Assignment 6 - Admission/Application Essay Example

Admission/Application Essay, Journalism, mass media and communication Topic: The News Story and the Summary The News Story Blasts at Boston Marathon Kill 3 and Injure 100 By JOHN ELIGON and MICHAEL COOPER Published: April 15, 2013 BOSTON — Two powerful bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, killing three people, including an 8-year-old child, and injuring more than 100, as one of this city’s most cherished rites of spring was transformed from a scene of cheers and sweaty triumph to one of screams and carnage. Almost three-quarters of the 23,000 runners who participated in the race had already crossed the finish line when a bomb that had apparently been placed in a garbage can exploded around 2:50 p.m. in a haze of smoke amid a crowd of spectators on Boylston Street, just off Copley Square in the heart of the city. Thirteen seconds later, another bomb exploded several hundred feet away. Pandemonium erupted as panicked runners and spectators scattered, and rescue workers rushed in to care for the dozens of maimed and injured, some of whom lost legs in the blast, witnesses said. The F.B.I. took the lead role in the investigation on Monday night, and Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the bureau’s Boston office, described the inquiry at a news conference as “a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.” The reverberations were felt far outside the city, with officials in New York and Washington stepping up security at important locations. Near the White House, the Secret Service cordoned off Pennsylvania Avenue out of what one official described as “an abundance of caution.” President Obama, speaking at the White House, vowed to bring those responsible for the blasts to justice. “We will get to the bottom of this,” the president said. “We will find who did this, and we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.” Mr. Obama did not refer to the attacks as an act of terrorism, and he cautioned people from “jumping to conclusions” based on incomplete information. But a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity afterward, said, “Any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror.” “However,” the official added, “we don’t yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic.” Some runners were approaching the end of the 26.2-mile race when the two blasts, in rapid succession, sent them running away from the finish line. “The first one went off, I thought it was a big celebratory thing, and I just kept going,” recalled Jarrett Sylvester, 26, a runner from East Boston, who said it had sounded like a cannon blast. “And then the second one went off, and I saw debris fly in the air. And I realized it was a bomb at that point. And I just took off and ran in the complete opposite direction.” There were conflicting reports about how many devices there were. One law enforcement official said there had been four: the two that exploded at the marathon and two others that were disabled by the police. The official said that the devices appeared to have been made with black powder and ball bearings, but that investigators were unsure how the two that exploded had been set off. It was unclear Monday evening who might be responsible for the blast. Although investigators said that they were speaking to a Saudi citizen who was injured in the blast, several law enforcement officials took pains to note that no one was in custody. Some law enforcement officials noted that the blasts came at the start of a week that has sometimes been seen as significant for radical American antigovernment groups: it was the April 15 deadline for filing taxes, and Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, the start of a week that has seen violence in the past. April 19 is the anniversary of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosive devices used in the attacks on Monday were similar in size to the device used in the 1996 attack at the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta but were not nearly as large as the one used in Oklahoma City. In the Atlanta attack, a pipe bomb was detonated near pedestrians, killing 2 and injuring more than 100 — similar numbers to Monday’s attack. The attack in Oklahoma City was far larger because the perpetrator used a truck packed with thousands of pounds of explosives. The device killed more than 150 people. The attack on Monday occurred in areas that had been largely cleared of vehicles for the marathon. Without vehicles to pack explosives into, the perpetrators would have been forced to rely on much smaller devices. Officials stressed that they had no suspects in the attack. The Saudi man, who was interviewed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, had been seen running from the scene of the first explosion, a person briefed on preliminary developments in the investigation said on Monday afternoon. A law enforcement official said later Monday that the man, was in the United States on a student visa and came under scrutiny because of his injuries, his proximity to the blasts and his nationality — but added that he was not known to federal authorities and that his role in the attack, if any, was unclear. The explosions brought life in Boston to a halt. Police officials effectively closed a large part of the Back Bay neighborhood, which surrounds the blast site; some transit stops were closed; planes were briefly grounded at Boston Logan International Airport and the Boston Symphony Orchestra canceled its Monday night concert. A Boston Celtics game scheduled for Tuesday was also canceled. Boston was bracing for a heightened law enforcement presence on Tuesday, with its transit riders subject to random checks of their backpacks and bags, and many streets in the center of the city likely to be closed to traffic as the investigation continues. Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday night that “the city of Boston is open and will be open tomorrow, but it will not be business as usual.” Boston’s police commissioner, Ed Davis, urged people to stay off the streets. “We’re recommending to people that they stay home, that if they’re in hotels in the area that they return to their rooms and that they don’t go any place and congregate in large crowds,” he said at an afternoon news conference. It had begun as a perfect day for the Boston Marathon, one of running’s most storied events, with blue skies and temperatures just shy of 50 degrees. The race typically draws half a million spectators. And long after the world-class runners had finished — the men’s race was won by Lelisa Desisa Benti of Ethiopia, who finished it in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 22 seconds — the sidewalks of Back Bay were still thick with spectators cheering on friends and relatives as they loped, exhausted, toward the finish line. Dr. Natalie Stavas, a pediatric resident at Boston Children’s Hospital, was running in the marathon with her father and was nearing the finish line when the explosions shook the street. “The police were trying to keep us back, but I told them that I was a physician and they let me through,” she recalled in an interview. First she performed CPR on one woman. “She was on the ground, she wasn’t breathing, her legs were pretty much gone,” she said, adding that she feared that the woman had not survived. Then she tried to help a woman with an injury in her groin area, and a man who had lost his foot. Dr. Stavas said she had applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg with someone’s belt. “He was likely in shock,” she said. “He was saying, ‘I’m O.K., doctor, I’m O.K.’ ” “Then ambulances started coming in by the dozen,” she said. The blast was so powerful that it blew out shop windows and damaged a window on the third floor of the Central Library in Copley Square, which was closed to the public for Patriots’ Day. A number of people were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, said Dr. Alasdair Conn, the hospital’s chief of emergency services — and several had lost their legs. “This is like a bomb explosion we hear about in Baghdad or Israel or other tragic points in the world,” Dr. Conn said. Several children were among the 10 patients who were brought to Boston Children’s Hospital, including a 2-year-old boy with a head injury who was admitted to the medical/surgical intensive care unit. The police faced another problem as they tried to secure the blast scene: many spectators dropped their backpacks and bags as they scattered to safety, and investigators had to treat each abandoned bag as a potential bomb. There were bomb scares at area hotels. At one point in the afternoon, Boston police officials said that they feared that a fire at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum could have been related to the marathon bombs, but they later said it seemed to be unrelated. The Boston police said that they were getting numerous reports of suspicious packages. Asked if they had found all the explosive devices, Mr. Davis, the police commissioner, urged citizens to remain alert and said he was “not prepared to say we’re at ease at this time.” John Eligon reported from Boston, and Michael Cooper from New York. Reporting was contributed by Steve Eder, Ashley Parker, William K. Rashbaum, Katharine Q. Seelye and Mary Pilon from New York; Mark Landler, Michael S. Schmidt, Eric Schmitt and Abby Goodnough from Washington; and Joel Elliott, Dina Kraft, Tim Rohan and Brent McDonald from Boston. Blasts at Boston Marathon Kill 3 and Injure 100 - The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/…arathon.html?pagewanted=all Summary of the story Terrorism shows its ugly face again in America. This time, the terrorists targeted Boston City and they decide to disrupt one of the sports activities that bonds humankind. Marathon is the most fascinating sports events. On Monday afternoon cheers turn to screams near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three people, including an 8-year-old child are killed and over a hundred injured. It is carnage through bombs. When the first bomb explodes, about 75% of the 23,000 runners have crossed the finish line and the mood is jubilant. A bomb that is placed in a garbage can explodes at about 2:50 p.m. and the entire area is engulfed in smoke, creating utter confusion, as the jam-packed crowd on Boylston Street, off Copley Square watches in disbelief. People have to wait for the second shock, just for 13 more seconds and another bomb explodes some hundreds feet away. It is a ghastly scene. Many are maimed and lose legs as F.B.I swings into action. Richard DesLauriers has realized by now that it is a potential terrorist attack. The whole Nation is on alert and security is stepped up at important locations. White House is marked for special security and President Obama, speaking at the White House, vows to bring those responsible for the blasts to justice. “We will get to the bottom of this,” the President said. “We will find who did this, and we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.” Obama is not undermining the magnitude of the attack but he cautions the people not to jump into conclusions. Whether it is his conviction or is he speaking thus to build confidence amongst the people—is a debatable question. But other White House officials have no doubt that it is act of terror as multiple explosive devices are used and such planning cannot be that of a novice. But a country believing in democratic procedures, cannot fix the responsibility for the attack with statements that are not supported by evidence. A thorough investigation is in the offing whether the attack is carried out by a terrorist group, whether it is a local one or foreign backed. But the reactions at the site of the blasts reveal something about the expectations of the spectators and the participants. As they hear the rattling sound of the first blast, many of them think that it is part of the victory celebrations. But when they see debris flying in the air and people screaming and, soon they realize that it is a bomb and begin to run in the opposite direction. There are conflicting reports about the number of devices. Undoubtedly two have exploded, and according to a law enforcement official, there are four out of which two have been disabled by the police. Conclusions have not yet been arrived how the explosions have been set off but it has been established that the contents of the devices are black powder and ball bearings. No responsibility has been claimed for the bomb blasts, nor have the officials so far named any terrorist outfit. No one has been arrested yet. The investigating officials are busy comparing the notes of the previous blasts like the one at the Centennial Olympic Park bombings in Atlanta in 1996, and the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, because of the similarities of the blasts. The saving grace of the present attack is the area has been cleared of vehicles for the marathon. The attackers are not able to get the facility of vehicles to load and carry the explosives and as such they have no option but to use mush smaller rudimentary devices. Officials candidly admit that they have no suspects in the attack. A Saudi man has been questioned and he is a student. He suffers injuries and he is near the site of the blast. With security agencies gearing up the investigations, life in Boston has come to a halt as Police officials have closed a large part of Back Bay neighborhood in the proximity of the blast site. Planes are briefly grounded at Boston Logan International Airport and cultural programs and games activities are cancelled. Many streets in the center of the city are closed for traffic. Random checks of backpacks and bags are in full swing. The city is partly open and it is not business as usual. Boston’s Police Commissioner has impressed upon the people to stay off the streets. Boston Marathon is in ruins. Dr. Natalie Stavas, who is a pediatric resident at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, also a participant in the marathon, renders first aid to as many injured as is possible for her. Soon ambulances arrive by dozens. It is like the war-bomb in Baghdad or Israel, with a substantial number of seriously injured people. As people ran throwing their backpacks and bags, the police have a tough time to sort them out as each bag has the potential to be a bag with bombs. Boston police are getting numerous reports about the suspicious packages. They have asked the citizens to remain vigilant. The issue has been taken very seriously at the highest levels and President Obama has plans to visit Boston. For the consumption of the people, police maintain that the investigation is in its infancy. But in such circumstances police reveal less and hide much in view of the sensitive nature of the investigations. The marathon has been ruined. Many families have been devastated. The seriously injured ones will remember the moment of blast till their last breath. The job of the investigating officials is not the easiest one, as it is reported that they have received more than 2000 clues from all across the world. They have to examine the possible role of the existing outfits and think of the possibility whether a new outfit has created this scenario in Boston. Read More