AHSON OBITUARY (Revised)

JEFFREY AHSON, NAVY VETERAN, DIES AT 79

by Maris Cohen

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--Jeffrey R. Ahson, a celebrated Navy veteran, firefighter, and former car salesman, died of complications from emphysema last night at his home. He was 79.

Mr. Ahson received a Purple Heart and a Navy Cross for his heroic efforts in World War II, where he was a petty officer aboard the USS Emory.  During the Battle of Midway, Mr. Ahson crossed the burning deck of the ship to save the lives of four injured sailors and gun down three enemy aircrafts.  He was later promoted to ensign.

"Ahson was a genuine American hero," said Jeraldine Fyfe, Lt. Commander of the U.S. Navy in a statement released by Naval Public Relations.

Born in Chico, Calif., Mr. Ahson moved to Kalamazoo in 1946 and began working as a firefighter.  He then got a job as a car salesman at Don Seelye's Ford, where he worked until his retirement in 1985.

Mr. Ahson also collected firefighting memorabilia throughout his life and would display his collection often at local elementary schools.  The remainder of his collection can be found at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.  

In his spare time, Mr. Ahson ushered at the John Calvin Presbyterian Church and belonged to the National Checkers Assosciation, Elks Lodge, and Gideon's International.  He was also a member of American Legion Post 702 and VFW Post 4206.

Mr. Ahson is survived by his wife, Therese Alpert, of Kalamazoo, and his three children, Richard D. Ahson of Phillipsburg, Kan.; Angela Molina of Omaha, Neb.; and Lela Stalling of Pipe Creek, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, Henry Ahson of San Francisco, two sisters, Judith Eaker of Reidsville, N.C. and Shirley Solomon of Newark, N.J., five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Viewings will occur from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday.  Services will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Littleton Mortuary.  The burial will take place at the Memorial Park Cemetery immediately following the service.  The family requests no flowers.

--30--

The Elements of Journalism

When reading Chapter 5, "Independence from Faction," I was struck mostly by the following statement: "Being impartial or neutral is not a core principle of journalism."

I believe that I was struck so profoundly by this statement because so many are afraid to be this honest, or admit that every writer, journalist or not, has an inherent bias regardless of how objective they think that they are on a specific topic.

This then presents an interesting paradox: it's wonderful that journalists can write honestly and maturely enough that they can acknowledge their own biases, but there is a certain point where people need to obtain neutral information from which they can draw their own conclusions.

"The Elements of Journalism" then presents an idea that seems to be a perfect balance: the concept of independence from faction.

"Independence from faction suggests there is a way to be a journalist without either denying the influence of personal experience or being hostage to it." 

What Kovach and Rosenstiel mean by this is that, in their words, "the question is not neutrality, but purpose." I find this to be the most effective way to word this concept because it insinuates that there is a way to write about what you believe in or what you don't believe in without writing for or against it. 

I also thought that it emphasizes that opinions don't necessarily denote bias, and what inspires someone to write about an article should not automatically be interpreted as a conflict of interest.  In that way, the main goal of a journalist should be to write an informative, cohesive piece, and they should choose whether or not to include their opinions in relation to how it affects the formation of this informative, cohesive piece, not in fear of alienating a certain audience or breaking some journalistic belief that there is only one truth.

I also believe that this recognition of "independence from faction" relates to another point made by Kovach and Rosenstiel earlier in the book.  They emphasize the importance of recognizing that there is more to a story than the literal truth, and I felt that this is a concept to which "independence from faction" greatly relates.

Article Analysis (Wk 8)

The article that I'm analyzing can be found here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/26/caylee.anthony.gag.order/index.html

This story follows the progress of the case against the mother in Orlando, FL currently being charged with the murder of her three year old daughter.

The story begins with a typical hard news lead that addresses what has been happening with the case recently.  The lede reads as follows:

"A judge denied prosecutors' request request for a gag order in the case of Casey Anthony, the Florida woman charged with killing her missing 3-year-old daughter, Caylee."

Immediately following the lead is the nut graph, which provides the reasoning for why the judge did not grant the gag order.  The story than progresses in typical hard news story fashion, which is the inverted pyramid structure.  It continues with background information about the case, and includes quotations from the judge about his ruling.

I found the quotations selected by the author in the case to be surprisingly effective; they weren't particularly eloquent or thought provoking, but they were effective in that they communicated concisely why a gag order would not be necessary in this case.

This story featured an "out of gas" kicker.  I normally don't think that these types of kickers are effective since they usually insinuate that the author didn't have anything better to end on and still needed to add in some extra facts, but I think that this article utilized the "out of gas" kicker very well.  Since there was no anecdotal or narrative element to the story, it didn't seem awkward for the article to end on facts.

All in all, I found the article to be most effective because it remained consistent to its audience and structure.

Article Analysis (Wk 7)

The article I'm analyzing can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/world/asia/28scene.html?_r=1&ref=world

The story is about the recent terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.  While it may seem to be a typical hard news story, the article begins anecdotally, chronicling the night of a couple getting married at the hotel the night of the attacks.  

The lead reads:

"For Amit and Varsha Thadani, Wednesday night in the Crystal Ballroom of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel was supposed to be a night they would treasure forever: the lavish start of a life together, with a wedding reception for over 200 family and friends."

The nut graph immediately follows, recounting the specific times and locations of the very first gunshots in the building. 

The story progresses in an atypical format; it follows the structure of the Wall Street Journal formula most closely but not exactly since it ends on a different anecdotal lead than the one with which it begins.  Overall, however, I think that it adheres mainly to this formula since it begins anecdotally, progresses into harder facts, and ends anecdotally.

I found this to be extremely effective because it gave a more humanistic perspective to a story that could have been strictly hard news.  I do think it is important, however, to include some hard news facts in a story like this, and I finished reading the article not really knowing any specific details about what had happened in Mumbai last week. Although the story was captivating and easy to read, I thought that the author should have included some details of the event itself and not just the people whom it affected.

Article Analysis (Wk 6)

The article I'm analyzing can be found here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/11/09/haiti.school.collapse/index.html

This story is about relatives and volunteers frantically searching for children after the collapse of a school in Haiti.  It's a pretty standard hard news story -- the lede is the first sentence, and the nut graph immediately follows the lede,

The lede reads:

"Frantic relatives of people believed trapped in the rubble of a collapsed school picked at the ruins with shovels and hammers Sunday before being pushed back by police amid new safety concerns."

The nut graph describes the setting of the accident, who is attempting to help, and what these people are trying to do.  The story unfolds in typical inverted pyramid fashion, beginning with the facts and progressing with the background story and quotations about the event.

The story ends on an "out of gas" kicker.  The author finishes the story with facts that he still needed to include but had no room for, and there is no connection between the final sentence and the rest of the story.

I thought that this story was effective in that it presented the news clearly and accurately, but I thought that there could have been more quotations in the story and that the author could have begun the story anecdotally and then continued with the facts.  Because it was immediately presented as strictly hard news, there was virtually no connection with the audience about a topic that was very sensitive. The only quotation that the article got from the President of Haiti was that the structure of the school was "really weak." 

In my opinion, more carefully picked quotations and a more sensitive, anecdotal approach would have made this story more effective and captivating.

Article Analysis (Wk 5)

The article I analyzed for this week can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/world/europe/09iceland.html?em

This article focuses on the financial crisis that recently occurred in Iceland, and is not a hard news story because it centers on the effects of the crisis rather than the straight facts of the crisis itself.

I found this article to be very effective primarily because of the way it began.  It began narratively, which I thought was very different and risky for a story like this but ultimately more compelling to read.  In a story that could easily be just about numbers, the author gave the audience a reason to care about what was happening in a remote country that most of us have no connection to.

Since the article is not written as a typical hard news story, the lede and nut graph are not immediately found in the first or second paragraph.  Instead, the lede is in the third paragraph:

"It is not as if Reykjavik, where about two-thirds of the country’s 300,000 people live, is filled with bread lines or homeless shanties or looters smashing store windows. But this city, until recently the center of one of the world’s fastest economic booms, is now the unhappy site of one of its great crashes. It is impossible to meet anyone here who has not been profoundly affected by the financial crisis."

The nut graph can be found in the following paragraph, providing the exact figures that illustrate the country's economic decline.

Overall, the story follows the Wall Street Journal formula, beginning with an anecdotal or soft news lead and eventually progressing into the hard news.

The article ends on a quote kicker, which  I found to be effective because it illustrates the impact of the financial crisis on the people, which is really what the story is about.

Article Analysis (Wk 4)

The full article I'm analyzing can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/world/americas/05colombia.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

This article is about a Colombian army commander resigning because of the recent suspicion about the ethics of the Colombian army.  It talks about the things he has done wrong in the past couple of months and eventually touches on other human rights violations that have recently occurred in Latin America.
This article is definitely a hard news story because it covers the resignation of the Colombian army commander after a scandal over the amount of civilians killed by Colombian armed forces in recent years.
The lede is definitely the first sentence: "The commander of Colombia’s army resigned Tuesday after an investigation tied dozens of military personnel under his command to an intensifying scandal over the killing of civilians by the armed forces in what apparently were attempts to inflate the number of insurgents or criminal gang members killed in combat by security forces."
It addresses who resigned, why they resigned, when it occurred, and where it occurred. The nut graph is in the following paragraph, where it elaborates on the facts that are addressed in the lede. The story definitely follows an inverted pyramid structure as well, because it gives the specific details of what the Colombian army and the commander have been doing to the country for months.

The story ends with a pretty standard quote kicker, which I think is effective because it's an issue on which readers must form their own opinions.  I also think the inverted pyramid structure is effective because it presents a complicated issue as simply as possible.  A story in ABAB structure would be much more confusing for this topic because names and policies of one country would get confused with those of another.

Overall, I thought it was an effective, unbiased article on a sensitive topic that was organized very well and easy to understand.

Press Release Link

CITY MAN CHARGED UNDER CITY’S NEW

GUN OFFENDER REGISTRY ACT

Quentin Benjamin Adams, Convicted of Firearm Possession, Allegedly Failed to Register as Gun Offender by Giving False Address
Baltimore, MD – April 4, 2008 – Late yesterday, city police arrested Quentin Benjamin Adams, 18, of the 1900 block of Hillcrest Road and charged him with failing to register as a gun offender. Adams allegedly provided a false address during his required registration as a gun offender under the City’s recently enacted Gun Offender Registry Act (GORA). Adams is being held on $75,000 bail at Central Booking.

Mayor Sheila Dixon signed GORA into law September 20, 2007 and it took effect on January 1, 2008. The city ordinance requires gun offenders to register with the Police Department immediately upon sentencing and/or release from imprisonment and every six months thereafter for three years. The Police Department through the Gun Offender Monitoring Unit is charged with maintaining the registry and enforcing compliance. A gun offender who violates any of the provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine. Each day the violation continues constitutes a separate violation. The Act applies to every gun conviction in Baltimore City.

On February 4, 2008 Adams pled guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to illegal possession of a CDS and illegal possession of a firearm and Judge Emmanuel Brown sentenced him to four-years suspend all but three-years, nine-months for the narcotics count and five-years suspended for the firearm count. Adams was required to register as a gun offender under GORA.

Court documents allege on March 11, 2008 Adams responded to the Gun Offender Registry Unit to register as a convicted gun offender, giving police a Salisbury address. On March 31, 2008 detectives from the Gun Trace Task Force responded to that Salisbury address and learned from a resident of the address that Adams never resided there and a warrant was issued for his arrest April 1, 2008. Police arrested him late yesterday and brought him to Central Booking.

A court commissioner ordered Adams held on $75,000 bail and he is being held at the Baltimore City Detention Center on that bail, awaiting a bail review hearing. A preliminary hearing date has been set for May 5, 2008 in Wabash District Court.

the full link can be found here:

http://www.stattorney.org/Press_Release/2008/442008.htm


After reading this press release, I would want to talk to a representative from the Mayor's office, if not the mayor herself, about the gun control law itself, not just how it applies to this case. I would also like to talk to someone from the Gun Offender Monitoring Unit about how realistic this new law is and what they think its strengths/weaknesses are.

Crime Story

10/9/2008

[0]

"Buzzard" Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges
Associate of Fugitive Drug Trafficker Shawn Green and Indicted Philadelphia Kingpin Maurice Phillips Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Distribution with Street Value of $1.3 Million

By Jeffrey Anderson

Anthony Wayne Ballard, aka Buzzard, a 38-year-old man from Baltimore, pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to major drug-distribution charges and participation in an identity-theft scam that involved a mole inside the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

In 2006 Ballard was stopped in Prince George's County along with Maurice Phillips, indicted kingpin of the Phillips Cocaine Organization of Philadelphia, and fugitive drug trafficker Shawn Michael Green, best known locally as a business associate of East Baltimore entrepreneur Noel Liverpool Sr., who set up Green's clothing store, Total Male II. During that stop law enforcers seized more than $900,000 cash. Green was indicted in federal court in Baltimore in 2007 on drug-conspiracy and money-laundering charges and fled. He is at large. Phillips is the focus of a federal drug-conspiracy case in Philadelphia that involves allegations of drug trafficking, money laundering through the purchase of real estate, and murder for hire. Ballard has pleaded guilty in that case as well.

Liverpool, a former Morgan State basketball and football star who has owned real estate and a number of defunct clothing stores, has never been charged or convicted of a serious crime.

On Oct. 8, Ballard pleaded guilty to moving large amounts of coke between Baltimore and the Eastern Shore from 2004 to '08. During a search on Nov. 24, 2004, at his home on Shadyside Road in Baltimore, law enforcers recovered seven kilograms of cocaine from his car and $25,000 in drug cash from the house. Later that day, law enforcers recovered more than $6,000 in drug proceeds from another Ballard residence at 922 E.43rd St.

Ballard, who also has resided in Princess Anne, in Somerset County, has drug- and gun-related charges dating to the mid-1990s. He pleaded guilty to felony drug charges in 1998, and guilty to a drug-trafficking conspiracy in Baltimore in 2001, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison.

On Feb. 9, 2006, law enforcers observed him exchanging bags with Phillips and Green late at night in a parking lot in Prince George's County. A search of two vehicles revealed drugs and approximately $890,000 in cash. Law enforcers seized an additional $34,000 from Ballard that same day. During the search Ballard presented a fraudulent Maryland driver's license. Between December 2005 and October 2007, he admits that he conspired with an MVA employee to obtain Maryland driver's licenses and personal-identification cards with the names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth of other individuals without their knowledge.

On Jan. 8, 2008, law enforcement arrested Ballard and seized more than $80,000 in drug proceeds and a fraudulent ID card. Shortly after, he was added as a defendant through a superceding federal indictment in the Phillips Cocaine Organization case in Philadelphia, in which Ballard has agreed to plead guilty. Ballard will forfeit more than $1 million in drug proceeds seized during the separate investigation that led to his federal charges in Maryland. His plea agreement here states that the government is recommending a 17-year sentence to run concurrent with a similar sentence for his role in the Phillips Organization. He is scheduled for sentencing in federal court in Baltimore on Jan. 8, 2009.

Maurice Phillips is facing trial late next year, in a complex and chilling case that extends from Mexico to the Eastern Seaboard. Phillips and 10 other defendants, including Ballard, were indicted on a range of violent drug-trafficking charges including use of a FedEx employee's uniform to disguise an assassin hired to kill a potential witness who had been part of their drug-money laundering conspiracy. The federal government has seized a number of Phillips' houses from New Jersey to North Carolina, including a house in Prince George's County and a Baltimore residence at 4111 Boarman Ave.

Shawn Green has been a federal fugitive since he fled in early 2007. His accomplices in his drug and money-laundering schemes included his mother Yolanda Crawley, mortgage broker David Lincoln, and lawyer Rachel Donegan, who were sentenced earlier this year to two years, 15 months and probation, respectively.

--from Baltimore's CityPaper

Guest Speaker Offers Money Managing Tips to Students

By Maris Cohen

 

 

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--According to Tamera Draut, the speaker at this year’s 2008 William Weber Lecture in Government and Society, we are the first generation of the post World War II era that will earn less than our parents.

            She spoke to about forty college students and faculty in Stetson Chapel at Kalamazoo College on Friday, offering explanations for the economic decline and tips for using money wisely.  Draut wasted no time with pleasantries, however, immediately launching into why our economy was failing and how a college degree comes with no guarantees.  There was a nervous chatter among students as she rattled off alarming statistics about the grim future of the job market and rising tuition costs. The director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, Draut has also written a book, Strapped: Why America’s 20- and 30- Somethings Can’t Get Ahead.

            In her lecture, Draut asserted that the disparity between the salaries of our generation and those of our parent’s generation involves the lack of one essential policy.

“We are the first generation coming of age without a social contract,” Draut said.

            Draut also attributed the sharp economic decline to events that happened decades ago.  She believes that the current American economy stems from policies created as far back as the New Deal in 1933.  During that time, Draut argued, the country’s economic plan was overcome by apathy, resulting in decades of trickle-down economics.

            Besides identifying the sources of economic turmoil, Draut also offered solutions.  She emphasized that change in our economy requires universal healthcare, education reform, more money for public spending, and a comprehensive job growth plan that involves investing in the country’s infrastructure.

            “We have to realize that markets will not regulate themselves,” she said.

            Draut was able to connect to the collegiate audience by offering tips for managing money in this difficult financial time.  These tips included being weary of credit card companies, staying in college, and moving back home after college, an option that garnered a collective groan from the audience.

            At the conclusion of the lecture, however, Draut revealed the most important tip for managing money: being and staying politically active.

            “Demand change and hold our elected officials accountable until it happens,” she said. 

             

 

--30--

Story Analysis

This article, entitled "Financial Crisis Takes a Toll on Already-Squeezed Cities," examines the effects of the recession on those who live and work in non major cities. It is a hard news story because it is about the recent failures of the stock market and receding economy. The lede focuses on who and what this crisis affects (160 full-time & part-time city workers and volunteer/recreation programs), why it is happening (a bad year for the municipal budget due to the economic recession), and where it is happening (Duluth, Minn. and cities like it). The next sentence then elaborates on the first, explaining exactly how much debt the city of Duluth is in and what measures they have taken to try and improve their economy. The nut graph is in the third paragraph, where the writer relates Duluth's financial crisis to the recent stock market crash and how it "eats away at the core sources of municipal revenue."
The story definitely follows the structure of "The Wall Street Journal formula" because it uses Duluth's financial situation as an example of a small city being affected by a major crisis.
This story also has an interesting "ABAB" structure. For one or two paragraphs, the author discusses the economic state of the overall country, and then he switches back to talking about how the failing economy affects small cities like Duluth and Tempe, Arizona. I think that this structure is very effective for this article because she is putting a global issue into a specific context, and providing the reader with the concrete effects (160 layoffs, cuts in funding) of a global crisis.
The story ends with a "quote kicker" that expresses the grim future of American finances.
Overall, I thought that the organization of the story was very effective in communicating the small-town effects of a big issue. I also believe that the use of a specific city like Duluth made the story a lot more relatable because it allows the reader to connect with and understand the financial pressure on the town. I think that if the writer only focused on the financial effects on a place like New York City the story would not be as effective because the impact would not be so clearly visible.


The article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/us/07citybudgets.html?ref=us

Palin's Performance Garners Intense Media Exposure

by Maris Cohen

KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Gov. Sarah Palin surprised many skeptics with her candid and assertive performance last night in this year's vice presidential debate, not showing any hesitation during her face off with Sen. Joe Biden.  The debates, held in St. Louis, had been widely anticipated by the press largely because of Palin and her array of media blunders, most recently seen on The Today Show with Katie Couric.  Last night, however, Palin did not display the same indecisiveness that she had previously in other interviews, and was able to banter comfortably with Biden about the failing economy, gay marriage, and the war in Iraq.

While Biden stuck to the issues at hand, Palin focused on giving a solid performance and appealing to the audience with her honesty.

 "I may not answer the question the way you want to hear, but I'll talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record," she said.

Palin also admitted her relative inexperience to the audience.  "Oh yeah, it's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider," she said.

Although Palin did better than most predicted, Biden came off strong as well.  Biden, however, did not focus on his vice presidential opponent as he did her running mate.  He did not hesitate to criticize McCain's proposed healthcare plan and response to the failing economy.  He also emphasized the merits of his running mate, Sen. Barack Obama when discussing what to do about the Iraq war.

"Barack Obama offered a clear plan. Shift responsibility to Iraqis over the next 16 months. Draw down our combat troops...The only odd man out here, only one left out is John McCain," Biden said.

Though neither candidate emerged as the clear victor, the media interest in the story is indisputable.  Over 50 million viewers tuned in to watch Palin and Biden face off, an unparalleled figure for a vice presidential debate.

--XXX--

Radar Guns Raise Concern in Connecticut

by Maris Cohen

KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Connecticut State Police ordered a ban on hand-held radar guns yesterday, citing a possible link between the devices and cancer.
"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."
Officials believe that the radiation waves emitted by the device could be of concern. As a result, seventy radar guns will be withdrawn from service. State troopers will continue to use other radar units, however, that feature transmitters on the outside of their vehicles.
This decision comes two months after three Connecticut police officers took legal action against the state, claiming that they developed cancer from using the guns.
This decision is also the first of its kind to be filed by a state police agency.

--XXX--

Living Learning Houses

by Maris Cohen

KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Last spring, Kalamazoo College awarded eight groups of freshmen the privilege of living in eight on campus houses. These houses were not awarded without merit, however, and each group had to undergo an application process to live in the house. They also had to pick their housemates and decide on a theme that they felt represented the spirit of their houses.

Six of these houses, known as "Living Learning Houses," are clustered together in an area known as "the grove." The other two are located on the other side of campus on Catherine Street. I live in one of these two houses.

The theme of our house centers on art. Everyone in the house is not an artist, but each person uses art as a way to express herself. In addition to having a theme, we also have to sponsor three events per quarter on campus. Two of these events are ones that we sponsor for the students. An example of an on campus event we are doing this quarter is "Cupcakes and Poetry." For this event, our house, known as the "Living Arts House," is encouraging the development of a community that revolves around poetry. The other event that we have to sponsor fall quarter is one that takes place within the house itself. This in house event allows the house members to learn about their theme and how to communicate this theme to the campus.

There are other responsibilities that accompany living in a house with others. House members must agree on chores and other duties around the house. Living Learning Houses encourage their members to embrace living in a communal sense.

--30--

Obama vs. McCain

by Maris Cohen

KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Dealing with the country's fiscal crisis was the central topic of debate during Friday night's long awaited face-off between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.