The Paw Print

The French Prime Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, wants to ban the burka in France and he is on his way to accomplishing this feat. France’s Lower House has won its first round of debate and the case will go to the Senate in September and is likely to be passed. This issue has been a controversial issue since 2009. If Sarkozy passes the law, it will greatly affect the 5 million Muslims residing in France.

The bill that is soon to be passed states that any woman who is found in the public wearing a burka or niqab will be arrested and fined. If the husband is found forcing his wife to wear the burka, then he will be arrested and spend time behind bars. The fact that people say that Muslim men force their wives to wear the burka is a desecration and there is no proof for it. Muslim women wear the veil to please their creator and not their husband. My mother does not wear the burka because my father forces her to wear it. She wears it because she chooses to be modest and follow God’s orders.

What I don’t understand is why the French Prime Minister chooses to attack the Muslim women who wear this veil. The nuns wear similar clothes that the Muslim women wear. Nuns aren’t harassed. As a matter of fact they don’t even bother to attack those women who dress inappropriately and it’s said that they have their rights. Well, why can’t Muslim women have their rights to wear what their religion orders them to wear? Why does it hurt Sarkozy what a Muslim women wears? Why should he tell the Muslim women what to wear and what not? Who is he? Why is he even getting into their business? How is the veil affecting him as the Prime Minister?

Of course France is all about fashion and he wants Muslim women to follow what he follows and that’s just not going to happen. I honestly don’t see Muslim women taking off their veil just because the Prime Minister says so. I think they will fight to the end, until they get their rights.

There was news not too long ago that might have torn clothes shoppers’ hearts—that the Victoria’s Secret, Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch stores in Manhattan were closed due to bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs are creating a commotion as they increase in numbers in New York. But New York isn’t the only place where bed bugs are increasing. It turns out that bed bugs are increasing worldwide. Some believe that frequent international travels might have brought the pests inside the United States but there is no solid explanation for the increase in bed bugs.
It’s hard to identify if you have bed bugs. When you wake up one morning and find red itchy spots on your body, you might dismiss them as mosquito bites. There is a difference between mosquito bites and bed bugs bites. Bed bugs will often bite in a straight line, resulting in clustered bites. Mosquitos may bite a lot, but bed bugs increase their number of bites. Once bed bugs lay eggs, their babies need to eat. On average, a mature bed bug lays 500 eggs. If you keep waking up with more and more bites on your body, chances are that it’s not mosquito but bed bugs.
It’s always important to check everywhere when checking for bed bugs. Bed bugs like dark, small, crowded areas. They come out mostly at night to eat, and after their 3-10 minutes meal, they hide again. Look at bed frames, the head and foot of the bed, the mattress, and the seams on the mattress. Check tiny holes or cracks on walls, or under the carpet. Bed bugs can also cling on clothes. If that’s the case, wash the clothes in very hot water, and dry under very high heat. Make sure to check everywhere and wash clothes properly because if one bed bug survives, the infestation will never end.
Pesticide was used in the past to kill bed bugs. It worked. But pesticide today can’t kill bed bugs. Today’s bed bugs are resistant to pesticide. Although bed bugs won’t die, certain pesticides or bed bug sprays will be effective in hurting bed bugs. The problem is that you have to spray it on the bed bugs for it to work. Spraying it anywhere else will be useless.
If your bed frame is nestled with tons of bed bugs, the safest choice is to throw out the bed. If you want to keep your bed, getting rid of the bugs won’t be easy. Calling the bed bug exterminator is the easiest option, but a bit expensive. But maybe you can save a lot more things than a bed if you call an exterminator.
Bed bugs are tiny pests that can be harmful and annoying. If you don’t want to deal with bed bugs, the best solution is to prevent yourself from getting them. Avoid dirty areas outside, reduce clutter, get rid of old furniture, don’t use used merchandise or furniture, and more importantly, don’t pick up anything from the trash and bring it in the house!

Fans bitten by the Twilight bug will more than enjoy Melissa de la cruz saga of juicy vampire novels Blue Blood, Masquerade, Revelation and the Van Alen Legacy.

The person that I most admire in my life is my father. I admire him the most because without him I wouldn’t meet a man who takes care of me two times better than what my father did.

From me observing my father growing up, he has taught me a few things, for instance, I wouldn’t want my kids to go through the same heart break I went through when my father left me unannounced. The day he left, he left me without a warning of him leaving and without a reason to why he was leaving, he left me with a ring that he said would help me remember him, which after 10 years is something I no longer want to do or can’t do because I forgot how he looks.

I also wouldn’t want my kids to have a father like him, the one to leave your child confused for more then after their life, and I don’t want them to continue to blame themselves for the things he was doing wrong such as what I went through. So I will try very hard to find a man in the future, that will be there.

Also the main thing that I admire my father for is giving me my three brothers that I never meet, but speak to them on the phone every night before they go to bed.

Seeing my father is the last thing I want to do, because I don’t consider him as my father anymore but if I have to go through him to meet my brothers, then that’s something I’m willing to do.

Giving up sperm doesn’t consider a man your father, but the fact that a man can be there for you through thick and thin, and lead on the right path is what I can consider a father.

I’m complimenting my father for the bad things that he has done to me, because without him doing bad, I believe I wouldn’t have the amount of good that I have now with my step dad.

I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked: Don’t you wish you had siblings?

Being an only child, like anything else, has its pros and its cons. Growing up, I was asked whether I wanted siblings or not. As a grouchy two-year old of course I answered no. Sometimes I think what would life be like being the eldest and not the only child. I’ve been told that only children and eldest children have a lot of common traits. The biggest similarity I have noticed is the need to be in control.

The stereotypical only child is a lonely, spoiled brat that gets everything he or she wants. I, however, completely disagree with this stereotype. As an only child I can say that when I am alone, most of the time it is because I would rather be alone. I have spent a lot of time with just my parents therefore, I got use to. Some only children, however, desire siblings and the deep connection to another person. Having cousins that I grew up with replaced the need for siblings.

Spoiled, is an adjective that does not only describe an only child. Essentially, anyone can be spoiled. A youngest can be spoiled; a woman with a rich husband can be spoiled.

Many of the only children I know are given extra attention rather than being spoiled. Attention can be good or bad. Attention, when it is only one child’s report card coming home can put a lot of pressure on the child. Attention when it is their birthday and there are no other kids to steal the shine is good.

However, the way an only child is treated has a lot to do with their parenting. I believe that a child is a reflection of his or her parents. Some parents chose to give their child attention or spoil them. While others have no time for their kids because they are wrapped up in their own lives. This has nothing to do with whether they have one child or not.

Environment also has a profound impact on a child’s development. Growing up I was in an environment with many people around me. Therefore, I never felt the need to have an extra child around me all the time.

As customers of the MTA we have just adapted to paying $2.25 for a single ride. The Mass Transit Authority is working on setting a new increase of 75% of $2.25 which would be $3.25 for a ride.

How many times must we come to the conclusion that we are either fat or ugly because of these pictures we see in the magazines? Well I tell you one thing it’s too many, the times that we feel horrible about ourselves are much greater than the times we feel good about ourselves. We see the constant ads for these dieting supplements and the pictures of models that are size two and then you wonder why America has become a country obsessed with weight loss. However the fashion industry is slowly changing and now the fashion for the skinny is now available for girls with curves. 

Forever 21 is offering a new collection that I think it sparking much attention. The line is called Faith 21 and it offers fashionable styles for an affordable price. With sizes ranging from XL to 2X, finally the average women who are size 14 can find something that they love and feel cute in. All women want to look cute but when you think about it, who doesn’t? Now with prices that are affordable and with a line that has variety and fits, our runway to becoming best dress is nearer than you think. I recently went to Forever 21 and I was amazed at what I came out with. For once my shopping experience wasn’t filled with disappointments, I was actually pleased that I found a lot of pretty clothes and that everything I wanted had my size. 

So it’s possible for us all to feel beautiful in our own skin, just because we are curvier that doesn’t mean we have to wear trash bags, we are allowed to look cute and wear the same things that these models wear. If there is something we should remember it is that we are all gorgeous and we shouldn’t feel insecure just because we are curvier, there is nothing wrong with being bigger –the average women is a size 14. We all want to rock the latest fashions and it’s about time that the fashion industry is making room for other body types.  

On Sunday, August 1, 2010, the volunteers for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE)’s Annual Summer Street Festival were assigned to clean up Columbus Park. What they realized was that cigarette butts dominated the “trash” in this park.

As the state recently raised the tax for cigarettes this summer in an attempt to decrease the overall consumption of cigarette, it seems that the Asian community needs more than a raise of cigarette tax and price.

“Not much research has been done regarding the Asian smoking community,” said Peter Gee, the Associate Director of Resource Development and Programs of AAFE.

The people who use the stone part [Columbus Park consists of a playground, a basketball/volleyball court, a soccer field, and a stone part filled with picnic and chess tables] of Columbus Park are continuants and street dwellers of the Chinatown community. They are seniors who smoke there while playing Chinese chess and paper mahjong; it is their place to socialize.

Even with the increase of cigarette prices, the Asian community still smokes a lot.

Though the American cigarettes that are taxed are expensive, the Chinese community could still seek smuggled cigarettes that are not taxed, thus much cheaper.

Before the festival I only know that Asians- especially Chinese people- smoke a lot (especially back in China where it seems to be a cultural thing). With cigarette butts everywhere, I questioned myself, “Why are the seniors smoking this much? Why isn’t anyone reaching out to my community [Chinese/Asian] about the impacts of smoking? What government resources are offered to my community?”

I finally released that my community smokes a lot and it is a problem when seniors are the main contributors to the cigarette trash in the park.

The city has a lot to offer to communities that wants to push for a Smoke-Free initiative. The problem is it’s not being outreached to the Asian communities.

With their own booth and a designated workshop in the festival to educate and encourage the Asian community to quit smoking, the city finally approached the Asian community in AAFE’s summer street festival.

In partnership with AAFE’s bilingual translators, the Manhattan smoke-free partnership educated the Asian community (especially senior smokers) about the city’s free nicotine patches.

Hopefully when the volunteers are sweeping Columbus Park on AAFE summer street festival in 2011, cigarette butts will not dominate the trash in the park.

‘Zeitoun’ is a novel about a man’s journey through Hurricane Katrina, and the measures he goes to attempting to care for his beloved town. ‘Zeitoun’ tells the true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Muslim man living in New Orleans as the respected and responsible local contractor, decides to stay in New Orleans to care for his neighborhood and properties. 

Of Mice and Men is a novel written by Nobel Prize author John Steinbeck. It’s one of the books that must be read. When I first read the book, I was astonished by the details and the way the book was narrated. Many books that I have read previously were hard to understand when reading the first few pages of the book. The books didn’t grab the reader. Of Mice and Men is an amazing book that catches the reader immediately as they start reading the book.

The book had many action and exciting scenes that flowed with the story. I found the beginning scene, which set the stage for the story, interesting. Lennie, being attracted to colors, went after a girl that was wearing a bright colorful shirt that attracted Lennie. Lennie walked towards her, having no ill thoughts about her. He just wanted to feel her colorful shirt that she was wearing. Unfortunately, the girls got scared when she realized that a man was approaching her direction, rather awkwardly. She immediately ran for safety and that prompted the town people to hunt down Lennie and George.

Lennie and George were forced to leave the town and find another place to call home. George is a normal person while Lennie is mentally retarded. Lennie causes a lot of trouble that irritates George, but he is unwilling to leave his friend behind.

Lennie and George have a goal that they want to accomplish. They dream of saving up the money they earn from the farm and building their own ranch. Lennie, usually in love with animals, dreams about having a rabbit, a mice and horse to play with. Their dream was cut short when Lennie caused some havoc on the farm. He accidently kills the owner’s son’s wife. Since the owner’s son had a feud with Lennie before and dislikes his character, he immediately pointed fingers at Lennie for killing his wife. George realizing the situation and decided to take the life of his friend by himself because he feared that the others would torture him to death if they found him.

The story ended in a dramatic fashion. Not only was it a heart-wrenching story but the way it ended kept the story in the flow. The story receives mostly positive reviews for keeping the reader entertained throughout the novel.