2024Photo: Getty ImagesSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links More recently, Meghan has been seen carrying Cesta Collective’s basket bags—including the bucket style which she was first spotted with while out for dinner with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow in May 2023 The brand’s founders were about to board a plane to Mexico for a shoot the following morning when their phones wouldn’t stop buzzing due to the amount of orders flooding in nothing had been tagged; we couldn’t figure it out,” Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano tells Vogue and were like ‘Ohhh…’ It was very exciting.” “Then the conversation became [Meghan asking us] Meghan pictured with Cesta Collective’s crossbody bag at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf in September 2023 As well as championing Cesta Collective’s bags Meghan has now invested a minority stake in the company It’s easy to see why the Duchess is such a fan of the brand given the mission its founders set out with quickly bonded over their disillusionment with the fashion industry “We decided that instead of both leaving the industry altogether and do something we can feel really proud about?” Ryder recalls The pair became interested in supporting handcraft “It’s a huge source of economic independence for women around the world,” Fasciano explains “A lot of the women that we work with do their weaving at home so they’re able to care for their children and livestock and have a meaningful impact on their families.” They began working with a female co-operative in Rwanda to make their brand’s bags with the weavers themselves setting the prices (working out to around 500 to 700% of the national average salary Many of the artisans actually grow the sisal used to weave the baskets themselves as well as using organic vegetables to dye the material “Everything is custom done to our specifications,” Fasciano notes adding that the bags are finished in Sicily by leather artisans The brand’s founders Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano and Erin Ryder work with a female co-operative in Rwanda to create their bags After starting out with just five sample styles it’s clear that Cesta Collective is going from strength to strength—even more so now “Her support is immeasurable,” Fasciano says it is a vote for the kind of business that we’re running and the decisions we choose to make very meaningful.” The artisans they work with ‘This is amazing; we’re making these things that the Duchess is wearing,’” Ryder adds “The goal is to work with best-in-class artisans around the world who are incredible at what they do,” Fasciano says “We have big ambitions to spread this and make it into a lifestyle brand Kate Middleton Breaks a Long-Held Fashion Rule—And Gets Away With It Meghan Markle Models Power Lunch Style While Out With Serena Williams Monaco Royal Family, Explained: A Who’s Who Guide to the House of Grimaldi “There’s So Little Control”: Princess Beatrice Opens Up About Daughter Athena’s Premature Birth In Her Own Words Never miss a Vogue moment and get unlimited digital access for just $2 $1 per month What Meghan Wore The original What Meghan Markle Wore site chronicling the fashion style and charities of The Duchess of Sussex August 28, 2024 by 2 Comments but one thing remains unchanged: her influence in the world of fashion Her ability to move merchandise has become legendary she began investing in a small portfolio of female-run companies supporting brands that resonate with her values The latest addition to Meghan’s investment portfolio is Cesta Collective a brand specializing in handwoven basket bags created by a collective of women in Rwanda and finished in Italy Meghan first discovered the brand while browsing online a habit she maintains as she searches for new and unique designers In an interview with the New York Times Meghan shared — When people are online looking for things or reading things co-founded by Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano experienced an immediate surge in interest after Meghan was photographed with one of their bags during a dinner date in May 2023 Ryder and Fasciano recalled how they were en route to Mexico when their phones began buzzing Below, Meghan carrying the Cesta Collective Bucket bag in Neutral Mélange, $695, for a dinner date in Montecito, May 2023. (Illustration by Amelia Noyes) Erin had this to say about the experience — this one style that had been a little bit sleepy was totally sold through and we were getting a lot of ‘back in stock’ sign-ups We knew there had to be some reason that these were selling so quickly so Courtney did some internet sleuthing to find out We had more sales in one day than we’ve ever had.” The overwhelming response prompted the founders to write Meghan a thank-you note which blossomed into a meaningful relationship Meghan became their first outside investor The Bucket Bag is available in three additional colors — Black, Camel Sand and Navy/Natural Meghan’s decision to invest in Cesta Collective aligns with her broader philosophy on fashion and influence She first became aware of her impact on sales in 2017 when she wore a bag from the Scottish brand Strathberry for a public appearance The realization that her fashion choices could significantly boost a brand’s success transformed the way she approached dressing It changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together,” Meghan said Meghan was seen carrying the Cesta Collective ‘Taco Tote’ in the color-way Olive Grove, $850 in April 2024, while in Florida for the Sentebale Polo Challenge Meghan sees her role not just as a style icon but as a supporter of emerging designers and smaller brands that deserve more attention Times where I know there is a global spotlight and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing then I support designers that I have really great friendships with up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting,” she said “That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do For a lunch date back with Clare Waight Keller in Los Angeles, February 2024, Meghan carried the Cesta Collective – the suede clutch in Tobacco, $490 While Meghan’s financial backing is undoubtedly valuable the founders of Cesta Collective see her belief in their mission as even more crucial which has an annual revenue of about $1 million prioritizing responsible production and fair wages over profit margins Ryder and Fasciano hope to expand their business into other categories and begin working with female artisans in other developing countries Just last week while the couple were visiting Colombia, South America, Meghan carried the Cesta Collective crossbody bag in Panna, $750 She also carried the Cesta Collective Crossbody in Olive Grove, $725, during the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, September 2023 Meghan’s interest in investing began during the pandemic when lockdowns limited her ability to leverage paparazzi moments for brand promotion. Her first stake was in Clevr Blends and her portfolio has since grown to include between five and ten brands She views these investments as complementary to her own emerging lifestyle brand Investing in them has helped me line up for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” Meghan explained Below, Meghan with the Clevr team in early 2023 Read our posts about Meghan’s involvement with Clver here and here More from the NY Times — Reflecting on her venture-capital approach Meghan described it as a “dolphin tank” rather than a “Shark Tank.” She emphasizes the supportive nature of her investments Through her thoughtful investments and strategic fashion choices Meghan continues to use her influence to champion causes close to her heart creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond the world of fashion Filed Under: Handbags this is a great post which is going to be very bad news for my credit cards! Thank you for your continued coverage during a slow summer and website in this browser for the next time I comment This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. © 2020–2025 What Meghan Wore | Courter Creative Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday Meghan Markle invests in Cesta CollectiveMeghan Markle is handbag brand Cesta Collective's first equity investor and strategic partner Cesta Collective works with female artisans in Rwanda who use locally-sourced materials to weave each bag by hand "Courtney and Erin have a really incredible and strategic business," Markle said in a statement "The quality of a brand's products ethical standards and practices - these are all things that I consider before making an investment I really started to understand how many women's lives were being impacted and uplifted through their work Erin and Courtney have a great pedigree from their careers working in fashion and have created beautiful products that equally help so many others That was something I could get behind and support." {Fashionista inbox} Tune into the Fashionista Network to join the conversation with fashion and beauty industry leaders. Sign up here. Catie is a contributing writer at Fashionista. Carine Roitfeld teases Christopher Kane's Self-Portrait Residency collection DKNY launches capsule collection with Depop "She genuinely understands our brand and where we want to take it," Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano who co-founded the luxury bag company with Erin Ryder in 2018 Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families Karwai Tang/WireImage; Courtesy Cesta Collective Social Find your way with 106 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters Jardín de Ayora in València is a lush 19th-century garden with a modernist palace Casa Judía's variety of colours and decorations is impressive The building is a fine example of Valencian Art Deco with neo-Egyptian influences Meet Valencia's oldest and most fascinating inhabitants—its monumental trees One of my fondest memories of the city during summer is sitting by their giant-red-plastic cone and cooling down while having a delicious treat Come with friends to play pool or enjoy from great drinks offers authentic Georgian dishes like shashlik Enjoy the atmosphere with a taste of Georgia Esperanza Café Literario in Valencia is a cozy Russian haven with books Azotea Rooftop in Valencia offers stunning 360° views and serenity — a perfect spot to savor "la dolce vita." immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at Bombas Gens and projections bring pharaohs and temples vividly to life Valencia’s best street art hides in El Carmen’s backstreets the caras del agua will surprise you with their watchful eyes Valencia’s roundabouts showcase art from the stunning to the bizarre ✓ 0 Insider Tips from our local Spotters Europe Americas Asia Africa San Francisco About Spotted by Locals Become a Spotter Collaborations Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cookies statement Become a Spotter 💚 Privacy Policy Cookies statement When Meghan Markle announced her investment in the luxury handbag brand Cesta Collective earlier this year she praised its "ethical standards" and celebrated the opportunities it purportedly provided to women in Rwanda However, a detailed investigation reveals troubling allegations that the Rwandan artisans behind the high-end bags are paid shockingly low wages while the company's founders enjoy affluent lifestyles reportedly earn as little as 82p for an eight-hour workday Some are not paid for bags deemed "substandard" by the company the operations manager of All Across Africa the intermediary organisation responsible for overseeing the weavers she earns £2.48 for weaving a small crossbody bag the same bag is sold for £724 in the UK a staggering markup that underscores the vast disparity between the artisans' wages and the retail price shared that she receives £9.22 for crafting a larger bag Despite working tirelessly to complete these intricate designs far removed from the luxury image Cesta markets to its affluent clientele "We use our income to supplement what we earn from farming Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano the New York-based founders of Cesta Collective lead lives far removed from the artisans' reality a graduate of the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris Social media posts show her enjoying skiing holidays and luxurious trips to Rwanda who attended an Ivy League university and is the daughter of a Harvard professor previously held high-ranking positions in Marie Claire magazine and the shoe brand Loeffler Randall She resides in a £692,000 Brooklyn apartment with her husband The disparity between the founders' wealth and lifestyle and the artisans' conditions has fuelled criticism with some branding the company's operations "poverty porn." A post shared by instagram Before Meghan Markle's financial involvement Cesta Collective claimed on its website to pay Rwandan women "500-700 per cent more than the national average." this statement was quietly removed after Markle's investment was announced in August The company later said the change reflected its "commitment to refining how they communicate." A spokesperson for Cesta Collective insisted that the women set their own wages in partnership with All Across Africa and emphasised that the company had acted "in good faith." "Recent allegations are an attempt to discredit that work with speculative information that has been unethically manipulated," the spokesperson said artisans interviewed by reporters shared that their earnings vary significantly depending on orders deductions are made if a bag fails to meet stringent quality standards The women are not full-time employees of Cesta Collective meaning their income is precarious and heavily dependent on fluctuating demand Markle, who became the company's first equity investor earlier this year described Cesta Collective as "incredible" in a public announcement She highlighted the "impact" the company had on the lives of Rwandan women and said that such "ethical standards" were crucial to her decision to invest While her endorsement significantly boosted sales critics argue that Markle's association inadvertently glosses over the harsh realities faced by the artisans One artisan summed up her plight succinctly: "We are proud of what we make but we hope one day our pay will reflect our work." The Mail on Sunday investigation has drawn attention to the disparity between Cesta Collective's branding as an ethical empowering business and the lived experiences of the women behind the bags British fashion influencer Georgie James criticised the company for exploiting Rwandan artisans while profiting from their stories to attract wealthy Western consumers "It's a marketing strategy that exploits the most vulnerable for profit." activists are calling on Cesta Collective and its investors to ensure fair compensation for the artisans and greater transparency in their operations the brand continues to market its handbags as symbols of empowerment the women weaving them are left asking when the reality will match the rhetoric WARREN — Lillian Saturnina Cesta Hinkson passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening Italy to parents Saturnino and Annunziata Cesta Lillian came to America with her mother at age 13 Harding High School and received her associate degree from Kent State University Joseph Warren Hospital and Warren Plaza Beauty Salon always loving and keeping in touch with many of her students over the years She was awarded the Trumbull County Republican Woman of the Year in 2012 Lillian volunteered as a Eucharistic minister in neighboring nursing homes She reached out to many friends and family raising monetary contributions to build 13 homes for families in Haiti and Guatemala through Food for the Poor Lillian also volunteered as an usher for the Warren Civic Music Association Lillian especially enjoyed Friday dinners with her girlfriends played bocce with her team at the ITAM and faithfully watched EWTN Lillian’s love and devotion to family filled her thoughts Lillian was preceded in death by her husband Arnold (Bonnie) Hinkson and brother-in-law John Michael (Kim) Hinkson of Bonita Springs Caelan (Morgan) Phillips and Jacen Hinkson; sister-in-law Beverly Barto; and several nieces and nephews Family and friends may pay their respects to Lillian from 4 to 6 p.m at the Peter Rossi & Son Memorial Chapel Calling hours will be followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m The family would like to express their gratitude to Dr Kim Ray and Melinda Chapin for years of care and the nurses and aides at Shepherd of the Valley and Traditions Hospice donations can be made to Blessed Sacrament Church Jude’s hospital; Food for the Poor; and EWTN Family and friends may visit www.peterrossiandsonfh.com to view this obituary sign the guestbook and send condolences to Lillian’s family | https://www.tribtoday.com | 240 Franklin Street SE We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Carmen A. Cesta, 95, passed to the Lord in the embrace of his family on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. A lifelong resident of Syracuse, Carmen was born in Collelongo, L’Aquila in Abruzzi region of Italy. At an early age, Carmen, along with... View Obituary & Service Information Cesta created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Available by phone 24/7 (315) 451-9500 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Central New Yorkers were disappointed to learn this week that beloved restaurant Inn Between would close this month after 52 years in business and house favorites such as lobster bisque the Inn Between first became an upscale restaurant in the late 1960s and has been owned and operated by Cesta and his wife One of the highlights of the restaurant is its use of fresh The restaurant is surrounded by 75 acres of farmland growing soy The restaurant itself is situated on four acres that include fig That makes for a delightfully inspired menu Central New Yorkers near and far can make a dish created by Cesta to keep the memories alive This winter salad features local honey and local maple syrup It’s a lighter dish that’s just enough sweet to savor even on a cold winter’s night kale or your favorite salad greens 1 tablespoon each dried or fresh cranberries apricots and apples 2 tablespoons maple walnuts 3/4 cup local honey3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1 tbsp Dressing can be stored refrigerated for up to two months egg whites 1/3 cup sugar1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp Whisk egg whites slightly and add maple syrup Place on well-oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes Allow to cool and store in air-tight container This salad can be topped with grilled or roasted chicken or duck breast or your favorite seafood Cesta says this salad pairs well with a hearty cup of soup and a glass of N.Y.S Or, try this cocktail from Cesta A version of this story originally appeared in The Good Life Advance Media New York Advertising Terms & Conditions: Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/2021) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/1/2021) except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Advertising Terms & Conditions: Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/2021) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/1/2021) we have upgraded our product offerings and features to bring you the best experience please check your email inbox for password reset message from PV Tech and follow the instructions Can\'t find the email? Try to sign in again and use the "Forgot Password" button If you have any questions please contact us. Metrics details Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroid hormones that are essential for plant growth Responses to these hormones are mediated by transcription factors of the bri1-EMS suppressor 1/brassinazole resistant 1 subfamily and BRs activate these factors by impairing their inhibitory phosphorylation by GSK3/shaggy-like kinases Here we show that BRs induce nuclear compartmentalization of CESTA (CES) a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that regulates BR responses and reveal that this process is regulated by CES SUMOylation We demonstrate that CES contains an extended SUMOylation motif and that SUMOylation of this motif is antagonized by phosphorylation to control CES subnuclear localization we provide evidence that phosphorylation regulates CES transcriptional activity and protein turnover by the proteasome A coordinated modification model is proposed in which CES is phosphorylated to activate target gene transcription and enable further posttranslational modification that controls CES protein stability and nuclear dynamics to date NB formation has not been implicated in BR signalling and the modes which enable subnuclear dynamics of plant proteins have remained elusive we carried out a mutational analysis of CES to define the structural requirements for BR-induced NB localization and identify an extended SUMOylation motif in which phosphorylation antagonizes SUMOylation We show that interfering with SUMOylation inhibits NB association and that promoting SUMOylation induces constitutive nuclear compartmentalization revealing that SUMOylation controls CES NB localization we identify a main BIN2 target site and provide evidence that phosphorylation controls CES activity and protein stability CES is phosphorylated by BIN2 to increase CES transcriptional activity on specified target promoters In response to an activation of BR signalling CES undergoes further posttranslational modification to alter CES activity and determine CES protein fate (a) Fluorescence microscopic images of representative stomata of 14-day-old cpd x 35S:CESwt-YFP/32 seedlings either untreated (upper panel) or treated with 1 μM BL for 2 h (lower panel) (b) Structure of the CES protein with the SUMOylation motif underlined (c) In vitro SUMOylation assays using the heterodimeric SUMO-activating enzyme E1 and SUMO-conjugating enzyme E2 recombinant GST-CESwt and GST-CESK72R as substrate proteins (d) Representative fluorescence microscopic images of stomata of 14-day-old plants of 35S:CESwt-YFP (line 32 upper two rows) or 35S:CESK72R-YFP (line 411 lower two rows) either untreated (upper row) or treated with 1 μM Brz for 24 h followed by 1 μM BL for 2 h (lower row) (a) In vitro kinase assays with affinity purified recombinant CESwt-GST or CESS75A+S77A-GST protein [γ-32P]ATP and total plant extracts from Arabidopsis flowers (b) Confocal microscopic images showing CESS75A+S77A-YFP localization in different tissues of 2-week-old plants (c) Immunoblotting of protein extracts of 2-week-old seedlings of the indicated lines using α-GFP antibody for CES-YFP detection lower panel: coomassie brilliant blue staining (CBB) as a loading control CES was immuno-precipitated from Arabidopsis protoplasts transiently expressing 35S:CESS75A&S77A-Myc(6) (please note that CES tagged with Myc(6) is smaller as compared with CES tagged with YFP) using α-Myc antibody and detected by immunoblotting with an α-SUMO antibody and where also CESwt-YFP speckles BR-induced indicating cell type specificity of the components that control CES NB localization there is evidence that phosphorylation of one site only is sufficient to antagonize SUMOylation only a small CES fraction is naturally SUMOylated the result gives support to the notion that SUMOylated CES protein states are highly unstable being stabilized only when phosphorylation at S75 and S77 is prevented providing evidence that CES NB localization is under ASK control there was evidence that ASKθ can interact with CES in vivo (a) In vitro kinase assays using recombinant BIN2-GST and different GST-tagged CES variants; qM (quadruple mutant) CBB staining is shown as a loading control (b) Representative fluorescence microscopic images of stomata of 14-day-old plants of 35S:CEST35A-YFP (line 2 upper two rows) or 35S:CEST35E-YFP (line 19 lower two rows) either untreated (upper rows) or treated for 24 h with 1 μM Brz followed by 2 h of 1 μM BL (lower rows) (d) Immunoblotting of protein extracts of 7-day-old seedlings of 35S:CEST35E-YFP/16 and 35S:CESwt-YFP/32 in the presence or absence of MG132 (3-h treatment) using α-GFP antibody for CES-YFP detection Bands were quantified with the image-quant software and the increase as compared to the untreated control was calculated CEST35E protein levels markedly increased providing evidence that T35E promotes CES degradation by the 26S proteasome (a) Sequence of the extended SUMOylation motif The simple 1 (basic-XX-S/T) and simple 2 (S-X-R) CDPK recognition sites are underlined (b) Fluorescence microscopic images of hypocotyls of 14-day-old seedlings of 35S:CESwt-YFP/32 (upper panel) or 35S:CESS75E+S77E-YFP/632 (lower panel) untreated or treated with 300 μM triflouperazine (TFP) for 1.5 h (c) In vitro kinase assays using recombinant (d) In vitro kinase assays with CPK3 using recombinant CEST35A and the qM were efficiently phosphorylated whereas the phosphorylation activity of CPK3 against CESS75A+S77A was reduced showing the CPK3 can phosphorylate CES at S75 and S77 To test if CPK3 and CPK11 physically interact with CES in planta, bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays were carried out. A fluorescence signal was observed both when protoplasts were co-transformed with split-YFP constructs of CPK3 and CES or CPK11 and CES (Supplementary Fig. 2b) there is evidence that CPK3 and CPK11 can interact with CES in vivo (a) The LUC reporter construct shown was transiently expressed in protoplasts generated from haf bee1 bee3 plants either alone (0) or with the effectors CES The y axis is fold increase in the ratio between the activities of firefly LUC (under control of the CYP718 promoter) and 35S promoter-driven control Renilla LUC (Ren-LUC) of three independent biological replicates is shown (b) Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments with different plants expressing wild-type or mutant CES-YFP reporter lines using an α-GFP antibody for CES-YFP precipitation The enrichment of a G-box containing fragment of the CPD promoter in the antibody containing fraction (as compared with the control without antibody) was quantified by real-time PCR from immuno-precipitated samples whereas with the CESK72R and CEST35E mutants enrichment was reduced These results correlated with the transactivation assays and for CESS75A+S77A and CEST35E also with the protein abundance in the transgenic lines The CESS75E+S77E and CEST35A mutants did not show significantly altered enrichment as compared with CESwt indicating that the reduced transactivation abilities do not stem from a reduced DNA-binding capacity of the mutants Here we provide evidence for an expanded regulatory repertoire of BR signalling which controls the activity of the TF CES as well as its protein stability and subnuclear dynamics evidenced by an accumulation in NBs in response to BRs SUMO may serve as an earmark to target multiple protein substrates to NBs in plants indicating that CES localizes to a different NB class and this will be addressed in future work induces CES NB formation providing first evidence for a potential role of CDPKs in phosphorylating CES in planta and this will have to be verified the in vivo phosphorylation sites remain unknown it will be important to determine which ASKs can phosphorylate CES in planta and if T35 is a target for ASK phosphorylation Since mimicking phosphorylation at T35 also promotes protein turnover newly translated CES would accumulate in a T35 non-phosphorylated form which would facilitate phosphorylation at S75+S77 to retain CES inactive on specific promoters Since CES NBs are very transient structures it is possible that CES is de-sumoylated when BR levels become low It is also possible that SUMOylation serves as a tag for subsequent processing in NBs such as ubiquitination and degradation and this will have to be determined little is known yet about the regulatory roles of SUMOylation The identification of SUMOylation of CES is an essential first step in understanding the significance of SUMOylation in the nuclear processing and compartmentalization of BR-regulated TFs and provides a foundation for elucidating its contribution to the regulation of BR responsive growth and development in the future plates were placed in a growth chamber at 21±2 °C and usually incubated vertically in long-day growth conditions (16 h of 80 μmol m−2 s−1 cool white light/8 h dark) Treatments were generally performed with plants transferred to liquid ½ MS media which were then adapted to growth in liquid medium for 24 h before chemicals were applied The CFP tag was added in frame as a NotI fragment to the C-terminal part of COP1 The pCDFDeut-AtSUMO1/2-AtSCE1 plasmids were digested with XhoI+SalI to remove the AtSCE1 coding sequence and the plasmid backbone was then self-ligated This resulted in a plasmid containing the coding sequence for mature SUMO isoforms (with exposed C-terminal di-Glycine motif) in frame with a N-terminal HIS-tag For in vitro kinase assays with CDPKs, AtCPK3, AtCPK4, AtCPK5, AtCPK6 and AtCPK11 were amplified from Arabidopsis cDNA using the primer pairs given in Supplementary Table 1 and were cloned into the pTWIN1 vector (New England Biolabs The images were taken using an Olympus CLSM confocal microscope using defined settings for YFP and CFP leaves of 4-week-old plants were cut into 0.5–1 mm strips with a razor blade and placed in freshly prepared enzyme solution (20 mM MES; pH 5.7 Leaf strips were vacuum infiltrated for 30 min using a desiccator and incubated in enzyme solution at room temperature in the dark for a further 3–4 h The protoplast-containing enzyme solution was diluted with an equal volume of W5 buffer (2 mM MES; pH 5.7 filtered through Miracloth (Merck Biosciences UK) and the flow-through was centrifuged at 100g to obtain a pellet The pellet was washed two times with W5 solution and the protoplasts were re-suspended in MMG solution (4 mM MES; pH 5.7 0.4 M mannitol and15 mM MgCl2) to obtain a final concentration of 2 × 105 ml–1 20 μg of DNA was used for each transformation and was diluted in a total volume of 20 μl to which 100 μl of protoplasts was gently added 120 μl of polyethyleneglycol solution was added slowly and mixed by tapping and the mixture was incubated on ice for 30 min 440 μl W5 solution was added to dilute the mixture mixed by inverting the tubes and centrifuged at 100g for 2 min at room temperature The supernatant was removed and the protoplasts were re-suspended in 200 μl of WI solution (4 mM MES; pH 5.7 0.5 M mannitol and 20 mM KCl) and incubated overnight at room temperature Briefly: 2 μg of protein substrates were incubated with 2 μg of recombinant SUM1 or SUM2 0.5 μg SCE (Boston Biochem) and 1 × SUMO buffer (20 mM Tris/HCl pH=7.5 5 mM MgCl2) in a total volume of 20 μl and in the presence of ATP The reactions were incubated overnight at 30 °C and then stopped by adding 6 μl 4 × SDS sample buffer (200 mM Tris/HCl pH=6.8 0.1 g l−1 bromophenol blue) and incubating at 95 °C for 5 min The reaction products were separated on a 10% SDS gel and detected by western blot analysis Membranes were probed with a polyclonal α-CES rabbit antibody (1:5,000 dilution) raised against a mixture of the peptides ARFEPYNYNNGHDPF and SVGTQPPNFSSTLPF corresponding to amino acids 2–16 and 209–223 of CES respectively (generated by Eurogentec S.A. Alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat α-rabbit IgG (Santa Cruz Biotechnology USA) was used as secondary antibody and was detected by enhanced chemiluminescence using CDP-Star reagent (GE Healthcare) Arabidopsis protoplasts were transformed with 35S:CESS75A+S77A-Myc(6) were harvested and re-suspended in buffer A (50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4 10% glycerol) supplemented with 0.2% Triton-100 the samples were centrifuged for 10 min at 13,000 r.p.m at 4 °C and the supernatants were divided into two parts to each of which 150 μl of protein A beads was added After an incubation for 15 min at 4 °C (pre-clearing) the supernatants were transferred to fresh tubes and 2 μl of α-Myc (mouse) antibody was added to one of the tubes (the second was used as control) After another incubation step at 4 °C for 30 min 150 μl of protein A beads were added to both tubes and incubated for further 30 min The beads were washed twice with ice-cold buffer A re-suspended in 1 × SDS loading buffer without DTT incubated at 95 °C for 3 min and filtered with SpinPrep columns (Sigma) A total of 15 μl immuno-precipitated proteins were separated on a 10% SDS gel and immuno-detected with a rabbit α-SUMO antibody (1:3,000 dilution; Abcam Alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat α-rabbit IgG (Sigma-Aldrich) was used as secondary antibody and detected by enhanced chemiluminescence using the CDP-Star reagent (GE Healthcare) Chromatin-immunoprecipitation experiments were performed as described previously12 For in vitro kinase assays from plant extracts inflorescence of Arabidopsis plants were harvested ground to a fine powder in liquid nitrogen and total proteins were extracted in lacus buffer (25 mM Tris/HCl pH 7.8; 10 mM EGTA; 10 mM MgCl2; 75 mM NaCl; 1 mM DTT; 1 mM NaF; 0.5 mM NaVO3; 15 mM β-glycero-phosphate; 15 mM 4-nitophenyl-phosphate di-TRIS salt); 0.1% Tween 20; 0.5 mM PMSF; 5 μg ml−1 leupeptine and 5 μg ml−1 aprotinin) 100 μg of total protein extract was used for incubation with 2 μg of protein substrate in the presence of 1 × kinase buffer (20 mM HEPES pH 7.4; 15 mM MgCl2; 5 mM EGTA; 1 mM DTT) and [γ-32P]ATP in a total volume of 500 μl The proteins were immuno-precipitated with GSH beads (GE Healthcare) Protein expression was induced by adding 1 mM isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside to exponentially growing cells followed by an incubation at 16 °C for 12 h coli cells were re-suspended in buffer B1 (20 mM HEPES pH 7.0 the cell suspension was sonicated and the cell debris was afterwards removed by centrifugation at 16,000g for 20 min at 4 °C The supernatant was filtered through four layers of Miracloth (Calbiochem USA) and applied to a column packed with 2-ml chitin beads (New England Biolabs) equilibrated with buffer B1 The column was washed with 10-column volumes of buffer B1 and 2-column volumes of buffer B2 (20 mM HEPES pH 7.0 To obtain the tag-free protein intein cleavage was induced by incubating the columns at 25 °C for 12 h Proteins were then eluted in 4 ml of buffer B2 proteins were concentrated and transferred into kinase assay buffer (20 mM HEPES pH 7.5 50 μM CaCl2) using Amicon Ultra centrifugal filters (Millipore USA) with appropriate molecular weight cutoffs for the expressed kinases according to the manufacturer’s instructions kinase reactions were performed in kinase assay buffer (20 mM HEPES pH 7.5 50 μM CaCl2) containing 0.1 μg μl−1 CDPKs and 2 μg μl−1 of the different CES variants The reactions were started by adding first 50 μM cold ATP and second 20 nM active [γ-32P]ATP (6,000 Ci mmol−1; Perkin Elmer USA) were incubated at 20 °C for 15 min and were then stopped by adding SDS-PAGE loading buffer The reactions were incubated at 95 °C for 5 min were separated by SDS-PAGE and stained with coomassie brilliant blue the dried gel was exposed to a Storage Phosphoscreen (GE Healthcare) which was read out after 30 min by a Typhoon Trio Imager (GE Healthcare) cDNA was synthesized from DNaseI-treated total RNA isolated from plant tissue using the RevertAid H minus first-strand cDNA synthesis kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific PCR reactions were performed using gene-specific primers that amplified 60–100-bp large fragments located in the 3′ parts of the genes investigated GAPC2 was used as an internal template control qPCR was performed with the Eppendorf Real-Time PCR System (Eppendorf Each reaction contained 10 μl 2 × PCR Master Mix (Promega) 4 pmol of each primer and 5 μl cDNA (prepared as described and diluted 1:10) in a total volume of 20 μl Cycling was performed as recommended by the manufacturer (initial denaturation: 94 °C for 10 min; 40 cycles at 94 °C for 15 s and 60 °C for 1 min) and finally a melting curve was recorded A dilution series of cloned cDNA was run under the same conditions and the results were used to plot a calibration curve which served to calculate the transcript abundance in the samples The relative expression levels were calculated from four replicates and normalization to GAPC2 Standard deviations were deduced from three biological repeats Interplay between phosphorylation and SUMOylation events determines CESTA protein fate in brassinosteroid signalling Biosynthesis and metabolism of brassinosteroids Binding of brassinosteroids to the extracellular domain of plant receptor kinase BRI1 Mechanisms and networks for brassinosteroid regulated gene expression Brassinosteroid signal transduction from receptor kinases to transcription factors Molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone signaling in plants Three redundant brassinosteroid early response genes encode putative bHLH transcription factors required for normal growth A new class of transcription factors mediates brassinosteroid-regulated gene expression in Arabidopsis SPEECHLESS integrates brassinosteroid and stomata signalling pathways Interaction between BZR1 and PIF4 integrates brassinosteroid and environmental responses Brassinosteroid signaling network and regulation of photomorphogenesis a positive regulator of brassinosteroid biosynthesis HALF FILLED promotes reproductive tract development and fertilization efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana Chemical inhibition of a subset of Arabidopsis thaliana GSK3-like kinases activates brassinosteroid signaling a triazole-type brassinosteroid biosynthesis inhibitor Brassinosteroids rescue the deficiency of CYP90 controlling cell elongation and de-etiolation in Arabidopsis Nuclear bodies: multifunctional companions of the genome Systematic study of protein sumoylation: development of a site-specific predictor of SUMOsp 2.0 The SUMO pathway: emerging mechanisms that shape specificity Detecting endogenous SUMO targets in mammalian cells and tissues a new brassinosteroid-insensitive locus in Arabidopsis Visualization of protein interactions in living plant cells using bimolecular fluorescence complementation Brassinosteroid-regulated GSK3/Shaggy-like kinases phosphorylate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinases which control stomata development in Arabidopsis thaliana GSK-3: tricks of the trade for a multi-tasking kinase symbiosis and parasites: a calcium signalling connection A calcium-dependent protein kinase is systemically induced upon wounding in tomato plants The Arabidopsis calcium-dependent protein kinase gene family Transient expression vectors for functional genomics quantification of promoter activity and RNA silencing in plants Downstream nuclear events in brassinosteroid signalling Phytochrome signaling mechanisms and the control of plant development a MYB transcription activator for phytochrome A signaling Arabidopsis HEMERA/pTAC12 initiates photomorphogenesis by phytochromes Photoactivated phytochromes interact with HEMERA and promote its accumulation to establish photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis Phytochrome nuclear body: an emerging model to study interphase nuclear dynamics and signaling Photoreceptor ubiquitination by COP1 E3 ligase desensitizes phytochrome A signaling Stress-induced GSK3 regulates the redox stress response by phosphorylating glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Arabidopsis Two putative BIN2 substrates are nuclear components of brassinosteroid signaling An essential role for 14-3-3 proteins in brassinosteroid signal transduction in Arabidopsis Brassinosteroid homeostasis in Arabidopsis is ensured by feedback expressions of multiple genes involved in its metabolism Floral dip: a simplified method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana A revised medium for rapid growth and bio assays with tobacco tissue cultures functions in the brassinosteroid signalling pathway Reconstitution of Arabidopsis thaliana SUMO pathways in E coli: functional evaluation of SUMO machinery proteins and mapping of SUMOylation sites by mass spectrometry Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts: a versatile cell system for transient gene expression analysis Substrates related to chromatin and to RNA-dependent processes are modified by Arabidopsis SUMO isoforms that differ in a conserved residue with influence on desumoylation Download references We thank Martin Yanofsky for providing the haf bee1 bee3 line and Andrea Pichler for helpful discussions Irene Ziegler and Konstantin Wagner for technical assistance and the staff of the MFPLs and WZWs plant facilities for providing excellent plant care This work was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF; projects P19948 P22734 and a Hertha-Firnberg fellowship to B.P. the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (Ph.D and the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF; through project LS2009-055 to T.S.) Marina Eremina & Brigitte Poppenberger Andreas Bachmair & Brigitte Poppenberger The authors declare no competing financial interests Supplementary Figures 1-6 and Supplementary Table 1 (PDF 24751 kb) Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Arrays of photovoltaic panels and inverter stations at the Cestas Solar Park in Cestas even as critics said it will actually slow onshore wind and solar projects Parliament approved the government-endorsed legislation, which was presentedBloomberg Terminal last year as a way to quickly lower France’s dependence on fossil fuels after Russia reduced gas shipments to Europe It was also aimed at addressing concern over possible energy shortages after nuclear reactors faced lengthy shutdowns for maintenance and repairs 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Magic City Jai-Alai the preeminent professional jai-alai league in the United States concluded its inaugural Battle Court season with a triumphant win by the Cesta Cyclones who competed over nine weeks against three other squads – the Chula Chargers Rebote Renegades and Wall Warriors – for a $65,000 prize pool the longtime producer of the "Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz," ultimately earned the top prize on Sunday April 17 at the Battle Court Finals in an intense final showdown against the Wall Warriors Battle Court Season I featured the league's first opportunity for seasonal professional sports ownership "The inaugural Battle Court Season was a complete success A big congratulations to the winning squad whose leadership was instrumental in setting the right tone for this group," said Scott Savin Chief Operating Officer at Magic City Jai-Alai "Battle Court had the audience chanting for their favorite teams during the exciting final matchups I cannot wait for Battle Court Season II to begin in September," continued Savin.  The Cesta Cyclones is made up of the following six players: Tanard Davis who goes by "Jeden" on the court whose courtside name is "Carballo," Jean Gregory Melendo Ikeda who is identified as "Ikeda" on the court Saloney Joseph who answers to "Joseph" on the court Emmanuel LaDuche who goes by "Manu" on the court and Victor Manuel Ramirez who goes by "Manny" on the court The Battle Court season divided Magic City Jai-Alai's roster into four squads competing against each other in Singles and Doubles matches Battle Court is played like tennis with the player or team required to win two out of three sets played to six points where the ball reaches speeds more than 130 miles per hour Magic City Jai-Alai features games three days a week on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Games are live-streamed via the Jai-Alai app and at www.watchjaialai.com MEDIA CONTACT Sandra Rodriguez 305-753-3787 [email protected]  Do not sell or share my personal information: a melange of oddly shaped aluminium and glass panels I walk up the steps to reception and ask directions to the fronton the building where the Basque ball game of cesta punta Moneyed Bilbainos barely look up from their cocktails as we walk past the trophy cabinet to the fire escape doors A few faded photos of long-forgotten cesta punta players hang on the walls beside a grim dusty bust of some Franco-era Club Deportivo grandee the word "Fronton" is etched on red glass the concrete floor of the auditorium is crumbling The varnish on the wooden seats is dry and cracked A net has been strung across the floor of the cancha I remember what Juan Rementeria told me in the early hours of that morning as we drank red wine in a bar in Guernica "When I played back in the 80s the frontons were full," Rementeria told me Of the 23 or so varieties of pelota (Spanish for "ball" and the generic term for ball games played on a fronton) cesta punta is easily the most recognisable thanks to the reed basket (cesta) players use to throw the rock-hard pelota at speeds of up to 188mph Famed for being the fastest ball game in the world cesta punta has been played since at least the mid-19th century appeared on the opening credits of Miami Vice and was a featured sport at the 1992 Olympics It even tasted Hollywood stardom when Jeff Bridges played a virtual version in Tron Now it faces an uncertain future even in its homeland of the Basque country where until recently it was a national obsession Five years ago the town council was going to knock it down It was saved at the 11th hour when the local youth coach and cesta punta historian Gonzalo Beaskoetxea led a campaign to restore it "It would be like demolishing the bullfighting ring in Madrid," Beaskoetxea tells me after the game a walkover for Luis Osa and Eric Irastorza currently the finest back player in the sport "The spirit of cesta punta would have disappeared." We stand in the gods and look down at the empty fronton painted black for better contrast on TV (traditionally canchas are off-white) a 12m x 12m granite wall the players smash the ball against The players either catch the ball on the fly as it rebounds from the frontis or wait for it to rebound once off the side wall or rebote then return it as quickly as their tired arms allow The game is played in profile to the audience who sit behind a protective net shield (a direct hit from a ricocheting ball could be fatal) Guernica's fronton is a dramatic space and as close to a theatre as a sports arena can get It seems extraordinary that it could have been demolished and bizarre that tonight only a couple of hundred people came along to see one of the world's great spectator sports You can see why the writers of Tron turned it into a death match for Jeff Bridges – there's something truly gladiatorial about it The reed cestas cut through the air with a swoosh that can be heard right at the back of the fronton and the ball hits the frontis with such force that you expect the granite to crack athletic ability and co-ordination – you admire them just for having the guts to put themselves in the firing line with only an acrylic helmet for protection battle it out and the first to score 35 points wins a red player drops a ball or fails to return it to the frontis fast (games rarely last more than an hour) and exciting – but not exciting enough for the US where eight players will fight it out to seven points with just two players on court at any one time he leaves the cancha to be replaced by the next numbered player in succession Tonight's game is one of the few to be televised the US-based cesta punta pros went on strike over pay and conditions Traditionally they would return to play in the Basque country for the summer months but during the strike they stayed put in the States partly out of fear that they would be replaced and partly because they could earn more doing odd jobs there than they would back home Now the Basque TV network ETB has too much of a vested interest in mano and its lucrative gambling revenue to give cesta punta any real coverage In the Spanish Basque country two competing professional organisations run the sport which has organised tonight's match and doubles as a TV production company Both make the bulk of their profit from betting on matches and – although players from both bodies competed for the first time in over a year in March's Master Interempresas tournament – relations between the two are poor "The spectators don't understand why the players from one can't play the others." Beaskoetxea wanders off and I'm joined by Guernica's deputy mayor He's a little the worse for wear but talks me through the fronton's restoration pointing out the work that has been done to improve its acoustics Galarza sees an empty space that could be filled by Simply Red or Basque Strictly Come Dancing "Who cares about cesta punta?" he says and might last four months – or four minutes if a player makes a bad catch and smashes the frame (It's easily done; a ball is about 2.5in in diameter and the cesta frame where the ball enters about 3.25in wide.) And the balls – made of sap wool and goatskin – can take four months to make and cost up to €130 (£111) "They should sound like rock when they hit the frontis," says Rementeria "but when they get hot they make a different noise You can use a ball for one match then you have to let it rest for a month." They really are like rock One did several thousand dollars' worth of damage to Rementeria's shoulder He yanks at his sweater and shows me the livid red scar and I'm back in Guernica for the finale of the town's annual festival As many as 100,000 visitors from the surrounding area are expected He's preparing the fronton for demonstration matches of the four pelota varieties that are still played professionally: mano pala (played with a wooden bat) and remonte (played with a basket similar to a cesta but the ball is returned immediately without being "caught") Totoricagüena went to Miami at the age of 15 to be a pro He returned to the Basque country with perfect English American business acumen and Miami-tuned dress sense "Jai Alai is dead in the States," he tells me "The only reason it's still going is for the fronton owners to keep their gambling licences The spectators don't give a shit about the game; the only thing is the betting." The slow demise of the pro game in the States – at its peak in the mid-1980s Miami's fronton was packed with crowds of more than 15,000 – is killing the game in the Basque region "Back in 1980 there were maybe 1,000 pros The best pros might earn $100,000 plus win bonuses more than half of US-based cesta punta players are aged between 30 and 40 The financial incentive to play cesta punta professionally has diminished hugely since the 80s "Fifty years ago no one played soccer or had a TV," explains Totoricagüena "People played in the small frontons but now all the kids want to be Raúl or Beckham This is a Basque sport and the Spanish government doesn't want to help." I ask if Master Jai gets involved with the schools something Gonzalo Beaskoetxea would dispute "They have nothing to do with the schools," he said of Master Jai and Jai Alive "They take advantage of the teaching but do nothing to help They come and watch and then go directly to the player with a contract children and three largely redundant bookmakers starts in front of an audience perhaps 40-strong the bookies calling out the odds to their customers tucking a betting slip into a tennis ball and throwing it with a practised lob into the stands usually with less accuracy than the bookies But no families and nothing like the numbers I saw on Saturday There are no children apart from one of Beaskoetxea's students The betting is getting more and more intense tennis balls flying back and forth between the bookies and the punters He was right – at an average of €100 a bet I sit down to enjoy the mano with one of the cesta punta pros In summer they play in front of large crowds of tourists "It's more family-oriented," he says "In France people just come to enjoy the game They're less knowledgable but as a player it's much more enjoyable." And in the States but sometimes it's sad playing to an empty audience They all think the game is fixed but nothing could be further from the truth." "I would take kids," says Oiarbide after some hesitation "The frontons are huge; they seat 2,000 So if there are just 50 people you can put space between the degenerates and yourself." Guernica's fronton is about the size of an aircraft hangar the small audience has managed to fill it with cigar smoke Magnums of Mumm champagne are waiting for us along with pintxos (Basque tapas) and a delicious rioja complete with branded Master Jai labels we couldn't serve them shit," he says He has driven down from Biarritz for the festival How come so few people have come to the fronton on a night when Guernica is full to bursting "They should be able to sell every seat," he says But in this area people see it as a betting game It should be full of young people paying maybe €5 I suspect that democratising the sport is the last thing on Totoricagüena's mind He would rather have 50 men betting €100 on every point than 1,500 families tourists and teenagers enjoying cesta punta as a spectacle and keeping their hands in their pockets Tonight's €45 entrance fee makes perfect sense it's a way of filtering out those who don't have the wherewithal to lose a packet "When I played in the US the fronton was full every day," he says "It was a big night out – you went to dine then watch the games We need to give people the best of jai alai When a game reaches match point and an exhausted player makes a difficult catch then twists his body to return the ball with what little strength he has left who aren't noted for their long-term thinking we had 300-400 kids," Oiarbide told me I love this sport but if something drastic isn't done soon Cesta punta is played in Guernica in October; see basquecountry-tourism.com or masterjai.com This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media November 14, 2023 by 4 Comments Meghan was spotted out to lunch with her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen (co-founder of Alliance of Moms) Meghan effortlessly combined comfort and chic in a well-curated ensemble that caught the eye of fashion enthusiasts The Duchess also appeared to have done a bit of shopping as she was carrying a bag from Wendy Foster a boutique in Montecito that carries a number of brands of which Meghan favors Meghan showcased a perfect blend of sophistication and laid-back elegance during her Montecito outing Sporting a Cesta Collective tote (link below) the duchess demonstrated her support for sustainable and ethically crafted fashion known for its timeless design and eco-friendly materials complemented Meghan’s commitment to making mindful choices Cesta Collective Braided Canvas Tote in navy and natural, $750 Her attire also included La Ligne shorts (link below) a brand recognized for its classic and comfortable designs The choice of shorts highlighted Meghan’s ability to seamlessly integrate casual pieces into a polished look La Ligne canvas short in ‘mushroom’, $250 The Duchess elevated her ensemble with carefully selected accessories Her Givenchy belt not only added a touch of glamour but also accentuated her waist Celine sunglasses shielded her eyes with style proving that even a casual lunch outing is an opportunity to showcase high-end fashion UPDATE 11/15: Upon closer look at Meghan’s Celine sunglasses – we’ve updated the link and photos below They are the Celine Triomphe CL 40222 F 01A Square Sunglasses (first worn just before leaving for Germany in September) Apologies for the confusion Her belt is the Givenchy ‘Double-G’ belt (past season). She first wore the belt in June 2018 while visiting Cheshire with the Queen Keeping comfort in mind, Meghan opted for her Aquazzura flats, a brand celebrated for its luxurious yet comfortable shoes. The flats provided the perfect finishing touch to her ensemble. She first wore the flats during the Invictus Games in September of this year Aquazzura ‘Love Affair’ flat in black suede, $795 UPDATE 11/21: Meghan’s top is from Bleusalt. The brand confirmed with us today that she is wearing their Classic Crew in black, $132 Meghan’s poppy pin appears to be a red enamel with a gold or crystal center adorned with a gold or crystal leaf We’ve found a few brooches that are similar Note: The photo on the right show the style of the brooch Her other jewelry are her staples pieces — Cartier Tank watch her Lorraine Schwartz emerald cut pink ring and small earrings which are difficult to see Below are a few other ID updates that we forgot to include in recent posts 2023 – Meghan and Harry attended Katy Perry’s last show in La Vegas along with Misha Nonoo and her husband Meghan wore the Valentino black floral-appliqué embellished minidress (past season) 2023 – Meghan and Harry were spotted by a tourist in the Grenadines Islands Meghan wore a Chloe long flared tank dress (past season) her Goyard St Louis tote bag and one of her Panama hats Filed Under: Footwear, Handbags, Shoes, Shorts, Sweaters I looked at the actual pics on another website so that I could see what her clothes really looked like Meghan knows how to put the best casual outfits together Although I enjoy seeing what she wears to public events it’s her off duty style that I really like to see I wore a similar outfit while on vacation over the summer Crew sweater that looks identical and wore it with camel color shorts It’s a great look and easy to create Menu.page-50205372{--metaColor:#876821;--navColor:#876821}(Fashion) Snag your favorite now to style all season (and for every summer to come) As far as organic partnerships go, female-founded brands La Ligne and Cesta Collective may just take the cake. Not only are both lines dedicated to female empowerment through fashion, but they just so happen to favor one timeless pattern in particular: Stripes So with their mutual adoration for the striking print in mind on June 20 they dropped five dreamy summer handbags you never knew you needed “We have been big fans of La Ligne from the very beginning and as true lovers of all things striped we could not imagine a more fitting collaboration for this summer — Cesta season!" Courtney Fasciano and Erin Ryder of Cesta said in the launch press release rendered in Cesta's signature lunchpail silhouette in five of La Ligne's most beloved striped color combinations are woven from dyed plant fibers and finished off with a sleek knotted leather strap in an elegant vegetable-tanned cognac shade — meaning they're incredibly easy to style with all your summer staples Get your hands on the La Ligne x Cesta collection at La Ligne's Madison Avenue flagship store, CestaCollective.com, or Nordstrom. Keep scrolling to see all five — and best of luck picking just one as a favorite. In recent years, there have been a slew of reports screaming headlines such as: “Most of the world’s solar panels facing the wrong way” and “The great solar panel blunder”. According to multiple news sources, PV arrays should face west or both east and west, rather than to the south, as is the standard. These largely misleading reports were generally ignored by the industry. But then last year, Europe’s largest solar farm — the 300MW Cestas plant in southwest France — was built with its panels oriented towards the east and west. The developer, Neoen, announced that this allowed the project to generate three to four times more energy per square metre than if it was facing south. So were the alarmist headlines actually correct? Is it better for solar panels to look east and west? In some cases, yes, although not for the reasons you might expect. The sensationalist news reports mainly stemmed from two studies, one in 2013 from Texas-based Pecan Street Research Institute, and one in 2014 from the UK’s Loughborough University, which both pointed out that panels facing west, or east and west, provided more electricity at times of high demand than south-pointing modules with their noon peaks. This is entirely true and perhaps highly important for the future of the industry. It is partly why there is a growing trend for east-west panels on residential rooftops in markets such as Germany — yet nothing to do with why the Cestas plant was built that way or why there is an increasing number of east-west commercial rooftop projects. “[East-west panels] looked like a strange idea,” Neoen chief operations officer Paul-François Croisille tells Recharge. “We had seen it up in Germany in the various trade magazines, so it was something we tried out. “When we identify a plot of land for a plant, we consider trackers, different distances between the rows [of modules] and different inclinations to find the best layout for those plants. The numbers [for Cestas] showed that the east-west solution was the best.” It meant that Cestas would generate 15% less total energy than a south-facing plant of the same capacity. “But in terms of LCoE [levelised cost of energy], it turned out to be more interesting because of the high fixed costs,” Croisille says. When Neoen was tasked with developing the site near Bordeaux, its initial plan was for a 150MW south-facing installation. The French company knew that would require a relatively costly connection to a 400kV transmission line (rather than the standard distribution grid) and an expensive high-voltage substation. The size and complexity of the project would also mean high development costs for permitting, legal and regulatory issues, not to mention the complex financing arrangements, which eventually involved eight shareholders. These costs would largely stay the same, regardless of the final capacity of the project. By comparison, the per-MW installation costs — panels, substructures, cabling and other hardware — would also remain largely the same, so a higher capacity would mean a lower LCoE. But as the site could not be expanded beyond its 265 hectares, Neoen could only increase the capacity by squeezing more panels into the same space. South-facing panels, which generally operate optimally at a 25-30° tilt, have to be kept far enough apart so that shadows do not fall on neighbouring panels and hinder output. But by alternately aligning panels east and west at shallow angles of 5-10°, they can be installed more closely together, eliminating the shading issue and allowing a lot more panels to be erected per square metre. “We found out during our calculations that it was more interesting to pack more power into this site to divide the fixed costs over a larger number of megawatts,” says Croisille. “It’s truly a numbers-based analysis.” So if the LCoE of a site can be lowered by packing in east-west panels, will Neoen continue to build solar parks in this way? Croisille does not rule it out but says that the company has yet to find another site where such an arrangement makes commercial sense.“It was really very specific to that particular plant with very constrained land and very high fixed costs,” he says. Some have argued that utility-scale east-west solar farms, with their flatter power curves, will become more commonplace to help grid operators balance supply and demand. Others say this is unlikely.“There’s a small technical argument for east-west oriented modules [on flat roofs or open land] in that the daily curve of production is a bit more rectangular,” says Christian Reise, senior scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany. “But it’s not a big difference.“If you do east-west on typical residential houses with 45⁰ tilted roofs, then it does have an effect — you have the morning peak and the afternoon peak. If you just do it with 5-10⁰ tilt, then there’s no real double peak, there’s only a noon peak, which is slightly flatter than the standard one. “So it’s used as an argument, but it’s not the best argument.” Yet the growing trend for east-west rooftop arrays in countries such as Germany has nothing to do with helping grid operators balance their loads. It is purely due to the growth of self-consumption — a result of falling feed-in tariffs (FITs) and rising electricity prices. “We [in Germany] pay somewhere between €0.25 and €0.30 [$0.27-0.33] per kWh [for electricity from the grid], and you get power from your rooftop panels for something like €0.15,” says Reise. “So of course it’s better to use your own electricity during the day than to buy it from the grid.” And with Germany’s FIT for standard residential arrays at only €0.127/kWh, it makes little economic sense to sell your solar energy to the grid, only to buy back the same amount of electricity for double the price. So it is clearly better for consumers to use the energy that they generate. As people generally leave home in the morning and come back in the afternoon or early evening, it is logical for them to have PV panels that provide more electricity at these times, rather than at midday when so many properties are empty. Of course, you cannot install east-west-facing solar panels on your roof if it does not already slant in those directions. “If you look back to systems that were built a few years ago, you would typically find them facing south,” says David Wedepohl, director of communications and markets at the German solar industry association, BSW. “And now you would typically see new systems on different parts of the roof that in the past you wouldn’t have used. One of the reasons is module prices have come down so significantly that even if you have a lower yield [per kW] it’s still worthwhile doing, particularly if you use the electricity yourself.” The east-west orientation is also a growing trend on flat commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops in Germany. It allows warehouses, factories and offices to cram more panels onto their roofs, while the modules still generate a power curve that closely matches the buildings’ energy needs (as workplaces are usually busiest during the middle of the day), leading to more money-saving self-consumption. “You can pack more kW of solar modules on a given roof area if you do it in very flat tilt angles; then you can use more or less the whole of the roof area for a PV installation,” says Reise. “Nowadays, modules are quite cheap and you want to put as many as possible on a given roof because of the other costs for preparation on the roof — for connection, for cabling, this all is fixed — so if you put more modules on, you can save [on the LCoE].” There are also other advantages for C&I east-west panels. South-facing panels tilted at 30° need heavy concrete ballasts to prevent winds blowing the modules over, or off the roof (fixing directly to the roof is rare as this usually causes waterproofing damage). Tightly packed, shallow-tilted panels do not require such heavy ballasting, thereby lightening the load on the roof and cutting the per-kW costs. And despite the extra weight due to the increase in the number of panels, east-west arrays may consequently be lighter than smaller south-facing ones. With C&I roofs generally not built to withstand heavy loads, the east-west orientation could make projects feasible that otherwise wouldn’t be. Also, in Germany, businesses have to pay a capacity fee for their grid connection, priced according to their peak demand. A high amount of self-consumption will also reduce these costs. “So if you take it all together — cheaper mounting, better use of area, lighter weight on the roof, there are many factors which may be in favour of east-west systems,” says Reise. “Up to five years ago, the sector was more oriented around module prices and revenues, and today it’s more about space on the roof. You put all the modules you can on your roof and then look at what you can do with the electricity.” Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Your data on Recharge Recharge is part of DN Media Group AS From November 1st DN Media Group is responsible for controlling your data on Recharge We use your data to ensure you have a secure and enjoyable user experience when visiting our site. You can read more about how we handle your information in our privacy policy DN Media Group is the leading news provider in the shipping, seafood, and energy industries, with a number of English- and Norwegian-language news publications across a variety of sectors. Read more about DN Media Group here Recharge is part of NHST Global Publications AS and we are responsible for the data that you register with us and the data we collect when you visit our websites We use cookies in a variety of ways to improve your experience such as keeping NHST websites reliable and secure personalising content and ads and to analyse how our sites are being used For more information and how to manage your privacy settings please refer to our privacy and cookie policies Search Companies editorial@fibre2fashion.com You can update your channel preference from the Settings menu in the header menu As the first outside investor in Cesta Collective a firm renowned for its ethical attitude to fashion Erin Ryder and Courtney Fasciano co-founded Cesta Collective which mixes traditional Rwandan basket weaving with Italian leather workmanship Currently running the firm as only full-time employees are Erin Ryder and Courtney Fasciano Meghan's second business endeavour is this one Her initial purchase was in the vegan coffee brand Clevr Blends Meghan entered the fashion business after soft launching her own lifestyle brand hailed Meghan's clever and wise investment not only shows her taste in ethical fashion but also marks a calculated step into entrepreneurship "Meghan Markle's investment emphasizes her strategic attitude to fashion and her dedication to ethical consumerism," Boardman told Newsweek Meghan's participation in several businesses including the postponed opening of American Riviera Orchard could cause her to spread herself too thin but her experience with The Tig blog sets her well for success Meghan's concentration on sustainable firms might increase her impact in the fashion business Boardman also pointed out the need for consistency in Meghan and Harry's crew He advised that the seamless running of their businesses depends on enhancing the support personnel Contact at support@indiaglitz.com Total Croatia News 2019 – TCN is delighted to welcome Forrest Stilin to the team with his first article on the historic Louisiana Road (Lujzijana Cesta or Ljuzinska and Luzijanska) from Karlovac to Rijeka.   Forrest was one of the successful applicants from our recent job posting for new writers It is always nice to learn something new from a writer applying for the job and I must confess that I personally had never heard of the Louisiana Road (Lujzijana Cesta) before.  Welcome, Number 142! If you would like to write about the Croatia, Montenegro or Slovenia where you are, please contact us at news@total-croatia-news.com  emerged as an important early commercial route for the transport of goods between Karlovac and Rijeka in the 1800s The average annual road traffic between 1827 and 1829 was estimated at 80,000 horse-drawn carriages Slovenia and part of Austria were re-named the Illyrian Provinces under the First French Empire which existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814 The origin of the name Louisiana remains in dispute Some historians maintain that it was named after Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este the third wife of Emperor Frances I of Austria while others believe that it was named after Napoleon’s second wife Marie Louise of Austria played a key role in the development of early transportation routes from the Croatian Littoral to the Adriatic Sea He is credited for designing the Theresiana Road which upgraded an earlier route from Gospić to Karlobag He also designed a coastal road between Senj and Sveti Juraj and directed the reconstruction of a portion of the Josephina Road from Senj to Karlovac He is most well-known for his career as a soldier in the army of the Hapsburg Monarchy and fought the advance of the Ottoman Empire He later fought in Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) during the First French Empire The original Louisiana Road was just under 18 Austrian postal miles or 141 km long 8.2 m wide and boasted grades of less than 4% The road began in Karlovac and passed through Netretić The road was upgraded in 1910 and paved from Rijeka to Delnice in 1940 The present- day D3 state route follows portions of the original Louisiana Road Most of the contemporary traffic from Karlovac to Rijeka follows the A1 and A6 freeways which were completed in 2005 and 2008 still exist along the present-day D3 state route use Austrian postal miles to denote distance and are written in German use kilometers for distance and are written in Croatian a famous Croatian linguist and writer penned the book “Uz Lujzinsku cestu” (Along the Louisiana Road) It was published in 1935 and describes the construction of the route and the regions and towns it passed through he states: “I wrote this book to reminisce in my old age about sweet memories from the happiest period of my life I saw the sun for the first time along the Louisiana Road Not only did I know every house along the Louisiana Road but every stone and piece of wood.” a little archive footage and video from Croatian national television https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYtj5tSlUA Note: Cesta ven is currently screening with English subtitles at cinemas Světozor and Oko A heartrending look at the life of Roma in the contemporary Czech Republic Petr Václav’s Cesta ven (The Way Out) is like a punch to the gut: gritty this is not a social polemic but a captivating look at a minority whose lives are hamstrung not just by local prejudice but by ignorance within their own community Utilizing a cast of non-professional actors Václav’s film focuses on young mother Žaneta (Klaudia Dudová) who lives with her boyfriend David (David Ištok) and Žaneta’s teenage sister Cuckoo (Sara Makulova) in a downtrodden panelák on the outskirts of an unnamed Czech city (the film was shot in and around Ostrava) Neither Žaneta nor David works; when Žaneta applies for a position at a local textile factory she’s turned down due to a lack of education and experience who breaks his thumb when he can’t pay him back Žaneta is determined to find a better life but the couple is not blameless in their situation: they fail to turn up for a monthly meeting to collect an unemployment check and are incredulous when bureaucracy works against them Upstairs lives Žaneta’s sister Andrea (Mária Ferencová-Zajacová) who leads a more stable existence – by working as a prostitute and holds particular contempt for one of her regular customers a politician who makes the news for his anti-Roma statements Andrea breaks down in tears when talking to Žaneta who visits her for financial assistance but otherwise wants nothing to do with her sister David’s eyes light up when Andrea tells him of the riches her client has in his house and her fantasy of murdering and stealing from him a thug and a crackhead – stake out the politician’s house the thematic undercurrent of Cesta ven is epitomized by Žaneta’s father a man exhausted by life who wears his weariness across his face He lives with a motormouthed woman who lambasts Žaneta when she temporarily moves in who makes his way through all of his scenes without looking up from his mobile phone but also knows his weaknesses and his place in this life and has been down this road too many times The scene where he tells his daughters that he cannot help them is devastating The experience of watching Cesta ven is frequently unnerving; we hold out hope for these characters but writer-director Václav rarely provides any relief (during one of the film’s lighter scenes when Žaneta goes out dancing with one of her white colleagues the pair are both robbed.) The film ends not on a note of hope Cesta ven succeeds in large part due to its cast whose naturalistic performances anchor the movie in a harsh Dudova’s rugged determination in the lead sets her character apart and gives us someone to root for Ištok’s sad eyes and beat-down expression lend sympathy to a character who would otherwise be difficult to care about one that neither exploits its subject nor paints them in an overly-flattering light; it isn’t always easy to watch but acutely describes a situation that deserves more attention superbly-composed cinematography is by Štěpán Kučera who also lensed the director’s previous two features but the film is most effective during its long Director Václav previously made the similarly-themed Marian in 1996 which told the story of an orphaned Roma child and his journey through life in foster homes; it was one of the first modern films to deal with the issue of discrimination against Roma in the Czech Republic the director has picked up right where he left off one of the young actors who played the boy in the earlier film.) and Cesta ven was made in part with French financing (in collaboration with ČT1) It was also the first Czech film to be screened in an official section at Cannes since 1998’s Postel it failed to even crack the top 20 at the local box office One wonders if an outsider’s perspective was needed here or if a film like this would have been produced within the Czech Republic Your morning coffee deserves a great companion. Why not enjoy it with our daily newsletter? News from Czechia, curated insights, and inspiring stories in English. Meghan's newest post-royal fashion look comes from Cesta Collective a brand that sells handwoven basket bags made by a female co-operative of Rwandan artisans Meghan wore a Cesta bag at a dinner party in May 2023 with Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz told the outlet that their usual numbers catapulted into sold-out territory after Meghan wore their design which prompted them to reach out with a thank-you note the Duchess of Sussex reciprocated by becoming a minority stake investor especially when Cesta Collective found themselves in deep water a year later On Cesta Collective's website the mission statement mentions the brand's "ethical standards and fair compensation practices." The fashion label previously stated that they pay their Rwandan weavers roughly 500% to 700% times the national average salary Those facts alone have not been enough for the company to stay out of controversy One TikTok user posted a video detailing how the brand exploits female Rwandan artisans to increase their own wealth and she named Meghan Markle as one of the guilty parties "I thought that we have collectively decided that Western women using African women as props to enhance their own image was inappropriate but apparently we haven't," TikToker Georgie said to her over 120,000 followers Not only did she note the possibility of unfair wages compared to the asking price of the bags which go for anywhere between $490 and $890 but she also took issue with one of the brand's marketing images One image in particular featured owners Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano sitting on a bench while a group of African women sat on the ground "It is inappropriate to use these women as a marketing tactic for your brand." Many users flooded the comments to voice their opinions on the matter "Megan Markle is disgusting and not above exploiting anyone for profit." Others defended the brand and Meghan "I don't like the bench image and I agree with what you said MM is just an investor maybe she could counsel them."