http://www.latitudenews.com/story/all-aboard-the-international-express-to-queens-new-york/

As a transit enthusiast and future train engineer, I’d be greatly remiss if I didn’t post an article on this topic.

I’ve been on the 7 a few times (when it was actually running!), and I have to say that the diversity is unlike any other.  Indeed, it is safe to say that most, if not all, subway lines pass through a variety of ethnic neighborhoods.  (The Q, my home line, runs through the Russian Brighton Beach, through the predominately Jewish area of Midwood, and enters Manhattan in none other than Chinatown.)  But the 7 is the New York of the New York Subway System–not just in terms of train delays, but also in terms of its diversity.

If diversity were a metric in the State of the Subways report card (an annual report card done by Straphangers Campaign), the 7 might actually be agreed upon to be one of the better lines (the fact that it was rated first last summer had many, especially 7 riders themselves, confused and frustrated).

http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2015/05/06/3655540/hillary-clinton-immigration-remarks-nevada/

Hillary Clinton, one of the frontrunners for the Democratic party in the upcoming 2016 election, has made it clear that “we can’t wait any longer” for immigration reform.  Along with Obamacare, immigration reform is one of the highlights of the Obama administration’s legislation.  Obamacare ultimately passed, albeit with its share of problems; not just among citizens who had to switch health care plans, but also among outraged Republicans who shut down the government for three weeks in October 2013 in response.

Immigration reform, especially during Obama’s presidency, is even more complex.  Immigration reform has been one of the key issues in this coming election and, while Clinton claims to differ from Republicans in her position, President Reagan passed the very first amnesty back in 1986.  However, Obama only succeeded with the DACA/DAPA programs through executive action–even with a democratic supermajority, he could not get such legislation passed.

Clinton’s position, however, seems to be even stronger than Obama’s, with a clear, “stop at nothing” push for citizenship.

I thought tonight’s discussion of racist police brutality was an important one. I wanted to share a link to one of the organizations that is working to change this sad reality, with the hopes that our generation can rally together and create a better America.

http://www.stopmassincarceration.net/about

Guys

In light of our discussion today, I found this article that goes into the subject of racism in 21st century America. What I really liked about it is some experiments the article mentions that has been conducted to assess the views of the general population regarding African Americans. You would be surprised by what these experiments’ results were. Check it out and let me know what you think

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/nyregion/cuomo-orders-emergency-measures-to-protect-workers-at-nail-salons.html?ref=nyregion

Above is an interesting article in regards to the recent exposures of the hazardous working conditions faced by nail salon workers. I think this relates to many of the ideas and topics we have been discussing in class. The article talks about Cuomo’s emergency measures he wants to take to improve the conditions for nail salon workers. This goes along with the article on the importance of labor unions and protecting workers’ rights posted a few weeks ago. Additionally, many of the workers in nail salons are immigrants, and it is an industry that has been a “major entry point” for them. I think this is an ongoing battle, to protect workers in all industries, but specifically immigrant workers who may be in more dangerous and less regulated industries.

I thought this article was interesting in that it gave many concrete economic solutions to rectifying rampant economic inequality, growing our faltering middle class, and remedying the unattainable American Dream.

Some of the main directives include: fixing the tax code so that corporations can’t use loopholes to escape paying their fair share, raising the minimum and supporting workers, giving more funding to education to make it more accessible for everyone (from universal pre-k programs to the university system), and investing in technological industries (specifically medical and energy) for more sustainable job growth.

Also it’s written by Mayor Di Blasio and Senator Elizabeth Warren, so that’s pretty cool.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-to-revive-the-american-dream/2015/05/06/a583c94c-f323-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html?postshare=9721431180306872

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/05/06/404649454/clinton-charms-dreamers-on-immigration

I thought this NPR piece showed a pretty shocking view of Hillary. As the presidential race gears up and more and more GOP candidates announce their campaigns, Hillary faces more pressure to flesh out her stance on contentious issues. She’s garnered some criticism for being a corporate sellout, but its interesting that she’s even more liberal than Obama when it comes to illegal immigration. I’m excited to see the change in immigration policy, and hopefully we can provide a safe environment for people who have already been an integral part of this country, but lack documentation.

From Professor Rosenblum:

This is the article I mentioned in class about changing modes of police control, then and now. It’s sadly timely. Take a look and we’ll discuss in class next week.

The Crooked Ladder: The Criminal’s Guide to Upward Mobility, by Malcolm Gladwell

In light of our last class discussion regarding immigrants and their business ventures, I was able to find an article that deals with the importance of the immigrants’ small businesses in NYC. Through some stats, the article mentions that New York is the second highest state that fosters immigrants owning small businesses (29 percent). In addition, small businesses from immigrants impact economies and in some states like Alabama offer the only signs of “economic life” in some neighborhoods. The article also transitions to mention that immigration laws do not only affect immigrants’ lives but also the economies of some states.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/opinion/sunday/immigrants-and-small-business.html

In light of our discussion on immigration a few days ago, I found this website that has an interactive timeline of all the waves of immigration in America. I thought it was really cool. Check it out and let me know what you think

In regards to the previous article about Asian expectations, I did some more research into the matter of Asians and the workforce. This article discusses Asian stereotypes and also acknowledges the point that Asians are more involved in STEM jobs; however, the article highlights that Asian Americans experience discrimination at their jobs when it comes to promotions and leadership positions.

http://time.com/3475962/asian-american-diversity/

In connection with my little rant on the previous article, I found an article that proposes solutions and ideas that are being discussed by economists. The article (linked below) provides a brief explanation of the income inequality issue and then also lists various solutions that are being discussed by top economists. The article also focuses more the economics of the issue as opposed to the politics of the issue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-inequality-is-a-choice.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fnicholas-kristof

Hey Guys,

I recently found this article on the New York times and it poses an interesting question: Does the place we grow up determine our future income? How does the place we grow up affect various income levels, primarily in their future earnings? Please take a look at your own respective counties and see how you compare to neighboring counties in New York and those of the U.S. as a whole.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-grow-up-how-your-area-compares.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=1

In response to our last class discussion about the immigration of Asians to America, I came across an article that deals with modern day Asian immigration to Chinatown. It seems to be a comfortable first step for many of the immigrating Asians. What do you guys think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/nyregion/influx-of-chinese-immigrants-is-reshaping-large-parts-of-brooklyn.html?_r=0

From Professor Rosenblum:

The following is a very moving essay which I shared with my last year’s seminar. It’s very central to the subject matter of this seminar, and perhaps this is something we can discuss in class tomorrow after our speaker makes her presentation.

In Search of Home, by Roger Cohen

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/nyregion/ellis-island-museum-to-update-the-story-of-immigration-in-america.html?ref=nyregion

Pertaining to last week’s class discussion and presenter, this article from the New York Times publicizes the new Ellis Island Museum. It will now be called the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum. It is an attempt to broaden the mission of the museum and include more current immigration stories and artifacts. The museum realized that their history stops in 1954, when the Ellis Island immigration station closed. However, immigration is a continuous story, and the museum hope to capture more modern themes of immigration as well.

Guys, in light of our discussion with the speaker on Tuesday, I wanted to know more about the US immigration system and how it works today. I came across this website that has all the information about how family based immigration, US citizenship, etc. works. Its general information that I believe every resident of America should know.

Hey Guys

I was reading an article recently that reminded me of the discussion we had last week pertaining to the value of the undergrad degree. We talked about how the importance of the degree is strictly related to a social requirement more than anything else.

Decades ago, a high school diploma had a great amount of value and a undergrad degree was considered special by some since everyone did not pursue it. Flash forward to now and ironically, there are some that choose not to pursue the undergrad degree. Nowadays, students are encouraged to not finish their undergrad education and drop out only to start working for tech companies like Google and Facebook. They are even paid highly in incentives to make sure they work for certain companies. All this does is undermine the value of the undergrad degree as something that binds students for 4 or more years.

Interestingly, we still have people who do not choose to pursue the undergrad degree today, but not because of how difficult and prestigious the degree is but more-so the opposite.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-special-report-at-stanford-venture-capital-reaches-into-the-dorm–2014-12

http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2015/04/lily-herman-top-10-college-women-2015

This is a link to the article about Lily Herman, and her work developing a website that has helped over 600,000 students find the right college for them! With some of the most diverse institutions on the planet, the U.S. college system is definitely one that is incredibly difficult to traverse, but doing so alone is exponentially more terrifying. First generation students don’t have the privilege of their parents recommending schools based on personality or academic resources, and it’s exciting knowing that people like Lily Herman empathize enough to devote so much time and energy to help these students find their path. As a first generation student, I would’ve been ecstatic to know that something like this existed when I was applying to colleges. Glad to know that Glamour recognized this work, and awarded her accordingly.

Hey guys,

I came across an article that deals with the changing of Harlem demographically. I found it interesting how we were talking about the change that is happening throughout New York from Brooklyn to East Harlem. Although we talked about how Bronx will never be gentrified, the article makes me wonder about it a bit more.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/nyregion/06harlem.html

In light of our discussion on first-generation students, I stumbled upon this article that gives a lot of fascinating information about what some colleges are doing to assist first-gen students and how parents are reacting to this help. Here is the link. let me know what you guys think.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/08/13/colleges-struggle-engage-parents-first-generation-college-students

From Professor Rosenblum:

Hey Guys,

I know many of you may be familiar with John Oliver of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Because the topic of income inequality comes up frequently in our class. A concerning fact of the situation is that the top 1% of Americans make 20% of the available income in America, an alarming reminder of what happened in the Roaring 20’s, which debilitated the economy. I thought it was important to distribute a comedic take on the issue.

Hey Guys,

I recently found this article and I thought I would bring it to your attention because a frequent point of discussion our class is how China basically owns America. Please take a look at the article, which claims that this advantage that China has over the U.S is apparent and takes note of the disparities between China’s domestic and international advantages.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/opinion/china-isnt-overtaking-america.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/nyregion/before-starbucks-a-south-bronx-cafe-used-coffee-orders-to-talk-about-race.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

This article in the New York Times caught my eye as I was perusing the New York section earlier today. This project conducted by this student from Parsons was really interesting, and quite relevant to our class regarding immigration and race in New York City. Part of me wondered if the idea behind this coffee shop was too aggressive and intimidating, but on the other hand, it really brings light to many issues that can be “shoved under the rug.”

In some very sad news, Cuomo is considering removing funding for the Dream Act, legislation that would provide educational financial aid for immigrants that have been in the US since childhood but don’t have documentation, from the NYS budget for this year. CUNY Dreamers, a CUNY organization that has been fighting for legislation in favor of the Dream Act is actually organizing a hunger strike to try to get Cuomo to return funding. I’m sad to hear that the funding is being reallocated elsewhere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/nyregion/cuomo-might-cut-dream-act-from-state-budget.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

http://www.wsj.com/articles/nyu-will-offer-financial-aid-to-illegal-immigrants-1416536236

Thought that this would be an interesting topic, and one that can create a heated debate. Keep in mind the money being used here is not tax payer money, its privatized donations.

For or against this?

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/vigil-mark-anniversary-east-harlem-building-explosion-article-1.2145851

Almost a month ago, we had taken a trip on one of many extremely cold days to go on a tour of East Harlem, a cultural melting pot.  On the trip, Prof. Rosenblum mentioned that this trip was just days before a gas leak led to a building explosion in East Harlem.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of this tragedy.  This article shows the story of an immigrant who lost his wife and daughter in the incident, and how he is coping a year later.  His son, who was severely injured, is doing better, but neither he nor his son will never be the same.

Hey guys! This article is about a new identification card, for undocumented immigrants in New York. It let’s them meet basic needs like housing, bank accounts, legal services and cultural institutions. It gives them many rights they were denied until now. Although this news came out in January, I thought it was very relatable to our class. I would love to hear what your ideas are on the benefits and maybe negatives of this revolutionary card.http://www.ibtimes.com/immigrant-identification-card-new-yorks-id-program-watched-immigration-reform-1783722

After the class’ discussion on gentrification and prof. Rosenblum’s comments on gentrification in the Bronx, i couldn’t help but look up more information (as a resident of the Bronx myself). I came across this interesting article that really shed light on how gentrification in places like Harlem causes rent hikes in south bronx especially. Check out the article and comment your thoughts

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140331/REAL_ESTATE/303309991/high-rents-have-bronx-locals-packing-up

During our discussion about gentrification in East Harlem, someone mentioned the spread of gentrification along the L-train line. It reminded me of this graphic produced by the New Yorker last year: http://projects.newyorker.com/story/subway/

It graphs the median income along each of NYC’s subway lines. How does the median income change along subway lines you use frequently? What do these maps and graphs tell us about the geographical spread of income inequality in NYC? Does any of this information surprise you?

Hey Guys,

I recently read this interesting article that I found on the New York Times pertaining to parking regulations in NYC. I know this may not pertain to many of you because it is much more easier to get to places in the city with the subway and it is a lot easier than having to dreadfully locate a parking spot somewhere in the city. I personally found this article interesting because from time to time, I do have the opportunity to drive to New York and this article corroborates many of my hesitations that I have with driving in the city. Hope you guys will find this article interesting because of its unique perspective.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E1DC133AF936A15753C1A96F9C8B63

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/nyregion/in-arenas-shadow-holdouts-at-atlantic-yards-site-must-now-leave.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthe-appraisal&contentCollection=nyregion&action=click&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article

This is an article I found today after reading another article from the New York Times. The article goes into depth discussing various long-term, multi-generational, business in the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park area (near Barclays Center). The piece is written by presenting the stories of various 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation immigrant families. These anecdotes are combined with the facts regarding the redevelopment project in order to provide a piece which beautifully appeals to the humanity within the reader. This story reminded me of what Mr. Nersesian was saying regarding how the city has changed over time. It’s gone from a crime-ridden cesspool to an thriving urban metropolis and is now attempting become and even greater economic powerhouse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/nyregion/the-faces-on-the-ferry.html?ref=nyregion#

This is an article I came across this morning while reading the newspaper. I found it really interesting and cool that this photographer decided to pursue this project. He rode the ferry about ten times a day for ten weeks straight, photographing various people he saw riding it. Just the eleven pictures included in the slideshow in the article provide almost a “snapshot” of the diversity of people New York City has. It really shows how different cultures and people blend together, as we have been discussing in class.

Don’t forget to engage with the Discussion part of your course site! If you come across interesting articles, ideas, news, etc., post here and start a discussion thread.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/18/nyregion/19stateofblock.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=1

Just wanted to share this article that I found relevant to what we talked about so far in class and in the Joe Salvo presentation. We tend to have these overbearing depictions about certain areas that leads us to form extreme positive or negative judgments. I know I am indisputably guilty of that…. While these depictions can be fairly (or very) accurate, sometimes we overlook the details that seldom make their way into an area’s identity. Personally I was surprised at most of these because I either didn’t know the place existed or I didn’t expect certain areas had certain problems. There’s a focus on gentrification and its results/reactions. It’s also interesting that these people agree that de Blasio’s speech was not adequate to describe the state of the city. Before we embark on our tour and learn more about other parts of NYC, let us keep an open mind and take a look at some of these personal accounts of life around the boroughs.