Month: August 2015

08/16/15

Changes in NYC Summers

Summer in New York Cityーin any urban centerーis uncomfortable. It’s sticky and smelly. Kids are out of school, and there seem to be more tourists. Sun bakes the sidewalks and human hair. People are irritable.

Finally, summer also seems to be getting even more unbearably hot. According to a variety of sources, it is. According to Weather Underground, average summer temperatures have been rising in every region since 1970, and in many regions, spring feels like summer.

Whether the spiking temperatures can be attributed to climate change, global warming, or natural fluctuations doesn’t matter to many people when deodorant and air conditioning feel useless. How are people staying cool this summer? Do they think the summers are getting worse?

Florence, aged 73, has lived in New York City all her life. She stated that when she was younger, she didn’t feel the heat as she does now. But she also attributes the change in her perception of temperature to “the atmosphere,” saying that “the cycle of the weather has changed a lot.”

During Florence’s childhood, she recalled, “We didn’t have fans, or air conditioners. It’s relaxed, you know. It didn’t bother us, really. I don’t recall anyone complaining about [the heat]. Maybe my parents did, or my older siblings did, but it didn’t bother me.”

Today, Florence has to have air conditioning, or a fan at the very least, to deal with the “smothering” heat and humidity. Though she doesn’t see this summer as worse than the last, Florence thinks, “You come right out of winter [and] spring comes for a few days, a few weeks, and then, boom. Here comes summer.”

Florence finds that summers are getting longer, with the heat starting in what were traditionally spring months. Michael, who has lived in NYC for 28 years, agrees.

He finds that “it’s getting hotter earlier.” When prompted to elaborate, Michael stated that in his opinion, the hottest and driest part of summer has become July, rather than August. An older man, his advice is to get blinds, carry around a battery-operated fan, walk in the shade and make sure the windows of one’s home face away from the setting sun. He also carries around a wet handkerchief. Today, Michael says, “I usually use the air conditioner more.”

To Michael, the worst of summer in the city are the subway platforms. In his experience, the modern air-conditioned train cars is a “treat,” as one was lucky if the subways of the 20th century had windows that could open. Yet, Michael expects better from the MTA, arguing that sweating commuters deserve air-conditioned platforms. In an 2012 article in Transportation Nation, the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority addressed that issue: “Unfortunately, air conditioning of subway stations is not feasible due to the open nature of their construction and the impossibility of cooling an infinite space.”

There are many opinions on the use of air conditioners.

Jeff Strong was born and raised in New York City, and has lived in New York on and off for over fifty years. In his childhood, he was frequently at camp during the summers, but today, Jeff stays in the city for work. Working in business has opened his eyes to the sheer wastefulness that air conditioning can be.

According to the New York Times, the temperature set for most offices is based on a 1960s formula that took into account the working office population of the time: middle-aged males wearing formal or business attire. As a result, younger, more lightly dressed, and/or female office workers are chilled by the temperature. Some bring sweaters and heaters to work. To Jeff, it is the height of ridiculousness.

He also takes offense at the open doors of many air-conditioned stores that blast cold air into the streets, even going as far as to close the doors of those guilty stores one in a while. That is not to say Jeff doesn’t appreciate air conditioning. He just advocates that the temperature be set in the 70s rather than the 60s.

Evey, aged 54 years, disagrees. Evey, like Florence, has lived in NYC all her life. She described the summers of the 1960s and 1970s as “beautiful,” saying “the summer was the summer” and “we never [had] these drastic heat waves.” She also stated that she sees the changing temperatures as a result of “[what’s happening] with the ozone layer and all those diesel fuels. Now, she says summers are “stifling” and added “I would definitely say there is less spring and fall.” Her only advice was to dress appropriately and turn up the AC.

It’s clear that when most people try to think of solutions to the heat, their minds immediately go to air conditioners. Ironically, it is the air conditioners that are part of the larger causes of global warming and climate change: the rapid consumption of fuel.

But there seems to be few other solutions. For example, the sight of fire hydrants being illegally tampered with to produce water sprays for desperate children used to be common in low-income communities. Today, fines and greater awareness of the dangers of tampering has curbed this practice. No solution is completely without consequences.

08/13/15

City Council Pushes for More Accessibility of Parks and Recreational Facilities for People with Disabilities

CITY HALL – On July 23, the New York City Council voted 41-0 on a bill that would demand an annual report on the compliance of park and recreational facilities with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

 

Mark Levine, New York City Council member and chairman of the Committee of Parks, is not only the prime sponsor of the bill, but also a strong advocate for equality.

 

Policy plays an important role in obtaining equality for all New Yorkers. “How quickly are we making progress toward the critical goal of 100 percent accessibility in our parks facilities? Until now the council and the public have had no way to answer that question. Intro 558A is … designed to change that, by giving us for the first time regular reports on accessibility assessments and retrofitting plans,” says Levine.

 

According to Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, 889,219 individuals live with disabilities – that is 11 percent of New Yorkers. “If our park system is truly going to be for all New Yorkers then that surely must include those New Yorkers with disabilities” says Levine.

At the Council Meeting, Levine said, “The report would detail whether each assessment was done during the course of regular construction work or as the result of a complaint as well as what work was done and what work will be done to bring such facilities into compliance during the calendar year when the report is issued. It would also include a updated list of Parks Department Facilities that are specifically designed for use by disabled persons.”

08/13/15

Selling Mix Tapes in New York

 

“I think in the 90’s it made sense to sell CD’s but now Target even barely sells CD’s,” said rapper P-Rob, better known for being part of the duo Analog Rascals, describing how he feels about rappers selling mix tapes in New York City.

 

In Harlem and on 42nd Street, street corner mix tape sales are still going strong. The informal general consensus in New York City is that it is annoying, especially if you’re in a hurry when people selling mix tapes stop you. Many New Yorkers never respond to these artists because the seller often use con man tactics to get one to buy their mix tapes. Many tourists, on the other hand, don’t know any better and get suckered into buying a CD. Often, they end up with a blank disc or, worse, one with mediocre music.

 

Mix tapes are an integral part of Hip-Hop culture spanning back decades. According to James Bell in the Daily Californian it started in the 70’s when New Yorkers recorded popular DJs’ shows on cassette tapes. Then in the 80’s, due to Hip Hop’s hustle mentality, DJs began recording their own live shows and selling the tapes. In the 90’s mix tapes changed again. due to DJs like Ron G creating blend tapes.

 

Bell said in the 2000’s mix tapes began to resemble what they are today — rappers trying gain attention from labels, air beefs, and connect with fans on a personal level. Mix tapes became a medium for the rapper’s persona and brand, more than the DJ’s music. In the mid 2000’s artists began to use the Internet to distribute mix tapes. This made it easier to promote one’s music because you could do it in from the comfort of your own home. This caused a surge of mix tapes and made the tapes a viable way to gain attention and create a fan base.

 

Meeco Suave, who was born and raised in New York, offered insight on mix tapes in the modern age. “I don’t knock anybody’s hustle but with new technology it’s easier on the artist and consumer for the artist to sell music through the Internet. If you’re trying to work smarter not harder, the Internet is a better solution especially with sites like Sound Cloud, YouTube and Band Camp” he said. When asked how he feels about people trying to sell him mix tapes, he said that he is a struggling artist, trying to spread his own music, so he can’t really help anybody else.

 

Rapper Patrick Robinson said,  “It’s annoying and without a online presence it’s useless.  The best way to get big is networking and creating a fan base online.” Robinson went on to discuss “the romanticized idea of hustling by selling mix tapes in the back of your trunk and starting from nothing to making it big in the end,” a notion from the 90’s and 80’s. We spoke about the cost of making music and how many artists are just trying to make their production cost back.  “Pure music is the best way to make money,” he said. “I spent two years making my last album, Summer Sucks My Soul. I sold it for $8 each. I went to a nice club to celebrate finishing it and the cocktail I ordered cost $8. I’m selling my two years of work for the same cost of some alcohol that took a minute to make. But the money didn’t matter it, was about spreading my music not short term money.”

 

Rapper AJ Reynolds, is known as Optimus Rhymes to some. When asked about selling mix tapes in New York he said, “Some do it for creation; others do it for profit. A lot of people are trying to make a quick buck, but that’s the culture of hustling in New York City. It’s a culture of trying to make quick money rather than make money in the long run. If you’re really trying to spread your music Sound Cloud, Spotify and YouTube are better alternatives.”

When asked him how it is it to sell mix tapes, he said, “Early in college I made a really —–y mix tape. I got some speakers and played my best song so people got a sample of my music. I sold 250 copies for a dollar each. I no longer had to sell them, they were sold when they heard my music.” He added, “If you’re not willing to play some of your music before people buy your mix tape, it’s probably trash”

 

Many people in the modern day do not even have a CD player. The idea of selling mix tapes without an online presence and becoming big is nothing more than a fantasy perpetuated by teens and young adults with romanticized ideas about hustling and starting from the bottom.

 

 

08/12/15

New York State Testing Becoming Too Hard for Students

 

It’s almost the end of the school year and summer vacation is right around the corner. Students should full of joy and excitement but a quick look at their body language says otherwise. “The end of the year is probably the most stressful time for any student,” says Omarie Tash, a rising 8th grader who attends Mott Hall IV, a school in Brooklyn. “It’s when all the big test come up.”


For students young as 8 to 14 years old know this too well. With the yearly New York State english and math exam being changed to seem harder and more logical students in 3rd through 8th grade have experienced a new type struggle.
The standardized test is graded on a scale from 1 to 4. A one means that students are well below proficient in standards for their grade. A two shows that students are below proficient in standards for their grade and a three means students are proficient in the standards for their grade. Finally, a four shows that a student is exceling in standards for their grade.

.

“The DOE mad a lot of changes to the test,” said Mr. McKenzie, a middle school English teacher at Mott Hall IV. “But one of the major ones is that they changed the passing score from a 2 to a 3.”

When it was time to take the test students weren’t fully aware for what they were about to take. “This morning’s ELA exam was pure child abuse,” Leonie Haimson an English teacher posted on her blog. “There were 5 passages, Each passage was 2+ pages long… Most of my children didn’t finish and were very upset that they might have disappointed me or their parents when in truth many adults wouldn’t have.

According to The New York Times “New York’s exams are considered some of the toughest in the country; last year, only 31 percent passed the reading tests and 36 percent passed the math exams.”

Students of all grades struggled with the test, hundreds of teachers and parents are furious with the DOE because of these new changes. Parents and teachers didn’t want their child to feel like they let them down because they were struggling. This then led to protesting by some schools and teachers, people didn’t want their children to take the test.

Statistics from Syracuse.com showed that in New York State 150,000 students skipped the math exam and 193,000 students boycotted the ELA.

 

Some people don’t know why the Department of Education would make the test more difficult. However, Mrs. Jackson, a parent of a former 8th grader that attended Mott Hall IV, believes that, “I think that the board of education made these test harder so they can try to get students prepared for high school. But if they see that students aren’t getting high scores as they use to they shouldn’t take the test.”

 

“Making the test harder was a bad idea” said Mr. Pyram, a math teacher who also works at M.S.271. “ If students had trouble passing the test last year what good would it do to make it harder.”

08/12/15

A View of The Bridge

Photo from Wikimedia
Photo from Wikimedia

Each year, tourists come by the multitudes to see the iconic view of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. However, the world famous Promenade’s view of the Brooklyn Bridge is now at risk of being obstructed.

The real estate company Toll Brothers is building a large condominium and hotel project called the Pierhouse on the Brooklyn waterfront. Many feel that the building, which has been under construction for two years, has obstructed the Promenade’s view for almost a year. A group of Brooklyn Heights residents, called Save The View Now (STVN), claims that the Toll Brothers have broken their agreement, made nearly a decade ago, not to block the view.

For many, the view from the Promenade is priceless. One Brooklyn Heights resident describes the view as “breathtaking.” Another resident said, “It’s iconographic. It’s world famous. It’s very special.”

In 2006, the Brooklyn Heights Community Board approved the Toll Brothers’ plans. According to the Brooklyn Paper, the two parties agreed that the building would not exceed a height of one hundred feet, in order to maintain the Promenades view of the world famous bridge. However, since September of 2014 disputes have been made as to the exact height of the building.

On their website, STVN states, “The Pierhouse is obstructing the iconic views of the historic Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Skyline and is inconsistent with the plans presented to the community in 2006 – 2006. Working together is the only way to stop the Pierhouse from completely obstructing these scenic vistas.”

Toll Brothers and their supporters claim that the Pierhouse’s construction meets the 2006 agreement. According to the Brooklyn Heights Blog, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, which has overall control of the project, said, “[T]he buildings on Parcels A and B [the Pierhouse buildings] will fully comply with the height limits in the 2006 General Project Plan (GPP). “

In the meantime Brooklyn Heights remains divided over the issue. While many residents vehemently oppose construction of the Pierhouse project, some approve. Some residents support the Pierhouse because it has in part financed the popular Brooklyn Bridge Park. One resident on the Brooklyn Heights Blog commented, “(T)here is no park without this development. Remember, the park has to be self sustaining. Thank goodness that the BBP was able to attract multiple bidders for this space enabling them to select superstar companies like Starwood and Toll Brothers to develop the space.”

In April, the STVN filed a lawsuit over the Pierhouse’s obstruction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Last June, Judge Lawrence Knipel of the Brooklyn Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, despite having sympathy for the STVN argument. According to the New York Law Journal, Judge Knipel said, “The casual passerby walking along Brooklyn’s majestic Promenade is struck with an indelible impression that these buildings, now nearing completion, are simply too large.”

However, he later asserted that it was “undeniable” that the buildings had remained at the height agreed upon in 2006. The 2006 height limit of one hundred feet only pertained up to the roof, not to the roof top structures. On their website, Brooklyn Bridge Park affirmed their claim by saying that the Empire State Development Corporation, New York’s chief economic department agency, had approved the plan for rooftop structures.

After the ruling, the STVN pledged to continue their fight against the Pierhouse project by appealing. However, given the Judge Knipel’s conclusive ruling, chances seem slim for a successful lawsuit. It seems likely that the Pierhouse Project will be a new part of the view from the Promenade.