Nienke's blog

Story #1: F1 Shook Up Tradition by Adding Sprint Races

Last seasons, the sprint was introduced to Formula 1 with the goal to add excitement to a race weekend. But the Formula 1 drivers had mixed feelings about this new format.

A sprint is one-third of the distance of the Grand Prix of that Sunday, with no pitstops. On most weekends, the qualification that determines the Grand Prix starting positions happens on Saturday. However, sprints are run on Saturdays, so on those weekends the traditional qualifying happens on Friday. On sprint weekends, qualifying determines the starting positions of the drivers for the sprint race, and the results of the sprint determines the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Not all Formula 1 drivers feel the same about the sprint weekends. Some of them like the diversity in the racing schedule. Others, however, say that they are less willing to take risks during a sprint because they don’t want to damage the car before the actual race. In their opinion that is not what a race should be about.

(interview: what is *interviewed person’s* view on these sprint races)

Story #2: At the Capitol, the Question of Who Won the Midterms Lingers Days Afterward

There is an air of suspense hanging over the Capitol combined with an air of uncertainty. Members of both parties were poring over the ongoing counts in search of clues to the final outcome.

The Congress was in a state of suspended animation after the polls closed in a consequential and highly anticipated midterm election. Nobody is sure which party is going to be in charge of the House and Senate.

Traditionally, the outcome of the votes are pretty clear and the winners all rush to the Capitol to talk publicly about their victories and plans for the future. This year, congressional leaders have maintained a low profile until they can be sure of the outcome.

(interview)

Story #3: Ukraine Peace Talks Remain Distant Even as Moscow Signals a Retreat

American and European leaders say that they cannot push Ukraine and Russia into negotiations. They say serious peace talks between the two countries are very unlikely in the near future.

Both Russian and Ukrainian officials have made separate recent public comments about potential peace negotiations. Their last known direct talks fell apart more than six months ago. Even though both countries are talking about it, U.S. officials say they don’t believe these talks will begin soon.

They also concede that it is difficult to imagine that terms of a settlement will be found that Ukraine and Russia would accept.

(interview)

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/politics/midterms-congress-capitol.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/politics/ukraine-russia-peace-talks.html

84 Years Later, a Rare Look at the Nazi Attacks of Kristallnacht

A former American serviceman had kept the photographs of the assaults on Jews during the 1938 pogrom, which is widely commemorated as the start of the Holocaust.

The chilling photos of the Nazi pogrom in 1938 gained new attention on the 84th anniversary of what is knows as the night of broken glass, or Kristallnacht. This night the organized and widespread on Jews started that are widely commemorated as the start of the Holocaust.

The pictures were found in an album that had been secreted away by a former American soldier. After he died, the album with the pictures was donated to the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel. This served to refocus attention on both the images and the night itself.

“We can see from the extreme close-up nature of these photos that the photographers were an integral part of the event depicted,” said Mr. Matthews. “The angles and proximity to the perpetrators seem to indicate a clear goal, to document the events that took place.”

The new attention on these newly discovered photos came as politicians in Berlin commemorated the anniversary in the shadow of an increase in antisemitic crimes.

“The night of Nov. 9, 1938, will forever remain a night of shame for our country,” Nancy Faeser, Germany’s interior minister, said in Parliament on Wednesday

The topic of this article is definitely one that speaks to everyone, which makes it even more newsworthy. The events of World War II had a big impact on all countries. So, in my opinion, any topic that involves events of this time period is important for people to hear or read about. This is our history after all. The article does well of explaining what was found and describing why the discovered photos gained new attention on this horrible event. The author explains very clear what he wants to talk about and also gives a short but clear explanation of the event, the Kristallnacht, that it had to do with. This makes it easy to follow for everyone who reads it. It’s a straight forward, well written article.

Newly wed Laurette Brunsen was shot by her new husband after she threw a plate of macaroni salad at him.

50-year-old Richard Brunsen shot his 38-year-old wife, Laurette Kenny Brunsen with a 22-calibre handgun only a couple of hours after getting married.

The newly weds’ neighbor, Michael Martin was surprised by this event, saying “I have never seen him violent. Never heard them yelling.”

Sergeant Mann, who was on site for the event that had just occurred, said “It happened after she threw a plate of wedding reception macaroni salad at him. His whereabouts are still unknown.”

After getting shot, mrs. Brunsen was brought to St. Luke’s Hospital. She was shot in the abdomen but hospital officials say that she’s in satisfactory conditions.

Dobby’s Grave Can Stay on a Beach in Wales, but Please Stop Giving Him Socks

As the grave site for the elf from “Harry Potter” became a tourist attraction, the tributes left to the character started to give environmental concerns.

In the Harry Potter series, Dobby, and elf, dies in Harry’s arms on a beach that Dobby describes as “such a beautiful place to be with friends.”

The “beautiful place” where this scene was filmed, Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, has become an attraction where fans have assembled a memorial to Dobby. Environmental officials, however, became concerned that the popularity of the beach was having a negative effect on the land and they considered tearing the memorial down.

Last week, officials announced that Dobby’s grave site could stay, as longs as visitors stopped leaving behind tributes to Dobby.

Part of the problem arose from a gesture that many fans likely intended as a tribute but it had damaging consequences: visitors kept giving Dobby socks. Back in the real world, socks are a bad thing to leave on a beach. In addition to the socks, people also left messages painted on rocks.

The National Trust Wales said in its assessment that “items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk.”

I think the author of this article did a really good job coming up with a captivating title. When I read it, it made me laugh and it made me want to read the story. Even though the title and topic of this article can be seen as humorous, it’s also very serious. In the lead, the author mentions that the tributes left at Dobby’s grave are prompting environmental concerns. In my opinion, the article presents a good balance between the funny topic and the seriousness of the topic. For me personally, it made it more fun and easy for me to read this article. But it won’t be like this for everyone. The article has a specific audience: people that have watched the Harry Potter movies. The article does give some background information on Dobby for readers that have not seen the Harry Potter movies.

In my opinion, the article is well written and mentions all the necessary information that can be provided at this moment. It’s not to long but still very clear which makes it easy to read and follow.

Dutch Are Investigating Reported Illegal Chinese Police Stations

Wednesday, the Dutch government said that it was investigating reports that Chinese law enforcement agencies illegally operate offices in the Netherlands to intimidate and police Chinese citizens overseas.

Comparing the article and the video I found on this topic, I found that the leads were very similar and almost identical. In the lead of the article they mention that there have been reports by news media and a human rights group about two Chinese police force offices that opened in the Netherlands. In the video, however, the lead mentions that the Dutch government is already investigating those reports. Besides this little detail, the leads are almost identical.

In length and content, the article and the video are very similar as well. I think I spend around the same time to read the article as time I spend to watch the video. They mostly cover the same things, all the important and necessary parts are the same, but some of the smaller details are different.

First of all, the order in which the information is told is different. In the video, they start talking about the Chinese police offices in other countries sooner than they do in the article. In the article, they focus a little bit more on the Dutch offices first before they move on to the information they have on other countries. The video does come back to the offices in the Netherlands, but more towards the end of the video.

Both the article and the video are using the same sources and are very clear in naming them. They use clear attribution to make it clear for the readers and viewers where they got their information from.

The article and video do use different quotes in their story. But the funny thing about this is, is even though one uses it as a quote, doesn’t mean that the other doesn’t mention it at all. What either the video or the article uses as a quote, is still mentioned in the other’s story.

Both the video and the article use the example of Wang Jingyu’s experience with the Chinese government and their police offices in the Netherlands.

The video and article both use pictures. The article has two pictures: one of the Chinese embassy in The Hague and one of Wang Jingyu and his fiancee. The video shows a lot more pictures than the article. They seem to be pictures of Chinese police officers but the pictures seem to have been taken in China itself, not in the Netherlands or another country with Chinese police offices. The video shares the information by the news reporter asking questions to another live reporter in Brussels who’s is there to learn more about the situation.

In my opinion, both the article and the video made a clear, easy to follow story about this topic. Even though they didn’t use the same order in which they presented their information, both stories are still efficient and well written.

Stuart Scott: ‘So, live. Live! Fight like hell!’, Jimmy V Perseverance Award, ESPY’s

Last night, Stuart Scott, an ESPN sportscaster, gave a heartwarming speech when he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

Stuart Orlando Scott is a famous sportscaster who extensively worked for ESPN. Along with some serious sports knowledge, he incorporated hip hop style and numerous catch phrases in his commentary which made his style very unique. In 2007, Scott was diagnosed with cancer and so his battle with the disease began.

The Jimmy V Perseverance awaits is awarded as the ESPYs to “a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination.” Because of Scott’s battle against cancer, he received this award at the ESPYs and then gave his speech.

When Scott heard that he was going to be honored with this reward, he was speechless. He had presented this award before and he’s watched different great people receive this award. And even though he is a public figure, with a public job, and battling cancer, he never thought that he belonged with those other great people that received this award.

In his speech, Scott mentioned multiple times to not give up. All those great people that received this award didn’t and know that he has received it, he has the responsibility to also not ever give up. He said that that’s why all of this is happening, why all of them we’re there last night, and that’s why it’s so important.

During his battle with cancer, Scott was saying that he’s not losing, he’s still here, he’s fighting, and that he’s not losing “When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live.” Scott said.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/other-sports/news/jimmy-v-award-espys-jim-valvano/flhnujm9xgj1ae6kdkytjmgt

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/stuart-scott-49535.php

https://speakola.com/sports/stuart-scott-espys-2014

A Russian fighter jet crashes into a home in Siberia, killing the two pilots

The crash in Irkutsk was the second of a Russian warplane in a residential area within a week.

The Russian fighter jet smashed into a home in the Siberian city of Irkutsk during a test flight on Sunday. This was the second crash of a Russian warplane in a residential area within a week.

When the plane crashed, it set off a fire, but there were nu civilian casualties.

The previous crash from a Russian warplane happened on Monday and left 14 people dead. These crashes were caused by the fact that Russia’s military is under major pressure in its war in Ukraine.

The Russian Investigative Committee, the country’s main investigation agency, sent forensic specialists to the scene in Irkutsk to investigate, according to the RIA-Novosti state news agency.

In the crash that occurred last week, the plane slammed into the courtyard of a large apartment building in Yeysk, a port and resort town across the Sea of Azov from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. One of its engines had caught fire during a training mission.

In my opinion, this article is newsworthy and well written. When I looked at it at first, I thought it was a really short article and I was wondering if it would be well written and would everything that was important about the event. However, considering that the event only happened earlier today, and there is not a lot that can be said with certainty, I think the article explains clearly what is known so far. There is no speculation about what might have caused it or what might have been possible. The article only talks about the facts and what is certain so far, which makes it a well written, easy to read article.

International Students and How They Experience Moving Across the World

An athlete’s greatest wish is to keep being able to grow in their skills and to keep learning and getting better. Sometimes that means taking things to the next level, like moving to a different country to become a student-athlete in college or university.

Being a student-athlete teaches people that if you want to be successful, you must know what it means to be part of a team. College athletics helps people grow as a person, which then also helps them grow as an athlete.

Diversity is a great strength when it comes to playing sports. A team with a broad range of backgrounds has a unique chance to attain a variety of skills and perspectives to enrich the team environment, the educational experience, and their development as a team. 

Morningside University represents numerous international student-athletes who are all involved in different sports. As of right now the students of Morningside represent 27 different countries from all over the world. But how do these international students experience the switch from playing in their home country to participating in sports at Morningside? What are some of the differences and how big are these differences for them?

Ferdinando Vinti (18), Roselynn Bosman (19), and Julie Raffel (20) are three of Morningside University’s international student-athletes. They have moved across the world to keep being able to play their sport while still going to school. They talked about their experiences during the move and adjusting to the US student-athlete life. 

Ferdinando Vinti is an 18-year-old freshman from Italy who came to Morningside University to be a part of the Men’s Volleyball team. Volleyball has been a passion of his for the past seven years, and Ferdi was not ready to give up volleyball just yet. 

“Back in Italy, it’s really really difficult to study in a university and continue playing sports,” Ferdinando said. So, when he found out that he could become a student-athlete in the US and combine University and sports, he was certain that this was something that he wanted to do. 

When Ferdinando was asked about some of the biggest differences between playing sports in the US and in Italy, he immediately said the practices at 5:00 in the morning. The men’s volleyball team at Morningside practices at that time, five times a week. But even though the early mornings are tough, he does think that this can help him with his mindset. “It’s so hard to get up at 4 am, but if you have a goal, you can do it.” This is a valuable lesson that he can use in more aspects of his life. 

Ferdinando said that he doesn’t have any troubles adjusting to all the differences in the US as compared to what he was used to in Italy. He said that the differences enable him to develop new skills. “Everything is an opportunity to grow, to get better.” Ferdinando said. The way that he sees things now, being here in the US, are different from how he saw them in Italy. He’s seeing things from a different perspective.

Roselynn Bosman is a 19-year-old sophomore from the Netherlands. All her life, she has had a passion for playing soccer and she had a wish to travel the world and see new places. 

Roselynn originally wanted to take a gap year after high school to travel around the world, but covid-19 made this impossible. But, she didn’t give up and still found a solution to see and experience something new: she was going to go attend a university, and keep playing soccer as a bonus, in a different country. Roselynn said that she chose the US specifically because women’s soccer is played at a high level here. 

One of the biggest differences that Roselynn experienced when she came here was the high level of intensity when it comes to playing sports and how physical all the players are here. In the Netherlands, soccer is more technical and less physical, she said. Roselynn does like this way of playing soccer, with practice every day, lifting twice a week, and having two games a week. “In the Netherlands, we only had practice twice a week and a game on the weekend,” she said. 

Julie Raffel is a 20-year-old sophomore form Denmark. She is a part of both the soccer and the tennis team here at Morningside. Both sports have been a big part of her life since she was younger. 

Initially, it was soccer that brought Julie to the US. But also, to try something new she said. In Denmark, Julie felt like she lived in a small bubble. Everything in her life was close to home, her school, her sports clubs, and after high school she was ready to get out of there and try something different. So, she decided to come to the US to be able to keep playing sports while still attending a university. 

So, initially it was soccer that brought Julie all the way from Denmark here to Morningside. However, during her time at Morningside, Julie found out that soccer was only a fall sport. “So, what am I going to do in Spring?”, Julie thought. And then she found out that tennis is a spring sport in the US. So, for the fun of being part of something else than soccer and because of her love for tennis, she decided to try out for the team, and she made it. 

When asked about some of the biggest differences between playing tennis back home and in the US, Julie said that when she played tennis in Denmark, it was more for fun. During practices they would teach her the basics of tennis, but here they already expect her to know all of that. Julie said that the coaches at Morningside don’t really coach her on the specific basic skills of tennis, but more on doing the drill as you’re supposed to. 

Julie said that this different coaching style makes it harder for her to adjust to playing on the tennis team at Morningside. “I am more inexperienced than the others and sometimes I feel kind of frustrated when I know that I have to play on a team with someone who is way better than me.” Julie said. She said that it’s so frustrating because she does do her best, but she just has to work a little harder to the others to catch up. 

Ferdinando, Roselynn, and Julie are only a small fraction of the number of international students who attend Morningside. The experience of moving to a completely different country and being a student-athlete is different for everyone, but these shared experiences offer insight into the rewards and challenges that international students face. 

Going to the United States as an International Student-Athlete

Studying abroad as an international student-athlete is a big adventure and an exciting and informative experience for young students. However, moving to a whole different country can be a lot to take in and it will take some adjusting. 

An athlete’s greatest wish is to keep being able to grow in their skills and to keep learning and getting better. Sometimes that means taking things to the next level, like moving to a different country to become a student-athlete in college or university. Being a student-athlete teaches people that if you want to be successful, you must know what it means to be part of a team. College athletics helps people grow as a person, which then also helps them grow as an athlete.

Diversity is a great strength when it comes to playing sports. A team with a broad range of backgrounds has a unique chance to attain a variety of skills and perspectives to enrich the team environment, the educational experience, and their development as a team. Having an international student-athlete on your team or being an international student-athlete on a team is a unique and exciting experience. But how does the international student experience the switch from playing in their home country to participating in college sports in the United States? What are some of the differences and how big are these differences for them?

I am going to interview (at least 3) student-athletes from different countries and sports to see how they have experienced the switch from their home country to the US. 

• Can you introduce yourself? What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you?
• How long have you been playing ….. (their sport)?
• What made you decide to come to the US?
• What are some of the biggest differences you have seen between playing sports in the US versus in your home country?
• Are these differences making/Did these differences make it harder for you to adjust to the American student-athlete life? 
• What was the hardest for you to get adjusted too when you first came here? How do you experience that now?
• What do you wish you would have known before you come to the US to make your transition easier?
• Do you like the sports culture better the way it is here or back home?
• How did the team respond to you when they learned that you were from a different country?
• What have you learned while playing sports here that has really impacted you?

New Study Strengthens the Link Between Exercise and Memory

Experts have known for a long time that fitness is good for the human brain. A recent paper, however, connects different types of workouts with assorted improvements in memory.

Everyone knows that regular exercise has many benefits for physical, and sometimes even, mental health. But then people started to wonder what kind of an effect it has on specific functions, like memory.

Studies have proven that exercise does have an effect on your memory. Over the years, studies have suggested that a workout can improve recall. Engaging in exercise over the courses of years or decades does not only improve your memory, but it even helps fortify against possible future memory problems.

Marc Roig, a physical and occupational therapy professor who studies the effect of exercise on cognition said, “We know that exercise works, but we don’t know which variables of exercise make the exercise more effective.” In addition he also said that he believes that intensity is one of those factors. Roig was not involved with the original study.

One major challenge with studying the link between regular exercise and memory is that the changes are hard to measure. There are a lot of factors that affect the memory, which complicates measuring the changes. And on top of that, there are also different types of memory.

This article shines a light on the advances that are being made in improving a person’s memory. It talks about how regular exercise can help improve your memory and better your memory in the future. In my opinion, this a newsworthy topic considering it focusses on a common problem among people. There are a lot of people that experience problems with their memory. This is a good way to let people who suffer from memory problems know some ways they can perhaps help their memory. The article is not too long, and it’s written in a way that makes it easy to read. They’re attributing their sources which makes the information given in this article more believable. The lead describes the article well and gives readers a clear idea of what they are going to read about.