the Citizen

The NYT is reporting that: President Bush spoke to mostly Hispanic graduates of Miami Dade College on Saturday to press for an overhaul of immigration law, calling for changes that “resolve the status of those who are already here without amnesty, and without animosity.� The piece extends coverage to the broader immigration issue by implanting numbers and statistics relative to the issue while explaining the symbolic importance of Bush speaking to the Miami Dade College and giving voice to those who attended the speech. The author then sneaks a quick political commentary of his own by excerpting from Bush's speech his comments on Fidel Castro, ending the piece with Bush's own words provocatively: “The reign of every tyrant comes to an end."

Posted by Alexander Amend at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NYT put out an interesting piece on the recent Virginia Tech tragedy. Reporters gathered narrations from surviving victims in each of the classrooms the gunmen entered. The stories are assembled to form a chronology of the carnage and give voice to the heroes of the day while simultaneously expressing an unimaginable horror. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/us/22norris.html?pagewanted=2&hp

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NYT is reporting that states with large black populations and expanses of enduring poverty made steady were making progress in reducing infant death. But progress has stalled and in recent years the death rate has risen in Mississippi and several other states. The setbacks have raised questions about the impact of cuts in welfare and Medicaid and of poor access to doctors, and, many doctors say, the growing epidemics of obesity, diabetes and hypertension among potential mothers, some of whom tip the scales at 300 pounds. The article uses many doctors for sources and follows two poor families where infant deaths have affected their lives. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/health/22infant.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1177257877-oX6eDj/jFNYb7G2mw+WORA

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NYT is reporting that: In a fierce contest to control the student loan market, the nation’s banks and lenders have for years waged a successful campaign to limit a federal program that was intended to make borrowing less costly by having the government provide loans directly to students.
The companies have offered money to universities to pull out of the federal direct loan program, which was championed by the Clinton administration. They went to court to keep the direct program from becoming more competitive. And they benefited from oversight so lax that the Education Department’s assistant inspector general in 2003 called for tightened regulation of lender dealings with universities. The reporters use several government officials and lawyers to get a good round picture of the conflict. This piece is another part of the NYT's ongoing coverage of the affair.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/education/15direct.html?hp

Posted by Alexander Amend at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Times is reporting that Mayor David Cutbirth of Monahans said the job loss would damage the area’s economic diversity, which is tied to oil and gas production.
“Drilling jobs can pay up to $28 per hour, but they’re mostly for men,� he said. West Texas State offers jobs for clerical workers, teachers, counselors and men “with special training.�
Pyote now houses 238 offenders ages 12 to 20, with most ages 15 to 17, said a Texas Youth Commission spokesman, Jim Hurley.
When a reporter visited the facility, groups of young men clad in orange or blue marched in drill formation from the cafeteria to classrooms. The youngsters wear uniforms to signify their phase of “resocialization,� Mr. Hurley said. He said the youngsters’ days were structured: “They go to school, to therapy groups, behavior groups, meals, exercise and recreation, physical training, and a hour of free time in the evenings. They are up at 5 a.m. and in bed at 9 p.m.�

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/us/1texas.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A nice piece on the success of your girls under adolescent/high school age pressure. Esther and Colby are two of the amazing girls at Newton North High School here in this affluent suburb just outside Boston. “Amazing girls� translation: Girls by the dozen who are high achieving, ambitious and confident (if not immune to the usual adolescent insecurities and meltdowns). Girls who do everything: Varsity sports. Student government. Theater. Community service. Girls who have grown up learning they can do anything a boy can do. The reporter does nicely to evoke the girls' confidence and intelligence while getting them to open up about insecurities like being "hot" or athletic or in worrying about college. It is a nice piece on gender diversity, a personal piece reinforcing the rising success of girls at high school and women at college. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/education/01girls.html?hp

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The previously unknown diary of an Associated Press reporter reveals a new perspective on the Amelia Earheart mystery. There has already discovered aircraft parts and pieces of a woman's shoe on a remote South Pacific atoll and a team hopes to return there this year to search for more evidence, maybe even DNA. If what's known now had been conveyed to searchers then, might Earhart and her navigator have been found alive? It's one of a thousand questions that keep the case from being declared dead. In small notebooks, a young AP reporter jotted down comments about the island's "gooney birds," beachcombing and poker games in Itasca's wardroom. He also noted how Earhart's delayed departure from Lae was affecting crewmembers' morale, writing on June 30: "They are getting tired of waiting for a 'gooney' dame who doesn't seem to be aware of the annoyance the delays have made." The Journals were bought on ebay.: http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1092599-p2.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bush administration says it will resist Democratic plans for a threefold expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, ensuring a clash with Congress over the most important health care legislation being considered this year. The reporter explains with numbers the plan that the administration opposes: The federal government has spent $25 billion on the children’s health program in the last five years. President Bush wants to increase allotments to the states by $4.8 billion, providing a total of nearly $30 billion over the next five years.Democrats want to triple spending on the program, by adding $50 billion, for a total of $75 billion over the next five years. The numbers are straightfoward in terms of budget and really show the discrepancy between the two party's plans: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/washington/01health.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CNN is reporting that Ann coulter is under fire for calling John Edwards a faggot. She made the remark at a speech for the Conservative Political Action Conference, during which she gave her opinions about the Democrats' slate of presidential hopefuls. NYT reports that she has apologized by saying "C'mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean." The remainder of both articles give voice to other political heads like McCain and Romner as well as Edwards. They all condemned the slur. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/04/coulter.edwards/index.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/us/politics/04coulter.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The associated press has reported this wonderful story where a man accused of muredering and dismembering his wife was chased and caught running in a northern michigan snow storm. His name Stephen Grant was hospitalized in serious condition with signs of frostbite or hypothermia. The report also said that Grant's lawyer withdrawing his representation while Grant has maintained innocence. Both CNN and the NYT used the same AP report which gave a dateling followed by chronological recap of when and where Grant was caught and put ine quotes from authorities. The article closes with the mentioning of what Grant could face in court and what is happeong to his children. Normal reporting. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Missing-Woman.html http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/04/missing.woman.ap/index.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This piece covered the latest in the ongoing non-debate in the senate over the war in Irag. "The Senate narrowly rejected an effort to force debate on a resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq, but Republican defections emboldened Democrats to promise new attempts to influence the administration’s war policy @ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/washington/18vote.html. The piece was a regular inverted pyramid, withmore particulars arriving later down the article.NPR had similar coverage but with a more in-depth analysis in audio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7480074, the House approved the same resolution on Friday.

Posted by Alexander Amend at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Washington the democrats are blaming republicans for stalling the debate on Iraq and what to do with Bush's proposal. Democrats say the Rep's are being unfair useing a senate rule to their advantage. The story then gives voice to some people in illinois who have conflicting feelings about how the "clear call for change" in november is being handled. Harry Reid nevertheless expresses that the public is satisfied with the current stalemate. The piece then gives voice to the Rep's who say they only want to expand the debate. The piece then turns to different bits related to the congressional muddle, like states proposing letter written resolutions against the President's decision, and the piece ends with quotes from DFL-reps. This story was done by the McClatchy News Service. The NYT's sid: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Binding-Bush.html

Posted by Alexander Amend at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)