Thoughts Following the Boston Tea Party Museum: What Happened to Our Revolutionary Spirit?

Lat week, the Boston Tea Party Museum reopened, just in time for the 4th of July. It seemed an appropriate time to visit the museum, learn about Boston’s part in the American Revolution and get excited for the upcoming patriotic holiday.

The museum tour began with a mock town meeting, in which actors discussed the colonists’ grievances with England and plotted the tea party protest. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this part of the tour, as the children of the tour became excited about revolution and we all yelled “Fie!” and “Yay!” in unison.

We then proceeded to the ships, replicas of the originals, afloat in the Harbor. We were able to board one of them and explore it. It was quite beautiful. We were all invited to throw mock tea chests into the Harbor, reenacting the historic rebellion.

Release of Future Boston and KarmaloopTV’s Mixtape: “Glory” hosted by Grammy Nominated DJ Clinton Sparks & Mixed by up and coming DJ BREK ONE!

1 hour and 7 minutes of bangin’ original mixes of Boston artists from Aerosmith and New Edition to Bad Rabbits and Karmin, + World Premier of Grammy-nominated artist Clinton Sparks new single “Watch You” Featuring Benny Benassi & Pitbull

BOSTON – June 28, 2012 – Just in time for those hot summer nights DJ BREK.ONE & Clinton Sparks have released their brand new mixtape“Glory” curated by Karmaloop CEO Greg Selkoe and featuring music from 34 Boston artists effortlessly blended together in one continues bumping mega-mix!  Glory (which gets its name from the famous Boston movie about the Massachusetts 54^th the first black army regiment) has been an on-going project of fellow City of Boston natives DJ BREK.ONE (Roxbury), Clinton Sparks (Dorchester) and Greg Selkoe (Jamaica Plain) for several years.  The finally completed mix features 39 tracks ranging from classic rock to house and hip-hop to R&B. The big prize is the World Premiere of Sparks’ latest single “Watch You” featuring Benny Benassi and Pitbull.

First Round’s On Me

Within a five block radius of where I sit right now—cozy in the oh-two-one-four-oh—there are five bars with upwards of 24 beers on tap. Widen that circle by a mile or so and you’ll encompass at least four micro/craft/indie brewing operations. And somewhere in the between you’ll find any number of liquor stores peddling the goods and wares of the aforementioned local crews alongside elixirs from countless other Mass.-based breweries.

And this is just a small chunk of Cambridge.

In a town of solo-cup-happy college kids, thirsty tourists, and professional barflys, it’s no wonder great beer plays such a prominent role in Boston’s drinking culture. Brews of rarely-rivaled variety and quality flow forth from the taps of this town every night. Or afternoon. Or morning. No judgements here.

So if you dig beer and are fortunate enough to call Boston and its surrounding municipalities home, raise that glass up high, bellow an utterance befitting of such revelry, and slam it down on the bar with a slosh of frothy victory—you’re doin’ alright.

But I. Am I doin’ alright? And more importantly, who am I? Well. The name’s Steve Miller. And I—like you—am but a humble inhabitant of Greater Bostonia with a marked enthusiasm for the consumption of fine and occasionally not-so-fine beers.

I’ve been commissioned to write this here blog about the local beer scene—who brews what, where, and why.

Promoting Entrepreneurship for High School Students

Please enjoy this guest blog from Winchester High School Junior Ingrid Li about getting the next generation of entrepreneurs ready.

Right now, the entrepreneurial spirit of young people in America is decreasing because America does not have a culture that can support high school students to be more entrepreneurial—we need to create that culture. If high school students do not develop that mentality, then they will go into college with the mindset of finding a job—never creating ones for themselves. It’s that confidence, that willingness to start something of their own that high school students are losing, and it is crucial to renew that spirit of entrepreneurship.

My name is Ingrid Li, a Junior at Winchester High School, and Founder and Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Youth Society, an organization dedicated to promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth across America. The EYS aims to successfully promote the entrepreneurial mentality across the nation through uniting influential leaders with high school students in various campaigns celebrating young entrepreneurship and conducting year-round programs that connect high school students with prestigious organizations for opportunities to successfully launch their own businesses. The EYS has had a short history but a huge impact; we’ve generated a large student base of multiple hundreds at Winchester High School and are forming partnerships with the high school community in Lexington, Belmont, Arlington, Boston, Dorchester, Wilmington, and more!

Entrepreneurial Youth Society’s first event, “Night of the Arts.”

Arts in the Park in Roxbury!

Get to Washington Park July 14th for Arts in the Park!

Boston Eats: The King and I, and Me

Classic film and Broadway buffs know The King and I as the swirling, romantic Rogers and Hammerstein musical based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam. Beacon Hill dwellers know King and I, riffing on that classic 1951 title about a time in Thailand—formerly Siam—long gone by, as a rare Eastern culinary retreat on the otherwise white-bread Charles Street.

Despite living in Beacon Hill for ten months, it was only recently that I discovered this gem that brings a slice of Indochina to a neighborhood known more for its mark on American history than the breadth of its culinary diversity. Another exception to the rule solidified by masculine watering holes like The Sevens and brunch mainstays like the Paramount Cafe is Lala Rokh on Mount Vernon Street, specializing in Persian cuisine. However, King and I stands out as a haven for adventurous eaters on a budget, where none of the generous appetizers cost more than $7.00 and are imbued with traditional and exotic flavors and textures.

The clean but dated interior doesn’t scream “Thailand!” any more than it does “Beacon Hill!” Which is to say, the faux-exotic decor feels as a restaurant at this price point might in Chinatown or Allston. Nevertheless, I was greeted in the early evening (around 6 p.m.) by one friendly host and server after another. I dined alone, a reality of maintaining a studio apartment during the summer, when Boston becomes something of a collegiate ghost town. And while their generosity of spirit might have been to comfort my pitiful loner, the service was incredibly eager and accommodating.

Cha-ching! Benefits of Banking Locally

In the past few years, we’ve seen Americans’ relationships with their large corporate banks crumble. Banks, such as Citizens or Bank of America, continue to make unpopular business decisions, causing Americans’ trust in these institutions to continue to diminish. You would think more Americans would ditch their corporate bank for a local one with better business practices, but we haven’t seen this switch.

Why is this? There are a few reasons people don’t want to make the switch. Many people may not want to deal with the hassle of switching their money or learning a new bank’s policies. Maybe they travel a lot and want to be able to use ATMs all across the country without paying an annoying $2.00 fee. Perhaps they are still grasping for the feeling of stability their bank used to give them before the 2008 crisis.

Despite these perks of using a national bank, national banks are by no means superior to local ones. In fact, local banks often recognize that they are not always as convenient as national banks and accommodate for their shortcomings. For instance, many local banks will cover the fee for a certain amount of ATM withdrawals each month. These banks end up being even more convenient than national banks, which allow consumers to only use that specific bank’s ATM without a fee.

Future Boston Founder Named Entrepreneur of the Year

Ernst & Young announces Karmaloop CEO and Founder Greg Selkoe
is the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2012 – Award winner in New England

Award recognizes entrepreneurial excellence

Boston, MA, June 22 – Ernst & Young LLP today announced that Greg Selkoe, CEO and Founder of  Karmaloop, the online streetwear giant, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2012 Award in the e-commerce category in New England. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Selkoe was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala ceremony on Thursday, June 21, 2012.

Future Boston founder Greg Selkoe with his Entrepreneur of the Year Award

“This is very exciting for me and I feel truly honored.  I wouldn’t be here today without my staff at Karmaloop! We are working really hard to make Karmaloop the best “Verge Culture” destination in the world for commerce and content.  Another really wonderful aspect of this recognition, for me, is that it will help me to build the accelerator program for my new non-profit, Future Boston Alliance. Future Boston is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and creativity in Boston, in an effort to retain more young talent and start-ups.  I want to help other entrepreneurs thrive in Boston.”

Unheard Rarities: Gossamer

Unheard Rarities is a biweekly post featuring totally exclusive DJ mixes from Boston’s most progressive Electronic & Hip Hop producers.  Each one of these kids listens to and respects one another’s work.  For the most part, they are part of an intermingling community of electronic artists who, while differing greatly in style and taste,  feed off of each other’s progression.

Gossamer

Since first impressions are everything, I had to find somebody who could make a sort of candid ‘big bang’ if you will.  Here is a talented young underground hip-hop producer who is taking things to new levels by blurring stylistic lines & crossing barriers into future-land.  He creates a mural of sounds ranging from eastern instrumental samples to wall-rattling sub bass.

Come out and Support Roxbury’s City Strings!

You never know, the next great string musician could be in City Strings’ cello class! Based in Roxbury, this class is made up of youth with a passion for music and growing talent. They will be hosting a free recital to showcase the class and the musical skills they’ve been gaining. Everyone should come out and support these young musicians, as the recital is free and open to the public.

When:   Sunday, June 24 at 3 pm

Where:  Twelfth Baptist Church

150 Warren St, Roxbury, MA

Please come out and support these young musicians! They’ve been working really hard and have some tunes that are sure to impress!

-Marilyn Willmoth, Future Boston Intern