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Ladybug Buying Club
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Letters From Andy
Our Lady's Birds
Posted by: Shannon Muck / Posted on: / Category: Ladybug Letters, Ladybug Postcard
We call them "Ladybugs" but they're beetles, not "bugs." Scientists call the Ladybug family "the Coccinellidae" and count some 5000 different species around the world. The name "Coccinellidae" comes from the Latin "coccineus," meaning "scarlet." But while the different coccinellid species from around the world all share a common, dome-shaped form to their shiny-shelled bodies, they are not all scarlet in color, nor do all species have black spots on their backs. But try telling a kindergartner that there are yellow ladybugs, orange ladybugs, black ladybugs, and even spotless ladybugs; not only will they not believe you, they won't want to believe you!
In England, early images of The Virgin Mary often portrayed her wearing a scarlet robe so it made sense from a medieval perspective to call the little red-shelled beetles that made the gardens their homes "Our Lady's Birds." The English Seven Spot Ladybird beetle's "look," rocking black spots on a shiny red shell is so striking and memorable that it's image "branded" the entire family forever. When you factor in that the seven black spots on the Ladybird beetle's shell recall the Virgin Mother's "Seven Sorrows," then the name is even richer in meaning. When Our Lady's Birds crossed the Atlantic to the Americas they got their names changed at Ellis Island, just like so many other immigrants. The name, "Ladybug," is an Americanism.
Be they birds, bugs, or beetles, these cute little creatures are fierce predators in the garden and gobble many times their weight in pesty aphids during their lives. Interestingly enough, the Ladybugs that eat the most pests don't look like Ladybugs at all. Like all beetles, the Ladybugs have a larval form of life before they pupate and become the cute, red shelled, black spotted creatures we love to find in our gardens. The larval, or nymph stage, ladybugs eat a lot more pests than the mature, hard-shelled forms. For the gardener, the goal has to be to create an environment so attractive to the Ladybugs that the mature beetles fly in, have a meal, then decide to lay eggs. If you buy a jar of ladybugs and turn them loose in your garden they may all fly away. So save your money and create the garden they fly to!
Planting a mix of perennial and annual plant species will give the Ladybugs a place to take shelter and lay their eggs even when one part of the garden is being turned under. If you don't spray your garden with pesticides then some pests will be able to survive, which will give the hatching ladybug larvae something to eat. We aim to create a delicate balance wherein there are enough living pests to support a permanent predator population of Ladybugs, but not so many pests as to damage the crops. At our home ranch we've planted a drought tolerant hedgerow at the edge of our citrus orchard that is only a year old, but is already serving as habitat for aphids- and the Ladybugs that feed on them.
—© 2021 Essay by Andy Griffin and photos by Starling Linden and Andy Griffin
~Special Note~
As the weather is getting warmer, the sun is rising earlier and the harvesting begins with the sunrise, we will be closing our East Bay/Peninsula shop by 6 PM on the Wednesday evenings before the Friday delivery. We close our San Francisco & Mystery Thursday shops on Wednesday mornings by 8 AM and our Santa Cruz/Los Gatos shop by 8 AM, on Monday mornings. Please get your orders in early so you don't miss out on the harvest! Thank you all again for being such a part of our bountiful farm!
If you haven't ordered a Mystery Box recently, now is a great time to get in on spring deliciousness! LadybugBuyingClub
The Many Scents of Lavender
Planting a garden is a blatant act of optimism; even the tiniest seed takes some effort to sow and any reward a harvest might bring is "deferred gratification" at best, and only an illusion if the bugs or deer or gophers or rabbits get there first. So when the Covid inspired "shelter in place" protocols went into effect and Starr & I were stuck at home for most of our time we started planning and planting for an eventual lavender labyrinth. It must have been therapeutic to have a project to work on that could only be fully realized once the pandemic was over and we could invite people over. So now that Covid almost seems to be winding down here in Central California where are we at with our labyrinth and why have we chosen to create it with lavender?
Lavender is beautiful and it smells magical so you don't need to be a deep thinker to understand why people chose to grow it in their gardens. And the fact that lavender has been reputed to be a calming herb that is useful in treating anxiety, depression, and insomnia certainly makes this a good plant to cultivate during a pandemic. But as apropos as a lavender bed might have been during a pandemic we'd actually been planting different varieties of the herb in our garden for over a year before. The calming effects of beauty and alluring scent are never out of style, and by the time the pandemic hit Starr and I had a good sense of which types of lavender would grow well for us here in Corralitos.
There are at least 47 different species of wild lavender that occupy a variety of habitats from the Cape Verde and Canary Islands in the Mid-Atlantic all the way across Southern Europe and Mediterranean Africa to Southwest Asia and Southeast India. And then there are the myriad hybrid forms of lavender propagated by farmers and plant breeders. In the popular imagination there are three main types for gardeners to consider; Spanish lavender, French lavender, and English lavender. Academic botanists will recoil in horror at such a gross simplification of the Lavandula family's complex taxonomical issues. As the son of an Academic botanist let me say for the record that I understand a full and complete understanding of the taxonomy of the Lamiaceae remains elusive, but I'm not holding my breath while I wait for a scientific consensus. For our purposes today I find the simplistic reduction of Lavandula species into "Spanish," "French," and "English" forms calms my anxiety.
Spanish lavender, or Lavandula stoechas, is a Mediterranean lavender that is very robust and hardy and can grow from a tiny seedling into a waist high shrub in a year. This is the lavender species that was most likely grown or gathered from the wild during the ancient times. Lavandula stoechas has flower buds that are big, fat, and almost tarry with very aromatic essential oils. Most people believe that this highly scented herb got its name from the Latin verb, "lavare," meaning "to wash," because lavender plants were used to make soap or used in infusions to fumigate clothes. The word Latin "Lavare" is cognate with the modern English word "laundry" and the Middle English word "Lavendrye," meaning "place of washing." Of course the Etymologists are just as prone to controversy as the Botanists, so there are rogue wordsmiths who believe that Lavender takes its name from the Latin "livere," meaning "blueish." Whatever…..
"French Lavender" is a blurry term that can refer to either Lavandula stoechas or Lavandula dentata. I'm using it to refer to a Lavandula dentata variety that has a thinner flower bud than the "Spanish" lavender as well as a somewhat different scent. The French worked with Lavender species to create varieties that were especially useful in the perfume trade. Lavandula dentata has a more refined look to the stem and a somewhat less aggressive habit of growth than the "Spanish lavender." It's worth noting that the French refer to Lavandula dentata as "English lavender." We're not ICE agents here, so we're not checking passports. We value the Lavandula dentata varieties for their scent and for the nice, long, spicy wands we can make from their dried stems.
"English lavender," or Lavandula angustifolia, is yet another complex tribe of lavenders. Like it's Spanish and French cousins, English lavender is a highly scented member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family, and compared to them it has flowers that are on the purple end of the spectrum. The English lavenders we're growing are typically shorter in stature with a brighter blue to the flower petals than the French types. Our English lavenders are the most disciplined and compact in their growth habit, making them the most desirable plant to use as a low hedge in a labyrinth, and they make nice, smaller bouquets. Over the last 100 years there's been more culinary interest in lavender than in the past. Yes, long ago Lavandula stoechas was used to make spiced wine, but in these days the English types have been more frequently used to flavor pastas, desserts, or teas. Please note that drying increases the "potency" of lavender, so if you choose to cook with lavender you can use rather less dried lavender than fresh flowers to achieve the same effect.
I'm not a doctor, nor do I claim to have any medical insights; if the smell of lavender gives me a lift and dispels anxiety, then that is a purely personal issue. If you look up Lavender on the internet you'll find any number of health related claims as well as warnings that no scientific tests prove the health benefits of lavender. I wouldn't want to advocate for the use of any homegrown herb if it meant that a major pharmaceutical corporation might lose sales for their anti-anxiety products. The meditative virtues of walking the path of a labyrinth have not been proven by science either, so where are we with that project?
The first step we took was to circumscribe the outer rim of the labyrinth to be by cutting through the turf with a tractor. The labyrinth will have a diameter of around 80 feet, with a twelve foot wide circular center. The second step was to begin sowing lavender seeds in our greenhouse. We will use the so-called English lavenders for the interior rings of our design. While we're waiting for our lavender plants to size up I've been developing the water system that will serve the planting. The old spring box that my Great Grandfather dug out and lined with bricks still works well to provide water and I had a new pump put in. I'm now in the process of digging the ditches that will carry the water to the drip system that we'll use to irrigate the lavender beds that will define the paths of the labyrinth.
So far, so good. Hopefully the Covid crisis will end soon. By the end of the year I'm hoping to have the labyrinth finished. In the future we'll be able to invite people to walk the lavender scented paths with us. And right now we're enjoying a nice harvest on all the lavenders we planted before Covid when we were testing out our location and our soil to see if the plants would do well here. They do! And this week we've got a "Lavender Flight" special to offer, with a bunch each of Spanish, French, and English lavender so that you can enjoy their different their scents.
—© 2021 Essay by Andy Griffin and photos by Starling Linden
The Milpa and the Holy Trinity
We planted the first stage of our little "milpa" this weekend. A milpa is a "corn patch." The City of Milpitas is named after the little corn patches that characterised the area during California's Spanish colonial period. But a classic traditional milpa is always more than corn. The Mesoamerican farmers who created the milpa typically grew a diversity of crops in their corn fields. The corn stalks grew high and vining beans snaked up the stalks, using them for support. Broad leaved squash plants would grow between the scattered hummocks of corn, and the dense canopy they formed would choke out the weeds. Crops that we moderns might think of as noxious weeds to be exterminated, like pigweed or lambsquarters, were "quelites" to the farmers of the milpas and they'd gather them to add leafy greens to their diet. A fully realized milpa consisted of Corn, squash, and beans -the Holy Trinity- surrounded by a cohort of useful and nutritious herbs.
I'm playing around with the milpa idea for fun, and to see how well it works out in practice. I see my milpa as a typical type garden which might be found anywhere along the French-Mexican border. For my hard squash I've chosen to plant "Doran," an heirloom French squash for the Cucurbita moschata- like a butternut, but round, like a pumpkin. I think the Doran hard squash will be an excellent size for our farm's supporters, since they're small enough for us to fit in the box and for our supporters to consume in one meal. We received seed for this crop from our friend and neighbor, Zea, at Fruitilicious Farm, who has been saving this old fashion variety. Any purslane weeds that come up in our milpa we'll let go to seed so that we can have "verdolaga." Purslane, AKA Verdolaga, which is esteemed as a cooking green in both the French and Mexican traditions.
For corn, I'm going with a purple and white Oaxacan corn that has big, floury kernels for making masa, or corn meal. Fidel, our greenhouse foreman, brought us this corn which has big, sturdy stalks that the beans can climb up. For beans I'm going to plant The Japanese selection of a purple seeded runner bean that originated in Oaxaca but is now known in the trade as Scarlet Runner beans or "Akahana Mame." I'll wait until the corn is up before I plant the beans so that they won't choke the poor corn plants out. And to help the beans find direction up I'm also putting some sunflowers in my milpa. Sunflowers are another gift of the Americas to the rest of the world, and the ancient farmers who developed them treated them as a grain crop for their rich seed. I don't think I can beat our local birds to a crop of sunflower seeds, so I'm growing some ornamental varieties for late summer bouquets.
A Mexican farmer would be sure to have cilantro somewhere in the milpa, and I'll plant some too, but I'm also going to take advantage of a shadier side of the field and plant cilantro's French cousin, chervil. In my experience, if the chervil is happy enough it'll self seed, and soon I can count on having it as a low grade "weed" to enjoy.
I won't plant any tomatillo de milpa- the tiny wild tomatillo that is the forerunner of the big, green tomatillos we see in supermarkets. For a couple of years in the mid 1980s I shared my house with the Campos family, and Ramiro Campos planted some tomatillo de milpa seedlings from his home ranch in Sam Andreas, Michoacan. The progeny of those original plants are now with us forever, and everywhere a drop of water falls in my field there's a wild tomatillo seed to drink it up and sprout. We can't let them all go to seed, but we've saved a few along the path so that later we can grab a handful of the tiny tomatillos they bear when we need to make a green salsa.
We have a lot to look forward to this fall and I can't wait to see what comes out of the milpa. Meanwhile, basil season has started in the greenhouse. Here are a few cautionary tips about storing basil:
1. Basil is a mint family member. You can keep it fresh by re-cutting the stems when you get it and putting them in a vase of fresh water, like a bouquet. If the water stays clean enough and you don't eat them first, some stems may even set little roots.
2. Basil doesn't like getting cold. If you put the basil in a vase of water, don't then put it in the fridge. Leave it out in a cool spot out of direct sunlight. The same advice goes for basil that you simply un bunch, wash and put between damp paper towels- keep out of the cold! When basil gets too cold the leaves tend to turn black.
3. Don't try too hard to save your basil. Eat it! There's more coming, and when we have enough we'll be doing some specials for people who want to make larger batches of pesto.
We have a lot to look forward to this fall and I can't wait to see what comes out of the milpa.
—© 2021 Essay and Photos by Andy Griffin.
Brand New Potatoes!
New potatoes are just that-new! And they're probably my favorite crop of the year. We're picking some rosemary this week too so that we can make one of my favorite recipes possible for you; Here's our strategy for our potato crop:
Potatoes are a great crop because they can be an integral and satisfying component to so many recipes and I like to grow a couple of tons of them. But if potatoes are going to be harvested to be stored for use over a long period of time so that they can be used as needed they must be "cured." Not that they're "sick."
Potato plants do make fruits with seeds, but we don't plant potato seeds. Instead, we plant "seed potatoes," which are pieces of potato with viable "eyes," or buds, that will sprout new foliage. A potato is a tuber, a starchy, engorged stem, not a root. When we plant a piece of stem we'll get a new crop of potatoes that are a clone of the original potato plant. The potato pieces we plant sprout and grow into bushy plants that reach about two feet high, and when they start to bloom we know that they are setting a new crop of potato tubers underground. Red skinned potatoes make rose colored flowers. Yellow and white potatoes have white blossoms, and purple potatoes have purple flowers. If these flowers get pollinated they will eventually form small, hard green fruits full of seed that resemble their tomato cousins, but we don't worry about them. Instead, we wait for the potato plants to turn yellow, then wilt, and "die back."
Of course, the mature potato plants are not really dying when they mature. As the potato vines are shriveling up, what's really happening is that the young potato tubers under the ground are withdrawing the vitamins and minerals from the leaves above and storing them, and all that extra nutrition goes towards making the tuber a repository of energy that will be available to power the next generation of foliage to sprout when the time comes. As the soil dries out the skin of the buried tuber dries out too, becoming the tough jacket that will cloak and protect the potato and prevent wilting. When all the energy has been withdrawn from the old foliage and the skin has firmed up then the potato is said to be "cured" and it can last underground until the conditions are right for it to sprout anew. We won't leave them in the ground because we don't want to feed the gophers and beetles and wild pigs. We'll dig the potatoes up and store them in a dark, cool, dry place. Potatoes aren't very smart, so they won't know the difference between the soil and the storage shed and they'll wait happily enough for the conditions to be right to sprout anew.
When we're sorting and washing our potato crop for you we will take out all the potatoes that were damaged in harvesting, or were maybe chewed on by a beetle or gopher, or are sun scalded on one side. Another farmer might throw them away or feed them to the pigs, but I save them. I like to make an early, thick planting of these cull potatoes that are too ugly to sell. When I see this crop flower I know there is a swarm of tiny potatoes growing underground. Once the young potatoes have swollen to about the size of golf balls we'll dig them up as "new potatoes." The gophers, beetles, and wild pigs that would gobble up our potato crop are not stupid; they know that there is almost nothing on earth as succulent and tasty as a fresh, young potato.
These new potatoes are not cured. We are plucking them from under green plants. The skins are so tender that sometimes we can't wash these new potatoes or we'll remove the skins by accident and spoil them. We let the cooks wash the new potatoes right before they prepare them. New potatoes will wilt quickly or rot after being harvested, just like broccoli, lettuce, or any other fresh vegetable. But new potatoes are so tender and tasty that storage isn't an issue- they'll be eaten too quickly for storage to be an issue. I like mine prepared very simply by washing them, splashing them with olive oil, sprinkling them with a bit of minced, fresh rosemary and roasting them at 350 until they're ready. New potatoes don't take long to cook.
For our main crop of cured potatoes we plant certified disease free seed potatoes that we buy from seed dealers each year. We could harvest new potatoes from this main crop as well but we'd probably lose a lot of money doing it. We need to let the main potato crop get as mature as possible to guarantee ourselves the biggest yield if we're going to cover our costs and make a little profit. New potatoes are a treat, a luxury, almost a novelty, that you never find in stores, but it would be hard to make them pay without charging an arm and a leg. We could say that spring is "new potato season" but it's really more of a moment. And that time is now.
What Kind of Pea?
The girl was SO insanely sensitive, and yet her morbid fragility was somehow proof positive of her nobility? I was confused. Do you remember the Princess and the Pea? As a youth, I puzzled over her story. The poor thing couldn't sleep. She complained that she'd tossed and turned all night because of a stone in her bed, and after the palace staff pulled the bedding from the frame, seven feather comforters in all, they found that it was a single, tiny dried pea seed at the bottom that had provoked all the distress. Why were we supposed to validate this girl's hyper-sensitivity by crowning her? Compare the Princess of the pea to Tanya Tucker, the reigning "princess" of Country Music when I was a young. "Would you lay with me in a field of stone?" Tanya sang. She was 14 at the time, a year older than I was. Now that I'm an old fart with a snail mail box full of cremation insurance offers and AARP fliers I'm not so worried about figuring women out. I find myself wondering more about the pea that caused the Princess so much discomfort. "What kind of pea was it ?" I ask myself. The answer is not obvious.
Pea Soup Andersen's, a popular restaurant chain for travelers with locations along California's Highway 101 as well as on I-5, bases its menu around "split-pea" soup. The pea that Andersen's uses would be a modern variety of Pisum sativum that has been selected by plant scientists for its utility in producing dried peas. A "Split pea" is not a
Snow pea flowers
specific variety of pea.The pea plant is a "dicotyledon," meaning that the seed is an embryonic plant that will germinate to present a pair ("di") of infant leaves (cotyledons). A dried pea seed can be "split" into two halves, each part being a half of the starchy dicot pair that is enveloped by the hull of the seed. The Snow pea, the Sugar Snap pea, and the English pea are also varieties of Pisum sativum developed for use as fresh vegetables, but you could let their seeds mature on the vine until dry, then "split" them and make them into soup too, if you wanted or needed to.
The Andersen who founded Pea Soup Andersen's was a Danish immigrant using a traditional family recipe. Hans Christian Anderson, who wrote the Princess and the Pea back in the mid 1800s was a Dane too, so it seems likely that they'd both be thinking of the same pea, but there are some concerns we must address before we can be confident about this because there are other possible peas that could have been used by a conniving palace staff to "trigger" the aristocratic tendencies of a potential princess. Consider the "Sweet Pea," or Lathyrus oderatus, for example.
Lathyrus oderatus, like Pisum sativum, is an "Old World " species meaning that the plant evolved in Europe. (Yes, the American half of the planet is just as old a world as is Denmark, but we won't address that issue now.) The Sweet Pea was native to Southern Europe- places like Sicily, Southern Italy, and the Aegean Islands. While the seeds of the Sweet Pea are toxic and inedible, the amazing fragrance and lovely form of the sweet pea would have been appreciated by royal and humble gardeners alike. We're talking Fairy Tales here, so it's entirely possible that the palace maid charged with hiding a dried pea in the bedding was herself having a relationship with a palace gardener (probably named "Boots") and maybe he gave her a Sweet Pea seed from his seed inventory for her "Royal Blood Test."
Or what about the Black Eyed Pea? The Black Eyed pea is a form of Cowpea, or Vigna unguiculata, and was originally developed in Africa. The Black Eyed pea may be one of humankind's oldest cultivated crops. Vigna unguiculata can tolerate very sandy soils as well as high heat, which makes it an especially valuable plant in the Sahel of Africa. It's unlikely that the Black Eyed Pea would have been cultivated by Boots, the Danish Royal Gardener, but we can't rule out a Black Eyed Pea from being found under a stack of mattresses. After all, Black pepper, or Piper nigrum, is an essential spice in traditional Danish Split Pea soup and the Danes couldn't grow black pepper either. The Royal cook would have needed to buy her spices from a Spice trader. The Spice trade was dominated by Muslim traders who gathered their wares from across the Muslim world, from the Indies in the East to Timbuktu in the Sahel. Mohammed was himself a spice trader before he drifted into prophecy. Maybe a Spice Trader sold the palace kitchen a "magic pea" which could turn a whining, entitled, malingering teen into a princess. Weirder things have happened in Fairy Tale world.
And then there's the "Chickpea," or Cicer arientum. Chickpeas are also called "Garbanzo beans," but they're beans in name only, since the true bean is an entirely "New World" phenomena. Chickpeas were developed in the Levant, but they made their way into Northern Europe early on. Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, had chickpeas served in his court over a thousand years ago, for example. A Chickpea is a dicotyledon just like the Sweet Pea, the Black Eyed Pea or the Pisum sativum peas, but its seeds are considerably larger. The size of the Chickpea speaks against its use in tests for nobility. If the true test of royal blood is to be capable of complaining about the smallest thing, then a girl only noticing a Chickpea would certainly be less refined than one who could find discomfort in Sweet Pea seed. Tanya Tucker comes to mind again; she could find relief laying in a field of stone. Tanya's no princess!
So the controversy can't be resolved at the moment. For the last couple of weeks we've been enjoying snap peas. This week we begin the English Pea harvest. We even have planted a crop of Chickpeas, and we'll see how they do. Peas of any kind are an important crop for the farm because they are legumes. Legume species have the important ability to capture unusable atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a form that plants can use as fertilizer. Legumes have a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that infect the roots of the host plants and pay for their stay taking in and digesting nitrogen gas, then excreting it in a form that is available to the plant. That's pretty "magical," if you ask me. We grow peas to feed you, but we also plant peas in our cover crops to feed the soil so that we can keep farming the land happily ever after.
A Different Type of Sting!
As I cultivated my rows of young lime trees yesterday with my little tractor I looked down with satisfaction as the rototiller ground the carpet of green weeds in front of me into the trail of soft fluffy earth rolling away behind me. If the weeds continued to grow they'd use up the subsoil moisture that I want to be available for the limes. We use drip irrigation to water the citrus as economically as we can and there's a drip emitter at the base of every tree, so I'll still have to hand weed around the base of the trees where I can't reach with the tiller so that they don't grow thick and rank. I don't need a thatch of weeds providing a nice, fresh, green hiding place for slugs and snails because they can do so much damage to citrus. The weeds had to go, but I was happy to see that there are so many stinging nettles in my orchard.
Down in the canyon below my home and my little citrus orchard there's a swampy wetlands full of ducks, frogs, bobcats….and nettles; lots of nettles, a jungle of nettles, olive-drab nettles that tower over seven feet high, with tough, fibrous stalks. If you touch these nettles they'll sting you with a pain that comes on as fast as an electric shock but lingers like a burn. Needless to say, I don't go down in the swamp very often.
The nice nettles in the orchard are an entirely different species of plant. The garden nettles will sting you, all right, but it's a surprising, irritating prickle that they deliver, not the searing flash that their swampy cousins lash out with. And the two plants look a lot different, too, with the garden nettles being fine-stemmed, low-growing, and bright, emerald green in color. It's said that a weed is merely a plant out of place, and garden nettles definitely live up to this wisdom.
Garden nettles "belong" in the garden; they're only weeds when or where I don't want them growing. Sometimes when I have a nice patch of tender, garden nettles I'll harvest and sell them to the folks that know these "weeds" were brought to California by Italian immigrants who grew them as cooking greens. Garden nettles are excellent used, like spinach, to make savory green sauces or winter-time ravioli fillings. Steep a pinch of garden nettles in hot water and you'll have a soothing glass of herbal tea in minutes.
The nettle's many virtues may seem surprising, but when you research many of the so-called "weeds" in a garden you'll discover that they too are not "wild" plants that have crashed the gates of your garden, but are, in fact, plants that were once esteemed by gardeners and only thrive in garden settings or "disturbed earth." Sow thistles, for example, are an example of a very antique form of lettuce. "White Goosefoot," also known as "Fat Hen," or "Lambsquarters," is a primitive spinach. In the right context many garden weeds are still appreciated. I've sold a lot of Lambsquarters over the years to Greek restaurants, for example, and my Oaxacan farm crew always take home big bunches of this "weed" to cook at home when they can. But nobody that I was aware of ever wanted to eat any swamp nettles.
One day at the Farmers Market a frequent market shopper breezed past the sign I'd posted at the back of my stall that read "BEWARE- STINGING NETTLES. USE TONGS TO HANDLE!" She thrust her hands into the fresh nettles and then let out a little squeak of pain. I stepped over to point to the sign and hand her the tongs. "They're not called 'stinging nettles' for nothing," I said.
"Well, they didn't sting much," she replied.
"A nettle is covered by tiny tubular silica hairs which are hollow and filled with histamines and acids," I told her. "The nettle's sting doesn't come from an actual prickle, or thorn.When you touch the nettle the silica hairs shatter and the toxins splatter onto you, giving you a chemical burn. When we wash and bag the fresh nettle we break a lot of those hairs, so the leaves don't sting as much as they might have when they were first picked"
"Do you have any nettles that sting more?" she asked.
So I told her about the swamp nettles and how ferocious they are.
"Those sound perfect," she said.
So I told her how they're not preferred for cooking. "Swamp nettles are coarse and fibrous and don't cook up with a nice appealing green color like garden nettles do," I said. "When they're cooked they look like wet army pants; not sexy, not nice to eat and not fun to pick."
"Swamp nettles sound great," she said. "I'm not a cook. I run a flogging booth at the Folsom Street Fair and I need wands of fresh, organic stinging nettles."
"Hmmm," I thought, reflecting on the wealth of swamp nettles down in the canyon. "Is this an opportunity for 'brand-able, niche marketing?"
No, I decided. I'd be the first one to get stung, since I can hardly ask someone else to pick them. So my nettles are still down there, growing in the mud. But my garden nettles are tilled under now, and I'm happy. There weren't enough nettles to harvest as a green but a healthy crop of weeds means that the soil is rich. Nettles appreciate lots of nitrogen in the soil, and they'll hardly even germinate if ambient nitrogen levels are low. When I see that the nettles are no longer coming up like they used to I know I need to fertilize again. As it is, the ground is perfect for a crop of pumpkins. Maybe by October Covid will be in our rear view mirror and kids will be able to go trick-or-treating. I'll plant some Jack 'O Lantern pumpkins in between my little lime trees as a marker for my hopes that this year is better and healthier than the last.
—© 2021 Essay by Andy Griffin.
From Oaxaca to Watsonville
Fidel is working out a grass roots level marketing program for his nascent farm. He shows up on Sunday mornings at the laundromat where the Oaxacan women congregate with his car loaded full of fresh produce. Watsonville is no food desert. Our town is surrounded by farms, many people who live in town work on farms, and if you stroll around the suburbs you'll see plenty of gardens. If there's a big patch of fava beans in someone's yard you can almost bet that a family of Azorean Portuguese descent lives there. The huge, floppy leaves of a Taro plant suggests that the residents have roots in the Philippines or Pacific Islands. And there are plenty of markets scattered about that cater to every taste, from mainstream supermarkets like Safeway to more specialized ethnic markets that cater to Mexicans or Japanese. Fidel has worked for us for at least ten years but he wants to have his own farm so it's natural that he's reaching out to his own community of immigrant Oaxacans for support. I'm trying to help him get started by sharing some of our greenhouse space with him, and he's teaching me how to grow some of the varieties of vegetables and herbs that are grown and appreciated in Oaxaca. Right now I'm learning about chayote.
If you want to be a farmer it can't hurt to take classes in plant biology, crop and soil science, or business. But you can also get into farming the way I did and learn by just doing the work. If we're smart we learn from our mistakes and do better every time we try, and getting better at farming is no exception. But if we're really wise we can learn from other people's mistakes and spare ourselves some agony. I'm impressed with Fidel because he has an industrious and curious nature about him. He has a lot of questions and I'm happy to try and answer them as best I can. I remember how important it was for me to have spent a number of years working at Star Route Farm in Bolinas during the early 1980s when my employer, Warren Weber, was so generous with his time and knowledge. He taught me how to farm and I figure now is my time to pay him back in spirit by helping someone else. Besides, Fidel seems to be a natural, not just at growing food but selling it too.
Many people have come from Oaxaca to Watsonville to work in the strawberry fields. Sure, Oaxaca is part of Mexico and the Hispanic markets are here to serve their community. But Oaxaca is also a nation unto itself, or rather a region with a number of very independent nations with a number of different indigenous languages and ancient traditions and the people resist being reduced to a generic "Mexican" status. They have their own ways of preparing food and they have their own varieties of herbs and vegetables that they can't always find in the markets here. Fidel saw an opportunity to grow some of these ethnic crops, like alache, which is a herb in the okra family with leaves that are used to thicken soups and stews, the way filet is used to give body to gumbo. When he shows up at the laundromat the Oaxacan women will leave their laundry swishing in the washing machines and come out into the parking lot to inspect the fresh alache, turning the bunches over and buying what they need. They'll be cooking later on that day and they'll tell their friends about where they were able to find these greens they all miss. This parking lot "pop-up" strategy is perfect marketing- convenient, convivial, and "viral," if I may use that word in these times. But Fidel grows other unusual crops too, and I'm most interested in the chayote.
Chayote, or Sechium edule, is not an uncommon crop in Mexico. In fact, chayote isn't even an uncommon crop across the world, despite the fact that it is still relatively unknown across white bread America. The chayote plant is native to Southern Mexico and Central America, but when Columbus came to the "New" world sparking the so-called "Columbian Exchange" this squash family member was dispersed across South America and also found new homes in Asia and eventually even in Australia. Most chayote varieties are smooth skinned, with a firm but creamy flesh that can be used like their summer squashes cousins are, but can also be grated, tossed with lime juice and served as salad. But the Oaxacans prefer a very spiny variety of chayote- not as convenient for a cook to prepare perhaps, but more to their taste, more "authentic." So Fidel is growing the spiny Oaxacan variety. As for me, I'm always interested in any crop that can find a happy home across cultures. I think of myself as "ethnic Californian," which means that, like my state, I'm open for business across the myriad of cultures that make up our population. Plus I'm curious about food. I haven't cooked chayote and I'm looking forward to learning how. Besides the squashy fruits, the plant also has big, potato-like tubers that can be cooked like potatoes and I'm looking forward to trying them.
Fidel described for me how to build a frame for the chayote plants to climb on. He gave me a number of different chayote plants of different varieties; smooth skinned, spiny, white-fruited, yellow fruited, green fruited. He told me how to protect the tubers from the gophers by putting them in wire baskets so that the plants could sprout back from underground every year as soon as the soil warmed up. And Fidel encouraged me to top off the frame with a rigid and strong mesh so that the squash can hang down to be picked easily by reaching up into the foliage with a pair of clippers. So far, so good. As the weather has warmed the young chayote plants are picking up speed, and this weekend, as cold as it was, the first vines still managed to grab onto the wire mesh and start their ascent. In the fields our summer squash are just flowering, but our chayotes won't be ready until early fall. That should work out perfectly. I planted 20 plus chayote seedlings, and this planting will likely provide us with many, many pounds of harvest. At the very least we'll be able to select out the varieties that perform the best here in Watsonville.
Top photo is the Growing Chayote Vines.
A Tale of Avocados
I don't care what Marjorie Taylor Green or the other "researchers" from the Q-anon community say, the Bacon avocado is not the unholy, genetically modified bastard offspring of a guacamole tree and a salt cured pork. No! The Bacon avocado is so named because it was hybridised by a Mr. James Bacon back in the 1920s.
He was farming near Buena Park in Southern California and he named his new variety after himself. The Bacon avocado has a very nice fruit but it is not as popular today as it's rivsa, the Hass avocado, is. But popularity has its limits, as we'll see.
The Hass avocado is so ubiquitous in the contemporary American marketplace that for many consumers it is almost the only avocado that they know, the ne plus ultra of avocados, but the variety was only discovered in the late 1920s by a Mr. Rudolph Hass, postman and rare fruit enthusiast, who lived in Southern California near Whittier. (His children actually deserve the credit for discovering the variety because it was the kids who noticed how rich and unctuous the fruit was compared to other avocados and they drew his attention to the first tree from which all other trees were cloned.) But the avocado is a tree native to the Americas, probably originating in what is now Southern Mexico and Guatemala. Our English word, "avocado" is derived from the Nahual word "ahuacatl," meaning "testicle." But that's not the only fun fact about the avocado plant.
Avocado trees are not fond of cold weather. Scientists believe that avocados evolved during a warmer, more humid time in Earth's history when our planet's social life was defined by "megafauna," the REALLY BIG prehistoric mammals reached gargantuan proportions by eating plants. One theory has it that avocados developed their oil-rich, flavorful fruit in order to appeal to the appetites of giant sloths, who would eat the fruits and then "disperse" the avocados' big, round seeds around the jungle when they defecated. An avocado's seed, or pit, is so big that you'd have to be a megafauna to "pass" one. Today, we not-so-mega mammals cultivate and disperse the avocado agriculturally and our attentions have changed the plant.
In nature there are many natural varieties of avocado with fruits that range in size from little quail's eggs up to basketballs, but they're all frost sensitive to a greater or lesser degree. When Mr. Bacon selected the "Bacon" avocado out of the different seedlings he was trialing, one of the positive attributes that the variety possessed was that it seemed to be a bit more tolerant of cold nighttime temperatures than other avocadoes. Here in California we're at the outer edge of the climatic zone where avocado can survive- that was true for Mr. Bacon in Whittier and it's especially true for us growers even further north up here in Central California. And the Bacon avocado does have a nice flavor and an appealing, buttery texture to the flesh.
Avocados are often self-sterile, which means they will not self-pollinate. A Hass avocado tree will set some fruit after it gets older but it can't be a really productive commercial crop unless it is cross pollinated with another variety of avocado. As avocados became popular in the United States beyond Southern California the Hass won the popularity contest in the marketplace. But you can't have a viable Hass industry if you don't also cultivate the pollinizer trees. Here in Central California I've seen growers use Zutano and Fuerte avocados as pollinators, but most farmers around here look to Bacons to get the job done. I like Bacons; I made a guacamole the other day using Rangpur Limes and Bacon avocados that came out very nicely. (I've planted a bunch of Rangpur limes, but at present only one tree is bearing. The Rangpur lime is actually a very tart type of mandarin orange, with a loose, thin skin and a bright scent. We should have a small harvest to pick and sell next year.)
In Mexico it is possible for avocado farmers to get two crops a year, or at least 3 crops in 2 years. We're so far to the north that we can only count on one crop per year- if we're lucky! Sometimes we get a hard frost that not only damages the fruit that is hanging on the tree, but also the avocado flower buds that would be the following year's crop. This year, though, everything worked out. The Marsalisi Brothers are getting a decent crop of Bacons now, and there's a nice crop of the Hass avocados that they pollinated coming in a couple of months.
Top photo is a Bacon Avocado on a Marsalisi Brothers Farm tree.
Feed the Soil
The organic mantra is "feed the soil." Feed the soil, and the soil will feed you back. The plants that we harvest are the alchemists that can transmute the base elements of the earth into our food by spinning minerals together with light and water to make leaves, fruits, and seeds. When the soil is rich our crops can thrive. Sometimes we think of the earth poetically as a giving mother who feeds us, but it's also clarifying to think of the soil as a bank account; every harvest is a "withdrawal" of nutrients and if we don't make deposits then, sooner or later, we run out of funds. So we try to care for the soil by putting at least as much back into the soil as we take out. But really, to only replace what we have withdrawn is a bare minimum concept of soil care; in a better world we improve the soils we depend on, and cover crops are one very basic way to do this.
This year our cover crop is a blur of purple and white pea flowers. Every year we sow a "soil builder" blend of cover crop seed. The idea is to "make a deposit of seeds" which then germinate and "accrue interest," growing into a valuable crop of carbon and nutrients that can be "reinvested" by getting plowed under. There are grasses in the mix, like barley, oats, and rye. The grains germinate fast and first. And there are legumes in the mix; fava beans, vetch, and peas. The legumes sprout later than the grasses, and as the grasses grow taller the vining vetches and peas can lean on them in support. While the fava beans don't need the grasses for support, they do benefit from the way the grasses act to break the winds that might beat them down.
The grasses in the cover crop mix do a lot to lock down the soil and keep it from eroding in the rain. The legumes capture lots of available atmospheric nitrogen for the soil. Together the grains and legumes that make up a well blended cover crop can grow a rich, green thatch of foliage, and when the farmer turns the cover crop under the farm "feeds the soil." The cover crop captures carbon from the air and when the farmer turns the cover crop under that carbon is put into the soil where it acts to make the earth more biologically active, with better water retention and more friable texture. In many cases, a good, thick cover crop can also act to clean the soil of weeds. In our fields, for example, malva, or "pigweed" is a problem. The feral malva seeds in the field will germinate with the first rains, the same as the cover crop we've planted, but the cover crop will choke them out before they can flower and set more seed, so the field gets a little cleaner with every cover crop.
But just because we plant the same blend of seed every year doesn't mean the crop comes out the same every year. We've had years with such cold weather that all the peas and favas were killed by frost and the cover crop was almost pure rye, because rye is tough in the face of cold weather. This year, Starr and I tossed out the cover crop seed by hand, counting on the dark clouds overhead to rain our seed into the newly turned soil. But after we planted our cover crop the clouds left without raining and a flock of birds came out of the sky and pecked up most of the grass seeds we'd just sown. The birds moved on when they'd mined out most of the oats and rye but they didn't care for the peas, vetches or fava beans, so our cover crop is mostly made up of legumes. We didn't have a "wet" winter, but we got rain enough to support a flourishing cover crop. There's a sweet scent in the air from all the blossoms. I'll almost be sad to turn this crop under.
Top photo is the cover crop on the farm. And below, are a few things we're planning for this week's mystery box! If you haven't ordered a mystery box recently, now is a great time to get in on spring deliciousness! LadybugBuyingClub
Escarole and Anchovies
Posted by: Shelley Kadota / Posted on:
3 anchovies, chopped
1 head escarole, chopped
From Chef Jonathan Miller. A super quick and surprisingly flavorful dish. Use it by itself or top it with your favorite meat. The liquid exuded from the escarole becomes the sauce. Delicious.
Heat the olive oil and the garlic in a large skillet until fragrant but not browned. Add the anchovies and escarole with a little bit of salt and sauté until wilted and softened. Taste for seasoning, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm as a side dish, or top with fish or another meat.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to update the value in Angular X-editable? I can't make it save the values. For some reason I didn't completely grasp the documentation of the onbeforesave. Here's what I've written but this option doesn't work.
html
<div class='title' editable-text='task.title' onbeforesave="updateTitle(task)">
        {{task.title}}
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js
var app = angular.module('Todolist', ['ngResource', 'xeditable']);

  app.factory('Task', [
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    $scope.user = gon.current_user

    $scope.updateTitle = function(task) {
        id: task.id,
        Task.update(task);
    }
  }
]);

A: the onbeforesave function is executed before the model has been updated, so the task object you are passing is the unchanged object.
You have two options.  You can pass $data, which is the value of the field you are updating, or you can change the attribute to 'onaftersave' (which is called after the model is updated), to make sure you get the updated data.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Searching for: country is "Uganda"
The World Bank has published its fourth Uganda Economic Update report, which looks at why Uganda should reform its pension system. The report argues that a more efficient pension system will help the country to avoid the financial pressure that emerges as the number of public pension recipients rises.
22847979 Click here to contact the authors.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Pugs Atomz & Inkswel "Origami Dollars" (feat. Blu & Georgia Anne Muldrow) [Audio]
At the end of April one of this year's freshest hip-hop albums was released on Sonar Kollektiv: "The Moon" – the first collaborative work of the Chicago rap veteran Pugs Atomz and the Australian producer Inkswel pleasantly surprised with ingenious and at the same time catchy beats and samples as well as sophisticated lyrics and bad-ass punchlines.
For the brand new single "Origami Dollars" (only to be found on the vinyl and cassette album "The Moon" even two first-rate, illustrious guests were invited. The Californian rapper Blu (of Blu & Exile fame) and the renowned singer and part-time MC from Los Angeles Georgia Anne Muldrow each take over one part of this summery mid-tempo groover.
Origami Dollars feat. Blu & Georgia Anne Muldrow by Pugs Atomz & Inkswel


The Beat Megaclub is a well known destination in Fortitude Valley and is Brisbane's "largest gay nightclub". Relax with a cocktail and take in the spectacle of the various live performances.
The Bearded Lady is the destination in West End for a variety of live entertainment.
The Empire Hotel has a strategic location opposite the Fortitude Valley mall.
With its open-air courtyard, upstairs pool table and live entertainment every Friday night, The Pav Bar at the Brisbane Stamford Hotel is the place to be seen!


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Home News Business Michael Kors buys Versace
Michael Kors buys Versace
Michael Kors Holdings Limited (NYSE:KORS), a global fashion luxury group, announced today that a definitive agreement has been signed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Italian luxury fashion house Gianni Versace S.p.A. for a total enterprise value of Euro 1.83 billion or approximately US$2.12 billion. Versace, long recognized as one of the world's leading luxury fashion companies, is synonymous with Italian glamour and style.
John D. Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Michael Kors Holdings Limited, said, "The acquisition of Versace is an important milestone for our group. Versace was founded in 1978. For over 40 years, Versace has represented the epitome of Italian fashion luxury, a testament to the brand's timeless heritage. We are excited to have Versace as part of our family of luxury brands, and we are committed to investing in its growth. With the full resources of our group, we believe that Versace will grow to over US$2.0 billion in revenues. We believe that the strength of the Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo brands, and the acquisition of Versace, position us to deliver multiple years of revenue and earnings growth."
Mr. Idol continued, "Donatella's iconic style is at the heart of the design aesthetic of Versace. She will continue to lead the company's creative vision. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Donatella on Versace's next chapter of growth."
"This is a very exciting moment for Versace," said Donatella Versace. "It has been more than 20 years since I took over the company along with my brother Santo and daughter Allegra. I am proud that Versace remains very strong in both fashion and modern culture. Versace is not only synonymous with its iconic and unmistakable style, but with being inclusive and embracing of diversity, as well as empowering people to express themselves. Santo, Allegra and I recognize that this next step will allow Versace to reach its full potential. We are all very excited to join a group led by John Idol, whom I have always admired as a visionary as well as a strong and passionate leader. We believe that being part of this group is essential to Versace's long-term success. My passion has never been stronger. This is the perfect time for our company, which puts creativity and innovation at the core of all of its actions, to grow."
Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Donatella Versace, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen walk the runway at the Versace show during Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on September 22, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage)
Donatella added, "Santo, Allegra and I will become shareholders in Capri Holdings Limited. This demonstrates our belief in the long-term success of Versace and commitment to this new global fashion luxury group."
"Versace's management team will continue to be led by Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Akeroyd, who has been an instrumental partner to Donatella in driving growth and success for Versace worldwide," added John D. Idol. "He and Donatella have assembled strong senior management and design teams that will continue to lead Versace into its next chapter. We are extremely fortunate to be able to acquire such an extraordinary brand with an incredibly talented team."
Jonathan Akeroyd, Chief Executive Officer of Versace, said, "Since I joined Versace over two years ago, our focus has been on leveraging the company's heritage and strong brand recognition worldwide, which has allowed us to experience significant growth in all regions. Donatella's unmatched vision has led to the continued and growing success of our brand. I am thrilled to be joining Capri Holdings Limited, which will be instrumental in accelerating our growth globally."
Strategic Initiatives and Transaction Rationale
As part of our strategic plan for the long-term growth of Versace, we intend to execute on the following key initiatives:
Grow Versace to US$2.0 billion in revenues globally
Build on Versace's luxury runway momentum
Enhance Versace's powerful and iconic marketing
Increase global retail footprint from approximately 200 to 300 stores
Accelerate e-commerce and omni-channel development
Expand men's and women's accessories and footwear from 35% to 60% of revenues
The acquisition of Versace is expected to deliver a number of benefits for our Company, including:
Opportunity to help grow our group's revenues to US$8.0 billion in the long-term
Expand our global luxury group to include three iconic founder-led brands defined by fashion luxury products with a reputation for world-class design and innovation
Diversify our geographic portfolio from:
66% Americas to 57% Americas
23% Europe to 24% Europe
11% Asia to 19% Asia
Potential to create long-term operational synergies
The transaction is not subject to a financing condition. The cash portion of the purchase price is expected to be funded by a combination of cash on hand, drawings under the company's existing revolving credit facility, and committed underwritten bank term loans from our advisors JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Barclays. The Versace family will also receive Euro 150 million of the purchase price in shares of Capri Holdings Limited. The transaction is expected to close in the company's fourth fiscal quarter, subject to specified closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals.
Our New Name
Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE:CPRI) is the new name to be adopted by Michael Kors Holdings Limited upon the closing of the acquisition. Our name is inspired by the fabled island which has long been recognized as an iconic, glamorous and luxury destination. The island's spectacular three rock formation, formed over 200 million years ago, is symbolic of the timeless heritage and strong foundation that is at the core of each of the three founder-led brands in our global fashion luxury group.
The company believes that the acquisition of Versace enhances the company's economic value and will drive improved long-term shareholder value by accelerating long-term revenue and EPS growth potential. On a non-GAAP basis the acquisition is expected to be dilutive to earnings per share in the high-single digits in fiscal 2020, accretive in the low-single digits in fiscal 2021, and accretive in the high-single digits in fiscal 2022.
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Stereotypes In Today's Society
Today's society still has a main set of ideas on how men and women are expected to dress, behave, and present themselves solely based on their gender. Gender role expectations can vary from each society, ethnic group, and culture. Gender based stereotypes are widely accepted judgments or biases about a person or group, but these stereotypes are typically exaggerated and not always accurate. Gender based stereotypes can cause sexism, which is defined as "prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex." (Oxford Dictionary). Although gender roles are changing for the better, they still exist in today's world and affect our society's perspective on gender based personality traits, domestic behaviors and…show more content…
For example, women are expected to be thin and graceful and to dress and groom in ways that are stereotypical to women, like wearing dresses and makeup. For example, a study on self-perceptions of physical appearance "indicated that women considered all components of appearance except height to be more important than did men and were more interested in changing their appearance than were men." (Gender, Gender Role, and Physical Appearance). This shows how women are typically more insecure about how they look and if they fit their stereotypical look that society has created for them or not. On the other hand, men are expected to be tall and muscular. However, in the same research, it stated that "few physical attributes distinguished among the male gender-role groups." (Gender, Gender Role, and Physical Appearance). Many people believe that men can also be very insecure about making sure they meet the standards of what a "man" should look like. For example, it is not very common to see grown men walking around in the streets wearing makeup and dresses, as these features have been assigned to women by our society. Stereotyping physical appearances by gender has always been common in our society and is still existent in today 's world, whether we choose to recognize it or…show more content…
Gender roles can be broken down one person at a time. For example, if more and more women became successful doctors, it would help break down the stereotype that only men could be successful doctors in their community. On the other hand, if multiple men decided to express their love for makeup to others, although he may get discriminated and picked on, he would make a difference in breaking down that specific stereotype. Recently, more and more people have been advocating against gender roles and have been trying to break them, which has made a huge difference in our society. Although gender roles are more existent in different parts of the world than others, they are changing and one step at a time, gender roles will slowly be less and less existent in today's
Consequences Of Gender Stereotypes
The manner in which the men and women carry themselves around is fundamental to the definition and distinction of gender in general. There are acts both of omission and commission that are associated with each gender. However as days go by, the society undergoes transformation and so do the traditions and cultures that shape and influence the society as whole. In the family set up for example, the different roles are distributed depending on gender. There are also perceptions relating to the behavior of people that distinguish what are expected and what is not expected from people of a given gender.
Discrimination Without Changing Culture
The definition of discrimination is observing people's or a groups' dissimilarities, holding main differences against these people or groups and making them exposed to judge and sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination in cultures can't be eliminated without changing the culture itself.Like Charlotte Bunch 's quote "Sexual, racial, gender violance and other forms of dicrimination in culture can not be eliminated without changing culture." As I stated in its description, discrimination is the experience of bias which people can't change and can't choose. In our lives, women are unfortunately all being exposed to discrimination due to their gender. Simply being a man or a woman is changing the way that how a person is being treated by society and sadly, most of the time, the difference is extreme. There is only one question at this point that we are not able to answer yet: Why does sexual discrimination exist?
Gender Stereotypes In Leadership
GENDER Refer to (Schein, 1989) stated that the both men and women not only depend on biological term but the social roles of the genders also determined by the contemporary society since these roles are determined primarily by culture. There is a very great diversity among women even though they do bring diversity to the leadership. According to Schein (1989) even though many research have proven the differences between female and males, but commonly believed that the variation between female and male are fewer. Besides that the differences between the sexes is lesser than the differences within each sex. In the late 1960s and early 1970s each research on sex role stereotypes shows that women were seen to be more cams
Emma Watson Gender Equality
Over history, the rights of women has been something that needs to be fought for. Women are treated differently than men, they are not as appreciated as men are. Stereotypes say that men are better, men are stronger, their ability is better than women. People have grown to believe in this stereotype. Emma Watson is one of the most influential people because she is trying to break the stereotype of gender inequality by encouraging men to play an active role with women's rights, by being a positive female role model, and breaking down traditional gender roles.
Gender Ambiguity In Fashion
Moreover, fashion companies do not only change the perspective of thinking, but some of them also seek to erase gender differences altogether. Gender-neutral dressing has become a very popular trend nowadays. Some years ago, most of people believed that men who wear, so-called, women's clothes have to be considered feminine and women who wear men's- masculine. This particular attitude is being disturbed by such designers, who create the same dresses for both- women and men; or by the appearance of the transsexual models in the fashion industry. I may have stated it several times before, however my goal is to emphasize the influence of fashion in people's comprehending of the world and the human being himself.
Gender Inequality In Sport
Even though this is a great step towards the equality of genders in the area of sports, there is still much yet to be accomplished internationally, especially on the portrayal of women athletes by media. Boys are often encouraged to become athletes, or to become like their sporty idols, yet girls are discouraged when they express their interest in becoming like successful female athletes. Why is this so? In general, the most recognized sport players around the globe are men, such as Stephen Curry, or Lionel Messi, which media focuses on a lot. What the media does not provide as much attention to and do not urge the population to become like, are women athletes.
Examples Of Gender Discrimination In America Today
Gender discrimination is everywhere, from middle schools to high paying STEM jobs. Typically, it's portrayed with women and the stereotypical Barbie doll idea of perfect hair, face, clothes, etc. Gender discrimination does not only affect women, but everyone else too. Men worry about being too tall or too short, being overweight or too skinny. Most people characterize men to be flawless with perfect muscles and hair.
Social Issues In Mad People
Even though gender, race, and class in media are rather new subjects for studying, there utilization and appealing to them are widely used in the various media and Far Away Places is not an exception. At the same time, the analysis should be deep and multiple for defining real topics and messages of the piece of media (Dines et al, p. 12). The episode might be defined as one that depicts interpersonal communication problems. Don and Megan Draper lack the understanding in their couple because of the general domination of the husband over his wife. However, this situation depicts also misunderstanding between genders because on the bases of the social inequality of individuals according to their sexes.
The Importance Of Stereotypes In Movies
Heldman (2013), states that women who are grow up in a culture with widespread objectification tend to view them as objects for desire for others. This is an old stereotype but is still obvious today because many women are put in positions where they have to use their sexuality to fight crimes while men on the other hand don't have to objectify themselves because most male characters are presented as independent. Marla McConnell (2014) argues that, as media has become a powerful force in shaping the worlds perception of itself. This means that the more we are accepting the stereotype that men are more superior than men in movies that's how it's going to be because the media keeps reminding us that's how its supposed to
Is Beauty In The Eye Of The Beholder?
Women typically worry more about their physical appearance than men. Women constantly try to fit in to look beautiful. They spend so much time making sure their makeup, hair, and outfit are perfect. Some people wear makeup to appear beautiful by achieving the proper proportions of their face. The article "Numeric Expression of Aesthetics and Beauty" by B. S. Atiyeh and S. N. Hayek explains how the proportions of the face determine whether someone is viewed as beautiful or not.
More about Stereotypes In Today's Society
Gender role


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Barbara Heffernan
Schiff Hardin LLP
Barbara K. Heffernan concentrates her practice in energy regulation, litigation, and transactions. She is a Past President of the Energy Bar Association (EBA), a national professional association of approximately 2,500 attorneys and other energy professionals. She also is a past delegate for the EBA to the American Bar Association's House of Delegates.
Barbara has represented numerous clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the federal courts for more than 30 years on a variety of matters concerning the regulation of natural gas and electricity.
These include representing gas pipelines, local distribution companies, and electric utilities in various FERC compliance and enforcement matters; preparing compliance programs and training materials; preparing reports to FERC's Office of Enforcement (OE), responding to data requests from OE, participating in meetings and negotiations with staff on behalf of clients undergoing investigation by OE.
Barbara represents interstate pipelines in numerous proceedings before the FERC concerning gas quality, interconnection issues, discounted and negotiated rates, gathering services, force majeure and service interruption issues.
Barbara represents two major interstate pipelines in rate, certificate, and enforcement matters before the FERC and the federal courts. These matters have included filings to construct new facilities and offer new services, filings to recover costs associated with the provision of interstate pipeline transmission service, and various revisions to the pipeline's tariff and pro forma service agreements.
Barbara recently represented one of these clients with respect to a non-public investigation by OE. That matter was successfully settled. She also recently won an appeal before the D.C. Circuit for these clients related to the FERC's jurisdiction over gathering services.
Barbara was recently involved in a successful appellate proceeding for a gas distribution company that concerns the impact of receipts of liquefied natural gas on the facilities of the distribution company. FERC's orders were vacated by the court and, on remand, FERC issued an order addressing our client's safety concerns.
She also represents a major energy company, and its natural gas pipeline and electric utility subsidiaries on numerous regulatory and transactional matters before the FERC and the federal courts. Barbara also is currently representing an electric utility in a hydro-electric licensing proceeding. The case concerns an existing unlicensed facility and raises complex issues related to the project boundary and dam safety.
The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, J.D., 1978
University of Maryland, B.A., 1975
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
American Bar Association, Section of Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law; Section of Environment, Energy and Resources
Energy Bar Association, Past President and Board Member; Past Board Member (Charitable Foundation); Past President and Board Member (Energy Law Journal Foundation); Past Delegate to ABA
Women's Council on Energy and the Environment
What types of cases Attorney Barbara Heffernan & Schiff Hardin LLP can handle?
Schiff Hardin LLP can handle cases related to laws concerning Litigation, Energy Utilities & Environmental. We manually verify each attorney's practice areas before approving their profiles and reviews on our website.
Where is Schiff Hardin LLP located?
Schiff Hardin LLP is located at 901 K St NW #700, Washington, DC 20001, USA. You can reach out to Schiff Hardin LLP using their phone line 202.778.6440. You can also check their website schiffhardin.com or email them at [email protected].
How much would it cost to hire Schiff Hardin LLP?
Barbara Heffernan lawyer charges are specific to each case. However, they work with contingency fees and its ranges from $$ to $$$. They also provide free consultation [and no obligation quotes] if you are interested to hire.
Are Barbara Heffernan reviews trust-able?
We have the ratings and reviews moderation team who checks and verifies every review submitted on our website manually. You can trust all the reviews you see on Barbara Heffernan lawyer profile listing.
K Street Northwest 901
Washington 20001 DC US
Frederick Hartmann
Lawrence Heftman


Acudor FB-5060-TD Recessed 1/2 inch for Tile, Uninsulated Fire Rated Access Doors for tiled walls.
The Acudor FB-5060-TD fire rated access door is an enhanced FB-5060 designed for use in tiled walls. The door is recessed 1/2" and is lined with self-furring lath. The Acudor FB-5060 is approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for 1 ½ hours "B" label in walls and ULC for 2 hours "B" label in walls. Designed to maintain continuity in a 2-hour fire barrier wall, the FB-5060 should be used whenever it is necessary to provide access to fire rated walls when temperature rise is not a factor.
Fire Rating (Walls): UL-1-1/2 hour "B" label. ULC-2 hour "B" (optional) Max size is 36" x 48"
12" x 12" 16" x 16" 18" x 18" 24" x 24" 24" x 36"


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Bees have evolved to be city dwellers and prefer urban areas to
Bees must become city dwellers to in order to survive, according to a new study which found the insects now fare better in towns.Scientists compared the progress of colonies in urban, village and rural environments and found numbers are roughly three times healthier in built-up areas than in the country.The researchers at Holloway University believe predators, agricultural pesticides and a reduction of food in rural areas mean city gardens and other green spaces have now become safer and more nutritious for bees than their traditional habitats.The crucial pollinators are under significant strain, partly due to the intensification of arable farming.–– ADVERTISEMENT ––But there has been an increase in the number of urban beehives as more people take up beekeeping as a hobby. The team captured 176 foraging queens from Windsor Great Park in Surrey and then reintroduced them across 114 sites in London and the South East.They found the numbers of sexual offspring, the size of food stores, and ability to avoid parasite invasion was all improved in towns.Published in the Royal Society Journal, the 10-week study is believed to be the first to show a species to demonstrate a direct relationship between ubranisation and reproductive success."Reductions in forage availability in modern agricultural landscapes have been identified as a potential major driver of bee population declines," the authors wrote. Show more "Accordingly, we found less stored pollen and nectar in agricultural colonies than in city or village colonies, suggesting forage availability may be a contributing factor to poor performance at agricultural sites."Last month it was announced an insect "road network" should be created throughout Britain to protect species such as bees, butterflies and moths from decline.The Ministry of Justice and The Environment Agency are already working with the charity Buglife to identify sites such as prisons, seawalls and floodplains where they could create wildflower habitats. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
Tagged Aamina, Brin, Emilio, Jaeda, Kalei, Kristian, Letitia, Marty, Susi, Yente
Ben Stokes drank beer vodka and potentially Jägerbombs on night of street
British teen hacker made I own you appear on US security chiefs
JABA president turns spotlight on security
Sterling back with a bang for Arnett
STETHS find groove in 6-0 victory
Foster's Fairplay: Danielle Williams – best of 2015
Past the finishing post


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Disis. J. (2017 Jul 2). CNN: Trump's latest tweet 'encourages violenceagainst reporters'. CNN: https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/02/media/cnn-trump-wwe-tweet/index.html
According to the article, President Donald Trump shared a video of a WWEbroadcast (wrestling) which had been edited to show him fighting off a man witha CNN logo on his face'. Trump's made the cable network to respond through anofficial statement. IN the statement, CNN indicates that it was disappointed inthe unfortunate acts of the president of the United States to share contentwhich poses a risk of inciting violence against news reporters. The authorquotes the press release which further lists the president's roles andreminding him that he should focus on his responsibilities instead of focusingon what was called actions below the dignity of his office.


It probably comes as no surprise that I subscribe to the motto "if it moves, monogram it!" And, since I am a student and spend the majority of my day surrounded by school supplies, I love to add a touch of color and fun to my notebooks and folders. One of the best ways I have found to personalize my school supplies is with vinyl decals.
Recently, I received these colorful monogram decals from Sunshine Vinyl. I love how the pink script monogram on my folder adds an extra personal touch. After the academic day ends, I am usually at school a couple additional hours for clubs and activities. I keep this folder for all my clubs and activities. It is a great place to keep track of papers relating to deadlines, service hours and thespian points.
With such a long day, I often need to charge my phone and in a sea of similar charging cords, I love that I can spot my customized cord with this fun gold monogram.
I also tuck a Lilly tumbler in my bag, it is great to have on hand and fill with water as I move from activity to activity. And since it is moving with me, of course it needs a monogram.


Insert, Select, Update and Delete statements these are basics of a programming because these are common coding practice which applies in development of application or a website associated with the database. Insert, Select, Update and Delete altogether also known as DML (Data Manipulation Language) statements which helps in managing the data with the database within schema objects.
We will not get into more detailed explanation about the database but just a breif for undertsanding.
Database is a collection of data stored in a computer disc space or server space. In simple words it is a space where your data is been stored.
In a single database we can create any number of data tables. It's like a school with many classrooms and each classroom will have different school students.
In a single data table we create any number of columns For eg. studentID, studentName, studentAddress and in a single data table we can store data for specific topic.
Like to store student's records you can have students data table, For school accounts you can have accounts data table, For school results you can have results data table.
Now in further we will try to understand about data manipulation statements i.e. (Insert, Select, Update and Delete).
Select statement let you to retrieve the data from the database table.
For ex : In simple words if you want to pick up single student record, multiple student records or all students records from the table database you just need to use "Select" statement.
"students" - Data Table in a database.
Insert statement lets you to insert new record or new data into the database table.
For ex : In simple words if you want to add new student record then you need to use "Insert" Statement.
"student" - Table in a database.
Note: For numeric data we dont use (" ") inverted comma and for string data we use (" ") inverted comma .
Update Statement lets you to update existing one or more records in the database table depending on condition.
For ex: Updating existing student records.
"Where studentID = 1 " - It is a condition, means update student record whose ID number is = 1.
Delete statement helps to delete one or more records from the database table depending on condition.
For ex: Removing any student from a class.
"Where studentID = 1 " - It is a condition, means delete student record whose ID number is = 1.
When we have a website or an application associated with database (Sql, Oracle, Mysql and so on) then to do manipulation (i.e. Displaying, Deletion, Updating and Insertion) in the database we have to use only DML Language statements (i.e. Insert, Select, Update and Delete Statements).
Now that you have understoond about data manipulation language, now let's do step by step insert, update, delete and select using asp.net c# code with ado.net objects.
To demonstrate step by step insert update delete and select, we will be using a simple web application, you can choose anything web or windows depending on your requirement the coding part will remain the same.
After creating a new website, create a new database from server explorer of visual studio or SQL server. We have shown you an example through visual studio 2010.
After creating a new database, let's add new data tables with colums like as shown in below image file.
Adding connection string to web.config file.
First Right click on the database name then click on the properties (Alt + Enter).
Once you have copied the connection string go to your asp.net web site solution explorer. Find the web.config file open that web.config file.
Replace the above connection string with your copied connection string.
Add new aspx file i.e. default.aspx file to your web project.
Drag and drop a gridview to the page from the tool box then do the following as shown in below.
i.e. Add - Edit Delete buttons from the command field and check on the auto generate fields. Edit link is for to choose which record to edit and delete link is for to delete the selected record.
Create a form to update and insert records into database from website as shown above i.e. Name, Address and Salary then add one hidden field and two submit buttons, name it.
We will be display the records on grid view. So let's display the records using select statement.
In default.aspx.cs file import the SQL namespaces on top .
Now in a page load write the connection string and open up the sql connection as shown below.
After opening up the sql connection, Let's write the Select statement in the sql command and the execute the sql query using sql command execute reader and append it to grid view data source as shown below.
To add new record to the database we will use the following form that we have created in our default.aspx file.
We will write insert statement in the button click event. So double click on a button, a button click event opens up.
First we need to open up the sql connection as same as previously we did it for select statement then in a sql command write the following insert statement as shown below.
Then by using the command object call the ExecuteNonQuery() method to execute query. We normally use this method while updating, deleting and inserting.
txtName.Text, txtAddress.Text and txtSal.Text are the form input name to take form input data.
So just run the website by holding Ctrl + F5 and add input data in the text box finally click on add new record button to add new record to the database.
What we did here, we have displayed the records in the grid view screen and there itself we have provided an option for edit and delete as a link as shown below.
When a user clicks on an edit link of any selected row of data then "select" query or statement fires and it display's the records in the following form as shown below.
So for now we will assume that user clicks on the edit link and following details displayed on the screen as shown below.
So we have just clicked on 10th record and the same data appears on the screen and we have recorded the employee ID i.e. Number = 10 in our hiddenfield. If you see our form there we have a hiddenfield of employee ID.
HiddenFields: It helps us to store the important values which we can use it in the later part of coding.
This hidden field value or employee ID, I'm going to use it in an update statement for an updating purpose.
So next step when a user clicks on update button on the form, we have to fire an update statement, so fire an update statement.
Procedure is same, first we need to open up sql connection, then on sql command we to just need to write an update statement with the "Where" condition.
Note: In our "WHERE" condition we have passed hidden field value to employee id.
What we did here, we have displayed all the records in the grid view screen and there itself for each record we have provided an option for edit and delete as a link as shown below.
So when a user clicks on the delete link of selected row, on delete link event args we have fired delete statement with following delete code as shown below.
Delete Procedure is same as did it for update and insert, first we need to open up sql connection, then on sql command we to just need to write a delete statement with the "Where" condition.
i am looking for a event handling.
i m new to asp.net give me solution CREATE DATABASE permission denied in database 'master'. Cannot attach the file 'C:\Documents and Settings\user\My Documents\ado.mdf' as database 'ado'.
It was of a great help..thanks..good article.
Such a helpful info using very easy and understandable language. Really very nice. Thanks.
The article you submitted are really very useful for and i want to step by step article like How to create Trigger and many more. So, i request to you please provide that type information and is it possible to find your article in a pdf form.
Very much Helpful. Can you please describe the code of clicking "Edit".
How to Set HiddenFiled and selected index change row cell???
Thanks for providing a good tutorials. Sir Please give me some information about Ado.net like Execute Non Query, sqlDatareader ,Data set and so on.
Than Q nyc article bro.
Plz send me how to make gridview in database.
Very very best site for understanding the basic concepts with example.


Pull it. Tear it. Stick it! Knock Knock's sticky roll notes contain over 26 feet of note-taking tape to place anywhere you need to assess your shopping list. Pull, tear, and stick on a mirror, desk, fridge, cubicle, windshield - anywhere!


Even before the current XK arrived on our roads back in 2006 it attracted controversy as a design. We shouldn't be surprised: a cornerstone of a Jaguar's appeal has always been its sensuous styling, and image is more important than ever in these design-savvy times.
The XK has presence. From some angles it is strikingly handsome, but it isn't quite the gorgeous vision in aluminium that Jaguar's marketing suits would have us believe.
The XK remains a conservative design, even after facelifts in 2009 and 2011. Its classical coupé proportions mix with strong Jaguar hallmarks such as the ovoid intake 'mouth'. But perhaps the biggest change is that the fuselage shape of the XK8's lower body has been traded for a Coke-bottle form that heightens the XK's muscularity, as do shorter overhangs and a wider track.
It is the larger details that split opinions most: the bluff nose, the slightly shapeless headlamps and the round tail lights provoking most debate. Some believe the overall design should have been more adventurous.
The same cannot be said of the XKR-S model, which is about as in-your-face as a sports design can be. XKR-Ss get heavily sculpted front-ends for increased cooling and greater distinction. It's a design that's very un-Jaguar, but diversification away from what one believes a traditional Jaguar should be is a constant aim for design chief Ian Callum and his team.
Many will gaze at the XK's bodywork without realising that the metal itself is what sets this new Jaguar apart. Like the XJ, it uses Jaguar's epoxy-bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque construction. Not only does this make the XK 30 percent stiffer than the old XK8, it is also around 100kg lighter.


The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates later to their lowest for more than half a century; many commentators were surprised last month when the bank announced a dramatic cut in the bank rate from 4.5% to 3%.
Business leaders and economists have called for rates to be slashed to 2% to prevent the downturn deepening. Bank rates have never fallen below 2% from the foundation of the bank in 1694.
The bank is prepared to act decisively, with the economy slowing sharply. Governor Mervyn King told a parliamentary committee last week, "We will take whatever action we feel necessary on interest rates to steer the economy back into calmer waters.
An average property in the Uk is now valued at £163.605, found the Halifax, a level last seen in July of 2005.The annual rate of decline is compared by the mortgage lender by comparing the average house price over the past three months with the average for the same three-month period the year before.
Moneyfacts, the financial information service estimates that homeowners could see a saving of between £19 and £75 a month - depending on the size of the rate cuts and whether lenders pass on the cuts in full.
However, any further cut in rates is unlikely to be welcomed by savers who often depend on interest payments from their savings, as banks are also likely to cut the interest they pay on these accounts.
The Halifax will be publishing its formal house price prediction for 2009 later this month.


Nails Inc. Spray Paint Nail Polish Review | Top Beauty Blog in the Philippines covering Makeup Reviews, Swatches, Skincare and More!
Check out Beauty Vlogger Tati of Glam Life Guru try Nails Inc's "Spray Paint Nail Polish" aka the world's first spray on nail polish in one her latest YouTube videos. Have you guys already tried this nail polish? Let me know your thoughts about this product in the comment section below.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Paint Can Spray On Nail Polish is perfect for on-the-go nail polish fans who are on the go. Just spray onto the fingertips and the polish adheres to the base coat or nail polish. To remove any excess polish, quickly wash away from the skin with water or cleansing wipes. You'll achieve perfectly applied polish instantly. For up to four days of wear with a glossy finish, apply a top coat.
Wow, I thought it would have been really easy and simple to use, but obviously not! I'll stick to the normal nail polish!
I so want to try this out.
I had to watch this. That is awful, haha! Great post!
It seems impractical, and also much time is wasted product.


What is a "Laneway Suite"?
Many cities across North America have enacted this legislation, including the city of Vancouver which adopted this legally in 2016. A "laneway suite" is also known as a "coach house or laneway house" and it is essentially a secondary property at the back of the existing home or dwelling on the land, which can be leased out or potentially sold by the owners. It is also called an "auxiliary housing unit".
How big can I build a Laneway house?
In Vancouver, the ability to build a laneway house on your property depends on the width of your land. You can build a laneway house on any lot 32 feet or wider in any residential single family zone in Vancouver. Since 2016, more than 2,000 laneway houses have been built in Vancouver, and other municipalities are following Vancouver's lead.
This legislation is not yet passed in Toronto. The Toronto Real Estate Board has supported the passing of this legislation and strongly believes that it can alleviate the supply of affordable housing and long-term rental stock in Toronto. Toronto currently has a very low rental vacancy rate (less than 1%) and this continues to drive prices up. It's a case of supply and demand economics.
Laneway houses have been built in the United Kingdom as well, where they have often been referred to as the "Granny Cottage". They offer opportunities for multigenerational living, and allow families to stay united with the Grand Parents while still maintaining some privacy for each generation.
Hopefully Toronto will soon pass this much needed legislation.


DJ Leo is one of the most well-known DJ's in Thailand and has performed at many national festivals and venues including the International Pattaya Music Festival 2011 and 2012, Big Mountain Festival, Flick Fun Fest 2013, Sean Kington Live in Vientiane, Samed in Love, Chill FM on The Beach and at the After Party of Akon Live in Bangkok.
DJ Leo creates a fusion of vibrant, uplifting tunes and has a lot of experience in live performance and big events. His styles include electro dance house, electro house, dirty electro and Hip-hop and is a bit hit with the clubbing scene.


Members are at the heart of our operation. They realize activities through participation in ECSA Working Groups and shape the way the organisation is developing. Membership is coupled to a yearly membership fee and to the benefits listed below.
Access to members-only internal mailing list for information, job offers, grant application participation requests etc.
ECSA supporters are welcome to participate in activities, share their experiences and closely follow what we are doing. Becoming a supporter is open for organizations and individuals and free of charge.
ECSA represents a growing network of researchers, citizen scientists, SMEs, political and civil society organisations. As an association with the aim to promote citizen science across Europe via joint action and exchange amongst practitioners, we look forward to contribute to joint research and coordination projects.
Depending on the expertise and experience needed, ECSA can contribute to projects centrally through ECSA Headquarters as well as via our members.
For more information, please get in touch with ECSA Headquarters and ask for our Terms of Engagement.
We have established tailored Memoranda of Understanding with several partners and less formal agreements with others. Let us know what you would like to do together – we're happy to learn what you have in mind and open for experiments!
Come to ECSA Headquarters at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin for a short period of time (up to a month) to advise ECSA on a specific task or activity in your area of expertise while getting to know the association from the inside (open for guest researchers that can fund their stay and travel costs – we hope to be able to support this in the future). Or do an internship at ECSA to learn about the organisation and contribute to its activities. These options are open on request for specific profiles only and depending on available capacities at Headquarters. We're happy to provide more information.
Via our bi-monthly Newsletter we share news and current projects of ECSA and its members as well as general information on Citizen Science in Europe.
Please also find us on Facebook. and Twitter.
Join our next webinar on "Citizen Science for monitoring urban landscape dynamics"!