The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Chicago airport’s “chew gang” keeps the grass away Posted: 18 Aug 2013 08:59 PM PDT The llamas help protect the sheep and miniature goats from coyotes that roam the wooded areas near one of the world's busiest airports. The donkeys are also big and aggressive enough to keep predators away. And the entire chew crew works to keep the grounds clear of critters that can interfere -- or even endanger - airport operations. Long grass isn't just messy, airport officials explained as they unveiled the new crew Tuesday. It's also a breeding ground for the small rodents that attract hawks and other birds of prey. "Birds and planes don't mix," said Rosemarie Andolino commissioner of Chicago's airport authority. Chicago used to rely on herbicides and motorized lawnmowers to maintain the nearly 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) of land surrounding O'Hare. But the rocky and hilly areas far from the tarmacs were tough to mow and could damage the city's expensive equipment. And despite endless hours of hot sweaty landscaping work, the airport's wildlife relocation team was constantly on the hunt for errant animals. So the Windy City decided to follow the lead of airports in Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta and try an old-fashioned approach. Aside from giving the landscaping crew a break, relying on ruminants also potentially reduces the airport's carbon footprint by eliminating the use of gasoline-powered equipment. It's not yet clear how much of an impact the herd of 14 goats, six sheep two llamas and three donkeys will make. It can't be allowed anywhere near the tarmac and also has to be protected from the busy freeway and roads that line the airport grounds. Airport officials identified about 120 acres in four fenced-in sites that are choked with the kinds of grasses and weeds that can keep the herd happily munching for months. They plan to monitor how long it takes the herd to clear each section. If it works well, they could even expand the herd to include more animals and a wider grazing area, Andolino said. A local restaurant - which keeps its own goats for cheese -- has partnered with an animal rescue group to manage the herd at a cost of $19,000 for two years. "It's a very inexpensive project," Andolino said. The airport's fire-fighters drive fresh water over for their water trough and a crew of minders corrals the herd in and out of a trailer that acts as a temporary barn for the evenings. When it gets too cold for them to graze, the herd will be transferred to a warmer winter home. The animals don't seem bothered at all by the roar of the airplanes as they take off and land overhead, said Pinky Janota of the Settlers Pond animal shelter. "We had a little lamb born this morning," she said. "He's doing great, suckling on mom with planes going overhead. He didn't flinch." They named him O'Hare, naturally. - AFP/Relax, August 19, 2013. |
| World shoe aficionados flock to Italian masters Posted: 18 Aug 2013 05:36 PM PDT "I studied for an MBA at Liverpool University then opened my own company making bags in Lagos. Now I'm here to get that 'Made in Italy' touch for shoes. The designs will be mine, but influenced by Gucci!" she said with a wide grin. She is not alone in travelling to Florence to learn from master cobbler Angelo Imperatrice, 75, who was taught the trade aged 11 by his uncles. Some of his students go on to sell their shoes for 3,000 euros ($3,991) a pair. Imperatrice is from the Basilicata region in southern Italy but grew up in the Tuscan city famed for leather-working, where the cobbled streets "once thrived with artisans, from silversmiths to watchmakers and knife-sharpeners", he said. The bustling streets near Michelangelo's statue of David may sport trendy shops with dazzling shoe displays, but it is the Oltrarno area on the other side of the river where the heart of Florence's ancient artisan sector thrived. "Crafts like these have fallen out of fashion, but young people would do well to consider cobbler apprenticeships. They could become the next Salvatore Ferragamo," he said, referring to the Florentine designer loved by A-listers. The blue-eyed master teaches up to eight students at a time at the Accademia Riaci - there is a long waiting list - and around 100 have graduated so far. Amid the rolls of suede, calfskin leather and cord stand finished models, from a pair of towering patent-red heels with a seductive, winding ankle-strap to a lower-heeled blue velvet-lined court shoe with a small gold fork as a clasp. Mashizan Masjum, a television producer from Singapore, said he had long dreamt of designing women's shoes - "elegant, but with an edge" - and believes he and his fellow students from Japan to South America will help keep Italian shoemaking alive. "In this class we have people from all over the world learning from the same Italian master: it's globalisation at its best. There is a crisis, but with every crisis comes opportunity," the 41-year-old said as he nailed down a sole. Imperatrice says that while cobbler apprentices used to work unpaid for four years on repairs before they were allowed to begin shoemaking, freshly trained shoemakers can now set up shop fairly quickly for between 4,000 and 5,000 euros. Elderly masters of his generation often cannot read or write and are unwilling to face the bureaucratic hassle which modern apprenticeships bring, he says, but they still have a huge amount to teach about the ancient craft. Several students say their interest in a hands-on trade has raised eyebrows. Dana Alseif, 25, from Saudi Arabia, worked for a while in private banking before risking the wrath of her engineering family to do an intensive Italian language course and indulge her passion for classic men's shoes at Riaci. The only Italian on the eight-week course - which costs 5,100 euros - is Daniele Ortolani, a 31-year-old who had been repairing shoes for eight years when he decided to learn how to make custom-made models for people with orthopedic conditions. "Some of my friends were surprised when I chose to become a cobbler, but others are now considering the old trades. Being an upholsterer or rag-and-bone man is an increasingly appealing way to beat the economic crisis," he said. Imperatrice has high hopes for Ortolani, who he hopes will become the next Stefano Bemer, a renowned Tuscan cobbler who boasted Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis among his pupils, before dying in 2012 aged just 48. Bemer took the British actor in as an apprentice for eight months between 1999 and 2000, welcoming him in to his tiny workshop at 8:00 am every day to learn how to make shoes using 180 different leathers, including hippopotamus and sharkskin. "I want to join the greats some day," Ortolani said. "I fear there will always be fewer Italian cobblers, but I hope the Tuscan expertise will somehow survive." – AFP/Relaxnews, August 19, 2013. |
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