Diallo

NEW YORK-  As testimony closed late morning Wednesday in the Diallo case, no verdict had been reached.  Earlier in the week Boss and Murphy had testified that Diallo was at the rear of the vestibule with his right arm extended.

Testimony from Sergeant Patelli was heard today. Patelli stood trial as defense attorneys asked him questions.

When asked to describe what he had seen Patelli said “He (Caroll) was hunched over Mr. Diallo…he was crying. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Come on Sean.” He was an emotional mess. He was crying profusely over Mr. Diallo. He was reluctant to leave.”

Sergeant Patelli gave key testimony about where the shooting occurred. According to Patteli, the vestibule was 5 by 7 feet and dimly lit. “The EMT who arrived needed a flash light to see.”

Earlier in the week Boss and Murphy had testified that Diallo was at the rear of the vestibule with his right arm extended.  Boss testified on Tuesday “ I kept praying the weapon would be in there, that it was somewhere. Boss fired five shots.

Criminologist James Fyfe of Temple University in Philadelphia PA is expected to be one of the last defense witnesses. He will probably testify later today. He is expected to testify on proper use of force.

Fire Prevention Week

Millville-  During the week of October 3^rd through the 9^th Sparky the dog and two of Millville’s fire engines will be making to the city’s elementary schools. Every year, from October 3^rd- 9^th the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) sponsors Fire Prevention Week to educate children about fire and fire safety.

                 Fire fighters and Sparky the dog will spend an hour during this week at various schools educating kids about fire and fire safety. Fire fighters will dress in their gear to show children what a fireman looks like, to not be afraid of one and what to do if they see one. If a child is caught in a fire, it’s common for them to become frightened. A frightened child may try to find a place to hide. A fireman can appear scary to a child, who doesn’t know he is trying to save his or her life.

Children will also be taught what to do in case of a fire and how to prevent fires. They will be shown techniques such as ‘stop, drop and roll’;  to crawl along the floor if the building filled with smoke and; touching the door knob to feel if it’s hot is an indicator they fire is on the other side of the door. The importance of smoke detectors will be spoken about along with other fire safety.

Fire men will demonstrate the workings of a fire truck. Lights will flash and sirens will sound while children get to explore and take a peek inside of one of the city’s fire trucks. As it is every year, October 3^rd to the 9^th will be a week of fun combined with learning for the city’s elementary kids. 

Weather

Millville NJ- New Jersey, the state that can experience at least two seasons in a week’s time. Warm, cool, warm, cool, you know how it goes. People don’t know how to dress for the weather. This November Southern New Jersey has been having unseasonably warm weather.

                Temperatures in the 50 are in to the 60’s during the day and lows of 30-40 degrees at night. This week can be expected to be remaining the same. Sunny and mid-sixties until Wednesday, with temperatures in the 40’s at night.

It looks like this year’s Thanksgiving Day and black Friday will be a rainy one with a high of 50 degrees. Make sure to allow for extra travel time if you’re driving as road conditions are expected to be wet.

This weekend will have cooler temperatures in the low 40’s. Saturday will be gusty with winds disappearing for Sunday to wrap up pleasant weekend weather.

TSA

Glassboro NJ- Do you need to travel somewhere? Have you been considering flying to reach your destination? Many American travelers have been reconsidering flying because of new polices of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

                TSA has required random body scans of people getting ready to board an airplane. These body scans allow TSA employees to see if a person is carrying anything from a pocket knife to a bomb. It also allows employees to see bones and private parts of a person’s body. The outline of a woman’s breasts, her genitals and a man’s genitals can be seen when going through the body scan.

                Some Americans object to the body scans, saying it’s an invasion of privacy. Body scans are not the only issue causing a problem. There are also pat downs performed by TSA employees.

The pat downs make some air passengers uncomfortable because breasts and the genital area are gone over. If a person triggers an alarm while going through the security check point, a pat down will take place. A person has the right to request a pat down in a private room.

                Some believe that TSA is going too far with their ‘random checks’. Stories have surfaced about TSA patting down children. A video TSA employee scanning and patting down of a screaming 3 year old girl while her mother held her is most recent.

 A story of a 4 year old boy with walking braces on his legs going through security with his parents when TSA made him remove his walking braces. He was made to remove his walking braces and forced to walk through the metal detector. This child was born with defect.

These sorts of acts that TSA has been committing are not doing any good. In recent polls by CNN and FOX News, Americans are displeased with TSA and how they conduct their jobs.  Many people are upset, saying it’s an infringement upon their rights and are now considering other ways of traveling aside from flying.

Deanna Fitzmaurice vists Rowan University

Rowan University, N.J. - Pulitzer Prize winner, Deanne Fitzmaurice visited Rowan University to speak about her career as a photojournalist.

Deanne has won numerous awards for her photos. She goes around the world to capture pictures. She covers many different walks of life from circus folk to political figures, a brothel in the middle of nowhere to people you see in your neighborhood.

She showed three videos featuring photos and interviews of some people she has photographed. One video featured Cristie Kocktail, a circus clown, mom and orphan. She showed Krissy’s life as a mother, wife and circus clown. She told a story through photos, Krissy’s story.

Deanne told her audience “It’s important to take pictures with heart, mind, and soul. When dealing with people, speak from your heart and be honest.”

Her Pulitzer Prize winning photos were of Saleh, a 9 year old Iraqi boy who was injured when he mistook a grenade for a ball. She went to Iraq to get photos and tell his story to the world. His father agreed, after he saw Deanne knew his son’s doctor. She followed him through his treatment all the way to the present day. Saleh is now a teenager.

She gave students advice on how to interview people including the technical aspects such as microphones, video and audio. Deanne says she really believes multimedia will be a great part of the future of photojournalism.