The Paw Print

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Libraries Are Important

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By: Oniken J. Pereira

 

The New York Public libraries are an essential cause. People read books there, and borrow books and movies. Right now libraries are in need of support from patrons of the library branches around the city. The library sends out emails to library card holders that have started their membership, rented with them, or accessed the internet with them using a library card. They are asking to donate to $75,000 for their new English language programs and workbooks, which is a helpful benefit to people who want to learn over the summer.

Libraries are important in communities and neighborhoods. Once you have a book that you want to read and need to study from, libraries will have it for you. Different libraries are sending emails to notify members that they need help coming from us by donating to raise enough money to keep their service going, as well as add some new activities like helping people use technology, providing computers in the library as well as teaching English to non-English speakers. Another email was sent out to members so they can send out a letter to the mayor about how a library can change everybody and how important it is to have them.

Mayor Bill De Blasio then received those letters and wrote an email back to the letter’s sender:

“Thank you for writing to me about New York City’s libraries and the important role they play in your life and in your community. No matter what borough you call home, one of our three outstanding library systems is available to provide a variety of critical support and vital services that can help New Yorkers succeed in school, in their careers, and far beyond. My administration understands just how essential libraries are to people of all ages, and that’s why this year, in partnership with the City Council, $60 million was added to the library’s capital budget for projects that will ensure our libraries can continue to improve their facilities, along with an additional $35 million to support branch-specific needs. This brings my administration’s investment in capital improvements within all three of our library systems to $530 million.”

Jennifer Panicali is the organizer for the donation emails from libraries calling to all members of the NYPL to give them support through the donation, in which you can select what amount to donate and they will give you a gift in return. The possibilities of the gifts would be: library book bags with a color change pencil or a free book of your choice to take with you.

Art Installations Beautify Parkchester Library in the Bronx

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By: Jenna Song

Parkchester, Bronx – The Parkchester Library’s outdoor courtyard is being transformed this summer by vibrant art installations made by library patrons on Sundays and Mondays through the free “Art in the Air” program.

Just months ago, when people visited the library, all they saw was a bland courtyard with a large brownish T-Rex, kangaroo and tortoise statue. Now, they will notice a vibrant courtyard filled with colorful crocheted flowers knotted onto fences; knot balls and large knitted rectangles wrapped around columns; macrame braided and knotted in diamond patterns on tree trunks; vines of ivy hanging from the second floor balcony just above the library entrance; and various crocheted, knit, marcramed, and knot patterns covering the statues.

According to local artist Ruth Marshall who runs the program, the main purpose of the creative art installations is to showcase public art created by the community for its enjoyment. The program is open to people of all ages, genders and skill levels.

Nina Maness, a librarian who runs adult programming at the Parkchester Library, has seen people from nearby senior centers, as well as little kids attending the program. She was surprised to see the wide range of attendees and says, “ it’s really nice to have that intergenerational type of community.”

Ms. Shep, 70, who is a regular at the program says she comes because the projects are “very easy, very simple, very stress-free…[and] it keeps my mind busy. It [also] keeps me focused for two hours and I enjoy the people.” Another regular, 11-year-old Mar, says she came to learn how to crochet and knit.

The artist herself, who teaches newcomers how to make the crafts structured around attendees’ skill levels, has noted that it is not uncommon for people to come in knowing nothing about crocheting but leaving 2 hours later having learned three or four new stitches along with making a flower.

In addition to creating and planning the projects, Marshall is also welcome to ideas from attendees, such as adding a knit pouch made by Mar, or crocheted “glasses” made by Ms. Shep for the kangaroo statue.

All of the crafts are made using a soft, durable nylon cord called paracord. The attendees choose most of the color combinations for their crafts.

According to the library’s website, “This project is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the Bronx Council on the Arts.”

Israeli Nation-State Bill: Much Ado About Nothing

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By: Russell Stern

For the past week, there has been a heated controversy surrounding the Israeli Nation-State bill, which the Israeli parliament passed into law on July 19, 2018. Almost immediately after the bill was passed, Israel’s sworn enemies loudly denounced it as discriminatory against the country’s minorities. But all of this commotion is just another attempt to revive the slanderous accusation that Zionism is racism, a long discredited anti-Israel smear.

The criticism came from the usual suspects: the New York Times, whose political articles are very hostile toward Israeli policy, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which seeks the elimination of the Jewish state, and Arab members of the Knesset, Israel’s legislative body.

Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, a former aide to Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, harshly declared that the bill will cause, “the death of democracy,” in Israel. Other opposition members instantly joined Tibi in his condemnation of the bill, screaming, “Apartheid!” They blatantly accused the law of being discriminatory and racist.

But the bill does not discriminate against Israeli Arabs or other minorities in any way, shape or form. It does not revoke civil rights enjoyed by minority groups in Israel. It does not prevent them from practicing their own religion, running for political office, voting in Israeli elections, or having access to Israeli universities. Furthermore, the Nation-State law does not supersede the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948, which ensures, “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.” In fact, it was only meant to reaffirm Israel as the state of the Jewish people, and declare it the historical homeland of Jews worldwide.

The bill also reinforced Jerusalem being the official capital of Israel, and “Hatikvah” being the state’s national anthem. Not only this, but the law stressed the importance of certain Jewish holidays in Israel, such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Holocaust Remembrance Day. In short, this bill was not meant to have any practical impact; it was only passed into law to send a message to Israel’s foes that the Jewish state is here to stay.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the bill as, “a defining moment in the history of Zionism.” Zionism is defined as the movement for the re-establishment, development, and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. Considering the horrifying fact that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and that anti-semitism has existed for nearly 2,000 years, the Israeli government certainly had a right to pass this bill, and their reason for doing so is clear. The Jewish people originated in the land of Israel. And they have been there since the 10th century B.C.E. They were there before anyone else.

Critics, however, argue that the bill treats Arabs in Israel as second-class citizens. Specifically, they object to the clause of the bill which states, “The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.” However, this argument is deeply flawed because Israel was specifically created and recognized as a Jewish state by the United Nations in 1948. Of course Jews have the exclusive right to self-determination in Israel, because Israel is a Jewish state.

Critics also oppose parts of the bill which state that Hebrew is the official language of Israel and that Jerusalem is the official capital of Israel. However, the Palestinian Authority’s basic law and draft constitution includes clauses and articles that are very similar, and there has been no criticism of that document. Specifically, according to Chapter One of the 1995 Basic Law draft by the PLO, “The Palestinian people are the source of all authority which shall be exercised, through the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.” Also, Chapter Three of the draft states, “The Arabic language shall be the official language of Palestine.”

And not only that, but according to Article Two of The Constitution of Jordan, “Islam is the religion of the State and Arabic is its official language.” Article One of the constitution states, “The people of Jordan form a part of the Arab nation, and its system of government is parliamentary with a hereditary monarchy.” Egypt’s constitution proclaims that it is “an Arab republic” and “part of the Muslim world.” And the formal name for Iran is the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It is interesting that similar laws in the dozens of Muslim-ruled countries have not received any criticism whatsoever. But when the world’s only Jewish country attempts to define itself as a Jewish nation, it is viciously attacked for doing so. The inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this double-standard is that much of the world is opposed to the existence of a Jewish state, no matter how tiny.

New Building, New Neighborhood?

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Chinatown’s shops are being taken down and replaced, Midtown’s buildings are being upgraded, Washington Heights rent prices are soaring, and Astoria’s expensive new apartments are pushing some people out of their homes, according to local residents.

 

Rego Park isn’t too far behind.

 

Construction of a 23-story building on Queens Boulevard — the tallest one in the area — is underway as of late July. There used to be “several small businesses, including a bodega and a pharmacy” on the site, the Forest Hills Post reports.

 

The Forest Hills Post claims the building will have 116 apartments, 411 parking spaces, 25,000 square feet of commercial space and 30,000 square feet of community facility space. Residents will have access to a yoga studio, a teen room, a children’s room, and a rooftop terrace.

 

Also in Rego Park, a house on 64-53 Ellwell Crescent received a demolition permit on July 27, according to the NYC Department of Buildings. The site is across the street from a new elaborate house the Forest Hills Post describes as having “large Greek columns and a concrete yard.” People are concerned that the replacement house may look similar. These thoughts are stirring up controversy — especially among long-time residents — over how the neighborhood may look or feel.

 

The face of this community is evolving along with so many others across New York City, and Queens residents have a lot to say about it.

 

“It’s where the world is heading,” says Yuriy, a resident of the area for over 20 years.

 

Locals see new types of people coming into the area with more convenient living, and some see a promising outlook for the community.

 

Daniel, 22, lives in nearby Fresh Meadows, but has a lot of family and friends in the area around where the 23-story building will be built. He sees the neighborhood changing demographically, reporting “more Bukharians and Kosher stores.” 14-year-old Emily Murdakhayeva reports the neighborhood around her has been growing more crowded as it becomes more diverse.

 

Daniel explains that the older generations have started to be replaced by younger generations, as even “71st Avenue [Forest Hills] is starting to get more young people.” Yuriy thinks the new housing will bring more “young professionals” and “people who used to live in the city.” He says buildings such as the 23-story one foster an “ongoing pattern of migration from the inner city to outer boroughs.”

 

While the areas’ futures are still disputed, Rego Park and Forest Hills are becoming home to more — and more diverse — people. The NYU Furman Center reports that the racial and economic diversity has increased.

 

Some locals see other positive changes with the new mixed-use 23-story building.

 

Though both Daniel and Emily expect the value of homes to increase and rent to go up, Daniel thinks the new mixed-use building will “cause more traffic.” Yuriy describes the shops in the building as a “plus” for residents who “can do grocery shopping in the lobby of the building.”

 

More residences help people stay in the area, as Daniel mentions how he could see his brother moving into such a home after getting married. He says that with the train station nearby, a new building with plenty of apartments seems to be a good reason for families like his to stay and continue growing.

 

To add to the list of changes, Yuriy brings up the end of a old establishment. He reports that as the Flagship Diner in Briarwood, a neighborhood in Queens, sees its 50-year lease coming to a close, a developer who bought the site will very likely build a residential building in its place.

Caution: Kids on the Web

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By: Lila Chen

A child on the internet is a target for online predators.
Kids on the internet are susceptible to dangers online.

 

“They’re just like kids on the internet.”

Well, in this day and age, they’re probably not like kids, they are kids.

 

Social networking businesses like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are booming— so much so that Facebook plans to remove age restrictions on users, if not for the federal law banning the collection of data on children.

 

However, this decision, would not make as significant an impact on children as many of us may think.

 

Getting an account on these popular social media platforms is undoubtedly very easy. Lying about one’s age on these platforms is even easier. Birthdates identifies the users’ ages. If kids lie about their birthdates, sites cannot confirm if their information is true. This gives kids access to age restricted sites like Vine and parts of YouTube.

 

According to The Guardian, surveys conducted by The Advertising Standards Authority showed that over 80 percent of kids between ages 11 and 15 years old lie about their age on the internet. 40 percent of kids also claim to be over 18 years old on the web.

 

With so many kids lying to access things they should not, there should be tighter regulations around age restrictions on social media sites. If an independent organization like the Advertising Standards Authority is capable of tracking down children who lie about their age, the owners of these media sites should be able to as well.

 

While sites like Instagram and Facebook allow fellow users to report on underaged members, this is not enough to stop kids from violating the age limit because they can create new accounts to replace the old ones that are blocked.

 

Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Twitter has made no major attempts to enforce its rule barring users under 13 prior to this year. In fact, users didn’t have to state their birthdates to create an account. Consequently, there is no definite way for the site to know who is underaged.

 

This is why Twitter struggled to uproot underaged users when a new law threatened to fine media outlets with members under 13. Twitter’s attempts were ineffective as users who were over the age limit were also locked from their accounts. However, the site has continued with its method of locking accounts despite its lack of success.

 

Giving underaged users access to social media sites exposes them to many things early— things that are not necessarily appropriate for their age.

 

Vine, which had an age limit of 12 and up, was flooded with “pornographic clips,” in 2013, NPR reported. Even with Vine’s new age limit of 17 years old, kids who intentionally lie about their age will still have access to inappropriate content.

 

Early exposure to age-restricted content can have many harmful effects on underaged children. A 2012 study conducted in Dartmouth College, connected “movie sexual exposure” to sexual activity for children. It revealed that early exposure to sexual content increases the probability of kids having careless sex sooner in their life. This can cause not only teen pregnancy, but many additional health risks.

 

It is not just exposure to sexual content that put kids in danger. Violence on the internet is not new. Without stronger regulation on age restrictions, kids will continue to be exposed to it. In turn they will think that violence is acceptable— even cool— and become violent themselves.

 

Parents worry about this as social media sites make things more accessible to kids on the internet. Without stronger regulation of rules like age restrictions, kids growing up in this generation will wrongfully have a shorter childhood than prior generations.

Superintendent Couldn’t Care Less About Damages In Resident Homes

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By Jesica Ramirez August 9 at 10:05 AM

ELMHURST, NY— Jansinta Morelos came across a small water leakage in the pipe in her bathroom Friday morning and was worried her bathroom would flood into the neighbors’ downstairs. “It was scary because the hole could get bigger causing a bigger problem,” she said adding this isn’t the first time she came across such an issue.

“It isn’t the first time a water leakage happened,” she said. Morelos stood looking in discontent at what she saw.

Tenants on 45th Avenue reportedly find themselves faced with an issue in their own apartments that make them agitated. Dealing with their superintendent, who lives floors beneath residents, is difficult because he disregards the urgent need to fix damages. Residents say it’s complicated to do simple things such as turning on water in the sink.

“We had to complain about something almost every other day,” said a man living in the building who wished to remain anonymous. The resident commented he visits the superintendent’s office often and said, “Several times I had to personally go to the office for something bothering me. It has become a problem.”

The superintendent has told residents he would come to their apartment soon and fix damages though “he doesn’t stay true to his words,” the man said, “It’s been two weeks since I told him about a cracked wall in my living room and I see him often chilling.”

The building is constructed with wide lengthy hallways and a spacious center room extending to another side where more tenants live. People can walk through the center room to reach to the other part of the building. Both sides have a staircase and an elevator that residents use on a daily basis. However, the elevator on one side of the building has a consistent record of having technical problems while the elevator on the other side works fine.

“The amount of times this elevator keeps getting stuck is unbelievable!” said Amelia Flores, another resident of the building who uses the elevator daily.

The elevator has a button to push in case of emergency with a speaker to communicate with responders. Flores says, “I got stuck in the elevator once before for a short time before first responders came to fix the the elevator.”

The elevator rescue operators have become familiar in the building. Flores stated the elevator rescue operations operators weren’t surprised to receive a call from the building since they’ve been to it before.

“It was funny but sad,” Flores said, “when they put me on hold I heard them say, it’s the building on 45th Avenue again.”

Operators have not been seen in the building for a few months but that doesn’t mean the elevator has been working perfectly. The superintendent has been fixing the elevator!

Fixing an elevator is expensive because on average, a service call to fix an elevator is $120 and the cost for repairs is $75 per hour.

Residents are happy the superintendent fixes the elevator. Despite having the staircase as an alternative, they worry children can get hurt.

“It’s important for the people living here because most of them are elderly, parents of children, or simply need it for their folding tote,” the superintendent said adding “the staircase would give the residents a hard time bringing down their folding tote.”

Residents, though, question why the superintendent takes longer to come fix issues in their apartment.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said resident Emilio. He added last year he had a small hole on the ceiling and dust fell down onto the sink. Emilio reported it to the superintendent.

“A week went by and I even went twice to his office in case he forgot and didn’t get it fixed until almost a week later,” said Emilio.

The last two years were the busiest time for the superintendent because he received a lot of complaints from residents. “It’s hard to be in each of their apartment to fix the problem when people need me elsewhere,” the superintendent said. “Depending on what the problem is it can take a few days.”

Residents understand that the superintendent can be stressed out but they want everyone in the building to be free of harm.

“We’re all happy living here. The issues don’t always happen,” said an Indian man who recently moved in.

Queens Church on Immigration

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GAC LOGO

Immigration is a topic discussed among several platforms, such as art and scripture. It has been discussed throughout history but more so in today’s society.  

The 14-16-year-old class of the Greater Allen Cathedral in Queens, NY is preparing a skit on immigration for Sunday School.

T.W., 15, identifies as an African-American female. When asked the reason for portraying the issue of immigration in America as a skit, she said, “an immigration skit shows people what immigration’s about.” In other words, the injustices people have to go through. She hopes the skit will open people’s eyes to the injustices immigrants have to go through in America. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ upsets her, she said. “They call immigrants illegal, it’s like not fair.”  

T.S., 16, identifies as a Trinidadian-American male. He hopes the skit will change the way immigrants are treated when entering America. When asked about the effect of the term ‘illegal immigrant’ on him, he said, “It doesn’t really affect me but it affects others around me.”  

K.C., 16, identifies as a Haitian-American female. She hopes the skit will help the government see what it is doing to families. She said she doesn’t mind if immigrants are ‘illegal,’ but finds it problematic if they are also criminals.  

T.M., 15, identifies as a Jamaican-American male. He believes immigration is an important topic to discuss. He hopes the skit will help immigrants be accepted and start a new life in America. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ impacts him because it makes him “think about how we have so much and a lot of people do not and [they’re] getting taken away from their families.” He is very sympathetic toward the families ICE is separating. When asked about what he’s been told about ICE, he answered, “I feel like they’re doing an unfair thing, that people need to be able to come into this country and feel safe.”  

T.J., 15, identifies as an African-American male. He hopes the skit will be meaningful to people. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ impacts him because “if I wasn’t from here, it would be hard to get here.”  

Sister L.H, the teacher, identifies as an African-American female. She hopes the skit will “move others to action and because of the heightened awareness that a skit will bring, that they will understand that they have the power to do something.” When asked about what she’s been told about ICE, she answered, “ICE is an organization that basically patrols the border…they patrol the border in the sense that they’re the ones responsible for…I don’t want to just say apprehending people who come across the border because they should also be directing them to the proper authorities.”  

The teacher as well as the students were asked, “If you were undocumented, would you flee or would you stay and fight for you and every other undocumented person?” T.W. and T.S. said they would flee. K.C., T.M., T.J., and Sis. L.H. said they’d fight to stay.  

The students and the teacher said immigration is important to them individually. T.S. said, “On a [scale] from one to ten, probably like eight.” K.C. said, “It’s important because you know families are being separated from each other and that’s like really sad.” T.M.  said, “It’s very important because if I was put in their shoes, I would want to be [treated] the same as everyone else.” T.J. believes diversity itself is important. Sis. L.H. said, “Immigration is very important to me because I understand that most of America was built on the contributions of immigrants from different countries.” 

Immigration is a very controversial topic that can spark sensitivity within many living in America. Immigration in what it’s come to today has been made to be an upsetting topic for many. It has driven many families apart and broken many families that have been reunited. The Greater Allen Cathedral is being brave in discussing a topic so large that has many different opinions around it. They hope to make a difference in performing this skit and with that, spark greater discussion. Many live in fear of what could happen but forget that there is always now. The GAC shows the reality of it while also trying to spark hope in people. This shows determination for change and empathy for those affected. 

What is Summer Streets?

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You’re riding your bike in the crowded New York City streets to get food because you are starving and haven’t eaten anything all day. You come up to a stop light for what feels like forever and get annoyed, wishing you could just ride through the light without getting hit by a car. Well…you can!

 

Summer Streets is an annual celebration that takes place on three consecutive Saturdays from 7am to 1pm in Manhattan. You can freely ride your bike, walk on the side, or run along Park Avenue between City Hall Park and East 72nd Street and Central Park with no cars in your way.

 

Summer Streets gives New Yorkers the opportunity to experience the city in a whole new way. It’s a way to encourage people to take a more enjoyable and sustainable form of transportation. According to the Summer Streets website, “In 2017, nearly 300,000 people took advantage of the open streets.”

 

Five rest stops along Park Avenue offer activities such as yoga, dancing, food stops, a 30 foot zip-line and more! The best part is that it is entirely free. Summer streets is for all ages, not to mention it’s a way to start your Saturday morning. This year Summer Streets takes place on August 4, 11 and 18. Some riders even go to Summer Streets every year so they don’t miss out on anything.

 

Despite the fact that it was pouring rain, I went to Summer Streets on August 4 with my dad and rode my bike, stopping along the avenue to ask workers there some questions.

 

A volunteer at Summer Streets standing beside a table filled with New Yorkers making origami and learning how to ride bikes has been working at Summer Streets for the last five years. “People love Summer Streets in the rain. We had two young boys learn to ride bikes in the rain and they were ecstatic. I think this separates the rain lovers from the rest of us,” she said.

 

She continued to explain that, despite waking up at 4:30, she loves that she can share her joy of bicycling with everyone. “I would recommend Summer Streets to everyone, There is something for everyone here,” she said.

 

On the other side of the street, riders could get a customized helmet and take pictures in a tent. One of the volunteers working in that area had just started volunteering for Summer Streets that day. He goes to Stuyvesant High School. “Of course I would recommend Summer Streets to anyone, it’s super fun and brings people together. You can ride your bike in the wide open street with no cars. I went with my family to Summer Streets every year and this year I decided to volunteer,” he said.

 

According to the Summer Streets website, “Summer Streets is modeled on other events from around the world including Ciclovia en Bogotá, Colombia and the Paris Plage in France and has since inspired other such events around the world such as Ciclo Recreo Via and London’s Regent Street Summer Streets.”

 

West Side Community Garden Transforms from Nauseating to Beautiful

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By: Russell Stern

As a cool summer night wind blows and plants shine in the moonlight, dozens enter the West Side Community Garden, on 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam. They are going to see a concert, a smooth jazz quartet with piano, bass and drums. As they stride through the garden, they marvel at the beautiful berry patches and roses.

When the garden was first founded, however, people wouldn’t even think of going near it.

In 1975, the site was a large vacant lot strewn with nauseating garbage and dilapidated and stripped cars. It was even known as “strip city” among locals at the time. Crime and theft were on the rise in New York City, with the number of murders increasing by over 1,000 in a span of ten years and the number of robberies increasing by over 60,000.

“The vacant lot was part of the West Side Urban Renewal Plan, which aimed to renew and rebuild urban slums, and the lot was filled with rubble from buildings that used to be here,” Jackie Bukowski, former president and current legal counsel to the Garden Board, stated in an interview. “The Upper West Side was really a slum at the time, and there was a huge amount of crime. There were a lot of youthful gangs.”

“Watch West Side Story, and you’ll get the idea,” she added with a laugh.

Originally, Bukowski and the garden’s founders, Jerry Kretchmer and Joe Wasserman, did not need permission from the City of New York to clear out the vacant lot, which took up the entire block between 89th and 90th Street, and half the block between Columbus and Amsterdam. With the help of other volunteers, they completely cleaned up the lot and planted tomatoes and beds of flowers and vegetables. Several years later, though, when they wanted to modernize the garden, they were forced to enter into negotiations with the City Community Planning Board. The city planned to sell the lot to private developers to construct a high-rise apartment building and attached townhouses. The negotiations led to the garden winning permanent status in the city in 1985, by merely one vote. However, the size of the garden was greatly reduced.

“We had to make negotiations with Community Board 7 for six years, and the city wanted us to lease a small piece of the garden land and have us pay money for it,” said Bukowski. “But we established ourselves as a nonprofit organization and in 1989, the city granted us a deed and we became the owners of the land. We were able to accomplish this because we had many people supporting us, and kept lobbying members of the City Council.”

Once they became the owners of the land, community garden members established the concept for the public flower park and amphitheater. Construction began in the fall of 1989, and in the summer of 1990, the new garden was finally ready. It became a prominent oasis where frequent performances, plays and musical festivals are held.

Two of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, Macbeth and Julius Caesar, as well as music performances, have been held in the garden. James Winn, a pianist, and Rolf Schulte, a violinist, have played songs by Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Richard Strauss.

“The fundraiser we had for our first event was very special,” Bukowski mentioned. “It was the Macbeth play. It was fabulous. That’s probably the best play the garden’s ever held. The actors were amazing.”

The West Side Community Garden transformed what had been a rat-infested, garbage-filled junkyard into one of the Upper West Side’s most popular public gardens. This summer alone, the garden has sponsored numerous events, including a spring tulip festival, a July 4th potluck dinner, several movie nights, and a production of Shakespeare’s comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. And if Jackie Bukowski and her friends have their way, it will continue to thrive for decades to come.

God Is A Woman Controversy

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by: Yobany Reyes

Singer Ariana Grande’s latest release, the song “God Is A Woman,” has caused quite the controversy among religious individuals who believe using God as a metaphor for sex and referring to God as a woman are blasphemous.

Grande makes various allusions to sex throughout the song, including, “And I, I feel it after midnight/A feeling that you can’t fight/My one, it lingers when we’re done/You’ll believe God is a woman.”

She describes sex as a spiritual experience, according to Genius,  a digital media company which lists the verified lyrics and interpretations to them.

On the controversy, Grande replied to a fan via Twitter, stating, “I was expecting it and of course understand it… but it’s art. It’s okay if not everybody understands everything I do. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be myself and inspire others to do that as well. I would rather do that than play it safe.”

According to Genius, the music video for the song includes various biblical allusions, such as Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam, references to art, such as Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, and references to mythology, such as the three-headed dog Cerberus, the figures Romulus and Remus, and the Pantheon, which houses the gods of Roman mythology.

The song also makes a point of rejecting misogyny and negativity with the lyrics, “(Yeah) And I can be all the things you told me not to be/(Yeah) When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing.”

The music video includes a scene of Grande deflecting misogynistic slurs being flung at her by angry men.

Despite Grande’s use of God in her song, the song itself is not about religion. Using God as a metaphor for greatness is not uncommon in art, and has been done by popular artists such as Kanye West (who named his sixth album Yeezus, which lists a song titled “I Am God”) and Drake (who recently released the song “God’s Plan” where he says, “Might go down a G.O.D.”).

Grande’s assertion that God is a woman received significant criticism, while such assertions made by male artists go uncriticized, highlighting the misogyny and double standards Grande speaks of in her music. The usage of God highlights female empowerment that Grande advocates for both inside and outside her music.

Religion itself is open to interpretation, and Grande’s use of God is one of those interpretations.