Explaining a Concept

Sick as a Pig

The book “Killer Germs” colorfully depicts the disasters that can come from outbreaks of microbes and diseases that threaten humanity. “The story begins on February 4, 1976. Private David Lewis, stationed at the Fort Dix army base in New Jersey, was suffering from a bout of flu. Nonetheless, he foolishly went on a five-mile march in the dead of winter. Following the march, suffering from high fever and respiratory distress, he collapsed and died. Young, healthy men do not usually succumb to influenza” (Zimmerman 144).

The Swine flu or H1N1 virus has once again made a prevalent breakout in the world as it did in the early 1900’s and the 1970’s. This virus is very mysterious taking the lives of even the healthiest of our population. Having originated years ago, many of the general public do not know much about the very dangerous virus. If we do not educate ourselves properly about the H1N1 virus, we may find ourselves running into similar problems that we have faced in the past.

The world was plagued by illness in 1918. The rapid spread of the “Spanish Flu” took the lives of 20 million people worldwide (Zimmerman xii). The Spanish Flu was caused by the influenza strand of H1N1, which is also the strand of influenza that causes Swine Flu (Morilla 30). Never before had this particular strand of flu been affecting humans. In the summer of 1918 the cases of H1N1 infection was moderate until it broke out worldwide, infecting one third of the entire population. Many of the infected suffered from fevers higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit and lung infection. Most of the deaths were from bacterial lung infections that moved in during the battle with the virus (Swine Flu). The virus went dormant in humans until its second outbreak in 1976.

While the virus in humans was dormant from 1919 to 1975, the virus was still affecting the pig population. In 1931 swine flu exploded in Iowa. They “found sick pigs all over the place”(Crosby 298). The virus stayed amongst pigs until 1976 when the virus jumped to humans.

In 1976, with the infection of Private David Lewis with H1N1, many feared the worst. By the end of January, Fort Dix medical commander Colonel Joseph Bartley had a widespread flu problem on his hands. Over 300 recruits were hospitalized and quarantined with flu like symptoms (Garrett 154). These numbers caused a great stir with the government officials. On March 24, less than two months after the death of Private Lewis, President Gerald Ford met with a blue-ribbon panel of the world’s top virologists. The doctors convened and came to a conclusion that the dangers were great enough to warrant a nationwide vaccination program. The United States government made a grave mistake with the Swine Flu vaccine in 1976. By October 14^th, twelve people had died from complications of the vaccine and others were diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain Barré syndrome (Zimmerman 145). The vaccination created more problems than the actual virus did. Hopefully future vaccines do not have similar complications.

The most recent outbreak in the spring of 2009 caused the Mexican government to close most of Mexico City’s public and private offices and facilities to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico to be a pandemic. From there the virus has spread globally killing 6,508 people to date (CDC).

The signs and symptoms of the Swine Flu are just like those of the seasonal flu: fatigue, headaches, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, cough, loss of appetite, muscle aches, and vomiting (Swine Flu). You should take these everyday steps to prevent yourself from contracting the virus. 1. Wash your hands often with soap and water. 2. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. 3. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth. 4. Try to avoid contact with sick people (Swine Flu).

There have been 3 confirmed cases of H1N1 at Fairfield University this semester and the number of cases will only increase if students do not take proper precautions (Fairfield University). The virus is easily transmitted at colleges because students live in close spaces in the dormitories. Fairfield University is taking many precautions setting up hand sanitation centers all over campus and quarantining those with flu like symptoms. Those who have been experiencing flu like symptoms are sent home. Students who test positive for the H1N1 virus are not able to return to school until the virus has become dormant (Fairfield University).

The outbreak of the H1N1 virus in 1918 was highly due to the poor health care system they had back then. Now, we are very advanced with our medical systems. The threat of a breakout the size of the one in 1918 is not imminent but we must take precautions to make sure we do not give the virus a chance to affect the majority of our population. As we saw in 1976 with the death of Private David Lewis, the virus can affect even the healthiest of our population.

Profile

The Man Behind the Frosted Glass

The clock reads 2:00 am; at first look, one wouldn’t suspect a soul to be in the Barone Campus Center. But amidst the ubiquitous darkness, emerges a man from his office, with the utter look of exhaustion and dismay on his face. Working long, tedious hours at his desk in seclusion, he eats, sleeps, and breathes FUSA. He attends endless meetings during the day and sacrifices much, even his summers, to do the job that he enjoys so much. Fairfield students know Jeff Seiser as FUSA president, and not much else.

Jeff is usually dressed in his political attire dawning a bright FUSA red. His tie often clashes with the shirt he is wearing and his shoes usually don’t match his belt. Walking over to the Levy for the FUSA election results party, Jeff is eager to stop and talk with many students that pass him. He politely says hello and extends a friendly hand. Jeff creates some small talk with the student but there is an extreme awkward silence after he says hello. After an awkward goodbye, Jeff continues nonchalantly on his way. The people seem to all stare and notice him as he strolls along with his noticeable presidential strut. “He holds himself like a proud peacock,” said Sal Aspromante a student in line at the Levy for food. “I have never actually met him but he comes off as a goofy guy,” said Dan McQueen, a freshman who is eager to receive his FYE credits for attending the event. “I never see him outside of FUSA. I actually wonder if he has a life outside of it.”

On stage at the Levy, Jeff reluctantly stands up in front of the group of students that has assembled and says a few words. He speaks softly and often is at a loss for words, sometimes stumbling on what he is trying to say. When he finishes he sits down and gives a large sigh of relief. He then continues to talk with other members of FUSA about future events they are planning. It is no surprise Jeff is sometimes at a loss for words; he appears to be overworked and stressed, but manages to pull it all off somehow.

Jeff had to face many tough decisions to get to where he is today. He tells me that in his junior year he was ready to study abroad at Regis University in England and was really looking forward to. When he found out that the elections for FUSA president were going to be at the same time as the trip he had to make a decision as to what to do. He decided that he needed to run for president. “I had to give up something that I really wanted to do, but now there is nothing else that I’d rather be doing than FUSA,” he says as he plops himself down into his rolly-chair.

“It all starts with me,” he says putting his feet up on his desk. Suddenly, Jeff seems to put up a politically correct barrier when speaking, trying to make sure he does not say the wrong thing. “I have to pick my entire cabinet. Before they chose in a manner that was more political. I have implemented a new interviewing process that is much more sufficient in finding the best people for the job.” Jeff bends over to the wall and points to his “Leadership” poster that pictured a flying V of geese. He asks, “Which one do you think is me?” He is eager to point at the bird in the back. “FUSA is about the John Doe’s not about the Jeff Seiser’s. It’s my job to push everyone around me to reach their highest potential and make FUSA the premier student government it should be.”

Seiser says he loves his role on campus, relishing ever minute of it. “Everyday I wake up looking forward to the challenges and adventures that awaits. Being FUSA President is my identity at Fairfield University.” Jeff often spends his Friday and Saturday nights in his office doing FUSA related work and talking to others about FUSA. “Jeff is a great kid and means well, he used to be shy but I think he's broken out of his shell a bit,” said Frank Fioretti, the FUSA Senate Leader. “He's very serious now and it's a little upsetting, he isn't much into partying or going out and having a good time. FUSA is his life and I don't know what he's going to do after graduation.”

When asked about his personal life, he responds with stereotypical answers. He is short and sweet not giving much detail, as his body grows tense. “At home he’s a mess,” said Frank Fioretti also a housemate of Jeff’s. “Whenever he brings home a drink from a fast food joint he'll leave it on his desk for days until the liquid starts to seep through onto his desk,” he said as he clumsily tried to prepare dinner in his apartment kitchen. “This has been going on for a year and he’s too stubborn to learn.”

Frank reveals other interesting facts about Jeff such as his extensive collection of history movies. “He's a history major, and if you ever came over our house and looked at some of the movies he has you'd realize that pretty quickly,” Frank said quickly motioning to the stack of History Channel DVD’s. Jeff is never seen alone with a woman and has never had a girlfriend. He also has a passion for Disney World and Mickey Mouse. Jeff says he has even pondered the possibility of someday being the man inside the Mickey costume. “I love Disney World. I’m a big fan. I actually just got back yesterday from Florida,” he said as he sports some bright red sunburns.

The hopeful 2010 graduate inspires to become a principal and superintendant someday. Jeff understands that success does not come without hard work and looks forward to the challenge ahead of him. Like his parents, he plans on teaching high school and will begin studying for a master’s degree in educational leadership. “I have challenged myself for four years and feel like I have succeeded here. I can’t wait to share what I know with my students like my professors have done with me.”

Fairfield has been Jeff’s home and FUSA has been his life for the past four years. He says he is now ready for a new beginning and it is time for him to move on. “I’m going to miss it everyday. I need to find a new passion and a new challenge. It’s time to expand my horizons,” he said as the emotion overwhelmed his face.

The clock reads 2:00 am; at first look, one wouldn’t suspect anyone to still be at school. But amidst the ubiquitous darkness, emerges a teacher from his classroom, with the utter look of exhaustion and dismay on his face. Working long, tedious hours with his students, he eats, sleeps, and breathes teaching. His students will know him as Mr. Seiser and not much else.

Live Like You Are Dying

Live Like You Are Dying

As I lay motionless on my back, I collect enough energy to open my eyes for the first time in hours. Staring straight up at the ominously gray sky, I start to scratch off the thick layers of salt that was caked onto my face and entire body. For a moment I had a hard time recognizing where I was. This was not like any other place I had ever been before, unknown and ambiguous to most. The heat was unbearable. Looking down at my arms, I was not sure if I was seeing correctly because the color of my skin was far more red than normal. I felt like there was no escape. I was trapped. This couldn’t be hell, could it? “No”, I thought to myself, this is far worse.

My family and I had never been out deep-sea fishing before and wanted to try it since we were in one of the best fishing spots in the world, St. Thomas. We chartered a boat called “Double Header” and as a group, we decided our destination would be the Second Sea Mount, a place our Captain Colin called his gold spot because he has always been overly successful with bringing in fish. Captain Colin, a man in his late thirties, seemed to be a man who knew his stuff. He had captained enormous tankers earlier in his career so we felt we were in good hands.

As we sailed out of the Sapphire Bay Harbor the sky was still as jet black as it was when I went to bed just a short while ago. An hour into the trip we passed the sister island to St. Thomas, St. John, when my older brother Danny started to notice the swells beginning to intensify. Simultaneously, he started to notice nausea overwhelming him. Within moments he darted to the side of the 40-foot Dorado and regurgitated the entire chocolate chip muffin he had for breakfast. This was just the start of the most memorable 15 hours of my life.

As I looked up from my most uncomfortable cooler bed, I started choking on a mouthful of salt water and I was convinced I was underwater. As I rolled my lifeless body over, I could only see gigantic mountains of foamy green water on each side of the mighty little Dorado. Even though the waves and swells had now reached the likes of 20 feet, the captain was still fishing.

Danny was hunched in the corner dry heaving. He had to keep consuming water so he would have something in his stomach to throw up. I guess that cooler that was filled with sandwiches and beer was more useful as a bed. It was amazing to see that Danny still had the energy to fish. As I lay motionless, I hear the blood-curdling screech of the fishing line go out as we had a hit. Danny almost turning deep blue in the face pulled in a fifty-five pound Wahoo. The fish shined so brightly even in the dreary weather.

The legendary Captain Colin, whom was used to the seas behaving the way they were, was not breaking a sweat. He kept on chugging along deeper into the gloomy abyss. All around us the waves crashed and the sky boomed. My trust in Captain Colin was diminishing by the second.

The boat was now consistently being thrown around and we were victims of one of the tail ends of a tropical storm. The boat was giving us all she had but that just did not seem to be enough. The hat that started the day on my head was now somewhere fifty miles back in the depths of the Caribbean Sea, thanks to the whipping winds that we had encountered.

This was not the trip I signed up for. We were supposed to be having a beer, fishing, and enjoying each other’s company. But no, instead we were fighting for our lives with no life vests on board. If one of us went over, we weren’t coming back. It seemed all I could do was pray that we somehow we would get back home safely.

Feeling frightened and overwhelmed with shock as to what was going on, I could not help but wonder the outcome. The end could be so near and I have only lived so little. I now regretted the insulting comments said to my mother before I left my house in Massachusetts. I wish I could go back home and hug her, tell her I love, her, and say I was sorry for what I said. Now instead, I can only hope that I am not put to rest in a frothy floating coffin.

As the storm intensified, the boat started to deteriorate. The bow started to slowly gain water and it was apparent we were going down faster than the Titanic. Waves were hitting the boat with brute force. As the boat slowly went under, my grip started to weaken. In the distance I saw the final wave that would terminate my time on the boat.

As the wave crashed into me, my body was engulfed and swallowed by the sea. Opening my eyes underwater and swimming to the surface, I franticly searched for Danny. There he was floating lifelessly. As I grabbed him, I saw captain Colin in the distance on a lifeboat. It took everything I had to swim over to the boat. The waves were simultaneously crashing over my head as I tried to bring my brother to safety.

As feelings of death grew closer and closer, my life flashed in front of me. All the great childhood memories of sledding down the hill next to my house with my brother started to bring a tear to my eye. Never again would I be able to make memories like that with my family.

Finally reaching the lifeboat was a relief, but the battle was not over. The small ten-foot lifeboat was our only hope of survival. As I sat cold and petrified for my life, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What if we do not come back?” The flow of “what if’s” kept running through my mind and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Every day is not promised to us. Today could always be our last. Living everyday to the fullest and not having any regrets has become a necessity as to how I now live my life. I always find myself giving back to others because I may not be able to share what I have to give the world tomorrow. When one is put into near death experiences, one can learn life lessons that can be taught nowhere else but in the moment of distress. Looking back at my experience, do I wish that I never stepped foot on that boat? No. I take everything that happened that day and grow from the experience. Living life in the moment is far more important than living life for the future.

The Power of the Spoken Word

Often when one is called unreasonable, people tend to think of someone who is difficult, high maintenance, and hard to get along with.  When reading the novel, Unreasonable Woman, the author Diane Wilson shares her unreasonable fight against pollution in her quaint bay in Seadrift, Texas. The book paints a great picture of her tedious fight against those polluting her precious bay, but after seeing her speak in person one might argue that her spoken word is much more effective than her written word.

            Diane Wilson exemplifies the strong Southern woman that is depicted in her heroic story. Wilson is definitely unreasonable, never stepping down to those who may get in her way of accomplishing what she has planned.  From the lunacy of hunger strikes to the sinking of her own shrimping boat, this woman has no boundaries as to where she will go.  Often difficult to please, Wilson usually gets her way, even if that means going to jail for what she believes in. Having an immense bond with the bay in Seadrift, Texas, Wilson only wants what is best for her bay. Many lawmakers, corporate officials, and townspeople will say that she is hard to get along with because Wilson does not respond to the word no. The resilience that is instilled in this woman is incredible and is what drives her to do what she does best, being unreasonable.

            Diane Wilson spoke with much enthusiasm and purpose. Standing up and taking her place at the podium she greeted everyone with a warm southern “How yall doin”. Right then and there she captured the attention of the audience with her in your face style and loud call for individuals to take a stand in what they believed in. Speaking about a story when she was on a hunger strike, Wilson brought up the point of how ignorant people were to shrimping , that a newspaper published “Stripper on Hunger Strike” on the front page of their paper. She carried the conversation very well for a person who had only obtained a high school education and was not used to speaking in front of people.  The Convocation was much more effective than the book.  

Wilson is just a regular woman fighting for a cause. Seeing her in person and listening to her speak really gives the reader a greater respect for what she has done. As in the book the language is written in the way she speaks, incorrect and with a thick southern drawl but when she speaks in person she exudes a strong aura of confidence. The use of this type of language creates a common ground between Wilson and her audience. Wilson shows the audience that even a “nobody” from Texas without an education can make a difference. Using many inspirational quotes such as Nelson Mandela’s, “We are often afraid of our greatness” and “People don’t put themselves at risk, things change when you put yourself at risk”, her message was much more clear and forceful when it was not hidden behind all of the EPA facts and regulations. She gave most a strong feeling of “you can do anything you want to” and “you don’t need nobody but yourself” to accomplish what your fighting for.

The effectiveness of the Convocation speech was exponentially more effective than reading the book. Wilson’s book creates a long time line of events that read off to the reader as lifeless and abhorring. Wilson and her editors try to convey a southern language that is used throughout the book, but that language is often outweighed by the overuse of metaphors and proper verbose language that publishing companies like to use.  The book tends to be more of a glorified story of the adventures of a crazy Texas woman who will go to point blank to get what she wants. The book does not allow the reader to understand the real person under the rugged shrimper because the book depicts her as a fierce creature that has one thing on her mind, herself.

Many times people’s messages can be much more effective and personal when you hear the person speak in person rather than through literature. Last year during the presidential election I read Barack Obama’s novel, Dreams From My Father. Being as conservative as I am, I do not care for Barack Obama, I but wanted to be more educated about the future president. I really did not like the book and felt just as empty as I had before I read it. I decided to take advantage of my opportunity to see the President speak. When seeing him speak he was able to convey a much stronger message. The speech brought what was in the book to life for me. I really felt that I understood his positions better from hearing him speak his story. The message was much clearer and stronger in person than through the literature.

            Wilson’s novel had a different effect of relaying the message to her reader than did the Convocation speech.  The message was much more concise and personal in the Convocation speech.  In the book the message was identifiable but the reader was bogged down with heavy facts about EPA standards that often distracted the reader from the central message. When seeing a person speak, their stories and messages come to life and create enthusiasm in the audience about what they are being told by the author. 

Reflective Essay

My overall goal for this essay/paper was to really wrack my brain to bring back all of the writing skills that I have learned throughout my life. I had not sat down in a classroom or sat down and written a paper since the beginning of April . Writing has always come as somewhat or a struggle for me so I really wanted to put all my effort into this paper to see what I could come up with.

            My thesis for the piece was that Diane Wilson’s message and purpose was much more well represented and received through the convocation speech rather than through the book that we were required to read.

            The audience for this piece of writing was my professor Dr. Simon. But on the other hand I wrote it for myself to look back on and learn from.

            The essay had changed quite a bit from the drafting process. I originally had decided to do more of a compare contrast facts within the book and the convocation speech, but later the idea and the facts for my new thesis jumped into my head and from there I drafted support for my argument.

            I liked the argument that I created because it was different than I had originally planned. I also used a personal experience to bring out a different light on the argument bringing it into reality.

            I encountered problems with the organization of my essay. In high school we tended to stick to the five-paragraph essay rather than creating our own template for that. At one point I had troubles separating the paragraphs.

            In high school we wrote a lot of essays on literature that we wrote and tried to pull the means of that literature out and create an argument from there. I tried to pull facts from the texts and speech to enhance the overall effect of the essay.

            I learned how to pull in real life experiences to enhance the creditability of the paper. I still need to sharpen my skills with transitions between paragraphs.

Thomas "Tucker" Bellingrath

Not everyone can say that they have flipped over a banister and lived to the next day to tell the story. Well, a very entertaining young man from West Hartford, Connecticut did just that.

Thomas Bellingrath, the eighteen-year-old Fairfield University student was given his name in commemoration of his grandfather. Later his mother decided that she would much rather call him Tucker and from there it stuck.

  Growing up going to private high school was fun for Tucker because he and his friends would often leave campus during the day and socialize in the center of town. The town that he resides in has a suburban make up but still has much to do for all.

  All through high school Tucker enjoyed the sport of running. He ran cross-country and track for four years, which was a very enjoyable experience for him.

            Tucker aspires one day to become successful in what ever it is that he may yearn to do. He would like to settle down by the age of thirty and start a family. But the most important thing is for him to be happy.