English only?

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James is under fire for a campaign ad wherein he states “...this is Alabama, we speak English…if you want to live here, learn it.” The statement references state driving exams which are available in multiple languages. As governor, James proposes to end this practice.


While smacking of xenophobia and borderline racism, it reminds us that the official language of the United States is not English. On a Federal level, there is no official language. Although English is the de facto national language, there are over 300 languages spoken within the United States and its territories. Some states, including Alabama, have passed legislation making English the official language. It is certainly unlikely, however, that a state would risk losing federal funding by enforcing English-only legislation.

New York does not have English-only legislation. In fact, government documents were written in both English and Dutch through the 1920s. With over 170 different cultures represented in New York City alone, it would be disastrous to even consider a proposition like that of Tim James. In a country of immigrants (James’ family included) it is equally ignorant, arrogant and insulting. He should take a page from his father’s book. The two time governor, Fob James, played football for a French-speaking Canadian team in Montreal. I guess the apple does fall far from the tree.

Wal-Mart tries again in NYC

Wal-Mart is at it again.




The mega retail giant is setting its aim on the Gateway II shopping development in Jamaica Bay. This comes after a failed attempt at entry into the New York City area earlier last year. During that iteration of Wal-Mart’s attempts at buying into the New York market, then CEO H. Lee Scott said that it was “…not worth the effort’.

The unique nature of the New York City retail market is antithetical to that of the Wal-Mart blitzkrieg approach, wherein they set up shop next to smaller retailers in the hopes of driving business under. New York City is made up of mom and pop operations, with strong advocates for their continual success. This is the crux of the issue when it comes to building a Wal-Mart anywhere near the City. People don’t want the behemoth gobbling up businesses and taking away a part of what makes New York unique. Many also detest the employment practices of Wal-Mart, claiming that employees are underpaid and exploited.

Protests are planned in the coming days, supported by labor unions and citizens alike. The Gateway II shopping plaza already has two big box realtors, Target and BJs. There is fear that the addition of a Wal-Mart would undermine future development. Wal-Mart is keeping quiet on the issue, opting instead to fly under the radar to avoid the same scrutiny from the public it encountered in the past.

A real NYC urban legend

One consistently hears horror stories about dead men sitting on New York City subway cars for hours without people noticing, or the upstairs neighbor who passed away months ago without anyone coming to collect the body until the stench became too much. For the most part these can be chalked up to urban legend, but one tale came true over the weekend.


A Good Samaritan, Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, came to the aid of a woman who was being assaulted on the streets of Queens. A video shows Mr. Tale-Yax being stabbed as the assailant runs away. What happens next is horrific and chilling. The video continues, and shows scores of passers-by ignoring the body as it lay bleeding on the street. A couple takes a camera phone picture; another man shakes the body and notices the blood. Neither does anything to help. It took nearly an hour and a half for respondents to be called to the scene, after which time Mr. Tale-Yax had already died.

Some have claimed that the cold response was due to the high illegal immigrant population in the neighborhood. Nobody wanted to risk giving their names to police. Others say that there are drunkards on the streets all the time, and didn’t give the body a second glance. It is scary to think that this could have been any one of us. It also gives pause before coming to someone’s aid. The assailant is still on the loose.

A simple solution to the New Jersey education budget deficit

More than half of New Jersey school district budgets up for vote this week have been rejected, forcing many schools to come up with new ways to make ends meet. Of the 541 budgets on the special ballot, 316 or 58 per cent were rejected. As discussed on Monday, these budgets would have increased property taxes by as much as 12 per cent per household, which is a massive amount in such troubled economic times.


Now school administrators are scrambling for solutions. Some have recommended cutting after school programming, advanced placement classes, school hours and increasing class sizes to make up for the new deficits. I have a much easier solution…

New Jersey has 22.5 per cent of the nation’s 13,506 school districts to only serve a population of 8.7 million. Based on population, that is equivalent to New York City having 600 districts (we currently have only 31). Each of those districts needs a set of administrative staff, as well as a superintendent, with salary and overhead included. Is it really necessary to have so many districts? Instead of cutting courses for advanced students, perhaps New Jersey should consolidate a couple superintendent salaries. That would surely help to alleviate some of the burden the schools seem to think they have. By consolidating districts, funds could also be used to pay teachers an appropriate living wage.

Master's programs to expand

It has been quite the week for the tri-State educational system. Monday saw a deal closing disciplinary rubber rooms for teachers. Yesterday, I discussed the proposed tax hikes in several New Jersey school districts to go towards educational programming. Today, the Board of Regents approved a measure that would allow non-accredited institutions to grant master’s level teaching degrees. This move is aimed at giving groups like Teach for America and the New York City Teaching Fellows the opportunity to create their own master’s programs. As it stands currently, educational instructors must receive their degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.


Proponents of the measure say that it will allow non-traditional means of educating tomorrow’s teachers. Groups like Teach for America tend to work in lower-income areas, places underserved with instructors of any level. Now those groups can formalize the training given to their members, which many say will make for better teachers.

It is obvious that the current educational system for teachers is allowing many to fall through the cracks. Adding another layer to this process does little in the way of streamlining and preventing poor performers from becoming educators. Without proper facilitation and guidance, these new programs will run the risk of creating tiers of degrees much like those currently for law schools. A job as important as that of a teacher should receive the same training across the board, regardless of where one gets their degree.

New Jersey taxpayers to receive hit

New Jersey currently spends more than any other state in the nation on school costs, and yet ranks near the bottom on all performance evaluations. Even after the governor cut funding to several programs at a whopping $820 million statewide, some of New Jersey’s 600 school districts are trying to raise taxes. The areas proposing increases include: Edison-8.6 per cent local property tax increase; Teaneck-10.2 per cent increase; Randolph-6.5 per cent increase; Woodbridge-4 per cent. This amounts to the local taxpayer shelling out hundreds of extra dollars over the course of the year to fund district programming.


While I do not disagree with the governor’s plan to reduce education spending in his state, especially as the return on investment is so low, I do not see why the local taxpayer should be forced to front the extra money. Perhaps they are unaware that infusing billions of dollars has done nothing to help increase performance. In times of economic weakness, where millions of Americans are having to tighten their belts to make ends meet, the education system should do the same. It is full of such unnecessary pork, instigated by the teacher’s unions themselves, that cutting a few dollars here and there will ultimately do the greatest good. As I said in my piece on the NYC rubber rooms yesterday, it is time that we devote more attention to the education of our children than the lining of teacher’s pockets.

NYC to close teacher rubber rooms

They sit for hours in trailers separated from the rest of the classrooms on campus, watching the clock for the time when their punishment will end. Sometimes there are up to 20 in a trailer, all with assigned seats. One would assume these are misbehaved students in detention, but they are actually some of the 550 New York City tenured teachers being held in ‘rubber rooms’ while they away disciplinary action. Some have waited for years in these trailers, all the while getting the same salary as if they had been teaching all along. This has cost the City more than $30 million a year, and is testament to a failing education system that cares little about our children.


Mayor Bloomberg and the teacher’s union have agreed to phase out these rubber rooms over the remainder of the year. The overall plan with this is to increase the speed of disciplinary proceedings to either get teachers back to the classroom or out of the classroom for good.

Charges for these teachers range from incompetence to corporal punishment against students. It is astounding that the system has had to discipline 550 tenured teachers. This reveals not only negligence on the part of the education department, but also an endemic culture of impunity for those entrusted with the development of our youth. While personal professionalism is certainly a factor, the main blame has to fall on the teacher’s union. They have obviously placed greater emphasis on making sure the pockets of these teachers were lined than on education itself.

NYC homeless to be charged rent

In accordance with a 1997 state law, seldom enforced, New York City will begin charging rent to persons in homeless shelters who work. The law enables public shelters to charge up to 50 per cent of one’s total family income in rent. It is much in line with the Federal Section 8 housing agreements, where ‘patrons’ of shelters must pay a fair rate. It also entitles New York City to funding from the state for housing aid, $2.4 million dollars of which the City had to return in 2007 because it did not enforce the law.


In a city with astronomical housing prices and a failing economic and jobs market, is it really fair to hit the working homeless with rent charges? It smacks of negative reinforcement: get a job and we will charge you rent...stay unemployed and live rent free. The working homeless are those who are trying to contribute back to society and are making the necessary strides to begin their lives again. Fifty per cent is well above what most would consider an acceptable percentage of income to pay towards rent (which typically stands at 35 per cent maximum). For a family bringing in $800 a month, $400 in rent is absurd. Add this to other costs just to stay alive, not to mention increasing transit costs due to the incompetence of the MTA, and you have a recipe for disaster. There is no incentive to be homeless and work. Perhaps they should take Mayor Mike up on his offer for that one-way plane ticket back home.

Rape escalating in U.S. prison system

A Department of Justice report highlighting prison rape cases in the United States has been issued. While inmate on inmate rape is not necessarily a new or startling occurrence, the report cites an alarming rise in staff on inmate rape. The top perpetrators of this injustice are Great Meadow correctional facility in Washington, D.C., as well as 5 prisons in the state of Texas. The Estelle Unit in Hunstville, Texas has an alleged rape rate of 15.8 per cent over the past year. Many victims say that they were raped multiple times, including by staff. Compare this to the 4.5 per cent rape rate for the country overall.


The most alarming citation in the report is that of the West Texas State School, a juvenile detention facility. Two top officials at the institution have been charged with sexually exploiting inmates, even though staff knew of the problem and had reported it on several occasions. The institution had recently been awarded commendation for its internal auditing measures.

The Obama administration, and Attorney General Holder, are calling for common sense solutions to what seems to be a culture of violence in the U.S. prison system. They are seeking zero-tolerance policies, as well as mandatory reporting of abuse. Will this be enough to curb what is clearly a human rights issue and will their efforts eliminate those staff who would perpetrate it?

Are cutbacks making for a more dangerous City?

Manhattan was certainly not the safest place to be this weekend.


In two separate, unrelated incidents, random citizens were put in harm’s way by things that the City could have done more to prevent.

On Saturday night, a resting crane slammed into the side of a building downtown on Maiden Lane. While there were no reports of injury, part of the building’s façade fell 23 stories to the ground and at least 5 buildings were evacuated. It has come to light that the operator did not properly secure the machine before leaving for the day, causing it to tilt. The operator of the crane has had his license suspended.

Early Sunday morning, an altercation on the downtown 2 train near 14th Street resulted in the murder of two men, with a third still in the hospital. The men were stabbed multiple times with a knife as the train entered the station. The assailants escaped at Christopher Street and have yet to be apprehended.

Both incidents come at a time of increasing uneasiness in the City. Two major crane collapses in as many years have resulted in several deaths, with a court decision last week to indict crane company owners on fraud and negligence. In the subway, decreased numbers of station attendants due to budget cuts foreshadows a time of increased commuter violence.

The question remains: is the City investing enough in its citizen’s well-being and protection, or is an unstable economy forcing cuts in all the wrong places?

Playground equipment stirs debate

Parents, residents and community organizers are concerned about play ground equipment at a particular Brooklyn housing project. The equipment, in addition to the typical monkey bars, swings and slides, has a section resembling a prison cell with the word “jail” over it. The company that manufactured the equipment has stated that this is the only occurrence of its type, and that this is the first time complaints have been logged since the equipment was built in March 2004. It is likely that the surge in complaints is a result of pictures posted on the website, Black and Brown News.


The New York City Housing Authority has already painted over the signage, and is assuring residents that this is a singular occurrence. Public relations staff for the company that built the set, Landscape Structures, is denying jail themed products. Several other companies that specialize in play ground equipment are echoing this, saying that having specific prison text is unheard of.

While it is possible to pass blame on who produced the equipment, what is undeniable is the tact lacking in the act itself. To place prison themed equipment in a housing project, areas known to have disproportionate levels of incarcerated individuals, certainly sends the wrong message to children. It is interesting, though, to consider that it has taken 6 years for any complaints to arise.

Perhaps the level of apathy, apparent on both sides of the issue, is best summed up by 5 year old Destiny Garcia. She liked the prison sign because it reminded her of her father, currently serving time on gun possession charges.

Violence erupts after critical vote

Violence has erupted after a critical parliamentary vote in a country very close to home. Several legislators have received death threats, verbal abuse via telephone, as well as damage to personal and professional property. One even had propane lines in their home cut by vandals. The website of a popular politician who opposes the result of the vote makes allusion to killing particular legislators, and one influential blogger has called for the assassination of the country’s president.


Any ideas which country this might be? Haiti? Venezuela? Honduras?

Think again. It’s right here in the United States.

Several members of Congress have received death threats to their Capitol Hill and District offices, spurring investigation by both Capitol Hill police and the FBI. In total, more than 10 members of Congress will get beefed up security in the coming days. Democratic offices in Kansas and New York have been vandalized as well. In addition, the brother of a Virginia congressman had the lines to his propane tanks cut when vandals mistook the house to be that of the actual congressman. Sarah Palin’s popular Facebook page shows 17 congressional districts in cross-hairs, with further allusions that we should “take them out”. Popular conservative blogger Solly Forell even tweeted for the assassination of President Obama following the health care vote.

I want to hear reader’s views on this before I put out my own. How are these actions and those of the new tea party movement in general, influencing politics in this country? Regardless of one’s stance on the health care debate, is violence in the bastion of democracy acceptable behavior?

Tanning tax, or saving the future?

Details within the recent Health Care Bill are coming to light, including the 10 per cent tax on tanning services nationwide. This tanning tax acts as a replacement to the original tax in the bill on Botox services, and seeks to generate necessary revenue. Tanning salon owners are crying foul, saying that the tax threatens both their employees and customer base.


In New York City, this equates to approximately $2 extra per tanning session. Many customers are complaining that this extra fee will put a strain on their pocketbooks. In my view, going to a tanning salon and spending $20 for 10 minutes of treatment is a luxury. If people were so concerned about their pocketbooks, they would likely spend the $20 on something more important. Tanning is certainly not an essential service, and a luxury tax on the product is not going to break the bank.

There is also positive impact that this tax will bring about in time. The United States spends $1.8 billion a year on skin cancer treatments. According to CNN Money, 2.3 million teenagers currently use tanning salon beds. A tax on what many consider a leading contributor to the issue can certainly curb future increases in the spread of disease.

NYU's expansion: community involvement or takeover?

New York University unveiled its latest plans at expansion over the next 20 years. These plans call for over 6 million square feet of new space for the University, with half of that space in and around the Washington Square Park area. The remainder of the space, another 3 million square feet, would be primarily on Governor’s Island and in downtown Brooklyn. Overall, the plan equates to building in the next 20 years the same amount that NYU has built in the past 43 years.


For anyone who has lived or worked in New York City, this plans surely gives pause. The University is certainly not known for considering the future of the City in its planning, opting instead for a scorched earth approach. There are myriad examples of historic and preserved buildings being demolished, residents being uprooted and the general aesthetic integrity of the landscape being destroyed at the hands of NYU’s expansion. In fact, NYU is now the number one land owner in the City. The 20 year plan will only solidify the University’s dominance over strategic urbanization.

In publicizing the 20 year plan, NYU hopes to quell its negative reputation. Granted, this is a first step in increasing community involvement and dialogue. But, is it going to be enough? At face value, the plan seems to say to the community, “take it or leave it”. Sure, it gives way to green space and pedestrian malls, but also incorporates mega-dorms that would blot the skyline in the Village. I fail to see where the community’s voice was taken into consideration.

Fetishism in America: the story of Donna Simpson

In a world fueled by a more interconnected media, where one can become a superstar overnight just by sitting in their bedroom, we must remember how much influence the individual truly does have. Over the past several years, people have grown in notoriety for doing things which nobody would have cared about 20 years ago. This constant fetishism attributed to the Internet runs the gamut from celebrity gossip mongers, to sports fanatics, to cat lovers, to the more unconventional.


Take the recent story of Donna Simpson. The New Jersey mother is currently 600 pounds, and holds the world record for being the largest woman to give birth. Now she says that this is not enough, and she wants to break the 1,000 pound mark to become the world’s heaviest woman. She has the same caloric intake of Michael Phelps during Olympic training, as well as a website where people can pay to watch her eat. She also cannot move more than 20 feet without having to rest, and has to use a scooter for mobility outside the home.

Is it irresponsible of Ms. Simpson to be taking on such a high-profile mission? Is she sending the wrong signal to women and children that this behavior is acceptable? Not only does she have the power to influence those in her immediate circle, but in our Internet dominated society also has the power to influence choices for millions. With heart disease now the number one killer of American women, is she aiding in this downward spiral?

Second class citizenship

Think of your home state. Ponder all of the rights and privileges you have as a citizen of that state, and how those rights translate on a federal level. Now imagine that tomorrow the U.S. Government invalidated and annulled those rights by revoking birth certificates from your particular state. You would no longer be able to work, drive or receive federal funding without overcoming major bureaucratic hurdles. My guess is that most people would be quite perturbed by the move. In our scenario, however, there is a caveat: you can apply for a new birth certificate that the Government will consider valid. This, though, will not necessarily remedy the negative public perception such a move towards second class citizenship would create.


While shocking in its implications, such a situation is taking place as we speak. As of 1 July, all Puerto Ricans born outside the contiguous United States will have their birth certificates annulled and be required to apply for new ones. This is in response to what the Government claims is ‘certificate trafficking’ and falsification of documents by members of the Puerto Rican community. Essentially, certificates are being falsified in order to provide citizenship for many coming over from the Caribbean. To quell this rising trend, the Government will no longer accept the old records.

Understanding the psychological impact of this is critical. Puerto Ricans are already treated as second class citizens due to the colonial nature of the territory. This power struggle, which goes on despite calls for its end by the United Nations and prevailing international standards, is only being exacerbated. Some states, like New Hampshire, are already requiring separate application procedures in institutions like the Department of Motor Vehicles. Expect these practices to increase over time.

It is vital that the United States figure out exactly where Puerto Rico stands. There is no place for second class citizenship in a modern society, especially when that society claims to be the bastion of democracy.

What about Wall Street?

With an unemployment rate nearing 10 per cent, and positive public sentiment waning, the job market in the United States is reaching a point where something critical is necessary. The question is what form this particular ‘something’ must take. Should it be concrete in that it provides funding to spur growth? Or, alternatively, will more psychological assistance be what is needed to get the market back off the ground? Are citizens and businesses just looking for that little spark of hope that will change everything? Or is this being far too altruistic given the real world situation our economy now faces?


Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which aims to help small businesses create and fill jobs. The bill exempts small business owners from having to pay the Social Security payroll tax per new employee. It also gives a $1000 tax credit to those small businesses who keep new employees for over one year. In the proverbial Main Street versus Wall Street argument, this bill certainly keeps Main Street afloat.

Is it, though, just lip service to a more critical problem with the economy? The psychological impact of the bill is undeniable, as it gives business owners a reason to attract help, and job seekers a reason to get back out there. It is far from perfect however. While it does address issues in Main Street America, it overlooks the larger pools of businesses and job seekers in metropolitan areas. The jury is still out on whether or not this is a good first step.

Health by the letter

Come July, New York City restaurants will begin adding lettered placards to their front windows. These placards would correspond to the restaurant’s performance on health, hygiene and safety inspections, with a grade of ‘A’ as passing, ‘B’ as passing but less than sanitary, and ‘C’ as a fail. This system is similar to that used in other cities. A Los Angeles Department of Health report found that the system, used extensively in that area, was favored by 91 per cent of people. It also found a 13 per cent decline in food borne illnesses since the implementation of the system.


New York restaurant owners, however, are not so enthusiastic. Many claim that this discriminates against or unfairly hinders business. In reality, however, this new system is no different than one already in place. The New York Department of Health website has statistics and rankings for all New York City restaurants based on the most recent set of inspections. Do most people know this? Probably not.

How are we to interpret this latest caveat on the health and wellness of the City? For a staunch liberal, it might be seen as an intrusion on the rights of business owners. My interpretation, however, is that the new system is simply making sure patrons are properly informed. One cannot proclaim “let the buyer beware” and not ensure they understand the full implications of their actions. Not only does the new restaurant grading system protect patrons, but also minimizes the risk of lawsuit against restaurateurs themselves. It works to tell owners where they must improve, and to tell patrons to enter at their own risk.

More junk mail?

Yesterday, I received my census questionnaire in the mail.


Except I didn’t realize it was my census questionnaire and nearly threw it out. The envelope looked almost identical to credit card offers, or any other junk mail I would get in a given day. I consider myself savvy enough to understand the need for the census and implications of not filling it out. What I do not understand is why the Census Bureau did not do a better job at packaging their product. If someone who was looking out for the form nearly threw it away, what will be its fate with the apathetic?

While the Bureau has certainly gotten the word out about the census, the importance of the process is still not clearly spelled out. The influence on public institutions, including schools, is unmistakable. On the political side, New York alone could lose 2 congressional seats as a result of people not filling out surveys. This is of course well known by those who are fortunate enough to understand the implications of the census. For the rest of the population, the census must seem like just another questionnaire. Is it too late to remedy the situation without having to send an army of census workers to interrupt dinner? How can we make sure that the census does not go in the same place as junk mail…the bin?

Following in our footsteps

Aligning with most common perceptions, reports have surfaced that indicate China has purposely devalued its currency in efforts to boost its economy. The country has done this by using loopholes in the international banking regulatory system to its advantage. The most critical of these loopholes involves the fact that China is not under the direct purview of the International Monetary Fund, as the country does not contribute to the organization. For all intents and purposes, the IMF serves as a global watchdog to prevent manipulation of financial rules. Since China does not report to them directly, it can essentially do as it wishes.


In discussing this issue with friends and colleagues, I was surprised that most gave the same response: isn’t this what the U.S. has been doing for centuries? In a word, yes. Up until the post World War II institution of the IMF and World Bank, most countries did all they could to remain economically superior. This global trend of undervaluing currency at that time was a major contributor to the Great Depression. Since 1945, however, this practice has been frowned upon.

Should we fault China for doing what immerging economies have done in the past? While we in the U.S. might look down on a devalued currency, we are also doing little to stop it. The United States is a major trading partner with China, turning a blind eye to devaluation over the past several decades. While its actions may be suspect, is China simply taking a page from the playbook of powers coming before it?

Safety upgrade or natural selection?

An Upper East Side woman died tragically yesterday after jumping onto subway tracks in an attempt to retrieve a dropped bag. Much of the startled crowd urged her to lay flat on the tracks as the train approached, but she insisted on trying to climb back out. Although the conductor of the train engaged his emergency brake, there was not enough time to prevent the collision. The woman became wedged between the side of the train and the track itself.


Although any New Yorker who uses the subway has seen advertisements urging riders to notify an MTA employee when items fall on the tracks, is the message missing its mark? In a time where the entire City is encouraging healthy living, are we forgetting basic safety precautions? Or, alternatively, is this incident an outlier as accidents go? A Columbia University study revealed that between 1990 and 2003, 315 people had died accidently in the subway system. While 46 per cent of these deaths were associated with inebriation, there were still 54 per cent of people perfectly sober. Discounting heart attacks and other natural causes, it is interesting to ponder how many people just did not get out of the way in time.

Should the MTA, or City administration, consider installation of safety devices on subway tracks? Walking along some of the narrower platforms in the City is certainly a harrowing task for the bravest person, especially during rush hour. Having safety doors, like those in the London Metro, would eliminate both fear and unnecessary death. While I am a full proponent of natural selection, I’m not sure Darwin envisioned this at the front end of a subway train.

Is an impartial jury an impossibility?

A Riverhead, New York court is struggling to select a jury of impartial, unbiased members in the case of Marcelo Lucero. The 37 year old Ecuadorian was stabbed to death in the Long Island town of Patchogue in late 2008. The case has been classified as a hate crime against illegal day workers in the area. Prospective jurors have been hard to come by given sentiment in the region about illegal immigration, as well as people’s proximity to information on the case. In the small village, it is difficult to find a juror who does not already have an opinion on the matter.


This lends itself to a much larger, national question regarding jury selection and impartiality. In this day and age of instant information overload, how feasible is it to select a jury of one’s peers who can be fair in their verdict? Opinion pieces (the present one included) seek to sway the minds of readers. At the least, they certainly color how one dissects an issue.

Is it going to be necessary to have jurors come from areas disinterested in local topics? Will this Riverhead trial have jurors from Omaha or San Diego to create an impartial atmosphere? Will that measure even be enough to keep personal opinions out of the court room?

Public school publicity

Charter schooling has grown to become one of the most popular methods of education in recent years. Schools are popping up all over the country, with their well staffed halls, top notch programs and private funding. This has come at the detriment of the more traditional public school. As I noted last week, public schools are embroiled in battles to increase productivity by any means possible, resulting in harsh and possibly rash decisions by those in charge. Now, charter schools are forcing their public counterparts to vie for filling seats.


New York City public schools have begun small marketing campaigns to entice parents to enroll their children. These campaigns are individually supported by concerned parents and administrators at at-risk schools, especially those where a charter school has moved into the neighborhood. Charter schools are eligible and do receive public funding, but are also able to privately market themselves for donations. This week’s Oscar Awards, for example, featured a commercial advertisement for a Harlem charter school. With the notion that charter schools offer a better education, whether correct or not, public schools are literally fighting for their lives. Fewer students equal increased possibility of closure, regardless of performance.

Instructors and parents having to concern themselves with publicity can only have adverse consequences on the education of students. Unfortunately, without this publicity the students will not have schools to attend.

Silverstein's ivory tower

New York City’s construction unions are taking to the streets today, in an effort to drum up support for accelerated building at the site of the former World Trade Center. The site, long plagued by infighting and bureaucracy, is again at a standstill. The two opponents, Larry A. Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, disagree over funding. The Port Authority is currently financing costs associated with World Trade Center 1 (the Freedom Tower), as well as public works surrounding the area including transport hubs. Silverstein, who owns the lease on the former Twin Towers, is entitled to build 3 other properties on the site.


This, however, is where it gets tricky. The economic downturn has adversely impacted the amount of prospective renters for Silverstein’s 3 new buildings. This echoes the continuing decline in business rentals in Downtown Manhattan since September 11th. As a result, Silverstein wants the Port Authority to finance his projects, as well as their own. While both agree that building more than two new structures at the present time is financially unsound, there is still contention about Silverstein’s single tower on the site.

While imprudent in the extreme to be undergoing such a major construction effort in the name of patriotism, especially in such uncertain economic times, who should finance Silverstein’s tower? Why funnel money into a project that, much like the Empire State Building, will sit half empty for the foreseeable future? Perhaps Silverstein should pay for half of the Freedom Tower and just call it a day.

You want the calories? Pay for them!

A day ahead of a state symposium on the issue, Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement regarding the proposed tax on sugary drinks. He said that “…the soda tax is a fix that just makes sense. It would save lives. It would cut rising health care costs. And it would keep thousands of teachers and nurses where they belong: in the classrooms and clinics.”


The tax hopes to curb the rising obesity rates in the City, and stand as a health example to cities around the country. It would also help to fill the coffers of a city reeling from economic downturn. In it, sugary drinks including soda would have a one cent per ounce tax added to them. The choice of buying the product is, as always, the consumers to make.

While public support for the initiative has been lacking, Bloomberg seems to think that the tide of opinion is turning. After all that he and the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have done over the past several years, why should we question their intent? New York City is quickly becoming a bastion of healthy living. From placarded calorie counts, to clean air initiatives, to sensationalistic public service announcements, we are becoming healthier. A soda tax would do well to keep this momentum going, while benefiting a city that could use the help.

Don't fear...Ed Koch is here!

Ed Koch summed it up best when he said of Albany lawmakers that “…the good ones are [not] good enough…and the bad ones are evil”.


Koch, a former New York City mayor, is bringing together a coalition of groups in an effort to remove the bad apples from Albany. The group will meet next week, and sets to take their aim not only at the mismanagement of government, but also incumbents up for election. These incumbents, who Koch describes as being impediments to change, are traditionally overlooked during campaign season. The simple fact is that incumbent candidates, on the whole, are quite difficult to unseat. This Herculean task has taken many by surprise, not least of which the incumbents themselves.

Although the tide is certainly turning towards a more productive, efficient Albany, would Koch’s efforts be better spent elsewhere? Instead of trying to unseat politicians, perhaps grooming better candidates is the answer. In truth, the Albany spectacle is simply a microcosm of the problems inherent in most legislatures including the Congress of the United States. This would support the notion that the system itself is flawed, perpetuating the types of leaders who are more self-serving than self-sacrificing.

With the continual circus mentality in the state capital, and public trust in elected officials in Albany low, now is the best time to try to make positive change. While substantial, the task is fit for a man of Koch’s stature and demeanor. Incumbents, especially the corrupt ones, should not rest comfortably in their posts.

Apathy towards New York City's students: the example of Rhode Island

It is no secret that America’s schools are lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of performance. This is causing many school districts to take drastic measures to remedy the situation. Last year schools in Compton, California were placed under the purview of the State. More recently, a Rhode Island high school summarily dismissed all of its teachers, administrators and staff. This, after the institution continued to produce failing performance scores. President Obama supports the decision.


While Compton and Central Falls might be outliers in the spectrum of assisting students academically, their examples can easily be applied closer to home. New York City schools, while improving over the last 3 years, are still not up to par with what we should expect for our children. A local government report from June 2009 cites that City graduation rates are now hovering at 60 per cent, meaning 40 per cent of students are still not getting a proper education. When taken by district, several graduation rates are below 40 per cent.

This ultimately becomes a question of placing blame. Is it the system that is faulty, or is it the educators themselves? What role do parents, demographics and attitude play in all this? I would be hesitant to even begin to answer these questions. One thing, however, is clear: something better needs to be done. The stagnation and apathy towards education as a whole is not only hindering this generation, but generations of Americans who are going to be operating in an increasingly globalized society.

Does Paterson know he is in the wrong?

Another day, another scandal. Governor Paterson can’t seem to get a break from the ever evolving allegations that are surfacing regarding his administration. An ethics panel is now claiming that Paterson received free tickets to a World Series game last fall, which is against rules prohibiting gifts to elected officials. The panel is also citing that the Governor lied when he told a court he would pay for part of the ticket costs.


When one looks at the present situation, it is interesting to see how counterintuitive Paterson’s actions in remedying his plight actually are. If he committed wrong doing, and then openly invited a panel to investigate him, he is either fully dense or does not understand the rules of the road. While one should assume a person in his position understands that he cannot accept gifts, is this truly the case? Did Paterson understand that what he was doing was wrong?

Paying to ride: should students have to front the cost of a MetroCard?

The perpetually cash-strapped MTA is making several proposals to fill their funding gap over the next few years. Along with giving the pink slip to thousands of employees, reducing line frequency and increasing fares, the organization is proposing making students pay for the price of a MetroCard. At present, students in the New York City school system do not have to shell out the money for transport.






While making everyone pay their fair share is the best way to help the MTA, recent statistics reveal that it is not only students who ride for free. MTA employees, including those who work in the corporate sector, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North all receive compensated transport. I suppose this is fine given that they need to go to and from work. Also included in this statistic are police officers and transit police who use the subway system for proper duties.





The problem lies in the fact that this is not where the free rides stop. Along with police and current MTA employees, retirees, spouses and dependents of the system all ride without paying. How many free fares are being given out you ask? Let’s look at this morning’s Metro newspaper stats: 15,000 retirees; at least 10,087 spouses of employees; and at least 4,000 dependants. If charged the actual price of a MetroCard, this would infuse over $31 million into the organization by itself.





The question remains: is it fair to charge students to ride when there are so many other ways to cut costs and increase revenue?

An ethics panel in Albany?

The governorship of New York has become synonymous with corruption and abuse of power over the past several years. In addition to other incidents, both Eliot Spitzer and now David Paterson have become embroiled in charges that they used their office to secure special treatment from State Police. In response, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Eric Adams are calling for the creation of a panel to ensure proper conduct by law enforcement officials. According to New York 1 news, this commission would ‘…investigate systemic misconduct, abuse of power and inappropriate political intervention with state law enforcement.’ While both Congressmen say that this act is not an attack on Paterson, it certainly comes at a bad time for the recently disgraced governor. Paterson has had to end his reelection campaign after details of misconduct surfaced last week.


While standards and ethics panels, especially those that investigate wrong doing by elected officials, are always welcome, the recent proposal leaves much to be desired. Details at the present stage are scarce, but there is certainly one major gorilla in the room: who is going to run this panel?

Turning away from religion

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a follow-up report on the current trend of religious disaffiliation among the younger generation. In the report, the Forum cites that:




"Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of 5-6 times the historic rate (30-40 percent have no religion today versus 5-10 percent a generation ago)."





It goes on to say that this disaffiliation is due primarily to the intersection of religion and politics in modern society. This in and of itself, however, does not get to the crux of the issue. Politics and religion will always be bed fellows in some way, shape or form. Why is it that today's generation is leaving at 6 times the historic rate?

How the New York Times is becoming more like Fox News

The New York Times has long been touted as the news source for the liberal elite. While this may have been true 10 years ago, recent shifts in coverage are certainly moving the Times more to the right. A 2007 Rasmussen survey showed that 11 per cent of the public agreed the Times had a conservative slant, and I would venture to guess that this number has grown steadily over the past few years. Sure, the Times did all it could to work against Bush Administration policies, but now it has turned its sights on other targets.




Take, for instance, the newspaper's all out fight for attention as it sought to bring scandalous charges against Governor David Paterson. The past month has seen three different occasions where the Times promised explosive revelations, all but the last worthy of a gossip column at best. Even in this week's story, about Paterson's abuse of his personal State police detail, there is very little in the way of objective journalism. It reads more like a 'jump to conclusions' piece, where the reader can determine their take on the issue. One would assume this is to portray a sense of impartiality on the side of the Times.



What to make of this all?



Perhaps it is time for the readership to take a more proactive stance when it comes to information, and misinformation. The left enjoys mocking those who follow Fox News as being blind sheep, but is taking the Times at face value any better? This is critical in a day and age where print media is slowly dying out, and will do anything to attract attention. Investigative journalism be damned. All hail the revival of the yellow journalist.

How PR blunders can make you popular: the example of Ray Kelly

The New York City Police Department has suffered major PR blows this past month. Earlier this week, 3 New York City police officers were acquitted of sodomy charges against a Bronx man. This, even though a conviction seemed nailed down based on the available evidence. Recent statistics on the NYPD’s “random” searches of large bags in the subway system shows evidence of racial profiling. A Bronx police officer has had to be reassigned in the past week, most likely due to his whistle blowing on the corrupt falsification of summonses. In addition, a survey of retired police officers in the system shows that more than half of them knew of crime statistic deception.


Even with all of this working against the police department, police Commissioner Ray Kelly continues to have a favorable approval rating of nearly 70 per cent, according to a Quinnipiac survey. This cuts across racial lines, and is far higher than approval ratings for the Mayor.

It seems implausible that his ratings could be so high at a time of evident corruption in his department. Perhaps this is because the era of Giuliani-style corruption is gone. Trampling of civil rights was common place in his efforts to clean up the City. Now that New York resembles less Juarez and more Disneyland, Kelly can be seen as the savior of the common man. Or, at least, the lesser of two evils.

Saving ourselves from extinction

The Andaman Tribe, which has inhabited islands off the coast of India for 65,000 years, became extinct yesterday with the passing of its oldest member. This tribe, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, also lost its language and traditions with the passing.




What responsibility does the global community have to save these ancient traditions and societies from extinction?

Dictators in the U.S.?

Recent reports have surfaced indicating that numerous war lords, arms dealers and families of despot leaders are residing in the US, with the knowledge of the Government. In addition, these residents are flouting US laws, funneling in large sums of cash and running corrupt governments from our shores.




How should the Government address this issue, especially given the sensitive nature of intergovernmental relations? Should these residents be extradited back to their home territories, or are they serving a purpose here?

Facebook's social responsibility

The bodies of a San Bernardino, California man and his 9 month old son were found last week in an apparent murder-suicide. Yesterday, a tribute video and possible suicide note were uploaded to the man’s Facebook page by a third party. The page had several notes alluding to the tragic events, posted by the father weeks ago.




What responsibility does Facebook have in preventing these sort of tragedies from occurring? Should the site monitor its member’s content more closely, or is it up to the social community one operates within to do the monitoring of their supposed friends?

The children of Haiti

10 Americans from a church in the Midwest are being held after trying to transport Haitian children across the border with the Dominican Republic. These children had no exit visas or passports, and the group claimed they are orphans. Many of the children, however, insist that they are not.


The group claims no ill intent in the matter. What are your thoughts?

And the winner is...

In an effort to beef up viewership, this year’s Grammy Awards featured the use of social and virtual media. In the lead up to the show, websites like Twitter and Facebook encouraged younger viewers to fan the broadcast. At the show itself, viewers were told to vote for their favorite artist or song throughout the program.



The question remains, did this all help? Did the use of social media encourage you to watch the Grammys this year, or was it some other form of publicity?

I’m pregnant and…

A new series on the Discovery Channel documents women who are in compromising situations while pregnant. The latest installment shows a woman who is incarcerated in a Nebraska female institution. This institution is 1 of 10 in the US that has a ward specifically for babies and their mothers. The entrance requirements are strict, but the ward separates new babies and mothers from the rest of the prison population. It also offers mandatory parenting classes, as well as OB-GYN and pre-natal services, paid for by the state.



What are the pros and cons of these programs? Is it acceptable to have the state pay for these services? Is this program encouraging women to get pregnant and then commit crimes in order to receive care for them and their baby?

Going overboard?

Last week, a California school banned copies of the Merriam-Webster dictionary after parents complained of an entry defining oral sex. While the school has since reinstated the dictionary, children must have permission slips signed by their guardians to use it.

The dictionary contains multiple entries which any number of people might find offensive. Is the school right in originally banning the dictionary and then treating it like the Satanic Bible, or have the parents in this town gone a little overboard?

Super Bowl goes pro-life

CBS has announced that it will allow “appropriate” advocacy ads, including one from pro-life group Focus on the Family, into the onslaught of multi-million dollar spots on Super Bowl Sunday.



While the ads might be deemed appropriate, it is appropriate for CBS to allow advertisements for non-commercial purposes? Should the ads stick to Coke vs. Pepsi, instead of Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice?

Backtracking

The United Nations special representative in Afghanistan is calling for the removal of several top Taliban officials from the international black list. This is in hopes of opening up dialogue with the terrorist organization, and is supported by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

After all of the work that the international community has done over the past decade to counter terrorist groups, like the Taliban, what sense does it make to begin taking names off of watch lists? How necessary at this point is dialogue with these groups? Does this just seem like two giant steps backwards in the fight against terrorism?

Campaigns and the 1st Amendment

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of the McCain-Feingold Act. The Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the Act to limit funds put towards campaign media, as well as monitor the amount of money corporations contribute to a particular campaign. The President has spoken out on the ruling, implying that it waters down the democratic process by allowing big business to significantly influence opinion.
How does the ruling change campaign processes? What sort of control was already existent before last week’s ruling, especially regarding campaign media and attack ads? Is the McCain-Feingold Act, or other limiting legislation, even necessary in campaigning?

The evolution of journalism

The National Enquirer has announced that it will be applying for this year’s Pulitzer Prize. While many would hardly consider the news magazine worthy of the prize, what does the announcement say about the evolving face of journalism?

With magazines like the Enquirer and websites like Gawker and the Drudge Report being able to publish stories faster, and sometimes more accurately, than their major counterparts, is regular print dead? Is investigative media failing to actually investigate, opting instead to be more sensationalistic than the tabloids?

Exploitation or humanitarianism?

Over a week into the coverage of the Haiti earthquake, several news agencies are still broadcasting live on the ground. For one in particular, the tragic events have become a showcase for their anchors, weathermen and doctors, who seem to do miraculous things while the cameras are rolling.

With the ongoing chaos in the area, is it appropriate to follow these people around with cameras in the hopes of finding a new heroic story to highlight? Does pulling someone from the rubble or saving a baby with a cut to the head seem just a little too staged?

Race to the finish

With last night’s win of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, many Democrats should be shaking in their boots. Their filibuster-proof super majority is now gone, and Dems need to examine what they were able to accomplish in the time they had. After this upset, as well as others in Virginia and New Jersey, it is safe to say that people are running a referendum on President Obama’s agenda.


What does this latest incident spell in terms of Obama’s agenda, especially healthcare? If you were a White House staffer, what advice would you give to the President? Should Congress push through the healthcare reform package prior to Brown’s confirmation, or will this create a further discord between Americans and the Democratic party?

Pride or prejudice?

Last week. the Long Island town of Huntington demolished a wooded encampment which served as makeshift shelter for the area’s day laborers, most of whom are in the U.S. illegally. With no homeless shelters in the town, and only one in the entire county (which does not accept applicants without proper papers), these immigrants have been forced out of shelter in the dead of winter. Many residents have been good enough to take people in.

Why would the town council decide to destroy the encampment, which had been around for years in a non-descript area, during the harshest months of the year? Are they being cruel or are they right in following city fire codes? Said one volunteer, “…some people around here would have more outrage about a dog being left outside than a group of hungry, homeless human beings.”

Too close for comfort

24 premiered last night, and although I may be a die-hard fan there seemed to be something peculiar about this incarnation. In times past, the conflict resonated between the United States and a threat that was veiled well enough by the producers to avoid any real-world allusions. This time, that veil was certainly lifted as the US enters into a peace agreement with the nuclear power hungry Islamic Republic of Kamistan. All the bells and whistles will definitely follow.

Is such a real-world allusion to both Pakistan and Iran a little too close for comfort, especially given the evolving intricacies of the political realm? As the series evolves, what anti-Mid East sentiment could it drum up? In a time where the division between reality and television is muddled, what risk does this near direct political reference create?

Gang-bangin' on a bus

Alfred Lomas, a Los Angeles native and former gang member, opens up his LA Gang Tours business this weekend. The tour, much like those for post-Hurricane Katrina’s 9th Ward and Chicago’s mob, takes patrons through the streets of LA and across many of the sites which have made the city infamous.

Some say that the tour is exploiting the plight of the lower class in LA, while others claim that it is bringing their struggles to light. How is this tour different from others which tend to spring up from tragic events? Is it exploitative or productive?

Prop 8 goes viral?

After a local California judge ruled to allow delayed YouTube video of proceedings in the Proposition 8 battle, the Supreme Court has struck down the idea. The 5-4 split in the Court has many crying foul, saying that public discourse is being hindered in this nonjury trial. Supporters of Prop 8 have said that the video feed would be unfair to those testifying, while proponents of same-sex marriage want to ensure that people’s positions are made public.

Major court cases, even those with juries, have been televised in real time before. The OJ Simpson case immediately comes to mind. Regardless of one’s position on the issue of same-sex marriage, should the Prop 8 trial be available online for those who would want to view it? Does the viral broadcast in any way hinder proceedings? What sort of precedent does this set, if at all, for future court cases?

Pat Robertson's pact with the devil

Our favorite evangelical newscaster, Pat Robertson, is out helping to teach Americans some history we may have missed. In a broadcast of the 700 Club yesterday, Robertson claimed that the 7.0 Haitian earthquake was a result of the country’s “…pact with the devil…” made in the late 1700s, and that it was a blessing for the people.

One might excuse these comments from a crackpot on the street, but Robertson’s following numbers in the tens of millions. These comments, in addition to numerous other outrageous claims made in the past decade including the assassination call for Hugo Chavez and the destruction of Dover Pennsylvania, begin to tug on the fabric of free speech. The Better Business Bureau even claims that they are “….unable to verify the organization’s compliance…”

Should there be limits on what can be said to a television audience? The First Amendment does guarantee against hate speech, incitement to violence and slander based on US Supreme Court case Miller v. California. Has Robertson gone beyond the free speech line?

A sleeping dragon or a lame-brained dodo

After several sophisticated incursions into user accounts, some say by the Government, Google has decided to reconsider its position in China, up to and including the end of operations in the country. In the past several hours censorship by Google has ended, and Chinese are now able to view articles and pictures the Government deems inappropriate. These include pictures of the Dalai Lama, the Tiananmen Square protests and web pages devoted to Falun Gong. While the Chinese Government is yet to comment, it would not be surprising if they evicted Google altogether. Currently, all Google staff in China are on paid leave.
Given this latest development, is the sleeping dragon quickly ostracizing itself from the west? Is China’s unwillingness to give up a little control in the hopes of becoming a world power hindering efforts? Does China have more to gain than to loose?

A million dollar drug habit

“It’s a little black eye on baseball, but it’s hard to fault a guy for doing it to bounce back from a heavy workout or to be better…”

Davy Johnson-former major league player

In the light of not-so-shocking revelations of Mark McGwire’s steroid use, Johnson’s remarks excuse the use of the drug in the hopes of fair play. It seems to set a pretty high (no pun intended) standard for sports stars to live up to. What example is this setting for future athletes? If performance-enhancing drugs are just a black eye, what could be considered a deep wound?

A dying economy

With the economy slumping in many parts of the country, families have had to find ways to tighten their belts. In many places, this means turning their loved ones over to indigent burial services. These state-funded funeral services are primarily for those who have no family, but more and more bodies are going unclaimed in deposit facilities. Overcrowding in Oregon’s morgues is posing a problem, and Michigan is reporting a near doubling in indigent burials over the last year.

What public policy implications does this increase pose? Is it the responsibility of the state to provide for unclaimed bodies, no questions asked?

A miracle drive-thru diet?

Commercials advertising a new Taco Bell diet drive-thru menu have begun to air in the past week. It features a women claiming to have lost nearly 60 pounds by simply eating from this menu. She does claim, however, that her results were not typical. Interestingly, I saw the commercial again last night and it omitted that final caveat.

Given that obesity is now the number one killer of Americans, is it prudent for Taco Bell to run such an ad? Is it a blatant falsification of information, or should caveat emptor reign supreme? How does this campaign compare to that of Subway’s Jared? Will this become a PR blunder for Taco Bell?

When synching becomes lethal

Last week, Ford’s CEO unveiled plans to include on-board technologies to allow drivers access to twitter, movie times, maps and internet radio through an 8-inch touch screen. This comes as an attempt to make the brand viable in the coming decade, even as the U.S. car industry is faltering in the current economic climate.

How necessary is it, though, to twitter while driving? Or to check the latest movie times? If humans cannot be trusted to talk on a cell phone without getting distracted from the task at hand, driving, how can they be trusted when in-car capabilities actually take their eyes off the road?

Spare the rod...

Presenting at a conference of the Society for Research in Child Development, Marjorie Gunroe gave findings which indicate that adults who were spanked “…do better in school, perform more volunteer work and are more optimistic than others…” This goes against conventional wisdom on the practice, including claims of detrimental consequences.

Taking into account increased violence and misbehavior among children, should a little punishment be reintroduced? Is it necessary for government to get involved in this matter by banning the practice, or should it be a parent’s choice? What experiences do you have with this, and how do you think it has created who you are today?

A new, third tea-party?

NY Times columnist David Brooks articulated in a recent article that the tea party movement, if positioned correctly, could become a major third party in the coming decade. His justification comes from what could simply be put down as the “dumbing of America” in that the movement bases itself on what it is against…namely, the educated majority. Brooks cites that “…every single idea associated with the educated class has grown more unpopular over the past year…” including issues of global warming, foreign policy and abortion. These are the issues the movement is aiming to address, with a 41 per cent approval rating from the American public.

How can we then synthesize this information? Is the tea party movement a growing electoral force, or farce? How much of it is based on policy, and how much on simply being against anything the current administration puts forward? Being that it is populated by the less educated, how far can the movement realistically go?

Burj Khalifa…monument to a bygone era?

Yesterday marked the much anticipated opening of the new Burj Dubai, wait, make that Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates. After several hiccoughs along the way, including the near collapse of the local economy, how should the public view this mega-structure? In a time post-global economic crisis, is the building simply a vanity reminiscent of insider Wall Street power deals?

Reactionary state of terror?

In the wake of major terror plots and threats over the past few weeks, a man crossing the wrong way through an exit at Newark International Airport yesterday caused the evacuation of over 10,000 people. While his ability to follow directions can certainly be called into question, there is a deeper issue here. How was someone able to enter through an outside “non-sterile” area of the airport without any security monitoring him? Granted, there were cameras that caught the entire incident, but where were the actual TSA attendants? Add this to the recently leaked TSA manual, which specifically cites a lack of security at terminal exits, and it is amazing that breaches of security do not happen more often.

How is it possible, then, to move from this series of reactionary attempts at preventing wrong-doing to something more proactive? What steps will be necessary to increase security, while decreasing a state of panic and fear?