Lead: Colombia hoards an exclusionary political and economic society that hinders the democratic process, human rights activist Cecilia Zarate-Laun said in a speech last night at K College.

Quote: Get a direct quote about what she said of the three kinds of political parties in Colombia and how they cause so much conflict.

Nut graph: With Colombia is such a chaotic mess, Zarate-Laun urges all young people to become involved in democracy so that what is happening in Colombia does not happen anywhere else.

More background information: Go into detail about how Colombia has been involved in civil conflict for decades due to its geographic location and warped political system.

Ending: Talk about what kind of work Zarate-Laun does to spread word of the happenings in Colombia and how to prevent it.

Kicker: “It takes a great deal of courage to do the kind of work she does,” said John Dugas, Political Science Professor at K College.

AHSOM OBITUARY/Brinkman

WWII Hero Dies

By Kara Brinkman

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Jeffery R. Ahson, 79, World War II veteran and retired firefighter died in his home last night of emphysema.

“Ahson was a genuine American hero,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe.

Mr. Ahson played a heroic part in World War II. He served as a petty officer aboard the USS Emery during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. When a fellow sailor was shot, Mr. Ahson took up the vacant gun post and shot down three enemy planes. He saved four sailors’ lives. Those brave acts won him a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross, and promoted him to the rank of ensign.

Born in Chico, Calif., Mr. Ahson moved to Kalamazoo after the war where he became a firefighter. He retired from the fire department in 1966 and worked as a car salesman until 1985. He collected firefighter artifacts for much of his life and left these artifacts to the Kalamazoo Museum.

Mr. Ahson served as post commander in the American Legion Post 702 and VFW Post 4206. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, National Checkers Association, and Gideons International. He also served as an usher at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Ahson is survived by wife Therese Alpert; daughters Lela Stalling of Pipe Creek, Texas and Angela Molino of Omaha, Neb.; son Richard D. Ahson of Phillipsburg, Kan.; brother Henrey Ahson of San Francisco; sisters Shirley Solom of Newark, N.J. and Judith Eaker of Reedsville, N.C.; and 5 grandchildren.

Services will be held Saturday at 10 am at Littletone Mortuary followed by a burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. Viewings will be held Fridat night from 4-5:30 pm and 7:30-9 om. The family requests no flowers.

C. Edward Sandburg Jr.'s Obituary Review

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/chi-hed_sandberg_12oct12,0,4438404.story

This is a great obituary. It follows the basic format we studied in class. It starts off with stating what this man did and why his death should be noted in this way. It then goes into a narrative about his life, though is does not cover anything that happened in his childhood, before he started his business that made him notable. The obituary also mentions some notable things Sandburg did through his business, like special treatments he gave his customers and stuff. There is no mention of memberships and affiliations, but perhaps there weren't any.

It ends with a list of survivors and a statement about plans for burial and services.

In-Class Writing Assignment thoughts...

The writing assignment for class today came as quite a surprise. I've never even attempted to write a real article in my life, so the only knowledge I had on how to do this came from just the few days of class we've had.

What came to be most difficult was after doing all the interviews, being able to organize them into an article. Looking at the entirety of what each interviewee told me made the process even more challenging because taking their quotes out of context to fit my needs seemed so easy, yet you cannot do that as a journalist.

Rich. pg. 181. ex. #1

Meriden, CT— Connecticut State Police ordered a ban on hand-held radar guns yesterday due to possible cancer risks from long-term exposure to the radiated waves emitted by the devices, state police spokesman Adam Bertuli said.

“The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue,” Bertuli said. The ban was ordered on as a precaution until more research is done on possible links.

This move comes just two months after three municipal police officers in Connecticut filed worker’s compensation claims, saying they developed cancer from using hand-held radar guns

The ban affects 70 radar guns, which will be drawn from service. Rader guns with transmitters mounted on the outside of the radar units will continue to be used.

The New York Times. October 2, 2007 issue. Article by Mireya Navarro


Spears Loses Sons' Custody to Ex-Spouse After Testing

Los Angeles, Oct 1.—Britney Spears has lost custody of her two sons after a superior Court Judge ruled Monday that her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, would take custody beginning Wednesday until further order of the court.

This is a good hard news lede because the story covers most of the five w’s and gets right to the point. It starts with the subject, Britney Spears, and explains what happened and when in a very concise way. Because the story is from an area outside of New York, the where is stated beforehand. The why question is not stated in the lede, but with the amount of publicity Britney Spears has received recently, a why is not really necessary.