Former USC Football Player's Career Ended Early

He was the number one recruit in the 80's, but an injury in the first game caused him to only see the field once. 

“I strongly believe in you’re told from the beginning of football to keep your head up, and my fault, I did not keep my head up.”



 In 1983, Ray Bingham, my father, signed with the University of South Carolina as a lineman on the football team. He was one of top recruits in South Carolina and every major university wanted him. The schools ranged from Georgia, Harvard, Notre Dame, UCLA, to Auburn. The State newspaper named him "The best lineman in the state."

My father says that he didn't know that he was good enough to be looked at to play college football.

"Growing up as a kid you worked, you went to school, you did chores, or you had a ball in your hand and that was basically my upbringing: school, chores, ball" he said.

As a freshman he was redshirted, but coach Joe Morrison didn't wait a second to play him the next year.

This was 1984, the year of the Black Magic team for South Carolina. In the first game of the season against The Citadel, my dad was sent out on punt coverage. The receiver caught the ball and ran even though my dad was right in front of him.

"Now's your opportunity to make that big hit" he thought to himself.

With not much time to gain control, my dad tucked his head down to tackle the runner, forcing his chin into his stomach. He pushed himself off the ground, walked off the field, and knew something was wrong. When he went back to the locker room, the doctor gave him an X-ray, showing him that his neck was broken.

He was immediately strapped onto a stretcher and sent to Baptist Medical Center where they informed him he had broken his C-5 and C-6 bones in his spine. He had to wear a halo for six weeks, but the doctors told him that his neck had not properly healed and he needed surgery. The doctors used some of his hip bone to fuse C-5 and C-6 bones back together and then put him in a neck brace for another eight weeks.

He said, "The doctors told me my neck would be stronger than it was, but I would never play football again."

My dad kept his scholarship at the University of South Carolina. He stayed on the football team helping out with coaching and athletic training. After he graduated in 1988, he never stopped being a Gamecock and now attends every home football game.

Wildfire in Table Rock, Burke County, NC

A Wildfire in North Carolina in November?

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/powerful-winds-force-firefighters-linville-george-/nbwRj/

            Just last Tuesday a wildfire broke out at Table Rock in Burke County, North Carolina. The second I saw “wildfire in North Carolina” I knew I wanted to write my blog in it. Just recently in class, we discussed wildfires and I think they interest me because it is not a disaster that I would think of right away. I also didn’t know anything about them. Wildfires are known to occur in mountain regions with very hot temperatures, but usually in the spring and summer months. Strong wind and dry conditions also influence wildfires to occur. The spatial pattern of wildfires is seen most likely in the west, but we also know that wildfires can occur anywhere.

            In this case in the southeast, we just experienced a cold front that brought unstable temperatures and strong winds. I didn’t see any information on the vegetation or chemical makeup of the Table Rock Mountains, but those could have been another factor in the cause of the wildfire. As of right now, the cause of the wildfire is unknown. Investigators are asking people who were at Table Rock on Veterans Day if they noticed anything. They are also giving a reward to whoever reports the cause. We have learned in class that humans are the majority influence of starting a wildfire.

            This is a time-lapse video of the wildfire over the past week and it is TOTALLY worth clicking on and watching. 

http://www.wsoctv.com/videos/news/timelapse-table-rock-wildfire/vCJdQT/

            Unfortunately this fire wasn’t small. Firefighters were ordered to step off the lines due to the severity of the fire and the strong winds that could worsen it. The fire has burned over 2,220 acres and only 40% is contained. Fire on the south side of the mountain is not contained and we have learned about slopes in class. Since the start of the fire it has rained, which slowed things down, but it also creates moist soil that can be dangerous. There has also been a lot of fog in the air, which makes it difficult for fire crews to see clearly. Future dry conditions are predicted for the area, but hopefully this fire won’t spread anymore.  

Comment to Christina Cole:

http://christinageographic.wordpress.com/

I can see that you took the time in researching the earthquake and tsunami at Fukushima. I like how you then cited a quote from a comment someone made on the article and also talked about how she compared it to BP oil spill. She had a very good comment, but I think the best part of this blog is how you asked your readers multiple questions. This really engages your readers so they don’t feel like they are just reading. You pose a question on what we can do to help, what we are doing wrong, and if we think this is wrong. These are awesome questions to ask your readers and it definitely made me think. 

Living Strong with Type One Diabetes

She was the unexpected diagnoses and now uses her disease to make her stronger.

"I don't think it really effects my ability to succeed or my ability to be a friend or my ability to lead or my ability to be a girlfriend or daughter or my quality of life at all."

At age 11, Aubrey Duggar was diagnosed with type one diabetes. The doctors told her she had a slight chance of having the disease because her father and her older sister are both type one diabetic.

She was always petite when she was young and her mother knew there was something not right about her size. Aubrey's parents would bring her to the doctor about her size but would give no answer.
Aubrey said, "I was the size of an average six year old and I was 11 going on 12."She was 4'7" and 59 lbs.

Before she was diagnosed, Aubrey got the flu. After the flu wouldn't go away and she kept losing weight, her parents decided to check her blood sugar and the results were not good. An average blood sugar level is around 100 and her's was 536.

At a young age, Aubrey had to learn the daily return of being a diabetic. She said, "On a day to day basis it's just part of who I am and I don't think about it. I don't know anything different anymore. I don't know what it's like to not take shots."

Now, Aubrey is 21 and lives a very healthy life as a type one diabetic. She is a leader in her sorority and is very involved at her school. Aubrey said it is not always easy being a diabetic but she uses her story to make her stronger.

Geog330 blogpost #3: Earthquake in the Philippines

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/14/world/asia/philippines-earthquake/

This article was just written last month. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Phillippines on October 15, 2013 leaving many injured and many dead. I wanted to write about this article because we are studying earthquakes in class. This earthquake in particular resulted in loss and hardship.

            Many buildings were destroyed and people were found dead under those collapsed buildings. People also died from falling rubble. This article was written the day the disaster hit and on that day they counted for 2.9 million people affected by this earthquake. The earthquake didn’t only destroy buildings, but it left homes, churches, roads, bridges, and hospitals damaged. In class we talk about direct and indirect effects of natural disasters. Some of the direct effects of the earthquake would be the collapsed buildings, destroyed properties, death, and also the landslide that took place. Some of the indirect effects would be the deaths from not having housing, food and water, or medical help. This creates major economic losses as well.

People were reported in the streets because it was the safest place to be at the time. This article quotes victim Maryann Zamora, "Right now we are in the streets because it is unsafe to be inside," she said by phone, her voice shaking as one of more than 10 aftershocks hit. "Tell everyone to pray for us."

Thankfully this earthquake did not cause a tsunami but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that it was surprising a tsunami didn’t occur from the large size of the earthquake.

The effects of this earthquake were very unfortunate. After the earthquake hit it was declared a magnitude 7.2 leaving at least 183 dead and over 500 injured. I wonder how long it will take for the Philippines to recover. 

http://matthewfisher246.blogspot.com/

Response:

I really like how you talk about what the influences were on the flooding in Texas. I am sure that it was mostly natural but it is interesting to discuss the possibility of human influences. I am a visual person so it would have been nice to see some pictures but I like how you discussed an issue we have talked about in class. 

Australian Bush Fire

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/asia/australia-fires/

This article I found is on the wildfires in Australia from CNN.com. I thought this would be an interesting topic to blog about because we are learning about wildfires in our disaster class.

Unfortunately, Australia is suffering from over 70 wildfires across its states and 29 of the fires are uncontained. These fires are moving fast and are now threatening the western side of the state of Sydney. These fires are ranging across a 1,000-mile line. Australia’s Rural Fire Services are trying to stop the fires or at least make them less intense. One of the deputies even said that if they don’t succeed in their strategies to stop the fire or the weather worsens, it could be devastating. Hundreds of homes have been lost and more are expected to disappear. We learned in class how dangerous wildfires can be and how they are started. One of the ways wildfires are started is from the weather. When there is high relative humidity, strong winds, and high temperatures, wildfires are more likely to start up. This article talks about how bad the weather conditions are in Australia at this time. This wild fire has already caused one death; therefore, the fire officials are urging residents to evacuate. People are worried that these fires will join together and make one big mega-fire. People are also coming together as a community to help stop the fires. “The state of emergency issued by authorities gives firefighters and police the authority to carry out measures such as cutting off water, power and gas and ordering mandatory evacuations of areas at risk.”

Another way wildfires are started is by humans. This fire in particular is still under investigation by officials. We learned that humans start most wildfires and officials are saying that this fire could have been started by a military training exercise. Another unfortunate fact that this article reported was that an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old were arrested for started a bush fire that spread more than 12,000 acres.

Response to Parker Byun:

http://byunp.wordpress.com/

Parker,

I have not studied earthquakes and I feel like I don’t hear about them very often so it was interesting to read about the earthquake in the Philippines. I like how you formatted your blog post. First, you gave me a nice summary of the article. Then, you gave your own analysis of what you think of the earthquake and its damages. You gave a good argument and I definitely saw how passionate you were about this topic. Good job!

What are the potential impacts for climate change in the UK?

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/08/potential-impacts-climate-change-uk

This article starts off talking about the main reasons why the UK would see a change in the next couple of decades. With rising temperatures since the last decade and global warming being a threat, the UK expects to be impacted by the climate change. The UK understands that they can cut some emissions to help, but in reality there is not much they can do to stop the climate change from happening. This article did a good job of explaining the effects of climate change and the risks UK would face. 

            Most people know the effects of global warming and what it could do to our environment. One of the effects it would have on the UK would be the risk of major flooding. Flooding would especially be the risk for the winter months. The UK would be expected to have extreme wet winters from heavy downpours and the risk of sea level rise. The government is also expecting 300,000 more properties to be at risk of flooding than before by the year 2080. The confusing part about this article is that even though it talks so heavily on the risk of flooding in the winters, it talks about the risk of drought in the summer. These are two extreme risks that the UK could face in the next couple of decades and would have a huge impact on their environment and society. The other risks the UK could face are water security and supply, ecosystem hazards, wildlife dangers, and economic problems. The article also talks about a few benefits from the climate change that include new crop life and certain wildlife survival.

            Global warming has been a topic for many years now of debate and there have been many suggestions put in place to help this trend slow down and lessen the environmental effects it will have. I really like how this article ends saying, “Climate policy to cut global greenhouse gas emissions could have a tangible effect on future climate impacts, not only offering governments a way to avoid the most extreme impacts, but also providing them with more time to prepare and adapt to those that are unavoidable.” This just shows that things can be done to help and even though it may not stop climate change from happening, it would slow down the process giving them more time to prepare.

            The only thing I didn’t like about this article is that it didn’t elaborate on things the UK can do to help. Instead of talking about all of the risks maybe it should talk about daily things the UK residents can do to help their environment and society. 

Comment to classmate:
http://tylerspires.wordpress.com/
I love how he utilized pictures in his blog. Pictures are the way of catching someone's eye and I felt this was easy on the eye as well in terms of reading. Hurricanes are something I am very interested in and I love hearing what is a risk for the US right now! This was a great blog on Hurricane Karen and the possible path and impacts it has. Great job!

Anesthesia Turns ACL Surgery into a Nightmare

16-year-old Holly Sealey went into St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond, VA on a Thursday morning to get a standard out-patient procedure on her knee and came out five days later after having a brain seizure and cardiac arrest. 

On her winter break trip to the mountains, Holly lost control while skiing and injured her knee. She was told she had torn her ACL and her only way to recover was knee surgery.

"Okay I'm going to give you an alcohol wipe and then I'm going to give you the shot and that's going to be the anesthesia for your leg and then we will go get Mom and Dad and bring them back in here... the last thing I remember is the alcohol swipe." 

The anesthesiologist administered the anesthesia and what Holly thought would take a couple hours turned into a couple of days. 

A few seconds after the anesthesia, Holly went into cardiac arrest and had a brain seizure. She didn't have a heart beat for four minutes and it took the doctors 10 minutes to get her heart rate back to normal. 

"I woke up they took like I was on catheter, and they had given me food through an IV, and fluids, and breathing tube and they started taking one by one things off and then at that point I just wanted, I had been in the hospital for four or five days and I was just ready to go home." 

Luckily Holly did not experience any brain damage from the incident and a month later she successfully got her ACL surgery.  

Now 20 years old, Holly enjoys running outdoors and other physical activities.