News Central

Even though I may be a busy person, I always dedicate at least one hour a day reading the news. There are always a few stories that get into the news wire just to fill space and then there are others that are really news worthy. Here are a few stories that interested me.
According to the New York Times, yesterday, the United States military arrested and captured Taliban Commander, Mullah Abdul Baradar. He is considered to be the number two man in the Taliban, who is behind Mullah Mohammed Omar. "Mullah Baradar had been a important contact for the Afghans for years". American officials believe that this arrest is absolutely crucial because it will ensue more cooperation between Pakistan and the U.S. This arrest is also bad timing for the Taliban because they are going through an internal debate about negotiating for peace or fighting the Americans. Reports say that the U.S. are sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan later this year. Personally, it's great that the military did something good by arresting the number two man in the Taliban, but the day if they capture Osama Bin Laden, then I will be joyous about our progress. For now, I will give a golf clap. They better make some arrests since there are already over 90,000 troops in the Middle East.
According to the New York Times, in a new study, 60 percent of the subjects believe that Colleges are operating more like a business rather than making it a educational experience. "The study is a joint project of Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and higher education, also found that most Americans believe that colleges could admit a lot more a lot more students without lowering quality or raising prices, and that colleges could spend less and maintain a high quality of education". There are nine out of ten people that do want to go to college. However, "83 percent said that students had to borrow too much money to pay for college". The problem is that colleges are spending too much money to function, never mind spending money to improve facilities for education. It stinks and I am one of those students that think that college is too much of a corporation rather than giving opportunities for an educational experience. It was inevitable considering how much students need to pay for just for the tuition rather than room and board.
In sad news, Doug Fieger, the lead singer and guitarist of the band the Knack, who performed the 1979 hit “My Sharona”, passed away yesterday. Fieger, 57, succumbed to lung cancer his family announced. "My Sharona" held Billboard's No. 1 song for six weeks in the summer of 1979. "Bruce Gary, the Knack’s original drummer, died in 2006". It's depressing news to me because I really enjoy that song. Now it is time for me to listen to more of their music, even though they never had another song that was as big as "My Sharona".
News travels fast. Because of the internet, everyone will sit down and read a headline and think they know the who story. Print news is definitely the way to go, even if they don't know how to charge online. There are too many people that I am acquainted to that don't read the news. I know reading the news is my obligation as a journalist, but it gets awfully boring if there is no one else to talk to about juicy news. Someday, the college kids will read the news, the question is how and when.