Shark attack

An Amity child was killed on Monday in what appears to have been the second of two shark attacks in the Amity beach area.

Alex Kitner, 10, was floating on a rubber raft just off of crowded Village Beach, when he was killed in an apparent “vicious and unprovoked shark attack,” Police Chief Michael Brody said.

An unidentified attacker, possibly a shark, emerged from the water mauling the young boy.  Following the attack, Kintner disappeared into the ocean water. 

Kintner’s body has not been recovered, but his damaged raft did float to shore in the wake of the incident.  There were no other injuries reported.

Kintner’s death has been linked to last night’s death of Amity teenager Chrissie Watson. The mangled  body of the  17-year-old Watson, a senior at Amity High School, was found washed up on the beach by Deputy Jay Hendricks of the Amity Police Department earlier this morning.  

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

Watson was last seen alive around 11 PM last night, leaving a beach party with Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, a sophomore at Trinity College.  Hoggenbottam claims to have last seen Watson when she decided to go swimming at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach bell bouy.

Watson’s body has been transported to the coroner’s office for an autopsy, according to the Amity Police.  The autopsy report has yet to be released.   

“I join Amity Mayor Larry Vaughn in expressing the town’s deepest and most sincere condolences to the Kintner family,” Brody said in a press release.  “Now we know that these random acts of senseless violence, victimizing innocent, helpless citizens do not just happen in the city,” he said.

Brody also offered his condolences for the Watson family.

“We send our best wishes to the family of young Chrissie Watson,” Brody said in a press conference on Monday. “We are truly devastated that such a tragedy would happen in our town.”

Kintner’s mother, Marion, has been taken to Amity General hospital to be treated for shock.

A special meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, at which Mayor Vaughn, Chief Brod, and the Amity Board of Selectmen will be in attendance, to discuss plans to close the beaches on July Fourth.

New York Times Reading Log - 18 (Thursday's Paper)

Very very interesting article on the front page of today's times about the wiretapping going on between leaders in a China that is devoid of any interpersonal trust.  And that story had a big a big headline.  I love it when they break out the big headlines!  God, I'm so superficial.... Anyways, the article was definitely an interesting read.  It is crazy the level of paranoia and distrust going on in China.

In political news, Newt Gingrich is finally out of the running in the Republican primary!  Oh wait...that isn't news at all...he never had a shot did he?  Well, it is technically news that his campaign officially ended yesterday. It is hard to believe that Gingrich stayed in this race even longer that Rick Santorum, who seemed to have the least long shot of any of the long-shots in the Republican race.  This leaves just Ron Paul to vie for the Republican nomination against Romney, which means essentially only Romney is left.

Looks like Romney vs. Obama.  This should be interesting.  My prediction:  Obama wins 56% of the popular vote, taking office for a much more productive second term. I just don't see Obama going out as a one-termer.  That somehow just seems flat wrong.

New York Times Reading Log - 17 (Wednesday's Paper)

It was cool to see a photo taken in my hometown of Manchester, NH on the front page of the New York Times.  It somehow feels satisfying to get Manchester some glimpse of recognition.  Also interesting was the story that related to the photo, also written out of Manchester, about Mitt Romney winning another 5 states (albeit largely uncontested with the absence of Santorum) and inching closer to formally securing the Republican nomination.  

This article also has the interesting distinction of having the single longest paragraph I have ever seen in a New York Times article.   One paragraph was 6 sentences (in some cases, lengthy sentences.)  It is interesting to note stuff like this in journalism.  Before I took this class I probably would never have noticed a long paragraph, or any structural oddities like that.  Now it sticks out like a sore thumb.  I almost wonder if it could have been a typo or something.

I also would like to point out that I have never really noticed the Times alleged Leftist/Liberal bias.  The are supposed to be such a liberal publication, but I just don't necessarily see it.  That's not to say I think they are conservative, as much as it is to say that I just don't see a slant in many articles.  Sure the Op/Eds are liberal, but I don't see it as affecting the news reporting.

New York Times Reading Log - 16

I loved the picture of Obama on the front page of the New York Times today.  It was telling of what's to come for the president, and symbolic of the electoral fight that is ahead.  The president with his fists held up in front of a huge American flag is just such a cool image.  I feel like Teddy Roosevelt could have pulled off the same pose.  If Obama is able to win another term, and do useful something with it, this may become quite an iconic photo.

The comparison that writers Sabrina Tavernese and Jeff Zeleny make between opponents Obama and Romney and "liver and brussels sprouts" was a particularly funny quip on the front page.  It seems that many Americans really do see this election as a selection between two evils.  What else is new though?

What's the deal with all the stories being written by two writers lately?  I know it isn't uncommon for writers to collaborate on articles in the Times, but very single article above the fold on the front page today was written by two writers.  Just an observation I guess.

Amazing story about the Harlem police officer Eder Loor, who literally escaped death by inches.  He was stabbed in the brain, just inches from several vital parts of the brain which control vision, motor functions, and sensation.  In a year where the deaths of police officers seems to keep increasing, it's nice to see someone in the line of duty catch a lucky break.

New York Times Reading Log - 15

Today's New York Times had two great examples of delayed leads being used in hard news stories.  I found this to be interesting.  It goes to show that newswriting is truly becoming more liberated, and that writers are using more creative and artistic ways to deliver the news to the public.

The story "Details Emerge on U.S. Decisions in China Scandal" by Steven Lee Myers and Mark Landler made use of a delayed, storytelling style in its lead, leaving the "Who, What, When, Where and Why" to the following paragraphs.  This made for a reading experience that is more engaging than the inverted pyramid, albeit far less direct.

"U.S. Inquiries Trace Women in Colombia" by William Neuman and Michael S. Schmidt made use of a similar delayed lead technique.  The lead immediately catches the attention of the reader, as it talks about prostitutes waiting to be picked up by men.  The lead then ends in something of a cliffhanger. "But the next group of American visitors to walk in the door may not be customers at all" it says.  This makes the reader almost need to read on.  It's tempting and alluring.  Unlike the inverted pyramid lead, this structure makes it so that the reader not only wants to read on, but so they have to read on.

New York Times Reading Log - 14 (Thursday's Paper)

The front page in today's New York Times had a story about George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator in Florida who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, being charged with second-degree murder by a special prosecutor.  It is gratifying to see this case coming to some kind of a resolution.  It was nice to see the family of Martin on the front page, having received justice for the loss of their son.  This shooting was a true tragedy, and it is nice to see a resolution.  Additionally, this is a prime example of the power of Twitter, and online media, and the medium's role in news reporting, and social justice causes.  Martin's case received a great deal of attention on Twitter.  The power of the hashtag, and the rapid spreadability of news on Twitter is totally redefining news media.  Martin's case is an example of this great shift.

Additionally, the story about North Korea being poised to launch a long range missile, despite worldwide resistance from other nations continues to concern.  North Korea continues to pose a grave threat on a world scale.   If they continue to be as unresponsive to diplomacy from other world leaders as they have been, and with Kim Jong-un set to take over the helm after his father, that should be the case, this could become a real issue. 

New York Times Reading Log - 13

Awesome issue of the New York Times today.  There were a ton of interesting articles in today's paper.

One that I found particularly interesting was the front page article by Jenna Wortham about Facebook's billion dollar buyout of Instagram, an online photo sharing website that is used specifically on mobile devices.  This is cool because it demonstrates just how far we have moved in the technological world away from home computers and toward mobile devices.  Facebook is becoming quite the force to be reckoned with in the Internet world, as they demonstrated in this aggressive business move.  It's almost like Facebook is flexing it's muscles at the rest of the online world, but hey why shouldn't they?  With a net worth estimated at $100, they can afford to make billion dollar buyouts like this.

The Times made great use of diagrams, charts, and other visual stimuli in today's issue.  I loved the article in the Science Times section about the new findings surrounding the Titanic's sinking.  It was very interesting to find that causes other than the much maligned iceberg may have been to blame for the tragedy.  That article had several great visuals that really helped the article come to life.  Additionally, the article about Romney vs. Obama utilized some humorous caricatures of the soon-to-be Presidential candidates.  Also, the article in the Business section about the proposed increase in minimum wage used an illustrated map of the US, with figures showing each state's minimum wage to help drive home the point.

As someone who will probably be back to my menial job at the movie theater over the coming summer, this rise would be much appreciated.  

New York Times Reading Log - 12

The picture on the front page of today's Times is one of the most interesting and intense I have seen in a while.  The picture, which shows wounded American soldiers lying in the streets of Maimana following a fatal Afghan bombing, really demonstrates the violence and intensity of military action in the Middle East.  It is quite a shift from the usual front page cover, which is usually less intense.  I was immediately drawn to this picture when I picked up the paper.

I was interested in the article about the genetic mutations that have been proven to have a link in Autism.  What was particularly disturbing about this article, was the fact it stated, that 1 in 88 people are diagnosed with aspergers disease, or similar autism related social disorders.

I wouldn't say that I expected Deadmau5 to be on the front page of the New York Times.  As a huge music fan, I liked seeing the article below the fold on the front page about the enormous surge that electronic music has made in recent years.  I thought it was especially interesting that Wall Street is seeing the growing musical genre as a lucrative opportunity.        

New York TImes Reading Log - 11

I was interested in the front page article in today's New York Times about Mitt Romney winning 3 more states, with victories in Washington DC, Maryland, and Wisconsin.  It is certainly starting to look like it's curtains for Rick Santorum.  Romney seems to have taken a firm grip on the Republican primary now, (as if he hadn't already) and it looks as though Santorum's comeback bid has been all but quashed.

Romney seems pretty sure of this.  He's turned his attention toward Obama, blaming him for the economic strife of the past few years in a recent speech that he was to deliver.  Suddenly Santorum doesn't seem like such an important opponent.

I also found the article about China's pay-for-coverage system to be a very interesting read.  I had no idea that China's press was like this.  I had an inkling about the way in which they censor journalism, but I had never realized the extent to which their journalistic standards were corrupted.  

Additionally, I enjoyed the article about Kentucky University's starting 5 Basketball players, who are all expected to enter the NBA draft after winning a NCAA Title, after only a year (or in some cases 2) of college.  This just goes to show that the NBA's rule in place that requires players to attend college for a year before entering the league is counterintuitive and ridiculous.  What is the point?  So that players can slack off for a year before joining the NBA?  Yeah, that definitely makes them more well rounded.

Fluffy's Great Escape

A dangerous spotted leopard is suspected to have escaped from the Durham Zoo on last night and has still not been found.

When employees opened the zoo this morning, they found the cage of Fluffy, the zoo's Romanian spotted leopard, vacant.

"When we opened the zoo at 7:30 this morning and began feeding the animals, we immediately noticed that Fluffy was missing," said Gerry Durrell, the director of the Durham Zoo.  "We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went."

Durrell said that the last time Fluffy was seen, she was in her cage when the zoo closed at 9 p.m. last night.  He also pointed out that when the leopard's empty cage was discovered, nothing appeared to have been tampered with or broken.

"We love that cat, and we don't want to lose her," Durrell said, tearing up.

Kitty Smith, the Durham Zoo's chief biologist warned that Fluffy is "extremely dangerous" and will attack if provoked.  She also warned of the spotted leopard's appetite for young children.

"Fluffy is a wonderful, warm, gentle cat who has never hurt anyone," Smith said. "But if these cats are cornered -- or encountered on a dark night -- their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly."

Smith cautioned that Fluffy will instinctively "kill now, ask later," and advises anyone who encounters the leopard to lay still on the ground.  She said that this tactic should prevent any attack from the leopard, who is most likely to attack if she senses fear.

The Durham Police have begun a systematic search of the zoo, and will extend the search outward throughout Durham until Fluffy is recovered.  Police Chief William Blair said that their hope is to bring Fluffy back alive.

"If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun."  Blair said, "But if necessary, we will shoot to kill."

The police have teamed up with the National Guard, the New Hampshire State Police, and the State Wildlife Department in their search.  The National Guard has contributed helicopters equipped with infrared sensors. Chief Blair said that if Fluffy is not found before nightfall, their search will become much more difficult.

"These cats are nearly impossible to0 find in the dark,"Blair said.  "They can see everything and we are blind."

Zoo-goers were upset with the leopard's escape.

Patronkis quote... 

Possible Profile

For an upcoming article in Main Street Magazine, I am writing a profile piece about a UNH student named Max Auger who is the only male dance major on the UNH campus.  I think that this would be an interesting article to read because of the uncommon nature of his position as a male dancer.  The article will discuss Auger's path toward choosing dance as a major, as well as the way in which he has dealt with the social implications of being a man in a major that is predominately female.

What is also interesting about Auger's story is that he never even started in ballet until his Freshman year in college.  According to the girls he dances with, and his instructor, he has improved immensely since he first started, though he claims he still has a long way to go.  

I believe that this could be a very interesting and readable profile piece, given Auger's unique position.