Archives for August 2012

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, crowds of families and teenagers are lined up next to the McCarren Park Pool entrance in Brooklyn, excited to take a swim on a hot summer day. The air is filled with a humid mist as eager children gallop into the pool to stay cool. Big brothers push their younger siblings in the water and get scolded by their aggravated parents. Happy families and children are having a good time in a seemingly perfect environment. Rumors, however, have been circling about suspicious paranormal activity happening in McCarren Park Pool.

“I’ve heard about some little girl that died here a while ago. Her ghost might still be here, who knows,” says Sarah Greenfield, a 32-year-old nurse who was at McCarren with her 3-year-old son.

The pool, which reopened this summer after being closed for 28 years, has attracted excitement, as well as controversial fights and violence. Brooklyn residents are excited to drain their energy swimming without draining their wallets because the admission is free. But while McCarren has attracted the attention of the general public, it has also attracted the attention of ghost hunters.

Paranormal Investigation of NYC, a New York paranormal activity investigation group, observed the outside perimeter of the pool and claim they found eerie temperature drops and ghostly balls of lights, according to records released by the group. The investigators used an EMF detector, which is a device used to detect the presence of a spirit by measuring electromagnetic energy in the air.

Local folklore has told of a little girl who drowned in the pool. Legend has it that the spirit can be seen roaming around at night, crying for help. Most locals are unaware of the rumor. Those who have knowledge of it say they are slightly disturbed, but that the presence of a spirit has little effect on their lives, and won’t keep them away from the pool.

“I love going [to the pool] with my family. I’ve heard this multiple times. I’m not affected, won’t stop coming here,” says Alejandro Moreno, a 51-year-old engineer from Brooklyn.

Asna Smitey, a 26-year-old unemployed Brooklyn resident, agrees with Moreno.

“No it won’t stop me [from going to the pool]. I’m scared of ghosts but nothing happened so far,” she says.

Many people are not even aware of the rumor and brush it off, considering the fact that they have been going to the pool a lot and have no paranormal experiences.

“I’ve never heard any rumor. I’ve went here very often, since it opened,” says Anne Roche, a 56-year-old Brooklyn resident. This was the reaction of many people waiting in line to enter the pool. Some say they don’t believe the myth at all.
“I never believed in ghosts, I’m not buying it. It’s pretty silly, honestly. It sounds like a rumor made up to get the community creeped out,” says Joe Frankel, a 21-year-old college student.

According to Paranormal Investigation of NYC, on Nov 14, 2004, there was a very active rise in the meter of the EMF detector around the pool area. However, they say, the rise may not necessarily be because of a spirit. Rises can be caused by a slight crack in the window, investigators say.

“Drowned? I never heard of little girl, but I heard a boy did,” said Maxim Chernoski, a downtown Brooklyn resident.

The information which Chernoski was referring to was confirmed by a New York Times article published in 1977, which states that a 14-year-old boy named Vernon Weiderhold drowned in McCarren Park pool.

Rosa Alphine, an 83-year-old retired schoolteacher who lives on Richardson Street only a couple blocks away from McCarren Park Pool says her friend, who used to live right next door to her, had a suspicious encounter. Alphine says her friend was walking her bull terrier dog one day.

“She was walking somewhere ‘round the pool area, she used to say, when all the sudden her dog got very jumpy, forced [her] to turn around and walk the other way,” Alphine says.

“I think there’s a spirit cause I do believe in ghosts. I wish there was solid proof. That’d be cool,” says Daniel Rastor, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident who admits to watching Ghost Hunters every night.

Paranormal Investigation of NYC has investigated the perimeter twice. However, they were not able to find any legitimate evidence of the spirit of the little girl, according to the group’s website.

Regardless of whether the pool is haunted or not, people are enjoying it a lot and are very happy that it has been reopened for the public to use for free.

“McCarren brought fun and happiness back, ghost or no ghost,” says Alphine.

Calorie counting in restaurants. A ban on trans-fats. Smoking limits.

These are all initiatives that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has passed in an effort to improve the health of New York City residents. These policies have also affected the lives of many young New Yorkers. Two in particular are the Mayor’s ban on public smoking and his proposed “soda ban.”

Many young residents find themselves divided on these recent health initiatives and feel that education and strong parental influences are more important than trying to dictate people’s behaviors.

About a year ago, the mayor banned smoking in beaches, parks and public plazas to reduce the air pollution and prevent litter. Another of the mayor’s policies would ban the sales of pre-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces in the city’s delis, fast –food franchises and sports arenas.

“He’s focusing on superficial things to distract people from the real issues,” said Richmond Hill resident Jason Fonseca.

Fonseca, a New York City math teacher at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, has worked with young people for a long time and feels that there are much greater problems to be worried about than how much sugar they consume. He feels that the mayor should focus on the bigger problems that young people face, like school closings and teacher lay-offs.

Fonseca says that teens have been smoking for years and that the ban won’t change that. He feels that the government could impose all the health initiatives they want, but if the parents don’t get involved in their kid’s lives, they will not be effective.

“Parents are the number one influence on the kids,” he said.

Florent Julien, a 24-year-old business student who recently moved here from France, believes prohibition is not effective, but that the government should make health education a priority instead.

“It’s cheaper to educate people, as opposed to solving health problems,” he said.

But Julien agrees with the mayor’s parks and beaches smoking ban. A long time smoker himself, he believes young people are not mature enough to decipher the good from the bad.

Bloomberg’s plans aren’t the first city initiative aimed to get New Yorkers to lay off the junk. In 2011, the New York City Health Department held a campaign by launching a 30-second TV spot to talk about health issues to show city residents just how detrimental soda can be for teens. According to the Health Department, a soda a day equals 50 pounds of sugar a year, putting a person at risk for diabetes and obesity.

“Anything from stopping what has proven to hurt people is good with me,” said Wilfredo Gomez, 18, from Washington Heights.

He points out that soda sizes are excessive, and believes that the mayor is taking a step in the right direction.

Dr. Anis Alam, 51, a physician from Midwood, Brooklyn, believes that portion control is key.

“Eating or drinking too much of anything is bad,” he said.

Bloomberg has defended his policies as good for the health of New Yorkers.

“Six years ago, naysayers called the trans-fat ban a misguided attempt at social engineering by a group of physicians who don’t understand the restaurant industry. This week, we saw evidence that the ban is reducing New Yorkers’ fat intake and potentially saving lives,” the mayor said at a public health hearing last month. “Six years from now, hopefully we are celebrating a reversal in the obesity epidemic currently killing 5,800 New Yorkers a year and due to our plan to limit the size of sugary beverages and other anti-obesity initiatives.”

Several organizations, like the New Yorkers For Beverage Choices and New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, oppose the city’s initiatives.

“The Mayor invited prominent obesity experts from across the country to give their opinions on what New Yorkers should eat and drink,” Eliot Hoff, spokesman for New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, said in a statement. “But there was still no real evidence presented that a ban on sugar-sweetened beverages over 16 ounces would have an impact combating obesity.”

If passed, Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed ban could go into effect as early as next spring.

Sarah Crymes, a 49-year-old Brooklyn resident, has been trying to get her 18-year-old son Josh to quit smoking for years. He’s been a heavy smoker since he was 13, Marlboros being his preferred brand.

“My son has been smoking for five years already. Non-stop. I’ve been trying to help him quit but nothing has worked,” said Crymes.

New York City was headed for a plan aimed to decrease the number of smokers, which would have forced retailers to display posters with graphic health risk warnings near their cigarette displays. Last month, however, a federal court rejected New York City’s requirement. Retail stores appear to be satisfied with the rejection; however, many others, including health advocates, say the ruling is a missed opportunity for helping people quit smoking for good.

“Maybe [these warnings] could have discouraged my son from smoking once and for all,” said Crymes, with a sigh.

Another mother of a smoker, Irena Golano of Brooklyn, says she would have liked for the plan to pass, since it might help her son, 20-year-old smoker Alfred, quit, or at least reduce the amount of cigarettes he goes through in a day.

“I definitely think it would be a smart move,” said Golano. “Anything that could be done to help decrease smoking, should be done.”

Several health advocates are also dissatisfied with the ruling. David Lehmann, manager of Bronx Smoke-Free Partnership, was very disappointed with the judge’s decision.

“I really believe there would have been less smokers. It was supposed to encourage smokers to stop,” said Lehmann.

Sheelah Feinberg, director of The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, said tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. She believes placing warnings in stores will save lives and hopes the rulings will be reversed.

The New York City Health Department said the ruling was likely to decrease the number of smokers who quit, according to a statement. The city’s warning signs would have depicted the grisly toll of smoking as well as provided helpful information about how to quit at a place where smokers were most likely to see it, the Health Department said.

The city’s plan was rejected after retailers and tobacco manufacturers sued, and a court ruled that it violates the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, which prevents state and local regulation of the advertising and the promotion of cigarettes.

Retail stores appear to be satisfied with this decision. Carlos Mullin, owner of local grocery shop on Kings Highway, thought the plan would have decreased his business.

“I feel like if I had a family member who was smoking, I would have wanted these posters up. But getting down to business, cigarettes are a major part of the purchases made,” said Mullin. “If there were to be fewer smokers, I might not end up making my money.”

Sierra Diaz, a 30-year-old cashier at a neighboring convenience store, agreed. She said that she has to earn her money some way. However, she did admit that she believes there would have been fewer smokers if this law has been enforced.

The ruling rejects New York City’s proposal, but other efforts to educate the public about the dangers of smoking are unaffected by the case. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has another plan, to be launched in September 2012, that would require tobacco retailers to display signs depicting diseased lungs and decaying teeth– the gruesome health risks of smoking–on cigarette packages directly.

“The packaging is very important. Whatever is on the product tells the smokers the truth. FDA has been given right by congress for the graphics to be posted on the packaging and we are very hopeful,” concluded Lehmann.

Homework handed in on time. Tests completed effectively. Participating in class discussions.

The honor roll, a system that rewards student achievement, is the subject of much disagreement at Language and Diplomacy High School (LAD), located at 40 Irving Place inside Washington Irving High School. The qualifications to get on the school’s honor roll are questioned by both students and teachers alike, who feel that it is not a fair reflection of a student’s ability.

“[The] honor roll is so old-school awarding. It’s a piece of paper; a slice of pizza that the principal loves to give,” said Leticia Collado, 16, a junior. Collado has been on honor roll, but says she has little to no interest in the system.

When Collado was on honor roll, she said she did not understand why she was on a list that did not contribute to her learning or development. Since the honor roll is based on grades, in one sense, Collado feels that it is fair because there cannot be favorites. But while Collado feels the honor roll is a good reflection of what a student accomplishes in class, she thinks it can also be subject to a teacher’s biases.

“It depends on the teacher, if the teacher likes shy students, they get good grades,” she said. “Very few systems are based solely on grades, other things look at the whole person, like [the] college admissions process.”

Vanessa Barrientos, 16, a sophomore, said while she feels that a student’s grade should be the major requirement to get on honor roll, extracurricular activities and community service should be taken into consideration.

“The [hours students are] willing to take out of their lives to help out, in my opinion [is] what makes up an honor roll student,” she said.

Barrientos also feels that the honor roll may undermine the efforts of those who work hard.

“Sometimes [being] on honor roll [is] like saying ‘I got better grades,’ to students who are working their butts off but don’t seem to get high grades.”

Principal Santiago Mayol, 46, said that honor roll is not intended to be all-inclusive, but instead rewards achievement and shows a student they produced something during a set time.

“The honor roll is a metric of achievement,” he said. “[It] does not measure a student’s potential.”

The requirement to get on honor roll is a grade point average of 80. The dean’s list and principal’s list for higher achievement, another form of the honor roll system which LAD uses, requires an average of 85 and 90, respectively. Mayol designed LAD’s grading policy and strongly believes in it and how students get on honor roll.

Mayol said his grading policy seeks to capture excellence and progress in a variety of domains.

“Students are gifted in many ways [and] our goal is to acknowledge those gifts,” he said.

At LAD, test and quizzes account for 25 percent of a student’s grade, 35 percent is based on performance projects, 20 percent on class discussions, and 10 percent on homework. What the other 10 percent is based on is up to the teacher to decide, Mayol said.

“If your humanities teacher believes research projects are necessary for college preparedness, that 10 percent can go to a research paper,” he said. “If your math teacher believes modeling world phenomena is critical to students’ understanding that math is a language, then 10 percent might be dedicated to statistical study.”

Benjamin Siegel, 28, a trigonometry teacher at LAD, said though there is one grading policy at the school, teachers tend to grade differently, and that can have an effect on who gets on honor roll.

“In theory [the honor roll is] a good concept, if it’s done correctly,” he said. “Once we all have the same grading system, then it works.”

Testing, participation, homework, and quizzes are taken into consideration when grading students. Participation in class is what Siegel questions.

“[Grading] participation gives room for teachers to reward students they like, because you can’t tell who spoke and can’t force someone to speak,” he said.

Though Siegel agrees with Mayol’s grading policy he feels that students’ grades depend too much on tests, and that the bar to get on honor roll is low.

“It should be at least an 85 with perfect attendance,” said Siegel. “There are [students] on honor roll without perfect attendance.”

Siegel believes the honor roll is 85 percent accurate and that it benefits and highlights the most devoted students.

Kimberly Rodriguez, 16, a junior, feels that a student’s attitude and behavior toward a teacher will influence the grade they receive.

“If respect is given, respect is rewarded,” she said.

The benefit of being on honor roll, according to Mayol, is that a student will receive recognition for their sense of discipline and efforts that produced exemplar results.

Being on honor roll gives students who maintain an 85 average and complete 30 hours of community service every year, a chance to be inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS). Being part of the NHS will add another extracurricular to a student’s repertoire, and for seniors applying to college, it could help make their application more competitive.

Xun Qing Zheng, 17, a junior, said she does not care about the honor roll.

“If I’m on it, it’s pretty fair,” she joked.

The London Olympic Opening Ceremony was phenomenal, in all aspects, from the construction of the city on a 20000-meter stadium to the epic battle between Voldamort and Mary Poppins.

It was unforgettable moment of any lifetime and is still a moment that I would go back to the past to watch live.

It did break one thing that little to know people thought they would do, not Mitt Romney, but the spectacular opening ceremony that China presented for the world in the 2008 Beijing Opening Ceremony.

Beijing was just pretty lights compared to the Opening Ceremony presented in London.

Beijing had a good round of showing the world that they were there and they were going to stay, through fireworks and a multicultural ceremony.

London on the hand stayed true to their roots and only presented there culture on the stage.

Many critics will testify that it’s the Olympics Opening Ceremony they should present the world on that stage.

But was it the world’s tax’s that paid for the stage, was the worlds hard work that the stadium was constructed, and did the world perform on that stage for free labor on the Olympic stage for 5 years.

No, It was London. They did it all and they can incorporate what ever they want on that stage, their culture or the worlds.

To do that they showed the industrial revolution unfold, later they paid tribute to their medical coverage, and then experience the age that there country is currently in.

They did this with an eight of the fireworks and pretty lights used in Beijing.

Everyone knows about cookies, the delicious treats. However, some don’t know about the online cookies. These cookies are pieces of information that websites use to record your data.

For example, if I input “Honda” into Google’s search engine, Google’s cookie will record that I searched for “Honda.” Then it will use the information to shape my future results about cars. Google will try to personalize my results.

Also, cookies are used when one is accessing his or her account. The website would use a cookie to determine if it should send a page with sensitive information. I have encountered times when Google has refused to let me into my e-mail account because I disabled cookies.

However, not all cookies are useful. Sometimes, advertisers will try to follow you in order to lure you.

My former teacher was using her e-mail account when she saw an advertisement about politics. She thought it was interesting and clicked on it. However, there was nothing useful in the link that she clicked. The advertisement managed to pique her interest.

Also, some websites want to obtain the user’s data by using cookies, which is stalking, in a sense.

To prevent this tracking, one can clear the cookies. It is effective in deterring advertisers that want your online “profile.”

I don’t know why I have never tuned into the Olympics like I have this year. Maybe if I did I would be an Olympian by now! Watching the players, coaches, and the reactions of dedicated watchers is very intriguing. It makes me want to become a better athlete. I’ve been watching women’s volleyball mainly, I love volleyball but after watching USA’s team, which is the best in the world, it is apparent to me I have a lot to learn.

Gabby Douglas won gold in the women’s individual all-around gymnastics event this afternoon at 1:30p.m. Yet NBC will not be broadcasting this until 8pm or later, tonight. If the final result has already been released, then what’s the point of airing the event ?

Chick-Fil-A President and COO, Dan Cathy, has experienced relentless criticism from the LGBT community and various government officials for his recent comments opposing same-sex marriages.

Cathy, a firm Christian and Sunday school teacher, believes in the biblical concept of a marriage being between a man and a woman. He let his beliefs be known in a recent Baptist Press Interview.

“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that,” he said.

New York City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, recently sent NYU a letter urging them to evict New York City’s sole franchise.

Quinn, the first openly gay, married City Council speaker, has been a longtime advocate for same sex marriages.

Just recently, Quinn along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and several other public officials celebrated the one year anniversary of the Marriage Equality Act which generated the city about $259 million.

“Chick-fil-A is not welcome in New York City as long as the company’s president welcomes continues to uphold and promote his discriminatory views,” said Quinn.

Quinn is not the only politician enraged over Mr. Cathy’s remarks.

The mayors of major cities like Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, have all expressed interest in running Chick-Fil-A out of town.

Although, Mayor Bloomberg feels differently and so do I.

On his weekly radio appearance, the mayor says that he doesn’t think that Cathy’s anti-same sex marriage beliefs is a valid reason to kick them out of the city.

“You really don’t want to ask [about] political beliefs or religious beliefs. That’s not government’s job,” he said.

I don’t think that anyone should be ostracized because of their personal values and beliefs. My stance is that everyone is entitled to their first amendment right, whether you’re a politician, businessman or hard-working citizen. I also agree with the mayor and don’t think that people should be excluded from conducting business because of their religious beliefs.

So whether you’re an advocate or adversary of same-sex marriage, I think we should all respect each other’s views and not let them interfere with business.