Monday, November 16, 2009
Issue #4: Survival
Welcome. You are now reading the fourth issue of 309: The Online Magazine. The theme of this issue is survival. Happy reading, and please be sure to bookmark us!
Dan Cooper: Dead or Alive?
By Mike O'Keefe
Looking out the rear hatch of the airplane, Dan can see nothing. The sound of howling wind and whipping rain are drowned out by the plane’s engines. Pitch-blackness stares back at him from opening as he makes his final decision.
To jump or not to jump is the question racing through this man’s mind. Dan has the money, and he has the parachute. Everything he asked for he got. With one final sigh, he pushes himself out of the door and into the night.
Whether he got what he wanted, and whether it would still be possible today, is still under question.
“We’ve run down thousands of leads and considered all sorts of scenarios,” the FBI website says. “Yet the case remains unsolved.”
D.B. Cooper was the alias given to a man who disappeared under some strange, to say the least, circumstances after he hijacked a plane in 1971.
Cooper boarded a Boeing 727 in the evening of November 24, 1971 with a destination of his own in his head. After handing the flight attendant a note informing her that he had a bomb in his briefcase and that his name was Dan Cooper, he told her to ask the captain to land the plane.
After landing the plane, receiving over $200,000 in cash, four parachutes and fuel for the plane, he ordered the plane back into the night sky.
Without saying a word to anyone on the plane, somewhere over the Oregon wilderness is where he made his jump, cash and parachutes in hand.
And although he successfully got off the plane, the weather conditions as well as his landing zone asks whether or not he survived the landing.
The FBI claims that it is highly probable Cooper died on the jump, but scant clues have lead to a cult following of cooper.
The FBI website contains composite sketches of the man, who bears a surprisingly generic look.
A black and white suit with sunglasses and neatly combed hair was the unanimous description given by all the witnesses.
And not a short while ago, a young boy found some bills along a riverside downstream from where Cooper bailed.
And to top it all of, flight manifests were not required at the time, thus leaving no trace of the true identity of the man who named himself Dan Cooper.
The FBI also says that Cooper was probably not an expert skydiver, nor did he have any help on the ground. There were a few crucial things and keys that revealed Cooper as a novice skydiver, such as his willingness to jump in such extreme conditions.
He also had no idea where he was when he jumped. He told the pilots to fly in a certain direction and then bailed out a few minutes later. There was no way he could have known where he was.
Over the years a few people have come forward with deathbed confessions and clues, all of which have led back to a dead end.
“Diving into the wilderness without a plan, without the right equipment, in such terrible conditions, he probably never got his chute open.” Says Special Agent Larry Carr, the FBI investigator who recently re-opened the case.
Looking out the rear hatch of the airplane, Dan can see nothing. The sound of howling wind and whipping rain are drowned out by the plane’s engines. Pitch-blackness stares back at him from opening as he makes his final decision.
To jump or not to jump is the question racing through this man’s mind. Dan has the money, and he has the parachute. Everything he asked for he got. With one final sigh, he pushes himself out of the door and into the night.
Whether he got what he wanted, and whether it would still be possible today, is still under question.
“We’ve run down thousands of leads and considered all sorts of scenarios,” the FBI website says. “Yet the case remains unsolved.”
D.B. Cooper was the alias given to a man who disappeared under some strange, to say the least, circumstances after he hijacked a plane in 1971.
Cooper boarded a Boeing 727 in the evening of November 24, 1971 with a destination of his own in his head. After handing the flight attendant a note informing her that he had a bomb in his briefcase and that his name was Dan Cooper, he told her to ask the captain to land the plane.
After landing the plane, receiving over $200,000 in cash, four parachutes and fuel for the plane, he ordered the plane back into the night sky.
Without saying a word to anyone on the plane, somewhere over the Oregon wilderness is where he made his jump, cash and parachutes in hand.
And although he successfully got off the plane, the weather conditions as well as his landing zone asks whether or not he survived the landing.
The FBI claims that it is highly probable Cooper died on the jump, but scant clues have lead to a cult following of cooper.
The FBI website contains composite sketches of the man, who bears a surprisingly generic look.
A black and white suit with sunglasses and neatly combed hair was the unanimous description given by all the witnesses.
And not a short while ago, a young boy found some bills along a riverside downstream from where Cooper bailed.
And to top it all of, flight manifests were not required at the time, thus leaving no trace of the true identity of the man who named himself Dan Cooper.
The FBI also says that Cooper was probably not an expert skydiver, nor did he have any help on the ground. There were a few crucial things and keys that revealed Cooper as a novice skydiver, such as his willingness to jump in such extreme conditions.
He also had no idea where he was when he jumped. He told the pilots to fly in a certain direction and then bailed out a few minutes later. There was no way he could have known where he was.
Over the years a few people have come forward with deathbed confessions and clues, all of which have led back to a dead end.
“Diving into the wilderness without a plan, without the right equipment, in such terrible conditions, he probably never got his chute open.” Says Special Agent Larry Carr, the FBI investigator who recently re-opened the case.
How To Go To College... And make It Out Alive
By Rob Mason
For many students, it can be a difficult transition going from high school to college. No more parents to make sure they get a good night of sleep, and no teachers nagging them to get their homework done on time. It may seem like a dream to many, but it can quickly turn in to a nightmare. If students don’t go to bed at a reasonable time they may be too tired to attend class; if they don’t get their homework turned in on time because no one is there to remind them, they will likely fail out. But, fortunately for them, they can learn how to survive their college experience by taking some advice from those who came before them and made it out alive!
Make a class schedule that works for you: Hopefully, you have an idea of what path you want to take in life. If nothing else, you should have an opinion in the matter. College counselors are great to take advice from. “The admissions staff and advisors are here to help,” said Rich Higgins, Director of Admissions at Plattsburgh State. “If students have questions or need help deciding what classes they should take to fulfill their requirements they should definitely come talk to us.”
However, they should not be the ultimate authority in making your schedule according to Ben Thompson, a graduate student at SUNY Potsdam. “If there is a class that you really want to take, then take it,” Thompson said. “Even if it doesn’t count toward your major it will still benefit you to take classes you enjoy and will help give you a more well rounded education.”
Sit near the front of the class: Yes, in high school this would have made you a loser! But in college, things are different. In the collegiate world, having a good rapport with your professor is very important.
“If you have any questions, make sure to ask the professor,” said Jess Bola, a senior at the College of Saint Rose. “Professors are real people. They have all been to college and understand what it is like. Show some respect; thank them for their hard work, and make sure they know who you are.”
Each semester take at least one “fun” class: College is about learning, but it is supposed to be a fun experience as well. Sometimes the fun gets lost between economics, chemistry, and math.
“Take one fun class every semester,” said Paul Deyoe, who is pursuing his MBA at Empire State College. “I can assure you that having at least one fun class to look forward to can help keep your sanity. Taking something like kayaking, ice skating or snow shoeing helps break up the monotony of sitting in a classroom all the time ”
Keep in touch with your family: Being free and on your own for the first time can be exciting, but regardless of how much you try to deny it, you’re going to miss home and your family. They helped you get through school thus far, so let them help you now.
“I call my mom almost every day.” Bola said. “You don’t have to take it that far, but it’s amazing how much talking to your family can help you get through college, or anything for that matter.”
Don’t live with your best friends, but live close to them: Best friends are your best friend for a reason. You do just about everything together and are always there for each other, but you have never lived together before and things start changing once you are in college.
“I have seen a lot of friendships get ruined by living together,” Thompson said. “People need some time away from each other, and you can’t get that if you live together. My advice would be to live with people you like, but not with your very best friends that you hang out with all the time.”
So for those of you heading to college for the first time, or even those who have already started, learn from the experiences of those who have entered the gauntlet and made it out the other side. Make sure to have fun, but remember that getting good grades is just as important. If you can learn to balance the two, you just might make it out alive!
For many students, it can be a difficult transition going from high school to college. No more parents to make sure they get a good night of sleep, and no teachers nagging them to get their homework done on time. It may seem like a dream to many, but it can quickly turn in to a nightmare. If students don’t go to bed at a reasonable time they may be too tired to attend class; if they don’t get their homework turned in on time because no one is there to remind them, they will likely fail out. But, fortunately for them, they can learn how to survive their college experience by taking some advice from those who came before them and made it out alive!
Make a class schedule that works for you: Hopefully, you have an idea of what path you want to take in life. If nothing else, you should have an opinion in the matter. College counselors are great to take advice from. “The admissions staff and advisors are here to help,” said Rich Higgins, Director of Admissions at Plattsburgh State. “If students have questions or need help deciding what classes they should take to fulfill their requirements they should definitely come talk to us.”
However, they should not be the ultimate authority in making your schedule according to Ben Thompson, a graduate student at SUNY Potsdam. “If there is a class that you really want to take, then take it,” Thompson said. “Even if it doesn’t count toward your major it will still benefit you to take classes you enjoy and will help give you a more well rounded education.”
Sit near the front of the class: Yes, in high school this would have made you a loser! But in college, things are different. In the collegiate world, having a good rapport with your professor is very important.
“If you have any questions, make sure to ask the professor,” said Jess Bola, a senior at the College of Saint Rose. “Professors are real people. They have all been to college and understand what it is like. Show some respect; thank them for their hard work, and make sure they know who you are.”
Each semester take at least one “fun” class: College is about learning, but it is supposed to be a fun experience as well. Sometimes the fun gets lost between economics, chemistry, and math.
“Take one fun class every semester,” said Paul Deyoe, who is pursuing his MBA at Empire State College. “I can assure you that having at least one fun class to look forward to can help keep your sanity. Taking something like kayaking, ice skating or snow shoeing helps break up the monotony of sitting in a classroom all the time ”
Keep in touch with your family: Being free and on your own for the first time can be exciting, but regardless of how much you try to deny it, you’re going to miss home and your family. They helped you get through school thus far, so let them help you now.
“I call my mom almost every day.” Bola said. “You don’t have to take it that far, but it’s amazing how much talking to your family can help you get through college, or anything for that matter.”
Don’t live with your best friends, but live close to them: Best friends are your best friend for a reason. You do just about everything together and are always there for each other, but you have never lived together before and things start changing once you are in college.
“I have seen a lot of friendships get ruined by living together,” Thompson said. “People need some time away from each other, and you can’t get that if you live together. My advice would be to live with people you like, but not with your very best friends that you hang out with all the time.”
So for those of you heading to college for the first time, or even those who have already started, learn from the experiences of those who have entered the gauntlet and made it out the other side. Make sure to have fun, but remember that getting good grades is just as important. If you can learn to balance the two, you just might make it out alive!
Milk Investigation 1
By Jessica Eason
International students are forced to learn how to survive being homesick in a whole new world. Plattsburgh State has about 400 international students from over 50 different countries worldwide.
Many students find different ways to coup with missing home, along with trying to adapt to American culture.
Ibraham Mkondera, a freshman from Tanzania said when asked what he missed most about home “back you find people around all the time, here you never see anyone unless you’re on campus. It is so quiet it doesn’t even look like anyone lives here.”
Daniel Asaad, a freshman from Egypt agreed with Mkondera. “It’s different here. In Cairo where I am from there are 20 million people, there are always people all around, unlike Plattsburgh.”
Some students are used to the city life and Plattsburgh to them is the complete opposite. Plattsburgh is a small city with about 25,000 residences it puny compared to the great metropolitan areas that students are coming from.
Aki Shima, a senior from Japan experienced homesickness her first year at Plattsburgh. Shima said that the first three months away from home were the hardest for her.
Junior Aude Ferrachat, an international student from France expressed “I’ve always wanted to come to the States.”
Unlike many students Ferrachat said she’s never really been home sick, she has always wanted to come to America, and dreams are coming true. But, Ferrachat does miss home sometimes.
The culture shock adds too many of the students homesickness. Culture shock is a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes
Asaad experienced culture shock when it came to American food. Asaad said that the food in America is spicier, and not as sophisticated in. “In Egypt yes we have the fast food restaurants, but the local food is different it takes more time to prepare it.”
Mkondera spoke about how in America he does not have the same freedoms as he did back home. Mkondera explained how he carries his passport around with him everywhere, since he is scared of people mistaking him for someone else.
Ferrachat said that she didn’t really experience culture shock when coming to America. “We watch American television, and movies, so it wasn’t that big of a culture shock. There are so many American influences in Europe, I think its way harder for the Chinese and Japanese students.”
Shima said that it was so stressful being in a new country, where everything around her was different from home.
Ferrachat says she missed home on those days when she has a lot of work to do, or those days when she is tired of trying to adjust to American culture then she wants to go home.
Shima said when asked what she missed most about home, she responded with her family and the food. She also said that ever single aspect of American culture was different from Japanese traditions.
Mkondera says he experiences homesickness when, “sometimes when you just sit around and dream about home and wonder what you would be doing there that’s when I’m home sick.”
With new technology international students are finding it more convenient to stay in touch with family and friends from back home. Video chatting programs like Skype are easy to use and free of charge.
Shima said that she used Skype to stay in contact with her parents, and used it at least once a week. Mkondera uses Skype only to chat with his friends. He calls his parents when he wants to talk to them.When Asaad was asked home often he calls home, in a sarcastic tone he replied with, “they call me every day on Skype.”
When Ferrachat was asked how she stayed communicated with family she responded with, “It’s easy, most of my family is on ichat, we keep in touch that way.” Ichat is Apples program for video chatting.
The International students find many ways to get over being homesick. Shima stated that she got over being homesick because she had friends to help her out. She said that having friends from Japan who knew what she was going through made it easier on her too.
Ferrachat has visited Montréal to help out with missing her culture. She said it was nice being able to speak French, Ferrachat also said Montréal had a European feeling to it, making her feel at home.
When Asaad can’t stop missing being back home he uses partying to get his mind of it.
Mkondera uses another method to deal with missing home, “I start doing other stuff, if I just think of them too much I call them.”
International students are forced to learn how to survive being homesick in a whole new world. Plattsburgh State has about 400 international students from over 50 different countries worldwide.
Many students find different ways to coup with missing home, along with trying to adapt to American culture.
Ibraham Mkondera, a freshman from Tanzania said when asked what he missed most about home “back you find people around all the time, here you never see anyone unless you’re on campus. It is so quiet it doesn’t even look like anyone lives here.”
Daniel Asaad, a freshman from Egypt agreed with Mkondera. “It’s different here. In Cairo where I am from there are 20 million people, there are always people all around, unlike Plattsburgh.”
Some students are used to the city life and Plattsburgh to them is the complete opposite. Plattsburgh is a small city with about 25,000 residences it puny compared to the great metropolitan areas that students are coming from.
Aki Shima, a senior from Japan experienced homesickness her first year at Plattsburgh. Shima said that the first three months away from home were the hardest for her.
Junior Aude Ferrachat, an international student from France expressed “I’ve always wanted to come to the States.”
Unlike many students Ferrachat said she’s never really been home sick, she has always wanted to come to America, and dreams are coming true. But, Ferrachat does miss home sometimes.
The culture shock adds too many of the students homesickness. Culture shock is a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes
Asaad experienced culture shock when it came to American food. Asaad said that the food in America is spicier, and not as sophisticated in. “In Egypt yes we have the fast food restaurants, but the local food is different it takes more time to prepare it.”
Mkondera spoke about how in America he does not have the same freedoms as he did back home. Mkondera explained how he carries his passport around with him everywhere, since he is scared of people mistaking him for someone else.
Ferrachat said that she didn’t really experience culture shock when coming to America. “We watch American television, and movies, so it wasn’t that big of a culture shock. There are so many American influences in Europe, I think its way harder for the Chinese and Japanese students.”
Shima said that it was so stressful being in a new country, where everything around her was different from home.
Ferrachat says she missed home on those days when she has a lot of work to do, or those days when she is tired of trying to adjust to American culture then she wants to go home.
Shima said when asked what she missed most about home, she responded with her family and the food. She also said that ever single aspect of American culture was different from Japanese traditions.
Mkondera says he experiences homesickness when, “sometimes when you just sit around and dream about home and wonder what you would be doing there that’s when I’m home sick.”
With new technology international students are finding it more convenient to stay in touch with family and friends from back home. Video chatting programs like Skype are easy to use and free of charge.
Shima said that she used Skype to stay in contact with her parents, and used it at least once a week. Mkondera uses Skype only to chat with his friends. He calls his parents when he wants to talk to them.When Asaad was asked home often he calls home, in a sarcastic tone he replied with, “they call me every day on Skype.”
When Ferrachat was asked how she stayed communicated with family she responded with, “It’s easy, most of my family is on ichat, we keep in touch that way.” Ichat is Apples program for video chatting.
The International students find many ways to get over being homesick. Shima stated that she got over being homesick because she had friends to help her out. She said that having friends from Japan who knew what she was going through made it easier on her too.
Ferrachat has visited Montréal to help out with missing her culture. She said it was nice being able to speak French, Ferrachat also said Montréal had a European feeling to it, making her feel at home.
When Asaad can’t stop missing being back home he uses partying to get his mind of it.
Mkondera uses another method to deal with missing home, “I start doing other stuff, if I just think of them too much I call them.”
Surviving in a Winter Wilderness
By Bryan Bergeron
It’s winter-time in the North Country.
It’s ten degrees outside, and the wind chill is hovering around zero degrees. The wind pierces your body, causing all exposed skin to become numb in a matter of seconds, and as you walk outside, you slip on the layer of ice that has become permanently glued to the ground. The sound of cracks and creaks can be heard in all directions, as ice-laden tree branches break away from their foundation.
Not even bears dare to fight against these elements, but Mother Nature doesn’t intimidate everyone during these winter months.
In the Adirondacks, some people aren’t hindered by the wrath Mother Nature reaps on its inhabitants for four months out of the year; instead, they embrace it. They camp in it, they live in it and they welcome the approaching wind chills and freezing temperatures, as the Adirondacks become a camping ground for many people throughout the duration of the North Country winter.
“Over the past several years, we have seen an increase in winter camping since technology has improved equipment and clothing,” said Dave Winchell, the region five spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Conservation. “The improvement in technology has allowed for people to safely recreate in the Adirondack back country during the winter.”
While technological advancements have made this type of camping completely feasible, proper precautions must be considered before venturing into the Adirondacks during the winter chill. Since summer and winter camping are two completely different things, specific equipment must be also used in the winter to prevent things such as hypothermia from occurring, Winchell said.
In the winter, one has to look out for approaching storms, which have the ability to creep up on people quickly in the wintertime. On top of that, Winchell said that snow takes away people’s energy at a quicker pace because deep powder hinders a camper’s ability to move around, making traveling in distances a long and strenuous process.
“Conditions in the mountains at high elevations are much worse than on the ground,” Winchell said. “It’s going to be colder, it’s going to be windier and the snows going to be deeper so you need to be prepared for that.”
Nevertheless, with proper preparations, a winter camping trip can be an exciting, fun and satisfying experience, Bobby Donahue, a North Country resident who frequently delves into the winter wilderness by ice climbing and camping in the Adirondacks.
In order to be fully equipped against the elements, one would need a sleeping bag that can withstand freezing temperatures. Preferably, at least a zero-degree sleeping bag should be used, Donahue said.
While Donahue prefers to use down sleeping bags when he camps, since they are lighter then synthetic sleeping bags, synthetic bags can also be used. A down sleeping bag, however, must be used with caution, for all of its insulating properties are lost once it gets wet, Donahue said.
A close-cell, foam sleeping bag is also needed to camp throughout the winter season. Blow-up pads are frowned upon for winter camping since the warm air within the pad will compress in the cold weather, causing the pads to become soft and unusable, Donahue said.
In addition, winterized tents are needed to protect yourself against the elements, said Russell Brown, another North Country resident who often goes on winter camping trips.
“A lot of summer tents have a lot of ventilation, which is awesome for the summer, but during the winter all that air flow causes all your body heat to get lost outside of the tent,” Brown said.
Bringing a stove and numerous amounts of “instant” foods are also necessary because eating helps produce heat throughout the body, Donahue said.
In total, the full amount of equipment needed will cost around $1,000, and a normal, one night winter camping trip will produce a bag full of supplies that weighs around 35-40 pounds, Donahue said.
While the use of this equipment will allow for someone to make it through the night, and will decrease the chances of a camper becoming hypothermic, it will not keep the camper cozy and warm throughout the night. Even with the proper preparations, it is a given that a camper will be cold throughout the night.
Due to this, campers have come up with numerous tricks and ploys to cheat Mother Nature from giving winter campers frost bite or hypothermia throughout the night. One such trick is to keep a container of hot water within your sleeping bag, Donahue said.
“Boil some water at night, put it in a water bottle, wrap it up in an extra piece of clothing and throw it in your sleeping bag,” Donahue said. “It doesn’t freeze and it will keep you warm all throughout the night. Then in the morning, you will have luke warm water that you can use.”
Another such trick is to always carry your water bottle upside down, Ryan Doyle, the outdoor leadership coordinator for the Adirondack Mountain Club, said
By carrying the bottle upside down, freezing occurs only at the top of the jug. Then, once you flip it over, the ice will go to the bottom of the bottle, allowing you to continue to drink the water, Doyle said.
“It won’t freeze the cap onto the bottle itself, so you can still unscrew it and drink it,” Doyle said.
Using these tricks and bringing all of this equipment are necessary for survival, but using these things would be useless if the camper does not bring the proper clothing and does not layer his outfit appropriately, Donahue said.
Synthetic and nylon clothing should always be used in winter camping because of their insulating properties, while one must always wear multiple layers of clothing in order to keep moisture away from ones skin, Donahue said.
“By layering clothes, you create dead air space between your clothing and your skin; it keeps you warm, it keeps the cold air away from your skin,” Donahue said. “If you don’t layer properly the moisture will build up to your skin, and eventually, you’ll have all wet clothing- it takes a lot more energy to warm water then to cool water.”
Brown also stressed the importance of layering and the significance of synthetic clothing.
“Make sure you have nylon, polyester or wool all the way down to your underwear and socks because if your base layers aren’t these types of clothing then you can lose all your insulation,” Brown said.
Both Brown and Donahue warned to never wear any type of cotton when going on a winter camping trip. One reason for this is because cotton loses all of its insulating properties once it gets wet, Donahue said.
“A lot of guidebooks say that cotton kills,” Donahue said. “Once it gets wet it keeps in all the moisture and takes a long time to dry, whereas synthetics push the moisture out and dries faster.”
Wet cotton clothing also keeps you colder than any other type of damp clothing because it “robs” heat from you, which is another reason why “cotton kills,” Winchell said.
“When cotton gets wet it actually transmits heat out of your body, so you’ll lose heat a lot quicker,” Winchell said.
While layering your clothing and avoiding cotton are important aspects for survival, Brown said that too much base layering can backfire on the camper,for it could make the camper start to sweat. In turn, this sweat will make your clothes wet, which causes for your clothing to lose some of its insulating properties.
Even though the risk factor of winter camping is much higher than that of summer camping, immersing yourself in a winter wilderness can become a life-long memory if one is aware of what they are getting themselves into beforehand, Donahue said. In fact, by taking the necessary precautions and by thoroughly preparing for the night, winter camping is a fairly safe sport.
“Plan ahead and know where you are going and know what you are getting yourself into,” Donahue said. “There are so many different areas where things could go wrong, so not knowing what you are getting yourself into can cause a lot of problems. If you know what you’re doing, then it’s just an acceptance of risk.”
And in the Adirondacks, a lot of people are accepting such dangers.
“There’s a fair amount of people who use the back trails throughout the winter,” Doyle said. “It’s certainly not as busy as it is in the summertime, but there are definitely a lot of people who go out in the winter.”
It’s winter-time in the North Country.
It’s ten degrees outside, and the wind chill is hovering around zero degrees. The wind pierces your body, causing all exposed skin to become numb in a matter of seconds, and as you walk outside, you slip on the layer of ice that has become permanently glued to the ground. The sound of cracks and creaks can be heard in all directions, as ice-laden tree branches break away from their foundation.
Not even bears dare to fight against these elements, but Mother Nature doesn’t intimidate everyone during these winter months.
In the Adirondacks, some people aren’t hindered by the wrath Mother Nature reaps on its inhabitants for four months out of the year; instead, they embrace it. They camp in it, they live in it and they welcome the approaching wind chills and freezing temperatures, as the Adirondacks become a camping ground for many people throughout the duration of the North Country winter.
“Over the past several years, we have seen an increase in winter camping since technology has improved equipment and clothing,” said Dave Winchell, the region five spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Conservation. “The improvement in technology has allowed for people to safely recreate in the Adirondack back country during the winter.”
While technological advancements have made this type of camping completely feasible, proper precautions must be considered before venturing into the Adirondacks during the winter chill. Since summer and winter camping are two completely different things, specific equipment must be also used in the winter to prevent things such as hypothermia from occurring, Winchell said.
In the winter, one has to look out for approaching storms, which have the ability to creep up on people quickly in the wintertime. On top of that, Winchell said that snow takes away people’s energy at a quicker pace because deep powder hinders a camper’s ability to move around, making traveling in distances a long and strenuous process.
“Conditions in the mountains at high elevations are much worse than on the ground,” Winchell said. “It’s going to be colder, it’s going to be windier and the snows going to be deeper so you need to be prepared for that.”
Nevertheless, with proper preparations, a winter camping trip can be an exciting, fun and satisfying experience, Bobby Donahue, a North Country resident who frequently delves into the winter wilderness by ice climbing and camping in the Adirondacks.
In order to be fully equipped against the elements, one would need a sleeping bag that can withstand freezing temperatures. Preferably, at least a zero-degree sleeping bag should be used, Donahue said.
While Donahue prefers to use down sleeping bags when he camps, since they are lighter then synthetic sleeping bags, synthetic bags can also be used. A down sleeping bag, however, must be used with caution, for all of its insulating properties are lost once it gets wet, Donahue said.
A close-cell, foam sleeping bag is also needed to camp throughout the winter season. Blow-up pads are frowned upon for winter camping since the warm air within the pad will compress in the cold weather, causing the pads to become soft and unusable, Donahue said.
In addition, winterized tents are needed to protect yourself against the elements, said Russell Brown, another North Country resident who often goes on winter camping trips.
“A lot of summer tents have a lot of ventilation, which is awesome for the summer, but during the winter all that air flow causes all your body heat to get lost outside of the tent,” Brown said.
Bringing a stove and numerous amounts of “instant” foods are also necessary because eating helps produce heat throughout the body, Donahue said.
In total, the full amount of equipment needed will cost around $1,000, and a normal, one night winter camping trip will produce a bag full of supplies that weighs around 35-40 pounds, Donahue said.
While the use of this equipment will allow for someone to make it through the night, and will decrease the chances of a camper becoming hypothermic, it will not keep the camper cozy and warm throughout the night. Even with the proper preparations, it is a given that a camper will be cold throughout the night.
Due to this, campers have come up with numerous tricks and ploys to cheat Mother Nature from giving winter campers frost bite or hypothermia throughout the night. One such trick is to keep a container of hot water within your sleeping bag, Donahue said.
“Boil some water at night, put it in a water bottle, wrap it up in an extra piece of clothing and throw it in your sleeping bag,” Donahue said. “It doesn’t freeze and it will keep you warm all throughout the night. Then in the morning, you will have luke warm water that you can use.”
Another such trick is to always carry your water bottle upside down, Ryan Doyle, the outdoor leadership coordinator for the Adirondack Mountain Club, said
By carrying the bottle upside down, freezing occurs only at the top of the jug. Then, once you flip it over, the ice will go to the bottom of the bottle, allowing you to continue to drink the water, Doyle said.
“It won’t freeze the cap onto the bottle itself, so you can still unscrew it and drink it,” Doyle said.
Using these tricks and bringing all of this equipment are necessary for survival, but using these things would be useless if the camper does not bring the proper clothing and does not layer his outfit appropriately, Donahue said.
Synthetic and nylon clothing should always be used in winter camping because of their insulating properties, while one must always wear multiple layers of clothing in order to keep moisture away from ones skin, Donahue said.
“By layering clothes, you create dead air space between your clothing and your skin; it keeps you warm, it keeps the cold air away from your skin,” Donahue said. “If you don’t layer properly the moisture will build up to your skin, and eventually, you’ll have all wet clothing- it takes a lot more energy to warm water then to cool water.”
Brown also stressed the importance of layering and the significance of synthetic clothing.
“Make sure you have nylon, polyester or wool all the way down to your underwear and socks because if your base layers aren’t these types of clothing then you can lose all your insulation,” Brown said.
Both Brown and Donahue warned to never wear any type of cotton when going on a winter camping trip. One reason for this is because cotton loses all of its insulating properties once it gets wet, Donahue said.
“A lot of guidebooks say that cotton kills,” Donahue said. “Once it gets wet it keeps in all the moisture and takes a long time to dry, whereas synthetics push the moisture out and dries faster.”
Wet cotton clothing also keeps you colder than any other type of damp clothing because it “robs” heat from you, which is another reason why “cotton kills,” Winchell said.
“When cotton gets wet it actually transmits heat out of your body, so you’ll lose heat a lot quicker,” Winchell said.
While layering your clothing and avoiding cotton are important aspects for survival, Brown said that too much base layering can backfire on the camper,for it could make the camper start to sweat. In turn, this sweat will make your clothes wet, which causes for your clothing to lose some of its insulating properties.
Even though the risk factor of winter camping is much higher than that of summer camping, immersing yourself in a winter wilderness can become a life-long memory if one is aware of what they are getting themselves into beforehand, Donahue said. In fact, by taking the necessary precautions and by thoroughly preparing for the night, winter camping is a fairly safe sport.
“Plan ahead and know where you are going and know what you are getting yourself into,” Donahue said. “There are so many different areas where things could go wrong, so not knowing what you are getting yourself into can cause a lot of problems. If you know what you’re doing, then it’s just an acceptance of risk.”
And in the Adirondacks, a lot of people are accepting such dangers.
“There’s a fair amount of people who use the back trails throughout the winter,” Doyle said. “It’s certainly not as busy as it is in the summertime, but there are definitely a lot of people who go out in the winter.”
The ’View
By Jenna Burleigh
The ticking of the clock mocks him as he waits. Tick. Tick. He wished he could just get this over with. The pit of his stomach flops and knots as his brow becomes moist with an anxious sweat. The man’s ironed khakis have creased, and his tie, a corporate noose, threatens to strangle him. First impressions, he tells himself, are difficult to change. He takes a deep breath as the door opens.
“Sir, we’re ready for your interview,” a woman called.
The man stood up, flattened his creases and straightened his tie. With a smile, he entered the room as the door closed behind him.
Robert Whitcomb waited behind an imposing cherry desk, stained a dark auburn. He is tall and dark, unreadable to the man who just entered. Sizing up the man before him, Robert was impressed, but not yet convinced he would make a good employee. It was a tough decision, but one he and his wife frequently had to make.
Robert first met Paula at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt., where they both became general managers for Sodexho, the food service provider at the college. Both worked with Sodexho for at least 20 years.
The couple eventually married and took charge of their own business, On The Run in Alburgh, Vt. They have been in charge of hiring new staff for the greater part of their lives. As interviewers, Robert and Paula had to sort worthy applicants from the rotten ones.
With the economic recession, unemployment in America has reached over 10 percent, making a good job harder to come by. How does an applicant survive the interviewing process and go on to get the job?
Robert and Paula noted there were several things they would look for in each applicant. One was presentation and attire.
“Dress for the job you want,” Robert says, explaining there is a big difference between the dress appropriate for a dishwasher or a sales representative. While it may be appropriate for a dishwasher to wear something casual to an interview, someone looking for a different job may need to dress up a bit.
“Never go in with blue jeans with holes in them, and don’t go in with a hat on backwards,” he says.
Pants should never “show six inches of underwear,” according to Robert, who says it never impressed him. Paula adds that applicants should also not show up in tee-shirts with vulgar language or graphics.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between who would actually be a good employee and who just talks a perfect game. “The more skill that is required, the more careful you have to be of who you are hiring,” Robert says.
“Lots of times people come in to fill out an application because they have to do that for their unemployment,” He says. They don’t ever intend on actually getting a job. Other times people turn out to be a less-than-perfect employee. “We once had someone come at us with a kitchen knife,” he says. “He was wacky.”
For those who want a job, honesty is something employers value.
“Always be honest,” Paula advises. She says that it is best to be up-front about any records and reasons for leaving previous employment. Lying about these things on an application or during an interview could mean the end of the line for employees. “That can be grounds for termination,” she says.
Paula also says references go a long way. “Always get good references,” she says, because checking references is a big deal, and it could make or break an application.
“I personally liked it when someone came in and shook hands and introduced himself,” Paula says.
Eye contact is sometimes overlooked, but is important during an interview, she says. It lets an interviewer know applicants are serious about getting a job, and it is respectful as well. Another courtesy employers admire is punctuality.
“If you set an appointment, show up and be on time,” Paula says. An applicant should call if they are going to be late, because this is always preferred to not showing up at all or being late with no notice.
“Our time is just as important as your time,” she says.
Both Robert and Paula agree that presentation, attire, and personality should correlate with the job an applicant is seeking. For example, someone who is sloppy or unfriendly probably won’t be hired to a position requiring them to interact with customers all day. “If you’ve got a rotten personality, you’re going to give poor customer service,” Robert says.
Coming from years of experience, Robert and Paula say applicants should dress appropriately, make eye contact, be on time, and be honest with their interviewer. And though it’s not exactly in the books, they probably shouldn’t be wielding a kitchen knife either.
As the man exits the room, the knot in this stomach finally unties. He loosens his noose and starts to relax, thankful the interview was finally over. He feels confident, but knows better than to get excited about it. From his experience, he knows a good interview doesn’t always lead to a job, but at least he knows he has given it his very best shot.
The ticking of the clock mocks him as he waits. Tick. Tick. He wished he could just get this over with. The pit of his stomach flops and knots as his brow becomes moist with an anxious sweat. The man’s ironed khakis have creased, and his tie, a corporate noose, threatens to strangle him. First impressions, he tells himself, are difficult to change. He takes a deep breath as the door opens.
“Sir, we’re ready for your interview,” a woman called.
The man stood up, flattened his creases and straightened his tie. With a smile, he entered the room as the door closed behind him.
Robert Whitcomb waited behind an imposing cherry desk, stained a dark auburn. He is tall and dark, unreadable to the man who just entered. Sizing up the man before him, Robert was impressed, but not yet convinced he would make a good employee. It was a tough decision, but one he and his wife frequently had to make.
Robert first met Paula at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt., where they both became general managers for Sodexho, the food service provider at the college. Both worked with Sodexho for at least 20 years.
The couple eventually married and took charge of their own business, On The Run in Alburgh, Vt. They have been in charge of hiring new staff for the greater part of their lives. As interviewers, Robert and Paula had to sort worthy applicants from the rotten ones.
With the economic recession, unemployment in America has reached over 10 percent, making a good job harder to come by. How does an applicant survive the interviewing process and go on to get the job?
Robert and Paula noted there were several things they would look for in each applicant. One was presentation and attire.
“Dress for the job you want,” Robert says, explaining there is a big difference between the dress appropriate for a dishwasher or a sales representative. While it may be appropriate for a dishwasher to wear something casual to an interview, someone looking for a different job may need to dress up a bit.
“Never go in with blue jeans with holes in them, and don’t go in with a hat on backwards,” he says.
Pants should never “show six inches of underwear,” according to Robert, who says it never impressed him. Paula adds that applicants should also not show up in tee-shirts with vulgar language or graphics.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between who would actually be a good employee and who just talks a perfect game. “The more skill that is required, the more careful you have to be of who you are hiring,” Robert says.
“Lots of times people come in to fill out an application because they have to do that for their unemployment,” He says. They don’t ever intend on actually getting a job. Other times people turn out to be a less-than-perfect employee. “We once had someone come at us with a kitchen knife,” he says. “He was wacky.”
For those who want a job, honesty is something employers value.
“Always be honest,” Paula advises. She says that it is best to be up-front about any records and reasons for leaving previous employment. Lying about these things on an application or during an interview could mean the end of the line for employees. “That can be grounds for termination,” she says.
Paula also says references go a long way. “Always get good references,” she says, because checking references is a big deal, and it could make or break an application.
“I personally liked it when someone came in and shook hands and introduced himself,” Paula says.
Eye contact is sometimes overlooked, but is important during an interview, she says. It lets an interviewer know applicants are serious about getting a job, and it is respectful as well. Another courtesy employers admire is punctuality.
“If you set an appointment, show up and be on time,” Paula says. An applicant should call if they are going to be late, because this is always preferred to not showing up at all or being late with no notice.
“Our time is just as important as your time,” she says.
Both Robert and Paula agree that presentation, attire, and personality should correlate with the job an applicant is seeking. For example, someone who is sloppy or unfriendly probably won’t be hired to a position requiring them to interact with customers all day. “If you’ve got a rotten personality, you’re going to give poor customer service,” Robert says.
Coming from years of experience, Robert and Paula say applicants should dress appropriately, make eye contact, be on time, and be honest with their interviewer. And though it’s not exactly in the books, they probably shouldn’t be wielding a kitchen knife either.
As the man exits the room, the knot in this stomach finally unties. He loosens his noose and starts to relax, thankful the interview was finally over. He feels confident, but knows better than to get excited about it. From his experience, he knows a good interview doesn’t always lead to a job, but at least he knows he has given it his very best shot.
Freelancing or Freefalling? Is there a difference since the economic crisis!
By Nicholas Persad
War. Politics. Celebrity scandals. These are a few topics that a journalist covers on a daily basis. Freelance journalists oftentimes have the opportunity to present these topics in a way that is more pleasing to them and can be more controversial than a staff writer may be allowed to. However, as a result of the current economic downturn the chances of reading groundbreaking journalism are withering away.
This recent economic downturn has affected many aspects of journalism including the numerous print magazines that have folded or had to switch to online publications, but freelance journalists have felt the effect of this in an even more remarkable way.
Many publications are becoming more critical as to how they invest their finances and this has had a direct impact on many freelance journalists because these publications are not searching for and employing writers as they use to. Freelance journalists are then forced to reevaluate their career paths.
“Everything has slowed down because of the economy,” said Peter Haas, a freelance journalist who describes himself as a ‘Writer At Large’ and who has worked at companies such as CBS Inc. and McGraw-Hill. “In the past a lot of work came to me because I am very established but now I really have to go and search for it,” Haas said.
Haas has been a freelance journalist for about 15 years, so his reputation has allowed him to still feel secure even as the recession plummets. However, some freelancers, especially recently graduated journalism students, are beginning their career at the worst part of the recession.
“I graduated from journalism school last December when the crisis now started,” said Monica Heger, a freelance journalist who has written for Discover and Technology Review. “There were no jobs to be had. It’s pretty tough, especially if you don’t have connections with people,” Heger said.
Ruth Thaler-Carter, who has been a freelance journalist since 1984, agreed with Haas and Heger that the recession has had a serious effect on the opportunities for freelance journalists. “One of my regular clients, representing about $10,000 a year of writing work, had to cut back on all freelancers early in the year because of the recession,” Thaler- Carter said. “That was pretty scary, but I took it as an indication that I needed to make more of an effort to find new clients.”
Nevertheless some freelance journalists are not feeling the effects of the recession in the slightest form. Jeanne Lenzer, who is an extremely well known freelance writer who specializes in medical pieces, believes that it depends on the journalist whether he/she is going to get work or not. “Some editors are saying that they are having trouble finding good writers,” Lenzer said. Even though Lenzer says she does not feel the effects of the recession she still takes precautions in case anything drastically changes. “I’ve been taking more stories,” Lenzer said.
Regardless of the circumstances, whether they have been working steadily for many years or are now beginning their journey through journalism all the freelancers agree on a few things. These are the methods that will allow them to remain relevant and on top of the freelance journalist industry.
“Build up a lot of samples in the area that you want to specialize in so when you go to knock on doors you have something,” Haas said. “Networking, getting to know people in your field even though they seem like competitors. You never know when they will pass the word along.”
Thaler- Carter agreed but also added that a freelance journalist should have some sort of money already saved if they want to go into freelance journalism as their only source of income.
“Previous work experience,” Thaler-Carter said. “Great skills in writing and finding both stories and outlets for getting them published. Tenacity. Integrity. A savings cushion. A good network of colleagues and contacts.” She also discussed the importance of acquiring new skills as you move forward with your career. She noted that in her own career she added new skills such as desktop publishing and using technology for editing and proofreading so that she would not become complacent with only one skill.
“You have got to be a self starter,” Lenzer said. “A flexible journalist is very important but you are still going to have to ‘prove your chops’.” A method she suggested to achieve this was having a writing partner. This is a person who you don’t necessarily write with but the two writers’ review each other’s work.
The end result, however, is that if work is not available there is very little a freelance writer can do to change that but simply continue to push forward.
“For me to continue doing this long term I would definitely have to make more money,” Heger said.
War. Politics. Celebrity scandals. These are a few topics that a journalist covers on a daily basis. Freelance journalists oftentimes have the opportunity to present these topics in a way that is more pleasing to them and can be more controversial than a staff writer may be allowed to. However, as a result of the current economic downturn the chances of reading groundbreaking journalism are withering away.
This recent economic downturn has affected many aspects of journalism including the numerous print magazines that have folded or had to switch to online publications, but freelance journalists have felt the effect of this in an even more remarkable way.
Many publications are becoming more critical as to how they invest their finances and this has had a direct impact on many freelance journalists because these publications are not searching for and employing writers as they use to. Freelance journalists are then forced to reevaluate their career paths.
“Everything has slowed down because of the economy,” said Peter Haas, a freelance journalist who describes himself as a ‘Writer At Large’ and who has worked at companies such as CBS Inc. and McGraw-Hill. “In the past a lot of work came to me because I am very established but now I really have to go and search for it,” Haas said.
Haas has been a freelance journalist for about 15 years, so his reputation has allowed him to still feel secure even as the recession plummets. However, some freelancers, especially recently graduated journalism students, are beginning their career at the worst part of the recession.
“I graduated from journalism school last December when the crisis now started,” said Monica Heger, a freelance journalist who has written for Discover and Technology Review. “There were no jobs to be had. It’s pretty tough, especially if you don’t have connections with people,” Heger said.
Ruth Thaler-Carter, who has been a freelance journalist since 1984, agreed with Haas and Heger that the recession has had a serious effect on the opportunities for freelance journalists. “One of my regular clients, representing about $10,000 a year of writing work, had to cut back on all freelancers early in the year because of the recession,” Thaler- Carter said. “That was pretty scary, but I took it as an indication that I needed to make more of an effort to find new clients.”
Nevertheless some freelance journalists are not feeling the effects of the recession in the slightest form. Jeanne Lenzer, who is an extremely well known freelance writer who specializes in medical pieces, believes that it depends on the journalist whether he/she is going to get work or not. “Some editors are saying that they are having trouble finding good writers,” Lenzer said. Even though Lenzer says she does not feel the effects of the recession she still takes precautions in case anything drastically changes. “I’ve been taking more stories,” Lenzer said.
Regardless of the circumstances, whether they have been working steadily for many years or are now beginning their journey through journalism all the freelancers agree on a few things. These are the methods that will allow them to remain relevant and on top of the freelance journalist industry.
“Build up a lot of samples in the area that you want to specialize in so when you go to knock on doors you have something,” Haas said. “Networking, getting to know people in your field even though they seem like competitors. You never know when they will pass the word along.”
Thaler- Carter agreed but also added that a freelance journalist should have some sort of money already saved if they want to go into freelance journalism as their only source of income.
“Previous work experience,” Thaler-Carter said. “Great skills in writing and finding both stories and outlets for getting them published. Tenacity. Integrity. A savings cushion. A good network of colleagues and contacts.” She also discussed the importance of acquiring new skills as you move forward with your career. She noted that in her own career she added new skills such as desktop publishing and using technology for editing and proofreading so that she would not become complacent with only one skill.
“You have got to be a self starter,” Lenzer said. “A flexible journalist is very important but you are still going to have to ‘prove your chops’.” A method she suggested to achieve this was having a writing partner. This is a person who you don’t necessarily write with but the two writers’ review each other’s work.
The end result, however, is that if work is not available there is very little a freelance writer can do to change that but simply continue to push forward.
“For me to continue doing this long term I would definitely have to make more money,” Heger said.
Life after cancer
By Nicodia Williams
46-year old Colleen Hofmeister wants to live to see her two children graduate high school, college and if she’s lucky, dance at their weddings.
Her dreams, however, were overshadowed by a silent and sometimes undetected killer, cancer. Diagnosed with the second most deadly cancer, breast cancer in late 2007, Colleen says she never imagined she’d be diagnosed with breast cancer. “I did everything right, went for regular mammograms and sonograms, but the cancer went undetected until it had spread throughout my skeletal system.”
Hofmeister, from New York State is still battling cancer and has since been labeled “incurable”, but that does not stop her from living life. “I don't feel incurable; I feel like I just need to hang in there long enough until somebody discovers a cure. I live in constant pain, but I am still living.”
According to the American Cancer Society’s 2009 Cancer Facts and Figures, the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed between 1996-2004 is 66%, is up from 50% in 1975-1977. These increasing numbers reflect progress in diagnosing certain cancers at an earlier stage and improvements in treatment.
The National Cancer Institute estimated that there were 11 million cancer survivors as recent as 2006, representing about 4% of the United State’s population.
“I felt robbed of my innocence when I received the diagnosis. It wasn't that I didn't think I'd ever be diagnosed with cancer; but surely I was doing everything I could to ensure if I did receive a diagnosis, it would be in the early stages and curable,” said Colleen.
In more ways than one, the battle for cancer is not always over for cancer survivors once treatment has ended. For some survivors, they face a range of physical, emotional and psychological effects and have to “start over”.
Cancer is often viewed by the general public as an automatic death sentence. But now that patients are living longer after treatment, there’s a growing interest in finding out exactly what challenges survivors face and how they cope with everyday life.
Amy Grose, Psychological Program Leader in the Lance Armstrong Adult Survivorship program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said that the survival process does not start until treatment has ended. She believes many cancer patients think of cancer as a “chronic illness” instead of a curable disease.
“At our survival clinic, many cancer survivors don’t want to talk about their feelings sometimes. You have to do it your own way and figure out what’s important for you as a person. Whether it’s feeding your kids or raising awareness, that’s what makes you a good survivor,” said Grose.
It was 2007 and Boston native Meaghan Edelstein was a 28-year-old law student. She noticed some unusual bleeding that led her to several doctors who tested her, scanned her, and advised her that nothing was unusual. As the bleeding and discomfort increased, she knew that something was wrong but no one would listen to her concerns.
Later that year, after being misdiagnosed for two-months, she was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer and started on her journey though chemotherapy and radiation. Told that she did not have a chance to live, she ignored the recommendation to give up and pushed herself through treatment, grateful to finally be heard: if nothing, she had a diagnosis.
Today, Meaghan is a survivor. Though her body and life are changed from the experience, she has emerged with a new sense of purpose and appreciation for her life.
“I’m not the "same" person but I am not living every day as if it was my last. “I guess the way I would describe is that I am living life with more knowledge and appreciation for things. I don’t think you can go through a life altering experience like surviving cancer without changing,” she said.
Unlike most cancer survivors, Meaghan said she never calls herself a survivor; instead she prefers to call herself a “cancer fighter” because the battle continues on long after the treatments stop.
“Many people think the treatment is the hardest part but in fact it’s the battle afterwards that I found most challenging,” she said.
For other cancer survivors, there are physical repercussions that outweigh the emotional ones. 61-year old Evelyn MacDonald only remembers waking up with pea sized lumps on her back and feeling like she had what she called a “bad hangover” but never thought anything of it because she did not drink.
After undergoing a complete physical in 1995, Evelyn’s doctor diagnosed her with non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The major indicator of this type of cancer is swollen lymph nodes.
“Honestly when I was first diagnosed I do remember there were a few times when I went for a walk or went shopping, I would look at the river and all the beautiful trees and birds flying. I wondered if that would be the last time I would see all these simple but peaceful landscapes,” MacDonald said.
Evelyn, who lives in Alberta, Canada, says she remembers getting her first dose of chemotherapy and the feeling of “little pacmen” running around her body killing bad cells. However, after treatment, Evelyn had an even bigger problem, an eroding jaw line and mouth sores.
“As far as my dental problems are concerned, no one knows for sure, as it was a clinical trial that had never been done before, but I do believe it was caused by the high dosages of chemotherapy I received.”
In late 1995, Evelyn underwent a bone marrow transplant and as of fall 1998, she is cancer-free.
“I do definitely believe your inner strength and attitude play a huge factor in your recovery,” she said.
Because of issues like Evelyn’s, Amy Grose said experts in the field are beginning more research and other initiatives to help survivors.
“A number of the survival clinics that are available to cancer patients are still in the infant stages, but they are quickly growing. People would be surprised that the level of depression and anxiety some cancer survivors face is not much different than the American public at large,” said Grose.
Since her diagnosis, Colleen says she has become very outspoken about her cancer battle, taking advantage of television interviews, magazine and newspaper articles, and most recently, she has become an avid writer for several online publications for women with metastasized cancers.
“Tie cancer statistics up in a pretty bow and a cure is nowhere in sight,” she said. “Moms don't die, only in Disney movies. Childhood should be about the children, not about the sick mother. My children continue to be my biggest motivator, the reason I hobble out of bed each morning. My long term goal is to hold my grandchildren at the awards ceremony while both my kids receive the Nobel Peace prize. Lofty goals, but they keep me going,” Colleen said.
46-year old Colleen Hofmeister wants to live to see her two children graduate high school, college and if she’s lucky, dance at their weddings.
Her dreams, however, were overshadowed by a silent and sometimes undetected killer, cancer. Diagnosed with the second most deadly cancer, breast cancer in late 2007, Colleen says she never imagined she’d be diagnosed with breast cancer. “I did everything right, went for regular mammograms and sonograms, but the cancer went undetected until it had spread throughout my skeletal system.”
Hofmeister, from New York State is still battling cancer and has since been labeled “incurable”, but that does not stop her from living life. “I don't feel incurable; I feel like I just need to hang in there long enough until somebody discovers a cure. I live in constant pain, but I am still living.”
According to the American Cancer Society’s 2009 Cancer Facts and Figures, the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed between 1996-2004 is 66%, is up from 50% in 1975-1977. These increasing numbers reflect progress in diagnosing certain cancers at an earlier stage and improvements in treatment.
The National Cancer Institute estimated that there were 11 million cancer survivors as recent as 2006, representing about 4% of the United State’s population.
“I felt robbed of my innocence when I received the diagnosis. It wasn't that I didn't think I'd ever be diagnosed with cancer; but surely I was doing everything I could to ensure if I did receive a diagnosis, it would be in the early stages and curable,” said Colleen.
In more ways than one, the battle for cancer is not always over for cancer survivors once treatment has ended. For some survivors, they face a range of physical, emotional and psychological effects and have to “start over”.
Cancer is often viewed by the general public as an automatic death sentence. But now that patients are living longer after treatment, there’s a growing interest in finding out exactly what challenges survivors face and how they cope with everyday life.
Amy Grose, Psychological Program Leader in the Lance Armstrong Adult Survivorship program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said that the survival process does not start until treatment has ended. She believes many cancer patients think of cancer as a “chronic illness” instead of a curable disease.
“At our survival clinic, many cancer survivors don’t want to talk about their feelings sometimes. You have to do it your own way and figure out what’s important for you as a person. Whether it’s feeding your kids or raising awareness, that’s what makes you a good survivor,” said Grose.
It was 2007 and Boston native Meaghan Edelstein was a 28-year-old law student. She noticed some unusual bleeding that led her to several doctors who tested her, scanned her, and advised her that nothing was unusual. As the bleeding and discomfort increased, she knew that something was wrong but no one would listen to her concerns.
Later that year, after being misdiagnosed for two-months, she was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer and started on her journey though chemotherapy and radiation. Told that she did not have a chance to live, she ignored the recommendation to give up and pushed herself through treatment, grateful to finally be heard: if nothing, she had a diagnosis.
Today, Meaghan is a survivor. Though her body and life are changed from the experience, she has emerged with a new sense of purpose and appreciation for her life.
“I’m not the "same" person but I am not living every day as if it was my last. “I guess the way I would describe is that I am living life with more knowledge and appreciation for things. I don’t think you can go through a life altering experience like surviving cancer without changing,” she said.
Unlike most cancer survivors, Meaghan said she never calls herself a survivor; instead she prefers to call herself a “cancer fighter” because the battle continues on long after the treatments stop.
“Many people think the treatment is the hardest part but in fact it’s the battle afterwards that I found most challenging,” she said.
For other cancer survivors, there are physical repercussions that outweigh the emotional ones. 61-year old Evelyn MacDonald only remembers waking up with pea sized lumps on her back and feeling like she had what she called a “bad hangover” but never thought anything of it because she did not drink.
After undergoing a complete physical in 1995, Evelyn’s doctor diagnosed her with non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The major indicator of this type of cancer is swollen lymph nodes.
“Honestly when I was first diagnosed I do remember there were a few times when I went for a walk or went shopping, I would look at the river and all the beautiful trees and birds flying. I wondered if that would be the last time I would see all these simple but peaceful landscapes,” MacDonald said.
Evelyn, who lives in Alberta, Canada, says she remembers getting her first dose of chemotherapy and the feeling of “little pacmen” running around her body killing bad cells. However, after treatment, Evelyn had an even bigger problem, an eroding jaw line and mouth sores.
“As far as my dental problems are concerned, no one knows for sure, as it was a clinical trial that had never been done before, but I do believe it was caused by the high dosages of chemotherapy I received.”
In late 1995, Evelyn underwent a bone marrow transplant and as of fall 1998, she is cancer-free.
“I do definitely believe your inner strength and attitude play a huge factor in your recovery,” she said.
Because of issues like Evelyn’s, Amy Grose said experts in the field are beginning more research and other initiatives to help survivors.
“A number of the survival clinics that are available to cancer patients are still in the infant stages, but they are quickly growing. People would be surprised that the level of depression and anxiety some cancer survivors face is not much different than the American public at large,” said Grose.
Since her diagnosis, Colleen says she has become very outspoken about her cancer battle, taking advantage of television interviews, magazine and newspaper articles, and most recently, she has become an avid writer for several online publications for women with metastasized cancers.
“Tie cancer statistics up in a pretty bow and a cure is nowhere in sight,” she said. “Moms don't die, only in Disney movies. Childhood should be about the children, not about the sick mother. My children continue to be my biggest motivator, the reason I hobble out of bed each morning. My long term goal is to hold my grandchildren at the awards ceremony while both my kids receive the Nobel Peace prize. Lofty goals, but they keep me going,” Colleen said.
Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse
By Ronald Mello
Car insurance? Check. Flood insurance? Check. Life insurance? Check. Meteor insurance? Sure, why not, Check. Though these insurances are put into place for all the “What if” situations there is not enough money in the world to prepare for the most terrifying of all possible occurrences... the Zombie Apocalypse. These simple, yet effective, instructions will, if followed exactly and correctly, help insure your safety...and keep your flesh, and brains, intact.
Depending on what kind of zombies you're dealing with, you will either be immune to getting turned into the undead or zombified by smallest scratch or weak bite.
One such zombie is brought back to life by the effects of voodoo. These types of zombies are known as natural zombies. Anthropologist Wade Davis, who holds degrees in anthropology, biology and has a Ph.D. in ethnobotany, went on to conclude that these are created by poisoning the victim with ‘zombie powder’ which includes puffer fish venom (tetrodotoxin). This causes a death-like coma and brain damage which turns the victim into a slave. These zombies are the most harmless because they can not turn another person into a zombie.
“They can still kill you though. It is entirely up to the person who controls them using voodoo,” said Davis.
Wade Davis has also written multiple books though is best known for “ The serpent and the rainbow” and “Passage of darkness” which each sent him to the country of Haiti in order to investigate folk preparation implicated in the creation of zombies.
Another type of zombie is the slow-moving zombie which is most easily recognized in George A. Romero’s early zombie movies. These are more dangerous than voodoo zombies because a single bite on another a person has a 100 percent mortality rate of turning that person into the living undead. Their strength comes in the form of endless mobs that seem to overwhelm people. Their weakness would undoubtedly be their slow movements. The zombie to which is exact opposite the slow-moving zombie and considered to be the most dangerous would be called fast-moving zombies according to Davis. These can run relatively quickly to chase down unsuspecting living people. Like slow-moving zombies a single bite has a 100 percent mortality rate of turning the bitten victim into one of the undead.
Since the first type of zombie can’t actually expand the ranks of the undead, this article will deal with slow and fast moving zombies exclusively. According to a report published by Nova science publishers in 2009 entitled: “When Zombies Attack! Mathematical modeling of an outbreak of Zombie infection,” either type of zombie outbreak will end disastrously for the human race. Casualty estimates in the report state that as many as 95 percent of the entire human population will succumb to zombification or die as a result of zombies.
This report put together by Robert J. Smith, faculty member at the Department of mathematics and faculty of medicine at the University of Ottawa, puts together various equations with different variables to get these results. Coming together, he concludes that unless the initial outbreak of the zombie infection is quarantined and eradicated early, hopes to stop the outbreak will be futile by law enforcement and military engagements.
So what can you do to survive a zombie apocalypse? There are many helpful sites on the internet but no body knows more than zombie expert, Max Brooks. He single-handedly put together the most complete zombie survival guide currently obtainable by those wanting to ready themselves for the oncoming zombie invasion. The book, “The Zombie survival guide: Complete protection from the living undead,” lays out detailed plans for the average citizen to survive zombie uprisings.
“If you take the zombies out of this book, I would still consider it a survival guide to pretty much any natural disaster,” said Brooks.
Divided into six distinct chapters, this book gives the average human being the means to survive a zombie apocalypse by granting them important and useful information of which arguably most important is how to kill a zombie. All zombies can only be killed in two ways both involving the same body part. This can be done either from an object being thrust through the brain or from the entire decapitation of the head from the zombie’s body. Make sure to be cautious of a decapitated zombie however, as leaving the brain undamaged will make it so
To kill a zombie specific weapons should be acquired as not all work the same and have the same effect. In the case of slow moving zombies a blunt object, such as a bat or crowbar, would do fine unless up against a large mod. Fast zombies make close combat extremely dangerous as an ill-timed blow could mean the difference between surviving the encounter and ending up a zombie yourself. So, better than close combat, projectile weapons should be preferred. In his book, Max Brooks prefers the Ak-47 over the unreliable, he deems, M-16 semi-automatic machine gun. That is because unlike the M-16, the AK-47 gun has never jammed in intense battle.
“I’ve actually had gun lobbyists in America complain that I used a gun known to be wielded by communists instead of the M-16. They even went so far as to call me un-American,” Brooks said.
In his book, Brooks does say that silence has its uses and the best way to dispose of zombies silently is either by bow and arrows or using a crossbow. In a later chapter of his book Brooks goes into detail how to fortify a building against the zombie hordes trying to eat your flesh. He also offers practical advice of places to avoid such as hospitals, malls, and churches.
Brooks went on to say in his books that, “places that attract lots of people are going to attract lots of zombies.”
The fourth chapter entitled “On the Run,” discusses the “rules and necessities of traveling through zombie-infested territory.” It also discusses types of terrain and the pros and cons of different types of transportation.
Gas-guzzling cars and trucks should be abandoned for high mileage vehicles such as hybrids and motorcycles. Even the self-powered bicycle has its advantages of stealth and portability even if it doesn’t have the same protection or speed of other vehicles Brooks explains.
Just how likely a zombie outbreak is to occur? No body knows for sure. It could be tomorrow or it could be ten years from now. Even the best advice won’t guarantee that you live through the zombie apocalypse. Either way, following the above would be a good start.
“Organize before they rise!” said Brooks.
Car insurance? Check. Flood insurance? Check. Life insurance? Check. Meteor insurance? Sure, why not, Check. Though these insurances are put into place for all the “What if” situations there is not enough money in the world to prepare for the most terrifying of all possible occurrences... the Zombie Apocalypse. These simple, yet effective, instructions will, if followed exactly and correctly, help insure your safety...and keep your flesh, and brains, intact.
Depending on what kind of zombies you're dealing with, you will either be immune to getting turned into the undead or zombified by smallest scratch or weak bite.
One such zombie is brought back to life by the effects of voodoo. These types of zombies are known as natural zombies. Anthropologist Wade Davis, who holds degrees in anthropology, biology and has a Ph.D. in ethnobotany, went on to conclude that these are created by poisoning the victim with ‘zombie powder’ which includes puffer fish venom (tetrodotoxin). This causes a death-like coma and brain damage which turns the victim into a slave. These zombies are the most harmless because they can not turn another person into a zombie.
“They can still kill you though. It is entirely up to the person who controls them using voodoo,” said Davis.
Wade Davis has also written multiple books though is best known for “ The serpent and the rainbow” and “Passage of darkness” which each sent him to the country of Haiti in order to investigate folk preparation implicated in the creation of zombies.
Another type of zombie is the slow-moving zombie which is most easily recognized in George A. Romero’s early zombie movies. These are more dangerous than voodoo zombies because a single bite on another a person has a 100 percent mortality rate of turning that person into the living undead. Their strength comes in the form of endless mobs that seem to overwhelm people. Their weakness would undoubtedly be their slow movements. The zombie to which is exact opposite the slow-moving zombie and considered to be the most dangerous would be called fast-moving zombies according to Davis. These can run relatively quickly to chase down unsuspecting living people. Like slow-moving zombies a single bite has a 100 percent mortality rate of turning the bitten victim into one of the undead.
Since the first type of zombie can’t actually expand the ranks of the undead, this article will deal with slow and fast moving zombies exclusively. According to a report published by Nova science publishers in 2009 entitled: “When Zombies Attack! Mathematical modeling of an outbreak of Zombie infection,” either type of zombie outbreak will end disastrously for the human race. Casualty estimates in the report state that as many as 95 percent of the entire human population will succumb to zombification or die as a result of zombies.
This report put together by Robert J. Smith, faculty member at the Department of mathematics and faculty of medicine at the University of Ottawa, puts together various equations with different variables to get these results. Coming together, he concludes that unless the initial outbreak of the zombie infection is quarantined and eradicated early, hopes to stop the outbreak will be futile by law enforcement and military engagements.
So what can you do to survive a zombie apocalypse? There are many helpful sites on the internet but no body knows more than zombie expert, Max Brooks. He single-handedly put together the most complete zombie survival guide currently obtainable by those wanting to ready themselves for the oncoming zombie invasion. The book, “The Zombie survival guide: Complete protection from the living undead,” lays out detailed plans for the average citizen to survive zombie uprisings.
“If you take the zombies out of this book, I would still consider it a survival guide to pretty much any natural disaster,” said Brooks.
Divided into six distinct chapters, this book gives the average human being the means to survive a zombie apocalypse by granting them important and useful information of which arguably most important is how to kill a zombie. All zombies can only be killed in two ways both involving the same body part. This can be done either from an object being thrust through the brain or from the entire decapitation of the head from the zombie’s body. Make sure to be cautious of a decapitated zombie however, as leaving the brain undamaged will make it so
To kill a zombie specific weapons should be acquired as not all work the same and have the same effect. In the case of slow moving zombies a blunt object, such as a bat or crowbar, would do fine unless up against a large mod. Fast zombies make close combat extremely dangerous as an ill-timed blow could mean the difference between surviving the encounter and ending up a zombie yourself. So, better than close combat, projectile weapons should be preferred. In his book, Max Brooks prefers the Ak-47 over the unreliable, he deems, M-16 semi-automatic machine gun. That is because unlike the M-16, the AK-47 gun has never jammed in intense battle.
“I’ve actually had gun lobbyists in America complain that I used a gun known to be wielded by communists instead of the M-16. They even went so far as to call me un-American,” Brooks said.
In his book, Brooks does say that silence has its uses and the best way to dispose of zombies silently is either by bow and arrows or using a crossbow. In a later chapter of his book Brooks goes into detail how to fortify a building against the zombie hordes trying to eat your flesh. He also offers practical advice of places to avoid such as hospitals, malls, and churches.
Brooks went on to say in his books that, “places that attract lots of people are going to attract lots of zombies.”
The fourth chapter entitled “On the Run,” discusses the “rules and necessities of traveling through zombie-infested territory.” It also discusses types of terrain and the pros and cons of different types of transportation.
Gas-guzzling cars and trucks should be abandoned for high mileage vehicles such as hybrids and motorcycles. Even the self-powered bicycle has its advantages of stealth and portability even if it doesn’t have the same protection or speed of other vehicles Brooks explains.
Just how likely a zombie outbreak is to occur? No body knows for sure. It could be tomorrow or it could be ten years from now. Even the best advice won’t guarantee that you live through the zombie apocalypse. Either way, following the above would be a good start.
“Organize before they rise!” said Brooks.
Hidden beneath the scars: Surviving a mental disorder
By Lindsay Blair
When 11 year old Amanda Smith was in a serious car accident, the injuries she received were more than just on the surface, the true effect of which would not show until much later.
The effect of Smith’s accident was not immediately clear to her. She said that her family was reassuring her that everything was going to be OK, but for Smith even at a young age, she knew that things were not going to be fine.
“(In the hospital I remember) I went to the bathroom finally and there was a mirror and I looked in the mirror and I was like ‘Holy shit,’ that’s pretty bad,” she said, “My mom was in the bathroom with me and she tried to reassure me, but when someone is trying to reassure you about stuff like that, it’s like ‘shut up’.”
Before seeing the extent of her facial injuries, Smith told herself that whatever happened did not matter and that she did not care what she looked like. “I just had to tell myself that it didn’t matter,” she said. In the accident, she suffered severe cuts to her face and chin and also a severed knee.
When Smith saw the real extent of her injuries, despite telling herself that it didn’t matter, she said that they “pretty gruesome” and that she was shocked because the injuries on her face “looked gross”.
When Smith returned to school after the Christmas break, she was met with stares and sneers. Talk of getting a school sponsored ‘protector’ circulated, but that did not stop some of her peers commenting on her appearance. Smith vividly remembers the aftermath of the accident, particularly reminiscing about the influences of other people, which she said still affect her today.
“I have thought about this for a long time, when I got older I started to become more reserved. Before that I was always very outgoing,” Smith said, “I kept my head down, I didn’t really talk to anybody. I was never really the type of person to make friends after that whereas before I was,”
“I am still the same way. I am still reserved, I don’t really like to talk to people unless they come and talk to me, it’s the only time I really talk to people, I am very insecure,” Smith said, “My reactions to things are different now.”
Smith describes the effects of the accident when she was 11-years-old as a “snowball effect”. She said that when a person is affected by a traumatic event and then bullied, people often get down on themselves. Smith has had problems in the past with people telling her that she thinks too negatively about things and this has led to her losing some of her friends.
“Honestly, I have had so many points, low points, breaking points, whatever you want to call them. I have had so many points in my life where I have had somewhat of a crisis, I guess you could say,” she said.
Many people affected by trauma, suffer from psychological disorders. Smith was last year diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, a disorder which affects as many as 15 million Americans each year, according to socialphobia.org, a site dedicated to aiding the socially anxious.
According to the report, ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,’ written by Psychologist Thomas A. Richards, even when they're around familiar people, a person with social anxiety may feel overwhelmed and have the feeling that others are noticing their every movement and critiquing their every thought. They feel like they are being observed critically and that other people are making negative judgments about them.
Richards said in the report, “Unlike some other psychological problems, social anxiety is not well understood by the general public or by medical and mental health care professionals,”
Cognitive behavioral therapy encourages anxiety sufferers to think about things in a different way said Richards. Sufferers are advised to take negative comments and think about them in a positive way.
“You have to do the opposite of what your initial reaction is,” Smith said, who has found this type of treatment the most effective.
Although the condition, the effects of which are not completely understood, psychologists say social anxiety is best treated with cognitive behavioral therapy.
“I go once a week. I am a very self-aware person so I notice a lot of things within myself and others’ reactions it makes it a lot better and faster to notice these things (and treat them) because that is basically my problem. (For me) what everything stems from is having social anxiety,” Smith said.
People who suffer trauma in their lives can be affected in many ways and this can sometimes remain undetected. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition which affects one in ten Americans, according to a report by Stephen R Paige, which was published on the medical reference web site emedicinehealth.com. Acute stress disorder is usually a short term condition which occurs immediately after a traumatic experience.
The traumatic event (such as car or airplane accidents and also sexual assault and domestic violence) causes a cascade of psychological and biological changes known as post-traumatic stress disorder, the report said.
Paige, Visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, said in his report, “The worse the trauma, the more likely a person will develop PTSD, and the worse the symptoms (will be). The most severely affected are unable to work, have trouble with relationships, and have great difficulty parenting their children.”
Former PTSD sufferer, teacher and police officer, David Kinchin, from Manchester, England is now an author of help books for sufferers of the disorder.
Kinchin helps sufferers of PTSD and holds workshops on the subject. He is not a counselor, but his book ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: the invisible injury’, released in 2005, has helped many sufferers.
Kinchin said, “I think that if there was an element of blame attached to the event then there are links to PTSD,”
“From dealing with people, if they hold a grudge or they have an axe to grind then there seems to be a stronger link between trauma and PTSD,” he said, when questioned about the effects of trauma on a person’s mind.
In a follow up email, Kinchin said self esteem is a real issue with some of the symptoms of PTSD and is also important with regards to the whole thought that “I am a weak person and that is why I have PTSD”.
There are many symptoms of PTSD that can be associated with lack of self esteem, such as lack of concentration, loss of memory and being frightened of shadows, according to Kinchin. They (PTSD sufferers) think they are going mad and that people think that they can’t cope.
Kinchin said that mental disorders can affect many people and can stem from many situations, but trauma in particular, such as accidents or even warzones.
Although PTSD can be treated with drugs, therapy methods similar to those used to treat social anxiety are also successful. With medication or counseling and usually both, the movie inside a person’s head stops playing and fades with time, said Richards in his report.
Knowledge is one of the best ways to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder said the report, that’s why grief counselling works if the counsellor concentrates on talking things through.
As a sufferer Smith, although still suffering from the effects of her accident, has seen improvements in her attitude, behavior and the way she reacts to situations.
“Therapy is slow but it helps,” Smith said, “I try to set goals for myself and I try to keep positive,”
“I am fine, well I’m not but I understand.”
When 11 year old Amanda Smith was in a serious car accident, the injuries she received were more than just on the surface, the true effect of which would not show until much later.
The effect of Smith’s accident was not immediately clear to her. She said that her family was reassuring her that everything was going to be OK, but for Smith even at a young age, she knew that things were not going to be fine.
“(In the hospital I remember) I went to the bathroom finally and there was a mirror and I looked in the mirror and I was like ‘Holy shit,’ that’s pretty bad,” she said, “My mom was in the bathroom with me and she tried to reassure me, but when someone is trying to reassure you about stuff like that, it’s like ‘shut up’.”
Before seeing the extent of her facial injuries, Smith told herself that whatever happened did not matter and that she did not care what she looked like. “I just had to tell myself that it didn’t matter,” she said. In the accident, she suffered severe cuts to her face and chin and also a severed knee.
When Smith saw the real extent of her injuries, despite telling herself that it didn’t matter, she said that they “pretty gruesome” and that she was shocked because the injuries on her face “looked gross”.
When Smith returned to school after the Christmas break, she was met with stares and sneers. Talk of getting a school sponsored ‘protector’ circulated, but that did not stop some of her peers commenting on her appearance. Smith vividly remembers the aftermath of the accident, particularly reminiscing about the influences of other people, which she said still affect her today.
“I have thought about this for a long time, when I got older I started to become more reserved. Before that I was always very outgoing,” Smith said, “I kept my head down, I didn’t really talk to anybody. I was never really the type of person to make friends after that whereas before I was,”
“I am still the same way. I am still reserved, I don’t really like to talk to people unless they come and talk to me, it’s the only time I really talk to people, I am very insecure,” Smith said, “My reactions to things are different now.”
Smith describes the effects of the accident when she was 11-years-old as a “snowball effect”. She said that when a person is affected by a traumatic event and then bullied, people often get down on themselves. Smith has had problems in the past with people telling her that she thinks too negatively about things and this has led to her losing some of her friends.
“Honestly, I have had so many points, low points, breaking points, whatever you want to call them. I have had so many points in my life where I have had somewhat of a crisis, I guess you could say,” she said.
Many people affected by trauma, suffer from psychological disorders. Smith was last year diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, a disorder which affects as many as 15 million Americans each year, according to socialphobia.org, a site dedicated to aiding the socially anxious.
According to the report, ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,’ written by Psychologist Thomas A. Richards, even when they're around familiar people, a person with social anxiety may feel overwhelmed and have the feeling that others are noticing their every movement and critiquing their every thought. They feel like they are being observed critically and that other people are making negative judgments about them.
Richards said in the report, “Unlike some other psychological problems, social anxiety is not well understood by the general public or by medical and mental health care professionals,”
Cognitive behavioral therapy encourages anxiety sufferers to think about things in a different way said Richards. Sufferers are advised to take negative comments and think about them in a positive way.
“You have to do the opposite of what your initial reaction is,” Smith said, who has found this type of treatment the most effective.
Although the condition, the effects of which are not completely understood, psychologists say social anxiety is best treated with cognitive behavioral therapy.
“I go once a week. I am a very self-aware person so I notice a lot of things within myself and others’ reactions it makes it a lot better and faster to notice these things (and treat them) because that is basically my problem. (For me) what everything stems from is having social anxiety,” Smith said.
People who suffer trauma in their lives can be affected in many ways and this can sometimes remain undetected. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition which affects one in ten Americans, according to a report by Stephen R Paige, which was published on the medical reference web site emedicinehealth.com. Acute stress disorder is usually a short term condition which occurs immediately after a traumatic experience.
The traumatic event (such as car or airplane accidents and also sexual assault and domestic violence) causes a cascade of psychological and biological changes known as post-traumatic stress disorder, the report said.
Paige, Visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, said in his report, “The worse the trauma, the more likely a person will develop PTSD, and the worse the symptoms (will be). The most severely affected are unable to work, have trouble with relationships, and have great difficulty parenting their children.”
Former PTSD sufferer, teacher and police officer, David Kinchin, from Manchester, England is now an author of help books for sufferers of the disorder.
Kinchin helps sufferers of PTSD and holds workshops on the subject. He is not a counselor, but his book ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: the invisible injury’, released in 2005, has helped many sufferers.
Kinchin said, “I think that if there was an element of blame attached to the event then there are links to PTSD,”
“From dealing with people, if they hold a grudge or they have an axe to grind then there seems to be a stronger link between trauma and PTSD,” he said, when questioned about the effects of trauma on a person’s mind.
In a follow up email, Kinchin said self esteem is a real issue with some of the symptoms of PTSD and is also important with regards to the whole thought that “I am a weak person and that is why I have PTSD”.
There are many symptoms of PTSD that can be associated with lack of self esteem, such as lack of concentration, loss of memory and being frightened of shadows, according to Kinchin. They (PTSD sufferers) think they are going mad and that people think that they can’t cope.
Kinchin said that mental disorders can affect many people and can stem from many situations, but trauma in particular, such as accidents or even warzones.
Although PTSD can be treated with drugs, therapy methods similar to those used to treat social anxiety are also successful. With medication or counseling and usually both, the movie inside a person’s head stops playing and fades with time, said Richards in his report.
Knowledge is one of the best ways to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder said the report, that’s why grief counselling works if the counsellor concentrates on talking things through.
As a sufferer Smith, although still suffering from the effects of her accident, has seen improvements in her attitude, behavior and the way she reacts to situations.
“Therapy is slow but it helps,” Smith said, “I try to set goals for myself and I try to keep positive,”
“I am fine, well I’m not but I understand.”
Wardrobe Catastrophes
By Nicole Weber
Cinderella is dressed up in her blue satin, empire waist dress that her fairy godmother casted together for the royal ball. Just before the clock strikes midnight Cinderella rushes to leave, trips and kicked off one of her glass slippers.
The night was ruined, Cinderella left scarred of embarrassment from tripping on the stairs.
Why did the night have to come to this? What could the poor girl do? How did Cinderella get over such an embarrassing wardrobe catastrophe? For those who aren’t destined princesses, getting over embarrassing wardrobe mishaps can seem impossible to get over.
Similarly to Cinderella, Plattsburgh State student Sarah Gosselin tripped as well, only in dressed down snow boots. Gosselin tells of the time where she tripped up the stairs in oversized winter boots when there were a group of guys standing down the stairs.
“My toe of the boot caught on the edge of the stairs,” Gosselin recounts on the experience. “I turned around and they [the group of boys] were all looking at me,” said Gosselin. “I grabbed my books and ran up the stairs,” said Gosselin.
There are usually two types of wardrobe malfunctions, or wardrobe catastrophes, those you can control and those you cannot. Gosselin’s occasion was unfortunately one, which she could’ve prevented. If she had worn the proper sized shoe, and maybe had paid more careful attention with the stairs she may not have tripped.
On the other hand, Plattsburgh State student Ashlee Strozinsky had an experience where the works of refreshing entertainment took hold of her garments. Water parks, yes, the excitement and pleasure of the summer. Only, when the elements take hold of your clothing, fun it’s the first thing coming to mind.
“I went to Great Escape, on the Typhoon Lagoon, the back strings of my bikini came undone,” said Strozinsky.
With facing the embarrassment of the wardrobe catastrophes it may seem hard at first, but as time passes it will seem insignificant.
As with Strozinsky she got over the water park mishap the simple way –avoidance. “Let’s just say I won’t go to water parks or pools for awhile,” said Strozinsky.
With Gosselin, not too differently than Strozinsky, she is making sure to not repeat the little tripping episode. Which is another tip: don’t wear the same piece of clothing again, and if you do be careful.
“I still wear them [the oversized winter boots that are now almost the right size], but not to go up stairs in,” said Gosselin.
After learning your lesson or coming up with a plan/way of avoiding a repeated occurrence laugh it off. You have to live it down. People fall, things get ripped, and clothing gets stained. Laugh it off; poke fun at your own misery. You can use your once upon a time happening to help cheer up a friend who is down.
“No, I don’t care, it was kind of funny afterward,” said Gosselin. “I trip and fall a lot so I should’ve known better.”
“Oh well,” said Strozinsky about her many wardrobe catastrophes. “You have to laugh about it.”
Always remember you’re one person with hopefully no more than a few wardrobe catastrophes to their name. At least you’re not in the spotlight of millions of viewers performing where you accidentally pee yourself, or your breast allegedly ‘accidentally’ falls out of your costume.
Could’ve been worse right. Thankfully Cinderella didn’t rip a homemade slit into her ballroom dress when she tripped.
Cinderella is dressed up in her blue satin, empire waist dress that her fairy godmother casted together for the royal ball. Just before the clock strikes midnight Cinderella rushes to leave, trips and kicked off one of her glass slippers.
The night was ruined, Cinderella left scarred of embarrassment from tripping on the stairs.
Why did the night have to come to this? What could the poor girl do? How did Cinderella get over such an embarrassing wardrobe catastrophe? For those who aren’t destined princesses, getting over embarrassing wardrobe mishaps can seem impossible to get over.
Similarly to Cinderella, Plattsburgh State student Sarah Gosselin tripped as well, only in dressed down snow boots. Gosselin tells of the time where she tripped up the stairs in oversized winter boots when there were a group of guys standing down the stairs.
“My toe of the boot caught on the edge of the stairs,” Gosselin recounts on the experience. “I turned around and they [the group of boys] were all looking at me,” said Gosselin. “I grabbed my books and ran up the stairs,” said Gosselin.
There are usually two types of wardrobe malfunctions, or wardrobe catastrophes, those you can control and those you cannot. Gosselin’s occasion was unfortunately one, which she could’ve prevented. If she had worn the proper sized shoe, and maybe had paid more careful attention with the stairs she may not have tripped.
On the other hand, Plattsburgh State student Ashlee Strozinsky had an experience where the works of refreshing entertainment took hold of her garments. Water parks, yes, the excitement and pleasure of the summer. Only, when the elements take hold of your clothing, fun it’s the first thing coming to mind.
“I went to Great Escape, on the Typhoon Lagoon, the back strings of my bikini came undone,” said Strozinsky.
With facing the embarrassment of the wardrobe catastrophes it may seem hard at first, but as time passes it will seem insignificant.
As with Strozinsky she got over the water park mishap the simple way –avoidance. “Let’s just say I won’t go to water parks or pools for awhile,” said Strozinsky.
With Gosselin, not too differently than Strozinsky, she is making sure to not repeat the little tripping episode. Which is another tip: don’t wear the same piece of clothing again, and if you do be careful.
“I still wear them [the oversized winter boots that are now almost the right size], but not to go up stairs in,” said Gosselin.
After learning your lesson or coming up with a plan/way of avoiding a repeated occurrence laugh it off. You have to live it down. People fall, things get ripped, and clothing gets stained. Laugh it off; poke fun at your own misery. You can use your once upon a time happening to help cheer up a friend who is down.
“No, I don’t care, it was kind of funny afterward,” said Gosselin. “I trip and fall a lot so I should’ve known better.”
“Oh well,” said Strozinsky about her many wardrobe catastrophes. “You have to laugh about it.”
Always remember you’re one person with hopefully no more than a few wardrobe catastrophes to their name. At least you’re not in the spotlight of millions of viewers performing where you accidentally pee yourself, or your breast allegedly ‘accidentally’ falls out of your costume.
Could’ve been worse right. Thankfully Cinderella didn’t rip a homemade slit into her ballroom dress when she tripped.
Fibromyalgia: Overcoming a Debilitating Disease
By Veronica Wainman
Classes, papers, exams, and late night’s can be enough to make any college student want to rip their hair out. Add in dealing with a chronic illness that can cause your entire body to ache with pain, and even the most mundane day-to-day can seem downright impossible.
For Krista Raymond, a Plattsburgh State sophomore, coping with a chronic illness is not only part of her daily routine, but necessary if she hopes to continue towards her goal of becoming an elementary teacher. In seventh grade, Raymond went into a doctor’s office believing that she had strep throat, and ended up being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
According to Dr. Patrick Wood, fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder in which patients suffer from long-term pain and tenderness in joints, muscles and soft tissue. Patients can also experience sleep problems, depression, and fatigue.
After being diagnosed, Raymond began seeing a neurologist to treat the painful and debilitating headaches that used to plague her, and a rheumatologist who was able to focus specifically on her fibromyalgia. “I have been to every doctor under the sun. Dealing with the symptoms I experience can be hard, especially the way they come and go. Right now I am taking amitriptylin, an anti-depressant which curbs my symptoms and helps me sleep at night,” she said.
Anti-depressants are a popular choice for treating patients suffering from fibromyalgia. The first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia was Lyrica in 2007. It was followed by Cymbalta, an anti-depressant that same year, and Milnacipran in 2009.
For Raymond, living with the disorder has not held her back from leading the life of a normal teen girl. “I was still able to do well in high school, and I was a member of the varsity soccer team,” she said of her first few years after the diagnosis.
For the most part, Raymond tries to look past her disorder, and live as if nothing is wrong with her. Unfortunately, after a decision to try and live a normal life without the assistance of medications, she was incapacitated by her symptoms. Chronic pain, the inability to sleep, and constant headaches made the first part of her sophomore year unbearable. “I just didn’t feel like myself anymore. I had always done well in school, and now no matter how hard I was working or how much effort I put in, I just couldn’t keep up with the work load,” she said.
Overwhelmed by her disease, Raymond decided to take a medical leave of absence from school to focus on getting her symptoms under control. To get back on track, she resumed a treatment regime involving the use of anti-depressants, and said that she feels back on track. Her symptoms have begun to subside, and she is no longer struggling to sleep. “I would defiantly advise anyone with fibromyalgia to stick to their medications,” she said.
The National Association for Fibromyalgia supports the research of many experimental treatment programs focused on fibromyalgia, and hopes that eventually doctors will be able to find a way to treat what is believed to be the main cause of fibromyalgia, problems in the central nervous central.
Raymond plans to return to PSUC in the spring of 2010, and will resume her life as just another college student. Even though she is faced with an obstacle many of her peers will never have to deal with, she feels that she is no different from anyone else. “I’m still just like any other college student. I’m just trying to get everything accomplished that I need to, and still go out and have fun every once in a while,” Raymond said.
Classes, papers, exams, and late night’s can be enough to make any college student want to rip their hair out. Add in dealing with a chronic illness that can cause your entire body to ache with pain, and even the most mundane day-to-day can seem downright impossible.
For Krista Raymond, a Plattsburgh State sophomore, coping with a chronic illness is not only part of her daily routine, but necessary if she hopes to continue towards her goal of becoming an elementary teacher. In seventh grade, Raymond went into a doctor’s office believing that she had strep throat, and ended up being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
According to Dr. Patrick Wood, fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder in which patients suffer from long-term pain and tenderness in joints, muscles and soft tissue. Patients can also experience sleep problems, depression, and fatigue.
After being diagnosed, Raymond began seeing a neurologist to treat the painful and debilitating headaches that used to plague her, and a rheumatologist who was able to focus specifically on her fibromyalgia. “I have been to every doctor under the sun. Dealing with the symptoms I experience can be hard, especially the way they come and go. Right now I am taking amitriptylin, an anti-depressant which curbs my symptoms and helps me sleep at night,” she said.
Anti-depressants are a popular choice for treating patients suffering from fibromyalgia. The first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia was Lyrica in 2007. It was followed by Cymbalta, an anti-depressant that same year, and Milnacipran in 2009.
For Raymond, living with the disorder has not held her back from leading the life of a normal teen girl. “I was still able to do well in high school, and I was a member of the varsity soccer team,” she said of her first few years after the diagnosis.
For the most part, Raymond tries to look past her disorder, and live as if nothing is wrong with her. Unfortunately, after a decision to try and live a normal life without the assistance of medications, she was incapacitated by her symptoms. Chronic pain, the inability to sleep, and constant headaches made the first part of her sophomore year unbearable. “I just didn’t feel like myself anymore. I had always done well in school, and now no matter how hard I was working or how much effort I put in, I just couldn’t keep up with the work load,” she said.
Overwhelmed by her disease, Raymond decided to take a medical leave of absence from school to focus on getting her symptoms under control. To get back on track, she resumed a treatment regime involving the use of anti-depressants, and said that she feels back on track. Her symptoms have begun to subside, and she is no longer struggling to sleep. “I would defiantly advise anyone with fibromyalgia to stick to their medications,” she said.
The National Association for Fibromyalgia supports the research of many experimental treatment programs focused on fibromyalgia, and hopes that eventually doctors will be able to find a way to treat what is believed to be the main cause of fibromyalgia, problems in the central nervous central.
Raymond plans to return to PSUC in the spring of 2010, and will resume her life as just another college student. Even though she is faced with an obstacle many of her peers will never have to deal with, she feels that she is no different from anyone else. “I’m still just like any other college student. I’m just trying to get everything accomplished that I need to, and still go out and have fun every once in a while,” Raymond said.
Surviving a semester on Cardinal Points editorial board
By Jameson Sempey
Every Friday, Cardinal Points, the students’ newspaper at Plattsburgh State University College, hits newsstands around the college’s campus and the city of Plattsburgh.
Not many realize though, that countless hours of work go into the production of the paper by the editorial board, or that the editor’s grades may suffer because of it.
“You’ve got to manage your time well,” said Bryan Bergeron, current associate sports editor of the paper.
Bergeron, who’s also written for FUSE, the features section of the paper, and contributed to the news section, said as an associate, you write two stories a week and spend a lot of time copy editing stories as well.
“It can be hard, it’s a lot of work,” said Bergeron, who’s only taking four classes in his first semester on the editorial board.
“It’s difficult to find the time,” Mike O’Keefe, associate news editor, said. “My grades went down a little (as an editor).”
Jessica Bakeman, editor in chief of the paper, said it’s not her grades that suffer while she’s been on the editorial board, but finding time to do things beyond academics or Cardinal Points.
“I literally don’t have five minutes to do laundry,” Bakeman said.
Bakeman said that despite how stressful Cardinal Points can become, her grades have not suffered. Going into the Fall 2009 semester, she had a 4.0 GPA and had been taking six three credit classes per semester.
This semester, her first semester as editor in chief, she said she’s struggled to maintain her perfect GPA, and is only taking four credit classes.
Dimas Sanfiorenzo, associate fuse editor, said he doesn’t think the paper has a negative effect on his academics.
“I’m failing Spanish, but I’m pretty sure I’d be failing if I wasn’t on the paper,” he said.
Bakeman, who’s held many different positions on the paper including fuse editor and managing editor before becoming editor in chief, said there are different types of stress for each position on the editorial board.
“When you’re a section editor, the entire section is on your shoulders,” Bakeman said. “Then at the managing editor position, and as editor in chief, the weight of the entire paper is on your shoulders.”
Bakeman said that to survive a semester on the editorial board, you’ve got to be dedicated.
“In general, if Cardinal Points isn’t your first priority, you won’t succeed,” she said.
Every Friday, Cardinal Points, the students’ newspaper at Plattsburgh State University College, hits newsstands around the college’s campus and the city of Plattsburgh.
Not many realize though, that countless hours of work go into the production of the paper by the editorial board, or that the editor’s grades may suffer because of it.
“You’ve got to manage your time well,” said Bryan Bergeron, current associate sports editor of the paper.
Bergeron, who’s also written for FUSE, the features section of the paper, and contributed to the news section, said as an associate, you write two stories a week and spend a lot of time copy editing stories as well.
“It can be hard, it’s a lot of work,” said Bergeron, who’s only taking four classes in his first semester on the editorial board.
“It’s difficult to find the time,” Mike O’Keefe, associate news editor, said. “My grades went down a little (as an editor).”
Jessica Bakeman, editor in chief of the paper, said it’s not her grades that suffer while she’s been on the editorial board, but finding time to do things beyond academics or Cardinal Points.
“I literally don’t have five minutes to do laundry,” Bakeman said.
Bakeman said that despite how stressful Cardinal Points can become, her grades have not suffered. Going into the Fall 2009 semester, she had a 4.0 GPA and had been taking six three credit classes per semester.
This semester, her first semester as editor in chief, she said she’s struggled to maintain her perfect GPA, and is only taking four credit classes.
Dimas Sanfiorenzo, associate fuse editor, said he doesn’t think the paper has a negative effect on his academics.
“I’m failing Spanish, but I’m pretty sure I’d be failing if I wasn’t on the paper,” he said.
Bakeman, who’s held many different positions on the paper including fuse editor and managing editor before becoming editor in chief, said there are different types of stress for each position on the editorial board.
“When you’re a section editor, the entire section is on your shoulders,” Bakeman said. “Then at the managing editor position, and as editor in chief, the weight of the entire paper is on your shoulders.”
Bakeman said that to survive a semester on the editorial board, you’ve got to be dedicated.
“In general, if Cardinal Points isn’t your first priority, you won’t succeed,” she said.
Who Would Survive?
By Anthony Magliulo
Les Stroud vs. Bear Grylls: The Ultimate Survivor
By Justin Schultz
Les Stroud vs. Bear Grylls: The Ultimate Survivor
Survival themed reality television shows don’t only feature contestants trying to win money on major networks. Survivor debuted on NBC ten years ago, however in recent years cable networks have presented unique shows based on survival. Man vs. Wild and Survivorman are two survival based reality shows on the Discovery Channel’s primetime lineup. Both shows feature a host attempting to survive extreme scenarios where they are stranded in the forest, desert, jungle, and arctic. Their primary goal is to rough the terrain and make it to safety, not win fabulous prizes.
Man vs. Wild is hosted by the colorful Bear Grylls, a former member of the United Kingdom Special Forces. Survivorman is hosted by Les Stroud, a Canadian filmmaker and survival expert. The theme of both shows are quite similar, but they have different style of production and carry different tones. Stroud claims to record the segments for his shows alone. This means that Stroud has to set up and take down all of his cameras while moving along trails in extreme elements. In contrast, Grylls has a crew to assist in recording and emergency situations.
Both shows have had their share of memorable moments. On Man vs. Wild, Grylls has wrapped his head in a urine soaked shirt to avoid dehydration in the desert, and drank water drained from elephant dung. While survivorman Stroud has lived off the land which has included eating a wide array of insects. Each show has developed a cult followings with devoted fans. Debates have raged on the internet as to which show is better than the other. Our panel of experts are ready to settle this argument for once and all, and determine who is the true survivor of reality television.
Round One – Opening Theme
The music for Man vs. Wild’s opening is an intense orchestration with Gryll’s explaining the object of the show while a montage is shown of some of his most exciting experiences.
“The opening theme for Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild is much better produced. It has better music, not that weird music that goes on during the Survivorman opening credits,” said Nick Carrara, a musician and former Marine.
Survivorman’s theme features a montage of Stroud’s accomplishments, but the music gives the feel of an Amazonian adventure.
“Survivorman has the better introduction,” said Brian Drost, a former Marine specialist, “The music is cool and it’s not interrupted by a pointless narrator.”
Winner: Man vs. Wild narrowly wins in this category. The action in the clips are tough to ignore.
Round Two – Host
Bear Grylls is a former special ops who once survived a free fall with a torn parachute. “Bear Grylls is just more exciting and a better host,” Carrara said, “He has military experience, but that doesn’t hinder his ability as a host. He’s very outgoing, you can tell he loves what he does.”
“How can’t you like a guy with a British accent?” said Will Scheifley, an experienced camping and hiking enthusiast, “He’s over the top and makes television fun.”
Stroud is a bit more reserved than Grylls, which may be as a result of years of living in isolation in a cabin that he built himself with no tools or metal.
“Survivorman puts a twist on things, he’s a Canadian, he seems approachable,” said Droste, “Bear Grylls seems like he does what he can to hurt himself to gain media attention. Grylls is a shameless self promoter.”
Winner: Bear Grylls takes this one home. While Stroud knows his stuff and shares a plethora of information, Grylls personality is perfect for cable TV.
Round Three – Scenarios
Les Stroud faced the fierce arctic with his arm in a sling. He was able to create a shelter and hunt rabbits until he was rescued. Grylls has survived dry deserts by ingesting his own urine. Both men put themselves in the face of danger each episode. “The scenarios that Bear Gyrlls make more sense,” Carrara said, “one time, Survivorman kayaked into deep Alaska and stayed there for like seven days, why couldn't he just kayak back?”
“Grylls shows you what to do in certain situations and actually puts himself in danger,“ Carrara said, “to demonstrate, Bear jumps into a frozen lake and confronts animals, where Survivorman does to, but more subtle things.”
“Survivorman is in situations where he is constantly in danger. He doesn’t have a crew on hand to help him out if he gets hurt ,” Drost said “Bear Grylls has a crew with him and is well taken care of. He goes to resorts in between filming of the scenes.”
Drost’s accusation was addressed a number of times in the media in 2006.
“There is a disclaimer at the beginning of Man vs. Wild that explains the situations Bear faces may not be real or they might be altered. Stroud faces the wild on his own, with no assistance, that’s why the nickname Survivorman is so fitting.” said Drost.
Winner: Stroud hasn’t faced the controversy that Grylls has regarding possible cheating, thus he wins this category. By re-enacting real life scenarios with limited mobility because of a simulated broken bone. Don’t think Stroud is worthy of this award? You try catching food with only one arm.
Round Four – Production
Man vs. Wild has a production crew that follows Grylls and assist him when necessary. Stroud is left alone in the wild with nothing but some video cameras and his trusty harmonica (which on one occasion was forged into a knife).
“Grylls has better production because he has a crew,” Carrara said, “Survivorman films everything himself so its not as good of quality and he has to take the extra time to set that stuff up.”
The production of Man vs. Wild has captured many exciting shots and scenes including Grylls belaying out of planes and jumping off cliff.
“It's weird how the camera guy can follow him so close,” Scheifley said, “it’s amazing, it looks like a movie.”
While Man vs. Wild has a glossy look, Survivorman takes a grittier approach that is quite noticeable.
“Stroud has to set up cameras on his own,” said Drost, “that alone means he has to set it up, do whatever he was doing, like forging a river, then come back across the river to retrieve the cameras, and then finally cross the river to continue on his way.”
Winner: The obvious choice would be Grylls. However, Stroud works alone and has to retrace his steps, therefore Survivorman’s gritty production wins.
Round Five – Gross-Out Moments
Both Stroud and Grylls have had their share of moments that make viewers stomachs squirm. Surviving in the wild means both men must rely on an uncanny diet.
“I think that this category is a draw,” Drost said, “they both eat some disgusting things, but I think Stroud eats weird stuff out of necessity.”
Carrara thinks Grylls is the master of gross-out moments.
“Grylls is way better with gross stuff,” Carrara said, “especially eating testicles and goat guts and stuff. Survivorman only eats a few cooked insects, that’s about as gross as he gets.”
But could Grylls diet be a pathway to more cable TV career options.
“The one thing is, it seems like Bear Grylls eats gross things for shock value,” Drost said, “like he’s trying to be Johnny Knoxville and break into acting.”
There seems to be an agreement on this idea.
“He eats gross things and seems to enjoy it a bit too much,” Scheifley said, “I think he’s about the shock factor.”
Winner: Even if he is only doing it for the camera, Grylls wins this category. He’s found some unappealing food sources and dives right in. No food is too gross for Grylls to munch on.
The Final Result-
Bear Grylls narrowly edges out Stroud in the fight for the ultimate survivor. His charm, entrance theme, montages, and ability to eat disgusting things has won over our panel of judges. Congratulations Bear, you are the king of survival-based reality TV.
Les Stroud vs. Bear Grylls: The Ultimate Survivor
Survival themed reality television shows don’t only feature contestants trying to win money on major networks. Survivor debuted on NBC ten years ago, however in recent years cable networks have presented unique shows based on survival. Man vs. Wild and Survivorman are two survival based reality shows on the Discovery Channel’s primetime lineup. Both shows feature a host attempting to survive extreme scenarios where they are stranded in the forest, desert, jungle, and arctic. Their primary goal is to rough the terrain and make it to safety, not win fabulous prizes.
Man vs. Wild is hosted by the colorful Bear Grylls, a former member of the United Kingdom Special Forces. Survivorman is hosted by Les Stroud, a Canadian filmmaker and survival expert. The theme of both shows are quite similar, but they have different style of production and carry different tones. Stroud claims to record the segments for his shows alone. This means that Stroud has to set up and take down all of his cameras while moving along trails in extreme elements. In contrast, Grylls has a crew to assist in recording and emergency situations.
Both shows have had their share of memorable moments. On Man vs. Wild, Grylls has wrapped his head in a urine soaked shirt to avoid dehydration in the desert, and drank water drained from elephant dung. While survivorman Stroud has lived off the land which has included eating a wide array of insects. Each show has developed a cult followings with devoted fans. Debates have raged on the internet as to which show is better than the other. Our panel of experts are ready to settle this argument for once and all, and determine who is the true survivor of reality television.
Round One – Opening Theme
The music for Man vs. Wild’s opening is an intense orchestration with Gryll’s explaining the object of the show while a montage is shown of some of his most exciting experiences.
“The opening theme for Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild is much better produced. It has better music, not that weird music that goes on during the Survivorman opening credits,” said Nick Carrara, a musician and former Marine.
Survivorman’s theme features a montage of Stroud’s accomplishments, but the music gives the feel of an Amazonian adventure.
“Survivorman has the better introduction,” said Brian Drost, a former Marine specialist, “The music is cool and it’s not interrupted by a pointless narrator.”
Winner: Man vs. Wild narrowly wins in this category. The action in the clips are tough to ignore.
Round Two – Host
Bear Grylls is a former special ops who once survived a free fall with a torn parachute. “Bear Grylls is just more exciting and a better host,” Carrara said, “He has military experience, but that doesn’t hinder his ability as a host. He’s very outgoing, you can tell he loves what he does.”
“How can’t you like a guy with a British accent?” said Will Scheifley, an experienced camping and hiking enthusiast, “He’s over the top and makes television fun.”
Stroud is a bit more reserved than Grylls, which may be as a result of years of living in isolation in a cabin that he built himself with no tools or metal.
“Survivorman puts a twist on things, he’s a Canadian, he seems approachable,” said Droste, “Bear Grylls seems like he does what he can to hurt himself to gain media attention. Grylls is a shameless self promoter.”
Winner: Bear Grylls takes this one home. While Stroud knows his stuff and shares a plethora of information, Grylls personality is perfect for cable TV.
Round Three – Scenarios
Les Stroud faced the fierce arctic with his arm in a sling. He was able to create a shelter and hunt rabbits until he was rescued. Grylls has survived dry deserts by ingesting his own urine. Both men put themselves in the face of danger each episode. “The scenarios that Bear Gyrlls make more sense,” Carrara said, “one time, Survivorman kayaked into deep Alaska and stayed there for like seven days, why couldn't he just kayak back?”
“Grylls shows you what to do in certain situations and actually puts himself in danger,“ Carrara said, “to demonstrate, Bear jumps into a frozen lake and confronts animals, where Survivorman does to, but more subtle things.”
“Survivorman is in situations where he is constantly in danger. He doesn’t have a crew on hand to help him out if he gets hurt ,” Drost said “Bear Grylls has a crew with him and is well taken care of. He goes to resorts in between filming of the scenes.”
Drost’s accusation was addressed a number of times in the media in 2006.
“There is a disclaimer at the beginning of Man vs. Wild that explains the situations Bear faces may not be real or they might be altered. Stroud faces the wild on his own, with no assistance, that’s why the nickname Survivorman is so fitting.” said Drost.
Winner: Stroud hasn’t faced the controversy that Grylls has regarding possible cheating, thus he wins this category. By re-enacting real life scenarios with limited mobility because of a simulated broken bone. Don’t think Stroud is worthy of this award? You try catching food with only one arm.
Round Four – Production
Man vs. Wild has a production crew that follows Grylls and assist him when necessary. Stroud is left alone in the wild with nothing but some video cameras and his trusty harmonica (which on one occasion was forged into a knife).
“Grylls has better production because he has a crew,” Carrara said, “Survivorman films everything himself so its not as good of quality and he has to take the extra time to set that stuff up.”
The production of Man vs. Wild has captured many exciting shots and scenes including Grylls belaying out of planes and jumping off cliff.
“It's weird how the camera guy can follow him so close,” Scheifley said, “it’s amazing, it looks like a movie.”
While Man vs. Wild has a glossy look, Survivorman takes a grittier approach that is quite noticeable.
“Stroud has to set up cameras on his own,” said Drost, “that alone means he has to set it up, do whatever he was doing, like forging a river, then come back across the river to retrieve the cameras, and then finally cross the river to continue on his way.”
Winner: The obvious choice would be Grylls. However, Stroud works alone and has to retrace his steps, therefore Survivorman’s gritty production wins.
Round Five – Gross-Out Moments
Both Stroud and Grylls have had their share of moments that make viewers stomachs squirm. Surviving in the wild means both men must rely on an uncanny diet.
“I think that this category is a draw,” Drost said, “they both eat some disgusting things, but I think Stroud eats weird stuff out of necessity.”
Carrara thinks Grylls is the master of gross-out moments.
“Grylls is way better with gross stuff,” Carrara said, “especially eating testicles and goat guts and stuff. Survivorman only eats a few cooked insects, that’s about as gross as he gets.”
But could Grylls diet be a pathway to more cable TV career options.
“The one thing is, it seems like Bear Grylls eats gross things for shock value,” Drost said, “like he’s trying to be Johnny Knoxville and break into acting.”
There seems to be an agreement on this idea.
“He eats gross things and seems to enjoy it a bit too much,” Scheifley said, “I think he’s about the shock factor.”
Winner: Even if he is only doing it for the camera, Grylls wins this category. He’s found some unappealing food sources and dives right in. No food is too gross for Grylls to munch on.
The Final Result-
Bear Grylls narrowly edges out Stroud in the fight for the ultimate survivor. His charm, entrance theme, montages, and ability to eat disgusting things has won over our panel of judges. Congratulations Bear, you are the king of survival-based reality TV.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Issue #3: Human Rights and Women's Rights
Welcome. You are now reading the second issue of 309: The Online Magazine. The themes of this issue are human rights and women's rights. Happy reading, and please be sure to bookmark us!
Female Genital Mutilation
By Rob Mason
Female Genital Mutilation is a ritual that is practiced throughout the world, including the United States, which professionals deem unnecessary and dangerous. It involves the removal of healthily functioning parts of a female's genitalia, and is said to prevent women from being overly sexual and cheating on their husbands.
Dr. Erin Mitchell, an adjunct lecturer in the Women’s Studies department at Plattsburgh State, said FGM is often compared to male circumcision, but while both are unneces-sary, FGM is much more drastic and damaging. “A more appropriate analogy would be between FGM and a penisdectomy,” Mitchell said, “which is the total removal of the penis.”
According to Amnesty International’s website, www.amnesty.org, FGM is usually per-formed in very unsanitary conditions by a midwife, not a doctor, and they often use dirty razor blades, scissors, knives, or pieces of glass. These instruments are often used on many girls in succession, so diseases such as HIV and other infections are transmitted from one girl to the next.
“Anesthesia is rarely used when FGM’s are being performed,” Mitchell said. “Imagine having an operation like that while being fully cognizant and able to feel everything that is happening to your body. It’s horrific to even think about”
FGM is performed on girls of various ages said Dr. James Armstrong, who teaches a course titled Sexuality and Culture at PSUC. Some are only a few days old, while others are much older. Many girls also die as a result of infections which set in after the un-sanitary procedure he said.
Beyond these consequences, the long-term complications include genital malformation and recurrent urinary infection. “There are also a wide range of obstetric problems which are found in women who have undergone FGM as well,” Armstrong said. “Because damage usually occurs to birth canal, many babies run the risk of having their heads crushed if the mother isn't further ‘opened’ to allow the baby to pass through.”
There are many reasons given for the continuing practice of FGM in various cultures throughout the world, including family honor, insurance of virginity and faithfulness to a husband. Due to the fact that it is a centuries old custom for many of these people, they are unwilling to put an end to the practice even though those who do not share the cus-tom consider it to be barbaric, and numerous worldwide efforts have been undertaken to ban the practice of FGM. It is now illegal in several countries now, but certain cultures still continue to perform FGM of their young girls despite it being against the law.
For more information on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, please visit http://www.amnesty.org/.
The Three Main Types of Female Genital Mutilation
-Sunna Circumcision: removal of the prepuce and/or tip of the clitoris.
-Clitoridectomy: removal of the clitoris and adjacent labia.
-Infibulation: removal of clitoris and majora and minora labia, followed by the securing of the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina with thorns or catgut. A small piece of wood is used to create an opening to allow the passage of urine and menstrual blood.
Female Genital Mutilation is a ritual that is practiced throughout the world, including the United States, which professionals deem unnecessary and dangerous. It involves the removal of healthily functioning parts of a female's genitalia, and is said to prevent women from being overly sexual and cheating on their husbands.
Dr. Erin Mitchell, an adjunct lecturer in the Women’s Studies department at Plattsburgh State, said FGM is often compared to male circumcision, but while both are unneces-sary, FGM is much more drastic and damaging. “A more appropriate analogy would be between FGM and a penisdectomy,” Mitchell said, “which is the total removal of the penis.”
According to Amnesty International’s website, www.amnesty.org, FGM is usually per-formed in very unsanitary conditions by a midwife, not a doctor, and they often use dirty razor blades, scissors, knives, or pieces of glass. These instruments are often used on many girls in succession, so diseases such as HIV and other infections are transmitted from one girl to the next.
“Anesthesia is rarely used when FGM’s are being performed,” Mitchell said. “Imagine having an operation like that while being fully cognizant and able to feel everything that is happening to your body. It’s horrific to even think about”
FGM is performed on girls of various ages said Dr. James Armstrong, who teaches a course titled Sexuality and Culture at PSUC. Some are only a few days old, while others are much older. Many girls also die as a result of infections which set in after the un-sanitary procedure he said.
Beyond these consequences, the long-term complications include genital malformation and recurrent urinary infection. “There are also a wide range of obstetric problems which are found in women who have undergone FGM as well,” Armstrong said. “Because damage usually occurs to birth canal, many babies run the risk of having their heads crushed if the mother isn't further ‘opened’ to allow the baby to pass through.”
There are many reasons given for the continuing practice of FGM in various cultures throughout the world, including family honor, insurance of virginity and faithfulness to a husband. Due to the fact that it is a centuries old custom for many of these people, they are unwilling to put an end to the practice even though those who do not share the cus-tom consider it to be barbaric, and numerous worldwide efforts have been undertaken to ban the practice of FGM. It is now illegal in several countries now, but certain cultures still continue to perform FGM of their young girls despite it being against the law.
For more information on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, please visit http://www.amnesty.org/.
The Three Main Types of Female Genital Mutilation
-Sunna Circumcision: removal of the prepuce and/or tip of the clitoris.
-Clitoridectomy: removal of the clitoris and adjacent labia.
-Infibulation: removal of clitoris and majora and minora labia, followed by the securing of the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina with thorns or catgut. A small piece of wood is used to create an opening to allow the passage of urine and menstrual blood.
There is work to be done.
By Michael O'Keefe
There is work to be done.
But who is going to do it?
A 13-year old boy, originally from Mexico but now residing in Southern Michigan, knows the answer. Hunched over in a 20 square mile cucumber field, the boy is only halfway through his 12-hour day, and it is already over 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. His mother, father and two sisters are both working beside him.
Now the real question comes. Who takes care of this little boy, who works harder than most adults?
According to humanrightswatch.org, there are numerous states in the U.S., which have agricultural programs that support child labor.
Many of these children have few rights, including basic rights such as not working under hazardous or overly strenuous work.
Some more serious accusations include not providing drinking water for the workers, as well as below minimum wage pay.
Also, many of these children are students. These children are also losing out on their education while working well into the school season.
According to stopchildlabornow.org, the minimum national age for doing hazardous agricultural work is 16.
Some of these activities, which are illegal for those under 16, include, driving a bus, truck or tractor, herding bulls or boars, moving chemicals and working inside enclosed areas.
According to an article on humanrightswatch.org, Zama Coursen-Neff, the director for Children’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said that she thinks child laborers “deserve the same rights as the teens working at McDonalds.”
She also said she believes that many of the laborers are working under conditions that are illegal under international law.
The U.S. Department of Labor homepage lists 26 states that allow those under the legal age to work, but offers no way of verifying the age of laborers.
And although a majority of the states keep their minimum working age above the federal minimum, most states also allow special working papers, which allow children to do so any way.
According to ncbi.org, child labor accounts for over 20,000 worker’s compensation injuries, 200,000 injuries, and over 70 deaths each year.
States, such as Nevada, offer permits to children younger that 14, but does not require that children over 14 get working papers.
And although the laws may be in blatant violation of not only international, but also federal laws, the impact on not only the economy but society as well may be too great for immediate change.
There is work to be done.
But who is going to do it?
A 13-year old boy, originally from Mexico but now residing in Southern Michigan, knows the answer. Hunched over in a 20 square mile cucumber field, the boy is only halfway through his 12-hour day, and it is already over 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. His mother, father and two sisters are both working beside him.
Now the real question comes. Who takes care of this little boy, who works harder than most adults?
According to humanrightswatch.org, there are numerous states in the U.S., which have agricultural programs that support child labor.
Many of these children have few rights, including basic rights such as not working under hazardous or overly strenuous work.
Some more serious accusations include not providing drinking water for the workers, as well as below minimum wage pay.
Also, many of these children are students. These children are also losing out on their education while working well into the school season.
According to stopchildlabornow.org, the minimum national age for doing hazardous agricultural work is 16.
Some of these activities, which are illegal for those under 16, include, driving a bus, truck or tractor, herding bulls or boars, moving chemicals and working inside enclosed areas.
According to an article on humanrightswatch.org, Zama Coursen-Neff, the director for Children’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said that she thinks child laborers “deserve the same rights as the teens working at McDonalds.”
She also said she believes that many of the laborers are working under conditions that are illegal under international law.
The U.S. Department of Labor homepage lists 26 states that allow those under the legal age to work, but offers no way of verifying the age of laborers.
And although a majority of the states keep their minimum working age above the federal minimum, most states also allow special working papers, which allow children to do so any way.
According to ncbi.org, child labor accounts for over 20,000 worker’s compensation injuries, 200,000 injuries, and over 70 deaths each year.
States, such as Nevada, offer permits to children younger that 14, but does not require that children over 14 get working papers.
And although the laws may be in blatant violation of not only international, but also federal laws, the impact on not only the economy but society as well may be too great for immediate change.
Insurance Story
By Bryan Bergeron
A report published by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) in October found that women face “unfair and discriminatory practices when obtaining health insurance in the individual market.”
The report, entitled, “Still nowhere to turn: Insurance companies treat women like a pre-existing condition,” can be found on NWLC’s website, http://www.nwlc.org. The report states that the current health insurance system regards being a woman as a “pre-existing” condition. According to the report, gender ratings continue to occur in a majority of states, causing significant challenges for women trying to obtain individual health insurance. The report also showed that it is common for non-smoking females to be charged more for coverage then male smokers, while a majority of individual markets exclude maternity care.
The recent report also uncovered the fact that it is still legal for insurers in some states to reject applicants who are survivors of domestic violence.
Currently, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia have yet to pass legislation prohibiting insurance companies from claiming that domestic violence is a pre-existing condition.
“That’s making someone ineligible for coverage not because of something they did to themselves, but for something that someone has done to them,” said Maria Luisa O’Neal, the programs service coordinator for the National Coalition against Domestic Violence in Denver, Co. said.
While the amount of coverage’s that are being denied or dropped due to domestic violence is impossible to be measured, the practice is still occurring throughout the United States, O’Neal said.
“It’s hard to keep a measure because there is no place where this information is being recorded, but I know that if happens a lot,” O’Neal said.
An article published by the Huffington Post on Oct. 21 proves O’Neal’s statement to be true.
The article focuses on Christina Turner, a 45-year old woman who was prescribed a month’s worth of anti-HIV medication after she was sexually assaulted by two men. Due to this prescription, insurers would not provide Turner with coverage because they believed that her HIV medication posed too many health risks.
The article also tells the story of Kimberly Fallon, a 38 year-old native of Ithaca N.Y. Fallon was penalized in her insurance due to an admission that she was raped a year earlier, and sexually assaulted in an incident in college 17 years earlier.
“Morally, this type of thing is not ok, but it all boils down to whether or not insurers can get away with it or not,” O’Neal said. “Basically, you are out of luck if they are legally within their guidelines.”
United Health Care was contacted for comment on this story, but did not return phone calls.
The recent report was the second such study published by the NWLC in the past two years. The first report, entitled “Nowhere to turn: How the individual health insurance market fails women,” was published in 2008.
Since the publication of these reports, states have been working to ban the discriminatory practices that women face when applying for individual health insurance, said Grace Lesser, a programs assistant at the National Women’s Law Center.
In April of 2009, Arkansas passed legislation prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage to women who were previously associated with domestic violence. California also took action in October 2009 by becoming the 11th state to ban gender ratings in the individual health insurance market.
Currently, North Carolina is in the process of creating legislation that will ban insurers from claiming that domestic violence is a pre-existing condition, said Brenda Rivera Sanchez, the legal project coordinator for North Carolina’s Coalition against Domestic Violence.
In a letter provided by Rivera, Wayne Goodwin, the insurance commissioner for the North Carolina Department of Insurance states his desire to be taken off the list of eight states that have yet to ban this practice.
The letter, which was addressed to Senator Richard Burr, states that “the N.C. Department of Insurance and I strongly disagree with any assertions that the status of being a victim of domestic violence is allowed to be considered a pre-existing condition in North Carolina.”
Not all states, however, are taking measures to stop this type of discrimination from occurring.
In Oklahoma, the power of large corporations and big businesses is too strong to take down, said Marcia Smith, the coalition director for the Oklahoma Coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault.
According to Smith, there is no current legislation in the works that would stop insurance companies from the discriminatory practices that were outline in the report by the NWLC.
“Any time we try to help these victims, we receive opposition from the large corporations,” Smith said. “They use an economic justification that it cost too much money to help these women- they say it’s too costly.”
While increased media coverage on these issues has caused the movement in Oklahoma to gain some momentum, Smith said that the power of big businesses might be too powerful to take down. Their power might inhibit any legislation from moving forward, Smith said.
“It’s not surprising that it’s an issue and I think that if we move forth with the issues that insurance companies will fight us hard and try to force us to back down,” Smith said. “It’s not unusual in Oklahoma that big businesses and corporations do not support things that we try and do for victims- any time we try to address a serious topic it just becomes a money issue.
A high poverty rate within Oklahoma also contributes to the problems, Smith said. According to an article published on August 27, 2008, on the Oklahoma Policy Institutes web site, Okpolicy.org, 577,000 Oklahomans lived in poverty in 2007, while the poverty rate for women was 17.5 per cent the same year.
Due to this, many women are unable to receive insurance through their work, which forces them to apply for individual health insurance, Smith said.
“Oklahoma is a very high poverty rate state, and we have a lot of people who are uninsured,” Smith said. “A lot of the people that we see in these centers are part of this socio-economic group.”
Numerous Senators from Oklahoma were contacted for comment on this story, but did not return phone calls.
The inability to receive health care through work has not only complicated things in Oklahoma. For women everywhere, there aren’t many places to turn to if they are unable to procure insurance through an employer, said Susan Kelly, the program director of Stop Domestic Violence, which is a program component of behavioral health services in Plattsburgh N.Y.
“It’s very hard for anyone to get health insurance if they don’t get it from their employer,” Kelly said.
When it comes down to it, Kelly believes that the whole issue boils down to money.
“People that have money can get things, and people who don’t can’t,” Kelly said. “I’m sure Donald Trump doesn’t need insurance- he can just pay in cash.”
While the media coverage surrounding the current health care debate has gotten people talking, and has given a voice to the issues surrounding women’s access to insurance, the issue is far from being resolved, said Smith.
“We’ve come a long way, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the status of women in my lifetime, but we still have a long way to go,” said Smith.
Regardless, this voice is the first step to reform.
“I think the most gratifying thing about this report being published is that it is allowing us to get more in touch with insurance companies and to get our word out,” Lesser said.
A report published by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) in October found that women face “unfair and discriminatory practices when obtaining health insurance in the individual market.”
The report, entitled, “Still nowhere to turn: Insurance companies treat women like a pre-existing condition,” can be found on NWLC’s website, http://www.nwlc.org. The report states that the current health insurance system regards being a woman as a “pre-existing” condition. According to the report, gender ratings continue to occur in a majority of states, causing significant challenges for women trying to obtain individual health insurance. The report also showed that it is common for non-smoking females to be charged more for coverage then male smokers, while a majority of individual markets exclude maternity care.
The recent report also uncovered the fact that it is still legal for insurers in some states to reject applicants who are survivors of domestic violence.
Currently, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia have yet to pass legislation prohibiting insurance companies from claiming that domestic violence is a pre-existing condition.
“That’s making someone ineligible for coverage not because of something they did to themselves, but for something that someone has done to them,” said Maria Luisa O’Neal, the programs service coordinator for the National Coalition against Domestic Violence in Denver, Co. said.
While the amount of coverage’s that are being denied or dropped due to domestic violence is impossible to be measured, the practice is still occurring throughout the United States, O’Neal said.
“It’s hard to keep a measure because there is no place where this information is being recorded, but I know that if happens a lot,” O’Neal said.
An article published by the Huffington Post on Oct. 21 proves O’Neal’s statement to be true.
The article focuses on Christina Turner, a 45-year old woman who was prescribed a month’s worth of anti-HIV medication after she was sexually assaulted by two men. Due to this prescription, insurers would not provide Turner with coverage because they believed that her HIV medication posed too many health risks.
The article also tells the story of Kimberly Fallon, a 38 year-old native of Ithaca N.Y. Fallon was penalized in her insurance due to an admission that she was raped a year earlier, and sexually assaulted in an incident in college 17 years earlier.
“Morally, this type of thing is not ok, but it all boils down to whether or not insurers can get away with it or not,” O’Neal said. “Basically, you are out of luck if they are legally within their guidelines.”
United Health Care was contacted for comment on this story, but did not return phone calls.
The recent report was the second such study published by the NWLC in the past two years. The first report, entitled “Nowhere to turn: How the individual health insurance market fails women,” was published in 2008.
Since the publication of these reports, states have been working to ban the discriminatory practices that women face when applying for individual health insurance, said Grace Lesser, a programs assistant at the National Women’s Law Center.
In April of 2009, Arkansas passed legislation prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage to women who were previously associated with domestic violence. California also took action in October 2009 by becoming the 11th state to ban gender ratings in the individual health insurance market.
Currently, North Carolina is in the process of creating legislation that will ban insurers from claiming that domestic violence is a pre-existing condition, said Brenda Rivera Sanchez, the legal project coordinator for North Carolina’s Coalition against Domestic Violence.
In a letter provided by Rivera, Wayne Goodwin, the insurance commissioner for the North Carolina Department of Insurance states his desire to be taken off the list of eight states that have yet to ban this practice.
The letter, which was addressed to Senator Richard Burr, states that “the N.C. Department of Insurance and I strongly disagree with any assertions that the status of being a victim of domestic violence is allowed to be considered a pre-existing condition in North Carolina.”
Not all states, however, are taking measures to stop this type of discrimination from occurring.
In Oklahoma, the power of large corporations and big businesses is too strong to take down, said Marcia Smith, the coalition director for the Oklahoma Coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault.
According to Smith, there is no current legislation in the works that would stop insurance companies from the discriminatory practices that were outline in the report by the NWLC.
“Any time we try to help these victims, we receive opposition from the large corporations,” Smith said. “They use an economic justification that it cost too much money to help these women- they say it’s too costly.”
While increased media coverage on these issues has caused the movement in Oklahoma to gain some momentum, Smith said that the power of big businesses might be too powerful to take down. Their power might inhibit any legislation from moving forward, Smith said.
“It’s not surprising that it’s an issue and I think that if we move forth with the issues that insurance companies will fight us hard and try to force us to back down,” Smith said. “It’s not unusual in Oklahoma that big businesses and corporations do not support things that we try and do for victims- any time we try to address a serious topic it just becomes a money issue.
A high poverty rate within Oklahoma also contributes to the problems, Smith said. According to an article published on August 27, 2008, on the Oklahoma Policy Institutes web site, Okpolicy.org, 577,000 Oklahomans lived in poverty in 2007, while the poverty rate for women was 17.5 per cent the same year.
Due to this, many women are unable to receive insurance through their work, which forces them to apply for individual health insurance, Smith said.
“Oklahoma is a very high poverty rate state, and we have a lot of people who are uninsured,” Smith said. “A lot of the people that we see in these centers are part of this socio-economic group.”
Numerous Senators from Oklahoma were contacted for comment on this story, but did not return phone calls.
The inability to receive health care through work has not only complicated things in Oklahoma. For women everywhere, there aren’t many places to turn to if they are unable to procure insurance through an employer, said Susan Kelly, the program director of Stop Domestic Violence, which is a program component of behavioral health services in Plattsburgh N.Y.
“It’s very hard for anyone to get health insurance if they don’t get it from their employer,” Kelly said.
When it comes down to it, Kelly believes that the whole issue boils down to money.
“People that have money can get things, and people who don’t can’t,” Kelly said. “I’m sure Donald Trump doesn’t need insurance- he can just pay in cash.”
While the media coverage surrounding the current health care debate has gotten people talking, and has given a voice to the issues surrounding women’s access to insurance, the issue is far from being resolved, said Smith.
“We’ve come a long way, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the status of women in my lifetime, but we still have a long way to go,” said Smith.
Regardless, this voice is the first step to reform.
“I think the most gratifying thing about this report being published is that it is allowing us to get more in touch with insurance companies and to get our word out,” Lesser said.
Male Abortion Rights
Male Abortion Rights
By Nicholas Persad
A door opens and slams shut. A young couple walks into their living room. The countenance of the man is one that shows disgust and anger. The woman looks annoyed and frustrated. The man begins to plead with the woman. She looks at him and says, “It’s not your decision to make. You are not the one who will feel the effects of this for nine months.” The man walks away distraught.
This is often the scenario that occurs when there is an unwanted pregnancy in a relationship and the male has no control over the decision to abort the unborn child. Since Roe v. Wade, the most influential abortion case in U.S. History, which allows women to terminate an unwanted pregnancy once the fetus does not reach the point of viability there has been a great discrepancy as to what is fair for both persons in the relationship.
People who are pro-choice believe that is it the woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to continue with the pregnancy as she is the one who will experience all the physical and emotional baggage that accompanies being pregnant. Also, it is seen as one of the few decisions that women are allowed to make on their own and if it were a mutual decision it would seemingly once again allow men to have full control.
People who are pro-life believe that regardless of the circumstance all life should be brought into this world with only a few exceptions such as if the pregnancy is life threatening. The current situation allows the woman to have full control of determining if the fetus is allowed to develop. Therefore if a man wants to keep the child and the woman does not he would have no way of preventing her from getting an abortion. This is where many critics of Roe v Wade say it is unjust.
“Men have absolutely no say in the matter of their children’s survival,” said Rev. Dr. Pablo Sanchez, director of ProLifeJoes, an online pro-life center. “Roe v. Wade took care of that, and the mindset of the modern woman does not generally support the rights of men.”
In an article titled, ‘Shouldn’t Men have ‘choice’ too?’ by Meghan Daum, a columnist for the LA Times, Daum promotes the point that Roe v. Wade allows women to protect their futures but it does not however allow for the protection of the future of the males in scenarios where the woman does not want to have an abortion but the man does. The man will thus be obligated to support a child that he never wanted until that child is 18. The article states, “But just as women should not be punished for choosing to terminate a pregnancy, men should not be punished when those women choose not to,”
By Nicholas Persad
A door opens and slams shut. A young couple walks into their living room. The countenance of the man is one that shows disgust and anger. The woman looks annoyed and frustrated. The man begins to plead with the woman. She looks at him and says, “It’s not your decision to make. You are not the one who will feel the effects of this for nine months.” The man walks away distraught.
This is often the scenario that occurs when there is an unwanted pregnancy in a relationship and the male has no control over the decision to abort the unborn child. Since Roe v. Wade, the most influential abortion case in U.S. History, which allows women to terminate an unwanted pregnancy once the fetus does not reach the point of viability there has been a great discrepancy as to what is fair for both persons in the relationship.
People who are pro-choice believe that is it the woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to continue with the pregnancy as she is the one who will experience all the physical and emotional baggage that accompanies being pregnant. Also, it is seen as one of the few decisions that women are allowed to make on their own and if it were a mutual decision it would seemingly once again allow men to have full control.
People who are pro-life believe that regardless of the circumstance all life should be brought into this world with only a few exceptions such as if the pregnancy is life threatening. The current situation allows the woman to have full control of determining if the fetus is allowed to develop. Therefore if a man wants to keep the child and the woman does not he would have no way of preventing her from getting an abortion. This is where many critics of Roe v Wade say it is unjust.
“Men have absolutely no say in the matter of their children’s survival,” said Rev. Dr. Pablo Sanchez, director of ProLifeJoes, an online pro-life center. “Roe v. Wade took care of that, and the mindset of the modern woman does not generally support the rights of men.”
In an article titled, ‘Shouldn’t Men have ‘choice’ too?’ by Meghan Daum, a columnist for the LA Times, Daum promotes the point that Roe v. Wade allows women to protect their futures but it does not however allow for the protection of the future of the males in scenarios where the woman does not want to have an abortion but the man does. The man will thus be obligated to support a child that he never wanted until that child is 18. The article states, “But just as women should not be punished for choosing to terminate a pregnancy, men should not be punished when those women choose not to,”
The rights of men when it comes to abortion does not seem to be an issue that is at the forefront of the mind of the public or media so any change that could take place is not going to happen any time soon.
“Perhaps this will change, but it remains a sad place for men to be when their women are not pro-life. All we have currently is prayer and hope,” Sanchez said.
Money not a motivator for some egg donors
Money not a motivator for some egg donors
By Nicodia Williams
Human egg donation was a scarce topic not very long ago. However, an increasing demand for eggs and growing compensation for donors are encouraging more women to consider it.
With a full time job as a paralegal by day and a LSAT teacher by night, no credit card debt and a more than O.K. life, 28-year-old Jennifer decided to do something many would consider fairly unorthodox. She donated her eggs to an infertile couple.
“I see egg donation as part of a process of collaborative reproduction— a way that women can help each other to transcend the limitations of biology in order to lead more well-rounded lives,” said Jennifer, who declined to give her last name to protect her identity.
A Texas native, Jennifer represents a handful of what fertility clinics call “known donors” who aren’t in it just for the money. However, as the nation's economy falters, some fertility clinics say interest in donating has increased. But this has proven not to be the case in states like Illinois and New York.
According to Jan Berman, donor and recipient counselor at the Center for Egg Options, a full-service Egg Donation and Surrogacy Center in Illinois, egg donors need to understand that they don’t just walk into a fertility clinic, give their eggs and receive a check.
“It is a significant part-time job. These women go through an entire legal process before the procedure. Most women very often do come back because they feel so bad for these infertile and hopeful mothers,” said Berman.
Jennifer, who first donated her eggs at age 25 said she was very comfortable with her quality of life before she decided to go ahead with the donation.
For her, it was about helping couples who have faced so much disappointment, find joy.
Egg donation is done through an In Vitro Fertilization, IVF procedure where the donor’s ovaries are stimulated with hormone stimulation medications to have the donor produce multiple eggs. Doctors then remove these eggs from the donor’s ovaries by inserting a needle and ultrasound probe through the donor’s genitalia.
“I hadn't planned on donating a second time, but I stepped in after a donor dropped out of a cycle. She had been in it for the money but once the day came where she had to inject herself with medication for the first time, she found that financial motivation wasn't enough to keep her going.”
Numerous news reports have presumed that nearly all egg donors are marginalized, desperate girls who have only a foggy understanding of the implications of their decision to donate eggs.
Dr. Fred Licciardi, a specialist in reproductive medicine at NYU Fertility Center said he has not seen an increase in the number of applications for egg donations. “Money is a motivator, but it's not the only one. Most donors, but not all, have other altruistic reasons for donation.”
Jennifer said she believes that just because most egg donors are young women doesn't mean that they aren't capable of weighing risks and making important decisions. “Some critics go so far as to liken egg donation to prostitution. It is entirely possible that some donors fit this profile, but many do not,” said Jennifer.
In 1996, women in federally monitored programs donated eggs a little over 3,800 times. That number has risen steadily, to more than 10,000 in 2004, the most recent year for which the Centers for Disease Control has compiled data.
What about women who need these donors?
Women are born carrying all the eggs they’ll have for their lifetime, and after puberty, they’ll start to release at least one a month. By the time they hit menopause, they’re ovaries stop producing eggs. For these women, however, the technology of egg donation has been their only hope in fulfilling their dreams of motherhood.
When a woman who has passed her prime years decides she wants to have a baby, chances are she will probably use another woman’s egg to conceive. This exact thing occurred with 40-year-old Emily, whose name has been changed for personal reasons.
The forty-year-old donor recipient, who lives in Chicago, was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis; her fallopian tubes are scarred shut; and her ovaries consistently produce cysts that have to be removed.
Unlike adopting a child or using a surrogate, using an egg donor means you get pregnant and bear the child yourself.
“A woman over 40 without all of these other problems doesn’t generally conceive easily. Add all of these other issues, and it’s a true recipe for heartache,” said Emily.
The theory is that at 40, a woman still has a good egg or two in there. However, at this point the majority of them will be “chromosomally compromised”, meaning most of them are not likely to be fertilized, so unless a person has the money and the time and the emotional stamina to withstand cycle after cycle while searching for that “golden egg”, the best bet is to move on to donor eggs.
“Young women want to go to college. Single mothers want to buy their children school clothes; it’s totally understandable. However, I think that it takes a certain type of woman to donate her eggs, even if she’s doing it for the money. I believe that there’s integrity and strength of character in the act. I believe that, despite the pay check, these women really do want to help,” said Emily.
Berman said she does not think all women are motivated by the hefty compensation of up to $10,000 egg donors receive.
“Most of the women I’ve worked with are initially interested because they just want to give. They get a wonderful feeling that they are not only helping infertile women, but they are helping themselves and becoming educated about the whole process,” said Berman.
Emily, who has yet to conceive after three failed attempts with her own eggs, is about to undergo a fresh transfer with her donor. She said the women who donate their eggs with good intentions are called—the blessed known donors—friends, cousins, sisters and the like. They do it for no reason other than they love you and want you to be happy.
“The real truth of the matter is that the couple on the receiving end of the donation doesn’t care why the woman donated, be it for money or purely to help; all they care about is that they donated, and they are forever grateful for that fact,” she said.
By Nicodia Williams
Human egg donation was a scarce topic not very long ago. However, an increasing demand for eggs and growing compensation for donors are encouraging more women to consider it.
With a full time job as a paralegal by day and a LSAT teacher by night, no credit card debt and a more than O.K. life, 28-year-old Jennifer decided to do something many would consider fairly unorthodox. She donated her eggs to an infertile couple.
“I see egg donation as part of a process of collaborative reproduction— a way that women can help each other to transcend the limitations of biology in order to lead more well-rounded lives,” said Jennifer, who declined to give her last name to protect her identity.
A Texas native, Jennifer represents a handful of what fertility clinics call “known donors” who aren’t in it just for the money. However, as the nation's economy falters, some fertility clinics say interest in donating has increased. But this has proven not to be the case in states like Illinois and New York.
According to Jan Berman, donor and recipient counselor at the Center for Egg Options, a full-service Egg Donation and Surrogacy Center in Illinois, egg donors need to understand that they don’t just walk into a fertility clinic, give their eggs and receive a check.
“It is a significant part-time job. These women go through an entire legal process before the procedure. Most women very often do come back because they feel so bad for these infertile and hopeful mothers,” said Berman.
Jennifer, who first donated her eggs at age 25 said she was very comfortable with her quality of life before she decided to go ahead with the donation.
For her, it was about helping couples who have faced so much disappointment, find joy.
Egg donation is done through an In Vitro Fertilization, IVF procedure where the donor’s ovaries are stimulated with hormone stimulation medications to have the donor produce multiple eggs. Doctors then remove these eggs from the donor’s ovaries by inserting a needle and ultrasound probe through the donor’s genitalia.
“I hadn't planned on donating a second time, but I stepped in after a donor dropped out of a cycle. She had been in it for the money but once the day came where she had to inject herself with medication for the first time, she found that financial motivation wasn't enough to keep her going.”
Numerous news reports have presumed that nearly all egg donors are marginalized, desperate girls who have only a foggy understanding of the implications of their decision to donate eggs.
Dr. Fred Licciardi, a specialist in reproductive medicine at NYU Fertility Center said he has not seen an increase in the number of applications for egg donations. “Money is a motivator, but it's not the only one. Most donors, but not all, have other altruistic reasons for donation.”
Jennifer said she believes that just because most egg donors are young women doesn't mean that they aren't capable of weighing risks and making important decisions. “Some critics go so far as to liken egg donation to prostitution. It is entirely possible that some donors fit this profile, but many do not,” said Jennifer.
In 1996, women in federally monitored programs donated eggs a little over 3,800 times. That number has risen steadily, to more than 10,000 in 2004, the most recent year for which the Centers for Disease Control has compiled data.
What about women who need these donors?
Women are born carrying all the eggs they’ll have for their lifetime, and after puberty, they’ll start to release at least one a month. By the time they hit menopause, they’re ovaries stop producing eggs. For these women, however, the technology of egg donation has been their only hope in fulfilling their dreams of motherhood.
When a woman who has passed her prime years decides she wants to have a baby, chances are she will probably use another woman’s egg to conceive. This exact thing occurred with 40-year-old Emily, whose name has been changed for personal reasons.
The forty-year-old donor recipient, who lives in Chicago, was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis; her fallopian tubes are scarred shut; and her ovaries consistently produce cysts that have to be removed.
Unlike adopting a child or using a surrogate, using an egg donor means you get pregnant and bear the child yourself.
“A woman over 40 without all of these other problems doesn’t generally conceive easily. Add all of these other issues, and it’s a true recipe for heartache,” said Emily.
The theory is that at 40, a woman still has a good egg or two in there. However, at this point the majority of them will be “chromosomally compromised”, meaning most of them are not likely to be fertilized, so unless a person has the money and the time and the emotional stamina to withstand cycle after cycle while searching for that “golden egg”, the best bet is to move on to donor eggs.
“Young women want to go to college. Single mothers want to buy their children school clothes; it’s totally understandable. However, I think that it takes a certain type of woman to donate her eggs, even if she’s doing it for the money. I believe that there’s integrity and strength of character in the act. I believe that, despite the pay check, these women really do want to help,” said Emily.
Berman said she does not think all women are motivated by the hefty compensation of up to $10,000 egg donors receive.
“Most of the women I’ve worked with are initially interested because they just want to give. They get a wonderful feeling that they are not only helping infertile women, but they are helping themselves and becoming educated about the whole process,” said Berman.
Emily, who has yet to conceive after three failed attempts with her own eggs, is about to undergo a fresh transfer with her donor. She said the women who donate their eggs with good intentions are called—the blessed known donors—friends, cousins, sisters and the like. They do it for no reason other than they love you and want you to be happy.
“The real truth of the matter is that the couple on the receiving end of the donation doesn’t care why the woman donated, be it for money or purely to help; all they care about is that they donated, and they are forever grateful for that fact,” she said.
Racism Story
By Jessica Eason
The next morning when I woke up I decided to read all the comments left on my shirt. I laughed at the ones that were on the front and when I flipped it over in big black writing were the words “my roommate is a nigger.”
There on my shirt was the word I hated most.
It was my freshman year at SUNY Plattsburgh, and my first semester started off with a big bang there was plenty of partying and soaking in a new environment. I was dealing with a lot of new things for the first time in my life. The experience at the start of the semester was great, I got along with my roommate, the dining hall food wasn’t too bad, and my classes weren’t very hard. College started off amazing and I was praying it would stay this way. However it all changed one night.
It was a Thursday night, right before parent’s weekend, so a group of us planned to go out on Thirsty Thursday since Friday night was shot. We were heading to a graffiti party, which is a party were you wear white t-shirts and people write on them with markers. The group headed out and was ready to party. My shirt had funny to inappropriate comments, which were written by friends or stranger. When it came to my roommates turn, she wrote on my back and giggled. I left thinking nothing off it until the next morning. I found her comment in plain bold letters on the back of my shirt, and there was no way she could deny it was her.
My father is black, and my mother is white. I have never looked at myself as one race, so to be classified as such by a small minded person made it feel worse. The part that made it most sickening, was that I had lived with the person who wrote it for about a month.
I hide the shirt in one of my draws in my room since my parents were coming later and I didn’t want to bombard them with this. I thought nothing of it for the past few weeks, blaming it on the fact that she had been drinking maybe; she wasn’t thinking clearly.
The content on the shirt didn’t really affect me until I saw that it wasn’t a mistake. Her mind was blocked off by crazy thoughts that someone had instilled in her, and I was the punching bag she decided to test them out on.
My roommate grew up in Johnstown, New York, 35 minutes out of Albany. The town demographic is over 90% white. She possibly grew up close minded and I was probably the first person of color for her to associate herself with. It was a shell shock for her, for she didn’t know how to communicate in an intelligent way without having a racist undertone.
I realized her writing “nigger” on my back wasn’t a joke or a misunderstanding a few weeks later. Time had passed and I didn’t think anything of the shirt incident anymore until one night at a friend’s house. I accompanied some friends to a small party at a friend’s house one weekend, we sat around and talking and playing beer pong.
My roommate ran track in high school and made it to Empires for high jumping, which is a big deal because the competition features the best from around the state. A mutual friend of ours asked her if she ever placed when she was there and her response was, “No black bitches could always jump higher than me.” I was within an ear shot of the comment and very offended, but yet again I said nothing.
In my mind I slowly started to piece everything together. My roommate was a racist and I was fed up with listening to the comments that spilled out of her mouth.
I called my parents and explained everything that was happening, they were appalled. My father made phone calls to the dean, and campus police. He sent me to set up meeting after meeting. We were looking for a solution.
The definition of a hate crime by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 states that “a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim… because of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.”
Plattsburgh State University has college policies too, and in my eyes their policies were broken. In section VIII of SUNY Plattsburgh Campus Handbook, under discrimination and harassment it states “with Federal and State anti-discrimination legislation, has adopted a complaint procedure for the prompt and equitable investigation and resolution of allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, nation origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or marital status.” Clearly, I was being discriminated against based on my race.
My father sent me to University Police. I sat down for an interview and was told to bring the shirt. In the end they said she had not committed any crime. Chief of University Police, Arlene Sabo, stated that there was certainly a bias relationship, but the culprit would have had to deface my property without my permission. I invited people to write on my shirt, so it is not against the law.
The police weren’t able to do anything since it wasn’t considered a hate crime. When asked about the incident Sabo said, “Why anyone would think that was appropriate baffles me.” If I had not invited individuals to write on my shirt and her comment stood alone, in all sense it would have been considered a hate crime.
Sabo said “No one is condoning what the person said.” The college tried to smooth over the situation by setting up meeting with me and my roommate to find some resolution to the problem.
The only problem with the definition of a hate crime is there is no grey line it’s either black, white or nothing else. But what about those crimes that are committed for the purpose of hate? They fall into that grey line, so what about those victims?
I brought the issues up to my roommate, but it didn’t go over so well. She believed that she had done nothing wrong. Her response was “I’ve never lived with you people, I don’t know how to act around you people.” She didn’t comprehend how she was classifying me as a group rather than an individual. I asked her if she knew who Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was, she looked at me as if I had two heads and said “no.”
I wondered how could someone be so cut off from the world around us, she didn’t even know about the man whose accomplishment we celebrate annually.
The Center for Diversity, Pluralism, and Inclusions (CDPI), Outreach Coordinator Kevin Pearson explained that there is plenty of racism here at Plattsburgh, but it does not fall into the definition of a hate crime. CDIP deals with less than the amount of racial issues that occur on campus, many students don’t feel comfortable enough to come forward, there not sure of the aftermath. Each semester there are two to four instances that CDPI will work with, said Pearson.
Pearson explains CDPI’s idea of Dual Victimization. The one who makes the remarks and is a racist, but there is something that contributed to what created this multiply factors they have become victims as well, 18 years of teaching one way can be hard to undo.
Plattsburgh State though is doing a lot to open the minds of their students. In the class diversity through film about 200 to 300 students pass through the class each year. Some of the students see a new light on things, some don’t, but being able to change just a few is the point of the class. You cannot change the world in a second; it takes time to break down barriers and old habits.
Dean of Students, Stephen Matthews, say the college is trying to bring diversity and understanding to the campus. Matthews has taken over orientation since 2000, and he says that they have been putting on a diversity workshop since before he started. The workshop went from a few minutes to an hour long. Is it going to change people outlooks, maybe not, but it will give them something to think about stated Matthews.
There are many close mind people who are here, and Matthew’s know and understands that. When asked how he felt about people having these ideas he stated, “If you choice to have those options it’s not against the law.” “I would like to think we have more open minded people then close minded,” said Matthews.
Plattsburgh State has an average of two or less hate crimes on its campus each year stated Matthews. From 2006 to 2008 there have been an average of two hate crimes on Plattsburgh States campus, as seen in the SUNY Plattsburgh Crime Statistics
What happened to me wouldn’t be considered a hate crime in the book of the law, but to many others it was. My rights were violated by another human being with an ill-intent behind it. The college did everything to find some way to prove to me that they were working in my favor. They had me sit down with my roommate and discuss the issues. To me the problem was never resolved. I still have a grudge on the school as a whole. I was put through hell, and no justice was served because I fell in between that grey line.
The next morning when I woke up I decided to read all the comments left on my shirt. I laughed at the ones that were on the front and when I flipped it over in big black writing were the words “my roommate is a nigger.”
There on my shirt was the word I hated most.
It was my freshman year at SUNY Plattsburgh, and my first semester started off with a big bang there was plenty of partying and soaking in a new environment. I was dealing with a lot of new things for the first time in my life. The experience at the start of the semester was great, I got along with my roommate, the dining hall food wasn’t too bad, and my classes weren’t very hard. College started off amazing and I was praying it would stay this way. However it all changed one night.
It was a Thursday night, right before parent’s weekend, so a group of us planned to go out on Thirsty Thursday since Friday night was shot. We were heading to a graffiti party, which is a party were you wear white t-shirts and people write on them with markers. The group headed out and was ready to party. My shirt had funny to inappropriate comments, which were written by friends or stranger. When it came to my roommates turn, she wrote on my back and giggled. I left thinking nothing off it until the next morning. I found her comment in plain bold letters on the back of my shirt, and there was no way she could deny it was her.
My father is black, and my mother is white. I have never looked at myself as one race, so to be classified as such by a small minded person made it feel worse. The part that made it most sickening, was that I had lived with the person who wrote it for about a month.
I hide the shirt in one of my draws in my room since my parents were coming later and I didn’t want to bombard them with this. I thought nothing of it for the past few weeks, blaming it on the fact that she had been drinking maybe; she wasn’t thinking clearly.
The content on the shirt didn’t really affect me until I saw that it wasn’t a mistake. Her mind was blocked off by crazy thoughts that someone had instilled in her, and I was the punching bag she decided to test them out on.
My roommate grew up in Johnstown, New York, 35 minutes out of Albany. The town demographic is over 90% white. She possibly grew up close minded and I was probably the first person of color for her to associate herself with. It was a shell shock for her, for she didn’t know how to communicate in an intelligent way without having a racist undertone.
I realized her writing “nigger” on my back wasn’t a joke or a misunderstanding a few weeks later. Time had passed and I didn’t think anything of the shirt incident anymore until one night at a friend’s house. I accompanied some friends to a small party at a friend’s house one weekend, we sat around and talking and playing beer pong.
My roommate ran track in high school and made it to Empires for high jumping, which is a big deal because the competition features the best from around the state. A mutual friend of ours asked her if she ever placed when she was there and her response was, “No black bitches could always jump higher than me.” I was within an ear shot of the comment and very offended, but yet again I said nothing.
In my mind I slowly started to piece everything together. My roommate was a racist and I was fed up with listening to the comments that spilled out of her mouth.
I called my parents and explained everything that was happening, they were appalled. My father made phone calls to the dean, and campus police. He sent me to set up meeting after meeting. We were looking for a solution.
The definition of a hate crime by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 states that “a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim… because of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.”
Plattsburgh State University has college policies too, and in my eyes their policies were broken. In section VIII of SUNY Plattsburgh Campus Handbook, under discrimination and harassment it states “with Federal and State anti-discrimination legislation, has adopted a complaint procedure for the prompt and equitable investigation and resolution of allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, nation origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or marital status.” Clearly, I was being discriminated against based on my race.
My father sent me to University Police. I sat down for an interview and was told to bring the shirt. In the end they said she had not committed any crime. Chief of University Police, Arlene Sabo, stated that there was certainly a bias relationship, but the culprit would have had to deface my property without my permission. I invited people to write on my shirt, so it is not against the law.
The police weren’t able to do anything since it wasn’t considered a hate crime. When asked about the incident Sabo said, “Why anyone would think that was appropriate baffles me.” If I had not invited individuals to write on my shirt and her comment stood alone, in all sense it would have been considered a hate crime.
Sabo said “No one is condoning what the person said.” The college tried to smooth over the situation by setting up meeting with me and my roommate to find some resolution to the problem.
The only problem with the definition of a hate crime is there is no grey line it’s either black, white or nothing else. But what about those crimes that are committed for the purpose of hate? They fall into that grey line, so what about those victims?
I brought the issues up to my roommate, but it didn’t go over so well. She believed that she had done nothing wrong. Her response was “I’ve never lived with you people, I don’t know how to act around you people.” She didn’t comprehend how she was classifying me as a group rather than an individual. I asked her if she knew who Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was, she looked at me as if I had two heads and said “no.”
I wondered how could someone be so cut off from the world around us, she didn’t even know about the man whose accomplishment we celebrate annually.
The Center for Diversity, Pluralism, and Inclusions (CDPI), Outreach Coordinator Kevin Pearson explained that there is plenty of racism here at Plattsburgh, but it does not fall into the definition of a hate crime. CDIP deals with less than the amount of racial issues that occur on campus, many students don’t feel comfortable enough to come forward, there not sure of the aftermath. Each semester there are two to four instances that CDPI will work with, said Pearson.
Pearson explains CDPI’s idea of Dual Victimization. The one who makes the remarks and is a racist, but there is something that contributed to what created this multiply factors they have become victims as well, 18 years of teaching one way can be hard to undo.
Plattsburgh State though is doing a lot to open the minds of their students. In the class diversity through film about 200 to 300 students pass through the class each year. Some of the students see a new light on things, some don’t, but being able to change just a few is the point of the class. You cannot change the world in a second; it takes time to break down barriers and old habits.
Dean of Students, Stephen Matthews, say the college is trying to bring diversity and understanding to the campus. Matthews has taken over orientation since 2000, and he says that they have been putting on a diversity workshop since before he started. The workshop went from a few minutes to an hour long. Is it going to change people outlooks, maybe not, but it will give them something to think about stated Matthews.
There are many close mind people who are here, and Matthew’s know and understands that. When asked how he felt about people having these ideas he stated, “If you choice to have those options it’s not against the law.” “I would like to think we have more open minded people then close minded,” said Matthews.
Plattsburgh State has an average of two or less hate crimes on its campus each year stated Matthews. From 2006 to 2008 there have been an average of two hate crimes on Plattsburgh States campus, as seen in the SUNY Plattsburgh Crime Statistics
What happened to me wouldn’t be considered a hate crime in the book of the law, but to many others it was. My rights were violated by another human being with an ill-intent behind it. The college did everything to find some way to prove to me that they were working in my favor. They had me sit down with my roommate and discuss the issues. To me the problem was never resolved. I still have a grudge on the school as a whole. I was put through hell, and no justice was served because I fell in between that grey line.
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