2011 Haiti pics coming soon

Kyle Bergman, producer, introducing opening film. Photo by Jonathan Denby

As I write these words the partygoers mingle in the background, chatting and sipping on cocktails. Salsa music wafts through the Varick Room as people take advantage of the open bar. 

I am at the second annual Architecture and Design Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas. Like last year, the atmosphere is celebratory. People from all over the country and world are here. Some are big name architects; others just film enthusiast. They are here because they love architecture and film, and, even more, they love films about architecture.

In the adjourning room people file into one of the Cinema's theaters to view the opening film of the festival. This year, that film is called "Unfinished Spaces." Beginning in the first triumphant days of the Cuban Revolution, the film tells the story of the National Art School and the architects who struggled to build it. Sadly, as Cuba slipped more and more under the ideological influence of the Soviet Union, construction ceased and the architects found themselves ostracized and persecuted as being "counterrevolutionary." The school lay in decrepit conditions for decades until recently when Fidel Castro allowed it to be restored and finished.

Come visit the AD Film Festival to see films like "Unfinished Spaces" and many more. Running till October 23rd. www.adfilmfest.com

Photo by AdBusters

Republished from Examiner.com

Among the many attractions for travelers to New York is the famous Stock Exchange at Wall Street. Now, there’s an even better reason to go visit: there’s a political uprising taking place right next door! Read more...

In his commencement speech to the 2005 graduating class at Stanford University, Steve Jobs told his audience to follow their own paths in life and not what others thought best for them. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice,” Jobs said. “And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

This was the essence of the man. All his life, Jobs had asked people to “think different,” to have the courage to break new ground and seek new frontiers...to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before. He expected no less from himself, and, like others before him, set out to prove that with vision and the perseverance to see it through, you could change the world.

When I was around seven years old, my father brought home an Apple LC II. The rest, as they say, is history. I grew up with the Macintosh as part of my household. My father, being an independent-thinker himself, was naturally attracted to the inventions of another independent-thinker like Jobs.

Each time my father brought home the newest model, it was Christmas all over again. He was captivated by the machines, and, using the Mac, soon taught himself how to design a webpage for his business and manipulate graphics in Adobe Photoshop. Not long thereafter I, too, took up the mouse and began my own journey into the new digital frontier.

Today, I am a professional web developer and Mac user. I owe it all to two men: my dad and Steve Jobs.

We will miss you Steve.

Photo by Carwil Bjork-James

As I stood talking to an older lady about the protests, a pizza man showed up carrying about ten large pies. Apparently, an anonymous donor had called in a pizza delivery for the protesters. The occupiers lined up at a row of tables and were served the hot slices directly from the boxes. Other donated food items covered the tables: plastic boxes of salad, fruits, vegetables, canned goods, you name it.... all of it private donations. Clearly, the occupiers have real popular support from their fellow New Yorkers.

Now, the New York Times is reporting that similar occupations are cropping up across the country. We have occupations beginning in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and smaller towns and cities throughout America. Most of the actions, just as in the Middle Eastern rebellions, are being organized and coordinated over Facebook and Twitter. We may be witnessing an American version of the Arab Spring....

One of the best parts about living in or traveling to New York during the summer is the surrounding beaches. You can choose from a variety of playas, ranging from the amusements of Coney Island to the Jersey shore to the beautiful beaches of Long Island. But undoubtedly, for those in the know, the beaches of Fire Island are where it’s at. Read more

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When travelers come to New York City they tend to gravitate toward the famous attractions like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Coney Island, the Carnegie Deli, Radio City Music Hall, and, of course... Read More