Dickinson's Thoughts on Tragedy...

"Before that tragic day I thought that our country was untouchable...I think, or better yet I hope, that this occurrence teaches people to be kinder to each other...The country is being torn between opposing feelings: we are being encouraged to continue our lives as normal to prevent economic hard times, yet we hesitate to act as if we are willing to ignore this great tragedy...I think people all around the world and especially in America have had a rude awakening and live each day with a different attitude towards things...It will bring us closer together and remind us that our spirit can never be broken...After the horrible attacks on America, people finally owned their eyes, and a rush of patriotism swept every American in the world...Millions of dollars have been raised, blood banks are full and flags are everywhere.  I have never been so proud of being an American...Since September 11, 2001, I have not felt safe in school.  When students don't stand up for the pledge of [allegiance,] I get very upset.  Sometimes when I'm in my classes, I start to think about the tragedy and I'll put my head down...We must do whatever we can to help...I think growing up with this will change the way I teach my nephew and maybe kids I have in the future...I am more cautious of how I go about my life because I know that tomorrow is not promised to me...With hundreds of thousands of people being laid off from airlines, that many people will not be spending as much...If all of the sudden half a million people stop spending money, the economy will not be nearly as terrific...No parent or teacher had the power to shelter us from such destruction...The country as a whole will be closer and the general population more stable and accepting with each other after the terroristic events...I'm now afraid to ride on a plane...I've never been on one before, but I'm afraid of what might happen... Mostly I feel angry...I think people will worry more, especially if they have relatives in the armed forces...The students here are more caring than ever...I am now more intrigued by the history of our country, because I know that this will one day be a part of history...We think we are the best because we are the U.S.A... We are just as vulnerable as anywhere else in the world...People have come together and now are more united than before...Sometimes I think it's best to get back to normal, but never forget...It's kind of like we have fallen off that horse and are eagerly trying to get back on again, but we'll never forget the mistakes we made...Our flag faces a new challenge...No longer does our enemy have one face...No longer does he have a capitol, country, or people...Yet his name rings loudly in our ears every time we look at the pain which has become New York, or gaze upon the rubble of Washington D.C...Freedom is now power, liberty is hope, and justice has become the strength to fight the good fight."

Anthrax:
What You Should Know
By: Omair Balkhi

A couple of months ago, if you accidentally happened to leave some coffee creamer on a desk at work, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal. Do that same mistake now and you'll soon be fired. Why? Anthrax. We've seen the hazardous effects it has had on people and the threatening incidents it has recently caused, but how deadly is it? To fully understand the answer to this question, the history and nature of this new form of bio-terror to strike America first has to be seen.
Colorless, odorless, and tasteless bacterium, anthrax protects itself from sunlight and heat by forming a protective coat. This coat labels the bacterium as a "spore" which is so small that even 8,000 to 10,000 spores (enough to infect someone) is smaller then a speck of dust. The specific size of these spores makes it difficult to launch an anthrax attack; if they're too small, a person will exhale the spores, and if they're too big, the spores will just fall to the ground.
How anthrax is exposed determines how severe the effects will be. There are three possible ways to transmit the disease: inhalation, cutaneous, and intestinal. If inhaled, anthrax spores can germinate and lead to infection within one to sixty days. This is pulmonary anthrax, which usually causes death. Less fatal forms are cutaneous and intestinal. Cutaneous infections occur if spores come in contact with a cut or any other type of opening in the skin. Most anthrax cases, about 95 percent, are caused by this type of infection. The third type of exposure, intestinal, is caused in the intestines of those who eat improperly cooked meat of anthrax-infected animals. Fortunately, anthrax is not contagious, so you don't have to worry about keeping your distance from someone you may know who is infected with it.
It's no new news that anthrax has been going around via mail. It's still important to take full precaution before opening any suspicious package. According to the U.S. Postal Service, a suspicious package can be identified by any mail that is:
1) Unexpected or is from an unfamiliar source.
2) Addressed to someone no longer with your organization or is outdated in any way.
3) Has no return address or an address that cannot be verified.
4) Lopsided, oddly shaped, or has an unusual weight, given its size.
5) Marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal" or "Confidential."
6) Has protruding wires, strange odors or stains.
7) Shows a city or state in the postmark that doesn't match the return address.

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