Jampa Ling Buddhist Temple, Ireland
The Nose behind the Scents: Secrets of Perfume Making
June 1, 2009
I close my eyes and suddenly I am lying in a dark and dense cypress forest, surrounded by the scent of a man's body and the strong smell of dry wood. I open my eyes; I am standing in a department store. My nose has just taken me on a trip after I smelled the Tom Ford fragrance "Italian Cypress." My travel agent is Mehdi Lisi.
Lisi is a fragrance development manager, whose job is to translate the scents we crave into the fragrances we buy in stores.
He works for International Flavors and Fragrances, one of the world's most prominent makers of fragrances. Teams at the company can replicate the smells of skin – human or animal -- of wood, of a Moroccan spice market, and even the sensual scent that lingers when a woman walks by.
Lisi works at the IFF office on West 57th street in Manhattan. The company takes up three floors of the building. Chemists work in labs, and perfumers and salesmen work together to create and then sell the scents.
In a typical workday, Lisi samples dozens of scents. Companies like Estee Lauder, L’Oreal and Elizabeth Arden approach him with a fragrance idea and he then collaborates with them and the perfumers to create a final product. Lisi’s work consists in artistic direction and it leads him to work for a large spectrum of brands from luxurious companies such as Jo Malone to working for celebrities like Mariah Carey. Click here to read more.
Persecuted in their countries, Gays find refuge in New York
March 30, 2009
Pape M'baye.
As he slowly walks on the stage, the entire room becomes silent. All eyes are focused on him. He is suddenly in the spotlight as he nervously wraps his well-manicured hand around the microphone. He takes a deep breath and gives his most charming smile to the crowd –all white, shiny teeth and stretched pink, glossy lips. He still cannot believe he is here. This is his chance to break into New York’s gay music scene and to put his past behind him.
Tall and thin, he is dressed in a tight white jacket over black jeans and a large sparkling belt. He wears a large white watch, a shiny ring, sparkly necklaces and earrings, and his nails are painted in black.
The room fills up quickly as he starts in French, "Bonsoir tout le monde!" Good evening everybody, and continued in English, "I love the United States."
Then, with the help of a translator, he tells a brief version of his life, "In Senegal, I performed in different places, in nightclubs, weddings, presidential venues. Everyone in Africa knows me." He explained that he had to leave Senegal because of the strong anti-gay sentiments there: "Many want to kill the gays," he said, not going into details. He, too, could have lost his life.
The crowd applauds. And he starts singing in Senegalese as he moves smoothly to the sound of his own soft, feminine voice. The music takes the audience to West Africa and he is their travel agent. The audience claps along. Behind him, on the walls, are pictures of rock stars such as Mike Jagger and Sting. The song he sings is a very traditional Senegalese one. He wrote the lyrics. It’s about his mother, and about how she saved him and protected him in the hardest times.
His name is Pape M’baye. He is 24-years-old. And he is a gay man absconded in America. His November 28 performance marked the beginning of his new life as a gay refugee in the United States, after he had to flee homophobic Senegal in August 2008. Click here to read more.
Hare Krishna Temple Ireland
"Once" star becomes a Hare Krishna
April 1, 2009
Like the character he plays in the Academy-Award winning movie “Once,” Glen Hansard began his career singing with his guitar on the streets of Dublin for small change.
And, as seen in the movie, he sometimes shared the streets with members of the enthusiastic Hare Krishna sect, a group that dances in circles chanting their favorite name of god. But what the movie does not reveal is that Hansard is himself a Hare Krishna follower.
“What I like about Hare Krishnas is that you eat, you dance, and you sing your way to God,” he explained.
Link to article in Irish Central
Click here for PDF of full article
St Joseph Farm, Ireland
Hollywood Funerals, a courtesy of Brooklyn
In a dramatic scene in the memorable 1996 movie "City Hall," Al Pacino, who plays a fierce New York City Mayor, stands in front of a mourning crowd and says, "They warned me. Don't stand behind a coffin when a heart beat is silent and a child lays dead." The immaculate white casket he is pointing to, the beautiful floral arrangements on top of the casket and behind Al Pacino, were meticulously prepared by a real-life Brooklyn funeral director, Alex Marchak.
Since setting up a funeral for "City Hall," he's been preparing fictional funerals for movies and television, while also preparing real ones and supporting people on the hardest days of their lives.
"People used to think it was spooky," he said on the funeral business. "Now, they want to know more about it because they see it on television."
Marchak provided props for countless shows. He worked for the Sopranos for five years and he has done work for numerous other shows. Among them are "Cop Land," he also built an embalming room for "Law and Order," and even supplied them with a funeral home that they used for a special episode entitled "Death." He has helped set up funerals for the soap opera "Guiding Light," and he built a casket for "The Whoopi Goldberg Show."
This Brooklyn native owns the flourishing Herbst Trzaska Waldeck Chapels & Bay Ridge Funeral Home in Dyker Heights, one of the largest funeral homes in southern Brooklyn. He expanded a few years ago by buying three other ones. Click here to read more.
When Will The President Elect Stand by Muslim Americans?
November 23, 2008
Yasmin Dwedar.
On November 4th 2008, Yasmin Dwedar, a young Muslim from Brooklyn, was emotionally watching the acceptance speech of the candidate she had casted her vote for and in whom she had invested all the hope for a better future for her country. The speech, however, left a bittersweet impression on her, as the elected president did not mention Muslims or Arabs as part of this diverse America who voted for what he called “change.”
Muslims throughout America have felt alienated more acutely during this last presidential campaign where attacks and slurs were made against Barack Obama, who was believed by many to be a closeted Muslim because of his middle name, Hussein. Instead of defending the Muslim Community, Obama preferred to play a safe card and dissociated himself from them by saying, “I am Christian.
Dwedar believes that the attacks against Obama, and his responses, are a perfect example of what alienates Muslims from the American mainstream. Click here to read more
Reconciliation in Ireland
Real Estate Crisis Not So Bad in Bay Ridge
The streets of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a multi-cultural neighborhood with some of the oldest communities of immigrants in the city, are full of houses and buildings that have been owned by the same people for decades. While the entire nation is going through one of its most acute and profound real-estate meltdowns, this little town in the southwest of Brooklyn, not far from Wall Street, is holding up well to the crisis.
In much of the rest of country, homes are losing their values and many homeowners are obliged to sell off their properties, but Bay Ridge, a mainly middle-class neighborhood, has managed to remain a relatively strong market, according to several real-estate and mortgage brokers.
“A majority of homeowners have lived in the area for many years,” said Andrew Lathko, a local real-estate broker. “They don’t mind waiting and they are not desperate to sell. If it means waiting six months, they can do it.” Click here to read more.
Iranians Protesting Against the Iranian Government in Front of the UN
October 8, 2008
A group of protesters rallied across the street from the United Nations. Behind them, were billboards that had pictures and dramatic stories of men and women who were horrifically tortured and executed and signs that read “Iran, an immense prison for women.”
Two people dressed in prisoner suits stood behind bars and their suits read PMOI, for People’s Mujahidin of Iran, or Mujahidin-e-khalq in Farsi, a group of Iranian refugees who live in a camp a few miles north from Baghdad that was established in 1986 and grew into a town called Ashraf City. Families and friends of residents of camp Ashraf have been rallying in front of the United Nations every day for 27 days to demand that the United Nations provide solid protection of their loved ones. Click here to read more.
A New York Daily News Reporter May be Forced to Testify
in Nixzaliz Santiago’s Trial
Nixzmary Brown.
October 2, 2008
A New York Daily News article is at the center of a disputed testimony in the trial of Nixzaliz Santiago, accused of murder in the death of her seven-year-old daughter, Nixzmary Brown. A key witness is going to be recalled on the stand tomorrow. The defense attorneys argued that in an interview the witness gave to the New York Daily News in January 2006, five days after the police found the girl murdered, she made declarations that contradicted her testimony in front of the jury, last week.
Judge Di Mango subpoenaed Nicole Bode, the reporter who wrote the Daily News article. In an open court discussion away from the jury, the prosecution argued against the action, saying it would mislead the jury because the reporter was protected by the Shield Laws, which means that Bode cannot be forced to reveal her sources or any information on her newsgathering process. Click here to read more.
Brooklyn Dream Charter School: Not a Dream for Everyone in Bay Ridge
October 1, 2008
Students coming out of the Fort Hamilton School
A proposal for a charter school in Brooklyn has stirred a great deal of controversy among the Bay Ridge community. Parents, teachers, and local officials oppose the proposal because they believe that it will take money that is very much needed by public schools and compete over coveted space in a neighborhood where real-estate is becoming a major problem.
The school is called the Brooklyn Dream charter School. Its founders, who aim to open it in September of 2010, argue that they will serve the community’s best interests by relieving the growing problem of overcrowded schools and offering quality education.
“Something needs to be done because you can’t keep cramming children into schools,” Mark Brown, a resident of Bay Ridge, said. “You have to improve the infrastructure, and you need to do something to alleviate the overcrowding of the schools.” Click here to read more.
When Home Becomes a Dangerous Place
September 30, 2008
A few weeks ago, a Ukrainian woman walked in the office of a social worker in Bensonhurst. She was crying and desperate for help. She was a prisoner in her own home. Her husband had turned her into his slave. He psychologically harassed her, and abused her in many ways. He did not allow her to take English courses or work to make her own money. She did not have any family or friends and she could not communicate in English.
Like many Russian-speaking women, this 39-year-old Ukrainian woman stopped the abuse with the help of Project Nyet (nyet means “no” in Russian). She left her husband shortly after her visit to the Edith and Carl Marx Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst with the help of social worker Olga Vlafova.
The Brooklyn district attorney’s office has launched Project Nyet to fight domestic violence within the fast-growing Russian-speaking community. This program provides emergency services, financial aid, counseling and legal assistance in Russian. The district attorney established it two years ago and it is funded by a grant from the Department of Justice. Project Nyet also provides counseling and emotional support.
Homicide in a Lobby
September 23, 2008
A 19-year-old man was shot to death in the lobby of a building in East Flatbush, police said.
Residents of the building at 68 E. 19th St. heard a series of gunshots at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday night. They said they called police, who arrived quickly at the crime scene. They found the man, identified as Jamel Wisdom, dead in the lobby. At the corner of 19th Street, another man, who remains unidentified, was shot in his leg a few minutes after Wisdom was shot. He was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition, police reported.
The shooting was the result of an argument between two groups of young people, police said.
John Negron, who has lived in the building for 17 years, said a series of gunshots woke him up from his sleep. Click here to read more.
Obama and McCain Discuss Public Service at Columbia University
Students watching the forum at the Columbia Univeristy Campus.
September 11, 2008
On the seventh anniversary of 9/11, the two presidential candidates spoke on public service at the ServiceNation Summit held at Columbia University. While Barack Obama and John McCain were advocating public service, the campus buzzed with excitement as a diverse mix of people were watching the forum outside.
As Secret Services agents were running around campus, students were watching outside on the steps of the Library building the forum on a big screen and they cheered whenever Obama appeared or was even mentioned. Members of the faculty were supervising the event, journalism students were running around to get the best stories, and satellite trucks of the major networks parked outside the school as protesters tried to get their voices heard.
This event was reported from all perspectives by many journalism students at Columbia University who were live-blogging the entire time and provided great elements of what was happening in the school before and during the event. Click here to read more.