The Meeting

Killer shark caught and killed

On July 3, the shark that fatally attacked two young islanders earlier this week was caught and killed by fishermen in waters one mile south-west of Amity.

 “We believe we can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed,” Police Chief Martin S. Brody said in a press release. “Amity’s darkest days are behind us.”

The shark hunt began yesterday after news of a $3,000 reward for the person who caught and killed the shark responsible for the death of Alex Kintner, 10. Kintner went missing while swimming off the coast of Amity earlier this week. His cause of death was ruled as a shark attack.

Chrissie Watson, 17, also went missing in Amity waters earlier this week. Her remains were found washed ashore. While her cause of death was initially reported as a shark attack, it has since been changed to a boating accident.

The shark was brought ashore and inspected by Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Woods Hole, Mass. Oceanographic Institute, and one of the world’s foremost experts on sharks. Hooper identified the deadly animal as a tiger shark, one of the most brutal and dangerous breeds.

Brody also stated in the press release that all of Amity’s beaches will reopen immediately, after a decision made at an emergency town hall meeting closed the beaches for 24 hours. “I urge all our residents to recreate at the beaches,” said Brody. “Swim and have fun!”

Since the initial attack on Watson, rumors of this shark have scared away visitors to the island, which has hurt local businesses that thrive on summer tourism. Many concerned business owners attended the emergency town hall meeting to …

Brody has stated that, “islanders and guests should not be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters,” on the beaches. The spotters, sent in from local, state, and federal agencies are a precaution to calm the nerves of beachgoers.

Any shark sighting should be reported to authorities at the toll-free hotline, 1-800-SHARKSEE.

Jaws tweet 2

James Oaks, 30, of Oaks Bluff, ruled as 3rd victim of Amity Beach shark attacks at 1:30pm today; beaches closed until further notice

Jaws tweet

Injuries reported after panic caused by children's shark fin hoax on Amity beach.

"Look, Ma! I'm finally making a name for myself."

That's what I posted on my mom's Facebook wall with the link to my story that was published on http://www.tnhonline.com/ earlier today.

I think this is the first time I've ever really had anything published for the public to see. It's definitely the first news article I've had published on a legit news source, and honestly it's kind of exciting. I know everyone in the journalism program has to have had something published by now, so I'm no special snowflake, but it's still a pretty awesome feeling knowing that my work is of a high enough quality to be published.

I definitely feel like my work has improved a lot since the beginning of the semester. After all, one of the comments on my first piece was, "I'm not quite sure what your story is about." Thankfully, I've made some improvements since then. I think I've made big strides in narrowing in on what the story is really about, and making it something people want to read. I've gotten better at providing interesting angles, and engaging quotes in the best ways possible.

I've also discovered what it is that I actually enjoy writing about. I like writing community stories, stories that involve the people we know. My favorite articles to write were the ones about students getting involved, doing something new, and engaging others. My articles on HvZ, election day on campus, and students making a difference were the ones that I personally enjoyed writing the most, and also were my most successful stories.

While journalism isn't exactly the path I want to follow in the future, I did really enjoy this experience and I think I gained a lot of skills as a writer. And who knows, maybe I'll continue being a contributing writer for TNH. Because, as my mom commented on the Facebook link, I've done some "stellar reporting," so maybe I shouldn't just stop now.

I decided my blog was in desperate need of a picture of my cat.

This is Colonel. He's 15 years old, and the love of my life. When he's not eating, he likes to sleep. He can't move very fast because he's tremendously obese at 20 pounds, and he has arthritis in his legs. He fractured his two front paws and dislocated his hip a few months ago just by jumping off the counter. That's how fat he is. He's literally too fat for his own good.
When he gets excited or scared or surprised, sometimes his eyes start to go in opposite directions.
He's also transgendered.

Revised MCAT to launch in 2015 will increase work load for pre-med students

In a press release, Kaplan Test Prep announced that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has approved changes to the MCAT test that would make the road to medical school significantly harder for pre-med students.

Changes to the test include the addition of behavioral and social sciences, advanced science concepts in biochemistry, and expanded critical thinking. While the writing portion of the test is being eliminated in 2013, the revised 2015 test will still take seven hours—an hour and a half longer than the current test.

Katie Whittemore, Pre-Professional Health Programs Advisor at UNH, supports these changes. “The 2015 MCAT is not designed to be harder,” Whittemore said, “but rather to reflect changes in medical education, and to add emphasis to the importance of the socio-cultural determinants of health.”

A Kaplan Test Prep survey reported that 40 percent of medical school admissions officers say that pre-med students’ course loads will increase as a result of the new MCAT. “Doubtless, the additional course requirements may upset or cause some stress for some pre-meds,” said Whittemore, “but I believe that the majority of serious pre-meds are up to the challenge.”

Gabriela Alvarez, a junior Biology major, is trying to remain unfazed by the revamped MCAT. “If this path is really truly your passion, there is always a way to make it work,” she said. “Besides, one test is not a reflection of your ability as a student nor does it determine your worth as a human being.”

The AAMC has said that many pre-med programs will have to revise their curricula to accommodate the changes to the MCAT. In Kaplan’s press release, Amjed Saffarini, Vice President of graduate programs, said that “the road to medical school will be more challenging, since pre-med students will need to learn significantly more material within the same amount of time.” The majority of admissions officers say this will better prepare pre-med students for medical school.

Whittemore said that this new, more intense course load will have its advantages. “I think the benefits could be new classes of pre-med students with a stronger understanding of the human aspects of health and healthcare,” she said, “and how those elements influence the patient-physician relationship, the course of treatment, and potential outcomes.”

The AAMC has released a preview guide for the 2015 MCAT on its website. The guide explains the reason behind the changes, as well as what information will be covered on the exam. In this guide, students can find example problems for each new section of the test.

Alvarez suggested that the practice exams offered by the AAMC are a great way to prepare for the test. “In my opinion,” said Alvarez, “practice problems are the most useful thing available to you.” The AAMC has said that a practice test for the 2015 MCAT will be released in 2014.

Whittemore suggested taking advantage of this preparation method, saying that the best thing a student can do is take a full-length, timed practice exam. “The preparation can be intense,” she said, “and dedication and time management is a must.” Whittemore also strongly advised that students creating a strict study schedule for the exam.

The new MCAT will first be administered in the spring of 2015. While the MCAT score is only one part of a medical school applicant’s profile, it does play an important role in admissions, according to Whittemore. “The new test,” said Whittemore, “essentially forces pre-meds to think beyond the scientific material and explore other important aspects of health and healthcare. I think that time will show that this is a good thing.”

An opportunity of a lifetime

Many college students spend their summer break working a part-time job, relaxing at the beach, or just taking advantage of the time off from class. This summer, UNH junior Andrea Blodgett decided to do something a little different with her time.

“How did I end up in Uganda this summer?” laughs Blodgett. “That’s a really good question.”
At 20 years old, Andrea Blodgett hadn’t done much travelling, and never strayed far from her small hometown of Scarborough, Maine. “When I found out I was going to go,” Blodgett said, “I immediately started crying. It was terrifying.”

At UNH, Blodgett is an occupational therapy major, and an active member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), Christian Impact, and YoungLife Leadership. After class, she drives to Dover for her job as a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten classroom. For Blodgett, devoting herself to others comes second-nature.

Blodgett had heard about the chance to make a five-week mission trip to Uganda during her freshman year. The more she looked into it, the more she realized she wanted to be a part of it.

“I was shocked to read about some the issues facing Uganda right now,” Blodgett said. “I decided I wanted to do something to help if I could, so I just signed up and a couple months later, I was there. I never expected that I would ever do something like that.”

Blodgett admittedly also didn’t expect what she was getting herself into. In the middle of the spring semester of her sophomore year, she began reading books and attending seminars about Ugandan child soldiers and prisoners of war. “They really opened my eyes to a lot of social justice issues that were happening,” said Blodgett, “which was never something I expected to get so worked up about, but it’s just so unfair what’s happening over there.”

On June 2, Blodgett arrived in Kampala with a group of 20 other students from colleges around New England, who were all a part of their schools’ IVCF chapter. From there, the IVCF team paired up with a group of 12 student representatives from Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS) Uganda to begin work.
“Working with the Ugandan students was a great opportunity,” said Blodgett. “They were all college students or they had just graduated, and they were so welcoming and friendly. They really cared about us.”

FOCUS Uganda is an evangelical ministry movement spearheaded by college students. The organization not only leads Christianity talks in high schools and college, but also in the surrounding slums of Mulago, Kalerwe, Katanga and Kavule. Their goal is to bring education, support, and empowerment to the community.

Blodgett’s work with FOCUS Uganda began in the slums of Kampala, doing community outreach through door-to-door evangelism. “The first day was the hardest,” Blodgett said. “I was walking around wondering why I was there, thinking I had no right to be there telling these people they need Jesus in their lives because I don’t know what it’s like for them. Why would they want some rich white girl telling them how to live?”

Fortunately for Blodgett, her fears were calmed by the receptive community she found in Kampala. “The people there were surprisingly welcoming,” she said. “They understood that we were also learning, and trying to understand what they were going through by experiencing it first-hand.”

After three weeks in Kampala, the IVCF team moved north to Gulu to work with former prisoners of war in a sports outreach ministry. The team helped with medical clinics, and with teaching life skills, such as farming, agriculture, and sports. “We did a lot of therapy through soccer,” said Blodgett light-heartedly, “which I was absolutely terrible at.”

In Gulu, Blodgett was introduced to an environment unlike any she had ever experienced. “We met a lot of people who were in some hard situations,” she said. “Severe poverty, no clean water, healthcare or healthy food. There’s still a lot of joy there, even with all the suffering. We met former child soldiers who were so affected by the war, it was hard to hear their stories and fully realize they lived through that.”

Blodgett’s mission didn’t end in Uganda. Upon returning to UNH, she created a university chapter for ChildVoice, a Christian organization aimed at helping children affected by war. As president of the chapter, Blodgett is in charge of recruiting members, fundraising, and educating others about the ongoing suffering in Uganda. “When you’re a child abducted into a war environment,” said Blodgett, “your development is interrupted. When you spend ages eight to 15 fighting for your life, you grow up in a different way. ChildVoice gives them spiritual, emotional, and vocational counseling basically to rehabilitate them after that.”

Looking back on her experience this summer, Blodgett is thankful she didn’t let her small-town cold-feet get to her. “I realized I had an opportunity to go and love these people,” she said, “and I wasn’t about to turn that down. I felt like God was calling me towards it, and doors were opening for me.”

Doors keep opening, and opportunities keep coming for Blodgett, who has recently been offered the chance to return to Uganda this upcoming summer for an occupational therapy internship. “I never imagined I’d be going there once,” she said, “and now, to be able to go back again, it’s more than I could ask for.”