Former WKU student competes on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew show- BY: Shakia Harris

Louisville senior Josh Mabry always knew his fraternity brother had a passion for dancing.

Former Western student Dakota Smith has been determined to make it on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew since the show first aired two years ago, Mabry said.

This season, Smith got his wish.

“It was never a matter of if he’d make it but when he’d make it,” Mabry said. “I’m just finally glad to see he’s actually living his dream. It’s going to open so many doors for him.”

After four audition attempts with two different crews, Smith made the show’s fifth season as a member of the Royal Flush crew, representing the South.

“The energy on the stage was incredible,” Smith said. “I loved every second of it.”

Smith, an alumni of the Eta Rho chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity, first met members of Royal Flush while he was auditioning with Kaotick during the show’s second season, he said.

He kept in touch with Royal Flush group members until he and fellow former Kaotick member Tyrone “Ne-Yon” Foster decided to collaborate with the group and move to Atlanta in the summer of 2009, Smith said.

A week after their MTV debut, Foster and Smith visited Bowling Green, where they shared insights on their ABDC experiences with Smith’s fraternity brothers.

Lexington sophomore Justin Powell said that after watching Royal Flush perform on television, he was surprised to see Smith and Foster break dancing in the living room of the Sigma Nu fraternity house.

“When I walked into the house I was completely star-struck,” Powell said. “For a moment, it seemed like time was in slow motion.”

At one point, Smith and Foster performed an impromptu dance session in Downing University Center.

Lexington junior Jesse Caylor said the visit was a special treat, considering the guys were on their way to Atlanta to reunite with other members.

Caylor said the first night Royal Flush performed on television, he and other fraternity brothers crowded in their living room, waiting anxiously to watch their brother on stage.

“He’s always been that skinny white boy always showing off at parties, and now look at him,” Caylor said. “He’s still that same skinny white boy except now he’s dancing on America’s Best Dance Crew.”

The results show aired last night on MTV. As of press time, the results for Royal Flush weren’t available
<<<--- Me and Dakota Smith at the Sigma Nu Fraternity House, Bowling Green, Ky (Eta Rho Chapter)

Diversity is more than Black & White

Diversity plan to be reworked

By Shakia Harris | 09 February 2010

There’s more to diversity than black and white, officials now say.

The statewide Kentucky Plan for Equal Opportunities, which calls for a larger black student and teacher population at state secondary education institutions, is being updated to widen its scope of diversity.
......Excerpt from my article:

The drafting process is ongoing, and some members are shifting their perceptions of diversity to include varying races, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses or sexual orientations, Miller said.

“There are some members that are still race-focused,” Miller said. “It’s not just ethnic diversity anymore.”
Click Here TO READ FULL STORY

Being a female in the workplace isn't always 'Peachy'. Fighting the sexual advances in the workplace...

I attended a conference in India last month and there was a forum about being a female in the workplace and it detailed the need for more women in executive position. Though I agreed I never really understood what a lot of women go through in order to reach the top. For one thing, the harassment or discrimination that one may face can be incredibly disheartening.

At the conference I was faced with the unfortunate circumstance that some of my male counterparts were unable to look past my 'anatomy and physiology' to take me seriously within the field. Instead of approaching me professionally they proceeded to flirt and make sexual advances towards me, thus straying from anything remotely related to journalism. At one point during the conference I was in the presence of an award winning journalist who had great tips working in the field, but to my dismay he wanted nothing more than an opportunity to have sexual relations with me. Mind you I’m a 19 year old college student not a prostitute. I did not travel to India to "hook-up". I traveled to India to better myself as a journalist and meet people who could help me and give me advice.

It was incredibly discouraging for me when some of the men were at times transfixed by my breasts and curves. They referred to me as the "goody-goody" American at one point because I repeatedly turned down their advances. It was an eye-opener for sure. I was unaware that one of the qualifications for maintaining strong, 'personal' ties involved a positive response to the phrase, "Will you get naughty with me".

As I gain more experience in the workplace I sincerely hope that I do not run into more awkward, disrespectful, and disheartening situations like the one I faced in India.

That little "blurb" did not overshadow the fact that India was an amazing opportunity and I definitely experienced more good than bad.

'Irina Samokhina speaks of government harassment against the media in Russia' by Shakia Harris

Irina Samokhina (Russia), CEO of Krestyanin, described state run newspapers as 'monopolist' in Russia and discussed tensions between the media and the Russian government during the Press Freedom Roundtable.

In Russia the state has the right to establish its own media. Samokhina said that there are 63 newspapers established by the state in the region of Rostov. She said that the state uses its media ties to further oppress the independent media and take advantage of taxpayers.

"State newspapers use taxpayers money which means that we somehow compete with ourselves," said Samokhina. "The only way to compete with these newspapers is to use content."

Working for the independent publication Krestyanin, she said she initially wanted to focus on educating people in rural and country areas and provide information that wasn't published in the state-run newspapers.

"Our main mission is to educate and protect the people," said Samokhina. "We were happy initially because this created a healthy competition. Unfortunately our mission has become stronger. Dissertation in Russia is such that media is feeling huge pressure from the state. For many years the state has created a very special policy towards the media."

Hyderabad, India

The MOST AMAZING experience of my life. Much thanks to God and Western Kentucky University for making it possible :)

Dow Jones CEO: 'Free costs too much' by Shakia Harris

The first session of the World Newspaper Congress kicked off with talk of perhaps the biggest ongoing conversation amongst the media around the world: how to pay for the digital content the news industry creates.

Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones & Co., told the Congress that charging for online news is a must, and companies need to find more ways to improve their ad sales to survive. Paul Jansen, CEO of SPH search at Singapore Press Holdings, said his biggest mistake was initially going free in the infancy of the Web. Andreas Wiele, of Axel Springer AG in Germany, said the industry must come up with models to allow print to measure efficiency, or advertisers will "go away."

Righting past mistakes

The media industry must completely reinvent itself to increase productivity, quality and profits, Hinton said. Charging for online news is a must and companies need to find more ways to improve their advertisement sales to survive.

Continue Reading >>>

Dumb Criminals-"Jailbreak fugitive updates Facebook page"

British man escapes from prison but continues to update his Facebook profile about his life on the run. Maybe i've watched too many CSI or Law & Order episodes but it seems to me like this is a dumb idea on his part. He's updating his profile about eating steaks and who his next girlfriend will be??? Is he serious? I'm guessing that his ego will get in the way and eventually he'll post something that will lead to his capture OR if the police can they'll track the ip addresses from where he's updating his statuses and get him that way.

For More information:
"Jailbreak fugitive updates Facebook page"-CNN

A new way to publish

Hey everyone i recently found this alternative way to publish information to here. As i mentioned earlier and posted previously i reported in India but instead of scrolling through my seemingly endless blog postings you can click or view at the issu publication and see that some of them are published altogether to make it easier for you.
Enjoy & Thanks.

Culture Shock?...not so much

In anticipation of my trip to Hyderabad, India, I asked people who have travelled to that part of the world about what to expect and the consistent response that I received was that it would be somewhat of a culture shock to the life i'm used to living in the United States.  There were some immediate differences but I wasn't terribly surprised by my surroundings even though they were extremely impoverished and underdeveloped.  The United States isn't this fairytale Utopia, there is poverty in the United States...there are thousands of people lined along the streets forced to beg and rely on donations from strangers to eat. There are protesters, theft and violence.

The one thing that I adored about being in India was being able to experience firsthand their extremely rich culture. Some of the people were very nice and hospitable and didn't mind showing more of their everyday life or explaining the meaning (if they spoke english) of certain cultural customs. Some of their mannerisms were incredibly misleading, like the "nodding". In the U.S. we typically shake our head left to right to say "No" or up and down to say "Yes. In some parts of Hyderabad, India they would nod their heads loosely left to right, very similar to a bobble head to say yes but shake their hands to say no. So if someone begs from you and you shake your head and think you're saying no...guess what you're really saying yes. It took nearly a week to get used to that custom, and by that time it was almost time to leave.

It was intriguing to watch how the mothers would use their children i'm guessing for a sympathy factor to solicit money. They would watch for foreigners and point them out for the kids.  I'm very big on donating so whether it was Rupees or in my case  Pringles, chocolate bars, bottles of Coca-Cola, money, or whatever  I gave whatever I had on me at the time.  I read somewhere that you shouldn't always give them money because gangsters would use the children to collect money then put that money towards criminal activities, so i gave them food and money. Although I don't support criminal activities, I'll take my chances. No child should be left hungry. No child.

I'm especially thankful that i received the opportunity to travel across the world and make such everlasting memories.

Schibsted International editor Frederic Filloux says journalists must learn how to sell themselves and their content

By:Shakia Harris


Frederic Filloux, editor at Schibsted International, emphasized at the 16th World Editors Forum that journalists should be thinking long term and learn to promote themselves by selling their content with multimedia, blogs and other websites.

When Laura Olivier, editor of journalism.co.uk, United Kingdom, asked if it was possible for multimedia to be picked up late in the game, or if it's something that must be learned as a student journalist, Filloux said that training at any stage is essential in the newsroom.

"The biggest collective failure when we're facing the management of the newsroom is the training of people," Filloux said. "We have failed to actually train our people to new techniques."
He said that a keen sense of the business side of the media is extremely important and traditionally journalists are not very good at promoting themselves. He said that if they utilize the internet effectively then journalist can not only sell their content but themselves as well. Apart from publishing outlets, blogs and websites can also be viewed as resumes.

"You are actually a voice, you are actually a face, you are actually a publisher," Filloux said.

When paired with good content he said that journalism and entrepreneurship are good ingredients to start publishing businesses as well.
Read More....