Wednesday 9/28/11

There weren't too many instant attention grabbers in today's paper for me, but I found a political article that was of interest. We are slowly but steadily getting closer to the presidential election and Republican candidates are full force. I expect to see more pieces like this in the coming weeks. The article about Governor Perry's wife and her influence on the campaign has a lot of facets to it. One one hand, I understand how voters,especially those of the other party, would not like to see any kind of conflict as to where a candidate gets his opinions and stance on an issue. Realistically though, Perry has a wife and has been in politics for some time, does anyone really think they wouldn't be somewhat of a team? Just because it isn't seen as prominently with other candidates (since the HPV controversy is so central right now) doesn't mean it isn't happening. As long as Anita Perry isn't the master mind for her puppet husband and just offering opinion as a spouse and partner, I see no problem. She is an advocate for a cause trying to make women safer.

Tuesday 9/27

I found today's paper full of variety and I was easily drawn in. The article about fighting cervical cancer in Thailand was a great read, not only because I'm a woman, but because its good to see lesser developed countries making useful medical advances. What doctors in Thailand have done is create a more affordable version of the pap smear using vinegar. The procedure was developed at Johns Hopkins in the 1990s. If you brush vinegar on a woman’s cervix, the precancerous spots turn white so they can be immediately frozen off with a metal probe cooled by carbon dioxide. I'm glad more women can now be protected cervical cancer. As an interesting follow up, the story about the female activist in Saudi Arabia on trial for driving was summoned the same day King Abdullah made the announcement that women can vote and hold office. Perhaps this new action will give female activists more of a voice and keep this particular one away from trial and harm.

Delayed Lede 9/26

It was perfect July beach day, until and uninvited guest crashed the party.

The water was 63 degrees, tempting swimmers to take a dip to refresh their heated skin when a huge jellyfish, dead but not defeated, let its tentacles spread, stinging over 100 swimmers.

Shortly after swimmers began to complain about being stung on their legs, lifeguards spotted the dead jellyfish and pulled it out of the water with a pitchfork.

"It was as big as a turkey platter,” said Park Manager Ken Loughlin, who has worked at the beach for 30 years. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”

Five children were taken to the hospital for precautionary allergic reaction treatment and the beach was closed following the incident. While many victims were treated in the beach bathhouse, no serious injuries were reported.

For Hampstead, N.H. resident Alysia Bennett and her three children, a nice day in the sun ended with bee sting-like pain and tears. “They were terrified,” she said.

Aquarist Robert Royer said the creature was most likely a lion’s mane jellyfish, common to New England waters. “I’ve never heard of them getting 50 pounds,” Royer said.

Lion’s mane jellyfish can have barbed tentacles up to 110ft long, capable to sting even after death. “That’s the largest we have around here,” Royer said.

Emergency crews from a number of Seacoast area towns responded to rescue officials' call for assistance. Park Manager Loughlin said the beach has reopened

Monday 9/26

I enjoyed today's paper and found a wide range of articles that fit my interest. First was the story of flooding in Pennsylvania and how the government has not yet given disaster aid and seems hesitant because of upcoming legislation and elections. It's discouraging to read of people who've lost their homes and all their belongings speaking of how they wish their suffering was more important than petty politics. The second piece I liked was much more uplifting. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia granted woman the right to vote and run for election, a huge step for female rights and the biggest in decades in the country. Mostly likely as part of the Arab Spring sweeping the region, women in Saudi Arabia have hope they perhaps soon they'll be granted all of the freedoms men in their country enjoy. As exciting as this is, I can't help but wonder if we'll read about the ulterior motives for this decision in the coming weeks.

Wednesday 9/21/11

I wasn't overwhelmed with interest in today's paper, but found a few topics of interest. The article about the Republicans' feelings toward Israeli PM Netanyahu was interesting because it shows a leader from a different country basically engaging in US politics and proceedings. The Obama Administration called on Netanyahu, as a lobbyist figure, to help Congress not block new aid to the Palestinian Authority. The fact that certain Republicans look to a foreign PM before their own president is frighting for the US and bipartisan proceedings. The state of US politics currently is astounding as one party will do almost anything to see the other fail, even if that means creating strong bonds overseas rather than at home.

Another article I liked was on the other side of the news spectrum. West Hollywood, a small town in California, is the first town in the nation to ban the sale of animal fur. Other laws passed by the town include a ban on declawing cats and selling animals in pet stores, all of which tie in for the purpose of pushing animal rights on a national stage. Its nice to see a small town trying to make a difference in a big world and as one who dislikes using real fur for appeal, I'm all for the new West Hollywood law.

Tuesday 9/20

I found the report of terrorism arrests in Birmingham, England an interesting read. The police statement was that the six men were arrested “on suspicion of preparing or instigating an act of terror” while one woman was detained just for failure to disclose information. The police would not disclose further details relating to terrorism in the city because it’s too early, but called it “the most significant counter terrorism operation of this year.” What I found interesting was the angle at which the reporter covered the story. The second half of the article speaks of different alleged terrorism details. Perhaps it’s just the information that was available at the time, but it seems like origins and purposes of the Britain police are being hidden.

I was intrigued by the article about the internet forum Topix and the extreme cases of gossip in rural America. The website is based in California, owned by major news companies, but edited independently. The site is fully anonymous except for geographical location of the one posting, so people can speak of their neighbors. What I found astounding is the damage being done by this gossip outlet. Anyone can post and the majority of the comments have been reported false and negative, but can only become illegal if individual identity is revealed. Internet bullying is no longer just a high school issue. Topix tried screening comments, but gave up when viewer numbers dropped after the gossip was gone. The only improvement made is now a person is not charged for requesting a negative comment to be removed. Overall it’s saddening to see how hatred and lies are being fueled by modern technology.

Monday 9/19

There were quite a few articles of interest for me in today's paper. The front page story about Gov.Rick Perry was a great read because the reporter drew childhood connections to the campaign Perry is currently running for the US presidency. Profiles on politicians are always a juicy read. Another article I enjoyed focused on India and China advancing in the area of biotech drugs. These two countries seem to be neck in neck in many areas these days and now they are working to produce drugs to help treat breast cancer and arthritis. I'd be interested to follow more China vs. India articles and see who becomes the next front runner.

Large Jellyfish Stings Swimmers 9/19/11

A 50 pound jellyfish stung over 100 swimmers at Wallis Sands in Rye, N.H. today, as happy beach goers were greeted by a large and unwelcome guest.

Five children were taken to the hospital for precautionary allergic reaction treatment and the beach was closed following the incident. While many victims were treated in the beach bathhouse, no serious injuries were reported.

For Hampstead, N.H. resident Alysia Bennett and her three children, a nice day in the sun ended with bee sting-like pain and tears. “They were terrified,” she said.

Shortly after swimmers began to complain about being stung on their legs, lifeguards spotted the dead jellyfish and pulled it out of the water with a pitchfork.

"It was as big as a turkey platter,” said Park Manager Ken Loughlin, who has worked at the beach for 30 years. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”

Aquarist Robert Royer said the creature was most likely a lion’s mane jellyfish, common to New England waters. “I’ve never heard of them getting 50 pounds,” Royer said.

Lion’s mane jellyfish can have barbed tentacles up to 110ft long, capable to sting even after death. “That’s the largest we have around here,” Royer said.

Emergency crews from a number of Seacoast area towns responded to rescue officials' call for assistance. Park Manager Loughlin said the beach has reopened for guests.

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