Author Archives: j.kairape

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Conflict Story Proposal

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According the District Needs Statement for the Fiscal year of 2016 in Glendale, NY one of the main issues that is causing a safety issue and needs to be addressed is the traffic conditions. I have seen this safety issues first hand because I live across an intersection where there is no stop sign. I live on a one way street where cars go into the intersection of 66th Street and Cooper Avenue. There is also a park so you can say in one intersection there are three vehicles turning which can cause a lot of accidents because there is no stop signs. I’ve also seen people make an illegal left turn when they are not supposed to.

This is not just an issue on my block that I’ve seen, there are many other areas of Glendale where there are no stop signs and even if there was the vehicles don’t care about it and just keep going. As the statement has said there are”large increases in vehicular traffic and too many drivers speeding, running traffic signals and stop signs” and this is due to the fact that there are not many officers at our local precinct that patrol the area. There are barely any traffic officers issuing out tickets but there are barely people illegally parking either. It’s not the issue if illegal parking that’s causing the issue but the fact that vehicles run red stop signs, do not stop at a stop sign, and speed as well. People’s lives are at risk and there are already reported vehicle damage due to these incidents.

Small business story proposal

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Many business don’t survive in Glendale. Over the years it has mostly been deli’s, gas stations, and other small business’s that haven’t survived. Business such law offices, banks, doctor’s offices, and the alike have been able to survive within the neighborhood. One of the businesses that I’ve seen develop over the years is a meat market down the block on Myrtle Avenue that is owned by two Italian brothers and their cousin. Since the day I moved into the neighborhood in 2005 I’ve known that meat market to be there. Only recently have the the brothers decided to open up another meat market not too far but there has been some conflict with their cousin because he decided to venture out on his own. He decided to open up his own market 3 blocks away. This could be one of the few dramas you’ll hear about in Glendale. It is quit humorous, to some, that stores come and go in the same location. For example, right across from Stop and Shop on Myrtle Ave. There was a gas station business that didn’t last too long and now there is a deli shop that has replaced it. The humorous part comes in because it is evident business isn’t thriving there that it will eventually be replaced by another business. The main reason these businesses don’t last is because there an excessive amount of the same type of store even within the same block. Businesses usually don’t last a long period of time and a few that have are engraved in Glendale history.

Neighborhood Faces Proposal

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Someone I would like to interview is someone on the queens community board district 5 because that person would be more knowledgable about the issues in Glendale. Residents can enter the community board because they hold general meetings on Thursday. Since illegal conversion is an issue that occurs often I have thought about contacting an agent or employee of the Department of Buildings but I figured that would be really difficult and almost impossible. Someone on the community board who frequently attends the meetings would have the best interest of Glendale and are better equipped suggest a solution to the problem. Since anyone can be a board member I can assume that person is in the working middle class and has a family. They might live in a two family house and have at two children and be married. They live a nice and simple life so they give their time to bettering the community by getting involved on the board. The best candidate to choose for an interview that will an understanding of illegal conversion would be someone who owns the building they live in because they would be able to have knowledge and understanding of the consequences and violation given to them had they been caught illegally converting their family house. This person would be able to talk about the issue in further detail because the people who are doing illegal conversion on their house can diminish the real estate value and cause further damage to the community.

Background: Glendale, NY

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There has always been people of different backgrounds residing here but Glendale has had a history of Germans, Italians, and Irish people living here for decades. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental, in 2006 west central Queens, which includes Glendale, had a demographic of 60% Caucasians, 22% Hispanics , 13% Asian , 2% African America, , and 3% as other. From 2006 to 2014 there has been an increase in minorities living in Glendale. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, in 2010 the population of district 5, the Queens community, 54.9% were Caucasians, 1.4 % were African Americans, 7.7% were Asian, and 34.7% were Hispanics. There are several private religious schools in Glendale as well as one public middle school. There is St. Pancras school, Redeemer Lutheran school, Sacred Heart school, and St. John’s which are private religious schools. Intermediate School 119 is the middle school I attended between 2006 to 2009 and it has 3 divisions within the school.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/data/nyc-health-profiles.shtml

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/qn05_info.shtml

The local businesses are reflected by the background of residence here and their culture. There are way too many pizzerias on almost every block. There are specific businesses tailored to Italian immigrants and clubs for people who love Italian soccer leagues and clubs. Unlike in other areas where a pizzeria may have employees or be owned by an non-Italian, the pizzerias here are owned by Italians and their Italian family and friend help run their business. The other businesses that are also on every block are bars and pubs. These businesses are either owned by the Germans or Irish and few are owned by the Polish. Other than pizzeria’s and bars there is the usual diners and deli’s around here. The biggest commercial real estate in Glendale is Atlas Mall. It is like the one of the malls you might see in Long Island or the suburbs. Atlas Mall has had it’s up and downs throughout the years because I have seen many stores come and go since it opened in 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/realestate/glendale-queens-living-in-tucked-away- and-neatly-tricked-out.html?_r=0

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/qn05_info.shtml

Overall the housing and real estate in Glendale would be considered middle class. Many people are owners of the building in which they reside in for many years. Glendale is a small family oriented community that many not know about because it feels isolated from the rest of the Queens. There are hardly frequent transportation and ways to get here from other areas of Queens. For example, It takes me an hour and a half just get to Forest Hills and it takes that same amount of time to also get to Manhattan. It is a strange thing but Glendale is also surrounded by many cemeteries that might also isolates itself and make it unknown it to many others. One issue that I’ve seen over the years is that some families buy a two family house and do illegal construction to illegally convert the house. This is an issue also talked about in the District Needs Statement for Fiscal Year 2016 created by Community Board for district 5. The statement did suggest ways in which the issue could be resolved but there needs to be strict procedure for issuing violations to these people who are illegally converting their two family houses.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/neigh_info/statement_needs/qn05_statement.pdf

2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat

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Does the writer give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history?

The writer does give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history. He uses Shelton’s background to attach some history to the sugar factory. His experience gives us insight on the events that occurred during it’s era and as to why the sugar factory has such a significance. Describing his personal experience makes the readers feel as if they are a employee of or resident nearby the sugar factory.

Describe the narrative of this profile, the arc of the story.

The arc of the story is described using our 6 senses. Shelton describes his experience by using our sense of smell and our sense of sight to. By using our sense of smell he explains the smell of burned marshmallow coating your every breath. He uses our sense of sight to help us visualize the factory’s surrounding area and how it has changed. From having the sugar factory, knitting factory, the soda factory, and the shoe factory to having condominiums and lofts in the area. The sugar factory also has a dark past in relation to slavery and African American culture but he feels it is a misconception because he even jokes that he was paid well. He believes the sugar factory has significant part of Brooklyn history and believes the sphinx should be preserved.

What do you think of the lead?

The lead made me curious on what the story might be about becuase I personally don’t know if jobs in sugar factories still exist in America today so it did suggest that it was going to talk about something that took place a long time ago.

Where is the nut graf? What about the author’s point-of-view?

The nut graf starts when Mr.Shelton states “Once this is down, years from now, it’s going to be forgotten…Like everything else.” The author’s point-of-view is basically reflecting Shelton’s experience. She is very objective of what has replaced the the sugar factory now.

250 words on Glendale

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I have lived in Glendale, NY for 10 years. Glendale is a quite and small community. Most of the houses are for two families and are designed similar to one another. Glendale is surrounded by cemeteries and my neighborhood it is specifically surrounded by a Jewish cemetery. Glendale is not really commercialized and I have also seen many small businesses open only to close down not soon after. Glendale always had a history of Italian, Irish, and German people influencing the culture in Glendale. The Italians still today have a great influence on culture in Glendale. Glendale is a residential neighborhood, so most residences would consider themselves middle class. Many of them own their own apartment buildings, own their own house, or rent a two family apartment. Many of the small businesses in this neighborhood are pizzerias, diners, delis, and pubs which owned by either an Italian, Irish, or a German man. There is a great influence of religion in this neighborhood because there are churches and religious schools. I would like to observe the role of religion in this neighborhood because it is a very old fashioned and conservative place and I’d like to know how this affects the youths in Glendale. I know religion plays a big role in Glendale’s values and characteristics.  It is unclear what the future of Glendale will be but if the community has been able to keep its middle class value and be safe for at least a decade then it will continue to be a safe community.

 

Tourists in Queens

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Kirk’s reporting used arguments of both side that praised Queen’s increase in tourism and also gives the statistics some doubt. I think this was a very good tactic because every story needs both side of  the spectrum. If we only read the positives of how much Queen’s tourism has increased then we would’ve never known some of the negative aspects that still exist in promoting greater tourism. For example, the article  emphasizes that development of hotels and attractions play an important role in tourism. Queens doesn’t have much of that compared to Manhattan. It only seems appropriate that there would be doubt because, even as a Queen’s resident myself, I find it hard to believe that Queens is the #1 travel destination in the U.S for 2015. There is even doubt recognized from his interviewees. One tourists was confused about where Queens was, it is mentioned that sometimes tourists take the wrong train and end up in Queens, and there is also a limited mount of time they have when it comes to exploring outside of Manhattan. I think these problems that exists when it comes to tourism in Queens is important to mention because it’s not enough to just praise how much Queen’s tourism has improved.

E.B White Here is NY

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1. What is your impression of the opening line of White’s book: “New York bestows gifts of loneliness and the gifts of privacy.” Do you agree or disagree with White? If so, why? If not, why not? How effective is the opening? What does it accomplish, if anything?

I agree with White because, as many New Yorkers can relate, there can be thousand of people surrounding you but at the same time feel so isolated from everyone. I’ve come to realize that everyone is busy with their own life and that’s why everyone is such in a rush. It’s funny and strange that most residents don’t even know they’re own neighbor, even if they lived there for over 10 years. New York can make you feel fulfilled yet alone. I believe the opening was very effective because it basically describes the life of a New Yorker in a nutshell. It accomplishes a sense of emotions and visual effect, in a way, that the reader might have when they first read the sentence.

2. How and why does the writer use lists in this book

The writer uses lists in his book because it actually helps the reader have visual effects of New York. When I was reading the lists and his description of New York, I felt like I was in the life of that individual walking just two blocks away and being in another world. It makes the reader feel involved in the life and surroundings of a New Yorker.