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N.J. Gov. Codey Forms Flood Mitigation Task Force
Acting New Jersey Gov. Richard J. Codey announced the creation of a task force on flood mitigation to study and implement measures to reduce the impacts of flooding in New Jersey communities.
"The flood victims from this month's storm showed tremendous resilience," Codey said. "We owe it to them to find ways to reduce future flooding and to establish safeguards for the areas most affected by heavy rains."
The task force is comprised of professional engineers, public and elected officials, academicians, planners and others who have firsthand knowledge about flooding issues.
The task force will review the circumstances surrounding the early April flooding with a view toward identifying new ways to mitigate damage in the future. The members will consult with the state climatologist, the Office of Emergency Management and the United States Geological Survey on ways to manage flooding.
"Although natural disasters cannot be stopped, we can take steps to ensure that when the next flood occurs, we minimize the impact it has on our residents," said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell.
From April 1-5, a major storm deposited four inches of rain on New Jersey, prompting Codey to declare a state of emergency. An estimated 3,500 homes were affected by the flooding, with at least 5,600 people evacuated.
The Acting Governor last week sent a letter to President Bush asking that he declare a major disaster for the state and release federal funds to assist property owners, businesses, and governmental agencies that incurred costs and damages. The state is seeking nearly $60 million in federal aid.
In addition, Codey directed the Department of Environmental Protection to work with the Delaware River Basin Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers to examine ways to reduce flooding along the Delaware River, especially in Trenton's Island Neighborhood. The Acting Governor also expressed his commitment to exploring ways to combat the effects of flooding throughout the state.
3rd Circuit Rejects J&J Bankruptcy Strategy for Thousands of Talc Lawsuits
Report Says Social Inflation Adds Up to 11% to Physician Malpractice Claims
Insurers' Attorneys Demanding Reimbursement for Baseless Lawsuits
Kansas Supreme Court Reverses $3.4M Bad Faith Judgment Against Insurer
Categories: East News


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Police Blotter: Morris County, Jan. 16, 2018
Compilation of police activity throughout Morris County.
Police Blotter: Morris County, Jan. 16, 2018 Compilation of police activity throughout Morris County. Check out this story on dailyrecord.com: http://dailyre.co/2FQM4SW
Leslie Ruse, Morristown Daily Record Published 5:15 a.m. ET Jan. 18, 2018
Morris County jail now using a full-body imaging scanner as another tool for ensuring inmates aren't carrying drugs or weapons. Peggy Wright
Red and Blue Lightbar of a Police Car(Photo: Getty Images)
Cristian Longoria, 24, of Hempstead, New York, and Ashley Moreno, 21, of Mountain Lakes, were arrested on Jan. 13 on Route 46 and charged with possession of under 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled, dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Both were released with a future Denville Municipal Court date.
Anthony George, 21, and passenger Ray Cole, 22, both of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested on Jan. 10 after police said they left the scene of a motor vehicle accident on Route 10 west. Both were charged with eluding, theft of credit cards, receiving stolen property, possession of under 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled, dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. George was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility. Cole was released pending a future Denville Twp. Municipal Court date.
Kennedie Dragos, 18, of Mount Olive, was arrested on Jan. 11 on Route 46 and charged with possession of under 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled, dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Dragos was released pending a court appearance.
Mount Olive Twp.
Jamie L. Burkel, 40, of Budd Lake, was arrested on Jan. 16 on Tree Top Lane and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. Tevin L. Bennett, 23, of Flanders, charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. Burkel was released pending a court hearing.
Eibhleann K. Clyne, 23, of Rockaway, was arrested on Dec. 31 in Hanover Twp. and charged with DWI. She was released with a court date pending.
Lynn E. Owen, 31, of Hopatcong, was arrested on Dec. 31 in Parsippany and charged with possession of a controlled, dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, being under the influence of a controlled, dangerous substance and driving while intoxicated. She was released with a court date pending.
Jacob G. Philhower, 18, of Rockaway, was arrested on Dec. 28 at Jonathan's Woods in Denville and charged with possession of a controlled, dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while intoxicated. He was released with a court date pending.
Byron L. Braue, 22, of Mendham Twp. was arrested on Dec. 28 at Lewis Morris County Park in Morris Twp. and charged with possession of a controlled, dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released with a court date pending.
Pedro A. Ramirez-Delrosario, 19, of Wharton, was arrested on Dec. 26 in Randolph and charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of controlled, dangerous substances (suspected Xanax and marijuana), being under the influence of a controlled, dangerous substance; Kevin Hurtado-Guiterrez, 18, of Wharton, was charged with possession of controlled, dangerous substances (Xanax and marijuana), obstruction of the administration of law and hindering apprehension; and a 17-year-old juvenile to be charged with possession of controlled, dangerous substance (Xanax and marijuana). Hurtado-Guiterrez and Ramirez-Delrosario were released with a court date pending and the juvenile was released to a custodian with a court date pending.
Read or Share this story: http://dailyre.co/2FQM4SW
Rockaway Twp. Council misses deadline to select new member
UPDATE: Newark cop charged with shooting, killing estranged wife
Seven teens in stolen car rammed cop car during chase, police say
Rockaway Township festival returns this weekend
Basking Ridge native to guide Seeing Eye as new CEO
Morristown extends cooling stations through weekend

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University Town Center
Author: Maggie Menderski
The Mall at UTC is losing Teavana store
By Maggie Menderski Friday, Jul 28, 2017 3:45 PM
The Mall at University Town Center is losing its Teavana store, bringing total causalities from mass corporate closures at the shopping center to four for the year.
The Starbucks-owned tea company reported disappointing global sales growth on Thursday, and said it will close all 379 Teavana stores in the coming year. The mall has already lost its BCBGMAXAZRIA, Bebe and Capital Teas stores this year to similar circumstances. More than a dozen stores have closed at the nearly 3-year-old, $315 million mall since its grand opening in October 2014.
Starbucks acquired the U.S. mall-based chain in 2012, with then-CEO Howard Schultz citing the huge potential for the tea market. But in April, the company said it was reviewing options for the chain.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson on Thursday noted declining foot traffic at malls.
"We felt it was an appropriate time to take the decision and begin shutting down those stores," he said.
Capital Teas CEO Peter Martino cited similar trouble just last week, days after the chain shuttered its Mall at University Town Center store along with half of its brick-and-mortar store base. The Annapolis, Maryland-based tea retailer had operated at the mall at University Parkway and Interstate 75 for just under a year before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
"This year foot traffic is down 30-40 percent (at malls) from last year," Martino said in an interview with the Herald-Tribune last week. "The problem is the rent is not 30-40 percent lower. Typically leases have escalation clauses."
The Teavana announcement came as Starbucks said global sales at its flagship chain rose 4 percent at established locations for the quarter ended July 2, fueled by higher average spending per visit. In the U.S., sales rose 5 percent at established stores, also driven mostly by higher spending versus an increase in customer visits.
Competition has intensified in the U.S. restaurant industry, making it challenging for chains to get customers to visit their stores more often. Dunkin' Donuts said earlier in the day that customer traffic fell again at its established U.S. locations. McDonald's, meanwhile, has been promoting $1 sodas and $2 McCafe smoothies, frappes and shakes, a strategy the burger chain says helped bring in customers during the second quarter.
Johnson dismissed the idea that such promotions affect Starbucks, saying that the "value players" are competing in a different segment.
Still, the Seattle-based company cited pressure in the retail and restaurant sectors that have made it more cautious going into the next quarter. It cut its profit forecast for the year for the second time.
In its Asia unit, Starbucks' sales rose just 1 percent at established locations during the three-month period. Starbucks has announced plans to acquire the remaining 50 percent stake of its East China joint venture that it does not already own. That makes it the operator of all Starbucks stores in mainland China, which it says is a fast-growing market.
For the quarter, Starbucks Corp. earned $691.6 million, or 47 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, it earned 55 cents per share, in line with Wall Street expectations. New store openings helped lift revenue 8 percent to $5.66 billion. But that was still less than analysts expected.
The company trimmed its adjusted earnings per share forecast to between $2.05 and $2.06 per share.
New Whole Foods plaza is fully leased
By Maggie Menderski Tuesday, Jul 25, 2017 11:30 AM
The new Whole Foods Market-anchored shopping center is fully leased and expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year, officials said Tuesday.
The 53,746-square-foot development at the intersection of Honore Avenue and University Parkway, known as "University Station," also will be home to Great Expressions Dental Centers, Lee Nails, Banfield Pet Hospital, Greenwise Dry Cleaner, Wawa and Zoe's Kitchen, according to a statement from, S.J. Collins Enterprises, the Georgia-based commercial real estate development firm behind the project. Zoe's Kitchen and Wawa are both expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2017 with the other tenants following in late 2017 and early 2018.
The 41,668-square-foot Whole Foods will be a larger version of the company's downtown store that's operated on First Street since 2004. The organic grocery company rocked the retail world this year when e-commerce giant Amazon.com announced plans to acquire the chain. The University Station store could be one of the first to open under Whole Foods' new leadership.
Whole Foods is one of several grocers that have recently made waves in our market.
Sprouts Farmers Market opened at U.S. 41 and Beneva Roads in south Sarasota earlier this year, and a Lucky's Market is expected to open at Westfield Siesta Key this fall. Earth Fare is slated to anchor a new development in Lakewood Ranch at the northeast corner of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Discount grocers Aldi and Walmart Neighborhood Market have also been aggressively building new stores in Southwest Florida.
— Maggie Menderski, the Herald-Tribune's retail and tourism reporter, can be reached at 941-361-4951 or at maggie.menderski@heraldtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaggieMenderski and Instagram @MaggieMenderski. Read What's In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Father-son team open wine shop and tasting room
Jim and Scott Shortt can guide their customers through 13 different countries from the seats of their new shop on Lakewood Ranch Main Street.
With 400 different bottles of wines from 13 countries in stock at Fine Wine and Tastings on Main, the father-son duo are more like tour guides than salesmen.
Many of the wines in their shop and behind their small bar at 8111 Lakewood Main St. have a story, Jim Shortt says. They specialize in small, family-owned vineyards, and they can often recount their histories and things like the origins of their labels or names. They've tasted almost all of the wines in their store — a practice they believe gives them an edge on their larger competition. The Shortts speak about their wine as though it's someone they've shared a great meal with. Through their extensive product research, they say they've gotten past the pleasantries of the label and created a memory.
It's a fitting analogy for a family that's always had a focus on entertainment. Wine culture played a large role in Shortt home, even before Scott Shortt was old enough to participate in it. His father, who's a surgeon by trade, in the 1970s doubled as the publisher of Canada's The Wine Press and was the driving force behind a major wine festival in Toronto.
That love and knowledge of wine never truly left the doctor, but it became less public when he moved his family to the states. Today he's most well-known in the area as the former chief of surgery for Doctors Hospital, but now that he's semi-retired he's gotten back to his entertaining roots — or rather, vines — and he's brought his son with him.
Scott Shortt studied resort and hospitality management at Florida Gulf Coast University. The duo's new venture combines the skill set the younger Shortt picked up in school with his father's longtime passion, and it gives them the opportunity to share it with the community.
They've set up their bar as a daily, casual hub where their customers can learn more about wine from their staff or just enjoy a good glass with some friends. They've put their racks on wheels, so that they can move them aside. That gives more room for private parties and in-house events.
Their monthly wine tastings have already been selling out. They've got plans to host wine academies, where their customers can explore a wine-making region or a specific grape. There's been talk, too, of partnering with other businesses on Main Street for a wine walk.
But for the moment, they're enjoying getting to know their clientele. They rotate their bar menu every few weeks, so that their regulars have the chance to try something new. They've added charcuterie boards to their menu to give their customers a more substantial option than the pita chips and popcorn they serve. They've been surprised by the popularity of their moscato and how quickly rose season set in.
As with any new business, there's been an adjustment period, but the response has still been strong.
There really was a need for a high-end wine bar on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, Jim Shortt said. That's evident in the traffic they've seen and the events they've already sold out.
The surgeon's second career seems to be just what the doctor ordered.
COLUMN: Why Capital Teas left the Mall at UTC
We've lost more than 10 retailers at the Mall at University Town Center since its grand opening in October 2014.
The exits have become something of a norm there and at many indoor shopping centers nationwide.
But seeing Capital Teas storefront dark on Thursday surprised me.
I'd spoken with Peter Martino, the CEO of the Annapolis-based company, about this time last year just before the Sarasota store's grand opening. The high-end tea retail chain was in the middle of doubling in size. It started 2016 with 15 stores, and Martino planned to have 30 open by 2017.
Capital Teas had just been named No. 1,686 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private American companies.
Ironically, the company earned that honor again this year the same week it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
By this time next week, the company will be down to 13 stores and our Mall at University Town Center location didn't make the cut. The doors were shut and the sign was down when I walked through the mall Thursday afternoon.
Which led to a very different conversation with Martino, but one I'm sure I could have with many retailers.
Foot traffic in malls has dropped 30 to 40 percent and, unfortunately, the rents at malls aren't declining with sales, he said. The company tried to work with landlords to amend leases. Typically, it costs more than $10,000 a month to rent a small store like the one in Sarasota and that price tag just isn't feasible when sales are struggling, Martino said. Capital Teas had stores that were profitable and stores, such as the one at the Mall at University Town Center, that weren't.
It's a beautiful mall, Martino told me, but the foot traffic he needed just wasn't there.
That led to tough decisions, bankruptcy and, through that, the ability to "reject" leases.
The company closed stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Colorado, and left just two in the Sunshine State, in Miami and at Tampa's International Plaza. The one in West Palm Beach was closed along with the Sarasota store and plans to open one in Fort Lauderdale were spiked.
It's been a tough year for retail. E-commerce is rising and the way people spend money has shifted. Between 20 and 25 percent of the nation's shopping malls are expected to close in the next five years, according to a recent report from Credit Suisse, a global financial services company.
Major chains such as Macy's, Bebe and BCBGMAXAZRIA are leaving a disheartening splattering of blank spaces throughout the country. Empty stores, Martino said, make it even harder to bring the new-age, online-focused consumer into a shopping center.
So when Martino was picking his survivors, he went looking for those in properties that had quite a bit more than just retail to offer.
Retail has shifted from being the main course of consumerism to being a condiment, he told me. People don't come to malls to shop anymore. They come to eat and they come to be entertained.
If they want to buy tea, they can get it online.
Which is actually both the problem and part of the solution for Capital Teas.
Martino said his online business is expected to be up 60 percent this year, but that's just a fraction of the company's revenue. Online sales haven't caught up to what the company once did in brick-and-mortar by any means. Plenty of other retailers are saying the same thing.
He wasn't the first retailer at that mall to have to reorganize this year.
And with the way the industry is evolving, he likely won't be the last.
Doughnut shop headed for The Landings
A gourmet doughnut shop is slated to open in The Landings shopping center this fall.
Called ofKors Donuts, it's the third new tenant that Benderson Development Co. has announced since it in January purchased the struggling strip mall on U.S. 41 just north of Phillippi Creek.
Site work to redevelop the property began not long after Benderson took over. The Manatee County-based company has been seemingly quick to start filling in the more than a dozen empty stores that have long plagued the site. Plans for locally owned daytime café Station 400 and Teppan-style, Florida-based Japanese chain DaRuMa also are underway at the shopping center.
The new doughnut shop the third pastry-based venture into the Southwest Florida market by Alexander Korsykova, whose family has a chain of bakeries in the Ukraine, and his wife Marina. The couple currently owns K&K Bakery at 13661 Tamiami Trail in North Port, and have a second location, ofKors Bakery, slated for downtown Sarasota in the space that once belonged to Bookstore 1. That store will serve Euro rolls and pastries, croissants, crepes, strudels, soups, salads and sandwiches.
The idea for the new doughnut shop came from K&K Bakery's neighbor, Abbe's Donut Shop, said Marina Korsykov. Her husband began experimenting and developed a line of gourmet doughnuts loaded with toppings such as maple syrup, strawberry short cake and chocolate ganache with nuts. They didn't want to add another doughnut store to North Port, but when they decided to expanded their business to Sarasota, a doughnut shop seemed like a natural fit, Marina Korsykov.
Gourmet doughnut shops have become increasingly popular in Southwest Florida. La Dona Donuts on Bee Ridge Road, The Donut Experiment on Siesta Key and 5-0 Donut Co. downtown, among others, have opened in recent years.
LA Fitness to anchor The Green
By Maggie Menderski Wednesday, Jul 19, 2017 1:08 PM
LA Fitness will join organic grocer Earth Fare as an anchor at an upcoming urban mixed-use development in Lakewood Ranch.
The 40-acre, 525,000-square-foot project by Orlando-based Tavistock Development Co. will include more than two dozen shops and restaurants in 150,000-square-feet of retail as well as offices, restaurants and 304 luxury residences.
Site work for the development, known as "The Green at Lakewood Ranch," began in May at the northeast corner of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. The Green is projected to open in the first quarter of 2018, according to Tavistock.
LA Fitness is expected to open at the development next summer.
Tavistock is best known for its 17-square-mile Lake Nona project in the Orlando area, which features neighborhoods, education facilities, a medical center and a sports and performance district.
The company announced the development, the plans for a fitness center and the Earth Fare anchor in January. Peek told the Herald-Tribune then that the company emphasizes healthy and sustainable lifestyles.
LA Fitness has six locations in Southwest Florida. The chain most recently opened a center in April at Westfield Siesta Key, formerly Westfield Southgate, as part of the mall's revitalization into a lifestyle and entertainment center.
Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar to bring late-night dining, entertainment to Westfield Siesta Key
By Maggie Menderski Tuesday, Jul 18, 2017 3:43 PM
For months, the empty new restaurant space on the south end of Westfield Siesta Key went virtually unnoticed.
But just wait until Carmine Macchiagodena is done with it.
The plans for Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar at the mall at U.S. 41 and Siesta Drive go well beyond the vast oven and wine collection that you'd expect from the restaurant's name.
Construction is still underway at the 4,667-square-foot space that went up along with CineBistro in 2015 on the site that once was home to Saks Fifth Avenue. The restaurant blended inconspicuously into the movie theater until signs announcing Naples Flatbread's arrival surfaced at the end of last year.
Now Macchiagodena's vision for the entertainment-focused eatery is starting to take form and, by the time it opens in October, it won't be sitting quietly in the background anymore.
He's the restaurant company's first franchisee, and he says they've given him the freedom to bend the mold a bit and build something that works for Sarasota. If you've been to the chain's restaurants in South Florida or in Oklahoma, the Westfield Siesta Key restaurant will have a different, edgier vibe but the quality of food will be the same.
Today, metal rods mark the spot where diners and music lovers will congregate around a 36-seat, indoor-outdoor bar. He's building a second, smaller bar around the oven and outfitting it with chairs made from wine barrels. He's going for a rustic, industrial look that differs from the chain's flagship. Think concrete floors, exposed walls and roughly 35-feet worth of ceiling up to the rafters.
Most nights, musicians and comedians will perform to the left of the inside bar or out on the 1,000-square-foot patio when weather and logistics allow. Macchiagodena has plans to open at 11 a.m. each day and serve his full menu until 11 p.m. weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.
The manufacturing-consultant-turned-restaurateur has been in Sarasota since the mid-1980s, and he knows that a good meal and live music don't often coincide in Southwest Florida that late in the evening. He's eager to change that with Naples Flatbread's lineup of slightly Italian, lightly Asian but all-around American cuisine.
As long as the market demands it, Macchiagodena says, his kitchen will serve dishes such as meatloaf and roasted salmon well into the night along side its pizzas, wraps and gourmet baked pastas.
Whether you want pot roast or chicken wings at 1:30 a.m. after Saturday has turned to Sunday, he can make it happen.
The menu, the music and the hours are a big shift from the designer labels that dominated that site when Saks called it home.
The late-night crowd has never really had a presence at that mall before.
But the same could be said for the fitness crowd that's funneled into the LA Fitness that opened there in April and the movie buffs that have frequented the property since CineBistro opened last year. Organic grocery enthusiasts also will become new regulars once Lucky's Market starts welcoming shoppers into the old Dillard's anchor space this fall.
Things are really changing at the mall.
Far beyond the hours this restaurant is going to keep.
Local elementary school student sparks idea behind family's candle company
Plenty of entrepreneurs credit their parents for the support needed to get their business off the ground.
But Hunter Simpson can hand out that praise before his first day of high school.
The incoming freshman at Lakewood Ranch High School has his own line of soy-based candles that he and his parents, Chris and Shelley Simpson, have gotten into more than a dozen gift stores from Florida to New Jersey in the past four months. Their simple formula and natural coconut container have bucked the trend of glass jars and even gotten them a meeting with Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville company.
Their operation, the Pure Candle Co., has grown in the past five years or so from working a single double burner in a home kitchen to the ability to melt 100 pounds of wax at a time. Now the family can make up to 1,000 candles per day in a garage-sized industrial space.
But before Hunter had his candles on store shelves and his face on the marquee outside Crowder's Gifts and Gadgets on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, he was just a third grader who'd gotten a big idea from his science class at Willis Elementary. When Chris Simpson picked his son up from school that day, Hunter told him he wanted to make the scented paper he'd just made at school and sell it to kids.
So they started researching it, but his parents encouraged Hunter to think beyond the slim spending cash his friends had and into the larger consumer market. As they used Google to search for methods to make scented paper, recipes for candles kept coming up instead, and that seemed like it might be a more profitable product.
The parents saw the project as an opportunity to teach their son something he couldn't learn from an elementary school desk. That science class lesson was about to steamroll into an education about product development, business plans and, eventually, even marketing and branding.
They started buying glass jars from Dollar General and experimenting in their kitchen. Eventually, they developed a way to seal the inside of coconut shells so they could serve as the candle containers. They didn't just want to be another company that sold wax in a glass jar. The coconuts would help them stand out in the market, once they got there.
It was a good way for the family to spend time together. Hunter worked on attaching the wicks to the coconuts. His mother helped with the tagging and cleaning, and his father handled the bulk of the wax. It was something they could all gravitate toward even when life got busy.
At that time, Chris Simpson traveled quite a bit for his job with CamelBak, an outdoor equipment company. Before that, he'd spent 12 years at Tervis as a director of sales and with major players such as Hallmark, Margaritaville and Bed Bath and Beyond.
The corporate lifestyle kept him away from his family but it also came in handy for the candle project. He knew how to get products on store shelves, and once the Simpsons perfected the formula, there wasn't any reason he couldn't do that for his son's company.
Chris Simpson left his job and began working on Pure full time at the beginning of the year.
He's handling the brunt of the load these days but his son is still the owner and the founder as far as he's concerned. They're building the business for him and, if it takes off, it's something Hunter can take over when he finishes school.
It's been about four months since the first candle hit the shelves, and the demand is there.
This early in, it's hard to know just how far the Pure Candle Co. may go.
At very least they say their future looks bright.
After all, it's been five years since Hunter had his big idea, and they haven't burned out yet.
Sarasota pastry business continues expansion
What started as a small pastry shop on St. Armands Circle is on target to have more than 70 franchises signed by the end of the year.
Sarasota-based Le Macaron French Pastries is eyeing expansion in Boston; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago; Denver; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Washington D.C.
The founders, Rosalie Guillem and daughter Audrey Saba, opened the first café in 2009 about seven years after they moved to the United States from France. They opted to expand through franchising partnerships in 2012 after seeing the success of the Sarasota store. Today there are more than 50 locations, and the brand offers more than 20 flavors of macarons in its cafes as well as French pastries, gelato, coffee, cakes and éclairs .
"We noticed American culture needed an authentic French experience, so by creating Le Macaron French Pastries we were able to bring a taste of home to the states while reuniting our family," Guillem said in a statement.
All of Le Macaron's products are made by French Chef Didier Saba at the company's kitchen headquarters at 2300 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. It's a big change from the tiny kitchen the company started with on St. Armands. Saba and his staff have gone from producing 700 pastries a day to 15,000, and they're shipping them as far as California.
"We saw an opportunity to treat the American palate with our authentic recipes while bringing our family together," Guillem said. "As a result of our brand's popularity, we created a business model that can grow rapidly throughout the nation and requires zero on-site baking for franchisees. We are able to give our guests products that are always fresh and superior to others on the market as we grow our concept."
Today, company operates cafe locally on St. Armands, at the Mall at University Town Center and at its Bee Ridge headquarters.
The company ranked among Entrepreneur Magazine's 2015 best new franchise opportunities in 2015.
Going out of business sale starts Tuesday at local Gymboree
By Maggie Menderski Wednesday, Jul 12, 2017 12:42 PM
Just in time for back-to-school shopping, children's clothing chain Gymboree is closing 350 stores as part of a bankruptcy restructuring, the latest victim in a long list of failing retailers.
The closings include the store at Westfield Siesta Key in Sarasota and 13 other Florida locations.
The closing sales at affected stores are scheduled to begin next Tuesday, the company said this morning.
The San Francisco-based company said it's mostly closing Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores. It also operates Janie and Jack stores. The company will have more than 900 locations after the stores are shut down.
Gymboree filed for bankruptcy protection in June. Traditional retailers have been struggling to deal with strong competition from online companies and slowing mall traffic.
The mall at U.S. 41 and Siesta Drive, recently renamed from Westfield Southgate, is undergoing a transformation from retail hub into a lifestyle and entertainment center. Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar, Metro Diner, Connors Steak and Seafood and a new concept from Bravo-Brio Restaurant Group are all slated to open there in the coming months.
— From the Associated Press.
Benderson Development Black Friday boutique Bradenton Christmas Desoto Square Mall Dillard's dining downtown Florida food furniture grocery grocery store holiday International Council of Shopping Centers Macy's Main Street mall Mall at University Town Center Manatee County National Retail Federation Publix restaurant restaurants retail Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota Sarasota Square Mall shopping Southgate Mall Southwest Florida St. Armand's Circle store closing store opening supermarket Taubman Centers Thanksgiving video Walmart Wawa Westfield Group Westfield Sarasota Square Westfield Southgate Winn-Dixie
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The shores of Islay have been described as beautiful, gray, and obscured. However, this small area of Scotland produces some of the most beautiful and vibrant spirits in the world. Master distiller of Bruichladdich, Adam Hannett and master forager, James Donaldson, have constructed something different on Islay, something truly unique to the flavors of the area. The resulting Botanist Gin is the beauty, smoke, and grayness of Scotland in a bottle. The painstaking process of hand picking botanicals, using different distillates, and crafting something outside the comfort zone of Scotch, is the perfect of The Botanist gin. We chat fatherhood, humility, not recognizing actors, and more.


Riveting title, isn't it? We're trying something different this time at Oracular Ravings (ha-ha, just like always!) In the spirit of experimenting, in honor of Nigeria's recent election (like, yesterday morning,) and my own glory-seeking tendencies… I'm offering up a sort of forecast of the psychic weather for Nigeria. I pulled out a few of my favorite oracles, did some calculations, and combined it with the intuitive flashes that tend to show up thanks to a strict meditation and prayer regiment. I didn't get into the specific cities, this is just a reading for the overall nation of Nigeria.
This month promises plenty of introspection for the nation of Nigeria. With the nation's first democratic election (and subsequent swearing-in of Executive President Muhammadu Buhari as president,) this will likely take place as an assessing of infrastructure and ferreting out any potential problems within the system. With a keen eye facing inward, such issues will be dealt with in a reasonable amount of time, allowing the entirety of the operation to run much more smoothly. With Executive President Buhari's goals in mind, there is a definite possibility of this internal focus being used to build stronger bridges within the country, helping to further unify the nation. It also lends well to finding sickness within the body, so to speak, allowing tumors to be removed before they become malign (or preventing the spread of the cancer if it has already done so.) Recommendation: Consolidate your forces, examine yourself carefully, and focus with the intensity of a thousand sons on your goals.
The month of June also offers an interesting possibility regarding spiritual and scientific matters. The year itself promises plenty of firsts for the African nation, and combined with the promises of June, we may see investigations into new technological fields for Nigeria. It seems further investigations into solar and wind power would prove most fruitful. As 2015 offers the promise of new avenues, this might be a fine time to start a gradual shift from internal reliance on oil and fossil fuels to the above-mentioned alternatives. I'm not pushing a greenie-weenie message, it's just a fact that if something's causing trouble, it's time to replace it/kick it out. Maybe touch base with Elon Musk of Tesla Motors, and see if he can't offer some advice. I'm not an expert on sustainable fuel sources, I just do weird stuff and find out neat things that tend to be really useful.
I hope your predictions come true for that Country, we need more positve results to keep people from losing all hope.
It will be a good month for Nigeria, should the right people note the opportunities I have pointed out and act upon them. This was a very broad forecast, and local peculiarities in particular cities will still apply. Keep faith, and make sure this gets to the right people.


text:
QSR Magazine Highlights Expansion Plans as Charleys Philly Steaks Celebrates 35th Anniversary
Aggressive growth and digital initiatives are driving sales and garnering industry attention for Charleys Philly cheese steak franchises
March 17th marked the 35th Anniversary of Charleys Philly cheese steak franchises and the brand celebrated by announcing plans for 100 more locations in 2021. This expansion follows the opening of 30 locations and spiked sales with the addition of online ordering and loyalty programs in the previous year alone.
"In just a few short months the brand went from zero to over 250,000 loyalty members," reported QSR Magazine. "In many stores, more than 25 percent of the business is now coming through digital channels."
The new and advanced accessibility is welcoming more customers with incentives and rewards, which offers franchise partners a competitive advantage in the QSR market. Charleys' full embrace of digital platforms is driving sales for franchise partners, and with the addition of new locations and an extended menu, profit potential is further increased.
According to the distinguished business source, Charleys' rapid growth plans represent a refresh in the brand's approach to enhancing the overall business and its valuable franchise investment opportunity.
"The marketing, IT, development, and operations teams have been extremely busy creating the Charleys of the future – and the results of that hard work are already showing," says Brian Hipsher, Chief Marketing Officer.
Since 1986, Charleys Philly Steaks has served as the No. 1 Cheesesteak in the World. Over 30 years later, they've grown to more than 630 locations around the world. The Charleys franchising team brings three decades of leading industry knowledge to provide future franchisees with a developed training platform designed to help master a simple, yet proven business model.
"We see a lot of opportunities to grow our brand. We will reach a thousand locations very soon," says Hipsher. "Everything we do is focused on making our guests happy and ensuring the success of our franchisees. Now, we have the data and systems to support our efforts to continually improve as we move into our next 35 years."
Iconic cheese steak franchise builds on momentum with the recent hire of an innovative executive as new CMO
Charleys Philly Steaks Franchise Review: Meet Kevyn Scott


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The bargain under negotiation would make small adjustments to the healthcare law, including delaying the law's reinsurance fee for one year. The three-year tax is meant to generate revenue that will stabilize premiums on the individual market as sick patients enter the risk pool.
The tax applies to all group health plans, but unions argue it will raise their healthcare costs while providing them no benefit.
The reinsurance tax figured prominently in discussions at a recent AFL-CIO convention, where workers passed a resolution demanding changes to ObamaCare. . . .


My interpretation of what's happening here is that we're sending to the server a 'tell object 2 about all your global objects' message, followed by a 'tell object 3 done when you're finished doing stuff' message, and as you can see from the output, the reply is a bunch of ids for global objects sent to object 2, a done event sent to object 3, and then a delete_id event for object 3 sent to object 1. I'm actually not sure why that last one triggers, as I don't think I asked it to. Perhaps it's just tidying up for me.
I'm also handwaving - if not actually handdrowning - a litle bit, because really ... are these :global messages sent to object 2 or from object 2? For the moment, I am using the two directions interchangeably, which is probably not a recipe for an easier future life, but in the meantime I can continue to tread water.


text:
Post match reaction after draw with India
Monday, 19 August 2019 12:27:00 PM Australia/Sydney
Author: Nic Kerber
Hockeyroos defender Edwina Bone gave her take on the 2-2 draw with India in the team's second match of the Tokyo Test Event.
In contrast to their slow start against China less than 24 hours earlier, the Hockeyroos were on the front foot early and went ahead courtesy of a successful penalty stroke from Kaitlin Nobbs.
The Hockeyroos maintained their slender lead going into the second half before India levelled in the third period. But seven minutes later Grace Stewart put the Hockeyroos back in front. Then, just as the Hockeyroos looked on track to secure their first win of the competition, Gurjit Kaur struck in the dying stages to salvage a draw for India.
The Hockeyroos have a rest day tomorrow before taking on Japan on Tuesday.
After yesterday's slow start, the team appeared to be much more focussed early on against India. Did Coach Paul Gaudoin reinforce the need to start the match well?
Edwina Bone (EB): "We spoke about how we needed to start the game on the front foot. It's always going to be beneficial for us because in this heat teams are going to get tired towards the end of matches, so if we can put a couple of goals in early and grind it out we know we'll be able to overpower teams towards the end."
We definitely spoke about how slow we started against China and it was certainly a focus today, especially mentally trying to make sure we were switched on. It was just that mental switch that we had to be on from the get-go instead of getting to the last quarter and chasing the game."
The way the game went, it seemed like it was somewhat of a reversal from the match against China – started brightly but then India scored late to snatch a draw?
EB: "India were lucky to get a corner right at the end through a referral, and we had a couple of chances right at the end as well. It was a bit of a see-sawing game. I felt we had a few more opportunities today. The circle was really crowded so the strikers did really well earning penalty corners. I think we had a about 12 penalty corners but our execution had to be better for those set pieces to put those opportunities away."
Do you feel like the team is on the right track heading into the Oceania Cup?
EB: "The score lines in our two matches so far in the Test Event haven't been desirable. They're not the end results we wanted but in terms of the way we're playing, the style we're playing and the connections that we're getting, it's very close and it's almost there. We still have an opportunity to make the Final if we beat Japan on Tuesday so we'll be going into that match treating it like our semi final. I really believe we have it in us to do that.
Putting that kind of pressure on yourself is going to be great in lead in to the Olympic qualifiers because those games against New Zealand in Rockhampton are going to be massive."
Do you think this time in Tokyo will really help the team for the Oceania Cup, particularly from a climatic perspective?
"Definitely. I think this weather (in Tokyo) is really good preparation for us. I think playing in tough conditions is always challenging for a group but it also brings us closer together in terms of the fact that you've got to work hard and you've got to work hard for each other in this kind of weather.
We're coming up with really good game plans and putting together some good performances out on the park. I know there are only 16 girls here in Tokyo and a number of girls are back in Perth, but both groups are working hard so when we come back together next week we'll be able to put those final touches on. I feel like we're playing really good hockey at the moment and hopefully we can just tweak a few things heading into the Oceania Cup."
India 2 (Vandana Katariya 36', Gurjit Kaur 59')
Hockeyroos 2 (Kaitlin Nobbs 14', Grace Stewart 43')
@ Oi Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Posted in Hockey News By
Hockey News Australia


text:
Ambrosia the Altaria and Spike the Venipede [Inactive]
by Silverishness Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:29 am
Hex Color
#9F79EE
Age Adult
Species #334/ Altaria, the Humming Pokemon
Pokédex Entry Altaria sings in a gorgeous soprano. Its wings are like cotton clouds. This Pokémon catches updrafts with its buoyant wings and soars way up into the wild blue yonder.
Ability Natural Cure
Nature Quiet
Moves -Sing
-Dragonbreath
-Safeguard
-Ice Beam [TM]
History While the motherly Altaria had always dreamed of having a family, even as a little swablu, there's little else to tell of her childhood. Born wild, her life was her family, and her idols were her very own parents. She strived to be so like them: always knowing what to do or say, being so strong and dependable. Her sole wish was to be like them when she got big, and to have children of her own to pass along the traditions of her parents.
Her wish came true when she was captured by a human shortly after her evolution. She was immediately put into the arena to fight for him, but she refused. She had done little fighting, only growing strong enough to evolve into a beautiful altaria like her parents. She was beaten, and, not knowing what else to do, she complied.
A fellow dragon on the team, a Charizard, took to her like white on rice. Even with her being beaten, he tried wooing her. But despite her longings for a family, the Altaria had grown up with the idea that she could only mate with one of her own kind, and so declined the Charizard's attempts. Unfortunately, he was not one to take "no" as an answer, and made her his mate anyway, attacking her in the dead of night.
Bruised, battered, and with egg, she went through the next few days, her only light in her life the little chicks that were slowly growing in their shells. Her trainer sent her out into battle once more, but she refused again, her love for her unborn babes overcoming her fear of her abusive trainer. He withdrew her, sending another into battle, putting Ambrosia into a false sense of relief. It wasn't until that night that she realized what she had done.
The trainer had her eggs, her newly hatched chicks, in the Charizard's mouth, the same dragon that no longer felt any sort of love for her or his own brood. He threatened that if she were to disobey again, they would die. Immediately, she agreed, but the chicks were witheld from her. The trainer said he couldn't trust her quite yet, as she could just fly off with them if given the chance. So he would keep them for the time being, and when he trusted her, she'd get her kids back.
Years, this went on, the days for Ambrosia blurring together in a horrible blood-stained daze. She rarely leveled, as she rarely got the chance to actually knock out an opponent. Each night, she asked to see her children, and each night, she was denied, not having done well enough that day to earn such a privelege.
One night, however, she worked up enough courage to sneak a peek at her little babes, yearning for some indication that they were all right other than just the trainer's words. They were kept in a cage with airholes too small to see through. She pecked the lock open to find nothing but three rotten corpses, the stink of death even gone from them.
Dead.
The realization that the past few years had been a lie, a hell she had been trudged through for no reason hit her like a brick, and her poor weak mind and heart couldn't take it. She flew off, tears streaming from her woe, not caring for what went on below. She flew far each day, only wishing to be as far away from that dreadful sight as she possibly could. She soon found herself in a strange, foreign land, and the sounds of screaming brought her down from her lofty heights.
Little did she know what was plauging the forests of this region, as during her travels, she had missed the first swarms of Undead. A child bug was being chased by something, and so, Ambrosia immediately took to stopping it. She offered him her back, as she couldn't bear to see another child die, and now travels with him, enduring his malice and pranks purely for his company, since she had been deprived of her own childrens' company.
Appearance A normal colored Altaria, Ambrosia looks like most of her kin, if not more downtrodden, scarred and shy.
Personality Ambrosia lacks a lot of things: self-esteem, confidence, power, a spine; but if there is one thing about her that does not break under someone else's shoe is her courage. Once she has something to protect, she will defend it until the end. Her children's death is a constant reminder of her failure as a mother, and so strives her hardest to gain some penitence.
While she is friendly and soft-spoken, she is by no means trusting. Her years of abuse, both mental and physical, have completely destroyed any sort of trust she could give to a stranger. While she is all right with trusting children, adults -especially males- are feared and defended against.
User Notes None
#CFD784
Everstone
Age Adolescent
Species #543/ Venipede, the Centipede Pokemon
Pokédex Entry Its bite injects a potent poison, enough to paralyze large bird Pokémon that try to prey on it.
Ability Poison Point
Nature Impish
Characteristic Likes to thrash about
Moves -Pursuit
-Bug Bite
-Poison Tail
-Protect
History Spike started out life in Pinwheel Forest, alone in the world. His egg the only resident in an abandoned nest, the small bug found life harsh from the very beginning. Wandering the forest, he soon found a small family of Swadloon and Sewaddle, and quickly made friends with the Sewaddle, earning a place with the family. He grew there, playing with his new brother and causing havoc upon the rest of the forest. He and his friend enjoyed causing mischeif, even if their guardian was not fond of picking up their messes.
Soon, the Infected began going through the forest, and of course, the new threats only managed to pique the youngsters' curiosity. They taunted them, played with them -while the slower Infected simply tried eating them- and just had a merry time. One day, during their romping, however, the Swadloon that had been raising them was attacked, and as she screamed for help, the two just watched and laughed, thinking it was a game. Only when the Infected began feasting on her now limp body did they realize something was wrong, and the Sewaddle lost it.
The small bug lunged at the Infected, screaming in rage and fear and guilt, killing it with one well-placed blow. The small bug, unsure of how to deal with his first encounter with Death, turned on Spike, blaming him for his mother's death. They fought, and through Spike's natural poison, the Sewaddle died.
Alone once more and unsure of what to do or where to go, he meandered out of the forest and into the open, where nothing but Undead were waiting to greet him. Screaming, he turned and ran, knowing he couldn't possibly fend off that many. An Altaria came down, making quick work of the lot, and told him that she was there only to help. Seeing his opportunity, he latched onto her, using her for wings and a means of free meals. They roam together now, looking for somewhere safe.
Appearance Spike is a normal venipede, through and through.
Personality Spike is a little obnoxious, rowdy, uncouth youngster. He was not taught many manners, and his stubbornness allows little etiquette to sink into his mind. Nothing but a rowdy boy, he uses any assets to get his way, even if it happens to be another pokemon. Ambrosia is not a mother figure to him, but more of a pawn to use at his disposal. He enjoys tormenting her with small words, knowing something about children -her own in particular- sets her off into a flurry of tears and surpressed sobs, then plays off the innocent.
Outside of small, little pranks, though, he is nothing but a coward. Unused to harsh realities other than his own, he dislikes being put into different situations without some sort of buffer, like Ambrosia. While he is capable of fetching his own food and water, he prefers others do it for him, usually conning Ambrosia to be his personal maid.
Underneath this thick shell of a brat, though, is some good, though he himself has yet to find it. Loyal to those he deems worthy, he does find happiness in others' company, though he'll be damned to admit it.
User Notes Actually based on a cat.
Found Everstone off of a corpse and decided to keep it.
Last edited by Silverishness on Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:02 am; edited 5 times in total
Re: Ambrosia the Altaria and Spike the Venipede [Inactive]
by Jay Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:32 am
Sil you nut.
by Mewtwo Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:34 am
Should I be concerned? lol
by Zapdos Sun Aug 19, 2012 11:23 am
You mortals all amuse me B]
Please place in Inactive. :3
» Spike 1.4 is available
» Jurek Chess Ranking (JCR)
» Thrust Of The Spike 4CPU
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Pandora's Indian Grill located on the High Street.
An Indian restaurant – we are just waiting for details from the restaurant to update this listing, however from their Facebook page : Beautiful bar and grill serving Indian street food and tapas and authentic curries. Providing a chilled atmosphere for a drink or a meal.
Dishes made from the finest ingredients – creating a perfect fusion of exotic tastes from India and super fragrant dishes from Thailand.
The home of a unique dining experience. The layout of the restaurant allows suitable dining experiences for everything from romantic meals to celebrations with friends, family, or work colleagues.
Freshly prepared Indian cuisine with a modern twist on traditional dishes – choosing between Indian and Bangladeshi dishes there really is something for everyone at the Leigh Tandoori.
With an extensive menu you have a huge range of dishes to enjoy from Onion Bhaji to Kurshi Chicken – all served in a authentic bustling atmosphere with modern fine dingin décor.
An award-winning restaurant in Chelmsford, we serve an exciting high quality range of Asian cuisine in a warm, stylish and chic environment. Our new venue is a cut above the rest.
Working closely with top designers we've create the perfect décor and design combining an outstanding blend of English, Indian and Arabian features to create a wonderful atmosphere. In October our chef, Touris Miah was named "Curry Chef of the Year" at the Curry Life Awards 2013.
A restaurant with constantly good reviews is Cafe Le Raj located on St Marys Lane just down from Bell Corner in Upminster. Serving authentic Indian cuisine this is a busy restaurant which provides a great atmosphere.
Don't take our word for it take a moment and look on Tripadvisor click here to see many reviews for Cafe Le Raj.
Their Google page and map click here.
Moti Mahal has joined a rising trend in Indian gastronomic restaurants in the British capital. With the Delhi-born Anirudh Arora operating as Head Chef since the restaurant's opening in 2005. The menu focuses on Arora's passion for the cuisine of India's famed Grand Trunk Road, in the North of the Country.
Moti Mahal is located on the fringe of the theatre district in Covent Garden, a short distance from the City. It is a popular, easy-going venue for business, entertaining or those looking for a sophisticated spot, before or after the theatre.
With much delight Mustard Indian Kitchen have brought in a new award winning chef.
Mustard Indian Kitchen always wants to ensure that their cuisine is the highest of standards & to be absolutely delicious! Mustard want to ensure that you always experience the highest quality of food for value, whilst being provided with excellent customer service.
They also have a website click here.
Another Indian restaurant which is very popular is the Korai – located just along from our offices on the High Street the Korai has not only a loyal following but great reviews.
Prepared with top quality ingredients, fresh herbs and spices you should find yourself enjoying mouth-watering dishes in a contemporary atmosphere.


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Under the general supervision of the Chief of Mission in Bangkok Thailand, and the direct supervision of the Head of Operations, the incumbent shall be responsible to carry out duties related to the organizations movement activities.
Provide clerical support for all administrative and operational arrangements related to the movements from Thailand and the Region covered by Thailand, to all destinations, upon receipt of their travel documents and booking requests with a particular focus to movements to, Europe, New Zealand and other United States of America.
Ensure booking requests are acknowledged, and movement request project budget line is verified. Confirm that all self-payer cases costs are prepaid prior to making any travel arrangements.
Ensure all beneficiaries are travel ready, medically cleared and in possession of relevant travel documents, visas and exit permits.
Prepare and submit the Advance Booking Notifications (ABN) and domestic bookings report, as per established movement procedures and request for the relevant Transit Visa waivers.
Request relevant tickets or PTA (Prepaid Ticket Advice) and create the corresponding Ticket Order Record (TOR) in GATOR (Global Airline Ticket Order Record).
Update the PF status to depart on the day after departure and forward departure notification to all relevant recipients.
Forward completed PF file to Post departure team for invoice settlement and file closure.
Directly responsible for the issuance of the monthly staff travel report.
Act as the department focal person for AMADEUS and update and train staff members as requested.
Undertake in country and out of country Traveling On Duty (TDY) as assigned.
Any other duties within the incumbent's capabilities as assigned by the Operations Officer(s).
University degree and at least two years of relevant work experience.
High school degree with at least four years of relevant work experience.
Proven experience in the use of Amadeus.
Prior Movement Operations, transportation-related experience a strong advantage.
Ability to use own initiative and work under pressure with minimum supervision.
Strong computer skills - Word, Excel and Internet; past experience with Movement Operations-related databases and systems (including iGATOR, MiMOSA, SAR and Amadeus) is a distinct advantage.
Attention to detail and ability to organize.
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications along with a duly completed IOM Personal History Form to the IOM Bangkok Human Resources Unit at e-mail bkkrecruitment@iom.int by March 28, 2019 at the latest. The form can be downloaded from http://thailand.iom.int/sites/default/files/Recruitment/IOM%20Personal%20History%20Form%20with%20Declaration.xls Kindly indicate the reference code SVN012/2019 followed by your full name in the subject line.


Dalai Lama dreams: here is looking at you kid!
Today Mindfunda's guest is blogger Patti Allen. In this blog she shares with Mindfunda she talks about how people in dreams reflect aspects of your own personality. I know Patti Allen as a gifted dreamer, a good writer who combines inner wisdom with straightforward actions. That always gives her that touch of extra magic when it comes to dreams and spirituality.
"In 2002 through to the present, I started dreaming about the Dalai Lama. It wasn't a stellar number of dreams—only five—and none of them were precognitive nor giving me information about my relationship with His Holiness or anyone like him, yet they piqued my curiosity and inspired me to dig deeper into the role of people in our dreams. I've discovered that I have an inner Dream Investigator who loves to solve mysteries and these characters are most often showing me parts of my Self that it's time to get to know, own and integrate into my conscious awareness.
This is not a simple question. It helps to determine if the dream and the characters are giving you information about a relationship or situation in waking life or if the dream is largely symbolic and the people in your dream are showing you aspects of your Self. Often it is both/and, not either/or, as every dream can have multiple layers of meaning for the dreamer. In some cases, the dream can be precognitive. You may find yourself in waking life face to face with the people in your dream in the same way the dream actually unfolded!
In this dream, I found myself grappling with the layers of symbolism with the character of the Dalai Lama. What is the holy man or the leader in me? How much "light" or enlightenment is just right? Do I adjust the blinds or would I rather stay in the dark? Who are the "biker or gang-types" in me? What is my need to keep them quiet telling me? What is the offering in my life or what am I being offered? In an intuitive or precognitive possibility, at the time of the dream I had no idea that there really is a butter and flour offering in the Tibetan tradition called "Torma", which are "figures or shapes, some conical, made mostly of flour and butter used in tantric rituals or as offerings in Tibetan Buddhism." -Wikipedia] And finally, and importantly, why am I always serving or attending to the needs of others?
In other Dalai Lama dreams, H.H. is wearing jeans and smoking after blessing my home, being asked questions about when he goes to the bathroom and when he prays, what souvenir should I buy or whether I can serve pork to his wife!
So with these mysterious characters in our dreams, what is the best way to approach them? Wearing my best "Dream Investigator" Fedora, I first look for clues in this way (with apologies to Casablanca fans!). The Dalai Lama goes Casablanca style. Four questions to sharpen your inner detective tools.
Play it, Sam: When you can't quite get a handle on any associations in a way that resonates for you, imagine you are the person in question in your dream, and speak from their perspective. Tell us about yourself. "I am…" Playing the part of the characters in your dream will draw out your own associations. Soon you'll be humming As Time Goes By.
Here's Looking at You Kid: Is the character telling you about a relationship or situation in your life or is the dream about a part of you? Take all the time you need to explore the usual suspects and situations in your life, and let your emotions guide the way. Sometimes, we too quickly rush to make associations and if nothing or no one in our life is a perfect match, we swiftly discard the connections. But taking the time to look with our emotions will often have us taking a second look. As you explore your associations, watch for yours body sensation as clues. You may have a physical or energetic reaction to the character and your associations that will tell you when you find your dream treasure, that juicy "aha" moment. You may know "in your gut" what the people in your dream represent.
Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship: Once the connection is made between your life and your dream people, befriending them is a great way to begin to integrate their messages. Treat them as honoured visitors and dialogue with them. Invite their energy or point of view into your life. Begin to own their place and value in your conscious awareness. In Casablanca, Rick and Louise start out as enemies…or at best "frenemies" and by the end of the movie, they were going off together to fight in the Resistance. When it comes to dream messages, resistance will often be met with more dreams, both recurring dreams and nightmares, until we pay attention. These dreams and the characters in them can become beautiful friends, when we take the time to get to know these diverse aspects of Self".
Dalai Lama: here is looking at you kid!
Patti Allen has a rich background in the healing arts, education, and public speaking on the topic of dreams and has been facilitating dream groups for 18 years. As a Dream Teacher, Blogger at www.pattiallen.com, Mentor and Coach, Patti helps people use their dreams to access their inner wisdom, creativity and problem-solving abilities. You can contact her by writing to: patti@pattiallen.com.
Please sign up for my YouTube channel to enjoy all the beautiful Mindfunda interviews with inspiring people. People like Jean Benedict Raffa, Anne Baring, Connie Kaplan, Ralph Metzner and Stanley Krippner. I will be uploading an interview with P.H Awater about near desth experiences very soon so be sure to sign up!


text:
Gerard Hoffnung - Cartoonist, Humorist and Musician Content from the guide to life, the universe and everything
Gerard Hoffnung - Cartoonist, Humorist and Musician
Created Dec 20, 1999 | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Naturualised British cartoonist, humorist and musician, Gerard Hoffnung was born in Germany in 1925, and although he died just 34 years later he managed to appear to be a crusty old man for most of his life.
His most famous recorded item is probably his 'barrel' monologue, one of his many spoof letters, this one purporting to be from a builder excusing himself from work. Space and copyright forbid complete reproduction herein, but a taster will give you a pretty good idea:
'At this point I must have lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope and the barrel, [freed of his weight] descended...'
It's a shame that this work is one of his most famous recordings because his first love was music. His Festival of Music (followed by the Interplanetary and Astronautical music festivals) include fine performances on the vacuum cleaner and Vespa, and the exceptional 'Concerto for Double Bass Tuba and Piccolo'.
His cartoons have a distinctive style, often with a musical theme, and are still beloved of musicians everywhere. Few people achieve as much as Hoffnung did even though he had such a tragically short life.
Hoffnung now on CD
Gerard Hoffnung "Barrel" Monolgue
gerard hoffnung
The Bricklayer
Gerard Hoffnung Septuagenarian Genius by Age 20
Tonsil was here.
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Trump's triumphant transition
"We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions. It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots."
~ Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States
Prologue to the 2016 Presidential Election
On Friday, January 20th, 2017, on a cloudy winter day in Washington D.C, Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence were sworn in as the 45th President and 48th Vice President of the United States of America at exactly 12:00 noon on the steps of the U.S Capital. With possibly over a million onlookers and supporters gathered in the Mall in Washington, D.C. and millions watching on TV world-wide, the swearing-in ceremony of President Trump and Vice-President Pence was truly a momentous period in American History. Donald Trump announced the beginning of his power-house campaign on June 16th 2015 and ran a powerful drive against 16 other highly qualified Republican candidates, leading first place in the polls through the entire Primary election.
Donald Trump would fundamentally transform the nature of the 13 Republican Presidential debates into exciting and engaging spectacles where Trump's innovative initiatives to vastly repair America's troubled condition stood triumphant in the face of his many seasoned (but conventional) political adversaries on stage. On May 4th 2016, following a major Primary victory in the state of Indiana, Donald Trump would move on to defeat his final remaining Republican opponents in the race – Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ohio Governor John Kasich – to become the presumptive GOP nominee. On May 26th Trump officially became the Republican nominee for President, holding the honor of amassing the greatest number of Primary votes in GOP history.
Donald Trump speaking at the Republican National Convention (July 21st 2016)
On July 15th, 2016, GOP nominee Donald J. Trump announced Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be his running mate for Vice President, just in-time for the two to be recognized as the distinguished stars of the 2016 Republican National Convention held from July 18-21. In July and August, Trump geared up for the General Election against the Democrat Nominee, 'Crooked' Hillary Clinton, hiring and promoting many new campaign staff members including, Kellyanne Conway as Campaign Manager and Steve Bannon as Campaign Chief Executive. In the fall, Donald Trump would face Hillary Clinton on National stage in three fiery Presidential debates, while running-mate Mike Pence combated with Governor Tim Kaine in a single contested debate.
On November 9th at around 2:40 am, alongside his family and campaign staff, Donald Trump gave a resounding victory speech in New York after being announced to have won over the required 270 electoral college votes, thanking all of his staffers and voters who loyally stood behind him from beginning to end. Hence forth, Donald Trump and Mike Pence held the honor of being established as the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect preparing to transition into the White House in just two months. This article seeks to pay homage to many of the prime events that culminated into the making of Donald Trump's ascension to the Presidency in the midst of perhaps one of the most contentious and politically factious periods in U.S Election History. On Wednesday November 9th 2016, President Trump and team had won the many arduous election battles, but thus began the grand war as Commander-in-chief to reclaim American greatness.
President-Elect Donald Trump and campaign team giving 1st speech after winning the Election (November 9th, 2016)
USA 'Thank You' 2016 Tour
Following the monumental events of the 2016 Election, President-Elect Donald Trump and his campaign team announced the launch of the "USA Thank You 2016 Tour," where Trump would host multiple celebratory rallies to express his gratitude toward many of the pivotal swing-states he won during the Election. The President-Elect gained several key swing states that helped him seize the presidency, as well as Alabama – a Republican state – where Trump amassed large crowds and early support from Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions, the first U.S Senator ever to endorse Trump who is now poised to become the next United States Attorney General in Trump's Cabinet.
The victory tour winded around many industrial rust-belt cities in key northern states, such as Cincinnati Ohio and Grand Rapids Michigan, that voted Republican in the election where many coal miners and displaced factory workers happily casted their ballots for Trump on the promise that he would restore America's many abandoned factories (especially emphasized in his dynamic jobs plan speech in Monnessan, Pennslyvania) and put mistreated blue-collar Americans back to work. President-Elect Trump also toured many sunbelt cities in pivotal southern states, visiting places like Orlando Florida and Mobile Alabama, the location of one of Trump's first campaign rallies which he held back on August 21st 2015. In his final rally in Mobile Alabama, Trump spoke "This is our last rally, our last stop," Trump said. "This is where it all began. I just want to thank the people of Alabama and start by wishing you a very Merry Christmas." The President-Elect's message was refreshingly reminiscent of overcoming the many hardships of the past in the Election while looking forward to building a better and brighter future for all Americans. Following the events of the thank-you tour, the Electoral College formally elected Donald Trump and Mike Pence on Monday, December 19th 2016.
Donald Trump at his final thank-you rally in Mobile Alabama (December 17, 2016)
Trump's Great Inauguration = My Greatest Birthday Gift
On Friday January 20th 2017, I and millions of people across America, along with millions across the World would witness History in the making as Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence are officially sworn in as the new President and Vice President of the United States. This ceremonial day was especially significant for myself as I was blessed to have my 20th Birthday coincide with the Inauguration. Uniquely enough, I share the same birthdays with Kellyanne Conway and Nikki Haley, while close to Jared Kushner's (born on January 10th 1981, exactly 10 days prior to Ronald Reagan's 1st Inauguration), in Trump's cabinet. Record crowds of individuals attended the Inauguration, with, according to Trump, appeared to be over a million people packing Washington D.C, despite what false images have circulated throughout mainstream media outlets like CNN, purposefully showing blank patches of ground to make it look like Trump's crowd was lacking. Upon his Inauguration, Donald Trump became the first person to ever be elected President without any prior military or governmental experience; a true political outsider and a man of the people, by the people, and for the people. President Trump also holds the distinction as the oldest and wealthiest individual to ascend to the Presidency. Vice President Mike Pence holds the distinction of being the first sitting Governor to be elected as Vice President since Spiro Agnew under Richard Nixon in 1968.
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt launched the Inauguration ceremonies at around 11:40 am with welcoming remarks about the peaceful transition of power in America. Within the inner circle of the stage were many famous Senators, Congressman, activists, and former Presidents including: Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, Jimmy and Roslyn Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and more. Also in close attendance were President Trump's loyal family members – including wife, Melania Trump, daughter, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, Donald Jr. Trump, Tiffany Trump, Barron Trump and other family members. At approximately 11:54 a.m., Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas swore in Michael Richard Pence as the 48th Vice President of the United States upon his personal Bible and the cherished Ronald Reagan Bible.
Justice Thomas, myself, and Dr. Walter Williams (Professor George Mason U.) having lunch together at the Hard Times Café in Fairfax Virginia, December 13th 2016
Justice Thomas has been an inspirational intellectual mentor to my father, Professor Ellis Washington, for over three decades and has recently become a mentor of mine upon me meeting with the Justice and his friend Dr. Walter Williams (whom I had known at my former school of George Mason University) in Fairfax, Virginia for lunch in December 2016. I was especially excited to see Justice Thomas become the 1st Black American to ever administer the oath of Office. Following an excellent performance of "America the Beautiful" by the Mormon Choir, at 12:00 noon, Donald John J. Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of the America by Chief Justice John Roberts upon the Bible his mother gifted him and the historic Lincoln Bible. After the swearing-in ceremony, the Marine Band performed "Hail to the Chief" and President Trump received the traditional 21-gun salute in honor of his emergent Presidency.
Donald Trump being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States (with wife Melania Trump holding Lincoln and his mother's Bible)
President Donald Trump then delivered his historic (and succinct) 16-minute inaugural address of 1,433 words, the shortest inaugural address since Jimmy Carter's in 1977. Trump's address was inspired by the famous examples of Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy in times past. The speech channeled the creative energies that fueled the victory of President Trump's triumphant campaign, driving forward his foremost platform of making America great again. While President Trump respectfully paid homage to the many former Presidents in attendance, he devoted the essence of his speech in honor of we the American people. Trump intoned,
"The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment, it belongs to you."
President Trump designated January 20th 2017 as the day that the American people become the rulers of the nation once again, as intended by the Founding Fathers bestowing upon the American people the power of the vote, to shape the country as they deemed fit. President Trump then exposed many of the devastations and downfalls currently facing the American people underneath our modern-day Republic, that has only festered under the failed leadership and gross neglect of Washington D.C insiders and special interests,
"But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now."
President Trump pays homage to many of his chief campaign promises, such as, rebuilding America's porous southern border, eliminating America's 800 trillion-dollar trade deficit through renegotiating failed trade deals to benefit the American economy, rebuilding America's depleted military while obliterating radical Islamic Terror groups tearing apart the Middle East, and more. Trump spoke,
"From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs."
Trump ends his powerful and transcendent speech with a crescendo of American truth and unity toward repairing the nation's many shortfalls while mending the many wounds inflicted on the nation from the nasty election cycle. Trump emphasizes that we will usher in a new American dream by the people and for the people empowered by God's holy hand. President Trump concludes,
Epilogue to President Trump's Transition
In conclusion, Donald J. Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States is the start to the greatest blessing the U.S has experienced since the prosperous Reagan Revolution – which gave U.S. the longest period of economic growth in a non-war period (1982-2007). Truly, America has not witnessed such an exceptionally capable President like Donald Trump who is fueled and driven by the unstoppable patriotic desires of the millions of American people who elected him. Trump's Presidency will reinstate the eternal credo of America First Nationalism, first laid down by the Founding Fathers and later embodied by President Reagan, who envisioned America to be a "shining city upon a hill."
Donald Trump's powerful cabinet is built of a team of some of the most accomplished people in country, such as: Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, Elaine Chao as Secretary of Transportation, Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Rep. Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services, General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense, General John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security, Steve Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury, Rep. Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior, among many other highly qualified individuals.
Unfortunately, two weeks into his presidency the majority of President Trump's Cabinet members have to be approved (while enduring heavy Democrat opposition), facing major delaying tactics from the Left due to the Democrat minority in the Senate purposefully slow-walking confirmations and sending the process into a tedious state of gridlock.
President Donald Trump's Cabinet
Despite the minor impediment of Senate Democrats, President Trump's Administration is pushing full steam ahead with resounding success and I am confident that all of his agency heads will be confirmed by the Senate. President Trump has already terminated the TPP (transpacific partnership), approved the building of a wall along the southern border, protected immigration security by barring the migration of individuals from seven Middle Eastern countries with radical Islamic ties, and introduced a new Supreme Court nominee to fill the late Justice Scalia's vacancy, among many other things. With the close assistance of his inner-circle: Reince Priebus as Chief of Staff, Kellyanne Conway as Counselor, Jared Kushner as Senior Advisor, Steve Bannon as Counselor, and Vice President Pence, President Trump has truly crafted a power-house administration of seasoned and accomplished political prodigies that will undoubtedly usher America into a new era of prosperity, excellence and greatness for the benefit of all Americans. God bless the historic Transition of the Trump Administration and God bless America.
Indeed, the wise words of Trump are apropos here for U.S. and the world –
"It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots."
President Donald Trump and company signing his 1st Executive order, January 20th, 2017
1. "Releases – GreatAgain." GreatAgain. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
2. Blake, Aaron. "Donald Trump's Full Inauguration Speech Transcript, Annotated." The Washington Post. WP Company, 20 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.


Occupational therapist, Chris Clarke, has designed this unique Buckingham bra angel specifically to assist those with mild to moderate upper limb restrictions or limited hand dexterity. The Bra Angel holds one end of the bra securely whilst the other end is brought round the body and attached together. It even enables those who only have the use of one arm to be able to put on their bra independently. The Bra Angel combines simplicity with innovation. It is versatile and designed to fit most bra types and easily adjusts to a wide variety of sizes. The telescopic action allows it to be compacted, making it easy to carry. Latex free. Length 400mm (16"). Width 40mm (1.5"). Weight 100g.
This Buckingham caddy fits most folding walking frames to assist users to move everyday items around the house.
Easy to use mechanism grips the toilet tissue firmly and then allows it to be released. A smooth rounded and ergonomic shape enables use for those with limited manual dexterity. Suitable for use with either toilet tissue or wet wipes. Supplied with handy carry bag for hygienic storage and is latex free. Length: 375mm (15"). Weight: 116g (4oz).


Our table of food on our first visit.
Around for less than two months, Aarde, headed by Chef Guru Singh, is located near the Ice District at 10184 104 Street right in the heart of downtown Edmonton. The menu is inspired by his travels across Europe with regionally influenced cuisine being presented using locally sourced ingredients.
My first visit to the restaurant was a spur-of-the-moment decision. After my friend and I were done perusing the pieces at an art show, we were hungry, so we opted to check out Aarde. It had opened about ten days prior. Even without a reservation, it didn't seem to be a problem to get a table. Granted, it wasn't the ideal table. With seats situated immediately to the right of the entrance, we were greeted by a breeze every single time someone went through the door. Our food quickly cooled because of that.
Still, we enjoyed our meal. Although they look to have a great cocktail program (based on images I've seen on Instagram), I chose to go with water that evening. Instead, I focused on the food. As suggested by the server, we shared a few dishes, including the Crispy Cauliflower ($11), Mushroom and Artichoke Tartine ($11), Duck and Cornbread Skillet ($15), and Chorizo Sausage ($13).
As far as Crispy Cauliflower goes, I've had similar before. I felt the deep fried batter may have been a tad heavy-handed, and I'm not sure why cauliflower dust (I'm assuming this is dehydrated veggie) is necessary. Perhaps it brings out the essence of the flavour better? What it has going for it is the maple and mustard glaze for that sweet and savoury balance. The chili flakes provided a little bit of heat as well.
I could have had several slices of the Mushroom and Artichoke Tartine. This was arguably the best dish of the evening. The wild mushroom fricassee was wonderfully creamy and rich, marrying well with the wine poached artichokes, and creamed spinach. The house baked grilled sourdough bread was perfectly dense enough to hold all of the toppings and keep its texture while being soft enough to eat without scraping the roof of my mouth.
On paper, the Duck and Cornbread Skillet sounded super appealing. Shredded confit duck leg? Check. Coffee jus? Check. Apple mostarda (candied fruit and mustard-flavoured syrup)? Check. Meuwly's mustard? Check. Fresh cornbread? Check. I love duck and I love cornbread. It tasted fine. I just thought the amount of meat was lacking for an item listed under the meat section of the menu. I also found the cornbread to be kind of heavier in consistency than expected. It was like the middle held too much moisture and wasn't able to rise enough.
I really appreciate eateries that make everything from scratch. With that being said, Aarde did not disappoint when it came to their Chorizo Sausage. Lightly grilled with perfect seared lines, the sausage was laid whole across a bed of kale and potato mash. Served to the side was bright pickled red cabbage. Herb oil finished it off. When cut apart, the meat held together well. It wasn't too tightly packed, making for even cooking and heat distribution. Not overly salty, well-seasoned, and a great mix of textures on the palate.
As we finished up our meal, the chef approached the table next to ours and seemed to dote on them. They ate a single dessert between them, and, for whatever reason, the restaurant was keen to know what they thought and provided them with complimentary beverages. I'm not one to ever ask for special treatment as I've always gone in anonymously to try restaurants to be as honest as possible. But, for a new business, I thought it was odd that they weren't taking the time to ask for feedback from all of their patrons. Aside from that, service seemed to lack as soon as we finished our food. Our server didn't really ask if we wanted dessert or anything else, and it took forever to flag her down again to get our bill when we were ready to leave.
Despite the end to our night at Aarde, I chalked it all up to growing pains. Therefore, in December, I suggested it as a spot for dinner. A good friend of mine was back in town for Christmas and I wanted her to sample something new.
This time, I made a reservation in advance. I actually used their online form, which is powered by Wix Restaurants. I received an email shortly after submitting saying my request was being processed and that I would get an email or text message to confirm. That never showed up, so I ended up phoning on December 26 to ask. Turns out they had it listed in their books, but obviously hadn't followed up on processing it through the system. I'm going to assume that this was missed because I input my reservation request on Christmas Eve. Hopefully it's more reliable the rest of the year.
For this particular visit, because of my previous experience, I requested a table away from the door thinking it'd be better and warmer. That was not the case. I'm not sure if they just don't believe in indoor heating or what, but it was freezing in there again even though we were tucked away behind a wall in a nook. Oh well. I tried.
To eat, Kirk and I split four items between us: Vandaag Soep ($7), Roasted Butternut Squash ($9), as well as two of the larger plates, Duck Breast ($20) and Beef Ribs ($24). Kirk additionally ordered one of the rotational draught beers (20 oz. for $9) to quench his thirst.
Dishes were spaced out decently, so everything wasn't delivered all at the same time. The first to arrive from the kitchen was the Vandaag Soep (a.k.a. daily artisan soup). On this day, it was a luscious potato leek dressed with twirls and drops of flavoured oils. Incredibly smooth with a slightly peppery finish, it was truly delicious and comforting on a chilly day.
The Roasted Butternut Squash was surprisingly one of my favourites. Thick pieces of the gourd were prepared with pistachios, beet souffle, gremolata (an herb condiment typically made using lemon zest, garlic, and parsley), crispy leeks, lemon garlic leek oil, and pickled onions. It looked simple, but I think that it was probably more deceiving that I thought. There were a number of components and each required careful preparation. Extremely flavourful and satisfying without being overwhelming.
Between the two mains, I'd definitely say that the Duck Breast was better. While the Beef Ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, I thought that the meat had more chunks of gloppy fat and grizzle than I'd prefer. I wasn't a huge fan of the celery root puree either, which I thought watered down the overall taste of the food. I did like the charred cabbage more than I thought I would though.
On the other hand, the Duck Breast was fantastic. The seared duck breast was ever so slightly pink and really succulent. Sure, there was some fat between the meat and the skin, but it wasn't to the point of taking away from the rest of the dish. A mushroom fricassee similar to that of the Mushroom and Artichoke Tartine and a handful of lentil fritters accompanied the meat. Very on point. We'd both recommend this duck to others.
Being the holidays, we also indulged in dessert. The sizeable London Fog Crème Brûlée ($10) was made with organic earl grey tea infused into the custard. On the side were a couple of biscotti cookies. I only had a small bite of the custard and sugar crackle. It was strongly flavoured, which I find to be of importance when it comes to sweets. It doesn't have to be saccharine, but you should be able to taste what it strives to emulate.
Kirk and I divided the Dutch Almond Cake ($10). It was scrumptious! Somewhat dense and a tad chewy, it was still moist and delicate in flavour. The outer edges and top were crusty, and the sliced nuts added minor bitterness. The scoop of avocado gelato was oddly gelatinous while being crumbly. It actually did have a creamy mouthfeel though, and it was refreshing, but otherwise didn't act like a typical relative of ice cream.
Aarde has some kinks to iron out in terms of the atmosphere, hospitality, and certain dishes. However, there's a lot of promise, too. If the team works to hone their craft, this could be one of the next success stories in the Edmonton restaurant scene.