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"Yes! This article is wonderful. We have an election coming up in 2016. Let's make it happen!"
--( posted on May 7, 2015, commenting on the post Income Inequality Discussion )
 
"This was a really interesting read. I found the quote "Crime was one of the few options available for advancement" very powerful. The phrase american dream often carries its own moralistic imperative that honest, hard work will lead everyone to reap the rewards of social and monetary success, but like Malcolm Gladwell pointed out, this isn't always available to everyone. This article reminds me in a way of Les Miserables, I find myself empathizing with the patriarchs who knew that the only chance of success for their families was to turn to crime. It's sad that often the crimes committed now are not vastly different than those committed a century ago, when it was easier to bribe the police. Like the article points out Mike, Chuck and their classmates were only looking for a better life, and the life of crime they fell into was the only way out. The awful police brutality that they face doesn't take into consideration the vastly hard choices that life has handed to them. I keep thinking though, throughout this course that there must be a way to create a more inclusive America, one that truly "leaves no child behind," something that every American could throw themselves behind to create a better country for everyone, but I don't know if we've found it yet."
--( posted on May 7, 2015, commenting on the post Police Violence )
 
"I found it really surprising that in terms of economic stability, NYC is ranked better than only 7% of counties in the US. It reminded me of our discussion from this past week's class about the location of the American Dream. I keep wondering myself if the cost of living in and around New York will continue to rise to the point where it becomes impossible for the poor to rise above their economic situation within the borders of the city."
--( posted on May 7, 2015, commenting on the post Will you make more than your parents? )
 
"I see that when I paste it in, it shows up the same as the link above. I used google query: Newest New Yorkers 2013 Census, and from there it is the top link."
--( posted on May 7, 2015, commenting on the post Neighborhood Portraits )
 
"My computer was having trouble with the Newest New Yorkers link, but I was able to google another one in case anyone else has the same issue. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny2013/nny_2013.pdf"
--( posted on May 7, 2015, commenting on the post Neighborhood Portraits )
 
"I wanted to share this article about the cookbook Jerusalem. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/15/162805706/jerusalem-a-love-letter-to-food-and-memories-of-home We were discussing the "hummus wars" that Yotam Ottolenghi wrote about, and I think his whole cookbook really offers an interesting insight into how food both can bring people together and divide them. He, an Israeli, and his business partner, a Palestinian, both come from Jerusalem, but grew up on opposite sides of the city. I think one of the things they both found interesting was how similar their traditional foods were, and they discuss in depth the importance of memory in their individual relationship to food and the importance of food in the whole culture's relationship to memory. They talk about how food can create and does create a surprising peace, at times, between the religious groups in the city and alternately where it becomes "claimed" by one side or the other."
--( posted on Apr 16, 2015, commenting on the post A thought about food from Professor Rosenblum )
 
"When Professor Rosenblum first mentioned a class site I thought it would be really interesting if we could tell the story of people in New York City through food. Often many people have a deep and personal connection to the foods and recipes that they grew up with. I know that in my family the recipes that we have preserved from previous generations show up at the holidays or as comfort food on a hard day carrying sweet, nostalgic stories of the people who used to make them and the places that the recipes come from. I think it would be really lovely to have a site featuring the many cultures and nationalities found all throughout NYC viewed through the lens of meaningful recipes and dishes that remind people of home."
--( posted on Mar 8, 2015, commenting on the post Final Project Ideas )