Articulo completo aqui.

St. John’s has will open its new Rome Campus Friday October 10^th. The new campus is a full city block and is only few steps away from Vatican City.  Read the article here. 

This weekend is Homecoming Weekend so if your looking for something look no further than the campus gates. Some homecoming festivities include:

Wednesday, October 8th

I Love STJ Fest: Student Appreciation Day   
Marillac Terrace A, 11am-1:30pm
Co-sponsored by Student Programming Board (SPB) and Student Life/Campus 
Activities
 

Thursday, October 9th
Homecoming Talent Show 
Marillac Auditorium, 9pm-11pm
Co-sponsored by Residence Life and Student Life/Campus Activities
 

Saturday, October 11th

Columbus Weekend Tailgating Party
Belson Stadium, 5:00pm-7:00pm 
Co-sponsored by Alumni Relations and Student Life/Campus Activities

Men's Soccer vs. Villanova
Belson Stadium, 7:30pm
Sponsored by Athletics

Casino Night 
Marillac Terrace A, B, & C, 8:00pm-11:00pm
Co-sponsored by Campus Recreation and Student Life/Student Development  

See the full list here.

-Jose Silva

Julian Lesser wants to be interesting and compelling. Revealing but not too revealing. He wants for his work to be worth something. But not just in a ledger. This Astoria-based artist has a gift. He's modest but not shy when it comes to his art. His acclaimed collection, "Future Gardens and Other Destinations" recently opened in Upstate New York. Some of the same work will be descending on SoHo in

December. He's no stranger to experimentation. He likes a good challenge. He thinks of New York as home. But to Lesser, life is fragmented. To Lesser, we are all ripped apart inside by ideas and emotions. And when the Molecule recently asked the young painter to bring us in a little bit closer to his art, we found a bit more in the process.

UM: What was a typical "day in the life" at the Lesser homestead growing up?

JL: Good question. It changed from day to day. Things would be normal for some time and then they’d completely get out of hand. When it was normal it was nice. Our family was very safe, very loving. We enjoyed cooking together, traveling and learning together. My mom is an artist as well. When I was a boy I would spend time drawing and painting in her studio. She always encouraged my creativity. Like I said, the good times were good. And then there were the bad times. Difficult. Stressful. There were times when we were in financial crisis and had to move from where we lived. Times my parents weren’t happily married and my brother and I were forced to weather the storms from the sidelines.

UM: How has living in New York affected your art?

JL: Living in NYC has made me realize that I was meant to make art. I grew up in Westchester and went to school in the Hudson Valley, which has a very vibrant artistic community. I was able to focus on my art in the mountains of New Paltz. Then I moved to NYC after graduating from college. I engaged my art in the city while finding a way to survive. I often wished I could quit everything and just paint, but quickly realized the city wasn’t supportive of my kind.

In a sense I’ve always lived in NYC. We would often come to see family or do other things, so I felt like a New Yorker early on. The city inspires me. Not only my art, but my drive. Every day is inspiring and challenging. Every day is a day to create something new, to strive to be bigger, better, stronger. New York City makes you want to succeed. You can’t be passive in any way. It’s fast and rough, and makes you explore your motives and inspirations and goals, your soul.

UM: More and more creative types are relocating to Astoria. How is it living in Queens as an artist?

JL: There is so much energy, very much like the energy you find in the city. And it’s very close – a quick train ride – so I don’t feel like I’m missing parts of the art community. But being here gives me peace and quiet too. There’s also a sense of community you might not find in Manhattan. It allows me the space I need without worrying about whether or not I can afford to eat. It’s ideal here. I get the space I need to create my work and I’m slightly removed from the social distractions of the city, so I’m not always tempted by sex or partying. Well, I still do get distracted sometimes. I’m not a prude. Besides, some of those city activities are part of my inspiration.

UM: What comes to mind when I say the word "bodies"?

JL: Bodies of water. Bodies of land. Collections. Mass groupings of a particular thing. The human body, which in itself is a massive collection of cells and neurons. Bodies are collections, groupings, families. Bodies…it’s really a huge word that can relate to so many things. It relates to my work, I think. It’s an overview of a larger picture, an umbrella with thousands of layers below it. My work is a final image with thousands of layers, ideas and emotions below it, peeking through and lying underneath. A body of work, bodies of work…it’s a very artful term.

UM: Your work has taken several turns with respect to media. Ink, acrylic, mixed. Is there a clear progression? Introduce us to your personal artistic evolution.

JL: [sighs] I’m an experimenter. I love to try new things. I feel like I’m at a place where it’s working, like I don’t have to experiment with materials as much, but now I can focus more on content. My multimedia work comes from the need to create a history and substance. The textures. The layers. I have a process where I create layers and history first, then work with my content. Painting without exploring is of no interest to me. My paintings are journeys, small adventures. Still life is of no interest to me. I’m more interested in creating a history or finding a problem, then figuring out how to visually resolve them in a painting.

UM: You recently had a successful opening in upstate New York.

JL: The opening was great! The show had 51 pieces in it, my largest show ever. I created the body of work over the course of 3 to 4 months. Friends, family, art buyers and others came. I sold 12 pieces opening night. I hope the show continues to sell. It’s showing through November 2nd. I dedicated the show to my nephew, Nathaniel Lesser, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 4 months back in early July. Whenever I got tired I remembered what, who I was working for. He was my motivation.

UM: You have a show coming up in SOHO.

JL: The show is at Bobby Berk Gallery. Bobby and I have been acquaintances for many years. We know a lot of the same people and share many friends. He has always had an interest in my art but didn’t have a space until early this year. It wasn’t until recently that he decided that my work would suit his space. He invited me to show a past collection of my work – it’s actually there now. He loved my new work and thought it would look great in the space. Of course I agreed.

We’ve grown our friendship and developed a business partnership, promoting his space and showing my work. The opening is December 11. The show is called “Escaping Manhattan: Future Gardens and Other Destinations Continued.” It will be some of the work from my most recent exhibition, “Future Gardens and Other Destinations,” as well as additional work I will complete over the next few months. I’m very excited about it.

UM: You were recently almost set on fire.

JL: Yes I was. Two cars in front of my apartment were parked next to a heaping pile of garbage on the curb. The blaze was bright and crackling and woke me up. I’m lucky one of those cars didn’t explode. I sleep naked so I would have really been fucked if fire had come through the window, or if I had to leave my apartment in a hurry. Since then I’ve been sleeping in shorts.

UM: In “Future Gardens” you fuse city structures with organic images.

JL: The collection is about traveling to cities, gardens and other landscapes. It’s about escaping New York and finding more. Of course I can’t leave right now…there’s too much going on. So, I decided to take a trip in my mind, to create my own adventures. While doing that I’ve found time to relax and reflect in my studio, or on the subway, or in Central Park. I made these paintings all over the city.

UM: Many of your human figures appear fractured. How did this style originate?

JL: As most of my work originates, without initial intention. This started with sketches and spills that were uncontrollable. But it felt right. Soon I realized it was a way to show self-reflection. To show all the sides of the people I was portraying. We are all fragmented, scattered, ripped apart inside by what we want versus what we need; what is right and what is wrong; how we feel versus what we think.  The fragmented figures represent the daily internal and external struggles each and every one of us goes through as humans.

UM: What's next?

JL: What's next? Ha! Make more art. Keep exploring this crazy, overwhelming inspiring world we live in. There is no next except this! This is what I must do: self-explore. Try to figure out the way we all fit together. Do I make a difference? Do any of us make a difference? What’s the point of being here if you aren’t going to contribute in the best, most eager way you know how? We all must do our part to contribute whatever it is we have to offer the world, to make a difference. To inspire each other. To make this existence worth a damn.

First off, York never responded to emails during the week about whether or not they had a phone line for us.  So we had a cell phone for back up.  Saturday get a call 40 minutes before the game from Matt Bisson our play by play guy.  There is a phone line, but INCOMING calls only.

What's the problem with Incoming only?  Long distance charges.  Queen's phone set up doesn't allow for LD calls without using a phone card.  Offices are locked so I had to run to a corner store and buy a long distance phone card myself.  Jogging over thinking "this is not a good start to the broadcast".

Got back at 12:40pm so no problem there.  I did have the programmer before the game play a Great Big Sea CD while I was gone to fill something on air.  Got to keep the East Coast Music going.

So I got the phone card.  Matt was setup outdoors with some bees around during the game, thanks York for not letting us in the press box.  I'd say Karma got back at York with an 80-0 loss didn't it?

Things are OK for the rest of the game?  Oh no.

In the 1st quarter the line all of a sudden drops.  So off to a commercial break then I explain "tech. problems" and play some muic.  Thought it was the phone line so I phone back 3 times but nothing.  Phone the cell phone to see what's happening.  The Zircom box where the headsets plug into.... stopped working.  It won't power on.  Uh oh.

We figured out that I could give him the Phone Card information.  Then he can phone me on the cell to get him back on air.  Cheaper to make a local call with the cell in Toronto then won't get hit for LD charges on a cell phone.  Which meant the rest of the first half was a broadcast of a his cell phone.

Did I mention I had two brand new volunteers with me during the game?  I'm showing them how the broadcast works and they get this game.  And I'm the one going to put them on the radio for the first time ever at halftime.  Other than that a normal day at the station.

Got them to read some out of town scores.  Would've just had them read it off the computer in the studio. But.... you know how this day is going.  The computer couldn't connect to the network or internet!  Out of all days.  The other computers at the station were fine, so I got one of them to go and write down some scores.

Finally some good luck at halftime.  I phone Matt and the Zircom box all of a sudden powered up again.  So I phone him on that and the 2nd half runs smoothly.  No problems at all the rest of the game.  END SCENE.

The Shangri-Las are awesome.

These two pictures were taken last Monday at Jennifer's Aunt and Uncles apartment in Forest hills Queens. in the first picture is the host Aunt Terri along with her granddaughter Sara, Jacob and myself. In the second picture was Sara's Daddy, Tal, Jacob and Jennifer. Jacob and Sara are second cousins and they were the main attractions at the Rosh Hashanna dinner. (Well, maybe I'm am just a prejudice Dad but Grandpa Kenny can attest to that as well)

Today is Saturday and we are going to Hampton Bays for the weekend. Amy and Ilan are going to be there as well as Ilan's sister and her two children. To my knowledge we have a fun filled packed weekend ahead of us in that we are going to:

1. sit by the fireplace and make smores
2. take a ride out east tomorrow to pick apples and pumpkins
3. go wine tasting since Ilan will be here
4. breakfast at Hampton Maid

These days the peanut is becoming so aware of the world around him. He hasn't been banging pots and pans or going through our underwear drawer just yet but he is grabbing my face and basically trying to maul off my glasses. This peanut has an abundance amount of energy and I can't wait until I am able to take him to the park and see him run around all over the place.

When it comes to passing on my sense of humor to the Peanut and using him as a form of entertainment, I've come to accept that when push comes to shove, I'm going to go with funny every single time.

Anyway, I mention all of this because Mommy and I have recently been discussing Halloween costumes for the Peanut. I know Mommy and she probably wants Jacob in something cute and conservative but I was thinking is it to early to have him dress up as Alex from "A Clockwork Orange"?

read more | digg story

The Beatnuts - Watch Out Now

Krs One - The Bridge Is Over

Like most New Yorkers, we use the New York Subway system to get around

In fact, take a little trip with me from my home in the borough of Queens to the Creative Arts Team's offices in the borough of Manhattan.

Leaving the apartment early in the morning.

 Walking though the neighborhood to the subway.

The subway - though in this case it would be more accurate to call it the "El" as in the elevated. (And yes, that would be my shadow)

In Midtown Manhattan

Exiting at Herald Square. Check out the view down 6th Avenue. The Empire State Building. Up 6th Avenue.

Wow, time flies when you’re on drugs. At least I think that’s the case for my opioid addict boss, Hundo, who didn’t realize that it was no longer August. He was blind-sided by the Jewish New Year and took off for the holiday, leaving me a few work days without visiting every Duane Reade in the city. Happy New Year!

I haven’t behaved much better than (allegedly) Hundo has, with my alcoholism lapsing into black outs all over the city. Thus the lack of updates, time for both blackouts and recovery is all my social calendar can handle.

About a week ago I cleared time in my social calendar to meet with Georgia Ann, Times Square and a few other friends that I’d been neglecting. We all met at El Rey Del Sol on 14th and enjoyed ourselves, along with a pitcher of margaritas. Part way through the evening we began to notice that the seasons were slowly changing from summer to fall, that we’re all becoming more accustomed to the city, and that the guys sitting behind me were very attractive.

Ten minutes later I had become BFF with Carlos and whatever the other guy’s name was, and found my conversation at their table leading very promising places. My gaggle of friends decided to move on to Flannery’s (love it) and I decided to stick around for ten more minutes and a cigarette (which is practically unveiled code for “let me seal the deal first”).

The next thing I know, its 6:30 in the morning and I’m on the E train in Queens. No cell phone, no iPod, and no idea how this all happened.

After only an hour and a half of sleep in Harlem, the Harem awakens me and informs me that moving day is upon us, just like autumn weather and the winter of my discontent. I pushed through a brutal headache and managed to drag my roomies belongings down the steps of our fifth floor walk-up and into the moving truck before nearly passing out on a subway train to our new home in Brooklyn. Unfortunately surviving one headache meant sucumbing to a new one- Straight Boyfriend’s bed was too big for our staircase and could not be pushed up the one flight of steps into our new (huge and awesome) apartment.

There was a brief moment when I pulled the box springs over my head that I worried I might faint, but when Straight Boyfriend literally threw his bed and I caught it by the loose fabric and pulled it over our second story balcony everything turned out ok. Then I immediately collapsed on our new couch, physically exhausted from moving and mentally not quite sure what happened the evening before.

Eventually the clues fell into place- my friends had called all night because I had simply disappeared (though I lost my phone and couldn’t call them), my hangover never included the slightest twinge of nausea, my memory lapsed for an epic 8 hour span, my bar tab never increased during the night, and I only had two drinks of the margaritas…. at 9 pm! That does not explain feeling entirely out of your own body at noon the next day.

Too confused and perturbed to venture out on Saturday, I chatted with a friend over mimosas and goat-cheese omlettes about my night. The conclusion: rohypnol. Perhaps GHB. Either way, fantastic.

Less than a year in a city and I already can’t remember the boys I’m going home with.

Jokes aside, the entire event does shake your confidence. Nothing of the evening was out of the ordinary, nothing incredibly dangerous or unwise, just incredibly bad luck and the complete ignorance/naivety of a midwesterner attempting to meet new people and have some margaritas. The strange marks on my arm have healed, I’ve retrieved my phone after a lengthy time out of touch, and my friends have forgiven me for disappearing. I have all my money, I am disease free, I was not forced to ingest anything illegal, and I wasn’t sold into black market slavery (that would RUIN my night). I am pretty lucky for all of that, though. The next few weeks have brought a sense of normalty, and the new apartment is coming along nicely. I’m *this close* to buying a real bed! Party.

It’s a shame for the boys though, I would’ve spent the night without the drugs. Bummer.

[everything it seems i like is a little bit sweeter, a little bit fatter, a little bit harmful for me]

This is a hip-hop nerd post.

The song featured here is one of those "you had to be there" records.

"Understand Me Vanessa" by Queens rapper Anttex was a semi-hit in the streets of NYC in the very early '90s. If you weren't going to parties in Queens church basements in 1990, you probably won't know this record. If you did though, right now I just got a healthy "Oh Shit" from you.

I had another weird 12" from him that came out a few years later on Tuff City called, "The Corner." That was dope as hell too.

I'm not mad at Anttex

Bohemian Beer Garden, Astoria - Saturday, October 4th (after the Ranger Game - 3PM) & Sunday, October 5th, 2008, starting at noon

Zum Schneider - through Okbober 12th. Sat/Sun starts at 1pm.

Lorely - Festivities until Octover 5th.
7 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002, 212 253 7077

Killmeyer Old Bravarian Inn
Sunday: 9th Oktoberfest Beer Tasting/Pig Roast
4254 Arthur Kill Rd
Staten Island, New York. 10309

Black Forest Brew Haus - Going on until the 12th. They have a beer garden all year, and they are having specialty beers, food and live bands for the fest.

Koenig's - Wednesdays in October are Buffet night with German short ribs, roulade of beef with spaetzel, sauerbraten w/ red cabbage and potato dumplings, pork schnitzel, and much more. Five bucks for a brew and keep the mug.
86 S. Tyson Ave, Floral Park, NY 516-354-2300

Likely, but unconfirmed Oktoberfests:
Lederhosen -German Wurst & Bierhau
39 Grove Street NY 10014 USA. Ph: 212 -2067691
Hallo Berlin Restaurant
Klee Brasserie
Heidelberg Restaurant

Links:
NY1 News Video

Oktoberfest wiki
Zum Schneider
Black Forest Brew Haus
Klee Brasserie - possible Oktfest
Heidelberg Restaurant - possible Oktfest
Yelp Help thread

"Stick to Ya Gunz" off of the 1995 "Firing Squad" album is classic rugged neva smoov M.O.P. boom bap, produced by the king Dj Premier and with a final Verse from Kool G. Rap, don't get no better than this. 

Statik Selektah featuring M.O.P. and Jadakiss "For the City" off of Statik Selektah's upcoming sophmore release "Stick 2 the Script" 

written: 11/25/2007

Like the sea, I both fear and respect it.

Breakdown's been having their going-out-of-business sale for years. Maybe it's the sense of urgency marketing that they seem to unknowingly employ. As I write this, I'm wondering "are they still around? were they serious?? "

This record store is dangerous. A recovering addict myself, the process of record collecting is thorough by the eyes and fingers, straining on the knees, draining on the wallet and seldomly rewarding. And you keep on looking for the one. The one is usually found in a virgin collection. One untouched by other collectors' dirty little fingers. These can easily be identified by a beatles records, an early Dylan, a Velvet Underground or a Coltrane - all for the standard $1-2 bulk price tag. At every collection I encounter, it's not an option to skip a record until you are sure it's lost its virginity a long time ago; usually then surrounded by the ubiquitous Streisand, Kennedy's inaugural address, showtunes and other post-electric pre-60s).

As for Breakdown, it may be impossible to sift through every record in the store. There are about 100,000 records on the shelves for 2 dollars each. Now, these arent virgin collections, their best are sold on ebay - but you will probably find any popular artist currently on the radio on their shelves.

Last time I went, I found 50. That was me on my way to a mission of collecting the LPs of rolling stone magazine's top 500 albums of all-time... (aborted).

I shouldn't even be thinking about Breakdown now. This review must be stopped before I get the urge.

The bakery shut down in 1965, and Keebler has since taken over the Sunshine crackers brand. But the old factory is still there; it's that giant 10-story structure with IDCNY (International Design Center of New York) emblazoned on the roof, now used as a furniture design showroom.

The New York Mets have failed to make the NL playoffs for the second year in a row. I know, SHOCKING isn't it!? For a team with the fourth highest payroll in the league, you'd think they'd have the tools to not only make the playoffs, but be competing for a National League Championship. If you're a New York Mets executive, however, you're in luck! It just so happens that I, a man with no Major League managing experience, have some innovative ideas for your organization. Maybe next year you can try these tactics to turn a good regular season team, into a dominating playoff team.

How can the Mets turn things around next year? Listen up Mr. Met, GM Dunn can help:

1. Ya know that pitcher from Minnesota? The Santana kid? Yeah, yeah, "Black Magic Woman" is a great song, but let's focus on baseball for a minute. Sign Johan and sign him now! I don't care how much it will cost, $100 mil, $200 mil, just do it. Guarantee him something obnoxious like $137 million. Make him the highest paid pitcher in history, he is a one way ticket to the NLDS. Say what now? You did what? You signed Santana to a record breaking $151 million contract in February? Allllrright then. Well, try this. This ALWAYS works....
2. If you're unsatisfied with your manager two months into the season, just call him up and let him know the organization is moving forward without him. (Make sure you call after 3:00am, it really catches them off guard and they can't argue when they're still sleeping.) What's that? You tried that EXACT same thing this year and it didn't work? Yikes! Well.............you guys are just fucked.