Alli's Blog A collection of writings

Disaster in Libya Leaves Thousands Missing

The North African country of Libya is attempting to recover from an immense catastrophe, which has been named Mediterranean Storm Daniel. 

On Sunday, September 10, 2023 a predicted 8 months worth of rain fell on Derna, Libya and surrounding cities. This historic 440 millimeters of rainfall caused two dams and three bridges to collapse. The collapsing of the dams caused so much pressure that people, cars, and even entire neighborhoods have been swept away. One Derna resident, Ahmed Abdalla, recalled seeing the rushing water “erase everything in its way.” The Washington Post described Derma and surrounding cities as “apocalyptic.”

Eastern Libya’s health minister, Othman Abduljaleel, said that they believe even more bodies are trapped under rubble or have been washed out into the sea.

Many areas of Eastern Libya in and around Derna are unreachable by foot or vehicle and are without telecommunication. Because of the impassable road conditions, outside help was not able to reach Durna until 36 hours after the disaster struck.

According to Asmahan Belaoun, a member of the parliament with family ties to Derna, the city’s main priority is to provide a telecommunication network and rescue helicopters to find survivors. 

The current death count is 2,000 including three members of the Libyan Red Crescent- a group designed to help in emergencies like this one. It is predicted that up to 10,000 people have actually died as a result of the storm, but it is hard to know an exact number because of the inaccessible roads. Tamer Ramadan, a Libya representative for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated, “Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, but from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge.” 

Hospitals in Derna are no longer operable because of the overflow of incoming patients. Bodies are being left on sidewalks outside of morgues and throughout the city.  

Libya is currently in a state of Civil unrest. The country is divided into the East and West sides who do not usually support one other. This catastrophic event has momentarily brought them together and the West side is helping the East find the resources it needs in order to make a full recovery.  

Flooding is a common occurrence in Libya during their rainy season, but nothing like this has happened before. The civil divide in the country’s government is thought to be a large factor in the extent of damages that were done by Storm Daniel. The main government is located in the Western part of Libya, so the Eastern side gets forgotten about when it comes to funding and resources. Infrastructure, including the bridges and dams that collapsed were not well maintained. Many people are wondering what the outcome of the storm would have been if maintenance and upkeep were common.

The lack of government could also be to blame for residents not realizing that the storm was going to be so bad. Some people are saying the high death rates are a result of negligence. The residents in Derna were not warned of the serious nature of the storm. Some residents woke up to what they thought were explosions, but were really the sounds of the dams breaking. The sounds were soon followed by flash flooding. 

Emergency responders in Derna say the situation had nothing to do with negligence, but simply a lack of preparedness. 

The US Embassy is doing what they can to aid relief efforts. In addition, Many Libyan-Americans want to help out by providing money to help search for survivors.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvjy88/great-wall-of-china-damaged-by-people-looking-for-shortcut

Police say that “irreversible” damage has been done to the Great Wall of China. 

Two construction workers looking for a short cut around the UNESCO world heritage site have been arrested after digging a hole through part of the wall. Using an excavator, a 38 year old man and a 55 year old woman dug a hole through an existing cavity in the Great Wall of China. They duo claimed they were hoping to save time for travelers. 

This incident took place on a part of the wall located in Youyu county at a section known as the 32nd Great Wall. This is an ancient artifact that dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644).

I think the article was written well. It was short and to the point, but still very informative.  It included quotes from the Chinese police, as well as quotes about what the workers intentions were. There were multiple pictures of the damage to the wall. I think the writer did good research before writing the article. 

I would say that this story is newsworthy because of the historical significance of The Great Wall of China. It is an enormous structure that took over 2,000 years to complete. The damage of it is important for people to hear about because it is such a beloved piece of history, especially in China. 

The title and lead were interesting and made me want to read the article.

Title: Great Wall of China ‘Irreversibly’ Damaged by People Looking for Shortcut

Lead: Two people have been arrested after using an excavator to dig a hole through a section of the landmark, Chinese police said.

Two Backwater Professors Involved in Deadly Plane Crash

Five people are pronounced dead following a plane crash at Kennedy International Airport. The 45 passenger and crew flight became uncontrollable during the take off process and crashed. 

John Dumont and George Johnson, both associate professors at Backwater State University, were aboard the flight, but walked away without injury. Fortunately they were among the majority, as about 40 total people survived. 

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. At this time there is no suspicion of foul play.  

Additional courses required for graduation at Backwater State University. 

Backwater State University President, David French, announced on Friday his plans to change graduation requirements. Students entering the university next fall (2023) will be required to take one math, computer science, and foreign language course before they are eligible to graduate. 

A recent study showed only 15 percent of students at Backwater State University took a foreign language course and only 20 percent took a math course. President French expressed that he feels this change will allow Backwater to, “turn out better-educated persons.”

Vanderbilt Homecoming queen arrested for driving under the influence for the third time.  

Homecoming queen, daughter of highly respected attorney, straight-A biology student, senior at Vanderbilt University and much more, 22 year old Cathey Wense can now add inmate to her lengthy list of titles. 

Cathy Wense was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last night. This is Cathy’s third offense in the last six months. 

The East Dakota Highway Patrol has ordered a ban of cancer causing hand-held radar guns. 

The Highway Patrol in East Dakota ordered to ban hand-held radar guns, yesterday. The department is concerned that officers are developing cancer from long term exposure to the waves emitted by the devices. Studies are still in progress to determine if there is real threat of cancer causing radiation. This ban is precautionary, until further research is completed. “The feeling here is to err on the side of caution.” says Adam Smith, a spokesperson for the Highway Patrol Department. 

Three municipal officers in Central City have claimed that their cancer was caused by using hand-held radar guns. This ban has potential to affect up to 70 radar guns used by East Dakota’s Highway Patrol department, including parts of Sioux City, Iowa. Only radar mounted on the outside of patrol cars will be utilized within the department.

‘Wriggling’ Parasitic Worm Pulled from Woman’s Brain During Surgery

By Beulah Rajkumar

https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjvz5q/brain-worm-parasite-australia

A parasitic worm was discovered in the frontal lobe of a 64 year old woman. The worm was 8 cm long. Although neurosurgeons commonly find infections during surgery, this instance is the first of its kind. 

Eggs from this worm are typically found in the feces of carpet pythons. This woman lives near grasslands where carpet pythons are common. 

The woman had reported “unusual symptoms”: stomach pain, forgetfulness and depression. These symptoms lead to an MRI and eventually an operation. The surgeon estimated that the worm could have been in her brain for at least two months. 

I think this story is newsworthy because it is bizarre. The doctor even said that it is a “once in a career” event. 

I think the story was well written and included good research. The story was easy to understand and left me without questions. There were multiple quotes from more than one person which helped the story come together nicely.

Mexico Shuts Down Pharmacies in Tulum and Cancun for Selling Dangerous Pills to Tourists- August 10, 2023

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7b9an/mexico-pharmacies-counterfeit-pills-fentanyl

55 pharmacies were raided in an area of Mexico with high tourist traffic and over 20 had their operations license suspended. There were a multitude of reasons for the suspensions, but the most concerning is that some were selling counterfeit medications. These pharmacies targeted and exclusively sold counterfeit pills to non-Mexican tourists and have now been linked to two major Mexican drug cartels: Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Mexican Navy started investigating after multiple complaints from tourists. They found that the pharmacies had been giving people Fentynal, Methamphetamine, and Xylazine- an animal tranquilizer in place of what they thought they were getting- Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall. 

The US has issued a warning to people traveling to all parts of Mexico that “counterfeit medication is common and may prove to be ineffective, the wrong strength, or contain dangerous ingredients.“

This story is considered news because it is reporting information about an unprecedented event that affects millions of people. It is important that tourists are aware of what is happening so they can be extra careful when getting medications from pharmacies on vacation or just bring their prescriptions with them. 

I feel that people should care about this and that it is very important. A lot of people could be seriously harmed if these unregulated pills kept being sold. Fentanyl especially can be really dangerous. 

I think the writer of this story did a good job. They used a lot of quotes directly from the press release from the Mexican Navy. This is the best source to get information from because it was the Navy who investigated the pharmacies. 

Dreya Roberts is a 2nd year student at Morningside. Dreya graduated from a large high school in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2020. After graduation she chose to take a gap year before coming to Morningside. Dreya told me in our interview that she was worried about not being on the “right” path- finish high school, then go to college, then get a job. She stated that she soon realized “it doesn’t fucking matter” and in the end was glad that she took the year off. During her year off she worked at a local coffee shop and lived with her parents and brothers at home. Dreya is the oldest sister in a family of three younger brothers and one foster brother. She let me know that she didn’t mind being the only girl growing up. Dreya’s family has two dogs. Abby is her favorite, but she loves Cal too. 

Dreya started playing softball in kindergarten and even played some in college. Her most recent position was 3rd base, but she is a versatile player. Her love of softball and athletics as a whole led her to studying sports information at Morningside. Dreya is not completely sure what she wants to do when she graduates, but she has toyed with the idea of going to graduate school to become an athletic trainer. Some other possible routes include coaching softball, being an athletic director at a high school, or working with a semi-pro softball team. 

Dreya works in the radio station on campus, tutors students in anatomy and works at the floral shop at Hyvee. Even with all these jobs, Dreya finds time to educate her friends and family on commonly unknown facts about anything and everything. One she shared with me is that babies are born without kneecaps. 

Hi! I’m Alli. I am currently a senior at Morningside. I am pursuing a degree in marketing and a minor in photography. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota with one older brother and one younger brother. My parents have two dogs who I love dearly. Lilly is 15 and has been my best friend since I was six years old. We just got Norman a couple years ago. He’s still a puppy but he’s a really good boy. 

Things I love: I am passionate about keeping the earth clean because I love nature. I especially love the mountains and waterfalls. I love putting together outfits with the clothing I find at thrift stores. I love to travel and experience new cultures. I find relaxation in baking and I love to share my creations with friends and family. I love going for walks, taking photos, and laying in my hammock. Below you can see a photo of me on one of my most recent adventures in Norway.