The Daily Collegian - 4/18/08
By David Humphreys and Frank Godinho
A problem the city of Holyoke faces on a daily basis is its No. 1 ranking of teen births, the Public Health Council's annual "Massachusetts Births 2005" report said.
With 96.8 of every 1000 females between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth, Holyoke exceeds Chelsea's No. 2 ranking by over 20 births, according to the report.
Though these numbers are down since 1995, they still show an alarming trend in the city's birth rates, which have increased more than any other Massachusetts city since the 2004 report. The big question is: Will Holyoke's rank drop in the 2006 report? The simple answer is no.
"This is not a new thing that Holyoke is No. 1 …what we do this year isn't going to change that," said Amy Leos-Urbel, the director of Student Support Services at Community Adolescent Resource & Education (CARE) Center, Inc. in Holyoke.
According to Leos-Urbel, the high teen birth rate is not a one-year problem, but rather a combined effort over many years to help educate young men and women about parenthood and safer-sex practices.
To help promote teen parenthood education, the CARE Center, one of the institutions in Holyoke dealing with the teen pregnancy problem, offers an alternative day school to teenagers who are either pregnant or have given birth. This program addresses the city's elevated high school dropout rate by giving the teens a chance to get their GED while offering services such as daycare and support groups. In the last three years, more than 85 percent of Care Center participants who have received their GED have gone on to college.
Girls, Inc., another agency serving young women in the city, started in 1982 after the local YWCA shut down. Over the past three years, only two members of the program's 3,000 teens have become pregnant. Girls, Inc. attributes that statistic to its strong focus on a variety of issues that affect female teens, including pregnancy prevention.
"The way that we address teen pregnancy prevention is by a whole host of health education trainings … We do everything from distribute free condoms to having health clinicians come in from Planned Parenthood or the Holyoke Health Center, and they'll do on-site counseling and contraception education with the girls," said Heidi Thomson, the Girls, Inc. director of development and public relations.
According to Thomson, a high school student at Holyoke High School only receives eight hours of health education during their four years. However, at Girls, Inc., in one year, a teen will receive 120 hours of education, primarily related to sex.
The various educational programs used by Girls, Inc. include Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy and Making Proud Choices, which is run by peer leadership programs.
"Each curriculum we use is researched based and scientifically proven to be effective. On a more informal basis, however, our girls [through the peer leadership programs] do street outreach and peer education about the local resources of health education and how to stand up for yourself," said Thomson.
Despite what is being done to educate teens about parenthood, Girls, Inc. and The Care Center are having their funding lowered because Massachusetts has the lowest teen birthrates in three decades. And while this may save money for use in other areas, it doesn't help the city of Holyoke.
According to Thomson, the changes made within government administration ultimately have the strongest impact in the amount of funds available to agencies dealing with teen pregnancy and teen pregnancy prevention. The amount of allocated funds change from year to year based on the personal agenda of whoever is in charge of federal and state funding, she said.
"I think of [the high teen birth rate] as a symptom rather than a cause," said Leos-Urbel, citing Holyoke's high poverty rate and unemployment as two of the top factors contributing to the birth rate.
Heidi Thomson agrees: "I think that you can never look at teen pregnancy in isolation from other social issues. When you put together the socioeconomic challenges that this city has, you're bound to have a breeding ground for other social issues, like teen pregnancy, drug abuse, crime rate, and it's all factored together," she said,
Also, according to Leos-Urbel, ethnicity may possibly play a role in teen pregnancies. "For some Latinos, there isn't a stigma [associated with teen pregnancy]," she said.
According to statistics from the birth report, 73.2 of every 1000 Hispanic teenage females in the state gave birth in 2005, compared to the next highest group, black non-Hispanics, with 36.4 out of 1000.
These numbers are lower than the 2005 national average, which are 81.5 births per 1000 Hispanic teens and 60.9 births per 1000 black non-Hispanic teens, the Child Trends DataBank Web site said.
According to the 2000 census taken by the U.S. Census Bureau, with 41.4 percent of all Holyoke residents reporting Hispanic heritage compared to the statewide average of 6.8 percent, ethnicity may indeed play a significant part in contributing to city's high teen birth rate.
"The main problem may be that teen pregnancy is looked at as a women's issue, when it's not. Girls aren't getting themselves pregnant. Who's educating the boys? It's not happening in schools and it's not happening at home. There's a social lack of responsibility concerning fatherhood," said Thomson.
Whether Holyoke's high teen pregnancy rate is due to the high Latino population, lack of funding or even just a poor health curriculum, its status as the teenage birth capital of Massachusetts won't disappear overnight. It will take work from both adults and teens to combat this problem and help control the runaway pregnancies plaguing the city.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Residents of JQA Meet
The Daily Collegian - 4/7/08
Following the death of a student, University of Massachusetts officials held an informational meeting on Friday in the John Quincy Adams residence hall.
The meeting, which offered students with both facts and resources surrounding the death of sophomore Liam O'Donnelly, was presented by campus leaders including Interim Chancellor Thomas Cole, Dean of Students Jo-Anne Vanin and Police Chief Barbara O'Connor.
"This is one of the unfortunate things about being chancellor," Cole said to students at the meeting. "I wish I could tell you how I feel at this point, after hearing of the death of Liam."
O'Donnelly, 20, from Hingham, Mass., fell to the ground from his room in 1704 John Quincy Adams Tower at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Friday. He was remembered as quiet and reserved by members of his community.
Sam Ameyaw, the resident assistant on the 17th floor, saw O'Donnelly in the men's bathroom the day before his death.
"He was the same Liam… he's a soft-spoken guy, he keeps to himself most of the time… nobody suspected anything," he said.
"I went to [Norfolk County Agricultural] High School with Liam," said UMass junior Marielle Livesey. "He was quiet but he was a nice guy… I liked him a lot."
Chief O'Connor said it didn't seem that alcohol was an issue but is still waiting on a toxicology report from the medical examiner.
She said that because the case is still under investigation, she could not disclose whether there was a note left in O'Donnelly's single room but did say that the door to his room was locked and no foul play is suspected. O'Connor asked anyone with information to call the police.
Dr. Linda Scott, a staff psychologist from Mental Health Services, said there will be another meeting to address O'Donnelly's death within the next few days.
"It is about coming together as a community… this is a very difficult time for everyone," she said.
Following the death of a student, University of Massachusetts officials held an informational meeting on Friday in the John Quincy Adams residence hall.
The meeting, which offered students with both facts and resources surrounding the death of sophomore Liam O'Donnelly, was presented by campus leaders including Interim Chancellor Thomas Cole, Dean of Students Jo-Anne Vanin and Police Chief Barbara O'Connor.
"This is one of the unfortunate things about being chancellor," Cole said to students at the meeting. "I wish I could tell you how I feel at this point, after hearing of the death of Liam."
O'Donnelly, 20, from Hingham, Mass., fell to the ground from his room in 1704 John Quincy Adams Tower at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Friday. He was remembered as quiet and reserved by members of his community.
Sam Ameyaw, the resident assistant on the 17th floor, saw O'Donnelly in the men's bathroom the day before his death.
"He was the same Liam… he's a soft-spoken guy, he keeps to himself most of the time… nobody suspected anything," he said.
"I went to [Norfolk County Agricultural] High School with Liam," said UMass junior Marielle Livesey. "He was quiet but he was a nice guy… I liked him a lot."
Chief O'Connor said it didn't seem that alcohol was an issue but is still waiting on a toxicology report from the medical examiner.
She said that because the case is still under investigation, she could not disclose whether there was a note left in O'Donnelly's single room but did say that the door to his room was locked and no foul play is suspected. O'Connor asked anyone with information to call the police.
Dr. Linda Scott, a staff psychologist from Mental Health Services, said there will be another meeting to address O'Donnelly's death within the next few days.
"It is about coming together as a community… this is a very difficult time for everyone," she said.
"More than words..."
The Daily Collegian - 3/14/08
When Brigid Cunningham woke from her afternoon nap and looked out her window, she might have expected to see students coming from class or from cars in the parking lot.
She didn't expect eight people and a multi-colored sign asking: "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I was really shocked," she said, at a loss for words.
Cunningham, a freshman political science major, knew she was going on a date with Pasha Hashemzadeh, another freshman she had been casually dating since the end of September, but never expected him to arrive in such a romantic fashion.
Hashemzadeh had been planning this event for around a week, but was initially delayed because of inclement weather. Finally the right day came, and with the sun shining, he stayed inside all day, even skipping a class, just to perfect the hand-cut and -colored letters and buy roses and a bottle of sparkling apple juice.
And even with all of his preparation, he was still anxious. "I wanted to ask her out in a unique way," he said. "I was still really nervous … and 50-50 on if she'd accept."
But he decided to do it anyway. The only thing left? Find sign holders. For that job, Hashemzadeh went to his friends.
"At first they all made fun of me and laughed," he said. "Then they helped me and held the signs."
With roses in hand and friends in tow, Hashemzadeh made his way outside, right below Cunningham's window.
"I didn't think he had that in him. My face was bright red," Cunningham said. "He said, 'What's your answer? What's your answer?' Then I nodded and they ran up."
"I was really excited and I ran into the building, up the stairs and gave her a kiss," Hashemzadeh said.
And though he got the girl, Hashemzadeh still doesn't consider himself a romantic.
"I don't want to do romantic stuff too often," he said. "I don't want to be looked at as a romantic guy."
But Cunningham has other plans for him. "I told him… 'You better keep this up, now!'"
When Brigid Cunningham woke from her afternoon nap and looked out her window, she might have expected to see students coming from class or from cars in the parking lot.
She didn't expect eight people and a multi-colored sign asking: "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I was really shocked," she said, at a loss for words.
Cunningham, a freshman political science major, knew she was going on a date with Pasha Hashemzadeh, another freshman she had been casually dating since the end of September, but never expected him to arrive in such a romantic fashion.
Hashemzadeh had been planning this event for around a week, but was initially delayed because of inclement weather. Finally the right day came, and with the sun shining, he stayed inside all day, even skipping a class, just to perfect the hand-cut and -colored letters and buy roses and a bottle of sparkling apple juice.
And even with all of his preparation, he was still anxious. "I wanted to ask her out in a unique way," he said. "I was still really nervous … and 50-50 on if she'd accept."
But he decided to do it anyway. The only thing left? Find sign holders. For that job, Hashemzadeh went to his friends.
"At first they all made fun of me and laughed," he said. "Then they helped me and held the signs."
With roses in hand and friends in tow, Hashemzadeh made his way outside, right below Cunningham's window.
"I didn't think he had that in him. My face was bright red," Cunningham said. "He said, 'What's your answer? What's your answer?' Then I nodded and they ran up."
"I was really excited and I ran into the building, up the stairs and gave her a kiss," Hashemzadeh said.
And though he got the girl, Hashemzadeh still doesn't consider himself a romantic.
"I don't want to do romantic stuff too often," he said. "I don't want to be looked at as a romantic guy."
But Cunningham has other plans for him. "I told him… 'You better keep this up, now!'"
"Proving Ground" a sure let-down
The Daily Collegian - 3/3/08
What do a crappy story, bad character models, an unfitting soundtrack and poor features have in common? Ask Neversoft.
In the world of skating games, the "Tony Hawk" series has ruled supreme for the past decade. With all the improvements in the video game industry, Neversoft proves that it, along with its premier game, cannot stand the test of time.
Although Neversoft's latest skate title, "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground," has some (one) redeeming qualities, it is obviously a rehash of previous titles, mostly "Tony Hawk's Project 8." Where "Project 8" succeeded, "Proving Ground" fails miserably.
The story is, generally speaking, the framework for any good game. From Madden to Lost Odyssey to Halo 3, even the thinnest storyline, if it is assembled well, will keep gamers coming back for more. The story of "Proving Ground" falls flat on its face.
Centered around a skater in inner-city Philadelphia, the story follows him (there's still no female character models to choose from) around while going on missions from professionals or completing tasks. Somehow, by doing these (often mundane) things, your character becomes a world-famous skater. Sound familiar? It is exactly the same story as "Project 8," just in a different, bored-looking environment.
The differences between "Proving Ground" and "Project 8" lie in only the surface of the game and exist solely to draw players in, rather than contribute to the overall experience. The three not-so-varying story lines (Rigger, Hardcore and Career) offer some break in the monotony, but not for long.
The big difference between "Proving Ground" and previous titles are the addition of slow-motion tricks. Adding on to the success of "Nail-the-Trick" in "Project 8," are "Nail-the-Grab" and "Nail-the-Manual." Although they show you how to do both, "Nail-the-Manual" has a much steeper learning curve. For the most part, all these gimmicky tricks are completely useless and often hinder the player from racking up the points necessary to clear a level.
While the tricks may not be useful (other than looking cool) at least they don't have the same bugs as the levels do. Full of clipping issues, the level design often detracts significantly from the game experience. Although skating through cars can be fun, the major problems lie when the skater goes right through a half or quarter pipe. These completely amateurish mistakes should never happen from a respected production company.
The mistakes don't just stop with level design; they extend on to another problem (and useless feature): the rigging option. Rigging, or building your own skateable materials, is cool on paper. In practice, it's boring, monotonous and difficult. The worst part, aside from the serious camera problems and awkward controls, is getting your rigging piece stuck somewhere on the map. Whether it is down two stairs or off a ledge, there is almost no way to pick up and move your piece once it's not on the same plane as the character.
The one (partially) redeeming feature of the game is the soundtrack, in particular two songs: "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters and "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones. Both great songs, both completely out of place. Surrounded by pop-punk and hip-hop, these rock songs stand out like a sore thumb. Or, in the case of "Proving Ground," like gold.
With less than 10 hours of game play, the only reason for a replay is to bump up those Am scores to either Pro or Sick. Even then, it isn't really worth it. Don't buy "Proving Ground," don't borrow it, don't invite your friends to play it and most importantly, don't encourage Neversoft to produce this tired crap any more.
What do a crappy story, bad character models, an unfitting soundtrack and poor features have in common? Ask Neversoft.
In the world of skating games, the "Tony Hawk" series has ruled supreme for the past decade. With all the improvements in the video game industry, Neversoft proves that it, along with its premier game, cannot stand the test of time.
Although Neversoft's latest skate title, "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground," has some (one) redeeming qualities, it is obviously a rehash of previous titles, mostly "Tony Hawk's Project 8." Where "Project 8" succeeded, "Proving Ground" fails miserably.
The story is, generally speaking, the framework for any good game. From Madden to Lost Odyssey to Halo 3, even the thinnest storyline, if it is assembled well, will keep gamers coming back for more. The story of "Proving Ground" falls flat on its face.
Centered around a skater in inner-city Philadelphia, the story follows him (there's still no female character models to choose from) around while going on missions from professionals or completing tasks. Somehow, by doing these (often mundane) things, your character becomes a world-famous skater. Sound familiar? It is exactly the same story as "Project 8," just in a different, bored-looking environment.
The differences between "Proving Ground" and "Project 8" lie in only the surface of the game and exist solely to draw players in, rather than contribute to the overall experience. The three not-so-varying story lines (Rigger, Hardcore and Career) offer some break in the monotony, but not for long.
The big difference between "Proving Ground" and previous titles are the addition of slow-motion tricks. Adding on to the success of "Nail-the-Trick" in "Project 8," are "Nail-the-Grab" and "Nail-the-Manual." Although they show you how to do both, "Nail-the-Manual" has a much steeper learning curve. For the most part, all these gimmicky tricks are completely useless and often hinder the player from racking up the points necessary to clear a level.
While the tricks may not be useful (other than looking cool) at least they don't have the same bugs as the levels do. Full of clipping issues, the level design often detracts significantly from the game experience. Although skating through cars can be fun, the major problems lie when the skater goes right through a half or quarter pipe. These completely amateurish mistakes should never happen from a respected production company.
The mistakes don't just stop with level design; they extend on to another problem (and useless feature): the rigging option. Rigging, or building your own skateable materials, is cool on paper. In practice, it's boring, monotonous and difficult. The worst part, aside from the serious camera problems and awkward controls, is getting your rigging piece stuck somewhere on the map. Whether it is down two stairs or off a ledge, there is almost no way to pick up and move your piece once it's not on the same plane as the character.
The one (partially) redeeming feature of the game is the soundtrack, in particular two songs: "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters and "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones. Both great songs, both completely out of place. Surrounded by pop-punk and hip-hop, these rock songs stand out like a sore thumb. Or, in the case of "Proving Ground," like gold.
With less than 10 hours of game play, the only reason for a replay is to bump up those Am scores to either Pro or Sick. Even then, it isn't really worth it. Don't buy "Proving Ground," don't borrow it, don't invite your friends to play it and most importantly, don't encourage Neversoft to produce this tired crap any more.
Options for Addicts
The Daily Collegian - 2/8/08
Nestled in the middle of Northampton's downtown and mixed in with the eclectic shops and restaurants is a Mecca for heroin users and crack cocaine addicts - a clean needle exchange.
Daniel, an ex-addict who frequented the exchange, started going there after he became addicted to heroin at age 17.
"They were very kind but worried since I was such a young user," he said. "They gave me knowledge on safe use; it was a positive place to go for questions."
Run by Tapestry Health, the exchange offers drug users a place to get free clean supplies and drop off their dirty syringes.
A variety of supplies are offered to users, including sterile water and saline solutions to mix with drugs, cotton pellets to filter liquid drugs, Bacitracin to help heal puncture marks, little metal cups called "cookers" to replace a dirty spoon as a place to melt solid drugs into liquid, and vitamin C powder to help break down crack and brown heroin without using vinegar or lemon juice.
Judy Margo, the Assistant Director of Prevention Services at the clean needle exchange, said offering these tools doesn't encourage or promote drug use; rather, it helps users make their own decisions.
"I don't think the life of a heroin user is very fun," Margo said. "Our overall philosophy is harm reduction."
In order to reduce harm, Tapestry Health offers program participants workshops on safe injection techniques and overdose prevention as well as HIV, Hepatitis C and sexually-transmitted disease prevention.
Along with these workshops, there is a free anonymous HIV testing program and the staff can refer people to a detoxification facility, although it isn't a requirement for a needle exchange.
"It's a place where people can come in and know they aren't judged," Margo said.
"I think it is positive thing to have in a community filled with this kind of intravenous drug use," Daniel said. "They help people practice safe techniques and how to clean rigs and spoons, how to swab the right way and how to cut down the chance of getting a disease. I really needed them at that point in my life."
The program, which has been open for over 10 years, sees between 600 and 650 individuals a year.
It is one of four clean needle exchanges in the state. The others are in Boston, Cambridge and Provincetown, according to Margo.
"It's really good to have it here. It would be really, really good to have it in [Springfield and Holyoke]," she said, noting that many of the participants travel from these cities to visit the exchange.
Although these non-local drug users often live a long way from the exchange, many return home.
Other users, especially the homeless, may use shelters such as the seasonal Interfaith Cot Shelter, located almost directly across the street from the exchange, Margo said.
Having a shelter so close is convenient for drug users. In 2005, 62 percent of participants in the exchange program reported that they were unemployed and 17 percent reported homelessness.
Wanda Rolon, the director of ServiceNet, Inc.'s Hampshire County Programs Shelter and Housing Division, said there's been a definite increase in the amount of people using Interfaith Cot Shelter, but doesn't think it's directly related to the needle exchange program.
The number of people occupying the seasonal shelter has fluctuated throughout the years, but has risen from 185 in 1997 to 225 in 2006, with the 10-year high reaching 236 in 2004. according to statistics from WHOM???
Since 2004, between 55 percent and 60 percent of the guests at the seasonal shelter reported chronic substance abuse problems, ServiceNet Research and Evaluation Analyst Andrea Miller said. Alcohol was the most prevalent.
The exchange, which Margo said has support from both the mayor and police department, doesn't seem to have a significant impact on drug-related arrests.
Judging from police and Tapestry Health statistics, drug arrests fluctuate even more from year to year than the number of drug users enrolling at the exchange. For instance, in 2004 there were 112 drug arrests compared to 1090 exchanges. In 2005, there were 139 arrests with 1208 exchanges; and in 2006, there were 197 arrests for only 1022 exchanges.
Although the clinic may not have a direct effect on drug-related arrests, Daniel thinks it does encourage more addicts to come to the area - and continue to use.
"[The clinic] in some ways does promote more use among people and will make users flock to this area because they are giving people a clean alternative to dirty use," he said. "Do you understand how much more disease would be around if this place was not in operation?"
In 2003, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said that more than half of admissions to drug treatment programs in the state were for heroin addiction, three times the national average, according to a Boston Globe article. He also said that since 2000, heroin deaths in Massachusetts had increased 76 percent.
According to the same article, "extremely pure and cheap Colombian heroin, imported directly to Boston, has fueled the regional epidemic, which Romney and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino described as a destabilizing public health and social crisis … 'At $4 a bag, heroin is cheaper than cigarettes,' Menino said."
As for Daniel, he quit cold turkey after years of using.
"I s**t my pants for about four days straight while getting clean [and] my stomach also allowed me to eat nothing," he said. "It was horrible. I stopped because I died in Harco Rooms [low income housing] right in front of my buddy four times in a row using."
Daniel, who is now 24, has a child of his own and still lives in the Pioneer Valley area.
Nestled in the middle of Northampton's downtown and mixed in with the eclectic shops and restaurants is a Mecca for heroin users and crack cocaine addicts - a clean needle exchange.
Daniel, an ex-addict who frequented the exchange, started going there after he became addicted to heroin at age 17.
"They were very kind but worried since I was such a young user," he said. "They gave me knowledge on safe use; it was a positive place to go for questions."
Run by Tapestry Health, the exchange offers drug users a place to get free clean supplies and drop off their dirty syringes.
A variety of supplies are offered to users, including sterile water and saline solutions to mix with drugs, cotton pellets to filter liquid drugs, Bacitracin to help heal puncture marks, little metal cups called "cookers" to replace a dirty spoon as a place to melt solid drugs into liquid, and vitamin C powder to help break down crack and brown heroin without using vinegar or lemon juice.
Judy Margo, the Assistant Director of Prevention Services at the clean needle exchange, said offering these tools doesn't encourage or promote drug use; rather, it helps users make their own decisions.
"I don't think the life of a heroin user is very fun," Margo said. "Our overall philosophy is harm reduction."
In order to reduce harm, Tapestry Health offers program participants workshops on safe injection techniques and overdose prevention as well as HIV, Hepatitis C and sexually-transmitted disease prevention.
Along with these workshops, there is a free anonymous HIV testing program and the staff can refer people to a detoxification facility, although it isn't a requirement for a needle exchange.
"It's a place where people can come in and know they aren't judged," Margo said.
"I think it is positive thing to have in a community filled with this kind of intravenous drug use," Daniel said. "They help people practice safe techniques and how to clean rigs and spoons, how to swab the right way and how to cut down the chance of getting a disease. I really needed them at that point in my life."
The program, which has been open for over 10 years, sees between 600 and 650 individuals a year.
It is one of four clean needle exchanges in the state. The others are in Boston, Cambridge and Provincetown, according to Margo.
"It's really good to have it here. It would be really, really good to have it in [Springfield and Holyoke]," she said, noting that many of the participants travel from these cities to visit the exchange.
Although these non-local drug users often live a long way from the exchange, many return home.
Other users, especially the homeless, may use shelters such as the seasonal Interfaith Cot Shelter, located almost directly across the street from the exchange, Margo said.
Having a shelter so close is convenient for drug users. In 2005, 62 percent of participants in the exchange program reported that they were unemployed and 17 percent reported homelessness.
Wanda Rolon, the director of ServiceNet, Inc.'s Hampshire County Programs Shelter and Housing Division, said there's been a definite increase in the amount of people using Interfaith Cot Shelter, but doesn't think it's directly related to the needle exchange program.
The number of people occupying the seasonal shelter has fluctuated throughout the years, but has risen from 185 in 1997 to 225 in 2006, with the 10-year high reaching 236 in 2004. according to statistics from WHOM???
Since 2004, between 55 percent and 60 percent of the guests at the seasonal shelter reported chronic substance abuse problems, ServiceNet Research and Evaluation Analyst Andrea Miller said. Alcohol was the most prevalent.
The exchange, which Margo said has support from both the mayor and police department, doesn't seem to have a significant impact on drug-related arrests.
Judging from police and Tapestry Health statistics, drug arrests fluctuate even more from year to year than the number of drug users enrolling at the exchange. For instance, in 2004 there were 112 drug arrests compared to 1090 exchanges. In 2005, there were 139 arrests with 1208 exchanges; and in 2006, there were 197 arrests for only 1022 exchanges.
Although the clinic may not have a direct effect on drug-related arrests, Daniel thinks it does encourage more addicts to come to the area - and continue to use.
"[The clinic] in some ways does promote more use among people and will make users flock to this area because they are giving people a clean alternative to dirty use," he said. "Do you understand how much more disease would be around if this place was not in operation?"
In 2003, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said that more than half of admissions to drug treatment programs in the state were for heroin addiction, three times the national average, according to a Boston Globe article. He also said that since 2000, heroin deaths in Massachusetts had increased 76 percent.
According to the same article, "extremely pure and cheap Colombian heroin, imported directly to Boston, has fueled the regional epidemic, which Romney and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino described as a destabilizing public health and social crisis … 'At $4 a bag, heroin is cheaper than cigarettes,' Menino said."
As for Daniel, he quit cold turkey after years of using.
"I s**t my pants for about four days straight while getting clean [and] my stomach also allowed me to eat nothing," he said. "It was horrible. I stopped because I died in Harco Rooms [low income housing] right in front of my buddy four times in a row using."
Daniel, who is now 24, has a child of his own and still lives in the Pioneer Valley area.
Eight Arrested after Super Bowl in Southwest
The Daily Collegian - 2/5/08
Eight individuals were arrested last night during a post-Super Bowl gathering in the University of Massachusetts Southwest Residential area.
The crowd - consisting of approximately 300 students, according to Ed Blaguszewski, director of the Office of News and Information at UMass - was "largely subdued and peaceful."
"Compared to other events, it was a pretty small crowd," he said.
Students gathered following the New York Giants' 17-14 win over the hometown Patriots at about 10:05 p.m. At approximately 10:40 p.m., University police read a dispersal order, which was followed by the majority of the crowd, said Blaguszewski.
Police officers from the State Police, Amherst Police, and University Police departments arrived on scene before the crowd formed.
At one point, Patriots fans surrounded and threw ice off the ground at a group of singled-out Giants fans. Fights broke out between fans of either teams.
One student was reportedly taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for injuries sustained during a fight.
Police arrested all eight individuals and charged them with disorderly conduct. Police are also filing four charges of resisting arrest, one charge of assault and battery of a police officer, and one charge of interfering with a police horse.
There was no reported property damage.
UMPD was unavailable for comment.
Will McGuinness and Brian Tedder contributed to this report.
Eight individuals were arrested last night during a post-Super Bowl gathering in the University of Massachusetts Southwest Residential area.
The crowd - consisting of approximately 300 students, according to Ed Blaguszewski, director of the Office of News and Information at UMass - was "largely subdued and peaceful."
"Compared to other events, it was a pretty small crowd," he said.
Students gathered following the New York Giants' 17-14 win over the hometown Patriots at about 10:05 p.m. At approximately 10:40 p.m., University police read a dispersal order, which was followed by the majority of the crowd, said Blaguszewski.
Police officers from the State Police, Amherst Police, and University Police departments arrived on scene before the crowd formed.
At one point, Patriots fans surrounded and threw ice off the ground at a group of singled-out Giants fans. Fights broke out between fans of either teams.
One student was reportedly taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for injuries sustained during a fight.
Police arrested all eight individuals and charged them with disorderly conduct. Police are also filing four charges of resisting arrest, one charge of assault and battery of a police officer, and one charge of interfering with a police horse.
There was no reported property damage.
UMPD was unavailable for comment.
Will McGuinness and Brian Tedder contributed to this report.
Older Superstitious, New Music
The Daily Collegian - 1/31/08
The Mars Volta's latest release, "The Bedlam In Goliath," marks their return to perfect chaotic bliss and cements the group as the premiere prog/experimental/psychedelic/Latin rock group.
Sounding like the love child of "De-Loused In The Comatorium" and "Frances The Mute," "Bedlam" combines the best of their earlier days with the experience that comes only with age. And with the number of band members, experience is one thing The Mars Volta doesn't lack.
Led by the falsetto vocals of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's beautiful nails-on-a-chalkboard guitar riffs are accompanied by, once again, the seminal John Frusciante, from Red Hot Chili Peppers fame.
With their newest release, the odd time signatures and abrupt syncopation that listeners have come to know and love still goes strong, although some riffs are very similar to "De-Loused."
As for the vocals, if you plan on understanding them, the cover insert is a must. Between Zavala and the eight other members, lyrics come out garbled, yet perfect. Everything in "Bedlam" was crafted and molded and put in it's own place for a purpose: to create a story. And oh, is there a story.
According to legend (and an article posted on themarsvolta.com), Rodriguez-Lopez was in a Jerusalem curio shop looking for a gift for Bixler-Zavala. While there, he found a very old Ouija board, aptly named "The Soothsayer."
Originally bought as a novelty gift, the Soothsayer brought eerie coincidences and odd occurrences, and a phenomenal CD along with it.
During their tour with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta started to mess around with The Soothsayer after shows. As they did, they started to get names, such as Goliath, and a story about a man, a woman and her mother - a story about love and curses and murder. And eventually, the board asked the band for a story in return.
The band started to take some phrases and make songs, started to make their newest release, but never gave anything to The Soothsayer. So, Goliath got angry.
Equipment issues plagued the band, the former drummer quit, Bixler Zavala needed surprise foot surgery, the sound engineer quit the project, Rodriguez-Lopez's studio floored.
As the board started to make demands and threats, the surface peeled off to reveal a pre-Aramaic language scrawled over cone shapes.
The Mars Volta made an executive decision and buried the board in an undisclosed place.
Yes, it may be a modern myth or, I daresay a lie, but damn, it makes one hell of an interesting back story.
The album is equally as strange as the story behind it. If you're not sure that you like The Mars Volta, buy it. If you want something different to listen to, buy it. If you're into The Spice Girls, TLC and Hanson, it's time to update your collection. Whatever you decide, buy this album and enjoy it.
This is quite possibly THE album release of the year. It may be way off the mainstream, but "Bedlam" is necessary to start or complete any collection, all while broadening your musical horizons.
The Mars Volta's latest release, "The Bedlam In Goliath," marks their return to perfect chaotic bliss and cements the group as the premiere prog/experimental/psychedelic/Latin rock group.
Sounding like the love child of "De-Loused In The Comatorium" and "Frances The Mute," "Bedlam" combines the best of their earlier days with the experience that comes only with age. And with the number of band members, experience is one thing The Mars Volta doesn't lack.
Led by the falsetto vocals of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's beautiful nails-on-a-chalkboard guitar riffs are accompanied by, once again, the seminal John Frusciante, from Red Hot Chili Peppers fame.
With their newest release, the odd time signatures and abrupt syncopation that listeners have come to know and love still goes strong, although some riffs are very similar to "De-Loused."
As for the vocals, if you plan on understanding them, the cover insert is a must. Between Zavala and the eight other members, lyrics come out garbled, yet perfect. Everything in "Bedlam" was crafted and molded and put in it's own place for a purpose: to create a story. And oh, is there a story.
According to legend (and an article posted on themarsvolta.com), Rodriguez-Lopez was in a Jerusalem curio shop looking for a gift for Bixler-Zavala. While there, he found a very old Ouija board, aptly named "The Soothsayer."
Originally bought as a novelty gift, the Soothsayer brought eerie coincidences and odd occurrences, and a phenomenal CD along with it.
During their tour with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta started to mess around with The Soothsayer after shows. As they did, they started to get names, such as Goliath, and a story about a man, a woman and her mother - a story about love and curses and murder. And eventually, the board asked the band for a story in return.
The band started to take some phrases and make songs, started to make their newest release, but never gave anything to The Soothsayer. So, Goliath got angry.
Equipment issues plagued the band, the former drummer quit, Bixler Zavala needed surprise foot surgery, the sound engineer quit the project, Rodriguez-Lopez's studio floored.
As the board started to make demands and threats, the surface peeled off to reveal a pre-Aramaic language scrawled over cone shapes.
The Mars Volta made an executive decision and buried the board in an undisclosed place.
Yes, it may be a modern myth or, I daresay a lie, but damn, it makes one hell of an interesting back story.
The album is equally as strange as the story behind it. If you're not sure that you like The Mars Volta, buy it. If you want something different to listen to, buy it. If you're into The Spice Girls, TLC and Hanson, it's time to update your collection. Whatever you decide, buy this album and enjoy it.
This is quite possibly THE album release of the year. It may be way off the mainstream, but "Bedlam" is necessary to start or complete any collection, all while broadening your musical horizons.
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