Brazilian court halts return of boy to U.S., father says

I remember hearing about this story last year about a father (David Goldman) trying to regain custody of his son (Sean Goldman) after his wife didn't return for what was supposed to be a two-week trip to visit her family. Instead she remarried and started a new life in Brazil.

Goldman has argued that, as the sole surviving parent, he should be granted custody. But the boy's stepfather and his other Brazilian relatives have argued that it would be traumatizing to the boy to remove him from what has been his home for most of his life.

As a reader having prior background knowledge of the case, this development was long awaited in addition to the unexpected setbacks. It's a tough decision as it's understandable after Goldman's son has spent a majority of his life in Brazil, that a transition to life in America would seem filled with obstacles. It is a really tough case to have both sides come to an agreement that is best for Sean's sake.

Wife's Disappearance Has Shades of Laci Peterson

As the title of this article suggests, Susan Powell, 28, mother of two disappears without a trace. Her husband soon becomes the main suspect as his alibi seems odd to officials.

Due to its similarity to the Laci Peterson Case, it makes for a sad reminder of what happened nearly 7 years ago. The inconsistencies surrounding his alibi seems to be the one of the main reasons Sarah's family is left to worry of her well being.

Again, the structure of this story was fluid and organized and it was appropriate for this type of story. But as the case grows, we'll begin to see various angles of the case explored in order to bring it straight to the public.

Travel strike threats spread as BA launches court challenge

Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Heathrow Airport threatened Wednesday to strike during the week of Christmas, as British Airways went to court to try to stop a strike called by its cabin crews.

As the holidays near, thousands of people make travel arrangements around the world to visit family and friends. Yet if the the baggage handlers and check-in staff have their way, this strike could leave passengers stranded and unable to spend the winter holidays with family.

It also brings up the question as to why these employees would go to this extent? What is going on behind the scenes that we don't know about?

Unite, which said British Airways cabin crews will strike from December 22 to January 2, also announced the threat of the second air travel strike as BA fought its case in court.

Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Heathrow and at Aberdeen airport in Scotland will strike next week unless there is movement on resolving a pay dispute, Unite announced.

If it is a matter of their salary then it may be something British Airways should consider revising as it is has led to this drastic decision on the part of their employees.

30,000 flee Philippine volcano

"Emergency workers have so far evacuated 30,751 people, with 21 centers set up to take in the evacuees"

One of the reasons I found this article is due to the number of people evacuated in response to the Mayon volcano's eminent eruption. With a population of almost 50,000 people it is not an easy situation to be in. Thinking of the families moving away from their homes, belonging, and not knowing whether they'll be able to return to their home again was mind-boggling.

I also noticed another feature that is becoming effective with the coverage CNN provides on their website and that is the iReport. It allows readers to submit footage of newsworthy events happening all over the world which then can be included in the reporting which results in more information to be shared.

Choking in China's polluted city

This article regarding Linfen's pollution was really sad but it brought up a lot of the issues we're facing today with regards to Global Warming and the "going green" movement.

On the road into Linfen, the cars seem to disappear into dense smog that clings to vanishing buildings.

The sun shines through a murky haze, if at all. The smells of industry are pungent. Just a few minutes outside and your eyes start to sting, your throat starts to hurt. You may feel dizzy or nauseous.

For visitors it can be unbearable. For residents, this is life -- breathing the consequences of China's long march toward economic prosperity.

I was particularly impressed with the way in which the story was told, it included examples that were convincing as well as footage of the region to further stress the pollutions effect on Linfen's environment. The emotion was there along with the facts, and for an audience this is a critical point.

Pollution is nothing new, but it effects other parts of the world more than it can be seen elsewhere. It may be a while before Linfen is where it needs to be for the sake of its residents as well as the world. But overall, I think the article was effective.

H1N1

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091204/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu

http://www.attorneyatlaw.com/2009/09/bacterial-infections-common-among-h1n1-flu-deaths-cdc-says/

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/story.html?id=2217544

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20091210/10-thousand-h1n1-swine-flu-deaths


I think the reason I chose to continue with this story is due to the fact that it has really impacted the way the world functions as a result of the pandemic qualification and fatalities. As a student I think it surprised me how serious it was with regard to young adults and the data provided by the Web MD link above. Rather than it being a huge threat to the really young and old, it has had the greatest impact on young adults.

What also seemed interesting was the unanimous belief that as young adults we really don't have to worry about being seriously affected by the new strain, but rather an illness that will just pass.

A Sausage Shop's Suspected Foul Odor Actually That of 11 Bodies

What was thought to be a foul odor coming from Ray's Sausage Co.'s sewage pipeline was actually its neighbor's not-so-hidden secret: 11 bodies buried in and around a convicted sex-offender's home. The bodies are those of African-American women suspected to be the victims of the owner of the home.

It's really disturbing that neighbors were left to deal with these conditions for nearly a year or so and no one could of suspected the reality of the situation.

I thought this story was told really well as it is still pretty early in the investigation. The videos included in this report enhance the reporters story and widespread confusion surrounding the circumstances.

Glenn Howatt, Star Tribune

Glenn's presentation highlighted just how important it is for journalists to become flexible in their skills. There's no longer a limit to what may come in handy as the industry is ever-changing. His use of excel was one example of how a software designed for accountants could be applied to data mapping and making sense of a large amount of information.
I also found the everyblock.com concept interesting in that it could give you a variety of information on the time, place, and type of crime, who committed it, etc. Which in turn could produce a story or enhance the specifics of one that you were looking into.

Neurological Disorder Triggered By Flu Shot

Story: YouTube video

A young woman in her mid-twenties went in for a simple flu shot and soon after her life changed dramatically. Though it's encouraged to get the flu shot, this story just confirmed my fears all along. Even though this disorder was present in her body it took something as small as a health precaution to lead to such a dramatic change in one young person's life. She can no longer perform the basic act of walking forward without experiencing uncontrollable spasms.

I think what also bothered me the most was that she recently got married and was hoping to fulfill her dreams of becoming a professional cheerleader. I really just makes you wonder how can we think we're preventing ourselves from one thing when something even worse (and in this case incurable) occurs.

'Balloon boy' incident was hoax, sheriff says

This case was really intriguing to me because I caught it as it happened early Thursday afternoon. CNN had state that a 6-year-old boy had floated away in his parents "storm chaser" balloon after the tether was mysteriously untied. It floated miles away from the home as the country watched in horror at the thought of seeing a young boy stranded inside this "UFO-esque" contraption.

Now the sheriff is stating that after interviewing the family again in addition to the recent statement made by the missing boy that this was indeed a hoax by the family in hopes of gaining publicity for a possible chance of getting a reality show in the future.

I found this development disappointing because this family fooled the entire nation into believing their son was in immense danger when in fact he wasn't. What I also found interesting was the claim made by the police that they had intentionally went with the Heene family's story in order to figure out just what their son was as well as their motive behind planning this.

The sheriff did mention that the family will be charged with a "felony including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant, Alderden said. They also plan to recommend a charge of filing a false police report, which is a misdemeanor."

The parents wouldn't face jail time as the sheriff stated that space was better reserved for individuals who have committed more serious crimes.

Lora Pabst, Whistleblower

I was really impressed with what Lora has been able to accomplish since her start at the Star Tribune in 2007. She seemed to know early on what she wanted to do in life and that in turn became her passion. It's inspiring to witness what she's been able to do with Whistleblower and the amount of work that is required for this type of beat (i.e. to confirm the claims the public is making with regards to their problems/observations).

This experience was helpful in giving our class a firsthand look at the workings of a newsroom and how the first page gets constructed within a specific time frame.

Week 1

Zimbabwe schools begin fightback

As stated by CNN this story highlights the following:

• In two years, 20,000 teachers have left Zimbabwe
  
• Desperately poor parents sometimes pay for education with livestock
  
• Zimbabwe's education system suffered as the economy went into freefall
  
• Head teacher: We need to teach these kids ... to become something in the world

Overall I really liked the tone of this article, the reporter included a lot of historical references that correlated with the current state of Zibabwe's educational system. And after reading this article I felt a lot of remorse for the children of Zimbabwe due to the conditions they are left to endure just to get an education. I always knew (coming from Kenya myself) that you were very lucky if your family could afford the tuition fees but I had no idea that it had come to this extent (13 children to one book). 7,000 schools closings is such an unimaginable thing and here we thought 6 schools closing in one district/state was an unthinkable choice. Going off of one of the highlights, 20,000 teachers leaving Zimbabwe (most likely for a better life) makes you wonder how many teachers remain today? Not much.

This wasn't a very "uplifting" article but I believe it can impact a lot of people out there to do something good or at least appreciate their education even more rather than slacking off.

One of the teachers made a good point "We have children who are excelling even though they are sitting on the floor, so that is why we are hoping if things normalize these children may be the best in the world."