CONNECTIONS

Is social media ruining your relationship? 9

Researched, Edited, & Published by Lindsay Boccia

Separated sisters meet by fate overseas. 5

“Gov’t Shouldn’t Make Promises They Can’t Keep”

CALLING FOR BACKUP-- Vice President Biden looks on in approval, but House of Representative Speaker John Boehner is not as optimistic.

President Barack Obama made many citi-zens happy, and others not so much, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday January 20th. His mone-tary promises such as tax breaks and a raise in min-imum wage, surely caught the attention of the nation.

The economy is argu-ably in its best shape since the financial crisis of 2008, and according to Obama, he plans to keep it that way and leave office in 2016 with it flourishing.

“Our economy is grow-ing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was be-fore the financial crisis,” the President noted.

That being said, the president proposed rais-ing minimum wage for workers with a statement that many Americans cur-rently living on minimum wage salary were glad to hear:

“To everyone in this Congress who still refus-es to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and sup-port a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it.”

A large portion of Amer-icans are living on a min-

imum wage salary, and it seems like an almost impossible lifestyle. In comparison to the middle class, there isn’t a huge

jump.However, in comparison

to the wealthiest Ameri-cans... The difference in income is actually expo-

nential. In other words- an absolutely ridiciulous change in salary.

A few conglomerate businesses- such as Ap-

ple- and then some politi-cians and “lucky” Ameri-cans, control the nation’s wealth.

Of course, the wealth-

iest one percent were touched upon. 99% of Americans gain almost no income from stock or real estate, yet that

accounts for more than a third of the wealthiest 1% income.

Obama plans to con-tinue to raise their taxes

because that is where the highest monetary inequal-ity is.

Many right wing peo-ple are unhappy with this thought. ‘The higher the income, the lower the tax-es’ has been the American way for quite some time. Obama knows this needs to change.

Hopefully, whoever takes office in 2016 fol-lows through with this idea to finally tax the high upper class.

Obama also mentioned in his speech how the Af-fordable Care Act has al-ready begun slowing the cost of health care. The crowd applauded his ef-forts so far.

Many of the President’s promises from last year’s State of the Union Ad-dress were not followed through. Hopes are high that this year’s proposals are seen through and help the economy continue to flourish and eventually move towards digging this country out of its massive debt.

“Our government shouldn’t make promises we cannot keep-- but we must keep the promis-es we’ve already made.” A bold statement by the President and words we should hope he stands by.

Over the counter Lyme disease cure?

DEBUGGING IT-- “This study offers hope for the 80 million Americans at risk of getting Lyme disease,” Bonnie Crater, founder of Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

What makes lyme disease tick? Apparently a common ingredient in a popular over the counter anithistamine could be a cure to what has otherwise been widely known as an uncurable disease.

The Bay Area Lyme Disease Foundation, a Southern California non-profit, is dedicated to find-ing cures for lyme disease.

The foundation, in co-operation with the Stan-ford School of Medicine, has discovered that the in-gredient loratadine (com-monly known as over the counter Claritin) not only relieves allergies but also starves and kills the bac-teria that causes lyme dis-ease.

Lyme disease is brought on by a bite from a deer tick. The deer has to be infected in their blood to pass it onto the bug. Ticks can be found in any area, but tend to habitate ex-tremely cool, or very dry climates.

Deer ticks are found in or around dense forests, or really anywhere that deer are relatively nearby.

If you’re bit by a tick, don’t automatically be afraid. The bug has to be infected with the dis-ease beforehand to cause

any harm. It also has to be latched onto your skin for at least a day for the disease to spread through your bloodstream.

The main bacteria of

the disease, if caught ear-ly, can be treated. How-ever, misdiagnosis of the disease is common which worsens the effects, caus-ing it to either paralyze

the affected person or make them very ill. In most cases, lyme disease remains dormant for life and in rare cases, is life threatening.

“There are about 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, 10 times more than previous-ly reported, according to statistics released in 2013.

As a result of the difficulty in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, as many as one million Americans may be suffering from the impact of its debilitating

long-term symptoms and complications,” according to Bay Area Lyme Foun-dation.

Jayakumar Rajadas, PhD, the lead author of

this study, said “It’s excit-ing to see first-hand that our insights into the met-abolic activity of this elu-sive bacteria may give us the ability to actually kill it.”

Researchers are not coming out and saying directly that consuming Claritin or common an-tihistamine medication is going to suddenly cure your lyme disease. It has killed the disease in test tubes, but not yet in a hu-man being- at least not to anyone’s knowledge. However, through more and more research, they’re coming closer to a cure than they’ve ever been be-fore.

Some ways to avoid catching lyme disease in-clude wearing long sleeves and tight, long pants if you’re planning to go into a forest on a hike any time soon. Bug sprays do not repel these pesky blood-suckers, but spraying some doesn’t hurt. It is also best to wear a hat, and if you’re a female to pull your hair back tight. After being out in the woods, make sure you check yourself or have a friend check you for ticks. They normally bite under the armpit, in-ner thighs, behind the ears, ankles, and back of the neck.

Secret sisters: finding family in unfamiliar placesMy grandmother

Yvonne Barclay was just like any other “only” child. She managed to live 62 years of her life with a very small extend-ed family, and two parents who treated her like a very special princess until they both passed away.

Yvonne’s mother left her a little cottage in the small town of Scaer, France, however Yvonne could not sign off on real estate papers to sell it unless she was physically there in France.

So in 2007, she and her two children, and their young daughters- one of whom was me- took the trip to Scaer. It was a small, very rural town in Brittany- the northern-most region of France.

Scaer seemed to be filled with two types of air- one of familiarity and the oth-er, magic.

Yvonne visited her mother’s old home, just hoping to finally sign the papers to sell it. However, in this small town where everyone knows every-one, we were strangers. A tiny old woman was pass-ing by as the real estate deal went down; she came over, asked Yvonne’s name, and shook her hand. Then, she seemed

to disappear.Yvonne says “I felt a

strange connection the minute I stepped into that house, and that woman who shook my hand left me feeling different… Not that I thought anything of

it; I just felt different.”We stayed in a bed and

breakfast, located on a tiny farm in the north of France. Yvonne woke up the next morning to a note placed on our wooden side door. It read: “Emer-

gency! Please call this number, very important!”

My grandmother knew she had one or two cous-ins in France, and a close family friend she kept in touch with. She immedi-ately went to this friend to

have her call the number. It was a clear Tuesday

night and my cousin Ni-cole and I were told to sit in a separate room. All I remember is seeing my grandmother walk into the kitchen, fill up a very

large wine glass, wipe away tears, and go back into the other room.

“We were on the phone with a friend of a friend who knew someone else… It still shocks me. Anyway, all I was told is

that my father had been married here in France about 20 years before he married my mother, and that he had a daughter named Simone. So that meant she was my sister. To say I was overcome

with emotion would be an understatement.”

We woke up the next day and just like that were in a car on our way to meet this “sister” and her- well, our- family.

“That driveway seemed to go on forever. But, when we made it there… When I saw these people who were ready to wel-come me with open arms, tears began to flow and I knew they were family.”

Simone, at the time, was 78 years old. That’s a whole sixteen years old-er than my grandmother. She received photos of my grandmother through-out her lifetime from their shared father… Simone had these photos collected in a scrapbook. She was waiting for her sister for her whole life, collecting these memories, and my grandmother never once knew.

Fast forward to present day: Simone and Yvonne keep in contact regular-ly. There isn’t a day they don’t call each other and Yvonne has made the trip back to France twice in the past 8 years. I can’t imagine these people not being in our lives; they are our family. Simone and Yvonne have truly be-come sisters.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? Left, Yvonne and Simone are teary eyed as they meet for the first time. Right, all smiles as Yvonne makes a second trip to see her newfound best friend.

Seven children killed in tragic blaze

BROKEN HOME-- Seven of the eight children of parents Gayle and Gabriel Sassoon lost their lives in the flames. Gayle and daughter Siporah are currently being hospitalized but are in critical condition.

A horrid fire tore through a Midwood home early Saturday morning, injuring two and killing seven children.

A hot plate was left on the stove by mother Gayle Sassoon on Friday night. A certain malfunction caused the plate to set fire to the first floor while the family was asleep up-stairs.

Gayle and her 15 year old daughter Siporah were able to escape the blaze by jumping out of a sec-ond floor window. The seven other siblings were trapped in their bedrooms and died due to exessive smoke inhalation.

The seven deceased siblings have been identi-fied as: Yaakob, 5; Sara, 6; Moshe, 8; Yeshua, 10; Rivkah, 11; David, 12; and Eliane, 16.

The Sassoon family is of the Orthodox Jewish faith, and it is common for hot plates to be left out on Friday nights, so that they do not operate machinery or a stove on the Sabbath day. This is simply apart of their religion.

A big fault in the Mid-wood home is that there was one smoke detec-tor- which wasn not even

functioning- and no oth-ers throughout the house. This was an avoidable fire.

New York State law on smoke de-tectors is as follows: “Owners of one- and two-family residences must install and maintain a smoke detector that pro-

vides an audible alarm within each sleeping area. This gives sleeping resi-dents an early warning of a night-time fire, which is most likely to go undetect-ed and cause loss of life.”

The law directly warns against what happened in this terrible trage-

dy. Smoke detectors should be placed outside of bedrooms and on each floor. Also they should be checked monthly, because the alarm really can save lives.

The Sassoon family’s one smoke detector in their two floor home was

not working, therefore the sleeping family was un-able to realize there was a fire until it was, unfortu-nately, too late.

Father Gabriel Sassoon, along with the rest of the Orthodox community and the country, is heartbro-ken by the worst death toll

in a New York City fire since 2007.

Gayle and Siporah are currenlty fighting for their lives in local hospitals. Gabriel said that he is un-aware if his wife knows seven of her eight children are gone forever.

The bodies of the de-

ceased children were tak-en to Jerusalem to be laid to rest in the holy land.

Their teary-eyed, heart-broken father delivered a heart wrenching eulogy.

“What are they?” he asked. “They’re angels.”

Gabriel Sassoon knelt in prayer in front of each

child’s grave, then recit-ed the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead.

The world has been moved by this terrible tragedy. The deceased children, along with their surviving parents and one sibling, are in the hearts and prayers of everyone.

Total disconnection in the most connected age

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR REAL “FRIENDS” ARE?

Are you between the ages of 15 and 25? Do you find yourself clicking between the same 4 or so applications on your mo-bile device constantly? If so, then you are just like the rest of your statis-tic and sadly stuck in the most connected, techno-logically dependent gen-eration yet.

Most people cannot re-member a time when they weren’t texting, tweeting, instagramming, making facebook statuses, and “linking” up.

The thing with this gen-eration is that they aren’t just sticking to one or two of these forms of social media and communica-tion, no; they are on all of them.

An average 15-25 year old today is constantly checking, updating, and socially, er, thriving, on every single one of these sites or applications.

The fact that these sites can be easily accessed from a mobile device makes the constant con-nection turn into more of a ball and chain dependence lurking right at your fin-gertips at all times.

The continuous up-keep and dedication these apps require pulls people out

of living their every day lives as humans and they are instead focused on a small machine updating them on the status of ev-eryone else’s lives.

Without even realizing it, we are disconnecting from the world around us.

Albert Einstien predict-ed machines would run the world and we would eventually be “a genera-tion of idiots.” The late genius nailed that one right on the head.

Very few people com-municate anymore person

to person without some-thing coming in between them—their device con-taining three thousand of their other “friends” right in their hands.

Not only is social me-dia stopping people from having normal, human

relationships but it also is a huge stressor in many peoples’ lives.

Cyber bullying, for ex-ample, has led teens to commit suicide simply over comments on their appearance on an app. Whether or not they know

these bullies personal-ly, they were still their “friends” according to the application’s stan-dards.

People will post photos in hopes to make others envious of their lives. Even if they’re not en-

joying themselves, they’ll still post a photo with a big smile in front of some nice scenery, captioned “loving life.”

So many people, espe-cially young women, will snap a “selfie” and share it with these “friends,” hop-

ing to get a certain number of likes and comments so they can feel better about their appearance for five minutes.

No one should have to rely on a machine and electronic applications for their daily doses of self-assurance and confi-dence.

Also, pictures do not al-ways tell the truth these days. There are other ap-plications you can use pri-vately before the final im-age is posted and in these apps you can enhance your appearance so much so that it is like a profes-sional transformation.

Men and women every-where who are insecure about their appearance are constantly bombard-ed with images of these seemingly “flawless” “perfect” people… Yet it is all a lie.

The biggest problem is that everyone is so afraid they’ll miss out on some-thing great, that no matter how unhappy it makes them, they won’t stop go-ing back to the app or de-lete it.

Social media is deplet-ing happiness, creating extremely unrealistic standards of beauty, and almost completely keep-ing people from leading normal lives.

BQE: highway to hellThe Brooklyn Queens Expressway, better known by

many as simply “the BQE” (and by me as “hell”) is worse than ever these days.

Not to say that the city wasn’t trying to improve it at some point- because they surely were - but, since funding has been cut off it feels as though the BQE will never be fully repaired or functional.

As an everyday commuter who relies on this poor ex-cuse for an “express” way, it feels like a never ending road of construction, lane closures, bumper to bumper traffic, and potholes galore.

Not only is the BQE a giant headache, it is also ex-tremely unsafe for anyone unfortunate enough to drive on it.

A dream scenario for an everyday BQE driver:It is a sunny Tuesday around 9am, and you’re out

of your house much earlier than you need to be. You look at the Google Maps application on your phone to check for traffic, and there appears to be none at all. You get onto the BQE, and there are no car accidents that you’ve heard about on the radio yet or see warning signs about.

Continuing this dream scenario, as you drive, the road is finally paved and you don’t have to worry about getting a flat tire with every bump you hit!

All of the two given lanes are open and suddenly no longer so narrow that you fear for your life every time a slightly larger car passes by.

In an ideal situation on the BQE, you don’t have any

blood pressure raising altercations with other drivers because no one is cutting you off today, and you get to your destination 5 minutes early. What a dream.

An ACTUAL day in the life of a BQE driver, one could guess, is nothing like that.

The street lights don’t work, you are in a constant state of fear and rage, and you cannot continue driving without feeling like you’re on a bumpy country road to your death.

The biggest pain for me personally is when I leave my house an hour and a half before my planned arrival time, yet somehow can still wind up anywhere from 20-60 minutes late.

You’re always taking a risk when relying on the BQE, because you could get somewhere in a quick, bumpy 20 minutes, or be stuck in traffic for what feels like an eternity.

I’ve only been driving on this pothole death trap for three years now, and my discontent grows more and more with each traveling day.

Since it’s only been a short lived relationship between me and the BQE, I decided to ask my parents what their feelings on this road are.

“It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s always been a pain in the ass, and probably always will be. It gets us where we need to go,” said my father Frank, a Brooklyn native and a driver who has been relying on the BQE for over 30 years of his life.

My mother De-nise, a Manhattan native and also a driver of over 30 years, simply shook her head “no” when asked to comment on the BQE.Will it ever be

functional? Is the con-stant “construction” just to

fool us all? Whatever the case may be, I would assume that the

Brooklyn Queens Expressway is nev-er going to be an enjoyable drive for New

Yorkers, or any commuters who are unlucky enough to have to drive on it.