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U.S.NEWS
SUSPECT CHARGED IN SHOOTING RAMPAGE
by sam quinones and scott kraft, LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT) Piece by piece, details of the weekend rampage in Tucson are beginning to emerge: the heartbreaking tales of people slain on a sun-splashed morning, the courage of those who overpowered the gunman and the state of mind of the suspect himself, a young man who the authorities say had plotted for weeks, and perhaps longer, to assassinate a member of Congress. As the full scope of the tragedy sank in, it also rekindled a national conversation, sparked by the outspoken sheriff of Pima County, about the role that an environment of partisan and vitriolic political discourse did – or did not – play in the shootings. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was formally charged Sunday with two federal counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of U.S. District Judge John M. Roll and an aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and three counts of attempted murder, of
Campus Circle > News > U.S. News Giffords and two other aides who were injured. Law enforcement officials said Loughner appeared to have prepared his attack on Giffords with some care. The Democratic congresswoman had just begun one of her “Congress on Your Corner” public events outside a grocery store near his home when the shooting began. Loughner had purchased a 9-millimeter Glock semiautomatic pistol at a Sportsman’s Warehouse in Tucson five weeks ago, and investigators who searched his home over the weekend found, hidden in a safe, two key pieces of evidence – a letter from Giffords thanking Loughner for attending one of her “Congress on Your Corner” events in August 2007 and an envelope that bore the handwritten phrases “I planned ahead” and “My assassination,” the name “Giffords” and what appeared to be Loughner’s signature. Roll, the chief federal judge in Arizona, lived nearby and had come to the event to thank Giffords and one of her aides for helping “resolve issues related to the volume of cases in the District of Arizona,” according to an FBI affidavit filed with the charges. Authorities said Loughner fired 31 bullets from the weapon, hitting at least 20 people. When he paused to reload, he was tackled by two men attending the event. Giffords remained in critical condition late Sunday, doctors said, but they saw her ability to respond to simple commands as a hopeful sign for her recovery. Meanwhile, the investigative focus was on Loughner, who remained in custody but was saying little during questioning. Authorities said Sunday that they now believe he acted alone. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said Sunday that while it was premature to discuss motives for the attack, “it appears the target was the congresswoman.” The director called the shootings “an attack on our institutions and an attack on our
D-DAY
GRAD SCHOOL APPS: A GUIDE by denise guerra
Here’s to keeping my fingers crossed. Because you never realize just how stressful graduate applications can be. With three months of my life spent studying and revising essays, and about $295 later, I officially hit send on my graduate application. My process wasn’t perfect, but I can say the experience gave me a moment to examine what I really wanted out of my life, professionally, and who I was as a person. It was also filled me with dizzy anxiety. The most important thing for me to keep in mind during the process was the answer to, why go to grad school? This was the best motivator. Below, I will tell you what helped me alleviate some of the stress, and offer some of my pitfalls that you can learn from. Why so much money? Besides the regular application fee, some colleges also require you to take the GRE. It is the standard test for any grad school and costs $160. I bought and borrowed a bunch of test prep books, but what helped me prepare the most was downloading the computer tutorial from the ETS testing site. The tutorial functions exactly like the real GRE test, so when it came to testing day, I did not need to familiarize myself with the format. Unfortunately, I psyched myself out and decided to extend my testing day another two weeks. You can extend your testing date as long
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Campus Circle 1.12.11 - 1.18.11
way of life.” In a series of disjointed YouTube slide shows Loughner posted in recent weeks, he had railed about government mind control and brainwashing through grammar, proposed a new world currency and complained about illiterate people and “federalist” and “treasonous” laws. Some suggest that Loughner’s remarks about grammar may have been inspired by the teachings of David Wynn Miller, a far-right activist in Milwaukee who has argued that the government uses grammar to control people. Reached by Politico.com on Sunday, Miller said he agreed with Loughner that the government is brainwashing people by controlling grammar but said any suggestion that his writings inspired the shootings is “ridiculous.” Loughner lived with his parents in a working-class neighborhood about a 10-minute drive from the scene of the shooting. He had dropped out of a Tucson high school after his junior year and attended classes last year at Pima Community College. But he was involved in five “classroom and library disruptions” that were handled by campus police and was suspended in September after posting a video on YouTube claiming that the college was “illegal” under the U.S. Constitution. A letter explaining the decision was delivered to his home by campus police, the school said. Later, in a meeting with campus officials, Loughner withdrew from the school. A YouTube user who appears to be Loughner posted a video in November saying the school was a “torture facility” and its teachers “con artists.” Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Campus Circle > Blogs > D-Day as you’re not doing it within three days of your actual test date. And the fee is $50. Also, give yourself at least a couple of months before your application due date, that way you have plenty of time to retake the test if you’re unhappy with your score. Check with your school on their requirements. I was fortunate enough to have a guide on what exactly my school needed for their application process, right down to what I needed to address on the personal statement. Remember, you want to turn in everything that is required, so inquire with admissions about a checklist or guide of what you need, including where to send transcripts and most important: deadlines! Letters of Recommendation: Be kind to your professors and bosses. They lead busy lives. Make sure to tell them in advance about writing you a letter of recommendation. My application process involved a method of sending letters electronically, so when I sent my inquiry I let the addressee know what to expect in their inboxes. Because it has been almost two years since I graduated, I sent my professors an e-mail inquiry introducing myself, what classes I took and anything special that stood out, like my grade on a project. I thanked them for their time and set a deadline, reminding them I would send a follow-up e-mail a week before the due date. Some professors I didn’t hear from, so I sent follow-up e-mails until I heard from them. This was a really scary time, since I did not want my application to depend on whether or not my professors sent in a letter of recommendation. My advice is to start this part as early as you can. The sooner you get this process over with, the more at peace you will be for the hardest part of your application. The Personal Statement: This is the most important part of your application because this is where you directly speak
Dennis Balogh
NEWS
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the GRE. to admissions on why you are the perfect candidate for their program. So revise, revise, revise. This is all I did throughout the application process. Perfection is hard to achieve, but you sure can try. Be honest and personal but don’t be too overly dogmatic. Be moderate and politically correct is what I learned. Have friends and colleagues read your essay and give their input. Most important, explain the “how.” I learned that you can’t just tell them you’re motivated: What have you done to show them that you’re motivated? These four items are just the basic necessities. You may have other supplemental materials that you need to submit, but these four were the main meat to all the craziness that surrounded my application process. Now that I’ve finished, all I can do is wait. For those of you starting, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you too.