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.