In English
Backstage at the 2012 Tour de France
A look at the biggest race in the cycling world.
France 24 – June 30, 2012
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…)
50 years on: Has France really let go of its former colonies?
April 2010
Francafrique, the name given to the secret and sometimes shady political and commercial ties between France and its former colonies, may finally be breathing its last breath.
During his run for president three years ago, French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to get rid of “Francafrique.” Indeed, French analysts have predicted its death for years. Active speculation began in 1994, with the death of Cote d’Ivoire’s first post-independence president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who served for 33 years and was known as the “father of Francafrique.” Three years later, then-French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin signaled a turn toward greater neutrality by defining relations with Africa as “neither interference nor indifference.”
And yet, as 14 former French colonies are getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their independence this summer, a web of political, financial, military and personal ties still connects them to France. (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.
Street Artists Protest Against City Plan to Limit Vendors in Parks
April 23, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter and Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
Hundreds of street artists gathered outside a Parks Department hearing today to protest against new city rules that would cut the number of art vendors around city parks.
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…)
Free Credit Reports May Come With Strings Attached
March 5, 2010 – Columbia News Tonight
Reporter: Kethevane Gorjestani
Producer: Leslie Hart
Before lending you money, banks check not only your credit score but also your credit report, a history of all your transactions. Consumers have the right to ask the credit reporting agencies for their free reports and should check them carefully for any mistakes. But if you’re not careful, these so-called free credit reports could end up costing you money. Kethevane Gorjestani shows you how to avoid free credit reports that aren’t so free.
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.
Cabaret Chocolat: Vaudeville takes Harlem
Singer Tamar Kali and the Psychochamber Ensemble visit the Harlem Stage.
In the early 1920s, the Gatehouse in Hamilton Heights served as a pumping station to distribute water across New York City. After a $21 million renovation, the Gatehouse now serves as a performance art space for the Harlem Stage. During the third of four Uptown nights shows, Harlemites recently lined up to drink in the latest talent, reminiscent of speakeasy times.
Reporter:Jehangir Irani
Producer: Kethevane Gorjestani
Check out the video here.
Columbia News Tonight
Anchoring the February 19 show with Leslie Adkins
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.
Early voting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Early voting on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill, NC, a few days before November 4, 2008
Fuzzy Britches and Ramon Dominguez celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Dearly Precious win
Feb. 14 2010
Ramon Dominguez and assistant trainer, Juan Rodriguez
It was a sweet Valentine’s Day for New York’s leading jockey, Ramon Dominguez. He won Dearly Precious Stakes aboard Fuzzy Britches and he finished in the top three in four other races he started at Aqueduct race track.
Lions Can’t Always Make a Comeback
Feb. 6, 2010
In Saturday’s battle of the Joneses, it was Yale coach, James Jones who came out on top as the Bulldogs beat Columbia, a team coached by his brother Joe Jones, by a score of 79-64 at Levien Gymnasium.
Joe Jones had a hard time putting his team’s loss into words. Ten seconds, that’s how long it took him to answer the first question at the post-game press conference.
Nets Loose Another Close Game
Jan. 31 2010
East Rutherford, N.J. – The New Jersey Nets came very close to winning, again, on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Instead, they lost for the 42nd time this season — they have only four wins– and are on pace to break the record for the worst season ever in the NBA held by the 1972-73 Sixers who had only nine wins.
“We held them to 83 points but we weren’t able to score enough,” said forward Kris Humphries. “I know it’s pretty simple but when you look at it you know, we’ve got to score more then 79 points.” The Sixers were the third team in a row to be held under 90 points by the Nets.
If New Jersey’s defense was in good form, the offense crumbled, especially in the second half. “We had plenty of shots and we worked hard to get them but we just missed them,” said interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe.
Yankees in the Rain
October 28, 2009
New York, NY – Tonight, baseball fans around the country will have their eyes set on Yankee Stadium. At exactly 7:57pm, the New York Yankees will take on the defending champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, in game one of the World Series. (more…)
Editorial: Hillary Clinton, Obama’s Best Friend
June 4, 2008
What is the worst thing that could happen to Barack Obama now? Exactly what many party members and commentators have been calling for: Hillary Rodham Clinton to drop out. Why?
First, this democratic primary has been the most exciting the party has seen in a while. It has engaged millions of Americans who could not care less about politics before. The democratic nominee, most likely Barack Obama, will therefore benefit from a huge number of voters in November. One example, the democratic primary voter turnout in Indiana was an astonishing 29% greater than what John Kerry got in the general election 4 years ago.
To rig or not to rig? That is the question in Georgia
May 10, 2008
Thousands of people gathered on May 1, in a small alley in front of the Central Election Commission headquarters. The windows of the building were shut, protected by bars, curtains closed, with only a few curious heads peeping through. As opposition leaders sought entry to the building, police officers were quickly overwhelmed. Between protesters, journalists and police officers things turn sour in minutes. MP Levan Gachechiladze, former presidential candidate and leader of the United Opposition, the 9 party opposition coalition, was pinned to the ground by police officers and beaten up. The scuffle prevented the opposition from entering the building. Gachechiladze then personally tied up two boards on one of the windows before symbolically nailing them with a hammer, which he eventually threw at the police.