January 2012
21 posts
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Where Do We Go Now? Nadine Labaki Knows... →
Where Do We Go Now? would have pushed the envelope (pardon the pun) for the Oscars, as a film made by a woman during a particularly lean year for women filmmaker, but also for its subject matter. Ultimately, Labaki’s latest is about the vital role women play in solving the problems that men create, and teaches how we could all learn to get along if we only took the time to walk a few steps...
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Ian Cheney's The City Dark: Why We Need the Night... →
Italian researchers recently announced that two-thirds of all humans now live under skies polluted by artificial lights. As a New Yorker, I know I haven’t seen more than a handful of stars on any given night and the sad thing is, I didn’t remember what I was missing until I watched The City Dark.
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A Separation begins winning journey to the Oscars!... →
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Il Volto del Coraggio: Una Intervista Esclusiva... →
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“Mediocrity is like a spot on your shirt, it never comes off” Murakami
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Author Roberto Saviano on the Huffington Post →
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The Face of Courage: An Exclusive Interview with... →
On October 13th, 2006, while on a train from Pordenone to Naples, Roberto Saviano received a phone call that changed his life. It was the Italian Carabinieri, informing him that “there had been a series of disclosures by repented criminals, as well as intercepted phone calls that, once analyzed, made it clear I was to be eliminated” he calmly reveals.
Read this interview on the...
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Kanwal’s Healthy Corner: New Year, Same... →
The key to keeping up your new year’s resolution is patience. Have you noticed that in the beginning of the year the gym is packed for the first week, then dies down by the second week? This is because most people have lost patience and do not keep up their healthy lifestyle long enough to see a change. No change = discouragement = failure. I’d like you to change this equation to make change =...
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6 For the New Year →
To those who are my Facebook friends, well you already know there will be no resolutions made this year. Even if the Babylonians invented them… Personally, I’ve done away with the past and look forward to the future and that’s plenty of resolve for me.
But lets try out a couple of New Year’s traditions from around the world on for size and good luck. A little bit of luck can’t ever hurt, can...
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Why A Separation Will Win This Year's Best Foreign... →
I typically shy away from making broad, bold statements. And the Shortlist for the Academy Awards hasn’t even been announced, so I am definitely putting the cart ahead of the horse. But when I first watched Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation at this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival, I felt the film was destined for the golden statuette, and for all the quintessential reasons why films...
December 2011
15 posts
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Nutella Hot Chocolate →
I’m enamored with the Gianduja Hot Chocolate from Eataly, you know the big guy’s place in Chelsea, half marketplace, half eatery, WHOLE deliciousness… Anyway, I knew I had to concoct something similar, but also super easy, at home. I found a recipe for a Nutella Hot Chocolate online and added my own twist — dark chocolate shavings to give it more texture. Check it out, try it out and give me your...
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A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree = Perfection! →
I love Christmas and the holiday just isn’t the same if I can’t decorate a tree. But these days, who has time to spend all of Christmas eve putting ornaments on a six foot fir, when my NYC apartment can look just as “festivus” with a little Charlie Brown tree and a few mini ornaments?!
So, I searched and searched around my ‘hood and was coming up with a lot of cute tree vendors but all quoting...
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Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives’ Martinis… Yeah, That’s... →
On a recent fall outing with a favorite friend, I enjoyed a fabulous plate of blue cheese stuffed olives, which were supposed to come as part of a martini, but that night we were both in the mood for red wine. The waitress at the W Hotel in Union Square was super sweet and brought us the olives anyway, sans the booze. She could probably see the craving in our eyes…
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Jeff Straughn of BSG: It's About Cee Lo Green,... →
Stepping into the offices of Brand Synergy Group in the heart of Union Square in NYC feels a lot like arriving at a Zen garden of uber-cool and fame. The open layout shouts success from every corner and, as I made my way to meet CEO Jeff Straughn, that hip hop artist (entourage in tow, of course) I bumped into coming out of the elevator but have yet to place only added to the company’s...
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Kanwal's Healthy Corner: Sweet Potato Pudding →
Sure, Thanksgiving is over, but the season for sweet potatoes is still in full swing! Sweet potatoes are a very versatile root vegetable. You can bake them up for a quick snack, mash them for a fiber-filled side or julienne them then bake for a beta-carotene packed fry! Luckily, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and by adding a touch of sugar, you can also have an awesome dessert… hello sweet...
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On My iPod: Chocolate Milk, Didi, a Fragrant... →
Alright, it’s no secret to those who have been following my posts that I’ve recently rediscovered the wonder that is Nanni Moretti. In case you missed it, read my very personal piece about watching his latest We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) at the ADFF.
But what few may have known, until now, is that thanks to the genius of Moretti, I’ve also unearthed and rediscovered four songs, by Mercedes...
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We Have a Masterpiece: Nanni Moretti's We Have a... →
“I remember the shirts that said ‘Thank God I’m an atheist’. Funny. But I do not think so. I’m not a believer and I’m sorry.” Nanni Moretti, 2011
I watched Nanni Moretti’s latest film, We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam), at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival back in October. What a weird place, the Middle East, to watch a film about a reluctant Catholic leader...
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The Hopeful Environmentalist, David Suzuki on the... →
“Other things, capitalism, economies, corporations, markets and currency, these are not forces of nature. We invented them. And if they don’t work we can and we must change them.” David Suzuki, at Occupy Vancouver — October 22, 2011
November 2011
18 posts
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Crazy Wisdom at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC →
“Although I live in the slime and muck of the dark age … in the thick black fog of materialism … the time of hell on earth … I still aspire to see your face.” Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
The words above were written by Trungpa Rinpoche in 1968, part of his Sadhana of Mahamudra. And yet those same words, about greed and the lack of true spirituality, could be referring to today’s world, right here...
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Kanwal's Healthy Corner: My Thanksgiving Menu →
It’s that time of year again where the holiday cheer is in the air and families are getting together for fun filled food nights, exchanging presents and laughter and joy surrounding us. The first of the major holidays is right around the corner. Thanksgiving which focuses on good food, friends and family is a holiday that brings many people together. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is cooking all...
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Strauss Milky Pudding: Worth a Trip to the... →
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Jean Jacques Annaud's Black Gold: A Momentous Step... →
On a hot desert morning in Doha, I finally watched Black Gold, in the air conditioned comfort of a dark screening room with plush seats. Leaving aside the powerful story, the great acting and the important themes, I was delighted further by what the film represented to me, an aficionada of Arab cinema, and someone who dares to dream that cinema can and will one day unite our “us against...
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Omar Sharif: The Last Great Arab Movie Star? →
By now we’ve all heard about the incident, involving Omar Sharif and a pushy Egyptian journo. Even though I was a few feet away, no I did not witness it personally, the video is unclear and so I’ll reserve my opinion. But what I can say is that I spent a good 30 minutes with Omar Sharif right before it all allegedly happened and he behaved like ever the gentleman in my presence. Now,...
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Melt Chocolates, When When When! →
On a trip to London, I was in the mood for a little treat. Something I could prepare in my hotel room, using the simple hot water kettle they provided, without making a grand mess of it and myself. Well, one fine afternoon, I walked into Harrods Food Hall, which BTW is like heaven on earth, only more fragrant and delicious, and after battling the scores of tourists and window shoppers there...
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