Maha's Comm 303 Blog

It’s definitely not just us that are ready for these winter storms to come to an end. In Europe, roughly 50 people died in at least 4 countries and 45 of them were in France. Most of these victims died while drowning, or getting hit by fallen trees or branches. A shocking 900,000 people were without power in France. This catastrophic storm has led the France finance minister to lower taxes to those affected for 2010.

I like this story because it sheds light on an issue that I don’t believe is getting enough attention. The picture included in the short article literally shows readers the struggle that these unfortunate people are facing. Although I’d appreciate if the author had included more factual information, I think he dispensed a good amount of information in this short article. However, I believe that this story is a great one to include quotes of victims to attribute to the hardships they are facing during this time. The story he includes about the woman swimming out of her bathroom could definitely be elaborated on with quotes and more description so readers can capture the severity of this storm and its impact on the countries.

The concern with drinking at fraternity parties was amplified recently when an LSU student and an MIT student died from alcohol poisoning. Two weeks ago, the University’s president Harvey Smithville reiterated the banning of alcohol from fraternity houses on or near campus property, “Any fraternity in which the members have alcohol will be immediately suspended. A second offense within a year will result in the banning of that fraternity for five years.”

This past weekend, three students, Press Martin, Al Amalek and Rob Smith, from the Alpha Beta Zeta fraternity were admitted to the local hospital with an alcohol poisoning diagnosis. The University responded to the incident by saying, “Our initial investigation indicates that these young men were at a party in the ABZ house. A number of witnesses say alcohol was being consumed by them. Based on that we are suspending the fraternity and all its activities on campus. We have not decided how long the suspension will last.” Jan Mize from the public relations department said that suspensions like this usually last about a year. Martin and Smith were released from the hospital on Monday morning, but Amalek remained behind. Interfraternity Council president Bart Addison was shocked to hear about this incident but believes that the entire fraternity should not be penalized for a few men’s actions. The University may potentially increase the police controls of fraternity houses on the weekends.

a.)          Straight news lead- President Obama made it clear Monday morning that he intends to make a final push for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s health-care and insurance system, offering a new health-care plan that largely embraces the approach already taken by the U.S. Senate.

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022201731.html?hpid=topnews

b.)         Anecdotal lead- When Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht climbed onto a podium at the base of the racecourse here, each raised his arms — Miller a gentle wave, Weibrecht a double-armed pump — to celebrate.

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/02/19/ST2010021905719.html?sid=ST2010021905719

c.)         Summary- A federal judge on Monday morning approved a $150 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America on narrow legal grounds, but derided the regulator’s decision to settle with the bank over allegations it lied to investors as “half-baked justice.”

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022202062.html?hpid=topnews

d.)         A lead I don’t like- The company at the heart of a nationwide outbreak of salmonella illness linked to salami says it has detected the bacterium in sealed containers of red pepper from two suppliers, raising concerns that other foodmakers may have used tainted spices in a variety of foods.

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021804659.html
2. I don’t exactly like this lead because I think a very important piece of the story is WHICH two suppliers have tainted their spices. I think it’s important that readers grasp the main gist of a story from the lead, and this lead is not as clear and informative as I’d like it to be.

After slipping on green beans left on the floor, Ellie Maston sued Amburn’s Produce Market with negligence for $100,000 today.

On April 1^st, Maston was shopping around the Market but left with a broken hip due to green beans on the floor that caused the customer to slip and fall. She has “suffered permanent bodily and mental injuries, incurred medical expenses and lost income,” because of the fall.

This week concluded the three month long silence from Tiger Woods after his one love affair spiraled into many. After crashing his car with a mystery woman, Tiger Woods has been almost shunned from society. The accident only triggered for plenty of other women to come out and confess their love affairs with the golfer. This week, Tiger gave a 14 minute apology speech to his fans and ex-sponsorers. I wanted to highlight how the Tiger Woods apology speech was written, and how one of the reaction articles was written. The apology was written in such a nonchalant way that it did not even seem like Woods was apologizing to the public. Moreover, it seemed as though he was just confessing what the public already knew but giving a few more facts. He blamed his actions on his money and fame, but never came out and apologized saying that he loved his wife and children. This reaction article dissected Tiger’s speech and highlighted to validity, along with irrational points that Tiger rose. This author emphasizes how Tiger managed to make his speech all about him to make himself the victim, which I didn’t really notice when I watched the apology.

Quotation 2: Marilyn Wall, president of the local tire manufacturer Walls Tire Co., said that this year was very beneficial to the company and their employees. Their orders increased 20% from the last year and they recalled many of their laid off employees from previous years. The company was also able to add about 20 new jobs to their factory.

Quotation 4: Jerry Butts, a member of the city council said that they could have either raised property taxes to grant the police with raises, or denied the request for a pay raise and maintain the taxes as they have been. Although the police deserve a raise, the public would not be happy raising taxes to grant them.

Quotation 5: Anita Keller, president of the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving has attended plenty of meetings to reiterate that the laws against drunk driving in this state are too lenient. She believes legislators have not understood the severity of this issue because they are influenced with money from alcohol industries and forgetting that people are dying every day because it.

Quotation 7: Bruce Hill, organizer of an antique automobile show emphasizes how interesting and fun the old cars in the show will be this weekend. His 1929 Packard has been in tiptop shape since the day he left the dealership with it. A majority of the cars in the show will be British cars that can really be of interest to attendees. The shows on Saturday and Sunday will be great and no one should miss out!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user thePhotoZoo.

This young, pale girl is sitting on the floor with her knees bent to her chest and her arms holding them close under her thighs. She is looking up at the camera and her messy hair is pinned back on the right side of her head with what looks like a bow, and her lips are painted with black lipstick. The black lipstick however is centered in the middle of her mouth, almost making her resemble a mime. The dark make up surrounding her top eye lids accentuate her dark eyes and give off an “emo” vibe. The black and white checkered tile she is sitting on also helps with the emotional aura because it’s almost as if she blends in with it. The black tile closest to her left leg minimally reflects the light of the room. Her black dress matches her black boots with her shoe laces not very neatly tied. Her blank stare can make viewers feel sorry for this young girl, making her seem lost or scared. This photo has a vintage look to it. It is not blurry, but also not clear. It looks old with some faded areas and what appears to be scratches on the floor.