Sen. Barack Obama won three important democratic contests on Tuesday, February 12th. Winning Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia may not seem like a huge victory, however, combined with his previous five wins, this totals him at eight in a row. Sen. Clinton was assumed to be the strong frontrunner in these states but in actuality, Sen. Obama has completely changed the direction as of this date. The polls also showed new groups who supported Sen. Obama such as old voters, women, people with lower-income. Sen. Obama also gained the majority of his votes from white men and Hispanic voters in Virginia but not Maryland. Sen. Obama won 75 percent of the vote in the District of Columbia, 64 percent in Virginia, and 60 percent in Maryland. (The New York Times, 2/13/2008, p. A1)
This is the biggest story of the week, in my opinion, because right now our country’s main focus is on politics. Everything and everyone are affected by them. Whoever wins the election, will be running the country for the next four years. Therefore, its impact is long-lasting and substantial. The element of time is the most important. This story and the events it contains, are happening in present time. That also ties in the prominence element because of the story’s high status. The proximity isn’t directly in New York or the tri-state area, however, those three locations will still eventually impact all of the United States. Lastly, the element of impact is seen in this article due to the fact that whoever wins the ongoing campaign that this article is written about, will affect our country long-term.
This week, the article updating the status of the Nixmary Brown case was the most important to me. The story states that the mother, Nixzaliz Santiago, will not have to testify against her husband, defendant, Cesar Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriquez’s lawyer claims that although his client repeatedly beat Nixmary, it was the mother who delivered the fatal blow. Following this case continuously, it’s amazing to hear the redciculous accusations the defendant’s lawyer comes up with to try and twist the story. This article has the element of proximity because the crime happened in NY and the trial is held in Brooklyn. The element of conflict and controversy is in this article as well due to the subject matter. Although weird and horrible crimes happen all of the time, I think the element of oddity is there too. (The New York Times, 2/12/2008, p. B2)
Military prosecutors want to seek the death penalty for six 9/11 Guantanamo detainees. (The New York Times, 2/11/2008, p. A1)…Writers have reached a tentative deal to end the long-lasting strike in Hollywood. (The New York Times, 2/10/2008, p. A1)…United States attorney for New Jersey, Christopher J. Christie Jr., is being inspected by the Justice Department after awarding millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to his friends and political allies. (The New York Times, 2/13/2008, p. B1)…New York City went to court with hopes to undo a 1974 desegregation order for a middle school in southwest, Brooklyn, because it no longer withheld the views of the neighborhood. (The New York Times, 2/13/2008, B5)…On Tuesday, Genetech stated their new clinical trial shows that the drug Avastin is effective in treating breast cancer. (The New York Times, 2/13/2008, C3).
