« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
http://www.startribune.com/456/story/1505998.html
The author used the creator of the haunted house as a source, as well as his own experiences there. The angle of the story was to describe how scary the experience is, without giving away too much detail. It was very effective, especially with splashes of humor here and there. The reporter made it interesting by giving his own experiences and making something that he describes as clearly terrifying also humorous.
In August, satellite photos showed a square building 150 feet to a side in Syria which federal analysts suspected served as a work site for a nuclear reactor. On Wednesday, two satellite photos showed the same site absent the building, according to the New York Times.
Syria said the site was bombed by the Israelis in early September and was a mostly empty military storage building. Private and federal analysts, however, said the quick and clean removal of the building could be a tacit admission of guilt.
“It’s a magic act — here today, gone tomorrow,� a senior intelligence official said, the New York Times reported Friday. “It doesn’t lower suspicions; it raises them. This was not the long-term decommissioning of a building, which can take a year. It was speedy. It’s incredible that they could have gone to that effort to make something go away.�
The House once again passed a child health insurance bill, defying the president’s veto last week, according to the New York Times.
The bill this time attracted less Republican votes, which makes it questionable whether they will have enough votes to override a presidential veto. Republicans said the bill was brought up and voted on too quickly, without enough Republican input.
Senate Democrats said they plan on passing the bill next week. “The House majority leader, Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said it was at least conceivable that the bill could be amended in the Senate, to meet some Republican concerns,� the New York Times said.
The U.S. has leveled new sanctions on Iran with measures that the Iranian foreign ministry says are doomed to fail, the BBC, the Guardian and Al-Jazeera reported Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Treasury Secretary Ron Paulson said the sanctions were meant to punish Iran for supporting terrorists at a news conference Thursday, according to Al-Jazeera. The BBC reported that the sanctions were a measure to “confront the threatening behavior of the Iranians,� and the Guardian said they were meant to deter Iran from endorsing its Revolutionary Guard, which the U.S. says is a terrorist organization involved with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The U.S.’s classification of the Guard as a terrorist organization is the first time a country’s military has been put on the terrorist list.
Whatever the reason, Iran did not receive the sanctions kindly.
The commander of the Guard warned that any military action by the U.S. would be met with an even more decisive strike from Tehran, according to the Guardian.
“The sanctions will cut off more than 20 Iranian entities, including individuals and companies owned or controlled by the Revolutionary Guards from the American financial system and is likely to effect the international banking community,� according to Al-Jazeera.
A 12-year-old boy was expected in court Wednesday after he was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man, but officials would not confirmed if it happened, according to the Pioneer Press.
Keith Amborn was shot in his home in Raymond, Minnesota. Officials have not discussed the relationship between Amborn and the boy. Officials are staying mum on the boy’s situation due to restrictions on what can legally be said about juvenile cases.
Dan Hartog, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff, did say, however, that the boy was the youngest person in his 30 years of service to be arrested in connection with a shooting, according to the Pioneer Press.
Police officials say that a student was most likely trying to get out of class after they found multiple bullets placed throughout the hallways of a St. Paul school on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune.
“Given the way they were placed, somebody may have wanted a day off,� said Tom Walsh, a police department spokesman, according to the Star Tribune. “They wanted to make people panic.�
Officials have not found any threatening letters or weapons, and have no reason to believe anyone is in danger.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/world/asia/21kurokawa.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin
This obituary uses past articles written about the person and quotes from the person himself as sources. The obit uses a standard obituary lead--this person died here and when. The lead does work, because it says right away why he was important, and makes you want to read more about his life. It's different from a resume because it is mostly about his accomplishments, but also about the controversy surrounding his work, and about his family.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto blamed the assassination attempt on her convoy by way of two suicide bombers, which killed 130 people, on former army officials Friday, according to the BBC and the Guardian.
Bhutto told the French magazine Paris-Match she knew who wanted to kill her. “They are dignitaries of General Zia's former regime who are behind extremism and fanaticism,� she said, according to the Guardian.
Bhutto, who is a strong defender of democracy, said she had been warned of four possible attacks and demanded an inquiry into the bombings, according to the BBC. Bhutto said she wanted to know why streetlights on her route were turned off.
House Democrats were 13 votes short Thursday of the 286 needed to override President Bush’s veto of the expansion to SCHIP, a child health care program, according to the New York Times.
The measure would have provided health insurance to 10 million children. Democrats failed to sway even one House Republican, but believe they can eventually prevail, and vowed to send a bill with minor changes back to Bush next month, according to the New York Times.
Frustrated at the Burmese government’s refusal to discontinue its crackdown, protests have launched a new campaign—Panties for Peace, The Guardian reported on Friday.
An activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand launched the campaign, which has already sent female underwear to Burmese embassies in the UK, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia. The campaign is aimed directly at Burma’s military leaders, who are very superstitious and believe if they touch a woman’s undergarment their strength will be drained, according to The Guardian.
A Minneapolis fugitive who lives in Rome filed via courier package to be the first candidate in the New Hampshire presidential primary, according to the Pioneer Press.
Jack Shepard, a former Minnesota dentist, is a Republican who faces 25-year-old arson charges if he returns to Minnesota. Shepard allegedly set fire to his dental office in 1982. Shepard denies the arson charge, according to the Pioneer Press. He also pleaded guilty to fourth degree sexual assault in 1980. Shepard has lost three elections in Minnesota since 2003.
Supervalu, a national gas chain based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, will go to court after being scammed out of $10 million, according to the Star Tribune.
The scam started when Supervalu received two emails, one which said it was from Frito-Lay and the other said it was from America Greetings Corp., which told Supervalu to send payments to a new bank number, according to the Star Tribune. Overall, Supervalu sent $10 million to fraudulent bank accounts.
The FBI confined the money before it could be spent, but now a federal judge has to decide whether the recovered money will go to Frito-Lay, American Greeting, or Supervalu.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/press.html --> Nobel press release
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/12/climatechange.internationalnews --> The Guardian article
The Guardian, while reporting the facts of the who what where and when, it also included many "why" facts taken directly from the press release. It used direct quotes from the press release to explain why Gore got the prize and why the panel felt global warming was a major issue. Frome there on, though, the article focused mainly on Gore, his position in politics, and his supporters. It also mentioned criticisms against Gore's movie.
U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said British troops in Iraq would be decreased to 2,500 by next spring in an address to the House of Commons on Monday, according to The Guardian.
Brown began his address by acknowledging that three of the four Iraqi provinces in the U.K’s area of control had been returned to Iraqi control. He said the next step for the U.K. was to move from a combat role to an overwatch role.
"In 2004 it was agreed with the Iraqi government that in each of the country's 18 provinces security responsibility would progressively be returned to the Iraqi authorities as and when the conditions were right. Now we are in a position to announce further progress,� Brown said, according to The Guardian.
Brown outlined two stages to his strategy to hand over control of the Basra province to Iraqi authority. “In the first stage, UK forces would train and mentor Iraqi security forces, secure supply routes to the Iranian border and be able to provide back-up to local security forces.
“Troop numbers would be reduced from 5,500 to 4,500 and then to 4,000.
“A second stage will follow this, whereby, subject to conditions on the ground, force numbers in southern Iraq will be reduced to just 2,500,� according to The Guardian.
Some media, such as the BBC, have called attention to the timing of the statement, which occurred right after Brown came under fire for announcing there would not be a November election following extensive speculation that he would.
President Bush and the White House put forth a “unified effort� Wednesday to stop a vote in Congress which would officially recognize the massacre and forced deportation of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide, according to The Guardian. The prosecution killed 1.5 million Armenians and forced many others into exile, The Guardian said.
In a statement from the White House, Bush said that he deeply regrets what happened to the Armenian people, but “this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to relations with a key ally in NATO and to the war on terror,� according to the New York Times.
Abdullah Gul, the president of Turkey, wrote Bush and thanked him for understanding the problems the resolution would create in bilateral relations if it is accepted,� according to a statement from Mr. Gul’s office, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Norweigan Nobel committee decided Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 would be split between the UN climate Panel and Al Gore for advancing knowledge of global warming, The Guardian and the BBC reported Friday.
Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will split the $3 million prize.
The Nobel committee said Gore was “probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted,� according to The Guardian.
Gore, 59, said he was “deeply honored,� according to the BBC.
The father of a 14-year-old girl who distributed crystal meth at her St. Paul school last week was charged with drug possession Thursday, according to the Star Tribune.
The complaint did not tie the father, Jerry Castillo, 35, to the girl’s meth distribution, the Star Tribune said. According to the complaint, the girl told the police brought the meth to school after finding a tube full of “little crystals� in a bathroom at Hazel Park middle school, the Star Tribune reported.
The police found two grams of meth in a bedroom nightstand during a search of the house.
Castillo denied giving the girl meth, the police said.
The Klondike Kates, middle-aged “divas of the St. Paul Winter Carnival,� are coming out with a new pin-up calendar in which they appear almost naked—covered by strategically placed umbrellas and towels, according to the Pioneer Press. Other photos for the calendar include seemingly naked Kates posing behind flowers and in a tub.
The Kates hope to rouse interest in their act through the calendars, according to the Pioneer Press.
The calendars are currently in production but can be ordered now. They will also be available at the Winter Carnival. Proceeds will go to the Royal Order of Klondike Kates.
http://www.twincities.com//ci_7064104?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com
http://www.twincities.com/ci_7071742?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com
The first-day story focused on the fact that six children had gone to the hospital because of sharing meth at school. The second story was focused mainly on the girl who provided the meth, and speculation of how she got it. The first lead identified a 14-year-old girl handed out meth during lunch and as a result six children went to the hospital. The second lead focused on the girl pleading guilty to distributing the meth. The rest of the story was about exactly what happened when she gave it to fellow students, how she got it, and what would happen to her now.
New York opened a slave burial site to the public Saturday, according to the BBC.
The burial site in Manhattan, which dates back to the late 17th Century, had been built over as New York expanded. It was discovered during a 1991 excavation for a federal building. Half of the 400 remains found were of children under 12.
A 25 foot granite monument designed by Rodney Leon now marks the site. It is made out of stone from South Africa and North America.
Maya Angelou and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were present at the dedication ceremony Saturday. The project cost $50 million.
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, said Wednesday night that UN attempts to end the political crisis in Burma and put a stop to the persecution of protestors has failed, according to The Guardian.
Ban sent a special envoy, who gave the “strongest possible message� to the military junta on Tuesday, in a meeting Ban does not describe as successful. A UN employee was arrested during a raid on pro-democracy homes Wednesday night. Three other UN officials have been detained and released, according to The Guardian.
The military crackdown in Burma has not gotten any better, according to the BBC, which reported Thursday that as many as 10,000 people, mostly monks, have been taken for interrogation in Burma.
Burmese residents in Rangoon, the country’s capital, said the streets are quiet during the day, but during the overnight curfew the military conducts raids, according to the BBC.
The Burmese junta closed down the entire country’s internet, The Guardian reported on Monday. The shutdown has made news and images from the country difficult to obtain.
President Bush vetoed the children’s health insurance bill Wednesday in the fourth veto of his presidency, according to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
The bill, which received substantial bi-partisan support, would greatly increase funding for a child health care program.
Democrats in Congress have vowed to fight the veto, according to the Wall Street Journal, though it is questionable whether they will receive the two-thirds support needed to override the veto. Democrats say they are about 13-15 votes short.
“Because the Congress has chosen to send me a bill that moves our health care system in the wrong direction, I must veto it,� Bush said, according to the New York Times.
The Minneapolis City Council will vote Friday whether to restrict the carrying of replica or non-lethal firearms in public, according to the Star Tribune.
The vote is in response to burglaries, assaults, car thefts and kidnappings carried out using such guns. Police officers are afraid of unknowingly shooting someone who is carrying a fake gun.
The Minnesota Airsoft Association, which represents the interests of players of paintball-style war games, gave the only testimony on the proposal. It supports the proposed restrictions.
“The problem is the realism,� Airsoft Association Safety Officer Erik Pakieser told the city council Friday, according to the Star Tribune.
A 14-year-old St. Paul student pleaded guilty to distributing to distributing crystal meth on Wednesday, a day after police say she handed the drug out at school, according to the Pioneer Press.
The girl was arrested Tuesday and was charged Wednesday with second-degree sale of a controlled substance. Her hearing is scheduled for October 10, and she will remain in custody until then. After finding two grams of crystal met at the girl’s home Wednesday, St. Paul police say they are considering the girl’s parents as a possible source, according to the Pioneer Press.
Seven students went to the hospital from their middle school in St. Paul after ingesting the crystal meth on Tuesday, according to the Star Tribune.