Lisa Ortega from Alex Robinson on Vimeo.
Author Archives: Alex Robinson
Occupy Wall Street Survey Analysis
Now that their encampment in Zuccotti Park has been cleared out, Occupy Wall Street protesters have been looking for new ways to spread their message and gain support for their movement.
In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll 56% of respondents said they do not know enough about Occupy Wall Street to say whether they are for or against the movement. According to a poll released last week by Public Policy Polling, national support for the movement has lowered to 33%.
In a survey I conducted online from October 13 to November 22, I found out the following:
- 44% of respondents said they were completely sympathetic with Occupy Wall Street protesters. There were no respondents that said they were not at all sympathetic with the cause:
- Although only 22% of respondents said they have participated in the protests, a mere 33% completely ruled out doing so in the future:
- Only 11% of respondents said they have slept in Zuccotti Park:
- And 33% would consider sleeping there in the future:
Although these are some interesting statistics, only 18 people responded to the survey and they are therefore demonstrative of a small group of people.
DEP Shows Off New Bioswales
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland displayed four new bioswales on Dean Street in Brooklyn this week.
Bioswales are vegetative pits on the side of the street that contain layers of soil, sand, and gravel. DEP said their introduction will filter storm-water slowly to prevent New York’s sewers from overflowing. The construction of the bioswales is part of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan which is meant to build green infrastructure over the next 20 years. Stickland said construction on the four bioswales on Dean Street will be complete by the end of November. He said the city are planning to build 10 bioswales city wide.
NYU Neurologist To Run Marathon For Alzheimer’s
At the ripe age of 50, NYU Neurologist Tom Wisniewski has taken it upon himself to put his body through a grueling 26 mile run all in the name of autism research.
Dr. Wisniewski decided to raise money for his research by running in the New York City Marathon that takes place on November 6. The marathon goes through all of the city’s five boroughs and attracts over 100,000 participants each year.
Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to The Bronx
Dozens of people gathered at Fordham Plaza on Saturday to participate in Occupy Wall Street protests that have spread to the Bronx.
Protesters came together to voice their concerns about a variety of social and economic issues.
“I think that this is a great opportunity for the people of the Bronx to get together and form an alliance with others, for us to really get out there and to be able to start demanding what it is that we should have had all the time, which is our fair share of resources,” said facilitator Lisa Ortega.
Ortega said it was only a matter of time before the movement spread to the Bronx which contains the country’s poorest congressional district.
Job-talk in Zuccotti Park
Diverse in ideology and demands, many occupiers of Wall Street agree that jobs and the economy are central issues of their movement.
Protesters have gathered in Zuccotti Park for the last 26 days to express frustrations over a variety of ideas. Jobs and the economy have been hot topics of conversation amongst the occupiers.
Photo by Alex Robinson
“10 years ago you could select what company you wanted to work for and find a job very easily. Now you have to be on a list and send out 300 resumes without any promise of employment,” said Carlos Cabrera, a 34-year-old Brooklyn man who has been at the protest since its first day, September 17.
Cabrera was a paramedic for 12 years before losing his job. He has been unemployed for the last year and a half. Cabrera said that he has considered going back to school to rebrand himself, but it would put him in debt.
Sharon Kennedy, 62, a retired attorney for the state’s court system attended the protest for the first time today.
“Two of my three children are having trouble finding work. One has actually had to go to Korea to teach English for a couple years because he couldn’t find a job when he got out of college, so there’s a very direct impact on our family,” she said.
Kennedy attributes Occupy Wall Street to the recession and unemployment. She said that the recent economic downturn highlighted the long-standing social inequalities of the country.
“I’m here to express my support for the jobs bill because I think that it will create jobs and reduce some of the income inequity by making the wealthy pay more of their fair share then they do now,” she said.
Social Media Diary
- On September 22nd, I posted my question on Twitter and linked to my blog post in the following tweet:
I used the hashtags #USPS, #postoffice, #SouthBronx, #Bronx, and #jobs as they seemed like they were the most relevant that would garner the most amount of hits. I however failed in attracting any response.
- On September 26th, I tweeted the following:
After I didn’t receive any reply to this either, I started to wonder if there were better hashtags for the Bronx and the South Bronx, and found out that people use #bx as a Bronx hashtag.
- So then on September 29th, I tweeted the following:
I tried using some other hashtags, and rephrasing my query in order to attract possibly business owners in the South Bronx. I still did not unfortunately receive any response. Because so much of the South Bronx’s population is living under the poverty line, I think it is safe to assume that a lot of them have very limited internet access. A lot of the unemployed people of the South Bronx (who are the people who I am most interested in speaking with, in all likely-hood do not peruse Twitter).
- On October 5th, I posted the following on Flickr to promote my question and blog post:
I posted my question and link in the description of the photo, and added relevant tags (Melrose, South Bronx, Post Office, USPS…).
Elderly Residents of Melrose Lament Possible Loss of Post Office
The possible closure of their post office will mean more than a loss of jobs for residents of Melrose.
The US Postal Service has announced a list of post offices due to close by year-end, which will inevitably mean layoffs for postal workers.
Photo by Alex Robinson
The Melcourt Post Office, situated on Melrose Ave, is one of the branches facing the axe. This could mean the two main employees of the branch could lose their jobs, but Branch Manager Tinka Williams is not worried. “I have 20-something years in, so they have to find me some place. They can’t just lay me off,” said Williams.
Williams said she is more concerned about how the branch closure will affect the residents of the neighborhood.
“It’s a bad thing for the area, because we have a lot of elderly people around here and they need this. This is close to them, and easy to get to,” she said.
With the closure, elderly residents of Melrose will find themselves without somewhere to do essential things such as paying bills.
Ethel Griffith, a 63-year-old retiree of the community said she is at a loss as to how she will cope without it.
“I send my checks for my rent, my check for my light and gas, my cable. I send my checks from here,” she said.
For the many residents living under the poverty line in Melrose, using the Internet to carry out these functions is not an easy option, as few have Internet access at home.
Proximity is a big issue for the elderly in Melrose, said Williams. Without the Melrose branch nearby, some will have to travel all the way over to the 149th and Grand Concourse branch.
“Please, please don’t close the post office. Leave something for us. Do something for us, please,” pleaded Griffith.
If your local post office closes, how will it affect you?
SEO Exercise
Old SEO: As Jobs Decline, New Yorkers Contemplate Hydrofracking
New SEO: As Jobs Decline, New York Considers Fracking
http://linthuinteractive.journalism.cuny.edu/2011/09/08/as-jobs-decline-new-yorkers-contemplate-hydrofracking/
From Washington DC to New York City, Politicians Talk Jobs Jobs Jobs.
After the Bureau of Labour Statistics released disheartening unemployment numbers, the country’s political arena was full of job-talk this week, as politicians attempted to calm job-market panic:
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced $180,000 worth of grants for small businesses on Tuesday. He declared that the city’s number-1 priority is to create jobs, reported WNYC. The Department of Small Business Services will give this round of grants to four businesses. After unpopular budget cuts this summer that resulted in 777 school employees losing their jobs, Bloomberg hopes that the grants will provide spark to New York City’s job-market.
- In what was seen by some as a referendum on President Obama’s ability to handle the country’s economic woes, Bob Turner (R) won the race to replace ex-Rep Anthony Weiner, reports the New York Times. Turner beat David Weprin (D), in a tightly contended race that ended on Tuesday. “We seek leadership and direction in returning prosperity and finding jobs for the people of this district,“ said the congressman-elect in his victory speech. Jobs and the faltering economy were central issues in a race that saw District 9 elect their first Republican to congress since 1923.
- Obama proposed his new Jobs Act to congress last Thursday, in the hopes to stimulate the country’s stagnant job-market. If passed by congress, the bill would provide tax cuts for small business owners as well as a number of spending measures. Obama has said that the $447 billion bill would be funded by deficit reduction measures determined by the Joint Congressional Committee.