Negging Your Way to An HB's Heart 2.0

Chris, a twenty-year-old young man walks into a crowded Irish bar. He spots an attractive curvaceous blonde woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She is sitting on a bar stool next to a brunette girl, surrounded by three hunky guys. Any average man would not dare to approach the blonde femme in this intimidating scenario. Yet Chris has a secret weapon. He confidently approaches the group and says, “Hey did you guys see those two girls fighting outside the bar?” The group looks at him in awe. “No dude. That’s crazy! I wish I had,” says one of the hunky men. Chris has now entered the group and he is ready to start playing the game.

In 1995, Neil Strauss, writer and self-proclaimed pick-up artist, published his best-selling book “The Game,” in which he recounted his transformation from an awkward shy man, or an AFC (average frustrated chump), to a witty pick up artist by the name of Style.

In 2005, Strauss conducted a seminar for 43 guys who considered themselves “lost cases” in the art of seduction. According to Strauss, 34 of the men ended up with girlfriends. Furthermore, the group achieved a collective total of 53 one-night stands and two threesomes.

In the summer of 2006, Strauss led the Stylelife Challenge for 180 guys, in which the group accomplished 157 girlfriends, 274 one-night stands, and seven threesomes. Given the success of his seminars, in 2007, Strauss founded the Style Life Academy, the world’s first attraction-seduction school. Through this pick-up artist community, Style, along with other seduction experts, are able to educate AFC’s in the art of seduction and allegedly help them attract any "HB" (hot babe) they desire without blatantly hitting on her.

The Stylelife method sounds promising for many, improbable to others. The question is, how exactly does the Stylelife method work?

Serge Toppjian, 25, considers himself a devout follower of Stylelife, calling Strauss’ book The Game “the Bible.” Though he considers the book quite effective for him, he says, “It is not for everyone and not for every occasion.” Toppjian would disagree with those who claim Strauss’ methods have changed their lives. “[My seduction skills] did not improve much because I consider myself a natural,” Toppjian says. For him, attracting a woman is more about having faith in yourself than learning the methods of pick-up artists. “A pick-up artist’s most effective quality can be summarized in two words: con-fidence,” Toppjian adds.

The key into seducing a woman, Strauss writes in his book, is to “ignore the woman you desire while winning over her friends. If the target is attractive and used to men fawning all over her, the pick-up artist must intrigue her by pretending to be unaffected by her charm.” A man must resort to a “neg,” an accidental insult or backhanded compliment intended to lower a woman’s self-esteem.

According to “Evolve”, senior attraction-coach of the Stylelife Academy, “The Style life method helps women to realize for themselves they are attracted to you. This is what is called Flipping a Female’s Attraction Switch and that is totally opposed to you worshipping a woman and putting her on a pedestal to like you more. If someone bribes us and worships us to show their devotion we’re going to feel superior and disrespect them. Many times, we have a subconscious desire to reject them.” Evolve assures that the Stylelife method actually compels a woman to ask you to spend time with her.

Andrea Olguin, psychologist major at the American University of Paris says unpredictability is an important factor in attracting a woman. “A man who uses an unusual approach, which could manifest itself in the form of disinterest or rudeness, triggers a woman’s curiosity. Her disability to decipher him makes her perceive the man as a challenge and is automatically aroused,” Olguin says.

Does all of this sound too good to be true? How can a group of nerdy guys go from using computer game codes to codes of seduction? Do pick-up artists’ methods actually work? How does ignoring and “negging” capture a woman’s attention? I decided to take my friend Chris to a nearby Irish bar and have him perform the Stylelife method on a random target. After weeks of him reading the book and taking notes on Strauss’ techniques, he was ready to test his learning.

At the bar, I casually talk to a group of women and tell them about the Stylelife method. “If a guy talked to all of my friends and ignores me, I would be annoyed, but I would be intrigued. I would want his attention just for the sake of getting his attention,” says Karen Ferguson, 32.

Yet when Chris, tries this method on a blonde attractive woman, things do not look so bright for him. The minute he starts “negging her” by ignoring her and telling one of the hunky guys how loud she is after she tries to join the conversation, she gives him an irritated look, whispers something to her girlfriend and the two girls leave to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, the girls are out of the bathroom and the three hunky guys have made their away towards them- far, far away from Chris. It would be safe to say that Chris has epically failed.

People are desperate to find a manual to the game of love. Many former AFC’s who are now self-proclaimed PUA’s (pick up artists) of the Stylelife Academy claim they have. Yet many, who like Chris, have invested their time and money in seduction coaching and have been utterly unsuccessful, have nothing but feelings of animosity against Strauss. “I thought some of the methods in his book were flat out ridiculous, but I trusted the dude. He seemed real. Now I’m walking home alone feeling like the biggest creep on Earth,” says Chris.

After two rum and cokes he seems to get over it. He meets his friends who arrive for moral support and they depart to another bar in search of cute college girls. This time, he will use a more conventional approach: offer a girl a drink and give her a few corny compliments. Negging her is not an option.

An Oasis for Writers

Technology finally answered my prayers. FastPencil is a new self-publishing site that allows writers to publish and get immediate feedback for their work. A recent blog in the NY Times discusses the benefits of this new technology.

Publishing has become increasingly easier with the rise of technology. This obviously denotes an increased competition for writers. Yet, I am particularly pleased with the networking aspect of emerging sites for writers. In FastPencil, you can add reviewers and editors to your book project (yes you can upload an entire book) which truly facilitates a writer's career. As soon as I read about this site, I immediately opened myself an account. Of course, one cannot expect to become immediately rich and successful in the writing world, even with the rise of technology, but its significant aid is undeniable!

The Fate of Sudan

This Sunday, Sudan will experience a major historic and political event. For the first time since 1986 the country will undergo multi-party national elections. Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been held responsible for several crimes in the Darfur conflict, has stated that he will respect the results of the election, yet many groups such as Sudan People's Liberation Movement have threatened to boycott the elections due to its corrupt nature. Yet these elections undoubtedly mark a significant step in Sudanese people's involvement in the governing of their country.

Today, I read an article in the New York Times about the more than 300 Darfur immigrants that are now residing in Kensington, Brooklyn. One cannot help immediately relating Sudan to the war in Darfur. To be honest, it is all that comes up to me when I think about this country. It is difficult to not see the country in a political light, especially with the ongoing elections. Yet, I think we should start regarding Sudan as a community, as a culture, as a society that is progressing in protecting and enforcing human rights. Naturally, the country has a long road ahead. Sudan is rich in natural resources such as unproven minerals and oil reserves, yet it is up to its government to promote an equitable progress.

Ignorance Is Bliss?

“If I’m not going to like it, I don’t want to hear it.” I have repeatedly told this phrase to my friend Bianca, also known as “the bearer of bad news”, yet she continues to tell me things I genuinely do not want to know. A few days ago, at one of our weekly get-togethers at her apartment, she casually informed me that my kindergarten boyfriend, the love of my life at that time, kissed half the girls in our class while he was with me. Needless to say, I absolutely did not want to know this. Why would she ruin my perfect childhood romance by revealing that my beloved was a little Casanova? I would have rather lived happily in my ignorance with my false, yet perfect, image of my first love. That brings me to the question, is not-knowing, as a rule of thumb, better than knowing?

Are less intelligent people happier than more intelligent ones? Since intelligence is a fairly subjective matter, for practical reasons, let us refer to it in terms of knowledge.

The General Social Survey asks a certain group of individuals about happiness and tells them to complete a basic vocabulary test as a measure of intelligence. The people are divided into top, middle, and bottom categories according to their levels of intelligence. The survey showed no significant discrepancy in the happiness of the top, middle, and bottom categories. Nevertheless, when it came to unhappiness, only 8% of the top and middle sections claimed to be unhappy, while 14% in the bottom third declared themselves as unhappy.

In our modern era where capitalism rules the world, one would logically assume that intelligent people are happier. Brains get you higher-paying jobs and money brings you happiness; simple as that. The successful corporate lawyer, who graduated from Harvard, surely appears to be more content with his life than the unemployed fellow who was not smart enough to even get into college.

It is not a challenge to conclude that knowledge, when involving one’s degree of intelligence, leads to success and, therefore, happiness. Yet, when it comes to non-intellectual knowledge, can we arrive to the same conclusion? My friend Bianca did me no favor by telling me my kindergarten boyfriend was outrageously unfaithful to me. When I found this out, my life was not positively affected. If anything, it was negatively affected. I was happier not knowing of my lover’s infidelities. My ignorance certainly did not hurt me in any way. Here, I can affirm that my ignorance was, indeed, bliss. Yet I cannot make a generalization based on my trivial situation.

For the most part, in exception to my mild heartbreak, ignorance does not lead to bliss. Think about it this way: success brings happiness and success without knowledge is practically unfeasible. Great things cannot be accomplished by living in the darkness. Of course there will always be instances in which we are better off being ignorant. I myself have agreed to this by posing the example of my adulterous childhood boyfriend. As Anatole France said, “A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.” Evidently it is up to one’s judgment to decide when to opt for ignorance and when to opt for knowledge. Yet, as rational individuals, in most life situations, we are aware of when we are being ignorant- we are aware that there is a reality out there that we have not yet been exposed to. Sooner than later, we are bound to be awakened to such reality and the longer we have lived in a perfect lie, the cruder our awakening will be. A happy fool is only happy for so long.

Little Felons

Have you ever heard such a thing as a jail-themed playground? As a kid and early teenager, who loved playing cops and robbers, I would've been thrilled by such a playground. I remember feeling eager before going to my school's carnival and playing at the jail booth, where you could pay tickets and have your friends be arrested. Who said childish games are not morbid?

An article in the NY Times addressed the recent criticism a playground at the Tompkins Houses development in Bedford-Stuyvesent received jail-themed bars and cell door. Upon Black and Brown News' article criticizing the park's theme, the New York City Housing Authority removed the park's jail sign and bars.

According to Susan Solomon, author of American Playgrounds, believes playground equipment should be more abstract in order to promote children's creativity. " “A jail may be sort of extreme, but it’s really I think representative of the fact that too often, the playground manufacturers and the people who are commissioning them are thinking too literally, and they’re not looking at how much abstraction really benefits kids.” I definitely think she presents a valid point. Though jail, castle, and jungle themed playgrounds may be fun to children, a more beneficial altrenative would be to create less literal playgrounds and let children play with their imagination. This too, would eliminate the hassle of unintentionally creating inappropriate-themed playgrounds.

NYU Village

It is impossible to walk around Greenwich Village and not feel the overpowering presence of NYU. Not only are their buildings everywhere, but NYU is publicized in restaurants, supermarkets, and local stores that offer discounts to all their students. As a New School student, it is difficult not to feel insignificant in comparison, hence their animosity towards NYU.

This week I read an article in the NY Times about NYU's expansion plans for the future. The institution plans to grow 40% in size over the next 20 years, which denotes to an additional 6 million square feet. To compensate for their massive occupation of the village, the university has announced that it will donate one of its future buildings for the opening of an elementary school. Scott Stringer, Manhattan's borough president, perceives this as a genuine contribution to Greenwich Village families.

NYU's expansion plans are quite overwhelming for Greenwich Village residents. I find it understandable for the inhabitants of this residential area to feel bothered by their neighborhood becoming increasingly invaded by college dormitories. Even the report issued by the Manhattan borough president perceived the university's expansion plans as problematic. Nevertheless, their move to give back to the community by enabling the opening of a new school, in an area where schools are overcrowded, was an undoubtedly good move. This proposal earned them Stringer's acclamation and will most likely earn them some points with the Village residents.

2. A Melancholic Movie Ending

One spring morning seven years ago, 25 year old California-native John Bullock was walking around the highly populated and commercial West Village when all of a sudden he had a vision: he was going to open his own video store in this neighborhood. His goal was to combine his passion for movies and his desire to succeed in the city into one new and exciting business.

Two years later Bullock opened Cinema Classics, a small video store on Perry Street and 7th Avenue South, which offers the best classic movies of all times. “There are many movie aficionados in the Village area, so the store was quite a hit during its first couple of years,” Bullock says. Bullock, a movie aficionado himself, would spend hours talking to customers about his favorite directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Franz Capra, and Gus Van Sant.

Yet the current economic crisis, the intense competition with more economical movie services, such as Netflix and On Demand, and the ongoing movie piracy industry, have all taken a toll in Bullock’s industry. After a severe decline in the store’s customer rate that accounted to an approximate 40% drop in its sales, the store can no longer afford its $5000 a month retail space in the West Village. It is programmed to close this upcoming April. “Now a days watching a movie in the Internet is about the easiest thing in the world. It’s impressive how far piracy has gone,” Bullock says.

Victor Lewis, one of Cinema Classic’s old customers says about the store, “The actual selection of movies is solid if not out of this world. The problem with the store I feel is that it'll go out of business because there's too much competition around.”

Not only are the small businesses suffering from the economic crisis. A decline in the economy’s rate of profit taking place since the 1950’s seems to be affecting all businesses. Last year, the closing of the Virgin Megastores marked a significant turning point in the music and movie industries. The store’s revenue declined from $230 million in 2002 to $170 million in 2009.

Free online movie sites have become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. Websites such as Watch-Movies, Project Free TV, and even YouTube provide a vast database of both vintage and contemporary movies that viewers can watch without the need of downloading, spending money, or leaving their homes. According to the Motion Pictures Association of America (MCAA), 18% of online users in the US have illegally watched a full-length movie. When asked if he watches movies on illegal Internet sites, Terrell Smith, movie fan and New School student says, “Yes. I’d rather not spend the money, but also because they’re readily available on the Internet and I don’t think the people who watch the content are at fault, but the ones who upload it are the ones doing the disservices to the movie industry.” When asked the same questions, most students had similar reactions. Many perceived the movie industry as being overly rich and not truly suffering from online movie piracy.

Yet for small executive John Bullock, the illegal competition cost him his business. The average $20 sale price of the DVD’s in Cinema Classics cannot compete with the free illegal movie databases online. Bullock is reluctant about getting into details about his future career plans, yet he does plan to continue to offer the movies he has in stock through the store’s website. “I’ve made a good income doing what I do best for many years. It is now time for Cinema Classics to take a different path,” Bullock says. Above all, the hopeful owner refuses to believe that this will be the end of his esteemed company.

Hurts So Good

Let’s face it! Chivalry is dead, corny romance has passed away, and lust is the new love. Nowadays people are obsessed with sex, blood, danger, sadomasochism, fangs, and the embodiment of them all: vampires.

Lady Gaga arrived at the Heathrow Airport wearing one of her signature leotards and vampire fangs, American Idol finalist Adam Lambert dressed up as a glamorous vampire in an all-black suite this past Halloween, and the Twilight cast seems to be in the cover of almost every magazine. It is not an overstatement to say that blood-sucking characters have invaded the media.

HBO’s True Blood reached a whopping 12 million viewers in 2009. The show’s plot revolves around the coexistence of vampires and humans in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana where suspense, crime, and sex reign. According to television critic April MacIntyre, Alan Ball, the show’s creator, has “artfully blended gore, romance, humor and horror into a modern day ‘Dark Shadows,’ with cliffhangers and a dash of camp.”

According to CW’s ratings, Vampire Diaries has twice as many viewers as Gossip Girl. Nylon magazine’s February issue featured the series’ young actors and referred to the show as “Dawson’s Creek with less talk and more action.”

The alleged precursor of the vampire phenomenon is no other than Stephanie Meyers’ book series turned movie saga Twilight. Its most recent movie, New Moon was the biggest opening-day box office hit on record, surpassing last year’s box office hit movie The Dark Night. The series takes a more romantic approach on the portrayal of its characters, yet the blood and danger are still present- two elements that cannot be suppressed from the stories’ plot.

Why are people so obsessed with vampires? What is so captivating about characters that want to suck your blood? For starters, not all vampires are killers. Unlike 90’s show Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, today’s media portrays vampires as friends not foe. Not all vampires are hostile. Some are friendly individuals that can interact with humans despite their temptation to feed on them. Vampires are dangerous, and who doesn’t love playing with danger? Part of this fascination has to do with a sadomasochistic nature. “I think it’s sexy when a guy bites me. I sometimes ask my boyfriend to bite my neck really hard.” Allie P, Parsons student, tells me. Vampires are sexual characters. The idea of them craving one’s blood and inducing pain upon one is thrilling. Moreover, people are always intrigued by the supernatural. “They are immortal, strong, sexy, and mysterious”, Blanca Benavides, another Parsons student, says about her blood-sucking idols.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of vampires. Not only do they have fictional enemies, but also real life ones. “I don’t like the whole blood, biting essence of vampires. I’m not into that,” Vicki Sotiros, 19, says. Groups such as “Vampire Haters” and “Twilight is So Dumb” have recently appeared in the Facebook network. “Honestly this vampire shit is getting on my nerves so much. Edward looked like a crack addict in the movie,” Ahmer Kidwai, creator of the latter group, says. Apparently, he did indeed watch the movie, which brings me to my next point: love them or hate them, one cannot escape the vampire phenomenon.

Vampires are the super heroes, or anti-heroes, of our generation. They scare, they intrigue, they captivate. They personify sex, desire, danger, and power. If Buffy were still in the picture and tried to slay Edward Cullen or Bill Compton, she would have probably been crushed by a mass of raging vampire fans.

This week I learned about the inspirational Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. I read an article in The Guardian about his most recent exhibition at UK's Tate Modern's Turbine Hall.

As The Guardian states is currently China's most famous artist and has been described by the Times as "a figure of Warholian celebrity" in Bejing, besides being an architect, a curator, a publisher, an architect, and a very influential blogger.

I was moved when I found out that he was severely attacked by the Chinese police due to his investigation of the deaths of 5250 children in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. This investigation inspired his artwork Remembering 2009, a work that consisted on thousands of children's backpacks. Yet his inquiry to the Chinese government regarding the deaths of these children resulted in the police bursting into his hotel room and beating him beating him so harshly that surgeons in Munich had to drill a whole through his skull to remove 30 ml of fluid.

Learning about the existence of this inspirational artist really changed the course of my week. Knowing that there is someone out there sacrificing his life to make a difference in the world really moved me. I'm sure this is not the last thing I will be hearing about Ai Weiwei.

Worried Students

Last night I read an article in the NY Times a student protest in Sacramento, California regarding increases in college tuition and reductions in state financing.

California has undergone a whopping $20 billion deficit in its state financing budget; a figure that naturally scares many students. The enraged students not only protested in colleges and universities, but even elementary schools.

I think it's not an overstatement to say that increases in college tuition is something that worries most students. Going to The New School, a private institution, has severely affected my parents economy; even after an increase in my financial aid this year, the school continues to become less and less affordable with their increases in tuition. Are we coming to a point that a college education is becoming unattainable?

Not long ago I read an article in US News stating that the best private institutions are constantly fighting for top faculty and better student services, which is why their tuition is so high. Rather than fighting over prestige, colleges should compete for making their schools the most affordable for their students.

2. Food That Feeds the Soul

It is almost 6 p.m and the sun has not yet set in New York City’s Greenwich Village. It is a perfect winter afternoon for New York’s trendiest people to stroll around the residential neighborhood. Along the picturesque streets, one cannot help but notice a cute little place on Grover Street right off the corner of Bleeker. Its name, The Pink Teacup, suggests a coffee shop, yet the unfamiliar passerby may be surprised to find out that it in fact serves mouth-watering, succulent, lush Southern soul food. From smothered chicken wings, to heavenly pancakes, to sweet potato pie, one cannot leave this restaurant any less than delighted.

The Pink Teacup’s utterly rosy pink interior is covered with autographed photographs of famous people, predominantly African Americans, such as Dave Chapelle, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey. Contemporary artists such as Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Beyonce have all eaten at the restaurant this year. “Run Simmons was here this Sunday. We were on the paper,” Nadine says, one of the waitresses, as she hands me the most recent copy of the New York Post opened to page 6. “The Pink Teacup is the best soul food place downtown,” Simmons, one of the founding members of the hip hop group Run- D.M.C, tells the New York Post, “Their fried chicken and macaroni is amazing. I still have 10 more pounds to lose, so I better stop talking about it!” Despite its vast recognition and fame due to its enchanting soul food, the restaurant’s atmosphere remains homey and unpretentious. It has preserved its small-business traditions with its crowded small wooden tables, its no-reservation-cash only policy, and its modest price range.

Mary Raye, a Florida native, opened the restaurant fifty-four years ago. She had a profound passion for cooking and had worked as a chef in many houses and hotels. She finally decided to pursue her dream by opening her very own restaurant. “Pink was the owner’s favorite color,” Glover Glander, the restaurant’s current chef, tells me as I indulge in her heavenly pancakes. In 1989, Mary Raye’s husband Charles handed the business over to their niece Seretta Ford with only one request: to conserve the restaurant’s original recipes.

A friendly black waitress greets me with a pleasant smile. Her name is Nadine and she is a young Jamaican woman, who has been a waitress at the Pink Teacup for eight years. Every week, Mondays through Thursdays, she works twelve-hour shifts from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. “I’m so tired!” she says in her Jamaican accent to one of the older male workers. Every night after work, she takes the train back home to Brooklyn where her husband and children await her. “The shifts are exhausting, but we all love our jobs. Working here is quite fun! That’s why we’ve all been working here for so long! The guy before me, Russell, had worked as a waiter here for twelve years until he finally retired,” Nadine recalls.

Nadine came to New York City when she was a teenager and lived in Brooklyn with her mother. “At first I didn’t like it here. I am used to people greeting me in the streets, say ‘good morning’ to me. Here everybody looked so serious. And the streets were so crowded!” Yet the hubbub and alienation of the city was not Nadine’s main concern. “I hated the food here! My mom did not have the time to cook for me since she was working two jobs. I looked for soul food restaurants on the Internet and this is how I found this one. Luckily for me, the moment I came, there was a job opening for a waitress. And that’s how I’m here! Funny story!” Nadine’s love for her job is reflected in very single one of her actions- from her smiles, to her chatty behavior, to her talks about the celebrities she has met at the restaurant, to the free lemonade and tea drinks she so kindly served me. Little does she know that she is actually one of the Pink Teacup’s many charms. This charismatic woman would be reason enough for a customer to return to the restaurant anytime.

Of course, the Pink Teacup would not be anything without the work of another great woman. Glander Glover, a New York native, has been a chef at the Pink Teacup for thirteen years. She is an older African American woman of a medium built and height. She has short gray hair and a kind yet strong face. Not too long ago, no other than singer Aretha Franklin asked Glander for her autograph, mesmerized by her delicious cuisine. “I couldn’t believe Aretha Franklin was asking me for my autograph! I love her! It was a true honor.” Unlike some renowned chefs in New York City, Glander displays no sign of arrogance. She still finds it surprising when people admire her as a chef. “Thanks for your interest. I really appreciate it.”, she says after I ask her about her work and congratulate her for her delicious pancakes. Her dedication to her job transmits to every single one of her scrumptious dishes, which she prepares with pride.

The Pink Teacup is, without a doubt, more than just a good restaurant. It is a place of hardworking and humble people whose genuine mission is to feed the souls of every single one of their customers.

2. Parsons Student Debuts in Peruvian Department Store

This past summer Parsons student Blanca Benavides designed several clothing items for the Peruvian department store Saga Falabella, landing her first job as a fashion designer.

Benavides, 19, originally from Lima, Peru, is currently a sophomore at Parsons. Last July she decided to apply to an internship with the department store, not thinking they would ever give her the task of actually designing some of their clothes. “My cousin, who used to work in Saga, urged me to send them my resume and so I did.”, Benavides says.

From the moment of her interview, Arturo Rios, corporate graphic designer at Saga Falabella, was impressed by Benavides’ skills. “Even though she had just completed her freshmen year, she knew how to use more design programs than anyone in our company," Rios says.

During Benavides’ second week at Saga, Rios asked her to design some shirts and jackets using Illustrator, a program she uses at Parsons. Benavides had some experience in fashion design after completing several courses in the Peruvian academy for fashion design Mod’ Art, yet she had merely completed her first year at Parsons. “I had no idea what Saga looked for in a collection, so I decided to use my own sources of inspiration. My focuses were my friends, New York City, and pop culture,” Benavides says.

With this in mind, she designed several shirts and jackets using the lyrics of popular songs, such as Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, and the cities that reminded her of her friends such as London, Paris, and New York. Rios was pleasantly surprised by Benavides’ designs. “She understood what the popular Peruvian market wanted," Rios says, "I was afraid that she would opt for high fashion items that would not really sell in Lima. Yet she managed to add an innovative touch to a commercial collection. I am very proud of her."

Four of Blanca’s designs made it to Saga's actual 2010 collection. Her designs will go towards the department store’s own brand Sybilla. Camila Peralta, designer at Saga Falabella says, “Blanca’s designs are very artsy and modern, something that perfectly fits Sybilla’s style.”

Benavides is now an illustration major at Parsons. “I decided to switch my major to illustration because drawing is what I like to do best," Benavides says, "I love fashion and I always will, but I find illustration more interesting as a career.” Nevertheless, she considers her internship at Saga the most fulfilling career opportunity she has had so far and she is eager to see her designs in their upcoming collection.

Sources: Blanca Benavides, Arturo Rios, Camila Peralta

2. A Life Battle

After thirteen years of remission, Bridget Frosina was apparently cured for good, yet a feeling in the pit of her stomach told her something was wrong.

Frosina was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 3 and underwent treatment for three years with positive results. Her body showed no trace of leukemic blasts in her bone marrow and her blood cells had a normal presence. Nevertheless, at age 16, the symptoms of her cancer reemerged. What everyone thought were average teenage pimples and raging hormones were not as trivial matters as they seemed. “I started getting weird things like pimples and cold soars, which people claimed were from my ex boyfriend, but they weren't. They ended up being signs I was sick”, Bridget says.

Upon experiencing back pains, cold sores, and abnormal acne, she started routine check-ups with her doctor. An MRI detected an increased density in her back area, which her doctor claimed was normal in childhood cancer patients. Yet despite his comforting words, Bridget knew better. “I looked at my mom and said no, it's back. And like any mother she told me to stop thinking like that. Little did she know, I was right”, Frosina recounts.

According to Karen Seiter, MD at NY Medical College, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is the most common type of leukemia in children. It is a malignant disease of the bone marrow, in which immature white blood cells are overproduced. The word acute refers to the short span in which the disease acts- it is fatal even after a few weeks of not being treated. After five years of remission from this cancer, a relapse is uncommon. Yet Frosina is one of the first people to have had exactly the same type of cancer after thirteen years of clean health.

In December of 2006, Frosina started a new type of chemotherapy, this time with the use of corticoidsteroids. The new type of treatment was an utter foe to her self-esteem and teenage vanity. Her hair loss, bloating, and weight gain due to the chemotherapy and steroids, naturally triggered a vast amount of self-consciousness. “The first day everyone found out and visited me I sat in my hospital bed and straightened my [remaining] hair and put on make-up and bargained with the nurses to take the IV's out for so long so that my friends wouldn't see me as the sick girl”, tells Frosina. Yet between the side effects of the chemo and the high fevers, which left her septic for up to five days, it was quite a challenge to keep the appearance of not being sick. Rather than pretending, Frosina decided to take control.

Iliana Begetis, Frosina’s best friend recounts the first time she started experiencing hair loss, “She was sitting watching tv and as she combed her fingers through her hair, a lock fell. Anyone else would’ve freaked out at that very moment! Instead, Bridget just looked at the fallen lock, got up, grabbed a pair of scissors, went into the bathroom, and chopped all of her hair off.” Begetis talks about Frosina with admiration and pride. Bridget considers herself lucky for being surrounded by people who strived to keep her positive during her disease, “There were days when I just didn't want to do anything and in a way gave up because I was just so tired of dealing with everything. But my friends wouldn't let me be like that and I really believe they are the reason I was the way I was throughout the whole thing.”

Yet she did not receive the same amount of support from everyone who surrounded her. Her lack of family support was what affected her the most. She received no phone calls, no letters, and absolutely no manifestations of care from neither her grandparents, her aunts, or her uncles living in North Carolina. Yet her inner strength and desire to battle her disease predominated over any affliction she encountered. In August of 2008, she successfully completed her chemotherapy and has been in remission ever since.

This is her story. I have shared it with you for simply one reason: this story inspires. Everything that she is today connects to her cancer survival. The pain she felt made her human and compassionate; the endurance she gained made her determined and strong; her proximity to defeat made her more eager to succeed; her storm of grief triggered a clear sky of happiness. Right now, as a sophomore at U Conn, Bridget’s main goals lie in her nursing career, living her life one day at a time, and not sweating over trivial things. Lance Armstrong, says we have two options in life: give up or fight like hell. Bridget always opts for the latter- always.

Late Bloomers

Today The Guardian published an article about scientific findings in the UK regarding the correlation between children’s development at nine months and five years. According to the study of 15,000 children, infants who develop less at nine months are more likely to struggle in school when they are five. This causes some controversy regarding the government’s role in preventing children from less privileged backgrounds from falling behind even before they start school.

To be honest, I find the value of these scientific findings questionable. Of course, your development as a baby affects your future life. Clearly, kids with less developed gross motor skills before they begin school are going to fall behind. Is this really a scientific discovery? Furthermore, is it really that bad to fall behind when you are five years old? I mean, pardon my ignorance, but I think kids eventually catch up. Some of the smartest people I know struggled in school when they were kids.

I definitely think it’s important for UK’s government to worry about children’s health and wellbeing. Yet, they should definitely shift their focus to more relevant research.

Goodbye Lunch-time Skittles?

Today I read an article at the Times regarding a new legislation the Obama administration wants to introduce. Unlike most legislations, this one actually caught my attention. Its aim is to ban candy and sugary beverages from schools throughout the country in an effort to fight against child obesity.

I cannot help to feel skeptical about this initiative. Just because kids don’t have junk food in their schools, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to purchase it elsewhere. Think about it. The harder it is for us to get something, the more we want it.

Take my friend Camila. As an obese child, her parents kept every single candy bar in the house locked inside their kitchen cabinet. What did they get in return? Every day Camila would run to the grocery store and spent her entire allowance on the most fattening foods she could find. It wasn’t until her parents realized that teaching her healthy eating habits was more effective than prohibiting her from every single junk food in the world, that Camila finally achieved a healthy weight.

What I’m trying to say is that banning candy bars from schools is only going to make children crave them more. And, let’s face it, junk food is the easiest thing to get in this country. As Hardiner points out in his article, as soon as a school cafeteria got rid of its sweets two years ago, the school secretary’s candy cart became increasingly popular.

That being said, I do think it is important for schools to provide as many healthy options as junk food. Furthermore, cooked foods should use the best ingredients possible in order to ensure a good nutrition. Caloric tables and nutritional information should also be available in every school cafeteria.

Banning junk foods from high schools is not a solution for child obesity, but a mere cover up to the problem. In the real world children are constantly going to be surrounded by unhealthy food alternatives. Prohibiting sweets from schools is a relatively easy move. The Obama administration’s real duty lies in providing schools the necessary resources to teach children how to opt for a correct nutrition.

2. Yet Another New Business Goal for Pedro Espinoza

Lima, Peru. This past January, Pedro Espinoza Brinkmann, a Peruvian artist and designer embarked on an unexpected business in the construction industry upon a close friend’s persuasion.

His close friend, and now partner, Alfredo Chang, talked him into investing in the construction of an 8-floor building in a 400-meters-squared terrain located in the neighborhood of San Borja. With this investment in mind, they have formed the company Ocho Rios, named after the Amazonian location in which they first discussed their business, along with four other partners.

“I know nothing about the construction world”, confessed Espinoza. “When Alfredo first proposed the idea to me I immediately abstained from it. First of all, I didn’t have the money and, moreover, I would be going into this business with my eyes closed.”

Espinoza graduated from The Catholic University of Lima with a degree in economics and a masters in business administration, yet it was not until years later that he started pursuing his passion for art. In 2001 he formed the small company Arte Qollana, in which he works with various different artists in the manufacturing of authentic Peruvian art pieces. He felt that the shift from economics to art would be the first and last dramatic change in his life. Nevertheless, Chang was determined to make him his partner in his newly envisioned business.

“I offered to lend him the money for this investment. I knew Pedro had no experience in construction, but he knows a thing or two about managing a company”, Chang said.

Espinoza trusted Chang’s instincts. “I could not reject his offer. In contrast to the US, Peru’s economy has not been severely affected by the global economic crisis. Lima has recently shown a significant growth in the construction industry”, he says.

According to the UN’s Human Development Report of 2009, Peru is an emerging economy where businesses are flourishing. This is reflected on its steady decrease in poverty levels since 2004.

The construction of Ocho Rios’ first building is programmed to begin in approximately thirty to forty days after the completion of all their legal paperwork with the contractors. The building, designed for a middle-class population, will have sixteen apartments and two underground parking levels. The company plans to build not only more homes in the future, but also offices among other construction projects. The partners surely have high expectations for their business.