something weird or... weird news by J Schafer

Immigration Interview Revision

2008-12-04T08:38:00.001-08:00

Schafer/IMMIGRANTSTUFF

Opinions on Immigration
By Joseph Schafer

KALAMAZOOO Mich.—Andrew Oberndorf is a typical Kalamazoo College student: white literate and affluent. He wears what some would call typical American clothing: plain jeans and Sam’s Club glasses. He comes from the same kind of ethnic and national background that many Americans do. His grandparents came to the United States from England and Germany—they landed at Ellis Island like so many other immigrants from a more accepting time in American history. Many Americans like Andy have expressed hostility toward modern immigration, but he maintains a sympathetic view.
“I think it’s definitely racist” he said, talking about the way several Americans view Mexican immigrants. “I go to firearms forums on the internet; there are still people in the US who think whites are a superior race.” Andy disagrees with them, and says it’s important to respect the growing minorities in America. Andy speaks Spanish, saying it’s necessary with the ever-increasing hispainic population in this country.
He still thinks immigrants should learn English, though. “This was founded an English-speaking country, it’s our roots. If we all moved to Spain, they’d expect us to learn Spanish.”
The English language is one of many would-be prerequisites for US citizenship; prerequisites that some people have called too exclusive and others have called too lax. Andy said he takes the middle path, and feels that it’s fair for an immigrant to need to learn basic US history and the English language to become a citizen, but every immigrant, legal or illegal, deserves the opportunity.
Equal opportunity citizenship, to Andy, meant no fences or border patrols.
“All that stuff’s unnecessary if we pay illegals the same as citizens. Neither viewpoint can disagree with that practice, logically.” While an outsider might call this view unsympathetic, there is one group Andy and many other Americans feel deserve instant citizenship.
“Any child born inside the border should be a citizen, no matter what.”

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In-Class Obituary, revised

2008-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

Schafer/GUNMAN DEAD

Local Hero and War Veteran Dies
By Joseph Schafer

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--Last night Jeffrey R Ahson, a WWII hero, died of Emphysema in his home. He was 79 years old. It was not his first encounter with death; He was awarded both the Purple Heart and Navy Cross for his acts of bravery during the Battle of Midway. Ensign Ashson crossed the burning deck of the USS. Emery to save three stranded crewmates before taking a gunner’s chair and downing three Japanese Zero Fighters.
Born in Chico, California Mr. Ahson had a life filled with excitement outside of his military career. In 1946 after quitting the Navy he moved to Kalamazoo and became an enthusiastic firefighter. His passion for his work became a hobby, and soon Ahson was known as a firefighter historian as well as an avid collector of firefighting memorabilia. His collection, which includes a restored 1924 fire engine, is now on display at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. After firefighting he became a new car salesman at Don Seelye Ford before retiring in1985.
He is survived by his wife Theresa Alpert of Kalamazoo, Mich; three children: his son Richard of Phillipsburg, Kansas ; his daughter Angela Molino of Omaha, Nebraska.; and his daughter Lela Stalling of Pipe Creek Texas. He is also survived by his brother Richard of San Francisco Calif.; his sister Judith Eaker of Reidsville N. Carolina; and his sister Shirley Solomon of New Jersey.
Jeffrey Ahson was an active member of the community, and has left behind ties as a member of The American Legion post 702, VFW post 4206, the Elk Lodge, Gideon’s International, and the National Checker’s Association. He may be most familiar to locals as an usher at John Calvin Presbyterian church.
Viewings will be held from 4-5:30pm and 7:30-9pm on Friday at Littleton mortuary before his service at 10AM Saturday. He will be buried privately at Memorial Park Cemetary.
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The Elements of Journalism

2008-12-04T08:06:00.001-08:00

Impressions on the second half of “The Elements of Journalism”

The more I read this book the more I realized just how little modern journalism, at least televised journalism, seems to follow these mandates.

The most telling example of this, for me, was the section on journalism as a public forum for the people, and how technology has affected this. I felt personally affected by this section since, as a technophile, I’ve kind of made the just assimilation of technology into society a goal of mine. In this section Kovatch and Rosenstiel talk about how the inclusion of technology, specifically in the interview format, has allowed political pundits to spin news coverage to their whims with very little resistance, something I find utterly terrifying.

As a believer in the power of the internet, I hope someday journalists can find a way to overcome the dominance of spin media, and rather than merely upkeep and man technological mouthpieces, use journalism to expose corruption for the benefit of the populous.

The other thing that stuck out was the story of Jayson Blair, and its parallels to the documentary we watched about Glass. On a practical note I have to wonder: if the New York Times can’t check this guy thoroughly, just how easy IS plagiarism? If it really is as simple as these men have made it seem to be, it’s doubly important to instill a sense of morals in journalists, which motivates me to be a more moral journalist.

Bank Article Analysis

2008-12-04T07:45:00.001-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/business/worldbusiness/05euro.html?_r=1&hp

Article Analysis

Lede: three central banks in Europe sharply cut their benchmark rates on Thursday.

“So What”: The cuts are intended to lower borrowing costs and ease the impact of the recession and came on a day when financial firms announced job cuts across Europe, but particularly in London.

The article then goes on to technically describe the shrinking European economy in terms of percentage points and specific markets, such as housing and the auto industry across Europe. The descriptions roughly go country by country focusing on England and France After the breakdown of Europe, the article outright states that Europe for the first time since the E.U.’s formation, is in a recession.

Then, after a short break, the piece zooms out to New Zealand, and Japan, analyzing the banks cutting rates in many other non European countries.

The kicker is its section on America: The Fed has also begun massive purchases of securities, a strategy designed to force banks to lend more money for investment and spending, rather than hoarding the cash. Known as "quantitative easing," the method reflects a rising conviction that the central bank needs to lower interest rates across a broad spectrum of lending.

However the kicker is kind of undermined by moving back to Switzerland afterward for a single paragraph.

FBI Press release

2008-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

press release about hoax letters

Crime Analysis

2008-10-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

my story can be found at
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081022/NEWS01/810229960&news01ad=1#Family.identifies.body.as.missing.Seattle.girl

What i like about this story is how much it packs into such a short space, as well as its economic writing.

the headline is catchy and inspires sympathy as well as intrigue (why is the Seattle girl dead?), and once we start reading the opening paragraph has an informative lede that answers all 5 W's.

The information is to the point although the use of direct quotes is sparse for my taste. Also the information follows the inverted triangle and becomes less and less explicit as we read down.

What's really cool is that the article functions as a crime article as well as an obituary of the Seattle girl. it tells us about her relatives the circumstances of her death and is informative about possible involvement by street gangs.

a good way to sell papers indeed!

Games vs. Books article

2008-10-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/books/06games.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=using%20video%20games%20as%20bait%20to%20hook%20readers&st=cse&oref=slogin

The Article itself is a hard news summary of not a single news story but an emerging phenomenon. The Lede summarizes the first big of news relating to games as a learning device, but that story is then loosely connected to groups of other stories involving different people all discussing games as a learning tool.

The article tends to have a positive story where a library holds a game tournament for example, but then responds to it with a negative criticism of games, and it switches back and forth so on. The information does not taper, but rather is interspersed evenly.

The oddest thing about the article is that its central issue seems to be a debate about the ability to read a book vs. the ability to read digital media, but that argument is only prominent halfway through. Fortunately despite the controversial issue and the conflicting viewpoints the article remains objective, not saying anything about the argument and just presenting it.

The happy ending is about how a game message board gets one child to read, but it seems like very little payoff after the lengthy article.

Palin Re-Affirms Base in Vice Presidential Debate

2008-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

KALAMAZOO, Mich.---last night’s Vice Presidential candidate debate between Republican Governor Sara Palin and Democratic Senator Joe Biden was a spirited argument that offered few surprises.

Rather than Attempt to sway swing voters, both candidates stuck to party-line rhetoric and reinforced their images while focusing on the economic crisis and the war in Iraq. Senior Senator Biden repeated many of the phrases and positions that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama touted in last week’s Presidential debate with fervor and a smooth oratory style.

Surprisingly to some, Palin held her own against her more experienced opponent by remaining clear and direct throughout. Palin peppered her speeches with attempts to reach an everyman audience with phrases like “doggone it,” “Joe-Six-Pack,” and “I betcha,” even though most of her responses failed to address the prompts in any specific way. Rather she adhered to her platform’s positions on offshore drilling and taxes.

There were a few surprises however: both candidates took a surprisingly middle-of-the-road approach to the curve ball topic of Gay Marriage, stating they support expanding same-sex-couple’s rights but not gay marriage itself. Both candidates took potshots at one another personally with Biden referring to Palin’s tax plan as “the real bridge to nowhere,” and Palin accusing Biden of not supporting US armed troops while his daughter is serving in the National Guard. Neither of these insults were broached by the moderator.

The consensus seems to be that Palin held herself aloft much better than her disastrous interview earlier this week with Katie Couric suggested. Gallup polls however show that swing voters and nondenominational voters are leaning toward Biden’s better orated positions. Palin’s responses were aimed squarely at existing conservatives and Republican voters, not newcomers to the right-wing fold.

Police Ban Radar Guns

2008-10-02T07:02:00.001-07:00

KALAMAZOO, Mich—Yesterday Connecticut State Police ordered a ban of 70 handheld Radar guns after workers claimed the guns caused Cancer. Although State Troopers will continue to use the speed-monitoring devices housed outside of their cars, Connecticut officers will not carry the devices until the radiation emitted by the devices is proved harmless.

The ban, the first of its kind to be filed by state police, was spurred by three worker’s compensation claims filed two months ago. "The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue," said state police spokesman Adam Berluti. "The whole situation is under review."

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Object Description

2008-09-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

There is a water bottle on my desk that belongs to my girlfriend. Right now it is standing upright so the white marks down its side that measure milliliters and ounces are readable. It is bigger than my hand, and I cannot grasp it all the way around.

The body of the water bottle is round and tapers slightly toward the base and the lid. The bottle itself is smooth and thick, presumably to be more durable. It does not give at all when squeezed. The entire bottle is made of a light pink, semitransparent plastic except for the lid which is opaque and black.

That opaque lid is thick and rounded on top, with a ring of grooves to make it easier to grasp and twist off. Another piece of black plastic functions like a strap and tethers the lid to the bottle itself so they can’t be separated and the lid can’t be lost.

Right now small droplets of condensation line the inside. Looking in at the plastic it seems misty or foggy inside, but not because of the plastic itself. For the past few minutes the sun has been rising, warming the air, and evaporating the last few traces of water left inside the pink bottle from the night before.

Presidential Debate Headline

2008-09-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidates Focus on Foreign Threats