Family

By Amy Statuto

I met Brooklyn based Flavor Paper at NYC’s International contemporary furniture fair and immediately fell in love with their product! Flavor paper produces wallpaper both hand screened and digitally printed. All of their papers use water based inks or eco-solvents to be as green as possible (a huge plus in my book!) And because Flavor Paper is produced to order, you have the option to interchange colors and grounds with handscreened wallpaper and can choose scale and colors for digital wallpaper. They also allow you to customize your own paper. Your options are endless! What more could you ask for?!

Less that 45 miles outside New York City, you can delve into a medieval village. The sights and sounds (and the smells and tastes) of the Renassiance are recreated by the New York State Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo Park, NY.

By Christopher A Pape

As the editor-in-chief of a well-known Manhattan magazine, I am no stranger to receiving invitations that normal civilians may not be privileged. Recently, I test-drove a Ferrari in the Hamptons, I learned to fly a Cessna and I just got back from a wonderful trip in Park City, Utah. But none of those can compare to the mind-boggling adventure I just experienced.

The House of Marley
Created alongside Bob Marley’s family, the House of Marley sells high-end, state of the art audio systems, perfect for going back to school. Every product is made with the belief that they should correspond with the Marley family values of equality, authenticity, sustainability, and charity. To that end, all speakers and all electronic equipment are eco-friendly and made from renewable materials, and 5% of their annual profits fund a donation to 1Love.org, a global movement sparked by the Marley family; a sure way to raise awareness of the importance of charity and care to your child outside the classroom. There are three types of audio system: for the home; for portable use; headphones. The Get Up Stand Up Audio System is an ideal focal point for the living room and can be connected to virtually any exterior electrical device, which will certainly come in handy for the children studying more technological subjects. The Bag of Rhythm is essentially a portable version of its home-based sibling, which may well be the most suitable audio system for the music, tech, or any other subject student. The Positive Vibration On-Ear Headphones are the essential accessory for any modern student, making those early morning commutes a great deal more pleasant.

By Narbeh Minassian

The Joffrey Ballet School has a prestige that translates throughout the world, and after a direct and concise conversation with the executive director, Christopher D’Addario, it is not difficult to understand how this reputation has been upheld. Here is a man whose enthusiasm is matched by his know-how, whose passion is deeply rooted purely in ballet. His vision is to make this all too envied art-form accessible to male and female dancers of all ages and of all abilities, all under an exclusively world class tutelage. This is the rasion d’être of an institution established more than half a century ago by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, and now with Christopher D’Addario at the helm, there are sturdy and skillful hands guiding this titanic of ballet schools.

By Kim Watkins

Exercise standards frustrate you - you don't have time to go to the gym
five days a week. Healthy eating habits befuddle you - too many options
and overwhelming consumerism of food products. Everywhere you look you see
photos and videos of the magic bullet. If only you could capture it,
right?



By Jacob Kirn

Job growth is stagnant and unemployment remains relatively high. So recent graduates continue to ponder: Should I search for a job in a difficult market, or find a graduate school? The later usually induces far less anxiety. But the truth is, only some advanced degrees may be worth pursuing.

By Jacob Kirn

It’s now easier to get into most American colleges than it was 50 years ago. Still, it might be time to panic, or at least start writing one hell of an admissions essay. At places like Columbia, Harvard and MIT, acceptance rates have never been lower, hovering at 6 to 9 percent. It’s no surprise, then, that the application process begins long before senior year for many New York area high school students hoping to gain admission to the most prestigious universities.

By Eileen Wacker

Our four kids are entering 9th, 8th, 5th and 4th grade. After the 4th of July, it feels like summer is ending and we have to start signing up for activities and get a fall schedule nailed down. The thought of summer’s demise, homework arguments, and having to get everyone up and out the door every day, on time leaves me cringing. It’s officially back-to-school already.

By Erica Getto

As the fall semester approaches, a new crop of Columbia University undergraduates has already embarked on an epic journey: to read Homer’s The Iliad. Annotating Achilles’ and Agamemnon’s adventures is a rite of passage for most Columbia students, who arrive on their first day of Literature Humanities toting already well-thumbed copies of the epic poem. And yet for an increasing number of these students, this epic adventure is not their first.