Multimedia Reporting

Beer is often looked down upon as the poor man’s drink, but the emergence of craft brewing, which brings into consciousness a myriad of flavors, techniques, and trends, is dispelling that notion. At an event held by the New York Public Library, Steve Hindy, co-Founder of the Brooklyn Brewery, not only plugged his new book, “The Craft Beer Revolution: How a Brand of Microbrewers is Transforming the World’s Greatest Drink,” but spoke at length about his start in Brewing. Also in attendance were New Belgium Brewing Company CEO Kim Jordan, and founder of the American Homebrewer’s Association Charlie Papazian (Hindy and Jordan are on the board).

When asked by Paul Holdengräber as to the implications of using the word “revolution” in regards to beer, Hindi and Jordan gave succinct yet poignant replies. “Yes, it’s a revolution of taste,” says Hindy. “A revolution is something that happens quickly,” added Jordan. Holdengräber then focused the discussion on whether the beer world was experiencing a revolution, or a revelation. No matter how much we disagree about how to interpret the history of craft brewing, we can agree that there is a significant change happening in the volume of beer barrels being produced by craft brewers and how the taste of beer is evaluated differently across a broad spectrum of brewing styles.

Going to these events, it is difficult not to feel a sense of intimidation and appreciation for complexities and factors that craft brewers keep in mind while at work. Wine and beer may be two different beasts as far as taste and production, but not with reference to the skill required to make flavors that truly arrest the taste buds in terms of richness, bitterness, acidity, and fruitiness. Many of those in attendance are also wine-lovers and it’s difficult not to get a sense that the worlds between wine and beer need not be mutually exclusive.

At an event held by Joanna Carpenter’s Braving The Brew, brewers and beer-lovers met for a few rounds of various brews made by Rich Castagna of Bridge and Tunnel Brewery. Coffee Cream Ale and Hazelnut Brown Ale were some of the more popular ones.

Bridge and Tunnel Brewery’s Steve Castagna laments the loss of local, spoken history and attempts to preserve it with a name.

What do you get when you cross an underground gamer with Netflix? The golden child of online game streaming, Twitch. For those of you who do not know, “Twitch is the world’s leading video platform and community for gamers with more than 45 million visitors per month.” You might say to yourself well, “How about Youtube or Netflix?”Twitch stands out by having the website purely lead by your “Average Gamer/Professional Player.” We as a civilized society feed on the interactions of others. Why else has the past decade, the Internet has grown so fast. Social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace have revolutionized the way we socialize and interact with others.

“Your so entertaining that people can’t help but watch you, or you have to be so good that no matter how fucking boring you are, people want to watch you to learn.” – MadamStarr

Twitch’s Official Logo

Twitch literally brings interaction between others to the forefront of the 20th century. According to Matthew DiPietro, the VP of Marketing at Twitch said, “ When video game historians look back on gaming a decade from now, 2013 will be the year they cite as the tipping point of streaming.” Just as fast as the Internet has grown big businesses also saw this as an opportunity to also “Cash In” on the deal. Brand names like Coca-Cola, Monster Energy Drink, Intel, Asus, Hyper X, and many other businesses are literally hopping on the bandwagon to get a slice of this so called proverbial cake.

“Every major even, publisher, developer, and media outlet in the gaming industry had a presence on Twitch, and streaming became an ever-present piece of the gaming experience. And it’s only going to get bigger.” also said by Matthew DiPietro.

Regardless, Twitch’s success last year is more evidence of the on-going ascendancy of Esports, which remain Twitch’s bread and butter. League of Legends viewership rose by nearly 300% over 2012, while Dota 2 viewership rose over 500%. The most watched Esports tournament of the year, the Season 3 World Championship of League of Legends drew in at about 32 million viewers, which was more than Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals.

According to Twitch’s 2013 end-of-year report, Twitch averages over 900,000 unique broadcasters per month, and a recent peak of about 10,000 concurrent live broadcasters. Of that 5,100 people are members of the company’s partner program, which gives them a cut of ad revenue gained for each viewer. One person who is trying to make it in this new Internet phenomenon is a young woman who goes by the Twitch handle of MadamStarr.

The rags to riches story doesn’t end here for the young Tiffany Williams. People like TrumpSC who has about 30+ million views or MaSsanSC who has 6+ million views make streaming their career. On stream Crs_saintvicious emitted to have a 6 figure salary, all through streaming, sponsorships, and general ad revenue. TrumpSC who goes by the name Jeffrey Shih, age 26, makes streaming his occupation. With a bachelor’s in Management and finance from New York University, he spends his days streaming daily from his home in San Francisco, California. Streaming to Jeffrey is a job, you do your best everyday to teach and entertain your viewers.

    “Streaming in general isn’t a way to get rich in my honest opinion, it’s a way to interact with my viewers.” – Madamstarr

It’s a Friday night, and a small crowd at New York City’s Tibet House listens intently as Tibetan poet and artist, Tenzing Rigdol, recites his untitled political adaptation of Allen Ginsberg’s infamous 1956 poem “Howl”.

But the Tibetan people howled long before Ginsberg’s New York junkies.

Since China’s invasion of Tibet in 1949, Tibetan citizens have been oppressed, culturally discriminated against, and robbed of all basic human rights.

After the end of the Second World War in 1945, the United Nations charter banned the colonization of foreign territory under international law, making China’s invasion of Tibet illegal.

In order to hide the illegality of the occupation, the Chinese government was forced to justify its presence in Tibet by claiming that they have always owned Tibet, that all Tibetan culture stemmed from Chinese traditions, and that all Tibetans are essentially Chinese people who have “forgotten” how to live a Chinese lifestyle and speak Chinese.

“The option there for the Chinese is to erase that culture in order to make their revisionist history stick,” Ganden Thurman, executive director of Tibet House US said.

At Amnesty International’s Get on the Bus student rally on April 11, Tenzin Dolkar, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, spoke about the Chinese government’s views of the Tibetan people.

Tenzin Dolkar at Amnesty International’s Get on the Bus speaker’s panel on April 11

“The Tibetan people in Tibet are criminalized for just being a Tibetan, for practicing their way of life, for practicing their Buddhist religion, for simply just trying to speak and learn the Tibetan language.”

Chinese is quickly replacing Tibetan in school textbooks, on public signs, and storefronts. As a result of this language shift, Tibetan citizens are displaced in their own country; their children are taught in Chinese or Mandarin, leaving young Tibetans illiterate in their own native language.

According to a 2012 study, 34.8% of Tibetans 15 years and older are illiterate, as compared to China’s total illiteracy rate of 4.96%, making the extinction of the Tibetan language a very real possibility.

Though these issues face a country and a people over 7,000 miles away from the United States, organizations made up of both Tibetans and non-Tibetans dedicated to the freedom of Tibet have sprung up all over the country and the rest of the world.
Human rights organizations such as Students for a Free Tibet and cultural institutions such as the Tibet House US are working to protect the Tibetan people and preserve their dying culture.

Statue of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Tibet House US gallery. In 1959, he fled from Tibet to India, where he still lives today.

Tibet House US in New York City, the first of 13 world-wide locations, was founded in 1987 by Robert Thurman under His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet’s religious leader,  who requested the opening of a cultural institution dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture and religion.

“We work to preserve, to present, and to promote awareness of Tibetan culture, which is in danger due to the political difficulties the Tibetans have faced since the Chinese invasion,” Thurman said.

The Tibet House works through art exhibits, conferences, educational programs, and “whatever means they can” to keep Tibetan culture and religion alive.

“Right now they’re [the Tibetans] a little bit stuck; they are unable to make their contribution to the world, and so we help them do that,” Thurman said.

At a Tibet House gallery event on May 2 in support of his exhibition Transcending Boundaries, Reflecting Change, Tibetan artist Tashi Norbu emphasized the importance of the unity of the Tibetan people and their determination to gain their independence.

Artist Tashi Norbu talks about his painting, “Universe XXL” at the Tibet House on May 2.

The nonviolent expressions of Tibetan artists, poets, and activists, Norbu said, are more powerful than any weapon.

But the price of using art as a weapon is a high one for the citizens of Tibet. In recent years, countless Tibetans have faced detainment for speaking out against China, among them being singers, writers, and filmmakers.

Tibet House US gives those otherwise suppressed voices a chance to be heard and provides a safe cultural environment for artistic expression.

Rigdol’s highly controversial adaptation of “Howl” has yet to be published due to its politically charged and potentially dangerous content, but within the walls of the Tibet House, the poet is able to express himself without having to fear for his life.

The work of the Tibet House does not only benefit the people of Tibet, however. Through its work, the gallery informs the masses of these important global issues, and serves as a map of Tibet’s cultural history that can be studied by generations, present and future, Tibetan and non-Tibetan, across the globe.

“It’s why we do the work that we do,” said Thurman. “To preserve that culture for future generations, not just for Tibetans, but for the overall multicultural experience of everyone in the world.”

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1E08-999b1Syrzc1V9I_4PIUlJRPlMvGcX2XNOY_2fmA/edit?usp=sharing

SOBER ST PATRICK’S DAY
Sober ST Patrick’s day At Cathedral High School NYC, an alcohol free celebration for the whole Family.
The gym filled with green everywhere, from table cloth , decorations, children face painted with the sober ST Patrick’s day symbol, students and staff wearing costume made SSPD T-shirts.
Famous singer Cathy Maguire begins the event with “Molly Malone” a popular song from Dublin, Ireland. As she sings a couple glides across the stage, slow dancing to the soft guitar playing of Donny Carroll.
“I bought these tickets four months in advance,” said Mary Anderson, as she watched the Tulia pipe Band circling around the crowd , beating to the drums. “It’s nice to see a little bit of Ireland in NYC.”
Later the Donny golden school dance students take the floor. Taping routines of the Ceili. The ceili has over 30 routines. The art of this dance is quick movements of the legs and feet , while the rest of the body is still.
You can’t leave an Irish celebration without learning how to dance like them. Maureen Donachie the associate producer leads the guests to the Irish dance steps known as Jigs (to jump).
“We leave the NYC Parade by 4pm and start are own celebration here,” said Maureen Donachie. “It’s important to show children that ST Patrick’s day isn’t all about the drinking, and that lots of culture goes along with this holiday.”
The Rose tralee 2013 winner Kathleen Mulholland , Miss USA’s Erin Brady, and Politician Joe Crowley made special guest appearances in honor of a sober ST Patrick’s day. In addition to the event , were the unique instrumental playings of Haley Richardson, the 11 year old All- Ireland Fiddle champion, and songs of UCD Choral Scholars.
The night ends with a group photo to be posted on twitter representing the success of the Sober ST Patrick’s Day event.

Strolling down Lexington Ave. between 53rd and 47th streets, one would be hard-pressed to find an establishment that isn’t a hotel. There’s the Hyatt on 48th, the W on 49th, the prestigious Waldorf Astoria on 50th and what seems like a million other hotels you have seen on a Travelocity commercial. Though on this block of overly advertised temporary domiciles, the one that stands out most is the one you probably have never heard of, Hotel Roger Smith.

With its massive vertically hanging neon-green sign, gold doors, fire engine red carpets and odd figurines guarding the main entrance, the Roger Smith looks less like a hotel and more like the entrance to a medieval art exhibit—which is exactly the point. In addition to its main function as a hotel, the Roger Smith serves as owner James Knowles’ personal display case for his art pieces. When Knowles took over the reigns at the Roger Smith, he insisted the hotel serve as more than just a leisurely retreat. He wanted it to be a cultural retreat as well and thus the Window at 125 was born.

It’s hard to believe, but the Window at 125 actually seems more out of place than the hotel it belongs to. It is literally a 7’x7’ window with an art display behind it being presented to those walking by. By the description of it one would expect to find the Window at 125 nestled on some cobbled street in the Lower West Side of Manhattan. However, it is located on 47th street between 3rd and Lexington avenues, where daily on-lookers usually consist of business clad professionals and Italian tourists. Not the tight jeaned and flannel topped folk you would expect to find around an exhibit like this.

Though the obscurity of its location is what makes the Window at 125 so magnificent. Those who walk by it are almost always in hurry to get to their destination, whether it is their next meeting or the shuttle bus to JFK. Yet in their time of haste, most people walking by stop to look. The Window is like nothing else in their daily routine. For people too busy to even sit down and eat their lunch it is a Window into the beauty of life beyond the cubicle.

Atkins and weight watchers different diets same results

Baruch Student and their opinion of the iPhone.

Be sure to check out the first part of this two part video if you want more information regarding Frozen Occasions founder Nick Colona and his company!

The mixture of business with pleasure is a rickety foundation for any up-and-coming company to build itself upon. Nicholas Colona, the founder and chief operator of Frozen Occasons, a Long Island-based cryogenic catering company, is succeeding in doing just that.

Frozen Occasions offers a wide-variety of liquid-nitrogen based products, ranging from simple ice cream cakes to flash frozen, ice cream based cocktails. The company’s main focus is to do more than just feed customers and their guests delicious ice cream though. By utilizing the tantalizing visuals that are inherent in the process of creating liquid-nitrogen infused ice cream, Nick has found a way to bring entertainment into the tedious world of ice cream making.

“When we’re working, I deem myself and my constituents ‘tendertainers,’” says the ice cream wizard. “Because we’re both mixing ice cream, and entertaining.”

Nick stressed the point that entertainment is an integral part of Frozen Occasions, and that those who book the company for an event are receiving much more than just an ice cream bar or fondue fountain. Guests get to watch Nick work, which is like sitting in on one of Heisenberg’s cook sessions, and if they’re listening, they also receive a basic lesson in chemistry and culinary science.

During his demonstrations, he explains each step he takes, doing his best to convince people that he is more than just a guy who makes and sells exceptional ice cream. He wants them to see him as an artist who sincerely cares about his craft, and takes great pride in showing off how well he does it.

Nick uses liquid nitrogen to make his ice cream, an enthralling process to watch.

Nick also says he is willing to go the extra mile for any customer, because he believes Frozen Occasions is a representation of himself.

“If you have any allergy at the event, I’ll go to the store and get the soy milk or the almond milk, or pull the eggs out a recipe for a customer. I will always ensure that I will try to make it happen,” he proclaimed. “It’s a
representation of me and my character, which is manifested into my company.”

In spite of his professional demeanor and passion for what he does, Nick is still hampered by some of the same challenges that any young entrepreneur faces. He explained that because of his age and youthful appearance, one of his greatest challenges is gaining the confidence of event planners and other potential clients.

“One of my most adverse hurdles at this point, is to convince somebody in their 40’s or 50’s, maybe younger, maybe older, why they should spend their hard earned money on me.”

No matter how much apprehension customers may have about hiring him, it’s apparent from the time you meet Nick that he has no doubt in his own abilities, and truly believes in the company he has created.

The market for ice cream is immune to the negative effects of economic and social depression, which are noticeable in nearly all other markets in the food and service industry. Nick recognized that during his six years working at a local ice cream shop, and that awareness is a major catalyst for his confidence.

“I realized that no matter who came in, whether they had a lot or a little money, they always came in and they always bought ice cream, at least for their children, if not for themselves.” he recounted. “And there is something to be said of that. People find consolement and they find comfort in food.”

Similar to its founder, Frozen Occasions is still in the early stages of a promising life. That is why Nick makes sure that the company maintains its roots in the local community, by getting involved with charity events and festivals in the area whenever possible. Even though the company doesn’t profit monetarily at these events, the exposure that Frozen Occasions gets is priceless for a company that is still getting its feet wet.

Nick mentioned one particular event that stood out in his mind, since it not only provided his company with more notoriety, but also reminded him that financial gain isn’t the only thing that matters.

“I did a fundraiser in Ronkonkoma, which is in central Suffolk County, last August. There were over 70 people at the event,” he recalled.”At the time, it was one of the largest events I had done to date.”

After a little more discussion about how much he believes the event had helped Frozen Occasions grow, Nick abruptly turned the attention back on to the cause that the event was raising money for.

“All the money was donated to a very particular genetic disorder, in which a child was there as the guest of honor,” he boasted. “That was very cool.”

Nick believes wholeheartedly in the importance of consumer awareness.

With the chance to shamelessly plug his company, and tell viewers all about how amazing it is and why they should choose him for their next event, Nick opted instead to give a few words of advice.

“As you move forward, become a conscious consumer,” he suggested. “I’ve designed my company so that I know it appeals to me personally. I like being able to pronounce all the ingredients that are in what I’m eating.”

There was an unmistakable honesty in Nick’s final speech about the importance of label reading, and that honesty is why Frozen Occasions has seen steady growth since it was founded 2 and a half years ago.

Check out the second video, chronicling the process of creating Honey Whiskey infused ice cream, using liquid nitrogen infusion!