My Not so Quiet Opinions on the News

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 2)

Scavenger Hunt

For this project, I had to go and get two different things from two different people. The first thing I got was a favorite motivational quote. I went to talk to pastor Andy Nelson, and he said that his favorite quote came from Lilla Watson, an artist and activist for Aboriginal Australians. The quote is “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because you recognize your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” When asked why he chose this quote, he said, “It’s really tempting when trying to help others, to get caught up in a dynamic of ‘I’m helping, I have the power.’ This shows that it’s not really about that, but that we are all connected.”

The second thing I had to get was a creatively bent red paper clip. I went to the admissions office and sat down with Steven Ricke, a new councilor for this year. He bent the paper clip into a double handle shape. I asked him why he bent it into that shape and he gave me a quote.

“I kinda get fidget-y sometimes. It gives me something to do.”

Lead Practice 3

A plane with 61 crew and passengers crashed south of Townsville on Friday. There are 42 confirmed deaths according the the Cook County Coroner, including Rep. George W. Collins, D-Ill. Of the 61 people aboard Divided Airlines flight 553, fifty-five were passengers, and six were crew members.

An eyewitness said, “I saw the plane coming lower and lower. I couldn’t  believe it. I thought surely it would go back up in the air. But (sic) it kept coming down. I knew it would never make it to the airport. I was scared.”

An investigative team was immediately sent to the site by the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington. This was made easier because of the fact that several board officials were already in Townsville due to a train crash earlier in the month.

Deputy fire marshall Curtis Vokamer said that his crew found most of the 55 passengers dead. “If hell has an address, this is the place.”

Radar Ban

Two months ago, three officers in Cedar Rapids filed for workman’s compensation, saying they developed cancer from using hand-held radar guns. Yesterday Adam Smith, a spokesman for the Iowa Highway Patrol, announced an ordered ban of hand-held radar guns.

“The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue,” Smith said.

The ban will be put into place because of concerns that troopers could develop cancer due to long-term exposure to radiation emitted by the devices. The ban was put in place as a precaution, and studies are being done to see if there are possible links between cancer and the use of radar guns.

This ban will bring 70 radar guns out of service, and troopers will use units with transmitters mounted to the outside of their vehicles.

Profile Paper

Jim Sykes is the head coach of the Men’s Basketball team here at Morningside. During his time here, he has put together one of the most impressive coaching resumes since he was promoted to the position of head coach in January of the team’s 2003-2004 campaign. He has recorded a .647 winning percentage, and a 277-151 win loss record (Coaches). Jake Brand, a current student at Morningside and a former men’s basketball player said, “Coach Sykes is a really good guy. He’s always been very professional on and off the court, and has never been rude to me.”

But how did Sykes make it to Morningside? Why did he decided to become a coach? In an interview with Sykes in the spring semester of last year, I found out the answers to these questions.

Jim Sykes first decided he wanted to be an elementary teacher and a coach after he was influenced by his 6th grade teacher Mr. Neumeier. Athletics were always at the core of what Sykes wanted to do. He played several sports in school, and thought the coaching aspect might be fun as well. “I figured if I wasn’t good enough to play, maybe I’d be good enough to coach,” Sykes said in the interview.

When Sykes first started working as a teacher and a coach, he was teaching elementary school in Waverly, Nebraska. He helped as an assistant coach on the football team, and was the head coach of the basketball team. He said that the sport he chose to be the head coach for was a close call. He liked the atmosphere that football provided, but also liked being able to coach five guys on a court, and being in charge of both offense and defense. Zach Polk, a Morningside alumni and former basketball player under Sykes said, “His coaching style is intense. You have to be able to handle the intensity of his coaching style or you might crumble under the pressure. You have to realize though, he’s doing the things he’s doing because he wants the team to succeed.”

The chance to coach at Morningside was an opportunity for Sykes. An acquaintance of his got the head coaching position for the Men’s Basketball team, and asked if Sykes would be interested in being his assistant. As was stated earlier, Sykes gained the head coaching position after being promoted there in the middle of the 2003-2004 season.

 

 

Coaches. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2017, from https://morningside.edu/athletics/mens-basketball/coaches/

Bad Dog! Gas Truck Rolls Over on Outskirts of Town

A Texaco truck hauling gasoline overturned and flooded sewer lines on 48th Street and Correctionville Road. Fire Chief Charles Hochandel said, “The firemen followed catastrophe and hazmat procedure set up beforehand for just such an occurence.”

Four families were evacuated because of the gas in the sewer lines, and cars were rerouted through side streets, as there was also fuel on the streets and in ditches.

The situation remained serious for two hours until the gasoline was washed away, and flushed out of the lines.

Charter School Woes

This news article comes from the New York Times Education Issue. The headline is, “Michigan Gambled on Charter Schools. Its Children Lost.”

The part that should catch your attention was the little paragraph that was used as a summary of what the article talked about.

It goes, “Free-market boosters, including Betsy DeVos, promised that a radical expansion of charter schools would fix the stark inequalities in the state’s education system. The results in the classrooms are far more complicated.”

This should catch your attention because it shows that while some people have good intentions, they aren’t always very helpful.

This article has a good lead, as it uses a small amount of information from the article to talk about what is going on. This also lets you know what’s basically going on in the story, without having to read the entire article.

Other than the lead, this story does leave something to be desired. Instead of going right into talking about the charter school problems that the state has, it talks about the history of a young woman who grew up in Highland Park, and started teaching there this last year.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/magazine/michigan-gambled-on-charter-schools-its-children-lost.html

 

Blog #6

The blog that I like the most of what I wrote previously this semester is for chapter 6. It talks about relationship frames, and which ones I found important in my life. I talk about how the frames parent/child and coach/athlete. Both have turned me into the young man that I am today. My parents taught me the most important characteristics for a person to have, and my coaches helped expand on those characteristics, and even taught me some new ones. I can’t think of ways to expand or improve on what I’ve written. I still feel that every one of the qualities that were instilled in me by my parents and coaches is a vital piece of who I am, and what makes me me. I wouldn’t change anything that has happened to me over the years, because I don’t know who I would be, or if I would like the outcome of those changed experiences.

Chapter 6: Like Giving Candy to a Baby

There are a lot of relationship frames that have influenced my life, but I’d have to say that the two most important ones would be parent/child, and coach/athlete.

The first frame is important, because my parents taught me respect, honesty, compassion, and several other qualities that make a decent human being. Without having learned these things from my parents I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. I’m not saying that everything I learned from my parents was good, and I’m not saying that I always got along with my parents, but I did learn how to get around those things. My mother taught me to be patient with others, even if you don’t get along with them. My father taught me that in certain circumstances it is perfectly acceptable for a grown man to cry; when his sibling dies, when he thinks he might lose his father. Most importantly, they taught me that there are certain circumstances where it is okay to quit.

The second frame is important, because there were some things my parents didn’t–or weren’t able–to teach me. I learned a lot from my coaches over the years as well. Humility, the strive for greatness, hard work, sportsmanship, obedience and the ability to take orders. Some might ask why obedience and being able to take orders is a good thing. They are important because with out them, nothing would ever get done. Someone always comes up with an idea, but then there needs to be someone who will do it. I learned from all of my coaches how to go out and give whatever sport I was in at the time my all, but only a few taught me how to handle the unexpected. Being sidelined by sickness, losing a game that you should have won, and winning a game that nobody but you, your coach and your team thought that you would win. One coach stands out to me the most. He was like family to me, and he taught me not only how to be a great athlete, but a great man as well. For that I will be forever thankful.

There are several things that can help you get through life, but one thing that any person who is going to turn out right needs, is love. To be loved my those around them, and to love those around them. I was lucky enough to get that in sports and my personal life.

Chapter 5. Think Like a Child

Everybody knows what it’s like to have a discussion with a child. They ask what something is, does, how it works, why it does what it does, etc, etc. They want to know everything, and they won’t stop until you are thoroughly annoyed. As long as they don’t know about something, you can bet that anytime you go somewhere there will be questions when you get there, and even on the way there.

Children also have an innate ability to ask some of the darnedest questions right when they need to be asked. Having a bad day? That’s when a random child asks you something about the jacket you’re wearing. While you are telling them about it, you remember that it’s your favorite jacket, and then all the history that comes with the jacket comes rushing in, and you aren’t in a bad mood anymore. You could be arguing with a friend, and a kid will ask why you two are fighting. You tell them, and they reply with, “Well that’s a stupid reason to be fighting.” And you realize that they’re right.

Besides being able to ask the right question at the right time, and asking the most annoying questions, children also ask some of the funniest things that you’ll ever hear. I remember a kindergartner at my old school asking my friend if she could have her hair. I also remember several other things that were asked by the elementary students, and ended up being answered by the high schoolers. There was a lot of laughing when some of the questions were asked, and sometimes the laughing came with the answer to the question.

Chapter Four: Like a Bad Dye Job, the Truth is in the Roots

One of the major problems in today’s society is gun related violence. Or rather, that’s what the media would like you to think. In fact, gun related violence isn’t really that big of a deal in everyday life, but the media coverage of it is. Since the 1990’s, gun violence has gone down. In fact, right now it’s at the lowest point it has been at in decades. On the other hand, media coverage of gun related crimes has sky rocketed by about 600%!

One of the major ways the government it fighting this so called “gun problem” is by creating stricter, and more severe laws surrounding the ability to own and possess firearms.While this might help them monitor those who obtain guns legally and lawfully, it will not stop criminals from getting firearms. In fact, it will make the jobs of criminals easier, because less and less people will want to go through the hassle of getting a permit to have a firearm.

Something that the government can do to help the people? Make it easier for law abiding citizens to get firearms to protect themselves. While you might question why this would be helpful, it truly would be. Think about it. If you are confronted by an armed robber, would you feel better being able to pull your own gun to try and protect yourself? Or would you feel better handing over your purse, or wallet, and being scared to death they might just shoot you anyway?

Just remember, when you need it in seconds, help is only a few minutes away.

« Older posts

© 2024 Marcus's Mumblings

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑