Vox reports “Juul allegedly shipped 1 million contaminated vaping products last year” in a recent article. The article also focused criticism on the former CEO Kevin Burns who allegedly did everything in his power to make as much money as possible no matter the affects. The article also pointed out that there were many occurrences of JUUL misrepresenting its products, including the amount of nicotine found in JUUL pods.

This article is very timely especially with all of the scary things that is going on with vaping. Also it shows prominence because it called out the former CEO of JUUL.

A local woman was shot by her newlywed husband yesterday evening.

Yesterday, around 5pm Laurette Brunson was shot by her husband, Richard Brunson at their wedding reception. 

Laurette Bronson’s three children were in the home at the time of the incident, and are un-harmed. 

            “I feel so bad that the kids had to see this”

The shooting occurred at 617 Black Street at 5pm yesterday evening. 

“I heard the sound of the shot, or I think I did. There’s kind of a pop, pop, pop. And the son came out yelling she’s been shot and can’t breathe.”

Laurette Brunson is currently in good condition at St. Luke’s hospital after being shot in the abdomen. Her new husband, Richard Brunson’s whereabouts are still unknown after fleeing the scene of the crime. 

The Stress of the Game

Mackenzie Bennett

For many student athletes, their sport produces more stress and anxiety than the classes they are taking. 

Competing at the college level can be extremely unnerving for athletes. “During liberals, I had a panic attack in the bathroom,” said Morningside swimmer Hayley Folsom about competing at a high stakes swim meet. 

Competing at the collegiate level is very different than competing at the high school level, it feels like so much higher stakes to these athletes. “Even meets that aren’t very high stakes I want to do good because I’m afraid of failure, I get really worked up about it and it and it almost makes it worse,” said Beth Ruton a Morningside College swimmer. 

According to Bobbi Meister, Morningside College counselor, many athletes do have a difficult time with competing, especially when their best is not good enough. “How [athletes] are competing as a college athlete may be their personal best, but compared to the rest of the field it may not seem good enough,” said Meister. 

According to Mental Health America many of these collegiate athletes have “access to top athletic trainers, and other physical modes of healing, but lack support for the illnesses and struggles we face internally.” 

Many colleges have begun looking into mental health support for collegiate athletes. Especially due to relevant levels of depressive symptoms found in a quarter of collegiate student athletes according to the Division of Sports Medicine at Drexel University. 

Along with limited access to mental health professionals there is also a stigmatizing culture in athletics that keep athletes from seeking help to deal with their mental health issues reports the NCAA. 

“Due to fear of looking weak or being judged, I hid my condition from those closest to me, including my coaches and teammates.” said former Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Taylor. 

There are also countless stressors that can impact a student athlete’s mental health like “the expectations of their sport, and the everyday stress of dealing with relationships, academic demands, and adjusting to life away from home,” reports the NCAA. 

Although these athletes are under extreme stress and are adapting to life at college many of them rely on their sport to help them battle with their internal issues. Ruton said: “Its honestly a release but it can definitely be overwhelming and it takes a certain amount of mental toughness.”

Dave Nash, the cross country and track coach at Morningside College agrees that mental health is problem for athletes. “I feel like its an ongoing challenge not just for freshman athletes but in life also,” said Nash. 

The Cross Country team at Morningside is known for their positive spirit. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world.” said Nash about the pressures of competing. Some of his athletes may argue that his positive, low pressure, coaching philosophy is what allows them to achieve. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26782764

https://www.mhanational.org/blog/invisible-competition-mental-health-within-athletics

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/teen-athletes-mental-illness/586720/

http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/introduction-mind-body-and-sport

Greenland may actually be green as its ice sheet melts. 

Greenland is losing it ice sheet at an alarming rate due to warming waters. 

The ice sheet is melting six times faster than it was just a few decades ago. This rapid melting of the ice sheet is causing the ocean to rise more and more every year. 

These rising Sea levels  threatens 70% of the worlds population. Along with life on land, sea life will also be affected by rising sea levels. 

Scientists now believe that the ice sheet is melting like an ice cube in water. These warmer tides are theorized to have come from the gulf stream. 

Despite all the theories, scientists are still trying to figure out how to slow or possibly stop the ice sheet from melting further. 

Greenland may actually be green as its ice sheet melts. 

Greenland is losing it ice sheet at an alarming rate due to warming waters. 

The ice sheet is melting six times faster than it was just a few decades ago. This rapid melting of the ice sheet is causing the ocean to rise more and more every year. 

These rising Sea levels  threatens 70% of the worlds population. Along with life on land, sea life will also be affected by rising sea levels. 

Scientists now believe that the ice sheet is melting like an ice cube in water. These warmer tides are theorized to have come from the gulf stream. 

Despite all the theories, scientists are still trying to figure out how to slow or possibly stop the ice sheet from melting further. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/greenland-ice-oceans-melting-fast/

Mark Zuckerberg is proposing a new form of currency named “Libra”. He testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee who were critical of the idea. Zuckerberg says that the currency will be an innovative new way to do business in facebook.

I watched a broadcast story from Velshi and Ruhle on the epic along with reading an article from CNN writer by business writer by Clare Duffy and Brian Fung.

Although the newscast was longer in length, nearly six minutes, it did not go into the specifics as to what “Libra” is. The newscast showed clips of Zuckerberg testifying and being questioned by chairman Maxine Watters. The clips focused more on what facebook had done in the past and its not factual ads. The story then went on to get the opinions of a Washington Post reporter and a NYU marketing professor.

On the other hand the article focused more on what “Libra” is and how it would work. The article briefly touched on the controversy around facebook and its past with the election scandal. The article ended by going into serious detail of what “libra” is and how it would work as a new form of currency.

The media that was used was also a little different. On the newscast the graphics were telling as to what was going on in the clips and who was talking. Something that I did want to note about the news cast was that feedback could be heard in the audio from Stephanie Ruhle.

The article had pictures, along with links to other related articles. There was also footage of the testimony from Zuckerberg at the top of the screen.

Article: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/23/tech/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-libra-hearing/index.html

Newscast: https://www.msnbc.com/velshi-ruhle/watch/mark-zuckerberg-testifies-on-facebook-cryptocurrency-71906373888

The world is in the beginning of a mass extinction. The leaders of the world will find no solutions to stop it said Greta Thurnberg yesterday. 

“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here,” said Thurnberg yesterday at the Climate Action Summit. In her speech, Thurnberg stressed the fact that she, a teenager should not be the one urging the world for a change. But young people are who the world leaders turn to for help on the changing climate. 

Greta Thurnberg was extremely critical of world leaders. “How dare you,” she said after pointing out the fact that her childhood has been stolen away from climate change. And that people are dying and ecosystems are withering away. 

Greta told the room to wake up, the science has been around for 30 years. “You don’t understand the urgency,” said Thurnberg. Thurnberg stresses that it’s time to make a change for our world to stay below 1.5 degrees. 

In order to stay below 1.5 degrees, emissions need to be changes drastically. “The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees, “ said Thurnberg. The emissions would need to be cut back a whole lot more Thurnberg stressed.

Thurnberg, is a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist. She has inspired millions with her words. And by the end of the day of her speech, yesterday, 65 countries have announced efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

The article “Trump’s Decision To Abandon Syria’s Kurds Met With Immediate Broad Condemnation” comes from the Huffington post and is written by Matthew Lee. Trumps foreign policy is unpredictable at best. Trump changes allies and trade partners at the drop of the hat. Trump has decided to pull troops from Syria has opened the door to a Turkish military assault.

This article contains some heavy bias and is not quiet about it. The Huffington post is a left leaning news site, and it does not surprise me that a piece about Trump is extremely critical. This article is extremely prominent and timely seeing as this was just announced by Trump just a few days ago.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-turkey-syria-kurds-condemnation_n_5d9e538ae4b087efdba78777

For many student athletes, their sport is causing them more stress and anxiety than schooling. 

Many collegiate athletes struggle with their mental health along with their sport. Many of these students are so bust they struggle to have time for themselves. And when these students do have time to unwind, they feel guilty. “You cant feel guilty about relaxing or else it defeats the purpose of unwinding. You need to be able to convince yourself that its okay to do nothing to be better in different parts of your life,” said Morningside College counselor Bobbi Meister.

According to MHA many of these collegiate athletes have “access to top athletic trainers, and other physical modes of healing, but lack support for the illnesses and struggles we face internally.” 

Along with limited access to mental health professionals there is also a very stigmatizing culture in athletics that keep athletes from seeking help to deal with their mental health issues reports the NCAA. There are also countless stressors that can impact a student athlete’s mental health like “the expectations of their sport, and the everyday stress of dealing with relationships, academic demands, and adjusting to life away from home,” reports the NCAA. 

Although these athletes are always under extreme time crunches many of them rely on their sport to help them battle with their internal issues. “Beth Ruton a Morningside swimmer said, “Its honestly a release but it can definitely be overwhelming and it takes a certain amount of mental toughness.”

Competing at such high levels is extremely unnerving. “During liberals, I had a panic attack in the bathroom,” said Morningside swimmer Hayley Folsom. According to Meister many athletes do have a difficult time with competing, especially when their best is not good enough. 

Competing at a college level is nothing like it was in college, it is so much higher stakes. “Even meets that aren’t very high stakes I want to do good because im afraid of failure, I get really worked up about it and it and it almost makes it worse,” said Ruton. 

A new pandemic is sweeping the nation, and its targeting one certain group. Vapers. 

CNNreports that there are six dead and 450 sick with mysterious cases of lung illnesses across 33 states since June. All have been linked to vaping. 

Doctors are still unsure of the causes of these illnesses New York Times Sheila Kaplan reports that in the past few years there have also been seven similar cases of lung infections. 

The first death linked to vaping was reported August 23^rd. CNN reports that the most recent death linked to vaping occurred on September 10th to a woman over the age of 50. This woman had a history of health problems that worsened when she began using e-cigarettes. 

Most cases have been people in their late teens, early twenties Vox reported. The New York Timesreports that lung scans are reported to look like patients have viral or bacterial pneumonia but further testing shows no infection. These inconclusive tests are further confusing doctors and experts. 

 All patients reportedly used e-cigarette products, but Vox’s Julia Belluz reports that experts are unable to pin down what ingredient or device is causing these sicknesses.In all cases, e-cigarettes were in use, and according to Salon 80% of patients used products containing THC, 61% contain nicotine, and 7% contain CBD. Salonreports, of patients using one or the other e-cigarette products and not both. 

According to the New York Times, nicotine and THC are mixed with solvents that should dissolve with the vapor, but it is very possible that some of the oil could be being left behind to be inhaled which will cause serious inflammation.

Vox’sBelluz reports the CDC knows that these cases are related because they hold similar symptoms. In most cases, symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. Some cases have also reported nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and weight loss. In severe cases, patients are relying on oxygen support, or a ventilator to survive.

According to the New York Times,the CDC issued a statement that warns people of purchasing “bootleg” or street cannabis and e-cig products. Experts are stressing that the use of vaping should not be used by adolescences and only by people who are trying to quit smoking and are using vaping to wean themselves off.

Vox reports that experts do know the effects of nicotine after long term use, but have no clue what it will look like with vaping in the mix. Research concludes that nicotine can induce seizures, raise blood pressure, speed up heart rate, and cause arteries to narrow. After doing tests on rats and human airway cells experts have concluded that vaping does seem to trigger COPD. Little is known about the long-term effects of vaping, especially on this new generation already addicted to nicotine.