Breaking News of Shark Attacks Still a Major Problem in Amity

Breakings news has been reported that there has been a third fatality. James Parks, 30 was brutally killed by a man-eating shark at about 1:30 p.m. today. Parks was in the ‘Pond’ when a shark was sighted nearby.

The shark tipped over Parks’ small rowboat which sent him into the dangerous waters. The only remains found was Parks’ severed leg. There were also four boys in a small sailboat nearby, none of them have been injured but one was taken to the hospital for shock.

Once again the Amity beaches are in grave danger. The police department has ordered the beaches closed until further notice. Police Chief Brody is urging residents to, “use extreme caution and report any incidents to the police or Coast Guard.”

Man-Eating Shark’s Reign of Terror Comes to an End Thanks to Local Fishermen

Yesterday’s town council meeting ended in an uproar with the news of police orders to close Amity’s beautiful beaches for the Fourth of July. Police Chief Martin Brody informed residents that there will be special precautions taken in addition to closing the beaches such as, extra summer deputies and shark spotters.

The angry crowd was quieted by local fisherman Ben Quint when he promised to catch the shark. Quint said, I’ll catch this for you but it ain’t gonna be easy.” He warned against any other fishermen trying to do the same saying that it would only complicate the matters. Quint refused the Kitner’s shark bounty of $3,000 and said he wouldn’t settle for anything less than $10,000.

Early this morning Chief Brody released information that the killer shark’s reign of terror has been ended by some local fishermen. The fishermen said that they caught and killed the beast one mile south-southwest of Amity. These fine fishermen will receive the $3,000 reward for their heroic acts and for restoring peace to amity’s usually “tranquil island life.”

Matt Hooper,  a shark expert and  marine biologist from the Woods Hole, Mass., Oceanographic Institute, identified the man-eater as a nurse shark. Nurse sharks are one of the most dangerous and daring of all the shark species. Nurse sharks are reportedly responsible for hundreds’ of swimmers on the East Coast of the U.S.

Chief Brody happily reported that, “all the beaches throughout our beautiful island will reopen immediately just in time for the flood of visitors for the Fourth of July Weekend.”  Chief Brody was confident in urging all of Amity’s residents to flock back to beaches to help reassure incoming tourists that Amity’s beaches are as safe as ever.

As added safety, Chief Brody has decided to keep the additional protection of shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts Bay state Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI, and many other police agencies. Brody wants to reassure residents and visitors that, “they are simply a safety precaution that we hope will put our visitors at ease.”

Ferry-loads of incoming visitors arrived in droves as usual for the holiday. Amity’s beaches were covered in a bed of beach-goers hesitant to go in the waters. A few local residents put their fears aside and hopped into the water only to be followed by the masses of people.

After a bit everyone was having a great and wild time. On this beautiful sunny day swimmers were back to normal, splashing and playing around. Mayor Farley assured everyone that all was well as he patrolled the beach.

 In the midst of everything there was a sighting of a fin that wreaked complete havoc once again on the Amity beaches. Shark spotters and police officials caught the alleged predator which turned out to be two local hooligans playing a joke with a cardboard fin.

Law enforcement officials still want beach-goers and swimmers to remain alert, however they are confident in saying that, “the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed.”  Any further shark sightings are asked to be reported to authorities through, 1-800-sharksee, a toll-free shark hotline.

New York Times Blog: December 1, 2010

I did a third one this week because I only was able to do one over Thanksgiving break.



I am so sick of violence and war and international affairs being the headlining news on the front page. I refuse to write about anything negative today so I chose, "For The Goal Oriented Parent, A Jump Start in Toddler Sports" by Mark Hyman. This article focused on the development of exercises for babies as early as when they're still in the hospital. In Grand Rapids, Mich. Doreen Bolhuis founded a company called Gymtrix, which offers a library of videos starting with babies as young as 6 months. The exercises include a lot of jumping and kicking. Bolhuis commented that a lot of happy parents come back saying that their kids are superstars on their middle school fields. Dr. Lyle Micheli thinks the program is amazing however, he expressed concern saying, the potential for even younger ages of overuse injury." This is kind of like all that hullabalo over Baby Mozart. you play Mozart for a baby still in the womb and they come out pre-destine liberal arts majors. Parents are increasingly competitive when it comes to their children, God-forbid they fall behind someone else's child. This is kind of a bad post but I'm sick, tired, and have too much to do between now and next week. So I guess it's going to have to do..

New York Times Blog: November 30, 2010

The majority of articles on the front page of Times lately have been war-based. I usually don't like these war-based articles but today I read, "North Korea World Guessing" and learned a lot about the situation that going on between North Korea, South Korea, and China. The journalist, David Sanger explained how since last year South Korea has been anticipating the collapse of the of the "world's most brutal family dynasty". The article explained how if North KOrea were to fall China would try to reunite the North and the South. The U.S. has been informed through cables that China would clearly 'not welcome' and U.S. military presence north of the DMZ.' Reading articles like these somewhat scare me because it's just a guessing game of who is going to act first and what the plan of action will be. I hate to be so cliche, but why can't we just all get along? i'm definitely not cut out for war correspondence.
"In Mystery (and Culture Clash), Some Brooklyn Bees Turn Red" by Susan Dominus. I didn't expect this article to be actually about bees, I thought it was some code word for something. But nope, apparently theres this woman in Brooklyn, Cerise Mayo, who raises bees in the middle of Brooklyn. Her bees are given the best opportunities, "acres of urban farmland strewn with fruits and vegetables, a bounty of natural nectar and devotion." She commented on how she assumed her bees shared the same values, "a fidelity to the land, to food sources,free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial food coloring." However when her bees started coming back weird colors and making the honeycomb weird colors, Mayo was at a lose. One of her friends jokingly suggested that the bees were gorging themselves on Dell's marschino cherry juice. Mayo was dumbfounded when she realized her healthy junk-food free bees were traveling such a ways to gorge themselves when they had plenty to forage right on her farm. I guess the question really is, if the bees can't resist resist such artificially processed food, how are we supposed to?

New York Times Blog: November 29, 2010

I really loved the front page pictures of today's newspaper. It's a silhouette of two men shaking hands in front of a window. It seemed as though they have just done business and are agreeing on the terms. According to the caption, the man on the left is Syrian Preseident Bashar al-Assad and he has just armed Hezbollah militants. I think I like my interpretation of the picture better, it's funny how a picture can tell a thousand words but that doesn't mean it's right.
The article, "Blurring Line Between Spy and Diplomat" by Mark Mazzetti is about how the U.S. has expanded the role of American diplomats. They now collects more information overseas such as, credit card and frequent fliers numbers, work schedules and other personal information from foreign dignitaries. Now this seems strange to me considering foreign dignitaries aren't necessarily bad... what's the reason these extra precautions have been taken?
Recently, since 2008, the role of American statesmen and spies have been blurred. According to Philip J. Crowley, a State Department Spokesman, debated on Sunday that American diplomats have taken on a different role overseas, "Our diplomats are just that, diplomats. They represent our country around the world and engage openly and transparently with with representatives of foreign governments and civil society. Through this process, the collect information that shapes our policies and actions. This is what diplomats, from our country and other countries, have done for hundreds of years."
Although there is no evidence that the U.S. is trying to steal the secrets of these foreign nations, they are supposed to be trying to build biographical profiles on the foreign officials. However, the more personal information that is being gathered, the bigger the problem it seems. This intrusive information can be used by the National Security Agency for data mining and surveillance operations.
Although there are several treaties that prohibit spying at the United Nations, it is no secret that countries try to anyway.

Amity Under Shark Attack, Two Dead
By Kristen Phelps

When a local teen was found dead this morning, police suspected foul play, however, a second death is point towards a shark infestation. Both incidents are still under investigation, police are starting to take precautions to protect against third killing.



Two deaths have occurred within the past 24 hours here in Amity. Police were reasoning the first death to be foul play but after the highly public death of a second victim, they are reconsidering a shark infestation.

Christine W. Watson, 17, was found dead this morning in the dunes of South Beach . Watson, a senior at Amity High School was last seen alive at 11 pm leaving a party with Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III. When asked what happened Hoggenbottam responded, “I have no clue, I don’t remember.” Hoggenbottam, a sophomore at Trinity College and former Amity resident told police that Watson, a lifeguard at the island’s YMCA and talented swimmer, chose to go swimming in the 65 degree water late last night at a remote section of South beach near the bell buoy. Police have been informed that both Watson and Hoggenbottam had been drinking and perhaps engaging in recreational drugs last night.

Police took action around 6 a.m. this morning after they were notified by Hoggenbottam. Watson’s lifeless body was found severely mangled on the beach. The police are still investigating the origin of her attacker considering possibilities of murder, wild dogs, coyotes and maybe even shark attack. Amity police chief, Martin Brody assured residents and vacationers that it is highly unlikely it was a shark attack due to Amity’s clean history with shark attacks and because Watson’s body was found in the dunes. However, a second attack quickly changed the focus of the investigation.

Mass chaos erupted on the shore of Amity’s village beach when Alex B. Kinter, 10 was killed in a “vicious and unprovoked shark attack” just a couple hours ago. Prior to the incident, hundreds of sunbathers lined the beach, the sound of children playing and splashing could be heard, all seemed normal.

According to witnesses, Kitner was violently attacked while on his little, yellow, rubber raft around 2 p.m. A large thrashing in the water caught the attention of the other children in the water and soon the whole crowd was shrieking and screaming trying to get everyone to safety. Police have yet to find Kitner’s body, however, his raft was recovered with a large bite taken from it.

Kitner’s mother, Marion Kitner was present at the time of the attack; she has been taken to Amity General Hospital to be treated for shock. No other injuries occurred.

Police Chief Brody retracted his previous statement about the unlikelihood of Watson’s death being linked to a possible shark attack, “Now we know that these random acts of senseless violence, victimizing innocent, helpless citizens, do not just happen in the city.”
The police are conducting an ongoing investigation. Anyone interested in attending a special meeting held by Police Chief Brody, Mayor Farley, and the Amity Board of Selectmen is invited to meet at 6 p.m. today in Town Hall. They will be discussing the plan of action regarding these two murders.

New York Times Blog: November 22, 2010

On this issue of the Times, the front page offers a four picture series of "a day in the life" of the U.S. soldiers over in Afghanistan. This article, "Between Firefights, Jokes and Sweat, Tales and Tedium" by James Dao, I found really well written. Dao really puts you in the soldiers' boots, he offers great detail, "tracer rounds whizzed overhead, mortar shells burst nearby and heavy machine guns clattered." The article describes the lives of men in the infantry and how it's very two-sided. On one side, the "adrenaline-fueled moments of fighting" and then there is everything else, "the dirty, sweaty, unglamorous, and frequently tedious work... filling sandbags, stirring caldrons of burning waste, etc" Dao paints a picture of what it's like being a soldier, he explains that there is so much waiting they spend their time, "they tell stories about girlfriends, wives, drinking, and sex. They wrestle and play six degrees of Kevin Bacon. They share music on ipods and check football scores on Blackberries. they debate evolution and chase chickens. They argue over comic-book heroes and then tell more stories about sex." The rest of Dao's article focuses on a few soldiers and their experiences, both good and bad. This article is a great example of using imagery and setting the scene first to really engage the reader. I really enjoyed it.
Another article I weirdly interesting was by Andrew Kramer, "For Russia's Poor, Blond Hair is Snippet of Gold." This article talked about this new obsession for hair extensions, wigs, and toupees. Apparently the most sot after color is blond. Russia is the leading producer of blond hair because of its citizen's economic standing. The article said that the reason why Russian women are selling their locks rather than Swedish women is purely for economic reasons. A 16' braid, the shortest length will give a woman $50.. which to me doesn't seem worth it considering these companies are turning it around and selling it to the rich for $439. Mr. Kuznetsov owns a human hair processing business Belli Capelli which means beautiful hair. He said that the reason human hair is in such a high demand is because, "This is capitalism. The people with money want to distinguish themselves from the people with no money. Why does one woman sell her hair to another? the person with money wants to look better than the person without money." This really baffle me, why don't these rich women just grow their own hair for free? After all it is human waste, I don't get this obsession. I guess I'm lucky I'm a brunette and people aren't chopping at the bit for my locks.

New York Times Blog: November 16, 2010

Today's New York Times featured a skyscraper engulfed in flames. At first gang I though ti was New York but upon closer inspection I realized it was actually Shanghai. The picture caption reads, "Firefighters had trouble reaching the top of the 28 story building. Some residents may have jumped to their deaths." The building that caught on fire was an apartment building that was undergoing renovations. For Shanghai this is one of the deadliest fires they've had in years, killing 42 people and injuring 90 more. Video footage of the tragedy showed people stuck on the roof of the building, some jumped, others climbed down the scaffolding and actually lived. There were three helicopters on the scene trying to rescue people from the roof but the black smoke and flames made that impossible. For more than four hours the fire destroyed the skyscraper which housed more than 156 families, some of which are still missing. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Another article disturbed me in today's paper, "Seven Charged in International Organ-Trafficking Ring Based in Kosovo" by Dan Bilefsky. Apparently these seven people have been apart of an underground operation that lures in the poor people of these impoverished countries and says they will pay them $20,000 for their kidneys. however, when these people woke up they were alone, weak, without their money and without their kidney. These stolen kidneys are then given to the wealthy for up to $200,000.

New York Times Blog: November 17, 2010

"Rare Honor for a Living Service Member"
By Helene Cooper
In Washington D.C. this past Tuesday Salvatore Guinta was honored by President Obama with the Medal of Honor. Guinta, 25, three years ago was ambushed in the Korengal Valley in a coordinated attack from three sides. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for placing himself in the line of fire to try to save his squad mates and comfort and dying soldier. The Medal of Honor, the most prestigious award hasn't been awarded to a living service member since the Vietnam War. In the packed East Room, President Obama recounted the nights events of October 25, 2007, "They hadn't traveled a quarter mile before the silence was shattered. It was an ambush so close that the cracks of the guns and whizzes of the bullets were simultaneous." Sergeant Guinta was hit twice trying to pull the fallen soldiers to safety. When he recovered two of the fallen soldiers he ran up the hill to look for the other and saw a chilling sight, President Obama recounted, "the silhouette of two insurgents carrying away the other wounded American, his friend, Sgt. Joshua Brennen. Sgt. Guinta leapt forward killing one of the insurgents and wounding the other. He rushed to the aid of his friend and tried to stop the bleeding until aid arrived 30 minutes later. Sadly two soldiers did in the ambush and five others were wounded, Guinta said that the honor was "bittersweet."

New York Times Blog: November 10, 2010

In Stephanie Clifford's, "Big Stores Slim Down in a Bid to Fatten Profits" talked about how growing numbers of retailers are starting to think small, "chopping off big chunks of stores or moving to more efficient spaces." This change is said to be brought on by two recent trends: chains looking for new ways to cut costs in this economy, and customers demanding less "sprawling shopping experiences."

The next article caught my attention because of my interest in photography. This one entitled, "Ansel Adams or Not? More Twists" by Reyhan Harmanci was about Rick Norsigian, a California man who claimed he bought some lost Ansel Adams negatives at a garage sale for $45. This caught worldwide attention including the attention of an old woman who claimed she had the same pictures hanging in her bathroom and they were taken by her uncle, Earl Brooks, a little known photographer.

New York Times Blog: November 8, 2010

Reading the cover story title "For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way out" by Alissa Rubin, I was not nearly prepared for what I was about to learn. This article gave insight to the seemingly unheard of suicides by way of immolation among mistreated Afghan women. The story follows a few women, some who had failed suicide attempts at the young ages of 15 and another woman who died of sepsis. I found it unbelievable that the treatment of women in arranged marriages by not only their husbands but all of their in-laws it so violent. "There is little chance for education, little choice about whom a woman marries, no choice at all about her role in her own house. Her primary job is to serve her husband's family. Outside that world, she is an outcast." The sad reality of these Afghan women is devastating, I really think things need to change, I'm not sure how but they're not working the way their going now. Just in early October 75 women were sent to Afghanistan's burn specializing hospital with attempted suicide or in some cases attempted homicide covered up with suicide.This awful reality is not getting any better, the article stated that the current percentage is up 30 percent from last year. The reason why women chose this form of suicide is for one they have easy access to it, even the poorest families have matches and cooking fuel. Another reason is because they think it'll work better than other ways, they think it is more final.
Another article in today's Times "High in the Rockies, Marijuana's a Point of Pride" by Kirk Johnson. I chose this article because after the last one, I couldn't take another sad or depressing story. This article focused in on Nederland, Colorado. Nederland takes the saying "Rocky Mountain High" to a whole new level. Nederland is said to have 1 in 20 people out of their 1,400 population in need of medical marijuana. Residents like Hal Mobley, 56, commented, "Marijuana is part of the life here, no more available, no less, and no different in its uses," he said, "it's for pain?"

Sniper Attack Results in Highjacked Train and Five Dead
Just after 4 p.m. on Sunday Pierre Jeantot, 36 of Nice, France was killed after taking several shots at New York City Police Detective, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and causing much chaos throughout the city. Doyle shot Jeantot with his .38 calibur service revolver after chasing him throughout the city.
After a failed attempt at killing Doyle, Jeantot, who was allegedly working on behalf of a French drug kingpin, took off on foot trying to escape the scene of the crime where he shot and killed a pedestrian. Jeantot narrowly escaped Doyle on foot by boarding an elevated train at the 35th Street Station. Doyle then commandeered a civilian’s car and took off after the train to the next stop.
Police Officer, Roland Evans, 34 found Jeantot to be suspicious and started following him on the train only to be killed when he confronted Jeantot. The civilians on the train became frantic and soon chaos broke loose. Jeantot continued to make his way to the trainman, Peter Howe, 27 and held him at gunpoint until he bypassed the train’s next stop.
Soon the conductor of the train, Horatio Hornblower approached the control room with three other men where Jeantot was holding Howe hostage. Hornblower and the other men tried convincing Jeantot to surrender but Jeantot refused and shot Hornblower in the abdomen.
Meanwhile, Howe, the trainman dies of a heart attack at the controls and the train collides with another stopped train resulting in a high speed crash. The city-wide chase finally came to an end when Doyle shot Jeantot on the platform of the 15th Street Station.
Upon investigation, Homeland Security records reveal that Jeantot entered the country on Nov. 4 from Paris, France. It is suspected that Jeantot was associated with a crime syndicate that had been laying the groundwork for a major heroin shipment from France to New York City. At this time, two other men are being investigated in association with the smuggling operation.

New York Times Blog: November 3, 2010

I had a lot of time while waiting for the Newmarket bus this afternoon so I got through pretty much the whole paper instead of just the news. The articles that I enjoyed most were in the "New York" section. One was about the ethics of documentaries. Apparently, a documentarian in New York is facing some trouble because he was found out to have staged a major scene in his movie. He said he didn't think it a big deal because the incident did happen, just not whilst shooting it.
Another article I enjoyed was about the NYC PATH subway line. Virtually unknown to most, this smaller less used route goes diagonally through New York and only has about 10 stops. However the PATH has many advantages if you are lucky enough to live on the line: it is almost half as cheap as the New York Subway, it is much cleaner, less noisy, always on time, and less crowded.

The article that I most enjoyed was in the first news section of today's paper on page A16. "National Parks Reach Out to Blacks Who Aren't Visiting" by Mireya Navarro is about how African American forest ranger at Yosemite National Park, Shelton Johnson. Last year Johnson wrote to the Oprah Winfrey show in an effort gain a greater tourist percentile from African Americans. The article talked about how out of the hundreds of national parks the U.S. has to offer, less than 1 percent are visited by African Americans.

New York Times Blog: November 1, 2010

Once again, I picked my story based on the accompanying picture. This picture is quite haunting, it shows a man lying in bed looking towards the camera with his mouth open and an older woman sitting in back gazing out a window. Not until I read the title, "From a Shelter, Parents Fight for a Comatose Son" by Raphael Minder did I realize the man had been in a vegetative state since surgery in 1989. 21 years ago, Madrid law student and mountaineerer, Antonio Ortego slipped into a coma after being accidentally deprived of oxygen while having cosmetic surgery on his nose. His family has been in an ongoing legal battle causing them to lose their fruit store, house, and $555,000 of dept sue to medical and legal bills. Last year, after receiving a permit to protest, Ortego's mother, Juana, 65 and her husband have been living in a makeshift, blue-tarp shelter outside of the Justice Ministry. Authorities have turned a blind eye. A sign outside their shelter reads, "Where is justice? In a coma?" The only signs of life Ortego is capable of besides bodily functions, is twitching, sweating, and blinking. When asked if e will ever abandon this legal battle, Ortego's father, also Antonio said, "if being a father means anything, it must mean remaining strong and present in the hardest of times" Mrs. Ortego talks about the last few decades not with sadness or anger but with hope, "We've received here the respect and attention sadly denied to us by the judicial system," she said, "ordinary folks can relate to us, unlike these big and powerful judges who see us just as case numbers."

New York Times Blog: October 27, 2010

Being a photo person, I look for pictures rather than headlines that catch my attention. In this issue, that came on page A12, the National section. The picture was of a suburb covered by ominous teal clouds. Then I figured out that the picture didn't go with the story, only after I read the story...
Anyway, today's featured story, "Toxic Metals Tied to Work in Prisons" by Leslie Kaufman. A four year long process has concluded that inmates and employees at ten different federal prisons have been exposed to toxic metals due to recycling processes. The report said that this unexposed amount of toxic waste was shipped overseas to underdeveloped countries. Recent studies have shown that such disposal of toxic waste in developing countries can cause harm to the population by getting into their water supply.

I continued my kick on the National page to discover another interesting article directed toward college students. Apparently there's this malt drink that mixes caffeine and alcohol called 'Four Loko'. College and health officials have recently taken notice when many students have landed themselves in the hospital after drinking the large can. "This is one of the most dangerous new alcohol concoctions I have ever seen" said DR. Michael Reihart, an ER doctor.

New Policies Proposed to School Board Leave Residents Upset

The Portsmouth School Board held a meeting yesterday at 7:30 p.m. The board was able to get to business after a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance., and officiating of the minutes from January 24th’s meeting.
After the usual business, the meeting moved onto new business, School Board member Tim Steele pushed for an approval of a new school policy dealing with disciplinary problem students. The new rule would require students who have disciplinary problems during the week to attend a Saturday morning session running from 8 a.m. to noon. If approved, this would require an allocation around $3,000 per year for staffing.
Peggy Bacon, a parent objected to the proposal during the meeting, “I work six days a week—including Saturday morning—and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday. Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well.”
Steele responded to Bacon’s concerns saying that the new policy would help reduce in-house suspensions. These suspensions are the result of students caught smoking inside or outside of the high school. Steel said, “I know this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules.”
Lisa Gallagher, a senior at Portsmouth High School disagreed with Steele, “I don’t like this idea. I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty… what if someone skips a session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend”?
Steele clarified that students who skip the sessions won’t be able to return to school until the detention has been served. Resident Bob Farley agreed with Steel’s policy, “Parents can whine all they want about this… parents aren’t teaching their any discipline, so the kids have no respect for rules.”
The board voted 5-3 on the issue and Steele was told to return to the next meeting on March 7.

New York Times Blog: October 25, 2010

This issue of the Times I liked the article by Michael Wines, "Once Banned but Now Pampered, Dogs Reflect China's Rise" because I have always been mortified by the issue of dog meat. Growing up my grandfather would always tell me I was eating dog or cat if I was eating Chinese food.
This article harps on China's increasing economic rise, from "impoverished peasant to first-world citizen." I was really happy when I read that although dog can still be found in some restaurants, nowadays they can mostly be found in loving homes, being pampered. The rise in domestic dogs is said to not only be due to China's economic rise but also because of its one child per family law. Many households are buying dogs for companionship for their children. It sounds like the dog industry is actually getting bigger than it is in America. "Beijing officials say, 900,000 dogs as well, their numbers growing 10 percent a year.

New York Times Blog: October 19, 2010

Reading this issue of the New York Times I was attracted to the cover picture of a boy's silhouette. however, the story I found most intriguing and very disturbing was by Ian Austen, "Top Canadian Commander Pleads Guilty to Murders." This article was about Col. David Russell who recently pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, rape, and multiple break ins and offenses. What made this guy so creepy was that his fetish was to break into homes and photograph himself in the girls or womens underwear and take pictures of himself aroused or masturbating on their beds. Col. Russell was charged with 88 different offenses. The courtroom was filled with pale-faced and teary eyed victims, families and Russell's family. I think what makes this so scary if that he was supposed to be a powerful, authority figure and trusted to protect people. Instead, he used his skills to do damage and that is what's so shocking.He raped and killed a flight attendant he had worked with and another woman.

New York Times Blog: October 18, 2010

Finish Line Comes With A Real High: 8,000 Feet
By Marc Lacey

For the first time this past Sunday, Tucson Arizona held an up-mountain 26.2 mile marathon up Mount Lemmon. For marathon runners who were getting tired of the Boston Marathon or thought the New York Marathon was a walk in the park, this high altitude, high incline, and thinner air gave runners a run for their money. Or for some ultra-marathon runners like Pam Reed, 49, this was just a Sunday stroll. Reed won the 135-mile Badwater ultra marathon through death valley, and for fun won the Boston marathon backwards then forwards with everyone else. The winner, James Miles, 25, said, "To be honest, I just two days ago to do this." The Mount Lemmon marathon was only his third marathon and his first win, with a finishing time of 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 42 seconds. Miles attributed his time which was a half hour longer than his personal best to the high altitude, incline, and thin air. Not only was this marathon crazy, but runners also had to deal with temperature changes from high 80's to freezing in some areas.

New york Times Blog: October 13, 2010

"U.S. Judge Halts 'Don't Ask' Law For The Military"
By John Schwartz
I guess I am in a military mood this week...

This article caught my eye because of this weeks Ally Week on the UNH campus. All week supporters of LGBQT organization have been celebrating and bringing awareness in different ways.
Judge Virginia A. Phillips ordered the united States military to stop enforcing the "don't ask, don't tell" law. The "don't ask, don't tell" law prevents openly gay and bisexual people from joining the military or staying in the military if they are found out. Judge Phillips said the 17 year old law "infringes the fundamental rights of United States service members" and it also violates their rights to due process and freedom of speech. It is expected that her decision will be appealed by the government, nevertheless it marks a huge step for gay and lesbian soldiers.

New York Times Blog: October 11, 2010

"Despite Army's New Efforts, Suicides Continue at Grim Pace"
By James C. McKinley Jr.

This article stood out to me because of the recent rise of suicide in homosexual teens. I hadn't been aware that there was also a huge problems of suicide in the army. They try to cover it up and hide it. This story was about many suicide cases but particularly Armando Aguilar, a 26 year old who killed himself in a parking lot in Texas after three tours. The article mainly addressed the problem with doctors and psychiatrists prescribing too many pills and not enough therapy. The army doesn't have enough therapists to conduct therapy with all of the soldiers that need it. Instead soldiers are sent away with anti-depressants, painkillers, pills for panic attacks etc. many say the recent rise in army suicide is due to the 'psychological toll of nine years of war." Many investigations have taken place to try to draw similarities in the suicide victims. Many people thought it was the soldiers who have been deployed multiple times, but upon closer examination they have realized that is often not the case. Soldier who have exhibited suicide tendencies and soldiers who have not are both committing suicide.

New York Times Blog: October 6, 2010

Fate of missing Balloonists Clouds Joy at U.S. Festival
By, Dan Frosch
This year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta had a somber feeling this year. Recently, at the world's most prestigious ballooning competition in Bristol England two accomplished balloonists went missing. Balloonists Carol Rhymer Davis and Richard Abruzzo, both went missing over the Adriatic Sea in bad weather conditions. A search party was called off after four days, wit no sign of pilots or balloon.This year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has a somber feeling, "It's hard to concentrate on flying that race now, not knowing what happened to Carol and Richard," said fellow balloonist Barbara Fricke. The fiesta attracts over 800,000 spectators and hundreds of beautifully patterned balloons annually. At the start of the competition the announcer bellowed, "Be safe, fly safe."

New York Times Blog: October 4, 2010

4-Day Frenzy of Rape in Congo Reveals U.N. Troops' Weakness
By, Jeffrey Gettleman

In Luvungi, Democratic Republic of Congo a mass raping frenzy went on for 4 days in July. Anna Mburano, 81, says that four armed men burst into her hut hut, beat her grandchildren and raped her repeatedly. Meanwhile, mass chaos was erupting in her village everywhere as men and children were beaten and women were brutally raped. A U.N. base was not far away but had no clue what was going on until after the incident. Many of the women felt very ashamed and did not come forward until much after the incidents. This tragedy has critics comparing the weakness of the U.N. troops to the massacre in Kiwanja in 2008. Rebels succeeded in killing 150 people within earshot of a U.N. base. Critics are calling out the U.N. for their weakness saying that, "nowhere else in the world has the United Nations invested so much and accomplished so little."The U.N. has an around 18,000 peacekeepers in the Congo, but because of lack of cell reception and electricity, it is difficult to know when people are in need or under attack. Author of the "Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler called the Congo, "The U.N.'s crowning failure." she said that if the women that were being raped were the daughters, wives, or mothers of the power elite, "this war would have ended 12 years ago."

New York Times Blog: September 29, 2010

Jail Confession Is Retold In a Triple Murder Trial
By, William Glaberson
A three year old murder case has finally made is to trial. In Cheshire Connecticut in 2008, Steven Hayes murdered and raped Jennifer Hawke-Petit and murdered her two daughters Hayley and Michaela. Her husband, Dr. Petit was bound and badly beaten but escaped and went for help. Hayes and his accomplice Joshua Komisarjevsky robbed, raped, beat, murdered the Petits and then burned their house down. While Hayes has been imprisoned, two guards have retold things they overheard him saying to another inmate through vents and doors. He confessed to another inmate that his accomplice forced him to kill Mrs. Petit after they raped her and he told another that he believed Mr. Petit set fire to his own house to collect insurance. The guard said that Mr. Hayes told the inmate, he had only "poured gasoline down the stairs in the Cheshire house, but he had not lit the match, so he believed he could not be charged with arson." The trial will go on for months and will also deal with Hayes' accomplice.

New York Times Blog: September 27, 2010

I decided to write about the cover story today because 1. it had a cute baby and 2. it seemed interesting.
Efforts Meant to Help Workers Squeeze South Africa's Poorest By Celia Dugger
This article focuses on Emily Mbongwa,52, a former factory worker in Newcastle who lost her job because the factory was shut down due to violations. Mbongwa, like many South African women relied on her low paying job at a factory to help feed her family and pay for her small home. The factory was shut down because it didn't meet the new requirments and paid its worker less tan minimum wage. However, the people this "improvement" was supposed to make is now hurting them. Even though the pay was horrible, just $36 a week, for Nokuthula Masango, 25, is was just enough to get her and her jobless extended family by. South Africa's unemployed rate has been an increasing problem for over a decade. The rise in crime, social unrest, and economic downturn can all be attributed to this issue.

New York Times Blog: September 23, 2010

New Treatments Are Challenging Mammogram's Need, Study Says

I chose to write about this article in this particular times because everyone chose to ride about the story with the mounted policemen running away from black smoke.

The article about new treatments concerning breast health says that mammograms are decreasingly useful in dealing with the cancer death rate. Research has shown that increased awareness and new treatments are having a much more positive effect on womens health. New treatments with hormonal therapy have replaced the necessity of mammography.Decades ago when mammograms were relatively new, they reduced the breast cancer death rate by a substantial 15%-25%. Now research has shown that mammography and treatment has decreased that number by 10%.. however, researchers believe that mammograms do as little as 0%-2% of that work. Researchers and studies have been done on an undisclosed amount of women for 8.9 years. A study of Norwegian women with breast cancer found that regular mammogram screening probably reduces the breast cancer death rate slightly, but also has significant costs. Dr. Gilbert Welch of Dartmouth estimated 2% but he said, "whatever the effect of mammograms is, all the signals here is that it is much smaller than we believed."

Local Teen Helps Save a Life

Local resident and police captain Janet Paradiso join forces to save an elderly man’s life.

This morning James Laboke, 17, a local resident, spotted a stopped car on the train tracks. Laboke, an Afghan Refugee wakes up at 5 a.m. to walk four miles to the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand Street, where he was hired as a waiter eight months ago.
Laboke spotted Francois Truffant’s 1987 pink Cadillac Seville stopped on the railroad tracks about ten minutes before the 5:55 a.m. train to Boston passed through Old Orchard. Laboke approached the running car to see Truffant, 80, slumped over and unconscious at the wheel.
After pounding on the car’s window and realizing the doors were locked Laboke had to think quickly. Laboke, who doesn’t have a cell phone, ran approximately 100 yards to the police station on Pier Street. Laboke later said, “I never thought about it. I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by a train.”
Police Captain, Janet Paradiso responded to the call about a mile away from the tracks. She arrived at the scene at 6:05 a.m. just as the train’s warning whistles became audible. With the Amtrak train approaching at 40 miles per hour, Paradiso took action ramming her cruiser into the back of Truffant’s Seville to push it out of danger. Paradiso commented, “I knew there was no time. I had to do something.”
Approximately 30 seconds later the train sped through the crossing. Brian Paul, Chief of Police at Old Orchard beach said, “it was that close.”
Truffant, a diabetic, was said to have gone into insulin shock at the time he reached the railroad crossing. Listed in stable condition at Southern Maine Medical Center he said he did not remember anything of the incident.
Old Orchard Beach, a tourist community on the Southern Maine seacoast attracts tourists with its long beach and wooden pier. Truffant is a tourist from Quebec City and has been coming to Old Orchard Beach since he was a child.
Charles Champaigne, owner of the Eezy Breezy Restaurant didn’t think anything out of the ordinary when Laboke arrived to work on time this morning. Later, when a reporter called asking about the incident Champaigne learned of Laboke’s heroic deeds. Champaigne said, “It doesn’t surprise me at all. That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”

New York Times Blog: September 22, 2010

U.N. Chief Set to Announce Sharp Rise in Aid for Health of Women and Children" by Neil MacFARQUHAR attracted me because of the picture that went along with it. The picture showed four women all with the same expression on their face laying down next to each other with these little babies strapped to their chest. After Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced his plans to increase aid and improve the health of women in children independent specialists were still iffy on whether or not it is a scam. This effort, originally from 2000 is particularly lagging in the area of mother/child death rate during childbirth. Now this new aid is supposed to be directed right at this area to improve it. Since this development, infant mortality rate has dropped from 12 million in 1990 to 8.1 million, maternal mortality has since dropped from 500,000 to 350,000. U.N. officials hoped that the bulk of this plans efforts and money would go to the poorest 49 countries but alone those countries would need about $88 billion to meet the goals.

New York Times Blog: September 16, 2010

The article, "Mayor's Next Targets for a Smoking Ban: Parks and Beaches" by, Anemona Hartocollis interested me because of the amount of people who smoke on campus. I remember when I started here as a freshman I was astounded at the amount of young people who continue to smoke with the knowledge of its long-term affects and illnesses. UNH has a rule that smokers aren't allowed to smoke within 20 feet of a building but not only is 20 feet not far enough... no one even listens to that rule. From this article I learned that New York City Mayor Bloomberg has already put a ban on smoking in public places such as restaurants and bars but also plans to ban it in areas like parks, beaches, and pedestrian malls. Last year this ban was brought to the Mayor's attention but he didn't approve it right away. After mny months of research done on second hand smoking these new laws are set to be effective as of Thursday, Sept. 16. This new law covers 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities along with 14 miles of city beaches, boardwalks, public marinas and pedestrian malls. Bloomberg ruled in favor of this law after learning that someone not smoking but sitting within three feet of a smoker even in open air received the same second-hand effects as someone in the same situation indoors would. Bloomberg commented, "When New Yorkers and visitors go to parks and beaches for fresh air, there will actually be fresh air for them to breathe." There are still things to be worked out but officials are estimating around a $50 fine for offenders.

New York Times Blog: September 15, 2010

In the "Tally of Hungry Has Fallen, But Stays High" By Neil MacFARQUHAR caught my attention. The article talked about how for the first time in 15 years the number of undernourished people in the world has decreased. Even though this number has decreased, it is still much higher due to the 2008 food crisis. The number of hungry people has decreased from 1.02 billion to 925 million since 2009. These changes can be attributed to the recent income growth and food price drop in the Asia Pacific region. Although this is progress, it is still no reason to celebrate. The very first goal of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization was to cut the amount of hungry people on 1990 in half is now impossible according to Jacques Diouf, the director general.

New York Times Blog: September 9, 2010

Alright so it's taken me awhile to get these blurbs about the paper out of my head and onto the internet. Better late than never... cheesy, but true!I'm going to have to jog your memory on what happened on September 9th since it was 3 weeks ago. This Times had Afghan police officers breaking their fast in Kandahar City while a U.S. soldier kept watch. The article, "Nato Forces Push in Kandahar, To Mixed Result" by, Ron Nordland. The article mentions how the white surrender flags of the Taliban are no longer seen throughout the city, they have been replaced by the Afghanistan flag. Although the Taliban may have been pushed further underground, they are still not relenting. Gen. David A Petraus, the NATO commander said, "In some areas the Taliban momentum has reversed, but there's clearly a lot more work to be done." The Talibans terror campaign is still in full force.

'Tis the Season for Old Home Day Celebrations (delayed lead)

Approaching Donati Park in Hooksett N.H. the incessant buzz of children’s excitable screams and cheers becomes clearer. A smorgasbord of amusements covers the field ranging from rock walls to craft tents. The heat has everyone back in their shorts and sweating because of the glimpse of fall the week before. Wind has everyone holding onto their hats, holding down their vendor tents or holding onto their small children to keep from being swept away.
The large crowd is gathered to celebrate Hooksett N.H’s 86th Old Home Day. The focus of Old Home Day has always been on the community and family fun, but each year is a little different. The theme of this year’s celebration was “Preserving the Past.”
According to the community guidebook, the tradition of Old Home Day has always been to, “put work aside and celebrate our pride in Hooksett with friends and family.” The atmosphere was very family oriented, there were many activities for children such as, rock climbing, bungee jumping, face painting, basketball, drum circles, sand art, relay races, bounce houses, sewing crafts, and arcades. Bad Fish, a local rock back played acoustic tunes on and off throughout the day.
The Old Home Day tradition was started in New Hampshire over 110 years ago as an original economic stimulus plan. It was Gov. Frank Rollins who founded the event in 1899. He started by inviting all New Hampshire natives to the event. In 1899 he wrote, “When you think of the old home, you bring back the tenderest memories possessed by man; true love, perfect faith, holy reverence, high ambitions."
The goal of the celebration was to revitalize the spirit of the population and also the finances. By putting on the event Gov. Rollins invited natives to come home, to buy summer homes or to just visit for the day.
At one point there were 120 Old Home Day celebrations throughout New Hampshire, now that number has dwindled to less than 80. The guidebook for the day’s events mentions the reason to continue celebrating Old Home Day, “in an ever-changing world, we are grounded and comforted by traditions. Remembering our past helps us value our roots, and guides us as we look ahead to the future. Thus, the perfect reason to celebrate Old Home Day”!
In recent Old Home Days, the message isn’t so much, “welcome home” but “welcome.” While natives might feel a sense of reminiscence, newcomers can meet new people and feel a sense of community.
Many local organizations and businesses set up vendor stands on the grass of Donati Park. Vendors ranged in variety. There were, woodworkers, painters, quilters, jewelers, candle makers, and basket weavers. Cathy Steele said that this was her 20th year attending Old Home Day and her 2nd year selling her custom artwork at the celebration. Her business, Cally Marie Designs sells custom acrylic paintings, note cards, and prints. Steele said that the vendor fee was very reasonable and the event was great for networking, “its just a fun day to come out and see a lot of people from town you might not see otherwise.”
There were also upwards of 30 food vendors, ranging from ribs and chicken to ice cream and cotton candy. Linda Larochelle, owner of The Northern Red Popper, a gourmet kettle corn company said, “this is my 2nd year coming to Hooksett’s Old Home Day to sell my kettle corn and I love it, it’s my favorite event. I think everybody enjoys it. You see so many families and schools getting involved. I’m very happy with the turnout.”
This year crowds of people flooded the field exploring all that the event had to offer. Throughout the day there were different activities, scavenger hunts, pie-eating contest, cookie eating contest, relay races, talent shows, t-ball games, and a classic cars showcase. Local musician, Chris Gendron, 20 performed a few times throughout the day, he said that Old Home Day, “provides a non-political day of fun for families in and around Hooksett”. The day’s festivities concluded with a firework show.
Despite the heat and wind, it was pleasant Fall day that made Hooksett’s Old Home Day a fun place to be. With so much going on in the country these days, it was a great way to come together, put aside work and celebrate something old-fashioned yet timeless. The combination of friends, family, good food and tradition was the perfect way to spend the day.

‘Tis the Season for Old Home Day Celebrations (regular lead)

This past Saturday hundreds of families gathered at Donati Park in Hooksett, N.H. to celebrate Hooksett’s 86^th annual Old Home Day. Although the day was really hot and windy the crowds didn’t stop. The focus of Old Home Day has always been on the community and family fun, but each year is a little different. The theme of this year’s celebration was “Preserving the Past.”

UNH ROTC Student Prepares for Deployment

Saturday, September 11th, marked the largest deployment of National Guardsmen in New Hampshire since World War II. Nearly 800 men and women said goodbye to family and friends. This upcoming year roughly half of the National Guardsmen in New England, upwards of 3,000 citizen soldiers will be arriving in Kuwait this November. Olivia Brecheen, a second year Medical Laboratory Technology major here at UNH will be one of the soldiers joining forces for Operation Enduring Freedom, a change from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Breecheen started at UNH last fall doing Air Force ROTC, Reserve Officers' Training Corps, but after about a month switched to Army ROTC.
The deployment is scheduled to be a year long, Brecheen is set to leave Tuesday, September 21st to join other National Guardsmen at Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin for a month to complete final training and to make sure everyone is ready to ship out overseas. From Wisconsin, soldiers will be flown to various camps in Kuwait to perform missions such as, convoy security, boarder crossing, customs and security, and personal escorts. Private Brecheen’s unit, the 744th Fire Support Coordination (FSC) will be stationed at Camp Beuhring in Kuwait, they will transport supplies and personnel to and from Iraq, provide convoy security, and gather Intel. Brecheen is assigned as an 88M (truck driver) and a gunner for convoy security.
Even though Kuwait is said to be relatively safe in comparison to more recent missions, Brecheen said, “That doesn't mean that the standards or training is any less strict because we need to be ready for anything. Even the amount of gear you have to carry around is quite a lot, especially with the heat.”
When Brecheen first came to UNH she tried out many things before sticking with Army ROTC including working at Wildcat Transit, officiating flag football, crew, and per diem LNA work. The idea of military life is new to Breecheen she was recruited by Sergeant Ladieu into Army ROTC after a few weeks of talking with the instructors of the program. Brecheen signed up for basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) in the spring and finished after nine weeks of studying the army mission, physical fitness, core values, military weapons, chemical warfare, bayonet training, marksmanship, field tactics, etc.
After only spending one weekend with her unit she found out that she was being deployed to Kuwait for a year. Because of Brecheen’s involvement in ROTC they took her off the deployment roster, however, “after thinking and praying about it I decided that I wanted to try to go. So far I feel that I have made the right decision and I am ready to go and do my job over there to the best of my ability,” Brecheen said. Other UNH ROTC students are scheduled to join Brecheen in Kuwait next year.
Brecheen commented on how one of the best things about being in the army is, “how all kinds of people end up coming together and can have something in common even though they might be vastly different”. Brecheen is taking a military leave of absence until she gets back to UNH to continue her degree, she said, “I'm really hoping that we get back in time next year to get right back into school for the fall semester. I'm excited about my major, and want to see where it will take me”. Her plan when she returns to UNH is to be in the simultaneous membership program (SMP), which means being in both, the National Guard and ROTC program.
Private Brecheen is enthusiastic and staying positive about the year to come, she said, “I'm excited to go, let's do this”!

Dangerous Jellyfish leaves 100 Stung in Rye

Over 100 beachgoers encountered a large lion’s mane jellyfish Wednesday at Wallis Sands State Beach in Rye, N.H. Five children were injured and taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital by ambulance. No serious injuries were reported.

              High temperatures attracted large crowds to the seacoast yesterday. Unfortunately that’s not all the coast appealed to. Rye, N.H. faced a scary encounter with a large jellyfish Wednesday, July 21^st at Wallis Sands State Beach.  Around 50 children fled from the 63 degree water screaming about stings on their legs. Soon after, lifeguards captured a dead jellyfish floating in the water with a pitchfork.  Park Manager Ken Loughlin said, “It was as big as a turkey platter. The thing was probably 50 pounds. I’ve never seen such a thing.”

A number of Seacoast Area emergency crews hurried to the beach including, Stratham, Portsmouth, Greenland, New Hampton, Newington, and Rye at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Rescue officials said more than 100 people reported being stung by something in the water. They were treated in the bathhouses. Five children were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for fear of allergic reactions to the stings. However, no serious injuries were reported

Robert Royer, an aquarist at the Seacoast Science Center identified the sea creature as a lion’s mane jellyfish. He said lion’s mane jellyfish are often found in New England waters, “That’s the largest we have around here. I’ve never heard of them getting 50 pounds, though.” The lion’s mane jellyfish can have tentacles reaching 100 feet in length. Each tentacle has barbs that can sting even after the jellyfish is killed and broken apart. Officials reported that the jellyfish stings felt similar to bee stings.

Hampstead resident, Alysia Bennett, mother of three, took her children to the beach for the day. Their day of fun turned into a nightmare when all three children came running out of the water crying, “they were terrified,” Bennett commented. The beach has reopened since closing yesterday after the incident.