text:
|Presentation||Lyophilized. Buffer = 0.01 M Sodium Phosphate, 0.25 M NaCl, pH 7.6 with 15 mg/mL BSA. Contains no preservative.
Reconstitute with 500 μL of sterile distilled water.
|Concentration||Please refer to the Certificate of Analysis for the lot-specific concentration.|
|Antibody Type||Polyclonal Antibody|
|Safety Information according to GHS|
|Material Size||500 µL|
Donkey Anti-Rabbit IgG Antibody, HRP conjugate, Species Adsorbed SDS
|Reference overview||Application||Pub Med ID|
|Bile acids induce hepatic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.|
Sawitza, I; Kordes, C; Götze, S; Herebian, D; Häussinger, D
Scientific reports 5 13320 2015
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have the potential to differentiate into multiple cell lineages and their therapeutic potential has become obvious. In the liver, MSC are represented by stellate cells which have the potential to differentiate into hepatocytes after stimulation with growth factors. Since bile acids can promote liver regeneration, their influence on liver-resident and bone marrow-derived MSC was investigated. Physiological concentrations of bile acids such as tauroursodeoxycholic acid were able to initiate hepatic differentiation of MSC via the farnesoid X receptor and transmembrane G-protein-coupled bile acid receptor 5 as investigated with knockout mice. Notch, hedgehog, transforming growth factor-β/bone morphogenic protein family and non-canonical Wnt signalling were also essential for bile acid-mediated differentiation, whereas β-catenin-dependent Wnt signalling was able to attenuate this process. Our findings reveal bile acid-mediated signalling as an alternative way to induce hepatic differentiaion of stem cells and highlight bile acids as important signalling molecules during liver regeneration.
|The miR-199a/Brm/EGR1 axis is a determinant of anchorage-independent growth in epithelial tumor cell lines.|
Kobayashi, K; Sakurai, K; Hiramatsu, H; Inada, K; Shiogama, K; Nakamura, S; Suemasa, F; Kobayashi, K; Imoto, S; Haraguchi, T; Ito, H; Ishizaka, A; Tsutsumi, Y; Iba, H
Scientific reports 5 8428 2015
In epithelial cells, miRNA-199a-5p/-3p and Brm, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complex were previously shown to form a double-negative feedback loop through EGR1, by which human cancer cell lines tend to fall into either of the steady states, types 1 [miR-199a(-)/Brm(+)/EGR1(-)] and 2 [miR-199a(+)/Brm (-)/EGR1(+)]. We show here, that type 2 cells, unlike type 1, failed to form colonies in soft agar, and that CD44, MET, CAV1 and CAV2 (miR-199a targets), all of which function as plasma membrane sensors and can co-localize in caveolae, are expressed specifically in type 1 cells. Single knockdown of any of them suppressed anchorage-independent growth of type 1 cells, indicating that the miR-199a/Brm/EGR1 axis is a determinant of anchorage-independent growth. Importantly, two coherent feedforward loops are integrated into this axis, supporting the robustness of type 1-specific gene expression and exemplifying how the miRNA-target gene relationship can be stably sustained in a variety of epithelial tumors.
|Possible role of ZPAC, zygote-specific proteasome assembly chaperone, during spermatogenesis in the mouse.|
Shimizu, N; Ueno, K; Kurita, E; Shin, SW; Nishihara, T; Amano, T; Anzai, M; Kishigami, S; Kato, H; Mitani, T; Hosoi, Y; Matsumoto, K
The Journal of reproduction and development 60 179-86 2014
In the mammalian testis, the ubiquitin-proteasome system plays important roles in the process that promotes the formation of mature sperm. We recently identified zygote-specific proteasome assembly chaperone (ZPAC), which is specifically expressed in the mouse gonads and zygote. ZPAC mediates a unique proteasome assembly pathway in the zygote, but the expression profile and function of ZPAC in the testis is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the possible role of ZPAC during mouse spermatogenesis. First, we analyzed the expression of ZPAC and 20S proteasome subunit α4/PSMA7 in the adult mouse testis. ZPAC and α4 were expressed in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and round spermatids. In elongating spermatids, ZPAC was expressed until step 10, whereas expression of α4 persisted until step 12. We then examined the expression profile of ZPAC and α4 in a mouse model of experimental unilateral cryptorchidism. Consistent with appearance of morphologically impaired germ cells following cryptorchidism, the ZPAC protein level was significantly decreased at 4 days post induction of experimental cryptorchidism (D4) compared with the intact testis, although the amount of α4 protein persisted at least until D10. Moreover, intense ZPAC staining was co-localized with staining of annexin V, an early indicator of apoptosis in mammalian cells, in germ cells of cryptorchid testis, but ZPAC was also expressed in germ cells showing no detectable expression of annexin V. These results suggest that ZPAC plays a role during spermatogenesis and raises the possibility that 20S proteasome mediated by ZPAC may be involved in the regulation of germ cell survival during spermatogenesis.
|GSE is a maternal factor involved in active DNA demethylation in zygotes.|
Hatanaka, Y; Shimizu, N; Nishikawa, S; Tokoro, M; Shin, SW; Nishihara, T; Amano, T; Anzai, M; Kato, H; Mitani, T; Hosoi, Y; Kishigami, S; Matsumoto, K
PloS one 8 e60205 2013
After fertilization, the sperm and oocyte genomes undergo extensive epigenetic reprogramming to form a totipotent zygote. The dynamic epigenetic changes during early embryo development primarily involve DNA methylation and demethylation. We have previously identified Gse (gonad-specific expression gene) to be expressed specifically in germ cells and early embryos. Its encoded protein GSE is predominantly localized in the nuclei of cells from the zygote to blastocyst stages, suggesting possible roles in the epigenetic changes occurring during early embryo development. Here, we report the involvement of GSE in epigenetic reprogramming of the paternal genome during mouse zygote development. Preferential binding of GSE to the paternal chromatin was observed from pronuclear stage 2 (PN2) onward. A knockdown of GSE by antisense RNA in oocytes produced no apparent effect on the first and second cell cycles in preimplantation embryos, but caused a significant reduction in the loss of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and the accumulation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in the paternal pronucleus. Furthermore, DNA methylation levels in CpG sites of LINE1 transposable elements, Lemd1, Nanog and the upstream regulatory region of the Oct4 (also known as Pou5f1) gene were clearly increased in GSE-knockdown zygotes at mid-pronuclear stages (PN3-4), but the imprinted H19-differential methylated region was not affected. Importantly, DNA immunoprecipitation of 5mC and 5hmC also indicates that knockdown of GSE in zygotes resulted in a significant reduction of the conversion of 5mC to 5hmC on LINE1. Therefore, our results suggest an important role of maternal GSE for mediating active DNA demethylation in the zygote.
|Placental melatonin production and melatonin receptor expression are altered in preeclampsia: new insights into the role of this hormone in pregnancy.|
Dave Lanoix,Pascale Guérin,Cathy Vaillancourt
Journal of pineal research 53 2012
The melatonin system in preeclamptic pregnancies has been largely overlooked, especially in the placenta. We have previously documented melatonin production and expression of its receptors in normal human placentas. In addition, we and others have shown a beneficial role of melatonin in placental and fetal functions. In line with this, decreased maternal blood levels of melatonin are found in preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancies. However, melatonin production and expression of its receptors in preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancy placentas has never been examined. This study compares (i) melatonin-synthesizing enzyme expression and activity, (ii) melatonin and serotonin, melatonin's immediate precursor, levels and (iii) expression of MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors in placentas from preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies. Protein and mRNA expression of aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) and hydroxyindole O-methyltransferase (HIOMT), the melatonin-synthesizing enzymes, as well as MT1 and MT2 receptors were determined by RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. The activities of melatonin-synthesizing enzymes were assessed by radiometric assays while melatonin levels were determined by LC-MS/MS. There is a significant inhibition of AANAT, melatonin's rate-limiting enzyme, expression and activity in preeclamptic placentas, correlating with decreased melatonin levels. Likewise, MT1 and MT2 expression is significantly reduced in preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancy placentas. We propose that reduced maternal plasma melatonin levels may be an early diagnostic tool to identify pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. This study indicates a clinical utility of melatonin as a potential treatment for preeclampsia in women where reduced maternal plasma levels have been identified.
|Stability of reference proteins in human placenta: general protein stains are the benchmark.|
D Lanoix,J St-Pierre,A-A Lacasse,M Viau,J Lafond,C Vaillancourt,A A Lacasse
Placenta 33 2012
The stability of reference proteins in semi-quantitative Western blot experiments in normal and diseased placenta has never been studied. This study aims to determine the stability of five reference proteins and two general protein stains in placentas from preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus and matched control pregnancies. The stability of the reference proteins was analysed using indicators of inter-group (P value) and intra-group (coefficient of variation) stability. The effect of different normalization strategies was determined by normalizing serotonin transporter (SERT) expression against the different reference protein markers. Results show significant expression variability of β-actin, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1 (HPRT1), peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) and α-tubulin, and that amido black staining is the most stable reference protein marker. Furthermore, results show that SERT expression significantly differs according to the reference protein markers used for its normalization. The present study demonstrated the importance of using stable reference protein markers and normalization strategy in order to get correct results in semi-quantitative Western blot experiments in placental tissues.
|Fate mapping of the mouse prosencephalic neural plate.|
T Inoue, S Nakamura, N Osumi
Developmental biology 219 373-83 2000
Little is known about the behavior of cells within the anterior neural plate or tube in developing mammalian embryos in utero due to technical limitations. Here we labeled neuroepithelial cells with vital dye and traced their siblings for 1 or 2 days using the whole-embryo culture system. The results demonstrated that rostral cell movement from the midbrain to the forebrain in the mouse neural plate was restricted at the boundary by the five-somite stage. Coincident with restriction of cell intermingling, expression of a transcription factor, Pax6, and a cell adhesion molecule, cadherin-6, commmenced to demarcate the forebrain compartment. Within this compartment, we also mapped several prospective regions of the telencephalon and diencephalon to the eyes. The fate map of the mouse prosencephalic neural plate was very similar to those of other vertebrates, providing evidence that mammalian-specific brain structures, represented in the cerebral neocortex, could evenly develop along the conserved framework of neuromeres.

domain: biology


text:
Almost Half of European Startups That Claim They Use AI Are Lying
A new report shows that only 40 percent of European startups that claim to use Artificial Intelligence in their business actually do. The startling statistic was discovered by MMC, a London-based venture capital firm as part of their research into the use of AI in business.
Of the 2,830 startups in Europe who classified themselves as being AI companies only 1,580 accurately fit that description.
“We looked at every company, their materials, their product, the website, and product documents,” David Kelnar, head of research for MMC told Forbes.
“In 40% of cases, we could find no mention of evidence of AI.” In such cases, he added, “companies that people assume and think are AI companies are probably not.”
Kelnar added in some cases it wasn't the business that were false advertising, but that third party sites had classified them and the companies had not corrected the facts.
Investors flock to AI powered companies
There seems to be little motivation to correct the mistake when startups who are labelled as being in the field of artificial intelligence attract 15-50% more in their funding rounds than other technology startups.
Startups could be both intentionally and unintentionally hoping on the AI train to boost business and investment.
The research from MMC aimed to give a holistic picture of how Artificial Intelligence is being used in business today. The report was written after months of research and comprehensive surveys across all industries.
Mundane applications still count
It found the number of business truly using AI as part of their products or services has grown to 1 in 12 today. Up from 1 in 50 about six years ago.
These are fairly mundane uses of the potentially powerful technology but still, indeed, fall under the AI category. While it may make sense for startups to catch the coat tails of the cool factor around AI, investors should be cautious about what these so called ‘AI companies’ are actually doing.
AI use steadily increasing
The full report from MMC, which is sponsored by Barclays Bank provides an overview of what AI is and how it is used in business as well as diving into the implications of AI on future business.
Interestingly the report highlights that much of the AI tech that we are beginning to see utilised now has been around for some time, but was previously unevenly distributed. New tools are allowing the business of all sizes to take advantage of AI.
These tools are generally being brought from outside sources. With nearly half of large companies buying from third parties than building their own. Just a third said they intend to build custom AI solutions.
You can read the full report at the MMC website. The references to the European startup scene appear on page 99.

domain: economics


text:
A place where your individuality and creative personality finds a way back to you!
Featured Cane of the Month
Stars & Stripes
Our new cane, "Stars & Stripes" is a great way to show off your patriotic flair! Show off all things great about America, our Freedom, Military, or Constitution with this fashionable cane!
We offer a multitude of custom canes. So, whether you need flair for your everyday use, or added class for a formal black tie affair, our walking canes can be unique for your playful inner child, fancy and elegant or sophisticated style, or bold for the enthusiastic sports fan.

domain: design


text:
For over 30 years Anglicare Central Queensland has worked with people of all backgrounds, beliefs and walks of life to make the best of their lives.
AnglicareCQ provides a range of housing options to help everyone in our community have a safe, secure roof over their head. Our properties from houses to studio apartments. We provide short term supported accommodation to help you through a period of crisis, affordable long term properties, and options for people on low incomes, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness or whose needs aren't met in the mainstream rental market.
We also provide housing support to assist people to secure and maintain tenancies. All our homelessness support services are free, and available in Central Queensland communities from the Capricorn Coast to the Outback. You do not need a referral to access our services; however we do not accept referrals from other agencies and organisations
160 Musgrave Street,
160 Musgrave Street ,

domain: sociology


text:
Silas and I planted our first garden seeds yesterday. Tomatoes and broccoli in little egg carton cups.
Today we’re putting in the peas and the carrots, which the packets say we need to get in “as soon as the soil can be worked.”
We have a little raised bed garden plot we started last year. The soil after three days of temperatures in the 60s is workable. So in they go.
The other more fragile seeds will go in at the end of may or early June, after frost danger’s past.
It’ll be good to be outdoors in the sun after a week of dealing with security updates.
I can almost taste the veggies already.

domain: agronomy


text:
8 October, 2015
JUTE Wins Major Funds for Touring
JUTE Theatre Company has won major funding to tour its 2014 hit play Proper Solid, by Steven Oliver, to regional and remote schools in Queensland thanks to the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.
“This is a huge win for this region,” says Suellen Maunder, Artistic Director of JUTE Theatre Company. “It proves that our long-term strategy to tour work generated from this region is paying off. Proper Solid is a relevant, diverse, Indigenous comedy that deserves to tour throughout regional and remote Queensland schools and communities and further afield. This grant makes all the hard work worthwhile because we are bringing a positive Indigenous story to young people in remote communities, instead of them having to travel to a major regional centre.
“The most exciting thing about the project is that we will have three Indigenous professional actors performing the show who then spend the rest of the week working with the young people in each community to develop their own aspirational stories. The youngsters then perform their own personal story as part of their curriculum assessment. Its all about providing strong Indigenous role models, developing skills, generating confidence and team building – as well as developing their storytelling,” said Suellen.
The Proper Solid tour will begin in June 2016 and take in 16 schools from as far afield as Mt Isa, Weipa, Pompuraaaw, Lockhart River, Cairns, Kuranda and Bwgcolman before continuing throughout South East Queensland later in the year.
Nadine McDonald-Dowd, who directed the play in 2014, and was part of the creative team that worked it up to production stage, says it’s exciting to see Proper Solid being so embraced.
“Taking Steven’s work into community gives another dimension to the story. Being able to make an audience laugh and enjoy themselves is always fantastic to achieve but at the heart of this story is a message about success. Being black and being successful is achievable and being able to show this, through theatre to our community and especially young people is ensuring that our leaders of tomorrow are supported and inspired,” she says.
The tour is made possible through funding assistance from Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Department of Education and Training and Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Partnerships and ArTour.
For more information:
- 0404 483828

domain: artistic


Huizenga highlights credit union priorities at CUNA GAC
WASHINGTON, DC (March 13, 2019) — Jim Nussle, CUNA president/CEO, released the following statement after Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), spoke at the 2019 Credit Union National Association Governmental Affairs Conference (CUNA GAC):
“This is Congressman Huizenga’s fourth GAC, and we are honored to have him back to empower credit unions to make their unified voice heard. His speech reminded our members about the importance of building relationships with members of Congress. It is a timely message for our credit union advocates who are headed to the Hill today.”
Huizenga spoke about credit union priorities such as housing finance reform, data security and cannabis banking.
“When you are successful, your credit union members are successful,” Huizenga told conference attendees. “Our financial system is under assault and it’s our job to push back on that; to ensure credit unions are given the space to successfully serve their members.”
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 120 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com.


text:
Liverpool are no longer expected to travel outside of Europe as part of their pre-season preparations, opting against a proposed visit to China this summer due to health concerns.
The outbreak of coronavirus has led to a number of restrictions on sporting events worldwide, with the Premier League‘s gesture of scrapping pre-match handshakes relatively tame.
All sport in Italy is to be played in empty stadia until at least the start of April, with Juventus’ 2-0 win over Inter Milan on Sunday set to the backdrop of a silent Allianz Stadium.
Coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, and the number of confirmed cases in the UK has now risen to 278, with Liverpool announcing they would not be using matchday mascots as part of their own preventative measures.
The Reds had intended to travel to the Far East for pre-season ahead of 2020/21, but according to The Athletic they are now set to remain in Europe.
Plans for a one-off game in China are “no longer under serious consideration,” with Jurgen Klopp‘s favoured approach of a training camp and friendlies across the continent more likely.
The significant commercial blow of not travelling to either America or the Far East—as has been the case for much of the past decade—is expected to be offset by “high-profile Europe-based warmup games against elite opposition.”
Liverpool are yet to finalise their plans at this stage, but reports towards the end of February suggested they could take part in a tournament in Turkey.
The club are likely to include a number of domestic friendlies early in the summer, with another trip to Tranmere likely to kick things off, while Anfield could hold a showcase clash too.
Last summer, the Reds played Napoli in Edinburgh and Lyon in Geneva, following the end of their US tour, while they took in a short training camp in Evian.
Many of Liverpool’s top players will see their summer involving international football, with the Euros and Copa America taking place.
Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Gini Wijnaldum, Dejan Lovren, Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino will all be involved for their country, while Mohamed Salah‘s involvement for Egypt at the Olympics isn’t clear yet.

domain: geography


text:
- A pitch with some mustard on it
- Local harvest: A guide to 2013 farmers markets
- Your Saturday sip: Mint Julep
- Party like a paleo
- Where to munch (for free) after the marathon
- Dipping into new snacking territory
- Can a vegan be ... sexy?
- Cook kosher with Susie Fishbein
- Italian gourmet food store headed to Pittsburgh airport
- Is your guy a gastrosexual?

domain: food


TAMPA, Fla. – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is bringing back its Sesame Street Kids’ Weekends.
The special event will be held every Saturday and Sunday beginning April 30 - May 22.
[TRENDING: Man shoots 2 teens breaking into his car in Orange County, deputies say | Disney offers water park ticket deal for Florida residents | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
The Florida theme park said the weekends were created especially for the youngest members of the family, but kids and parents alike can join in the fun, which is included with park admission.
Busch Gardens said guests can enjoy themed, daily story times and outdoor, live performances of “Let’s Play Together” at the Sunny Days Theater in Sesame Street Safari of Fun. Additional open-air springtime festivities include:
- Sunny Days Mural: Artists big and small will have the opportunity to share the masterpieces they create in the craft tent at our kid-friendly art display.
- Sesame Street Photo Opportunities: Enjoy photo opportunities with the Sesame Street gang at 1-2-3 Smile with Me.
- Cookie Monster’s Scavenger Hunt: Cookie Monster has lost a few of his cookies and needs your help to find them! Guests can stop by Abby Cadabby’s Treasure Hut gift shop to pick up your scavenger hunt sheet and begin searching for cookies around the Sesame Street Safari of Fun area.
Click here to learn more.
Use the form below to sign up for the ClickOrlando.com In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops newsletter, sent every Friday morning.


The ten-wicket win in the just-concluded pink-ball Test against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium is Virat Kohli’s 22nd victory from the 29 Tests that he has led Team India on home soil.
India has enjoyed an enviable run in Test cricket on home soil under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Since his maiden Test series as captain against South Africa back in 2015, the Men in Blue have lost just two Tests out of 29, winning 22 of them while five have ended in a draw.
Prior to Kohli, MS Dhoni held the record for most Test wins as skipper on home soil. Dhoni led Team India in 30 Tests on home soil between 2008-2013, out of which he won 21 and lost four which also includes a rare-series defeat to England by 1-2 in the winter of 2012.
As far as Virat Kohli is concerned, Team India is yet to lose a home Test series under his leadership. Under Kohli, India has defeated South Africa 3-0 in 2015 & 3-0 in 2019, England 4-0 in 2016, New Zealand 3-0, Bangladesh 1-0 and 2-0 in 2017 and 2019, Australia 2-1 in 2017, Sri Lanka 1-0 in 2017 and West Indies 2-0 in 2018. The two Test defeats that he has suffered as captain came against Australia in Pune in 2017 and against England in Chennai in the ongoing series.
Virat Kohli is already India’s most successful Test captain after having won 35 matches out of the 59 that he had led his side. MS Dhoni is next on the list with 27 wins from 60 Tests followed by Sourav Ganguly  and Mohammad Azharuddin .
As far as his latest Test win is concerned, Team India hammered England by ten wickets in what turned out to be the shortest Test match since World War II. India have taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series but they still need to win or at least ensure that they grind out a draw to confirm their qualification in the ICC World Test Championship final.


District cooling is the cooling equivalent of district heating. Working on broadly similar principles to district heating, district cooling delivers chilled water to . En caché Similares Traducir esta página jun. Individual user purchases chilled water for their building from the district cooling system operator and do not need to install their own chiller . Chilled water is delivered via an underground insulated pipeline to office,.
No hay disponible una descripción de este resultado debido al archivo robots. This short movie introduces what district cooling is and how it can be an integrated component in ensuring a. The new frontier of the summer air conditioning is the district cooling system. To date the largest structure with this new technology is located in Qatar.
As the demand for cooling and energy-efficient solutions is growing, district cooling is becoming an essential part of urban development. It serves multiple buildings within a . Singapore District Cooling (SDC) provides district cooling and heating services to.
Central cooling plants house large, highly efficient, . The Conference will discuss key issues to accelerate the development of District Energy to help ensuring that District Energy fulfils its enormous potential. Fortum offers district cooling services in Sweden, Finland and Estonia. Get the latest district cooling news, technology and products. Paul provides year-round chilled water services to over 1buildings in Saint Paul, totaling over million square feet.
The district cooling system (DCS) is made up of collective chilled water production and distribution facilities. Its development relies on pooling the cooling needs . Air conditioning tends to be either associated with individual domestic units installed on the exterior of homes or apartments, or else with the cooling plant that . Once hailed as the coolest initiative in town district cooling is now facing the heat from disgruntled property owners. The concept offers significant environmental benefits. In comparison to conventional air-conditioning systems, district cooling produces far fewer COemissions . The District Cooling Act empowers EMA to regulate district cooling services at Marina Bay (the current gazetted service area).
Find out more about the advantages of district cooling. DESMI pumps for district cooling. With the large amounts of water being circulated in the district cooling systems around the worl efficient pumps can mean big saving if sized and operated . Cold water that is transported through isolated pipes to consumers.
In district cooling and heating process automation it is of the utmost . It significantly reduces COemissions compared to traditional air conditioning. Enwave Chicago owns and operates the largest downtown district cooling system in the U. Hybrid configuration of Gas Turbines and Gas Engines is used in District. Reduce global warming potential (GWP) due to use of green refrigerant.
By pumping ice-cold water.


text:
FFM II"Dreams are the best liars, they always know exactly what you want."
"What makes you say that?" he asks, not looking up from the glow of his phone.
"Last night, I had a dream, and it was raining, storming, with lightning flashing through the sky and thunder booming so hard it shook the floor. I was in a store, one kind of like Walmart, and there were no windows or doors. And if I had thought about it, I would have realized that it was a dream."
"What do you mean?" he says, with the click of his iPhone.
"Well, if there were no windows, I wouldn't have seen the lightning, right?"
"I suppose not," he said.
"But then, I remember I was going through the books and a spider crawled out of the shelf. And I was so scared, it felt so real. You see, dreams know exactly what makes you tick, and they plant that in there so that you believe them," she said standing up from her chair.
"Do you ever think you are just over-analyzing things Mary?"
She shook her head. "Will you hug me?"
The DoctorWhen I was seven, I was diagnosed with emotions.The Doctor2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
"Poor girl." I heard them say. "She'll never survive this one."
I laid with my face towards the ceiling on the cold examination table, listening to them discuss my fate. I felt something breaking in my chest and something burning inside my throat. A small tear slipped down my cheek.
"Doctor! Look at this!" Shrieked my mother, "Something is coming out of her eye."
The doctor rushed over to me and wiped the tear from my cheek. He touched the top of my head as he whispered, "I am so sorry." And then he turned to my mother. "It's a tear. It means that she is sad."
"Sad?" My mother asked inquisitively.
"It's one of her emotions. This doesn't attack the same way that normal diseases do, there are all sorts of different symptoms. Right now, she is sad and the only way that I know how to explain it is that she is feeling down."
"What do you mean by down?"
"Her emotions can best be described as ones that are upwhen she is feeling good, and
The Man in the Coffee ShopThe man who works at the coffee shop looks like you. I noticed this some time ago and have since frequented the place. He recognizes me now. He smiles at me when I come in. His smile even looks like yours. He doesn't say hey though- you always said hey.The Man in the Coffee Shop3 years ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
I still work at the library even though you're not there.
Sometimes I look over to your desk and expect to see you typing at your computer, but someone else is there now. It's not you.
Sometimes someone will come in who looks like you. Maybe he will have the same hair, same stature, same profile, same laugh, same voice. It's never been you.
Sometimes I drive myself crazy. I pull at my hair and scream 'till my lungs burst. I scream for and at you. I ask how you could have left me here.
Sometimes I allow myself to believe that I will see you again. By chance we will run into each other in a Wal-Mart far away.
I go to the coffee shop on Tuesday afternoons. I order a small chai tea with milk.
Sometimes the man is working at th
I'm coming out: I'm straightMom? Mum? Can I talk to you?I'm coming out: I'm straight5 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
My voice quivered. Both of them looked up at me. Moms head was in Mums lap. Mum was slowly stroking her forehead, leaning down to kiss her forehead while still staring at me intently. A satanic bible was placed in Mums lap, the thin, withered pages torn in a few places from continued reading. You know you can talk to us about anything, Mom said, smiling, sitting up a bit straighter. She leaned over to kiss Mum, who kissed her back. I took a seat on the couch and pulled my knees up to my chin, staring down at my cuticles. Even for a guy, they were pretty nasty.
I took a deep breath. Guys? I dont really know how to say this but, I think Im heterosexual.
The room went silent. Mum looked up from our satanic bible and pursed her lips. For a second, I thought she was going to reach out and slap me. In a tight voice, she said, You know how we feel about heterosexuals. We raised you to be
ImpressionableYou left impressions in her skin and they sank straight down to her heart. You always told her that she was impressionable, but she never took it quite so literally.Impressionable2 years ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
She was holding memories so tightly that her hands started to burn. Each day a layer of skin would char and crumble. She swept the ash off and carried on.
Sometimes when she felt lonely, she would take old blankets and wrap herself in them. They smelled like the people who used them before her. They have absorbed their dreams, their feelings, their hearts. She liked to hear other peoples' dreams because she never had one herself.
She never felt quite at home. She worried about getting caught in a gust of wind and tossed down in a field somewhere, but secretly, she hoped for it.
She missed you. She wouldn't admit it, but I could see it in her face and hear it in her words.
She lost her right shoe one night. She walked a half mile in the rain without it and arrived at the front door with a big smile on her face. Sometimes I
I'm Just Waiting for the RainHe keeps his umbrella close, but never opened. Storm clouds roll in and out of his life, but they never stop to even wet the ground.I'm Just Waiting for the Rain2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
He wakes up every morning at 6:15, stays in bed for another five minutes, and takes a shower that lasts eight and a half minutes. He eats two slices of buttered toast and a small tumbler of orange juice. He dresses himself in a blue button-down with a striped tie and shines his shoes so that he can see his face. If it's cold out, he wears his black trench coat and if it isn't, he just wears his sport coat. He carries his briefcase every day, along with his umbrella. He can't forget his umbrella. The train leaves at 7:00 and he is at the station by 6:55. He hasn't missed a day of work in eight years.
His career isn't exactly what he hoped it would have been. If he were to think back on it, he would realize that it isn't even close. Thankfully, he never does.
At 7:45 he goes for his morning coffee runblack with two sugars. Provided the line isn't too
PersephoneI fed herPersephone1 year ago in Free Verse More Like This
and she cried
at every frozen sunrise
for 180 days.
With cracks in my heart
caught in my hair
I counted 180 more.
Judgement"You need to stop doing this."Judgement3 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
"Stop doing what?"
"Writing me into your stories."
"Because it scares me. I'm not this guy that you write about. I'm not some kind of Prince Charming and I'm certainly not a sea God or whatever you like to say about my eyes every now and then."
"Yeah. You really need to work on your judgement of people, because this is all wrong. It's like you don't know me at all!"
"So why don't you correct me and I'll fix my idea of you accordingly."
"Well firstly, I'm a really nervous person."
"Yeah. Your hands are either fiddling with your hair or your sleeve, or you're biting your nails."
"And I don't like going out. I'm a hermit."
"Except to your best friends' houses, or to the animal shelter, or to me."
"And I'm dead inside."
"Says the boy who hides his tears at the sight of an injured puppy."
"I do not."
"Yes, you do."
"Anyway, I'm not always nice to you. In fact, I really don't do enough."
"You're right. Except yo
Oh Dear.He is an Oscar Wilde inspired man-poetOh Dear.3 years ago in Free Verse More Like This
Whose subjects are as real as glass.
He is a silly chorus boy
Spending far too much time in the music room.
He is a reader,
Who hums to himself while his eyes float across the page.
He is real-
But I don't even know his name.
And I am already infatuated.
Passionate IndifferenceTo say that I have lovedPassionate Indifference3 years ago in Free Verse More Like This
Would imply that I feel
Something more than
telling a sad story backwards-17.telling a sad story backwards-5 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
it smells like grief and sterilized metal.
i climb into andrews bed, though the nurses have strictly forbidden it. he closes his eyes and holds me tightly, because he says when he cant see me, it is easier to pretend i never happened to him.
he pushes the cart aggressively down the aisle, pretending to mow over old ladies doing their sunday shopping.
"stop," i say giggling, lobbing a can of ravioli at him.
for a moment i think he simply didn't see me throw the can; it glances off his chest and falls to the floor, exploding in a pattern of red arrows. i don't notice his eyes rolling back in his head or the graceful way his body collapses to the floor.
the only thing i notice is the distinct thudding sound as his head hits the metal shelf and the screaming that may or may not be mine.
later in the hospital he calls for me and says he wants to apologize for keeping secrets, and the doctors launch into a medical explanation of his cancer.
their eyes are sad.
I am the WriterI am a protagonist,I am the Writer2 years ago in Concrete Poetry More Like This
A minor supporting character
I am the investigator,
The prophetic narrator
I am your hero
Your forgotten sidekick
I am the writer
Grandfather's BirdGrandfather had a pet bird. Just a small, yellow and white parakeet; he named it Georgie, after Grandmother. Every morning, he would wake up at 6 o'clock, make a pot of coffee, grab the newspaper, and feed the small bird a small pile of birdseed. And he would gently carry the birdcage, and place it on the table and talk to her as he drank his coffee and read the newspaper.Grandfather's Bird3 years ago in Scraps More Like This
"Gas prices are up again Georgie, geez, remember when we could pay 20¢ to fill up our car?"
And sometimes the bird almost chirped in response. Years and years went by, and Grandfather grew older, and he could no longer carry the bird off the shelf, but he would still feed and talk to her at 6 o'clock.
One morning, Grandfather found himself barely able to make it out of bed. He still made his way into the kitchen to feed his dear bird. His hand shook and some birdseed fell to the floor as he carefully moved into the tray into the cage. He slowly made his way to the table so that he could sit down.
Teacup FriendsWe brew cups of tea and remember them thirty minutes later. The water is still warm when we pull out the teabag, but the liquid is thick and smells bitter. We drink it anyway;the syrupy liquid coats our throats and stains our stomachs. We drink it anyway, since we took the time to make it.Teacup Friends1 year ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
We figure they are like that; bitter, forgotten cups of tea that we invested so much time in making. (We even give them names: Earl Grey, Peppermint, Breakfast Blend, and Chamomile.)
Chamomile was the first to go, clipping the hair above his ears, buttoning himself up inside a black pea coat, tying it all up with a noose-like scarf around his neck.
Inside we mourned, but outside we laughed about how silly this all was. As if the way he wore his hair determined his newfound spite. As if the pea coat was a rite of passage, a ticket to better things.
But then Breakfast Blend, Peppermint, and Earl Grey followed, sweeping locks of hair beneath the rug and buttoning four years inside their pea coats. (It
Introductions"Hi, I'm-"Introductions3 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
"I know who you are."
"You're the guy who thinks he's invisible."
"I have a name-"
"It isn't important. Because you really don't think it's important."
"All right. Since we've started out this way, let me just tell you, I know you too."
"You're the girl who is broken."
"I am not broken."
"You're the girl whose eyes close every night and open the next morning, only to find you have never slept at all."
"I sleep well. Besides-"
"You're the girl who dreams of a happy ending even though she has seen seventeen...no, eighteen unhappy ones in her eighteen years."
"Happy endings are over rated. And you're-"
"You're the girl who wants something bigger, something stronger, just so the weakness in her body becomes something so much more."
"You don't understand weakness the way-"
"You're the girl whose heart broke when she was so young, and she fixed it back together with superglue, but cannot ignore the cracks."
"Superglue makes for a good companion, especially when-"
ArchetypeThe man holds a grimy hand to her mouth and whispers something I can't hear. She squirms against the alley wall, and she shrieks, muffled through fingers. I pull out my gun.Archetype2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
The man's face jerks my way, and I look to his forehead. In the late evening darkness, glowing from his bald scalp is a violet tattoo: an X overlying a large circle. He's a Delinquent Archetype. A Thief.
"Step away from the woman!" I walk closer.
The Thief's eyes widen at my gun, but without missing a beat, he puts the girl between us and pulls her close. He has a knife pressed against her breast, where the tip pierces her blouse.
"You aren't going to do anything to this girl, are you Thief?" I say. "That wouldn't make your handlers too happy, you know." I press a button near the back of my gun, and the small, mounted screen blinks to life, displaying an ID number and a series of readings. One registers fear. It pulses. The Thief pales, almost to the girl's chalky degree.
This close, I can see pas
UnattainableThose who are lucky enough to have friends are lucky indeed. For not everyone is so lucky.Unattainable2 years ago in Emotional More Like This
It must be nice to have someone's shoulder to cry on. Someone you can bitch to; someone who'll hold you when you're hurt. Not everyone has someone like that.
Some of us just have friends, only a few, whom we call best friends, but they don't say such things in return do they? No, because we aren't their best friend, we're just a friend. Or worse that weird person they hang out with.
You see they have someone else that they uncover their heart and soul too. Someone they've known since they were children; or someone they met several years ago and became inseparable. I envy them. I envy all of them.
Some of us don't get those people; some of us don't get relied upon. We aren't all so lucky. Some of us are shunned, through no fault of our own, or perhaps through only our own fault. It's a mystery that will always escape me.
How do they do it? How do they make these excellent friends? How do they beco
1.1. There are people who do not want an inch less of their fair share of the bus/airplane/movie theater/train/car/park bench/couch and do not hesitate to let everyone know. I do not like to sit in between two people on public transit for fear that I will spill into the space of not one, but two innocent commuters. I make a beeline for corner seats so that I can squish into the extra, empty space and pretend not to see people hesitate before sitting next to me.1.8 months ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
2. This extra layer between my skin and bones is like an armor, protecting my organs from the passing glares shot my way, the snickers, and the people I love calling themselves fatass when they eat too much frozen yogurt. My stretch marks are battle scars from the time something almost made it through.
3. When I was ten years old, my mother took me to the store to buy a new swimsuit, we went to seven different stores because we could not find one that was long enough for my five-foot-two frame, when I asked my mother why I could n
Handle With CareSomething broke today.Handle With Care2 years ago in Philosophical More Like This
Something small and precious, a glass flower, a snowflake, a heart. Something untouchable for its fragility, something broken much to easily, never to be healed again. It made no sound, no dying screams or pitiful whimpers, its passing was slow and barely noticed, noted only by outsiders with jaded eyes. It's gone now, spirited away and never to be seen again. Earlier and earlier it breaks, shatters, and falls away spreading itself across the floor and cutting the feet of everyone who walks upon it, unaware of the blood pouring from their bodies, slicking the shards and staining pure white red.
Something broke today.
It breaks everyday to be honest, many many times by many many people, simultaneously across the world. It does not matter what they were before It breaks, but after they are soldiers, watching the light fade to darkness and unable to do anything but watch with ancient eyes. It's difficult for these jaded soldiers to remember what life was like before
2nd person fiction and YouYou like fiction written in the second person. You may not admit it to yourself, but deep down, you really do. It teases you with its confrontational otherness, its flamboyantly displayed post-modernism, its teeth.2nd person fiction and You3 years ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
Do not look at its teeth. You do not want to look at its teeth.
Fiction written in the second person and you have a long history of denial. At first, you were sure it couldn't be done. Then it was done, and it was done to you, and you liked it, too, but it was only the one time and you were kind of drunk. It was an experiment, and it was interesting as an experiment, but that was all it was.
Only, of course, it wasn't.
Fiction written in the second person has invaded your dreams, and what's worse, your sexual fantasies. You'd be picturing a luscious blonde, rubbing her rubbables, yearning for your touch, when suddenly a voice would pop into your head, calmly narrating what you were doing: "You are picturing a luscious blonde," the voice would say, "rubbing her rubbables. Hey
LiminalI woke after thirteen hours of sleepLiminal1 year ago in Free Verse More Like This
and when I looked in the mirror,
there were still bruise-purple
crescent moons beneath my eyes.
tired no longer comes from a
lack of sleep—it has reached a state
of permanence, engraving itself
into my bones. When you ask
how I am, I will now answer:
cold and tired.
It was later that night when I
tasted the liquor cabinet
to see what all the fuss was about.
Whiskey burns as it goes down
and settles in the cavity of the heart,
encompassing it with a hug
that a lover will never reach.
I now want to know if I will
ever be able to melt.
I used to close my eyes beneath
the night sky, as everything in the
universe was staring me down,
and beg that one of the
billions of beings out there
would make me smaller.
If that tiny girl
in a big open field,
beneath the big open sky,
who hadn't ever seen the big open sea,
got her wish,
would she even be able to see
herself in the mirror?
Day NineI don’t know whichDay Nine11 months ago in Free Verse More Like This
I’m more afraid of:
breaking your heart,
or finding that you don’t
even have a heart to break.
The Cartographer's DaughterEvery night, he would fold her into his arms before she slept. Creases grew into her, turning brown with wear, and she loved them. When she woke up in the night, dreaming of darkness, he would take her to his desk and draw for her a map of her face, turning it into another world. Tracing the contours of her smile, he would scrawl a warning, "Here be monsters", whispering to her that she was a dragon when angry.The Cartographer's Daughter2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
As she grew older, she populated his maps with creatures and peoples from the books she read, or her own creations. He taught her to draw, and to write with an old inkpen, in a cursive script her teacher could make neither head nor tail of. She made him angry once, drawing in the drying sand with her finger, and smudging the ink. When he was angry, mountain ranges grew across his forehead and caverns opened in his cheeks. Here be lions.
Walking home from school, she knew the local area inside out; from the maps he had drawn and taught her. He would copy them onto o
BraveryOn Saturday the twenty-first of January, Elliot took a gun, pressed it to the strip of bone between his eyes, and shot himself. The bullet shattered the frontal bone of his skull, warping his features past recognition, and burrowed through his pre-frontal cortex into the midbrain. He died before the sound stopped echoing through his empty apartment.Bravery4 years ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
This story isn't about that.
I worked with Elliot for only a little while—less than six months. Most of what I knew about him came from his desk. Unlike the smaller ones the secretaries and other reporters had, it was a stately, imposing thing. It would've been terrifying, especially to a mousy little girl like me, but it was covered in paperweights and spare pens and pictures of people hunting ducks. Anyway, Elliot himself denied fear: he was middle-aged, poised on the cusp between forty and fifty. His hair had already turned grey, but he didn't dye it, like he hadn't noticed he was getting older or just didn't care. He smiled more t

domain: literature


text:
Dating from the 14th century, used in several wars and, for centuries as prison, this castle was classified in 1931.
It has a careful and ambitious restoration project, being closed to visits while the works last.
Chinchilla de Montearagon
In our way back from the beach, crossing the long and arid center of Spain, we needed to make a stop for lunch, and… we were there.
It was not difficult to find a place, clearly seen from the highway.
Lunch in Los Manzanos.
Lunch abroad with small kids is always an adventure, because the “I don’t like that” has 90% of chances to come.
Well, it didn’t.
Lunch was good, well served and not expensive.
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1902 $20 MS61 PCGS....
1902 Double Eagle, MS611902 $20 MS61 PCGS. The 1902, 1905, and 1906 Liberty double eagles each had mintages under 100,000 coins, and the 1902 was the lowest with only 31,140 coins produced. This example has frosty light yellow surfaces with scattered marks on both sides. The luster is brilliant, and the strike is bold.(Registry values: N1793) (NGC ID# 26CU, PCGS# 9041)
Service and Handling Description: Coins & Currency (view shipping information)
Guides and Pricing Information:
Find Auction Prices for Comparable Items:

domain: hobby


text:
Caroline Flack and Andrew Brady have ended their engagement.
The Love Island host, 38, and former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Andrew, 27, had become engaged in April after just three months of dating.
But Andrew has now released a statement confirming their split.
I’m sad to announce that Andrew and I have decided to part ways. Unfortunately it was not to be.
It read: "Sad to announce Caroline and I have decided to part ways. Unfortunately it was not meant to be and I wish her all the best in the future."
Caroline shared a crying face emoji to Twitter just moments after Andrew posted his statement.
In a statement of her own, she told The Mirror: "I’m sad to announce that Andrew and I have decided to part ways. Unfortunately it was not to be. I wish him all the best."
She then made a reference to her job as Love Island host, saying: "At least there’s a Villa waiting for me. It’s back to the ol’ grafting."
Their split may come as a shock to fans as just this month Caroline penned a romantic letter to Andrew in the new issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Caroline revealed how she'd tracked Andrew down on Instagram after seeing him on TV and romance blossomed from there.
Andrew appeared on The Apprentice before signing up for Celebrity Big Brother.
In the letter, she wrote: "Every other relationship I’ve had has only been about love, but with you it’s about friendship, too. It’s what I’ve been looking for.
"My life was complete before you came into it – a man doesn’t complete your life. But I wanted to make room in it for you. I look at you and I think, 'Yes, Andrew, you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.'"
She had previously spoken about how Andrew's proposal was a surprise.
She told Daily Mail's You magazine in May: "Andrew proposed totally out of the blue and it was very low key. I had no idea he was planning on asking me to marry him!" she said.
"But I knew things felt different in the lead-up; from the very first date with Andrew I felt as though I'd known him for years. I've never had that feeling before."
The former X Factor presenter was previously forced to defend her relationship, after the couple faced accusations it was all a publicity stunt and so-called 'sources' claimed Caroline's friends were worried that Andrew could be using her to boost his profile.
Caroline responded on Twitter: "I don't like to speak up on things. But. He's my boyfriend. And he's lovely to me. He's new to this world. No one is perfect. But he (sic)."
The star added: "Give people a break .... we all [bleep] up... all of us ... people spend so much time over analysing things ... let it be."
Don't miss out: Three steps to ensure you see all ED!'s latest news on Facebook

domain: news


Xlib extension "RENDER" missing on display ":0.0".
runner at tamalin.de
Sun Jul 15 12:08:02 BST 2001
On Sunday 15 July 2001 07:39, you wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> I have been using KDevelop for about a month now, I had some serious
> installation problems to begin with, but they were all eventually sorted
> out. But ever since I got KDevelop working I have been getting the
> following message:
> Xlib extension "RENDER" missing on display ":0.0".
> Does anyone know why I am getting the Xlib message and/or a way that I may
> be able to get rid of it?
You get this messages because you are using XFree 3.x. When you upgrade to
the latest XFree 4.x the message disappears and all QT-based application will
render their fonts anti aliased. That's all, nothing serious :-)
> Also I would like to know if any work is being done with KDevelop to allow
> for the creation of Python programs using PyQt/PyKDE. I think KDevelop is a
> great IDE, and that would make it just so much better.
Their is a development version of KDevelop called Gideon which will provide
this functionality. But it will take some time until a release.
eMail: runner at tamalin.de
WWW : http://www.tamalin.de/runner/index_en.html
to unsubscribe from this list send an email to kdevelop-request at kdevelop.org with the following body:
More information about the KDevelop


text:
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text:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-5306
Edward Hammond is a partner and transactional lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. He focuses his practice in the area of commercial and industrial financing transactions, including energy and infrastructure project financing, syndicated bank loan transactions and institutional investment in long-term debt securities. He is a member of the Finance & Financial Institutions Practice and Energy and Sports Industry Teams.
|Areas of Practice||1) Finance & Financial Institutions|
|Law School||the University of Chicago|
|Education||Yale University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1978)|
|Bar Member / Association||State Bar Of Massachusetts|
|Most recent firm||Foley & Lardner LLP|
Mergers and Acquisitions/Private Equity, Business and Finance Group – Mid-Level Associate
USA-NY-New York City
The New York office of Morgan Lewis, an international law firm with some 1,400 attorneys, seeks highly qualified mid-level associates with law firm experience to join our Mergers and Acquisitions/Priv...
The Legal Secretary's role is to provide administrative support to assigned firm personnel; assist and relieve attorneys and other personnel of administrative and clerical work by performing essential...
Paralegal The candidate will advice on and comply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, FINRA rules and state securities laws and regulations. Create, update ...
|+ View more jobs|
Alan Singer is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Securities Practice. Mr. Singer advises companies with regard to a diverse range of corporate and securities matters.
Andrew Hamilton is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Business and Finance Practice. Mr. Hamilton practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, securities law, and general corporate counseling.

domain: law


Articles in Community
A battle is raging over where to buy your fish in Seoul, and the outcome will determine the fate of one of the city’s most iconic food markets and tourist destinations.
The sprawling Noryangjin Fish Market, on the south banks of the Han River, has been where fish sellers, buyers and simply the curious have been congregating since 1927. It’s also one of Seoul’s top tourist destinations.
Conan O’Brien visited, and played with the squirting “sea penises” on American TV. A thousand Chinese tourists visit a day, according to Seoul’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper. Fox News rated it the third-best food market in the world, and when Conde Nast Travel ran a photo essay of the best markets in Seoul, 10 of the 20 photos were from Noryangjin.
Battle to remain open
Today, though, the market is quiet. There is graffiti on the top floors that reads “Demolition.” On the main floor, the fish sellers are wearing red vests that read “Together we fight.” Banners hang from the walls, and there is a militant atmosphere throughout the market.
Parent company Suhyup wants the fish sellers to move across the street to a new market. The new market is smaller than the old one, fully indoors and air-conditioned, and resembles a department store. It is also mostly empty, since most fish sellers refuse to move there, despite orders from Suhyup.
“After they built the whole new building, we didn’t get any notice or have any meetings,” said one fish seller, who refused to give his name but has been selling fish at Noryangjin for 30 years. “On March 16, 2016, we got a notice to move. After we checked the new site, we saw it didn’t match our needs, so we chose to stay and fight.”
Mixed reactions to new
Suhyup says the old building, now 45 years old, is unsafe and unsanitary. But fish sellers have a litany of complaints about the new building, chiefly that the allocated lots are too small. They say the floors are slippery (I almost fell twice), the aisles are too narrow, the rents are too high, they weren’t properly consulted and, most important for visitors, that it lacks any of the atmosphere the old building has.
The corporation, meanwhile, says the fish sellers were perfectly well consulted, rents and lot sizes are the same, and everyone signed an agreement to move as far as back as 2009.
“We have to face the fact they’re not going to rebuild the traditional site,” says Song Young-hi, a fish seller of 39 years who reluctantly moved to the new building. She complains the lots are too narrow, and that it’s “almost impossible” to display the fish. Still, she doubts the company will back down, and she has to make a living. “I have to do what I have to do,” she says. The dispute is now with the courts.
Modern, but will tourists come?
A favorite activity among tourists at Noryangjin is getting the fresh seafood cut up right in front of them and served in one of the market’s many restaurants. In the old building, all the restaurants have been shuttered and sprayed with graffiti, their electricity and water shut off by the company. In the new building, the restaurants are open, but with fewer customers.
Stella, a tourist from Toronto who didn’t want to give her last name, bought fish at the new market to eat at one of the second-floor restaurants. But she said she would rather have gone to the old market, and was under the impression the old one was closed.
“My friends showed me pictures of the old one. It seemed to have more choice,” she says.
In the old market, Achuko and Yoko from Japan look at crabs and discuss the two markets. “I like the new market,” Achuko says. “It’s so clean.” But, she adds, “It’s impossible to move all of [the fish sellers] there.”
More from Zester Daily:
She admits the old market is more traditional. “The old one is cheaper and a bigger market,” Achuko says. “So Koreans like this style, I think.”
Jang Han Gi is a fish seller who splits a 24-hour shift with his brother. It’s hard work, but after 25 years, he’s used to it. He says there’s no way he’s moving to the new market.
“The customers prefer the open site and the open style of this building,” Jang says.
Jake Yoo, a local tour guide, agrees. He says there just isn’t time to visit both markets on a tour, and the old one wins with tourists, hands-down. “This is traditional-style here, and it’s better.”
Main photo: Fish sellers, in the old market, wear red vests that read “Together we fight.” Credit: Copyright 2016 Jo Turner
We’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village.” But communities are drawn together for many reasons. Some cling tight to tradition with activities like barbecues and Fourth of July parades. Others share neighborhoods with backyards that spill onto golf courses, lakes and swimming pools. And then there’s Agritopia.
“If you live here, it just feels different,” business manager William Johnston said.
Cultivating an agrihood
It is different. Located outside of Phoenix, in the little-known city of Gilbert, Agritopia is what’s called an agrihood, or suburban neighborhood planned around a working farm. Jim and Virginia Johnston purchased the farm in 1960. They built a home; grew crops, including cotton, wheat, barley, corn, alfalfa and sugar beets; and raised three boys. Time went on. The Johnston children grew up, and two continued the family farming tradition. The once-rural area surrounding the farm grew, and the third son, Joe, an engineer, got an idea to reinvent the place he called home.
More from Zester Daily:
» TEDx Manhattan: A farmer's artful plea for wiser priorities
» 25 insider tips for navigating your farmers market
» The case for backyard chickens
» 6 garden-starting tips to give your kids green thumbs
“The kernel of the idea was in 1998, when I started thinking that I’d like to do a restaurant in our house that served produce from the farm: that was the ‘agri’ part. That was the extent of the idea,” Joe said. “However, that idea was shortly followed by the notion that I’d like to live close to where I worked. That opened up a bunch of ideas, because we had a clean sheet of paper to design the kind of community we’d like to live in.”
Agritopia stretches 160 acres and has more than 450 houses. Four generations of the Johnston family, along with 1,500 or so other folks, call it home. At its center is the certified organic farm (where Jim and Virginia still live) and more than 11 acres of permanent urban farmland.
A cornucopia of crops
“During the year we grow over 200 varieties of field and orchard crops,” William Johnston said. “It’s important for families to grow up together and understand food and farming.”
The farm bounty is diverse — and delicious. Along with Medjool dates and olive groves, there are citrus, apple, peach and plum groves. Other crops include cauliflower, Romanesco broccoli, herbs, a variety of lettuces and tomatoes of assorted varieties.
Enjoying the fruits of their labor
The same-day harvest is readily available to residents and Agritopia visitors. But how folks get their farm-fresh fix varies. What was once an old tractor building is now an airy cafe called The Coffee Shop. The Johnston family homestead has a new lease on life as a modern diner called Joe’s Farm Grill. Whenever possible, fruit, vegetables and herbs come from The Farm at Agritopia.
Then there’s The Farm Stand. Open 24 hours a day, the stand is not staffed. All purchases are made using the honor system. Grab what you want, put your cash or check in an envelope and drop it in the pay slot. And residents can grow their own bounty by renting one of the more than 40 plots in the community garden.
Rural life, redefined
When most city slickers envision life on a farm, they think of solitude. At Agritopia, rows of vegetables sprout within view of homes and the neighborhood school. With the antics of school recess and chickens clucking in the background, a cozy neighborhood feeling prevails in this unique slice of Arizona farm country, where houses have front porches and streets are lined with trees and sidewalks.
“We like the fact that people can kind of just wander and feel that sense of exploration,” William Johnston said. “A lot of people compare it to Mayberry.”
Main photo: A citrus display at Agritopia’s farm stand. Credit: Copyright 2016 Dana Rebmann
When you visit the Smithsonian, you see Julia Child’s kitchen literally enshrined. It is surrounded by plexiglass, but you can see all of it and even “step inside” at places, while the kitchen itself is surrounded by videos of Julia. You get a sense of the real Julia, while you are also awed to be in the actual space inhabited by the First Lady of Food Television. Her seminal series “The French Chef” has just been re-released on the online TV site Twitch — bringing Julia once again into the public spotlight.
I was reminded of the cultural status of chefs at the Smithsonian’s Food History Gala. It was a public event to present the first ever Julia Child Award to Jacques Pépin. Taking place in the grand hall of the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, the location made it clear where chefs stand today in the pantheon of American greats. They stand right next to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Literally.
Todd Schulkin, executive director of the Julia Child Foundation, felt the space was appropriate. “It was very meaningful to be in the flag hall,” he said “under the image of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ ”
An ‘anonymous labor’
Marcus Samuelsson, author of “Yes, Chef,” reminded the distinguished guests that “being a chef was an anonymous labor for a long time.” Their high-flying cultural status is newfound. Even the evening’s celebrant, Jacques Pépin, spent the early part of his career as the corporate chef for Howard Johnson’s.
And it’s not just food stars, but food itself that has become a cultural touchstone. The Smithsonian’s Food History Weekend, kicked off by the gala, was followed by two more days of events and workshops that showcased innovation in American food culture. And the conversation didn’t stop with the weekend. The Smithsonian has embraced food history with the American Food History Project. It features monthly events that place food culture on the same level with such celebrated icons as Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat and Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers.
But there was a wistfulness underpinning the gala dinner. Many of the speakers of the evening — including the celebrated Chef Pépin — remarked on the strangeness of being cultural superstars. They all seemed to feel a sense of concern: being “enshrined” can also mean losing touch. A classic artifact like Julia’s Kitchen must be preserved by plexiglass. But a chef shouldn’t be. Superstars can find themselves living in a bubble, and it takes work to avoid this fate.
A sense of fun
Most of the pantheon at the gala seemed to be deeply aware of this. Sara Moulton pointed out that Julia’s real métier was television — the great leveler. In Moulton’s first job in television, Julia Child told her: “smile for the camera.” Now on her own television series, Moulton keeps that smile and counsels her guests to “smile constantly and for no particular reason.” It’s not an act — it’s an acknowledgment of the reality of the joy of food. While setting up a food demo on a set, Julia said to Sara: “Aren’t we having fun?” Moulton had to think about it, then the truth dawned: “Yes, she said, “Yes, we are!”
It’s the sense of fun, the sheer joy of preparing food, which made Julia Child an icon — the first food superstar of our culture. The joyous face of Jacques Pépin as he accepted the Julia Child Award made it clear that he is a fitting inheritor. Perhaps there’s no better recipient than the man who has been creating food television since 1997. As Marcus Samuelson put it: “Julia started it. Jacques caught the baton.”
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I got a sudden shock of the humanity of our great chefs on the last day of the Smithsonian’s Food History Weekend. I was leaving the American History museum when I ran into Anne Willan and Todd Schulkin coming in the doors. Willan, of course, is the founder of the iconic cooking school École de Cuisine La Varenne and author of “La Varenne Practique.” I was delighted to see them, and Willan explained she was coming to the Smithsonian to experience Julia’s Kitchen. “I’ve never seen it,” she said. Then she stopped with a frown, “Well, I have, of course, when I cooked in it with Julia. But I’ve never seen it…” She stopped again. “I’ve never seen it behind glass,” she finished.
The Smithsonian and the Julia Child Foundation are well aware of the danger of putting something behind glass. “Enshrining” both preserves — and distances. So on the same floor as Julia’s Kitchen, children can now interact with a miniature version of Julia’s Kitchen at the “Wegmans Wonderplace” exhibition, allowing them to grab pans from the famous pegboard wall and whip up a hollandaise sauce on the pretend stove.
Events like Food History Weekends, and awards for populists like Jacques Pépin, can keep food culture personal, intimate and connected.
Main photo: Visitors can tour Julia Child’s kitchen at the National Museum of American History. Credit: Courtesy of the National Museum of American History
South Korea is in the middle of a food revolution. Led by expats, returning Korean-Americans and Koreans who have fallen in love with food overseas, once unheard-of dishes are now being served up all over Seoul. Spinach and artichoke pizza, pulled pork sandwiches and Spanish paella were just exotic dreams 10 years ago, but today they’re widely available, though price and quality can vary enormously.
Gemma Wardle, 31, is the self-described “fat girl” from England (though she lost significant weight two years ago). She is dedicated to documenting the Korean food revolution through her blog, A Fat Girl’s Food Guide to Eating in Korea. In four years, the Fat Girl’s Guide has become the go-to resource for foreign food in the Korean capital.
“I have been fat all my life,” Wardle says, tucking into a slice of macaroni and cheese pizza at Maddux, a new by-the-slice pizzeria near her apartment. “And I’m a person who loves to eat.”
The beginnings of a blog
Wardle began running the blog four years ago, after eating and shopping her way through the city. “I had this wealth of information, and people were always asking me, ‘Oh, how did you make this?’ or ‘Where did you buy this?’ or ‘Where’s a good date restaurant?'” Wardle says. “And I was just sick of saying the same things over and over again. So I started writing it down.”
Today it gets over 100,000 unique views a month, and advertisers are flocking to it. Wardle describes the blog as a “kimchi-free zone” that focuses on the influx of foreign food into this once isolated, now rapidly diversifying country. Though blogs covering Korean food are legion, there is little that focuses on the expanding foreign food market.
“I felt, as a Westerner living in Korea, I didn’t need to find Korean food. It’s everywhere you look,” Wardle says. “For those people coming up to Seoul a couple times a year, I wanted to say look, come here, this is the place you need to eat at.”
An international city
Though Wardle covers the whole of Seoul, she focuses mostly on the central neighborhood of Itaewon. Located near the gates of Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison, for decades it had a reputation as a sleazy, U.S. Army camptown, the place only soldiers, and the prostitutes who served them, would visit.
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But beginning in the late 1990s, Itaewon started to gentrify — the number of soldiers was drawn down, and those left were put on tighter leashes. Foreign businesspeople, English teachers and migrant workers began hanging out and opening businesses. Finally, Koreans themselves, eager for an “authentic” foreign experience in their own country, started visiting and investing their money. Today, it is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city.
“It’s become more of an international kind of city,” Wardle says, a phenomenon she attributes to Koreans traveling more and developing more of an international palate.
Cocktails — which Wardle adores — have also become popular, in a country where a few years ago the only way to get liquor at most bars was by the bottle. Wardle says today’s other big trend is American comfort food, like barbecue, meatloaf and hamburgers.
A boom in restaurant growth
There has also been a liberalizing in trade laws that allows you to get nearly any ingredient you want, provided you can pay for it. A lot of the blog used to be recipes to make hard-to-find items from scratch, like cheese and yogurt. Today Wardle does much less of that, since almost everything is available on the shelves.
“I will still do a recipe now and again,” she says. “And I used to do a lot more where-to-shop posts, and I will still throw one in if there’s something worth doing. But I’d say the bulk now is restaurant reviews, where we used to be a bit more evenly split.”
Every week there is at least one, and often up to four, new restaurants to review, a rate of growth unimaginable a few years ago. There are currently at least 300 restaurants listed on the blog — Wardle doesn’t know exactly how many.
Wardle continues to teach English part time. She’d like to only write the blog, but the money just isn’t there yet. In the meantime, she plans to stay in Korea at least two more years before contemplating a return to the UK.
“I’ve loved living here, and I’m very happy writing here,” Wardle says. “I just wish I’d started it sooner.”
Main photo: Gemma Wardle is the voice behind the blog A Fat Girl’s Food Guide to Eating in Korea. Credit: Copyright 2016 Dave Hazzan
Boasting 567 entries, “Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover’s Companion to New York City” serves up a feast of foodie knowledge for the Gotham native and novice alike.
Edited by Andrew F. Smith
Oxford University Press, 2015,
“Mention New York City food, and most people think of the white-hot restaurants of the moment, with their media-savvy celebrity chefs, glittering patrons and sky-high prices. Upscale restaurants have long been an exciting part of the city’s foodscape, but they are at one far end of the broad, colorful spectrum of New York eateries,” Smith says in an introduction. “Inhabiting the starry heights are temples of haute cuisine, such as Per Se and Le Bernardin; at the low end are hot dog carts and old-school Mexican taco trucks. In between, over the past 300 years, have been all kinds of eating places: cafeterias, diners, luncheonettes, drugstore counters, fast-food chains, delis, cafes, coffee shops, juice bars, doughnut shops, ice cream parlors, cocktail lounges, dive bars, and corner sweet shops, not to mention theater snack bars, supermarket delis, farmers markets, social club dining rooms, kiosks and vending machines. Today, New Yorkers have more 50,000 eating places to choose from.”
Combining food history with current culinary trends, the text richly explores New York City’s diverse food cultures, as well as its contributions to global gastronomy. A hefty volume that even dons a New York bagel on its spine, it makes for a smartly dressed member of any foodie library sure to be referenced again and again. (Full disclosure: I am one of the book’s contributors.)
Here’s just a taste of “Savoring Gotham”:
A delightful amalgamation of dessert foods, baked Alaska is a sponge cake topped with ice cream and covered with delicate peaks of meringue, browned in the oven. Although named for what would become the United States’ 49th state, baked Alaska found its name in New York City. The igloo-shaped dessert was first christened in the late 19th century by Charles Ranhofer, French chef de cuisine of Delmonico’s, one of New York’s most prestigious restaurants from 1837 to 1923. Baked Alaska’s naming was purportedly to honor and commemorate the United States’ purchase of Alaska in 1867.
Whether topped with ham, bacon, salmon or spinach, all signs point to New York City as the origin of brunch favorite eggs benny. While it is unknown for which wealthy Benedict the dish was named, the velvety and savory dish probably originated at Delmonico’s or The Waldorf in the 1890s, though New York’s Hoffman Hotel and Union Club both lay claim to it as well.
Ellis Island Food
What did the millions of immigrants who entered the United States at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924 eat for their first meal on American soil? Most likely they purchased a boxed lunch for 50 cents or a dollar, depending upon the size. Some boxed meals included roast beef, ham, cheese or bologna sandwiches, while others featured foods like a loaf of bread, sardines, sausages, apples, bananas, pies and cakes.
By the mid-18th century, taverns increasingly served as centers of community life. In fact, General George Washington dismissed his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War at Fraunces Tavern. Built in 1719, the tavern is now a museum and restaurant in the financial district open for Gothamites and tourists alike to visit.
The creamy roots of America’s best-selling mayonnaise are also in Gotham. While Richard Hellman began his food career with his wife running a delicatessen between 83rd and 84th Streets in Manhattan, he also developed the first shelf-stable mayonnaise. He began selling it in 1912 in glass bottles affixed with a label featuring three blue ribbons to indicate its “first prize” quality, which can still be found on supermarket shelves today.
Often overshadowed by her successor, Craig Claiborne, Jane Nickerson was The New York Times’ first food editor from 1942 to 1957. Her daily column was titled, “News of Food.” Writing with a strong sense of ethics and news, her reviews paved the way for the Times’ expanding food coverage.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Although its name might suggest otherwise, Manhattan clam chowder actually has no real connection to New York City. An important dish in early American cuisine, chowders made effective (and delicious) use of New England’s plentiful seafood resources. Manhattan clam chowder’s defining (and highly contentious) characteristic is its substitution of tomato broth for milk.
Well-known as the location of Meg Ryan’s famous faux orgasm in “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), Katz’s was founded a century earlier in 1888. Serving sandwiches topped high with cured meats, Katz has been turning swift and savory business ever since. Figures from the 1950s claimed the deli served more than 10,000 sandwiches a day. Today, Katz’s is even open all night long on weekends for those looking to order “what she’s having.”
Main photo: The iconic Katz’s Delicatessen is known for its sandwiches — and a starring role in a movie. Credit: Copyright 2013 Thomas Hawk
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With Europe on edge after the bombings in Paris, it is good to be reminded of the joy of sharing a meal with strangers. But what happens when you don’t know anyone at a dinner party, not even the host?
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During a recent evening in Brussels, I rang the doorbell of a complete stranger’s home promptly at 7 p.m. His ground-floor apartment was in an art nouveau-style row house built in the 1930s. The door opened, and Maher, an Egyptian political science Ph.D. candidate at Ghent University, gave me a warm welcome. (He, like other hosts of such dinners, chooses not to publicize his full name.)
I was the first to arrive for his “Egyptian Evening” (dinner and a movie), and as I took off my coat in the entryway, I resisted the temptation to blurt out that famous quote from “A Streetcar Named Desire”:
“I’ve always depended on the kindness (and in this case, the cooking skills) of strangers.”
BookaLokal — a new dining experience
Maher is just one of nearly 1,000 BookaLokal hosts in 47 countries, in more than 100 cities around the world. BookaLokal is a group dining website. To sign up for a dinner, go to bookalokal.com, choose which city you wish to dine in, browse the dinners, choose one and pay online.
The site was founded in 2012 in the Brussels kitchen of Evelyne White, a 32-year-old harpist, travel enthusiast and former investor from New York. I got to ask her a few questions before the dinner. Here’s what she told me about this unique dining experience.
How did you come up with the idea for BookaLokal?
Evelyne White: “I was inspired by the success of ‘sharing’ companies like Airbnb. If people can open their homes to strangers, why not open their kitchens and dining room tables?”
How does BookaLokal differ from other group dining sites?
Evelyne White: “BookaLokal has the widest range of hosts, from amateur hosts to professional chefs. Whereas some of our competitor sites only allow top chefs to join the site, we believe the best experiences can sometimes come from people like you and me, who are just passionate about hosting and meeting new people.”
This was certainly true of Maher, who is also the former editor-in-chief of The Daily News Egypt. He was an engaging host who gently steered us through the evening as if we were all old chums. We were a cozy group of eight in all (if you include one guest’s toddler), who hailed from countries such as Egypt, Portugal, Turkey and America.
Meals made with love
The homemade dinner, served buffet-style, was simple and delicious: baba ganoush and pita bread; vegetables (peas, zucchini and carrots) cooked in tomato sauce and flavored with pepper, cinnamon and lemon juice; and kebab halla (beef cooked in creamy onion sauce) served with rice.
After serving ourselves, we settled down in the darkened living room to eat our dinner in front of “Ana Hurra” (“I Am Free”), an entertaining, thought-provoking Egyptian feminist film from 1959, which Maher projected on his living room wall.
Maher isn’t the only host with creative dining ideas: From a recent look at what’s offered on the BookaLokal website, choices include “Dinner Served on a Vintage Boat, Docked in the Amalfi Harbor,” Amalfi, Italy ($55); “Pig Roast and Comfort Food,” Washington, D.C. ($50); and “Dinner Inspired by Famous Food Quotes,” given by a former opera singer in New York City ($100).
A variety of venues
In addition to dinner, some hosts provide a variety of other eating and drinking experiences, such as “Seville Tapas and Wine Tour,” Spain ($50), and “Indian Buffet and Bollywood Dance Lesson,” Belgium ($42).
Worried about language barriers? Languages spoken by each host are listed on their profile page. Maher speaks English and Arabic; Ester, who lives in Rome, speaks Italian, English and Spanish.
“Our hosts come in all shapes and sizes,” said White. “We have culinary students, experienced host families, supper club organizers, and people with a passion for sharing their culture and connecting with new people.”
What are BookaLokal’s plans for the future?
Evelyne White: “Although BookaLokal started as a social dining site (a place to meet new people), we are seeing increased interest in private dining. If a host serves amazing Portuguese food for groups of six to 10 guests, why not book the host for a dinner with your own group of 10 friends?”
After the Egyptian film, we helped ourselves to more wine and Egyptian black tea (with cloves), and had a relaxed discussion about the film, women’s rights and Egyptian politics. Talking with people you don’t know within the confines of dinner at a stranger’s house is oddly liberating — perhaps similar to the surprise and delight of striking up pleasant conversations with strangers on an airplane. BookaLokal is a great dining choice for tourists visiting a new country, expats living abroad, and anyone interested in being inspired — and maybe even transported to another culture — by good food and stimulating conversation. As the Egyptian evening came to an end, I was reminded of another quote, this one from Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savairn’s book “The Physiology of Taste” (1825):
“Let the progress of the meal be slow, for dinner is the last business of the day; and let the guests conduct themselves like travelers due to reach their destination together.”
Main photo: The “Dinner at the Artist’s Home and Studio” in Amsterdam ($37 per person) featured ciabatta with salmon, crème fraîche, horseradish and dill; lasagna with pancetta and artichoke; and affogato al caffè. The hostess’s apartment is on the ground floor facing the IJ harbor, and when the weather is nice, she serves dinner outside on the quay. Credit: Copyright 2015 www.petrahart.com
It doesn’t matter where you live or what language you speak: Good food can bring strangers to a table and, in a short period of time, make them friends. But in Palmar Grande, a town in the Dominican Republic, it’s doing something even more powerful: It’s creating social and economic change.
In this country, 40% of the populace lives below the poverty line, and the average household income is below $6,000. For a group of 30 women who needed to work but didn’t want to leave their families in search of jobs, the solution was to band together: In 2008, they created Chocal. Cacao is a primary crop for area farmers, so making chocolate seemed a natural choice. Along with ready-to-eat artisanal sweets, they sell bolas, which are used to make hot chocolate, and even tropical wines in flavors like cherry, star fruit, tangerine and, of course, cocoa. I met many members of this women’s collective when visiting the area as a guest of the cruise line Fathom.
The nuts of chocolate-factory work…
Their rustic facility may not have the polished image that one typically associates with chocolatiers. It’s located off the beaten path on the island’s north coast, where travelers by foot and horseback comprise a regular portion of daily traffic. But it’s obviously loved and cared for, and the aroma of roasting cocoa beans lets you know you’re in the right place.
Making chocolate is nowhere near as glamorous as it sounds. Far from the shiny, modern kitchens of television cooking shows, Chocal has only basic machinery; much of the work is done the old-fashioned way. A group of gals sorting cocoa beans by hand while keeping a watchful eye on the roasting machines is the closest thing you’ll find to an assembly line here.
…And the bolts
The aluminum-like foil to wrap chocolate bars is cut by hand, using a sturdy piece of cardboard as a guide to ensure the size is right. After the foil covers are folded around hand-molded rectangular blocks, a decorative wrapper is secured in place by a steady pair of hands wielding a glue gun. The women smile as they talk about their work, and even if you don’t understand a word of Spanish, it’s obvious they love what they do.
Some are here five days a week, others are part-time; Chocal isn’t the type of business that’s run by crunching numbers. When a big order comes in, many will pick up weekend shifts. And the night before an order ships, it’s not unusual to find all the women working late. When help is needed, whether on the factory floor or in the office, someone is always there.
Measuring sweet success
To an outsider, the odds of Chocal’s success might seem slim. Some of the women — who range from about 30 to over 50 years old — are unable to read or write, and none had culinary training when they began the company. But throw the classic business model out the window, and what’s left is a group of women who believed chocolate could be used to cultivate their community. “We wanted to change our quality of life,” founder Noemi Crisostomo told me through a translator. At 38, the mother of three children ages 15 to 22 has gone from unemployment to co-ownership in record time.
Over a decade, the collective has grown at a healthy pace. When it began, the women volunteered their time; today they receive wages, but a majority of their profits is being used to pay back a government loan that allowed them to renovate their facilities and invest in some machinery to improve production. Still, the pay they do receive is helping to make big changes in their lives and the lives of their families. Crisostomo is one of two of the women now studying at a local university; another’s son is also enrolled thanks to earnings from Chocal. Cement has replaced dirt in the floors of many of their homes. Their kitchens are stocked with better food, and their kids have new books and clothes for school.
A new opportunity for growth
Their sweet goods are now stocked on the shelves of a major local grocery chain. But growth means expanding into new markets and developing the flexibility to respond to increased yet still fluctuating demand. Chocal may have found a way to deal with both in cruise line Fathom.
The connection makes great business sense. Fathom is reinventing the idea of a cruise vacation by adding volunteer opportunities to the package. When travelers arrive at Amber Cove, the Caribbean’s first new cruise port in nearly a decade, they won’t flock to the beach — they’ll head to Chocal’s kitchen to help make chocolate.
With activities like sorting through cocoa beans and tempering chocolate, this field trip for ship guests sounds like a cooking class, but it’s actually a sweet community-service project. Chocolate-making cruisers have the potential to boost Chocal’s production and push an ambitious group of remarkable entrepreneurs to the next level of success.
Of course, after a day of rolling up their sleeves and creating chocolate confections, the travelers turned freelance chocolatiers are sure to buy a few bars to take home. (I know from experience that it’s hard to resist.) As more cruise ships dock here, more tourists buy chocolate. It’s a vacation sugar rush that’s good for everyone involved.
Main photo: Inspecting cacao beans at Chocal. Credit: Copyright 2015 Dana Rebmann
Few of the commuters, shoppers and office staff in Manchester’s city center in northwest England know the roof of their historic cathedral is also home to around a quarter of a million workers.
They might feel some concern if they learn these other drones are, in fact, bees. Or they might marvel at the thought of “rus in urbe,” the rural pursuit of beekeeping in the crucible of the world’s great 19th-century Industrial Revolution. They might marvel as well as at the heavenly quality of the honey produced in these sacred surroundings.
Up on the roof
The project to keep bees on the leaden roof of the cathedral, which has medieval origins, was originally encouraged by its dean as part of the “Dig the City” urban garden initiative in 2012. The project has grown each year, as have the honey yields.
For the greater good
Honorary Canon Adrian Rhodes tends his hives with all the devotion of a biblical shepherd for his flock. In the fascinating structure of bee society, he sees some parallel with medieval monastery life where one person reigned supreme, all had their allotted jobs, the community came first and individuals would sacrifice their lives for the greater good — just as a bee dies once it has stung.
It is a recent calling for the former hospital chaplain and psychotherapist of international standing known as the “Canon Apiarist,” who also keeps bees and makes honey at his suburban Manchester home.
A modern twist
Urban and suburban beekeeping is a relatively modern activity but one that increasingly makes sense as monoculture, chemicals and loss of habitat, such as wild meadows and hedgerows, dominate the agricultural landscape.
And, according to Rhodes, city bees provide the best honey.
Sweet treat for bees
Honeybees can fly up to a kilometer from their hives, and inner-city Manchester provides fine foraging. Many canals and railway lines, remainders of extensive Victorian industrialization, have untouched verges. Allotments also provide some of the best hunting grounds, and in return the bees pollinate the produce.
Add to that roof gardens, window boxes, parks and tree-filled squares, and Rhodes’ “ladies” have no need to roam far from home. One lime tree in flower, he explains, can have as much potential as an acre of field. And, although the invasion of the Himalayan balsam plant is cursed by many, it is a sweet boon to the honeybees.
‘You can’t run away’
The cathedral runs a program to help the long-term unemployed, and Rhodes mentors a trainee beekeeper to help him or her learn important life skills.
“You’ve got to turn up on time, take orders and show patience, courage and calmness. The bees must always come first,” he says. “When you get thousands of them buzzing around you, it can be a bit scary but you can’t run away or abandon them. You have to complete the task and learn how to think under pressure.”
Calm above the city
It’s not just the trainees who take away these life lessons. As Rhodes says, “Beekeeping teaches me to take time out from a busy life, and gives me a calm moment out of time.”
It may also be the effect of the aromatic church incense smoke he uses to distract the bees when he needs to lift the frames from the hives.
The honey may be blessed, but collecting it can also be a blessed nuisance. The hives have to be secured against wind (highly problematic on a building whose ancient structure is under government protection), and the heat off the lead roof can also cause the beekeeper problems in summer.
A lack of water supply on top of the the building makes it even more complicated. Access by narrow Harry Potter-style stone spiral steps is also a problem, especially when it comes to removing the honey-dripping frames for extraction. A good supply of plastic bags and a chain of volunteers is the answer.
The extraction is done in the cathedral, where they also jar and label the “Heavenly Honey.” It is neither pasteurized nor heat-treated, simply filtered, and the jars are sold to the cathedral community at a modest price, although there are plans to sell online.
The city’s symbol
Coincidentally, the civic symbol of Manchester is a bee: It reflects a city that is industrious, hardworking, innovative and community-minded, part of a region that also saw the birth of the great cooperative movement in 1844 to provide an affordable alternative to poor-quality and high-priced food and provisions.
The canon apiarist’s bees are part of a proud tradition.
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Main photo: Honorary Canon Adrian Rhodes with his beehives on the roof of Manchester Cathedral. Credit: Copyright 2015 Clarissa Hyman