Kane Farabaugh's Kanestergram

NORTH ARABIAN GULF - It’s been referred to as “the most dangerous work-space in the world.” Below the surface of this steel beast are 5,700 people living in a virtual city at sea. It holds about 80 aircraft ranging from planes to helicopters, 500,000 pounds of jet fuel, receives 3,000 pounds of mail daily, and travels the seas of the world at speeds more than 30 knots. Welcome on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. We’re underway on this U.S. Navy Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier during a Western Pacific Deployment, which the crew calls a “WestPac.” The Lincoln heads up an eight-ship battle group that’s deployed to the region for about six months. They’re in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, the coalition effort to patrol Iraq’s southern no-fly zone. Any fighter pilot on board will tell you it’s not the safest job in the world. “You never get used to being fired at,” says Lieutenant Junior Grade Steve Dean, who flies the Navy and Marine Corps’ new F/A 18...

KUWAIT CITY - Less than 50 miles from the border with Iraq, in a desert filled with choking dust, the U.S. military has dug in, ready for war. Dotted throughout the northwest part of Kuwait are several remote camps filled with thousands of U.S. troops. The soldiers here call these camps “kabals,” an Arabic word that means fortress. Most of the troops in these kabals are in the Army, deployed from the United States for six months at a time as part of a 1991 defense agreement with the Emirate of Kuwait. Even though American forces have been in this tiny Middle Eastern country for more than a decade, the threat of war in Iraq is shedding new light on their mission here. Our two-week news gathering effort to the Persian Gulf starts here in Kuwait. We’re talking with and documenting the lives of these deployed soldiers on what could become the front line in a war with Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. We’re also trying to get a feel for what it’s like to live under these conditions thousands of miles ...

RHEIN MAIN AIR BASE, GERMANY - His antics are legendary on the interview circuit, and most talk show hosts admit that you never know what to expect when you sit down with Robin Williams. “Your name’s Kane…. Where’s Able?” Even though I’ve heard that joke my whole life, I still chuckled since it came from the man known for his roles in “Good Morning Vietnam” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” I sat down with Robin Williams in the only interview granted to any media organization regarding his recent United Services Organization (USO) tour to Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. “There’s so much dust there, even Lawrence of Arabia’s going – NO!” He spent a week in the region, cheering up soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. We caught up with him on his way back to the U.S. during a brief rest stop in Germany. He talked about life with the troops on the front lines of the war on terrorism. “There’s some big guys in the service. Some of them came up to me and s...

Stations share lessons learned from 9/11 By JENNIE L. PHIPPS Special to Electronic Media For stations coast to coast part of the aftermath of Sept. 11 has been to figure out how to change their news coverage to better serve viewers. For some that has meant increasing their international news coverage, while for others it has meant increasing efforts to cover local ethnic communities. These stations, all winners of the Radio-Television News Directors Association Edward R. Murrow awards for their Sept. 11 coverage, continue to evaluate and learn from the experience. Here are some of the things they identify as critical to successfully reporting a news event of this magnitude. It's a small world, and viewers expect stations to cover it all. "Before 9/11, we were hyper-local, but we've added more national and international, because when terrorists strike America, world events become events with local significance," said Keith Connors, executive news director of WCNC-TV, t...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN – - They say things don'’t change much here. Life at Bagram is a routine for some five thousand U.S. Forces. Specialist Jason Allgood, a broadcaster from Fort Lewis, Washington, says “It’'s a lot like that movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray,” referring to the comedy about how people live the same day over and over again. Even though July 4th is a special occasion for millions of Americans, it'’s just another day on the front line of America’'s "War on Terrorism." Sure, there'’s a five kilometer “Fun Run”, a barbeque at the chow hall, and a re-enlistment ceremony at the base flagpole. But for most soldiers counting down the days in their deployment, it’s just another “x” on the calendar. We’'re here at Bagram to talk with soldiers about what it’s like to be “at the tip of the spear” in Operation Enduring Freedom on America’'s most patriotic holiday. In the days leading up to July 4th, we spoke with dozens of soldi...

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The kids on the side of the street come up to you and speak the three phrases of English that they know well. “"Hello Mister!"” one shouts from his rickety bicycle “"How are you?!”" another says as he gives me the thumbs up sign. Another kid selling black market CD’s makes a simple request “"Water!"” The elders sit back and watch them, breaking in every now and then to keep them in line by shouting “"Burru!"” which means, simply, go away. The streets are bustling in Kabul. The shops along Chicken Street, a popular shopping area in town, are filled with goods ranging from ancient muskets to the famous Afghan carpet. It seems like a typical scene out of a movie about the Middle East, complete with busy bazaars and bustling activity. Burquas (traditional Afghan shroud) and beards pass us as we make our way through the masses. But there’s a new element in the Kabuls scenery. On this day, a stationery store just off Chicken...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN - The first thing you notice when you step outside the tent in the morning is the sun. It's hot. Very hot. Bagram Air Base is also one of the dustiest places on the planet. But somehow each and every day thousands of soldiers survive the heat and the dirt (I'm hesitant to call it "sand") on one of the front lines of Operation Enduring Freedom. Both the pace and quality of life is picking up here in this former Soviet stronghold just north of Afghanistan's capital Kabul. It's now occupied by allied forces from more than ten different countries. While British forces are getting ready to pull out, more U.S. troops are deploying in. Each night, U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemasters filled with equipment and soldiers make their way to Bagram's pockmarked runway. We made our way into Afghanistan from Germany with reserve troops just activated from Pittsburgh. They're part of the 329th Combat Support Hospital going into Bagram ...

NEW YORK, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association (http://www.saja.org), will honor the winners of the 2002 SAJA Journalism Awards contest at its eighth annual dinner on Saturday, June 15, at Columbia University in New York. These annual awards recognize excellence in reporting about South Asia, as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada. The Awards ceremony is part of the SAJA international convention, which takes place June 14-16 and is expected to draw 600 journalists and guests from the U.S., Canada, Europe and South Asia. The awards will be presented at Columbia by Steve Coll, managing editor of The Washington Post, who will deliver the keynote address that evening. In addition, Coll, a former South Asia bureau chief of the Post, will receive the SAJA Journalism Leader Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the field of journalism. He will receive the award from Jyoti Thot...

"Berlin is a Fortress" Stepping out the door of my hotel places you less than 100 yards away from where the Berlin Wall once stood. In fact, my hotel would have been in Communist East Berlin, but times have changed here in the new captial of Germany, and the Cold War along with the Berlin Wall are a distant memory... almost. You can't help but get an eerie feeling as you continue down Fredrichstrasse, the road that leads away from my hotel. There are no cars in sight. Stores are closed, restaurant patios usually filled and bustling with late-night diners now mysteriously silent. The Polizei (German Police) are everywhere. There are roughly 10,000 of them patrolling the streets of Berlin. Some German newspapers specualte that there have never been more police in this city at one time. They say that "Berlin is a Fortress".. almost a police state. Add another six hundred American security people, more than one thousand members of the press, and what you'v...

DESTINATIONS DEBUTS ON AFN TV Destinations, a new program on AFN Europe Television, made its debut Thursday March 28th at 6:30 PM Central European Time. The weekly, 23-minute program covers a wide range of subjects, from host nation activities to lifestyle segments. AFN Europe News Director Gary Bautell says "on any given week, Destinations will explore anything from a German wine fest to laundry services available in Afghanistan." Destinations is designed to reach the majority of the AFN audience, men and women in their late-20's and early-30's, with stories and features that run the entire spectrum. "From interesting places to visit, service members involved in their local host nation or military communities, to people with unusual hobbies, free-time diversions or European food specialties and traditions, it's all possible on Destinations." Bautell emphasizes that audience feedback is essential. "Tell us what you think about the program, the stori...

Earlier in the week, the bodies of seven U.S. soldiers killed in heavy fighting in Eastern Afghanistan landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. It’s the last stop before they reached U.S. soil Now, the second wave of casualties is here in Germany. This time, the wounded. Nine coalition soldiers injured in Operation Anaconda landed on the Ramstein flight-line just after 10 p-m Wednesday night. Shielding their faces from both the media and the cold and rainy weather, medical specialists quickly loaded the wounded on to waiting ambulances. Since most of the wounded soldiers belong to special operations forces, the last thing they want is publicity, so blankets were placed over their faces. Among the ten patients on board the medical relief flight is a civilian journliast, Toronto Star reporter Kathleen Kenna. She was attacked by Al-Queda and Taliban forces over the weekend while covering Operation Anaconda. This special medevac mission is a joint effort with the 75th Airlift Squadron ...