Queens

This is the last of the videos I shot at Elizabeth Upton's class at LaGuardia Community College. They are recent (and not so) immigrants who are in her English as a second language class (or the CUNY Language Immersion Program).

Here is part one of the series.

Then mozie on to part two.

Sultana asks the questions we all've been waiting for:

The students worked hard at coming up with questions. Sultana is actually asking the question for another student, Malva, who knocked it out of the part but was too shy to get on camera to speak her own words.

So, in the spirit of having them have a bit of a moment in participatory democracy, I asked them to get all together and around Sultana while she read the question off the whiteboard. And this was momentuous because even Sultana didn't want to participate earlier in the class. I think that seeing the others having fun and not being judged (by her teacher or me) for their performance must have given her courage.

My friend Elizabeth Upton teaches English as a Second Language at LaGuardia Community College. I went to her class to talk to them about what new things people are trying to do with technology to foster a more participatory democracy.

I have a longer post on my field trip, I just wanted to give you the students clips first.

Here's Susana (Colombia) with a question about terrorism:

Olga (Uzbekistan) on the future of the middle class:

And Miguel Ángel (Mexico) on drug trafficking:

The Annual Gynological Exam: What to Expect
Soma Mandal
Features Columnist
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Features

Reprinted from Washington Square News

Dear Dr. Mandal: I have my first gynecological exam coming up, and I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect, and I've heard really horrible stories. Does it hurt? What should I anticipate? Can my doctor answer any questions I have?

Thanks,

Nervous in New York

Dear Nervous,

The gynecological exam (sometimes called "pelvic exam" or "annual exam") is very important because it allows your physician to make sure that your genitals and reproductive organs are healthy. During this visit, breast health and sexual health is addressed as well. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Cancer Society recommends a gynecologic exam for any woman who is sexually active or over 21 years of age.

It may seem daunting for many women. Many stress over their first exams because they don't know what exactly the exam entails.

THE EXAM, STEP-BY-STEP

Once you are in the examination room, you will be given a gown and sheet to cover your torso. The doctor will ask general questions about your health and then do a brief external physical exam.

The doctor will examine your breasts for any lumps or any pain, then teach you how to do a monthly self-exam. Before beginning the pelvic exam, you will be asked to lie down and place each foot in a foot holders, called stirrups, at the end of the table. It helps to relax your knees and pelvic muscles to facilitate the exam.

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World Up! is run by a group of volunteers who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures but share a deep love for Hip Hop and how it is used as a tool for social and political change. It has a well established network of artists, DJs, Mc's, film makers, promoters, activists around the globe.

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info@worldup.org

This month marks the two-year anniversary since the passage of New York’s Drug Law Reform Act of 2004 (DLRA). Two years ago, the New York legislature finally began reforming New York’s notorious Rockefeller Drug Laws. According the Drug Policy Alliance, the Rockefeller Drug Laws are "one of the harshest mandatory minimum sentencing schemes in the nation." A first step was taken towards any meaningful reform to the draconian and racist laws in the past 33 years. After the passage of the DLRA, legislative leaders said that they would continue to push for more reforms and create more rehabilitative alternatives to incarceration. Lawyers, concerned activists, families, and community based re-entry organizations anticipated that hundreds of people would be re-sentenced and released from prison quickly. However, this never happened.

The biggest impediment to meaningful drug law reform in New York was the terms of the DLRA that did not increase the judge’s decision making power to place those who struggle with addiction into rehabilitative treatment. Also, some district attorneys thwarted efforts for early release by proposing high sentences for those who were eligible for re-sentencing. Some outright opposed re-sentencing. And some would re-argue each case as if the person were up for trial rather than treat it as a sentencing proceeding governed by DLRA policy changes. A fair interpretation of DLRA allowed Rockefeller petitioners to demonstrate their improvement and rehabilitation. Those eligible for re-sentencing have the right to provide mitigating information including life histories, letters of support from community members, positive prison adjustment, and prospects for successful re-entry.