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As the Crumbs Empire Crumbles

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Crumbs cupcakes will become artifacts

Yes, Crumbs really closed all 19 locations in New York City. But while some cupcake lovers mourn the fall of the empire, others search for cupcake stores to fill the vacuum.

Some attribute the massive size of Crumbs’ cupcakes to their failure. Hilary Stout of the New York Times writes, “There was little dainty about Crumbs. Its signature product was a softball-size cupcake with a calorie count that sometimes topped 1,000.” For many, the cupcakes were too big to eat in one sitting, contradicting what many believe a cupcake should be: a small indulgence.

This would explain the success of Baked by Melissa, a store dedicated to selling bite-sized cupcakes which has many locations throughout Manhattan. Although its bestselling cupcake is the classic red velvet, it sells a variety of interesting flavors including chocolate chip pancake and peanut butter and jelly. And the benefit of the cupcakes’ small size is people can try many different flavors.

However, the cupcakes can be considered expensive for their size. Each cupcake is $1 and it is about the width of a quarter. In my opinion, the cupcakes are overrated. Their size seems to be their only claim to fame, as their flavor is just mediocre. I consider them too small to really taste the complexity of the flavor; they just taste sweet.

Less well known is Sugar Sweet Sunshine, a small cupcake shop located on the Lower East Side. According to the store’s owners, Peg Williams and Deb Weiner, the store was created to “make people happy every time they walk through the doors.” And they do. Sugar Sweet Sunshine scored four out of five stars from over 1,000 reviews on Yelp. One reviewer wrote “ooooo, it tastes like MAGIC! This was, by far, one of the best cupcakes I’d had in NYC…made me wonder even more why anyone likes Crumbs.”

I agree. The cake is moist and the texture is just right. The icing and cake are not overly sweet and very flavorful.

Its Ooey Gooey cupcake, chocolate cake with chocolate almond buttercream, has just the right amount of almond flavor and its Holla Back Girl, banana cake with cream cheese icing, has visible banana chunks with a real fresh banana taste. I would highly recommend all of its cupcakes as it has many simple but delicious flavors. It also has amazing puddings and pies!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine is not overdone or overrated like Crumbs and Baked by Melissa. Instead, it is humble, intimate, and warm. Although the space is small, it is cleverly designed with thrift store finds, hand-me-down furniture, polaroid pictures, and holiday cards. It looks like a grandmother’s living room! And, as soon as you walk in, you can smell the aroma of fresh baked goods.

Butter Lane is another cupcake store which is often overlooked. Butter Lane is small like Sugar Sweet Sunshine so you could almost walk by without noticing it if it wasn’t for the smell. Much of Butter Lane’s space is used by its cooking class, which is often in session, so you can smell the delightful store from a block away.

Butter Lane is unique because you can mix and match your cake and frosting. Although cake flavors are limited to chocolate, vanilla, and banana, there are about ten different frosting flavors, not including seasonal flavors. My favorites are the chocolate salted caramel frosting on any cake, which is the perfect mixture of salty and sweet, and the cream cheese frosting on the banana cake. You can taste the time and care it puts into its cupcakes.

I would highly recommend both Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Butter Lane. I believe they are superior to Crumbs, although I doubt Butter Lane and Sugar Sweet Sunshine’s owners have the desire to create empires. But that is fine with me. When cupcake stores become chains they seem to lose their charm.

Redress the Dress Code

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Public school dress codes seem to exclusively target girls.
Public school dress codes seem to exclusively target girls.

 

Already  in the middle of summer, New Yorkers find the weather outside increasingly hotter and hotter. The dramatic change from an intense frozen winter to a sweltering summer calls for a new wardrobe of shorts, tank tops and flip-flops.

With the transition in clothes, public school students (mostly girls) find themselves called out for disobeying dress codes. School officials enforce dress codes now more than ever, in an attempt to cover up as much of the female body as possible. This includes shoulders, midriffs and legs, body parts you would expect to see in the blistering heat.

Most public school dress codes include the fingertip rule: a girl’s shorts pass her fingertips when her arms are down at her sides. Another common rule is the ban of spaghetti-strap tank tops; all straps must be wider than two fingers. Some public schools have gone as far as completely banning leggings, yoga pants and flip-flops.

Almost all dress codes are targeted towards girls; exposed legs, shoulders and midriffs are all unacceptable. The same cannot be said for restrictions for the boys, for “offensive” clothing on boys is considered baggy pants or shirts referencing drug use. They are not forced to go home and change or wear oversized school uniforms over their clothes. They are simply asked to pull up their pants or turn their shirts inside out. School officials don’t seem to care about what boys wear, but how they see their female peers.

On May 21st, Lindsay Stocker was accused of wearing too short shorts by authorities at her high school in Montreal. Two vice principals walked into her sophomore classroom and asked students to perform the “fingertip test.” Lindsay’s shorts did not pass her fingertips and she was asked to change.

“In front of all my peers and teachers they said I had to change,” said Lindsay, according to the Huffington Post. “They continued to tell me that I would be suspended if I didn’t start following the rules…they told me that it doesn’t matter – I don’t have to understand the rules, I just have to comply by them.”

As a response, Lindsay put up flyers around her school saying, “Don’t humiliate her because she is wearing shorts. It’s hot outside. Instead of shaming girls for their bodies, teach boys that girls are not sexual objects.” There have been similar acts of protests in other schools, of people putting up posters with the same message. One poster read: “Instead of publicly shaming girls for wearing shorts in warm weather, teach male students and teachers not to over sexualize normal female body parts.”

“Slutty Wednesday” was an act of defiance by the students of Stuyvesant High School. The school’s dress code included a ban on exposed shoulders, lower backs, midriffs and undergarments. According to the New York Times, students “…peeled off sweatshirts, revealing tank tops and spaghetti-strap blouses.” Students also passed out flyers with slogans like “Redress the Dress Code” and drew X’s through printed versions of the school’s clothing restrictions.

School officials continue to argue that girls who reveal bare shoulders, legs, midriffs or backs distract male students and teachers. The revealing of girls’ bodies apparently causes the boys to be unable to compose themselves in an appropriate manner. “We could, instead, try having some more faith in young men – they are, in fact, fully-formed humans with the capacity to exercise self control,” says the Guardian.

Public schools are now teaching girls that they must cover up their bodies in order for the comfort of their male peers. When a female student is sent home to change, she is essentially told that her education is not worth that of male students. She is taught to be ashamed of her body, and must cover up every inch of bare skin because she is on display. Instead of teaching girls that their physical appearance must adhere to the comfort of boys, we must teach boys not to over-sexualize female body parts.

With the new school year coming just around the corner, we can hope there are changes in schools targeting young girls for their bodies.

 

A Benevolent Gift

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Paying for college in our modern world is hard. Young people often have to rely on scholarships to get the money they need and those are becoming harder to come by. However, thanks to Amy Hagedorn, it just got a little easier.

Last month, she donated $1 million to Baruch’s School of Public Affairs. She had previously donated money for scholarships and internships. Because of this, The Wall Street Journal named her the “Donor of the Day” of July 1st. Manuel Romero, the Director of Public Relations at Baruch interviewed through email said, “This program was established by Ms. Hagedorn and it has been a passion of hers since it was established.”

In addition to the general financial aid of students, this money is going to fellowships, paid internships, and scholarships. She is concerned about the rising costs students these days must face and how they must juggle getting an education with family obligations. They deserve a “Break,” she said to Melanie Grayce West, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

She is a well-known philanthropist who has spent her life helping others and enjoys drinking milkshakes.

Hagedorn was born in Queens, New York. She graduated from Baruch College in 1958. She spent over two decades teaching pre-k. Currently, she runs the Hagedorn Foundation. While in retirement, she focuses on providing money for student internships. She and her husband, Horace Hagedorn were co-founders of the Company, until he died in January 2005. Horace Hagedorn was a businessman for Miracle-Gro Company and he is often credited for the company’s success because of his marketing prowess. The Scotts Company merged with Miracle Grow and the Hagedorns ended up multimillionaires. After Horace’s death, Amy continued his legacy of providing money to well needed causes, and becoming President of the Company.

The Foundation supports organizations that help immigrants become adjusted to life in America. It also supports projects that ameliorate public education and improve public initiative in community projects.

As an example of how Hagedorn has made a positive impact on people’s lives, in 2011 and 2012, Angelo Cabrera, a graduate of the School of Public Affairs and an immigrant, received support from the Hagedorn Graduate Scholarship. Using the money from the scholarship, he, working with Professor Robert C. Smith of the School of Public Affairs, competed in an international contest created by Iniciativa Mexico to cause meaningful change to the lives of Mexicans living in Mexico and out of the country. Out of the 57,000 ideas, his one, the Mexican Mentorship Project, received the top prize, 1.5 million pesos. His project increased Iniciativa Mexico’s ability to promote education among Mexicans. “Your generosity has transformed my life,” Cabrera told Hagedorn.

In addition to giving money to help students, Hagedorn is also a strong supporter of Erase Racism. This organization helps Long Islanders whom have suffered or are suffering from racial discrimination. Erase Racism is trying to equalize housing, education and health care for everyone.

Also, Erase Racism has many programs that are designed to help high school students and people of any age fight racial prejudice. The Student Leadership program, for instance, uses multiple workshops to teach students about racism, how it affected history and how it affects Long Islanders today.

Hagedorn’s efforts to improve the conditions of not only students but also people suffering from other problems serve as proof of her generosity. Romero describes her contribution as,“An outstanding gift for the School of Public Affairs (SPA), and the largest in its 15- year history. Her gift supports scholarships and paid internships for undergraduate SPA students, it also provides support for internship faculty and for the School of Public Affairs and for the College.”

Modernizing: A New Look for Baruch

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See the construction scaffolding above the Vertical Campus?

That’s one phase of a five-year plan implemented by Baruch College, which went into effect last year and will continue to be in effect until 2018. Dubbed the “Strategic Plan,” its mission is to create a brand new way of doing work at Baruch and strengthening the relationship between the faculty and the students. By putting this plan into effect, Baruch College hopes to provide a more collaborative, communicative and enjoyable experience for future undergraduate students.

The ambitious agenda consists of five main goals or phases.

One goal is to expand academic programs including emphasizing various communication fields such as journalism and graphic design.

“I think it’s a good idea because it raises awareness that Baruch is a great example of a high achieving college for intelligent high school students,” said Cheio Santana, a faculty member.

In addition to offering better programs, Baruch would like to strengthen the quality of the campus and its neighboring buildings.

campus_01_BARUCH
Photo Credit: Arch Paper
This is the proposed renovation of the Lawrence and Eris Building. It is part of the second phase of Baruch College’s 2013-2018 Strategic Plan.

Many buildings around the Gramercy community are very outdated and in need of proper wiring for technology.

The oldest building in the campus, the Lawrence and Eris Field Building, hasn’t been renovated since 1929. However, earlier this year, Baruch College announced that a $90 million makeover will take place soon. Antiquated elevators are replaced by modern ones and new glass walls will replace any of the cracked or damaged bricks. This won’t be completed until mid-2015 at the earliest.

“The main purpose of this renovation project is to open up and broaden horizons with a modern look,” said Eric Lugo, the community relations director at Baruch.

Baruch would also like to tackle any weather obstacles. After an especially snowy winter this past year, the president of Baruch, Mitchel Wallerstein, announced that a tent-like cover will be made above the entrance of the Vertical Campus to block the accumulating snow from the trees.

Besides strengthening the quality of the campus, Wallerstein hopes to build connections between the cultural diversity of the student body and the interactions with international students.

 “A global perspective will be the hallmark of the Baruch experience,” Wallerstein said in a statement before the plan was introduced.

Another goal in the agenda is to establish a friendlier, more transparent and comfortable place to study and work.

Basically, it means that Baruch will raise the college’s reputation through an array of messages and other sorts of communication such as phone calls, emails or even from notifications in its own Baruch mobile app.

Another phase in the Strategic Plan is to improve the foundation of the campus and strengthen it financially. Wallerstein explained how establishing a sustainable funding plan is the main priority and how oral communication skills are essential for this to work. As a result, a plan can be developed to generate funding and hopefully the plan will provide more revenue opportunities for others.

Photo: Michael Moran
Photo Credit: Michael Moran
A 25th Street Plaza and a student center is slated to open in the near future.

The other half of this phase is to “expand space and create place.” According to Wallerstein, one of the projects will “build a new student center and a 25th Street Plaza as an important focus for the Baruch community, while renovating new facilities to improve their appearance.”

However, the Strategic Plan will also have a big impact on the Gramercy community as well. Wallerstein said, “We will recommit to deepening our already strong relationships with the local communities that we have traditionally served in New York: businesses large and small, non-profit organizations, or cultural institutions.”

Baruch is dedicated and committed to work toward these goals every day. Each goal will almost certainly change the face of Baruch and hopefully will raise Baruch to a new level of achievement and success.

See you in 2018, Baruch.

Keeping the Bar Up

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BrooklynTech
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Legislators are considering changing the standards of the SHSAT exam, which is the only way to get into Brooklyn Tech, one of the eight elite schools in the city.

A group of legislators has been pushing Albany to increase diversity among the specialized high schools in New York City. On paper, it seems like a great idea for future applicants.

However, to achieve this, the legislators want to change how students are accepted to these prestigious and competitive schools.

“I don’t want them changing the test that gets to Stuy or Tech,” said Kevin Lin, a student that attends Brooklyn Tech.

In their proposal, legislators explained how instead of a single score in the Specialized High School Test (SHSAT) being the determining factor of whether students are accepted or not, there should be multiple factors taken into account. These factors include classroom grades, attendance, and scores from state exams.

This concept seems to make sense because it could broaden the ethnic and racial makeup of the elite schools.

After all, Asians compose about 54% of all students in the eight specialized high schools with whites second at around 30% of the student body. But in New York, Blacks and Hispanics are the two dominant races, combining for 70% of the students attending public schools in the five boroughs.

That’s a stark difference compared to the same races in the students attending these elite schools as blacks and Hispanics were offered seats at a measly 5% and 7%, respectively.

But, if the proposal does go into effect, the special in specialized high school will be nonexistent since anyone could be accepted.

“If people want to get into a specialized high school, they should work for it and the admission test demonstrates if you have the mentality to do so,” said Brandon Chang, a student that attends Stuyvesant.

Also, classroom grades can be biased sometimes because some teachers pick “favorites,” that is they prefer one student to the other. As a result, the “favorite” gets a better grade than the other person.

“The SHSAT is a standardized test that acts like a barrier between the students who have the brainpower to get in and the students who just have high grades from their teachers,” Kevin Lin continued.

Instead of weakening the standards, legislators should find other ways to broaden the racial distribution while maintaining the same high level of excellence.

According to Brooklyn Tech’s school newspaper, The Survey, the alumni suggests increasing expectations and toughening the middle school curriculum in order for middle school students to be able to transition well to high school. They also stressed tutoring as an opportunity for students to keep up and be on the same page.

When the city’s middle schools undergo a makeover and expectations are raised, the number of Blacks or Hispanics in some of the best middle schools should increase. As a result, there would be a better distribution among the races in the city.

According to a news source called ibTimes, many students including Blacks and Latinos weren’t even aware about these testing procedures.

Because of this, a good idea is that all eighth graders should be able to register online automatically in the admission process. Then, they should include an opt-out button for students who don’t want to attend these schools. That way, students are more informed on these competitive schools.

All in all, the SHSAT exam is the only fair way to get accepted because every accepted student has to earn his or her spot in one of the eight elite schools.

Girl Scout Council Relocates After 20 Years

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After over twenty years on the sixth floor of 43 West 23rd Street in Manhattan, the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York (GSCGNY) is moving to Wall Street due to an increase in rent.

GSCGNY is just one of hundreds of councils in the US. A Girl Scout council presides over a specific geographic region and is in charge of creating the bylaws by which the Girl Scout troops must abide by. In this case, GSCGNY presides over New York City, including roughly 28,000 girls and 9,000 volunteers who roam in and out of the office throughout the day for a multitude of reasons.

In an email sent on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, Barbara Murphy-Warrington, the CEO of GSCGNY, announced the relocation of the council’s headquarters. The move is to take place in early 2015 “when our current long-term lease expires,” Murphy-Warrington said.

The office space that GSCGNY currently occupies is not available for a lease renewal at the same price that is currently offered. The dramatic escalation of rent prices in the Flatiron District, where council is located, inhibits council from remaining on 23rd Street.

The council will move to the seventh floor of 40 Wall Street, a 17,500 square foot area in lower Manhattan. GSCGNY looked at over 50 locations and found 40 Wall Street to be the most economical choice that still provides a quality space for both the council employees and the scouts that come in and out of the office throughout the day.

“I wasn’t aware the council was planning to move until my leader told me, but I’m happy they are moving to a bigger and better place,” Girl Scout Rosie Lu said.

A Girl Scout for the past twelve years, Lu often travels to the council building after school for meetings and workshops. “I’m happy that they found a bigger office. They always seemed a little overcrowded during the workshops, when the girls and the council employees were confined together,” she explained.

While looking for a new office, GSCGNY had a list of requirements the building needed to meet in order to best accommodate the scouts, volunteers, and council employees who would occupy the building. These requirements included a 20 year lease in a building in a safe location, up to 19,000 square of space for employees to work and for girls and volunteers to meet, easy access to public transportation, and affordable amenities (restaurants, etc.) nearby.

Ellen Wong, a Girl Scout troop leader from Queens, appreciates the council’s concerns for the girls during the move. “It’s in a safe neighborhood for the girls to go to during the week and is accessible to anyone coming from the outer boroughs, and I really appreciate that,” she said.

A leader for girls aged 16 to 18, Wong’s scouts often meet after school, traveling to the the council office by themselves. This causes Wong to worry about the safety of the girls as they travel. “Knowing that they are traveling to a safe neighborhood with multiple routes to get there gives me peace of mind,” she said.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the move were told to contact Charmaine Chung, the Vice President and part of Membership & Volunteer Services, Human Resources and Council Operations, at [email protected] or Murphy-Warrington at [email protected].

Against All Odds, The Greenmarket is Going Strong

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imagesIn this day and age, when businesses are constantly on the edge trying to surpass their competition, one would think that the Greenmarket in Union Square Park would be a battlefield every day. However, the reality is quite different.

The atmosphere and the vegetables of the Greenmarket seem to be enough to draw people in and the location doesn’t hurt either. With more than ninety thousand residents living in the surrounding areas, and many commuters, the Greenmarket rarely has a slow day. Kids and senior citizens utilize the Union Square Park for various activities, giving the market even more potential customers.

Despite the fact that most vendors sell similar products, the competition level is very low.

As many stores close in surrounding areas due to rising rental fees, many have wondered how this affects the Greenmarket. Customers have concerns that the rising rental fees might force the farmers to increase their prices.

Each farmer has to pay a daily fee of $76 to open his or her stall. In addition to that, the Greenmarket, as a whole, has to pay about $100,000 in annual usage fees to occupy a third of the Union Square Park.

But paying those fees is a walk in the park for the farmers since it is estimated that the farmers, all together, bring in about twelve million dollars annually. That’s more than enough for them to pay the fees and bring in a hefty profit. But with competition growing, one can only wonder how long the Greenmarket can thrive.

Since the city is home to more than fifty-four markets and two hundred thirty participating farmers, people might assume that the competition runs high but the farmers beg to differ.

“There is not much competition here. We are like a big family almost. We’ve been here for so long that all of us have become good friends,” said a poultry seller, who was located directly in front of the new Pavilion restaurant. Many of the farmers agree with her.

The new pavilion restaurant, which was highly criticized by many people, brought concerns regarding the increase in competition but the farmers assure everyone that this was actually a good thing.

An email was sent to the Union Square Community Coalition to which an involved local resident, Gail Fox, responded saying, “The pavilion restaurant- it is a total plus and of course they purchase from the Greenmarket.”

Instead of competing with the new restaurant, the farmers use it to their advantage by selling their products to the chef. It seems to work out in everyone’s favor.

“The restaurant is good– we sell our products to them. Profit wise, we are doing good. Old customers have favorite vendors, so they go to them, and there are new customers every day. So there is not much competition here,” a salesperson for a fresh fruit market said.

The locally grown fruit draws customers from every direction, since the Greenmarket is one of the biggest markets in New York. Besides buying products, customers could participate in the various activities the market provides, which include cooking demonstrations.

Open four days a week, the Greenmarket provides fresh food to the hundreds of thousands of people, making it a bustling yet beautiful area for customers and tourists alike.

“The Chipotle of Middle Eastern Food”

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For many years, fans have been demanding a place to sit and eat their halal food. The Halal Guys have finally listened.

The Halal Guys on “53rd and 6th”, have become a popular name in New York City. There are five carts in the city. After twenty-three years they are beginning to expand throughout United States and worldwide. Just recently they opened their first restaurant on 14th street and 2nd avenue. The Halal Guys plan to open an additional restaurant on the Columbia University campus.

The restaurant excites many customers. Cab drivers and customers from different states can now eat there. They no longer have to wait on huge lines in the sweltering summer heat or blistering winter cold.  Now customers have access to air conditioning, space, and tables.

“The line is short and the guys are friendly. Now that they opened up a place, I don’t have to wait in the sun,” said a local costumer.

The restaurant will have the typical gyro and platters that are sold at the cart. It will add a juice and smoothie bar, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, Mediterranean salads, and yogurts. Also the falafels will now be made fresh, instead of being reheated  at the carts. The Halal Guys are trying to reach out to the vegetarian customers.

Location played a big role in deciding whether or not to expand. There is a lot going on in East Village. “Number 1 is that it’s right by the NYU Dorms,” the manager said.

There is a cart open right in front of the restaurant. The Halal Guys will have both the cart and restaurant open. The major difference will be is that the restaurant will have a huge variety of food.

Although this restaurant is beneficial to many costumers, some costumers are still not happy. The prices at the East Village outlet are somewhat higher than at the cart. They will offer two sizes, a regular for $6 and $7 for large. The restaurant will also add tax to the meal. The average platter at the Halal Guys cart is $6.

In 1990 Abdelbaset Elsayed, and Mohamed Abouelenein ran a hot dog cart. Both founders noticed there was a high demand for a full-filling halal meal for Muslim cab drivers. “Always looking for a halal meal,” according to the manager of Halal Guys. This inspired them to add more items on their menu at the time.

They get a wide range of customers. “You just look at the lines [at Halal Guys], and it’s people from all walks of life. That right there is a franchise. It’s absolutely the right time now,” according to the Daily News paper.

The Halal Guy’s next goal is to open a larger place at Amsterdam Avenue and 95th street, then they hope to expand all throughout the business world. Abouelenein and Elsayed are working with the Fransmart franchise company to open restaurants in L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Houston. In addition, they hope to expand in Canada, the Middle East, and Europe. Fransmart is the same franchise company that expanded Five Guys.

“It’s going to be the Chipotle of Middle Eastern food,” Dan Rowe, Fransmart’s chief executive, said according to New York Times.

The Halal Guys Brand has become strong. It attracts many tourists and have imitators of the brand. There is something special about their meat and white sauce that attracts many people.

“When you’re working at your pushcart, you keep working and you don’t follow what’s happening about your name. And then (I discovered) all this demand. The name ‘Halal Guys’ had spread all over the world — and I didn’t even know it,” Abouelenein says according to the daily newspaper.

Investigative Journalist Adapts to Modern Research

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Known as a man who asks a million questions by his colleagues, Michael

Grabell certainly worked hard to gain a reputation in the world of journalism.

He developed an interest in this field during his college years. He applied for

multiple internships and continuously called local newspapers until one eventually

allowed him to write obituaries on the weekends. While he gained some knowledge

from writing the eulogies, he continued to look for more work.

Things began to look good when he landed an internship in New Orleans. By

this time, he believes, he had made a lot of connections with the press. From there

he did some freelance work, until he began interning at a Dallas newspaper. The

internship slowly evolved into a full-time job, which he kept for five years, before he

moved onto an investigating job at the Dallas Morning News.

His resume had become so impressive by this point that ProPublica, an

independent non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism, hired

him as a reporter.

The reason behind his success, he believes, is that he asks many questions.

He thinks the best way to learn is to ask as many questions as you can.

At ProPublica, he has the liberty to pick which issues he covers. After he has

chosen a topic, he begins researching. He almost always starts with a round of

phone calls with experts, who have an array of knowledge on the topic, and then

looks at data.

Depending on the issue, he looks for resources such as lawsuits. Once he has

enough background knowledge, he begins interviewing people to gain further

insight. One question that he asks people during interviews is “walk me on a day of

your life.” He believes that is a good way to get information about a person.

However, he says, interviewing people is becoming problematic as people

begin to rely more on social media. How does he deal with this growing trend? He

mentioned that he heavily relies on social media websites to approach people and

manages to use it to his advantage. By embracing this trend, he is able to connect

and gain information on people quickly and effectively.

“I Think It is Fun to Watch Bad Movies”

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“I do take notes in the dark”, says Rafer Guzman.

Rafer Guzman is the film critic for Newsday, a daily newspaper that is primarily written for people living in Long Island. Guzman started out as a freelancer in San Francisco, but later in his career began writing music reviews, sometimes for free. He started at a small publication and over the years went into bigger publications.

As for education, Guzman has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and he graduated with a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. “I’m still paying off my loans,” he says.

Before Guzman became the film critic for Newsday, he was a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal. There he covered travel and tourism for about four years. He said that it was “fun”, but it was not really what he wanted to do.

In 2002, Guzman became the rock critic for Newsday. He said that being a rock critic was exhausting and tiring. “With music, I got sick of it”, he says.

As a rock critic, he sometimes wrote only “one film review every other month”. However, after the whole Newsday film department quit by taking money in a buyout, Guzman became a full- time film critic.

Guzman now has to review about three to five movies a week. Guzman watches every wide release movies that comes out. “I see it all”, he says. Unlike with music, Guzman does not get sick of watching movies.

Guzman has to view movies ahead of time and most of the time he views movies in private screening rooms, which are mainly in midtown Manhattan, but he lives in Brooklyn.

His favorite movie genre is action and his favorite director is Stanley Kubrick. His favorite Disney movies are Beauty and the Beast and Frozen.

Guzman enjoys his job even if he has to watch bad movies. “I think it is fun to watch bad movies because you can figure out why a bad movie is bad”, he says. Guzman has been a film critic for Newsday for around seven years now and he is happy with his job.