News Gems

Death of a Runner

jonmarshall — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:46:00 GMT

Lucas Sang was a hero to his neighbors near the Kenyan city of Eldoret, an Olympic runner known for his kindness and generosity. Yet when ethnic fighting engulfed Kenya after its tainted elections last December, Sang chose to lead a rampaging mob seeking revenge on members of a rival tribe, a decision that led to his death. "Even You?" by Wright Thompson of ESPN does a masterful job of exploring Sang's last hours, the tensions that divide his country and the limits of heroism. Here...(read more)

After the Raid

BrianSummers — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:16:00 GMT

On May 12 nearly one-third of the people in Postville, Iowa, were detained in a federal immigration raid at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant. The raid made headlines for a few days, but the repercussions continue. Nigel Duara of The Des Moines Register describes the impact on the community in a thought-provoking report, "New Hires Bring New Problems to Postville." Ten weeks after the largest workplace immigration raid in U.S. history, this is the new Postville: Drunken brawls. A food pantry...(read more)

The Poisons Around Us

jonmarshall — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:02:00 GMT

The Center for Public Integrity has recently released two great investigations that show how consumers and workers are being exposed to toxic hazards. "Perils of the New Pesticidies" by M.B. Pell and Jim Morris reveals that the number of reported human health problems connected with pyrethrins and pyrethroids, pesticides used in thousands of consumer products, rose by about 300 percent in the last 10 years. Pell and Morris report that the two pesticides were responsible for more than a quarter...(read more)

Diploma Mill

BrianSummers — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:53:00 GMT

Two years ago Bill Morlin of The Spokesman-Review broke a major story about a diploma mill ring based in Spokane. Morlin stayed on the story as a federal task force investigated the ring and eight members pleaded guilty to federal crimes. But Justice Department officials refused to release the list of buyers who used the phony and counterfeit degrees to get jobs and promotions. Undaunted, The Spokesman-Review obtained the list and released the names. Here's an excerpt from "Buyers of Bogus Degrees...(read more)

Goodbye Mr. Newton

jonmarshall — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:32:00 GMT

"The Petabyte Age: Because More Isn't Just More -- More is Different" in the July 16 edition of Wired takes a fascinating look at how our ability to process enormous amounts of data has forever changed science as well as business, medicine and technology. Separate articles probe how mass data collection and analysis have fundamentally altered the study of astronomy, biology, diseases, agriculture, physics, politics and much more. The lead essay, "The End of Theory," by Wired editor-in-chief...(read more)

A Child Must Testify

BrianSummers — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:33:00 GMT

"Jessica's Trial" by Eric Adler of The Kansas City Star is one of the finest courtroom dramas we've seen. The story begins two days before the trial when prosecutor Lori Fluegel takes 12-year-old Jessica into the empty courtroom to help her work up the courage to testify about what happened in her bedroom when she was 9 years old. Jessica needs to testify. Or else the testimony of other key witnesses won't be allowed. The case could be dismissed. "I'll be standing right here," Fluegel says. She...(read more)

The Big Collapse

jonmarshall — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:22:00 GMT

I've seen two excellent and innovative Web packages commemorating the first anniversary of the terrible bridge collapse in the Twin Cities. The StarTribune.com's "13 Seconds in August" features an aerial shot of the bridge taken soon after the disaster. You can navigate up and down the photo and see the vehicles that were stuck on the bridge or among the debris in the river and riverbank below it. If you click on one of the vehicles, it will show you a video, photo...(read more)

The Bishop and the Rabbi

jonmarshall — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:25:00 GMT

No, this post about a bishop and a rabbi isn't an attempt to repeat one of the old jokes my grandpa used to tell. Instead, it highlights two very different profiles that I've enjoyed recently. Andrew Corsello's "Let God Love Gene Robinson" in the July issue of GQ describes with extraordinary depth the emotional and spiritual struggles of the Episcopal bishop whose homosexuality is dividing the Anglican community. The profile is full of scenes where Gene Robinson...(read more)

The Searchers

BrianSummers — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT

David Filkins of the Albany Times Union and Lane Degregory of the St. Petersburg Times have written excellent short narratives that place readers in the middle of searches for missing persons. Here's an excerpt from Filkins' "In Fog's Cloak, a Search for Missing Man" in which search crews grope through the fog in New York's Thacher Park. Less than 100 yards down the road, a search crew crashed through the woods at the Cliff's Edge Overlook. Rescuers used walkie-talkies to make sure they stayed the...(read more)

Summer Vacation

jonmarshall — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:25:00 GMT

We're taking a break from News Gems for a week to enjoy a little vacation time. We'll be back with more stories on July 28. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions of great journalism you think we should feature, leave a comment below or send us an e-mail at newsgems@sbcglobal.net....(read more)

Treatment or Abuse?

jonmarshall — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:54:00 GMT

In Boston Magazine's "The Shocking Truth," Paul Kix does a masterful job of investigating the use of electro-shock therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), a Massachusetts home for mentally handicapped and behaviorally impaired youth. The story explores the controversy surrounding the use of the machine, the only one of its kind in the country, and reaches some surprising conclusions. As Kix puts it, "Spend enough time around the machine and it will test everything you know about right...(read more)

The Front Lines

jonmarshall — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:25:00 GMT

Reading most American magazines, you would never know we're a nation at war. The July issue of Texas Monthly doesn't let us forget, however. Matt Cook's brilliant "Soldier" gives a first-hand narrative of what it was like to start basic training the day America was attacked on September 11, 2001, and then endure multiple tours of duty in Iraq. Cook spares us none of the grit of what it's like to serve in the Army. Here he describes his first encounter with a drill sergeant: I make eye contact...(read more)

Where's the Sheriff?

BrianSummers — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:22:00 GMT

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona's Maricopa County boasts that he's the "toughest sheriff in America." Two years ago he began a highly publicized crackdown on illegal immigration, and last month he announced that deputies had booked their 1,000th suspected illegal immigrant. But in a comprehensive East Valley Tribune series, "Reasonable Doubt," Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin report that while illegals are being rounded up, serious felonies are being ignored. In Guadalupe, grocery store employees waited...(read more)

Thinking Outside the Box (or Going Ape)

BrianSummers — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:24:00 GMT

Yesterday we featured a story about gorillas. Today we want to give equal time to orangutans. At first glance, it seemed like a simple story. A baby orangutan battered by his mother in a Colorado zoo was moved to a surrogate mother in the Milwaukee County Zoo. But in the hands of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Jan Uebelherr, editor Mark Katches and other innovative thinkers at the Journal Sentinel, "Ambassador Mahal" became much more. Here Katches outlines the project and describes...(read more)

Gorilla Murder Mystery

jonmarshall — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:43:00 GMT

"Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas?" by writer Mark Jenkins and photographer Brent Stirton in the July edition of National Geographic is a fascinating tale of intrigue set in the majestic mountains of central Africa. While tracking down the killers of seven gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they explore the impact of war, poverty, greed, and environmental destruction on these rare and beautiful creatures. To capture the story, Stirton and Jenkins endured conditions few journalists...(read more)