Graduation, the Holidays and the New Year

Graduation 2012 (Carter Whitt, Photobomb Guy, Myself)

I haven't had a lot of time recently to update my blog, which makes sense considering the insane amount of coursework I've completed in my final semester at Georgia State University.

I'm glad to say it's over, but a twinge of panic has also crept into my daily thoughts: what am I going to do next? After consulting several professors -- and even in the face of the stagnant economy -- I've been advised to gain work experience in my field instead of pursue a master's degree. I'd rather do this anyway; I want to know what it's like outside of the academic world, and not just as a part-time barely-above-minimum wage worker.

I do a few things well, and I'd like to apply those professionally with the academic acumen and theory I have learned. Working for the Robinson College of Business' Office of Communications and Marketing was certainly a wonderful experience; I flexed my intellectual and creative muscles (the left and right arms, respectively), wrote press releases, interviewed interesting people for feature stories I was writing, and even ghosted an article. Some of my copy has been on the Robinson website, and will soon grace the pages of their quarterly business magazine. I'm ecstatic, but still a little green with anxiety. Everything in the adult world seems scarier than it really is, and every challenge I've faced I've gotten through with flying colors and a little more wisdom than before.

Finishing my undergraduate degree has been a culmination of a lot of people -- not just myself. Sure I wrote what seemed like endless amounts of research papers, trudged through a number of group projects, and managed to slip in a study abroad to Istanbul, Turkey on the way, but none of that would have been possible without the support of my family -- both financially and emotionally -- and some very special friends who at times had more faith in me than I had in myself.

While this has been a momentous and triumphant year for me, it has also been rife with stress, anxiety, and its fair share of loss. But what victory would be as sweet without adversity to conquer? So although I graduated and am now transitioning from the familiar world of college into the slightly more scary world of the professional, I'm not alone. I have a network of friends, family, and connections who believe in me and know, despite my own neurotic worries, that I will succeed.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am today, and who continue to nudge me forward when my feet get a little cold.

Happy Holidays, and have a wonderful New Year!

Phone hacking scandals just aren't enough

Illicit reporting methods landed Rhodri Phillips, a reporter for News Corp.'s tabloid the Sun, the scoop of a lifetime – an arrest record.

Metropolitan Police arrested him early Thursday morning on suspicion of breach of privacy. The arrest, part of Operation Tuleta led by the Scotland Yard to pursue crimes such as phone hacking, alleged bribery and computer hacking, is a sour reminder of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. operations in the United Kingdom.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the media probe's detainment of Phillips is the first arrest at the Sun tied to Operation Tuleta. The Wall Street Journal reported Tom Mockridge, chief executive of News International, the News Corp. U.K. newspaper unit that includes the Sun, confirmed in an email to staff that a journalist from the paper had been arrested Thursday morning.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

UPDATE:

As of July 22, the Financial Times reported Rupert Murdoch stepping down from all boards associated with News Corp.'s U.K. newspapers. Find the story here.

Obamacare Survives

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's landmark domestic policy requiring all Americans to have healthcare by 2014.




Mandating that all Americans obtain healthcare will bring about sweeping reforms for insurance agencies, allowing many with pre-existing conditions to obtain much needed care. However, many of the changes are still widely unknown even by supporters of the new law.





The women's rights political action campaign, UltraViolet, wrote a short list on why Obamacare is important not only for women, but for every American.











The Affordable Healthcare Act remains almost entirely intact -- as well as opposition to it -- from its original proposal. According to Fox News, Republican candidate Mitt Romney vows to repeal the law if elected.

Making a Memery of Myself

Big Floppy Sunhats at Cracker Barrel + Meme Humor = Win.

From "My Name is Red"

I don't want to be a tree; I want to be its meaning.

Illustration from "The Sultan's Perfect Tree" written by Jane Volen, illustrated by Barbara Garrison

-Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red

Celebrating Teachers Everywhere Who Believe This

Sevgi ile İstanbul'a (To Istanbul, with Love) -- or, Why Everyone Should Study Abroad

I spent only 10 days in Istanbul.

Bazaar. Istanbul, Turkey.

The flight was exhausting, I was nauseous most of the trip because my stomach is keen enough to collect all stress I might be feeling, and because much of the beef there didn't agree with me. I never slept. My average hours of sleep per night hovered around five. Fifteen of us were constantly corralled, shuffled, directed, and collected to numerous site visits and expected to absorb endless waves of information, implications, and impacts. The blisters from wearing heels --  in a city where 90 percent of traveling two to five miles is done by walking --  have only now nearly healed completely.

Spending 10 days in Istanbul has been the most unexpected pleasure of my short life thus far, and I have every intention of going back.

Study Abroad Group -- Istanbul University.

Since I've been back and slowly returned to a regular routine, I have found that my patience and stress tolerance have increased. I still grit my teeth, make a snap remarks, or squint my eyes in impatience and sarcasm -- but it takes a little longer getting to that point at least. My neurotic tendencies take longer to surface in difficult situations.

Impossibly small details still scream at me while I genuinely try to pay attention to someone talking about an inane topic, or being rude, or taking too long to get to a point. But, even while I'm struggling to maintain focus on them after already concluding what they need from me and what other things I could be accomplishing in the time they are wasting, there is a sense of serenity that has replaced the frenetic nerves of my mind as it outpaces my stumbling tongue. I don't move immediately to do what they haven't asked yet. I smile, listen harder -- accept that even if I understand already, they still have more to say to me.

At CNN Turk.

I appreciate familiar things more, which in turn gives me more patience for them. There is a noticeable change in my outlook. Somehow, experiencing the incredible differences and expansiveness of the world has made it possible to understand how things are more similar and united; the world is larger, but society is smaller.

I am more confident, more certain of who I am. I can laugh at the past, enjoy the present, and plan for the future. Tolerance has improved, and there is a feeling -- almost of benevolence -- at being able to adjust to others; other people, other places, other situations, other wills and desires than your own. I think this feeling is very close to humility.

Study Abroad Group, Milliyet Discussion.

Details cause less irritation, less nervous worrying and fretting. Relatively small issues that had such a large impact on my life before are recalled with embarrassment. How could it have mattered so much to me when it is so trivial in relation to so much else? It is more efficient, more impactful to disregard the trivial -- to recognize the trivial. Focus has moved from the tree to the forest.

Hagia Sophia.

Observations are more keen and less assumed. Friendly curiosity has replaced skepticism and doubt. You accept a lot more after this kind of experience. You accept it because you long to know, to understand, to feel the broadening of your boundaries, and the dissolution of your limits. You grow and begin to feel the connectedness and camaraderie of others -- you grow to be a part of it.

Brand is You workshop.

You will make so many friends. People you never thought you would get along with will reach out to you, accept you, and together you will build bonds based on shared experience, tolerance of differences, and the process of learning. You will find similarities in one another, but more importantly, you will be fascinated by the differences and hunger to know more about the unknown. They will not just be your friends -- they will be your peers. Later, when we graduate and find ourselves working in our careers, I will remember the discussions we had and the questions we asked each other. If I am so lucky, we may even work together indirectly, and the friendships we built will be invaluable to our work.
                                                                     

At TV8.

You grow, and you recognize in yourself the capacity to grow. It's the odd feeling of having a birthday, and years later discovering that somewhere along the line you have matured beyond thinking an age gave you that ability. Experience, and what you do with that experience, becomes the knot -- the hard, grainy place in a tree where a new branch emerged. After leaving the things you love and going abroad to learn all the things you need to learn there -- and falling in love and leaving the place you grew to love for the place you knew you loved -- you emerge.

 I did.

Captured on Camera

Witnessing what people do when they think no one is looking is the surest way to understand their character. This is a wonderful video by Coca-Cola. I especially like the way they only show their product once and at the end of the video; it says so much more. Thanks to my friend Yuti Joshi for posting it on our study abroad facebook page. I wouldn't have found it otherwise.

If you think of me at all ....

“You should date a girl who reads.
Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes, who has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she has found the book she wants. You see that weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a secondhand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow and worn.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry and in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things must come to end, but that you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.”

- Rosemarie Urquico

If you're sad when you look back

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

-Dr. Seuss

The UK Murdoch Matter

Rupert Murdoch. Time Magazine.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has found opposition to an expansion of his company, News International, in London politics. According to the Chicago Tribune, Britain's Labor leader Ed Miliband said he wanted reform of the United Kingdom's media policies, and “told a judicial hearing on Tuesday the government should move to cap market shares on news organizations.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, Miliband spoke at an inquiry regarding the phone-hacking scandal that involved Murdoch's British tabloids in 2011.

Citing Murdoch's empirical grip on the media in the UK (and his near 40 percent share of national newspaper readership) Miliband said that legislative reforms should limit companies' news shares to near 20 percent.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the Labor party is up in opinion polls, but with elections nearly three years away, media ownership reforms are still uncertain.

Check out the Tribune's story from Reuters here.

Contrasting Ideas of the Day

Facebook post by George Takei. "Tails" magazine.

Sculpture. "Freedom" by Zenos Frudakis, Philadelphia PA.

Commas are awfully tricky. There are lots of ways to abuse and misuse them, particularly if they create fragments or splices. However, I can only imagine how many eyes overlooked the lack of commas in this graph. Even if the ideas are separated by new lines, saving the space of those two commas greatly misleads readers about Ms. Ray's intentions.... and appetites! Humor abounds.






























Real inspiration comes out of Zenos Frudakis' sculpture in curious leaps and bounds. This is an absolutely beautiful reminder of sadness, inspiration, curiosity, and delight in the battles for freedom. The exquisite detail, from the stoic beginning to the child-like abandon, pulls at the heart in a masterful way that just makes a person stop and appreciate the art and what it says to them.

Three Continents, Three Days

"Are you tired?"

"A little..."

"I can tell by your face."

My first day began after four hours of sleep. We had been traveling for two days, moving over two continents (North America and Europe) to reach our final destination -- Istanbul, Turkey.

Flying on two planes for a total of 11.5 hours total, with a seven hour layover in Amsterdam --  the Las Vegas of the world -- I was exhausted. I guess my host thought so too.

No matter how tired I am, the fog in my head could not possibly diminish the extreme beauty of Istanbul. From the call to prayer five times a day, to the tangle of streets that curve and twist like the bony fingers of an old woman's hand, Turkey has mesmerized me.

I do not feel as if I have been placed in an entirely foreign land, though it is vastly different from anywhere I have been before. The people are welcoming. They are so full of life and spirit and national pride (there are Turkish flags flying on buildings, poles, even on bridges) that you cannot help feel those things yourself. It is like living on land all your life then suddenly immersed in water, but breathing and swimming as a fish. Their culture flows through you and all around you.

We walked through the bazaar and spice markets; hundreds upon hundreds of people pressed together and moving together and opposite each other. I stumbled frequently and brushed into so many... but no one seemed to care. The closeness is part of every day life.

Everything a person eats and drinks here is fresh. Even the food seems to have the inexplicable energy of the people. Tomatoes are carefully peeled, bread is soft and warm, cheese is supple, and the tea is the best I have ever had. Even without sugar it is full of taste and a roasted sweetness. No one looks at you strange when you make noise from stirring, and accommodations are always made to personal preference. Everyone smiles, even if they don't know what you're saying -- happiness is universal.

On the third day we went over the bridges of the Bosporus to the Asian side of Istanbul, the third continent of our trip. Rain melted the clouds into the immediate horizon, making the city appear as if it were floating in the sky. We stopped in a small park to take in the scenery and photograph each other, and the scent of fresh trees and rain was infectious. We took as much time as we could, stealing a few more minutes of excited photo-taking before shuffling back into our bus.

Now I am back in Taxim square at the Eresin hotel. I am tired, but I am too excited to be defeated by fatigue. Everything is new, yet already feels a part of me. I am curious of my surroundings, but strangely comfortable with it all. This must be what it feels like to live in a global world; anywhere can feel like home.

Ready for Turkey!

Pre Departure Checklist √

    I. Suitcase:
1. Requisite amount of shoes have been loaded into the suitcase, rethought, and then lessened. √
2. Several business outfits to mix and match have been packed. √
3. Casual pants and shirts have been packed. √
4. Underclothes, socks, leggings, and swimsuit. √
5. Toiletries, makeup, hairdryer, hair ties, hairbrush. √
6. HOPE THE SUITCASE DOESN'T GET LOST IN TRANSIT. √√√

    II. Carry-on:
1. Cleaned of non-essential papers, backup credit cards, frequent buyer cards, loyalty cards, pens, books, spray hand sanitizer, liquids, and gum -- wait, keep the gum. √
2. Comfy vinyasa scarf, sunglasses, eyeglass case and extra contacts. √
3. Notebook, folder, netbook, reading material. √
4. Netbook cord, phone cord, camera (charged) + camera charger and cord, outlet converter, Flipcam equipment, audio recorder. √
5. Extra pair of shoes, pants, shirt, and underpants (just in case suitcase is lost). √
6. Toothbrush and toothpaste, chapstick, iPod (charged), earbuds. √
7. Funds, backup funds, PASSPORT, and backup I.D. √√√

    III. Miscellaneous:
Departure @ 10:40pm -- Arrive at airport at 7:00pm.
Layover in Amsterdam for 7 hours -- don't miss the plane!

HOLY CRAP I'M GOING TO TURKEY!!!

JOUR 3010 Article 8

Welcome to Cartersville

by Morgan Scroggs

Cartersville offers a blend of pastoral beauty, metropolitan sensibilities and historical charm. According to their website, Blue Ridge Country Magazine even recognized them as one out of 16 of the most friendly towns.

With a population of nearly 20,000 in 23.5 square miles, the city sits comfortably in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in northern Georgia and has been built up by its residents into a metropolitan arm of the Atlanta area.

Following a mantra of “be charmed, be prosperous, belong,” it is no wonder that Cartersville serves as the county seat of Bartow, engaging residents and visitors alike with its vibrant yet bucolic lifestyle and community.

Cartersville's mayor, Matt Santini – who has been mayor since 2008 – says he loves his job. He enjoys solving people's problems in the community, respecting their time and diverse personalities to make sure they get what they need.

Helping an introverted resident solve a trash collection issue without having to make the resident wait through an entire city council meeting may seem simple, he explains, but “having the opportunity to connect people to the right resources,” says Santini, “that's very rewarding.”

“My job is really to sell the city, make people feel good about living here, and certainly keep policies in place that make it good to work here.”

Cartersville has historically employed its residents through manufacturing industries such as Vulcan Materials and Chemical Products, but has expanded and diversified. It now boasts companies such as Shaw Industries, Anheuser-Busch, Trinity Rail Operations, Goodyear, and Unilever.

When considering how to attract industries to Cartersville, Santini says he looks for companies interested in investing in the community. “We want a good neighbor too,” he says. Santini's approach to inviting new industries focuses on the company's desire to be part of Cartersville.

In terms of community partners, Anheuser-Busch is at the top of the list. “They provide a lot of jobs,” says Santini, “are a great utility customer … they pay school taxes, and they carry a heavy load for the city of Cartersville.” Santini also describes them as a good corporate citizen. “It's an organization that shows a lot of leadership. They're always giving back and trying to identify ways to help the community.”

Shaw Industries and Toyo Tire have also been invested in the community. “Some people were skeptical when [Toyo Tires] decided to move here, a little bit because of the location, but they've been a great corporate citizen,” said Santini, “They've gone out of their way to be a part of the community … We're very fortunate to have a lot of industries that are not only good customers, but also good citizens.”

Aspirations in the community are diverse. “Everybody desires to live in a place that is safe, where – if you have children – they can get a good education,” says Santini, “a place that is clean, well taken care of – where they can walk outside, talk to their neighbor, and not have any real concerns. They want to get up, go to work and enjoy their job, and come home at night and enjoy their family.”

According to the 2011 citizen survey, perceptions of the residents in the community are generally good. They feel safe, think it is a good location to raise a family, and enjoy the green space and environment Cartersville offers in contrast to urban life. “We score pretty well,” says Santini humbly, “... it's not because I'm the mayor. We've always had good leadership.” From the administration, to previous councils and mayors, Santini believes it's the people that work in the city – that care about it – that have made it so prosperous.

The city council, comprised of the mayor and six council members, works with several departments to keep the city running smoothly. They foster input from the community with two open council meetings per month, working primarily in the city council chambers. “Informally,” jokes Santini, “the community gathers wherever there is food served.” The chamber of commerce also actively invests in the community, holding a governmental affairs meeting every Monday. A number of committees allow involvement from the community as a whole to voice concerns and drive policy, including committees for the Cartersville school board.

Civic groups often meet and gather at the Clarence Brown conference center, which also serves as a Georgia local welcome center. Other informal gathering places include some of Cartersville's restaurants, the downtown depot, and a private residence Santini referred to as a cabin where mostly males in the community go to have breakfast, mingle, and talk about the city.

Santini says he tries to lay low, although once a month in the county, he'll attend breakfasts with locals. “The Quality Inn used to be the place for every civic organization to meet … a lot of prominent people used to eat breakfast there,” he said. The Cartersville country club still serves as a place where, according to its website, “business is handled, friendships are formed and special family events are celebrated.” Rotary clubs, Kiwanis clubs and more also serve as informal and formal civic gatherings.

Other boards and commissions serve as trusted organizations in the community outside of the government itself. “I rely on a lot of different people, depending on the situation,” says Santini. Shaw plant manager James Jarrett, explains Santini, is an “intellectual leader, business leader, and on some levels, a spiritual leader.” Other people that play important roles include Melinda Lemon, head of the joint development authority, and Ellen Archer who heads the convention and visitor's bureau. Community leaders also include Patty Eagar who runs the children's shelter Advocates for Children, and Gordon Gilley who heads the Boys and Girls Club of Cartersville. “They're almost too numerous to name,” Santini says.

Charles Fluellen, who worked for the county, says Santini, was also a strong community voice. Fluellen was a pastor at Glory Harvester Church who passed away earlier this year. “Almost everywhere you turn,” says Santini, “there's somewhere you can turn to get help, expertise, or input – trusted information, valuable information – on whatever topic.”

In terms of value, residents hold heritage, leisure, work, and family in high regard. “One of the challenges in governing versus legislating is to find that balance … “ he says, “there are some people that are passionate about historic preservation, there are some people passionate about recreation … there are different segments of the population that have different passions and you have to try to address all those things in a reasonable fashion.”

The passionate residents of Cartersville help grow and strengthen the city. Santini says anytime people are active, involved and invested in the community – which many Cartersville residents are – then the city becomes more robust.

The community continues to grow, historically built up from a mining community, evolving into a manufacturing community, which later allowed the carpet industry to grow. Cartersville also boasts a rich Native American history, particularly in the Etowah Indian mounds and the Booth Western history museum. The downtown area also has many historic buildings which have been preserved by private investors.

Santini characterizes the community as a whole with entrepreneurial spirits, rugged individualism, and determination. “We've attracted, fortunately, people who have been determined to come here and make something happen.” Ernest Cochran of City Motors, Santini explains, ended up broken down in his car with his toolbox. Cochran later created an auto repair shop and dealership, making Cartersville his home for nearly 60 years.

“If you look at people like that … ” says Santini, “it probably mirrors what went on throughout the history of Cartersville – people just either liked it here or ended up here through no fault of their own and have decided to make an investment and make it happen.”

“We're big enough for 20,000 people, but everybody kind of knows each other for the most part …” he says, describing a community iconic of the 1950s where home owners walk out onto their porches to wave at the person dropping off packages. “I think that speaks to the reason why people might be attracted to [the city]. We're tight-knit, but we're a welcoming community as well.”

Santini believes the city is seen positively, particularly by visitors to the downtown area. “I think you'll find that there are very few people who come up here just once.”

He feels proud that the city has staked a reputation for being different from Atlanta, but still close enough that those interested in dining, sightseeing, and shopping can be comfortable and charmed by Cartersville's enticing blend of historical, natural, and modern interests. “Once they come here once,” he says, “they're coming back for more.”

JOUR 3010 Article 7

Shadow competitor to rival Apple's 'new iPad' – or not?

by Morgan Scroggs

With the recent release of the new iPad, consumer rumors have cropped up regarding the only comparable competition on Apple's plate – the Asus TF700.

Luckily for Apple, it hasn't arrived in stores yet.

Named the “Best Tablet of CES 2012” by PCMag.com. Asus' upgraded version of the Transformer Prime Eee Pad (or T201) sports the same 'key changes' categories as Apple's new iPad: an improved display and front-facing camera.

The new iPad high-resolution Retina displays at 2048 x 1536 pixels, and the iSight camera has been improved to five mega pixels. It also houses the faster A5x processor chip – supposedly faster than the well-praised quad-core Tegra 3 chip that the Transformer series touts. TF700, on the other hand, is rumored to feature a 1920 x 1200 HD display and an improved 2MP front-facing camera.

But what really has throngs of consumers standing in line for the new product?

The T201 – which was in consumer hands for Christmas last year after severe delays in distribution – had a number of problems with its WiFi and GPS connectivity, a problem noted by an associate at BestBuy as an extra $70 expense for owners of the newest Eee Pad to fix.

Apple's new iPad will connect to 4G networks, while no reports have surfaced regarding whether or not the TF700 will sport a 3G/4G connectivity option.

So will Asus' re-branded Transformer Eee Pad really challenge Apple's third incarnation of the iPad series?

Essentially, both Apple and Asus have recycled the previous versions of their tablets with improved displays and connectivity; however, the Asus TF700's release date is still unconfirmed (although rumored for June 2012). Its price is also a matter of speculation.

Masato Kan, a design engineer for an agricultural equipment company in Georgia, who has dealt with production issues says that “the next release of Asus tablet would have comparable product specifications to the new iPad … the 3G/4G connectivity would not be the only feature customers are looking for – depending on how much it costs.”

However, he doesn't think Asus' new tablet will overturn Apple's domination in the tablet market.

All specs (and speculation) aside, consumer decision may very well rest with personal loyalty to Apple or Android-based products.

JOUR 3010 Article 6

Nutrition reform finally hitting schools

by Morgan Scroggs

Voices echo in the wide lunchroom of a public school; shouts and squeals, laughter and grumbles all resound as groups of students line up to receive their school lunch for the day, some of them with lunch assistance cards. The options for healthy choices appear bleak as they pass by the drying hot plates of frozen pizza and the steaming reservoirs of canned green beans, french fries, and chicken nuggets. Even the prepackaged, mostly-iceberg lettuce salad seems a gamble.

So what is changing for public school children?

In the past, variations of canned fruits and vegetables packed with sodium and preservatives, frozen pizza tomato paste, and iceberg lettuce (which accounts for less than 5 percent of dietary fiber per serving), were all classified as a serving of fruits or vegetables in the National School Lunch Program.

According to the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 – a program that seeks to increase nutrition in school children to “combat childhood obesity and improve children's overall health” – the United States Department of Agriculture would be given "for the first time in more than 30 years, the opportunity to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children."

Cartersville city school nutrition director Tracey Morris says the regulations weren't finalized until this month, accounting as to why some schools are just beginning the process of adopting the 2-year-old bill.

“A process this big takes years to change,” she says.

The school board for Cartersville City Schools recently approved an increase in price for lunches in the 2012-2013 school year that will begin in August. According to Morris, the Cartersville school system “offers a very healthy menu now,” even winning the best practices award in 2007 from the USDA for promoting a healthy school environment.

The nutritional improvements to school lunches come at a price: about $0.25 more per child. Financial support will still be given, and it boasts an “increase[d] access to healthy food for low-income children.”

“We are required to go up on the price of our meals” says Morris, “and I am afraid that many parents will view that we are going down on quality because we are not feeding their children what they want. Parents review the menus and their children pick the day that they like the menu item listed.”

As with any program, waste is a concern, and Morris says that some requirements may be too stringent, especially when students have the option of throwing away whatever they are offered. “All of us like for our food to taste good,” she says, “If we offer a reduced sodium, low fat, whole grain pizza that does not taste like pizza, do you think students will like it?”

The National School Lunch Program regulations require that certain criteria for schools receiving funding be met: making sure much of the food sold in schools (vending machines, lunch rooms, and stores) generates revenue at least equal to the cost of the foods, and that all lunches (regardless of student eligibility for free or reduce-price fare) be provided with financial support.

According to Morris, the Cartersville school system has already complied with the requirements, and has partnered with Royal Produce to receive more fresh fruits and produce.

JOUR 3010 Article 4

New traditions adapt to the future

by Morgan Scroggs

Students at Georgia State in the journalism major are encouraged to learn theory and then use that theory in practical application exercises. That is why Dr. Amos Gelb from the Washington Media Institute has been speaking to classrooms all over campus to educate students about the summer study program offered in Washington D.C.

What will they do? Gelb explains that students will techniques and technology to be multi-platform media creators, consumers, and thinkers. But thinking isn't all the program demands.

WMI was designed to “bridge the growing gap between what college degrees provide and what professional work places demand,” according to its brochure. The focus is on practical application of academically founded theories and skills.

“It will change the way you process your work flow,” says Dr. Gelb. Instead of separating concentrations, the WMI strives to make students multifaceted, with the ability to utilize content creation to engage audiences whether the practitioner be in print journalism or public relations.

“It really is very much practical,” says Gelb, “about 30 percent of people come out of the program with job offers and internships.”

Gelb said that the WMI now believes that many professional internships require students to already have internship experience – making it increasingly important for students to have professional experience before seeking jobs after graduation. According to Gelb, to be successful, students must master both the practical aspects and the academic theory behind them which today's institutions have difficulty doing.

The idea is to give Georgia State students a program in Washington as a capstone course without having to create an actual program in Washington, says Gelb. The only issue – the program costs $10,000 for the summer, not including room and board.

However, professors at Georgia State have already recognized a need for practical experience in the classroom, and while it may not come with a certification costing $10k, it's clear that the mindset in already established institutions are beginning to change.

“I want students that challenge me,” says Dr. Joe Trahan, a public relations professor at GSU who also owns his own public relations firm – Trahan and Associates.

How does Trahan get students to challenge him? He utilizes practical application of academic theories by asking students to apply theories to their own real life research with non profit organizations.

“A lot of times in academia all they do is talk about theoretical stuff. We all learn differently, but I think if you can show people how to do something and they do it – and then they repeat it – I think you retain something more that way,” says Trahan.

Although it's not in Washington, Trahan's practical approach to teaching will benefit students and comes without an additional price tag. “I think students that can solve problems and that can contribute to the bottom line of an organization will definitely number one, get a job; number two, retain that job; and number three, advance professionally.”

JOUR 3010 Article 3

University Career Services – Working for Students

by Morgan Scroggs

If you look for percentage rates of Georgia State University graduates who have successfully landed jobs relevant to their major and career path, you won't find them. But that doesn't mean the school doesn't have reputable job placement – it just measures success differently.

University Career Services director Dr. Kevin Gaw says that placement as an actual process is dead. “Career centers have really evolved,” he says. Job searching is now an international enterprise and the narrowly focused career service programs of the past have had to adapt, just like students in today's job market.

“The more experiences you get from different places, different people, then the stronger candidate you become,” says Gaw who also advises students to be more accepting of relocation when searching for jobs. “What fits your needs most – that's where you want to go.”

Still, the notion of placement has fallen to the wayside in the developing market of career opportunities, which Gaw feels that career services has moved into. Gaw works with a motivated department that works and communicates under one roof – the umbrella of career services. “We don't do placement, but we do work very hard to connect students with employers,” he says.

Gaw tries to get responses from students and alumni, averaging about a 12 percent response rate which he says is hard to generalize, resulting in a lack of quantitative data regarding job placement. “It appears to map onto some of the other data that I've seen … about 75 percent of our students get jobs after they graduate … about 20 percent go to grad school.”

Getting and keeping in contact with students seems to be the largest problem in collecting placement data, but there are some measurement tools available.

“We do assess on-campus interviews,” says Gaw, which provides career services with some data points, specifically about services used through the office. Interviewers then rate the student they interview on how likely they are in moving on in the interview process. “We know …” says Gaw, “63 percent of students who use our services do better in the recruitment process.”

They still have to collect a lot more data to make a generalized statement, but Gaw is confident that students who use any career services will present themselves better to employers, which helps career services influence placement. “It's an alternative to placement,” says Gaw.

Career services offers a number of workshops and career planning resources – from resume writing, interview practice, on-campus recruiting and real-world interviews – as well as job search tools, career fairs, and graduate school planning to name a few.

They work with major employers, continuously expanding business relationships to host major-specific and company-specific fairs, workshops, and site visits. “We want our students to be as prepared as possible … to be viable candidates,” said Gaw.

The movement away from a focus on placement, to a focus on opportunity, explains Gaw, avoids many ethical dilemmas that used to occur. For example, Gaw said, employers in the past would ask universities for their top students in a specific major which barred other students from the opportunity. Now, discrimination does not occur in the process, and students instead are informed en mass of career events and opportunities that employers offer.

The evolution has allowed GSU's career services team to do nearly 14 career events, which has also afforded them the means to do what Gaw describes as “boutique” events, catering to niche groups and majors. This makes it easier to connect students interested in certain employers with employers who are interested in them.

JOUR 3010 Article 2

SPLOST dollars at work for the Cartersville School System

by Morgan Scroggs

The Cartersville School System is enjoying its third consecutive receipt of SPLOST revenue since 1997. Although, according to Finance Chairman Kelley Dial, the February 2012 collection – which was distributed in March and reviewed in the April school board meeting – “is still down a bit from what we have gotten used to.”

Dial reported to the board that the system received $371,834.22 in March, also indicating that the revenue from SPLOST during the month was below what the school had budgeted for.

“We are now over 100 percent of what we budgeted,” said Dial.

Dial also said that the tax collections continued to go very well. “We are very pleased with that,” she said. Currently, the Cartersville School System averages $394,000 a month in SPLOST revenue and has budgeted $325,000 – leaving the system well enough to pay down bonds, according to Dial.

SPLOST revenue is voted for on a per-county basis, allowing the taxpayers of a community to add up to a 2 percent increase on sales tax. For 15 years, Bartow county and the Cartersville School System have enjoyed the benefits of improving education through the generosity of the taxpayers.

From 1997 to 2002, SPLOST revenue helped the Cartersville School System pay off five years of bond debt, buy new equipment and expand classrooms, revamp the elementary school lunchroom and media, as well as buy new buses and system vehicles. Similar improvements occurred from 2002 to 2007, with the addition of the Cartersville High School renovation and another five years of bond debt paid.

On its list for 2007 – 2013, the system includes improvements to security, a multipurpose classroom and fine arts area for the middle school, and plans for future schools (including the purchase of land).

JOUR 3010 Article 1

Sudden Snatches Overwhelm Campus

by Morgan Scroggs

According to the Georgia State University campus crime alert, the most frequently reported crime of the last six months has been “robbery by sudden snatching.”

The crimes, usually involving electronic devices and cell phones, have become especially bold leading up to the holiday season and the new year. In 2010, the GSU police statistical report cataloged 22 robberies and 330 larcenies or thefts. Those numbers are marginally reduced from the 2009 statistical report, but the 2011 report has yet to be published.

In December, GSU students held a crime prevention meeting to discuss the problems facing the campus of nearly 33,000 students and faculty.

CBS Atlanta reported that a number of students were affected; one student, Keticia Wilson, said that she still gets shivers. According to CBS Atlanta, witness Betty Mekonnen said that “the offenders are really smart, they're bold and doing it in broad daylight.”

Head of crime prevention, Sgt. Kristal Perkins feels that students need to be more aware while on campus.

“I don't think that our students are utilizing the resources that our police department is offering them,” she says. The department offers self defense classes, safety escorts, and call boxes. “I don't think the escort service is going to minimize the robberies by sudden snatching,” says Perkins, “I think it's the entire community being aware of their surroundings and taking responsibility for themselves.”

Although several of the locations of the snatchings reported by the GSU campus crime alert include familiar streets, GSU buildings are beginning to creep into the radar as targets by the offenders.

The General Classroom Building, a well known drop-off and pick-up for students traveling by the Panther Bus, has been the location for robbery by sudden snatching twice in the past four months.

In one incident, the cell phone was snatched from a student standing on the steps; in the other incident, the snatching occurred on the third floor of the building – a location not as easy for criminals to target – making the crime a little more sudden, and a lot more personal.

Perkins believes that there are no designated high-crime areas, but she says the department tries to stay in areas where there are a lot of people, or in places where an increase of theft has been reported. “We just want to make sure we target our entire campus for visibility and make sure our entire campus is safe.”

JOUR 3010 Article 5

Cartersville City Council rejects bid from Wynn GMC

by Morgan Scroggs

The City Council met March 1^st to discuss a number of items, during which a review of a purchase bid for four half-ton trucks for the water department was submitted by finance director Tom Rhinehart.

Rhinehart recommended that the previous bid awarded to Wynn GMC in February be rejected. The rejection favors a bid from locally owned business City Motors of $96,277.44. Wynn GMC had bid $92,375.24.

“Their bid is a little bit higher,” said Rhinehart, “but they are a local bidder and if more work needs to be done, it is more cost efficient to do it here.”

According to Rhinehart, during a discussion with the vendor, he was made aware that the bid order for four half-ton extended cab pick-up trucks was non-confirming to the bid specifications. The document indicated that the trucks be extended cab, but Wynn GMC inadvertently made the bid believing them to be single-cab trucks.

Rhinehart attempted to keep the bid with Wynn GMC after the misunderstanding. Wynn GMC offered to keep the bid at the same price, agreeing to substitute the trucks with smaller engines and adding the extended cab. Rhinehart discussed this change with assistant director Bob Jones of the Cartersville Water Department, but it was decided that the bid with the smaller engine would not be accepted.

“At the advice of our attorney, I did call the other three vendors,” said Rhinehart.

Rhinehart's recommendation was set into motion by councilman Jayce Stepp, and seconded by councilman Louis Tonsmeire Sr. The motion was approved unanimously.

Alan Vigil Ford had bid $95,980, and Mall of Georgia Ford had bid $96,360.

Councilwoman Lori Pruitt was absent from the meeting.

Critical thinking...

Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.

-William Samuel Johnson

Wisdom from Press Agentry

Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well as now.

-P.T. Barnum