You encounter it everywhere: sitting in a crowded lecture hall, walking down Waverly Place, and even in the quiet study rooms of Bobst. A quick puff of smoke followed by the sickeningly sweet smell of mango. The Juul, designed as a nicotine-packed electronic alternative to cigarettes and sleekly packaged to resemble a flash drive, has […]
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New Awareness Campaign Sparked By Sewer Backups, Flooding and “Fatbergs”
An increase in sales and subsequent flushing of so-called “flushable wipes” has created enormous mounds of congealed fat and wipes in the sewer system, sparking a public awareness campaign run by NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection. These “fatbergs,” named for their fat content and resemblance to icebergs, have clogged sewer systems worldwide, including those in […]
A Day in the Life of a Blind Brooklyn Athlete and Rapper
A Day in the Life of Jahron Black Brooklyn local Jahron Black relaxes in his backyard before heading to the New York Association for Blind Athlete’s goalball practice, a sports game specially crafted for the visually impaired. As the president of this organization and a visually impaired man himself, Black prides himself in the awareness […]
Dynamic Profiles of Shanghai’s Longtang
Longtang is a public alleyway or a series of interconnected lanes found in traditional neighborhoods in Shanghai. Just like any other urban metropolis, Shanghai tells a tale of two cities. Even in some of its most expensive housing districts such as Nanjing East Road and Laoximen, there remain Longtang dwellers living in poor conditions and cramped […]
The Reality of the Emotional Support Animal System
Noah DeFranceschi has hay and chewed-up cardboard under his dorm bed. When he buys items, he leaves the boxes on the floor if they do not have too much tape or ink on them. This habitat below his bed is for his emotional support animal (ESA), Chai, a brown and white bunny who loves to […]
Phone Banking with the ACLU
Phone banking during election season is a battleground of frustration and enlightenment. But doing so the last stretch of the weekend before the 2018 midterm elections can be a matter of life or death. It’s not easy to get up on a Saturday morning to phone bank for the American Civil Liberties Union at The […]
No Sleep ‘Till Midterms
ASTORIA DISPATCH Astoria, Queens — On the bustling street corner of Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street, one young woman stands out among the crowd. 26-year-old, Hind Sophia, is spotted wearing a bright blue “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” t-shirt. Running on just a few hours of sleep, she still manages to flash a bright smile and hold a […]
Election Day November 2018
“Well I vote for every election cycle but today felt especially important with the energy, and social media and the news…. I hope to see the largest voter turnout for a midterm election, especially for the youth.” – Dustin, 27, graphic designer, Lower East Side.
Bronx Native Makes Marathons His Life
Will Willard At 6 a.m. almost daily for six years, Sean Baez, 37-year-old Bronx native and marathon runner has grabbed a pair of running shoes from his collection and trained. He enjoys running shirtless through shady parks like Orchard Beach to show off his stomach tattoo; his name in flaming graffiti font. However, his favorite […]
Seeing the World Through Marathons
“I was not about to be a jock,” said Scott Chow, about resisting his parents efforts to join a high school team sport. Originally drawn to the ultimate frisbee, Chow decided to join the track team to condition, deciding to pursue long distance. And he’s never looked back. Six years later Chow, 20, ran a […]