Feature Writing

Recently, Josh Brown, Kicker for the New York Giants was released from the team because new information had come to light in the domestic abuse case against his wife. In May of 2015, Brown was arrested after the police were called to his home by his now Ex-wife Molly Brown. The charges were dropped a mere five days later, but signs of abuse were present and were bound to leak eventually, which they did. Amid “pre-mature”evidence, the NFL suspended Brown for only one game of the 2016 NFL season. Since the NFL took a stricter approach to Domestic Violence cases after the Ray Rice debacle, the punishment seemed “easy” for a man that had reportedly beaten his wife multiple times.

Brown did his time and was able to play again relatively quickly. Then new information arose last week and the story hit the internet like wildfire. After five days, the Giants finally released Brown. By then, the damage had already been done. The Giants and the NFL have come under major fire for the way they handled the situation. Many compare the situation to Ray Rice’s and are demanding commissioner Roger Goodell to resign.

For my Op-Ed, I will interview woman effected by Domestic Violence, but also try to get the athletes point of view and whether they believe what is happening is right. I’d also like to investigate as to why the Giants took so long to release Brown as they had known about his case even before they had resigned him in the offseason.

Nintendo continues to advance their gaming market by building on the success of the past. The Nintendo Switch debuts in March 2017, but already has a strong buzz amongst avid gamers and owners looking for the latest technological breakthrough. The latest console blends the old and the new: a game system for the home that can now be taken on the go. While Nintendo’s popularity has stood the test of time, from the Nintendo 64 to ever-popular franchise series such as The Legend of Zelda, it has faced fierce competition from Microsoft and Sony. While Nintendo has not always promoted their technological breakthroughs, such as their Amiibo concept, the Nintendo Switch will become the standard of gaming in the future.

(TK: Interview with workers at Nintendo World; incorporation of press releases from Nintendo)

Just like many other students at Baruch College, Angelina Lorenzo feels the pressure to succeed. While school experiences differ immensely for a variety of reasons, one factor in Lorenzo’s life makes her educational success so special: she is an undocumented student. Along with her citizenship status, she is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Lorenzo, a Dominican 19-year-old junior, often sports her hair pulled back into a bun, along with a pair of maroon glasses. In class, she absorbs the information of the day with a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee close by, which she drinks religiously.

Lorenzo’s academic success dates back to her time at public school in the Bronx. She was the valedictorian in both middle school and high school. In Baruch, Lorenzo continues such trends. Despite her quiet nature, she responds with great clarity when prompted by a teacher to engage.

Chuckling lightly, Lorenzo remarked, “It’s a Hispanic thing. It’s just culture. In the Hispanic culture, they believe education is the way to success.”

Despite her achievements, her success is at risk. Republican nominee Donald Trump has vowed an agenda for mass deportation. Lorenzo, along with millions of others scattered across the states, are directly at risk.

According to the Pew Research Center, “there were 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2014.” Despite Trump’s rhetoric about the rising number of immigrants, the Pew Research Center asserts that the population has remained unchanged since 2009; unauthorized immigrants only account for less than four percent of the nation’s population. However, six states – California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois – account for nearly 60 percent of the unauthorized immigrants in 2014, the Pew Research Center stated.

As a Public Affairs major, Lorenzo exerts heavily vigilance with news coverage. The presidential election, in particular, has her attention. While she is not a fan of either candidate, she watched the second presidential debate.

Frustrated, she stated, “I can’t believe I watched it. It was a joke.”

Regardless of her opinion, she understands there are risks and that “you should vote anyway.” Because of class, now she is aware that a tie would lead to a Senate vote, which currently leans Republican.

Lorenzo considers herself fortunate and acknowledges that others don’t get chances like she has.

“I’m a DACA recipient, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Lorenzo.

DACA was enacted in 2012 under President Obama. The program allows undocumented immigrants under 30 to apply for two-year deferrals excluding them from deportation; provisions state that they must be a student, high school graduate or veteran of the armed forces or Coast Guard.. However, unlike provisions found in the DREAM Act, which offers a path to citizenship, DACA does not increase the opportunity to obtain legal permanent resident status.

There are numerous advantages for America which immigrant legalization can offer. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the DREAM Act can lead to a significant increase in tax revenue due to recipients earning more and paying more in taxes over their lifetime. However, they acknowledge certain factors need to be considered when this argument is presented: tax benefits will only be seen in the long-term, which won’t prevent an influx of new students in the short term; this limited spacing may reduce lifetime earnings and tax payments for U.S. citizens; taxpayers will fund a program that offers no guarantees that enrolled students will complete the two years the act requires.

From a purely economic standpoint, programs like the DREAM Act and DACA can enhance the job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 19 percent of of Hispanics in the labor force had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Lorenzo is a humanitarian at heart. Her high school, Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, helped Lorenzo matriculate to Baruch; the school helped with her financial aid process. It went as far as to nominate her for the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) scholarship, which helped with the financial aspect of college.

With blissful nostalgia and a wide grin, Lorenzo remarked, “I still can’t believe it to this day. That scholarship has been such a blessing.”

Now Lorenzo wants to continue her philanthropic spirit. While she is unsure about her options for graduate school, she did describe her long-term aspirations. Her deep passion for the homeless drives her desire to open a shelter; her shelter would focus on “at-risk” homeless to help put them back on their feet before the situation gets any worse.

“That’s my aspiration – to give back,” said Lorenzo wistfully.

Until then, Lorenzo is focused on how this election will unfold. While she is concerned about the types of executive orders Trump would hope to pass, Lorenzo is adverse to the idea of leaving America, an ever popular alternative that has floated during this election cycle.

“If I leave, he won,” fired Lorenzo.   

We are all looking for ways to make quick cash, and gambling is one of the most popular attempts at walking out with a lot of reward for a bit of risk. Sports gambling is a way to support your favorite teams while making a few bucks, but it’s not legal in most states. That might change very soon though, and it should.

New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone is advocating for the legalization for sports gambling across the country. The only states that currently allow any sort of sports betting on individual games are Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana.

The most common reason that people are against any type of gambling is because it can become an addiction that can lead to illegal activity in order to obtain more money. The issue with that type of thinking is that absolutely anything can become an addiction. Nearly everything is good in moderation. It can also trace back to the argument that cigarettes, one of the most dangerous and addictive substances, is sold legally.

I will be discussing why sports gambling should be legalized and the information that surrounds it such as statistics, the current laws, and the lawsuit on the online sports betting platforms FanDuel and DraftKings. I will also interview a FanDuel user.

For my op-ed pitch, I am going to write about the uproar of protest after the Jesse Watters segment in Chinatown. Jesse Watters, a Bill O’Reilly commentator that has his own segment called “Watters World”, ventured to Chinatown after Bill O Reilly claimed the word utilized the most in the second Presidential debate was China. O Reilly sent Watters to investigate the political awareness of residents in Chinatown.

Not only did Watters mix up the segment with movie clips from The Karate Kid and Chinatown, he indulged into asian stereotypes by asking a vendor “is that watch hot” as well as going around practicing karate, receiving a message and putting subtitles on the bottom of the individuals that he interviewed.

The people that stopped to do his interview on political awareness in the Election were either English speakers with an accent or individuals that didn’t speak English at all. The scenes that provoked most Asian Americans were the interviews of the old man and woman. The interviews were separate but had the same content. Both interviewees didn’t know English and it was evident with their silence. Instead of cutting that out of national television, they decided to have a “lighthearted segment” of silence with an additional clip of a woman shouting “Speak!” and sounds of grasshoppers.

I am going to contact Mr. Wellington Chen of CPLDC (Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation) and schedule a meeting with him, because he has a lot of initiatives and ideas pertaining the whole situation that developed.

I have an idea on the topic I want the op-ed to be about (i.e. e-sports), but I don’t know what my angle will be yet.

As someone who is familiar with the culture of e-sports, I know all the common arguments on the over-written op-eds of “Are e-sports sports or not?”

I was also thinking about discussing the culture of esports or sports but I’m not sure how a topic like that can be opinionated.

A Voice on Politics From a Military Police Officer

Gabriella LoDico tightened her bun and slipped on her boots as she got ready to head to her Army Reserves unit, thinking about the future of the country that she is fighting for.

She joined the Army Reserves in January of 2016 because she felt there was no greater contribution to the country than enlisting.

“I believe that there is no higher honor than serving your country. There is nothing more important in this world than giving back to your community and protecting your country,” LoDico said.

LoDico has a six-year contract with the Army Reserves, but will most likely not reenlist once it is up. She was based at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri during her six months of basic training. As a military police officer, she does drills once a month and training for two weeks out of the year where she freshens up her skills from basic training.

As the military police officer plays her role in the country, she is also thinking about other people who are taking on responsibilities of the country. The presidential election is a current topic that everyone has something to say about, and LoDico is one of those opinionated voters.

LoDico is a registered conservative voter. She comes from a very Republican family, even though she admits that she agrees with several liberal views such as marriage equality and the legalization of marijuana, both of which she supports.

The question of whether she is voting for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is very quickly answered when she shouts, “TRUMP 2016!”

LoDico’s preference of Trump over Clinton stems from the candidate’s actions and opinions of the Military.

“I prefer Trump because Hillary Clinton is a disgusting human being in my own belief,” LoDico said. “Hillary Clinton does not care about us and she does not care about this country. She left four Americans to die in Benghazi. If you can leave your own behind, there is no way that you can stand there and say you are for Americans.”

As Trump is often seen in a negative light, LoDico has something to say to those who dwell on his flaws.

“At least he didn’t let four Americans die in Benghazi. At least he didn’t defend a rapist.” LoDico said, referring to Clinton’s past career as an attorney. “At least I know he stands for America. At least I know that if I was deployed, and my unit was going down, he would do whatever he could to save my unit, to save my people, to save my joes, to save me.”

She is also adamant about the fact that she is not a fan of Trump as a person, only as a candidate.

“I believe he is the lesser of two evils,” LoDico said. “I’m not saying that I’m a Trump supporter because I believe in what he stands in. Him as a person, I don’t necessarily agree with some of the things that he says.”

As a Republican that leans towards conservative views, she does not want a Democrat in the White House who will not care for the military.

“Democrats hate war. When a Democrat is in office, the military loses funding,” LoDico said.

Democrats believe in decreased spending on the military that took place during President Obama’s term, which Republicans fiercely opposed according to Republican Views.

“Republicans will send us to war, will give us more funding,” she said. This refers to the Republican Party often being called the “War Party.”

Military families also benefit from a Republican as president.

“They will give us what we need. In case I’m deployed, my family will get money for compensation. More than they would,” LoDico said.

Current benefits for military families include a healthcare plan called Tricare and a death gratuity, if the soldier is killed, for up to $100,000.

Her views and candidate choice also line up with most people enlisted in the military. According to a Military Times Poll, all four branches of the military prefer Trump over Clinton. In LoDico’s Army branch, 56% of surveyed soldiers will vote Trump, winning over the 24% that prefer Clinton. The other 20% will not vote if they only have the two candidates to choose from.

“I have never met somebody that is a Hillary supporter in the military,” LoDico said. “Everybody that I have met has personally agreed with me. And, if anything, have enlightened me more on Trump and given me more reasons why Trump is better than Hillary.”

Other political issues that she believes need more attention revolve around taking care of the nation’s debt, as well as the school systems, and the homeless population.

“We’re leaving veterans to die on the streets,” she said. “We’re leaving families to die. We’re leaving dogs, children. We need to take care of our own first.”

As a military police officer that comes from a line of law enforcement, who enjoys hunting season as well, LoDico is passionate about the issue of gun control. While Trump believes in the Second Amendment for the right to bear arms as stated in his platform, Clinton stated in the democratic debate that guns “will not make America safer” and plans to restrict the number of concealed carry permits.

“It’s not okay to take away what I need to keep my family safe,” LoDico said.

She had some advice for fellow voters, regardless of who they decide to vote for.

“Choose wisely, listen to the evidence, listen to them speak, do their background checks,” LoDico said.

“I love this country. This country is way more freed than we think. People think that we are not free but we are,” she stated. “I’m just a 21-year-old girl from Long Island, New York who’s trying to make a difference, and trying to make sure that my family, for my niece, for my nephew, and my future kids, that they are safe.”

Her career goal is to become a cop, following in the footsteps of brother, sister-in-law, and father.

My opinion – this is not the first time that our city has disappointed the public that depends on it the most for support and relief during times of needs, and it most likely will not be its last either.

And although the mayor admits the fault of his outreach in the city report by releasing statements such as

“Initial months were lost to inertia.”

the city report still does not do much to inform its readers as to WHY were months lost to inertia, and what obstacles in specific were hampering the efforts of the build it back organizers.

Another statement “The tangle of bureaucracy made it virtually impossible to get a shovel in the ground.” Does not really tell us what bureaucratic processes are causing this entanglement, and what can be done to minimize these adverse risks for the future either.

Another interesting tangent of the recent buILD it bACc city report that was seen under my inspection as well was that while although the city report does suggest that perhaps seventy five percent of all home owners who had signed up with the program had retrieved some relief, why doesn’t the report mention as well that about half  of the homeowners (a number which was over 11,000) who signed up with the program at the start of it in 2013, had now withdrew their applications.

source – https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160921/coney-island/city-investigating-why-half-of-all-build-it-back-applicants-dropped-out
In this way then, it is misleading perhaps in my view to make it seem like the program was only a quarter bacc behind, when in reality, it had failed to retain up to half of it’s original participants or more.

So while moping about failed goals may not bring about useful changes to a government initiate any time sooner, perhaps the best way that citizens can cope with such incompetence from their governments is just to think to their own self that whenever government estimates the completion of some kind of restoration project that is supposed to provide relief to the pubLic;

rather than becoming upset with an incompetent government, perhaps people of the pubLic should think in the bacc of their minds that any dead line is just a rough estimation to what is in reality a three to five years LAter actual completion.

And even though it is comical to think the public should be forced to adapt their expectations so that they might be more in line with the pace
of how our city actually moves in reality, rather than what is projectiD in our nations’ press statements, at least then if the public expects the worst from the government from the start, perhaps then there will be less disillusionment, and less casualties such as with a man in a wheel chair who died waiting for the city to fix his home,

source – https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160912/gerritsen-beach/man-wheelchair-dies-waiting-for-citys-build-it-back-fix-his-home

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Second Avenue Subway Line

 

Angle/News hook: While so many New Yorkers are thrilled as we anticipate the arrival of the new second avenue train line extension, that will now stop at 63 and Lex, 72 and second avenue, 85^th and 96^th, there are many businesses and families who have suffered a huge loss. Multiple local businesses have closed down over the past few years on the upper east side as a result of the construction for the second avenue subway line.

 

Our opinion: We believe that the MTA did not take into account the people who already resided on the upper east side, who’s lives it would negatively affect.

 

Supporting examples:

 

1. Nick’s restaurant on 94^th street: Danny Marquez, their ten-year manager says that their dine-in business has stayed flat or fallen since the construction has started”
2. Dorrian’s Red Hand on 84^th street: Chris Tripoulas, four-year manager, attests that their business has decreased dramatically, approximating an overall decrease of 50% – potentially even more during daytime business when construction is in full swing. “A lot of people don’t even think we’re open, because [the construction] is covering us up.”
3. Big Daddy’s on 83^rd street: a local, famous diner that has been there for 15 years is closing due to half of their business being lost during the construction

The historical conflict between the U.S government and Native Americans seems to be repeating itself. The birth of this nation was obtained with the argument of manifest destiny which was then put into action by taking Native American’s land in a violent and inhumane way. Recently, the proposition to build a 1,172-mile pipeline through North Dakota has caused a lot of conflict due to effects this will have on the Native American tribe, Standing Rock Lakota Sioux Nation. The pipe will pass through land marks, including burial ground as well as having the potential to contaminate the water this tribe uses as pivotal source of their living.

Legal agreements that protect Native American and their land have constantly been violated by the U.S government such as, the building of the Dalles Dam in 1950 amongst others. A U.S federal judge gave the order to build the North Dakota pipeline, regardless of the cultural value it holds for Native Americans because the construction of this pipeline will bring significant financial benefits for the Energy Transfer Partners, parent company Dakota Access, and it will also decrease the dependency the U.S has on crude oil. The path to a better future should be to learn from our past mistakes. Native American people should have a sovereignty over their land and their culture should be respected. Instead of investing 3.8 billion dollars in the ongoing destruction of Native American culture, Dakota Access should invest that money in finding new sources of energy. The protesters who have gathered in North Dakota to show their support for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline are being arrested en masse by police. This has brought into question citizens’ right to protest causes with which they disagree in the United States.

If 300,000 people had not participated in a March on Washington, D.C. in 1963, the United States would not have the civil rights that its citizens enjoy today. Protesting is a vital part of U.S. democracy and it is protected by the First Amendment. If citizens could not protest, they would not have this powerful opportunity to create a dialogue with the government. By arresting over 100 people, the executive branch of the U.S. government is telling its citizens that their voice and actions do not matter. Arresting innocent people sets a dangerous precedent for which the police do not want to be known. Citizens have the right to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and should be allowed to do so without repercussion.

Written by:

Maria Markowics, Rebecca Simons, Angel Mendieta, Yesenia Barrios