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Friday, June 27, 2008

Ireland, Dublin in an Irish Castle


This week's featured NYU Alumni Trip is Ireland, Dublin in an Irish Castle.

Ireland is a rare land where rugged beauty surrounds quaint villages and contemporary cities alike. Explore this spellbinding country from the cosmopolitan capital of Dublin. Learn about its literary heritage with a visit to the Writers' Museum, stop at Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells and delight in some of the sights in Dublin's West End. Discover Irish history with a journey to the Neolithic monument of Newgrange; the Hill of Tara, the coronation site of 142 High Kings; and Slane, where St. Patrick lit the Pascal Fire. Marvel at the beauty of the Irish countryside as you travel to Belfast and its impressive squares and buildings. Admire the lovely Powerscourt Gardens and drive through Wicklow Mountains and Gap, which boast some of the most breathtaking panoramas in Ireland.

For more information or to make sure you reserve a spot on this trip, click here.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Darin Strauss ('97 GSAS, Faculty), More Than It Hurts You


More Than It Hurts, the newest novel by Darin Strauss has recently hit bookshelves and is getting much praise.

About Darin (from his website): Darin Strauss will be blogging about his book tour for Newsweek.com. He is the international bestselling author of the New York Times Notable books Chang and Eng and The Real McCoy. Also a screenwriter, he is adapting Chang and Eng with Gary Oldman, for Disney. The recipient of a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction writing, he is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU's Graduate school.

On Monday, June 23, 2008, Mr. Strauss, along with John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton, participated in an event at the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House to promote More Than It Hurts.

Here is a blog entry that Mr. Strauss wrote for Newsweek about the evening.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

State Approves NYU-Polytechnic Merger

Crain's New York Business is reporting:

The New York State Board of Regents approved the merger between New York University and Polytechnic University. Polytechnic will become a school of technology and engineering within NYU and will be known as the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. The approval is the final step in a process that began last August with talks to combine Polytechnic with NYU. The merger will be effective July 1.

Click here to read the complete article.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

NYU At The Zoo




On Sunday, June 22, The College of Arts and Science Alumni Association and the Recent Alumni Network held a day at the Bronx Zoo for NYU alumni, their families, and friends. A good time was had by all and the Go Wild For Madagascar! exhibit was one of many highlights. I leave you with footage of the Ring-Tailed Lemur:

Monday, June 23, 2008

NYU Family Picnic


I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I was delighted to see that this blog was mentioned on Ted Demopoulos' blog, Blogging For Business. I would like to start incorporating guest bloggers (alumni, faculty, students). If you would like to contribute please contact me.

I encourage you to come out and join students and alumni on Sunday, August 24, 2008 from 8:00am to 5:00pm for the NYU Family Picnic presented by the Recent Alumni Network.


Help the newest members of the NYU community move-in with fellow recent alumni and enjoy the NYU Family Picnic on Gould Plaza for a snack or a light meal and networking with students, faculty and fellow alumni!

For more information please contact Andrea Polci at andrea.polci@nyu.edu.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Calling: An Opera of Forgiveness


A scene from Calling, an opera based on Wickham Boyle's ('72 Heights) 2002 book A Mother's Essays From Ground Zero.


Wickham Boyle is a 1972 School of the Arts at the Heights campus graduate who wrote a book called, A Mother’s Essays From Ground Zero. It is now being transformed into an opera, entitled Calling. Boyle is working with composer Doug Geers and architect Marty Kapell('72 Heights,'75 Tisch). The work utilizes music, drama, and a soaring design to tell the tale of one family’s experience living near Ground Zero and the path they took from chaos to recovery and hope.


"Calling is coming to life with a bevy of volunteers lead by Grace Hartmann-Samson ('09 CAS). We have previewed segments of this edgy adaptation in NYC, Minneapolis and Princeton University, and we open at the famed La Mama Theater in the East Village on September 12, 2008.

To get the feel of this exciting project, take a minute to check out our web site or just view the montage by clicking here.

In our most exuberant moments we envision that – beyond playing to theater audiences – Calling will tour schools nationwide and appear at theater festivals around the world, potentially stimulating diverse and constructive discussions about difference and dissonance in our society.

Calling is utilizing a series of grassroots funding techniques to bring the opera to fruition and hope that many NYU alumni will join us on East Fourth Street and visit us on the web."

- Wickham Boyle,'72 Heights

Travel The World With NYU

If you notice on the right hand side of this blog I have added a link which enables you to subscribe to this blog via email. I encourage you to join so that you can keep up with the exciting news and events posted here daily.


I have mentioned the amazing NYU Travel Program before and I would like to start featuring an upcoming trip every week on this blog. The featured trip this week is... *drumroll*


France, Normandy and Brittany!!!





* Experience the charm and culture of two of France's most historic regions, Normandy and Brittany.
* Discover the magnificence of Paris.
* Visit beautiful Bayeux and view the ancient Bayeux Tapestry, which tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
* Explore ancient Carnac and the prehistoric monuments that predate the Pyramids and Stonehenge.
* Discover delightful Dinan and St-Malo, two charming medieval towns on the Rance River. Take a cruise on the Rance between these two jewels of Brittany.
* See historic Chartres and view the magnificent cathedral.
* Enjoy a lecture series by local experts on regional history, people and culture.


So grab your adventure cap and join fellow alumni in September for this wonderful trip. Click here for details and be sure to mention that you read about it on this blog.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Helene Stapinski (WSC Alumna) Explores New York Playgrounds



Are you tired of taking your kids to the same old playground? Maybe you've run out of topics to talk to the other parents about? If so, and you like being adventurous, be sure to read Helene Stapinksi's recent piece in the NY Times, New York's Big Backyard. The article takes the reader on a tour of the great playgrounds in the five boroughs which she and her children have discovered.

"There are nearly 1,000 playgrounds in the five boroughs run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and picking your favorite is as personal as deciding a name for your child. We love so many, it’s hard to choose. There’s the little playground on the beach at Coney Island with the palm-tree sprinkler; the Vesuvio Playground in SoHo, named after the nearby Italian bakery, with its long jungle gym that’s great for chasing one another. But there are a few that stand out, not just for their newfangled playground equipment, but for their shade, their vibe and the history that surrounds them."


If you take your kids to any of the playgrounds mentioned in the article be sure to let us know by commenting on this post! Do you have a favorite place where you like to hang out? work? people watch? Send us your favorite places and we'll put together a blog tour.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Ted Allen (GSAS '90), Food Detective.


We were thrilled to learn that Ted Allen's new series, Food Detectives will premier on The Food Network on July 29th.

"The half-hour, primetime show mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from Popular Science magazine, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths and questions. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer such questions as: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an “apple a day” really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments"

If you want to learn more about this new show and see what else Ted is up to, check out his website. He keeps a great blog which even features some great recipes. Spicy grapefruit margaritas anyone?

Friday, June 13, 2008

Janelle Nanos- Can One Sibling Pull the Plug If the Others Don’t Want To?


Here's a link to an interesting article in the current issue of New York Magazine written by GSAS Alumna, Janelle Nanos, who received her MA in Journalism at NYU.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Bethenny Frankel (WSC '92)


You may know Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York City on Bravo, but did you know that she is an NYU Alumna as well? Bethenny formed her company, Bethenny Bakes which provides wheat, egg, and dairy free baked goods, meals for private clients, and a custom meal delivery service. Bethenny also has some delicious recipes on her site such as the one posted below.

Goat Cheese/Sundried Tomato Chicken Breasts Serves 6

Ingredients:

* 6 boneless chicken breasts
* 1 cup goat cheese
* 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
* 1 tsp. minced fresh Italian parsley
* Salt and Pepper
* ½ C finely chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)
* 1 C heavy cream
* 4 cloves minced garlic
* 4 T olive oil

Combine goat cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper. Make slit down the side of each chicken breast creating a pocket. Spoon a layer of goat cheese mixture inside each chicken breast. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Using sauté pan on med/high heat, layer bottom with olive oil and place chicken breasts facing up in pan until browned. Turn over and brown the other side then heat until fully cooked. Remove chicken breasts. Add minced garlic, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream to the pan. Add salt and pepper, and scrape all bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken (you may slice to increase portions)


Have you started your own business? Are you traveling for the summer? Do you have a special recipe you'd like to share? We want to hear from you!! Send us an email letting us know what you are up to and we'll feature you on this blog.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

NYU Creative Writing Program Events


If you haven't been to the Lilian Vernon Creative Writers House, I suggest you check out the many wonderful events planned.

The New York University Creative Writing Program is hosting The Paris Review Summer Salon reading series in June featuring writers who have been published in The Paris Review. Readings, which are free and open to the public, take place at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 W. 10th Street. For further information, call 212.998.8816.

Here are some of the upcoming readings:

Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. Fiction reading: novelist Gish Jen, author of three novels, most recently, The Love Wife; J. Robert Lennon, author of five books of fiction, and co-editor of the blog, Ward Six; and Ryan McIlvian, a student of fiction at Rutgers University, are hosted by Radhika Jones, managing editor of The Paris Review, and Nathaniel Rich, senior editor of The Paris Review.

Tuesday, June 24, 6 p.m. Non-fiction reading: author Mark Dow, who wrote American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, and who is co-editor of Machinery of Death: The Reality of America’s Death Penalty Regime; Uzodinma Iweala, whose first novel Beasts of No Nation won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for fiction, and who edits the Nigeria-based Farafina Magazine and is completing a book on HIV/AIDS in Africa; Andrew Rice, whose first book about a murder trial and the legacy of Idi Amin will be published next spring, and who has had his reporting from Africa appear in many publications including The New Republic and The New York Times Magazine; and Said Sayrafiezadeh, who is writing a memoir about growing up in the Socialist Workers Party in New York City and has published stories and essays in Granta and Open City, will be hosted by associate editor of The Paris Review Christopher Cox and deputy editor of The Paris Review Matt Weiland.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Patricia Field (WSC '63) - Sex and the City


If you have seen any episode of Sex and the City, then you have witnessed the amazing work of Patricia Field. Here's a blurb from her website:

Patricia Field is considered one of fashion's greatest visionaries: she is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning film and television Costume Designer and a boutique owner with her own clothing label. Patricia raised the standards for the world of television glamour when she costumed Sex and the City, the most fashionable show in television history. Critics praised her run with Sex and the City’s stunning and always entertaining costuming, as it was a large part of the show's status as a cultural phenomenon. Fashion editors, socialites, and celebrities alike adopted Patricia’s clothing and style philosophy and regularly sat front row at her House of Field fashion shows. She is a true pioneer, bringing forth a new style of dressing to American women, and through the media she has been able to stimulate an entire fashion movement throughout the world.

Patricia recently launched her new range of diet coke bottles and is currently working on numerous other projects. Here's a great clip that takes a look at Patricia's New York lifestyle:

Friday, June 6, 2008

Come Travel With Us!

I strongly encourage you to take one of the many NYU Alumni Trips that are offered to our Alumni. Click here to see some of the upcoming trips and make your reservations today. The most recent trip to Japan was a big hit and here's a photo of the NYU Alumni Group that went. The photo was taken at the fifth station on Mount Fuji, the highest you can go until the official climbing season starts on July 1.



*Photo courtesy of Leah C.

Monday, June 2, 2008

NYU Alumni Benefits


We'd like to extend a big Congratulations once again to the class of 2008. It's important to make sure you take advantage of the wonderful alumni benefits offered to you. Check out the NYU Alumni Benefits page where you will find information on the NYU Alumni Card, Yoga and Gym Discounts, Library Services, The Princeton Club, Ticket Central, Hotel Discounts, and much much more.