(Re)Acting On Impulse

Left and leaving

2007-07-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

I've posted on this blog 211 times. It seems that will be the final number. I've spoken of it several times and after completely reading through this blog last night, I've decided that the Doctor is no more.

This blog documented much of my life and a bit of others'. It will remain as a time capsule, but it's past due time that this capsule was sealed up.

Thanks for reading.

You can find me here from now on.

I remember when

2007-07-18T00:33:00.001-04:00

I used to love blogging. As my new blog's popularity was great, it's beginning to thin. I may pick this one back up so I can write about my life. Someone needs to document it.

Soon enough I'll introduce you to my new girlfriend. She's a real treat.

Reclaiming what's mine

2007-07-09T02:07:00.000-04:00

I finally got acess to my old blog (that's this guy) and wanted to tell you about my new blog.

If you're still looking at this crappy site, you're missing it. I'm here now. It's new and way improved.

Also, an entire summer of travels can be found here.

Cats take Broncos

2006-12-19T23:31:00.000-05:00

Heres the scoop:

ukathletics story

ukathletics photos

Herald-Leader story

Herald-Leader photos

Courier-Journal story

Eating rats to survive

2006-12-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe I will pick back up

2006-12-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have the feeling I will pick back up the blog during this break.

Long break

2006-12-17T22:56:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a long break.

I've been here for 21 hours. I got home at 2 a.m. from Lexington, I have slept through most of the day, and for the 11 hours I've probably been awake all I can think of is how things used to be when I was home.

I miss it.

State of Mind, Lobsterism

2006-08-13T23:19:00.000-04:00

I got back from Florida yesterday morning.

We caught a total of 102 lobster. In the end, we pulled roughly 15 each. We all have fish too, (grouper & snapper for those who care).

It was a blast. I can't wait to go back next year. We're all considering getting certified for tanks. That would be so much help for our situation.

I'm not going to go into the trip very much, I know some of you may want to know how it went, but just know I had a fantastic time. I met one of the most interesting guys I think I've ever met, Dave Manny, and his son, little Dave, who was awesome as well.

It was a great time and I was in great company. I can't wait to hit up the Keys again next year.

Brad

ps- I'm still considering dumping this site for my own domain.

State of Mind, Lobsterism

2006-08-13T23:15:00.000-04:00

Goodbye Blogger?

2006-08-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

I'm ready to get rid of this hole. I want to design my own website.

I'm really looking into it. I'm sick of blogger. It's not very relevant to what I want. I want to be able to have a site that is fun, and doesn't get old. Sites you can update when you please but don't feel the need to, as I do with this blog.

Don't get me wrong, this blog would still be open, but I wouldn't feel the same pressure.

I'm working on my site.

I may be leaving for the Keys this Friday but as late as Monday. Hurricane Chris is really "peeing in my cheerios".

One week

2006-07-24T17:51:00.000-04:00

One week from today, I shall be in Middlesboro, never to spend another night in this slob of an apartment again.

Goal: Never take a chance on random roommates again.

Truth: If put in that position, I wouldn't be that horrified, but not at all excited.

From the Bluegrass Fair

2006-07-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

Photos Copywritten to the Lexington Herald Leader
Photos by Brad Luttrell

Lexington the other night.

2006-07-23T20:23:00.000-04:00

Keep on Keepin' On

2006-07-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

I've been at this Radio Eye video for the past few weeks (sort of).

I've gotten audio complete from Franklin and Charles. I'm going to the station tomorrow, because I've gotten no response from Sarah about when to come by. Not that I mean that in a mean way. She's probably busy, besides I emailed her before the weekend.

I'm pumped to get this video kicking. I love Radio Eye. I think it's one of the best things I've ever heard of. I'm so glad I did the story. Someone asked me the other day what I like to shoot pics of most. I couldn't think of how to say it.

I love things that do good for someone. Things that you can look at, and say, "Well there are still good things happening in the world."

All too often we can open up the newspapers and see conflicts, wars, killings, rapes and abductions. I think that all should be well represented, and enjoy covering "news". But I enjoy things that make others feel good about themselves, and their commnunity.

I think I may have accomplished a little bit of that through my story with CKRE, but I didn't have any part of the good deed that was being done.

People like Margaret Chase and Sarah Nix are what makes Radio Eye the magnificant thing it is.

Sorry my past few post have been so plain, for some reason I can't change any of my options. Until fixed, just keep reading.

-Brad

A Summer's Hard Work

2006-07-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

I've strived for this all summer long.

It's not a new camera.

From the beginning I hoped I would be able to attain this at the end of the summer.

It's not a new lens.

David Stephenson's were impressive. They made me want to have my own.

It's not an accessorry.

I wanted to make movies.

I've been into multimedia presentations lately. That's when you take pictures, put it to relevant audio, and make a short (or long) video about the story.

It's becoming more and more a part with my job. I love doing it as well though. I know some photogs hate it, but I think it's just as challenging.

To be able to attain good audio, you need similar skills to photography. Observance. You have to realize your surroundings and try to eliminate as many background noises as possible. Creativity. It takes creativity to make your audio stay interesting, not just ambient noise. Practice. Practice will allow you to form yourself and your questions in a manner that will bring forth the answer you want, not just "yes" or "no".

All the interns, Robin Baker, Tricia Spaulding, Andy Huggins and myself, went out to the Bluegrass Fair along with staffers David Stephenson and David Perry. We all did our own audio for our own assigned sections of the fair.

I think our final product went well. The video looks really nice. I'm proud of my work, along with the work of my friends. We learned our equipment quickly. It was a must.

The pics aren't captioned so you can't tell what's mine, so here is the key:

The first four bird pics are mine, along with the audio.

The audio that starts with the close up of the guy with the sunglasses is mine. That picture, along with the one of the bottles, and balloon stall, and the one of the ride that surrounds the sunset right before the last pics.

I'm proud of what I came out with. I have more pics, maybe I'll put them together and you can see them.

My internet speed is pretty slow here, so I'll leave it out.

Thanks for checking and keeping up, despite my sparing posts.

Site Under Re-construction...sort of.

2006-07-19T12:53:00.000-04:00

I'm working on the site, ways to make it better, more accessible. I want to have more things, such as photo albums, video selections, better links, just some little things and I'm working on ways to make the site easier.

Sorry for the delay in blogs, but my readers have been down over the summer and I'm just trying to work on ways to make the site better and to kick it back off for the fall.

I'll be in Florida from August 4 - 11th so I will not be posting through those days, but hopefully I'll pump out some blogs about the internship experience and what not.

Sorry for the lack of motivation.

Brad

DAVE MATTHEWS TICKETS FOR SALE

2006-07-14T14:42:00.000-04:00

CHECK OUT THE LINK FOR A GLANCE AT DAVE MATTHEWS TICKETS!

The Jackalope

2006-07-10T17:15:00.000-04:00

I've tried for years to convince my sister that Jackalopes are real.

It's true.

Despite the many obviously real photos, and terrifying videos on America's Funniest Home Videos with Bob Saget, many are in disbelief.

Well for those of you who still don't believe, I found this on a website that I randomly came accross through the great collector, or Google:

(I did not write this work. To find it, just google jackalope).

What is a Jackalope?

The jackalope is an antlered species of rabbit, unfortunately rumored to be extinct, though occasional sightings of this rare creature continue to occur, suggesting that pockets of jackalope populations continue to persist in its native home, the American West.

The jackalope is an aggressive species, willing to use its antlers to fight. Thus, it is also sometimes called the "warrior rabbit."

Jackalopes possess an uncanny ability to mimic human sounds. In the old West, when cowboys would gather by their campfires to sing at night, jackalopes would frequently be heard singing back, mimicking the voices of the cowboys. Jackalopes become especially vocal before thunderstorms, perhaps because they mate only when lightning flashes (or so it is theorized).

When chased, the jackalope will use its vocal abilities to elude capture. For instance, when chased by people it will call out phrases such as, "There he goes, over there," in order to throw pursuers off its track. The best way to catch a jackalope is to lure it with wine, as they have a particular fondness for this drink. Once intoxicated, the animal becomes slower and easier to hunt. However, you have to be careful on which wine you choose. A white wine will make them silly and attracted to the opposite sex, while a red wine will make them angry, fiesty, and ready to fight.

Jackalope milk is particularly sought after because it is believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac (for which reason, the jackalope is also sometimes referred to as the 'horny rabbit'). However, it can be incredibly dangerous to milk a jackalope, and any attempt to do so is not advised. A peculiar feature of the milk is that it comes from the animal already homogenized on account of the creature's powerful leaps.

Douglas, Wyoming has declared itself to be the Jackalope capital of America because, according to legend, the first jackalope was spotted there around 1829. A large statue of a jackalope stands in the town center, and every year the town plays host to Jackalope Day, usually held in June. Jackalope hunting licenses can be obtained from the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, though hunting of jackalopes is restricted to the hours of midnight to 2 a.m. on June 31.

Douglas Herrick, a long-time resident of Douglas, Wyoming, is often credited with popularizing knowledge of the Jackalope. In the 1930s Douglas and his brother Ralph began selling mounted Jackalope heads to the public, and these became wildly popular. Examples of their work can be found in many bars and homes throughout the United States. Jackalope postcards also became a popular Western souvenir. Douglas Herrick died on January 6, 2003 at the age of 82.

The jackalope is now most commonly sighted in the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. However, the jackalope does appear to have a European cousin, which in Germany is known as the wolperdinger. In Sweden, a related species is called the skvader.

Honda Element unique in advertisement

2006-07-09T21:22:00.000-04:00

I'm into the new Elements.

If you're not just click here.

There is a fun game, and it really gets you to start liking the attitude of the car.

Yes the car has attitude. A feeling. It's fun.

Click here to play game.

Trying to get by.

2006-07-09T16:09:00.000-04:00

I shot a NASCAR event yesterday. It was a truck race. The Charlie Daniels Band played, and I have some great photos.

Unfortunately, this is the only one that will load. So until I can get my internet working, just keep looking at this picture and wishing you could see more.

Re-enactment worth the drive, to me anyways

2006-07-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

I traveled from Lexington to Allen, Ky. It's quite a drive, about 2.5 hours.

The drive wasn't bad. It wound through Stanton, and Prestonburg, just small towns along the way. Nothing out of the ordinary for Kentucky.

The event was supposed to start at 12:30, but I figured I should plan lost time. I didn't want to get lost and be late, but I was dead on and got there at 11:17. So there was a ton of people in church.

The deal: they were commemorating four confederate graves, with re-enactors and the whole deal. Pretty cool.

It didn't get started until about 1:31, and it was hot.

In this line of work, you're not supposed to take anything (freebies). I will turn down almost anything, unless it's health related. I had to this time.

Like I said it was hot. 95 degrees. And I was sweating. I was nearly drained, and they started handing out water, so I took one.

Finally the ceremonies began. I watched it, didn't get too much. I had a few pics. They're below if you want to see.

They were firing six pounders, four times each for each soldier. Well my first shot I bent down to set up for my picture and one of the men's wives said, "Honey, those things are loud. Do you have ear plugs?"

I laughed. Earplugs?

"Yeah you may want to step back too," she said.

No I'm fine. I know everything.

So I stay probably within ten or fifteen feet and then the blast happens.

"Fire!!!"

I fired a frame, but my head almost exploded. What felt like shrapnel, (from of the blast) hit my face and seemed to pierce straight through my sun glasses.

The wife said something, all I heard was "whaohd bluah blarsh roah nhou louahr." I still imagine it was something about I told you so.

It was a fun day, but the bitter taste came when only one picture ran, in the back of the paper.

It happens, and I'm used to it. The drive was the only thing that really ran through my head.

Here is my tribute to my trip. Enjoy.

A day in the life of Black Gnat

2006-06-29T11:58:00.000-04:00

yTwo days ago David Stephenson called and asked me if I wanted to go to Black Gnat.

"Whuah?"

Black Gnat is a small city near the center of the state, right where the time zones meet. In fact, the time zone line runs right down the middle of the city. We were able to find one house that actually sits on the line, but unfortunately they were not home.

This was the most I've learned since I've been at the Herald Leader. Stephenson shot and did audio, so I really got to take in what it's like, and what it's going to continue to be like. I thoroughly believe that multimedia is the future of photojournalism. I think it will eventually become a required part of the job.

Also, Amy Wilson, the reporter for the story was with us. I must say Amy is incredible with people. She's really just excellent at making people feel comfortable. She was so friendly and comfortable with talking to people that she almost had me thinking she knew people prior to our arrival.

But this was not the case. We had to look and try to even find Black Gnat. We were actually in Black Gnat and didn't know it.

The name came from an old story about a church being painted, and immediately after painting the church a swarm of black gnats flew into the paint. So this place was named entirely after that.

Now while we never really figured out what building that was, we met some great people.

Like Mr. Patterson, who has farmed tobaco all his life:

We met several others, like the Gilpins who had lived there for most of their lives. Also, a mechanic who after getting a settlement for his right hand being injured, bought his property where he now works and lives. The man said he literally gave his right hand for the property.

Sorry I couldn't load more pictures, blogger.com is really sucking today.

Lights.

2006-06-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

I love fairs.

Myspace still filled with trash

2006-06-25T23:02:00.000-04:00

Latest message from the girl, Melissa.

"greetings babe,im melissa i thought i would message you because i loved ur profile<333>at'>">at my homepage~ "

If anyone who reads this is also getting this crap from her, let me know what you're getting it and I'll post it.

Dave Matthews Band

2006-06-25T14:53:00.000-04:00

I
hav e
Dave
Matthews
Band

ticket s.

Elizabeth Buck a true hero

2006-06-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

I did a story yesterday.

No.

I shot photos of a story yesterday. The story was all ready told. Sorry Michael, the work was done for both of us. What a story we had before us yesterday.

Check out Kentucky.com for the story, or be lazy and click the hot link here for the story.

This is a tale of will power, self confidence, hope and love. Michael did do a good job of wording the story, and I thought the photos turned out well considering that I didn't even see Elizabeth play.

Enjoy.

Back to Lexington, Cash has his crickets.

2006-06-22T21:26:00.000-04:00

You all (when I say you all, that's a very small number now days. I'm expecting about a total of three people to see this) remember my cricket incident. My crickets were freaking kidnapped. Long story, just click the link to find out about it.

So I bought crickets the other day when I was taking my cousin fishing. We had plenty of leftovers, because of the way that event ended. I tried keeping them around the house, but they were so loud. Wood crickets chirp so loud.

I clipped their wings when I put them in my cage, so I didn't have to listen to them chirp at night. That may sound cruel to some of you, but I'll only have to deal with maybe one cruel reply, if that (which I'd be glad to know people are actually reading, not just stumbling onto my site).

So on my way back to Lex, I stopped at the pet store and bought some crickets that are smaller, and are bred so that they do not have wings (thank you Jesus). I picked up about two dozen and dumped all those stupid wood crickets out in the parking lot, and prayed I ran over some of them on the way out.

These crickets are in my room, in a cage, and I haven't heard a peep, or squeak rather.

I thought I would let everyone see how the theiving of the crickets turned out. Cash is happy, munching away on those poor little devils.

Pet stores usually starve their crickets. Not so much intentional, but I guess they just don't want to use any more cash than neccesarry.
Here is the size of the cricket I was feeding cash. That peice of "tater" is almost the size of the one the others are eating, now you can see why Cash has to do that thrashing chomp thing to kill one of these guys.

American pride, or something

2006-06-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Lex right now, and had to stop it seems like a thousand times today. On one of my stops, I saw this. I'm not sure if it's patriotic, but it's sure artistic.

Nothing more, just for giggles.

Notice the little heads (I'm not sure what those sculptures on pianos are called) on top of the cab.

Who knew...

2006-06-21T00:47:00.000-04:00

I’ve always thought it was neat where art could be found.

I was at my girlfriend’s house today, and was glad to be trying out my new lens. I popped pics left and right. I shot pics of her preparing food, her ceiling fan, tomatoes, and more stuff and found that some good pics come out of it.

So this is what I have. I wanted to share, because honestly some good stuff came out.

Enjoy,
The Doctor

ps- some pics were not able to load. I'll try to load again later. if not, you may find them on the doctor's space (side links)

Fishing is for the birds.

2006-06-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

Today I took my little cousin Alex fishing at an old coal mining strip, where there are several good ponds. We had to go through a very deep mud hole to get there. We fished a while, I showed Alex the ropes and then we left for another pond.

After deciding the fish weren't biting in the other pond today, we went back to the other pond. On the way, a few fourwheelers were coming up on me, and I motioned for them to pass. They wouldn't so we went ahead and tried to cross the puddle again.

It didn't happen.

It had rained since we had last went through it and the mud had softened up quite a bit. So we bottomed out and I was stuck. I got out and looked over to the passing fourwheelers who were now stopped. They came over and a man (who I believe said his name was John) tried to help me get out. He pushed as I drove, then deciding that this wasn't fair, I asked his wife to drive my dad's Trailblazer.

So we pushed, and pulled, and put rocks under the tires, but it's not much use when the car is actually bottomed out and not just stuck in mud.

So we would push the thing one direction and it would slide over a little, and then back one way. The last time I pushed it, she cut the wheels really sharp and threw mud all over me. From toe to head, I had mud on me. I knew I would have to sit in dad's leather, and take the pain of knowing how many times I would have to clean the car (after 4 washings to the exterior and one to the inside it was decent).

This was all after I had just fussed at Alex for putting his dirty feet in the car seat. One day I'll learn that karma is real.

Loss of card leads to potential identity theft.

2006-06-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

This email will explain itself. I just thought I would blog it.

From: Frank Butler, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
To: ALL-CAMPUS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Cc: Bcc: Bradley Jay Luttrell
Date: 06/16/06 04:00 pm
Subject: Report on Theft of Personal Data

This afternoon, the university began mailing 6,500 current and formerstudents whose personal information may have been contained on afaculty member's computer drive that was stolen.I wanted to inform you about the incident and briefly discuss what stepswe are taking as an institution to mitigate the potential impact aswell as do everything possible to minimize future occurrences.

This incident was reported to UK police on May 26. A faculty member inthe School of Human Environmental Sciences reported that a "thumbdrive" - a small, detachable computer drive - was taken from aclassroom. The faculty member believes the drive may have containedclassroom rosters and personal data of students.It is impossible to tell how many students may have been impacted bythis theft.

The thumb drive, which contained more than 130 files, didnot match up completely with the professor's computer hard drive, whichhad class rosters and other information dating back to 1988. So, wehave decided to take the most cautious and conservative route andattempt to contact every student who was listed in some way on theprofessor's hard drive in his office.

First, this is a regrettable incident and we are deeply sorry that ithas occurred. We are doing everything possible to alert students andformer students who may have been impacted and provide them withinformation about how they can respond.

We believe that in the future the potential for such incidents will begreatly minimized as our new technology and information system - IRIS,the Integrated Resource Information System - is fully implemented. Inall, the university will have invested some $60 million in thistechnology upgrade.

The bottom line is that under IRIS, the use of Social Security numberswill be greatly reduced. As many of you know, students, faculty andstaff are assigned individual and unique identification numbers - not their Social Security numbers - to be used for class rosters, trainingand other campus activities.

Second, we are communicating with the campus about steps that can betaken in the short term to minimize the potential for additionalexposure or breaches of confidential information. Those steps include:

1) Our Information Technology (IT) department is conducting acomprehensive scan across the campus to determine where there areSocial Security numbers in use that might be publicly exposed in somemanner.

2) Additionally, as precautionary measures, IT advises: 1) a routinereview of credit card(s) and banking/financial institution(s)statements for any suspicious and/or unauthorized activity. 2) annuallyrequest a free copy of credit reports. You may do so by contacting aconsolidated credit report provider, such as AnnualCreditReport.comeither online at http://www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling1-877-322-8228. (3) review Web site on identity theft:http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

Third, and finally, we are forming a committee - composed of informationtechnology, legal and human resources staff - to examine the use andsecurity of Social Security numbers and make recommendations to betterensure that such information is safeguarded in the future.

We are not alone in this challenge. Since last year, 67 majoruniversities have reported extensive security breaches in one form oranother - many involving far more people than the incidents that haveoccurred at UK.

In an age and time in which vast amounts of information are continuouslystored and moved quickly and freely, we must take every step possibleto mitigate potential exposure and protect the confidentiality of ourstudents, faculty and staff.

At UK, we realize the anxiety and concern that such incidents cause. Weare moving quickly to minimize any negative impacts. As importantly, weare cting quickly and thoughtfully to ensure that we have systems andprocesses in place that limit such occurrences in the future.

Frank Butler
EVPFinance and Administration

Ebay is full of more than good deals.

2006-06-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

I bid on a lens for my camera on ebay, and didn't get it. I only bid up to $885.00, basically because I forgot to watch the end of the bid. Well, very soon after the bid ended, I received a second chance offer. I'm not crazy about these deals, because I had all ready had someone try to take advantage of me.

I received my first email from the bidder, asking if I was interested. I said yeah. So they said that I would receive an email from ebay, and of course shortly after I did.

This one was from aw-confirm@eBay. com , so I knew it was legit. I was interested. I got a very complex looking email telling me all this crap, looked like it was straight. I scanned through, not paying attention to most of it. But here was the problem, I didn't want to use Western Union. Apparently, you have to use Western Union if you don't win the auction...

Alex and I looked for a Western Union all over Lex Vegas, I just couldn't find one, because Yahoo directions was wrong. I was upset, and really wasn't crazy about sending it through wire anyways.

So I just decided against it. I emailed the person back, and asked them if they would mind me paying through paypal, because I didn't want to use Western Union.

No response.

I decided that I would send it again. I really wanted that lens. I sent another email, just saying I wanted to pay with pay pal because I didn't trust paying through Western Union.

Boy was I in for a treat.

Here is the response I got from the person:

(Warning, message is copied nearly exact and does have foul language. I only partially edited this message, as I would like for people to realize how easily this happens and the attitude of those who do it. Parental guidance and censorship is advised.)

"I am a romanian scammer and I target greedy idiots like you that think you can get something brand new for less than half the retail price.

You need to grow a brain because ebay is full of scammers like me.

I hope you get scammed soon f***head you dumba**. "

Everything I told you sounded like it was the real thing, right up until that last response, right?
Here's what I've figured out.

The original email from the person is a personal email, in which I shouldn't have gotten first if the seller had really done a second chance offer.
When I received the email from aw-confirm@eBay. com, notice the space at the end of the .com. That was only the name used, the person had put aw-confirm@eBay. as their first name, and then com as their last name. The actual email after I looked closely wasn't anything to do with ebay, it was info-transaction@email.com.
I never received any messages in my ebay account. Always look for those. You should be getting emails sent to your ebay account and your email. These guys are very good at convicing you it's real.
Western Union is even advised against by ebay. Never ever try it. It and MoneyGram are the two most unsafe ways of transfering money between people who don't know each other.

I've turned this guy in through two complaints and I am confident ebay will take the proper actions to punish them. Ebay even locked down my other account after it was hacked.

Talk about your share of bad luck & shams.

The Doctor is out.

It's only Tuesday

2006-06-13T21:21:00.000-04:00

I must find a job.

i DoN't woRk agAIn untIl FriDAy.

Mini Cooper Revolution

2006-06-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in the "waiting room" of the Mini dealer here in Cincinnati, Oh. My car's brake light came on recently, and I drove up to get the brakes changed and boy did they put me in for a treat.

They offered to change my oil, I didn't even have to ask. He said, "Would you mind if we changed your oil?" and I said, "Oh sure, that sounds excellent."

So from there we went on to discuss that my gas cap needed fixed, my driver's side window could use to be repaired, and that they may or may not change my windshield wipers.

I've never been serviced as this dealer has offered. It's great. (See I told you guys you needed a Mini Cooper).

He showed me the way to the "waiting room" and it's more equiped than my apartment. Free Starbucks Coffee, food, waters, Coke products*, free internet access (of which I am obviously taking advantage of), Xbox, plasma television (and boy is it huge), movies, probably more stuff that I haven't figured out I'm allowed to do.

I think after my car is ready they said they were going to clean it up, I don't know how much that means but I'm down.

If you're interested in Coopers, just check out the site:

Mini USA

(My car should be nearly finished as I saw them drive it past just a moment ago).

Tom is not your friend.

2006-06-09T19:23:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why anyone is worried about the environment. It's like, "what about the future?" "Where will our children go?" or my favorite, "Have you thought about your grandkids?".

Why do we care. I have my own space to live, breathe, listen to tunes, talk to people, have parties, all that. I did it online. All I did was sign up, give this website all my information, and in just a few seconds, I already had one friend. Well, their name was...Tom. But that's a start right? Even if I have a dude friend as my first?

Myspace has taken over the hard parts of so many things throughout the day. Parents, no longer will you have to worry about letting your daughters go out in short skirts and shirts that scream "Peaches for sale!". Nope. It's all being done for you! Right from your very own home!

That's right. Creeps are coming right into your homes, and snatching up your little girls without even having to open their bedroom doors. Old men can have a check at those peaches without even having to go to the produce store (it goes for guys too).

Check out the most recent "date" Tom and his buddies at www.myspace.com have set up. It's all over the news, it was a real slam! Especially with the feds.

CNN TELLS ALL!

Over easy:

Today I got a disgusting message sent to my "space" or whatever. I was only checking it to tell Tom off, but he has it fixed to where I can only message him every so often (not just me, but everyone). But I had this message from a random girl:

greetings im melissa, I'm new to myspace and figured id msg a few people to see wuz up. I usually chat on my webcam more than anything, so if ya wanna see my pic or chat a bit,

(there was a link here)
l8 Love ya24594

I replied telling her how much class she had and how I appreciated the offer from a total stranger. What a sweet girl, huh?

Trash.

Tom, you are not my friend.

The stink in the Tub

2006-06-08T22:05:00.000-04:00

Just read.

Alleyne latest loss for Cats

2006-06-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

Alleyne the Cats' most recent loss

Here is the dish on Shigari leaving UK, our latest "loss". I'm glad we have an opened scholarship personally. I hope Tubby makes good use of it.

Painstaking stakeout

2006-06-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to think that this whole case with the killing of an al-Qaeda leader isn't true. I believe he died, I watched the video. It's just that the way the government has released it, it seems as though they released it to the press to get al-Qaeda to fall apart. "One tip came from al-Zarqawi's own terror network" said the military.

Maybe I'm creating conspiracy theories, but al-Qaeda is such a bunch of tight wound crazies that it just seems odd that they gave up information like that, and then we put together a master plan in two weeks and it was over.

Read the story on CNN.

Blogger has been blocking

2006-06-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry for any delays with the blog. I have several more topics to be touched on such as Alleyne quiting the UK team (or whatever), the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi story, and some more on the Tubby battle.

My first day at the internship is tomorrow. Good luck, eh?

Well Kidnap My Crickets

2006-06-08T16:33:00.000-04:00

My Gecko, Cash, has long deserved a good meal. For the longest time he didn't get anything real. It was all freeze-dried crickets. The bait store in town didn't carry crickets over the winter and we had to tough it out.

I went to pick him up some crickets from the store, we got 25. I put them in the little cricket container I had (cost me like 5 bucks) and brought them up here to the Commons with me. I know there isn't supposed to be any pets, but Cash is way too cool to leave at home.

So I dropped Cash a cricket in his cage a couple days ago, and before I could even turn around he pounced it and began to dig in. I dropped him another one, and he swallowed it whole. I felt bad, all those crappy crickets were just keeping him alive.

I was so happy to have the little guy some real food. But I couldn't take the crickets chirping all the time, so I hid them in a bush outside. Reasonable right?

Well my crickets have been kidnapped. Cage and all is gone. My gecko has been violated. I demand an answer. I demand a response. I demand justice.

A $2,000 dollar reward is out for any information about the whereabouts of the crickets and/or their cage. Cash will be paid by Cash after the return of the crickets is made and he has eaten.

Disclaimer: Gecko has no real money. He also has no intentions of giving anyone any real money. He may very well share his meal with you if you're interested.

Tubby Smith called out by local fans.

2006-06-08T10:08:00.000-04:00

So apparently, a bunch of concerned UK fans tried to buy a full page ad in the Kentucky Kernel (UK's independent school paper) giving about 50 reasons on why Tubby should be fired (not sure on exact amount of reasons, but it was what is known as a crapload). Some of their facts weren't straight, or were at least questionable. Such as Tubby Smith is the highest paid coach in basketball history. As our sports editor (and I guess you could call him a managing editor over the summer) Chris Johnson pointed out, "That doesn't mean anything. Construction workers are the highest paid construction workers ever, because of inflation, not their good work."

There were several other claims that were just too hard to prove. So the Kernel's editors and ad staff made a decision, "No ad". Running an ad like that could give us the $1500 or 1700 promised, but could potentially cost us 25 times that amount from UKathletics, or even other businesses. The choice of not running the ad was business, and the man was told that.

So yesterday, he turned to the WLEX station and the Herald Leader. They ran a short piece about us (which spelled our advisor's name as Chris Moore, not Poore). So we in return were going to run a piece about our side of the story.

I just haven't seen it, but it should be in there today. Now our website isn't back up and running, but even if I have to type out some of it myself, I'll keep you posted.

I'm going to also try to find their website to give you BOTH sides of the story.

Better than nirvana

2006-06-08T00:55:00.000-04:00

The way I see it every ten years there is a sound that you can assert that generation with. Culture describes the majority; the majority consists of pop-culture’s most acclaimed artist, and there is always one that is thirteen furlongs ahead of the rest.

The Beatles owned the 60’s, Led Zeppelin were the 70’s, Van Halen had the 80’s (not Skid Row…Sebastian Bach is a wiener), Nirvana was pre April 6, 1994 (ya know, before Kurt decided to cop out and do the 27-year-old dead rock star thing), then after then someone else stepped in and hasn’t quite left yet.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been pwning for the past decade. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was my favorite Chili Peppers’ album. The feeling you get when listening to that album is incredible. It makes you wish you could pick up a guitar and wail on it like John Frusciante does. You’ll have dreams about making a bass sing like Flea does. Anthony Kiedis’ lyrics are so poetically smooth and yet still vague that no matter what he’s singing about, you’ve been there too. Chad Smith can hammer out a thousand drum beats and each one be different from all the prior.

That’s who RHCP is, and they’ve taken it upon themselves to take those abilities to our generation.

Everyone has heard Under the Bridge. That song is about Kiedis’ drug problem, but yet we all love it, and think it was written for us. That’s when you’ve found a good lyricist. I’ve always thought Dave Grohl was the best at making you think he’s singing for you by keeping his lyrics vague and accessible.

Stadium Arcadium should be the album we’re reading about years from now about how it raised the bar for rock music. Every rock musician was sitting in their underwear that Tuesday morning eating Cheerios with Stadium Arcadium playing in the background saying, “S-!+, we gotta stop screwing around!”. Tool was probably saying, “Well I wish we had actually put out an album that had 5 good songs, instead of 3.” I imagine Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam taking a shower, probably with a bottle of wine sitting in his shampoo rack, when he heard Dani California come on the radio and say, ‘Oh f*%$ (because that is his favorite word), how did they keep the sound their fans love and still improve?’.

(Side note) I believe Pearl Jam has gone folk-rock or something. I would love to see them in concert, but only in hope of hearing Rearview Mirror, Daughter, Evolution, Jeremy, Yellow Ledbetter, not Life Wasted, Comatose or whatever else is on the new album.

I’m so relieved that rock n’ roll isn’t gone. It’s like that scene in Almost Famous when Lester Bangs tells William Miller that he missed out on rock n’ roll, that it was dead. Black Sabbath was still on tour, John Lennon and John Bonham were both still alive, rock n’ roll wasn’t even close to giving out.

I just hope we can hold out for a few more years with some real music. God knows I’m tired of these groups coming out and having to act tough, try to be partiers and just flowing with what sounds good to the majority. I’m not saying we should break pop culture’s mold, I’m just saying we shouldn’t have to listen to seven bands that sound like Fall Out Boy, or keep hearing that glazed over sound that Ashley Parker Angel produces.

So thank you RHCP, for keeping it real.

Doc’s note: This theory is shared by The Doctor but is also the view of many, many music critics. The Doctor doesn’t mean to rip anybody off, only to tell it like it is.

Pics are on the way.

2006-06-07T12:34:00.000-04:00

I doubt anybody who bought pics off of me will see this, but your orders have been shipped and should be here by the end of the week.

Expect another review of Stadium Arcadium soon!

More reviews on the way.

2006-06-06T01:12:00.000-04:00

I have more reviews of more awesome albums coming, but until then, check out these awesome bands on your illegal downloading:

Men, Women & Children
Snow Patrol
Moth

I'm going back to Lex Vegas tomorrow, I'm sure after two hours of nothing in my room I'll be ready to blog.

Edwin McCain finds American tradition

2006-06-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

Every now and again, a musician comes along that reminds you of the first time you heard The Beatles.

Edwin McCain doesn't really give you that feeling, but does promise to make you forget all those others who did.

This album at first came across as country to me. As you probably imagine, I wasn't pleased as I am not a fan of the fad country has become. The joke before was crying about your wife, dog, or rent, and then drinking and driving your pick up to make up for it. Or the other joke, what do you get if you play a country music song backwards? You wife, truck and huntin' dog back.

Well forget all the jokes, The Beatles, and anyone who sounded like them or reminded you of Revolver (although I love that album). Edwin McCain is for real.

His album, Lost in America, displays hope of music still having heart (you know, that thing that actually wrote songs before pop music sneaked in through the window and sliced it's arteries with a Pussy Cat Dolls' CD).

By far, the best song off this album is the closer, Babylon, which Edwin didn't write. But don't hold that against him, because his raspy voice will capture you, just a few seconds after the electric guitar does, and about a minute and a half before the flawless blues rooted solos redefine the structure of the album.

I highly recommend illegally downloading Babylon, and if you like, you may want to try purchasing this album and helping out the underdog.

Listen or Order album here!

For Promotional Use Only

2006-06-02T11:01:00.000-04:00

I was a lucky school boy yesterday.

I walked into the Kernel because I had no where to go in Lex Vegas. My apartment wouldn't be ready for me to move in for another two hours. So I just cleaned up the photo department and revised our photographer list (as we had two new photogs).

Crystal Little (summer editor of the Kernel) asked me if I liked the Chili Peppers...

"Sheah!"

She gave me the new album. The one I rated as being freaking fantastic. I all ready had it, but I thought I could easily find someone else who would enjoy it half as much as I do (which is still 100%).

After this she told me to come look at what else she had, because there were a ton of albums she was about to, dare I say it...toss!

(The features section gets free albums sent to them by the artist's record labels in hopes that we will write good things about their album, and encourage purchases.)

I gained so many good albums yesterday. Even if they weren't things that I was interested in, there were so many good bands that I had not heard of.

Some of the most striking albums were:

RHCP - Stadium Arcadium *
Snow Patrol - Eyes Open *
Drag the River - It's Crazy
Men Women & Children *
Less Than Jake - in with the out crowd
Edwin McCain - Lost in America *
The Flaming Lips - at WAR with the Mystics *
The Trust
Moth - Immune to Gravity *
MercyMe
Ashton Allen - Dew Drops

* first impression was an amazing album, which stands out from the heaping amount of random albums laying accross my floor.

So I decided as a tribute to the albums, I will do at least a review of these albums listed, and probably a few more. Why not promote these bands, eh? After all, it is their company's will to sell and promote that I received all their albums for free!

So sit back, and prepare for what is to come! Awesomeness.

If nothing else I expect all of you to download the one recommended song I give from each album. If you refuse, you're basically wasting your ability to hear.

The Flaming Lips

2006-06-02T00:34:00.000-04:00

Looking for something to lock your lips to?

Look just a bit past the Milky Way, take a right at the first red light, and somewhere in there you'll find The Flaming Lips' new album, at WAR with the Mystics.

Blowing right past pop culture's expectations, at WAR with the Mystics is the lime for your Corona, the match in place of the lighter, or the medium rare instead of the well done. The whole CD seems like half cooked ideas at first, but merely 45 seconds into songs you can't wait to start the whole album over again.

The first song on the album, The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, started playing through my system, and was twice as annoying as the name (especially since that stomach cramping band actually called the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). But after just a minute of play, I was excited to be listening to this album and from this song on I promised myself (as I often do with new albums) that I would not skip through the songs.

I believe skipping through songs forces you to take the work as the artists didn't plan for. After you know an album by heart, it is more acceptable...but what if we had taken Tommy by The Who and just skipped around?

Now, The Flaming Lips are no The Who, but they're definitely Guess Who worthy (and they wrote American Woman...[feel free to stop reading if you really thought Lenny Krappitz wrote that song]).

My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion is one of my favorites off this album. The lyrics are great. They're by far some of the most symple, and easily read lyrics I've heard in a long time, but that's partially what made it so enjoyable. As with much of this CD.

You dont' have to wondering if you're getting it. You do. It's good music. It's bold. It's fresh. It's "mystical".

The Flaming Lips have taken music as it is on MTV, put it in an empty coffee can, waited for the chlorine to evaporate, added their touch of vanilla extract(or whatever makes music good...not popular. I imagine it would be something like vanilla), baked it for 7 hours at 450, and as if there had been a recipe all along, we have a great album packed with 12 powerful tracks.

I would recommend that no matter your taste in music that you illegally download some of this album. And if you are shocked, violated, or just freaked out by how good this sounds, think about doing ONE of two things:

1) Buying the album from your local music store. Supporting the band. Helping their record companies see their fans, know they're good, and call back for another album (and back the Lips' wallets too).

or...

2) Illegally download the ENTiRE album. Whatever. I don't care.

Enjoy whichever path you take.

University Commons, I'm in.

2006-06-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

My first day at the Commons. I'm not going to speak too soon, but it's nice. The walls were painted quickly, that's obvious...but I'm cool with that. It's not like I care. You can see where the walls have been painted over and over for about 10 years. It's cool though. Other than that, I haven't found anything. But it is my first day.

One thing I find to be awesome: air conditioning.

I took on random roommates. They seem like cool guys. Their names are Eddy, Andrew, and Brad. Brad is even set up for my end of the apartment. I found that kind of funny. They all know each other. That's exactly what the lady here said she wouldn't do. Ah well, it happens. They're nice though. Really cool guys.

Better than UK's Haggin Hall ever thought about being.

I'm going to head to Middlesboro for now, and I'll be back here for the summer this Saturday.

Model citizen

2006-05-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

Meet my sister, Megan. She's always loved the camera, and I've always been the one begging to take the pictures. Always at tourist traps while my parents posed in a battlefield or wherever the experience was at the time. I loved to fire the shutter (although my parents often stopped me, saying I cut off legs, arms, or heads).

Megan hardly ever asked to take the picture, as she was too big a fan of being in it.

She was cute then, but she's beautiful now.

Hotmail's security overrides the right of way.

2006-05-30T11:41:00.000-04:00

By The Doctor

After nearly seven years of trust and conversation, photos and security, address books and advertisement, one dedicated user of www.hotmail.com 's free email lost it all after his email and ebay accounts were hacked.

“It’s obviously a hacker,” said Brad Luttrell, a 19-year-old college student at the University of Kentucky. “All within the same time span, I lost my ability to sign into my ebay account, and email which both had the same password.”

Luttrell has had the account, luttrell12@hotmail.com, since his 7th grade year.

“My number in baseball was 12,” Luttrell said.

Through that one account, Luttrell depended on emails from his job at the school news paper, his upcoming internship (which he says he now doesn’t even know the address of his supervisor), and ran his blog, thedoctorbrad.blogspot.com.

Hotmail has responded to Luttrell’s relentless pursuing of his email, only to ship him from one helpless advisor to another.

“It’s as if the next person I speak with is more powerless than the one I spoke with the first time,” Luttrell said. “They all said the same thing, to forget it and get another. Some help.”

Hotmail gave Luttrell a list of commands, which in the end resulted in the old “forgot your password” routine that everyone who uses hotmail, knows by heart.

“That’s just it, I can’t get my secret question to work, and I’ve had so many different ‘alternate emails’ since 7th grade that I cannot figure out what my alternate email address is,” Luttrell said.

After a series of emails, a mysterious Jerome addressed Luttrell to answer 13 questions as truthfully as possible, and then his email would be unlocked. Luttrell complied to the 13 questions (which are listed below) and was surprised with a response from yet another character when he was informed that he would not be allowed back into his account and must just get over it and get another account.

1. The first and last name
2. The sign in name you are having difficulties with
3. Your date of birth in the form "month/date/year"
4. Your country or region
5. Your state
6. Your ZIP or Postal Code
7. The appro! ximate date of the last time you successfully signed in
8. The exact Microsoft Passport Network site you last visited on your last successful sign in (Example: MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, MSN Chat, MSN Games)
9. The approximate date you registered the account
10. A list of as many personal folders you have created in the account aside from the default folders of Hotmail (Example: Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items)
11. The name of your current Internet Service Provider (ISP) and any past ISPs you have used
* An ISP is a company that provides an end user with a connection to the Internet and other similar services, such as e-mail. Examples include MSNIA, EarthLink, and Comcast.
12. The name of the organization that you access the Internet from, if you access the Internet from outside your home
13. The IP address for each computer that you use for the account

Luttrell didn’t back down. He has replied relentlessly and has gotten no response after the final email. The email read that hotmail would no longer give any additional support and for him to simply move on.

After sending 5 emails before 11 a.m., Luttrell has begun to realize Hotmail’s help service is nothing more than its simple compliance to legal formality. Hotmail is unwilling to help it’s veteran users, and refuses to respond now, despite the fact that Luttrell was able to tell them every extra folder ever created on the account, every email that was in the inbox, and the types of emails he was getting.

Luttrell explained that he has an ebay account setup through his email and that he can even activate ebay’s forgot your passwords to be sent to that email. Nothing.

Luttrell decided that the only chance he has left, is to get help from his blog viewers. Maybe if he posted on his blog (which has been set up for months now, and came along long before this problem), and could get his responses and comments sent to his account, that maybe, just maybe he could prove the account was his.
“All I’m asking is that people send their comments because they will go to that email. All comments are sent there. Send five at a time, maybe even seven if you’re feeling froggy. I just need help. I obviously can’t do it alone, so maybe if my friends and readers jump in and help, the dopes at hotmail will see the truth. That’s all I’m asking for, just the 33 seconds it takes to send a comment,” Luttrell said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Editor's Note:
Brad Luttrell's opinions express that of himself, and although he is very outspoken about the fact that hotmail has cheated him, oppressed his situation, and chosen to be a corporate monster and forget about the people who make up its system of business, The Doctor supports Luttrell in every way. He only asks that you take the situation serious enough to leave a comment, or two. Don't let The Man win.

Portraits for sale

2006-05-30T09:41:00.000-04:00

So I've been doing some outdoors portraits for people (ok, my sister, girlfriend, and cousin...but I would like to be doing more!).

Rates: $50.00 + printing fees = cheap!

Indonesia struck my quake

2006-05-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

Check it out.

Farm Bureau awards 2006 Scholarships

2006-05-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

Since 2001 the Bell County Farm Bureau has been awarding scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to local high school students (up to 2 per High School). The recipients and their parents were honored at a recent Farm Bureau meeting. Pictured ( left to right) are: John D Brock ( Farm Bureau director), Elbert Bailey ( Farm Bureau director and president), Ray Reed ( Farm Bureau director), Derek Hickman from Bell County High School, Griffin Wilson from Middlesboro High School, Jeremy Sanders from Bell County High School and Matthew

PA system for sale

2006-05-26T00:09:00.000-04:00

If anyone is interested in a PA system, I have a good one for sale.

Thanks,
Brad

Markey Cancer Foundation Fundraiser

2006-05-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

Sunday. Car show. Markey Cancer Foundation.

Daily News loses on Project Grad

2006-05-24T18:53:00.000-04:00

This is hilarious.

I'm one of the Daily News' biggest critics...well sort of. Actually, I would say anyone who reads the daily paper has to be a critic due to the daily errors. For example, a headline that read, “Man Fleas Police”. Fleas, like the insect?

These are the types of errors we see more often than not in our only source of news here in Middlesboro, KY.

I had just started to see some good pictures and really some decent journalism come from the Daily News when I was surprised with what would have been an easily corrected mistake on Monday.

Yes, I am in the picture in the blue. I went to what is known as Project Graduation at our high school. Students get to stay up all night gambling with monopoly type money and then at the end of the night, there is an auction for all kinds of cool prizes (stuff for college).

The other people picture are Brad Bowling in the cutoff shirt and Hope Davis in the black. Bill Johnson is the guy in the yellow and in the American flag hat behind me is Mrs. Williams (from MMS).

Hope and I graduated in 2005. Brad Bowling isn’t even a student at MHS. The Daily News only published one picture of Project Graduation, and it had no MHS graduates for 2006.

2006-05-22T01:00:00.000-04:00

WARNING!
What you are about to see is not all of the graduation pictures that were taken, and in fact is only a small fraction of the total amount of pics. There is a list posted, and if the name you're looking for is on the list, I have good pictures of you. If the name you're looking for isn't on the list, leave me a comment and I'll go through my pics and search again. DO NOT GIVE UP IF YOUR NAME ISN'T POSTED, I MAY STILL HAVE A PIC AND HAVE MISSED IT. I HAD HUNDREDS OF PICS FROM GRADUATION. Also, not all of the pictures of each pesron has been posted. Just because one picture has been posted, doesn't mean I have one picture of that person. The best way to find out what I have, is ask.

OK, so once again not all of the graduation pictures have been posted, but this is just to give everyone a feel for how they turned out. Overall, I was pleased with outcome.

As I promised before, I will sell you pictures for nearly nothing compared to the other graduation photographers, but I will not promise that I have a good picture of everyone. What I have done though, is compiled a master list. If you're name is on it, I have pictures of you, so just check out the list below and contact me if you're intersted (and you should be because I will give you a deal you can't beat).

I have pictures of the following(excuse all name errors):

Graduates

Anna Sparks
Jenny Powell
Aaron Earle
Aaron Howard
Ashley Roark
Victoria Taylor
Megan Mars
Chandler Johnson
Stuart Miller
Candis Hill
Cody Bennett
Jolene Hall
Sarah Smith
DJ Helton
Dusty Abbott
Heather Sharpe
Khalid Eldahan
Erica Beaty
Marina Hoe
Sara Evans
Chris Evans
Griffin Wilson
Rhea Kaw
Zack Holbrook
Jasmine Hall
Bart Short
Alex Mars

Please, if you're not on the list, I may have just missed you. Just leave a comment WITH A RESPONSE EMAIL and I'll let you know.

Graduation pics.

2006-05-22T00:38:00.000-04:00

Middlesboro High School Graduation

2006-05-20T04:10:00.000-04:00

It's 4:07 a.m., and I just recently got home from what Middlesboro High School calls Project Graduation. It's great fun and all, but I'm worn out. I've had a reasonably long day, (consisting of being burned by my parent's tanning bed [am I really admitting this to the world wide web...yeah, because about 7 people have been reading lately so I figure no one will even know]). I didn't work out, because I was terribly sore from the day before, and I've consumed way too many carbonated sugar beverages.

Graduation pics coming tomorrow.

If you know I shot pics of you, your kid, cousin, nephews, niece, aunt, uncle, brother, sister or whatever, let me know, I'll sell it to you cheaper than any of the other photogs there (Ray Welch, Gary Ferguson). I will not promise that I have anyone who graduated, because I don't. But that's not why I was there. I was there to see two of my best friends (Alex & Rina [alphabetically]) graduate (among others).

My rates: adjustable.

I will work with you, we'll see what works. Generally, if I work for you, it's a minimum of $50, then you pay for what it cost to print your pics. But with these, I will charge only $15 up front, then what it cost to print pics (unless you're ordering one or two prints, then email me at luttrell12@hotmail.com and we'll work through a good price...). I will beat Welch's prices, but dont' promise to have a picture of the person you're looking for.

Halo nerds

2006-05-16T18:32:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure who is the bigger nerd.

I just found myself looking at bungie.net for news about Halo 3 (huge fan) and I ran up on this.

"We're also going to be coming up with some early Halo 3 swag pretty soon, and we'll keep you posted on that. I happen to be wearing a rad Halo 3 t-shirt right now, which is a huge hit with the ladies"

How is it that a Halo 3 shirt is hot with the ladies? I've yet to meet a girl who said, "You play Halo?...Can I come over sometime, play a little Halo then you can take me out for a steak."

Maybe I'm living on the wrong planet, or maybe it's just that I'm not living on a ring (if you got that, you're a nerd too). Whatever it is, I thought it was hilarious that this guy is saying that Halo 3 gear is getting him ladies.

Now here is the interesting part, who is the bigger lamo, the one who uses video game memorabilia to get dates, or the one who was reading a year and a half in advance for a game and found the comment?

Comments, questions? Or maybe you feel like publicly letting me know how much of a loser that makes me...

Stadium Arcadium is a cranium idiom

2006-05-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

The new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Stadium Arcadium, is full of either really deep metaphors, or nothing but idioms. I'm leaning more towards the metaphors and symbolism, but sometimes I just wonder what the heck Anthony Kiedis is talking about. I'm not going to bring out any specific examples, because I don't want to bias anyone against the album, because this album is (in my opinion) the best RHCP album.

I feared for this new album, feared it would be even more mellowed out than By The Way was, but By The Way has moved All The Way to the bottom of the RHCP albums list for me, and this new album is my favorite. Blood Sugar Sex Magic is now my second favorite, then Californiacation and I'm not familiar with the other cds as well, such as Mother's Milk, What Hit's or One Hot Minute.

I love this new album, and highly recommend it. Maybe with some of these new albums by RHCP, Pearl Jam and Tool we'll see a slight come back to all music in general.

Gator attacks

2006-05-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

Gators attacks, read all about it here on CNN.

One more time, for those of you who are still searching.

2006-05-13T00:09:00.000-04:00

I've posted this before, I know, but it's going up one last time for those who haven't found it in the Kernel's archives.

I went to the Kernel banquet this past Wednesday and it was great. I really felt good for giving CKRE the publicity it's deserved all along. It was such a great experience to work on that story and I really am proud of the outcome.

But anyways, one last time on here, and I promise you'll hear nothing else. Check it out below.

Also, here is the link for the video I made with it.

Video for CKRE

And also, my video will be down on the right side, under my pet you'll find the video in the links section. It will remain there from now on, but just enjoy this easy link while you can. It'll be gone after a few post.

Seeing the world through the voice of another.

2006-05-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

It should have been easy.

And for two years, it was.

Franklin McGuire spoke clearly into the microphone, reading stories from local newspapers and magazines as a volunteer for Central Kentucky Radio Eye, a radio station for people he can't see - and listeners who can't see him.

But occasionally, he would make a mistake during his live reading segments and mispronounce a word or two. Sometimes, the words he read didn't make sense to him.

"I discovered that I was making mistakes," McGuire said.

He was diagnosed with macular degeneration three years ago - a condition that eliminates the ability to centrally focus on an object.

"I decided it was time to quit," he said.

The gradual loss of vision pained McGuire.

"I'm a retired minister," he said. "Reading was my life."

The simple acts he used to perform on a near-unconscious level became subtle reminders of his limited vision. Squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush, parting his hair just right and recognizing friends and family became arduous tasks. To see an object clearly, McGuire must look to the side of it.

His vision will continue to worsen.

"There are strange things you never think about when you're in this predicament," he said.

Such as the concept that he's now on the receiving end of a service he once helped provide.

Like many of Radio Eye's more than 2,000 listeners, most of whom are visually impaired, the 83-year-old typically schedules his mornings around the broadcasts.

"We are the only radio reading service in Central Kentucky," said volunteer executive director Margaret Chase.

McGuire listens to The New York Times at 7:30 a.m. and the Herald-Leader at 8 a.m., then has breakfast a half-hour later. He turns the station back on one hour later, listening off and on throughout the rest of the day. Sometimes, he tunes in to hear book segments at night.

"Life would be a lot less pleasant without it," he said.

----

Charles Sidney can usually be found listening to Radio Eye on Sunday afternoons when he comes home from Pilgrim Baptist Church.

"Sometimes, I have it and the police scanner on at the same time, and listen to both," Sidney said with a laugh. "I enjoy listening to it."

Sidney can't remember what day he lost his sight, only that it was roughly two and a half years ago.

He had cereal for breakfast, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and headed down the steps of his small Lexington home on Greenwood Avenue.Stepping along the narrow, broken sidewalk, he eased into his Lincoln Town Car. He turned the key and shifted into drive, but something was off.

He couldn't see.

He'd only gotten partially in the road, so he backed into his driveway and got out. He felt his way along his chain-link fence, crossed the yard, carefully walked back up the steps and made his way into the house.

Sidney, now 61, never drove again.

"One thing, my most important thing, is not driving," Sidney said. "I missed that the most - being independent and going where I wanted to go."

Sidney still pays his car insurance and keeps the tank full. With the help of a driver, he runs errands for himself and his friends.

After losing his vision entirely, everything he does is based on feel. After he brushes his teeth, he wipes down the entire sink to ensure it's clean.

Sidney said he wasn't taken completely by surprise at the loss of his vision; both his father and sister were blind. Both are dead now; his father died in 1960, his sister in 1998.

His only brother, Anthony Mundy, 48, lives with him now, along with a friend, John Haidy. Although Sidney can get around on his own, Mundy and Haidy assist him in tasks throughout the day, such as preparing his meals and driving him to church or helping him run errands for his friends.

"I like to help a man when he's in trouble," he said.

In September 1986, Sidney underwent surgery to remove his cataracts, which clouded the normally clear lenses in his eyes. Typically, the lenses are removed and replaced with artificial ones. Sidney had cataract-removal surgery again in 1998, but would ultimately still lose his eyesight.

"After (the doctors) told me, I just went along with it, because there wasn't anything I could do about it," Sidney said.

Now, he has just enough vision to tell the difference between night and day.

Newspapers - once a standard part of Sidney's day - kept landing on his doorstep, and now, Sidney didn't know what to do with them.

"(The newspapers) were piling up and I wasn't reading them," Sidney said. "It was a waste of time."

When Sidney told the carrier he didn't want the subscription anymore, the carrier asked if he had anybody to read to him.

"I don't want to put that burden on anybody," Sidney told the carrier.

And, partly thanks to Radio Eye, Sidney doesn't have to feel like a burden. He can listen to the newspaper and take in its current-events content whenever he wants.

"Ain't no shame in my game," Sidney said. "I can do anything; the only thing wrong with me is I just can't see."

-----

Instead of playing with audio controls on a soundboard, McGuire now flicks just one switch.Instead of grabbing a microphone and scanning the day's headlines, he patiently sits and listens to someone else do the same thing.

But that doesn't bother McGuire.

"It was just a fact that I had to deal with," he said. "I knew it was irreversible. I can deal with things pretty well."

McGuire loves listening to the station and said it keeps him informed of many topics he wouldn't know about without reading the newspaper himself. But he doesn't rely on others to perform tasks that, for the most part, he can still do on his own.

McGuire sold his car when he moved to Richmond Place, an assisted living complex in Lexington. He often walks to his destinations, which include the Kroger in the nearby Man O' War shopping center.

"I don't mind it," McGuire said. "I can still see the cars."

Grocery shopping usually takes him longer than most customers, since he depends on items being in the same location as they were during his last visit. He reads labels with a magnifying glass that he carries in his pocket. But if he struggles, store employees are always willing to help, he said.

At home, McGuire uses more high-tech equipment than a magnifying glass. The Blue Grass Council of the Blind donated a magnifying device that allows McGuire to read text and see images on a monitor.

"I've been doing my taxes," McGuire said while clearing off the machine, which takes up most of his desk. "I can put the sports section under here and read it."

But reading tires McGuire quickly - he can usually get in about half an hour before the strain on his eyes is too much, preventing him from continuing.

That's when Radio Eye takes over.

"My wife could read to me, but you can't get it word-for-word on a daily basis," McGuire said.

And on a daily basis, people like McGuire and Sidney depend on the voices of Radio Eye to bring the outside world to life. "If we went off the air, it would not be available to these people," Chase said of the 16-year-old service.

"It would be quite devastating for people who have come to depend on us."

Ebay fanatic.

2006-05-12T23:56:00.000-04:00

I've recently discovered ebay. Well, I knew it was there, I've bought stuff from it before, and sold some Ben Folds tickets online, but now I'm addicted.

I'm currently selling about 5 items on ebay. A guitar, some rock n' roll shirts, and some foot pedals for effects.

This blog was random, I'm sure.

Rina's prom.

2006-05-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

Back, and revived.

2006-05-08T00:31:00.000-04:00

My first year of college is over. I thought it was never coming.

That's all I wanted to say for that part, that I was finished with my freshman year.

I have something more important to say. This weekend, I almost went to shoot pictures at the Kentucky Derby, but decided to go with my family to go and visit Mama Grace, a family member of mine who lives in Ohio, about 6 1/2 hours away from us.

Recently, Virgil, her husband, died recently after being sick for some time now. Mama Grace was seemingly fine up until his death. She lived with him in a nursing home just to be with him, to help take care of him.

Now she's there to be taken care of.

A little over a week ago, we found out from a minor test that she had cancer. The whole weekend my family and I have been talking about how it's common to see someone who has been married for so long go through this. One spouse dies and the other becomes deathly ill shortly after.

When we first walked in, all I could see was her son Frankie sitting next to her in a recliner by the window. The room was dimly lit with ambient light, and she lay facing him, asleep with her face traced by an oxygen tube.

In the room there were only two beds, a few small tables, a recliner, her TV, and two cabinets. She lay on the far bed, and the one pushed next to hers, empty where Virgil was resting a little over a month ago. This was my first though when I entered the room.

We were there when the doctor came to tell Mama Grace that her cancer was very aggressive, and recommended she focused on the quality of life, not the quantity.

"Just let me know if you need me to do anything for you," he told her with the most sincerity I've ever seen from a paid caregiver.

"No, no," Mama Grace said. "I'll have to do it on my own from now on."

It was amazing to see her sit there and learn about all this. I've never felt so intimate with a situation such as this. Helplessness among other emotions took over.

"Why is it everyone else seems to have known about this?" she asked. "You all have been keeping this from me."

We hadn't. No one had . It just came fast.

It was all so much of a learning experience this weekend. I've never seen someone in this state.

She admitted to being scared, admitted to not wanting it to come on her so fast, and told us a few regrets.

Mama Grace is so genuine. Her biggest request was that people don't forget her. The doctor told her he'd never forget her. He treated her, her husband, and her son, who died in his early forties from stomach cancer.

"When I write my book, your family is going to take up a large part of it," he told her.

One regret Mama Grace told me she had, was not seeing us as much as she could have while we were growing up, but my regret is that my family didn't see her as much while we were growing up. She always came to us, and all too often we didn't journey the 6 1/2 hour drive. One time. That's all we ventured.

I have no one to blame, that's just how things worked out. I could blame my parents, or just as easily say that she'd slipped to the back of my mind, until she was sick. I'm not going to though, what has happened is I've learned a valuable lesson from all of this, and it's a personal one. Even if I told you the extent of my weekend, and how much this has blown me away, you still wouldn't understand, and if you say you would, then I didn't want you to try. This is something I needed this weekend, and that's enough for you to know, that it was for me, Mama Grace and the others who came and went in that small room.

I've just been so moved by being around her this weekend, and looked at her and thought about so much of what she said that I had to do my part in keeping her memory alive. I don't care if it's just some random person who reads this, I hope you just look back on reading this maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, or whenever, and just remember that true love still exists, and that way, Mama Grace will get her wish.

Immigration flick

2006-05-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

Here's my tiny dip back into this blog before this weekend...

I'm not even sure how I came across this, but it's quite hilarious.

If you know anything about the immigration protest right now, you'll love this:

Immigration film.

Taking a break through finals

2006-05-02T17:41:00.000-04:00

I wont be back to my blog until this weekend. I find this terribly comfortable though, because I have had some request to see the video that I created of Radio Eye, and those can be found on this post and will be the only thing up until my return.

Radio Eye Story in PICTURE

Thanks for waiting,
Brad

Radio Eye story, now in video.

2006-04-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

I've put the link to the video I made out of my Radio Eye story on the title, and here too.

Franklin told me yesterday morning when I stopped by that he was listening to the station and that he heard his name go out, and they were reading the story on CKRE.

Once again, video link.

Bill Frakes.

2006-04-28T10:17:00.000-04:00

Who didn't grow up looking at Sports Illustrated? I remember hanging up posters and always thinking how cool those crazy pictures were.

Well, Wednesday night, I met one of the men making those posters and shooting those covers.

Bill Frakes is a long time friend of Dave LaBelle, the photo adviser of the KY Kernel. He came to speak to our photo group, the Dirty Dozen, and it was truly inspiring.

Frakes spoke on how he shoots an outrageous amount of days of the year, something like 280 or 300. That's a lot for a man with a 5-year-old at home, and something I don't think I would ever be willing to do.

I can't imagine leaving my family behind for that many days of the year. And that's the thing with Frakes, for those days, he's not home. He's traveling the world, shooting pictures. He's an absoulutely amazing photographer (and he knows it too, whoa boy is he cocky).

If you want to see some of his work, check it out AT HIS WEBSITE. I'm sure you'll find something familar.

Only watch if you're not planning on reading.

2006-04-28T00:11:00.000-04:00

Here is a video I've made, but don't watch it if you plan to read it (these means the parents).

I'll show you later again after everyone has read it. It really spoils the story if you watch it.

Seeing the world through the voice of another

Central Kentucky Radio Eye

2006-04-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Please take the time to read the story, and look at CKRE's site. It's a good cause, and if you're in Lexington, and looking for things to help your resume out, try heading to the King Library. There are all sorts of ways to help, just ask the man on the mic.

Happiness in slavery.

2006-04-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

I've never felt as I do today.

Last night, when leaving work at little after 1 a.m., I felt the slightest bit of accomplishment. I had been working on a story since February, and through many hours, and much, much, much help to my editors, Crystal Little, Adam Sichko, and especially Dave LaBelle (all of which I would consider friends, especially after the work they put into this with me last night), and finally, it was complete.

Today I experienced such a gratifying feeling when people began to tell me how much they enjoyed my piece, but none like what just happened when I went to the Kernel's site to get the link for my blog, did I find the most heart warming of all.

"Most excellent! Well written with the person's voice a clear statement of ability. What strength others can draw from this remarkable man and those who support him! The radio & newspapers provide the eyes and ears for people to take part in life and not just be observers.

Brad Lutrell captured the heart and life style of a wonderful man.
Brad, hats off! Well done! Please continue to hear the voice of others and capture them with your word pictures! Alice Tillett, Frankfort, KY "

Alice, those comments mean more to me than anything I've heard from anyone so far. Thank you so much.

At no point did this article ever seem like it was getting old, or that I just wanted to finish it for finishing's sake. I always wanted to tell Franklin and Charles' story. I hope you'll take the time to learn why (link below), and I hope I can help the Kernel to bring you to many more stories like this next year.

Seeing the world through another voice.

Sorry for the delay, I hope you understand. After all the time I've lost from school, I finally do.

Hold yer horses

2006-04-25T00:16:00.000-04:00

I've been asked about when I'll be back by a few. I'm really really busy right now with my job and school, so just check back around Wednesday or so, and hopefully I'll be back in gear by then.

Thanks all,
Brad

This is the last one.

2006-04-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

2006-04-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

2006-04-21T16:48:00.000-04:00

2006-04-21T16:45:00.000-04:00

2006-04-21T16:40:00.000-04:00

It's not the women anymore...

2006-04-20T16:52:00.000-04:00

Drivers beware... of other drivers.

It's all right here.

The most ironic day I think I've ever lived.

2006-04-20T00:24:00.000-04:00

Today, was indeed one of the most ironic days I have ever lived (hence the title).

I was riding my bike to shoot pictures of mud wrestling, which means I was going down the road here, in the sidewalk.

This is University right beside of the Cooling Plant for anyone who knows UK's campus very well.

In my business, you tend to stick to what's interesting. Well, car accidents are interesting, which is exactly what I spotted, just as you can see in the next diagram, at the red X.

OK, so you see the red X, that's where a small car was crushed. I find this to be interesting, and start snapping a few pics (blue X is me, snapping a few pics). I'm shooting from the other side, when this lady walks up to me (brown X) and asks me who I'm working for. I say the school paper, well, here we go.

She says I should write a story about how nobody stops at these cross walks for pedestrians. I laugh at her and say well, you're right (thinking silly woman, that's a dumb idea). She says no really, and I merely suggest a stop sign. She continues, I say well maybe you should speak with the police...

So we both cross the road to talk to the police, and she begins her discussion as I get as much info as I could at that time. I have a relatively hard time getting back accross, but not too bad.

I go on to shoot pictures of mud wrestling, which was a fundraiser for habitat for humanity. It was fun. I shot it for an hour and half probably. I tried the entire time to stay clean, and managed to, but on the last quote, a girl who I had shot pics of before slapped my arm and sprayed mud all over myself, my bag, and my shirt. I smiled, not wanting to reflect poorly on my paper. But really, it was just mud so I thought to myself, "worse things can happen". I'm very smart you know?

I leave and the mud is all ready begining to dry on my arm before I cross the main road, Cooper. After Cooper from Goodbarn (where the mud wrestling was) it's a downhill cruise.

I was coming fairly fast down the hill, and looked to see that the accident was cleaned up. I was thinking to myself about a joke I was going to ask the Editor-in-Chief about cleaning my shirt as part of my paycheck. Cute eh?

Okay, so right as I come to the place where the lady had warned me about cars not stopping for pedestrians, I was at my top speed. I slowed slightly to cross the cross walk going UP now, and (I'm blue remember) looked to my left to see nothing and right to check for incoming traffic for the second lane. Next thing I know, in the first lane, there is a red blazer coming right at me, and I'm not slowing down at all. My brakes are bad, did I mention that before? Imagine that, I paid 58 dollars for a bicycle and the brakes are wearing out.

Okay, so red arrow is the blazer, and yellow cloud is our collision. We hit. I kind of clipped into her bumper, and some how my tire slid into the tire well (and managed to not get warped). I kind of rolled up onto the hood and honestly believe holding onto the bike which was lodged into the tire well was the only thing that held me from going over.

I pull myself down, and look into the open passenger window, and say, "Yeah, how about slowing down a little next time?"

Here is where I expect tears, apologies, compensations, offers of a ride, anything but what I actually her the (insert curse words here)...actually say.

She says, "I'm late for class."

Wow.

I (embarrassingly enough) cursed back at her and she drives away. That's right, she left me standing there. So I just drive on. At this point, I'm not even sure what has happened. I just know my bike works, and I wanted to get to the Kernel to empty my card.

I tell the first person I see, and they're surprised. I begin to think, OK, this was a big deal. It was just setting in that I had been hit by a car, and they ran...

How ironic is it, that the exact (and I mean within a few feet) location that a lady told me I should write a story about how dangerous the cross walk is, and I laughed at her, is the same place I was hit by a car at.

There were several more ironic situations, but this is by far the greatest.

Moral of the story: Listen to the public.

Photog for hire.

2006-04-19T16:33:00.000-04:00

School is almost out and this photographer is going to have four weeks of nothing but...nothing. So if you or someone you know has plans for anything, recommend the Doctor!

Cheap prices, choice of easy prints or disc, and no packages.

CONTACT ME:

luttrell12@hotmail.com

James Taylor

2006-04-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

I've been at the Kernel a little more the past few days, and I've been listening to some of the music that our photo editor had on there, and I must admit, I enjoy James Taylor quite a bit.

He says everything just right. It's how you always wanted to say it all along, but couldn't think of how to get it across.

Whenever I see your smiling face
I have to smile myself
Because I love you (Yes, I do)
And when you give me that pretty little pout
It turns me inside out
There's something about you, baby (I don't know)

Isn't it amazing a man like me
Can feel this way
Tell me how much longer
It will grow stronger every day
Oh, how much longer

I thought I was in love
A couple of times before
With the girl next door
But that was long before I met you
Now I'm sure that I won't forget you
And I thank my lucky stars
That you are who you are
And not just another lovely lady
Sent down to break my heart

Isn't it amazing a man like me
Can feel this way
Tell me how much longer
It can grow stronger every day
How much longer

No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today
Whenever I see you smile at me
No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today
Whenever I see your smiling face my way
No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today
No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today

Duke lacrosse players charged.

2006-04-18T09:14:00.000-04:00

Two Duke lacrosse players charged with rape

Oh yeah

2006-04-17T23:51:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention that I did get the job at the Kernel as photo editor.

For the family

2006-04-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

No matter how expensive the toy, sisters will always take it and play with it. More than likely using it in some way that will tell on them later, geeze Megan.

Emily's first tooth and a half.

Dylan

I over-exposed my pics. Sorry.

My grandfather bought a Volkswagen.

My aunt's new car. Pretty sweet.

Little story...

2006-04-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

A lesson to be learned from one typing the wrong email address! A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2004

"I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!"

Bloggers BEWARE...if you're a murderer, don't blog about it.

2006-04-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid I've heard it all. That's right. The suspect of a murder for cannibalism, wrote about it in his blog. Just check it out, I'm not getting into this.

Sick Freaks Here

David Broder comes to UK

2006-04-13T15:13:00.000-04:00

When someone has been in a business as long as David Broder has been in journalism, people listen to what they have to say; that’s just what students and faculty did Wednesday night at the Singletary Center, listen.
David Broder, a political columnist for the Washington Post since 1966, has been in journalism long enough to see many historical events such as Vietnam, the assassination of Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Over that time, Broder has been awarded a Pulitzer for his commentary in 1973 (wikipedia.com) and has won numerous awards since and written several books.
After being introduced by prominent journalism seniors Rachel Tierney and Adam Sichko, Broder took the stage and thanked everyone, especially for his first double introduction.
“I’m also very grateful, frankly, for an excuse to be out of Washington,” said Broder to share a laugh with the audience.
Broder addressed problems within our country’s structure. From the immigration problem, to the budget bill, to how Iraq is still facing unresolved problems, to the issue with Iran military intervention, and the president’s historically lowest approval rating ever.
Broder spoke about politicians promises of reforms with lobbyist industries that are carrying so much finance and weight for campaigns.
“It’s a sham,” said Broder about the fact that none of the reforms ever actually materialize.
“I have come to agree with Mitch McConnell,” said Broder about the attempt to stop lobbyist. “No matter how ingenious they are in creating ways to close channels, someone will always find a way around.”
Broder said we must find a way around the lobbyist, to force campaigns to gain their power elsewhere.
And soon as the audience was expecting to hear Broder’s expert opinion on all of these problems, they were faced with a vastly different follow up than what seemed to be coming.
“People are hoping for some enlightenment, but unfortunately for the press, we’re in a crisis of our own,” said Broder, making clear what he had been indirectly addressing his entire time on stage.
The rise of the internet and television has enormously widened the choice of the public, but it has forced the media into a paradox, Broder explained. The media is supposed to be providing the public with information to fulfill their responsibility as citizens. This enables them to “keep an eye on those in power,” said Broder.
Broder went on to say that the media cannot be governed as many other privately owned organizations. The offer of free speech is what allows us to be so interrogative of the government and inform the public, if you take the ability to speak freely of them, then you take away people’s right to know.
The method of which people learn is something Broder says he himself has watched change over the years. When he started, many papers and television stations were owned by families, and that business had been passed down through the family over each generation.
But things are picking up pace, and papers are being sold and not done locally. Broder used the example of the Los Angeles Times being controlled by the Chicago Tribune, and how all the decisions for the Los Angeles’ paper, was made in Chicago. Broder said that today, the question is who is going to pay?
“Good journalism is inherently expensive, because good journalism is labor intensive,” said Broder.
Broder said that so many people are not buying news papers anymore, and just relying strictly on the internet, but the web sites aren’t producing the kind of revenue that would sustain costly and sensible journalism. While the internet has been marvelous for expanding the media’s reach, Broder explained the problem that is arising with internet news.
“Speed often comes at the cost to care,” said Broder.
Broder explained that as a reporter, you should learn to depend on your editor, to tell you to work more on certain sections, or to add more here. “The editing function is the essence of good journalism,” said Broder.
Broder reflected on how the leadership is not only going to have to come from our country’s leaders, but our newsroom leaders.
"We are looking at serious, serious challenges to leadership," said Broder. "There's a palpable hunger in this country now for political leaders who will look beyond the next election and will begin to deal with each other. There is real hunger in the news room for leaders and educators who will use the great privilege that the First Amendment has given us,” said Broder.
Broder said that the media will have to change as demand does.
“I believe we will come to some point when the internet comes to pay for some cost,” said Broder. “Otherwise…news gathering will slowly begin to whither and dry out.”
Broder said the cost is initially going up for the press to produce the news.
“We’re going to have to figure out that some of the costs are going to have to come from us,” said Broder.

Stress Ball

2006-04-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

I need a giant stress ball to beat the crap out of for about half an hour. I don't feel good at all. I didn't do good on my interview, I mean, I just ended up bombing it. I went completely the other direction of how I wanted to go. I'm working on this assignment that is an awesome story and I'm scared I'm not telling it good enough.

If anyone sees a giant stress ball walking around, send it to Haggin.

Bomb threat triggers evacuation - Campus News

2006-04-13T12:21:00.000-04:00

Bomb threat triggers evacuation - Campus News

So here was the news for yesterday. Bomb threat. I think it was because of an exam. I talked to a guy (this pic didn't run) who said, you can retake an exam, you can retake a class. If you get caught with this, you get time in prison. You can't take that back.

Pretty true.

David Broder, yeah be jealous.

2006-04-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

I can't go on for days like I wish I could, but tonight, I got to hear David Broder, a columnist for the Washington Post speak, and it was awesome. I only have time to brag, for I'm writing a paper over it to send to my teacher.

I'm going for my interview tomorrow for photo editor of the Kentucky Kernel. Wish me luck, or something.

The Doctor

We're too numb.

2006-04-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

We're too numb to what is going on elsewhere in the world. It's like 75 deaths in Iraq is just a way of measuring how much the president's approval rate is going down.

"75 people killed, yep well, I guess that's about equal to 1 percent lower on the ratings, sorry Mr. President."

It's stupid. Imagine that happening in your own town and the whole story changes.

Today, a car bomb killed 26 people. 26? That's a 6th of my graduating class! That's your sons' and daughters' entire class room in most cases. To many, that's everyone working around them.

26 isn't just a statistic, or a number, or an amount. That's individual lives. Possibly individual familes. An event like this brings so much pain to so many families and we don't even think about it. We read the paper, see the pictures (if there are any), read the headlines, and few will make it past the lead.

That is a shame.

9/11 tapes will make your blood run cold.

2006-04-12T08:49:00.000-04:00

These two links will almsot bring you to tears. Very well written stories on the accounts of the Flight 93.

Jurors to hear Flight 93 cockpit tape

Jury sees harrowing images of 9/11 terrorism

Haggin's Happy Campers

2006-04-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

Last semester my RA posted up flyers saying that Haggin Hall had the lowest GPA and the highest drop out rate. Well, this semester (and I don't know how this happened...) this is what is hanging on our bulletin board:

Reflects well on Haggin, I beleive.

ps- for all my future haggin residence readers (I think have 2, maybe 3), this is mostly towards the end of the semester when these things start popping up, so don't worry, you have a few months without the look of these evil monsters.

University Commons Review

2006-04-11T22:44:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me a review of my apartment complex for next semester. It's a pretty crappy review, but it only consist of 11 people (12 if you count the one I did with perfect score just to prove how few people had voted...before my vote the score was like 18% or something).

I'm not sure why I'm posting about this. Maybe just to say look, bad reviews. I don't care. It looks like everyone in the complaint department is just saying stuff about management. I could say the same about Haggin, blah blah blah, but that doesn't mean it's unbearable. I think the review is just a few spoiled brats, but what do I know...I haven't lived there right?

No but I have made 4 visits now, and have talked to several people who have lived there (some of which I think are quite credible, considering they lived there for an entire school year). I have heard parking can kind of suck on weekends, big deal, it's still better than UK. I find it hard to believe that management is as tight as some of the letters make it out to be, seeing as my friend's buddy from back home has a boxer living in those apartments.

I don't care what 11 people have to say about the University Commons. I need my space, and I need some responsibility, which dorm life has given me little of.

So University Commons, welcome me with open arms, and I wont greet you with a closed mind.

2006-04-11T17:38:00.000-04:00

This connection is too funny.

So if you remember the turkey buzzard incident from yesterday, you'll get a kick out of this.

Anybody know why birds are attracted to black cars, chevy's or trailblazers? Please tell. Dad, consult John Mayer about your problem, it seems his new cd Try may have information on your problem:

How did they find me here

What do they want from me

All of these vultures hiding

Right outside my door

I hear them whisperin

They're tryin to ride it out

Cause they've never gone this long

Without a kill before

That's more than likely it for the Doc. today. I've got a huge paper due tomorrow in Fairy Tales. That class was a mistake.

Photo position

2006-04-11T15:33:00.000-04:00

Currently I'm the assistant photo editor of our paper, the Kernel. I've applied for the position of photo editor next year, and will be going for my interview in two days. I only know of one person who will be running against me, but nothing is certain.

I would love to have this position. I've gotten the feel for it this semester, learned the ropes, and now I'm ready to leap in and try to make the kernel's photo section even better than it is. We have a very devoted group, and I'd love to push that even further.

Our young staff has time to grow and do some great things, such as personal projects, group projects and turn our daily photographs into more than just money for a student.

I'm looking forward to working with our staff next year whether or not I get the position, but I'd love to be responsible for what's hopefully going to be happening.

Long-winded win can't save Cats - Sports

2006-04-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

Long-winded win can't save Cats - Sports

All right, if somebody wants to explain why we loaded this picture up as a thumbnail on the main page, I have no idea.

This is a rerun but I thought it'd be cool to post it. The guy has a good face at the moment.