Lee's blog for Jour 3101

The Pioneer Press article said that the Hennepin County medical examiner said the body of a woman recovered in Mississippi River had been identified. The woman is a 39-year-old Edina woman, Lisa Gustincic. The medican examiner said Gustincic died from accidental drowning. A witness reported at about 2 p.m. Tuesday that there was a dog was hovering over an area of open water. Gustincic’s body was pulled out of Mississippi River at 8p.m. Sheriff's office Water Patrol divers searched for Gustincic for about four hours.

The StarTribune article said that the body was found 8 feet under water and 125 feet from shore. The witness reported to the authority to report a black Labrador retriever running near the Camden Bridge, Minneapolis, at around 2 p.m. The dog was looking over a hole in ice. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol used sonar technology to search for Gustincic. Hennepin County sheriff's spokeswoman Lisa Kiava said that said the authorities were not sure the reason led Gustincic fell into the river, but they thought she might be running after the dog on ice.

Posted by leex3102 at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times article said that a military jet crashed into a residential house Monday at a suburb, University City, San Diego. The crash of the plane, F/A-18D, caused an intense fire and killed people in one house. One person was missing. According to the spokesman at Miramar Station, Staff Sgt. Leonard Langston, the plane was preparing to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar about two miles away. Witnesses said there were two booms, and they saw the he plane corkscrewed to the ground and trailing a plume of black smoke. The pilot parachuted and landed n a local high school playing field.

In the USAToday article, a congressional aide said Tuesday that two engines of the military jet both failed before it crashed in to the house. The plane killed four members of a Korean family. Amy Hegy, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, San Diego, said that the father of the family was calm after he returned to his home. The family moved to the neighborhood three months ago. No official initial finding of the cause of the crash was given. The pilot suspended by his parachute in a tree and had been treated at a hospital.

Posted by leex3102 at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The New York Times article, Sony Corp., the Japan based company, announced on Tuesday saying it is slashing 4 percent of its workforce and is aiming to cut $1.1 billion in costs due to the global financial crisis. Sony has 185,000 employees worldwide; cutting 4 percent will be 8000 jobs. The company will complete the job cuts in electronics sector by the end of March 2010. Analysts thought the number will not be enough for Sony. Sony shares had fallen nearly 70 percent this year.

The USAToday article said that besides slashing 8000 jobs from the electronics sector, Sony is also cutting another 8000temporary and contract jobs. Sony will close several plants in order to cut investments. The company said this will save more than 100 billion yen a year. It is the biggest job cuts of Japan since the global financial crisis started this summer. Sony will reduce 30% of investment in electronics for the next fiscal year to March 2010.

Posted by leex3102 at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Yahoo! News article said that a group of armed robbers wearing women's outfit robbed jewelry worth $108 million from a Harry Winston boutique in Paris on Thursday. It was one of the world's largest jewel heists. Isabelle Montagne, spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor's office, said the gunmen forced store employees to strip rings, necklaces and earrings from window displays and pull more out of safes. Harry Winston was at one of Paris' toniest shopping locales on the Avenue Montaigne. Montagne said the incident "very well-organized." Investigators suspect the robbering group was the so-called "Pink Panthers," a ring of jewel thieves mostly from the former Yugoslavia. Harry Winston had been targeted in a heist last year and lost jewelry worth $28.4 million and the robbers were not caught.

The New York Times article said that some French newspapers branded the heist of the century. The heist happened on Thursday but was reported on Friday. It was the second robbery of Harry Winston in 14 months. Doron Lévy, a spokesman for the Union of French Jewelers said that Harry Winston was not the only one that was targeted of the robberies. Harry Winston, the New York-based company, issued a statement on Friday. “We are cooperating with the authorities in their investigation,� spokeswoman, Rhonda Barnat, said. “Our first concern is the well-being of our employees.�

Posted by leex3102 at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The StarTribune article said that Catherine Hagel of New Hope became the third-oldest documented person in the world on Wednesday. Hagel turned 114 on Friday. Hagel lived alone in the family farmhouse in Rogers before age 100. She moved in the Minnesota Masonic Home North Ridge in New Hope 14 years ago. According to the Gerontololgy Research Group in California and the Guinness World Records, Hagel was the seventh-oldest person in the world and the third-oldest American.

The MN Sun Newspapers article was a feature story. The article said that Hagel is the oldest of Minnesota, the second of the U.S. and the third of the world. Hagel grew up in Dayton but lived most of her live on her farm in Rogers. Hagel's sister-in-law, Delvina Dahlheimer, lived for 113 years. Hagel has 11 children and nine surviving, and she also has 35 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren.

Posted by leex3102 at 2:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The article of The New York Times said that according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the rise of college cost threatens most Americans to reach higher education. The report indicated that the college tuition increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007 while median family income rose 147 percent. The number of students borrowing had more than doubled for the last decade. Nonetheless, students from lower-income families received less grants from the colleges than more affluent families. Patrick M. Callan, president of the center, said that if the situation doesn’t change and keep going fore another 25 years, higher education will not be affordable.

The CNN article said that college tuition has raised nearly three times the rate of the cost of living. The increase of college tuition was more than increases in medical care, housing and food. The report stated "The nation's colleges and universities have become less affordable for students and their families since the early 1990s." According to the report, the situation could affect the global competitiveness of the U.S. About 34 percent of young American adults enrolled in college, which was behind Hungary, Belgium, Ireland, Poland, Greece and Korea -- which ranked the highest, with 53 percent.

Posted by leex3102 at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Pioneer Press article said that one man was dead another one was injured in a car after a car pulled up and someone fired shots into their car. According to the news release from the Minneapolis police, the victim’s car was stopped at an intersection at around 3 a.m. Saturday when the other car pulled up and someone in there fired shots. One person died at the scene and the other was sent to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. The survivor was injured but was not life-threatened. The police said that the victim’s car drove about two blocks before it crashed into a house. No one has been arrested in this case.

The StarTribune article said that it was the second shooting death on the 1400 block of Dowling Avenue within three days. Police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Garcia said the two cases were not related and they were coincidence. The surviving victim tried to escape from the car left a trail of blood in front of the house their car crashed into. Police had cordoned off several blocks around the crime scene for investigation. The victims’ names were not released. At the same area, Jermaine Alvert Hudson was found shot to death about midnight Wednesday at Folwell Park apartments. No one has been arrested for the two cases.

Posted by leex3102 at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Washington Post article said that the presidents of Georgia and Poland said they encountered gun fire while they were visiting a Russian checkpoint near the South Ossetian border on Sunday. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and visiting Polish President Lech Kaczynski said that the Russian troop fired machine guns while their car approached the checkpoint near South Ossetian, where Moscow thought as an independent state after defeating Georgia in August. No one was injured in the gun fire, but didn’t know where the shot come from and where was aimed. Grigory Karasin, Russian deputy foreign minister, told the Interfax news agency that it was “One more instance of wishful thinking on the part of Georgia." South Ossetian officials also denied firing any shots.

The New York Times article said Russia denied the claim of President Saakashvili and Kaczynski. The South Ossetian and Russian authorities said the two presidents intentionally provoked their forces. President Kaczynski and President Saakashvili first arranged a convoy of officials and journalists to visit refugees in a Georgian-held village. Instead, they changed the plan to visit the checkpoint. A Polish reporter along with the convoy said she heard the machine-gun fire and a Polish official said he heard three bursts of machine-gun fire, and that the party turned back. President Kaczynski is a passionate supporter of Georgia in its conflict with Russia. Saakashvili said Russia was in “the most extreme violation� of a French-brokered cease-fire.

Posted by leex3102 at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The USAToday article said that a Wal-Mart worker died Friday because of out-of-control shoppers for post-Thanksgiving bargains that knocked him into the ground and stepped over him. The article did not refer the name of the victim, but indicated he was 34-year-old. He was hired as a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store in Valley Stream on Long Island. The police said that about 2000 people gathered in front of the store and waited for the store to open on Friday morning. Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming said the group of people were out of out of control and described the scene as "utter chaos." Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but it was hard to identify individuals.

The New York Times article was written like a chronicle. Used descriptions to set up the scene at Wal-Mart. The name of the worker was Jdimytai Damour, known as Jimmy. Besides Damour, four people were taken to hospital as well, including one pregnant woman. Lt. Michael Fleming said the incident “Certainly it was a foreseeable act.� Kimberly Cribbs of Queens, shopper and witness, said that the crowd was like savages and they ignored the order that telling them to leave the store after the death of Damour. Wal-Mart spokesman, Dan Folgleman, called the case a “tragic situation.� He said “The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this tragic time.�

Posted by leex3102 at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times article said that in Russia, a judge ruled that the trial of three men involved in killing of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya should be open to the public. Politkovskaya’s famlily was concerning about secret proceedings would harm the case. Politkovskaya was a journalist who covered the war in Chechnya and often criticized the Kremlin. She was gunned down in October 2006. The prosecutors denied the government was involved in the killing and who ever said that wanted to discredit the Kremlin. The judge’s decision came on a day after Mikhail Beketov, also a journalist, was in a Moscow suburb was beaten up last week and drew attention to the public.

The USA Today article only had three short paragraphs of the story. It was the Moscow District military court made the ruling. Both Politkovskaya’s colleagues and the defendants spoke in favor for an open trial. The article said that Politkovskaya’s reports on human rights embarrassed the Kremlin and she was killed outside of her apartment.

Posted by leex3102 at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the StartTribune article, Jacob MacKenzie, 15, a sophomore of Guadalupe Alternative Programs, St. Paul, was shot to dead in his house Sunday. The suspect, Alfredo Gutierrez-Gonzales, 19, was an acquaintance of MacKenzie. Gutierrez-Gonzales’s girlfriend, Jayna Emerson, 17, was MacKenzie’s cousin. Emerson came out and said an appeal for her boyfriend to return Monday. Emerson said that Gutierrez-Gonzales was a "great boyfriend." According to police spokesman Peter Panos, Gutierrez-Gonzales had a juvenile criminal record in Ramsey County, but he had no details.

The Pioneer Press article was more about MacKenzie’s personality. MacKenzie got his first job at Trail of Terror in Shakopee and he was happy to get his first paycheck. MacKenzie’s home was at 582 Concord St. on the city's West Side. MacKenzie lived in the house with his mother, grandmother and his 17-year-old sister. His mother, Michelle Olson, said they always had good relationship. Olson said he was an intimate boy, who used to stay up to wait for her getting off from work. Besides MacKenzie’s family, the article included some information about this crime.
Panos said that is being treated as a homicide. The motivation of the suspect is unknown and the police are still looking for the suspected shooter. According to the police, MacKenzie died at the scene.

Posted by leex3102 at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The New York Times article, the C.E.O. and co-founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang, said he was going to step down after the company found the person to takeover his position. Yang wrote a memorandum about his action sent and announced to the company’s staff Monday evening. A Yahoo spokesman said the decision of both the company and Yang was “mutual� and “in progress for a while.� Yang, who assumed from Terry Semel, had been the C.E.O. of Yahoo for 18 months. Yahoo is looking for replacement candidates inside and outside of the company. They hired executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles to help look for candidates. Yang made several major cuts in the staff after he became the C.E.O.

The USAToday article stated that Yang, 40, took over as chief executive at the request of Yahoo's board in June 2007. Chris Winfield, president of 10e20 said that Yahoo has nowhere to go but up and he said this was a great fresh start for the company. Industry analysts said the new C.E.O. will face plenty of challenges. Yahoo and Google was going to have a deal with advertising space but was scuttled down by the Justice Department with antitrust concerns. Yahoo shares rose 47 cents to $11.10 after the news released after the markets closed.

Posted by leex3102 at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the USA Today article, a wind-blasted wildfire broke out late Friday at Sylmar, California. The fire was driven by Santa Ana wind and spread across 2,600 acres. A mobile home park, which had about 600 residences, was evacuated almost entirely. About 10,000 people lived in Sylmar, Knollwood and Porter Ranch communities were evacuated. The fire also brought down some power lines and could cause rolling blackouts. The Olive View-UCLA Medical Center campus was threatened by the fire shortly after midnight, 28 people were transferred to other hospitals by ambulances. More than 600 firefighters fought the flame overnight and six airplanes and a dozen helicopters are expected to help fighting the fire during the day.

The New York Times article said that 2,235 firefighters worked to contain the Tea Fire that broke out Thursday night in Montecito. Then another fire erupted overnight Friday. More than 65 homes had been destroyed and 100 others had been damaged. Three evacuation shelters were opened. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles said this was the most serious wildfire struck the city in years. The Oakridge Mobile Home Park was almost total devastation, and the road signs were even melted down. About 1,500 homes remained threatened Saturday morning.

Posted by leex3102 at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The USA Today article said that regional haze, known as atmospheric brown clouds, contributes to glacial melting, reduces sunlight, and helps create extreme weather conditions that impact agricultural production, according to the U.N. Environment Program reported Thursday. The brown cloud included soot, particles and chemicals stretching from the Persian Gulf to Asia. This will threaten health and food supplies in the world. It has darkened 13 Asian cities which including Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Cairo, Mumbai and New Delhi. It has been sharply "dimming" the amount of light by as much as 25% in some places. The brown clouds are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, wood and plants. It also exaggerates the greenhouse effect.

The New York Times article said that the report was released at Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted cities. The brown clouds had led to melting of the Himalayan glaciers. The Chinese Academy of Sciences said these glaciers have shrunk by 5 percent since the 1950s. The soot that blot out the sun have led to a 5 percent decline in the growth rate of rice harvests across Asia since the 1960s. Also, people who breathe the toxic mix had deadly impact, exports estimated that 340,000 people in China and India die each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases because of the air pollution issue.

Posted by leex3102 at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Pioneer Press article, thirty-three-year-old Ismael Bugarin is charged with killing his wife and 12-year-old son and trying to kill his two daughters. The Dodger Center man is charged with two second-degree murders and two attempted murders. Bugarin and his wife, Teresa, had an argument after going back home from an outing. Teresa told Bugarin that she wanted a divorce. Bugarin shot Teresa and tried to stab his children with a knife. His son, "Nick" Bugarin, tried to stop his father from stabbing his sisters and died in a neighbor's doorway from knife wounds. The girls are 8 and 5 had suffered knife wounds and released from hospital. Ismael Bugarin remains under guard at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

The StarTribune article said according to the charges, when the children heard Teresa scream for help, they ran to the back of the home. They saw their father was pinning their mother on the ground. Then Bugarin shot Teresa. The children tried to flee but Bugarin pursued after them. Nick fought back to his father and stabbed his father. He gave his sisters had a chance to run to the home of neighbors.

Posted by leex3102 at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)