Week of June 09 – June 15, 2010

Last week we had a blast shopping for the latest trends and eye-popping designs, just in time for the theatre debut of Sex and the City. Now that we’ve got our fashionista flair in check, let’s focus on what else is flourishing with the summer heat! This week, we found ourselves loving these rare GEMs.

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SUMMER GEAR:

These summer days are getting hotter and hotter by the minute, so why not visit your local pool, beach, resort or country club? Well, if you ate one too many hotdogs two weeks ago during the holiday weekend, you may feel a little inhibited. You should shake that feeling off – and revive your GEM-tastic flair with this fun and breezy “Geoffrey” drawstring tunic. This black and white swimwear coverup is the perfect length for petite or tall ladies alike (as you can wear it higher or lower on your hips. The shoulder and collar bone cutouts give you an air of elegance that’s sure to turn heads everywhere you go. Just don’t forget to wear matte “Diva” red lipstick, and a white large brim hat to top it all off this summer. For more information about the “Geoffrey” and for pricing information click here.


SUMMER RELAXATION:

Yoga at the Great Lawn – aaahhhh, peace and relaxation. As a free event, on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, more than 10,000 yoga-lovers will gather on Central Park's Great Lawn. With such a high attendance, this event could become the largest event of its kind in yoga's history.

The class, starting at 6 PM, will be taught by Elena Bower, who has trained celebrities like Naomi Watts and Christy Turlington. Free yoga mats, courtesy of JetBlue, will be given to all attendees. Also, the event will feature performances by Buddy Wakefield Wah!, O'Konsi Rhythms and others.

The event is open to all ages and skills level. But, unfortunately, to participate you need to register in advance for your chance to win your spot. Visit the registration page to do so; drawings will be held at random. For those of you who live outside of the metro NYC area, you can win a trip to this event, courtesy of Flavorpil by registering before this Wednesday, June 9th here.

FOOD:

In both decor and spirit, Industria Argentina may be New York’s most thoroughly modern Argentine steakhouse. The presentation begins with a miniature flaky empanada delivered as an amuse-bouche—it’s more artful than it sounds. The tuna “Tiradito”, often a rustic raw fish jumble at other places, is a delicate appetizer that layers frothy avocado puree atop silky tuna slices. Sliver-thin oven-dried tomato is added to a ramekin of oozing smoked provolone, making for another stellar starter. For the main event, the kitchen hews more closely to the classic steakhouse formula, serving flame-kissed steaks with chimichurri “picante”. Check out the Tuesday night “Parrillada” special, a mixed grill for two, featuring a platter of lamb chops, sausages, hanger steak and short ribs. Hours of operation are Mon–Sat noon–5pm, 6pm–midnight.

Industria Argentina - 329 Greenwich St (between Duane and Jay Sts ) - Tribeca | Map
212-965-8560 | Make a reservation
http://www.iatribeca.com

DRINK & BE MERRY:

There's no better way to cool off on a sweltering summer day than with an ice-cold drink – and this week GEM tried the White and Golden Sangria. The beauty of this simple White Wine Sangria recipe is that it is as delicious as it is easy, and it only gets better as you add your favorite fruits!

Prep Time: Less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Bottle of white wine (Riesling, Chablis, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc)
2/3 cup white sugar
3 oranges (sliced) or may substitute 1 cup of orange juice)
1 lemon (sliced)
1 lime (sliced)
1/2 liter of ginger ale or club soda (ginger ale for those with a sweeter tooth!)

Preparation:
Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the orange, lemon and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds) and add sugar. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale
If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled white wine and serve over lots of ice.

Addition ideas: sliced strawberries, peaches, kiwi, a shot or two of gin, brandy or Dewar’s rum.

or club soda just before serving.
SUMMER HAIR:

Who to better represent versatile summer hair than Zoë Saldaña? To get this look, you’ll want the layering to look natural and blended in (not like your cut was planned layer by layer), so ask your stylist to slice in some invisible layers, aka – tousled layers. Most face shapes look best when the hair starts to angle right at the nose. For a rounder face, try going up a little higher closer to the eye. For more course hair consider a longer cut, and for thinner/straighter hair consider angling the layers up for a “lighter, tighter wave”.


SUMMER FUN – PARADAS LATINAS

The 2010 National Puerto Rican Day Parade will be held on Sunday, June 13, 1010. The parade kicks off at 5th Avenue in New York City. The day before, Saturday, June 12th, there will be a Music Festival in Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx. The music festival is a part of an all day event in the park called Juegos Boricuas, which begins at 9:00 a.m. For a schedule of activities, view the PR National Parade site here.

Urban Latino will be present at this parade, and the National Puerto Rican Day Parade 2010 will be aired on NYC's FOX 5 and WOR Channel 9.


MUSICA REVOLUTION:

Mexican-American hip-hop artist Mexia, the eldest son of Los Tigres Del Norte’s co-founder Hernán Hernandez, is like many Latinos in this country, frustrated over Arizona’s controversial SB1070. He exerts his opinions by writing his latest single titled: “Todos Somos Arizona” to which speaks of how the law that targets immigrants, specifically Latinos. According to sources, Mexia wrote the song in an effort to unite other Latino-Americans in this plight.

Via this song, Mexia raps "There's something wrong with that picture there/ No lo puedo creer, no lo puedo ver, tu forma de ser es lo de ayer/ And we’re Latinos on the rise like blood pressure yeah, trying to control us with fear.”

Mexia, who has dual American and Mexican citizenship, says, “I was born and raised here to think that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but now we have to watch our backs in our own backyard. It’s terrible to live in fear. Our grandmother was born in Jerome, Arizona, and we have other family and friends who live there. I think ‘What will happen to me if I leave their house without my wallet?’”

For more information about this song and to hear the track “Todos Somos Arizona” click here.


ARTE:

92Y Tribeca is proud to partner with Judios Latinos for a very special exhibition of work from emerging Latin artists. Based on the conflict that arises from belonging to two worlds at once, DUALITY showcases multi-disciplinary work from Mirta Kupferminc, Jessica Kaire, Denise Flasz, Karen Dana, Jennifer Renee Caden Merdjan, Liora Rimoch, Tamara Bogolasky, and Marcos Bucay. Exhibit runs from June 12th through Sunday, Aug 1.

Snippets about the artists:
Mirta Kupferminc is a Buenos Aires native awakening interest in the venerable art of etching. Her art is sustained under the sign of a strong spiritual track and triggers essential questions about the order of the universe, the relationship of men among each other and with their God.

Jessica Kaire is a multidisciplinary artist born in Guatemala City and based in Brooklyn. She develops bodies of work which utilize sculpture and objects as platforms for dialogue, interaction and performance. Among these is the on-going project Confort, a fictional brand of objects seeking to offer a sense of protection and psychological relief to the consumer.

Denise Flasz is a young New York based visual artist and designer born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Her background is in illustration, visual communication and interactive design. With more than 5 years of experience in the creative industry, she has recently obtained her second Masters of Fine Arts, specializing in Design and Technology from Parsons The New School for Design.

Karen Dana’s paintings portray a sense of a charged psychological place while providing discrete spaces at their base for introspection. They give visceral and immediate impact to abstract dualities such as presence and absence, solidity and intangibility.

Jennifer Renee Caden Merdjan is an artist, designer, and educator. She and her artistic shoe sculptures were featured on Univision's Control. The sculptures are on exhibit in conjunction with the release of her book If Shoes Could Talk.

Liora Rimoch was born in Mexico City where she studied Graphic design at the Ibero University. She continued her studies in NYC, earning a Masters in Communication Design from Pratt and an Associate degree at FIT in Accessories Design. Liora currently lives in NYC working as both an accessories and applied pattern designer.

Tamara Bogolasky was born in Santiago, Chile. She became interested in photography at a young age and began exploring the possibilities of the medium. In 2004, she moved to New York to pursue a career in photography, studying at the International Center of Photography. Tamara’s work has been showcased in New York, Chicago and Santiago, Chile

Marcos Bucay studied Communications at Universidad Iberoamericana and the University of Miami. His short film, Free Jolito, part of this exhibition, has screened at film festivals around the globe.

Location: 92YTribeca
Judios Latinos - Feria Artistica: DUALITY

Time: Saturday, June 12th from 8:00-10:00PM
Adult Audience: 21 and over
Fees/charges: FREE
Directions: 200 Hudson Street, New York - (212) 601-1000