Libra-log

The New York Times wrote an obituary for Dith Pran, the “Killing Fields� photographer who died Sunday. The lead was a standard obituary lead with his name, his claim to fame and how old he was when he died.

An obituary differs from a resume because it does not necessarily only have the good accomplishments of a person. An obituary is a reflection of someone’s life—including the details the person may have been less than proud of. Here, there are gruesome details of Pran’s life during the Cambodian genocide that would never be included in a resume. There are also quotes from people who knew Pran in life.

Posted by libra012 at 9:01 PM | Permalink

Greek officials passed the Olympic flame to Beijing Olympic organizers in Athens on Sunday. The flame will be carried to countries around the world before ending in Beijing for the Aug. 8 start of the Summer Olympic Games.

According to the official Olympic Games Web site, the spirit of the competition is to “bring people together in peace to respect universal moral principles.�

Protests, however, disrupted the Athens ceremony—calling the weight and validity of that message into question. According to The New York Times, demonstrators angered by China’s treatment of Tibet sought to disrupt the ceremonies, despite expansive security measures.

With banners that said, “Stop Genocide in Tibet,� and shouting, “Free Tibet,� demonstrators tried to block the runner carrying the Olympic flame from completing the run in an Athens stadium, The New York Times said. Demonstrators also interrupted Beijing Olympic organizer Liu Qi’s speech during the lighting ceremony, said the Guardian.

Athens police detained ten of the estimated 15 protesters. Athens had sent more than 1,000 police to the flame route to thwart any demonstration attempts.

The protests prompted by the lighting ceremony are only a small piece of an anti-Beijing Olympic movement.

According to the LA Times, the summer games have given activists a forum to demand an end of China’s support of the Sudanese government, the perpetrator of the genocide in Darfur; and religious freedom and an end to violence in Burma and Tibet.

Hollywood figures like Mia Farrow, Steven Spielberg, and George Clooney have been at the forefront of the Beijing Games pressure, said the LA Times.

Spielberg announced he would no longer be the artistic adviser for the games. Clooney, who has been working to end the genocide in Darfur for several years, has tried to pressure Omega, a Swiss watchmaker company which Clooney is the spokesperson for, to ends its sponsorship of the Olympics.

Farrow wants a boycott of the opening ceremonies to pressure China to end ties with Sudan. She wants the world to instead watch her broadcast via Internet of the “deplorable conditions� of a refugee camp on the Sudan and Chad border, reported the LA Times.

The movement seems to be spreading. French President Nicholas Sorkozy has said the Chinese government must be pressured, specifically in regards to Tibet.

According to the Guardian, before the Olympic flames will reach Beijing in August, it must travel through London, Paris and San Francisco—where the most protests are expected.

Posted by libra012 at 8:38 PM | Permalink

Senator Hillary Clinton said Saturday we will stay in the presidential race until the Florida and Michigan results are resolved. Her comments came a day after Democratic National Convention chairman Howard Dean urged her and Senator Barack Obama to end the race by July 1, said the Washington Post.

Clinton said she would participate in all of the primaries and even go all the way to the convention in August if necessary.

"I know there are some people who want to shut this down and I think they are wrong," Clinton said to the Washington Post. "I have no intention of stopping until we finish what we started and until we see what happens in the next 10 contests and until we resolve Florida and Michigan. And if we don't resolve it, we'll resolve it at the convention—that's what credentials committees are for.�

Her comments also come as a response to growing pressure from Obama’s campaign and his supporters that she should drop out of the race early to avoid a “party crisis.� With Senator John McCain secured as the Republican presidential candidate, he is able to campaign freely while Democrats still try to pick a candidate.

Posted by libra012 at 8:19 PM | Permalink

The total teen birth rate in Minnesota increased 7 percent from 2005. The rate among teens 17 and under jumped 10 percent, reported the Pioneer Press. The statistics coincides with increases in teen sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases and teen abortions in Minnesota.

While the results are clear, the causes are not. The increases seem to suggest Minnesota is “losing the safe-sex battle,� but divisions between abstinence-only proponents and safe-sex education supporters run deep. Furthermore, a tight state budget means Minnesota has little funding to offer programs like STD education to combat the statistics.

Social and cultural changes could be responsible for the statistics as well, the Pioneer Press said. Teen births are more common in immigrant families, of which Minnesota has a high population.

A declining economy could be another cause. A stressful economic situation can spike the divorce rate or at least cause problems within families—both possible reasons parents may have less time to commit to their children. The economic situation could also give teens a less hopefully outlook on the future.

Ann Hoxie, the director of student wellness for St. Paul Public Schools said President Bush tying federal grants to abstinence programs might have resulted in an incomplete high school education program, said the Pioneer Press.

Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council said, on the other hand, that the problem is the assumption all teens have sex and that abstinence education can be beneficial.

Posted by libra012 at 8:07 PM | Permalink

The Kingfield and Lyndale Neighborhood Associations are planning the Walldogs on Nicollet project, six to ten public murals on Nicollet Avenue buildings by local and national artists, said the Twin Cities Daily Planet.

The project should be completed over a three-day span at the end of July. The murals will stretch 16 blocks from Lake Street to 46th Street, primarily involving local artists.

Mark Hinds, executive director of the Lyndale Neighborhood Association, said this kind of public work is imperative to the vibrancy of Minneapolis neighborhoods.

“It’s a different kind of public art—the use of volunteers, the style of it. We think the quality is top-notch,� he said to the Twin Cities Daily Planet.

Interested property owners contribute a few hundred dollars to participate, which helps pay for the lead artist. The neighborhood associations are also looking for volunteers to help paint and plan.

“Walldogs� is a historical nickname for painters who went from town-to-town creating signs and murals, the Twin Cities Planet said. Now the name is affiliated with “pubic mural enthusiasts� who travel the country creating public art.

The Walldogs project completed a mural last fall with artist Carole Bersin at the Fischer Grocery on 34th Street and Nicollet, however a fire destroyed the art and the building on Feb. 21.

Posted by libra012 at 8:02 PM | Permalink

Thousands of bats in the Northeastern United States are catching a mysterious illness known as white nose syndrome, reported the BBC.

Little is known about the syndrome, which causes small, white, fungal spots around the mouth and nose of bats. At this point it cannot even be categorized as a disease.

The syndrome has awoken the bats prematurely from hibernations, causing them to search for insects that have yet to reappear from winter.

Biologists and conservationists are concerned. It is possible bats will develop immunities to the syndrome, but it is not guaranteed.

Alan Hicks, a government conservationist, was the first to spot the syndrome on bats in New York last year. He said the discovery is just one more environmental alarm bell.

Posted by libra012 at 3:20 AM | Permalink

While thousands of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans rioted in the Chinese city of Xiahe on Saturday, China said they regained control of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, where a mob had destroyed property in a violent riot, The New York Times reported.

In Lhasa, Chinese authorities denied that any protesters had been fired upon; however, Tibetan leaders said 100 Tibetans have now died, 30 at the protest in Lhasa, The New York Times said.

In Xiahe, an estimated 4,000 Tibetans protested for the second consecutive day, although demonstrations were much smaller Friday. The protesters’ slogans were “The Dalai Lama must return to Tibet� and “Tibetans need to have human rights in Tibet.�

The protests contradict the message that China has been trying promote—that Tibets are a satisfied and happy minority.

Some Buddhist monks are protesting against religions restrictions while others want an end to Chinese rule in Tibet.

Posted by libra012 at 11:41 AM | Permalink

The construction company who was working on the I-35 bridge when it collapsed has taken measures to preserve its right to sue Minnesota for not keeping its workers safe, Minnesota Public Radio said.

Progressive Contractors was resurfacing the bridge when it fell last summer. They have filed the correct paperwork, but have not decided if they will go ahead with a lawsuit.

According to MPR, the papers were filed as a precaution. They are waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board to release its report on the cause of the bridge collapse before they make a decision on a lawsuit.

If the company were to sue, they would likely argue the state breached its contract because the working environment on the bridge was unsafe.

One of the victims of the bridge collapse was a construction worker, Greg Jolstad, said ABC News.

Posted by libra012 at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Two children have died in Minnesota of causes related to pediatric influenza. A 5-year-old girl died in the Twin Cities this week shortly after getting a flu shot, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

She received her flu shot on March 4, but she was already sick. The child who died earlier was a 12-year-old who had not had the flu shot, said MPR.

Posted by libra012 at 11:36 AM | Permalink

According to a national study of the four most common sexually transmitted diseases in girls and young women, one in four are infected with at least one of the diseases, said The New York Times on Monday.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that human papillomaviris (HVP) and chlamydia were the most common S.T.D.’s.

The study found that almost 50 percent of black girls ages 14 to 19 had chlamydia, genital herpes, HVP or trichomonaisis, a parasite. Twenty percent of white teenage girls had those S.T.D.’s.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said these results proved the importance of increasing screenings, vaccinations and other means of prevention, reported The New York Times.

According to The New York Times, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cecile Richards, said the study results showed the need for sex education.

“The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure,� Richards said, “and teenage girls are paying the real price.�

Planned Parenthood is a national reproductive healthcare provider and advocate for sex education and the individual’s right to make decisions about sex and family planning, said the organization’s Web site.

Dr. Sara Foran, lead author of the study, said that the “alarming� results show that nearly 3.2 million teenage girls are infected with the four most common S.T.D.’s.

“Far too many young women are at risk for the serious health effects of untreated S.T.D.’s, � she said.

Dr. John M. Douglass of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention S.T.D. prevention division, said people must get tested. Treatment is often an option, which should be prescribed for the partner as well.

The Food and Drug Administration said that latex condoms are “highly effective� in preventing the most common S.T.D.’s and gonorrhea and hepatitis B, reported The New York Times.

Posted by libra012 at 2:32 PM | Permalink

China will continue their one-child policy, despite rumors that changes were ahead, The New York Times reported Monday.

Zhang Weidqing, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission said a surge in births is expected to continue for about another decade, so no changes to the one-child policy would be considered until then.

With a population of 1.3 million, China’s one-child policy limits urban families to one child and farming families to two children. Minorities are sometimes able to have two or more, the New York Times said.

Zhang said the policy has been successful in controlling population so far. Critics, however, say the policy is responsible for abuses like forced abortions. The New York Times also said there is evidence that the one-child policy created the gender imbalance in China, and there may be too few women in the future.

Last month, Rueters quoted the vice minister in the National Population and Family Planning Commission, Zaho Baige, as saying China may move from the one-child policy. Wu Jianmin, spokesmen for an advisory board to the national legislature, also made comments suggesting the policy would be changed.

After Baige’s comment, China officially denied the statements and the announcement Monday cements that denial.

Posted by libra012 at 1:29 PM | Permalink

A Minnesota Public Radio article advanced the movie opening of “Older than America,� which will be screened publicly for the first time at the Walker Art Center. It mentioned the important information like the name of the director, what the movie is about, and where it is playing, but it also used a lot of background information. Its angle was why this movie is important on an individual and societal level. Part of that was the fact the film was shot in northern Minnesota. The movie is about Indian Reservation boarding schools, so the reporter included broad context information. The angle made the story more interesting than it would have been if the reporter had only listed the “where� and “when.�

Posted by libra012 at 6:02 PM | Permalink

In an unusual announcement, China called for its ally Sudan to do more to stop the violence in Darfur, the BBC reported.

China’s envoy Liu Guijin said Sudan is a “humanitarian disaster� and a grave concern to the Chinese government. He said more must be done to allow peacekeepers to arrive sooner.

China is an ally of Sudan’s government. It sells weapons to the region and buys much of its oil. As a result of this close relationship, China has been criticized for supporting the Sudanese government. Critics have called for China to pressure the government to end the fighting in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

The BBC said China wants to make sure criticism does not “overshadow� the Olympic Games in Beijing in August. It wants to defend its economic investments in Sudan, while simultaneously seeming to take aggressive steps against the Darfur violence.

Posted by libra012 at 5:29 PM | Permalink

A missing Fridley girl, 4, was found alive and safe on Saturday, ending an Amber Alert, the Pioneer Press said.

Police found Anastasia Jones Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension ended the Amber Alert at 1:20 p.m. and the girl was put in protective custody, the Pioneer Press said.

Her 19-year-old mother, Miracle Angel Flowers, and her mother’s boyfriend are in police custody, the Pioneer Press reported.

The child was taken Friday after Flowers, her non-custodial parent, took her from the Hennepin County Medical Center at 4:20 p.m. in a 1996 Sebring convertible. Police think Marion Keith Jackson, 37, may have driven the car, the Pioneer Press said. The car was found, abandoned Friday night.

Posted by libra012 at 5:26 PM | Permalink

The three Minnesota Republican representatives who voted to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty veto of the transportation bill missed the party endorsement, reported Minnesota Public Radio.

Representatives Ron Erhardt, Neil Peterson and Jim Abeler lost their party endorsements at district conventions Saturday.

According to MPR, many delegates were upset that they supported a transportation bill that would raise the gas tax and the metrowide sales tax for transit. They helped override Republican Gov. Pawlenty’s veto of the bill.

MPR said Peterson and Erhardt have stood by their votes. Peterson said he would still run in the primary, but Erhardt said he was unsure if he would run in the primary as planned or run as an Independent. At Abler’s district convention he did not get the Republican endorsement, but the party did not endorse another candidate either.

Representatives Kathy Tingelstand, Rod Hamilton, and Bud Heidgerken were the other three Republicans who overrode Gov. Pawlenty’s veto. The Pioneer Press said party activists voted to postpone a decision on Tingelstand’s endorsement, and the endorsement conventions for Hamilton and Heidgerken have not been scheduled.

Posted by libra012 at 4:19 PM | Permalink

According to the BBC, Italy’s highest appeal court ruled that Italian women who commit adultery are allowed to lie about it to protect their honor.

The decision came from a case with a women convicted of giving false testimony about a lover. The appeals courts said she did not break the law by lying about the affair.

The Court of Cassation, which is composed mainly of elderly male appeal judges, found that having a lover damages the honor of the person, so they are permitted to lie about it—even in an investigation.

Posted by libra012 at 3:16 PM | Permalink

President Bush vetoed a bill that would explicitly prohibit the Central Intelligence Agency from using any torture interrogation methods, the New York Times reported.

The veto was announced in Bush’s regular radio address Saturday. He defended his interrogation program and said, “Because the danger remains, we need to ensure our intelligence officials have all the tools they need to stop the terrorists,� said the New York Times.

Critics in the United States and overseas have accused Bush of authorizing torture methods like waterboarding, a torture technique where prisoners think they are drowning.

According to the New York Times, Bush’s decision “further cemented his legacy of fighting for strong executive powers.� This is the ninth veto of his presidency but eighth in the last ten months.

Posted by libra012 at 3:12 PM | Permalink

The Star Tribune reported on the Minneapolis City Council’s Feb. 29 meeting. As evident by the meeting agenda, many things were discussed and decided. The Star Tribune reporter, however, chose to write about just one of those things—the authorization to take bids on a possible “green roof� for the Target Center.

The meeting agenda and the newspaper story hardly resemble one another. The meeting agenda only says this of the green roof topic:

“Target Center Green Roof: Authorize commence cost bidding process for three green roof options. Direct staff to report back to Committee with results of bidding process no later than October 16, 2008.�

The reporter, on the other hand, wrote ten to eleven paragraphs about the decision. He was clearly present at the meeting and listened to the deliberations. He also did a lot of background work. In fact, most of the article was putting the decision into a context. He said what the Council decided and then explained what that actually meant for the city.

Posted by libra012 at 8:57 PM | Permalink

A bill introduced to the Minnesota House would force farmers and businesses to make their pesticide records public, Minnesota Public Radio said.

The Department of Agriculture tracks the states’ pesticide sales, but it does not keep record of what pesticides are used where or how. Through a public database, the bill would require people to provide notice when they use pesticides, reported MPR.

Rep. Ken Tschumper, DFL-La Crescent and author of the bill, said those using pesticides need to be required to notify their neighbors. Although they are putting the chemicals on their own land, it still affects others. Wind, for example, can be a factor in transporting the pesticides miles away.

Although pesticides spread by wind, or “spray drift,� is illegal, enforcement relies on complaints only. The effects of spray drift can be very damaging, and the database would help the public protect itself, MPR said.

Posted by libra012 at 8:53 PM | Permalink

Pilots for Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines are still unable to reach a seniority agreement, Minnesota Public Radio said.

Chief Financial Officer Ed Bastian said the airline may or may not look for a replacement deal if the Northwest merger falls through, USA Today reported. Bastian said the airline has a “standalone option.�

Delta is also not saying how long it will allow pilots from both sides to negotiate, but they insist that pilots reach an agreement. MPR said that its “clear Delta and Northwest want to avoid anything like the seniority squabble tearing apart US Airways pilots.�

About three years ago, America West Airlines and US Airways merged. Now, however, the pilots of the “one� airline are split into “East� and “West� groups. They, like the Delta and Northwest pilots, cannot agree on seniority. Seniority decides which planes pilots fly. The bigger the plane, the more money they make, MPR said.

Posted by libra012 at 7:49 PM | Permalink

According to the Washington Post, whereas observers wondered at the beginning of Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign if he was “black enough,� the question has switched. Now observers wonder if Fred Armisen is “black enough?�

Armisen played Obama in a mock debate last week on “Saturday Night Life,� which playfully accused the press of being enamored with Obama. Armisen is not black, and some say that casting choice was a mistake. They say Obama should have been played by a black actor.

The Washington Post notes that Armisen has also played Prince in past seasons of “SNL,� and no one cared about his racial background then. Of course, the musician was not running for president.

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune is among those who feel Armisen should not have played Obama in the spoof.

“Obama’s candidacy gives us solid proof of the progress that African Americans have made in this country. I guess ‘SNL’ still has further to go on that front,� she said.

The skit has renewed the criticism that “SNL� does not employ enough black performers. This season, the only black cast member is Kenan Thompson, who hardly resembles the tall and thin Obama, the Washington Post said.

“SNL� defended its choice to cast Armisen as Obama. According to the Washington Post, they auditioned “four or five� actors. Armisen captured Obama’s mannerisms and personality the best.

“SNL� impresario Lorne Michaels said in the Washington Post the show does not concern itself with making a particular political point. Instead, they ask themselves “Is it fresh? Is it funny?�

Michaels said the spoof went so well that “SNL� intends to air another Obama and Clinton debate this Saturday, March 1.

Posted by libra012 at 2:57 PM | Permalink

According to Minnesota Public Radio, the police officer who shot and killed a Mankato man last December will not face criminal charges.

In December of 2007, Richard Thomas Vosburgh, 26, broke into an apartment. A woman was home, and Vosburgh threatened to rape her. When police arrived, Vosburgh came at them with glass. He cut their faces and hands with glass before the officer fired, MPR reported.

Blue Earth County and Mankato Public Safety agreed that the officer acted appropriately, said the Mankato Free Press.

Posted by libra012 at 1:40 PM | Permalink

The Supreme Court is expected to announce its verdict on the long legal battled between a small Alaskan town and one of the largest commercial corporations in the world, reported the BBC.

Cordova is an Alaskan fishing town, however in 1989 an Exxon Mobil tanker hit an iceberg nearby and spilled 11 million gallons of crude into the surrounding waters, said the BBC.

Five years later, the courts ruled in favor of more than 32,000 plaintiffs, many were from Cordova and other similar towns. They were awarded $5 billion, said the BBC.

Fourteen years later, however, Exxon Mobil has yet to pay any of the money because it has been appealing the decision. According to the BBC, appeals lowered the price from $5 billion to $2.5 billion and inflation has lowered that value even more. Also, around 20 percent of the original plaintiffs have died.

Now the Supreme Court will make the final decision as to whether the plaintiffs will be awarded $2.5 billion or nothing.

Posted by libra012 at 1:34 PM | Permalink