The Paw Print

A news publication created by Baruch's College Now high school journalism class

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When Calories on Listed, People Pay Attention

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New Yorkers are paying attention to what the calorie intake are at fast food restaurants, according to a recent study.
One out of every six fast food customer considers the calories posted when making a purchasing decision, according to the British Medical Journal. Customers who did not use the information eat 106 calories more than people who did consider the calories. 
Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, said, in a press release. “New Yorkers who want to limit their calories are using posted calorie information to do so.” 
“Posted calories listings help customers make healthier choices.” Said Farley. “Considering the extremely high rates of obesity, these types of systematic changes to the food environment are needed to make a difference in combating today’s obesity epidemic,” according to Dr. Thomas. 
The percentage of New York City adults and children who are overweight is the highest its ever been. Since the restaurant were required to post the calories in March 2008, KFC customers are purchasing 59 fewer calories; McDonalds customers are purchasing 44 fewer calories – according to the study. 
Dr. Lynn Silver, director of the Office of Science and Policy in the health department, said in the statement, “As calorie labeling spreads nationwide and internationally, more consumers will be able to easily access calorie information and restaurant chains will have a greater incentive to reformulate their products and offer healthier options.” 
Even though Dr. Lynn Silver says labeling the calories will not stop obesity in America, she does say it’s a step in the right direction. 

To Be Honest

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This class has really been a learning experience, but the best thing about it has to be the experience of meeting other people who find  joy in being a journalist. I love knowing that I’m not the only one who loves writing as much as I do and that there are places, magazines and newspapers that could use someone like me to write for them.

I’ll be honest when I say I have no idea where I’ll be in ten years.
Will I be a star reporter for The New York Times, The Boston Globe or The Chicago Tribune? Will I be a food critic? Will I even be a writer? I’m at a complete loss.
The beauty of it, though, is that most people don’t know where their life will lead them. Sometimes they even get thrown into a career.
Meeting these people and hearing their stories makes me feel that being at a complete loss of my future at times is completely normal. I love that.

Food as Torture

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Those celebrating Ramadan this year, like me, know how hard it can be to not be tempted by the different stores that sell food at every corner of every block here in New York City. However, I can think of something worse than that.

Think of not being able to eat for more than ten hours. Now, think of being taken on a class trip… to a food magazine , when as soon as you step into the building, you’re greeted by a mix of smells of different foods and pastries. And then, while sitting at a long table next to a kitchen where people are cooking, imagine having a gazillion cookies and brownies and juice offered to you.
Yep, that happened to me yesterday. And God, was it awful. I mean, I usually would take up any offer for free food. I love food. I can’t think of a day when I don’t eat something I love, so on any other month, this would’ve been my favorite trip. However, it was so not like that.
My stomach even growled. And by the time we were coming back to class, I felt hungry. For real.
Usually, everyday, people wake up and eat breakfast. Then, about five hours later, they start to say they’re hungry. I am one of those people, of course. But now that I think about it, I realize how much I really wasn’t that hungry. There’s a difference between hunger and extreme hunger, for a lack of better words.
So, now I understand how some homeless people feel. They’re hungry, yet they’re surrounded by so much food.
I wouldn’t be surprised if food was once used as a torture device!
Happy Ramadan everyone! 🙂

A Short Monologue

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I think “why” a lot. Why was I the one destined for failure while Anna was made to succeed? Why I was the one cursed, and the one who would wind up becoming permanently handicapped? How is it that now, when I am 30-years-old, I spend my days at a disabled learning center while Anna is out experiencing life? I am restricted, and caught in a trap that will never be broken while Anna is living her life to the fullest.

Anna has a life with her family while I have nothing, but endless days at the center. I used to wonder how such things could happen. Is it to test one’s ability to see if one can outlive this nightmare? Why are some put through this hardship? I grew up believing in a higher power in a g-d that helped the world, and create no evil. But how can there be a g-d that would put me through this? How can my family pray to something that caused me this much pain?
 
I long for the days when I will be finished with the learning center. I pine for the day when i will wake up and this will all be a dream. I dream instead of thinking about the harsh reality of having a stage four brain tumor that caused me to be handicapped mentally and physically. I can only hope that one day the curse will be broken and I will be destined for success. 

My Visit To The Farmers Market.

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Recently, a friend and I visited a farmers market for the first time in years. I couldn’t help but to fall in love with the motley of stores that were filled with homegrown organic products and delicious homemade treats. 
Immediately after our arrival, I began to search for the perfect treat to satisfy my sweet tooth. It was then that I stumbled upon a vintage looking jam labeled Phillips Farms: Spiced Apple, it cost $5.00. At first, I was hesitant to purchase this jam, due to the fact that it was double the cost of a jam in commercial supermarkets. However, thoughts such as “It’s all natural” and “You won’t find this in stores,” began to justify the expense. 
After purchasing the jam, I decided to buy a loaf of bread that would best compliment it’s taste. Satisfied with my purchase, I headed home in hopes to indulge and satisfy my sweet tooth. And so I did. 
I was drawn to the jam’s vintage appearance, but captured by how fresh and toothsome the jam was. Throughout the entire the day, I found myself repeatedly cutting loafs of bread to cover with the jam, in hopes to reencounter the distinctive taste. I became an instant fein, and the jam was my fix.
By the next day, the jam was finished and my only thoughts were when my next visit to the farmers market would be.

Hands All Over Maroon 5 This Summer

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Before a concert, I have a tendency to listen to an artist/band I’ve never heard of or an artist/band that I’ve never had the chance to listen to. Lately, I’ve been listening to alot of Maroon 5, especially their new album “Hands All Over.” My best friend is a big fan of Maroon 5, and she suggested that I checked out their new album.

My mom is also a big fan of Maroon 5, so I decided to buy her the new album for her birthday. It gave me a chance to uploaded it on to my computer. It was a great decision, because their album is incredible.

“Hands All Over” is filled with a mixture of Rock, Pop & Soul. When I’m listening to music I’m not only listening to the lyrics, but also the instruments involved in it.

Each song has a story, mostly about love, whether is break up or make up.

My favorite songs have to be “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” and “Don’t No Nothing.” “Never Gonna Leave This Bed” is such a great song to listen to on a Sunday morning. It has a calm and relaxing beat that makes you just want to stay in bed all day, hence the title of the song. “Don’t No Nothing” has more of a jazz feel to it. The chorus is very catchy, which brought me to love this song so much.

This album is filled with different types of tempos, and I think it’s a great album to listen to. I’m actually going to see Maroon 5 next week and I’m really excited to see them live. I’ve never seen them live before, so I think it’s going to be a great experience and a sweet ending to the close of my summer.

So You Think You Can Dance

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So You Think You Can Dance is a reality competition show that is aired Wednesdays and Thursdays on channel 5. The show has had several seasons, and is currently in the middle of its eighth season.

The show allows talented dancers from across the country to compete in many different genres of dance, and competitors of all genres of dance are allowed to audition. I really love this show and have been watching it since its very first season, back in 2005. I love this show because I was a dancer myself, and even though I don’t do it anymore, I still have a passion for dance.
Whenever I watch these amazing dancers preform, something inside of me comes alive and it makes me feel like I am capable of being just as talented as they are. My favorite style of dance is contemporary, because I find it so beautiful. This style of dance can either be very hard, rough, fast, slow, soft or melodic. 
My favorite dancers from this season are without-a-doubt Melanie and Marko, who were actually partners for the first few weeks of the competition. Even though they aren’t partnered on the show anymore, I still love them just as much. They are both technical, yet so emotional when they dance, and I can’t take my eyes off them. I even find myself voting for them…and I never vote on shows like this.
All in all, I would say that this show is fantastic, and I will definitely continue to watch it and root for my favorite dancers in seasons to come. 

A Few Comments On Jihad

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Don’t be alarmed by the headline. Though mainstream media may convince you otherwise, Jihad is not simply holy war. I am not some misguided lunatic hell-bent on destroying America with a radical view of Islam.

Instead, Jihad is at the heart of any practicing Muslim’s lifestyle. The word ‘Jihad’ means “effort”, “Struggle” or “strive”. In Islamic terminology, Jihad is to exert one’s efforts in establishing Faith in Allah within oneself, one’s society and the world as a whole. This effort is spiritual, psychological and physical. A secondary form of Jihad is striving to experience guidance from the Quran and Hadith (sayings of the prophet and his companions) and to apply it to daily life. 
According to some scholars, “Jihad is the execution of effort against evil in the self and every manifestation of evil in society.” It is this message that is often misinterpreted by extremist Muslims. But, holy war is only a tertiary form of Jihad. Furthermore, there are limits to holy war. The holy Quran says, “fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but do not transgress the limits.” These “limits” are that all fighting may only be defensive and that holy war can only be waged by a true Islamic state (one that follows the Sharia’h completely). There are no true Islamic states in the world (not even Saudi Arabia) and there haven’t been any since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. 
Today, I faced a form of greater Jihad: fighting the temptation to break my fast. My class and I went on a tour for the food magazine, Saveur, and we were served a pseudo-brunch. I sat in their test kitchen enviously watching my classmates eat snickerdoodles and drink lemonade from Whole Foods. But, I didn’t break my fast, despite the temptation. I hope Allah will reward me for my efforts. 

The Last Time I Saw You

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If I had known today would be the last day I’d ever see you, I would have made up for all the pain I had put you through over the past couple of years. We came to this country together, and promised each other that no matter what it took, we would somehow create a better life in this alien environment. Unlike me, you stayed true to that promise. While you worked at the shirtwaist factory earning less than you knew you should, I couldn’t’t hold on to a job for more than a week. I hated the fact that you were the breadwinner of the house. So, I would beat you, and remind you that your place was in the kitchen. But you were either just plain foolish, or so committed to the promise we made that you took the abuse without revolting and continued to support me.

With that in mind, I further proved my wickedness by packing your stuff while you were getting ready for work, and than kicked you out of the house this morning. Disregarding your emotions, I tried to forget you ever existed. Probably an hour later, as I was walking down the street, I saw dark gray smoke and people frantically rushing to what looked like the shirtwaist factory. I hurried over to the building with others as we watched the factory burn. We watched as many barely escaped the horror, and many more taking their chances to jump into nets. I cannot begin to describe how painful it was to watch workers jump and even burn to their deaths. However, amidst the crowd I could not find you.

Then, all of a sudden, there you were by the window sill, for no more for five seconds. It was like time stood still when I saw you jump out that window, and I helplessly watched you plunge to your death. I felt so powerless alongside the other people. With your death a part of me died. Your death led to the death of all the memories we had and the bright future we both dreamed of. I’m disgusted that I have realized after your death how grateful I am for all you had done for me.  I regret telling you to get out of my life and to never show your face to me again. 

That's The Life

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I am going to have to say that this has been the most exciting week for the journalism class. The guest speakers and tours were very fun and not to mention, inspiring. The past speakers have not been so encouraging. All of them seemed to say the same thing, “Yeah, I work 24/7 and for very little money,” or “Yeah, journalism school isn’t worth your time.” It got sort of boring, though the speakers did seem very dedicated and in love with their jobs. However, the speakers this week were just over the top!

We spoke with this film critic, and I have to say he has one of the coolest jobs ever. He gets to watch movies for work, he gets to go to private screening and people actually listen to what he thinks of a movie! He is also one of the first speakers who said that journalism school wasn’t all that bad. He said he had a tough time getting a job as a film critic, but he seemed pretty chill about it. He was one of the first speakers that admitted that his motive for writing for a newspaper wasn’t so he could make society a better place, but for his passions, which are music and film. I thought it was great that he got the opportunity to have a job he was passionate about.
The same goes for the food magazine we went to. The speakers, unlike other speakers, didn’t spend years and years in journalism. The editor-in-chief dipped in photography, Hollywood, film, South-east Asia and everything else! This made him very well-rounded and more interesting. I think that being in a food magazine would be wonderful. They get to travel around the world and write about their passion- food. It is also amazing how they get to discover cultures, people and sights through food. It is such a miraculous job.
If you can’t tell, I want a job where I can work with what I am passionate about. This is why I am so happy I got to meet the film critic and the editors at the food magazine, because they get to do what they love. Ah. They get to write, travel, eat and watch movies for a living. That would be the life.