November 2010 Archives

I found a news story about the Somalian culture group. The story from The Star Tribune was in relation to a particular Somali gang linked to a sex ring in Minnesota.

The story refers specially to the group as a "large scaled Somali gang" multiple times. The writer points out how a 15-year-old girl was being promoted by these Somalian males. The story also mentions some of the men as being members of the terrorist group Al-Shabab.

I asked my friend Mustafa Hassan, a 21-year-old Somalian student, to read the story and reflect on it. "This story doesn't surprise me at all," Hassan said. "There's always stuff in the news about Somalians."

"I think the writer wrote too much about the Somalian men. He should have focused more on facts with the girl from the case," Hassan said.

The article also mentioned a Somalian terrorist group, Al-Shabab. "Some people at the U look at me like I'm a terrorist. I've never even had a speeding ticket," Hassan said.

It may have been beneficial to get some quotes from someone other than Ramsey County officials. Even just one Somalian's opinion from the community would've given the article more substance.

A pilot of a F-22 Raptor was killed during a training mission Tuesday north of Anchorage, CNN reported.

Air Force Capt. Jeffrey Haney's body has not been found. However, authorities found pieces of his clothing and seat from the plane showing he had not ejected, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Haney was operating the plane during a routine training mission Tuesday night, CNN reported. Officials are still looking into the cause of the crash.

Military officials said there was no way Haney could have survived the plane crashed, the Chicago Tribune reported.

A St. Paul woman was charged with malicious punishment Monday after she allegedly tore her daughter's ear with a wrench, the Pioneer Press reported.

Mai Neng Xiong, 39, was angry her daughter had eaten some fruit she had just brought, KARE 11 reported.

A school nurse suspected child abuse after seeing injuries to the 7-year-old's arm and left ear, KARE 11 reported. The girl told the nurse her mother caused the injuries and a pipe wrench as the weapon her mother used to hurt her.

The U.S. Women's soccer team beat Italy 1-0 Saturday in Padua, Italy, Associated Press reported.

Alex Morgan scored in the 85th minute to bring the U.S. one step closer to the World Cup, USA Today reported.

At 21 years-old, Morgan is the youngest player on the national team, Associated Press reported.

Italians set off fireworks at the match, in an effort to distract the Americans, USA Today reported.

A state of emergency was declared due to heavy rains and flooding in Colombia Thursday, CNN reported.

President Juan Manuel Santos declared the emergency for 28 of the country's 32 departments, Colombia Reports reported.

The heavy rains have left at least 136 people dead and 205 people injured, CNN reported.

The United States government announced they would pay 50,000 dollars to help the effort in Colombia, Colombia Reports reported.

A fire left four apartment units destroyed Friday night in Wayzata, The Star Tribune reported.

The fire occurred around 12:30 a.m. in an apartment complex near Hampton and LaSalle streets, The Star Tribune reported.

Two people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but are estimated to be okay, KSTP reported.

Fire officials are still investigating how the fire started, KSTP reported.

Gopher's first conference win

This article's use of numbers is very important. The Minnesota football team earned its first conference win of the season after losing nine straight games. That's a big deal!

To emphasize the importance of the win, the writer slid certain statistics and facts into the story. The reporter begins the story by stating the team had not produced a win in "over two months." It was clear to the reader how relieved the team's interim head coach would be after enduring "19 consecutive losses" between this program and his last one.

He wrote there was a "10 point deficit with only eight minutes to play" showing the great comeback the Gopher's had.

The reporter seemed to use his own math to distinguish the other obstacles like "half a doze dropped passes" and allowing the other team to score in "four of their first five possessions in the second half."

However, the most important number was the score difference of "four points." This number made the difference in the game.

The Minnesota Gopher football team upset the University of Illinois 38-34 Saturday in Champaign, Illinois, The Star Tribune reported.

The win was the team's first Big Ten conference victory this season, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Minnesota's record is now 2-9 overall and 1-6 in the Big Ten, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. They have the week off, and finish the season at home against Iowa on November 26.

The Saudi Arabia Supreme Court rejected a death sentence for a Lebanese psychic convicted of practicing witchcraft, ABC news reported.

Ali Sibat's 'sorcery" outraged international human rights groups, ABC news reported. He has used his spells to attempt to separate married couples, Amnesty International USA reported.

The Saudi Court found there was not enough evidence that the witchcraft of Sibat harmed others, Amnesty International USA reported.

The death toll from last month's eruption of Mount Merapi rose to 242 on Sunday, Indonesia's government said, USA Today reported.

The volcano started erupting on October 26. Volcanic material came out of Mount Merapi for more than an hour on Friday, CNN reported.

Most of the victims were killed from severe burns, CNN reported.

Five were killed and six injured Saturday when a car struck a group of motorcyclists on a highway east of San Diego, CNN reported.

Four motorcyclists and a passenger in a Dodge Avenger died on the scene, IBN reported.

A Honda Civic tried to pass the motorcycles on a desert highway in El Centro, California.
The Honda passed the motorcycles, but a Dodge Avenger hit the Honda and struck the motorcycles head on, CNN reported.

Police are looking for the driver of the Honda Civic, who left the scene without stopping, IBN reported.

An 11-year-old girl was shot Friday night in south Minneapolis, KSTP reported.

The drive-by shooting occurred at the 3400 block of Chicago Avenue, The Star Tribune reported.

The girl was struck in the neck and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, The Star Tribune reported.

Police have not made any arrests, KSTP reported.

I looked at an obituary in The Star Tribune about Edwin Brown, a local dentist.

The main source in the obituary was one of Brown's daughters. She was quoted about her father's persona, church, and family moments. The source certainly helped elevate the story and give a more in depth look into Brown's life. His daughter talked brought details to the reader of Brown's hard working attitude, and how hard it was for the family when his church dissolved.

The lead in the obituary was not standard. It started with a classy activity Brown partook in before his death. A quote followed by his daughter,
"This is just the way he was," said a daughter, Nancy Johnson of Bloomington. "He was a cheerleader for everyone he met." The lead seems to work because of Brown's impact on the community. Readers around the area would appreciate a "good feel" in the lead.

An obituary is not nearly as boring as a standard resume. Though the background of the person is fairly in depth, the writer used a strong word choice to describe his life experiences. The obituary celebrates the life of a person with in depth information, rather than straight facts.

St. Paul police investigated a case Friday which had possible relation to other child lurings in the area, The Star Tribune reported.

A 12-year-old girl reported a man drove along side her and asked questions while she rode her bike Thursday night. The man followed the girl until she ran into a local grocery store, The Star Tribune reported.

The suspect is described as a slender black male with a mustache and oval glasses, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

The state of Michigan banned all caffeinated alcoholic energy beverages Thursday IndyPosted reported.

The ban came after nine Washington State students ended up in the hospital from drinking Four Lokos, an alcoholic energy drink with three times the alcohol content than beer, USA Today reported.

Manufacturers have 30 days to remove their alcoholic products from stores, USA Today reported.

A red fox was seen on Captiol Hill in Washington D.C. on Friday, ABC news reported.

The fox wandered around and chased a squirrel on the grounds, CNN reported. It continued to search for prey before it ran away.

A number of squirrels came out of hiding once the fox finally left, CNN reported.

A top Mexican drug dealer was killed Friday by Mexican security forces in Matamoros, CNN reported.

Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Gullien, leader of the Gulf cartel drug organization, had been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges, ABC news reported.

The U.S. State Department had been offering $5-million reward for information regarding Gullien, ABC news reported.

A 43-year-old Minneapolis church leader has been been accused of fondling a 13-year-old parishioner, KSTP reported.

Ruben Ramirez-Toxtle has been charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor whom he had authority over, The Star Tribune reported. He taught her in Sunday school and assisted programs for seniors at Central Church of Minneapolis.

The girl old her mother that Toxtle touched her breasts and buttocks, The Star Tribune reported.