Dayne's Blog 2023

A story is a narrative about people and/or events, whether fictional or true, usually including a plot. Stories are often-times told for entertainment purposes.

I feel like stories are important because they are a way to make emotional connections and to get better informed about things in a memorable way. I think stories are important to also gain a better view and understanding of other people’s experiences. Stories are entertaining, yet informative which is a great way to make a connection between the plot and the reader in a way that can also raise self-awareness and awareness for the world around us.

Personally, the types of stories that I like to read and write are those that I would describe as heartfelt drama. In the past I wrote a story on the Olympics in which the Team USA Basketball team was cheated out of a gold medal. The game was controversial and it left many people feeling upset for decades to come. I feel like these are the types of stories that I like to read and write up. I enjoy reading about sports, mainly football and basketball.

This semester I want to just put more effort into completing my stories and making sure I get the most out of this class. I don’t really enjoy writing too much, so I want to try to find ways to make writing more enjoyable when it comes to the topics I choose to write about.

Early this morning there was an abrupt explosion inside of the Mega City Mall. The explosion happened around 8:50 am which left 2 males deceased and left up to 100 people injured with non-life threatening injuries.

Mega City Mall representatives state that there is no credible evidence that the explosion was anything more than a terrible accident. The investigation of of the explosion is ongoing and they are working tirelessly to come to a conclusion about the events. As of now, the mall will continue to remain closed in order to secure the scene and assess the ‘structural integrity’ of the building. Mega City Mall is optimistic about reopening by the weekend. Mega City plans to continue assisting officials and investigators with the case. Federal law enforcement agencies will also be involved.

Upon explosion, fire rescue from Mega City, Central City, Starling City, and Astro City were all sent to the scene. Aside from smoke inhalation and fire, there have only been a handful of other injuries. All of which are non-life threatening. The explosion took place near the food court of the mall. Stores like the Frisky Cream Donut Shop, Penny Dreadful, and the movie theater all dealt a major amount of damage.

One employee from the Frisky Donut Shop who was amidst the explosion stated, “I heard screaming prior to the explosion and saw people acting like they knew something was bout to happen. I believe there to be an attacker.” Homeland Security has also teamed up with the mall to investigate any potential of this being a terrorist attack.

General Manager of Gun Land reports going airborne upon the explosion and was one of the few people who suffered an injury aside from smoke inhalation. “I was in the air looking down and I felt like I was moving in slow motion,” Nina said while describing his events from the this morning.

The mall plans wants to send their condolences to all of the victims, and family and friends of the victims of todays events. Mega City Mall prides themselves on being a safe place and are working to assure that they get to the bottom of this case. Hopefully Mega City Mall can return to being the safe place it once was for the community.

Yesterday morning one of our dearest polar bears was found deceased.

Here at Midland Zoo, we offer an exhibition of polar bears which is one of our most common exhibits. Yukon is a 9-year-old male, McKenzie is a 10-year-old female, and our eldest polar bear is Homer who was 16-years-old. Homer was loved dearly by our staff as well as the public here at Midland. “Homer was a very curious and playful polar bear and we will miss him terribly,” says zookeeper, Sara N. Getty.

Homer was found floating in the pool of the polar bear exhibit shortly following feeding. Here at Midland we pride ourselves on animal welfare and preservation of species, so we are working tirelessly to find Homer’s exact cause of death. There have been 2 other animals to pass here at the zoo within the month but these deaths are unrelated.

Here at Midland we have always taken great care of our polar bears especially. Our exhibit does all that it can to try and simulate what the life of an undomesticated polar bear would actually be like, allowing them to engage in natural behaviors. They are allowed to play in manufactured snow, dig through gravel, and hunt fish just as wild polar bears are able to. The exhibit we have for our polar bears is unique and allows them to truly thrive.

Homer will be greatly missed and we are doing everything in our power to make sure Midland is a safe environment for all of our animals.

A rivalry too toxic? Michigan, Michigan State grapple with the future

This article just goes into depth about the Michigan and Michigan State football rivalry and how a situation transpired about a week ago when they played each other. I like the lead I think it’s interesting because they make it clear that there is tension between the two teams and tease what that means for the teams in the future. Personally, this made me want to read because I’m interested about what this could mean for the rivalry of these two teams in the future.

I do believe that the article goes into a bit more detail than someone looking for a quick read would be interested in. The information given is very good and descriptive but I feel there is a more short and sweet way that the journalist could have put this together.

I like the incorporation of quotes though. Since we’ve been having to use quotes in class and that I’ve started to notice them more and have a bit more appreciation for them. I think it gives the article a juiciness to since you get first-hand accounts of what players, fans, alum, etc. have to say about the rivalry.

One thing I don’t really like or think is necessary is the writer talking about the political side of the rivalry. I think most sports fans and people interested in this rivalry don’t really care much to hear about the political side of it so personally I would leave that out and keep it football.

Overall, I think this is a well-written and descriptive article, I just think it could do without a lot of the details and written in a more concise manner in order to keep the reader interested and reading until the end.

Local college athletes weigh in on the the direction NIL monetization is sending college sports (football) and the relevancy of NIL being at a small school.

The debate that once caused numerous amounts of scandals throughout college sports has lied within one question. Should college athletes be able to be paid and profit from their name, image, and likeness? Since the beginning of college sports, athletes have demanded and fought for rights to be able to profit off themselves. The NCAA rules once prohibited players from having rights to profitability and because of that many players and coaches have been punished for gifting players things and offering them incentives under the table.

Well now, as of July 1, 2021, all NCAA and college athletes are allowed to profit from NIL and gained to access to monetize their NIL. What does this mean for the future of college sports though, and does this have an effect on small school athletes like that of Morningside University?

I talked to several either current players or alumnus of the Morningside football team and asked them to weigh in on this topic. Seth Sheppard and AP Ponder, both alumni and multi-national champions with the Mustangs sat down with me for an interview on the topic. I also got to sit down with currently active and also multi-national champion for the Mustangs, Jamal Jones.

Each of the players believe that there are positives and negatives that come with the monetization of athletes and profitability of NIL. A big positive that a couple of the players mentioned is the fact that a lot of college athletes come from poverty or low income families.

“It allows us athletes the chance take care of our families…some of us have teammates who may have kids and NIL can help those teammates to try and provide while doing what they love, playing the game of football,” responded Ponder when asked how he felt about players being able to profit from NIL. Sheppard also believes that granting players NIL monetization rewards hard work and is fair considering that the NCAA profits millions of dollars from its athletes.

From an educational standpoint, some positives were pulled from the thought of NIL deals. “I think a lot more players will stay all 4 years…this is a good thing though because it gives them a chance to actually get their degree,” Shep said. Jones also said something similar when talking about NIL in that many athletes don’t last long in the professionals. So, NIL deals may encourage players to stay in school longer while getting paid to do and also being able to graduate and use their degree if need be.

Not all thoughts about the situation are all positive though. Could NIL deals eventually cause problems with team cohesion and the egos of these high-paid and more well-known college athletes? Could NIL even possibly have an effect on youth athletes who are aware of this opportunity and want to take advantage of it?

The college sports and professional world has seen its fair share of egotistical athletes who struggle with getting along with teammates and coaches. NIL is something that the Morningside players believe could propel athletes into these types of behaviors, especially given the fact that they are still trying to make it. Individual success is the main reason the guys believe this could potentially be a concern going forward. With money being the reward for individual success, a lot of players have the potential to begin gravitating their focus towards themselves first rather than the goals and likes of the team.

“I think NIL has the potential to create tension between teammates as well as resentment and inequality due to one players success. Not just in football but in college sports all around,” Shep says, while explaining that some athletes could become overly focused on personal marketing and NIL success.

While AP believes that the impact of NIL on youth sports will be positive due to the fact that it could push athletes to become noticeable and make a name for themselves, the other guys think different. “Building up egos and demanding so much in sports from a child early on could be recipe for disaster,” Jamal said shaking his head. Jones believes that high demand from a sport early on can lead to that beginning to feel like a job and ultimately stray a child away from the sport. At the youth age playing a sport should be hobby, not necessarily a way out said Shep and Jones similarly.

As far as being at a small school like Morningside, each of the athletes agree the NIL doesn’t have much of an effect, if any on the players. “Let’s be realistic here, we were a good ass program and still are, but for an NAIA program, NIL deals are pretty much an afterthought,” Shep said. Considering that NIL has a lot to do with your following and popularity, it isn’t too common for small school athletes to have publicity like players from D1 and D2 schools have. So, without that following, how would these athletes be able to benefit a company or brand looking to sponsor a player?

Ap believes that resources and exposure are both limited at small schools which give these athletes less of an opportunity to profit from themselves. Neither does he think it would be fair for someone playing at the highest-level to be remotely making the same amount of money as a small school athlete.

Current small school athlete Jamal Jones even said, “I don’t even really follow or pay attention to much about NIL being at Morningside.”

Concerns of the effect of NIL deals at a high level may live on for a long time, but for your local small school athletes like those of the Morningside Mustangs, though shall not worry.

Target aims to continue outdoing themselves as it continues to see growth in revenue and build on company traffic as well as guest relations. 

Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, came out with a letter to shareholders in the company’s 2022 annual report. Since 2019, Target has been putting up increasing numbers in traffic and revenue that they themselves didn’t even have plans for. As a supermarket giant, they aim to keep up the pace, but only at a steady level this time. 

“In the core pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, we spiked to never-seen-before growth rates that stretched our model to new limits,” Cornell wrote shedding light on the fact that not all of their recent growth has been steady. Cornell then went on to say that they as a company were able to manage this due to fundamentals, conciseness, and keeping guest relations well while doing so. He also feels like more and more people are putting their trust into target when it comes to their everyday needs which speaks to the loyalty and trust that Target has been able to build with their customers. 

Still speaking on loyalty and trust between the company and customers, Cornell said, “this flexibility and focus on guests consistently delivers growth whether in the pre-pandemic years of 2017-2019, or in the peak of the pandemic…” 

Target plans to keep up the accelerated growth, only at a steady pace this time and Cornell believes that they are in the correct place to do so. New revenue gain goals for the company’s future are blasting the anticipated revenue gain goals from before by nearly more than $35 billion due to their unanticipated scale of growth. 

With that being said, Cornell sees an opportunity to be able to save money for the company and continue growing steadily in the future while still being able to deliver quality product and experiences for its customers.

Down With Efficiency. (When We Get Around to It.)

To start I think this header is pretty mid. The thing that reeled me into this article was the header that you click on before opening the article that said “I Am So, So Over Efficiency.” I think this captured my attention because it’s in first person. I then came to realize that this is an opinion article. This then led me to question what the importance of this person’s opinion is? Who is this person enough for someone to care about their opinion?

I think I like this sort of option when it comes to news outlets because it’s different from traditional “news” format in which you’re reporting on an event or on someone else. It sways more towards the entertaining side of “news” as opposed to just being informative.

I do believe that this article is pretty boring to read though. From the start, it uses a lot of colorful wording that may be easy for someone to not want to continue reading. I like the message or the article though. I agree with a lot of the things that Parker Richards had to say, but I also don’t understand a lot of the points he’s trying to make.

Overall, I think it gets its point across in a concise way. It’s good to get away from the traditional news so I like this side of journalism that New York Times has to offer.

Thomas Ritchie, social and digital media expert, shares his personal interests and thoughts on new-age journalism in this interview recap.

From Waterloo, Iowa, Thomas Ritchie is a digital media expert who graduated from Mount Marty College. Ritchie grew up wanting to be a farmer as a result of the idolization of his grandfather, but ended up taking a different route in his career field. He also loved hockey, which he played all throughout high school, but went on to get a mass communications degree with a minor in marketing propelling him in to the business and media world.

For 25 years Ritchie did journalism at multiple different outlets, Argus Leader being the biggest, but he also has had a number of other jobs. Currently, Thomas works for the largest trucking insurance company in the world where he writes content for blogs as well as advertising content in order to get people interested in the company and to get people to understand the company is legit. “I miss journalism every day,” Ritchie reminisced when asked about his past in the field. He’s also worked in healthcare for some time, as well as teaching social media courses at a community college when social media was relatively new. He describes social media as being a big reason journalism has changed over the years.

“Journalism began to die out,” Thomas mentioned when talking about how social media has changed communications. He described media formatting as being a lot more strict before social media came about because it’s now a lot more common for media outlets to use an opinon-based type of journalism aside from the traditional television ‘news’ style.

He also got to experience the effects of social media first hand. Working at the Argus Leader, Thomas was alongside nearly 70 creative employers daily who worked with him as well, over the years that number of employers dropped down to less than 15 people. Nonetheless, Ritchie describes having worked at a large media outlet as being exciting. “I loved how going to work was never the same,” Ritchie said when talking about the Argus Leader.

Now, working in marketing, Ritchie believes that journalism transfers well. A lot of marketing involves being able to write and creativeness due to having to pull people into your business according to Ritchie. It’s different in a sense that you go from a lot of storytelling to advertising and targeting, but much of the skills needed in journalism and the media world are skills that are used in marketing.

The use of source criticism in everyday life is something that Joe Ciriaco deems as useful from day to day.

Source criticism is defined by many as a set of skills that allows for healthy skepticism when it comes to the nature of sources and human sources. Earlier I interviewed Joe, a senior here at Morningside University, about any useful skills of his and he decided that this skill is source criticism.

“Practice. You have to read that over time and you start to see themes and patterns that are similar. People have similar motives and as humans we can kind of understand how people think over time,” Joe said when asked how he acquired this skill. At Morningside Joe is a History major, so a lot of his studies have to do with history and the criticism of it.

Since Joe uses this skill in his field of study, I asked him when he plans to use this skill and in what type of setting. “I think it could be used any time you talk to someone.” Joe describes this skill as being a burden sometimes in a sense that it can be tough to have a normal conversation with people because of being over skeptical. Day to day life and in the media are the biggest places that Joe plans on using source criticism in order to ‘understand what’s in front of you’ and be able to avoid gullibility.