Tag Archives: Fortune Benatar

Backgrounder: Englewood, NJ

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Demographics: Englewood is a five square mile city in Bergen County, New Jersey. The population in 2012 was 27,605 people in contrast to the state’s population of 8,867,749. It is a city filled with diversity with almost one-third of the population coming from a different country. The 2010 census showed that Englewood is comprised of 45.3% whites, 32.6% blacks, 8.1% Asians, and 27.5% Hispanic or Latino. Koreans and Colombians made up the greatest percentage of recent immigrants.

As of 2008- 2012, the amount of foreign-born residents was 1.8%. In 2010, it was reported that 34.3% of people spoke a different language other than English at home. http://cityofenglewood.org

Transportation: In proximity to New York, Englewood is 15 minutes away by taking the George Washington Bridge. According to the 2010 census data, 25% of residents work in New York City while 12% work in Englewood. NJ Transit provides an express bus from Englewood that takes 35 minutes to reach Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Households: The median household income for the years 2008-2012 was $69,557 with 11.6% of people below the poverty line, compared to the median household income of the United States at $53,046.

Real Estate: Estimated median house or condo value in 2013 was $372,351.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Englewood-New-Jersey.html#ixzz3mVBmlLuQ

Education: Englewood offers a number of public and private schools for residents. The public schools include Dwight Morrow High School, Academies at Englewood, and Janis E. Dismus Middle School to name a few. The private schools are Dwight Englewood and The Moriah School. The private school system ranges anywhere from $20- 40,000 a year. http://www.epsd.org/home

Recorded in 2012, 87.8% of residents were high school graduates and 46.4% over the age of 25 had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Religious Institutions: Due to its diversity, Englewood provides over 50 religious institutions for its residents.

Parks/Recreation: The suburbs offer a large amount of open space, allowing for baseball fields, swimming pools, basketball courts, or even ice skating rinks.

Flat Rock Brook Nature Center—is a 150-acre preserve and environmental center located on Palisades Avenue. A last remnant of the Palisades Forest, it provides public information on preserving nature and its resources with nice trials and picnic areas.http://flatrockbrook.org/

Local Businesses /Organizations: Englewood Chamber of Commerce—a not-for-profit organization lead by business leaders to improve life in Englewood. They organize community events and represent each business in front of the city government.

The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)—is a not-for-profit performing art center. Providing about 150 events each year, BergenPAC hosts a variety of artists, concerts, and performing programs. http://www.bergenpac.org

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center—An acclaimed hospital for its bloodless medicine and surgery program, cardiac and vascular programs, and leadership in breast care, oncology, and joint replacement services. http://www.englewoodhospital.com

Issues:

The NJ Transit is the only mode of public transportation in Englewood. Not as efficient as a train, there is talk about extending the Hudson Bergen Light Rail. However, designs are not known yet since it’s been an ongoing issue. Many residents are in favor of new and quick ways to get into the city but worry the light rail will cause congestion and limit parking.

Parking—There is a limited amount of parking downtown where all the shops and restaurants are. People constantly get tickets for going over the meter parking. There should be a parking center because if people can’t find parking they won’t shop and it will affect business.

Streetlights—Englewood is a city where many of its residents choose to walk at night whether it is to a friend’s house or the local religious institution. There have been accidents where cars have hit pedestrians because of the darkness. In 2011, the curb line on Broad Ave was illuminated with $30,000 worth of solar powered lights, now needed on more streets to prevent fatalities. There is a story that a local doctor was killed walking to his daughter’s house because a car didn’t see him. I could go to the police department and see how many deaths are caused a year by car accidents in Englewood, get residents and city council views on the issue of lighting, and family anecdotes.http://www.northjersey.com/news/city-park-renamed-to-honor-doctor-1.204788 http://www.northjersey.com/news/solar-lights-to-boost-safety-1.265268

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

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“2 Jobs at the Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat,” by Vivian Yee is a well-written and descriptive piece that touches the reader emotionally. As an author, Yee writes the article in a way that provides readers with good knowledge of her subject and manages to keep her opinions objective. She profiles Robert Shelton, a worker at the Domino Sugar refinery, providing the reader with personal insight into Shelton’s life, experiences, and feelings towards the changes that are occurring in his world. The narrative includes descriptive language, facts, and anecdotes that detail this man’s career and hours of devotion in a sugar factory in Brooklyn. The lead begins in a dramatic way with its powerful visual description of Shelton having never seen the floor of the sugarhouse in all the 20 years he’s worked there. The nut graf is then found when the author describes the closing of the installation and states, “In a borough convulsed by change, perhaps no set of buildings carries as much symbolic freight as the Domino complex…” The Sugar Factory was more than a job to Shelton it was his life. This piece incorporates important quotes from Shelton that describe his sorrow, appreciation, and memories, as he mourns its closing and ultimate destruction of its legacy. This article achieves to connect with the reader because it’s not just an article about Shelton’s life and career, but it provides information on the sculpture’s success, purpose, process of sugar formation, and mention of future plans for the space. The author also provides a detailed account of how the heat from the kilns affected Shelton and his everyday life. The profile sums up Shelton’s background, what his parents were like, his daily schedule working 3 jobs, and what his life is like today.

Neighborhood Faces

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For over 30 years, Gil Dominguez has served as owner and lead pharmacist at Buckley’s Drug Store and Compounding Center, found in Englewood’s downtown district. Buckley’s has been around for over 80 years, successfully helping Englewood residents as well as people from near towns. Dominguez has become a key figure in the community and that’s why I decided to profile him. His job is a family run business where he works with his wife and son. Dominguez was heavily influenced by his aunt who was a pharmacist and his father-in-law who owned a pharmacy in Cuba. He works everyday to help the welfare of society with their basic needs and prescriptions. I would like to know more about his business, what a day at the job consists of, and what problems he faces in his industry. Something unique about Dominguez is that he is able to get to know his customers on a personal level, recognizing each person by name. This personal relationship is only possible because of Englewood’s tight knit community and his small local business.

Dominguez has seen the city change and knows what issues it faces. On a business level, he finds the traffic and insufficient amount of parking on Palisades Avenue to be an issue for his customers. From our conversation, he told me he grew up in Manhattan, however after being in Englewood for so many years he can say that he likes the suburbs better. He enjoys the small town feel and the diversity it brings. For my media component, I thought it would be nice to have audio clips as well as pictures of him and the pharmacy.

Englewood, New Jersey

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The neighborhood I would like to focus this semester on is the city of Englewood. Located in Bergen County, New Jersey, this city is the jewel of the suburbs. Only 15 minutes away from Manhattan, Englewood allows its residents to have the best of both worlds. Residents are gifted with the relaxation and quietness that is only found within the tranquility and natural beauty of suburban living. A quick drive from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, individuals can experience city action within minutes.

Englewood provides its residents something New York can’t, the luxury of space. Each street is filled with beautiful homes, backyards, swimming pools, and plenty of recreational venues for sports and play. Growing up in Englewood, provided me with a personal exposure to a close-knit community where everyone knows each other with an inseparable bond with my neighbors. It is a city composed of people from many religions and ethnic backgrounds. I grew up in a Jewish community where my Synagogue is just a block away from my house. It’s comforting to have a strong religious base in a community where you can practice your beliefs. With sports clubs, gyms, parks, nature centers, shops and restaurants, each business in Englewood provides an array of activities for each person to enjoy and a story to report behind it.

This city has key figures that help the community grow and prosper. From the strong private school system, teachers and mentors have helped me personally as well as others strive for excellence. Local policemen, coaches, mailmen, and the mayor all contribute to the foundation of Englewood. These are just a few possible individuals that are worthy of personal profiles and notable mention.

A neighborhood conflict I could potentially report is the issue of streetlights in the city. At night, it is almost impossible to see people walking in the dark. This is so dangerous for drivers who can’t see the pedestrians walking. There have been occurrences of people getting hit by cars, proving it to be essential to add more lights for the safety of the community.

Queens Tourists

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Describe the reporting and interviewing techniques used by Kirk Semple in this story.

In the article, “Tourists Have Landed in Queens. They’re Staying,” Kirk Semple uses distinct reporting and interviewing techniques. Semple immediately provides the readers with the proper background information that surprisingly Queens has been named the number one destination spot in 2015. He admits that this information is shocking to him just like it will be to the readers. Like any good reporter should do, he incorporates a variety of quotes from different people ranging from professionals in marketing to tourists themselves. Semple quotes Rob MacKay, director of public relations for the Queens Economic Development Corporation, who says that Queens is a place people are happy to visit. Semple takes this quote and supports it with data that proves there is an increase in visitors. He also shows a tourist’s excitement to visit a cafe however, he fails to incorporate residents’ views. Semple gives his readers examples of some cultural institutions, sports arenas, and hotels that are attracting a lot of tourists. Lastly, he makes sure to include that although there are attempts to make Queens hip it will never be like New York. He ends the article in a rather funny way with a conversation with two women who were confused and didn’t really hear much about Queens. This gives the readers both sides of the story–how great Queens can be and why it’s not known.

E.B. White “Here is New York”

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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?

New York city is a place filled with adventure, excitement, and tremendous opportunities. E.B. White opens his book by stating, “New York bestows gifts of loneliness and the gifts of privacy” (19). Right from the beginning, White effectively sets the tone and his perception of New York. He provides his audience with his opinions and experiences in the city. New York is a “city like poetry: it compresses all life, all races and breeds” (29). The inescapable crowds of people can create an overwhelming and anxious feeling. Walking down the loud streets, you are placed into your own private world where the people around you are considered strangers.The city is a busy place where people fight for cabs or spots on the train to get to work, not caring to get to know the people around them, which leaves a sense of loneliness. In this aspect, I agree with White in that privacy and loneliness are results of being in the city. It can  be looked at as both positive and negative results. It’s a “gift” where personal information is kept a secret and you can do your own thing however, it can create a longing to be a part of a small close-knit  community.

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

The writer utilizes lists in this book as a tool to help his readers understand the concepts he is talking about. Every claim he makes about New York is provided with examples of names of people or places and his own personal memories to help the reader relate to his claims. His detailed lists help in the telling of the city’s history.