Bierschbach's Blog

William F. Buckley Jr., famous writer, colomnist, and television host died Wednesday at his home in Stamford, Conn., the New York Times reported.

Buckley, 82, suffered from diabetes and emphysema, said his son Christopher. The exact cause of death was not immediately known. "He was found at his desk in the study of his home," his son said. “He might have been working on a column."

He hosted one of television’s longest-running programs, “Firing Line,� and founded the influential conservative magazine National Review.He also wrote at least 55 books, edited five more, and wrote "more than 4.5 million words" in his 5,600 biweekly newspaper colums, reported the New York Times.

"Mr. Buckley’s greatest achievement was making conservatism — not just electoral Republicanism, but conservatism as a system of ideas — respectable in liberal post-World War II America" said the New York Times.

Bucky became famous for his vocabulary, and tendancy to use long words and historically reminiscent phrases. In 1955 he started National Review as a voice for “the disciples of truth, who defend the organic moral order� with a $100,000 gift from his father.

Buckly had lost his wife, the former Patricia Alden Austin Taylor, in 2007. He is survived by his son, Christopher, his sisters Priscilla L. Buckley, Patricia Buckley Bozell, and Carol Buckley,his brothers James L., of Sharon, and F. Reid, and a granddaughter and a grandson.

"In the end it was Mr. Buckley’s graceful, often self-deprecating wit that endeared him to others," said the Times.

Posted by bier0136 at 12:18 AM | Permalink

Former Black Panther Bobby Seale will be speaking this afternoon at the University of Minnesota Black Student Union's African Cultural History Month celebration, the Star Tribune reported.

An icon of the radical '60s, Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton in 1966, as an organization to protect local communities from police brutality and racism. He will speak from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Coffman Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE., Minneapolis, and will join students at a dinner in the Mississippi Room at 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Black Student Union.

The Black Panthers had chapters in several major cities and ran medical clinics and provided free food to schoolchildren. "At its peak, it had a membership of more than 2,000. It later developed into a Marxist revolutionary group," The Star Tribune reported.

Seale, was one of the "Chicago Eight," that were charged with conspiracy to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Charges were eventually dropped, however, Seale was in court again a few years later being tried for the torture-murder of former Panther Alex Rackley, a suspected police informant. "That trial ended in a hung jury," said the Star Tribune. "Seale later stepped away from militancy and left the Panthers in 1974."

Posted by bier0136 at 7:23 PM | Permalink

Police officers used tear gas during a protest by Bosnian Serb youths Tuesday against Kosovo's declaration of independence in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, reported MSNBC.

Spliting themselves from the 10,000 peacful protestors, Serb rioters in Banja Luka and headed toward the U.S. consulate building, breaking shop windows and throwing stones at police who blocked the streets. A group split away from the almost 10,000 peaceful protesters the building with armored vehicles."A rain of stones poured down on police before officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several officers were seen limping. Police were also seen detaining several demonstrators as they withdrew to a nearby park," reported MSNBC.

A similar situation took place Thursday as hundreds of rioters attacked the U.S. embassy in downtown Belgrade, setting part of it on fire and smashing windows. One person died during the protest, and hundreds were injured and arrested. Many Serbs are angry at the United States because Washington was among the first world capitals to recognize Kosovo's independence after its declaration on Feb. 17.

NATO has stepped up security in north Kosovo, "particularly the flashpoint town of Mitrovica, where Serbs and Albanians are divided by the River Ibar," according to MSNBC. However the European Union, which is deploying a 2,000-strong police and justice mission to Kosovo, withdrew its small team from Mitrovica due to security concerns.

Posted by bier0136 at 6:00 PM | Permalink

Senator Barack Obama has gained strong hold among Democratic voters, "and is now viewed by most Democrats as the candidate best able to defeat Senator John McCain," reported the New York Times.

According to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll, Obama has made major gains across most demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including liberals and moderates, higher- and lower-income voters,men and women,and people of varying levels of college education.

However the news poll showed that Obama has a weak following in certain areas. "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is still viewed by more Democrats as better prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap: Mr. Obama is backed by two-thirds of the Democratic men and 45 percent of the women," reported the New York Times.

The theme of better preparedness is not limited to the Democratic Party. The poll also indicated that people also felt that the likely Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, is also more prepared to handle the presidency that either Obama or Clinton.

However Obama still seems to be making gains. The news poll shows that Obama’s coalition has increased greatly. "In December, for example, he had the support of 26 percent of the male Democratic primary voters; in the latest poll, that figure had climbed to 67 percent," reported the NYT/CBS news poll.

About 60% of pollers say he has the best chance of beating McCain, double the numbers who believed Clinton could. His campagin for change also seems to have made an effect as more people thought he would be able to bring about "real change" to the country.

Posted by bier0136 at 2:52 AM | Permalink

"Clinton rips Obama as primary campaign intensifies," reports USA Today in an update from an earlier story.

This story adds a new flair to the previous story, which was following the closing battle of Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton for delegates. The first stories lead introduced the story talking about Obama's use of sending mass mailings to voters about Clinton's NAFTA views. The update, positioned next to a photo of an agry Clinton holding the mailing, read that Clinton was angry with Obama for misinterpreting her views and said, "shame on you," directing it at her rival.

The update adds flair to the first story through the response of Sentator Clinton. Her use of scolding language, and direct reference to the issue adds interest to the original story. It advances the story through updating it with the most recent occurences, which, in this case, was Clinton's response. The news is summarized in the stories in a simliar way. Both mention the mailing by Obama, but the second story focuses more on Clinton's response.

I do not believe the story was published in response to a competing news source. I feel this way because I have not seen a similar story on other news websites. It just seems to be an honest update that the reporter did after new information surfaced.

Posted by bier0136 at 3:35 AM | Permalink

While blood thinners such as aspirin may delay or prevent strokes, many patients aren't helped at all by medication and continue to suffer symptoms that can lead to a major attack. However, a neurologist at the University of Minnesota is taking a more direct approach to preventing strokes, "recommending angioplasties to open clogged arteries in patients' brains," reported the Pioneer Press.

Qureshi is presenting research this week at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans. His studies make the case that opening clogged arteries should be used more frequently to prevent stroke, or a lack of blood flow to the brain. He said that he feels these patients are "medical failures," and could benifit from such a procedure. Some doctors discourage these procedures because they can cause bleeding and strokes, and can only be considered for only a small number of at-risk patients.

"In 2006, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, a Minnesota health policy group, concluded that these angioplasty procedures are 'technically difficult' and that medical research hasn't proven whether they are superior. Some studies have even found a 20 percent complication rate with these angioplasties," the Pioneer Press reported.

One of Qureshi's goals at the U is to teach more neurologists to do the procedure well enough to lower the complication risk, but agrees that medical research still needs to prove the advantage of angioplasties to prevent strokes.

Posted by bier0136 at 6:44 PM | Permalink

With Senator Barack Obama having won primaries in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday, Hilary Rodham Clinton and John McCain are on the offensive towards the Illionois senator, reported the New York Times.

Clinton has now lost 10 contests in a row since Super Tuesday.Clinton must win the party’s next two major contests, in Texas and Ohio, on March 4. According to David Plouffe, the campaign manager for Mr. Obama, Obama had amassed a 159-delegate lead over Clinton, who would need to win in Texas and Ohio by double-digitsin order to stay competitive in the fight for delegates.

Wednesday, in a speech at Hunter College in Manhattan, Clinton charged that Obama has "substituted rhetoric for practical experience," reported the New York Times.

It is time to get real,� Clinton said. “To get real about how we actually win this election and get real about the challenges facing America. It’s time we moved from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions,� said the New York Times.

Senator John McCain, essentially assured of the Republican nomination, has turned his attention to Mr. Obama as well, calling him out, yet again, on his need to pledge to abide by the limits of public financing for the campaign.

Posted by bier0136 at 7:13 PM | Permalink

Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly 50 years in power, saying that he would not accept a new term when the newly elected parliament meets on Sunday, reported MSNBC.

In a letter published online in the Communist Party daily Granma Castro said, “I will not aspire nor accept — I repeat I will not aspire or accept — the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief." Castro's overnight announcement ends his rule over Cuba, positioning his brother Raul Castro, 76, for succession to the presidency. Raul is currently No. 2 in Cuba’s power structure as defense minister, and had been a part of his brother’s rebel movements since 1953.

President Bush, speaking from Rwanda, expressed hope that Cuba will now look towards democracy. “The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy,� Bush said according to MSNBC.

"Castro was the world’s longest ruling head of state," reports MSNBC. Castro has been praised by his supporters for providing health care and education to his citizens while remaining seperate from the United States, but his critics claim he runs Cuba like a dictator and denys individual freedoms and civil liberties such as speech, movement and assembly.

"But the United States, bent on blocking Fidel Castro’s plans for his younger brother to succeed him, built a detailed plan in 2005 for American assistance to ensure a democratic transition on the island of 11.2 million people after his death," reported MSNBC.

Castro and other Cuban officials say that there will be no transition to democracy, and the socialist island will remain that way long after he is gone.

Posted by bier0136 at 2:11 PM | Permalink

Parliamentary elections in Pakistan on Monday dealt a crushing blow to President Pervez Musharraf in what the New York Times said "was a firm rejection of his policies since 2001 and those of his close ally, the United States."

With official results dueTuesday, early returns indicated that the vote would bring in a prime minister from one of the opposition parties, and opened the prospect of removing Musharraf. The results also showed gains for the Pakistan Peoples Party, whose former leader, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated, and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the faction led by Nawaz Sharif. "Each party may be in a position to form the next government," said the New York Times.

Sharif supporters were allready celebrating Monday night by parading through the streets of Rawalpindi on motorbikes playing music and waving the flag of Sharif. "The Election Commission of Pakistan declared the elections free and fair and said the polling passed relatively peacefully, despite some irregularities and scattered violence," said the New York Times. Although fear of violence kept many Pakistanis away from the voting booths.

Musharraf seems to be aware of the voting trend against him as one of his party members said, "He does not have the fire in the belly for another fight,� reported the New York Times.

Posted by bier0136 at 4:21 AM | Permalink

"A day after a lecture hall was attacked at Northern Illinois University, the gunman emerged in two portraits not easily reconciled," began the New York Time's detailed coverage of the campus shooting.

This opening line sets the theme of the story up, and it is clear that the peice is going to examine Stephen Kazmierczak, the shooter that no one expected. The story then takes form, starting with Kazmierczak's purchase of the guns used in the attack, followed by his entrance into the lecture hall, until he took his own life.

The rest of the entry gave details about Kazmierczak's life before the shooting; clubs he was in, how he was invovled with the university, and more. The story painted a clear picture of just how dramatic Kazmierczak's change was.

The story then finished off with more information, such as a comment Bush made, how Kazmierczak's father reacted, and about a candlelight vigil held at the school. This information did not fit into the rest of the story, but wanting to still include it, the author placed it down at the bottom in a random order.

The story structure is very effective. The opening line grabs the readers attention, and the narrative format tells the story in an order that the viewer can understand and appreciate. Although the facts are placed in at random by the end, you are allready so into the story that you do not mind it. The information just adds to a better overall picture.

Posted by bier0136 at 10:47 PM | Permalink

President Bush urged the House on Wednesday to pass new rules for monitoring terrorists' communications, reported USA Today.

Bush feels it is urgent that the House pass a bill the Senate passed 68-29 Tuesday that increases government's ability to work with telecommunications companies to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists."The bill gives phone companies retroactive protection from lawsuits filed on the basis of cooperation they gave the government without court permission — something Bush insisted was included in the bill," reported USA Today.

Bush warned the House in Washington Wednesday saying, "terrorists are planning new attacks on our country ... that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison."

The Senate has also expanded the power of the court to oversee government eavesdropping on Americans. The amendment would protect the privacy of innocent Americans whose communications are captured during surveillance of a foreign target.

Posted by bier0136 at 5:53 PM | Permalink

Dozens of investors were potentially victimized in an alleged mortgage fraud case involving possibly as many as130 homes -- mostly in one Otsego development -- with mortgages totaling more than $40 million, reported the Star Tribune.

Richard Tonn, one such investor from Minnetonka, saw an ad in 2006 promising riches by investing in real estate, and thought it would be a good way to increase his $27,000-a-year salary as a nursing assistant. However, within a year, Tonn found himself owing more than $1 million in mortgages and his homes in forclosure.

According to county and state officials, "the number of mortgage fraud cases in the state spiked sharply in 2007 as the ripple effects of the sub-prime lending crisis worked its way through the economy." Last year alone, the Hennepin County attorney's office handled 20 mortgage fraud cases, and it's expected to get worse this year.

Linda Clewette finds herself in the same situation as Tonn. Last year she filed a civil lawsuit through Hennepin Count Dsitrick Court against National Investment Group (NIG), United Management Group (UMG), some of their officers and some builders, claiming she was a victim of mortgage fraud in the purchase of the six homes.

'"They used suckers like me to buy these properties,' said Bill Rosival, one of the investors who is holding nearly $1 million in mortgages," reported the Star Tribune.

Posted by bier0136 at 8:57 PM | Permalink

The weakening economy and recent curbs on illegal immigration are steering Hispanic immigrants out of Arizona, the New York Times reported.

Immigrant families moving out of apartment complexes, students are dropping out of school, and business owners are complaining about a declining clientel. The state has recently enacted one of the country’s toughest laws to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants, and many think this may be the cause of immigrant flight. This combination of factors causes “ a disincentive to stay in the state,� says Frank Pierson, lead organizer of the Arizona Interfaith Network, which advocates for immigrants’ rights and other causes.

Although some see the decrease in illegal immigrants as a negative to the economy, others are pleased by the results. “The desired effect was, we don’t have the red carpet out for illegal aliens,� said State Representative Russell K. Pearce, a Republican from Mesa and leading advocate of the crackdown on illegal immigration. He adds that while “most of these are good people� they are a “tremendous burden� on public services.

Signatures are being gathered for two ballot initiatives, one that would toughen the law on employers knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, and another meant to soften it. Would both end up on the November ballot, the one with the most votes would be enforced.

Posted by bier0136 at 6:16 PM | Permalink

Three men wearing ski masks walked in and out of a private museum Sudnay with four 19th century masterpieces, the second multimillion-dollar art heist in Switzerland in less than a week, reported the New York Times.

The three men took four paintings — a Cézanne, a Degas, a van Gogh and a Monet together worth an estimated $163 million. A simliar robbery occured the Wednesday before, in a nighttime theft where thieves stole two Picassos worth an estimated $4.4 million. The people of Switzerland are shocked, not only at the loss of the works of art, but by the ease of which the works were stolen. The three theives walked into the museum in daylight, threatened the visitors with weapons, and drove off in a van with the first four paintings they could grab.

"The mix of value and quality added to the impression that the robbery was as haphazard as it was brazen," the New York Times reported.

However there still remains hope that the pieces will be retrieved. "The fact that there are no buyers lined up helps account for the recovery of famous works,said Karl-Heinz Kind, team leader of the works of art unit at Interpol, “The thieves have difficulty finding someone to take them,� he said. “They are obliged to multiply their contacts and proposals. That increases the chances for police," he said.
.

Posted by bier0136 at 4:01 AM | Permalink

"Car bombing outside market in Iraq kills 23," reports the New York Times Ian Fisher.

This story used eight different sources including Iraqi officials, the hospital in Balad, the United States military, Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, an American military spokesman, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, and two siezed, handwritten documents by members of the bombing group.

The sources that were named included Smith and Gates, the rest being sourced vaugely. For example "Iraqi officials" or "the United States military." The reason for this is Smith and Gates are both better known figures in the United States, and adding their names to this story gives it seemingly more credibility. This source also quoted several sections from the handwritten documents by the bombers. This gave the reader a better idea of why these car bombings occured, and what the bombers were thinking.

The sources are clustered throughout the story. This was a good choice on behalf of the author considering the large number of sources in this story. If he would have mixed the quotes and sources around, it could have easily made the story confusing for the reader.

The author only attributes at the very end of a quote, or breaks the quotes up by spliting it into two sentences. In the end I believe his methods were effective and provided a clear and readable story that could have easily become too crowded with sources.

Posted by bier0136 at 12:44 AM | Permalink

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Republican party candidate, announced Thursday that he had ended his campaign, reported the New York Times.

After his disapointing results on Super Tuesday Romney announced his decision to drop out at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "Because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to stand aside for our party and our country,� Romney said.

Senator John McCain reached out to Romney supporters and behest them to lend their votes to the Republican party. Likewise, Mike Huckabee said Thursday afternoon that he hoped that Romney’s supporters would back his campaign. “I know that a lot of the establishment, Washington-type folks are going to be going with Senator McCain,� he said. “I understand that. but the people of this country need a choice. And right now, I am going to be their choice," Huckabee said.

In his speech, Romney argued that the war in Iraq is a critical part of the country’s battle against terrorism, and that the Democratic candidates “would retreat, declare defeat, and the consequences of that would be devastating," Romney said.

Posted by bier0136 at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Layoffs are anticipated in Minnesota after Macy's consolidates three of its divisions in a cost-saving measure, reported the Star Tribune.

Retailing giant Macy's plans to begin immediately consolidating its Minneapolis-based Macy's North organization into New York-based Macy's East, St. Louis-based Macy's into Atlanta-based Macy's South and Seattle-based Macy's Northwest into San Francisco-based Macy's West, according to the Star Tribune.

Although all store locations will remain in place, the consolidation will affect about 950 positions at the Macy's North headquarters in Minneapolis by the second quarter of 2008.

"We believe the right answer is to reallocate our resources to place more emphasis and talent at the local market level to differentiate Macy's stores, serve customers and drive business," Terry J. Lundgren, Macy's, Inc. chairman, president and chief executive officer said. "In essence, we plan to drive sales growth by improving our knowledge at the local level and then acting quickly on that knowledge."

This inititiative is designed to increase sales in its current markets by "ensuring that core customers surrounding each Macy's store find merchandise assortments, size ranges, marketing programs and shopping experiences that are custom-tailored to their needs," reported the Star Tribune.

Posted by bier0136 at 7:18 PM | Permalink

A rebellion aimed at toppling Chad president Idriss Déby in Ndwjamena seems to have floundered Tuesday as France declared it would protect the Chadian government the New York Times reported.

Al Jazeera, the Arabic television network, reported that bodies littered the streets of the city, rotting in the hot sun. The streets are quiet now and the rebels are far from the capital said French military officials. Thousands had fled the city, traveling into neighboring Cameroon for safety.

"French support, along with assistance from rebel fighters from a Sudanese rebel group with ties to Mr. Deby’s family, strengthened the government’s position markedly," said the New York Times. The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, when asked about supporting the Chadian governent said, “if France must do its duty, it will do so,� he said. “Let no one doubt it.�

A Darfur rebel group that has been fighting Sudan’s government for the past five years, said that some of the rebellion’s troops had left their base in eastern Chad to reinforce government troops. However, the addition of Darfur rebels furthers the confusion in the war torn country. "The two countries have accused one another of fostering rebellions against each other, and events in recent days point to evidence that both sides are probably right," the New York Times reported.

Although things seem quiet in Ndwjamena now, the Government still remains tense about the situation.

Posted by bier0136 at 5:50 PM | Permalink

President Bush proposed a $3.1 million budget to Congress Monday that would place the country $250 million further into debt, reported the New York Times.

The budget proposed an increase in military spending and would curb the growth of Medicare and Medicaid. He also wants to make his tax cuts permanent and pledged to balance the budget by 2012. But the budget proposal has almost no chance of being passed, as even Republicans admitted its value was mostly symbolic.

For Bush this final budget offers a chance to rewrite his fiscal history, which has often been critisized by more economic conservatives. One such conservative, Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the senior Republican on the Senate Budget Committee said that he didn't feel the President worked very hard on the proposal. “It’s almost a pro forma exercise,� he said.

However, despite dwindling support, the president still feels his proposal is legitimate. “This is a good, solid budget,� he said at the White House on Monday morning.

According to budget documents released Monday by the White House, federal debt held by the public has grown substantially. Debt held by the public stood at $3.3 trillion in 2001, when Bush took office, and is expected to climb to $5.4 trillion this year and $5.9 trillion by 2009 under Bush's budget.

Posted by bier0136 at 3:56 AM | Permalink

"BOISE, Idaho — The presidential campaign played to new audiences on Saturday as the leading Democratic and Republican candidates fanned out across the nation to make swift appeals to voters in delegate-rich or politically symbolic states," the New York Times reported.

This well structured lead immediately answers the important questions a lead should address: who, what, when where, and why. The news worthy element of this lead is the presidential campaign, and by mentioning it first in the lead, the New York Times surely grabbed many readers attention. The race for the nomination is winding down, and it's no secret that this is an important issue on many American's minds.

The lead does not tell the reader which states each canidate visited, but such information is not appropriate in a lead. The article put such specifics in the later part of the story. It also does not mention which states are considered, "delegate-rich or politically symbolic states." But again, such information is better suited to the later parts of the story, where the reader has more time to get details if they wish.

This lead is the standard "hard-news" intro, and works well with this type of news story. The presidential campagin is happening now, and is considered to be the most important thing currently happening in this country to many. Many people will read this article in hopes to get the information they need right away, and hopefully, as a function the press should serve, motivate people to participate in the nomination in their respective states.

Posted by bier0136 at 7:05 PM | Permalink