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Microfinance: Empowering Women or Micro-Effective? |
What Kind of "Green" do we Need in Education? |
Map of Paracel Islands in South China Sea. |
A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 22 kilometers, or 12 nautical miles, of a tiny, disputed island in the South China Sea. |
U.S. officials said the USS Stethem sailed by Triton Island, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, on Sunday. |
FILE - U.S. Navy destroyer USS Stethem transits waters east of the Korean Peninsula during a photo exercise including the U.S. Navy and South Korean Navy during the Operation Foal Eagle. |
The exercise marks the Navy’s second operation demonstrating freedom of navigation in disputed waters since President Donald Trump took office in January. |
Two Chinese frigates and a minesweeper trailed the destroyer, a U.S. military official told VOA. |
China accused the U.S. Navy of trespassing, but U.S. officials said the destroyer was conducting a routine exercise in international waters. |
Lu Kang, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the U.S. move was "a serious political and military provocation" and that such operations "violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security." |
Twenty-two kilometers is the internationally recognized territorial boundary that extends beyond the coast of all nations. Authorities say the sailing of the Stethem within 22 kilometers of Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel Islands, was meant to indicate that the U.S. does not recognize any government's terri... |
A movement is underway to fill some of Baltimore's 14,000 vacant lots with flower farms, where residents could grow zinnias and toad lilies and hyacinths to sell to local florists or invite the public to come pick their own bouquets. |
The city's spending panel agreed Wednesday to contribute $5,000 for a consultant's study of the potential for leasing empty lots to flower farmers as an outgrowth of the farm-to-table push. |
Ellen Frost, who owns Local Color Flowers in Charles Village, said she's looking for nearby growers to fill her orders and help shrink the industry's environmental footprint by using blooms that have been treated with fewer chemicals and traveled fewer miles. |
"Flowers are a good option for people who are interested in farming but want to try something different or have a niche that sets them apart from food growers," Frost said. "For us, it's exciting as a viable entrepreneurial option for farmers, and to eliminate blight." |
Flowers can be a good use for vacant lots that may contain pollutants from a former life and may not be suitable for growing food, advocates say. And some flowering plants can draw pollution out of the soil, helping to cleanse it for later use, said Mary Hendrickson, an assistant professor of rural sociology at the Uni... |
Ellen Frost, who owns Local Color Flowers in Charles Village, said she's looking for more local growers to fill her orders. |
"Flowers make more money per acre than vegetable production," Hendrickson added. "I see this as a great use of space in Baltimore." She said St. Louis, Detroit and Minneapolis are among cities where abandoned spaces are being turned into flower farms. |
While some vacant land is targeted for redevelopment as housing or for commercial use, the city started a push for more community gardens in 2011, said Jenny Guillaume, coordinator of the city's Growing Green Initiative. The idea is to improve blighted neighborhoods, give families access to more healthful food options ... |
Now, Guillaume said, the city wants to figure out whether market forces are strong enough to support flower farms, which could also produce petals for perfumes, cooking and essential oils. Another option could be to allow people to stop by and pick their own bunches, the way some orchards sell hand-picked apples. |
"More and more people are interested in using more local products, and that has encouraged flower farming," Guillaume said. |
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she's excited by the possibilities, based on reports from other cities. Chicago, she said, has a program "where they teach people how to cultivate flowers to create a fragrance. They created two or three perfumes that are very Chicago. I feel like Baltimore smells better than Chicago... |
The Board of Estimates approved a $10,000 contract with Kristin Dawson, a former city policy analyst who runs a consulting firm that specializes in urban agriculture. The firm provides operations and project management support to a variety of businesses, Dawson said later. Half of the money for the study will come from... |
The consultant is charged with investigating local supply and demand, establishing a working group of local stakeholders, charting lot availability, researching how to process flowers into products and identifying industry best practices, according to information presented to the Board of Estimates. |
Guillaume said the consultant is expected to report back to the city by early March. The idea to explore flower farming came, in part, from an entry in a city contest to propose uses for vacant property. Walker Marsh, who works as a field manager for Baltimore's Real Food Farm, was a winner of the Growing Green Design ... |
He said he hopes the space at North Gay and North Washington streets will eventually feature benches for community gatherings, a rain garden, composting, a storage shed and flower beds blooming with marigolds and tulips and snapdragons. |
"It is deeper than flowers for me," Marsh said of his passion for growing. "Once I was into it, I found I could calm myself. You have to have patience and be gentle, all the things that come with farming and gardening." |
Marsh said he wants to sell bouquets at the site, provide arrangements for weddings and special occasions, wholesale his flowers to local florists and partner with farmers' market vendors. |
Baltimore has at least one flower farm. Maya Kosok, coordinator for the Farm Alliance of Baltimore City, started Hillen Homestead near Clifton Park in Northeast Baltimore about 21/2 years ago. The city's decision to explore flower farms on a larger scale only makes sense, she said. |
"Sustainable agriculture and urban agriculture have been gaining momentum in the last decade or two, and I have certainly been inspired by a lot of great examples in Baltimore and elsewhere," Kosok said. |
Kosok said she will make about $10,000 this year on her flower farm. Most of the sales are to Frost's Local Color Flowers, she said. |
Frost, who buys all her flowers within a 100-mile radius of Baltimore, opened her flower shop in 2008. This year, she's made arrangements for 85 weddings and dozens of special events, she said. |
She recently started convening a small group of potential flower farmers to talk about techniques, share stories and network. |
"We started to understand for us to have a sustainable business model, we needed to have more flower farms in our pool and more closer to home," she said. |
Kosok said what she doesn't sell, she gives away, dropping off bouquets to neighbors and handing them out to people walking by. |
"For me, urban agriculture is partly about growing things and producing things," she said. "But it's partly about building community and using vacant spaces and empowering people to feel invested in their neighborhood." |
Maya Kosok cuts some snapdragons, which bloom all summer into the fall. |
Maya Kosok holds a bucket of cut flowers for a bouquet. She grows about 20 varieties and primarily sells flowers to a Charles Village florist and to individuals for weddings or personal enjoyment. |
Oh, say can hue see? |
1. Which color belongs in the white space, in order to get three colors arranged from darkest to lightest? |
2. Which color is in between these two in hue? |
3. Which magenta hue is lighter? |
4. Which green is lighter? |
5. How many different shades of blue are in this image? |
6. How many different shades of purple are in this image? |
7. Which shade of blue is the lightest? |
Name: Kingston, like the capital of Jamaica and the birthplace of former Channel 2 anchor Rachel McNeill. She’s now living the bright, sunny, low-humidity life in Phoenix, but still tweeting up a storm about Houston. McNeill spent 17 years, mostly as a morning anchor for Channel 2, and was one of the more popular figur... |
Birthdate: August 4, 2014. I’m in the prime of a dog’s life. I’m small, so I’ve got a whole bunch of years left in me. You know, we middle-aged dogs make the best adoptees because we’re broken-in and housebroken. |
Ethnicity: I’m a Maltese and terrier blend. Here’s my deal, I’m a very sweet and gentle guy, all fixed up, groomed, medically approved and ready to roll. I will do best in a home without small children or other animals. I’m a one-dog family sort of pet. That way, I don’t have to share tummy rubs or the cushion next to ... |
Come and get me: I'm available for adoption at 11 am Friday, January 11 at Citizens for Animal Protection (17555 Katy Freeway; 281-497-0591). Tell them, "Ken sent me." |
Stuffed with bacon, sausage, pulled rib meat, brisket and a one half pound beef patty the Boss clocks in at a hefty 1,650 calories measures almost half a foot in height. |
Move over Big Mac. Step aside Whopper. There is a new king of burgers in town for the largest of appetites and it comes from Chili's. |
Aptly dubbed "The Boss," the new burger filled with not one, not two, but five stacks of meat. |
It's a cardiologist's worst nightmare. |
Stuffed with bacon, sausage, pulled rib meat, brisket and a half-pound beef patty – not to mention cheddar cheese, ranch and barbeque sauce and the usual lettuce and tomato – The Boss clocks in at a hefty 1,650 calories and measures almost half a foot in height. As burgers go, the price is big too: 14.49 to $14.99, dep... |
The calorie count is only 350 shy of the government's recommended intake of calories for many adults for an entire day. |
There are other big sandwiches out there, but this Boss appears to stand alone. Arby's Meat Mountain sandwich is a relatively lean 1,200 calories. McDonald's standard Big Mac is a molehill by comparison at 540 calories. |
Needless to say, the Boss is literally not for the faint of heart. In information on the new burger, the company notes that the burger is a "meal in itself and for some, it can be lunch the next day" as well. |
Dallas-based Chili's plans to make it available nationwide. |
"America's love of burgers has never waned, but the bar for an exceptional burger keeps getting higher and higher," says the company's chief marketing officer Steve Provost in a statement. "It's hard to get any higher than The Boss." |
Similar to Arby's Mountain, Chili's is hoping the new burger pushes fans and meat to talk about the burger online with the hashtag #ChiliBoss. Good luck. |
When Aspirin Really Does Reduce Heart Attack Risk : Shots - Health News Some adults at risk of heart attack or stroke can indeed benefit from taking a daily aspirin, a federal panel says. And it may also lower colorectal cancer risk. But the treatment has risks, too. |
Millions of Americans take baby aspirin every day to prevent a heart attack or stroke. If they are at high risk of heart disease, they're doing the right thing, according to draft recommendations issued Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. |
The independent panel also said that taking low-dose aspirin daily for at least 10 years may protect against colorectal cancer, at least in people who are already taking it to prevent heart attacks and stroke. |
Adults between the ages of 50 and 59 who have a 10 percent or greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years benefit the most from taking about 81 milligrams of aspirin every day, the panel says. |
But the potential benefit is smaller for adults between the ages of 60 and 69. And it's unknown for adults under 50 or over 70. People should talk with their health care provider to find out if they have health problems that would justify taking aspirin, according to Dr. Douglas Owens, a professor of medicine at Stanfo... |
For example, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, obesity, age and diabetes can all increase heart disease risk. "Because heart attacks are caused by clots in the arteries of the heart, aspirin can help prevent heart attack and it can also help prevent strokes that are caused by blood clots," Owens sa... |
Several groups including the American Heart Association offer online calculators to help people figure out their risk, which, along with discussion with a health care provider, can help determine whether daily aspirin might be useful. |
However, there is a caveat. Daily aspirin can cause bleeding in the stomach and brain. And Owens says that people with medical conditions like ulcers, kidney problems, liver problems or bleeding disorders are more vulnerable, as are people who take blood-thinning drugs and NSAIDs. |
These new recommendations aren't final, and are open to public comment. |
Concerns have been raised about whether aspirin is really effective enough, when so many other medicines are available to help control heart disease risk. |
One physician with major concerns is Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. "I think that millions of Americans are taking aspirin — some of them are really the 'worried well,' " he says. |
If people don't have a significantly increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke over the next decade, Nissen says, they may be "causing more harm than benefit." |
And while many medical groups recommend daily aspirin to lower heart disease risk, not all federal agencies agree. The Food and Drug Administration actually issued a warning against routinely taking aspirin to prevent heart disease in people without significantly high risk. |
Nissen worries that many people are mistaking their actual heart disease risk. "With all the good therapies, better blood pressure control, better cholesterol control, all the things we do in modern medicine," he says, "over the last couple of decades, we've had nearly a 50 percent reduction in the rate of cardiovascul... |
People who don't really need to should not be taking aspirin every day, says Nissen. "It's just not prudent or safe," he says, noting that bleeding in the abdomen or brain is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Nissen does agree with the general consensus that taking low dose aspirin is beneficial for people who have... |
But for pretty much everyone else, assessing actual heart disease risk in consultation with your doctor is crucial to deciding whether to take aspirin every day. |
Flags decorate the addictive burger at Le Diplomate. Photograph by Anna Spiegel. |
No one who drops by sites like this needs a nudge to go to Rose’s Luxury, which has been the very definition of buzz since it opened not quite three weeks ago. |
But I still keep thinking about chef Aaron Silverman’s Vietnamese pâté. Topped with crushed peanuts, it’s as brown as the darkest roux, as smooth and spreadable as whipped cream cheese, and as rich as a lobe of seared foie gras. The notes of star anise are unmistakable, and if you close your eyes and concentrate on the... |
It’s served with small, crusty squares of garlic bread. Slather it on, and garnish with bright pickled onions, cucumbers, and jalapeños. |
Fusion gets a bad rap. We think about some guy in the back of the restaurant throwing together foods that don’t really go, hoping vainly to strike gold, or, failing that, to win over a diner with novelty—the shock of the new. But this pâté is proof that you can cross cultures and make magic, if you know what you’re doi... |
When it comes to burgers in the $10-plus range, I often find myself coming back to one conclusion: I’d rather just have Shake Shack. I mean, cave-aged cheddar and brioche buns have their place, but the Shack’s perfectly proportioned burgers, with their greasy-salty patties doused with creamy Shack sauce and squished on... |
The burger at Le Diplomate (which arrives bearing French and American toothpick flags) comes close. Like the best high-end burgers in town—the ones at Mintwood Place and Westend Bistro are in the top tier—it takes cues from Le Big Mac. The two patties are diner-style thin. And they’re not afraid to use American cheese,... |
I’ll admit to being a little enamored here. Of all the restaurants in Washington, the one I send out-of-town people to the most is the Bombay Club. Rasika and Rasika West End, the other two Indian spots in Ashok Bajaj’s arsenal, get a lot of attention, but I prefer both the atmosphere and the subtler, always elegant co... |
The most famous dish at Rasika, and for good reasons, is palak chaat—crispy spinach with sweet yogurt, tamarind sauce, and date chutney. The contrasting textures and flavors win over anyone who has the good luck of tasting them. But I think I might actually prefer the version with kale at Bombay Club. Kale is such a gr... |
Charcuterie plates are ubiquitous these days, and few are memorable. Many are like high-end bar nuts: a tasty, salty side to your cocktail. “House-cured” meats are very au courant, but let’s face it, not all chefs have the talent, experience, and/or kitchen capacity to recreate some of the finer salamis and hams. (Mock... |
Appetite for more? See all previous editions of Best Thing I Ate. |
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