For this week’s News Comment I read the article from the New York Times called “A ‘Pacemaker for the Brain’: No Treatment Helped Her Depression — Until This” by Pam Belluck. It talked about the story of a woman named Sarah who has tried over 20 different methods to help massage her depression. None of them worked until this most recent attempt. She was the first participant in this experimental therapy. It works by a matchbook-sized device sending pulses of electrical stimulation in the brain.
For starters, there really were no issues with the writing of this article. It wasn’t objective or anything like that. It merely delivered the facts about the story/trial. I also thought the writer did a nice job explaining a topic that in some cases is very sensitive. However, it was nice to see articles about depression and mental health in the news. I think it’s good that mental health issues are being talked about more and more on such a large platform. My only “issue” if I were to have one is that the article does get long, but that is nothing new for an NYT article.
For this week’s News Comment I read “No Veggies, No Buns, Few Forks: Schools Scramble to Feed Students Amid Shortages” by Madeline Ngo from The New York Times. This article discusses the problem of food shortages in schools that several districts are facing. The problem is stemming from factors created by the pandemic. Things such as lack of distributors, not enough truck drivers, and the prices of food going up. I thought this was a really good read and that the writer did a nice job.
Even trying to read it through a critical lens was a little hard because there weren’t any obvious problems and I was also really interested in the topic. Ngo went into great detail and was very thorough when using quotes and other sources to explain the situation.
I hadn’t thought about how schools would be impacted by this kind of thing. The fact that they are resorting to foods with higher levels of sodium is what initially caught my attention considering when I went through school there was a huge healthy kid initiative enforced through most public schools.
Morningside University senior Guiseppe Del Rio reflects on college life during Covid.
Guiseppe Del Rio is a senior at Morningside University studying graphic design, marketing, and business administration. During these studies sophomore year, the traditional college experience came to a halt. Del Rio went back home to Peru in the Spring of 2020 before the pandemic got worse.
Things back home in Peru were very strict in regards to quarantine and restrictions. Individuals were only supposed to leave for groceries or other necessities.
When coming back to campus for the 2020 fall semester Del Rio was afraid of everything and very paranoid. Some of his friends would go out to parties and even to places such as Walmart unmasked.
However, Del Rio was relieved to be outside of his house once coming back to campus. He also stated, “Luckily last semester my roommate was also concerned about Covid.” He also explained that he thinks the school did a good job in handling the situation.
Del Rio describes the pandemic as a learning experience. When discussing the changes going into this semester, Del Rio said “I think right now I feel like with the vaccine and other stuff I feel safer here than before.” He still believes that people need to be safe since there are still cases.
My news comment this week is over the article “FDA OKs Pfizer’s booster shot for older adults and people at high risk” from NBC News. The article discusses that on Wednesday the FDA approved an emergency booster shot for those 65 and older, in addition to those 18 and older who are at high-risk exposure or severe illness. Individuals are eligible to receive the vaccine at least six months after their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Past the initial or most important information, the article goes on to talk about other questions that were raised and some background information.
The article seems to follow the inverted pyramid style well and as a reader, I could easily stop reading part of the way through and have the information I needed. So in that area, the writers, Erika Edwards and Sara G. Miller did a good job. Overall it was pretty objective, however, later on in the piece, I noticed that there were some unnecessary descriptors that were used. For example, it was said that “Another thorny question the CDC advisers will…” I don’t find the use of the word “thorny” to be necessary in this case. I would think things like this are already obvious or it’s something the reader can decide for themselves.
Overall, I think it was done nicely. You got the information you needed and amidst the pandemic, it was a pretty relevant article. Especially if you are someone who received the Pfizer vaccine.
During my scavenger hunt, I came across faculty member, Audrey Maynard, working in the Ag offices. I can only assume she is the secretary for this office. She looked very put together with her hair and makeup done. She was wearing a dark coral-y colored shirt which was the only thing I could see with her sitting at her desk. Once finished with her ongoing conversation she asked if she could help me with something. It felt natural sort of like she went through this a lot in one day. I explained what I was doing and then asked her if I could have her autograph. She didn’t question it much and agreed to it. However, she did continue to ask things such as “where do you want it?” as in on the paper and “how big?”. I assured her it didn’t matter and to do it however she wanted. She then signed the paper, I thanked her, and went on my way.
The second “item” was a little more difficult to get because I kept running into people I already knew. Eventually, I came across a student doing homework in the Krone Center. She was sitting with an open textbook and a notebook, Her name is Nayely Godoy. I also explained to her what I was doing and asked if we could have a conversation about the current news. She surprised me by saying “Is it bad that I don’t watch the news?” With that, I told her it could even be on campus or something she’s involved in. She shared with me that UPA, a group she is a part of, is planning to fund a race.
For this week’s news comment I read “L.A. County will require proof of vaccination at drinking establishments” from The New York Times by Alyssa Lukpat. The article discussed that next month Los Angeles County will be requiring proof of vaccination for entry to places such as bars, nightclubs, and other drinking establishments. The requirement will also extend to “outdoor mega-events”. This is the next step in moving forward in hopes to put an end to the covid surges. The county already requires masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
The article was actually pretty short and to the point. This didn’t leave much room for the writer to include any of their own opinions (which is a good thing). However, there wasn’t any of that included and it was seemingly objective to the reader. It also seemed to be written in an inverted pyramid format. The information that I would hope to find after reading the title/lead was then presented right at the beginning. The more I read from The New York Times the more “comical” it becomes to me that so many of them are written similarly. You get through the important information and then it goes into the background information or other context, then it brings the main story back in and ends the article. However, despite the articles being formatted alike the writer did a nice job giving the reader what they needed. And even parts where there was no information to give, it was addressed and explained why. For example, the article specifically addressed that the country officials did not specify how they would ask people to prove they were vaccinated.
I did find this to be relevant despite not living in this county. It’s always interesting to see what other parts of the country are doing to stop the spread/respread. It is also interesting to see considering the attempted recall of the California governor.
Educational rides are set to be installed after donations made by a local merchant.
The city parks and recreation department announced that a series of new park rides will be purchased and installed for children to use. The total project cost will be $11,000. A few of the rides that will be added will include The Hanging Gate and SuperSlide.
The money was made available by the late Robert T. F. Ho who died two days ago. Ho was the owner of the Quick Stop Laundry. Ho’s gift was anonymous up until yesterday.
Mrs. Ho, his widow, stated that “Robert always enjoyed watching the kids play in the park across the street. He felt sorry for the kids who had to wait to use the equipment, especially the little ones.”
Simpson Middle School 8th Grader Sophia Trevino began a protest looking to find changes in the district dress code after her own dress code violation on the first day.
According to The New York Times, Trevino’s ensemble included a white Los Angeles shirt, distressed jeans, and a pair of Air Force 1 sneakers. The outfit raised no red flags among her friends and parents.
However, a teacher at Simpson Middle School in Cobb County, GA, who was ensuring that students were following dress code did not find Trevino’s outfit appropriate. Trevino was asked to place her hands along her sides to see if the rip in her jeans was below her fingertips. It was not. Trevino, in addition to 15 other girls, was dress-coded before the first period.
The Simpson Middle School dress code states that no skin may be showing above the fingertip and that all shorts, skirts, and dresses must be at least fingertip length.
Trevino expressed one of her main issues with the policy is that it singled out girls and made them responsible for the actions of the boys. The school district’s policy emphasizes the avoidance of distraction to learning according to The New York Times.
In an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Trevino is quoted as saying “‘The school talks about empowering women,’” but then is “‘pulling them out of class because of a hole in the knee of their jeans.’”
Every Friday following the incident Trevino and other students have worn t-shirts that criticize dress codes as being ‘sexist, ‘classist’, and ‘racist’. A spokesperson for the Cobb County School District quoted in The New York Times said the district’s dress code should “‘encourage a focus on learning for all 110,000 students in Cobb, not on what students prefer to wear.’”
Some parents and students have mentioned the school’s “up-to-you” mask policy when protesting the dress code said GoodWordNews. If parents are allowed to decide whether or not their child wears a mask it raises the question of why can’t they do the same when it comes to their child’s wardrobe.
A study done in 2020 by University of New Hampshire Professor, Todd A DeMitchell researches the inappropriate sexualization of female students to be the problem that dress codes focus on. The study found that 25 New Hampshire schools had policies that directly targeted girls.
National Women’s Law Center fellow Sabrina Bernadel also finds that dress codes are sexist. Bernadel explains that dress codes put the responsibility on girls to not be distracting, rather than on other students to respect their peer’s bodies.
The New York Times says that Trevino hopes change will come from her petition and Friday protests. Her idea for a new dress code is quoted as “shirts, bottoms, shoes.” She is hoping to create something gender-neutral and inclusive. This policy would allow areas such as “thighs, cleavage, and abdomen” to be showing. All outfits would need to cover the groin, buttocks, and nipples.
In a story from WJCL Trevino’s parents are said to support her in this fight.
Posted
September 9, 2021 and .
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Amburn’s Produce Market charged with negligence in a $100,000 lawsuit.
Ellie Maston filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court today after slipping on green beans left on the ground of the market and breaking her hip. The accident occurred on April 2nd of this year.
The suit alleges she “suffered permanent bodily and mental injuries, incurred medical expenses and lost income.”
Posted
September 9, 2021 and .
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South Iowa City man killed in car accident after a collision on Hwy 28 yesterday morning.
The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office revealed the death of South Iowa City man, Moyer Quick after a two-car accident between Quick and Randy Radin of Swan Lake took place two miles east of Sioux City.
South Iowa Highway Patrolman, Patric Stewart, said both vehicles were proceeding in a westerly direction on the two-lane highway. Quick passed the Radin vehicle but his rear-end struck Radin as he completed the pass. The impact sent both vehicles into the ditch on the north side of the road.
Three survivors were transported by ambulance to Sioux City General Hospital. The survivor’s conditions range from good to critical.
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