Month: November 2017

Feature Interview

by Nathan

Christopher Petts is a freshman at Morningside if you see him around campus, however if you get to know him you will find out that he is much more than that. He has his own music album on Spotify, he plays many instruments and has a very introvert personality. He grew up in many different places, as his family was constantly moving. He first grew up in Newel, South Dakota and Freeman, South Dakota before moving lastly to Yankton, South Dakota where he finally graduated high school. He didn’t have to deal with the stress of moving and adjusting to a new town and a new school and new friends alone however, as he has two sisters and a brother who he could confide with when things took to much. You may wonder why he moves so much and that is because his father is a pastor, which means he moved where ever the church needed him to be. However he does have some set backs when it comes to having a religious family, for example he wasn’t allowed to listen to any kind of music other than christian music, so when he heard different music at school he fell in love and decided to learn more about it and found out he was good at it. He then decided that it made sense for him to try and make music. He gets his inspiration in random spirts throughout his days, in particular when he is bored. He already has released “illusion” on Spotify consisting of 10 songs. When asked about the meaning of this name he said it is because he feels like most people who are artists hid themselves behind some pop music and don’t want their fans to see the real them.

When asking other people about Petts’s music they say that it isn’t necessarily their go to music however it is something will listen to and don’t mind his music. However it is also a shared thought process that Petts wouldn’t be Petts without his music and that as a way to let some of his feelings out. When talking Petts roommate Eric Wells he said that one big thing about Petts is that he is always laying on his bed considering more opportunities for his music, thinking of new ideas for songs and listening to inspiration. Another one of his friends is Dalton Van Briesen who also mentions how big music is in Petts life saying that “Petts is one of the coolest guys I know, on top of his abilities in the musical realm. It is definitely the coolest thing he does and one of the best things about him.”

Anecdote Exercise

by Nathan

Steven Cutler told me the on goings in his apartment, where there are many clashing personalities between the people that live in his apartment. One of his roommates is a major clean freak and a perfectionist, while Steven is not that kind of person. When this roommate decides its time to clean he got mad at Steven for not properly cleaning out the sink, and decided to tell him that it needs to be cleaned at that moment. Steven however was busy with homework when he came into his room, and told him that he will clean it later. When the roommate got upset at Steven, he had two options either to get into an argument or just go clean and come back. Steven sat and thought to himself “in situations like this. I have to think about the consequences that could come if I start something and think ahead, it helps me make my decision.” Steven did eventually go over to the sink and clean it out to his roommates liking, after deciding that it would be the best decision at the moment.

He also talked about how it is hard for him to lose his temper. An example of this was when another of his roommates was mad at him one day and started yelling at everyone and just venting anger. When he got to Steven he really started to lay into him, and eventually Steven sat back and started laughing at some of the things that were being said. Steven decided instead of responding to anger with more anger, he would simply take some of the tension out of the room.

Object

by Nathan

I went out and bought a box of hot chocolate mix by swiss miss. When you open the box there are packets of the actual mix, one for every 6 ounces of water. It has a particular smell when the packet is opened. It smells like cocoa and milk, when made into hot chocolate it has a really strong taste of chocolate that is complemented by the taste and texture of the marsh mellows that are included in the packet as well.

When I tried giving away the hot chocolate mix, I just knocked on people’s doors asking if they wanted the hot chocolate. I only had to knock on a few doors before I got someone to accept the hot chocolate mix. Before they accepted they asked if I had done anything to it, and were taken back by me offering them a box of hot chocolate mix. They also asked if there were drugs laced into it. They did finally take it after some investigating of the box and the individual packets where they were looking for any sign of tampering. When doing so he held it up to the light and was feeling it for anything abnormal. He was tilting it up and down to check for any possible leaks or wholes where I could have slipped something in or out. He then asked why I was trying to give these away and I said it was for a class.

News Comment

by Nathan

This article is about people who have had wrong done to them when they have felt the need to call 911. The first example they list is about a woman who was beaten up by her boyfriend and went to a friends house who called 911. The next day her landlord recieved a piece of mail from the city deeming the property a nuisance because someone who did not live there was charged with assault on the property, and she was promptly evicted. It then talks about places where nuisance living is and why its a problem.

I think that this a good article about something that is under the radar in the United States right now. I do not like their lede I think it is a bit long and doesn’t really get to the point it just tells a story. I think story is a very factual story without bias.

News Comment

by Nathan

In this article in The New York Times they discuss the most coveted award in the NFL and they throw out a name that no one is thinking about, Johnny Hekker a Punter for the Los Angeles Rams. The articles discusses why he is so effective at punting a football and who he is. They compare him to other top punters and why he is better.

This article does a really good job of opening up the article with a very intriguing lede. It does a good job bringing in the backstory to Johnny Hecker and how he ended up with the team. I like their use of quotes in the article, as they bring in people talking about how much his value really is.

Emma Watson Feminist Speech

by Nathan

In this speech Emma Watson, an actress and activist, is calling upon help from people attending the One Young World conference. In this speech she quoted Robert Kennedy saying “Each time a man or woman stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lots of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. And crossing each other from a million different centers of energy, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.” She uses this quote to talk about the feminist movement and how this is what they need to do. The feminist activists need to create many ripples and make them form a big current and tear down the oppression against women.

She also is trying to relate to all women by saying 7 statements. “I am willing to be seen. I am willing to speak up. I am willing to keep going. I am willing to listen to what others have to say. I am willing to go forward even when I feel alone. I am willing to go to bed each night, at peace with myself. I am willing to be my biggest, best-est, most powerful self.” She says these are things that on a daily basis women should ask themselves in the fight for gender equality. She asks the crowd they have any truth for them. She then says that “These seven statements scare the absolute shit out of me. But I know that they are at the crux of it all. At the end of the day, and when all is said and done, I know that these are the ways that I want to have lived my life.”

One Young World is a non profit organization started in 2009 by David Jones and Kate Robertson. It takes all young leaders in the world and puts them in one place to help empower change. Anyone can be an ambassador if they meet the critia, which is to be a 18-30 year old who demonstrate leadership and commitment to a better world.