October 2012 Archives

College and high school students are active volunteers for Democratic and Republican campaigns for the upcoming election.

College students exhibit a less idealistic attitude towards this election, while high school students, such as Wisconsin's Catie Edmondson, 16, are still passionate about issues they cannot even vote on.

"I'm envious of my friends who can vote, and it's extra motivation to do everything I can to make sure President Obama gets re-elected," Edmondson said to USA Today

Joe Zepecki, the Wisconsin state communications director for the Obama campaign, believes high schoolers are very aware of the world and the big decisions they will be making regarding college and careers, and want to be better than the previous generation.

On the other hand, some American college students seemed to have lost their idealism when it comes to the election, mostly because of issues related to the economy.

In comparison to the wealth of young supporters during Obama's 2008 campaign, many young voters have become downtrodden due to the shaky economy and uncertainty of the job market.

"I'm just not too satisfied with how the last four years have gone," said Caleb Cunningham, 26, a recent grad of Brigham Young University, to The New York Times. "I just think someone needs to be responsible."

Cunningham, a volunteer for the Romney campaign, is currently looking for a steadier job than his current one of waiting tables.

Many college students seem to be driven by realistic political views instilled in them by their families, rather than having overly idealistic expectations of the candidates.

Kathryn Tinker, 20, a student at American University says her Democratic world view comes from her family's background who "wasn't always in the 1 percent".

"I don't think Obama supporters are "less enthusiastic" about the president, I think their enthusiasm is more concentrated," said Zack Carroll, campaign director for the District of Columbia Federation of College Democrats.

College students continue to be strong volunteers of Presidential campaigns, yet their enthusiasm seems to come from a different place in 2012.

A cease-fire was issued between the warring factions in Syria for a declared four-day holiday truce, according to the New York Times.

Attacks including airstrikes and artillery barrages continued on during the truce even though it was supposed to be non-violent.

"There was no desire from either side to stop fighting," said Mousab al Hamadee, an anti-government activist near the city of Hama, according to The Kansas City Star. The rebels "didn't want this cease-fire to succeed because it would be a chance for the regime to redistribute forces in different areas."

Citizens who were hoping to use the peaceful time to visit relatives were unpleasantly surprised by the continued violence.

A woman named Um Samer, 32, was hoping to leave her home without an attack, but was interrupted by a government missile hitting a minibus on Monday.

"I saw kids cut in pieces and a driver with half his body gone," she said, horrified. "How is it that we don't have any value? Are we not human like other people?"

Monday was called one of the worst days of air raids since the conflict began in March 2011.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League, was greatly disappointed in the failed truce.

Brahimi plans to keeps working consistently on reducing violence within the region.

The Wisconsin State Journal and The Star Tribune both offer a number of multimedia options to expand your use of the news over multiple platforms.

Both publications have a Facebook and Twitter account in order to keep up with social media. Star Tribune has both a Pinterest and Instagram account as well.

Through the Wisconsin State Journal's Facebook page, it can post updates or points of interest that will be relevant to their followers. People can get easier access to the news since these updates will show up in their newsfeed.

There isn't a whole lot of writing in these Facebook posts since most of them link back to the publication's website. Usually there is one sentence, similar to a lede, that summarizes what the article is about.

The Star Tribune also posts similar updates that link back to articles on their website.

These types of updates can complement news stories because they may help readers find articles they would normally not read if the update didn't come up in their newsfeed.

There are also colloquial updates about things like weather that readers might see in their newsfeed in the morning.

Twitter accounts act very similarly to the Facebook accounts because they link back to relevant articles that followers will want to read.

Since many people do not receive prink copies of newspapers or visit the publication's website, these multimedia tools provide a way for the publication to get their content out there in the most accessible way.

Biden spoke to about 1,000 people at UW-Oshkosh and about 1,500 people at UW-Parkside in Kenosha on Friday.

In his speech Biden criticized Mitt Romney for not taking an opposing stance to the remarks made about pregnancy and rape by Richard Mourdock, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

"It's not enough to tell me you don't agree," Biden said. "It's having the moral courage to stand up and say what they said is wrong."

Biden also criticized Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan.

"Romney and Ryan, America's not in decline. You're in denial," said Biden to the crowds of students, according to the Oshkosh Norwestern.

An air-inflated sports dome will open on Thursday in Savage, city officials said to Star Tribune.

The project is considered a little controversial since it is financed by the city.

The $5 million facility will be called the Sports Center and will have an open house on Nov. 5 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

"We know there is a great demand for programming for youth sports in the wintertime," said City Administrator Barry Stock in a City of Savage, Minnesota Newsletter.

The sports facility will include three fields, three batting cages, and a golf cage.

The Sports Center can be used free of charge from 7 to 9 a.m. weekdays for walking or jogging.

The dome will come down in April and put into storage off site.

Tensia Martinez Richard's husband shot her to death on Thursday near a Cottage Grove strip mall, according to Star Tribune.

The husband, Chevel Richard, fatally shot himself afterward. The couple was estranged at the time of the shooting.

Police said the incident ended a long abusive relationship between the couple. Chevel Richards was arrested in June 2011 for a fifth-degree sexual assault.

"She didn't want a lot of people to know with the situation with Chevel but we never wanted to see it," said Katie Burger, a friend of Martinez Richard to Channel 6 news. "She was leaving him so we were hoping for the best."

"Tensia touched many lives," said her brother Michael Martinez.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will be campaigning in Wisconsin this week, hoping to rally their supporters to get out to vote on November 6th.

Democratic and Republican headquarters alike are feeling the pressure to encourage voting for their parties since the recent polls in Wisconsin have shown to be extremely close, according to Star Tribune.

Currently Obama Holds a 2.7% lead against Romney in the polls, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Certain counties that swung from Republican George W. Bush in 2004 to Barack Obama in 2008 could decide the outcome of the state's decision.

Voter numbers are at a risk right now due to possible voter burnout because of the recall election of Scott Walker this past June.

"We have so many independents who vote their conscience. During the recall election I had Democrats calling me, telling me they were voting for Walker not because they supported him, but just because they didn't like the recall method," said Joe Flackey, chairman of the Chippewa Republican Party.

Right now, the issue is not trying to swing voters to either side of the political spectrum, but more about getting those voters who have decided to get out there and vote.

"It's very clear that the Obama campaign has a better ground game going," said Geoffrey Peterson, chairman of the department of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. "They certainly appear to be better organized, they are making a pretty strong effort to go door-to-door and get voters out."

Peterson said that Republicans are relying more on mailer campaigns as well as automated calling.

Campaign fatigue has set in throughout most of Wisconsin since it has been in a state of Political uncertainty ever since the beginning of the recall election in June. A large amount of money was spent on the recall election from both parties.

"I would say that up until the first debate we were starting to see political fatigue," said Flackey. "You'd call people, and they were being called for money, they were getting all the ads on TV, they were getting door knockers."

After Romney's strong presence in the first debate, the energy in Wisconsin rose a little bit.

Chippewa County Democratic Party Chairman Al Holle said he has not lost enthusiasm yet for this election.

Police reported that Taliban militants pulled 5 civilians off a bus near Kabul, Afghanistan and shot them dead.

Ghazni province Police Chief Mohammad Hussein said the five civilians were killed on the spot after being pulled out of the bus, according to the Associated Press.

Police recovered the bodies from the road on Saturday.

It is not yet clear if the insurgents were specifically targeting these civilians.

http://www.startribune.com/world/175981011.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/police-taliban-shoot-dead-5-civilians-grabbed-off-bus-in-eastern-afghanistan/2012/10/27/926bb24c-200e-11e2-8817-41b9a7aaabc7_story.html

One of the oldest theaters in Madison, WI, The Orpeum, could reopen soon with it being taken under the wing of new management.

A local Madison promoter, Frank Productions, signed an agreement with the theater's court-appointed receiver to manage the theater until it is sold in a sheriff's sale next year.

Frank productions is submitting an application for a new alcohol license at the advice of the city attorney's office. The license will most likely be approved at the November meeting of the Alcohol License Review Committee.

"They have an established history with the city," said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, of Frank Productions. "I don't have any concerns with their management of this landmark venue."

In an agreement between Dane County Circuit Court appointed attorney Rebecca DeMarb and Frank Productions, Frank Productions will manage the theater until it is sold in eight to 12 months.

The City Council of Minneapolis plans to look at possible changes in state law on Thursday regarding bicycle use.

These changes include a push for a study on the economic impact of bicycling, legislation that will deal with yielding to bicyclists in bike lanes, and a proposed law that would prohibit stopping a vehicle in a bike lane.

Increased funding for pedestrian and bicycle "infrastructure and programming" will also be discussed.

Reducing speed limits among areas that will be having construction regarding bicycle infrastructure may also be requested by the City.

129 clinics throughout the state of Minnesota have recently purchased drugs that are believed to be part of the cause of a nationwide meningitis outbreak.

The contaminated drugs were distributed by New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Massachusetts which is now under investigation.

Richard Danila, the deputy state epidemiologist, said the health department is beginning to contact each individual clinic to warn them of the risk of the contaminated drugs spreading meningitis.

"We don't have any idea of the number of patients that were affected," said Dalia.

231 cases of meningitis, two joint infections and 15 deaths have been linked to the contaminated drugs distributed by NECC.

The libertine lifestyle has always been synonymous with France, but it was brought back into the light again when former banker Dominique Strauss-Kahn engaged in some dangerous liaisons.

The number of swingers club that still exist in Paris may be surprising to some. Even more surprising may be the celebrities whose names are on the list, commented Strauss-Kahn.

Last January, one of these notorious Parisian clubs, Les Chandalles, was shut down due to an investigation by police of alleged prostitution taking place at the club. The club was known for hosting politicians and sports figures in the 1990s.

Strauss-Kahn was so absorbed into this cultural aspect of France that he did not realize how his actions of being sexually inappropriate could hurt him politically.

On Thursday, Strauss-Kahn acknowledged the outrageousness of his actions. "I was too out of step with French society," he said in an interview with a French magazine. "I was wrong."

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are preparing for the 2nd presidential debate of the 2012 election.

The debate will take place at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, where Obama is is hoping to improve his performance from the last debate.

Both candidates are aiming to convince undecided voters to swing their way, since election day is only three weeks underway.

The economy still remains to be a crucial issue for both parties, as the Republicans try to convince voters of the inefficiency they believe exists in Obama's fiscal strategies.

The national deficit was decreased from $1.3 trillion to 1.1 trillion this year which is an improvement despite the growth in national debt since Obama has taken office.

Obama is preparing for the debate at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. while Romney is staying close to his Massachusetts home to get ready for tomorrow.

A task force within the U.S. military has been sent to Jordan in order to help the country prepare for an influx of Syrian refugees due to the mounting conflict in Syria.

The task force will be based at a Jordanian military training center where it's main focus will be to help Jordanians handle the estimated 18,000 Syrian refugees who have crossed the border into Jordan.

There has also been discussion among American officials to establish a buffer zone between Jordan and Syria to avoid clashes similar to those between Syria and Turkey.

"We have been working closely with our Jordanian partners on a variety of issues related to Syria for some time now," said George Little, the Pentagon press secretary to the New York Times

The main responsibilities of the task force are helping Jordanian military figure out the logistics of handling the refugees. These logistics include deploying food, water, and latrines to the border of Jordan and Syria.

The current number of refugees entering Jordan has decreased from 3,000 a day to a couple hundred each day.