Category Archives: 409A T 12:30-3:15

Inline Online Art

 

A map of different art related locations.

This map is to show where certain are located in terms of museums or other facilities.

Artists cannot be mapped themselves, but the art that they do can be mapped depending on where they are within the city. The map will point out places you can go to to see different art pieces even if it’s in a museum or somewhere on the side of a street. Although people like seeing publicly displayed pieces of art and find them important, other people tend to show that online art and artists are unimportant as a whole which shows that we may need to show how important it is what artists do privately and publicly. If we are right about people thinking that art is unimportant, then major consequences for the artist and work traffic that they need to make money.

For the public, displayed pieces in museums and in public parks make people appreciate them for being there, and thus some people come to love those pieces. According to Americans for the Arts they say that public art “humanizes the built environment, provides an intersection between past, present, and future, and can help communities thrive”. This shows that in communities different art-related structures help build up a community around it and it helps connect events and people born at different times together. They also have a video that goes in greater detail on these points.

Although the arts are important in communities and in people’s lives, there’s a group of people that almost make fun of artists and sometimes even be disrespectful towards artists. In the subreddit Choosing Beggars people post how people in their day to day lives want everything cheaper or sometimes even free. A user on there who goes by batterycat made a post about how a friend of theirs is stealing their art and displaying it as their own and even selling it as well without any credit. This goes to show that even though people are not afraid to just insult someone’s work just for their own benefits and shows how artists are not exactly respected or treated right.

If the general public forgets the importance of the arts, then it could have some serious issues arise from it. In a public opinion poll made by Americans for the Arts they showed statistics involving the arts and how it affects people on their daily lives. One such example is how the public feels as though the arts should be taught in and out of schools. This shows that while there are people who dismiss it, the general masses agree that art is generally very important in daily life.

ARTS_Infographics_MECH 6

While most people will say that artists are treated with respect and are popular, those people may only respect traditional artists of old and/or be people who think modern-day artists aren’t working honest jobs. The point of the map is to show that people don’t need to go to a big museum to see good art as there are so many different artists online that also deserve recognition and could use the support. As an artist myself who knows other artists, it’s difficult trying to be a digital artist and trying to make a living.

The South Bronx: From Rags To Million Dollar Piano District .

 

The Bronx has a rich cultural history and is home to some of the most vibrant communities in the City.it went under rapid growth during the turn of the twentieth century, as it residential development boomed and subway lines extended further South in the Bronx, making travelling to and from the inner borough of Manhattan more accessible. Thousands of Irish, Italian, French, German, Polish and Jamigrants left the bronx  and either migrated further South in the Bronx or left the borough entirely, leaving behind mostly Hispanic and African Aican populations. Essentially, the South Bronx went from being two-thirds non-Hispanic in 1950, to two-thirds black or Puerto Rican in 1960. While issues of poverty, crime,  unemployment are not unique to the bronx The Mott Haven area of the Bronx has caught the eye of property developers and businessmen, with film studio springing in the waterfront warehouses, and companies specialising in loft apartments snapping up land.

 According to the 2015 BCD1  (Bronx Community District 1) Community Health profile, 72% of our community is Hispanic, 25% is Black and 2% is White. What’s more, 28% of our community is foreign born and 36% have limited English proficiency, and while some may say that the borough is not ready for major gentrification, developers argue that water front land of the mott heaven  has great potential for real estate opportunities, on the other hand  The South Bronx is, and has a history of being, one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC. Crime, and drugs  in the borough is at a high compared to others . “We’re seeing more cameras faster — and more borough equity,” said Deputy Commissioner Phil Walzak, the NYPD’s top spokesman, and effort to ensure the public the the police is active in lowering the stats as written by The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/nyregion/bronx-heroin-fentanyl-opioid-overdoses.html .

According to https://datausa.io/profile/geo/bronx-county-ny the bronx has a median household income 10% of what some of the new propose apartment developments in the borough would cost. Owning one of these apartments will set you back 20-30% downpayment, not many of the renter in the bronx can become owners, I say this is the introduction to gentrification . Gentrification is a term used to describe what happens when lower-income neighborhoods receive massive levels of new investment, adding amenities, raising home values and bringing in new upper-income residents. This can lead to cultural displacement, when members of a racial or ethnic group who were longtime residents of gentrified neighborhoods are pushed out. The map shows some of the propose construction sites for the developments along the waterline, and the Group.

The Chetrit Group and Somerset Partners, the developers behind the Piano District and Port Morris waterfront development to bring thousands of market-rate luxury housing to the South Bronx, have sold their development for $165 million to Brookfield Properties according to The New York Post. This is the single most expensive transaction for a development site in Bronx history according to property records, and websites. With property values rising, a lot of the culture and bronx natives will be pushed out of the sll ready known “Lost Borough” , at least thats what some fear, and what studies have shown happens when gentrification happens.According to the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/realestate/the-bronx-is-great-thonx.html it is  being called the new Brooklyn, and it has many local residents fearing for their displacement, as they sit hopelessly while their borough gets auctioned off Piece By Piece.

 In my experience i was born and raised in the bronx, and i plan on getting a piece of this auction. Myself  and many local bronx residents should be invested in the borough that we call home for decades personally  I don’t  believe in displacement of locals  because they are the culture and the blueprint when listening to the narrative , and ideology of a community .  The say this is the new piano district, and i say we are the ones that hold the true keys . When you ask a bronx native if they are aware of the proposed “Piano District”, many are unaware.

 Bibliography :

CityRealty Staff. “Deegan Towers: New 25-story buildings on the South Bronx waterfront top out construction.” Future New York. October 17, 2019. https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/deegan-towers-new-25-story-buildings-south-bronx-waterfront-top-out-construction/16384

Small, Eddie. “This is what Brookfield’s South Bronx Megaproject Will Look Like.” TRD New York. https://therealdeal.com/2019/11/21/heres-what-brookfields-massive-south-bronx-project-will-look-like/ 

 

Final essay

 

Bronx School lunches: Time to feed the Future a healthy food

  Public School lunch meals served to children in low income areas like the South Bronx district 15th need to be changed for fresh meals. We all admire that food is life and it plays a major role in the function of our body system, and in order to maintain our body healthy we need to consume wholesome fresh food. But, we tend to assume that Public school meals served in the Bronx is wholesome, while in reality school meals is unwholesome meals because it caused harm on children’s health. This point out that children from low-income and racial and ethnic minority are likely the most classified obese in the U.S. because they don’t have access to adequate fresh meals except to the artificial foods that are made available to them in schools. By analyzing this issue, we observe that the majority of minority children today are highly affected by obesity compared to the white people’s children who are less affected. Which make me think that all schools should provide a healthier presentable meals to all children because whatever the schools provide them as lunch will turn to influence their lifelong eating habits and their academic achievement. Although organic food is expensive, its positive benefit on children’s development make it necessary to include it in school lunches at a low income districts.

Organic food tends to cost more than conventional foods. Hirsh reported that “ Another reason organic food costs more is because the production process is more expensive. More labor is required to maintain organic farms than conventional farms, since organic agricultural practices are often more complicated (and take longer) than using pesticides to manage crops, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)” ( Hirsh, Sophie). This evidence explain that organic food is more expensive than conventional foods because the ingredients used to process the production cost a lot and it demands a lot of time and strength. Also, it  request more workers in the field to help take care of the organic farms rather than the conventional farms. This evidence resonate to my claim because organic does cost a lot of money because it made naturally without the use of synthetic or chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Even though some people think that buying organic food is a waste of money or it is not better than conventional food, they are wrong because it is better to spend money on good food rather than spend the money in hospital. While, on the other hand I understand that not everybody can afford to buy organic food because it consumes a lot of money and can make people run out of budget. I also understand the fact that school can’t provide organic food every day for lunch but anyhow the government can reinforces the system by incorporating organic food to public school. Although organic food’s price is high, it is recommended as the healthiest food to intake into the body in order to balance our metabolism and keep them in good healthy position. 

Although organic food cost a lot of money, there are others ways to improve the school lunch system without doubt. According to Thomas, “ An Elite Chef Is Trying to Engineera Better School Lunch.” 

This image illustrated the new technique coined by “Dan Giusti” to better the schools lunches system. As you can see in the picture Dan Giusti, trying to resolve school lunch problem in the Bronx by visiting school cafeteria to help transform scratch food to a wholesome. Mr. Giusti collaborated with many schools to project a better way of making school lunch great and more appealing for kids even though kids might not adjust to the new habits and taste rather way. He devoted to determine the next steps by improving public school meals system in the community and worldwide by showing them how to set up their own kitchen rooms, handle food safely by balancing budget and with an excellent cooking skills. So, he thought about the idea of putting professional chef in all public school cafeteria to improve prefab school meals to a healthy cooking meals and raise awareness on improving school meals by incorporating cooking meals in all public school cafeteria in the Bronx. I truly support his actions, about making school lunches more presentable and appealing because it is the main key way to guarantee a standard health for us all. Doing this will help better the Nutrition service system because it will help enhance the well-being of the kids.

Children at low income schools need access to fresh and healthy food for lunches because it will help them learn better when they’re well nourished. Oder talks about Stephen Ritz, author of the Power of a plant who says “We believe that the art and science of growing vegetables align to common core and content area instruction that has helped the students, helped the schools and has helped the communities as evidenced by test scores, eating habits and school performance. We grow vegetables, but my vegetables grow students and healthy communities” ( Spaen). From this evidence, Stephen Ritz have changed the life of the children through growing vegetables as indoor curriculum to reinforce the living conditions of all poor children from low income residents. He teaches his students how to plant seeds and how those seeds turn to produce healthy foods which therefore help increase students academic performance in test scores, learning potential and attendance. I really support the hard work Stephen Ritz put to change the South Bronx by creating a green classroom to better the community and the lunches served to the children at the school cafeteria.Teaching kids how to plant seeds and the benefit of healthy foods  will help them grow into healthy adults and good eating habits. I found this program very useful because it empowered children who never speak out, to raise their voice and advocate for themselves. Children have gained a lot of experience throughout the process about how to grow and cook which is pretty amazing because all this helps adopting a new culture to American.

 Moreover, school can prevent obesity by implementing healthy food to motivate kids to get adapt on making good food choices. According to HHS Public Access, “All school districts that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) school meal programs (i.e., National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program) are required to have a local school wellness policy that addresses health goals for nutrition education and promotion, PA, and nutrition standards for all foods available on school campuses”( Nihiser, Allison, Caitlin Merlo, and Sarah Lee).This evidence explain that every school needs to have a policy on food, incorporated physical activity and educate kids of the importance of healthy food so that it would help limit the rate of obesity. Although it might take time for kids to get adapt to it, it will be better to introduce it to them at an early age so that they feel confident to make a good healthy choice. This idea of incorporating physical activity, offering more fresh vegetables to children will promote an active environment for kids to get moving and help reduce the rate of obesity at low income residents in the South Bronx.

 School representative and principal can also help prevent obesity by making a good  meals decision for kids because according to Rubin, “ The video portrait the difference between the school lunches in the U.S. compared to other country”. This video describes how bad America’s school meals look because the lunches served others country such as Chile, Greece, South Korea, Brazil, Finland, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, and France are more presentable and contain less calories compared to the meals served in the U.S. America should do more to better school menus because given kids an excess amount of calories will affect their overall health and their learning potential.

Overall, the importance of improving school lunches to a healthy foods is to prevent chronic diseases such as obesity from rising. Kids need to eat a variety of fresh food to maintain a healthier growth and development. Also, to keep children on track on their future goals. Some people might go against the fact that school should not provide organic foods to all public school because the government will raise taxes on food items, while others suggest that school lunches should be healthy so that kids could have energy to do work and be able to make a good healthy choice as eating habits. The duties of school is to train kids on how to make the right food choices. 

 

Work Cited:

1-Hirsh, Sophie. “Why Is Organic Food More Expensive Than Conventional Food?” Green Matters, Green Matters, 31 July 2019, https://www.greenmatters.com/p/why-is-organic-food-more-expensive.

3- Spaen, Brian. “Teacher From The Bronx Builds A Green Classroom To Improve School Performance.” Green Matters. Green Matters, 14 Sept. 2017. Web. 4 Dec. 2019.

4- Nihiser, Allison, Caitlin Merlo, and Sarah Lee. “Preventing Obesity through Schools.” The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2019.

5-  YouTube video

The Rubin Report “These Photos Show Just How Bad School Lunches Really Are in the U.S.” Online video clip. YouTube, Feb 23, 2015. Web. 15 November, 2019.

 

After school program

JENIFER SANTANA FIGUEREO
ENGLISH 110-409A
PROFESSOR MICHAEL

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

My map is going to be about kids walking around school but at the same time looking confuse and loss. It’s important because sometimes we see school and school close to each other and we also see after school programs and yet we have some much kids failing in one of the subject. Although after school is expensive program, student who participate in it are getting better grades and doing better in life. The map will showing the parts in the Bronx near the schools where you can see kids walking around.

After school program by Asil Ali Ozdogru and Judy Hartley, the need of after school program was influenced by the change on the workforce, education and family structure. Decreasing rates of kids getting into trouble and increasing the rate of education and better life. All this changed started at the end of the 19th century when kids instead of going to the factories they started to going to the schools. This implementation was passed by congress in the 1990.
FOUNDING still is an issue now days. “Federal and state funding for after- school programs continue to shrink, as do foundation grants and local funds.” Meaning sources where kids can get after school for free and parent can be at work in peace, are getting hard to get, one of the reason why we see after school program are getting expensive and parent can’t afford to pay for it. Asil Ali Ozdogru and Judy Hartley shows and example of how much after school program received between the years of 2002 and 2007 and 2009. “from high-poverty and low-performing schools. Even though funding for 21CCLCs was reduced between 2002 and 2007, the annual funding has remained around $1 billion since 2008. The overall annual funding that can be used for after-school programs, including CCDF, ESEA, and 21CCLCs, reaches over $13 billion. Furthermore, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top grant over the four years for states to implement educational improvement strategies, including after-school programming.” This average is in the united stated, now in the Bronx there is more than 100 after school programs, some of them are expensive and parents can’t afford it.

Elaine Clanton Harpine says one of the major causes of academic failure is aggression, bulling and violence. We see that a lot in school, where kids abuse others kids and sometimes teachers don’t do anything about it. Also after school programs can help to educate the kids and some can help reduce the amount of student drooping school do to this issue. After school programs help student to graduate on time. Harpine also explain that usually after school program only help with the homework and recreational activities.

In conclusion, after school programs are very helpful in a student life in one way or other. Young people like me that came or are coming to this country in which is a different language than our first language after school program are helpful. I am one of those students that by going to after school were able to graduate. After school really help me with my English. After school programs provide organized and supervised activities for children. After school program in the Bronx emerged because of the historical change that can occur in our community.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Elaine Clanton Harpine psychologist
Ozdogru, Asil ali psychologist
Hartley, Judy. sociology

New York needs Arcades: Lets Get Them From Japan

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iQMxWO9J5gs9NXgBS1itSk7uMdhULBF0

The amount of people they play games nowadays has risen so much since the beginning of the industry has started more games keep being made to keep gamers satisfied and gamers all over the city are staying in their homes glued to their television screen. The younger audience of video games can not play games all the time because of school and the fury of their parents for staying inside all day, instead of going out and meeting with friends or meeting new people. Although the creation of gaming consoles allow gamers to play games and interact with each other from the comfort from their homes via the internet and headsets, the reliance on this technology limits actual human connection. If there were more Japanese like Arcades in the city it would help this generation of gamers explore the city more to play games with friends, meet new people, play the games they have never played before and introduce new people to the gaming culture.

The gaming industry has gone through many changes in the way people play games, before the use of the internet, most people that play video games use a gaming console that lets people play any game they want in their own house without being able to talk to friends unless they were in the same house. Today people still use gaming consoles to play their games but with the internet, people can now talk to and play games with each other in their homes. This is the way to play games in this day and age but it is also a way that disconnects people from one another. In a New York Times article written by Alex Williams, he celebrates the fact that arcades are still around and that people are still going to them. “Chinatown Fair should have closed years ago, along with all the other arcades in the city, due to rising rent and the shift to online gaming,” said Kurt Vincent, who directed “The Lost Arcade,” a 2016 documentary about the arcade’s enduring legacy in the city. “But it’s still there on Mott Street after all these years because young people need a place to come together.” Basically saying that arcades should not be removed from New York and that gamers are still going to them showing their worth.

Arcades in japan have been thriving in the last couple of decades and that is because the gamers in that country and the people that oversee the gaming companies still see how and lucrative arcade games are. Many of the companies in japan got their start with arcade games and so they continue to make new games for the arcades that are there in japan.  In a consensus by The Financial Times in the 80’s there were 44,000 arcades in the country. Today there are 4,856 registered locations with 9,000 locales with under fifty machines, and as time advances they continue to bring in new innovations of arcade games to entertain the populace. In Brian Ashfield’s article “Why Arcades Haven’t Died In Japan” he writes “The games have changed, too, with developers responding to the trends, decade by decade, whether that’s the shooting game craze, the fighting game craze, or the music game one.” In other words in order to compete with consoles Japanese arcades are constantly filled with new games for people to enjoy being stagnant spells doom for arcades in any setting and Japanese developers know this and are always coming up with new experiences for people to enjoy. An example of innovation of arcade games is the hit arcade game “Super Dragon Ball Heroes” published and developed by Bandai Namco where player use trading cards to interact with the game.

 

Ashcraft, B.

Why Arcades Haven’t Died In Japan

In-text: (Ashcraft, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Ashcraft, B. (2017). Why Arcades Haven’t Died In Japan. [online] kotaku.com. Available at: https://kotaku.com/why-arcades-havent-died-in-japan-1792338461 [Accessed 29 Nov. 2019].

Williams, A.

The Last of Manhattan’s Original Video Arcades

In-text: (Williams, 2019)

Your Bibliography: Williams, A. (2019). The Last of Manhattan’s Original Video Arcades. [online] https://www.nytimes.com/. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/style/old-arcades-new-york-chinatown-fair.html [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

 

 

Poor Road infrastructure In New York, Affecting all Citizens .

 

 

The topic I will be discussing is poor road conditions in New York city. Roads are maintained by the city, county, and state and each has its own set of maintenance responsibilities when it comes to roads. The interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumes that poor road infrastructure doesn’t affect residents. Recent studies shed a new light on how roads affect the regime of the City. Although there are funds going into fixing roads there is research shows that they are many poor structures still, by increasing funds for the city’s infrastructure it will make commutes easier for residents, traffic can also cause poor road structure. Therefore, this dilemma should be mapped to illustrate the severity of the issue. 

Poor road conditions affect the commute of residents and can be extremely dangerous for drivers. According to “Does poor road conditions increase crashes” (Toshihiro Yokoo) its states” There exist claims that poor pavement quality reduces the ability of roads to drain and reduces the ability of vehicles to resist skidding, and is thus associated with more crashes. In order to improve road safety, several pavement maintenance treatments are carried out, such as “rout and seal cracks” and “hot-mix patching” for improving pavement roughness and distress”. This conveys that by doing proper procedures to fix road pavements will decrease the number of crashes.  York roads tend to be older and they tend to be worn down by heavy traffic and tough winters. Poor road quality causes drivers to spend hundreds to maintenance and other costs related to car damage. Also, when tough winters arrive it makes it difficult to drive because of rocky pavements which causes more accidents in the city during winter.  

Traffic can also cause a problem with the pavement structure. According to New York times article “New York Rates Poorly in Road reports”(2018) it indicates “ The study found that the more heavily trafficked roads in urban areas were typically in worse shape than those in rural areas, with the New York City and Newark metro area ranking sixth worst for pavement conditions in major American cities, with more than half categorized as poor”. This demonstrates, that urban areas are more likely to have rough pavements due to the massive traffic in the city.   

The city is increasing funding for roadways which should make New York roads safer and makes commutes easier. According to the “American council of engineering” (2019) “it states “Additionally, 60% of New York’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. In addition to commercial losses, crashes and traffic issues related to poor road conditions cost New Yorkers $19.5 billion each year—more than $1,000 per resident—in medical expenses, lost productivity, insurance and legal expenses. Funding and improving infrastructure not only make New Yorkers safer and more productive, but it is the most direct way to improve the economy.”. The author explains that, by increasing funding it will cost residents less expenses in their health and also on their car. By putting more money in the economy, it will lessen the amount of crashes, medical expenses and traffic within the city. Poorly-maintained roads cause most of the fatal auto accidents that happen each year in the United States. Some of the things that can cause accidents from poor roadways is potholes, uneven road surfaces, broken concrete, exposed rebar, sinkholes, and road cracks.  

Inconclusion, road structure in New York are declining, affecting citizens safety, and costing citizens over thousands of dollars in car repairs. By raising more funding for infrastructure in New York there can be better road conditions.  

Work Cited

“Does poor road conditions increase crashes” (Toshihiro Yokoo)

“New York Rates Poorly in Road reports”(2018)

“American council of engineering” (2019

 

 

 

Final Essay

                                       Income In NYC: Poverty Being A Source Of Inspiration.

The term ‘Poor’ means “lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society”, illustrating the lives of many college students in New York City. The topic ‘poverty’ should be more carefully used and appreciated because being poor usually tends to be variable of motivation for many students. According to ‘Mayor de Blasio Announces New York City Poverty Rate Hits Historic Low’ it states, “Mayor de Blasio this week announced the federal poverty rate for New York City has dropped to a historic low. According to the 2018 American Community Survey, the poverty rate for New York City fell to 17.3% in 2018, a 3.6 percentage point drop since 2013 and the lowest rate recorded since the American Community Survey was released in 2006”. Exposing the fact that life has been difficult for those who are trying to overcome poverty, and turn their lives around by trying to go to college. Although poverty is looked upon in a negative perspective by society, it also motivates individuals to “persue their goals because they want better for their future selves and or future family” which we can see playing out in community colleges in New York City. My map will cover poverty in the past ten years in New York, which community college has the most enrolled students, least enrolled students and also the poorest neighborhood in New York City.

Poverty has been looked upon negatively for many years. But for a lot of people is due to society, they blame society for looking at them with shame and suppressing them to be less of what they are instead of encouraging them to do better or dream bigger. According to ‘Why Poverty Is Not A Personal Choice, But A Reflection Of Society’ author Shervin Assari states, “In fact, poverty and other social miseries are in large part due to social structure, which is how society functions at a macro level. Some societal issues, such as racism, sexism and segregation, constantly cause disparities in education, employment and income for marginalized groups. The majority group naturally has a head start, relative to groups that deal with a wide range of societal barriers on a daily basis.” (Assari, Shervin). Indicating that if society got together as a community and not shame those who have a lower income than the upper class, things would be different. When society shapes the lower class with a negative perspective, or label them as people who will do no different, the people around them will too. Especially for the kids that are growing, and they will grow up to do the same, and it would not be any different.

Poverty frequently functions as a cause of motivation or as a need to be determine. A large portion of the low income families or the poor tend to come from another background, so when they come to any of the five boroughs within New York City (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Staten island) they have a different perspective. A perspective of opportunity. According to ‘Hard Work and Motivation’ it states, “The NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School poll, in fact, showed that 52 percent of the American public believed that lack of motivation was a major cause of poverty; another 35  percent  believed it was a minor cause of poverty. Differences in response by poverty statues were surprisingly small. Most Americans, including the poor, said they strongly believe that America is a land of opportunity. Their responses suggest  they believe that motivation and hard work can pull people out of poverty, regardless of their background.” Illustrating that a very low percentage of the population sees poverty as a deficiency of lacking their individual education. Meaning that having a low income should not interfere with your motivation for going to school and obtain a title. Also exposing the fact that being poor may affect your focus level of pursuing your dreams but if you work hard for your dream career and stay loyal to it, your background or where you come from or how bad it is, you can still persue your dreams just like everyone else.

See the source image

For whose who let poverty be a source of motivation and continue their education at college, tend to go to a community college in New York City. According to ‘The City Of New York’ the community college with the most attending students go to, Borough of Manhattan College (B.M.C.C.). But the least attending community college students go to in New York City and Guttman. And in between is Kingsborough Community College, Kingsborough Community College, Bronx Community College, and Hostos Community College. On the other hand, the borough with the lowest income or the poorest is ‘The Bronx’ and the wealthiest borough is ‘Manhattan’.

See the source image

In Conclusion, students who tend me be in a low income household have the same opportunities as everyone else if they commit to staying focus. In addition the term “poverty” should be a label for them. But, that is how a lot of people label them, as poor. but, without knowing what is behind the word poverty. Everyone has their own definition for ‘being poor’ or poor. For many is clearly a sense of motivation but on the other hand it’s a curse. You choose.

Works Cited:

  1. “Colleges & Schools.” The City University of New York, https://www.cuny.edu/about/colleges-schools/.
  2. “Mayor De Blasio Announces New York City Poverty Rate Hits Historic Low.” The Official Website of the City of New York, The Official Website of the City of New York, 1 Oct. 2019, https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/449-19/mayor-de-blasio-new-york-city-poverty-rate-hits-historic-low
  3. Scholarships.com. “The Pros & Cons of Community Colleges.” Scholarships for College Free College Scholarship Search 2019-2020, Scholarships.com, 1998, https://www.scholarships.com/resources/college-prep/choosing-the-right-school/the-pros-and-cons-of-community-colleges/.
  4. Zimmerman, Alex, et al. “New York City Touts Record Number of Students Heading to College.” Chalkbeat, New York Topics, 26 Nov. 2018, https://chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2018/11/26/new-york-city-touts-record-number-of-students-heading-to-college/.

 

 

THE GENTRIFICATION WILL BE TELEVISED.

Although gentrification has improved infrastructure and provided better jobs in low income communities, it still remains a form of socio-economic discrimination because it has displaced many lower income residents. In the discussions of racism and discrimination, it has continued to act as a perpetuous way to  subtly displace the poor in their neighborhoods which are deemed as future financial hubs for wealthy investors and private capitalist companies for example in Brooklyn such as Green point and Williamsburg which I will be elucidating on. On the one hand lower income residents and minority races of blacks and hispanics contend that they have been displaced socially and economically whereas on the other hand, the wealthy and middle classes see it as a sign of modern urban revolution that is simply beneficial in  the upgrading of poorly built neighborhoods.

My own view suggests that despite the positive influences witnessed, the poor households and members of these communities have been marginalized through the increasing rental charges and inability to afford the bare minimum of basic food and shelter which consequently have been displaced by the arrival of ‘transplants’ usually people from out of state and far away countries. This interpretation has challenged the opinions of critics who believe some races are just born poor and some genders just unfortunate which is a subconscious opinion of discrimination. Ultimately what is at stake is the losing of cultural identities and economic welfare.

Millennials normally called ‘hipsters’ in Brooklyn tend to come in pursuit of better education and to experience the thrills of the fast paced lifestyle together with the the nightlife in Green point.However they instead have displaced local polish communities with their arrival attracting newer businesses that cater to the demands of the newer general population. Those unfamiliar with this school of thought maybe interested to know that it basically boils down to the origins of the hipster movement that has exemplified gentrification. According to the ‘100 ideas that changed style’ article , “derived from the 1940s American jazz scene, hipsters and hep-cats was street slang for the underground and progressive bebop counterculture. Difference from the mainstream ways of life forced many hipsters to centers where regeneration and gentrification was about to happen for instance Williamsburg in New York city, Shoreditch in London and Shibuya in Tokyo”. However the article is mistaken because it overlooks the rising rent crisis and emergence of major tech corporations that drove out manhattanites to affordable Brooklyn where the median age is 31.

Writing in the article Gentrification in NYC Anders Norén strongly observes ” they come from places like Virginia, Maine, Connecticut and Texas and other countries like Australia and South Africa. They are young professionals incorporating their fascination with brunch and cafes into the business dynamics of Green point..” I agree that the polish communities have been alienated because as a former barista in an artisanal coffee shop, acquaintances were made with Brits, people from Israel and out of state natives yet on the contrary with very few polish natives which validated the view that intact the neighborhood was experiencing changes.

As a result, gentrification has increased the prices of rent through the real estate business which by far has seen the most dramatic  transformation in Green point. these findings emphasize the evident margin between rich folks who can keep up with the steep costs of living and their poorer counterparts who have been displaced to make room. Norén himself writes in an interview ” landlords often double the rent after the long term leases are up. Although people aren’t as willing to sell their houses right away as those in Williamsburg, traditional businesses are closed down every week because people who have lived here simply cannot afford to pay the rent anymore.” Anyone familiar with this school of thought may concur that the real business is tremendously thriving from the ridiculous prices apartments cost and regardless of the place you live in, sooner or later it is either gentrified or you are unwillingly forced out.

Stricter housing policies should be implemented continuously in an effort to curb gentrification. ‘ShelterForce7: Policies that could prevent gentrification’ states that freezing property taxes to protect protect longtime residents, protecting senior homeowners and prohibiting large scale luxury development in at risk neighborhoods. The humorous “fun maps: Williamsburg judgemental maps” endorses stereotypes on each street in Williamsburg and Green point as the results of social changes embracing the neighborhood. ‘a mob bakery’, ‘craigslist apartments’, mustaches and stupid haircuts are satirically used as reminders of the hipster movement, wealthy families and the predicament of black and latino underprivileged races. Nunziatia’s theory of this funny judgmental Map is extremely useful because It sheds light on the difficult problem of socio economic discrimination.

“Very cute” some hipsters and snobby wealthy investors will say. As long as someone is willing to offer a better price for the fire of the city skyline or to live near the hottest brunch spot and pilates gym next door, then more profits will continue to thrive through new expensive apartments hence the pitiless landlords and investors getting wealthier.

To summarize, eve though gentrification seems to be inevitable, it can be regulated by reinforcing stabilization policies by the city together with local communities who should be commended for contributing to the cultural identity and emergence of their neighborhoods.

SOURCES

  1. 1. David Price 7 policies that could prevent Gentrification. May 23, 2014
  2. Will Nunziata Judgemental Maps. Sep 4. willzone.tumblr.com. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
  3. Anders Norén. Gentrification in Nyc: Rosenberg 2018 eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/
  4. Josh Sims, Laurence King.”The Hipster.” 100 Ideas that Changed Street Style, 1st
  5. edition, 2014. Credo Reference. Accessed 10 Nov. 2019

Gangs vs. Media

Lights. Camera. Gangs. 

 

Sometimes the media portrays gangs in a negative light and it shows whenever you try to have a conversation with anybody. If you take anyone from the general public and try to converse with them about gangs, they always talk about how bad they are or the fact that they commit violence daily. The real truth is that it’s the media feeding us this information and the pubic reacts to it and in turn they see gangs as negative. When I was younger in elementary school, I was approached by two gang members, one blood, one crip, I could tell from their clothes they were wearing. Both of them said “you blood or are you crip” I just said I don’t know, it freaked me out at first but looking back at it now my perception has changed. Although people think gangs are bad, it’s the connotation of gangs that freaks people out, but this isn’t truly how gangs are, the media is to blame for the misrepresentation of gangs. 

 

Although gangs can provide some good things to their respective communities, some things the media says are true. Unfortunately, it’s this part that news outlets exploit the most when reporting about gangs. When media outlets show off statistics, it’s only the sad and ugly point of view that’s being covered. “The ugly colors”, as how it’s called from the NY Daily News shows that “roughly 375 gangs or street crews operate in the city” and “gang members are responsible for 49% of shootings”. It’s very unfortunate that gang’s do these horrific acts of violence, but the stats don’t lie. This is the main reason why gangs get such a bad reputation. If it wasn’t for the media some gangs would be better off. 

 

Because of the misrepresentation the media gives gangs, the general public depicts gangs negatively. It isn’t only news coverage that illustrates gangs poorly, movies (https://www.imdb.com/list/ls068433558/) are also to blame to an extent. The main reason these are made is to entertain and learn from but in reality, it’s just hyperbole. These gangs for the most part want to control parts of their territory without harming the public. While they can be intimidating, gangs usually don’t want to hurt or kill anyone. The closest depiction of how gangs can be is from the point of view of Geraldo Lopez speaking about how he was in a gang and how he got out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qkSMkiGWdg). A resonating statement from Lopez points out why gangs aren’t as bad as people think, “if we want people to leave gangs and re-enter society, then that means we have to let them re-enter society” . In other words, some of these gang members that just want to be a part of the community need a chance to be let back into a community.  

 

Media and news outlets are to blame for the way gangs are treated because they only focus on the bad and violent parts of gangs which in turn makes people in the community afraid of them, thinking they might become their next target. The only way to stop the stigma around gangs is to have the public see that gangs aren’t as bad as the media puts it. A prime example of this is from the rapper/activist of the hip hop duo Run the Jewels Michael “Killer Mike” Render in his Netflix series “Trigger Warning with Killer Mike” (https://www.netflix.com/title/80144442) episode three White Gang Privilege. In the episode Mike exclaims that Biker gangs, who are mainly white, can cash in on their notoriety. While black gangs or as he calls them “street fraternities” like bloods and crips who are equally known can’t cash in on their gang’s name.  Mike shows that the crips need to cash in on their fame or infamy in this case. To do that they needed a product to sell and hopefully get people to understand that they aren’t as bad as the media portrays. They decided to make and sell a soda named Crip-a-cola, but due to the fact it was made by a gang no store was going to sell it. It had to be introduced by unconventional means, in a soda tasting lab. The testers felt uncomfortable when the soda they tried was associated with a gang and with their knowledge of gangs because of the media thought “someone could get shot for having one of these”. The gang members had to step in and educate the testers that they didn’t want to be associated with the violence and just wanted to be a part of the community. 

 

Someone active in their community might ask is it really the media’s fault that gangs get a bad reputation? Well the answer to that is yes and no, it can be a multitude of answers. But the main cause of why gangs are so misrepresented is the media’s fault. Since they only cover what atrocious things they do. Any ex-gang member would also put the blame on them too. I would hate it if people only talk about what bad things I did and suppress all of the good I’ve done. Making this map makes me reflects to my younger self with my first interaction with gang members, I was afraid that I was going to get beat up. But when thinking back to that moment now they probably wouldn’t have done anything to me at all. Not only that I can look at some gangs in a completely different way, they are human beings that just went on the only accessible path available to them. This complicates what the media is saying to anyone watching that all gangs are bad but, it’s not even close to the truth. In conclusion its better off not trusting what news outlets say about gangs and to try and do some personal research about them to get a better sense of what they can do for the community. 

 

 

Works Cited 

Hamilton, Brad. “Gangs of New York.” New York Post, 28 October 2007, https://nypost.com/2007/10/28/gangs-of-new-york/ 

 

Thomas Tracy. “Special Report: Gangs tied to 49% f shootings in New York”, New York Daily News, 13 December 2015, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/gangs-represent-shootings-new-york-city-article-1.2464740 

 

Gerardo Lopez. “I was an MS-13 gang member. Here’s how I got out.” Youtube, uploaded by Tedx Talks, 28 August 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qkSMkiGWdg. 

 

“White Gang Privilege” Trigger Warning with Killer Mike Season 1, episode 3 Netflix, January 18, 2019. www.netflix.com/watch/80149618?trackId=14277283&tctx=0%2C2%2C93a99e27-9607-4618-8d13-fe8724843bcb-28507213%2C%2C 

Da Boogie Down: Asthma and the South Bronx

 

The Bronx – Home of Hip-Hop. The popular music genre was developed by inner-city African Americans and Latinos in the Bronx during the 1970s. The Bronx is not only known for its music, but also for the vast diversities of cultures, restaurants, neighborhoods and bridges. It is also the home of Yankee stadium. The Bronx is also known for its various highways, parkways, thruways and bridges that connect to Upstate New York, Queens, Manhattan, New Jersey and other states. In addition to all this, the Bronx is known for its high asthma rates. Although the traffic conditions of the South Bronx cannot be controlled, the impact of traffic in this location has led to an increase in pollution, causing asthma levels to rise. 

Asthma is a lung disease that has affected approximately 16.4 million adults and 7.0 million children in the United States. Even though the exact cause of asthma is unknown, it can be treated with appropriate medical care and avoiding exposure environmental causes. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), in 2008, an estimated 1,293,638 adults in New York State had asthma and an estimated 475,303 children in New York State. According to a graph by Montefiore, asthma-related emergency room visit rates among adults are almost two-times greater than the rest of NYC. (Montefiore, Graph)                                                                 

Studies show that 11-13% of the Bronx’s population consists of asthmatics, sometimes reaching up to 17% in certain regions. According to the CDC, the South Bronx is one of the two most asthma filled neighborhoods in New York City. The CDC also states that 10% consists of adults who are asthmatic and 8.5 % consists of children who are asthmatic. (CDC, Percentages)

The South region of the Bronx has been affected, due to the fact that it is located underneath three major expressways such as The Bruckner, The Major Deegan and Cross Bronx. The result of its location has led to poor traffic conditions that cause pollution to take its effect on adults and children of all ages and causing asthma levels to rise from it. With the increase in carbon monoxide from the cars, it has led to an increase in hospitalizations amongst the population mostly taking place in Melrose and Mott Haven.

The map shown above depicts the percentage of adults with asthma in the US. The darker areas show higher concentration of people with asthma. The upper part of the map is where both pollution and asthma levels are most concentrated. It also shows various interstates in which one leads to an airport. As the planes pass by, it could be another cause in which why the South Bronx is also polluted.

The second map depicts the percentage of people under the age of 18 in the US. It is depicted not only in  the upper part of the map but it’s evenly distributed to the lower left and right of the map. This shows children or people under 18 are more likely to have asthma than adults. 

As an asthmatic person, I need to take care of myself. I have had asthma since I was a small child and many times I had to go to the emergency room to get treated. If  inhaling polluted air or carbon monoxide from cars, can cause severely damage your lungs and cause possibly in serious cases cancer. 

Bibliography:

  1. Butini, Cecilia. “Asthma By The Numbers.” Medium, Asthma in the South Bronx, 30 Jan. 2018, https://medium.com/asthma-in-the-south-bronx/asthma-by-the-numbers-73553b2c9621.

I chose this source because it explains how pollution has affected the South Bronx. The author elaborates, explaining the reasons for higher pollution in the area,  and provides data on how many adults and children have been hospitalized. The article provides statistics from The New York City Department of Health showing that public schools had also been affected. Additionally, the author explains how this has mostly affected the African-American and Latino ethinic groups. 

  1. “Asthma.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm.

I chose this source because the CDC studies and measure all different kinds of diseases. They also update their site regularly to show how their research changes. This site explains how the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program helps Americans with asthma to achieve better health and improved quality of life. They offer programs and other resources to aid in learning about asthma and what can affect it.