Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Death Heard Around the World

The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, is something that will lie in the back of all Amercan’s minds forever. There was over a thousand people who died and millions of people effected from those lives lost.

Ever since that day, America has been at war to find and kill the person responsible. That man is Osama Bin Laden and he has been in hidding ever since that day. That is until May 2, 2011. On this day Americans’ finally felt justice and their revenge on this man of terror.

His name and face on wanted posters, celebrating on videotapes, antagonizing the United States and all of the West. The people responsible for this death are the CIA and American military.

The campus of the University of Mississippi had an overwhelming echo of rejoicing on Monday. The news of this seemed to bring music to everyone’s ears and I was curious to get everyone’s opinion. I interviewed Dr. William R. Rhodes on how he felt about all the celebrating going on on the campus.

Dr. Rhodes comments, “I guess am glad he is dead and I think killing anybody is a tragedy because he is a person like anybody else and I guess but I think with his intent agianst the western world, I guess death is the only think that kind of provides a solution”.

Two out of the Two interviews I conducted consisted of the same reaction and opinion about Osama’s death.

Jessica Caldwell agreed with Dr. Rhodes about the affect it will have on the war by saying, “I don’t think it will have a hugh affect because we weren’t just over there because of Osama Bin Laden but obviously it a good thing”.

I think it is safe to say this death was hear around the world.

Related Links:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/04/pakistan-source-some-in-bin-laden-compund-in-custody-being-interrogated/?iref=allsearch

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05binladen.html?_r=1&hp

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Haley Halford

Three year-old James Timsfield was put into the hospital due to a early fire this morning on Smithson Road.

Fire Captain George Russell from the Centerville Fire Department gave the details that a lit cigarette started the fire.

The man at fault for this unfortunate accident was the three year-olds’ father Jerry Timsfield. He claims he work up at 2:30 trying to get his son out of the apartment but the smoke was too thick to see inside the burning building.

The firemen we successful in getting the boy out in time but not before his lungs filled with the smoke that surrounded him.

The other tenants have put several with homes and have resorted to friends and Red Cross.

The fire took on 30 minute to calm down but there was an estimated damage price of $80,000. Pictures of the damages can be found on the fire department’s website.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

A Literacy Event

Every year Pi Beta Phi hosts an event called C.A.R.. It is a literacy even that consists of different groups of girls selected in Pi Phi to go and read to different elementary schools in the community. The grades that are selected mainly stay in the second and third grade range and a various number of classes for the girls to go to are selected. Pi Beta Phi’s Vice President of Philanthropy arranges this function every year along with other events related to literacy. That chair for this year is a young lady by the name of Jessica Caldwell.

“It’s one of our biggest events of the year and this year was the best turn out in a long time. A lot of the kids connect with us and that helps them really understand how important literacy is in your life and how far it can take you when you get older” says Jessica Caldwell. After about a month the sessions come to an end and the following week there is a literacy carnival held at the Pi Phi house. This year it consisted of face painting, scrabble, a speed-read, food, and many other fun activities that the second and third graders enjoy.

A speed-read is when ten or so kids are timed at how fast they can read. When the timed session is over the words are counted and the winner receives a prize. One of the participant at this function, Melissa Blasingam commented, “There was the largest turn out of kids that came to the carnival in years and everyone looked like they were having a great time, even the parents. I really enjoyed participating this year and I definitely want to do it again next year”.

The more tools a child is given to work with in the early years of school helps them create a sturdy school habit that will last all of their school years. This program is just one of the tools the kids have to help create a fun academic environment and that is one of the main goals of this program.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

News Story Idea for March 10

The effects Pi Beta Phi's literacy event C.A.R. has on the Oxford Elementary second and third graders.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Is That the Price of Gas?

Gasoline prices all around Oxford, Mississippi and the United States have been making a big change. The price of gasoline has steadily risen over the past couple of months and people are taking notice. Christopher Douglas, a mechanical engineering major at the University of Mississippi, expresses his opinion on this matter, “Yes the increase in gas prices suck, bit at least that increase is not showing in the price of food and other everyday needs”. The daily need and reliance on this car fueling liquid is almost impossible to resist and depend on everyday.

Another student of the University of Mississippi, Alison Kniepkamp projects her opinion by stating, “BP ruined people’s support with the off shore oil spill and it has caused the US to refer to foreign sources which is more expensive. Being a college student, I am already on a tight budget, and having to spend $50 on gas every two weeks cuts a big chuck out of that budget. While these prices have made my spending and driving places go way down, it would be nice to see the price because more stabilize”. Showing these two opinions demonstrates the local opinion on this matter and it also so creates great concern on if the gasoline prices increase is going to stop any time soon. “Last weekend I drove home and filled my gas tank up for $3.07 per gallon and today I filled back up for $3.29 per gallon”, Christopher Doulas stated on February 28. This illustrates how much of a drastic and sudden increase has been taken place at our gas pumps.

These two local opinions have giving some incite on person experience with this common issue. It also shows the effects of a twenty-cent increase of gas on anyone’s budget causes changes everyday living and spending. The specific cause of the increase is unknown and it is not clear how much further the price will increase. What the government and gas companies have up their sleeves also yet to be seen but will surely unravel with time.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Ok so I was given the assignment of posting this blog for my journalism class on the article of "Reporting to Conclusions". It was mainly about putting your opinion in the articles you write and giving you own conclusion. I do not agree with this! Even though that is exactly how a lot of our news channels are, I do not believe it is proper journalism. A reader / listener should be able to take in the story they are interested in and be able to draw their own conclusion with out the writers input on how you should think about the subject.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

#1

Hi, my name is Haley Halford and I am in a Journalism class at Ole Miss. My blog posts will consist of stuff and events from your typical everyday college student. Please enjoy

- Haley