Collins Comes Out

     NBA center and veteran, Jason Collins, 34, comes out as gay in a story for Sports Illustrated. This is the first time in sports history that an (active) player has come out of the closet. During the interview, Collins explains why he had waited until now to make the announcement. Collins says that he did not set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport, but since he is, he would be more than happy to start the conversation. He writes that he wished he was not the kid in the classroom that raised his hand and said he was different, and if he had his way, someone else would have already done this, but no one has, which is why he raised his hand.

     Collins has received an outstanding amount of support from other pro athletes, celebrities, NBA Commissioner David Stern, former President Bill Clinton, and even our current President Barack Obama, who said that he was 'impressed by Jason's courage' in coming out.

     When Collins first made the decision to come out, he decided to tell his aunt, who's reaction surprised him. She expressed to Collins that she had known that he was gay for years and at that moment, she gave him support. Collins was finally comfortable in his own skin. He describes the feeling of relief to an oven, saying that some people know and accept their sexuality right away, while others need more time to bake and prepare. He knows, because he was baking for thirty-three years.

     Sadly to say, it has not been all love for Collins. He caught some backlash and become the target of online death threats since announcing he was gay. Opinions were given by almost all who support Collins and those who strongly dislike him for this reason, like NFL players Mike Wallace and Alphonso Smith, who took to Twitter to post their personal beliefs and how they felt about the situation.

   


   

Boston Marathon Bombings

     On the tragic day of the bombings in Boston, we were all considered Bostonians. Three people were killed, and over a hundred were injured. I remember flipping through the channels looking for a game on ESPN and instead they were breaking the news that bombs had went off near the Boston marathon finish line. After hearing about this I immediately went to the internet to find out more and what I found was shocking. I remember coming across images of blood and gore on the sidewalks, civilians running around frantic, and EMTs rushing to help the injured. 

     

     A police officer on the scene recalls hearing a loud explosion and seeing bodies fly into the street. She saw children lying on the sidewalk lifeless, and other individuals without legs. The sight of all of the bodies were unbelievable. The Boston Marathon became an event of dread, as news of the attack spread through the crowd and people awaited word. 

   

THE "I AM NOT A GEEK" SHEET

• One thing that I do well is.................being creative! Procrastination is another one of my talents! (Don't Judge Me) 
•  My parents are thrilled about my progression in school. I've come farther than them both, and I would like to continue to put a smile on their faces by going even further. 
• My greatest accomplishment was being offered an internship for the Tate County Democrat my freshman year of college.
• The latest compliment that I received was about my height!! 
• I could go on forever about all of the nice things I do for others, but my most recent moment of caring for someone else was during class one day, I got up to help another student who dropped all of his stuff after tripping and falling. I didn't laugh. I know how embarrassing that can be. I can totally relate! 
• I love the way that I tend to over think things a lot. Yes, over thinking isn't always good, but I feel like I've made the best decisions in some of the most drastic and stressful moments of my life because of my consist thinking. Wisdom has played a really big part in my life. Not just my family, but friends and even strangers have given me advice and a heads up on what to expect during a certain part of life. I take it upon myself to learn from other people's problems, I mean....who wouldn't? I know for a fact that I have definitely dodged a few bullets by being a little nosy and learning from my surroundings. 
• I love how ambitious and driven I am for success. This isn't even the beginning for me. I hope to obtain my bachelor's, and start a career in the entertainment business one day. 

What I learned from Fly

            I think I would be lying if I said that I was not nervous going into this interview with a real reporter. Theron Fly is someone who has already graduated from college and is now working in the field of his interest, so yes, going into this interview was a little intimidating for me. My interview with Theron Fly was definitely an interesting one. While asking the questions, Fly would give me an answer that I would be able to relate to in some sort of way when it came to certain situations and characteristics that he expressed about himself. Each question took about five to six minutes and after hitting it off so well, I felt like we were on the edge of getting off topic a little bit because we had so much in common. Fly really took me to school when he broke down the importance of college experience and time management. My freshman year of college was a total wake up call. I did not realize how effective timing was until I received my first assignment for the school newspaper, but Fly’s story is different, he recalls not knowing the importance of timing until he actually graduated from college and started his career. Fly says he finds work related issues to be less stressful than in the past. He has become adjusted to the field of journalism due to the open arms and warm welcomes that he received from the veterans in the newsroom.  

Sorry about the wait you guys!! But here's my Theron Fly interview.


http://youtu.be/wa0MVe0OhIY

A summary of my interview with Theron Fly

On Monday, March 11^th, I sat down with, Theron Fly, who is the reporter for the Tate County Democrat Newspaper here in Senatobia. Fly graduated from Senatobia High School and attended Northwest for two years.

I asked Fly was he ever given a hard time by the veteran journalists in the newsroom. He said that this was his first job that he has held, and since working with the Tate County Democrat, everyone has been very supportive and he has taken every experience as a learning experience. Fly says that being a journalist, you have to deal with things as they come. No one can help prepare you for a breaking story or any unexpected situation.

Fly considers every day to be a challenge in the newsroom, due to the fact that there is a weekly issued paper that hundreds of citizens depend on when it comes to staying updated on local changes and issues.

Tate County is such a small market, and search for ideas to put in the newspaper can definitely have its pros and cons according to Fly. He has exactly five days to get the paper together, which he considers to be a pro. The downside is that good news can sometimes be hard to come by, plus he is the only reporter in the newsroom who actually has to go out and find these stories.

Fly finds balancing time to be a big issue in this field. He says that time management is something that isn’t really taught in college. He was not prepared for how quickly things need to be done after starting his career as a journalist. Fly says that as a student it is important to make the most out of every opportunity and get the experience you need to grow.

The Tate County Democrat Reporter, Theron Fly

The

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!! I will post my interview with, Theron Fly, the reporter for the Tate County Democrat as soon as I finish editing everything. :)

Today's Mass Media Consumption

     Now we all know that newspapers are not the main source of information now-a-days, although it might be for your grandparents, but the younger generation would much rather go straight to the internet to get the latest buzz on what's hot.

     It is pretty much a well know fact that everyone listens to the radio, whether your are at home, work, or riding in your car. Just about 63% of the population identified radio as their main source of information, as many as 83% reported listening to the radio at least occasionally. 

     Television is considered to be the most popular part of mass media. Many people enjoy watching television, not just because it entertains but it educates the audience as well. Television helps to influence the way people look at the world and make them change their views, which is why millions of people in their spare time watch TV. 

     Internet consumption is at it's highest. Some 43% of american households are connected to the internet, with 38% of Americans over 18 having access to the internet at home, 43% access the internet elsewhere (17% exclusively and in both places); thus, 55% of the population currently have access to the web. Internet usage has contributed to more people working at home as well as at the office. Traditional media will pretty soon be a thing of the past in the next ten or fifteen years. 

• www.peacebuildingdata.org/liberia/results/mass-media-access
• www.goodintentionsbook.com
• www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/courses/EpL011/readings/v01i0210.pdf

Rangers Feedback

     Taking the time to interview random students on campus Wednesday was very interesting to say the least.  Four students were asked how do they keep up with current news and gossip, and do they read or have they read the Ranger Rocket. The answers that were given were very similar to one another.
   
     Octavia Robinson, freshman graphic design major from Mayersville, Miss., said that she checks yahoo and her facebook profile occasionally to catch up on the latest buzz and entertainment. Robinson said that she doesn't really read the Ranger Rocket that often, but she recalls finding some very interesting articles within the newspaper when she did.

     Chelsea Simmons, sophomore computer information systems major from Senatobia, said that she checks facebook regularly, and she doesn't read the Ranger Rocket.

     Renetha Phillips, freshman law major from Independence, said that she regularly checks her facebook newsfeed and twitter timeline for the up-to-date status on what's hot and what's not. Phillips says that she does read the Ranger Rocket and would recommend it to anyone.

     Andrew Allen, sophomore music education major from Olive Branch, said he would normally go to facebook for updates, but pretty often he just checks the news update on his computer. Allen mentioned that he reads the Ranger Rocket occasionally, but doesn't necessarily read it to stay informed about Northwest.

To see the full length interviews for yourself, a link has been posted below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvuGvZYJQm0&feature=youtu.be

   


   

            Dalton Starkey, sophomore broadcasting major from Southaven was willing to share his life story me.

            Starkey mentioned that he was licensed to the ministry of the gospel at his church, and says that his true calling in life is to become a pastor.

            Everything was not smooth sailing for Starkey. Before reaching his sophomore at Northwest, he came across some academic hardship with his algebra class.

            Starkey describes himself not only as a leader, but as a very honest and loyal person, who will continue to grow by continuing to learn. He has a tough time dealing with stress and he has a habit of waiting until the last minute to do things. Starkey also struggles with procrastination.

            Starkey views Chris Tomlin as his inspiration, because he puts Christ first in everything he does and his passion and energy are contagious.

            Starkey feels as if he has learned the most from this father, because he taught him how to be a man and leader. He says that his mother has always been his biggest critic. She pushes him to the limit and makes sure that he is at his best. 

                                    

            Alex Akers, sophomore broadcasting major from Southaven, sat down with me to discuss some of his greatest achievements, his ups and downs, and how he anticipates on improving himself.

            Graduating high school and making it to college was one of the ultimate achievements for Akers. He also expressed how he failed to make his father proud because of the careless choices that he has made in the past.

            After graduating high school, Akers made a commitment to attend college at Northwest, and with his dedication and driven attitude towards success, he is determined to finish off his sophomore year strong, although laziness can be a weakness he says. He plans on finishing up his education at a four-year university and starting a family afterwards.

            Akers considers his father to be his biggest critic when it comes to being responsible and taking care of business, but he views Cam Newton (Professional Athlete) as his role model and sees him as a successful influence. 

            I had the privilege of interviewing Shelby Louwerens, sophomore journalism major from Senatobia. Louwerens was more than willing to share with me her greatest accomplishment thus far, which was getting accepted into the University of Mississippi.

            Louwerens describes her worst failure as being in a bad relationship, which pushed her to the point of not trusting anyone for anything. She views herself as being mildly psychotic and mentions that she will turn into a witch on a broomstick if the other peers fail to complete their tasks.

            Louwerens considers herself to be a strong writer who enjoys writing and being independent enough to write on her own, but she tends to hold grudges and burn a lot of bridges. She feels as if she will continue to grow by educating herself, writing, and obtaining a Master’s Degree in journalism.

            Role models are highly important for us. They give us guidance throughout life during our development. Louwerens considers her father to be a positive role model and her biggest critic. Louwerens says that although her father can be kind of rough, he is very supportive, and she considers herself to be a daddy’s girl. 

Introduction

After finishing high school and knowing exactly what his calling in life was, Terrell Wooten had made the decision to attend Full Sail University in Florida. He got accepted into Full Sail and had plans on majoring in creative writing for entertainment. Terrell soon realized that he didn't want to travel so far away from home his first year of college, so he decided to obtain an education at Northwest, which is in his home town of Senatobia, and across the street from the high school he graduated from.