Le Notizie

A father and son team of researchers claims to have discovered music hidden in the carvings of Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh, Scotland. Musical experts did not dismiss the claim. The team believes that the musical patterns are created by vibrations of musical pitches.

The New York Times added that if the team is correct about the meaning of the patterns, the builders of the chapel knew this aspect of the science of sound over two centuries earlier than the West.

I think that the story is very interesting and that it might easily become one of the most-read stories in both newspapers. It's soft news, but it's what people will be interested in.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More than 100,000 secular Turks protested the pro-Islamic government in Istanbul Sunday. This was the second large protest in the past two weeks, with a 300,000 member protest in Ankara two weeks ago. The demonstrators demanded that the prime minister, a "traitor," resign.

The New York Times added that the confrontation has come into public view over the prime minister’s choice for president.

I thought it was interesting that the Times story did not give a number for the demonstrators.

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

The U.S. military has begun to build concrete walls in Baghdad to calm very violent areas, but it could further divide Sunnis and Shiites. Military officials said that the up to 12-foot tall walls are a temporary measure.

A Washington Post article published this morning added that Sunni residents are already complaining about the walls. Some feel imprisoned by the walls, intended to keep in the "few terrorists here and there."

I like that both articles had quotes from not only military officials but also residents of Baghdad. It adds a human quality to both stories.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three people have been charged for conspiring with suicide bombers in the July 7, 2005 attacks that killed 52 transit passengers in London. The three people, Mohammed Shakil, 30, Sadeer Saleem, 26, and Waheed Ali, 23, were allegedly involved in reconnaissance and planning. Police expect there will be more arrests in the case.

According to the New York Times, police chief Peter Clarke said, "We now have enough pieces in the right place for us to be able to see a picture that is far from complete."

The New York Times article brings more to the story, detailing the bombings more because people likely forgot many details about the bombings.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck Japan on Sunday, killing one person and leaving at least 150 injured. It destroyed buildings, started landslides and cut power, among other things. The last major earthquake that killed people was in 1933.

The New York Times added that more than 100 aftershocks followed and that the focus of the quake was about 7 miles off of the coast 190 miles west of Tokyo.

Both of the articles use numbers well, but I found one issue with both of them. Yes, both articles make the numbers easy to understand and give the magnitude of the earthquake. But neither article explains what the magnitude means or how the magnitude scale works.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the past 10 years, Awatif Ahmed Isshag has been posting news on a tree outside her house in El Fasher, Sudan. She is North Dafur's only independent journalist and does not think she is doing anything unusual. She estimated that about 100 people a day stop to read the newspaper on the tree.

The Washington Post added that the newspaper, Al Raheel, was started by Isshag's sister, who died in 1998.

The story is treated well by boht papers, although I would like to have seen more quotes.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S. Army officers in Iraq recovered a stockpile of explosives last week. These explosives were designed to cut through U.S. armor. The explosives were found in clear plastic bags clearly marked as Iranian, but other parts were labelled otherwise. Officials have not placed blame on the Iranian government.

The New York Times added that many critics are skeptical of this being a strong case for Iranian involvement.

Both articles seemed bogged down with terminology and I struggled to make sense of many sentences.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Condoleezza Rice went to the Middle east to bring Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back to life. She declared it a success in that the meeting was held at all. The meeting was between herself, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and lasted about two hours. They agreed to little more than to continue talking.

The New York Times added that the two discussed their diplomatic and political views and agreed to meet again "soon."

The New York Times reports on the meeting much better with a much longer and more detailed article. But we must keep in mind that the Times had many more resources than the local Star Tribune.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four explosions in Baghdad markets killed at least 70 people and injured more than 155 Monday. The bombings came shortly after the Iraqi government noted the anniversary of an attack on a Shiite mosque in Samara that contributed to the current fighting. The majority of shoppers and vendors in the markets were Shiites.

The LA Times added that many Iraqis seeking hospitals were deterred by roadblocks and bridge closings.

The two stories, from the NY Times and the LA Times, work together very well. The NY Times article gives good detail of the happenings, but does not connect as well emotionally as that of the LA Times. The LA Times article uses more quotes and makes it more human.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mokhtar Lamani of Morocco has ended his participation in the Arab League's attempt to create peace in Iraq. Lamani was sent to Iraq to create peace between the many religious groups that are batting in Iraq. The conference, however, never took place because the groups could not agree on who to invite. Lamani tried to appeal to all the groups by living outside the Green Zone and even riding in an unarmored car.

The structure of this story is excellent. The gist story is told within the first two paragraphs and each following paragraph is a separate fact block. It also adds another title within the story to separate the story brief from the in-depth story.

The Washington Post adds that Lamani wanted to visit the Anbar province, the heart of the Sunni insurgency. However, he was advised against it because it would be too dangerous.

I think this story makes the violence in Iraq seem more real. I can connect with Lamani having given up much more easily than with the numbers of deaths.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, books are hard to come by; Novels even more so. There are a few bookstores in Mogadishu, but the most notable collection of books is the Mogadishu Public Library. It is a privately-funded, 7,000-member library with about 31,000 books that have been donated. Although there are many books, novels are rare. Books are divided into many categories, such as technical business books and chemistry books. Novels seem to be out of place because, "The man who is reading a novel is rested and not worried about anything," said Hirsie Muhammad Hirui, manager of the library, "The man who lives in Mogadishu works 13 or 14 hours a day."

This quote, which is the only one in the article, is perfect. It sums up why novels are scarce in the small library in just two sentences. Paraphrasing would have made it less powerful, because it is a direct quote from Hirui, who knows exactly what he is talking about.

The Washington Post adds that Western books end up like most books from far-off worlds, relegated to the bottom shelf in an office. The Post also said that there are copies of "The Da Vinci Code" circulating house-to-house within the city.

I think that the topic is a very interesting take on the civil wars in Somalia. It is refreshing to see something other than "this many soldiers were killed today." It is surprising to see that novels are uncommon and out of place. I think the Post does as better job of getting the story across because it adds more about novels that may be around.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iran has blocked 38 nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency from entering the country to monitor their nuclear facilities. Just days earlier, a senior cleric criticized the president for his nuclear policy, revealing an internal open debate. An Iran expert said that the move to ban the inspectors is only symbolic because there are about 200 inspectors who could be sent.

The lead, "Iran has barred 38 nuclear inspectors on a United Nations list from entering the country, the foreign minister said Monday in what appeared to be retaliation for the U.N. sanctions imposed last month," is a little wordy. It also leaves me asking which foreign minister is being referred to. However, it tells the story succinctly and has the most important information first.

According to the New York Times, two newspapers in the country have also said that the president should stay out of nuclear matters, furthering the open debate.

I think it is very interesting that both newspapers used the same feed from the Associated Press but the articles are very different. I think that the Star Tribune does a very good job of choosing the most important information into the story.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)