Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Name Change
I had to change the name of the blog.
It's not that I didn't like the name "The Mid-Twenties," but I'm getting older. That's right: I turn 27 in three months so instead of just changing the name to "The Late-Twenties", I went for something that I felt encompassed what this blog is all about.
See, I first started this blog in 2007 when I moved to California. I've used the site to write about my adventures, to put unpublished stories up somewhere, and to advertise my published articles.
As I moved to San Francisco, Loma Mar, back to Michigan for a while, New York City, Accra (Ghana), back to NYC, and now rural New Jersey, one thing has remained constant: I'm a boy from Michigan exploring this great planet of ours. My moves have never been very calculated, so to say I'm "wandering" about sums it up.
Thank you to everyone who read my stories when I first started "The Mid-Twenties are a Bitch" (I realized that name was a bit sexist) and followed me when I changed it to "The Mid-Twenties [in Africa]." I hope you keep reading!
It's not that I didn't like the name "The Mid-Twenties," but I'm getting older. That's right: I turn 27 in three months so instead of just changing the name to "The Late-Twenties", I went for something that I felt encompassed what this blog is all about.
See, I first started this blog in 2007 when I moved to California. I've used the site to write about my adventures, to put unpublished stories up somewhere, and to advertise my published articles.
As I moved to San Francisco, Loma Mar, back to Michigan for a while, New York City, Accra (Ghana), back to NYC, and now rural New Jersey, one thing has remained constant: I'm a boy from Michigan exploring this great planet of ours. My moves have never been very calculated, so to say I'm "wandering" about sums it up.
Thank you to everyone who read my stories when I first started "The Mid-Twenties are a Bitch" (I realized that name was a bit sexist) and followed me when I changed it to "The Mid-Twenties [in Africa]." I hope you keep reading!
Friday, January 8, 2010
CNN iReport: Part 2
Well, it turns out that CNN iReport works out pretty well.
After publishing my article a few nights ago, I got a call from CNN that they wanted to use my story. I just had to answer a few questions and emails. Then they put a nifty CNN iReport badge on it.
I wasn't sure to think about all this, and I was a bit upset that CNN ruined my chance to hang out with my friends in the Comic Book League. That was until I checked how my story was doing today that night.
Then came the real shocker: It was over 2,000 views!
I'm not really sure how many people have read my articles in the past, but this had to be some kind of record. As the day went on, more and more people were reading the story and then CNN.com put it on the homepage. I was ecstatic.
The only real downside was a few negative comments about my figures used. So, I just went into the comment section myself and explained all my sources.
Then, the comments started getting a bit racist. Some moron wrote this:
As the day went on, the amount of views reached over 10,000. I was in shock.
To make things better, I got a call from a paper in New Jersey that they were hiring me as a full-time reporter. They had no idea that I had the story on CNN, but it was more of just icing on the cake for a really great day.
As of this moment, the CNN story is at 12,828 views and has been shared 17 times. God bless getting the job in Ghana and having an editor catch my story on iReport. What a day.
After publishing my article a few nights ago, I got a call from CNN that they wanted to use my story. I just had to answer a few questions and emails. Then they put a nifty CNN iReport badge on it.
I wasn't sure to think about all this, and I was a bit upset that CNN ruined my chance to hang out with my friends in the Comic Book League. That was until I checked how my story was doing today that night.
Then came the real shocker: It was over 2,000 views!
I'm not really sure how many people have read my articles in the past, but this had to be some kind of record. As the day went on, more and more people were reading the story and then CNN.com put it on the homepage. I was ecstatic.
The only real downside was a few negative comments about my figures used. So, I just went into the comment section myself and explained all my sources.
Then, the comments started getting a bit racist. Some moron wrote this:
"Current Americans of African ancestry fail to realize how good they have it in the USA."Of course, then the rest of the comments just ended up battling that one dumb thing. Oh well, I guess this was my first chance to write for a huge website, besides the Daily News, and this comes with the territory.
As the day went on, the amount of views reached over 10,000. I was in shock.
To make things better, I got a call from a paper in New Jersey that they were hiring me as a full-time reporter. They had no idea that I had the story on CNN, but it was more of just icing on the cake for a really great day.
As of this moment, the CNN story is at 12,828 views and has been shared 17 times. God bless getting the job in Ghana and having an editor catch my story on iReport. What a day.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
CNN iReport: Elmina Castle
I recently heard about this thing CNN was doing called "iReport" where everyday people - not just those with a master's in journalism - could upload stories.
I think it is very smart of CNN to do this. They get sources easy, a few scoops, and maybe even a good story. Of course, it sucks for actual reporters because they don't get paid and CNN gets a free story. But, like an unpaid internship, you get paid in clips.
So, while I apply for jobs and sit on a few stories that might never get published, I threw this Elmina Castle story on there: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-378837
Still not sure if it was worth it, but I think it is a good travel story and worth a read.
I think it is very smart of CNN to do this. They get sources easy, a few scoops, and maybe even a good story. Of course, it sucks for actual reporters because they don't get paid and CNN gets a free story. But, like an unpaid internship, you get paid in clips.
So, while I apply for jobs and sit on a few stories that might never get published, I threw this Elmina Castle story on there: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-378837
Still not sure if it was worth it, but I think it is a good travel story and worth a read.
Friday, December 18, 2009
How is New York City Different?
There are a million ways to answer this question, and as unique as this place is, probably every single one of the 17.2 million people in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region has a different answer.
Let’s start with the statistics: It has the largest population of any city in the United States. Not only are there a lot of people here, but there a lot of different kinds of people. I grew up in Detroit (one of the most segregated cities in the world – South Africa has nothing on that place) and I am still astonished by the mix of integrated diversity here. The population is mostly white (35.1 percent), but not far behind are Hispanics (27.4 percent), blacks (24 percent), and Asians (12.8 %). No other city in the country is so mixed.
Of course, then there’s the jobs: Whereas the rest of the country seems to focus their cities around one industry (i.e. the car), the Big Apple is exploding – aside from manufacturing – in every type of sector imaginable. The retail trade, financial services sector, and education/health are much larger than the national average.
The sprawling train system can take you anywhere. If the subway can’t take you there – just take the PATH, or a bus, or light-rail. Sure, when the Daily News used to send me to murders in Queens I would end up taking two hours getting to the scene of the crime. It can be really hard to get too much of that borough…but, it is still a lot better than most place I’ve been.
That brings me to another point: I’ve lived a lot of places.
So far, I lived in London for six months, Chicago for two years, San Francisco for nine months, Accra (Ghana) for two months, and now New York for a year and a half. Nothing touches this place.
Chicago thinks it’s a big-time metropolis. It’s not. If your city is all white Midwesterners, it’s not a real city. Well, not like the melting pot we have here.
Sure, London is amazing. The history, the beauty, the people, blah, blah, blah. But, there is only one tall building. How can you call yourself a city when the only thing you’re scrapping is the gum off the ground? If none of the buildings can be taller than Buckingham Palace than why bother trying to live there?
I love San Francisco. It is my favorite place to live. But, I realize it doesn’t have anything on New York in terms of jobs, culture, history, sports, etc.,etc. The one thing San Francisco has on New York though is green space.
New York City is really lacking in the nature department. Sure, Central Park, Pelham Bay Park, and Prospect Park are great. But, there is nothing like having a forest nearby or more than ten trees on a block.
Still, it is the people that make New York City the most amazing place on earth. So, if we need to knock down even more trees, so be it. If they tore down a large chunk of Central Park so that I could live in a cheap apartment for only $300 a month, I say treehuggers be damned.
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Digitization of Comic Books
In this short video I explore the recent digitization of comics in the form of motion comics. The video also features the premiere of the Astonishing X-Men motion comic, a Joe Quesada press conference, and interviews with comic art superstars Greg Horn and Joe Madureira.
Please watch and rate the video!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Race, gender, class, and ethnicity in New York mayoral elections
New York Mayor Series: Part Three
This Tuesday, New Yorkers from all over the five boroughs will go to their local polling stations to vote for – according to the most recent polls – a white man for mayor.
This is typical in New York City history, but there have been a few exceptions to the rule, and in this election 44 percent of the candidates are non-white. Only one woman is running, Francisca Villar, even though women make up 53 percent of the city’s population.
The only real competition for mayor comes from City Comptroller Bill Thompson Jr. If Thompson is elected, he will be the second black New York mayor in history.
I have listed below how four factors have influenced the mayoral race:
Gender
Aside from 89 years of voting power, women have played a very small role in mayoral elections. No woman has ever been elected mayor and, as evident by this election, there tends to be few female candidates.
Villar – a Dominican female immigrant – is remarkable in how much she stands out from the 2009 candidates. She is mainly running on an economic justice platform but is only one of two candidates (the other being Billy Talen of the Green Party) to mention fighting racist profiling by police in the 2009 General Election Guide. Villar is also part of the second and third largest races in the city, Hispanic and black.
She was not allowed entry to the mayoral debates.
Ethnicity
Historically, New York has been a city run by white Protestants. Although only a few candidates have been Catholic or Jewish, that may be changing. The last two mayors – Guilliani was Catholic and Bloomberg is Jewish – may be a sign of the times.
Race
The voting power of the minorities in New York City are staggering for most major American cities. Whites make up the largest group, at 35 percent, but Hispanics (27 percent), blacks (27 percent), and Chinese (5 percent) make up a sizable portion.
Minorities will continue to play an important role in choosing the mayor and will probably be the greatest voting force in the future. For example, there is a black solidarity rally for Thompson today in Brooklyn. Rev. Al Sharpton has endorsed Thompson.
Aside from the only black mayor, David Dinkins, the population of the city has not actually factored into the candidates for mayor.
Class
Bloomberg has spent more campaign money on a public office – over $100 million - than any other American in history. Considering the median income of New York households is around $50,000, Bloomberg has no problem buying this election as the richest New Yorker.
This reporter has saved every single advertisement I’ve got in the mail for mayor. I have eleven advertisements for Bloomberg. I have none for Thompson.
In one my previous posts I mentioned the vast powers of the mayor of New York possibly being harmful to the democratic process in the city. I now also feel that this election is out of control and Bloomberg is using his vast wealth to control the race.
This Tuesday, New Yorkers from all over the five boroughs will go to their local polling stations to vote for – according to the most recent polls – a white man for mayor.
This is typical in New York City history, but there have been a few exceptions to the rule, and in this election 44 percent of the candidates are non-white. Only one woman is running, Francisca Villar, even though women make up 53 percent of the city’s population.
The only real competition for mayor comes from City Comptroller Bill Thompson Jr. If Thompson is elected, he will be the second black New York mayor in history.
I have listed below how four factors have influenced the mayoral race:
Gender
Aside from 89 years of voting power, women have played a very small role in mayoral elections. No woman has ever been elected mayor and, as evident by this election, there tends to be few female candidates.
Villar – a Dominican female immigrant – is remarkable in how much she stands out from the 2009 candidates. She is mainly running on an economic justice platform but is only one of two candidates (the other being Billy Talen of the Green Party) to mention fighting racist profiling by police in the 2009 General Election Guide. Villar is also part of the second and third largest races in the city, Hispanic and black.
She was not allowed entry to the mayoral debates.
Ethnicity
Historically, New York has been a city run by white Protestants. Although only a few candidates have been Catholic or Jewish, that may be changing. The last two mayors – Guilliani was Catholic and Bloomberg is Jewish – may be a sign of the times.
Race
The voting power of the minorities in New York City are staggering for most major American cities. Whites make up the largest group, at 35 percent, but Hispanics (27 percent), blacks (27 percent), and Chinese (5 percent) make up a sizable portion.
Minorities will continue to play an important role in choosing the mayor and will probably be the greatest voting force in the future. For example, there is a black solidarity rally for Thompson today in Brooklyn. Rev. Al Sharpton has endorsed Thompson.
Aside from the only black mayor, David Dinkins, the population of the city has not actually factored into the candidates for mayor.
Class
Bloomberg has spent more campaign money on a public office – over $100 million - than any other American in history. Considering the median income of New York households is around $50,000, Bloomberg has no problem buying this election as the richest New Yorker.
This reporter has saved every single advertisement I’ve got in the mail for mayor. I have eleven advertisements for Bloomberg. I have none for Thompson.
In one my previous posts I mentioned the vast powers of the mayor of New York possibly being harmful to the democratic process in the city. I now also feel that this election is out of control and Bloomberg is using his vast wealth to control the race.
NYC Mayoral Cadidates on YouTube
New York Mayor Series: Part Two
(In alphabetical order)
Mike Bloomberg:
Tyrrell Eiland:
Daniel Fein:
Jimmy McMillan:
Billy Talen:
Bill Thompson:
Frances Villar:
(In alphabetical order)
Mike Bloomberg:
Tyrrell Eiland:
Daniel Fein:
Jimmy McMillan:
Billy Talen:
Bill Thompson:
Frances Villar:
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