Author: Mariam Kaawar

 

For my video assignment, I would like to interview the owner of a local pet store in Astoria that opened in the last year or so. They host events and parties for animals and I think it would be great to capture on video. I also wonder how they compete with larger chain pet store brands. I think I would also get an interview from a regular customer on why they go there opposed to somewhere else.

 

HOST INTRO:  The pandemic closed many businesses forever and hundreds of the city’s iconic bodegas and delis were not immune. But for some people, this presented an opportunity. Mariam Kaawar spoke to one immigrant who was able to find success through hard work after an incredibly challenging year.

AMBI: DOOR OPENS AND BELL RINGS.

TRACK: I’m here in the N&R Deli, which has stood on the corner of 25th avenue and 78th street in Jackson Heights, Queens for 60 years. Nick and Rosalie DiGiovanni opened the deli in 1960, and last year Genaro Geraldo Chino, better known as Gino by the community, took over the business after making sandwiches behind the counter for nearly 20 years.

ACT: GINO: I coming this deli, Rose’s deli, Anthony’s deli, her son. I work with them 17 years. I start work here 5 days a week, 9 to 5. I started like clean, put the soda in the fridge and uh mop the floor every night. Learning very hard for me because I never did sandwich before starting here.

TRACK: The coronavirus pandemic led the deli to close for 3 months, and Gino stepped up when he heard they would not be reopening.

ACT: GINO: Before, when the start of the pandemic, we closed 3 months. And I asked Anthony “When you open again?”, and he told me “I don’t open no more because my mother, she’s old, and I can’t do it myself.” I think one day why I don’t take the store because I work, I have many years with them why they don’t rent me the space.

TRACK: Gino moved here from Mexico when he was 33 years old with his older brother.

ACT: GINO: I coming from Mexico um in 1996. I came with my brother, he was here before. When he went to Mexico I asked him “can you take me with you?” and he said yes.

TRACK: Gino and his brother, Miguel, took over the deli together. Although Gino is in charge, he does not feel like the boss.

ACT: GINO: I don’t feel boss, I feel like another worker. I do maybe a little extra. But I like it. I work uh 12 hours a day 6 days a week.

 TRACK: While the pandemic was difficult, business has improved.

ACT: GINO: Now is a little more better. Yeah, maybe 75% little better.   Yeah, because I have a lot of things. I have sodas, beers, I have any juice, milk whatever people want I have. We make everything clean, everything fresh.

TRACK: The deli has been an integral part of the community for 60 years. Residents were excited when Gino saved the business. Theresa Anderson, a Jackson Heights resident who has been going to the deli for nearly 15 years, was excited to hear that Gino took over.

ACT: THERESA ANDERSON: I brought all my kids to the deli before school and Gino was always there. He works hard and he deserves it. We all love him.

TRACK: Gino loves the community and his customers as much as they love him.

ACT: GINO: Yeah I like it, I love the job. I feel happy when I take customers, make sandwich for them.  I talk with them, all the people. I love talk with everybody.

TRACK: Gino does not plan to retire for a while, but when he does, he hopes to go back to Mexico.

ACT: GINO: Yeah, I plan to retire, but not now. Eh maybe in 10 years. I feel, I don’t feel old I feel young. I don’t know maybe I go my country, relax. Yeah, because I have family in Mexico.

TRACK: N&R Deli has been a family business that defined the community for decades. Gino has been a huge part of what the deli has been and what it will become. Although he isn’t going anywhere soon, Gino hopes to keep the Deli within his family. For Baruch College, I’m Mariam Kaawar.

AMBI: DOOR OPENS AND BELL RINGS.

TRACK: For over 60 years, N&R Deli has stood on the corner of 25^th avenue and 78^th street in Jackson Heights. Nick and Rosalie DiGiovanni opened the deli in 1960, and two years ago Genaro Geraldo Chino, better known as Gino by the community, took over the business after making sandwiches behind the counter for almost 20 years.

ACT: GINO: I came to this deli, Rose’s deli, Anthony’s deli, her son. I work with them 17 years. I start work here 5 days a week 9 to 5. I started like clean, put the soda in the fridge, mop the floor every night. Learning very hard for me because I never did sandwich before starting here.

TRACK: The coronavirus pandemic led the deli to close for 3 months, and Gino stepped up when he heard they would not be reopening.

ACT: GINO: Before, when the start of the pandemic, we closed 3 months. And I asked Anthony “When you open again?”, and he told me “I don’t open no more because my mother, she’s old, and I can’t do it myself.” I think one day why I don’t take the store because I work, I have many years with them why they don’t rent me the space. I start the store open July 9.

TRACK: Gino moved here from Mexico when he was 33 years old with his older brother.

ACT: GINO: I coming from Mexico um in 1996. I came with my brother, he was here before. When he went to Mexico I asked him “can you take me with you?”, and he said yes.

TRACK: Gino and his brother, Miguel, took over the deli together.

ACT: GINO: My brother and me we took the store and his son, he helps me a lot he’s a very good guy.

TRACK: And although Gino is in charge, he does not feel like the boss.

ACT: GINO: I don’t feel boss, I feel like another worker. Yeah, I do maybe a little extra. But I like it. I work uh 12 hours a day 6 days a week.

 TRACK: Although the pandemic was difficult, business has improved.

ACT: GINO: It’s a little more better. Maybe 75% little better. Yeah, because I have a lot of things. I have sodas, beers, I have any juice milk whatever people want I have. We make everything clean, everything fresh.

 TRACK: Residents of the community were also excited when Gino took over the business. Theresa Anderson, a Jackson Heights resident who has been going to the deli for nearly 15 years, was excited to hear that Gino took over.

ACT: THERESA ANDERSON: I brought all my kids to the deli before school and Gino was always there. He works hard and he deserves it. We all love him.

TRACK: Gino loves the community and his customers as much as they love him.

ACT: GINO: Yeah I like it, I love the job. I feel happy when I take customers, make sandwich for them. I talk with them, all the people. I talk with everybody young kids, old men. I love talking to everybody.

TRACK: Gino does not plan to retire for a while, but when he does, he hopes to go back to Mexico.

ACT: GINO: I plan to retire, but not now. Eh maybe in 10 years. I feel, I don’t feel old I feel young. I don’t know maybe I go my country, relax. Yeah, because I have family in Mexico.

TRACK: N&R Deli has been a family business that defined the community for decades. Gino has been a huge part of what the deli has been and what it will become. Although he isn’t going anywhere soon, Gino hopes to keep the Deli within his family. For Baruch College, I’m Mariam Kaawar

I attended the “Fighting Misinformation and Protecting Image Creators and Consumers Through Attribution and Provenance” Photoville webinar. The online event took place on October 14th and featured Santiago Lyon as the speaker.

We had discussed ethics a bit in class and how certain photo edits may be considered unethical. This was the subject of the webinar, and Lyon spoke about a program that can be used to detect and create a history of what edits were made to a particular photo. This allows people to trust the photo and the content knowing that it was not edited in a way that could spread misinformation. Other things like the location of the image and the original photographer’s name could be attached to the photo so that viewers would know who took it and where.

Lyon also showcased some of his works and told stories about his life as a journalist. He showed images he took in Lisbon, El Salvador, and Afghanistan. I found it interesting that he was served as the Chair of the Jury for the World Press Photo Contest in 2013. We discussed the controversy around the winning photo of that year in class.

I knew that photo editing was a part of photography, but I never realized how photo editing could ethically compromise an image. When I thought of photo editing, I always just thought of changing the lighting slightly and making the image look its best. I never knew that some professionally taken photos may have been edited to portray a different story or “impossible conditions.” I think about the phrase “I’ll believe it when I see it”, and how sometimes you cannot believe what you see in images sometimes.

I hope that the Content Authenticity Initiative is successful in fighting misinformation because photography is an integral part of how people receive information today.

TRACK: I’m here with Rachel Dalloo, a Baruch college student who is double-majoring in political science and journalism, as well as double-minoring in communication studies and English. She has big aspirations for her future, which involve the city of Washington DC.

ACT: RACHEL: It’s my dream job to be a Congressional or White House correspondent one day.

TRACK: Rachel has her eye on Washington DC because it is the perfect place to chase after her dream job.

ACT: RACHEL: They say like, people who live in DC have a mission to be there. Like they’re there for a specific reason, and there’s like a lot of journalists there. I feel like I could be sitting next to someone, and I don’t even know if they are a journalist or not.

TRACK: She says she has already been able to gain experience in Washington DC.

ACT: RACHEL: I remember I went there to do a reporting assignment and the people there were so open to talking to you. And I was going there with the expectation of hearing the word no. But when I went there a lot of people were responsive and open to wanting to hear from you.

TRACK: Still, hearing no is something she has had to get used to.

ACT: RACHEL: There were a few no’s but it helped me to take the word no and take rejection because as a journalist that is your job.

TRACK: Rachel knows what she wants and where to get it. She has put in the work and hopes to live in the nation’s capital as a White House correspondent in the future. But first, she has to master New York City. For Baruch College, I’m Mariam Kaawar.

For my radio project, I plan to interview a local deli owner who took over the business right before the pandemic struck. I would capture the sounds that exist in the deli such as the bell dinging when the door opening.

https://medium.com/@mariamkaawar/global-citizen-live-returns-to-nyc-6cd7a91d4512?source=friends_link&sk=5ab6385533537b99479276f048110a60