Connect with us

Health and Wellness

The Black Girl’s Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise

Published

on

Courtesy of the writer

One thing about me, I do not book a visit unless I do know the food goes to be amazingly delicious. So after I heard that Windstar Cruises was the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, a culinary arts organization that awards a few of the world’s most coveted food and beverage honors, I said,

My best friend and I had been talking about going to Greece for years and decided now can be the proper time. That was the start of our eight-day culinary journey through the Greek Islands.

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

We stopped at popular tourist spots like Mykonos (where I took a cooking class) and Santorini (where we participated in a gaggle wine tour), in addition to a couple of lesser-known spots like Patmos and Kusadasi, Turkey.) While Windstar has cruised all over the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean, a girls’ food tour to Greece seemed like something out of a movie show.

The star of the show is the food

As I discussed, this can be a cruise for the traveling foodie. There are several dining options on board, including Verdana (great for breakfast and lunch), Candles (nightly al fresco dining under the celebrities), Amphora (my favorite), and more. The menus at Amphora and Verdana change each day, and each feature many dishes from James Beard Award-winning chefs within the United States and its territories, resembling the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

My favorites were the lobster bisque, chef Amy Brandwein’s grilled branzino with basil and tomato caponata, the Grand Marnier hot soufflé, and the red berry trifle with champagne chantilly. Oh my God. If you are planning on counting calories, just stay home.

Room service also allows you to order from the Amphora menu, so technically you possibly can order room service on a ship. My friend and I did this last night so we could eat and watch the sunset from the back of the ship.

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

And while the food on board was incredible, there was one major culinary highlight that happened off the ship. Our entire ship had a personal dinner in Ephesus in the traditional amphitheater dating back to biblical times. It all took place under an excellent moon with an expert orchestra, making it the proper setting for our two cruise mates to get engaged (congrats to Kristen and Randy)!

They stay ready so that you haven’t got to prepare

The on-site organization of the crew was excellent with intensely personalized service. Joanna was our destination manager who shared detailed summaries of every location through engaging and fun presentations prior to our arrival. She easily and quickly navigated us through the high traffic areas (i.e., all of the clients who wanted to visit Oia and participate in Santorini tours only waited about 20 minutes on the port thanks to Joanna’s planning. We connected with other travelers from different cruises who told us that they had been in line at the identical port for over two hours!)

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

Like many cruise lines, Windstar has shuttle boats that run from the ship to shore, but additionally they have a personal lounge area with water and snacks where you possibly can calm down whilst you wait in your transfer. I even have to take my metaphorical hat off to the front desk team. Running into unexpected issues can take the wind out of a vacation, and I had a couple of unexpected mishaps on board. However, the front desk team was so gentle with me while quickly correcting any mistakes that occurred in reference to my cruise experience. As an added bonus, you possibly can benefit from the total laundry and dry cleansing service on board, so that you haven’t got to go home and wash all of your clothes instantly.

Important details about this cruise line

Although the ship I used to be on (WindStar) was not wheelchair friendly (plenty of stairs, steps to and from the toilet within the cabin, and no cabins on the principal level), their collection of ships do have wheelchair accessible options. If you’re traveling with someone with mobility issues, search for destinations which have Star Plus Class Ships (Star Breeze, Star Pride and Star Legend) which have fully accessible cabins. If you or someone you’re traveling with has a disability, food allergy or every other experience that would make traveling a stressful experience, try their accessibility page and phone their team with any questions.

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

It’s also essential to know that while we made some great travel friends and shared some great moments with a couple of other cruisers, Windstar cruises can have a more conservative clientele. However, the road is working to create a more inclusive space where travelers from all walks of life feel at home, and while there’s room for growth, progress is visible. Also, when you can book with a travel agent, I highly recommend it. They are working to make the booking process easier for travelers without an agent, but for a smoother trip, use a travel agent.

The Black Girl's Guide to Booking Your First Food Cruise
Courtesy of the writer

Windstar cruises are generally intimate, as our ship had about 150 passengers, lots of whom got here in pairs or groups, so when you can get two or more people together, it’s an important trip. Unlike other big-name cruises, this isn’t a celebration cruise. Instead, it’s a luxury experience, complete with caviar, white tablecloths, and candlelight dinners at sunset over the Mediterranean. If you’re a foodie and this appears like your dream escape at sea, book yourself an adventure. And be certain to include an open mind — and an empty stomach.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Health and Wellness

Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries know how to deal with pollution threats – think DDT and acid rain

Published

on

By

Climate change could seem insurmountable. But if you happen to take a closer have a look at its causes, you realize that history is stuffed with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome.

The predominant explanation for climate change is carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels – is just one other pollutant. And countries know how to reduce harmful pollutants. They did so with the pesticide DDT, lead paint, and power plant emissions that caused acid rain, amongst many others.

In each case, growing public outcry eventually led to policy changes, despite industry resistance. Under pressure from laws and regulations, industry ramped up production of safer alternatives.

I’m earth and environmental scientistand my latest book “Reclaiming our planet,” explores the teachings of history in overcoming seemingly insurmountable threats. Here are some examples:

DDT ban despite industry opposition

DDT was the primary truly effective pesticide and considered miraculous. Killing mosquitoes and lice, eliminated malaria and other diseases in lots of countries, and in agriculture it saved tons of crops.

After World War II, DDT was utilized in farms, buildings and gardens throughout the United States. However, it also had its drawbacks. accumulated in mother’s milk to levels that would deliver a toxic dose to infants. Women were It was discouraged breastfed their children within the Sixties due to the risks.

The American bald eagle population was decimated by DDT. After the chemical was banned, the eagles began to get better.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

In addition, DDT bioaccumulated within the food chain to toxic levels in peak species reminiscent of raptors. This weakened eggshells to the purpose that brood moms crushed their eggs. White-tailed eagles were reduced to 417 breeding pairs throughout North America by 1967 and were placed on the endangered species list.

Biologist Rachel Carson documented the damage DDT caused to her body 1962 book “Silent Spring”“and thus launched the general public environmental movement. Despite disinformation campaigns and attacks from the chemical industry, enormous social pressure on politicians led to congressional hearings, state and federal restrictions and finally the USA ban on the overall use of DDT in 1972.

A woman speaks at a table in front of several microphones during a congressional hearing.
Rachel Carson, whose book “Silent Spring” pioneered pesticide research, testifies before a Senate committee in Washington, D.C., June 4, 1963.
AP Photo/Charles Gorry

White-tailed Eagles recovered up to 320,000 within the United States by 2017, in regards to the same because the population before European settlement. The chemical industry, faced with the ban on DDT, quickly developed much safer pesticides.

Gathering evidence on the risks of lead

Application of lead increased dramatically within the twentieth centuryespecially in paints, plumbing and gasoline. It was so common that nearly everyone was exposed to metal that, according to research, could also be harmful the kid’s kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system and brain development.

Clair “Pat” Patterson, a geochemist on the California Institute of Technology, has shown that Americans were continually exposed to lead at near toxic levels. Human skeletons from the Sixties were found to have up to 1200 times lead of ancient skeletons. Today health standards say that it is no protected level of lead within the blood.

Older home with peeling paint on exterior walls behind porch. Construction equipment is on a new step that is being built on porch.
Lead-based paint was banned for home use within the U.S. in 1978, but lead paint present in older homes can still chip, posing a health risk to children.
Environmental Protection Agency

Despite threats each personal and skilled, and an industry disinformation campaign, Patterson and his supporters evidence has been collected from years warn the general public and ultimately pressure politicians to ban the usage of lead in lots of applications, including petrol AND residential paints.

After the regulations were introduced, the industry accelerated production of substitutesAs a result, the extent of lead within the blood of kids reduced by 97% over the following few a long time. Although lead exposure is now less common, some persons are still exposed to dangerous levels present in homes, pipes and soil, often in low-income neighborhoods.

Stopping Acid Rain: An International Concern

Acid rain is primarily brought on by the discharge of sulfur dioxide into the air in the course of the burning of coal, high-sulfur oil, and the smelting and refining of metals. interacts with rain or fogThe acid rain that falls can destroy forests, kill lake ecosystems, dissolve monuments and corrode infrastructure.

The damage brought on by acid rain in Europe and North America within the twentieth century showed the world that air pollution, which is not limited to national borders, can grow to be a world crisis requiring international solutions.

The problem of acid rain began greater than a hundred years ago, but sulfur dioxide levels grew rapidly after World War IIIn 1952, a thermal inversion occurred in London, which resulted within the concentration of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants being so high that killed 1000’s of individualsAs damage to forests and lakes worsened across Europe, countries signed international agreements In the Eighties, actions were taken to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.

A forest with many trees without the needs of pines.
Trees died as a results of acid rain within the Czech Republic in 1998. Forests in lots of parts of Europe and North America have suffered damage from acid rain.
Photo by Seitz/ullstein via Getty Images

In the US, emissions from Midwestern power plants killed fish and trees within the pristine Adirondacks. The destruction, health problems and quite a few disasters outraged public opinion, to which politicians responded.

Sulfur dioxide listed as certainly one of six criteria for air pollution in groundbreaking study U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970which required the federal government to set limits on its release. Power plants scrubbers installed to capture pollution and over the following 40 years, the concentration of sulfur dioxide within the U.S. reduced by about 95%.

Parallels with climate change

There are many similarities between these examples and climate change today.

Mountains scientific evidence show how carbon dioxide emissions are created by burning fossil fuels in vehicles, factories and power plants They are warming the planetThe fossil fuel industry has begun to exploit its political power AND disinformation campaigns a long time ago to block regulations the aim of which was to decelerate climate change.

People all around the world are struggling with increasing heat and weather disasters brought on by global warming. calling for motion to stop climate change and spend money on cleaner energy.

First Earth Dayin 1970, it attracted 20 million people. Recent years have seen a change in attitudes towards climate change and attracted hundreds of thousands people all around the world.

The street was packed with people, many holding signs calling on the Biden administration to take action on climate change.
Public campaigns and mass demonstrations to combat climate change, reminiscent of the one in New York in 2023, help to put social pressure on politicians.
Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

The challenge was to get politicians to act, but that is is slowly changing in lots of countries.

The United States has begun investing in scaling up several tools to mitigate climate changeincluding electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Federal and state policies reminiscent of requirements for renewable energy production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are also key to pushing industries to switch to less harmful alternatives.

Climate change is a global problem that may require worldwide motion. International agreements are also helping more countries take steps forward. One change that countries have been discussing for years could help bolster those efforts: ending billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies and allocating these funds to healthier solutions could help decelerate climate change.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
Continue Reading

Health and Wellness

Trina McGee admits she suffered a miscarriage after announcing she was pregnant at 54

Published

on

By

Trina McGee, Black maternal health, pregnancy over 50, Black celebrity moms, theGrio.com

Three months after announcing at age 54 that she was expecting her fourth child, Trina McGee shared news that she had suffered a miscarriage.

During his appearance on this system “Tamron HallOn this system “l” the actress confessed that she had a miscarriage.

“It wasn’t expected, it was closer to the end of the first trimester. We don’t have any real reasons,” she said, adding, “I was still grateful for the experience of being able to get pregnant at that age and at that time.”

McGee said she experienced “a lot of depression” after receiving the difficult news. “You know, it’s just hard to get out of bed,” she explained.

McGee noted how much she longed for a child conceived naturally, despite using “holistic” measures comparable to food regimen and lifestyle changes.

“There are so many things that come up when you really want to have a family and you want it to be complete,” she explained, adding, “It was really hard for me to come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t going to happen at this stage.”

McGee, who turned 55 earlier this month, first announced in June that she was expecting her fourth child with husband Courtland Davis Instagram post.

“At 54, I am pregnant,” she wrote within the post, which she set to the song “Baby Love” by The Supremes. “Please bless us with prayers for a safe delivery. Thank you.”

In the caption, McGee added that she was going to be “taking a break from social media for a while,” telling her followers, “Thank you in advance for your prayers and well-wishes.”

Featured Stories

McGee, who’s already a mother of three adult children, ages 33, 30 and 26, explained to Hall that she was excited to “pass on” all of her knowledge to the brand new addition to her family.

“When you’re a young parent, there are certain things you miss,” she said.

At the start of the show, Hall noted that she was having “candid conversations” this week, and in that spirit, she asked McGee why she decided to share the news of her pregnancy so early.

“I may have been a little immature about it,” she admitted, adding, “I was just so excited and so shocked. And I realized, ‘Okay, this isn’t a bad thing,’ because there were so many women who really, even at 55 and older, still wanted to get pregnant… and didn’t want to be forced into this geriatric pregnancy.”

McGee noted that she wasn’t sure if she desired to try for one more child after this loss. Given her age, the pregnancy was already considered high-risk and required special care, which she received from a member of the family who works as a holistic healer in (*54*).

“Part of me doesn’t want to go through this ever again,” she said. “I’ve come to the conclusion that we’ll just have sex, if something happens like that, fine, but I don’t want to put any more anxiety on myself. Sometimes it really is better to let go and let God.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Health and Wellness

SEE: Paint the Polls Black – Conscious Lee Talks About Being Mindful of Opportunities – Essence

Published

on

By

“; } }); // Drag-to-scroll functionality const playlistContainer = document.getElementById(‘playlist’); let isDown = false; let startY; let scrollTop; playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mousedown’, (e) => { isDown = true; playlistContainer.classList.add(‘active’); startY = e.pageY – playlistContainer.offsetTop; playlistContainer.scrollTop }); ; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mouseup’, () => { isDown = false; playlistContainer.classList.remove(‘active’); }); playlistContainer.addEventListener(‘mousemove’, (e) => { if (!isDown) return; e.preventDefault(); const y = e.pageY – playlistContainer. offsetTop; const walk = (y – startY) * 3; // fast scrolling playlistContainer.scrollTop = scrollTop – walk; }); } } if (” !== ‘efoc24’) { // Check DoubleVerify Quality Targeting signals before rendering the player if ( ‘undefined’ !== typeof PQ ) { PQ.cmd.push(function() { // If DVQT signals are not available after 500ms, render the player anyway. const timeout_id = setTimeout( jwPlayerRender, 500 ); // Get “Authentic Direct” signals. PQ.getTargeting({ signals: [‘abs’] }, function(error, targetingData) { clearTimeout(timeout_id); jwPlayerRender(error ? undefined: targetingData); }); }); } else { jwPlayerRender(); } function jwPlayerRender( dvqt_signals=”” ) { let jw_ad_tag ​​​​= {“client”:”googima”,”adscheduleid”:”G7hR9pQ2″,”schedule”:[{“tag”:”https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?correlator=&iu=/21698916284/ess/VideoNews&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&sz=400×300%7C640x480%7C1000x1%7C1920x1080&description_url=__page-url__&tfcd=0&npa=0&vpmute=1&vpa=auto&vad_type=linear&url=__page-url__&vpos=preroll&unviewed_position_start=1&v=194aHyjb&pmnd=0&pmxd=60000&ad_rule=1&cust_params=ttid%3D194aHyjb%26frnch%3D__item-franchise__%26environment%3Dproduction%26kwblock%3DAbb%2CMicrosoft%2CCapOne%2CLincoln%2CUPS%2CVG%2CATTCric%2CTargetbos%2CToyota%2CNationwide%2CDisney%2CBest+Guest%2CPubW+Precision%2Cattefoc3%2CWalmart”,”offset”:”pre”},{“tag”:”https://vid.springserve.com/vast/670880?url=https://www.essence.com/news/watch-paint-the-polls-black-conscious-lee-talks-being-mindful-of-opportunities/h=450&w=800&cb=9249″,”offset”:”50%”}]”offers”:{,,offers”:[{“id”:”jw-video-194aHyjb”,”name”:”jwdemand”,”publisherId”:”evcxFIDZ”,”siteId”:”WT5iFegj”,”placementId”:”24399785″}]”settings”:{“disableConsentManagementOnNoCmp”:true,”mediationLayerAdServer”:”dfp”,”floorPriceCents”:200,”floorPriceCurrency”:”usd”,”buckets”:[{“increment”:0.1,”max”:30,”min”:0},{“increment”:0.5,”max”:50,”min”:30}]}}}; // On-the-fly ad tag configuration… let additional_params = {}; // Inject DVQT signals. if ( dvqt_signals && dvqt_signals.ABS.length > 0 ) { additional_params.ABS = dvqt_signals.ABS.join(“,”); } // Inject Ops Mage signals. if ( dfp_ad_object && dfp_ad_object[0].page_targeting.length > 0 ) { let dfp_ad_targeting = JSON.parse(dfp_ad_object[0].page_targeting); if ( dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage && dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage.length > 0 ) { additional_params.opsmage = dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage.join(“,”); } if ( dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage_alt && dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage_alt.length > 0 ) { additional_params.opsmag_alt = dfp_ad_targeting.opsmage_alt.join(“,”); } } // Create additional_params. let additional_params_str=””; for ( let key in additional_params ) { let value = additional_params[key]; additional_params_str += `${key}=${value}`; if ( key !== Object.keys( additional_params ).pop() ) { additional_params_str += ‘&’; } } // Update cust_params ad tag (have to be URL encoded). if ( Object.keys( additional_params ).length > 0 ) { let ad_schedule = jw_ad_tag.schedule; if ( ‘undefined’ !== typeof ad_schedule ) { for (let i = 0; i < ad_schedule.length; i++) { let ad_url = recent URL(jw_ad_tag.schedule[i].tag); let query_params = recent URLSearchParams(ad_url.search); query_params.set("cust_params", query_params.get("cust_params") + `&${additional_params_str}`); ad_url.search = query_params.toString(); jw_ad_tag.schedule[i].tag = ad_url.toString(); } } } let playerId; if ('undefined' !== typeof jwplayerQueue) { playerId = 'jw-video-194aHyjb'; jwplayerQueue.push({ 'instanceId': 'playerInstance_194aHyjb', 'playerId': playerId, 'config': { pid: 't6KP9zcV', playlist: "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/194aHyjb", autostart: !jw_ad_tag, repeat: true, mute: true, aspect ratio: '16:9', sharing: {sites: ["facebook", "twitter", "email", "linkedin"]}, forged: {}, floating: {dismissible: true}, autoPause: {viewability: false}, displaytitle: true, displaydescription: true, controls: true, related: {displayMode: 'shelfWidget'}, interactive: {}, promoting: jw_ad_tag ​​​​} }); } // Load video. jQuery(window).trigger("jw:loadplayers"); function waitForJWPlayer(callback) { if (typeof jwplayer !== 'undefined') { callback(); } else { setTimeout(function() { waitForJWPlayer(callback); }, 500); } } waitForJWPlayer(function() { jwplayer(playerId).on('adsManager', function (adsManagerLoaded) { let adsManager = adsManagerLoaded.adsManager; let videoElement = document.getElementById( playerId ); let config = { anId: '929481' , campId: '640x360', ias_xps: "autoplayed", // autoplay state ias_xbp: "2", // video placement type ias_xar: "1" // auto refresh state }; // Init IAS Integration googleImaVansAdapter.init( google, adsManager, videoElement, config); }); }); } }

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending