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28 Sep 2009 23:00

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U.S.: Is Derrion Albert’s death a tipping point for school violence?

Screencaps from Darrion Albert's murder

It's a hard video to watch. (Watch it here, but note that it's very graphic.) It's a situation that you'll likely never be in. But in Chicago, it's a way of life. Derrion Albert's death is not the first nor the last to happen in and around the public school system, but it could be a tipping point.
  • Derrion Albert Albert, an honors student, got caught in the middle of a gang fight just blocks away from his school, where a separate incident happened earlier that day. He was kicked and beaten with a plank, and he died on the scene. But someone caught it on a camera phone, a video that allowed Chicago police to identify the suspects. Four have been charged. source
  • Derrion Albert Albert, an honors student, got caught in the middle of a gang fight just blocks away from his school, where a separate incident happened earlier that day. He was kicked and beaten with a plank, and he died on the scene. But someone caught it on a camera phone, a video that allowed Chicago police to identify the suspects. Four have been charged.
  • This was not isolated Let’s be honest here: Albert’s death is getting much more attention because of the YouTube-friendly video. But it’s attention that can be harnessed. 290 students were injured last year in gun-related incidents in Chicago, and gang fights like the one shown in the video are common. The page-one play of this story could help the city turn a corner. source
  • Derrion Albert Albert, an honors student, got caught in the middle of a gang fight just blocks away from his school, where a separate incident happened earlier that day. He was kicked and beaten with a plank, and he died on the scene. But someone caught it on a camera phone, a video that allowed Chicago police to identify the suspects. Four have been charged.
  • This was not isolated Let’s be honest here: Albert’s death is getting much more attention because of the YouTube-friendly video. But it’s attention that can be harnessed. 290 students were injured last year in gun-related incidents in Chicago, and gang fights like the one shown in the video are common. The page-one play of this story could help the city turn a corner.
  • Social media As Albert’s death becomes a touchstone for Chicago schools, it’s important to note the video’s impact. Like the texting-while-driving PSA from a month ago, this video stays with you. It’s as strong a deterrent against gang violence as any, because the world doesn’t need more Derrion Alberts. Chicago needs safer schools and safer streets. Will that happen? source

27 Sep 2009 10:55

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U.S.: L.A.’s MetroLink is responsible for a TON of fatalities

  • 244 people died in MetroLink-related crashes over the last 15 years source

27 Sep 2009 03:43

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World: The Philippines slammed by its worst flooding in 40 years

  • 51 have died and another 21 have gone missing in the flooding source

25 Sep 2009 10:35

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U.S.: Ex-Manson family member Susan Atkins dies at 61

  • 38 number of years Susan Atkins spent in jail for murdering Sharon Tate in 1969; she was the longest-serving female inmate in California source

16 Sep 2009 19:25

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U.S.: Asphyxiation behind Annie Le’s death; more warrants issued

  • Raymond Clark III is still a person of interest. The Yale murder case still doesn’t have a definitive suspect, but all eyes remain on Clark, who was served with two additional search warrants today. Earlier today, authorities said Annie Le died from “traumatic asphyxiation due to neck compression.” Whether or not Clark did it, based on the amount of press coverage he’s gotten, he’s already been convicted by the court of the media. source

15 Sep 2009 09:48

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U.S.: It wasn’t random: The suspect likely knew the slayed Yale student

  • It happened in a building with very tight security. The discovery of Annie Le’s body in a Yale medical research building narrows down who it could have been. The building required access, meaning that the possible number of people it could have been was very narrow. “Only Yalies had access to that basement, and that seems to point to someone in our community being involved in this,” said Thomas Kaplan, editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. “That’s what is so frightening.” source

14 Sep 2009 21:14

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Culture: Reports of Patrick Swayze’s death: Wildly exaggerated, until it was true

  • Fake death reports kept cropping up for months. Back in May, The Vancouver Sun wrote this article about how reports of Patrick Swayze’s death were tweeted heavily for months, despite the fact they weren’t true. People knew that the actor had been in ill health for months, but many pulled the trigger too early. “Someone shouts out, ‘Patrick Swayze is dead!’ and you’re thrown into action straight away,” notes Hello! Canada editor-in-chief Ciara Hunt. And at that point, it just tweeted out of control. When millions of boys are crying wolf, eventually it doesn’t matter if it isn’t true. source
 

14 Sep 2009 20:32

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Culture: Patrick Swayze in January: I’m not gonna chase staying alive

  • One thing I’m not gonna do is chase staying alive. You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won’t live.
  • Patrick Swayze • In an interview with Barbara Walters in January about his pancreatic cancer. At the time, Swayze said he expected to live two years. “I want to last until they find a cure,” he said in the interview, “which means I’d better get a fire under it.” He didn’t get a chance, sadly. • source

14 Sep 2009 20:20

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Culture: Patrick Swayze has died at 57. We reminisce via “Roadhouse.”

  • This was the best movie from which to get the Patrick Swazye experience. It’s not his best film – in fact, it’s laughably bad – but “Roadhouse,” more than any other, explains the appeal of Swayze. He had other notable roles (he was killer in “Donnie Darko,” for example), but he’s best remembered for the three years between 1987 and 1990. Swayze died of pancreatic cancer. He was 57.source

13 Sep 2009 12:20

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Biz: Let’s not pretend that newspapers aren’t dying. Let’s talk about it.

  • It’s a bold approach to take. Newspapers across the U.S. have felt the devastating effects of the economy on their business, and the San Jose Mercury News is a microcosm for the whole mess. Caught in the center of more than one major storm – the merging of Knight Ridder with McClatchy (which destabilized the entire industry), its purchase by MediaNews, and the ensuing cuts – the paper went from crown jewel to shell of its former self in a few short years. Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy asks for help from readers in today’s paper – it’s frank, it’s honest and it hides nothing. Good for them. source