Monthly Archives: July 2014
Tasting at a Dumpster Diver’s Table
Gio Andollo opened his plastic container of homemade treats. “Feel free to try some if you want,” he told me and Langston Barboza, another Urban Journalism Workshop 2014 reporter. “I just had a plate of bacon. So, no thanks,” Langston said, backing away from the snacks Mr. Andollo had made of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and […]
Website Lets Collegiate Renters Rate Landlords
The clicking of computer keys. The slip-slide of computer mice. The sipping of coffee. The sorting and arranging of line upon line of computer codes late into the night. Those are the sounds and activity in the Union Square office of 22-year-old Ofo Ezeugwu, creator and chief executive officer of WhoseYourLandlord.com. The site lets college […]
Thrifty Spenders Help Finance Charitable Work
Those who shop at certain thrift stores are doing more than just adding to their wardrobe or their home’s decor. What those shoppers put into the cash register at several of their favorite thrift stores winds up helping people in need. One of those operations is Cure Thrift Shop, a non-profit on East 12th Street […]
Union Alleges Yeshiva University Mishandled Asbestos Removal
Two members of Laborers International Union of North America were gathered outside Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Greenwich Village with a 12-foot tall inflatable rat and a banner bearing the words, “Asbestos kills.” Although they were protesting at the law school, the union members actually were complaining about the asbestos removal […]
Residents Fear Noise, Dust of NYU Construction
As early as year-end 2014, New York University will break ground on its NYU 2031 expansion, adding roughly six million square feet of space to the campus. A small part of that plan includes construction of four new buildings in Greenwich Village. Among them is the Zipper Building, which may rise as high as 26 […]
Food Trucks: Profitable or Not?
Food trucks are a good business for some, but not all, who choose to sell their fare on four wheels. Take Big Gay Ice Cream, for example. In September 2011, that eatery swapped its leased trucks for a brick-and-mortar storefront in the East Village. “We wanted more control,” said Patty Devery, office manager for Big […]
Obesity Therapy Becomes Another Level of Attack Against Fat
For more than 10 years now, Sylvia Martinez, a licensed creative arts therapist based in the West Village, has used art therapy as part of her work to help obese people loose weight and get to root of why they overeat. With paintbrushes and pencils, Martinez teaches clients to express their feelings toward their condition. […]
Creator Says Collapsible Cup Curbs Coffee Waste
Product designer Ben Melinger thinks he can cut the number of disposable coffee cups dumped in landfills with his recently created Smash Cup, which, when collapsed, fits into a shirt pocket. Melinger, 34, came up with the idea for Smash Cup after his friends complained about the excess of disposable coffee cups and their impact […]
Are Prep Centers Ready for Redesigned SAT?
In March 2014, the College Board unveiled its plan to revamp the Scholastic Aptitude Test that some colleges use as a yardstick to measure applicants’ academic readiness. The redesigned test, which will be used starting in 2016, removes what has been a mandatory essay-writing portion. The redesigned test also aims to better reflect high school […]
Too Tiny For Soccer?
by Tabatha Castillo
Op-Ed Cartoons
Political cartoons by Yaja Mulcare.
Tuition Fully Covered, Newbies Prep for College
While other fall 2014 freshmen were spending their summers getting away from school, Kiara Ventura and Oscar Balbuena went against that norm and, instead, were studying weekdays at the colleges they will attend. Through the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Ventura, an incoming New York University freshman, and Balbuena, who has been admitted to Fordham […]
Award-winning Designer, 18, is Making Her Mark
Of all the clothes her models paraded on the runway during a mid-July fashion show, the one designer Hadassa Dorcean liked best was a curb-hugging, ankle-length skirt, topped with a matching black-and-gold knit top. “It was the inspiring piece to my other pieces, and it fits the body so well,” said Dorcean, 18, a 2014 […]
Cooper Union Grooms Girls for STEM Careers
Giving in to her parents’ wishes, Kavya Udupa, a ninth-grader then, reluctantly took her first computer class in C++, an all-purpose computer programming language. She liked it more than she expected. Now 16, Udupa not only loves computers, she’s also exploring career possibilities in science, technology, engineering and math, a group commonly referred to as […]
Sit Down, Start Talking (With Strangers)
Weekend photographer Jorge Ortiz III, 24, was walking through Manhattan snapping pictures one Saturday in October 2013 when he spotted a group of men and women sitting on couches in front of the Jacob Javits Center—which is an odd place for a couch to be. “I walked over to check it out,” said Ortiz, a […]
Against the Trend, Some Young NYers Get Political
Back when he was a 14-year-old Stuyvesant High School freshman, Gabriel Rosen accompanied members of his synagogue to a political conference in Washington D.C. That trip was Rosen’s first stop on his path to political involvement. When he was 15, Rosen interned for New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn‘s failed mayoral campaign. At 17, Rosen […]
Sharing Experiences Through “Strangers Project” Stories
“Everyone has a story.” That is the premise of the Strangers Project, which has collected a trove of handwritten stories from people enticed by Brandon Doman’s three-dimensional cardboard sign. It reads “Hi there, I’m collecting your stories.” In locations including Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, Doman, 28, displays his sign to attract what he estimates are […]
Church Invites, Supports NYC Collegians
The preacher and an usher greeted people filing into Grace Church on a Sunday summer evening. The evening service was for those who are regulars at that West Village congregation, but also had a special purpose. “We cater to students who want to be close to God,” said the Rev. Mary Cat Young, a chaplain […]
Despite Barriers, “Dumpster Diving” for Eats Goes On
Although it’s less possible than it used to be to “dumpster dive” for food that grocery stores throw in the trash, some diehard divers say they’re determined to keep scavenging. They do face some obstacles. For example, the Trader Joe’s supermarket on Sixth Avenue, near 23rd Street, has been increasing its donations to food pantries, […]
Tattooing Minors May be Easy, but It’s Illegal
Rebecca Shin walked into a West Village tattoo and piercing parlor and asked to get a piercing. After telling them her age—she was 16 at the time—a worker proceeded to pierce her navel. No one the St. Mark’s Place shop—whose name Shin said she doesn’t remember—asked for her parents’ consent. In New York State, that’s […]
Beyond Halloween, Costumes Generate Sales
For her Hollywood-themed, July 2014 birthday party, Lashauna Carr peeled a vintage white tuxedo from a rack of costumes at Halloween Adventure. “The atmosphere is creepy and great,” said Carr, 30, describing the West Village costume store where she shopped days before that birthday. Though its gory gear—and its glamorous and other non-gory items—mainly target […]