News Comments

News Comment #3

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The article I read was called “A third of Americans might refuse a Covid-19 vaccine. How screwed are we?” I got this article from Vox and it was published on September 10.

The article talks about how ever since the pandemic started public health experts have given the advice of flattening the curve. They expect the curve to flatten with the help of social distancing, lockdowns, contact tracing, etc., and then wait for a vaccine. The hope was, and still is, that a mass vaccination campaign can restore the world to normal.

There are several problems with the success of a vaccination. First of all, the vaccine has to be effective and there needs to be enough of it. Another problem is if people will even choose to get the vaccine or not.

Vaccine refusal looks like a real possibility. A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll asked respondents if they’d take a free vaccine before election day and 54% said they would decline.

In my opinion these statistics are pretty unsettling. I get that some people are antivaxers and are scared of vaccines but I can’t tell you the things I would do to make the world go back to normal. I vaccine seems very far fetched at this point, in my opinion.

Vaccines take a long time to make and the trial process is a long one. And now we’re learning that even if there is a vaccine half the world won’t get it. This isn’t the best news but honestly I haven’t really heard good news about Covid as a whole. This is just another example of getting used to this new world that we live in today.

Class Work

Lead Example #4

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Gas floods sewer lines for two blocks around 48th Street and Correctionville Road after a Texaco gasoline truck was overturned.

The problem will only be a serious issue for two hours until the gas gets flushed away.

Gas is also on streets and ditches, so cars are being rerouted through side streets.

Four families evacuated because of sewer-line gas.

Fire Chief Charles Hochandel says: “The firemen followed catastrophe and hazmat procedures set up beforehand for just such an occurrence.”

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Lead Example #3

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Firefighter breaks his leg after falling from a tree while trying to rescue a cat at 102 11th Ave.  

Firefighter Bob Harwood climbed 50 feet up an Oak Tree to rescue a cat. Harwood dropped the last 15 feet when a dead limb broke. Harwood broke his left leg because of the fall.

Harwood is at St. Luke’s Hospital and is doing “just fine.” The cat is also doing fine, Harwood broke its fall.

Homework

Story #1

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Vaping is linked to a substantially increased risk of COVID-19 among teenagers and young adults, according to a new study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, experts have warned that the coronavirus most likely capitalizes on the scarred lung tissue of smokers and vapers. Researchers are just starting to pinpoint the ways in which the use of e-cigarettes raises the chances of catching the virus and suffering its worst effects.

“I have no doubt in saying that smoking and vaping could put people at increased risk of poor outcomes from Covid-19,” Dr. Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, a pediatric pulmonologist at Columbia University told The New York Times. “It is quite clear that smoking and vaping are bad for the lungs, and the predominant symptoms of Covid are respiratory. Those two things are going to be bad in combination.”

While several studies have found that smoking can more than double a person’s risk of severe Covid-19 symptoms, the data on the relationship between vaping and Covid-19 are only beginning to emerge. A team of researchers recently reported that young adults who vape are five to seven times more likely to receive a coronavirus diagnosis.

“Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of COVID-19, but the data show this isn’t true among those who vape,” said the study’s lead author, postdoctoral scholar Shivani Mathur Gaiha, PhD.

Much of what underlies the relationship between smoking, vaping and the coronavirus remains unclear. Doctors aren’t sure why vaping makes some people seriously sick but seems to spare others.  These and other lingering questions have made the risks of smoking and vaping during the pandemic tough to communicate.

About 34 million adults smoke cigarettes in the United States, many of them from communities of color and low socioeconomic status — groups already known to be more vulnerable to the virus. And more than 5 million middle and high school students recently reported using vapes.

In addition to warning teenagers and young adults about the dangers of vaping, the researchers hope their findings will prompt the Food and Drug Administration to further tighten regulations governing how vaping products are sold to young people.

“Now is the time,” Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, the study’s senior author said. “We need the FDA to hurry up and regulate these products. And we need to tell everyone: If you are a vaper, you are putting yourself at risk for COVID-19 and other lung disease.”

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/08/vaping-linked-to-covid-19-risk-in-teens-and-young-adults.html

https://healthmatters.nyp.org/vaping-and-covid-19-can-vaping-increase-complications/

Class Work

Lead Example #2

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One man is dead and three injured in car crash east of Sioux City on Hwy. 28 yesterday at 11 a.m.

Moyer Quick, 65, a resident of South Iowa City, died in a collision of two cars. Quick’s vehicle was driving collided with a truck driven by Randy Radin, 17, of Swan Lake. The autopsy report shows Moyer had a heart attack which may have caused the accident.

The three survivors included two passengers in Quick’s vechile: his wife Dorothy Quick, 61, and Dorothry Quicks’s sister, Maxine Stuerwald, 43.

Dorothy Quick was reported in “good” condition and has now been released from the hospital. Stuerwald was in “fair” condition and has been scheduled to be released. Radin was listed in “critical” condition with a fractured skull and internal injuries and is still in critical condition.

A South Iowa Highway Patrolman identified that both vehicles were proceeding in a westerly direction on the two-lane highway. Moyer Quick passed the Radin vehicle but his rear-end struck Radin as he completed the pass. The impact sent both vehicles into the ditch on the north side of the road. Quick’s vehicle rolled once. The accident, which is still under investigation, occurred under cloudy skies with rain in the forecast. The road was clear and dry.

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Lead Example #1

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A ban of hand-held radar guns has been ordered in Sioux City by South Iowa Highway patrol because of concerns that troopers could develop cancer from long-term exposure to the radiation waves emitted by the devices.

The ban was ordered as a precaution while studies are conducted into the possible links between cancer and the use of the guns. The ban affects 70 radar guns that will be withdrawn from service.

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

The move is considered to be the first of its kind by a state police agency. It comes two months after three municipal officers in cedar Rapids filed workman’s compensation claims, saying they developed cancer from using the hand–held units.

News Comments

News Comment #2

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The article I read is called ‘Can anything change Americans’ minds about Donald Trump? The eerie stability of Trump’s approval rating, explained.’ I got this article from Vox and it was posted on September 2.

I should start by saying I am very surprised I even clicked to open this article because I usually don’t get into politics much. I think that it’s a pretty dark depressing hole and I don’t really have the mental capacity to get into it but this headline really interested me and I wanted to know more.

The article is about previous presidents approval ratings compared to Trump’s. Trump’s current approval rating is 42.2 percent approval and 54.3 percent disapproval. Trump’s highest approval rating is 49 and his lowest is 35 – this is only a range of 15 points. Which the lowest range among almost every president.

I find these statistics very interesting. Especially with everything that has went on in the last year you would think that some people would change their opinion about Trump but that is not the case.

The person who wrote this article didn’t seem like they were a Trump fan so I would say that the audience of the article is people who don’t particularly like Trump or someone who just wants to know how people perceive our president.

I think this article is very interesting and it relates to things we talk about in class because we talk about how news can change peoples’ opinions or make them believe different things but with Trump, this is different. It seems that people have already formed their opinions about him and no matter what he does or what happens, those opinions are not going to change. You have either supported him and been a Trump fan from the start or you absolutely despise him, end of story.

https://www.vox.com/2020/9/2/21409364/trump-approval-rating-2020-election-voters-coronavirus-convention-polls

News Comments

News Comment #1

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The article I read this week was called ‘Apple wants to stop advertisers from following you around the web. Facebook has other ideas.’ I got this article from Vox, it was written by Peter Kafka and posted on August 26.

The article is about how Apple is going to change the way internet advertising works. Here is what will happen with Apple’s new plan: Apple typically gives each of its devices a unique identification code which makes it easier to track what you do on your phone. With its new plan, any developer that wants to use that code will have to ask for your permission. This will come in a pop-up screen that looks like this:

If a user says yes, then everything carries on like normal. Which means app companies and advertisers can use your information regarding your behavior inside of an app, and your behavior on the rest of the web and deliver you highly targeted ads.

Experts say the vast majority of users will not reply yes to the above prompt. This means advertisers will know less about the people they’re trying to reach.

If this plans actually happens apps like Facebook and Google are going to have to rethink how they sell their ads. Facebook among others have already spoke out against Apple’s new policy. A plan like this would make targeted ads almost disappear.

I think Apple’s new plan is a huge step in regards to consumer privacy but I don’t necessarily know if that’s a good thing. I’ve learned a lot about how advertisers use your information and track you, etc., in my marketing classes. This topic can be very controversial but I think people really don’t understand the concept. Targeted ads and geolocation tracking are important to advertisers and they bring in a lot of revenue.

I don’t know if it means that much to people but with Apple’s new privacy plans you may no longer get ads that you’re actually interested in. From an advertisers standpoint, this is a nightmare, but it is a very big step toward a better, privacy safe web.

I am excited to see how this all plays out and how these huge companies brawl it out. I am also excited to see how this changes the advertising game.

Class Work

Interview

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Today, I interviewed Emily Rotthaler. Rotthaler is a sophomore at Morningside College. She plays soccer at Morningside which is why she choose to come to school here all the way from Austria. Rotthaler’s major is Mass Communication with a minor in Spanish.

Rotthaler thinks she wants to go into sports journalism after graduation and said “I could end up anywhere in the world, literally.” Rotthaler loves traveling and has been to 12 countries. Her favorite city is London. Rotthaler speaks German, English, French, Spanish and “one sentence in Irish.”

Rotthaler’s favorite food is Schnitzel and her favorite color is blue or turquoise. In her free time she likes trying different sports and going to rock concerts.