Ole Miss Alumni

David Camp
Jour 271
October 25, 2011
Ole Miss Alumni


Report from: David Camp
Speakers: Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, John Peters

Former Ole Miss students Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, and John Peters spoke at the Overby Center on Friday, October 21, about their careers after graduating.

The former students talked about how Ole Miss made them prepared for life after college.

Speaking about finding a job, Pope says … and these are his exact words… “Its not the grades you make, It’s the hand you shake.”

Around 30 people showed up to listen to the lecture that started at 10 A.M.

During the lecture, Ole Miss Journalism Professor Deidra Jackson asked the former students to explain what they're doing now.

Brown, Pope, and Peters all have jobs in different areas of the country, including Washington and Atlanta. At the end of the lecture the former students answered questions from the audience.

Tuesday October 25, 2011
Reporting: Wiley Anderson- University of Mississippi

Speaker: William Doyle

Last week, author William Doyle spoke in Oxford Mississippi regarding his book "An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962. Doyle is a New-York Times best selling author.

Doyle spoke in front of a live audience of both faculty and students. His book tells the story of James Meredith, the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi.

"It was a fourteen hour riot with white supremacists, federal marshals, and soldiers to defend the Lyceum over there," Doyle explained.

He also offered some insight into his writing process, citing FBI briefs and interviews with people present that day.

When his presentation finished, he offered words of inspiration for all the aspiring journalists, while also answering questions.

Journalism Graduates Tell All

Picture: (From left to right) Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, and John Peters

October 21, 2011

Reporter: Allison McDill

Speakers: Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, and John Peters

The University of Mississippi’s Association of Black Journalism hosted the Newsmaker Lecture Series October 18 through October 21. Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, and John Peters were invited to inform students about their lives after graduating Ole Miss.

Brown, Pope, and Peters discussed how internships will increase the chance of graduates getting jobs, and how the economy has affected each of their lives and careers.

Peters said, “After my freshmen year here at Ole Miss, I actually quit my first internship. I was really discouraged in myself. I then participated in the Washington internship which got me the legal experiences I needed and allowed me to meet people that helped me get my job today.”

Video: Oscar Brown explaining his job and his new community service project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcF_85Atruk

Brown Bag Lecture on Unspoken

Reporter: Bracey Harris

Speakers: Martin Arnold, Rebekah Flake, Hosik Kim, and Michael Satterfield.

Artists (right to left) Michael Satterfield and Hosik Kim prepare to give their lecture on their work 'Unspoken'.

Last Wednesday art revelers were treated to PB& J with a side of talk.  The University Museum hosted four graduate students to talk about their exhibition “Unspoken” as part of its weekly Brown Bag Lecture series.  Members of the public were invited to make a sandwich, enjoy some lemonade, and listen to the inspirations behind the artists’ works.  The show ranges from pictures taken by Hosik Kim to paintings by Martin Arnold.  Artist Michael Anderson disccussed the theme of his piece ‘Going Nowhere’.

Anderson said the message of his work is “don’t drag your children through everything you’re going through in life.”

Video of Rebekah Flake speaking on the theme of Unspoken

The exhibition will be featured at Frame Up on the Square until November 17.

Video of William Doyle Lecture

Revisiting an American Insurrection

Tuesday October 25, 2011

Reporter: Shad Green

Speaker-William “Bill” Doyle

Revisiting an American Insurrection

Last Tuesday morning, New York Times best-selling author William Doyle spoke to Ole Miss faculty and students about his book, “An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi,1962.”

Doyle is best known for being a storyteller of fiction through his interviews with history makers.

The book tells the story of James Meredith, the first African American to apply for admission to Ole Miss, and how that decision launched what he refers to as “the gravest conflict between federal and state authority since the Civil War.”

During the lecture, Doyle briefly describes that fateful night of September 30, 1962.

“It was a 14 hour riot fought by a crowd of white supremacists and federal marshals and soldiers to defend to Lyceum.”

VIDEO OF WILLIAM DOYLE SPEAKING ON EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT.

Doyle also explained how the idea of the book came about and his writing process through his conduction of over 500 interviews with key players like James Meredith, access to 9,000 pages of FBI files, and viewing President Kennedy’s old White House tapes.

At the end the lecture, Dr. Don Cole opened the floor for questions from the audience and William Doyle reminded the audience that the key to revisiting the past is by having an open mind.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Reporter- Sommer Hughes

Speaker- Kathy Times

Thursday morning, journalist Kathy Times spoke to Ole Miss college students about why it is important to never settle and always plan ahead.

She is best known for investigating reporting which won her an Emmy and also for interviewing powerful leaders such as George H.W. Bush.

VIDEO OF KATHY TIMES SPEAKING

She discusses why you never need to burn any bridges.

"Be nice to people because you never know when you're going to see them again"

Times was open for comments and discussion afterwards and she stressed to everyone to never settle and to go where you want to go or you will never be fully satisfied.

VIDEO FOR UMABJ GRAD STUDENTS SPEAK

BENTLEY BRYANT

BENTLEY BRYANT

UM GRADS SPEAK (UMABJ)

10/21/11

Picture: the three grad students; Marquita Brown, Oscar Pope, John Peters.

Video: same three grad students.

THREE PREVIOUS REBELS VISITED THEIR ALMA MATER THIS PAST FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21.

MARQUITA BROWN, OSCAR POPE, AND JOHN PETERS ALL SHARED THEIR LIVES AND JOBS AFTER OLE MISS IN THE OVERBY CENTER. APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 25 PEOPLE WERE PRSENT TO WITNESS THEIR SPEECHES.

EACH WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR CURRENT CAREERS, DAILY ROUTINES, AND HOW OLE MISS AS A UNIVERSITY WAS ABLE TO HELP THEM IN THEIR EXPERIENCES. OSCAR POPE SHARES HIS PROFESSION AND ALSO HIS NEWLY FOUND LOVE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES ACTS.

“I think once you graduate and get out of college, you learn to be more selfless, and giving back to see how blessed and fortunate you are.”

THE THREE GRADUATES TOOK QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE HOUR, REGARDING INTERNSHIPS, SPECIALTY MAJORS AND MORE.

JEMELE HILL 10/24/11 PKG VIDEO: INSIDE OF OVERBY

VIDEO OF AUDTORIUM

SUPER: JEMELE HILL

VIDEO: OUSTIDE OF OVERBY

LAST TUESDAY THE OVERBEE CENTER WAS HOME TO ESPN PERSONALITY JEMELE HILL – WHERE SHE SPOKE ABOUT PANTIES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND HER PATH TO ESPN.

IN A SPARSELY CROWDED AUDITORIUM OF ABOUT 25 PEOPLE-- HILL SPOKE ABOUT HER RISE FROM NEWSPAPER TO TELEVISION.

“My path to ESPN was very nondescript. I was a newspaper baby-newspapers are my first love. And I had no desire, no thought of ever working at ESPN.”

AFTERWARDS HILL TOOK QUESTIONS AND PICTURES WITH THE REMAINING CROWD.

HOUSTON BROCK REPORTING—OLE MISS NEWS.

Sommer Hughes

Broadcast Story

Ms. Jackson

October 25^th, 2011

What’s Old, What’s New, and Why Some Things Must Never Change

Thursday morning, journalist Kathy Times spoke to several college students about why it is important to never settle and always plan your future.

Times is known for her investigating reporting which won her an Emmy and for interviewing powerful leaders such as George H.W. Bush.

Times is discusses that it is so important to never burn bridges and to love what you do. In her talk she says to be nice to people because you never know when you’re going to see them again.

Times talked about the difference in being a “baller” or “shock caller”. She tells them a shock caller is her best way to go because then she is head of what she wants and she can follow her on lead.

At the end of her talk to the students she told them to never settle. Go to where you want to go and you will live a happy life.

Edited First News Story

Sommer Hughes

September 13, 2011

MIP’s

Word Count: 437

Being ranked no. 3 party school in the country, Ole Miss has many students who pay to uphold that title. The bars on the Square always bring in a big crowd of students 21 and older and the younger. Over the years the Square has lured underage students to drink, have a good time, and then, get caught and written up for a Minor In Possession which is also known as an MIP.

According to police officer Tony Webb of the Oxford Police Department, there were many MIP’s given out during the first weekend back.

“It’s hard to tell a huge difference between the amount of MIP’s given in this year and the amount given last year,” said Webb.

Webb, who has worked as a police officer in Oxford for 23 years said he is used to the commotion that the first fall weekend at school brings. A few people were arrested for MIP’s, while others had a ticket written up.

“ We never normally arrest anyone for MIP’s unless they are causing a scene or fighting back to the officer writing them up,” said Webb.

Deputy sheriff David Box who has been an officer in Oxford for 14 years said MIP’s are increasing because each year more students are pouring in. This school year has a breaking record for Ole Miss with the pouring in of 4763 freshman students, which means more people to be on the lookout for on the square.

It is not only a police officers job to monitor this sort of matter. Bouncers at bars play a big part in whether an underage person gets in. Bouncer Daniel Harber has had quite the job these past few weeks.

“Through the week I don’t turn down near as many as you’d think,” he said

Being a bouncer has risks that might get them in trouble.

“The police can take me to jail for letting people in who don’t have real ID’s,” Harber said.

“I can’t help out my underage friends when the ABC is in town,” Harber said.

“Those guys are serious about keeping underage kids sober and busting bouncers and bartenders in any way they can.” Harber said.

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Daniel Harber, 662-423-8277, idharber@olemiss.edu

David Box, 662-234-6421

Tony Webb, 662-232-2400

Brevard Institute Shows Southern Traditions

Brevard Institute Shows Southern Traditions

For the next two weeks, the Brevard Institute on the campus of the University of Mississippi will be displaying an exhibit titled “Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet.” The exhibit displays numerous pictures taken throughout the south.

The pictures come from anywhere between Washington County, MS to Beaufort, South Carolina. In addition to the photographs, there is also a large amount of memorabilia collected from many years ago.

 Included in the memorabilia section are packs of Lynyrd Skynyrd Incense with a woman in a Confederate flag bikini top. Elvis Presley trading cards can also be found in the exhibit. David Wharton, an employee at the Brevard Institute offered some insight about the theme of the next display in the Brevard Institute.

“Kate Medley, a former graduate student, will have her photographs shown. She works part-time as a photographer for Whole Foods, taking pictures of the organic food being grown and not being grown in a corporate manner.”

"Not Exactly There"

Bright, abstract canvases transform the blank walls of Meek Hall’s Gallery 130 into a work of art themselves. Michael Wille’s exhibit “Not Exactly There” has been brought as to campus as an educational tool for the university’s art students.

Wille’s exhibit is meant to show students the possibilities of life as an artist after graduation. He is interested in helping teach as well as learning from other artists in the area.

“I am very excited to have Wille’s exhibit at Meek,” said Robin Walker “as a soon-to-be graduating art student, it encourages me to pursue my passions and hope for the best.”

The exhibit seems to inspire students to take hold of the things that interest them and keep working hard. It is the possibility of this message reaching students that keeps him, and his art, touring.

Wille will have a lecture on his paintings on Thursday, October 6th, with a reception immediately following.

REVISED: Worried of Change

Bentley Bryant

September 12, 2011

Worried of Change

437 words

The quaint town of Oxford, Mississippi is one of the most historic of the South. But, what is it about this town that is so hard for it to get used to change?

More recently established businesses have a harder time staying successful on the square. Whether they are in food or retail, newer commerce rarely gets the chance to make a new “name” for itself in Oxford. To the outsider and the customer, change is constantly seen. Restaurants are leaving and renting new spaces to try new locations. Businesses are also buying and selling their own stores to try and see what could be more profitable.

Kerri Anne Cannon is a current Ole Miss student.

“I came back from the summer and three stores that had been in one placed left, and one restaurant had moved,” she said. “It is weird because everyone has started to notice all of the business moving around.”

There are only a chosen few that have stayed the “base” of the square. For example, Ajax, 208, Old Venice, and Roosters are four restaurants that have stayed in the same site for years. The name that they have been able to make of their businesses has stuck with Oxford residents and students, so they have become the most popular to customers. The one thing that these four base restaurants all have in common: location.

Brooks Cunningham, a student at Ole Miss, and a chef at McEwen’s. This eatery just opened in this passed summer of 2011. Located next to Ole Venice when customers drive into town, it is prime location for foot traffic. Cunningham used to cook at the famed 208, an Oxford restaurant that is more upscale, and has been open for more than 20 years.

“Location is key,” Cunningham said. “Places that do not have the setting of somewhere like Roosters is going to have a harder time starting up their business. But I am not worried about McEwen’s.”

Along with the restaurant business, retail stores also are following the trend of change. Mary Rose, the manager of women’s apparel store, Village Tailor. Her store is located on the corner right of the square. She has been the manager of the store for nine years. Customer service, paired with location, is the key elements to keeping a triumphant commercial business in the town of Oxford, she said

“Social media and advertisement help, but people know the store and have been coming for years,” she said, “Customer service is key.”

Anne Nicholas, an Oxford resident for 17 years, agrees with these claims. As an outsider of the businesses, she has seen these “base” businesses stay constant. To Nicholas, the students get more attention marketing wise over the residents of Oxford.

“No matter what, Oxford will always, always be about tradition,” she said. “It is not open to change.”

Sources:

Mary Rose: manager of Village Tailor, 662-234-8217

Anne Nicholas: Oxford resident (17+ years), ahnico1@olemiss.edu, 662-801-8564

Brooks Cunningham: cook at McEwen’s Oxford, bcunnin@olemiss.edu, 843-345-9467

Kerrianne Cannon: Ole Miss Junior, kacannon@olemiss.edu , 682-553-7207

REVISED STORY: REBEL 101

The roaring crowds at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. can be heard from miles away during any given football game. The fans and football players come to each game confident and ready for any opponent on the field.

One common factor over these recent years is the lack of knowledge of the cheers and chants performed at each football game. The fans are needed to participate with the band and cheerleaders to excite the football players and cheer them on to victory.

“We have great fans and they can be loud and create a great home field advantage inside Vault Hemingway. However, we haven’t really been on the same page. We all know ‘Hotty Toddy’ of course, but that’s about it,” said Ty New, co-creator of Rebel 101.

This year “Rebel 101” was released before the football season began. This is an instructional video that provides the fans and students with nine different cheers and chants to be performed throughout the football game.

Some of the information given includes: “Lock the Vaught” which has the fans locking arms and rocking side to side along with the football players on the field, the band chant “R-E-B-S Go Rebs Go,” and when the Rebels are on offense “1^st Down Ole Miss,” New explained.

“I think it’s hard to start new traditions especially here, but I do believe it will all become second nature and will quickly catch on,” said New. “This starts with the students and trickles down to the rest of the stadium.”

The video included fans of the student body, the Pride of the South band, and the cheerleaders.

One of the people in the video’s student body was Chase Wilson, a junior at the University of Mississippi. Wilson has attended every home game and even traveled to watch the Rebels play at their away games.

“I knew bits and pieces to these cheers and chants prior to this video, but now I am able to participate with the band and cheerleaders during the game,” said Wilson.

The video was not taken very seriously when it was first released, Wilson stated. Many people did not notice the lack of involvement during the games and they have actually begun to participate more.

Wilson explains, “At first, the video got a good laugh, but fans are actually taking it seriously and becoming more involved during the game.”

New closed by saying, “Basically, we just need to be one cohesive and rowdy unit.”

-30-

Sources:

Chase Wilson- cawilso1@olemiss.edu

Ty New- tynew1@gmail.com

One World, Two Artists: John Alexander and Walter Anderson

David Camp
Jackson
Jour 271
October 4, 2011


One World, Two Artists: John Alexander and Walter Anderson


Walter Anderson and John Alexander paintings are being displayed at The University of Mississippi Museum from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Both artists show the influence of southern culture, time, color, and place through their paintings.

Both Anderson and Alexander shared the inspiration of southern culture that is seen within their paintings. Anderson, from New Orleans, Louisiana, mainly used watercolors on rich typing paper. His paintings show the beauty of trees, animals, bright colors, and zig-zags. He was also expressed his love of pelicans in his paintings.

Nancy Ashley, a Programmer in Dallas Texas, said that, “Anderson had a shimmering vision,” and that “He’s the Van Gogh of America.” Anderson paintings, in his time in the early 1900s, were affordable to the public and were innovative of folk art and classical art.

Alexander, from Beaumont, Texas, was very influenced by Anderson. His paintings were much larger and darker in color than Andersons. However, they both showed their love of paintings pelicans. Alexander’s “Herons and Skull”, is much like Anderson’s “Pelicans”.

Anderson and Alexander paintings show the beauty of southern culture and how the Gulf Coast was inspiration to the both of them. Their paintings will be displayed in The University if Mississippi Museum until December 3rd.



http://events.olemiss.edu/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=33622

Not Exactly There

           Oxford, Miss. Rectangular canvases with colorful, intersecting lines bring life to the otherwise bare, white room.  Grids of blues, yellows, and pinks run across the surface drawing the eye to patterns that create squares and rectangles in electrifying array. 

            The newest exhibit to Gallery 130 is titled Not Exactly There by artist Michael Willie.  When one walks into Gallery 130, they are immediately greeted with Willie's paintings.

“This exhibition exists as a distinct departure from my main mode of creation,” Willie said.

Willie describes this collection as entering the realm of non-objective painting.  For Willie these paintings represent a new stage of questions.  Willie explained that these questions begin to surface when he was a decade out of graduate school.

“I begin to think of the paintings as stand-ins for the constant questions rattling around in my mind,” Willie said.

            “We’re very excited about the exhibit being here,” Nicki Weaver, an administrative assistant at Meek Hall, said.

            Weaver went on to say that Willie’s style is unique and will draw attention.

            In the past Willie would base his paintings on exotic landscapes such as Rome or South Africa.  For Willie this collection represents an evolution from paintings that served as a “witness to a place” to answering the questions the audience might have in their minds when viewing the painting.

            Willie’s collections of paintings have been displayed in the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston as well as the Renaissance Suites Hotel

            Gallery 130 is located in Meek Hall which is home to the University of Mississippi’s Department of Art.  The gallery opened in 2003, and can feature exhibits up to six weeks.  Philip Jackson, an assistant professor at Meek Hall, arranges the exhibits.

Willie, who earned his MFA in painting from Bowling Green State in Ohio, will present a lecture on his painting in Gallery 130 on Thursday October 6.  A reception will follow afterwards.  

Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet.

Barnard Observatory, one of the University’s oldest structures and once a member of the University of Mississippi’s astronomy focus, now houses the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. It is also home to Southern Crossings, a moving photo exhibit known to few and adored by many. (Left: An old truck photographed by Zurick)

The South, a place long defined by its extremely apparent divisions in racial and also social aspects of its people. One might ask what defines the South? What is the blood that courses through its veins? In 1996, David Zurick, a respected geographer with a knack for photography set out to figure out just what that might be. Over the course of a decade Zurick would travel through the highlands of Virginia, the Mississippi Delta, and even the emerging metropolitan areas of Atlanta. Using his skills he sought to combine the areas of geography and photography. He did this by successfully photographing objects, moments, and nature. Combining them all to define each of their respective locations. “I feel as if I’m photographing every scratch left in the South by its inhabitants.” Said Zurick concerning his work.

“David sought to find the reasons the South seems so exclusive. How one could inherit the term Southern Gentleman, Southern Belle, Outsider/Insider. He wanted to dig deep and uncover what truly defined Southern culture.” Said Mary Howorth, Event Coordinator at Barnard Observatory and curator to the exhibit.

The exhibit is located in the left wing of the Barnard Observatory, formally known as the Lynn and Stewart Gammill exhibit. It features many of Zurick’s classic black and white stills. The exhibit is also accompanied by an assortment of antique astronomy equipment dedicated to the Frederick Barnard. The exhibit is open to visitors Monday-Friday 8 a.m-5 p.m.

Faulkner's Exhibit at the University Museum

Advertisement for the Faulkner exhibit in front of the University Museum

July 12 is a very important date for many people all over the United States. This day marks the death of William Faulkner. “Faulkner’s Geographies: A Photographic Journey” opened July 12, 2011 at the University Museum in Oxford, Miss. to celebrate Faulkner’s life.

This year was the 38^th Annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference in Oxford.

“People come from all over the United States to tour Faulkner’s house, Rowan Oak, and to enjoy a conference. The conference hosts many different speakers and meetings as well as special parties at Rowan Oak,” says Sarah Dean, employee at the University Museum.

The exhibit opened specifically for the tourists visiting for Faulkner’s conference. The idea was for the visitors to tour Rowan Oak and then examine the pictures of Faulkner displayed in the University Museum.

Photographs from the permanent collection of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Mississippi Libraries are displayed in the exhibit.

“All the photos belong to the University Special Collections at the University Museum Collection. The exhibit does not travel because these photos can only be found here,” says Dean.

The museum displays 36 of Faulkner’s photographs. Most of the pictures show Faulkner in Oxford, but a few show him in Japan. Two of the most famous photographs hanging are “William Faulkner at Rowan Oak” (1947) and “William Faulkner in the Library at Rowan Oak” (1947) by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Dean explains that the exhibit has drawn a large crowd and even attracted the students who study Faulkner, history, and photography.

The museum is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit will remain open until October 1, 2011.

http://museum.olemiss.edu/2011/05/faulkners-geographies/

Exhibition story

Wildlife, Alive.

Oxford, Miss --Nature. One World, Two Artists is the work of two men that pour their love of nature into every piece of work. Walking through John Alexander and Walter Anderson’s exhibit at the University of Mississippi’s art museum is less of an art show, and more of a wildlife extravaganza.

If there was ever a way to completely grasp the flora and fauna of the deep south, this is it. Animals in their natural habitats are portrayed in a different aspect with loud contrasting colors that make everyday animals seem like mythical creatures.

Turtles, alligators and a whole spectrum of waterfowl are portrayed so accurately that it feels like they are busting through the canvas into the room. While the two artists are very similar, the difference in their styles is evident when scanning the room.

John Alexander does most of his work on canvas using paint, charcoal and etching to show his side of the wild side. There is a definite tangibility to Alexander’s paintings that Anderson’s paintings do not seem to match. Alexander has a way of adding layers to his work that give them a realistic feel.

Walter Anderson depicts nature primarily with watercolors on anything from canvas to loose leaf paper. While his paintings are more flat and quaint, they have a more realistic look. Larry from Mobile, Alabama was familiar with Walter Anderson before he attended the exhibit.

“I own a piece of Walter Anderson’s work back home and I was very excited to see the rest of his work,” he said. “There is a just a way that he represents nature that makes him unmatched.”

John Alexander a native of Beaumont, Texas earned his MFA in 1970. He started a studio in Houston before moving to New York, where he currently resides. His works can be found in art museums and art collections nationwide.

Walter Anderson, born in New Orleans had the influence of his mother who was also an artist. After going to school in New York and New Orleans, he finished his education at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After studying abroad in France, he came back to the United States where he traveled for 18 years painting everything in nature he possibly could. Most of Anderson’s works were stored in a vault in Ocean Springs, Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina came and the majority of them were destroyed. Although some of his art has been salvaged, his legacy is kept in the remains of his work today.

pictured above: There's a Bluebird on My Back, John Alexander.

Should We Mourn and Move Forward?

It was 10 years ago Sunday when the nation witnessed a day that will forever scar its memory. While many will never forget that day, some have grown cynical toward the events of 9/11.

“Where were you?”, “Never forget”, “The day the world stood still.” Each a phrase that can be linked to that scene 921 ft. above Manhattan’s financial playground, but as America reaches the decade mark it seems some grow weary of such mourning. The question has been posed as to whether or not America can overcome this great tragedy with this annual dip into depression,

“Let us mourn our lost and move on….for good. I’m as patriotic as the next American, but this year has taken the cake. It seems every news channel is either footage from 9/11 and/or the war waging in the Middle East. I can understand war coverage for the first half of the decade, but as the years have worn on it has just become stale and disinteresting.” Says Ashley Grantham, daughter of an Afghanistan War veteran.

Even novelists are finding it hard to produce 9/11 novels 10 years after the disaster. “at its heart, 9/11 was meaningless. I realize that sounds inflammatory, but hear me out. A novelist explores the winding and unwinding of long strands of cause and effect, in the reasons people do things and often the unanticipated results they get. And it’s hard to infuse that with the 2,996 deaths of 9/11. Those deaths were simply abrupt and unanticipated. AS is the case with most disasters.”

Said Laura Miller, Author of “The Magician’s Book” and senior writer at Salon during an interview with Newser.com

Could it be that 9/11, while a catastrophic scratch in our nation’s history, is just that….history?

Tracy Kisner, a resident of Water Valley said, “It was a national disaster, never to be forgotten by this generation or in future generations to come. That’s why we have these moments of silence yearly, to remind people of what we lost that day, and what we stand to lose every day. Grievance is not a sign of weakness.”

Art Gallery-Barnard Observatory

Oxford, Miss- The Barnard Observatory, here on the campus of the University of Mississippi features a gallery dedicated to Lynn and Stewart Gammill, a couple from Hattiesburg, Miss. who were avid supporters of the southern studies program at the university.

The gallery includes astronomical instruments and Southern inspired photographs that were taken in Florida, New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta, Georgia and several other Southern regions.

The compilation of photos that were captured by David Zurick are called Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet. Zurick is a student of cultural landscapes. “Photography is the visual language I use to examine landscapes and to share my thoughts about them, “ stated Zurick.

One photograph featured in the gallery was of a piece of desolate land in the Mississippi Delta. The caption read, “Silos and Approaching Storm, Washington County, Miss, 2005.” The image captured the emptiness and flatness of the land and how the storms continue to shape the land.

The unique astronomical instruments displayed in the gallery were Dent’s dipleidoscope, Babinet’s goniometer, a camera obscura, and Pike’s Transit Telescope, which was “used with a clock to observe the passage of celestial objects across the meridian.”

The gallery is endowed with a great deal of history about the South. Considering the contributions that the Gammils have made to the program for southern studies, some would agree it is very fitting to have the gallery dedicated in their honor.