Monday
One article that caught my eye right away was the one about Hungary. It is interesting how much Hungary has been in the news lately: it isn’t one of those countries that you would expect to read about in the Times but has showed up pretty consistently over the semester. Unfortunately, it has shown up for some pretty depressing reasons. This time it is because of attacks on the Roma people who live there. Attacks against the Roma people are getting more and more common, though violence against these people is not new. When I was in Budapest, I learned a little bit about the prejudice that people have against the Roma, and apparently it is something that has been there consistently for a long time. It just seems to be getting worse, almost as if people are blaming them for the economic problems.
Another big story today is the story about the swine flu. Yesterday a health emergency was declared, though there does not seem to be a whole lot of information yet. There are only 20 cases in the US, which seems sort of a low number to declare an emergency. But I guess it makes sense since there have been a bunch of cases in countries near us. The end of this article inside the paper had a nice map that I thought was helpful: it showed the locations of the cases of swine flu. It’s cool to have graphic like that to help make a story clearer.
There were a couple religion-related stories today, which is sort of unusual. The one on the first page discussed something that seems almost like a church for people who don’t believe in God. Then there was the one about gay marriage in New York. It was interesting to read about the tension between faith and politics, and it will be interesting to see which wins out in New York.
Tuesday
There is an interesting story on the front page about the developing cyber warfare. The internet is a weapon you don’t really think about all that much when thinking about the United States military. But it makes sense that the military would start to use this tool more and more as it becomes more highly developed and has more potential to help with war efforts.
There was a small start to an article on the first page that discussed swine flu, and this opens up to a two-page spread inside the paper. I think this is good, because swine flu is big news and the Times is doing a pretty good job of looking at it from different angles. There is the story about the teenagers in NY who may have brought the flu back with them from Mexico, there is the story about what the Obama administration is doing about the outbreak, there is a neat question and answer story that answers questions that readers had about the swine flu, and then there is a story about the World Health Organization and its response to the flu. The map that I mentioned from yesterday’s paper reappeared and was updated with slightly higher numbers. But I think that the Q & A story was especially helpful, as it broke down good information into reasonably sized pieces, and therefore was reader-friendly as well as informative.
There was another gay marriage story today as Iowa began to allow same sex couples to be married. This story talked about the lack of protest and hoopla as the state began to allow these marriages, and it makes me wonder what the scene will be like tomorrow in NH as our own same sex marriage bill is voted on.
Wednesday
Yet another swine flu story makes it to the front page. This one talks about the boy who may have been the first swine flu case. I feel sort of bad for this little boy, who is getting all this publicity for being sick, and almost being blamed for this spreading health threat. He doesn’t seem to mind, but his mother says that people are blaming her son and she thinks they are wrong. This story again leads to a two page spread on swine flu inside the paper. The topics today include the pork industry, the search for a vaccine, a couple media stories, the new health secretary, and growing cases of the flu in NY City. One of the stories on the media talks about the tension the media faces between letting people know what is going on and causing a panic or alarming people unnecessarily. I think that this is an important article because it describes what could be happening right now with the swine flu. I think that the Times has been doing a pretty good job of covering the issue fairly without being alarmist, but I think that there are other media outlets that have been more alarmist than factual. This could lead to people who don’t have the resources to get the Times or a similar paper to simply be frightened by the talk of the swine flu and not know what to do about that fear.
One interesting story on the front page that I noticed was the one about colleges not using cafeteria trays. This is interesting because one of our dining halls does “trayless Tuesday” where people are encouraged not to use trays on Tuesdays (as the name so aptly suggests). It was interesting that this particular trend was mentioned in the article. I thought that the point of not allowing tray use was just to encourage people to take less food, but this story mentions also cutting back on water costs as this leads to fewer dirty dishes. I think that is a cool benefit, and maybe it will encourage me not to find the ever-elusive Tuesday trays.
Thursday
The front page is sort of depressing today, with a couple stories on the likely spread of the swine flu, and a story on the ever-worsening economic situation in the US. The economic story does mention a hopeful future if people start spending more, which would be very nice to see. But this story does serve to remind us that even amid new crises like the swine flu, the old problems are still here as well.
On the swine flu front, the first death from swine flu in the US was reported yesterday, though it is important to note that the victim was someone from Mexico, not from the United States. One of the stories in today’s two page spread brought up the link between the flu and the economic recession. Since the economy is going down, there is less money for health care, which leads to less work for doctors, which means more layoffs in health care departments, which means less people prepared to help out with a major health crisis. That seems like it should be a cause for concern, but hopefully the flu will not reach the point where we cannot contain it with the health professionals that are working right now. But that also brings up another point: if this swine flu spreads and more and more people have to pay to see doctors, with the economy benefit? Sort of morbid thought. According to the ever-helpful swine flu map, there are now cases in both Massachusetts and Maine, but not yet in NH!
New Hampshire made the paper in a different story, because the State Senate passed the same-sex marriage bill. The bill now needs to go back to the House for a vote because it was amended in the Senate, and then it will be up to Governor Lynch to decide whether or not to sign the bill into law. The article mentioned that if Mr. Lynch does not want to actually approve the bill but is too scared to veto it, he could just let it become law without doing either. I think that would be the wimpiest thing ever. If you’re governor, it’s your job to make hard decisions like whether or not to allow the definition of marriage to be changed by people who want same sex marriages. Not signing the bill would have the same effect as signing it, but just do it in a way where it suggests that Mr. Lynch does not want to admit responsibility for his actions.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Police Chief Martin Brody has reported that a fisherman caught the shark suspected to have caused the deaths of two Amity citizens earlier this week.
The deaths of Wendy Watson and Alex Kintner are both under investigation, and the police department has said that they have been linked to possible shark activities.
Watson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amity High School, was found dead on the beach on the night of July 1. There were no witnesses to her death, although an unidentified male said that Watson had decided to go swimming in a remote area of the beach.
Kintner, who was 10 at the time of his death, was killed while playing with friends in the waters of the crowded Village Beach. Witnesses report that Kintner had been floating on a rubber raft when he disappeared under the water. His body has not been found, though his raft had what appeared to be a large bite mark in it.
In response to the death of her son, Audrey Kintner offered a $3,000 reward to anyone who kills the shark that is suspected in his death. That reward was claimed today by unidentified fishermen who killed a shark 1 mile off the beaches of Amity.
In a press conference this morning, Brody said that the shark was examined by marine biologist Matt Hooper, who said that it is the shark suspected in the deaths of Watson and Kintner.
“Course it’s the same one,” Brody said. “How could it not be?”
He said that the shark has not been cut open to confirm its identity as the killer responsible for the deaths.
“I doubt that there’s another one of these beasts in these waters,” he said.
This morning, the beach was crowded with people enjoying the sun, listening to music, and playing games. Laughter filled the beach while the waters were empty except for the shark spotters patrolling the waters in their boats.
One family entered the water, adults on both ends of a rubber raft carrying three children. Soon the water was filled with people swimming, shouting, laughing, and splashing.
The waters emptied out once again as a shark fin was spotted near some swimmers. Lifeguards on the beach blew their whistles and called for everyone to leave the water as the shark spotters moved in with their boats and guns.
The people who had so enthusiastically run into the water only a few minutes before ran for the beach. What they were running away from turned out to be only two boys playing with a cardboard shark fin.
The death of the real shark caused Brody to change his strategy for dealing with the recent deaths in town. Last night, at a meeting between Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen, Brody announced that the beaches were going to be closed. Before the death of the shark, the beaches were going to be closed for 24 hours.
Brody explained today that the beaches were going to stay open, although shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI, and other local agencies would be on the beach looking for signs of shark activity.
“There’s always the possibility [that there are more sharks], and we’re going to be very careful,” Brody said.
Brody said in a press release that the police department believes that there is no more danger of shark attacks. He said that any shark sightings should be reported at 1-800-sharksee.
The deaths of Wendy Watson and Alex Kintner are both under investigation, and the police department has said that they have been linked to possible shark activities.
Watson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amity High School, was found dead on the beach on the night of July 1. There were no witnesses to her death, although an unidentified male said that Watson had decided to go swimming in a remote area of the beach.
Kintner, who was 10 at the time of his death, was killed while playing with friends in the waters of the crowded Village Beach. Witnesses report that Kintner had been floating on a rubber raft when he disappeared under the water. His body has not been found, though his raft had what appeared to be a large bite mark in it.
In response to the death of her son, Audrey Kintner offered a $3,000 reward to anyone who kills the shark that is suspected in his death. That reward was claimed today by unidentified fishermen who killed a shark 1 mile off the beaches of Amity.
In a press conference this morning, Brody said that the shark was examined by marine biologist Matt Hooper, who said that it is the shark suspected in the deaths of Watson and Kintner.
“Course it’s the same one,” Brody said. “How could it not be?”
He said that the shark has not been cut open to confirm its identity as the killer responsible for the deaths.
“I doubt that there’s another one of these beasts in these waters,” he said.
This morning, the beach was crowded with people enjoying the sun, listening to music, and playing games. Laughter filled the beach while the waters were empty except for the shark spotters patrolling the waters in their boats.
One family entered the water, adults on both ends of a rubber raft carrying three children. Soon the water was filled with people swimming, shouting, laughing, and splashing.
The waters emptied out once again as a shark fin was spotted near some swimmers. Lifeguards on the beach blew their whistles and called for everyone to leave the water as the shark spotters moved in with their boats and guns.
The people who had so enthusiastically run into the water only a few minutes before ran for the beach. What they were running away from turned out to be only two boys playing with a cardboard shark fin.
The death of the real shark caused Brody to change his strategy for dealing with the recent deaths in town. Last night, at a meeting between Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen, Brody announced that the beaches were going to be closed. Before the death of the shark, the beaches were going to be closed for 24 hours.
Brody explained today that the beaches were going to stay open, although shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI, and other local agencies would be on the beach looking for signs of shark activity.
“There’s always the possibility [that there are more sharks], and we’re going to be very careful,” Brody said.
Brody said in a press release that the police department believes that there is no more danger of shark attacks. He said that any shark sightings should be reported at 1-800-sharksee.
Beaches Set to Close After Two Suspected Shark Attacks
Amity town officials have decided to shut down the beaches for 24 hours following two deaths suspected to have been caused by shark attacks.
This decision was announced at a meeting last night called to discuss the town’s response to the deaths of two Amity citizens. The deaths of Wendy Watson and Alex Kintner are both under investigation, and the police department has said that they have been linked to possible shark activities.
Watson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amity High School, was found dead on the beach on the night of July 1. There were no witnesses to her death, although an unidentified male said that Watson had decided to go swimming in a remote area of the beach.
Kintner, who was 10 at the time of his death, was killed while playing with friends in the waters of the crowded Village Beach. Witnesses report that Kintner had been floating on a rubber raft when he disappeared under the water. His body has not been found, though his raft had what appeared to be a large bite mark in it.
In response to the death of her son, Audrey Kintner has offered a $3,000 reward to anyone who kills the shark that is suspected in his death.
Chief of Police Martin Brody announced a different response to the killings. Last night, at the meeting between Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen, Brody announced that the beaches were going to be closed.
Mayor Farley said that the beaches were only going to be closed for 24 hours, and Brody said that the town was trying to get shark spotters and extra summer deputies to come help.
Fisherman Ben Quint, who was also at the meeting, offered to catch and kill the shark for $10,000.
This decision was announced at a meeting last night called to discuss the town’s response to the deaths of two Amity citizens. The deaths of Wendy Watson and Alex Kintner are both under investigation, and the police department has said that they have been linked to possible shark activities.
Watson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amity High School, was found dead on the beach on the night of July 1. There were no witnesses to her death, although an unidentified male said that Watson had decided to go swimming in a remote area of the beach.
Kintner, who was 10 at the time of his death, was killed while playing with friends in the waters of the crowded Village Beach. Witnesses report that Kintner had been floating on a rubber raft when he disappeared under the water. His body has not been found, though his raft had what appeared to be a large bite mark in it.
In response to the death of her son, Audrey Kintner has offered a $3,000 reward to anyone who kills the shark that is suspected in his death.
Chief of Police Martin Brody announced a different response to the killings. Last night, at the meeting between Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen, Brody announced that the beaches were going to be closed.
Mayor Farley said that the beaches were only going to be closed for 24 hours, and Brody said that the town was trying to get shark spotters and extra summer deputies to come help.
Fisherman Ben Quint, who was also at the meeting, offered to catch and kill the shark for $10,000.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Times 4/20-4/23
Monday-
A story that caught my attention right away was the one about the horse races in Hungary. Since I studied abroad there last semester, I was probably more interested in this story than the average reader would be, but I think it was well done. The writer did a good job of making this story a cheap-horse-turned-hero story, which I think could interest people even if they have not been to Hungary.
The story about the American troops in Afghanistan was interesting as well. It was written in a different format than most news stories, as it read more like a story. I think that’s a cool idea, sort of showing almost a day-in-the-life sort of story.
There were several crime stories in today’s paper. One discussed the legalization of marijuana, which is becoming a big debate across the nation. Another showed a worrying result of the falling economy: a rise in crime. This article looked at a town in South Carolina where the police are having trouble with people committing more crimes like stealing. It is interesting to think that with the economy down more people are “having to resort” to things like stealing to feed their families.
Tuesday-
One article that explained a sort of ridiculous situation was the one on the Obama administration investigating the CIA interrogation techniques. Apparently, Obama told the CIA that although they are being investigated, there will be no blame placed on them for the “mistakes” they have made. This seems sort of impossible: if you find mistakes that someone made, aren’t you by definition saying they screwed up? It seems rather weak to be saying that they are going to investigate the CIA’s practices and then do nothing about them. This will be a good story to follow and see what they do find and what they actually do about it. I bet there will be more done than Obama is limiting himself to now.
A story about a legal case caught my attention: judges are deciding whether or not to say that depictions of cruelty against animals should not be protected under the constitutional right for free speech. It seems that this law would put videos or pictures of animals being hurt on the same level of things like hate speech. I’m not sure how I feel about that. But the article brought up an interesting point: if you ban depictions of animal cruelty, does that also ban depictions of things like bullfights? Would this law keep bullfighting images out of classrooms when students want to learn about traditional Spanish culture? I think that the “slippery slope” argument works well against this law.
Wednesday-
The article about the trial of the Somali pirate brings up some worrisome issues. I wonder if this man could actually ever get a fair trial in America. It seems almost like it could turn out to be a trial just to make people feel like justice is being done. But are they going to go back to Somalia to find witnesses that could provide testimony for the defense? Are they ever going to actually find out the defendant’s age? I think it is telling that they don’t know that, because if they can’t even figure out his age, how are they going to find enough evidence to actually put on a convincing defense? I am not saying that this man should necessarily go free, I’m just skeptical as to the worth of this trial in a country that is up in arms against this man’s country and the piracy that he (allegedly) committed.
There seem to be a lot of law-related cases in this issue (and actually in past issues this week as well). There was a ruling that made it so that police don’t have a universal right to search the cars of people that they just arrested: they either need to think that they are in danger of the arrested person grabbing a gun or something out of the car, or believe that there is evidence in the car for the crime they just arrested them for. I’m not sure how much of a different this will make, because I don’t know how broadly the second reason for checking out a car could be used. Couldn’t an officer almost always say that he had reason to believe that evidence of the crime s/he is charging the suspect with was probably in the car?
Thursday-
One big story on the front page was the one about the election in Lebanon. It seems crazy how much this election is based on money. It basically seems that whoever has the most money will win. But sometimes it seems like that’s similar to how it is in our country. Not to the same degree, of course, but candidates definitely have a huge advantage if they have more money than those they are running against.
The story about the Taliban in Pakistan had an amazing picture with it, which made me start wondering about the photographer. It looks like he took the picture from like ten yards away from the Taliban fighter who had probably just killed the police officer lying on the ground. Was the photographer scared for his life? Was he hiding behind a bush or something? Did he ask the Taliban fighter “hey, could you just stand over that guy and look scary for a minute?” seems like a pretty intense job.
The article titled “slump creates lack of mobility for Americans” seems to make a few assumptions that can’t necessarily back up. It is written on the assumption that lower rates of people moving definitely show that people don’t have the money to move or aren’t willing to move because they are worried about the economic climate of the country. While I think that this could be a valid explanation for why people aren’t moving, it is possible that something else is at least partially responsible as well. The writers just don’t seem to take that possibility into account.
A story that caught my attention right away was the one about the horse races in Hungary. Since I studied abroad there last semester, I was probably more interested in this story than the average reader would be, but I think it was well done. The writer did a good job of making this story a cheap-horse-turned-hero story, which I think could interest people even if they have not been to Hungary.
The story about the American troops in Afghanistan was interesting as well. It was written in a different format than most news stories, as it read more like a story. I think that’s a cool idea, sort of showing almost a day-in-the-life sort of story.
There were several crime stories in today’s paper. One discussed the legalization of marijuana, which is becoming a big debate across the nation. Another showed a worrying result of the falling economy: a rise in crime. This article looked at a town in South Carolina where the police are having trouble with people committing more crimes like stealing. It is interesting to think that with the economy down more people are “having to resort” to things like stealing to feed their families.
Tuesday-
One article that explained a sort of ridiculous situation was the one on the Obama administration investigating the CIA interrogation techniques. Apparently, Obama told the CIA that although they are being investigated, there will be no blame placed on them for the “mistakes” they have made. This seems sort of impossible: if you find mistakes that someone made, aren’t you by definition saying they screwed up? It seems rather weak to be saying that they are going to investigate the CIA’s practices and then do nothing about them. This will be a good story to follow and see what they do find and what they actually do about it. I bet there will be more done than Obama is limiting himself to now.
A story about a legal case caught my attention: judges are deciding whether or not to say that depictions of cruelty against animals should not be protected under the constitutional right for free speech. It seems that this law would put videos or pictures of animals being hurt on the same level of things like hate speech. I’m not sure how I feel about that. But the article brought up an interesting point: if you ban depictions of animal cruelty, does that also ban depictions of things like bullfights? Would this law keep bullfighting images out of classrooms when students want to learn about traditional Spanish culture? I think that the “slippery slope” argument works well against this law.
Wednesday-
The article about the trial of the Somali pirate brings up some worrisome issues. I wonder if this man could actually ever get a fair trial in America. It seems almost like it could turn out to be a trial just to make people feel like justice is being done. But are they going to go back to Somalia to find witnesses that could provide testimony for the defense? Are they ever going to actually find out the defendant’s age? I think it is telling that they don’t know that, because if they can’t even figure out his age, how are they going to find enough evidence to actually put on a convincing defense? I am not saying that this man should necessarily go free, I’m just skeptical as to the worth of this trial in a country that is up in arms against this man’s country and the piracy that he (allegedly) committed.
There seem to be a lot of law-related cases in this issue (and actually in past issues this week as well). There was a ruling that made it so that police don’t have a universal right to search the cars of people that they just arrested: they either need to think that they are in danger of the arrested person grabbing a gun or something out of the car, or believe that there is evidence in the car for the crime they just arrested them for. I’m not sure how much of a different this will make, because I don’t know how broadly the second reason for checking out a car could be used. Couldn’t an officer almost always say that he had reason to believe that evidence of the crime s/he is charging the suspect with was probably in the car?
Thursday-
One big story on the front page was the one about the election in Lebanon. It seems crazy how much this election is based on money. It basically seems that whoever has the most money will win. But sometimes it seems like that’s similar to how it is in our country. Not to the same degree, of course, but candidates definitely have a huge advantage if they have more money than those they are running against.
The story about the Taliban in Pakistan had an amazing picture with it, which made me start wondering about the photographer. It looks like he took the picture from like ten yards away from the Taliban fighter who had probably just killed the police officer lying on the ground. Was the photographer scared for his life? Was he hiding behind a bush or something? Did he ask the Taliban fighter “hey, could you just stand over that guy and look scary for a minute?” seems like a pretty intense job.
The article titled “slump creates lack of mobility for Americans” seems to make a few assumptions that can’t necessarily back up. It is written on the assumption that lower rates of people moving definitely show that people don’t have the money to move or aren’t willing to move because they are worried about the economic climate of the country. While I think that this could be a valid explanation for why people aren’t moving, it is possible that something else is at least partially responsible as well. The writers just don’t seem to take that possibility into account.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A ten-year-old boy was killed this morning while he played in the water with his friends at Village Beach.
The death of Alex Ferguson appears to be the result of what the police call a “vicious and unprovoked shark attack,” according to a press release by Chief of Police Martin Brody.
This attack came during a busy day on the beach. There were many beach-goers enjoying the sunny weather, and several were in the water at the time of Ferguson’s death.
Ferguson was floating on a rubber raft surrounded by children playing ball in the water. Their playful yelling turned to screams as Ferguson disappeared under water and blood floated to the surface.
Immediately, parents swarmed into the water to bring their children to safety, some even dragging the children to the beach. After the rush, one mother remained at the water’s edge, calling for her son.
Marian Ferguson, Alex Ferguson’s mother, is now at Amity Hospital where she is being treated for shock. The police have not yet found the body of her son.
According to the press release, Ferguson’s rubber raft has been recovered by police. There appears to be a large bite taken out of the raft. Police say that the investigations into Ferguson’s death and the recent death of high school student Wendy Watson are still ongoing, and no conclusions have been reached.
There will be a press conference tonight where Amity Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Board of Selectmen will discuss the request by Brody to close the beaches as well as a fisherman’s offer to begin a shark hunt.
Both Mayor Farley and Chief Brody offer their deepest condolences to the Ferguson family.
The death of Alex Ferguson appears to be the result of what the police call a “vicious and unprovoked shark attack,” according to a press release by Chief of Police Martin Brody.
This attack came during a busy day on the beach. There were many beach-goers enjoying the sunny weather, and several were in the water at the time of Ferguson’s death.
Ferguson was floating on a rubber raft surrounded by children playing ball in the water. Their playful yelling turned to screams as Ferguson disappeared under water and blood floated to the surface.
Immediately, parents swarmed into the water to bring their children to safety, some even dragging the children to the beach. After the rush, one mother remained at the water’s edge, calling for her son.
Marian Ferguson, Alex Ferguson’s mother, is now at Amity Hospital where she is being treated for shock. The police have not yet found the body of her son.
According to the press release, Ferguson’s rubber raft has been recovered by police. There appears to be a large bite taken out of the raft. Police say that the investigations into Ferguson’s death and the recent death of high school student Wendy Watson are still ongoing, and no conclusions have been reached.
There will be a press conference tonight where Amity Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Board of Selectmen will discuss the request by Brody to close the beaches as well as a fisherman’s offer to begin a shark hunt.
Both Mayor Farley and Chief Brody offer their deepest condolences to the Ferguson family.
The mangled body of a local high school student was found washed up on the beach early this morning.
Wendy W. Watson had been at a beach party the night before, and was last seen at 11:00 pm., according to the police press release. The unidentified male who had been with Watson at the beach last night told the police that she went missing after going swimming in a remote part of the beach.
Other witnesses from the beach party say that both Watson and the male with her had been drinking during the party.
Police say that the identity of the attacker is unknown, and Watson's body is at the coroner's office awaiting an autopsy. The investigation is ongoing, and police say that they have not been able to rule out a shark attack and no charges have been filed.
Wendy W. Watson had been at a beach party the night before, and was last seen at 11:00 pm., according to the police press release. The unidentified male who had been with Watson at the beach last night told the police that she went missing after going swimming in a remote part of the beach.
Other witnesses from the beach party say that both Watson and the male with her had been drinking during the party.
Police say that the identity of the attacker is unknown, and Watson's body is at the coroner's office awaiting an autopsy. The investigation is ongoing, and police say that they have not been able to rule out a shark attack and no charges have been filed.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Times 4/13-4/16
Monday:
There are a bunch of interesting stories today, and it’s a nice change that not a lot of them have to do with the economy. One big story is the one about the sea captain who was rescued from the pirates. This was great to see, as I had been following the story somewhat since he was taken hostage last week. I think The Times did a good job of presenting this story, with the sidebar detailing the “final hours” before freeing the captain and showing a map of where the incident took place. This story laid the basis for another story further in the paper detailing the controversy over whether or not to arm the crews of merchant ships. This controversy comes up as there are more and more pirate attacks.
One story that did have to do with the economy, but was interesting anyway, was the one about possible changes in student lending. This seemed like it could be a good localized national story if you wanted to look into whether or not UNH is going to have changes in the loans that are given out to students.
Besides that, I thought the article about paying workers to not work was pretty interesting, as well as the one describing a law prohibiting sagging pants. Both seem sort of random, but are very interesting to read about.
Tuesday:
A few interesting stories in the news today. There were another couple stories as follow-ups to the navy rescuing the sea captain. It is interesting to read these second-day stories following the breaking news of a couple days ago. Today the stories focused on what Obama plans to do about the pirate problem (he’s not sure yet,) and retired navy seals complementing the snipers who shot the pirates.
A story on the front page shows an interesting trend that has come about because of the downturn in the economy: I wouldn’t have expected people to start to heckle the people who present at car shows. It seems sort of strange that they would take out their anger on the people who work at presenting the cars because those people aren’t involved in the things that would make someone mad. (Unless of course they are angry at the car companies selling cars.)
The article about the lady from Disney who is investigating what boys would like to see was cool to read. It is interesting how she is actually going and talking to kids to see what they like, though it seems sort of creepy that she is doing things like digging through their drawers and stuff. That seems a little extreme.
Wednesday:
The article about cancer pills and insurance shed light on some things in our country that just don’t make sense. While it’s great that researchers are developing pills for cancer patients so that they don’t need to take their meds at the hospital through an IV, those developments aren’t going to be very helpful if no one can pay for them. Paying $5,500 for the first round of pills and then $1,700 for each following month just seems a little bit excessive. I don’t understand why insurance companies aren’t covering these pills to the same extent as they cover the medicine received through an IV.
A sort of depressing story was the one on the front page about the girl who plays violin in Ohio. It seems so sad that this girl is giving up her dreams of being a violin teacher or performer because she is worried that she will not make enough money.
There was an article about an American journalist in Iran who is being accused of being a spy. This is an issue facing journalists that you don’t read about every day. I guess covering the news in some other countries is a dangerous thing. (Which I knew already, I just don’t think about it very often.)I’m curious how the trial will go and what the US will do.
There is a follow-up story on the Thailand riots, which I am interested in because my sister went to Thailand a few years ago. Apparently the rioters are taking a break because of the strong military presence, but it doesn’t seem like the situation has actually been resolved at all. They just went home, probably to riot again in the near future if something doesn’t change.
Thursday:
A story that interests me directly and also could be spun off to be a localized national story is the one about GM possibly dropping the Saturn brand. Since I drive a Saturn, I wonder what will become of this plan: will Saturns leave the market? Will people continue to make the parts I will need to fix my Saturn if it ever breaks down? Will I be able to buy a new Saturn any time in the future? It would be interesting to see what Saturn dealers in New Hampshire are doing in this time where they aren’t really sure whether or not GM is going to drop Saturns.
The article about US wiretapping is rather troubling: it talks about how the National Security Agency was looking at the emails and listening to the phone calls of US citizens. And what’s more troubling, they were listening in on people that they were not allowed to: a “significant and systemic” “over collection.” I don’t want any government official reading my emails or intercepting my phone calls. That is ridiculous.
There was an interesting article about medical research: people are looking for ways to see what specific DNA is responsible for certain diseases. That would have potential for a lot of help for victims of these diseases, or for potential victims with that DNA who could go through preventative treatment and maybe never get the disease. It’s too bad that the researchers are having trouble figuring out what DNA is responsible.
An update on the pirate front: French officials are doing something about it now. It will be interesting to see what countries come together to fight off this growing threat, and how much we can do to stop it. But for now it is encouraging to see that other countries will be in this battle as well.
There are a bunch of interesting stories today, and it’s a nice change that not a lot of them have to do with the economy. One big story is the one about the sea captain who was rescued from the pirates. This was great to see, as I had been following the story somewhat since he was taken hostage last week. I think The Times did a good job of presenting this story, with the sidebar detailing the “final hours” before freeing the captain and showing a map of where the incident took place. This story laid the basis for another story further in the paper detailing the controversy over whether or not to arm the crews of merchant ships. This controversy comes up as there are more and more pirate attacks.
One story that did have to do with the economy, but was interesting anyway, was the one about possible changes in student lending. This seemed like it could be a good localized national story if you wanted to look into whether or not UNH is going to have changes in the loans that are given out to students.
Besides that, I thought the article about paying workers to not work was pretty interesting, as well as the one describing a law prohibiting sagging pants. Both seem sort of random, but are very interesting to read about.
Tuesday:
A few interesting stories in the news today. There were another couple stories as follow-ups to the navy rescuing the sea captain. It is interesting to read these second-day stories following the breaking news of a couple days ago. Today the stories focused on what Obama plans to do about the pirate problem (he’s not sure yet,) and retired navy seals complementing the snipers who shot the pirates.
A story on the front page shows an interesting trend that has come about because of the downturn in the economy: I wouldn’t have expected people to start to heckle the people who present at car shows. It seems sort of strange that they would take out their anger on the people who work at presenting the cars because those people aren’t involved in the things that would make someone mad. (Unless of course they are angry at the car companies selling cars.)
The article about the lady from Disney who is investigating what boys would like to see was cool to read. It is interesting how she is actually going and talking to kids to see what they like, though it seems sort of creepy that she is doing things like digging through their drawers and stuff. That seems a little extreme.
Wednesday:
The article about cancer pills and insurance shed light on some things in our country that just don’t make sense. While it’s great that researchers are developing pills for cancer patients so that they don’t need to take their meds at the hospital through an IV, those developments aren’t going to be very helpful if no one can pay for them. Paying $5,500 for the first round of pills and then $1,700 for each following month just seems a little bit excessive. I don’t understand why insurance companies aren’t covering these pills to the same extent as they cover the medicine received through an IV.
A sort of depressing story was the one on the front page about the girl who plays violin in Ohio. It seems so sad that this girl is giving up her dreams of being a violin teacher or performer because she is worried that she will not make enough money.
There was an article about an American journalist in Iran who is being accused of being a spy. This is an issue facing journalists that you don’t read about every day. I guess covering the news in some other countries is a dangerous thing. (Which I knew already, I just don’t think about it very often.)I’m curious how the trial will go and what the US will do.
There is a follow-up story on the Thailand riots, which I am interested in because my sister went to Thailand a few years ago. Apparently the rioters are taking a break because of the strong military presence, but it doesn’t seem like the situation has actually been resolved at all. They just went home, probably to riot again in the near future if something doesn’t change.
Thursday:
A story that interests me directly and also could be spun off to be a localized national story is the one about GM possibly dropping the Saturn brand. Since I drive a Saturn, I wonder what will become of this plan: will Saturns leave the market? Will people continue to make the parts I will need to fix my Saturn if it ever breaks down? Will I be able to buy a new Saturn any time in the future? It would be interesting to see what Saturn dealers in New Hampshire are doing in this time where they aren’t really sure whether or not GM is going to drop Saturns.
The article about US wiretapping is rather troubling: it talks about how the National Security Agency was looking at the emails and listening to the phone calls of US citizens. And what’s more troubling, they were listening in on people that they were not allowed to: a “significant and systemic” “over collection.” I don’t want any government official reading my emails or intercepting my phone calls. That is ridiculous.
There was an interesting article about medical research: people are looking for ways to see what specific DNA is responsible for certain diseases. That would have potential for a lot of help for victims of these diseases, or for potential victims with that DNA who could go through preventative treatment and maybe never get the disease. It’s too bad that the researchers are having trouble figuring out what DNA is responsible.
An update on the pirate front: French officials are doing something about it now. It will be interesting to see what countries come together to fight off this growing threat, and how much we can do to stop it. But for now it is encouraging to see that other countries will be in this battle as well.
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