Yue Huang — Journalism Blog

My portfolio is moved!

2011-04-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hi readers:

My journalism portfiolio has been moved to http://yuehuang.wordpress.com/

Please visit the new site and check out my writing!

Thanks,

Yue

Staying connected on campus has its price

2010-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Metro on Mar. 24, 2010

BOSTON - As social media becomes ingrained in society, Greater Boston schools are embracing various platforms as an intellectual sounding board for professors and a method of reaching out to the students for campus lifestyle directors. However, with resources stretched and new sites coming out every year, is it worthwhile for colleges to spend so much time trying to stay hip?

In February, Tufts University topped a Collegesurfing.com ranking of schools in the U.S. based on their use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs.

Tufts University topped the list of 50 finalists for its active Twitter accounts, Facebook groups and a whole Web site dedicated to Web 2.0 like Wiki, podcasts and conferencing. On top of the Twitter account the school public affair office manages, each department and offices have their own accounts, including @Tuftsdining, updated daily with menus in cafeterias.

“ ... Social media is a vital way both for us to communicate with a savvy, on-the-go audience and for them to keep tabs on what's happening at the university,” said Kim Thurler, a Tufts university spokeswoman.

Same with Emerson College, No. 8 on the list.

“It’s our job to go to where our community is to get members the information that they need and to engage them,” Emerson’s spokeswoman Allison Teixeira said.

However, some say the popularity of school-managed social media may be only a flash in a pan.

“It’s the nature of online social-network sites; there’s always a new one coming every once in a while to replace what was popular before,” said Dr. Brett M. Rhyne, adjunct professor of multimedia at Boston University.

The other factor is money.

“Instead of spending two hours cataloging books, the person in the library is spending these two hours tweeting,” Rhyne said. “It may be a good thing in the short time, but in the long term, the college is going to want the two hours back.”

Social Media & The Chile Quake

2010-03-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

Zilin Cui was sleeping in a tent when she was woken up by the trembling ground in the middle of the night. The trembling lasted 15 minutes. “I was little scared and felt unreal,” she recalls. “I have never felt it that close, sleeping on the ground and wanting to hold on to her but knowing she was being torn from inside.”

Cui, a Chinese native and a junior at Mount Holyoke College, was one of the Boston college students who were in Chile during the recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake. She happened to be on a weekend retreat with her church group in Paine, away from Santiago. After the earthquake occurred, they gathered to the biggest tent, prayed, and tried to contact their families. But problem was, phone signals were close to 0.

When her group finally made it back to the city, she was able to contact her family in China through the Chinese Embassy. Next thing she did – she went on Facebook to update her status to inform her friends that she survived the quake.

As with the earthquake in Haiti, social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, have been an important source of information, as well as a way for family members and friends find out about their loved ones. Here are a few interesting web-based tools that were widely used after the quake:

1. Twitter List: The New York Times created a list of Twitter accounts with the earthquake information. CNN and many other major TV networks were using real-time information and images coming from Twitter as well.

2. Livestream videos: they can be watched online. Many of the video feeds were shown on TV as well. (CNN's iReport is good for real-time videos as well.)

3. Google's Person Finder: Google launched Person Finder quickly after the quake for people who are looking for their families and people who may have information about quake victims.

These sites are becoming increasingly popular. The question is, why do most people believe that these sites are reliable when other ways of communication is not practical? Is social media really the best way to reach family and friends in dire situations?

But for Cui, she was glad to see her Facebook wall full of posts from her worried friends, when she logged in to update her status.

“I was moved to tears and I was really glad that I’m so loved,” she said. “It made me feel close to them in a special way.”

She soon also started to call for relief effort on Facebook by creating a Facebook group to ask her peers to donate to the Red Cross. She said for safety reasons, she is not able to move around the city to participate in relief service and medical supply drives, and reaching out through Internet is the best way.

"I felt a need to help millions who are less fortunate," she said. "t´s just not fair to sit confortably at the hostel feasting on sweet crackers my host family stocked up and watch people suffering in the news... Chile feels like a second home to me and I want to do something for her."

Q & A with Paul Hall: Making Chile earthquake make sense

2010-03-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

Two major earthquakes in two months. One 7.0-magnitude and one 8.8-magnitude. More than 200 thousand lives lost in Haiti and Chile. How do these two earthquakes compare? What does the string of earthquakes mean? Are these catastrophic events truly signs of apocalypse?

Boston University EarthScience professor Paul Hall, “the earthquake guy,” who focuses his research on the Earth’s deep interior and plate tectonics, has the answer. Today, Hall sits down with me to compare the two earthquakes, explain the science behind them, and assure that the world is not ending in 2012.

Q: How does an earthquake release so much energy to tear the ground apart?

A: An earthquake occurs when you have two blocks of the Earth crusts that move past each other. In the case of Chile,

you have the South American plate, which is a continental plate, and the Nazca plate, an oceanic plate. These are two separate portions of the Earth’s upper crust. The two plates are moving towards each other, and the denser one ends up getting pushed underneath the other one. In Chile, the Nazca is the denser plate being pushed under the South American plate, and this type of motion is a compressive motion, known as a thrust fault, where the lighter plate is being thrust up over on top of the denser plate…(Photo credits:http://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/)

So where does the energy come from? As these rocks slide past each other, they don’t just slide nicely. They stick, deform and bend a little bit. Eventually you reach the breaking point, where the stress exceeds the strength of the rock, and they suddenly slip. It is that sudden slip that generates the energy. It’s like a rubber band stretches and eventually breaks.

Q: Do rocks stretch? They don’t seem to be elastic like rubber bands.

A: On a scale that we don’t usually experience every day. The deformation is tiny, but it adds up over a longer period of time.

Q: So the measurement “magnitude” is related to energy an earthquake releases. Chile’s earthquake is 8.8-magnitude, while Haiti’s is 7.0-magnitude. Why did the Haiti earthquake cause so much more damage?

A: Chile’s earthquake happened three times deeper than Haiti. The amount of damage it gets done in an earthquake depends on a couple of things. It depends on how much energy is being released in the earthquake, how deep [the earthquake] is, and the kind of ground you are built on… But it also matters where the earthquake happens. The Chile earthquake happened 200 kilometers offshore, whereas the Haiti quake was almost right through the city, Port-au-prince. The other thing that is interesting is the building standards. Chile is used to earthquakes because they’ve had bigger earthquakes in the past, so they have more strengthened building code, and their buildings hold up better.

Q: Besides damage, what would you say are the major differences between the two earthquakes?

A: One big thing is that the type of fault you had. In Chile, you had a thrust fault. You had the two plates moving towards each other, the oceanic plate on top, which is what allows for a tsunami to be generated. You have the ocean and you are pushing it up, creating a bubble of extra water on the top, which is what creates the tsunami.

In Haiti, the fault is largely a transform fault (one special case of the strike-slip fault) on land, which is why it didn’t generate a tsunami.

(Photo credit:US Geological survey)

Q: On top the damage the Chile earthquake has caused, most people were shocked at the fact that this major earthquake happened only 7 weeks after the Haiti earthquake. Is the frequency of earthquakes random?

A: Yeah, but it’s an interesting question also because there is some evidence that one earthquake can sometimes trigger another earthquake. Certainly, that happens with aftershocks. When you have a big earthquake, it sets off a whole bunch of little earthquakes. But it’s not the rule…

Q: But Haiti obviously didn’t trigger Chile, did it? It happened seven weeks before the Chile quake.

A: All these rocks are connected on the surface. If you move this rock on the surface of the earth, you end up changing the stress on the rock next to it. And they change the stress on the rock next to them. And it travels outward.

Q: Is that something scientists can monitor?

A: They are starting to, but it’s a tricky thing to measure. So for Chile, an earthquake happened in 1960, and there’s another earthquake in the 1930s, which was also a magnitude 8 earthquake, so the part that ruptured from the recent earthquake is right in the middle. And that makes sense. Scientists knew the middle part would break sooner or later, but the question is when. Is it going to five years from now or 50 years from now? Is it going to be a bunch of little earthquakes or a huge earthquake? The energy has to be given off, we just don’t know how.

Q: So the Chile earthquake happened not long after the Haiti quake, following the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008. There are some theories floating around, apocalypse, global warming, el Niño, how is an earthquake related to these events?

A: Well…it’s not. There are some earthquakes that are related to these events. For example, a few years ago, some researchers here at B.U. and Harvard started to notice that there are earthquakes coming from Greenland...[The researchers] found out that they were actually caused by the glaciers on top of Greenland. The glacier was chafing, and the iceberg [broke] off [that caused the quakes]… If you look at the stats in the past 10 years, there has been an increasing number of glacier earthquakes from Greenland and people tie that to global warming [because it causes the glaciers to melt]. But the bigger earthquakes you think about, like Chile or Haiti, they are not caused by global warming…

(Interviews excerpts are selected.)

BU students already responding to Chile Quake

2010-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Daily Free Press on March 1, 2010

BOSTON - Nikki Rojas, a College of Communication sophomore, was woken up by her mother’s phone call on Saturday morning, only to find out that an earthquake had struck Chile, where she was born.

Rojas was only one of the many Chilean students at Boston University who eagerly awaited news from their loved ones after the massive earthquake rocked Chile, only about seven weeks after the catastrophic quake in Haiti.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile off the coast at 3:34 a.m. on Saturday, followed by more than 100 aftershocks, marking the seventh strongest quake ever recorded worldwide. Buildings and bridges collapsed, while crushed cars and trucks disappeared into the cracks on the ground. At least 700 were reported dead, and thousands were left homeless. (Click here to see pictures of the aftermath of the quake from the New York Times)

Rojas said she turned on her TV to follow the earthquake coverage, and was relieved when she found out her grandmother, who visits Chile during the winter, survived the quake.

“Thankfully, I found out that most of my immediate family is OK,” she said. “But there’s my mom’s uncle who we haven’t heard from. We are hoping that he’s all right.”

Rojas said her family lives in Viña del Mar, which is not very close to the epicenter of the earthquake but was hit hard by the aftershocks reaching up to 6.6 in magnitude. (Click on link to see a map of the quake zone)

“Electricity is down and they are having a lot of problems,” she said. “I haven’t personally spoken to my family. I have no idea how they feel and what it was like."

More than 2 million people have been displaced by the quake, according to the Chilean National Emergency Office. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet declared a “state of catastrophe” on Saturday, adding that 500,000 homes were severely damaged. (Clink on link to see video)

Power, communications and transportation systems were largely ruined in the quake, hindering search and rescue efforts. Many BU students who have connections in Chile said they experienced difficulty trying to reach their families, relatives or friends in the quake zone.

“The phone lines were all blocked and people were having trouble getting a hold of their friends and family,” COM senior Martin Morales, whose mother is from Chile, said in an email. “I emailed my cousins, but we ended up talking on Facebook chat and they told me everything was fine.”

The massive earthquake was felt as far as Brazil, causing panic around the globe for the potential tsunamis the earthquake could trigger.

A tsunami evacuation was issued in Hawaii and warning sirens were sounded throughout the state. Students from Hawaii said they were nervous about their families, but were glad little damage was reported.

“I called my mom, who was already awake because of the siren, but my family was not very nervous and I think it was the attitude that most people had at home,” said Alia Wong, a COM sophomore from Honolulu.

Wong said she thinks some Hawaiians students were being overdramatic about the tsunami, an impact that was caused by the 1960 Hawaii tsunami caused.

“Most people that were in school were freaking out because they felt helpless and they didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said. “But the people at home weren’t panicking at all.”

According to BU’s International Student and Scholars Office, there are more than a dozen BU students in total who are Chilean citizens.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said the university will discuss plans for support in the coming weeks.

“The news coverage has shown terrible devastation,” he said in an email. “The university will reach out to members of the university community who are affected by the earthquake.”

Rojas, who started a Facebook page called “Boston Students United for Chile,” said she’s trying reach out to students to start relief efforts on campus.

“We’ve seen how well the community responded to Haiti,” she said. “We need to do the same thing for Chile.”

A list of organizations that initiated relief effort can be found on Boston Students United For Chile on Facebook.

Qingdao Garden: feels like home

2010-02-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

BOSTON - I’ve struggled to find a good Northern Chinese restaurant in Boston. I wanted one that wouldn’t serve French bread, chicken wings and beef teriyaki. I wanted one that wouldn’t cost me a fortune when I craved my Chinese comfort food. But I wasn’t asking for the impossible – all I wanted was a cozy, family-style restaurant that could make the Northern Chinese food I grew up eating.

So when I set foot in Qingdao Garden two years ago, a tiny Chinese restaurant located on Massachusetts Avenue in North Cambridge after reading a Boston Globe article about its dumplings, I was stunned.

The minimally decorated restaurant provides barely 10 tables, each surrounded by two to four dark green metal chairs. The beige tile floor is simple, but clean. Six framed photographs of Qingdao, a costal city on the Northeast part of China, hang on the plain wall. Two of the bigger photographs that extend almost 10 feet wide depict a day and a night view of the city, its beaches that scatter along the winding coastline, and its German architecture that marks the city’s colonial past. Behind the cashier, a red paper banner that dangles on the wall reads “Wish you happiness and prosperity” in Chinese.

The restaurant doesn’t contain any classic Chinese restaurant décor of painted carved murals, lanterns or maroon tablecloths. But with a simple and typical interior, it is exactly the kind of restaurant you would stumble upon anywhere on the streets of China.

From then on my obsession with Qingdao Garden began. My boyfriend and I frequent the restaurant over the weekends, and are greeted politely every visit by the same waitress who always leads us to the same table and remembers exactly the dishes we want.

The menu, which has separate pages for Chinese diners and American diners, consists of a simple collection of Chinese Northern favorites: beef, lamb and chicken that are heavy on garlic, leeks and scallions – as well as options of noodles and bing, a kind of wheat, flour-based Chinese flatbread, often cooked on a skillet with ground meat, eggs or vegetables.

And there are, of course, the steamed dumplings that are responsible for the restaurant’s reputation in the neighborhood. The hand-made crescent-shaped dumplings, with choices of six kinds of stuffing, have a smooth texture, great chew and flavorful juice inside. My American boyfriend, who has an irrational obsession with Chinese cuisine after studying and working in Beijing for a year, can easily inhale 15 of them, claiming that the dumplings bring him back to his Beijing home with every bite.

Yet these dumplings, delicately made and freshly steamed before they arrive at the table, take very long to prepare, owner Ge Wang says. The dumpling chef “extraordinaire” there makes up to 900 dumplings a day all by herself which consists of making the dough, rolling the perfectly round skins, and wrapping them with finely chopped veggies and meat.

(photo credit: Qingdaogarden.com)

Wang says her main customers are made up of college students in Cambridge, Chinese residents in the neighborhood, and American families that have become hooked with their authentic Chinese cuisine. Even on New Year’s Eve, diners have flooded the restaurant and overwhelmed the staff of only five at Qingdao Garden. Wang admits only one of the workers is actually from Qingdao, despite its name, as she and her husband inherited the name of the restaurant when they bought it three years ago – a business decision Wang never planned.

Wang says she studied to be a dentist in China and received a master’s degree in computer science in America, but the 2000 I.T. bubble burst forced her into the restaurant business to make a living. Now, Wang still spends most of her time working as a personal care assistant, while her husband, the 56-year-old Wenzi Xiang who specializes in Chinese and Japanese cooking, manages the restaurant.

“My husband is so busy because we never know how many people may be coming, so he is always going back to Chinatown to buy fresh vegetables,” Wang says, approaching her husband and complaining about the huge amount of New Years Eve deliveries.

“Of course! What day do you think it is!” he shouts back, storming out into the cold with the take-out boxes.

When he returns, I ask if they are going to celebrate New Year’s Eve after the restaurant closes. He cracks a laugh and says, “New Years? I haven’t celebrated one in 20 years!”

Wang says the restaurant is so busy that her family can barely spend any time elsewhere. Even her 20-year-old son, who moved to Boston from China three years ago to attend Quincy College, has to help out everyday after school.

“I feel like I’ve been here for a long long time,” Wang says, musing on how the day before New Years Eve marks her 14^th year in the United States.

Wang says she plans to move back to China after her son graduates from college and can support himself.

“Why would I stay,” quips Wang, her voice drowned out by the chatter of the customers and the laughter from the back kitchen. “This is not where I belong.”

But as for now, with all her family and friends crammed into this crowded little restaurant, it is Qingdao Garden that Wang and her family call home.

Qingdao Garden

617-492-7540

2382 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA

Payment: Cash, Visa, Master ($20 Minimum for Credit Card Charge)

Website: www.qingdaogarden.com (menu available to view online)

Price: appetizers: $3 - $8; Main dishes: $7 - $15; Steamed dumplings are $5.75 to $5.95 for 12 pieces. Frozen dumplings are sold at $14 - $16 for 50 pieces.

Delivery services are available for Cambridge, Alwife, Somerville, Arlington, but not Boston.

Presidents Day Weekend boost car sales

2010-02-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Metro on Feb. 15th, 2010

BOSTON - Boston auto dealers celebrated a sales boost on what they had hoped to be a busy Presidents Day weekend, despite a rash of Toyota recalls and a faltering economy.

Rich Balristiero, sales manager of Sentry Ford Lincoln Mercury, called the holiday a “very active day.”

“The people that are here right now, they are buying and they are spending the money,” he said.

Donald Mills, sales manager of Boston Volvo Village said the store is seeing twice as much sales due to advertising and blowout sales over the holiday weekend. Mills said Presidents Day weekend is traditionally a big retail weekend for New England car dealers, which can boom sales for the entire month of February.

Dan Rosengarten, general sales manager of Cityside Subaru in Belmont said the Cityside agreed, adding CitySide is seeing an 80 percent increase in sales compared to last February.

“It’s been great for the past weekend and we are very optimistic,” he said.

Dealers said customers are buying despite Toyota’s recall, but they are seeing a lot of trade-ins.

“The recall is helping everyone else, but it’s devastating Toyota,” Mills said. “Because they are so big and they are losing, everybody wants a piece of their pie.”

Graduate early: another way to save

2010-02-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

BOSTON – David Son, a Boston University senior from Brea, Calif., spends most of his time sitting in classes, doing homework and working in the school orientation office. It’s not that Son doesn’t like crashing frat parties or hanging out with his friends, but that he has a more important task – to rush through a four-year journalism program in three.

College tuition has skyrocketed in recent years, forcing many like Son to have a year off their college career. For many, that means sacrificing the chance to study abroad, taking fewer classes that interest them and spending the summer in classes, all for the purpose of saving money for their families in this faltering economy.

“[My dad] is involved in a $75,000 lawsuit right now, so he was just like ‘please do anything to graduate early, because I can’t afford college and a $75,000 law suit’,” says Son casually, scratching his short black hair bleached by the dazzling morning sunshine at the George Sherman Union at B.U.

Son says his parents got divorced last year. His father, an immigrant from Korea who now works as a real estate agent, has to pay some $50,000 for his tuition and housing at B.U. He also has to deal with Son’s 24-year-old brother, who has been sporadically dropping out and returning to college in California for the past seven years.

“He’s not very responsible,” says Son. “I feel bad that [my dad] has to pay for both of us and I just don’t want my dad to have that burden, to see the check from B.U. and think “I have to pay again.’”

Son is taking five classes this semester, including three journalism classes that require extensive reporting and writing. Even his Sundays are loaded with work.

“I have plans with friends for lunch, but I’m still eating because I have so much work to do and I can’t stay at lunch for long,” says Son, as he shovels salad into his mouth.

Son is not a special case. Graduating a year or a semester early has become a common trend at B.U. and colleges all across the city. Some 10 percent of B.U. students are graduating a year or a semester early, a number that has slowly grown in the past decade.

Emily Kowalski, a B.U. senior from Fremont, Calif., also has decided to graduate a year early, despite receiving a full package of loans, scholarship, grants and the federal work-study program.

“When I entered college, my older sister was graduating from college and my mom just got back to grad school for her teaching credentials, so there were three of us that my family had to pay,” she says. “So I kind of took the responsibility to get myself through college.”

Kowalski says she feels compelled to graduate early so she can use the extra year to gain some working experience, which she hopes will help her be accepted by a competitive law school and land her a better job in the long term.

“The fact that everybody has a college degree is depreciating what a college degree means,” she says with a wry smile. “But I do wish I could stay for four years.”

Kowalski plans to look for an assistant position at a legal office after graduation, but says she’s glad her parents will support her if she can’t immediately find a job in the recession.

“When I have the extra year, I don’t feel like I have too much pressure to really get a job and have a real life,” she laughs, pausing for a second to adjust her blue sweater hat. “I’m trying to put up with that process as long as humanly possible.”

Like Kowalski, many students are taking advantage of the extra year or semester to gain working experience, according to Barbara Brittingham, director of the higher education commission for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

“Besides the high cost of college, students want to use the extra time to do something worthwhile,” Brittingham says. “I don’t think students are becoming less interested in being college students or enjoying time in college.”

She’s right. Seng Kong Low, a Malaysian student who graduated from B.U. a semester before most of his follow students, says friends and parties aren’t the only things he misses.

“There are only so many working applications you can send in a day,” he says. “I kind of miss classes, surprisingly.”

Obama overshadows Coakley rally

2010-02-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Jan. 17th, 2010

By Yue Huang

BOSTON - Huntington Avenue was unusually noisy on a cloudy and frigid Sunday morning. People from all over the state rushed into town early in the morning, forming a line from Northeastern University’s gymnasium that extended for nearly three miles. Some had waited eagerly, in their full winter gear, since 5 a.m.

The Massachusetts Special Election to replace the late Senator Edward Kennedy was only two days away. But Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, once the front-runner, has been threatened by Republican Scott Brown’s sudden surge in recent polls. Less than 48 hours before the polls opened, Coakley’s campaign organized a rally to sway more swing voters and put her back into the spotlight, but she was overshadowed by her very special guest speaker, President Barack Obama.

“I don’t really care about [Coakley],” said Northeastern third-year student Robert Delpret of Rhode Island.

His fellow student Andrew Zenn, a Northeastern sophomore from North Carolina, agreed. “I don’t think there would be a line if Obama wasn’t here,” he said, glancing at the line that was only growing longer and longer. “We are just really hoping to get in, but obviously we are not.”

Delpret and Zenn were only two of the hundreds of college students who woke up early on a Sunday morning to see the president, who dominated in polls of college students in his presidential election in 2008. But the candidate he’s supporting? Not so much.

“I’m from Jersey and I’m not even registered here,” Northeastern third-year student Alanna Collins said with a shy smile. “But I figured, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the president at your college. You don’t get this kind of chance every day, you know?”

A Coakley campaign truck slowly drove behind Collins as she spoke, carrying her campaign slogan. An Obama cutout stood at the back of the truck; a hand-written white sign read: “Obama T for $5.” “You guys aren’t going to get in!” a man selling the T-shirts shouted. “Five dollars and you can look at him every day at home!”

The president was in town, also, to sell his health care reform. Coakley’s opponent Brown, a little-known Republican who has gained tremendous support over the past few weeks, had pledged to vote against the bill if elected. Although students said there are certain policies that interest them, health care isn’t one.

“Ten years from now, we’ll have to start paying for our own health care, but it’s not an immediate thing and something that kids worry about,” Delpret said, sipping some hot chocolate, his warm breath puffing into the cold air. “We care about policies and laws related to college stuff, like drinking, legalize marijuana.”

Some students even said health care isn’t a general interest in the state.

“Obama’s visit is not about Coakley; it’s about himself and his health care bill,” said Northeastern freshman Mike Dibello of Marlborough, Mass., who was waiting in line with his younger brother Jon Dibello. “Massachusetts already has universal health care, so it’s not going to have that much of an impact in the state whatsoever.”

However, at least Jaclyn Corriveao, a freshman from Simmons College, said she hopes Obama’s visit will give Coakley’s campaign a final push.

“I’d say 75 percent of people are here to see Obama, but hopefully they’ll leave wanting to vote for Coakley,” she said, clasping a Coakley sign tightly in her hand.

Swine flu vaccine remains in high demand in Boston

2009-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Daily Free Press on Nov. 30, 2009

BOSTON - After enduring weeks of a trying flu season, Boston still faces high demand for doses of the H1N1 vaccine.

Officials said that the entire state of Massachusetts received 1.2 million doses of overall.

The prognosis for whether the pandemic will continue to spread as the winter wears on is uncertain, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention city health practitioners continue to recommend the vaccine for at-risk patients.

Residents in Boston should go to their local community health centers to receive free vaccines, but the centers are busy keeping up with the demand, Boston Public Health Commission spokeswoman Ann Scales said.

“Most of the clinics vaccinated anywhere from several hundred people to over 1,000 people, so I think that’s a pretty good representation of the volume of the residents from Boston who are taking advantage of the vaccines and who are possibly at risk,” she said.

Scales said it is hard to know how much vaccine is available in the city, although the supply seems limited.

“I think it’s fair to say that supplies are still limited, but vaccines are certainly being distributed,” she said. “It’s hard for us to say because vaccines go directly to hospitals, community health centers and physician offices. It’s impossible for me to say how many vaccines the city of Boston has received.”

Massachusetts is one of the 43 states in America reporting widespread H1N1 infection, according to the CDC. Jennifer Manley, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health said the state has received 1.2 million vaccines so far, but is ultimately expecting 3.7 million in total from the CDC.

“Supply is still limited and the demand is still high,” she said. “[But] the state is extremely prepared for the outbreak.”

The shipment of the 1.2 million doses was delayed for three weeks, forcing many Massachusetts health offices to reschedule vaccine clinics.

“I just want to say how sorry I am that people have been so frustrated, that people have had to wait in line, that people haven’t always found vaccine at the end of the line,” Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Nov. 20th media briefing. “I wish that things had been and that they will go smoother.”

Though many have expressed concern about the safety of the newly developed vaccine, WebMD, a website that provides health and medical news and information, states it causes only “mild but common reactions.”

“There could be unknown side effects. Something could happen,” WebMD infectious disease and vaccine expert Mark Mulligan said on the site. “But we think that is highly unlikely.”

Debbie Yokoe, an infectious disease specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said people who can’t receive the vaccines due to the shortage should continue to be cautious about the flu.

“Common sense practices can cut down your risk of getting sick, including frequent hand washing, getting rest, eating well,” she said in an email. “It’s also important to stay home if you do become ill to prevent spreading illness to others.”

She said besides free clinics, people can contact their doctors and local hospitals to receive H1N1 vaccines. Pregnant women, infants, children or people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and kidney disease are target groups that are more at risk, according to the CDC.

She said the vaccines come in two forms — injection and nasal spray — and people should check with their doctors as to which kind they should receive.

“Both are effective,” she said. “[But] some people shouldn’t receive the live virus nasal vaccine, including pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.”

Only children of ages nine and under need two doses of vaccines, and everyone else only needs one, she said.

Scales said although H1N1 doesn’t appear to be as prevalent as it once was, it is hard for officials to tell if the disease has hit its peak, and instances of flu-like symptoms are still common in the city.

“We don’t know if the peak time has passed,” she said. “What we do know is that the flu comes in waves. By now, we are not seeing quite as much activities as we saw the week before.”

Patient shot dead at MGH after stabbing doctor

2009-10-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 28th, 2009

BOSTON - A psychiatric patient was shot dead by an off-duty security guard after stabbing his doctor at a Massachusetts General Hospital facility Tuesday afternoon, police said, marking the third attack in a Boston hospital since last Thursday.

Boston Police Department spokesman Sgt. Eddy Crispin said police identified Jay Carciero, 37, of Reading as the attacker. The stabbing victim is in stable condition and is expected to live, Crispin said.

The stabbing occurred around 2 p.m. at 50 Staniford Street in Boston, an office building where the hospital’s Bipolar Clinic and Research Program is located.

“What we know at this point is that apparently the suspect was stabbing a medical doctor who was working at the building,” Crispin said. “The security guard ordered the patient to drop his knife, he didn’t, and the security guard shot him.”

BPD has not released the names of the doctor and the security guard. However, a relative of the doctor told The Boston Globe the victim was Dr. Astrid Desrosiers, a MGH psychiatrist who worked at the center.

Crispin said the case is still under investigation. The attacker’s motivation remains unclear, he said.

This was the second attack at the MGH in a week. A 27-year-old female worker was assaulted inside a restroom by a homeless man Thursday afternoon, according to an Oct. 27 article in The Boston Globe. David Flavell, 40, a repeat sex offender, was identified as the attacker and ordered Tuesday to go through a mental competency evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, the Globe reported.

A 38-year-old man was also badly hurt in a stabbing Sunday at Boston Medical Center, officials said. The victim, whose name has not been released, was stabbed in the neck. His attacker is still at large.

(Daily Free Press staff Jenny Roche contributed to the reporting of this article)

Extremists more likely to be vocal, study finds

2009-10-29T08:06:00.001-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 28th, 2009

BOSTON - People with extreme views tend to be more expressive about their opinions than those with moderate views, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology July issue and featured in an Oct. 21 Science Daily article.

Stanford University psychology professor Dale Miller and Ohio State University communication professor Kimberly Rios Morrison conducted the study based on Stanford undergraduate attitudes towards campus alcohol policies.

“The purpose of the studies was to see whether group members whose opinions differ from the majority in one direction are more comfortable expressing their opinions than group members whose opinions differ from the majority in the opposite direction,” Morrison said in an email.

The study found that some extremists are more expressive because they falsely believe there are more people agreeing with their views than there actually are.

“In our studies, we found that the ‘extremely pro-alcohol’ students were the most likely to falsely believe they are in the majority,” she said. “These students differ from the majority group opinion in the direction of the Stanford student stereotype, which is to be slightly or moderately pro-alcohol.”

Morrison said the research focuses on alcohol-related policies because they are salient in the lives of college students.

One of the factors to consider about extremists’ potentially false perceptions is the extent to which they personally identify with the situation in question, she said. For example, Stanford students who considered Stanford important to them are particularly sensitive to perceptions of others’ views in deciding whether to speak up.

“[T]hese individuals are most motivated to express opinions that make them fit in with their peers,” she said. “This also suggests that perhaps strong Stanford identifiers are motivated to believe their opinions are widely held in the first place.”

This study may have potential implications about people who share their political opinions, Morrison said. For example, people with more extreme liberal views are more likely to display political paraphernalia or attend protests because they think the majority of their community supports them.

“Expressing opinions to one’s peers, putting a bumper sticker on one’s car, organizing a political rally, and even posting on a blog are all forms of opinion expression that may be most prevalent among those whose extreme opinions are consistent with the group stereotype,” Morrison said.

BU political science professor Timothy Longman said U.S. politics generally tends to favor the middle ground.

He compared the U.S. to Europe, where he said a wide range of political parties allow a much wider expression of diverse opinions, and said the minority nature of extremists in the U.S. may make them more vocal.

“It may be that the lack of productive outlets for their views in the political system drives some people in the U.S. to become more harsh in expressing their opinions,” he said.

BU sociology professor John Stone said there is a barrier of expression between more vocal extremists and less vocal moderates.

“Perception and reality are often far removed, particularly for small groups holding atypical views,” he said. “Extremists talk to extremists. Moderates talk to moderates.”

Many students said they agree with the study’s suggestions.

“I’ve come across people with really radical views,” College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Emma Kuebler said. “If you say something slightly different, they get pretty upset.”

She said public opinion on President Barack Obama is a good example.

“That’s the most extreme case I’ve seen,” she said. “People are either very pro-Obama or against him.”

CAS sophomore Joe Reytan also said he agrees with the study.

“People who are very into their views generally think their views are right,” he said.

T cameras aid in crime prevention, officials say

2009-10-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 27th, 2009

BOSTON - Surveillance cameras have dramatically enhanced security and helped crime investigation in T stations and buses and will soon have a trial run on Green Line trains, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said.

Cameras have helped identify more than 230 instances of criminal activity or incidents, Transit Police Deputy Chief Lewis Best said.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email that the MBTA has more than 1,000 surveillance cameras in the subway system and on buses.

“The mere presence of cameras is a deterrent to anyone who is even contemplating a criminal act,” he said. “Cameras also allow MBTA personnel and Transit Police to monitor the subway stations and tunnels 24 hours a day.”

Currently, more than 300 MBTA buses are equipped with eight cameras each, Best said. More than 700 cameras are also installed in subway stations on the Red Line and Orange Line for security and operational needs.

“The camera system is one effective layer of security in our overall mission to safeguard the transit system,” Best said. “It’s a great investigative tool for the Transit Police, and also helps us as a preventive measure.”

A bus surveillance camera captured a head-on collision between the bus and a car that drifted across the median line in Holbrook Wednesday. The video was posted on the MBTA’s website Thursday.

Station and bus cameras have also helped identify suspects for crimes committed in the system. Last Wednesday, police arrested five suspects allegedly involved in a fight last month on the 28 bus from Mattapan Station to Ruggles Station.

The test cameras on Green Line trains, announced Saturday, are part of an MBTA safety initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Best said.

“It’s part of the MBTA Pilot Program, a test for us to see if this technology works,” he said. “It also goes along with our ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign, asking the riders to report criminal activities.”

Pesaturo said vigilant staff and police, new technologies and upgraded security facility will ensure security in T stations in case of emergencies.

“The T is constantly developing new methods and procedures designed to enhance safety and security,” he said. “MBTA personnel and Transit Police have trained with local police and rescue personnel to be prepared with an appropriate response for any type of emergency.”

Simmons College junior Cara Shiraka, who rides the T daily, said she doesn’t believe the T can handle emergencies well.

“I fainted on the T once, and there were no personnel to help me,” she said. “There are so many cars and you never know what’s going on.”

She said installing cameras may increase security on the T.

“It’s probably a positive thing if they can keep an eye on the trains,” she said.

Many Boston University students said although they are not conscious of the security system in the T, they try to stay cautious while riding.

College of Fine Arts junior Jaki Doyka said she feels secure on the T.

“The T stops running at 12:30 [p.m.], which is a big inconvenience, but I think it also eliminates after-hour criminal activities,” she said.

College of Communication junior Melanie Prescott, a Los Angeles native, said the T is more accessible than the subway in LA and she feels safe on the T during the day.

“I’m always a little paranoid and aware of my surroundings, but I feel fine taking the T during the day,” she said. “I don’t enjoy taking the T at night, but I take it when I have to.”

City encourages caution despite H1N1 preparations

2009-10-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 27th, 2009

BOSTON - The City of Boston is well prepared to deal with H1N1 influenza and seasonal flu this fall, but people should be more cautious and informed about ways to prevent flu, city public health officials said Monday.

Representatives from Boston Public Health Commission and Boston Public Schools spoke about the precautions the city is taking regarding H1N1 influenza at a hearing at Freedom House in Dorchester. City Councilor-At-Large John Connolly and City Councilor Charles Yancey of the Committee on Environment and Health and City Councilor Chuck Turner held the hearing.

“We must take this very seriously,” Yancey said. “Far too many people in the city are not taking this seriously.”

Barbara Ferrer, executive director of BPHC, said approximately 23,000 people have been infected with flu since the spring, and there have been five deaths from H1N1 out of 450 confirmed cases reported in the city of Boston.

Swine flu, as opposed to seasonal flu, has a tendency to strike in young people, she said.

“This is different from the patterns we usually see in seasonal flu,” she said. “For other flu, the ill and hospitalized are elderly. We see a lot of [sick] people that are younger.”

In Boston, an estimated 11 percent of all adolescents contracted swine flu in the spring, Ferrer said. Children younger than 18 years old made up 64 percent of flu victims in the city.

“Schools are particularly hard hit,” she said. “We closed 20 schools in the city because they weren’t able to operate safely.”

The pandemic also appears to have a bigger impact on Hispanics and blacks, Ferrer said. Thirty-seven percent of all swine flu cases occurred in black people, although black people comprise only about 26 percent of Boston’s total population. One-third of all confirmed cases were seen in the Latino population.

Overall, almost three-fourths of people hospitalized for the virus in Boston have been either black or Hispanic, Ferrer said.

“In Boston, people who did end up being hospitalized, 50 had asthma, and residents of color are more likely to have asthma,” she said.

She said although the flu has become more prevalent with fall, the City of Boston has thorough measures in place to handle any outbreak.

“We are very well prepared for that,” she said. “We have been working for years, actually, on plans about what to do if there was an overwhelming number of people who needed to seek care at the same time.”

Boston school officials said school policies have also changed, as fewer than half as many people are now seeking treatment as in spring.

“Schools are encouraged to go about the business of education,” said Carolyn Riley, senior director of Special Education for BPS. “School closings are not recommended.”

To prevent flu, Ferrer encouraged people to wash hands frequently, cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing and try to avoid close contact with others if possible, such as shaking hands and hugging.

“It’s good to modify these activities when we are facing an outbreak,” she said.

Director of the Infectious Disease Bureau Anita Barry offered advice for college students in an interview before the hearing. She said although the H1N1 vaccine currently isn’t largely available, students should seek it out as soon as it is.

“The vaccine is slowly becoming available,” she said. “We expect there’ll be a larger amount [of vaccine production] sometime towards the end of November. But it’s important to remember that we recommend flu vaccination up until April.”

Barry also said students should be careful when going to parties, where personal space is limited and people tend to share cups.

“You need to make it some kind of a trend that everyone uses their own cups,” she said. “And if you aren’t feeling well, stay away from parties.”

Harvard University freshman Ben Blatt, one of the few civilian attendees at the hearing, said he’s not too worried about the flu.

“I haven’t gotten the flu shot or anything, although they offered it,” he said. “I’m not that terribly concerned.”

City grapples with public safety resources

2009-10-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 13th, 2009

BOSTON - The City of Boston should raise more funding for public safety, promote crime education and get community members more involved to ensure a safer city, Boston city officials said, though statistics show crime is decreasing.

According to the Boston Police Department, most types of crimes such as homicides, robberies and thefts have been decreasing since last year, except for a slight increase in number of rapes and attempted rapes.

While public safety issues remain a concern, Boston’s long-term crime rates are decreasing overall, Nick Martin, the campaign spokesman for incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino, said in an email.

“The Mayor has been both a local and a national leader in his work to create safer communities,” he said.

He credited Menino’s public safety initiatives with the crime reduction in the city. Menino started the Violence Intervention and Prevention program and Safe Street Team initiative to tackle areas with prevalent violent crime.

“His emphasis on community policing - the idea that the same officers patrol the same beat in order to build successful relationships with the community - is a nationally recognized model,” he said.

Despite improvements in public safety in the city, domestic violence and sexual assault still remain a common issue in Boston and the state, Toni Troop, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Coalition against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, said in an email.

“While we’ve made progress in raising awareness and changing the norms around sexual assault and domestic violence, these crimes still occur at unacceptable rates in all communities throughout the state,” she said. “Students are not immune either.”

This year has had particular challenges due to the economic crisis, she said.

“A bad economy doesn’t create new batterers or cause sexual assault, but it does create new and greater dangers for victims,” Troop said. “We have seen our members facing a greater demand for services and fewer resources, straining advocates and the network of programs.”

Although BPD was not available at press time to provide specific statistics, the Boston Indicators Project suggests that gang activity in Boston is increasing. The BIP website also indicates that the rate of youth violence is rising due to a low public budget for youth activities, fewer entry-level jobs for young people, more students dropping out and an increase in the availability of guns.

One obstacle to greater city safety is lack of funding. According to BIP, federal funding for the BPD has declined since 2001, with the number of police officers also declining.

City Councilor-at-Large Sam Yoon, who is running as deputy mayor alongside mayoral candidate Michael Flaherty, said the city council is trying to get more Safe Neighborhood Initiative grants and federal state money, including “grants for equipments that have been donated by the fire department [and] upgrades to emergency systems.”

Natasha Perez, spokeswoman for City-Councilor-at-Large and public safety committee vice chair Flaherty, said the people of Boston should be more active in reporting local crimes using new technology.

“The city has a policy that they try to develop a pattern, so if someone gets raped in an area, there’s no notification until three people are raped in that area,” Perez said. “It’s important that we change that to get people involved in protecting their neighborhood.”

“The Boston Police Department has only 30 percent of rape cases solved,” she said. “We need to try to involve people early in that process.”

Perez also said education is extremely important to deter crime.

“Twenty-four thousand dropped out [of Boston Public Schools] over the last 16 years,” she said. “We need real reform now. You don’t bring down crime until you educate people and put them to work.”

BPD spokesman James Kenneally said the BPD is trying to reach out the people in Boston.

“The biggest thing is for us is to build trust with the community,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure quality of life and peace of mind to the people of the city, getting out, being visible, talking to citizens in Boston and finding out what’s important to them.”

Recession fading on Newbury St.

2009-10-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang

BOSTON - Newbury Street retailers, many hit hard by the economy, are seeing signs of the recession easing since the summer.

With rents up, sales down, many stores quit Newbury Street in 2007. Closed or relocated shops include large chain stores such as Gap and Pottery Barn, and smaller retailers such as clothing store Tess & Carlos and Kidder Smith Gallery. International coffee and tea retailer Whittard of Chelsea closed its Newbury Street store after its entire U.S. branch was sold to a private equity for experiencing trade difficulties.

But Newbury Street now seems busier time than it was early this year. At restaurant Stephanie’s on Newbury, almost every table on the patio was taken. Many retailers said they see a ray of hope as business slowly picks up.

“We are actually doing pretty well,” clothing store French Connection assistant manager Heidi Soto said. “February and March were tough, but we are pretty busy in the summer.”

Sales on Newbury Street are highly seasonal and sales decline is expected in the winter, Soto said, adding “no one likes to come here when it’s cold.”

She said the company has adopted new strategies to survive the recession. One is having many more sales because sales items are more appealing to customers.

“We never had sales before,” said Soto. “So our new clearances items are easier to sell.” However, the company still makes more profits from the full price items and sales are for attracting more customers to visit the store who may end up buying full price items, she noted. “It’s the secret that many customers don’t know. When we sell one piece of full price clothing, we make a lot more money than selling multiple sales items.”

Niketown manager Lee Morong said customers are much more interested in discounts during the bad times.

“We don’t have sales all the time,” Morong said. “But of course sales items are always a little easier to sell because everyone loves bargaining.”

Jackie Lacey, assistant manager of Aldo Accessories, a store that sells jewelery and women accessories, said their sales stay consistent because there’s a strong parent company supporting each chain.

“ALDO is a big international company,” Lacey stated. “I’ve heard that sales are very good internationally, which kind of balances out the situation here.”

Lacey said although she noticed the empty shops on the street, she’s not too worried about the economy, saying that “it’s always a hit or miss – some stores are doing well, some are awful. It’s how business works.”

One type of shops that are fortunate enough to avoid the winter sales decline dilemma is gift shops.

“People love to do Christmas shopping here, so winter isn’t too bad for us,” said Sarah Hewitt, manager of handmade cosmetics store Lush. She added that Lush has also been planning more events in or outside of the store to attract new customers, so sales have been consistent in the past years.

“In the summer we have many outdoor events to increase traffic,” Hewitt said. “When our Greece Lightening came out, we had Greek theme parties here, which was a lot of fun.”

Compared to low end retailers, luxury stores and art galleries seem to be experiencing a harder time.

“We are doing ok, but not as good as expected,” said Umar Shirkh, the manager of Kashmir, a luxury housewear store that has been open for 11 months. Shirkh said Kashmir’s chains in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago are all slammed hard by the economy.

“Luxury sellers are suffering a lot because people just don’t have a lot of cash to buy luxury now,” Shirkh said, sounding slightly disappointed. “Shoppers are also getting wiser and like to ask for bargaining.”

Art galleries on Newbury Street, many of which sell high-end art, are also struggling due to the economic downturn.

Antoinette Hocbo, media coordinator for Copley Society of Art, said this year has been particularly rough for the gallery which has been standing on Newbury Street since 1879.

“We are definitely feeling the repercussion of the economy,” said Hocbo. “Sales are down and there are more people who come in to look but a lot less people buying things."

Hocbo pointed out that the reason her gallery is suffering, like many other galleries on Newbury Street, is that they don’t usually offer any sales.

“We are nonprofit and artists have already discounted the price when we collect them,” she said. “We had some sales in the winter and I remember some artists being very upset about it.”

Street art seller Deidre Kennea, who has been selling paintings during weekends in the summer for six years, said she has seen changes in the past three years.

“I must say that business is strongly affected by the recession, all of our business” Kennea said, pointing at two other street sellers. “You will not believe how many galleries have been closed or moved.”

Kennea said the sales slump also due to depressed tourism.

“You’ll notice there are fewer tourists, and therefore fewer customers,” Kennea said. “As for locals, many who decided to save during the recession just stopped shopping here.”

Despite some sales decline, new signs hanging on empty window shops reveal that many new stories are set to open soon. The closed tea store Whittard of Chelsea will be replaced by Lisa’s Nails; clothing retailers Ben Sherman, Ted Baker and furniture store Jonathan Adler are also renting space for their new chains.

Caitlin Scannell, a local of Boston who shops on Newbury St. twice a week, spoke hopefully about traffic on the street.

“People never seem to stop shopping,” Scannell said. “Every time I come here, there are always people.”

Micaela Morales - Scolly, manager of accessory shop Maya that has been on Newbury Street for 15 years, also expressed optimism about the economy.

“Our old customers always come back because we sell unique items and we know what they want,” she said. “If things get worse I don’t know, but if it stays the same, we are going to stay. We are very positive.”

Energy drinks on the rise despite risks, statistics show

2009-10-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Daily Free Press on Oct. 7, 2009

BOSTON - Jasmine Vakhshoorzadeh, a pre-med junior in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences, said she once had four energy drinks in one night to sustain her through a late night study session.

“The energy drinks definitely kept me awake and wired so I could focus,” she said. “I don’t think I could’ve stayed awake without them. It’s both the sugar and caffeine that help me.”

She also said she often gets headaches without caffeine and needs to consume forms of it such as Amps and sodas on a regular basis to stay awake.

For many, the caffeine of coffee is no longer an effective energy boost. Studies show the popularity of energy drinks has dramatically increased among college students in recent years.

According to Business Week’s website, Red Bull sold over four billion cans of energy drinks in 2008 worldwide. And energy drink companies like Red Bull are marketed towards college students.

CAS sophomore Jess Wise, a Warren Towers Campus Convenience cashier, said energy drinks are very popular on the BU campus, especially Red Bulls and Five-Hour Energy shots.

“People come here really late at night,” she said. “Sometimes from 10 [p.m.] to 3 [a.m.] we sell 100 energy drinks.”

She said students seem to believe caffeinated, sugary energy drinks are particularly effective.

“No one buys the decaf ones, although they are supposed to have the same effect,” she said.

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation professor Joan Blake said the various forms of caffeine make its consumption highly individualized.

“It used to be that coffee was the most potent source,” Blake said. “But now with these energy drinks, students can be taking in a fair amount of caffeine.”

Sarah Butler, a nutritionist at the BU Nutrition and Fitness Center, said energy drinks are not controlled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because they fall into the category of food supplements, which means their effects and ingredients, besides caffeine, are almost entirely unregulated “and therefore cannot be reliably safe.”

Butler also said caffeine consumption within three to five hours of bedtime will cause trouble falling asleep and frequent brief awakenings during the night that may be unnoticeable.

“This will lead the person to feel tired the next day, so they will consume more caffeine to stay awake,” she said.

But some BU students said they aren’t worried about potential harmful effects of energy drinks.

College of Communication senior Serra Ercil, who drinks energy drinks once a month, said she drinks energy drinks when she needs to pull an all-nighter to study.

“I actually feel more tired a couple of hours after I drink energy drinks, but it does give me more energy after I just drink it,” Ercil said. “Some people drink every day, but I don’t, so I don’t really have health concerns.”

COM senior Brad Garoon, who drinks an average of four energy drinks a week, said he drinks them whenever he feels he needs energy.

“I like the taste of it,” he said. “I drink it mostly for doing homework, less often for going out when I’m really tired.”

Garoon said although he’s aware of potential side effects, he’s not too concerned.

“I assume they aren’t that good for you. But I drink low calorie Monser, so calorie-wise, it isn’t bad,” he said. “I try not to drink them more than once a day.”

But CAS freshman Caitlin Pancarician said she never drinks energy drinks.

“Those scare me because so many horrible things can go wrong with them,” she said. “If I need to stay up to study, it’s always coffee.”

Butler said students should choose well-balanced meals as their primary energy source.

“Caffeine is a stimulant and thus makes us feel like we have more energy,” Butler said. “Real food is actually the preferred source of energy for our bodies.”

Besides healthy diets, Blake suggested students to limit their caffeine intake to 300 milligrams a day, pay attention to nutrition labels and get adequate sleep.

“You can’t have a poor diet, lack of sleep and drink drinks that are high in caffeine and expect to be healthy,” Blake said.

Activists protest MASAC closing

2009-10-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang

BOSTON - About 30 activists from advocacy group “Learn to Cope” gathered in front of the State House last Tuesday, holding signs and shouting slogans, in protest of the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center scheduled to close.

The state Department of Correction announced in early September its plans to close MASAC and transfer people civilly committed there by the courts to other state facilities on Nov. 6^th due to budget cuts.

MASAC, located in Bridgewater, is a detoxification facility that houses alcohol or drug abusers sent by a civil commitment otherwise known as Section 35. These individuals are separate from the general population of Bridgewater State Prison while participating an up to 30-day detoxification program before going on further treatment.

“We use [this program] to save lives when our insurance fails us and when our children are lost in drugs,” said protester Mary Deramo from Abinggton, Mass. “There will be more death tolls and we can’t let that happen.”

“Our families rely on this program to help them get through difficult time in their lives,” said founder of Learn to Cope Joanne Peterson. “Many people don’t have money to pay for treatment. MASAC is really their last resort.”

MASAC had already cut space and reduced 100 beds last year, and the closing in Nov. will mean that the remaining 100 individuals who are currently housed in the facility will be moved to other facilities by the state Department of Public Health.

“They say the Department of Public Health is going to take care of it, but they don’t have space either,” Peterson said.

Peterson said opiate overdose is the number-one cause of death in the state and 3,265 people have died from fatal opiate overdoses from 2002 to 2007.

“More people die from opiate or OxyContin than people who die from homicides and traffic accidents,” Peterson said. “It’s an opiate crisis and we can’t let this facility close in the middle of an epidemic.”

Protesters said that they believe not only death toll will rise, the closing will not help the department financially either.

“Since January we have already buried 16 people, some of them are 18 year-olds,” Deramo said. “More people will die and it will not help save money.”

Peterson, whose own son underwent the program three years ago, said although the program was not specially designed for children, the facility houses a majority of 19 to 25 year-olds.

“Many young kids in school or fresh out tried OxyContin and have no idea what it was,” Peterson said.

Protester Judy Siggins from Natick, Mass. Said many members of the group are parents.

“Most of us are parents and we speak about the issue from a parent perspective,” she said. “It may be our children today, but your children tomorrow.”

Protesters said they have been collecting signatures for a banner from families who are suffering from drug abuses and bring the banner on their protests.

“We gather signatures from all over the place and it’s a very powerful banner,” Deramo said. “We want people to feel that they are not alone.”

Learn to Cope is a support group established in 2004 to help people who are dealing with family members and friends addicted to heroin, OxyContin and other drugs. The group meets weekly in Salem and Brockton.

“We are growing by two or three people a day,” Deramo said. “We now have 1,000 members in the group.”

Their website learn2cope.org provides basic facts about drug abuses in Massachusetts and information on treatment facilities in the state.

“MASAC is all we got in the entire state and they are closing it,” Deramo said. “Families with these problems don’t speak up because drug abuse is their big secret, big secret of shame.”

U.S.- China relaitonship improving, speaker says

2009-10-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Sept. 29, 2009

The United States should develop a more cooperative and candid US and China relationship, push for a more internalized consumer economy in China and partner with other Asian countries to deal with regional security issues in Asia, former National Security Council member Dennis Wilder said at a lecture at Harvard University on Monday.

Wilder served on the National Security Council first as China director and then as special assistant to the president and senior directory for East Asian Affairs from August 2004 to January 2009. He spoke to 40 audience about Bush Administration’s political legacy in terms of US and China relation and future challenges facing the Obama administration.

President Obama inherited much improved Chinas relations from Bush Administration’s work to establish a basis for healthy communication.

“[Since the Beijing Olympics,] there has been very large degree of transition and maturity that came into the relationship,” said Wilder. “One thing that surprises me…is how keenly President Bush was aware that the United States and its future relations with China and East Asia. “

Bush had worked hard to push for a “constructive, cooperative and candid relationship” with China, Wilder stated. For example, Bush had made clear to the President of China Hu Jintao that he would be the first American President to publicly meet Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

“Bush had worked out, in his mind, exactly the kind of relationship he wanted with China,” Wilder said. “He made clear to the Chinese leaders that he respected the Chinese by his presence at the [Olympic] games, but he also had to stand the values he believed in.”

A key issue between the U.S. and China is two countries’ stance on nuclearization and security in North Korea, Wilder noted. China must play a proactive role in solving the problem because it has turned into an East Asia regional security issue rather than a problem for the U.S.

“China hosted the six party talks, and we made it clear to China that you are not just a host providing the tables, you have to be actively engaged in putting the pressure on the North Koreans,” Wilder said.

The cooperation has been relatively effective, according to Wilder. In January, the fist North Korean ship possibly carrying weapons turned around and headed back to North Korea under UN sanctions that ban the regime from selling arms.

“We have seen for the first time that international pressure has worked successfully to stop a North Korean shipment,” Wilder said.

To solve international financial crisis, Wilder suggested the U.S. to partner with other Asian regional powers because the world’s trade center has shifted from Europe to Asia.

“[China’s success] is built on the fabric of the emergence of East Asia,“ he stated. “Obama can only do well if the U.S. and china talk about partnership in the context of partnerships with other Asian countries.”

To promote economic cooperation, the U.S. should push for a more domestic economy in China, rather than one not based solely on exports, and rebalance trading relations to help economic growth in the US.

“We need a change in the trading relationship,” Wilder said. “But the development of consumer economy isn’t going to be fast enough unless the Chinese take some very dramatic steps.”

In the lecture, Wilder also addressed a wide range of other U.S.-China policy issues including Iran, Tibet, Chinese nationalism, and the military.

Wu Yun, a correspondent from the People’s Daily, China’s official newspaper for the communist party, asked how Obama’s scheduled trip to China in November can help two countries’ relation.

“In a visit, you hopefully develop a more informal time between the two leaders,” Wilder said. “Politicians really like to sit down, look each other in the eyes and figure out what they are doing.”

Patrick Elliot, a first-year graduate student at Tufts University said the speaker provided insightful and comprehensive views on the topic.

“China has obviously become a really big power on the world’s stage and I just wanted to learn from an expert on the issue,” Elliot said. “He gave a very good overall view on Chinese issues, not just descriptive, but also very insightful.”

Thousands rally for health care reform at Boston Common

2009-09-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Sep. 8th, 2009

Thousands rallied at the Boston Common Monday in support of President Barack Obama’s health care reform.

Participants from 30 organizations and advocacy groups all across the state gathered around the gazebo, holding signs demanding “health care and public option,” chanting slogans and marching to Copley Square after the rally.

“[Health care reform] is a lifelong dream for us,” Cape Cod resident Robert Gaughran said. “Many Republicans have raised their voice against health care and people would think everyone is anti-health care, but we want to show there are thousands of us who are here to support.”

The rally was originally scheduled for Park Square, a historical site where politicians interact with Boston community and have a traditional Labor Day breakfast. But the rally moved to the Boston Common after thousands of people responded in support, according to organizers.

“Our country can’t sustain the way it’s going now,” Leslie Vensel, an organizer from Doctors for America and a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, said. “Our health care system is failing way too many Americans. Forty-six million Americans don’t have health insurance and half of our bankruptcies in our states are because of health care.”

John Spears, the state director for Organizing America, said there will be many rallies across the country supporting health care reform.

“We need to ensure that all the Americans have accessible and affordable health care,” Spears said. “Health care costs are growing three times faster than the rate of the wages and people are really struggling now.”

Organizers said they scheduled the rally for Labor Day because there are only a few days until Obama will address a joint session of Congress about health care.

“The delegation is going back to the Congress tomorrow,” Health Care for America Massachusetts organizer Joy Depina said. “We want to show them that we are supporting President Obama and we want our voice heard.”

Mailial Diaz, who brought his two sons to the rally, said he came here to represent the Hispanic group’s voice.

“We need a national health care system [that’s] more affordable,” said Diaz in broken English. He pointed at his sons holding signs that read “support health care reform” in Spanish and said “I don’t think my kids know what’s going on, but we come to support.”

The rally lasted about an hour, but the crowds shouted the loudest when state Attorney General Martha Coakly, who announced Thursday she will run to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, stated her support for a public-run or government-run insurance option.

“This is a frontier that cannot wait,” Coakley said. “We need health care for everyone.”

U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano, Edward Markey and John Tierney also spoke passionately in favor of health care reform and public option.

“There’s no other way to keep cost under control,” Rep. Capuano said to the crowd.

Crowds booed when U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat who may also run for Kennedy’s seat, refused to sign a pledge supporting the public option. “Public option! Public option!” the crowded chanted over his address.

Almost every speaker invoked the memory of Sen. Kennedy, who was a strong supporter of a universal health care system. Mayor Thomas Menino paid tribute to Kennedy with a moment of silence.

Many attendees said they remember Senator Kennedy’s effort and they worry no one in the Senate is going to carry Kennedy’s torch.

“I think we are not going to see a person like [Kennedy] for quite a while, because he can work with both Democrats and Republicans,” said Gaughran. “Really, nothing got through Congress without Kennedy.”

As Obama’s address to Congress approaches, many said they are hopeful for his plan.

“He’s got a wonderful vision for the country,” Vensel said. “His mission of affordable health care for all Americans is not only possible for our country but also a moral imperative.”

Haymarket Potential Site for Boston History Museum

2009-09-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Sep. 22, 2009

BOSTON - Boston tourists may have a new way to experience the city’s history aside from quacking at passers-by or wandering through Boston’s cobblestone streets on Freedom Trail.

If developers obtain land rights for a vacant plot between the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Haymarket, Boston could have its first comprehensive and interactive history museum.

“It’s a museum of innovation of Boston and how it transforms the world,” Developer Frank Keefe said. “It’s not going to be a boring, dry place where you are going to do a lot of reading.”

Cambridge Seven Architects, who designed the New England Aquarium, is designing The Boston Museum—a 100,000-square-foot interactive space that would showcase city and state history in areas such as sports, immigration, politics, social changes and scientific invention.

“It’s an idea that supports more than a narrow slice of Boston history,” Keefe, the CEO of the proposed museum, said. “We have 200 years of history in Boston, which is tremendous and rich and deep.”

Keefe and his team have been working to obtain rights from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority for the Parcel 9 plot, which is the ideal location.

“According to economic analysts, it’s the best museum site in America,” Keefe, a former State Secretary for Administration and Finance, said.

He said the proximity to the Freedom Trail near Quincy Market, as well as the Haymarket street vendors, would allow the museum to connect the two tour sites.

“The pushcart vendors, which may be a nuisance for other businesses like hotels, are great for us,” Keefe said. “We have a living, breathing exhibit right outside our window.”

(Photo courtsey: Katy Abel from the Boston Museum)

Keefe said the museum would not house a permanent collection of objects or documents, but would borrow objects—many of which are not currently available to the public—from partner institutions, families and individuals.

Keefe said he remains confident the museum will win the bid, despite competition with a residential proposal in the MTA’s decision.

“Why would you put housing surrounded by non-housing uses plagued by a very dirty, smelly, noisy Haymarket venue?” Keefe said. “It’s just not a good housing site, but it’s the best museum site.”

If the museum proposal receives approval, the board will have to raise $140 million for construction and operation.

The museum is expecting at least 400,000 visitors per year, each paying S10 per ticket, to cover over 80 percent of its annual expenses, according to its fundraising assessment. It also has the location to potentially attract 14 million visitors from North End, Quincy Market and the Freedom Trail.

“By comparison, the aquarium gets 1.3 million visitors with $24 a ticket, so we are pretty confident,” Keefe said. “It’s going to be very sustainable, not only because the large amount of tourists but new university students.”

Keefe said community response to the proposal has been positive.

“We have big potential donors, but no one is going to make a commitment until we have control of the site,” he said.

Board members said the museum’s fundraising campaign would take about four years, but they have spoken to three potential donors, whose total donations could be close to $30 million.

Local residents and tourists said they are support the idea for a “synthesizing” history museum.

German tourist Monika Goewswein said another museum would improve Boston’s tourist attractions.

“[My mom and I] saw some historical sites like the Freedom Trail and Quincy Market, but I don’t think there are enough museums here,” Goewswein said. “We went to the Museum of Fine Arts, but it was pretty far out of the city.”

Local resident Liam McCabe said he does not think fundraising will be an issue, despite the large amount needed.

“You’d be surprised how many people still come [to Boston],” he said. “We are also coming out the recession, so maybe there will be people that are generous to donate.”

Until the MTA decision at the end of October, the Boston Museum cannot move forward on its prospects.

“I have a story to tell, but it’s not real until I have a hold on it,” Keefe said.

(Photo Courtesy: Katy Abel from the Boston Museum)

Click here to view Boston Museum's website.

Mass. treasurer to announce candidacy in gubernatorial campaign

2009-09-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Sep. 9, 2009

BOSTON - State Treasurer Timothy Cahill is set to announce his candidacy for governor as an independent Wednesday, according to reports.

Cahill is expected to announce his plans at an 11:30 a.m. press conference at the Omni Parker House Hotel, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday. Cahill then plans to kick off the campaign at a fundraiser Thursday night at the Best Western Adams Inn in Quincy, according to the Globe.

Cahill, a Boston University alumnus (CAS ’81), began his political career as a city councilor in Quincy in 1987. He then served as Norfolk Country treasurer from 1996 until he was elected state treasurer at the end of 2002. In July, he left the Democratic Party and is now independent.

Cahill said on his campaign website that the Democratic Party no longer reflects his fiscal values and he may be more effective outside the party.

“The Massachusetts Democratic Party no longer makes me comfortable,” Cahill said in a press release. “I think we need to be more responsible and respectful of how we spend taxpayers’ money.”

During his tenure as treasurer, Cahill helped increase the state pension fund by more than 50 percent and created more than 1,700 new jobs throughout the state through his Job Growth Initiative. Other accomplishments include reforming the state’s School Building Assistance Program and returning $5.5 billion to lottery aid for cities and towns.

The Mass. gubernatorial election will be held in November 2010. Incumbent Gov. Deval Patrick has stated he will seek reelection, and Republicans Charles Baker and Christy Mihos have announced they will vie for their party’s nomination.

According to a July Boston Globe poll conducted after Cahill changed party affiliation, Cahill’s approval rating is 30 percent, which is higher than Baker’s 20 percent and roughly the same as that of Governor Patrick.

Markoff followup: Markoff case progresses toward June 2010 trial

2009-09-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang

Published on the Daily Free Press on Sep. 3, 2009

Pretrial procedures in the case of alleged “Craigslist killer” and former Boston University School of Medicine student Philip Markoff are in still in progress, the prosecution said.

“The investigation remains ongoing with the testing and discovery process continuing,” Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Jake Wark spokesman said. “Our obligation is to provide defense council with discovery and evidence and we have every intention of following through that obligation.”

Markoff will not appear at the next pretrial hearing on Sept. 24 because his attorney waived his right to be present, Wark said.

Markoff was arrested on April 20 on suspicion of the murder of 25-year-old New York woman Julissa Brisman, a masseuse who advertised erotic services on Craigslist. Her body was found with multiple gunshot wounds on April 14 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel.

Suffolk County Grand Jury indicted Markoff in June on charges of the first-degree murder of Brisman and armed robbery and kidnapping of 29-year-old prostitute Trisha Leffler on April 10. Markoff is also being accused of unlawful possession of weapons and attempted robbery on April 16 of a prostitute in a Warwick, R.I. hotel.

He allegedly met all three women through Craigslist.

At his initial arraignment, Markoff pled not guilty to all charges.

Witness testimony and Internet and telephone records were presented to the grand jury against Markoff. According to the district attorney’s office, Markoff used a disposable phone to arrange meetings with the victims. The phones were found at his apartment, along with a 9mm automatic handgun which matched the gun that killed Brisman.

Police also found Markoff’s fingerprints on the gun’s purchasing documents, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin told The Daily Free Press in June.

“We’re very satisfied at this point that the evidence that we’ve developed . . . supports these charges,” Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said. But, he said, the case remains “open and active, and we’ll aggressively pursue any and all additional evidence.”

Markoff’s attorney John Salsberg criticized the investigation and accused the district attorney’s office in Suffolk County Superior Court of leaking information to the media, which he said potentially tainted the grand jury process. But his defense motion, which requested examination of the grand jury process, was rejected by a Suffolk Superior Court judge.

Markoff’s friends and family expressed shock at the charges. A Facebook group titled “Phil Markoff is innocent until proven guilty” was created shortly after his arrest. The group, now with over 400 members, criticized media coverage with possible influence over the legal system.

“This group was created to cause the media to reconsider their policies of turning suspects into criminals without the true due process of the law,” group administrators wrote.

Other students said they were not surprised by the charges.

“The charges aren’t that shocking after what he has done,” Hyesung Park, a College of Communication senior, said. “If he has the guts to pull the trigger, he would have the guts to deny what he has done and plead not guilty even if all the evidence is pointing at him. People like him have no conscience, and they don’t feel sorry.”

Some students also said they trusted the fairness of the legal system and grand jury process and doubted the claims of the defense.

“In cases like this, if the evidence has got this far, it’s kind of ridiculous for the attorney to say there’s some kind of foul play going on in the legal system,” College of Arts and Sciences senior Paul Senker said.

Markoff’s next pretrial hearings are set to take place in December and May 2010. His trial is scheduled to begin in June 2010.

BU Community remember Kennedy's Legacy

2009-09-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

By Yue Huang
Published on the Daily Free Press on Sep. 2, 2009

BOSTON - Faculty members and students at Boston University mourned Sen. Edward Kennedy after his death last week, praising his health care reform effort and describing him as influential, effective and genuine.

“Sen. Kennedy’s death was truly a blow,” political science professor Douglas Kriner said. “The country lost a forceful and principled voice for the underprivileged in America.”

The senator was the last surviving Kennedy brother and a tremendous force in American politics for over half a century. Many said they think his death is highly historic.

“It felt like the end of an era,” College of Communication junior Barrie Potter said.

Students and faculty members said they remember Kennedy’s help in integrating under-represented citizens, such as the disabled, immigrants and children, into society.

“He believed that his first and most important purpose was to help little people with their problems,” political science professor Christine Rossell said.

College of Arts and Sciences graduate student Sandra Daniel, who worked for a program that helps Hispanic children with their English, said she was impressed by Kennedy’s help for immigrants.

“I’m from Georgia and we have so many immigrants,” Daniel said. “It was really neat that he tried to make a better life for immigrants in the States so they’ll feel more at home.”

CAS freshman Shruti Nelamangala, who spoke highly of Kennedy’s work on people with HIVs, said she is saddened no one is carrying his torch.

“I was in one of the FYSOP [groups] for HIV, and people talked about how he spent a lot of time thinking about HIV issues and sending help for them,” Nelamangala said. “Without him, there’s really no one else advocating that.”

Students said they also respected Kennedy’s unfinished but continuing effort to push for a universal health care system.

“If universal health care ends up going through, it would be a monumental legacy,” Potter said.

On a personal level, students and professors described him as a caring senator.

“He genuinely cared about the people he represented,” international relations professor Andrew Bacevich said. “When individuals have problems, he responded to the needs of those individuals in a very genuine and effective way.”

BU spokesman Colin Riley said Kennedy was a good friend of former BU president John Silber and a long-term supporter of BU.

“He was good for our students and for our financing and education and making a college education affordable and accessible,” Riley said. “There’s no doubt that his passing is a sad one.”