Monthly Archives: March 2018

Times compares nations’ gun rules

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By ALLIE SIMON

The New York Times just published an article titled “How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries” highlighting the different ways a person can buy a gun in 15 countries. The article by Audrey Carlsen and Sahil Chinoy passively emphasizes the lack of gun restrictions in place for Americans to buy guns.

The article is in a list format in which the steps for how to obtain a gun in each of the 15 countries mentioned are laid out in numerical order. Among the 15 different countries, the authors highlight the 13-step-process to get a gun in Japan.

The very first step is joining a hunting or shooting club, while the second to last step is allowing police to inspect a personal gun storage unit. Japan’s restrictions include obtaining doctors notes, permits, personal history and opinion of friends and family in order to reach the possibility of owning a gun. These elaborate rules have created one of the lowest gun violence rates in the world in Japan.

Carsen and Chinoy put the U.S. gun restrictions at the top of the article, presumably to show how easily obtainable a gun is in America. According to the article, “roughly a third of American gun owners buy guns without a background check, which federal law does not require when buying directly from a private seller.”

While Carsen and Chinoy do not offer any commentary in the article, the format in which the United States lack of gun restrictions is at the top speaks for itself in showing how much harder it is to obtain a gun in the majority of countries that proceed the U.S. in the list.

According to the article, only Yemen, one of the poorest Middle Eastern countries and a country that has been war-stricken since 2015, has slightly less gun restrictions than the U.S. The authors want readers to see the scary reality that the United States is not far from becoming a country controlled by violence and terror.

There is middle ground when it comes to gun restrictions. In America, we often are torn between wanting heavy restrictions in which it would be hard for almost anyone to obtain gun, to extremely lenient restrictions in which most people could obtain a gun.  After mass shootings, much like the one that occurred less than a month ago in Parkland, Fla., the country polarizes and our government often enters into a gridlock when it comes to changing gun laws.

What this article stresses most, without even saying it, is that there are so many alternatives to creating suitable gun restrictions without making them too tight or too lose.  In almost every country mentioned in the article, including India, Canada, Austria, and Australia, a person must have proper storage for the gun. While this small regulation seems simple, in America, many school shooters are kids who have easy access to a weapon.

The article does not say how American gun laws should change, but merely shows that in other countries with less gun violence, there are regulations in place that protect and save the lives of civilians.

Carlsen and Chinoy present this list as considerations for our law makers. The article can be read in the New York Times at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/02/world/international-gun-laws.html.

Spotify and Apple battle for users

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By KRISTIAN DEL ROSARIO

Spotify has been around since 2008, when it was released Ken Parks (the chief content officer from its founding until 2015) was asked ” Why wouldn’t Apple just kill this thing while it’s still in the cradle?” The simple answer to this was: Because Apple probably didn’t think it needed to.

When Spotify first started, Apple’s iTunes store had a dominant position in the music industry when it came to downloads, not streaming. Spotify was competing against less dominating services such as Pandora.

When Apple released a service called Apple Music, it was not viewed as an existential threat. Spotify believed its focus on algorithms to personalize the music experience was a better bet than Apple’s push for human curators.

Although, in 2017 Spotify had a net loss of $1.5 billion, more than double the amount from the prior year. Those losses would once have been unfathomable for a startup, but Spotify was able to raise billions in debt despite them.

Today both Apple Music and Spotify are widely used by people all over. It is a personal choice as to which is more your cup of tea.

Since Spotify has been around longer, there are people who had no interest in using Apple Music when it came out. Although, for Apple enthusiasts who weren’t apart of Spotify, Apple Music became more attractive.

This was reported in a very informative matter displaying facts regarding both companies, which I found useful because I had no idea about Spotify having a decrease in subscriptions. The reporter didn’t side with one company at all.

TV star overcomes insecurity with faith

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By KATE JOHNSON

Joanna Gaines, who stars with her husband, Chip Gaines, on the popular HGTV show “Fixer Upper” recently told Darling magazine that she was bullied as a child in school because she is half Asian.

“If you haven’t heard my story, my mom is full Korean and my dad is caucasian. Kids in kindergarten would make fun of me for being Asian and when you’re that age you don’t know really how to process that; the way you take this is, ‘Who I am isn’t good enough.’”

The “Fixer Upper” is one of HGTV’s highest-rated shows and is entering its final season.  The Gaines are well-liked by the American public.  Yet, Gaines revealed her long struggle with fear and insecurity, particularly during her childhood and early adolescence.

“I don’t think confidence has ever really been one of those things that came naturally for me.  if people thought I was confident, it was really just the way I masked my insecurity, because I didn’t want people to really get to know the real me,” she said.

The reality star grew up in Texas and moved to New York in her last semester of college.  Gaines said that in New York, she battled insecurity and identity issues for six months before she discovered that her purpose was to help others overcome their own insecurities.

“So while I was in New York I really felt like God was telling me that I would be able to help women who weren’t confident, who were looking for guidance or who were lonely.  And so I knew that from that place of pain there was going to be a place to reach others, because I had actually lived in that place; I had felt that pain myself,” Gaines told Darling magazine.

Gaines’s mention of how it was God calling her to help others struggling with lack of confidence and low self-esteem garnered a lot of attention for soft-news reporting on Christian news outlets such as the Christian Post.

The article on the Christian Post about Gaines’s interview is titled, “Joanna Gaines Says She Was Bullied for Being Half Asian, but God Used Her Insecurity to Help Other Women.”

Their article is centered around the star’s faith and how her family has been recognized and praised for their Christian values.

The Christian Post mentioned that notable evangelical leader, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., commended the couple’s home renovations as examples of how God redeems and restores.

“They will take the couple to the home, and they will have this giant blown up photo of how the home used to look, and then they will pull the panels and reveal the new home – and you can hardly believe it’s the same place . . . God can take that which is outdated and antiquated and make it fresh and new,” said Laurie.

The story of Gaines’s interview was picked up by secular news outlets with the focus being on the star’s experience with bullying and how she overcame it.

AOL wrote a considerably shorter piece than the Christian Post with the headline, “‘Fixer Upper’ star Joanna Gaines says she was bullied as a child.”

AOL did include the quote from Gaines where she mentions God, but that was the only mention of faith in their article.

FOX News covered the story under the headline, “Joanna Gaines reveals struggles with insecurity, being bullied for being Asian in school.”

Similarly to the AOL story, the FOX News article recounted the star’s struggles with being half-Asian and the teasing she received in school because of her nationality.

The Fox News article provided more details on Gaines’s life and personal experiences with fear and insecurity, but did not include her quote about God until the very end of the article.

The varying ways of covering the same interview of Gaines revealing her struggle with bullying and insecurity exemplify how news outlets carefully tailor their words and coverage of events to appeal to a wide audience or a very particular niche.

UM probes sorority hazing allegations

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By KRISTIAN DEL ROSARIO

The University of Miami’s Delta Gamma Beta Tau chapter was put on cease and desist last week due to hazing allegations. The president of the organization, Emily Gerstein, sent an email out on Feb. 27 to all members saying to cease all meetings, recruitment activities, social functions, educational programs, formals, community service/philanthropy, and involvement in intramurals.

The Miami Hurricane was the first news outlet to report it and the newspaper did not state the right facts. The story first said that videos of DG sisters were sent by Delta Phi Epsilon, a few days after this story appeared, officials from the group’s advisory board denied the allegations.

Abby Washer, Panhellenic president and a former sister of DG, made it clear to them that the cease and desist had nothing to do with videos because deans did not have videos in the first place. Washer also said the Greek community was informed only of “general allegations” against DG.

At first, The Miami Hurricane made assumptions regarding the allegations by not generalizing them, this was only changed due to Washer contacting them.

In the end, the truth is that the deans put the sorority under these guidelines in order to conduct a proper investigation on the matter. Since this was announced other news outlets such as The Miami Herald, Local 10 News, NBC Miami and others have reported on the issue.

Although, the news media have not done a great job reporting the matter because they have made it seem as if the chapter has been “shut down,” which is not the case. The cease and desist just temporarily prohibits the chapter from all activities.

There have been no new updates, but members of the sorority have been very disappointed with the way the matter has been reported due to the lack of facts and respect.

Deadly nor’easter leaves big cleanup

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By AMANDA TORRES

On March 2, a storm known as a nor’easter hit the Atlantic coast, bringing incessant rain, snow and violent winds. The New York Times and CNN reported that the storm killed at least five people, brought down power lines and flooded homes and roads. Residents and travelers were stranded for hours. Some still are.

According to CNN, the deadly storm is now out at sea since Saturday morning. But its effects will remain for days to come. More than 1.2 million people from the mid-Atlantic to New England do not currently have power. The New York Times shared a slightly different number, stating that two million are out of electricity.

CNN shared a statement made by Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, who said that “people in these homes need to plan for a prolonged outage.” It will take days, maybe even weeks until their power is restored.

For people around the country wondering what states were impacted by the nor’easter, The New York Times informed its readers that states in between Maine and “as far south as Georgia” felt the effects.

The New York Times also shared the National Weather Service said that the flooding has caused damage to homes, have forced roads to close and even caused a car to float down a street. Meteorologists said that because the flooding is still severe, more damage is to be expected in the next couple of days.

The storm underwent bombogenesis on Friday, which means that its pressure rapidly dropped. This is why CNN called is a “bomb cyclone.”

On the coast of Massachusetts, winds were 90 miles per hours during the storm. CNN reported that Boston is currently underwater. The storm also dumped large amounts of snow in Ohio, New England and New York.

After experiencing the infamous wrath of Hurricane Irma, the aftermath of this nor’easter is something to which South Floridians can relate. Hopefully, the effects of this deadly storm will ease for the affected people and areas sooner than later.

Ryan Seacrest in hot water

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By NATALIE NOISOM

“American Idol” host and “Keeping Up With Kardashians” executive producer, Ryan Seacrest is under fire amid sex misconduct allegations. His former stylist, Suzy Hardy, on the E! Network revealed years of sexual misconduct from Seacrest.

The #MeToo Movement has gone underway among many celebrities to shed light on sexual violence by bringing in supporters for victims. With the red carpet being a platform for celebrities to express their support for the victims and the movement, Seacrest is hosting the upcoming event for the Oscars while currently being subjected as a sexual abuser. Many are questioning whether celebrities will shun him for the allegations.

Suzy revealed she endured sexual abuse and harassment from Seacrest starting back in 2007. According to a statement released by Vulture, Hardy said Seacrest “grinded his erect penis against her while clad only in his underwear.” He also touched her vagina on set and slapped her butt. All the conduct was unwanted.

Hardy stated she reported the incident to E! and was shortly let go after. It is revealed she wrote a personal letter to E! stating “come up with a plan to address the treatment of all women at the networks and to take responsibility for the wrongful treatment” or risk “more formal action.”

Plenty of woman in the entertainment industry have endured years of sexual abuse including many who were abused by Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer. All though this is the first public allegation towards Seacrest, he is rejecting all claims from Hardy.

However, the investigation on Seacrest was closed due to insufficient evidence. In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, Seacrest said “Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process.” He is due to host the 90th Academy Awards on the red carpet this upcoming Sunday, March 4.

Newton buzzer beater drops UNC

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By JABARI WILBON

Tuesday night was a moment to remember for Canes fans around the world. Through a struggling year for the men’s basketball team, senior guard Jaquan Newton pulled off some magic to upset No. 9 North Carolina on the brink of ACC play.

After Joel Berry from UNC made a game-tying three with four seconds left, Newton got the ball and dribbled up to half court. He made a desperate heave at the buzzer, a one-legged runner, that hit nothing but net. The bench erupted and the crowd was stunned as Miami dog-piled Newton right in front of the UNC crowd.

The Miami Hurricane, the school’s newspaper, had a story up on its website the next morning. The story included a link to footage of Newton’s shot on twitter. The story also covered the game well and talked about this was a must win for the Canes going into the ACC tournament and March Madness. The team had been up and down for a majority of the season, so this was a good confidence booster for them.

Overall, the school’s newspaper did a great job of not only covering the game, but also talking about what this big win means for the team going forward.

The same night, on SportsCenter, the game winning shot from Newton was featured on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays and actually made it to No. 1. SportsCenter did a great job of getting the play out as quickly as possible so that everyone around the world could see it.

Video footage of the play was put all over the Internet, including Twitter, Youtube, and on several different websites. By the next morning, the play could be viewed virtually everywhere and at any time.

This what a great preview for what is to come during March madness. The ACC tournament is set to start in a few days and the Madness begins soon after.

Overall, the news media did a great job covering this, especially the school’s newspaper. They were able to get the story up quickly and link the game winning shot so that it was easy for the reader’s to see it as well.

ESPN ASU report could be flawed

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By BRENNAN PRUSAK

While few people were taking the NCAA’s side after the results of the recent FBI probe were released, many could agree on one point; Arizona paying $100,000 to five-star phenom Deandre Ayton to attend the university was certainly crossing a line.

However, new reports are surfacing that lead many to believe that ESPN could have inaccurately reported the details of a wiretapped phone call involving Arizona’s head coach Sean Miller.

ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach originally reported that Arizona’s head basketball coach was overheard talking to Christian Dawkins on an FBI wiretap about a $100,000 payment for Deandre Ayton. This sent the news media and fans into a buzz, as paying six digits for an athlete was unheard of before the report.

The news could result in Ayton losing eligibility, along with Miller losing his job as Arizona’s head coach.

While this was shocking at first, a major hole in the story was evident. According to McCann, “relevant FBI wiretaps in the investigation did not begin until 2017—months after five-star recruit Deandre Ayton had already committed to Arizona in Sept. 2016.”

So, why would Arizona be attempting to pay a player to come to their school when he had already made the decision to do so? 247Sports first reported that the wiretapped calls referenced by ESPN were made between June 19 and Sept. 25 of last year, and not during Ayton’s recruitment.

Along with this fairly new information pointing out the flaws in ESPN’s report, why wouldn’t the FBI have indicted Miller if it had a tape of him speaking with Dawkins? It doesn’t line up.

“I have never discussed with Christian Dawkins paying Deandre Ayton to attend the University of Arizona,” said Miller. “In fact, I never even met or spoke to Christian Dawkins until after Deandre publicly announced that he was coming to our school. Any reporting to the contrary is inaccurate, false and defamatory.”

After dropping such a bombshell on College Basketball, it seems like the corruption case is becoming weaker and weaker as time goes on. Not only did the NCAA not have much support from its fans and former players, but now it appears as if its reported information doesn’t even line up with the claims. It will be interesting to see how this ongoing story concludes in the coming months.

Miami MLS plan hits a bump

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By DREW COHEN

David Beckham, famed English soccer legend and businessman, was faced with another tough challenge this week. After four years of gaining capital and increasing support, the City of Miami and David Beckham were granted their very own MLS soccer club.

In 2017, Beckham and investors purchased a plot of land in the Overtown neighborhood and had plans to start up the franchise by 2020. The 25,000-seat stadium was meticulously designed with state of the art design; however, one problem might alter these plans.

A report by The Miami Herald states that an appeal has been filed against Beckham and his investors. Bruce Matheson, a real estate investor, filed the appeal and is willing to pay more for the site. Many Overtown residents have also fired back at the idea of building a stadium in their town due to fears of traffic congestion and noise.

“Our motto is, it’s not a done deal,” said Amanda Hand, a Spring Garden resident who has helped spearhead neighborhood opposition to the stadium in collaboration with some Overtown residents. “That we will challenge it at every step is absolutely true. There is potentially nothing that will change our neighborhoods more than a 25,000-seat open-air stadium with 40 events a year, including lots of concerts.”

Personally, I would love Miami to have its own MLS team. Miami is such a diverse community and soccer is a diverse sport. I think the match would boost local business and create a greater following for the game in South Florida.

Another Trump Administration departure

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By GRACE SMITH

Hope Hicks announced Wednesday that she planned to step down from her position as White House Communication Director and leave the White House. Her exit becomes the latest of 18 departures from the Trump White House staff, 15 of which were also result of resignation. She is also the third communications director to leave since the beginning of Trump’s presidency.

Hope Hicks speaks with Donald Trump within the Oval Office.

Hicks has been a long-time friend and confidant of the president and one of the few who could reportedly challenging his standing thoughts on certain issues.

When Donald Trump decided to run in 2015, he pulled Hicks from Ivanka’s branding and licensing team despite her lack of experience. She was a close adviser during the process and, even after her appointment to Communications director maintained a low public profiles by turning down interviews and not standing at the podium in the White House briefing room.

Hicks announced this just a day after her testimony before the House Intelligence Committee where she reportedly admitting to telling lies for and about the president but nothing related to the investigation into Russia interference with the presidential election.

However, several White House aides explained her decision to leave had nothing to do with her appearance before the House Intelligence Committee and claimed Hicks had made the choice days before the hearing because she did not like Washington, D.C., and did not want to stay and pretend she did.

A Twitter user compares the length of service between Hope Hicks and previous Communications Director Scaramucci.

Hick’s departure caps off a series of high-profile exits — including Sean Spicer as press secretary and James Comey as FBI director — since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017 and raises questions about the stability and structure of the Trump administration.

Many White House aides expressed hopefulness that now there would be more structure and stability within the administration. Others are waiting to see how President Trump reacts to losing a huge part of his major supports and personal advisers. For a man who relies very heavily on validation from those close to him, how will he react to a staff full of outsiders?

West Virginia teachers continue strike

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By SOPHIA CONSTANTINO

After nearly a week of teacher walkouts throughout West Virginia, schools remained closed today and have been preemptively cancelled for tomorrow despite talks of an agreement to get teachers back in the classrooms.

The strikes began after Governor Jim Justice signed off on legislation that would grant teachers a two percent pay increase in July followed by a one percent increase over the next two years. The bill failed to address the state’s insufficient insurance program, a tax on payroll deductions, and the ever-rising cost of health care.

Considering that the state is ranked 49/50 in economy, 44/50 in health care, and 45/50 in education according to U.S. News, the subsequent rallies and strikes demanding stronger programs for educators are perhaps not expected expected, but comprehensible.

Though Wednesday was supposed to serve as a recovery day post-negotiations and Thursday a return to schedule normalcy, Justice’s announcement of his newest deal made on Tuesday sparked greater dissent than settlement. The new bill included a teacher pay increase by five percent, but again made no improvements to the teachers’ insurance program, which was the main concern of the first bill. School, then, was not in session today as legislators hoped.

Teachers instead crowd the state capitol today, holding signs proclaiming “No deal!” and “Will teach for insurance.”

According to CNN, Justice defended his attempts at compromise from the back of an SUV through a crowd of protesters, stating, “I’m not the king. I’m doing what all I can possibly do.”

President of the Senate Mitch Carmichael similarly expressed concerns to CNN that the state simply does not have the money to fund the raises.

As the news media scramble to grab hold of an ever-changing wreck of developments in the situation, sources like CNN, NPR, and WV Public Radio are doing an impressive job of keeping stories current.

Wrap-up reports went out last night that finally, school would be back in session and today, the news media have taken a whole new angle on the relentlessness of the strikes. This story has quickly become and defiantly remained one to watch; it looks as though the news media has every intention of keeping it that way.

James Harden ‘breaks’ NBA Twitter

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By JUSTIN SOBELMAN

When NBA fans discuss who should be named MVP in a given season, one main argument is “MVP moments.” This means that beyond the numbers, beyond the team success, did a player have signature plays that we will remember ten years from now when we look back at the season?

In the 2017-18 season, James Harden of the Houston Rockets has been the leader in the MVP discussion for most of the season, ahead of challengers LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) , Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) , Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors).

Harden already had the strongest case, posting unreal numbers on the team with the league’s best record. However, Wednesday night may have locked up The Beard’s first MVP trophy.

It was a pretty typical possession for the Rockets, with Harden working one-on-one against Los Angeles Clippers forward Wesley Johnson while four shooters dotted the three-point line. Harden regularly cooks poor saps in these isolation plays, possessing an endless array of moves to get to the rim or knock down a three off the dribble.

What happened next will go down in NBA Twitter history. He drove on Johnson, unleashed a wicked between-the-legs crossover and stepped back to the three-point line. Now this would have been impressive no matter what, but as it turned out, when Harden got back behind the arc, Johnson had crumpled to the ground. And, to be honest, he probably should have just laid there and refused to get up because Harden proceeded to hold the ball, stare at Johnson’s pathetic body— and this is the best part— wait for him to stand back up, before ending his misery and drilling a three in his face. He was fired up, his teammates lost their minds, and NBA Twitter was off and running.

Twitter isn’t always the greatest thing in the world, but there’s no better place to go when something great happens in basketball. Instantly, video of the move was up on the site, various people were giving their flabbergasted thoughts on how absurd the play was, and within 20 minutes or so the video was dubbed over with Titanic music (a staple of great highlights), among other fun videos. Here’s a photo of the great injustice, and a link to a Bleacher Report article compiling many of the best tweets: http://bleacherreport.com/james-harden-is-savage

James Harden stares Wesley Johnson down after destroying him with a crossover (Courtesy NBA on ESPN)

Anybody on Twitter who remotely follows NBA hoops weighed in on what was quickly proclaimed the most disrespectful move of the season (in an awe-inspiring way).

THAT is exactly the type of moment people remember, one that will be turned into a meme and be joked about for at least a few days. When voters for the MVP award sit down to fill out their ballots, what do you think will be the first think they think of? Probably the best player on the season’s defining team that reduced another professional athlete to rubble. So, congrats to Harden on his first MVP, and stay tuned to see if he thanks NBA Twitter in his acceptance speech. He might owe a lot to it.