Social Awareness Project

Media/ News Immersion-
      After hurricane Sandy hit New York many places were destroyed. Long Island Beach, Coney Island, Rockaway, and Staten Island. For the past few days I have been collecting news articles on the destruction of hurricane Sandy. With Sandy came time of struggle and help. Many people have no homes, nothing left to them except the clothes on their bodies. Since the hurricane many people are now homeless and need they help they didn`t need before. Many volunteers are helping by donating and providing many necessary items but even with all the help Staten Island doesn`t feel the same. 
        Watching from out side my window I see many cars go by. Constant ambulances and fire trucks pass by. people going back and fourth. Even with the constant sirens I doesn`t sound the same around here. In the articles it says that people came back to a house that was no longer their. Many things were swept out of homes and people were stuck on the thought " what do we do next?" These people when from big mansion homes to nothing but a temporary shelter. Many people are struggling to get back on their feet again but it is hard. I saw Father Capidano Boulevard ( South Beach Staten Island) and it looked awful from nice beach front houses to ice cream trucks slammed into a home and sidewalk concrete being broken down and houses being buried into the cracks. There are not too many things left.Luckily there's help. This is now the new reality. Poverty and how people can other comes situations like this.
          Many people are positive and can bare the sadness other are just stuck on what to do next. Its necessary to help those who most need it. Here in Staten Island people need all the help they can get. This has become a serious poverty struck over many people and i see it everyday.
          
Observe your surroundings- 
         - Damage from hurricane
         - Popularity
         - Peer Pressure
         - Families
        As I`ve  been looking out my window lately and things are kind off the same. Same traffic every morning, same amount of cars crossing in front of my street but not the same feeling. Around my neighborhood things are quiet as always but there are more sirens and less people walking in the streets. A few miles away from my house are the serious damages of Staten Island, were homes used to be and were peoples beds and closets used to be. Over all you can see the commotion  Although their is help from volunteers the poverty that is growing is tremendous. Some people are beginning to feel their reality. Their new life style is just to hard for them to get used to they are living like many impoverished people every were.
       Poverty is affecting their life like many others, especially with this economical crisis that`s going on in nowadays its harder to get enough money to help everyone. Many now need jobs because their old ones were flooded or damaged. Many jobs are also not needing of employ's so its tougher to find a job.Its also getting harder for many people but for others their is a path of success. Success to having a house and their old way of life back to them but for now. 
       Along with struggle comes success and many people can find this success in many things like finally getting a home or getting a job. But the government should also give their hand out to those who mostly need it and offer homes or materials that most need but don`t have. They should provide them a temporary home to live untill they are ready to move out. They should especially help those who have young children give them supplies needed to try and sustain them for a while. These are very helpful and needed solutions to the consequences of hurricane sandy.       

Write an original literary piece-
                         Rain

 It drips upon my face

 Cooled water of sadness.

 is it true the sky is mad?

 is it sad?

 Why cant it just go away

 I guess rain really does ruin

 a good day.

I see it drip drop but it won’t

                         Stop.

It goes and keeps on pouring.

Why rain must you ruin a good

          DAY?

This poem is about all the rain that has been going on lately. Ever since hurricane Sandy, the nor eastern and the rain/ snow a few days ago. Is nature trying to tell us something? A warning? Everything was fine till the new of the hurricane came after that the weather has been acting weird. We can`t play with these ‘signals’ that out earth is trying to give us. Near the Gowanus waters have been contaminated as well as many areas. We need to be more aware and pay attention to surroundings as well as increasing high temperatatures.

I think that we should prepare now for any other natural disasters coming our way.  We need to protect our fellow citizens from potentially being in the positions that others are in. something as simple as to evacuate please do follow orders because that’s a family less that is not killed by the disaster

Blog post #2

      Against all her odds, this girl is the brave and courageous heroine of Katniss Everdeen. The book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second of the trilogy The Hunger Games. In Catching fire Katniss comes back from the hunger games with Peeta and after a wile they say hi to their loved ones again. Katniss sees Gale again and notices a slight distance in his attitude. Peeta goes bake to the bakery with his parents but Katniss and Peeta don`t even look at each other. Living in their new homes given to them by the capitol a rebellion is forming in the capitol started by Katniss and Peeta. Katniss believes and is sticking up for her district because she believes that fighting to the death for entertainment is not fair but the capitol highly disagrees. Why is the capitol always trying to get back at Katniss? Is it because their afraid of her?

     

" The Forgotten Borough"

       After the destructive hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey many people who once had a home now have nothing. Sandy brought strong winds and waters with her but sadly homes were wrecked, things were lost and lives were lost in the process. Places especially hit where places like Long Island, Rocaway, Coney Island, Red Hook, Breezy Point and places in New Jersey. President Barack Obama was especially concerned about all the destruction and damage done to homes and people; so he sent people from FEMA and The American Red Cross to give a helping hand. Luckily these places and people are getting assisted except for 'the forgotten borough' of Staten Island. In the article "Hurricane Sandy Victims Will Rebuild After Red Cross ' Too Little, Too Late' " by Eleanor Goldberg, it states that mean while all these other places are getting help 1 day or 2 after the storm, Staten Island isn`t even getting a crumb of the help.

      " I`d like somebody who does this for a living so I know we`re doing what needs to get done" says local Joe Caldarera of Staten Island. People have been doubting help from organisations like FEMA and The Red Cross because they don`t seem interested or determined to help the people of this borough. So far it`s just been neighbor to neighbor helping each other save what they can and get water out of their homes.Even local businesses have made free foods and items to give to people in their communities  Other Islanders have created little meetings where people can drop off clothing, blankets, pillows, flashlights and many more items that can be passable to other who desperateness need it. I think everyone is slowly going to come back to "normalcy" after a wile but a little slower because they barely have enough help already. The mayor and governor I think need also to spread the help equally among places in the state, so that everyone can recuperate in a positive way.

      During a press conference Borough President James Molinaro of Staten Island says " All these people making bis salaries should be out there font the front line and my advice to the people of Staten Island is: Do not donate to the American Red Cross. Let them get their money elsewhere". Many agree with Molinaro. Neglected, people in desperate times are being neglected, apparently others are maybe benefiting from warm food, water and maybe even temporary shelters, but no. Citizens say that they haven`t even see 1 Red Cross food truck or any type of service till 5 days later when one finally did show up. " We`re doing all that we can...we`re here" says one lady who works in the Red Cross food truck. they claimed to have been their for the past few days but still are arguing that they didn`t even see one.I think services should have been announced immdiently people would have gotten what they needed and just have to wait with a matter of sheltering.

     Volunteers have been the bright side to these dark few days in Staten Island from helping take out water from their homes to checking and asking everyone of their needs. These people devoted their time kindness to their communities and people on their borough. Most don`t even know each other but still share hugs and service, most of these volunteers are from young teenagers to retired citizens."Communities will always take care of themselves, and if you wait for government or huge nonprofits to come in, most of the time its too little, too late" says councilman Vincent Ignizio. Communities should help them selves flourish again by having found raisers and raising awareness to people who may want to contribute to the cause. I that those who need jobs and don`t have any thing to do should help the other person that doesn`t know what to do like volunteering to help better those families and communities. I also think since I live in Staten Island and I was lucky to have been OK I would help those who don`t not for money but for everyone.

       This article has opened my eyes about how important community is and how people become one to help each other even though their in the same position. These people all live a few blocks from the beach that now they don`t know where there house is.Sandy destroyed all that these people had and knew. People are searching for photos and memories that sustained the storm to warm their hearts. No shelter, power or water makes this fight harder but with we can accomplish to becoming and even stronger community in the future. I think this is how community should be on a daily bases giving each other a welcoming helping hand. We will turn out successful in the end.