SPJ national update VI: Extra armor could have saved lives, study shows; Bush military support slipping; is the NSA wiretapping reporters?; and Homeland Security opening private mail. A Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq from upper-body wounds could have survived if they had extra body armor. That armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials. More here. ... Support for President Bush and for the war in Iraq has slipped significantly in the last year among members of the military's professional core, according to a 2005 Military Times poll. Approval of the president's Iraq policy fell 9 percentage points from 2004; a bare majority, 54 percent, now say they view his performance on Iraq as favorable. Support for his overall performance fell 11 points, to 60 percent, among active-duty readers of the Military Times newspapers. More here. ... In her interview with The New York Times' James Risen, author of the new book "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration" and the man who co-wrote the domestic spying story in the Times in December, why would NBC's Andrea Mitchell ask a question about a reporter being wiretapped unless someone gave her information alluding to this possibility? Then, a few hours later, why did NBC cut the question from the online transcript? More here and here. ... In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines, he never figured that their friendship was anything but ordinary. Now the relationship apparently has led the Department of Homeland Security to place him under surveillance. Last month Goodman, 81 and a retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the Homeland Security seal. More here.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Donna Darovich has been named coordinator of public information for the Tarrant County College District. ...
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia U. has named the UTA Shorthorn a finalist for its Gold Crown Award, recognized as one of the top honors in college media. Winners will be announced at the Spring National College Media Convention in New York City in March. The Daily Texan at UT Austin is the only other Texas newspaper selected as a finalist. This is the seventh time in the past eight years that The Shorthorn has been a Crown finalist. During that time, The Shorthorn has been awarded a Gold Crown four times.
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GET A JOB
Camp Fire U.S.A. First Texas Council in Fort Worth seeks a VP for marketing and public relations. Requirements include a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or similar field. Contact president/CEO Zem Neill, zem@firsttexascampfire.org, (817) 831-2111 ext. 103. ...
Check maker and financial services marketer Clarke American Co., based in San Antonio, seeks an Internet marketing manager. Must have a bachelor's degree in marketing and 3-5 years marketing experience, among other attributes. Pays $60,000-$70,000 a year. Apply to Craig Lemmon, clemmon@macrecruiters.com. ...
Half Price Books seeks a PR manager to direct a variety of efforts for its 85 retail outlets nationwide. Position will be located at the corporate office in Dallas. Requirements include a college degree in communications, PR, journalism, English or related field and at least five years experience at an agency or in a corporate communications department. Experience with cause-related marketing and multi-unit retail companies is a plus. Send cover letter, résumé and salary requirements to Kirk Thompson at kthompson@halfpricebooks.com.
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NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Joan Hunter, Fort Worth Transportaton Authority ... Julie Greene
PRSA ... Remecka Owens ... Holly Cross, Alcon Labs ... Julie Hatch, Cook Children's Hospital
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COMINGS & GOINGS
Exits ... at the S-T: Lamor Williams, to the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial
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READING MATTERS
"Shakespeare: The Biography" /
In re-creating 16th-century London and Stratford, best-selling biographer and novelist Ackroyd brings William Shakespeare to life in the manner of a contemporary rather than a biographer. Ackroyd, who applied the same approach to Chaucer, Dickens, T.S. Eliot, William Blake and Sir Thomas More, positions the playwright in the context of his world, exploring everything from Stratford's humble town to its fields of wildflowers; discerning influences on the plays from unexpected quarters; and entering London ("a city where dramatic spectacles became the primary means of understanding reality") at a time when modern theatre was just beginning to emerge. Ackroyd attempts to see Shakespeare's genius from within, so the reader may see Ackroyd the writer merge with Shakespeare the writer, the poet, the man and thus experience the way in which Shakespeare worked.
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