Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A Warrior of Light By Lauri Lyons As a person born after the signing of the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, I was not a witness to the loud calls for justice that took place in the United States during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Like many generations that followed, my knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. primarily came from what I was taught in school and from archival film clips of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington. With that rote knowledge, I, like many others felt that I had a good idea of who Dr. King was and what he stood for. My idea of him was a noble, calm, and well-spoken civil rights leader. Indeed, he was all of those things, but he was also so much more. He was fire, brimstone, determination, strategy, and human. Reflecting on his life and career, he was an individual who willingly became a foot soldier for equality, during a Vesuvian explosion of cultural, political and social change. This period of time in American history could easily be classified as the rebirth of a nation. MLK’s most daring acts of faith were his strategical acts of nonviolence. His stance to fight physical power with soul power was and still is, a radical choice of weapons. At a time when black people were not legally guaranteed basic human rights in the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. had the audacity to demand that America be true to its commitments on paper, as was written in the Declaration of Independence and...
Italian Design Open House The Entryways of Milan By Lauri Lyons Throughout the centuries Milan has always been a city renowned as a crossroads for design and culture. Nestled between France, Austria, the sea and mountains, Milan has a distinct flavor that sets it apart from its European counterparts. However, Milan has kept much of its beauty behind an industrial facade that hides its artistic interiors and lush gardens. Now, an Italian design open house is available at the touch of our fingertips. With the publication of Entryways of Milan – Ingressi di Milano (Taschen) people are finally getting a glimpse into the sublime entrance halls of Milan’s public buildings and private residences. The book’s editor, Karl Koblitz grew up in Berlin and was inspired to explore built environments and how they shape our daily lives. While working on this book he migrated from door to door, to gain access to spaces overlooked by the general public and design world. The book features a stunning array of 144 of Milan’s most artistic entrance halls and architectural configurations that define Italian Modernism from the 1920’s – 1970’s. The photographs juxtapose elements of stone, geometry, and murals that contain a symphony of hues that shift from cool earth tones to vibrant bursts of technicolor. Entryways Milan is not only a visual homage to interior design, but it also serves as a detailed City Guide of Milanese architecture that includes the address of each featured location and essays by renowned Italian architects Gio Ponti and Piero Portaluppi. If you love all things Italian or have a fetish for design, step into la...
Travel Like A Rock Star Tina Farris Tour Manager Interview by Lauri Lyons Tina Farris travels like a rock star with some of today’s most popular entertainers. As the owner of Tina Farris Tours she is the tour manager of your favorite bands. We check in with Tina to learn her behind the scenes journey from being a fan to becoming the boss. Where are you from? Tina Farris: I’m a Cali girl. I was born on a now defunct Army Base in Monterey, CA and raised in Sacramento. Did you have another career before becoming a tour manager? I was a French teacher at Compton High School in Compton, Ca. Linguistics are super interesting and of course it helps to get you out of trouble. I also taught Leadership and Spanish. What inspired you to get into the tour management business? I was a fan of The Roots. I used to follow them around the world when school wasn’t in session. Then one day they were like….”Just hang out.” What makes you say “Yes” or “No” to managing a tour? The Artist and length of the tour. What is your pre-preparation for a tour? I do routing, meaning the mileage to see if it’s a bus tour or flights. I do a budget. I work in tandem with my Production Manager to get day of show times, so I can plan the transportation. I book hotels depending on the budget of group. I book ground, food, extracurricular activities…basically life on the road for myself plus 20 additional people at any given time. What does your “typical” day on the...
Jamming With Jamaican Rastas Adventures with the Legends of Reggae By David Tesinsky David Tesinsky is a Czech photojournalist who focuses on exploring global subcultures. His never ending search for the unique and authentic finally landed him in Jamaica, where he went searching for the people who follow the Rastafarian way, in the hills, in the streets and inna di yards. I went to Jamaica in search of real Rastafarians and the living legends of roots reggae and dub music. If you’re a foreigner it’s not easy to meet the real Rastas in the streets, because every other person with dreadlocks says, “I’m a Rasta!”. A “Roots Rasta” should not drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, eat meat or chase money. Rasta is not about having dreadlocks. A rasta could be hairless but truly follows the paths of Haile Selassie. Rastas believe all of us have a connection with the universe. One Rastaman told me, “We are all part of one dread”. Although many people told me, “Kingston is dangerous for a white guy”. I had quite a good experience during my 45 days there. I rode my bike day and night around Kingston’s ghettos. I did get caught by the police with a higher amount of weed than tolerated, and a man ripped my wallet out of my hand, but I took it back very fast. In general, I had a good experience - in my own way. Music is very important to Jamaicans. There are sound systems in the streets, and very often they overlap each other, so you will find yourself listening to dancehall and dub at the...
Swiss Bank Account Secrets A History of Money, Scandals, and Privilege By D. Tasche Switzerland is a Central European country that is renowned for its impeccable Alpine mountains, lakes, watches and chocolate. The country is also famous for being a global financial capital with a long history of great secrecy, influence and wealth. Learn how you may be able to turn your Swiss bank account fantasy into a reality, as long as you play by the rules. How did the Swiss banking industry get started? During the late 15th and early 16th centuries, many Reformation Protestants (Christians) moved to Switzerland to find refuge from the Catholic Church. They didn’t view collecting interest on money as a sin, so that was the time modern banking started. For example, you could deposit your gold in the bank, as opposed to just doing barter with the money you have in my bank, you could receive credit from the other business classes, and you could start generating money. Whatever you didn’t need I could charge interest on it or I could start lending it out for other purposes and other business ventures. The next step after charging interest was the management or investment portion of banking. That was the start of wealth management. The Swiss started this business in large part because of the their commercial privilege of being located on the best trading routes between Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, as well as being able to control the passageways through the Alps, which provided access into Italy and Southern France. Geneva is primarily where most of the private banking started. As a...
Emilie Baltz’s Food Utopia Let Them Eat Travel Cake! Interview by Mackenzie Lowry Emilie Baltz is everything. She is a well seasoned traveling Food Designer, with a multitude of former professional lives that includes being the Creative Director for The Museum of Sex, Founder of the Food Design Studio at the Pratt Institute, a dancer, and photographer. Whether it’s a meal celebrated together or spent with a book, that is the focus of Emilie Baltz. Her passion for food is the center of our early morning meeting as we sit and sip on green, foamy Matcha Lattes. This unusual drink is made of a very finely ground powder of a particular strain of green tea, and is often the center of Japanese tea ceremonies. It is the perfect elixir for listening to her tales about an eclectic life. The first thing I saw when I went on your website is that you believe in unicorns, so I’m wondering where that came from? Emilie Baltz: Well, the truth of it is, it comes from a couple places. One, I’ve always felt like I didn’t fit anywhere and there always is a belief and disbelief. Can you have a life that you make of your own that’s of your own magic? And that’s basically what the question is. For most of existence, it’s like, do dreams come true and are fantasies real? So, believing in unicorns is kind of what that’s about. I would rather choose to believe than not – so I would rather choose to believe that dreams can come true and that myths are real. I also had...
Women Slacklining The World Faith Dickey Is a Woman On the Wire By Mackenzie Lowry Faith Dickey has set the world records for highest free-solo slackline ever completed by a woman. Only thin air stands between the line and the ground. There’s no net, no harness, nothing to catch a fall. It’s just a single human body, breathing, maintaining mindfulness, and hopefully keeping balance across the line. What made you first decide to try the slacklining? I tried it because of a friend of mine had done it before. I never dreamed I would be highlining. I went to Europe to travel and met some guys who were doing it in the mountains, so I tried it and that’s what really ignited my passion. Did you wear a harness at that time? Yes, I wore a leash and a harness but it was so scary. I was probably 60 feet high, but it was such a foreign experience. My whole body was shaking and resisting. I was sitting on the line trying to stand up and it was like my body wouldn’t even listen to me. You may fall four feet below the line and you’re dangling from a rope. You have to climb back up the rope and get back on the line. Once you walk one highline you can’t stop. Do you always slackline barefoot? I prefer barefoot, the majority of slackliners and highliners walk with no shoes. It’s better because you can feel the line. The line is only one inch wide so it’s really nice to center it under your foot. It provides good friction....
Brian Mazza’s NY City Guide A Hospitality Guru Serves Up the High Life Manhattan’s man about town and hospitality and fitness guru, Brian Mazza, has built a long standing reputation for owning and operating many of New York’s finest hot spots. When he’s not on the glamorous job you can catch him working out and exploring his favorite New York locations. Now you can follow in Brian’s footsteps from Soho to the Hamptons with his curated NYC City Guide. BRIAN MAZZA’S ‘A’ LIST NEW YORK CITY GUIDE ● Restaurant ~ All of our Paige Hospitality Group restaurants are some of my favorite places to be in NYC- even when I’m not working. The Ainsworth’s, The Chester + Southampton Social Club. Pepe Rosso is also one of my go-to’s. ● Cafe or Bar ~ I love Soho House in the Meatpacking District. ● Hotel ~ My absolute favorite is The Four Seasons. Their service is impeccable and the rooms are beautiful, as are the views of Central Park. ● Shops ~ Bergdorfs Mens. ● Art Space ~ Gagosian Gallery which is walking distance from my apartment. Their exhibitions are always captivating. ● Outdoor space ~ Pier 40’s soccer field, Madison Square Park. ● Wellness Center ~ Tone House is my favorite workout facility in the world. ● Leisure Experience ~ Hanging out in my Chelsea neighborhood with my wife and...
Antonio Sánchez Interview by Lauri Lyons Four time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sánchez is one of the most sought after drummers in the international jazz scene. Antonio created the original film score for the Oscar winning film “Birdman”, starring Michael Keaton. ...
