Monthly Archives: February 2012

Every year new shows premiere on television, and more often than not, there will be a show that instantly becomes a viewer’s favorite. But in a time when more and more shows are getting the ax, maybe, we the viewers should stop becoming invested in these new shows, since there may be a chance a show or shows that we’ve tuned into every week could get cancelled.

A subway billboard for the season premiere of the reality show “Jerseylicious.”

Reality Shows Taking Over

However, with reality shows such as “Jersey Shore”, and “The Bachelor” getting the highest ratings and shows like “Ugly Betty,” that had a healthy and positive message about body image is getting cancelled, it could be only a matter of time until reality shows will become the only program that airs on TV. One show that comes to mind was the television series “Friday Nights Light.” The American sports drama detailed events surrounding a high school football team based in Dillon, Texas, with a focus on the team coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his family. The show used this small town backdrop to address many issues facing contemporary American culture, including school funding, racism, drugs, abortion, and lack of economic opportunities. Although the TV show had a strong audience fan based, it still got cancelled.

A fellow classmate watching Modern Family online

Becoming a Believer

However, a television viewer never loses hope, each time a commercial for a new show catches one’s attention he or she is right back to where they started, hoping that their new favorite show does not get the unfortunate ax. Furthermore, even though reality shows are still the bigger source of entertainment for some, TV shows that do not involve someone getting a rose or getting drunk like there is no tomorrow are still going strong. With shows such as “Glee” and “Modern Family,” still airing on TV, there is hope. Perhaps all that one can do is just go on watching his or her show, with the hopes it will not get cancelled, leaving the show with no ending and the viewers with no closure. I guess when watching television one must become a believer.

One of the many subway billboards for the premiere of the new ABC show “The River.”

Rant

There is no such thing as complete black and white. Even grey is more complex than the simplicity it’s made out to be. In saying that, every choice calls for some sort of sacrifice. This is especially true when concerning tangible matters.

Photo: Charm Lee

Think!

It is somewhat entertaining to see many of my peers blame their financial problems on Wall Street. It gets beyond entertaining, and even agitating when my peers blame their problems on another party, while carrying around expensive laptops, the newest cellphone models, and luxury brand accessories.

Why weren’t they (you) more considerate of the future before choosing to take out thousands in loans to have the best and latest? – or even before deciding to give up commuting for that college experience?

Occupy Wall Street protestors take on Baruch. Photo: Charm Lee

Since when was anybody entitled to have it all?

Perhaps we were too encouraged, and too vaccinated against failure by our doting parents and teachers; whatever it was, the illusion that was set in place was certainly successful in shielding from us from being responsible for the decisions we’ve made.

 Burgers

A recent popular statement floating around the internet goes something like this:
“We were told to go to college to avoid flipping burgers, and now we are being told that we are selfish and lazy for not wanting a job at McDonalds!”
This statement implies that want and necessity are interchangeable. No matter how much one might be told they are selfish and lazy for not wanting an entry level job, one isn’t truly lazy and selfish until one refuses to take the job.

View of a local McDonald's (located Bayside, Queens) from a bus. Photo: Charm Lee

Remember:
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking when we created them” – Albert Einstein.

No matter how many protests are held, the debts won’t go away until burgers are flipped and paychecks distributed.

Knicks in Complete Turmoil

Dwight Howard makes it look easy against Amar'e Stoudemire and Jared Jeffries in a recent Knicks loss. Photo: Mark Hulser

The New York Knicks were supposed to be championship contenders this season, but unfortunately for their fans, it has been a disappointing start to the season. During the offseason, General Manager Glen Grunwald decided to establish a defensive presence on the coaching staff. He chose to hire Mike Woodson as the “defensive guru,” which was quoted by Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni before the season started. There has been little improvement. As of yesterday, the Knicks were allowing 95.14 points per game, which is 17th in the NBA. Also, opponents are shooting at a 45% clip from inside the arc and nearly 40% from behind the arc. All three statistics surpass what the Knicks have produced on their end.

Can the real Carmelo Anthony please stand up?

Carmelo Anthony chats with the referee, but unfortunately, that will not really help his game. Photo: Mark Hulser

Small Forward Carmelo Anthony has been a very poor shooter as of late. In nearly every game, he has shot 40% or less from the field. Even in wins, most recently against the Bobcats in Charlotte, he went 0 for 7 from the field and finished with one point. It has been disputed that because of the lockout, he has not found his groove. Carmelo is shooting a paltry 40.3% from the field, about 6% less than his career average. Yet, he still gets a starting spot in this year’s All-Star game. So the question remains, where is Carmelo Anthony?

Just a Bunch of Benchwarmers

Bill Walker takes time to stop for the fans outside Madison Square Garden before a recent game. Photo: Mark Hulser

When Power Forward Amar’e Stoudemire and Center Tyson Chandler come off the floor, it seems as if the Knicks are bringing people from the concession stands to play as reserves. Shooting Guard Bill Walker, Power Forward Jared Jeffries, Small Forward Renaldo Balkman, Center Jerome Jordan and all the other bench players are just plain awful. They may be very fan friendly outside the Garden before games, but that does not excuse them from their pitiful performances. The Knicks as of today have 8 wins and 14 losses; regardless if there was a lockout or not, they need to turn it around as soon as possible. Otherwise, the fans will stop showing up like a few years ago and this time they may not come back.

A young couple strolling hand in hand at Devon House, Jamaica.

by Jodi-Ann Morris

The whole idea of Valentine’s Day has slowly transformed itself into a sideshow that has progressively pushed cynics about the matters of the heart over the edge. Don’t get me wrong I’m a lover not a fighter (cue The Kinks 1960s I’m A Lover Not Fighter playing softly in the background.) but this red and white day has created a love-hate relationship with cupid.

Valentine's Day hearts and decorations.

Expectations and Agitations

Each year, it is certain that there are some girls who secretly wait with baited breath for the moment their boyfriend or hopeful romantic makes a grandiose public display of affection. For some men, this is the time when the feeling of slight agitation becomes their dear old friend for the day. With hints from their significant other to the constant mainstream and business reminders of Valentine’s Day, allowing others to see how you feel about someone can become a bit stressful.

“We live in a generation of not being in love.”

Disclaimer to remember: Lover not fighter! However, I can’t help but assuming the role of devil’s advocate. Valentine’s Day does have the characteristic of lacking depth and true emotions. The reason why some of us love Valentine’s Day is that we like the picture it paints of being in love. We like what we see and not necessarily what it feels like to be in love. We’ve grown so accustomed to the idea of being in love that for some of us the definition of love has changed. Cute cupid armed with a love arrow, rainbows, and hearts has commercialized love for us. So this Valentine’s Day and every day after that, actually know the feeling of love whether it is for a special someone, your family or friends.

"Love" necklace in the weeds.

Photographs taken by Jodi-Ann Morris.

Bull Market or Bull Crap? Photo by V. Smith

Who’s Playing and Who’s Not?

Love it or hate it. Facebook the mammoth social network website, just became a publically traded company.  What does this mean for us, the little people? The masses whom work day-to-day and struggle to pay our bills, all the while steadily watching the 1% have the opportunity buy Facebook stock. Unless, of course, they already own shares of the company when it was privately owned. Now that the transition from private to public has occurred, they will see the value of those stocks multiply exponentially.

What is the Game?

Photo by V. Smith

The game is the called “capitalism”, and the last time I heard, everyone is supposed to have the ability to play. However, with all the discontent between the 99% and the group they’ve named the 1%, it’s become an US versus THEM America. What the 1% don’t seem to understand, is that the 99% are not angry with them because they have money. We are angry, because they always seem to have access to MORE money, and they REFUSE to share with the rest of us. What does that mean? It means, for example, that the company who prepared the offering plan, will only offer Facebook stock to people who are wealthy. Those wealthy individuals will simply make even more money, because more often than not, it’s only the wealthy, who are offered these of opportunities. Why don’t they ever come to some of us in the ‘hood or even in suburbia and say “Hey, we’ve got this great deal for you. Sort of a pull yourself up by your bootstraps opportunity.” Some of us have a little put away for a rainy day. This is why the rich get richer and the 99% get madder and madder. We want what we used to have. Access to the American Dream.

A typical hockey helmet. Photo: Andrew Capitelli

As much as this NHL season has presented an array of surprises, there is one horrifying constant: concussions. As of the All-Star break, the league had already diagnosed 71 player concussions.

Many argue the figure is inflated because of the NHL’s strict, yet attentive treatment and diagnosis protocols training staffs are ordered to abide by once a player is dealt a blow to the head. The protocol was new for this season. In the past, players would get hit in the head, feel dizzy and head back on the ice when ordered. But the recent deaths of former players, Derek Boogard and Wade Belak, due to depression issues, have forced the league into mandating the new procedures.

But is it enough?

Following Boogard’s death, neurologists studied his brain and determined he was already showing signs of early dementia at 28 years old. Boogard was an enforcer. Due to limited playing skill, fighting was his only way to crack the NHL. After thousands of fights, his brain tapped out.

St. Louis' T.J. Oshie takes an elbow to the head thanks to Anaheim's George Parros. Photo: Andrew Capitelli

But the most alarming concern is that fighters aren’t the only ones at risk.  The Penguin’s Sidney Crosby, arguably the league’s best player, and Marc Savard of the Bruins, have only played a handful of games in the past year due to battles with post-concussion syndrome.

What else can be done?

Former Flyers legend Eric Lindros, who was forced to retire after eight serious concussions during his career, has become an outspoken leader against concussions in the league. He’s suggested that the game has become too fast and cites the removal of the two-line pass rule as a major problem, claiming due to its absence players are moving too quickly through the neutral zone, endangering themselves and their opponents.

This style elbow pad, with soft padding, is what many in the league are calling for.

Equipment is another talking point. Many, including the retired New York Rangers forward Mark Messier, are calling for helmets that protect players better from concussions. Others believe the size and material of the player’s shoulder pads should be minimized and changed to decrease the impact of shoulder shots to the head.

Growing up being different was always a goal for me. To me having the latest fashion was not the priority, having a unique fashion was. Today that belief is not widely accepted. In the fashion world people wear anything that someone famous and rich does. People try to stay on the safe side of the world.

Being Different

Sasha with "normal" outfit

For the past 10 years the fashion world has not showed a hint of excitement or uniqueness. From designers to “fashion icon”, everything has been an imitation of someone else. I pray to see the day where people will accept the idea of being different as part of the norm. I wish to see where we could all walk around not looking like an exact clone of each other or someone else. I beg to be able to walk down the street and feel like I am my own person. I want to be able to feel that it is ok to be me and no one else.

The Fear I See

Today many are afraid of being alone. Many are afraid of being rejected. We want to look like our friends do. We want to fit in like a perfect puzzle piece. We don’t want to be the person who stands out. None of us wants to carry our baggage alone.

Being Rejected

It makes sense to feel that way because whether we are 15, 25, or 30 years old we want to have someone accept us. However what are we willing to put on the line? Would we have to give up our beliefs? Should we have to lose our values? Would we have to give up our identity? Maybe all of that doesn’t even matter anymore. Today it appears that we are all carrying ONE identity. It seems that we have all become part of the crowd, nothing to give and nothing to lose.

Me with different outfit

I wonder then…does that make anyone who strives wrong or rebellious. Should I not wear my pink fishnet shirt with my black pants and black hand gloves because no one else does? How does one become one’s own view? It would seem that our views have become so confuse that we are only accepted if we all turn a blind eye and become a perfect puzzle piece.