Continuum 18: Sociology as Science

Professor Henry Schissler talks with host Brandon T. Bisceglia about the role of the scientific method in the field of sociology, where research meets with ideology, and what challenges this interaction poses for both.

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About Horizons

Student Senate Updates: November 5-12, 2009

Note: Due to an error in the final issue of Horizons for the Fall of 2009, the original version of this article was not printed in full. The complete version is posted here.

By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Co-Editor in Chief

New Standards Committee Forms, Finds Footing

November 5, 2009 - HCC’s newly created Standards Committee convened for the first time on Thursday to review its mission, assign positions, and consider specific tasks for the future.

Though long enshrined in and mandated by the Senate’s Constitution and Bylaws, the committee has not existed at the college in recent memory. It is the third of five committees meant to handle facets of the Senate’s duties that too complex for the general meetings to spend significant amounts of time tackling.

The other two up and running are the executive committee, which has never been inactive for long, and the activities committee, which started having regular meetings last semester.

The four Senators chosen for the Standards Committee are Treasurer Konrad Mazurek, Secretary Michael Belletzkie, Meoba Nsenga, and Alain Cesar.

Before it could make headway through the many issues pressing upon it, the committee first had to choose a chair to oversee proceedings. Belletzkie offered himself for the task, and was quickly accepted by the others.

Next, to make sure that everyone was on the same page, the committee reviewed its guiding principles according to the Bylaws. As listed in Article III, Section A, their purpose is threefold:

1. To review and recommend changes to constitutions, bylaws, rules governing the Student Senate and or affiliated organizations.

2. To provide the Student Senate with a quasi-legal committee that will investigate and recommend to the Student Senate disposition of cases involving infraction of its rules by members of the Senate.

3. To assist individuals and groups affiliated with the Senate in complying with the rules of the organization.

“Not only do we have to try and correct any wrongs that are done,” said Belletzkie after reading the third mandate to the group. “We should prevent them, if possible.”

The committee resolved to correct the small typographical errors in the Constitution and Bylaws as its first task. The original documents are currently riddled with misspellings and grammatical inconsistencies. This action does not require any changes to the meaning of any clauses, and therefore could go forward without a vote from the student body. It also gave the committee members a chance to better familiarize themselves with their own guidelines, presumably leaving them better prepared for future meetings.

Acting Director of Student Activities suggested the committee begin enforcing several other policies. These included a swifter, broader dissemination of information to parties within and outside of the Student Senate; updating the Senate’s bulletin board; and making sure that clubs fill out event evaluation forms after trips and events occur.

Mazurek touched on the pending club audits that needed to be performed to ensure that Student Activity Funds were not abused. Belletzkie noted that this would be a joint effort with the Finance Committee (the only Standing Committee yet to be enacted) once it had been formed.

The initial meeting’s other primary focus was to develop a regular schedule. It was agreed that Acting Parliamentarian Jacqueline Leo should be present as often as she could, which limited their options. Nsenga also mentioned that she was only available on Thursdays. The group came to the conclusion that they would meet bi-weekly on the Thursdays that larger Senate did not meet, with the option to hold emergency meetings as needed.

Robert’s Rules of Order, written in 1876, is the Student Senate’s guide to parliamentary procedure.
Image courtesy of www.bioteams.com.

As Wesley Resigns, Senate Moves Forward

November 12, 2009 – The Student Senate lost one of its key members on Thursday with the resignation of President Kirk Wesley.

Wesley claimed that the primary reason was because of the work he was doing for the college’s You Can Do It program, which is geared towards assisting minority males from local schools (and some who were recently incarcerated) make a successful transition into college.

“I’m sad to be resigning,” he said, “but I feel like my time and attention is needed elsewhere.”

Wesley said that he was having difficulty juggling both the Student Senate and his other obligations, and that his decision was due in part to the fact that the Senate had gotten to a point where it would “be okay without me.”

Other Senators praised Wesley’s performance during his time of service. Acting Vice President Chad Hunter said to him, “Some people spend their entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference. You shouldn’t have that problem.”

Treasurer Konrad Mazurek, who, aside from Senator Meoba Nsenga, has been a part of the group longer than anyone else currently serving, looked back to his early days working with Wesley as the Senate attempted to reestablish itself.

“Through your work we were given the vehicle to represent ourselves as students again,” he said. “Until those three individuals [Wesley and former presidents Kaitlyn Shake and Lillie Nguyen] went to the school President and said that this student body really needs to be allowed to use its own constitution to represent itself; up until they decided to get somebody involved to teach us Parliamentary procedure, it was a relatively authoritarian environment in this office…what they achieved in that year going into this semester is fabulous, considering they had to rebuild it from scratch.”

“I want to thank you for your time,” concluded Mazurek, “and I’m looking forward to being friends with you for a long, long time to come.”

In his absence, a new president will have to be appointed until a school-wide vote can be held in the spring. Hunter would normally be next in line. However, he has not yet spent a whole semester on the Senate, and was himself reluctant to accept the position, given his lack of experience. Acting Parliamentarian Jacqueline Leo told the senators that he could technically take the position on the same grounds that he now acts as Vice President. However, the issue was left unclear, as Hunter felt he needed a few days to consider whether he was ready for the new role.

Senator Joy James also resigned on the grounds that she was no longer attending HCC.

As if to confirm Wesley’s hope that the governing body could get along on its own, the Student Senate ran through the rest of its agenda with the ease that has become typical of most meetings, even though Acting Director of Student Activities Linda Bayusik was absent. Most notably, they approved the newly assembled Healthstyle club, which had had its consideration tabled previously because of a missing clause – specifically, the clause that obliges members to follow the policies of the Office of Student Life.

The Senate also discussed creating a policy to review IDs at student events. The initiative was brought in reaction to a recent stabbing at UCONN. Some of the details, such as whether to collect IDs and return them on the way out and how to handle guests, required more investigation, so the issue was tabled until the following meeting.

Another proposed trip to see the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in New York City was rejected, because the matter had not been discussed with Bayusik, and she would not return in time to make the trip feasible.

In the very last moments of the meeting, Wesley faced one last moment of contention. Senator Vincent Schiavone began complaining about a personal issue he had had at the Senate-sponsored Halloween party. When Wesley and several other senators attempted to end the discussion, Schiavone kept talking. Wesley pounded his gavel for silence, and reprimanded his fellow senator.

“Please excuse yourself,” he said. “This is not the appropriate time to bring it up. If you want to talk about it, talk about what happened to your stuff at the executive meeting. This is the general assembly; you’re complaining in front of everybody about something that nobody knows what you’re talking about.”

With the mood thus soured, the meeting was adjourned.

Too Much Or Too Little This Holiday Season?

By Marissa Ortiz

Staff Writer

Note: Due to a production error, this article did not appear, as it should have, in Issue 3 of Horizons.

The question is too much or too little, during the Holiday season? When it comes to gift shopping. it’s all about finding the right balance. Christmas is around the corner and most men and women are caught between what gifts to get their girlfriend or boyfriend, and what is a good spending amount.

Many girlfriends and boyfriends find it hard to buy the right Christmas gift during this time. They scramble about asking friends and family if they have found the right gift. Many worry about the spending amounts. Asking the question about how much they should spend on each other? Couples want to make sure that they get the right gift without splurging on a mass amount of things. It's a special time during the holiday season where they want to show that they care and that the gift comes from the heart, whether it’s simple or just fabulous.

In my own experience I’ve had difficulty finding gifts for my boyfriend because I didn’t know whether to purchase a big gift, or a little gift that had a big meaning. Many frustrations arise at Christmas time with boyfriend/girlfriend gift problems. If a person really wants to make their loved one happy they should get whatever that person wants. But if people are not planning to spend a whole lot there are many ideas and stores that sell things for cheap. Surely your significant other will be just as happy.

Marshall’s and TJ Maxx are always great places to shop when looking for Christmas gifts especially when you or your other half aren’t trying to spend more than $200 per say. Marshall’s and TJ Maxx offer department store brands such as Juicy Couture and Ed Hardy. The clothing and other products at these stores are much cheaper than if you were to go into a department store. HCC student Jessica Forlenzo is an avid TJ Maxx shopper. “I love TJ Maxx. Last year I got a Juicy Couture zip-up that was regular ninety dollars for only forty. I was so excited, I would definitely consider myself a bargain hunter,” says the 21-year-old shopper.

Shopping during sales are always good too because he or she probably wanted something so expensive and usually it goes on sale after a while during the holiday season. When it comes down to it, it’s okay to shop during sales. Many tend to feel like they are being cheap. It’s not about being cheap, but allowing yourself to be on a budget when everything is so expensive now a days. Plus you never know if the one you are shopping for could be the one!

I went to Marshall’s the other day and they were so many great sales. They had name brand clothes but for cheap: for example, Ralph Lauren Polo’s for men and women, American Eagle jeans, colognes and perfumes. All great stuff! If I were at the mall it would be so much more expensive. I know Target has great prices as well. They have those $1 baskets that would make cute, fun gifts. Kohl’s also has great sales. Between markdowns and coupons I was able to get a $200 Vera Wang ring for $22.50!

Lindsay Roman says, “I’m a discount shopper. I love to find things that my boyfriend will love, but if it’s too high for my budget, I’ll keep going back until it goes on sale. It usually always does, especially at the mall.” Macy’s always ends up having good sales too. I know a lot of times things can get pricy. But if you have coupons that always works wonders.

There are so many options when shopping for your significant other during the Christmas season. No need to stress about how much you may possibly be spending. There are so many stores that have great sales plus with coupons and markdowns it will make your Christmas shopping more enjoyable. Like they say, “Tis the season to be jolly!” So, no matter big or small just make sure the gift you give has a big meaning.

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REFRESHER MATH
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REFRESHER BASIC ALGEBRA
Date Range - Apr 10, 2010 - May 01, 2010
Day – Saturday
Time – 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Course Type – Non-Credit
Where – HCC Campus B107
Description – Course material including but is not limited to: beggining algebra with exponents, linear equations, inequalities, polynomials, formulas, factors, and graphing.

Image courtesy of www.babble.com

Continuum 17: Koch on Textbooks

(Click on the image for larger view)

Graphic courtesy of booklist.byu.edu

David Koch, Professor of History at HCC, speaks with host Brandon T. Bisceglia on the systemic problems of the textbook industry, and how they impact both students and teachers.

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Travel: Student Interest Survey

This survey is intended to gauge the level of interest students of Housatonic Community College have in traveling to other countries.

Take the Survey Here!

Image courtesy of www.elcamino.edu/studyabroad

Continuum 16: The Perils of Love, Pt. 2

In the second installment of this two-part series, host Brandon T. Bisceglia chats with Horizons Outreach Editor Deb Toresso, News You Can Use Editor Stephanie Mallozzi, and Distribution Manager Shadaya Montgomery about their experiences in relationships, as well as pop-culture myths, marriage, and divorce.

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Helping Our Furry Friends

By John Santora
Staff Writer

Photograph by John Santora

You may have noticed the “Animal Food and Supply Donation Drive” boxes in the library, the cafeteria in Beacon Hall and various other locations around campus. Housatonic Psychology Club member Susan Langer is heading this drive to bring food and supplies to the Stratford and Bridgeport Animal Shelters as well as Pet Protectors Pet Rescue Group in Fairfield.

“I am extremely passionate about the well being of our furry friends, which is why I am accepting donations after the official HCC Donation Drive is over. I will be accepting any and all donations until the last day of classes on Wednesday, December 9,” Langer says.

Donations can also be dropped at the Student Life Center, outside of the Nurse's Office, the Women's Center, and by Prof. Amico's office in BH-253. When all donations have been collected, Langer, along with other Psychology Club members, will be delivering the items personally to the shelters and rescue groups.

Shelters and rescue organizations, which give a second chance to animals, rely heavily, if not completely, on donations from the public. Any donations you make, including dog and cat food, cages and carriers, leashes, collars, blankets, comforters, and towels will be helpful and greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, comments or can be of assistance, please contact Susan Langer at susanrdh@peoplepc.com.

Fear of the Flu Video

By Peter Glagowski
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Special Delivery

Last Friday, the Women’s Center’s emergency food drive for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission ended. HCC students brought the collections to the mission; the recipients were all extremely grateful.











Photographs by Brandon T. Bisceglia

Did you Ever Love Me?

By Shadaya Montgomery
Horizons staff writer

We were together for four years. You lived across the street from me, and I never thought you would be the guy I ever fall in love with. I never thought I would fall in love period. How we met was really awkward, and I never thought we would last because of your reputation around the neighborhood. Something about you captured my heart and you had me for the long run.

Me and you were new to this and neither of us knew what to expect out of this love thing. We so didn’t know what we getting into, but as we got further into it, it wasn’t an easy thing to go through.

Trust and honesty are some very important factors of the relationship, and they hold together and make the relationship strong. The trust in our relationship just wasn’t there, I didn’t trust you and you didn’t trust me. Our non trusting relationship led to a downfall. A downfall that gave us more problems that was ongoing and kept resurfacing. And its not like we solve the problems either, all we did was sweep them under a rug and pretended like they were dealt with.

Then you went to college, and I became really insecure in our relationship. Stereotypically relationships do not last when you try to pursue a long distance one. I had trust in you, but I can’t say I didn’t have that thought in the back of my mind that you were cheating. But I knew you loved me way too much to do that to me so I just brushed the thought away. You told me over and over how you weren’t feeding into the temptation of the wild college life, and I believed you because I loved you and your words seem so sincere and heartfelt.

After your first year a college, I guess you felt that you had to come clean about your experience. It hurt so bad hearing the words flow out your mouth saying how you gave in to temptation so many times as if you couldn’t control your actions. And your reasons of doing those actions were so stupid. I asked “why didn’t you just break up with me?”

It was so hard swallow; I couldn’t believe what you told me. You say you held these secrets from me because you were protecting my feelings and didn’t want to hurt me. But if you love me like you said you did why you would bother to put yourself in those predicaments and follow through with the actions that would eventually lead to my heartache.

But I can’t say that I don’t love you still , but I’m not really sure if you really loved me it’s like way before you went to college I believed your love for me was true. So did it fade? Or did you realize that you wanted to be free? So many questions runs through my mind, and yet you cannot answer the majority of them.

Love sometimes can have a bittersweet feel to it. By falling in love with you I put my heart at risk of heartache. And heartache isn’t a feeling that anyone wants to feel, and it happens way too often in relationships no matter how much love there is in the relationship.

Father-to-be or Not-to-be

By Adrian Agosto
Staff Writer

Many people like to enjoy life; it is not a statistic but a fact. People enjoy life in many different ways; different hobbies like swimming, biking or hanging out with friends—who put smiles on their faces—and others even enjoy (oddly enough) working. Young people enjoy life by going out to parties, drinking and having sex. But what happens when fun goes too far for young people and they make a mistake that they will have to live with for the rest of their life. Example having a child from a female whom you had a one night stand with!

When I was 17 years old partying seemed to be the only way to enjoy life. Once I was done with work and received my check, I went out the door, into a car, and on my way to a party to get hammered. My friends and I always competed to get the most numbers from the many fine females that would be around. One night, I met this one female, we started to talk; talking led to dancing, dancing led to kissing, and kissing led me to a hotel room.

The next morning my new friend and I woke up, got ready to leave the room and went for breakfast at the hotel. We chit chatted for a while and laughed at stupid jokes. Once breakfast was over we went our separate ways. I knew her name and her phone number but that was all. I didn’t want a relationship with her since I did not respect her as much as a female with whom I would take my time getting to know.

A month had gone by and I was still being a guy/dog. After my night at another party I went home to sleep off everything I had just drank. When I awoke my head felt as if someone hit it with a sledge hammer. As I was trying to get rid of my hangover the phone rang, it was a call from a friend; he told me that one of the girls I hooked up with was pregnant. The phone immediately dropped from my hand and I sat on my bed wondering “what the hell do I do now?” Meanwhile, my friend was trying to get my attention since he was still on the cell phone—really, I didn’t have a care in the world for him at that time; it felt as if someone threw a grenade my way that was seconds from exploding. The main concern of mine was the child on the way in 9 months.

A couple hours had passed, and the friend who told me of the pregnancy was incessantly trying to get into contact with me. I just kept ignoring the calls. I wondered what would be said to her when I made the call to see if what was told to me was true. Finally I got enough confidence to make that phone call that would change my life forever. Fatherhood here I come.

While the phone rang I kept telling myself “I can do this, it’s my mistake and I have to live with it.” The phone stopped ringing and I heard a hello on the other side of the line. It was not a depressed hello; instead, it was a I-am-happy-that-you-called hello. I asked how she was and then dove right into the question in mind, “are you pregnant with my child?” She started to laugh. “Why are you laughing?” I asked, I thought it was cruel to laugh when someone asks such a serious question.

When I heard her response, I took a DEEP breath and screamed “THANK YOU GOD!” It was “no,” she was not pregnant. I told her that a friend had said he had found out she was pregnant and she said no. She never was and was not planning on having a child until she was around 25ish. My heart was beating heavily with joy. That one day scared me half to death so for all those who read this article a few words of advice. Enjoy life to the fullest, never live a moment in regret, but always keep in mind that you have to be prepared to face your consequences for your action.

The Perils of Love, Pt. 1

In the first episode of this two-part series, host Brandon T. Bisceglia chats with Horizons Outreach Editor Deb Toresso, News You Can Use Editor Stephanie Mallozzi, and Distribution Manager Shadaya Montgomery about their experiences in relationships, as well as their views on communication, independence, and compromise.

Stay tuned for “The Perils of Love, Pt. 2,” to be released next week!

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Your Mother Doesn't Work Here.

Photographs by Brandon T. Bisceglia

The above photographs were taken in the bathrooms of Lafayette and Beacon Halls over the past week.

Do you think that most students at HCC have enough respect for their campus? What do you think motivates the kinds of behaviors depicted here?

Italianish

By Susan Smith
Staff Writer

Are we who our culture makes us?

It was only about a month ago that I sat across from my mother, over the linoleum countertops of a sticky downtown diner, who -only upon finishing her third glass of red wine- leaned over the table to reveal to me a family secret that had laid dormant for over 85 years. It soon became clear, (between regular intervals of "I shouldn't be telling you this") that the birthright of my grandmother held less water than the Titanic in its final hour. Over several minutes my previous pride toward my strict Irish/Lithuanian culture faded as I was told that my Grandmother's Irish background may have been a little falsified. It turns out that her father was not 100% Irish but Italian, a fact that was so frowned upon by family during that time that she was only able to be raised by a distant aunt, a woman who had claimed to be her mother until her passing. She, therefore, never knowing her parents and accepting what she was told to be the truth, raised her children under the false beliefs of an Irish upbringing. Generations passed, and eventually the secret was lost in the seams of time. Until a bottle of wine decided to speak up.

After looking around for reality show cameras and concluding that the only audience chuckling at my disbelief was the neighboring table, who shot a smirk of distaste, I sighed and began to regroup my thoughts before releasing on my mother a surplus of questions, “Who are my great grandparents?! When did you find this out?! Do we have ties in the mafia? What copious amount of alcohol did Grandma have to drink to tell you this in the first place?! Why aren’t I tanner?!” It was only after her silence and attention turned its back to my wonder and changed to the empty glass before her, that I asked myself the real question I needed to know: “Who am I?”

We see it everywhere: distinct demonstrations of cultural pride. The shamrock tattoo, the Puerto Rican flag adorning the rearview mirror, family dinner on Sundays, down to the refusal to alter a family bloodline (a problem dating back to Montagues and Capulets). Nationalities have defined people since the start of humankind. But should they? Should I be categorized by the nationality that lies in my chemical makeup, or is there something else defining my existence?

It’s the question of nature vs. nurture. If humans walked around with shirt tags, what would they say? “Made in Sicily” or “25% sarcastic, 75% well-natured”? What does my DNA have to say about my personality? Can a doctor know who a person really is by studying blood work?

I thought so at first. That was why I was so mad at this kept secret. I assumed that I was born who I was, and that while personality and character may change and shape a person, it was your background that really defines who you are. I even found myself sympathizing with Jason Bourne, bitter that my identity had been kept from me (and a little eager to idolize myself with a fictional character).

However, weeks went by, and I realized I was no different a person than I was a month before. I wasn’t just a 5’6” Italian/Irish/Lithuanian 20-something. I was a friend, a sister, a daughter (finally clean of resentment), and a million other little things I had grown to be throughout my lifetime. I was bits and pieces of experience, of life, of people. Sure, I may be made up of genetically specific blueprints, but I’m also made up of childhood memories, of a love for books, of good advice, of friendship, of sardonic humor, of a susceptibility to chocolate, of extreme skills at Mario Kart, of a warmness towards strangers, of years and years of stories, of scars from love lost and found and memories made and forgotten. But most importantly, I’m 100% unique from everyone else. And so are you.

Don’t Let Your Secrets Control You

Nick Geiste
Staff Writer

Everyone has secrets. Whether the secrets are trivial and the individual does not feel it necessary to share, or substantial secrets that they are ashamed of because of fear of rejection. Either way, everyone is hurting inside by some sort of feeling; their secret is the front they put on.

It seems that the media and what the general public expects from us causes people to lie and carry out activities that they wouldn’t normally do without any influences. This makes it hard for us to open up to others knowing that society is so engrossed with being perfect. After all, why should we feel the need to spill our secrets when we are run by a bunch of people that keep the biggest secrets from us?

What is striving people to not share these happenings or feelings, is what makes keeping secrets interesting. Maybe it's a secret that provokes the past so it is easier to not talk about it. It could be a secret that you keep because you don't want to hurt others feelings. It could be curiosity towards something that causes you to secretly do a task and not tell. However, rejection I feel is one of the main reasons why a person should feel the need to keep secrets. Whether the person has done something discouraging and they are ashamed to tell someone or they feel they are different and afraid of what people might think of them.

You don't have to be afraid of rejection if you tell someone close to you what has been causing all these problems. The longer you hold in a secret, the harder it is to find the truth within you.

I’m not saying that this an easy task to accomplish, I have kept harmful secrets from my friends and family and have told them harmful secrets. Telling your friends and family something that you know they will be ashamed of, hurts. The last thing you would want to do is hurt someone close to you because of something that you have done. For instance, I have had three surgeries on my knee in two years, the third one coming around my senior year. I was hopeful going into my senior year that I would be able to play soccer again for the first time since freshman year. Also, if that went well I was hoping to play basketball on our woeful basketball team. So bad, I could possibly start. Disappointingly, none of this happened. During the second soccer game of the season, my knee dislocated and I tore my MCL and meniscus yet again. I had to get another surgery. This time the doctors decided to put stabilizers in my knee causing me to rest it more. After the cast was off and all the pain medication was gone, I felt depressed. I wasn’t sure why. The summer was coming, my cast was off, I was more mobile, but yet I was walking around like a zombie. It felt as if I needed the medication just to be myself again even though my knee did not hurt that much. With no thanks to the valley, I started getting pain medication to get through my days. It wasn't long until people close to me started noticing that I have changed. I became much more irritable when I either had the pills or didn't have them, it didn't matter. When my friends and family asked me why I have been acting strange, I acted like I didn't change at all. After a while, I learned that this is not the lifestyle for me. I did not want to spend my day waiting on someone else, or being rude to people that I'm always nice to. As difficult as it was, I had to spill my secrets. I had to tell everyone close to me what was wrong with me and that I was sorry. I told my girlfriend, my best friends, my brother, and my mother. If I had told my father, I probably wouldn’t have lived to talk about it. My mother was the hardest to talk to. She didn't understand why I would take pain medication without having any pain. I didn't want to get too far into the reasoning with her, so I said, “I’m sorry I was dumb. It didn’t take me long to realize that I’m better than that.”

They were all upset that things turned out this way, but all of them also wanted to help. At a time where I felt so low in life, they didn't criticize me or turn away from me. They stood their ground. The same ground I would stand on for them. This showed me that I could tell them pretty much anything and it would be okay.

No matter how big of a secret you are hiding, someone that loves you wants to know, needs to know, and most importantly wants to help. So why not relieve your stress and let it all out.

A Call Lightens the Past

By Victor Rios
Co-Editor in Chief

It has always been a fleeting but inescapable thought, one that would present itself when his identity and whereabouts would be put to question either by strangers—who would later become my friends—or the parents of friends whose unselfishness so often guided them to teach me about the respect I never learned at home, once they found out.

Who was my father? Up until a few days ago I knew verbatim his name, the very stoic left side of his face, that he was a drunk and other insignificant “facts.”

More often than not, throughout the very turbulent years during which I developed—except when I was pissed off at them—I would ascribe the role of father to whomever lent their core selves to be considered my mothers husband (though as they would say in Mexico illegitimamente). I always enjoyed that pretending game. That is, up until I gained my first brother, whose existence justified—unjustly—a furious and heavily repressed (thanks in part to many ass-whoopings) jealousy that would take years to boil over and, not unlike a psychological improvised explosive device, explode with hatred directed at the one whom the rest of the human family generally loves: my mother.

Once in the US, I gained a new father, and a new set of step brothers and sisters. Once again, this helped to cement jealousy as part of my very being. Looking at my stepfather play with his children; carry the smallest on his shoulder while holding the other two’s hands on the way to mass, and me walking next to them intently paying attention to the other fathers and children—I tried to pass it off as a mark of coolness for a long time.

It never occurred to ask about him (my father) for fear that…well, for pure fear. I also knew that she (my mother) would tell me he was a drunk, a violent person and worst of all, gay—the root of a prejudice I held tightly until Professor Chance pried it away from my cold, still-living hands.
While I generally dismissed any profound wondrous sentiments, I did build (on top of many other unrelated negative aspects) a resentment towards him, for, despite the ten years I lived in Mexico, in the same residence only three blocks away form his mother’s house, he remained incognito and incommunicado.

More recently, (about two months ago) the curiosity that had yet to kill the cat returned, and resumed the nearly overbearing quest to find out more about the man I almost hated but had yet to meet. So I squeezed my balls really tight so as to not let any testosterone out of them, and asked—in a nice and kid-like squeaky voice—my mother to please find out his whereabouts. Surprisingly, she agreed—but unfortunately she never did get back to me. To her, I am just like my father: un alacran (a scorpion) who has lost his way much like his father did. Many times she related this to me (through loud explosive yells) and my ex-girlfriend (in a nicer way). In fact, she trusted my girlfriend so much more than she did me that she related to her the nature of my father’s untimely end.

“He died of a rare disease,” said Maribel, my ex-girlfriend.

“What? First of all, why would she not tell me to my face?” I responded fiercely. “Second of all, what does she mean, ‘a rare disease?’”

Without a second’s thought, Maribel’s saddened face (which as she later mentioned was expressed it for me) responded, “In Mexico, they usually refer to a ‘rare disease’ when people die of sexually transmitted diseases.” My mother was once again invoking my father’s supposed sexual preferences as the reason for his death.

A can of curious worms had definitely been opened, but extracting information from my mother’s “Pandora’s box” would be the most difficult aspect of the ongoing venture toward finding out more of my father. During the scant future meetings before the start of the semester, I would make simple attempts, not to pester her about my father—but I knew I had to somehow ease her into a comfortable state in order for her to talk to me about that. Instead, I asked about her family tree, of which she had such an ornate intimate knowledge. But when she got to the end of all she had to mention it—a venting that she had not gone through in a while. Like a squirrel that ungratefully runs from a human after having taken an M&M, she quickly recoiled and said her goodbyes. “We’ll talk some other day,” my mother said. “Thanks for calling.” (Of course, calling her, too, is something I barely ever do).

Coincidentally, after combing frantically (as I had done many times after finding out about my father’s death) through many directories in Guadalajara, looking for someone who may be even remotely related to my father, I gave up, as I had done before. It was 3 a.m. in the morning (and yes I was going crazy), but out of my—as the hot-head Glen Beck would say—gut, I said “let me check facebook. Hell, it’s the world biggest social networking site, my odds may be better there, and plus I can leave one of my meaningless messages.” I punched in the words “Rios Zubieta,” my father’s two last names; sure enough, the results brought with them one person—Luis Enrique Rios Zubieta. Before any attempt at asking whether he held any relevant information, I spied on his friends; it turned out that he had only 25, of which all but one were beautiful females of all sizes and shapes and backgrounds. But no one other person held his last name. I heeded no mind to this, the most looked at this man’s face—his flat forehead, his slanted eyes, and his serious face all added to the aura that he may be in some way related to my father.
The only way to know was to again to squeeze my balls and send him a message in Spanish, which read:

Hello, my name is Victor Javier Rios Lopez, I am from Guadalajara Mexico and I am looking for someone who has, or has had a very similar name to the one I have. If you know of anyone, I would appreciate it if you contacted me. If not, then, I am sorry for taking your time and, without a second’s thought, please discard this message. Thank you.

At that moment only one hope persisted, “this guy better get my message!" The chances that he would read it were very much diminished, since his last update to his facebook page had been on June twenty-third. Much to my surprise he did answer, though brief in content—“apparently you are my brother’s son, contact me at…”—it was enough to get those butterflies in my stomach rolling. For three days the thought of calling gnawed at my brain’s innards, “should I call? What if it turns out to be he is not?” At school, a surprise quiz which involved writing for the entirety of the class put whatever resolve to do well to the test, my fingers were jittery and I could not stop thinking about a person that may turn out to be someone else—in the end I got a meager B.

Around 7 p.m. while staring at the phone and unconsciously tossing and bending the phone card I obtained earlier that day, curiosity got the better of me; I picked up the phone to make the call of a lifetime. Dialed the card’s access number, the pin code, and the phone number to my uncle, and expecting the tides of enlightenment to pick up, I heard a disastrous and impersonal computer generated “you have dialed an invalid phone number.” “No!” From the other room I heard, “What happened?” It was Maribel, after explaining that I meticulously dialed every character, she said “let me try, I do this all the time.”—quite the comforting exaggeration for about two minutes when she too received the incessant response.

Ten minutes passed trying to figure out what we were doing wrong; finally we decided to call customer service—this turned into waiting far longer than expected, but finally the unusually nice lady on the other end related what we were doing wrong and connected the call. Within seconds someone did answer, “Bueno?”

Every nerve within me flinched into a brief pause, and then finally my lips broke through that mold and after what felt like a quaint introduction, I reminded him that I was calling as a result of his response on facebook. With hesitant sternness Enrique said, “Well, I am your father’s brother, ah…” as if searching for words he went on “well Victor, I would like to see you face to face.” My newfound uncle initially perceived my broken Spanish as a sign of inherent Americanism which included the availability of enough funds and time to travel to Mexico—of course, his idea could not be any farther from the truth. A brief intro into the current endeavors I am currently embarked in and hinting at the ‘funding’ issues Enrique related his own situation “I understand, I work as a paramedic and I am hurting too, like the President [Calderon] said, ‘When the US catches a cold, we get pneumonia.’”

“As for your father, well…how should I tell you…Your father, Victor, died three years ago,” Enrique said; though expecting some kind of grief to pour out he continued, “sorry, to have to tell you this over the phone, this was not my intention.” Despite the intense seriousness of the topic I shrugged it off and said to him in a composed and nearly happy manner, “I already knew that tio; mainly, I would like to know more about him, his family, and anything else that you deem important for me to know, seeing as I never met him in the 19 years that he was alive.”
The most revealing of conversations ensued; I held the phone closer to my ear than ever, pressing it hard and hoping that my eardrum would take account of every vowel, vocal expression and perhaps even give me a picture of what my uncle looked like and what he was doing. My father apparently had died of stomach cancer and complications from drinking too much alcohol in a Tijuana hospital—far from the rare disease account previously related to me. Victor remarried and had two more children; my uncle giggly said “you are the legitimate one.” Expecting never to see me again, he named the older of his kids Victor Javier Rios (8) and my young sister Irene Rios (5)—“I hope you are not offended because my brother named his kid the same as you,” my tio said. There is nothing that I could do or say to change that fact, what certainly does hurt is that they lost their father far too early in their lives, even if they did enjoy his presence more than I ever could.

Victor Javier Rios Zubieta was the youngest of 7 kids in a family that prided itself in the intellectual; two engineers, two doctors, two lawyers, and my tio, as he said, “well I am the least well-to-do of the family, I am a paramedic, but I love what I do.” My tio, coincidently spent my father’s last hours, by his bedside. While working in San Francisco, tending to artists needs while on tour in San Francisco area, he received a call from one his sisters; one of his brothers was in Mexicali, and needed someone to treat stabilize him, “I went with the though of stabilizing my brother and sending him to Guadalajara, where my sister would treat his hemorrhaging brain—which I did, but two days later, your brother’s wife called me, after years of not hearing from him, I immediately went to Tijuana, that’s where he went to look for you, obviously, he never did find you, but he stayed there, long story short, I got there three days before he died. Again, the plan was to stabilize him, and take him to Guadalajara, where again my sister would treat him—but it was too late,” said tio Enrique.

Father was an imperfect person—drunken spates of violence define the memories mom remembers him for—but my uncle knew that he loved me, in spite of all that he did (which he did not deny, and in fact, he added womanizer to the list of adjectives that describe my dad) tio says that he tried to get in contact with me, but every time he tried, my uncles (my mother’s brothers have more than just a screw loose) kicked his ass. “I remember your dad would go to your mom’s house and ask to see you, and between two of your uncles would fight him, he would then go back to the house, clean the blood off his face and go drinking again, after that, he would again go back for more, and again return empty handed, until he finally gave up. Years later, he would ask me whether I knew of you. Other times he would ask me to go ask for you. And then he completely fell off the earth, no one heard of him until his last days,” added tio Enrique.
Twice I returned to the store to buy new phone cards after being unexpectedly cut off—apparently, giving the caller a warning that the minutes are about to expire is too much to expect from any of the countless phone cards at the store (not even a beep). The talk of my father dominated merely a quarter of the conversation, the rest was a galore of discursion of each other’s lives which at time’s seemed like parallels. He turned out to be a gallant who loves talk of metaphysics, lover of books as well as of news of all kinds (with the exception of gossip), and of films from all over the world. “Do you like the movie ‘Déjà vu?” tio Enrique asked with a now usual and comforting mijo (my son). I never did watch the movie, but suddenly that place in time and the exact feelings running through my innards felt impressed the thought I had been there before; at the mention of this tio Enrique replied I felt the same exact way mijo.

The last time that he felt that way was a few years back, before he had to tend to both of his brothers illnesses while at San Francisco International Airport. There tio Enrique was stopped by immigration for carrying a friend’s baggage; in it were panty’s bra’s and other womanly garments. “Why are you carrying these clothes?” said the immigration officer. After explaining to him that his friend had forgotten the clothes one year earlier in Guadalajara for nearly two hours tio Enrique finally gave up, and told the immigration officer that he would no longer speak in English and that he would require a translator if immigration wanted to continue the very same line of questioning. Obviously exasperated by the constant interrogation tio Enrique gave up. “You know what officer, I am going to be attending the Gay Pride parade”—which coincidently happened to be the day after—the officer angrily responded with another question, “are you questioning my intelligence?” Soon after, a translator arrived and the officer retrieved to his office. After explaining to the translator the situation and relating to him the gay pride story, after a hysterical laughing session, the translator talked to the immigration officer, and had to resign to stamping my tio’s passport.

“Welcome to America…I hope you leave soon,” said the immigration officer; he then took tio Enrique’s baggage and dropped it on the floor. “You know what I did, I took all the clothes that fell out, stuffed them back into the baggage. I took my card out of my wallet, I gave it to the officer, I looked him right in the face and told him “Next time you go to Guadalajara make sure you call me, I will go to the airport, pick you up and show you what the meaning of hospitality really is,’” said tio Enrique. “In spite of all the bad things your dad and mom did…there is no more time available for this call,” said an automatic message.

I hung up the phone, sighed and went on to work on chemistry homework. Two weeks later I finally asked my mother again for some answers.

Continuum 14: Hit and Park

HCC’s garage is extremely crowded this semester, but some students are too distracted to pay attention to their surroundings. Host Brandon T. Bisceglia speaks with Sarah, a student who was a victim of this behavior, about the accident she had, courtesy, and the rules of the road.

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High and Mighty

By Peter Glagowski
Staff Editor

Headaches and frustration are about all have around my friend…

Hanging out with friends can be the pinnacle of one’s night. Ending a particularly rough day with people who accept you and will lift your morale definitely hits the spot. But I’m sure we all have that one friend who just doesn’t know when to be quiet or just doesn’t understand that his personality is demeaning to others.

This can be one thing when they are slightly immature or just want to fit in badly, but when you’ve been friendly with this person for close to 5 years and they still have a superiority complex, you know something has got to give.

My friend pretty much views himself as Christ Jesus, so anyone else is below that image. We can’t make fun of him, we can’t offer advice to him and we always need to listen to his complaints about person A, B, C and D.

I have a hard time trying to figure out exactly where his behavior came from. I remember meeting the kid back in 2002 and he wasn’t so high and mighty, but in the past year he has become intolerable.

One of my older friends recently met this kid and suddenly they were enemies. There is no real reason behind this fracture, but hell if my friend doesn’t see fit to run his mouth every time he’s near me about my older friend. He even expects me to take his side, especially when my older friend is much closer to me.

What really brings my piss to a boil is how my friend not so subtlety brags about his girlfriend. He thinks he is disguising his comparisons cleverly, but we all know that he is simply saying, “HAHA, I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND AND YOU DON’T!” First of all, I don’t want to know about you and a girl together and second, why does having a girlfriend matter? Are we suddenly lesser people because we don’t have significant others?

On the subject of girlfriends, what I don’t need to hear is someone’s sexual history, or more specifically, their present sexual activities. While I’ve blocked out a lot of what my friend says, I can’t shake things like, “I enjoy foreplay a lot!” or “I think I pulled my groin last night.” Why is that proper discussion for friends?

Another thing that I’ve never understood is how my friend has to belittle his brother at every step. His brother says one word incorrectly and suddenly he needs to be thrown to the wolves. We even played a prank on him that ended up resulting in, “I WILL POISON YOUR DRINK!” What makes matters worse is that when we revealed it was a prank and gave him his actual food, he never apologized. So now he’s not allowed to make mistakes?

My friend’s poor brother probably has to be on the brink of suicide. I’ve never seen any actual fists go flying, but my friend may be close to that. I remember one night when my friend asked for his brother to retrieve his laptop in the other room, yet his brother refused. My friend stormed out and dropped so many curse words that a sailor would blush.

If you get this kid started about something he enjoys (like a particular movie or video game series) and you will never hear the end of it. We all have no clue what he is even talking about, but he’ll drill it into our heads until blood is flowing from our ears. Then if we say anything bad about it, we get instant retaliation.

So what is my secret exactly? Well, I’ve never brought these complaints to my friend’s attention. While I have tried stopping him from condemning his brother so much, I’ve never been able to just out right say, “I can’t stand your behavior you inconsiderate ass.” I cannot stand being around this kid, yet I’ve endured this torture for 5 years because I’m weak.

The only real solution to this kind of problem would be to confront the person. If they really are boasting at every turn, there is no reason to sit there and take it. You can also try and avoid the person, but that is only covering up the problem (even if it seems to work).

Is there any absolution in this? Possibly, but I do need to write these feelings to at least let others know that it is okay if you are having mixed thoughts about one of your so called “friends.” No one is perfect and we all have someone we just cannot stand to be in the same room with, so do not feel awkward if this same situation has happened to you.

Carpe Diem, Housatonic

By Dan Otzel
News Editor

Don’t let this happen to you.

Image courtesy of emptyeasel.com.

“I will die in my grave dreaming of things I might have been.”

WARNING: Do not let this become you.

“Time is passing me by and I am letting it.”

Or this.

“Sometimes I feel like my college education was a waste.”

These three quotes were taken verbatim from postcards currently residing on the first floor of Lafayette Hall.

After my moving experience viewing the PostSecret exhibit that’s being housed here at Housatonic, I was left with a true feeling of remorse for some of the poor souls who had let their opportunities slip so gently through their fingers.

According to the HCC website, “PostSecret (is) an exhibit of people’s innermost secrets sent to, and organized by Frank Warren. The exhibit, which has traveled the country since opening in Washington, D.C. in 2004, consists of anonymous postcards, many of them handmade, on which people have written their innermost secrets. Warren has culled some 400 postcards from the more than 250,000 he’s received for the exhibit.”

It will run at the Housatonic Museum of Art until September 13, 2009.

Many of the postcards in the exhibit are from individuals who have had a front row seat watching their life float meekly by. They are not happy with the people they have become and, it seems, their life, up to this point, has been shallow and depressing, at least on some level.

At HCC, we are students committed to the proposition of furthering our educations and becoming better people – in all facets of life. We have the golden opportunity to come as close as possible to mapping out the life we want to live. We have the golden opportunity to avoid regretting our life’s path.

“Carpe diem” is a Latin phrase meaning “seize the day.” Originating from a Latin poem by Horace, The Columbia Encyclopedia describes the expression as “a descriptive term for literature that urges readers to live for the moment.”

With the Housatonic Community College student body swelling to over 5400 students, I would like to urge each and every student to “live for the moment” and make the best of the opportunities that present themselves here.

“I always wonder how my life would be different if the littlest things hadn’t happened. And if I had the guts to do half the things I wanted to.”

Do not let this become you.

“I’m trying to figure out exactly what it was that made me lose my voice.”

Or this.

For, as one anonymous postcard advises:

“If you’re waiting for a sign…this is it. Do it. It will be amazing.”

Carpe Diem, Housatonic.

The "Secrets" Issue of Perspective

Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing some articles that some of our Horizons wrote with the loose theme of "Secrets." These personal essays were inspired by the recent PostSecret exhibit at the Housatoninc Museum of Art. You'll see that these essays cover a wide range of topics and offer a range of approaches to the basic assignment.

Enjoy, and feel free to offer your own perspectives by clicking on the "Comment' button.

Student Senate President Kirk Wesley’s Welcome Back Address

At the first general meeting of the Student Senate for the fall semester on September 17, 2009, President Kirk Wesley gave a Welcome Back address to those in attendance, laying out his vision for the representative body going forward. Listen to the audio version of the address, or read the transcript below.

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Kirk Wesley, 9-17-09:

All right. So, we’re going to move on to the first order of business.

I would like to welcome everyone back to school, and back into student activities. This is, obviously, our initial meeting of the Student Senate for the Fall ’09 semester.

This, in my opinion, will undoubtedly be one of the greatest, eventful semesters in Housatonic’s history in regards to student activities and events, because of the dedication and commitment that the student clubs have already shown early in the semester in getting things together and getting things organized. It is evident from the Welcome Back party that the Student Senate is focused on trying to promote a good on-campus lifestyle for the students here, outside of academic purposes.

Now, for those who aren’t familiar, I would like to just state what the Student Senate does, and what work we do here.

“The Student Senate” – this is coming out of the Constitution of the Student Senate – “The Student Senate serves to promote good citizenship and harmonious relationships throughout the college and the community, serves to provide a forum for student representation, and to provide orderly direction of college activities. The Student Senate assists the office of Student Life in the allocation and distribution of the Student Activity Fund.”

Now, the Student Activity Fund is what we all pay when we register here as students, whether part-time or full-time. And as that sentence says, we help with the Student Activities Director to help allocate the funds to the student clubs.

Now, what I would like to say is that we are right now in a very opportunist position, because we have the chance right now to right a lot of wrongs that have been…that have happened in the past. Things that definitely, that I’m not going to go in depth with…but those who are familiar know, and who don’t know – thank God you don’t know.

So, we are in a very good position right now to set a very good tone for future students, future activities, and future events that will take place here at Housatonic. I want everybody to step into that role, and let’s set the pace and pave the way for future students here.

I also would like to say that we are the Student Senate, so we are students here at Housatonic Community College, and we are here in a forum to represent the students. So it’s essential that we are looked upon as that. As students, we are all here learning and growing as individuals. So we’re not going to always get things right, and things are not going to always go perfect as we would like. That’s part of the process of growing and learning as human beings, and especially as students.

So, with that being said, I would like for all members of student clubs and all student clubs to try to work with us as we work with you, be patient with us as we grow and continue to get comfortable in our positions, and we will do the same with you.

I really think right now, at this point in time, that’s it. I mean, we’re here for you guys: the student clubs, the student reps, the student leaders of this great college. So please help us as we try to help you.

And that ends it. (applause)

Continuum 13: The Lab Wiki

Dr. Kathleen Cercone, Professor of Biology at HCC, talks with host Brandon T. Bisceglia about her flagship project to develop an online safety lab manual written by students using the collaborative internet software known as the wiki. She also describes her own background with computers, and the importance of being familiar with internet tools for students.

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Continuum 12: Slater for City Council

In the first episode of the Fall 2009 season, host Brandon T. Bisceglia is rejoined by Horizons Opinions Editor John Slater to discuss Slater’s bid for City Council to represent Bridgeport’s Black Rock district this November. Slater discusses his entry into the formal political realm, his campaign so far, and how his experiences at HCC have helped him along the way.

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Continuum 11: The Tables Are Turned

Co-Editor in Chief Brandon T. Bisceglia takes on the role of interviewee to answer some questions about what running a student newspaper entails with special guest host, Opinions Editor John Slater.

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Continuum 10: Feeling the Eco-Muse

On April 22, HCC students and faculty gathered in the performing arts center for a poetry jam in celebration of Earth Day called “Feeling the Eco-Muse.” The event was a joint effort between the Friends of the Environment (FOE), the Performing Arts Club (PAC), and the Music Club. These are some highlights from that night.

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Continuum 9: Steve’s Contingency Plan

Staff Writer Stephen Miller discusses why he believes that the U.S. government’s plans to stimulate the economy will fail as well as what he thinks students should do about it with host Brandon T. Bisceglia.

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Review: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 20: And His Amazing Friends

By Andrew Mathieu
Contributor

Ultimate Spider-Man was the very first comic book I ever read. I first got interested in it when gaming studio Treyarch released an Ultimate Spider-Man (USM) video game. After reading an article about the comic book on Gamepro, I decided to go to my local library and give the series a shot. I loved the first volume, “Power and Responsibility,” and I have been reading the series ever since. Eighteen volumes later we come to one of my favorites, “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.”

“Amazing Friends” is the latest story arc from long time writer of the series Brian Michael Bendis and relatively new artist Stuart Immonen. The story takes place a little while after the events of “Death of a Goblin.” This previous arc saw the death of Peter’s first super villain as Spider-Man, along with the death of one of his closest friends. After mourning the loss of their friend, Peter and his friends try to get back to their somewhat normal lives.

The volume starts off with internal monologues from some of the cast of USM, including Ultimate Fantastic Four member, Johnny Storm. He returns to the cast after a short hiatus and contacts his only friends after a bad date with a pop idol. Meanwhile, Liz Allen, Mary Jane’s best friend, has not been feeling well and runs into Johnny at Midtown High. Johnny and Liz had a very brief romance a few volumes back, but it ended when Liz found out about Johnny's powers. She seems to have gotten over it, however, when she agrees to go with Johnny, Peter, and the others on a trip to the beach. That night, in front of a bon fire, one of Peter’s friends turns out to be a mutant, and it’s up to him and one of the X-Men to help her in her time of need.

This volume also contains two one shots in addition to the three part “Amazing Friends” story. In the first one shot we see Spider-Man defend J. Jonah Jameson against Omega Red, while the second features the Shocker kidnapping Spider-Man with Mary Jane and Kitty Pryde desperately trying to find him. While not as strong as the “Amazing Friends” story, both have great character moments and even some character development.

I truly enjoyed this volume. I wasn’t really sure Immonen’s art could beat out Mark Bagley’s record-breaking run on the series, but Immonen really hit his stride. The colors are nice and vibrant and the characters are starting to look like they belong in this style. Spider-Man’s costume is all but perfected in the final issue.

Bendis continues to make this book the best the Ultimate line has to offer. He has a knack for teenager’s dialogue. I actually believe these characters are 15. They not only handle everyday drama, but super hero/villain drama as well. USM’s cast sets the bar for teen super hero comics.

This volume is a nice break from the seriousness of the previous arc. If you have not picked up an Ultimate Marvel comic before, this is a great way to start. It is different enough to justify the Ultimate line, but familiar enough for Spider-Fans to pick up and enjoy a good story. Bendis and Immonen have crafted a truly “Ultimate” classic.

Hearing Loss

iPods Beat the Eardrum Senseless
By Sania Mathakutha
Staff Writer

“Huh? What? What did you say?” Maybe your kids can’t hear you after all. Unless you have been trapped under a polar bear in the Yukon for the past four years, you’ve probably noticed the iPod insurgency in America. One can hardly walk ten feet on campus without spotting a dozen POD People. But recent concerns over hearing damage could force chronic iPod users to unplug and take notice.

According to the Center for Hearing Health, there are three basic types of hearing loss:

1.Conductive Hearing Loss- Conductive Hearing Loss is when the outer or middle ear is disturbed, causing the inner ear unable to receive sound.

2.Sensorineural Hearing Loss- Sinsorineural Hearing Loss is when the nerves of the inner ear are damaged and no proper signals are sent to the brain.

3.Mixed Hearing Loss- If the hearing loss is caused by both the sensorineural and conductive components, it is known as Mixed Hearing Loss.

When asked if she knew that listening to an iPod at high volume could be damaging her hearing, Seyissa Maule, a student at HCC said, “I will keep listening, probably turn it down more.” People often use headphones on trains and buses while commuting, walking through a city or college and in airplanes. They might have the volume on too loud just because they want to drown out the noise around them not noticing the damage they might be putting on the inner ear and risking hearing loss. Our culture likes a big sound. The louder our Hip Hop music is the better we think we are going to “feel” the music. It comes at a cost though, legendary guitarist Eric Clapton told the Britain’s Express newspaper that he suffers from mild tinnitus and thinks his excessively loud performances with Cream back in the 60s is to blame. He said, “My hearing isn’t ruined, but if I stop and listen I’ve got whistling all the time which I suppose is a mild tinnitus.”

Whether you front for a rock band filling stadiums with screaming fans or making music is your business, you might be at risk of going deaf without even knowing it because you are being bombarded by loud sounds. According to WebMD, hearing loss is a gradual process that may not be noticed for years. When it does happen people generally notice that speech is mumbled and unclear. People may report a ringing (or tinnitus) in their ear or head. By that time, the only thing that may help is a hearing aid. To protect your hearing you could spend less time in a very noisy environment, turn your television volume down, wear hearing protection at all times if you work in a noisy environment and cut down on the number of loud appliances running at the same time. Never stick cotton swabs or hairpins in your ears when trying to remove earwax. Stop smoking, if you smoke you are likely to have hearing loss.

Continuum 8: President of the PAC

Kevin Green, a theatre major at HCC and president of the Performing Arts Club (PAC), talks with host Brandon T. Bisceglia about his club’s performances and the experience for a future in the performing arts he’s gained from college.

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HCC Co-Sponsors Health Fair

By Eric Peterson
Staff Writer

Housatonic and the City of Bridgeport Health & Social Services Department are hosting the 6th Annual City Wide Health Fair. The event is April 2, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Event Center, Beacon Hall Room 214.

Linda Griffin, Coordinator of H.C.C. Health Services, is responsible for hosting this event. “Our Motto is ‘Building a Foundation for a Health America,” she said, adding that there will be over 100 different vendors at the fair.

The biggest of them will be Bridgeport Health Services, Southwest Community Health Center, Bridgeport Hospital, and Saint Vincent’s Medical Center.

All vendors will be providing free health screenings such as for sickle cell anemia, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, breast cancer, and kidney screenings.

Chiropractor Dr. Ricard will be providing scoliosis screenings and message therapy.

There will be a variety of other vendors such as several insurance companies and vendors that will help with addition to drugs and gambling, and parenting.

Music and entertainment will be provided by Fairfield University’s radio station WVOF.

There will also be raffles and prizes, including a $50 gift card for the Housatonic Book Store.

Overcoming Adversity

By Michael Litzie
Staff Writer

Everyone’s had an experience that has changed their life forever. Some experiences could have bettered your life, but some could have become an obstacle to forever overcome. When I was only two years old I was struck with an experience that became an obstacle that I am still fighting to overcome.

On one regular summer day, my brother, father and I decided to take a ride in my father’s truck over to my uncle’s house where my father was going to help him fix something. With my father and uncle preoccupied, my six year old brother and I took it upon ourselves to find some source of entertainment. Looking around I’d seen my brother had climbed into the back of my father’s pick-up truck and began playing on this old broken down bicycle. Feeling left out, I wanted in on the action and climbed my little two year old body up there. Now it begins to get kind of fuzzy to recall what had happened next, but I remember sitting on the side of the truck, leaning over and bam lights out. The last thing I seen before I blacked out was my elbow sticking out the skin starring me straight in the eyes. From there I remember waking up scared to death on this rock solid board in the back of an ambulance.

Now you would think everything was going to be okay since I was in the care of Bridgeport Hospital but that couldn’t be more wrong than two plus two equaling ten. After the surgery and sometime into the intense therapy my parents had realized that I was making no progress and my elbow would not open past a ninety degree angle. This is where the real problems began to occur. Going back in for x-rays my doctor notice the bones were growing back together wrong due to a mess up in surgery. I was rushed to Yale New Haven hospital to undergo more intense surgery, but for the first time from a doctor that knew what he was doing.

A year past and I was in the first grade when another catastrophic event happened. I began to get extremely sick and my left arm turned completely red and started forming these little bumps everywhere. The metal pins used to hold the bone in place had a negative reaction with my body and caused a nasty infection, where I needed extreme treatment. What my doctor needed to do was run a tube through my chest and into my heart to pump medicine through my veins to reach my elbow. Seeming easy enough they decided to do it the strangest way, while I was awake. This I recall clear as day; being held down by five nurses and my mother, while they tried to run a tube into my chest. Of course I did not let this happen and the nurse’s hand that was trying to hold my head down has my bit scar to prove it. After twenty minutes of this circus they finally decided to put me asleep.

After a few months of treatment I was finally cured of the bone infection. I was beginning the second grade and I did everything in the world to make sure this injury didn’t hold me back from anything. For the remainder of grade school I played recreational basketball and little league baseball. For four years straight my basketball team never lost a game and for four years straight I made every baseball all-star team as a pitcher/shortstop. Thinking back these accomplishments I realize how amazing it is to have overcome such extremities. However, my elbow today is only getting worse. The degree to which I can open it is dramatically dropping. A normal arm extends to a hundred and eighty degrees but I can only extend mine to about a hundred and twenty degrees. By the time I reach about thirty-five years old I more than likely will need an elbow replacement. Trying to not let it affect me, I am gaining in knowledge what I lack in arm extension. You have to play the cards that god dealt to the best of your ability and no matter what obstacles stand in your future learning to overcome them will make you a stronger person.