Isabel's blog

There was an earthquake in Morocco last weekend. At the time of writing, this earthquake has caused more than 2,000 casualties. The earthquake was 6.8 on the scale of magnitude. That was the biggest earthquake in Morocco in 60 years.

The earthquake destroyed a lot of houses and buildings in the High Atlas Mountains. Some areas high in the mountains are difficult for emergency services to reach. Not all roads are equally passable, so it takes a while for emergency responders to get to certain places.  Some places can only be reached by helicopter.

In the small town of Amizmiz (approximately 55 kilometers south of Marrakesh), buildings were still collapsing on Sunday afternoon, almost 40 hours after the earthquake on Friday evening. Traces of the former residents could be seen in some houses. For example, in the ruins of the ceiling on the second floor: velvet blankets, suitcases, and rugs. Some survivors have moved to higher ground and set up tents on patches of flat, dry ground.

The Moroccan government has deployed the military to lead search and rescue efforts in affected areas, while other aid groups are busy setting up shelters for residents who have lost their homes or for those unable to return home due to structural damage or fear of aftershocks.

In the Netherlands, a group of almost 200 Moroccan-Dutch doctors have said that they want to help in Morocco. Ali Lahdidioui, chairman of the Association of Moroccan Doctors in the Netherlands (AMAN), made a post on Linkedin to see how many doctors would like to help in Morocco. So, there was a lot of response to this.

Ali Lahdidioui says “Contact has been made with the authorities and we are currently waiting for the green light to further develop these plans.” He also says that it is difficult to have to wait because you know that people can already use your help. Still, he says, “As a physician organization, we have decided to act thoughtfully and do what we do best: provide appropriate and adequate medical care.”

So, as soon as there is a green light, doctors will go to Morocco to provide help in the affected areas. Help has been offered to Morocco from all over the world. For example, a group from the European Union was ready to help Morocco and an assessment team from the United States is also in Morocco to assist the Moroccan government where necessary.

Lahdidioui and his colleagues from AMAN are currently considering semi-acute assistance. They say that the hospitals are there for trauma care. They also say that they know from previous disasters that there are shortages of basic needs: food, hygiene and water. There is a high risk of infections and they want to provide support in this regard.

Coach Ramzi also experienced the earthquake in Morocco up close. Ramzi is the coach of the Moroccan top club Wydad AC. He lives in the coastal city of Casablanca because of his work, but his family comes from Marrakech, a city north of the epicenter. The earthquake killed Ramzi’s aunt and her children.

On Saturday morning, Ramzi canceled the practice of his soccer team via his soccer team’s group app and took care of his players and staff. “Everyone had gone out at night, one of my players only returned home at 11 am in the morning because he was afraid. Then you don’t practice.”

Ramzi believes that now is the time to stand up. He believes that rich people should take responsibility. How does he do that himself? Just like the national team, he has decided to donate blood and on Monday he will visit the club to see what they can do financially.

The national team would play a match the next day. The match between Morocco and Liberia in the qualification for the African Cup has therefore been canceled. According to the Moroccan association, the decision was taken in consultation with the African Football Federation. Instead of playing a match, a large part of the selection donated blood. They did this through a call from the Moroccan government to donate blood for the many people that are injured.

This earthquake will have a long-lasting aftermath for Morocco. Many houses have been destroyed, leaving many people homeless. A lot of them have also been found. Fortunately for Morocco, many different agencies have offered help to help Morocco get back on its feet.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/10/morocco-earthquake-rescue-aid-marrakesh/

https://nos.nl/artikel/2489955-trainer-ramzi-maakt-aardbeving-in-marokko-van-dichtbij-mee-het-verdriet-is-zo-groot

https://nos.nl/artikel/2489955-trainer-ramzi-maakt-aardbeving-in-marokko-van-dichtbij-mee-het-verdriet-is-zo-groot

Cathy Wensen a 22-year-old senior got arrested last night. She got arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. This was not the first time it happened. In the last six months, she has been arrested three times. Cathy is the daughter of Jim Wensen a locally prominent attorney, and Sharon Wansen who lives in Ontario, Canada.

Cathy is planning to go to Vanderbilt University for her graduate study in Biology. She was also the homecoming queen of this year. Besides that, she is a cheerleader at the university. She is also very good in the classroom. Cathy is a straight-A student

David French, President of Backwater State University, announces changes in graduation requirements for the students entering the university next fall (2023). He says, “We feel that these new course requirements will allow us to turn out better-educated persons.” He changed these requirements because of a recent study the university did.

A recent study showed that only 15 percent of the students took a foreign language course at Backwater State University.  That is a little less than the percentage of a math course. Only 20 percent of the students took a math course while being at the University. The new requirement will be that students must take one match, computer science, and foreign language course

Last Thursday night, a TWA Jet crashed during takeoff at Kennedy International Airport. Forty-five passengers and crew members were aboard when it happened. Out of the forty-five people, five people were killed. A few others suffered minor injuries. It is not clear yet how this could happen.

Associate professor of rural sociology John Dumont and associate professor of English George Johnson from Backwater State University were aboard that plane. Both professors attended separately a conference in New York City and were returning home. Luckily for the professors, they both escaped Injury.

Yesterday, the East Dakota Highway Patrol ordered the ban of hand-held radar guns, which also includes part of Sioux City. This is because troopers could develop cancer from long-term exposure to the radiation waves emitted by the devices.

Adam Smith, the spokesman for East Dakota Highway Patrol, said, “The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue, the whole situation is under review”.  The ban was ordered as a precaution while studies are conducted into the possible links between cancer and the use of such guns.

The ban affects 70 radar guns that will be withdrawn from service. State troopers will continue to use radar units with transmitters mounted on the outside of their cruisers.  This move is the first of its kind by a state police agency. It comes two months after three municipal officers in Central City filed workman’s compensation claims, saying they developed cancer from using the hand-held units.

This article is about Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. Inter Miami played a game last weekend in Los Angeles, where many famous people live. Many of them wanted to see Lionel Messi play in real life. These included Selena Gomez, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, LeBron James, and Leonardo Di Caprio. Several players from the Los Angeles Dodgers were also present. The stadium was totally packed.

The match was won by Inter Miami with 3-1. Lionel Messi had two assists. So far, Messi’s move to Inter Miami seems to be a success. The club keeps winning and every stadium they play in is sold out. The smile on Messi’s face is also back and he seems to have found the fun in soccer again.

This article also tells that Neymar recently opened up about his time with Messi at Paris Saint Germain. Neymar calls his time at Paris Saint Germain hell and says that Messi did not deserve to have to leave like this. He thinks that Messi has been wrongly pointed out and that he often walked around the training field sadly.

He also says that he awarded Messi the world title with Argentina and is happy that he has found a good new club. Neymar himself left Paris Saint Germain for Saudi Arabia after 6 years of playing for the club.

I think this article describes Messi’s situation well. Now that he has the fun of playing soccer again, he has also started to play much better. I also think that the arrival of Messi to the USA a good thing is for men’s soccer in the USA. I think there has been a lot more attention to men’s soccer now than ever before. This can also be seen in the celebrities who want to come and watch Messi’s matches.

The interview with Neymar makes the contrast between Inter Miami and Paris Saint Germain clear. Messi himself has not spoken clearly about it, but I think Neymar gives a good summary. I think it’s good to put a piece with Neymar’s interview so that you as a reader have a little more background information.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2489176-hollywood-loopt-uit-voor-duel-messi-van-prins-harry-tot-selena-gomez-aanwezig

FIFA suspends the president of the Spanish Soccer Federation for the kiss he gave to one of the players after the World Cup final. Since the finale, that one kiss has been the conversation in Spain and the rest of the sports world. During the medal ceremony, Luis Rubiales kisses Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso after he gives her a golden medal. This fragment went all over the world, as this happened when millions of people were watching the ceremony.

At first, under pressure from the Spanish federation, Hermoso says the kiss was friendly. Rubiales also expresses this in a statement. Many people, including Spanish politicians, find this inappropriate and demand that the president resign.

Hermoso and her management later came up with a statement that she did not like the kiss and that it was very inappropriate. She also says that she never gave the president a reason to kiss her. Something he later denied in a statement by the Spanish Soccer Federation. She also says that her earlier statement was written under pressure from the Spanish Soccer Federation and is therefore not true.

A few days later, the Spanish Soccer Federation scheduled an emergency meeting. Everyone expected Rubiales to resign. Nothing turned out to be less true, Rubiales insisted that he did nothing wrong and repeated 5 times that he is not going to resign.

Because Rubiales is not going to resign, 83 Spanish soccer players, including the 23 World Cup players, have said that they no longer want to play for Spain as long as this board is there. Hermoso also receives support from all over the world. Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, among others, have said that they are behind her.

Playing a tournament or game becomes difficult without players, especially if you also do not have any staff members. All eleven of Jorge Vilda’s staff have said that they will resign. The only one left of the Spanish selection is the national coach himself, Jorge Vilda.

This incident did not come out of the blue. Last year, 15 players of the selection wrote a letter to the Spanish Soccer Federation that they no longer wanted to play under the current national coach Jorge Vilda. In this letter, he was accused, among other things, that players were not allowed to close their room doors at night so that he knew that everyone was in their own room. Players must have found this situation so bad that a large part of them chose not to go to the World Cup. This is in my eyes not something you do because of a small conflict.

It will be interesting to see what the next steps will be. In any case, it seems that Hermoso has all the support on her side and that the Spanish Soccer Federation is pretty much on its own. One thing is clear and that is that something has to change at the Spanish Soccer Federation to ensure that there is a safe working atmosphere for everyone.

I think this article stated clearly what the case is. It is good that they used an expert, Dolors Ribalta Alcalde, to explain why this is such an important issue in Spain. I agree with the article. I think there needs to change something within the Spanish Soccer Federation and I hope that more women will get a more powerful position, so this “kiss incident” will not happen again.

During the conversation with Jesus, we discussed what we like the most about Morningside. We both agreed that we like that Morningside is not too big but also not too small. It feels like a community. Afterwards, I thought a little bit more about that and realized that different cultures are also a big reason why I like Morningside so much and realized that even more after my conversation with Jesus because our cultures are totally different.

Jesus grew up in Okoboji, Iowa. Before I came here, I would never guess that Okoboji was in Iowa, because it sounds like a tropical island if you do not say the state with it. Jesus grew up with his older sister and two little brothers. His older sister is a teacher assistant, one of his brothers is a freshman in college and the other is a freshman in High School.

Over the summer, Jesus went back home to work and spent a lot of time on the water. He showed me how many lakes Okoboji has, and I can tell you it is a lot. That is also a reason why he spent almost all his time on the water this summer. Jesus loves boating, jet skiing, and wake surfing. When he is not doing all of that, he works on the water. Jesus works at a resort, and he is a bartender there on one of their boats.

Before he told me all of this, I would never expect to find a boy from Iowa who is so much on the water. Especially because Iowa has no ocean or sea nearby, but I think that the lakes are a good replacement for that.

I know this all sounds like an amazing summer, but we are back in school, so who is Jesus in School? Jesus is a Junior, who has a mass communication major and has minors in Spanish and Marketing. Spanish would probably not be that difficult for him, as his mum is from Mexico, which makes him a Mexican American. Jesus commended on that and said, “I can understand a lot of Spanish, but speaking is a lot harder for me”. I have the same with German, so I think the Spanish classes will be helpful for him because it is nice when you go on a vacation to also speak the language.

Besides school, Jesus is also here for the volleyball team. He is a defensive specialist and is looking forward to the season. They have a lot of freshmen this year to get the team to a higher level. They also have a new coach, who is coming from a D1 school, so he will probably have high expectations. If he would not play volleyball, he would probably try tennis, because in his own words; he sucks at soccer.

One of the last questions I asked him, is what he wants to do when he is done with school. He told me that he would love to do something with Sports broadcasting or videography. I think that is pretty cool.

Besides the cultural differences we have, which I think is pretty interesting, we also have a lot in common. We both like scary movies and graduated from high school during COVID. Also, this is our second class together. We never talked a lot before, so this was a nice conversation to start the class with.

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