04.18.07
Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant and Pub
Halloween comes around once a year but in Greenwich Village, the holiday of witches, ghouls, and ghastly spirits lasts 365 days of the year.
Located on 91 Seventh Avenue South, is a cozy, dark, and spooky restaurant called Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant and Bar.
The family-friendly restaurant provides yummy meals with horror names. You can even create your own monster burger if the Frankenstein or Hyde burgers don’t appeal to your taste buds.
Every 10-20 minutes, patrons are entertained with singing mummies and skeletons. Did I mention the maid that walks around dusting the place?
And of course, the best part of all is the introduction of the mad scientist who tries to bring Dr. Jekyll, also known as Mr. Hyde alive yet fails miserably time and time again.
So the next time you are looking for a spooky feast, be sure to stop by at Jekyll and Hyde, New York’s only haunted restaurant and bar. For more information, log on to http://www.jekyllpub.com/
previously published on
http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/usa_new-york_new-york-city/
Girls Today, Women Tomorrow?
As I sat on the bus heading to downtown Brooklyn, I overheard the conversation of a group if high school aged girls and shook my head in disgust.
These girls just sat on the bus and called each other derogatory terms, just for fun and without embarrassment.
The use of the b-word has become so common that it is equivalent to the name Betty or Patricia. The funny thing is none of the other passengers on the bus even flinched.
Thoughts of the future ran through my head and worry came over me. Was I looking at the future? Would they grow up to become productive members of society or the ones to bring it to its demise?Yes, the youth of today are the future of tomorrow. I have heard that over and over again.
As I looked at those girls, I wondered if they really were the future. Since we all would claim they are, the future isn’t looking too bright.
When I was in high school, I was shocked to hear those words come out of people’s mouths. I thought to myself that I would never utter those words. It was not lady-like. Those words were inappropriate and did not reflect my level of intelligence.
It’s a shame that society is not moving forward, but backward. We have been so desensitized by the common use of the b-word that is has made its way into our everyday language. I have heard the b-word so often that I wonder if we as a society are incapable of constructing a sentence without the derogatory term.
How can women call their fellow sisters, mothers, aunts, and nieces the b-word and complain when men do the same? What message are we relaying to our husbands, brothers, fathers, uncles, and nephews?
The fact that we feel at ease when we call other women the b-word, simply tells men that we do not respect ourselves or our sex.Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love myself?” Can you look at other women despite their ethnicity, culture, or creed and say, “that is my sister and I respect her?”I just can’t seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
The b-word has become an honor to have. Countless shows on television showcase two or women fighting over a man 95 percent of the time, yelling out a variety of names.
Why do we continue to give men that pleasure? It just doesn’t make sense. Are we thinking before we speak? before we act? Mothers, your daughters look up to you. Set the right example. Restrain yourself and your tongue. Society will thank you for it. I will thank you for it.
Have you noticed that you are oppressing yourself? We can no longer blame men for keeping women under their thumb. We are doing a pretty good job ourselves.Women, unite and do your share in eliminating the use of the b-word from the world for future generations.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 2/13/07
04.17.07
Hey Study Buddy
So the first week of school came and went. You have already maxed out your credit cards with the expensive textbooks you bought for class. You sat in on the first session of every class and by now should have a general idea of the flow of each class. I know how you must feel.
Personally, I am taking my last 18 credits, six classes and then I graduate in May. I’ve pretty much piled it all on myself and my plate is overflowing. With a semester full of electives, I have to familiarize myself with these foreign subjects after taking journalism for the last two years. Business has never been my strong suit. Quite frankly, math and I never got along. We never played nice. Don’t get me started on the sciences, although I am surprised that I did pretty well in the courses I was forced to take while attending Brooklyn College.
In my last semester, I decided to take Personal Finance, to educate myself with the proper tools to better manage my finances. As a college student, I always got the impression that these four years would be a time of exploration and self-discovery. It would be during those four years that I would discover my passion for life, my career path, and for some of you your life partners. So far, I can say that I have played along.
I remember when I was in high school and I wanted to be a physical therapist, a language translator, a graphic designer, etc. I went from one extreme to another and then my now ex-boyfriend suggested that I tap into my strong writing skills and look into journalism. Who would’ve thought that he had a point? I would like to think that I have done pretty well in my chosen field. I love it. There is just so much potential with journalism.
Whether you are a freshman or not, there are just some classes that you will take where it was if the professor was speaking a foreign language. I’ve been there and done that. What can you really do if you are caught in that position? Well, why not find a study buddy? Maybe you can even form a study group? It beats failing the class and in some cases, having to retake the course.
With a study buddy, you have some to dependon and hopefully, help you navigate through the foreign coursework and text. If you’re a risk taker, I bet you will just sit in every class baffled by what is going on around you. What sense does it make to go through a 15-week semester without learning one bit of information? Who are you hurting the most? It is certainly not your professor. In case you don’t know the answer, you’d be hurting yourself.
Reality check! If you didn’t understand the course throughout the semester, you’re not going to get a fluke of genius in time for finals week. Why take the chance? Don’t waste your time or money just sitting around. Find a classmate and study together. Besides, who wants an “F” on their college transcript. These days, we have to think about graduate school. Use your head and get a studybuddy.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 2/5/07
Senior Thoughts
I can just see it now, the fanfare playing, my proud parents waving and taking pictures, and I’m modeling my maroon-color graduation gown. Graduation day is just around the corner on May 31, 2007.
I am not going to say that I dreamed about this day, because I didn’t. I will, however, admit that I never really thought that I would survive college. I knew that I hoped to graduate out of college, but I did not know how easy or difficult it would be.
Friendship. Family. Knowledge. Experience. Pride. Those are the five things I will leave here with. I have made so many friends over the course of my years here. I laugh every time I think about my freshman year, when I was determined to be introverted and distant from my classmates. I am grateful to the friends I made in my freshman block who did the opposite and brought me along for the ride. I would like to think that we have made a positive influence on the other. Many of them, I cannot wait to see on graduation day under the hot sun on the beautiful quadrangle beaming with excitement, satisfaction, and just plain awe of our achievements.
Most of my friends here are like family. Members of the Kingsman fall into that category. The same goes for the members of Haitian-American Student Association and Arts Coalition. I practically lived on campus. If I wasn’t with one, I would be with the other, sharing my time as evenly as I could between the three. For those of you who feel left out, trust me you are not forgotten.
Although I hate to admit it, the core curriculum was in some ways beneficial to me. I learned about other cultures in Core 9. I heard beautiful, classical pieces in Core 2. I tightened up my writing skills in English 1 and 2. Core 10 expanded the way I thought of society and religion. I wish I could have taken Spanish, but I was exempt from the foreign language requirement because I aced my high school regents. Core 5 has allowed me to live a portion of my former dreams of becoming a computer graphic artist. The many electives I had to take after I completed my cores and major requirements varied from Aerobics to Public Relations.
I love Brooklyn College. I have way too much school pride at times. If I could, I would walk out of the bookstore with all of the memorabilia. I just love this school that much.
Now I will be honest with you. I was frustrated at times with the bureaucracy of this campus but that was only five percent of the time. I took advantage of what this college had to offer, and I recommend that you all should do the same. Get to know your classmates and professors. Join a few of the clubs on campus. My plan was to leave this college with a whole network of friends and wonderful memories and I can guarantee that I have done just that.
Before I graduate, I have a long list of things to do. I have to go to at least one sports game. I have heard and read rave reviews about BC’s theater students so I will be attending an upcoming production. I have been to the recitals and concerts as a result of my Core 2 class. Even though I only have a little more than three months before I am officially an alumna, I have plenty more to see, things to do, and a hundred more people to meet. I already miss this school.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 2/5/07
Sworn to Protect?
Disgust. Disappointment. Pity. Anger. Those are the words that come to mind as I heard of another life left hanging in the balance as a result of someone’s irresponsible actions.
It is too often that I hear of a young man or woman struck by a vehicle, because the person behind the wheel was under the influence of alcohol.
Billions of dollars are being spent to remind Americans that driving while drunk is dangerous for you and everyone else on the road. Time and time again, those pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Recently, 23-year-old Nickossi Mathurin was heading home from work yesterday when his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. What makes this tragic story stand out? An off-duty police officer was behind the wheel of the car that struck him.
Now, he lies helpless in his hospital bed surrounded by family and friends praying for his speedy recovery after suffering a head injury.
I am baffled when I think of how hypocritical it is for police officers, the men and women entrusted with providing a secure environment, are the same ones committing the crimes.
It is a damn shame to think that police officers sworn to protect and serve the public are the ones mowing down their own neighbors with their vehicles.
Whether you are in you uniform or not, you are not above the law. There is no justification for being drunk behind the wheel.
I cannot understand how you can live with yourself the next time you pull someone over for drunk driving when you yourself have done the same.
Shame on you 41-year-old Police Officer John Duggan, a detective no less. If I could, I would demote you and every other officer who has been in your place one time or another to work the street beat. You bring shame to
New York’s Bravest and all New Yorkers.
I was always taught to respect men and women of authority. Mom used to tell me that whenever you are lost look for a police officer and he or she would figure out a way to get me home safely. If the men and women we have put in a position of authority continue to violate the law they swore to uphold, what do we teach our children?
Do we continue to tell them that police officers are here to protect you when they are the same ones who abuse you? the same ones who drive drunk behind the wheel? the same ones who harass you?
Let me make this clear, I am not trying to generalize and say that all police officers are the same. I know they are not. There are a lot of good officers on the force. It’s unfortunate that we have to hear that one did this or the other did that. Once was involved in mob activities or the other was paid off to protect a drug dealer.
There are times when I wonder how do we distinguish between a good cop and a bad cop. Truth be told, there are no signs unless you look really closely. I just hope that the good outnumber the bad for all of our sakes.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 2/15/07
