Maria Antonia Deodato carries a big slab of cork just after it was harvested, July 19 2000, at the Alpendres farm outside the town of Azaruja, in southern Portugal's region of Alentejo. In the background are cork oak trees. The spongy cork peels like an orange, with a crackling, tearing sound, baring the tree's bright yellow, living layer of bark. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)