For centuries, the circus has been a form of entertainment for people of all ages in many countries. Troupes would pitch tents and in the main one have a three-ring extravaganza of trained animals, daring feats, and lots of sequins. In more recent years however, there has been a rise in popularity of what is called the contemporary circus, made most famous by the Canadian group, Cirque du Soleil. Located in midtown Manhattan happens to be one of the largest schools for training aspiring contemporary circus performers.
Founded in 2006 by the now retired performer Cypher Zero, the New York Circus Arts Academy came into being after his realization that a lot of people wanted to learn how to do the things he did.
“I was mostly focused on creating professional performances and I had a company called Firefly acrobatics,” said the 32-year-old. “After a certain amount of time, I realized demand in the United States was much more for instruction than it was for performance.”
Anna Marie Otazo is a 21-year-old CUNY student who decided to join in this past Fall when she read about it in a magazine. She said: “I came here, and tried out and I love it and I come here all the time.” She added: “I do want to perform but I think I got into this because I like the thought of teaching.”
On the opposite side of the room, Rachael Shane dangles by her feet from a hoop hanging from the ceiling. She is in the training program at NYCA to become a professional performer and teacher. As an actress and dancer, the appeal for the circus arts came from its combination of both of those things. “It just made so much sense to me in terms of the way I move and the way I want to express myself,” said the 28-year-old real estate agent.
Tonight is a smaller class of only aerial work; there are days when the entire gym and not just two-thirds of it is swimming with multiple activities such as juggling, clowning, acrobalance and more.
This winter, people will get to see all of these acts brought together in an original production by the New York Circus Arts entitled “Takura” which is premiering off-Broadway in December 2009.
So what is it about this art that keeps people from all different cultures captivated? Rachael Shane attributed it to “seeing things that are outside of the norm, seeing people do things that you hadn’t been able to conceive of yourself.”
Cypher Zero thinks that it’s more about the human condition. He said: “What we see through these performances is not performers who have become fantastical characters but performers who have played fantastical characters and learned to be human or to be themselves through doing that.”
“I don’t know what makes it the greatest show on Earth,” said Otazo. “It’s more exciting than real life, I guess.”
Confessions of a Journalism Major
- Kelsey Kloza
- A collection, or portfolio if you will, of stories and articles written for various journalism classes, as well as insights to being a journalism major
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
My Vegan Week
I’m really not that fond of red meat. In fact, becoming a vegetarian has crossed my mind a few times in the past. However, the draw of a big juicy hamburger or a thick piece of grilled chicken has always kept me from going full “veggie.” Recently though, I have revisited the idea because of my friend Jill Renaud, who is a vegan and much healthier than I am. Whenever we go out to eat somewhere, I watch her eat platefuls of delicious colors: orange carrots, dark green spinach, black olives, beige chickpeas, red tomatoes. And then one day I thought, hey! Why don’t I try it out and see what being a vegan is like? So from there, I decided to embark on a five-day journey of no meat, no eggs, no fish, no dairy… actually no animal by-products at all in my food. It was going to be tough to drop some of my favorite foods cold turkey, er, cold lettuce? But I was determined to see what the life of a vegan is like and if it really is as easy as Jill says it is.
DAY ONE
I woke up absolutely starving. I went from my cabinets to the refrigerator and back again searching for something to give my growling stomach. However, I had not thought about buying vegan-friendly food the night before and thus had next to nothing to eat in my apartment. I was tempted by a big glass of milk and some cheddar cheese, but I settled instead on the vegan friendly (though not very healthy) combination of Fritos and orange soda. Obviously, I was off to a very bad start.
The rest of the day went on much better. I discovered that Ronzoni spaghetti and Newman’s roasted garlic tomato sauce are both things that I could eat. (What would we all do without the Internet?!) Later on, I ordered delivery from a place Jill had told me about called Atlas Café. I had the “Veggie Burger Sunshine” and a dairy-free strawberry and banana smoothie. The fake “meat” in the burger had a strange, cardboard aftertaste but I was so hungry by the time it came that I didn’t care. I just crossed my fingers that tomorrow would be easier.
DAY TWO
I had a good start to my morning. I stopped in a Starbucks on my way to class and had a plain multigrain bagel with some juice. From there, it was all down hill.
By noon, I was hungry again and my teacher’s assistant brought in chocolate Pocky for the whole class. I eagerly gobbled up the tiny stick and a few minutes later remembered about my challenge. I felt super guilty about it, but it’s hard to resist something offered to you that you normally wouldn’t think twice about eating.
After class, I went over to Weinstein dining hall and had myself a nice salad and a “Garden burger.” Just to be safe, I decided to check “hamburger bun” online and to my surprise and horror, the bun I was eating was NOT vegan! It contains dairy products in it. Oh brother, this was harder than I thought it would be.
DAY THREE
Breakfast at Third North dining hall put me on track. I had some fruit and half of a bagel with peanut butter. Peanut butter, I quickly learned, was a vegan’s best friend. Not only is it a good source of protein and healthy fats but also it’s delicious on almost anything.
For dinner, I went out with Jill so it was easy to stick to my diet. We ate the same things together (vegan penne dish, banana with peanut butter, and some hummus) and bonded over the amazing amount of fiber there is in a vegan’s diet.
Though I was tempted all day by egg bagels, macaroni and cheese, pasta with alfredo sauce, and other favorite foods, I managed to resist it all with the mantra “write a good story about this” in my head.
DAY FOUR
I was so excited when I found out that I could eat Cap’N Crunch cereal! After a few handfuls of that, I went off to my internship at 30 Rockefeller Center. In the weekly run-down meeting for the weekend Today Show, one of the segments for Saturday was going to be about fast food. I was practically drooling by the time the meeting was over. Of all the weeks to do a segment about fast food, it had to be during the one week I couldn’t eat any of it!
Once I got home, I made a huge bowl of pasta with marinara and some corn to make me feel better. Just for the record, pasta is the best comfort food ever, vegan or not.
DAY FIVE
Last day! At work, I made myself a toasted plain bagel with strawberry jam. The fast food segment aired and I was surprisingly unaffected. Maybe I could be a vegan after all? When I got home though, I knowingly cheated. The cheddar cheese block in my fridge was practically yelling at me to eat it! I justified this slip by telling myself that I had to “ease” my body back into eating dairy regularly again. I still stand by this excuse!
After dinner that night, I had my first taste of vanilla soy “ice cream.” It was smothered in Hershey’s syrup so I’m not sure if the actual “ice cream” was actually any good but I definitely enjoyed it anyway. When I went to bed that night, all I could think about was everything I was going to eat the next day, to make up for all the healthy foods I had consumed over the past week. I guess I failed my vegan test.
The advantages to my week as a vegan were definitely outweighed by disadvantages for me. On the plus side, I found myself eating smaller meals more often because of the low calorie foods I ate. So even though I would get full easily with big plates of salads and fruit, I would get hungry again quickly because I didn’t consume many calories to keep me going. (Note: A bowl of baby carrots is not a full meal!)
On the down side it was hard for me to resist foods that I love. Mostly, it was the dairy products that were the hardest for me to give up. My love for cheese, cream, and ice cream may not be that healthy, but it’s part of my life and I could never give it up for good. Also, I hate soy and most soy products, which means that the vegan lifestyle and I would probably never work out anyway. Some things are just not meant to be.
DAY ONE
I woke up absolutely starving. I went from my cabinets to the refrigerator and back again searching for something to give my growling stomach. However, I had not thought about buying vegan-friendly food the night before and thus had next to nothing to eat in my apartment. I was tempted by a big glass of milk and some cheddar cheese, but I settled instead on the vegan friendly (though not very healthy) combination of Fritos and orange soda. Obviously, I was off to a very bad start.
The rest of the day went on much better. I discovered that Ronzoni spaghetti and Newman’s roasted garlic tomato sauce are both things that I could eat. (What would we all do without the Internet?!) Later on, I ordered delivery from a place Jill had told me about called Atlas Café. I had the “Veggie Burger Sunshine” and a dairy-free strawberry and banana smoothie. The fake “meat” in the burger had a strange, cardboard aftertaste but I was so hungry by the time it came that I didn’t care. I just crossed my fingers that tomorrow would be easier.
DAY TWO
I had a good start to my morning. I stopped in a Starbucks on my way to class and had a plain multigrain bagel with some juice. From there, it was all down hill.
By noon, I was hungry again and my teacher’s assistant brought in chocolate Pocky for the whole class. I eagerly gobbled up the tiny stick and a few minutes later remembered about my challenge. I felt super guilty about it, but it’s hard to resist something offered to you that you normally wouldn’t think twice about eating.
After class, I went over to Weinstein dining hall and had myself a nice salad and a “Garden burger.” Just to be safe, I decided to check “hamburger bun” online and to my surprise and horror, the bun I was eating was NOT vegan! It contains dairy products in it. Oh brother, this was harder than I thought it would be.
DAY THREE
Breakfast at Third North dining hall put me on track. I had some fruit and half of a bagel with peanut butter. Peanut butter, I quickly learned, was a vegan’s best friend. Not only is it a good source of protein and healthy fats but also it’s delicious on almost anything.
For dinner, I went out with Jill so it was easy to stick to my diet. We ate the same things together (vegan penne dish, banana with peanut butter, and some hummus) and bonded over the amazing amount of fiber there is in a vegan’s diet.
Though I was tempted all day by egg bagels, macaroni and cheese, pasta with alfredo sauce, and other favorite foods, I managed to resist it all with the mantra “write a good story about this” in my head.
DAY FOUR
I was so excited when I found out that I could eat Cap’N Crunch cereal! After a few handfuls of that, I went off to my internship at 30 Rockefeller Center. In the weekly run-down meeting for the weekend Today Show, one of the segments for Saturday was going to be about fast food. I was practically drooling by the time the meeting was over. Of all the weeks to do a segment about fast food, it had to be during the one week I couldn’t eat any of it!
Once I got home, I made a huge bowl of pasta with marinara and some corn to make me feel better. Just for the record, pasta is the best comfort food ever, vegan or not.
DAY FIVE
Last day! At work, I made myself a toasted plain bagel with strawberry jam. The fast food segment aired and I was surprisingly unaffected. Maybe I could be a vegan after all? When I got home though, I knowingly cheated. The cheddar cheese block in my fridge was practically yelling at me to eat it! I justified this slip by telling myself that I had to “ease” my body back into eating dairy regularly again. I still stand by this excuse!
After dinner that night, I had my first taste of vanilla soy “ice cream.” It was smothered in Hershey’s syrup so I’m not sure if the actual “ice cream” was actually any good but I definitely enjoyed it anyway. When I went to bed that night, all I could think about was everything I was going to eat the next day, to make up for all the healthy foods I had consumed over the past week. I guess I failed my vegan test.
The advantages to my week as a vegan were definitely outweighed by disadvantages for me. On the plus side, I found myself eating smaller meals more often because of the low calorie foods I ate. So even though I would get full easily with big plates of salads and fruit, I would get hungry again quickly because I didn’t consume many calories to keep me going. (Note: A bowl of baby carrots is not a full meal!)
On the down side it was hard for me to resist foods that I love. Mostly, it was the dairy products that were the hardest for me to give up. My love for cheese, cream, and ice cream may not be that healthy, but it’s part of my life and I could never give it up for good. Also, I hate soy and most soy products, which means that the vegan lifestyle and I would probably never work out anyway. Some things are just not meant to be.
United Nations, New and Improved?
The lively aura surrounding the 250 resident correspondents in the United Nations building feels foreign amongst all of the dead and abandoned electronics that line the cramped hallways. Reporters are busily tapping away at keyboards and listening through headsets to the daily Security Council meeting being held all day. However, one would not believe that a major change had just occurred in one of the UN’s most powerful member states. It has only been about two months since United States’ President Barack Obama took office, but the novelty of it has seemed to have already faded. Perhaps it is the natural skepticism of journalists, but there seems to be some doubts about the predictions of positive changes to come for the UN.
“There’s not like a single story of like everyone loves Obama, everything’s going to be better,” said Inner City blog reporter Matthew Lee. “I’ve seen so many stories that are just like ‘it’s a new era’ and I’m not really sure.”
Despite the raised eyebrows at the Obama optimism by many, it cannot be denied that he has brought some change to the building, if in mood only.
Neil MacFarquhar, a reporter for The New York Times said: “I think there is a change of tone and there’s a sense of anticipation but in terms of actual concrete examples of change, I don’t think there is or has been one so far.”
It appears that the general feeling towards the new Obama administration is one of cautious apprehension. Because things work at the UN, according to Mr. MacFarquhar, at a “glacial pace,” it is too soon to say whether or not the changes brought by President Obama and Ambassador Rice will be good or bad.
“There’s not like a single story of like everyone loves Obama, everything’s going to be better,” said Inner City blog reporter Matthew Lee. “I’ve seen so many stories that are just like ‘it’s a new era’ and I’m not really sure.”
Despite the raised eyebrows at the Obama optimism by many, it cannot be denied that he has brought some change to the building, if in mood only.
Neil MacFarquhar, a reporter for The New York Times said: “I think there is a change of tone and there’s a sense of anticipation but in terms of actual concrete examples of change, I don’t think there is or has been one so far.”
It appears that the general feeling towards the new Obama administration is one of cautious apprehension. Because things work at the UN, according to Mr. MacFarquhar, at a “glacial pace,” it is too soon to say whether or not the changes brought by President Obama and Ambassador Rice will be good or bad.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Bumping and Grinding... Sometimes
As she took a sip of her coffee, Charlotte Sometimes said: “There’s nothing cool about me,” and then laughed. This statement is as deceiving as the rough hidden fingertips under her red nail polish; the 21-year-old singer/songwriter has certainly been living what most people would call a pretty “cool” life.
“I’m definitely not a starving artist because I get paid and I live alone in Manhattan,” she said with a smile. Charlotte signed with major record label Geffen Interscope last fall, released her debut album “Waves and the Both of Us” and is a “You Oughtta Know” artist on the music television channel, VH1. When asked to describe her music in a few words she replied: “Bipolar disorder at its best.” Before she had such a cool life though, she was just Jessie Charlotte Poland of Wall Township, New Jersey.
Tracy and Hartson Poland of Wall, NJ adopted Jessie soon after her birth on January 15, 1988. The only daughter of her parents, who already had two biological sons named James and Josh, Jessie grew up in a household that encouraged her to explore many creative outlets, including dance and poetry. But it was her father who introduced the concept of writing songs.
“I started singing my poetry and my dad said ‘no one wants to hear you sing poems and you might want to do something about that.’ So I started playing guitar,” she said.
Music was also a source of relief for the struggles she faced growing up, including her fight with anorexia as a teenager. Ironically, it was one of her other artistic hobbies that spurred on the eating disorder.
“I started music when I was 14, when I was crazy,” she said. “I picked up a guitar and quit dance and decided dancing wasn’t going to quite work out for me because I became anorexic, like most dancers. Sorry to generalize but most of us have eating disorders, or some sort of psychological issue. Beautiful form, but anyone who looks at themselves in the mirror for over twelve hours a day will likely go insane.”
As she used her guitar to aid in her recovery, Jessie soon realized that her music could serve as more than just a source of therapy. It became her goal to make a career out of it at the age of 15.
“Failure was not an option for me so I never allowed myself to doubt myself. I kind of just would book my own shows and you know, play. I would find anyone who would hear me and I would play for them. And you know I just luckily got it into the hands of the right people and they liked what they heard, even if I was awkward and gawky at the time.”
Ups and downs riddled Jessie’s road to success in high school: break-ups, a failed band project called J.Poland and the Pilots, business disappointments and more health issues challenged her stability. At 16, she was diagnosed with a potentially dream-breaking disease.
“I had condylar resorption, which causes your jaw to basically disintegrate. Then your whole face kind of starts moving backwards and you looked deformed.” She took a bite of her toast and said: “It was hard for me to go through but it helped me write a lot of music and really work that much harder.”
It’s this exact attitude of moving on and growing from tough life experiences that makes Charlotte such an interesting, successful person. Her slim frame gets up to leave and she grabs her bag that’s wider than she is before she leans in for a hug.
I asked her quickly about what’s next on her plate and she answered: “I’m currently working on all the new tracks for the next record and trying to get into songwriting for other people. And just keeping a good head on my shoulders and networking as much as possible; keeping my motivation and work ethic up and getting my ass moving in all ways. You know, just bumping and grinding.” Bumping and grinding seems to be exactly the right words to end the conversation on, and we head in opposite directions. But although we went our separate ways, I know that it won’t be the last I’ll be seeing (or hearing) of Charlotte Sometimes.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Scraping Up Courage
I am not a shy person.
I have no problem bumping into a stranger at the grocery store line and telling them my entire life story. Ask me to do a crazy dance in the middle of the sidewalk in the city and I won't hesitate to bust a move (or a hip too probably). But when it comes to gathering up the strength to go ask someone for an interview, my stomach starts to feel like a big knot and my head begins to hurt with over-thinking.
Store signs fly by as I walk down the street and as I peek inside the windows to see if anyone is there, I decide that "I'll try the next one," for whatever reason.
People walk past me and I draw a breath to introduce myself, but it comes out instead as a sigh.
Finally, I'll muster up the courage to smile and say "Hi, my name is Kelsey and I'm an NYU journalism student. Could I ask you a few questions about such-and-such-thing?" only to be told with a glare "No" in some form. Self-esteem crushed, I usually can't manage to break out of my slump and end up going home.
But just as my dreams of winning a Pulitzer seem to be fading from my eyes, I'll have a day where I find someone who looks easy-going enough to ask for an interview about something, and that person turns out to be the nicest, funniest, cleverest, bestest (...) person ever! Quote after golden quote will flow from their lips and I will laugh politely, mostly at my own strange luck.
Those are the days that make me believe that I can do this - I can be as natural on the job as I am in reality! This is easy and fun! Look at what a great story I have! Wow, there's so much color and great human connectivity here!
That is, until this high causes me to approach the very next person I meet and excitedly ask to talk to them and would it be all right if I conducted a quick interview and oh, I'm Kelsey by the way and... oh. Yes, I understand. I'm sorry. Have a nice day.
Back to the drawing board again.
I have no problem bumping into a stranger at the grocery store line and telling them my entire life story. Ask me to do a crazy dance in the middle of the sidewalk in the city and I won't hesitate to bust a move (or a hip too probably). But when it comes to gathering up the strength to go ask someone for an interview, my stomach starts to feel like a big knot and my head begins to hurt with over-thinking.
Store signs fly by as I walk down the street and as I peek inside the windows to see if anyone is there, I decide that "I'll try the next one," for whatever reason.
People walk past me and I draw a breath to introduce myself, but it comes out instead as a sigh.
Finally, I'll muster up the courage to smile and say "Hi, my name is Kelsey and I'm an NYU journalism student. Could I ask you a few questions about such-and-such-thing?" only to be told with a glare "No" in some form. Self-esteem crushed, I usually can't manage to break out of my slump and end up going home.
But just as my dreams of winning a Pulitzer seem to be fading from my eyes, I'll have a day where I find someone who looks easy-going enough to ask for an interview about something, and that person turns out to be the nicest, funniest, cleverest, bestest (...) person ever! Quote after golden quote will flow from their lips and I will laugh politely, mostly at my own strange luck.
Those are the days that make me believe that I can do this - I can be as natural on the job as I am in reality! This is easy and fun! Look at what a great story I have! Wow, there's so much color and great human connectivity here!
That is, until this high causes me to approach the very next person I meet and excitedly ask to talk to them and would it be all right if I conducted a quick interview and oh, I'm Kelsey by the way and... oh. Yes, I understand. I'm sorry. Have a nice day.
Back to the drawing board again.
Snowstorming
NEW YORK - New Yorkers were feeling the cold pain of snow yesterday after being pummeled by a winter storm that affected most of the Northeast and even areas in the South.
According to The Weather Channel online, snowfall totals reached about 8 inches in Manhattan and up to 13 inches in some parts of Long Island, making this the biggest storm of the season so far. The weather was even bad enough for the New York Public School system to issue its first snow day in years. Teachers and students alike enjoyed a relaxing day inside their warm homes.
“I have never had a day off from work before because of the weather,” said Jill Renaud, a 23 year old high school chemistry teacher at Long Island City High School. Though she has lived in the city now for nearly two years, Ms. Renaud has never seen snow like this before, describing it as “so amazingly epic.” She talked about how she “went for a walk in the morning” and “stayed inside a lot” instead of having to give a test she was planning on for that day.
Students from East Side Community High School on East 12th St. had similar experiences on their day off.
“I just stayed home, stayed in bed. I didn’t really get out,” said Zoni Smith, a 16 year old sophomore at East Side High. “I had some hot chocolate and I sat back and watched TV.”
There were some teenagers that didn’t have quite such an easy day inside though. East Side High sophomore Kelsey “KC” Tiamfook, 15, had a “horrible” snow day. “I had to shovel it,” he said.
So despite getting an extra day on their weekend, the students would prefer not to have another snow day anytime soon. “It’s cold out here and I don’t feel like traveling through the cold,” said Zoni.
Even though those who were supposed to be in school preferred to stay indoors, there were those who ventured out onto the slippery streets. The gadget store AC Gears on 8th St. near Broadway didn’t see much of a difference in their sales. Giancarlo Dizon, a 19 year old employee and Hunter College student, has been working at the store for about six months and said: “During the morning, business was terrible. But once it got to the afternoon, late afternoon, more people decided to come in as the weather died down.”
According to The Weather Channel online, snowfall totals reached about 8 inches in Manhattan and up to 13 inches in some parts of Long Island, making this the biggest storm of the season so far. The weather was even bad enough for the New York Public School system to issue its first snow day in years. Teachers and students alike enjoyed a relaxing day inside their warm homes.
“I have never had a day off from work before because of the weather,” said Jill Renaud, a 23 year old high school chemistry teacher at Long Island City High School. Though she has lived in the city now for nearly two years, Ms. Renaud has never seen snow like this before, describing it as “so amazingly epic.” She talked about how she “went for a walk in the morning” and “stayed inside a lot” instead of having to give a test she was planning on for that day.
Students from East Side Community High School on East 12th St. had similar experiences on their day off.
“I just stayed home, stayed in bed. I didn’t really get out,” said Zoni Smith, a 16 year old sophomore at East Side High. “I had some hot chocolate and I sat back and watched TV.”
There were some teenagers that didn’t have quite such an easy day inside though. East Side High sophomore Kelsey “KC” Tiamfook, 15, had a “horrible” snow day. “I had to shovel it,” he said.
So despite getting an extra day on their weekend, the students would prefer not to have another snow day anytime soon. “It’s cold out here and I don’t feel like traveling through the cold,” said Zoni.
Even though those who were supposed to be in school preferred to stay indoors, there were those who ventured out onto the slippery streets. The gadget store AC Gears on 8th St. near Broadway didn’t see much of a difference in their sales. Giancarlo Dizon, a 19 year old employee and Hunter College student, has been working at the store for about six months and said: “During the morning, business was terrible. But once it got to the afternoon, late afternoon, more people decided to come in as the weather died down.”
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
New Yorkers Feeling Tough Times
ROCKEFELLER CENTER, NY - The tough economic times have hit New Yorkers hard, but maybe not as hard as one would think. There are people who are getting by just fine despite the increase in lay-offs and unemployment around the country. This doesn’t mean that lives aren’t affected at all. For most, it seems that it’s the little things that are getting hit hardest.
“I bring my lunch to work now instead of buying because it’s just, it’s too much,” said Rutgers student Katelyn Maziekien, 22. “Especially with buying a bus ticket home from New York and all my other expenses, it’s really hard to afford things.”
Besides smaller expenses being cut, others have felt the recession in their work hours. “Because of the recession, they like to cut back overtime for a lot of the pages, which means I’m only working sometimes like 30, 35 hours” said Brett Harris, a 23-year-old page at NBC Universal. “Because we’re paid hourly, a lot of our money is basically made in overtime.”
It would appear that the recession has hit the average New Yorker in the wallet, but hasn’t really left a hole in the bottom of the pocket. If anything, the recession has seemed to encourage people to be more aware of their finances and spend less money on comforts and luxuries. For example, Maziekien hasn’t “been able to get to the mall a lot to shop” and Harris continues to live at home with his parents.
Perhaps the only good thing about the poor economy is that people are definitely learning tricks on how to save money here and there. Maziekien’s tip? “Food shopping, I try to cut as many coupons as I can because I find that that helps a lot,” she said. “Saves you some money.”
“I bring my lunch to work now instead of buying because it’s just, it’s too much,” said Rutgers student Katelyn Maziekien, 22. “Especially with buying a bus ticket home from New York and all my other expenses, it’s really hard to afford things.”
Besides smaller expenses being cut, others have felt the recession in their work hours. “Because of the recession, they like to cut back overtime for a lot of the pages, which means I’m only working sometimes like 30, 35 hours” said Brett Harris, a 23-year-old page at NBC Universal. “Because we’re paid hourly, a lot of our money is basically made in overtime.”
It would appear that the recession has hit the average New Yorker in the wallet, but hasn’t really left a hole in the bottom of the pocket. If anything, the recession has seemed to encourage people to be more aware of their finances and spend less money on comforts and luxuries. For example, Maziekien hasn’t “been able to get to the mall a lot to shop” and Harris continues to live at home with his parents.
Perhaps the only good thing about the poor economy is that people are definitely learning tricks on how to save money here and there. Maziekien’s tip? “Food shopping, I try to cut as many coupons as I can because I find that that helps a lot,” she said. “Saves you some money.”
Recession Session - Making It In Journalism
NEW YORK - On February 11, 2009, Diane Dragan, the online executive editor of “Every Day Rachael Ray” spoke to Jill Hamburg-Coplan’s journalistic inquiry class at New York University about working as a journalist on the web. Dragan started out as a struggling freelance writer and worked her way up to executive editor through sheer determination and talent.
At her job at “Every Day Rachael Ray,” Dragan is responsible for the website design and content of the online counter-part to the magazine. Her talk to the wide-eyed students however focused more on an inside look to the workings of a magazine company during a recession rather than the job itself.
The stress of the current economic state wore on the faces of all the students as the questions turned to how to get a job and keep it in a few years after leaving NYU. Dragan calmly explained how although 300 people were cut from Reader’s Digest (Rachael Ray’s parent company) in the last year, most of these cuts were in the human resource, advertisement, and corporate departments. Dragan also offered another reassurance to the aspiring journalists, saying how small properties inside of a larger company is usually safe from cutbacks. For example, her online department is smaller compared to other areas of the company, making it less prone to lay-offs though their budget has been decreased.
Just because life is easier on journalists than human resource employees during hard economic times does not mean that it’s easy going; there are hiring freezes occurring and less opportunities for freelance writers to get their pieces bought. However, Diane Dragan is living proof that with perseverance, a hard worker can make it through anything.
At her job at “Every Day Rachael Ray,” Dragan is responsible for the website design and content of the online counter-part to the magazine. Her talk to the wide-eyed students however focused more on an inside look to the workings of a magazine company during a recession rather than the job itself.
The stress of the current economic state wore on the faces of all the students as the questions turned to how to get a job and keep it in a few years after leaving NYU. Dragan calmly explained how although 300 people were cut from Reader’s Digest (Rachael Ray’s parent company) in the last year, most of these cuts were in the human resource, advertisement, and corporate departments. Dragan also offered another reassurance to the aspiring journalists, saying how small properties inside of a larger company is usually safe from cutbacks. For example, her online department is smaller compared to other areas of the company, making it less prone to lay-offs though their budget has been decreased.
Just because life is easier on journalists than human resource employees during hard economic times does not mean that it’s easy going; there are hiring freezes occurring and less opportunities for freelance writers to get their pieces bought. However, Diane Dragan is living proof that with perseverance, a hard worker can make it through anything.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Me thinks doth thou protest too much...
Protip: Camera phones are so useful for the aspiring blogger journalist.
Though I wish I could carry my beautiful Nikon d70 around with me all the time in case something like this should happen, it's just not practical. However, my LG Venus actually managed to get some great shots.
Pictures from the "Take Back NYU" protest and the counter-protest to the protest:
Protesters outside of Kimmel Center for Student Life handing out flyers and holding up signs.
Banner posted from inside the barricaded 3rd floor cafeteria in Kimmel
More signs from the cafeteria inside of Kimmel
Bystanders cautiously approach the protesters to pass by on the sidewalk of W 4th St.
Counter-protesters stand opposite of Kimmel, calling for the students to "Take back Kimmel"
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