Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts

Monday, June 5, 2017

The Weekly Web: Aussie’s in New York, Snowboarding, Photo of The Day


The Weekly Web is a collection of odd little pieces of information with a focus on items from around the world.

Australians in New York City 
I am a great believer in the old travel adage: When in Rome do as the Romans do. However, there are times when you can’t help hankering for the tastes of home. While I am happy to eat pretty much anything whenever and wherever I travel, the one thing I often find myself wishing for is a hot cappuccino made the way only Australian barista’s seem to be able to make them—that is with plenty of froth, hot milk, and a sprinkling of cocoa or chocolate powder.

I have encountered many a barista who has had a good stab at making cappuccino’s the Australian way, but they a generally pale comparisons to what I would call the real thing. Thankfully, when it comes to visiting New York City, this situation is beginning to change. There is a new kid in town—in fact there are several new kids in town—and they seem to be young, Australian, and keen to make their mark on the city’s coffee culture. 

Two Hands Café, New York City
One of those new ‘kids’ is the fast growing Café Grumpy chain, which, as of this moment, now has eight outlets in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and one in Miami! Locations include Greenpoint and Park Slope, Chelsea, the Lower East Side, and Grand Central Terminal.

The Aussie invasion continues with Bluestone Lane, Two Hands Café, Dudley’s, Ruby’s, and Flinders Lane, with more infiltrating the city’s coffee culture faster than you can say, “Starbucks? What Starbucks?” Just Google ‘australian cafes in new york’ to get a sense of where these cafés and restaurants are springing up. For a dedicated caffeine addict like myself, this makes the prospects of finding cappuccino’s just the way I like them during my upcoming trip to New York City that much more enjoyable.

As for all those Australian’s setting up new businesses in the city, I’ll let Gothamist explain:
They’re on the subway, in the beer line at PS1 Warm Up, and holding the elevator for you at your office. Sometimes it feels like Australians are becoming as common in New York as bank branches. You aren't imagining things. In 2005, an American Community Survey taken for the U.S. Census estimated that only 5,537 Australians were residents of New York City. In 2011, the Australian Consulate pegged the number at 20,000, suggesting that the rapid influx of Australians to the city is very real.


My Travel
No, not a film about my own personal travel, but a short film featuring three very accomplished snowboarders, Elias Elhardt, Jason Robison and Victor Daviet; competing in various events at locations as diverse as Mt. Baker, Innsbruck, and the Dolomites.

The Mt. Baker Ski Area is a resort in the northwest United States, located in Whatcom County, Washington, at the end of State Route 542. The base elevation is at 3,500 feet, while the peak of the resort is at 5,089 feet. 
Innsbruck, capital of Austria’s western state of Tyrol, is a city in the Alps that's long been a destination for winter sports. Innsbruck is also known for its Imperial and modern architecture. The Nordkette funicular, with futuristic stations designed by architect Zaha Hadid, climbs up to 2,256m from the city center for skiing in winter and hiking or mountaineering in warmer months.

The Dolomites are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east.
  • Directed by JULIEN MAZARD 
  • Aerial Camera: Christoph Thoresen
  • Music in order of appearance 
  • Midnight / Infinite
  • Scientific / Somniac
  • Shiloh / Morning
  • Araatan / Nymph

Online: http://www.dakine.com | Facebook: facebook.com/dakine

Click on image to view at full size.

Photo of The Day
[Above: A release of water containing high amounts of sediment from the Xiaolangdi Dam in China in July 2012.]
This amazing photo from Getty Images, illustrates an article in the New York Times, A New Formula to Help Tame China’s Yellow River, which, which examines China’s attempts to harness the destructive power of the one river that has as much cultural significance to the Chinese as the Mississippi has to the United States, or the Ganges has to India.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Monday Movie – The Longest Way

Christoph Rehage set out on November 9th, 2007 – his 26th birthday – to walk from the Chinese capital Beijing to Bad Nenndorf in Germany. One year (November 13, 2008) and 4646 kilometres later he ended his walk – still in China – at Urümqi, a couple hundred kilometres shy of the border with Kyrgyzstan.

His website, The Longest Way, documents his walk in great detail, and the film he put together of the walk (embedded below), has received over 1.1 million hits on YouTube.

Christoph states that although you can see images of him sitting on a plane or riding in a boat in the video, those were shot during breaks from walking, “…either to sort out bureaucracy issues or to take care of some personal things.”

A year in the planning, Cristoph writes of the walk that “…getting as far as I got was an experience for which I am very grateful.”

It is interesting to see Rehage’s transformation from a “clean cut, beardless, lean, mean, fighting machine,” into the weather beaten, long-haired, bearded, adventurer he became by the time he ended his mammoth walk.

Christoph Rehage now studies in Berlin, and has no plans to embark on other extended walks. He is however, writing a book about his walk, and while I assume its initial publication will be in German, I would be great to see it translated into English.

Until then, enjoy Rehage’s year-long walk and growing beard via this time lapse video.


More information
Homepage: www.thelongestway.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CRehage
Music: The Kingpins, and Zhu Fengbo.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Three New York City Cultural Institutions

China Institute building in New York City
There is more to New York City than tall buildings, the bright lights of Times Square, and free rides on the Staten Island Ferry. Visitors and locals looking for something on the road less travelled might consider a visit to one of these three cultural institutions, all of which provide year-round programs of lectures, exhibitions and courses that educate, inform and help add something unique to any New York visit.

China Institute
Founded in 1926, the China Institute in America is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution whose stated purpose is:
To promote education and culture in art, literature, science, history, and other subjects among Chinese and Americans, and to cultivate a mutual understanding between China and the United States and the citizens thereof…

It does this by providing scholarships and for other expenses of students studying in the United States, and for the exchange of information and views between Chinese and Americans.

The Institute, located at 125 East 65th Street, encourages a deeper understanding of China through programs, activities, courses and seminars on the visual and performing arts, culture, history, music, philosophy, language and literature. The China Institute is the oldest bi-cultural, non-profit organization in America to focus exclusively on China.

Upcoming Programs & Events
Curator’s Lecture: Blooming in the Shadows
Thursday, September 15, 2011, 6:30 – 8 PM
Kuiyi Shen and Julia Andrews, guest co-curators of the exhibition, will speak about their work on Blooming in the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art, 1974–1985.

Symposium
Saturday, September 17,2011, 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Blooming in the Shadows: Art and Culture at the Dawn of the Post-Mao Era. Renowned scholars and artists will speak on history and law, art history, literature, and performance to contextualize this ground-breaking exhibition.

Art Salon
Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 6:30 – 8 PM
A rare opportunity to meet three of the artists of the No Name Group to discuss their works in the exhibition.

Short Course: Windows to a Culture —The Fascinating Chinese Proverbs II
Tuesdays, November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. 6:30 – 8:30 PM
By popular demand, join us for another session of fascinating lectures by Ben Wang on a specially selected collection of Chinese proverbs.
More Information…

Japan Society (New York)
Japan Society building, New York City
Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that aims to bring the people of Japan and the United States closer together through understanding, appreciation and cooperation. Its mission is: "To bring the people of the United States and Japan closer together in appreciation and understanding of each other, and each other’s way of life."

It does this with a busy program of performances, exhibitions, film screenings, lectures, conferences, courses, seminars, symposia and workshops, all of which occurs at Japan Society's landmark building located near the United Nations at 333 East 47th Street, New York.

Designed by Junzō Yoshimura as the first building in New York of modern Japanese architecture and opened in 1971, the elegant structure with its distinctive facade features a three-story indoor bamboo water garden, a 262-seat theater, art gallery, library, conference and administration facilities, and the world renowned Toyota Language Center.

Toyota Language Center
Beginning in 1972 with a single class, the Toyota Language Center has grown into one of the most respected learning resources in the nation for the study of Japanese language, offering comprehensive levels of Japanese as well as a variety of advanced and specialized courses, workshops and conversation classes. In 2005-2006 over 2,000 students were enrolled in 165 classes.

The C.V. Starr Library
Japan Society's C.V. Starr Library contains roughly 14,000 volumes (primarily in English), offering Society members a comprehensive resource for information on Japanese art, history, culture, society, politics, religion and many other subjects.

Upcoming Programs & Events
Exhibition: Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers
Friday, September 16 — Sunday, December 18
Moving far beyond traditional utility, Japan's textile pioneers fuse past and present to create innovative, beautiful and sometimes challenging works of art.

Japan's Beer Revolution: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Japanese Craft Brewing
Wednesday, October 5, 6 PM
Thanks to Japanese craftsmanship, gourmet ingredients and attention to quality, craft beer in Japan has recently experienced a revolution.

Nintendo: What's Next for the House of Mario?
Thursday, October 6, 6:30 PM
Has a change in the industry toward lower-priced games for smartphones or tablets caught Nintendo flat-footed or will one of Japan's greatest corporations again find its way?
More information…

The Korea Society
Korea Society located on 8th floor of this 950 Third Avenue building
Like it Asian neighbours mentioned above, the Korea Society, at 950 Third Ave, New York, is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization dedicated solely to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea. In pursuit of its mission, the Society arranges programs that facilitate discussion, exchanges and research on topics of vital interest to both countries in the areas of public policy, business, education, intercultural relations and the arts.

In 2006, The Korea Society became the official organizing body for the annual New York Korean Film Festival. Operating since 2001, the New York Korean Film Festival has become the largest showcase of Korean-made films in North America.

Upcoming Programs & Events
Korea for Beginners - Summer 2011
This series of workshops for educators, immerses participants in Korean language, history, religion, literature, film, politics, and pop culture, as well as the global tensions surrounding North Korea.

A Taste of The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen
Join The Korea Society in welcoming Marja Vongerichten, star of the new PBS series Kimchi Chonicles, and wife of famed chef Jean-Georges, as she cooks and shares recipes from her newly released cookbook, The Kimchi Chronicles.

Minhwa: Korean Folk Painting Workshop
Minhwa commonly refers to a genre of Korean folk art from the late Chosŏn era (17th–19th C.). Based on Shamanic, Buddhist, or Confucian themes, Minhwa, as a popular form, conveys freshness and vitality in a relaxed ambiance.

The Writings of Lee UFan
The Korea Society presents the writings of celebrated artist, poet, and philosopher Lee UFan, in conjunction with the Guggenheim Museum's retrospective exhibition, Lee UFan: Marking Infinity (June 24-September 28, 2011).

More information…
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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Chinese Bicycle Acrobatics

I've never been to China, but it is on my list - along with the rest of the world! The Chinese are famous for many things, not the least of which are their amazing acrobats as the following except from an acrobatics display shows. I can't even imagine the hours and hours of practice that must go into routines like the one seen here.


Did I say hours? Try years. A lot of them.


Enjoy...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sunday Supplement 03

~ Translate This: English speaking tourists to China often laugh at signs that are poorly translated into English.


The signs in turn have given rise to websites dedicated to the funny and sometimes surprising translations.


Now however, Shanghai is apparently taking steps to make the signs more grammatically correct. To that end, officials in the city have assembled a team of volunteers who will check signs, and report incorrect translations to the authorities. The signs will then have to be removed and/or corrected. Read more here…


Photo courtesy of Karuna Murdaya.

Found in China.


Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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