Multimedia Reporting Fall 2019

This is Zeeshan Ali, the co-owner of Pangea Caterers. He’s been in the food industry for most of his life but only recently purchased his first food business with his brother, Shadman Saeed. He grew up working in his father’s restaurant, Kabab King, which his father opened after immigrating here from Pakistan in 1993 and realizing that there was a huge Desi (Indian/Pakistani) community in New York that wanted halal food but had nowhere to buy it. Although Zeeshan worked in the industry for years, he was never set on making it a career until he got the chance to purchase Pangea Caterers. Zee is committed to doing everything possible to make sure that his business is a success and that he can use his expertise to improve previous standards and redefine halal food service.

Zeeshan began working at his father’s restaurant when he was 13 years old, He worked for his father until he was 20 years old and then decided to branch out on his own and pursue other interests. He tried going down a few different paths, but nothing seemed to be a good fit and it was important to him that he enjoyed the work that he was doing. Then one day he received an offer to take over a family friend’s catering business, Pangea Caterers. The owner had decided to leave the restaurant industry and approached Zeeshan and his brother because he believed that they had the skills to take the business to the next level. Zeeshan says that it wasn’t a hard decision because this gave him the opportunity to work at something that he already had experience in and that he had a passion for. He and his brother purchased the business and have been running it for the past two years.

Zee and his Brother Shadman believes that this generation of consumers is interested in trying something new, specifically in the halal community, and he wants to be the solution for them. He wants to change the perception of halal food, creating a need for a cuisine that he doesn’t believe exists yet, high-end halal dining. And he’s focused on making it a reality. “In order for me to understand this industry, I need to have those skills. If I can’t do it, how am I going to explain it to anybody else?” As is it, he says he only sleeps about 3 or 4 hours a night, but he enjoys having a lot on his plate and thinks that free time is a waste.

Zee says that since taking over Pangea Caterers his mind has shifted on how he should be doing business and he’s taking the necessary steps to create a new concept in halal food service focused on bringing cuisine that many young Muslims have not been able to try due to dietary restrictions and making it halal so that they can try it. He knows that it will be tough, since older generations of halal restaurant owners focus on providing the food that they know, but he’s up to the challenge. Zee has come a long way and he still has plenty of room to grow!

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__soundcloud.com_user-2D722554479-2D648149018_radio-2Dproject-2Domar-2Drahimi&d=DwMFAw&c=dTXc8cCP8suVpClwB1HRHQACHN4UFMgL7MtSjCbKyts&r=amoDUnAzRTATJkC_RRupc1ro3u1mWfmKlcoRFNtMl7o&m=Loyx42kxxtLYjRPBOepyYyPtNsNgJup7Zn2EcnzqN14&s=zNwXcvcL7zj1Q1VGHXuoOWXBfezoJhMufBsWPPwYcEQ&e=

Omar: There are many of us who would like to make more money or supplemental income and there are many legitimate ways of doing so but then there are those who take advantage of the fact and try to exploit naive individuals on social media to giving them their hard earned money to trade or quote unquote buy signals from them that in reality don’t make them any money Omar Rahimi went down to a few professionals in the world of finance to get their opinions on this

Jeremy: My name is Jeremy Vargas and I work for one of 4 market making firms on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange I work for GTS, there is Citadel Point 2, and Vertu. My job as a market maker is constantly maintaining 2 sided market. We use a lot of technology and we have worked with algorithms and we also provide that human touch because of my career i got a lot of questions about you know trading in general and you know people always want to know like what stock to pick and things like that and we have seen a big presence of a lot of people that claim they know the markets and they know how to how to trade and they want to sell signals and subscriptions to people and so my answer them usually just stay away from it because being on the floor i really learned that there’s no there’s no actual secret to trading on there’s no actual answer is no real group that’s going to tell you what to do when to buy want to sell and So what these people are doing is they’re pretty much taking peoples money and they’re not really buying or selling or the training on demo accounts and there are showing one side the place to buy or sell side and they’ll show you which ever ones in the profit and so it’s really messed up situation ’cause you got people that are really trying to actually be successful in trying to make a secondary income and instead of making more money than actually giving away a little that they have

Omar: here we have the opportunity to get a first hand account of someone who fell victim to one of them apps

Omer: so an old friend contacted me one day and he invited me to what I thought was a networking event you know really friendly kind of threw me off a bit but I agree to go anyway ’cause you know he’s my old friend and so he took me to his office there’s a little office space with like 10 other people and he played a presentation on a small little TV about their forex training course and it was presented kinda well I wasn’t really informed I didn’t know much about the market anyway they had a speaker over there who claimed to be a traitor against us I don’t know much about it and I was kind of sold because you know I was given like an opportunity to see like money yeah so after finding out that it was a scam I contacted my friend that put me on to the whole thing and he told me that the whole company was going out of business and I couldn’t get a refund because the company is going out of business and I couldn’t get a refund

Omar: We have an opportunity to speak to another professional in the industry name Syed Farooq, he runs his own investment management firm

Syed: So I run a hedge fund which is basically an investment firm where I invest other peoples money in our funds proprietary money using multiple strategies in the stock market and form global asset classes and it all really all started a few years ago when I purchased started trading some family members and friends and relatives money in the stock market and decided to go ahead and make it formal. These MLM companies are causing a lot of harm because they’re pushing the younger crowd to false dream with a lot of false advertising they claim that they can provide really high returns in the stock market or the currency market with their signals which are have unheard of accuracies if they sell these courses and they sell these signals at absurd prices which is really bad because the younger crowd they don’t have a lot of supposedly income and I know someone personally a cousin of mine was almost tricked into spending $1000 for something that is a complete complete scam. It also  harmed me when I was coming up because of my age people thought that I was somehow associated with these scams because a lot of people doing these are early late teens early 20s and that made it a little more difficult to prove myself.

Omar: These MLM companies can cause harm in more ways than one from targeting young people looking to make some money to people within the industry trying to make a name for themselves so I urge you all to be vigilant when being solicited for money especially on social media from Baruch college this is Omar rahimi

 

Open mic is a traditional live show at a coffeehouse, comedy club, strip club or pub in which audience members who are amateur performers or professionals who want to try out new material or plug an upcoming show are given the opportunity to perform onstage. Typically, the performer is provided a microphone which is plugged into a PA system, to make an individual’s performance loud enough for the audience to hear. These shows provide an opportunity for emerging artists to gain experience performing to a live audience without experience or a demo recording.

It’s a rainy Tuesday evening and I’m here at An Beal Bocht Cafe, a popular Irish pub in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, which holds the Boroughs longest-running open mic. As I walk into the pub I the huge whiff of beer and whiskey fills my nose, and lively bluegrass music fills the air. The crowd’s reaction is decidedly mixed. Some audience members are indifferent. Some are talking and laughing amongst their friends. A few are paying attention and nodding along. As I go to grab my seat I notice the next performer is coming on. I quickly grab my microphone to capture some of his performance. He is a local Manhattan college student who spends his free time practicing beatboxing.

After the show ends, I join Eric Sullivan, the show’s host for the past five years for a conversation in the pub’s back room. He explains to me why the open mic is the longest one in the borough.

“This Bar is special, things I can take credit for is that it’s inviting, its unique. The bartenders are special people who can deal with this. They don’t pour you shit pours, they buy you back and people want to come here. It’s not particularly easy to get to, it’s not easy to park, but it’s really the vibes.”

The open mic and bar itself host a large and colorful cast of regulars from all walks of life who often get into crazy shenanigans. The comedic antics and different personalities that make up An Beal Bocht isn’t lost upon Eric, who’s often thought of writing a screenplay for a TV show based upon open mic night.

“I just think that O-mic’s are a perfect sitcom waiting to happen, or like a cartoon would be good, an animated sitcom would be funny.  Where it’s just like recurring, ridiculous characters because I’ve seen it and I’ve talked often about writing it and how to see the humor in it. And the humanity in it of course.”

At one point in the evening, an amateur stand-up comic takes the stage and attempts to perform a set. The audience is not paying attention and talking and laughing amongst themselves, which angers the amateur comic. He then proceeds to go on a bitter tirade aimed at the audience mixed with revealing tidbits about his personal struggles with mental health. The air in the bar becomes increasingly uncomfortable as this progresses. It seems that while the open mic is a haven for artists to come and use their voice to express themselves, it does come at a cost.

“It’s like what happened tonight, this comedian, the townspeople are ready to burn him at the stake. They’re ready to ex-communicate him. And what’s interesting is I get to go up there and be like no, the whole point is to accept people. And that sucks”

Though performances may sometimes get rough, An Beal Bocht’s open mic offers artists the freedom of expression and vulnerability which allows them to truly connect with one another.

“People really talk to each other, sometimes too much, it’s annoying. But there’s like never any problems here either. It’s just a good place to be. That’s why people get attached to it when they come to open mic. They’re like this is like a living room and they want to be here cause it makes people make me feel good. Instead of being around seedy weirdos who are yelling at the game. Or any number of elements that can happen in a bar in this location. I mean this location is crap, but it’s like, you come in here and you’ll feel good, and you’ll make a lot of friends and that’s in no small part due to the staff. The staff is fucking cool people.”

For An Beal Bocht, the colorful, eccentric crew of characters and staff and its no-frills approach is what makes its open mic night such a special event. That and a hefty pour

 

Mott Haven, New York – In the small community of Mott Haven, located in the Southwest Bronx, often thought to be one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the Bronx lies an anomaly: A Dog-day care center that might not be out of place in Williamsburg, but seems crazy to exist in a place like the South Bronx which was once synonymous with arson, violent crime, and decay. It is emblematic of the sweeping changes happening in the Bronx. With beer gardens,  hip-hop themed restaurants, the borough’s first and only independent book store it can be said that the Bronx is experiencing its own urban renaissance.

Borne out of a summer night in 2015, over a couple of beers, owners Renzo and Steven envisioned expanding their local dog walking/boarding service into an actual Brick-and-Mortar establishment. Renzo, originally from Peru, had an enduring passion for dogs; his best friend growing up was a rescue animal. Originally starting a dog walking service in Queens, after deciding college wasn’t for him, they moved back to Steven’s native hometown of the Bronx in 2016 where they quickly realized there weren’t any options for them to have their dogs taken care of. It was then they realized that they could make their dreams a reality. Since then they have built Bronx Barx to be the very first full-service dog business in the Bronx.

Bronx Barx is illustrative of the sweeping changes happening in the Bronx, where young creative entrepreneurs are investing in small businesses, helping to create opportunities for people in the communities, providing access to different resources and helping to make the Bronx more inclusive. In June 2019, Renzo and Steven held the Bronx LGBT Expo in Bronx Barx which consisted of black and white photographs and first-person narratives of people of the LGBT community from the Bronx who have struggled with mental health issues.

But Renzo is worried that with the new attention that the South Bronx has attracted, big businesses and real estate developers may start pouring in and induce more gentrification, making it hard for small businesses to survive.

“I get worried sometimes, we don’t want to see another gentrification happen, that we’ve seen in Brooklyn. We need to value those small businesses. There are people in the Bronx with great ideas, we see in the South Bronx so many restaurants, so many places to go. From a coffee shop in Hunts Point to the first Bookstore here in the Bronx. It’s exciting. This is why it’s so important to support the people who are trying to make it out here.”

With new businesses popping up and investments being made into the community, the South Bronx is definitely being revitalized. But will the residents who already live there be able to benefit from the economic upturn? Only time will tell.

 

Chef Zee saw an opportunity in the culinary world to open up a catering business called Pangea Caterers, that specifically caters to younger Muslim Millenials. For the most part Halal food is pretty traditional and there is a whole host of cuisine that many young Muslims would love to try but cannot due to dietary restrictions. Zee and his brother Shadman Ali have been trying to change this. Ever since they opened up their business they have been attracting a younger Muslim clientele. They have even catered for some clubs at Baruch! Zee was inspired by his fathers hard work in the restaurant business to get into it himself. His father immigrated here from Pakistan with nothing to his name and now he owns a very popular Pakistani restaurant in Jackson Heights queens.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK— On Thursday, November 21st, The Brooklyn College Women’s Center hosted a Becoming a Professional Muslim Woman event as part of the Muslim Women’s Leadership Development project with the goal of serving, empowering and guiding Muslim women to become leaders and professionals in their fields of interest.

The goal of the event was to bring in successful Muslim women from various career fields to discuss their journey; not just highlighting their achievements, but also their challenges and how they were able to overcome them.

Rana Abdelhamid, the keynote speaker of the event is a longtime human rights activist. She is the founder of a non-profit named Malikah, which encourages women to come together to engage in reflection, learning, and building habits of self-love. Abdelhamid is also the Leader of Google’s Women in Technology initiative, as well as a Deputy Secretary at Amnesty International, working towards improving human rights issues globally. 

A recurring piece of advice that Abdelhamid consistently emphasized was to seek a “tribe of women” who understand what you are going through and who are able to support and motivate you.

Abdelhamid recited a poem that depicted one of the challenges faced by Muslims in the workforce. She says “You will walk into an interview and instead of critical questions about your resume or your time at Harvard they will ask… How is your English so good?” 

After being a victim of a hate-based attack at the age of fifteen, Rana Abdelhamid, a black belt in Shotokan karate decided it was time for a change. Malikah became a place where women of all backgrounds are able to come and talk about their challenges. Malikah also trains women in “Self defense, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, organizing, and healing.”

Muslim women in America have been both underrepresented and misrepresented in the media. For many U.S. Muslims, the American dream may seem out of reach, as they continuously live with the fear and suspicion that their religion, race or ethnic background seems to generate. Maryam Ahmad, the project coordinator of the Muslim Women’s Leadership Development Project hopes that the Muslim women that attended the event gained some confidence, knowing that “They are not going to be the only Muslim woman in their field, so it’s not as scary.”

Numerous Muslim women from all backgrounds also shared some insight into what it is like to be a Muslim woman in their respective fields. Safina Babar, a first-generation Pakistani-American is a Talent Acquisition Coordinator at NBCUniversal provided the young Muslim women with advice on resume formatting and networking. 

The students who attended the event were exposed to different career fields and opportunities. two high school seniors, Rewan Marwan and Sumaiya Ayad expand on what they learned from the mentor at their table, Maroua Righi, a coordinator for Outreach and Intergovernmental Affairs at the city agency. They say that regardless of any mistreatment that she faces, “She still speaks up and tells people that they should know their rights and not hiding or being afraid of the police.” 

https://youtu.be/8H7TXDO9WDs–

The annual Christmas lights in Dyker Heights are a major attraction and holiday activity in Brooklyn. Over the last twenty years the lights have become so famous that tour companies in Manhattan are now offering tours of the Dyker Heights area.

The average cost of a tour ranges between $25 to $79 and lasts for two to four hours. The lights go on the day after Thanksgiving and go out the day after New year for the last 20 years. The area is so large, and the lights are so extravagant that even a four-hour tour might be too short to take it all in.

However, tour companies are not the only ones capitalizing on the fame of the Dyker Heights Christmas lights. Several charity organizations have used Dyker Heights as a means of creating awareness and ramping up support for their cause. One such charity is Michael’s Cause, a charity that offers financial assistance to research centers helping to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disorder that causes weakness resulting in muscular degeneration. The disease is a terminal illness that leads to difficulty walking, breathing and eventually death. There is currently no cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. One hundred percent of the funds raised by Michael’s Cause go towards research in finding a cure for the disease. To date the charity has donated 1.4 million dollars to research. Michael’s Cause derived its name from Michael Capolongo a twelve years old boy from Staten Island that was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2010. Every year a Family friend and supporter of the cause, Frank Fugillano, lights his beautiful house in Dykers Heights to draw attention to the charity. Exquisitely decorated with over 80,000 lights, including drummers with moving parts and cinematic quality music, the house attracts a lot of attention from visitors.

However, Michaels Cause is not the only charity that uses this platform. The Community Mayors for Special Children is a charity created to provide support for children with special needs. The Charity was founded in 1875 and has been providing financial support for children with special needs since 1950. In 1956 the organization was re-incorporated under the name The Community Mayors. The charity provides the opportunity for children who are mentally and physically challenge to gain extra ordinary experiences. The most notable event is, “operation Santa,” which brings 4000 children to the John F. Kennedy International Airport every year to meet Santa Clause. Santa is brought in by Delta Airlines and is supported by a number of volunteers who help Santa to hand out thousands of gifts to the children. Every year Dr. Patricia Fashaedi decorates her house in Dyker Heights to draw attention to the charity. The house is professionally decorated. It takes professional decorators approximately four days to put up all the lights and costs thousands of dollars. 95% of all the donations received by the charity goes directly to paying for events. The organization’s primary focus is to create enhanced experience for children with special needs.

The world-famous Dyker heights Christmas lights attract both local and international visitors and helps to significantly increase the patronage for many charities by giving them an opportunity to reach a greater number of people from all over the world.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, international students contributed $44.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018.
According to Institute of International Education (IIE) make up 5.5 percent of the total U.S. higher education population.

For, most of these student’s life in America is not as easy as for an American citizen, which makes sense. Their whole life is changed. Most of them struggle emotionally and financially. They don’t have family, relative or friends they grew up with. So, in starting, life is much harder for these students. But as said in the video “you get used to this life-style with time”.

Fee for one semester for an international student is almost double because it is considered “out of state tuition”. And the money they get from back home is not enough because of the currency difference. First of all, it is very hard for them to get Social Security, even when they get, they can only work for 20 hours legally. So, many of them work off the books to meet their needs.

“The culture shock is one of the biggest thing you have to deal with, when you first come to America” said Moaz.
As someone who also grew up in Pakistan, I can relate to this. And Specially, students who come from South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, or any other Muslim countries. They are not used to American culture, but with time, they adapt to this culture.

But hardships apart, all the international students I have met or know, they all are very ambitious and see a bright future in America and still consider it as a land of opportunities which will pay them in the end for their hard work.