The Paw Print

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

Archives for July 2012

Manhattanhenge

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Manhattanhenge, which is sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice, is a cool phenomenon that occurs, well, in Manhattan. During this phenomenon, the Sun aligns with the streets so that light will shine completely parallel to the buildings.

It actually happened yesterday, Wednesday evening. Many photographers took to the streets in order to snap pictures of this occurrence which happens only twice a year.

The name, Manhattanhenge, comes from Stonehenge. At Stonehenge, the Sun aligns with the rocks on the solstices.

This event does not happen in only Manhattan. Other cities, such as Chicago, Baltimore, and Toronto, also experience a similar effect.

The Meaning Behind the "Memories of Twenty-Third Street"

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Living at 231st street in the Bronx, when you go school in downtown Manhattan has its perks. In my daily commute (one way) I take one bus and three trains, one of them being the N or R train. One can think of it as an annoyance, but I think of it as a way to see new things. In the N/R 23rd street station there is mosaic artwork all over. Particularly interesting, there are all types of different mosiaic hats belonging to different people. I have always been curious as to what the hats were doing there, and what they actually represented. After doing a little research I found out that the artwork was a permanent feature called “Memories of Twenty-Third Street” by Keith Godard. Goddard got his inspiration to create the hats from the neighborhood he had lived in. Living in the Chelsea Hotel in the late 1960’s, Goddard felt connected to Chelsea and researched prominent people who also were a part of it. After reading the book “Turn West on 23rd Street” by Robert Baral, Goddard learned that the men and women of Chelsea in the 1800’s and the 1900’s did not leave home without a hat. His discovery inspired him to create artwork that incorporates subway riders daily. Hats belonging to people such as 18th-19th century sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 19th century actress Anna Held, as well as 19th century dancer Loie Fuller grace the walls of the station, allowing riders of the subway to stop and take pictures with the hats. Not only did Godard create the hats, he incorporated the height of each person the hat belonged too, so it gives an accurate detail about the person. “Memories of Twenty-Third Street” was placed in the 23rd street station of the N/R line in 2002, and will surely entertain subway riders for many years to come. If you would like to find out more about “Turn West on 23rd Street” by Robert Baral, it is out of print, but used copies can be purchased at http://www.abebooks.com/. Also, Keith Goddard explains a little more about “Memories of Twenty-Third Street” in this interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81TnXFH6p8M

Experiencing the World of Journalism

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Aaron Betancourt is a rising senior at Millennium High School in Manhattan. This summer instead of working, Aaron chose to take a collegenow course at Barcuch CUNY college. He chose to take Journalistic Writing. 
Thinking about colleges and what to study Aaron has been thinking about doing a Journalism major for quite some time. This course will be good for Aaron because he will really get the feel on what it would be like to study Journalism and if would be a good fit for him. He’ll get to see what types of skills and tactics journalists need. 
“I’ve been enjoying the class,” said Aaron “I think journalism is interesting especially if your writing a story on a topic your interested and eager to learn more about.” Not only is this class showing Aaron how a Journalism class would be in college but it is also helping Aaron keep up with current events and world news. Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Aaron has news quizzes so Aaron has to read the news paper.

Startling Step by Step

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This drama is about a modern day 25 year old woman finding her soul being transported to Qing Dynasty into the body of 14 year old Maertai Ruo Xi. Throughout the drama, you get to see how Ruo Xi adapts to life as Maertai Ruo Xi and see her grow and survive in the harsh world of Qing Dynasty.

The main character Maertai Ruo Xi is played by Mainland China actress Liu Shi Shi. She has grown popular from her dramas like Chinese Paladin 3 and Legend of the Condor Heroes 2008. However, this drama is different. Liu Shi Shi is finally acting as the main lead in this drama. 
The first time i watched it, i liked it a lot. Whether its the actors/ actresses, the costumes, the acting, the script, etc. everything was perfect. When i watched it the second time i just loved it. You can’t hate anyone in this drama at all. Everyone has their reasons and the audience could feel everyone happiness, love, hate and sadness. The most amazing thing is that the writer did not change any parts of Qing Dynasty history to make the story fit when the modern day woman gets transported into history. 
This drama i have already watched four times and will think about watching it for a fifth time and a sixth time and many more times. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out. 

Experience as a Journalist

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    Aaron Betancourt is a rising senior at Millennium High School in Manhattan. This summer instead of working, Aaron chose to take a collegenow course at Barcuch CUNY college. He chose to take Journalistic Writing. 
    Thinking about colleges and what to study Aaron has been thinking about doing a Journalism major for quite some time. This course will be good for Aaron because he will really get the feel on what it would be like to study Journalism and if would be a good fit for him. He’ll get to see what types of skills and tactics journalists need. 
    “I’ve been enjoying the class,” said Aaron “I think journalism is interesting especially if your writing a story on a topic your interested and eager to learn more about.” Not only is this class showing Aaron how a Journalism class would be in college but it is also helping Aaron keep up with current events and world news. Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Aaron has news quizzes so Aaron has to read the news paper. 
    

Unexpected Journalism

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I took this class in hopes to better my skills in essay writing. The constant nagging, from my global teacher, of how I cannot write an exemplary essay within 30 minutes finally got to me.  

Signed up for an English class in Baruch, I mean what better way can a 16 year old hs student spend there summer? In another classroom of course!

 

But I didn’t mind, I took a business course here last summer and I loved it. The first day of class I quickly realized I was not going to practice my essay skills, rather I was going to go read and keep up with the news daily (something I have been telling my self to do since I stopped watching t.v), report on the street (scary at first but surprisingly very fun and spontaneous), and write news articles (which apparently is a totally different type of composition, but I never realized to notice that). A whole new medium is used to write news articles, journalistic writing has a lot more than what it seems  on the surface. It requires the opinion of the people, statements from agencies, and city officials. Voices are heard and ideas are exchanged.

 

All this time I thought journalists were just euphemism for paparazzi.

New York City Skate Parks Rapidly Close But LES Stands the Test of Time

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In the past two years the skateboarding population in New York City has grown tremendously. Despite this afflux of enthusiasts towards the sport, local skate spots have been closed due to a wide array of issues.

The Brooklyn Banks, a skate spot under the Brooklyn Bridge was closed down because of bridge construction. There was no construction where the skate spot was, but workers needed space to park their cars and other trucks.

The skate park on 12th Street and Avenue A was shut down a few months later due to a few individuals that decided to smoke marijuana in the wooded area behind the skate park. They were arrested, and police shut down the park. These kids were not even the skaters from the park. They were students from a local school. 

Although for a few months the Lower East Side (LES) skate park under the Manhattan Bridge was closed due to a remodeling job funded by Nike, the park was reopened on “Go Skateboarding Day” June 21st 2012.

City of Bones

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City of Bones is a great book that is the first book of the Mortal Instrument series written by Cassandra Clare. This book changed my life, I hated reading before I read this book in the 10th grade and now reading is all I ever do because this showed me how great reading is. Cassandra Clare’s characters are funny, witty, dangerous and with a touch of mushy romance between them. Clare Fray a normal 15 year old girl life changes after she headed out to the Pandemonium Club and witness a murder. She never expected to witness a murder much less a murder done by 3 teenagers with strange tattoos and armed with weapons from head to toe. But what is a girl suppose to do when the body disappears into thin air with not even a smear of blood left behind as evidence. Clare see’s Jace, one of the murders all over the place, he even talks to her but why cant anyone else?
When her mother disappears Clare is force to ask for help from Jace and walk into a world of demons, shadow hunters, angels, and reveal so many hidden secrets. Can she survive or will she die?

The Other Wes Moore

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I recently finished reading the book by Wes Moore entitled “The Other Wes Moore.” The book is about the lives of two men who share the same name and similar upbringing. Both grew up in the same impoverished neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland but one went on to become a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford University, while the other is spending life in prison for the murder of a police officer. The author writes about the various stages of their lives and the struggles they faced.
The author Wes Moore grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. After his father passed away his mother decided to move the family to the Bronx to live with his grandparents. His mother was a very tough disciplinarian and always made sure to keep him out of trouble and decided to enroll him in private school. Wes writes about how he felt out of place at a young age. He felt that he was perceived as being too bourgeois by his peers in his neighborhood but at the same time was often ignored by his classmates because of where he lived. As a result Wes began to rebel by getting in trouble with the law and flunking out of school. His mother had enough and decided to send him to military school. 
After graduating from military school, Wes went on to attend Valley Forge Military College and John’s Hopkins University. He was then a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University where he had the opportunity to study abroad in South Africa. Wes has gone on to work in the White House and become a successful author.
Meanwhile, the other Wes Moore in Baltimore dropped out of high school at an early age and devoted his time to becoming a full time drug dealer. With no authoritative figure at home and no positive support system, Wes would find himself constantly in and out of jail. Wes would eventually go on to rob a jewelry store and in the process killed a Baltimore Police Officer. He is currently spending life in prison.
I think that this book showed how a great support system can help us overcome a troubling situation. For example, the author had many people in his life to help steer him in the right direction. From his mother, grandfather, teachers and peers, they played a role in him being able to overcome his obstacles. The other Wes Moore on the other hand, didn’t make it in part because of the lack of positive role models in his life. I also agree with the author when he says that our expectations and the expectations that others have on our lives play a big role in what we will ultimately become.
In conclusion I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

Improving the Transit

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The New York City Subway system is one of the most important system in my life. I’ve been riding on the subway ever since i was born. Although it is a very convenient  transportation system, it is important to consider the sanitation and environment of the subway. Moreover, i think the subway could’ve been better if they upgrade the system frequently.

Comparing other transits in cities like london, hong kong, etc. it seems as if new york cities subway is really dirty and fail to upgrade their system to a higher level. Technology is an important factor to determine how well a city is keeping up with the world. However, New York City is lacking this factor when it comes to talking about the subway system.
I’ve been on the subway in Hong Kong and the design of the subway really caught my attention. It had an extra set of glass sliding doors in front of platforms and the seats are shiny and polished. Compared to the one we have in the city, i spot trash hidden under seats often and the air isn’t fresh. The population in nyc might have been the reason why the subway systems is in this condition. But, this shoudn’t be an excuse for lacking the effort to make improvements. Since we have a lot of passengers riding the subway every day, we should consider this as a clue that we need to do something to decrease crowding on trains so that the ride will be more comfortable and clean. 
I realized that the designs of the trains had been the same over the pass years. The outer appearance plays a huge role with what people think about the subway. Trains nowadays are not appealing based on the design. I think it will be better if the train switches their design frequently. 
Cars and other types of automobile are competitors with the train system. Many New Yorkers have their own cars to travel from place to place. But it adds up if your’e constantly driving. The gas fee and insurance wil be extra budgets added in. That’s why i think the subway system are the best in the city because as a student, i get three free rides everyday (except for weekends) and this allows me to travel from soho all the way to coney island without worrying about paying for metrocards. Even my parents think it is the most convenient way to travel in new york. Driving in new york city might not be the best because traffic jams will totally give you headache. So why not ride the subway paying just 2.50? And most of the reason why my parents might refuse to ride it is because of the condition and crowds on the train. Sanitary is an important thing to consider when it comes to a public place. No one would want to stop by at a park filled with trash and unplowed grass. It is the same concept when we are dealing with the subway. Most of the time, when i want to sit on the seats during my ride, i double check the seat before sitting on it.It’s a fear for me when it comes to sanitation. 
I believe that i am not the only person who rides the subway everyday. There’s tons of other New Yorkers who are just like me. If the transit wants to maintain our constant support, i think it is best to consider some changes to make our subway ride more comfortable and safe.