Archives for August 2016

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

August 10, 2016 by Cindy Weng Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Looming Danger of Climate Change

August 10, 2016 by GWENDOLYN LEE Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gentrification in Chinatown: What Do Teens Think?

August 10, 2016 by Cody Liew Leave a Comment

“With every new blue-eyed blonde-haired person moving into Chinatown or starting a business in Chinatown, my fear of being left without a place to live grows and continues to affect the daily lives of my family,” said Andy Wang.

Wang, a 17-year-old student living in Chinatown, witnesses what he sees as the detrimental effects of gentrification everyday. He noted, “Many of the old businesses and markets in Chinatown have closed and been reopened as stupid things, like art galleries.”

As higher-income New Yorkers make plans to renovate and change Chinatown, the prices in the neighborhood rise. Rent, food, and general services rise and force long-time residents out of the neighborhood, as they can no longer afford to live there.

According to the NYU Furman Center, the percentage of Asian people living in the Lower East Side/Chinatown decreased from 35% to 32% from 2000 to 2014. The report also revealed that the median rent in this neighborhood rose a sharp 12% from $881 to $987 between 2005 and 2014.

Vanessa’s Dumplings is a popular store that has increased its prices over the years. The little store on Eldridge Street recently raised the prices of its dumplings to 4 for $1.25. “I grew up eating dumplings that were 5 for $1,” recounted Amy Lin. Although Lin moved to Astoria 3 years ago and no longer lives in Chinatown, she still feels deep ties to the neighborhood where she grew up. “Shops on Grand Street are empty and face bankruptcy,” said Lin of the various fish and vegetable markets that line Grand Street.

While gentrification has the most significant effects on the elderly in Chinatown who have nowhere to go, teens also see why the changes to the neighborhood are detrimental to its future. “Gallery openings with cheese and wine on Mulberry is not what Chinatown is known for,” says Maggie Loh, who lives on Mott Street. The transition from local businesses that sell herbs and tea to hipsters showing off their art is occurring at a somewhat alarming rate. “One benefit I can think of is the sharing of culture, says Loh. “But the line is drawn when people start to take over and try to profit or take advantage of a cheap living situation,” she warns.

While many teenagers enjoy the benefits of gentrification, such as modernization and cleanliness, many have problems with the erasure of Chinese culture that consequently follows. “Chinatown isn’t really Chinatown if the majority of the people are no longer Chinese,” says Sophia Wang, a former resident of Chinatown who now lives in the East Village.

“The drawbacks are that culture is going to be destroyed and Chinese families, who already make not a lot of cash, are going to have to relocate to cheaper neighborhoods,” says Nick Feng. This is already happening in New York. According to a New York Times article, Sunset Park in Brooklyn recently had an influx of Chinese immigrants from Chinatown. Many Chinese people have spread out from Chinatown in Manhattan and moved to other neighborhoods such as Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens.

Gentrification has threatened many New York City neighborhoods in the past and continues to creep up on many more. Chinatown is next. It is clearly an important issue to those directly affected by it and even those indirectly affected by it.

“Most teens are subconsciously aware because they experience it everyday but don’t fully try to grasp the detrimental effects,” said Loh.

Changing New York

August 10, 2016 by a.diaz4 Leave a Comment

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

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

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

“Cone get the Scoop”

August 10, 2016 by LAYSHA CASTILLO Leave a Comment

(Credit: Museum Of Ice Cream/Instagram) — From: Museum Of Ice Cream/Instagram Ice cream decorations and pool of sprinkles!

There is a new event these days for any ice cream and art lovers.

The Museum of Ice Cream is “a month long interactive museum”, stated by the Museum of Ice Cream page. that started on July 29th and will be ending on August 31st. This new fad is right down the block from the Whitney museum, on 100 Ganservoot street. It was “curated by a collective of ice cream obsessed designers, artists, and friends”, also stated by the Museum of Ice Cream home page.

There are so many things you can do in this museum. According to museumoficecream, “Museum of Ice Cream interactive highlights include a swimmable rainbow ‘sprinkle’ pool, edible balloons, an inversion chocolate room and a collaborative massive ice cream sundae.”

People from all ages can enjoy this museum. “ It was a fascinating experience and I absolutely recommend for everybody to go. No matter how old you are you will definitely have an amazing time”, Stanley Rodriguez stated, a 13 year old who visited with his family.

“ It was amazing!” stated 5 year old Hailey, my sister.

ice cream museum — Credit: Msfabulous.com Edible helium balloons, ice cream sandwich swing, and a ice cream scoop seesaw

People also loved the ice cream experience. “I love how when you first walk inside they give you a smile and a bowl of ice cream,” said Carolyn Ortega, a teen who went with friends.

Others also liked the taste test, made by Dr. Irwin Adam, founder of Future Food studio. “I loved playing with the flavors, tasting the ‘miracle berry’ and the lemon actually going from sour to sweet”, stated Natalie Rodriguez, an 18 year old, who decided to check it out with her significant other.

The Museum of Ice Cream has had great timing, with all of these summer heat waves, and everyone’s love for ice cream in the summer.

Unfortunately, the Museum of Ice Cream is currently sold out and can only be viewed by people who previously bought tickets.

From edible candy balloons with breathable helium to an ice cream sandwich swing, or even a ice cream scoop see-saw and a whole pool of sprinkles. There are so many things to choose from in this museum.

But it’s not just about the tasting,visitors also get to learn more about everyone’s favorite treat. A whole museum worth of knowledge just about ice cream. But of course there is still a whole lot of fun in the Museum of Ice Cream.

Fitness Regimen of the Olympians

August 10, 2016 by NOGOYE BASS Leave a Comment

Have you ever watched the Olympics and wonder how so many olympic athletes are so healthy

Athletes are trained almost everyday to keep their strong and healthy body on fit. By exercising, athletes force themselves to eat healthy, warm ups in the morning and also find a way to enjoy exercise and also win during the olympics.

“As an athlete, I do enjoy exercising by challenging myself to run faster everyday” says Coumba Bass, a squash player in Manhattan . Athletes sometimes challenge themselves to have more confidence in keeping fit.

“Athletes work on building muscles and improving aerobic conditioning many months before their season starts so as not to interfere with their sport-specific fitness and conditioning needs” according to healthyliving.azcentral.com.

Most of the time during off seasons, olympic athletes exercise to reduce stress. “before the start of a season, athletes use about half their maximum weight or resistance levels and perform more reps on an exercise to build muscular endurance” says healthyliving.azcentral.com.

“When I exercise I don’t pay attention to anything that had made me stress or get mad,because exercising makes me have confident in myself I love staying fit because then I don’t have to worry about my body weight” says Ndeye Bass, also a squash player in Manhattan.

“I never skip leg day,but i never do cardio and i should do cardio because cardio is good for me” says Ali Ayoub who exercise at Blink Fitness. “If you already skip leg day then you musn’tve skip leg day and you would of been strong” argued Sam Wilby a teen who also exercise at Blink Fitness.

“The United States Olympic Committee has partnered with high-performance training centers to provide U.S. athletes with elite training facilities for their sport development.The USOC has established three Olympic Training Centers along with 17 Olympic Training Sites located in 15 states throughout the U.S. Millions of dollars were invested into these complexes to ensure athletes receive the best training in the country. Although catered toward elite athletes, these complexes are also open to the public for tours and event services” according to teamusa.org

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Gateway Plaza’s Summer Nights Just Got Better

August 10, 2016 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Once the sun sinks behind the horizon, blankets are set down on the grass, and popcorn and chips are set down on the blankets. People sit out with their sweatshirts and sweatpants on, and wait for the sun to fully set. Going out to this lawn is never a hassle, because everyone there is in the backyard of their own home.
In Gateway Plaza, Battery Park City’s building complex, every summer there is a movie night at the North Lawn. Movie night has started in the summer of 2016. It is going to be a seasonal thing, which means Gateway plans to continue it from now on.

For the past couple of years, Gateway has been renovating facilities in the complex. The management opened an outdoor pool back in 2011, which also includes a gym.

Although management was unreachable, many doormen and residents assume that they have added these changes to make Gateway a better place to live, and also to bring all the residents closer together.

If you go on Gateway’s website, it will tell you what movie is playing which day, and the times it will start.

Gateway kicked off summer movie night on July 12, 2016, by playing The Minions. Then on July 26, 2016, played Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The most recent event was August 2, 2016, when Jurassic Park was shown. Many kids were there with their friends, and parents were there too. These parents either stop by to check on their kids, or to watch the movie as well.

Haley, a 10-year-old resident of Gateway Plaza stated, “At movie night I get to hang out with all my friends, but since there are also so many other kids there, we usually end up all sitting and playing together.”
These kids are able to make more friends because they are given a place to do it. Not only do the kids enjoy it, but the parents do too. “I love sending my kid out to Movie Night. It’s safe and fun and she can finally get out of the house! Plus, she always comes back looking really happy,” said Stephanie.

World Behind Vines

August 10, 2016 by Huiqi Pan Leave a Comment

Ties Between United Nations (FAO) and GreenThumb

The first ever food garden on international territory marked its first year on July 24 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The UN Food Garden is an initiative of a small group of UN staff who partnered with local volunteers from the NYC Parks’ GreenThumb Program to transform unused land at the United Nations Headquarters complex into food gardens.

The garden encompasses close to 200 square feet of growing space. Ten beautifully designed metal raised beds are packed with a variety of vegetables and fruits from around the world. These foods range from chickpeas, lentils legumes, to Korean chives and Indonesian peppers. The food is used by UN employees or donated to organizations such as UNICEF.

Catherine Zanev, associate expert for climate change in the UN’s Chief Executives Board for Coordination and along with five-to-10 other members in the UN Garden Club team, volunteer their time to plant. “It’s just nice to be able to come out here and take a break from your long day at the computer and get your hands dirty,” says Zanev.

Last year, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recognized NYC Parks’ GreenThumb program for its goal for a greener and better future by taking a large step to support community gardens.

The Food and Agriculture Organization is a United Nations agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

One of previous Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s signature accomplishments, was the implementation of the city’s first sustainability plan: PlaNYC 2030. Current mayor Bill de Blasio added One NYC, which revives Bloomberg’s plans and give them more depth. These plans involve, “reducing greenhouse gas to have the cleanest air of any U.S. city and sending zero waste to landfills by 2030 in the famous city.” One step towards these goals are community gardens.

The United Nations FAO and New York City’s 2030 plans creates an opportunity to work together to support the same communities by solving two problems at once: Food scarcity and global warming.

Community gardens encourage an urban agriculture so hungry citizens can easily obtain nutritious food. They also encourage the growth of the urban farming sector in neighborhoods with necessary infrastructure.

Under One NYC, a collaboration between NYC Parks’ GreenThumb program and the Youth Leadership Council pushes for youth to volunteer and learn at 11 community gardens throughout the boroughs.

The FAO recognized the importance of community gardens which led interns from the FAO to interview some of the youthful volunteers this month and place their inspiring words on plaques into the United Nation’s new food garden.

Liam Kavanagh, the Parks & Recreation Department’s first deputy commissioner spoke out during the “Why Food Matters” conference at the UN food garden a few weeks ago and stated, “With abandonments all over New York City, individuals and communities took it upon themselves to reclaim those spaces and turn them back into vital community resources… to recognize that there are people in the city who are food insecure. We as New Yorkers can help bridge those gaps… community gardens are apart of it.”

Social Media: Art & Culture

August 10, 2016 by j.ward1 Leave a Comment

Processed with MOLDIV — Artist: Taira Rice

Inside the African American community we face a disconnect with each other. In our community, loving art is unconventional, or is seen as trying to be white.

We often disparage each other for trying to escape the social norms established by white supremacy, and executed by ourselves.

In a recent interview with Taira, a 17 year-old artist from Harlem expressed the feeling of what it is like to be an artist and an African American woman.

She goes through the motions of her career, starting with why she started to take art seriously.

“I was going to be judged on what my hands could produce.” She came to this realization around the time for applying to high schools. Her choice was LaGuardia but LaGuardia did not choose her… twice.

She humbly discredited the quality of her portfolio, but did not fail to call out the students whose art is less desirable but still made the cut.

“People always say the school is racist”

In a report from inside schools, their comment on “what’s special” about the school is that it has “a nice racial mix,’” yet 44% of students identify as white.

She added some of the struggles she personally faces as an African American woman. “We’re always seen as second class people and don’t get the recognition we deserve sometimes. For me personally there’s pressure to be this extravagant person, so that I can get noticed by people.”

And as for the people in our own community, she would get remarks saying that she talks and acts white, a remark every black girl who admires the abstract people like Marilyn Manson, Erykah Badu, and does not have extreme parental issues (a stereotype) has heard.

Media outlets like Instagram offer a space for the ‘undesirables’ to express the qualities that they’d been previously bashed for. Tying that together with the difficulty of getting noticed in the art world is perfect. Two instances where being accepted and rejection based on historic perception of class and racial image.

It may seem surprising to people in other business fields, but art galleries take a whopping 50 percent of profits from their artists. Photo sharing apps and other applications like Twitter and Facebook offer young people to share their passion without the fear of rejection or maltreatment.

A recent publication on Vice by Brad Phillips titled “How Instagram Is Changing the Art World” explains how millennials are in less need of pouring their hard work into art galleries or establishments for the fact that picture sharing platforms, like Instagram are giving publicity to these young artist. He explains that “more and more, collectors don’t care about validation, or a proven track record. They care about names that they hear repeated at cocktail parties and art fairs. In this way, having a prominent presence online contributes to your name being circulated, cutting out the need (a false one anyway) to be vouched for by a gallery.”

Taira, showcasing her art on social media landed her drawings on the online Rookie magazine and the upcoming exhibit LIFEFORCE opening July 26 at Untitled Space NYC.

Rookie magazine is a big deal for teenaged social media based artist because of what it stands for. A statement can be found on its website, which captivates that it is “an independently run online magazine and book series” which caters to teenaged artists, writers, photographers and their “cohorts of any age.”

Taira’s advice to others is patience. “I don’t have much patience myself but I’ve learned to appreciate what comes my way and realize that as long as I absolutely love what I do and keep working at it, I will get noticed and it will have all been for something amazing.”

Here are some links… click them:

Taira: Instagram- @swegonamilly

http://www.rookiemag.com/2016/03/friday-playlist-adorable/

Brad Phillips:

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/how-instagram-is-changing-the-art-world

Pokémon Go Becoming A Local Marketing Tool

August 8, 2016 by SAMUEL WILBY Leave a Comment

Pokémon Go is a whole new playing field for Pokémon Trainers and Personal Trainers alike.

With such a big craze putting players on their feet and across the city, local businesses have been quick to make the best of this traffic. New York Sports Club, Big Daddy’s Diner in Gramercy, and even Baruch College are just some of the locations using Pokémon as a means of marketing.

√ √ — Big Daddy’s Diner in Gramercy advertising the *Pokéball Shake in their front window*.

“Parents tell their kids to catch a pokémon to get 15% off the bill,” says Eric, the manager at Big Daddy’s Diner. It offers discounts and specially prepared shakes in light of the Pokémon Go hype. Though the diner’s business hasn’t noticeably changed, he’s seen the Pokéball Shake bring in around 100 people since it was added.

But the shake has also gotten in the way of business, at times. The idea came from the diner’s director of marketing and was intricately designed by the chef, which can be a problem when it comes to preparing the shake during busy hours.

“It can create a lot of work,” Eric says, but explains that the hassle is worth the publicity. “It’s a two-way street,”

The same applies at Baruch when it comes to Pokémon Go. “I’m always thinking of way to get students’ attention,” says Mazi, the College Now Director. Baruch uses social media and its own Pokémon sightings to drive traffic online and get more students to follow their college activity. It’s a way of drawing attention to sites where students might not otherwise care to look.

But of course, it means more than just getting the word out for the staff at Baruch. As Evelis, Baruch’s college assistant, will tell you a majority of the office is playing Pokémon Go on their own time. (And hey, it’s hard not to!)

√ √ √ — New York Sports Club’s Pokémon sign at 23rd and Lexington, shortly before it was taken down.

However, limitations prevent big name corporations from marketing with Pokémon Go. A consultant at New York Sports Club on 23rd Street created a Pokéstop in the gym, as many businesses do to attract attention. A sign was put outside, though the manager explains how she was forced to take it down just 20 minutes later.

Corporations like New York Sports Club actually require permission from higher authorities before putting out complimentary offers, and apparently pokémon falls into that category. But even during this brief time, pokémon brought in customers who wouldn’t have otherwise come. I was one of the few who wandered in during this short time frame.

The manager explains the attention this brings to the gym. “Maybe it’s just curiosity” she suggests. They’ll wander in for pokémon, but leave knowing a new place they can visit in the future.