Manhattan – Karen Rempel – New York Senior Technical Writer Team Lead

Big Business Aligns with United Nations Goals

Karen Rempel - New York Technical Writer - at UN General Assembly — Calling for an end to global conflict at the UNA Global Engagement Summit 2018

Living in New York, just a few miles from the United Nations building, brings global issues into sharp focus. I am a member of the United Nations Association USA, and was honored to attend the 2017 UN Humanitarian Awards Gala Dinner honoring recipients Vice President Joe Biden and Elsevier Chairman and Humanitarian Mr. Youngsuk Chi. Now I have been invited to attend the Worldview Institute Spring 2018 semester.

The Worldview Institute provides a forum in which New York professionals in different fields can engage and discuss global issues with experts in foreign policy and international affairs. The program consists of ten seminar modules geared to develop and enhance the scope of the work and activities of business executives at U.S. based multi-national corporations, as well as professionals within the NGO, UN, media, law, government, diplomatic, and academic communities.

Seminar topics are designed to stimulate informal but academic discussions with presenters from the international arena, and to illuminate and explore business, political, economic, and social trends in different regions of the world. Where appropriate, they also address the role of the UN within these contexts.

The Worldview discussions are led by distinguished lecturers, including UN ambassadors, noted academics, and leaders in global business. For example, Ambassador Riyad H. Mansour, from the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the UN, is opening this season’s semester with an overview of the current situation on the Palestinian home front. Other topics featured in Worldview Spring 2018 include:

Is China Reshaping the World?
Understanding North Korean Political Strategy
Post Brexit : UK and International Relations
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it Means and How We Will Live and Work

I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in this seminar series. This knowledge has extensive applications, as world-leading corporations such as BNP Paribas and Coca-Cola align with UN-defined Sustainable Development Goals as part of their Corporate Responsibility Strategy. Launched in September 2015 by the UN, the Sustainable Development Goals aim to end poverty by 2030 while protecting our planet’s environment. It’s wonderful to see corporations in the private sector taking an active part in implementing the SDGs.

New York, NY Technical Writer Looks at High Rises in the West Village

I recently toured one of the newest high rises that’s taking shape along the Hudson River in the West Village of New York City. 160 Leroy Street has a unique curvy design by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, making this star the most glamorous on the block. I wrote an article about the West Village’s new neighbor for the WestView News.

As neighbors go, 160 Leroy is more like Sophia Loren than Ralph Kramden, with the two private-elevatored penthouses selling this year for $51 million (7,750 square feet, with a rooftop pool) and $31.5 million (4,849 square feet, with a rooftop oasis), and a modest 9th floor one-bedroom (1,096 square feet, with double exposures) listed at $3.2 million. I concluded that this neighbor is going to be viewed 100 years from now as one of the most exciting architectural examples of our era.

New York, NY Technical Writer Publishes Tribute to Thomas Meehan in WestView News

Tom and his wife, Carolyn, having fun at a party in Fairfield, Connecticut during rehearsals for Ain’t Broadway Grand, which opened on Broadway in 1993. Photo by Merwin Goldsmith.

I was honored to write a tribute to Thomas Meehan for the WestView News. He is the only librettist who had three Tony Award-winning musicals run for over 2,000 performances each on Broadway: Annie, The Producers, and Hairspray. He was so highly regarded that the marquees of Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute in Tom’s memory on August 30th at 7:45 p.m.

The WestView News is published by and for the residents of the West Village of Manhattan; it is a monthly paper with a circulation of 20,000. This is my first piece in a New York publication, and I am thrilled to add this to my list of publication credits, and to be able to celebrate Tom’s life with his family, friends, and neighbors. He will be missed and remembered with love and admiration.

New York, NY Technical Writer and Web Content Developer Designs Etsy Store

I worked a part-time job at Krystyna’s Place on Cornelia St. in New York this summer. I wanted to connect with people on the streets of New York, as a way of solidifying my transition from Vancouver to New York. I opened and closed the store, served customers, dressed the windows, and created an online store for Krystyna’s Place on Etsy. This web content development project entailed creating all the visual and design elements for the store, including a logo and header. I photographed 30 pieces that Krystyna had selected, measured them, wrote descriptions, and fell in love with the clothes!

This was the ideal summer job, allowing me to bring together my technical writing, photography, and design skills into a practical, hands-on situation with New York people and fashion. Now I can add fashion to the list of industries I’ve written for. For a fuller account, see my Wild Visions site.