My Media Vacation (Part 1 of 3): New York City

[NOTE: Due to the amount of research I've been doing for my current journalism class and work-related activities, my brain is a little too "fried" for a deep-thought posting.  A while back, I shared parts of a vacation trip that I made with my son over to the East Coast in late July/early August 2012.  These are some of the photos that I took along the way--I hope you enjoy them!] 

"30 Rock" serves as the anchor of New York City's Rockefeller Plaza (and the headquarters of NBC News)

After the reunion/family-related activities of our visit back in Pennsylvania was completed, our first stop for this father/son "road trip" was Secaucus, New Jersey--just across the river from Manhattan and the recognized media capital of the world, New York City.  I chose the cross-river location due to expenses (a two-night stay at a quality hotel in "the Garden State" was roughly equivalent to a single night just five miles to the east) and easy access to the city itself (we were just one exit away from the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel and mid-town locations).  Fortunately, a day-long tour bus stopped right outside our lobby and we made sure we were up bright and early for day one of our two-day visit to "the Big Apple".

A/V: Fairborn Celebrates the Fourth

One local family was not ashamed to openly display their patriotism at the Fairborn 4th of July parade

Despite sweltering temperatures, the town of Fairborn, Ohio held its 65th annual 4th of July parade through the city's downtown area this past Wednesday morning.  Starting promptly at 10AM from Fairborn Plaza in near 90 degree heat, a large contingent of floats, marching bands, vehicles and dignitaries made their way along the designated route, shortened this year due to on-going street construction in the Main Street/downtown area.  Jack Wilson , a local businessman and 50-plus year city resident served as the 2012 Grand Marshall.

You can scroll below to look at more photographs from the parade.

Al Qaeda Propagandist Killed During US Drone Strike

Samir Khan, in Charlotte, NC in 2008 (courtesy Associated Press)

As someone who works in an intelligence-related profession, I have been trained not to talk about such subjects in a public forum.  When I first heard about the recent news concerning the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born Islamic cleric who reportedly motivated militant Muslims to commit acts of terrorism against the United States, I had mixed feelings.  While the mission was a success (via the current campaign of using unmanned technology to undertake tasks considered extremely hazardous for humans), not bringing al-Awlaki to court to demonstrate America's adherence to the rule of law will make him a martyr in the eyes of his followers and does damage to our nation's image on the world stage.  This would be a good topic for an opinion piece pitting civil liberties against national security and I am not ready to post my personal positions here just yet.

Guest Paper: Sinclair Clarion

While not commercial publications, I do enjoy reading school newspapers to peruse the work of our nation's future journalists.  The Clarion is the official paper of Sinclair Community College and I had the chance to pick up their initial fall edition yesterday on a visit to their campus.  An 8-page broadsheet, the publication incorporates local news/information with syndicated items from McClatchy Newspapers.  One of those pages is dedicated to opinion (editorials, cartoons, letters) and is reflective of a healthy relationship between the editorial staff and their readership.

A/V: City Marks Tenth Remembrance of 9/11 Attacks

(NOTE: this is my first attempt at doing traditional reporting.  I attended Sunday's ceremony and took still and video images to document the details of the event.  Some conflicting priorities and technical 'glitches' prevented me from posting this sooner--unfortunately, 'Murphy's Law' is alive and well and living in my laptop and the item was eventually posted on the afternoon of the 14th.  I had the chance to meet several media and center representatives at the event and I appreciated their tips and feedback on my initial efforts.)

City Marks Tenth Remembrance of 9/11 Attacks
By JoB!
September 12, 2011 – FAIRBORN, Ohio

 Several residents display their personal patriotism among several hundred gathered for the Fairborn remembrance event.

In the spirit of a community that treasures its deep personal and economic connections with the military and national security, residents of this southwestern Ohio city gathered on Sunday afternoon to remember the nearly 3,000 men and women who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  A solemn and patriotic crowd of between 200 to 300 people assembled at the city’s National Center for Medical Readiness (also known as ‘Calamityville’) for the hour-long National Day of Service and Remembrance program that featured remarks by US House representative Steve Austria (R- Beavercreek), state senator Chris Widener (R-Springfield), and two guest other speakers with direct connections to the events on 9/11 and the ongoing wars against terrorism.  Mayor Joan Dautel served as the master of ceremonies with other city, county and military officials in attendance.  Members of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Honor Guard performed colors posting and retrieval duties and an element of the Fairborn Police Department flanked the assembly in full ceremonial uniform for this special occasion.