Review of the book "The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood"

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

People who live in what are typically considered the ghetto neighborhoods of America, and are fighting drug addictions, are often seen as the hopeless group that should be ignored. They are seen as people who won’t ever change their ways because they are happy using and dealing drugs and choose to continue doing so.

But in the book The Corner, by Ed Burns and David Simon, this belief is challenged by the stories of members of an inner city drug world in Baltimore. These stories are told through the eyes and voices of those who know it best because they are living it—those dealing and using the drugs.

The characters in this book are undeniably not the most admirable people in the world, but they defy the stereotype that they aren’t looking to improve themselves. While their lives may be disgusting and disturbing to outsiders looking in, their emotions can be shared and felt just the same as anyone else’s can.

Most of the people in this book want a better life for themselves, which is seen when Fran, the mother of the main character DeAndre McCullough, tries repeatedly to get clean. Often times, she is desperate to escape the world she lives in. When there was a problem at a rehabilitation center and there was no room for her to stay, she emotionally breaks down.

“I can’t make it. I can’t. I can’t go back.”

After she leaves there, she says she cried “like she hasn’t cried in years.”

When Fran is clean, she values life and desperately wants to stay away from drugs. She wants this for her children as well, which she expressed to DeAndre in a letter.

“Life is beautiful and natural and you may not get another chance. … If you don’t need yourself, I need you.”

Fran does beat her drug addictions time and time again, but when she returns to her neighborhood, she eventually falls back into her old ways and begins using and dealing again.

The father, Gary, began using drugs when he and Fran divorced. He wasn’t proud of who he was. He would often expresses how emotionally draining being a user really was for him and if he could change it, this isn’t who he would be.

“I’m a drug addict. That’s what I am. Who would wish for that? Who would choose that for their life?”

This furthers the point that Burns and Simon are capturing on the corner—the drug world is not always a chosen place to be.

Because of the lives his parents lead, DeAndre McCullough basically falls victim to the world around him. He is a high school student and at the age of 15 is already a drug dealer in the neighborhood.

“And off he goes, a fifteen-year-old entrepreneur on his daily commute to the office.”

Being in this world forces DeAndre and Tyreeka to grow up faster than they should because of what they see and do on a daily basis. But at the base of it all, neither one of them has grown up at all. She is 13 and he is 15 when they start having sex and before she knew she was pregnant, they both believed that having a baby would give their lives a purpose.

“The production of a child … would guarantee some tangible evidence of a brief existence.”

To believe as young teenagers, before they are even able to drive, that the only way to give their lives meaning is to bring another life into the world is heartbreaking. As the authors show, this is not something people would choose to experience or put their children through.

While Tyreeka was giving birth to their son, DeAnte, DeAndre was high on marijuana. But the birth of his son does make him want to change.

“I got to be a father to him. I’m gonna do better for him than got done for me and I’m gunna be up there with him so he knows who I am. My child gonna know me.”

But patterns aren’t easy to break and DeAndre falls right back into the world of drugs, waiting and hoping for someone to help him break the cycle.

President Barack Obama Greeted by Protestors on his Visit to Cooper Union

Joseph Kohn standing with signs outside of Cooper Union on Thursday.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN—While President Barack Obama addressed leaders in the financial industry at a conference held at Cooper Union on Thursday, groups of protestors and activists stood outside of Cooper Union, all hoping to send their own messages to the president.

“We came here today to tell Obama that we want to live in peace with our neighbors,” Joseph Khon, 22, said. “We want him to stop dictating foreign policy, especially in Palestine.”

Khon and other members of the group Jews United Against Zionism arrived at Cooper Square before the president came and even though Obama left Cooper Union in the mid-afternoon, Khon and his group stuck around.

“Not only does the president need to know about our message, but so do other people,” Khon said. “According to our teachings, everyone should be working together in peace.”

Other members of the Jews United Against Zionism joined Khon in holding banners with their message printed on them in hopes that the president would notice what they had to say. But they were competing with many others.

Stacee Evarts, 36, held a poster with the words “Stop Harming Mother Earth” in block letters above a printed picture of the Earth that was surrounded by hand-drawn hearts.

“Today is Earth Day and all Obama cares about is money,” Evarts said. “He needs to get his priorities in order and make changes to save our planet.”

Evarts said she believes that this is a problem that affects everyone and is surprised that Obama is not doing more to help solve it.

“He has kids so he should want to look to the future for them and their kids,” Evarts said. “If we don’t have a planet for them to live on, money won’t even be a concern.”

But Devon Conoley, 20, had a different agenda.

“It took forever for me to even get to this point because of the traffic and now security won’t let me cross the street,” Conoley said as he watched the president’s motorcade of black SUV’s go by. “Yes it’s great that Obama is here, but I wonder if he can write me a note saying he’s the one who caused me to be late to work.”

Artistic Statues Mistaken for Suicidal Jumpers

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

What looked like a naked man stood extremely close to the edge of the Empire State Building's 26th floor. His naked body was rigid and tipped forward. A woman looked up and screamed, "Oh my god! Someone call 911! He's going to jump!

But it wasn't a suicidal man. It was a statue. 

The statue is one of 31 statues that make up the "Event Horizons" art exhibit, created by British artist Antony Gormley. Each statue is 6 feet 2 inches tall and can be found on ledges and rooftops of buildings, while four of them are at eye-level around Madison Square Park. The statues are causing confusion to many New Yorkers.

"I don't get why it's naked or who this is," David Park, 75, said as he tapped the legs of a statue with his wooden cane. 

The metal statues, brought in by the Madison Square Park Conservatory, were made from a mold of Gormley's body. They appear rusted and stiff, with their arms to their sides and fingers pressed tightly together, as if Gormley was in a tense pose when the figure was cast. The statues on the ground are looking straight ahead, while the ones on the building ledges are looking down at the streets below.

Details on the faces of the statues are minimal - the eyes appear to be shut and there is no facial expression or lips. There are eight flat circular knobs, about the size of silver dollars, which were used during removal of the molds from Gormley's body.

While the figures on the ground are made of iron and weigh around 1,400 pounds, the ones on the buildings are made mostly of fiberglass and weigh about 75 pounds. Many Flatiron pedestrians believe the statues, perched on the buildings, are suicide jumpers. 

"I started to get out my phone to call the police when I saw it up there," Margaret Jones, 36, said as she pointed up to the statue on the Empire State Building. "Why else would someone be that close to the ledge if they weren't going to jump?"

"I looked up and saw a man standing near the edge," Catherine Zimmers, 38, said. "I had an instant flash to what happened when people were jumping on 9/11, and my heart dropped."

While the New York Police Department could not provide an exact figure of how many people call about these "possible jumpers," one police officer said at least hundreds of calls have come in because of the statues. 

In a written statement, Gormley said that the intent of this exhibit was not to cause people to be alarmed, but to get them to slow down and notice their surroundings. People are certainly noticing the statutes, but many are not enjoying the experience. 

Gormley came to New York City in August of 2009 to scout out locations for his statues. Together with representatives from Madison Square Park Conservatory, Gormley decided that placing the statues as close to the edge of the ledges as possible would help with visibility and would add a dramatic effect.

When Zimmers was told about this, she shook her head in disbelief. 

"Why would someone do this to the people in this city?" Zimmers said. "I still have nightmares about those people who felt there was no way out but to jump. I don't need a reminder just because someone feels they are being creative."

Gormley developed a large following in Europe after the release of his statue "Angel of the North," which became one of England's most famous statues. After a similar "Event Horizon" display along a London shoreline in 2007, Gormley decided he wanted to create an exhibit for New York City. This is his first public art exhibit in the United States.

Patricia Shiplett, a visual artist from Saskatoon, Canada, has been studying Gormley's work. She didn't think she would get to see the exhibit in person unless she went to London, but she said she was thrilled to see it on her trip to New York City. 

"I think they're actually beacons to what's happening in the world," Shiplett said. "I think they're placed there to sort of observe mankind and maybe have us think a little bit about what we're doing with the world." 

Others simply enjoy the experience of searching for the statues. 

"It's like a puzzle trying to figure out where they are hidden on the buildings," Alexa Kinsley, 20, said. "I like it."

The statues are on exhibit until August 15. 

This article and slideshow were published on the New York University Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute's website, Pavement Pieces. 

Bridal Gown Designer Takes Another Path to Success

Bridal gown designer and owner of Dress as Ritual, Stacia Adams.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Aspiring dress designer Stacia Adams, a tall woman with simple style, both in her appearance with unpainted fingernails and only a touch of makeup, and in her fashion designs, sat at a desk working on her latest design.

Her long, dark fingers held a Pentel pencil, used to sketch in one of the many design books she keeps on her desk. She switched to a Prismacolor marker, and the bright color brought the design to life.

Adams is one of many people who are trying to break into the fashion industry as a gown designer, but at the age of 29, she hasn’t made it yet, and statistics show it won’t be getting easier for her anytime soon.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were approximately 22,700 employed designers in the country, and the employment of fashion designers is projected to grow by only 1 percent between 2008 and 2018, making this a very competitive industry.

Despite the odds, Adams is still going after, what she calls, her passion in life.

A study done by the USBLS shows the majority of fashion designers start out by working for another designer in order to gain experience and an understanding of the industry before they open their own business, which is the path Adams followed.

After obtaining her associate’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and her bachelor’s degree from New School University, both schools in New York, Adams went to work for designer Carolina Polokova, attending fashion events and cutting garments. 
Because Adams feels so strongly about having creative freedom, she decided to open her own business instead of working for someone else again. She now owns and runs her own bridal business, Dress as Ritual.

“The clothing label was created to liberate women from restrictive clothing and offer dresses that symbolize spiritual practice,” Adams said. “Dresses actually empower women and are a symbol of our identity.”

According to Dorothy Silver, the director of sales and merchandising at Kleinfeld’s in New York City, launching a clothing business right now in a recession is challenging, but she believes the bridal business has a better promise for success than other clothing industries.

“There will always be brides getting married every year, so the future in bridal will always be strong,” Silver said.

Dress as Ritual hasn’t drawn in the buyers Adams is desperately seeking and she feels she’s trying everything she can. She’s hoping getting her masters degree at New York University might be the answer.

“At NYU I am learning how to be a relationship builder and make connections with influential people,” Adams said. “These people can help me send a message (about my business) to those who matter.”

The USBLS says those who want to run their own business often combine an undergraduate degree in fashion design with an advanced degree in business, marketing or fashion merchandising, but this is where Adams differs from her peers. She is going for a degree in a field that studies are finding is dwindling due to the state of the economy—public relations and corporate communication.

"My leap from fashion to PR was a combination of hard work and passion," Adams said. "I believed in my unrealized potential as both a professional communicator and a fashion designer."

Adams did not disclose the amount of debt she has, but between the cost of materials needed for her business and paying for school, money is tight. She relies on student loans to cover her tuition at NYU, which as of spring 2010 was around $14,000 per semester. She runs an alteration service from home to help her finance her business.

While Adams says she does plenty of alterations, she prefers to focus on the promotion of her original designs for her company. Silver said self-promotion of dresses is important and even though there are major showcases for newcomer dresses to be seen, it is a tough industry.

“Every bridal market I go to has a section at the shows where they showcase new talent,” Silver said. “Some make it, and some do not.”

Adams likes to design when she has a specific goal in mind and tries to find inspiration to work on her designs as often as possible.

“Nature inspires me, and I think healing is a huge inspiration,” Adams said. “I rely on esoteric teaching as well as fashion pioneers (for inspiration)."

For Adams, these fashion pioneers include Iyanla Vanzant, Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta. She says the vision behind her dresses makes her unique and will help her achieve her long-term goal of having a storefront in SoHo alongside designers she feels her style is similar to, such as Vera Wang, Yoshiko and Ana Sui.

“I like to keep things fresh and in the moment,” Adams said. “Fashion is really about what is happening now.”

Silver says that no matter the economic situation, many designers don’t make it because of their lack of originality.

“You have to realize that most (women) have no idea or don’t care about the designers name,” Silver said. “All she cares about is how she looks in the dress. It’s the collection that has to stand out.

Aspiring Actor Serves Drinks to Bide Time

James Quinn serves drinks at Ad Lib.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

The Broadway shows were all finished up for the night, and theatergoers and actors trickled into the Ad Lib bar in Midtown for a couple drinks and dessert.

This was the busiest time of the night for bartender and aspiring actor James Quinn.

Quinn talked with the guests about what plays they saw. He knew details about them all and even sang some of the songs from the musicals. He was smiling, but it was bittersweet. Quinn wishes he were on stage instead of behind a bar. His days are spent at unsuccessful auditions and his nights are spent mixing drinks.

"The thing about being a struggling actor is that you're just always one audition away ... from going from unemployed to employed forever," Quinn said.

A study done by Actor's Equity, an actors' union, found that 88 percent of their members in New York were currently without acting gigs.

And at 41, Quinn is much older than many of his struggling counterparts.

"Sometimes it makes me feel bad about myself that I haven't made it yet," Quinn said. "But I still keep trying."

According to the United States Department of Labor, the majority of acting jobs available for men go to those between the ages of 18 and 28. And mature roles usually go to established actors.

But these statistics don't make Quinn want to give up his dream.

"I'm committed to it at this point," he said. "I've come too far to turn back now.

Casting director Donna DeSeta, who also owns Donna DeSeta Casting Agency in Manhattan, said despite the odds, there is still hope for older actors.

"We are always looking for new interesting and gifted actors," DeSeta said. "We look for actors that are not identified with any given type of role or character."

But acting wasn't always the dream career for Quinn. He majored in English at Fordham University in the Bronx. Quinn, who lives on the Upper West Side, said he was painfully shy well into his 20s. Quinn recalled an experience while he was still in school where he decided to completely ditch a class after being just three minutes late.

"I didn't want to walk in late because I didn't want people to look at me," Quinn said. He said that people now laugh in disbelief when he tells them he was that shy for the earlier half of his life.

When Quinn was 25, his girlfriend encouraged him to try acting to get him over his social phobias. It wasn't until a tragic accident took her life that Quinn went to his first audition.

"She inspired me not to care what people thought and to be happy being me," Quinn said. "Acting makes me happy."

DeSeta says that the path of becoming an actor is not for the faint of heart, and it should be done only by those who find true happiness in what they're doing.

"Acting is only for those who can find no satisfaction in any other profession," DeSeta said. "A big break is kismet."

The first role Quinn got was as a firefighter on the soap opera "One Life to Live." He was a recurring character for about a week, which was two full days of filming.

"After being on 'One Life to Live,' I knew this is really what I'm supposed to be doing," Quinn said.

He returned to the set of "One Life to Live" a few months later after the director specifically requested him.

"He said that I did what I was told and didn't get in anyones way," Quinn said. "At that point, I was just happy to be acting."

He had roles on other television shows after that, including a recurring spot as a bartender being questioned on "Law and Order" and as a hospitalized man on "The Pretender." Quinn was also cast in the play "Epic Proportions" on Broadway, which ran for three months. But he said his best acting job was as a terrorist in "Die Hard 3."

"It was a big movie with a big cast, and I got to be part of it," Quinn said. "That was the most fun I've ever had."

Quinn says that after having a major role, he felt his career was going to take off, but the excitement of it all slipped out of reach when his next acting job didn't come for a while.

The last role Quinn had was in the summer of 2009 as a Russian nigh-school student trying to improve his English in the off-Broadway play "Primary English," which lasted for 25 performances.

Currently, he goes on an average of one audition per week.

As the bar emptied at the end of the night, Quinn cleaned up his area. He stacked liquor bottles under the bar while dreaming of his future.

"I'll have that audition that starts it all," Quinn said. "Until then, this pays the bills."


This is my first story that was published on New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute's publication, Pavement Pieces. 

Street Performer Gets Joy From Music, Not From Money

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

A young man carries four plastic buckets and a worn wooden drumstick with him whenever he walks the streets of Manhattan. The buckets vary in size and are placed within one another when he is on the move. The largest one has a white plastic piece on the top of the metal handle. The plastic has a splitting crack in the middle that is filled with a bit of dirt. Black scuffmarks scatter the sides of the buckets showing the wear and tear that they have gone through during their journeys.

This man, who refers to himself only as Thomas, stops at the intersection of two streets, looks out into the road and changes his mind. He then turns around and walks back a bit so he is under scaffolding that covers the sidewalk. He goes close to the corner building and takes out each of his buckets and places three in a row, with one further behind the rest. He removes his cap, turns it over, and places it on the ground before he sits down on the largest bucket. He begins to play what he calls his “musical craft.”

Thomas is a street musician and has been practicing his craft for 12 years. He started by playing for fun on the stairwell in his apartment building because of the great acoustics there. He says this is where he taught himself to play and learned what sounded good to him. He started playing on the buckets just as a way to relax at the end of the day.

He eventually got complaints of the noise from neighbors, so he moved to the stairs in front of his building. He later had to move out of that complex, he moved into one without stairs. After that, he started playing on a nearby street corner, but hasn’t stuck to just one location since then.

“I like to move around to find me new people to play for,” Thomas said. “My music comes with me no matter where I am so I can go wherever.”

Since his days on the stairwell, Thomas decided that his music could not only be a stress release for him, but also possibly help other people slow down a bit in their busy days. He says this is why he picks busy areas and also stays near the corners of streets.

“When people have to wait to cross the street, they can listen to me,” Thomas said.

Thomas bobs his head along with the beat of each song he plays and seems un-phased by the people going by, whether they rush by or pause in front of him. Some people throw coins into his hat as they pass by, while a few others stop and listen to him play.

One woman took a dollar bill out of her pocket and bent over to place it into his hat. Her foot tapped as she watched him.

“I like to see these people who just do their thing along the road or under at the subways,” Stacie Nielson said.

Nielson said that Thomas was one of the better talents she’d seen in a while. She said she stops to listen to the street performers when she has time.

“It can’t be easy for them to be ignored when they’re performing a talent,” Nielson said. “But they keep doing it and I admire them for it.”

Thomas says he doesn’t do this for the money, but doesn’t complain about it when people give it to him. He says he thinks people give him money because of his music with nontraditional instruments.

“I get a good sound with the buckets,” Thomas said. “It gets peoples attention because of how different it sounds.”

Thomas has found the buckets in dumpsters and alleyways and is always on the lookout for another one. He has replaced them over the years when they get too cracked or worn out.

When Thomas decided it was time to move on from this location, he stood up and turned over the bucket he was sitting on. He loaded each of the buckets inside the larger ones and then put the $7.29 he earned in the past hour into his pocket. He put his black cap back onto his head and was on his way.

Thomas placed a quarter into the crumbled Styrofoam Dunkin Donuts cup of a homeless man sitting on the ground before crossing the street in search of his next performance spot.

USA Today Reporter Stops at Nothing to Deliver the Story of the Destruction in Haiti

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN— The image of a woman lying dead on the floor of a nursing school in a Port Au Prince hospital in Haiti still haunts USA Today reporter Marisol Bello.

“I couldn’t bring myself to look at her face,” Bello said. “After I saw her, I just backed out of the room.”

Bello, 38, is a national desk general assignment reporter for USA Today and covers disasters and major breaking news, so it wasn’t unexpected when her boss came to ask her to cover the earthquake in Haiti, which killed around 230,000 people and devastated the city.

“People like to tell me that when they see me coming, they know something bad has happened,” Bello said.

She left her home in Washington DC the day after the earthquake.

Bello connected with the world relief agency World Vision and imbedded with them. Their first stop was to help give aid at what was considered to be one of the best hospitals in the city.

When they entered the nursing school wing of the hospital, where she came across the woman on the ground, she described it as eerily quiet in comparison to the rest of the city, where the streets were filled with screaming survivors and piles of bodies. In the midst of it all, Bello stopped to remember she had a job to do—report the stories.

“Feeling it wasn’t where I was at that moment,” Bello said. “I was trying to find the best method to tell the stories around me.”

Reporters in Haiti were working around the clock to get as much information as they could to send back home. Stories weren’t hard to find and people were more than willing to share their experiences with journalists. But problems arose when it came time to send stories back since Internet connection was about as scarce as food.

“Imagine if you didn’t have a working computer or email,” Bello said. “One time I typed an entire story from my blackberry, which wasn’t easy.”

Bello managed to get all her stories back to her editors and stayed even longer than she originally expected.

“Some of the things I’d seen were so daunting,” Bello said. “But I figured I’m here; I have to tell these stories.”

New York University journalism graduate student, Lauren Gerber, spoke of the dedication Bello shows for her job.

“She went through atrocious things that even some really resilient reporters might not be able to handle,” Gerber said. “She wanted the story to help the people.”

Bello explained that seeing so much death and destruction eventually wore on her brain and she had an emotional breakdown during her reporting trip in Haiti.

“I don’t know how you could see those images and not get emotional,” Gerber said. “That emotion is what really drives the story.”

Despite the challenges she faced in Haiti, Bello ended with a positive result.

“It was the single most amazing story I’ve ever covered.”

Ping-Pong Club Helps Raise Money for Haiti Earthquake Victims

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN— Franck Raharinsy decided to use bad news to do good.

“You take one of the poorest countries on Earth and you give them the most powerful earthquake,” Raharinsy said of the Haiti earthquake that killed more than 100,000 people. “There must be a message for all of us from somewhere.”

Raharinsy, the co-founder of SPiN New York, a ping-pong club in Gramercy, desperately wanted to help. He teamed up with New York modeling agency, Modelina, as well as artists, designers, and actors to put together the Haiti Disaster Relief Fundraiser.

Raharinsy said he made a few calls to friends and before long the list of participants had reached a group he describes as “believers in a good cause.”

“It also doesn’t hurt to have an activist such as Susan Sarandon as a close friend and partner,” Raharinsy said.

Sarandon hosted the event and told attendees, “Even donating ten dollars can help.”

Donations are going to the Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative, which focuses on helping to improve the lives of orphaned children.

There was a suggested donation of $20 to attend the fundraiser, which was open to the public, as well as a silent auction, with these proceeds going to the charity Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative.

The Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative focuses primarily on helping to improve the lives of orphaned children and is teamed with a doctor at the sole cost-free pediatric hospital in Haiti.

“It is best to give and help organizations that are already up and running in Haiti since a lot of them have been destroyed,” Raharinsy said. “You have to help the survivors.”

The event was held at SPiN and Raharinsy felt it drew in a large crowd of donators not only because of the good cause, but also due to the fun atmosphere. SPiN offered free games of ping-pong all night and the opportunity to play games with celebrities as well.

“Ping-pong brings people together, opposed to sitting down at a charity dinner for hours with people you might not want to sit next to,” Raharinsy said.

Jennifer Rayno, the director of Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative described the evening as energetic and fast-paced and considered the results to be fantastic.

“We are so indebted to SPiN, Modelina, Susan Sarandon, and all the other celebrities who lent their names and presences to really attract attention,” Rayno said.

Other celebrities in attendance included Russell Simmons, Veronica Webb, New York Knicks player Al Harrington, 30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander, Top Chef’s Gail Simmons, and many others.

Although Rayno knew that this event would bring in a crowd, she didn’t expect to feel so humbled by the final results.

“Friends of the Orphans appreciates the effort more than we can say,” Rayno said. “Money raised will be put to immediate and good use.”

The event brought in $17,088 and Raharinsy felt this was a lucky amount and tried to see the positive in what he considered to be lucky numbers.

“Seventeen is my lucky number and 88 is the Chinese lucky number,” Raharinsy said. “The zero is the beginning.”
Raharinsy acknowledges that this is a time when not everyone has spare money to donate, but he said that there are other ways to help.

“They can offer some of their time for free to a charity as a sweat contribution,” Raharinsy said.

Even though the fundraising event has passed, this doesn’t mean the organizers work is done. They are also doing an online auction at Charity Folks, with the proceeds also going to the Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative.

What originally began as a tough day for Raharinsy just a couple weeks ago turned into something positive for those who are facing an even larger battle.

“Sometimes you’re having a bad day,” Raharinsy said, “and then you remember that you’re lucky to be where you are.”

Pet Owners Known in Parks by the Names of Their Dogs

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Brownie, DJ, and Rosie are the names of dogs that Sarah Wessler knows by heart, but she couldn’t tell you the names of any of their owners, even though she sees them at least once a week at the dog run. She says this is all part of the experience of going to the dog run.

“You just call people by their dog’s names,” Wessler said. “Being here is all about the dogs.”

Wessler lives in the Bronx but usually takes her dog, Mancha, to Jemmy’s Run since it is closer to her boyfriend’s apartment and Mancha has made friends there. Wessler says that she runs into people on the train that she has met at the dog park and often talks with some of the regular visitors, but doesn’t make a point of it to meet up with them outside of the park.

“What happens at the dog park stays at the dog park.”

While some parks don’t allow dogs at all, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has designated three different types of dog parks in the city—leashed areas, designated off-leash areas, and dog runs. Dog runs are large fenced in areas within larger parks where dogs are free to run around unleashed. Jemmy’s Run at Madison Square Park is a dog run where all types of relationships are developed between people and dogs.

Sometimes the freedom of all the different dogs together can cause problems. Jay Fortunato, who lives in the Flatiron District, says his dog Linus enjoys coming to get exercise at the dog park but since Linus is a small dog, he has had encounters with large dogs that haven’t gone well.

“A few weeks ago a larger dog bit Linus on the back of the neck and sat on him,” Fortunato said. “I had to fight the big dog off.”

Taylor Defelice, of Murray Hill, brings her two dogs Hershey and Ruby to Jemmy’s Run for them to interact with other dogs. Ruby is a therapy dog and spends time in hospitals with children who are sick, so Defelice likes to get her out to get exercise. The only challenge Defelice has faced with bringing her dogs to the park is having their toys stolen by other dogs, but says the overall experience is a positive one.

“Dog parks are good for the dogs and good for people,” Defelice said. “They help promote dog ownership.”

Coming to see the dogs at the park is the closest Nuttika Mahamontre can get to having a dog. Her apartment complex doesn’t allow pets, so at least once or twice a week Mahamontre comes to Madison Square Park to see the dogs. For her, it is a type of therapy.

“I feel more relaxed seeing these dogs play,” Mahamontre, of Manhattan, said. “This is what makes me feel better.”

“Dogs are the one thing we all have in common here,” Wessler said, and Mahanmontre agreed.

“Even if they don’t have one of their own, everyone here has a love for dogs.”

Review of the Book "Prayer for the City"

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

In his book A Prayer for the City, author Buzz Bissinger initially describes Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell as “one of those people who seemed destined for one of two things in life—early success or an early heart attack.”

All signs point to early success.

Rendell is now 65-years-old, current governor of Pennsylvania, and has yet to have a heart attack. Before his time as governor, Rendell was the mayor of Philadelphia and Bissinger was given the journalist/author all-access pass to witness and document Rendell’s first term in the mayoral office.

Rendell may have accomplished a lot, but it wasn’t an easy journey. When he was sworn into office, he took on the challenge of getting the entire city out of a financial crisis, which we have seen is no easy task. He also had to work to keep the people of the city happy, including union and helping to keep people in work. Reading about the day-to-day life of Mayor Rendell gives a new appreciation for the work of a politician during a crisis.

But Bissinger doesn’t just profile Rendell directly. He includes details about other people near to Rendell to capture more about what his life entails.

A Prayer for the City introduces the story with successful lawyer David Cohen looking out over the city from his law office on January 5, 1992, the night before Rendell was inaugurated as mayor. Cohen worked towards becoming a lawyer for many years and spent the years following that practicing law with a major law firm, but resigned to go work as chief-of-staff for Rendell. Bissinger compares the lives and upbringings of Cohen and Rendell, really shaping a storyline between who they were before, who they are now, and who they become as a team. The comparison of the seemingly opposite men helps to create a better image of who they are as people, and helps the reader understand more about them.

Bissinger gives readers a first-hand insight to not just all of the technical workings of the mayor’s office running of the city, but the personal challenges and thoughts of the mayor. He reveals insider details of phone calls, press conferences, and discussions between office officials. He also illustrates the personal accounts of city residents that speak to the greater issues the mayor was faced with solving. As a journalist, Bissinger knows the power behind good details and including quotes of conversation to move the story along.

There is no denying that Rendell’s job, as mayor, was high-pressure. The reader may think the early heart attack is coming for the intensity Rendell faces when he personally lobby’s against President Clinton, but it’s just another battle that Rendell takes in stride.

Through Bissinger’s profiling of other people Rendell encounters, you see the mayor get more motivated to improve the lives of those living in the city, such as when he meets Jim Mangan, a father of six, at risk of losing his welding job, or Fifi Mazzccua, a woman raising her four great-grandchildren who visits her son in prison. Bissinger shows Rendell’s drive to fight for the greater problems these individuals represent.

Bissinger shows that Rendell had a successful first term in that he never gave up on his city. He worked to do what he felt would improve it, but even when the city was in trouble, he never stopped believing that the trouble was only temporary. Success comes in many forms and Bissinger’s account of the Philadelphia mayor is certainly one of them.

H1N1 Vaccine Clinics Help People Throughout New York

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

On a recent Saturday morning, a line of people, tracing around the block, waited to get inside Public School 290 in Manhattan. Some checked their watches, others flipped through the newspaper, but all of them waited to get protected against H1N1, better known as the swine flu, the most feared flu in a long time.

Lori Jackson was in line with her two children, Sarah, 7, and Michael, 9, but she was ready to give.

“This line is a joke,” Jackson said. “But I am happy that they are putting this together so we can try to stay not sick.”

Precautionary measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the virus, throughout the city by The New York City Health Department. They have set up temporary neighborhood clinics in all five boroughs, where the vaccine is offered for free.

In the beginning of November, The United States Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported almost 3,000 H1N1 flu cases and 91 deaths because of this strain of influenza, in the state of New York alone.

The swine flu has caused havoc in New York City schools because according to the CDC, children are a high risk to catch the virus. In May, 16 New York schools were closed and there have been a high number of absences this school year.

The city created a program to offer vaccinations to students at 1,342 schools. Students were given permission forms to take home to their parents in order to receive the free vaccine, which is offered as a nasal spray or injection.

The Health Department launched its public clinics on November 7, 2009. Health Department official Erin Brady said the clinic began as a way to distribute the vaccine to students from elementary schools who weren’t vaccinated by private providers or in their schools, as well as for middle and high school students wanting the vaccine.

“It’s good to get kids covered,” Jackson said. “They catch everything and pass it around.”

Teresa Martinez got her eight-year-old daughter, Rosa, vaccinated.

“We come to the park and I see the kids coughing and sneezing on each other,” Martinez said. “It is nice to know she is not going to get the swine flu from the germs.”

Brady said the community vaccination clinics did not reach capacity during the first weekend, so the Health Department decided to expand the allowed groups to more people.

Those who qualify to be vaccinated in the free clinics now include pregnant women, anyone who lives with or cares for children less than six-months-old, anyone between the ages of four and 24, and those who are 25 through 64-years of age and have underlying health conditions that increase risk of severe illness or complications.

“So many people I know have gotten sick because of this,” Nate Roberts, 33, who was in line to get the vaccine, said. “I am scared of getting super sick or dying because of the swine flu.”

Clinics will be moved around every weekend. The Health Department hopes that changing the location of the clinics each weekend will help encourage people to get vaccinated at a time when the location is closest to their neighborhood, saving time, money, and their health.

Eight American Soldiers and Two Journalists Killed in Iraq

The Hudson River on the West Point campus.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

Our Reporting class went out to West Point in Highland Falls, New York to work with their students on a computer simulation of what happens during combat missions. This is the story I wrote about the experience. It is written as though the events in the simulation were real and we were actually in Iraq.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

AL MANSOUR, BAGHDAD— Eight United States soldiers were killed on Tuesday when they were patrolling Al Mansour, an administrative district in Baghdad.

Military officials said the soldiers were searching for a maroon pickup truck with a white top when Iraqis shot them. Two Pavement Pieces journalists, Brooke Niemeyer and Zanub Saeed, who were accompanying the soldiers on the mission, were also killed. 

The only surviving journalist from a convoy truck was Pavement Pieces reporter Liz Wagner. Wagner used the radio to attempt communication with the headquarters to report what happened and establish her location. The soldiers at headquarters were able to help guide her to a US helicopter, which took her to a safe location.

Convoy Commander Mike Fanelli was one of the soldiers on call to survey the Al Mansour district for the maroon pickup truck that was hijacked by insurgents. The truck had been declared a high value target ten minutes before the mission began. 

Fanelli was in command of three patrol trucks, including the one he was driving. Because of a breakdown in communication, he entered unsafe territories and was killed by Iraquis. 

Earlier in the day, he talked about the importance of communication between the soldiers. 

"If communication between us breaks down, so does our strength," Fanelli said. 

Failed radio batteries made it difficult for the soldiers to communicate with one another on the mission. Minutes after the first casualties were reported, military officials tried to get better radios out to the soldiers, but were unsuccessful in reaching all of them. 

Even with faulty communication equipment, the soldiers were able to locate and detain the maroon pickup truck. Despite this, Lieutenant Colonel Garret Guidry said that the mission didn't operate effectively because of the poor communication between the soldiers and with the headquarters. 

"There was too much cross talk happening," Guidry said. "We didn't get a good picture of what was going on."

Military officials said that the soldiers should have been able to focus on their mission instead of dealing with communication problems.

"The information coming into headquarters was too few and far between," Guidry said. 

"We couldn't pass along proper information to protect the soldiers and it cost us."

The 2009 Halloween Day Parade in Greenwich Village

I went to the Halloween Day Parade in the village and made this slideshow from the photos I took and audio I got while I was there.

Traveling Miles to Cheer on People Running Miles in the New York City Marathon

Doreen Phillips came to cheer on her friend running in the New York City Marathon.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Doreen Phillips came all the way from Atlanta, Ga. for the New York City Marathon and she's not even running in it.

This isn’t the first time that Phillips has traveled over 800 miles to come to the marathon. She has done this for several years. Her travels to the marathon originally started as a way for her to reconnect with her hometown of Brooklyn, but the past two years she has come to support a particular marathon runner: her best friend in Atlanta.

Phillips, 44, came to cheer on Christopher Reeves, named after the actor he shares a name with and who suffered from a spinal cord injury. He was running on behalf of the Christopher and Dana Reeves Spinal Cord Research Foundation.

Phillips wore a shirt with the words “Team Reeve” and held a sign with the same phrase. Running in the marathon is one of the ways Reeves is working towards bringing awareness to spinal cord research and to help people with these injuries to get the help they need to get better.

Reeves’ involvement was inspired by his brother, who is serving in Iraq and has seen many people suffering with spinal cord injuries as a result of being in combat.

As Phillips stood on the sidelines, checking her phone for word from Reeves, she cheered on the other runners, especially anyone with their names on their shirts.

“People are running by, and I don't know who they are, but I still cheer,” Phillips said. “I just want them all to do really well.”

When the text came that he was close to where she stood, she hoisted her sign into the air. As he came into view, her screams and shouts got louder than they'd been all morning.

“Woo hoo!” Phillips yelled. “Yay Chris!”

When he found her in the midst of the large crowd, he leaned over the barricade for a quick hug. There was just enough time for her to tell him she was proud of him and she'd see him at the finish line before he was off running again.

“You can do it! Keep going!” she shouted.

She cheered and clapped for him until he was long past her standing point in the crowd.

“That's my best friend and I am proud of him.”

Advocates Rally in Manhattan to Save Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation

Those in favor of saving Brooklyn A gather together with posters

and flyers outside of the LSNYC central office in Manhattan.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN -- Despite the cold winds, a crowd rallied outside the central offices of Legal Services New York (LSNYC) in Manhattan yesterday to protest the consolidation of legal services in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation, also known as Brooklyn A, is a civil legal service, providing legal assistance to low-income residents in North and East Brooklyn. They help with cases involving disability projects, rights for those affected by HIV/AIDS, community and economic development, domestic violence cases, fraud, and preserving low-income housing. LSNYC is working to find ways to make financial cutbacks and is considering consolidating all offices into one Manhattan location as a way to cut back on costs. 

One protestor, Maria Alvarado, said nothing could stop her from coming to stand up for her mother, who relies on the disability services provided by Brooklyn A. 

"My mother don't drive and she doesn't speak English, so she has no way to go (to Manhattan) or communicated," Alvarado, 28, of Greenwood Lake, said. "She would be without help if they close Brooklyn A."

Alvarado and hundreds of others who oppose the closing of Brooklyn A gathered in front of the LSNYC central offices to show their opposition the possibility of eliminating Brooklyn A which is outlined in the Brooklyn Planning Process. Brooklyn A has assisted the poor and working-class people in Brooklyn since 1967, providing assistance with legal services. 

"We are demanding that they save the office that has been helping our community for so long," Catherine Pinto, 37, of Williamsburg said. "So many people don't speak English or can't travel to the central office in Manhattan, so they will be out (of luck) if the one in Brooklyn closes."

"Taking away Brooklyn A is not fair for those without money," Alvarado said.

At the rally, people marched with signs and repeatedly shouted, "We want Brooklyn A!" Protest organizers spoke on a megaphone to reiterate their intentions. 

"We must remind them the importance of helping people with Brooklyn A," Councilwoman Diana Reyna told the protesters. Reyna is an advocate for saving the Brooklyn location of LSNYC and has been helping organize petitions and the rally. 

Those in favor of keeping Brooklyn A are hoping the restructuring committee will see the value of keeping multiple offices open. 

"They need to leave it the way it is," Alvarado said. "Keeping all offices open spreads the word across the state instead of just having it in one central place."

"They want to save money and cut funds so it doesn't hurt their business," Pinto said. "But what about them hurting people?"

The Children's Hope India Black Tie Event is One Step Closer to Success

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN -- Imagine being a young child in a country where the water you drank was the same color as the dirt you slept on. This is the reality for many children in parts of India and other parts of the world. Volunteers from a New York City based organization, Children's Hope India, work together year after year to gather funds to help in making changes for children suffering throughout the world and bring them a better life.

The annual black tie fundraising event for Children's Hope India was held today at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. Tickets to the event ranged from regular seating for $250 per ticket to preferred seating for $350 per ticket. According to representative Lori Feigin, all of the tickets were sold out and they were having to turn people away who wanted to attend the event.

Since all of the work done by Children's Hope India is volunteer work, all of the proceeds from the event go towards Children's Hope Health and Education program.

Children's Hope India was founded in 1992 by Indian women who had a passion for helping children to have a safe, happy, and healthy childhood. It is based out of New York and has raised money for various causes which effect children, from those who have suffered natural disasters to any living in areas of India without clean water supplies. The organization helps fund over 20 programs in India.

This year's theme was "Evening in Rajasthan," with the slogan "A Royal Celebration of its people, music, dance, and cuisine." The two featured guests were the Princess of Rajasthan, Padmaja Kumari Mewar, and the Consul General of India, Prabhu Dayal.

Three awards were given out throughout the evening. The Lotus Award was given to the founders of Telebrands and Philanthropists, Poonam and AJ Khubani, and also to the former chairman and CEO of Mackay Shileds and Philanthropist, Ravi Akhoury. The "Making a Difference" award went to Surendra Kaushik, founder of Helena Kaushik Women's College in Rural Rajasthan.

The mission of the organization states that they want to "give disadvantaged children in India a chance for a brighter future." Tonight's fundraising event makes it one step closer to achieving their goal.

Burmese Hunger Strike at United Nations 2009 General Assembly

My first experience shooting and editing video at NYU. Check it out and let me know what you think! :)

Falconry Extravaganza Spotlights Large Birds Living Right in Central Park

Sienna, a five year old Eastern screech owl, was on display

at the Falconry Extravaganza in Central Park.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN—It seems unlikely for people to think of wildlife living in a city full of cabs and buildings that seem to touch the sky, which is why the City of New York Parks and Recreation Urban Park Rangers put on the 7th annual Falconry Extravaganza in Central Park today.

“I never knew there were birds of this size in New York,” said Tom Parker, 37, of San Francisco. “I always figured pigeons were the only ones here.”

The event featured 13 different species of falcons, hawks, owls, and other large birds. All of the birds were brought in from a sanctuary in Buffalo. The Wildlife Department estimated that there were about 1,000 people in attendance of the shows and birds of prey exhibit in the park today.

“We do this yearly to educate people about birds of prey,” said Sarah Aucoin, Director of the Urban Park Wildlife Department. “Each year the crowds get bigger and we bring more birds.”

The free bird show went from 1:00 to 3:00. During this time, there were three shows where members of the Urban Park Rangers flew the eagles and hawks for audience members to witness. They also had sections that included audience participation. Additionally, there was an up-close viewing area for people to see the different birds.

“It's cool to see these birds soaring overhead,” Aucoin said. “But it's even cooler to see them up close.”

Sienna, a five year old Eastern screech owl, was one of the birds out on display for people to see. Sienna was found injured and was brought into an animal hospital. Veterinarians found that she is deaf, so she will never be released back into the wild. There are screech owls just like her that reside in Central Park. Urban Park Ranger Mohammed Alomeri said that five Eastern screech owls have recently been released into the park.

There were stations set up for children to experience searching for things like birds do and also to feel the different feathers of all the birds that were part of the show.

“I want to be a bird saver like them,” said Elanore Martinez, 10.

The Wildlife Department not only wanted attendees to see these birds fly and get close to them, but also learn about the good things the birds do for people and other facts about them.

“These birds are good rodent population controllers,” said Richard Simon, Captan of the Urban Park Wildlife Department. “The paragon falcon is also the fastest animal and can dive at a speed of 200 miles per hour.”

All of these predatory birds can be found throughout the city, most of them nesting in the parks or in overhangs of buildings. Simon said there are also some that nest at the local Riverside Cathedral. Both Simon and Aucoin felt that this years Falconry Extravaganza was successful in educating people about some of the birds of prey in the city and bringing awareness of these birds.

An 11-Year-Old Boy is Planting Trees to Save the Future

Felix Finkbeiner with a poster of Wangari Maathai at Washington Square park.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN - Felix Finkbeinger was working on a routine research project in his fourth-grade class in Paehl, Germany. He was reading about the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, who started the Green Belt movement, a tree planting program in Africa, when he got an idea.

"I thought, if she can plant that many trees on her own, we children can do it too," Finkbeiner said. 

And so his group, Plan-for-the-Planet, was born.

Finkbeiner, now 11, travels all around the world as a spokesman for the organization that he started with the help of parents, teachers, and other community leaders in 2007. 

Today he was one of the child advocates at Washington Square Park in Manhattan for the first annual Global Climate Week, promoting activism and awareness to any of the approximately hundred people in attendance who would listen. He was joined by Girl Scout troupes who wore life vests at the rally to represent the concerns of rising oceans. 

The words "Stop Talking, Start Planting" adorned Finkbeiner's t-shirt and he stood next to a large poster of Maathai. 

"Each tree [planted] is a symbol for climate justice," Finkbeiner said. "We need to stop talking and start planting. 

Plant-for-the-Planet is now the branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that is exclusively for young children. It encourages children to help in planting trees to improve the environment and to prepare for the future. The Plant-for-the-Planet program unites children from all parts of the world to achieve a common goal. 

"We need to think as a global community, not as many different places," said Finkbeiner.

The current goal of UNEP is to plant seven billion new trees in the world by the end of 2009, To help do their part, the goal for the Plant-for-the-Planet volunteers is to plant over 200,000,000 trees. Hundreds of children, in over 50 different nations, are working together to plant one million trees in each of their countries. 

"We children are working to save our futures," Finkbeiner said. "Adults talk too much. It's time for us children to do."

Also at today's event was model Gisele Bundchen, who was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNEP. She is expecting her first child in December and put emphasis on the importance of a clean environment for upcoming generations. 

"It's important on a global scale to secure a healthy future for the next generation, wherever they are in the world," said Bundchen.

Governmental leaders are also focused on these environmental issues. Representatives from almost 200 countries will gather for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7 to discuss a climate agreement. 

"We need our leaders to act now," said Finkbeiner. "If they only want to get re-elected, they are not good [leaders]."

"Seal the Deal" is the slogan for campaigns leading up to the conference in Denmark. Petitions encouraging leaders to create an agreement about mandating the levels of greenhouse gas emissions in their country were available for people to sign today. Supporters want leaders to come to an agreement that will protect the planet and everyone on it successfully and then "seal the deal."

What all began as a class project for a young boy has now turned into an international campaign for children. Over 365,000 trees have been planted by children in Germany alone since Finkbeiner began his campaign and he continues to gain support every day from around the world.

"If we children can each plant trees," said Finkbeiner, "we can change the world."