New York City Dog Poop…Problem?

A local walking his dog, peacefully.

There are about 75 million dogs owned in the United States, according to the ASPCA Pet Statistics. This means that about 63% of households have a pet running around with a toy in its mouth, craving for attention. But dogs are already getting attention. They’re not getting attention for their cute faces or pretty furs, or even their clothes or their walks; Their poop is the talk of the town. It’s not their fault though. They have to release. They’re similar to humans in that way. It’s natural. Those types of toxins can’t remain in their bodies. But companies have designed pooper-scoopers and poop bags to clean it all up (owners even use Stop-N-Shop bags), so why is it such a big deal?

In a most recent article on dog poop on CBS New York’s website, 1010 WINS talks about the “revealed poop” that has shown up in upper Manhattan as a result of the melting snow. The two upper Manhattan neighborhoods that are complaining about these conditions are Inwood and Washington Heights. The residents are sick of seeing “piles of dog feces that have overwhelmed sidewalks and streets”. According to the Department of Sanitation, Washington Heights had the most poop violations in Manhattan in 2010. Also, Inwood residents said there needs to be something done.In a November 2010 article on the New York Post website, upper Manhattan neighborhoods ranked “worst in the borough for dog droppings”.

There would be no complaints if owners picked up the poop when they walked their dogs in the first place. This is the main problem. It can be either laziness or just plain nastiness. You would think that the fines these owners know about would stop them from doing the crime, but it doesn’t seem to matter. There are fewer fines being given. That’s probably because officers can’t seem to catch the “poop criminals” in action, according to an article on the AM New York website.

Throw away the poop! Be responsible!

Let’s also consider these factors about the characteristics of dog poop and why it’s no good on the streets. Dog poop carries a lot of diseases, including heartworms, tapeworms, and corona, according to an article in DoodyCalls.com. Also, the poop doesn’t make good fertilizer and also is in the same category as oil and toxic chemicals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

There is good news in all of this though! For one, there is a dog poop campaign organized by Jay Shells, a NYC Street Artist. He hand painted “Clean Up After Your Dog” posters around New York City to hopefully change owner’s minds about the severity and advantages of cleaning the poop, according to LaughingSquid.com, a blog and web-hosting company.

Another good thing that comes out of all of this is the invention of the “Dog Poop-Powered Lantern”, according to a November 2010 article on The Village Voice Blogs’ website. An artist named Matthew Mazzotta has decided to put dog poop into good use! He converts dog poop into energy to light a lantern at the Cambridge dog park. These leaves other artists and scientists to run tests on dog poop to see what good use they can put the brown stuff to. What a great way to start off 2011!

Just remember: If your dog poops then bring out the scoops! If you don’t throw it away it might come back around someday. Avoid a fine and cover your behind. Don’t put it in a bag, just put it in a lantern!

The Tuition Hike Will Benefit CUNY…Sike!

CUNY students protest about recent tuition hike

Where is the help for CUNY students when they need it? Why doesn’t anyone understand the need for a stand against a further tuition hike?

These are just some of the questions that are probably running through student’s minds as they oppose the recent tuition hike for the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters for the City of the University of New York (CUNY) schools. According to the John Jay College’s newsroom website, on November 22, 2010 the CUNY Board of Trustees approved a 5% increase in tuition for Spring 2011. During the meeting, the Board also approved a 2% increase for the Fall 2011.

“These tuition increases are unfortunate but necessary for the University to continue to provide the high quality educational opportunity our students deserve,” said Chancellor Matthew Goldstein according to the newsroom website. He also proclaimed that “increases are necessary to stabilize college operations, protect new faculty hired over the last several years.” The site also provides a chart that shows CUNY schools being the most affordable school in all New York City.

What exactly does “stabilize college operations” mean? Obviously, students didn’t want to hear what it meant. During the meeting, there were active protests going on right in the room according to a video found on YouTube.

In early February of this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the chancellors of New York’s public universities proposed that there needs to be a cut in CUNY and SUNY’s state budget, according to Syracuse.com, a social news and information website for New Yorkers. The budget cut will decrease financial aid given to students and also cut support to all the schools. The chancellors are also pushing for a new system that would include regular and frequent tuition increases. However, according to Columbia University’s website, the chancellors are raising tuition and also raising their salary.

The problem is so serious that six CUNY students are planning on filing a lawsuit against the Board of Trustees. Liberation, a newspaper “of the party for socialism and liberation” interviewed Frances Villar, one of the student activists apart of the lawsuit. Villar claims that “it is illegal to propose an increase outside the state budget.” She also says that CUNY is becoming more like private schools and since most of the students that attend CUNY schools are poor and working-class students, the burden falls on them and it will be difficult to go to school.

“The lawsuit is just a small step—one way to organize and show students that we are not powerless if we stick together,” Villar says in the Liberation interview. “We hope the lawsuit will be one step in empowering the hundreds of thousands of CUNY students to mobilize and defend what is ours.”