Upcycled Hand-Blown Glass from Apolis

By Elizabeth Dahl December 8, 2016

oaxacan hand-blown glassware by apolis — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apolis means “global citizen,” and that’s the kind of people California brothers Raan and Shea Parton are.

They realized they could be advocates for artists, craftsmen, and entrepreneurs of all ilks, around the world by opening up the global marketplace to them. A certified B-Corp, Apolis sells clothing, luggage, accessories, even the super popular (and now customizable!) market bag, which provide valuable jobs to women in Bangladesh. Their motto is “advocacy through industry,” and it’s a powerful idea as they provide economic stimulation in areas desperately in need of it while helping to preserve skills and craftsmanship.

oaxacan hand-blown glassware by apolis — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A prime example of this is their incredibly beautiful Oaxacan glass collection. In 2015, the Parton brothers went to Mexico, where three quarters of all glassblowing studios have been forced to close, to find artists who could help with a partnership with Chivas Regal. They wanted to create a special whiskey tumbler for their “Art of Hosting” package. They succeeded!

Still, like anything, this endeavor created waste. So, Apolis teamed up with Studio Xaquixe in Oaxaca to repurpose that waste into something beautiful. The fourteen artists at Studio Xaquixe are some of the last in the entire country and so are some of the last to practice their glassblowing techniques.

The Apolis team saw a unique opportunity: repurpose the glass waste from the Chivas project at Studio Xaquixe and help preserve techniques. The Oaxacan collection is full of impossibly classic, clean designs, including a drinking glass, water carafe, candle holder, and vase.

They range in price from $15 to $40, which is incredible when you learn what a remarkable difference that price supports. The average minimum wage in the area is a paltry $89 a month, but a glassblower at Studio Xaquixe earns about $592 a month. These four, hand-blown, upcycled glass items that will never go out of style, provide income and guaranteed work to those who might not otherwise have the chance at either.

Simply by buying something beautiful, you’re helping the environment, providing jobs, ethical wages, and helping to preserve some of humanity’s greatest achievements: craftsmanship.

Elizabeth Dahl is a southern girl in the heart of Los Angeles who lived far too long before learning what an incredible food…

Culture

The 11 best superhero movies of all time

Here's a short list to start your superhero movie binge

Tom Hardy and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Need a break from real life? Here's a list of the best superhero films to binge. Choosing the best superhero films of all time is no easy task. Ask any fan of superheroes, whether it's the comics or films, and you're guaranteed to get a different list every time. Share your list with others, and the responses will include either nods of agreement, raised eyebrows, or blunt responses that you're dead wrong.
In compiling the list of best superhero films of all time, I tried to keep viewers of all ages and devotion to superhero cinema in mind. My original plan was to include Deadpool on the list until I realized there's an entire generation of movie fans still not allowed to watch the film because of its R-rating. The LEGO Batman Movie also appeared in my initial top choices, but the film felt out of place compared to the other films. (I still recommend LEGO Batman to everyone because it's darn hilarious.) Full disclosure: This list might change as we add and subtract films as they premiere and earn their spot on the list.
After much internal debate, I finally drilled down 11 superhero movie choices for both Marvel and D.C. with personal reasons for each selection. While thousands of fans likely won't agree with this list, few will argue that all these films are fantastic and worth multiple viewings. That said, here's my list of the best superhero movies of all time and where to watch them. Many are available on Disney Plus and Amazon Prime for your viewing for your convenience. Spoilers ahead.

11. Black Panther (2018)

Culture

How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?

Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Culture

The 11 best Kevin Costner movies, ranked

He has a full resume of films, but if you're a Costner fan, then you must see these movies

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

An all-American, blue-collar working man turned Hollywood essential, Kevin Costner has lived a life full of experience and dreams that some can only imagine. Starting out as a small kid -- 5'2" at high school graduation -- who moved around a lot, Costner was fond of things like poetry, writing, and singing in his Baptist choir. Outside of the arts, he was also very interested in sports of all kinds, which is reflected in his film career to this day. Also a man of the outdoors, Costner built his own canoe at 18 and paddled it through sections where Lewis and Clark ventured. Fun facts aside, Costner had a full and interesting life before the world got to know him as the charming and eloquent movie man we know him to be today.
From his past life, accomplishments, and hobbies, Costner was fully prepared to write, direct, and act for the screen as he fulfilled yet another lifelong dream. A man who was once called "The King of the Sports Movie," Costner has been able to act in films of a subject matter near and dear to his heart that became the films he is best known for. And that doesn’t include his many other successful movies having to do with politics, crime, and romance that also make for some of his best roles. Luckily, we’re here to talk about all of those films at once as we celebrate the man who has accomplished more in one lifetime than some could in many. Here are the best Kevin Costner movies of all time.

11. Open Range (2003)