Current Events December 20, 2010

Local

Lyndhurst Observatory offering rare glimpse at eclipse tonight

The Record

Tonight, Monday December 20, the Lyndhurst observatory will open at 11:30 p.m. so people can get a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. This will be the first lunar eclipse in nearly 3 years. The eclipse is set to occur at 3:17 a.m. early Tuesday morning. Visitors will be viewing the eclipse through the observatory's 20-inch diameter telescope. However, if the sky becomes very cloudy the program will be cancelled.

National

8 injured when bus carrying church group rolls over

CNN

On Saturday, December 18, in Gunnison County, Colorado, eight people were seriously injured when a tour bus carrying a church group lost control. The bus with 46 people onboard, slid off the road and rolled onto its side on an icy highway. The bus had been transporting the church group from Denton Texas to Crested Butte, Colorado. Authorities reported that they were still investigating the crash late Saturday.

Global

British police nab terror suspects in early-morning raids

CNN

On Monday in London, 12 men were arrested by British counter-terror police in a "large-scale, pre-planned, intelligence-led" operation. The suspects range from ages 17 to 28 and are all of Pakistani descent. Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner, John Yates, said the arrests were "necessary" in order to "ensure public safety. He said they were arrested on suspicion of "preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK." The officers making the arrests were unarmed and 11 out of 12 of the men were arrested in their homes.

December 13, 2010 current events

Local

Drug Arrest on Mission Street

The Record

This weekend on Mission Street, police arrested a Montcliar man after they saw him allegedly selling crack the previous night in the area. They saw the man, Brandon Brown, 23, retrieve items form the siding the siding of a Mission Street home and then trading it for money from individuals who approached him. After investigating, the police found 40 small bags of crack. The man was charged with various drug offenses, but released on a bail of $5,000

National

Inmates in Georgia Prisons Use Contraband Phones to Coordinate Protest

New York Times

This weekend, prisoners in at least 7 prisons in Georgia planned a non-violent riot using contrabands cell phones. The prisoners want better work conditions and want to be paid for the work they do. They want their list of demands to be addressed before they preform chores, work for the Corrections Department Industrial arm, or shop at prison commissaries. Their list of demands includes; more educational opportunities, compensation for their work, better food, and sentencing rules changes. The inmates said that though the riots started Thursday, they had been organizing this for months using word of mouth and text messages.

World

South Korea to Conduct Naval Drills

CNN

Starting today, South Korea is going to conduct a new round of naval fire drills. These drills are planned to avoid border islands. They will take place off all sides of the country and will continue through friday. None are scheduled to be near Yellow Sea islands south of the maritime boarder with North Korea. Tension has built between the Koreas when North shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island on November 23 killing two marines, two civilians and injuring 18. The North now has accused the South of provoking the attack.

Absence of Malice

Meg is an unethical journalist who cares more about her stories then the lives of others. She was first wrong in looking in the police file left on the desk. If she did not have permission to open it from the officer, she certainly didn't have the right to publish information from it. The world does not have the right to know that Gallahger is under investigation since no evidence has really been discovered.

She acts unethically again when she publishes the article about the abortion. Not only did it ruin the girls life, but the girl asked for it not be reported before she said it. The abortion story was not backed by any facts. Before publishing such a story, Meg should have looked for proof. She should not publish the story based solely on believing what the girl said. She could have at least consulted Gallahger to see if he would corroborate the story.

Current Events December 6, 2010

Local

Woodcliff Lake Apple Store Burglarized

The Record

Early Monday morning, four people broke into the Apple Store on Chesnut Ridge Road in Woodcliff Lake. They broke in at around 2 a.m. and took iPods, MacBooks, and iPhones. Though the break in set off the stores alarm, the burglars were gone before the police arrived. This is the second reported theft at this Apple store; the first theft in 2008 in which three of the four men involved were captured and charged.

National

In Kentucky, Noah's Ark Theme Park is Planned

New York Times

The governor of Kentucky is planning the creation of a biblical-themed amusement park in order to battle the increase in unemployment. He is giving tax incentives to entrepreneurs to create this park called "Ark Encounter." It is planned to include a full size ark filled with animals and actors. Since the proposal of this plan, congress has questioned if it is constitutional for the government to back an enterprise that promotes specific religion.

World

Teen Detained After Firefighters Douse Israeli Wildfire

CNN

Today in Jerusalem, investigators of the wildfire in northern Israel detained a 14-year-old boy after he admitted to throwing the coals from his pipe into the woods. The fire had broken out on Thursday killing at least 42 people and forced the evacuation of around 17,000 people. Two teenagers who had previously been detained are now reales.

Questions about Review of Absence of Malice

What kinds of things does Sally Field do that are considered unethical for a journalist?

• She approaches a secret investigation unethically; she attains secret information and prints a story without sighting any sources. She then sleeps with the subject of the investigation
• 
  

Describe Sally Field's character.

• Sally Field's character is an unscrupulous journalist, willing to breach the responsibility and ethical standards of a journalist to print her stories.

Describe Paul Newman's character.

• Paul Newman plays a liquor distributor being investigated for murder. Though he is innocent, the papers keep dirtying his name, because of his father's repuation. He is attractive and sneaky.

Does Roger Ebert think that the events in this movie are realistic?

• He thinks they weren't realistic. He thinks that Sally Fields actions were not realistic of a reporter. He does not think editors would actually publish her articles either.

After reading this review are YOU interested in seeing this movie?

• No, because Roger Ebert gave away some of the story already

November 29, 2010

Local

Carjack Victim Dragged with Vehicle, Nutley Police Say

The Record

On Saturday, in Nutley, a 49-year old man was carjacked and dragged about 20 feet at the Getty Station at the corner of Kingsland Street and Washington Avenue. The victim had stopped to check his tier pressure. While out of his 2003 four-door BMW wagon, the suspect jumped into the victims car. The car has been added to the state's stolen car vehicle. No surveillance of the incident was found.

National

Obama Freezes Pay For Federal Workers for Two Years

CNN

On Monday, President Obama announced a pay freeze for civilian federal workers. The freeze is planned to last two years in order to appeal to Republican leaders and to address the high deficit spending. Obama explains that fixing the deficit will "require some broad sacrifice." This proposal comes the day before Obama hosts Congressional leaders of both parties at the whitehouse.

World

Six NATO Troops Killed by Afgahn Police Officers

The New York Times

On Monday, November 29, six NATO service members were killed. While training the Afghan border police, an office shot them. This occurred in the Pachir-Wa-Agam district of Nangahar. This was not the first occurrence of such an event, but at least the fifth time in 13 months that Afghan soldiers and policemen turned their weapons on NATO members.

Current Events November 22,2010

World

13 year old American boy arrested in China for protesting

Indie Pro Pub

On Monday November 22^nd, a 13 year old from Mississippi was arrested in China for protesting in front of Tiananmen square. The boy was campaigning to turn the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea into a peace park. Minutes after the boy unveiled his pro peace banner undercover cops swarmed around him and told him he had to stop protesting. The boy and his family returned back to the United States the following day.

National

Midwest hit hard by extreme winds, flash floods

Cnn

On November 22 2010, the states of Illinois and Wisconsin were hit by severe tornadoes. Coupled with severe winds, the storm destroyed many buildings and flipped over a school bus that carried three children. The storm also took out power lines that left many people helpless.

Local

N.J. city nets $800K in 3 months from red light cameras

Bergen Record

On Tuesday November 22^nd, it was reported that the implementation of traffic cameras that would detect if someone ran a red light has netted Linden over 800 thousand dollars generated through 20,000 issued tickets. The cameras were installed over three months ago and they have not only made money through the action but also has improved highway safety.

Court Cases

Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson

This case was based on the constitutionality of the New York Education Law which allowed a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be sacrilegious. The Supreme court ruled that the law was unconstitutional based on the fact that it violated the first amendment as it was a “restraint of freedom of speech.”

Cohen v. California

This case was based on the ruling by the California state courts that a a nineteen eyar old boy was disturbing the peace by wearing a jacket that said “ Fuck the draft.” The supreme court declared that the boy did nothing wrong and that he was just exercising his first amendment right.

November 15, 2010

Local

Laundromat Robbed in Paterson

The Record

In Paterson NJ, a man rob bed a Paterson Avenue Laundromat. Police are searching for the robber who entered the Laundromat as it was closing, with a handgun. At the time, three people were using the Laundromat and two employee's were working. No one was injured.

US

Arizona Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Measure

CNN

On sunday, voters in Arizona approved a ballot measure, that will legalize medicinal marijuan. The vote won by a narrow margin of around 4,300 votes. It will allow approximately 120 clinics, regulated by the state, to distribute the marijuana.

World

Voter registration begins for key Sudan decision

CNN

Today, November 15, voter registration opens in Sudan. It is opened for a January referendum that would allow the southern region to secede from the north. This is important as the south holds the majority of the country's oil. A panel from the United Nations is monitoring a 17-day registration in East Africa.

Guest Speaker

I enjoyed his excitement and knowledge of journalism. His eclectic collection of newspapers were very interesting. It was surprising to see the lack of headlines on the older newspapers. I specifically found the JFK assassination paper fascinating as it had a picture of the Kennedy family laughing because the paper did not have time to change it when they got word of his death.

Journalist Plagiarism Scandals

Steven Helmer

Helmer was a reporter for Bloomsburg. Helmer told others that he had fabricated some of his stories, and the Editor confirmed that their was evidence to support this. Helmer was fired.

Partricia Smith

Patricia Smith was a writer for the Boston globe and since then has written poetry, plays and taught writing. Smith created people and quotes for a story as well as made up large portions of four other columns. Smith resigned from the Boston Globe in 1998.

Martin Renzhofer

Is a journalist for the Salt Lake Tribune. Renzhofer confessed to plagiarizing an article about an HBO documentary, in which he directly copied an 180-word quote from a website. After the unsighted, plagiarized article was reported by a reader advocate, Renzhofer received a demotion.

source: Freedom Forum

November 8, 2010 Current Events

Local

Victim airlifted to hospital after Route 287 accident

The Record

On Monday November 8, in Riverdale, a serious accident involving two cars on Route 28 caused a woman to be airlifted to a hospital. The other driver was unharmed. Neither car had any passengers. The accident caused all northbound lanes to be cloased at exit 52. Cars were rerouted to Rout 23.

National

High Court Decline to get involved now in health care overhaul fight

CNN

On November 8, 2010, The Supreme Court turned down the first challenge to President Obama's health care reconstruction. They rejected it because a federal appeals court had not yet considered the case, and the court very rarely reviews cases on an issue that has not been reviewed in the lower courts.

World

Rescuers Save Family Adrift at Sea for 6 days

CNN

Saturday, November 6, A family of four was rescued after being lost at sea for six days. They were brought to shore in the Pacific Island nation of Kirbati. The family had gone missing on October 31, after they set sail from Kiribati to Maritime New Zealand in a four meter aluminum boat.

November 1, 2010

Local

Passaic man charged with robbery, impersonating a cop

The Record

On monday in Passaic, a 33-year-old man was charged with robbery, the impersonation of a police officer, and aggravated assault with a weapon. The incident occured at 2 a.m. outside of a 7-11 in wallington. Authorities reported that the man stole a Droid cell phone and $60 from a 23 -year-old man after saying he was a police officer and showing the victim his gun

National

Theodore C. Sorensen, Kennedy Counsler Dies

The New York Times

On Sunday, October 31, Theodore C. Sorensen died at the age of 82. Sorenson was a writer and counsler to John F. Kennedy. He died of complications from a stroke he suffered weeks ago. He is known for writing the famous quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

World

Guantanamo detainee Khadr to Serve 8 more years in prison

CNN

On Sunday, October 31, Guantanomo detainee Omar Khadr was sentenced to 40 more years in prison, but will now only serve 8, after pleading guilty to murdering an American soldier. The eight years are part of Khadar's pleed agreement. At the age of 24, Khadr is the youngest Guantoanmo detaniee.

Current Events October 26, 2010

Local

Paterson man who provided tip in police officer killing sues over $60k reward

The Record

On October 26^th, 2010, it was reported that a man has sued the city of Patterson, New Jersey in order to receive, what he believes to be, his rightfully owed reward money for his assistance in the arrest of a man who killed a Patterson police officer. The man who is seeking the reward money, says that he provided the police with information that led them to the killer, a good deed that yields a $ 60,000 reward. The Police have acknowledged his assistance but have yet to provide him with the proper compensation.

National

'Hiccup Girl' Jennifer Mee, Faces Murder Charge

New York Times

On October 25^th 2010, Jennifer Mee was arrested in Florida on murder charges. In is suspected that Ms. Mee tried to assist in a robbery that went awry and ended up shooting a 23 year old man. This is not Ms. Mee’s first appearance in the headlines, as she achieved her first 15 minutes of fame back in 2007 for having the hiccups for 6 weeks.

Global

At least 112 dead, more than 500 missing after Indonesia quake

CNN

On Monday, October 25, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 triggered a tsunami that hit Sumatra. Currently, 112 people have been found dead and 502 people have been reported missing.

Field Trip

During our field trip, I saw an interesting seminar on photojournalism. It was given by a photojournalist from The Record. He spoke about SLR cameras and strobes. He showed us the importance of good lighting through example; he present a picture without flash and then the same picture but with the right lighting and flash. We learned about using interviews to make videos, and learned the importance of fitting your video footage with peoples responses. He showed us some example videos he made; one video of a Tuskegee Airman and another of a Teenage girl who had one a song writing competition.

October 18, 2010. Current Events

Local

Football tragedy strikes Rutgers

The Record

Eric LeGrand, defensive tackle for Rutgers, is paralyzed from the neck down. The injury occurred Saturday while LeGrand made a tackle on a kickoff in Rutgers overtime victory over Army. LeGrand is planned to remain at Hackensack University Medical Center, in the ICU for the near future.

National

Bp Sells Assets to TNK-BP to Pay for Gulf Spill

New York Times

On October 18^th 2010, It was reported that the Oil company Bp raised 1.8 billion dollars in an effort to pay for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They were able to raise the money by selling their assets in Venezuela and Vietnam to their own joint venture in Russia. This is one of the many new steps newly appointed CEO Robert Dudley has implemented in an effort to pay back the many claims resulting from the spill.

Global

31 Dead in China Coal Mine Leak

CNN

The death tole from a coal mine gas leak in central China, that took place on October 16, has now risen to 31. With the discovery of five new bodies, six others remain trapped; their chances of living are slim. Due to this recent event, in conjunction with China's past of high rates of dead minors, the National Energy Administration is taking action to restructure China's mining system.

10/13/10 Current Events

Local

Woodcliff Lake Police Department Gets Award

The Bergen Record

On October 8, 2010, the Woodcliff lake police department received the third place award in the Law Enforcement Challenge. The challenge, a competition between law enforcement agencies of the same size that recognizes departments for their enforcement of traffic laws, presented the Woodcliff Lake police department with a plaque along with an abundance of new surveillance software for their integration of technology into the department.

National

Wall Street's record bonuses: How outrageous are they?

The week

On October 13^th 2010, it was reported that bankers on wall street are set to earn a record amount of bonuses, 144 billion to be exact, a fact that has many people up in arms as the increase in bonuses comes at a time when unemployment is still close to ten percent and most industries are still struggling. Wall Street bankers justify their record bonuses by explaining that they have saved and revitalized the Dow Jones industrial average along with the fact that banks need to pay their top talent more if they want to retain them.

World

HIV-poitive Man Denied Job

Strait Times

On October 13^th 2010, it was reported that a man was denied a teaching job in Anqing, China due to the fact that he was HIV positive. The man, who’s alias is Xiao Wu, then went on to file a civil case against the Anqing department of education claiming discrimination as he felt he was well qualified for the job yet was rejected due to his failing of a physical that exposed his illness. The Chinese Government has claimed that the department of education was right in their decision due to the fact that, as stated by a anonymous government official, “No one is willing to put their children in the hands of an HIV-positive teacher even if the virus has limited ways of spreading.”

October 4, 2010 Current Events

Local

N.J. lawmaker authorize funds for transit projects

The Record

In order to continue the road and rail projects, New Jersey lawmakers have authorized the selling of over $1 billion in bonds. After Governer Christe stopped the work on these projects, an emergency meeting was called by the Join Budget Operating Committee called an emergency meeting to approve the selling of the bonds.

National

Suicides Put Light on Pressure of Gay Teenagers

By Jesse McKinley

The New York Times

In Fresno, California, Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old boy, attempted to hang himself because he was being tormented about being Gay. After being on life support for a week, he died tragically last Tuesday. Between this death, the recent suicide of the Rutgers student, and other recent suicides due to bullying because of one's sexuality have caused alarm amongst federal officials. They hope to work to increase tolerance and thus lower the stress of America's youth.

Global

More Countries Adopt China's Tactics on Currency

By David E. Sanger and Michael Wines

The New York Times

China's artificially low value of currency is being battled by the Obama Administration. Other countries are changing some of their free-market rules and switching to policies similar to the Chinese. For example, Brazil and Japan have tried to lower the value of their currency in order to keep it from appreciating against Chinese currency further.

Current Events September 28, 2010

Local

Woodcliff Lake Council approves creation of passive park

Pascack Valley Community Life

On Tuesday September 21^st 2010, the Woodcliff lake mayor was ecstatic to hear that his proposal to turn an 18^th century historic Dutch colonial house into a passive park that would include a scenic walkway along with a toddler park passed through the Woodcliff lake council. The project which will cost 400,000 dollars and is set to break ground by February, will be paid for by the borough’s open space trust fund. The passing of this ordinance ends the years of debate the town had over how to effectively us the historic property.

National

M.I.T. Weighs Charges for Online Lectures

By THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Over the past decade, The massachustes institute of technology has been at the forefront in the Open course ware movement, an organization that provides free high quality educational material to anyone interested, but that is likely to change in the coming months as MIT is toing around with the idea of charging for their once free materials in an attempt to increase their declining endowment. MIT’s shrinking endowment, which went from 10.1 billion dollars in 2008 to 7.6 billion, has been a cause for concern for the university so much so that they have created a number of measures to increase their endowment.

Global

Teacher's Day in China a Financial Burden on Parents

By Wu Shanshan

The Epoch Times

Parents of students in china have expressed disdain for National teachers day, a day in which they feel leaves the parents burdened with not only the stress of buying a teacher a gift but alos with the bill. Since the creation of national teachers daym it has become tradition for the students in the class to competer over who purchased the best gift, a prctice which fosters a unfriendly learning enviorment and one that can be mistaken for bribery

Current events week 2

Local

Grid Irony:Teams face $25M tax

by Bill Sanderson: The New York Post

The town of East Rutherford, NJ is attempting to tax the new Giants stadium. The town claims that since the property is privately owned, it can be taxed. Under the town's current tax rate, the stadium would have to pay over $25.

National

Blow-Out BP Oil Well Officially Killed at Bottom of Gulf

Fox News

BP's oil well has been permanently stopped by a big, cement plug. The leak was about 2.5 miles under the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico. The US plans to continue the restoration of the Gulf.

World

Use of 'Sub-Saharan Africa' disparaging

by Faith Karimi, CNN

A group in Africa is pushing to stop the use of the phrase "Sub-Saharan Africa." The nations activists groups are looking to get signatures and bring them to world leaders.

Upton Sinclair

The famous muckraker, Upton Sinclair, was avidly involved in politics. Towards the begging of his career he was a socialist, and included commentary surrounding his political views in his writing. This can be seen in one of his best known works, King Coal, which told about the coal strikes of 1914-1915. However, in 1917 in order to support President Woodrow Wilson, Sinclair left the Socialist Party. He then rejoined the party when President Wilson promoted US involvement in the Soviet Union.

Current Events September 13, 2010

Local

Stem-Cell treatment patent by Allendal Firm Approved

By Lindy Washburn

The Bergen Record

In Allendale, New Jersey, a small company recived a patent for the development of stem-cell therapy for heart attack patients. The company was able to take stem cells from a patient's bone marrow, prepare them, and inject them into the heart's damaged blood vessel, which then repair the heart muscle and propel new blood vessesl to begin growth.

National

As residents return, utility pledges money for Califronia suburb

by the CNN Wire Staff

CNN

$100 million have been allocated by California ultility Pacific Gas and Electric to aid in the rebuilding parts of San Bruno, California. The suburb was devastated by a gas explosion las week. Up to $50,000 will be given to each household for the living expences during thier evacuation from thier homes.

Gloabal

Detained U.S. Hiker could be freed as early as Monday

by CNN Wire Staff

CNN

Sarah Shroud, an American hiker being detianed in Iran, may be realased as soon as Monday if $500,000 is sent to the Iranian Judiciary. Shroud has been held in Iran for more than a year, along with two other American hikers. It is up to Shroud's family to send the money via Swiss embassy in Iran.

Old News

My parents dread the end of newspapers. They find it difficult to read their news off an electronic screen. Though our generation is accustomed to checking website updates, and receiving twitter news, my parents rely on receiving the news at their doorstep as they are not that technologically savvy. They are uncertain of how to switch from one section to another on a website. How can they read their news on the airplane if they had not previously download it? What if they have no wifi connection at work or on the train? After growing up with newspapers, the transition for my parents would be far too difficult.