New York City

One of the things that you need to have when shopping for food in France is a big, sturdy shopping basket. You Also need to have a bit of patience because the lines can be long, and lines in Paris are like airplane restrooms; when it’s your turn, everyone behind you disappears and suddenly, you seem to have all the time in the world. But more important in Paris than having a big pannier, and an even bigger bladder (to hold it, because few markets have a place to, uh, “go”), is that you also need to have plenty of change. France and America have a curious relationship. Each is fascinated with each other and both have a camaraderie that’s built on admiration, a little of frustration, and a soupçon of envy. For every American that rattles on about “free health care” (no matter that it’s not free, it’s paid for by – or from – a percentage of your earnings) there is a French person exclaiming how much they would love to live in New York City because of l’energie. (No matter that if you walked right into someone as if they weren’t there, as happens in Paris, they’d get a real “New York Experience” from a real New Yorker.) Continue Reading Change...

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Ryan Gosling shows of his back art in a behind-the-scenes clip from "Place Beyond the Pines".   BY SAM GREISMAN A look back at today's top stories WINGNUTTERY Boy, when Anthony Weiner attempts a comeback he does it in a really public way. Two years after the former Congressman stepped down over a sexting scandal, he has announced his intention to run for Mayor of New York City. Voters think he shouldn't be running at a rate of nearly two-to-one. Former Defense Secretary and overall cretin Donald Rumsfeld was recently asked what he thought about gay marriage and he replied that he worries it will lead to polygamy.  Wolf Blitzer embarrassed himself in front of a tornado survivor as he discovered that she is an atheist after asking her if she thanked the Lord. The Vatican is denying that the Pope performed an exorcism recently after a video emerged of him laying hands on a wheelchair bound person. And NOM's Brian Brown has condemned the recent anti-gay violence in New York City, though no word on if he also condemns the hate speech that can often lead to such violence.  ** GAY NEWS An arrest has been made in one of the several attacks during this recent rash of anti-gay assaults in New York City. The gay former Boy Scout who took his case against the Scouts' anti-gay policies all the way to the Supreme Court in 2000 recently spoke out about the efforts to end the ban on gays. Also voters in Tennessee are not entirely as anti-gay as one might assume.  ** VIDEOS OF THE DAY Check out a man performing a dance-duet with his younger self set to the Dixie Chicks' cover of "Landslide". Oh he's in his underwear by the way. Buzzfeed gives us a video of unbelievably real facts and Jon Stewart is a huge fan of Toronto's wonderful crack-smoking Mayor!

Anthony Weiner, the sexting Democrat, is running for mayor of New York City.

Joe Hart says Manchester City need to ‘improve massively’ next season after failing to achieve their goals in this campaign. Speaking during the club’s post-season trip to the USA, Hart said visiting New York – where City announced their involvement in new MLS franchise New York City FC – was indicative that the club was [...]

PRESS RELEASE Terence Blanchard: MagneticMay 22, 2013(Los Angeles, CA): Accompanying the release of Magnetic, Terence Blanchard’s stunning new album set for release May 28 on Blue Note Records, will be an unprecedented schedule of worldwide tour dates kicking off with a five-night run at The Jazz Standard in New York City on May 29th and hitting cities across the United States, Europe, Tokyo, South Africa and Brazil. The tour will feature Terence, Brice Winston on sax, Fabian Almazan on piano, Robert Hurst III on bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums and Lionel Loueke on guitar and will take-in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Denver, The Newport Jazz Festival, Boston, Washington D.C., London, Paris, the Czech Republic, Tokyo, Johannesburg and the Choro Festival in Brazil. A complete list of dates can be seen at terenceblanchard.com.

World-renowned chef, author and Emmy winning television personality Anthony Bourdain visits Peru in the next episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," airing Sunday, May 26, at 9 p.m. ET. Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook. Peru's bounty of fresh fish, roasted chicken, fiery chiles and sumptuous cacao packs so much flavor, it would be cruel not to share. Anthony Bourdain invited his best friend, world-renowned chef Eric Ripert to join in his culinary journey across this vast, varied and distinctive land. Here's where they feasted: Mercado Modelo (Chiclayo Market) Ave Jose Balta and Arica 6.766272 S, 79.839075 W Chez Wong Calle Enrique Leon Garcia 114, Lima, Peru (San Isidro) +51 1 4706217 Anticuchería Doña Pochita Av. Ignacio Merino Cdra.23, Lince, Lima Amaz Avenida La Paz 1079, L18 (Miraflores) +51 1 2219393 Canta Rana Genova 101, Barranco, Lima, Peru +51 1 2477274 Catch up on Eatocracy's previous adventures in Peruvian food: – Peruvian food is having a moment More and more Americans are flocking to Peruvian food and discovering a world of flavor beyond pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken). This diverse cuisine, with influences from Andean to Spanish, Japanese and Chinese to African and Italian, is quickly finding its rightful place in the national food scene. Credit is due in part to Gastón Acurio, the country’s most recognized chef, who acts as the unofficial ambassador of Peruvian cuisine with 34 restaurants in 14 cities worldwide, including the recently-opened La Mar Cebicheria in New York City. In 2008, Acurio, together with Apega, the Peruvian Society for Gastronomy founded Mistura. This 10-day food festival brings together street vendors, herbal stands and high-end chefs showcasing their most popular dishes and attracts over 300,000 every year. Now, scaled-down versions of this event – complete with quinoa desserts, fresh bread, and traditional herbal drinks – are popping up outside of Peru. Read more. – South America's pisco enjoys North American revival Long a fixture in liquor cabinets and bars in Peru and Chile, pisco is popping up in the United States amid an obsession with craft cocktails. From January to July 2011, export sales of the South American grape brandy grew to $2.3 million, up 139% over the same period in 2010, fueled by increased sales in the United States. As pisco's popularity grows in the United States, its country of appellation remains a topic of dispute in South America. Pisco grapes are grown in Chile and Peru, and both Andean nations have adopted it as a national spirit. The dispute has played out in numerous decrees and regulations from both countries, with Peru claiming the historic upper hand and boasting a commitment to making it the old-fashioned way. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine has urged the two countries to make nice and work together toward a common solution. Mainly, the outcome has been aggressive international marketing campaigns from both countries. Read more. – Make perfect pisco sours and ceviche Peru won its independence from Spain in 1824. Every year on July 28th, Peruvians gather to celebrate that independence and they will very likely do it with two of their staples: a citrus-cured seafood delicacy called ceviche and the national drink, the Pisco Sour. We visited a Peruvian restaurant in Washington to see first hand what goes into making the perfect ceviche and Pisco sour. Watch a video tutorial. Previously on Parts Unknown: - Peru Peruvian food is having a moment Make perfect pisco sours and ceviche South America's pisco enjoys North American revival - Libya Breakfast in Libya Where fast food tastes like freedom - Morocco iReport: In Morocco, eating is the spice of life Street snacking in Morocco - Canada O Canada! Our home and delicious land Come for the strip bars, stay for the poutine - Colombia Colombian cuisine – from aguardiente to viche Americans just don’t unde

Photo gallery of Of Montreal performing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York City (May 22, 2013). Read the full article at http://www.prefixmag.com/photos/of-montreal-music-hall-of-williamsburg-nyc-pics/

Dear Diane, ASVOF viewers,   Over the past week, I have been on a mission to find out about the makers of couture eyewear that Lady Gaga has been sporting on several occasions.  The quest led me to a company called Mercura NYC run by artistic designer sister duo Merrilee Lichtestein-Cohen and Rachel Cohen Lunning.  These two entrepreneurs grew up on the West Coast in Puget Sound and moved to New York City in 1975. Based out of the Big Apple with several locations including a studio in Chelsea Hotel, the sister duo skillfully design and sculpt their one of a kind sunnies in limited edition making them a collector’s dream. When asked about the origin of their label Mercura, they explained, “We were dubbed sea and sun  sisters from the West Coast by a friend who created the name Mercura for us as our collaborative name  ( Mer meaning sea in French and Ra ancient for sun.)” Merrilee and Rachel’s designs are influenced by Frank Gehry’s architecture,  Art Deco style of Etré and abstract expressionism. They have combined their various artistic influences in their designs. Each piece is crafted by hand and painted painstakingly to standout.  The frames are decorated with daisies, chain links, crystals, and centuries old French looking gold sculptures. The frames come alive in a very fashion forward and individualistic way.  It is a little wonder that Mercura’s  futuristic yet ancient and quirky yet chic shades have been desired by celebrities like Lady Gaga (who is believed to own hundreds of them), Elton John, Rihanna, Cher and Grace Jones to name a few. They have been featured in numerous fashion shows and in  Vogue Italia amongst other publications. The designers Rodarte sisters seem partial to  Mercura and understandably so. Designers Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen and Rachel Cohen-Lunning would like to expand into the future  while keeping the integrity of their works of art. They would like to keep it original, individualistic, artistic and fresh.   Aradna Sharma   All Photos provided by Cashin Design

Dancer by Colum McCann (Dublin, 1965) was a very intense read, almost painfully so in the opening sections set among Russian soldiers in WWII being evacuated in railroad cars, novel based on the life of the great Russian ballet dancer, Rudolph Nureyev. This is the third novel by McCann which I have read. Prior to this I have read his Let the Great World Go On Spinning dealing largely with post 9/11 attack New York City life and his wonderful book about a post WWII European Roma, Zoli. Normally if one says, "the book was 337 pages long but it felt longer", it is not a complement but somehow in this case it is as there is just so much in this incredible novel. We begin with Nureyev as a very young boy dancing for the people in his home town in Russia. We see the tortuous process that took him into training to be a dancer in Russia. We come to understand his family. We are with him when he defects in Paris and for his great triumphs in New York City, London, and elsewhere. We get to know others in his life as the novels varies both the narrator and narrative modes. In one very powerful section we enter the drug fueled world of rich artistic gay New York as personified by a Venezuelan street hustler raised to the status of superstar by his affiliations. McCann frankly depicts the extreme sexual promiscuity of Nureyev, in one scene he and the Venezuelan stage a contest to see who can perform oral sex on the most men in a row without tiring. Nureyev wins with nine. There are some wonderful characters like his shoe maker, Margot Fonteyn with whom he danced over 500 times, his housekeeper, Andy Warhol makes an appearance as does Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. We see how Nureyev spends the fortune he makes. in one crazy scene he buys a painting for $50,000.00 and then takes it home in a cab to avoid the $100.00 delivery fee. There are lots of things we never understand about Nureyev. His ego was massive and he never really rose above his Tarter roots. He could be cruelly capricious, and very generous almost simultaneously. Somehow one is deeply drawn to Nureyev, his flaws make him real, his art transcends our normalcy.,Dancer is a great novel. I endorse it to all but the homophobic who I suspect probably do not read a lot of books based on ballet dancers anyway. There is much to be learnt from in this novel. I have his Songdogs and hope to read it and his forthcoming Transatlantic soon. Mel u

LoJack, if you’re familiar with their software for computers and laptops, have made the jump into mobile device territory with the Samsung Galaxy S4 as their first supported device. With this software you’ll be able to trace, lock, and of course, remotely wipe your device if you choose to do so. Unlike other soft wares, LoJack stays in your phone no matter what you do to it, such as factory resetting the device. More importantly you’ll get LoJack’s experience with their years of success in the laptop and computer industry, so you know their representatives are highly trained to retrieve your device. So far no date of the release has been set, but we expect it to be around this summer. Prices have yet to be confirmed but it should range depending on the longevity of your desired subscription. Hit up the break for the full press release! Absolute Software Launches an Industry First with a Consumer Theft Recovery Solution for Android Smartphones Available Soon for the Samsung GALAXY S4 Vancouver, Canada: May 21, 2013 – Absolute® Software Corporation (TSX: ABT), the industry standard for persistent endpoint security and management solutions for computers, laptops and ultra-portable devices today announced it is first to market with a consumer theft recovery solution for Android smartphones. This solution is the result of the Absolute Software and Samsung global partnership announced in early April 2013. Samsung has embedded patented Absolute persistence technology into select Samsung GALAXY devices starting with the Samsung GALAXY S4. Leveraging the same Absolute persistence technology used in LoJack for Laptops, once installed and activated it cannot be removed even if the device is restored to factory settings. When a protected Samsung GALAXY S4 is stolen, the Absolute Investigations and Recovery Services team will work with law enforcement globally to get the device back. Users can also remotely lock, locate their device or delete sensitive files to prevent identity theft. Smartphone theft is on the rise, more than 40 percent of all robberies in New York City involve smartphones and other cell phones. Other major US cities have similar statistics, with robberies involving cell phones comprising 30-40 percent of all robberies.* “Absolute’s unique approach to investigations and theft recovery is exactly what is needed to solve this serious epidemic of smartphone and mobile device theft that is sweeping across our nation,” stated Sheriff Leon Lott, Sheriff, Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Department. “With the rapid growth of smartphone use, mobile theft has increased extensively putting consumers at personal risk. I am thrilled we can provide consumers with a solution to address this serious issue,” said Mark Grace, Vice President, Consumer at Absolute Software. “With our consumer theft recovery solution installed and activated on Samsung GALAXY S4s, users can rest assured that their device can be recovered in the event it is stolen with the help of the Absolute Investigations and Recovery Services team, which has assisted in more than 29,000 successful recoveries in 98 countries.” *FCC, Announcement of New Initiatives to Combat Smartphone and Data Theft, April 10, 2012 Availability The consumer theft recovery solution for Android smartphones will be available early this summer starting at $29.99 with several subscription options ranging from one year up to four years. For more information: www.LoJackforLaptops.com/android About Absolute Software Absolute Software Corporation (TSX: ABT) is the industry standard in persistent endpoint security and management for computers, laptops, ultra-portable devices and smartphones. The Company, a leader in device security and management tracking for more than 20 years, has over 30,000 commercial customers worldwide. Positioned as a Visionary vendor in Gartner, Inc.’s Magic Quadrant for Client Management Tools, Absolute’s solutions – Computrace®, Absolute Ma