My Brother the Drunk
As he walked past me, I glanced up at him timidly. I looked into his eyes, realizing they were exactly like mine. Quickly I shifted my gaze to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. It wasn't always this awkward between us, but something had changed.
My brother stood tall a few feet in front of me. He was almost towering, and I felt myself become very nervous. With his head held high, he walked over to me. He asked how I was doing; I told him that I was fine. My brother flipped his head back in a cocky manner, as if to emphasize his ear-length hair. I secretly rolled my eyes. Making small talk, I asked him how school was going. He replied that it was great and that all his teachers loved him. He also commented on how he might be playing baseball for his college again this year. I smiled and said that that was wonderful. He didn't bother to ask how school was going for me. Feeling strange, I told him that I had to run. We said our goodbyes and he began to leave. As he left, I noticed the way he walked. It wasn't a normal walk. It was a walk that commanded everyone's attention. It was a steady stride. With his shoulders back and head up, I could tell that everyone at the grocery store was watching him. Unfortunately, so could he.
As children, my brother and I were very close. Well, as close as a brother and sister can be. We played together all of the time, and he always tucked me into bed at night. Sometimes, when I was scared of the dark, he would take all of my stuffed animals and surround me with them. In elementary school, he was very protective of me. He always made sure that no one was ...
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...pick him up. He started to scream and yell at me. "You never do anything for me," he said. I gave the phone to my dad, and he explained to my brother that he would be picking him up. My brother was mad at me for days.
Along with an attitude, my brother had developed an ego problem. He would stand at the bathroom mirror, telling himself how gorgeous he looked. Moving his head back and forth, he commented on how he had no bad angles. He started to brag about cheating on his girlfriend. I couldn't stand to be around him anymore.
He finally decided to move out a couple of months ago. He didn't even say goodbye to me. My mother told me he was leaving. Since then I can barely talk to him. Things have become so strained between us. I see him here and there, and I wish that things hadn't changed so much.
1.There are numerous reasons why this novel is titled My brother Jack. The title My Brother Jack deludes the reader in thinking the novel is based on Jack, yet we find that the prevailing concern is not ‘My Brother Jack’ at all. The title suggests a rewriting of Jack’s life.
Nancy K. Bristow, American Pandemic, The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 193
Salmonella is a gram-negative bacillus that causes inflammation of the GI tract and in some cases, if the immune response is not sufficiently powerful and treatment is not administered, can become systemic and cause even more serious conditions throughout the body. After ingestion, these bacteria cause infection by invading the epithelial cells of the small intestine and macrophages. Though there are more than two thousand different subspecies of Salmonella, few of them are able to cause serious conditions in humans—for most, the disease resolves itself in a matter of days. Those who are most affected by Salmonella infection are infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. Some of the main conditions caused by Salmonella are gastroenteritis, enteric fever, and bacteremia, while the general symptoms of salmonella include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. While there are typically few to no long-term effects as a result of a Salmonella infection, more serious complications may arise.
As far as vaccines go, there are two main vaccines that all adolescence should receive in order to prevent bacterial meningitis. “Around the age of 11 the Meningococcal conjugate vaccine should be given, and later on between the ages of sixteen and twenty three is when you should receive the second booster shot called the Serogroup B Meningococcal vaccine” (CDC, Meningococcal Vaccines). “Pregnant women should be tested at about their 37th week of pregnancy for group B Streptococcus,
Bacterial meningitis is severe in most cases. Many people fully recover but for those who are less fortunate it may cause brain damage leading to learning disabilities and hearing loss. There are many different pathogens that cause bacterial meningitis. The most common here in the United States are Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Neisseria meningitidis. These bacteria can be transmitted through direct contact with the nose and throat secretions of an infected person. The main reservoirs for these bacteria are humans but can also be the environment, mainly from the soil.
I don't remember how or where we are standing anymore. The only thing I remember: his gaze towards me is oblique.
Today the flu we have is not as deadly as it was in 1918. Now we have medicines and vaccines for the flu, but still today about 200 thousand people in America are hospitalized. Still about 30-40 thousand Americans die from the flu every year. The flu in 1918 was called Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Influenza, but there’s no proof that the virus came from Spain.
...contact her that I should not go my whole life without my mother. I agreed with him and I reached out and called her. My mother apologized for pushing me away and finally agreed that David was not as bad as she originally had thought. We all went to dinner and things have been completely different ever since.
Growing up with my brothers has changed my perspective on the way I live my life. One brother in particular really made me change the way I look at women. Society has always put a certain type of structure on the way women are supposed to dress, speak, and look. A very proper look for women would be, for example, the typical attire of a female teacher. Very nicely put together from their hair to the way they dressed. Being little and being exposed to that made me think that is how I had to look but not necessarily. My brother had a lot of women friends who exposed themselves differently. Their hair was dyed hundreds of different colors. Their clothing consisted of band, shirts, and their make-up was something that I have never been introduced too. Usually girls would have girly clothing and very minimal makeup. Their skin was covered in tattoos.
I wanted to know what, exactly, the flu was and how it became so deadly. So, after I ate at one of Europe’s fine restaurants, I decided to ask another European citizen what they knew about the 1918 pandemic. Her name was Nancy and she gave me what I needed. She said that the flu is a disease that affects our Respiratory System. Also, she said that the reason it was so deadly was because it would take over your lungs, resulting in pneumonia. She even told me that her great-great-grandmother was one of the people who didn’t get infected, but was still impacted by all of the deaths that occurred during that time of events. About one-third of the world was corrupted, or infected, with this
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that meningococcal vaccines are available, but are not capable to prevent all of the different cases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Fortunately, there are many sources available for the treatment of meningitis. In the case of bacterial meningitis, antibiotics are mostly used, and can be prescribed orally. In extreme cases the treatment may be with intravenous antibiotics or even a combination of them. Additionally, corticosteroids mighy be used to suppress the inflammation. The Mayo Clinic states, “The antibiotic or combination of antibiotics depends on the type of bacteria causing the infection…this helps to ensure recovery and reduce the risk of complications, such as brain swelling and seizures” (Steckelberg, James). Another viable route the physician may take is to drain any infected sinus or mastoids, which are the bones in the skull. This technique removes the contaminaded fluid from the brain area preventing the further contamination of the
Meningitis can be cause by bacteria, viruses, fungi, reactions to medications, and environmental toxins such as heavy metals. It also caused by physical injury, cancer, and certain drugs. Although bacterial and fungal meningitis require extended hospitalization, meningitis caused by viruses can often be treated at home and has a much better
Phillips, Elizabeth J. and Andrew E. Simor. “Bacterial Meningitis in Children and Adults.” Postgraduate Medicine Online. 1998. 23 July 2006 .
I have three siblings along with three nephews. I have a younger sister, older sister, and one older brother. My older sister is the one that had my nephews. We all lived under the same roof until I moved out for college. My mother was more like my father in the house because my father was away working for us, and even though my siblings are her children, it seems that they 're her siblings too. It felt that I was the parent of my nephews and little sister because of the way I had to care for them because everyone else was working. I connect with my immediate family firmly. We always look out for each other because we mean so much to one another. I
Growing up with two older brothers taught me to be unselfish, patient, and respectful. Being the youngest of three, I learned I would not always get what I wanted. I would have to be patient and wait my turn for a lot of things, such as the telephone and bathroom. I was glad that I was able to grow up with siblings to teach me these lifelong lessons. All three of us had to be respectful of each other or we would risk getting in trouble with my parents.