Rush-Hall 3101 News Blog

The Associated Press and CNN report that at least 49 people have been killed in Tijuana because of drug violence.

The municipal police found 12 bodies next to an elementary school and five bodies near a shopping center.

Two men were found beheaded on a road outside of Tijuana, said the Baja California state Attorney General's Office.

Almost 400 people have died because of the increase in drug-related violence.

According to state prosecutor, Rommel Moreno, the Arellano Felix drug gang is responsible for the violence.

Two years ago the army and federal police began cracking down on the drug trade. The result has been a backlash of violence.

Another event of violence happened on Independence Day, September 15. A grenade went off in the city of Morelia, killing eight people.

Banners were hung in the city of Oaxaca. The banners, signed by the Gulf Cartel, state that the La Familia gang is to blame for the attack. Messages from La Famila say the Gulf Cartel is to blame instead.

The Federal prosecutors were handed the banners and there will be an investigation, said the state police commissioner Jorge Quezadas.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:56 PM | Permalink

The Star Tribune is fallowing two of Minnesota runners trying to make their way to finish at the top of the New York Marathon.

Kara Goucher and Katie McGregor are two native Minnesotan women training for the New York City Marathon on November 2.

To put a little practice in they are both competing in the TC 10 mile run on Sunday.

McGregor ran the New York City Marathon last year and has five Twin City championship titles.

McGregor tried out for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but missed by falling into fourth place at the tryouts.

McGregor moved on from the Olympics and is putting in 100 miles of running a week.

This year will be Goucher's first attempt at the New York City Marathon.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:53 PM | Permalink

The Star Tribune got the inside scoop that The Minnesota Wild finally has a new mascot.

The unveiling of the mascot will happen at four p.m. Sunday at the Excel Energy Center.

No one knows what the mascot will be, but the mascot is an animal.

Aaron Sickman said the mascot will be on ice skates, and will be at every home game.

It took the Wild 10 years to finally decide on developing a mascot.

The public are all invited to welcome the new mascot, and the entry is free.

The comments at the bottom of Star Tribunes are very interesting

Two people commented at the bottom of the Star Tribunes website said having a new mascot would be lame.

The third commenter on the site said “Wow I've never heard of anyone getting so pissed off because we have a mascot... Chill out... It's not here to tell you how/when to cheer, I'm sure a lot of it’s for the kids and charity events like they said…�

Posted by rushh003 at 8:50 PM | Permalink

MSNBC reports Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, wrote a letter to the treasury secretary on Thursday asking for help.

California asks for a loan every year and the state needs $7 billon dollars for the fiscal year said the controller office.

There is not enough liquidity in the financial markets which is making it tough for California to secure a loan.

If California can’t secure a loan, Schwarzenegger predicts the state will run out of money October 29.

“Pursuing a federal loan is just one option if the credit markets do not respond as Paulson predicted. California also will seek private loans within the next few weeks,� spokesman for the state treasury, Tom Dresslar said.

“The bailout might loosen the tight credit market,� said Hallye Jordan, a spokeswoman for the state controller.

The lose credit market would help Califonia receive the $7 billion the state needs.

"It will be difficult. We will be going through challenges in the future,� said Schwarzenegger.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:47 PM | Permalink

The article "Boy, 7, breaks into zoo, feeds animals to croc" from the Associated Press, presented on MSNBC website.

Early morning Friday a 7-year-old boy broke into the Alice Springs Reptile Center in central Australia.

The boy killed 3 animals with a rock and fed several animals to the "Terry" the 11-foot crocodile, including a 20-year-old iguana.

Luckily none of the animals were rare, but 13 reptiles in total were killed.

The incident was caught on surveillance camera, and damage cost to the zoo is around $5,500.

Northern territory won't allow children under age 10 to have charges pressed.

The zoo director Rex Neindorf said he intends to sue the parents.

MSNBC on their website also showed a video of the story. The video is on the right hand site of the website.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:30 PM | Permalink

New animals have been discovered by several scientists reports MSNBC’s article “Hundreds of new animal species discovered.“
An expedition called the “CReefs� has been researching coral reefs as part of an international mission to catalogue all the species in the ocean by 2010. The report was released Thursday.
TheStar wrote a similar article, but focused upon the “who� aspect of the research. The article acknowledged Julian Caley as one of the Canadian scientists participating in the expedition.
This project is important because we need to understand the biodiversity of our planet. The new species could help us find new medicine and teach us how to deal with pollution and climate change.
The researchers are going to keep with expeditions for the next 6 years. Many species will take a long time to name and record.
There is still a lot of information scientists and the public do not know about the coral reefs or the ocean.
To find the animals, TheStar mentioned that the scientists are planting fake homes around the reefs. For the next three years the scientists will collect the new species in the artificial habitats

Posted by rushh003 at 10:39 PM | Permalink

Two Famous singers from the band Blink 182 are in “critical� condition released CNN.
Travis Barker and DJ AM were in a plane accident that killed four people Saturday. Travis Barker and DJ AM both are in the hospital.
Beth Frits, a spokes woman for The Joseph Still Burn Center said the stars are being treated for “extensive burns.�
Before the flight, the singers finished a concert for T-Mobil in South Carolina.
The plane was destined for California, but did not make if off the runway before the crash. Traffic control said they saw “sparks,� reports MSNBC.
Debbie Hersman, the spokeswoman for the plane company National Transportation Safety Board, said, “NTSB was working as quickly as possible to document the evidence on the runway and other airport property, so the airport could re-open.�
MSNBC reports Hersman will conduct an investigation into the malfunction of the airplane.

Posted by rushh003 at 10:34 PM | Permalink

The Star Tribune reports November fourth is going to be a “big night.�
It will be a big night not just for the nominee who becomes president, but for Bob Dylan music lovers.
Bob Dylan is going to play his first ever performance at Northrop auditorium.
He scheduled the concert to start at 8’clock as that is when the voting polls close.
Bob Dylan is a known democrat and supports Barack Obama.
The article did not refer to Bob Dylan’s history of linking political statements with his performances, or if the concert was going to be bipartisan.
I think that would have been important information, because just telling readers who Bob Dylan supports doesn’t mean anything.

Posted by rushh003 at 10:23 PM | Permalink

John McCain and Sarah Palin made a stop in Blaine, Minnesota.
The MinnPost article “Signs and buttons, protesters and enthusiastic supporters: Traveling McCain-Palin political theater fills Blaine hangar� reported more than 13,000 people came to the rally this afternoon.
Minnpost did not state where they found the information, but the Star Tribune article “McCain to Minn.: `Country first or Obama first’� did.
The Transportation Security Administration estimated the size of the crowd.
There were many supporters of John McCain and protestors.
Many people complained that they could not hear Palin or McCain speak. Many people left during Palin’s speech.
One supporter who heard the speech, Ranee Holmboe ,said, “The candidates addressed all the topics she hoped they would, including the use of military force and policies on energy and economy.�
The Star Tribune captured good quotes.
"A vote for Senator Obama will guarantee higher taxes, fewer jobs and a bigger federal government. His policies will deepen our recession," McCain said. "A vote for me will guarantee that the forces that brought down our economy will be out of business. I will end the corrupt practices on Wall Street and the backroom deals in Washington, D.C.�
The Star Tribune did not interview any local Minnesotans for their article, compared to MinnPost.

Posted by rushh003 at 10:22 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press reports—“In Cleveland at Lake Eire, algae blooms are a mystery for scientists.�
Algae blooms kill fish and small animals. The blooms cause iritation for humans.
Thousands of dollars have been spent trying to clean up Lake Erie.
Every year the algae blooms are getting worse, but the lake is becoming cleaner, scientists report.
Scientists worry about the impact the algae blooms are having on the Great Lakes. A fish die-off already occurred this summer.
Researchers blame phosphorus for causing the algae blooms.
Phosphorus may be coming from the new suburban developments and might be giving life to the algae blooms.

Posted by rushh003 at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Looking at the articles “Signs and buttons, protesters and enthusiastic supporters: Traveling McCain-Palin political theater fills Blaine hangar� by MinnPost and “McCain to Minn.: `Country first or Obama first'� by the Star Tribune about McCain and Palin coming to Minnesota are very interesting to compare attribution. The Star Tribune article was the most effective article. The article quoted McCain and the Transportation Security Administration. Attendees were not quoted in the article, leaving the reader only with the facts of what McCain said.

The MinnPost gave more of a Minnesotan perspective to McCain’s rally. Attributed quotes were only to Minnesotans at the event. The MinnPost article felt more human interest focused than the Star Tribune article. I think that the MinnPost reporter couldn’t make it inside the event and that he was just interviewing people outside the event. The negative about the article is you don’t know what was happening with John McCain and Sarah Palin. The positive is the reader learned about the supporters and the protestors.

Neither had sources from records and neither were confusing. The main difference was how the reporter approached the article. I personally think the Star Tribune is more relevant to my needs, as the voting day is almost here. The hard news information I wanted to read was in the Star Tribune. The MinnPost article was more like a follow up report on how the rally went.

Posted by rushh003 at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Earthquake Shakes Southern Iran
By NAZILA FATHI
Published: September 10, 2008
TEHRAN — A powerful earthquake jolted southern Iran on Wednesday killing at least three people and injuring 26, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

This lead has several elements including, what happened, where, when, the cause and the outcome. Some elements are general. I don’t know right away who has been injured or killed. I don’t know how powerful the earthquake was. There is no commentary on the effect the earthquake has emotionally on the victims, nor if this event is normal or rare.
I believe the reporter put the location first in order to clarify that this is an international headline. The line “A powerful earthquake jolted southern Iran…� is what impacts the reader. It’s a natural disaster. Next the reporter told the reader how serious the earthquake impact was, by telling the death toll and number of injured victims. This statement informs the reader the size of the event. Lastly, the reporter put her source at the end. The reporter, I believe, translated what happened from the IRNA newspaper, because the newspaper is written in Arabic.
Out of the “Five W’s�, the reporter stuck to “what� happened. I will never know the people who were part of the earthquake, so that has zero impact on me as a reader. “When� doesn’t help me either. I just need to know if it was recent, because the time zone is different in Iran then Minnesota. “Where� is somewhat helpful. I don’t relate to Iran, but then location tells me that I personally won’t be impacted by the earthquake.

Posted by rushh003 at 2:10 AM | Permalink

Democrats want Norm Coleman to pay millions for not following campaign ad requirements.
According to campaign ad requirements, Norm Coleman’s disclosure in the ad should be "four seconds long". In the original, the disclosure is only three seconds long.
Al Franken said in the MPR article, Opponent, Coleman broke disclosure rules, “People make mistakes, and the point is to own your mistake and then pay your consequences.�
The Independent Party also agrees with Al Franken that Coleman needs to have a consequence.
Coleman has since corrected his ad and states "We're not getting any feedback from any TV stations or anything or from anybody else. That's simply one of the nitty gritty of politics with somebody saying, 'Oh look, it should have four seconds instead of two-point-five.' But the law is -- the intent is pretty clear."
No decision has been made by the Federal Communication Commission about the complaint and Coleman has moved on.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:45 PM | Permalink

Walker Art Museum’s production of Merce Cunningham’s "Ocean" opened in a rock quarry in Waite Park, Minn. "Ocean" was produced in 1991 with the composer John Cage. The show features 150 musicians with dancers in the middle of the stage. The dancers and the musicians each have a solo and perform their pieces based on a complex series of counts.
This production of "Ocean" is a rare opportunity to see modern dance, especially in a rock quarry.
There is great anticipation for the piece to be shown. This is the second time the entire show has been produced.
“I do think people will look back in 10 or 20 or 50 years and say 'Were you at 'Ocean' in the quarry when Merce Cunningham made that work in Minnesota?� said by Phillip Bither in the MPR article “Dance hits rock bottom with unique setting of 'Ocean' by Euan Kerr .
In the Star tribune article Quarry awash with slow-motion ‘Ocean’. Some audience members also expressed their disliked for the performance. "I mostly hated it," she said. "Although I must say the last time I saw him, it was beautiful.�
Looking though readers comments, the reporter did not have an understanding of modern dance or a Merce Cunningham dance background.
One reader’s comment said the Thursdays show was the worst and suggested that the reporter should have gone on a different date.

Posted by rushh003 at 8:02 PM | Permalink

In the MPR article "Tuition increase in proposed U budget," University President Robert Bruiniks released a proposed budget for the next calendar school year. The University tuition is going to go up again.
President Bruininks is asking the state government to give more funding to the University, but it may not be enough.
The school is going to face budget cuts. The tuition increase and the funding from the state government are not going to be enough to support the University programs.
Bruininks may not receive the government funding, because of the impact of the economic slowdown in state government spending.
There is going to be a 4.5% tuition increase for the next two years in the plan, but officials say it could be worse.
The budget plan will be voted t on in October.
No matter what happens, the University will be struggling for the next few years.

Posted by rushh003 at 7:06 PM | Permalink