Skewed Tsunami Photo

This photo presented by the New York Times on their Web site depicts two police officials in Hilo, Hawaii, standing beside their patrol car as residents and tourists received updates on the tsunami situation predicted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The backend of the police-issued Chevrolet Impala appears to be enlargened, as well as the far left and right regions of the photograph.

Modified fisheye lens, anyone?

Low Times in The Bible Belt

For Daniel Caldwell, growing up in Moncks Corner, S.C., was certainly an interesting experience. On weekdays after the school bell at Berkeley High had hit its final droning note, Caldwell, now 24, would strap on his rifle and venture out a few miles into the backwoods of Cordesville. He would spend the afternoon shooting a few rounds at some soda cans he lined up on a box a few hundred yards from his post at the gun range.

The “Lowcountry” had so much to offer for Caldwell—hunting in the rural parts of Berkeley County, driving his Grand Prix to the Coliseum in North Charleston to see Aerosmith, going to his high school’s Drama Club meetings and acting in the various performances they produced.

Caldwell even managed to find employment throughout his high school career as a salesclerk at Journey’s in the Northwoods Mall. After he was laid off due to low sales within the store, a friend referred Caldwell to apply for a position as a daycare assistant at Moncks Corner First Baptist Church.

According to Caldwell, the interviewing process “was a breeze.”

“I went in [the daycare building], told them about my references and they practically hired me,” Caldwell says, “That is, until they asked me where I went to church.”

Caldwell attended a small church on Main Street, across from Berkeley High. The brass letters on the side of the familiar stark, pointed brick building’s frame read “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”

“The head of the daycare branch told me she couldn’t hire me because I wasn’t Christian,” Caldwell says.

Unlike the nearby urban sprawl of Charleston, Moncks Corner was still known as a part of the “Bible Belt,” with the majority of the town’s population comprised of Pentecostal Holiness members, non-denominational worshippers and Southern Baptists.

Many of these church members’ beliefs prohibit inclusion of Mormons as Christians, citing references as to the religion’s unwillingness to adhere to typical Christian doctrine and the addition of the Book of Mormon, which is seen as heretical text to many of these groups.

The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, or CARM, features an article by Matt Slick on its Web site that states the reason Mormons aren’t Christian is due to its distortion of concrete Christian fundamentals.

“[Mormonism] is not Christian because it denies that there is only one God, denies the true Gospel, adds works to salvation, denies that Jesus is the uncreated creator, distorts the biblical teaching of the atonement, and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible,” Slick says.

Caldwell disagrees with this argument, saying that Mormons have much more in common with these faiths than they care to share.

“We all believe in God and Jesus,” Caldwell says, “We aren’t supposed to drink or take substances that keep us from being in control, we go to church every Sunday—I had to go to seminary every morning before school.

Caldwell says facing criticism from the daycare staff was harsh, but it doesn’t anger him.

“I’m not interested in getting into some sort of fight over it or anything,” Caldwell says, “I just want [the daycare employers] to know that I'm Christian, too.”

Infographic

Here is the infographic related to the podcast/final project piece. Enjoy!

Psychiatric Medication

This particular episode focuses on familiarizing listeners with basic concepts of SSRIs, benzodiazipines and other methods used in treating mental disorders--namely mood disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and manic-depressive disorder.

!CLICK HERE! to listen to the podcast on Psychiatric Medication

Interview with Matthew Brophy

Char-grill finds new life in old fast-food joint

New and returning Winthrop students discover an upcoming grill where the Taco Bueno used to be.


Winthrop senior Nick Graham remembers when the building beside McDonald’s on South Cherry Rd. was an abandoned Church’s Chicken. Graham, a music major from Greenville, also recalls the brief passing of Tex-Mex restaurant Taco Bueno in the same location from mid-2007 to its close in Jan. 2008. After returning to Winthrop from a summer resort maintenance position in Montana, Graham was pleased to see new life taking form on the corner of Camden Ave and Cherry Rd.

“I thought someone had stolen my idea and finally opened a Whitecastle next to McDonald’s,” Graham says, “Then I saw it was an entirely new restaurant and realized I needed a new pair of glasses.”

University Char-Grill, a new burger joint across from Wofford and Richardson residence halls, is slated to open in early September. According to the Herald, this will be the potential chain restaurant’s debut location, appearing just in time for new and returning Winthrop students. Sophomore sociology major Emily Scott is also excited about approaching burger joint.

“[University Char-Grill] is opening at the perfect time when students are just starting to get tired of Thomson [Cafeteria] food and are looking for a quick bite,” Scott says.

But Scott worries about the Char-Grill’s success in that location. “Apparently businesses have a hard time staying open next to Mickey D’s. The building was empty my entire freshman year,” Scott says.

Business major Roy Emerick shares Scott’s sentiments about the new restaurant. “I can’t wait for a new burger place—I just hope it doesn’t close before I get a chance to eat there,” Emerick says.

Sorry

I posted the previous four articles on their listed dates, but had to quickly remove them due to grammatical/technical errors.

I forgot to repost them until recently. Please enjoy them, as much hard work has gone into each post.

Thanks,
Pete