Life in the Project-a Smash doc

Visual project- Behind the scenes in Advanced Digital Cinema, Fall 2015

This is a compilation of outtakes from both of my projects in Advanced Digital Cinema with Roger Hart. The first part is the interview project we did before midterms, the second half is our restructuring of "The Social network"

Link: https://youtu.be/w6qoS3Jt4iM

Technologic-Intel introducing new entry-line CPU's in 2016

Intel Corporation will introduce new entry-level PC processors in the second and third quarters of the fiscal year 2016 despite the prevalent weakness in the PC market, according to recent reports by Digitimes. Intel's shares have been on a downward trend since the start of fiscal year 2015 (FY15) primarily due to the weak demand for PCs. In late August, the stock fizzled down to its 52-week low of $24.87.
The downturn in the overall PC market has urged the chip maker to seek other revenue streams as a result of which Intel acquired a programmable chip maker, Altera Corporation. Intel has also recently rewarded its shareholders through healthy reports at its annual analysts’ day. The company managed to restore investor confidence with the announcement of a hike in quarterly cash dividends as well as its full-year 2016 outlook. Moreover, Intel has also made strides in the manufacture of memory chips. It launched 3D Xpoint technology alongside Micron technology. Wall Street analysts consider Intel's upcoming 3D Xpoint technology to be revolutionary and are hence bullish over it. Furthermore, Intel has announced that it will spend more than $5.5 billion to convert its old factory in China to manufacture its 3D NAND technology. Intel Corporation stock is up by 0.23% to trade at $34.77 in today's pre-market trade.



Despite the soft PC market, demand for mini PCs and gaming notebooks has remained strong, especially those equipped with Intel’s entry-level processors (the Pentium and Celeron dual-core lines), which continue enjoying strong demand in Europe, North America and South, as well as Southeast Asia. Inexpensive PCs and mini PCs using Intel's Core i3, Pentium or Celeron processors are currently priced between NT$8,000-20,000 (as opposed to the newer and more expensive core i5, i7, and Xeon lines favored by PC aficionados and gamers alike).
Seeing the trend, Intel is scheduled to mass produce its next-generation Apollo Lake-based processors in June-August 2016 with related entry-level PC products becoming available in the market in October 2016, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Currently, over 500 million existing PCs worldwide have already been used for more than five years, and PC players including Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell and Lenovo have all been aggressively promoting their new PCs, looking to attract consumers to replace their old products.
Intel is now mainly pushing its 14nm Braswell-based SoC processors for the entry-level PC market, succeeding the 22nm Bay Trail. Intel will release upgraded versions of the Braswell processors in the first quarter of 2016 for desktops, and an upgraded one for notebooks in the second quarter.
The Braswell processors will then be succeeded by the Apollo Lake-based processors. Apollo Lake processors adopt a dual/quad-core design, 14nm process and Gen9 GPU, and support Ultra HD output, USB Type-C and eMMC 5.0.

Story sources: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20151201PD200.html
http://www.bidnessetc.com/58422-intel-corporation-to-debut-new-line-of-entrylevel-pc-processors-by-2016/
images: http://pcrefresh.intel.my/images/intel_inside.png
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/uk-pc/intel/widi/intel_look_inside_banner._V367878116_.png

Roasted Turkey with the trimmings: Tensions high after Russian jet shot down by Turkish Airforce

(A Russian SU-25 Fencer ground-attack plane, like that shot down tuesday)

Tuesday, November 24^th, two Turkish F-16's downed a Russian SU-25 ground attack plane. The navigator, Capt. Konstantin V. Murakhtin, was rescued by special forces troops who followed his radio beacon and negotiated his release from the insurgents who were holding him. The pilot, Lt. Col. Oleg A. Peshkov, was killed by ground fire from insurgents as his parachute descended.

The navigator, who parachuted out of the warplane said Wednesday that there had been no warning before a missile slammed into the aircraft, giving him and the pilot no time to dodge the missile. “There were no warnings from either the radio channel or visually, there was no contact at all,” he told the Interfax news agency from the Russian air base outside Latakia, Syria.

Captain Murakhtin’s account directly contradicted that of Turkish officials, who said the pilots had been warned 10 times in five minutes not to transgress into Turkish airspace, even the sliver of territory that the plane crossed in 17 seconds. The Russians have been adamant that the warplane was shot down over Syria, not Turkey. It crashed about two and a half miles from the border, Russia said, and the pilots parachuted into Syria. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/world/europe/turkey-russia-jet.html?_r=0

(supposed flight paths/crash sites according to both sides)

As reported by Western Journalism, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Turkey’s actions as a “stab in the back by the terrorists’ accomplices.” He warned of “significant consequences” for relations with the nation. Turkey and NATO had used similar language to alert Russia that if it continued to venture into Turkish airspace, it would be courting “extreme danger” and experience “serious consequences.”

Turkey is also looking to NATO for support via an emergency hearing. “At the request of Turkey, the North Atlantic Council will hold an extraordinary meeting at (1600 GMT). The aim of this extraordinary NAC is for Turkey to inform Allies about the downing of a Russian airplane,” a NATO official told AFP. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed the media on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already cancelled an upcoming trip to Turkey as a result of the downed plane. http://www.westernjournalism.com/breaking-obama-just-responded-to-downed-russian-plane-with-startling-message-to-putin/


images source:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34912581

News App review- SmartNews for Android

For this review, the author downloaded SmartNews, a mobile app that sorts news from multiple sources based on genre. The first observation of this application is that it relies solely on mobile network data (4G) rather than wi-fi to download the most recent stories. This is good news for those in areas without adequate wi-fi, but not so great for those who are on restrictive data plans.

Once the app has downloaded the most recent news, one can browse article titles (which show image thumbnails, a title, and the source) by swiping sideways to switch between tabs, which are organized by popularity and genre. The default tabs are Top, Entertain, Sports, Lifestyle, U.S., World, Biz, Tech, Science, Buzz, and Social, the last of which requires connecting to a Twitter account to view popular stories from the user's Twitter feed. There is also a “+” tab, which allows users to add custom categories such as Women's health or Soccer news.

Selecting a news story will open the article on its web page either in a simple read format (under the Smart tab) or in what appears to be a browser within the app (the Web tab), although it lacks an address bare. There is a share icon, however, which allows the article to be shared through email, social media, opened in a regular web browser, and more. Simply swiping back will bring the SmartNews tabs and stories back into view.

Compared to most data-based apps, SmartNews is very lax on space requirements. Upon installation, it only takes up around 6 megabytes (android LG phone), compared to apps like Snapchat that take up more than 100 megabytes, although this may depend on the device it is installed on and the frequency of use.

Overall, this app appears to be very useful for anyone who wishes to keep up to date with the latest news on the go. Its very easy to use, the layout is not at all confusing. The only drawback this author can point out is the inability to use it on wi-fi alone. But even the best apps have trade-offs.

C'mon and let us know: Should we let them they stay or should they go?-The Syrian Refugee Crisis

The issue of refugee placement will no doubt go down as one of the biggest national (if not global) events of 2015. With presidential candidates and other officials choosing sides either with other global leaders or their constituents, it competes the rabid polarization once caused by Obamacare.

This author is torn. Yes, even I, a native Texan who grew up in the evangelical neo-conservative south, do not know which side is right or wrong. The majority says that we shouldn't let in any more refugees period. For while, I agreed with that notion. Now I see where there are those saying that recent events are all the more reason to take them in, and seeing images depicting a Syria where there's nothing to return to. It's striking. I can't tell the difference between defensive paranoia and strategic common sense.

Both sides have very good points. On the one hand, if we refuse asylum to refugees, they will have no where else to go and will hate the U.S. for turning them away, perhaps aiding ISIS in desperation. Many pro-refuge journalists cite this. However, it must be pointed out that there is little to be done about screening and tracking the influx of refugees. An example would be the refugee from Louisiana who made it to the capitol virtually unnoticed- http://dailycaller.com/2015/11/17/missing-syrian-refugee-headed-to-washington-dc/ At the same time, the rabid anti-refugee sentimentalism may come from a general distrust in Muslims, which I take issue with.

I know personally that there are a lot of good Muslims. One of my best pen pals who lives in Long Island is an Indian of Muslim upbringing. And even Mark Luttrell, the special forces soldier whose story of survival was depicted in the film “Lone Survivor” by Mark Wahlberg was rescued by Muslim villagers, who themselves despised Al Qaeda. Persecuting them would be the same as persecuting all Christians for the acts of extremists like Westboro Baptist Church or other so-called Christian-based cults.

Its all about perspective. Sure, maybe preventing settlement of refuges would be a good blanket strategy. But we should learn from denying entry of German Jews shortly before World War II what can happen if we don't help. That said, we need to call on these other Islamic nations, particularly those in the Arabian peninsula and north Africa, to do their part rather than bringing them to areas of high tension such as the U.S. and the already saturated areas of Europe. A solution can be found, but we must unite in solidarity, not in fear. If we give into fear, ISIS has already won.

Cold Fight against Terror: Foo Fighters cancel Paris tour, Coldplay and others join calls for peace

The rock band Foo Fighters have canceled the remaining dates of their Sonic Highways World tour, which included a concert in Paris, following terrorist attacks in the city on Friday that killed at least 127 people. Band leader Dave Grohl (pictured below) announced the news of the tour cancellation on Saturday, a day after the attacks.

"It is with profound sadness and heartfelt concern for everyone in Paris that we have been forced to announce the cancellation of the rest of our tour," the band said in a statement. "In light of this senseless violence, the closing of borders, and international mourning, we can't continue right now. There is no other way to say it. This is crazy and it sucks."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was hurt or who lost a loved one," the group added. The group had four dates left and was scheduled to perform in Paris at a different venue than the one targeted, however.



The deadliest attack took place at the Bataclan concert hall, where four gunmen shot dead at least 87 people during a concert by American band Eagles of Death Metal, a group which Grohl had worked with in the past. Family members said the band, including singer and guitarist Jesse Hughes, escaped the attack but that several crew members were unaccounted for, NBC News reported on Saturday. The group has also canceled the remainder of its tour and is returning home, Agence France-Presse reported.



In addition to the concert hall, suicide bombers also blew themselves up outside the Stade de France, France's national stadium, where thousands of people, including French President François Hollande as well as Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera's daughter, were watching an exhibition game between France and Germany as the explosions took place. The three attackers were killed.



Meanwhile, Coldplay performed part of a scheduled concert in the United States that day, but held a moment of silence for the victims of the tragedies and also performed a cover of an iconic song that calls for peace. Coldplay performed a short, acoustic concert in Los Angeles on Friday night after postponing a larger TIDAL and KROQ live streamed gig "out of respect for the terrible events in Paris." The rock band held a moment of silence before performing and opened the concert with a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine."



On Friday, fellow rock group U2 said they had canceled two concerts in Paris, including one that was to be taped for an HBO special, in wake of the attacks. Concerts were not the only enetertainemnt venues affected by the tragedy; Paris premieres of Steven Spielberg's feature “Bridge of Spies” and Natalie Portman's “Jane Got a Gun” were canceled as well.

Story and image Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/715906/foo-fighters-cancel-remainder-of-tour-after-paris-attacks-coldplay-holds-moment-of-silence-at-concert

U.S. and Partners to help rebuild Iranian Nuclear Reactor

The United States and other global powers are helping Iran to update and reconstruct a nuclear reactor that has been suspected of helping the Islamic Republic produce enough material for a potential nuclear weapon, according to regional reports and statements from the State Department. A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the Islamic Republic’s main nuclear regulator, said on Tuesday that the United States and several other nations would begin supplying Iran equipment so that it can modernize the nuclear reactor.“Four countries of the [nuclear negotiating team] have accepted to cooperate with Iran in supplying advanced equipment for the (Arak) reactor and different other issues,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Iranian nuclear authority, said Tuesday. Kamalvandi explained that while Iran could complete the modernization on its own, “it has sought the world powers’ assistance to accelerate the job.” The spokesman was also quoted as saying “We have had negotiations on this issue in Vienna and recently, some consultations have been made by the Iranian foreign ministry officials in China.” Assistance will also be provided by the other global powers that helped secure the nuclear deal, which include China, France, Germany, and Russia.

(A view of the heavy water reactor at Arak)

The United States’ goal is to work with Iran to refit the reactor in such a way that it can no longer produce weapons grade material. The Obama administration announced that it would assist Iran is rebuilding the Arak reactor when the nuclear deal was implemented in late October. However, Iran maintains that the United States and other partner nations will provide “advanced equipment” for the reactor, located near the Iranian industrial city of Arak. Nuclear experts from the Department of Energy will be tasked with helping to accomplish this goal, according to Secretary Ernest Moniz.“Under the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], one step that Iran must take is to redesign its Arak Heavy Water Research reactor, including removing its existing calandria and rendering it inoperable,” Moniz said in an Oct. 18 statement. He explained that “To support this effort, the Department of Energy’s nuclear experts will lead the U.S. effort to work with our P5+1 partners and Iran to modernize the Arak reactor, effectively eliminating a potential source of weapons-grade material.”U.S. nuclear experts will also provide Iran with “technical advice” on nuclear issues, Moniz said. He also said “In addition to co-chairing the Arak Modernization Working Group, the Department of Energy’s technical experts will also continue to support President Obama, Secretary [John] Kerry, our P5+1 and EU partners, and the [International A'tomic Energy Agency] through technical advice and expert consultations on nuclear matters.”

Seyed Araqchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, praised the nuclear modernization project in comments to reporters offered after an October meeting between Iran and the global powers.
“A statement was compiled and released by Iran, China, and the U.S. yesterday in which the three countries announced their resolve to modernize Arak site in due time but what is more important to us is an official document which should be signed between Iran and the six members of the G5+1,” Araqchi was quoted as telling reporters at the time.
The issue of Arak was a key negotiating point during nuclear talks that recently produced a compromise, aimed at curbing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions.

story and image source:

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/us-to-help-iran-rebuild-nuclear-reactor/

Red River Basin safe from flooding for the time being

The Red River, despite the recent influx of fall rain, shows no signs of flooding soon, the numbers show. This is, perhaps, due in part to the dryness in the late half of summer that lasted through September. Based on monitoring by the National Weather Service from Shreveport, LA, the most recent spike was 14.53 feet on Tuesday, November 3^rd. With the heavy rains endured throughout the southern states that caused the flooding of the Red River as well as many local creeks and bayous earlier this summer, citizens in the river basin have every right to be concerned. 

These measurements come from the NWS/NOAA Hydrograph prediction service, which are monitored day to day at different points along the river in each state. The River's depth is measured for both highs and lows at each point.

According to the service's website, the flood categories are as follows: The Action stage is 26 ft, Flood stage at 30ft, Moderate Flood at 31.5ft, and Major flood being 33ft or higher. The spring flooding earlier this year reached a peak crest of 37.14 ft, while the highest on record was 45.9 ft in the August of 1849. 

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?gage=svpl1&wfo=shv

Civic Studies in schools: A lack of citizenship=Lack of voters?

The teaching of civics in some schools nationwide seems to be the topic of much controversy as of late. With more emphasis on reading comprehension and math, it would seem there is little time left to learn it and little money in most school's budgets left to teach it.
Members of the Utah State School Board gave preliminary approval October 8th to a policy that would clarify how parents can opt their children out of state-mandated tests at school, however, for this test, opting out could come at a high price.
State lawmakers this year passed legislation requiring Utah students to pass a civics exam, one administered to those applying for U.S. citizenship, in order to graduate from high school. In the same year, the Legislature approved a bill clarifying the state's opt-out policy to include any state or federally mandated assessment. While the new law allows parents to opt their high school-age children out of taking the civics exam, it doesn't remove the requirement that students pass the exam to get their diploma.
"The consequence with this one associated with current legislation is if they do opt out, they opt out of graduation," said Rich Nye, associate superintendent for data, assessment and accountability at the Utah State Office of Education. https://www.ksl.com/?sid=36870887&nid=148
The case is not so different a few states over. The civics class requirement for high school graduation in Nebraska was redefined by that state's Department of Education. The department formerly required three semesters of social studies; which included one year of American history and a full semester of civics education. That requirement has since been doubled, to six semesters.
Nebraska State Senator Adam Morfeld, who represents district 46 in Lincoln and the founder of a group called Nebraskans for Civic Reform, said since the No Child Left Behind federal educational mandate was implemented in 2001, a more stringent testing protocol has resulted in an increased emphasis on stronger math and reading skills that, as a result, has led local school districts to focus less attention on social studies and civics education.
“If people check out, our democracy will become less representative and as it becomes less representative people become more skeptical of it,” Senator Morfeld said. “So we have to break that cycle, and in order to do that – I believe that the best place to start is with our youth.”
The senator said the facts are clear; all around the country voter turnout is seriously lagging.
“Well everybody’s voting at a lower rate than previous generations including young people – but young people more so than most age demographics.”
In Douglas County alone, voter turnout during general presidential elections has fallen from 79 percent of registered voters in 1992 to just 68 percent bothering to cast a ballot in 2012. University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor Paul Landow said there is a growing recognition across the country for the need to reinvigorate civics education in the high schools.
“A lot of states are rethinking their government civics education requirements,” Landow said. “Many students, High school graduates and frankly, college students just don’t have a basic understanding of the pieces and parts of American government.”
Senator Morfeld believes civic involvement doesn’t need to start so late in the education of our youth.
“You can go to any of our classrooms, kindergarten through fifth grade even and ask young people, ‘What are things that you really like about your neighborhood’, ‘what are some things you’d like to change.’ And they know and they understand.”

The senator said it’s important for Nebraska (and perhaps all American youth as a whole) youth to understand the processes of the American political system and the importance of voting. But, just as important, is having youth who are engaged and critical thinkers, who take the time to seriously study the issues for themselves and then take action towards solving problems in their community.
http://www.kvnonews.com/2015/10/civics-education-key-to-informed-society-says-nebraska-legislator/

Listening Posts

For every person, there's a “listening post,” or gathering spot where information is exchanged among colleagues, friends or family. It may be a physical place, like a barber shop, the truck stop, or your local diner. It may even be a website chat room or social site. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as its a place where people gather to exchange and spread information.

For me, major listening posts I frequent include Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and the website memecenter.com. I have many friends and follow many major news sources on all of these, allowing me to find out about events and happenings, local or global, fairly fast.

For many years growing up, my family has had two major listening posts: the church, and grandma's house. Ours is a southern evangelical pentecostal church that goes back to the early 80's, so naturally many of the congregation members know each other and talk about anything and everything going on at work, with their children and spouses, a wealth of news on various topics, especially as a community. When I was younger, I remember how we'd have to wait for my dad after church, because he loved to talk to other church members.
Sunday lunch at my grandparent's house often reflected this on a closer level. My mother, my aunt and my grandma often would and still do talk about everything and everyone they know, about what their kids and their friend's or neighbor's kids are doing, who got divorced, married or re-married, who died, who got pregnant, and so on. 

It doesn't matter if its news or gossip. Listening posts just happen to be where people talk about anything and everything.

Public Records Transparency-Paris, TX

The Public Records website for Paris, TX is very clear and easy to use. The latest city utility report can be found there. According to the report, the courthouse used the most electricity (a cost of $7154.15) while the county sheriff's office and jail had the greatest use of water and natural gas. This cost difference could likely be explained by the courthouse's age and inefficient lighting. http://tools.cira.state.tx.us/users/0085/docs/Utility/2015/0815%20UTILITY%20REPORT.pdf

The Utility reports can be found under the Financial Transparency tab. Also under the same tab are the proposed budgets for 2014,2015, and 2016. According to the 2016 proposal, total property taxes for 2016 will be raised 0.8% more than the previous budget, a difference of $98,935, whereas $165,802 of the total amount will be tax revenue raised from new property to be added to the tax roll this year. The vote was presided over by County judge M.C. Superville, Jr. and signed by him August 24^th, 2015. The total amount of debt obligation for Lamar county, according to the report is $4,163,325 as of October 1^st. http://tools.cira.state.tx.us/users/0085/docs/Financial/Budgets/FY%202015%20-%202016%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf

At the bottom of the tab menu of the Lamar county website, one may access foreclosure sale notices. This will show a list of notices, with multiples for each month. AS of 10/16/2015, there are seven sales happening in October, six in November, and 3 for December. The links show up a s scans of trustee forms with other coinciding legal documents. http://www.co.lamar.tx.us/default.aspx?Lamar_County/Foreclosures

Upon further search of public records for my home area, I found a non-affiliated website that generates crime maps for selected areas. It was able to generate a crime map for Paris, which showed 86 total incidents inside Loop 286, which surrounds the city (by this writing date, 10/16/2015). These include 11 incidents of Assault, 1 count of assault with a deadly weapon, 15 counts of breaking and entering, 41 counts of theft, 9 counts of theft from a vehicle, many others with multiples details. Sex offenders may also be located through this map. https://www.crimereports.com/map?CRSearch=paris,%20TX 

Public Information access nationally: Maryland gets more transparent

Maryland's government just got a little more transparent, thanks a revision in the state's Public Information access protocols.



First enacted in 1970, the Public Information Act covers all state and local government agencies. Anyone can request access to public records. The tricky part is that some documents are exempted from public access, such as juvenile court records, adoption records, personnel records and others.
Approved by the General Assembly during its last session, the revision creates a new compliance board to consider complaints about fees, and an ombudsman in the Maryland Attorney General's Office to mediate disputes between those seeking access to records and those who keep them. The new requirements put more responsibility on government agencies to justify exempting records from public access. The attorney general's office has also drafted guidelines for denying access, said David Nitkin, director of communications.



"Our proposed regulations on denials are: If a request is denied, the custodian shall provide the applicant, at the time of the denial or within 10 working days, a written statement that gives the reason for the denial," Nitkin said. Just as well, in situations where the law allows the agency to decide whether to allow access, a custodian must also provide a brief explanation of why denial is necessary and why the harm from disclosure would be greater than the public interest, he explained.
If there's any disagreement over whether records should be made available, or if it's taking too long to produce them, the ombudsman should attempt to resolve it. However, its decisions aren't binding, and if the dispute is not resolved, the next step is to go to court. If a judge finds against the government, the new rules allow the court to impose statutory damages of up to $1,000 for the case.

Neither the compliance board, which only considers whether fees for looking up and copying records are reasonable, nor the ombudsman have been appointed yet. "We are awaiting the appointments to the compliance board by Gov. (Larry) Hogan," Nitkin said. "The office of the attorney general will accept complaints in the interim, and the board will act on them when a quorum exists." No funding was provided in the current budget for the ombudsman position, leaving the attorney general's office to wait to fill it, he said. (News Source)

SAU Centennial Homecoming

Southern AR University's 100th anniversary Homecoming was this previous week. One couldn't wish for a better turnout, culminating in Saturday’s Mulegating, crowning of the king and queen, a Mulerider Football game and a Baseball Championship Ring Ceremony.
According to “The Mulerider School’s Centennial History,” the first homecoming football game in 1915 saw a “hard-won, 7-0 victory” for SAU, then called the Third District Agriculture School (TDAS). The “Magnolia Aggies,” which became Muleriders in the early 1920s, defeated the Boll Weevils on a rainy Thanksgiving Day.



The week leading up to game day held daily homecoming-related activities, including a Monday evening pep-rally in the Greek Theatre, a Tuesday night drive-in movie at the Reynolds Center parking lot, and the popular Great SAU Campout and Bonfire Friday night.
Other weekday events included the Rankin College of Business’ third annual “Light for the Fight” ceremony Monday evening. SAU’s new Tuesday night Team Study initiative hosted a centralized celebration and study session in the Reynolds Center Grand Hall. Also, the 32nd annual Murphy Lecture which featured CNN’s Christine Romans Thursday morning in Harton Theatre.
https://web.saumag.edu/news/2015/09/30/sau-hosts-centennial-homecoming-oct-10/



The game at Saturday was against the Oklahoma Baptist Univ. Bison. Prior to start, the homecoming results announced Mia Hyman as homecoming queen, as well as recogniing several individuals for the Mulerider Hall of Fame. The first half of the game saw a lot of build up in tension, with little scoring until the second quarter, when many scores were taken aback by a referee's flag, mostly on the muleriders. The second half even things out, though it wasn't a “great” game, it wasn't a bad game at all. Overall, the Muleriders came out on top with a score of 38 over OBU's 20.

http://muleriderathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=football&id=1348

Campus Crime Report: More crimes being reported at North TX campuses

Sex-related crime reports increased at the University of North Texas and Texas Women's University this past year, according to recently released Clery Act data. The federal Clery Act requires colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. Previously, sex crimes were listed as “forcible” or “non-forcible.” Now, new and more precise reporting requirements categorize sex crimes as rape, fondling, incest or statutory rape, Interim UNT Police Chief Ed Reynolds said. According to the Clery Center, a new amendment to the Clery Act also added stalking, domestic violence and dating violence data to the information collected.



At UNT, 12 rapes were reported in 2014, and 11 of those took place in student housing, police said. That compares to seven rapes reported on campus in 2013.The recently released data also includes non-police reports, Reynolds said. Eight of UNT’s 12 reported rapes in 2014 came from security sources such as resident assistants in dormitories, he said.



Chief Reynolds said he believes national awareness and education have spurred more victims to report sexual assaults to authorities, rather than stay silent. Reynolds said the new reporting requirements present a clearer picture of campus crime.
Dean of Students Maureen “Moe” McGuinness said UNT has ramped up education about sex crimes on campus, making students feel more comfortable in distinguishing between consensual sex and sex crimes. She said her office hears from students about sex-related crimes — recent cases as well as incidents from childhood.
“I would definitely attribute an increase in numbers to awareness and education,” she said.
In each of the 12 rape cases, an acquaintance of the victim was the alleged perpetrator, Chief Reynolds said. He described UNT as a “city within a city.” If no sexual crimes were reported, that would raise an eyebrow, he said. This reflects similar situations on most large college campuses.



At Texas Woman’s University. six reports of stalking were reported on campus in 2014.
Elizabeth Pauley, TWU’s director of public safety, also attributed the increase in reported crimes to the new federal reporting requirements.
“If there was an inkling that a report could have been stalking, we reported it. It’s better to over-report than under-report,” Pauley said.
One rape was reported on campus in 2014, and it was not a case of stranger rape, she said.
Drug arrests at TWU slightly increased this past year, but Pauley said those resulted mainly from parties where “students tried their wings” early in the semester.
“College kids are college kids,” she said. “We are going to enforce the law.”



Meanwhile, Students at both university campuses (located in Denton, TX) said they feel safe despite knowing rapes, aggravated assaults and burglaries have happened in the past year.



Rebecca Montoya, president of TWU’s Student Government Association, said she feels safe and thinks most other people do as well. Some students have expressed concern about poor lighting in some areas around campus, she said.
She also noted that the emergency poles on campus, with buttons to call police if a student is scared, in danger or wants a police escort, make her feel more safe.
“I think it has a lot to do with having (campus police) on site, and you always see them driving around, and we have the emergency poles,” she said. “I feel like it’s been really safe, and you don’t hear about much violence like you do at a lot of other campuses.”



More than 34,000 students are enrolled at UNT, and currently more than 11,500 students are enrolled at TWU, according to fall statistics. http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20151002-12-rape-reports-at-unt-in-2014.ece

Home Town Feature News Story: Chisum HS Homecoming

Chisum High School's Homecoming is Friday, October 2nd. The Mustangs will play at home against the Honey Grove Warriors at 7:30pm. Homecoming coronation ceremony will take place at half time of the football game. The homecoming nominees for Chisum High School are from left to right: Erin Hurst, Miranda Bailey, Kastashia Mitchell, and Jeffie Burt. (pictured)

Activities for the week of homecoming, lasting September 28^th thru October 2^nd, will proceed as follows:

Monday, 9/28/2015 is “Hillbilly” Day, where students and faculty will dress like they’re “from the backwoods.” Mustang Volleyball will play at Red Lick at 4:30 p.m. (7^th grade & 8^th grade)

The Chisum ISD Community Parade and Pep Rally start at 6:45 p.m.; Parade participants will line up North of the Middle school building along the road and empty field. All grade levels and school sponsored clubs and organizations will be welcome to participate in the parade. Parade Float Order:

Elementary Float will line up first and conclude on the road between the Middle school and Elementary for parents to pick up the younger students. Middle and High School floats are to line up after the elementary and conclude near the field house. Floats may be parked in the open space north of the baseball field (provided field conditions aren’t wet and muddy)The community Pep Rally will commence once the parade has concluded, taking place at the football field.

Tuesday, 9/29/2015 is “Twinkie Day/Character Day,” where students and faculty will can find a friend and dress alike or dress like your favorite super hero or movie character. Mustang Volleyball plays at DeKalb at 4:00 p.m. (Freshman, Jr. Varsity and Varsity)

Wednesday, 9/30/2015 is “Thrift Shop Day” (“Tacky Day” at the elementary), where students and faculty dress in their best hand me downs.

Thursday 10/1/2015 is “Color Wars Day.” Each grade will be a designated color, as follows:

(Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1^st, 6^th, 10th—Red) (2nd, 3^rd, 7^th, 11th—White) (4th, 5^th, 8^th, 9th—Gray)

(12th Grade—Black). Seniors will decorate the high school cafeteria from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mustang Football (7th, 8th, Jr. Varsity) plays at Honey Grove that evening.

Finally, Friday 10/2/2015 is “Spirit day,” where students and faculty will wear the school colors (Red & Gray). The homecoming pep rally takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. In the HS Gymnasium. Mustang Volleyball will be at home against Prairiland at 4:30 p.m. (Varsity, Jr. Varsity, and Freshman). The Homecoming Game is at 7:30 p.m., where the Mustangs play against the Honey Grove Warriors at home. The Homecoming coronation ceremony will be at half time. A 5^th Quarter after party will be hosted and sponsored by Covenant Christian Church at CMS (Starting after the game and ending at Midnight.) http://www.eparisextra.com/chisum/101824/chisum-high-school-announces-homecoming-nominees

Home Town Hard News Story: Law enforcement Shooting in Paris, TX

Law enforcement agents and the Texas Rangers continue to investigate a shooting that resulted in the death of one man, who was shot after allegedly attacking a Highway Patrol officer.

On the evening of Monday, September 21st, a Highway Patrol trooper saw a white male sitting on the concrete barrier in the center of U.S. 82 near the Paris Regional Medical Center. The trooper approached the individual near the hospital parking lot to check on his welfare, which turned ugly and resulted in use of force, according to Texas DPS Public Information Officer Mark Tackett.
http://www.eparisextra.com/911/101682/officer-involved-in-shooting

According to a recent Department of Public Safety press release, the Highway Patrol officer involved in the shooting incident was Trooper Tim Keele, 39, who was stationed in Paris and has been with the Texas DPS since March of 2007. The suspect, who died at the scene, has been identified as Steven McKenney, 21, of Austin, TX.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Trooper Keele saw McKinney sitting on the concrete barrier in the center of U.S. Highway 82 near the Paris Regional Medical Center. The trooper went towards McKinney to check on his welfare during which, according to the preliminary investigation, the suspect became hostile and an altercation followed, resulting in the trooper attempting to subdue McKinney with his TASER, which allegedly had no effect on the individual, authorities said.

“The trooper was injured during the confrontation to the point that he feared for his life,” Officer Tackett said “The trooper discharged his weapon, the suspect died at the scene.” Officer Keele was later taken to the Paris Regional Medical Center where he was treated for a dislocated shoulder. http://www.eparisextra.com/911/101716/authorities-release-name-of-suspect-in-officer-involved-shooting

News Tweets

Trick or Treat: Woman tricked blindfolded friend into sex by impersonating a man http://t.co/hIra1EZaXH

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Voice of the people: Floridians want Jeb Bush to drop out! http://t.co/E5rfxOgFFV #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Why Rihanna's single: responses like this (NSFW) http://t.co/FgL8Yr44Lt #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Slump rump fund: Group looks at his Past Liberal Policies in $1 Million Iowa Ad http://t.co/mqNPXHDTZj via #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Chrissie Hynde equates Pop stars taht are 'selling sex' to porn stars #mm2003 http://t.co/GwVSAQSZpW via @EW

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Colbert gets served by Djokovic http://t.co/WfLFREtbOM via @TIME #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Blind Ambition: blind HS football player Jake Olson gets dream shot at USC http://t.co/SCF6IAa2rm via @nypost #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Religious privilege vs. protocol: Muslim woman sues NYPD for alleged forced processing http://t.co/D0imoT2nnY #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Cutting the Bull: Gory Killing at Spanish Festival Draws Protest http://t.co/XZn9wqObxB #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

Crazy Taxi: Hate crime charges filed against teen suspected of beating Sikh cabbie http://t.co/wZYEZcIwPT #mm2003

— Cobyn Brakebill (@SwissCobyn) September 15, 2015

24 hour Twitter news story: Donald Trump's Republican Loyalty pledge

 One of the best convergence examples between news media and the internet is the Twitter Feed. Over the last 24 hours I was tasked with following a single news story. I chose to follow the coverage around Donald trump's signing of a loyalty pledge to support his fellow Republican candidates, should he lose in the primaries, and not to run as a third part candidate. While this is signed by most traditional candidates, Trump has been quit a controversial candidate due to his past and even more so now.

In recent days, the RNC has circulated a pledge to GOP presidential candidates asking them for their party loyalty and affirm they will not run for president as an independent - a move many see aimed at Trump. The question of whether Trump might launch an independent candidacy has loomed over his campaign. At last month's GOP debate, Trump was the only candidate to raise his hand when asked whether they might not support the eventual nominee or be unwilling to rule out a third party bid. Trump has said he wants to win the White House as a Republican, but has previously declined to pledge to run only as a member of the GOP. A third party candidacy by Trump could sink any chance for a Republican to win the White House against Democrats in 2016. Republican front-runner Donald Trump was expected to rule (and did) rule out a third-party bid for president Thursday, following a meeting with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus in the afternoon. http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/02/politics/republican-rnc-loyalty-pledge-donald-trump/index.html?Sr=twtsr0902loyaltypledge A source with knowledge of these matters has confirmed to Breitbart News exclusively that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus planned meet with Donald Trump “at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan thursday afternoon to discuss the ‘loyalty pledge.'” http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2015/09/02/exclusive-rnc-chairman-reince-priebus-to-meet-with-donald-trump-to-discuss-loyalty-pledge/

“I will be totally pledging my allegiance to the Republican Party,” Donald Trump said on Thursday, holding up a piece of paper with his signature and the wrong date for all of America to see. With that pledge, Trump entered into a formal agreement with the Republican National Committee that he will not run for president as an independent if he doesn’t win the party’s nomination next year.Trump had been threatening to do just that if he wasn’t “treated fairly” by the RNC, and the prospect was a little scary for Republicans. Trump is, after all, polling far ahead of every other GOP candidate. If he dropped out and ran as an independent, he’d surely derail support for the eventual Republican nominee and hand the election to a Democrat. But now the pledge is signed. There’s even a couple with correct dates on them. So that’s the end of that story, right? Wrong.“Pledges like this just don’t mean anything,” said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics and managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “Anyone who thinks that this will someone preclude a Trump third party run is full of themselves.” Trump’s pledge, Kondik explained, is not a legally enforceable contract. The Washington Post described it this way: “It’s like the sort of pledge you get your kids to sign that they will do their homework, make their beds and eat their vegetables before they can play with your iPhone. It’s a statement of intention, but not a binding one.” http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/09/04/3698506/trump-third-party-run/

Beginning, middle, happening, and conclusion/epilogue. Even though he signed the pledge on his terms, it seems unlikely he'll change much. Trump showed again on Friday he will not easily be bound to party orthodoxy, breaking from many of his rival's policy stances on issues from the Iran nuclear deal to the gay marriage fight in Kentucky. http://news.yahoo.com/trump-republican-pledge-breaks-pack-iran-gay-marriage-131002899.html So far, looks like there is very little that can “stump the Trump.”

My definition of News, and how I use it.

News. Often seen as a source of the latest information for various topics from a national disaster to local fundraisers, it remains a large part of our media consumption, both passive and active-engaging in a variety of forms. But what makes news what it is?
When one thinks of news, they're sure to think of a major radio or television broadcaster o r newspaper publishing company. There are some issues with this, however. Many news radio and television programs are not conveying just factual information, but punctuate it with commentary and debate. Such s the case with “talking heads” programs such as those by Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, as well as “The Huckabee Report” and “The View.” A more accurate term for these type of programs exists: “News-talk.”
If I had to define what I believe news should be, a large portion of what is commonly considered news would immediately be disqualified. The reason for this is that ideally, news should convey information in a convenient, efficient and neutrally factual manner with no bearing on political affiliation or publicity for certain parties. The biggest problem with news-talk is that rather than telling the whole story and allowing listeners to draw their own conclusions, speakers add lib opinions, playing on the attitudes of their listeners so that they come to the same opinions, vote for whoever the speakers support, and buy brands they sponsor. News-talk revolves around politics, cultural tension and corporate greed, and is the farthest thing from what news should be.
Media is an excellent way to share news quickly and widely. The internet has become thus far the most effective tool in doing so. That said, how news is viewed needs to evolve. I hope to see a day when news story from multiple sources can be meshed into composite reports for viewers, in order to include as much factual information as possible. Personally, I don't watch news broadcasts on television, nor do I listen to news-talk radio. Like most of my generation, I get my information online, though when looking at a single story I compare stories from multiple independent sources rather than major broadcaster's website.
As media evolves, so will news, for better or worse. Its really up to viewers like us to make it what we want, by being active viewers and listeners rather than taking information given at face value.