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sought relief, or at least a change in the western regions, where they settled in the northern part of the continent, at a distance from the Spaniards, at that time almost the only nation that had any power or will to obstruct us.
Such was the condition of this country when the unhappy Charles inherited the crown. He had seen the errors of his father, without being able to prevent them, and, when he began his reign, endeavoured to raise the nation to its former dignity. The French Papists had begun a new war upon the Protestants: Charles sent a fleet to invade Rhée and relieve Rochelle, but his attempts were defeated, and the Protestants were subdued. . The Dutch, grown wealthy and strong, claimed the right of fishing in the British seas : this claim the king, who saw the increasing power of the States of Holland, resolved to contest. But for this end it was necessary to build a fleet, and a feet could not be built without expence : he was advised to levy ship-money, which gave occasion to the civil war, of which the events and conclusion are too well known.
While the inhabitants of this island were ema broiled among themselves, the power of France and Holland was every day increasing. The Dutch had overcome the difficulties of their infant commonwealth; and as they still retained their vigour and industry, from rich grew continually richer, and from powerful more powerful. They extended their traffick, and had not yet admitted luxury; so that they had the means and the will to accumulate wealth without any incitement to spend it. The French, who wanted nothing to make them
powerful, but a prudent regulation of their revenues, and a proper use of their natural advantages, by the successive care of skilful ministers, became every day stronger, and more conscious of their strength.
About this time it was, that the French first began to turn their thoughts to traffick and navigation, and to desire like other nations an American territory. All the fruitful and valuable parts of the western world were already either occupied or claimed, and nothing remained for France but the leavings of other navigators, for she was not yet haughty enough to seize what the neighbouring powers had already appropriated.
The French therefore contented themselves with sending a colony to Canada, a cold, uncomfortable, uninviting region, from which nothing but furs and fish were to be had, and where the new inhabitants could only pass a laborious and necessitous life, in perpetual regret of the deliciousness and plenty of their native country.
Notwithstanding the opinion which our countrymen have been taught to entertain of the comprehension and foresight of French politicians, I am not able to persuade myself, that when this colony was first planted, it was thought of much value, even by those that encouraged it ; there was probably nothing more intended than to provide a drain into which the waste of an exuberant nation might be thrown, a place where those who could do no good might live without the power of doing mischief. Some new advantage they undoubtedly saw, or imagined themselves to see, and what more was necessary to the establishment of the colony VOL. II.
was supplied by natural inclination to experiments, and that impatience of doing nothing, to which mankind perhaps owe much of what is imagined to be effected by more splendid motives.
In this region of desolate sterility they settled themselves, upon whatever principle; and as they have from that time hac the happiness of a government by which no interest has been neglected, nor any part of their subjects overlooked, they have, by continual encouragement and assistance from France, been perpetually enlarging their bounds and increasing their numbers.
These were at first, like other nations who invaded America, inclined to consider the neighbourhood of the natives, as troublesome and dangerous, and are charged with having destroyed great numbers: but they are now grown wiser, if not honester, and instead of endeavouring to frighten the Indians away, they invite them to intermarriage and cohabitation, and allure them by all practicable methods to become the subjects of the king of France.
If the Spaniards, when they first took possession of the newly-discovered world, instead of destroying the inhabitants by thousands, had either had the urbanity or the policy to have conciliated them by kind treatment, and to have united them gradually to their own people, such an accession might have been made to the power of the king of Spain, as would have made him far the greatest monarch that ever yet ruled in the globe; but the opportunity was lost by foolishness and cruelty, and now can never be recovered.
When the parliament had finally prevailed over
our king, and the army over the parliament, the interest of the two commonwealths of England and Holland soon appeared to be opposite, and a new government declared war against the Dutch. In this contest was exerted the utmost power of the two nations, and the Dutch were finally defeated, yet not with such evidence of superiority as left us much reason to boast our victory; they were obliged however to solicit peace, which was granted them on easy conditions; and Cromwell, who was now possessed of the supreme power, was left at leisure to pursue other designs.
The European powers had not yet ceased to look with envy on the Spanish acquisitions in America, and therefore Cromwell thought, that if he gained any part of these celebrated regions, he should exalt his own reputation and enrich the country. He therefore quarrelled with the Spaniards upon some such subject of contention as he that is resolved upon hostility may always find, and sent Penn and Venables into the western seas. They first landed in Hispaniola, whence they were driven off with no great reputation to themselves; and that they might not return without having done something, they afterwards invaded Jamaica, where they found less resistance, and obtained that island, which was afterwards consigned to us, being probably of little value to the Spaniards, and continues to this day a place of great wealth, and dreadful wickedness, a den of tyrants, and a dungeon of slaves.
Cromwell, who perhaps had not leisure to study foreign politicks, was very fatally mistaken with tegard to Spain and France. Spain had been the last
last power in Europe, which had openly pretended to give law to other nations, and the memory of this terror remained when the real cause was at an end. We had more lately been frighted by Spain than by France, and though very few were then alive of the generation that had their sleep broken by the Armada, yet the name of the Spaniards was still terrible, and a war against them was pleasing to the people.
Our own troubles had left us very little desire to look out upon the continent, an inveterate prejudice hindered us from perceiving, that for more than half a century
of France had been increasing, and that of Spain had been growing less; nor does it seem to have been remembered, which yet required no great depth of policy to discern, that of two monarchs, neither of which could be long our friend, it was our interest to have the weaker near us; or that if a war should happen, Spain, however wealthy or strong in herself, was by the dispersion of her territories more obnoxious to the attacks of a naval power, and consequently had more to fear from us, and had it less in her power to hurt us.
All these considerations were overlooked by the wisdom of that age, and Cromwell assisted the . French to drive the Spaniards out of Flanders, at a time when it was our interest to have supported the Spaniards against France, as formerly the Hollanders against Spain, by which we might at least have retarded the growth of the French power, though I think it must have finally prevailed.
During this time our colonies, which were less


Month-long sedation ended as Zanardi continues recovery
Alex Zanardi will be transferred to another medical facility after Italian's "sedo-analgesia program" has ended.
Zanardi had been under sedation since being involved in a handcycling accident on June 16, and an update from the Siena University Hospital on Tuesday confirmed the 'stable' condition of the 53-year-old has allowed for his transfer to another facility.
The update read:"The health management of the Sienese hospital-university company announces that the sedo-analgesia program to which the athlete Alex Zanardi was subjected, admitted to the UOC Anesthesia and Resuscitation DEA and Transplants since last June 19, has ended.
"After the suspension of sedation, the normality of the cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters, the stability of the general clinical conditions and the neurological picture allowed the transfer of the sample to a specialized recovery and functional rehabilitation center. Alex Zanardi was therefore transferred to another facility today."
Valtere Giovannini, general manager of the Aou Senese said: "Our professionals remain at the disposal of this extraordinary person and his family for the further stages of clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic development, as always happens in these cases.
"I sincerely thank the multidisciplinary team that took care of Zanardi putting in place a great professionalism, recognized nationally and beyond.
"The athlete spent over a month in our hospital: he underwent three delicate surgeries and showed a path of stability of his clinical conditions and vital parameters that allowed the reduction and suspension of sedation, and the consequent possibility of to be transferred to a facility for the necessary neuro-rehabilitation."
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.
We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.


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“Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the contest.”
I don’t know who made it but I love the illustration on the cover of Ready Player One which shows the protagonist Wade Owen Watts scaling the scaffolding around a tower of mobile homes. I think it does a wonderful job of setting the scene for this sci-fi adventure about a world so bleak that people have retreated into the confines of virtual reality to enjoy life in an online universe instead.
They’re not just retreating into any old online environment. They’re connecting into OASIS, a gigantic virtual entity that began as an MMO (massively multiplayer online game) created by the eccentric James Halliday. OASIS becomes so popular and so integrated into the lives of everyday citizens that it becomes ubiquitous with every day living the way that Facebook has. When Halliday dies, he leaves behind a video that announces a global treasure hunt that every OASIS user is invited to play. For the winner, the prize is the inheritance of Halliday’s vast fortune. As an enthusiast of Eighties and Nineties pop culture, Halliday has hidden the prized Easter Egg behind a series of riddles that require savant-like knowledge of arcade video games, Dungeons & Dragons, John Hughes movies and so on.
There are three keys to discover, each of which lead to a gate where a task must be completed to progress any further. For years, no one is successful in interpreting the clue to the first key. But as our story begins, Wade Owen Watts (using the avatar handle ‘Parzival’) unlocks the very first key. This sets off an excited flurry of activity from other devoted Easter egg hunters (‘gunters’ for short) and also draws the attention of Nolan Sorrento, a villainous officer of Innovation Online Industries (IOI), a multi-national corporation that has designs on claiming the Easter Egg and taking over the OASIS system.
Ready Player One is a story that is cobbled together entirely out of borrowed references from other movies and books. The main character Parzival talks about nothing but tv shows, movies and video games, in the same way that Patrick Bateman talks obsessively about his sound system and beauty products in American Psycho. The narrative is deeply entrenched in pop culture minutae and the backbone of the plot itself borrows heavily from the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Ender’s Game. The whole enterprise reminds me of sample albums made by The Avalanches or Girl Talk.
The embarrassing thing I have to admit is that I wasn’t ever entirely sure if I was in on the joke. Parzival is a strange guy. He is awkward, he is obsessive compulsive and the “heroic journey” that he embarks on is almost entirely experienced in virtual reality as he sits on his couch in his tiny, makeshift apartment. Parzival leads a group of like-minded players and at one stage he develops a crush on one of them – a girl named Art3mis – and the whole thing is kind of ridiculous because he’s never met her and knows next to nothing about her. The book labours the point – no one is necessarily who they claim to be online.
So…is Ready Player One supposed to be taken at face value or is it a satirical take on Internet culture? Are we supposed to think of Parzival as a heroic saviour of this online community or are we supposed to laugh at how seriously he takes this virtual environment which doesn’t really matter in a futuristic world where everything has gone to shit?
I was never quite sure if Ernest Cline was ridiculing his characters or championing them. Because it certainly feels like it could be interpreted both ways.
In a case of life imitating art, this story of a pop culture nerd who obsesses over movies of the Eighties has been optioned by a major Hollywood studio and is being made into a film…by Steven Spielberg. I’m curious to see what sort of tone Spielberg strikes with the film because I never felt quite sure what Cline was going for.

domain: artistic


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that the United States would not ignore Russian tanks and soldiers crossing into eastern Ukraine. Mr. Kerry spoke to reporters in Ukraine.
Mr. Kerry and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met in Kyiv. They discussed Russia’s continued aggression toward Ukraine.
Mr. Kerry urged Russia to show its support for a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He said Russia should stop its military support for the separatists.
Mr. Kerry also met with Ukrainian Prime Minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk later Thursday. The two men spoke to reporters after the meeting. Mr. Kerry said it was up to Russian President Vladimir Putin to "make the choices that could end this war."
Jordan Launches New Airstrikes on Islamic State
Jordanian military airplanes launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets Thursday. Wednesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah had promised to take “relentless” action against the militant group.
The Islamic State executed a Jordanian fighter pilot by burning last month. The militants captured him after his plane went down in Syria.
King Abdullah visited the pilot’s family at their home in southern Jordan Thursday. He told the family that Jordan will continue the fight to defend their religion, the country and the Jordanian people.
Cameroon Says 91 Killed in Boko Haram Attacks
Cameroon said at least 91 civilians have been killed by Boko Haram since the Nigerian militants invaded Cameroonian villages Wednesday.
Cameroon’s defense minister told VOA that six Cameroonian soldiers and 13 Chadian soldiers have also died in fighting with gunmen around the border town of Fotocol.
The minister said at least 500 people have also been wounded. He said the number of deaths may increase because most of the injured are not in hospitals.
China, South Korea to establish military hotline
South Korea and China have agreed to set up a military hotline – or emergency communications system – between the two defense ministries.
South Korean and Chinese defense ministers reached the deal Wednesday at a meeting in Seoul.
A South Korean spokesman said Thursday that the two sides would move quickly to establish the hotline. He said Seoul expects to begin communications with Beijing about the stabilization of the Korean peninsula and North Korean aggressive actions.
The hotline is expected to open as early as the first half of this year.
Words in the News
relentless – adj. continuing without becoming weaker, less severe, etc.
hotline – n. a direct telephone line set up for a specific purpose, especially for use in emergencies or for communication between heads of government
stabilize – v. to stop quickly changing, increasing, getting worse, etc.


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ScottishPower Pipe Band made its first official performance of 2012 playing at the launch of the annual Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow on Thursday 19th January.
Photographed here on the entrance steps to Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall they dodged the fireballs to entertain the crowds as the gathered to celebrate the launch. Over the festival’s 18 days there will be artists from all over the world performing throughout the city in various concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, club-nights, and talks.
ScottishPower is the official sponsor of Celtic Connections. For more information about the festival and to find out 'What's On' please visit:

domain: news


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699 Hotele Znalezione w Sydney, Wyświetlono 256-270
od US$ 131.36
Just loved how close it was to the ferry terminal, made it so close to the city and Darling Harbour but no crazy crowds! The view was unbelievable, we dined (a gift) at the Rocks but chose an early sitting so that we could come back and enjoy the view. Loved the fact we could stroll through Wendy Whitely's beautiful, peaceful garden, what a bonus ... co mówią ludzie » all that greenery framing our beautifiul harbour!!
Our friends the Bromfield's recommended your hotel, I know they are always telling poeple the same -
The location is fabulous. Beautiful view. The hotel is positioned almost on top of North Sydney railway station which is very convenient - we weren't disturbed by the odd rumble of a train passing outside. We stayed in a double room with a harbour view on the 12th floor. Staff were efficient and friendly. Room was very clean and fresh, well appointed, comfortable bed, can open the windows and capture the beautiful breeze off the harbour. Good size shower with plenty of hot water. Well sto
od US$ 117.49
Great location, right in front of the metro station and close to bars
and night clubs. It's also the red light district of the city, but
it didn't bother me. The metro line is the one that goes to Bondi
beach and the walk is nice to the city center as well. Hop on hop off
tour is very close-by as well. The view I took was from the harbour, it
was ... co mówią ludzie » awesome and peaceful, no noise at night. -
The staff were excellent especially Sam - after staying the first night
in the room as mentioned - I spoke with Sam who immediately upgraded us
to a beautiful room on the 13 floor - because of his attention to detail
and his manner we are definitely coming back to stay here - the other
front of house staff were also very very good.
od US$ 143.68
od US$ 81.28
Location suited our purpose for trip - ie Wedding reception at Manly Golf Club.
Wonderful location for Manly beach (2 min walk) & close enough to walk to all Manly' s facilities
Friendly staff, clean but older facilities, suited our requirements well. -
We were part of a four room group who attended a wedding at The Kiosk. The location was F... co mówią ludzie » ANTASTIC. Our room was great, we loved the view despite being in the block away from the beach.
od US$ 106.73
Located 2.6 km from Darling Harbour Sydney in Sydney, The Merton Hotel features a restaurant and free WiFi throughout the property. Guests can enjoy the on-site bar.
The rooms are equipped with a fla...
Więcej informacji na temat the merton hotel
od US$ 32.02
Other from what I read in some reviews the room ( a double ) was clean.
Facilities are not too fancy, pretty much Backpacker average. Wifi free
of charge but unstable. -
practicality sea an surf sunshine appears better than other packers.Good place to stay when hurt my foot.
Situated 5 km from Taronga Zoo in Sydney, this holiday home features a balcony. The property is 5 km from Allianz Stadium and free private parking is available. Free WiFi is offered throughout the pro...
Więcej informacji na temat rose bay roberts street
od US$ 27.09
Base Sydney is in the Sydney CBD (Central Business District). It is 2 minutes’ walk from the famous Darling Harbour, Qantas Credit Union Arena (previously known as Sydney Entertainment Centre) and sev...
Więcej informacji na temat base sydney
My favourite hostel where I always stay in Sydney, probably stayed there for 2 months in total. Location is perfect, staff is friendly, rooms are good and clean in general. Scary Canary is downstares and that is one awesome bar! Always make some great friends when staying at X Base! -
Base Sydney is the best! I went to this backpackers twice. The... co mówią ludzie » staff are really friendly. The city is just 5 minute walks. They even give a free for the whole and good price for others event such as Wildlife and etc.
od US$ 91.95
With good public transport links to the CBD, this rustic hotel offers homely and affordable accommodation in the suburb of North Sydney. It offers air-conditioned rooms with flat-screen cable TV and a...
Więcej informacji na temat the north shore hotel
I liked being on the ground floor (Room 1.) Room was all I needed. Good value for money. Very clean. Bed comfortable. WiFi arrangements (pay as you go) worked well. Breakfast arrangements suited me, morning papers, great. Reception and housekeeping staff were friendly and efficient. -
The proximity to the Mater hospital, easy walking distance. T... co mówią ludzie » he young
man at the reception was very polite, amiable, took an interest in
why there. The room was bright and airy and clean. I loved the old
od US$ 97.70
Located opposite Rosehill Garden Racecourse, APX Parramatta offers serviced accommodation with home comforts. The property boasts a swimming pool, BBQ facilities and a business centre. Complimentary W...
Więcej informacji na temat apx parramatta
Good combination of units to select from. We had 3 x 2 bedroom units for a large family for a wedding. Plus a 1 bedroom for the bridal couple on their first night. Responsive staff that attended to our requests, Nick the manager was very helpful. Off street parking and very comfortable beds. Great to have laundry facilities as well.
The locati... co mówią ludzie » on was also excellent, walking distance to a railway station, supermarket, restaurants etc. The pool came in handy on the hot Sydney weekend to keep t -
We had a late arrival, and even though the gates were shut (good for security) we were allowed in with no fuss. The parking was plentiful and not far from our rooms. The rooms were spacious and we didn't expect a 2nd bathroom with the main bedroom. This was welcome as we were 3 women travelling on a business trip. A request for a modem for internet access was provided and installed with no fuss. The close proximity to the M4 freeway was perfect. And the cost was very reasonable.
od US$ 24.63
Wyświetlono 256-270 z 699 hotele

domain: travel


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Sport is a massive part of many people’s lives, whether as something that they participate in, go to watch in person or enjoy watching on the TV. From football and cricket to rugby, athletics and American football, there are lots of sports that cross borders and are popular around the world. Then there are the weird sports you don’t know about, the ones that might not get their own TV channel or massive Facebook following…
Many fans of wrestling will have seen the big names engaged in competitions under spotlights with hundreds of fans cheering them on. Oil wrestling doesn’t have quite the same following but is popular across Turkey, Greece and parts of Macedonia. There is an annual festival in Kirkpinar, Turkey that dates back to 1357. The idea is simple – participants are covered in olive oil and have to wrest their opponent to the ground. It has recently spread to Japan and Netherlands among other locations.
Zorbing is a bit of a mixture of sports and fitness and involves people getting into giant plastic inflatable orbs and running down a gentle slope. You can also do it on a level area if you want a little more control. People race each other and there can be plenty of good natured collisions to knock your friend out of position but it doesn’t seem likely to be enrolled in the Olympics any time soon!
This one comes from Gloucester in the UK where every last weekend in May (a Bank Holiday) people gather to roll a three-kilogram wheel of cheese down Cooper’s Hill in the city. People don’t race cheeses but actually race each other and the first person to pass the finish line, after the cheese, wins the title – and the cheese. But beware – this cheese can hit 30mph so some training is required beforehand.
Forget horse or greyhound racing, hamster racing is where the big money is – or not. In this sport, hamsters are placed in special miniature racing vehicles, wheels or balls and raced along a 9 meter straight course, with the fastest to reach the end being the winner. And the skills involved are impressive – the current speed record-holder covered the distance in just 38 seconds. The sport developed in the early 2000s when the foot and mouth outbreak cancelled horse racing and other events and has continued to grow since then. Bookmakers even offer odds on certain events.
Log rolling, or burling, is a sport where participants have to balance on a floating log and has developed into a two person sport where the second person keeps the log in the water. It developed from skills used by lumberjacks and there are now official standards of log sizes and competition rules in both the USA and Canada. The sport is usually a best of three or five competition style.
If you are the proud owner of a kudu antelope and live in South Africa, then you can get involved with Kudu dung-spitting competitions. This sport has an annual world championship where participants come to see how far they can spit a pellet kudu dung. The current world record stands at 15.56 meters or 51 feet, set in Shaun van Rensburg in 2006.
If this all sounds a bit active for your tastes, then why not consider the sport of sheep counting? This Australian sport involves a heart of around 400 sheep being set to dash past competitors, who have to count how many they see. The winner is the person who gets closest to the correct number – and probably, who doesn’t fall asleep!

domain: hobby


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The Chief Medical Officer, Dr John Lee, reports 745 COVID-19 tests which have been
carried out . There are four positive results.
Three are assumed to be locally acquired cases who are asymptomatic and picked up
through screening; contact tracing has started. The fourth positive case is a contact of a
known positive person.

domain: medical


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>Halima Aden made her beauty pageant–to–fashion week runway hop just a couple of weeks ago when she appeared in Yeezy Season 5. But if Milan Fashion Week is any indication, she’s sticking around for the rest of fashion month—and, ideally, a successful career to follow. Today in the Italian fashion capital, her latest landmark moment was at the Max Mara F/W 17 show.
Among a cast of major vets (Natasha Poly, Lily Donaldson, Isabeli Fontana) and newer superstars (Gigi Hadid), Aden wore one of the Italian luxury label’s most iconic pieces, a cashmere camel coat. Sporting brown trousers, white pointed-toe heels, and a hijab in observance of her Islamic faith, the Somali-American and 19-year-old model’s outfit was in line with the label’s newest designs that felt powerful and feminine.
Of course to claim that 2017 has already met its breakout fashion star in Aden might be a bit of a bold statement. But with the support of designers both domestic and abroad (Aden walked in the Alberta Ferretti show in Milan, as well) and her having found a personal champion in Carine Roitfeld, we’re almost certain this month is just the start of much more to come.
>Scroll down for a look at the entire Max Mara collection, filled with pantsuits, fine knits, and many timeless pieces of outerwear.
Who do you predict is the breakout model of this fashion month? Tell us in the comments below.

domain: celebrity


Boundary-Layer Effects in Composite Laminates: Free-Edge Stress Singularities. Part 6.
ILLINOIS UNIV AT URBANA DEPT OF THEORETICAL AND APPLIED MECHANICS
Pagination or Media Count:
A rigorous mathematical model has been obtained for the boundary-layer free-edge stress singularity in angleplied and crossplied fiber composite laminates. The solution was obtained using the previously developed method under the grant consisting of complex-variable stress function potentials and unique eigenfunction expansions. The required order of the boundary-layer stress singularity is determined by solving the transcendental characteristic equation obtained from the homogeneous solution of the partial differential equations. Numerical results obtained show that the boundary-layer stress singularity depends only upon material elastic constants and fiber orientation of the adjacent plies. For angleplied and crossplied laminates the order of the singularity is weak in general. MM
- Laminates and Composite Materials


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Sunday, April 20, 2008
Be forewarned: This is a long one.
My friend Hide (Hee-day) recently flew in from Japan to defend his dissertation (congrats, Dr. Miura). He had to fly back to Japan yesterday, and I wanted to send him off with a nice breakfast for his horribly long journey. Hide is always open to trying new things, so I thought I'd make a seemingly odd combination of some Indian dishes and some good, old scones.
Yes, that sounds like a weird breakfast. I never said I wasn't weird.
The two hot dishes, tofu burji and pohay, are some good examples of Indian home-cooking that were taught to me by my dear friend Aishwarya. While visiting Aishwarya and her husband Ashwin in L.A., we did a fair amount of breakfast cooking and I've been hooked on Indian breakfasts ever since.
Tofu burji is my own version of the typical egg burji, which is kind of a tangy egg curry. Ok, so I'm not that original. I just did a web search and lots of people make tofu burji. Well, the three people who have read this blog will still think I'm cool...RIGHT???
So Tofu Burji: It's a bit fussy if you don't have Indian spices in your kitchen already. I guess you could make it with packaged curry powder, but I haven't tried that. So if you ever want to make this you'll need the following:
ground: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili, asofeotida
whole: brown mustard seed, cumin seed, curry leaves
You should be able to find the ground spices and whole cumin seeds in a regular grocery store, but you may have to go to an Indian market to get the mustard seed and curry leaves. In fact, the Indian store I go to often doesn't even have dried curry leaves so...good luck with that. Asafoetida (aptly name because it has a very pungent odor and smells like foetid a.. well, you get the picture) should be available in any Indian grocery store.
Indian cooking (at least the way I learned it from Aishwarya and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Shah) uses a specific sequence of roasting spices that is easily repeated for different dishes. Once you have it down, it's easy to prepare a lot of different vegetables or grains this way.
1/2 brick of extra-firm tofu, mashed well with a fork
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 inch of ginger, minced
1 medium tomato, diced
one handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), washed and chopped
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
Spices (that's my Indian spice box on the side there):
1 1/2 tsp. whole brown mustard seeds
1-2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili (or however much you prefer)
a pinch of dried curry leaves (about 4-5 dried leaves)
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on med-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds sputter and begin to pop, turn the heat down to medium and add the cumin seeds.
4. Once the cumin seeds brown slightly, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
5. Add the onion and cover to let the onion cook. Once the onion is transparent (not browned), add the garlic, ginger, other spices and tomato and cover again.
6. Once the oil begins to separate out from the onion/tomato/spice mixture (about a minute), add the tofu and mix well. Cover and cook until the tofu firms up and absorbs a lot of the spices.
7. Salt to taste and add the coriander.
8. When you serve it, have a lemon available. It's very nice with fresh-squeezed lemon juice sprinkled over the top.
Now, for the pohay (poe-hay).
This is a miraculous thing. I'm told by Aishwarya and Ashwin that this dish is/was used as the test of a young woman's cooking ability. She would prepare this dish for her potential future in-laws and husband to show that she could cook. Take that as you will. If my little red-haired man doesn't like my pohay, tough biscuit.
Pohay is made from what's called 'parched rice'. As rolled oats are to regular oats, parched rice is to rice. It's flattened. No, seriously, it's paper-thin and flat as a dirty joke at a tent revival. I think it's also pre-cooked or par-boiled in some way because it cooks very quickly. You can only find it in an Indian grocery story. Sorry.
You need to get the pohay damp. That's right, damp. Not soaked, because then it becomes mushy and unpleasant. You really want to strive for 'damp'. So I typically take two and a half handfuls and throw it into a mesh colander. I then spray it with my faucet while tossing it with my free hand, to make sure all of it gets a little wet. Then leave it to sit in the colander in the sink for about half an hour. I usually have pohay with tofu burji, so I'll prep the pohay and while it's doing its damp thing, I'll make the tofu.
After half an hour, play around with it and see if there are any dry bits. If so, spritz it with a little more water.
The preparation is essentially the same as for the tofu burji. I use the same spices in the same sequence with one exception. I don't add the tomatoes until it's nearly cooked. I like the contrast of the fresh-tasting tomatoes with the drier pohay.
So I'm going to cheat a bit on the recipe by saying:
Same ingredients as the above tofu burji, but replace the tofu with 1-2 cups of pohay.
Repeat steps 1-6 (but not adding the tomato just yet)
7. Add the dampened pohay and make sure to mix well with the onions and spices.
8. Cover and cook on medium-low until the pohay is tender. If it seems too dry, add a little water, stir and cover again. My friend Aishwarya never added water and it was great. Mine is always on the verge of becoming crispy confetti, so I usually add 1/4 c of water after it's been cooking a bit (5 minutes or so). Go figure.
9. Add the coriander, tomatoes and salt and let it cook a little longer.
10 Serve with lemon.
I'm sure there are lots of things you could do with this. I even mixed in a little regular basmati rice we had left in the fridge from some take-out. You could add dried fruit and ground nuts and make a nice pilau. I have a feeling that pohay would make a great stuffing, though I haven't figured out what to stuff with it yet.
So there, two somewhat fussy dishes (for us American girls, anyway) that really bring joy into my Sunday mornings. I'm even starting to feel that pohay/tofu burji might be neck-and-neck with pancakes...
I have always been disappointed by the leaden fat-sugar doorstops that are sold as scones around here. I think I even ranted about it in my biscuit post. By 'around here' I mean in the U.S.. You know those 3-lbs triangles at Starbucks that are 460 calories, have 18 grams of fat (7 of which are saturated) and 20 grams of sugar? (If you're skeptical (and if so, good for you), look it up on their website, I just did.)
That's a whole meal, folks, and once you look at the ingredient list, you should feel a bit queasy.
So I make my own scones. I'm cheap and they're easy. I only spent a brief time in Scotland, but I had many baked goods there (made by very friendly women in hairnets who called me 'hen'), and none of them tasted like fat-sugar doorstops.
Plus, scones are essentially sweet biscuits (the American sense, not the British, for those caught up in the Scotland thing above), so if you've read an earlier entry on this blog, you should no longer fear biscuits.
I'll admit now that I prefer dates over raisins, but raisins are cheap and they were in my cupboard.
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp vegan margarine (Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1/2 c raisins, chopped into tiny bits with a sharp knifes
2/3 c soy milk (Silk Original Creamer)
extra soy milk and sugar for dusting
1. I'm going to be extra-lazy and just tell you to follow the directions for biscuits that I posted earlier in this blog. The methods are the same except that between steps 3 and 4, do the following:
3.5. Add the raisins, mashing them into the flour mix with your fingers to separate them and coat them each with flower.
You can now continue with steps 4-12. I use a larger cutter for scones so I end up with 7.
12.5. For scones, I take a little soy milk on my fingers and brush the tops, then sprinkle sugar over each one.
Ok, go back to step 13 and please don't do step 14. Garlic raisin scones? Eew.
So these scones aren't exactly health food either, but they're a better choice: 238 calories, 8 g of fat, (2 saturated), and 11 g of sugar. It's about half of one of the gourmet coffee-shop scones. So maybe if you could just buy half a scone at Starbucks...bah. Just make some...and put down that $6 cup of coffee!!! Shouldn't you be using that money to fuel your SUV?
So I guess the combo of Indian food and scones makes this an oddly British meal, eh? Which made it a perfect choice for my Japanese friend's going-away breakfast...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
My little vegan red-haired man had the flu a few days ago, so in a desperate attempt to keep myself from catching it, I wanted to make some garlicky, gingery, noodlely soup.
Ok, that's only half the story. The other half is that I was grading papers and I desperately needed some kitchen time or I was going to lose my mind.
People shouldn't be afraid of homemade noodles/pasta. It's easy and you don't end up with cardboard boxes to recycle. I'll apologize ahead of time for the vagueness of this recipe. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing a few days ago and I didn't write anything down...
Homemade Soup Noodles
1/2 c flour
2 tbsp soy flour
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
3 tbsp powdered vegetable soup base/bouillon
pinch of salt
1. In a largish bowl, mix the flours, wheat gluten, veggie base and salt.
2. Begin adding water a tablespoon at a time while mixing until the dough forms and hold together.
3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding little bits of water if needed to make a smooth ball.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an upturned bowl and let it sit for 1/2 an hour.
5. This gives time to start the soup.
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin slices
3 big cloves of garlic, sliced into slivers
1 large carrot, shredded or in matchsticks
3 cups shredded savoy cabbage
1 Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon (sea salt and herbs) (mashed/broken up)
1 Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon (low salt)(mashed/broken up)
1/2 can of chickpeas
1. In a large stockpot, I heated the garlic and ginger a bit before adding about 6-8 cups of water and the vegetable bouillon cubes.
2. I let the garlic and ginger boil for a few minutes (maybe 5).
3. Add the veggies and the chickpeas, cover and turn the heat down to simmer.
NOW FOR THE NOODLES
4. Take your ball of fully-rested dough and begin to roll it into a rectangle.
once it's quite thin (less than 1/4 inch, maybe 1/8), fold it into thirds, turn it 90 degrees and roll it again into a rectangle.
5. Repeat this folding and rolling 4 times. This develops the gluten and makes the dough nice and stretchy, which is what you want for noodles.
6. After the 4th fold/roll, let the dough rest for a minute or two while you stir the soup.
7. Now roll out the dough very very thin. You can make long noodles by cutting strips, or, if you have a cute little cutter or some kind, you can cut out shapes just as you would with cookie dough. I have a cute little flower-shaped cutter that works very well for this.
8. Make sure the soup is actively simmering and toss the noodles in as you cut them out. They're cooked when they float to the surface.
Some people might not like the big pieces of ginger, or might think that they're just for flavoring. When trying to fight off the flu, just eat them. Don't be a sissy.
This is now my second lentil post. You should be getting the picture that I have many food-related obsessions. While my pancake fetish stems from my pancake-filled youth, my deep yearning for lentils was acquired in my early 20s, living in Glasgow, Scotland and having to spend very little money on food.
Ah, those were the days: Rain, porridge, lentils, rain, amazing Indian food, rain, beer you could eat with a fork, rain, Red Dwarf and some rain.
My lentil horizons have widened since those musty days and a few nights ago, I decided to cook the Puy lentils that my dear friend Yuki brought to me. The photo doesn't do them justice. They're really pretty lentils- a kind of blue-green with grey mottled bits.
I'd read online that this type of lentil is best served as a 'salad' as opposed to a mushy or pureed glop. I'm a fan of lentil glop, but I'm always open to new things.
So I decided to combine the lentils with tiny little bits of fried tofu. My mom bought me a vegetable chopping gizmo where you shove your chunk of veggie through a grid-blade and it comes out in tiny cubes. So I sliced half a brick of tofu in wide, 1/4 inch slices and shoved it through the gizmo (maybe I'll post a photo later). I was left with tiny 1/4 inch bits of tofu that were nearly as small as the lentils.
Puy Lentils and Tofu
1 cup Puy lentils (washed, rinsed and picked over for little stones)
1/2 brick of tofu, diced into tiny bits
2-3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp dried tarragon
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1. I typically like to soak lentils in hot water for an hour before I cook them, but I didn't want these to get mushy, so I just stuck the lentils in a little pot with 1 tsp of the garlic powder, the minced dried onion and enough water to cover everything by half an inch. I then cooked them, covered, on medium heat until tender (not mushy).
2. Meanwhile, I sauteed the tofu in 2 tbsps of the3. olive oil with 1 tsp of the garlic powder and a good bit of black pepper and salt. I wanted them to be quite cooked and chewy, bordering on tough. This was to have a difference in texture between the tofu and the lentils.
3. When the lentils were almost done, I added the tarragon, lemon juice and 1 tbsp of olive oil. I then added the tofu and added salt and pepper to taste.
I served this with some mixed whole-grain rice, pickled turnips and a green salad. The lentils kept their shape, and were a nice contrast to the chewier tofu bits.
Puy lentils are supposed to so great because they only grow in this one region of France blah blah blah. They're good, but I honestly doubt that I could pick them out of a lentil line-up if they were standing next to brown or green lentils. I'm not disparaging anyone who feels differently, but for me, I will probably still buy the $0.69 lentils at the supermarket.
Of course, I will always accept gifts of interesting pulses, legumes and grains, so thanks, Yuki!
If I can help just one more person develop his or her lentil obsession, it'll all be worth it...

domain: food


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India is the land of magic and mysteries, where people tell fables of ghosts and spirits and many such sightings have been reported at places around the country. People have witnessed strange illusions and images at some haunted places which have reinforced the belief in the supernatural over the period of time.
Here is the list of 10 most haunted places in India:
10. Raj Kiran Hotel, Lonavla
Raj Kiran Hotel in the hill station of Lonavla in Maharashtra is another place which has suffered from scary incidents such as sheets being pulled off from over the sleeping guests in the hotel rooms.
9. GP Block, Meerut
GP Block in Meerut is an abandoned area, where people had witnessed sightings of some men drinking alcohol in candle light, which they later realized, was a paranormal activity. Also, a spirit of a girl in red clothes was seen here, which is the reason why people have stopped going there.
8. Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
Next on the list of 10 most haunted places in India is the famous Ramoji Filmcity in Hyderabad, which has been constructed over the Nizam war ground. The studio has ben ridden with freak incidents such as food scattered in the rooms, some strange texts written on mirrors and light boys meeting strange accidents.
7. Delhi Cantt, Delhi
The cantonment area of the national capital is also considered as a haunted place as a lady is seen here asking for a lift during the night. When people just go away, she follows their cars at a great speed.
6. D’Souza Chawl, Mumbai
Another place where a supernatural event is experienced every night is the D’Souza Chawl in Mahim, Mumbai, which is frequented by the ghost of a woman who died by drowning in a well located in the Chawl. The ghost does not harm anyone and disappears as soon as the morning sets in.
5. Bombay Supreme Court, Mumbai
A very strange phenomena is witnessed at the Bombay Supreme Court since the past 30 years, when a ghost seems to scare everyone off, whenever murder trail is conducted here.
4. Dumas Beach, Gujarat
Believed to be a Hindu burial ground once, the lonely Dumas Beach near the flourishing town of Surat happens to be one of the most haunted places in the country. Many people have reportedly died here and the beach is not for the weak hearted after the sunset.
3. Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune
Next on the list is a historical site in Pune, known as the Shaniwarwada Fort, which is believed to be frequented by the ghost of a young prince who was murdered on the premises by his kin. He is heard screaming during thenight, which makes the place really scary.
2. Vrindavan Society, Thane
Another haunted place in India is Vrindavan Soceity in Thane, which is a premium housing society in the city. Guards have witnessed supernatural activities at night, which is attributed to the ghost of a resident of the society, who had commited suicide here.
1. Ghost Town of Bhangarh, Rajasthan
The undisputed leader among the most haunted places in India is the ghost town of Rajasthan, which is off limits after sunset. There is a legend that the town is doomed due to a spell of an evil magician and has to be deserted at night, while it fascinates people from all over the world, who come here during the day.
All these places do scare people, but continue to be a source of intrigue for many, who visit them to experience the forces of the supernatural.


Tips from Olle Garden Bed: How to Decay Tree Stumps Quickly
It is actually very simple to remove the stump or let the stump decay faster than nature. By learning how to make stumps decay faster, you can naturally remove stumps without the need for expensive tree services.Encouraging tree stumps to decay naturally can save you a lot of money, not to mention preventing erosion and other damage to your land in the process. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
Whether there is only one stump in your front yard to rot or hundreds of stumps in your last 40 years to rot, the process is the same.
How long does it take for the stump to decay?
Stubs decay naturally over time, but in most cases it takes a long time for them to completely decay.
Even softwoods of pine trees take 15 to 20 years to completely rot, while more resistant hardwoods may still exist 50 years or more after the trees themselves disappear. How do you make tree stumps decay faster?
The trick is to use some biology and encourage natural biological processes that first decompose wood. With a little encouragement, you can completely rot the stump in just 6 weeks under ideal conditions. Even without ideal conditions, this technology can completely rot the stumps in just 8 to 12 months (rather than decades).
How to decay tree stumps quickly
If you want to make the stump decay faster, the main technique is to increase the surface area so that it is more easily exposed to elements, and at the same time, feed the bacteria and fungi that will decompose the stump. In short, this means drilling holes in tree stumps and then adding nutrients.
The basic steps for decaying stumps are:
- Cut down tree stumps as low as possible: the less decayed materials, the faster they will decompose. Try to wash the stumps as close to the ground as possible.
- Drill holes in the remaining stumps: By drilling holes in the stumps, you will encourage water and nutrients to be trapped in the wood, which will make it decay faster.
- Add nutrients: One of the reasons why trees do not decay quickly is that they are almost all carbon. In order to compost properly, microorganisms need carbon, nitrogen and other micronutrients
- Cover stumps: This helps to retain moisture and promotes faster decomposition of stumps. Any natural mulch can work, from bark mulch to just leaf mulch.
Cut the stump from the lower part to the ground
The first step is self-evident. Keep tree stumps as low as possible. It would be perfect if you could run the electric saw (or hand saw) parallel to the ground and wash the stumps on the ground. Some stumps are very difficult. They are either strange in shape or too big to cut properly, but we should do our best.
The less wood to rot, the faster the stumps disappear.
Drilling holes in tree stumps
Next, drill holes in the stumps.
They should go straight down into the stump so that they form small pockets to capture rain, water and nutrients. Water can decay wood very effectively, and ensuring that stumps are always wet is the first step. "
If you have only one stump to rot, please choose the largest drill in the tool box and use a small electric drill to drill as many holes as possible. Ideally, you need a hole about 1/2 inch wide and a few inches deep. A cordless or corded drill with a sharp bit can drill a hole in about 3 to 5 seconds, and you want to aim at as many holes as possible, as long as you have patience.
Encourage stump decay
At this time, these holes will encourage the stumps to decay and cut the whole decay time in half. A tree stump that takes ten years to decay will disappear in about five years, because these holes will accumulate rainwater.
If you really want the stump to rot, you must feed the bacteria and fungi in the soil, or more specifically, balance the nutrients in the stump, and let the bacteria effectively treat the wood.
Wood is almost completely carbon. If you know about backyard composting, you will know that it is important to balance the proportion of carbon and nitrogen to promote material decomposition.
The ideal ratio of carbon and nitrogen in compost is about 30:1. That is to say, for every part of nitrogen, there are 30 parts of carbon. Wood is naturally about 500 to 1, because it is almost entirely carbon.
Microbes need more nitrogen to break down tree stumps.
What to pour on the stump to encourage decay
There are many ways to add nitrogen to tree stumps to promote decay.
The most effective method is to add pure potassium nitrite particles. In fact, potassium nitrite is sold as "residual removal particles". The commercial oil pan remover solution is almost completely potassium nitrate
If you have a lot of stumps to remove, laboratory grade potassium nitrate is much cheaper and more natural than prepared mixtures containing other potential toxins.
Please note that although potassium nitrate is a natural source of fertilizer, it is not something you want to bathe or let your pet eat. If you have pets around, don't let them eat powder.
If you can't keep your pet away from the stump, I suggest you bring a bag of "yeast nutrient", which is food grade nitrogen used for brewing. It is designed to feed yeast during fermentation and is completely food safe. Please note that "Yeast Nutrient" is different from nutritive yeast. It can only be purchased online or in specialty brewing or home brewing stores.
In addition, you can also use other nitrogen sources, such as ordinary granular fertilizer, or even a few spoons of miraculous growth. Lawn and garden stores sometimes sell bagged "compost boosters", which also works.
In addition to fertilizer, you can also use other things on hand, such as natural buttermilk. In a pinch, urine can also do the job. Yes, you can dissolve the stump by drilling holes in the stump and urinating regularly on the stump. Let your child go to work, and it will soon disappear. (However, it is necessary to drill holes, which is why nutrients are trapped on wood.
Something that can be used to rot tree stumps
So, in summary, once the hole is drilled, you can use any of the following to decay the stump:
Potassium nitrate granules~the most effective method, but not pet safety.
Yeast nutrient~is actually only food grade urea, so it is a source of food safe nitrogen. You can use it around pets/children/etc.
Miracle planting (or other high nitrogen fertilizers)~works well and is easier to obtain locally, but is not as concentrated as potassium nitrate.
Cultured buttermilk~naturally cultured buttermilk is also a good source of nitrogen, which contains probiotics that help digest the stumps. It is much slower than other nitrogen sources. You need to pour more buttermilk on the stump every two weeks to promote decomposition.
Urine~If you lack other things, you can urinate on the stumps regularly to replenish nitrogen. This is the most ineffective method, because the nitrogen content in urine is not as much as the actual fertilizer. However, if you only have one stump to rot, and it is in a private place, you can drill holes to encourage the men in your family to go to work every day.
Things you shouldn't use to rot tree stumps
When decaying stumps, you try to encourage biological activity. Don't use bleach or anything like that.
Although bleach can quickly kill trees, it can also kill microorganisms in wood and disinfect the environment. This is completely contrary to what we are pursuing here.
In addition, things like Epsom Salt can promote decay to a certain extent, because they do increase nutrition. Epsom salt is a kind of magnesium salt, and many microorganisms really need magnesium, at least at a low level. However, it is not a major limiting nutrient, and it will not be as effective as adding nitrogen.


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There are Make & Take projects every year at convention. We receive the required stamp sets and the materials to do them but I never spend the time to make them. There is so much to do and see and never enough time so I make them when I get home. I liked this treat box project so much. Loved everything about it. The color combination, the faux feathers, the stamps. There is a bit of glare on the box top because it is acetate. These cute boxes are the Tag a Bag Gift Boxes that are not only food safe but perfect for any kind of gift. Two of the small jar candles fit inside. You get 8 Kraft boxes with acetate sleeves for just $6.95. Each year I make something to take to the neighbors during the Christmas holidays. I plan on using these boxes this year with a special yummy treat inside.
In fact I liked it so much that I decided to design a card based on this project. See directions below for creating the liner and the faux feathers.
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Hello Lovely, Banner Greetings
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral
Paper: Bermuda Bay, White, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe DSP
Misc: Tag a Bag Gift Box, Candy Dots, Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon, 2-1/2″ Circle Punch, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals
Box Top Liner:
- Cut cardstock 4-3/8″ x 6-7/8″.
- Score at 1″ and 3-3/8″ (the cardstock will be scored at 1″ on each long side)
- Use Mini Glue Dots to adhere the liner to to acetate sleeve by putting them on the underneath side where the ribbon and feathers will be attached to the top of the acetate sleeve. This way they won’t be seen. Once you have the glue dots in place just insert the liner and press to the glue dots.
- Punch one circle from the Calypso Coral Cardstock and the Crisp Cantaloupe Designer Series Paper using the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch
- Punch one circle from the Coastal Cabana Cardstock using the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch
- To create feather shapes, insert circles back into the punch and punch feather shape as shown below.
- Fold feather shape in half.
- Snip through both layers, then rough the edges to add dimension.
Thanks for stopping by and have a Blessed Sunday

domain: design