Elon Musk starts laying off Twitter employees right after taking over.

Twitter’s 7,500 employees received an email on October 28 informing them not to come into work while they begging for layoffs.

Elon immediately fired the chef executive, and he is planning on bringing in people from his other companies. Managers were asked to put together a list of high and low-performing employees and that is how they determined who got laid off and who stayed.

Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion dollars. This was the biggest technology buyout in history. His decision for the layoffs is from the presure to make Twitter work financially.

This is news because Twitter is a very popular social media site. Not only is Elon planning on making it financially better but will bring in new people that may change the way Twitter works.

Scott Stuart continues the fight to live for the people in life and is never giving up.

Stuart received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award and gave an emotional speech about his fight against cancer.

He mentioned a couple of great recipients of the awards in the past and doesn’t believe he belonged to them. Now he feels responsible to be like them and never give up.

Stuart expresses that the fight is difficult and he didn’t believe he would make it to give the speech. He goes on to say “Our life’s journey is about the people that touch us.” Stuart shows his appreciation for all those that have stood by him and admits that he couldn’t have fought alone.

Stuart mentions his coworkers, friends, doctors, and family’s support. He explains how he has a responsibility to keep fighting because they are all fighting for him. Stuart said, “this fight is not a solo venture.” He then specifically thanked his daughters Taelor and Sydni for being the reason he fights every day.

Because of them, he was able to live long enough to accept this award. He ends his speech by calling his daughter Sydni up to the stage to give him a hug.

A man killed in a moped accident while being chased down by police leads to a trial against the D.C officers involved.

The Washington Post and WUSA9 covered the story of Karon Hylton-Brown’s death after hit by an SUV during a police chase. Sutton and Zabavsky were the officers involved in the chase and have been suspended from the force. Sutton and Zabavsky now face charges against them for allegedly conspiring to cover up their intentions.

The Washington Posts covers the tragic event itself. Hylton-Brown was being chased down due to riding his moped on a sidewalk with no helmet. Hylton-Brown faced head injuries that lead to his death 2 days later.

WUSA9 gets insight on Hylton-Brown’s mother. The mother claims that her son didn’t deserve this and goes on to say, “He wasn’t robbing and stealing and doing all that. No.”

They also cover the trial coming up in October and state that the officers could “[face] a life in prison”. This could be due in part to TWP evidence that the officers turned their body cameras off to discuss the incident and allows the SUV driver to go.

This is news because in the past couple of years we have seen a lot of debate on police brutality. Ever since George Floyd’s death people are opting to hold police officers accountable for their actions. There continues to be a lot of debate on situations similar to Karon’s.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/25/trial-police-fatal-reckless-chase/

https://www.wusa9.com/watch

Kanye West may not have any platform to speak on if he continues with his insensitive comments.

Kanye West is known for many things such as his music, fashion, art, ect. He is also known for speaking his mind (especially during his manic phases). Yet somehow his creations end up justifying why he is the way he is.

Kanye has made insensitive comments many times before. People are starting to get concerned with the pattern of his manic phases and the comments.

Recently Kanye made shirts that said, White Lives Matter. A lot of people were upset by his action to do so. Not only that but his posts on social media are upsetting people as well. It has gotten to the point where social media platforms are reaching out to him urging him to stop or ban his accounts altogether.

This is news because Kanye West is a very known influential celebrity. His output has an impact on society, but he won’t have the ability to influence if he is unable to post. Social media sites are standing behind those being negatively portrayed or affected and could possibly lead to the banning of Kanye West.

Netflix plans to add 4.3 million subscribers after implementing their $6.99 ad-supported subscription.

After experiencing a decline of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and almost 1 million in the second quarter, Netflix feels the pressure of attracting new subscribers.

Netflix’s solution to gain subscribers is by offering an affordable option to attract consumers. Netflix currently has 223 million subscribers but their decline has worried shareholders. Netflix jumped more than 10% after announcing its new subscription option.

These results show promising results for Netflix shareholders. Netflix has expressed to its shareholders that they intend to get 4.3 million subscribers in their fourth quarter with this new subscription.

In our class activity, we were given the option between a carrot, blueberry, and mint. I chose the blueberry. I ended up picking a big, round blueberry. I ate the blueberry and it had a very squishy texture. It was instantly crushed in my mouth once I started chewing. The outside layer of the blueberry was a lot more firm than the inside.

I was then given a twinkie. I had never had one before. The wrapper makes a loud noise when opening the bag. The twinkie has a round, rectangular shape. It looks like it has a spongy and moist texture. Once I took a bite, I was surprised to see that it had filling in it. The outside is spongy and then the inside is smooth. I really enjoyed eating the twinkie. It reminded me of the bakery my dad would take me and my siblings to every Sunday.

Erin Baker, Morningside’s new dance team coach, is ready to take on the challenge of winning dance nationals again this year.

When asked if she is planning on winning nationals again, Baker responded with “yes”. She went on to say that within the first month of her job everyone kept asking “Are you going to win again?” Baker admitted that at first the question made her nervous but now she says it is “Driving me to want to work more.”

Baker has major plans for the team, but she knows that in order to accomplish those she needs to bring new ideas to the table. She is just getting to feel more comfortable with this new position and is starting to implement some of her own ideas into the program. Baker said two of her major changes involve increasing recruiting and having a positive coaching environment.

Baker understands that everything the team did last year led them to their victory, but she believes her approach to coaching may be more beneficial for the dancers mentally. She went on to say, “If we only do what we’ve always done, we aren’t going to get anywhere”.

Junior dancer Jocelyn Hendrix, expressed “Erin has been amazing so far, and I’m excited to see what else she has in store for us”. Jocelyn explained how the dancers feel the pressure from competitor teams because “they are going to be out for blood” during the competition season.

Baker has big plans for the year. Her transition from coaching the high school dance team to the college dance team made her nervous at first, but now she says, “I’m confident that we can be a national winning team”.

Baker isn’t the only one that is confident about the team this year. Sami Snyder, a junior dancer, expressed “We are different this year, and different for good reasons”. Sami expressed how the dancers feel the pressure for themselves but it will only drive the team to work hard to meet their goals.

Baker was previously a dance team coach at Sergeant Bluff high school. She was nervous at first because the college dance team is a lot more self-led by the dancers. Baker said she did a lot of hand-holding in high school, so it is nice to have a team that takes things into their own hands.

Baker is also a Morningside Alumni. She was a part of the dance team here at Morningside but says it was a lot different back then. It wasn’t until her Sophomore year that dance was considered a sport and she was able to compete. Baker says, “Morningside offered me so much those 4 years”, and that was why she decided to apply for the position.

Pastor Andy discussed with the class what his role as Morningside’s campus chaplain entails and how it has impacted his life.

Pastor Andy started by defining his position as campus chaplain. His priority is students but he also is available for faculty. His main goal is to “connect you with something bigger than you”. Andy mentions the first amendement specifically how it allows us to have “freedom of speech and freedom of religion”Regardless of what beliefs a student has, Andy is there to listen and direct students to resources if needed.

Andy does a couple of other things other than talking to Morningside students. He gives speeches to prospective students going on tours, is a part of bible study, advises student groups, and has his open-door policy.

Students are able to stop by his office or make an appointment via email with Pastor Andy. He is a confidential resource, so students can trust that their information will not be shared.

Pastor Andy’s journey to becoming Morningside’s chaplain began at a young age attending church. He was involved in his hometown church and had been told that it is something he should consider. Once Andy got to college he decided that he wanted to be a pastor but in his junior year he didn’t think it was an option.

After his junior year, Andy decided that he wanted to be a campus chaplain due to all his experiences in Luther College in Decorah, Minnesota. He originally planned to take a gap year to find new experiences between college and seminary. A new experience “to disengage from student life”, but he ultimately went straight to seminary. That is something he would go back and change if he could.

Pastor Andy enjoys working as a campus chaplain because “as a chaplain, you are able to ask questions and not just go with what you’re told”. He is open to conversations about other people’s faith and assisting them to enhance that connection.

Sometimes Andy feels that the “good and influence you provide is nebulant”. His engagement with students doesn’t always show results right away or at all. It is hard for him to feel like he is making an impact when he can’t visibly see it.

Although Pastor Andy struggles with seeing his impact the little difference he is able to see is what keeps him going. He explained that it takes time to see results but once in awhile he’ll notice that he has made an impact in someone’s life.

Faith is the most important thing in Pastor Andy’s life. His job involves his faith but it goes deeper than just his practices. Faith has shaped how Andy views life and death and that influences how he lives his life. This has influenced his understanding of who he is and how the relationships around him flow.

Kodiak Robotics, a self-driving start-up, and US Express, a trucking company, partner to create a self-driving semi-truck to decrease delivery time on shipments.

These two companies put their efforts together and created the first self-driving eighteen wheeler that traveled more than 6,300 miles in 5 days. A regular person would have taken 10 days due to stopping and rest to complete the trip.

Although though the semi had the ability to self drive, there was a team of specialist in the cab in case something went wrong. The technology has potential but is not yet advanced. The specialist had to control the wheel a couple of times to prevent an accident.

The self-driving semi has the ability to successfully drive through highways with expected situations such as merging, changing lanes, and slowing down for cars, but it’s not yet developed to handle unexpected situations.

In order for driverless semis to work transfer hubs would have to be created to deploy and pick up cargo. This is due to the semis’ inability to travel through cities. These transfer hubs would have to be made up of already developed infrastructures to decrease costs.

Even if the transfer hubs were successfully put into place, there is still concern with the advancement of AI technology. Many are concerned with its ability to handle unexpected dilemmas such as cargo checks and car pile-ups. Along with the cost to completely transform these semis efficiently.

Kodack is making efforts in addressing these issues and won’t get results until 2024. If successful drivers won’t have to do long haul trips and delivery periods are cut in half.

Smartphones are the next solution to predicting and preventing suicides using artificial intelligence (AI).

Harvard Psychologist Matthew K. Nock is working on AI technology that can help predict if newly released patients are falling back into old habits. There are sensors that detect irregular sleep patterns, low mood responses to questionnaires, not leaving the house, and movement (agitation). These warnings will allow a clinician to reach out before anything goes wrong.

In an ideal world this kind of technology would be beneficial, but there are a lot of doubts. In not every case does a person go through these red flags. Every person is different and may not show any signs.

Another concern has been raised with the invasion of privacy of the patients. If it is a false red flag the clinician can have legal troubles and patients may not feel comfortable to being monitored 24/7. They are among the most vulnerable people, so it is crucial to avoid triggering them.

Dr. Nock is aware of these arguments but is persistent in applying this technology. He emphasizes that the suicide rate has stayed the same for the past 100 years.

Many other psychologists have pointed out how hard it is to predict suicide. Every person copes differently and can react fast.

AI itself raises a lot of controversies and adding the invasion of privacy and inaccuracy of this new technology is starting an argument among many psychologists. They are taking efforts to decrease the number of suicide but are questioning whether this technology will help or hinder patients.