By Maria Serrano
As the national debate over climate change intensifies, South Florida has become a flashpoint. And South Florida is much more than South Beach.
On Nov. 24, 2015, fifteen days after king tide day, the largest tidal range seen over the course of a year, the residential neighborhood known as the Upper East Side in Miami was still experiencing floods.
The area has an annual estimated income per household of $45,000.
Similar to Miami Beach, the Upper East Side is a middle-income community facing the consequences of sea level rise, but it has not received the attention or funding necessary to protect its residents, their houses, and small businesses.
Scientists, researchers, legislators and residents recently met at Little River Pocket Park, located in the Northeastern section of the neighborhood, to collect data, learn about sea level rise, and discuss that this is not simply an issue for Miami Beach, but a coastal issue for much of South Florida.
“It’s designed to get citizens involved in being a part of the solution,” Juliet Pinto a, Journalism Professor at Florida International University and organizer of the event for EyesOnTheRise.org said.
More events like this are being planned by EyesOnTheRise.org in the upcoming months to increase the awareness about sea level rise and the consequences for residents of South Florida.
WATCH: Sea Level Rise Impacts In Upper East Side of Miami
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23% Of Cars On The Road In Hialeah Have Been Recalled And Never Fixed
Maybe you will want to even more careful when driving on the roads in South Florida from now on.
A new report from car history company Carfax says that over 2.7 million cars in Florida have at least one unfixed safety recall.
South Florida cities perform particularly bad in the study with over 23% of cars on the road in Hialeah and 21% of the cars in Miami having recalled elements that have never been fixed.
“Many people in Florida still are unnecessarily risking their lives by not staying informed or taking action when their vehicle is under a recall,” Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax said in a press release. “Millions of vehicles will likely be recalled this year, adding to the ones already with outstanding airbag recalls, ignition switch recalls, electrical system recalls and more.”
The company says that people can use one its free tools- www.mycarfax.com to see if their car has been recalled.
Here are the top ten cities in Florida that have recalled parts on them that have not been fixed (we’ve italicized all the South Florida cities):
City Est. % of vehicles
1 Hialeah 23%
2 Miami 21%
3 Hollywood 19%
4 Jacksonville 19%
5 Fort Lauderdale 18%
6 Tampa 18%
7 West Palm Beach 18%
8 Pompano Beach 18%
9 St. Petersburg 17%
10 Orlando 17%Cover Photo Credit: Phillip Pessar/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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SOUR: Thousands Sign Online Petition Calling For CNN To Drop Don Lemon
Don Lemon is one of the most controversial figures in modern media today.
A talented broadcaster and solid interviewer, Lemon also is not afraid to mix his journalism with a healthy dose of opinion from time to time.
And it turns out that lots of people on the Internet don’t like him at all.
An online petition calling for CNN to fire Lemon has already racked up 17 thousand virtual signatures in less than 24 hours.
“Since the tragic incident of Trayvon Martin, Mr. Don Lemon has consistently antagonized and defamed the characteristics of the African-American race on the national scale in mass communications,” a statement attached to the petition reads. “From the holding of the ‘N’ word sign before the national audience, to his most recent comments of the unfortunate incident where a student was removed from their chair like a rag-doll by an officer, Mr. Lemon has avoided the obvious to blatantly state that an attack on the African-American race is real and that real solutions need to take place.”
The most recent outcry regarding Lemon came after he made controversial remarks indicating that he wanted more context before passing judgement on a South Carolina cop who slammed a teenage girl in a classroom.
More from Jamell Henderson, the organizer of the Change.org petition:
“We, the people want a journalist and an anchor that will not be afraid to accept the facts that are occurring within the African-American community and who will encourage our people the same way that person will encourage others across the board. We, the people, have no confidence in Mr. Lemon’s ability to do that,therefore we are asking CNN to remove him from his position.”
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Cover Photo Credit: Neon Tommy/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Can The 1975 Change The Music Industry As We Know It?
In recent months The 1975 has released their first single, “Love Me”, off of their highly anticipated sophomore album- I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It.
With Bowie-esque melodies and cheeky lyrics, the British quartet is shaking up the music industry with a valiant effort to challenge contemporary pop music. The 1975’s new single is a self parodying ode to the narcissism of fame in today’s youth culture.
Matt Healy, the front man for The 1975, begins the music video by singing, “I’m just with my friends online” while he drinks a bottle of champagne donning electric blue eye shadow.
Healy states this lyric derives from our generation’s obsession with social media and the alternate reality it ensues. If that’s not shocking enough he does this while provocatively enticing card board cut outs of pop icons.
He goes on to sing, “You look famous, let’s be friends and portray we possess something important” revealing the rock star’s sarcastic views on entitlement as a celebrity.
This poses the idea that artist and consumers alike falsely believe that celebrities possess qualities and thoughts that make them elite compared to the general population.
The in your face lyrics conclude with, “We’ve just come to represent a decline in the standards of what we accept!”
This is a direct questioning of the current principles of the music industry as we know it.
A scene from the music video for “Love Me.” Photo Credit: 1975/ Youtube (Screengrab)
Healy believes that pop music has become a brand and not about expressing genuine emotion through talent. He has articulated his want for the youth to be more critical about what they consume and what inspires them.
The band hopes to start a conversation what as a society we have let the music industry become.
Before releasing their single, The 1975 made a bold power move by deleting all of their social media accounts leaving fans and critics perplexed on the state of the band.
24 hours later, they reemerged with a new aesthetic, giving music lovers the opportunity to decide if pop artist can survive without a social media presence.
So what does witty one liners background with 80’s synth pop and social media blackouts mean for the The 1975’s music career? As listeners we’ll have to stay tuned but we’ll always be in awe of the band’s blatant disregard to music industry norms.
Cover Photo Credit: The 1975/ Facebook
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