COM208 Scavenger Hunt

Today I talked with Stacie Hays, Katherine Koithan, and Alexander Jesus Castillo Vera in the Morningside Mall to see their responses to interesting requests for my Fundamentals of Journalism class.

Brian Garcia and I ran into Stacie and a Katherine while walking from the HJF Learning Center to Buhler Rohlfs at around 10:15am. Brian and I greeted them and introduced ourselves as members of this course. Stacie and Katherine appeared moderately surprised, as if this was something she has done before, though it is just out of the ordinary.

Our assignment was to collect a motivational quote from the people we were interviewing, so we asked Stacie and her colleague, “just keep swimming,” Stacie told us. Katherine told us about her affirmations that she reads, telling us that she doesn’t have one quote that she has on her mind.

After talking with Stacie and Katherine, Brian and I continued towards Buhler Rohlfs and the Krone center. We ran into Alex delivering mail for the Morningside Mailroom. Brian and I both needed a selfie as our next objective, so we introduced ourselves and our goal for our class. We promised that it would not take much of his time. Alex happily agreed.

September 19, 2023 1 Comment

About Myself

Hello reader, you are looking at the page of Joseph Ciriaco, so here are a few things about myself.

I am a 4th year student at Morningside University with a major in History and minors in Religious Studies, Legal Studies, and Political Science. I am registered to take the LSAT this fall in hopes of attending Law School after graduation in May.

I am from Omaha, Nebraska and have 5 siblings that are much older than me. Morningside provided the opportunity for me to continue my swimming career that I had started in highschool. In highschool I had the opportunity to train with the fastest swimming recruit in the nation for the class of 2021. Starting swimming in highschool as a novice was tough, but I was able to be a state champion and All-American by the end of my highschool career. At Morningside I was able to be an All-American as well, placing 8th in the nation in the 50 free at nationals in 2022. After my swimming career at Morningside I picked up weightlifting which is now a passion.

I enjoy reading and discussing philosophy and history.

September 15, 2023 Leave a Comment

[Final] Discourses on Book Banning in Nebraska

From the highest levels of state government to the lobbies of high schools, Nebraskans are expressing themselves on the subject of censorship in public schools.

New attitudes towards books in our public classrooms has created a surge of complaints about inappropriate content available in our public schools. From September 1 to November 30 of last year the American Library Association received more than 330 cases reported to its Office of Intellectual Freedom. 

The ALA saw more reports last year than in the previous 20 and is not alone in experiencing an increase in reports. State education departments, school districts, and individual schools have also had to deal with the complaints.

The influx of reports has created many problems for deciding committees on school boards. School boards have their own processes for determining what content they want available for their kids, often taking many weeks for consideration.

The Omaha World Herald reports that the Papillion La-Vista public school district has been dealing with complaints since the previous academic year. Parents have been particularly concerned about books with content about race and gender identity. Assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, Shureen Seery, says that all of the complaints have come from parents without kids in the schools where the books are. 

School officials, school board members, teachers, students, and parents have expressed a wide variety of opinions on the issue. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a member of the Nebraska Board of Education, Kirk Penner, read several passages from a book that depicted same-sex acts, as well as others explaining gender fluidity. Penner commented that “We’re hyper-sexualizing out kids.” 

Other members of the Nebraska Board of Education have shared different views. Fellow board member Jacquelyn Morrison believes Penner’s remarks target books with LGBTQ themes and does not want them to be taken out of schools.

KETV reported students of Plattsmouth high school disagreed with the policy of their school’s book banning, choosing to protest in their school’s lobby. “We don’t believe one of our school board members should be able to dictate all what we read and consume,” Carlee Petereit told reporters. 

The protest came after the policy crafted by school board member Terri Cunningham-Swanson. Swanson calls herself the “conservative firewall” and declares on her website that books within Plattsmouth need to be free from indoctrination.

September 12, 2023 2 Comments

East Dakota Highway Patrol Bans Radar Guns Because of Possible Link with Cancer

The decision to bad radar guns 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.The East Dakota Highway Patrol’s move is the first of its kind among state police agencies.

Yesterday, Adam Smith, spokesperson for the East Dakota Highway Patrol, spoke on the issue.

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

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 article is Lead Practice 1 for Comm 208.

September 7, 2023 1 Comment

News Comment on: “China’s Xi Fights Fires at Home and Abroad”

In an article from the Washington Post, Ishaan Tharoor describes the struggles of China’s leader Xi Jinping. Tharoor details many issues that China is facing, such as: a shrinking and aging work force, real estate debt, worsening economic performance, and international disputes.

Challenging the “sleeping dragon” narrative, Tharoor provides a story relevant to all Americans. A weaker China changes how the U.S. will conduct itself abroad as many Americans rely on Chinese products or Chinese manufacturing. Americans will be forced to reconsider where they will manufacture many of the products that they consume without a stable Chinese system.

Tharoor’s article may not have immediate impact on the lives of Americans, though his warning and concern for the future of China is warranted. The concept of Tharoor’s article, a declining China, has vast and historical impact on the lives of Americans and could shape the future of American diplomacy and economics.

The article displays a few tangible circumstances about Xi’s struggles, though it relies too heavily on the opinion on American analysts. American analysts are incentivized to write unfavorably about the future of China. The impact of this article is not one that is readily felt by the reader. The impact relies on the word of analysts rather than something that can be demonstrated empirically.

September 6, 2023 1 Comment

Massacres on Yemen Border- How much was the U.S. Involved?

Reports to the United Nations in October 2022 cited more than 800 deaths of migrants attempting to cross into Saudi Arabia from Yemen. The reports to the United Nations were followed by reports from the Human Rights Watch. In efforts to understand the involvement of the United States in these deaths, President Biden is pressuring Saudi Arabia to identify which units are responsible. The Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington D.C. has denied these claims.

Saudi Arabia is the largest consumer of American military sales. Many Saudi Arabian units have received arms and training from the United States. Determining the responsible party will enable American military forces to identify American involvement in training or arming these units.

The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is important for the Middle-East, Americans, the migrants, and the rest of the world. News that has proximity to our lives is not required to be close geographically, just as this story may have significant global ramifications.

August 31, 2023 1 Comment

An Inquiry About Brian Garcia’s Plans for the Future

I asked a Morningside Senior about his plans after graduation in the spring.

Brian Garcia is a Senior Marketing major who plays Baseball for the Morningside Mustangs in Sioux City, Iowa.

Mr. Garcia is from Los Angeles, California and plans to return after he graduates from Morningside University. In the spring Mr. Garcia will graduate with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Graphic Design. Returning to the lovely weather of his home in Southern California, Brian plans on displaying his unique, emotional marketing style to help get his foot in the door of businesses in Los Angeles. Though being open to new horizons, Mr. Garcia hopes to continue working for a firm that he has worked at for 3 years.

Brian’s decision to return to California was influenced by the state’s beautiful weather, the diversity of people, and the vast opportunities for work and fun. Despite his intentions to go back home, Brian is still considering staying in the Midwest with his friends and still feels that it is easier to build stronger connections in the Midwest. No matter where Brian ends up living he hopes for a responsible and financially stable future.

August 28, 2023