zoomIllustration; Image Courtesy: MODEC Five Japanese companies, including MODEC, Mitsui, MOL, Marubeni and Mitsui E&S, have reached agreements to invest in a long-term FPSO charter business.Based on these agreements, Mitsui, MOL, Marubeni and Mitsui E&S would invest in the Dutch company Libra MV31 B.V., established by MODEC, and the companies will proceed with the project jointly.The deals were signed on May 11 for the purpose of providing a floating production, storage, and offloading system (FPSO) for use in the Mero field off the coast of Brazil.MV31 has entered into a long-term charter agreement for the deployment of the FPSO with the Brazilian state oil company Petrobras, as the leader and operator…

Top row: Garlic, beans, turnip; Middle row: Pumpkin, Indian corn, onion; Bottom row: Squash, chestnuts, sweet potato. Read more: smithsonianmag.com/history/what-was-on-the-menu-at-the-first-thanksgiving.comContrary to popular lore, turkey was not the hallmark of the harvest meal shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Rather, wildfowl, deer, eel, and shellfish were the likely proteins. Native crops including pumpkins, turnips, garlic, onion, and several types of squash rounded out the meal. Those staples –along with flint (Indian) corn, chestnuts, walnuts, and beechnuts foraged from the forest – provided a varied diet to the Native Americans who shared planting knowledge with Europeans. Photographer Miller Taylor helped highlight what may have appeared at the 17th-century…

The founders of Social House vodka (left to right) Mark Mullins, G Patel, and Cary Joshi sit for a portrait on Monday, September 11, 2017.Social SipperRaleigh’s latest Vodkaby Jessie Ammonsphotographs by Madeline GrayThe older you get, the more you realize that moments are important,” says Cary Joshi, president of Social House vodka. He’s sitting in the downtown Raleigh headquarters of the new alcohol brand on a recent afternoon, overlooking City Plaza and reflecting on the moments that went into the creation of this vodka: the friends – Joshi, Raleigh restaurateur G Patel, and spirits industry veteran Mark Mullins – who decided to create spirits together; the months of work with…

courtesy Bike RaleighSpinning your wheels can amount to something this month, as the City of Raleigh celebrates National Bike Month. Bike Raleigh, a collaboration between the city, an advisory commission, and the Office of Transporatation Planning, promotes wheel savvy all year long, from implementing commuter bike lanes to working with local cycle groups to host recreational rides. Efforts double down in May in honor of the annual Bike Month initiative led by the League of American Bicyclists. Here’s your extra excuse to hop on two wheels and cruise the greenways. There are bike-friendly maps at bikeraleigh.org, and a few specific events are listed below. –Jessie Ammons Rumbley OAKS AND SPOKES…

At the annual Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine New York gala, comedians, celebrities and supporters raised over $1 million for scleroderma research, a complex autoimmune disease that disproportionately affects women, usually striking in the prime of their lives.Bob Saget, an SRF board member who lost his sister to scleroderma, hosted the New York comedy gala on Dec. 11th to benefit the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF).Saget was joined in the fundraising effort by comedians Michael Che, Andy Cohen, John Oliver, Jeff Ross, and special musical guest, Jackson Browne.SRF is America’s first and leading nonprofit investor in medical research to find improved therapies and a cure for people living with scleroderma. Since…

Project Save Our Surf, a 501c3 charity, has announced a yearlong sponsorship with Kona Deep, a deep ocean bottled water company founded in Hawaii.The organizations will primarily be supporting cleanup efforts in Santa Monica, with the first cleanup of the year scheduled for January 12, 2019.“We are so thrilled to partner with Kona Deep. To have a partner devoted to our shared mission of conservation is transformative for us as a growing charity,” says Shaka Smith, actor, honorary board member and organizer of the Project Save Our Surf Cleanup effort. Founder, Tanna Frederick, echoed his optimism, “Since beginning this journey, I have been inspired most by the people and organizations…

Renee RhodesHeading Home is a non-profit that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing, and supportive services to homeless and formerly homeless families and individuals in the Greater Boston area. “Renee is a Program Manager at Heading Home and she approaches her work from a base of love and compassion, working with homeless families to overcome difficulty and help them thrive,” said Meaghan O’Donnell, Director of Family Services, Heading Home.“In her three-year tenure, Renee has worked with close to 50 clients and their children to help them see all the possibilities in their lives. When clients arrive in our shelters, they are often completely broken, not able to see what…

The Blue Card held its 83rd annual benefit gala on Monday, April 8, 2019 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC. The evening was hosted by Bravo’s Andy Cohen.Masha Pearl, Andy Cohen, Gia MachlinCredit/Copyright: Aurora Rose/PMCThe evening included the presentation of awards to individuals and groups dedicated to supporting the needs of Holocaust survivors and advancing human rights worldwide. The honorees included: Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States; Stanley Bergman and Dr. Marion Bergman of Henry Schein, Inc. and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation; David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary; New York Foundation for Eldercare; and past…

Model, author, activist and pop culture icon Chrissy Teigen announced today that she is partnering with Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and its women’s health program ‘AHN Women’ to launch a social cause initiative – #MyWishForMoms – which aims to create open dialogue among women about postpartum depression and anxiety.Last year, more than 500,000 – or one in seven – new moms developed postpartum depression, yet only 15 percent of them received treatment, according to the American Psychological Association. Postpartum depression is characterized by extreme feelings of sadness, anxiety and exhaustion that can threaten the wellbeing of moms, babies and their families.“When I was approached with this opportunity – to…

Stars came out for City Year Los Angeles’ 9th annual Spring Break: Destination Education. Simon Cowell, Terry Crews, and Rebecca King-CrewsCredit/Copyright: Rachel Murray/Getty Images for City Year Los AngelesSpring Break: Destination Education is the organization’s largest fundraising event and celebration where A-list celebrities and industry insiders, along with their teens and tweens, came out in support of education in Los Angeles. The event featured a special performance by Brynn Cartelli, as well as food, games and interactive booths sponsored by top brands including Amazon, Aramark, Comcast NBCUniversal, E!, JP Morgan Chase/Atom Tickets, Karma Tequila, Netflix, PEOPLE, RealD, Sony, Spotify, Walmart, and Westfield.The event was attended by 1,400 guests and raised…