Mobile Making a Move?

Two months ago on the blog for the Advancing the Story textbook she co-authored, Deborah Wenger posted about Steve Shamp who directs the New Media Institute at the University of Georgia.

Wenger wrote that after Shamp returned from a conference on mobile media, he is convinced that mobile media are now the best way to communicate with the world.

Shamp bases this on the fact that out of 6.6. billion people all over the world, 3.3 billion have a cell phone, while there are only 1.6 billion televisions and a few more radios than TVs. He says there are right now people all over the world trying to get out front through this medium.

In response Wenger wants to know if any are journalists.

I think probably not; at least not right now anyway.

Only after a lot of moaning and groaning after the internet has been around at a consumer level for nearly twenty years are we finally seeing news outlets take advantage of its immediacy.

Unfortunately it seems that news organizations are resistant to change unless they are the ones bringing it about.

However, I do believe the iPhone along with other smartphones such as the Blackberry, are going to force them to take notice of the obvious appeal of news anywhere at anytime.

To give news organizations credit though, not until the iPhone were consumers able to easily and comfortably search for news on their phone. That sort of thing was only available on a laptop with Wi-Fi. Sure cell phones have had internet for years, but it's slow and very hard to read.

That aside, I definitely agree with Shamp and while he mentioned something about advertising being lucrative on mobile devices, I hope that any news organizations that choose to take advantage of the platforms shy away from flooding our iPhones and Blackberrys with ads whenever we want to check the headlines.

We already have TVs for that.

The Campus Gun Debate: Are More Guns the Answer?

Graphic by Wayne Grayson





Dead gun bills found little support on UA campus
By Wayne Grayson

For years, many parents had a short list of things to fear when sending their children off to college: a dirty dorm room, the ever-present alcohol problem, responsible sexual behavior and last but not least flunking out.

As of late however, these problems have been overshadowed by the worsening situation of security on college campuses as seen in the Virginia Tech Massacre and the recent shootings at Auburn University and the University of North Carolina.

Alabama Sen. Hank Erwin’s solution to the problem was spelled out in a pair of bills he offered for consideration in the state legislative session starting Feb 5 which call for state colleges and universities to allow professors and qualified students to carry guns.

“The college campus has always been considered to be a bubble of security where students can come and grow into adulthood,” Erwin said. “But Virginia Tech smashed that to smithereens.

“I say it’s time to let the law abiding students defend themselves.”

On March 26, Erwin’s bills were put to rest when they were voted down by the Senate Education Committee.

However, while many UA officials and students will be glad to see the bills go, there was some support of Erwin’s bills on campus.

Chad Haynie, a sophomore majoring in political science, is the campus leader of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.

Haynie said students who own guns are allowed to carry them everywhere they go except on campus.

“[Students] want their rights to extend onto campus which is state and public property,” he said.

What stops students from carrying a gun on campus is the UA Code of Student Conduct.

According to the document, illegal or unauthorized possession of firearms, explosives, other weapons, or dangerous chemicals on University premises is prohibited.

Haynie said he believes the definition in the code of unauthorized possession is unclear and needs to be addressed by the University.

“What we're going to look into is whether they can legally do that because they're sitting on the fence,” Haynie said. “If the University does not clarify we probably will look at our legal options to see if we can make the University make a stand.”

On Feb. 28, the SGA unanimously passed a bill discouraging the passing of Erwin's bill.

"[The] student body supports [the] current safety procedures of the University, but we encourage research of other ways to keep us safe," SGA Vice-President Madeline Barter said.

However, Barter said the bill is not to imply that the SGA is against guns on campus, it is only against Erwin’s particular legislation which the SGA found to be flawed.

Barter, on the other hand is against students being allowed to carry on campus. She said she feels the pressures of college life along with the emotional changes many college students are going through does not make a good environment when guns are thrown in the mix.

“Guns in that atmosphere does not sound like a good idea,” she said.

SGA President R.B. Walker said he believes the current security precautions on campus are suitable to handle an emergency situation should it occur.

“I appreciate Senator Erwin’s concern for student safety, but as a student on this campus I have enough faith in the UAPD and other forms of local law enforcement to protect students and I have faith in this administration to get students ready for the unthinkable,” Walker said.

The bills didn’t find support with University police either.

According to an e-mail from UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen, UAPD feels students are ill-equipped to make the life or death situations carrying a firearm bring about.

“While the bill is well-intentioned, it is ill-advised for students to be allowed to carry firearms on campus,” the e-mail said. “Preparation for safe operation of firearms in an emergency situation requires extensive training that most students would not have had nor would the University be able to provide that training in a timely manner.”

A commander of the campus Army ROTC program who wished to remain anonymous said, in his opinion, the bill was dead on arrival.

According to the commander, the ROTC is prohibited by U.S. law and a Department of Defense policy from arming students unless they are traveling to a rifle range for target training.

What the bill will do, the commander said, is cause Universities to legitimize ordinary students to make life and death decisions.

Phillip Martin, a junior majoring in business, said he wasn’t suprised the bills were voted down and doesn’t think the bills were a good idea because they put a lot of responsibility into unprepared hands.

“[The bill] was just dumb,” he said. “I’m all for the right to bear arms and I love to shoot [guns,] but it’s just dumb to allow them to be carried on campus. You’re letting people make decisions that they don’t need to be making.”

Russell Howard, a senior majoring in political science, is a member of the National Rifle Association. However, even he said he feels the bills were unsound.

He said campus security should be left in the hands of UAPD alone.

“When I’m on campus I put my security in the hands of UAPD, not Billy down the street with a gun in his truck,” Howard said. “There are some very stupid people in the world who can get a gun permit and carry [a gun.]”

While Erwin heard a lot of opposition outside the state Senate to his bill, he said he believed there was a lot of quiet support within the legislative walls in Montgomery.

“The University officials are going to fear massive lawsuits and liabilities,” he said. “At the same time there is the support of giving law abiding students the right to defend themselves. We’re living in a brave new world that requires bold new laws.”

Erwin said he thought the bill had a fifty-fifty chance of passing.

“Everybody down here in Montgomery is a father and grandfather and we don't want to see our kids the victim of a homicidal maniac,” he said.







Exclusive interview: Erwin amends gun bills
By Wayne Grayson

Following the murders of a female student at the University of North Carolina and another at Auburn University, Sen. Hank Erwin decided to amend one of his highly debated campus gun bills.

Erwin made the announcement in an exclusive interview, before going into a committee meeting on the morning of March 13.

The first amendment removed a portion of the current legislation, which allowed students who meet certain qualifications to carry a gun on state university and college campuses, that requires students to be involved in a campus ROTC program.

A second amendment disqualified any students on any psychological drugs from consideration for carrying a gun on campus.

Erwin said he included the ROTC portion in the first draft of the bill as a test experiment to ease the minds of university officials.

“I put that in there originally to make that as a test experiment to make that a very narrow bill that would maybe give feelings of security to the university officials all over the state of Alabama that we’re not going to open this up and make it a Wild West,” he said.

He said he felt the requirement added an element of supervision to the process required for students to carry a gun.

“It led led me to think that with that type of military training and professionalism that they would be the best ones to experiment with to see if it would work,” Erwin said.

However, after the shootings at Aubrun and UNC, Erwin said he had no choice but to amend the bills.

“I’m going to put in an amendment to delete that particular point so that it opens it up to any student especially women,” he said. “After the Auburn shooting I want to make sure that women have priority to be able to carry on campus.”

“The girls are the most vulnerable, and I know that a lot of parents are concerned about the safety of their girls when they send them off even if they’re sending them out down the road to the grocery store,” Erwin said. “And some parents have gone so far as to get their girls license to carry even when they’re not in college. So why should they be denied the right to protect themselves on a college campus if their parents feel like they ought to be protected when they’re going to the shopping mall.”

Erwin said he feels when universities impede students from bringing guns onto their respective campuses they are breaking state law.

“If the state feels like you’re qualified to carry in your own hometown, why would you not be able to carry on a college campus,” Erwin said.

Erwin said the second amendment, which added a stipulation to the legislation that prevented students who are on any psychological drugs from carrying a gun on campus, will ensure that those students with a gun on campus will be able to make clear-minded decisions.

“[The amendment is designed] to ensure that folks who have some emotional challenges don’t create a problem to the entire student while they work through those challenges,” he said.

Erwin offered the bills for consideration in the state legislative session starting Feb. 5th and said he was inspired to do so after witnessing the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16th, 2007. The bills were rejected by a senate committee on March 26.

“The college campus has always been considered to be a bubble of security where students can come and grow into adulthood,” Erwin said. “But Virginia Tech smashed that to smithereens.

“I say it’s time to let the law abiding students defend themselves.”

UA students say votes significant

Obama choice for most students

By Wayne Grayson and Charity Scott

The Crimson White

(*Note: This story ran last Wednesday in the Crimson White.)

With nine months left until America elects the next president, some UA students are already getting excited.

Some students said they think the state caucuses and primaries are just as important as the real thing, and they showed it as a steady stream of students flowed through the doors of the Student Recreation Center Tuesday.

The overwhelming sentiment among students interviewed was a deep belief in the importance of the college-aged vote and a desire to have their political opinions heard.

Brittni Robertson, a senior majoring in biology, said she thinks the youth vote is more important now than it has been in the past, and that is evident in how media channels such as MTV and CNN have been progressively gearing election coverage toward the college age group.

Robertson said she came out to vote because it would be a waste not to.

"I just wanted to exercise my right to [vote] because it's a privilege that shouldn't be taken for granted," she said.

Daniel Gaffney, a junior majoring in biological sciences, said college-aged voters should be highly valued.

"I would hope that people understand that [our vote] does count, because we are the future," he said.



Spreading the word

Jennifer Greer, associate professor and chairwoman of the journalism department, said taking advantage of the Internet is helping candidates reach out to younger voters.

Many of the candidates have gone beyond basic Web sites in their online campaigns, she said.

"When candidates first went online, they had little more than a stagnant Web site with a glossy picture and platform statement," she said. "Before, it was mainly one-way communication. Now it's becoming more interactive."

Young voters are going to hold sway on the outcome of both the primaries and the general election, Greer said.

"I think they are going to impact turnout," she said. "Candidates are now going to the places where students congregate online."

Amongst these Web sites are www.myspace.com, www.facebook.com, and www.youtube.com. All of the main candidates have used at least one of these forums in their campaign.

In fact, some students have been expressing their political fervor through their Facebook status updates, with one student urging others to "Google Ron Paul," and another claiming to be "Huckacited."

One of the candidates most dependent on the youth vote is Rep. Ron Paul.

According to Matt Chancey, the Southeast regional coordinator for the Paul campaign, the largest group of Paul supporters is made-up of people under 30-years-old.

"There's a lot of Ron Paul workers working their tails off and they're not even old enough to vote," Chancey said.

Chancey attributes Paul's young support base to the way the campaign is based on "outside of the box" ideas and a strong online spread of information on the candidate.

"It's inspirational for a young person to see a leader who's leading and not pandering," he said. "For a young person to see someone who is 72-years-old and a seasoned statesman and is still as enthusiastic as they are - it's inspiring," Chancey said.

Sen. Barack Obama also holds a large block of college-aged supporters that continues to grow.

Obama supporter Alex Flachsbart, a junior majoring in political science, said the Obama campaign is largely a grassroots one, focused on building a wide base of support nationwide.

"From day one we were trying to draw young people," he said. "It has worked because Sen. Obama has catalyzed the movement for change."

He said the local campaign office has tried to engage students through phone calls, going door-to-door to speak with potential voters, holding interest meetings, posting fliers, chalking on campus and passing out information.

"College students have been the backbone of the Obama campaign from the start," he said. "He is the first one to say college students have the ability and the obligation to get involved. He is the first person in 50 years to reach out to us and engage us."

Ben Foster, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film, is a supporter of Sen. John McCain and said resource constraints have impacted the local campaign and its ability to reach students.

"Honestly, we haven't had a lot of student involvement," he said. "We have been trying to push a grassroots effort and do the small things."

He said they have focused on informing people as well as getting McCain's name out there through bumper stickers, Facebook messages and yard signs.

"We've suddenly been getting an attention surge in the past month, and that's very exciting for us," he said. "We're getting help from Sen. McCain's success in other states."

He said he thinks a lot of students are excited about McCain and his platform.

"The Democrats don't have a monopoly on change," he said. "Students are ready to contribute."

Jackson McClendon, a supporter of Gov. Mitt Romney, said after meeting Romney through a family friend he decided to get involved.

"He has a genuine and very fierce work ethic, and a solid platform," he said.

Besides rallies, McClendon said the campaign has distributed a lot of information to let students know where Romney stands on the issues. He said they have not focused on the youth vote as much as other campaigns.

"The majority [of students] are pretty much indifferent," he said. "Some are choosing the candidates at face value, and some are zealously backing their candidates."



Al-Obama

Despite all the candidates' work, according to uwire.com, students across the nation have heard the message of Obama most clearly, reporting him as sharing with McCain a majority of the endorsements from college student newspapers associated with the Web site.

That report translated to the University. Out of 27 students interviewed, 14 said they cast their ballots for Obama, with Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul tied for a distant second, with four votes each.

Rebecca Kaplan, a junior majoring in fashion design, said she voted for Obama because his plans fit her personal beliefs well.

"I voted for Obama because I want to get out of Iraq," Kaplan said. "I like all of his plans. You can just trust him. I don't think you can trust anything with Hillary [Clinton], who voted for the war. I'd rather vote for someone who has been right from the beginning."

Bonnie Stith, a senior in New College, said that she voted for Obama because he has not spent as much time in politics as Clinton.

"It's really difficult for me to think that 35 years of Hillary's experience means that there hasn't been 35 years of corruption," she said.



Martha Gravlee and uwire.com also contributed to this story.

Inside Old Bryce State Mental Hospital

A few friends and I decided to take a trip this Friday night into the old and dilapidated annex of Bryce State Mental Hospital near the Tuscaloosa Airport off of Highway 82.

There isn't much information on the web on the history of the annex but I found a good compilation of the rumors and what is known about the place on the al.com ghost stories forum:

"Actually, what everyone calls "Old Bryce" appears to have been a mental institution built as the sister to Bryce Hospital. Bryce is located in Tuscaloosa next to the University of Alabama.

'Old Bryce' was the mental hospital for black patients during segregation, from what I understand. There has indeed been a fire, and the building may be structurally unsound. During wetter seasons of the year, the basement floods, and is impossible to navigate around.

It is not advisable to enter Bryce, as it is constantly under surveillance by the local police, trying to keep trespassers away. It is owned by the state of Alabama, as is the S.D. Allen nursing home that sits on the land adjacent to "Old Bryce."
Old Bryce was actually called either The Colony or the Boy's Colony. As for the reason that it closed down, there is speculation that experiments were performed on the patients that may have been inhumane (lobotomies, for instance). But at the time, these procedures were considered legitimate medicine.

Personally, I think the institution was shut down because of desegregation, but I don't know why Bryce would not use it as additional facilities if that were the case... the buildings were built nearly identically to each other, and they are both owned by the state."

Since there isn't a lot of information or video of the inside of this place I decided to post a video of our adventure inside.
Enjoy.

Visuals from Bessemer Polling Locations

I visited two Bessemer polling locations today, the city fire department and City Hall. Not much was going on at either one, and I was not allowed to come inside the actual buildings so most of these shots are from the outside.

I mostly took pictures but I also chatted with some of those that voted. From my perspective Bessemer, at least the downtown portion, looks highly supportive of the Democratic candidates, Obama and Clinton. However, Obama had many more supporters outside the locations.

Here are the rest of the shots.

New York Giants Win Super Bowl 17-14 Over the New England Patriots

The New York Giants just upset the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. 

I am speechless and EXTREMELY excited. Being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I hold a deep hatred for the entire Patriots organization. I'm so happy that all of this build up that the media has made for the Patriots and their "perfect season" has been for naught.

They are still not a dynasty.

I'm extremely happy for Eli Manning, Michael Strahan and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, all of who definitely deserve the win. 

Oh yeah. The game was probably one of the best of the past 20 years of Super Bowls. (Except the one two years ago which the Steelers won.)

Hey Tom. Go cry to Giselle.

GO GIANTS!!!

UPDATE: FOX Sports just revealed the results of their poll asking who is the greatest dynasty of the decades.

The winners (of course) were the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s with a whopping 29% of the vote with the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s coming in second.

Republican Debate at the Reagan Library

Last night I watched the Republican Debate from the Reagan Library on CNN.

Disgusting.

While there were four candidates, CNN obviously thought two didn't really matter much and decided to give Arizona Sen. John McCain and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a 1 hour 30 minute outlet to bicker with each other.

Meanwhile, our country falls deeper into recession. But I digress.

I counted while watching and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had no more than 4 opportunities to speak during the entire thing. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Paul's right had maybe two more opportunities.

However, even though Paul definitely had the least time to speak, he still managed to come out looking better than both the smirk riddled jerks to his left. 

Here are the highlights from Ron Paul's side last night:

Hopefully enough American voters saw this last night to realize the top two candidates in this race are full of themselves and not very many good ideas.