The office desk I use isn’t exactly modern art. It stems from the 40s or 50s, a hand-me-down that has served well but will never win a beauty contest. It was made during the era of everything veneer, and while it no doubt was unspoiled when new, it has become something less than striking from a visual standpoint. The oak veneer has chipped and taken damage on most outside corners and the drawers require wrestling moves to open them on occasion. Its most redeeming characteristic was summed up by a relative who declared, “It’s not much to look at, but it’s hell for stout.” I took that to mean built like a tank. It has certainly lived up to that.
In spite of the wear and tear, it serves its purpose well and will likely survive beyond any future need on my part. In the meantime, I am content with the beast and do my best to never malign it as long as it functions appropriately. In fact, there is something nice about the never wavering dependability that is generated through its use.
In religion, we are oh so used to seeing the veneer without comprehending much of the unseen framework underneath, including the joinery that holds it all together. As long as it is functional and puts us at some degree of ease, we rarely question what remains mostly unseen and unsaid. In the world of antiques and old desks, provenance (source) is everything. Without understanding origins, the value takes a drastic and sudden dip.
Is our faith representative of the veneer that is in place in many people’s lives? It’s hard to tell when there are so many voices avowing themselves in perfect harmony with God’s word. The veneer looks great, but what will we find underneath? Hardwood? Gumwood? Flake board? It’s helpful to know as it informs us of the origin and reputed durability of what we hear from various sources. What is true and real? What looks and sounds good but fails in actual use? What has been sold as one thing only to be repackaged into something entirely different to assuage the market?
Speaking with absolute conviction as to all things theological is a risky game, one undertaken by tens of thousands of preachers on any given Sunday. If it is that simple and straightforward, that certain and concrete, then what is to be done with equally adamant pastors of a different stripe? Can we not look below the surface and find something edifying about one another’s commitments to faith, even when we might nurture an opposite outlook?
To do so takes swallowing one’s pride on occasion, listening more than talking, practicing graciousness and hospitality. It means finding that place of liminality where our senses are heightened by the possibility of what comes next. Divine counterpoint keeps us aware and poised for something larger than the institutions that we represent. Can we pause long enough to hear and contemplate its meaning in our lives?
The next time you discover your religious veneer scratched or mussed up, split or even missing, rest easy knowing it’s all about what’s underneath. It might not be much to look at, but there’s a better than even chance when put to the test that it, too, will be hell for stout.
Although January and February saw six consecutive weeks of plummeting COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said that had gone into reverse, with last week yielding “the fourth-highest number of cases in a single week so far”.
“We have now seen seven consecutive weeks of increasing cases, and four weeks of increasing deaths”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists at a regular media briefing.
More than 780 million doses of vaccine have now been administered globally, but several Asian and Middle Eastern countries have seen large increases in infections, he said.
While acknowledging that vaccines are “vital and powerful” instruments, the WHO chief reiterated that they are not the only tools needed to defeat the coronavirus.
“Physical distancing works. Masks work. Hand hygiene works. Ventilation works. Surveillance, testing, contact tracing, isolation, supportive quarantine and compassionate care – they all work to stop infections and save lives”, Tedros underscored.
‘Complacency and inconsistency’
While stressing the need for “a consistent, coordinated and comprehensive approach” in battling the virus, he said that “confusion, complacency and inconsistency in public health measures and their application, are driving transmission and costing lives”.
WHO wants to see societies and economies reopening, and travel and trade resuming, instead it is witnessing intensive care units overflowing and people dying, which Tedros maintained “is totally avoidable”.
He said proven public health measures and strong systems that have enabled countries to respond rapidly and consistently, illustrate that COVID “can be stopped and contained”, adding that those nations are now able to enjoy sporting events, concerts, restaurants and seeing their family and friends safely.
Increase vaccine output
Currently, global manufacturing is insufficient to deliver quick, equitable vaccines and other essential health products, according to the WHO official.
Early in the pandemic, African countries agreed on a coordinated continental approach, “and now they’re coming together for a coordinated approach to scaling up manufacturing”, he said.
Tedros stressed the importance of investing in “sustainable and secure domestic manufacturing capacity and national regulatory authorities”, asserted that “what can be done today, should be done today”.
Noting that WHO and its partners have established a COVAX manufacturing taskforce, to increase supply and build a sustainable vaccine manufacturing platform, he offered the UN agency’s technical assistance in assessing the feasibility of local production and to access technology and know-how.
Bad choices
Despite continuing transmissions, some countries are re-opening restaurants, night clubs and indoor markets, with too few people taking precautions.
Moreover, the UN health chief observed that some young people appear to feel that it doesn’t matter if they get COVID-19.
“Young, healthy people have died. And we still don’t fully understand the long-term consequences of infection for those who survive”, he reminded, echoing reports of some mild cases that have left long-term symptoms, including fatigue, weakness and anxiety.
While the pandemic is “a long way from over”, Tedros said there were numerous reasons to be optimistic.
He pointed to the decline in cases and deaths during the first two months of the year as evidence that the virus and its variants can be stopped.
“With a concerted effort to apply public health measures alongside equitable vaccination, we could bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months”, he attested.
However, the WHO chief added that this hinges on the decisions and actions that governments and individuals make every day, spelling out: “The choice is ours”.
Secretary-General António Guterrespainted a grim picture of the past year during which more than three million have died from the virus. Around 120 million have fallen into extreme poverty and the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs have been lost.
He noted that as the speed of infections is increasing, “the crisis is far from over”.
“An enormous push at the highest political level” is needed, said Mr. Guterres, to reverse these dangerous trends, prevent successive waves of infection, avoid a lengthy global recession and get back on track to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
Advancing an equitable global response to recover from the pandemic is “putting multilateralism to the test”, the UN chief said, adding, “so far, we have failed”.
To illustrate this, he pointed out that just 10 countries globally account for around 75 per cent of COVID vaccinations given, noting that some estimates put the global cost of unequal access and vaccine hoarding at more than $9 trillion.
Mr. Guterres underscored the need for “unity and solidarity” to save lives and prevent catastrophic debt and dysfunction.
Call for critical actions
To set the course for a sustainable and resilient COVID response and recovery, the UN chief called for urgent action in six areas, beginning with closing the funding gap of the UN-backed vaccine initiative, COVAX.
“To end the pandemic for good, we need equitable access to vaccines for everyone, everywhere”, he said. He also called for development assistance, to go primarily where it is most needed.
Debt crisis solutions
The debt crisis needed to be properly addressed, he said, including “debt suspension, relief, and liquidity”.
“But we need to go beyond debt relief”, he continued, urging a strengthened “international debt architecture to end the deadly cycles of debt waves, global debt crises and lost decades”.
Investing in a new social contract, based on solidarity in education, green jobs, social protection, and health systems was the UN chief’s fifth priority action, which he maintained was “the foundation for sustainable and inclusive development”.
“This Forum must provide ambition and momentum, to finance a resilient, inclusive, equitable and sustainable future for all”, the Secretary-General concluded.
90-year setback
The President of the General Assembly, Volkan Bozkır, observed that the COVID-19 pandemic has “precipitated the single largest economic contraction in 90-years, devastating lives and livelihoods in the process”.
Even with vaccines providing a light at the end of the tunnel, he said that “we are nonetheless faced with years of socioeconomic impact” ahead.
However, the Assembly president said the 2021 FfD Forum was an opportunity “to lay the foundation for a proper recovery”.
“Let us seize the opportunity of this crisis to effectively shift toward a more sustainable and resilient path, to demonstrate the strength and utility of the multilateral system, and to build a world that we will proudly pass down to future generations”, he added.
Before I get to House Bill 544, the proposed law that would proscribe the teaching of uncomfortable subjects to New Hampshire students, I’d like to imagine that we will be able travel again, sometime. Perhaps even, to other countries.
Maybe you will find yourself going to Italy again. If you travel the twisted streets of Florence you could happen upon a small but famous church, the Church of Santa Maria Del Carmine. From the outside, you will not know, and you could not assume unless you knew, that painted on the inner walls are works of great artistic, religious and cultural significance.
The most famous among these is a fresco titled “The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden.“ A Renaissance artist named Masaccio rendered it in the 1400s. It is one of the first pieces of western art to reflect perspective. In a style conveying early three-dimensionality, Adam and Eve are depicted at the moments after sin, wracked by guilt, shame and sorrow, an angel at their backs directing them further from their innocence. Michelangelo drew inspiration from the work when he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
My mother is a New Hampshire artist who grew up on the Seacoast and attended Catholic schools there. She was a thoughtful parent who first introduced me to these images when I was a student in New Hampshire’s public schools. She did so as part of my religious and cultural education.
The experience made me feel uncomfortable. It made me think about guilt and sin, including the sins of the human race, my race. But it also filled me with curiosity and an interest in my religious and cultural heritage. It led to many conversations about the role of religion in discussions about gender, sex, sin, the nature of good and evil, and the role of religion in framing these topics for us, at home and in school.
New Hampshire protects this attitude of curiosity and exploration in the domain of morality, religion and history. It does so as part of our fundamental laws. Part I, Article 4 of the New Hampshire Constitution protects the rights of conscience against government interference. It thus confers upon us the right to feel guilty (i.e., to have a “guilty conscience”). Part I, Article 5 secures the freedom of religion, which confers upon us the right to unrestrained freedom in matters of worship and religious study. Part I, Article 6, protects against the establishment of any one religious sect or persuasion in preference to any other religious sect or persuasion.
Under these laws, government cannot impose mandates upon thinking in the area of religion and morality.
Now to the subject at hand. HB 544, a bill that passed through the New Hampshire House, would “prohibit[] the dissemination of certain divisive concepts related to sex and race in state contracts … and training programs.” The bill forecloses the teaching of topics. These include any conveying that: “An individual, by virtue of his or her sex or race, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”
When I saw it and I reflected on the lessons my mother taught me, I asked, “Isn’t this the central lesson of Adam and Eve?”
The bill further forecloses the teaching of topics that would cause “discomfort” or “guilt” in any form on account of “race or sex.”
But isn’t this also a subject central to the tragedy of Cain and Abel (“Am I my brother’s keeper?”)?
As I continued to think about this, I wondered whether HB 544’s consequences with regard to teaching religion will we have our teachers interlineating the Gospels?
In some ways, we should thank the supporters of HB 544 for once again giving us an opportunity to reflect on how valuable our state Constitution is when it comes to the efforts of lawmakers to tell us what we should and should not think, discuss or teach when it comes to ethics and religion. We should also thank them for yet another lesson in civics.
We now have a chance to see whether our citizen-informed system of checks and balances, including our bicameral legislature, the veto power of the governor and the review power of our courts will be effective checks when it comes to protecting our core constitutional rights to religious freedom and conscience from the incursions HB 544 threaten.
Michael S. Lewis is an attorney who lives in Concord.
PanARMENIAN.Net – A special discussion of the European Parliament on the issue of the immediate release and return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan will be held on Monday, April 12 evening, Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has said in a Facebook post.
Among speakers set to deliver remarks are MEP Loukas Fourlas, who chairs the EU-Armenia friendship group at the European Parliament, as well as Chair of the delegation for relations with the South Caucasus at the European Parliament Marina Kaljurand, Tatoyan himself and Heghine Evinyan, the Executive Director, EAFJD – European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy.
Several dozen Armenian POWs have returned from Azerbaijan so far, although Armenian officials say many more people were being held in Baku. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claims, however, that persons being kept in Baku are not prisoners of war but “terrorists and saboteurs”. Officials and human rights advocates from the Armenian side, however, maintain Azerbaijan is still holding hundreds of people hostage, pledging to submit evidence proving the capture of said persons to international agencies and courts.
Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited, a Fully-Owned Subsidiary of Argentum 47, Inc. Increases Its Total Funds Under Administration by 40% – Organic Food News Today – EIN Presswire
In this article we presented top 12 chocolate companies in the world. Click to skip our detailed discussion of the chocolate industry and see the Top 5 Chocolate Companies in the World.
The global chocolate industry is on a growth trajectory as taste for chocolate is being adopted around the world. In 2019, this market was already valued at over $130 billion. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of at least 5% by 2024, according to the market report by Technavio. The overall market value for the industry is projected to exceed almost $187 billion by 2026, according to Statista. The largest market for chocolate confectionary in the world is in Western Europe, which accounts for one-third of the global chocolate market.
The chocolate industry has been rapidly evolving over the last several years amid changing tastes and preferences of consumers. The trend of dark and premium chocolates forms the largest segment of the chocolate market in the U.S. With leading companies like Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Hershey’s, Mars and General Mills, the American chocolate industry is thriving in the world. Unique products and luxurious consumption experiences are keeping consumers coming back for more. The growth in the chocolate market can be attributed to Asia Pacific countries where consumer preferences are becoming accustomed to western tastes. Thus, demand for chocolate is booming which has in turn raised the demand for cocoa by 30% as of 2020 according to Grand View Research.
There are growing preferences for chocolate products which are low in sugar content and which use organic ingredients. In 2019, Mars Wrigley Confectionary launched a new low-calorie range of single-serve bars with more protein and less sugar. Moreover, the packaging of chocolates has become even more innovative which is doing wonders for the gift-giving businesses as well. The Ferrero Rocher chocolate made by the Ferrero Group has a tin gold foil wrapping that gives it a premium look and is a popular choice for gifts.
Some of the notable developments identified in the industry include the health benefits of dark chocolates that are rich in cocoa, increasing demand for premium-based dark chocolates that are made as gifts, more regulated seasonal chocolates by producers, and flourishing marketing initiatives. There is a growing awareness regarding the health benefits of chocolate as well that has contributed towards the growth of the industry. Many prominent companies such as Mondelez have stepped up to meet this growing demand and brought about creative and delicious chocolate products that are enjoyed by consumers worldwide.
Here is a list of the top 12 chocolate companies in the world:
12. MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL INC Common Stock (NASDAQ: MDLZ)
Revenue: $27 billion in 2020
Mondelez International is an American multinational food, confectionary, holding, beverage, and snack food company which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It operates in 160 countries and has an annual revenue of about $26 billion. In 2018, Mondelez was ranked 117 in the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in USA in terms of their total revenues. The company manufactures products like chocolates, cookies, gum, biscuits, confectionary, and other powdered beverages. They also own several billion-dollar brands such as Milka and Cadbury chocolates, LU, Oreo biscuits, Tang beverages, BelVita and Trident gum. The company has a portfolio consisting of national, regional, and global brands, most of which are more than a hundred years old. Chocolates and biscuits account for most of the company’s annual revenue. Global markets account for a huge chunk of the company’s revenue. The company ranks 12th in the list of top chocolate companies in the world.
11. Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. (TYO: 2206.T)
Revenue: $344,048,000 million in 2020 via Yahoo Finance
Ezaki Glico Co Ltd. is a Japanese food company which is headquartered in Osaka. Its primary focus is the production and sale of confectionary and other food items such as ice cream, milk and dairy products etc. The confectionaries segment of the company produces chocolates, gums, snacks and cookies. The company has raised high revenues with the sale of its biggest selling brands like Pocky and Pretz lines which feature chocolate cookies and pretzels. They have also become the biggest international sellers of these items. Another popular item that has boosted the company’s sales is their almond chocolate.
10. Pladis
Revenue: 3.5 billion GBP
Pladis Global is a confectionary and snacks food manufacturing company which is based in London, England. It was founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of Yildiz Holding and now has acquired multiple food brands such as United Biscuits, Godiva Chocolatier, DeMet’s Candy Company and Ulker. Pladis has 34 manufacturing units across 13 countries and its products are distributed to about 4 billion people around the world across 120 countries. Pladis has established itself as a leading chocolate company which makes sweet and savory treats which is recognized by consumers globally. The company is earning an annual revenue of £3.5 billion which has made it one of the most prominent companies in Europe. Pladis currently has 26,000 people working for them across different countries.
Lindt is a swiss chocolatier and confectionary company that is based in Kilchberg, Switzerland. It was founded in 1845 and has become a household name across the world since then. The company is famous for making premium chocolates, truffles, and other sweets. Its main factory and museum are also located in Kilchberg. Lindt specializes in creating high quality, premium chocolates, and chocolate desserts. It has established chocolate cafes around the world. They also sell handmade chocolates, cakes, ice cream and macaroons. Their most popular chocolate products include the LINDOR truffle and the Lindt Gold Bunny. According to Statista, the company’s total worldwide sales amounted to abour four billion Swiss francs in 2020.
The Hershey Co. was found in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, PA. It is involved in the manufacturing and marketing of chocolate and sugar confectionary products that are available across 60 countries worldwide. The company is divided into three segments. The North American segment is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company. It has multiple brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s and Kisses. The company has three huge distribution centers that cater to the worldwide demand of its products. It is also associated with the Giant Center and the Hershey Park Stadium in the US. The most popular products of the company include Reese’s peanut butter cups, Hershey’s kisses, twizzlers, mounds, almond joy candy bars, Kit Kat bars and York peppermint patties. Apart from these, Hershey’s also produces grocery items like baking products, toppings, syrups, cookies, bubble gum and cocoa mixes. The US accounts for most of the sales of the company. The North American segment of Hershey’s had net sales of $1.844 billion as of 2020 according to the candyindustry.
General Mills is an American multinational company which manufactures branded consumer foods. It is among the list of top chocolate companies in the world. It is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and its brand portfolio consists of more than 89 leading US brands such as Betty Crocker, Totino’s, Haagen-Dazs, Annie’s Homegrown, Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms amongst others. Founded over 150 years ago, the company has become a leading name in the chocolate industry with its largest global operating segment generating $10 billion of net sales in 2020, according to Statista. The largest division of the company is the US Meals and Baking division which alone generated $4.5 billion worth of net sales in 2020. Its most popular chocolate products include cereals like Chocolate Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Count Chocula, Cookie Crisp and cookies and cream puffs etc.
The Kraft Heinz Company is an American food company which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It ranks 6th in the list of 12 top chocolate companies in the world. It was formed by the merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz and has since become the 3rd largest food and beverage company in North America and the 5th largest in the world with $26 billion in annual sales in 2020. The company has in its portfolio several more brands such as Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia Cream cheese, Wattie’s and Planters. In 2018, Kraft was ranked number 114 in the Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations in the US based on its revenue. Its most popular chocolate products include Baker’s chocolate, Daim, Freia, Jet-puffed, Cote d’or, Lacta, Marabou, Milka, Toblerone, Terry’s, Prince Polo and Trakinas.
Observed annually on 12 April, the International Day commemorates the date in 1961 when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin carried out the first ever human space flight, opening the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
In a message, Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), said that 60 years ago, “a new era for humanity began – with sky no longer the limit”.
“Astronauts are envoys of humankind in outer space, embodying talent, skills, and bravery; and stretching the boundaries of what we can achieve as a civilization.”
“Human space flight has changed our perspectives about the Earth, the universe and ourselves”, Ms. Di Pippo added.
In 2011, the UN General Assembly declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight to celebrate “the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”
Directly or indirectly, space applications contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For instance, space technologies can help optimize crop production and make the use of land, water, seeds, fertilizers and other resources more efficient, advancing Goal 2 on ending hunger.
Such innovations are all the more crucial given estimates that the coronavirus pandemic could push a further 132 million into hunger, adding to the 690 million globally who already do not have enough to eat.
FAO envoy to bring ‘unique perspective’
To highlight the importance of world’s agri-food systems, and help make them more resilient, inclusive, efficient and sustainable, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designated European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet as its Goodwill Ambassador on Monday.
An advocate for climate action, Mr. Pesquet highlighted the effects of climate change and called for more respect for the environment during his 196 consecutive days on board the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 and 2017.
The ESA astronaut brings “a unique perspective, from the vantage point of space”, Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General said.
“Over the years, Thomas has helped raise awareness of the impact of climate change on agriculture, of the importance of access to nutritious foods, and of how critical it is for us to manage our natural resources wisely and reduce food loss and waste”, Mr. Qu added.
‘Earth is also a spaceship’
Accepting the nomination, the French ESA astronaut said his first space flight drastically changed his perception about the challenges the world is facing, drawing parallels between planet Earth and a spaceship.
“After all, Earth is also a spaceship, flying through space with limited resources. The problems are the same – a hostile environment that you have to deal with, limited resources that you have to share and there is a need to get along with crew members and work together to achieve your goals”, he said.
Mr. Pesquet is preparing for his second mission to ISS, which is scheduled to be launched on 22 April and to last for six months.
Leigh Altshuler opened Sweet Pickle Books, located on 47 Orchard St, in November of 2020. This Lower East Side small business is a used bookstore that also sells jars of pickles. (Staff Photo by Sabrina Choudhary)
<a href="https://www.sweetpicklebooks.com/"><span>Sweet Pickle Books</span></a><span>, located at 47 Orchard St., is a place where you can buy secondhand copies of psychology texts, celebrity biographies and classics like “Little Women.” It’s a place where you can find zines made by local artists alongside stolen library books and cassettes (“Remember those?” the sign asks). It’s a shop with a disco ball. Oh, and it sells two-pound jars of pickles. </span>
While the economic stress of the pandemic forced many small businesses to close, it also inspired owner Leigh Altshuler to create the shop of her dreams. After losing her job, she had time to reflect on where to go next.
“I was just thinking about, you know, how do I want to be spending my time? What do I really believe in?”she said. “And as things were closing, and liquor stores were essential but bookstores were shutting, I was just thinking about the importance of a bookstore, and especially a local bookstore.”
According to Altshuler, the role of a bookstore is irreplaceable.
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“It’s a place where you can go when you don’t know what you’re looking for. But you’re looking for something. It’s a safe space to be curious. It’s a place where there’s no judgment,” she said.
For Altshuler, that place was Mercer Street Books. She was there on the day that New York City bookstores were ordered to close, buying as many books as she could carry and checking out right before time ran out.
One of the books Altshuler found that day was Alexander Chee’s “How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.”After reading it in one sitting, she became determined to realize her dream of opening a shop.
“That’s what really made me think, I want to become who I want to become,” she said. “And this is a part of me that I really needed to do … I really needed this just as much as people needed a bookstore in a community, you know, so it was totally symbiotic.”
As a former Strand employee, Altshuler had experience buying books, but she did not know how to start a business. When she passed by the ever-growing number of empty storefronts, she called the numbers on the for-rent signs to inquire about the properties. She encountered an additional challenge due to the pandemic: researching the city’s ever-changing COVID-19 safety guidelines for businesses.
“I felt like it was really hard to find the information that the city was putting out there to make sure you could operate your business safely,” she said. “I was going into it, like, blind and then blindfolded.”
Sweet Pickle Books opened its doors in November 2020, after New Yorkers had lived in isolation for eight months. Though independent bookstores naturally serve their community, Altshuler turned her shop into a service for her community’s needs. When Altshuler purchased books around the Lower East Side, she became a much-needed friend to the elderly folks she visited.
“I was going into, you know, [the homes of] people who are in their 80s and 90s and buying books from them, and really seeing people who truly had not seen anybody in a long time,” she said. “So yes, it was great because I was getting inventory and I was, you know, buying whatever. But I was also making these connections with people who really make New York what it is.”
Altshuler also supported small businesses during the economic crisis, from carpenters building shelves to designers helping with the store’s branding. She even made a point of paying unemployed and homeless people to help her move boxes.
“Mutual aid has been amazing, because it’s like, those 25 or 50 dollars or whatever that’s going back into the community is going to go so much further,” she said.
Sweet Pickle Books doesn’t just have the present Lower East Side in mind — it also honors the community’s history. As a used bookstore and pickle vendor, it continues the legacy of early 20th-century Manhattan.
Greenwich Village served as New York’s literary center 100 years ago. Altshuler explained that in the 1920s, the area between Astor Place and Union Square used to be known as Book Row, due to the large amount of used bookstores and publishing houses in the area.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Lower East Side was heavily populated by Jewish immigrants who sold pickles. There were about 3,000 pickle vendors in New York by 1900, but now Altshuler’s store and The Pickle Guys are some of the only ones left.
Altshuler is Jewish, and many of her family members immigrated to the Lower East Side. Between her heritage and all the times she watched Crossing Delanceywith her mom growing up, the intersection of books and pickles seemed like a natural way to honor the history of the neighborhood.
“That was a big part of my culture and my history, my relatives, and so that was something that I really wanted to pay homage to because I feel like I’m so lucky to have my store here,” she said. “I’m such a guest in this neighborhood. And it wouldn’t have been what it is without all of those people who, you know, sat on the street and sold pickles and all of the upholsterers who’ve been here for so many years and all these old businesses.”
Altshuler took this pickling legacy into her own hands by creating her own recipes for the store. She currently sells two types of pickles, original dill and spicy farmhouse. She researched the ingredients, sourced cucumbers from an ethical farm upstate, and conducted countless taste tests in her apartment kitchen to achieve the perfect crunch.
“I truly couldn’t have had more salt and vinegar in my body at all times,” she said.
Firmly rooted in the Lower East Side’s past and present, Sweet Pickle Books’ future will continue to revolve around the community, something highly important to Altshuler.
In the future, Altshuler said she might expand her one-woman operation. For now, she is hard at work maintaining the magical space that is Sweet Pickle Books.
“It’s definitely a labor of love, and it’s very laborious,” she said. “Books are really heavy.”
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 12, 2021 e-print edition. Email Sabrina Choudhary at [email protected]
Today, Europol publishes the European Union (EU) Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment, the EU SOCTA 2021. The SOCTA, published by Europol every four years, presents a detailed analysis of the threat of serious and organised crime facing the EU. The SOCTA is a forward-looking assessment that identifies shifts in the serious and organised crime landscape.
The SOCTA 2021 details the operations of criminal networks in the EU and how their criminal activities and business practices threaten to undermine our societies, economy and institutions, and slowly erode the rule of law. The report provides unprecedented insights into Europe’s criminal underworld based on the analysis of thousands of cases and pieces of intelligence provided to Europol.
The SOCTA reveals a concerning expansion and evolution of serious and organised crime in the EU. The document warns of the potential long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and how these may create ideal conditions for crime to thrive in the future. The report clearly highlights serious and organised crime as the key internal security challenge currently facing the EU and its Member States.
Launched at the Portuguese Police’s headquarters (Policia Judicária) in Lisbon during the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the SOCTA 2021 is the most comprehensive and in-depth study of serious and organised crime in the EU ever undertaken.
THE MOST PRESSING INTERNAL SECURITY THREAT TO THE EU
EU citizens enjoy some of the highest levels of prosperity and security in the world. However, the EU still faces serious challenges to its internal security, threatening to undo some of our common achievements and undermine shared European values and ambitions. As the EU is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most significant crises since the end of World War II, criminals seek to exploit this extraordinary situation targeting citizens, businesses, and public institutions alike.
The analysis presented in the SOCTA 2021 highlights key characteristics of serious and organised crime such as the widespread use of corruption, the infiltration and exploitation of legal business structures for all types of criminal activity, and the existence of a parallel underground financial system that allows criminals to move and invest their multi-billion euro profits.
Serious and organised crime encompasses a diverse range of criminal phenomena ranging from the trade in illegal drugs to crimes such as migrant smuggling and the trafficking in human beings, economic and financial crime and many more.
Key findings of the SOCTA 2021:
Serious and organised crime has never posed as high a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the potential economic and social fallout expected to follow threaten to create ideal conditions for organised crime to spread and take hold in the EU and beyond. Once more confirmed by the pandemic, a key characteristic of criminal networks is their agility in adapting to and capitalising on changes in the environment in which they operate. Obstacles become criminal opportunities.
Like a business environment, the core of a criminal network is composed of managerial layers and field operators. This core is surrounded by a range of actors linked to the crime infrastructure providing support services.
With nearly 40 percent of the criminal networks active in drugs trafficking, the production and trafficking of drugs remains the largest criminal business in the EU.
The trafficking and exploitation of human beings, migrant smuggling, online and offline frauds and property crime pose significant threats to EU citizens.
Criminals employ corruption. Almost 60% of the criminal networks reported engage in corruption.
Criminals make and launder billions of euros annually. The scale and complexity of money laundering activities in the EU have previously been underestimated. Professional money launderers have established a parallel underground financial system and use any means to infiltrate and undermine Europe’s economies and societies.
Legal business structures are used to facilitate virtually all types of criminal activity with an impact on the EU. More than 80% of the criminal networks active in the EU use legal business structures for their criminal activities.
The use of violence by criminals involved in serious and organised crime in the EU appears to have increased in terms of the frequency of use and its severity. The threat from violent incidents has been augmented by the frequent use of firearms or explosives in public spaces.
Criminals are digital natives. Virtually all criminal activities now feature some online component and many crimes have fully migrated online. Criminals exploit encrypted communications to network among each other, use social media and instant messaging services to reach a larger audience to advertise illegal goods, or spread disinformation.
Portugal’s Minister for Justice, Francisca Van Dunem: “The strengthening of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice requires us all to build a Europe where citizens feel safe, free and protected, a Europe that promotes justice for all, ensuring respect for human rights and protecting victims of crime. Cooperation and information sharing are essential to combat serious and organised crime and terrorism and to tackle the threat the EU is confronted with. Therefore, at a time of transition to the new EMPACT cycle 2022-2025, SOCTA 2021 is of particular relevance in identifying priorities for the operational response to these phenomena”.
Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle: “With the launch of the SOCTA 2021, Europol has harnessed its position as the nerve centre of the EU’s internal security architecture with its platforms, databases, and services connecting law enforcement authorities across the EU and beyond. The intelligence picture and assessment presented in the SOCTA 2021 is a stark reminder of the dynamic and adaptable adversary we face in serious and organised crime in the EU.”
Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs: “The 2021 SOCTA report clearly shows that organised crime is a truly transnational threat to our societies. 70% of criminal groups are active in more than three Member States. The complexity of the modern criminal business models was exposed in 2020 when French and Dutch authorities supported by Europol and Eurojust dismantled EncroChat; an encrypted phone network used by criminal networks. Organised crime groups are professional and highly adaptable as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. We must support law enforcement to keep up, offline and online, to follow the digital trail of criminals.”
Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita: “The EU’s Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA 2021), produced by Europol, constitutes an important instrument for affirming the European police partnership. It allows police action to go from pursuing criminal facts and minimising their impact, to anticipating trends in the criminal landscape. By placing intelligence at the service of security, we enable police to be more pro-active and efficient in tackling crime.”
The SOCTA 2021 assists decision-makers in the prioritisation of serious and organised crime threats. It is a product of close cooperation between Europol, EU Member States law enforcement authorities, third parties such as EU agencies, international organisations, and countries outside the EU with working arrangements with Europol. These crucial stakeholders’ involvement is also reflected in the SOCTA’s role as the cornerstone of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) in the EU.
The office desk I use isn’t exactly modern art. It stems from the 40s or 50s, a hand-me-down that has served well but will never win a beauty contest. It was made during the era of everything veneer, and while it no doubt was unspoiled when new, it has become something less than striking from a visual standpoint. The oak veneer has chipped and taken damage on most outside corners and the drawers require wrestling moves to open them on occasion. Its most redeeming characteristic was summed up by a relative who declared, “It’s not much to look at, but it’s hell for stout.” I took that to mean built like a tank. It has certainly lived up to that.
April 12, 2021 – 18:25 AMT
