Urbane Sophisticate

BRITISH VIR

GIN ISLANDS Book Your Yacht todaY!

THE YACHT WEEK

Issue No. 001

INNOVATION

A Letter From the Editor A

s a student

I have been exposed to the most

beautIful and ambItIous IndIvIduals that are on the face of thIs planet and yet no one truly knows who they are.

I felt oblIgated to create a stage where all thIs genIus can be revealed to the world.

Many have asked about what urbane sophIstIcate Is and what It Is we are set out to do. urbane sophIstIcate Is an entIty of Its own, one whIch wIll brIng InnovatIon, reform and exposure to our generatIon. our mIssIon drIves us to spotlIght those IndIvIduals, organIzatIons, and Ideas that represent tomorrow, today.

If we allow our cIrcumstances to control us, progress wIll be trumped. In order to lIve a lIfe

Urbane Sophisticate Editor-In-Chief

Luis A. Navia Fashion Editor

Justin Bridges

worth lIvIng we must search wIthIn ourselves and

Innovate. the

status quo Is meant to be broken,

wIthout the crash, the InnovatIon, revolutIons, and InventIons we would lIve such dull lIves.

I

urge you, the youth, to control your cIr-

Executive Vice President

John Floyd

cumstances, your thoughts, and forget the rules.

rather,

lets create them.

control.

for

those who create, wIll

I have learned so much about our generatIon, yet there Is ever so much to acquIre. they call us cocky, confIdent, whatever dull words socIety wIshes to place upon us, let them—I deem that we are crazy; crazy enough to belIeve that we wIll conquer thIs world, not In the means of power but through motIvatIon and InspIratIon. we are ordInary people doIng extraordInary thIngs, we lead wIthout tItles. I fIrmly belIeve that there are no entItlements In lIfe. In realIty, It’s self-determInatIon and self-relIance as the fundamental truths at the base of IndIvIdual achIevement. we are at the pInnacle of the youth movement and urbane sophIstIcate Is creatIng the path for others to prosper. to enough but to create Is the ultImate gIft. seek

excellence, InspIre, and Innovate.

lIve Is not

director of operations

Hunter Gaylor

Director of Public Relations

Daniela Delfino

URBANE SOPHISTICATE

CONTENT i-lab the college prepster miami rebels the game fall from grace one backpack, a World of stories haute cuisine reborn? a moment With our fashion editor [coVer] ministry of supply my adVentures: afghanistan budgeting gen. y style social media & politics Vote 2012 charityally

Academia

A Conversation With

Harvard Innovation Lab Coordinator Neal Doyle

Interview: John Floyd Photography: Neal Doyle

Hi W

hen we think of innovation a majority of the time we focus on the final product and tend to overlook the hard work, dedication, and vision that innovation requires. Visualizing the future of start-up needs, Harvard University has decided to incubate these traits at their newly designed Innovation Lab. The i-Lab, with its November 2011 grand opening, has become a crucial tool for the start-up community across Harvard, Boston, and most importantly the world. A majority of Urbane Sophisticate is due thanks in part to the indispensible and world class tools, assistance, and community that the i-Lab offers. We sat down with the i-Lab coordinator, Neal Doyle, to speak about the significance and impact of the Innovation Lab.

Urbane:The design of the i-lab feels very deliberate, and it’s clear that Harvard has created a physical space that is optimized for innovation. Can you talk about the process for determining what that ideal space would look like, and how you go about eliciting something concrete but intangible like innovation?

out there, again open to the public, with free Wi-Fi, and four conference rooms that will be used by our partners, generally organizations from the SBA. What we’re trying to do is embrace the Allston and Brighton communities that have felt excluded from some of Harvard’s activities.

Once you enter the i-lab that becomes a student-focused area, focused on Harvard students. We’re a Harvard University initiative focused on breaking down some of the silos across the University and creating a place where innovation can take place in one location. Within the i-lab itself, we have three or Doyle: The building started originally as the WGBH four zones: we have a classroom area for classes fostudio space, and was used that way for 30 years. This cused on innovation and entrepreneurship, with a space has already seen a lot of interesting innovation in cross-University registration. We have a number of it, and we have a pretty complete list of things that have classes that have already been piloted this fall, in been invented here; closed captioning, for example, was the spring we’ll have a number of additional classes invented here. A number of shows were invented and and courses. We have faculty from at least 5 schools. filmed here, including Julia Child’s cooking show and We also have both long and short-term workspaces.

Arthur the Aardvark. The building itself was used as studio space, so there were lots of low of low ceilings, Urbane: How does the i-lab teach innovation? narrow hallways, and blacked-out windows.

This renovation of the space is kind of the exact Doyle:There are a couple of components to that. The opposite of that; this is a wide-open concept in keeping first is that we have classes that meet here, which have with the general innovation incubator setup. More spe- been identified by Gordon Jones, the director, and Joe cifically, the thought behind the space is that we wanted Lasseter, the faculty chair. These are classes that have to create zones where students could work. We have a been identified as good fits for the i-lab, focused on incommunity zone which is out front, comprising 25% of novation and entrepreneurship, with cross-University the square feet of the first floor of the i-lab, and is open registration. They might meet as a class for an hour, and to the public, open 7AM to 9PM. There’s a coffeeshop then break up into teams and do some group work.

The second component is that we have a number of workshops and practical series and lectures that we’re hosting. When we think about the kind of students that we’re trying to serve, we’re looking at a broad spectrum. There’s the student who is interested in entrepreneurship or has an innovative idea, and then we have organizations and companies that are fully formed, in a growth stage, that have venture capital and a plan for going forward.

In the middle that has an entrepreneurial idea and is starting to pursue it but isn’t really in that growth stage. As a result, we’re catering our events and lectures to that broad spectrum; there will be some events that are pretty basic, like how to set up a business plan, and some that will be more advanced, like workshops on equity splits.

The final component is about mentoring and advising. That’s going to be Harvard community partners, lawyers, VCs, designers, that are coming in to do basically free office hours for any student at Harvard University. So if you had a particular legal question, you might come in and speak to the lawyer who’s doing office hours for the day, saving you a trip to Boston.

Urbane: What can you tell us about the sorts of businesses have applied for use of the i-lab?

Doyle:There’s a very interesting breadth of teams that have already formed in here. There are media companies such as yourself, there’s an organization that’s doing high-dollar credit card transaction processing, with a direct relationship with Mastercard. There’s a company doing app development called Rover; there’s a search fund called Arosa that acquires startups; there’s a 30-year director of a French fine food company who retired, is as an advanced leadership fellow at Harvard, and is now pivoting to develop a nutrition app, partnering with medical schools to develop a smart app for your phone, telling you in real time the nutritional value of your phone.

There’s a company working on a grocery store that serves a particular niche in the Hispanic community. There’s also a venture-backed company called Tivoli and they’re developing live TV over the Internet, which is different from Hulu in that it’s actually live, and they’ll be releasing a DVR function.

Hi

Urbane: How would a company at the i-lab go about producing a physical product prototype?

Doyle: We have a workshop area that we’ll be fitting out in the JanuaryFeb timeframe. In that workshop we’ll have a 3-D printer; the first one we’ll have is called a Makerbot. The Makerbot is a printer that you buy as a kit and put together. We thought it would be fun to have a bunch of students come in on a weekend and put it together, and we can prototype a can or a hat right away. We’ll have foam and small hand tools to do real-time prototyping, and some powerful computers to do 3-D CAD. What the workshop won’t have are milling machines and lades and that sort of thing, because Harvard has 55 other labs and we don’t think it makes sense to use resources to duplicate capabilities we already possess.

Urbane: Do you think that the i-lab is more useful as an educational tool, preparing entrepreneurs to go into the workforce, or is this going to, directly, create a lot of jobs and economic growth by serving as a platform for founding companies?

Doyle: The Harvard i-lab, and other incubators, can play a role in expanding innovation and entrepreneurship in the U.S. economy. In particular, one of the ways the US economy has succeeded and excelled in the past is through innovation, developing new products in the world that become market leaders. The role of the i-lab can be as a place to foster that entrepreneurship and innovation. It’s a faculty-enabled placed focused on students, and I think the i-lab can be a place that really encourages to develop that product that they might have had in their mind, because we provide them with the University’s resources to do that. Oftentimes, students are the best innovators.

The

College Prepster luis a. naVia & Justin bridges

I

n the discomfort of her freshman year common room, accompanied by the stress of Accounting exams, homesickness and a close friend with a clever idea, The College Prepster blog was born.

The College Prepster, Carly Heitlinger, now a senior at Georgetown University, was one tedious accounting exam away from Winter Break when a friend recommended she start writing a blog. Nearly 3,000 faithful readers now follow an idea that sparked as fleetingly as it was laughed at and dismissed. Heitlinger has since authored The Freshman 50, an essentially autobiographical e-book that chapters the lessons she encountered over her freshman year.

The blog covers all things Heitlinger loves (in her bio she specifies monograms, Lilly Pulitzer, anything vanilla, pink, headbands, cupcakes, among others,) Heitlinger enjoys having space to divulge some small and sporadic pieces of her personal life.

“I do disclose a significant amount of personal trials and tribulations. Those are my favorite posts. I get to take a step back from my preppy clothes and product lens and remind readers that I’m a real person,” Heitlinger said. “It’s easy to read my blog and assume that I’m one particular way and look like I have it all together, when in reality, I have bad days just like everyone else.”

What started as a joke, and was once only seen by the eyes of Heitlinger’s mom and grandmother, has become a project companioned by grandiose goals and a sense of longevity.

“I’m a major goal person. Looking forward, I plan on leveraging the College Prepster brand and launching some sort of tangible products,” Heitlinger explained. “Hopefully, I pave my way to some sort of financially stable place after graduating in May. I definitely want to continue blogging, but do other things as well.”

Heitlinger, thankful for staying the same size throughout college so she may continue to sport her high school “old-school preppy wardrobe,” claims 90% of her wardrobe is from the racks of J.Crew. She finds this style to appeal to her, and be a close match up with her personality: “classic at the core, a little quirk around the edge,” and describes having a Vineyard Vines store so nearby as “dangerous.”

Photographs By Justin Bridges

Heitlinger, however, would never consider herself a fashion person or an avid follower of the trends.

“For starters, I’m horrible with names. I can barely remember the name of famous actors, let alone fashion designers, let alone the various collections every season,” Heitlinger remarks, adding with a comedic tone: “Phew, it’s a workout just thinking about it!” She adds, “I also am really pretty boring and predictable when it comes to my personal style.”

After a few years of blogging under her J.Crew belt, she has encountered her fair-share of less-than enthusiastic readers. Heitlinger, however, is willing to share a word of advice that seems to span not just through the blog-o-sphere, but could apply naturally into anybody’s life. “Be yourself,” she begins. A warning, fellow bloggers: “there are going to be people who, anonymously of course, attack you online and think you’re just some terrible, awful, no-good person. And there are going to be people who try to copy you, sometimes verbatim, on their own blog.” Continuing, “at the end of the day though, why would I want to be someone that already exists? I’m weird and quirky, but I’m me through and through.”

As graduation is just a mere semester away for Heitlinger, plans for the future are still relatively unstable. She does, however, have one plan she will certainly see through: following her passions.

“I love to work. No matter where I end up, or what I end up doing, I know it has to be something I’m completely passionate about.” And for her main goal: “I am currently in the business school, so hopefully I can strike a balance between business and something fun!”

lifestyle Photography: angela marIe

lyndsay hall

A

sea of people gravitated towards the bar just after midnight, as the energetic bartender poured a mix of cranberry and vodka straight from the liquor bottle into the mouths of the adoring crowd below.

It was a Thursday night at CoveLove ThursNights, a college party thrown by the MiamiRebels at the Doral location La Covacha—better known as The Cove. As the hour-long open bar commenced, Lucaz Zaglul, 22, a bartender and MiamiRebels cofounder, entertained the at-capacity establishment by dancing on the bar-top and hanging upside down from a metal rope suspended just above the bar.

“We love you!” shouted one girl, as the crowd chanted “shots, shots, shots,” at increasing volumes.

CoveLove ThursNights has approached its two-year anniversary with excessive force, and thanks are completely owed to the MiamiRebels, a small group of individuals in their 20s that have described themselves simply as, “a bunch of crazy fucks,” and frequently advise others to, “stay rebellious, my friends.”

The MiamiRebels lifestyle is one that has been engulfed in a passion for freedom, music and love.

“We’ve been living a lifestyle that can be considered unhealthy when we step out of moderation, but it is also extremely healthy for the mind,” the MiamiRebels co-founder, Coloma, 24, explained. “We’ve become very free and very tolerant. We’ve become nonjudgmental. For the most part we’re peaceful and just happy.

We’re down to do things; we’re down to live.”

Joining Coloma and Lucaz Zaglul in the MiamiRebels are DJs Luis Baquero, 21, and Ricardo Mogollon, 23; photographer Angela Gomez, 21; and what the group refers to as a “baby Rebel in training”, Sammy Zaglul, 19.

At the core of the MiamiRebels is a Bill of Rights, defining the general guidelines and responsibilities of those that want to consider themselves a Miami rebel. The group enforces the idea of peace and a general respect for others, while declining the common ideas of society and the destruction of our natural rights by our government.

The MiamiRebels’ Bill of Rights consists of five rules, written by Coloma, and stated as such: * * * 1. Treat all humans as if they hold maximum vital importance to you at all times in any circumstance.

2. The people hold the right to thwart any construction of the law that may oppose or demean any human right.

3. People think therefore they are, to ensure mental freedom; the right of the people to own and exercise their minds shall not be violated.

4. No legislative body shall, in time of peace or war disregard that their decisions are to be selfless as they hold a duty for all humans.

5. We are united in a planetary community, Earth. No human shall deny themselves or others the right to an environment free of pollution. * * * While the Bill of Rights is meant to express the MiamiRebels’ views and ideals, the true definition behind the group is yet to be determined.

“The definition is a problem because we try to not define ourselves, but I guess that’s how we define ourselves,” Coloma said. “We just try to be free in all respects of freedom.”

From Buses to Riches Just over five years ago, the MiamiRebels chose a softer name to print on the flyers for the parties they would throw: Gushy Sweet Stuff. The gentle name ran along side the party’s slogan, “fuck cups, we got buckets,” and the one-night party took place in the backyard of a friends house. From the beginning, Mongollon was the DJ, Lucaz Zaglul was the bartender and Coloma was the mind behind the planning.

“Everything was going great and then [someone] decided to jump over the bar, into the DJ booth, grab the lap top, run and jump the fence with the lap top. And there went the party. It was like ghetto Spiderman, literally,” Coloma reminisced.

While the occurrence happened directly in front of him, Mongollon was oblivious to the lap top theft and Lucaz Zaglul jokes, “ever since that party we had to control Ricky’s drinking.”

During the fall of 2008, the MiamiRebels continued to throw large-scale parties with innovative themes and locations. This time around, however, the large-scale parties took place in a yellow school bus that was normally transporting middle school students.

On Thursday nights, though, the bus parked outside the Florida International University dormitories and the driver instead transported the packed school bus to a club on Miami Beach. “Girls would show up to the club with make-up running and their hair super crazy,” Lucaz Zaglul explained, detailing that school buses typically lack air conditioning and bathrooms, and this one was no exception.

After the age of the yellow-school-bus-parties, and three Beer-Olympics style events, the managers of The Cove contacted Coloma to throw a college party, which to date averages 500 people each Thursday night.

“I think the Cove has been a great catapult and a wonderful foundation because they just let us do whatever the fuck we want,” Coloma said.

For each of the MiamiRebels, the CoveLove ThursNight parties have a different impact. Lucaz Zaglul describes The Cove as their “birthplace,” while Baquero uses the term “sanctuary” when describing the establishment.

“I think musically it’s like our lab,” Mongollon said.

“That is where we go and try stuff out; see what works, what doesn’t work, and experiment with music.”

And experimenting with music they have, as Lucaz Zaglul describes one musical experiment as “awkward,” and Mongollon says they once got the “death stare from the crowd.”

“We’ve played everything there from disco to dubstep to hip hop; reggae, open format, rock and roll; we’ve played everything. Some stuff doesn’t work,” Coloma said. “[We like to play] music that changes people. You know, not the same bullshit over and over again.”

Behind The Music A heavy force driving the MiamiRebels lifestyle is music, and even the house Coloma, Lucaz Zaglul, Baquero and Mongollon share is constantly filled, sometimes as early as the sun rises, with the sounds of a wide-range of DJs and musicians.

The importance of music varies amongst each MiamiRebels member, and Mongollon describes music as being what ‘moves the group’.“[Music is] the fuel, I think. It’s an essential part to the engine,” Baquero explains.

While the group jokes that Coloma is no DJ, his passion for music extends beyond the turntables and into the business realm, as he is constantly on a search for new worldwide and local artists.“I want the city of Miami to be a destination again for respectable artists that continuously take risks and are continuously innovative. I think Miami has the

potential to be greater than Ibiza,” Coloma said.

With two DJs in the MiamiRebels, including Mongollon and Baquero combining their talents to make up the dynamic DJ team ThunderPony, it goes without say that music is absolutely an influence in their uninhibited lifestyle. “For me, it’s all about the music – developing an open-mind towards new music and being open towards new creations, new DJs and new genres,” Mongollon said. “[I want to] redefine the DJ, because, you know, everyone is a DJ. Everyone knows how to play music, so I want to redefine what a DJ can be.”

As the collaboration ThunderPony, Mongollon and Baquero are described by Lucaz Zaglul as being, “two kids playing video games together, and showing off their skills.” The two have built a reputation of having respectable talents in their own right, but together they have a nearly seamless relationship. “It’s like a really romantic date,” Lucaz Zaglul explained. “They go on a date with their fucking musical skills and they try to go wherever each other [does].”

The Rebellious Mindset From an outsider prospective, the MiamiRebels may be seen as nothing more than 20-somethings declaring their freedom and youth in an unruly manner. However, the groups’ message is as much about a declaration of freedom as it is about straying from societies strict idea of what is viewed as socially acceptable.“I’d like to grab those people that are suckered into like, ‘Oh, I have to go to work from [9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.]. I have to go to school. I have to go to sleep before midnight,’” Lucaz Zaglul said. “You see those people and [they are] zombies. People don’t know what to do because they’ve never experienced something that they want to do.”

The foundation of the MiamiRebels was not intentionally or originally designed to push the envelope of society, but as Coloma describes, that was the natural chain of events.“That is what we’ve become through the lifestyle we’ve been living. I think that’s important for everyone; not necessarily to live like [this] everyday like we do, because we’re the suppliers of it,” Coloma said. “It’s good for people to step out of their ordinary, boring, [and] Capitalism ways and just forget about it for a little bit.”Through the parties MiamiRebels endorses and hosts, their overall goal is to force a change in the mindset of those that join them.“The next day they’re less worried about the things they worried about before because now it’s less important. It’s like they say,

‘last night I almost died, but I’m still here, and it was amazing,’” Coloma said.

Mongollon describes MiamiRebels as being an “outlet” and a form of expressing what makes him and the group “happy,” explaining that he never wants to look back years from now and wish he had done something different with his life. “When I’m 35 I don’t want to look back and think, ‘I wish I was 21 again so I could relive those crazy moments.’ No, I did that and I’m probably going to still be doing it. Live life to the fullest, the way you like doing it, and don’t be phased by what society tells you to do,” Mongollon advises.

The growth of MiamiRebels is inevitable, and Coloma’s everexpanding mind is always on a quest for bigger and better ideas.

Musically speaking, he believes there will be a world expansion.

On their website, MiamiRebels they will be selling “interesting things for whoever likes interesting things,” he says. The main progression, however, will be with the parties they throw.

“In terms of events, [right now] we are doing clubs in Miami, but hopefully we’ll be doing random locations in Miami in the future, like an aquarium,” Coloma said.

“I think in ten years we’ll be throwing parties in the orbit of Earth.”

arts & culture

THE GAME A NARRATIVE BY KATIE MONGER

T

wenty-five,” Father says. You count the colors in his hands. Five red, two green, three yellow. No blue.

You lean over to look at Mother’s cards. Two red, three blue, five yellow. No green. A Rook glares with black eyes. You wish you were a Rook.

“Thirty,” Mother says. Father whistles. You pick up his pen and begin to sketch a bird with black wings around the numbers. “Thirty-five,” says Ma-Maw. He shakes his head. Thirty-five? No. No, pass. Mother sits back and hands you her glasses. They slide on your nose. “Pass,” she says. “Pass, and I need a Diet Coke.” Father takes the pen from your fingers. Ma-Maw sweeps up the blur of color and tries to smile.

The television stands silently in the corner of the room. Brother runs to turn up the volume. He stands with his arms crossed, laughing at the arguing heads.

They aren’t talking about anything, he says. Look at them. In a few hours, it won’t matter anymore. Ma-Maw huffs. “Too much make-up on that one,” she says, pointing to a woman with bright red lips, the name Dolores under her neck. Indecent.

You crawl under the table, a journey to the kitchen. Crumbs and dog hair press into your knees. A quarter, a penny. You’ll keep the quarter, give the penny to Brother. A bookmark. “For God so loved the world.”

You turn red. He hears your thoughts, Father says on Sundays. You’ll give the quarter to Brother, keep the penny for yourself. A pin pricks a scab on your shin.

“Ow!” you yell. What’re you doing down there? Nothing, you say. Stick the pin in your hair. You feel pretty.

Wrong. Not yours to keep. It must be Jessie’s. She’s your best friend. She wears bobby pins in her hair and sometimes, when you’re alone with her, she swears, and you feel like an adult.

She wants to be President when she grows up.

You don’t want to be President. You want to be an artist. She promised you once that when she’s President, you could paint The White House whatever color you want. You stick the pin in your pocket. She’d make a good president. “Blue,” Ma-Maw says. Trump is blue.

Father’s toes wiggle in his taped sandals. One calf is wider than the other. Maybe that’s why he limps, why he’s so slow. No one laughs at him. You think maybe they are afraid to laugh, maybe he scares them. He’s

quiet, like you. Until he gets up in front in his frayed blue suit on Sundays. He taught you to sew with that suit. He had a hole in his peppermint pocket.

“Hurry up,” Mother says. “Hurry up, I can’t play without my Diet Coke. Who led?”

You slide onto the kitchen floor. More crumbs, more hair. Forgotten macaroni. Smell of caramel corn and burnt marshmallows from the cola cake. Brother’s feet scuffle around your dog. A slimy tongue, “go away,” you say, “go away, your breath smells.” No cake, you say.

Chocolate kills dogs. Ma-maw told you that. She had a puppy when she was a little girl, and he ate a chocolate bar her daddy had given her on Christmas Eve. Now she has a goldfish named Petehead. You named him. He looked like your Uncle Pete, a man with bubbly eyes.

The television continues to argue as Mother laughs in triumph. You peek around the corner. The Rook glares at you from the table. Father looks down at his paper, adding and subtracting more numbers.

Ma-Maw looks at herself in the window. “Should have passed,” she says with a sigh. “Should have passed.”

Mother stares at the screen, shoving caramel corn into her mouth. You don’t like caramel corn. It sticks to your teeth.. An elephant, a donkey. A commercial for Welch’s grape juice. Pampers diapers. Gateway.

Diet Coke?

You pull at the white door and the handle snaps.

You push it back. It’s happened before. Diet Coke. Diet Coke. No more Diet Coke. You lean out the frame. “No more Diet Coke,” you say. She swears. “Diet 7Up?” “No,” you say. “No pop.” Father looks up. “I’ll go,” he says. He struggles to stand, leaning his palms on the table. “It won’t be over for a while now,” he says.

You wait for him to ask you to go with him, but he takes Brother instead.

As the headlights sweep over the room, the phone rings.

“Let it go,” Mother says. They’ll leave a message. But you

answer it. “Hello? Hello?” You don’t recognize the accent. City. Sounds like pink nail polish. “Who is it?” she asks. “Who is it?” you ask. “Don’t you recognize your own great-aunt? Shame, shame. You hand the phone to Mother.” She groans. “Don’t give it to me, she says. I’m not here. Give it to Ma-maw.” Ma-maw blushes, shakes her head. No, no, waving her hands. Mother sighs.

“Fine,” she says, “fine, fine, fine.”

“Hello? Yes! Yes, I am. No, no.”

They go on. You look at Father’s cards, Brother’s cards.

You examine the inked numbers on the back of a church bulletin. Circled numbers. We. They. Abbreviations.

Dashes. Mother laughs at a silent joke. You lick the pen.

The cat jumps on the table. You draw a circle. Circle.

Line. An elephant. More circles. More lines. Go away, kitty! You’re ruining my donkey! Ma-maw bats the pen away. “Don’t let your daddy see that,” she says. “Don’t call him that,” you mutter. “It’s weird.”

Mother covers the phone and yells for the zapper. You look under the table, around the comfy chair, under the couch. You find it in the couch cushions along with candy wrappers and a little monkey. “Turn it up,” she says. “Turn it up, I can’t hear,” she says. Ma-Maw gives you a piece of gum.

A talking head. You don’t like his tie. Grey. His eyes shift right to left, right to left. He’s reading. Numbers, percentage signs. Red, blue. Red, blue, grey tie.

Yellow desk. Clips of crowds, clips of men in suits and women in skirts. Men in suits with long arms that reach out and make their shoulders look like horns. Blue signs with names, stripes. White chairs.

Mother’s voice is rising. “Since when?” She yells at you for chewing gum with your mouth open. “I don’t believe it,” she says. “We’ve always voted Republican!”

She pushes a button. The phone rings again. Don’t answer it, she says. I don’t want to hear it. “Democrat?”

Ma-maw asks. “Democrat,” Mother spits.

Car doors slam. You open the front door. Brother shoves you aside. Father taps your nose. You shut the door behind them; line up their lopsided shoes next to yours. Brother’s shoes are almost as big as Father’s now.

Father tries to tell a story, but Mother interrupts.

“She called,” she tells him. “She called to say that she voted for him.” A crash, a splatter. “I don’t want to hear about this anymore,” he declares. “I don’t care, I don’t

care, I don’t care! I just want to play cards.”

You inch into the room, your arms crossed. They look at you. You look at them and want to go back, but you can’t. They sit and the shuffle of cards reminds you of bat wings. A bat circled your bedroom when you were five. Father and Mother were out. You were too scared to find the telephone, too scared to move. You hid under your blankets and prayed like he did. But you didn’t sleep until they came home, voices rising through the vents.

Blur, shuffle. Blur, shuffle. Numbers fly as you stand at your father’s elbow, watching the television in the corner. More commercials. More men in suits. More women in skirts. Numbers on the screen, on the table, on the back of the church bulletin. Dolores talks over states of red and blue.

You wonder if she has children. She doesn’t look at all like Mother, or like Ma-Maw. Maybe it’s the lipstick, like Ma-Maw said. Mother doesn’t wear lipstick.

Ma-Maw wears it to church with a purple skirt and jacket and matching high-heeled shoes.

Mother wears black slacks and a striped shirt. Father wears his blue suit. You wear a sundress, but only because you have to.

You hate dresses.

Dolores, Dolores. An interruption. The man in the grey tie speaks. Even the dog’s tail is frozen. You want to laugh or cry or sing. Say something, say something. Somebody say something.

Numbers. 271 red. 249 blue.

Mother screams along with the crowds. The dog runs in circles around the table, barking at the cat sitting on Ma-Maw’s napkin. Brother yells; Father smiles and sits back, throwing down his cards. All green. Ma-maw takes off her glasses and wipes her eyes.

Something has happened.

The phone rings. Mother lunges for it, for once.

She laughs into the receiver. Guess it doesn’t matter, anymore. Brother snorts. Told you.

“Can I play?” you whisper.

Mother puts her finger to her lips. Brother laughs, “shut up, would you? No one wants to teach you.”

Ma-maw rubs her hands and Father, your daddy, looks into your eyes and tells you that you’re far too young to play this game.

Arts & Culture

INTRODUCING PHOTOGRAPHER

>

ANDRE

YNA SANCHEZ

Into The Woods Interview By: John Floyd

Photogrpaher

Andreyna Sanchez Model

Chelsea Gonzalez Hair

Cathy Botero Styling

Andreyna Sanchez Make-Up

Andreyna Sanchez

Urbane Sophisticate: How did you get into photography?

Dre: Answering this question is a little tricky. I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. I don’t particularly know how I got into it; I just know that for whatever reason, I’ve always loved photography. As a little kid, I had a small Barbie snap and shoot that shot on film. I shot on that until I was about 10 or 11 but stopped when the type of film the camera took was discontinued. For a few years, I shot on random cameras my parents had around the house, but it wasn’t until I was 20 that I really got back into it. I found my great uncle’s Yashica SLR in my dad’s dresser in December of 2008 and to me, it was like finding God.

Urbane: What advice would you give to aspiring photographer trying to break into the industry?

Dre: I, myself, haven’t been able to break into the industry yet, so any advice I give to other aspiring photographers is coming from an aspiring photographer as well. I’d say just keep shooting and don’t wait for inspiration to come your way.

As Picasso put it, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” Become a working machine and never stop shooting.

Urbane: What’s your educational background?

Dre: I’m currently working towards my Bachelors of Science in Film. I bounced around a lot before I decided to study Film, though. I’ve studied Sculpture at FIT, Mythology and World Religions at BC. I’ve always been a bit of a wild card.

Urbane: What is the role of digital technology in your work? Do you bemoan the loss of traditional photographic techniques, or welcome the power and flexibility that comes with digital cameras, Photoshop, etc.?

Dre: I shoot mostly with film. The organic, raw look of film and the feeling of anticipation while awaiting your finished product is something I’m addicted to. When I shoot fashion, however, I shoot digitally, but only because when I shoot fashion, I usually shoot up to 500+ images. If I had the money to shoot 15+ rolls of film during one photo shoot, I’d probably be shooting strictly on film. There’s an organic feeling that is lost when shooting digitally though, and that’s why for everything else that I shoot, mostly street photography, I prefer to shoot on film.

Urbane: How would you describe the relationship between photography and other visual arts, such as painting and film?

Dre: Photographs, films and paintings are all closely related mediums because they all depend on the artist’s knowledge of lighting and composition in order to look visually pleasing.

Urbane: What trends in photography, and the visual arts in general, do you think are going to emerge and exert influence in the next few years?

Dre: I think the inevitable future of art, not just photography, but all art in general, is to become fully digital. It’ll all be 1’s and 0’s rather than tangible material to work with. So much art and work is made in Photoshop, Vectorworks, After Effects, etc. They recently stopped the manufacturing of Motion Picture Film cameras and most places don’t develop film anymore. McQueen, may he rest in peace, had a hologram of Kate Moss a few years ago at one of his shows.

I wouldn’t be surprised if all fashion shows became holograms of the models. Everything is going the digital route.

Urbane: Are there any photographers whose current work you’re particularly impressed by?

Dre: I’m extremely impressed by Camilla Akrans work. Her use of wide lenses blows my mind because she knows how to use them in such a flattering way. Her work is extremely bold. Everything she creates is just breathtaking. Boogie also inspires me a lot. In my opinion, he’s the best street photographer out there. I’m drawn to the subject matter he chooses to capture.

Urbane: What’s up next in your career?

Dre: Up next in my career? I’d like to know that just as much as you do, ha-ha. I graduate from school soon, so my plans are to keep shooting girls at different agencies and hopefully get more work published within the next couple of months. I’d like to find work in either New York City or somewhere in Europe before the end of 2012 [preferably, milan, paris or london].

global

One Backpack, A World of Stories one student Is transformIng the world of InternatIonal JournalIsm. here Is hIs story.

alex pena is an award-winning student journalist and multi-media reporter at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is currently pursuing a career as a foreign correspondent. Pena has reported for and been featured on platforms including: CNN, ABC News, MSNBC.com, and BBC WHYS, amongst others. In his four years at Florida Gulf Coast University, he has covered stories from Mexico to Japan, and many places in between. He was one of the few students to have covered Mexico’s War on Drugs, as well as filing television stories from a post-earthquake environment in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Pena’s reporting has garnered awards such as the prestigious 2011 Overseas Press Club Scholarship, which he was the first recipient of the Walter and Betsy Cronkite Award, sponsored by CBS News. He was named Roving Reporter of the Year at ABC News on Campus, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Student Fellow at NBC Nightly News, where he interned for the summer in 2010. Pena was also chosen as a winner of the Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting competition via the Scripps Howard Foundation, which funded his trip to Japan. Pena is due to graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University in December and plans to continue chasing important and relevant stories, wherever that may take him.

Nothing about racing down a highway at 90 mph in the back of a faded-Mexican military vehicle chasing down cartel hit men was safe for a 20-year-old aspiring journalist, but it was one of the first steps to achieving my dream of becoming a foreign news correspondent.

I made the trip into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, to cover what was one of the bloodiest years in the country’s history. As of now, over 50,000 people have been killed in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the country’s drug cartels in December of 2006. Over 9,000 of those are in Juarez alone. I was hoping to capture this on film.

My first venture into Juarez was December of 2009. I arrived just before the Mexican Navy killed Arturo Beltran Levya, the leader of the Beltran Levya drug cartel, one of the major three operating in the city. The vacuum of power created by his death caused the murder rate to soar from 8-10 murders a day, to over 16. It turned the city into a warzone and I was one of the few foreign journalists in the city to cover it.

I was able to do so by making contact with a local journalist in the city who previously worked the crime beat. He was taken off that beat when the cartels threatened his life. Since then, he has become an expert at working under the radar. He would become to me what we refer to as a fixer – a local journalist or resident, who helps set up interviews, drives, translates, etc.

This was a particularly risky venture, not just for a student, but professionals as well. The committee to protect journalists reports that 26 journalists have been killed during Mexico’s drug wars, and the vast majorities were covering crime and corruption.

Just a few months after I left the city, drug cartel hit men, referred to as “sicarios,” killed a 21-year-old photography intern working at the local newspaper “El Diario.” He was sitting in his car outside a shopping mall during his lunch break when they attacked.

Knowing the dangers, I made the decision to take on a new style of journalism. One I had only dabbled with in the past, but knew offered the safest possibility for reporting in an environment like Juarez. At times, it is referred to as “Backpack journalism,” or “mojo,” which means mobile journalist. Setting up a camera shot too long in this city could have meant being targeted and “green lighted” by a cartel enforcer. That meant

you were marked for death. If that were to happen, I definitely wouldn’t have made it back in time for class.

At the time, Florida Gulf Coast University had no journalism major. Equipment was scarce and hard to come by on our campus. While this may seem like a deterrent, for Juarez, “less is more.” I packed a backpack that included a small hand-held HD camcorder. Behind that I stuffed a short shotgun video microphone, and my Macbook computer. A handful of batteries, t-shirts, and first-aid equipment surrounded and secured the lightweight camera gear in my bag. I strapped a tripod to the side of my backpack and I was off.

Looking back, nothing about my previous two years as a student journalist could have prepared me for what I would see. I’m a journalist, but I hadn’t taken a single reporting course. All I knew was I wanted this story -- badly. So I went for it.

One scene I reported resonates with me most.

While embedded with the Mexican Military as they patrolled the streets of Juarez, we came across the aftermath of a shoot-out between gangs. As our trucks rolled up to the scene, one of the gang members who had been shot was still alive, wounded and lying on the floor. Immediately, I assumed they would call out for an ambulance.

The police who arrived at the scene, picked up the man, threw him in the back of a police vehicle, and drove back to the police station. When we arrived, the man was taking his last breaths while everyone stood and watched. In fact, his mother showed up moments later weeping over his body covered in a blood soaked sheet lying lifeless in the back of a car. No information was released. I don’t even know his name or how old he was. I often asked the other journalist who was with me why this happened. Could they have saved him? He says they assumed he was a “sicario” for a rival cartel, that’s why they let him die. All I knew was there was no judge, no jury, and certainly no justice.

This wasn’t the easiest thing to report, but my style of reporting certainly made it possible. Using CNN’s ireport program, I had the opportunity to go live on CNN Newsroom with Ali Velshi. They rolled my footage as I told the world how ineffective Mexico’s military was being inside of the city.

How “if they aren’t corrupt, they are scared.” How corruption and lies were killing more people than the cartels. And how this was all being fueled by America’s consumption of illegal narcotics.

Since then, I’ve returned to Juarez reporting on many other issues. I often think about the sirens ringing out through the city that woke me every morning. Will they ever stop?

If not, I would continue reporting, rebelliously and relentlessly.

Fortunately, the networks noticed my work. ABC News on Campus, a program I was reporting for, named me their “Roving Reporter of the Year” for 2010, which allowed me to filed more stories on Juarez at the national level.

In March, I tagged along with a rag tag team of volunteer paramedics as they navigated the narrow hillsides of Juarez saving all and any victims they could find – without a GPS I should add.

Drug related or not, they helped.

I also filed a story about how Twitter was helping save lives

in the border town of Reynosa, Mexico where the drug cartels had kidnapped 8 Mexican journalists causing the papers and TV stations to shutdown.

The citizens turned to social media to keep each other aware.

Mexico had become a huge story, but by adapting the “backpack” concept for my reporting, keeping all my equipment light weight and portable, I was able to cover some other international news stories on the resources of a student journalist, which are usually very few.

I packed my bag and took off for Haiti after a devastating earthquake nearly knocked down the entire capital.

More than 200,000 Haitians were killed in a matter of seconds. I entered the country by flying into Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The airports in Port-au-Prince were shutdown, and communication was nearly impossible at the time. I tagged along with a local Haitian man from South Florida as he attempted

to assist his family in the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake. His adventure became my story.

Having my equipment accessible at all times, I documented the 6 hour trip to the border packed shoulder to shoulder in a bus carrying medical supplies and goods to the border with Haiti. From there, we rode in the back of a truck to the capital where we would try and meet his family.

The roads were almost impossible to navigate, as the concrete buildings had collapsed into the streets. We road on motorbike into a town just west of Port-au-Prince named Carrefour.

That’s where he found his family.

This town, unlike Port-au-Prince, had seen no international aid.

No one had even come to pick up the bodies. The residents just lined them up in the streets, covered them with dirt, and laid rocks on top as a feeble attempt at a gravestone. This again, would become my story.

I returned home with a heavy heart, but also a passion for streamlining this type of reporting for future trips and journalists.

There are many technologies that are allowing individual journalists to accomplish things that teams cannot.

They allow journalists to enter areas that at times were considered inaccessible for network news teams to reach.

The idea that one can go live on television from his or her iphone ignites ideas and possibilities that we as students haven’t seen before. That a HD flip cam can be bought if we just save around a months worth of beer money is new, and exciting. I’ve learned that when it comes to international news reporting, as a student, less really is more, and we can be just as effective story tellers, if not more, by embracing these changes.

DRESS SHIRTS HAVEN’T CHANGED FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS. SO WE ARE.

MINISTRY DESIGNED IN CAMBRIDGE

OF SUPPLY CREATED IN NEW YORK CITY

USE PROMOCODE: URBANE25 FOR 25% OFF AT MINISTRYOFSUPPLY.COM

Gourmet

Haute Cuisine Reborn

?

Executive Chef Colt Taylor [One if By Land, Two if By Sea]

F

our years ago when I was a teaching assistant at the Culinary Institute of America, I held an open forum discussion on the relevance of classic French cuisine in modern American cooking with some of the most influential chefs of New York’s culinary coming out party; Andre Soltner of Lutece, Dominick Cerrone of Le Bernardin, and Didier Schoner of Le Cirque.

The panel quickly transformed into an examination of molecular gastronomy.

This process is something some of the best-rated restaurants in the world have come to base their entire dining experience on; such as El Bulli and Alinea. I look back on that experience and realize how there are two basic principles that will always show through in culinary. First and foremost, foundation and technique are everything, without a strong foundation a cook will not amount to anything. Secondly, excess is the enemy of fine cuisine, whether it is the salt we season the fish with, or the amount of food science we put on our menu--as in life, moderation is key.

Before we can truly assess the relevance of classical French cuisine we must define it by its history. What sets France’s history apart from Italy, Spain, China or Japan’s is not a timeline of who did what first. Cooking has been around for hundreds of thousands of years, dating back to South Africa and China with evidence of the first hearths

being utilized by primitive people.

France, however, brought food to a whole new level. Their codification of terms and recipes along with their organization of the kitchen was the first of its kind. Taillevent, a French court chef who wrote “Le Viandier,” one of the first cookbooks known to been written, took his knowledge and transcribed it.

Antoine Careme was the famous chef to Napoleon who progressed the standard of cooking with excessive spices to a more fresh approach focused around cream, butter, and herbs thus birthing modern cuisine. The true breakthrough in what we define as classic French cuisine came with Auguste Escoffier, known as the pioneer of Haute Cuisine, in the 20th century. Prior to Escoffier, cooks were taught how to cook, except there was no standard method or procedure, therefore, the lack of consistency varied from location to location. Without organization, progress is an uphill march. When we now pick up a copy of Escoffier the cookbook and see all of the different methods of preparing eggs with specific techniques and terms, it can be a bit overwhelming. Just imagine how it would be to sit down and create such a book from scratch.

Classic French cuisine is not a type of food, but rather an organized approach to properly preparing food, the ingredients are a side note.

So where does classical French cuisine truly fit in present times? Some people have told me they see resurgence in the classics; however the truth is, they never left. The likes of Jean George, Daniel and Eric Ripert are the perfect examples. They have all built empires on classical French cooking and technique, and I don’t see them going anywhere, anytime soon.

We have new technology in our repertoire such as a the globalization of supermarkets, which allows us to expand from the limited ‘local’ products available, and a cryovac machine. In the end, however, we are still using the same core concepts of cooking, whether it be a Korean style braised short rib or a New England style short rib—regardless of the name, a braise is a braise.

Those who have made a name through the molecular gastronomy movement have built a strong foundation rooted in French methods such as Grant Aschatz of Alinea, who spent four years working under the famed Thomas Keller at the French Laundry.

Yes, food science is here to stay, but it is not the mainstream to success. A great restaurant may or may not use agar or methylcellulose; nonetheless, they will always know how to properly roast a piece of meat or glaze a vegetable. There is no faking knowledge and technique, especially when you are behind the stove.

fashion “JustIn brIdges” by greg mInasIan spreadhouse

A

Moment JustIn brIdges

J

ustin Bridges has only been in fashion for a short time, but he is swiftly and intelligently making his mark within the industry-from the merchant community to the editorial creative space.

Having left a career as a financial professional at the prestigious Goldman Sachs, Justin made his way to some of the top companies in retail which include J. Crew and a luxury retailer. Perhaps some of his rawest talents can be observed via his rapidly growing fashion blog as he displays his photography showcasing collaborative editorials and projects between himself and some of fashion’s most noteable names.

Justin has provided photographic content to GQ.com and has been featured on Esquire.com as well as Jak and Jil.

Urbane Sophisticate: As a southern boy, tell me about your move up to the big city. Did you have prior aspirations of getting into the fashion before the move, or was it strictly for Justin Bridges: I attended The American University in Washington DC before moving to New York. I was a

but interesting history.

Urbane JB: Urbane

going through your mind when you as a whole, did you have something to JB: I went back and forth trying to decide

the fact that money isn’t what it used overcome with the excitement of your on the horizon. I’ve never had so much

“I decided

to follow my heart and the advice of a mentor & fellow Goldman colleague, ‘Follow your passion and the money

a medium for me to connect to fashion

Urbane your blog. Tell us a little bit about being

JB:

”

will come.

Urbane:

JB:

“JustIn brIdges” by albert chung

I made my decision to switch career

Urbane: What are some of your fashion icons that you look up to? Did you have a chance to meet any of them at NYFW? JB: I’m horrible with names and notoriety. Let me do my best though. I’ve always been a huge fan of Nickelson Wooster. He nails every outfit he wears, and that’s why you see his face on every blog. I’m always impressed by the sartorial style of the Gilt and GQ crew. Sean Hotchkiss of the GQ Eye really kills it with regard to fit and proportion. Justin Doss, a fashion editor at GQ, knows how to incorporate sophisticated elegance into his attire even when he’s in casual mode. Thom Browne comes to mind because I’m a real sucker for the cropped suiting looks. There are a lot of guys that are really stepping it up, so I really appreciate that. I know most of these people, it’s incredible how close and small the menswear community can be.

Urbane: I’m sure there are tons of people out there who would love your job, what with all the perks. What’s a typical day as a buyer at a luxury retailer like? Any specific brands or collaborations that fancy your eye?

JB: I wouldn’t say there are perks as a buyer per se. Attending fashion shows and getting to see the clothes so far in advance is awesome. However, I think as a blogger, the scope is even larger, just with less pressure. I would argue there is no typical day for a buyer. The mundane tasks are not worth talking about but the exciting parts of the day are attending market. It is exciting to visit a showroom, lay out a collection and edit it for the customers of your store. And then, 6 months later, you get to find out if your choices really sync up with your customers tastes. But don’t forget, buying is no longer as glamorous as it once was. There is an incredible amount of attention given to financials and strategic plans, it is truly a corporate environment in the big retail boxes.

There are a multitude of brands that get me excited. I’m not up on current events so I don’t have an collaborations on the brain but I do like a lot of brands. I’m always watching rag & bone to see how they mature. I love niche brands like the Hill Side and In God We Trust. In the European designer world, I’m incredibly fascinated by the creations of Dries Van Noten and Balmain. I love obscure brands too. I’m just a huge student of the fashion game.

“JustIn brIdges” by greg mInasIan spreadhouse

Urbane: excited

What about

are Urbane

you most Sophisticate?

JB:Urbane Sophisticate is an exciting challenge. As media shifts away from print and even deeper into the digital space, the hasty development of social media architecture and community has been an interesting story. Urbane Sophisticate is a unique vehicle because it almost enters the market as a collaborative online publication. Democratizing “expertise” through the vehicle of educated opinion on a professional platform is something we haven’t seen. People have always been able to express themselves through Facebook, blogs, and other online communities, but never has a magazine done so much to legitimize and distribute the voices of so many from a tract spanning from pre-career to seasoned professionals; and all under one house.

Urbane: With Tucked becoming a relevant source for fashion in the blogosphere Why Urbane Sophisticate?

Why Now? JB: In this day and age, digital expansion is less about why and more about how. There’s no question that given an opportunity to participate in a respectable and exciting initiative, you have to take it. There’s no secret that the “Lifer” with regards to loyalty to employer is a dying breed amongst the young and the restless. I won’t be at Urbane forever, and I’ll always be growing and maturing in an attempt to make my relevance as a fashion authority continually solid. I chose to be at the birth of the Urbane project because it’s challenging and exciting...it is entrepreneurial. I have the unique chance to shape and mold a concept at conception and share that vision with a great number of people.

I don’t blog privately, or take pictures then hide them on my hard drive. This is another vehicle to spread influence and knowledge; an invaluable opportunity Urbane: Finally, what can we expect from @ JBridgesNYC || @TuckedStyle in the future? Any projects you look forward/would like to work on?

JB: There are always opportunities and projects on the horizon. Most of which is unknown to me until it lands on my plate or I create it...so stay tuned!

Please note that all photos were taken by Justin Bridges, unless otherwise tagged.

“JustIn brIdges” by chayenne Joel

fashion

Ministry

of supply

The Intersection of Engineering & Fashion Katrina Bruno & Luis a. navia

A

s 2012 approaches, scientific contributions continue to have a strong presence in our day-to-day, as it is related to beneficial improvements in technology, mechanics, health care, and most recently – fashion. Fashion is an important concept to a professional twenty-something. How one looks and how one feels is often a powerful force in ones confidence and success.

At the brink of our experimental and ever-changing world, and at the intersection of engineering and fashion, lies a start up company with an innovative set of avant-garde engineers powering it. Ministry of Supply is the brainchild of several recent graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company blends engineering and design into fashionable men’s clothing, with a sanguine aim directed at changing and improving business wear as we know it.

Left to right: Gihan Amarasiriwardena, Suneal Bedi, Eddie Obropta, Eric Khatchadourian, Kevin Rustagi

Ministry of Supply and its subsequent products came about in January 2010 when its creators Gihan, Kevin and Eric, students and alumni from MIT, took an uncomfortable traveling incident experienced by one of their founding members and developed a revolutionary solution in response.

After hearing this story from his co-founder Eric, Gihan explains, “Eric found himself traveling often, and because of hectic meetings he would sweat and mess up his shirt.” This not only made Eric feel sweltered and extremely uncomfortable but also emitted an appearance of unprofessionalism. These gentlemen had a solution a novel idea that used athletic clothing materials, which are designed to reduce sweat and increase comfort, in place of standard materials and fabrics traditionally used in business wear.

In order to prepare, and further the production of their idea, these entrepreneurial engineers enrolled in courses that would help expand their knowledge of business, assist them in building cohesive plans and develop prototypes. Since graduation, each innovator has been working full-time on improving product and business development.

“What’s really interesting as well is… why shirts?

Why not start with socks or underwear?” Kevin confers, “We thought the dress shirt was something that everyone could see. Our aim is really to change to entire business

wear ensemble. We decided to start with the dress shirt, because it is really a plain point. We spoke to multiple men and they said: “it wrinkles”, “it’s hot”, “it just doesn’t fit well”. That’s something that we decided that we could innovate in a visible way.”

They chose to focus on improving a design for business wear clothing rather than compete with big name corporations, such as outdoor and athletic wear companies. Gihan said, “I used to design outdoor gear before. The outdoor wear marketplace is crowded. And we thought we could bring our innovations to a new market.”

Gihan had some experience with materials before this project began. He explains, “I was a boy scout growing up, especially in New England. I needed gear for all of the different seasons and was really interested in making my own gear. With a couple of friends we began making our own windproof vests.”

“A lot of people laugh and question, ‘What are a bunch of engineers doing starting a fashion company?’” Gihan said, “Fashion - there is a lot more to it.

There is style, the design itself as well as the branding and marketing aspect. The task itself is pretty daunting in terms of creating an entire brand. We know the business area, and we see who we can enlist to help us figure out our gaps.”

Through preparation, leadership, location, and networking, Ministry of Supply has gained a competitive edge and is successfully making their name known throughout New England and the northern eastern edge of America. Boston is the ideal location for the innovators start-up project because it gives them a creative edge for their product, but New York City is where the company’s manufacturers and advisors are.

Ministry of Supply’s founders often commute to and from the two cities and capitalize on their time in each location with efficiency and preparation. “The beauty of the trips, and the start up of a company overall, is meeting new people. We ask ourselves: How many people can we meet with while we are here, and how much can we get done on the product? Efficiency is the name of the game.”

The question of “why” is also one that often crosses the mind of an engineer of any specialization and emphasizes leadership.

“Something I think is just very important is leadership and engineering. I saw a ton of this at Apple while working on the iPhone. The amount of attention to detail they have I found emblematic of engineers,

designers and leaders. That’s something that permeates everything you do, it’s a sense of doubt, it’s an optimistic doubt…but it just says I wonder about that parameter, piece of the puzzle. Does it really work? Can it really work?

How can we scale it? I feel that engineers ask those question the same way, I also feel, great leaders ask those questions.”

But like all major projects, funding and time was the biggest issue for the entrepreneurs. After working on their prototypes the owners realized they would need to donate more attention to the project.

“We had to decide whether we were going to this full time before knowing if we had any solid financial backing, aside from bootstrapping cash from partners, and we worked full time without a lot of certainty,” Kevin said, “To create something from nothing is a classic phrase, and it means that you need to be bold and start creating something new, and prove you are able to do it, before you have the money to do it.”

But they remained confident enough to say, “You know, we’ve got something here. Let’s just start doing it and the money will come.”

Ministry of Supply has a certain je ne sais quoi that not only appeals to fashionistas, but scientists and engineers alike. Their products break the rules of traditional American fashion, which predominantly uses traditional fibers like, traditional woven cotton fiber and transforms typically uncomfortable business wear nto a unique design that is novel, functional, comfortable and affordable.

traVel

A

s the icy February wind blew hard across my face, my woolen scarf whipped around in a disorderly fashion, one which traced the rugged outline of the looming Hindu Kush deep in the distance. Focusing first on the snowy patches which capped the untamed mountain tops, I began to look down amongst the crowded mountainside to which many of Kabul’s residents claimed home to. Amid the thick layer of dusty air which had been stirred up from a day’s worth of traffic, I could spot out much of the city with this incredible view, everything from towering minarets to market places. The scene that laid before me was quite the unfamiliar and intimidating one, but one which also brought an urge to discover the secrets that were harbored in the mazing network of streets.

To many back home, thoughts of this city evoked images of the latest media clipping dealing with some act of insurgency, an impression which has been seared into the minds of many foreigners. Afghanistan no doubt has been ravaged by decades of conflict, from the decade-long Soviet occupation to the brutality under Taliban-rule. With that said, I did not travel to this country in search of war scars from the past and present, but rather to discover the hidden truths that lied deeply embedded within the Afghan psych and culture, strictly from an educational standpoint.

Initially, I had never planned to visit Afghanistan, as I was only overseas studying in Dubai for a semester abroad. It was a combination of many things that influenced me to proceed in traveling to a country so rich in culture and with such a significance from a historical standpoint. Stumbling into an advertisement for cheap airline tickets and learning of the relatively easy visa processing at the Afghan consulate brought me to realize that I just might be able to pull off such a trip. In addition, years of studying international affairs, a love for the Afghan cuisine, and a passion for traveling brought me to finalize my plans. With that said, I was also fully aware of the safety risk in traveling to such a place as a civilian without any affiliation to the military or an organization which could offer me assistance.

But doesn’t a life worth living have its fair share of risks anyways?

Two weeks later, I was riding through the gritty streets of Kabul, witnessing firsthand the mayhem that the daily rush-hour traffic, policing, and pedestrian confusion brought about. Draping clothes of Tajiks and Hazaras brushed alongside the taxi mirrors, while words of Dari and Pashto were spoken alongside the food stalls. Lining the streets were the local tea houses, or chaikanas, which were all bustling with business as Kabuli men poured in to suffice their taste buds with a warm pot of the morning brew and take part of the daily social exchange for the latest news. A horsedrawn wagon rode alongside a small convoy of military vehicles, with the occasional bicycle zipping between the morning congestion. The air, which flowed into the car, was heavy in scent, a mix between a smell the passing spice cart gave off to the thick car fumes that were exhausted by the truck in front. Welcome to Kabul!

Soon, the sensory overload was tamed as I arrived to one of the local guest-houses in the central neighborhood of Shahr-e Nau. Following my checkin to the establishment, I proceeded with easy-going registering with the Afghan police, mandatory for all foreigners arriving in the country. I was now ready for a few days of Kabul exploration, followed by an escape into the countryside and mountains. While my time here was divided between independent travel, meeting pre-arranged transportation, and being shown around by some friendly locals, all moments offered me an eye-opening experience to this part of the world.

While the chaos of Kabul is bluntly apparent, my focus was on visiting the historical sites that were scattered across the frontier-feeling capital and to experience the culture and warm hospitality of the locals,

both of which I succeeded in. I began by visiting the old Bala Hissar citadel, which was built in the 5th century AD on top of a hillside dominating this part of the city. Standing under the ruined base, its magnificence rose above me in an intimidating manner, one that emphasized the deep history this land held. The next stop on my travel plans were to the Darul Aman Palace on the outskirts of the town. Riding out was an adventure itself, with my taxi weaving in and out the cluster of cars and potholes, while dodging a man carrying chickens in a cage. From a distance, Darul Aman Palace is easily identifiable with its European-style, as it was built in the period when modernizing Afghanistan took place in the 1920‘s. Even with its elevated position, moving closer to the structure allowed me to see how much had been gutted out by heavy shelling and fire. Walking around it was surreal, as so much history had taken place here the last few decades of fighting. Besides the other sites visited such as the National Museum, the Gardens of Baber, and the OMAR Land Mine Museum, I had the opportunity to meet some foreign diplomats, American soldiers, USAID volunteers, the younger generation of Afghans who frequented the pool halls, and reflect on everything each evening in the sheesha-smoking shops found throughout Shahr-e Nau. Meeting the people that resided in Kabul from all different backgrounds and talking with the foreign workers gave me a more well-rounded idea of the how diverse the residing population was in terms of ethnicity and in purpose of visitation.

Despite the success of the first adventurous days, my most fulfilling time in the Kabul was spent with the father of an Afghan friend of mine. Learning that I was traveling to Afghanistan, she had given me her father’s contacts and told me he would be happy to show me around to some places that few people usually see and to offer his personal insight on many of the ongoing issues that exist in Afghanistan today. After picking me up from the guesthouse, our first stop was to the flour and wheat mill he owned, which lied off of the infamous Jalalabad Road, now ranked the world’s most dangerous road from the constant insurgent attacks on military vehicles traveling to and from the nearby Bagram Air Base.

As we toured the mill and watched the workers go about with processing the grains, he began to discuss about the farming and heavy industry which exists in Afghanistan today and the important aspects that makeup the economy.

He also began to recall his most personal experiences with living under the Taliban repression and how the ongoing conflict affects the way of life for people here. Regardless of the issues that he endured and spoke of, he had remained strong throughout the years and raised his children with the same values and traditions in which his family had brought him up. Our next stop was Chicken Street, the Bird Market, and the shopping bazaars of central Kabul, which bustled full of vendors selling everything from slabs of meat to car parts, from pigeons to colorful clothing. He had come here to buy some handmade clothing for a guest he was hosting the next day, which enlightened me on the Afghan tradition of gift giving for guests new to your home. Following our departure from the market, we crossed the city past an extreme of buildings, some of which were brand new from the foreign investment which funded their construction to others which had been blown to rubble from years of warfare. Further down the road, the famous Ghanzi

Stadium sat solemnly, reminding me of the public executions and stone beatings which the Taliban sometimes had used this structure for, sparking much international controversy over the legitimacy of their rule. A morning’s worth of running around had worked up our appetites for lunch at a traditional chaikana, where we devoured Afghan kebabs fresh off the grill and downed pot after pot of brewed tea, both satisfying our need to warm up from the winter air. By complete coincidence, my friend’s father had stumbled into some long-lost friends at the table next to ours, and the whole place went up for a few hours in celebration and catching-up!

Even the frequent electricity cuts couldn’t put a damp to the joyful occasion and to their conversing about the latest news of their village and families. After saying our goodbyes to one another, we departed for an afternoon at the stunning Lake Qargha on the outskirts of the city, where the icy shores of the turquoise blue water silently sat amid the treeless and hills.

With such a peaceful feeling and complete serenity, we finished the day off with a walk along the stony shoreline, reflecting on our day and talking about future hopes for the region.

A few days worth of bustling Kabul had me itching for a scenery change, and the infamous Hindu Kush mountain range acted as a tempting choice, specifically with the spectacular Panjshir Valley nestled in the south of it. Famous for where Massoud’s mujahideen played a role in driving out the Soviet army, this mountain pass has always differed from Kandahar and southern Afghanistan with its weak Taliban presence, as its magnificent towering slopes act as a guard for strategic protection. After hiring a driver and translator, we departed the sprawl of Kabul for a scenery transformation into the Afghan countryside, with an apparent change in how the locals upheld their strong traditions, customs, dress, and lifestyle. Stopping in a local restaurant after a few hours drive allowed me to get my fill of kebab, rice, bread, yogurt, and vegetables. As I was dressed in the traditional Afghan clothing, sitting on the floor, and eating with my hands as the traditional custom calls for, little did the locals of this eatery know I was an outsider and something felt great knowing I could take part in their daily lives firsthand. The strong sense of unity and hospitality was present, as the natives inside began to share their food and sat with one another.

Continuing into a rocky and river-bottom gorge, which marked the beginning of Panjshir Valley, our vehicle climbed in altitude past villages consisting of mud brick homes with plenty of livestock roaming the area. While the mountain scenery was spectacular as the valley opened up before us, one could not notice how tough life was here, as children were pulling barrels of firewood alongside abandoned and bullet-ridden Soviet tanks leftover from the previous years of war.

The villages we passed were full of character, from the hanging meat of butcher shops to the occasional call of prayer ringing out from the local mosque. Finally reaching the snow line, we pulled over the vehicle to allow the sheer beauty of the rocky and snow-capped mountains take our breaths away. Walking around in the cold and crisp mountain air was most refreshing, as was seeing the picturesque villages and irrigated patches of farmland that dotted the valley floor below.

For a moment, everything was so beautiful and grand that I had forgotten where I was, but the overhead roaring of US military choppers flying deeper into Panjshir brought me back to my senses of the place in which I stood. That moment of seeing the rugged

mountain pass brought me to understand why despite centuries of invasions by foreign rulers to a land so rich in beauty, culture, and history, Afghanistan has always remained a land which has been most difficult to conquer.

Indeed, Afghanistan has its complications, many of which are in a realm that many of us are unfamiliar with. But doesn’t this exist in all countries worldwide to some degree? My time in Afghanistan was a learning experience in which I saw the richness of the culture, experienced the warm hospitality from the locals, and allowed me to better understand a country that has dominated the news reports of our television screens the last few years. While the land may be a rugged one in both terrain and in a political sense, witnessing strength of the Afghan people and the beauties of such a place is an impression that has and will always be deeply embedded in me.

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politics

How Social Media Changes Politics sheela venero

...the average social user has 195 friends... take into account the 22 million Facebook friends and the 9 million Twitter followers that President Obama had. Multiply those connections by the possible number of online friends... one can see how the message of “hope” and “change” was rampant online.

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T

he 2008 presidential election cycle saw the emergence of the Social Media Campaign.

There were Facebook and Youtube debates, meet up groups, blogs and tweets from the campaign trail.

Girls sang and danced about how much they loved their candidate of choice, all while clad in itty-bitty bikinis (Check out the Obama and Giuliani Girl Youtube videos). By the time the Republicans realized what a social media campaign was; Senator Obama had become President Obama.

much money they raised online but the database they were able to create.

The online reality is one’s social stock or social worth online is determined by online activity and online connections. The statistics show that the average social user has 195 friends. So take into account the 22 million Facebook friends and the 9 million Twitter followers that President Obama had. Multiply those connections by the possible number of online friends they each have and one can see how the message of hope and change was rampant online. There is no mystery So, is social media changing behind his campaign; President Obama was able to infect the hearts politics? and minds of millions of voters with one click of the mouse, but we all knew that.

In 2009 Tw i t t e r became the medium of the Iranian Elections.

Even as the Iranian

In 2008 Obama brought together his online team and they set out to create a force that took out the Clinton machine and then the Republicans. The Obama campaign brought together several social networking applications behind one message, Hope and Change.

They raised money, fought smear campaigns and organized their supporters on a local level. Yet the genius and power behind the Obama Campaign was not how

government restricted access to websites and censored the media, Twitter became the epicenter of the Iranian mass protests. Why? Well those who tweet on a regular basis can vouch for the ease of sending a message. Thanks to retweet functionality one’s message can literally move like a speeding bullet through the twitter verse, with followers being able to re-tweet or share your message with their followers. It’s no wonder Twitter

was so difficult to control by one central authority and it helped to embolden Iranian protestors needing to speak their minds.

Twitter allowed the world to hear the Iranian cry for democracy.

Finally, what if you could post an idea for social change and have thousands, maybe even millions, sign a petition to change the world. Change.org is up and running and trying to accomplish that mission. An online campaign began not too long after the Orlando resident, Casey Anthony, was found not-guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. Some in the public began to call on Federal Legislators and Florida State Legislators to create Caylee’s Law, which would make it a felony for a parent or guardian not to notify law enforcement within 24 hours if their child goes missing.

Michelle Crowder of Oklahoma logged into Change. org and posted the petition online. Within 36 hours more than 250,000 people joined the petition. On day 6, the petition reached 1 million signatures and Florida State Representative Bill Hager has drafted and filed Caylee’s Law. Websites such as Change. org are empowering society to make an impact on the world.

So, is social media changing politics? Global voices can and will be heard, even if their governments try to silence them. Changes can be made in society by unifying behind causes. Politics is becoming more transparent with a fast online connection. Social media isn’t changing politics; the impact has already been made. Now what is being changed is the environment in which politics is conducted and the amount of people that can become politically active.

politics

edgar rIncon

I

t’s that time again! The time when Americans begin to pick and choose who they will support in the upcoming presidential election. Although election day is a little less than 320 days away, the Republican Party has already conducted debates on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and others. Among the many talking points that were given by the candidates, the usual dominated the debate.

Those include less government regulation, tax cuts, more wars, and a repeal of the Health Care Bill passed by President Obama to name a few. But upon examination of their slogans, one comes to the conclusion that most candidates are really just advocating a more extreme version of the status quo.

Much of the candidates’ positions run parallel to that of the republicans who were swept into power following the 2010-midterm elections.

They are tapping into the feelings of disappointment and stress that voters are having over the economy.

With the record job loss sustained following the 2008 crash and Obama’s inability to get most Americans back to work, the GOP hopes that they can sell their vision of how to stimulate the economy back to greatness. The problem lies in the manner in which they plan on achieving this goal.

Much of the Republicans’ strategy seems to be imbedded in the idea that taxes are too high and is hurting job growth. Unfortunately for them, voters are beginning to realize that “trickle-down” economics makes absolutely no sense (best exemplified by the anger of Paul Ryan’s proposed budget). With the Bush tax cuts, in which the top earners are paying substantially less taxes than working and middle class families, entering its 12th year, it’s clear that it has only lead to outsourcing and wage cuts, not growth.

Fortunately for the GOP, Obama is

unable to use this fact against them due to his approval of its extension.

On the topic of energy, all seem to agree that the only way to bring down gas prices is to “Drill baby Drill!” What they failed to mention is that even if America were to drill all over the gulf coast, Alaska, and the Mideast combined, we are faced with a few decades worth of oil, not to mention the irreversible harm that our planet would sustain as a result.

One of the more interesting highlights from the debates so far is the few positions in which the candidates differ. This seems to be in foreign policy as well as federal. When asked by a Navy veteran if the death of Osama Bin Laden had changed the course of the War on Terror, everyone but Ron Paul replied that it did not.

They even went further as to equate how American must support Israel’s actions, even if that means war with Iran.

Ironically, only Paul’s response for immediate withdrawal had the audience applauding. Ron Paul and Gary Johnson were also the only candidates who advocated an end to the War on Drugs.

So far it seems that none of the GOP is set to beat Obama in the general election. The main reason being that they are all, more or less, the same as Obama. It will be hard to sell tax cuts when we already have record low taxes for top earners, hard to sell more war when Obama has already attacked Libya, Yemen, and Pakistan. Only Ron Paul seems to stand out from the president’s positions but the fact that Fox News and the GOP establishment despise him, it’s safe to say it will come down to personalities in which no one yet poses a strong challenge for the president.

The view from the plane as you land gives you your first wave of wonder at the natural beauty of the Caribbean, with jewellike atolls in dazzling colours stretching as far as the eye could see, like some sort of hallucination. Then, as the taxi from Beef Island, Tortola airport whisks you to Footloose marina, you get your first sense of the friendliness of the people and the laidback attitude that would characterise this holiday.

Home-from-home for the week is a 43 ft yacht (there are over 40 to choose from!); a vessel kitted out for fun and relaxation, with spacious accommodation and coolers of beer and wine on deck and all sorts of floating equipment on hand to make sure you enjoy the sparkling sea. You could be an avid sailor or a crewperson or someone who has always wanted to sail, but hasn’t yet found the opportunity, but, no matter what your situation, sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Yacht Week crewed yacht could just be the best holiday of your life.

age from all the world to enjoy the caves, cliffs and beaches of the area. In the turquoise waters you’ll find yourself swimming amongst a spectacular array eagle rays, blue tangs, sea urchins, barracudas, angel fish, parrot fish, sergeant majors and the most beautiful fish the seas have to offer. Onshore The Yacht Week bar serves local, rum induced cocktails that are enjoyed whilst hanging from a hammock or lazing on the white sanded beach.

The sailing schedule for the week sees you moor at various islands such as Peter Island. Along the way, all very different to each other, but all equally charming. In the company of 30 yachts or alone, the raft up begins. People are jumping from their yachts, floating on inflatable toys - it’s not hard to understand why in the past, Yacht Weekers have considered staying and living the life of a castaway! Later in the afternoon a dingy ride to mainland takes you directly to more Yacht Weekers, where a bbq, outdoor party and a DJ lineup that rivaling any Once settled in, sails go up and your navigating the seas to city super club, awaits to impress all night long. the itineraries first destination: The Baths. Usual expectations of the Caribbean are of white-sand beaches and turquoise- This is just the first day of the week. The beauty of a sailing blue seas, but these islands are far more culturally and geo- holiday is the opportunity to see lots of different places and graphically intriguing than you’d expect. Within an hour of meet young, fun like minded people who crave scorching setting sail, you’ll be entranced by the succession of colourful sunshine, warm waters and parties like no other. Get into the coastal villages, hidden mangroves that line the waters edge, laid-back Caribbean attitude and breathe in The Yacht Week the scent of frangipani filling the air. People make a pilgrim- in the British Virgin Islands!

THE YACHT WEEK

finance

Budgeting:

Gen Y Style $

M

£

€

¢

¥

ost individuals have one goal in life and that goal is to be financially free. The question then is what does it truly take to be free? Although common logic, the idea of simply generating more money than you spend, is only partially complete. Fact is we have more control over money we are currently holding than income we will earn far into the future. If you spend less money then you make, with consistency, financial freedom can become very simple. Budgeting, as defined by the New Oxford Dictionary, is a means to estimate income and expenditures for a set period of time.

Phrases such as “living within your budget” or “that purchase is out of my budget” have such negative connotations and rightfully so. So what exactly do we, generation Y (that will arguably have a tough and frugal lifestyle), look forward to with this budgeting concept? Assumingly, budgeting has become far easier than most think. With today’s technology and continuing merger between banking, transaction services, and telecommunication, budgeting is simpler than ever.

Many products already on the market can be perfect tools to help keep your spending in check.

Depending to what degree of sophistication one would like, many options are available. The first place to look is with your own bank. Many large commercial banks offer online banking services. Included in most these services are breakdown of expenditures. Your purchases are categorized in a variety of ways such as travel, entertainment, gasoline, clothing, etc. This is a proper tool to analyze a variety of discrepancies from month to month. For example, your average monthly expense on dinning out (restaurant) is $400.00, yet you notice some months as high as $600.00 and some months as low as $300.00. In other words, you might have an opportunity to save money. The concept of budgeting is not that one should forgo dinning out but to create a sustainable spending habit. If you see large variances month to month, you should be asking, “where exactly did that extra $200.00 go?” Likely, you’ll figure out that you might have not been monitoring your spending.

This extra $200.00 is what separates the pro’s from the amateurs. Go ahead and take a look through your available tools from your bank and utilize them for tracking your own spending.

Your bank is not the only support system you can use to budget your finances. Mint and Pageonce offer similar money management services that actually take your budgeting possibilities to a new level. Both services offer compatibility applications for smartphones which make them easily accessible. These systems are completely streamed and can be accessed from any computer. They work by syncing all and any of your financial accounts into one clear informative layout.

You can follow the strategy previously mentioned but you can also take your budgeting effort to another level.

Because these applications allow you to monitor your accounts in real time, you will always have an idea of how much you have actually spent. This software offers advantages to solely using your online banking tools.

Here you can sync multiple credit cards, bank accounts, loans, and even brokerage accounts. Let’s face it, you might be making your credit card bill payment which shows up on your banking profile, but it fails to show you exactly how much you charge to that same card in a given time period. Your credit card is not immune to proper budgeting. As a matter of fact, many financial planners believe that even holding a balance on your card is the worst way to save. The interest charged month to month is actually eating away at the budget you set forth to begin with. However, caution,

because both Pageonce and Mint are open to the threat of identity theft. Although both sites offer superior protection from large name internet security programs such as McAfee and VeriSign, the possibility is still prevalent. With this mentioned, the proper update in a password every 3 to 6 months will diminish the odds of security breach even more. What all potential and active users must know is that if the benefits of using these software programs outweigh the costs, then the answer is simple. The ability to end each and every month with an extra 7% to 15% of your income left at your disposal is in our opinion, well worth the risk.

The tools mentioned thus far require little work from users, due to all the features being automated and should be seriously considered when attempting to reach any financial goal. For an even more in depth instrument one can use the program Quicken. Quicken is a financial management software working as an addin to excel. This software offers all of the mentioned gizmos but takes the detail to unmatched capabilities.

This software is developed by Intuit, a top software company. An added value with Quicken is that it can sync with Turbo Tax to make filing taxes easier than ever before. Quicken offers both a Mac and Windows based platforms. Quicken has been the leader in the industry for developing money management software and should be considered as a weapon of choice for the serious professional with a larger budget and higher net worth.

Pick your position and what suits you and your lifestyle well. Whether via Mint, your online banking account or even a sophisticated program such as Quicken, we all need to use means that will allow spending time and money on the finer things in life.

Budgeting just took the role from being a burden to an opportunity that when well equipped, can be easily achieved.

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philanthropy an InnovatIve company profIle

year ago while donating to a friends perA sonal marathon fundraising website,

Nicholas Whalton, a graduate student at Harvard University, came up with the idea for CharityAlly.com. Despite the relatively small audience on this site, his employer at the time, a large investment institution, contacted him and wanted to make sure that the company name was listed on my friend’s personal site as a matching donor. This event made him realize that companies want to publicize their charitable gifts, no matter what the size, that if this need were openly met that it could greatly increase the donations to charities.

Urbane Sophisticate: What can you tell our readers about CharityAlly; what is it, what does it do, and what are your goals for it?

service advertisement.

CharityAlly: CharityAlly.com is a revolutionary new corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform for charities to increase fundraising potential and awareness for their cause, for forprofit companies to create positive brand marketing opportunities through philanthropy, and for individual donors to maximize their donations.

We are not just another fundraising website. Our campaigns improve upon existing, as well as create new, partnerships between forprofit companies and charities. We also increase fundraising success by allowing all charity participants to take home 100% to 93% of what they raise—the BEST in the industry.

Here’s How It Works: Every day there will be a new fundraising campaign that contains two fundraising opportunities which will stay active for 7-days. One of the fundraisers will include a local sponsor linked with a local charity, and the second will consist of a national sponsor linked with a national charity.

Each campaign connects a nonpolitical or religious 501(c)(3) charity recipient with a forprofit sponsor.

The partnership may be pre-existing or can be arranged by CharityAlly.com with the permission of both parties. The forprofit sponsor is asked to match a percentage of what the public raises for the given charity, and in exchange, the sponsor is given advertising space next to their sponsored campaign. Each campaign will allow for individual donors to easily donate as well as share campaign information on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or email, thus expanding coverage to new donors and customers for the participants. Sponsors will be charged a participation fee which includes advertising space in the campaign. There is NO charge for charities to participate in our campaigns, and 100% to 93% of what is raised goes directly to the charity. There are no additional hidden fees.

Urbane: What does CharityAlly do?

Benefit For Sponsor Participants: CharityAlly.com is a great opportunity for forprofit sponsors to effectively utilize philanthropic budgets in a way that will optimize brand exposure. Aligning one’s brand advertising alongside charitable giving is a powerful way to build goodwill among existing and prospective customers, employees, and partners.

CharityAlly.com allows companies the opportunity to showcase their charitable

CA: CharityAlly.com provides an excellent opportunity for charities to maximize fundraising potential, for individual donors to stretch their dollar, and for sponsors to build brand loyalty and sales interest by connecting the positive sentiment of their matching generosity with their product/

More specifically, these are the benefits for the three participants:

contributions in an impartial setting which will yield more legitimacy to your charitable efforts.CharityAlly.com’s sponsor match is a great tool for companies that cannot afford a full-time employee match program to allow their employees an abbreviated 7-day matching opportunity.

Benefit For Charity Participants: CharityAlly.com is a great opportunity for charities to maximize donations from the public and corporate partners, while expanding awareness for their organization and cause.

We do NOT hold donations from charities. All donations are sent directly the charity at the time of the donation.

Benefit For Individual Donor Participants: CharityAlly.com is a great opportunity for individual donors to team-up with family and friends to have a greater financial impact on the charity of their choice. It is also a great way for individuals to find out which companies are acting responsibly and which organization they are supporting.

Urbane: What are CharityAlly’s goals?

CA: Our goal is to launch the site in December of 2012. We aim to have the sited divided into nine major regions: Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Seattle, and San Francisco.

Urbane: What differentiates CharityAlly from competitors in the philanthropy sector?

the impact of every dollar spent on charity by using platforms such as yours?

CA: CharityAlly.com is innovative, strategic, social, and fun. Again, we are not just another fundraising hosting site. We break free of the traditional model of simply hosting fundraisers and taking a heavy cut, and think strategically in order to provide mutual benefits for all participating parties. We act as CSR partners for our clients by improving partnerships between charities and corporate donors by structuring a campaign that works for their mutual interests. We understand that companies have philanthropic goals and deserve to get the attention for their generosity. We also understand that many charities are eager to receive funds in this down market which is why we want to link the two parties in a manner that addresses their individual interests.

Furthermore, we are a low cost leader. We allow the charity to take home 93% to 100% of what they raise, which is more than any other site allows. We also provide an excellent marketing environment for companies at an unbeatable price value.

CA: Despite the rising deficit, social program spending-cuts, further limitations of tax writeoffs for charitable donations, and the weakening economic state of our country charitable giving rebounded and increased in 2010 according to Giving USA Foundation. The total estimated charitable giving in the United States increased 3.8% (2.1% adjusted for inflation) from $280.30 billion in 2009 to $290.89 billion in 20101. Giving by individual donors increased approximately 2.7% (1.1% adjusted for inflation). Charitable bequests increased approximately 10.6% (8.8% adjusted for inflation), and corporate giving increased approximately 18.8% in 2010 (16.9% adjusted for inflation.)1 Despite these encouraging statistics of the charitable giving market, we are not taking anything for granted at CharityAlly.com. The increase in individual donations could be skewed by mega-gifts given by a select few and the total of charitable bequests will likely decrease as a result of the federal government’s repeal of the estate tax in 2010.

Nonetheless, the increase in corporate giving in 2010 is a positive sign and is likely due to the increasing trend of companies implementing CSR into their marketing campaigns. More specifically, more and more companies are beginning to realize that many customers now base brand loyalty on the company’s willingness to act responsibly and be charitable stewards of the community. As a result, many companies are beginning to increase their philanthropic presence as part of their marketing and public relations strategy.

CharityAlly.com is a great way for individuals to donate a smaller amount of money that will have a greater financial impact through the sponsor match.

In this economy of distrust our site is an excellent opportunity for individuals to also discover what companies are giving back and to whom. We are finding the many companies understand the tremendous opportunity that CharityAlly.com can provide for them and their CSR teams.

Urbane: How is technology going to change philanthropy over the next 10 years?

CA: Faster, global, and easy access to sharing information is changing the landscape for giving, just as it has for recording, publishing, stock trading, media, and countless other industries.

New technology in philanthropy will continue to change the way we learn and give. However, most importantly, it is changing the way we act. Technology has allowed potential donors more options for how, when, and where they can give. As a result of today’s technology, donors have more purpose, and more information. Traditional fundraising methods, such as golf tournaments and galas, though important for building camaraderie, are ineffective in building meaningful economic change for charities in comparison to what the digital age can provide. The future of philanthropy is in sites like CharityAlly. com that build partnerships and deliver the mission of the cause to a wider audience thus expanding the circle of donors and the awareness of the cause itself.

Urbane: How will the current mood of fiscal austerity in Washington, D.C. affect the philanthropy space?

Is this a problem, or an opportunity to maximize

Sources: 1 Giving USA Foundation. GIVING USA 2011 - The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2010 Executive Summary. http://www.givingusareports.org/products/GivingUSA_2011_ ExecSummary_Print.pdf

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