The Paw Print

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

Main Content

Recent Posts

A Taste of Culture

by

By Mathieu Lebreton
By Mathieu Lebreton

The unyielding chattering increased in volume as the crowd grew larger. Mothers yelled at their children to stop running around. Families pushed through the crowd to get on the lines. Everyone came for the taste of the mouthwatering foods prepared in the tents set up in the market.

The Queens International Night Market takes place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturdays, from 6pm to midnight. It’s a new market that features independent vendors who show aspects of different cultures through food, art, merchandise, and performances. Recently, however, the market has been experiencing a lot of problems that make it difficult to keep the night market running.

According to the New York Times, John Wang, the man behind the Queens International Night Market, initially noticed that New York City did not have a night market. Other cities such as Taipei, Bangkok, and Marrakesh, already had a stable and successful night market.

Hoping to have a successful night market open in New York City, John Wang quit his job as a lawyer and started to raise money for the night market on Kickstarter. The initial goal of the fundraiser was to raise $100,000. It did not succeed, instead making only $14,000.

According to the website The Massive Invasion, “John Wang and his team were unable to secure their initial planned location, surrounding the world famous Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Park.” However, through private funding, John Wang was able to hold the night market on April 25th 2015 in the parking lot of the New York Hall of Science, which is also in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Thousands of people attended the inaugural of the night market (Gothamist). In a review on the website Yelp, dated April 25th, Hi L. said the “The night market is a good idea but unorganized! There were plenty of space and vendors were right on top of each other. The lines were tremendously long, you had to wait at least 40 minutes from each vendor.”

A man, who wishes to remain anonymous, lives in the area where the night market is held and he said, “It was extremely crowded. I intended to go to the market on the first night. However, my family and I left after seeing the huge crowd and not being able to get any food.”

According to a woman who posted on the night market’s facebook page, she attended the night market multiple times saw visible improvements as John Wang and his team tried to fix issues that they noticed. These issues included problems with lighting, electricity, and the long lines.

Simon, who lives in Queens, said, “I want to go visit the Night Market but I heard that even though it’s improved a lot since it first opened, it’s still crowded and the lines are still very long.”

However, the Queens International Night Market was not open in June due to the lack of funding. Another fundraiser was started on Kickstarter with the goal of $50,000. It also failed to raise enough money, raising only $10,000. Scraping just enough, the market was open again on July 11.

In the fundraiser video, John Wang said, “We don’t want to raise our vendor fees because that would cause them to raise their prices for our visitors.” In addition, there is no admission fee for the night market. John Wang and his team hopes that people will come to enjoy the cultural experience without paying so much.

Despite the difficulties the market is facing, thousands of people still attend every Saturday. For the 8th of August, a vendor map set up on the Queens Night Market website shows 40 food vendors and multiple art and merchandise vendors, as well as a few performances and a hula hoop contest.

Among the vendors, there are many different foods varying from Ecuadorian juices, fried nutella, takoyaki,  Filipino bibingkas, to Korean pancakes and ho-dduk. In addition, the website listed many incoming vendors such as Caribbean Street Eats, Pancake Rolls, and Cassey’s Cookies and Cobblers.

With thousands of people visiting the night market, it has become popular. However, there are only a few days left of the night market.

According to a team member of the Night Market, August 15 will be “ last Saturday @nysci before we take a mini break and start in Jamaica…Starting September 5th, our new location will be on 168th Street and 90th Avenue in Jamaica, right next door to the Central Library and the NYPD Precinct, and is easily accessible from the F train and E train.”

So, if anyone’s interested in visiting the Queens Night market, there’s just one more day left. If anyone is excited about experiencing the market, but can not attend on the 15th, there will be a chance starting in September.

 

An Appetizing Deal With a Side of Smallness

by

restaurant-449952_1280
The aroma of fine wine and lean meat greet customers as they step into restaurants all around the city. Entering four to five star restaurants, customers expect no less than a grand evening as they dine at some of New York’s finest eateries. However, something small did not meet their requirements.

For three weeks, restaurants are offering new and regular customers a deal that provides extravagant food for a low price. Hundreds of restaurants all over the city are offering deals for both lunch and dinner: 25 dollars for a three course lunch and 38 dollars for a three course dinner.

This year, NYC Restaurant Week takes place from July 20 to August 14, excluding all Saturdays. According to OpenTable, a website for restaurant reservations, there are 344 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week. Most of the restaurants acquired a rating of 4 stars or higher, which can be obtained by over-the-top quality food and service.

Le Cirque, a restaurant located at 151 East 58th Street, received a four star rating from Forbes Travel guide, according to Le Cirque’s website. “[Le Cirque] should honestly have a five star rating. The food is amazing and service is great, even during Restaurant Week! The deal they offer is amazing”, says Julia.

Julia, a woman with a full business formal attire, sat elegantly on the velvet seat as she waited for food at Le Cirque. Although she sat alone, she was still happy, smiling as the waiter brought the food to her. “I’ve been here multiple times. I simply love the food here; the food is extravagant,” she says.

Another customer of Le Cirque, Robert Lee, also believes that the deals are superb. “It provides small spenders a chance to taste gourmet food at a decently low cost,” he says. Robert believes that Restaurant Week deals are an opportunity that allows a restaurant to demonstrate its worth and attract new customers, as well as to please those who do not get a chance to enjoy gourmet meals on a daily basis.

However, some people don’t believe that it should be called a “deal”.

“It doesn’t seem worth it,” said Anna, a customer of Clement, a restaurant located in the Peninsula Hotel, “The portion of the food was too small.” She finished her entrée, a grilled monkfish with summer squash and black bean, in five bites. “The quality is there, but the quantity isn’t. With $38, I could go to Applebee’s with my husband and get an appetizer with two entrées.”

As for another customer, he said that, “ expectations were just not met.” As a regular customer and followers of the restaurant, he says that the Restaurant Week menu failed to offer a large variety, and “[limited] my choices. I didn’t find any of my favorite dishes on the menu.”

Each restaurant offered a different special menu specifically for Restaurant Week. As for Le Cirque, its menu only offered four choices for the appetizer, the entrée, and dessert.

Even a waiter at one of the restaurants, unnamed for personal purposes, noted that he did not fancy the event. “I work twice as hard, yet my pay barely changes,” he says, carrying two dirty plates, two empty glass wines and a bowl.

When people bet on a coin, they either win or lose. There are two sides, and many feel that Restaurant Week landed on both.

 

Craving for Community

by Leave a Comment

The city evolves with the times. However there are few places where locals and tourists alike can escape the repetition made by New York’s arrays of concrete, glass and brick edifices. The High Line has become a park where people seek refuge from such order. 

The High Line has become more than just a popular tourist attraction due to the opening of the Whitney museum in the Meatpacking District. The park now captures the essence of New York’s changes and diversity.

Western_Electric_complex_NYC_1936
The High Line in the 1900’s

The park has steel framed perspectives of the city streets and river views. These frames capture the old brick warehouses, modern glass hotels and apartments, and the historical cobble stoned streets intersecting with freshly paved asphalt. Yet they also appear to be ombré images of New York’s development.

In 2009, the first section of the High Line opened to the public. What once was a railroad track for transporting goods to and from the Industrial District, has become a public park that attracts thousands of visitors each day.

People from all over the world and right around the block come here – people of different cultural backgrounds and social classes. Yet here society draws no division. Melina Franco, a tourist from California, was brought here by her aunt. Franco says, “Here there is no judgement from people around you. Everyone is doing their own thing.”

The High Line has become a must-see place for not only tourists, but also to those who are or used to be fellow New Yorkers. Joseph Whelan used to live in New York City before the High Line was a public park and now comes here to “play tourist.” John Reverol comes once a month all the way from New Rochelle, “to have some alone time, even though I’m never really alone because there are so many people. It’s very relaxing.”

Love can also be found at the High Line. Couples flock to the park to see the hidden sculptures, variety of foliage and views of the river and city or to just sit and talk. Ninety year old, Marion Needlman, comes every three months from Chapel Hill, NC to spend time with her high school sweetheart Herbert Oppenheimer, a local. Together they look at the interesting public art projects that can be found all over the High Line and architecture of surrounding buildings.

The High Line has become a place where visitors seek refuge from the extreme summer heat and the smelly streets. Visitors can enjoy the cool breezes and pleasant olfactory experiences of the park while resting on the many benches scattered along the park.

3706235356_309fdbb904_o
Where the past meets the present

Noelle Franco, a local, says, “New Yorkers crave greenery!” This can be confirmed by many of the locals who come to to the High Line. However this isn’t just true for them. Tourists such as Deepa Manjanatha like “the integrations of plants and the juxtaposition of nature and industrial Meatpacking District.”

Many people find the mélange “funny because you see these plants and then there is like scaffolding and art.” Although some may consider it a mess or confusing, most see the beautiful flowers and other perennials hidden in the grasses and the seemingly random placement of trees as beautiful and interesting. Rosemary Klassen is from a part of Florida where nature thrives. She finds that the park is a nice “combination of the familiar (nature) in an unfamiliar place. A place where urban meshes with nature.”

unnamed 2
Views from the “Urban Cloud”

Despite the attraction, the High Line is also used as a form of transportation. Visitors can walk over traffic in an “urban cloud” all the way from Gansevoort and Washington Street to 34th Street and 12th Avenue. Natasha Pereira works at the Whitney Museum and due to the convenience and proximity, travels uptown through the park.

Yet despite the endless reasons why people enjoy and come to the High Line, what people really love is the sense of community that it provides. The way people come together at the High Line reflects how New York has come to be the city where diversity is commonality.

The Mystery Cloud of Vaping

by Leave a Comment

At nine o’clock in the morning, some people are getting off the train and rushing to work, some are waiting for coffee on a line that stretches outside the shop, and some are already smoking- that’s nothing unusual. What is unusual is the myriad of people who, instead of lighting a cigarette, puff on a pen-like device and blow out fruity-smelling smoke.

Photo by flickr user micadew.
Photo by flickr user micadew.

This pen-like device, called a vaporizer or vape, was introduced to the market in 2004. Since then, global usage has rocketed.

Derek Li, a 22-year-old from Brooklyn, says that he used to smoke cigarettes before realizing the harmful effects they posed and switching over to using a vape. “I used to smoke because my friends smoked, and I didn’t think much of it until I realized I was slowly becoming addicted.”

When Derek caught himself craving cigarettes during classes, he knew he had to put a stop to his bad habit. “It felt weird to just watch my friends smoke, so I bought a vape to keep my hands and mouth busy while my friends smoked their cigarettes.”

18539459466_51f79e952d_oWhile there are disagreements among experts regarding the effectiveness of vapes to help smokers quit, Derek says that he hasn’t touched a cigarette since buying his vape two years ago. Studies also show that 20 percent of people who tried e-cigarettes as a quitting aid succeeded in the long term.

A large amount of the increased use of vapes and e-cigs is a result of teens gaining access to the devices, but on the other hand, use of traditional cigarettes has drastically declined among these teens.

Okay, so vapes help people quit, but they’re still harmful, right? People may have been told that vapes are harmful because they contain formaldehyde, which is associated with cancer, but a Portland State study clarified that claim; the devices only contain this harmful chemical when they are used at high voltages, which is seldom the case. According to The New York Times, vaping at a high voltage creates a horrible burning taste; statistics show that most vape users use fruity nicotine-free juice for the sweet flavor, so a burning taste would be just as unappealing to them as formaldehyde.

Martin Grandeise, a 32 year old bank teller at Chase Bank in Brooklyn, is also a vaper. Martin says he was never a smoker, but always went to hookah bars with friends because it was “fun.” He didn’t pay much attention to e-cigarettes at first because they didn’t seem to concern him, but when he saw more co-workers and strangers on the streets vaping, he decided to give it a go.

“I really enjoy vaping- I’ve been doing this for years. I hear a lot of criticism about people who use nicotine-free juice because it’s useless or whatever but I like it because for me I can get the fruity flavors of hookah without the hookah. It’s so easy and convenient- I love it,” he says.15249922438_66493208ed_o

So, is vaping more or less harmful to one’s health than traditional cigarettes? It’s hard to say, because scientists have not yet been able to conduct studies on the long-term effects of vaping, but there are certainly upsides to it.

For starters, users can choose whether or not they want nicotine in their products, a luxury not offered to those who have chosen to stick with traditional cigarettes.

A major concern of smoking has always been the effects it has on those surrounding smokers, known as secondhand smoking. According to popsci.com, secondhand vaping has proven to be less harmful than secondhand smoking; tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, which is thousands of times more than those found in vapor smoke.

So why hasn’t everybody switched over to e-cigarettes and vapes yet if they’re so much less harmful than cigarettes? One main reason is that most people are afraid of the effects it may has, given that it is such a mystery even to scientists.

The fact? Tons of studies have been done, many of which indicate that these products are far less toxic than cigarettes. A long term smoker says that they think vaping is “too fancy,” or “too much work,” so he simply decides it’s better to pull out a lighter and a cigarette every time he needs a nicotine fix.”

“I’m not saying that everyone should vape, I’m just surprised that so many people would rather smoke something that harms themselves and everyone around them,” says Martin Grandeise.

Map Shows How Inaccessible City Subways Are

by

subway-wheelchair-map-14337699811

 

The NYC Subway system has 468 stops. Less than 100 of those stops are accessible to people with physical disabilities.

According to the MTA website, in 2014 daily ridership on the subway was about 5.6 million. This number has only increased since then. Of those 5.6 million riders, about a million of them are disabled. They are in wheelchairs, walkers, or canes and are unable to use the stairs.

Matthew Ahn, a 24 year old lawyer, created a map on which the accessible stations are highlighted and non-accessible stations are removed. There is an obvious discrepancy between the amount of accessible and non accessible stations. For example, there are eighteen stations between 34th and 66th streets in Manhattan that are accessible which is more stations than in all of Queens and all of the Bronx. Disabled passengers traveling to the outer boroughs are going to have a hard time.

The MTA often encourages disabled passengers to use the bus system instead but as Ahn says on his blog, “The bus system is set up more to complement the subway system than to handle standard commuting patterns, and it is generally neighborhood-based and might require multiple transfers to ride between boroughs.” The bus system might not provide the same level of reliability that the subway system will. Although the city has Access-a-ride buses, they have a history of showing up late and unreliability.

At the Hunts Point station in the Bronx, 51 year old Nancy, who is in wheelchair, waits for the Manhattan bound 6 train at 8:30 a.m. “I leave my house at 7:00 a.m to take the train now” she says. Nancy lives near the Pelham Bay Park station, which is currently undergoing construction so it’s not wheelchair accessible. Nancy has to make her way to the Bx5 bus stop to take it to Hunts Point. “It’s hard for me and it’s ridiculous that so few stops in the Bronx are accessible to people with physical disabilities.” Nancy thinks the city should focus more on making more stations wheelchair accessible than installing Wi-Fi underground.

The MTA is not completely at fault for the lack of accessibility city wide. They suffered a series of budget cuts, thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo. According to StreetsBlog, Cuomo said that MTA budget was “bloated” and he cut state contribution to the budget.

More needs to be done to make the city more accessible. The state needs to grant the MTA more money for their budget and the MTA needs to make it a priority to improve the accessibility of all subway stations. Until then, people like Nancy will have to rely on buses to take them to other train stations.

The Microscopic Pool Predator

by Leave a Comment

pool_parasitesWhen it comes to the scorching heat of the summer, the free recreational pools in New York City are paradise. However, these pools can also become people’s worst nightmares. When some toddlers accidently release diarrhea, microscopic parasites can effortlessly slither across the pool until they meet their new host: you.
This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in outbreaks of a parasite called Cryptosporidium—a chlorine-resistant parasite that lives in animals’ and people’s intestine and is transmitted by feces. “Crypto has become the leading cause of swimming pool-related outbreaks of diarrheal illness,” the CDC website stated. Between 2011 to 2012, there were over 90 , resulting in 1,788 illnesses, 95 hospitalizations and one death, according to the website.

People who have weak immune systems are affected the most because it will take them a longer time to recover from the side effects such as cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

After coming out of the Sunset Park pool, twenty-year-old Robin was the only one who did not want to go into swimming pools after hearing about the parasite. Because he has a weak immune system, he said, “I don’t want to put my health at stake for just a good swim in the summer. I feel really painful when I am sick.”

Other than that, most people who were interviewed at the Sunset Park pool found the parasite disgusting but would still go to the pool.

Michelle Chen, a camp volunteer, stated that her students visit the Sunset Park pool every week and she often has to get in the water to supervise them. “Honestly, I did not notice anyone getting sick so I would still go into the pools. I don’t think this will stop people because the pools are the main attractions in the summer,” she said.

Two siblings were shocked when told about the parasite. However, after thinking for a moment, they concluded, “this won’t stop us because the pool is free and is near our house.”

Pei Xia, a mother of two kids, said she heard about the parasite on the news and learned that “the parasite will be gone from the body in about two to three weeks.” So without any hesitation, she signed her son up for free swimming lessons at the Sunset Park pool, knowing that the parasite was not extremely dangerous.

For those who insist on swimming in public pools, the danger of the parasite can be reduced by following the hygiene rules. Everyone has little amounts of fecal matter on their bottoms so doctors on MedicineNet.com recommend people take showers before and after swimming, wash hands and avoid swallowing pool water.

People should refrain from swimming if they have diarrhea. This is extremely important for children or babies in diapers. Michelle added, “Even if little kids are sick, they would still go in the water.” She said that parents have the responsibility to make sure their children are not sick before entering pools in consideration of the public’s health.

For many New York City residents who rely on the free pools to stay cool in the summer, a tiny parasite will not stop them from dipping into the water but everyone should take care of their own hygiene before swimming. New York City citizens are suggested to check for more information on Cryptosporidium and ways to swim safely this summer.




The Fort Still Stands

by

“It’s amazing how3941175557_5049417d99_o this fort still stands,” said a park ranger.

A Long Island park called Fort Totten just reopened after a year and a half of renovations. “Fort Totten looks better than before. The parking lot is cleaner, the benches look newer, and it definitely looks less gloomy,” said a nearby pedestrian.

The Dutch originally owned Fort Totten in 1639. Back in 1639, Fort Totten was just a peninsula. A year before Civil War began; Congress gave $15,000 for the building of the “Fort at Willet’s Point.”

In 2005, Fort Totten Park was opened to the public, but what was it before? In 1941, Fort Totten was made headquarters of the Anti- Aircraft Command of the Eastern Defense Command and in 1944; it became headquarters of the North Atlantic region of the Air Transport Command. Fort Totten is located at 422 Weaver Ave, Bayside, NY 11359.

Today, it is a park open to all viewing eyes. It is no longer used by the military. There’s a beautiful bridge made of rocks that goes out to the ocean. When walking out you can smell the seawater and see the clear ocean water. One of the park ranger said, “When I come here to work, I feel refreshed. The fresh scent of saltwater hits your nose and you just feel refreshed.”

There are two part at Fort Totten; the old headquarters and an open field area where you can relax and take in the fresh air. Both sides are open to the public. The old headquarters are the old buildings where soldiers planned their attacks and bunkered down during World War II.

The fort is magnificent, there were about four tunnels that led to different areas, but now only one tunnel is open, due to a shortage of workers. The tunnel is long and dreary made of stone and at the end of it is a bright path of sunlight.

Walking outside of the tunnel, you see an enormous fort. However, the fort is only two stories high. There is a long staircase that leads upstairs, it’s the only one you get use because the others are closed off. The staircase is dark and spooky like, but upstairs, there’s a wide-open space filled with non- working cannons and stone.

Fort Totten is a very beautiful park. It is clean, it smells nice, and it is very historic. If you ever want to go somewhere historical, go to Fort Totten.

People go to Fort Totten to see the fort, the bridge made of rocks, the park, and to see their child play soccer games. Recently Fort Totten added a pool area and a soccer area for everyone. The soccer area is mainly used by kids who play in soccer teams and the pool is opened for everyone.

 

Far Rockaway: On its Way Up

by

Hurricane Sandy was a storm so strong it washed away houses, scared off natives, and destroyed most of the boardwalk and beaches. Yet, nearly three years later the city is on its way up.  With much effort from those who live in the rockaway area and $140 million given by the state, many if not all the beaches have been restored.

The new changes that have come along in such a short period of time have surely made an impact on what visitors and locals think. Some of those changes include, according to the NYC Parks website, “Damaged beach buildings were renovated with new boardwalk islands constructed around them, public restrooms and lifeguard stations were installed to replace destroyed facilities.. “.

Nearly three full summers of watching the beaches transform post sandy many of the locals have a lot to say. Jessica, who has lived in Rockaway her whole life says, “I don’t really notice any changes. I think the boardwalk has been the only thing.” She continues by saying that she saw a lot of small businesses  shut down and she’s waiting for them to make a comeback. Darius, a young beach goer added onto this stating, “The place I  go to do laundry went away after the hurricane so now we have to drive to another place instead of just walking there like we used to”. Darius’s mother chimed in saying that she believed the beach would always be a big source of attraction regardless of the more aesthetically pleasing boardwalk. “Its one of the only decent beaches accessible to all the five boroughs so people are always going to come here especially during a dry summer day”


When beach goers were asked what they thought of the beach this summer  compared to others many said it’s gotten increasingly crowded with each passing summer since the storm. Sandra, a native to Rockaway states, “I went to the beach the summer (following) the storm and it was very empty, people were still there but I could tell it was mostly just people who lived here… I think as time passed people realized it really wasn’t so bad and by summer of 2014 it was extremely crowded again.”

That statement seemed to be true. Beach goers stated that they don’t frequent any other beaches but Rockaway simply because it’s cleaner compared to coney island and more convenient than others in New York. So, the consensus seemed to be that although the beach has improved, people care about the mom and pop stores that haven’t returned years after the storm. As for the visitors of the beach, as long as they can enjoy the sun and take a dip in the ocean the small renovations to the boardwalk seem to not really interest them.

Art In Bushwick and Its Lasting Effects

by

Street_art_in_Brooklyn_14

“I think art is a useful tool for showing what one may be afraid to say,” Benjamin, who has recently moved to Bushwick, says as he looks at the graffiti in front of him

  Graffiti has been a part of New York culture since the 1960s, following the death of Charles “Yardbird” Parker, a popular jazz artist, in 1955 and groups of people writing “Bird Lives” on buildings. Now in 2015, graffiti is considered a form of art and in the neighborhood of Bushwick, this is evident.

 Bushwick is in Northern Brooklyn, near Williamsburg and Ridgewood, Queens. In past decades, it had a reputation of being full of “Gangs, drugs and violence” according to Gloria, who’s been a resident of the area for 21 years.

 However in the last decade, the neighborhood has been gentrified and has become a popular area for “hipsters.” This has led to a drastic change of culture in Bushwick because of the people moving in. As rent increased, lower-income individuals could not afford it left their homes in search of lower rent. Therefore people who could afford it moved into these homes.

 This change of people also led to a change of what people expressed in their art. The majority of the graffiti today is a variety of emotions of different topics like police brutality and pop culture. Many artists want their voices heard and graffiti is a way to get a majority of people to see it.

  Gloria also recalled how most of the graffiti was gang related in the 80s and 90s, so everyone knows whom they are affiliated with. But now people just want their ideas out there. Bushwick is also the home of the ‘Art In Bushwick’ organization, which hosts many of the artists responsible for the new type of graffiti.

One example of this is the artwork of a young man in traditional Mexican attire with the words ‘Earth’ and ‘Revolution’ written on his right and left hands respectively. The pose he’s in is similar to one of surrender. The background is a dark red sunset and birds flying around, with bullet holes seemingly hitting the young man. “I think it’s beautifully symbolic, given the current actions of the police,” says Franklin, who was departing the nearby Jefferson St. subway station. One of the more interesting things about this piece is how the paint is also on the ground, resembling blood. The art was made by Ta’Kaiya Blaney. It is located on the corner of Starr Street and Wyckoff Avenue.

Street_art_in_Brooklyn_30
Earth Revolution Graffiti

  Another piece of art is the more recent rendition of 4 Renaissance artists, (Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello,) painted with the same colored masks of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that hold their names. This combines modern culture with the Renaissance era. The 4 men are painted in black and white, aside from their masks, which are the 4 colors of the ninja turtles (Blue, Red, Orange and Purple respectively.) The mural was created by New Zealand street artist Owen Dippie and is located at the old railroad tracks near Morgan and Meserole avenues.

Renaissance Artists with Ninja Turtles masks
Renaissance Artists with Ninja Turtles masks 

Traditionally graffiti was used as a way to express one’s emotions about a certain topic, may it be one as serious as police brutality or as light hearted as friendship. The artwork in Bushwick is no exception. But there are always those who don’t like what’s going on.

“Why do you need to let everyone know what your name is? I honestly don’t see the point.” Hebert, an elderly man who was passing by, said. He was referring to the graffiti that read “Marley” multiple times on different colors. There was also the random destruction of posters at the Jefferson St. Stop, at the stairwell. They told a story about the two women in the ‘AT&T’ posters that didn’t relate to the actual message of the posters. The graffiti was written on these posters telling a story of how the two women in the ad were actually a couple, and how difficult their relationship was. Currently, different posters have covered up those ads. But even this “mindless” vandalism meant something, at least to the person who spent their time writing it out.

The graffiti is allowing Bushwick to blossom into a place for people who want to spread a message to the masses. It helped make a place that used to be filled with factories and chaos into a place that is calm and filled with art for the world to see.

 

New York Tech August 2015 Opens Door for High School Students

by

unnamed
From left to right: Miranda Cheikan, Taylor Li, Leslie Bresnahan, Anya Hargil, Gianna Gomez

Every month, professionals from all parts of the New York technology community meet up to support the growth and diversification of the city’s technology industry at New York Tech Meetup. NYTM is a community-led organization supported by its members, who created it to allow companies to network to further their businesses. On August 4th, 2015, another meeting took place at the NYU Skirball Center For The Performing Arts, where in two hours, more than ten companies presented demos on new apps or devices that could be used by the public eventually.

Different companies joined to present live demos from companies developing new technology in New York. Some companies were developing applications that performed a variety of tasks such as providing treatment for addiction and dependence disorders or apps that develop text-to-video technology that allow publishers to make informative video summaries in seconds.

While the Tech Meetup helps publicize companies like Wibbitz, the meetup also allows high school students to present their demos as well.

Students from Stuyvesant High School presented Vynl, and TLDR.

Vynl is an application created by Eric Z. Chen, Andrew Fischer and Daniel Zabari, that takes the role of a DJ, while allowing users to collaboratively create playlists at a social gathering. During their presentation, three students provided the audience with a link to demonstrate how many people can contribute to one playlist at the same time with ease. The song choices brought some in the audience to laughter, as many added works by Fetty Wap or Neil Young.

TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is a chrome extension that allows users to have articles summarized and saved for later reading, or studying created by Leslie Bresnahan, Miranda Chaiken and Anya Hargil. This extension highlights key words and saves them defined as a study tool. Afterwards, the young women said that their idea was inspired by the workload they were given. “We had this teacher that would assign us like 40-page readings in one night,” said Bresnahan, who will attend Brown University in the fall.

They haven’t publicized the extension in their school, but they did expose it to many developers who can help them improve or spread their creation. They were asked if they had spoken to Zohar Dayan, the CEO and co-founder of Wibbitz, who made a similar app that takes written word and makes it into a video in order to summarize it. They were yet to speak with him.

The New York Tech Meetup allows people to network. Who knows whether TLDR will get tips from the CEO of Wibbitz? Who knows where it can take someone? Whether it be at a job in Google or IBM, the New York Tech Meetup has much to offer to those who attend. The meetings occur monthly, and regulars and newbies will meet once again next month on September 9th, 2015.