Your Choice: Hard Decision 2008

What about a candidate is important to us? We cannot let the major news stations decide for us. We cannot not let base psychological appeal decide for us. We should not even let our parents decide for us. But considering these three things are the primary ways of consciously or unconsciously creating an opinion about one candidate or another, how do we get away from them in the first place?

The only way I know how to do so is to strip away all the “noise” surrounding me and get down to brass tacks: what do I want to get from the future president's actions for myself? What do I want this president to do for others? This is a question you must ask yourself: though they will try, no media source can answer this one for you.

Secondly, how to do we assess a candidate's probability of actually doing these things? We do not have much to go by considering almost every piece of information we receive is strategic propaganda. This includes all major candidates: Clinton, McCain, and Obama. As New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd commented, “Voters try to figure out who they trust to have life-and-death power over them, but there’s so much theatricality and artifice in campaigns you can get a false impression of who someone is.”

Please do not believe for a moment that you can choose a candidate based on their trustworthiness, because any politician that looks more trustworthy than the other is just a much better liar. Opponents of Bill Clinton called him “Slick Willy” for a reason. Or if you are thinking about giving your vote to whomever you fancy most, we need to have a talk about how you got into Fordham.

We could try voting for someone based on the issues they claim to care about, but history has shown us that presidents often go an entirely different way once in office (even Lincoln, who initially stood up for state's rights “to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively,” interfered with the issue of slavery on a federal level through the Civil War). In addition, all candidates have flip flopped on many of the issues important to voters, including Barack Obama, who voted for bills supporting the Iraq War such as the “Military Funding and Tax Cuts Amendment” in 2006.

We could attempt to choose a candidate based on party politics and the people that would surround them once he or she were in office (after all, it takes a village to make a presidency), but this method still amounts to quite a bit of guesswork: George W. Bush's first campaign in 2000 was funded by many fiscal conservatives that believed his term would echo his father's. Instead, W. increased non-military government spending at twice the speed of his predecessor.

Perhaps those with the most experience should be given preference. After all, politicians that have been in the media's radar screen for a while are known quantities. This process would lead a voter to one of two candidates: Hillary Clinton or John McCain. However, please consider the idea that all this experience has let these candidates become jaded and totally without the refreshing vision that Obama so glibly offers.

For purposes of efficiency, we could flip a coin, but that deprives us of our future right to complain about the president, since the method is probably just as productive as not voting at all.

I don't have all the answers (just yet). So I leave this question to you, dear Dímelo readers. We have some time to think about this – until November, really, since none of your absentee ballots being submitted in March will actually be counted (except for you, Ohio...stupid swing state...).

For the next issue, email us at dimelo_publication@yahoo.com and explain to us what your criteria is for choosing a candidate. We don't particularly care if you are voting for McCain, Obama, or Clinton right now, just how you came about (or are about to arrive at) your decision.

When times are hard and the wallet is soft, there are ways to escape the boredom on a limited budget.

When times are hard and the wallet is soft, there are ways to escape the boredom on a limited budget.
By: Jason Montoya

Dormitory life or off-campus housing = $
Car payments or transportation = $$
Tuition, books, lab fees, equipment, supplies, snacks, drinks, personal bills, social and recreation expenses- such as movies and other social events- or personal expenses like toiletries, haircuts, laundry and clothing, groceries, restaurant meals = $$$$$$



When times are hard and the wallet is soft, there are ways to escape the boredom on a limited budget.



It is not only a fact, but a hard-faced reality that New York, besides from being one of the most intriguing places one can come across, also takes a substantial monetary stand for a person to get by. The average college student not only has to worry about surviving through limited budgets that their overpriced education results in, but they also have to find ways to bring some leisure without causing a heavier burden on their wallets.


If people don’t learn from advice, then personal experience will become even more influential than any professor at any college. Unless a student has no financial troubles, overspending, especially at the most inconvenient times will likely create severe frustration and embarrassment. Obviously, quick solutions to money problems can include calling parents for money or borrowing from a friend, or even anxiously waiting for your puny student-employment paycheck to come in the mail; but what will happen to life until then? As we all know, money makes the world move, but when one’s bank account is frozen, how does a person manage to live in the world? Part of the solution is to create a budget that realistically takes into consideration the cash flow of an individual.


A student budget should also be one that adapts to changing circumstances of college life. Once a student has designed a realistic plan for spending, he or she will know how to go about spending his or her limited financial resources. To help alleviate the burden of financial limitations, Dímelo’s staff has compiled some ideas of cool places one can go to with friends, when the wallet is not necessarily on fire.



The Bronx Zoo:The Bronx Zoo is open every day of the year!!! From 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 5:30pm on weekends and special holidays. To get to the Bronx Zoo, you can take the #2 or #5 train to East Tremont Ave/West Farms Square. Then, walk straight ahead following the train uptown for almost two blocks to the Zoo’s Asia gate entrance to be admitted. Normal Costs: the average adult would pay $14.00 and there is a special offer called the pay-one-price pass (POP) that will cost an additional $11.00, which will allow you to ride a few special rides. However, one can also take advantage of Wednesdays, when the admission is a pay-what-you-wish donation. The zoo suggests a donation of $14 for adults, but being college students with economic hardships it is okay to get away with giving a couple of dollars to support the work of the zoo. Suggestion: It is preferable to use public transportation like the trains as parking can cost up to $10.00 per visit.



MoMA (Museum of Modern Art): Adults have to pay $20, while students pay a reduced admission of $12. This is a great reminder for you to take your student I.D, in spite of how possible hideous the picture could be. The cheapest way to get in, however, is not to take your student I.D., but to take advantage of the Friday specials. Admission is actually free for all visitors during Target Free Friday Nights, which are sponsored by Target. Every Friday evening, from 4:00pm to 8:00 p.m., tickets are given by Target; however, these tickets are not available in advance, so if you want to ensure your ticket, you should anticipate people in your same circumstances trying to get these tickets as well. The museum is open everyday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm and on Fridays, it is open until 8:00 pm.
Subway directions: take the E or V to Fifth Avenue/53 Street or B, D, F trains to 47-50 Streets/Rockefeller Center.



The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Located on Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, the museum has a rather tricky schedule. It is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 9:30 to 5:30 pm. However, the guards will begin to remind the visitors that the galleries will close, in advance. On Fridays and Saturdays the museum remains open from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm. It is recommended that you take the 6 train to 86th street, unless you don’t mind the extensive yet pleasantly appealing walk across Central park. There are suggested admission costs that help sustain the museum ranging from less than $10 (with student I.D) to $20.



Brooklyn Botanical Garden: This is perhaps one of the most budget-friendly-curiosity-based trips. This trip also allows the opportunity for people to appreciate what the botanical community has to offer New Yorkers. Adult visitors would be requested to pay $8 and students with ID get their price reduced to $4. On Tuesdays, admission is free of cost as it is be on Saturdays for a limited visit of two hours from 10am to Noon.
Subway directions: Take the #3 train to Eastern Parkway.


Manhattan Mall:The Manhattan Mall is a local and not as easy place to catch, because it is indoors. The mall is located at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue near Macy's. The mall offers a fluid variety of stores made to cater a community of people wanting to look nice and trendy at very reasonable prices. Stores like Charlotte Russe and Strawberry guarantee an access to an updated wardrobe that won’t pull the purse strings. If the multitude of stores does not seem enough to satisfy your tastes, then outside of the mall, at reasonable walking distances, there are many other cool places like H&M, Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret and others. For food there are some occasional fast food places within the mall like Starbucks and McDonald’s and the occasional ethnic restaurant that can be found inside or outside the mall. In general, anywhere beneath midtown, like the East and West Villages and Chelsea offer the possibility of making it through the day with a decent budget.




Theater Shows:
It is hard to conceive that shows are actually accessible to students, but there are ways of getting around and experiencing these shows without having to pay the full price. Here are two suggestions:
1. TKTS (pronounced "Tee-Kay Tee-Ess" not "tickets") allows people to purchase Broadway tickets at a discount rate. There are two booths: one in Duffy Square (near Times Square) and the other by the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan. However, these booths sell their tickets almost always on the day of the performances, so one must anticipate possible traffic congestion and time constraints that could make getting these tickets difficult.
2. Rush tickets: These tickets are sold on the morning of the scheduled performance, which is why it is imperative for a person to get to the lines of the ticket booths at least a couple of hours before the show opens just to ensure her or his ticket. Tickets can run as cheap as $20, which is practically a bargain compared to the original price. For off-Broadway shows, however, one might be lucky enough to get tickets without having to go through so much trouble.

Union Square: Offers stores and costs that range depending on where one goes. If one is willing to go on without spending money, then window shopping would be an ideal activity here as there is an eclectic selection of places and stores to get to know.

Times Square: It is not so much the ideal place to shop money-wise, but it certainly offers a variety of stores for the curious eye.

Central Park: Every year the Park offers a wide variety of theatrical performances brought by Shakespeare in the Park. There are also several artistic showcases which satisfy the diverse tastes of people that visit the park.

Chinatown: Offers little shops and tasteful restaurants that are near Canal Street. Also, it offers a different environment that isn’t as extravagant in comparison to Lincoln Center.

Other Tips: Walking along 5th Avenue, and Greenwich Village, or anywhere in NYC should be something to enjoy and experience. After all, this is apparently one of the most exciting places in the world, so at the corner of any place there should be something to look at.

How NOT to Scare Classmates Away: The “Donts” of Making New Friends

How NOT to Scare Classmates Away: The “Donts” of Making New Friends
By: Carlene Morillo

Many people decide to attend college, not only in pursuit of higher education, but also to meet new and interesting people. Four years –some may even have to stay for five –of college can be very painful without having friends to make memories with. I know that friendship is a concern for many new incoming students, and even some retuning students. The classic answer to making friends in college is to join clubs. But what do you do next? Or more importantly, what do you NOT DO so you do not scare away potential friends?

When meeting people for the first time make sure to try and not get too personal. No one wants to know about how many times you used the bathroom in the past hour or how bad your armpits smell, within the first minutes of meeting you, or ever for that matter. Try not to talk about people who are not present or that your company may not know. Yes, that means you have to refrain from talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend back at home, for at least one conversation. But, that does not exclude gossip. I know everyone says that they do not like gossips. But let’s be honest, we know we love it. It is surprising the number of people that have come together over a juicy whisper about other people’s business.

For a college student, Facebook is a great internet tool for connecting with fellow classmates. Remember, it is still the internet and there are a lot of crazies out there, so be careful in choosing who could see your profile. Once, my friend was approached by a Facebook friend while shopping. She had never met this person before, and did not even remember accepting her friendship request online. This internet acquaintance went about making a new buddy the wrong way and completely freaked out my friend. If you see someone on Facebook that you recognize, but you are not sure that the person may know who you are, send a message with your friend request. The message could be something as simple as, “hey, aren’t you in my English class?” This way you can approach the person in class without seeming threatening. Now you have started a dialogue both virtually and in real life. This is the solution to avoiding the problem of having an online friend that you never talk to because you think it would be too awkward.

Do not typecast yourself. When looking for friends, some may find it comforting to seek people who are similar to themselves or to their old friends. Come out of your box. Try not to be the person who only has black friends, or gay friends, or dance major friends. I know of this one girl who only has guy friends and is portrayed as the “campus slut.” If you want to have the full college experience, you have to open yourself to the diversity it has to offer. And seriously, no one wants to be confined to a label, especially one like ‘campus slut.’

Finally, do not be quick to judge. We all know that first impressions are crucial, but do not base your complete judgment just on that. My friend’s internet acquaintance could have turned out to be completely not-a-psycho; given another circumstance, that is. Maybe the campus girl with only male friends is lesbian. You never know until you really get to know who people are. So, give people a second and third shot; I am sure you would appreciate people doing the same for you. I wish everyone good luck while friend hunting.

World Youth Day Interview, Stephen M Hill, FCRH 2010

World Youth Day Interview, Stephen M Hill, FCRH 2010
By: Laura Veras

Dímelo recently sat down with Stephen Hill, Fordham College at Rose Hill 2010, to discuss his experiences at World Youth Day 2008. World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering of Catholic youth from around the world, called together to celebrate, live, and preach the Gospel values.

1.What motivated you to attend WYD?

To be honest, I thought WYD would be an interesting way for me to go back to Australia. It provided me a reason to travel 'Down Under.' However, as the group formed and grew spiritually, my motivations shifted. I began to realize that this pilgrimage to Sydney would be a very important growing period in my Christian discipleship.

2.How did your family/friends respond when they found out you were going to make this pilgrimage?

There wasn't any outright hostility, nor was there any extreme enthusiasm. I found it difficult to explain the purpose of this pilgrimage and what exactly we would be doing while in Australia. I think there was a lot of confusion among my family members, and the trip was viewed in practical terms rather than in its spiritual nature. The under girding of any pilgrimage is the detachment of material comforts and trusting in God more, which got thrown to the wayside in favor of "where are you going, what will you be doing, why should I help you pay for this, etc.?"

3.How did the group prepare for the pilgrimage?

Our group extensively prepared for the pilgrimage, which is the main reason, in my opinion, why it was so fruitful. Our two Jesuit leaders provided weekly reflections on certain spiritual aspects of pilgrimage and other areas to foster reflection. We were advised to keep a spiritual journal to track our reflections and to see where the Spirit was leading us. Also, our group retreat really formed friendships, trust, and enthusiasm and was the jumping-off point for our journey.

4.What did you expect to encounter in Sydney?

Every World Youth Day has a scriptural theme and this year’s was: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). This theme struck me when I read it in the Pope's letter preparing the pilgrims, because it providentially corresponded to my current prayer focus of how to be a fully committed Christian disciple. During my preparation for WYD I was praying over the juxtaposition in my life of desiring to give more of myself to Jesus Christ and the reality of being part of a nominally Catholic family. My return to the Church has caused some tension between my family and me. Through my reflection over the weekly themes I realized my life had two sides: the enflamed Catholic while at school, and the 'same old Steve' while at home. At this time one of the Jesuits recommended asking for a specific grace to receive while at WYD. I then asked Christ to grant me the strength, courage, and perseverance in more fully living out my call to be a disciple. There is not enough room here to begin to tell you how my expectations to receive grace from Christ via World Youth Day were met and greatly surpassed. I know when on my death bed, I will look back at World Youth Day as the moment I took up the Lord's invitation to Come and See. WYD will be the turning point when the rest of my life will be the tireless pursuit of following Jesus Christ.



5.Tell us a little bit about Magis….

It was a multinational program run by the Australian Jesuits two weeks before the World Youth Day week of events. The thrust of Magis was participating in "experiments," which is an Ignatian term for experiences. Jesuit novices undergo experiments in works that put them outside of their comfort zone in order to trust more in God. For my half of the group, we teamed up with groups from India and Taiwan and an Aussie leader group and traveled 14 hours north to Brisbane. We set up a community in the Glasshouse Mountain range and hiked, prayed, talked, and ate a lot of food together. The bonds that were formed will be forever in my heart.

6.What were some of your first impressions about Australia?

I can't say I had first impressions, because I had been to Australia several years earlier to visit my Aunt who lives in Sydney. However, every person is captivated by the stunning, and heavenly, beauty of Australia and the down-to-earth people of Australia. It's the best place on earth, hands down.

7.What were your impressions of Pope Benedict XVI?

I love the man! Not only is he a brilliant theologian and has the pulse of our time, but his pastoral sense is unbelievable. I saw him at the Youth Rally in Yonkers last semester and several times at World Youth Day. Each time he drew me closer to Jesus in different ways, but he has no, and desires no, cult of personality. He wants to give us –his sheep: his fruits of prayer, reflection, and knowledge in order for us to manifest Christ to the world. He is an unbelievable man.

8.Did you witness any changes among the group/other pilgrims as your journey progressed?

Our group became like family while on pilgrimage. We had shared the discomfort, the bad food, the Spirit-filled prayer, the people, and experiences and we came together more and more as the days went by. Also, the first couple days we were all reserved in reaching out to fellow pilgrims from places as varied as France, India, Taiwan, Hungary, Germany, Bolivia, Kenya, and [America], but as the trip progressed and the Spirit was moving among us, we made lasting friendships with many brother and sister Christians from around the world.

9.How was Christ present to the WYD pilgrims?

I can only speak for myself, or rather how I experienced Christ at World Youth Day. First, I came to the realization that Jesus’ exhortation to the Apostles at the end of Matthew's Gospel "to go out and make disciples of all nations" had been accomplished. I met people and saw flags from France and England, China and Taiwan, India and Pakistan, Spain and Brazil, Kenya and Madagascar, the United States and Iraq; Different languages, cultures, food, fashion, and songs, but one Creed, one Lord.
Secondly, Christ in the Eucharist was deepened for me while at World Youth Day. Our group hosted an all night adoration chapel for the pilgrims at the school where we were staying. An overnight exposition of the Blessed Sacrament requires at least one person in the chapel at all times, so I volunteered both nights for the 2am-3am shift to experience this powerful time of prayer. One of the nights I stayed beyond my shift and there came a point around 4am where I wanted to go back and crawl in my sleeping bag, but the Eucharist in the golden monstrance on the altar was so attractive I couldn't leave Jesus. I always believed Jesus was present in the Eucharist, but it was in that moment of attraction and desire for Jesus that His presence became real.
Lastly, Christ's presence through His Spirit was extremely powerful throughout the pilgrimage. The people I met, the prayer times, certain lines sticking out in the Pope's homily, and spiritual conversations with my fellow pilgrims all contributed to the Spirit incarnated in many people and events during World Youth Day. The Jesuit mantra "finding God in all things" went from a cliché to a reality.

10.Is there any message you were entrusted to bring back to your community and peers?

Jesus Christ is alive in our world today! There is hope, there is a way to love, there is purpose, and there is truth in a world which denigrates each of these necessary aspects of humanity. Our hope, our love, our purpose, and our truth is Jesus Christ. Please whoever reads this interview, go to Mass and meet Jesus. Do not be afraid to lose yourself for Jesus, He gives to each of us what we truly need to be happy beyond all imagination. Do not be afraid to be a voice proclaiming a different message. Do not be afraid to move outside [of yourself] for others. Do not be afraid to look past money, power, and prestige. Trust in the Lord, and you will arrive victorious. Do Not Be Afraid!

Cold War Reignited?

Cold War Reignited?
By: Alex Jallot

On August 8, 2008, it wasn’t just the Olympics in Beijing that caused a spectacle. On that day, under the guise of the Olympic fervor that caught the world, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia decided to ‘make-good’ on his campaign promise, and attempt to bring South Ossetia and Abkhazia back under the control of the central government. President Saakashvili sent in his troops and began a siege of the capital of South Ossetia with artillery fire.

Perhaps he thought the world would be too distracted by the Olympics to notice his brazen foray into South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Unfortunately for him, not much gets past the watchful eyes of Prime Minister Putin of Russia, who promptly left the Olympics to address the situation in Georgia.

In response to the attacks on South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia sent in its own troops to the two disputed areas to protect its citizens and to lend support to Russian peacekeepers who were already stationed there. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are under dispute between Russia and Georgia, because Georgia claims to have territorial rights to both areas, while Russia made claims on the areas thanks to the fact that it issued Russian passports to the citizens of South Ossetia and Abkhazia effectively making them Russian citizens.

Russia is obligated to protect its citizens no matter where they are. Georgia is a pro-western nation that has close ties to the United States and Europe. Under the leadership of Mr. Saakashvili, Georgia sought admittance into the European Union and into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which in turn, has caused alarm in Russia. Russia is suspicious of its former republics becoming cozy with the west, as Georgia and other countries such as Ukraine and Poland were once, under the sphere of influence in Russia.

The position of the United States in this conflict is that Russia should eventually withdraw all its troops and allow a neutral nation to install peacekeepers and respect Georgia’s territorial integrity. The problem is that that can be likened to telling the United States to drop the Monroe Doctrine and give up its sphere of influence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The position of the United States and its backing of Georgia have significantly strained relations with Russia to a point that it hasn’t been since the fall of the Soviet Union. Will this conflict mean a return to hostilities between the United States and Russia? Only time and the decisions of the leaders of both countries will be able to tell.

*Let us know what you think about this topic at dimelo_publication@yahoo.com!

RISING FOOD PRICES

Rising Food Prices
By: Alexandre Jallot

In 2007 the grain prices increased by 28 percent: this spells disaster for the lower income people of Latin America in which grains make up 43 percent of their diet. The prices of soy, corn, wheat, and sugar have all jumped at an alarming rate. Latin America has seen the sharpest incline of the food gap in the world. The food gap is the amount of food needed to raise consumption of all income groups to the nutritional requirement of around 2,100 calories per person per day. In Latin America and the Caribbean the food gap has increased to 24 percent. On countries that rely heavily on grain imports such as Peru, Guatemala, and Honduras, this is expected to have a particularly disastrous effect. One of the reasons for this is the increase of the price of petroleum. An increase in the price of petroleum inevitably leads to an increase in the price of fertilizing, transportation, and the processing of food.

The spike in oil prices has prompted many governments to turn to alternative sources of fuel such as bio-fuels made from corn and sugar. If Latin American countries begin to invest more heavily into bio-fuels then that would further increase the prices of food, making the lives of the poor in Latin America all the more difficult. This isn’t just a matter of being able to not go to bed hungry, though that is important, but this is also a matter of mental health and capacity as well. If children aren’t getting enough nutrients and calories due to high food prices, then they won’t be able to perform as well in school. If adults are in a constant state of hunger, or have to constantly divert their resources towards food, then the chances of them working productively decrease.

This is a growing crisis that needs to be addressed because it affects societies in Latin America as a whole.

Write to us at dimelo_publication@yahoo.com to tell us what you think would be efficient alternatives to the crises affecting countries around the world regarding food prices.