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The Wonders of Vandalism

August 10, 2016 by Jenny Liu Leave a Comment

"Respect is the Strongest Compliment" mural
“Respect is the Strongest Compliment” mural

“It’s not adding to the mural—it’s subtracting from it,” twenty-two year old Theresa said.

Theresa doesn’t live in the neighborhood, but she noticed that people started to write their opinions responding to the sexual harassment young women experienced in the community. The “Respect is the Strongest Compliment” mural located at Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn was painted last year by females under eighteen, who want to display “the inner turmoil” they feel as women, according to Nekita Blue, an African American who painted four murals with Groundswell.

Groundswell gathers youths “to use art as a tool for social change, for a more just and equitable world,” according to the Groundswell site. Through this project, youths bring attention to the issues they face in their community.

Despite the time and effort these youths put into the mural, people scribble remarks over it, such as a “Very True” pointing at the butt of a painted female figure or “Hypocrisy” in another area.

When another fellow artist sent Blue a SnapChat message of the remarks, she said, “it made me sad that this person didn’t take the time out to understand the message we were trying to make clear.” She also said that the goal of the mural was not to change the world, but to get the people to stop and think about the bigger picture and recognize sexual harassment as an issue in the community. According to Blue, the figures in the mural represent real experiences of the artists.

Allison Keene, a twenty-four year old, who recently moved to the neighborhood, said that the responses from the community draw focus to a bigger question: what is art? She said, “The annotations can contribute to the overall artwork if the original artists meant for it to be a multi-artists project.” Keene also said that the mural is in a “public accessible place” so it’s perhaps “meant to be acted on.”

Blue also said, “The ultimate goal of the mural was to bring awareness and start conversations.” While the group was painting last summer, they engaged in many conversations with the general public addressing the sexual harassment issue.

However, Bailey, an individual who works at the Housing Authority, said the scribbles “take away from the value” of the mural. “It’s similar to bringing people to your house and they bring mud with them—it ruins the original image.” He considers the feedback to be “plain vandalism”.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Brooklyn, Commentary, Culture and Entertainment, Featured, News, News

The New Phase in Bensonhurst

August 10, 2016 by MATTHEW ENG Leave a Comment

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A photo of 86th Street show Asian and non-Asian businesses side by side.

BENSONHURST – This area was once dominated by Italian-American residents but over the past decade Now, just like in Little Italy across the East River, they are losing their stronghold of the community to newly immigrants. The neighborhood is now mostly families and businesses of Asian origin. Not that this southwestern part of Brooklyn lacks diversity. Ethnicities such as Russians, Poles and immigrants from Latin America and Middle East also have a presence in this sprawling neighborhood.

“It is one of the greatest chapter of neighborhood evolution” Councilman Mark Treyger described in a phone interview, describing diversity in the Bensonhurst Community.

In 2013, Councilman Treyger assumed office as District 47’s councilman, which covered majority of prominent local Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods including Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Coney Island. His first office was on Neptune Avenue, but he later added another district office in Stillwell Avenue near 86th Street,  because “I wanted a store-front office that is closer to the neighborhood,” and therefore he would be more accessible to all businesses and residents.

 The Councilman said that the community is “rich in diversity and heritage” and he is a firm supporter of how food is globally represented throughout the neighborhood.  He mentioned, “I am a big fan of the coconut and pineapple bun from a Chinese bakery on 86th Street and a cannoli from 18th Avenue…I could get great Mediterranean style food from Istanbul (a restaurant located on Bay Parkway and 86th Street) and pizza from Lenny’s Pizzeria.” 

As an advocate of businesses coming together, he established a Merchant Association, so local merchants could combat different problems, such as theft and vandalism.  Furthermore, he helped pass the law that made the NYC Department of Emergency Services translate pamphlets on what to do during an urgent situation in ten different languages.           

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Bensonhurst…was known as a middle class, Italian-American enclave for much of the 20th century…but its demographics are rapidly changing as…Chinese families flock the area”.  The US Census Bureau reported that Asian population are “…growing 57% between 2009 and 2010.”

The New York Times reported that “Bensonhurst has the largest number of Chinese-born residents of any neighborhood in the city, with 31,658, narrowly edging the populations in Flushing, Queens, and Sunset Park, according to a 2013 city report that offered the most recent data on immigrant New Yorkers.”

There are still old time merchants left, such as Meat Supreme, which has four locations, with two located on 86th Street, in the heart of Bensonhurst. The stores have sold mainly Italian delicatessen, produce, packaged meat and provide catering service for over 30 years.  Meat Supreme adapted their business along with the evolution of the community demographics.  They experimented with the addition of seafood and fresh produce departments.  The seafood department was soon phased out as a result of decrease in popularity, but the outdoor produce stand is a success. According to the store manager, “We had the fresh produce stand a year ago.”

At around 6 pm on a Thursday, there were only a few shoppers.  Meanwhile, the next door Asian supermarket was jammed with customers buying fresh fruit, produce, seafood and fresh butchered meat.  Despite Meat Supreme’s effort, they are no match for the ever growing Asian stores around them.   

The Main Pharmacy, a third generation local pharmacy also located on 86th Street, improved its business after it moved across the street to a brand new renovated location. The owner and pharmacist is an adjunct professor at the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Long Island University.  Since 1946, Ken’s family has been serving the Bensonhurst community not just with medications but with household supplies, cards, and many more. Ken said, “My grandfather and my father were both pharmacists…and I was brought up with loyalty.”  He said “In the past, if you help someone…they will not even think twice about having your back.” He further described, “Loyal customers would come back to you, but new residents like to shop in these big name pharmacists such as CVS, Duane Reade, until they make a mistake.”

In addition, Ken mentioned that the new residents and businesses do not hesitate to saturate any profitable market.  For example, his own LIU pharmacy student recently opened up a tiny pharmacy just a couple of doors away from him. Although inundated with competition and burdened with Affordable Care Act restrictions, Ken has been able to adapt to challenges.  He researched and implemented new marketing strategies such as advertising in different languages and adding different ethnic products to his stock, “I have a whole shelf dedicated to the community.”  Proudly displayed were various weekly specials posted on the store front in Chinese, and a shelf of Chinese herbal products, such as Chinese imported molasses displayed in the front of the store. Plus he hired Asian staff for the front desk, because “…people want to talk with their own kind of people.” In simple terms, he was reducing the language barrier and able to communicate with the neighborhood. He will continue to find ways to promote his business and generate profit.    

Bensonhurst’s recent booming real estate and economic developments signifies the cosmopolitan flair of the neighborhood. What attracts so many people and businesses to this community are the strong school district, convenient commute by public transportation, abundance of parks and recreation, and most importantly, a safe close knit community. As Councilman Treyger mentioned,  “We are the beneficiary and I am proud of it [variety within Bensonhurst]”.             

Filed Under: Brooklyn, Culture and Entertainment, Lifestyles, News, News

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

August 10, 2016 by Cindy Weng Leave a Comment

 

 

ice-cream-966597_960_720“Ice cream is a beautiful thing,” said HuiQi Pan from the journalism class of the Baruch College Now summer program. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word summer? Ice cream, of course! New York City is seeing a new trend in ice cream this summer: Thailand style rolled ice creams.

"Strawberry Shawty" on 10Below, Mott st.
“Strawberry Shawty” on 10Below, Mott st, NY.

Also known as stir-fried ice cream, they are commonly made in Thailand.

This trend started the summer of 2015 when 10Below stepped onto the streets of Chinatown. Now many stores like this have started to grow with this new trend such as: Juicy Spot, I CE NY, and many more.

Thailand style rolled ice cream is getting popular, but how? Many people say it taste like regular ice cream; it all tastes the same. But what makes rolled ice cream so unique and popular is how creative it is making it and the fascinating outcome.

The ice cream is made on a cold metal plate. The staff puts the base along with any ingredients that you choose for your ice cream on the plate. They start to beat it with metal paddles and make it flat so they can roll it up and place it on a cup ready for you.

Many people record this mesmerizing process and share this exciting experience with their friends and family. Another student from the journalism class, Jailene Rodriguez, said “It’s a cool process.”

"Create your own ice cream" on Penguin Ice Cream, Hester st, NY.
“Create your own ice cream” on Penguin Ice Cream, Hester st, NY.

You can create your own rolled ice cream, most stores have the same ways:

1. Choose a base. (Original, green tea, chocolate, etc.)

2.Choose a flavor. (Banana, strawberry, dragon fruit, oreo, coffee, etc.)

3. Choose toppings. (Crackers, sprinklers, banana, strawberry, etc.)

4.Choose a drizzle. (Caramel, chocolate, whipped cream, nutella, etc.)

Or you can just get the ice creams they have for you. The rolled ice cream costs around $6 to $7 depending on what place you go.

Plenty of other students in the journalism class of the Baruch College Now summer program said that they have tasted the ice cream and it was a fun experience but not many of them had the chance to have it yet they would like to try it one day.

“I think rolled ice cream is overrated. It’s just like normal ice cream,” said Cody Liew, a student. He and many other students think rolled ice cream is just like regular ice cream but the reason that it’s so popular is it’s something that many New Yorkers and tourists from around the world haven’t witnessed.

Have a sweet bite of this ice cream and stay cool for the rest of the summer!

Filed Under: Culture and Entertainment, Featured, Manhattan, News, News

The Looming Danger of Climate Change

August 10, 2016 by GWENDOLYN LEE Leave a Comment

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New York City’s Greenmarket celebrates its 40th anniversary this season.

Stands of fruits, vegetables, produce, jams, and breads circle Union Square all year to offer its lively consumers fresh ingredients.

But the yield for fresh ingredients has become unpredictable due to climate change.

Demand for sustenance is high and many farmers are anxious about the looming danger of climate change.

“I can definitely see it affecting us in the future.” Steven, a vendor for Stokes Farm, one of the many providers for the Greenmarket system explained the complications that come with hotter summers.

“Every vegetable is on a different seasonal cycle. Broccoli and spinach don’t do so well in the heat, while tomatoes love hot weather,” he said.

Ahmad, a vendor for John D. Madura Farm, has worked in the field for 11 years.

He talked about unpredictable weather and yields on the farm, saying, “Every month, every week, there’s something different,”

Ahmad expressed concern about climate change and is unsure about the effect it would have on his farm.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency website, many weeds, pests and fungi thrive in warm, humid climates, and farmers currently spend more than $11 billion per year fighting weeds in the United States.

“You get something, you lose something– until you figure out what you need to change,” Ahmad said. To many farmers and vendors at the Greenmarket, climate change is a mysterious dark cloud that hovers over the fields and gives rise to anxiety.

Filed Under: Commentary, Lifestyles, Manhattan, News

Changing New York

August 10, 2016 by a.diaz4 Leave a Comment

New York City, also known as the Big Apple ,is known for many things such as skyscrapers, monumental places, and good schools. But there is also many negative things in New York such as homeless people lying on the sidewalk, subways and park benches.

When hearing New York, there are things we can do to change it to make it better, such as reducing the amount of homeless people. We can do this by making the shelters safer. The reason some people do not go into shelters is because they are overcrowded. Sometimes in shelters some of the homeless people sell and do drugs, can rob you and sometimes they rape you. In an interview with David Pirtle (a man who was once a homeless person) he states, “You know, I had my shoes stolen, just like people said you get your shoes stolen. I think this is more generally the case with people, is that you hear a lot of terrible things about shelters, that shelters are dangerous places, that they’re full of drugs and drug dealers, that people will steal your shoes, and there are bedbugs and body lice”. Most homeless people prefer the streets over the homeless shelter because shelters are so dangerous and also because they know that their belongings won’t get stolen by people.

They also live on the street because in the shelters there are different things such as bed bugs, lice and a whole bunch of diseases. An article called “10 Reasons Homeless People Sleep Out in the Cold – and Die” by Piper Hoffman, it states,“as if homelessness didn’t cause enough physical discomfort (hunger, untreated pain from medical conditions, often being dirty, carrying all of one’s belongings), shelters often add a couple, like bed bugs and body-lice, which are inevitable when a different homeless person sleeps in a bed each night”.

 

Filed Under: Brooklyn, Homeless, Manhattan, News, Queens, The Bronx

Gun Control Laws: Necessary or Unjust?

August 8, 2016 by Jailene Rodriguez Leave a Comment

According to the second amendment of the United States Constitution, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” To most people in the United States, the right to bear arms is one of the most important civil rights. However, with the recent national crisis with guns and other arms, many people have considered the idea of “infringing” on the right in order to protect lives.

In recent news, in Orlando, Florida’s nightclub Pulse, a gunman named Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 people on the night of June 12, 2016. The shooter who was said to be connected to al-Qaeda was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Miami field office for over 10 months. Omar Mateen was under surveillance due to said ties to terrorism, but later Mateen, “told investigators he made the statements out of anger, and the FBI closed the inquiry,” The Atlantic reported.

As Hillary Clinton argued during a speech in Cleveland, Ohio, “If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you shouldn’t be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked.” For people like Omar Mateen who have been investigated by the FBI multiple times, it should not, and I reiterate, should not be easy to purchase or own a gun. Some measures of investigation should be taken in order to prevent certain people from obtaining arms in such simple steps.

Omar Mateen was required to pass a criminal background check and to be of good moral character. I must ask, as a citizen of the United States, what exactly does it mean to be of good moral character? Well of course, to everyone that means something different, but the frustrating part is that the government is using the term “to be of good moral character” in order to categorize what type of people are allowed to own guns.

Having access to guns gives people a spur of power, because with one pull of the trigger they can take away the life of another. One of the most horrifying facts is “At least 11 states now allow for automatic reversal of felons’ gun prohibitions after a certain period of time, either for all felons or those convicted of certain crimes,” according to Everytown for Gun Safety. This means that former criminals can easily obtain guns and possibly strike again using the weaponry they are able to get.

The government should not allow such actions to occur, because according to Everytown for Gun Safety, “On an average day, 91 Americans are killed with guns… America’s gun murder rate is more than 25 times the average of other developed countries.” Such high numbers show America gives its citizens too much power and right to own a gun, because simply these guns that the people own is what has caused unfortunate situations.

Indeed, infringing on the right to bear arms would be against the second  amendment of the Constitution, a right that our founding fathers lawfully gave us. However, what I find more important than the right to bear arms is the protection of American lives. With the easy accessibility of guns, it is more probable for lives to be taken simply because one man argued that it was his right to own a gun.

As citizens of the United States of America, we must focus on protecting each other and assisting each other in times of crisis. We should not attack Congress as they try to fix a problem that affects our nation. We should consider how they would in fact be saving some lives.

Filed Under: Commentary, News

Heatwave at Baruch

August 8, 2016 by LAN FAN CAI Leave a Comment

A heatwave hit New York on July, 25 and 26 and inconvenienced people at the Baruch College. At the same time, it was mandatory for the college to cut electricity usage in the school.

Baruch participates in an Energy Demand Response program which requires City Universities of New York or CUNYS to “reduce energy consumption significantly” during heatwaves to prevent brownouts or blackouts in the city. The college reduces electricity consumption by turning off elevator/escalator services during certain times of the day, raising temperatures to reduce air conditioner usage and turning off lights.

The reduction of energy affected a lot of students who were quite used to the services and comfort the school provides. One student angrily described how she was late to class since she was “unable to take the elevators.”  Another one describes how it was “unbearably hot” in the classrooms since the air conditioners weren’t turned on to full power.

On the flip side, some people like Louis Li a student in the school said “I went through the day as normal and I didn’t even notice the heat or escalators not working.”

Participation in the Energy Demand Response program is good for the environment and the city, so questions remain why the college  doesn’t do more to curtail energy use throughout the year or even just the summer.

Often when you enter the college in the summer, the air is much too cold and energy is wasted on lights in halls nobody uses or elevators nobody is using. Perhaps the school should try to conserve more energy like they do during heatwaves in order to benefit the environment.

 

Filed Under: Mahattan, News

The Good, The Bad, and The Rotten Tomato

August 4, 2016 by GWENDOLYN LEE Leave a Comment

“I pretty much see movies all day,” Rafer Guzman told Baruch College Now’s journalism students at the end of July at the Vertical Campus.

To many kids and young adults, watching movies all day for a living sounds fun. But to professional movie critic Rafer Guzman, it can get “frustrating at a certain point, because sometimes, there’s just nothing to say– but you have to say something.”

“You have to see absolutely everything, even if you don’t like it,” Guzman explained.

But Guzman doesn’t mind seeing terrible movies because he believes that “you always learn about what makes movies good or bad.” Many reviews by Guzman will include what he thought the director did well, or which scenes worked or failed.

It wasn’t until after Guzman graduated when he started to critique movies.

“I had no idea what I was doing with my life at all… There was no grand plan from the very start,” he said.

All Guzman knew was that he liked movies and music, that he watched a lot of movies, and that he listened to a lot of music.

Guzman told the students that he started writing freelance movie reviews at 26 and sold them to companies willing to publish his reviews.

Since then, Guzman has published over 900 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which have appeared in publications such as the Boston Phoenix, the Los Angeles Times, and Newsday.   

Filed Under: Culture and Entertainment, Mahattan, News

The Rocks of Baruch

May 16, 2016 by a.ma1 Leave a Comment

“If it’s too loud, you’re too old,” Sasha said.

Alexander Didkovsky (aka. Sasha) is the president of the Club of Rock. The Club of Rock is a club where people get to play the music they love, especially rock music. Rock music is often loud music.

The club will put on a performance at Baruch College Campus High School on May 13. It is preparing for the performance by rehearsing and practicing every Friday.

“Everybody in the world should come to it because these kids have been working really, really hard, and I am really proud of them,” Sasha said.

This club was created 4 years ago. Sasha didn’t create this club. He joined freshman year. Yet, before Sasha left for summer break that year, the co-teacher of the club, Mr. Records, told him that he was going to be the president of the club.

In the first year, the club was a bit shaky. However, Sasha acted as a leader and took control.

“It forced me to rise to the occasion and take control of something that I cared about. So the leadership role and the independence skills, self dependence is something I learned and am keeping for my future use,” Sasha said.

This club teaches how to take on a leadership role. Also, it teaches people to play the music and instrument they like.

Benjamin, a member of the Club of Rock, said, “I didn’t know how to play the guitar before joining this club. Now I do.”

Sasha cared about this club because it lets people express themselves musically.

“I noticed that there wasn’t any place for people to express themselves musically, especially not for rock music. The goal of the club was that kids could bring in songs and bands that they like and learn to play the music they love. There are a lot of schools that have classical orchestra, and they learn Mozart and Bach. That’s great, but that’s not what inspires people in Baruch. They are interested in rock, so I want to get them that,” Sasha explained.

“I joined for fun. Practice. To play music. I joined to do what I enjoyed,” Benjamin said.

“People get to have fun. It’s like one of the few communities that I have been apart of that I feel that everybody is just joking around with each other and there are no tensions. There’s nobody ragging on it. If there are any insults thrown around, everyone knows it’s a joke. One reason to join this club is that it is a nice community of kids. Really kind people. If you don’t wanna join, you should know about this club because we play cool music,” Sasha said.

Filed Under: Culture and Entertainment, News

Culturally Inspiring Talent Show

May 16, 2016 by y.zhuo Leave a Comment

On March 2nd, talent show auditions were held at Dual Language HS in Delancey, Essex St. This particular school is mainly made up of Asian students, who desire to keep intact with their mother countries.

There were some broken pieces of wooden boards, some traces of cabbages in the corners. Otherwise, things were just about normal: traditional Chinese instrument players here, some k-pop and lion dancers warming up there, and the odor of anxiety reeking through the nose of all the attendees.

Delia Guzman, a previous participant, plans on breaking five wooden boards with her head. She is currently in the Taekwondo club, where she learns how to break wooden boards with every part of her body. “The talent show is a great way to connect with Asian culture, even if you are not Asian”, said Guzman.

Every year the talent show audition revolves around Asian culture. The students accepted into the talent show are committed to being flawless in their performance.

“I chipped my front tooth when I was at practice; there is a lot of pain we experience but at the end of the day, it’s worth it to see the representation of our heritage,” said Tommy Wu. Tommy, a third year lion dancer, views lion dancing as a celebration of Chinese ancestors. Tommy says, “Each year we really go all out and buy new vintage Chinese costumes and drums.

Typically schools try to be as diverse as possible, however Dual Language HS strays from normal expectations. The sole focus on Asian culture allows every student to learn about the majority of the school population.

Filed Under: Culture and Entertainment, News

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