World Listening Day

July 18 is World Listening Day hosted by the World Listening Project. 2021 topic: The Unquiet Earth. The day features livestreaming audio, contests, and listening-focused walks around the world which focus attention on improving listening skills and conserving critical soundscapes.

Since its inception in 2010, thousands of people from six continents have participated in World Listening Day. July 18th is the birth date of renowned Canadian composer, music educator, and author, R. Murray Schafer. With the World Soundscape Project he developed the fundamental ideas and practices of acoustic ecology in the 1970s. These inform the current, burgeoning interest in our changing acoustic environment. Thus, World Listening Day honors Schafer’s contribution to understanding our world.

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Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 lb Cooked pasta of your choice, pasta water reserved
• 4 cups Broccoli florets
• 2 cups Basil leaves, lightly packed
• 2 Garlic cloves
• ¼ cup Pine nuts
• 1 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 cup Parmigiano-reggiano, grated

Method

1. Add the broccoli, bring the water back up to a boil for two minutes. Do not drain the water! Immediately transfer broccoli (with a slotted spoon) to a colander place under cold running water to stop further cooking.
2. Bring the water ** back to a boil and add your favorite pasta and cook according to the package (reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining).
3. In a large blender or food processor, blend together broccoli, basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and Parmigiano-Reggiano until smooth. Slowly pour in 1 cup of reserved pasta water until a nice sauce is formed. If sauce is too thick, add more pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
4. Toss hot pasta with sauce until completely coated. Top with extra Parmesan, pine nuts and chili flakes if desired. Enjoy!

** It is important to salt your water before adding the broccoli and pasta. Do this to your own taste.

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The high life

A new hotel in Shanghai, the J Hotel Shanghai Tower, promises a glamorous stay, but if you are acrophobic you may want to book elsewhere, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. It’s lobby is on the 101^st floor of a skyscraper that reaches 2,073 feet in height. Oddly, the Shanghai Tower hotel might not be considered to be the tallest hotel in the world. Technically, the Gevora Hotel in Dubai still holds that title although it is just 1,169 feet high because the entire building is used as a hotel while the J Hotel takes up only the top floors of the Shanghai Tower.