Today in my Graphic Arts class, we were told that legislation is trying to propose a mandate, in which all advertisements, whose images have been altered with Photoshop, bear a warning label alerting the public to the practice. The idea stems from scientific research that found that vulnerable consumers, particularly children and teens, might be fooled by the photos. That the photos might convince them that the models are really as perfect as the covers try to show, resulting in negative physical and mental health consequences.

Personally, I think if a person doesn’t have self confidence, they’ll continue to not have it, regardless of how a model or actress looks in pictures. If they are feeling this way, they should receive professional help, not take it out advertisements.

Sure beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but do you believe that people would want to buy a magazine cover if the person on the front is unattractive? And I was always under the assumption that everyone knows, regardless of a label, that editing is always done on advertisements.

No one in the world is perfect, touch ups in this type of business is a necessity, as the main goal is always to SELL, SELL, SELL.

Do you ever stand at the subway station, looking at your phone, bored, wanting desperately to make a phone call, or roam the internet, but can’t, due to no signal being available? Well, you might be in luck….just not anytime soon. Thomas F. Prendergast, the authority’s chairman, said that transit officials hope to add Wi-Fi, and possibly cell phone reception, aboard moving trains. The motivation behind the idea to expanded Wi-Fi and cell phone access, was actually in part, due to the demands of the growing population of young riders.

But don’t get excited just yet readers, as we don’t know how the project will be financed, or if the service will even be free.

Thankfully, there are already some subway stations that have started too offer free Wi-Fi and cell phone service. To bad these Wi-Fi ports are all in Manhattan, between 14th and 96th streets. And they only work at the actual stations, not on the trains.

Though there is no confirmed date, the MTA is hoping for this all to be done by 2017, where all 277 stations will be offered wireless coverage.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I for one can’t wait…granted of course, it’s free.

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Fire Drills appear to be so last year. With the recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left twenty students and six staff members dead, some schools have taken it upon themselves, to prepare for the likelihood of such an incident.

During these mock attacks, masked men armed with guns, which are filled with blanks, break into a school, and take aim at the teachers and students.

These attacks are meant to help people learn what to do, if they were ever in such a situation.  

But so far, the survival rate has been grim in many of these “attacks”. By one teacher’s account, in a library filled with fifteen teachers, only two went “unhurt” by the gunmen. She herself was hit multiple times.

The city, for example, has been experimenting with surprise drills. But so far, the results have been mixed at best. During an unannounced practice lock down, at East Harlem’s Public School 79, which is home to special needs kids, the attack was so realistic, that a teacher called the cops.

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I for one, go back and forth on whether or not this is a good idea. While practicing for these attacks is good preparation, I think unannounced drills, is a step too far, and much too dangerous. You can’t control people’s reactions during these unannounced drills, which can lead to panic, and subsequently dangerous outcomes.

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Usually my blog posts have to do with what’s happening in NYC, but I’d like to dedicate this post, to the city of Boston, who many of you may know, was recently attacked. On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded, on Boylston Street, near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, and injuring 183 others. My thoughts and prayers are currently with the families of the deceased, and with those that were injured. It seems as if you can’t go to school, a movie, or run a race, without something horrible happening. With one of the suspects deceased, the other one in custody, I hope justice is swift, and brings some peace to this horrific city. How any human being can do such a thing, is beyond me. What makes this crime even more heart wrenching, is the fact that all three victims were so young, the youngest being an eight year old boy.

It’s times like this that we should all come together as a country. There are many ways you can help, such as donating to the numerous charities set up for the victims. So, let’s find some way to do our part, as we continue to pray for the citizen’s of Boston.

I’m sure everyone by now, has heard the story of shamed politician, Anthony Weiner. In 2011, Weiner was a Congressman, who represented the Brooklyn-Queens district, for more than a decade. He resigned after several provocative photographs of himself, engaging in lewd interactions, were leaked online. Instead of privately sending the sexually explicit image privately, Weiner accidently tweeted it to his 45,000 followers.

After leaving the political world behind, Weiner now plays the role of stay at home husband and dad. He spends his time picking up his wife’s dry cleaning, babysitting their son, and sticking close to his Park Avenue apartment.

But it appears as though Weiner is ready to put the past behind him, as he eyes the New York’s 2013 mayoral race. Weiner was quoted as wanting a “second chance” from voters, and called the upcoming mayoral race a case of “now or maybe never for me.” While he doesn’t know when he would make a firm decision about running for mayor, he acknowledged he would be the underdog. However, he would have a $4.3 million war chest to work with, funds left over from a previous mayoral campaign. He also would be eligible for an additional $1.5 million in public matching funds, which he risks losing if he does not use the money by the end of the year.

Weiner’s political committee recently spent more than $100,000 on polling and research, to find out if the public would be up for giving him a second chance in politics. The results of the polls showed that, in general, people are prepared to see beyond his scandal, and give the former congressman a second chance.

So, is it time to forgive and forget? If his wife can, maybe we should as well. While his actions were disturbing, he did prove to be a very good congressman, and scored high in his approval ratings, before the scandal occurred.  But at the same time, I don’t think I can ever look at him the same way again, after seeing those photos. The media made such a mockery out of him; I don’t see how he will ever have the full respect of the people of New York.

Nope, the title isn’t a joke. Our dear Mayor Bloomberg had actually tried to ban soda. You see, Bloomberg proposed a soda ban, which would have prohibited all restaurants, fast food establishments, delis, sports venues, and movie theaters, from selling non-diet soda and other sugary drinks, in quantities greater than 16 ounces. Exempt from this ban would have been grocery and convenience stores.

But as of right now, it looks like Bloomberg’s soda ban won’t see the light of day, since, as of last Monday; a judge has blocked his proposal. So I take it many of you now think this is all over, right? If so, then you don’t know our mayor. Sticking to his beliefs, Bloomberg is appealing the decision, and states that he will continue his fight.

So why is Bloomberg so gung-ho on this? Well, he believes this would be a positive step in fighting obesity. Bloomberg was quoted as saying, “With so many poor neighborhoods suffering from obesity…It would be irresponsible not to try to do everything we can to save lives. I’ve got to defend my children, and yours, and do what’s right. Obesity kills. There’s no question, it kills.” Studies have shown that this epidemic will claim the lives of 70,000 Americans this year, 5,000 of whom live in New York City.

Okay, I get that his heart is in the right place, but does he really believe that banning drinks larger than 16 ounces will actually stop this epidemic? With grocery and convenience stores still allowed to sell these drinks, people will just go there instead. All this would do is increase profit to these stores.

We as Americans, have the right to make our own decisions, and that applies to what we choose to put in our bodies. Mayor Bloomberg wants us to start eating healthy, something I completely understand(and happen to agree with), but he can’t make the decision for us. That choice remains with us and us alone. Forcing the decision on people will only cause them to rebel.

So please Mayor Bloomberg, let go of this foolish ban, and focus on more serious topics. Leave the sodas alone!!

On March 3, 2013, MTA subway, bus, commuter rail fares, and tunnel and bridge tolls, all went up in price.

The fare for subways, local buses, SIR, and Access-A-Ride rose to $2.50; the fare for express buses rose from $5.50 to 6.00. A single-ride ticket purchased at a Metro Card machine will now cost $2.75. The MTA says that most commuter rail tickets will increase between 8.2% and 9.3%, depending on the ticket type and distance traveled. The 30-day unlimited-ride Metro Card will cost $112, up from $104. The 7-day unlimited-ride Metro Card will cost $30, up from $29, and the 7-day express bus plus Metro Card will cost $55, up from $50.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I for one am sick of this! It seems like just yesterday tokens cost $1.50.  Boy, look how far we’ve come. Now, twenty five cents more, may not seem like a much, but when you make multiple trips along with having other expenses, such as bills and tuition, it sure does add up to a lot.

Oh, how I miss the days of high school, when we were given free metro cards. Now, looking back, I realize what a life saver those things were. What really pisses me off, though, is the fact that you now have to pay an extra dollar to buy a new metro card. Oh, but wait, the MTA was “gracious” enough, to let us exchange our expired, or worn out cards, for a free new one. Um…thanks guys?

What’s worse, is the fact that there are people who are still dealing with the ramifications of Hurricane Sandy. These poor people are already in dept, and now they have to add this to their worries. What disgusts me even more; is that this decision was made AFTER Sandy happened. Many subway tracks aren’t even properly fixed yet, since Sandy destroyed them, but the MTA still has no problem raising prices.

Honestly, I can’t even say I’m shocked by the pay hike. The MTA board has proven time and time again, that they don’t care about their customers. If they did, these pay hikes would never have happened. So, for us, who are without cars of our own, we are left to suffer.

Seriously, get it together MTA!

The election may be over, but that hasn’t stopped people from weighing in, on how they feel about the newly re-elected President. Whether you’re still celebrating Obama’s victory, or weeping over Mitt Romney’s loss, it seems just about everyone still has an opinion that they’re eager to share. So how exactly is the president faring? Well, judging by a recent Bloomberg National poll, that was released last Wednesday, 55% of Americans approve of Obama’s current performance. This gives him his highest rating since September 2009! The results also revealed that 49% of respondents, believe that the president’s proposals to increase government spending in key areas, are more likely to spur job creation, than that of the GOP-backed efforts, to cut both spending and taxes.

So, is anyone wondering how the Republicans fared in the poll? Well, only 35% of respondents said they have a favorable view of the GOP, giving the party their lowest rating since the poll began three years ago. The Republican rating also marked a six point drop over the last six months.

With Obama’s approval rating up, and the Republican’s rating at an all time low, it appears to be smooth sailing for the Obama camp, right? WRONG! Don’t celebrate just yet Team Obama, because it appears that’s where the good news ends. Further results reveal that a whopping 55% of respondents disapprove of how Obama has handled the federal budget deficit, and another 49% have an unfavorable view of how he has handled the economy.

Seems to be quite the mixed bag for our President, doesn’t it? With four years to go, can he prove the naysayers wrong? Then again, in this day and age, you can never please everyone, no matter how hard you try.

So I ask, what do you guys think about these results? Do you agree or disagree? And when it comes to these polls, do you believe they really represent what the majority are feeling and thinking?