Author: Editor

Photo Essay: The eye candy and edible snacks of Anime merchandising

One of the highlights of the Anime Milwaukee convention for 2018 was the shopping experience, as venders sold hard to find items from Japan and unique related products to hobbyists and collectors. In the old days of anime imported to America, circa 1980, fans had to know someone in Japan who could physicall ship over artwork, VHS tapes, video cartridges, or the peculiarly satisfying snacks. With the rise of the internet in the 1990s, online stores popped up and streaming services became popular in the years that followed. But even though so much is now available to be shipped...

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Photo Essay: DJs spin Anime tracks at Nocturnal Underground dance party

In a city where invisible barriers can often keep people isolated by their economic class, race, or gender identification, the Nocturnal Underground was one place where the dance party successfully mixed all kinds of people. Anime Milwaukee’s premier Rave experience lights up the night each year, as DJs from around the country spin the hardest beats to the hottest new jams. For the 2018 convention, TeddyLoid headlined Nocturnal Underground on February 17. The Japanese music producer was the most played artist on Spotify’s “Top 5 Abroad” in 2016. The four hour dance party included a DJ showdown between Liquid86...

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“Love Your Great Lakes” inspires next generation of freshwater stewards

Discovery World, Fund for Lake Michigan, and other community partners hosted Love Your Great Lakes on February 10, attracting hundreds of youngsters who were eager to learn how they could become future innovators of freshwater resources. The event was designed to inspire the next generation of freshwater stewards. It featured interactive educational experiences aimed at introducing the local community’s connection to fresh water, through local organizations that are instrumental in sustaining the Great Lakes. “Love Your Great Lakes” offered maritime experiences for children and adults, including educational workshops, live animals from the Reiman Aquarium, and interactive booths and displays...

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@Promise elevates the lives of low-income residents with job skills program

Lisa Jordan and Patricia Nichols were both graduating classmates from the first @Promise Resident Training Program on January 18, and in the weeks since they already feel the positive impact that the program has had on their lives. An initiative of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), @Promise invited its community of residents to participate in a three-week job readiness boot camp that explored the benefits of self-sufficiency, offered career assessments and planning, and prepared them for a successful transition into the workforce. “Many of our young people are perceived as ‘at risk’. I chose to...

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First Muslim news service begins publishing in Wisconsin

Published by the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MMWC), the independent news source will be the first media organization dedicated to report news about the Muslim community in the state of Wisconsin. Following other faith-related media organizations like the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Catholic Herald and the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, the Wisconsin Muslim Journal (WMJ) has been an overdue news platform for the state’s growing Muslim population. “WMJ aims to highlight the American Muslim experience, as well as offer Muslim voices an opportunity to be heard,” said Janan Najeeb, president of MMWC and publisher of WMJ. “The Muslim community in Wisconsin...

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Milwaukee native’s “Science Fair” wins inaugural award as favorite of Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Institute recently announced “Science Fair” as the winner of the first-ever Festival Favorite Award, which was produced and directed by Milwaukee filmmaker Cristina Costantini. Selected by audience votes from the 123 feature films screened at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the Festival Favorite Award was the 29th and final recognition bestowed this year. The Festival took place in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance, Utah, from January 18 to 28. “Science Fair is a love letter to the subculture that saved me. As a dweeby kid growing up in a sports-obsessed high school in Wisconsin, the international...

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