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Shark attack in pond kills boater James Parks, his severed leg was found and beaches will remain closed until further notice.

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Boys with cardboard fin cause shark scare that sent swimmers to shore!

CAUGHT!!!

The shark that is believed to have been the cause of the deaths of Alex Kitner and Chrissie Watson was caught and killed this morning.

According to a press release, the fish was caught one mile south-southwest off the shores of Amity by fishermen and Police Chief Martin Brody said the men "will receive a $3,000 reward for their heroic and selfless efforts".

The alleged killer was inspected by marine biologist, Matt Hooper, from the Woods Hole, Mass. Oceanographic Institute.  Hooper, a shark expert, identified the fish as a nurse shark.

National Geographic describes nurse sharks as "slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are, for the most part, harmless to humans".  The nurse shark's preferred diet consists of fish, shrimp and squid so it therefore seems contradictory that the press release describes nurse sharks as "the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks and have been responsible for hundreds of swimmers' deaths".

"Nurse sharks... will bite defensively" said an article in National Geographic, however, they do not typically harm humans and are usually found in along the coasts of South America and Florida.

Despite the ambiguity surrounding the capture of the alleged killer shark, Chief Brody has reopened all beaches and is urging all Amity residents to set a good example for tourists and get out and enjoy all the beautiful Fourth of July weekend festivities.

"I urge all our residents to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water sports of which we all so happily partake" said Brody.

Brody was not so enthusiastic at a town meeting yesterday when he announced that he would be closing all beaches for a 24 hour period.  This announcement had people reacting with shock, anger and comments such as "24 hours is like three weeks!".

However, with the killer shark supposedly caught, beaches will be reopened for this weekend with shark spotters from the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI and local police agencies present to ensure the safety of visitors and residents.

Brody insists these measures are merely precautionary.  "We believe we can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed" said Brody.

Regardless, any shark sightings should be reported to the toll-free shark hotline, 1-800-sharksee.

Higher Education: Not What it Used to be

This article naturally interested me because, as a college student, I want to know how higher education is declining in the US.  According to this article, rising debts, rising costs and shrinking financial/educational returns are undermining the university system.  Obviously I knew about the rising costs of universities (and consequential debts) but it was interesting to learn about the other factors contributing to the decline of universities in America.  Something I liked about this article was that it compared the history of American universities to the present and even compared costs, which was quite a shocker!

Quick Thinking Saves Tree Lighting Ceremony

This article is about the tree lighting ceremony at the annual Holiday Parade in Portsmouth on Saturday night.  According to the article, the tree, which was supposed to be lit at 6pm was lit a half hour late because, when the switch was flipped for the tree to light up, the lights did nothing.  The author used a lot of the narrative techniques we've been using in class.  He dropped the reader into the scene right away.  The story started by vividly describing the anticipation leading up to the lighting ceremony then the sudden "uh-oh" moment when the tree did not light.  One of the paragraphs in the story was just the word "Nothing".  I liked this because it really built up the suspense of the story and made the reader want to know more.  This is something I'd like to try to use in one of my stores at some point.

Obituary: Brian Cobby

Recently, in class, we've been working on a more narrative style of writing news stories.  This obituary, about the life of Britain's only male speaking clock, is very descriptive and cleverly written.  The author incorporated time directly into his piece by re-organizing sentences and paragraphs so reading it felt like the tick of a clock.  Also, the author began by beautifully describing all the places we see time:

"OVER the centuries, Time has dripped in water-clocks and whispered in hour-glasses, ticked in watches and boomed sonorously from bell-towers. Romantics heard it in the roar of avalanches, the creak of glaciers, the crackle of fire in timber and the long susurration of waves on the shore."

I though this lead was a really cool way to start a story because it hooked you with its beautiful descriptions and also hinted at the subject of the story by showing time in nature.

Alex

A local boy was killed this afternoon, mere hours after the maimed body of Chrissie Watson was found this morning, in the waters off Village Beach, in what police suspect is a possible shark attack.

Alex Kitner, 10, was floating on a rubber raft offshore around 2 p.m. today when the attack occurred.

Police say the Amity boy was killed in "what appears... to have been a vicious and unprovoked shark attack". 


Kitner's body has not been recovered but his raft washed up on shore shortly after the attack, ripped and destroyed.

"His damaged raft floated ashore shortly after the incident with what appeared to be a large bite out of it" said Police Chief martin Brody, who witnessed the events this afternoon.


It was a beautiful Summer day and the beach was crowded with people, young and old.  Lounging in the sand or frolicking in the water, everyone was enjoying the nice weather and relishing the chance to escape from the heat of the Summer sun.

Children were playing in the water, tossing around a football as Kitner paddled out to the depths of the Ocean.

Commotion quickly disrupted this idyllic Summer's day when Kitner was suddenly pulled under the water.  The kids playing nearby scrambled frantically to get out of the water as worried parents, friends and guardians rushed to the water's edge to ensure the safety of their loved ones. 

Alex's mother, Marion Kitner, called for her son as she paced back and forth in the surf, to no avail.

Mrs. Kitner, who was a witness to her son's attack, is now at Amity General Hospital being treated for shock.  

Police say that today's attack may be linked to the death of Chrissie Watson, whose mangled body was found earlier today on the shores of South Beach.

"We now believe that it may be possible that the Watson death could also maybe have possibly been linked to the possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity" said Brody.

A special meeting will take place at 6 p.m. today in Town Hall to discuss Chief Brody's plan to close the beaches on July 4, the Kitner family's reward for the capture of the suspected killer and a local fisherman's offer to hunt down the shark thought to be the perpetrator.

Chrissie

Police are investigating the death of Chrissie Watson, 17, a senior at Amity High School, who died tragically Sunday during a late-night swim.

Watson's body was found washed up on the beach early this morning by Police Deputy Jay Hendricks.

According to Police Chief Martin Brody, Watson's body was "severely mauled by an attacker of unknown origin" and transported to the coroner's office for a full autopsy.

Watson was last seen alive at a beach party with Chistopher P. Hoggenbottam III, a sophomore at Trinity College, around 11 p.m Sunday night.  The two had been drinking heavily and possibly smoking marijuana.  

Watson and Hoggenbottam decided to go for a nighttime swim at South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy.  The seas were calm and warm. 

However when Watson, who was a member of the Amity High School varsity swim team and an Amity Island YMCA pool lifeguard, did not return, Hoggenbottam began to be worried.

"When Watson did not return from the water, Hoggenbottam notified police at about 6 a.m." said Brody in a press release. 

Although police have not ruled out a shark attack and the investigation continues, Chief Brody wishes to assure all residents that they are in no danger.

 "Our lovely beaches will remain open for swimming pending the outcome of the investigation" said Brody.

The time-bomb at the heart of Europe

The article from The Economist is about the trouble in Europe with the euro.  In the past, France has benefited from the EU's single currency.  However, recently France has been losing competitiveness with Germany and now its economy is looking very vulnerable. This article is of particular interest to me because I am an International Affairs dual major and a French minor who plans to study abroad in Dijon, France next year.  This could potentially affect the currency rate which would certainly impact me as an international traveler.  Also, there have been protests and riots in Spain resulting from problems with the euro so, while I'm abroad, it will be interesting to see how people react to this problem.

arrested on drug charge; pot, cocaine sold in Portsmouth, say police

Ok, here two guys from Andover and Epping were arrested for selling drugs in Portsmouth.  This doesn't really happen all that frequently so I bet the Portsmouth Police Department was excited to have something to do!  It's also kind of weird to think about people selling drugs in a place where you live because I like to think of Portsmouth as a pretty safe city (but, hey, I'm biased).  Another thing I noticed about this story was that is was very to the point and newsy.  Based on what we discussed in class I think this story could be spiced up a bit with some narrative.  Although it is an important story I feel the author could have gotten the information across to the reader in a more interesting way.  The lead was a typical news lead but I think there could have been some descriptions of the felons added to the story to brighten it up a bit.

City seeks suggestions on how to use funds from Connie Bean sale

This article is from my local newspaper, The Portsmouth Herald and it's about something I didn't know was going on in my town (so I'm glad I read it, because now I know what's up where I live).  Basically a local community center was sold in August and the town is now trying to decide what to do with the funds from the sale. One suggestion has been to create a trust with the funds from the sale which would provide funds over a period of time to celebrate events recognizing local service men/women or to improve buildings.  They still haven't decided what to do with the funds but I like the idea of a trust because this way the town will have money for things they actually need instead of just spending the excess money frivolously now.

'Everything you do there matters'

I read this article in TNH yesterday and I was shocked because I actually know the person the story is about.  The story centered around a student here, Carter Gentillhomme.  He served in Afghanistan before deciding to study here and, while abroad, faced such horrors as snipers, shrapnel and suicide bombers.  I met Carter last year at Leadership Camp and I knew that he served in Afghanistan but I had no idea what he did there. I thought it was really inspiring to read the story of a student who experienced so much and who gave so much to his country.  I have so much respect for Carter after reading this article.  On a more "journalistic" note, I thought the quotes the author used were very effective at not only portraying Carter's personality but everything he went through, what he experienced and how he felt about his term in Afghanistan.

Portsmouth offers free downtown parking for holiday season

This three week parking ban is just awesome!  As a resident of Portsmouth, I routinely get stressed out by the holiday seasons because they mean three things for me: tourists, crowds, and (with a car available to me) paid parking.  I hate paying for parking because I frequently forget how long I paid to park which, understandably, results in expensive parking tickets for me.  Because I get a lot of presents from stores in downtown, the parking ban is simply superb because I can do all my shopping without trying to figure out how much I can spend on gifts by subtracting how much I spent on parking.  However, I learned from this article that the town plan a loss of $30,000 per week of the parking ban into their yearly budget.  Although the town doesn't really lose any money, I had no idea how much money parking brought to Portsmouth.  I also think that this ban will bring in more shoppers which might help to counterbalance that $30,000 per week loss.  Happy Holidays to Portsmouth!!!

British Beer Company to open in Portsmouth

I read an article from the Portsmouth Herald about how a new pub is going to open in Portsmouth in April.  I think that this is a good idea for the company because, although there are a lot of pubs in Portsmouth I think this concept will succeed.  The company has 38 beers on tap and imports practically everything from Great Britain.  This authenticity is something I think a lot of people will key into.  Also what with all the hype around the "Keep Calm and" blah blah blah posters and the glamour of the royal family, everyone is thinking British. I also really like looking a new marketing strategies so I think the British Beer Company reaching out to the newspapers this early is smart because people are already starting to think of what's to come come springtime.  Also, this just goes to show that, even if newspapers are becoming "old fashioned", they're still great for advertising!

Barack Obama's second term: Now, hug a Republican

This article was a follow up to the presidential election and Obama's victory over Romney.  The article explained that, though Obama's policies have been seen as unpopular by some over the past four years, he got very lucky in the last few weeks of the election.  The economy boosted just a teeny bit but enough to give Obama something to go on.  However, I thought it was good that the article said that, if Obama wants to have a more successful second term, he must work with the republicans in the senate and in congress.  I thought this was an excellent point because I have always thought that, for the country to be successful, both parties need to compromise and work together so as to have a balanced set of ideals and to have unbiased policies. I liked that the article mentioned this fact because I think too often politicians get caught up in the ideas of their own platform and the ideas of their party that they forget that the other party has valuable ideas that can help the country too.  Hopefully Obama takes this advice because everything works better when people work together and everyone's opinions can be heard, which is what America's supposed to be all about, right?

an charged with OUI in 'Zombie Response' vehicle rollover

It's 2012!  You know what that means? Yup... Zombie Apocalypse!!!  This Eliot ME man clearly think the zombies are taking over before Dec. 21 because Sunday night the driver hopped into his car after drinking with some friends, lost control of the car and rolled it onto the driver's side window.  The car was adorned with many "zombie response team" decals though no zombies were seen at the accident site. The car was removed and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence.  I though this article was really funny.  As an avid watcher of "The Walking Dead" I can see how someone would catch the "zombie hype" floating around these days.  However, I thought it was funny that the driver had zombie response team stickers on his car.  It's obvious to me that he crashed the car because he ran into a zombie.

Comparing two article on Elizabeth Warren

I read two different articles from different sources about the same subject: Elizabeth Warren's first press conference as an elected senator.  In the Boston Herald article, Warren seemed un-knowledgeable, brushing aside questions, answering in short, terse sentences and even passing question to Deval Patrick.  All in all, the article made Warren seem like and awkward public speaker.  Although the boston.com article admitted to Warren answering questions with short answers and even declining to answer questions, they had a "redemption paragraph" for Warren in which they quoted a longer answer she gave so it seemed as though she was not so unintelligent.  I thought the two articles were interesting to compare and contrast because, although they were about the same subject and though they both used the same facts, the articles had different aims in portraying Warren.  In one she seemed to be ditsy and awkward and in the other she was made out to be awkward at first but then eloquent after being warmed up.

Tall ship HMS Bounty sunk by Sandy

This article is about how the tall ship that visited Portsmouth in August and which appeared in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie sunk in Hurricane Sandy.  Fourteen crew members were saved by rescue teams however, one man died and another is still missing.  I chose to read this article because I've seen the ship in Portsmouth and in the Pirates movie.  It was a really beautiful ship and it's a shame it sunk and one crew member died and the other is still missing.  Although I wasn't effected by the Hurricane too much (I just had to stay inside and watch movies all day... not too bad!) this article shows the scope of Sandy and how it had devastating effects on other parts of the country.

Eliot man speaks against Church's push to oppose gay marriage

I chose this article because it is about a topic that I am interested in and feel strongly about.  This elderly Eliot man is speaking out against his Church's push to get their attendees to vote 'no' to gay marriage in next week's election.  I give this guy major props!  His church basically told him that if he votes in favor of gay marriage he will be being "unfaithful to the Catholic doctrine".  To this the man said that he didn't think the church had any right to "be the law that governs civil marriage".  I not only agree with this man's assessment but also have a lot of respect for him.  By speaking out he is going against what his church wants which, for some people, can be difficult.  However, he feels that the public should be informed about both sides of this argument before voting and he wants to get his opinion out there.  He is also worried that, with the Church telling people if they favor gay marriage they are going against the Catholic doctrine, that a surge of un-informed voters will line up to the polls.  This article appealed to me because it is controversial and is timely considering the election is next week.

Flood of storm watchers at local beaches 'just ridiculous'

This article is about how people from the seacoast migrated to the local beaches during Hurricane Sandy to see the wrath of Mother Nature.  I chose this article at first because I was one of those crazy storm-watcher people.  My mom and I header to the water to see the waves, feel the wind and see how high the tide was.  It was really amazing to see the effect one storm can have on the ocean.  I had a blast however I can see how this could be a problem for local police officers.  According to the article, when Governor Lynch declared a state of emergency people were still flocking to the coast.  Police officers had difficulty containing the 100+ people on Hampton Beach, especially when they had other things to worry about.  I noticed on the Portsmouth Herald website that the majority of the article pertain to Hurricane Sandy... clearly that's what the readers want!

Lebanon and Syria: Peering into the abyss

In the aftermath of the final presidential debate, I chose to read about some foreign policy issues discussed.  This article is about how the civil war in Syria is slowly stretching into neighboring Lebanon.  I absolutely loved the lead on this piece.  It dragged the reader into the story by describing a car bomb that killed a senior police officer.  The author used powerful words like gutted and murdered to create an exciting, violent scene.  However, the author also introduced some historical background and some current info. into their lead.  Because this piece is from a magazine I noticed that there are less quotes.  Is this typical for a news magazine?

Young, drifting but back

This article was about the influence young voters have on the presidential election and why young voters may prefer one candidate over the other.  This article interested me because, with the election coming up in the next two weeks, I, as a young voter, really have to start cracking down and making a decision about which candidate to vote for.  As a student on a college campus I see how many of my fellow students support President Obama as many did four years ago too.  However, this article said that some young voters are skeptical of Obama and the promises he made in 2008.  Honestly this article didn't sway me one way or the other but it was interesting to see how the younger population may vote.

New garage opponents say existing parking structure unsafe

I chose to read this article because it's something that would directly effect me and something I feel very strongly about.  the city is considering building yet another parking garage in Portsmouth.  Some say that this new garage will have environmental impacts as well as effect local businesses in a negative way.  Other say that the garage is necessary because the current garages are unsafe and draw criminal activity.  I want to know why this garage will be so much safer than the other garages.  It's a parking garage, why will this one be so much more safe than the others?  As a Portsmouth citizen I am against the building of this garage.  I hate how Portsmouth continues to build up and add unnecessary structures.  One of the charms of Portsmouth is the quaint European feel and the views of the surrounding city and Piscataqua River.  These are the reasons tourists are drawn to Portsmouth every time of year, they don't come for parking garages and hotels.  I think Portsmouth would be damaging their image and tourism if they build yet another garage.  Also, as a young woman living in Portsmouth I can honestly say I have never felt unsafe anywhere in the city, including parking garages.  Portsmouth is a city and therefore does have some crime but, overall, it is a very safe city.  I think, if you're smart and understand the potential risks of walking around alone at night, there is no reason to feel as though you are in danger.

Michelle Obama to speak at UNH on Tuesday

It's actually very coincidental I found this story on Seacoast online because I was just on Facebook and someone posted that the first lady would be visiting UNH on Tuesday.  I think it is so cool to attend a school in a swing state, like NH, because we get so much political attention.  Especially being in college, politicians seem to really focus in on the younger generation, encouraging them to vote.  It's very exciting being on a college campus as a first time voter and as a journalist.  It seems that, during an election year, there is always a story to write about.  Whether it's that debate or this speaker or so and so's smear campaign, there's always some political buzz floating around.  One thing I was wonder though was how can a journalist or a publication make sure their paper isn't biased when one group seems to be focused on the area.  I've noticed that democrats seem to be visiting the UNH area more than any other political group.  As a journalist it's easy to go to these democratic speeches but isn't that only reporting on one side of the presidential race?  How can a newspaper not be biased when only democratic or republican speakers are coming to the area?  Or is that an issue at all?

Delegates switched to appease Ron Paul backers

This is actually a blog post I read by Joe Battenfeld on the Boston Herald website.  I thought it would be cool to read something by a person I met... and it was!  Reading Joe Battenfeld's piece was really interesting because I was kind of analyzing his piece using the advice he gave us on reporting politics.  He followed all of his advice, which was good.  His post was not opinionated at all and just gave the facts to the audience, which was something he was telling our class to do.  He kept reiterating the idea that we shouldn't make our leads (or any part of our story really) too biased or else some readers may not finish reading your story.  One major difference I noticed between this and a regular news story was that the blog post was very short, only a couple paragraphs, but those paragraphs were jam packed full of information.

Grateful for Greeters

This article I read came from the Portsmouth Herald.  I actually saw it on the cover when I was walking around the grocery store today and I figured I'd find out the story behind the picture.  As it turns out, the article was about the Pease Greeters who go to Pease Airforce Base and give soldiers leaving and returning their well wishes.  I found this article interesting because I overheard someone talking the other day about how they'd like to start/join a Pease Greeter club at UNH.  Judging from the happy quotes and smiling faces in the pictures, the soldiers certainly enjoy the extra support from the greeters and a club like that would be a great thing to start up.  Although I originally read this article for the cover photo I really liked the lead of this article too.  It started with more of a description of a soldier being greeted by the Pease Greeters then turned into what the Pease Greeters do and how they work.  I thought the lead was very effective because it drew you in with great descriptions then proceeded to tell you what the article was actually about.

Portsmouth police investigate car with link to missing Colorado girl investigation

As per usual, I like to blog about a story from my hometown.  This article was a bit bigger than I was expecting and, indeed, bigger than usual for Portsmouth.  This story is about how a car was found that has a loose link to a murder investigation in Colorado involving the disappearance of a 10 year old girl on Oct. 5. The car was linked to the case and was also seen in Dexter, ME a few days ago.  I chose this article because, let's be honest, nothing this exciting ever happens in Portsmouth so this is pretty interesting.  This was also written differently than the other articles I read because it was much more to the point and brief.  I thought this was effective because, after reading the title, I just wanted the facts and to know what was going on.  I didn't want that descriptive, creative-writing nonsense, which is not like me at all!

Obituary: Nguyen Chi Thien

I love reading good obituaries.  They're like little stories but they're about REAL people who did REALLY awesome things in their life.  Some are inspiring and make me realize how much someone can do in their life and how much someone is capable of with a dash of determination and a tablespoon of passion.  Nguyen Chi Thien was a Vitenamese poet who was in and out of jails for years because, in 1979, he broke into the British embassy in Vietnam and literally threw his poems at the ambassador.  He wrote poetry all while in jail and actually won some awards, which he heard about through the walls of his various prisons.  I loved this obituary because it was full of descriptions and vivid portraits of the landscape and Thien's actions.  This was a very funny and heartfelt piece and showed me the potential obits have to make really good stories.

The Excluded Middle: Moderates under pressure

     This article is about how moderates in the U.S are currently being criticized from both parties because of their so-so commitment to choosing a party.  I found this article interesting on several levels.
     One: the article was kind of like a profile of one prominent moderate in congress, John Barrow.  The article started with talking about Barrow and the decision's he's made and legislature he's voted for and voted against.  Then, the article took a turn and related Barrow to the over-arching issue here which is moderates in general and how they are being criticized.  I liked this approach because it showed the reader a personal account of how people make decisions and the effects their decisions have on them then relating that person to a group of people to show how there's a problem.
     Two: I also thought this article was interesting because, as I was reading I was thinking, "Hey, this Barrow guy sounds pretty cool.  He can work with democrats and republicans and doesn't really ally himself with one side or another".  I thought that this was a nice outlook on politics because, especially in an election season, I think people get too caught up on which side they're on or being loyal to their party that they overlook important issues that others have to say.  Barrow (although he says he is a democrat) agrees with some of what democrats say and some of what republicans say, I feel this makes for a more well-rounded politician because he's looking at the whole picture instead of just one side.  And yet, Barrow (and people like him) are being criticized for not choosing a side and for being more open-minded, hmmmm, it just doesn't seem right to me.

School Board Story

It’s finally Saturday.  The curtains are drawn to keep out the nagging sunlight.  The pillows are still warm and the room echoes with the snores of sleeping teenagers.  Suddenly, an incessant buzzing.

For these students, Saturday morning spent in dreaming bliss will be ruined by a new policy which will require them to pack their backpacks and go back to school. 

The rule, proposed by School Board member Tim Steele at Monday’s School Board meeting will require students who have disciplinary issues at school during the week to attend an extra Saturday morning session. 

Steele’s goal is to minimize in school suspensions during the week by threatening students with their worst fear: Saturday school.  “I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make students think twice before breaking the school rules” said Steele. 

In school suspensions are given out automatically to students caught smoking in or outside of Portsmouth High School.  Students who miss class time due to these suspensions are not allowed to make up the missed work.  Steele’s new program would ensure students miss no class time. 

 As reassuring as this thought is, parents are not so gung-ho for this new policy.  Peggy Bacon, a parent, does not approve of this idea.  “I work six days a week- including Saturday morning- and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday.  Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well?”

In addition to added challenges for parents the policy will cause taxpayers to pay more.  The proposed policy would require a budget of $3,000 per year for staffing.  “The parents are going to pay for it”, said Bacon, “in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays”.     

Other residents have different opinions.  Bob Farley of 64 Elm St. said that this new policy will require parents to take more responsibility for their children.  “Maybe it’s time the parents of America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids… That’s the whole problem- parents aren’t teaching their kids any discipline, so the kids have no respect for rules” said Farley.

INCOMPLETE!!!

Incorrect french signs at beach prove to be faux pas

I thought this story was hilarious.  Signs at Hampton Beach were confusing French-Canadian tourists because the sign was supposed to say "If you're in trouble, wave for assistance" but, in French read "If you need help, ocean wave".  I thought this was really funny just because the sign is so far from being correct.  At the same time however, I can see how it would be considered a hazard because tourists who speak french cannot read the warning signs.  I assume that this could be a liability issue and the beach is saying this is an embarrassment and does not make NH look too good.  Regardless, I still think it's a pretty funny mistake!

Colorado police announce break in missing girl case

I found this story on Google News and chose to write about it because I haven't really read any crime stories yet.  Although I don't really know the background story to this piece I found the general structure of the piece interesting.  This crime story was very different because it was mostly just facts with barely any descriptions.  The story was short and to the point and very informative.  It was different from the other story I read but it was also good because it was short, to the point and informed the reader about what was going on in few words.

America's election: Everything to Play for

I chose to read this article as a follow up to the presidential debate on Wednesday.  I watched the debate but, honestly, a lot of the economical/financial/tax-y stuff went way over my head.  I wish I understood it more because I think they're very important topics and I feel like, as a voter and journalism student, they're topics I should be informed about.  But anyway, the reason I chose to read this article was to (hopefully) clear some things up.  Although this article did clarify some things, it did a better job at clarifying what the debate meant for the candidates and how far they both have to go before election day.  Something I noticed from this article was that there were not that many quotes.  I didn't think this was a major drawback because the article did a really good job at describing what the candidates said but it was something interesting I noticed.

Train Story Leads

An elderly man narrowly escaped being rammed by the Amtrak Downeaster early this morning when a heroic police officer rammed his car off the tracks.

OR

A heroic police captain rescued an unconscious elderly man from almost certain death when she rammed his car off the train tracks early this morning.

Hundreds join Walk to Prevent Suicide

I always like to read one article from my local newspaper just to see what's going on in Portsmouth.  Also, it's interesting to see the differences in writing styles between local and national news companies.  There's distinct difference in writing style between the article I read about corruption in Brazil and the one I read from the Portsmouth Herald.  The article from the Economist was more creative in the lead while this article was more traditional, with a summary lead.  I chose this article in particular because it was nice to see that there's a suicide prevention walk going on in Portsmouth because I've never participated in that all the 16 years I've lived in Portsmouth.  This article is also very timely considering a boy from Exeter High School just committed suicide.  I'm glad that the local communities are promoting awareness especially after the sophomore Exeter boy took his own life.  I think suicide is something many people feel uncomfortable talking about but it's something important that people need to be informed about too.  10 points to Portsmouth for hosting such a great event!

Corruption in Brazil: worth the wait

This article was very interesting to read because it showed a completely new way to start an article.  This piece from The Economist started with what seemed to be a delayed lead.  In the second paragraph however, the reader realized it was a more anecdotal lead.  The short story described in the opening paragraph was a traditional story told to Brazilians as an analogy for the corruption in their country.  It was cool to see how leads can be combined and used to draw the reader into the story and make them want to finish the article.

Beyond Harry Potter

I chose this article because it is particularly close to me.  I grew up with Harry Potter, they were the first real books that I read and I still continue to re-read them to this day.  The Harry Potter books were what inspired me to read more books and actually consider writing as a serious career.  Last spring break my friends and I went to Universal to go to the Magical World of Harry Potter and, I kid you not, I cried glorious tears of joy when I saw Hogwarts castle for the first time!  Therefore, when I heard JK Rowling was writing a new book, I pre-ordered it immediately.  I just started reading it today and, although it's not Harry Potter, it's still really good!  It's a little weird to hear my favorite childhood author write about adult topics but  I'm still in awe of her writing ability.  I think this article (although more or a review) definitely hits home for a lot of readers because, whether they have read them or their children have read them, JK Rowling's books have reached so many people.  This article just goes to show that anything can be considered news if ti affects enough people!

Man accused of soliciting prostitution at UNH

I was scanning seacoast online this morning for information about what's going on in Portsmouth and came across this article.  I thought it was interesting that I hadn't heard about this until this morning because, well, I live at UNH and I read about it in the Portsmouth Herald.  Apparently a Dover man was arrested after he solicited two girls for sex at a bus stop last night.  The first thing I thoughts I had when I read this were: where was I when this happened? What bus stop?  What time did this happen?   I wonder if I know the girls?  Why didn't I hear about this until now?!  I found it surprising that I found out about this event from an outside source, like Seacoast Online as opposed to, say, student gossip here on campus.  I'm interested to see how many people actually know this happened and I'm going to keep my ears open for more info. while I'm out and about on campus today!

What's up UNH?!

     Yesterday we hunted campus for news stories.  My group went to the MUB and we found lots of different story ideas!  I'm involved in a lot of clubs which help plan and run events in the MUB so I thought it would be really easy to find some cool stories just by talking to people I work with and see all the time.  However, the most interesting story we came across was one which involved an organization I know virtually nothing about.  The man we talked to at WUNH was super friendly, helpful and willing to tell us a bunch of information about his group.  Apparently WUNH wants to work on promotion this semester and they're in the process of switching from analog to digital versions of all their songs, which I found really interesting.
     It surprised me (in a good way) that there was something so interesting going on in the MUB that I had no idea about!  I guess this just goes tot show that if you just get talking to people and ask them about what they're doing, they'll tell you.  From Monday's activity, I found that people LOVE to talk about what they're doing, what they're involved with and activities they participate in.  Just by being friendly and inquisitive you can learn so much!
     The most interesting story I've come across so far has actually been an obituary.  My grandfather's always talking about how, when he reads obituaries he just wants to see the cause of death.  Well, the obituary I read didn't even mention how he died!  There was a sentence at the beginning saying how old the man was but other than that, the whole article was about this man's amazing life and all the cool and interesting things he did with his 90 years.
     I thought this article was particularly interesting because I had just finished reading the chapter on obituaries and it left me awestruck.  I mean, this man consulted Reagan on how to deal with Mikhail Gorbachev!  The history nerd inside me freaked out a little bit when I read that!  The fact that the cause of death was omitted was pretty irrelevant because this man's death was so insignificant compared with the amazing, inspiring life he led.  Like our book says, "'a good obit is about life, not death'" (96).

http://www.economist.com/node/21562880

Leads to Read

"THE rebel fighters, lolling sleepily in a former police station, are suddenly interrupted by a rocket that crashes into the roof over an unoccupied room. Although the Syrian regime has ceded direct control over this and much of the rest of Idleb, a rural province in the north-west, shelling and other attacks from a distance are a frequent annoyance—and worse. As night falls, behind closed doors, a woman sits guessing which village the distant thud of falling shells is coming from tonight. Her children, meanwhile, are busy describing in detail how the mother of a friend had her limbs torn off by a rocket."

This article demonstrates the use of a "scene-setter lead".  It vividly describes a scene, placing the reader at the heart of the action right off the bat.  I really like this type of lead because a) I think it seems fun to write and b) It's like reading a story as opposed to being told what happened.  I can picture it in my head even before I know what exactly happened.  I feel like this type of lead works best for stories about natural disasters because the reader wants to picture the destruction caused and see what occurred instead of just being told "a hurricane happened yesterday".

"IN THE north-eastern town of Yonezawa, Yoichi Funayama, owner of a photo-printing firm, has pinned signs on his shop window decrying both the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as past their sell-by dates. The cheery shopkeeper likens the parties to parents standing outside their burning house arguing about what to do. Only one proposal doing the rounds has Mr Funayama’s support: slashing the 480 lower-house seats in the Diet (parliament) by half."

This lead shows how to begin a news story with an anecdote.  The lead begins with the story of the shop keeper before delving in to the real story here: Japanese politics.  I feel like this type of lead works best for stories where the reader needs to connect with a person in the story.  For example, in this story, not all readers may be able to understand the issues posed on a large scale but when they effect small business owners and local shop owners, readers are more likely to relate to the story on a personal level.

"FOR many Americans the killing of Christopher Stevens, their ambassador to Libya, this week crystallised everything they have come to expect from the Arab world. In a country where the West only last year helped depose a murderous tyrant, a Salafist mob attacked the American consulate in Benghazi, killing Mr Stevens and three colleagues. The trigger for this murder, the riots in neighbouring Egypt and the storming of the American embassy in Yemen? A tacky amateur video about the Prophet Muhammad that the Obama administration had already condemned. Why on earth, many Americans are asking, should the United States try to police a region, when all it gets in return is mindless abuse, blame for things it cannot control, and mob violence?"

I found this lead very effective because it quickly summarized a story I already knew while also reminding me of the "shock factor" of this story.  It's pretty shocking and awful that Christopher Stevens and three colleagues were killed but reminding me of that in the lead sure grabs my attention.  Also, this lead poses a question that many people have been wondering about.  I thought this was very clever because it simultaneously makes the reader wonder about this question while also making the reader want to read more to confirm or deny their answer to this question.

Portsmouth announces the theme for Dec. 1 holiday parade

I also read an article from Seacoast Online to get some local news.  I'm from Portsmouth NH so I wanted to check out what was going on in my town.  While the article I read about Libya was very serious, this article was very light-hearted, and almost fun!  I love going to the holiday parade every year and I usually go with friends.  When I was a kid I used to walk to downtown Portsmouth with my parents and watch the parade (with a cup of hot chocolate, of course!).  That's why this article was so interesting to me, it definitely has an emotional appeal to people who live in the area and remember going to the holiday parade as kids.  It was interesting for me to read this article after reading the article about Libya because it really shows that a news story can be about anything current.  I mean, one article I read was about the attacks on the American embassy in Libya (a very intense subject) while the other was about a local holiday parade (a very non-intense subject!).  All aspects of a news story were in both articles but they were very different stories.  

Libya: Despite everything, it's still a success

I read an article from The Economist about the death of the American ambassador to Libya.  This article was interesting to me because, although it was a news story, it was written unlike many news stories I have read.  The article was on the longer side and didn't use many direct quotes.  The author of the article seemed to prefer to describe the history of why this event happened and how and why things like this might happen again in the future.
I really liked how this article was set up because I've been reading in many places what happened but it was interesting to hear why this happened and how tensions have been building for the past few months, between Westerners and extreme fundamentalist Islams, called Salafists.  Although this story was written unlike other news stories, it was still cool to see the aspects of a news story used throughout the article.  As I was reading, it was clear to see how the author organized what he thought were the most important facts all the way down to what he found the least important facts.  The story shows what we've been learning in action!!!

Thoughts for Food: my news diet

To make sure I stay immersed in current events and what's going on in the world, I set up a (hopefully) foolproof way for me to check multiple sources of news wherever I am!  I downloaded Flipboard and Pulse on to my phone so I can check news sties and blogs (as well as other fun stuff) wherever I am.  I am also now following The New York Times and The Boston Globe on Twitter so I can see up to date news headlines then research them later. Additionally, I signed up for a free online subscription to The Economist so I can even stay updated in international news (which is very fun for an IA student!).
On my Flipboard and Pulse apps I follow everything from major news companies like The Wall Street Journal, BBC News, The NY Times and The Boston Globe to fun humor and fashion blogs, I'm already kind of addicted to these apps so I guess my diet's working!  I chose to use these apps and Twitter and online magazines because I have a smart phone and pretty much have access to the internet all day from the palm of my hand.  Also, if I'm ever waiting around for a class to start or meeting a friend at Hoco, I can check new headlines and news stories instead of playing angry birds or temple run.  The only flaw in my plan is that I have to make sure my phone is charged which, as my friends will say, is a huge struggle for me!

What is News???

News allows people to connect with the World around them.  Whether it is their town or a different continent, news helps people understand current issues by presenting the facts and allowing the reader to come up with his or her own opinion on the subject matter.  News is a way that people gather unbiased facts about what is going on in the world so they can be informed about current issues that affect them.

To sum it up, news is...

• Current
• Interesting
• Enlightening
• A way to understand the World around us
• Informative
• Clarifying
• Unbiased
• Factual
• A way to relate/connect to people and places across the globe