Sneaker Boutique finds Auction Niche

When one hears of an auction, they would typically think of an old white man standing on a podium talking extremely fast and yelling out numbers as rich older businessmen bid on cars, houses, and boats or other luxurious items. However, Rich Franklin, the owner of Mount Kisco, NY sneaker boutique has found a niche auctioning sneakers. According to statista.com, sneaker company Nike’s revenue sales totaled 8.84 billion dollars in 2014. Forbes.com reported that in 2013 the Jordan company revenue was 2.25 billion. Statistics that show the sneaker culture and alive and thriving more than ever. As a result, sneaker boutiques, consignment shops, and conventions have popped up scattered all across the nation. All of which live off the idea of reselling shoes most cannot get due to the exclusiveness of the shoe. This has created what one could perceive as an over-saturated market. Since everyone began to jump on the ban wagon. An industry that can be hard to separate yourself from the rest.
Franklin re-opened and re-named the store Rich & Faded on April, 20th of 2014. He soon conceived the idea of a sneaker auction. Attenders would buy, sell, or trade their sneakers. Every shoe entered in the auction would pay a fee of five dollars and assign each pair of sneakers a number from one to ten based on the condition of the sneaker. Most importantly the shoes would be given an initial bidding price or a starting bid price. Here is where things get interesting in these Mount Kisco based sneaker auctions. Many of the attending demographic is one of two type of sneaker collectors. The first being, young kids about eleven to sixteen in age from local and neighboring schools and towns. Most of which have just recently started collecting and are less acquainted with the culture that some say began in 1985 with the release of the first Jordan sneaker. Some of which unknowingly enter shoes that are worn, beaten and battered to say the least. In some cases younger attenders ignorantly price shoes way lower than their true value. On the other hand, are older more mature attenders who are avid collectors and have an abundance of knowledge about the culture. With this concoction of attenders put together, many shoes are prices appropriately and some even at ridiculously low prices. While some of the older attenders enter shoes not much younger than some of the younger attenders. Shoes some would never see that adds an excitement to the auction.
Franklin says his auction has created a wonderful niche for him. Even streaming the auction live for those who cannot be in the auction physically in presence. The boutique owner calls the auction, “the only place where you can find Jordan’s for under 100$.” Franklin spoke about after the first auction he hosted many of the attenders asked when the next auction would be. He felt it was a no brainer to make the auction monthly. Fervent collector Chet claims,
“ You can't beat it, great people, great vibes, I love it!"
Chet has been collecting since the late 1980's, since the culture began. He claims he has a storage unit containing shoes up to 15 years old! Collector such as Chet bring a wonderful dynamic and knowledge to the auction.
The Dynamic of cheap shoes, a vast knowdlege of the culture and the sourrounding youths contagious energy, this auction sets itself apart from the rest. The only place where you can score a pair of Air Jordans for less than 100$. Although they may have been worn once or twice, this is a part of the culture. A culture this is still growing and evolving as week after week new release drops. The people at Rich & Faded are doing more than theyre fair share to keep your sneaker game on point. Just attend their monthly auctions.

50 Shades of Controversy

The New York Times best seller "50 Shades of Grey" caused controversy when it turned into a movie. The plot centers around Christian Grey. Who is an emotionally damaged billionaire and sadist who seduces a seemingly innocent woman named Anastasia Steele. The two fall in love in a short amount of time and form an unconventional relationship that includes BDSM. Though sexually inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair and learns that Christian's sexual conquests push boundaries. A BDSM relationship goes beyond whips and chains and opens a grounds for trust between two partners. This is where the misconception about the movie's concept begins.

Upon the release of the movie many people gathered outside of movie theaters to protest against this film. Many of these protesters didn't read the book so they are only judging the film by what is said in the media. People claimed that the movie romanticized domestic violence and glorifies abuse. In retrospect, it is about the total opposite. It is all about trust and pushing limits.

But viewers could not see past their biased judgment. I asked a movie goer at a theater in Manhattan their opinion on the film and although they did not want to filmed they gave me a quote, “It kind on rebrands violence as romance. And what concerns us in society where 1 in 4 women are sexually abused we have a film that is eroticizing, glorifying and basically legitimizing violence against women.” Quite a few people agreed with this statement. This is a person read the book and watched the movie which caused them to change how they felt about the message afterwards.

Despite all the flak Fifty shades of Grey received, they movie pulled in over $500 million dollars worldwide after being in theaters for little over a month. Director Sam Taylor Johnson could not be more proud with the outcome and 50 Shades is said to come back with two more films (Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed).

www.fiftyshadesmovie.com  

Shade tree mechanics, the 120 second oil change.

So most people when they think of oil change they cringe. They think Oh it's gonna be really difficult and messy and they'll need a bunch of tools. Let's stop those negative thoughts right now. It takes maybe 30 minutes to do an oil change for a newbie. All somebody would need is as follows.

1: oil and oil filter  (this will vary)
2: wrench (this will vary)
3: Floor jack   (not the giant slayer)
4: Jack stands
5: Bucket
6: 30 minutes
7: a rock

Instead of paying $60-$100 or even more for high performance vehicles those people should invest in those tools and save that money over time.

There are plenty of videos all over the net for every single car under sun out there in case anyone needs more specific guidance and forums will have people willing to help anyone willing to put in the effort.

Corporal Punishment : A Necessary Justice or Child Abuse?

           Spanking isn't parenting; it's child abuse, this was the article published on CNN.com by Mel Robbins on September 16, 2014. This Publication was about one of the NFL's (National Football League) and United States most prolific athletes, Adrian Peterson. The athlete was indicted in a child abuse case in which he allegedly spanked his 4-year old son with a switch . This process of discipline can be called Corporal Punishment or in other words child abuse.

              Corporal punishment has been a form of discipline for years especially in the African American, or Caribbean Black community for generations. The ability to inflict pain to correct an offense is one of the few ways these cultures satisfy their dominance as parents or a parental figure. It is also labeled as child abuse mainly because of the wounds and scars that it leaves on the body of its victims. Many people, mainly in the African American culture say that it is necessary and that it was imposed on them by their parents and they became outstanding citizens of society because of it, while others think it is an out of date practice that needs to be extinct because of the implications that it leaves on its targets.

              The question still lingers, is this type of punishment a justified pain or just plain child abuse?

Sports Dynasty in Ossining High School?

Sports dynasty in Ossining High School?!

     Ossining High has never been known to produce amazing sports teams. Yes there have been sensational athletes that have come and gone, but no team to hold its on in a regional/state tournament. That was until a couple years ago, and the birth of a dynasty.

      Of the last 5 state tournaments, Ossining Girls Basketball has won 4 of them, consecutively. Now, because of this, the village of Ossining is known for their excellent Girls Basketball team. Some may say this is wrong because it takes away from the academic excellence going on in Ossining as well. So, the community and people of Ossining needed to be heard and really listened to.

      The community had nothing but positive things to say about the team in its entirety. A graduate of Ossining High, Jorge Torres (23), kept his firm belief that this team impacted the community in a positive way and really "brought the community together" and the town of Ossining now "stands behind the team". Also, adding that the team is  a dynasty because of the girls that left from the first state championship team, and there not being really much change in philosophy and chemistry between the girls and as a team as a whole.

     Speaking to Joseline Mendez, junior at Ossining, gave a more inside approach to the team and what the school thinks of the team. After speaking about the increase in school spirit, she also noted that there is no bigger turnout for any school event than when the Girls play vs Peekskill or any other big name school at Ossining High.

    FC Barcelona, NY Yankees, New England Patriots....Ossining High School Varsity Girls Basketball? Guess these teams aren't all so different after all.

Does Andy Pettitte deserve to have his number retired?

      Andy Pettitte is set to have his number retired by the New York Yankees on August 23rd of this year. This has some people scratching their heads including his former teamate Chuck Knoblauch. In 2007, Andy Pettitte was caught in the middle of a steroid scandal when his name showed up on the Mitchell report. This put Pettitte in an uncomfortable situation, baseball was in a dark age, it was a tainted sport full of players abusing performance enhancing drugs and his name was on the list. This had many baseball fans confused, Pettitte was one of the league's most established veteran players, a pitcher who didn't throw very hard to begin with, something didn't add up.

      After his name showed up on the list, Pettitte confessed he took HGH in 2002 to help speed up his recovery from an arm injury he'd sustained. Unlike most players taking banned substances, Pettitte was simply using his to recover and get back to the sport he loved (most use it to improve their performance). With all that said, it doesn't exempt him from breaking the rules of America's past time, Andy Pettitte cheated, he took a substance that was banned from baseball. However, how he handled the situation is what saved his legacy.

     Unlike his good friend Roger Clemens, who's name was also on the Mitchell report, Pettitte owned up to his mistake and continued to thrive as a starting pitcher for the Yankees. Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens shared similar legacies with the Yankees, yet only one of them is getting their number retired by the Yankees, and that's Pettitte. But does he deserve this honor?

    I visited Yankee stadium to see if I could find some Yankee fans to give me their incite on this situation. After a handful of conversations the overall consensus was that Pettitte deserved it. He's made up for whatever mistakes he's made in the past and is still considered to most, a Yankee great. This goes to show how forgiving baseball fans can be, as long as you own up to your past mistakes. Pettitte is set to join an elite group of former Yankees, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra along with 14 others to have their number retired.

Perseverance Is The Only Word She Knows

            When you hear someone has cancer, you think one of two things:  Whoever has it must be going through a tough time or that they’re an incredibly strong person to deal with it.  Both of which are very true.  Cancer isn’t easy and neither is being able to beat it.

            Marjoriet Matute was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1999 when she was 17.  Over the course of a year she received an extensive and intense amount of chemotherapy and radiation, and lost her sense of taste because of it.  When we discussed what it was like to have cancer she made it clear that she didn’t let it get in the way of doing what she wanted.  She wasn’t going to let it interfere with living her life the way she thought it should be.  “At 17 you live that life that, you know, you’re the strongest thing, you know everything and you can’t tell us anything.  But when you’re told you can’t live and you can’t do something, now you’re going to do it and you’re going to do it to the best of your capability and you’re going to go really hard.”

            Because of the cancer and chemotherapy, her doctors told her she would never be able to have children even after it went into remission.  She had accepted that she would never be a mother, but then a miracle happened.  That miracle came September 2009 and August 2011 by the names of Devin and Tristan Matute-Gueche.

            She had promised to always give back to her community after her cancer went into remission, and now with two sons, she wanted to teach them to do the same.  In 2013 she started a nonprofit organization called Devin & Tristan Give Back (DTGB) where they try to inspire ordinary people to give back to their communities.  Since it started, Marjoriet has held a multitude of events and fundraisers to help give back to communities far and wide, covering a variety of issues—childhood obesity, AIDS, bullying, domestic violence etc.

            Between her busy schedule as a mom and philanthropist, she also takes time to write for TheHuffington Post and CNN.  “How do you go to college to be a writer?  You know, I didn’t graduate from college.  I wasn’t intentionally trying to be a writer; it kind of happened and I was successful at it.  Had I know with my track record that I was always successful in writing; maybe I would’ve paid attention to it.  But all through school…all the credits that I did take were all for writing.”  She enjoys writing and whenever a story pops up, she jumps at the chance to take it.  Since she’s started writing for Huffington Post she’s interviewed the likes of LL Cool J, Angela Simmons and Brian McKnight.

She didn’t let the curveballs life threw at her stop her from achieving the success she always knew she would have.  Marjoriet says, “Having cancer gives you a totally different sense of life—you live fearlessly, you take risks and you try everything.  You go hard, you go epic.”

From Traditional To Modern Italian

After ten-years of success, Roma's Italian Grill, formerly, Piazza Roma, is looking to give customers a new experience.  Located in northern Westchester County, Roma's offers a new take on dining at a traditional Italian eatery.  Owner, Anthony Scaramellino, along with the help of Roma's employees, worked extensive hours to complete the transformation into the new modern restaurant all within a week.

Although Scaramellino chose not to be on film, he did give a statement regarding the change.  

"Ten years ago when we first opened, we thought the name Piazza Roma would be a perfect description of our restaurant.  A piazza is an outside seating area at restaurants located all throughout Italy, and Roma, meaning Rome signifies the dishes our restaurant would feature.  Although we did find success in our name, and our identity, I felt as though there were opportunities that lye outside of a name commonly mispronounced as "Pizza Roma." Roma tomatoes are what we make our homemade sauce with, and you can find Roma tomatoes at the heart of a vast majority of our dishes.  With a new name comes a new opportunity to reinvent ourselves to not only our loyal customers, but to welcome new guests into our restaurant.  Now, when our guests enter they will experience a modern take on classic Italia, rather than a dated experience."

With the new renovations specifically behind the bar, Roma's bartenders say it has become increasingly easy to successfully make drinks, and serve customers at the same time.  New menu changes include classic Italian recipes, and allow more dishes to be modified, all while having an authentic Italian taste.  Roma's loyal customers, and new guests, can be seen leaving with a smile upon their face, and stomaches full, upon every visit.  

Almost four months into the reinvention of Roma's, and business is better than ever.  All dinning locations are packed on weekends, and during the week many customers flock to the bar for the happy hour menu.  The renovation, and new identity, has proven that change is good.  In hopes of another ten successful years, Roma's doors welcome all, seven-days a week.

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There are many organizations devoted to helping pit bulls get adopted.

Jersey Boys: Oh, What a Play!

In the city that never sleeps, lives a musical show that people just can't seem to get enough of. The Tony-award winning musical, Jersey Boys, is a biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The play has attracted over 20 million and counting since its debut at the August Wilson Theatre on November 6th, 2005. It's one of the longest running shows on Broadway and from my research, I can see why. The musical is now an international phenomenon with shows all over the U.S. and London.  The musical was such a hit, that in 2014 it became a major motion picture directed by, none other, Clint Eastwood. The Jersey Boys play takes the audience on an unforgettable, legendary journey. It focuses on their formation, their hardships, and nonetheless, their inevitable success. It's almost hard to believe these men are from Jersey!

The musical includes hits such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and "Walk Like a Man." Their distinct and unique sound made them a worldwide sensation, they were truly remarkable. Unfortunately, like all good things, the group came to an end. As the boys started touring for their sold-out shows, conflicts within the group started to emerge. The group split up in 1977.  However, the musicals portrayal of their greatest time, cannot be overlooked; from the music to the artwork- theres just something about the ambiance that makes you forget what year you're in and makes fans go back for more! With such an impeccably organized production, there is no question as to how the play has gotten so much recognition. Decades later, the legacy lives!

After seeing the play multiple times, I came to realize that it surprisingly attracts people from all different backgrounds and ages. Which made me fall in love with the play even more! The fact that a performance that would generally lure in "an older crowd" (emphasis on the quotes)  gets a varietal demographic, is astonishing and after speaking with a couple of people, they either have visited more than once or will plan on it in the future.

In comparison to the movie, the play seems to be in favor of most and I certainly agree. The liveliness and realistic feel of the show is unsurpassable. It is absolutely no surprise that it is one of the most talked about shows on Broadway.
http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/index.html

High School Alternatives : Trade Schools

Saunders Trades and Technical High school in Yonkers, New York is not like your average high school. Along with taking regular high school classes students are given  opportunity to learn how to design a building, sew their own clothes, or even cook a three course meal! 

Saunders offers a total of 10 trade programs for students to study while continuing their studies of state mandated work. The school has three different programs -Technical, Occupational, and Vocational. The Technical program includes ECC (Electrical Computer Circuitry), CFM (Construction Facilities Management), and Architecture. This program is a bit harder to get into because it requires a minimum of an 85 GPA. The occupational program does not require a minimum GPA. This program includes Fashion Design, Culinary Arts, Graphic Design and Cosmetology. Vocational does not require a specific average. The majors in this program are HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning), Carpentry, and Automotive. 

When students enter the school as a freshman, they ballot for the major they are interested in.  When they get accepted into the major of their choice, the students begin studying for only one period in the day.  Sophomore through Senior year, the students go to their major for 3 periods a day of out 9.  The day at Saunders is a bit longer than average high schools due to the study time they need for their classes.  In order to graduate with a CTE (Career and Technical Education) degree, students must take a NOCTI exam at the end of Senior Year that includes both written and hand on parts of the test. 

I visited Saunders to interview the teachers to get their thoughts and opinions on the school, its programs and trade schools in general. I visited the Fashion department, HVAC, and Architecture to get more details on the school and programs.

The year of the goat comes to WCC

Miles away from China, a diverse group of students welcomes the Chinese New Year.  The New Year is one of the most important celebrations in China, which started on Feb. 19, 2015 marks the beginning of the year of the Goat/Sheep.

On Wednesday Feb. 25, over 100 Westchester Community College students gathered at the Technology Building lounge from 11am to 1pm to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The event hosted by the Asian Club, WEB, the Peruvian Club, the International Friendship Club and DG Media, had something for everyone.

Upon entering the event students were given a small envelope which served as a meal voucher, and it also contained a raffle ticket.

Traditional Chinese food from Golden China Restaurant was served by members of the Asian Club. The restaurant, which was also used for this event last year offered an array of foods. Some of the food options included shrimp rolls, pork rolls, chicken wings, beef skewers, BBQ Chinese style ribs, low main and others.

Three lucky students won at the raffle which consisted of three different prices. The first raffle winner took home a 50lb bag of Chinese rice. The second took home asian snacks such as Pocky and a brand new pan. Last but not least, the third raffle winner took home a $50 Ichiro - Sushi restaurant gift card.

In addition to enjoying the food, students gathered around tables to fold origami, make bracelets out of wooden beads, and also tested their chopstick skills at a chopstick game.The chopstick game consisted of two people attempting to pick up small items with chopsticks. The winner received a pair of chopsticks.

Dance performances were also present at this celebration. The Revolution Crew composed of former WCC student Michael Salem, Kiana Davalos and Kida Perez performed several break dance performances throughout the event.

Just like in China, the traditional Chinese Lion Dance was also present.  Kwan’s Kung Fu performed the powerful dance. This dance is performed at the beginning of the year because it is believed that the drums and cymbals will purify an area of negative and stale chi.

The dance is meant to scare away evil spirits, as well as being a symbol of strength and good luck.

Zeric Saudagar, president of the Asian club said “We actually started planning last semester, but we actually got everything going within two to three weeks.” Getting The Revolution Crew however, took about “about a week, because [Michael, one of the members] was in China, so we were communicating via email.” The Lion dance performance was booked “way too quicky” Saudagar said.   

Saudagar also expressed that he was very happy with the event turnout. “The plan was to make sure all of the food was gone, and the food it’s almost already gone”, he said as the event was about to end.

A Soldier's Best Friend

Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) is an organization that was founded by Gloria Gilbert Stoga in July 1997. PBB's mission is to train prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. The well-trained prison inmates can devout their full attention to these dogs. The raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it as the dogs bring hope and pride to them as well as independence and security to those they serve.

Labrador Retriever puppies come into the program when they are only eight weeks old and live with their raisers for approximately twenty-four months. They are extensively trained and are taught more than eighty-five commands upon graduating. In addition to fetching things, getting the keys, or getting something off a shelf for a veteran who may have lost an arm, these dogs can perform very complex commands that reassures veterans that everything is okay.

One of these complex commands is clear. The command clear involves the dog going into a room, switching on the light, doing a full turn around to scan the whole room, and then going back to the door to reassure the veteran that the room is safe and that there is no one waiting in ambush in the room. A second complex command that these dogs are taught is how to call 911. If the veteran becomes unresponsive or if the veteran asks specifically for help, the dog knows how to call 911 on a special telephone. Another complex command that these dogs learn is to awaken veterans from nightmares.

PBB has paired about seventy-six veterans across the country with their service dogs. They have also paired more than five hundred explosive detection canines.

PBBs priority is to keep the dogs happy and healthy and to maintain a high "graduation rate." Seventy-five percent of PBBs dogs go on to lead successful and productive working lives. For the dogs that do not graduate, they are released for adoption.

Have New Yorkers turned their backs on the Knicks?

      The New York Knicks have been a storied franchise ever since its creation in 1946 and continues to resonate throughout basketball.  Although they have not been very prominent in recent years fans still cling to the hopes that they can bring back the glory days.With the acquisition of Phil Jackson last year to a five year contract and the resigning of Carmelo Anthony many thought that this would be the year to turn it around. The only thing the Knicks did accomplish however was a 13-68 record and worst in franchise history. I decided to find out for myself what New Yorkers thought about the Knicks of recent and whether or not they can bounce back.  With The current moves that have been made and a summer of free agency and having a future firsts round draft pick many around the city believe that this is their year.   I conducted a few interviews around Madison Square Garden and 34th street the heart of Knicks basketball and received some positive feedback.

In the video I got the chance to interview Eric Comrie, a native of New York and got his take on the knicks.  Although he is a Lebron James fan he did have some encouraging words for the knicks.  According to Eric  "They have what looks to be the number one pick in the draft and money for free agency so they should be good next year" but a first round draft pick will not catapault the knicks into championship conversations right away.  That is where Phil Jackson, Carmelo Anthony, and the summer of free agaency comes into play.  This coming July is when free agency begins and all eyes will be on the New York Knicks' franchise and to see wether or not they can be brought back to relevance.

Bull Takes Over the Streets of Downtown Stamford

  Bedford street in downtown Stamford is known for its bars, restaurants and shops. Right in the middle of the bars and restaurants there is a 7,000-pound metallic "charging" bull located right in front of the Fernando Luis Alvarez Art Gallery

  Fernando Luis Alvarez was born in Greenwich Connecticut. He was raised in Colombia from 3 months old to age 12, he came back to America and went to school in England. He quit school to become an entrepreneur, and that’s what he’s been doing since the 90’s until now. His latest project has been the gallery, which has been open since December of 2009, right in the middle of the economic meltdown.

  Fernando's logo with the word gallery upside down, was actually an accident by the sign company they noticed 15 minutes before the gallery opening back in 2009. Of course everyone was panicking and thought Fernando, the owner, was going to be very upset, but he just said "leave it like that" and they put it up. Little did he know that he was making history as the logo's gallery makes it the only art gallery in the world that has its name upside down. 

  Fernando's idea of opening a gallery was to do something more creative but mainly something that would also help him build community. His mission is "to build artists careers from the doors in and build community from the doors out". He is the chairman of the Yerwood Center and is also involved in after school programs for unprivileged children in community centers. He is part of the board of Stamford downtown and committees where he can get involved and donate his experience and expertise in areas such as branding, marketing, strategy and business development. Community has always been very important to him and he knew a gallery would help him do that. "the arts could serve us a tremendous platform to build community". 

  One of the most recognized artists from the FLA gallery is Arturo Di Modica. Di Modica shocked the worlds of art and finance when in 1989, he planted the now famous "Charging Bull" in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The once controversial sculpture; a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, has since become a popular tourist destination, drawing thousands of people every day. He is the creator of the 7,000-pound bull in Bedford street (in downtown Stamford). The bull is a replica of the wall street charging bull that's located in NYC.  There are smaller versions of the "charging bull" and they can be purchased through the FLA art gallery or through Arturo Di Modica's  website. 

  

Every 4-5 weeks the FLA art gallery has showings for the artists that the gallery represents, which are open to the public at no charge, usually on Fridays from 3pm - 9pm. They have music, food and wine for people so they can have a great time and enjoy the art being displayed. The gallery is open Tuesdays- Saturdays from 11am to 6pm and Mondays through appointment. They are closed on Sundays. Overall, this has been a great addition to the city of Stamford and the people really seem to enjoy having a gallery in their town.

Graffiti: Vast Crime or Misunderstood Art?

When graffiti comes to your mind, depending on which generation you were born in, you might have a different opinion on this. If I can speak in technical terms, graffiti is a crime. If the police catch you, you will be arrested and charged with vandalism and defacing property. Although all of this is true, how is it that the generation of the present doesn’t view it as a crime?

            I caught up with a personal friend who is a graffiti artist for an interview and while I can’t reveal his name, he goes by “Blur” in the graffiti world. Blur firsthand knows how serious the police are about vandalism; being arrested on multiple occasions. I guess jail wasn’t an eye-opener for him as he still goes on about his graffiti business. As Blur bluntly puts it, “It’s just a different lifestyle, man”. As I dwell on his words, I come to realize that he is right.

Take a second and think: When have you ever actually seen a person commit this heinous crime? Nine times out of ten you never see them. I like to consider these artists as shadows of the night. We see graffiti everywhere and the type of graffiti really varies. On one street corner, you might see a “gang-related” graffiti art and on another, you might see a mural on a building paying tribute to a fallen brother of the neighborhood. It’s still graffiti.

Whenever I see graffiti, I always take a second and appreciate the art. I know the property is defaced but it still doesn’t take away the beauty of the spray paint on concrete wall. No one ever wonder how much the equipment costs or how much time the artist takes to perfect their skill. All the older generation wants to know is how long is it going to take to remove this painted garbage off their walls.

            Moral of all this is that graffiti or not, they are still artists who respect the craft of art in a whole. The newer generation can come to appreciate this unorthodox style of art in great praise.