A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the NY Times I was excited to see a story that pretty much directly related to UNH and some of the dining policies we have here. This story is the one I will talk about for Wednesday. As for other stories, there were a lot about the swine flu, which I did read, but will not focus too much on in this blog entry. Maybe just a little bit...

Monday- Today is the day I will talk about the swine flu. In this article I read today it stated that the US Health Department has declared the swine flu a health emergency. While reading this story, which stated that some health officials worry that this could become a pandemic, I was thinking a lot about the opinion of two of my friends that journalists are always blowing things out of proportion and trying to scare people. Yes, it is true- most of the news reported on is not good news, but I still don't believe, especially in regards to the coverage of the swine flu, that journalists are blowing things out of proportion. They are using the word pandemic, etc. because they are the appropriate words to use in this situation. And this all sounds really scary because it is! If journalists didn't report on stuff like this, the same people who are now accusing them of just trying to scare people would accuse them of not telling the truth and providing the public with the most accurate information. Readers cannot always have it both ways.

Tuesday- Today I tried to avoid the swine flu and read about the sorry state of the economy. The article I read specifically discussed the future of General Motors, and it really made me realize that the economy does not seem to be getting any better. According to the article, in order for GM to remain a viable company (which may still need to file for bankruptcy), it will have to cut 21,000 jobs, close 13 plants, and cut its huge number of 6500 dealerships almost in half. And this is happening to one of the biggest and once most successful companies in the United States! If GM cannont survive in this economy, who can? Scary stuff... maybe I should have stuck with the swine flu.

Wednesday- Okay, today I only read a little about the swine flu and stayed away from the economy and instead focused on a front page story that really related to UNH. This story was about many northeast universities are going trayless. I have long been a hater of "trayless Tuesdays" (which were actually mentioned in this article!), mainly because I often have a lot of small bowls holding my food. Without a tray, I have to make tons of trips in an overly-crowded dining hall, or I try to carry it all and drop something (which is absolutely mortifying, trust me). But after reading this article, I did start to feel a little guilty about by love of trays. I had never really believed that going trayless could actually help that much, but apparently it can- saving huge amounts of water, food, and money. Go figure. I guess I can probably deal with trayless Tuesdays, since it really does seem to help both the environment and the economy- two things that could really use some help right now.

Thursday- Today I read a story online about the debate among the members of the Republican party after the departure of Senator Arlen Spector about whether the party should purge itself of moderates or seek to broaden its appeal by being more moderate. This is a very interesting question, and as someone who usually thinks of herself as more Republican than Democrat, at least in issues of the economy, health care, and security (though not so much in social issues), I think it is important for Republicans to embrace more moderate ideals. Times are changing, and I think there are probably a lot more Republicans, like me, who are not against abortion and gay marriage and would be more likely to continue supporting the Republican party if they too went with the changes that are begging to be realized.

Beaches Remain Open After Shark is Caught in Amity Waters

After a town hall press conference yesterday afternoon announced a 4th of July closure of Village Beach, an early morning announcement by Police Chief Brody has reversed that decision.
In a press conference this morning Brody said that Amity’s Village Beach will remain open to the public this 4th of July weekend. This decision came after a shark was caught and killed by two fishermen one mile south-southwest of Amity this morning at 1 a.m.
According to Brody, the fishermen caught the shark, identified as a rare and dangerous nurse shark, after trolling the waters with a 25-lb. turkey. Brody also said that the shark has been identified as the one that took the lives of two Amity beach-goers on July 2 and 3.
The first victim, Wendy Watson, 16, was attacked and killed the night of July 2 after entering the water alone. Her body was found washed up on Village Beach yesterday morning. The second victim was 10-year-old Alex Ferguson, who was attacked and killed yesterday afternoon while playing in the water with friends.
Brody said in the press conference that he is sure this shark is the same one that attacked and killed Watson and Ferguson, but said that the shark’s stomach contents were not checked for human remains.
“We didn’t look,” Brody said. “We thought that would be disrespectful to the dead people’s families. We didn’t open the body up- we already know it is the shark.”
Brody said that it was the opinion of shark expert Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Woods Hole, MA, Oceanographic Institute, that convinced him the shark caught this morning is the one who killed the two victims.
“I trust Matt’s judgment,” Brody said. “He is known around the world as the foremost shark expert- if he says this is the shark, then this is the shark.”
However, Brody did say that while the shark caught is very rare, there is a possibility another one could be in the waters off Amity Beach.
“We will have shark spotters and law enforcement around, but I doubt that there is another one of these sharks in these waters,” Brody said.
The decision to leave the beaches open for this 4th of July weekend is good news for Amity’s many business owners, who were angered over the decision to close the beach on the biggest weekend for tourism on the island.
The business owners were facing large crowds this morning on the newly-opened beaches, where the presence of law enforcement, shark spotters, and an ocean empty of swimmers were the only signs of the previous days’ shark attacks.
Beach-goers did enter the water eventually, but were soon forced back to the sand when a fin was spotted swimming through the water. After crowds of people ran screaming out of the water, it was discovered that the fin was cardboard- a hoax planned and performed by two young boys.
Despite this scare, Brody said that he hopes citizens of Amity and tourists alike will enjoy the beach this weekend without worries, but said that if anyone does think they have spotted a shark to call 1-800-sharksee.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the Times there were a lot of interesting stories, as usual, and I read a lot of them. The following, however, are the ones that stood out or effected me the most.

Monday- Today I read a story about the United States boycott of the United Nations conference on racism. According to the article, the boycott came after it was decided that this conference would just be a repeat of the first one eight years ago where critics say the meeting was used as a platform to bash Isreal. While U.S. groups in support of Isreal are very happy with the decision to boycott the conference, a lot of civil rights and African-American groups are very upset with the United States' boycott.

This story really caught my eye because I just think it is very sad that the world cannot come together as one to try and discuss racism, a prominent issue in the world today. It is unfortunate that people would use this meeting to talk about issues in the Middle East, and lose focus, and key members of the United Nations, in the process.

Tuesday- Today I read a story that truly shocked me. It was about how the Chinese government is trying to get millions of Chinese citizens to change their names. According to the article, the name changes come after the Chinese government decided to change the ID cards that every citizen must carry with them. These new cards would be embedded with a chip that would be read by a computer, and these computers cannot read some of the more obscure symbols of the Chinese language. It is for this reason that the government wants some citizens to change their names.

I thought that this story was just rediculous, and it really made me realize what it would be like to live in a communist country like China. I cannot believe that, first of all, Chinese people need to carry an ID card with them everywhere (not just to drive a car), and it made me even more surprised to hear that the government might try to control what characters/symbols a person can use when naming their child.

Wednesday- Today I read an article about Philip Markoff, the Craigslist killer, who went to BU Medical School and who supposedly killed one woman and robbed another. This story really caught my eye for several reasons- one, the close proximity, two, I know several people who live in Boston and even go to BU, and three, he seemed so normal. This was a kid who was engaged and an honor student and who had plenty of friends who never saw who he really was. This really made me think about just how many criminals probably seem like really nice, normal people and it kind of scared me.

Thursday- Today I read a story online about how the U.S. Treasury Department is preparing for Chrysler to file for bankruptcy. This would be the first automaker to file for bankruptcy and would hurt tons of lenders who hold $6.9 billion of the company's debt. The article also said that G.M. could also be filing for bankruptcy soon.

This article really stood out to me mainly because it is just another sign of how bad the economy is right now and how much it is effecting even the biggest companies. This really worried me since if big companies like Chrysler are filing for bankruptcy, I don't see how smaller companies and recent college graduates can really survive in this economy. It kind of makes me wish I didn't have to go out into the real world someday.

Young boy's death marks the second attack at Village Beach in as many days

On this 4th of July weekend, Village Beach was teeming with families and the water was full of playing children when a young boy was attacked this afternoon while floating on a raft.

The happy shrieks of the boy's friends playing around him soon changed to screams of parents rushing to pull their sons and daughters from the blood-filled water. No other injuries related to this attack have been reported.

The young boy, identified as Alex Ferguson, 10, of Mayfair Court in Amity, is believed to have been killed, although his body has still not been recovered. The raft he had been floating on at the time of the attack floated ashore with what Police Chief Martin P. Brody claims looked like a bite taken out of it.

In a press release, Brody said that the attacks appears to have been a "vicious and unprovoked shark attack", although he stresses this has not been proven.

The boy's mother, Marian Ferguson, who was at the beach when her son was attacked, is currently being treated for shock at Amity Hospital where her condition is listed as fair.

Brody said that he believes the death of Wendy Watson, whose body was discovered washed up on Village Beach this morning severely mauled, may have also been linked to a possible shark attack, although the investigation of her death is still ongoing at this time.

A press conference held by Brody, Mayor Farley, and the Amity Board of Selectmen will take place today at 5 p.m. in Town Hall. At that time, a request will be made by Chief Brody to close all the beaches on the island.

Teenage girl attacked and killed at Amity Beach

The Amity Police Department is investigating the death of a teenage girl whose body was found washed up on Amity Beach this morning. The cause of her death is currently unknown.

The girl, identified as Wendy Watson, 16, of 23 Sharkstooth St. in Amity was last seen alive leaving a beach party with an unidentified male at around 11 p.m. yesterday.

According to her companion, Watson entered the water at a remote section of the beach and did not return. Her companion then notified police that Watson was missing.

A brief search by police resulted in the discovery of Watson body, which was severely mauled by an unknown attacker. Her body is currently undergoing an autopsy and no charges have yet been filed in the case.

Though a shark attack has not been completely ruled out as the cause of Watson's death, the beaches on the island will remain open for swimming and the police assure that swimmers are not in danger.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week’s New York Times had some articles in it that really demonstrated a few ways in which the economy is affecting our country and really hit home with me.
Monday- Today I read an article that really troubled me about how the Obama administration has a plan to end the subsidized loan programs for college students and redirect the money to scholarships for needy students. While the intentions of this plan are obviously good, it really worries me since I receive both unsubsidized and subsidized loans and without them I don’t know if I could afford to go to school. I am sure there are many other students like myself who also need these loans to go to school, and I feel as though this plan will merely hurt middle class students, who are already given far less money than most actually need, even more.
This plan, which would make spending on Pell government grants necessary, is also just another example, many critics of the plan say, of the Obama administration’s desire to expand government. This also worries me, as this was one of the things I did not like about Obama’s plans for running this country.
Tuesday- Today I read a story about how the two major labor federations have decided to work together with the Obama administration to try and reform the immigrations system. The current plan for this reform includes legalizing the status of illegal immigrants already working in the U.S. and opposes any new programs that would allow employers to bring in new immigrants to work temporarily. While I am not sure if I agree with automatically legalizing the status of illegal immigrants already in the country, I do think this is a good step in the right direction. Our country was built by immigrants, and they are obviously an important part of our country’s culture, but I do think that our government has been far too lax in the way it deals with illegal immigrants. I believe that while anyone who wants to live here should be able to, they should do so legally and not take advantage of our great country and all of its benefits. It is not fair that illegal immigrants can come in and work without paying taxes- it hurts those people that are living in this country.
Wednesday- Today I read a story about another way the economy is affecting people in the U.S. The story I read was on the front page of the Times and talked about how many students are giving up music and other artistic pathes in life in order to pursue a more practical job that will be more likely to earn them money. The story focused on a young girl from Newark, Ohio, who is at the top of her class and a very talented violinist, but who instead of following her dream of going away to school for four years and becoming a music teacher, is working at Sonic and thinking about taking a two-year nursing program at a local tech school. While this is a perfectly fine path to follow in life and will certainly help her to be successful, I think it is really sad that students feel they must give up music and other artistic dreams in order to survive in this economy.
It also made me think about my high school, where the music and art programs were always the last to be given funds. My high school spent $10 million on a new football stadium and gives almost nothing to the music department. The music parents have had to create a committee to raise money for almost everything the department needs. This is just another very sad sign of the times.
Thursday- Today I read a story about how many colleges are asking for more help from donors in order to meet the financial aid that incoming students will need. With more and more students applying to colleges, especially state schools in an attempt to save money, and more and more of these students in need of financial aid, many schools are finding it very hard to keep up. This story really made me realize just how hard the economy is hitting students and schools. Sometimes I think that being at school, I am kind of isolated and don’t realize just how bad the economy is. I don’t know what gas prices are, or grocery prices are when I am at school- I take the bus or walk and eat in the dining hall. To me, everything just seems free. But this article really made me open my eyes to the kinds of problems schools and students like me are currently facing because of the economy.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the New York Times one of the major things I noticed was that there were more stories that did not involve the economy than usual. I am not sure why this is, but I definitely welcomed it and read a lot of other very interesting stories.
Monday- Today I read a blog online that really caught my eye about Levi Johnston, the would-have-been husband of Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol. The story goes on to say that Johnston went on the Tyra Banks show and talked about his relationship with Bristol Palin. The Palin family was apparently outraged by his “quest for fame” and the governor’s office even put out a statement stating their disappointment over his choice to appear on the show. What really interested me in this story however, was that the author seems to think that because Gov. Palin went public with her message to Johnston it is a sign that she may be preparing to run for office again in 2012. The story also said that by highlighting that Bristol was going to “take responsibility” and “campaign for abstinence” she sees this whole situation could be a trouble area with conservative voters. I think that it will be very interesting to see if Palin does attempt to run again in the next election and what voters’ reactions will be.
Tuesday- Today I read a story about NY health officials who has called for a tax on drinks with sugar. The officials say that a tax of only one penny per ounce of sugary drink would decrease consumption by more than 10% and also raise $1.2 billion dollars in NY alone. While this seems a little extreme, it also does kind of make sense to me. There is a tobacco tax, so why shouldn’t there be a tax on something else that harms the health of American citizens such as sugary drinks? I don’t know how people will feel about this plan, since so many Americans drink soda, but I think that if it were ever to be put into effect, there could be a very substantial improvement in the health of many Americans.
Wednesday- Today I thought it was very interesting that there were two stories on the front page involving the situations and discriminations facing the gay community in both the United States and Iraq. In Vermont, a veto on the bill to allow gay marriage was rejected, while in Iraq, newly admitted gays are being strongly persecuted and even murdered. I was so shocked by the situation facing gays in Iraq. Obviously there are people in the United States who are very against not only gay marriage but also homosexuality in general, but I never would have imagined just how violent people could be just because someone is gay.
I did start to think about how there have been murders of homosexuals in the U.S., however, the situation in Iraq seems to be much more extreme. For example, the most shocking aspect of this story, to me, was that some of the murders and other crimes being committed against gays are being committed by their own families, who believe that they have been shamed.
Thursday- Today I read a story about how a group of pirates in the Indian Ocean captured an American merchant ship’s captain. This story says that these modern pirates are motivated by money, and are not interested in politics, religion, or killing people. This story really caught my eye because it is not often that you hear about pirates these days. I think that many people think of them as something that happened hundreds of years ago and are now in movies, but the fact of the matter is that they are a big risk. I was also amazed when I read that this is the first time in 200 years that pirates captured an American vessel. I think that this story is very important for people to read, since I think it is important for people to be aware that pirates continue to be an actual risk even today.

Many of the 90 employees of the Lakes Region Facility prison may soon find themselves without a job as the prison prepares to close its doors this June.
Paul Cascio, a lieutenant at the State Prison for Men and president of Local 255 of the New England Police Benevolence Association, which represents the DOC sergeants and officers, said that the DOC cannot afford the layoffs as there are already 100 vacant jobs in the state penal system.
“The risks to public safety are imminent and evident, so we would say that laying off people is not a good idea," Cascio said.

New Lead for Laconia Prison Story

Many of the 90 employees of the Lakes Region Facility prison may soon find themselves without a job as the prison prepares to close its doors this June.

Paul Cascio, a lieutenant at the State Prison for Men and president of Local 255 of the New England Police Benevolence Association, which represents the DOC sergeants and officers, said that the DOC cannot afford the layoffs as there are already 100 vacant jobs in the state penal system.

“The risks to public safety are imminent and evident, so we would say that laying off people is not a good idea," Cascio said.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the New York Times there were a lot of very interesting stories. I read about the economy (of course!) and warnings about a computer virus that could be coming our way. These are just a couple of the stories I read in the Times this week.

Monday- Today I read all about the chairman of G.M. quitting in a deal with the Obama administration. Supposedly, Obama’s auto task force asked the chairman, Rick Wagoner, to step down as a condition for continued aid for the auto industry from Obama’s administration. This personally worried me because I feel as though it shows that the government clearly has a great amount of power over private industry. I feel like even though the Obama administration did not technically force Wagoner to step down, they still used their power and their influence (by using the continued aid for the auto industry as a bribe in a way) to control private business. I believe that in a country like America, private industry should be separate from the government, and while the government does have some rights to regulate businesses, I think that Obama overstepped his power here.

Tuesday- Today I read a story online about how North Korea was planning on trying a few U.S. journalists. The two journalists have been detained in the communist country and will be tried on charges of perpetrating hostile acts against the country, a crime that in North Korea that is punishable by years in a labor camp. The two journalists were detained when they were caught illegally entering North Korea from China. This story really caught my eye since I want to be a journalist someday. This story is very frightening, as these journalists are trapped in a foreign country where they have virtually no rights. This story also really made me think about how lucky we are in America as journalists. Here, we have the freedom of the press, and while we cannot tell blatant lies about someone, we are totally free to write whatever truth we please- no matter what it says about anyone, government or not.

Wednesday- Today I read about the conficker worm, which has spread around the world very quickly in the past few months. According to the article, the software made an apparent attempt to download commands from a server at an unknown internet location a few days ago. The program would aggressively send out spam e-mails and “denial of service” attacks on Web sites or networks. Recently Microsoft offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Conficker’s author or authors. This really worried me as it seems as though this virus could really harm a lot of computers and basically shut down internet sites. Seeing as our society depends so much on computers and the internet today, this article really made me nervous and I will definitely be paying closer attention to the e-mails I receive.

Thursday- Today I read a story about a former University of Colorado professor who was fired after he wrote an essay that called September 11th victims “little Eichmanns”, after the Nazi who was called the architect of the Holocaust. His essay also stated that the United States brought the attacks of September 11th upon itself. Today a jury found that he was wrongfully fired and he was paid $1 in damages. For the professor, Ward L. Churchill, it was not about the money but about his right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I personally think that the jury made the correct judgment in this case. Even though the things that Churchill said were clearly awful and offended a lot of people (and rightfully so), this is America. And in America we have the right to say what we believe and to state our opinions without fear of persecution.

If an oil spill were to occur in Portsmouth Harbor, response teams would be readier than ever. And if University of New Hampshire professor Nancy Kinner gets her way, many other bays and harbors around the world will soon be more prepared as well.
Kinner and her colleagues at the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) at UNH have developed a tool that greatly increases the efficiency of oil spill clean-ups, a tool that is currently being used in Portsmouth Harbor.
Sitting in her office, surrounded by maps of various harbors and oil spill trajectories, Kinner credited a summer job at the Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island for first introducing her to the field of bio-engineering- the field that eventually brought her to the CRRC.
At the laboratory, Kinner was “bit by the science bug” and never looked back. And today, oil spill response teams are very glad she didn’t.
The tool Kinner developed works to bring together all of the information needed to properly respond to an oil spill on one map. This map can then be used to coordinate an efficient clean-up of the spill.
Before this tool was developed different groups of responders, such as oil spill companies, environmentalists, and clean-up crews, would have to gather their own data and combine forces later, Kinner said.
With the new tool, however, the data that was once scattered in many different places is now all together. With one click, responders can bring up a map displaying possible oil spill trajectories, species that could be affected by a spill, and where equipment that is used in clean-ups is being stored.
Kinner also stated that in addition to increasing a response’s efficiency, the new system is extremely simple to use. The tool is based on Google Maps and requires no special training to operate.
While most students at UNH may not hear about many oil spills, they are much more common than many people believe.
“It depends on where an oil spill occurs,” Kinner said. “If an oil spill happened here, all hell would break loose. But in Lousiana, where there are many oil refineries at sea, thousands of spills occur every year.”
Kinner also said that the majority of these spills are not caused by ships leaking oil, but by storms that damage the huge containers where the oil is stored.
While Kinner knows that her tool is greatly needed now to help clean-up oil spills, she also believes it will be even more important in the future. With traffic increasing in the Arctic, Kinner says that oil spills may become even more common, greatly increasing the need for this new tool.

The Future of Journalism

Before taking a newswriting class, I would tell people, "I am a journalism major, but I don't want to write for newspapers or anything. I want to write books- newspapers are a dying breed." Recently, however, I learned just how untrue that was. After several weeks of finding stories and writing them, I have grown to love writing news stories and really hope to do this as a career. And last week when Steve Damish, a journalist who graduated from UNH, came to talk to my class, I realized how wrong I was when I said that newspapers are a dying breed.

Sure, more and more publications are going online or at least posting online content and videos. But why does this have to be a bad thing? If you ask me, this is a great thing, and does not mean that the original paper form of newspapers will soon be going out of style. So, to do my part to contribute to the field of journalism and the future of newspapers, I am making a few commitments.

I commit to becoming a journalist who always tells the truth. I commit to finding compelling stories that actually matter to my audience and will help to keep the public informed. I also commit to finding news stories that give people hope, since I personally come out of reading a newspaper or watching television news feeling like I have recently developed an ulcer. But most importantly, I commit to helping to evolve the field of journalism. People cannot expect that newspapers won't change at all, but I definitely no longer think that they will die out. Still, I think journalists of the future need to be open to change and not be afraid of the internet or videos or technology in general. Because when it comes down to it, things change. And I just hope that newspapers can keep up. Because I expect that in the year 2100, when people are being driven to work in their self-directing flying cars, they will be using that time to read a newspaper.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the New York Times there was a lot of information about the increasing violence in Mexico and right across the border in the United States due to the activity of drug cartels. There were also a lot of other interesting stories that really caught my eye and that I could really relate to.

Monday- Today I read mostly about the violence of Mexican druc cartels. I had read about this a few weeks back (mainly about how there was more crime in areas right across the border in places such as Arizona), and I was very interested to learn more about it. As a student studying Spanish, I am very concerned with the levels of violence in Mexico, as I have learned a lot about the country and would love to visit there. I had even considered studying abroad there, and articles such as the one on today's front page definitely make me want to go to Spain instead. This article highlighted the increase in home invasions and kidnappings and murders going on not only in Mexico, but also in the United States due to the drug cartels. It also discussed and had a map about the different cartels that control Mexico's drugs. The map depicted where each cartel has control and also gave information on which cartels are fighting with each other and which are allies. Reading all about this made me realize just how much control these drug cartels have in Mexico, not only in the world of drugs and crime, but also simply in general. Through violence and fear, they seem to have the upperhand on even the Mexican federal government, which clearly cannot control them. This really worries me, and the fact that their violence is so rapidly spreading to the U.S. really makes me hope that President Obama does something about this very, very soon.

Tuesday- Today I read a story that really interested me and that I also thought could be turned into a local issue story around the UNH campus. This story was on the front page and discussed a 19-year-old girl who when she was 13 was strip-searched at school because it was suspected that she had prescription-stength Ibuprofen on her person. The school claimed that its zero-tolerance policy on drugs gave them the right to do this to the girl, since they had reason to believe she had drugs, however, the girl (who says she was emotionallt traumatized by the experience and had to change schools) is now sueing the school in a case that has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. This could be turned into an issue story on the UNH campus because it is something that is relevent and relatable for all students. The main question is, what are a student's rights when it comes to searches? There have been many cases surrounding this question in the past, and schools have often won, saying that they can randomly search students bags or lockers, etc. But I personally believe this school went way too far by strip-searching this child. I also think it would be really interesting to know what UNH administrators believe are their rights as regards to searching students and then to also see what the students believe their own rights to be. I think they would most likely differ.

Wednesday- Today I read a story about YouTube being blocked in China. This story really made me realize just how lucky we are in America and how many rights we really do have. The article explained that the block occurred soon after a video was posted on the site that showed Chinese police officers brutally beating Tibetan protestors, an event that caused on protestor to die. According to the article, the Chinese government routinely filters Internet content and blocks material that is critical of its policies, so I guess that is why this video was blocked. This really amazed me- that a government would really control what its people was allowed to view on the Internet. I knew that China was nothing like the United States, and that its government was always very concerned that its people only heard and say good things about it, and only spoke well of it, however, this story made me realize just how extreme it is. I think that I quite often forget that not every country is like the United States. We have so many rights and, despite its flaws, a government that really is working for us, and not trying to control us. This article helped me to remember that.

Thursday- Today I read a story about an art investor who basically turned his gallery into a Ponzi scheme, and it really made me wonder who can be trusted in this economy. It seems like more and more we are hearing about people scheming others and coming away with thousands and millions of dollars. This particular man swindled money from investors in his art and gallery, and was arrested in his home this morning. He was charged with 100 counts including grand larceny, falsifying business documents, fraud, forgery, and perjury. This sounds almost like the Madoff of art dealers. While I was reading this article I just couldn't help but think how sad it is that in this terrible economy, people are willing to steal from others, others who need money just as much, if not more, than them.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the NY Times there was a lot of very interesting stories- a lot, of course, about the economy, but also a lot that really caught my eye by being out of the ordinary.

Monday: Today the story that really caught my eye was on the front page and it was about an assault against British soldiers and two pizzamen by suspected Irish Republican Army dissidents. This really got my attention because I feel like people are always so focused on the violence taking place in the Middle East that they forget that violence occurs elsewhere, too. I know I sometimes forget about the terrible violence that occurred between the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland, and the Irish fighting against British rule in their country, and often think of the country as a happy and peaceful place. And while there has been a lot more peace in the past several years, this attack is a reminder that peace is never perfect. I think it is important for people to not only focus on problems that occur in some places in the world, such as the Middle East, but also remember that there are other places in the world that need help and attention. And I really hope the violence does not escalate any further.

Tuesday: Today I read a very interesting story that links having an older father with having a lower IQ. This article said that when children were tested at 8 months old, 4 years old, and 7 years old, the children of older fathers scored lower on IQ tests and other cognitive tests, highlighting some of the risks of postponing fatherhood. In contrast, children with older mothers scored higher on such tests. Researchers say that while the differences between the children of older fathers and younger fathers were slight, they were common. This really surprised me, since I never would have really thought that the age of a parents could affect the intelligence level of their child. I always thought older parents might have a harder time conceiving a child, but I definitely never would have thought it would make a difference like this. According to the article, the decrease in IQ scores could be due to a steady mutation of men's sperm over the years. Still, I would have guessed, if anything, that having a young father might lower a child's IQ score, if only because younger parents may not be as mature and responsible about educating their child early on. It seems, however, that nature might win out over nurture in this case.

Wednesday: Today I read a front-page story about a debate in Europe over the castration of sex offenders. Apparently, sex offenders in the Chezch Republic have been surgically castrated, removing some of the tissue that produces testosterone, which has helped stop their sexual urges that have caused them to commit crimes. The debate involves whether this punishment is too cruel, some people believing it should not even be offered to prisoners as an option for them. While I believe that no sex offender should be forced to be surgically castrasted, although this would make children and other possible victims safer, I do believe that the option should be available. One sex offender was extremely glad he had the procedure done, and I think that other sex offenders would make the decision to do the same on their own, especially if it would help them to go back into society sooner. Still, I definitely think this should be the choice of the prisoner and nothing that could be a forced punishment.

Thursday: Today I read about the FBI raid of the office of Vivek Kundra, the 34-year-old named by Obama last week to oversee the government's computer systems. While the article said that Kundra was not the target of the raids, a few other employees of the office were arrested and an investigation is in the works involving bribery, fraud, money-laundering, and conflict-of-interest violations. It seems to me that Obama has had a lot of problems with his nominees for various positions and I wonder if this last appointed official will be next. While it does not seem like Kundra is not part of the corruption, I hope that the FBI and the White House do a full investigation in order to be completely sure. Having another corrupt politician in Washington is not something our country needs.

Big Cat Causes Big Trouble

A 146-lb. Romanian spotted leopard named Fluffy was discovered missing from the Durham Zoo when it opened at 7:30 a.m. today. The animal was last seen at 9 p.m. on Tuesday when the zoo closed.
“We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went,” said Gerry Durrell, the director of the zoo. “We are searching the grounds of the zoo but so far we haven’t a clue. She may have left the area and she could be walking around Durham at this point.”
While confusion was high at the zoo grounds this morning, police and witnesses helped to piece the story together.
According to Newmarket resident James Petronkis, 36, he noticed something was wrong with Fluffy’s cage when he arrived at the zoo at 7:3O a.m.
“Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no nest- there wasn’t even any straw,” Petronkis said.
Petronkis told a guard he believed something was wrong with Fluffy but the guard ignored his concern. Feeling sure that something was wrong, he pulled a fire alarm and talked to another guard, Petronkis said.
Zoo officials finally checked the animal’s cage and found that Fluffy was indeed missing.
“All hell broke loose,” said Petronkis, who hid behind a building to watch while other visitors were being forced out of the zoo. “Police cars come from every direction...Cops with guns drawn were everywhere. People were screaming. It sounded like a thousand cars squealing their tires. It was mayhem.”
While police and zoo workers searched the zoo grounds for Fluffy, armed with guns, the zoo’s chief biologist, Kitty Smith, warned the public that Fluffy could be dangerous.
“If these cats are cornered—encountered on a dark night—their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly,” Smith said. “We urge anyone who encounters Fluffy to get to the ground and lay still.”
Police Chief William Blair also spoke at the press conference, and said that because the zoo is near a residential neighborhood and elementary school, the police are determined to find the animal before 3 p.m. when school lets out.
“We have asked the New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department to help in the search,” Blair said. “We’re going to find this cat if it kills us.”




Softer Lead:
The Durham Zoo opened this morning with one very important resident missing- Fluffy, a rare Romanian spotted leopard.
The visitors that usually fill the zoo were soon replaced with police armed with tranquilizer guns and high-powered rifles as the search began for this 146-lb. cat.
“I knew something was wrong right away,” said Newmarket resident James Petronkis, who said he arrived at the zoo when it opened as he always does to see Fluffy. “Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps. But there was no nest- there wasn’t even any straw.”
After ignoring Petronkis’ first warnings that Fluffy was missing, zoo officials checked the animal’s cage and realized Fluffy was gone.
“All hell broke loose,” said Petronkis. “Police cars came from every direction…cops with guns drawn were everywhere. People were screaming…it was mayhem.”
Police Chief William Blair outlined the search plan to find Fluffy at a press conference held at the zoo at 9 a.m., saying that if the animal was not found at the zoo, police would begin to search the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
This search plan, however, was not needed. After canvassing the zoo grounds, the leopard was finally found- asleep under a pile of hay in its cage.

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the New York Times, there were lots of really interesting stories, it was hard to just pick a few to write about! But I guess I will give it a go.
Monday- Today I read a really interesting story about the conterfeiting crackdown in China, specifically in Beijing's Silk Street Market where many vendors sell knock-offs of designers purses. This crackdown, involving five major design companies, Prada, Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton, suing the Silk Street Market, has caused much unrest and many protests from the vendors. The vendors' lawyer claims that the vendors are "too ignorant" to realize what they are selling. To me, that sounds like a poor excuse. The vendors are looking to receive compensation for the money that they have lost with this recent crackdown, and I find this a little ridiculous. China is a place where so many goods are counterfeited and pirated, and while it is unfortunate if that is the only way these vendors can make money, what they are doing is illegal, and I don't see how they deserve any compensation. If anything, the companies whose goods are being copied and sold for very little money deserve compensation.
While this article interested me just because of all the controversey and the two distinct sides to this issue, I also found in interesting that China is actually doing something about stopping pirated goods from being sold. I feel as though here in the U.S. people are constantly stealing music and movies offline and yet almost nothing is done about it. Yes, some people have been find thousands of dollars for getting pirated music offline, however, out of the many, many people I know, pretty much all of them have stolen music. And I do not know one person who has ever been fined or even warned of a fine. Perhaps the United States should also try to crack down on vendors who sell pirated goods, or find a more efficient way to keep people from getting pirated goods online.

Tuesday- Today my eye was immediately caught by the story involving the secret letter that Obama sent to Russia's president. The letter supposedly said that if Russia helped to stop Iran from developing long-range, nuclear missles, that the United States would not deploy a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe, which Russia did not want built. While I realize that stopping Iran from making nuclear and long-ramge missiles is very important, I fear that not deploying the missile defense system is just as dangerous as Iran with weapons. Also, it is obvious in the article that Russia did not want the missile defense system built, or, if it was to be built, wanted it on their turf so that they could ultimately help to control it. This makes me wonder what Russia is so worried about. And while we are on better terms with Russia than we are with Iran, seeing the conflict between Russia and Jordan last year, it makes me wonder if we should be so willing to make deals with them.
The defense of our country is just so very important in this day-in-age, and while I am sure this deal was meant to help protect our country from Iran, I wonder if this is the best way to go about it. If the United States, one of the most influential countries in the world, has not been able to keep Iran from making weapons, who is to say that Russia will be able to?

Wednesday- Today I read about a very interesting new frontier of the debt collecting business- collecting from the dead. The article discusses how a new group of employees at debt collecting companies are trained to be empathetic listeners, and then go out and start collecting from either the estates of those who have died and still owe payments on credit cards or utilities, or from the relatives of these dead people. This is apparently the area of debt collecting that is the most succesful, in fact. Because relatives often feel compelling to grant the last wishes of a loved one or want to honor their memory, they are often more willing to pay the debts of their passed on realatives than living people are willing to pay their own debts.
While it is important that at least one area of the debt collecting business is healthy and strong, I was a little disappointed to read that debt collectors do not make it totally clear to relatives that they are not required by law to pay their loved one's debts. While they will tell them they are not legally bound to pay if someone asks, a lawyer whose firm handles deceased debt collection said that if a relative does not ask, they won't tell. This does not really seem fair to me, and I hope that more people realize they are not legally bound to paying the debts after reading this article.

Thursday- Today I read an article that went more in depth about the salmonella outbreak and the third-party audits that occur at major food production plants across the country. The article mainly focused on one auditor, Eugene Hatfield, who last year inspected the Peanut Corporation of America, the plant that was the original source of the salmonella outbreak that sickened thousands of Americans. I was shocked to read about the details of this inspection. For one, the plant knew in advance that Hatfield was coming and so had time to clean the plant, making it better than usual actual conditions. Also, even though Hatfield was going to the plant on the request of Kellogg, who uses the plant's peanuts, he was paid by the plant itself, which in my eyes would make him more likely to favor the plant. Also, he did not even test any of the food products for food-borne pathogens, which seems to me should be a very important aspect of the inspection. This lack of testing is apparently common procedure for testing by third-party auditors, which doesn't really seem to make sense.

Detention May Soon Replace Saturday Morning Cartoons

Students at Portsmouth High School may soon have a new reason to behave- special Saturday morning sessions for students with disciplinary problems.
At a meeting of the Portsmouth School Board Monday night, School Board member Tim Steele made a motion to approve this new policy that would replace in-house suspensions with Saturday sessions on several weekends during the year.
Steele said that the new policy is being proposed in order to decrease the number of in-house suspensions, which require that students spend a school day in an empty classroom and miss class time. The new policy would no longer require that students with disciplinary problems miss any class time.
Still, many parents and high school students are not pleased with the proposed plan, saying that it is inconvenient for the students and their families.
“I’ve never served a detention and I don’t intend to,” said Lisa Gallagher, a senior at Portsmouth High School. “I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don’t have to deal with detentions during the week. “
Peggy Bacon, a parent of a Portsmouth High School student, also spoke out against the new policy Monday night.
“I work six days a week- including Saturday morning,” said parent Peggy bacon during a discussion of the proposal. “It’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday…I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it-in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays.”
Steele responded to these doubts, saying that the Saturday morning sessions will make students think twice before breaking school rules.
Portsmouth resident Bob Farley agreed with Steele and the new policy, saying that he liked the idea of the new rule.
“Parents can whine all they want about this, but maybe it’s time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids,” Farley said. “Maybe if [students] have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they’ll start wising up.”
After discussing the policy and hearing from the public, the School Board requested that Steele return to the next meeting on March 7 with figures on in-school suspensions so far this year. The proposal will be kept on the table until that meeting after a 5-3 vote.


The agendas of all School Board meetings are available on the City of Portsmouth website: www.cityofportsmouth.com

A Sign of the "Times"

This week while reading the New York Times, I tried yet again to broaden my horizons and not focus too much on those stories relating to the economy. Although this was very hard to do, with trying I found that when I look further than those stories on the front page, there are many just as important and possibly more interesting stories embedded in the pages after the front page. While I always read through the entire news section, I often focus more on those stories on the front page. But after this week, I will be sure to give just as much attention to those stories behind the cover.

Monday- Today I read a pretty humorous story about the effort to "rebrand" the No Child Left Behind Act. Because the act is so closely tied to Bush's administration, and as his popularity slid, so did the popularity of the act, Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants to rename the act. The No Child Left Behind Act, which has often been critcized as being too difficult to follow (Bush wanted schools to make students of all ethnicities and income levels proficient in math and reading by 2014), was given many nicknames during Bush's presidency. Some of these names include the "No Child Left Untested" act and the "No Child's Behind Left" act. And today, with the focus on renaming the law, people are still mocking it. The "Mental Assest Recovery Plan" is just one teasing suggestion on an Eduwonk.org blog where a former member of the Clinton Administration is holding a renaming contest.
With all this talk of rebranding and renaming of the law, I really got to thinking. If people are mocking the act and criticizing it, shouldn't the law itself be changed, and not just the name? The focus should be more on bettering education, and less on making sure our laws have great names.

Tuesday- Today I read a very disturbing story about the increase in violent crimes in Arizona, specifically in places along the border with Mexico. Due to drugs and illegal immigrants being smuggled into the United States from Mexico, crimes such as kidnapping and hostages being held in their own houses are becoming much more common. In fact, the number that truly shocked me was that kidnappings and hostage situations have rose from just 48 incidents per year in 2004, to 241 in 2008. That is such a huge jump and clearly shows the problems that Mexican drug cartels are bringing into our country.
This story really struck me, however, because it reminded me of a movie I watched in my spanish class last year about Ciudad Juarez, a town in Mexico, just over the border from El Paso, TX, where hundreds of young women have been violently murdered since 1993. Many of these young women were buried in mass graves, and even more remain missing, their bodies never found. The majority of these cases have not been solved, although many people believe that drug cartels are to blaim. At the time that I saw this movie, the crimes struck me as horrible, but also distant. I never thought something like that would happen in America. However, with the increase in kidnappings in Arizona, it makes me worry that such a terrible thing could actually happen here. I think that something serious has to be done to make sure that Mexican drug cartels do not bring their crime to the United States anymore than they already have.

Wednesday- Today I read a very interesting story about how some colleges are beginning to offer three-year programs in which they can earn a Bachelor's Degree. This sounds like such an amazing plan to me, since with the economy in such bad condition it would be great for students to be able to save several thousand dollars. Plus, the program does not even involve students taking classes over the summer, so they would still be free to take a break from schoolwork, have a job, or get an internship. All of the pieces of this program sound like a really great opportunity for families with kids in college to save some money, and for students themselves to reduce the debt they must pay off in the future.
With such a great plan, I was very surprised to read that there has not been much excitement or support for these programs from students or faculty. I really can't understand why this is. Sure, it may not be as fun for a student to not graduate with their friends, or it may be more work in a shorter period of time, but with the economy in its current state, I would think that saving almost $40,000 dollars in some cases would be more important. All I know is that if UNH ever decided to do such a program you could sign me up!

Thursday-Today I read the Times online, and read about a bill that just passed through the Senate, which would give the District of Columbia representation in the House of Representatives (the same bill would give Utah one more representative due to an earlier compromise). There is much debate over this issue, as many people believe that it would take an amendment to the Consitution, not simply a bill, to give the District representation in the House. This is because the Constitution clearly states that in order to have representation in the House, an area must be a state, and it also clearly states that the District of Columbia is not a state, but a very unique city. I personally believe, as do others working to resolve this issue, that if the District of Columbia wants to have representation in the House, the land should be given back to Maryland, and the population added to increase that state's number of representatives. Seeing as the city was created with land ceded from Maryland this, to me, would make the most sense and would also be the simplest solution. As of now, however, I don't really think that is going to happen, and I am very interested to see what comes of this debate.

High Speed Chase Ends in Suspect's Death

After a chase involving a borrowed car and an elevated train came to an end Sunday afternoon, a New York City detective shot and killed a suspected assassin.
The chase began when Police Detective Jimmy Doyle, of the Narcotics Division, was fired upon by the suspected assassin, Pierre Jeantot, 36, of Nice, France. According to police records, Jeantot was allegedly working for a French drug dealer whom Doyle had been investigating.
Jeantot fired at Doyle from the roof of an apartment building at 1767 W. 57th Avenue, killing a local resident, Betty Badluck,63, who was walking her granddaughter outside of the apartment.
Jeantot fled the scene and boarded an elevated train at the 35th Street Station. Doyle took a car from a bystander and followed the train on the road beneath the tracks, the chase finally ending at the 15th Street Station, where Doyle shot Jeantot in the back.
“Certainly we don’t condone officers commandeering cars and driving dangerously,” said New York City Police Chief Morgan Freeman. “But we are certainly grateful for [Officer Doyle’s] bravery.”
On the train, Jeantot shot and killed Roland Evans, 34, of Brooklyn, a 15-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, and the conductor, Horatio C. Hornblower, 30, of White Plains.
According to an eye witness on the train, Betty Lou, of New York City, police onboard the train followed Jeantot towards the conductor’s cabin.
“When I saw police running through the cabins, my first instinct was to run away,” said Lou. “But I like to know what is going on…[so] the police officer ran past me and I followed him into the first cabin, and then the man with the gun shot the conductor.”
While in pursuit of the train, Officer Doyle nearly hit a woman, Margret Johnson of Manhattan, and her 2-year-old daughter while they were walking.
“I was taking my baby for a stroll when I heard a commotion and I say a big burgundy car coming right at me,” Johnson said. “I just froze, and he swerved the other way and almost hit us.”
While Doyle’s use of deadly force in shooting Jeantot was justified by the New York City Police Department, questions have been raised by the public about the way he handled the entire situation.
“I did not know it was a police officer when I was almost hit,” Johnson said. “But he could have handled it another way- he was putting a lot of innocent people in harm’s way.”
Police Chief Freeman, however, stands by his officer and his actions.
“If he attempted to stop the train by any other means, he could have lost the suspect,” Freeman said. “And while we obviously wish we could have brought [Jeantot] in alive, it’s better than not bringing him in at all.”
New York City Police Commissioner Ruth L. Ess agreed saying, “We would have preferred to see Jeantot prosecuted in the courts, [but] we commend Detective Doyle for his bravery and quick thinking under very trying circumstances.”

A Sign of the "Times"

This week in the New York Times, there were plenty of stories about the economy again, but seeing as I am getting pretty depressed while reading those, I tried to steer clear and read about some other stories that caught my eye. Still, it's hard to completely pass stories by about the economy when I know that the second I get out of college I may easily be in way over my head with debt from school and without a job.

Monday: Today I found a very interesting article that really appealed to me, since I am really into cooking and also nutrition and eating well. This article looked at the cookbook The Joy of Cooking to see if the calories of the recipes increased from its first edition in the 1930s to today. With obesity such a problem in America, I was very interested to see if calories in the cookbook recipes had increased. I usually think of huge portions in restaurants and too much fast food and fatty foods being served at restaurants as the biggest problem in the US' struggle with obesity. However, according to this article, the meals we cook at home may not be helping. This article reported that 18 recipes in the 1930s edition of The Joy of Cooking had an average calorie count of 196.6 calories, while in today's edition, in these same recipes all but one had an increased calorie count of 39 percent! The new average calorie count is 273.6 calories. This really surprised me, and also made me realize how out of control portion sizes and the consumption of fatty ingredients and foods has become in this country.

Tuesday: Today I read more about the Catholic Church, a subject that really interests me as a Catholic and a person who attended a private, Catholic school for most of my life. While last week I read about the reinstatement of giving out indulgences in some NY churches, this week I read about the continuing scandals surrounding the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. From rehabilitating a group of schismatic bishops, one of whom denied the Holocaust ever happened, to appointing a priest known for saying that it was the sins of New Orleanians that caused Hurricane Katrina as an auxiliary bishop in Austria, Pope Benedict XVI has been making choices that have angered many Catholics, including myself.

To me, all of these decisions are showing that the Church, which with the Vatican II council had liberalized itself some, is going back to some of its more traditional ways and ideas. In other words, when the rest of the world is moving forward, the Church seems to be moving backwards, or at least trying to. Many Catholics are discouraged by Benedict's decisions as pope and are leaving the church. And while church officials are trying to make these decisions seem anamolous, many people believe that Benedict has always had more traditionalist views.
I worry about decisions made by the pope such as these recent ones, as I personally believe the Church should be attempting to move forward with the rest of the world and become a bit more liberal. While I understand that there are fundamental beliefs of the Church that go against some of today's more liberal views, such as the view that gay marriage should be legalized and that women should have the right to make their own choices about abortion, there is absolutely no reason why the Church should become more traditional and conservative. To me, they should really consider their views on gay marriage and abortion, but if those cannot be changed, I hope they will at least stop moving backwards towards old ideas.

Wednesday: Today the story that really caught my eye was about student's expectations and feelings of entitlement, which are leading to grading disputes in college. This article definitely hit home with me, since I know many people who complain about grades and agree with many of the ideas put forth by students in this article. I definitely think part of the problem is that many students believe that their effort, as opposed to the quality of their work, should be the determining factor of their grade. To me, this is just not true. While it is obviously important to give a great amount of effort in school, and this should be encouraged, it should not be what makes a student's grade. This kind of grading would create a sense of entitlement among students, and I think this kind of thinking on lower levels of education and even extra-curricular activities is what it making this a problem in colleges.
I personally believe that parents and teachers today are afraid of telling children they have failed.

Education is so full of trying to make every student think that they are special and just as good as every other student, and building self-confidence. And while it is obviously important for students to have high self-esteem, I think it is just as important for them to fail. If you tell a young student that their work was not as good as someone else but that since they tried they will get the same grade, they will always believe that effort is the key to getting high grades. However, giving a student a lower grade for work of less quality might actually increase their level of effort, resulting in a higher (and rightfully so) grades in the future!

One of my teachers in high school, who yelled at my class for an entire period about this issue after getting too many complaints about the grades he was giving out, said that this kind of teaching style, which attempts to boost children's self-esteem as opposed to boosting the quality of their work, is simply breeding mediocracy. In some ways, I kind of agree with him. In my life, it was not a teacher telling me I put in a good effort that made me try harder in school or become a better writer or better at math, it was failing that made me try harder. It was contructive criticism, and the knowledge that a higher quality of work existed that made me become a better student. This is so important in education, and the lack of it will only increase a sense of entitlement among students.

Thursday: Today was a day when I couldn't escape the economy. With the talk of the government's plan to help pay the mortages of people whose homes are going to be foreclosed all over the news last night (which I personally think may just make people less likely to really try to pay their mortgage on their own), the economy was on my mind. So, when I saw an article in today's Times talking about the increase in people needing to go to soup kitchens, I was very intersted. This article definitely shocked me- demand at food banks increased 30 percent from 2007 to 2008? That is such a huge number, and it really made me realize just how hard the economy is for people now. The article highlighted the "new layer of people" that now have a need to go to a soup kitchen or food pantry- people who once lived well above the poverty line, such as bankers, nurse's aides, secretaries, and even people who work at software and marketing firms, are losing their jobs and in some major financial trouble. I guess this article also made me realize how lucky I am that both of my parents still have their jobs, and that it is very unlikely they would lose them.

This week's New York Times

This week when reading the NY Times, I focused a lot on all of the stories involving the stimulus package that Obama wants passed. I was really interested to see how muchthe Democrats were going to have to change of the original plan in order to get enough votes for it to pass. There were several other stories, however, that also caught my eye.

Monday- Besides the story about the stimulus bill, I was very interested in the story about the peanut plant and the problems that were over-looked, causing the salmonella outbreak. This caught my eye mainly because it has been such a big topic lately, and because I love peanut butter! I couldn't believe some of the horrible conditions that were present at this plant. It was truly disgusting, and I was shocked at all of the mistakes that were made at the plant. Some of the most basic safety measures, like not storing raw peanuts next to finished peanut butter and having the roaster set high enough to kill deadly germs, were not met, and this really upset me. I think that businesses should have higher standards than that, especially when the product they are making is consumed by the American people.

Tuesday- Today I read a lot about the stimulus package and Obama's plan to restart the economy. While the plan that Obama is proposing seems ok (it is certainly going to be putting a lot of money into the economy!), I am still worried that it won't be enough. I am concerned mainly because I read that although this plan does involve putting huge amounts of money into the economy, economic experts are saying it is not enough money to really save the American economy from its current disastrous state.

Another story that really caught my eye in this paper was the story about how Catholic churches in New York City are offering indulgences to people once again. I was shocked by this, since when I think of indulgences, I think of the selling of indulgences that began the Reformation. Even in the Catholic schools that I attended up until high school, indulgences were always talked about in a way that made them seem looked down upon. I never would have guessed that the Church would bring them back. To me, even though the selling of them is outlawed, giving out indulgences seems to be almost making religion materialistic. It also just kind of seems like another way for the Church to scare people into sinning less. I do not believe that scare tactics should be a part of religion.

Wednesday- Today the story that really caught my eye was the story about the tornados in Oklahoma. I was drawn to this because of its drama. Tornados are really scary, if you ask me, and the fact that this one happened during the winter made the story even more dramatic. Looking at the pictures of the damage, along with the words of those people that had survived the storms was very sad, and it really showed the devastation that occurred. It reminded me of the tornado that touched down in New Hampshire this summer. The pictures from that were just terrible, and I knew people who lived very close by to where that storm touched down, so I think that experience helped to bring this story closer to me.

Thursday- Today I was interested in the story about the stimulus bill again. I was mostly interested in reading about what parts of the bill were changed, with one of the major changes being less money given to schools for rebuilding and renovations. While this is unfortunate, it really made me think. When I was in high school, my school was in the middle of undergoing a 10 million dollar renovation, including an entire new wing to the school building, a fourth parking lot, and a brand new field and stadium complex. And while all of these things were really nice, and the field was great for playing my field hockey and lacrosse games on, in several of my classes we did not have enough books for all of the students. We would not be able to bring the books home and would have to share them with other students in the class. I couldn't understand then why my school was spending millions on a new football field when we didn't have books, and I wonder now if the focus should be giving money to schools to use for whatever they may need most, and not simply to rebuild or renovate. While nice school buildings are important, learning materials are even more important.

Friday- Today I read some stories online, and was drawn in by the stories about the plane crash in Buffalo. This is just so sad, and makes me a little nervous to fly, seeing as that is the second plane crash in about a month that happened in New York. However, the saddest part of the story for me, was when I saw a headline that stated that one of the people who died in the Buffalo crash was a 9/11 widow on her way to celebrate what would have been her husband's birthday. This completely shocked me and really got me thinking. It's just so strange how life works sometimes, and this story just really made me feel for the family of that woman and her late husband.

Tourist Narrowly Missed by Train at Old Orchard Beach

Tourist Narrowly Missed by Train at Old Orchard Beach
Danielle Curtis

A man was narrowly missed by a train Monday morning when his car stalled on the tracks in Old Orchard Beach minutes before the arrival of an Amtrak Downeaster.

80-year-old Francois Truffaut, a Canadian tourist, was found unconscious at the wheel of his locked car around 6 am by 17-year-old James Laboke, a resident of Old Orchard Beach. Laboke ran to the nearby police station when he was unable to wake Truffaut.

An Old Orchard Beach police captain, Janet Paradiso, was a mile away from the railroad crossing when she heard the call on the radio. When she arrived at the scene minutes later, she said she heard the train approaching.

“I knew there was no time,” she said. “I had to do something.”
Paradiso pushed Truffaut’s car from the tracks with her cruiser only thirty seconds before the train passed by, said Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Brian Paul.

Truffaut is a diabetic and according to the police report may have gone into insulin shock while driving across the tracks. He was brought to Southern Maine Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition, thanks to the quick action of both Laboke and Paradiso.

“I never thought about it,” Laboke said later. “I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by a train.”

Laboke’s actions were no shock to his employer, Charles Champaigne.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Champaigne said. “That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”

This week's NY Times

Out of all the stories I have read in the Times this week, the ones that caught my eye the most are all about President Obama and the economy. These stories really interested me because as a poor college student, I am really hoping the economy picks up by the time I graduate. By the looks of these stories, I am really not sure if that will happen. Today I read about how President Obama has formed his own Economic Recovery Board in order to help with his stimulus plan and other plans for the economy.

As a person who did not actually vote for Obama (probably the only person on the entire UNH campus who didn't!), I am very interested to see what will happen with his stimulus plan and other plans for this country. While I am not sure that I agree with all of his ideas, I am really hoping that he is able to pull the economy out of its current state. Otherwise, I think I am destined to be living in my parents basement.

While stories about the economy caught my eye because it is something that worries me a lot, another story caught my eye this week that I found extremely interesting. In Thursday's NY Times, on the front page, there was a story about a Nazi war criminal who had been a fugitive for years, and how is it now known where he had been hiding since the war. I found this story very intriguing, as the people that he lived with in Egypt (the place where he had been hiding out) had described him as the kind of person anyone would love to be friends with. He was nice to their children and gave to the community and seemed extremely friendly and loving. This amazed me- that a man who could perform such terrible atrocities to Jews during the Holocaust could then be such a nice person. I suppose he was trying to make up for his mistakes, or maybe this story is the perfect example of how even good people can be caught up in terrible things. Mob mentality to the extreme. Whatever the case, this story definitely made me want to read more.

Accident Injures Two Young Victims

Who: Jamie Peterson, driver, and 2 passengers
What: car swerved off road and flipped over
When: Monday night at about 9pm
Where: Mile Hill Rd., Belmont, Mass.
Why: car was speeding, alcohol a factor? Gravel, no street lights
How: car flipped when going around turn

Two people were injured Monday night when the car they were riding in hit an embankment and flipped over on Mile Hill Road in Belmont. The driver of the car was unhurt.

The driver, Jamie Peterson, 17, of Belmont, was able to crawl out of the car on his own.

The injured passengers, two young females, were pulled from the wreckage after 45 minutes of using the Jaws of Life. They were sent to Memorial Hospital in Belmont, where one is currently in stable condition. The second victim was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Peterson was driving on Mile Hill Road at about 9 p.m. when his white Mustang swerved off the road, hit an embankment, and flipped over. The accident was called in by Josie M. Crandall of 27 Mile Hill Road after witnessing the accident.

“I’ve never seen a car going so fast on this road,” Crandall said. “It’s a dirt road, and it’s really easy to lose control.”

Two people were killed on Christmas Eve of 1998 in an accident that occurred at this same spot.