_marathon_explosion_live_update_thread_8/c9gm9kv?context=3
@Agent- The NY Post is absolute scum. They ran the photo of a man who was pushed onto the subway tracks with the train coming in his direction on their cover a few months ago. Yes, a professional photographer snapped that pic instead.
DeleteLotta, I agree that all the dailies suck. Even my beloved Boston Globe sucks. I read everything on line from Mother Jones to Real Clear politics.
DeleteI live outside Boston and the media is absolutely bouncing off the walls with speculation since this happened.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to keep the TV off because the local stations take over and just repeat the same things over and over until it sounds like it is true.
If there is camera footage I think that is good and I wish people would let the authorities do the work of sifting through it and finding whoever did it and not make them come on TV every few hours to give a statement.
It doesn't really bother me that there are cameras--most businesses have them--I work for a local retail chain--our stores are very small and every single store has a camera system that we can watch pretty much any angle.
I'm not really doing anything I would want to hide from a camera most of the time, so I don't really mind them being there.
We had a break-in in one of our stores at night--and they caught the thieves with the film from the bank 2 doors down--they had ATM cameras that caught the car the thieves used.
Crowdsourcing can be very powerful to sort through detailed photos and find clues. On the other hand, identifying specific suspects publicly before the police track them down is *extremely* irresponsible.
ReplyDeleteFolks, please, do NOT assume someone is guilty. As we've seen from past tragedies, it can be devastating to misidentify someone as the perpetrator(s).
Let the crowdsourcing provide guidance to the authorities, but let the authorities -- trained in identifying what is normal vs what is suspicious -- do their jobs.
I dont think it hurts for people to exaimine and comment on video. Who wldnt live to be the one ti find the perp? Seems harmless enough to me, and gives people a sense of power in powerless situation. The feds will make final call.
ReplyDeleteyup @fsp.
ReplyDeletewhere is the constant media outrage for the iraqi bomings that have killed at least 30?
or texas?
anything about the problems and elections in the countries in africa?
mainstream media is horrible....
Let's face it, cameras are everywhere. I assume the minute I walk out my front door that my privacy is gone and I could possibly be on film. All stores have cameras now, I even know some people who have cameras outside their homes. I'm just as curious as anyone else as to who did this but I'd also hate to have an innocent person accused of something simply because they were holding a large purse on camera.
ReplyDeleteEven if the first man in the second photo isn't wearing the backpack that doesn't mean he isn't holding it in front of him in his hands. Backpacks can hurt your back after awhile.
ReplyDelete@Lottacoloda - I understand your disgust, but then you'd have to say the same thing about all the photographers at the marathon. They filmed instead of helping. I don't knock them for that. BTW - I saw an interview with that Post photographer, he said he was too far away to help and that others were trying.
ReplyDeleteThat's why they call them suspects. Persons of interest. The feds picked up a ton of info from personal photos shared on the web as well as from those sent in direct. The L&T security camera is one of several cameras in that area.
ReplyDeleteBut authorities can still get in trouble for using the term suspects recklessly.
DeleteThe two in the first picture have been identified as local high school kids and the NY Post is now taking major heat for posting their photos.
ReplyDeleteSusanB, since we have drones running all over FL I make sure I wave every time I go outside or sit near the window. They are trying to regulate drones in FL, 1st state to begin that process.
ReplyDeleteThe errors in the reporting on this and the quick speculations wound my journalistic soul. Oh, and I hate social media. We live in a sad, sad world in which news reporting has turned to complete shit. In the media's rush to be fast and first instead of factual and correct, we, the public are misinformed on basically everything.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree @Susan. Quality journalism is still out there, but it gets drowned out by the massive amounts of media oneupmanship that turns real news into crazy theories. I don't mind social media for casual speculation. It just gets dangerous when news stations use social media as a prime source for their material. It may take longer to get information from official sources, but at least that information is closer to the truth than the idle chatter from the masses.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I can see backpack straps on that guy in the 2nd picture. And that purse doesn't look like the abandoned package at all. But if you look next to her in picture 1, you can see a grocery bag, and that looks more like what's falling down around the package in picture 2. I don't mind some compelling pictures, but I'm kind of surprised that people are seeing what they want to see in those two examples. My 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the NY Post photos, this is a legitimate story that says the post is crazy: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/04/boston-suspects-photos-new-york-post.html
ReplyDeletechris, excellent article. Especially the Reddit rule out. FEDS say they will release photos today.
Delete@Agent*it - I saw some type of proposed legislation that would require a warrant in order to use a drone. I'm more concerned about the local idiot who buys a drone from Brookstone (around $250), attaches a camera and then flies it outside my bedroom window. We have a 6 foot wall around the backyard, no 2 story houses and up till now I've left the blinds open 24/7. I'd hate to have to stop doing that. I haven't seen such a drone yet, but I'm sure it's coming.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen one. It crashed near the Everglades and we called the feds. Yes, the govt drones are here to stay. They have already done drills in Miami Dade. No more walking around in the buff in your own house.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll wait until the Feds complete their investigation rather than rely on armchair internet sleuths from Reddit. If nothing more than out of respect for the memory of falsely accused Richard Jewell, RIP.
ReplyDeleteLate yesterday, one of the local stations covered the bomb warning at the court house and within an hour were speculating that it was a way to clear the courthouse so they could bring in a suspect. Then the regular 5 pm press briefing was postponed and another station was practically berating the FBI/Police saying they owed it to them to do the briefing.
ReplyDeleteLet them do their job--and if they need the public's help let them come on and ask for it--but I remember how Richard Jewell was crucified in Atlanta--and I think people just want someone in custody--to take some of the fear out of this--and it is just a very delicate time--I think they need to step back and let them find the person with proper evidence.
@Madlyb - I lived in Atlanta in 1996. There was a call-in radio show with a local host who covered a lot of local news, gossip, stuff like that. 3-4 days after the bombing I happened to be listening - they were talking about the bombing and the Olympics, of course, and while I listened, Richard Jewell called in. Of course, they asked him tons of questions and he came across as very arrogant and smug in that interview (again, he called the station, they didn't call him). I remember thinking "what a jerk". Not long afterwards he was named as a suspect.
ReplyDeletethe guy in the white cap is not the bomber, he is a student. the ny post apparently pub'd his picture saying he was the bomber, and he is apparently moroccan, so he is no doubt getting death threats. but, its not him.
ReplyDeleteGawker had a great headline yesterday: Marathon Bombing Suspect Has Been Arrested and Is In Custody But Has Not Been Arrested and May Not Exist
ReplyDeleteThe NYPost is an absolute joke and is NOT considered a newspaper but more a tabloid.
It's been interesting to see all this unreel in the news organizations, and has really helped me see which ones are legit. What's reassuring is that they are the ones I already frequented. Actually my favorite is BBC. THere was a funny Meme going around with a picture of Obama drinking Pepsi and ridiculous headlines that might come: http://www.skepticaleye.com/2012/08/how-news-really-works.html
Nope. Not buying any of this. The guy just looks like a guy still wearing his backpack watching the race with a bud. The person on the roof could also just be checking out the race. The purse scenario is the least believable to me. I don't want to start a race war with a comment about how white women holding hand bags aren't usually terrorists. Instead, look at other photos of the scene. The fencing is blown towards and wrapped around the mailbox, not away. Also, Mr. Mailbox looks remarkably unscathed. I would work backwards and start with where these pressure cookers were purchased. Surely those things aren't flying off the shelves. Then I would begin matching those people with the people at the scene.
ReplyDeleteTony Soprano would have had those bombers on a plane back to Italy the very same day. And nobody mentions that just before this Insider Trading was made legal for all executive levels of US government. Signed by the President because the bill has bi-partisan support. Always watch the other hand!
ReplyDeleteFeds were asking if anybody was wearing Google glasses in the area. Nada.
ReplyDeleteSocial media reporting drives me nuts. So many of my friends just re-share things only for me to have to be the Debby Downer and let them know, "hey, not real!!!" It gets old, but as another former journalist (pre-mom days) I just can't help making sure people have correct information.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as for the drone stuff, I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere and I literally could do whatever/whenever! It was so freeing! Now I live in a city (not a large one) and I've just slowly learned to not care if people can see me chilling in my backyard or if they can see me in my house. I don't care to change my life on the off-chance some weirdo is spying. If they want to see my boobies, then that's their problem, not mine... ;)
And just out of curiosity - do people still use pressure cookers? I've never owned one, don't know anyone who does (especially since microwave ovens came along). Seems like looking at anyone who bought a pressure cooker (especially since they bought 2) would be a little easier to find.
ReplyDeleteI just remembered the Opster telling me last night that they may now outlaw pressure cookers? Oh bloody hell. Could we react more irrationally? One day there will be a bomb made to look like lipstick and then they'll outlaw THAT.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to a James Taylor concert right after 9/11 and they actually confiscated my toenail clippers. REALLY?
Like mentioned previously. Nobody get worked up, just let the Feds do their job. No need to find a culprit immediately rather than the right one in due time. They wasted so much time when they accused Richard Jewell when thy could have been focusing on someone else.
You were going to clip your toenails during a James Taylor concert?
DeleteLolz
Delete" The maker of the pressure cooker, Fagor America Inc., issued a statement saying the company has been contacted by investigators and is cooperating." Credit card companies will run scanners to bring in for review any purchases of this item. Then they review for additional red flags . But, they probably paid cash.
ReplyDeleteThe Pres. is in Boston Boston and it is being determined if the video images will be released after the service.
This is a local Boston source : http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/04/18/authorities-have-clear-video-images-two-suspects/eDuBdL4QhkcMVwhlrVBrcJ/story.html
Susan - people rave about pressure cookers, sometimes I consider buying one, but right now I can't remember the reasons! Some use it instead of a crock pot, or as a rice cooker. I don't eat that much rice and I have a crock pot so don't really need one.
ReplyDeleteWolfgang Puck sells quite a lot of them on QVC frequently. He makes owning one look like a really great idea, I must say.
DeleteThose first two suspects were found to be high school track athletes. The kid posted on his FB page that he has met with the authorities and cleared. Good Lord, get a grip with this and let the real authorities do their jobs.
ReplyDeleteI'm not speculating, folks. Just documenting all the sources that Enty used but did not link to (unfortunately) re the photos used. I am also tasked with documenting social media and print as it relates to this subject. Enty, if you are going to run a post on a terrorist act you have to cite the photo source. Just a friendly reminder. It keeps the feds happy.
ReplyDeleteSusanB - I love to cook and come from a family of cooking lovas, and I feel like the only time I am exposed to pressure cookers is when watching Top Chef, and usually whatever is being cooked in the pressure cooker goes horribly wrong.
ReplyDeleteiheartgloss - YES to your entire post. I'm actually not watching the news coverage 24/7 because I don't want to get more annoyed. When the brother of the school shooting around Christmas was misidentified as the suspect, I was so horrified. And thank you all for the reminder of the Richard Jewell fiasco.
Here's something I heard yesterday. I was at O'Hare flying on American to Montreal (flight was eventually cancelled). At the airport bar, one of the patrons mentioned that there's a rumor that American's "computer glitch" that grounded all the planes on Tuesday wasn't a glitch at all. The 911 bombers flew American through Boston...so perhaps American decided to ground their planes for security purposes?
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying I believe this, but it is an interesting coincidence.
Audrey, read a lot of comments echoing the same question. Possible, but Homeland security and American would never admit it, imo.
DeleteMeanwhile, while the media is sending out false information, CISPA is very close to passing and no one is paying attention.
ReplyDeleteHope everybody called their rep at the US House of Representatives and told them you value your privacy. I wonder how many readers know the name of their representatives.
DeleteJust another girl - thank you. It's hard to watch the other hand with all this drama. And Agent - thanks for all the good links!!
DeleteThank you Libby - your top comment is spot-on :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a breath of fresh air to read the calm comments. I totally agree with letting people get on with their job & letting those affected recover/grieve without being constantly reminded of what happened.
ReplyDeletewe have a pressure cooker and use it a few times a year. They scare me but the Mr loves 'em.
ReplyDeleteoff to learn about CIPSA
Can I just apologize on behalf of Christians everywhere for the disgusting jerk-offs over at Westboro? The First Amendment protects their right to call themselves Christians, even though they are not. Hate wrapped in prayer is still hate. I cannot believe anyone in the church could spew the hatred that they do. They are delighting in the death of an 8 year-old and the destruction of his poor family.
ReplyDeleteThe woman with the purse isn't holding it with one finger...she has the strap around her knee, which is holding up the bag. Her finger is balancing it on her knew.
ReplyDeleteALso...the Bag...No bag picture...it's obvious he's NOT wearing a bag in the 2nd photo. He's more upright and not struggling to hold up anything in the No Bag photo...and the guy behind him is getting up right close to his back...so there's nothing there.
@Popnursing: Yeah right? I was gonna rush the stage a trim those foot claws of sweet Baby James. What would have been the harm?
ReplyDeleteAgree @Agent**It. Will NEVER admit to it.
ReplyDeleteThe guy in blue has gone to the police station to clear his name. He is NOT the bomber, and it's fucking IRRESPONSIBLE for the Internet to be speculating that he is.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but this pisses me off to no end. An innocent guy is being harrassed because of some armchair "sleuths".
Let the damn professionals do their job.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/teen-boston-marathon-bomber/story?id=18990057#.UXBTPr_9PEM
Add to that that I'd like to see Enty and everyone else who passed around speculative photos apologize for getting it wrong.
ReplyDeleteI read in the Boston Globe this morning that The company who makes the pressure cooker released a statement that said "Our product was not meant for any other use than cooking"
ReplyDeleteCan you believe that?? No sorry, no isn't this a tragedy, just a disclaimer.
Seachica I am right there with you! It's So fucking irresponsible! People don't think of the consequences that these postings have on these innocent bystanders.
ReplyDeletesee fbi.gov. 2 young males. pix are up.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteclear shot of profile **especially the ears ** which is like a finger print to the fbi.
ReplyDeleteCrazymaking crap. There does not appear to be a functioning mass media anymore. If there ever was. Many of our 'trusted sources' are CIA. Bill Moyers, I am looking at YOU.
ReplyDeletesomeone told me the CEO of the pressure cooker company was interviewed on TV and was devastated.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my previous snark. The paper didn't tell the full story, I guess *shock*
I know this is a terrible tragedy and this poor kid was probably harassed but did anyone else find his response funny? Half of the eyes in the world are on him and his response was "shit is getting real! I am going to the courthouse right now! You guys will see I didn't do anything!" Or do I just have a weird sense of humor??
ReplyDelete