NYC Transit Madness!!!

By Carlos Ortiz

One of the MTA’s many problems is crowded trains.

Have you ever gotten on a crowded bus or train and you didn’t have any space to stand? You tried to squeeze in, but people got mad for no reason when they were in the same situation before you boarded? Some people say the MTA is progressive in creating new solutions to mass transit issues throughout the five boroughs, but in my opinion, they make current situations even worse. It doesn’t make sense to spend millions of dollars on buses and trains for them to cause problems like congestion and environmental issues.

Unfortunately, the MTA uses a certain percentage of tax payer money to continue expanding the Metro North railroad system to other surrounding states like Connecticut. When a train is at a stop for 10 minutes, it causes congestion for the trains right behind it because of small problems like signal malfunctions and track work. It doesn’t seem the MTA should expand the subway anymore, due to the state of the economy. Financially, the MTA isn’t that good with paying its workers. Have you ever wondered where the money you spend on Metrocards goes? I wonder where it goes, too.

Another thing worth thinking about is the issue of track safety for passengers. In some countries like Japan, some transit stations have glass windows and glass doors to protect passengers from being injured by approaching trains. The MTA should have this feature in all subway stations.

Lastly, the MTA should consider buses that don’t create air pollution in the city. For example, Nova is a bus company that creates solutions for transit companies throughout the country. I believe that in the year 3010, instead of trains and buses, there could be tubes that people travel in and it might only take 5 minutes or less to get from place to place.

In conclusion, I believe the MTA should improve in communications, safety, and the conditions of its buses and trains. New York City should look at other transit systems around the globe for examples of how to improve compare the MTA.

Louisville’s Hero

Kevin ware’s teammates.

HIS STORY

Kevin Ware was born on January 3, 1993 in Bronx, New York. He is an NCAA basketball player (National Collegiate Athletic Association)  on the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team. Ware spent most of the 2012-2013 season backing up Louisville’s starting point guards like Russ Smith. Ware received a lot of attention when he broke his right leg in a March Madness Elite Eight game on March 31, 2013. He broke his leg while trying to block a three-point attempt by Tyler Thornton. When he got hurt, Ware had been playing well and Louisville had been doing well in the tournament. He told them to win the title without him, and they did. They won the entire NCAA March Madness tournament, and they celebrated with their injured teammate.

HIS RECOVERY

During Ware’s recovery,  he worked hard and kept praying that he would be able to play after his gruesome injury. Louisville and their fans were excited that Ware was able to come back from his injury and do what he does best. Ware was in the gym constantly during the off season.The question was, would he be the player he was before his injury?

BACK IN ACTION (2013-2014)

Since Ware came back, he has not put up big numbers. He’s only averaging 5.9 minutes and 1.7  points per game. The Cardinals have been doing well, however. They have a 17-3 record, and they are in 2nd place in the American Athletic Conference. They can win another championship now that their whole team is together.

Typhoon Haiyan

Satellite image of Typhoon Haiyan

by Sean Miller and Joshua Hendy

On Wednesday, November 27, 2013, a massive storm called Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the people of the Philippines,destroying homes and taking lives. Typhoon Haiyan (known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines) made morning landfall at Guiana, a small city in Samar province in the eastern Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan devastated a number of Philippine provinces, leaving more than 10,000 dead people and roughly 6 million people displaced from their homes. The  typhoon’s 150 mph winds drove huge waves ashore, crashing them into villages and towns and flattening buildings and houses. Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest storms on record. Trees were knocked down, power was knocked out in many parts of the country, and there was widespread flooding.

It is a terrible tragedy that Haiyan destroyed so many things and killed so many people. People have been looking for food, and children are suffering. I hope that people will get their homes back, because I think that living on the streets is terrible.

In the months since Haiyan, the Philippine people have been helping each other rebuild. The storm was terrible, but people have survived. There have been deaths, but people have come together. Several months after Haiyan, photojournalist Herman Lumanog visited the affected region for The Diplomat. He reported that even though people there might be without roofs or even homes, they are not without hope.