11/24 Blog

The Story Behind the Cover Story: Angelina Jolie and Her Image, was one of the cover stories on Friday’s issue of the New York Times. I found it to be interesting that a story about how the actress Angelina Jolie maneuvers her publicity would garner a spot on the front page of a leading newspaper. It goes to show that the public is very interested in the lives of celebrities in today’s time.

The lead to this story got right to the point. It told the reader exactly why Jolie deserved this much attention. I felt thought that the lead could have gone more into exactly what the story is about. It just gives a little background information about how much money they received from cover pictures of their newborn twins. The main issue of the story is how Jolie manipulates articles and cover stories about herself and her family in the positive light. I feel that the lead should have focused more on this part, and that they could have given exact facts in the following one or two paragraphs.

The beginning of this article discusses how People magazine was the fist magazine to show pictures of Jolie and Brad Pitt’s baby twins. It spent quite some time on this, and does not really delve into Jolie’s style of publicity until farther into the article. I feel that the story should have started off more towards the beginning with how Jolie works with different publication outlets when they do a cove story on her.

The end of the article goes more in depth about Jolie’s charity work. This has become a very important aspect of her life, and the public associates her with her charity work now. The article explains how the money that Pitt and Jolie received from baby pictures with some of their children goes directly to their charity foundations. The article also paints a picture of a younger Jolie, and how that image contrasts with the one she has created for herself now.

The article does exactly what the subject matter is discussing. The story explains how Jolie manipulates her image in magazines in a positive light, and this article does shine a positive light on Jolie. Even without her input (Jolie refused to comment) she is shown as a smart woman who is very generous with her charity work.

Killings May be Clue to Heroin Operation

NEW YORK CITY- A shooting broke out on Sunday afternoon between a suspected assassin, Pierre Jeantot and New York City Police Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. Doyle shot and killed Jeantot after a chase through the city.

Doyle was walking through the park when Jeantot, on top of a nearby roof, shot several shots. In Jeantot’s attempt to assassinate Doyle he shot Betty B. Badluck, 63, of the Bronx as she was walking her granddaughter.

Doyle ran into the building where the Jeantot was, but found only his gun and empty shell casings on the rooftop. As Doyle looked over the side of the building he saw the assassin running away.

Doyle quickly followed Jeantot to the 35th St. Station. As he climbed on to the platform the shooter was nowhere to be seen. Jeantot had managed to get to the opposite platform and boarded the passing train.

The following sequence of events was a high speed and dangerous chase between Doyle and the train. Doyle sped through the streets of New York City in a commandeered car, hitting two cars in the process, while in hot pursuit of the train with Jeantot on it.

While on the train Jeantot shot Roland Evans, 34, a cop from Brooklyn and the conductor Horatio C. Hornblower, 30, of White Plains for trying to stop him. Jeantot also held the trainman Peter Howe, 27, of Queens at gun pint, ordering him to not stop the train. Howe had a heart attack at the controls.

The train stopped suddenly causing Jeantot to lose his gun. He then climbed out of the train on to the tracks.

Doyle met Jeantot at the stairs leading to the platform when he shot Jeantot for trying to escape. Jeantot was shot once in the back.

The scene stems from a heroin investigation that Doyle and his partner Buddy “Cloudy” Russo have been investigating.

According to Homeland Security records, Jeantot entered the country on November 4 from Paris, France. The police suspect that he was associated with a local crime syndicate that is laying down plans for a major heroin shipment from France to New York City. The other men involved in the plan are being sought out.

Police believe that Jeantot was sent to assassinate Doyle for leading the investigation.

Doyle’s use of deadly force was justified under the circumstances. Jeantot had tried to kill Doyle multiple times while on the rooftop.

“We would have preferred to see Jeantot prosecuted in the courts,” said Ruth L. Ess, the New York City Police commissioner. “we believe Doyle was close to a breakthrough in the case.”

It is unfortunate that so many innocent bystanders were harmed in the process of the chase said Ess. Detectives Doyle and Russo are in pursuit for fellow conspirators regarding the heroin shipment.

“We commend Detective Doyle for his bravery and quick thinking. We will continue a vigorous and thorough investigation into what appears to be a major smuggling operation,” said Ess.

11/17 Blog

Amid Brickbats From China’s Government, Tibetans Will Ponder a New Strategy deals with the issues between China and Tibet. The lead sets a powerful scene, “As the flames on anti-Chinese riots and protests engulfed many Tibetan areas of western China last spring, soldiers send to the towns and villages of the deep river valleys around here encountered nothing but silence.” This lead effectively sets the scene and the feel for the situation between Tibet and China.

The article deals with the Dalai Lama’s goal of Tibet’s autonomy from China in a peaceful manner. This has become difficult because China is refusing to cooperate. There are some groups forming in Tibet that want a more radical approach to the issue.

The article is good at giving background to the current issue, but at times I felt myself getting a little confused. I think it would have been clearer if the article organized its background information more clearly, and defined certain things better.

The article’s main focus is a meeting that the Dalai Lama will hold in India regarding the matter. I felt that the article also did a great job at painting the scene in Tibet. The article states the many restrictions the Chinese government is putting on Tibet. The reader gets the feel that the article is very pro-Tibet and anti-China.

Overall the information was presently clearly. The one aspect I would change was the information regarding the history of the two countries.

11/15 Blog

The ongoing pollution problem around the world is most pronounced in Asia. This is what the article, U.N. Report Points to Peril From Noxious ‘Brown Clouds’ is concerned with. I thought that the lead is very effective in pulling in the reader. Everyone knows the problem with the over pollution in the world, and the wording of the lead makes it known right away that this article is going to cover pollution.

The article gives a brief overview of the factors that are causing over pollution in the world, but its main focus is the effects it is having in Asia. I knew that there is a pollution problem in Beijing, China from coverage during the Summer Olympics. I did not know though that the smog is visible from airplanes.

The facts that the article puts out are really astonishing. It really makes the reader think about the environment and what people are doing to create a more toxic living space. I think that the article is very effective in getting the reader to think differently about pollution and what it is doing to the environment.

The problems that cities such as Bangkok, Cairo, New Delhi, Tehran and Seoul, South Korea are facing could possible happen to major cities in the United States. I also liked how the writer ended the article. The ending paragraph focuses on the health problems that the pollution is causing. It is estimated that 340,000 people in China and India die each year due to health related issues caused by pollution. For the article to end on people dying from the pollution, the reader becomes a lot more concerned about the problem.

Blog for 11/13

Turkey’s Here, Behind the Bronze Veneer automatically grabbed my attention. I do not know a lot about Turkey and its history, and I found this article to be very interesting.

The lead is very grabbing and makes you want to read further. The article is about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was the founder of modern day Turkey. The article starts off, “After nearly a century of looking serious, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, has started to smile.” This made me want to read on because I had no idea who Ataturk was, and I think the lead is very different and intriguing.

The article does a very good job giving the background of Ataturk but not letting it over power the article. The reader also gets a feel for how important Ataturk to Turkey and how his image is viewed by the public. To insult is memory is a crime under Turkish law.

The article is about how a new documentary is coming out that takes a different look at Ataturk’s life and character. I feel that the article really emphasis how this documentary is a very big deal for the people of Turkey. I would never have guessed that a documentary could have such an effect on a country. This documentary can be very upsetting to the people of Turkey, and the article does a very good job and explaining why.

I did find at times that the article could have been better organized. It kept on going back-an-forth from Ataturk’s history to how the film will affect present-day Turkey. I feel that the information on his past should have been grouped closer together, and not necessarily put throughout the article.

Overall I feel that this article was very engaging and interesting. It grabbed my attention and held it throughout the piece.

Blog for 11/12

I have always been interested with the war in Iraq, and the issues and problems the people face over there. As I was reading through today’s paper one article caught my attention. Baghdad Bridge Reopens, Restitching a Divided Area, this article discusses the reopening of a bridge in Baghdad that connects a community of Shiites and of Sunnis.

I found the lead to be very effective. It really grabbed my attention, and it brings up what the article is about. The reporter painted the a picture of what was happening on this day as people from two opposing communities came together. It is very poignant and automatically grabs your attention.

The article then begins to discuss the history of the bridge and the two communities. The bridge was closed in 2005 after rumors of a suicide bomber provoked a stampede of people. There were almost 1,000 deaths due to being crushed or drowning in the Tigris River. The Shiites live in Kadhimiya and the Sunnis live in Adhamiya, both on opposite sides of the bridge.

After this brief historical background of the bridge, the article delves in to the actual process of reopening the bridge. This event could not be taken lightly and there were many Iraqi military commanders and American officers there to manage the crowds. This fact made me realize how there is still so much animosity within different groups in Iraq that they need to be heavily guarded or watched over.

The article does a good job at painting the picture of this landmark day. The bridge was covered in with a tarmac with the Iraqi flag painted on it. There was slaughtering of sheep in celebration of this crossing. The article really touches the reader with it recounts of the day.

Even though this is seen as a positive action, the article also brings about people’s concerns. The article briefly discusses how even though the bridge is reopening; there is still tension between the Shiites and the Sunnis.

The article started off on a positive note, and ends on a positive note. The article concludes with a military adviser commenting on how it was a good day, and that there is hope for some balance within the two communities.

DURHAM, NH- The Oyster River High School’s auditorium was packed today with resident and students casting their votes for this year’s election.

The doors opened at 7 a.m., but the line of people was already around the corner. The first people in line got there at 4:30 in the morning.

“We wanted bragging rights,” said 20-year-old Kevin Froleiks and 20-year-old John Flynn, students at the University of New Hampshire.

This is Froleiks and Flynn’s first time voting in an election, and they wanted to be the first ones to cast their votes.

Many other residents and students got up bright an early and stood in the freezing cold to be some of the first to put in their vote.

Peter Smith, 70 of Durham, NH was picketing outside the school by 6 a.m. Smith stood outside of the school with his sign for Majorie Smith, his wife, and plans on staying at the school until polls close.

“I’m here to support my wife,” said Smith as he shouts at people who pass him by to “Vote for Majorie Smith.”

Other campaigners lined the sidewalk as more and more people filed into line. This year’s election, some say, will be one of the most significant races in history.

“Fifty years from now people will talk about progress this country’s has made,” said Smith. “Today will be one of the land mark days.”

Finally at 7 a.m. the doors to the auditorium were opened, and people quickly filed in.

People were divided by their last names, and then sent to a private booth to cast their vote. With only a minor glitch in the ballot machine the process was going smoothly.

Town Administrator Todd Selig is at the polls to make sure everything is run as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Selig also predicted a very huge turnout, especially since the crowd in the morning hours was already so large.

“I think we’ve seen more people vote this year,” said Selig.

Town Clerk Lorrie Pitt said that 8,442 people were already registered, and that they expect more to register throughout the day.

“It is a very, very large turnout,” said Pitt. “Four years ago we had 1,684 people.”

Pitt also noted that the majority of voters were Democratic. This could be due to the fact that the University of New Hampshire resides in Durham. There were many students who registered Durham as their domicile, which will greatly change the outcome of votes for the town.

“UNH is a very liberal place,” said Hall Director Aaron Keopeke, 29. Keopeke is the Hall Director for the dorm Serc A, and he believes that there has been more campaigning for Senator Barak Obama around campus then for Senator John McCain.

Keopeke believes that if the university was not in Durham, the outcome would be different.

Diana Carrol, 60, has been a resident of Durham since the early 1970s. Carrol agreed with Keopeke that the students of UNH have a huge impact on the outcome of the election.

Carrol and Pitt both noted that this was the biggest turnout of voters that they have seen in years. Carrol also said that compared to other years she has seen more young people come out to vote this year.

Students were not only voting but campaigning outside of the high school. A group of students were setting up a power vote table outside of the doors at 7 a.m.

Carolyn Johnson, 19 of Medway, MA was one of the volunteers.

“I think it’s important,” said Johnson. “It is election day so it’s the last chance to put in your opinion.”

There were not just students who were at the polls but residents of the town. Many people even came with their young children to cast in their votes early. Dan Beller, 49 was on his daily jog and made a quick pit stop at the school to vote.

Lisa Merrill, 41 came to the polls with her young daughter.

Merrill was slightly nervous about today’s outcome, and is unsure of the voting process and its validity. Either way, Merrill believes it is your civic duty to go out and vote.

“I have to do it. You can’t complain if you don’t vote, so you might as well get your opinion heard,” said Merrill.

Senior Michael Heath, 20 of Concord, NH also believes it is his civic duty to vote. Heath felt relieved once he was finally done with the process, and his excited to see the outcome.

“It felt good to vote today,” said Heath.