Teen Observer Archive

July 8, 2015August 8, 2015

Chez Panisse: French style brought to America

BERKELEY, Calif. — The American restaurant with a very French style of dining, Chez Panisse, founded by Alice Waters and friends, will celebrate its 44th year Aug. 28.

A view of the Chez Panisse kitchen with a chef preparing for lunch – photo by Christian Ormson

Recently, the Teen Observer staff did a walk-through of the early-morning set up to see how the staff approaches an average day.

The earth-tone cedar shingles, as well as the over-hanging tree branches on the decorative porch fencing is the first clue that customers might be walking into a different kind of establishment.

Inside, in the first-floor dining room, dim lights, handmade architectural details and even the wildflower flower arrangements add to a seasonal feel. General Manager Jennifer Sherman said these details should “point towards what you’re about to eat.”

The restaurant and the upstairs and less-formal cafe change their menus daily and buy from local farmers who don’t use pesticides or chemicals.

The dining room serves a four-course meal, and those in the cafe can order a la carte.

“The wonderful thing about Chez Panisse is that it’s so collaborative, there’s a lot of people coming together under Alice’s idea,” said Sherman.

It’s a busy hustle when the cooks arrive in the morning at 6:30 a.m to prepare for the lunch crowd. These chefs have a specific area of expertise in cooking, with lots of variation.

While someone may be preparing sheets of pasta, another will be sorting out the fresh, best-looking raspberries from the not-so-good ones, which might go into a sauce. There will be a chef setting up cheese blocks while the bartender prepares the bar with glassware.

Chez Panisse has an open design concept. After a fire destroyed the wall separating the kitchen from the dining area 30 years ago, Waters saw that as an opportunity to open the space so restaurant-goers could see from the front of the house to the back, an open-concept that has become widespread.

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

Covering politics, taxes Bloomberg reporters motivate young journalists

Discover the World of Communication students sat in on a question and answer session Wednesday with some of Bloomberg’s top staff at the company’s Washington D.C. headquarters.

Students had the opportunity to meet writers, editors and analysts to find out about their background in journalism.

Margaret Talev welcomed the group with a tour of the building which started on the television floor and then proceeded to the newsroom. After the tour, students were taken to a board room to meet the staff.

As Talev stressed the importance of making connections, long-time friend and colleague, Al Hunt entered the room. Hunt spent 39 years at The Wall Street Journal and then joined the Bloomberg team 10 years ago.

Students questioned him about the triumphs and tribulations of his career.

He revealed covering business stories during the first year of his career was most difficult for him because of their complexity. He went on to cover taxes and ultimately politics.

“I have a confession; I like politicians,” said Hunt, rousing a laugh from his audience. Hunt finds taxes most fascinating because of their complicated nature; he likes to know “who gets what.”

Despite coming from various backgrounds, all of the journalists at Bloomberg can agree that the world of journalism is changing. The practice has transformed drastically since they began and with be completely different when the students pursue it as a career. But that shouldn’t discourage hopeful reporters from going for it.

Hunt told the story of how he originally started off as a journalist. He was speaking with James Reston and mentioned he was considering either journalism or law. Reston turned to him and said, “That’s an easy one: choose journalism.”

Back in the 11th floor conference room, Peter Russo introduced himself and explained his role in managing campaign information and lobbying data. Russo said he collects data to help tell a story.

Mike Shepard, a deputy managing editor, followed Russo. He has covered the White House, Congress and the Defense Secretary. He spent 22 years at The Washington Post and has been with Bloomberg for five.

Loren Duggan graduated with a degree from American University’s School of Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences. Duggan said a journalism degree is not required to be in the journalism field. He works for Bloomberg Government, looking at bills passed by Congress and summarizes them for his readers.

“You have 535 people competing for attention,” Duggan said of Congress.

Talev relayed the importance of starting from the bottom and working up. She started as a columnist for her school paper in addition to covering state politics in Florida. She later moved on to the Los Angeles Times and eventually came to the district.

By the end of the visit, students were motivated to go out and continue pursuing careers in journalism.

DWC student Madeline Jarrard, 17, said that the most important thing she got out of Wednesday’s visit was the genuine conversation she shared with the professionals.

“This is going to push me to work in an office like that some day,” Jarrard said.

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

Public preference shifts towards digital news as cable news declines

A broadcast tower stands above American University’s campus in Washington D.C. Photo by Peter Billovits

People on American University’s campus gave their opinions in July regarding digital methods of accessing news in contrast to cable news services, an increasing concern about accessing information in a democracy.

The decline of broadcast and print news sources is no secret to the American public, as the Internet gains popularity as an alternative news source. The prominence of social media, current events websites, and other means of communication make the Internet an all too tempting alternative to replace the organizations displayed daily on linear broadcast television.

Emily Davis, 28, believes that an array of news sources is necessary in order to dodge political bias and get a balanced perspective.

Others, like international student Shuang Shan, 23, are distrustful of large sources of information.

“I think almost every news source has its own biases,” Shan said.

Shan’s home country of China is known for its censorship of news, a practice which she disagrees with. As such, she embraces the accessibility of sources like Vox, a popular news website. Shan predicts broadcast news will stick around.

“I think people will still watch broadcast news for some things like events happening in real time,” Shan said.

According to a Pew Research Center report about news services, cable news lost 140,000 daily viewers in 2014. It also released a report on the digital news media audience, showing the total amount of viewers on digital news sites has increased.

Among the top 10 digital news sources, the combined total of unique daily viewers is more than 1.8 million.

Satire shows also serve as a news source for many like American University student Audrey Schreiber, 21. Schreiber, a rising senior, enjoys watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central.

“He presents it in a way that you can swallow it, but presents it with a passion,” Schreiber said.

The question of whether traditional news is still relevant in an era of booming online sources and apps seems to be a subject of never-ending debate. Schreiber sees the decline of cable news as an opportunity.

“The more you try to save these dying newspapers, or whatever you want to call them, the less they get saved,” Schreiber said.

Lindsay Studer, 23, prefers to stay clear of major networks and instead resorts to theSkimm, an online service that emails select articles to a subscriber.

Even so, not everyone seems to want to abandon the tradition of watching their news and entertainment on television sets.

High school English teacher Maria Crudel, 47, think that it is essential for broadcast news to remain as a key source.

“I don’t care to sit in front of a computer and get my information because I already sit at a computer all day long,” Crudel said.

If there’s one thing that people seem to agree on, it’s the importance of keeping up on current events.

“That’s what a democratic process is all about,” Crudel said. “It’s about being informed and not having decisions made for you. And as an electorate, we have to know what’s going on.”

July 8, 2015July 9, 2015

District cost of living keeping quality of life down

Two construction workers wearing neon green vests stood about two blocks from the Washington Monument on their job at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

They sat in a cloud of cigarette smoke, one drinking a Snapple iced tea, as they discussed rising costs in Washington D.C. and how for some minimum wage is not cutting it as the demographics of the city change.

Anthony Lauchie, 26, a Washington D.C. native, has been able to see the city grow. Areas like the uptown part of D.C. have redeveloped and gentrified.

“You only see it predominately in minority area,” Lauchie said. “Like I said, being here my whole life, most of D.C. has always been, not rundown, but for the most part it’s not nice. Now you go to certain places they’ve got million dollar condos. Who’s supposed to live in these condos? Not minorities.”

Lauchie’s comments come more than a year after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, where he called for Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, according to The White House. The minimum wage in Washington D.C. is even higher than that but still low-wage workers are finding it tough to get by due to the city’s high cost of living.

Lauchie, who does not make minimum wage, said the influence of the wealthy on politics means the wage will keep some people down. He believes that every year as inflation affects the value of a dollar, minimum wage should be keeping up but it’s not. People can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle on minimum wage without living paycheck to paycheck, Lauchie said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in a 2013 report on minimum wage workers, said that nationwide nearly 5 percent of African American workers earn at or below minimum wage. For whites and Hispanics, the number is only slightly lower.

Higher minimum wages would require fast food restaurants that operate on small profit margins to raise their prices in order to be able to pay employees’ wages, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank.

That stance is little solace for low-wage workers in the district, where the median rental price for a two bedroom apartment is $2,770, according to a February 2015 report from real estate analyst Zumper.

Maryam Khan, 19, a student at American University, works 40 hours a week for $10.50 an hour at the campus book store. Khan said there is no way she could afford to pay rent and buy groceries on that salary.

Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University. Photo taken by Madeline Jarrad. — Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University. Photo by Madeline Jarrard.

Juan Ruis, a landscaper at American University with a 4-month-old daughter, doesn’t make minimum wage but said the cost of living in the district is high. He gets to take a vacation every three years.

“You’ve gotta sacrifice,” Ruis said.

Madeline Jarrard contributed to this story.

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015

Marshmallow-infused whip cream s’mores latte? Calorie counts help some decide

P1000667 — American University Starbucks customers wait in line. Photo by Madeline Jarrard.

American University Starbucks consumers have been provided with calorie count information at the campus location for years, but the impact of this information on consumer behavior is mixed.

Nationwide, Starbucks has required its stores post calorie counts next to drink names since June 2013. With that, Starbucks joined a host of other fast food chain restaurants giving customers what was supposed to be better nutritional information.

Coia Williams, 38, has been working at the campus Starbucks for three years and noted the counts are up. But customers relayed mixed feelings about the calorie count.

“I probably should watch my calories, but I don’t,” said Antia Horsey, 50, sitting on a bench outside of Starbucks holding a drink.

When asked about it, Horsey thought the calorie count was targeted to a younger generation that was extremely health conscious.

However, when asked some young customers brought a different perspective.

Helen Torres-Siclait, a 16-year-old Discover the World of Communication student, insisted that the calorie count was irrelevant to her.

“I have never looked at that in my life,” said Torres-Siclait laughing.

The calorie count never plays a part in her decision making at Starbucks. Torres-Siclait said that she picks whatever sounds most appetizing and that usually involves caramel and whipped cream.

Starbucks also lists nutrition information on its website, where a grande Caramel Brulee Latte contains 52 grams of sugars and 40 percent of a person’s daily recommended maximum saturated fat intake. A tall White Chocolate Mocha contains 400 calories compared to an iced version of the drink, which has 60 fewer calories.

Torres-Siclait may not worry about the content but, she noted some of her friends’ drink decisions are dependent on how many calories or grams of fat inside.

Maryam Khan, 19, works at the American University bookstore, just a couple floors up from the campus Starbucks. She explained that when she goes to the popular coffee store, she gets the most sugary drink that she can. As a college student she usually needs something to keep her awake into the late hours, she said. For her, the calorie count holds no weight.

Starbucks continues to introduce other sugary and high calorie drinks, like the new 500-calorie grande S’mores Frappuccino that comes with marshmallow-infused whip cream.

And those drinks are good for business.

According to Statista, Starbucks’ annual income has been on the rise each year since 2008, even with customers informed of the calorie count.

However, customers are sometimes swayed by the calorie count.

Heather Lynch, 49, walked around AU’s campus with a croissant and a tall cappuccino.

“I wanted to get a scone, but then I saw that the croissant was less,” Lynch said of the calories.

July 7, 2015

Newspaper at the end of the driveway? Probably not.

Steve Monroe, a retired editor and current freelance communications professional, discussed minimum wage in the district. Photo by Madeline Jarrard. — Steve Monroe, a retired editor and current freelance communications professional, reads The Washington Post. Photo by Madeline Jarrard.

News is revolutionizing.

Younger generations in the United States are obtaining news differently than past generations as technology allows for new ways to receive news.

In the past, people received news from the television, the newspaper and the radio, but today those outlets are being side-swept by the Internet and a generation increasingly seeking its new through mobile devices.

The “State of the News Media” report from the Pew Research Center found that while advertising revenue for newspapers continues to slip, some of the top digital news websites have seen traffic from mobile devices more than desktop computers.

Malayna Nesbitt, 17, consumes news in a variety of ways, accessing a mix of old and new technologies.

“Social media is the main source of this generation,” said Nesbitt, who explained that she gets her news primarily through applications she has on her smartphone.

Nesbitt said that her parents used to have the newspaper delivered to their home when she was younger. But not any more.

Now, she listens to NPR in the morning and receives breaking news updates from the CNN application on her phone.

Nesbitt is part of a growing trend.

The news is becoming more accessible as people switch from desktop to mobile news apps, or tune in to NPR. The Pew Research Center reported in a Public Broadcasting report that, “The number of NPR associate and full member stations grew 11% in 2014 and the number of stations airing NPR programming grew by 3%.”

At the same time, the Internet has become a main news source for the younger generation. It beats out television, newspaper and radio.

But age matters.

Another Pew Research Center report found that the 18-29 age group claimed the Internet as their leading news source for national and international news, while the 65+ age group labeled television and the newspaper as their top news sources.

Steve Monroe, 66, used to be the business editor for the now-defunct The Gazette in Montgomery County, Maryland. After putting down his hard copy of The Washington Post on a recent morning sitting at a Tenleytown Starbucks, he explained his own news habits.

“I get 70 percent–no 60 percent–of news information from hard copy,” Monroe said.

He explained that he reads from a multitude of newspapers: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, plus a local paper called Washington City Paper.

But even some who are closer to Monroe’s age see newspapers as a source of the past.

Rebecca Owens, 56, watches her local MSNBC affiliate twice a day and gets national news at 5:30 p.m. Other sources for Owens include the Internet but never a print newspaper.

Alice Scarborough, 47, watches her local Fox News affiliate and it’s been a while since she received a newspaper at home.

“Not in the past 10 years or so,” Scarborough said.

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015

Sexual assault on campus

Students and professors at American University interviewed this month shared their opinions on how security measures affect college rape culture and the prevalence of sexual assault on their own campuses and nearby housing in Northwest Washington D.C.

Campus rape is a problem plaguing universities and colleges across the country, and it’s receiving attention from many here. Almost everyone interviewed at AU in July said that the university’s administrative response could use improvement, but noted offenses occur off campus, too.

“I don’t think it’s a campus safety issue because from my experience with it, it’s all been acquaintance rape, date rape, happening at parties,” said Jessica Kowal, a 20-year-old AU student. “It’s not someone walking back to their dorm late at night and someone jumping out the bushes.”

Both Kowal and Carolyn Hamilton, also 20, shared personal stories detailing their dissatisfaction with administrative response. Both say they knew women who had been assaulted.

“It’s very prevalent,” Hamilton said.

But Amy Eisman, 62, who teaches in the journalism division, feels that perhaps the deficiency of effective response is due to the sheer magnitude of the problem.

“My perception is that the university is doing what it can,” Eisman said. “But it’s a huge issue that I’m not sure anybody has a great handle on yet.”

Stalls in every campus bathroom display a poster providing information for victims of sexual assault and contact information for support networks. Many of these posters also include handwritten notes that students have left each other. One scratched out the word “survivor” and wrote “victim.”

A sign posted inside a bathroom stall at American University. Photo by Zoe Searles.

“You are stronger than you know,” one reads.

The University offers sexual assault information on its website. IDs are required for entrance into the dorms, emergency telephone poles can be found every several hundred yards and safety patrol officers are stationed on campus around the clock.

There are peer support groups, of which the students interviewed spoke highly.

These groups are not limited to female discussion; Jaques Foul, 25, said that he doesn’t think males are left out of the conversation.

“I think we’re all responsible if something happens,” Foul said.

July 7, 2015July 9, 2015

AU students and faculty react to campus safety measures

By Emily Boyle — Discover the World of Communication student Naima Fonrose from Laurel, Maryland observes a blue phone emergency system on campus. Photo by Emily Boyle

American University students, staff and summer program attendees expressed both confidence and apprehension about campus safety in interviews this month.

Cassidy Luciano, a rising junior at AU, said she felt comfortable on campus with the various safety measures implemented. Though Luciano has never seen the blue “emergency” towers around campus in use, she has felt comfortable knowing they are present.

Luciano lives off campus but lived in Anderson Hall during her freshman year. While she liked having someone to check IDs at the front desk, Luciano said “sometimes I think they were a little relaxed,” attributing the laxness in the security to being in a “big city.”

Megan Piccirillo, a rising senior at AU, had no complaints about security on campus. Piccirillo noted she consistently finds public safety officers present, front desk monitors in dorms checking IDs and new technology frequently being introduced to the University.

Samantha Dumas, 19, a student at AU, has generally felt safe during her time on campus. Despite this, Dumas said that occasionally, “people are doing unsafe things behind closed doors.” Dumas did feel that resident advisers are “on top” of keeping dorms safe.

Michael Allen, an AU police officer for eight years, thinks public safety at AU has improved over the years, with many new technologies around the campus being implemented to maximize security measures. He pointed out a shelf of pamphlets that read “Personal Safety Apps.”

One of the key safety apps listed was the “Rave Guardian App.” According to Allen, the app connects students with AU police, allows tip texting and sets a safety timer for students traveling between locations on campus.

Assistant Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Regina Curran believes that AU’s public safety is improving drastically.

Curran said 14 new security officers were hired on campus. Curran said there will be a “greater presence” of officers all around AU, hopefully ensuring all students and faculty feel safe around the clock.

Curran additionally explained the function of the blue phones on campus, which “automatically call the dispatcher” and find immediate help for students in emergencies.

July 7, 2015July 15, 2015

Women making strides in life but not media representations

Washington D.C. residents and visitors agree that women are portrayed poorly in the media today with attention directed to female bodies and emotions rather than their accomplishments.

Taylor Blowers, 16 and Bina Lee, 16 smile for women's rights in Starbucks. Photo courtesy of Naima Fonrose — Taylor Blowers, 16 and Bina Lee, 16 smile for women’s rights in Starbucks. Photo courtesy of Naima Fonrose

Women are objectified in the media constantly due to stereotypes and unrealistic standards, an issue that has lingered for decades. They are underrepresented and treated differently than men.

“For the most part, women are portrayed very poorly in mainstream media,” said Camilla Duke, 17, from Bethesda. “They’re objectified, they’re put into stereotypical boxes, and their voices are stifled by the male-dominated industry.”

The media’s coverage of women is focused on their appearance. Women’s bodies and appearance are central to their coverage in the public eye.

“There are two main types of women shown in mainstream media: the thin girl, and the fat girl, whose weight is a central part of her character and existence,” Duke said. “It’s uncommon to see anything in between.”

Either way women are looking to the media to see the body standard that society says they should strive for. The media portrays that their personal value is determined by how they look. Women’s bodies are everywhere and are used for marketing and advertising from potato chips to cars to cologne.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5 percent of American females and 69 percent of girls in the 5th to 12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of the perfect body shape.

“Diversifying the pool of women that appears in mainstream media will have a greater impact than many may think,” Duke said. “It’s so much easier to have healthy, positive self image when you can see someone who looks like you in a position where she’s considered beautiful.”

In media women are underrepresented, this can be proven by a test done that rates female representation in movies.

The Bechdel Test has criteria for women in movies. The movie has to have at least two named women in it who talk to each other about something besides a man to pass. The test seems simple but major motion pictures such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Godzilla do not pass the test, Alex Hudome, 17 said.

Some teenagers hope the tide is turning.

Taylor Blowers,16 said, “Women in general are getting a bigger role.”

Many female celebrities are criticized for doing the same thing men do such as singing songs about their romantic experiences. One prominent example is Taylor Swift.

“No one makes fun of Bruno Mars for writing love songs or tells Ed Sheeran’s girlfriends to “watch out, he’ll write a song about you,” Hudome said. “Taylor Swift’s dating life is a more heavily discussed topic than her successes and achievements, and there’s something very wrong with that.

The media’s representation of women is poor and unbalanced.

“It’s always about what women are wearing, how young or old they look, who they’ve slept with, and what they look like, rather than their talent, awards, achievements, and their creative and/or professional work,” Hudome said.

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015

D.C. students and residents want more, better cultural education

Residents and workers in Northwest Washington D.C. talked this month about their experiences with foreign cultures and discussed their interactions with world cultures.

Taylor Dewey, an American University student majoring in international relations, spent 4 months in Spain and England. She thinks that Spanish people know a lot about the U.S, but she thinks some in Europe dislike a lot about American culture.

Meghan Howie, 17, a high school student from Pennsylvania, stands outside a Starbucks in Washington D.C.'s Tenleytown neighborhood. Photo by Anne Yang. — Meghan Howie, 17, a high school student from Pennsylvania, stands outside a Starbucks in Washington D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood. Photo by Anne Yang.

“I think the people here are more naive about other people’s cultures whereas other people are always looking at the U.S. culture,” said Dewey, who like to see more knowledge and understanding of foreign cultures in the U.S.

Meghan Howie, a rising high school senior from Pennsylvania, has taken four years of Spanish plus a World Cultures class, but she thinks it’s not comprehensive of what cultures are. She has some experience visiting an uncle in Germany, but wishes she knew more.

“I feel like I’m not able to understand everyone from different countries,” Howie said.

Joanna Harris is a children’s librarian in Tenleytown and she spent two months in Japan. She was first exposed to Japanese culture by her half-Japanese friend and by watching Japanese anime as a kid.

Tenleytown librarian Joanna Harris hopes for more cultural understanding. Photo by Anne Yang.

“When I first watched it, I realized it was different from American cartoons, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it,” said Harris, who also was surprised to see Japanese children wearing uniforms after school and taking classes at other facilities in the late afternoon time.

But Harris questioned how much one culture could legitimately learn about another.

“I think media is really reflective of a culture, but always keep in mind who is telling this story and from which perspective,” Harris said.

Radhika Puri is a 20-year-old student at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee who was born in India. Puri, who speaks fluent Hindi, majors in biology and minors in business and is spending the summer interning for a public policy group. She thinks the world does a better job knowing about U.S. culture than the U.S. knows about the rest of the world.

“You go to India and you go to China, they know how to speak their language and English,” Puri said noting many in the U.S. don’t need to learn a second or third language.