https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Nico LettersenWed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/48118/uploads/d60297f2-4bb7-415a-9b68-60cb4beef738.pdfTelegram’s lax content moderation and encrypted chats make it a convenient platform for the spread of misinformation.Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/48118/uploads/d60297f2-4bb7-415a-9b68-60cb4beef738.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/48118/uploads/5b8dcd57-05d0-42dd-9065-306aab188b85.pdfSeveral South Asian candidates seeking office have been shaped by family hardship in New York’s yellow-cab medallion financial collapse. They say only sweeping reform will avoid disaster. They are prepared to lead the charge.Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/48118/uploads/5b8dcd57-05d0-42dd-9065-306aab188b85.pdfhttps://soundcloud.com/nico-picciuto/my-year-in-a-neck-braceAn audio story about the time I broke my neck when I was 14, and the complicated relationship I have with my dad.Sun, 13 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://soundcloud.com/nico-picciuto/my-year-in-a-neck-bracehttps://soundcloud.com/uptownradio/uptown-radio-broadcast-april-17-2021You’re listening to Uptown Radio from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. This is an original podcast from the class of 2021. Meet your hosts: Jon Edelman and Joanna Robin In this edition: Get all the news and what it means for your weekend right here. You’ll listen to several journalist stories from inside New York communities.Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://soundcloud.com/uptownradio/uptown-radio-broadcast-april-17-2021https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/a-new-york-comedy-club-fights-to-bring-back-stand-up/“Everyone should be allowed to play by the same rules” the co-owner of Stand Up NY said of plans to resume indoor dining this Friday – while live comedy remains sidelined.Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/a-new-york-comedy-club-fights-to-bring-back-stand-up/https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/this-is-not-america-taxi-medallion-owners-continue-to-drown-under-bad-loans-2/They’re hoping a far-reaching debt relief program will help them overcome decades of exploitative practices.Sun, 06 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/this-is-not-america-taxi-medallion-owners-continue-to-drown-under-bad-loans-2/https://medium.com/new-york-behind-the-masks/feed-the-frontlines-nyc-collects-2-million-in-donations-to-feed-hospital-workers-and-uws-seniors-114ffb0b4877Last March — as novel coronavirus outbreaks ravaged New York City and other parts of the United States — Feed the Frontlines NYC made their first delivery of 40 meals to the emergency room at NYU Langone Tisch Hospital in Kips Bay. The next day, on March 20, the UWS-based group brought 50 more meals to overburdened ER workers in Brooklyn. This was just the beginning of an unexpected shift for longtime Manhattan restaurant owner Luca Di Pietro.Sat, 13 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://medium.com/new-york-behind-the-masks/feed-the-frontlines-nyc-collects-2-million-in-donations-to-feed-hospital-workers-and-uws-seniors-114ffb0b4877https://medium.com/new-york-behind-the-masks/this-is-not-america-taxi-medallion-owners-continue-to-drown-under-bad-loans-6b40bf18f890The story is familiar: Mouhamadou Aliyu left Ivory Coast and came to the United States in search of a better life. He arrived in New York in 1994, worked in a warehouse, and eventually followed a friend into the taxi business. He’s been driving ever since.Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://medium.com/new-york-behind-the-masks/this-is-not-america-taxi-medallion-owners-continue-to-drown-under-bad-loans-6b40bf18f890https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/alegria-fresh-unveils-urban-microfarming-system-at-orange-county-great-parks/LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2019 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – On a 2,000-square-foot piece of land inside a park that used to house the El Toro marine air base in Orange County, California, farmers are growing vegetables thanks to an innovation that allows unlikely segments of urban land to be used for harvesting crops.Fri, 28 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0100https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/alegria-fresh-unveils-urban-microfarming-system-at-orange-county-great-parks/https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/podcast-digest-consulting-executives-on-emerging-rental-trends/LOS ANGELES, June 12, 2019 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – Lesley Deutch and Ken Perlman, both principals at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, discussed notable shifts in the apartment rental market with host Dean Wehrli in a podcast on the company’s website.Thu, 13 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0100https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/podcast-digest-consulting-executives-on-emerging-rental-trends/https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/going-paperless-paper-vs-digital-receipts/(Published by Industry Intelligence, Inc.) Paper receipts are a familiar sight for shoppers making purchases at the checkout line, but many retailers are signing up to use digital receipts—where customers can choose to have their receipt sent to an email address or a mobile phone app. If a California bill that requires businesses to send electronic receipts as a default passes, that could accelerate a shift from paper receipts to electronic receipts in the near future.Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0100https://nicoletters.journoportfolio.com/articles/going-paperless-paper-vs-digital-receipts/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/anthony-bourdain-loved-los-angeles-heres-why/Despite the traffic, oppressive sunshine, and all that sprawl, Anthony Bourdain always kept a little love in his heart for Los Angeles. When the iconic chef, writer, television host, traveler, and beloved media figure visited Los Angeles, in 2016, two years before his death, he chose to explore the city’s many small enclaves, offering a look at the food and cooking that are part of those neighborhoods’ identities.Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/anthony-bourdain-loved-los-angeles-heres-why/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/san-franciscos-salesforce-tower-symbol-of-a-skyline-transformed-by-tech/The Salesforce Tower, a massive glass and steel skyscraper visible everywhere in San Fransico, was completed in May 2018, becoming the second-tallest building west of the Mississippi River and the tallest in the Bay Area. For a city that has been a shipping and manufacturing hub for much of its existence, the building epitomizes the tech boom that has transformed the city, redefining everything from its skyline to its place in the culture.Fri, 29 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/san-franciscos-salesforce-tower-symbol-of-a-skyline-transformed-by-tech/https://bluelifestyle.com/© Blue Lifestyle International 2017. All Rights Reserved. An Affiliate of The Tasting Alliance.Fri, 29 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/chef-edward-lee-discovers-americas-new-melting-pot-cuisine-in-buttermilk-graffiti/Edward Lee may be a multi-year James Beard Award nominee and “Top Chef” participant, but the subjects of his new book, “Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine,” aren’t high-flying culinary celebrities; they’re the restaurant owners and family chefs that he met while eating his way across the country. What interests the chef of 610 Magnolia, Milkwood, and Whiskey Dry in Louisville, Ky., is the origin story of a meal, the person who prepared it, and theFri, 22 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/chef-edward-lee-discovers-americas-new-melting-pot-cuisine-in-buttermilk-graffiti/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/lowell-herbs-cannabis-infused-cafe-to-open-this-summer-in-west-hollywood/These days, it’s not difficult to find curated weed parties, exclusive cannabis dinners, pot-infused yoga classes, and all sorts of secret seshes in the Los Angeles area. But this summer, a permanent consumption space will open in nearby West Hollywood called Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Café that promises to be unlike any other.Thu, 07 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/lowell-herbs-cannabis-infused-cafe-to-open-this-summer-in-west-hollywood/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/here-are-the-2019-james-beard-awards-restaurant-and-chef-semifinalists/Last week, the James Beard Foundation announced its Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists for 2019. The list promises to be more diverse than years prior, with the foundation reporting a 7 percent increase in the representation of people of color among semifinalists in the Restaurant & Chef categories, although there’s a 6 percent decrease in the number of women from last year.Tue, 05 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/here-are-the-2019-james-beard-awards-restaurant-and-chef-semifinalists/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/master-of-nones-eric-wareheim-is-a-master-of-wine/Comedian Eric Wareheim doesn’t want to make celebrity wine that is sh*tty. He wants to shock people by how good it is. He wants to make punk rock wine. Well, actually he wants to make natural wine, but Wareheim has come to associate DIY, low-intervention natural winemaking with the anti-establishment subculture.Wed, 06 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/master-of-nones-eric-wareheim-is-a-master-of-wine/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/why-running-is-good-for-your-health-and-wellbeing/The positive relationship between running and psychology continues to gain credibility, with the benefits of getting outside for a jog enriching other aspects of our lives. Psychologists are increasingly viewing running as a tool to improve a person’s psychological state and overall wellbeing.Tue, 29 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/why-running-is-good-for-your-health-and-wellbeing/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/los-angeles-teachers-strike-for-higher-wages-and-smaller-classes/Teachers in Los Angeles have been on strike since Monday, Jan. 14, demanding higher pay, smaller class sizes, and more support staff such as nurses, librarians, and counselors. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second-largest in the U.S., behind New York. Some 30,000 have been walking picket lines, carrying signs in English and Spanish and urging the public to stand with them. They marched in a chilly, pouring rain that began on Monday morning and continued throughout the week.Fri, 18 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/los-angeles-teachers-strike-for-higher-wages-and-smaller-classes/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/how-your-gut-bacteria-may-be-contributing-to-your-brain-health/The gut has rapidly gained prominence as an arbiter of overall health. It is well known that gut bacteria, also known as the microbiome, can influence digestion, allergies, and metabolism. But these microbes’ reach may, in fact, extend much further—into the brain. Conditions such as depression and anxiety are now being linked to the digestive system, experts say.Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/how-your-gut-bacteria-may-be-contributing-to-your-brain-health/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/4-wellness-trends-to-watch-in-2019/In 2018, the wellness world transformed. People started having more open and sincere conversations about mental health, intermittent fasting went mainstream, and CBD took over the world (well, sort of). At the same time, people embraced green beauty, breathwork gained traction, we learned what it means to maintain a healthy microbiome, and some of us started to realize that social media might be impacting our wellbeing. In these respects, 2018 was a good year, and we’re predicting that wellnessWed, 09 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/4-wellness-trends-to-watch-in-2019/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/10-best-holiday-events-in-l-a-this-december/Can you believe it? We’re already nearing the middle of the holiday season, which means your schedule is probably packed with parties and seasonal events. From an evening with Fleetwood Mac and a Christmas tour performance by John Legend, an interview with chef-owner Nyesha J. Arrington of the restaurant Native in Santa Monica and a screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away at the Aero Theatre, here are a flurry of L.A. events to help you celebrate the holidays. Fleetwood Mac is at the FTue, 11 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/10-best-holiday-events-in-l-a-this-december/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/what-trumps-new-ag-pick-william-barr-could-mean-for-legal-cannabis/President Trump confirmed on Friday that he plans to nominate William Barr, a Republican lawyer and former Justice Department official, to replace ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Barr has already served once as US attorney general (1991-1993), during which he earned a reputation as a staunch anti-drug advocate under then-President George H.W. Bush. But with 62% of American voters supporting full cannabis legalization and almost 9 in 10 supporting medical legalization (Pew Research Center)Mon, 10 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/what-trumps-new-ag-pick-william-barr-could-mean-for-legal-cannabis/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/las-best-one-stop-holistic-healing-havens/To many people, there’s a stereotypical idea of what L.A. wellness entails: hikes in Runyon Canyon, whole-body cryotherapy, and virtual reality meditation—whatever that is. But Los Angeles has also become a haven for spiritual pilgrims seeking traditional forms of holistic health care and alternative healing. It is now common to find generations-old Asian and South American wellness modalities presented in chic, modern settings. These destinations typically offer multiple treatments, practices,Thu, 06 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/las-best-one-stop-holistic-healing-havens/https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/the-ultimate-dining-bucket-list/For better or worse, the idea for The World’s 50 Best Restaurant list was born in a barroom. The goal was to create an annual list that reflected the diversity of the world’s culinary landscape in a way that was unique and revered. Two decades and many iterations later, it has evolved into one of the most reputable awards ceremonies in the culinary world, backed by high-end sponsors like S.Pellegrino and celebrated for promoting the hard work and dedication of chefs around the world. Thanks to iMon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/the-ultimate-dining-bucket-list/https://bluelifestyle.com/?p=4789&preview=trueSome of our body’s functions—including burning calories—run according to an internal schedule that has little to do with our lifestyle, a new study finds. No matter whether we stay up all night or maintain a typical sleeping schedule, our bodies have an autopilot function that says to burn the most calories in the late afternoon and early evening, and the least in the early morning. The study finds that people burn about 10 percent more calories from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. regardless of the activityTue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/?p=4789&preview=truehttps://bluelifestyle.com/featured/what-you-can-eat-on-a-typical-keto-diet-why-its-probably-not-a-good-idea/Diet fads come and go, but some attract more attention (and longevity) than others. In case you’ve somehow missed it, the keto diet is the latest obsession taking over the weight loss world. Adherents claim the high-fat, low-carb eating regimen has helped them lose weight in a short period of time—all while eating (most of) the foods they love.Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/what-you-can-eat-on-a-typical-keto-diet-why-its-probably-not-a-good-idea/https://www.nicopicciuto.com/single-post/2018/03/21/The-Good-TropeI have now seen churches and cobblestone alleyways constructed centuries ago. I have seen Quechua women with brown top hats and wrinkled hands. I have smelled weed and sniffed cocaine out of the hands of Peruvian drug dealers in crimson-lit bars with wall-to-wall mirrors. I have had the same drug dealers try to sell me oregano in tightly-taped, Ziploc baggies. I have attempted to beat Ernest Hemingway’s Pisco Sour record in Lima, failed, and left the bartender a melodramatic poem. I have eaten sThu, 08 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://www.nicopicciuto.com/single-post/2018/03/21/The-Good-Tropehttps://bluelifestyle.com/featured/californias-11-ballot-propositions-which-passed-failed/On Tuesday California voters were given a chance to expand rent control, authorize bonds funding construction at hospitals providing children’s health care, establish new standards for the confinement of farm animals, and repeal a gas tax by way of ballot referenda. Here’s how each proposition turned out. This measure would authorize the state to sell $4 billion in bonds to support housing programs. Approximately $2 billion would be dedicated to giving local governments low-interest loans to buThu, 08 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bluelifestyle.com/featured/californias-11-ballot-propositions-which-passed-failed/