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(01/22/14 9:00pm)
Even the most burly and intimidating of people have felt uncomfortable and unsafe when walking down an unlit street in a neighborhood that does not have the best reputation.
When “fight or flight” instincts swell up in the pit of the stomach, it is easy for the mind to turn simple sights and sounds into possible horrific events. Every shriek is an attempted murder, and behind every trash can is an attacker just waiting for the right moment.
However, it is important to not disregard these feelings. The fact is that about 2,300 adults and children are reported missing each day, and in 2012, at least 1,214,462 violent crimes were committed in the United States alone, as the US FBI reports.
But it is possible to prepare for these unfortunate situations. You can take a few simple steps which can mean the difference between being a victim of a crime and coming out relatively unharmed.
• Mace. If you have it, use it. Pepper spray is one of the leading methods in self defense. When you find yourself in a situation in which you feel unsafe, remove your Mace from your handbag, and place it in an easily reachable spot, such as a jacket pocket. If you need to use the pepper spray hold the canister close to the assailant’s face and keep the stream steady as to avoid wind that may blow the Mace back into your own face.
• Safety Apps. There really is an app for everything nowadays, and that includes self defense and safety. One of the top apps in this category is “Circle of Six.” This free app takes only two taps to send out one of three preprogrammed messages to six of your chosen contacts. One of the features includes a “Come and Get Me” message that uses your phone’s GPS to send your exact location to your contacts. You can search the App Store or the Google Play Store for more technological ways to stay safe.
• Hit Sensitive Areas. While hardly any of us are trained and skilled fighters, there are universal areas in which every person is inherently weaker. When there is no other option but to fight back during an attack, always try to go for the eyes, nose, throat, groin and knees. Try to use your entire body’s force against sensitive areas and your assailant may loosen his or her grip. These defensive attacks may cause enough pain to the assailant that his or her loosen their grip or, even better, the assailant may become unable to move at all.
• Breaking a Zip Tie. If an attacker succeeds in abducting you, more than likely your hands will be bound with zip ties. If you ever find yourself in this position, keep calm and remember zip ties are very breakable when the right force is applied. First, tighten the zip tie as tight as it will go around your hands. Next, raise your hands above your head. Then, in one fell swoop, bring your hands towards your stomach, knees and back slightly bent, while simultaneously bringing shoulder blades together. This pressure, if applied correctly, should force the lock of the zip tie to break in half. There are also plenty of youtube videos, that teach different techniques to use in various situations.
• Avoid. Whenever possible, avoid situations that can put you at risk. Always keep your head up, paying attention to your surroundings. Stay in groups as much as possible, as you are less likely to be attacked in a group. Lock car doors immediately after getting inside, and park in well lit areas. Walk wide around street corners as to avoid attackers waiting around corners. When jogging at night or early in the morning, run with a partner. Finally, tell at least one other person where you will be and when you will be back. Let them know you reached your destination safely. The longer it takes someone to realize you are missing, the longer you are in danger.
(01/22/14 9:00pm)
The weather in Macon has been sporadic at best. It seems every weather channel in the state is a constant stream of severe weather warnings. Winter has brought freezing rain, record-breaking temperatures and even one tornado warning. With class cancellations only a road freeze away, how do experienced Maconites make do?
One family, as reported by both 13WMAZ and “The Telegraph,” decided to have their own version of a snow day. The Gregorys took advantage of the below freezing temperatures earlier in the month and created snow in their yard. One Monday night, Roger Gregory used the snow machine he bought a few years earlier to cover the entire front yard of their Macon home. Due to the temperature staying at a chilly 28 degrees, the snow kept for the rest of the day.
College students may be the ones who suffer the most during these chilly times. Students are constantly outside making treks across campus in order to get from one building to the next. Sarah-Anne Crawford, a freshman, gave this advice to her fellow students: “Layers. Layers, layers and more layers.” Crawford went on to explain that “being from the south doesn’t really prepare you for weather in the teens, but layers are most efficient when going from scorching buildings to the freezing outdoors.” While walking across campus in the early hours of the morning to make it to a dreaded 8 a.m. class, it is important to heed Crawford’s advice. Wear gloves and hats, and put on your heaviest coat before braving the cold.
However, in recent days, the weather took a turn for the more dangerous. On Saturday, Jan. 11, a tornado warning was issued until 3 p.m. Students were urged to keep indoors, especially at the sound of the emergency siren. Many students read the tornado protocol that came with an email and were prepared to take cover in specified locations of their dorm building should inclement weather demand such precautions. If in doubt, always seek shelter in the inner parts of your home or building, as far as possible from windows or in doorways.
With these sporadic temperature changes, it’s also important to keep pets as warm as possible. Shelters across central Georgia, like the Bibb County Animal Shelter, have moved smaller animals from colder rooms to new living spaces. During this unpredictable weather, keep indoor pets inside and make sure outdoor pets have adequate living arrangements and plenty of warmth and unfrozen water.
The best advice is to stay bundled up when it is necessary to go outside, and if it is not necessary, stay indoors. If you do go out and wish to help others during the cold season, there are many different volunteer organizations around Macon that may be in greater need due to the inclement weather. You could help by helping with Meals on Wheels or donating items to the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia. If you are having a difficult time braving the cold and dangerous weather, imagine how much more difficult it could be for those in need.
(12/04/13 12:36am)
Though Halloween has come and gone for this fall, Tattnall Square Park was still alive with things that may go bump in the night. On Thursday, Nov. 7, the Macon Film Festival held a special screening of “Sleepy Hollow”, a film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The rated R film was played in front of at least 200 people on blankets and in fold out chairs, and was part of a project the Film Festival holds every year. Usually in October, the Festival committee holds a screening of a scary movie in the cemetery to set the mood for the rest of the month. However, this year the screening date was moved from the last week in October to the first week in November, and was relocated from the cemetery to Tattnall Square, just a stone’s throw from Mercer’s campus.
The event started promptly at 6:30 p.m., with festival president, Terrell Sandefur, speaking front and center to introduce the movie and offer to complimentary hot chocolate and Starbucks coffee. Sandefur welcomed all those in attendance and thanked them for attending the first event of the 9th annual Film Festival. He assured the audience that this year is guaranteed to have an amazing line up and encouraged those in attendance to also check out the independent films lined up for the festival, the list of which shall be released come winter.
When asked why the screening was moved this year, Julie Wilkerson, treasurer for the board of The Macon Film Festival, said moving the screening to Tattnall was an easy way to bring in more Mercer students and allow students to know a little more about the festival. The new location also offered electricity and restrooms for the convenience of the audience. Wilkerson stated the reason for picking “Sleepy Hollow” for the screening was because of renewed interest brought to the 1999 film due to the brand new Fox series of the same name. She encouraged all college age students to check out the festival, and is excited to see the turn out for this year.
The Macon Film Festival started in 2006 as a project of the Capitol Theater in an effort to encourage independent filmmakers in Macon. In its beginning, the mission statement of the Macon Film Festival was “celebrating the art and craft of the moving image.” In 2009, the Festival became a 501c3 organization. Thanks to the Film Festival’s work with the Macon Film Commission, Macon has been put on the movie map, and has been seen most recently in movies such as “42,” “Fast and Furious 5” and “Need for Speed”
The festival will start this year on Feb. 27 and will last through March 2. The festival will screen various independent films, special screenings, celebrity guests and various workshops throughout the four days. Though nothing is set in stone yet, the workshops may be related to a number of areas including directing, make-up, casting and even more.
As well as introducing a new mission statement: “Surrounded by a rich music and Southern culture, the Macon Film Festival celebrates independent films while promoting filmmaking for entertainment, inspiration, education, and economic development,” the festival will also follow a new theme. In its 9th year, the festival will be working around a theme of music in and around Macon and the rest of the south. One of the Special Screening will be a Music Documentary centering around southern music and its beginnings, and will feature such record labels as Muscle Shoals, and Capital Records.
Ticket information and movie schedules for this year will be posted to the Macon Film Festival site (maconfilmfestival.com) in winter 2014. The festival will be held at the heart of downtown Macon. When presented with a valid college ID, students will receive a free day pass for four days straight. The day pass will allow its holders to access all the screenings for that day, excluding Special Screenings.
(11/10/13 3:34am)
It seems that Apple, in all its brand name glory, comes out with a new phone twice a year. Of course, I use the term “new” extremely loosely. In the past, Apple’s new phones have been the same product packaged with a few new software tweaks, slapped with a different marketing campaign and sent off to the fanatics who had the means and the mind to pre-order. However, iOS 7 has been taking the technology world by storm and the iPhone 5s and its less expensive but vibrant partner, the iPhone 5c, seem to have taken the old features of the iPhone into the new light radiating from the major software update. The question still stands, though, is the new iPhone worth it, or is an Android phone, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 a better bang for your buck? Most likely not.
When compared side by side, obvious differences between the two appear. A major variance in the devices is the speed of the processors each gadget uses to function. Samsung has developed the 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, or in layman’s terms, an extremely fast processor for the S4 to run on. In the past this processor has made the S4 the fastest phone on the market. However, the A7 chip the 5s runs on has proven, in a study done by independent researchers, to be almost twice as fast as the S4. Knocking the S4 into third place, behind LG’s G2, Apple’s new gadget is now the fastest phone on the market. The 5c also ranked in this test placing in fifth with its Apple brand A6 processor.
The battery life of both the 5s and the 5c last for 10 hours on straight talking time, while the S4 doesn’t even begin to measure up, averaging only 6.5 hours of the same use. When on standby, however, Samsung does beat Apple by a good 150 hours. However, in recent weeks, many owners of the S4 have been experiencing problems with the physical battery losing power and even swelling up. Samsung has issued a statement promising to replace the batteries of all those affected, but the hassle usually leaves the owner without a phone for a short while, waiting for their nearest Samsung Service Center to replace the battery.
Surprisingly, even the price of the devices leans heavily on the Apple side. Ranging between the prices of $199 to $300 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 will get you a 4.59 ounce phone with a 13 megapixel camera that is capable of capturing videos in 720p HD. The iPhone 5s will cost users anywhere $199 for 16 GB of storage to $399 for 64 GB. However, the iPhone 5c marketed as a colorful version of the 5s with a plastic casing starts at just $99. The iSight camera on both the 5s and the 5c is 8 megapixels, but has the ability to capture 1080p videos. Both the 5s and the 5c run on the newest iOS update.
Though both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the both the iPhone 5s and 5c are amazingly similar on the surface, where they do differ Apple tends to come out on top. Both the S4 and the 5s are available for around the same price, while the 5c can be up to $100 less. For the casual user, Apple’s 5c may be the better choice. With both its price range and software quality the 5c allows for a complete smartphone experience. The features, including the camera, the built-in apps, and the apps available for purchase in the Apple App Store, lead to a more consumer friendly product that is sure to satisfy consumer needs.
(10/26/13 3:19am)
I fell in love with John Green’s novel, “The Fault in Our Stars,” the same way Hazel Grace Lancaster, 16-year-old narrator of the novel, falls asleep and in love “slowly and then all at once.” “The Fault in Our Stars” takes readers on a whirlwind of tragedy, adventure and romance, sometimes all within the same page. I was not the only reader enchanted by Green’s stunning words. The novel reached no.1 on the New York Times “Bestseller” list for young adult books, and stayed there for an impressive 45 weeks. The novel follows Hazel, a young and clever lung cancer patient, throughout her life while she deals with her first love, her own inevitable death as well as her cancer singed friends’ illnesses, and a string of life’s disappointments.
There are a few factors that drive the novel to such success. One prime contributing element is the way in which Hazel narrates. She bluntly puts hard topics into perspective, commenting on her own limiting aspects like her “lungs that suck at being lungs.” She nonchalantly mentions her everyday fears that seem to echo those not even near death, explaining how she “liked being a person” and wanted to “keep at it.” Green keeps his novel at a refreshing pace, and uses Hazel’s voice to refute phony cookie cutter notions like “without pain, how could we know joy,” saying, “the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.” Using her blatant sarcasm Green does not capture what it's like to be a teen with cancer in today’s society, but rather presents a teen with an abounding amount of intellect who just happens to have cancer.
The fact that Green does not allow his novel to, in any way, condescend to its targeted demographic, is perhaps another reason for its success as a poignant piece of literature. Green squashes the teen stereotype and refuses to assume that his teen readers are only obsessed with social media and reality television. This is evident in the creation of his characters. Hazel, though she does find “America’s Next Top Model” a riveting program, is a fervent reader herself. Much of the novel is based around Hazel’s love for “An Imperial Affliction,” a novel spun from Green’s imagination. “An Imperial Affliction” is narrated by an introspective cancer patient much like Hazel. Hazel’s love for this book echoes the love many readers have for Green’s novel, and Hazel’s personality echoes the blunt, nonchalant attitudes of many of her readers.
Perhaps the most important element that has played into the novel’s success is Hazel’s obvious strength of heart. While Hazel is reciting poetry to a sickly Augustus Waters, who is covered in vomit and blood in the middle of a gas station parking lot, it’s hard to keep the tears at bay. When the original poem ends and Hazel begins to urgently impart her own stanzas in order to fill the void left by the anticipation of an ambulance coming to save Hazel’s only love, tears are inevitable. The novel is filled with other tear jerking moments that tug at the heartstrings, such as Hazel seeing herself as a “grenade waiting to explode” and only wanting to “minimize the casualties.” Moments like these are sure to make even the most desensitized reader choke up a little.
As Hazel says, “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” I truly believe that “The Fault in Our Stars” captures the essence of that zeal-filling novel. Fortunately, Mercer University’s own International English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, is hosting a book club that is covering Green’s novel. The meetings are going to be held every other Tuesday until Nov. 29 on the first floor of Willingham. I strongly encourage everyone who has lost someone to cancer, every teen, and everyone who shares a love for tragedies mixed with a healthy dose of humor to attend these meetings, or read the novel individually.
(10/13/13 11:49pm)
Troy, the once-thought fictional city featured in Homer’s the “Iliad”, was the focus of the Great Books lecture given by Dr. Charlotte Thomas and Dr. Achim Kopp on Sept. 26. The lecture, entitled “The Archaeology of Troy and the ‘Iliad’,” was attended by many Great Books students and non-students alike. The “Iliad” is one of the “great books” read by all students on the Great Books track during their first semester here at Mercer University. Thomas, a Mercer alumna, went through the Great Books program when she was a student here, while Kopp is the director of the Great Books program. Both professors traveled to Troy over the summer with a number of students to witness the ongoing excavation. These facts left both professors more than qualified to present this information delivered in the lecture. Upon returning from Troy, located in present-day Turkey, Thomas and Kopp gained enough interesting information to give the presentation that took place on campus in the Science and Engineering Building. The one hour lecture was followed by a quick 30 minute question and answer period where even questions that stumped the lecturers were asked.
The presentation began with Kopp, the director of the Great Books program as well as a professor in foreign languages and literatures, who walked the audience through the beginning steps leading to the excavation of Troy. He explained that the first “archaeologist” of mythical Troy was not even a true excavator at all. Frank Calvert, interested in Homer’s work and Greek mythology, became aware of rumors that the mound of Hisarlik may be a possible candidate for Homeric Troy. Calvert then bought 2000 acres of land on the eastern side of the mound in 1847, based solely on the hope something related to Homer’s beloved work would be discovered there. Calvert, partnered at the time with the better-known Heinrich Schliemann, uncovered the multi-layered city in the 1870s. Kopp explained how passion for Homer’s work led to breakthroughs in both archeology, which was a relatively new science at the time, and the discussions surrounding Homer’s epic poem. Kopp concluded that finding Troy in a physical sense has led to deeper connections to the famous story by presenting a partial visual to all that is described by the poet.
Taking over, Thomas began leading the lecture into deeper topics regarding why it is so important to the integrity of the epic for the city of Troy to actually exist, and the importance of “not only finding Troy in space, but also in time.” Thomas explained that though Troy was discovered to be on the eastern tip of present-day Turkey, there were still layers built naturally by the progression of time to sift through in order to find the Troy depicted during the Trojan War. When Schiemann led the excavation in the 1870s, several surface layers of the city were destroyed due to bulldozers used by Schiemann to get to the second layer of Troy, the layer favored by the early excavator. Due to this cursory search for Troy many artifacts from those layers were absolutely destroyed. Thomas pressed that in order to properly study the ancient city, and when studying other topics in general, it is important to be particular and careful throughout the learning process.
The Trojan War is believed to have taken place between the 12th and 13th century B.C. While no ancient weapons relating directly to the battle have been found, architectural evidence suggests that a battle did take place at Troy. Small houses had been built swiftly in the crevices between larger buildings around this time, and it is likely that they were built to store war provisions. Many weapons Homer describes in the epic have been found in neighboring cities, such as a shield used by Homeric heroes, and a boar’s-tooth helmet just as the one Homer describes Trojan hero, Hector, to have worn. However, Thomas admits that there are discrepancies between Homer’s epic and reality, such as chariots depicted in the story. Homer has his heroes riding into battle on their chariots and swiftly jumping down to the thick of the fray. However, actual chariots during this time would not have been practical to use in this way. This type of discrepancy may be attributed to the 400 years between the epic and the actual battle, or to the fact that much of the story had been passed down through oral tradition before being written. While Troy is widely believed by scholars to have been found at the excavation site, the discussion still goes on about the legendary battle. Questions are still brought up regarding how much of the story is only legend and how much can be trusted.
The lecture closed with a brief question and answer session where Thomas made a request for students to travel with the philosophy and art department this summer. It is thanks to this department and its trips that lectures such as this one even take place. The department has been taking students to various countries around the globe since 2001, and she stands by that the trips have always had an amazing impact on those involve. She encourages those interested to contact her at thomas_cc@mercer.edu or anyone involved with inquiries about future trips.
(10/01/13 8:34pm)
Earlier this month, the internet overflowed with rumors regarding a possible eighth Harry Potter book, and the prayers of self-proclaimed “Potter-Heads” appeared to be answered. Many Harry Potter fans have long yearned for a new book and were not quite ready for the adventure to come to a close. With the bulletin, however, came a level of expected skepticism. The fans seemed divided on the news, and those doe-eyed and hopeful pro-book fans were severely disappointed. Others, however, who had no expectation that the rumor held any root in reality, were pleasantly surprised. While there will not be an eighth book depicting the futures of Harry, Ron and Hermione, Warner Bros., announced that there will be a continuation of the wizarding world by way of a screenplay penned by none other than J.K Rowling.
In the first novel of the Harry Potter series, the protagonist studied a book entitled “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” In 2001, J.K. Rowling put forth a physical 60 page copy of the book mentioned in the series. The book contains an alphabetical listing of all the magical animals who reside in the magical world and is “written by” the fictional character Newt Scamander. This extension of the Harry Potter world is currently in the making to be a major motion picture backed by Warner Bros., the movie studio that has been the home for every movie pertaining to the boy-wizard. The film will be vastly different from the pace Potter fans are used to. Setting the time-period seventy years before the Harry Potter series, the motion picture will begin in New York and follow Newt Scamander on his quest to record all beasts that contain any sort of magic or hold any power in the wizarding world. The movie will also lack the main protagonists the Harry Potter series followed. It will, however, introduce new characters as well as expand upon minor characters mentioned in the original seven books.
Since the conclusion of the series, J.K Rowling has been forever fickle about continuing the adventures. The author revealed in a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey that she still had enough ideas for a continuation of the wizarding world and may be able to write an eighth or even a ninth book to continue the series. However, the British Book Award recipient has, in other interviews, stated that she wishes to fulfill the integrity of the series by leaving the story alone. A movie adaption that does not directly affect the main Harry Potter plot seems to be a compromise between these two attitudes. J.K Rowling has promised that the movie “[will contain] the laws and customs of the hidden magical society that will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films.”
The books have sold over 450 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 60 languages. The Harry Potter film industry earned over $7 billion globally, becoming one of the highest grossing film series in existence. The series has spawned video games, art, and even several amusement parks stationed in the United States and Japan. The new installment of the Harry Potter world will expand throughout all of these platforms, but there is no foretelling the impact that “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will have on the fan base. All Potter fanatics may do now is hope that this continuation will be just as enchanting as the original stories.
(09/13/13 3:59am)
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest…if I were to write a composite list, it would seemingly expand beyond human comprehension. Okay, maybe not that far, but the list of social media infiltrating daily lives of individuals is extensive. The only thing that compares to the extensiveness of social media is maybe its use in classes of all learning statuses.
Every day more and more universities, high schools and primary education systems are seamlessly incorporating social media tools in order to speak with and teach students the materials necessary to pass the course and continue their educational pursuits. It is no secret that the educational society is running toward even more social media use, rather than away from it. The question then becomes: is the use of social media a hindrance to higher education? Do classroom subjects become lost in the expansiveness of the Web the second they are launched online? Are students becoming less engaged since the innovation of scholarly uses for social media?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding no. An inquiring mind needs only to consult the plethora of scholarly articles on the subject and the students themselves to realize that social media use is extremely benefi cial in this day and age where knowledge is at the fingertips of anyone seeking it. Social media use in the classroom promotes easy access to course materials, eases the strain on communication and prepares students for the future where technology is sure to be the forerunner of necessary skills.
With mobile phones now capable of access to the online world, the entire Internet literally fi ts in a pocket. Leaders of social media platforms realize this new need for direct access to knowledge and are creating technologies to satisfy this need. For instance, iTunes U, a product of Apple meant to teach entire courses in the form of different apps, has garnered attention from even the Ivy Leagues, such as Harvard, Stanford and Penn State. The apps volunteer all information regarding the course such as textbooks, workbooks, notes and homework. For a one-time payment, all these materials will be downloaded into the student’s tablet. Through iTunes U, students may even receive messages from the professor regarding course work and send messages to other students in the same course.
This type of easy access to the information by way of social media destroys all the barriers that lie between students and the materials needed to fully understand the course.
At its core, communication is the root of all social media. This is an obvious notion because the term “social media” literally defines itself by the word “social.” Any thoughtful teacher is always careful to make sure the line of communication between professor and student is not breeched, so it’s no surprise that more and more educational leaders are taking the initiative and submersing themselves in the online world in order to have a more direct line of communication with their students. In fact, according to the Babson Survey Research Group, over 90 percent of faculty uses social media to communicate course materials or to plan lessons.
The population of educators online does not just lend itself to per- sonal use, either. Countless teaching organizations may be found on Twitter, a virtual location where users can post and stream mes- sages under 140 characters that may include links, pictures and vid- eos. These organizations, such as The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), offer a wide range of ideas for instructors as well as help for students. The direct access students have with their professors can lead to better correspondence between student and instructor and may lead to a better understanding of the course material for the student, and a better understanding of the student for the instructor. This type of communication is catching on fast, and there is no foresight to whether it will end anytime soon.
Social media use should be introduced to students as early as possible because students need to be taught how to properly use social media. If society does not take advantage of this opportunity, their scholars will lack the sense needed to decide what to share on social media sites, and how sensitive information should be handled online. The internet is already an integral part of any progressive individual’s life and will only become more prominent, so the idea of social media use in class is not only respectable, but necessary. The idea that social media use in the classroom is a hindrance to learning stems from a lack of understanding the positive effects its use may have on those using it to its full advantage. If not taught in the classroom, instructors are only inhibiting students from reach- ing their goals. Students will use social media regardless of its use in the education system, so why not use an already implemented tool in a way that would benefit both parties?