The Venezuelan International Journal

The democratic nomination is heating up and as 2008 approaches this may be only the beginning of the political debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. For the first time in the campaign trail, we have seen tactics shift gears where the two contenders for the democratic nomination can only begin to look at weakening each others arguments. An article by the New York Times and the Associated Press talked about the sharp remarks by Barack Obama towards senator Clinton on the issue of her naive decision to authorize the war in Iraq and her lack of clarity to answer specifically her position on the war. The New York Times article had the initial reaction from Clinton and her response to Barack's comments. It focused on more her position and her response was that Obama lacked foreign policy experience.
The Associated Press article reported the next day july 26th, and had the reactions and comments towards Clinton's response on foreign policy. What Barack was stating this morning is that he wants to change policies and end the cowboy mentality approach in Iraq. And by no means when he referred to meeting with leaders from Cuba, Iran, and North Korea plainly or as he said that it was a meeting for a cup pf tea was ridiculous. This is the first time we see a democrat take a position and remain loyal to his opinion. The article for the Associated Press has clearly reported and in a transparent manner conveyed the strong position Obama has and will not play the political game. By the same token, the New York times piece does the same but has to say but of these candidates will not loose ground in this political race.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 8:45 AM | Permalink

In the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press both did a story on the land dispute that will be the home of the new Twins stadium. At first sight, the Pioneer Press has quite an extensive list of sources and quotes that are brought to really get a sense of the issue. How the land is being valued, who are the players appraising the land, and the estimate value. There seems to be evidence that the sell of the land is $65 million rather than $25 million. Overall the story is balanced with sources, filled with transitions as far as the county presenting evidence that the land is worth more, and how there seems to be bureaucracy in the midst of the sale of the land.
The Star Tribune had a much more concise piece on the land dispute and had no sources included in the story given that the Pioneer Press covered it fully. Its tone was more like a summary of the event than actual new detail or an update on the case at hand. Overall, there seems the need for more development in the story that appeared in the Star Tribune because when you compare and contrast the article in the Pioneer Press you get a sense that article used effectively the inverted pyramid, balance of sources, and great transition of quotes to carry the story.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 8:08 AM | Permalink

The Plane crash Congonhas airport was the among the big headlines for international news. The star Tribune Initiallly it was considered a terrorist attack by Al Qaeda, but after the investigation it was the landing conditions that cause the plane to crash. The weather conditions are probably responsible for this and there are no survivors. The article that appeared in the Star Tribune does elaborate that the airport is extremely difficult to land and precise distance is a 1000 feet. In other words, pilots need to be accurate upon landing, yet may have to pull up and circle around again.
The publication El Universal had a short summary and the government was sending its condolences to the people of Brazil. The Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro sent his best regards to the country.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 9:54 AM | Permalink

There were three articles on the alleged case of Dominic Jones. There have been updates since the appearance of the case of Jones and now the coach of the gophers Tim Brewster dismissed four of the players that are involved in the rape that supposedly participated in. The Minnesota Daily had a extensive article on Dominic Jones and the evidence that is presented may be convict unless the charges are deemed false. Now, the Daily published an article on the dismissal of the four players linked to the rape.
The Pioneer Press had a extensive article on the football players, the evidence presented that may o may not convict Jones for the rape. After the suspension of the Gopher players and then the importance of athletes image and integrity that they have to have on a campus university. Overall the article is very much complete and has information that explains thoroughly the case in a chronological order.
The Star Tribune had a similar report but not quite as extensive as the article that appeared in the Pioneer Press on the suspension of the four players. Overall all of the articles seem to be echoing the importance of integrity and responsibility of assuming the consequences for one's actions regardless if the verdict is guilty or not.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 2:03 AM | Permalink

Two interesting stories that appeared in the New York Times and the Star Tribune talk about the recent events about a 3-year-old British girl who was kidnapped. But not only is the kidnapping a big deal, but according to the article that appeared in the Star Tribune from the Associated Press is Nigeria is ranked second in kidnaps for ransom after Iraq. That is a statistic reveals a lot about the instability of the country. The Associated Press went into the background and the number of foreigners that are kidnapped. In addition, the link between government and these gangs shows the corruption is primarily the cause of this political turmoil.
The story that appeared in the New York Times is short summary and mentions the emotional state of infant Margaret Hill. The Associated Press had more information and background that explains the nature of kidnappings in Nigeria.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 3:05 AM | Permalink

There were three stories that reported on the First Avenue nightclub shutdown after a late start. The Tribune , the Pioneer Press, and the BBC did a report on the disappointing shutdown of the hometown Minneapolis native Prince. The Star Tribune focused on the fact that such a prominent figure and a native from this state would have his concert ended by the police because clubs are not allowed to work after 3 a.m. its fascinating how it illustrates the fact that even big names in the news are not excluded from the law. The law applies to everyone without exception.
The Pioneer Press article talked about the interruption of the concert, but gave background to why the pop star was late to start the concert, yet this was due to performances that started late earlier that day. It took a more neutral approach on the issue, but did elaborate on the fact that the Prince's earlier shows started late. This tardiness led to a late start in First Avenue club around 2:45 a.m. when it supposed to close at 3 a.m..
The BBC report took on a different approach. Even though its a local story for Minneapolis, Prince has fans around the world. The beginning of the piece talked about most of the facts found on the articles from the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press. It talks about the CD give away, which is a big deal and the approach on the debate of retailers is a big deal in the article. This article is interesting because it integrates several perspectives to give the story a sense of complexity and how Prince is handling the supply and demand sales of his upcoming album Planet Earth.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 2:59 PM | Permalink

In the L.A Times and the Star tribune appeared the story on the release of BBC journalist. The L.A Times article written by Ken Ellinwood talks about the extensive process on the release of Alan Johnston, The BBC Journalist, and how the takeover by Hamas of gaza made the difference whether he would stay dead or alive.
There are actual quotes from the journalist on the day he was release and how he was treated fairly despite been threatened to be killed because of the negotiations with the BBC and other well known organizations.
On the other hand, you have the Star Tribune placing an article from the Washington Post. It seems to paraphrase much of the information that appeared in the Times. There are less quotes and much more background information giving that the times published and interviewed the British journalist.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 1:55 AM | Permalink

Two stories that appeared this week in the star tribune are worth looking at how the demographic changes are changing the landscape across the state. This change is not just for the twin cities, but in the suburbs of Minnesota. Two contrasting news stories illustrates the diversity in the suburbs of Burnsville and Eden Prairie. Both of the stories are written as features. One story talks about a Somalian family, the Ahmed's, who are facing culture changes within their own family. You have the mother and father who were born and raise in Somalia, but then you have their children living different lifestyles. The article is titled "Torn between two cultures" focuses on the changes and contrasts the family living in the suburbs versus living in Somalia. The article talks about the adjustments living in America, and then how to balance their own religious beliefs in a different society.
The other article "The wrong bus led them home" talks about a man from Nigeria, Cornelious Ajayi, and how he and his wife ended up moving to the suburbs in Burnsville. The article starts with a narrative and then provides the setting on how they would end up in Burnsville by accident. they were looking for a place near south Minneapolis, and took the wrong bus to Burnsville. Finally, after arriving in Burnsville by mistake, this area of town became their home. What is interesting about both of these stories is the fact that immigrants are becoming numerous in the state, and how they are patterns of renting, buying, and housing is spreading to the suburbs in Minnesota.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 4:54 PM | Permalink

Just recently the University of Minnesota went ahead and made changes to the increasing changes of tuition costs. One of the reasons that this decision was reached was the concern over the possibility of low enrollment because of the nature of the economic landscape for Minnesotans. Those who benefited from the tuition cuts were the Duluth campus, while the Twin Cities campus will see a small increase in tuition rates. Overall the changes encourages more students to enroll at the U, and at the same time give students the opportunity to take more than 13 credits without the worry of paying more for tuition.
Two newspapers focused on the this issue and both had different approaches about the implications of the numbers. The Star Tribune did a narrative of winners and losers theme. It used a more featured lead to give some context to the changes and probably makes the numbers seem less complicated to readers.
The Pioneer Press took a different approach and went ahead with a hard news lead and did have overlapping information as far as the the students that saw tuition increases and decreases. Now, the Pioneer Press coverage on the story was far more serious and examined the implications of changes and how the numbers elicit scenarios for current and future enrollment. I think the structure for both pieces on the subject matter were efficient at providing the analysis on the numbers. But Pioneer takes a more formal approach and drives the point home this issue affects students at the University of Minnesota.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 8:08 AM | Permalink

The following analysis is about the dilemma whether Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhilips will sign and abide by the conditions demanded by the Venezuelan government. Other major companies like BP, Total, and Chevron agreed to cede control by Petroleos de Venezuela, which is the government owned company. The major concern for the United States is not the loss of oil revenues, but whether other countries that have government control over oil productions like China and Iran may look to invest in the region.
There were several newspapers that covered the development of this story. The Pioneer Press had a short summary of the denial of the companies wanting to agree to the conditions forced by President Hugo Chavez. The Star Tribune had almost the same summary that stated that Chavez wants to boost his economic power over the region through oil revenues.
The New York times had a much longer article on the story and had extensive background and explored the possibilities and implications on the situation with oil revenues. The countries that may be involved in the deal if the U.S does not invest in Venezuela. In addition, the article explores the economic atmosphere for Venezuela and in general what are the pros and cons of joining the oil operations in the country of Venezuela.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 12:35 AM | Permalink

The shutdown of the major news station RCTV (Radio Caracas Television), in other words, Caracas Radio Television was off the air on May 27th, 2006. The justification for the government not to renew the broadcast license is because Chavez's administration claims to have found links to the 2002 coup to the news station. This event not only killed many Venezuelans from both sides of the opposition, but gave birth to animosity, hatred and violence among Venezuelans revolving president Chavez.
There are three stories that have reported on the development and possibility of the channel airing through other networks from the country of Mexico. Perhaps a future partnership among several networks from Mexico (TV Azteca, Televisa) may be shortly close to a deal.
The publication from Venezuela El Universal, The Universal, comments concisely on the efforts by Marcel Granier, head of the channel, that he will do whatever it takes to keep our Venezuelan audience informed here our in country and abroad. On other hand, The BBC did a similar story accept they had much more information from Mr Granier and had colorful quotes from people at the news station, and described the mood towards the changes made by the government. Finally, The CNN online edition said something different on why the government did not renew the license. It stated that is was trying to democratize the airwaves. In order to achieve freedom of expression in a democracy its important to have voices from all perspectives in a society. Therefore, allow difference of opinions.
El Universal
BBC
CNN

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 3:51 PM | Permalink

After a long year wait, the report on the cancer findings finally accessible to the general public and Miners of Iron Range Company. The state department is under investigation for the late release of the report. In addition, additional cases had been reported early last March 2006, and just released a year later. The Minnesota Health Commissioner, Diane Mandernach, according to an article in the Star Tribune said that a letter had been sent from nine legislators to Governor Pawlenty requesting her resignation.
Two articles have reported this valuable piece news regarding this controversy. The Star Tribune was the first to comment on it and a day later the Pioneer Press ran shorter version of the story. The Pioneer Press version is much more concise and summarized since the Star Tribune had more contributing sources. The Pioneer did have Senator Marty, DFL Burnsville, said that a public agency like the state department is considered wrong and unethical to withhold information of that nature for that long.
The Star Tribune did go into greater detail as far as the development of the story. The number of sources was vast, and there is a balance and transition from the statements issued from the commissioner of the health department, the governor, state researcher, the union,etc. Furthermore, the different opposing groups that are presented in this story gives balance and voice to both sides of the debate.
Star Tribune
Pioneer Press

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 2:52 PM | Permalink

The introduction of the new Immigration Bill has the bi-partisan debating what should be done as far as the illegal aliens. The republicans are demanding to have sharper restrictions on the borders of the nation, while the democrats want to legalize 12 million undocumented workers. Its important to keep in my mind that the immigration debate is not recent, and has been present in the history of the nation. Since centuries ago the nation has had many immigration waves and has shaped the reality we see today.
The important aspects of the bill are that there is an emphasis on tight control as previously mentioned, and the legalization of these immigrants bears alot of work to get this effort done. In addition, the grant to have then become residents of the United States, is that they would have to return to their countries in order to be legalized. This is a delicate approach considering many of them have their families and jobs here on U.S soil. its important to have empathy than sympathy. There has to be some sort reinvention of the immigration process and the policies. Because its been an ongoing debate that has not comprehensively examined what needs to be done since there is a great number of illegal immigrants in this country. This is the first step to addressing the uncontrolable situation of immigration, but essential to built a foundation from this point on.

Posted by Anthony Carranza at 7:04 PM | Permalink