Archive by Author
On board the USS New York: a talk with marines
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Dozens of marines showed off the USS New York, the newest ship in the navy’s fleet, last November. They also talked about their careers and their daily lives. The ship was built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center. It was moored in Midtown Manhattan from Nov. 2 to […]
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The death of why: a book, many questions
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Modern society has eaten up critical thinking. Inquiry is nowhere to be found. This is the essence of Andrea Batista Schlesinger’s book “The death of why: the decline of questioning and the future of democracy” that was released last spring. The author discussed questioning, education, civics, and the implications of critical thinking […]
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Greenpoint Trees. Same corner, same tradition
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Stephen and Dorothy Leddick’s two-year-old daughter first uttered her favorite sentence last Christmas season: “Trees, trees, trees.” Green trees. From Greenpoint Trees, her parents’ business. “This is the only company here that has native Greenpointers,” said Dorothy, 35, selling Christmas trees at the corner of Calyer Street and Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn. […]
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Harlem Hondurans worry about their homeland
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral [written and reported before elections on November 29] East Harlem Hondurans share concern over the Honduran political crisis that unchained in June, and seem thirsty for a new leader. Peace and respect for the constitution: that’s all many of them are asking for. Yulisa Lopez, 25, was watching TV at home in […]
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Seniors show tricks not just for kids
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Maria del Carmen Ilarraza, 72, knew she was a great actress and performer. But it wasn’t until Oct. 31 last year that she found out she was also the soul of any given party. Like Ilarraza, more than 70 other seniors–most of them from Puerto Rico- love celebrating Halloween at Carver Senior […]
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Veterans no longer living in a box
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Before coming to the veterans’ residence on 119th Street in East Harlem, Reynaldo Melendez had no home. “I used to sleep in cardboard boxes,” he said. A Vietnam veteran from Puerto Rico, Melendez is one of the estimated 400,000 U.S. war veterans who face homelessness every given year according to the Department […]
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Dreams, but not of gold
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Gold is everywhere surrounding Juan Garzon. It is in the chains he buys, in the carats he counts, in the nameplates he carves, in the rings he puts diamonds in. Gold is also in the watches he cleans, in the earrings he repairs, in the bracelets he polishes, in the jewelry he […]
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Botanicas refocus from love to money
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Botanicas may be some of the few businesses in East Harlem that are thriving during the economic recession while other stores around the neighborhood face financial concerns. But those who run the shops, which sell religious items to Catholics and Santeria practitioners, say the downturn has shifted their costumers’ focus from romance […]
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A last marathon, a family affair
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Almudena Toral.
By Almudena Toral Julian Silgado, a Spaniard who has run 34 marathons, once promised his daughters that if he was still running at age 60, he would bring them and their families with him to New York to watch him run his last marathon. At the age of 60, he is still a devoted runner. […]
