Deviled In-Class Dining

Our class took an interesting turn this morning. The once humdrum arena of education became a culinary experience as Ross passed around his offering. In a drastic turn of events, our lecture turned taste-test. Our choices were between a Wells Blue-Bunny “big fudge bar” and generic store-brand deviled egg, Yearning for the warmth of home, I turned to the ladder, expecting the comfort of a cool Thanksgiving afternoon. Before gnashing my teeth into the rubbery white morsel, I half expected to hear the bustle of football in the near distance; a must in our family around the holidays.

However, I was not greeted with holiday cheer. The harsh reality is, no one makes deviled eggs quite like Grandma. The cool white of the egg held a rubbery texture, one that took effort to maintain between teeth. The filling consisted and odor-ed heavily of the mustard that comprised it, and the paprika adorning the top just didn’t have the same flare as the carefully sprinkled eggs of the holiday season. They were store-bought. They weren’t a taste of home. Thus, my expectations were unfair for the average local HyVee employee. In essence, I can’t wait for November to roll around so I can get another taste of deviled-eggs-done-right.

Objective vs. Subjective

Objective Description

I spent 20 minutes observing my roommates while they were spending time in the living room. One of them was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework. A pair of them sat in front of the television playing a game of NCAA Football. Another was sprawled out on the couch, reading a book of some sort. This is pretty regular amongst us on nights when classes await the next morning.

 

Subjective Description

I spent a short time in our living room with my roommates, and the following were my observations. One sat at the kitchen table; his vacant face peering into his dull computer screen. He seemed to be searching for the answer to a question he hadn’t even fully comprehended yet. Another laid leisurely on a couch, scanning the pages of an apparently breath-taking piece of literature. The final two sat straight-backed on chairs, leaning toward the television screen with all their might. They were clearly locked in a matchup of wits via NCAA Football 2014. In our apartment, it’s make or break when you take the virtual gridiron, and losing just isn’t an option.

Collegian Reporter: Road to Recovery with Josh Porcher

The 2013 season was a banner year for the Morningside Mustangs Football team. The GPAC Champions finished a staggering 13-1, with their lone loss of the season coming in the National Championship game in Rome, GA against Marlan University in overtime. In a game of that magnitude, every play counts, and every yard counts. One Mustang wasn’t able to make his presence felt.

Morningside Junior defensive back Josh Porcher suffered a setback before the 2013 season even began. He suffered a torn ACL, effectively ending his season.

“It happened two or three days before two-a-days started. I was playing a pick-up game of basketball and I went to go block a shot, and my knee buckled when I came down. I’d been playing basketball that whole summer, and it was just a freak accident.”

The Plano, TX native began the road to recovery immediately.

“I took myself away from the team for a couple months just to get the surgery out of the way. I started rehabbing.”

When asked about his life post-surgery, Porcher described the recovery process while still taking care of his school responsibilities.

“It was definitely hell. It felt like sharp knives poking at me. I slept in a lofted bed, so climbing down that latter every morning…and taking a shower took thirty minutes because I had to put a shower bag on my leg so the scar wouldn’t get wet. Campus security gave me rides everywhere and really made it possible to get around.”

Flash forward a year, and number 2 is back on the field, and loving every minute of it. When asked how it feels to be back in pads, he simply cracked a smile and stammered, “It’s amazing.”

He continued, “It’s even better now that I can go on without my brace. It’s been like a year and a half since I’ve played in a game, and I can’t wait.. My family’s coming up for the first one. Butterflies, man.”

When asked about his expectations for the upcoming season, Porcher held nothing back.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Rome, Georgia. I missed out on that opportunity last year, and that’s been a dream of mine to win a big game like that. I never won a state championship.”

As far as personal and team goals for the season, Porcher hinted that the sky is the limit for the Preseason number one Mustangs.

“We’re looking forward to winning the GPAC. I want to go undefeated. I want to go back to the championship. I want to be an impact player. I want to be an All-American this year, that’s a personal thing of mine.”

The Mustangs open the 2013-14 season on September 7th in Sioux City against Valley City State at Elwood Olson Stadium in Sioux City.

 

The Sanchize: A Deeper Look at the Jets’ QB Controversy

State of the Sanchize: A Look at the Jets’ QB Troubles

buttfumble

Mark Sanchez is not the answer. He’s no longer even a question. The Jets know what they have in the former first round pick out of Southern Cal: They have a sixth overall selection who never quite rose to the expectations his team had for him. To quote one NFL analyst, they have a “butt-fumbling pick machine.” In his first two years in the league (09-10) they had a game manager and a steady running game, and now the Jets find themselves delegated to relying on a former 4th string New Orleans Saint to carry the load.

Franchises usually follow one of two general principles when deciding on their future signal-caller. The first: the organization can choose to support a quarterback, putting weapons around him and giving him the resources to succeed. The second: cut ties, start over, and draft a young man you have some level of comfort with. I’d like to personally congratulate the Jets for doing neither. This article is not meant to slam the Jets staff and owner, Harry Wismer. It is simply to express my frustration with this so-called controversy brewing amongst the Gang Green.

In several articles over the past couple months, (including the couple linked below), you can see the underlying issue of a serious riff growing between a stubborn coach and a stubborn owner. The Jets drafting Geno Smith in the second round alludes to the fact that Sanchez’s days is numbered as number one on the depth chart. Then again, who could blame them for moving on? Considering his sporadic, and sometimes comical play, it seems highly unlikely that “The Sanchize” will suddenly morph into a Manning-esque field general and lead the Fighting Rex Ryans back to the promised land. The issue at hand, however, comes with the injury sustained by Sanchez in week three of the preseason.

After a dismal performance by Smith in the first three quarters, including a mere 199 yards while completing 16 of 30 passes. He ran out of the back of the endzone in one of the most impressive displays of ignorance in recent memory, and threw three interceptions, half as many as he had thrown his entire senior year at West Virginia. to win the game, and possibly boost morale, Coach Rex Ryan re-inserted the incumbent starter into the lineup. Sanchez went down not too long after with an injured right throwing shoulder and is listed as day-to-day.

The moral of this story is that there is no winner. As an organization, you have to draft a kid that fits your system. If you’re going to run a ground-and-pound offense, then drafting a pure shotgun quarterback doesn’t really make much sense, especially without any weapons around him. I’m personally a fan of Rex Ryan, mostly because of his press conference shenanigans, but if they don’t get this situation handled, or at least DECIDED soon, this season is going to be just another disaster. Consider this team wrapped in caution tape. Save yourself and just stay away.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000234697/article/rex-ryan-reportedly-has-final-decision-on-jets-qb

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/7/15/4524760/the-jets-quarterback-controversy-is-the-story-weve-all-been-waiting

Journalist’s Toolkit Review

The third article we were asked to look over was “Journalist’s Toolkit.” Being unfamiliar with Google Chrome, I’d have to say the article did an excellent job of walking young journalists through using the program. Fonts are visited as well, explaining that depending on what system you have, your fonts that you set may not appear the same to others who visit it. The article also explains how to avoid this issue. It provides tutorial sites for setting up your website, and gives a step-by-step guide to data journalism and the use of videos in your work.

In essence, this is a guide to video and data journalism. There are several helpful hits and resources just waiting to be tapped into waiting at the site below.

http://www.jtoolkit.com/wp/

Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency Review

The second article we were asked to look over is titled the “Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency.” From the very get-go I could see how this blog would be helpful to the less media-savvy. The immediate introduction of a couple “RSS” blogs that feature facebook and twitter information and explanations is a perfect start. The article goes on to proclaim the importance of finding the right blogs for you. It also claims that one good blog leads to another, and I can relate to that without a doubt.

The next section says that if you want to become a journalist, there is absolutely no reason to wait any longer. Start a blog. Start it now. And when it comes to finding things to write about, feel free to ramble as I’m doing right now. The article features links to any and every example you could ever wish for when looking for a blog template, and serves as a great resource to beginning bloggers. Owning an audio recorder and learning how to conduct an interview are covered next. An interview is an easy and effective type of blog.

Basically, this article served as the outline on a blank page for your future blog. It provides links to podcasts, sample photos, how to edit the photos, sample websites, and in a nutshell provides examples for any question you might have.

Long story short. Don’t wait. Write now. Add pictures. Add links. Be creative, and have fun with your journalism, because if you’re going to do something you love and share your story with the world, you might as well have fun doing it! To see the site, visit the link below.

http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/mmcadams/PDFs/RGMPbook.pdf

Living in a Media World Review

This week in class we were asked to review a few articles. The first of which was “Living in a Media World.” In my initial skim of the page, the youtube videos posted caught my eye, but upon further review, I noticed the importance of the text featured. Kickstarter was a prominent topic of discussion on this site, and as a musician, I am well aware of the benefits that the program can provide to an artist or journalist. With the financial backing of volunteers, whom gain rewards along the way depending on the amount they invest, it can open doors and opportunities to those who may simply not have the money to make these projects alone. One such example of a successful kickstarter is a good friend of mine, Mike Squillante, who asked his fans and youtube subscribers to donate toward his next album.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1924478282/lets-do-this-together-mike-squillantes-new-record

If you’re interested in what this guy is capable, just feel free to check him out on facebook, twitter, or youtube. He’s phenomenal, and thanks to the kickstarter program this article raves about, he’s got a new album coming out.

The page also provided insight into a students’ perspective of the media, giving several examples of their first media related memory. They ranged from television programs to songs, and I found this ironic, because if I was posed with the same question, I’d quickly respond with the 1990’s cartoon “The Care Bears.”

The sale of the Washington Post was also featured, as well as a small section about the success of Univision, and the role of women in movies. To get a peek at the page yourself, visit the link below.

http://www.ralphehanson.com/

 

 

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