Monday, October 31, 2011
New York Times Reading Log - Monday October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! Or happy snow fall? The New York Times had intreguing first page stories in todays paper. The story regarding the winter storm that most of the East Coast experienced this weekend definitely caught my attention, mostly because it has had an impact on me. The article stated that 280,000 New Hampshire residents are without power still from the storms damage, and I am part of that number. The article had some really great insight about the storm that I was unaware of, such as how it has already caused 9 deaths. It was said that one 20 year old man got electricuted, which to me seemed like the most important part of the story. The story however, focused mostly on how Halloween festivites were cancelled. Although it gave me insight to what happened with the first storm of "winter," I wonder where their information came from since most went unquoted. This is a prime example of what he discussed in class - the signifcance of giving recognition to all of your sources in our weekly stories.
Rare, Dangerous Leopard Goes Missing From Durham Zoo
DURHAM, N.H. - Early this morning, officials of the Durham Zoo noticed that fluffy, the Zoo's very rare, 10-year-old female spotted leopard was missing from its cage. Fluffy is a Romanian spotted leopard and one of 5 in existance, which is why this creature is so important to the Zoo.
James Petronkis, a 36 year-old visitor of the Zoo made the discovery of the missing Leopard at 7:30 a.m. and made two attempts to contact security of the Zoo, both of which went unresponded.
It was an hour and a half later that a search for Fluffy began when security finally went into Fluffy's house and saw that she was in fact not there.
"Police cars came from every direction and within minutes they were roughly pushing visitors to exits," said Petronkis. Petronkis was later forced to leave the zoo by security, but stayed to see large amounts of police and security in the search process.
Gerry Durrell, the director of the Zoo spoke at press conference that took place at 9 a.m. this morning and said that Fluffy was last seen in his cage when the Zoo closed at 9 p.m. last night.
"We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went," said Durrell. "She may have left the area and she could be walkiing around Durham at this point. We just don't know."
Before turning the press conference over to Kitty Smith, the zoo's chief biologist, Durrell said that officials are doing everything possible to find Fluffy and bring her back. Smith takes over talking to reporters about the significance of finiding Fluffy as soon as possible.
"Fluffy is extremely dangerous and these lleopards are driven to the brink of extinction in Romania because of their appetite for young children," said Smith.
Smith continues to mention that Fluffy is a sweet cat, whom has never harmed anyone, but they are cornered and feel threatened on a dark night, their defense mechanism tells them to kill quickly.
The Durham zoo said right before ending the press conference that New Hampshire State Police along with the state wildlife department are helping with the search of Fluffy. Additionally, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors.
Police Chief, William Blair outlined the search for Fluffy and emphasized the importance of finding Fluffy before children of this residential neighborhood are released from school.
"If we cannot find her in the zoo, we will begin searching the neighborhood, moving farther and farther away from the zoo," said Blair. "We have got to find her before 3 p.m. These cats are nearly impossible to find in the dark -- they can see everything."
Smith describes Fluffy for anyone that is to come in contact with her. She said Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can run 60 miles per hour. "Fluffy is a wonderful, warm gentle cat... we miss her and want her back safe and sound," said smith.
James Petronkis, a 36 year-old visitor of the Zoo made the discovery of the missing Leopard at 7:30 a.m. and made two attempts to contact security of the Zoo, both of which went unresponded.
It was an hour and a half later that a search for Fluffy began when security finally went into Fluffy's house and saw that she was in fact not there.
"Police cars came from every direction and within minutes they were roughly pushing visitors to exits," said Petronkis. Petronkis was later forced to leave the zoo by security, but stayed to see large amounts of police and security in the search process.
Gerry Durrell, the director of the Zoo spoke at press conference that took place at 9 a.m. this morning and said that Fluffy was last seen in his cage when the Zoo closed at 9 p.m. last night.
"We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went," said Durrell. "She may have left the area and she could be walkiing around Durham at this point. We just don't know."
Before turning the press conference over to Kitty Smith, the zoo's chief biologist, Durrell said that officials are doing everything possible to find Fluffy and bring her back. Smith takes over talking to reporters about the significance of finiding Fluffy as soon as possible.
"Fluffy is extremely dangerous and these lleopards are driven to the brink of extinction in Romania because of their appetite for young children," said Smith.
Smith continues to mention that Fluffy is a sweet cat, whom has never harmed anyone, but they are cornered and feel threatened on a dark night, their defense mechanism tells them to kill quickly.
The Durham zoo said right before ending the press conference that New Hampshire State Police along with the state wildlife department are helping with the search of Fluffy. Additionally, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors.
Police Chief, William Blair outlined the search for Fluffy and emphasized the importance of finding Fluffy before children of this residential neighborhood are released from school.
"If we cannot find her in the zoo, we will begin searching the neighborhood, moving farther and farther away from the zoo," said Blair. "We have got to find her before 3 p.m. These cats are nearly impossible to find in the dark -- they can see everything."
Smith describes Fluffy for anyone that is to come in contact with her. She said Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can run 60 miles per hour. "Fluffy is a wonderful, warm gentle cat... we miss her and want her back safe and sound," said smith.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Meeting Story Exercise
Saturday Morning Cartoons Or Saturday Morning School -- Who Decides?
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A Portsmouth School Board discussion that took place at 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening raised the issue of Saturday morning school for troubled children. Is the biggest trouble of them all not allowing them their Saturday morning cartoons and family time?
When the board brought up new business, new issues were raised. Time Steele, a School Board member, made a motion to approve a new policy that would require students who have disciplinary problems during the week to return to school for a special Saturday morning session. He noted the session would run from 8 a.m. until noon, several weekends in a row.
But what will happen to those who miss the Saturday morning session? This question was on many of the meeting members minds. "If a student skips Saturday School, he or she would not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served," Steele said.
Many were outraged. Peggy Bacon, a parent of a child in the Portsmouth School district was less than satisfied with this idea. "I work six days a week -- including Saturday morning -- and it's bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday." Many concerns were raised if Steele was to get his way. "I just don't think it is going to make any difference -- and the parents are going to have to pay for it -- in higher taxes as well as ruined Saturdays," Bacon said.
Lisa Gallagher, a senior at Portsmouth High School agrees with Bacon. "I think it's just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don't have to deal with detentions during the week." Many others were outraged as well at this idea, but that doesn't mean all were. Every story has two sides.
Steele expressed the reason that the new disciplinary measure is being proposed is in an effort to reduce the number of in-house suspensions. He said that in-house suspensions are given automatically to students whom are caught smoking and that maybe this discipinary board will reduce the amount of students breaking the rules.
Bob Farley, a resident to the town of Portsmouth stood up in Steeles deffence. "Parents can whine all they want about this, but maybe it's time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids." Farley goes on to explain that parents have not been teaching their kids any discipline, which is why some kids fail to have respect in the classroom. "Maybe if they have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they'll start wising up," said Farley.
A heated discussion of this issue occupied 30 minutes of the Monday night meeting. The conclusion of the discussion was brought about when the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until their next meeting on March 7. With this, Steele was instructed to return on March 7 with figures on in-school detentions so far this year.
Other issues were as well discussed. Superintendent of Schools, Nathan Greenberg delivered an administrative report detailing the Schools effort to push forward a $21 million budget for the next school year. A special citizens committee was formed to review how other communities fund education with their tax dollars since the $21 million budget represents an increse of 5.5 percent over the current year's spending.
The impact of the schools decision to bring about Saturday morning school will just have to wait until next month and after other issues are discussed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A Portsmouth School Board discussion that took place at 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening raised the issue of Saturday morning school for troubled children. Is the biggest trouble of them all not allowing them their Saturday morning cartoons and family time?
When the board brought up new business, new issues were raised. Time Steele, a School Board member, made a motion to approve a new policy that would require students who have disciplinary problems during the week to return to school for a special Saturday morning session. He noted the session would run from 8 a.m. until noon, several weekends in a row.
But what will happen to those who miss the Saturday morning session? This question was on many of the meeting members minds. "If a student skips Saturday School, he or she would not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served," Steele said.
Many were outraged. Peggy Bacon, a parent of a child in the Portsmouth School district was less than satisfied with this idea. "I work six days a week -- including Saturday morning -- and it's bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday." Many concerns were raised if Steele was to get his way. "I just don't think it is going to make any difference -- and the parents are going to have to pay for it -- in higher taxes as well as ruined Saturdays," Bacon said.
Lisa Gallagher, a senior at Portsmouth High School agrees with Bacon. "I think it's just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don't have to deal with detentions during the week." Many others were outraged as well at this idea, but that doesn't mean all were. Every story has two sides.
Steele expressed the reason that the new disciplinary measure is being proposed is in an effort to reduce the number of in-house suspensions. He said that in-house suspensions are given automatically to students whom are caught smoking and that maybe this discipinary board will reduce the amount of students breaking the rules.
Bob Farley, a resident to the town of Portsmouth stood up in Steeles deffence. "Parents can whine all they want about this, but maybe it's time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids." Farley goes on to explain that parents have not been teaching their kids any discipline, which is why some kids fail to have respect in the classroom. "Maybe if they have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they'll start wising up," said Farley.
A heated discussion of this issue occupied 30 minutes of the Monday night meeting. The conclusion of the discussion was brought about when the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until their next meeting on March 7. With this, Steele was instructed to return on March 7 with figures on in-school detentions so far this year.
Other issues were as well discussed. Superintendent of Schools, Nathan Greenberg delivered an administrative report detailing the Schools effort to push forward a $21 million budget for the next school year. A special citizens committee was formed to review how other communities fund education with their tax dollars since the $21 million budget represents an increse of 5.5 percent over the current year's spending.
The impact of the schools decision to bring about Saturday morning school will just have to wait until next month and after other issues are discussed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
New York Times, Thursday October 13 2011
I like seeing more and more in the papers about the campaign and election that will be here before we know it. Can you believe that President Obama's campaign raised over $42 million in the third quarter of the year, outdoing his republican rivals. The article tells us that 606,207 people donated to Obama online.. that is more than ever before. I'm definitely going to be keeping up with election news as it will make for a good news story of mine later on in the semester. I just have to think of a good spin to put on it. It's also interesting to see how more sports stories are entering the NYT. You definitely become aware of Hockey and Football starting up. The range and depth the paper continuously offers never ceases to surprise me.
New York Times Reading Log, Tuesday Oct.11 2011
A lot of news in todays paper. I was especially interested in one story regarding a ship disaster in Miami. It was a heart-felt story describing the disaster that happened leading to the boat sinking and its passangers being left in the water. Seven of the eight members were saved, including a young child. One member, the captains mother unfortunately went under when the boat sank. The other members were left in the water for twenty hours before rescue crews saved them. All they had to hang on to was a blue cooler for boyancy and two life jackets. This is news that you sometimes hear about, but never believe to be true. I found it a unique story to the New York Times. What first grabbed my attention about this story was the lead. It was an expanded summary lead in which I attempted to immatete on our in class exercise. (See post below for the in class exercise).
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Disaster Almost Strikes Old Man Unconscious On Train Tracks
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE - "I never thought about it. I just knew I couldn't let that man get crushed by a trian" says James Laboke of the old man whom he found unconscious in his car that was parked in the middle of the train tracks.
Early this morning, a police report came in when the young boy [Laboke] ran into the police station at Old Orchard Beach proclaiming to the officers that there was a man stuck in a car that seemed to be stalled in the middle of the Downeaster train tracks. The doors were locked and the man was slumped over the steering wheel.
After getting no response from the 80-year-old man when pounding on the car window, the boy new he had no other choice but to run 100 yards to the nearest police station.
Janet Paradiso, a captain on the town police force was in her police cruiser when she heard the call come in on the radio regarding the old man and stranded vehicle. "I knew there was no time," Paradiso said, "I had to do something." She arrived at the scene, a mile and a hald from where she was parked at 6:05 a.m. today; just in time to hear the trains whistles.
Chief Brian Paul, the chief of police in Old Orchard Beach, states that Paradiso rammed her cruiser into the mans 1987 pink Cadillac Seville and pushed it from the tracks. Not more than 30 seconds later, the train passed the crossing of the incident at 40 miles per hour. "It was that close," said Paul.
The man in the car was later identified as Francois Truffaut, a tourist originating from Quebec City, Canada. Ever since he was a young child, he has been visiting Old Orchard Beach every summer. "I dont remember a thing," Truffaut said from where he was being hospitalized at Southern Maine Medical Center.
Truffaut is listed as a diabetic and is currently in stable condition where he is expected to make a full recovery. The report states that Truffaut may have gone into insulin shock, just as he reached the railroad crossing.
The young hero who is given full credit for the life of Truffaut is Laboke, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee who has been living in Old Orchard Beach for three years. Every morning he gets up at 5 a.m. only to walk four miles to his job as a waiter at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand St., which is why he passed by Truffaut on the train tracks.
The Eezy Breezy Restaurant is located right on Old Orchard Beach in Maine, a popular summer toursit community. Here, Laboke reports to Charles Champaigne, the restaurant owner who hired Laboke about 8 months prior.
The passenger train operated by Amtrak runs from Portland, Maine, to Boston. It is called the Downeaster, and it was the Downeaster tracks that Truffaut's Cadillac was stalled on. The first train of the day is southbound that hits Old Orchard Beach at 6:10 a.m., which explains for the close call when Paradiso arrived at the scene.
After Laboke reported what he saw to the police, he went straight to work where he arrived ontime and spoke nothing of the incident to Champaigne."It doesn't surprise me at all," Champaigne said of Laboke. "That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He's just a great kid."
Early this morning, a police report came in when the young boy [Laboke] ran into the police station at Old Orchard Beach proclaiming to the officers that there was a man stuck in a car that seemed to be stalled in the middle of the Downeaster train tracks. The doors were locked and the man was slumped over the steering wheel.
After getting no response from the 80-year-old man when pounding on the car window, the boy new he had no other choice but to run 100 yards to the nearest police station.
Janet Paradiso, a captain on the town police force was in her police cruiser when she heard the call come in on the radio regarding the old man and stranded vehicle. "I knew there was no time," Paradiso said, "I had to do something." She arrived at the scene, a mile and a hald from where she was parked at 6:05 a.m. today; just in time to hear the trains whistles.
Chief Brian Paul, the chief of police in Old Orchard Beach, states that Paradiso rammed her cruiser into the mans 1987 pink Cadillac Seville and pushed it from the tracks. Not more than 30 seconds later, the train passed the crossing of the incident at 40 miles per hour. "It was that close," said Paul.
The man in the car was later identified as Francois Truffaut, a tourist originating from Quebec City, Canada. Ever since he was a young child, he has been visiting Old Orchard Beach every summer. "I dont remember a thing," Truffaut said from where he was being hospitalized at Southern Maine Medical Center.
Truffaut is listed as a diabetic and is currently in stable condition where he is expected to make a full recovery. The report states that Truffaut may have gone into insulin shock, just as he reached the railroad crossing.
The young hero who is given full credit for the life of Truffaut is Laboke, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee who has been living in Old Orchard Beach for three years. Every morning he gets up at 5 a.m. only to walk four miles to his job as a waiter at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand St., which is why he passed by Truffaut on the train tracks.
The Eezy Breezy Restaurant is located right on Old Orchard Beach in Maine, a popular summer toursit community. Here, Laboke reports to Charles Champaigne, the restaurant owner who hired Laboke about 8 months prior.
The passenger train operated by Amtrak runs from Portland, Maine, to Boston. It is called the Downeaster, and it was the Downeaster tracks that Truffaut's Cadillac was stalled on. The first train of the day is southbound that hits Old Orchard Beach at 6:10 a.m., which explains for the close call when Paradiso arrived at the scene.
After Laboke reported what he saw to the police, he went straight to work where he arrived ontime and spoke nothing of the incident to Champaigne."It doesn't surprise me at all," Champaigne said of Laboke. "That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He's just a great kid."
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
New York Times, Tuesday October 4th 2011
I love finding front page stories that I can directly relate to. At this day in age, many woman are on some form of contraception. And to hear that there is a form of contraception being used amongst African woman that is causing increasing risks of H.I.V. is quite scary. This form of contraception is an injection that happens every 3 months, a form that is proven to be one of the highest in preventing childbirth. It makes me question why this information is just being learned. As I continue to flip through Tuesday's paper, I am looking out for stories that directly relate to class. I am intrigued by the personal profile piece that has to be written this semester. With this being said, I spent some time reading about Gov. Rick Perry and the controversy with the hunting camp. I did find that I think this story could have used a summary lead instead of a delayed lead. I will have to keep that in mind in doing my profile story.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Scent Of A Woman Exercise
Emotions rose high at the Baird School Disciplinary Comity after Charlie Simms refused to disclose the names of students involved in a prank against headmaster Trask.
“I am just getting started,” exclaims Army Ranger Lt. George Willis in response to Trask asking him to stand down. Lt. Willis launched a passionate defense in front of the entire student body and disciplinary comity in hopes to keep Simms from getting expelled from the school.
It was apparent to all that many were outraged by the injustice that was taking place amongst the Baird School. Simms was harshly criticized by Trask for being a liar and untrustworthy in regards to his refusal to explain the situation at hand.
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