#anyhow...new variety show about food(?) featuring...

[wirwerdensiegen]

Gong Jun Weibo Update 2025/05/18.

新鲜度max的组合 / Freshness max combination.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Mutilated Mannequin (Part 14)

He has yelled at her before, belittled her, and called her names. But he has never slapped her before. She is lucky that he had the sense to slap her arm instead of her face, she hates to imagine the damage he’d have done to her still healing chin. 

“You can walk to school today.” Ozai declares loud enough for even Zuko to flinch.

“I’ll be late.” 

“Then you better hurry.” 

And that is just the punishment for losing the election. But he isn’t done with her. He expects her to be at school on time but he won’t let her leave. “And just where the hell were you last night!?”

“I decided to go to the park and look at the stars longer, I fell asleep.” She lies. She is already in deep, the least she can do is try to dig herself out. “The school is offering a trip to NIR&Ex, I wanted to show that I should be the one to go.” 

“I can pay them to let you go.” 

“I want to know that I earned it. That I’m good enough. I want my skills to get me in...” She just wants to be good enough for someone. Anyone.

“What skills?” Ozai scowls. “Look at this.” He holds up a copy of her report card. Mostly A’s save for a B in geometry. He shoves the offending paper at her and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Just get your ass to school and try to learn something this time. 

“Yes, father.” 

She doesn’t have time to eat breakfast nor pack lunch. She tries to text TyLee and Chan for a ride. They are still pissed. She would try Jet but he takes the bus and Yue lives on the other side of town. 

At least it is sunny. Chilly but sunny.

.oOo.

This time around, Azula doesn’t really try to talk to anyone. She isn’t in the mood for conversation.  She has to focus on her academics anyhow. Lunch is every bit as awful as she expects. Nothing on the school lunch menu appeals to her; it is all ridiculously greasy and smells as though they have been reheating the same meals for weeks now. Not that it matters, between her nerves and the hollow ache in her chest, she doesn’t have much of an appetite anyways. 

Having no tray to hold, Azula leans herself up against a wall and stares at her feet. She stuffs her hands into her pockets. Every now and again, she catches one of her former tablemates staring. TyLee’s are always of the sympathetic variety, while Chan’s are vicious and cutting. Yue’s are judgmental.

Somehow none of them matter. 

“Hey.” 

Azula looks up. 

“Do you want to sit with us?” Katara asks. 

Azula looks from her old table to Katara’s and then back down at her feet. The wall seems to hold her in place for a time but she pushes herself away from it and slumps quietly into the spot Katara has opened for her. 

“Are you okay?” Suki asks. 

But she still isn’t up for conversation. 

“Do you want some of my food or something?” Toph motions to her tray of chicken nuggets. Azula has a feeling that if she were to squeeze one of them, she would create a puddle of grease. She shakes her head, no.

It takes several more attempts at conversation for them to realize that she doesn’t have the energy to partake. The bell rings and Katara leaves her with some final words, “you can sit here tomorrow if you want.” 

She supposes that she should at least have the decency to respond to that. “Okay.” 

Katara offers a faint, sad smile. Azula gathers her things and heads for the door. 

“Hanging with the nerds now?” Jet asks. 

Azula shrugs. 

“You just got your face all fixed up, why waste it on those freaks?” 

Another shrug. 

If father isn’t happy with her then it has all been for nothing anyways. 

.oOo.

His fury takes on many forms. The newest of them is a declaration. “I have decided to reschedule your appointment. You will have your final procedure done this weekend.”

Azula snaps into attention, her pencil falls from between her fingers. “Wh-what?”

“This weekend. I’m getting tired of looking at those puffy cheeks.” 

They flush. “But I’m still recovering from…” 

Ozai rolls his eyes. “Don’t start acting like your brother. This weekend, bring something to keep you entertained.” 

“Yes, father.” 

He leaves the room and befalls a weighty silence. Azula looks at her essay assignment. The paper is spotted with two small wet splotches. She pushes the notebook aside and eyes the table.  

She is just about as ready for her final surgery as she had been for the first one. 

She pushes her chair in and makes her way to her bedroom. She lays there staring at the wall as hours slip by. She lays there until a knock sounds on her door. It is too light to be Ozai’s. Ever rude in mannerism, Zuko invites himself in when she doesn’t respond to his rapping. 

“I don’t think that you should get that surgery so soon after the last one.”

“I don’t think that I should get it at all.” She says softly. Far too late, she decides that she misses her old face. Even if it had been softer and less aesthetically pleasing. She misses feeling genuine. More painfully, it strikes her that if she had just waited, maybe later teenhood and adulthood would have naturally sharpened her features. “It was a mistake.” 

Zuko visibly cringes. 

Azula pulls herself upright, her hair falling in long tangles over her shoulders. “I’m tired, Zuzu.” 

“Yeah, father is draining to be around.” Zuko rubs the back of his head.

“Well, it’s your turn to be the golden child.”

Zuko sniffs, “yeah right, he just hates both of us now.” 

“I guess that he’ll calm down after I get the surgery.” 

Zuko cringes again.

“I really don’t think that you should.” 

“That’s not up to you, Zuzu.” She isn’t sure that it is up to her either. 

.oOo.

The rest of the week seems to blend and blur to the point where each day seems to blend into the next. A blurb of learning and tactless comments from her former friends. Perhaps an occasional sympathetic stare from TyLee. The monotony of it all is only broken by a heated phone argument that is taken on a friday afternoon. 

He has her on speaker so Azula can hear every word. 

“You made her get what!?” It is a voice that she hasn’t heard in ages. A voice that used to sing she and Zuko nursery rhymes before bed. 

“She’s going to be better off for it.” Ozai insists. 

“She’s still growing!” Ursa exclaims, confirming what Azula had finally come to realize. “Her face hasn’t fully developed yet and you’re already changing it?” 

“Did she tell you about this?” Ozai growls. 

“No!” With the same lateness Azula had, Ursa realizes exactly who she has thrown under the bus. 

“That boy should mind his own business.” 

Azula supposes that it is nice to know that someone is trying to get her out of tomorrow’s surgery. Not that the attempt will amount to anything. Perhaps it is unhealthy, but she spends the rest of the evening staring at the remaining portion of her face that is actually hers. She wakes up the next morning still seated in front of her vanity set. 

There is one message on her phone, a simple good morning. She has almost forgotten that she had given her number to Katara. It is such a small little thing but it makes her smile. Only for a flicker before Ozai demands her to join him for breakfast. A stiff and tense breakfast where he tries to talk to her as though he hadn’t slapped her. As though he isn’t about to make her alter the last aspect of her face that is truly hers. 

“I am proud of you.” 

Her heart swells. She knows that it is a game but it is so nice to hear. 

“For what?” 

“For getting all of the surgeries without protest. We’re just going to have to worry about that math grade…”

She lets him ramble on, simply nodding along. 

.oOo.

“Dr. Koh will see you now.”

Azula shoots Ozai a wide-eyed look. “Where is Dr. Guhira?”

“I forgot to tell you, Dr. Guhira refused to do the surgery so soon after your last one. He also said something about having a feeling that you didn’t really want the surgeries. So I found a doctor who is willing.”

“If I’m doing this, I want Dr. Guhira to perform the operation.” 

Ozai rubs his forehead. “We are already here, you are getting the surgery. Unless you’d like a repeat of Wednesday night.” 

Azula’s head spins as she peels herself off of the chair. She feels as though she is performing some sort of funeral march as she shakily makes her way towards the waiting nurse. The operating room seems to take on an icier air as she waits to meet Dr. Koh.

“Good morning, Ms. Kasai.” Dr. Koh holds out a hand. He is a tall man, an almost creepy fellow. Almost. He has a face that makes her skin crawl. His features are exaggerated. Doll-like. He is more plastic than flesh. She shudders as she takes his hand. 

He flips through pages on a clipboard. “Lets get started, shall we?” He slips the anesthetic mask over her face.

“Aren’t you supposed to outline first?”

“I know how to do my job, Ms. Kasai.” 

In the pit of her stomach, Azula doubts that. “Dr. Guhira always outlined where he was going to…”

“I have done this enough times, I don’t need to outline.” 

Azula swallows as the hiss of gas fills her ears. The anesthesia puts a halt to any further protests. She dreads what she will awaken to. 

.oOo.

She expects to wake to a sharp shooting pain, instead she finds complete numbness that Koh insists is normal. She believes him but only to an extent. She grips her father’s hand with a force that makes him wince. 

“Your face will remain swollen for about two weeks…” by now she knows the drill. Liquid diet, coming in for bandage changes, and only light exercises. Over excursion won’t be a problem she feels much too nauseous and lethargic to do anything but drag herself to bed and elevate her head. 

Ozai allows her another week off. She is surrounded in shiny things; new necklaces and rings, a new purse, and a new music player. A new dress hangs in her closet over a pair of shoes that match the dress Ozai hadn’t allowed her to wear to homecoming. It is all lovely but it does little to remedy her anxiety. 

Anxiety that does a good job of masking the first sign that something isn’t right. She is sweating profusely and still feels terribly queasy. She doesn’t have the energy to return any of her missed calls and text messages. 

Most of them are from Katara, she decides that she will respond to her first whenever she finds the motivation. The messages range from simple greetings and words of encouragement to light hearted pictures she’d found somewhere on the web before they turned to expressions of concern. 

Apparently, a week with no word from her has also been enough to get Chan’s attention. 

Distantly, in her mind, she knows that she should be elated at the chance to make amends with him but she doesn’t feel like picking up her phone. Every time she shifts, a throbbing sensation bombards her head. 

“How are you feeling?” Ozai asks. He sets a bowl of oatmeal on her nightstand. It is the second sign that something is amiss. Typically he sends one of the maids to serve her. 

“It still hurts.” An understatement. 

She is in unbearable pain.

It aches something sharp as though the scalpel is still embedded under her flesh, or perhaps, a feeling that her own bones are penetrating her skin. Had Koh removed too much fat and tissue. This, of course, is applicable to only the left side of her face. The right side lacks sensation entirely. He had said that the numbness would clear but she is still waiting. 

“I can’t feel…” She motions to her right cheek. 

“It has only been a few days, Azula.” Ozai cuts in. “Wait for the swelling fade before assuming that something is wrong.” 

“Something is wrong.” Azula insists. “Call Dr. Guhira, he’ll tell you.”  She doesn’t even put in an effort to keep the tremble out of her voice. “Something is wrong.” She repeats softly. 

Ozai takes her hand, “I know that these operations have been stressful, but this is your last one and you will be thankful when the swelling is all gone and you see how beautiful you are.” 

“Because I wasn’t before?” 

Perhaps she is only seeing what she wants to see, but she can swear that something flickers in his eyes; regret? Sympathy? Pity? Doubt? She isn’t sure, but she doesn’t like it. She likes it just as little as she likes her new face.

[eftb]

México Y2K17 International Livelooping Festival - Part 2

CENART

CENART - the place where we would give some small presentations about our stuff and gear and approach to music and play the festival’s final shows over the course of three days. Someone mentioned it is Mexico’s most significant center for arts education and a huge cultural hub. As if I hadn’t been amazed enough yet by the venues so far, but the place and the sight of our gorgeous outdoor stage blew my mind one last time.

The „Sonorous Tastings“ in the Aula remained intimate and only a handful of „outsiders“ dropped by to watch and listen, but it gave a nice chance to catch a glimpse of what the other musicians are actually doing in detail and why, and how they got here.

Meanwhile in the outdoor area, the weather became an adventurous factor. On the first day, heavy rain caused some performances to be cancelled. During day two, everything remained hot and dry, and only a temporary power out during the set of JC Taylor brought a brief interruption which we spontaneously filled with an acoustic jam session in the audience area. Day two ended with a glorious jam session when MIDI Pipe invited some of us fellow musicians on stage. 

And finally the third and last day of the festival on which I had my own performance, went smoothly until Rick Walker summoned the rain again with his last song, and the sky offered us an impressive spectacle as a final blast. We helped disassembling the stage in the rain and finally stood by our gear soaked, happy, and in disbelief that this meant it was over.

BACKUP - AND THE CREW

More than at any other festival I’ve attended before, I was continuously amazed by the blend of highly professional work and sweet personal commitment of anyone involved in the festival. We met the duo of Cabeza de Caset who were responsible for the design and the beautiful festival T-Shirts. 

We had the wonderful Paola Gonzále traveling along with her camera, taking the most beautiful shots but also becoming a good friend and crucial part of the gang. We had a whole group of culinary students in Mexico City that greeted with delicious lunch packages and firm hugs during the festival days. 

And then, as the intumblable foundation on which the whole event stood, there was the crew of Backup Produciones & Apoyo, the team behind producer Gerson Miranda – always busy, always patiently catering to all our technical requests, carrying our things, keeping everything going, but also a genuine part of the loop family.

THE LOOP FAMILY

And yes, I’m calling it a family, because after two days already we were looking back and couldn’t grasp that most of us had basically just met – it felt like we’d been acquainted for ages. 

We were musicians of all ages from 6 different countries from the US to Pakistan and with a broad variety of different musical genres, reaching from song-oriented folk-pop to experimental improvised soundscapes, united only by the fact that we play with loop samplers of some sort. We could hardly have been any more diverse, but nonetheless we connected, exchanged music, language and ideas, learned from one another and parted with tears.

On no other festival have I experienced such a mutual curiosity for each other’s creative and technical approaches across all gender boundaries, and a willingness to join and improvise together in spontaneous sessions, on stage as well as back home in the loop headquarter til late into the nights.

LEARNING

Personally, I learned a handful of things about Mexico and its culture. I was taught how to drink Mezcal (it is meant to be kissed, not chugged) and how to dance the Cumbia (thanks to MIDI Pipe!), learned the hard way about the kind of hangover that Tequila can give you, caught a few interesting facts about the city and its history, a few basic fragments and swear words in Spanish, was surprised that the aztec relievos used to be colored, and how hard it can be to find vegetarian food. Thanks to Juan Pablo Villa I learned about the old folk art of Cardenche singing, and in the workshops of Rick Walker and James Sidlo I found lots of new insights about rhythm and guitar effects.

We talked a lot about mutual influence and inspiration, because it seemed like this was one of the core qualities setting this experience aside from the regular festival events, where everyone comes, showcases their own stuff and packs up to leave again. I’ve mentioned it above. No, this, it seemed, was in fact more about experimenting and exchange. Not stealing innovative ideas from one another, but sharing them consciously with a strong sense of appreciation.

ENCOUNTERS

Besides a bunch of strangers from the audience that I talked to during the festival, there were a small handful of people that had already known my music, thanks to the far reaching powers of publishing online. What a whimsical experience!  A girl called Paloma from Guadalajara invited me to visit her café and musical space. A sweet couple had driven an hour to San Miguel Allende, brought me kind words and a delicious cookie („here, we remember that you’re into baking.. this is one we made“). 

And after the final performance at CENART I was gifted an issue of an independet music zine that had featured EFTB in a small print article back in 2008. I remember back then someone had messaged me a screenshot of it to my ancient myspace account, but would never have expected to get my hands on the real thing – and now I stood here, half awkward, hugging strangers and feeling an honor and a gratitude I couldn’t quite find the right words for. How strange it is, for a small unknown musician to come to the other side of the world and find people already acquainted with your music. I still don’t quite know what to say, other than Thank you… I don’t even know all of your names, but I thank you so much!

APPRECIATION & SIGNIFICANCE

Okay, now a slightly more serious wrap-up of this journey and what it means to me. Because besides the musical and social aspects of the trip, there’s also a third layer that reaches a bit deeper. More than ever before on previous musical trips, this festival triggered an inner discourse of the social and even political significance of events like this. Rick Walker kept us reminded of that by speaking on behalf of the Californian people and their view on the relationships between the US and Mexico and the course it is currently taking. Personally, I was struck when Faisal in a jam session started entonating a sufi chant that I had once learned in a garden in Istanbul, playing with people from Europe and the middle East. And talks here and there  reminded me of how little your place of birth matters if you grew up listening to the same bands and lauging about the same internet memes, able to converse in the same language and overcome different nuances in mentality.

But let’s not get lost in hippie talk – I am serious.. this year, for the first time, being able to travel and build artistic friendships across the globe occurred to me not only as a privilege – which it doubtlessly is – but also as an obligation as an artist. In times when people tend to vote in favour of national separatism, fear dominates the political discourse and border walls come back into fashion, when politics cater to concerns about safety at the cost of an open and embracing culture, it might be our task as traveling musicians to keep building bridges rather than shutting ourselves off, disassembling stereotypes instead of strengthening them and keeping at least the borders in our heads as permeable as possible.

For us who came to gather in Mexico this year, I guess we all did it simply because it’s what we do, what we love – playing music, meeting people, traveling around. But maybe, seen under these circumstances, it is time for us to also pursue our passion more consciously as an active, peaceful act of resistance to emerging mindsets. Photo credits for this post: Julia Kotowski, Paola Gonzále, JC Taylor, James Sidlo, Klang Rêverie, and frankly I forgot who took the picture in the metro and at loopi casa... Anyhow, thanks for capturing all those great moments!

Gefördert durch die Initiative Musik gemeinnützige Projektgesellschaft mbH mit Projektmitteln derBeauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien

[uayseth87612935-blog]

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[sherrillvalladar-blog]

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[stlrepost]

Is a fractured government dragging down the economy of the St. Louis region?

This is the second part in a series I’m writing about the fragmentation of the St. Louis Government. About a month ago I posted this introduction which described why our government is so fragmented and gave a couple examples of how that fragmentation is negatively affecting the region.

Originally I was going to make it 4 parts, but after some more research I think it is important to include arguments opposing consolidation as well as those arguing in favor of it. The opposing arguments I’ve seen are coming from places like the Municipal League through its subsidiary Cities Strong and, apparently, from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. Here’s the new plan (I’ve edited the original post to include this outline):

1) Why is fragmentation bad? Introduction, General Administration, Public Safety.

2) Why is fragmentation bad? Economics

3) Is it possible that fragmentation is actually good?

4) Has consolidation worked for other cities?

5) What do I think we should do?

Part 3 wasn’t on the original, but I’ve decided to add it after the fact. Anyhow, this is part 2.

================================================

How does Fragmentation negatively impact the economic success of our region?

================================================

See Better Together Economic Development Study.

Tricky Regulations

============

As part of their research, Better Together canvassed the St. Louis business community. They secured feedback from 1500 small business owners through a series of meetings. I recently attended a similar meeting, so I assume the format was similar: About 150 people showed up. We were asked a series of survey questions before splitting up into several groups for a guided discussion.

Throughout these meetings, the most frequent complaint was about the confusing nature of applying for a business license. Since each municipality is, for the most part, responsible for regulating its own businesses, there is a wide variety of different processes one must go through. Different municipalities have different permits, costs, required paperwork, online availability, and different offices responsible for supervising the process. Some municipalities do it well. Maplewood, for example, has a well-designed online source of information, a phone number for the city clerk, and an easy-to-follow process. It’s probably no surprise that Maplewood is thriving. On the other hand, many expressed frustration at the process in St. Louis City. One person commented on the lack of communication between the License Collector and the Collector of Revenue. It’s required to receive a clearance from the Collector of Revenue before the License Collector can grant you the business license. This lack of communication makes the process more difficult. The owners of the Fortune Teller Bar on Cherokee street had a similar complaint about the differing and inaccurate information given to them by different offices.

St. Louis City really needs to step its game up.

What’s the problem?

On the surface, this variability between municipalities might not seem like a problem. I mean, one of the main arguments against a merger is the idea that municipalities will have to compete against each other in order to attract people to live within them. Maplewood is out-competing St. Louis City and therefore St. Louis City will be forced to improve their processes. Many of the business owners even expressed appreciation for the smaller size of their municipalities. One owner said that he was walked through the process by the City Treasurer and gets regular check-ins by the mayor. This wouldn’t happen in a large consolidated bureaucracy.

I guess the main problem to this high variability is the extra level of abstraction it adds to the already complicated process of starting a business. You have to filter through each of the 92 municipalities to find the best fit. Obviously an ideal situation would be one where we had Maplewood’s well managed process for the whole city. Better Together recommends a streamlined system similar to Pennsylvania’s Welcoming Center. Creating a similar website could be done by a private party and doesn't even require the legislature to step in. That being said, I’m not entirely convinced by Better Together that fragmentation is a problem when it comes to starting a business. It might even be a feature.

Of course I'm open to different interpretations.

Tax Increment Financing

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When it comes to a municipality’s ability to influence economic development, the most utilized tools are tax incentives in the form of Tax Abatement, CIDs, TIDs, and, most infamously, TIFs. I’ll focus on TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) here because it was most thoroughly covered in Better Together’s report and because it’s a frequently discussed issue.

Tax Increment Financing typically works like this: You find a district that needs to be improved and a developer willing to invest in it. You freeze the amount of property taxes coming from that district at its current level and then issue bonds to raise the capital for an upfront investment into the district. As the district is developed and its value increases, you use the increased property tax revenue to repay bond obligations. This technique is beneficial for the developer because his business will do better when the area around it is improved. It’s beneficial for the government because it’s a good way to target investment towards certain areas.

Tax increment financing has proved to be a useful tool. The Cortex district is a TIF district, and it looks to be a promising source of future income and technology jobs. The Pagedale TIF has been used by Beyond Housing to bring fresh grocery options to a low income food desert.

Despite the good, there can be problems, especially in fragmented areas such as our own.

For starters, the power to create a TIF resides, for all intents and purposes, with the governments of individual municipalities. Although the official process does require the creation of a TIF Commission which is responsible for looking out for the region as a whole, it’s very easy to override these commissions. All it takes is a 2/3 majority vote of a municipality’s Board of Aldermen. Considering the average municipality only has 6 aldermen, this means it only requires a 4 person vote to override the regulatory TIF commission. This is very easy to do.

Why is this a problem?

The issues emerge when you consider the fact that each municipality is competing with its neighbor for business and sales tax revenue.

Better Together sums this up with a story:

“One need look no further than a 2010 TIF approved by the Bridgeton City Council that provided $7.2 million in tax-increment financing for the creation of a Walmart on St. Charles Rock Road. In fact, this TIF was granted so that Walmart could relocate an older store already located on St. Charles Rock Road and only two miles away. The older Walmart was located in both Bridgeton and St. Ann. However, when Walmart announced it was seeking to move to another site with expanded space, Bridgeton stepped forward to retain the store and the sales tax revenue. Municipal leadership warned that Walmart would simply close the smaller store and relocate to another city if Bridgeton refused to offer a TIF, and the store would take $1 million in annual sales tax revenue with it. The initial site of the original Walmart remains undeveloped today.”

According to a report conducted by the East-West Gateway Council, the use of tax incentives by one municipality appears to have negative impacts on neighboring municipalities, most notably the loss of sales tax revenue. This creates a zero-sum-game which puts each individual municipality in a terrible negotiating position. Large corporations appear to be acutely aware of this fact, as the story about the Walmart in Bridgeton shows.

What has been the effect of this strategic disadvantage?

According to the East-West Gateway report, 598 smaller retail stores have closed over the last 10 years. Despite these closures, employment in retail actually increased by 2700 jobs, implying a replacement of smaller stores by larger corporations. This means there’s less room in the market for local shops and entrepreneurs and that, most likely, profits are leaving the region. E-W gateway determined that each of those 2700 jobs came at a cost of $12,000. This is not considered a good trade-off.

The problems go deeper for the region as a whole.

Creating a TIF district has become a politically expedient way for politicians to increase tax revenue. It’s difficult to get re-elected if you raise the property taxes of your constituency and/or decrease the quality of government service. On the other hand, if you can lure business to your municipality via Tax Increment Financing, you can harvest the sales tax revenue without raising taxes on the people who will be voting for you next election cycle.

This basic political fact has possibly led to the overwhelming reliance on sales taxes in our region. Chesterfield, Town and Country, Ladue, Crestwood, and Wildwood are just a few of the many municipalities raising almost 50% of their total tax revenue through sales tax. This allows these municipalities to maintain artificially low property tax rates while still maintaining decent levels of service. Sales taxes are more detrimental to low income individuals. Since it appears that an increase in sales tax revenue for one municipality results in a decrease in revenue for a neighboring municipality, the wealthiest among us are, essentially, placing most of their tax burden on people outside of their communities. At least they are according to Better Together.

What is the solution here?

Better Together points out that Missouri is 1 of only 14 states which allows the capture of 50% sales tax along with 100% of the property tax of a TIF district. Most states only allow the capture of property tax. This fact makes TIFs more financially rewarding to municipalities in Missouri and, therefore, increases the likelihood of their use. Next, Better Together points out that Missouri is 1 of only 6 states which require approval solely by a municipality for the creation of a TIF. Of those 6, only Missouri and Colorado are allowed to capture sales tax as well as property tax. This is a rare situation, and creates an environment where TIFs are more likely to be abused.

This is a situation that can probably be somewhat improved, if not completely fixed, by the Missouri State Legislature. Even without a full consolidation.

This leads me to believe that, perhaps, many of our problems can be fixed without a politically difficult consolidation process.

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via /r/StLouis

[superfitbabe]

Loyal long-time followers will know that Cafe Gratitude is my number one favorite restaurant of all time. It just has everything you would ever want: raw foods, salads, breakfast foods, pastries, smoothies, juices, desserts, pizza, Mexican-inspired food, pasta, Asian-based meals, sandwiches, sharing plates, burgers, soup, and adult beverages, all from healthy plant-based ingredients! What more could you ask for?

Problem is, Cafe Gratitude is quite far away from where I live, and not often am I willing to drive through mad traffic. Whenever I just a menu that is similar to Cafe Gratitude but takes half the time to access, then I turn to SunCafe Organic.

Walking to the entrance, you’ll find a lovely garden of vine-ripe tomatoes across the wall of the extensive outdoor patio. The atmosphere is incredibly fresh, relaxing, and comfortable yet intimate enough for you and any company to have enough privacy. The patio is even more beautiful when the sun is shining!

  All of the servers are incredibly nice, accommodating, and polite. Whenever I visit, I never encounter bad service! However, whenever I generally do come here, I always experience a major sense of anticipation. You will see why soon!

    Ah, food. Surprised? I’m sure you weren’t, because the actual dishes served at any restaurant are the most important features! Anyhow, SunCafe Organic is a completely vegan place that uses no animal products whatsoever. Brunch is served on Sundays from 10:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M., and I highly recommend you order from it! Unlike Cafe Gratitude, SunCafe Organic has its own separate seasonal menu from its general menu, whereas Cafe Gratitude’s seasonal dishes change from time to time along with its ingredients. Of course, SunCafe has its own dessert and happy hour menus.

Some amazing meals are their Super Sun nachos (which can also be served on raw jicama chips), a mac n’ cheese skillet, a taco trio, tempeh burgers and portobello sandwiches, raw lasagna, a teriyaki vegetable stir-fry, two varieties of pizza (Margherita and pesto), a kale Caesar salad, and a bunch of smoothies and juices. Exclusive dishes you may find on their brunch menu would be whole wheat French toast, buckwheat and cornmeal pancakes, a tofu vegetable omelet, a fresh fruit parfait, a vegan Benedict, and two types of Belgian waffles. Desserts include mud pie, raw almond butter cheesecake, raw cookie dough cheesecake, and a wide selection of mini cupcakes!

  Personally, my favorites are their Margherita pizza on their gluten free crust, their kale Caesar salad, and their raw almond butter cheesecake!

Just look at that Margherita pizza….it’s topped with basil, vegan cashew cheese, marinara, smoked sea salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. I added extra basil though!

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Here’s my sweaty face chomping away!

Kale….I genuinely believe that most people have no opinion on it. I prefer kale in salads and stir-fries than I do in smoothies. One salad that I absolutely despise–even before going vegan–is Caesar salad. To me, the dressing was too heavy, the cheese tasted gross on the lettuce, and the overall combination just never did it for me. This salad proved me wrong though!

Though the tempeh patty wrapped in Romaine was absolutely incredible, the real star of the show was the side salad. The kale was so perfectly massaged in a clean and flavorful dressing that resembled that of Caesar dressing (but way better), and was topped off with some Sunchorizo, tomatoes, and thick tahini. If you want to enjoy kale salads, this salad will probably convert you into a kale lover!

How could I forget dessert? This is their cookie dough cheesecake, which is really rich! The crust was slightly crunchy and very nutty, whereas the top layer tastes like sweet chocolate goodness! Did you know the chocolate sauce is only made from cacao powder and agave? Isn’t that fabulous?

Behold, the almond butter cheesecake! Hands down, this is my favorite dessert! The almond butter layer is kind of mild, scantly salty, and tastes very much like straight-up almond butter, which hey, is my favorite food ever! The surface is garnished with coconut flakes, almonds, chocolate sauce, and a goji berry!

Underneath is a layer of pure chocolate heaven, and it’s a lot creamier and sweeter than the almond butter filling. I think the flavors balance out each other a lot more harmoniously than the cookie dough, which is really, REALLY sweet overall.

Try some with the chocolate sauce. You won’t regret it!

Most recently, I tried was the famous barbecue cauliflower appetizer! Though I don’t consider it a top favorite, I really love the sauce and the combination of sweetness and spiciness! I would have wanted the cauliflower to be a bit crispier and more roasted rather than just semi-raw. But it’s definitely worth trying if you want a simpler starter!

PROS

Delicious food, wholesome ingredients, a glorious atmosphere, friendly staff, and a really lovely location, there really is so much to love about this restaurant. Prices are reasonable (maybe not so much for appetizers) and the workers will accommodate what you like for the most part. I’ve had friends make their own smoothie combinations here!

CONS

SunCafe does not have any other locations aside from the one in Studio City, Los Angeles, California.

OVERALL

Aside from being one of my new favorites, SunCafe Organic is a must-recommend for fellow vegans and even non-vegans as well! There are so many options to choose from, so you won’t be disappointed at all! I highly recommend visiting this restaurant with some friends for an even better experience!

Site: http://www.suncafe.com/

Restaurant Review: SunCafe Organic Loyal long-time followers will know that Cafe Gratitude is my number one favorite restaurant of all time.

[shasta63p300708-blog]

Regarder Le Movie My Close friend From Faro 2008 En Streaming VF.

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[withabackpackandcamera]

Thursday, April 20th, 2017

Day 2: The Ainu, The Geothermals, and The Ryokan Experience

After a quick morning wake-up and stop at 7/11 for some breakfast spam musubi, the group and I took a train to the airport where we picked up our rental car for the week.

It was weird, at first, sitting in the car as we drove on the left side of the road and with the driver, Jo, on the right side of the car. I remember the only time I experienced driving on the left side of the road was in Australia and New Zealand but at that time, the driver sat on the left side of the car… so this was new. And strange.

Anyhow, moving on. Our first stop of the road trip was the Ainu Museum in Shiraoi. This was a museum site that showcased the Ainu people of Japan, the people that used to and still live in Hokkaido. At this museum, there were exhibits on the traditions of the Ainu people, how and where they lived, and what they ate and did with their lives. We looked around and saw some poor brown bears and Ainu dogs that were being kept there as an attraction for the museum. After feeding the big brown bears, we went into one of the cottages where there was a exhibition show showing off the Ainu culture. There was dancing, singing, and instrument playing by Ainu natives and descendants. Pretty cool to see something a bit different than what I usually see during my travels. After a bit more exploring of the grounds, we ended our trip in the actual Ainu museum, where we looked around and got to read more about the Ainu people and the challenges they dealt with, their beliefs, etc.

Once we were done with the Ainu near Lake Porotokotan, we got back on the road and drove to nearby Noboribetsu where we checked into Kashoutei Hanaya Ryokan, our luxury ryokan experience for the evening. After we were checked in and led to our room, we hung out there for a bit and had matcha green tea and some red bean jelly. It was yummy! Then, while waiting for dinner time, we drove out to Shikotsu-Toya National Park to see Hell Valley, a valley with lots of geothermal activity. We walked/hiked to the furthest point of our trails and, along the way, saw cool, colorful mountains and hot geothermal lakes, like Lake Okuyuma. And at end of path was a foot bath where we chilled for a bit and soaked our feet in the lukewarm, geothermal mineral water.

After the hike and feet soaking, we made our way out of the park and back to the ryokan for dinner. As per tradition, we all dressed up in our yellow yukatas and went down for dinner. I’ve got to say, I looked pretty funny in a yukata (see photo above). Looking not my normal self, I eventually reached the dining room, where we were served a very nice, multi-course meal. The first dish was some mushroom dish. Then came some baked dishes with fish. There was rice, sushi, and sashimi (tuna, salmon, red snapper, clam, conch, sea urchin) with hot pot and miso soup afterward. And finally came dessert, which was a dessert of pineapple, strawberry, jelly, and cake with chocolate. Yum! To finish things off, we had plum wine and green tea to wash things down.

Once we were back in our room, everyone had assignments and work they had to completed, so I found myself drifting off into a 2 hour nap that I eventually woke up from for my first Japanese onsen experience. And this is how my first onsen experience went down.

I walked down in my yellow yukata with its little pink ribbon-wrap thing. Once down there, there was a bathroom part where I went to drop off my yukata and drying towel before heading into the public bath area. Naked. In the bathhouse, I found my own set-up area in the corner with a stool, a bucket, a faucet and showerhead, as well as cleaning supplies. There, I sat on my little stool and cleaned and scrubbed myself from head to toe, with other people closeby doing the same, before heading into the onsen, which was just a (mineral) hot bath, similar to ones I’ve seen and experienced during other global adventures in New Zealand and Iceland. There were two at this ryokan: one inside and one outside. And of course, I went to the one outside in the freezing cold to get the real onsen experience. It was pretty small but luckily there was only one other person there when I arrived as it was pretty late in the evening.

With my little privacy towel, I dropped myself into the very warm, gray mineral-watered onsen in the freezing cold and hung out there for a good 40 minutes with my privacy towel on my head and the hot steam all around. And even though I wanted to stay out there longer, it was impossible because of how hot the water got and how uncomfortable it got, especially since my internal temperature is already super warm at baseline. I eventually got up and out of the cold, went in for a short 10-second dip in the indoor onsen before showering again, cleaning up, and heading up for the night for some relaxation and rest. What a first full day!  

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. 7/11s in Japan heat food up for you! Wha?? Why did I not know this the last time I was here???

2. The wrapping for onigiri is supposed to be opened in a very particular way before eating so that the rice is wrapped in the seaweed as you open it. Very complicated. And beyond my comprehension.

3. A little about Ainu culture. So, the Ainu people lived in north Hokkaido and their lives revolved around hunting and fishing. In their culture, there was lots of singing of interesting varieties and styles (and the one that comes to mind is a lullaby song the people there performed with this lady doing weird trills at the end of each line or verse… It was strange….). In the Ainu culture, gods come in all different forms. They aren’t just spirits in animals but can also be spirits within natural phenomena or geographic features. So, a mountain or tornado could be a god. And lastly, a little about the Ainu people and their reverence of bears. So, the Ainu revered bears. And because they did, they caught them, raised them, then killed them ceremoniously with decorated arrows in order to send back the gods that took on the forms of these bears. Because they felt that the gods took on the forms of these bears and were there to offer the bear’s meat and fur for food and clothing… Hmm… An interesting belief.... Not sure how I feel about it...

4. Ryokans are simple Japanese hotels with a unique experience that revolves around the onsen hot bath and the nice dinner served there. Oh, and wearing yukatas for fun.

5. It's pretty cold up in Northern Japan in mid-April. Not expecting that.