1.Religious apathy in young New Yorkers. The story is to look at religion in New York and how it affects the youth. I would attend a Christian service or maybe a Jewish service and find out what the youth attendance is, find out whether young New Yorkers find matters of faith important. I would also be conducting interviews and possibly going inside some of Baruch’s faith based clubs. Another story within this is, to interview NYC’s youngest pastor, his name is D. Aaron Sherron, he’s 22, he’s written books, he leads a church and he’s a college student.

2.Cultural identity in NYC

America is a culturally rich place, NYC is a prime example of this. Having various cultures leads to a formation of a new culture, my proposal is to interview various first generation Americans, and see how they view themselves, do they see themselves as American or what there nationality or culture is? I would seek to find out whether or not identifying oneself via culture is even important to collegiate new yorkers. i would go to various cultural organizations and find out what the demographics for college people in attendance is, and conduct interviews with those persons getting their opinion as to why or why not cultural identity is important to he or she.

I have come up with two possible ideas for the final project. The first idea involves taking a look inside the fashion industry. There is a NYC renowned fashion staple, called Albright Fashion Library, that styles celebrities for events, as well as styling for movies, TV and commercial. It is unknown that it is open to the public. I want to center my report on what goes on at the Showroom, which gives the public “back stage access” to the insides of the fashion industry in NYC. I plan on interviewing employees and using multimedia to tell the showroom’s story. A picture gallery would be really effective, as well as video and maybe a timeline.

My second idea is to report on an exhibition at either The Frick Museum or the Jewish Museum of NY. Both have exhibitions that interest me greatly. The Frick has an exhibition called “Picasso’s Drawings,” which would be fun to report on. The only problem that may arise is whether pictures and video are allowed to be taken inside the museum. If I decide to go with this idea, I will conduct further research to see what can and can’t be done. At the Jewish Museum, there is an exhibition called, “Culture and Continuity–the Jewish Journey.” This is an 800 work collection that examines the Jewish experience as it has evolved. This would be of great interest to me. I can add the human factor by getting interviews with people that work at the museum, who may have great stories to tell. I would use video, a timeline, an audio slideshow and pictures to report this story.

Project Ideas:

1. OCCUPY WALLSTREET: Present at Wall St. is an incredibly noticeable amount of spiritual people. I find it interesting and even surprising that a scenario (like politics) that can easily cause aggression and tension has attracted such a crowd. Theyve made it clear that they are present to help keep the peace. There have even been many organized meditation sessions various times throughout the week. Occupy Wallstreet continues to attract all different types of people.

2. Gaining Momentum: Id like to explore and talk to some of the people that have helped spark the growing spiritual community in Brooklyn and simply, the five boroughs in NY.

1. Interview a comedian who has been on TV show (Jimmy Fallon, Letterman) and what it is like to go on set, what you have to go through to get it etc.

2. Apple products are an obsession, that I just cannot understand. I’d love to interview people and figure out why Steve Job’s stuff has a hold on the people of New York City

1. With the holidays approaching, chocolate is always popular around this time of year. My story idea is to do a feature on chocolate in New York City. Since there are several restaurants and stores that specialize in chocolate, such as Godiva and Max Brenner, one approach could be to focus on how these places come up with fresh ideas to compete with their competition.

2. My second approach would be to focus on the 14th annual New York Chocolate Show, which will take place November 10th through November 13th. I could attend and get information on the art of making chocolate along with interviews from pastry chefs, authors and chocolate lovers.

1. My first thought about the final project idea was about the protest going on near wall street. I think it would be interesting to due a piece about the protestors who have been camping out their. They come from around the country and have created a somewhat organized system with in them selves. Also this has sparked protests across the country and i am curious to see what this will lead to. Recent news paper articles have compared this to the first protests that took place in Egypt not to long ago.

2. For my second idea I wanted to look in to housing in new york and how we are reverting back to tenement housing. In the early nineteen hundreds many New Yorkers lived with 6 people in a three room apartment. Now we are seeing this again because of low incomes and high rents we some times see two to three people in a studio apartment. You start to see the same patterns repeat itself through history. In parts of queens we see 10 to 15 immigrants living in one apartment trying to make it. The story came to me when i was talking to a cab driver and it turned out that he was trying to make it in NY and he lived with 10 other guys in on apartment. They all had different shifts so all of them would never be in the apartment at the same time.

Recently, a lot of skate parks have opened up in NYC. Since skateboarding has become more and more popular over the years, this will be a great story to really show how it has developed over the years. I would like to do a video of one skate park that has recently opened, along with interviews from people who skate there. I would also like to do a timeline and see how the sport has developed over the years.

1. The main topic I would like to cover is the impact that the NBA lockout is having and will continue to have on New York City. Without a NBA season, fans, merchants, and the entire city could suffer. I can interview shop owners and street venders near Madison Square Garden that depend on the crowds from Knick games. I can also interview fans that would be heartbroken to lose a season where the Knicks are finally set to have a good year.

2. Another potential topic can be the ban on smoking in parks. I think this topic would be interesting simply because most people dont respect the law. I can interview people I see smoking in parks and possibly police officers who are not giving out tickets for the offense.

1. Why are people addicted to iPhones/ or Apple products
My first idea was to document a person who is addicted to their iphone, I would possibly follow the person for a day and see their behaviors while on the phone and then follow them for a day without the use of their phone. I want to see the difference in behavior patterns. What makes a person so dependent on their phone that can make them not be able to live without their device.

2. My second idea was to follow a recent college graduate on their journey to find employment opportunities. I was hoping to capture how college graduates are still unsuccessful at finding careers once they have graduated. I could video a college graduate who still works at a retail store, show statistics of how many college graduates are still unemployed and how many are working jobs that don’t go with their career goals.

1. Cast fetish is a kind of fetishism with an erotic concentration on orthopedic casts (plaster, polymer, bandage, etc.) It is usually related to the fetishes of feet, stockings, shoes and amputees. The sufferers usually like the opposite gender wearing casts on their limbs, using crutches, or limping around. Sometimes, socks and stockings will increase the attraction of the afflicted.
I will have interviews with people in the New York City area portraying which type of casts they prefer on which limb. I will like to feature video and pictures of people applying the casts as well has taking them off and going about their day with them.

2.Object sexuality or objectum sexuality, in German objektophil (OS), [1] is a pronounced emotional and often romantic desire towards developing significant relationships with particular inanimate objects. Those individuals with this expressed preference may feel strong feelings of attraction, love, and commitment to certain items or structures of their fixation. For some, sexual or even close emotional relationships with humans are incomprehensible. Object-sexual individuals also often believe in animism, and sense reciprocation based on the belief that objects have souls, intelligence, feelings, and are able to communicate.[2] Contrary to sexual fetishism, the object to an OS person is viewed as their partner and not as a means to an end to enhance a human sexual relationship.
I will like to interview the people with this fetich via video along side their furniture.

Alicia Bynum
Multimedia Reporting
Story Ideas
I will admit that this task was no ordinary task for me. Trying to decide what would be good material, would produce an optimal amount of viewpoints. I think pretty much everything interest me.
1). My first topic would be food trends. I love food, I love the idea that people are becoming increasingly conscious of what they ingest, how it is prepared and the conditions in which the food is obtained. Having read interesting stories on how the chicken is birthed, fed, and housed I now am more consciously aware of the things I eat specifically targeting chicken. The injections they force upon chicken, the certain origins of specific dishes, how they came to be about. Visiting specific restaurants, interviewing people on how they feel about farm raised chicken, the process in which it takes to produce the wonderful dishes that people seem to love so much.
Not sure how I would get footage on the chicken life style, but I could definitely do a slide show of the different people I encounter, how they feel about the topic. I would think that audio would be the best way to go with a topic like this. Many visuals to place people there, to make it seem more personal.
2). My second topic that inspired me, was the property in my neighborhood. How the city wants to turn public places, which help keep the children out of trouble into an overpriced co-op. I live in an area dominated by colleges. It is understandable that they want to seek more profit by housing out of state residents among the area where the school is located. At what cost? Taking away from the youth to ultimately enrich those who have money already? Speaking with people in the college housing development program, parents who send their kids to the many programs that house the tenement, would ensure both sides of the story get told. I could integrate an interactive feature/ take a poll of how the people would feel.
I feel like this is a suitable topic for more than the justifiable reason, but it outrages me knowing that my cousins, younger siblings will not have a place to enrich their lives. That is justifiable to me. Knowing that they are safe, have a place to grow is more important than personal net worth.

1) Red Rooster the new restaurant in Harlem has become the talk of the town. The President has dined there and recently and many celebrities routinely visit. Whats interesting? You rarely see such a prominent restaurant not located in midtown. It has garnered a cult following AND it offers a unique bike rental program, free of charge.

For the multimedia side of things, I can interview star chef and restaurant owner Marcus Samuelson as well as patrons of the restaurant. Perhaps a video with interviews and as slideshow with pictures of food.

2) New York Needs you is a fellowship program, only in its second year. The program connects high potential students (whose parents have not gone to college) with a wide network of mentors who guide them along their professional path.
My story idea would be based on the success of the program thus far and how it has affected the life of the students

I imagine I can interview students in the program as well as the mentors and the programs’ director Chera Reid and founder Robert Reffkin. this would be a video.

I can also have an audio slideshow of the founder talking about the program while showcasing the fellows during the bi weekly workshops.

Here are my two ideas for the class project, I had 3 but these are the two finalists, I hope you guys like it as much as I do.

My first story idea is to write about the nail art in the Bronx. Basically what I want to do it to do some research of how acrylic nails started to be more than just fashion. If you walk in some neighborhoods in the Bronx every one block you find a nail salon. I want to interview some people who actually do acrylic nails, storeowners and also some of their costumers and why they do it and like it. For my multimedia I would like to film a video of an employee on his/her regular day at the nail salon and a slideshow of his/her art.

For my second idea I was thinking of writing about the nightlife at Washington Heights and it clubs. Like we can see it in “Jersey Shore,” how “Guido/Guidettes” have fun in Jersey and their fashion. I want to write about how people have fun in the “heights” and their fashion. I would like to interview some club owners, bartenders and actually follow a person who parties in Washington heights for the night. For my multimedia I would like to film a video of this person’s night out, how does it start, where do they go, to what type of people they are attract to and how does their night ends.

1) Growing up Chinese I was always told to never get tattoos because it signifies that you’re a bad person. My parents are old school so in their books anyone who gets a tattoo is in a gang of some sort. But now I see tattoos as an art form when done tastefully. For my final project I’d like to explore why people get tattoos and explore the special meanings behind their tattoos.
Video project: I will be filming someone getting their tattoo inked on from preparation of needles and color to the actual inking on. I will be interviewing several tattoo artists as well as their canvases.
Audio visual: Pictures of different people’s tattoos and reasons behind getting it.
Write-Up: An interview with a tattoo artist and his perceptions of this ancient art form.

2) For my second idea I want to do something on Food Trucks and how they’re changing the restaurant scene.
Audio Visual: History of the food truck.
video: filming from how food truck operators attract people, to prepare food,set their prices, and deal with competing food trucks.
Write Up: Interview with food truck operators on their lives as road restauranteurs.

Ideas:

1. My first idea comes from seeing a lot of my friends who have recently graduated falling into a kind of depression after being thrust into the workforce or from not being able to secure employment with student loans looming over their heads. But for this assignment, I’m more interested in those who go on to law school, despite the recent negative connotations of doing so—no job prospects, even more debt, unhappy workers, low quality of life, etc. (Is Law School a Losing Game? in the New York Times is an example of this).

I myself was planning on going to law school after graduating Baruch but have recently decided to put that on the back burner because of the economy and my financial situation. I also worked as a court reporter and was around lawyers every day that couldn’t say a single good thing about law school or the life of an attorney. Almost every single person told me (begged me, really) NOT to go.

However, more and more people are applying to law school every year for different reasons and there’s now a huge excess of lawyers without work.

I’m interested in the lives of recent law school grads, current law school students, working attorneys, etc.

I think some cool multimedia ideas would be a video following a recent graduate around for a day searching for jobs or “a day in the life” of the attorney (hours worked, stress on the job, affects on family life) depending on what I decide to focus on. Also I think a timeline that shows how long it will take for their debts to be repaid would be interesting.

2. I am ALSO interested in people who have decided to forgo a college education in hopes of perusing a lifelong dream (can you guys tell I’m super stressed about life-after-college?). This could be young actors, dancers, artists, etc. who are very driven and decide to make their own path, something I have always been terrified to do myself.

I think this could totally lend itself to multimedia through videos depending on the people I end up interviewing. For example, if I find an aspiring singer, I could film a performance or if I find an aspiring artist, I could do a slideshow (including audio) of their work.

1) For my first story idea, I would like to do research and write about New Yorkers, who have been affected by cerebral palsy. I would like to write about the challenges and difficulties people with this condition face. I want to interview parents and caregivers and their process of coping and taking care of people with CP. Additionally, I would like to interview someone from United Cerebral Palsy, which is located just next to Baruch College. For the multimedia aspect, I can take pictures of the center and how they are educating and helping patients and caregivers alike with improved technology and medical advancements.

2) For my second story idea, I would like to write about cricket in New York. The game itself is very popular in many parts of the world especially in the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, Australia, South Africa and England. I would like to research and write about the cricket league that takes place every year at Flushing, Queens. I want to interview the players and find about their background and why they play cricket instead of pursuing sports that are more popular in the States. I can also report on the New York Police Department sponsored cricket league, which is aimed at reaching out to immigrant youths from Asia and the Caribbean. For the multimedia aspect, I can take pictures and videos of the games.

So after thinking about this all week, and talking to friends, I came up with two ideas.

1.)  The holiday season is coming up, and for most people this is the time to spend with their families. What about the people that have nothing to look forward to during the holidays? Homelessness and poverty is a big issue in New York City. I’m interested in seeing how these people are strong enough to live their lives without having much. Also to learn about them as individuals and how did they end up this way.

As far as multimedia, I would like to get their permission to take pictures and film them. Possibly work with a few homeless shelters, volunteer at food drives. If it comes down to it, talk to random people on the street that I walk by everyday.

2.)  My second idea is food. I’m not too sure how this wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. I would venture around the city to try to find some of the best small, family owned restaurants. No big chains. Talking to the owner, cooks, visitors and try the food myself (of course!). If I have to choose a particular type of food that’s fine. Figure out what it takes to have a successful restaurant in New York during a time where many businesses fail to make a profit.

I would definitely try to film inside the kitchen and interview the owner. Take pictures of the location and the food. Talk to the people who eat there.  If the food is good usually people are willing to talk about it.

1. Occupy Wall Street

I know Sabrina mentioned doing something on this, and I don’t know how you feel about overlapping ideas, but the angle I wanted to take was how the protesters have set up a mini self-sustaining community. Although I haven’t been there myself, I’ve heard that there are stations set up for food distribution, medical services, wifi etc and that these tasks are carried out with surprising efficiency by volunteers there. I thought that might be interesting, seeing that coverage has been focused mostly on the protest itself and the run-ins with police.

It seems pretty obvious that this is a different kind of protest than we have seen in the past, and looking at the details might give some insight into why that is so.

I would follow a few people for several hours to see how these stations are managed and talk to them about how it all works and why they are doing it. I also want to find someone who has been there from the beginning (although I’m not sure if that’s a different story altogether)

2. Churches in New York that allow Gay Marriage

The more I think about this one, the more I like it. I want to find and profile a church or two that performs gay marriage ceremonies (I already found a list of churches in NY.)  I know many Christians believe that gay marriage is sort of incompatible with Christianity, so I find it interesting that there are quite a few churches that take the opposite view.

My video would include an interview with the priest/pastor of that church, as well as a couple who will get marriage and hopefully some of their wedding ceremony, which might be a little too ambitious, but I’m willing to try.

I racked my brain for interesting ideas and read the paper for inspiration until I finally thought about stuff I like: music, movies, politics, books, and etc. These are what followed:

1) My first idea is to do a story with multimedia on the Quidditch World Cup, which will happen on November 12-13. It’s inspired by the Harry Potter books and movies and is kind of a big deal, especially since this year saw the finale of the films and sort of closed the book on the rest of the phenomena, but only sort of. Fans of the franchise are keeping it alive through this world cup tournament of a sport they’ve adopted from fantasy into reality by mixing a variety of sports and calling it quidditch. I’m kind of a big fan of the books myself and a friend sent me the info to try out for a team this summer (they have go away games at Yale and other schools and everything). I realized that it’s too hard core for me but it could be featured in a very cool project.

I think I could do a video of a game and interviews with the athletes/teams in advance to the finals. I think a photo slideshow could also be doable of how Harry Potter is adapted in reality through other means. I’m not yet sure what else I could do but I feel like this would be fun to cover and hopefully be doable enough to produce a good project.

2) My second idea is to cover the Wall Street protests at Zuccotti Park. I’m kind of fascinated by the turn of events leading to it and think it would be cool to document where this heads. I think I could get in touch with some of the protesters, possible even those who claim to have been wrongfully attacked by the police.

I think a video interviewing the protesters and Wall Street officials might be ok, but I need to think of more potential footage to make it more interesting. I’m considering an interactive timeline tracing the course of the events from the recession onward, or an audio slideshow showing pictures from the day the markets tanked in ’08 and the decline in progress seen through the activities at local businesses in the city—from the diamond district to the restaurants in China Town. It’s an idea in progress but I’m interested in the topic so I’m open to suggestions.

Shawn Headly, founder and executive director, of A Stairway to Hope, a non profit organization, hosted a back to school fair for middle and high school Bronx students. The fair was held at Richard Green Middle school, in the Bronx. Students received free haircuts/hairstyles as well as school supplies.

From September 19-23 Divatex Home Fashion “fashion week” was in full swing,displaying its new designs for home decor. Such sleek news styles for the upcoming season, they are visited by customers new and old for future relationships.