by Maksuder RahamanEvery day, every morning, as I exit the subway, there is one thing that I do. I am sure many New Yorkers can relate. What is it, you ask? Smoking cigarettes. Personally, my vice of choice is Marlboro Lights with a cup of regular coffee—my day is incomplete without my two friends and companions. As I walk to school, I think about and simply enjoy the pleasure derived from the taste of both coffee and tobacco, mixing and creating a new flavor that is unique to me. Some say addiction, but I say, it’s my prerogative. Most of my friends are smokers too. We smoke on a regular basis, and it seems there is no shortage of cigarettes, because if I don't have a cigarette, then my friend has one, if my friend doesn't have one, then there always someone else who has. Therefore we don't need to worry about it. But it wasn't always like that, because a few of my friends whom I have known for quite a few years weren't smokers when I met them for the first time. It was just a few of us, smoking, for quite some time. One of my closest friends didn't smoke 3 years ago, but that all changed once he met our friendship circle. He started to smoke with us, once or twice a day. Then he kind of started to like it, and then it became habit. Now he smokes even more cigarettes than we do, and he is really addicted to it. There is another friend who also didn't smoke a year ago. But last summer he started to smoke. It was not because he had to or anything. For him it started out as fun, because since most of his friends are smokers and it was summertime and we hung out late at night. It influenced him, and he was curious about what smoking feels like. In the beginning it started out as fun, and he smoked once a day. Now I see it's not just for fun with him. He has gotten used to it. Sometimes we make fun of him and remind him that he always used to say that he would never get used to smoking. He still claims that he is a not regular smoker, because he doesn't buy a pack of cigarettes. But I know that's not true. Even though he doesn't buy cigarettes, with large numbers of friends he doesn't need to buy the cigarettes to become a chain smoker. He always can borrow one or two cigarettes from us whenever he needs it. And end of the day, if we count how many cigarettes he smokes from here and there, it would mount up to more than me or other regular smoker friends. Most of the time we have bought our own packages of cigarettes, but for him it's kind of unlimited, because he can borrow from anyone whenever he wants to. He doesn't realized that he is now a regular heavy smoker, but I know that he is addicted, because that's how I started, and since then I couldn’t stop. I m not much of a talker outside of my comfort zone. That's why most my friends are fellow Bangladeshi and neighbors. As much as I like to talk to people and become friendly with others, outside of my comfort zone it's really difficult for me to socialize. That's why most of the time I just stay quiet or just listen to other people. It’s same for the college, where I don't have many friends, nor do I know many people. But there are some people who I used to hang out with, and there are few people I hang out with after school or between classes. I can socialize easily with these people because we all have one thing in common: we all are smokers. This socialization starts with a borrowed cigarette or lighter. Then we start to ask each other’s names, and then before we know it we begin to talk regular basis, and become friends. I’m not saying that people need to smoke to make friends, but for me it helped, because I am sure otherwise I wouldn’t be able to make friends in college. I think smoking is a habit that is, most of the time, influenced by the friends or people with whom you socialized. It doesn't start suddenly, one day when you wake up and decide to smoke. It's more that you observe or follow the people you hang out with. Then the next thing you know, you have also start to smoke, because you want to do what they do, share an activity and a moment in time and a space. Later people get so used to smoking cigarettes that they become physically addicted to it. On the other hand I think smoking also a form of sociability, because in my personal experience I have found that smoking lets people start a conversation with anyone, anywhere. You may be wondering what is the difference between smoking solo in the morning as I walk to school versus smoking in the evening with my friends after class—this question, I am still pondering….but what I know for sure, as of now, that I have to have a cigarette between my walks to and from school and the subway. Am I addicted to cigarettes or the routine and habit of smoking—I don’t know. But I know that after every meal I have to have a cigarette whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner; otherwise it doesn’t feel right. I also know that it releases my tension and give me peace of mind for a while. We all know smoking cigarettes is bad for our health. The purpose of my writing is not to encourage people to smoke. It’s just my personal experience. Perhaps that’s the same experience many other smokers I know have. Otherwise it’s difficult to explain why people smoke. Since I am Muslim some people many question the morality of smoking in religious point of view. I don’t know whether smoking cigarettes is allowed or not. But some Muslim people in my South East region say it’s allowed and some people say it’s not, because there is a lot of Muslim people smoke. I didn’t try to find out which one is true, because I think I am not ready to quit smoking yet.
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by Karol KaluzaWe know his DNA. We know she fought back. We know where her body was, how it was found. We knew her daily routine, we knew she ran in the daytime. Someone must have seen or heard something. We also know she ran alone this day. To me this seems like such an overwhelming amount of evidence that we as a community, and our law enforcement, should have somebody behind bars. A crime was committed and if there’s no one to pay for it, that just makes it worse. We start to lose trust in our criminal justice system. Karina Vetrano was murdered on Aug. 2, 2016 as she jogged alone in Spring Creek Park in Queens, New York, in a remote area that locals call the “Weeds.” She was a young woman (30) who had a passionate personality, who had her own blog and thousands of followers on social media. Why hasn’t the perpetrator been served justice yet? Vetrano usually went running every day and had a set schedule. She and her father use to run daily around 5pm. Until this one day when her father was nursing an injury and repeatedly told Vetrano not to go running by herself. She was brutally attacked and murdered on her jog and dragged into the weeds. Her socks were wet, her headphones, shoe, and cellphone were scattered all over the place. After a few hours her father became curious about where she was, so he called three times. She didn’t pick up. He contacted the police and went to look for her. After pinging her cell phone her father noticed his daughter’s body in the weeds with her hands still grasping the weeds, reflecting her struggle with the perp. Many say that part of the reason the killer picked the spot was to confuse the police, because the area has been a killing and dumping ground before. It must be hard on a father to find his own daughter murdered on the one day he didn’t go running with her. Does he take all the blame for it? I know for a fact how hard it is to find somebody hurt, yet alone murdered. I was walking with my friend one day in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and we went our separate ways heading home. We were texting each other and all of the sudden communication stopped. As I was right in front of my building I tried to call him and his phone was off. After several minutes, assuming something might have happened while walking at night, I hopped in my car and just headed over to his house. I found him beat up and robbed steps away from his house. I felt some sort of guilt for not walking with him; he’s the one who wanted to take the cab home in the first place. The investigation started immediately Vetrano’s body was discovered. Detectives and investigators started by noticing the bruises she had on her body and face. Her teeth were knocked out either from the struggle or biting the criminal. They found DNA on her neck, fingernails, and cell phone. They ran the DNA thought the national and state databases but they got no matches. There are two reasons why there are might be no matches. One--the perpetrator was a teen and never convicted of a crime before, or two-- that he was incarcerated before they routinely took DNA samples. There was also no DNA at the crime scene to connect it to any sexual assault. DNA analysis is still evolving; today maybe it more accurate than ever before. The innocence project has been exonerating falsely accused people due to DNA samples which don’t match or were obtained wrongfully. A week later Vanessa Marcotte, a New York City resident who worked at Google, went to visit her family in Massachusetts. She, just like Ventrano , went on a jog and never returned home. It’s not known whether she was attacked head-on or from behind and what he used to hit her. The perpetrator fought and struggled with Marcotte, and his DNA was left on her body so he decided to set her on fire. If he had committed a crime in the past his DNA might be in the system and might lead law enforcement straight to him. Burning the body would have destroyed this evidence, but the evidence was not wholly destroyed when the entire body was not burned. Marcotte’s death is very similar to the case of Vetrano , killed a week earlier. There is no direct evidence that these two murders are related but there is also a high chance that they are. Back to my story, my friend called the police from my phone immediately. They came to take a report and asked about what had been stolen. His phone, his backpack containing his computer, his camera and his wallet, my friend said. Since there had been so many robberies in that area, the police were acutely anxious to catch these attackers. They collected surveillance video from nearby houses, which gave a clear shot of the attackers but surveillance didn’t catch their face 100%, not enough to confirm the identification . The attackers used masks or hoodies to conceal their faces. These crimes haven’t been solved. Crimes go unsolved all the time, from basic robberies to murders. How is it possible that we live in this day, in an age of advanced technology, yet crimes still go unsolved? We shouldn’t we be worried every time we leave our houses, shouldn’t be to forced to look over our shoulders, shouldn’t be scared to walk down the street at night. My friend’s case and the two murders above never got solved. Our communities need to come together to help law enforcement. People in the area near a crime can be the biggest break to any case. If you have any information in regards to any case, please call Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Finding a murderer isn’t easy, but we can’t leave any case on the shelf. We need to keep talking about it and posting about it on social media so nobody can forget. Cases usually go unsolved and unheard of after a few months—we can’t let that happen here. by Connor GilliganIf you live in the United States, you most likely work under the assumption that the prescription drug ads you see daily in the media are a normal thing. But are they? This answer is: no, they are not normal to the rest of the world. The shocking and bizarre fact is that only two countries in the entire world—New Zealand and the United States—allow Direct to Consumer drug advertising. Most European countries did away with public drug advertisements in the 1940’s and many countries never allowed it in the first place due to public safety concerns. Despite the obvious risks that come with advertising prescription medication, the United States allows the pharmaceutical companies to advertise their drugs to the public in any form of media that they please. This is, undeniably, the reason why pharmaceutical companies spent a combined $5.2 billion on advertising in 2015. That number may shock you, but it is not the only thing you need to worry about. What we should be concerned with is: why are Americans so easily persuaded by these ads and why are they consuming drugs, potent enough to need prescriptions, at such an alarming rate? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the American public is constantly looking for the easiest and quickest way to solve physical and emotional problems. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the pharmaceutical companies are able to advertise their "miracle drugs" on television, in magazines, and most dangerously, on the internet, and thus reach deep into everyone’s consciousness. As a society, we want everything to be simple, quick and easy. What fits this description more than taking an assortment of pills to solve any and all problems that we face in our daily lives? Instead of exercising, keeping a regular sleep schedule or eating healthily to combat problems like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, insomnia, back pain, anxiety, depression, or heart disease, we take the easy way out by ingesting drugs—most of them prescription medicines. This is why America is the most heavily medicated country on the face of the earth. Believe it or not, we don’t even make up 5% of the global population, yet we consume around 50% of all the pharmaceutical products in the world. It should come as no surprise that the American populace consumes nearly 80% of all opioid drugs and almost 100% of all the hydrocodone in the world. Maybe this huge dependence on powerful, potentially addictive painkillers is the reason U.S. pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year to advertise their drugs directly to the American public. The drug companies, labelled Big Pharma by activists, spends billions of dollars a year to ensure that we, as a society, stay heavily medicated in order to deal with our problems. But is it the companies’ fault? In all honesty, it isn’t. After all they are a series of corporations and the goal of any corporation is to make money—and they are doing that brilliantly. Then who is truly to blame? In reality, it is us, the American public, who are so easily influenced by these prescription drug ads that we spend over a combined $20 billion a year. If we didn’t buy, the pharmaceutical companies would no longer be advertising—and selling--these drugs. The real question here is: why are we buying into this and why are we so easily influenced by what we see in the media? I believe it is because we are persuaded that everything we see on T.V. is true. Advertisers for these multibillion dollar companies have become very skillful and know exactly how to use consumer beliefs to their advantage. Offered “infomercials,” some of us are regularly aware that products are not as reliable or beneficial as we are told, but we buy them anyway. And it doesn’t stop there. Much of the population believes anything they see or hear on the news, whether or not there are facts to back up the claims. Perhaps we are too indolent to research those “facts” for ourselves. Actually, facts are pretty scarce in much prescription drug advertising. Many ads contain limited information about the product itself. Instead commercials usually contain eye-catching and often unrelated images that paint a picture of general wellbeing after consuming the drug. All of this is done in order to distract us from the lack of information about the drug itself as well as to downplay the lengthy and frequently disturbing list of potential side effects. The problem is that we don’t take the time to research the drug before we go to our doctors to demand this new product. And the worst part is: many doctors are getting money or other perks from the pharmaceutical companies so they don’t hesitate to prescribe these new and often partially-tested drugs. So why is the U.S. so easily manipulated? When people are unhappy with their current situation they seek change but instead of taking individual initiative to change their predicaments they look towards an outside source for a fix. Some turn to alcohol or illicit drugs to dull the pain of daily life in this country. But what about the others, the majority, who feel that they will be stigmatized for using illicit drugs and alcohol to dull the pain? These people often turn to prescription medication, which seems respectable thanks to the medical validation which seems to result from advertisements in the media. We do not think about the fact that certain drugs are legal only because they are made by a pharmaceutical company. They contain the same active ingredients as their illegal counterparts. We have essentially been sold a lie by Big Pharma. Often advertised drugs such as antidepressants cause severe withdrawal symptoms, and in some cases death, when the medication is discontinued. The withdrawal symptoms from opioid pain medication may be the foremost reason as to why we are witnessing such increases in opioid addiction and death in recent years. Drugs are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States; with over 50,000 drug related deaths in 2015 alone. This is more than car accidents and gun crimes—including firearm-related homicide and suicide. These numbers have been on the rise for the past several decades and show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. This is especially true when it comes to the white middle and working class. Middle-class white Americans are much more likely to be prescribed deadly and addictive medication, especially opioid pain relievers, compared to their black or Hispanic counterparts. This is creating a rise in opioid related death rates among the white working-class and especially in middle-aged white women. This opioid epidemic is an issue that needs to be addressed by the country at large if we are to start decreasing these numbers. What does it say about us as a nation that we are willing to blindly take medication with such terrifying side effects and such hazardous health costs? Does this prove that we are a nation of followers willing to continue to consume these dangerous, in some cases deadly, medications? Are our lives really that bad? Is it the fact that we are merely looking for the easy way out? Or is it the even more alarming option: that we will blindly follow whatever we are advised to do? What does this mean for the future of our country? In a follow-up article I will answer the questions I have asked in this article, as well as a few more interesting facts about Direct to Consumer advertising. I will explain why the FDA is allowing these pharmaceutical companies to advertise their drugs in the way they do. In addition, I will present more information about New Zealand’s Direct to Consumer advertising and why they allow it. And most importantly I will lay out what the rest of the world has to say about the American Direct to Consumer advertising and the impact it has on their opinion of us as a nation. by Veeana SinghYou’re in the mall and you walk into a store. You start looking around and moving clothes around the rack. Then suddenly, you see an old “friend.” You are fully aware that both of you just made eye contact for all of 1 second. Yet, you do one of two things: (1) you look past that person as is you didn’t really see them and just happened to be looking in their general direction or (2) you avert your eyes faster than you’ve ever done anything in your life. But why? The unspoken “Social Contract” amongst us is pretty straight-forward -- if you don’t make it an issue of our mutual dislike, I won’t make it an issue. Our society is at a point in which we can get away with almost anything. We can be rude, obnoxious and ignorant, all at the same time and still manage to function in society. The most that comes from it is that we mentally label and learn to deal with these rude, obnoxious, ignorant people. The “pretending not to see each other” scenario has become acceptable. Yes, of course both parties who pretended not to see one another take out their phones and rampantly text about it to other people. Yet, the principle doesn’t change. The principle is that we act in a manner that is so repulsively fake and we suffer no repercussions. This concept is especially true in the workplace. That employee that is so utterly annoying, somehow always has someone to talk to. But how can that be if everyone hates that person? We pretend and we laugh to the point where the annoying person believes their behavior is somewhat acceptable. The guy who doesn’t wash his hands and touches all the bagels might get a dirty look but no one will ever dare say “Hey, how about next time you wash those hands?” There are various aspects of everyday life that exhibit this same concept. Here is example of someone who was never told his behavior was unacceptable. My colleague/friend told me a story about meeting a man over the internet and accepting his invitation to travel to Idaho and go to a wedding with him. She gets to Idaho and sooner or later they’re driving down the streets together. At one point, he asks her about meeting his mom. My friend, let’s call her Amy, nods in agreement. The guy then takes out an urn and proceeds to tell her that in that urn are his mother’s ashes. She died years earlier. This guy walks around with his mother’s ashes! In his backpack! Like it’s no big deal! Amy, trapped in the car with this guy in the middle of Idaho, acts like it’s no big deal. This guy obviously has family, and friends – he was after all invited to a wedding. Yet none of them have ever pointed out to him that it was not okay to walk around with his mother’s ashes at the age of 30? I almost feel bad for this guy. His friends have probably labeled him in a negative manner because he carries the urn and exhibits other odd qualities. Yet, the“Social Contract” prevents them from pointing it out to him. In fact, IF someone were to point it out to him they would probably be considered rude and “out of line.” As a society, we are perfectly fine with pretending to like people and basically making fools out of the people who we don’t like. These people mosey through life thinking their behavior is fine all the while people they consider their friends relentlessly speak about them behind their backs. Is our “kindess” actually cruelty? Or just laziness? Another interesting concept of the “Social Contract” is the art of necessity. This principle refers to not liking someone and suddenly being in a position of needing them. This can be as simple as that person being the only person you know in a new class, or being somehow stuck with them in another similar situation. When someone you hate becomes literally the only viable option for you to speak -- you make it work. Thus, when you don’t know anyone else in your new class you swallow the hard feelings you have for the person you dislike and suddenly become best friends. We have all at some point been guilty of this and chances are the person who we pretended to like just because it was convenient, knows that we were only speaking to them out of necessity. Sad enough as that is, it is the reality of how we live in today’s society. Essentially, we will all be placed in a position in which we can choose to not be blatantly fake. However, why would we do that when society doesn’t expect us to? We are expected to sail through life pretending to like people, pretending to laugh at jokes, and pretending that everyone we associate with is actually our friend. No one truly knows what others think about us, yet we can get an idea based on how receptive or unreceptive they are to us. More so today than ever before, that opinion is flawed because people may appear receptive but not actually like you at all. This was my personal take on a particular aspect of how society tells us to interact with each other. The “Social Contract” is something I believe is a social code, and we all have it memorized. This code dictates how we act, and how we know when we are crossing the line, and is a guide to our behavior. This code is flawed, biased, and maybe a little sexist. Different people can get away with different things and according to the contract, that’s absolutely fine. by Kevin TranAs of September 28, 2016: 571 total homicides 700 plus projected murders at the end of 2016 3308 total people shot 2 murders a day 1 person shot every two hours These are the statistics of crime in Chicago. The violence in Chicago—in the form of shooting deaths--has become the deadliest in almost two decades and unfortunately the city is one of the deadliest in the United States. This problem did not occur overnight but over the course of many years, with only lackadaisical efforts to try to combat such violence. Much of the crime committed in the city is gun-related and the addition of readily-available illegal weapons, has led to an average of 82 shootings per week. [Chicago Tribune] shockingly, social media has led a public campaign for the gang violence that has occurred. On a larger scale, we will examine the leading factors that cause the upsurge of violence, how lead poisoning correlates with crime, and ways to find reform that might make Chicago a safer place to live. The violence in Chicago is closely related to the rising number of gangs there and accounts for almost 80% of all crimes committed. [Social Sentinel]. The correlation between gangs and crime show that a majority of the crimes committed are in Chicago’s West and South sides. The first gangs of Chicago date back all the way to the late 1800s and were not originally violent. The sole purpose of the original gangs was social; for example in the 1800s a gang named the “Fire Kings” made up of volunteer firefighters was formed to compete against other volunteer firefighters for a positive departmental review. That was a friendly competition but today gang rivalry has turned into something detrimental. Gang rivalry has been fostered by social media. “Gang members use publicly available social media to sell drugs and weapons, threaten or harass rival gang members, and even brag about crimes” says Social Sentinel. Gangs compete to match each other’s violence and lawlessness. Jens Ludwig, the director of the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago has stated that “Chicago’s Police Department, overwhelmed, can respond only to the most serious problems, leaving citizens to feel responsible for their own security” [NY Times]. He adds, “People carry guns in public because other people are carrying guns. It’s an arms race.” This has an impact on the safety of the people of Chicago. The crimes committed happen to occur in the most segregated communities within Chicago and violent crime rates show a correlation with neighborhood poverty. A study conducted by the Chicago Tribune in 2016 links childhood lead exposure and violent crimes. The lead accumulating in young brains disables the frontal lobe, leaving young people with learning difficulties, attention deficits, and lowered IQ. The map of lead poisoning shows a positive correlation with a map of aggravated assault crimes, created much later when those kids were 17 to 22. The scientific journal Environmental Health found that “exposure to lead during early childhood significantly increased the chance that a student would fail reading and math tests, even when controlling for other factors such as poverty, race, birth weight, and the mother’s education level.” The city of Chicago is taking steps to combat the amount of crime. The police department is attempting to seize all guns off of the street. By doing this, Chicago has been able to lower the amount of crime committed with weapons. The city is also trying to get more police officers on the streets and has done do so by using mapping to determine where crime happens the most. There are important proposals on how to stop the violence that involve structural change and thus have not yet been implemented. Creating summer jobs for youth would give teenagers skills and experience while keeping them off the streets. Help in finding employment for those who are getting out of prison would prevent ex-convicts from turning back to the street, the gang and to violence after their records prevented them from finding jobs. A change the drug laws themselves would help, since a majority of first convictions stem from misdemeanors. “Instead of a man of peace and love, I have become a man of violence and revenge” said Hiawatha. In Chicago’s case, instead of finding peace and love for one another, they all have filled with violence. Yet Chicago will find itself with peace one day; it is only a matter of time. Crimes can happen anywhere in the world. Would you take action toward it if it happened in your backyard? It only takes one man/woman to change the world. Will you be that change? by Ummer AliDear World, You condemn my people on the basis of our religion. You search us at the airports on the basis of us having beards, or looking “too Muslim”. What does that even mean? Your definition of Islam is skewed by the media's manipulation, and by fear-mongering politicians who seek to profit from our misfortune. This letter was originally written in the immediate aftermath of the bombings which occurred in Chelsea on September 17th. That’s the original introduction you just read; it was a letter filled with rage and emotion, about how the United States government, in an effort to reduce terrorism, is effectively perpetuating Islamophobia and xenophobia. After letting the issue digest, and speaking about it to several different people, I decided to rewrite my letter, but in an effort to not lose emotion. As I did so I experienced a struggle. A struggle to be blunt but not to be depicted as the “angry Muslim,” because we know what kind of stereotypes come with that specific characterization. My father grew up in the countryside of Pakistan, and his mother still resides there. His father, my grandfather is buried there, and while I do not know of the man he was, I have heard stories that exemplify his kind nature. This area, much like a lot of Pakistan, is without clean running water or indoor plumbing, and is without electricity for up to 20 hours of the day. The livelihood of these people is built on grazing cattle, cutting grain and sugarcane, and driving trucks. Many people struggle to survive, and some die in worse poverty than anyone in the States has ever known. Beggars litter the city streets, store owners press people to buy their goods, chickens are locked up in cages waiting to be slaughtered and eaten, (but only as a luxury--meat is not a meal the rural Pakistani eats every day.) People are happy, but they dream. They dream of a better life, and one of the places that better life might happen is the United States. A lucky few, like my family, have been able to migrate here. For those lucky enough to reach the U.S., recent actions by a select few individuals, claiming to speak for Islam, have instilled a fear within my people, my fellow Pakistani immigrants. Taxi drivers are scared to stop in the wrong places, families are afraid to speak Arabic and Punjabi in public, fear being kicked off airplanes as terrorists. Children in school named Mohammed are shortening their names to Moe, while Ahmeds are asking to be called by their last names. I have personally witnessed co-workers of mine refusing to show up for work out of fear of a backlash over the recent attacks. They did not want to be targeted. Justice is dead in the United States, replaced by a regime of injustice and repression. Bullshit. I’m tired of Islam being terrorized. I’m tired of mosques advocating for their members “to be vigilant, to be careful.” An uncle of mine often says that we Muslims are the windows through which the rest of the U.S. views Islam He says that if we show them we are good, they will see us as good. I’m tired of that not working, I’m tired of the window always being clouded by the rain of extremism, by the clouds of a select few individuals. I hurt from all the pain, my mind and soul ache from all the turmoil, genocide, and atrocities occurring in Palestine, in Syria, in Pakistan, in Colombia, in South America, everywhere there is struggle. My heart aches and cries out for resolution. As I walk on the train carrying my gym bag, I see a sign that says “If you see something, say something.” I wonder if people “see” anything when they see me? The fear grips me, and sends me into panic. What if I’m racially profiled? What if they claim I’m a terrorist? I wear my beard proudly, but it identifies me along with my general appearance, for a beard on a Muslim is something that elevates some people’s heart rate. I fear for my sisters in the hijab. Many of you wear this proudly, but hate crimes are rising. My appearance is not wholly defined--maybe someone will think I’m Indian--but you can’t mistake a hijab. I fear for the sexism, and Islamophobia that all this brings on to you, and I am amazed by your strength and it drives me through my pain every day. You are my inspiration, and you, you my sisters are warriors. The faith of many is tested in this context. If there really is a God, how is he letting this happen to his people? God is testing us, but God--I was never good in school--so please help. How can you just watch your people’s lives be ruined, and do nothing? Why don’t you step down and help us? Why can’t you make yourself known? What happened to you, oh great one? Step down here with your people and make a stand! It feels as if we are insects trying to fistfight God into action, and God stamps our pleas with a mighty slam of his foot. But we still breathe. We still act, we still fight for change, we try to pull the curtain back, to say look! Look! See what they’re doing? We can change this but we need help. This is not about me vs. you, about Christianity vs. Islam, about Black vs. White, but instead it’s about hate and selfishness vs. freedom and the right to live. I’m just so tired. I am full of emotion, and just pain. I am overwhelmed by grief and heartache. I reflected on the original article, and thought that maybe, just maybe I would feel differently after a while. My heart is still heavy with emotion, and my mind is a maze with no solution. People stop believing in monsters after a while but that’s because they find monsters around them. The media, and the United States are creating monsters that are hiding in the closets of your mind. And yet, the “monsters” fear you. by Erick GarciaYou are in the mood to socialize with and talk to a friend of yours, but what you want to talk about with this friend is simply too important to put into a text message. So instead of messaging them, you decide to call them. You call, the phone just keeps on ringing, and ultimately, your friend doesn’t answer. But right as the phone stops ringing, your friend texts you right back and says, “Hey! What’s up?” Maybe you’re thinking to yourself that your friend just missed your call and you think nothing of it. But then what if every time you called to talk to him or her, you get the exact same result and instead of picking up, he or she just ignores the call and instead texts you back? I’d like to think your immediate response would be, “Why won’t he or she talk to me?” The answer to this question is that some people find the act of verbal communication over the phone a strange, tedious, and overall irritating experience! However, I’d like to offer some insight as to why it’s important to give phone calls a little more consideration. When I asked people why they didn’t like talking over the phone, they have told me it’s usually because they find the experience to be an awkward one and because they don’t feel as if there’s anything to say. Additionally, they find the lack of facial cues and body language disturbing. They see phone calls as “rude.” While I can say I respect those reasons for not wanting to accept a phone call, I’d like to counteract some of these arguments most people nowadays make for not accepting phone calls. First of all, what is there to be afraid of? I can certainly understand if someone says that a phone call is an awkward experience when talking to someone he or she doesn’t know, but if it’s a friend calling, what is there to be weirded-out by? This person is someone that you know well enough to feel comfortable talking with, so why be afraid to talk to them over the phone? This brings me to my second counterargument: the lack of facial cues and body language. Sure, not being able to see the person you’re talking with in front of you can be a bit strange, but here’s the thing: you can still hear the other person’s voice! The human voice is made to express emotions such as happiness, shock, surprise, disgust, anger, and so on! Even if you can’t see who you’re talking to face to face, you’re still getting a sense of how they are reacting to what you’re saying, and this in turn should make it easier to keep the conversation going, because you are talking to them as if they were right there in front of you! As for the argument that phone calls are rude, I’d like to disagree: a phone call nowadays is possibly even more personal than a text message. The reason I personally think that a phone call is more personal is because a phone call now is a rare occurrence, especially if it’s a call from friends or family. Some people say it’s rude to get a phone call because it’s like the caller is saying “I’m more important than anything you’re doing right now.” I say that getting a phone call from someone is their way of telling me that even though they have a lot going on, they are going out of their way to talk to me and are expressing a desire to hear my voice. They don’t have to call me to talk to me, but they want to, and therefore, they want to establish a human connection with me instead of sticking to the technological norm that is texting. For a while I wondered if I was alone in holding these views in defense of phone calls. But then my best friend Lisa, and I had a conversation about precisely this. To my surprise, I found that she felt the same way I did about phone calls, particularly because she has fallen victim to the very scenario described in the beginning of this article. Every once in a while she would call a friend to talk to them, only to be ignored and instead receive a text from her friend not even a minute after she had called. When I asked for her honest opinion on phone calls, she told me that talking over the phone is important because she believes that a lot of the connection and emotion we have with people gets lost in translation through texting. While she agrees with me that being able to see someone’s facial cues and body language during a conversation is great, she also agrees with me that talking over the phone is the next best thing because the emotion in the other person’s voice compensates for the lack of their physical presence. Therefore, the human aspect of communication is still being preserved! Lisa believes that even though the use of emojis and texts are fun, they will never be the same as talking over the phone. Additionally, Lisa pointed out something that I hadn’t thought about before, and that is that a lot of arguments and misunderstandings could be avoided if people just called each other instead. This certainly got me thinking, and I’m sure now you are too! Maybe this article won’t be enough to sway your opinion on phone calls, but at least I hope I inspired you to think twice the next time someone calls you, especially if that someone is someone near and dear. Take a risk, answer the call, and above all, remember that wherever the conversation goes is up to you! by Samantha SheetsCan you imagine being enclosed in one location—a single room--for months on end? Or only leaving that room for an hour a day? Or simply being accused of a crime you may or may not have committed? Imagine you are rotting in a cell as hope begins to fade away like it did when the jury first declared you were “guilty”. Will anyone be able to reach you or help you? One Thursday evening, instead of getting off the R train at the Whitehall station in downtown Manhattan, I got off at Queens Plaza. I was heading toward the Q100 bus, embarking on a journey to the last stop. The last stop is Rikers Island, the penitentiary for criminals with short sentences. I was to wait at the bus station for my coworkers who would also be receiving this once-in-a-lifetime tour. I am a “College Aide” for the Department of Probation, and since Rikers Island is affiliated with the Department of Corrections, we were able to visit, and to bear witness to the lives of those incarcerated. The bus ride to the correctional van that would take us through the security gates was filled with discussions. The things we discussed were the do’s and don’ts of what is acceptable behind the eldritch wired fence. We were to leave our electronics in the locked van, and carry an identification card at all times. We entered the facility and quickly learned it was on lockdown for reasons they chose not to specify. One week prior to this, we were given instructions on how to dress. All skin was to be covered, including our feet. While this struck me as abnormal at the time, once we passed security and a rigorous metal detector, I realized why these limitations were put in place. We were led down a series of lengthy hallways, into an area with a set of five holding cells. The five cells were divided by borough and held a variety of inmates with a range of ages and races--all men. These inmates had their arms stretched out through the bars and were making obscene statements and gestures from the moment my group entered; the entire scene was extremely intimidating. This was not how prison was portrayed on Orange is the New Black. We were given a brief presentation of what to expect from this tour, but with these noisy grown men looming around us it was difficult to remain attentive. We learned about the establishment of Rikers Island prison in 1932, and the creation of a new section within the facility which was opening later that day. The new facility exclusively includes men ages 18-21. The unit is supposed to create new initiatives in hopes of getting these men back on their feet, and on the right side of justice. We never heard what these initiatives were to be. The room itself reeked of bleach, and although it had been recently painted, the walls were already chipping. The cells themselves remained bare, with heavily stained bedding. Not far from the cells was an “education center”, which included six metal tables and chairs, spaced several feet apart. Long chains were attached to the chairs to ensure prisoners would not attempt to move their seating. The restraints made me think back to a giant corkboard chart shown to us at the beginning of the tour. The chart showcased the number of ”incidents” that have occurred within the facility in the past month. Color-coded pins were used to indicated where the event occurred and the type of incident. Whether it is a simple fight, or the more extreme a murder, they used the board to keep track of potential gang activity within the facility. An assortment of pins scattered the entire board. A majority were blue, indicating a fight had occurred involving the use of a weapon. As the tour commenced we continued to see more disturbing aspects of the facility. This included a bleak five-by-five concrete fenced-in box for inmates to get some “fresh” air. Then, from the compact outdoor area, we were speedily led to the medical center. On the walk there, a heavily chained inmate passed us. Both his feet and hands were chained as he shuffled through the hallway. Our tour guide suggested we not make eye contact with him. Aside from this particular inmate, every other inmate we passed in the halls was simply instructed by a single officer to hug and face the wall. But in this inmate’s case, he was surrounded by several officers who were covered head to toe in protection gear. We were not supposed to pass him but were rapidly pushed into the next area of the tour. This made me question: what else were they not showing us on this tour? The inside of Rikers Island penitentiary was grim. And my final question arose: is Rikers Island an inhumane place? The location fills you up with mixed emotions. You pity these people, but you are constantly reminded of the crimes they committed because pictures of their faces are plastered on the door to their cells with notes on their arrest. Feces cover their walls, but you are reminded by the guards that they not only smeared it there themselves, but they put themselves into this situation. You hear only the guards’ side of situations, while inmates can be heard screaming from their solitary cells. Their basic needs may be met, but their lives are immensely restricted. And while you know they are let out for one hour’s recreation time, you understand that all these restrictions exist for specific reasons. As you walk down hallways that feel labyrinthine, you are reminded of the giant corkboard that they showed you earlier, showing the levels of violence all over the institution. You are reminded of an area in which a murder possibly took place, potentially hours before your arrival. You ask yourself: is this the only way a prison can be run? Do people come out more violent than they went in? The experience was eye-opening; the glorification of prison on television shows masks the grim truths that occur behind these closed walls. Being inside those enclosed walls as a visitor for only a few hours, I felt my own hope slowly slip away. The sense of hopelessness endured is truly what makes Rikers Island inhumane. by Joey ButtsI just got off work. I have a paper due tomorrow, but there are things I have to do before I start it. I have to clear my head, make some time for myself so I can focus on the paper when the deadline starts to become worrisome. I grab my board and push toward the infamous Lenox Ledges in Harlem. I coast down the hill, starting on 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. No headphones. The sound of my wheels and broken bearings on the street put me at ease. While to other bystanders, might sound like the noise of a deviant kid. I skate there for about an hour, mostly bailing on tricks that I think I can one day land, meeting up with all the local kids that have learned my name, and I theirs. We go to Marcus Garvey Park, to end the session. Then I push home, to start the rest of my night. The sense of community that skateboarding has brought, is actually remarkable. In cities like New York especially, it is great to be a part of. However there are ways that it is being ripped apart, and being exploited for things that it is, and things that it is not. Skateboarding goes through phases of being popular, and not so popular. Kids in grade school 15 years ago were not appreciated, and much ignored. But today, they seem to be on the rise. There is a new found sense of acceptance with the act. For better, but really for worse, skateboarding is now in the Olympics. It is now a culture that non-skateboarders want to be a part of. This alone is dividing the community that exists between us. The very-much-not-affiliated-with-skateboarding-magazine Vogue, recently dedicated a week to skateboarding and what they saw as its culture. With articles titled “An Ode to Great Skater Hair” and “Here’s How to Do Skater Style Like a Model”, they tried to discuss aspects of skateboarding. This was probably the worst thing to happen to skateboarding since the 2003 movie Grind. Skateboarding has become simply a style. People are not realizing the true essence that it brings. A magazine like Vogue puts the culture of skateboarding in the wrong hands. It takes brands that they say are relevant, and promotes them for use in all things other than skateboarding. It is the war of essence versus style in the world of skateboarding. It is not that skateboarders don’t want their world to expand. They want it to be as big and popular as possible, without harming what it really is. The bigger skateboarding becomes, the easier it will be to do. You’ll find more parks and skate-friendly plazas, so you can stop worrying about getting kicked out or receiving a court summons. With its exploitation, it is actually making skateboarding more accepted, in a way. Preserving the essence of skating is the main goal. A skateboarders fear is walking down the street and being called a poser by other skaters. So many people have “stolen" the style of skateboarding, that it causes anxiety in actually skateboarders. They don’t want their image being used for something it was not intended for. Skateboard clothing was made for skateboarders. It has a raw, abstract appeal in terms of appearance. It fits loose, (in most cases; but go to L.A. and you’ll see a bunch of guys ripping in skinny jeans) so they can push easily down the streets or parks of New York. The creator of the world famous skateboarding magazine entitled Thrasher, Jake Phelps recently saw photos of celebrities that have no connection with the mag and told a reporter that he really wishes they wouldn’t wear it. Like most companies and businesses, Thrasher offers apparel for people to feel affiliated with the brand of magazine. It is supposed to connect the culture of skateboarding and skateboarders all over. When these people wear the clothing, he said it makes Thrasher seem less than what it really is. He was quoted in an article on hypebeast.com saying that “We don’t send boxes [of Thrasher apparel] to Justin Bieber or Rihanna or those fucking clowns.” Boxes are what Jake Phelps might send to young kids, or even adults who demonstrate a passion for skateboarding. People like Phelps are advocates for protecting skateboard culture. Phelps is among countless other skateboarders who try to conserve the essence. The kind of people that Phelps doesn’t want to be wearing Thrasher hoodies are the ones who are riding longboards and hoverboards. I write about how people have gone on to steal the trends of skateboarding and take it for their own. But I don’t let that stop me from taking my board and pushing to any of my destinations. They might wear the clothes that skateboarders endorse, but they will never know the satisfaction that we get when we speed down a hill, when we tailslide a ledge, or when we just do the most basic kickflip on flat ground. It is the essence of the culture that we don’t want to lose, or change for that matter. To have your passion flooded by those who don’t appreciate it for what it is, is the fear. by Leslie RomanHave you ever felt like you’re getting old? Is your creativity less than how it once was? Do you still laugh when you see someone fall? Or do you accept the behavior of teens today? There are many questions we need to ask ourselves as we get older. My friends, I hate to break it to you but we have flown out of Neverland. It is time to realize the harsh and undeniable reality of “Growing Up”. I remember the times when I use to cry for silly things that people tried to tell me not to worry about. It was simple things like not having a lot of friends, not being able to dye my hair or have that bar piercing like other girls, or even to have the same clothes--better yet the same brand --everyone was wearing. Not being able to go the “big party” that everyone at school was going to. These moments in my life, or even in your life, are no longer necessary to be or become who you are. As we have gotten older, we have to realize that those things were a waste of time. Our younger selves spent time on things that should not have mattered, but because we were pre-teens and adolescents we focused more on our images and on how we wanted to appear in front of others. [Now, I can’t believe it.] We were so quick to judge someone without even knowing them, and believed everything anyone would say about them. This one thing would never change, even though we tried to. Nevertheless, who can forget that one group of people who were “cool”, Facebook-famous, or how AIM and Myspace was the trend back then. You wished to be in the clique, or even tried to be in it. It gave a sense of power, a sense of unity, and a sense of respect. To have your own posse was to get many people to know who you were, where you came from, and to understand that you couldn’t be bullied by anyone else. Sometimes it came to the point that, during these moments of childhood, a friend would leave their dearest friend[s] to become someone they were not. I know from personal experience that it hurts to see someone you cared so deeply about, shared secrets no one knew, and had a bunch of laughs with, go and leave you just to become one of them. Now as we become older, and turn into adults, we realize we have been so naïve. With this new mentality, we can actually laugh about it. But there are those whose laughter hides the real pain that may still be within their hearts. Just because someone gets older and “wiser”, does not mean they forget the past. Yes, we have learned the typical ideas--to forgive is to forget, to forgive but not to forget, and how a grudge can affect a person. However, even as we get older, there is still forgiveness to be accomplished. It is not easy. There are places, objects, people and words that trigger memories of a time that life was not so great. As we have gotten older, we realize that life goes on and if you hold onto something that is “petty”, the only one who still holds onto it is you. Ninety percent of us remember only the bad events in our lives, not the good ones. Along with creativity, it is frustrating to realize that you are running out of ideas. The other day I was remembering how I had so many ideas for nail art. This was a hobby of mine. I like all sorts of colors, so I was experimenting with which color goes with what; the designs I had envisioned were put into practice; I even had the necessary tools like the dotting tool, acrylic liquid and powder. The point is that I was very creative at that point in my life. However, now I am college student, this hobby of mind ceases to exist. Nevertheless, I am rejecting that thought that my creativity is lessening. I should not accept this reality, and neither should you. This tortures my mind because I guess I do not want to lose that piece of my life that makes up who I am. Nonetheless, I believe that my generation and this generation are completely different. The image, appearance, friendships, and relationships are always going to be factors of the stage of adolescents. I see the way teenagers now get on buses and trains, cursing, making a lot noise. This is usual. One can automatically assume that they are probably in their first year of high school, or sophomores. When I look at them now, I get annoyed, and frustrated. Why is that? We use to be their age, and have conversations on the trains or buses, and be loud. (Well, at least I was not loud or cursing.) Yet I know deep down I crave to be like them again. I guess their presence, and energy, and youthfulness is the luxury I get to encounter. In the back of my mind, I wish I were 15 again. The years have gone by quick, and we think to ourselves that we feel as though we graduated from high school not so long ago. With this new mentality of getting older, we have to realize that we can no longer be taken care of like before. Our mothers will not be giving us breakfast when we wake up, doing our beds, buying our clothes, or even paying the rent. Our fathers will not be the only men in our lives because we might get married. Our brothers and sisters can take care of us but we must hold up our own ends. Everybody says now, “You can take care of yourself” and we agree—even if it’s painful. To grow up is to realize childish things and know your mistakes, to not judge someone too quickly, to learn how to forgive. And yes, we must still admire youthfulness even as we leave it. |
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