Commentary

Is Helping the Homeless Really Helping Them?

July 29, 2015 by VIVIAN SHAN

40 percent of the food that the U.S. produces each year is wasted. Saving 30 percent of that 40 percent would make food insecurity a thing of the past.

That’s what I tell every volunteer I guide through the city to bring restaurants’ leftover food to homeless shelters, rescue missions, and churches. Since last July, I have been a lead rescuer for Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit food rescue organization based in NYC that focuses on eliminating food waste and insecurity simultaneously. For almost a year, I have been in close proximity to the city’s homeless population while wondering whether I should help them more or less.

While carrying out my duties of bringing both volunteers and food safely to the nearest church or homeless shelter, I found that the statistics on homelessness in the nation are less astonishing than how well-off some homeless people are. Certainly, there are patrons of the shelters who approach outsiders to network for job opportunities, but there are also patrons who approach bystanders to expand their social media following. The latter may leave you thinking, “What is he doing in a homeless shelter trying to get more Facebook likes and Instagram followers when he should be trying to get a job?”

To expand on that, you might ask yourself, “Why am I even bringing food to these so-called underprivileged people who have smartphones as nice as mine?”

People often visualize homeless people as old men with beards, more than three bags at any given time, and odd stenches. In May 2015, there was an estimated 59,000 people without shelter in New York City, so does that mean there are tens of thousands of stinky old men with beards walking around?

Despite common misconception, families, not men, are the majority group of homeless people. Lack of affordable housing, eviction, and overcrowded homes are common causes of homelessness in the city. A fair amount of the homeless are victims of violent acts or domestic abuse.

According to The Coalition for the Homeless, the number of people in NYC who sleep in shelters every night has spiked 79% in the last decade. Even so, it is hard to give a precise calculation of just how many people are living in New York City without a roof over their heads.

One might then ask, “Since these people are young, can’t they just get a job?” While many young homeless people make efforts to get hired, it is almost impossible to get employment without a fixed address. Thus, they must return to homeless shelters every evening just to receive a meal, if not a warm place to sleep.

Many times while delivering up to 30 pounds of food to The New York City Rescue Mission, I encountered patrons who were there for a plate of rice and chicken that most would take for granted. These people had all become a family, joking around and calling out each others names and laughing. Getting comfortable in an environment where everyone is in a situation similar to yours makes it easier, but being homeless is far from easy.

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No one wants to be homeless, but anyone can be at any given moment. Statistics say that one out of every three working people are susceptible to being homeless. As soon as one is labeled ‘homeless,’ it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pick himself or herself back up especially when all the eyes of society are looking down upon him or her. Thus, the answer to the question of whether or not the homeless should be receiving as much help as they do today is yes, they should.

Most homeless people once had jobs, houses, and families before life hit them with unexpected tragedies. It takes an enormous amount of persistence and effort just for a homeless man, woman, or child to survive and homelessness should not be looked down upon, especially in today’s society where everyone is striving for equality.

Blast from the Past: Does Back to the Future still holds up as an 80’s cultural icon?

July 29, 2015 by KIMBERLY CHAVEZ

delorean-38103_1280 “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

These are the last lines from the 80’s sci-fi film Back to the Future. The film is having its 30^th anniversary this month and the main cast has reunited in London to celebrate it. But one question remains: does the film still hold up as a film classic after all this time or is it as dated as the time traveling tropes that the movie created?

Back to the Future is about a teenager named Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, and his eccentric scientist pal, Dr. Emmett Brown played by Christopher Lloyd, and Brown’s time machine, a DeLorean, which lands Marty in 1955 with seemingly no way to return to 1985. While in 1955, Marty encounters his teenage parents, Lorraine and George played by Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover respectively, and he has to make sure his parents get together or else he may cease to exist.

After its release on July 3^rd 1985, the movie became a cultural icon and even the president at the time, Ronald Reagan, even quoted the film in his 1986 State of the Union address stating, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” The film became the top grossing movie of 1985 and spawned two sequels, multiple video games, and helped the DeLorean gain its iconic status.

Back to the Future got everything right in terms of casting, script, and special effects. Fox and Lloyd had an undeniable chemistry and were able to play off each other in terms of comedic timing. Their characters were also believable in terms of actions and dialogue. The script was full of classic quotes, such as “I’m your density. I mean, your destiny.” and “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 mph… you’re gonna see some serious s#!t”

It didn’t feel as if the story was hard to follow or understand for traditional audiences. The special effects like the lighting hitting the clock tower and sending Marty back in time may feel dated for people accustomed to the CGI of today but for the time and what it was trying to accomplish, it worked beautifully. The movie doesn’t feel like a traditional sci-fi movie because it also has action, adventure and comedy. This allowed it appeal to a wider audience.

So Back to the Future still deserves its iconic status, even 30 years after its release because it can appeal to a wide audience and has the potential to bring in a new generation of fans because it has a unique story. It was also the forefather for the devices that time-travel films released after Back to the Future utilize like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Project Almanac. Therefore, Back to the Future deserves the praise and recognition it gets from critics and audiences alike.

Maradona: The Greatest Soccer Player

July 29, 2015 by Leo Catapano

In June, Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team won their fourth Champions League (European Soccer Club Cup) final together. Messi was the deciding factor in the game against the Italian side, Juventus and immediately comparisons were made to the all time greats, Pele and Maradona. Many fans and pundits alike began to ask, is Messi the best of all time? Despite Messi’s unquestionable ability that title can go to only one player, Diego Armado Maradona.

The usual candidates for the best player all time are the Brazilian Pele, the Argentine Maradona and his compatriot Messi. All three players were dominant in their respective leagues and time periods. All of them have an uncountable amount of trophies and goals. However, at the end of the day Maradona wins out for the best ever.

In terms of goals scored, Maradona lags behind Messi and Pele. Pele scored an incomprehensible one thousand goals in his career. Likewise, Messi has scored an astonishing four hundred goals so far. When compared to these two legends, Maradona’s mere hundred goals seems poor.

However, one must take into account the players’ different positions. Pele was a striker and his chief objective was to score goals. Likewise, Messi plays as a false nine, a form of striker, and is also expected to score goals. In contrast, Maradona played as an attacking midfielder and as such had other responsibilities than scoring goals. His main role was to set up his teammates and apply pressure on the opposition’s defenders with his speed and dribbling.

One must also take into account the league and era in which each player played. In his prime in the 1960s, Pele played in the Brazilian league for Santos. At that time, and still today, the Brazilian managers put a greater emphasis on attacking than defending. As a result games were often high scoring, which inflates Pele’s stats. Messi plays in the Spanish league in which the games are balanced between attack and defense, as managers often put their emphasis on the midfield. In contrast, Maradona played for the Italian team Napoli during his prime in the mid to late 1980s. At that time the Italian league was considered to be the most competitive league in the world, and managers put their priority in defense. This lead to low scoring games and deflates Maradona’s stats.

Finally, one must look at the trophies that the players have won. The most important trophy is the World Cup, of which Pele won two, Maradona one, and Messi none. By this logic Pele would be considered the best player, but further analysis is required. Pele won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1970. Both teams are widely considered among the best teams ever, and included many other legends. For example, Brazil’s second striker Rivelino scored more goals than Pele in the 1970 World Cup. By contrast, Maradona almost singlehandedly won the World Cup for Argentina in 1986. There were no other household names on his team and he was the sole driving force behind their victory, scoring five goals and winning the player of the tournament award. Steven Pye of the Guardian said, “ It may be a little simplistic to state that the man single-handedly won the World Cup for his country, but that is what it felt like at the time. Think of Mexico 86 and Maradona always springs to mind.”

While Messi and Pele are both wildly good players, Maradona takes the title of the best player of all time. In the 1986 World Cup he was unstoppable for Argentina and he dominated the Italian league throughout the 1980s. Despite being a cocaine addict, cheat, and tax evader Maradona has survived to the age of fifty. Even today his name evokes emotions in soccer fans all over the world. Steven Pye said, “I may have detested the little genius at the time and wasted Blu-Tack on him, but if I’m ever asked who I think is the greatest footballer ever I always answer Diego Maradona.”

Corporations and Elections: a Questionable Democracy

July 29, 2015 by Anastasia Krasilnikova

Money and politics. They are like rats and the NYC subway- nobody wants to see them together but history shows that they are inseparable. And with presidential race in full swing, more politicians are proving that money is far more valuable than a clear vision on current problems.

There is nothing wrong with supporting your favorite candidate by donating to his/her fund or a Political Action Committee (PAC). Democracy suffers, however, when powerful and wealthy players become donors as they overshadow everyone else. 1280px-American_corporate_flag

Corporations, based on Supreme Court decision in Citizens United (2010), are people and, therefore, may exercise their First Amendment rights of free speech; many corporations decide to support certain political candidates by donating money.

The problem is corporations are not like people when it comes to incomes. A corporation is a lifeless, emotionless “machine” that has only one purpose– to make money. As the result, donations that many corporations are capable of far exceed the ones of an average citizen. According to 24/7 Wall Street, since 2012 a financial firm, the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. donated $4,769,994 to various political campaigns. Similarly, a casino and resort operator Las Vegas Sands Corp., donated $11,738,600. It’s certainly not what the average citizen can afford.

So how do these huge amounts of money hurt America? First, huge donations help donors get better treatment than everyone else. A politician feels the need to help generous donors after a couple of millions are thrown his or her way. This means signing exclusive deals with that corporation, “closing their eyes” to corporation’s misconduct, passing or vetoing a new law. For example, a controversial Keystone pipeline bill that’s been repeatedly vetoed by Obama was passed in Congress with 270 members voting for it. According to Think Progress report, all 270 congressmen received generous donation from big oil company totaling about $31 million.

Does this sound as a democracy?

The second problem is that no politician can advance without big donations. Even the ones with strong moral values fall to the temptation of having better resources. Money enables candidates to run campaigns and bombard voters with ads and commercials. This is evident in current presidential elections; Austin Barbour, a Mississippi-based operative interviewed by USA Today, said that, “anybody who is thinking about running for president has got to have a group of donors out there aggressively backing them.” Running for president costs a lot–some experts say that Obama spent $1 billion on 2012 presidential elections.

The GOP candidates have started fundraising early. According to The Washington Post, $4 out of every $5 raised so far on behalf of GOP White House candidates has gone to independent groups rather than the official campaigns. These independent groups are not supposed to be controlled by the candidate but often are. Independent groups also do have the same restrictions on the amount of money that can be raised that campaigns do; donors donate how much they please and don’t even have to disclose their identity. Do you see the problem with that? Politicians might get millions of dollars from wealthy people whose name is not disclosed to the general public. When we vote, we are clueless about who candidates are working with behind the closed doors.

The Democratic candidates, unlike many believe, catch up with the Republicans on fundraising as they accept money from powerful people. Hillary Clinton, for example, is the first Democrat ever to publicly embrace her Super PAC which is expected to raise $200 million to $300 million. Super PACs are similar to independent groups as there is no limit on donations and donors’ name can be concealed.

Experts say that the current presidential race will be the most expensive one yet. This seems likely. But, as more candidates accept money from profit-thirsty corporations, American democracy breaks apart.

Hot Mug Shot Introduces a New Celebrity

August 7, 2014 by D ANGELOU GRANT

Many are blind to those who appear to be physically attractive. The handsome Jeremy Meeks, with blue eyes and high cheekbones. has gained attention from his mug shot. Almost everyone on social media knows the face of Jeremy Meeks because his mug shot went viral within hours.

In Northern California, the 30 year old was arrested, along with 3 other men, for possessing a semi-automatic Springs-field pistol. He was also charged with gang related crimes. He has a criminal background, due to his conviction of grand theft in 2002. His recent possession of the gun was a violation of his parole.

He is described to be one of the most dangerous criminals in Stockton, California. Meeks was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years. He currently is at the Joaquin Valley jail and will be transferred to the federal detention center. His bail has been set to 900,000, but will this be a problem for Meek?

Meeks’ mug shot went viral when it was posted on Facebook by Stockton Police department. His picture managed to receive more than 33,000 likes, 10,400 comments and shared more than 3,300 times. According to Joseph Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, “I have not seen that many likes on a photo before.”

Many ladies on Facebook seem to be obsessed with Meeks’ unusual appearance and left comments like,

“I have handcuffs ;)”

“I volunteer for cell mate”

“Is it illegal to be that sexy?”

Meeks is a father and a husband. His family and friends are furious about the type of publicity and comments that he is receiving because of this mug shot.

Social media is not the only place where Meeks’ appearance is admired. Hollywood agent, Gina Rodriguez is now Meeks’ agent. She told ABC News that he could potentially earn from $3,000 to $100,000 a month as a model. Rodriguez also said that she plans on branding him as a high fashion model and getting him a reality TV show.

People fail to realize that this man is a felon with a family. Everyone seems too be more interested in his looks, instead of his transgressions. Many praise him as if he has done something great. It is not fair that he is being publicized because he is a criminal with charming looks. He is receiving opportunities that prisoners are not usually given.

On June 19^th, Meeks’ response to reporters was “Well I appreciate the attention but I just want them to know that this is really not me, I’m not some kingpin.” He refers to the people who are not his fans and believe that he belongs in jail. He does not want people outside of prison to view him as a convict, like the media portrays him.

He may not be a “Kingpin” but a gun was still found in his possession, which he is not supposed to have, being it violates his parole. He has to do the time just like every other person who violates his or her parole.

Meeks’ mother, Katherine Angrier feels that he is being stereotyped because of his tattoos. He has a teardrop tatted on his face, which is related to his past gang relations. Tatted teardrops mean that the wearer has murdered someone. He claims that he is not proud of this tattoo because of how he is depicted. His fans tend to find these characteristics appealing.

Meeks’ mother started fundraising on Gofundme.com. She posted pictures of Meek and his family to show people that he is the opposite of what he is portrayed as in the media. So far she has received $2500 in donations from supporters for bail.

Big Apple Ranked #1: What for?

August 7, 2014 by MISHEL KONDI

“The Big Apple” has once more been proclaimed the number one city in the World, but this time it is for a less than flattering reason: rodent infestation. The website Animal Planet, in 2012, created a list of the “Top 10 Worst Rat Cities in the World,” and New York City ranked number 1.

We are dealing with a rodent control issue, and it is incontrovertibly a multi factored one. All five boroughs are impacted and included. Nevertheless, there are areas that are more severely infested than others. In 2014, The Gothamist, a local New York City news outlet published a map which locates the living rats:

The areas colored in yellow or light orange are also infested by rats, simply “less severely.” Nowhere is safe.

Quick Shocking Fact: In the building where diplomacy is in action, the rats discuss their issues too. Even the United Nations Headquarters has suffered from rat infestations.

According to the writer of the New York Times bestseller “Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants,” Robert Sullivan states, “It is estimated that NYC has twice as many rats as it has humans, which would mean approximately 16 million rats.”

This is not the most disturbing fact. Sullivan goes on to say, “There are more rats infected with the bubonic plague in North America, than there were in Europe at the time of the Black Death.”

To once more point to startling intelligence, female rats can have up to 15,000 descendants in one year. The bestselling author states, “A dominant male rat can mate with up to 20 female rats in just six hours.”

He says, “They [mice/rats] are adept at climbing, swimming, and yes, working their way through a serpentine of sewer pipes and exiting your toilet bowl.”

Unfortunately, this newsflash will not end the very alarming evidence of the danger that rat infestation evokes in our city. The author proclaims, “A third of the world’s food supply is consumed or destroyed by rats. Rats have eaten cadavers in the New York City’s Coroner’s office. Rats have attacked and killed homeless people sleeping on the streets of Manhattan.”

To put in perspective the seriousness of the issue and its far reaching effects Sullivan adds, “The Department of Homeland Security, as part of its post 9/11 bio-terrorism alertness effort, catches rats and inspects their fleas to see if terrorists have released the Black Death in New York City.”

The daily life of New Yorkers is challenged to new levels. Literally nowhere is safe.

To reserve a table in any restaurant, one would unconsciously share a meal with the mice, and pay a high price for it too. Even the most expensive restaurants are located in areas that share this very problem. It is true that more expensive restaurants might have a budget that can afford exterminators more frequently. So one might think that these restaurants are a safer way to go, but rodent infestation is constantly a threat, a threat for businesses and a threat for citizens. According to a Harvard University Graduate Study of 2013, in Manhattan, zip code area 10128, 74 out of 154 eateries are infested by rats.

The Health Inspection grading system has the primary objective of empowering the consumer by providing reliable information, and establishing an incentive for businesses to be more sanitary. In the long run, the goal is to fortify eateries from the dangerous rats. However, this has not been achieved.

The Health Inspectors are famous for their sternness. One of the finest and most expensive restaurants in the world, Per Se, received the grade C, CNN reported. In contrast, a Dunkin Donuts, in Ridgewood, Queens, one of the most severely rat infested areas, leaks all the garbage on the streets; receives witness based accusations from the community for its lack of sanitation, yet its grade is an A. Thus, the popular belief seems to be inaccurate.

The failure of the Health Inspection grading system makes its obvious that an overhaul is necessary. One reason for the system’s miscarriage is that it depends on individual inspectors who lack focused guidelines. This conflict, poor restaurant sanitation enables rats to roam everywhere and endanger the human settlement.

Artyom Matusov, a Legislative Policy Analyst at New York City Council stated, “We have a government agency that’s willing to blatantly lie to the public, if we cannot trust the health department to provide real scientific data … then we cannot trust any agency.”

If the City is to decimate its rat population, it is essential to tighten government action. However, that would not be nearly enough. The public is as essential.

Solutions are being implemented. The city financed $611,000, for a project that would bring 45 inspectors to neighborhood associations, community boards, elected officials, building owners, and businesses to plug holes and put poison in the rat holes and tunnels.

In addition, restaurants, other businesses, and even vacant buildings have owners, and those owners must be penalized in some form if they do not contribute to the effort of controlling rodent infestation.

The first step to implementing a sustainable solution has been completed by the work of Senator Bill de Perkins and the media, who published an interactive report on the rat issue. New Yorkers were asked to take a survey and reply to the question: “How often do you come into any form of contact with rats in the subway?” 87% of respondents said daily, and 80% described the situation to be severe or state of emergency.

To resolve the rodent infestation issue of New York the subway must remain in focus, because it is a hotspot for the rat population. It is where rats live, it is where rats reproduce.

Niels Bohr, a Nobel Prize physicist and philosopher once said, “Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.” That certainly applies to this problem.

There are many possible solutions. One is to create a sustainable public education campaign to increase awareness, and bring to light the behavior of our citizens, which contributes to the increase of these unwanted inhabitants.

Another potential solution that might introduce controversy is banning eating on the subway, or establishing a fee for it, a fee that is equal to the fare. This would not be a direct ban, but to a large extent it would play the same role.

One other obvious solution is to require a better job from the Transit Maintenance Crew, expand this department, and increase the funds for better, new, and cleaner supplies. Perhaps every 24 hours the Transit Maintenance Crew could not merely pick up garbage, but also wash the platforms thoroughly. This in the long term could create more jobs.

Create a better system for littering throughout the city; citizens must seal their refuse before placing it in the cans.

In a comment on Senator Perkin’s survey, one citizen said, “I would like an experimental program to be conducted. Allow volunteers to have access to gloves, brooms and dustpans, to clean the platform while waiting for the train to arrive. I am sure there will be many who would participate.”

The city could certify a scientific research group to develop a chemical that could exterminate a large number of rats, and simultaneously be affordable. The government could then create teams of professionals to go to houses (with the citizens’ approval) to apply this extermination medicine.

Another anonymous citizen provided the idea of having a weekend shutdown for major extermination, with follow-ups and regular maintenance.

Upgrading the 100 years old transit system is another potential solution, placing strong lighting, painting the underground platforms in brighter colors, and implementing an eco-friendly cooling system. This will make New York City become the number one city in the world, and for a reason that can make all proud.

Solutions exist; the speed of their implementation must increase. The health concern is one that greatly endangers all. Rodent control is vital, the consequences would be too ghastly to discuss, for the danger is demonstrable and indisputable.

All must dig in, as Senator proclaimed, “YOU FEED THEM, YOU BREED THEM.”

Infestation in Flushing

August 7, 2014 by jessica91

They’re conquering Queens, and subjugating its residents by forcing the people into their homes. Mosquitoes, wasps, and jumping spiders are some of the new bugs invading northern Flushing, agitating residents, and threatening the freedom of the people.

Starting in the summer of 2013, trucks have been periodically driving around the neighborhood, warning people to stay inside their houses as a pesticide is sprayed to prevent the population rate of bugs in the neighborhood from rising. Even so, this summer, there has been an influx of new and more aggressive bugs. Harder to kill and more annoying to the human residents of the area, these insects are scaring the people in the area and have them questioning the purpose of the pesticide sprayings in the neighborhood.

The Asian Tiger mosquito is among one of the many new bugs in the area the pesticide spray is targeted to kill. While it has been found that these new mosquitos do not carry the West Nile Virus, these pests are still annoying. Resistant to mosquito spray and citronella candles, the new mosquitos are a bother to both parents and children alike.

“My kids complained that the mosquitoes were biting them even when I sent them out in jeans! If they’re resistant to bug sprays and citronella and the pesticides aren’t working, how are my kids supposed to play outside?” Christine Lew, a mother of two in Flushing, argued.

Unable to play outside, Lew’s children now have to find new ways to entertain themselves while Lew is left to worry about the danger of these aggressive new bugs. According the NY Daily News, a larvicide was sprayed in the area to prevent population growth of the mosquitoes in a gradual change. The larvicide has been sprayed in the different neighborhoods in Queens since June and will continue to be sprayed throughout August according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website.

New to the neighborhood, but a relatively ordinary species, wasps have also migrated into the region. While bees are to be expected, these larger pests have come into Queens and can be considered a league of their own. They can sting a person multiple times, unlike a bee, and stings are quite painful.

Christina Young, a commuter from Flushing, complains, “When I go to leave my house, I have to run to my bus stop out of fear of these wasps.”

She explains that her cat has even been stung by the wasps and is afraid of leaving the house at times. Young explained that the wasps are difficult to exterminate using sprays and powders found in the stores, but hiring an exterminator is too expensive for her family to afford. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website, wasps and bees are to be taken care of by homeowners and not the city. So, unfortunately for Young, the only painless option is to stay indoors and hope they will go away on their own.

Jumping spiders are scaring people around the neighborhood as well. Hard to kill, as they are able to jump great distances, these small black spiders have begun to infest homes in Queens. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, the bugs jump to catch their prey, but these bugs also jump to avoid death.

Kevin Leung, a Flushing resident of 15 years, explained his annoyance of these eight-legged bugs, “My sisters always scream for me to kill these bugs since they can’t get them, it’s frustrating.”

You Have The Right To Remain Black and Blue

August 7, 2014 by AALIAYAH FRENCH

“Freeze and put your hands where I can see them”. A phrase we’ve heard all too often in movies, shows and in real life. It’s understandable if a person has committed a crime worthy of punishment, but it’s another thing to wrongfully accuse, beat, manhandle and arrest someone with no substantial reasoning. Women, specifically, have come into grim encounters with brutality by police officers but the police’s actions have seemingly been bypassed and “swept under the rug”.

You may ask yourself, why hasn’t police brutality been combated? The simplest answer would be corruption. As much as we’d love to believe that the government protects us from unconstitutional law enforcement, police automatically have the upper hand in society. Their word over an “alleged” criminal’s passes for the right to arrest any day! Corruption! The government, time and time again, has turned a blind eye to police abusing their powers.

Zeroing in on a particular group targeted by police brutality: The African American women. Women of all races and ages have been victims of abusive treatment by law enforcers throughout the country, but there seems to be an underlying trend of cruelty against black women in the states. But its stories like the Miriam Carey car chase make it hard to love America as your own.

On Oct. 3, 2013, Carey was at a checkpoint near the White House and refused to stop her vehicle. In the attempt to escape, she knocked over police officers in her way, speeding off into the busy and pedestrian-filled streets of Washington D.C. After a lengthy chase, police cornered Carey and shot her dead.

The sad part of the story perhaps, is not that she died without a given reason, but police justified her death by blaming their actions on the risen tensions in Washington due to a Naval Yard shooting that happened a month prior. Or perhaps the saddest factor: her 1-year-old daughter was in the back seat of a car being shot at.

It’s unfortunate that media made it seem as though Carey was a possible terrorist. An unarmed, African American woman was thus labeled a threat and police were praised instead of reprimanded.

To boot, how about the instance when an Arizona State University professor Ersula Ore was attempting to cross the street and was stopped by police and asked for I.D. When she refused the request, the officer began to manhandle her in what looked like an attempt to handcuff her. She struggled with the officer, notifying him that she quote, “didn’t know what she was in violation of”. She told CNN that the officer had no valid reason to arrest her. He told her that resisting to show I.D. was against the law.

Ore was later charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. And of course, the ASU came out with a statement saying, “We have found no evidence of inappropriate actions by ASUPD officers”, when in a video, it was clear that the officer threw Ore to the ground.

Ben Max, journalist from Gotham Gazette told a journalist team that the NYPD has been making efforts to thoroughly monitor and supervise police activity in the city. “They are making changes to the administration”, Max says. “They have a new position called the Inspector General of the NYPD, whose main purpose is to do independent oversight of police officers… there’s even an office that looks closely into NYPD practices”.

Could this be a small but highly effective resolution that could gradually combat law enforcement abusing their power?

There’s no telling when police brutality against women will come to a halt. When government will take responsibility for injustices of their police. When they will realize that brutality exists solely because of the lack of discipline within the law enforcement bureau. Cases such as Carey’s and Ore’s go down in history with other cases like Rodney King, proving the corruption of police to be alive and well. Thus, I propose that police officers to be charged for brutality and that the government wouldn’t be bias in their decisions to reprimand these abusive officers. African Americans have been targeted by police for decades, adding to the statistic of cruelty against their women.

Paving the Path to Unveil Injustices

August 6, 2014 by MISHEL KONDI

“You do not have to be a foreign correspondent and go to Africa and China to find these problems and violations. There is plenty to uncover here,” Michael Grabell said describing the aspects of his career.

Michael Grabell currently investigates and reports for ProPublica, a journalistic organization whose primary goal is to serve the public’s interest. His investigative work includes articles about temp agencies and temp workers, President Obama’s economic stimulus package, the Federal Air Marshall Service, the Lance Armstrong doping allegations, chemicals stored near schools and neighborhoods, and the TSA’s body scanning. His work for ProPublica has been published in the New York Times, PBS NewsHour, CBS Evening News, NPR, and USA Today. In January 2012, Grabell, published the book “Money Well Spent? The Truth Behind the Trillion-Dollar Stimulus, the Biggest Economic Recovery Plan in History.”

On July 8 2014, Grabell shared some of his most influential experiences as a journalist writer with Baruch College Now students. “I start with a phone call to experts,” he stated, when asked to describe his working procedures.

In order to first select “the jaw dropping story-to-be”, Grabell creates a mental graph, qualifying the harmfulness of the incident, and quantifying its effect on citizens, such as how many are swept by the phenomenon.

Then Grabell proclaims, it is important to start with the most easily accessible data, look at the public records, lawsuits, social media and so on. Once the basics have been filled, it becomes easier to “be persistent in convincing officials to give up data,” he said.

In having decided on a good topic to research, Grabell explains, the duty of the author becomes to relate the story to the targeted audience. Simultaneously, he maintained that to reason with the intentions of the story is vital, because it forcibly teaches the reporter to be patient, to gain confidence, and to see a good horizon even if the path of uncovering a truth seems impossible to penetrate. Grabell persisted that these are some of the most important characteristics that will enable an investigative journalist to unveil those who attempt to “find a way to put the harm on somebody’s pockets,” the unparalleled way to serve the public’s interests, the people’s interests.

He also encouraged the students to ask as many questions as possible; stating that in fact, this precise fact led to his future success. During his internships Michael Grabell was not afraid to ask questions. “That is how I learned where all the documents were buried in town,” he confessed. Knowing where the information was and how to acquire it, was exactly the reason newspapers hired him – the reason he transformed himself, from a writer of the obituaries to an investigative journalist.

His passion to uncover injustices is apparent in his commitment to make reporting personal, while maintaining professionalism and accuracy. “If I am not interested, why would my reader be?,” he asks.

More than Cruelty

August 5, 2014 by DAYANA MOSCOSO

China is the second largest economy in the world. Producing almost all of the world’s products, materials and technology. But what is a country that makes its money off of brutality and cruelty? Off of bloody, ruthless and devastating violence against innocent and harmless animals.

Many celebrities, rich and wealthy people all have a fur coat or clothes made of animal fur in their wardrobes. However, many do not know the ugly truth about how their materials were made. A lot of imported fur comes from China because it is the largest export of animal fur. In fact, “China is the largest importer of fur pelts in the world, therefore making them the largest re-exporter of finished fur products,” according to Wikipedia research. A lot of animals such as sheep, raccoons, rabbits, foxes and most of all, dogs, are killed everyday just for their fur.

Many videos exposed by china’s very few activists or activists from the United Kingdom and the United states who have intervened with this issue, have either disguised themselves as workers or secretly captured footage on Chinese men and women workers hanging animals on sharp hooks. Once they are hung, the “workers” cut their fur viciously, trimming off their flesh. The animals’ bodies, some conscious and some unconscious, are then thrown onto piles of other furless and dead animals.

Moreover, many dogs that are scattered all over many places in China are not “welcome to their city.” In an article that talks of a mob of Chinese in a city called Shijiazhuang where “dogs aren’t allowed” throw bricks to two dogs who wandered off from an owner. They ended up in a hell hole where there was a “dog-hunt” to find them, shoot them six times and “chopped up by people hitting it with spades.”

In addition to such cruelty in China, there are flea markets that sell dog meat. Exposed pictures and videos show piles and piles of axed and chopped dogs. There is also dog meat trade, dogs slaughtered for human consumption.

The lack of strict protection of these helpless animals is beyond disbelief. There aren’t laws that ban a market from doing this. Recently, a group of activists wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping and urge him to put an end to the corrupt and horrific dog and cat meat and fur trades immediately. Over 4,000 signatures of support and bravery from people all around the world. Unluckily, with China’s 1.8 billion populations, it almost seems as if no one cares. True ignorance is truly unbelievable.

“I think animal cruelty in China takes it to a whole another level of brutality,” says high school student Ricardo Melendez. He says he has watched horrific clips and footage of the way animals “especially dogs” are treated. “A lot of my friends have shown me videos on like YouTube, and words cannot describe how I feel. I blame the government because they don’t force laws on animal cruelty as much as they should be and they are responsible for controlling injustice behavior.”

“Where else are we going to get fur from? I mean don’t get me wrong, I think it’s horrible of the way these animals are treated to get fur however, we can’t stop the use of trade. The world relies on money so it’s an issue that will remain because no one can actually stop the world,” says Dre Liason. He believes this issue has no solution.

“I hate people who use fur. It’s so wrong like even people in music videos use it and for what? They look ridiculous. No creature deserves to be treated this way at all,” says high school student Sky Pina who resents the usage of fur coats and “would do anything to stop it.”

Many argue that animal cruelty is a huge issue all of us should be against however; others may argue that it benefits trade and increases money. They may say you can’t change trade, you can’t stop animal testing because it’s been attempted to stop however very few companies have stopped it. If many people from countries all around the world take a stand, it can help stop the way animals are treated. It’s a controversial issue and we must speak for the creatures that can’t.