Month: November 2019

Cedar Rapids is the city Jemar Lee grew up in, and in most cases it is easy to tell. Not only does his civil and proper nature reflect most city men and women who work in the tallest skyscraper downtown, but he fits the description of, for lack of better words “city boy,” almost to a tee. He takes pride in his wardrobe, a selection of plaid button up shirts, tight fitting blue jeans, and the occasional nike sweatpant. Most would consider his daily clothing choice to be quite unusual for a college student.

In recently released Vox article, reporter, Delia Paunescu covers the timeline of the Iranian government and their decision to shut the whole country’s internet service down. On November 15th, Iran announced their plans to raise fuel prices by over 50 percent. Enraged Iranian people ran out into the streets in protest. As a response, the government shut down the whole countries internet service. The government contacted every internet provider within Iran and forced them to shut down. After 5 days, the government decided to release the punishment and are, currently, restoring internet service. In addition, Paunescu includes Iran’s plan to create their own internet service called “Intranet.” This new network will be used by any and all Iranian people if passed.

This article was very well written and had many sources to back the information. The sources included some United States citizens aware of the situation, however most of the sources were Iranian people themselves. The article appealed to just about anyone who wants to know about world news, and also for those who are not aware the strict and harsh government Iranians have to deal with everyday.

Sophomore year of high school, Makaelyn Glienke, joined her school’s cross country team. The story, however, was not that of a picture book.

Glienke, the summer after her freshman year, joined a morning running club. To her surprise, her high school’s cross country coach was in the club too. When her sophomore year started, and season rolled around, the coach just put her on the team.

Glienke enjoyed every minute cross country and the new people she met from it.

Fast forward a few years and Makaelyn was a college junior at Morningside College. She still had the competitive drive within her, but had nowhere to invest it. Then she crossed paths with a family friend who owned a cross fit gym, so she joined.

Makaelyn Glienke now goes to cross fit 3 times a week and enjoys every moment of it. She takes pride in her work ethic during workouts and continues to keep her athletic stature because of it.

Just an hour ago CNN released a brief article about the Saugus High School shooting. Today, a 16-year-old sophomore opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Two students, ages 16 and 14, were killed and 3 others were wounded. The suspect, reportedly, drew a .45-caliber pistol out of his backpack and began to open fire during passing period. After just a couple of seconds, the shooter then shot himself, and is now in “grave condition” in a local California hospital.

This article was very easy to follow, but I do not believe it was set up well. It gave a brief explanation of when, where, and who were involved. However, as today played out, the reporter kept updating the article without deleting past reports. Nevertheless, this article was breaking news, so it is evident that the intended audience was Americans wether it be parents of high school students, teachers, the government, etc.

As I walked back to my dorm room, this morning, I passed a man getting water from the drinking fountain. I walked past the man, but he seemed familiar. We turned around simultaneously, and, to my surprise, it was my friend Ke’andre Evans. We greeted each other with a simple “good morning” and continued to our rooms.

Ke’andre was wearing a grey nike hoodie with maroon accents. He wore black sweatpants and black shoes. He had a look of joy, tucked under his straggly black-haired beard and dark skin tone, when he saw me. He had his hood placed on top his circle-like head, but from past encounters I am aware of the fact that Dre has short and curly black hair that resembles a buzz cut. Standing a couple inches taller than myself, I’d say he is about six-foot two-inches.

In recent released New York Times article, Mary Cain writes about her personal experience with Nike. As of 2013, Cain was the fastest runner in America. At 17, she broke countless track and field records. Her future was bright, but that was until she signed a contract with Nike’s Oregon Project. The contract held Cain at a high standard, and forced her to win. She was put in a “win-at-all-cost culture.” Alberto Salazar, Cain’s head coach, pushed her to lose weight and portray an image that young girls could look up to. However, that led to lack of energy and stress that eventually led to her downfall.

The article was very well written. This was the first article I have read where the author was the main focus of the story. She focussed mainly on young runners and athletes who plan to make a profession out of their sport. However, she also tried to appeal people who don’t know Nike beyond clothes and shoes. The article flowed very well, and kept me interested even though it was longer than the previous articles I have covered.

Breaking news lack of young voter representation, incoming campaign results, and yet another life taken at the hands of Texas border patrol are in the spotlight as we near the end of the 2020 presidential race. 

Earlier this month vice released an article proclaiming that the youth are more likely to protest government action rather than voting. According to Vice, a record 4 million students and young people marched in protest at the Global Youth Climate Strike, last month. However, representation at the polls, particularly those of ages 18-23, has not reflected the same numbers.

We asked 20 year old college sophomore, Jemar Lee, his thoughts on why people of his age tend not to vote.

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In just a few months the 2020 presidential campaign will come to a close, however, as we enter november, it is only getting started. As of yesterday, Vox reporters claim Democrats in Kentucky are “fired up” after governor candidate Andy Beshear beat Repulican incumbent Matt Bevin. Not only was this a win for Beshear, but for Democrats in general. President Donald Trump won Kentucky’s vote by over 30 percent in the 2016 election. He also campaigned in Kentucky just a day before the governor election. 

We talked to Olivia Christ and she had this to say

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We cannot predict whether the state of Kentucky will turn blue, but Tuesday’s election was a glimpse of hope for the democratic party. 

Down south, the supreme court has a decision to make after Texas border patrol officer Jesus Mesa shot 15 year old Sergio Hernandez. According to Vox and texas officials, Hernandez and his friends were playing a game. A game where they would time a run to the texas side of the border, touch a fence, and run back. When Mesa arrived the children allegedly threw rocks at him. Mesa drew his gun and shot Hernandez in the face even though the child was unarmed. Mesa now waits for the supreme court to release him or put him in jail for murder. 

Diego Aguilar, texas resident, is no stranger to hearing about deaths along the border. We asked for his thoughts on this recent killing. 

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