Presidental Debate 2008

On Friday my boss let me have the day of to go to Oxford, Ms. for the first presidential debate.

I didn't have the all access media pass but I did get a goody bag and got to hang out all day. There was so much excitement in the air, Oxford had been prepping for 18 months for this. When McCain announced that he was showing up- the campus ignited. I met a alot of energetic, politically savvy college kids. There was lots of supporters for both candidates and the town square was blocked off for thousands of people to watch the debate on large movie screens.

It was quite an experience to be around so many Americans who were united for a brief moment by pure enthusiasm for their town. Southern Hospitality is an understatement for Oxford- everyone I met went out of their way. A young girl at the college even gave me a ride when I asked her for directions while I was walking to the town square.

As far as the debate goes I was disappointed by the consistent political rhetoric thats been said by both candidates over and over again for the past year. I felt like the issues were skimmed on the surface with vague plans. They both did refute arguments pretty well but I think most people feel like they aren't getting the real facts. I'm looking forward to seeing Tom Brokaw moderate the debate the third time around.

Also, the debate analysis by the huffington post- is quite good.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/05/presidential-debate-moder_n_117048.html

Media day at MS fire academy

On Wednesday I was invited to the MS state Fire Academy for a media personnel day. I jumped at the prospect of getting to be a firefighter for a day, and it was one of the most interesting things I have done in a while.

I got to drive two fire trucks through and obstacle course, use a hose, and put on gear and go into a smoke controlled building. It was definitely a challenge adding 40 extra pounds of gear on, in the 80 degree weather. When we went into the building it was hot, dark, and I could not hear a thing.

I was overwhelmed and had to mentally push myself not to pass out. I can't really explain why it was so intense but a million different thoughts go through your head once you enter into a burning building ( Its so hot, I'm about to pass out, I can't hear what my teammate just said, people are yelling at me, I hope my air doesn't run out, where is everyone? who is grabbing my arm? how do I turn on the hose? how do I remember where the room starts and ends? )

Anyway, I gained ALOT more respect for firefighters and had a fun time and in all I learned that I would make a really crappy firefighter.

Animal Shelter Story

Week one

I have made it one week as a journalist!
Where to start, where to start!

Well Mississipi is a state that gets bashed a lot and maybe that makes the people here a little more humble. So far I am enthralled by how genuine people here are. From politicans to grocery store clerks- everyone stops and talks to you.

When I came up here last Sunday I hit traffic escaping NOLA on I-55.When I got to Jackson I was so eager to start work that I actually called my boss and asked if I could come in on labor day. He, of course said yes. and I got to write about the shelters in the area.

I also wrote about a local bookstore that was closing, and I enjoyed these assignments very much.

Its still strange adjusting to a life with a somewhat normal schedule, taking my lunch break when I want, and the time that I have to think. Before this, I had been trying to get somewhere and be someone. I was tired of being a barista and wanted a real career.

Now I feel like the clutter in my brain has been cleared. I have this time and desire to really push myself to work hard on the task set in front me. I'll admit somedays I go cross-eyed after non stop googling and trying to understand words like millage and bonds. I envisioned myself working around the clock- staying at the office alone till late at night reading back issues of the paper.

But thats not sucess. When I take time to run, or read, or break off my mind is recharged and full of new ideas. I will get better but not all at once.

I am in a good place right now in which all the possibilties I have envisioned seem closer to reality. I feel focused and content with the complexity and roundabout thinking that my job requires.

The Hot Ticket

In an effort to remain an unbiased journalist I will refrain on my political viewpoints. I will however, make note of the differences in candidates, and campaign strategies.
Watching Sarah Palin give her acceptance speech of the vice presidental nomination I noticed several pins, mostly worn by old wrinkley men. These pens read: "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick VP" and " From the coldest state comes the hottest Vice president."
I had to wonder, how much does the "hot" vote count? What do asthetics represent in a political candidate?
Palin, who has been selected to woo Clinton voters could not be any more opposite from Clinton. Aproaching the podium in a skirt and flatering hairstyle one could not help but notice the feminine qualities that seperate her from the sisterhood of traveling pantsuits.
And while I subside my own feminist tone- I do find myself torn between championing "You go girl!"
to "But what about your kids?"
I am all for the progession of women in power but I am also a product of a stay at home mom. As a kid my mom was there, and not only was she there she spent countless hours reading with me. I attribute my love for literature and my now journalism career to my mother for that very reason.
I agree that its not fair for the media to pry into her personal life but as a woman this is going to be inveitable. Many are wondering if Palin is so great at managing Wasilla, shouldn't that mean she she equally excels at managing her five kids?
Having five children would seem to be for two reasons: the desire to have a large family, or poor planning. Having a child born with special needs and getting back to work three days later could be seen as a sacrafice for her country, or negligence as a mother.
This is the common struggle for women- wanting to have the same positons and respect as men but unlike men there are higher cost and more scrutiny. Being a woman in power is a balance between two worlds and I would like to see Sarah Palin address this.
In the meantime maybe the public will be swayed to forget this because, afterall in today's society being hot is a reason all in itself to vote for the opposite sex.

What I did with my Summer

My friend and talented fellow journalist J.R. Williams and I spent our summer going to various homeless shelters, and assessing the situation of the homeless population. What we set out to do was to shed light on a homeless encampment that resides on property that is about to be developed into Pensacola's Maritime Park. As the plans for development stalled, the story lost timeliness. Instead we stumbled across a group of volunteers who are working to prepare these homeless groups for an emergency evacuation in the event that a hurricane comes to the gulf coast.
What we found was a vet who has a huge heart, A director for the homeless who works nonstop for others, and people who live in tents with their sole companions- their pets.
check out the article: http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/NEWS01/808110310/1135
I did the photos for the story, and I am happy to say that the director of the homeless coalition, Brunie Emmanual has received so many donations he doesn't know what to do with them all and is currently searching for storage space.

so life doesnt always go as planned

So the summer months set in and are now ending. I haven't updated because I wanted this blog to be more about journalism, and news worthy updates. I wanted to it to have more of an adventures in journalismesque tone.
But since my last update I have gone on a few job interviews, gone through my savings like a QVC shopper in peril and fought conventionality with malice and vengeance. As hard as it is to come to terms with this fact I have to admit that Chile is looking less and less likely as my bills are growing and my income is dwindling
I interviewed at a paper last week in Madison County Mississippi and got the job. In one week I will be moving.
This isn't the career path I envisioned but I can officially say: I AM A JOURNALIST! I guess I have always been one but now I am getting paid to be one!
The transition is an easy one for me. Few people know that I have Mississippi blood, and have been integrated at a young age to the customs of this southern land. Beauty Pageants, Hunting, and slow pace life are a few of the themes that punctuate Mississippi.
I have no idea what is to come, or how this will determine my future but in an age in which journalism jobs are fewer and far between I feel like this is my chance to learn as much as I can and enjoy the ride.

The Real World

As of May 3, 2008 I officially became a college graduate. There was cake and presents, and flowers, and parents, and lots of posed photos with me and my empty diploma case. Then everyone left and the flowers died and I was forced to ask myself "now what?"

Well the good news thanks to the unwritten rule that graduation is the second to last big life event you get money for ( the next one being marriage, though I think most of the money comes in form of toasters and silverware). I am halfway to my financial goal of going to Chile!

I have even started taking Spanish lessons via an Au pair from Honduras. I now have a resounding track going through my head of Spanish verbs. Plus it sounds way better to say " I'm working at Starbucks and saving up for Chile" as opposed to " I'm a barista with a college degree."

Even the more I read about Chile the more I think I can learn there and relate it to the future. For instance did you know that Chile had an economic crisis similar to what we are experiencing now in the 80' s and is now emerging as one of wealthiest countries in South America?

There are still lots of things going on to report on though such as: the HidroAysen Dam Project, Salmon Farming , Copper Mining, Education Reform, Whale Conservation, the fruit industry and its various labor conflicts, and Femicide.

all journalism no pay

Chile: the land of Journalistic glory?

I got a gig freelancing at the PNJ. Sometimes starting out in this world is no fun.

Right now I am writing briefs. I do not get reimbursed for mileage.

by the end of this week I will have driven to Gulf Breeze twice and gas is almost $4.00 a gallon.

Its a start though right? That's what my mom says. I have to be greatful for this opportunity. But after interning at the PNJ in the fall I thought I had done my time. When I sent out oh 15 paid internship/ job applications for this summer I got lots of letters that began with " We appreciate your interest in the _________ ( insert name of paper here) However....."

There is one internship that accepted me:

I got accepted to an internship at the Santiago Times ( It's an english paper) In Chile for Jan. 09. Oh yea that doesn't pay either and its four months long.

I love journalism but this Lady has got to eat. Saving up for Chile seems like the impossible, and I am not sure what its worth anymore. But how much would the internship in Chile pay off in the long run? Well It seems to me that he benefits would be numerous. I would become bilingual, show that I am strong willed and capable of surviving in a forgien land alone, and my clips and portfolio would be killer.

Is this goal attainable? Most people would say no. So that means I have 9 months to become fluent in Spanish and raise about $5,000.

But another thing my mom always says

"Where there is a will there is a way!"

The life of a journalist

In Advanced reporting we watched a documentary/ 48 hours special on the lives of reporters. It took place in the 90's when cell phones were the size of small children, and Microsoft was not yet a household name.
I think the one thing that I had to keep reminding myself was that these reporters were working for a tabloid which is different from a daily paper. But never the less they were your average reporters- confident, witty, persistent, and stressed out.
I liked the segment because it gave a realistic view of the people behind the profession. I agreed with one of the editors who said " There are constant highs and lows in this business."
I think that's true, and also its the adrenaline that keeps many of them going. It was sad to see one of the reporters work so hard chasing people around in the rain, trying to get information on a victim who was murdered on train. After all his hard work, the story was cut. I couldn't imagine what that felt like.
It makes me understand why alcohol and journalism go hand in hand.

California Court Awards Starbucks Baristas $105 Million in Tip Dispute

The Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/business/21sbux.html?ex=1363838400&en=b2507b17877e8bab&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink


As a tenured Barista ( two years working for Starbucks and counting) Ive got to put in my two cents about this. While I try to subsided my total outrage I will outline the absurdity of this case.
To break it down: A dispute between baristas and Shift supervisers over the sharing of tips led to a $105 million loss from the company, and now copy cat cases are taking place in other areas of the country. Shift supervisors and Baristas share tips- its always been this way. Supervisors have no real power, they unlock the doors, count the deposit, send people on breaks, and make sure shifts go smoothly. They work right beside baristas for the most part doing the same task, and getting paid about $1 more. ( So they make about $8 instead of $7 - WOW!) Baristas and shifts bread and butter is the tips. It boost our measley wages up to an extra $2 bucks an hour ( on average)
This seems like a petty thing, caught on a technicality of Ca. Law ( management positions can't take tips)
It wouldn't hurt for SBUX to pay their shifts more, or baristas for that matter so we don't have depend on tips to pay the bill, but for part-time employees to recieve healthcare, discounts, free pound of coffee a week, stock options, and paid vacation - I'll settle for the latter.
It sounds like greediness is getting in the way of a company that gives so much to its employees, and it could potentially mean a huge loss for a company struggling to redefine itself.

Spring Break

UWF's Alternative Spring Break has a blog... www.asbuwf.blogspot.com
read about what we did and how amazing our trip was!

FOIA audit

My assignment this week was to conduct an audit to a government agency to try and obtain public documents as stated below:

"Mission: By conducting a public records audit at Pensacola-area state, law enforcement, municipal and county offices, students will gauge compliance by local officials concerning Florida’s Sunshine Law and the challenges facing citizens and reporters seeking government information."

I was assigned the Escambia County Sheriffs Office where I was to obtain the daily log so that I could take notes on arrest and criminal reports within the past 24 hours.

Prior to conducting the audit, I called ahead to ask if there was a certain office or department that I need to go to find the log. I was transferred to three different people. and no one knew what I was talking about. I decided then just to go to the main entrance of the Sheriff's department where I was told to go to the records department. At the records department I told the woman working that I would like to see the daily log. She asked me what kind of log I was talking about and I told her the one with all the arrest and crime reports. She looked at me puzzled and then made a phone call. She told me usually there is a person who can print out these things upon request, but she was under the impression that you had to know a specific incident or street name where it occurred. This person who can print out crime incidents had already gone home for the day, apparently his shift is 8:30-1:00. She told me to come back then. I asked if I came back, if that meant that I would be guaranteed a copy of the log, and she said "I think you should be able to."
So I'm pretty confused now. How could no one really know what I was talking about? My boyfriend's mom who is a former police dispatcher said that usually sheriffs department have a book out that has all the crime incidents where anyone can walk in and take a look. I think this goes down as a comply, and I would have gone back today if I had the time today to see if I could actually obtain this information.

Post Graduation Plan

One of the things that entices me the most about journalism is the possibility of understanding the world, and traveling, and making the international community take notice to human rights issues. One of the photographers who has influenced me the most without a doubt is James Nachtwey. His photographs have impacted me in ways I never thought a visual image could. Its hard to believe that he hasn't been killed, as he has been documenting wars since the 1970s. This article in the NY times sums up his work pretty well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/arts/design/28nach.html?ex=1332734400&en=e5d0da729439ab83&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I am partly over idealistic, and partly impatient but I can't see my self covering church bake sales, and girl scout meetings for the next some odd years while the thought of working on an international scale drifts further away. Its not that small town news isn't important, because it is. Local news actually means a lot to the people in a community. But while I am young, single, childless, and idealistic I want to take risk.

This is all coming to a point, I met a photographer a few weeks ago his name is Eric Zamora. http://www.ericzamora.com/ who has photographed environmental issues and did a project on a damn that was being built in a village in Belize and its effects on the people who lived there. We had a really inspiring conversation- the kind that you have with a stranger that leaves your head spinning with new and exciting possibilities.

Originally I thought that I would teach abroad for a year, but the cost of getting certified and placed is the same it would cost to upgrade my Nikon and purchase a laptop. I know that I want to go to South America, and document something. I am beginning to research issues, and the cost for doing something like this. I plan to go alone and spend at least three months shooting, converging, and writing. My writing skills, and photography skills need work and I plan on devoting myself to improving now that I have a goal. As this venture forms I have a lot of doubts of whats possible but I think that the risk is worth taking.

Farewell to thee, ASB - Opinion

Farewell to thee, ASB - Opinion

my editorial on why I resigned as president of Alternative Spring Break.

Guiliani Comes to Pensacola

Approximately 200 people packed tightly into the Fish House Wednesday evening despite the cold weather to hear what Rudy Giuliani had to say. The most popular issues that surfaced on his campaign stop were national security, the economy, and tax cuts.

Giuliani, who has been campaigning at an accelerated rate, is counting on winning the Florida primary on Jan. 29 to secure his spot in the presidential race.

Many spectators, like John Hardman clutched copies of Giuliani’s book “Leadership” hoping to get his signature at the event. Hardman said that the book was a factor in his support for the former mayor of New York City.

“I read Giuliani’s book, Leadership after 9/11 and was impressed with his role in handling one of the worst attacks America has had, he handled it very well.”

Like Many Floridians, Kate Casher, a sophomore at the University of West Florida remains an undecided voter. “I haven’t made up my mind yet, so I thought I would come out and see what he stands for,” said Casher.

Within seconds of entering the Fish House Giuliani began the rally with the issue that has been a concern for many American’s in the past few months; the economy.

“The Democrats wants to raise you taxes, do you think having more taxes is a good thing or bad thing?” he asked the crowd.

“Bad thing,” the crowd enthusiastically shot back.

Giuliani said the he believes a smaller government gives more control to its people. He said he wants to lower taxes by 25 to 30 percent. He said by getting rid of the inheritance tax, and death tax he would “fight the fight by fighting for all of them.”

“I trust you more than I trust the government with your money,” he told the crowd.

Giuliani claimed that for him, security comes first. He said that America needs to be kept on the offensive in Iraq and work to stabilize the country.

“We want to have success and victory and American should never aim for anything less,” he said.

In an attempt to boost national security Giuliani said he wants to increase the military by adding at least 10 new combat brigades to the Army and expanding the navy to more than 300 ships.

His stand on increasing the military and decreasing taxes gained mixed reactions from spectators.

Alan Huntley, a 40-year-old Republican is a supporter of Giuliani and said security is the most important issue to him personally. “I like the idea of having a stronger military, I lived in South Africa for a while and you really don’t care about your economy when bombs are going off,” he said. Huntley also said that the surge of terrorism threatens the U.S. and it is important that our country is prepared.


Charlene Smith, 60, had doubts about Giuliani’s plan to increase the military. “He has good ideas but I didn’t hear anything about how he would implement these ideas.” Smith said. “I would like to know how he is going to increase the military without having a draft.”

Why I am studying Journalism

Way back in high school I took course to be on the newspaper- it seemed like the better alternative to any other elective. There was a group of girls that I wasn't particulary fond of, and yes they were the popular ones. But what really got me was how bad everyone wanted to be like them. It was a well known fact that they were all addicted to diet pills. As a result diet pills became the new fad for 17 year old girls at my school. I found this strangely disturbing. I wrote an article about the dangers of diet pills for the paper and got it published. The way they glared at me the next day made me realize that I loved journalism, and I was hooked from then on. I went on to write an article about teen drinking, after I went to a party that year and saw 15 year old girls drinking themselves to oblivion, and throwing up in bushes- only to brag about how cool they were the next week at school. I don't have an agenda but I found out in high school that there are some disturbing things going on in our society and people need to know about them.
Journalism is vital to democracy and I like the idea of doing my civic duty. I value the freedom that we have in this country to publish opinions and ideas without being killed for them. Most of all I love seeing whats going on in the world with my own eyes, and the atmosphere of a news room. I love the eclectic array of people who are journalist, and the flow of ideas as well as mayhem in a news room. I love working against a deadline and feeling so stressed out that my head might explode- and the rewards of seeing my finished product the next day.
There are so many changes going on in the industry- and that's what excites me most. I think convergence is the best thing to happen to journalism since the printing press.