Current Issues/Societe
The American dream is still very much alive, even in France.
May 2010
This is not how love affairs with the City usually begin.
Loic arrived in New York in early September, a six-month tourist visa in hand. His girlfriend of four years had just moved from France for a study abroad program. The plan was to stay for a month or so, go back to France and come back to visit her. But nothing went according to plan. Less than a week after arriving, they broke up and Loic, 23, was out on the street, with very little money, in a city where he knew no one.
“The first three months were shit, shit, shit,” said Loic. “I don’t even know why I stayed it was such shit.”
First he found a squat in Brooklyn, then a youth hostel. About a month later he started working as a waiter in a small downtown restaurant. But soon money problems caught up with him. The restaurant wasn’t doing well and Loic could no longer afford his room. (more…)
Behind the Concrete Jungle
May 7, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Kethevane Gorjestani
Producer: Chao Deng
To get away from the stress of the city, many people think of city parks. But in our Morningside his week, Kethevane Gorjestani tells us about some area residents who don’t need to look further than their back alley.
No Salt in the City
April 30, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Saskya Vandoorne
Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
Our Focus story this week looks at the city’s efforts to reduce the amount of salt we eat. So far 16 food companies have agreed to cut the amount of salt in bacon, rice, ketchup and other foods.
New York City’s Suicide Hotspots
April 9, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Kethevane Gorjestani
Producer: Tammy Mutasa
Last Week a Yale student made a trip to New York City with one goal: ending his life. He later jumped to his death from the Empire State Building. Kethevane Gorjestani tells us why some cities landmarks have become suicide hotspots.
Turning Green: The Empire State Building Gets a Retrofit
April 2, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Leonard Schoenberger
Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
Our New Yorker of the week just celebrated its 80th birthday. But being old does not prevent it from changing its lifestyle and contributing to a greener city.
Health Care Reform Leaves Public Uncertain
March 26, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Kethevane Gorjestani
Producer: Thad Novak
Congress yesterday passed a package of fixes to the long debated overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system. Kethevane Gorjestani explains what the new law means for the millions of Americans currently uninsured.
Clocking Your Commute
March 12, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Angelica Spanos
Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
A New York minute is said to be a second, but who’s counting? The MTA is starting to. It is installing LED screens that count down the minutes until your train arrives.
End of the line: MTA uses retired subway cars from 207th Street Yard for artificial reef program
Written with Zack Seward
First published on January 5, 2009 in the Manhattan Times
Barge transporting subways on the east river
Dumping old subway cars into the ocean may seem like bad news for the environment. But by all accounts a Metropolitan Transportation Authority program doing just that is greatly improving sea life along the eastern seaboard.
The MTA artificial reef program takes worn out subway cars and drops them onto the ocean floor. Over 2,400 cars have been sunk off the coasts of six states, from New Jersey to Georgia. (more…)
Subways Go Submarine: New York City Trains Get New Life as Artificial Reefs
It might look like an environmental nightmare: Dumping old subway cars off a barge to rust away at the bottom of the ocean. But New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says its artificial reef program creates marine ecosystems where none existed before — and provides a useful retirement for its aging fleet…..
Check out the full story and the video at onearth.org.
City Digs Itself Out of Snowstorm
February 26, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Sherisse Pham
Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
After the second blizzard of the year, the clean up has begun. Thousands of workers and almost two thousand snow plows are out on the streets clearing roads and sidewalks.
L’art du toilettage
Reportage réalisé en Mars 2009.
Rédacteur: Caroline Dieudonné
JRI: Kéthévane Gorjestani
Enfants: Les dangers d’Internet
Reportage réalisé en avril 2009.
Rédacteur: Kéthévane Gorjestani
JRI: Aurélie Erhel
La jeunesse dorée marocaine
Produced in October 2007 with Aurélie Erhel.
La Jeunesse Géorgienne, Reine du Système D
28 mai 2008
Racket, vols, escroqueries, emprunts, paris, trafics en tous genres, la jeunesse géorgienne baigne dans l’illégalité. En Géorgie, le taux de chômage reste élevé avec près de 40% de la population sous le seuil de pauvreté. Pourtant les jeunes de la capitale s’affichent au volant de belles voitures. Ils possèdent des portables dernier cri, et sortent dans les lieux branchés. En majorité, ces jeunes n’ont ni travail, ni famille aisée pour payer tous ces signes extérieurs de richesse. Ils redoublent d’imagination lorsqu’il s’agit de trouver de l’argent.
« On fait quoi ce soir ? On va à Charden ? » Ce sont les deux questions incontournables de la jeunesse géorgienne à la tombée de la nuit. Charden, c’est le quartier le plus branché de la capitale, trois petites rues piétonnes, où se suivent presque exclusivement bars et restaurants. Dès que le temps le permet, les terrasses sont prises d’assaut. Mais le must, avant de faire son choix, c’est d’arpenter chacune des trois rues pour trouver une place, mais aussi et surtout pour montrer qu’on est là. Ce rituel prend une bonne demi-heure puisque qu’il faut saluer tous les gens que l’on connaît, à savoir au moins un groupe par bar. Sur les tables, il y a souvent une bouteille de vodka, à manger, un paquet de cigarettes et bien sûr le téléphone portable de chacun. (more…)