U.S. government’s decision against releasing bin Laden photos met with ambivalence

Ashley Fahey

The White House recently decided not to release the photos of bin Laden’s death, despite CIA director Leon Panetta’s statement on May 3 that the U.S. government would eventually release them. Image courtesy of The White House.

Recently, the U.S. government has decided to not release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s death. This decision has caused much controversy and dispute around the globe, leading many to question whether the decision was the correct one.

A recent NBC News poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans agree with the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos. Twenty-four percent felt the photos should be released.

The primary reasoning behind the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos of bin Laden’s death was, according to a Republican who has seen the photos, to avoid endangering U.S. forces. Another Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers said the pictures could inflame anti-U.S. sentiments around the world.

“It’s important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as propaganda tools,” said President Barack Obama in an interview with CBS News. “That’s not who we are – we don’t trot this stuff out as trophies.”

Top officials, such as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, said releasing the photos will create a national security risk.

But conspiracy theorists are not willing to believe the death of Osama bin Laden until hard evidence has proven it to be true. Other individuals, such as a 9/11 widow, wish to see the photos because such proof would be “reassuring.”

On May 2, according to a Pentagon spokesperson, the body of bin Laden was placed in the waters of the North Arabian Sea, following traditional Islamic orders. bin Laden’s body is now buried at sea, making it more difficult to prove his death to skeptical citizens.

“It plays into the hands of those who would like to believe it’s a conspiracy,” said Michael Skube, professor of communications who has taught Media in the Middle East. “The photos are available to certain people, but what’s the point in making them available? It would certainly create more problems because it would be a public document then.”

Elon University students generally felt releasing the photos would be good in proving bin Laden’s death, but wouldn’t be positive for any other reason.

“I don’t think someone’s death should be displayed like that,” said Emily Johnrude, a freshman.

The implications of releasing the photos is important to consider, according to Skube, who said al-Qaeda‘s reaction would be unpredictable and possibly dangerous.

Professor Michael Skube and sophomore Matt Curry discuss their opinions on how the government handled bin Laden’s situation following his death and the possible reaction of al-Qaeda if the photos of his death were released.

“I don’t think they should have released them,” said Matt Curry, a sophomore. “If you release them, it’s like releasing the body. You bring the body back, it can cause a big stir and then al-Qaeda will retaliate or something. It will just cause issues.”

Most Elon students agreed with the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos, saying the photographic material was too sensitive to be released to the global public.

“I think the decision was a good one,” said Lauren Harbury, a sophomore. “I’m not a huge advocate of having photographic records of somebody’s death.”

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said releasing the photos would eliminate any doubt of bin Laden’s death and avoid people in developing conspiracy theories. Students agreed with this statement.

“If the pictures were released, it would reduce the suspicions of many people,” said Lauren Townsend, a junior. “But generally, I agree with the U.S. government’s decision not to release them.”

Elon professor Shereen Elgamal discusses the difference between bin Laden’s death and Sadam Hussein’s death. Video courtesy of Madelyn Smith.

Whether the U.S. government’s decision is the most popular one by citizens or not is debatable. But the issue continues to remain a conflict and will not be settled until physical evidence of bin Laden’s death is revealed to the world, proving his death for once and for all.

Taking flight of your dreams: Burlington Aviation offers piloting lessons, licensing

Ashley Fahey

For Burlington Aviation School owner Alan Ostroff, flying airplanes was a way to satisfy a lust for adventure. He took his passion for flying one step further by purchasing the aviation school in December 1998.

“We bought something that was already here,” said Ostroff. “It was very small and didn’t have anything.”

The Burlington Aviation School is able to train anybody age 18 or over how to fly an aircraft. The process in which to obtain certification for flying can be done, at minimum, in 16 full days, according to Ostroff.

“The first step is called a private pilot certificate,” said Ostroff. “You can fly, when you leave here, any single engine piston airplane to anywhere you want to go, anytime you want to go and you can carry passengers. The only thing you can’t do is fly in bad weather.”

Ostroff said there are other levels of certification as well, including instrument rating, in which certified pilots are allowed to fly in bad weather, and commercial certification, which allows pilots to earn money for flying aircrafts. Additionally, the aviation school issues multi-engine rating certification.

“It allows people to fly an airplane with two major engines,” said Ostroff. “We also teach people how to be pilots and instructors.”

The Burlington Aviation School is one of only five Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved flight schools in North Carolina. In addition to a flight school, Burlington Aviation specializes in aircraft maintenance, airplane hangar and fueling aircrafts, said Ostroff.

Additionally, the school features aircraft made by Cessna, a plane manufacturing and designing company.

Flight instructor Joshua Lehman talks about why he started flying.

“We have a few different kinds of planes used for flight instruction,” said Ostroff. “The Cessna 172 is a high wing airplane and the Cessna 152 is a two-seat airplane in which people can learn how to fly more cheaply. Piper aircrafts are used for other kinds of training.”

Ostroff’s love for flying began when he was 40, when he flew his first aircraft. Ever since, he has been passionate about aviation.

“One of the things that is fun about learning to fly is there are pieces that come together,” said Ostroff. “There are a lot of other pieces that have nothing to do about controlling the airplane.  You’re taught to understand weather better than any average person. You have to understand FAA regulations. You have to learn something about physiology and medical effects of higher atmosphere.”

Even though he got a relatively late start in learning how to fly aircrafts, Ostroff found purpose and satisfaction in his aviation pursuit.

“Most people learn to fly because they feel like it,” said Ostroff. “I started it because my wife went to nurse school and I had nothing else to do. When I finished training, I really felt like it was a big deal. It was an important new skill that I could exploit, so I started moving up through the stages. It just got me really bad.”

Burlington Aviation School flight instructor Joshua Lehman feels the same passion about aviation.

“I got into flying when my grandpa took me up when I was about eight years old,” said Lehman. “It’s a great school here. We have a lot of good instructors and it’s a really great place to get your license.”

He has been flying planes since 2002, when he got his private piloting license. His passion for aviation has been prevalent ever since.

“I enjoy flying, just being up in the air and teaching people and seeing the expression in their faces,” Lehman said. “It was the same expression I had the first time those wheels left the ground,”

Elon sophomore Hannah Cohan got a brief lesson in flying from one of the school’s instructors, Joshua Lehman. Image credit to Ashley Fahey.

Lehman gave Elon sophomore Hannah Cohan a brief lesson on flying an airplane, giving her an idea of why he is so passionate about aviation. Cohan learned the basics of flying a Cessna 127, a single-engine airplane that fits four passengers. She said it was an experience like no other.

“I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said. “It was not the same as driving a car, because you have resistance and the wind is coming at you from different angles yet, somehow, I feel like that might have been easier than my first driving test.”

Cohan said even with the turbulence of a small aircraft and the anxiety with flying a plane for the first time, it was an amazing opportunity.

“It was a fantastic experience,” she said. “It was mind-blowing, how awesome it was, and I would definitely do it again if I could.”

Hannah Cohan talks about her first experience flying a Cessna 172.

‘The thrill of adventure’: Leigh Burgess saves lives, delivers a baby as EMT

Ashley Fahey

Between leading a normal life as a college student, Elon sophomore Leigh Burgess is actively involved with EMT work. Image courtesy of Leigh Burgess.

During spring break of her junior year in high school, EMT technician and current Elon student Leigh Burgess didn’t think she would be delivering a baby. But that’s exactly what she did.

“I gave new life to the world. I was 17 years old and I delivered a baby,” she said.

Burgess, a sophomore at Elon, has worked as an EMT for three and a half years in her hometown of Morris Plains, N.J. Between her studies, a part-time job and a social life, Burgess found time to work 12-hour shifts, sometimes in the middle of the night during the week. She ran out to answer EMT calls, many of which were emotionally and mentally taxing.

“There is no standard job description for what you do as an EMT,” said Burgess. “You have to know what to do in every scenario or know what questions to ask. You have to have the right frame of mind. It’s definitely not for everyone.”

But Burgess knew that being an EMT was something she wholeheartedly wanted to do.

“I think, subconsciously, it gave me a chance to help a lot of people that I couldn’t help in my own life,” said Burgess. “EMT was a way for me to soothe my conscience and help families in a way I couldn’t usually help. I was also fascinated by the thrill of the adventure.”

She began her EMT training junior year of high school, in which she had to go through once-a-week training on Sundays, state-mandated training, a five-week course and an accelerated class to earn EMT certification for three years. Once the three years end, recertification courses must be taken, as the medical world is constantly changing and EMTs must be up to date on what is going on.

“It’s an ongoing process of training and renewing,” said Burgess. “The CPR world changes every year.”

Burgess is currently EMT certified through December of this year and she plans to get recertified.

“I’m going to get re-certified, but I’m pretty sure after those three years, I won’t be able to keep it up,” she said. “EMT is a big part of who I am, but I think it’s going to come to a point where I won’t have the time. I think it’s a natural phasing out because, right now, I don’t have a full-time job but when I am working full-time, it will be hard to fit it in.”

According to Burgess, she is also the only non-medical student on her squad. Instead, she is studying strategic communications, which isn’t likely to coincide with the EMT world.

But Burgess’ experiences have become a part of her, and she said she has learned life lessons she never would have learned otherwise, if she had never become an EMT.

“I love EMT,” she said. “I do it mainly because it makes me feel like I’m helping people, but it’s also about the thrill of it. It’s a huge rush. It’s a level of excitement and adrenaline, and it’s an adventure.”

Leigh Burgess talks about the best life advice she has ever received, which came from her dad.

One of Burgess’ biggest adventures was delivering a baby during spring break of her junior year. It is an experience she will never forget.

“It is the most memorable experience because life is most heinous,” she said. “It is the most disgusting thing. It was the most visually scarring and explicit experience of my life. It’s like the worst sci-fi movie you have ever seen. That’s why I remember it. Not because there was a beautiful baby girl brought into the world at three in the morning, but because it was the most grotesque thing I have ever seen.”

Many other experiences Burgess has had as an EMT have stayed with her. Another incident that has stayed with her happened her senior year of high school, when her squad received a call about a crashed vehicle with multiple passengers and possible entrapment.

“It was scary for me because we were at a football game on standby, and it could have been any of my friends,” said Burgess. “We drove to the accident and found an SUV with a bunch of girls that had spun against trees until it was totaled. Some girls had managed to get out and others were stuck inside. These girls who were 15-17 years old were holding each other and screaming.”

She said they brought the girls into an ambulance and drove them to the emergency room. But it was bringing them to the pediatric center that stuck the biggest note with Burgess.

Leigh sits outside of Sloan dormitory, where she lives with many of her communications fellow friends. Image courtesy of Leigh Burgess.

“The pediatric center was bright, with colorful paintings and ceiling tiles,” she said. “The contrast between the room we were in and the age of these girls was striking because, when you’re in high school, you don’t see yourself as a child, but you are medically.”

Burgess said bringing the girls into the bright pediatric room reminded her of the fragility of life.

“A lot of times, it’s really easy to remove yourself from a situation because there is no direct link,” she said. “But the girls were close to my age and it made the situation a lot more personal and heavy. To be able to drive and to be responsible for others’ lives, but not being old enough to be in a real hospital room, was a novel contrast setting.”

Adam Boxell is a lieutenant of the Morrisville Minutemen, the EMT squad of which Burgess is a part. He said working with her has been a great experience.

“Leigh is a one-of-kind, smart young lady who always knows how to brighten a mood,” said Boxell. “Having worked at the same EMS agency as Leigh, I’ve done quite a bit of EMS work with her. She’s actually one of the people who had an active role in training me. Considering I’m a lieutenant now, I’d say she did a pretty good job.”

Burgess is known by her fellow EMT technicians and Elon peers for her upbeat, outgoing personality, despite the horrors she has witnessed in her career as an EMT.

“I met Leigh working at WSOE,” said Logan Dunn, a sophomore. “She’s quite the character and such a fun, spunky person, too. And when it comes to helping friends, she’s like the giving tree.”

Boxell described a memorable experience in witnessing Burgess doing her EMT work, something that he distinctly remembers to this day.

“During my first call as being a lead EMT, we had a patient who was having a panic attack and hyperventilating,” said Boxell. “I tried everything I could to calm the patient down. Nothing worked. Then Leigh, who seemed like she wasn’t even trying, managed to talk to the patient and calm her down. By the time we reached the hospital, the patient had slowed her breathing and seemed just fine.”

And although Burgess doesn’t officially do EMT work at Elon, she has helped people in emergency situations at the university.

“During the Greek Week dance competition, she rushed to the guy’s side when he was thrown into the air and landed on his head,” said Dunn. “They had to stabilize him for 30 minutes or so.”

Burgess said being an EMT has allowed her to look at life with a new perspective.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen from the people I work with is realizing how good at heart people can be,” she said. “There is something more to EMT, a driving force that is pushing you to get out of bed and power through a long shift. There’s something greater than just volunteering. The best thing about EMT is the humanity and compassion someone can have for a complete stranger, which is not seen in everyday society, but you see it every time you do EMT work.”

Math Tools for Journalists: Chapters 9-12

Ashley Fahey

Numerical measurements constantly play a role in a journalist's life, so having a well-bred knowledge of them is crucial for success. Image courtesy of Etsy.

In Math Tools for Journalists, Chapters 9-12 go over more fundamental aspects of math, but about how journalists use these fundamentals: directional measurements, area measurements, volume measurements and the metric system. Students have been using these tools since elementary school, but it might not seem important for journalists to hone these skills and apply them to their work.

Chapter 9 goes over directional measurements, which are simple, but a refresher in the formulas necessary for directional measurements is always good. They help explain news reports, accidents, sports and other related events and put writing into perspective nicely. Wickham not only provided lots of useful formulas for volume, speed and so on, but she also gave several examples of commonly sought-after directional measurements, such as the speed of light, which is useful to know off the top of your head. And for someone who didn’t know what G-force really meant, this chapter was useful in explaining it (it is a measurement of acceleration) and then giving several examples of what uses G-force, and what their measurement would be. Weight, mass and momentum sum up the chapter with a quick refresher on each of the concepts, their formulas and how they might be used by a journalist.

Knowing the formulas for area measurements, such as perimeter, will enhance reporting immensely. Image courtesy of the Office of Real Property Tax Services.

In the chapter about area measurements, the author states there are two ways to explain measurements for journalists: one is through using analogies and the other is through simple, accurate numbers that convey facts easily for the reader. Analogies can be useful when describing relative distance but sometimes, more specificity is required, which is why using numbers can sometimes be the most effective means of conveying measurement. The chapter also goes over formulas for perimeter, area, square feet and yards, radius and circumference which are, again, tools that have been taught for years, but are not necessarily put in perspective for journalists until this book. Measurements are helpful in an article because they convey information. Knowing what measurements mean and being able to calculate different types of measurements will assist any reporter in writing as clearly and accurately as possible what the readers should know.

The next chapter, about volume measurements, goes over why volume is important to know and how journalists can use these numbers in context with their reporting pieces. Like in Chapter 9, the author goes over common volume measurements, ones that people should know or may use more often than other types of measurements. It was also useful in giving a practical approach to volume measurements, and how they would be used in more unexpected ways. For example, the author gives a scenario in which a journalist would have to calculate the electricity bill for an ad campaign. Wickham reveals that, surprisingly, only wattage and time are necessary in order to figure out the amount of energy consumed, in watt-hours, which can then lead to the cost of the bill. The chapter ends with a list of ton conversions, and what a cord is.

The United States is one of the only countries in the world to not use the metric system, making it important to understand the conversations. Image courtesy of Blogspot.

The metric system is the final chapter in Math Tools for Journalists. This chapter is important because, as Americans, we frequently forget that we are one of the only countries in the world who do not use the metric system of measurement. Therefore, having a comprehensive understanding of the metric system is vital in order to translate numbers, measurements and data from other countries so that it is understandable in American terms. Conversely, it is important to be able to translate our measurements into ones that the rest of the world can understand. Wickham starts the chapter with the definition of the metric system and a table of basic metric conversions. Formulas for length, area, mass, volume and temperature follow afterward, which can be plugged in easily into situations when you need to convert measurements. Finally, the chapter (and book) ends with some style rules to remember when using the metric system in reporting.

Practice Problems

1. Sunny Samson is a reporter at the CommStudent Gazette and is doing a story on the local aviation school. She is lucky enough to learn how to fly one of the helicopters. If the helicopter has a mass of 500 kilograms and travels at a rate of 300 kilometers/hour, what is the helicopter’s momentum?
   (Multiply 500, the mass, by 300, the velocity, to get 1,500,000 kilometers per hour.)
2. Zoe Buchanan, the owner of a wildlife preservation park, wants to construct a new fence around the entire perimeter. The park measures 15 miles due west and 32 miles due north. How long will the fence be? (Multiply 15 by 32 to get 480 feet of fence.)
3. Jenna Johnson, a reporter for the local paper, wanted to know the volume of an average cereal box. The dimensions of a box of Cereal Crunches is 40 inches by 30 inches by 5 centimeters. What is the volume of the box? (Multiply 40 by 30 by 0.05 to get 600 cubic inches.)
4. An investigative reporter interviews two sources about the amount of water being consumed by the average household. One source said 300 gallons and another source said 1,050 liters. Which source uses more water? (Convert 1,050 liters to 276.3 gallons, making source one the greater consumer of water.)

Beat the summer heat: Keep motivation levels rising with the temperatures

Ashley Fahey

The Stewart Fitness Center is a popular exercise facility at Elon during the school year, but students need to remember to exercise during summer vacation as well. Photo courtesy of Elon University.

The end of the semester is right around the corner: jobs, internships, summer courses and days of relaxation are taking over students’ brains. But one activity students may be forgetting about is exercise. Between the craziness of juggling commitments and the laziness of the sweltering summer, it is easy to disregard the gym, despite its importance to every individual’s life and health.

One of the most popular excuses for not exercising is the unbearable heat and humidity.

“The heart works two to four times harder to move blood into the vessels, which dilate as the body heats up,” said Janice Zimmerman, professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “Exercising in the heat places extra stress on the heart and this can be especially dangerous for those with cardiac conditions.”

There are several key elements to exercising outdoors during the summer: avoiding outdoor activity between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., avoiding direct sunlight, wearing light-colored clothes, drinking plenty of fluids and slowing exposing the body to heat may help it adjust better to the conditions, according to Zimmerman.

Another fact to keep in mind while exercising outdoors during the summer is how the body reacts to the climate.

“The hotter it is, the harder your body has to work,” said Todd Durkin, owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, Calif. “This is where a heart-rate monitor comes in handy. You can make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard in warm weather conditions, which can up your risk of heat exhaustion or even heatstroke.”

But if the dripping humidity of summer is too unbearable to consider, other alternatives are available. A local gym is always an air-conditioned option in addition to aquatic activities, such as swimming. Ice skating or hockey are extreme ways to beat the summer heat while still being active and fun.

Although it may seem like an odd sport for summer, ice skating is a unique way to exercise and cool off at the same time. Photo courtesy of WikiImages.

If laziness is more of an issue when it comes to staying motivated, then setting aside time just for a gym run is the first step in ensuring that physical fitness occurs, even during the sluggish summer days.

“Look for something that you enjoy,” said Sarah Luihn, a sophomore exercise science major at Appalachian State University. “Don’t try to go to the gym every day because that’s just not realistic. Also, as long as you make plans with friends, you are more likely to keep it up. For the super lazy people, definitely do not try to exercise on your own because it will work for about a day and then the motivation turns into procrastination.”

Psychologically, it can be easy to fall into the mindset that summer break is a vacation from the normal, jam-packed schedules of students during the academic year, which frequently includes hitting the treadmill. It can easily get forgotten or associated as an activity done at school, which is a dangerous trap to fall into, because staying active is important year-round.

A third challenge students may face this summer is balancing commitments, such as a summer job or an internship, with physical activity. While both internships and jobs are time-consuming and require dedication, exercise still needs to be done.

For people who are busy and struggle to make it to the gym, doing several shorter forms of exercise, such as walking the dog, counts as staying active. Image courtesy of Blogspot.

“The best thing to do is to look for something close by,” said Luihn. “You don’t need to factor in three hours a day for exercise if you are busy, so try to do something small or light during the week like taking your dog on a walk or going on a nature trail. Maybe look for pickup sports team through a nearby community center because most of those teams meet for pickup games at night.”

While breaking up exercise into small, 10-minute increments several times throughout a day is not the most effective method, it is better than nothing. On the busier days of summer vacation, it is still manageable to incorporate mild exercise, from stretching to crunches, several times.

No matter what your summer plans may be, whether it is an internship or relaxing on the beach, be sure to factor in gym time several times a week because it is just as important to stay active over summer vacation.

Writing with authority, confidence: Steve Riley talks investigative reporting

Ashley Fahey

According to Steve Riley, senior editor of enterprise and investigative reporting at the Raleigh News and Observer, writing with authority is paramount for any budding journalist.

“When I work with reporters in Raleigh, I work with a three-person investigative team and a fourth person writes almost exclusively for the Sunday paper,” said Riley. “You must write with authority, the kind of work that is assertive and confident.”

Riley has been working as a journalist for years, starting out as a sports reporter in Mississippi until he worked his way into news writing and, eventually, sports editor. His current position as editor of enterprise and investigative reporting for the last eight years has taught him a lot.

“Editors are not just there to move your story around,” he said. “I’m there from the very inception of story development and I’m responsible for making sure we don’t go down a lot of blind alleys. The stories we choose have to have high impact.”

And since his tenure at the News and Observer, Riley has been involved in editing and investigating many high-impact pieces, including a five-month investigation into the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), which exposed some corruption and unethical workings. Another big-impact story was investigating former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt.

Steve Riley talks about skepticism and how he applies it to the cases he investigates in reporting.

But he said it is not always easy to go about writing and interviewing for investigative pieces.

“While you don’t expect people to necessarily agree with what you’ve put in the paper, you want to be able to get back to them and feel that they’ve been treated fairly,” said Riley. “When I got through asking Gantt the little questions, it became clear that he had made the government work for him. At least he knew what was coming. You can diffuse a lot of that by being upfront with people.”

Investigative reporting is a league of its own, and Riley gave a lot of advice on what reporters should remember.

“The best advice is to not ever lie when you get caught in something like this,” he said. “We don’t enjoy seeing people suffer, but we have to get to the bottom of something.”

Riley said he gets investigative story ideas from several places.

The State Bureau of Investigation was one of Riley’s biggest series in his career as an investigative reporter.

“There’s no specific system, but the good projects come in a multitude of ways,” he said. “One is from good beat reporting. We also have a lot of tips come in, but we get a lot more tips than what we can look into.”

But the importance of investigative reporting is not to be underestimated. Riley said the time and research that goes into enterprise and investigative reporting can take anywhere from three days to a full year.

“With the SBI series, it was not until six or eight weeks into the reporting that we had a problem,” he said. “The lab was set up to solely help law enforcement and it was doing things to bend science to help convict people that might or might not be guilty. If you get the wrong guy, the right guy is out there somewhere.”