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.”

Alex

Another dead after attack on beach

Amity Island suffers another tragic loss, as a young boy has been killed in what appears to be a shark attack this afternoon.

Alex Kintner, 10, of Mayfair Court, was floating on a rubber raft when the attack occurred around 2 p.m. Shortly after, the destroyed raft floated ashore with what appeared to a large bite taken out of it. The boy’s body has not been recovered.

Police Chief Martin Brody released a statement saying that this incident may be related to the death of Chrissie Watson, 17, whose body washed ashore this morning after she disappeared into the water Sunday night.

Before the attack this afternoon, the beach was relatively calm, though packed with an excited crowd. Kintner was one of many children who had flocked to the water with toys and rafts.

Kintner was seen pulled under, followed by splashing water and a surge of blood. Chief Brody, who was visiting the beach with his family at the time, ran to the edge of the water, shouting for swimmers to get out.

Those who had been peacefully swimming created a stampede as they quickly exited the water. As the chaos settled, Kintner’s mother Marion remained at the edge of the beach, calling her son’s name. When her son’s mangled and bloody raft washed ashore, Kintner’s panic only worsened.

Marion Kintner is now being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital. No other injuries have been reported from this afternoon.

Chief Brody has urged citizens and the press not to jump to conclusions regarding the source of the attack. With Amity Mayor Larry Vaughn, Brody expressed his condolences to the Kintner family regarding the loss of their son.

A special meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall to discuss Chief Brody’s plan to close the beaches on July 4. Also to be discussed is the Kintner family’s reward for the perpetrators of the attack, and fisherman Quint’s offer to hunt down the shark he believes is responsible for this incident.

The police department remains skeptical as to the source of these attacks. In a press release, Brody said that these incidents “could maybe have possibly been linked to possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity.” The investigation is ongoing. 

Chrissie

Body of teenage girl found washed up on beach

Amity Village Police Department is investigating the death of Amity High School senior Chrissie Watson, after her mangled body was found washed up on the beach this morning.

Watson, 17, of 23 Sharkstooth St., was last seen leaving a party Sunday night when she decided to go swimming. She entered the water at a remote section of South Beach, near the South Beach buoy.

Christopher P. Hoggenbottom III, a sophomore at Trinity College and formerly of Amity Island, notified police at 6 a.m. this morning that Watson never returned from the water. He was the last one to see Watson alive as they left the party together Sunday night around 11 p.m.

Partygoer Erika Duperville said she had seen Watson talking to Hoggenbottom Sunday night, and that he followed her as she left the party. “She didn’t seem intoxicated at all,” said Duperville, “but Hoggenbottom had a couple beers.”

In a press conference, Police Chief Martin Brody said that they are not looking at any suspects at this time.  Police reported that a shark attack has not been ruled out as the cause of the attack, but alcohol and drugs may have also been involved.  

“There hasn’t been a shark attack in years,” said Brody, “if there’s ever been one at all. It can’t be ruled out, but neither can any other possibility.” Brody said that there is no present danger to the islanders, and that the beaches will remain open as the investigation continues.

Police Deputy Jay Hendricks found Watson’s body washed ashore this morning. It appeared as though she had been severely mauled, though the attacker is unknown at this time. Her body was transported to the coroner’s office for autopsy. No charges have yet been filed.

Watson was an active member of the Amity Island community. She worked as a lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs, and competed as a member of the varsity swim team at her high school.

Sunday, bloody Sunday

A violent shootout and car chase left five dead Sunday afternoon, including a veteran New York City policeman.

At 4:08 p.m. Sunday, New York City Police Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle fatally shot suspected assassin Pierre Jeantot, 36, of Nice, France. The shooting took place at the 15^th St. elevated railway station after Jeantot crashed the hijacked train and attempted to escape.

Doyle was leading an investigation on Jeantot, who had allegedly been working for a French drug kingpin. Jeantot is suspected to have been involved with a crime syndicate planning a major heroin shipment from France to New York.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, the deadly shootout began in a local park, where Jeantot fired several shots at Doyle from the roof of apartment 1767 W. 57^th Ave. One of these bullets struck and killed Betty B. Badluck, 63, of the Bronx, who had been walking her daughter outside the building.

Witness Kelly Gavin, 21, says the incident happened so fast, she barely had time to react. “I heard three or four shots fired, and then someone yelled ‘Get down, get out of the area!’ I looked over and a woman was lying on the ground.”

Pursued by Doyle, the suspect fled the apartment building and jumped onto the train at the 35^th St. Station. On the ground below, Doyle commandeered a car from a bystander in order to follow the train’s route.

Courtney Kaslow, 21, was on the train when the suspect entered the car. “I heard someone outside,” said Kaslow, “yelling, ‘that man is wanted by the police,’ which was when he began running through the train cars.” According to Kaslow, Jeantot was chased by police officer Roland Evans, 34, of Brooklyn, through two train cars before he fatally shot the NYPD veteran.

Witnesses say that Jeantot then hijacked the train, approaching trainman Peter Howe, 27, of Queens, saying that if he stopped the train, he would kill him. Instead of making its usual stop, the train surged through the 25^th St. Station.

Panic ensued as Howe suffered a heart attack at the controls of the train. Witnesses say conductor Horatio C. Hornblower, 30, of White Plains, attempted to reason with the frantic Jeantot, telling him to put the gun down. Jeantot instead shot Hornblower in the chest, killing him.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, Doyle continued his chase of the train by following its route from underneath the rails. Liz Williams, 20, was walking on the sidewalk as Doyle’s car flew past her. “He was driving like a madman,” she said. “He was completely blindsided by another car, but he just kept going. He was swerving to avoid hitting pedestrians, but he never stopped.”

The dangerous chase came to an end when Jeantot rear-ended the speeding train into another train stopped on the tracks at the 15^th St. Station. Doyle pulled his car up to the bottom of the platform, where he waited for Jeantot.

Bystander Sandy Marsters said he saw the final shootout from the ground. According to Marsters, Jeantot climbed out from between the train cars and began coming down the platform stairs. “He had this bewildered look on his face,” said Marsters about Jeantot.

Marsters said that Doyle limped over to the platform stairs, where he leaned on the railing. “He looked hurt,” Marsters said, “and when he yelled ‘stop,’ or ‘I’ll shoot,’ he sounded tired.” Jeantot began to slowly descend the stairs, but as Doyle drew his revolver, he quickly turned around. Doyle delivered one deadly shot into Jeantot’s back, killing him.

In a statement released by New York City Police commissioner Ruth L. Ess, Doyle was commended for his bravery, though the loss of life was unfortunate. The statement also said that the NYPD will “continue a vigorous and thorough investigation into what appears to be a major smuggling operation.”

"Is there, like, a Zumba Transit in South Portland?"

The Johns lists just keep coming.

The Maine Zumba prostitution scandal is a story that hits home for me. Literally. Since the debacle that occurred when the client list was released, in which only names were stated, now lists are being released with the clients' full names, ages, and addresses. 

It's hard not to become engrossed in this developing story since I recognize so many of the names on the lists. Many of the men are prominent public figures who I've seen on television, whose businesses I've been to, who are related to kids I went to high school with, and most recently, who live down the street from me. Yep. That creepy house down the road just got a little bit creepier.

While this story may not still be making national headlines, it's still causing a lot of talk in Maine. More and more names are being released each week. One woman at my mom's office was ready to celebrate the release of last week's list, bringing in donuts and coffee for those who would read it with her. She wasn't in much of a celebratory mood once she saw her best friend's dad on there. 

Avoiding showing up on the list is, of course, completely possible. All the men have to do is plead guilty to the charges and pay a fine. I honestly don't know why more men haven't done this, but the names keep coming.

So far, Alexis Wright has plead not guilty to over 100 charges of prostitution. Wright and her "pimp," Mark Strong, are asking for separate trials.

Vote your heart out, America.

Today's the day, guys.

After tonight, all those political ads will be replaced with Christmas commercials, political volunteers will stop calling us at the absolute worst hours to ask if we've registered to vote, and hopefully Obama will be re-elected. Come on, he's a pretty cool guy.

I've definitely paid more attention to this campaign season than any other, which is probably a good thing since this year, I became a first-time voter. Filling out my absentee ballot was pretty exciting. My mom even took pictures.

All I can say is that it's so incredibly important for you to get out there and vote, whether it's on a absentee ballot, or in person at the polls. Personally, I wish I had gone in person. I wanted the sticker. It's actually a pretty big deal, so I'm having my friend see if she can snag me an extra. But seriously, you gotta do it.
In a world where many people aren't given the right to vote for who they want, why wouldn't you want to simply celebrate the fact that you have that right? You can vote for whichever candidate you want, without fear of oppression or persecution. Hell, you can fill in the bubbles so that they spell out a secret message. But, actually don't do that. Make your vote count. Help choose your future. I know, I know, "What does one stupid vote matter?" It matters because if that sentiment catches on, we end up with an apathetic nation. Also, you have no right to complain about the results if you had no input. Who doesn't love a good tirade about the government sucking, am I right?

I'm not eloquent, and I'm hardly persuasive, but if anyone ever pays attention to anything I say, I want it to be this: hit the polls, make an impact, decide your future.

Hurricane Sandy blows through Durham

Those who weren’t evacuating the UNH campus this weekend could be found battening down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, which was set to hit New Hampshire on Monday.

UNH sent out a curtailed operations notice at 5 p.m. on the Friday before the storm hit. This notification stated that the university would curtail operations and cancel all classes from 4 a.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Emails from Chief of Police Paul H. Dean were continually sent out to campus residents over the weekend and into the beginning of the week. On Sunday, students living “within a reasonable driving distance” were urged to leave the UNH campus before the storm hit.

Brian Carpenter, a UNH sophomore, took heed of these warnings. “There were a bunch of emails saying if we lost power there was no backup,” he said, “so we would all have to evacuate to the Whitt or something. My friend Joe is an RA, and he told me to just go home because it was really going to suck if we lost power.”

In an email sent out on Friday, Chief Dean wrote that widespread power outages could be expected as a result of the storm. UNH draws its power from both a co-generation plant, and Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH). Currently, the co-generation plant is offline for maintenance, leaving PSNH as UNH’s only power source. If the storm caused an outage at PSNH, UNH would have no back-up power supply.

The UNH emergency planning group met Monday morning to discuss storm preparations. Holloway and Philbrook dining halls were open only until 1 p.m. but students could pick up a box dinner to bring back to their dorms. Memorial Union Building closed at 2 p.m. and the Dimond Library remained closed all of Monday.

These modified hours gave some students reason to leave campus. Kally Riddinger, a junior at UNH, said she left mainly because she had no food in her dorm, and didn’t want to deal with going to the dining halls during the storm. “If I didn’t have food,” she said, “I probably would have been really upset.” Riddinger left UNH for her home in Pelham, NH, Sunday night and returned to campus Tuesday.

By Monday afternoon, Governor John Lynch issued a State of Emergency for New Hampshire. Motorists were advised to be off the roads by 3 p.m. and 100  National Guard members were put on active duty to help prepare for the storm.

Hurricane Sandy officially hit New Hampshire Monday evening, with strong rain and gusts up to 70 mph. The storm was categorized as a Category 1 hurricane by Monday night.

Parts of the UNH campus lost power around 9 p.m. Monday night. Ryan Thiebauth, a junior at UNH, noted the brief loss of power at his dorm in the Sercs. “I don’t care if we lose power,” he said, “I’m still not evacuating. My bed is here, and it’s comfy and warm. I’ll just go to sleep; I don’t need power for that.” He said the power came back on about an hour and a half later.

In the aftermath of the storm, Hurricane Sandy left around 137,000 PSNH customers without power, affecting over 100 New Hampshire towns. According to PSNH, 21 percent of Durham experienced a power outage during the storm. Nationwide, Hurricane Sandy has left over 2 million people without power.

At his home in Lunenburg, Mass., Carpenter experienced a loss of power than the UNH campus. “I kind of wish I didn’t go home,” he said. “We lost power for 10 hours, and UNH barely lost power. I was so pissed.”

Hurricane Sandy began brewing in the Caribbean in mid-October, but only hit the East Coast of the United States on October 27. Since then, it has caused mass power outages an flooding across many states. Several sources put the death toll near 50.

Despite the gravity of the storm, Hurricane Sandy has garnered attention through various Internet “memes” and through various Twitter accounts that tweet comments like “IT’S RAAAAAAAAAININ MEN. LITERALLY. I JUST PICKED UP A BUNCH OF DUDES AND THREW THEM.”

However, not even these jokes and puns could distract everyone from the destruction already caused. Chayanna Acevedo, a UNH senior said, “Sandy wasn't that intense here, but that doesn't mean others were not tragically affected elsewhere. People need to stop making stupid jokes and saying it was ‘weak’.” By comparison, Sandy is both wider and stronger than last August’s Hurricane Irene.

“My family, friends and home are safe,” said Acevedo. “Not everyone can say that after these past two days. People need to stop to think how blessed we are.”