Ben in the News!

Upon returning from summer break, The Edge Team was pleasantly surprised - and proud - to learn that The Lake George Mirror (a newspaper operating out of Lake George, NY) had honored Ben.  It had composed an article covering the trail-building work he performed over the summer.

Take a look for yourself through a post on Ben's blog.  If you haven't subscribed yet, take a minute to do so.  He will continue to post updates in the months ahead.

https://benbairdportfolio.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/article-in-lake-george-mirror-about-my-work/

Jonathan B.: Ice Rink

Jonathan surveying possible sites for his ice rink.
Image shared with permission from Jonathan's Instagram profile.

Welcome back to "View from the Edge" for the 2017-2018 year! We are back and better than ever with three advisors and nineteen students...record numbers for our humble program.  WHOO! 😀

This year we are going to be mixing things up to keep pushing the "edge" of our work (sorry, had to go for the pun).  For now, though, enjoy some new voices using our classic approach.

First off:  Jonathan B. joins the ranks of Edge with the idea of building an ice rink on the campus of The Kildonan School.  In his Instagram profile linked below, you can see him surveying possible locations in advance of developing a proposal for our administration.  Take a look (and follow if you are interested)!

https://www.instagram.com/kildonan_school_ice_rink/?hl=en

It's good to be back.

The Edge Team

Ben's Performance Task: Part 2 (Final Video # 2)

To showcase his terrain park, Ben elected to create two performance tasks using filmmaking.  Please see the second of those below as Ben processes his work with the help of his park testers and The Edge Team: (also, please check out and subscribe to Ben's YouTube channel)

 

Ben's Performance Task: Part 1 (Final Video # 1)

To showcase his terrain park, Ben elected to create two performance tasks using filmmaking.  Please see the first of those below: (also, please check out and subscribe to Ben's YouTube channel)

 

Ben: Meeting with Jay Rosenbaum

"When we went up to Killington as a school, Mr. O set James and I up with a meeting with Dave Lacombe. We learned about what he does and what the guys in his shop do. At the end of the meeting I asked Dave if I could possibly meet with the park manager. He gave me his phone number so he could coordinate something the next day. However, it didn't work out.  Something came up on his end. I asked Dave if the next time I was over we could try again. So, over the break, I went to practice for a contest at Killington and was able to meet with Jay Rosenbaum."

Interested in reading more? See the rest of Ben's post on his meeting by clicking here.

Annabel: One Last Blog Post

In Edge I was asked certain questions. I want to answer them and give my final blog post as a student in Edge.

Who were you when you came in?

When I came into Edge I was a quiet person. I did not like to speak about who I was and what happened to me in the past or the project I was working on.  I don’t think I really spoke when people were around me, but I had so much to say and was the strongest voice in the group.  Then after tours came by with families interested in Kildonan, it became easier to talk to people, but I still had no idea what I was suppose to say.  Slowly, I learned how to communicate better.  Soon I felt comfortable speaking about myself in front of crowds, even going as far as advocating for public schools to have better education in the New York State government and speaking to senators.  I felt braver by the end.

What did you learn?

I started out in Edge learning about science fiction.  I read “The Star” by HB Wells and learned more about the world of science fiction and actually wrote a couple of short stories.  Soon I was getting bored with the idea learning about science fiction, because was I burnt out from all knowledge I learned from working so hard.  Then Mrs. Charlap mentioned tessellations because of the drawings that I made in art class.  I had no idea what that was.  It was patterns so I looked at them a little.  Then the next day she said that she meant to say fractals, not tessellations.

My first couple of thoughts about that new word was, what is a fractal and how is it important to my life?  So I learned all that I could with and about fractals.  Here is a small list of basic fractals: rivers, equations from math, and some very basics of physics.  I felt like I was speaking a language that nobody else knew how to speak.  So I used the same pattern, fractals, to figure out my way of learning.

Then it came to leaving eleventh grade.  I was excited to leave and come back for the next year.  Over the summer I learned more about scrapbooking, which is a hobby in my family.  I said out loud to my mom, “I wish they had this as a job.”

My mother replied, “That is a job, and it is called Graphic Design.”

So I looked further into this field.  Graphic Design helps describe my way of learning.  So I took some FIT pre-college classes in the city during the fall and ended up loving it.  After that experience, I decided to apply to college for graphic design.  I got into all five art colleges I applied to, and I chose my number one college, Lesley University: College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Do you feel like you will be successful in college?

Yes, I do feel I will succeed.  Most people don’t think you can be successful in college because people who don’t understand others with learning differences think we are lacking.  I know I won't be that way in college.  This is because I am hard working.  I know myself very well and I can tell what my limit is and what is not my limit.  I have learned problem solving and creativity in Edge, which were harder to learn before I joined the program.  I will use this work ethic to help me out with learning because I know myself as a unique, hardworking, zany, chaotic, and amiable person.  I feel as if I learned more with the addition of Edge than just regular classes.

What are you going to leave behind?

I ask myself this question a lot.  This is because I did a lot of work, but it is the process of my work that has left a powerful mark in this community.  I will leave behind a legacy of fractals, my brain and knowledge, and ideas for others. I helped show people that it is ok that you can be you.  I also helped teach Ambrose a new way how to write in a form called fractal writing.  I am not worried for the future.  I feel very confident.  I have learned from my failures, celebrated successes, and I am able to move forward.  There is a quote that I have found by  B. B. King, “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”  Even though I did not use this as my senior quote, this means learning is beautiful, and no matter what, don’t let anyone take that away from you.

Launch: Ben's Portfolio (via WordPress)

A screenshot of Ben's homepage:  https://benbairdportfolio.wordpress.com.

Greetings from Kildonan, everyone!

With only 2 academic days left before summer, we in Edge are tying up loose ends.  Students are reflecting upon their learning in end-of-year conferences, and advisors are finishing the last reporting cycle.  It's a bittersweet season as we prepare to say goodbye to veterans of the program.  Annabel and Chris, our community is stronger for your thinking and spirit over the past two years.  Santiago, we wish we had another year with you (but look forward to seeing your future business ventures)!

Whether bound for college or a new year, however, we all take leaves marked by anticlimax.  Our work is not finished, can never be finished.  The passions that motivated us beckon to us yet, so our leavings are the flutter of a curtain rather than the closing of a door.

Case in point:  Ben has begun the important work of creating/maintaining a portfolio that will compile all of his Edge pursuits.  He is designing a website that will highlight his past blog posts, his schematics, his videos on the terrain park, his upcoming pursuits in trail-building, and next year's work in Edge.

From here on out, we will re-post the pieces that Ben publishes via his site.  Click HERE to take a look at his paper on snowboarding.  While you're there, don't forget to subscribe!

Ben: Fake Snow Event

- Contest type and contest information.

 - Advertising for getting people and athletes young and old for the contest, and after the contest for next year.

- A way to draw people in besides snowboarders and skiers.

- Comp specifics includes features, skill/age categories, and number of competitors.

- Prizes, overall estimated cost, estimated prophet, and admissions cost.

Ben: Preparing the Rails

One of the most popular features in a park is the hand railing.  You can use it in a number of ways, such as by grinding or sliding across it, tapping it, jumping or spinning on it, or hopping over it. 

I really wanted to be able to have a few rails in my own park.  So, I just started asking around trying to find someone who would have some old or unwanted railings laying around.  I talked to people at the transfer station, people from town, and finally, people from the library.  The library in my town said that they were getting new railings because the ones they had were old and breaking.  They said that I could take the old ones when they got them replaced.

I waited around for a phone call so that I could come and pick up the railings.  I sketched out how I wanted to cut the rails and where.  Then, I drew how I was going to weld and repair them.  Next, I talked to both my uncles about welding some bases on the railings so that they would stand.

Finally, I got the call.  The next night, me and my father went down to the library in his work van.  We cut the railings into about five foot sections with his band saw. (Five feet is the maximum size that will fit in the car for transportation.)  Then, we took them back to the our garage.  The next day, I cleaned them up by cutting them to the exact length of 5 feet with the band saw.  I scraped all the paint and rust off the rails with a sander and a rotary wire wheel brush bit.  Then, I cut legs with the extra rails I had.

Reassessing the situation, I realized that if I welded the legs on permanently, the railings weren't going to fit in the car.  I had to use a mechanical joint.  After talking with my Dad, we came up with the idea of using Unistrut as the feet because it's super durable and strong.  We got the Unistrut, and I cut it to the right length.  When I cut the legs, I also cut out a small piece of Unistrut so that I could squish the bottom of the rail and bolt it down with the spring nut.

After we brought the rails to school, I sanded them down more and painted them with Rustoleum spray paint.  They were ready by the time we got snow!

Ben: Wind Chime Blueprint

Ben's schematic for his park's wind chime.  Picture taken and shared by Ben.

Here are my blue prints for my wind chime.  Unfortunately, the wire I used for the chimes wasn't strong enough because the first time I tapped it, I ripped two chimes off.  I replaced the chime with a log to tap.  Next year, I plan to construct the chimes with stronger wire.

Ambrose: Illustration # 4

- Piece submitted by Ambrose (3/10/17)

Ben: Outreach on Trail-Building

For the last two summers I was a lifeguard for the town of Lake George at the public beaches.  It's easy work and pays well, so it's a really good summer job.  However, I have really bad ADHD, so it is super boring for me to sit still.  I was talking to my mom about getting a job at some place like Gore Mountain to build mountain bike trails.  That way, I could gain experience in the job I want to go to college for.  Right now, I want to go to college for Ski Resort Management, and after college I want to be a Terrain Park Designer in the winter and a Mountain Bike Trail Builder during the summer.  But I'm a junior, so that could change (though I highly doubt it).

Over the summer, I was trying to gather information on trail-building so that the next summer I could gain some experience.  I was talking to everyone.  I learned about places like Gore Mountain and the Lake George Land Conservatory.  My close friend, Owen, told me he had a friend who works for a company that builds trails.  Owen gave me his friend Andrew's contact information and I texted him the messages below.

Benjamin: 
     Hello Andrew,

     My name is Ben.  My friend Owen told me you are a trail builder and gave me your contact information.  I’m 16, going into my Junior year, and when I get out of high school I want to go into a career in trail-building and snow park building.  I want to build mountain bike trails like downhill, cross country, slope style, dirt jumps, etc. in the summer months.  During the winter I want to build ski and snow parks.  

     I'm looking for some information about what sort of skills and training would put me in a good position to be hired and excel at the job (college? trade school? etc.).  Would you have time to let me know your thoughts on this (as well as giving me an idea of what a typical day at work looks like for you)? And finally, so that I can get more experience, do you know of any places that I might look into for a summer job?

     Thank you so much for your time.

Andrew: 
     Hi Ben, I'm Andrew.  Rry I couldn't respond sooner, I had a cross country meet yesterday.  I joined the trail crew at the beginning of this summer when I was 17 for my summer job.  It's meant for college age kids, but I had a lot of training doing trail work with the teen trail program run by the adk mountain club.  So they hired me.  Anyways, this is probably the best entry level job for you if trail building is what you're aiming to do.  I'm not sure what precise degree, but if you do this as a summer job, there's quite a few people u can get options from.  The best school would probably be SUNY ESF in Syracuse.  Probably the most important skills would be practice with hand tools like rock bars, mattocks, axes, shovels, and rakes.

     A good place to get training would be the teen trail program.  It's a week long course where u camp out and do trail work at a job site.  It's really fun.  I did it for 3 years in a row and I feel like I learned a lot from it.  Also Moreau Lake has trails days every once and awhile.  That could be good training too.  For my job exactly, you can find information about it by just Googling "Saratoga trail crew."  It's a team of 4 of us.  We're based out of SPAC, and we're probably hiring at least one or two people next year.  Our boss normally assigns us different projects, and we travel to various state parks around the capital region.  Normally if we're making a new trail he will have already flagged and designed it.  Then we go make the trail for him.  We also build bridges and drainage systems.  If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Benjamin:

Thank you!

Andrew:

No problem!

At the same time, my mom, who works for the town, was asking around.  One of the people she talked to recommended that I approach the town and offer to build mountain bike trails for them.  So, we set up a meeting and I approached the mayor and I told him that I wanted to build technical trails for mountain biking at the Transfer Station (where the cross country running and skiing trails are).  I met with him so I would know if he was interested.  I would then know if it was worth the time to write a proposal. 

He suggested that I offer to work half the day as a maintenance worker and the second half the day building trails.  We talked about stuff I would need, compensation, and if it was actually possible for any of this to happen.  At the end of the meeting he gave me some maps of the land at the Transfer Station.  He told me I should write a proposal for a upcoming town meeting.  I wanted to cover everything, but I also wanted it to be short (so that it could get read at the meeting).  The proposal is below:

Proposed Mountain Bike Trail (addition to Transfer Station Trail System)

What do I want to do?
I want to build technical mountain bike trails with berms (banked turns), natural obstacles (roots and rocks), and a few features (jumps and bridges).  It's been suggested that the Village hire me as a seasonal worker:  scheduled for a few hours a day with normal seasonal responsibilities and the rest of a day to build trails.

Where will I build this?
I would build these mountain bike trails off of the cross country running/skiing trails at the Transfer Station.  Exact trail location to be decided (but within the existing trail boundaries).

How will this help Lake George?
In Lake George there is a lack of mountain bike trails, which is unfortunate considering that the Adirondacks are known for mountain and forest recreation.  In Lake George, the mountain bike trails are too far from the village and are largely unknown.  Having mountain bike trails closer to the village will bring mountain bikers, both locals and tourists, into the village, which will boost the economy when they stop for lunch or buy a keychain at the gift shop. It is giving Lake George one more activity than the next town, so they choose Lake George.  

What do I need?

Common yard tools, such as shovels, rakes, saws, clippers, and wheelbarrows.  Occasional help from a back hoe would be nice, but I can do without that if it's not possible.  

A few days after the meeting I got a call from the mayor and he told me my proposal got approved!

Annabel (& Ambrose): Lewis Carroll & Updates

"The Tumtum Tree," by Ambrose

We’re in the Edge room again. All the kids are at their typical spots for 4th period.  Maddie is on the couch, Ambrose, Nelson, and Annabel are at their individual desks, and Farrell, Ian, and Chris are at their respective individual bean bags.  Santiago is at the round table in the middle of the room.  Mrs. Charlap, Mr. Rivera, and Mr. Bisson are looking at what Ben and James are up to with the snow park project.  The Friend (from the last blog post) and Annabel come in.  Staring at her desk, The Friend sees “The Jabberwocky” and asks, “What does the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland symbolize?”

“In Lewis Carroll’s book, Through the Looking-Glass, the Cheshire Cat shows up in the fifth chapter called “The Pig and The Pepper.”  Alice finds the cat in the Dutchess’ house grinning from ear to ear.  Alice questions why it is doing that.  The author says that most cheshire cats grin in this world.  This means that there is more than one Cheshire Cat.  The famous Cheshire Cat that we know follows Alice and is famous.  It is the one that speaks to her in that same exact chapter.  The Cheshire Cat is just like regular cats in the world of Alice in Wonderland, but the most famous one guides her around.

“A cat is different from culture to culture, so you can’t really say that this cat (or any cat, for that matter) is good or bad.  In the Dictionary of Symbols, eight different societies have eight different beliefs on this creature.  In some cultures the cat is a sign of good luck, and it is a sin if you actually kill one.  To some, though, they have the common belief that if a black cat crosses in front of you, you have 7 years of bad luck.  So seeing if a cat is good or not depends upon the culture.”

“How does this relate to the Cheshire Cat in the story?”

“Well, a website says that is just a made up idea by Lewis Carroll.”

The Friend says, “Oh, that is cool.  I have a question:  while writing Alice in Wonderland, do you think Lewis Carroll was drunk or taking LSD?”

Annabel says, “Historians don’t really know if he was or not.  There are some articles that say that he was, some say that he was not...and others say that he was.  So, we may never know.”

“Ok, then.  So...it has been about four months. Have you done any work with the symbol essay? What have you been doing?” asks The Friend.

“I took a little break from the essay, and I have been working hard to put in portfolios to five colleges.  I also got into two.”

“Which ones did you get into?”

“I would like to keep those classified until I pick which one I want to go to officially.”

“Ok.  Cool.  How was FIT? What does FIT even stand for? Florida Institute of Technology?”

“Oh, my FIT classes were great,” Annabel explains. “I am now done with them.  I wish I got more time, though.  They were a lot of fun.  I got some high school credits from them, too, so I am pretty happy.  I made a lot of art and learned a lot.  No, FIT does not mean Florida Institute of Technology; that is down south.  I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.”

“Is that where you live?”

“No, I live in the suburb outside of the city.  Where are you from, Anonymous?”

“I don’t know. I think I am from Algoe, NY.”

“Wait, is that a Paper Towns reference?”

“Yes, because it is fake like me.”

“Ok then...that’s...dark.  And...we went on a tendril.  Should we talk about the picture on the table?”

The Friend picks up the drawing and Annabel explains, “That drawing is a Tumtum Tree by Ambrose.  We both read 'The Jabberwocky,' by Lewis Carroll.  We were going into art, and we were wondering what a Vorpal Sword and a Tumtum Tree might look like in real life.  So Ambrose made the Tumtum Tree, and I made the Vorpal Sword.  I also looked at the meaning behind both.  My work is included in a PDF attached to this blog.”



“Isn’t that breaking the fourth wall...and unnecessary?”

“No, it is good to know.  Well...anyways...see you later.  I gotta get back to looking at this dictionary to help me finish writing my essay.”

Annabel then opens the 1168 page Dictionary of Symbols, and her mind starts to explode "through the words."

Ambrose: Illustration # 3

- Piece submitted by Ambrose (2/15/17)

Ambrose: Illustration # 2

- Piece submitted by Ambrose (2/15/17)

Farrell: Animated

Hello, my name is Farrell:  potential cartoonist, animator, and failed comedian.  During my time at Kildonan, I always heard about this program called “EDGE."  I now spend my time in this program.  EDGE is essentially a pre-college course where you are placed in a room with other people and have to manage your time and work on a project that you are passionate about.  Ever since I joined this program, I feel as if my art has improved, and it really does help that I have time to work on what I want to do as a career.

I feel as if the work that I made in the past (outside of Edge) is something that I can now be proud of. Before this program, I never had time to try to understand how to use animation software.  But, thanks to EDGE I now know how to use this animation program called “Adobe Animate" (and thanks to this video I believe I now have an understanding of the basics).  I have made animated shorts to test out the software.  There was a short where a potato man fell down, hit the ground, and became a bird person.  I would like to continue that short and show what happens to the man.

The way I work on my animations is actually way easier than how I worked on them during my summer program.  I use my tablet to draw on my computer, and the animation process takes a lot of time and effort.  First, you have to plan out what you want to animate, then you make a storyboard that's just stills of the main points of the animation.  After that, you draw each frame in motion.  It's almost like stop motion in a way.  So then, you play the clips over and over to make sure they look good.

Ben & James: Snow-Making

Hey! It’s Ben and James.

We're here to tell you what's been happening with Ben's snow park project.  The project is mostly about terrain park design.  For those of you who don't know what that is, all ski mountains have jumps, rails (hand railings), and jibs (anything to jump on or tap) to ride.  Please read Ben's post (linked here) to learn more about the parks!

Now, we are trying to build a terrain park here at Kildonan, and we have a little problem this winter in New York.  There is an extreme lack of snow on campus.  So, an idea that we have been floating around since the beginning of the year is to build a snowmaker.  That process may seem easy, but it actually involves several gas-powered and electrical machines. 

A snowmaker forms snow by shooting pressurized water (made using a pressure washer) at a high velocity into the cold, dry air.  That process involves a temperature of at most 28 degrees Fahrenheit (but, if possible, preferably lower).  Then, a fan, positioned behind the snow gun shoots the newly formed snow even farther away, giving it a chance to absorb more water as it slowly falls to the ground.

So...what have we done so far? The gun itself has almost been constructed.  It’s based on several successful models that have been out on the market for years.  It uses three pressure nozzles for spreading the water in a misty state so that it can fall slowly to the ground, giving it plenty of time to freeze.  In addition, we were loaned a powerful air compressor to help break down the water into ever smaller molecules.

Here is where we need your help:  all we need is a powerful pressure washer capable of putting out 3 - 3.5 gpm (gallons per minute).  If you, or somebody you may know, is interested in helping us acquire a pressure washer or otherwise supporting our dream to bring skiing and snowboarding back to the Kildonan campus, we would love to hear from you.  Join us in bringing a long, successful, snowy season to our school by donating to our GoFundMe.

GoFundMe:  https://www.gofundme.com/let-it-snow

Thank you,

Ben & James

To reach Ben and James, please leave a comment below and the Edge Team will make the connection!

Note on photos:  Ben and James working diligently on their snowmaker.  All images taken and shared by Ben and James.

Ben & Ambrose: Collaborating on Jib Tubes

Ambrose preparing a jib tube (and surrounded by his finished pieces).
Photo taken by Ms. Charlap.

Below two Edge Makers - Ben and Ambrose - discuss their partnership in preparing features for Ben's project:  a terrain park.  Their words are a testament to their robust collaboration skills and effective work processes.

Ben:
Finding parts for the wind chime, I came across some really strong cardboard tubes.  My original plan was to use it as a tail tap even though it wasn't going to last long.  It wasn't going to last because the weather would get to it.  Talking with Ms. Charlap, she said we could have a student paint the tubes and then use the leftover NOVA Gel (from the pictures hanging on the side of the schoolhouse building) to cover the tubes.  That way they wouldn't weather.  We chose Ambrose, a fellow EDGE student, to paint the tubes.  By now, I had two long tubes, so I decided to cut them into five sections with a saw.  Then, I needed to seal the tops so that water couldn't get in and ruin it from the inside.  So, I took a plastic garbage bag, cut it to the size, then duct-taped it on.  Next, I took a piece of sheet metal and cut it a little bit bigger than the hole, drilled holes in the metal and tube, screwed it down, and hammered the metal so it was beveled along the edge.  Then, I gave it to Ambrose.

Ambrose:
As this was going on I would paint large sheets of rag paper with different designs, shapes, and images.  After the paintings were done, I covered them with NOVA Gel, a waterproof acrylic medium, and attached them to the cardboard tubes and finished them with two more layers of that substance.  I made five paintings.  The images are all different, but a lot of the paint colors are the same.  I only had a couple colors at hand, but I managed to figure out how to mix some of them to get the colors I was looking for.

Ben:
Now we just need to wait for the right weather to try them out!

Have a suggestion on materials for Ben and Ambrose? Want to know more about the project and/or these students' work? Drop us a comment in the section below!

Ambrose: Illustration # 1

Original piece by Ambrose.

This was my first one page drawing.  I made this after I studied the story arc.  The story arc is the beginning, middle, and end in a story, which you can see in a normal comic book with the sections divided by the panels in the comic.  But in a one panel comic you see in the newspaper, they don't have panels, so I believe that the story arc is in their speech that is separated by the bubbles.  So I made my own.

I will now be submitting a piece of art once every two weeks for the public to see.

Nelson: An Interview on the Middle Ages

A scene from a medieval university.
Image located by Nelson at letralia.com.

A few weeks ago we sat down with Nelson, a junior new to Edge (and Kildonan!) this year.  In his short time with us he has not only displayed a kind heart and an outrageous sense of humor but also proven a veritable encyclopedia on innumerable topics.  We therefore asked him whether we might create a blog post together in the style of an interview.  His response?

"I never did a blog before.  I always made fun of my sister for it."

Onward and upward! Ms. Charlap, one of our advisors, posed the questions (marked in green).  Nelson, in turn, responded (answers marked in purple).

- - -

1. Tell me about the Middle Ages.

Well, did you know that the medieval period is anti-science? Everything was symbolic to them.  Like an antelope has two horns, like a gazelle.  They were saying that a gazelle was a metaphor for the two gospels (the horns) and was used to nourish the land with its death.  And the mountain lion? It was meant to represent Jesus, whose only predator was the dragon (the devil).  So the people were symbolic, but they were also very practical.  They came up with things that the Romans never did (like farming techniques).  The Romans had this powerful empire, but they never figured out to how to put a wheel on a plow, how to rotate crops.  Their systems worked for them, but the Middle Ages came up with advancements.  They came up with architectural innovations (like the flying buttress). 

Like in Charlemagne's palace? He had a bath rebuilt.  They said when he was swimming in his Roman bath, he listened to works of St. Augustine.  Swimming around and having servants reading to him.  That's what you can do when you are the emperor! Get some random guy to read to you while you're in the bath.

2. Were there extremes in poverty?

A serf who was bound to the land.  People didn't value money as much; they valued status.  They didn't even value freedom; they valued safety.  You could be a freeman and go wherever you want.  If you couldn't provide for yourself, though, you were nothing.  You could have rights, but you could lose them for any reason..

3. How did the plague start? Was the plague pervasive in other places of the world?

They say that the plague came from Asia.  It was from the trade routes.  Yeah, the Europeans got the bad deal from that one.  It came to the point where death was very common, where people were like, "He's with Jesus now."  Life was nothing more than a journey.  It's like seeking worldly attachments.  They didn't care so much.  They cared enough to continue their lives and live.  They didn't care so much to believe "This is it."  They wanted to live and wanted to prosper, and they didn't want to do too little and so hinder themselves.  Like on pilgrimages:  the worse the road, the better it was. Hardship was something to look forward to.  You wanted to live a hard life; you didn't want an easy one.