In Focus
PAGE 6. THE HILL NEWS. DECEMBER 9. 1994
The Story of Felix the Iguana and the Proud Owners
fly Jude Marangola
What inspires a person to purchase a pet other than a fish, dog,
or cat?
The story of Felix the iguana
might let one comprehend better
the trials and tribulations endured
in owning an exotic pet
Felix was purchased about *a
month and a half ago from the
Massena Mall. The owners intended to purchase him earlier at a
place in Massena, but ended up at
the mall due to various complications in ordering him. Yes, they
put an order in for an iguana, and
waited for it to arrive.
The day arrived to pick up Felix,
and the woman at the shop gave
him to the two enraptured students - in a plastic baggie with a
tube in the top of it and told Felix
to know that he was now in a'
content environment and that he
could feel safe.
The first week was difficult,
however. Felix had not eaten,
drank, or relieved himself. So,
the trusty owners called the shop
in Massena, and asked for counsel. They were told to give him
Romaine lettuce, and since he was
not drinking, to buy an aerator for
the water.
Well, off to Ames to spend another ten dollars did the students
trek. The aerator did not come
with the tubing, of course, so
someone in the house donated
some surgical tubing.
Iguanas are cold-blooded and
need around eighty-six degrees of
heat. There was a minor problem
with the heating element, so they
bought him a light. More money
going towards Felix, isn't there?
Everything seemed to be going
well when the two students found
out that they needed to be feeding
Felix crickets with calcium powder sprinkled on their backs.
Hence, the search began, as they
journeyed to Watertpwn. They
were in a pet shop talking to an
employee about Felix. The employee informed them that they
need not look no further. Felix
does not need crickets, he needs
"Land Turtle, Tortoise, and Iguana Food," for the bargain price, of
only fifteen dollars.
Tfje faithful owners, doing anything and everything possible to
ensure happiness for him, purchased this (along with some specially made carpeting, and received a four-page handout all
about iguanas). Felix would not
eat the new meal, but now eats
broccoli and green peppers. He
has gained some weight, and already shed, but unfortunately had
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currently weighs 26.5 grams, as
opposed to his arrival weight of
merely 20 grams; and he is currendy one foot and fouijj inches
long. He is becoming extremely
active and jumping now! He is
fed once a day, and his favorite
meal is broccoli and grejen peppers. Evidently, femalesj are extremely impressed with Faix, but
also a bit apprehensive]around
him.
t
Owning a pet involves giving it
love, attention, and caring for its
basic needs. One of the owners
also added that "it teaches responsibility - it's a living thing."
Though there might have been,
and may still be several hardships °
in raising Felix, it is all so very
worthwhile. As F.P.Jones stated,
"Love is not what makes die world
go 'round. Love is what makes
the ride worthwhile."
Phi Beta Kappa Held
Scientific Lecture
VfiflrN&TfiE: S^LffeAYB*
SHOULD READ.
a little cold (he was sneezing a
lot). One of the owners took him
over Thanksgiving break to get a
physical, and to make sure that he
did not have pneumonia. Otherwise he could have died.
When asked why the name
Felix, die response was interesting. Originally, the plan was to
purchase two iguanas and name
them Samson and Delilah; however, it took so long to order the
one that they decided to see how it
went
Apparently, it was a wise decision to wait and learn with one
iguana before overloading with
two. One ofthe owners stated that
he never had animals when he
wasyoungandnowthathehasthe
chance to somewhat "experiment," he is overjoyed.
Some fabulous facts about Felix
include his measurements.. He
By David Egan
"Scientific research in the last
half of the twentieth century rs a
complex cooperative enterprise
and trust of many types is required to hold that trust together,"
stated the Phi Beta Kappa lecturer
last Wednesday.
The tide of die Phi Beta Kappa
lecture delivered by Caroline
Whitheck,.a Philosopher of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was 'Truth
and Trust in Scientific Research."
"The subject that I really want
to discuss tonight is die trust of
persons," said Whitbeck.
'Trust is important because, for
one thing it introduces a simplicity dial is absolutely essential,"
Whitbeck stated. The importance
of trust in simplifying scientific
research, Whitbeck said, is that it
would take too muchtimeto consider all of die possible disappointments and betrayals that
might occur.
Thomas Berger, the president,
of Phi Beta Kappa and Craig Professor of English at St. Lawrence,
reported that Whitbeck has studied the moral responsibility ofbiomedical engineers, collaborated
on guidelines for biomonitoring
in communities contaminated by.
toxic substances, and die ethical
issues involved in die estimation
of die occupational risk of AIDS
to health-care workers.
Whitbeck talked about the importance of trust and honesty in
die scientific community. She
gave specific examples of academic dishonesty suchasPiltdown
Man, an elaborate reconstruction
of an early hominid from a combination of human and ape bones.
Whitbeck gave advice to students involved in a situation in
which uSe honesty of a professor
is questionable. She advised that
students contact an expert that
would hold die student's suspicions in confidence. She said that
schools which accept government
grants are required to have such a
medium. Whitbecksuggestedthat
commonly questions of honesty
are easily resolvable and discrepancies in data are often easily accounted for.
Whitbeckeamedher Bachelor's
degree at Wellcsley College, her
M.A. at Boston University, and
her Ph.D. from M.LT.
Phi Beta Kappa is an honorary
society that grants membership
to outstanding students each year.
The society also runs a lecture
series.