April 2010 Archives

The story that I found is from The New York Times, and it is about people living with autism. The story is told in the form of an audio slide show-- six people talk about living with (or with a loved one who has) an autism disorder.

The article has audio interviews playing over photos of the individuals. The article refers to statistics about autism in America (about 1 per 500 people.) Within the audio interviews, the men and women also discuss different tests available for testing for autism, often because they have been tested in numerous ways.

At least 11 workers are missing and seven are critically injured after an explosion on an oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, CNN said.

The explosion occurred around 10 p.m. CT Tuesday. At the time, 126 workers were on board the oil rig, The Washington Post said.

Helicopters have been sent to look for the missing, and the Coast Guard has sent four cutters to the area, CNN said.

The fire was still burning Wednesday morning, the Coast Guard said.

The Food and Drug Administration could soon limit the amount of salt that is added to American's foods, CNN said.

The Institute of Medicine has called on the FDA to place regulations on the amount of sodium added to processed and prepared foods, in an effort to decrease the health risks associated with salt consumption, CNN said.

The regulation would call for small incremental reductions-- with the idea of keeping flavors consistent, The Los Angles Times said.

Public Health Advocacy groups and nutrition scientists support the decision, while some industry groups denounced the idea, The Los Angles Times said.

An inspection of the Toyota Camry involved in the deaths of three people that sent a Minnesota man to prison is underway, Kare 11 said.

The inspection will take two days, and attorneys hope that it will win the driver, Koua Fong Lee, a new trial, Star Tribune said.

Lee was convicted of criminal vehicluar homicide after his car accelerated unexpectedly and crashed into another vehicle in 2006, Kare 11 said.

Lee's attorneys said that he did everything he could to stop the car, which has been recalled because of a cruise-control problem causing the vehicle to suddenly accelerate, Kare 11 said.

University of Minnesota linebacker Gary Tinsley faces criminal charges after fleeing police this weekend on a moped, Kare 11 said.

Tinsley, 20, faces felony counts for fleeing police, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, Star Tribune said.

A Minneapolis police lieutenant saw Tinsley and another person driving mopeds the wrong way down a one-way street. The lieutenant tried to stop the riders, but they fled-- driving through yards and on sidewalks, the Minneapolis Police said.

Tinsley was caught, but the other man was not found, the Minneapolis Police said.

Tinsley was booked and taken to Hennepin County jail, Kare 11 said.

Though nearly half of Europe's flights are now back on schedule, the continuous eruptions of ash from the Iceland volcano are now threatening to stall more flights from Heathrow airport, CNN said.

The eruption, which is not a rare occurrence for the volcano, happened during unusual wind and ice conditions, sending ash clouds three to five miles into the air over Europe, The Wall Street Journal said.

The current weather conditions will remain until about Friday, when south-westernly winds will begin to move the ash away from the UK, the country's weather forecaster, Met Office, said.

About 14,000 flights are expected to fly Tuesday-- about half of the scheduled air traffic, CNN said.

President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed in a meeting to increase oppositional pressure on Iran's nuclear weapons program, The Wall Street Journal said.

The administrations of the two countries are both working on sanctions that can be implemented to punish Iran, The Wall Street Journal said.

Iran has indicated that they are developing only peaceful nuclear energy capability, but the U.S. believes they are trying to develop nuclear weapons, CNN said.

Obama and Hu are in agreement that Iran must meet the nuclear nonproliferation agreement, CNN said.

The Minnesota Twins won their first stadium opener in franchise history Monday when they defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-2 at the new Target Field, Pioneer Press said.

The Twins played their first season in Metropolitan Stadium in 1961, where they lost the opener to the Washington Senators 5-3, Kare 11 said.

In 1982, the Twins moved to the Metrodome where they were defeated by the Seatlle Mariners 11-7, Kare 11 said.

Now in their 50th season, the Twins opened Target Field with a slew of famous former players in attendance, including Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew, said Kare 11.

A new independent film will tell the story of Stalin's only daughter, and how she has resided near Madison, Wisconsin for the past 20 years, the Star Tribune said.

The Soviet dictator's daughter is now 84, and she has fiercely guarded her privacy. The film documents one of the only interviews that she has ever given, the Star Tribune said.

The film, "Svetlana about Svetlana" tells Svetlana Alliluyeva story- how she was married twice, grated political asylum in the U.S. and how she denounced the Soviet government and her father's regime once in America, NBC Chicago said.

The short film will be screened on April 18 at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, NBC Chicago said.

A bankrupt Denny Hecker claimed poverty and was approved for a public defender, the Associated Press said.

Ben Toder of Chestnut Cambronne law firm will defend Hecker at the expense of the public, the Associated Press said.

A conflict of interest caused the switch in representation. Hecker's trail is set for Oct. 18, Kare 11 said.

Hecker is charged with wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, Kare 11 said.

The fourth suspect in last years foiled Al Qaeda plot to bomb the New York City subway system was arrested in Pakistan, the New York Daily News said.

The man is currently unidentified and is expected to be extradited to the U.S. He will be tried in the U.S. with two other men who were involved in the plot, Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay, the Daily News said.

The lead bomber, Najibullah Zazi, is in custody and has been cooperating with law enforcement, CNN said.

Zazi has given information about the plan which aided in the capture of the fourth suspect, CNN said.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew over the Great Barrier Reef last weekend to view the damage that an off-course Chinese coal freighter has done, The New York Times said.

The ship, which is about 7 and half miles out of authorized waters, has been called a "time bomb" by enviormental activists. Its presence poses a severe threat to the coral bed, The China Post said.

The vessel, the Shen Neng I, belongs to the Shenzhen Energy Group, and ran aground at full speed last Saturday, The New York Times said.

Prime Minister Rudd has promised a full investigation to identify those at fault, stating that the ship's captain could face up to three years in prison and the vessel's owners could face up to a $5 million fine, The New York Times said.

Russian investigators have confirmed a Dagestan schoolteacher as the second suicide bomber involed in the fatal subway attacks in Moscow last month, CNN said.

Maryam Sharipova, a 28-year-old, was one of two female bombers who led the frst suicide attacks on the capital in years, Associated Press said.

The first woman was identified as Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova, the widow of an Islamic militant slain by the governement. Both women were from Dagestan, a mostly Muslim province in the North Caucus that has been in recent disputes with the government, the Associated Press said.

The women ignited thier bombs about 40 minutes apart on March 29, killling 40 people and wounding more than 80 in the first suicide attack on the capital in six years, CNN said.

Minneapolis has been named America's best bike city by Bicycling magazine, City Pages said.

Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybeck is proud of the city, acknowledging that the city has come a long way since the first bike lanes.

Minneapolis has 127 miles of bike paths, and in June the city will start the nation's largest bike share program, Kare 11 said.

The city also has the most bike parking per capita of any American city, Kare 11 said.

An eighth-grade student from Hastings was arrested for allegedly bringing a loaded gun to school and threatening to shoot, WNMT said.

The boy entered a classroom and ordered students to get down before pulling out a loaded .22 caliber revolver. Teacher Mike Rapatz calmly spoke to the student, urging him not to shoot when the student ran from the classroom, Kare 11 said.

The student then smashed windows and computers in the school before returning to Rapatz's classroom and then running outside.

Police officers tackled the boy and he is now is Dakota County juvenile center awaiting charges, Kare 11 said.

Rescuers were forced to suspend the search for four missing workers believed to be trapped in a West Virginia mine after a massive undergroud explosion that killed 25, The Washington Post said.

Because of the deadly gases released in the explosion, it could be Wednesdsay before rescuers are able to resume searching, the governor of West Virginia said.

Rescuers will drill boreholes to ventilate the mine and search for the four mising workers as soon as possible, ABC News said.

Tuesday, President Obama offered his condolances to the families and friends of the miners, CBS News said.

The article that I looked at for this analysis was "Hopeful signs multiplying as jobs finally being created" from the McClatchy News Service and published in the Star Tribune.

The reporter used unemployment percent, job losses and gains, and numbers for people and weeks.

The numbers are concentrated in the first half of the article, but it is not overwhelming. The stats on employment increase are vital to understanding the article and the reported gave crunched numbers only when he reported unemployment rate.

All of the numbers are attributed to the federal government- later in the article they are attributed specifically to the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The only number that I thought could have been reported differently was when the article referred to Americans who had been out o work for 27 weeks or longer. 27 weeks is an odd number- and I think that "over half a year" or "over six months" would have communicated the idea more clearly.

Gov Tim Pawlenty signed a bill on Thursday that will give over $100 million in tax breaks to buisness over the next three years, the Associated Press said.

The bill will benefit the St. Paul Ford plant with tax exemptions and job retention. The plant is scheduled to close in 2011, and Palenty hopes the bill will convince officials to reconsider, Minnesota Public Radio said.

Pawlenty said at the signing ceremony that the bill will improve Minnesotans' quility of life, citing job growth and econimic activity.

Pawlenty also signed a bill that will cut state spending in an effort to reduce the deficit, Minnesota Public Radio said.