Near-death on Amtrak

Frequent Old Orchard Beach tourist suffered near-death from stalled vehicle on Amtrak this morning as local teen and police captain worked against the clock to save the unconscious life.

The 80-year-old Quebec City resident, Francois Truffaut, was found by local teen, James Laboke, locked and unconscious in his vehicle. On his four mile walk to work, Laboke witnessed Truffaut’s 1987, pink Cadillac Seville stalled at the railroad crossing.

After pounding on window of the running vehicle, there was no sign of response from Truffaunt. 17-year-old Laboke, without cell phone, then ran 100 yards and arrived at 6 a.m. to town police force on Pier Street to alert officials of the emergency.

“I never thought about it. I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by that train,” said Laboke after the incident.

Hearing the report over the radio, captain of police force, Janet Paradiso, was able to arrive at the tracks in her cruiser at 6:05 a.m. The whistle of the Amtrak, due to arrive at the crossing at 6:10 a.m., could be heard echoing merely minutes away from the scene.

“I knew there was no time. I had to do something,” said Paradiso, sharing the same sense of urgency as Laboke.

Truffaut remained unresponsive in his Cadillac Seville, as Paradiso used her vehicle to push the car off the tracks with just thirty seconds to spare until the arrival of the train.

“It was that close,” says Brian Paul, chief of police in Old Orchard Beach.

After initially trying to rescue the man himself, Laboke’s determination and bravery turns the local resident into local hero. Arriving on time that morning to his work at the Eezy Breezy Resaurant on East Grand Street, owner Charles Champaign comments on the bravery of his employee.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all. That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.

Truffaut is now recovery from possible insulin shock at Southern Maine Medical Center.

“I don’t remember a thing,” responded Truffaut from his hospital bed.

Study Abroad... Who is it really for?

When spring semester rolls around, numerous students will be packing themselves up and shipping off to distant countries around the world. Indulging in the colossal variance of culture and language… could you, or should you, be one of them?

From Budapest to Spain, England to Ghana, the University of New Hampshire provides programs for numerous countries and continents. But the idea of throwing oneself into a new language, culture, or even residence can be an intimidating one.

Why should you take the leap? Speaking to multiple students, similar reviews arose in relation to relevance and financing. With the variety of majors and minors at UNH, could studying abroad be relevant to all? Is relevance even important in taking the time to pack your books and jump a plane?

It could be considered a huge taboo that studying abroad may only be for those in the College of Liberal Arts, studying language or art. How could immersing in new language and culture be relevant to those studying technology or mathematics or even business?

Grehg Hilston, Computer Science major and sophomore at UNH, has recently started planning his trip abroad in the fall semester of 2013 to Budapest, Hungary in hopes to continue his study of Computer Science and Mathematics  

“Specifically talking about Budapest, the students there have been testing higher in Math and Sciences than here, and experiencing life over there would hopefully rub off on me in a positive way.”

Hilston expressed the “flawlessness” of the UNH program as it integrates a system with the Budapest program that adheres to his specific major, applying credits that will transfer into his studies here at UNH.

“Without studying abroad, realistically I probably will not leave the country in my lifetime and that to me is too big of an opportunity to miss out on many great life experiences. Overall, the experience would be life-changing and hopefully make me a more educated and well-rounded individual.”

Kurt Steiner, business major and senior at UNH, said he had planned to study abroad since his freshman year, acting as one of the major factors in his college choice. Finding the London program at UNH, Steiner began preparing for his trip in the spring semester of 2011.

“It’s a life changing experience. You pick up friends you will have for a lifetime and most people won’t have the time to do it later in life. George Carlin once called marijuana a ‘values-changing drug’ because once you take it you see things from a new perspective. I would say the exact same thing about studying/living abroad.”

With this opportunity, Steiner had encountered one of the creators of the International Political Forum: The Voice of Global Youth, an online forum created by and for university students and foreign affairs. Steiner has contributed his own article to this site and encourages others to do the same.

Steiner continues to study abroad with different programs, such as the Israel program that takes place in January. As with Steiner, junior and English major, Troy Ellis expresses his interest in the Israel program, having shifted his plans from the London program due to financial reasons.

“The two-week trip is an all-expenses-paid program which is a great alternative.”

With October around the corner, deadlines are soon arriving for spring semester Study Abroad applications. Providing over 500 programs to choose from, Claire L. Malarte-Feldman, director of the Center for International Education, puts it rather well when she says, “there is most definitely a place in the world that is the right fit for you!”

Diverse classes, internships, and research are available in an array of educational areas. Students can find more info from the UNH CIE Facebook page for student and faculty input. The Study Abroad Fair will also be taking place Tuesday Oct. 2, noon until 2 p.m. in the MUB Strafford room. Raffle and refreshments sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and the Center for International Education.

Kurt Steiner - kez74@wildcats.unh.edu

Grehg Hilston - gml27@wildcats.unh.edu

Troy Ellis - tdv24@wildcats.unh.edu

CIE - 603-862-2398

https://www.facebook.com/pages/UNH-Center-for-International-Education/153655274793?ref=ts 

http://internationalpoliticalforum.com/

Teen Crash on Mile Hill Road

Two teens suffered injuries from car-flip on Mile Hill Road in Belmont, Mass. at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The driver managed to crawl from car as two unidentified females had to be freed from wreckage by rescuers.

The car was travelling north on Mile Hill Road, darkened without streetlights. Josie Crandall, resident at 27 Mile Hill Road, witnessed the accident from across the street and called police after the white Mustang had swerved off road, hit an embankment, and flipped onto its roof. 

Tom Carroll Jr., 17, was first to arrive at scene as he was driving behind the vehicle heading north on Mile Hill Road.

"I've never seen a car going so fast on this road. It's a dirt road, and it's really easy to lose control," recalls Carroll.

Carroll remembered looking under the car and reported to police scattered beer cans on the ground as well as a blue North Face parka.

The driver was identified as Jamie Peterson, 17, of Elm Street in Belmont. The two passengers are unidentifiable by name, but are confirmed as two young females according to Lt. Judith Barkus of Belmont Police Dept.

Rescuers arrived at crash scene and in a 45-minute operation, used jaws of life to free girls from crash. Peterson managed to pull himself from the wrecked car and the two females were taken to Memorial Hospital in Belmont. One of the teens is in stable condition while the other had been airlifted to Mass. General Hospital in Boston, possibly in critical condition. 

On Dec. 24, 2005, a fatal accident occurred on the same road where two local teens were killed. 

"It's hard to see kids your age in something like this. You realize when you see it what could happen, especially on this road," says Carroll.

Little Red devoured by Wolf

Early Tuesday morning local Girl and Grandmother devoured by village beast. Just 3/4 of a mile into woods, young girl, Elisabeth (Red Riding Hood), found herself face to face with the jaws of a killer. At grandmother's cottage, the two were swallowed by old wolf until rescued by blade of local hero with a grudge.

"I had been looking for that old sinner for years," claims the huntsman hero.

Armed with a blade, the huntsman sliced open the fat stomach of the sleeping wolf, surprised to find the girl and grandmother alive. Relieved to find the two safe, hugs and handshakes were shared. Elisabeth, well-known for bright red cloak, had been sent by mother to deliver multiple goods to grandmother's secluded cabin.

"She was sick in bed and [the supplies] would do her a world of good," says Red as she recalls the breads and sweets of her basket. When starting into the woods, Red came across the wolf about 15 minutes into her journey. Cunning and sly, Red recalls the wolf as being exceptionally curious about her destination.

"He pointed out the flowers off the path. I was sure grandmother would be happier if I brought her a bunch of beautiful flowers." says Red.

It was at this point where the good-willed trip went wrong. Disobeying mother's advice, Red strays from path, allowing the wolf to venture to location of Grandmother's cabin and devour the old woman.

"When I got there I knew something was wrong. I saw Grandma lying in bed but she was different. All I can remember are those big sharp teeth. If it wasn't for the huntsman I wouldn't be alive," says Red, entirely grateful for the local hero.

"I was just doing my part. I'm no hero but I'm glad I can say I put an end to that disgusting wolf terrorizing this town," says the modest huntsman.

Now in the hospital, suffering from PTSD, Red expresses her regret of disregarding mother's advice.

"I will never wander off the forest path again..."

News and Nonsense

With the huge increase in accessibility to information, reliable or not, how do we sift through the mess to find the real hard "news"? What does it mean to be considered news or journalism? I find that journalism and news are best described as the complete dedication to examining fact, spreading truth to the masses, embracing that important right, the right to information and freedom of speech. I define news as the truths and facts, thoroughly investigated and proven. Journalism, however, I see as the art of taking that news and conveying it to an audience, educating and informing while retaining the freedom to discover and analyze. The journalist should act as a gateway between fact, reason, and the public.  

Armstrong, Who?

As anyone with a television, computer, or even decent hearing and consciousness would know the world has recently lost one of its greatest explorers known to mankind. The great Neil Armstrong, pioneer of the moon, legend and inspiration to those who truly understand the impact of that first step on virgin ground, passed away this year on August 25th. This may come as old news to most, as the school year chugs along from class to class and the moon continues to rise and set each night. But with information coming and going it’s imperative to stop at this great loss and ask ourselves just how much this incredible journey, achieved some 40 years ago, is being remembered from generation to generation.

“I was at my uncle’s. I was thirteen. He woke us [my cousin] up at 1am to watch it. It all happened kind of quickly,” says Peter Anania as he reflects upon his experience of the momentous event witnessed in his youth.

“You could see the footage of the landing, grainy, and right before that first step [Armstrong] said the famous words, ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,’ and then jumped down,” a moment Anania describes as nearly surreal, something fantastical, ‘too good to be true’. “It was the biggest accomplishment that man has ever done before, everyone just staring in amazement, like at a baseball game. I wanted to be an astronaut.”

This is a perspective that many of that moment could share and never forget, which makes it even more surprising when the Internet recently burped up the humiliating personas mourning the death of the Tour De France cyclist. Okay, now everyone say it collectively... “What?” The mix-up is not only confined to uninformed young adults, spewing out their two cents on overly-casual sites, but this disaster has even crept up onto one of the major news sites available online. NBC’s headline, “Astronaut Neil Young, first man to walk on moon, dies at age 82” is easily an embarrassing moment for the professional newswriting universe. At UNH, Ryan Brown (Sophomore) and Kyle Ruby (Senior) discuss their view on the impact of the lunar landing in relation to our generation.

“I think the reason for the mess up was that it’s not really on anyone’s mind anymore. There have always been stupid people making mistakes, and now with the Internet it’s just easier to catch them doing it,” says Senior, Ruby.

Brown chimed in with his opinion on the significance of such a historic event...

“I think Armstrong set the bar, giving us the feeling of something greater to work towards. I think it should be a goal for future generations to be the next Neil Armstrong.”

It’s easy to say that we all make mistakes, but to confuse one of the most famous men in history with anyone else is something that should be reflected upon. When that brilliant hunk of rock so routinely glides from point to point each night, it wouldn’t hurt to occasionally glance up, remember and understand the importance of that name which represented such feats, to contemplate everything we have accomplished, and to imagine what great excursions have yet to be achieved.