tl;dnr: What it says in the title. Martin Bormann, coming out of hiding as a Paraguayan millionaire with a supposed Golden Ticket, sought entrance into Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Bormann likely assumed that he could either buy Wonka off with his wealth, and/or to try to steal Wonka's business secrets by gaining entrance to his factory.
Evidence I: Martin Bormann, Nazi and South American Millionaire
It's been confirmed that the Paraguayan millionaire who produced the Golden Ticket is, in fact, Martin Bormann, who assumed leadership of the Nazi Party after Hitler's death.
While the director claims that he meant to use Bormann's photo as a joke, especially given the claims of "Nazis fleeing to South America" after WWII. However, for the sake of this theory, and assuming that the Wonka-verse is an alternate universe from our own, that Bormann, who died shortly after Hitler in our universe, indeed managed to flee to South America successfully after WWII.
Let's say that Bormann, in the Wonka-verse, then somehow makes a fortune by going into business, becoming a millionaire by 1971, the year the events of the film, for argument's sake, take place in.
Evidence II: Why Bormann Fabricated a Golden Ticket
If Bormann is a "Paraguayan millionaire", then what Bormann made his millions in, or from? Given how Veruca Salt's father made his fortune in the peanut industry, another candy-related sector, let's assume that Bormann made his millions in none other than the cocoa, or chocolate, industry.
More specifically, Bormann likely made his fortune as one of South America's "cocoa barons".

During the late 19th and much of the 20th century, a small patch of paradise in southern Bahia, a state in Northeast Brazil, was the #1 producer of cocoa in the world. It was also the realm of Brazil’s cocoa barons.
Cacao trees were native to the Brazilian Amazon. But in the 1700s, Brazilian colonists decided to see if cacao would take to the fertile soil of the coastal region surrounding the tiny town of Ilhéus. Cacao thrives in the shade, and the native Atlantic forest – a rainforest more ancient than the Amazon – provided a natural canopy that allowed trees to reach heights of 40 feet.
In the late 1800s, spurred on by industrialization, the world’s cocoa market exploded. Adventurers from Brazil and around the world sailed, rode and even walked to Bahia’s “Cocoa Coast.” Many dreamed of making vast fortunes by planting this cash crop. For decades, precious cocoa was known as “black gold.”
Planters who grew rich from its trade became known as “cocoa barons.”
In keeping with their title, the “barons” built grand plantation estates furnished with the finest European trappings. They drove to Ilhéus in gleaming American automobiles and checked into grand hotels. They wiled away days at luxurious beach houses with names such as Praia dos Milionários (Millionnaire Beach). At night, they gambled away fortunes while drinking Champagne, and smoking cigars lit with 500,000 real bills.
On Sundays, lavishly attired cocoa baronesses went to mass at the new and opulent São Sebastião Cathedral. Meanwhile, their husbands took refuge in the nearby Bar Vesúvio. From the bar, a secret passage led to the Bataclan. In this swank “cabaret,” barons could indulge in more earthly pursuits with European call girls. The chime of church bells warned them that services were ending. That masses lasted three hours was due to an agreement between the barons and priests. Those who gave extra long sermons were handsomely rewarded. (Source)

Additionally, Bormann being a cocoa baron, while tying in with his potential motivation for fabricating the Golden Ticket (not only bringing attention to himself, but his business, as well as giving him a shot at the grand prize), also fits with his past as a particularly sadistic, anti-Semitic Nazi.
While cocoa farmers suffered, their baron bosses made millions.

...there was a lot of resentment about the wealth of the so-called cacao colonels -- the owners of large plantations -- compared to the lives of the farm workers.
"Cacao elites used to say that the best doctor in the area was Varig and Vasp, which were the two airlines that would take you out of town," said Mary Ann Mahony, a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University. "In the '80s, there was no running water, no indoor plumbing, no electricity, nothing."
[...] "[The farmers themselves] were very poor," Aquino recalled. "They wouldn't know how to read and write." Mahony recalled seeing payroll sheets from the 1970s, where workers "were signing with their fingerprint, because they were illiterate."
Novelist Jorge Amado describes the scene aptly in his book, The Golden Harvest. Ilheus is "a city of money and cabarets, of dauntless courage and dirty deals."
And on the cacao plantations, "the cacao fields are the work, the home, the garden, the cinema, often the cemetery of the workers. The enormous feet of the hired hands look like roots, bearing no resemblance to anything else. The visgo of cacao sticks to their feet and never comes off, making them like the bark of the trunk, while malaria gives them the yellow color of nearly ripe pods, ready for picking."
"There were slaves that worked in cacao," Mahony summarized. "Most of the people who worked for [the cacao colonels] lived in illiteracy and darkness."
[...] "It's related to being bad or not. The employer had the right to take from the employee clothes, food, house," Aquino recalled. "The minimum wage was so little." Many employers took advantage of this system. (Source)

Additionally, agriculture in Paraguay, unlike in Brazil, was just having the start of its expansion in 1971.

Growth in agriculture was very rapid from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, a period when cotton and soybean prices soared and cropland under cultivation expanded as a result of agricultural colonization.
Growth in agriculture slowed from an average of 7.5% annual growth in the 1970s, to approximately 3.5% in the mid-to-late 1980s. (Wikipedia)

Evidence III: Wonka's Awareness / Planting Spies
It's well-known, even within the movie itself, that Willy Wonka himself was not only aware of the potential consequences and implications of his Golden Ticket event, but that he kept his desired outcomes fully, tightly controlled.
This is evidenced by his use of one of his employees, Wilkinson, as an actor for "Slugworth" to tempt the children with money; as well as the "convenient" locations [and winners] of all five of the true Golden Tickets, among other pieces of evidence, as seen in this theory here, as well as one here.
It's quite obvious that the entire purpose of Wonka holding the Golden Ticket event to begin with was to find a worthy heir and successor, one he could bestow his chocolate factory onto. Enter Martin Bormann, South American cocoa baron millionaire, who, like everyone else, hears of Wonka's Golden Ticket sweepstakes.
Bormann, also a mega-weathy businessman, and one clearly who built his millions over the years, likely also did what Wonka did: send out spies, or "feelers", to research Wonka, and gather as much information as possible on Wonka and his factory.
It's even quite plausible that Bormann, if a giant in the cocoa / chocolate industry, may have been one of Wonka's direct rivals...or, as a major cocoa seller and supplier, "played the field" among chocolate and candy makers, or sought to be one of the ones to steal Wonka's secrets. Bormann may have even sought to steal Wonka's secrets to purposefully distribute among other chocolate makers, as competition often helps drive additional profits...and more chocolate makers means more clients to buy Bormann's cocoa, and more money for Bormann.
Indeed, Grandpa Joe, who used to work for Wonka in the 2005 adaptation, also has this exchange with Wonka:

Grandpa Joe: Mr. Wonka, I don't know if you remember me, but I used to work here in the factory.
Willy Wonka: Were you one of those despicable spies who everyday tried to steal my life's work, and sell it to those parasitic, copy-cat candy-making cads?
Grandpa Joe: No, sir.
Willy Wonka: Wonderful, welcome back.

This follows the book as well:

Years before Charlie had his visit to the factory, Willy Wonka ran his candy business with regular workers, not "little funny colored people." But because Willy Wonka was the greatest candy maker in the land, his enemies sent spies into his factory, stole his ideas, and recreated his greatest candy creations.
This produced overwhelming paranoia in Mr. Wonka. His solution? Fire all his workers and shut down his factory. In fact, it's revealed in the first movie that Grandpa Joe used to work in Wonka's factory and was one of the unlucky workers let go (an addition from the story in the original book).
So, rather than develop a security solution or management solution to deal with these spies, like a sane person would, Willy Wonka fired his entire workforce. In the case of Charlie's parents, the Buckets, and probably numerous other families who relied on those jobs for their livelihood, it pushed them into poverty.
The degree of misery caused by Wonka's decision never made it into the story. Although we hear nothing about the town where the factory resides, it's probable that the city, or at the very least the neighborhood, was decimated by that decision. Yet, instead of being thought of as a villain, Willy Wonka is considered a hero. He's the creative genius who just wasn't allowed to be free to be himself and do his thing. (Source)

Given this addition, there's a few things that stand out to me: one, that Wonka was clearly so upset, and so angry, at discovering the spies at his factory, or at his wit's end, that he fired everyone; and two, that he did so in a way that implies that, instead of viewing his employees as people, he viewed them as servants, or even slaves...ones that he could dismiss at a moment's notice.
To this end, in both the 1971 and 2005 adaptations, Wonka doesn't seem to develop more perspective for how badly he treated his former workers and employees (Grandpa Joe and the Bucket family included) until he discovers, and "adopts", the Ooma Loompas. With the Oompa Loompas, Wonka seems to learn how to treat others with compassion, giving the Oompa Loompas a safe haven and home, and voicing his feelings of pity and sympathy for their plight.
Wonka's previous, callous attitude towards his workers and employees, especially given the poor treatment of South America's "cocoa barons" towards their farmers, to me, points to Bormann and Wonka having had a previous, close relationship / business partnership, perhaps even a friendship. This is especially true, given that Wonka would be several decades younger than Bormann (Gene Wilder was 37-38 years old when he filmed his role as Wonka; by 1971, Bormann would have been around 71 years old, with a birth year of 1900).
Bormann likely provided, and sold, South American cocoa initially (exclusively) to Wonka as part of a business partnership, and likely even helped Wonka grow his chocolate empire and business (as Wonka selling more chocolate meant more cocoa profits / sales for Bormann)...before ultimately Bormann got greedy, sending spies to Wonka's factory, and also supporting and selling to other chocolate and candy makers, like Slugworth.
Additionally, Bormann, being an older millionaire, may have even provided the initial investment, or money, to Wonka to build his chocolate factory, and start his business empire, to begin with.
This also explains how, and why, Wonka previously saw it as "more than acceptable" to fire all of his workers at once, and seemingly, close his factory: he learned it from Bormann. Feeling utterly betrayed by his own cocoa provider and business partner, Wonka lashed out, utterly withdrawing from the public eye...but he never forgot what Bormann, and his enemies and rivals, did.
Indeed, Wonka, with his idea for the Golden Tickets, and after what happened to him with the spies incident, directly anticipated his enemies and rivals trying to, once again, steal his secrets. This is evidenced in the film when Wonka pays Wilkinson to pose as Slugworth, offering a "test" to each of the children, to see which one of the kids would be able to withstand temptation and manipulation from corrupt, greedy businessmen. Indeed, Slugworth "whispering" into each child's ear seems to mirror the plausible recreation, or echo, of Bormann (or another greedy buisnessman) having "whispered" into a young Wonka's ear, tempting and offering him money.
However, there was one thing that Wonka did not take into account: that Bormann would try other cunning, sneaky methods to try and gain access to Wonka's factory...or that his sweepstakes actually didn't prevent a rival businessman from obtaining a Golden Ticket.
Evidence IV: The "Fake" Golden Ticket
From the film, we know that Bormann supposedly fabricated the "fifth Golden Ticket". Yet that Golden Ticket was somehow "proven to be fake".
I see two potential options for what actually happened, or may have happened:

Bormann, indeed, fabricated the Golden Ticket. However, Wilkinson, posing as Slugworth, approaches Bormann, and sees that the ticket is fake, or another employee of Wonka's claims it's fake...or Wonka himself leaks, or announces, that the Ticket is a "fake", as he knows the location of the last Golden Ticket, and it's not in Paraguay, but the UK.
Bormann, like Veruca Salt's father, paid his employees to find him the Golden Ticket. Thus, his Golden Ticket was real, but because Bormann was an adult, as well as a millionaire (along with the other speculation I mentioned above), Wonka, or his representative(s), claimed that Bormann's Ticket was a fake. [According to the original drafts of the book, Wonka also sent out seven (7), not five (5), Golden Tickets, which would also explain this; Wonka may have quietly produced 1-2 more Golden Tickets, in case of scenarios like this.] Or Wonka stole or confiscated Bormann's Ticket, claimed it as a fake, and then resent it out, this time to its "intended target", Charlie Bucket.

Guide to the Jungle

Jungles are not just tigers and primitive tribes. They are a thriving ecosystem that comprises many terrains, each with its own plant and animal life and challenges to character survival.
It is the goal of this post to add some more visual and literary terms to your DM vocabulary, as well as presenting some thoughts on survival and a list of potential monsters.
Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right, unless you were goin' all the way. ~~Kurtz~~ Hippo got off the boat. He split from the whole fuckin' program.

Post Soundtrack

NOTE: This was a bitch to put together. "Jungle" ain't really a thing. Its a catch-all term. I've had to trim a lot of ideas down and cut some out altogether just to keep from dipping into factoid overload. Strap in, this is a long one.

Geographical Traits

A jungle is land covered with dense vegetation dominated by trees. Application of the term has varied greatly during the last several centuries. Jungles in Western literature can represent a less civilized or unruly space outside the control of civilization: attributed to the jungle's association in colonial discourse with the British Raj. Therefore, the nearest equivalent scientific term is probably monsoon and seasonal tropical forest.
There is no standard jungle. The tropical area may be any of the following:

Rain Forests
Secondary Jungles
Semi-evergreen Seasonal and Monsoon Forests
Scrub and Thorn Forests
Savannas
Swamps

Rain Forests

There are five layers of vegetation in a rain forest. Where untouched by man, jungle trees rise from buttress roots to heights of 60 meters. Below them, smaller trees produce a canopy so thick that little light reaches the rain forest floor. Seedlings struggle beneath them to reach light, and masses of vines and lianas twine up to the sun. Ferns, mosses, and herbaceous plants push through a thick carpet of leaves, and a great variety of fungi grow on leaves and fallen tree trunks.
Because of the lack of light on the rain forest floor, there is little undergrowth to hamper movement, but dense growth limits visibility to about 50 meters. You can easily lose your sense of direction in this jungle, and it is extremely hard for aerial creatures to see you.
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with annual rainfall in the case of tropical rainforests between 250 and 450cm (98 and 177 in), and definitions varying by region for temperate rainforests.

Secondary Jungles

Secondary jungle is very similar to rain forest. Prolific growth, where sunlight penetrates to the jungle floor, typifies this type of forest. Such growth happens mainly along river banks, on jungle fringes, and where man has cleared rain forest. When abandoned, tangled masses of vegetation quickly reclaim these cultivated areas. You can often find cultivated food plants among this vegetation.

Semi-Evergreen Seasonal and Monsoon Forests

The characteristics of the these forests:

Their trees fall into two stories of tree strata. Those in the upper story average 18 to 24 meters; those in the lower story average 7 to 13 meters.
The diameter of the trees averages 0.5 meter.
Their leaves fall during a seasonal drought.
Except for the sago, nipa, and coconut palms, the same edible plants grow in these areas as in the tropical rain forests.

You find these forests in portions of Columbia and Venezuela and the Amazon basin in South America; in portions of southeast coastal Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique in Africa; in Northeastern India, much of Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Java, and parts of other Indonesian islands in Asia.

Tropical Scrub and Thorn Forests

The characteristics of these forests:

There is a definite dry season.
Trees are leafless during the dry season.
The ground is bare except for a few tufted plants in bunches; grasses are uncommon.
Plants with thorns predominate.
Fires occur frequently.
You find tropical scrub and thorn forests on the west coast of Mexico, Yucatan peninsula, Venezuela, Brazil; on the northwest coast and central parts of Africa; and in Asia, in Turkestan and India.
Within the tropical scrub and thorn forest areas, you will find it hard to obtain food plants during the dry season. During the rainy season, plants are considerably more abundant.

Tropical Savannas

The characteristics of the savanna:

It looks like a broad, grassy meadow, with trees spaced at wide intervals.
It frequently has red soil.
It grows scattered trees that usually appear stunted and gnarled like apple trees. Palms also occur on savannas.
You find savannas in parts of Venezuela, Brazil, and the Guianas in South America. In Africa, you find them in the southern Sahara (north-central Cameroon and Gabon and southern Sudan), Benin, Togo, most of Nigeria, northeastern Zaire, northern Uganda, western Kenya, part of Malawi, part of Tanzania, southern Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and western Madagascar.

Swamps

Saltwater

Saltwater swamps are common in coastal areas subject to tidal flooding. Mangrove trees thrive in these swamps. Mangrove trees can reach heights of 12 meters, and their tangled roots are an obstacle to movement. Visibility in this type of swamp is poor, and movement is extremely difficult. Sometimes, streams that you can raft form channels, but you usually must travel on foot through this swamp. Everything in a saltwater swamp may appear hostile to you, from leeches and insects to crocodiles and caimans. Avoid the dangerous animals in this swamp.
You find saltwater swamps in West Africa, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Pacific islands, Central and South America, and at the mouth of the Ganges River in India. The swamps at the mouths of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers and rivers of Guyana consist of mud and trees that offer little shade. Tides in saltwater swamps can vary as much as 12 meters.

Freshwater

You find freshwater swamps in low-lying inland areas. Their characteristics are masses of thorny undergrowth, reeds, grasses, and occasional short palms that reduce visibility and make travel difficult. There are often islands that dot these swamps, allowing you to get out of the water. Wildlife is abundant in these swamps.

Terrain

Because explorers initially traveled through tropical forests largely by river, the dense tangled vegetation lining the stream banks gave a misleading impression that such jungle conditions existed throughout the forest. As a result, it was wrongly assumed that the entire forest was impenetrable jungle. This in turn appears to have given rise to the second popular usage of jungle as virtually any humid tropical forest. Jungle in this context is particularly associated with tropical forest, but may extend to cloud forest, temperate rainforest and mangroves with no reference to the vegetation structure or the ease of travel.
One of the most common meanings of jungle is land overgrown with tangled vegetation at ground level, especially in the tropics. Typically such vegetation is sufficiently dense to hinder movement by humans, requiring that travelers cut their way through. This definition draws a distinction between primary forest and jungle, since the under-storey of tropical forests is typically open of vegetation due to a lack of sunlight, and hence relatively easy to traverse. Jungles may exist within, or at the borders of, tropical forests in areas where the forest has been opened through natural disturbance such as hurricanes, or through humanoid activity such as logging. The successional vegetation that springs up following such disturbance of rainforest is dense and impenetrable and is a ‘typical’ jungle. Jungle also typically forms along forest margins and along stream banks, once again due to the greater available light at ground level.
Tropical seasonal forests and mangroves are commonly referred to as jungles of this type. Having a more open canopy than rainforests, seasonal forests may have denser under-storeys with numerous lianas and shrubs making movement difficult, while the prop roots and low canopies of mangroves produce similar difficulties.
The jungle environment includes dense forests, grasslands, swamps, and cultivated areas. Forests are classified as primary and secondary based upon the terrain and vegetation. Primary forests include tropical rain forests and deciduous forests. Secondary forests are found at the edges of both rain forests and deciduous forests and in areas where jungles have been cleared and abandoned. These places are typically overgrown with weeds, grasses, thorns, ferns, canes, and shrubs. Movement is especially slow and difficult. The extremely thick vegetation reaches a height of 2m (6.5ft) and severely limits observation to only a few meters.
Tropical rain forests consist mostly of large trees whose branches spread and lock together to form canopies. These canopies, which can exist at two and three different levels, may form as low as 10 meters from the ground. They prevent direct sunlight from reaching the ground, causing a lack of undergrowth on the jungle floor. Extensive above-ground root systems and hanging vines are common and make vehicular travel difficult; foot movement is easier. Ground observation is limited to about 50 meters and air observation is nearly impossible.
Deciduous forests are in semitropical zones that have both wet and dry seasons. In the wet season, trees are fully leaved; in the dry season, much of the foliage dies. Trees are usually less dense than in rain forests, which allows more sunlight to filter to the ground. This procedure produces thick undergrowth. During the wet season, air and ground observation is limited and movement is difficult. During the dry season, both improve.
Swamps are common to all low, jungle areas where there is poor drainage. When navigating in a swampy area, a careful analysis of map and ground should be taken before any movement. There are two basic types of swamps—mangrove and palm. Mangrove swamps are found in coastal areas wherever tides influence water flow. Mangrove is a shrub-like tree that grows 1m (3ft)to 5m (16ft) high. These trees have a tangled root system, both above and below the waterline, which restricts movement either by foot or small boat.
Grassy plains or savannas are generally located away from the equator but within the tropics. These vast land areas are characterized by flatlands with a different type of vegetation than jungles. They consist mainly of grasses (ranging up to more than 3.5m (12ft) in height), shrubs, and isolated trees.
Bamboo stands are common throughout the tropics. They should be bypassed whenever possible. They are formidable obstacles and movement through them is slow, exhausting, and noisy.
Cultivated areas exist in jungles also. They range from large, well-planned, well-managed farms and plantations to small tracts, cultivated by farmers. The three general types of cultivated areas are rice paddies, plantations, and small farms.

Rainforest Structure

A tropical rainforest typically has a number of layers, each with different plants and animals adapted for life in that particular area. Examples include the emergent, canopy, understorey and forest floor layers.

Emergent Layer

The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees called emergents, which grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 55m (180ft), although on occasion a few species will grow to 80m (262ft) tall. They need to be able to withstand the hot temperatures and strong winds that occur above the canopy in some areas. Eagles, butterflies, bats and certain monkeys inhabit this layer.

Canopy Layer

The canopy layer contains the majority of the largest trees, typically 30m (98ft) to 45m (148ft) tall. The densest areas of biodiversity are found in the forest canopy, a more or less continuous cover of foliage formed by adjacent treetops. The canopy, by some estimates, is home to 50 percent of all plant species. Epiphytic plants attach to trunks and branches, and obtain water and minerals from rain and debris that collects on the supporting plants. The fauna is similar to that found in the emergent layer, but more diverse. A quarter of all insect species are believed to exist in the rainforest canopy. Scientists have long suspected the richness of the canopy as a habitat, but have only recently developed practical methods of exploring it. The science of accessing tropical forest canopy using airships or similar aerial platforms is called dendronautics.

Understory Layer

The understory or understorey layer lies between the canopy and the forest floor. It is home to a number of birds, snakes and lizards, as well as predators such as jaguars, boa constrictors and leopards. The leaves are much larger at this level and insect life is abundant. Many seedlings that will grow to the canopy level are present in the understory. Only about 5% of the sunlight shining on the rainforest canopy reaches the understory. This layer can be called a shrub layer, although the shrub layer may also be considered a separate layer.

Forest Floor

The forest floor, the bottom-most layer, receives only 2% of the sunlight. Only plants adapted to low light can grow in this region. Away from riverbanks, swamps and clearings, where dense undergrowth is found, the forest floor is relatively clear of vegetation because of the low sunlight penetration. It also contains decaying plant and animal matter, which disappears quickly, because the warm, humid conditions promote rapid decay. Many forms of fungi growing here help decay the animal and plant waste.
Despite the growth of vegetation in a tropical rainforest, soil quality is often quite poor. Rapid bacterial decay prevents the accumulation of humus. The concentration of iron and aluminium oxides by the laterization process gives the oxisols a bright red color and sometimes produces mineral deposits such as bauxite. Most trees have roots near the surface, because there are insufficient nutrients below the surface; most of the trees' minerals come from the top layer of decomposing leaves and animals. On younger substrates, especially of volcanic origin, tropical soils may be quite fertile. If rainforest trees are cleared, rain can accumulate on the exposed soil surfaces, creating run-off and beginning a process of soil erosion. Eventually streams and rivers form and flooding becomes possible.
Tropical rainforests provide timber as well as animal products such as meat and hides. Many foods originally came from tropical forests, and are still mostly grown on plantations in regions that were formerly primary forest. Also, plant-derived medicines are commonly used for fever, fungal infections, burns, gastrointestinal problems, pain, respiratory problems, and wound treatment.

Cloud Forests

A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. Mossy forests usually develop on the saddles of mountains, where moisture introduced by settling clouds is more effectively retained.
Dependent on local climate, the altitude varies from 500 m to 4000 m above sea level. Typically, there is a relatively small band of altitude in which the atmospheric environment is suitable for cloud forest development. This is characterized by persistent fog at the vegetation level, resulting in the reduction of direct sunlight. Within cloud forests, much of the moisture available to plants arrives in the form of fog drip, where fog condenses on tree leaves and then drips onto the ground below.
Annual rainfall can range from 500mm (19in) to 10,000mm (394in)/year and mean temperature between 8C (46F) and 20C (68F).
In comparison with lower tropical moist forests, cloud forests show a reduced tree stature combined with increased stem density and generally the lower diversity of woody plants. Trees in these regions are generally shorter and more heavily stemmed than in lower-altitude forests in the same regions, often with gnarled trunks and branches, forming dense, compact crowns. Their leaves become smaller, thicker and harder with increasing altitude. The high moisture promotes the development of a high biomass and biodiversity of lichens, ferns, bromeliads and orchids.

Weather

Jungles are characterized by high temperatures, heavy rains, high humidity, and an abundance of vegetation. The climate varies with location. Close to the equator, all seasons are nearly alike with heavy rains all year. Farther from the equator there are distinct wet (monsoon) and dry seasons. Both zones have high temperatures, heavy rainfall , and high humidity (90 percent) all year. Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18C (64F) during all months of the year. Average annual rainfall is no less than 168cm (66in) and can exceed 1000cm (390in) although it typically lies between 175cm (69in) and 200cm (79in).
Average temperatures range from about 32C (89F)in the day to 21C (70F) at night. High temperatures, heavy rainfall, and oppressive humidity characterize equatorial and subtropical regions, except at high altitudes. At low altitudes, temperature variation is seldom less than 10C (50F) and is often more than 35C (95F). At altitudes over 1,500m (4900+ft), ice often forms at night. The rain has a cooling effect, but when it stops, the temperature soars.
Rainfall is heavy, often with thunder and lightning. Sudden rain beats on the tree canopy, turning trickles into raging torrents and causing rivers to rise. Just as suddenly, the rain stops. Violent storms may occur, usually toward the end of the summer months. Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons develop over the sea and rush inland, causing tidal waves and devastation ashore. Prevailing winds vary between winter and summer. The dry season has rain once a day and the monsoon has continuous rain.
Tropical day and night are of equal length. Darkness falls quickly and daybreak is just as sudden.

Plantlife

Over 200,000 species of plants thrive in rain forests. To try and list them all is folly. I'll provide some examples, however.
Here's a sample list of flora: (Note how many are food sources!)

Bamboo
Banana/Plantain
Bougainvilleas
Breadfruit
Bromeliads
Cacao
Cedar Tree
Coconut Palm
Coffee
Corpse Flower
Cottonwood
Durian Tree
Fishtail Palm
Ginger
Heliconia
Horseradish Tree
Jasmine
Kapok Tree
Lianas
Lotus
Mahogany Tree
Mango
Manioc
Mistletoe
Nipa Palm
Nutmeg
Orchids
Papaya
Paperbark
Passionfruit
Persimmon
Pitcher Plant
Rattan Palm
Rubber Tree
Sago Palm
Strangling Fig
Sugarcane
Sugar Palm
Sweetsop
Taro
Tualang
Venus Fly Trap
Water Lily
Wild Fig
Wild Rice
Yam

Wildlife

More than half of the world's species of plants and animals are found in jungles. Rainforests support a very broad array of fauna, including mammals, reptiles, birds and invertebrates. Mammals may include primates, felids and other families. Reptiles include snakes, turtles, chameleons and other families; while birds include such families as vangidae and Cuculidae. Dozens of families of invertebrates are found in rainforests. Fungi are also very common in rainforest areas as they can feed on the decomposing remains of plants and animals.
"Short" list of animal types: (Remember this is D&D, so dire, mutated, and magical versions are all viable options!)

Anacondas
Baboons
Bettas
Black Eagles
Bonobos
Bushmasters
Butterflies
Caimans
Capuchin Monkeys
Capybara
Chimpanzees
Cobras
Cockatoos
Cougars
Crocodiles
Crowned Eagles
Finches
Flying Foxes
Gibbons
Gorillas
Gray Parrots
Harpy Eagle
Howler Monkeys
Hummingbirds
Jaguars
Jungle Elephants
Leaf-Cutter Ants
Lemurs
Leopards
Macaque Monkeys
Macaws
Mambas
Mandrills
Mosquitoes
Moths
Ocelots
Okapi
Orangutan
Piranhas
Poison Dart Frogs
Pythons
Rhinoceros
Rock Pythons
Sloth Bears
Spectacled Owls
Spider Monkeys
Spiders
Squirrel Monkeys
Sun Bears
Tapir
Termites
Tiger Fish
Tigers
Toucans
Water Buffalos

Survival

Besides water, the other thing you’ll need to survive in the jungle is food. Your food choices revolve around edible plants, fruit, insects and fish.
You can follow these general rules when foraging for plants:

Avoid plants with white or yellow berries.
Don’t eat mushrooms. Some are safe, but many are highly toxic and even deadly, so it’s not worth the risk.
Avoid plants with thorns.
If it tastes bitter or soapy, spit it out.
Steer clear of shiny leaves.
Stay away from plants with leaves in groups of three.
Stay away from plants with umbrella-shaped flowers.
Avoid beans or plants with seeds inside a pod.
Milky or discolored sap is a warning sign.
Avoid anything with an almond smell.

Navigation
Rates of movement and pace counts are particularly important to jungle navigators. The most common error is to overestimate the distance traveled. The distances below can be used as a rough guide for the maximum distances that might be traveled in various types of terrain during one hour in daylight.

Type of Terrain	Maximum Distance (In Meters/Feet)
Tropical Rain Forest	Up to 1,000m (3200ft)
Deciduous Forest	500m (1600ft)
Secondary jungle	100 (330ft) to 500m (1600ft)
Tall Grass	500m (1600ft)
Swamps	100 (330ft) to 300m (980ft)
Rice paddies (wet)	800m (2600ft)
Rice paddies (dry)	2,000m (6500ft)
Plantations	2,000m (6500ft)
Trails	up to 3,000m (9800ft)

General Tips

With practice, movement through thick undergrowth and jungle can be done efficiently. Always wear long sleeves to avoid cuts and scratches.
To move easily, you must develop "jungle eye," that is, you should not concentrate on the pattern of bushes and trees to your immediate front. You must focus on the jungle further out and find natural breaks in the foliage. Look through the jungle, not at it. Stop and stoop down occasionally to look along the jungle floor. This action may reveal game trails that you can follow.
Stay alert and move slowly and steadily through dense forest or jungle. Stop periodically to listen and take your bearings. Use a machete to cut through dense vegetation, but do not cut unnecessarily or you will quickly wear yourself out. If using a machete, stroke upward when cutting vines to reduce noise because sound carries long distances in the jungle. Use a stick to part the vegetation. Using a stick will also help dislodge biting ants, spiders, or snakes. Do not grasp at brush or vines when climbing slopes; they may have irritating spines or sharp thorns.
Many jungle and forest animals follow game trails. These trails wind and cross, but frequently lead to water or clearings. Use these trails if they lead in your desired direction of travel.
Take shelter from tropical rain, sun, and insects. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes and other insects are immediate dangers, so protect yourself against bites.
In the tropics, even the smallest scratch can quickly become dangerously infected. Promptly treat any wound, no matter how minor.
Even though water is abundant in most tropical environments, you may, as a survivor, have trouble finding it. If you do find water, it may not be safe to drink. Some of the many sources are vines, roots, palm trees, and condensation. You can sometimes follow animals to water. Often you can get nearly clear water from muddy streams or lakes by digging a hole in sandy soil about 1 meter from the bank. Water will seep into the hole. You must purify any water obtained in this manner.
Animals can often lead you to water. Most animals require water regularly. Grazing animals such as deer, are usually never far from water and usually drink at dawn and dusk. Converging game trails often lead to water. Carnivores (meat eaters) are not reliable indicators of water. They get moisture from the animals they eat and can go without water for long periods.
Birds can sometimes also lead you to water. Grain eaters, such as finches and pigeons, are never far from water. They drink at dawn and dusk. When they fly straight and low, they are heading for water. When returning from water, they are full and will fly from tree to tree, resting frequently. Do not rely on water birds to lead you to water. They fly long distances without stopping. Hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey get liquids from their victims; you cannot use them as a water indicator.
Insects can be good indicators of water, especially bees. Bees seldom range more than 6 kilometers from their nests or hives. They usually will have a water source in this range. Ants need water. A column of ants marching up a tree is going to a small reservoir of trapped water. You find such reservoirs even in arid areas. Most flies stay within 100 meters of water, especially the European mason fly, easily recognized by its iridescent green body.
Human tracks will usually lead to a well, bore hole, or soak. Scrub or rocks may cover it to reduce evaporation. Replace the cover after use.
Plants such as vines, roots, and palm trees are good sources of water.
Vines with rough bark and shoots about 5 centimeters thick can be a useful source of water. You must learn by experience which are the water-bearing vines, because not all have drinkable water. Some may even have a poisonous sap. The poisonous ones yield a sticky, milky sap when cut. Nonpoisonous vines will give a clear fluid. Some vines cause a skin irritation on contact; therefore let the liquid drip into your mouth, rather than put your mouth to the vine. Preferably, use some type of container.
The buri, coconut, and nipa palms all contain a sugary fluid that is very good to drink. To obtain the liquid, bend a flowering stalk of one of these palms downward, and cut off its tip. If you cut a thin slice off the stalk every 12 hours, the flow will renew, making it possible to collect up to a liter per day. Nipa palm shoots grow from the base, so that you can work at ground level. On grown trees of other species, you may have to climb them to reach a flowering stalk. Milk from coconuts has a large water content, but may contain a strong laxative in ripe nuts. Drinking too much of this milk may cause you to lose more fluid than you drink.

Monsters

I have wracked my brains across all the editions to come up with a list of monsters that are appropriate for jungle terrain. I have taken the liberty of putting them in alphabetical order, and all stats can easily be found online.

Aarakocra
Ascomoid
Assassin Vine
Awakened Plant/Animal
Baboon
Banderlog
Basidirond
Basilisk
Black Dragon
Black Garbug
Coatl
Crabfolk
Dakon
Dark Tree
Dinosaurs
Dryad
Ettercap
Fey (All varieties)
Fog Giant
Froghemoth
Giant Apes
Giant Bat
Giant Boar
Giant Crocodile
Giant Fire Beetle
Giant Frog
Giant Sundew
Green Dragon
Grippli
Hangman Tree
Harpy
Jungle Giant
Kelpie
Kenku
Lizardfolk
Mountain Giant
Myconid
Oaken Defender
Obliviax
Phantom Fungus
Phase Spiders
Quicklings
Quippers
Rhinoceros Beetle
Shambling Mounds
Shreiker
Snakes
Spiders
Stirge
Su-Monsters
Swarm of Insects
Tabaxi
Tasloi
Tendriculos
Tiger
Treant
Tri-Frond Flower
Vegepygmy
Vine Blight
Violet Fungus
Werejaguapanther
Wood Woad
Wyvern
Yuan-Ti

I hope this fires your imagination to create jungle settings that are far more than tall trees and waterfalls! Please leave a comment and let's talk!

♪...only fools rush in...but I can't help...♫

For five hundred years, Nicaragua has served as a crossroads of cultures, ever since indigenous inhabitants mocked arriving Spanish conquistadors in a colorful, costumed satirical masterpiece called “El Güegüense” (Gwe-gwe-nse), or “The Wise Man.” It is Nicaragua’s signature work of drama, the ultimate expression of its unique history, language, dance, and culture. This Gran Baile, or great dance, continues today, not only in the form of long-held folkloric performances, but in the careful blending of Nicaragua’s tobacco, which is some of the richest, most flavorful filler tobacco in the world.

Around a month after announcing the creation of Foundation Cigar Co., Nicholas Melillo announced their first blend to be released was named El Güegüense. The namesake is taken from Nicaraguan roots, which in turn were from Nahuatl roots, or the language of the central American natives including the Aztecs. I take to interest as when doing my master's work in Arizona, I got to study a lot of mesoamerican cultures, specifically the Hohokam. As anthropologists generously attribute the vast trade network achieved by the ball courts of the Hohokam, they too predate the well known Aztecs of the Postclassic / Pre Columbus era. It has been hypothesized that the Hohokam had ties in trade with the Early Classic groups like the Teotihuacan and Zapotec apogee, Tikal and Teuchitlan periods as well (think Mayan). But before I nerd out and get too far into Mesoamerican history, let me refocus on El Güegüense.
The folklore of Nicaraguan cultures was declared an intangible artifact by UNESCO in 2005. UNESCO (or United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) describes the narrative as "A forceful expression of protest against colonial rule...performed during the feast of San Sebastián." Probably rooted in the 18th century, this was a direct artistic protest against the region's late change of power to Spanish authorities. In fact, local vernacular includes

the expression “to put on the Güegüense’s face” to refer to someone who outwardly appears to comply with the rules while working subtly to undermine them.

We probably all know somebody like this. I myself am often donning the Güegüense’s face when talking to police and authority. Subversion is in my nature and I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing, I just know I am guilty of doing so. Perhaps Melillo chose this as a nod to his previous employer, Drew Estate, or towards the FDA/BATFE trying to regulate everything. What we do know, is that Nick has created a strong following behind the El Güegüense line. But enough history lesson / myself nerding out over the intricacies of a name, and onto the cigar details:

Details

General	Specific
Wrapper	Corojo 99 from Finca Puntalito in Jalapa, Nicaragua
Binder	Corojo 99 from Finca San Jose in Jalapa, Nicaragua
Filler	Corojo and Criollo from Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua
Production	Tabacos Valle de jalapa S.A. (TABSA)
Country of Origin	Nicaragua
Vitolas?	5
Robusto:	5.5 x 50 (25x box @ $262.50)
Corona Gorda:	5.625 x 46 (25x box @ $247.50)
Toro Huaco:	6 x 56 (25x box @ $300.00)
Torpedo:	6.25 x 52 (25x box @ $287.50)
Churchill:	7 x 48 (25x box @ $275.00)
Boxes of:	25

On January 31, 2015 a BOTL was in San Diego's area and needed help. I was free to help, and helped ~~be a creeper~~ take a video of him proposing to his angry/excited girlfriend. But what does this have to do with El Güegüense you ask? Well shortly after, and I completely dropped the ball on posting about it, he sent me a bomb to thank me for my help. u/10maxpower01 included:

I was given this as a thank you for helping him with in my mind a trivial task (Long story short, I recorded him proposing, and then the next day drove them to a herf. Small things.), but I can understand it meaning a lot more to him, after all, I wasn't the one proposing. I promise, that's it to storytime, and onto cigartime.

Prelight Observations:

Appearance: Dark and oily. Like the BPA spill. There's almost a sheen to the wrapper, but my fingers aren't struggling to grasp the cigar, nor is it obnoxiously oily.
Sounds when compressed: Slight crunch of the inner leaves as the 38% humidity a few days back during my dry boxing phase was abnormal compared to the 85% atmosphere today. Wrapper no damage. whew
Feel when compressed: In as uncomplicated as I can describe, there's almost a feeling of flesh. Slight give to the touch, but firmness underneath. But not loose like skin on fat, like skin on a properly maintained muscle.
Smell: First notice the great wood smells. Mostly cedar, but a lingering aromatic waft of stonefruitwood, not specifically peach, but similar. Apricot? Also on the nose are sweet espresso, spicy dark cacao, and a smidge of leather. Ew I don't like leather. I know u/guerella loves it, and hence his appreciation for the T52s that I don't prefer over the 9s, but that's a debate for another day.
Cold Draw: semi sweet dark chocolate, stonefruitwood, earth, and slight spice all play from 8-9 pulls.
On reading Dave's recent post on contrasting versus complimenting, I felt I would give it a whirl this FuenteFriday. I grabbed a Coronado Brewing Co. Orange Ave. Wit^R California Witbier hoping something light and citrus-y would contrast well. From their website for the lazy:

This So-Cal take on a traditional witbier honors Coronado’s main street, which is home to our brewpub and was once lined with orange trees. Bolstered by orange zest, coriander and orange blossom honey, it’s Belgium by way of Coronado. Expect a refreshing, light-bodied brew rife with citrus zing and a hint of earthy spice. IBU: 15 | ABV: 5.2%

Ahhhh. Finally seated. First sip, the nose is full of the orange oil aroma, and hint of honey sweetening. Not as apparent is the typical pith taste when brewers throw in orange peels into the boil. Today I opt for a V-cut, I've been on a V-cut dig recently and enjoy that enhance surface area to increase pressure differential contact to minimize effort (read biggeeasier draw). I do enjoy the raised band, and the beautiful artwork on the band. I really like the blue and gold, not just because World Rally Blue and Bronze. Also interestingly, I found that there's four cap lines, probably from how they finished off the cap, but it's listed and advertised as a triple cap.

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Right away that wood flavor is pushing to the top of the charts. Throw on some melting sweetened cocoa and a dash of peppers, there's a lot going on in the first few draws. As I slow down the pace to a more mellow appreciation, the spiciness fades to an afterthought as well as the wood in my face. The cocoa becomes a more nuanced milky note, and that wood mix calms into a creamy cedar flavor. Noticeably the retrohale had that sweet and creamy cedar chilling throughout. A few more minutes in, and I'm finding a cereal flavor in the linger. Further investigation brings to mind millet sans sweetness. It's strange, (yet is it?) to find such a taste in a different plant and different means of consumption. Looking at the burn, it's slightly uneven, but overall is smooth. By the 20 minute mark the cigar has really calmed its frontal assault and has become incredibly enjoyable. I just can't stop smelling the head/oils, there's that cereal aroma that is just so delectable. It's a weird satisfaction to find it, and yet to continue smelling it. I am almost tempted to draw through the nose, buttttt I'll abstain...^{^{^for}} ^{^{^{^{^nowww.}}}} There's still that faint leather note, but it hasn't done much but sit in the back. I hope that it stays there. I note to myself that this may be the first retrohales where I'm not tearing up, and there's just so much to enjoy. I also note that the first half of the cigar hasn't changed much aside from the first blast to the olfactory on my lighting draws. Lastly on this half, I've become increasingly aware of the layer of oils on my lips, and at this time lick my lips. Oh sweet butter, there's so much flavor on this oil that I can now taste that's undoubtedly from the cigar. Those smoked woods flavors (stonefruitwood and cedar), ground peppercorn (maybe that sweet fruity pink??), and unsalted sweet cream butter. Whoa. That's a first. I'm tempted to grab the cut cap and chew on it to see if it's there too, or if I'd have to heat it up to draw out the meld of oils.

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Taking a look at the cigar, the burn is slightly wonky now. I've also fidgeted with the band and finagled it off. The cigar is nice and warm and has softed the adhesive. I love this band. It's so pretty and I want to probably buy a box solely for the artwork, but the cigars will be nice too. In that picture there's a beautiful path of smoke coming from both ends. Not your typical DE fanboy smoke heavy pour after a half minute or so, but still incredibly well producing leaves in my own opinion. The warmed oils of the wrapper are still preoccupying my mind, I don't even bother to touch up the burn. This portion of the cigar changed apace, from a general cereal note to a distinct honey oat. As I spent a few minutes putting my finger on the honey oat, I also noticed a dried fruit linger came through. At first it was slightly like a Lambert cherry, but stayed in the aft portion of the notes. The retrohale at this point brought through that sweet creaminess still, and a slight white pepper spiciness, but a robust cherry raisin note was dominating the retrohale now. While it may be due to sensory adaptation I felt that sweet creamy cedar fade out of the face of the retrohale. Like the first half, I found myself tasting the residual oils on my lips. This time there's a citrus dominance over spiciness. I attribute this mostly to the Orange Witbier, but don't want to exclude possibilities. noted. The cigar itself has been doing great. I'm enjoying these melds and blends, contrasts and comforts. The fun and delicious flavors are welcome, yet the new are not hostile.

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)

For the last bit, I've noticed a substantial shift in the flavor. That old stonefruitwood flavor has come back, and brought along the glutamic acid (The current scientific explanation of source for our tasting of umami) friends. This smell reminds me of my pork rib smokes, usually with a peach or apricot wood. But it's distinctly NOT peach, but close to apricot. Hrmmm. The uneasiness that accompanies the inability to discern the flavor irritates me profoundly. On the retrohale I've found that aroma of maillard reaction on a dry rubbed rack of pork ribs. If only I could eat this perfumetic fragrance. The cedar still lingers, but it's been sidelined by these recent discoveries. With just an inch left, I've hit a prodigious pronouncement of pistaccio. Not the dried salted stuff in the states, but the fresh pinkly fruits that I encountered in Italy. Then that American pistachio flavor comes through. The swell of savor brings forth even more toasted nuts. And all of a sudden, as quick as it came, it disappeared. The cigar just died almost mid-draw. The flavors were dismal, damp tobacco and wetness. I still had time! I still wanted more! Alas, things will come and go, but I really liked most of this cigar.

Conclusion

Smoke time was about 77 minutes, with the abrupt ending.

Value per dollar was fantastic, since it was a free cigar. I'd even pay the $10 MSRP for another!
Overall I'd rate it a great three thumbs up. Even with the weird end, it was still fantastic through most of it. This one had about a year of sitting though, so I'll try a fresh one in a little and compare.
Album

The Manifesto of Youth

I have recently come to appreciate Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto again. It's easy to reject some of the ideals he proposed, especially with the knowledge we have today. We know today that speed is wasteful and that the machines cease to be fascinating and start to be bothersome when they dominate the landscape.
Still, the manifesto has to be understood and appreciated in its own context. Italy was the remnant of a former glorious civilization. Whereas England, the United States, France and increasingly Germany too were changing the world and entering unknown territory, Italy was clinging onto its past. It's stifling to the young to be forever living in the shadow of the accomplishments of their ancestors. To Marinetti, a country with too many museums becomes a graveyard.
Most interestingly perhaps, Marinetti argued that the young cling onto the past because the future is denied to them. I think this is more relevant today than ever before. It's especially true for Western Europeans. Whereas the Indians, the Chinese, even the Eastern Europeans to some degree, can look forward to a glorious future, as Western Europeans we grow up surrounded by a sense of former glory.
The cognitive coping mechanism for long has been to deny the glory ever existed. "No, we did not accomplish something amazing. The British empire left nothing but genocides behind and the fact that homosexuality was officially illegal until the latter half of the 20th century is an unspeakable atrocity." The man in denial will state. When you lose your girlfriend, the girl was a bitch all along. When you lose your empire, the empire was a racist mistake all along.
Simultaneously there has been a kind of guilty indulgence in the past, especially by women. Young women enviously watch television drama series about an era in which they would have been confined to the kitchen or expected to feign lightheadedness at the slightest upsetting incident. An era when wearing pants would have led people to think you've lost your mind and marriage was sufficient to rob you of any meaningful sense of autonomy. An era when men where vile, cruel, bigoted, jealous, authoritarian and possessive, rather than cowardly begging for the world's approval.
You won't openly acknowledge that this is the era you yearn back for of course. No, if pressed, you will readily claim to look forward to the glorious future when a woman earns as much money as a man for her meaningless cubicle labor and can walk around campus bent over spreading her asshole without any misogynist rape apologist daring to suggest that she's "asking for it". Only then can we rest.
The exact problem we're dealing with is that this era is never coming back. Some of you might be able to live as modern day hunter-gatherers scouring through the remnants of Western civilization a few decades from now, but what we had two centuries ago simply won't come back. When you can finally make peace with this simple principle, you can finally respond to the changes of your environment and begin to adapt to it.
Of course this isn't just true for lonely young women yearning for a Mr. Rochester to come sweeping them up. It's true for ponytailed intellectuals struggling to reconstruct the religion of their ancestors based on fragmentary writings by Icelandic bishops and Norwegian black metal lyrics too. Wodan lies dead in his grave next to Mr. Rochester. The thing to do is to take that impulse, to forget all context and to see where it leads you. The greatest art in history was created by people who raised a giant middle finger to the context they were born into.
The past stops being better than the present when you stop yearning for it. This is the 21st century and I'm glad to be a human being born today. I'm taller and healthier than any man in my family. I can become a secret millionaire by hacking a Bitcoin exchange, I can grow giant redwood trees in my backyard, I can take psychedelics to communicate with archetypal entities and I can simulate entire worlds through the press of a button.
It's a good thing that the stories we write today will not be the same as those written in the past. If this era was not meant to be, the laws of physics would have prohibited it from coming into existence. It's frightening, it's unprecedented and it's unbelievable, but if you can't deal with this phenomenon laid out in front of your eyes, then the error lies within you, not without.
The only thing I can think of that the past has to offer to the present is Marinetti's manifesto of youth. The Futurist Manifesto is a celebration of youth. We're no longer building on the foundations of the past, it's time to build something entirely new. I do not believe in the blind worship of science and technology. I only believe in science and technology infused by the audacity of youth.
Only a young man dares to ask why Neanderthal man has not arisen from his grave already, a question to which a conclave of stiff old men have nothing to offer but tiresome hesitation and doubt. Do you think we will use the tools you passed on to us to finish your simplistic humanist project? Are we but an extension of your self? No, we are beings of our own and we will build something entirely new with them.
We do not even fear the failure you have set us up for, because our goals are entirely different from yours. Peak oil, climate change? Ha! We scoff at your condolences old man! Success to us is when our emaciated corpses nourish the wolves and the Neanderthal man opens the oysters growing in our abandoned underwater office complexes with his bare knuckles! We do not fear destruction, we celebrate it! We are youth and we respond to every warning you have to offer with nothing but fearless audacity.
I see before me, a society that is entirely dominated by youth. We will do what nobody before us has done, which is to invade and colonize old age without mercy, until finally it loses its stranglehold over society. How will it be accomplished? You will not age. Two centuries ago, the thought that a thousand children could be born and only six would not live to see their first birthday would have been inconceivable. Today we take it for granted.
I do not preach the abolition of death, because we do not fear death. I see something much more realistic ahead of us, which is a society where we understand what causes us to age and choose to say no to it. Old age exists for a reason. It made sense when only a few of us lived to see it. It's fine to have a single wise patriarch in a village, it becomes oppressive when they form the majority of the population. Today we are brought into this world with a near guarantee that we will live to see old age ourselves.
I think old age is a folly. Around the age of thirteen there will come a time when you will be building a tree house with your friends, some younger children will pass by, you will feel embarrassed and return to loitering on the street. It is at this moment when you die. Everything from this point on is a shadow of your true self, a culturally sanctioned alternative for what it is you really hoped to accomplish in life.
Your true self still lives as a ghost within the unfinished tree house. If you listen carefully, you can hear his haunting cries when you stop playing video games because your girlfriend thinks it's for losers, or when you miss the bus because you're afraid of looking foolish by running. He struggled to breathe when he heard you enrolled in computer science. He always thought he would grow up to be a goat herder.
But youth doesn't die of old age. Youth dies of neglect. I can nourish my youth and I do so on a daily basis. Like a tropical animal brought back to a zoo, we are only just beginning to discover its diet. Psychedelics cause a lasting change in human personality, increasing our openness to experience to the degree that we appear decades younger. This isn't the end of what we can do, it is the beginning.
I will readily admit that I am a transhumanist. But my transhumanism isn't the blind worship of progress. Like the Aka pygmies of the Congolese rain forest, I believe that I can merge with Jengi, the spirit of nature. In the process, I become something more than merely human. A potato is not starch. What starch is, is a basic building block that a potato uses to amplify its own essence. We seize this starch and we use it to allow our own body to grow itself.
But what happens when we consume coffee, or cacao? The same can not be argued. It is clear the the coffee plants leaves its own fingerprint upon us. You can recognize a man under the influence of coffee quite readily, but you can not recognize whether a man has had a lifetime supply of potatoes pass through his intestinal tract. Some plants turn us into a composite organism, like a Lichen. As human beings we are defined by our minds, but what defines a plant? The essence of a plant is defined by the chemical substances it produces that set it apart from the other plants.
What you have to understand is that you are not in control over these organisms. They manipulate you. You are no different from the mouse infected with T. Gondii that seeks out the scent of cat urine for reasons he does not understand. The scent of freshly cut grass sends volatile compounds into the air that suppress anxiety in your brain in the same manner as it does in a rat. The toxic mold growing in your shower releases chemical substances that induce depression. So what are you then? Man the conqueror? You operate entirely within the constraints placed upon you by organisms around you and within you, like a puppet on an invisible string.
So my transhumanism is not a rebellion against nature, but a counter-revolution. I submit to the totality of the world around me and recognize myself as nothing more than its instrument, subject to an order too complex for me to understand. I merge with what I consume, whether I like it or not. If I consume the hopelessness and existential dread of a pig that has grown up without ever seeing mud or sunlight, I become its misery. Vitamin D, Omega 3 ratios, I don't care about the emotionally detached lexicon you use for it to give yourself an aura of credibility and professionalism. My understanding is the same as that of an African pygmy who worships the forest that lives on within him.
But how does this relate to youth? Because of their diet and lifestyle, Amazon men in their 80's have arteries of Americans in their 50's. Those who live in alignment with the natural world around them remain young. And what is the role of science and technology? Science and technology serve merely as instruments, to allow us to learn to live in alignment with the natural world.
Science is a tool, what matters are the goals it is used for. We can use science as one of many tools to become symbiotic organisms, integrated in nature. The reward we earn is the freedom to cast off the cloak of old age. What we have to understand and accept is that youth will not come to us through a techno-fix. You will not upload your mind to a computer. No, the organisms around you are the holy grail you yearn for.
I believe that ultimately, we will even push forward the very concept of menopause. The cultural revolution this entails is a spectacle to behold. Today all men around the world yearn for and compete over a woman roughly between the ages of twenty and thirty. It is their biological imperative. The woman does not understand the gift she is given, until her body eventually loses its splendor and she can merely look back upon youth with envy. We increased our life expectancy from around 40 in the 19th century, to almost 90 years today. But why? Why is a woman's reproductive window today the same as it was in 1800? We have merely extended senility. I would sacrifice every year after 65 without a moment of hesitation, if it would grant me ten more years of childhood.
Rhetoric is cheap, I understand. But I believe the possibility is there. Consider the case of Brooke Greenberg, who still appeared in every sense of the word as an infant until she died at age twenty. She still had her baby teeth and the size and mental age of a one year old. I'm not yearning to be an infant forever, but it reveals the untapped biological potential that exists. In theory, we can delay every step in the aging process. We already know how to accelerate these steps, you accelerate them yourself when you smoke a cigarette, inject steroids or eat a hamburger.
Rats have seen their hair regrow and muscles strengthen through chemical substances that kill their senescent cells. These substances can kill the cells that prohibit your fat cells from multiplying too, the consequence being that a forty year old woman could still have the full cheeks of a twenty year old. Stem cells injected into the hypothalamus allow the hypothalamus to rejuvenate and send a signal of youth to the rest of the body. The list of accomplishments booked in recent years is too long to bore you with here.
What I am arguing is as following: An extension of physical youth will bring about a cultural and political renaissance. I don't care what happens to retirement, raise the retirement age to a hundred years for all I care. Those who are truly intelligent and have a fiery untamable passion for life burning inside of them, who see a form of beauty around them so vast and all-encompassing that they could not begin to articulate it, will manage to extend their youth for decades. We will see women in their sixties conceiving naturally and seventy year old freegan crust punks hitching rides on freight trains. "But what about Down syndrome?" Down syndrome is not caused by old age itself, it's caused by a woman running out of high quality eggs and the body responding by resorting to whatever egg is still available.
The body is capable of a degree of regeneration that we do not recognize. It used to be thought that neurogenesis does not occur in adults. Then we discovered it happens in the hippocampus and the striatum. We now know that neurogenesis occurs in the hypothalamus too, from where the aging process is imposed upon the rest of the body. Similarly, we used to think a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have. We now know that certain conditions can cause a woman's body to spontaneously grow new eggs. Because of our modern healthy diets, the age of menopause is increasing across Europe.
The speed of aging is the speed at which we decay, minus the speed at which we regenerate. If the prior can be reduced and the latter increased, we bring about a dramatic decline in the speed of aging. We have known for years how to slow the decline, but now we are beginning to understand how to increase the speed at which we regenerate. Cannabidiol can be used to promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons. It thereby rejuvenates the brain. What we have started exploring so far is merely the tip of the iceberg. Today we face the prospect of a revolution of youth. I can not think of a more exciting time to be alive.

Foundation Cigar Co.'s El Güegüense Corona Gorda

For five hundred years, Nicaragua has served as a crossroads of cultures, ever since indigenous inhabitants mocked arriving Spanish conquistadors in a colorful, costumed satirical masterpiece called “El Güegüense” (Gwe-gwe-nse), or “The Wise Man.” It is Nicaragua’s signature work of drama, the ultimate expression of its unique history, language, dance, and culture. This Gran Baile, or great dance, continues today, not only in the form of long-held folkloric performances, but in the careful blending of Nicaragua’s tobacco, which is some of the richest, most flavorful filler tobacco in the world.

the expression “to put on the Güegüense’s face” to refer to someone who outwardly appears to comply with the rules while working subtly to undermine them.

Details

General	Specific
Wrapper	Corojo 99 from Finca Puntalito in Jalapa, Nicaragua
Binder	Corojo 99 from Finca San Jose in Jalapa, Nicaragua
Filler	Corojo and Criollo from Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua
Production	Tabacos Valle de jalapa S.A. (TABSA)
Country of Origin	Nicaragua
Vitolas?	5
Robusto:	5.5 x 50 (25x box @ $262.50)
Corona Gorda:	5.625 x 46 (25x box @ $247.50)
Toro Huaco:	6 x 56 (25x box @ $300.00)
Torpedo:	6.25 x 52 (25x box @ $287.50)
Churchill:	7 x 48 (25x box @ $275.00)
Boxes of:	25

Prelight Observations:

This So-Cal take on a traditional witbier honors Coronado’s main street, which is home to our brewpub and was once lined with orange trees. Bolstered by orange zest, coriander and orange blossom honey, it’s Belgium by way of Coronado. Expect a refreshing, light-bodied brew rife with citrus zing and a hint of earthy spice. IBU: 15 | ABV: 5.2%

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)

Conclusion

[Table] I Am A Production Manager For A Confectionary (Chocolates and snacks) Manufacturer: AMAA

cacao tree adaptations video

Cacao Tree. The cacao tree is a tree that produces cocoa, found in the upper Amazon Basin. It can grow up to 50ft and produces a large red/yellow fruit in the shape of an oval. A few adaptations it has made to the Amazon are: Pulp on seed so that when animal eat it, they can distribute seeds. The Cacao Tree is a shade tolerant, moisture loving, understory rainforest tree. It naturally favors riparian zones so often in the wild is found along rivers. The trees live for up to 100 years, but cultivated trees are considered economically productive for only about 60 years. When grown naturally from seed the tree has a 2 meter deep taproot -- however in cultivation, most plantations use The cacao tree's animal predators, or animals that eat a part or a whole of the cacao tree, are mainly monkeys, bats, and squirrels, who eat the sweet pink pulp (soft wet stuff that cushions the beans) inside the fruit. These animals spit it back out on their journey through the rainforest. crown of the cacao tree (Cuatrecasas, 1964). Also, there are inter- and intra-specific variations . for the orthotropic growth pattern (Batista and Alvim, 1981; Garcia and Nicolella, 1985). In The cocoa tree grows anywhere with low humidity plenty of water and sun. They are very stubborn about their surroudings. They are hard to grow. They are very stubborn about their surroudings. They... After attending Rainforest Alliance trainings, Kadir began to apply sustainable agriculture methods to his farm.He rejuvenated aging trees by grafting new scion onto old rootstocks, planted shade trees, and started a cocoa tree seedling nursery that cultivates strains resistant to both hotter temperatures and disease. What are some Cacao adaptations? Asked by Wiki User. Be the first to answer! 0 1 2. Answer. Related Questions. What are the adaptations of a cocoa tree? the mud and the warthogs help the tree Let’s find out more interesting facts about cacao trees below: Facts about Cacao Trees 1:the cacao beans. The people grow cacao trees because they want to get the cacao beans. They can be used to produce chocolate, coco powder and cacao mass. Facts about Cacao Trees 2: the leaves of cacao trees. Cacao trees have the unlobed and alternate leaves. The width of the leaves is 2 till 7.9 inches, while the length is 3.9 to 15.7 inches. 1. The cacao tree's botanical name is Theobroma Cacao, which means "food of the gods" in Greek. 2. The cacao tree grows to be about 30 feet tall bearing white flowers and colorful fruit. 3. It takes a cacao tree about five years to produce its first fruit, otherwise known as a cacao pod. 4. The cacao pod has a hard shell, is shaped like a bloated cucumber, and is usually red, yellow, or orange. How much water does a cacao tree need? Cacao trees cannot survive in very dry weather and thrive in climates with high humidity and rainfall. These moisture-lov-ing plants grow best in areas that receive approximately 60 to 80 inches (1,500 to 2,000 mm) of rain per year and cannot sur-vive in regions that consistently receive less than four inches (100 mm) of rain per month. How many beans are

cacao tree adaptations top

The Best of Pachelbel. 1 Hour of Top Classical Baroque ...

Prestige Thiès et Prestige THIES TV HD est désireux de rendre accessible au grand public via sa plateforme internet www.prestigethies.com tout type de contenu multimédia (sport, musiques ... What is baobab and the baobab tree, Adansonia Digitata? Learn more about these incredible African trees that bear baobab fruit. Where does baobab grow and ho... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Click here to SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/tlCQJZToday we watch what happens when I plant two carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp) in my ant terrarium. Th... Enjoy 1 Hour NON STOP Classic Music with theBest of Johann Pachelbel .This video collects the essential of Johann Pachelbel played by the biggest Symphony Or... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Olive Sanuki Wagyu, exclusively raised in Kagawa prefecture is fed on the remains of pressed olives - It's considered the rarest beef in the world. If you tr... How to Plant & Grow a Jabuticaba Tree (Brazilian Grape)#jabuticaba #jaboticaba #garden #gardening #fruittree #backyardgardenClick HERE to Watch Me EAT JABUTI... This video will tell you about the tropical rainforest. Seisen 3rd grade has ben researching about biomes around the world!.Hope you enjoy. Watch this short video to find out how cacao is grown and harvested in the tropics before it is turned into chocolate.Watch the full Online Field Trip and do...

Questions	Answers
What's the most disgusting thing that has ever happened during manufacturing?	I remember an employee sneezing into a chocolate mixing tank. 3,000 lb @ $3.20/lb gone. Draining, cleaning, disenfecting, and Rabbi Koshering was another 28 hours.
Are you serious about the Rabbi Koshering, I am amazed that kind of practice would still be used today. In an assembly line/mass production based system I would think that sort of thing takes a back seat to speed and efficiency.	Dead serious. To obtain Rabbinical Seal of approval, we follow their guidelines. The biggest reason is the Jewish market share.
I assume you took it out of his paycheck?	Of course not. He came to us. We installed a sneeze guard at every operator area where he may come into contact with product.
How often is Koshering done?	We deal with Paerve aspects so whenever we go from dairy to nondairy.
If/when something like this happens, is there ever pressure above to keep it quiet and carry on like nothing happened? And, I am so so glad you chucked it away! What happened to the person who sneezed? ... @ ~$288,000 ($100 per another answer you wrote about gross sales per production line) and $9600 in raw ingredients, it is a heck of a lot of money to lose (or was it just the $9600 of raw ingredients/no need to shut down a production line?)	$9,600. The production was moved to the weekend so no labor loss. Overhead loss was probably about $4,500.
What's your opinion on this practice? We have to pay a rabi to come "bless" our factory once a year, seems very close to an extortion racket.	Absolutely. The market share isn't worth it IMHO. They come in, say you need this insignia on your product or we tell everyone to avoid it. To get the insignia, you have to.pay us X amount, which is then spread to all customers. I try to buy as much non-Kosher as possible.
When the Rabbi comes in, does he actually do any checking of the equipment or is it really just a formality? Is there actually any service provided by paying a Rabbi to come in?	We are actually under daily rabbinical supervision because of the protein line being NonKosher due to the type of protein used. They are there to ensure there is no cross contamination.
Many people with food allergies (e.g. dairy, shellfish, etc) and other dietary restrictions rely on kosher symbols too.	Today I learned...I honestly didn't know that.
It's that idea of "we'll tell everyone to avoid it", it's what makes me think of it as extortion, is it worth it?	I am told that 8% of the sales are from those who only eat Kosher. This makes it worth it financially.
As a kosher consumer, I really appreciate being able to tell if I can eat something or not. Why boycott something that's simply helpful to a portion of the US population?	I believe it was just a ripoff.
Funniest moment on the job?	We have a tank that feeds a tempering unit, then pipes over the chocolate to the molder. An employee was "pigging out the line". This is where they put a rubber plug in one end of the pipe and drive it through using air pressure. The other side was not opened. An employee went to open it when the pig gut stuck and chocolate exploded on him and the wall had a clear silhouette of him. Funniest thing I ever saw.
What was the temperature?	Probably around 110.
What is your favorite candy? Do you have knowledge about candy that would probably shock the average consumer? What candy do you dislike? And if you had to eat a food (fully paid for and prepared) for an entire week, what would you choose, and why?	The most shocking thing to me was the concern for allergens. If we run a product that contains peanuts and switch to one that does not, the line is down for an extremely detailed clean for 8-12 hours. In comparison, I worked at a beverage company where changeovers were 20 minutes, tops.
This is intriguing to me. I work at a grocery store and people often won't buy items that are made in a facility that processes something they are allergic to. What is the cleaning process like? Is it thorough enough that someone with a mild allergy shouldn't be concerned?	Every part machine, part, belt that came into direct contact with the product and everything that contacted those contact surfaces get washed. All bins are color coded for allergens and replaced. Before a line is restarted, the quality department does 4 allergen protein swabs up and down the line. The line is not restarted unless all four show no trace of allergens.
Is that level of cleaning fairly standard in the industry?	I believe so. Now whether the standards are followed is a guess. SQF and BRC certified products will have followed this.
I wish I knew which company you worked for. I have to be really careful with gluten in candy (celiac disease, very sensitive) and after I got glutened by a Snickers bar I can hardly trust any candy without it being certified gluten free. Have you ever had certified gluten free chocolate? It's no Snickers, let me tell you.	No. The coatings for our fruit and nut lines are certified gluten free, but our chocolate is not.
Did I grow up or did every candybar I used to eat shrink by about 20-30% in the past decade?	Our candy bars are sold based on weight. Instead of increasing price, many companies have opted to reduce size. Our bars remain the same, but we have had to increase prices. Continuous improvement has reduced those increases.
How costly would it be for the company if the factory stopped production for say 1 minute?	Each production line loses approximately $11 in overhead and labor for every minute down and about $135 in gross sales.
how much has the process been improved in the 18 years you've been there? as in:what has changed, what has stayed the same, how many more candy can you produce now compared to then, etc...	I've been with the company for 5 of my 18 years. The biggest improvements we made involved increasing the speeds of the line and increasing the yield. If we throw away the product for one minute of production, that is $115 in raw materials alone, making yield our most crucial Key Performance Indicator.
Do you pay the Oompa-Loompas?	Would it surprise you if my first name is William?
You're dodging the question...	I do not sign any checks for Oompa Loompas.
What is so secretive about a confectionary company that we can ask you almost anything? What are you hiding???	I just can't mention the name or customers.
Do you (employees) get delicious kick backs? My Uncle worked for a major cigarette company for 30+ years and while he never smoked was given cartons of smokes which he gave away and filled a closet with throughout the years.	We do have employee bars that are defective which are given away. The defects range from not enough inclusion (bar supposed to have 12% peanut may have only 9%) to not being enrobed correctly.
Have you ever caught an employee intentionally disrobing his bar?	No.
How much better is a snicker bar right off the line?	I can't speak for Snickers, but that's the only way I eat a candy bar anymore.
So you guys make Skor at this factory if infact that is your favorite candy bar o.0.	We don't make Skor. Wish we did.
Is your name Lucky?	No.
What's the inside buzz about posting calorie contents on the outside of packages? From what I understand, the industry decided to do this to avoid regulation--have consumers responded positively? Are companies afraid of a coming health conscious effort?	Yes, our biggest fear is the health activists, but then we also need to change our paradigms and adapt. We now have one line dedicated to protein bars and two others dedicated to fruit and nut based bars.
Has a TV Show such as Unwrapped ever filmed in your factory?	There is no eating on the production floor, but I have no issues with a bar being taken from the line to the break room.
Do you get to eat anything off the line? I'm sure if you did you would be sick of sweets by now.	No television has ever been at our plant.
It's nice knowing your relaxed with employees taking the odd chocolate bar for lunch. Strict rules just ruin morale	Our rules are strict. What ruins morale is not knowing the reasons for those strict rules.
People often remark, "It's all made at the same factory anyway." when talking about cheaper home brand alternatives etc. Do you know this to be in anyway true?	False. The same company sometimes, but different manufacturers. A lot of the production that a larger company considers too much changeover time, allergen concerns, Sugar Free, etc...gets moved to a smaller copacker to produce.
	Now these smaller copackers may make a cheap chocolate bar, turn around and do Ghiradelli the very next shift.
1) Why did did you get promoted?	I got promoted because of influence. When people say it's who you know, they are partially right. Bosses hate jerks. Make it a joy for them to approach you rather than have them think talking to you is a necessity.
6) can you alter the product mix on a line? Such as Change settings/ machinery to produce something different. 8) does the product taste like unicorn rainbows hot off the line?	Our product is mixed before it hits the line, so the rest of the settings are standardized. There are ranges an employee may work within before needing to get maintenance involved.
	8 never tried unicorn rainbows
Can you describe (in as much detail as you're able) the general properties of the chocolate that coats most non-chocolate-core candy bars? It seems to be a chocolate quite unlike what you'd find in a majority-chocolate bar. Is it chosen for melt resistance, ability to hold form, or what?	First thing depends on the coating. Some are chocolate, some are chocolate flavor coatings.
	The biggest thing we look for is the temper. This doesn't affect the flavor, except psychologically. The temper melts down the crystals which then reform on the outside, making chocolate have a crystal skin. Badly tempered bars don't shine and bend, don't break. Coatings are used because the tempering process is eliminated.
I'm an engineer in a chocolate factory here in the UK, given your products...I'd say we work for competing companies. Question is, in the US who is king in a factory; engineering, quality, safety or supply chain?	Unfortunately, supply chain...easily.
Interesting to hear, I'd say quality control over here, though I find the biggest arguments I have are with supply chain.	QC may have been the case 5 years ago, but as we got our processes under control and shipping charges raised considerably, Supply Chain is now our King.
Have you ever witnessed any form of disruption or manipulation to your products by employees?	No. Not one time. I believe the employee engagement processes we have in place allowing our employees self autonomy and mastery at their positions in addition to a profit sharing program eliminate this issue.
This sold me... you guys rock. I want to work there now =)	Link to www.youtube.com
What's your story for successfully climbing the ladder that well?	Reading and then utilizing what I read. The single most important book anyone in any field could ever use is How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
Why not bite?	Personal preference.
Is your real name William Wonka and if it isn't, would you change it to William Wonka for charity? (Redditors get ready to reach into those pockets). Just saying, it would be a MASSIVE publicity stunt for your company. Bet the papers would love it, nudge nudge.	Wife said absolutely not.
Would you consider another wife that would say absolutely yes?	No. I've had this one for years.
Does your wife hate charity? Is that it? She hates charity?	Who is Charity?
Do you ever get any dead animals (bugs, rat bits, etc) in candy and the whole batch has to be thrown away?	That hasn't happened yet. We did get a batch of honey we use on a bar that had bees in it once, but that was disposed of before we used it.
Snickers seemed more chocolatey back in the 90s, now it kind of just tastes like sugar and caramel and nougat. Who's responsible for this??	I can't confirm Snickers formula, but a bar we run similar to Snickers is 35g of core and 10g of chocolate. I would think they use a similar one.
In relation to the original question you commented on, what other odd things might slip through the production line? I remember seeing quite a few posts with bags of Doritos containing nothing but a huge nugget of spice powder. Anything happen like that with confections?	Not really. We just had a Cherry Almond Chocolate bar sent back lacking Almonds and had to recall two pallets of it. Thats about the worst of it.
What do you do when it's a defect like that? Remelt and put the almonds back in? Or let everyone in the factory help themselves to them, until nobody ever wants to taste cherry chocolate ever again?	Remelt and add almonds. Problems with this is maintaining a correct temper.
Favorite Candy?	Skor, easily.
Have you frozen them and eaten them that way? If not, you're missing out.	Yes, I always end of with a toffee bar.
How often do the workers steal candy and what happens if they get caught?	The two immediately firable no questions asked rules are gossiping and stealing. Yes, both have happened.
	Gossiping we consider to be complaining to people who can't fix the issue you are complaining about.
I can understand firing someone for stealing but the gossiping rules seem overly harsh and kinda contradicting to the companies view on employees being a valued asset.	Attitude is huge. Every employee is told the gossiping policy and what we define gossiping as. This actually is a relief for all the employees as negative words are rarely said.
What happens if manager X doesn't properly address the problem? Can't mention the problem to a fellow employee? That actually sounds like an anti-union tactic, to be quite honest.	We have an open door policy. If your first supervisor did not fix the problem, advance it to the next level. Why is this anti union?
Can you share the policy?	"Any employee complaining to other employees who are unable to rectify the complaint may be subject to immediate termination upon the discretion of management."
Because employees ought to be able to grumble to one another. What constitutes gossip exactly?	Employees can grumble...to those that can fix the issue.
Do you ever get tired of candy?	I get tired of the smell of chocolate. One does not simply get tired of candy.
What are your thoughts on Watermelon Stretchy and Tangy Laffy Taffy, the kind with edible seeds? Edit: Are there any out of production snacks/candies that you miss?	I have no experience with those. Our company does chocolate molding, sheeting, and extrusion processes.
Specifically, which confection items does your facility make? Also, how many of each do you produce each day?	We produce about 200,000 of chocolate bars per day, 600,000 bars of our fruit and nut based bars and about 250,000 protein bars.
Really astonishing you make so many more "healthy" bars. Does that reflect the industry in general or just your plant?	Just our plant, but I think it will be a growing trend that Hershey and Mars will lead in at some point.
Glad to see you followed up on my AMA suggestion! Figured it would be well-recieved. :) I'd like to know about the general proportions of product over the years - no specifics necessary, just general trends. Has your plant always done protein bars as part of their production, or is that a more recent thing? What kind of shifts in production or demand have there been over the years?	We had 4 lines where we did three molding lines and 1 fruit and nut line. Over the course of five years, we took a molding line out, added another fruit and nut and added a protein bar line. I cant say for sure, but I think this will be a trend for most confection companies.
Why do kids love the taste of cinnamon toast crunch? and why is twix so damn good?	I know one thing we do is try to get to a certain weight in all our bars yet keep pricing constant. I'm sure Twix does the same so to make up for the light and cheap cookie core, I would bet they use a higher quality chocolate.
Where can i get that cookie core to munch on at home	Not a clue
How does one manufacture a shiny, rounded chocolate like a chocolate covered almond? They don't show lines as they would if moulded, and there is no flat spot as they would if dipped and cooled on a surface. Are they tumbled?	The product goes through a mesh belt with a waterfall of chocolate raining down. As it continues, the excess chocolate gets blow off and the chocolate hardens around it.
If I have you co-pack 100k of 2oz brownies with horizontal preprinted wrap and I'm paying for the ingredients, how much should I expect to pay per piece for your compacting services?	I would expect to see your costs to be appx $.12 per bar. This is assuming they get packed into 1.5lb displays and cased as 6/12s.
Do most copackers offer nitrogen injection vacuum packing or is that too much of a specialty process?	We have experimented with nitrogen vacuum sealed wrapping, but it is not a service we currently offer.
To your knowledge, how often is a given recipe (for something like a Snicker's bar) notably changed, and for what purpose generally? Are the occasional differences in taste just a product of my imagination?	The specifications of our bars are reviewed and tweaked twice a year based on ingredient pricing for newer products, but the consistency is always more important in keeping a popular brand popular.
Does your business card say "Candyman" on it?	No, but I did change the first name from Bill to Willy.
How much do you make?	With bonuses I grossed 55k.
An analyst programmer (someone with a 4 year bachelor's degree and 3 years XP) grosses $65k a year in Florida, and that's on the low end. You are a manager, ask for a raise man :)	My boss takes care of me.
You are underpaid for the food industry. By 20 to 40%	I am overpaid for my education level.
How much of it is automated and how much manual labor is there? Is the machinery customs built or off the shelf?	The machines for the most part are stock then custom fitted to our needs.
	Labor is higher as a lot of bars are handpacked into displays and cups into trays, but automation is coming in the future to our plant.
Do your workers steal a lot?	We've fired two people for theft since I have been there. One was not product related.
I got this vision of an employee trying to smuggle out blocks of raw chocolate in his trousers. I laughed.	Not raw. Processed.
Why is some chocolate much, much cheaper than others? What accounts for the difference in quality--ingredients/production?	One is cacao content. Two is fat % in the cream/milk used.
I can't believe this hasn't been asked yet: Are you the favorite house for Halloween?	In the neighborhood, yes.
Great AMAA, but I have to ask. Proof?	I will need to provide some tomorrow when I get back to work.
Wait, how does labeling not save you from lawsuits? If the company has informed the consumers, any suit like that should be immediately dismissed from court, right? Like, if I'm allergic to eggs and eat a product that is labelled as containing eggs, I can't sue the company that produces it.	Who says you can't? That was the FDA letter to us in a nut shell. The court did throw out the case, but the FDA states proper labeling does not protect you from liability.
How useful is this type of feedback to you, and is there a threshold of consumer complaints that you ignore? eg I would say mine was a medium level issue, and maybe a mishapen bar is minor, and foreign objects is major.	Now, a response stating the corrective action taken to the consumer never dawned on me, but I will be talking to my quality department about doing it today.
As the type of person who will complain about something simply to help the business out, I would hugely appreciate knowing my complaint solved a problem somewhere.	Update, we have instituted this. A response letter specifying the corrective action taken.
Do you have any books or online resources you'd recommend for learning about continuous improvement/lean mfg? Was your shop focused in that direction before you started working there or did you get to see the process change yourself?	The Toyota Way Series is your best bet.
	Lean was a foreign concept here when I started.
How was the transition?	Rough at first. I converted it 5% at a time as I involved every employee (8 different ones each group) into a kaizen every week for 6 months. After this exposure to it, they were pushing for change quicker than I could provide it.
This is really interesting. Thank you. Let me ask you a few things. How much of working for a really big and known corporation influence your purpose? We are a small factory, I saw this video maybe a couple of years ago and with it convinced management to pay enough so money is not an issue and gave people autonomy, we concluded that purpose was already there. We increased the mean time people stay with us from one year to 3. Now it's clear that the problem is purpose. But we do something a lot more purposefully than making chocolate bars and still people leave because, on their own words a lot of times, they have accomplish mastery and there's nothing more to learn, which by itself is ridiculous because I have been in this business for the last 23 years and I still devote a lot of my time everyday to understand it. So my last question is, How do you help your subordinates to find and/or understand the purpose in your job?	Our purpose is to be the best in North America at what we do, period.
	We have a low turnover rate, but those that leave as in your case, should be thanked and encouraged. It is a loss, but they achieved what their personal goals were.
Vegan here - what the hell is the purpose of milk protein or lactose as ingredients in confectionary? Surely it can just be skipped? Thanks for doing this AMA!	There are plenty of non-dairy chocolates out there.
What is the company's position on the fact that most chocolate in the world is produced by child slaves in western Africa? What are they doing to try and alleviate the problem?	I honestly knew nothing about it before this AMAA.
For products that clearly contain peanuts, why does the label say "This product may include peanuts"? Is it on the off chance that candy bar didn't get any nuts?	Never understood that myself.
Now the real question is the right twix left twix thing real?	Yes, the ad is for real.
Are you a fancy chocolate guy? Or cheap chocolate? I like cheap more, like snickers and mars.	Cheap milk, fancy dark.
You seem like a nice guy, but you are asking them to prove it to better themselves to in reality better you in the short term then find another job? There is a integrity issue here.	I believe I pay every employee fairly. If they feel differently, I tell them to get another offer. Usually, I am correct, sometimes I am wrong.
Allen Bradley or siemens?	Siemens, but AB has dominated every place I have worked.
What chocolates and snacks exactly?	Bars, fruit and nut, chocolate, and protein.
Are you gonna be looking for an assembly line engineer or something like that 1.5 years from now?	I can't even predict tomorrow...
On average, how much does it cost to make a single candy bar at your factory?	40g bar would be about $0.38.
How many lame Willy Wonka jokes do you hear in a day?	Not as many as on Reddit.
Do you guys need any process fans or dust collection? I can get you a deal.	Not right now, no.
Why do Chocolate factories smell horrible? I have to walk past the Mars factory in Slough everyday.	Never noticed.
Really? It smells quite nice and sweet at first.. then it gets increasingly sickly and burnt. What do you use to heat the chocolate and other ingredients up?	Most of or tanks have a water jacket around them powerpoint them at a constant 115-120.
Are you ever given extras of candy when the companies make too much?	No.
Does your company employ microbiologists?	No.
So there is no R&D for new product? What about the QA process?	We do our own R&D with a contracted food scientist. All lab work is outsourced. The QC is a department head with a minion on each shift.
To your knowledge, has anyone pooped on the conveyor belt and had their poop turned into a chocolate bar?	No.
Do you approve of the use/abuse of oompa loompa slave labor?	No.
Great AMAA man. One of the more informative 'normal guy' AMAA's I've seen in a while.	I really appreciate that. Thanks so.much.
One of these accidents seems delicious though and the other seems really delicious.	One had nuts, the other didnt...
"This product was manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts and/or other tree nuts"	Labeling does not save you from lawsuits. The FDA is severely lacking in its regulations on allergens.
I'm way behind the curve, but let me say thank you for doing this AMA. It's one of the most interesting things I've seen on Reddit for a long time.	It's amazing because there are so many positions that actually provide meaningful services that sometimes I feel my position is insignificant.
Why is the same product manufactured differently for different countries. I'm not talking a bit of difference in ingredients and taste but massive.	That I don't know. I would think the sourcing of the ingredients. We imported Belgian chocolate for some products and Mexican Chocolate for others. The formulas are vastly different, though the actually ingredients may be similar.

What eats cacao tree in the rainforest? - FindAnyAnswer.com

cacao tree adaptations

cacao tree adaptations - win

[Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory] Martin Bormann, the head of the Nazi Party after Hitler's death, was the Paraguayan millionaire who fabricated the fake Golden Ticket. He did so to try and steal Wonka's business secrets.

Guide to the Jungle

Post Soundtrack

Geographical Traits

Rain Forests

Secondary Jungles

Semi-Evergreen Seasonal and Monsoon Forests

Tropical Scrub and Thorn Forests

Tropical Savannas

Swamps

Terrain

Rainforest Structure

Cloud Forests

Weather

Plantlife

Wildlife

Survival

Monsters

♪...only fools rush in...but I can't help...♫

Details

Prelight Observations:

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)

Conclusion

The Manifesto of Youth

Foundation Cigar Co.'s El Güegüense Corona Gorda

Details

Prelight Observations:

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)

Conclusion

[Table] I Am A Production Manager For A Confectionary (Chocolates and snacks) Manufacturer: AMAA

cacao tree adaptations video

cacao tree adaptations top

The Best of Pachelbel. 1 Hour of Top Classical Baroque ...

What eats cacao tree in the rainforest? - FindAnyAnswer.com

cacao tree adaptations

cacao tree adaptations - win

[Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory] Martin Bormann, the head of the Nazi Party after Hitler's death, was the Paraguayan millionaire who fabricated the fake Golden Ticket. He did so to try and steal Wonka's business secrets.

Guide to the Jungle

Post Soundtrack

Geographical Traits

Rain Forests

Secondary Jungles

Semi-Evergreen Seasonal and Monsoon Forests

Tropical Scrub and Thorn Forests

Tropical Savannas

Swamps

Terrain

Rainforest Structure

Cloud Forests

Weather

Plantlife

Wildlife

Survival

Monsters

♪...only fools rush in...but I can't help...♫

Details

Prelight Observations:

First Portion (1st 1/2)

Next Portion (3rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4th 1/4!)

Conclusion

The Manifesto of Youth

Foundation Cigar Co.'s El Güegüense Corona Gorda

Details

Prelight Observations:

First Portion (1st 1/2)

Next Portion (3rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4th 1/4!)

Conclusion

[Table] I Am A Production Manager For A Confectionary (Chocolates and snacks) Manufacturer: AMAA

cacao tree adaptations video

cacao tree adaptations top

The Best of Pachelbel. 1 Hour of Top Classical Baroque ...

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)

First Portion (1^st 1/2)

Next Portion (3^rd 1/4)

Final Portion (4^th 1/4!)