2011 ft newsletter

7/30/2019 2011 FT Newsletter

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Bernard Shepard is a 17-year-old senior atSaint Francis Preparatory School with a pas-sion or music. Hes been active in his schoolsacoustic choir or the past three years, whichhas aorded him many opportunities, includingthe chance to tour Italy last year.

But as Bernard contemplates college majors

and career choices, music isnt at the top o hislist. As much as he likes music, Bernard sayshe wont major in it because it doesnt makemoney and not everyone makes it. Instead,he is leaning heavily toward pursuing anotherarea o interest _ psychology. I really like read-ing people, to examine the human mind and whatpeople think and what people do, said Bernard,who has made earning potential a priority as heconsiders his uture major and career path.

In high school, students are exposed tomany subjects and activities. By the time theyreach graduation, they acquire a wealth o skillsand an idea o what they are passionate about.Yet, as these students decide what they planto study in college,

the recession andchanging job marketare orcing many tochoose whether theywant to ollow theirhearts or the pathmost likely to providenancial security.

Bernards mother,Shatanyaer Pitt, isnt

pushing her son to become the next businessmogul. I know he likes music and theater a lot,said the 44-year-old single parent and medicaltechnician. Yet she doesnt want him to choosemusic at the expense o having a nanciallyviable career.

Astride Mompremier, a 17-year-old seniorat the Mary Louis Academy also has a love o

music. She is currently president o the schoolsorchestra and a violinist in Queens Collegeschamber orchestra. But like Bernard, she doesnplan to major in music in college. Instead, it wilbe her minor, which will allow her to also explorea more traditional career in science.

Steany Fattor, director o career services a

In three seasons o Teen Mom on MTV,viewers have witnessed plenty o drama tears,whining and even a young mother locked behindbars or misbehaving.

This show and others stereotype pregnantmothers as selsh, nave and irresponsible butConnecticut native, high school valedictorian, andteen mom Mikayla Williams is deying that image.Simply put, shes dierent.

Williams graduated at the top o her class witha 96 grade point average in 2011. Shes headedto college and shes more than motivated to do

whatever it takes to succeed or hersel andher child. Williams refected on telling her motherthe news o her pregnancy and the unexpectedresponse she received.

Get out! she said her mother demanded.I was kind o stunned, she said. Williams ranupstairs to collect her things. She stued a ewitems o clothes and other possessions into oneo her handbags until her mother appeared in herbedroom doorway.

I must have looked at her or 10 like secondsand then I just broke down, Williams said. Then

shehuggedme and saidthat we were going toget through it together and tounpack my stu. I was so relieved!

Mikaylas mother Jennier Williams thoughtshe had done all the right things to make sure

The New York Association of Black Journalists Student Journalism WorkshopCO-SPONSORED BY LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY (BROOKLYN CAMPUS)

FALL 2011

FALL 2011 NYABJ STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP

[By: Annick Laurent]

NYABJ 24rd ANNUAL WORKSHOP WWW.FIRSTTAKENYC.COM

[ By: Ashley Johnson]

(continued on page 2

STUDENTS WEIGH FOLLOWINGDREAMS OR THE MONEY

FROM TEEN MOM TO VALEDICTORIAN:

ONE YOUNG MOTHER BEATS THE ODDS



2/16

Fordham University, says entertainment elds,including music, are the most dicult to get intobecause ones success is subject to ones levelo education, experience, and skill and the eyeo the beholder.

Both Bernard and Astride recognize thecompetition and uncertainty that comes withbeing a proessional musician. As a uture biol -ogy major, Astride plans to ollow in her moth-ers ootsteps and

become a pediatri-cian. She hopes hermusic activities willbolster her medicalschool applications.Pitt hopes the cur-rent economy andunemployment ratedont discourageher son and otherhigh school seniors.Not a lot o jobsare in demand rightnow, said Pitt. Butshe thinks thingswill gradually get

better. There havealways been reces-sions.

Astrides parentsagree. Ater gradu-

ating with a degree in accounting rom York Col-lege in 1992, her ather, Alex Mompremier, had toadjust to a challenging job market caused by thestock market crash. Beore he went to New YorkUniversity to get a bachelors degree in nursing in1995, he supported himsel by busing tables anddriving cabs.

Astrides parents advice to their daughteris to nd a recession-proo proession.

The idea o a recession-proo job is moredicult now, more important i you think o

it but dicult to

predict, says Ta-run Banerjee, a28-year-old gradu-ate student andsociology proes-sor at Stony BrookUniversity. Baner-

jee is attracted toresearch, teachingand what he calls asocial justice com-petence.

As an under-graduate, he en-tertained many pos-sibilities including

psychology, inwhich he has bach-elors degree romBaruch College. Inchoosing sociology

as his area o study, he believes he has beenable to align his passion o academia with anancially stable proession. He says the jobmarket wasnt much o a concern when he wasin school. As a 2007 graduate, he didnt anticipate a shortage o jobs. Currently workingon his proposal or his Ph. D, Banerjee thinksthat pursuing a higher degree will ensure more

job securit y.The U.S. Department o Education reports

that in the past three years, most bachelorsdegrees granted were in the areas o business

social science, history, health and educationThe highest number o masters degrees were ineducation and business; at the doctorate levelthe greatest amount o degrees were in healthand clinical sciences, education, engineeringbiological/biomedical studies, psychology andphysical sciences. According to Careerpath.orgthe job market this year is avoring the elds omedicine, sotware publishing, education andemployment services.

Fattor has noticed that students are thinking about their uture proessions earlier in theicollege career. When I was a student you didnhave to think about coming to career servicesuntil the end o your senior year and everyoneound a job, said Fattor. Now students have

to think o their careers as reshmen.Regardless o ones ultimate career choice

Fattor stresses that, most o all, students needto develop a broad skill set.

Thats the bottom line, Fattor said.

2 FALL 2011 NYABJ STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP

(continued from page 1)

that her daughter would not become a teen

pregnancy statistic.I was so disappointed when she told me.My heart just broke, Jennier Williams said. Iwanted to kill that darn boyriend o hers too.All three o us had sat down and talked aboutabstinence and the consequences o having sextoo soon more than once.

Despite the popularity o shows like TeenMom, incidents o adolescent pregnancies andteens having sex have been on the decline.

The number o teens giving birth in the Unit-ed States has been steadily decreasing over thepast two decades, according to an article on theCNN Health blog. The rate has dropped rom61.8 births per every 1,000 teens in 1991 to39.1 in 2011.

In act, more teenagers are using protection.The percentage o high school students whoengaged in sexual intercourse in the past threemonths without using any type o protection wentdown rom 16 to 12 percent. The percentage oteens using two dierent types o contraceptionhas increased rom 5 to 9 percent, according tothe CNN Health blog and Guttmacher.org.

When people see that youre like a teen andyou got a child, they judge you right o the bat.Since Im black that just adds to the judgment. Ithink that is so wrong, Mikayla Williams said.

They dont look at you as an individual.They look at you as part o a stereotype.

There are many stereotypes about teenmothers as well they will never nish high

school, go to college, get married or get a good

job. And their child has a higher risk o becominga teen mom too. Mikayla Williams is moving be-yond those stereotypes. Her mother demandedthat the pregnant teen do her best in school.Mikayla Williams made a pact with her motherthat she was going to be the valedictorian o hersenior class. Her mother saw no reason or thisto change because she was pregnant. I let herknow early on that therewas going to be no slackingwhatsoever, Jennier Wil-liams said. I told her thatit wasnt going to be easybut I would do everything inmy power to help her.

Mikayla Williams said:

It was really hard. I meanbeing pregnant and still go-ing to school isnt easy atall. I never pictured myselgoing through my senioryear pregnant never, shesaid with tears in her eyes.My mom really pushedme during that time andI love her or that. I ac-complished all my goals. I was a pregnant vale-dictorian! Can you believe that? she laughedtriumphantly. Im going to start college in theall, she added proudly. Im taking Nadiya withme too. They have amily housing and a daycarecenter there, so Im super excited! But were de-

nitely going to come home every weekend and on

the holidays.At that, the teens mother stated You better! And this young mom has plans that do include Nadiyas dad, Daniel Brown, too. The twohave maintained a relationship. Brown is currently in college, but visits Williams and theidaughter every weekend.

Brown was raised by a single mother in Chicago and said he elt guiltywhen Williams deliveredthe news they were havinga baby. I know what itslike to be raised by a teenmom. My mother was oneand we were always struggling, he said.

My dad wasnt thereor us, so it was reallyhard. When Kayla toldme she was pregnant, hugged her and said wewere in this together. Isounds sappy, but I meanit then and I mean it now,he said. I really want usto get married. And thats

exactly what Williams wants, too. When Im nished with college, she said. Then we want tomove in together and just be a amily. When I tepeople my goals they think Im crazy, but Im notgoing to just t the norm or the stereotypes outhere. Im going to do things my way.

[ By: Ashley Johnson]

FROM TEEN MOM TO VALEDICTORIAN:ONE YOUNG MOTHER BEATS THE ODDS



3/16

Beore immigrating to the United States romAghanistan, Hassan Khalid was a cardi-ologist, working to provide aordable care or hispatients, who range rom inants to seniors. Butas the war in Aghanistan began to develop, lie

became troublesome, and Khalid and his 10-year-old son fed to the United States to seek reuge.Now Khalid works in a deli store and is barely get-ting by, earning the hourly minimum wage.

Though happy to be away rom the wars thatravaged his homeland, Khalid misses his amilyand his hometown.

I had my amily there, a great career, a happyhome, everything. Now its all gone, said Khalidin his native Dari. Khalid is trying to get his wieinto the United States, but, according to Khalid,the process is a long one, and will take manyyears.

The lie o a reugee can be hazardous, and,as Khalid is learning, without perseverance andsupport, a reuge can suer greatly in the UnitedStates. Although not many reugees can make itto the United States or resettlement, those whoare ortunate enough to seek reuge in this coun-try are given much support rom organizationsthat are willing to assist them in the process ocoming into their new lie.

According to Gina Wills, the public aairsspecialist o the U.S. State Department, theapproximate number o reugees in the UnitedStates since 2007 has been 624,790 people.Wills said that the largest organization or

reugees in New York City is the InternationalRescue Committee (IRC). This organizationsupports new reugees by providing them withood, shelter, clothing, medical care, temporaryhousing, nding employment and also helpsthem with education and learning importantemployment skills. However many reugeesincluding Khalid, who do not have the support oorganizations like the IRC, remain unemployedand nd challenges in their new lie due totheir inability to speak English, not having anemployment card, and the lack o the educationneeded or a good job because the education theyreceived in their home country does not apply to

jobs in the United States.Despite his setbacks, Khalid does admit that

there is one benet o being in the United States_ its diversity. When he cannot nd an organiza-tion to help him, or when he is homesick, he hasa group o countrymen to alleviate eelings o de-spair and loneliness. I am lucky to nd home in acountry new to me, where I can still connect withmy culture, and where my kid can still speak anduse his language, Khalid said.

Similarly, Xie Chang, a Chinese reugee,resettled in the United States 31 years ago withher amily ater the all o Saigon in 1975 whenthe Chinese were being expelled rom Vietnam.Chang went through similar circumstances. Shehad to take care o her young daughter whileworking or maintenance in a hotel. Fortunatelyor her, the immigration act o 1965 made iteasier or Chang to sponsor her husband to comeinto the United States a year later. It was a hardtime or us, but we lived around people that we

can talk to about lie back home, she said. Wwerent home, but yet, we elt like we are home.

Chang is proud to say that despite theobstacles she went through, her daughter is nowworking towards her Ph. D. in neuroscience aJohn Hopkins University. Khalids son, Abduplays on a cricket team, a sport that is popular inAghanistan, and where most o his teammatesare also rom Aghanistan.

Khalid says that it is important or his son toremember his roots, especially because he wibe growing up in a dierent country. Despite athat we have gone through, I want my son to remember his roots, Khalid says, I want my son tget a good education, to get a good career, to en

joy his lie without ear, whether he is living bachome or the United States, my dreams or my sowill always be the same.

FALL 2011 NYABJ STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP 3

T H E S T R U G G L E O F

T H E R E F U G E E[By: Cathline Yaya]

[By: Cho Connor]Patrick Crowley never knew what hit him. But

there he was, laid out on the lacrosse eld, the

whole world spinning around him.Just moments earlier Patrick, a midelder or

St. John the Baptist High School, was runningwith the ball down the sideline. Then, like a MackTruck barreling down on him, a 6-eet-3-inch de-enseman trailing him blindsided him. Patrickstumbled to his eet and to the bench. He wasdizzy and had a severe headache.

What happened to Patrick that day is a rou-tine occurrence in contact sports like lacrosseor ootball. Its called getting your bell rung.Players typically shake it o and gear back up toget back into the game. But to a medical expert,this is a very serious matter _ this could be aconcussion.

A concussion is a type o traumatic brain in-jury that is caused by a blow to the head or body,

a all, or any injury that jars or shakes the braininside the skull. Besides cuts or bruises on thehead or ace, there oten may be no other vis-ible signs o a concussion or more serious braininjury.

There are many physical and emotional symp-toms o a concussion, including not thinkingclearly; eeling sluggish; memory loss; a head-ache; uzzy or blurry vision; nausea and vomiting;becoming easily upset or angered; and nervousor anxious behavior.

Concussions have gotten a lot o attentionrecently, not only in lacrosse but contact sportson all levels o play, including in the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association and the National

Football League. Coaches, ocials and varioussports leagues are cracking down on hazardousplay, which oten is at the root o concussions. Inlacrosse alone there have been numerous rulechanges that govern the type o hits players can

ROUGHER PLAY BRINGS TOUGHER RULES TOHIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE



4/16

Every day or the past 13 years, Kim Guitard

has never ventured outside without a switch-blade strapped to her let leg. She wears it orprotection but also or peace o mind. I have tobe prepared at all times because I never knowwhats going to happen, she said.

Thats because 15 years ago, Guitard experi-enced the ultimate betrayal. During a amily bar-becue in Park Slope when Guitard was 13, herhal-brother, Reggie Owen, a.k.a Eric Guitard,then 18, lured her into a bedroom by oering togive her some jewelry. Once inside, however, heattacked her.

We ought like we didnt know each other,Guitard said, looking down at her nails while sit-ting on the couch.

Guitard, who looks much younger than a

woman in her late 20s, seems hyper vigilant. Shelooks around the room nervously as she explainsthat horric day. Her intensity belies her innocentace, but in act, her innocence was taken thatateul day. Her brother eventually overpoweredher. From there, it went rom him not wantingto give me the jewelry right then and there, and

just orceully try ing to take everything else, sherecalled. Owen raped her, taking her virginity,her virtue, and, or a time, her sanity.

Guitards lie grew even worse soon aterwhen she began to eel terribly sick. Ater sevenmonths passed, her stomach began to get bigand her menstrual cycle had completely ceased.While she had ignored other signs that she waspregnant, now her pregnancy became evident.

Her amily wanted to know who was the ather.Reluctantly, Guitard told the truth. Her hal-brother, however, denied it.

When I actually told them Reggie was theather, they didnt believe me because it was hisword over mine, said Guitard. But, eventuallythe truth became obvious.

Ater my daughter was born, he told thetruth, said Guitard. However, she added thatOwen had threatened to kill her numerous timessimply because he didnt want anyone to knowexactly what happened. Although experts say in-cest-rape is underreported, it is just as commonas other types o rape, and just as devastating.

The victims have an even higher level o conu-

sion, and are more likely to nd themselves withno one to talk to _ not amily members, whoare oten torn over the accusation, and, out oshame, not riends.

Family bonds can be broken down bytension, said Dr. Pierre Arty, a psychiatrist orSt. Vincents Services in New York City. Tensioncan be caused rom sexual trauma within theamilys circle. Furthermore, statistics haveproven that approximately two out o three sexualassaults are committed by someone known tothe victim. Arty says sometimes people becomea scapegoat.

The mothermay have a senseo guilt. There

might also be someanger towards boththe victim andthe perpetrator,he said. Bondswill denitely bestretched andmore tense. Bondswill be tested. Itcan go either way.Three things themother or sibling oa rape victim caneel: guilt, shameand blame.

Guitard never

intended on havingany kids, but shemade the conscious decision to keep and raiseher daughter. My whole thing was, why give herup to somebody when I could give her somethingthat was taking rom me, explained Guitard.Beore Guitard was raped, she had dreams ogoing away to college, majoring in cosmetology,and ultimately owning her own hair salon.However, ater giving birth to her daughter,Sarah, lie took a turn she never envisioned.

I wound up giving up my dreams or thesimple act [that] I couldnt go away to college,Guitard said. I been through it all, I struggled

through high school and I didnt have a teenage

year. My teenage year was shot rom the beginning.Guitards attitude towards men also changed

ater her brother raped her. I have like so muchanimosity towards them. But I learned to copewith my animosity towards men in a dierentorm and ashion, said Guitard. She believesthat certain men dont deserve to be treatedwith respect. Her greatest pet peeve is a manwho doesnt do anything with their lie besidesstand on the corner.

Being raped at such a young age by heb r o t h ehas ruinedm u l t i p l erelationships

she saidOnce a guynds ouabout thesituation withmy brotherthey think Ohmy god, I candeal with her.And then they

just up andd i s a p p e aand I donever see themagain, shesaid.

G u i t a r dhas also been

diagnosed with H.I.V, post-partum depressionand bipolar depression. She suers rom anxietyattacks and shes now in anger managementShe also sees a psychiatrist three times a weekto help her deal with her issues. She now takesan antidepressant to calm her nerves and helpget her through the day.

For Guitard, the memory o her rape hauntsher. It bothers me every day when I walk thestreets, like this could happen to anybodyThats why I walk around with [the switch blade


THE HIDDEN SCARS OF INCEST RAPE[By: Felicia Romain ]

make in a game.Coaches have started using a motto to

ensure athlete saety, coaches and players said:When in doubt, sit them out. This means i youare not sure o the players ability to continue inthe game ater a hard hit, you sit the player ratherthan take a chance he might have a concussionand urther injure himsel.

Coach Kenneth Berry, the varsity lacrossecoach o Copiague High School on Long Island,

said that coaches now have to take certicationclasses on how to recognize the signs o a con-cussion. Part o what has caused more concus-sions, Berry said, could be the size o the ath-letes and over-aggressive play.

The kids are much stronger and aster thanthey used to be, he said. Some players agreed.

People hit more aggressively now becausethey are bigger, said Shaquille McDonald, 15,a midelder at Copiague High School on LongIsland. So now they have to enorce rules orbigger players.

Christian Gonzalez, o Huntington HighSchool, said the ociating o the game has alsochanged,

The res are more serious about hits to thehead o a player, the 15-year-old said.

Berry said the latest saety precautions havemade the game saer, and he added that his play-ers have become less aggressive but more tech-nically sound.

The days o the ootball players playing la-

crosse are over, Berry said. The rules havechanged lacrosse ... (into a) much less body contact, (a) more skilled game with ball movement.This may be the beginning o a whole new gameo lacrosse.




5/16FALL 2011 NYABJ STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP 5

As the country deals with its most seriousrecession in decades, the cost o going tocollege continues to rise. For many students,the nances o higher education are a seriousconcern, and weighs on their mind during theapplication process. Over the last 30 years,the average sticker price at public and privateAmerican universities has accelerated upward.

Though the unemployment rate dipped to 8.2percent in March, decreasing steadily rom a higho 10 percent in October 2009, it is still muchhigher than it had been in the early 2000s, whenit hovered between 4 percent and 6 percent.Getting a college degree seems more importantthan ever in the suering economy.

Dejhon Grandy, 17, a senior at Queens Pre-paratory Academy, said that he still planned toapply to Howard University, even i it meant tak-ing out multiple loans. I do really well in school!he said.

Navdeep Singh, 17, was apply ing to New York

University and Columbia University. Both schoolscost more than $40,000 in tuition and ees, andthat does not include room and board, i needed.Navdeep explained that it would be an invest-ment to his uture, and he would take out loansi necessary.

I probably wont get in, but Im going toapply anyway, he said. Nothing isimpossible.

However, not everyone hasthis nonchalant attitude. CoryAusby, 18, who attends New YorkInstitute o Technology, is planningto transer to a community college,City Tech. With the yearly tuitionat the New York Institute oTechnology totaling $28,000, heexplains that even with scholarships and loans,he still wont be able to aord to attend schoolthere. And he reuses to take out loans.

Over our years, the price will skyrocketout o control, said Ausby, who doesnt believeits worth it to take out loans to attend a dreamschool. I just dont want to pay it back.

Ausby is not the only student who eels thisway. An recent article by the Wall Street Journalnoted that student loan company Sallie Mae re-ported an increase in the number o students at-tending public two-year schools rom householdsthat earn more than $100,000, rom 22 percentin 2010-2011 rom 12 percent the previous aca-demic year.

But some websites are encouraging ap-plicants to ignore costs and apply or that top-tier, top-money school. Hopelesstoharvard.comasserts that attending an Ivy League school isworth the money and the potential loans, citingseveral benets o attending an elite school,rom great networking to a better chance o beingrecruited by top companies. It states that presti-gious companies such as GE and Morgan Stanleyare looking to recruit students rom schools suchas Princeton and Harvard.

Harvard recognized that nancial aid andscholarships are such a struggle or so manystudents that brilliant students were deterredrom applying because they believed they wouldnot be able to aord it. So the school came upwith a nancial aid package that will providestudents with a Free Ride as long as thei

household makes ewer than$60,000.

But not everyone has thisoption. Dwayne Moore, 16, oPreparatory Academy or WritersHigh School in Queens, says thabecause he is considered to bemiddle class, his amily is in theworst position possible. He saysthat the rich can aord to send

their child to Ivy League schools and the pooare more likely to end up receiving scholarshipsand nancial aid. However, those who are middleclass oten are let scrambling to nd money ocollege.

Despite this, Dwayne wasnt planning on letting the high prices o college infuence where heattends. He plans to apply to Yale and HarvardUniversity, even though he is not eligible or nancial aid. Dwayne calls colleges greedy, but saidNo matter what, Im going to apply, because athe end o the day its worth it.

HOW THE HIGH PRICE OF COLLEGE TUITION

INFLUENCES STUDENTS APPLICATION DECISIONS[By: Imani Cruz]

what I walk around with, she said.According to the Rape, Abuse & In-

cest National Network, 60 percent osexual assaults are never reported to thepolice and 15 out o 16 rapists will neverspend a day in jail. Incest rape too ismost oten held as the unspoken secretwithin a amily. Theres no specic ad-vice I can give to rape victims, said Arty.But one thing I wouldnt say to a victim o

rape is that I understand. I wouldnt sayits all right. I would only be able to listento that person. The power o being thereis something you cant underestimate.Theyre the victim.

Guitards lie is coming together. Sar-ah is 13, and does well in school. Sheis now in the th grade. Guitard is alsogoing back to school to study businessmanagement and, all these years later,

cosmetology. I got to prove to my daughter that I could do anything. Cant nobodyhold you or stop you rom doing what youhave to do, Guitard says. Now its timeor me to get my lie back on track.

She does carry a secret, howeverSarah remains unaware that her ather isin act her uncle as well. Guitard planson telling her that dicult truth whenshe determines Sarah is old enough tounderstand. The diculty is compoundedbecause Owen, who spent ve years in

prison or raping Guitard, is now serving25 years to lie or sexually assaultingand robbing an 88-year-old woman in Chinatown. Even so, Guitard tries her besto surround hersel with positivity. At theend o the day, I cant stop my lie because then that means he has a hold onme, she said, tilting her head up with asmirk on her ace. I chose not to even lethat happen.



6/16

The Barclays Center, the sports arena thatwill be home to the Brooklyn Nets basketballteam, is scheduled to open on September 28,2012, but residents and businesses in Clinton

Hill are already anticipating how it will changethe neighborhood.

I think its going to boost the economy andbring jobs and nationwide media coverage, whichis good media exposure or Brooklyn, says SaoCatley, a longtime Clinton Hill resident.

I recently visited the Barclays arena job-site and was excited to learn that the design in-cludes a vast outdoor plaza where members othe community will be able to enjoy events likeoutdoor movies and armers markets, adds Ka-mala Questel, who lives and works in the ClintonHill area. It appears there has been a real eort

made to include theneighboring com-munity in this ex-citing development

or Brooklyn.TheNets are movingrom New Jerseyto their new Brook-lyn home. Accord-ing to the BarclaysCenter website, theacility will be hometo concerts, nearts perormances,circuses, collegebasketball games,ice shows, and mu-

sic award shows, makingthis area a popular des-tination or residents aswell as visitors. The cen-ter is located diagonallyacross the street romthe Atlantic Terminal,which serves nine subwaylines and the Long IslandRailroad, making it eas-ily accessible or thosethroughout the New YorkCity area. Additionally,buses, including the B41

and B45, will also stop at the BarclaysCenter. The arena is the latest driveo changing demographic trends thaare taking place in the area. There

are several contributing actors impacting the demographics o ClintonHill, including, but not limited to, theAtlantic Yards project, says City Councilwoman Letitia James, who servesBrooklyns 35th District.

Once a predominantly AricanAmerican neighborhood, the percentage o Arican-American residentsin Clinton Hill dropped by 20 percentbetween 2000 and 2010, according tothe Census Bureau. During the sametime, the neighborhood experiencedan infux o people o other races andgreater afuence.

Businesses are taking note. Tess

Gill, the 43-year-old owner o TheBrooklyn Victory Garden, a ood retailer on Fulton Street, said: One o the reasons I chose toopen this store here is because o the diversityo people who live here.

With the opening o the Barclays Centersome business owners expect that the area wilonly become more diverse and afuent _ an ideal customer base or the wide variety o storesthat are cropping up in the area. Yet, others inthe area anticipate that this increase will bringgreater congestion, ewer ree parking spacesand rising rents and home costs. With more thaneight months until the grand opening, the trueimpact o the Barclays Center is yet to be seen.


NEW FRUITY ALCOHOL BEVERAGE UNDERSCORESPROBLEM OF UNDERAGE DRINKING[By: Jasmine Bonner]

Goran Dutoitbelieves alcoholis poison. Theadult has seenthe dangersthat alcohol can

cause _ I havea riend who hasbeen drinking allhis lie and nowhe has kidneyailure _ andthe idea o teenspicking up a drinkbothers him.

No teenunderage shoulddrink, saysDutoit (Legally, no teen can drink alcohol in NewYork; the drinking age is 21).

Still, that hasnt stopped some people rom

imbibing despitebeing underage.

G a b r i e l l eOglesby, 21, admitsshe used to drinkbeore she was

legally able to, andstarted as youngas 15. She usedto use ake IDsto get her alcoholrom stores, andsaid she never gotcaught. But now,looking back, shedoesnt approve ounderage drinkingand believes it can

become addictive.And it can. Studies show teens 15 and

younger are our more times likely to become al-

coholics than those who start drinking when theyare 21. In addition, teens ace other stressors inlie that may lead them to abuse alcohol, romtroubles in school or home to peer pressure.

Now, a new drink on the market has some

CLINTON HILL RESIDENTS ANTICIPATE IMPACT OF

BARCLAYS CENTER[By: Iniko Thornell]



7/16

Cell phones have replaced beepers, comput-ers are needed or almost every task and dier-ent gadgets have become ubiquitous at home,

work and school -- especially among young peo-ple who are known to be early adopters. How-ever, the dangers o prolonged and requent useo cell phones by teenagers are still debatable.

While Europe seems to very concernedabout the threat new technology poses to youngpeople, Americas attitude seems a little morelaissez-aire.

The controversy has been over what dangerradio requency - a orm o electromagnetic en-ergy that is emitted rom cell phone holds. InEurope, there is a move to ban mobile phonesand wireless networks in schools or this reason.The Council o Europe Committee said earlierthis year that elds could cause cancer and alsoaect the developing brain.

However, the World Health Organization andthe U.S. Depar tment o Health hold the opinionthat cell phones dont pose a signicant healthrisk. And the U.S. National Institutes o HealthsNational Cancer Institute points out on its web -site that more research is needed becausecell phone technology and how people use cellphones have been changing rapidly. The Can-cer Institute noted that a 2009 study in Swedeno children diagnosed with brain tumors didntnd an association between cell phone use andbrain tumors in the group, but the researcherscouldnt rule out the possibility o a slight in-

crease in brain cancer risk among children whouse cell phones.

I have learned that the radiation rom cell

phones can aect your brain and possibly makeyou go dea, said 17-year-old Francis Lewisstudent DanielleRennalls. TheCouncil o Europetook action on theconcernt that cellphones could pos-sibly have nega-tive health eectson teens. TheTelegraph news-paper reported inJuly that the com-mittee created adrat resolution

that urged all gov-ernments to takeall reasonablemeasures to re-duce exposure toelectromagneticelds rom mo-bile phones andsimilar devices,including the banin schools.

Making such amove in the U.S.

p r obab l y wou l dn tbe popular

with stu-dents or teachers. I computers wereremoved rom schools our educationsystem would go the opposite directionbecause our main resources would notbe there anymore. Once a system isout o order there will be chaos, said19-year-old Delaware State Universitysophomore Scheniqua Earle. At least75% o 12-17 year-olds own a cellphone in America. 88 percent o that75 percent use their cell phone or textmessaging. And its just not U.S. teens.A 2005 study done by CMCH Mentors,ound that 37% o teens in Japan elt

that they would not be able to live without acell phone ater owning one.

Beside the cancer risk, constant cell phone

use can lead to other bodily eects. A Timemagazine article in May cited a research study

showing that texting, as well as manipulating a videogame controllercan lead to joinpain in wrists andngers with girlsnoticing pain moreoten than boys.

S om e t im esmy ngers getired to the poinwhere I want to

just stop texting

because I eel uncomortable, says17-year-old Francis Lewis studenAlexandria LoweThe number osituations wherecell phones havecaused a distraction to teens behind the wheel isrising. The law rmo Edgar Snyder &Associates statesthat in 2008 aleast 800,000

people were eithetexting or making a phone call while driving in theUnited States. And in 2007, at least a thousandcar accidents involving teens between the ageso 16-17 years old were caused by the use oa cell phone while driving. Research has proventhat 46% o drivers under the age o 18 haveadmitted to texting while driving.

Texting and driving is pretty ridiculous. Somany people have died because o text messages sent that could have waited and its just areally small thing that could have a really graveimpact on not only the people involved but thecommunity as a whole, said 17-year-old FrancisLewis student Valencia Clement.

worried that teens may be lured to useit and abuse it.

Recently, some stores in New YorkCity have begun selling the ruity bever-age Four Lokos, which comes in manydierent favors and has vibrant col-ors. A can o Four Lokos also containsabout 12 percent alcohol. The FederalTrade Commission, which is investigat-ing complaints about the beverage,

says the alcohol content in Four Lokosis equal to about our or ve beers.

Some states have banned the drink

and it has been blamed or the hospitalization o some college students. Its useamong young people has become a concern across the nation.

But underage drinking has been aproblem long beore Four Lokos cameonto the scene. At Discount Liquors inBrooklyn, employees who did not givetheir names said they saw many teenscoming in and using ake IDs to buy alcohol, and some people even come intothe store to buy alcohol or teens. Even

when some teens got caught, there wasno action taken to prevent the problemrom reoccurring.


NO TEXTINGWHILE DRIVING[By: Jozina Campbell ]



8/16

More and more these days, Americans areprobing the world o alternative medicines. Ti-any Shipp is one o them. She requently uses

acupuncture, which she tried ater hearing aboutit rom her riends in a yoga class. I guess I

just star ted out being cur ious, Shipp said. Shesaid that acupuncture oers an escape rom herbusy, sometimes overwhelming schedule, whilereleasing endorphins and negative emotions inher body. It gives me a general sense o well-being, she said. Its like taking out the trash.

Shipp uses acupuncture merely or therelaxation. Most people however, according tostudies by the National Center or Complementar yand Alternative Medicine and National Center orHealth Statistics, use it to treat musculoskeletalproblems such as back, neck, or joint pain.And when it comes to taking medicine, besidespharmaceutical drugs, some o the most popular

products are sh oil/omega 3, glucosamine,Echinacea, andfaxseed.

In short, theace o Americanmedicine haschanged. Americansare showing thatits no longer about

just trusting youdoctors. Accordingto certiedherbalist AemenBell, who works atPerelandra, a healthood store that has

been in Brooklynor 35 years, its all about trusting the naturalworld around you. While Americans have alwayssearched or new methods o healing themselves(putting butter on burns, or instance), the currentalternative medicine boom was unleashed in

1994. That year, Congress passed the DietarySupplement Health and Education Act, (DSHEA).It created a new category o medicines called

dietary supplements, which all outside thejurisdiction o the Food and Drug Administrationand are not regulated as drugs. Soon ater,however, with promises o easy weight loss, thedietary supplement business became o the mostprotable businesses in the nation. Likewise,supplements like St. Johns Wort few o theshelves as people searched or concoctions odierent herbs that could improve their health,extend their lives, or replace at with muscle.

Roan Fairclough, a nutritionist consultantand the manager o a GNC on Fulton Street indowntown Brooklyn, has worked at GNC or eightyears and thinks that alternative medicines anddietary supplements are popular because theyrecheap compared to conventional medicines.

But he also thinks most alternative productsare better thanover the countermedications. Hewarned, however,that the medicinesare more orprevention, and i anillness escalates,youd be better ovisiting a doctor.

A 2007 studyby the ederalgovernment showedthat 38.3 percento U.S. adults and

nearly 12 percent ochildren use some orm o alternative medicine,which all into ve main categories: alternativemedical systems, mind-body interventions,biologically based treatments, energy therapiesand manipulative and body-based therapies.

Meditation, yoga, and massage therapyare among the most prevalent alternativemedicines used. Also, the study showed that themedications are used mostly by women with highincomes and a higher education.

Bell, the herbalist, uses alternative medcines hersel. Her interest in the eld stems romchildhood. When she was 13, Bell was ill and heparents took her to a myriad o doctors, all whomwere unable to assist her. She then read a bookon asting and her interest was captured. She be

lieves that the medicines have become so popular because people are realizing that (suppressing) their symptoms long term isnt helping. Shereerred to them as invisible medicines because they prevent ailments that you might noknow you are at risk or. She also said that theyare best taken preemptively as opposed to usingthem to combat an illness.

Shipp would agree. She used to have coldhands and eet, but since beginning acupuncture, her extremities have warmed. The reasonshe believes, is the element that oten scarespeople rom acupuncture _ the needles. Yesthey hurt, she says, but only or a moment. Theneedles stimulate the muscles and send whiteblood cells to the area, soothing it. Where you

body is stagnant, there is pain, she said. Thepeaceul environment also soothes her mind _some o her best ideas come during her acupuncture. I absolutely 100 percent recommendit, Shipp said, because ater the treatment, eel calm and ready to take on the world.

For manyteenagers today,having a smartphone isnt just atrendy accessorybut a necessity.

Smart phonesare now a must.Its the key toc o m m u n i c a t i o nat anytime andanywhere. I dontknow what I would

do without my Blackberry, 19-year-old TianeeJones said. According to the Pew Internet and

American Lie project, about 84% o teenagershave cell phones by the time they are 17. Withthe requent advancements o cell phones,teenagers eel the need to be up-to-date withtheir device. But both acquiring and maintainingthese technological devices arent cheap. Smartphones normally run roughly around $100 to$600; and the service to maintain it can cost upto $200. How do most teenagers aord theseancy phones?

My mom bought me my phone and pays thebill. She even bought me a new one when myBlackberry broke, says 15- year- old high schoolsophomore Chelsea Rivera. I cant aord myphone bill on my own. I dont even have a job.


MORE PEOPLE RELY ONALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR HEALTH

[By: Justin Francis]

SMARTPHONES ARE NOW A MUST


[By: Kaitlyn Kalloo ]



Rivera is ar rom the only teen who dependson their parents to oot the bill or their phones.Many high school students dont have jobs be-cause they want to ocus on their school work.But some dont have any other choice but work,especially i they want to have a smart phone.

My bill was like $150 a month, plus I alwayswanted the latest phone that came out. I think myparents were getting sick o my phone bill so theykind o just threw the responsibility on me, said

17-year old high school senior Joshua Evans, whoworks at Burger King just to maintain his iPhone.

Some teenagers eel as i they need to havea phone and they will do anything they need to doto acquire one. These phones are normally usedor a more accessible way o communication.

I ound mysel replacing talking with texting.Its easier, 16-year-old high school junior DanielAllen said.


DOWN ECONOMY DOESNT AFFECT

SOUP KITCHENS[By: Kaiyn Chambers]It is no secret that our nation is struggling eco-nomically, and people are having trouble makingends meet. Minority groups have been especiallyhard hit during the recession. The unemploymentrate or Arican Americans has hovered around 16percent, according to the U.S. Bureau o LaborStatistics, nearly double that o their white coun-terparts.

But despite the sour economy and wide-sweep -ing cutbacks in ederal assistance programs, localinstitutions such as churches and other not orprot organizations are nding ways to assist thosewho are not able to help themselves.

On a recent Saturday aternoon at the Epis-copal Church o Saint Andrew & Holy Commu-nion in West Orange, NJ, a group o hungry menand women gathered or hot meals at ChristinesKitchen, a soup kitchen provided by the church. Thesoup kitchen is one o many outreach programsthe church oers to the needy and is part o thechurchs broader outreach initiative, which also in-cludes a thrit shop.

Nearly two-dozen servers hustled back andorth between about ve tables covered in yellow ta-blecloth, each lled with olks rom dierent walkso lie. There seemed to be just as many whites asblacks and several Hispanics as well.

A banner above the serving area, emblazonedwith Matthew 25:37 verse 40, summed up the

churchs mission: Lord,when did we see Youhungry and eed You,or thirsty and give youdrink? Assuredly I sayto you, inasmuch as youdid it to one o the leasto these My brethren,You did it to me.

Under the text othe banner are color-ul drawings o produceconsisting o items such

as cereal, milk, blueber-ries, and carrots. Onthe opposite wall o the banner, there are bulletinboards displaying upcoming events, contact inor-mation, and photos rom past church unctions.

Alice Homan, the coordinator o the ood pan-try and a warden at the church, said that she hasbeen involved in various church outreach eorts orone simple reason: It is what Jesus would want,to serve others. I like helping people, Homansaid. When I was rst asked to do it I was a bitscared, but I eventually decided to be a part o it.

The soup kitchen can serve up to 120 peopleat a time, Homan said. She said that there hasbeen an increase in people who come to the soupkitchen since the recession. Homan said that inan ideal world the church would be able to helpmore people.

I I could change one thing it would be to geta bigger place, Homan said. As many people aswe eed, there are so many more out there. Themood at the church that aternoon was humbling,or the volunteers that had committed to servingthose in need. The helpers were both young andold, individuals and amilies, very much like thosewho came or the ree meals.

People are content when they come, and manykids come with their amilies, said Jocelyn Prothro,17, o South Orange. The more you help out, themore you start to see the same people. Prothro

attends the Kent PlaceSchool in Summit andhas been participatingin the soup kitchenshosted at Saint Andrew& Holy Communion otwo years now.

Prothro said thatwo years ago morepeople showed up othe soup kitchens, buadded that the wintemonths usually are the

busiest, when the needor a hot meal seems

greatest. With the greater need, oten come rayednerves. Sometimes people exchange rude wordsand there can be some pushing or a spot in line,she said. The more she sees people in need, Prothro said the more she is motivated to give hetime, and that she believes volunteering is a goodexperience or the recipients as it is or the volunteers.

Devin Harris, a new congregant o the churchspent his 27th birthday serving meals at the oodpantry. He said he opted to spend some time sellessly, rather than selshly by partying it up. Iwas the second time in about our years that hedonated his time there. The rst time was nearlyour years ago when he was a student at SouthernConnecticut State University.

Harris said that unortunately, despite the welpublicized down economy, many people were struggling beore the recession.

The awareness has increased given theserough economic times, said Harris, dressed in aplaid shirt, jeans and boots. People have alwaysbeen struggling.

Harris said the opportunity to serve others, especially on his birthday, was a blessing. AlthoughIm not rich by any means, there are people whoare less ortunate than I. When people say thankyou, the ood was delicious, thats enough or me.


10/1610 FALL 2011 NYABJ STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP

AT A CHARTER SCHOOL,STUDENTS DEFYING UNIFROM RULE CAUSES A DILEMMA

[By: Kelvin McNeill]A charter school in Harlem insists that uniorms

are an essential part o the learning environment,but enorcing the rule without disrupting that envi-ronment is a challenge. Contending that uniorms

are a way or students to ocus more on an educa-tion than the latest trends, the Opportunity CharterSchool (OCS) or middle and high school studentsrequires uniorms be worn each weekday.

Cassandra Batchelor thinks that uniorms area way to eliminate judgment in schools. As the par-ent o an OCS high school student, she believesthat uniorms are undamental or the school sys-tem and create less competition.

Uniorms are easier, depending on the par-ents, she said. Some parents arent nanciallystable to supply their children with the latestbrands, designers, etc. OCS uniorms includewhite collar or white polo shirts; grey, black orkhaki pants or skirts; plus any sweater, cardigan,sweatshirt, hoodie or vest with an OCS logo. OCS

student Taneiysha Cole, 17, believes the uniormpolicy has its pros and cons.

(Its) good, because its or students toget dressed in the morning. And it also looksproessional. On the other hand, it creates no

d i v e r s i t y .E v e r y o n ebasically looksthe same,Taneiysha said.

But shealso thinks thatthe school staand teachersare too ocusedon the uniorm

policy, adding:It seems as ithe sta andteachers valuethe uniormmore than the

education.A small number o students at OCS eel that

the uniorm policy does not apply to them. I thinkthe uniorm policy is okay. I just dont wear it, said

Shantae Allen, 19. It takes up too much time, so Ithrow on whatever.

Allen said usually she doesnt suer anyconsequences or not complying with the uniormpolicy. But when asked whether anyone saysanything to her she admitted that the dean calledmy house once, though.

Reginald Wright, 18, also doesnot comply with the uniorm policy.He laughed as he was questionedabout it: I dont take the uniormpolicy seriously. Its like they caremore about the uniorm than melearning. And at the end o the day,Im gonna do whatever I want.

A teacher at the school, Ms.

Kent, believes that its ridiculousthat students are not wearing theiruniorms.

The students make it more oa big deal than it needs to be, saidKent, but the administration should go about itanother way. She says the rules are not clearenough: The school should be clear with what theywant, make it more black and white. For example,you either wear or you dont. Its nonnegotiable,she said.

An administrator named Mr. Smith explainedhow the school enorces the uniorm policy. Hesaid there is a Uniorm Inraction Sheet whichdocuments students who do not wear uniorms.Ater students are documented, an email is sent to

the principal, so he or she can make phone calls toeach students home. Students who do not complywith the uniorm policy must report to the assis-tant principals o the middle school and the highschool.

But due to a number o students still not

wearing their uniorms despitethe documenting process, OCStook urther action by institutingan accountability rule, eectiveNovember 2011. This new policyenorces detention or 45 minute toan hour ater school or students whodo not wear their uniorm. Mr. Jonesthe school dean, explained why the

stronger rule was implemented.Weve always been on top o ou

game with the uniorms, said Jonesbut students, not all, have been a

bit rebellious with the policy. Thereore, we had toreinorce the uniorm policy meaning accountabilitywill be held ater school or everyone.

Student Nicholas Craword, 17, was gratiedabout the new enorcement.

Its about time everyone had to take responsibilities or their actions. Im glad that no one isexempt or the rules now, he said. Shynise Waltower, 18, agreed with him.

Yeah, its about time. It was unair that stamembers said something to one student and nothe other, she said.

OCS plans to continue enorcing the accountability operation. As ar as some students accusations that the school cares more about uniormsthan education, Jones said: Students will havetheir opinions no matter what, but OCS ensuresthat the education is just as important as uniorm

HAS TEXT MESSAGES EFFECTED THEFUNDAMENTAL WAYS OF WRITING?

[By: Khalia Braxton]Todai w3 r goin shoppin wit th3 girls. R u comin

or iz you goin to mac at hom3? W3ll it m3 bac &l3t m3 no! Many kids would understand what thatmeans without noticing the grammatical errors,spelling errors, and words used in the incorrectcontext. This is the language o texting and ispopular when communicating with riends whileon social networks such as Twitter, Facebook,and blog site. However, most teachers are unableto understand this when they see it in what issupposed to be ormal writing o their students.

Catherine Conley, who is a high school teacherat St. Jean Baptiste High School, does not believethat text messaging is what is directly aecting

the ormal writing o the students. However, shedoes believe that it aects how they write in general. Texting has added a layer in possibilities oproblems, said Conley, who said the probelemsare not as bad as when text messaging rst became popular.

Text messaging gives them less practice inregular writing, she said.

Brianna Young, a junior at Queens GatewayHealth Sciences Secondary School, she admittedthat it was indeed hard or her to switch back andorth between texting messaging lingo and orma




writing. Although she said she knows the dier-ence between text messaging lingo and ormalwriting, she texts a lot and uses a lot o shorthand _ a habit that is then carried over to herormal writing when she is in school. When un-der the pressure o completing an essay in a oneclass, she begins to make mistakes such as b4instead o writing beore.

Larry Perry, who is a reshman at TompkinsCortland Community College, said he did not nd

it hard to switch back and orth between text mes-saging and ormal writing. However, the Harlemnative said that his classmates oten make thatmistake, and that proessors are noticing andmaking comments. Still, he said proessors arenot making the students pay by giving them a lowgrade. They are not doing it on purpose, saidMr. Perry in his classmates deense. Being thatthey text all day, it becomes a habit. Juliet Dug-

gins , who is a seventh gradeELA teacher M.S. 22X in theBronx, said she does not be-lieve text messaging aectsthe issues that occur in thewriting o students. There isa place or texting and thereis a place or writing, saidDuggins. The problems comewhen parents and teachersallow students to write theway they text. Duggins but

the blame on adults who saiddont take the time to makesure that students know the dierence. Theydont correct it and stop it, she added. DamaniSingleton is an eight grade English teacher in theLos Angeles Unied School District in Los Angeles.In his honors British literature class, he doesnthave a problem with the students writing. How-ever, in his non-honors class, he has concerns.

However he doesnt attributethe problems to text messaging. They dont come to mewith all that little texting,said Singleton. Singleton believes that the problem is bigger than text messaging. Hebelieves the problem is lacko teaching structure and lacko understanding the Englishgrammatical structure omany o his students, who are

Hispanic and are the parentso immigrants. He attributes

this issue to the lack o knowledge o the Englishlanguage to the students culture and habits ahome. Singleton believes his students are tryingto make sense o the English language in theiown language and that is where the mistakes aremade. I try to understand what the problem isrst and try to correct i t rom there, he said.

FACEBOOK PRIVACY CHANGES

CONCERNS TEENS, PARENTS

Many may say that Mark Zuckerbergrevolutionized the world with his invention oFacebook, but some users are unhappy with recentchanges that makes it now possible or users toview what their riends are posting and doingsimultaneously on the social networking website.

Natalie Colon, a 16-year-old student romStaten Island, said she uses Facebook regularlyor inormation about extracurricular activities andhomework. The availability o applications or elec-tronic devices has made it even easier or her toconnect with others.

I love that I can keep in touchwith my riends all at once, Nataliesaid. However, I do oppose someo the new changes to Facebookbecause it makes it 100 timeseasier or people to stalk others,even people who we arent riendswith. Its really weird.

Avid Facebook user AngelaDepompeis said she eels the newchanges are intrusive to peoplesprivacy. I I comment on my

riends status, her riends can seemy comments even though I amnot riends with her riends, said

Angela, a 16-year-old rom Westchester.A concern o many parents has been whether

the use o Facebook is a danger to their childssaety as well. In a recent survey the U.S. Depart-ment o Justice, it was reported that 71% o teenshad received online messages rom a stranger. Fa-cebooks policy emphasizes that users should onlyberiend people they personally know, however thisdoes not stop many people rom accepting riendrequests based on mutual riends.

Its good to keep communication with riends,

but it is scary that children can talk to anyone,said Gisela Loaiza, a parent to a teenage daughterThere is no way to control what kids look at unlesstheyre using a net nanny or something.

The Department o Justice stresses the importance o parents being aware o slang and termsteens use to know exactly what they might be posting on social networks. It also recommended thateens restrict inormation on their prole to prevenunwanted people rom getting access to it.

[By: Kimberly Coleman]

TEENS EXPRESS THE PAIN BY BULLYINGAccording to the

American MedicalAssociation, 3.7 millionyouths engage inbullying, and more than3.2 million are victims omoderate or seriousbullying each year. Morethan 61% o students

turn into bullies because o once being bulliedwitnessing violence or child abuse.

Yancy Medina, 14, who attends Cypress HillsHigh School, said she has been a victim o bulying. It elt horrible. Everybody is attacking youand making un o you. You cant really describethe eeling o being bullied, Yancy said. Its

[By: Ninti Baldeo]





just a pain o someone hitt ing you in a sensitivesubject to you, and I elt alone, sel-conscience.

Another student, Faith Meadows, 15, romAstoria said she was bullied rom th to sev-enth grade. She said that she eels the pain

o other victims, but it shouldnt stop you romachieving your goals and being who you are.

Bullies must realize that they wont getanywhere in lie without being respectul o oth-ers, said Faith, who has also experience cyber-bullying.

Meadows said she struggled with this problem until she stood up or hersel. I was teasedbecause I was overweight so my sister signedme up or boxing classes, Meadows said. Myteacher also motivated me. Ater a ew yearskids stop talking about me and calling me at.


NOT LOVIN TEENS,A McDONALDS BLOCKS THEM DURING KEY HOURS

[By: Omari Abdussalaam]A McDonalds on Forest Avenue in Staten Is-

land is reusing service to teenagers during aterschool hours and even reusing them entry. A Mc-Donalds employee says that customers who want-ed to just sit down and enjoy McDonalds couldntdo so because the kids would ght and make a loto noise. Reerring to students who attend Interme-diate School 72, the employee says, These teen-agers come in here acting like animals and theydont even purchase anything.

Some say the new policy has improved

business or the rest o the visitors. Raven Fakoya,a college student at the College o Staten Island,says she enjoys the new policy because she andher riends like to go to eat at McDonalds beoreclasses begin. The atmosphere has been dierent

now with new policy, saysFakoya. Its great. Olderpeople and college studentscan talk in peace withouthearing screaming kids.

However, Myles Williams,a middle school studentrom I.S. 72, says he actuallywould purchase ood andrespect the rules. He thinksits unair that he has to pay

or what his peers have done.I think they should just

kick out the kids who are being loud and ghting,said Myles. Myles points out two points that hesees as ironies.

McDonalds lets highschool students work herebut they cant even eat here,he said. A lot o McDonaldsadvertisements have childrenin them.

The employee spoke o anincident where two boys wereabout to ght yet they wouldnot exit the restaurant. Theemployee said that the cops

have been called numeroustimes but the kids still come

back. The manager did speak o banning thespecic trouble makers but he is not sure when heis going to do that.

[By: Sean Harrison]

We use them everyday, and some practicallycant live without them. They have become inte-gral parts our lives _ they are applications or cellphones.

Apps are used everyday by tens o millions opeople and have been known to make lie easier.There are countless apps, some ree and somewith price tags (usually under $5) or use on An-droid phones, Apples iPhone and Research InMotion, or RIMs Blackberry devices.

A Wired article rom May 2011 says Applehad more than hal a million apps available, withthe average price o under $4.00 each. Androidphones (powered by Google sotware) oeredabout 300,000 apps at that time. Whether anapp is oered on a device usually depends onhow popular the app becomes.

According to iTunes sales chart, Angry Birdshas been the most popular top-paying app, withusers shelling out about $5 or each new game.Publisher Rovio Entertainment says the game,where users fing birds at green pigs who havestolen the birds golden eggs, has been down-loaded 500 million times. Its more than gamesthat have been popular with the younger genera-tion on their phones. There are also social net-work applications like Facebook, Tumblr, and

Edmodo; there is the entertainmentprovided by YouTube and Hulu.

For 16-year-old iPhone user JesusCardenas, who said he has over 15apps on his iPhone, he primarily usesPandora radio. He said he loves howit plays old songs and even nds newmusic. Another application he uses

a lot is Tumblr, a blogging site where pictures,notes and other inormation can be posted. Heloves seeing new pictures that entertain him, andhe believes that it can possibly be more popularthan Facebook in the uture. It has more creativ-ity and its more un to be on, Jesus said.

In a 2010 report Nielsen inormation andmeasurement services said American teenagersare not only using more data, but are also down-loading a wider range o applications. Sotwaredownloads among teens rose to 38 percent oactive users rom 26 percent the year beore. Us-ing a handheld device to access the Internet alsosurpassed using a phone to install games, ringtones and instant messaging. Other mobile activ-ities, like mail andtext alerts also in-creased.

Jonathan Mc-Daniel, 15, said hehas used app tohelp him with hismath homework.

I downloadedan app or myphone that gives

me a scientic calculator, so I can save moneyand dont have to get a new one, Jonathan saidHe also likes Upload Lite, which allows users todownload and view movies on their devices oree.

Its not just teenagers that use these applications though. Caught outside the Apple store o57th Street in New York City, Howard Brown, 34listed the music recognition app Shazam, destination nder Around Me, and Maps as his top threedaily use apps.

Android phone user Shoma Brown claimsthat the iPhone applications are better than hephones apps. When using her colleagues iPhonedevice, the 31-year-old admired it highly.

When my contracts up Im switching righover to the (iPhone) 4S, said Brown.

David Feinerman, who said he has been aniPhone user or six months, uses applicationssuch as Words With Friends, a game similar toScrabble. Its good, my 13-year-old is playingScrabble, he can transorm his vocabulary whilehaving un, Feinerman said. Another applica

tion he nds useul isFind My iPhone, whichlocates an iPhone oiPod touch device. Henot only uses or hisphone, but to locatethe rest o his amilymaking sure they arein amiliar locationsand that they havetheir phones on them.

FUN AND GAMES WITH APPS


13/16



[By: Tiffany Jones]

The October 2011 atal shooting o ZaranaHorton was perhaps the most sensational murderto occur in Brownsville in recent memory, but herdeath was just another statistic in crime wave thatis plaguing the community in Brooklyn.

Horton, a mother o 13, was shot dead in themiddle o the day. She was bringing her childrenhome rom school when shots began ringing out.She was killed while shielding not only her chil-dren but also other children rom the bullets. Thesuspects who were later arrested were only teensthemselves.

The slaying o Horton sparked outrage in NewYork City, and nationwide. In the community itsel,protests were held as residents, ed up and weary,demanded action to quell the rising crime tide.

From 2009 to 2012, crime was up 13.6 per-

cent in Brownsville, with murders up 50 percent,robberies up 31 percent and burglaries up 21.5percent, according to statistics released by theNew York City police department. Many questionsare being asked as to why the increase has oc-curred, and what can be done to combat this prob-lem. It needs to come to an end, said AndresLedesma, chie o sta or city councilmemberErik Dilan, whose district includes Brownsville.Ledesma had one theory or the crime problem:Because the economy is going down and peopleare out o work, crime is increasing. This is truecitywide, however, and not every section is experi-encing a jump in crime.

To address major issues in the community,the 73rd precinct, which covers the Brownsvillesection o Brooklyn, holds a meeting each month.This meeting consists o the police, the employeeso the Police Service Area (which serves people inpublic housing) and the residents o Brownsville;

they come together and discuss the violenceand saety issues in the community. CommunityAairs Ocer Dawn Townsendbelieves these meetings areimportant because a lot otimes, the community knowswhos committing the crimes.People assume the police knoweverything, but they rely greatlyon what the community tellsthem, she said. The policecan only do so much, said

Townsend. We need the community so that wecan be that ultimate duo.

Residents in the community can play an important role in combating the crime problem, saidLedesma, and it can start in their own homes. Whendiscussing one o the suspects in Hortons slayingLedesma wondered: Where was his ather? Didthe amily have good health care? Was he welleducated? Sequanna Vaughan, 18, blames theviolence on the culture o the community. Youngpeople are trapped in this hood mentality wherethey eel they have to be a part o the violence,said Vaughan, a resident o Brownsville.

Some who live in the community dont eel saeCharles Coleman, a longtime Brownsville residentsaid: I eel sae in my immediate neighborhoodthe our blocks around my house, because I knoweveryone, but deeper into Brownville? Never.

So the question still lingers _ what can bedone? How does a community recuperate rom

tragedy ater tragedy? I what Ledesma andTownsend say is true, then maybe here is hopeor Brownsville i the police andcommunity work together totackle the problem. Althoughthe increased crime rate can beblamed on a number o reasonsone truth remains _ the residentso Brownsville should be able tolive in peace. Vaughan may havesaid it best: I cant live my lieeveryday in ear.

IN BROWNSVILLE,COMMUNITY STRUGGLES WITH CRIME PLAGUE

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