Who: Quinton Coronado
What: Was named student of the month
Where: Bowie High school
When: Sept. 17, 2015
Why: For doing exceptional work around school
How: The Principal decided
Sentence: On September 17, 2015, Principal Kane named Quinton Coronado the Bowie High school student of the month due to his exceptional work around the school.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Additional Student of the Month Interviews
Quinton's best friend: Alex
1. How did you react to finding out he is student of the month? When I found out Quinton was student of the month, I was really happy for him and proud of his achievement.
2. Why do you think he was chosen? He is always looking for new ways to make Bowie better, and he very heroically saved the kittens.
3. Do you think he is deserving of the title? He is definitely the most deserving person for this award because he puts the needs of everyone else before his own.
4. How have you supported him? I've always got his back, and I try to help him take care of Bowie in any way I can.
5. Were you there when he saved the kittens? Describe the event if yes. One of the highest branches of the tree in the courtyard caught fire, and a litter of 12 kittens was stuck in the tree. Quinton climbed the trunk and gently tossed down kittens, two at a time. Unfortunately, he was not able to save the last two.
Bowie Principal: Mr. Kane
1. Why was Quinton chosen? Quinton is a good kid who is always thinking of others. He even more selfless this month when he risked his safety to save the kittens.
2. What traits make him a good student of the month? Quinton is honest, empathetic, and extremely brave.
3. What is the purpose of student of the month? The student of the month program was designed to commend students who have gone above and beyond to do good around Bowie.
4. Did anything influence your decision? Explain. I had many students approach me to nominate Quinton for student of the month, so he was the obvious choice.
5. Do you have anyone in mind for next month? I don't know who will be the student of next month, but I am always excited to see which students put 110% into Bowie each month.
1. How did you react to finding out he is student of the month? When I found out Quinton was student of the month, I was really happy for him and proud of his achievement.
2. Why do you think he was chosen? He is always looking for new ways to make Bowie better, and he very heroically saved the kittens.
3. Do you think he is deserving of the title? He is definitely the most deserving person for this award because he puts the needs of everyone else before his own.
4. How have you supported him? I've always got his back, and I try to help him take care of Bowie in any way I can.
5. Were you there when he saved the kittens? Describe the event if yes. One of the highest branches of the tree in the courtyard caught fire, and a litter of 12 kittens was stuck in the tree. Quinton climbed the trunk and gently tossed down kittens, two at a time. Unfortunately, he was not able to save the last two.
Bowie Principal: Mr. Kane
1. Why was Quinton chosen? Quinton is a good kid who is always thinking of others. He even more selfless this month when he risked his safety to save the kittens.
2. What traits make him a good student of the month? Quinton is honest, empathetic, and extremely brave.
3. What is the purpose of student of the month? The student of the month program was designed to commend students who have gone above and beyond to do good around Bowie.
4. Did anything influence your decision? Explain. I had many students approach me to nominate Quinton for student of the month, so he was the obvious choice.
5. Do you have anyone in mind for next month? I don't know who will be the student of next month, but I am always excited to see which students put 110% into Bowie each month.
Friday, September 25, 2015
My Top Stories of the Century
I thought this event was very important because it was more than the destruction of a famous monument. It showed that communism was struggling to continue, and Germany was united as one country. It was a major victory for freedom and equality that physically and metaphorically destroyed a barrier between two groups.
There were many conspiracies surrounding the assassination of Kennedy. A large number of people believe there was more than one assassin. Many Americans were shocked by the assassination which had political repercussions.
This was a major step towards equality. There was still a lot of racial tension, and there were many people who didn't support the law. This was very important for America because it was the start of an equal opportunity environment that we are still working towards today.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
CE 1.4
1. The Pope will be in the U.S. for six days and will visit the cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
2. The terms of the occupancy limits are there can be no more than 6 unrelated guests, no more than 10 guests total, no more than 2 people per bedroom plus 2, no assembly of more than 6 people outside, and no outdoor gatherings after 10:00 PM.
3. Volkswagen will alter the emissions in their cars.
4. The Dallas Cowboys signed Matt Cassel as back-up.
5. The 2 companies are Samsung and Texas Lehigh.
Response:
The Supreme Court has a new ruling that will not enhance the amount of funds going to schools. Ten students from Houston brought up their case that the money will not be enough. They feel the academic standards raised without giving students the opportunity to meet them, and there is not equal opportunity between poor and wealthy schools. I think it is very respectable how they felt something was a problem and took the matter into their own hands. They are passionate about the quality of education and it is refreshing that these kids are trying to make a difference for students across the nation. I'm not certain their case will effect the ruling, but I think they definitely made their ideas heard and made someone reconsider giving more funding toward schools. I learned that the amount of funding schools get changes based on different rulings. I also learned that for funding, academics are the priority and electives come second.
2. The terms of the occupancy limits are there can be no more than 6 unrelated guests, no more than 10 guests total, no more than 2 people per bedroom plus 2, no assembly of more than 6 people outside, and no outdoor gatherings after 10:00 PM.
3. Volkswagen will alter the emissions in their cars.
4. The Dallas Cowboys signed Matt Cassel as back-up.
5. The 2 companies are Samsung and Texas Lehigh.
Response:
The Supreme Court has a new ruling that will not enhance the amount of funds going to schools. Ten students from Houston brought up their case that the money will not be enough. They feel the academic standards raised without giving students the opportunity to meet them, and there is not equal opportunity between poor and wealthy schools. I think it is very respectable how they felt something was a problem and took the matter into their own hands. They are passionate about the quality of education and it is refreshing that these kids are trying to make a difference for students across the nation. I'm not certain their case will effect the ruling, but I think they definitely made their ideas heard and made someone reconsider giving more funding toward schools. I learned that the amount of funding schools get changes based on different rulings. I also learned that for funding, academics are the priority and electives come second.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Student of the Month Interview
Sources: Student of the month, runner-up, friends of person, and people who made the decision.
Quinton Coronado:
1. How was it decided that you are student of the month? The Bowie Principal decided.
2. How did you react to learning the news? Why? I was excited and shocked by the news.
3. How did you find out you are student of the month? The Principal sent me a letter in the mail.
4. What qualities about you make you a good student of the month? I pay attention in class and study for tests.
5. How have you embraced those qualities at Bowie this month? I'm always tutoring kids in the library and looking for ways to help Bowie.
6. What are some specific things you have done for Bowie in this month? I saved 10 kittens from a burning tree during lunch last week.
7. Were there any things that would make you a bad student of the month? Explain. I couldn't save the last 2 kittens. :(
8. Who else was considered for student of the month? No one else was considered, I'm flawless.
9. What qualities do they have that made them be considered? No one else was considered because they were not worthy of the title.
10. Why do you think they didn't become student of this month? They aren't as good as me.
11. Why weren't you picked for student of the month last month? I wasn't as focused.
12. Who do you think will be picked next month? Why? Maya Joyner will be student of next month and every month after that because she's cool.
13. How does a student become considered for the title? A student can be considered by working hard in school.
14. Will you continue to do good around Bowie after this month? Why? I will do the same for my GPA and save more kittens if necessary.
15. Do you think you were the most deserving person for student of the month? Yes, but other people worked hard to.
16. How will this accomplishment be celebrated? I will receive an award while riding into the cafeteria on an elephant while my peers bask in my glory.
17. Do you receive any special privileges during this month? Explain. I can print for free in the school library.
18. Why was the student of the month award created? It was created to recognize the hardest working student, and to let other students know to step it up.
19. What are the benefits of this award? Receiving the award and recognizing good work are the benefits.
20. What are the harms of this award? I have more expected of me.
Quinton Coronado:
1. How was it decided that you are student of the month? The Bowie Principal decided.
2. How did you react to learning the news? Why? I was excited and shocked by the news.
3. How did you find out you are student of the month? The Principal sent me a letter in the mail.
4. What qualities about you make you a good student of the month? I pay attention in class and study for tests.
5. How have you embraced those qualities at Bowie this month? I'm always tutoring kids in the library and looking for ways to help Bowie.
6. What are some specific things you have done for Bowie in this month? I saved 10 kittens from a burning tree during lunch last week.
7. Were there any things that would make you a bad student of the month? Explain. I couldn't save the last 2 kittens. :(
8. Who else was considered for student of the month? No one else was considered, I'm flawless.
9. What qualities do they have that made them be considered? No one else was considered because they were not worthy of the title.
10. Why do you think they didn't become student of this month? They aren't as good as me.
11. Why weren't you picked for student of the month last month? I wasn't as focused.
12. Who do you think will be picked next month? Why? Maya Joyner will be student of next month and every month after that because she's cool.
13. How does a student become considered for the title? A student can be considered by working hard in school.
14. Will you continue to do good around Bowie after this month? Why? I will do the same for my GPA and save more kittens if necessary.
15. Do you think you were the most deserving person for student of the month? Yes, but other people worked hard to.
16. How will this accomplishment be celebrated? I will receive an award while riding into the cafeteria on an elephant while my peers bask in my glory.
17. Do you receive any special privileges during this month? Explain. I can print for free in the school library.
18. Why was the student of the month award created? It was created to recognize the hardest working student, and to let other students know to step it up.
19. What are the benefits of this award? Receiving the award and recognizing good work are the benefits.
20. What are the harms of this award? I have more expected of me.
School Uniforms
Sources: School district officials, school faculty, students, and parents of students attending the schools.
1. How do you feel about the new school uniform policy?
2. Why do you feel that way?
3. How does the policy effect you?
4. Were you surprised by this? Why?
5. When does this policy go into effect?
6. How was the decision made?
7. Who does this policy benefit the most?
8. Who does this policy harm the most?
9. How will the uniform differ based on the gender of the student? Why?
10. How would the policy effect the learning environment?
11. How strictly would the policy be enforced?
12. Are there rules concerning make-up and/or jewelry? Explain.
13. Was there an event that influenced the decision to create this policy? If so, what event?
14. How do you feel about the appearance of the uniform?
15. How will the students purchase uniforms?
16. Will the uniforms be different depending on the school? Why?
17. Will the staff be required to wear uniforms? Why?
18. Does the uniform target genders differently? Why?
19. How do you think students will respond to the dress code?
20. How do you think students and faculty will respond to the dress code?
1. How do you feel about the new school uniform policy?
2. Why do you feel that way?
3. How does the policy effect you?
4. Were you surprised by this? Why?
5. When does this policy go into effect?
6. How was the decision made?
7. Who does this policy benefit the most?
8. Who does this policy harm the most?
9. How will the uniform differ based on the gender of the student? Why?
10. How would the policy effect the learning environment?
11. How strictly would the policy be enforced?
12. Are there rules concerning make-up and/or jewelry? Explain.
13. Was there an event that influenced the decision to create this policy? If so, what event?
14. How do you feel about the appearance of the uniform?
15. How will the students purchase uniforms?
16. Will the uniforms be different depending on the school? Why?
17. Will the staff be required to wear uniforms? Why?
18. Does the uniform target genders differently? Why?
19. How do you think students will respond to the dress code?
20. How do you think students and faculty will respond to the dress code?
Thursday, September 17, 2015
CE 1.3
1. The Republican Party presidential debate was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.
2. Their main concern is the 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM operating hours of the terminal.
3. Uber wants to meet growing demands in East Austin, and offer some employment opportunities in an economically struggling area.
4. Five things the new UT Athletic Directer plans to do are emphasize the importance of their fans, make the athletes have a good experience, finish the deal with Nike, change some of Patterson's old policies, and help Longhorns football start the season 2-1.
5. The sculptures are unique because they change in shape and appearance based on the time of day.
Short Answer:
I think that Ahmed is in the right, and the school was influenced to see the clock as a threat because he is Muslim. However, I think the school wasn't trying to be racist and was only trying to protect the student body. I think that Ahmed's punishment was too harsh and the suspension should have ended by now. I think the officials should be suspended and evaluated to decide if they can keep their position. The boy should have no punishment and his family should get a small amount of compensation for damages and discrimination.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Headlines, Links, and Photos
CE 1.2
1. The typical homeowner will save $14 next year.
2. Two similarities are that the creature walked upright, and the creature had hands and feet very similar to humans.
3. I think it is an interesting way to get attention and a noble cause he chose to put the money towards. I don't think it is a publicity stunt. I think is intention is to use this publicity to bring attention to some very important causes. I hope he succeeds, but I hope the boat follows him closely because many things can go wrong.
4. Two new things available on the iPhone 6s and 6s+ are an improved camera and the ability to do tasks faster.
5. I think having a flying car would be the coolest thing to own from the first article. From, "Must-have tech gadgets for college," I would want the wireless keyboard.
6. I think the man got the money he deserved. I don't think shady is an acceptable reason to arrest someone. He didn't commit a crime, and he was arrested with violence used against him. I think it was right that he got that money. Even if someone has a record of being a criminal, they shouldn't be punished for crimes that never happened. I think more than $100,000 (not including lawyer and doctor fees) would be excessive for someone who was not killed or extremely injured. I think that $100,000 is definitely enough to compensate them in those situations. If someone is killed or disabled badly the family should receive closer to $1 million. The loss of a life causes emotional damages to the family, and disabilities are also very hard for families. It seems like there is a lot more of the idea "if someone looks like the are up to no good, they're a criminal" going around. That contradicts the idea of innocent until proven guilty and is unfair.
2. Two similarities are that the creature walked upright, and the creature had hands and feet very similar to humans.
3. I think it is an interesting way to get attention and a noble cause he chose to put the money towards. I don't think it is a publicity stunt. I think is intention is to use this publicity to bring attention to some very important causes. I hope he succeeds, but I hope the boat follows him closely because many things can go wrong.
4. Two new things available on the iPhone 6s and 6s+ are an improved camera and the ability to do tasks faster.
5. I think having a flying car would be the coolest thing to own from the first article. From, "Must-have tech gadgets for college," I would want the wireless keyboard.
6. I think the man got the money he deserved. I don't think shady is an acceptable reason to arrest someone. He didn't commit a crime, and he was arrested with violence used against him. I think it was right that he got that money. Even if someone has a record of being a criminal, they shouldn't be punished for crimes that never happened. I think more than $100,000 (not including lawyer and doctor fees) would be excessive for someone who was not killed or extremely injured. I think that $100,000 is definitely enough to compensate them in those situations. If someone is killed or disabled badly the family should receive closer to $1 million. The loss of a life causes emotional damages to the family, and disabilities are also very hard for families. It seems like there is a lot more of the idea "if someone looks like the are up to no good, they're a criminal" going around. That contradicts the idea of innocent until proven guilty and is unfair.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Cooperating with the Government
Two inmates in Arizona had a two week long prison standoff and held two guards captive. This was the longest standoff in recent history, and it was carried out in a guard tower with hand made weapons. The media agreed not to release any names or information about the standoff until after it ended.
Personally, I think that the media should have released more information about the event while it was going on. Their intention is to report the truth and minimize harm. I think there is much more harm in keeping the general public in the dark than releasing the names. If it becomes acceptable for the government to hold back information, it will trivialize the purpose of having news outlets. Preventing the general public from knowing key pieces of information about a subject only leads to corruption and infringes on the first amendment right to freedom of press.
Two inmates in Arizona had a two week long prison standoff and held two guards captive. This was the longest standoff in recent history, and it was carried out in a guard tower with hand made weapons. The media agreed not to release any names or information about the standoff until after it ended.
Personally, I think that the media should have released more information about the event while it was going on. Their intention is to report the truth and minimize harm. I think there is much more harm in keeping the general public in the dark than releasing the names. If it becomes acceptable for the government to hold back information, it will trivialize the purpose of having news outlets. Preventing the general public from knowing key pieces of information about a subject only leads to corruption and infringes on the first amendment right to freedom of press.
Friday, September 4, 2015
The Media's Foul Ball
A man at a Chicago Cubs baseball game tried to catch a foul ball, which prevented the outfielder from catching it. The event ended up costing the Cubs a trip to the World Series. The media has to decide whether or not to reveal the man's identity because it could pose a risk to him.
I think that this would be a situation where the man's identity should remain private. He hasn't committed a crime, and the release of the information could pose a serious threat. Sports fans get very involved, and several threats had already been made towards him during that game. If his name is released, him and his family would likely be harassed.
A man at a Chicago Cubs baseball game tried to catch a foul ball, which prevented the outfielder from catching it. The event ended up costing the Cubs a trip to the World Series. The media has to decide whether or not to reveal the man's identity because it could pose a risk to him.
I think that this would be a situation where the man's identity should remain private. He hasn't committed a crime, and the release of the information could pose a serious threat. Sports fans get very involved, and several threats had already been made towards him during that game. If his name is released, him and his family would likely be harassed.
Deep Throat, and His Motive
The journalists who first covered the Watergate scandal had their primary source remain anonymous for many years. This makes two news principles contradict each other; they should protect the witness, but they should also make their priority to reveal information. Many people respect their commitment to let the source remain anonymous, but some theories suggest that the decision to keep "Deep Throat" anonymous is just a cover to protect the FBI.
I personally feel that revealing all relevant information about a news story is more important than protecting a source. I think that there are times when a source needs to remain anonymous, but I did not agree with this one. The job of a journalist is to seek the truth and report it. Not naming the politician that gave them the essential information is only adding to political corruption. If the FBI really was against the President, the unnamed source just keeps blame away from them.
The journalists who first covered the Watergate scandal had their primary source remain anonymous for many years. This makes two news principles contradict each other; they should protect the witness, but they should also make their priority to reveal information. Many people respect their commitment to let the source remain anonymous, but some theories suggest that the decision to keep "Deep Throat" anonymous is just a cover to protect the FBI.
I personally feel that revealing all relevant information about a news story is more important than protecting a source. I think that there are times when a source needs to remain anonymous, but I did not agree with this one. The job of a journalist is to seek the truth and report it. Not naming the politician that gave them the essential information is only adding to political corruption. If the FBI really was against the President, the unnamed source just keeps blame away from them.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Novelty
This article is not necessarily a major upcoming story; however, it is an interesting piece for their audience to enjoy.
found article in Austin American Statesman
HIGH-TECH HOME
New technology making homes smarter
Devices can control lights, appliances, temperature, more.
One of the most popular trends in home design is the rapidly expanding universe of smart-home technology.
Conflict
The Republican party is trying to convince a candidate to agree not to run as independent in order to be considered for nomination.
Donald Trump Weighing Whether to Sign Pledge to Back Republicans’ Eventual Nominee
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Donald J. Trump said in an interview on Thursday that he would soon decide whether to sign a pledge to support the ultimate Republican presidential nominee, something the South Carolina Republican Party is requiring to compete in the state’s critical primary.
Mr. Trump, the only one of 10 Republican candidates in a Fox News debate this month who refused to rule out a third-party bid, said that he expected his showing in polls to “go up 10 or 15 percent” if he signs the pledge. He added that if he did sign but lost the nomination, he would not run as an independent, a concern among many Republicans.
“I don’t make commitments and break them,” Mr. Trump said after speaking at an event here hosted by local chambers of commerce. If he violates the contract, he said, “they should sue. I would go before the court and say, ‘I’m guilty.’ ”
Disputing a Huffington Post report that suggested he was assuring local party leaders that he would sign the pledge, he insisted, “I haven’t told anybody that.”
South Carolina, the first Southern state to hold a primary next year, appears to like what it sees in Mr. Trump. A poll this week had him far ahead of his closest competitor, prompting what his aides said was a new demand that he sign the pledge.
Ed McMullen, a co-chairman of Mr. Trump’s South Carolina campaign, said that the party had sent its news release on a day when Mr. Trump was shown crushing his opposition, but that “we’re not going to be taken off message.”
That message is essentially that Mr. Trump is a winner, a theme the candidate took up in meandering but crowd-pleasing remarks before about 1,400 people.
Mr. Trump began by hailing the crowd as part of the new “silent majority.”
He also contrasted the showing at his event with the turnout of a few hundred at a similar event this summer for Jeb Bush, a former Republican governor of Florida and a favorite Trump target.
About 700 chamber members showed up for the Trump event but so did another 700 or so voters who paid $35 a plate “because the Trump people wanted to open it up,” said Ben Haskew, the president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
To the crowd’s delight, Mr. Trump offered a critical commentary on an article in The New York Times describing the adversarial view of him held by the Spanish-language news media. He then tossed the paper into the crowd.
At another point, he invited the wife of a local elected official on stage to yank his hair (“I don’t wear a toupee, it’s my hair,” he said) and mocked Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina lawmaker who is also running for president, for how little support he is getting.
Mr. Graham did not respond to the taunt. “My problems with Mr. Trump go to the substance of what he says,” he said in a statement.
Impact
The event impacts both people that are environmental conscience as well as people that live near the river.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/03/us/ap-us-mississippi-river-oil-spill.html
The event impacts both people that are environmental conscience as well as people that live near the river.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/03/us/ap-us-mississippi-river-oil-spill.html
Thousands of Gallons of Oil Spilled in Mississippi River
COLUMBUS, Ky. — Part of the Mississippi River was closed as crews investigated an oil spill caused by the collision of two tow boats, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
The collision Wednesday evening near Columbus, Kentucky, damaged at least one barge carrying clarified slurry oil. The cargo tank was ruptured, causing thousands of gallons of oil to spill into the river, the Coast Guard said.
No injuries were reported.
The river is closed from mile markers 938 to 922, Petty Officer Lora Ratliff said.
The barge was carrying approximately 1 million gallons, but the breach was only in one area, affecting just one of its six tanks, Ratliff said. That tank holds 250,000 gallons, and Lt. Takila Powell said a little more than 120,000 gallons spilled into the river.
The Coast Guard said it was working with the barge owner, Inland Marine Services, and an oil spill response organization. Inland Marine Services referred calls to its public relations person, Patrick Crowley, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Both tow boat operators had been interviewed by Coast Guard investigators and underwent drug and alcohol testing, but results aren't back yet, Powell said.
It wasn't known how long the river would be closed.
"We are working diligently to try to restore our marine transportation system," Powell said. "We understand that it is vital."
The Coast Guard determined five barges were damaged in the collision, but nothing other than the oil leaked into the river, Powell said.
The tow boats were moored on opposite sides of the river and a long gash was apparent in the smaller vessel. River traffic was backed up on both sides, though it wasn't yet known how many vessels were backed up. By Thursday evening, there was no sign of a large cleanup operation.
Powell said cleanup efforts had started with the barge and that crews put a boom around the ruptured cargo tank to prevent any residual oil from leaking into the river. Cleanup crews Friday will go into the river to try to determine where the oil is, with a goal of trying to recover as much of the oil as possible from the river.
Some oil was recovered from the surface during cleanup operations Thursday, Powell said, but she didn't know how much.
Powell said the oil is thick and has to be heated to be transferred or moved.
"How this type of product typically would react is that when it reaches the water that is of a lower temperature, it would solidify and sink," she said Thursday. "But one of the things that we will be doing tomorrow is trying to determine where that oil has migrated to, to try to determine whether or not it has moved down the river or if it's still in the vicinity of where the collision occurred."
The collision happened in the middle of the river channel near Columbus, Kentucky, late Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. The cause was under investigation. The closure stretched 17 miles south to the city of Hickman.
Powell said it was hard to say how much of the oil was released mid-channel because the barge was eventually pushed up to the bank. Keleia McCloud, assistant director of the Hickman port, says both the port and ferry service were operating normally.
Hickman County official Kenny Wilson said local communities experienced no disruptions from the spill and the water supply in Columbus was not affected because it comes from wells. He said Columbus-Belmont State Park remained open.
Powell said there had been no reports of fish kills.
Joe Hogancamp of Bardwell, Kentucky, was putting his 20-foot-long boat into the Mississippi River just downstream from the collision. He said he might refrain from fishing in the area affected by the oil spill.
"It might mess up some of the fishing," he said. "I'd say it's going to hurt the environment a little bit. I doubt we'll eat some fish (from the river) for a little while."
A May 19 oil pipeline rupture in California caused a spill of what has been estimated to be up to 143,000 gallons of crude, according to documents from Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline. That spill forced a popular state park to shut down for two months, and goo from the spill washed up on beaches as far as 100 miles away.
A July 2008 spill caused by a collision between a tugboat and a barge carrying oil on the Mississippi River in New Orleans sent 282,000 gallons into the water and caused the closure of the river.
___
Sainz reported from Memphis. AP reporter Stephen Lance Dennee also contributed.
Prominence
The article is about the President of Guatemala which makes the event newsworthy.
Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala Is Jailed Hours After Resigning Presidency
GUATEMALA CITY — Just hours after tendering his resignation as president of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina was sent to jail to await the conclusion of a hearing examining his role in a multimillion dollar customs fraud case that has shaken the nation and sent reverberations throughout the region.
The decision to jail Mr. Pérez Molina highlighted the seismic change sweeping through Guatemala after the corruption accusations in April, and offered a dramatic validation of a growing street demonstration movement demanding his ouster and prosecution.
For much of Guatemala’s violent history, marked by dictatorship and military repression, such a scene would have been unimaginable: a sitting president forced to resign, then sit before a court to hear charges leveled against him and ultimately spend the night in a prison he once might have overseen as a top general.
All that in the course of a single day.
Until now, Mr. Pérez Molina gave no indication he would go gently. Even as street protests grew to include tens of thousands of citizens demanding that he step down over accusations that he played a major role in a multimillion dollar customs fraud scheme, the president, who was the military’s negotiator during talks to end the nation’s bloody 36-year civil war, denied wrongdoing and refused to leave office. But just before midnight on Wednesday, Mr. Pérez Molina filed his resignation, saying he would “face justice and resolve my personal situation.”
In the courtroom on Thursday, he listened calmly while prosecutors played wiretap recordings that they said implicated him as the leader of a vast fraud ring. His face arranged in a look of alert composure, the now former president took notes as more than six hours of recordings played before judges, lawyers and the news media.
Afterward, he paused to speak with reporters, proclaiming his innocence and pledging to face the allegations.
“It’s one thing to listen but another thing to investigate,” he said, referring to the long day of taped conversations. “All Guatemalans have to respect the law, and I assure you I will respect the law and this process.”
As the hearing was underway, a modest but jubilant crowd filled the city’s central plaza, the nerve center of the protest movement that began five months ago. As a sporadic rain fell, the crowd passed the time the same way it had for months, with drums, chants and blaring whistles. A throng of vendors sold protest paraphernalia, hawking whistles, masks and Guatemalan flags for about $5.
The difference on Thursday was that the noise was characterized by celebration, not the frustration and outrage that had fueled it for months. The protesters’ goal of bringing down the president accomplished, the tenor was easy going, even among the police. Where before hundreds of officers lined the perimeter of the plaza, on high alert, the contingent there on Thursday appeared relaxed, even relieved, at the events transpiring before them.
“The powerful of this country never bothered to lift people from the street,” said Cifuentes Arreaga Sergio, a 20-year veteran of the national civil police, who was stationed along the steps of the hulking Palacio. Ignoring the occasional explosion of confetti and the cacophony nearby, he betrayed a smile. “This was the only thing that the power of the state was going to respond to.”
Mr. Pérez Molina was sent to Matamoros prison, which is on a military base in central Guatemala City.
His vice president, Alejandro Maldonado, was sworn in as president on Thursday afternoon, after Congress voted to accept the resignation. Mr. Maldonado demanded the resignations of top government officials, though many had already stepped down. His term will end in January, with the inauguration of the winner of elections that were scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Mr. Pérez Molina, 64, is the first president in Guatemalan history to resign over a corruption scandal, experts said, a striking rarity in a country long known for the impunity of its political establishment. And though the economy in Guatemala has lagged compared with other countries in Latin America, Mr. Pérez Molina’s sudden reversal of fortune put it firmly within a wave of efforts elsewhere in the region to make political systems more accountable.
That peaceful protests have managed to oust a powerful leader who many say was connected to the dark history of the civil war, in which a United Nations panel concluded that the government was behind the majority of 200,000 deaths, has left those both outside and within Guatemala astonished.
Yet major questions loom. Before the monumental challenge of transitioning from a system of impunity to one more responsive to its people lies a more immediate one: Sunday’s election.
Mr. Pérez Molina’s sudden departure leaves almost no time under the current schedule to enact serious reforms before the transfer of power. And the candidates for president were fielded in a world fundamentally different from the one that Guatemalans awoke to on Thursday.
“At their finest moment, Guatemalans are faced with this really difficult choice between candidates who may not lead to the kinds of changes that people have been fighting for,” said Eric L. Olson, a scholar at the Mexico Institute of the Wilson Center. “It’s one thing to want a corrupt government out and another thing to move toward another form of government.”
Not all Guatemalans worried about the next steps. Indeed, the protesters seemed to possess a sort of euphoria marked by the belief that though they did not know their precise location, they were on the road to lasting change.
“We have people with capacity who can lead in these elections,” said Juan Gabon Villanueva, 56. “And if they’re corrupt, they will have to change their behavior.”
Proximity
The article is about a local Austin officer who had to be extradited from Indonesia back to Austin to face charges.
- found article at Austin American Statesman
NEW DETAILS SAMANTHA DEAN CASE
Former Austin police officer VonTrey Clark has been charged with capital murder in the death of Samantha Dean, according to a federal warrant unsealed Wednesday.
Federal officials unsealed charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution against Clark late Wednesday after they took him into custody from Indonesian police. The warrant showed that Bastrop County officials filed murder charges against Clark, 32, on July 21 after learning he had left the U.S. and traveled to the Southeast Asian nation despite being instructed by Austin police to remain home during the investigation
into Dean’s death.
Clark is believed to have offered $5,000 for the death of Dean, a crime victims counselor with Kyle police who authorities think was the mother of Clark’s unborn child. Bastrop County deputies found her body in February after she was shot three times.
According to the warrant, federal authorities believe Clark fled the country July 17 after he learned the scope of evidence police had gathered
against him. Media outlets widely reported on a search warrant that was unsealed July 13 and described phone records tying Clark and two other men to Dean’s murder.
Clark’s attorney, Bristol Myers, has said Clark traveled to Indonesia for an unspecified medical procedure.
“Law enforcement has a vested interest in painting Officer Clark as a fugitive to compensate for the weakness of the evidence against him,” Myers said in a statement Wednesday. “He left the United States using his own passport, on a round-trip ticket, after giving notice to his chain of command that he was taking sick leave and would return on August 14th. Investigators have been desperate to pin this case on him from the get-go, and they just couldn’t risk the picture of innocence that would be painted by allowing Officer Clark to come home under his own power.”
Authorities wouldn’t comment publicly on the capital murder warrant Wednesday, but three people familiar with the investigation said it had been issued in an effort to enlist the aid of federal authorities in bringing Clark back to Texas from Indonesia — a long trek that began before dawn Wednesday and was expected to conclude late Wednesday.
The three sources aren’t named because they aren’t authorized to speak about the case.
Associated Press photographs Wednesday showed Clark handcuffed and dressed in a black Nike T-shirt as Indonesian police moved him from a jail in Bali, Indonesia, and placed him into the custody
of 13 FBI agents. Agents escorted Clark as the fired Austin police officer was flown from Bali to Guam, then to Hawaii and finally Texas.
At press time, Clark, 32, was still en route to Austin. His flight on a U.S. Justice Department plane was set to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport shortly before midnight Wednesday, sources said. From there, authorities didn’t say where Clark would be taken.
The Bastrop County sheriff’s office refused to provide details about Clark’s return, but made plans shortly after news of Clark’s extradition became public to have a media briefing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Bali police spokesman Hery Wiyanto said Clark arrived in Indonesia on July 19 on an American Airlines flight through Jakarta. He was arrested
July 30 based on a red notice from Interpol.
Wiyanto said Clark moved several times to avoid arrest. Police attempted to capture him at a hotel in southern Bali, only to find he had escaped to another part of the island. They later arrested him in a villa he had rented.
Clark emerged as a person of interest early in the case after police discovered that Clark and Dean, 29, had an on-and-off relationship. Through phone records and statements from one of Clark’s associates, who was arrested in connection with the case, police have come to believe that Clark hired two men to kill Dean to avoid paying child support for her unborn child. Dean was seven months pregnant at the time of her death.
The associate, Aaron Lamont Williams, named Freddie Smith and Kevin Watson as Dean’s killers and said they set up the murder scene to look like a drug deal that had gone bad. Clark had offered $5,000 for her death, documents showed.
At the time of Dean’s death, Clark was seeing another woman and believed that if Dean gave birth to the child it would ruin his relationship, court documents say.
On the night of her killing, Clark had a fight with his girlfriend and then disappeared for about 3½ hours.
Police later found records to three “burner” phones they believe Clark, Watson and Smith used to coordinate the killing. Records showed those phones converging on the site where deputies found Dean dead and then were never used again.
Contact Philip Jankowski at 512-445-3702.
Contact Tony Plohetski at 512-445-3605.
Former Austin police officer VonTrey Clark is processed by police in Indonesia prior to his extradition to the United States. FIRDIA LISNAWATI / ASSOCIATED PRESS
The article is about a local Austin officer who had to be extradited from Indonesia back to Austin to face charges.
- found article at Austin American Statesman
NEW DETAILS SAMANTHA DEAN CASE
Ex-officer extradited to face murder charge
FBI agents take custody of VonTrey Clark in Indonesia for return to Texas for trial in Dean slaying, sources say.
Former Austin police officer VonTrey Clark has been charged with capital murder in the death of Samantha Dean, according to a federal warrant unsealed Wednesday.
into Dean’s death.
against him. Media outlets widely reported on a search warrant that was unsealed July 13 and described phone records tying Clark and two other men to Dean’s murder.
of 13 FBI agents. Agents escorted Clark as the fired Austin police officer was flown from Bali to Guam, then to Hawaii and finally Texas.
July 30 based on a red notice from Interpol.
Samantha Dean, whose body was found in February, had been shot three times, police said.
Former Austin police officer VonTrey Clark is escorted by Indonesian police Wednesday in Bali. Clark has been charged with capital murder in the death of Samantha Dean, according to a federal warrant unsealed Wednesday. Sources said federal authorities were bringing Clark back to Texas. FIRDIA LISNAWATI / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Human Interest
It is human interest because it describes the emotional conflict a man goes through when he loses his family.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/world/europe/syria-boy-drowning.html?ref=world&_r=0
Image of a Small, Still Syrian Boy Brings Migration Crisis Into Focus
ISTANBUL — The smugglers had promised Abdullah Kurdi a motorboat for the trip from Turkey to Greece, a step on the way to a new life in Canada. Instead, they showed up with a 15-foot rubber raft that flipped in high waves, dumping Mr. Kurdi, his wife and their two small sons into the sea.
Mr. Kurdi tried to keep the boys, Aylan and Ghalib, afloat, but one died as he pushed the other to his wife, Rehan, pleading, “Just keep his head above the water!”
Only Mr. Kurdi, 40, survived.
“Now I don’t want anything,” he said a day later, on Thursday, from Mugla, Turkey, after filling out forms at a morgue to claim the bodies of his loved ones. “Even if you give me all the countries in the world, I don’t want them. What was precious is gone.”
It is an image of his youngest son, a lifeless child in a red shirt and dark shorts face down on a Turkish beach, that appears to have galvanized public attention to a crisis that has been building for years. Once again, it is not the sheer size of the catastrophe — millions upon millions forced by war and desperation to leave their homes — but a single tragedy that has clarified the moment. It was 3-year-old Aylan, his round cheek pressed to the sand as if he were sleeping, except for the waves lapping his face.
Rocketing across the world on social media, the photograph has forced Western nations to confront the consequence of a collective failure to help the tens of thousands fleeing the Middle East and Africa to Europe in search of hope, opportunity and safety. Aylan, perhaps more even than the anonymous, decomposing corpses found in the back of a truck in Austria that shocked Europe last week, has personalized the tragedy facing the 11 million Syrians displaced by more than four years of war.
The case of this young boy’s doomed journey has landed as a political bombshell across the Middle East and Europe, and even countries as far away as Canada, which has up to now not been a prominent player in the Syria crisis. Canadian officials were under intense pressure to explain why the Kurdi family was unable to get permission to immigrate legally, despite having relatives there who were willing to support and employ them. So far, the government has only cited incomplete documents, an explanation that has done little to quiet the outrage at home and abroad.
Mr. Kurdi, a Syrian Kurdish barber, and his brother Mohammad wanted to immigrate under the sponsorship of their sister, Tima Kurdi, 43, who lives in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. She had invited Mr. Kurdi to live in her basement with his family and work in her hair salon.
“They can work with me, doing hair, I can find them a job, and then when they are financially O.K., they can move out and be their own,” she said by phone on Thursday.
Mr. Kurdi, too, said his sister had told Canadian authorities that she would be “responsible for our expenses,” but that “they didn’t agree.”
In fact, Ms. Kurdi said, she had applied at first only for Mohammad’s family, teaming up with friends and relatives to make bank deposits to prove she could support the family.
But in June, she said, Mohammad’s application was rejected for lack of a required document proving he had refugee status. But under Turkish refugee policies, such documents are nearly impossible for Syrians to come by. In any case, the experience persuaded the family that neither brother would ever get a Canadian visa.
That, Ms. Kurdi said, was when she offered to help her brothers finance the boat trip — something, she said through tears, “I really regret.”
Aunt of Drowned Syrian Boys Comments
Teema Kurdi, the aunt of two Syrian boys who drowned off the coast of Turkey, said that their mother told her she didn’t know how to swim before the family attempted to cross the Mediterranean.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS on Publish Date September 3, 2015. Photo by Ben Nelms/Reuters. Watch in Times Video »
Now, she said, “All what I really need is to stop the war. That’s all. I think the whole world has to step in and help those Syrian people. They are human beings.”
Aylan was named after a cousin, Ms. Kurdi’s son Alan, she said. She had never met Aylan or his brother Ghalib, 5, but saw and talked to them often on video chat. Aylan’s father grew up in Damascus, the Syrian capital, in the neighborhood of Rukineddine, but was originally from the Kurdish city of Kobani near the Turkish border. A year or so ago, he said in a telephone interview, he moved his family to Kobani because of increasing strains in Damascus. But he said it was not safe there either, with the Islamic State increasingly attacking the area.
The family eventually moved to Istanbul, but it was difficult for Mr. Kurdi to support himself, and he had to borrow money from his sister for rent.
Ms. Kurdi turned to her local member of Parliament, Fin Donnelly, who hand-delivered a letter appealing for help to Chris Alexander, the citizenship and immigration minister.
“We waited and waited, and we didn’t have any action,” he said
In Canada, a country that has long prided itself on openness to refugees but has shifted that policy under a conservative government, this amounts to a campaign issue; Mr. Alexander had promised to admit 10,000 refugees from Syria, just over 1,000 had arrived by late August, and opposition parties like Mr. Donnelly’s say more should be welcomed. On Thursday, Mr. Alexander rushed back from the campaign trail to Ottawa, the capital, to deal with the family’s case, declaring that it “broke hearts around the world.”
Mr. Kurdi said he tried several times to cross to Europe on his own. He almost drowned trying to cross the river at Edirne, in Turkey, he said, “and once from the borders with Bulgaria and I got caught and sent back.”
Then he paid 4,000 euros, about $4,450, for the sea crossing — paying extra supposedly to avoid using a rubber raft.
“Of course we were afraid of drowning,” he said, “but the Turkish smuggler said it was going to be a yacht.”
Mr. Kurdi said the family had life jackets that were lost in the accident, but a senior Turkish security official said they were unavailable.
“Instead of focusing on the real issues, people blame the father for not putting a life jacket on his children,” the official said, noting that Turkish patrols have seen countless similar tragedies pass unnoticed. “Well, I’ll tell you this: Life jackets in sizes that small simply aren’t available here.” Indeed, many refugees buy plastic beach toys for flotation.
The voyage started in the middle of the night, around 3 a.m. in five-foot seas, he said. It is the season of the relentless Meltemi winds, when the waves can be 15 feet high.
Choking back emotion as he spoke, Mr. Kurdi described how he had flailed about while trying to find his children as his wife held on to the capsized boat.
“I started pushing them up to the surface so they could breathe,” he said. “I had to shift from one to another. I think we were in the water for three hours trying to survive.”
He watched helplessly as one exhausted child drowned, spitting up a white liquid, he said, then pushed the other toward the mother, “so he could at least keep his head up.”
Mr. Kurdi then apologized, saying he could no longer speak, and ended the conversation with one parting message.
“What I really want now is for the smuggling to stop, and to find a solution for those people who are paying the blood of their hearts just to leave,” he said.
“Yesterday I went to one of the smuggling points and told people trying to get smuggled at least not to take their kids on these boats. I told them my story, and some of them changed their minds.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)