Soldiers warned to use caution as social media use grows

FORT BLISS, TEXAS – Soldiers using social media – a tool often used by members of the military to keep in contact with family from far away places and to combat depression – have been warned to be vigilant about their public footprint. Army personnel have been warned to employ “Think, Type, Post” when engaging on social sites,” according to a Pentagon memo to members of the military. “This is pretty much common sense stuff,” Capt. Traun C. Moore, of the 24th press camp headquarters and a public information officer. “There is operational security that we always have to keep in mind when putting information on these platforms. We wouldn’t want to put any of our soldiers or their families at risk, so yes, everything is screened before it goes up and published to these platforms.”

An Associated Press article this year reported that the Pentagon said that nearly 6,200 military members had been photographed in sexually explicit photos, the photos were later shared on different social platforms against their will by someone from work. The Pentagon also reported that more than 22,000 people among all U.S. services said they were uncomfortable and mad when someone they knew from work sent them pornography via social media.

African country aided by Fort Bliss unit making progress 1 year after Ebola outbreak

EL PASO — A year after the Ebola epidemic ravaged West Africa the risk of resurgence lingers, but communities continue to make progress toward rebuilding due to brave international humanitarian efforts, including those of soldiers from El Paso. Months after the Ebola outbreak began killing thousands of people in Liberia, more than 250 soldiers from here shuttled the sick by helicopter from isolated villages to Nairobi for treatment at facilities they helped build. The soldiers, primarily from the 501st Aviation Regiment deployed last October from Fort Bliss to participate in “Operation United Assistance” in Liberia. “It was not a combat mission,” said Chief Warrant Officer Landon Dykes. “This was a different scenario, a different role for the entire task-force and our entire purpose was to help the people of Liberia combat Ebola.”

Borderzine Presents: El Paso’s Creative Economy

El Paso is unlike any other city in the nation with its unique cultural dynamic. The city’s arts and events bring thousands of visitors every year and more than $2 million in direct spending. In this TV-style news magazine, journalism students at the University of Texas at El Paso take a closer look at some of El Paso’s artists and how economic efforts are affecting the creative community. The show aired live on Google Hangouts on Air on May 29, 2015. The program was made possible by support from the Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies, the UTEP Department of Communication and Borderzine.com

See the complete special report and featured stories here.

Marvel and Columbia Pictures have released three Spiderman movies in the last nine years. (Christine Villegas/Borderzine.com)

Captain America punches his way into the movie mainstream

EL PASO – Six blockbuster movies based on comic books exploded into theaters this summer mirroring people’s discontent with the general state of the world. In the last seven years the genre has grown from films that appeal to a niche audience to movies that draw the general public. “You see, what they (comics) are, are historical picture books.” Mark Hajunga smiles as he stands at his counter of his store, Comic, Cards & Collectibles. He knows that the proof to his statement lies in the mountains of comics around him. Every time the world changed so did comics, sometimes even predicting future events.