Hello, My name is Rashad and I'm blogging today about a article in the new york times regarding climate change and preparing for said changes. In the article "New York Is Lagging as Seas and Risks Rise, Critics Warn" by Mireya Navarro, she discusses the fact that climate change is drastically affecting the safety and well being of low level areas in new york and that city officials (Con Edison, mayor Bloomberg, etc.) are not contributing to preparations. Others also agree with Navarro, like Douglas Hill (part of the storm surge research group) who believes Bloomberg doesn't quit fathom how serious this possible threat is. Considering the numbers in the article, it's a serious enough dilemma that could cripple New York, leaving hundreds of thousands home less and the economy in a state of disarray. In one interesting comment left by reader Jim Gordon,  He comments on the attempts made to prepare for the crisis with out trying to stop the crisis from happening at all. To Quote him directly he wrote; "Spending billions of dollars to build sea gates without an Apollo like effort to stem the flow of carbon pollution currently accelerating rising sea levels, warming oceans and more intense an frequent storms is like treating the symptoms without curing the disease."

Me personally I have not moved around, I have lived in Far Rockaway Queens all my life but i have visited places. I've been to Jamaica( the island) and Florida as far as my memory is concerned. Florida wasn't too much of a life changer for me but Jamaica definitely was. While it was a reprieve from the usual city hustle and bustle, it wasn't much of the holiday inn and resorts as everyone portrays it to be. My family is Jamaican born so when we visit we stay with family. The perpetual cold showers and tap water being the only source of drinking water besides buying it. I also remember my mother telling me not to take my iPod out of the house for my own safety. It shocked me because I couldn't imagine anywhere being more dangerous then queens and I was always allowed to carry my iPod wherever. But negativity aside, I really enjoyed my stay down there. Fresh air Coconuts right in the back yard, the cuisine, and just the simplicity of it all rather then than the "everyman for himself" feel in New York. One thing I particularly miss is the abundance of seafood. A personal favorite of mine is oysters and on a regular I had access to them where as in the states I have to travel far and wide to find a decent spot to buy at least a dozen. My parents always tell me stories of how it was heard growing up there but to me i don't see any of it. Maybe it's due to my naivety or my "good luck" for avoiding serious trouble. Switching Locale, my stay in queens has not been a eventful one I'm happy to say. Only been in one or two serious altercations in which I've walked away in full health from. Urban life gets tiring easily to me and when you get too tired to stay in the loop and fall out of it, you might as well be in another country. I remember having a girl look at me funny because I wasn't up to date with the slang they used in high school (mind you I was in high school at the time).