Blogs at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

Posts Tagged ‘Shuka Kalantari’

Nov. 15 – 21, 2008

November 24th, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

It’s been unseasonably cold, but seasonably busy as we head into the homestretch of another action-filled semester. Here are some examples of our reporters’ latest work:

  • Barry Paddock, working for the Daily News, covered the tragic death of a FDNY lieutenant killed battling a Staten Island blaze.
  • The TV studio was in full swing Friday with the latest edition of Talking Health – Political Promises, hosted by Prof. Lieberman and produced by Prof. Williston. The first live hour-long video webcast from our TV studio came together with the help of CUNY TV, the J-School Tech Staff, and the following students: Lauren Bonner, Angela Donadic, Caitlin Drexler, Jessica Firger, Emily Mayer, Tuan Nguyen, Shuka Kalantari, Maureen Ker, Djenny Passe-Rodriguez, Jennifer Saavedra and Erica Sullivan.
  • Our radio studio also was buzzing this week – with music. The latest edition of Culture Shock,produced by Abi Ishola, Erin O’Neill, and Craig Thompson, featured a live performance by fusion musicians Gaida and Amir El Saffar.
  • Matt Townsend got taken for a ride in this fun Daily News video.
  • Sarah Trefethen’s story about a Bronx pastor who established a new church made the Norwood News.
  • Just in time for the long-awaited release of “Chinese Democracy,” Kaili Boyd interviewed new Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Bumblefoot. Her article was featured in am New York.
  • Lakshmi Gandhi covered the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families’ Caring for Children awards ceremony for SAJA Forum.
  • Sergey Kadinsky scored clips in the Jewish Press (he covered the funeral of a slain do-gooder) and the Amsterdam News (he profiled a young black Republican). I have a copy of the Amsterdam News story in my office — feel free to come on by for a look.
  • Ria Julien’s piece about how changes in the state Senate might lead to the repeal of the Rockeller Drug Laws made Lives in Focus.
  • Clark Merrefield’s story about Queen State Sen. Frank Padavan’s push for re-election was published in The Capitol.
  • Collin Orcutt found an inspirational Marathon story for his hometown paper, The Herald Gazette of Maine.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

Nov 8 – 14, 2008

November 17th, 2008 by Joe Filippazzo

Hard to believe we’re entering the final month of the semester. Here are some of the latest results of our reporters’ continuing hard work:

  • Joshua Cinelli wrote an article for City Hall about local efforts to boost the economy by luring more foreign investment.
  • We all know quitting smoking saves lives and money – Francesca Levy offers a state-by-state look at the dollars kept by kicking the habit in this article-and-slideshow package for Forbes.
  • Heather Chin reaped the benefits of hopping on a breaking story with her video piece about the New York Times hoax edition distributed last week. Her video accompanies an article put together in short order by the News Service class.
  • Joe Filippazzo’s News Service story about Bobby Fischer’s FBI file was picked up by El Nuevo Herald, and got many blog links.
  • Karina Ioffee profiled a popular sari tailor for the Queens Courier. (Note: as of this writing, the link seems to be broken. I’ll check into it.)
  • Sergey Kadinsky wrote about incumbent Assemblymember Marge Markey’s reelection for the Queens Tribune (I have a copy in my office – feel free to come by for a look.)
  • If you missed our latest podcasts during the week, check them out here: Health Pods, produced by Loren Bonner, Shuka Kalantari, and Djenny Passe-Rodriguez; and This Place Called Home, produced by Linnea Covington, Celina Fang, and Tyler Mitter.
  • Collin (Hoops) Orcutt predicts great things for the Lakers in his latest Men’s Fitness blog post.
  • Busy Barry Paddock shared a byline on this Daily News story about a drunk driving tragedy.

Oct. 11 – 17, 2008

October 22nd, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

The weather is getting cooler, but our hot streak continues. Here are some of the latest pieces:

  • It’s not even Halloween, buy many of us already are beginning to think about holiday travel plans. Before sure to check out these Forbes.com pieces by Francesca Levy  about the best and worst times to fly and  how to save on holiday travel.
  • Joshua Cinelli tackles the potential impact of Wall Street’s woes on public pension systems for City Hall.
  • Jenni Avins’ story about a former temple that’s been reborn as a mosque made the Queens Courier.
  • H’Rina DeTroy’s article about East Village anger over the slow pace of a playground rebuilding project was featured in The Villager.
  • H’Rina was joined in The Villager by Matt Townsend, who wrote about a pedestrian mall improvement plan along Allen Street.
  • Megan McGibney put together a video piece for nypost.com on the race Staten Islanders seem to care about most this year: the contest to replace disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella.
  • Abi Ishola’s been hosting the News of the Week segment for CUNY TV’s Independent Sources, a new show, produced by Prof. Prout, about the ethnic media. Abi’s segments are usually about 17 minutes into each show. But be sure check out the full broadcasts – it’s a great way to learn more about what’s going on, and to pick up story ideas and pinpoint more potential outlets for your work.
  • Annie Shreffler’s been added The Huffington Post’s OffTheBus masthead for a feature she started, called Eyes and Ears, which solicits fun election-related items.
  • Barry Paddock covered a heartbreaking fatal fire story for the Daily News.
  • Caitlin Drexler dished up some food-world news for Saveur’s Word of Mouth blog.
  • If you missed this week’s live audio webcast of Health Pods – produced by Loren Bonner, Shuka Kalantari, and Djenny Passe-Rodriguez – check it out here.
  • Vinita Singla’s timely TV piece about voter registration drives and her companion print story made the News Service.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

Oct. 4 – 10, 2008

October 14th, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

In between embracing Summer’s final Fall visit, enjoy some fine reading, listening and viewing:

  • Fritzie Andrade worked on a couple of videos posted this week on nytimes.com. She’s particularly proud of this fun piece starring chef Ferran Adria that could have been straight out of a Food Network show.
  • Shuka Kalantari has been contributing to thehealthcareblog.com. She recently put together a post – combining text, links and audio interviews – about the push for a single-payer national health care plan.
  • Kate Zhao’s been writing for New American Media about the economic crisis, with an eye on China. This piece tackles the relationship between the U.S. and Chinese economies.
  • H’Rina DeTroy notched a clip in The Villager – a direct result of a connection made at the Meet the Media Makers mixer. Check out her feature on the annual Lower East Side Kids’ Art Bike Parade.
  • Matt Townsend scored a solo byline on a Daily News story about a pregnant woman pulled from a burning house by two good Samaritans.
  • Speaking of the Daily News, Lee Hernandez profiled designer Isabel Toledo, who gained notice when Michelle Obama wore one of her creations to a Manhattan gala.
  • Jessica Firger and Maureen Ker’s TV-and-print package about the “pop-up” store trend made the News Service.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming.

August 9 – 15, 2008

August 18th, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

Many of the internships are wrapping up, but the clips just keep coming. Here’s a sampling of the latest:

  • I can guarantee that not one word of Henry Stewart’s review of “Henry Poole is Here” will be used as a blurb in any future advertisements. Check out his very entertaining piece in the L Magazine. He also said a lot in very few words in this blog item — sounds like a full-blown story waiting to happen.
  • Linnea Covington, writing for New York Press, offers a short, but image- and information-packed review for the enticingly titled play, “Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell.”
  • Jessica Firger found a hipster friendly doctor in Williamsburg who offers E-mail, video and IM consultations — but will occasionally make an old-fashioned house call. You’ll find her story in The Brooklyn Paper.
  • Shuka Kalantari hosted the latest edition ofKPFA Radio’s “Voices of the Middle East and North Africa,” and contributed a segment about the late Palestinian poetMahmoud Darwish. She also started a companion blogf or the show.
  • Dan Macht put together a piece about McCain’s and Obama’s reactions to the Russia-Georgia conflict for the Telegraph.co.uk
  • Francesca Levy wrote about the world of for-profit universities owned by publicly held corporations for BusinessWeek. Check out her video interview with the new dean of the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland
  • Barry Paddock contributed to today’s Daily News front page story about heroism amid tragedy in Queens.
  • Damian Ghigliotty reports for Crain’s New York Business that unemployment in the city is down – even as unemployment claims are up.
  • Meanwhile, in a glimmer of sunny economic news, the hotel business on Long Island is doing well, Danny Teigman found for Newsday.
  • Mathew Warren contributed to this New York Times talker about MetroCard ethics (which may be an oxymoron these days.)

Congrats to all — and keep ‘em coming. (But make sure to enjoy what’s of summer, too).

July 26 – August 8, 2008

August 13th, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

We’ve hit August, but they’re hardly the dog days for us. Here are some of the latest example of the Class of ’08’s fine work:

  • Rebecca Harshbarger contributed to this Washington Post A-1 story about abducted Ugandans. She’s also been writing many pieces for The New Vision, including this story about the apparent rising asthma rate in Uganda.
  • Claudia Cruz also got the wood this week, notching the front page of Diario Libre with her story about the grand opening of a Mets training camp in Boca Chica, where she met Dominican President Fernandez.
  • Francesca Levy made the BusinessWeek.com’s homepage with her timely story on lost luggage. Be sure to check out the accompanying slideshow.
  • Kate Lurie is everywhere these days, it seems. You’ll find some of her latest work on abcnews.com, marieclaire.com and in the Daily News.
  • Speaking of the Daily News, Allison Esposito helped the student reporters at Children’s Press Line assemble this story about the Sikh community’s battle again hate crimes.
  • Roisin O’Connor-Mcuinn has been very busy at Time Out New York. I love this piece about the rollgate at the Jay Street-Borough Hall Station. She answers a question I’ve had for years — but I never bothered to look into, now much to my chagrin.
  • Mathew Warren contributed to this New York Times subway story of another sort: the MetroCard machine foul-up that snagged thousands of credit card users.
  • Emily Mayer produced this fun nypost.com video with the grabber title, “Seven Days to Sex Appeal.”
  • Fritzie Andrade helped put together this lively nytimes.com video about a fledgling band promoter. It’s part of the ongoing “Breaking in” series.
  • Clark Merrefield takes a literary turn in this Point Reyes Light article: He interviewed new U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan.
  • Also working hard on the West Coast is Shuka Kalantari, who interviewed an Iranian musician for KPFA radio. Check out Shuka’s blog for QUEST, a science- and environment-driven KQED multimedia series.
  • Danny Teigman found a sweet — or rather, sweets — story for Newsday: an Oyster Bay bakery that delivers desserts directly to customers’ docked boats.
  • Come up with your own headline for this one-of-kind bank robbery story Jessica Firger wrote for The Brooklyn Paper. She also contributed this more uplifting piece about a local Little League team headed to a top tournament in Puerto Rico.
  • Steve Pacer’s story about Canadian shoppers flooding Buffalo, spurred by the declining (U.S.) Dollar, has been picked up by central and northern New York radio station WRVO. You listen to his piece at the Public Radio Exchange . You’ll have to set up a free account — it’s quick and well worth the effort.
  • Fritzie Andrade helped produce a NYTimes.com video about the return of the Zeppelin (not Led Zeppelin — the German airship).
  • Mathew Warren shared the byline on this New York Times story about a fatal upper East Side fire.
  • Jessica Firger nicely turns some phrases in this Brooklyn Paper piece about how the owner of Debbie’s Reins, an equestrian shop in Gowanus, is riding off into the sunset.
  • Clark Merrefield’s latest article for the Point Reyes Light is the story of an anger management teacher with an alleged anger management problem.
  • Stephen Bronner has the scoop on the city’s newest Family Justice Center in this Queens Courier article. This was a story Stephen has been trying to snag for months. His persistence paid off: he became the first reporter to get a tour of the facility and to interview its director.
  • Dan Macht’s been contributing to The Telegraph’s political blog, and got to write about the much-talked-about Paris Hilton campaign video.
  • If Danny Teigman comes back sporting a tan, this story may have something to do with it: He wrote a major battle-of-the-beaches takeout for Newsday on how Long Island and New Jersey shore towns are vying for visitors.
  • Eliot Caroom, writing for abcnews.com/Nightline, profiled about a demographic group that’s getting hit harder than most by high gas prices: country folks with long commutes to city jobs.
  • Barry Paddock did a story about a mode of transportation that’s not oil dependent: he wrote a very sweet piece for the Daily News about some Queens kids headed for the national Soap Box Derby championships.
  • Allison Esposito helped the young reporters at Children’s Press Line put together a story for the Daily News about how Queens was excluded from a program that gives poor families vouchers to buy healthful foods at Greenmarkets.
  • Maureen Ker’s story about the “cosplay” phenomenon — youths massing in public dressed as anime characters — made am New York, along with a gallery of her photos. The piece has been picked up by fan sites and the Florida Sun-Sentinel’s website.
  • Carl Winfield wrote a news-you-can-use (but hopefully won’t have to) story for BusinessWeek.com about how to negotiate a severance package. You’ll find a companion video and story here. * Speaking of BusinessWeek.com, check out the video of Francesca Levy’s interview with the new dean of UC Berkeley’s business school.

Congrats to all — and keep ‘em coming!

July 19 – July 25, 2008

July 30th, 2008 by Collin Orcutt

Some more great news this week: The NYCity News Service took Best News Site honors at the first annual eduStyle Awards ceremony. The recognition is particularly gratifying because we didn’t enter this contest — they found us. We also beat out some quality competition: Virginia Tech and Boston University were the other finalists.

The award is another tribute to your fine work. Here are some of the latest examples:

  • Claudia Cruz traveled to the Dominican town of Sánchez where she found that the government has yet to provide promised new housing for many folks who lost their homes to devastating landslides.
  • WARNING: This video contains footage of people eating live octopus. If you’re brave enough, check out this unforgettable food piece Fritzie Andrade helped produce for nytimes.com.
  • Allison Esposito has been working with young journalists from Children’s Press Line. She helped shape this story about a Little League for children with autism. The article made the Daily News.
  • Danny Teigman, reporting for Newsday, talked to Long Island golfers about Greg Norman’s flirtation with history.
  • The Real World is coming to Red Hook, Jessica Firger reports for The Brooklyn Paper.
  • Speaking of reality TV, Craig Thompson talked to some participants in the controversial new show The Baby Borrowers for this babble.com piece.
  • Elephants let their feet do the talking, Shuka Kalantari reports for Quest, a mutli-media science site put together by Northern California Public TV and Radio station KQED. Shuka also has been working for KPFA radio. She did a segment for Voices of the Middle East and North African about a photo exhibit called, “Not Given: Talking of and Around Photographs of Arab Women.”
  • Clark Merrefield reports on a deal to preserve a 582-acre ranch in this Point Reyes Light article.
  • Damian Ghigliotty shows the value of follow up in this Crain’s New York Business article about the debut of a new law requiring owners of large stores to provide a recycling bin for plastic bags.
  • Linnea Covington wrote about a band that’s bringing the Balkans to Brooklyn. Check out her profile of Slavic Soul Party in New York Press.
  • Dan Macht assembled a slide show for the telegraph.co.uk showing a recreation of the Battle of Waterloo. He also did some rewrite on a story about a battle of another sort: Madonna’s alleged marital woes.
  • In our alumni corner, Sebastian Bednarski produce a video for the nypost.com about well-traveled soccer superstar David Beckham.

Jan 5 – Jan 11, 2008

January 11th, 2008 by Joe Filippazzo
  • Lakshmi Gandhi and Daniel Macht contributed pieces to the Huffington Post’s Off the Bus political blog. Look for a lot more this weekend on Off the Bus from Lakshmi, Dan and the rest of our Team New Hampshire as they head north for the pre-primary hoopla.
  • Dan also was busy for the Queens Courier, writing a story about a Jesse Jackson-led demonstration decrying the foreclose crisis, which is hitting Southeast Queens particularly hard.
  • AnnMarie Costella also contributed to the Courier with this story about shortages at food pantries.
  • Annie Shreffler covered a Haitian community holiday party in Spring Valley for the Journal News.
  • Shuka Kalantari wrote an article for Chelsea Now about holiday cards designed by folks with mental illness.
  • Mathew Warren contributed to a bunch of Times stories during the holiday week, including this local take on the San Francisco tiger tragedy.
  • Check out David Chiu’s piece in the NY Press on British singer Kate Nash.

Dec 29, 2007 – Jan 4, 2008

January 4th, 2008 by Joe Filippazzo