Once again I was drawn easily into a front page story with the title telling of Israel and Hamas doing a soldier-prisoner swap. The deal reached between the two typically unfriendly nations was that one Israeli soldier in captivity since 2006 would be exchanged for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Egypt acted as the neutral party and will be the center point for the exchanges.
As wonderful as it is for Israel to receive a sergeant they have been waiting for, it seems risky to me to release 1,000 Hamas members who very well could have been involved in terrible acts of terrorism. Its taken over two years for any kind of deal to be confirmed so that fact alone shows progress in the region, but I'm still wary of the after effects of this exchange.
Although the title caught my eye, the use of a summary lede quickly got me into the story. An article like this seems like it would be of much importance to a lot of people so using a summary lede is most effective because people will already want to read it. Its good to get the key info out right away.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Young Man Saves Tourist from Train Disaster 10/11/11
Old Orchard Beach, Maine- When James Laboke woke up at 5 a.m. this morning, he had no idea that his four mile commute to the Eezy Breezy Restaurant in Old Orchard Beach, Maine would involve saving the life of an 80-year-old tourist.
Laboke was walking to work when he saw a car stalled on the tracks where the Amtrak Downeaster runs from Portland to Boston.
A man was slumped over the steering wheel, the engine was running, the doors were locked and Laboke could not wake the man by pounding on the window.
“I never thought about it,” Laboke said. “I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by a train.”
Laboke, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee, has lived in Maine for three years. He does not own a cell phone, so he ran 100 yards to the police station on Pier Street for help.
Janet Paradiso, a captain on the town police force, was parked a mile away from the railroad crossing when she received a call over the radio about the stranded vehicle. She arrived on the scene within minutes and heard the train’s whistle.
“I knew there was no time. I had to do something,” Paradiso said.
Acting quickly, Paradiso drove her police cruiser in the stalled pink Cadillac Seville pushing it off of the tracks. Thirty seconds later the train went through at around 40 miles per hour.
“I don’t remember a thing,” said Francois Truffaut, the owner of the vehicle who was visiting from Quebec City, Canada.
Truffaut was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center and is in a stable condition. Truffaut is a diabetic and may have gone into insulin shock at the crossing, the police later reported. No report has been released regarding the state of the 1987 pink Cadillac Seville.
As for Laboke, he reported to work at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on time and ready to wait tables.
When a reporter called the restaurant later, Laboke’s boss, Charles Champaigne, said he was not surprised to learn of Laboke’s heroism.
Champaigne owns the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand Street and hired Laboke about eight months ago.
"That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”
Laboke was walking to work when he saw a car stalled on the tracks where the Amtrak Downeaster runs from Portland to Boston.
A man was slumped over the steering wheel, the engine was running, the doors were locked and Laboke could not wake the man by pounding on the window.
“I never thought about it,” Laboke said. “I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by a train.”
Laboke, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee, has lived in Maine for three years. He does not own a cell phone, so he ran 100 yards to the police station on Pier Street for help.
Janet Paradiso, a captain on the town police force, was parked a mile away from the railroad crossing when she received a call over the radio about the stranded vehicle. She arrived on the scene within minutes and heard the train’s whistle.
“I knew there was no time. I had to do something,” Paradiso said.
Acting quickly, Paradiso drove her police cruiser in the stalled pink Cadillac Seville pushing it off of the tracks. Thirty seconds later the train went through at around 40 miles per hour.
“I don’t remember a thing,” said Francois Truffaut, the owner of the vehicle who was visiting from Quebec City, Canada.
Truffaut was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center and is in a stable condition. Truffaut is a diabetic and may have gone into insulin shock at the crossing, the police later reported. No report has been released regarding the state of the 1987 pink Cadillac Seville.
As for Laboke, he reported to work at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on time and ready to wait tables.
When a reporter called the restaurant later, Laboke’s boss, Charles Champaigne, said he was not surprised to learn of Laboke’s heroism.
Champaigne owns the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand Street and hired Laboke about eight months ago.
"That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”
Tuesday 10/11/11
Upon seeing the front page of today's paper, my eyes were drawn to the article about a high school boy with a stutter being told to stop talking in class by his professor at the community college where he was taking coursed.
I think the delayed lede used for this piece was very affective. First of all, the title caught my interest immediately and then the first paragraph made it easy for me to read deeper into the article. I think beginning with the question the student intended to ask when he was silenced by his professor was a particularly strong choice.
As far as the issue goes, I think its sad that this boy who is trying to further his education as well as defy the stereotypes of his stutter was treated this way. While I understand the teacher wanting to keep a flow and rhythm in class, it could have been handled better. It was encouraging to hear that the student was not discouraged too greatly and will continue to further his education.
I think the delayed lede used for this piece was very affective. First of all, the title caught my interest immediately and then the first paragraph made it easy for me to read deeper into the article. I think beginning with the question the student intended to ask when he was silenced by his professor was a particularly strong choice.
As far as the issue goes, I think its sad that this boy who is trying to further his education as well as defy the stereotypes of his stutter was treated this way. While I understand the teacher wanting to keep a flow and rhythm in class, it could have been handled better. It was encouraging to hear that the student was not discouraged too greatly and will continue to further his education.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday 10/5/11
From now until next fall, I am guaranteed to find something in the Times that interests me. There was an article today that had a headline about Governor Christie from New Jersey announcing that he will not run for president. Once I got into the article, it turned out to be a what-kind-of-Republican comparison chart. With Christie officially not running, many think Romney is the candidate who holds the most potential to run against Obama. With Palin and Pawlenty out, the rest of the candidates hold a niche of interest from Republicans voters, but Romney seems to be the best collective package, in the eyes of political analysts. I've always thought that in America, we spend too much time campaigning; starting way too early. At this stage in the season, much could change and I'm waiting to see how Cain does in the next few weeks since he has been up in the polls. I'd like to see someone challenge Romney so the candidacy is not set early in any matter.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday 10/4/11
There was a very interesting article about women using contraceptives in Africa on today's front page, which caught my eye right away. Women in Africa who have been using a hormone-injected contraceptive that may double the chances of getting HIV for them as well as their partners.
Further studies are being done, but if this proves true it will make things very difficult for women accustomed to this method. This style of contraceptive last longer and is more convenient for women. Women in the US use this as well, but the numbers and risk level for African women is much higher so that is where the research is focused.
Before an official warning is administered, the Word Health Organization is holding a meeting in January to discuss the new findings. If the WHO finds this contraceptive injection more harmful then helpful, new initiatives will be needed to help women in Africa. I'm anxious to read more about what is found at the meeting in January.
Further studies are being done, but if this proves true it will make things very difficult for women accustomed to this method. This style of contraceptive last longer and is more convenient for women. Women in the US use this as well, but the numbers and risk level for African women is much higher so that is where the research is focused.
Before an official warning is administered, the Word Health Organization is holding a meeting in January to discuss the new findings. If the WHO finds this contraceptive injection more harmful then helpful, new initiatives will be needed to help women in Africa. I'm anxious to read more about what is found at the meeting in January.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Speech Story Lede, 10/3
The student audience at Baird School sat in silence as Charlie Simms's fate balanced on the edge of Headmaster Trask's wooden pulpit.
Army Lieutenant Frank Slade sat as Simms's defense in the trial against Simms as a witness to several students playing a prank involving Trask's car.
"There is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit," Slade said, during his passionate speech defending Simms's integrity and leadership potential for not naming the guilty students when threatened with expulsion.
Army Lieutenant Frank Slade sat as Simms's defense in the trial against Simms as a witness to several students playing a prank involving Trask's car.
"There is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit," Slade said, during his passionate speech defending Simms's integrity and leadership potential for not naming the guilty students when threatened with expulsion.
Monday 10/3/11
I had to look a bit to find an article that really caught my interest today. The front page was decent, but I went into the national news and found a piece about the style of campaign Obama is going to run in the upcoming elections. The article compares the tactics Obama is beginning to take to that of George Bush in 2004, mainly because Obama is going from defense to offense with issues, supported by the Democrats. He is going to focus on topics such as gay rights and abortion and be proactive about them rather than defending economic woes that Republicans will most likely take as the number one issue against Obama. It seems sometimes that in American we are always either in an election season or campaigning for one. The way the Republican candidates look right now, a bit all over the board, I've very curious to see the next few months when Obama truly gets rolling with his re-election campaign.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)