Author Archives: derick

ludicrously

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ludicrous

adjective  lu·di·crous  \ ˈlü-də-krəs \
Definition :amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
I was reading the article about  Will Self and while I was reading , I encountered a word  that I’ve heard before ,but never payed any attention to it. I knew what it sort of what It meant be never looked up the word in order for me to understand it fully. This is where i encountered the word, “We’ll, we’re only a fraction of the way there, but in terms of my longer walk, starting in London, I’m already halfway, and I can say that I am ludicrously happy. I am in a state of almost absurd satori.” The words that fist pops up to my head is “ecstatic” or “super” .  Once I went online  to fully understand the word I was partially right but wrong at the same time. Thankfully I went online , and understand the word better. An example of the word ludicrous,  When President Trump tweet’s in Twitter, he always has  to start a ludicrous topic .

Boisterous

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boisterous

adjective  bois·ter·ous  \ ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs \

DEFINITION : noisily turbulent : rowdy

While I was reading a essay about project 4 , I came across a word that  I didn’t know what the meaning was, so I used context clues to figure the word out. This is where I encountered the word, “New York City has been and always will be a place known for its boisterous noises and wild energy that is the lights, people and entertainment. ”  While I was using contexts clues, I figured that the word that came close to it was loud or distracting. Once I went online and search up the word,  I knew what the word meant . An example using the word boisterous, Your boisterous behavior at school will not be tolerated.

hectic

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hectic

adjective  hec·tic  \ ˈhek-tik \ characterized by activity, excitement, or confusion

While I was reading some of my classmates work in project 4 , I came across to this word “hectic”.  This is what I came across while I was reading “Brooklyn in The morning can be hectic.” I tried using context  clues in this situation and the word that pop up in my head was crazy . When I went online,  searching for the definition , I understood what the sentence meant. An example using the word hectic would be , New York City train station is always hectic in the morning .

dwindle

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dwindle

verb  dwin·dle  \ ˈdwin-dᵊl \ 
intransitive verb

: to become steadily less : shrink 

  • Their savings dwindled to nothing.
  • a dwindling population
  • transitive verb : to make steadily less .   

While I was reading one of the essays in project 4, I encountered this word “Dwindle” and I  knew I heard that word before, but I didn’t know where I heard it from. I wasn’t sure what the word meant,  so I used contexts clues to see if I could understand the word better.  This is where I encountered Dwindle,  “All three articles explained the positives of walking and how it may dwindle depression and can stop a person from brooding.” I read this sentence multiple times and the only words that come across to my head was lessen or decrease. I went online and search up the definition and understood what dwindle meant.  An example of using dwindle, The panda population is dwindling…. etc…

Project 4 part 3 resources(5)

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Barton, Joe “The health benefits of walking in greenspaces of high natural and heritage value.” Journal Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, Essex,UK  28, May, 2008

The article is about how beneficial walking in nature  or green spaces can be for the human  health.   The article starts off mentioning how people are busy with their daily live’s and never have time to go to visit nature and exploring it.  Continuing, the author mention in a appealing  tone ,  why taking walk’s in green spaces  are beneficial for the human body .  Barton explains thoroughly, how it increases self-esteem , reducing significantly any negative moods , and physically can help  people that want to in shape.  Overall , I agree with Barton because walking through green area’s can help you physically and emotionally with  willpower and the effort that people put in at the end of the day.

KEYWORDS: Green, benefiting people, health

 

Breene, Sophia “13 Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise.” Huffington Post 27,March,2013

This article is about,  how exercising reward’s the human body in many different aspect.  Breene give’s the reader 13 reason why exercising is the best medicine for most negative thought’s.  She give’s plenty of fact about exercising being beneficial, like  reducing stress, alleviating anxiety and more… This article ultimately, is about exercising improving human health inside and out.  this article would be good evidence for my project because if exercising help’s people in many ways then it would be killing two birds and one stone if they exercise in the park and would enhance their health dramatically.

KEYWORDS: Exercising, health benefits,

 

Gregoire,Carolyn “Taking A Walk In Nature Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Mood All Day.”  Huff Post 23, September,2014

This article is about people moods changing in a positive or negative aspect nature and if nature plays a big role in a person mood.  The article mention that 1,991 people were involved in this experiment . Some participated in the walk and the result of this was showing synergy within the group . Meanwhile, the people that didn’t participated had gain stress and negative effects. This would benefit my essay or anyone else’s essay if their theme is nature as well because this article explain’s how beneficial walking in nature  is. This would enhance anyone’s  essay in persuasive  view point.

KEYWORDS: mood,synergy,health,nature

 

Gretchen, Reynolds“How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain.”  The New York Times 22,July,2015

In this article  Mr. Reynolds  talk’s about  Gregory Bratman research, about the before and after effects in walking in nature.   Gregory Bratman  was a former student  Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University. Reynolds explain’s more about Bratman’s research. In the article it also mentions how the human brain restrains from stress and has less blood flow compared when someone that is “work up”.  Bratman also predicted that people that don’t explore nature as frequently are more likely to get mental illness like, depression , anxiety and more. Observing Bratman research , walking through nature help’s reduce’s  significantly mental illnesses.  Ultimately , this article is about the brain patterns, how different brain patterns change when people go to nature and what are the after effect when people go to nature. However, this connects to my project because if people take the route that has no green , they are most likely to be  negative. The positive side of walking through nature  would reduce being negative and actually help people with stress, negative thoughts .

KEYWORDS: Brain power, behavior change, health

 

Locke,Robert“7 Amazing Health Benefits of Walking in the Woods You Probably Don’t Know.”  Life Hack

This article is about 7 incredible benefits that walking in nature is good for the human health. it mention s that walking in a green space can reduce stress, may help reducing stress and also reducing loneliness. It also mention’s help curing cancer , losing weight, lowering blood pressure , and brain’s function better. This article is good for my essay because the mention’s all of the benefits that would enhance my essay.

 

New Route’s Mental Health Benefits project 4

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Being a college student in an urban place, such as New York City, can become a hassle. Not only do we have to worry about our grades every semester, but we also receive stress by the simple reason of commuting in the city. The importance for City Tech students is to add walking through the park to their commute would be beneficial for them . Nature is significant to our mental health because it relieves stress, and as a college student that is crucial. It can also be beneficial because it sharpens your memory and it keeps you more aware of your surroundings.

The usual route that I take to City Tech is the most effective one for me, but it does not benefits’ me in absorbing nature. I take the R train, from a block away from my home  to Jay St-Metro Tech. It only takes me five minutes to get to City Tech and then I get stuck inside for four hours daily. Just describing my usual route, it already stresses me out. As soon as I wake up, I get enclosed inside the subway, only to come out and become confined in college. This might be a common feeling for City Tech students. In New York Times, the article “How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain” by Gretchen Reynolds mentions, “Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces have a higher incidence of psychological problems than people living near parks and that city dwellers who visit natural environments have lower levels of stress hormones […]”. This is common in New York City and it is relatable to everyone, not just college students. That is why the different route that I have decided on is more beneficial. The reason being, that the ten to fifteen minutes walk, from High St. to City Tech passes by a park.

Although, this route still involves passing by grey tall buildings, the moment you walk inside the park to get to the street you need to cross is a great feeling. The feeling of suffocation of the buildings disappears, along with your stress and thoughts. The park is like a mini-meditation spot, breathing in the fresh air that the trees provide us with, becomes a blessing. Hearing the birds chirp and watching the squirrels live their daily life becomes relaxing. Tress line up , showing me the path to this free and easy journey putting my mind at ease.  This route will be even better during the middle of the semester. When there is a lot of work to do, especially when finals start to come in. In the article, “13 Mental Health Benefits of Exercise”, by Sophia Breene, she mentions a lot of different ways that walking or any exercise can do to our body and mental health. But I am going to focus more on the mental health side because that is vital in a college student’s way of living. Breene mentions, “Exercise also increases concentrations of nor epinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So, go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension”. Walking is considered an exercise. Therefore, it is important to incorporate a walk of ten to fifteen minutes in your daily schedule to reduce stress. It does not only have to be related to college stress, but also, personal stress. Having mental tension is awful and if a bit of walking can fix the problem a bit.

Not only does walking in the park reduce stress, but it can also sharpen your memory, which is favorable college students. Breene comments that, “Regular physical activity boosts memory and ability to learn new things”. This adds more positive feedback to the new route I’ve decided because if it becomes part of a City Tech walker’s routine, it can benefit them greatly. Having the capacity to have a better memory and to learn new things is significant as a college student. The majority of us wish that we had that ability naturally, but if there is a way to fix it then might as well take advantage. To realize that such a simple routine, such as walking for a certain amount of time can do so much is quite surprising. It is only a matter of waking up earlier and trying your best to see the positive side of taking the alternative route. It is always great to spice things up, especially when it come with positive mental health benefits.

The different route I have decided on has many beneficial things to offer City Tech walkers. Walking for a few minutes can change a lot within your mental health. It is useful because it can make you grow more as a college student and prepare you, mentally for anything school related. Having a unique connection to nature may sound cheesy, but it is scientifically proven that it can reduce stress and boost your memory. As a college student myself, I find this very important because in order to succeed in classes, your mental health needs to be prioritized. If the stress you have cannot be relieved in any way, then it can intervene with your studies and grades.  This is why I think my alternative route is worth a City Tech walker their time and effort. It will benefit them mentally speaking, which is important. Especially, in a city like New York.

 

Works Cited

Breene, Sophia “13 Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise.” Huffington Post 27, March, 2013

Gretchen, Reynolds“How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain.”  The New York Times 22, July,     2015

 

New Route’s Mental Health Benefits project 4 draft

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Being a college student in an urban place, such as New York City, can become a hassle. Not only do we have to worry about our grades every semester, but we also receive stress by the simple reason of living in the city. The importance for City Tech walkers to take the route that I have decided is that it involves a lot of nature. Nature is significant to our mental health because it relieves stress and as a college student that is crucial. It can also be beneficial because it sharpens your memory and it keeps you more aware of your surroundings. To make the best of it with this route, it is preferably not to listen to music, in order to be connected to nature, visually and audibly.

The usual route that I take to City Tech is the most affective one for me, but it does not benefits’ me in absorbing nature. I take the R train, that is located a block away from my home and it takes me to Jay St-Metro Tech. It only takes me five minutes to get to City Tech and then I get stuck inside for four hours daily. Just describing my usual route, it already stresses me out. As soon as I wake up, I get enclosed inside the subway, only to come out and become confined in college. This might be a common feeling for City Tech students. In New York Times, the article “How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain” by Gretchen Reynolds mentions, “Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces have a higher incidence of psychological problems than people living near parks and that city dwellers who visit natural environments have lower levels of stress hormones […]”. This is common in New York City and it is relatable to everyone, not just college student. That is why the different route that I have decided on is more beneficial. The reason being, that the ten to fifteen minutes walk, from High St. to City Tech passes by a park.

Although, this route still involves passing by grey tall buildings, the moment you walk inside the park to get to the street you need to cross is a great feeling. The feeling of suffocation of the buildings disappears with your stress and thoughts. The park is like a mini-meditation spot, breathing in the fresh air that the trees provide us with, becomes a blessing. Hearing the birds chirp and watching the squirrels live their daily life becomes relaxing. This route will be even better when in the middle of the semester when there is a lot of work to do, especially when finals start to come in. In the article, “13 Mental Health Benefits of Exercise”, by Sophia Breene, she mentions a lot of different ways that walking or any exercise, can do to our body and mental health. But I am going to focus more on the mental health side because that is vital in a college student’s way of living. Breene mentions, “Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So, go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension”. Walking is considered an exercise. Therefore, it is important to incorporate a walk of ten to fifteen minutes in your daily schedule to reduce stress.

Project 4 part2

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My alternative walk would start from High Street, Brooklyn Bridge  train station.  While coming out from the train station you’ll be facing from South side.  Looking to the South-West,  you’ll be noticing the two way streets and passed the two way street,you will be seeing Cadman Plaza Park . Go North to Middagah St and cross the intersection. Once crossing intersection, you enter Cadman Plaza Park and while facing the west side , you’ll be seeing  lots of Trees , grass ,benches and  also monuments. The first monuments that you will come across is from William Jay Gaynor, having the his history in-graved in the granite made monument. Walking past that side , the other side of the monument you be discovering the bronze sculpture of Gaynor  on a Granite pedestal. Moving on From the monument  heading to the south , you’ll be encountering a a two walkways that go in different directions, you are going to take the left walkway and walk straight ahead. While  strolling in the park , you’ll be seeing benches in that walkway and lined up trees. Passing through the walkway, you’ll be seeing  a glimpse of a large memorial  while heading to the south side of the park . Once you encounter with the memorial, you’ll be seeing a big limestone memorial that has an engraved comment  with 2 enormous statues, with one being a female and the other being male. despite the memorial , you’ll also be seeing a big field right in front of the memorial and benches surrounding the field.    Continuing the route walking straight ahead , you’ll be seeing the exit in font of you . Once exiting from the South side of the park, you are going to be viewing a three lane street in front of you in Tillary St . From there, you are going to to take a left toward the west side and walk straight forward until you reach to Jay St, . Once you reached to Jay street, you’re going to be crossing the street toward the south side and ultimately reaching to City Tech.  The walk from High Street to City tech will approximate take a extra 10 minutes compared to getting of from Jay Street Metro Tech.

Project 4 part 1

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Normally, my route going to City Tech would be the fastest way possible from where I live. I would usually take the R train from 45 street and wait for 8 stops until I get off from Jay street Metro Tech and leave from the Willoughby and Lawrence street exit. Once I’m on the street, I would walk towards Willoughby for a block and take a right towards jay street for two blocks and Reach my end of  journey. The only Highlight that I would get from this journey is that is it the fastest route.  However, last semester I had to take a alternative route due to power outage in Dekalb.  So I had to take the R train to Atlantic Barclay’s and transfer to the 2 train and get off at Nevins street,  I also  knew that it was going to take me an extra 15 minutes or so to get to City Tech.  Once I got off Nevin street train station , I look towards the the CVS store and started walking in that same direction. Then I saw Fulton street , and started walking towards Jay street. While I was walking in Fulton street, Some highlights that  I had was  the fact that there were a lot more store that I didn’t know about and also a new route to use for incase of any emergencies.

The Before And After Of Barclay’s

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The juxtaposition of the old and the new of gentrification impacts negatively to the community of Atlantic ST- Barclay’s Center. The old and the new creates another juxtaposition which is the poor and the rich. While I was looking up pictures of Barclays Center, I was filled with nostalgia. Seeing old picture of Atlantic yard (before Barclay Center) and the past and present pictures brought back memories. It is astonishing to me because my memory of Atlantic Yard is vivid and the gentrification of this community is obvious to see. There are still brown-stoned buildings that have been in this community for so long, yet the luxury building seems to be overtaking the community at a fast pace. According to the website Merriam Webster defines juxtaposition as, the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect. The old and the new of this community is a great example of a juxtaposed community. As I walk throughout Atlantic Yard, I can see that the old and the new is not just about the buildings, but also the people that live there.

The brown-stone buildings that are still left in Atlantic, screams the old Brooklyn. Seeing the luxury buildings being built all around the community, screams gentrification. The brown-stone buildings that are trying to survive in a community that is being renovated, is disheartening. It makes me wonder about the old residents that were kicked out or are in the process of being kicked out of their homes. A community that is no longer bringing them an authentic culture. A neighborhood that is becoming even more hard to survive financially than before. This reminds me of what Mr. Self said, from “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport” by Charles McGrath. He said, “There is a deep sadness to American poverty, greater than the sadness of any kind. It’s because America has such an ideology of success” (3). This quote can relate to Atlantic Ave because the poverty of the old residents is not being seen and it is being brushed away. The ideology of it, is the success of a neighborhood that is being gentrified. The success of the gentrification would be the amount of money it will make for the privileged.

The luxury buildings are being constructed for it to look modern and is creating a new Brooklyn. This is targeting new residents and bringing them the things they expect to see in a community they are moving into. The changes I have seen are the new shops that have been opened and targeting the pockets of the new residents. In “City Limits” by Colson Whitehead, he said “I never got a chance to say goodbye to some of my buildings” (3). This is a feeling that I share with the author because the New Yorkers that were born and raised here know that feeling of not having a chance to say goodbye to the memories they shared. Old stores are being closed in order for new stores to be open. This is the flow of gentrification and it creates another juxtaposition within the old and the new which is the poor and the rich.

The creation of the juxtaposition of the poor and the rich is once again related to the old and the new due to the gentrification of the neighborhood. The poor are the old residents that can no longer afford to live in their neighborhood. The rich are the ones that are creating new plans for the neighborhood and profiting from it. While the rich profits from their new plans, they create a contrasting effect. It is contrasting the residents of this neighborhood. The effect of it all is the topic of gentrification. It is noticeable that the old residents are trying to fight it, but it is not a successful fight after all. Whitehead mentions in his article, “Maybe we become New Yorkers the day we realize that New York will go on without us” (4).  This is the realization that I made as I walked the streets of the juxtaposed neighborhood of Atlantic Ave- Barclays Center. No matter how hard we try for a neighborhood not to change, it is bound to happen. There is no turning back once gentrification has set their eyes on a certain neighborhood, such as this one.

Nostalgia is a feeling that tries to hold on to the old, but it is not healthy to do so. The old and the new are linked because change is the contrasting effect of it. From this juxtaposition it may create a financial one which is the poor and the rich. Especially coming from a juxtaposed neighborhood that is having a dramatic change every day. There is always going to be mixed feelings when I walk by Atlantic Ave- Barclays Center. I hold dearly to the moments I would pass by there, as a child. These are the memories that I will hold and be able to observe the changes as a spectator. As Whitehead mentioned, “No matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, That used to be Munsey’s or That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge” (3). Memories are just memories and there is no way of going back to the old, once the new has started to make a move. Hopefully, I would have a chance to say goodbye to those brown-stone buildings that yells old Brooklyn! And welcome with a broken heart the luxury buildings. The biggest step is to accept the change of Atlantic Ave- Barclays Center.

Cite List

  • Colson Whitehead, “City Limits”; The Colossus of New York
  • Charles McGrath,” A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”;Books.