Jaws Sidebar

In the wake of the tragic deaths of Amity, Massachusetts youths Chrissie Watson, 17, and Alex Kintner, 10, who were both killed in an unprecedented string of shark attacks, citizens of Portsmouth have become concerned with the safety of New Hampshire beaches.

            Statistics show, however, that shark attacks, especially fatal ones like these, are incredibly rare in this New England, and particularly so here in New Hampshire.

            “We have no documented history of shark attacks historically or otherwise [in New Hampshire],” said Renee Zobel, a marine biologist for the New Hampshire Marine Fisheries Division.

            According to Zobel, the species of sharks that commonly infest New Hampshire waters include several species that are historically non-aggressive such as the Blue Shark, the Mako Shark, the small Spiny Dogfish Shark, and the Basking Shark.

            Only occasionally, Zobel says, do we see the notoriously aggressive Great White Sharks, the species that has accounted for the most attacks and fatalities on humans, around New Hampshire.

            “The possibility of a Great White attack is unlikely,” said Jonathan Pennock, Director of the Marine Program at the University of New Hampshire.  “They tend to be warmer water fish,” he said.

            Prior to the fatal attacks on Watson and Kintner, Massachusetts had only recorded two shark attacks in the state’s history.  One of these attacks, which occurred in 1936, resulted in a fatality.

            Other than the now four attacks that have taken place in Massachusetts waters, New England has been home to very few shark attacks historically.  Only Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have recorded attacks, each with one in their history.

            According to the International Shark Attack File (or ISAF), compiled by Ichthyology Department at the Florida Museum of Natural History, there have been 1,085 shark attacks in the history of the United States.  Only 44 of these attacks resulted in fatalities.

            However, the United States has accounted for more than double the amount of shark attacks recorded on any other continent.  The next closest is Australia, which has recorded 488 shark attacks.  Worldwide, there have been 2,463 shark attacks in history, for which the US accounts for nearly half.  Last year, there were 75 confirmed unprovoked attacks worldwide.

            Of the recorded US attacks, nearly 78% have occurred in Florida, which has accounted for 637 attacks, California, and Hawaii, which have both accounted for just over 100 attacks apiece. 

            To put the odds of being attacked in perspective: According to Oceana, an international oceanic protection agency, 200 million people visit US beaches each year.  Of these people, only 36 will be attacked by sharks, placing the odds at 1 in 11.5 million.  (See graph below).  One is more likely to be struck by lightning, or killed by a dog than to be killed by a shark.  So, the odds are in your favor, beach-goers.

            Risk of Beach Injuries and Fatalities: (Courtesy of Oceana)

Drowning and other beach-related fatalities:	1 in 2 million
Drowning fatalities:	1 in 3.5 million
Shark attacks:	1 in 11.5 million
Shark attack fatalities:	0 in 264.1 million

New York Times Reading Log - 20 (Thursday's Paper)

Well, this is almost an emotional moment.  This is my last New York Times Reading Log of the year (I think) and the Times celebrated in style, putting out one of the thickest, most news dense issues I have seen in my brief tenure as a New york Times reader.  With a massive 30-page A-section, this is by far the biggest issue of the Times I have ever seen.  Holding the whole paper is a workout.  It has to weigh a pound.

A couple stories caught my eye in this one.  The most interesting, I thought, was the article (written by not one, not two but three writers.  Plus two more contributors. So basically 5 writers, which I thought was cool.) about the exit of Romney's gay foreign policy aide Richard Grenell. Evidently, Romney received some degree of public outcry from the far right and social conservatives about having a gay member of his staff.  This has to be the surprise of the century, right?  I can't help feeling frustrated about this story.  Of course, the Romney camp is saying/will say that it wasn't because he was gay, but we all know the real story.  It's a shame that fiscal conservatives have to subject themselves to the morals of a Christian-infiltrated political party.  But that's the way it goes I guess.  The Republican party's biggest problem, and the reason more people don't join their ranks is because they are stuck in the social dark ages.  But I guess they'd lose a lot of people if they distanced themselves from that too, wouldn't they?  So I don't know the solution.

Also, it is crazy and hard to believe that the US ranks so poorly in the world in terms of premature baby births.  This is something I cannot understand.  It's good that the information is out there, though.  At least we can move toward fixing the problem.

New York Times Reading Log - 19 (Wednesday's Paper)

The article in today's New York Times about conservative news mogul Rupert Murdoch's sticky situation was a particular article of interest.  The fact that Murdoch has been found to be "not a fit person" to run a huge international news company is very justified.  If the allegations of the hacking scandal are true, then it stands to the most basic, fundamental level of logic and journalistic ethical understanding that he should be disallowed to run a news organization.  It would be interesting to see how other news publications placed this story.  The liberal New York Times is pleased to plaster Murdoch's sorry story above the fold on the front page.  I wonder where more conservative papers ran the story, or where Fox News ran the story on their broadcasts.

Additionally, in a related story the Times printed a scathing article about the editor of the Daily News, Colin Myler.  "Colin Myler has always shown a thirst for the eye-poppoing story and a willingness to take the heat to run something that will sell, sell, sell," write N.R Kleinfield and Jeremy W. Peters.  It's cool to see the Times flex their journalism muscles and crap all over the editor of a tabloid like this.  It just goes to show that the Times really is somewhat untouchable in the news world.     

Shark attack

An Amity child was killed on Monday in what appears to have been the second of two shark attacks in the Amity beach area.

Alex Kitner, 10, was floating on a rubber raft just off of crowded Village Beach, when he was killed in an apparent “vicious and unprovoked shark attack,” Police Chief Michael Brody said.

An unidentified attacker, possibly a shark, emerged from the water mauling the young boy.  Following the attack, Kintner disappeared into the ocean water. 

Kintner’s body has not been recovered, but his damaged raft did float to shore in the wake of the incident.  There were no other injuries reported.

Kintner’s death has been linked to last night’s death of Amity teenager Chrissie Watson. The mangled  body of the  17-year-old Watson, a senior at Amity High School, was found washed up on the beach by Deputy Jay Hendricks of the Amity Police Department earlier this morning.  

“We now believe that it may be possible that the Watson death could also maybe have possibly been linked to possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity,” said Brody.

Watson was last seen alive around 11 PM last night, leaving a beach party with Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, a sophomore at Trinity College.  Hoggenbottam claims to have last seen Watson when she decided to go swimming at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach bell bouy.

Watson’s body has been transported to the coroner’s office for an autopsy, according to the Amity Police.  The autopsy report has yet to be released.   

“I join Amity Mayor Larry Vaughn in expressing the town’s deepest and most sincere condolences to the Kintner family,” Brody said in a press release.  “Now we know that these random acts of senseless violence, victimizing innocent, helpless citizens do not just happen in the city,” he said.

Brody also offered his condolences for the Watson family.

“We send our best wishes to the family of young Chrissie Watson,” Brody said in a press conference on Monday. “We are truly devastated that such a tragedy would happen in our town.”

Kintner’s mother, Marion, has been taken to Amity General hospital to be treated for shock.

A special meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, at which Mayor Vaughn, Chief Brod, and the Amity Board of Selectmen will be in attendance, to discuss plans to close the beaches on July Fourth.

New York Times Reading Log - 18 (Thursday's Paper)

Very very interesting article on the front page of today's times about the wiretapping going on between leaders in a China that is devoid of any interpersonal trust.  And that story had a big a big headline.  I love it when they break out the big headlines!  God, I'm so superficial.... Anyways, the article was definitely an interesting read.  It is crazy the level of paranoia and distrust going on in China.

In political news, Newt Gingrich is finally out of the running in the Republican primary!  Oh wait...that isn't news at all...he never had a shot did he?  Well, it is technically news that his campaign officially ended yesterday. It is hard to believe that Gingrich stayed in this race even longer that Rick Santorum, who seemed to have the least long shot of any of the long-shots in the Republican race.  This leaves just Ron Paul to vie for the Republican nomination against Romney, which means essentially only Romney is left.

Looks like Romney vs. Obama.  This should be interesting.  My prediction:  Obama wins 56% of the popular vote, taking office for a much more productive second term. I just don't see Obama going out as a one-termer.  That somehow just seems flat wrong.

New York Times Reading Log - 17 (Wednesday's Paper)

It was cool to see a photo taken in my hometown of Manchester, NH on the front page of the New York Times.  It somehow feels satisfying to get Manchester some glimpse of recognition.  Also interesting was the story that related to the photo, also written out of Manchester, about Mitt Romney winning another 5 states (albeit largely uncontested with the absence of Santorum) and inching closer to formally securing the Republican nomination.  

This article also has the interesting distinction of having the single longest paragraph I have ever seen in a New York Times article.   One paragraph was 6 sentences (in some cases, lengthy sentences.)  It is interesting to note stuff like this in journalism.  Before I took this class I probably would never have noticed a long paragraph, or any structural oddities like that.  Now it sticks out like a sore thumb.  I almost wonder if it could have been a typo or something.

I also would like to point out that I have never really noticed the Times alleged Leftist/Liberal bias.  The are supposed to be such a liberal publication, but I just don't necessarily see it.  That's not to say I think they are conservative, as much as it is to say that I just don't see a slant in many articles.  Sure the Op/Eds are liberal, but I don't see it as affecting the news reporting.

New York Times Reading Log - 16

I loved the picture of Obama on the front page of the New York Times today.  It was telling of what's to come for the president, and symbolic of the electoral fight that is ahead.  The president with his fists held up in front of a huge American flag is just such a cool image.  I feel like Teddy Roosevelt could have pulled off the same pose.  If Obama is able to win another term, and do useful something with it, this may become quite an iconic photo.

The comparison that writers Sabrina Tavernese and Jeff Zeleny make between opponents Obama and Romney and "liver and brussels sprouts" was a particularly funny quip on the front page.  It seems that many Americans really do see this election as a selection between two evils.  What else is new though?

What's the deal with all the stories being written by two writers lately?  I know it isn't uncommon for writers to collaborate on articles in the Times, but very single article above the fold on the front page today was written by two writers.  Just an observation I guess.

Amazing story about the Harlem police officer Eder Loor, who literally escaped death by inches.  He was stabbed in the brain, just inches from several vital parts of the brain which control vision, motor functions, and sensation.  In a year where the deaths of police officers seems to keep increasing, it's nice to see someone in the line of duty catch a lucky break.