Category Archives: Posts

Caroline Gonzalez

English 110

A trip without the kids 

There aren’t a lot of public clinics that can offer sex health information and services in NYC. Planned Parenthood opens the door to many patients who need this type of primary health services for the public. However, there are very few clinics of Planned Parenthood in NYC. In fact there are only 4 locations across all 5 boroughs, 1 is located in the lower east side of Manhattan and the one location in Brooklyn. The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island also only have one Planned Parenthood in their whole entire borough. Women in low income areas benefit from this services and it would benefit them to have more locations in NYC because it can help reduce unwanted pregnancies, STI, etc. It also creates a long waiting list for people who want to use the resources that Planned Parenthood provides when there aren’t many locations available. 

Impoverish clinic 

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider. Planned Parenthood receives federal funding to help practice the services they provide, although some groups of people believe that funding this organization is wrong. Some may argue that having Planned Parenthood clinics open is unnecessary since there are other options for seeking primary care. However, more than half of Planned Parenthood clinics are found more in underserved communities. Planned Parenthood should have more funding and have more clinics available in low income areas like in The Bronx. 

It is argued that Planned Parenthood is not necessarily the only option there is to seek for primary seaxual health. According to The Susan B Blog, “ women have other options for seeking primary care, contraception, STI testing and cancer screening. According to the Chiaroscuro Foundation, “in addition to the tends of tens of thousands of U.S doctors and hospitals providing this care, there were 1,048 federally qualified health centers in the U.S.” This argument shows that it is not necessary to have Planned Parenthood clinics open because there are so many other public spaces that can provide the same sources as Planned Parenthood. However, Planned Parenthood helps low income patients who don’t have insurance and provide lower cost procedures compared to state funded clinics. 

Planned Parenthood is located in a lot of rural areas and communities that doesn’t provide birth control. According to I Stand with Planned Parenthood,  “ nearly one-third of all women in need of publicly funded birth control live in counties where Planned Parenthood is the primary safety-net health care provider.” This can demonstrate that people who are in poor communities and in rural areas can rely more for access to primary care through Planned Parenthood because more than half of Planned Parenthood’s health centers are in rural and underserved communities.

I believe that there should be more Planned Parenthood clinics available in low-income communities like The Bronx. The Bronx only has one Planned Parenthood in its entire borough. Even though there are other clinics that can be found that also provides the same sources as Planned Parenthood, it’s not always guaranteed to be free of charge or have a reduced fee if the patient doesn’t have medical insurance. Planned Parenthood says, “patients find that Planned Parenthood health care fees are very reasonable, especially when compared to other doctors’ offices.” This makes it more of an affordable option for patients who don’t have legal documentation and want to look for a primary care. 


There aren’t a lot of public clinics that can offer sex health information and services in NYC. Planned Parenthood opens the door to many patients who need this type of primary health services for the public. However, there are very few clinics of Planned Parenthood in NYC. In fact there are only 4 locations across all 5 boroughs, 1 is located in the lower east side of Manhattan and the one location in Brooklyn. The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island also only have one Planned Parenthood in their whole entire borough. Women in low income areas benefit from this services and it would benefit them to have more locations in NYC because it can help reduce unwanted pregnancies, STI, etc. It also creates a long waiting list for people who want to use the resources that Planned Parenthood provides when there aren’t many locations available. 

This is The Bronx’ Planned Parenthood location. As you can see from this image, this clinic has a shared space with other offices in this building. There is also no sign that there is a Planned Parenthood clinic inside this building. This shows that Planned Parenthood is low funded especially in low income areas like The Bronx making the clinics difficult to be recognizable for people who don’t know where the clinic is. With this location being in the south Bronx, it helps a lot of people who are low income or don’t have insurance. 

Ultimately, what is at stake here is that people in low income areas don’t have enough resources or many options to have a choice over their bodies. This can result in a higher teen pregnancy rates in poor communities, pointing to the fact that The Bronx has the highest pregnancy rate in all NYC. If Planned Parenthood is more funded then more people are going to have the option to make a choice for their bodies in a more affordable way. 

Works Cited: 

 

Study guide: Chapter 1 (TSIS)

Hey other people’s opinions are important too, Chapter 1 is about being able to properly introduce ongoing debates.

Example: You would think that school is beneficial but in fact there are various problems with the educational system.

List of templates:

  • What they say , something you say
  • Introduce something implied or assumed
  • Introduce an ongoing debate
  • Keep what “they say” in view

Bodegas Vs. Supermarkets: The Need for Healthier Choices

Cheyenne Shambley

Professor Michael

Eng110

November 18, 2019

Bodegas Vs. Supermarkets: The Need for Healthier Choices

You would think that living in New York, you would have access to many options of food. That may be the case in other boroughs, but not in the South Bronx. Although New York is known for its food, residents in the South Bronx have limited access to food due to lack of supermarkets. They depend on bodegas for their food needs and though it is more convenient for them to go to, there isn’t many choices for them to get nutritional foods to feed their families. Ultimately what is at stake here is the health of people who aren’t getting healthy foods in their diets. So they depend on what they have which results in fast food from the bodegas that are unhealthy leading to obesity and other health problems.

There should be more supermarkets in the South Bronx because it would lessen the chances of the residents having health issues. Having more supermarkets would help them to get the proper food they need to live a healthy lifestyle. Since they depend on bodegas for their food source, they are more at risk of having obesity and other health issues that come with not eating the right food in their diet. Browne, Zambia J. article; “Poor Neighborhoods Lack Access to Supermarkets” he argues that in low income neighborhoods lack access to supermarkets. Secondly, he insists that there are barriers that some New Yorker’s face to obtain healthy to feed their families. Highbridge is a neighborhood in the South Bronx that is in poverty.

Throughout the neighborhoods there are two supermarkets that the residents can go to. Five bodegas exist as well and the residents are more likely to shop there because the prices are high in the supermarkets compared to bodegas. It is more convenient for them as well some of the bodegas are open 24 hours and that is not the case for supermarkets. Robinson, Gail article; “ New York’s Grocery Gap” emphasizes that the biggest number of produce come the South Bronx but the residents are not able to purchase it because it is a wholesale market and its not for individual consumers. Robinson verifies “ the high prices are a real obstacle for many poor New Yorker’s”.  Robinson is surely right about the prices being high and that is an obstacle for residents who live in poverty. They can’t afford to pay for healthy food if it’s overpriced and aren’t choosing to because it may be out of their spending budgets.

 

Fixing the problem of having a lack of supermarkets since they can’t build them without pushing the residents out of the neighborhood, programs have been implemented to provide healthy food for residents in the South Bronx. Rivera, Migalia’s blog; “The Bronx Dying from Lack of Nutritious Foods” reaffirms that there are ways to help them get the food they need to stay healthy. Rivera states, “ New York City has implemented a program called Move to Fruits and Vegetables”. By doing so they have helped bring fresh fruits and vegetables to bodegas since they lacked them. I agree that these programs will help the residents but it will take some time for them to get accustomed to eating healthy.

To conclude this essay, it is an awesome idea that they have made an attempt to change the problem of New Yorker’s in poverty, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that residents will follow the plan and start eating healthy. They have gotten used to eating from bodegas that the idea of trying new things doesn’t seem so good. The prices would have to be close to what they are used to spending if not they won’t buy it. The distance should be close to their homes so they don’t have to travel far. I have experienced these problems as well, at times I find myself going the closest store to get food for me and my kids. The one supermarket from my house is called Fine Fare is highly priced and there aren’t many options for us to choose from that fits in my budget. I go to the farmer’s market to get our vegetables and fruits.

Works Cited

Link

Although opioid overdose crisis should be prevented, it has led many instances, particularly in the South Bronx that challenge the NYC authorities. Many people assume that overdoses should not be treated as crisis. On one hand, wealthy people argue that government should not spend money to heal an addict and reincorporate in society. On the other hand most people contend that overdose is a crisis that affect the whole community and should be prevented. Even if overdoses may seem of concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about our community. However, a number of traditional and nontraditional collaboration to improve the opioid overdose crisis have been conducted by the authorities to cease the crisis and prevent more instances. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in an effort to improve the crisis created a Geospatial Information System Maps to catch data that may improve population health and education. Through the different maps of the city, the FDNY shows the places where the incident happen using dark color for the higher events and light color for the fewer. Consequently, the South Bronx Community should improve their health and educational system.

Opioid Overdose Crisis

Opioid overdoses has become in a crisis. Described for the National Center for Injury Prevention Control “more than 70,000 people died due to any drug overdose in 2017”. Also that crisis had led consequences as neonatal abstinence syndrome, HIV and Hepatitis C in our community. Of course, the country and more specific our community is facing a crisis. In my view, you must live in a low income area to have so much evidence about that.

In particular, opioid overdoses in The Bronx are focused in the south Bronx, while the northern part of the borough has experienced few overdoses.The Journal of Pediatric Health Care Volume 33, Number 3 observed that more than 30 percent of the outpatient emergency department visit were opioid overdoses and 718 hospitalization in the Bronx area. These data suggest that the South Bronx is the “most needed” and “the target for prevented measures”. By focusing on the areas of need the FDNY overlooks the deeper problem of overdoses and provide more educational training to the emergency medical service which prevent more deaths. Though I concede that prevention of the deaths made some disparate, I still insist that preventing more people introduced into the drug world could be the real difference. After all investing in programs that maintain people focus on a positive target for instance studying and working, which prevents the problem from the beginning. 

In an effort to stop the overdose crisis, authorities have made law to protect individuals seeking and receiving treatment. As the US constitution allows equal opportunity to the residents, on May 15, 2018 the US Senate introduced the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act. Basically, Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act is a federal confidentiality law and regulations that protect patients with substance use disorder. In fact, the Act give some confidence to those who want to stop using drugs.

Here many wealthy people would probably object that overdose should not be treated as crisis because substance use disorder is an election. In my opinion, no one is exempt from the problem. I live in the East Bronx, which is not exempt from that crisis, but I have to move everyday to the South Bronx and  my kids are socializing with other from everywhere. What I understand is that making the community drug free make my family more safe. Also, if the government spends money making my community more safe that is fair and value to the taxpayers.

Final Research Blog Post

East or West Going Green is The Best: Green Spaces in New York City.

A reference map normally shows natural and human-made objects from the geographical environment with an emphasis on location. The map that I’m presenting is a reference map. Specifically, it covers the five boroughs of New York City and where the largest green areas are located. The color I’m using to represent these zones is green. Also, it is drawn by hand so I hope people can appreciate it. The map represents an important way of looking at the city because it specifies where are these important zones and also serves as a guide to see which areas are nearby hence people can visit it. Although there are few green zones in New York City, the benefits that they provide are really significant, showing us that there should be more green zones in the city.

Green belts facilitate physical activity and relaxation and form a refuge from noise. This video shows people talking about the importance of Central Park in NYC. People describe the park as a peaceful and relaxing place. Also, the views and connections through places are good qualities of the park. Moreover, a person is describing the park as the most amazing park to walk around to get away from the rush of the city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiIIst2nSHI.

The economic and ecological benefits of green spaces are undeniable. This picture shows ten economic benefits of green spaces (yellow stone image). My goal with this picture is to demonstrate that green spaces are beneficial not only for health but for the economy too.

 

Green spaces such as parks and natural meadows, wetlands or other ecosystems, represent a fundamental component of any urban ecosystem. Blasco Jose in “Green New York” describes with geographic and historical information “the biggest ten green spaces in New York city called JIAs (joint of interest areas)” (Blasco 3). Central Park occupies 3.4km2 in Manhattan and Prospect Park with 2.4km2 in Brooklyn. Both parks have many things in common, they are the oldest urban parks (Central Park, 1858 and Prospect Park, 1867), and were born as an act of citizen will that claimed the creation of green spaces in the city. In the Bronx, Van Cortland park with 4.6km2 in the northeast, created in 1888. Bronx Park with 2.9km2 hosts two of the main New York equipment, The Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo and Pelham Bay Park is the biggest green space in the city with 11.2km2. In Queens, Corona Park was a landfill until Robert Moses proposed its generation as a park and Forest Park with 2.2km2 has a mission to preserve the wooded areas. Finally, The Gateway National Recreation Area is a special case, since under that denomination there are spaces of three New York boroughs, Jamaica Bay Unit covers Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens. Staten Island Unit and Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey.

Green areas provide vital health services as well as environmental services. In the article “Seeing green is Keen”, Wallis Laura provides significant information about the benefits of green spaces in people’s health. specifically, Wallis argues that “verdant spaces can lower rates of anxiety, depression, and other illness” (Wallis 2). Although the leafy spaces are few in New York City Wallis insists that there should be appreciated and preserved as they serve as therapy for people facing respiratory illnesses. In short, green spaces encourage exercise, provide spaces for socializing, decrease noise and air pollution, and improve immune function by providing exposure to beneficial microbiota. It also can help with psychological restoration meaning that green spaces provide a respite for over-stimulated minds.

However, does the evidence I’ve cited prove conclusively that green zones are really important for people’s well-being and economy? As a New Yorker, my greatest wish is that the city looks greener and my future children grow up in an environment surrounded by trees and places that reflect nature. Even though, the reality is that in New York there are very few green spaces compared to the size of the city. Let’s see the map to be aware of what is happening to our city and fight for the few remaining areas to be conserved since in the future these areas can be used for other purposes due to the increase of people in the city.

References

Blasco, Jose, “Green New York”, Urban Networks, Oct.2011

 

Cover image. Yellow stone landscape. 5 July. 2005.

Wallis, Laura, “Seeing Green Is Keen: AJN The American Journal of Nursing.” LWW, Feb. 2016.

 

YouTube, YouTube, 5 Dec. 2005, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiIIst2nSHI.

Christiana Henry Final Research Blog post

Accessible but not really: New York City Subway System

 

  In New York, you will never not see just one mode of transportation. There are various types of transportation ranging from buses to trains to taxi’s and many more. Not all forms of these transportation, especially trains are accessible for people with disabilities. My map portrays in two different time periods (1973 and 2019), the level of accessibility of different train stops that disabled people can access. It is important to understand that without these accessible stops, it limits that disabled person quality of life. Also it’s vital to make sure that there is equality among everyone, because we are all human beings with feelings and emotions. Although the Americans with disabilities act was passed in 1990, ensuring equal access, to this day people with disabilities have trouble accessing the trains, which prevents their quality of life, indicating that there should be more accessible train stations.

The Americans with disabilities act was passed in 1990 and ensured equal access to people with disabilities. The ADATA.org website explains what the ADA entails. It states ” The Americans with disabilities act became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in jobs, schools and transportation and places that are open to the general public.” This quote is explaining when this act was passed and how people with disabilities are protected by it. I agree with the government’s decision to pass this law/act because without it, disabled people would still be treated unfairly. The ADA ensured equal access to people with disabilities. According to the  U.S transportation website, the U.S department of transportation (D.O.T) hosted the Access and Mobility for all summit to raise awareness and make efforts to improve accessibility to trains for people with disabilities. Secretary of transportation Elaine L. Chao states ” A notice of funding opportunity for FTA’s 2020 Mobility for all pilot program, seeks to improve mobility options and access to community services for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low incomes.” This quote is explaining how actions will be taken by the department of transportation to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, by funding specific programs to fit their needs. Elaine Chao’s plan to increase mobility for disabled people is useful because it sheds light on the issue of funding and providing multiple ways of access to trains for people with disabilities. Also according to the department of transportation they state ” the government’s wide efforts to improve access and mobility for people with disabilities, can provide more efficient, affordable, and accessible vehicles and mobility services such as transit and ridesharing.” Therefore this quote is explaining how the government is finding ways to ensure that people who are disabled have equal access to transportation. I agree with the government’s efforts to make a change to accessibility because disabled people deserve a chance to be part of modern society.

Today people with disabilities have trouble accessing the trains, which prevents their quality of life. Christensen Keith Access to urban transportation system for individuals with disabilities explains how community integration is important for individuals with disabilities. He states ” It is essential that the built environment be supportive and provide access to the community resources, including housing, employment, transportation, and community service for all individuals.” This quote shows that when we make efforts to make a change in the environment that we live in, it benefits all individuals. As a result it is important to integrate individuals with disabilities, and individuals that are able to access transportation, to create a greater quality of life, and prevent social isolation.

There should be more accessible train stations for disabled people. MTA workers devise a plan for the years 2020 through 2024 to have more accessible train stations.  Martinez Jose MTA plan calls for more accessible subway stations, explains how the MTA is going to fix train stations that are not accessible for disabled people. He states ” The MTA pledge Monday to fast-track subway access for people with disabilities, by making 66 more stations easier to navigate as part of a new $51billion, five year spending plan”. This quote shows that the money that the MTA has is going towards creating a better way of traveling for people who have disabilities, and cannot access the subway stations at certain stops. I agree with the MTA’s plan to create more accessible stations, and I feel that it is important because everyone especially those who cannot walk, deserve a chance to get from place to place without limits and/or restrictions.

In conclusion it has become common today to dismiss the idea that trains are becoming less accessible for disabled individuals. The individuals that think in such ways often agree that lack of access to trains for disabled people have become more frequent, but suggest that efforts to improving their transportation conditions would simply be too costly and there are other alternatives to riding the trains that wouldn’t be so time consuming. My evidence clearly shows that the government has programs in place right now, and in the future, that will help fund the cost of mobility and accessibility for disabled individuals. When you look at a map of the New York City subway routes, that are accessible, you can see that in a lot of areas there are huge gaps in between train stops. Think about how easily it is for people who are able to walk , and who are able to hop on the subway. The service and conditions in the train cars may not always be the best but it isn’t a struggle for them to get on and off the trains, and get to where they need to go. Now think about someone who is disabled, and struggles to move around or get from place to place. Imagine what it is like for them to get on and off the train. Doesn’t everyone deserve a chance to go where they want without any issues?

  1. “Quality Of Life.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quality of life.
  2. “What Is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?” ADA National Network, 10 Dec. 2019, https://adata.org/learn-about-ada.
  3. “US Department of Transportation.” US Department of Transportation, https://www.transportation.gov/.
  4.  Christensen, Keith M. Access to Urban Transportation System for Individuals with Disabilities. Vol. 41, 2017.
  5. “Integrate.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrate.
  6. Martinez, Jose. “MTA Plan Calls for More Accessible Subway Stations.” The City, 17 Sept. 2019, https://thecity.nyc/2019/09/mta-rolls-out-accessibility-plans-for-more-subway-stations.html.

Study Guide Blog Post Simon Torres

Simon N. Torres 

@ ThatFireBoiSimon 

 

In chapter 5 of the book “They Say, I Say” by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, stating in their opening title “ Distinguishing What you say from what they say”  that in order to become a great argumentive writer you must be able to distinguish what you say from what others may argue.  Arguments could be added on to if you use the right templates, remember you can also embed voice markers to make your point stronger. Let’s Agree to Disagree, shall we?

   

 

1:11 pm                           December 8, 2019

 486 Retweets 46,000 Likes 

World almost out of Helium: Impacts of Helium

The topic on the table here is helium shortages in party stores worldwide, this map will show readers what cities are bound to suffer from helium shortages in which it will leave party stores to a limited amount of helium. When it comes to the topic of helium most of us readily agree that helium is considered to be a necessity used for many other resources other than filling party balloons. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of how much of helium would we consider to be used for our necessities? Whereas some are convinced that our constant usage of helium is the main cause of this shortage. Others maintain that the pricing stock for helium is the leading cause of this shortage. Ultimately what is at stake here is with this shortage starting to affect the world, many people would go unemployed at jobs such as Party stores, Tire shops, and most importantly the hospitals that use this element to treat subjects who suffer from asthma and emphysema. Although helium is running short in America, Helium usage should be limited because pricing for helium will become expensive for the more we use it the more limited the source would be, this indicates that Helium is a limited source.

Even though Helium is one if not only, the biggest resource used for many of our necessities in our daily lives such as car tires, party balloons, medical and etc. Before revealing the reason why helium has become a limited source, we must establish the main necessities of helium first. Diane Dotson brings in two factors of how and why Helium is the most important element on earth. According to Diane Dotson in the article “ Everyday uses of Helium Gas “, https://sciencing.com/everyday-uses-helium-gas-8041697.html she claims “You can find helium used in everyday life in various forms. It is used as a lifting agent, in party balloons, in diving mixtures, and in optical fibers. Welders use helium for welding arcs in construction. Physicians and surgeons use helium to help patients with lung and heart procedures. When you visit a grocery store, and your groceries are scanned, you are likely observing helium-neon lasers.” We would all argue that “helium” as we identified it is an essential element for many resources. Henceforth brings us the many necessities used in the world and beyond.

Now that we have established what are the basic necessities for helium, I will now begin to discuss Why helium started to decrease in the United States and how we could be affected by this. In the article produced by CNBC, Huileng Tan advocates that the helium shortage would affect not only balloons but scientific research as well. According to Huileng, “Meanwhile, overall U.S. production has also fallen as the bureau has been rationing supply since February 2018 after a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia announced an economic embargo of Qatar. That created chaos in the helium supply chain for weeks as roughly 30 percent of the global supply was taken off the market.” https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/helium-shortage-is-hitting-balloons-and-scientific-research.htmlTan is surely right about how the U.S is having trouble with getting shipments of helium from Qatar because as she might not be aware, recent studies have shown that the United States is currently having trouble in Saudi Arabia with the murder of Khashoggi, at least 16 Saudi nationals were found guilty of this murder.

 

Finally how states would be affected in the future by this shortage including Party City stores shutting their doors to future workers. In the article “ Party City is facing a helium shortage…” by  David Goldman, he admits that Party city is indeed in danger of closing 45 stores due to this natural gas shortage, but the company hopes to continue receiving shoppers. According to Goldman “Filling balloons with helium is among the company’s most profitable services, according to Barclays’ Matt McClintock. Helium brings people into the store, and those customers usually buy other items instead of buying on Amazon (AMZN) or at another store. But with the earth’s (and Party City’s) helium supplies dwindling, potential balloon customers have been searching elsewhere for party goods.” https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/business/party-city-helium/index.html This evidence shows that this element is the main reason why a lot of people go and buy balloons, but now that this element is dwindling less people would buy from this store and would go elsewhere to other party stores for better pricing on balloons. 

–http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67F-3q5VTzI

In conclusion, of course, many will probably disagree on the grounds that Helium should be a limited resource for necessities and should be mainly focused on hospitalizing the sick and curing asthma attacks. Moving forward this map would show the cities being affected by shortages in helium. Mainly my experience with helium had started when I was small and I went to a party city to pick up party supplies for a birthday party while walking in the store I saw first hand how balloons were inflated with helium. And my first thought of it was “ This is fascinating”.  

 

Work Cited

Tan, Huileng. “Helium Is in Short Supply, Hitting Balloons and Scientific Research.” CNBC, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/helium-shortage-is-hitting-balloons-and-scientific-research.html.

 

Dotson, J. Dianne. “Everyday Uses of Helium Gas.” Sciencing, 2 Mar. 2019, sciencing.com/everyday-uses-helium-gas-8041697.html.

Goldman, David. “Party City Is Facing a Helium Shortage. It’s Also Closing 45 Stores.” CNN, Cable News Network, 10 May 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/business/party-city-helium/index.html.