text:
Lance Armstrong Doping Report: Hard Evidence, 26 Witnesses
ResumePage after page of damning details.
They came from computer records, books, media reports and, maybe most significantly, the people Lance Armstrong used to train alongside and celebrate with. The people he used to call his friends.
Hit with a lifetime ban and the loss of all seven of his Tour de France titles, Armstrong challenged the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to give him the names of all his accusers. The agency obliged, listing 26, including 11 former teammates.
Armstrong said he wanted to see the hard evidence that he was a doper, and USADA gave him that, too, in the form of a 200-page tome filled with vivid recollections - the hotel rooms riders transformed into makeshift blood-transfusion centers, the way Armstrong's former wife rolled cortisone pills into foil and handed them out to the cyclists.
The report, released Wednesday, depicts what USADA chief Travis Tygart called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Armstrong's attorney called it a "one-sided hatchet job."
Armstrong Accused Of Requiring Teammates To Dope
Either way, it serves up the most detailed, unflinching portrayal yet of Armstrong as a man who would pay virtually any price - financially, emotionally and physically - to win the seven Tour de France titles that the anti-doping agency has ordered taken away.
It presents as matter-of-fact reality that winning and doping went hand-in-hand in cycling and that Armstrong was the focal point of a big operation, running teams that were the best at getting it done without getting caught. Armstrong won the Tour as leader of the U.S. Postal Service team from 1999-2004 and again in 2005 with the Discovery Channel as the primary sponsor.
USADA said the path Armstrong chose to pursue his goals "ran far outside the rules."
It accuses him of depending on performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his victories and "more ruthlessly, to expect and to require that his teammates" do the same. Among the 11 former teammates who testified against Armstrong are George Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis.
In a letter sent to USADA attorneys Tuesday, Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman, dismissed any evidence provided by Landis and Hamilton, saying the riders are "serial perjurers and have told diametrically contradictory stories under oath."
A High-Profile, High-Pressure Investigation
Aware of the criticism his agency has faced from Armstrong and his legion of followers, Tygart insisted his group handled this case under the same rules as any other. Armstrong was given the chance to take his case to arbitration and declined, choosing in August to accept the sanctions instead, Tygart noted.
"We focused solely on finding the truth without being influenced by celebrity or non-celebrity, threats, personal attacks or political pressure because that is what clean athletes deserve and demand," Tygart said.
The report called the evidence "as strong or stronger than any case brought in USADA's 12 years of existence."
Revelations From 26 Witnesses
The testimony of Hincapie, one of Armstrong's closest and most loyal teammates through the years, was one of the report's new revelations.
"I would have been much more comfortable talking only about myself, but understood that I was obligated to tell the truth about everything I knew. So that is what I did," Hincapie said of his testimony to federal investigators and USADA.
His two-page statement did not mention Armstrong by name. Neither did statements from three other teammates-turned-witnesses, all of whom said this was a difficult-but-necessary process.
"I have failed and I have succeeded in one of the most humbling sports in the world," former Armstrong teammate Christian Vande Velde said. "And today is the most humbling moment of my life."
Tygart said evidence from 26 people, including 15 riders with knowledge of the U.S. Postal Service team's doping activities, provided material for the report. The agency also interviewed Frankie Andreu, Levi Leipheimer, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie. Andreu's wife, Betsy, was another key witness. She has been one of Armstrong's most consistent and unapologetic critics.
"It took tremendous courage for the riders on the USPS Team and others to come forward and speak truthfully," Tygart said.
In some ways, the USADA report simply pulls together and amplifies allegations that have followed Armstrong ever since he beat cancer and won the Tour for the first time. At various times and in different forums, Landis, Hamilton and others have said that Armstrong encouraged doping on his team and used banned substances himself.
A Damning, Detailed Report
But for those who have followed Armstrong and his story, this is a page turner. Written in a more conversational style than a typical legal document, the report lays out in chronological order, starting in 1998 and running through 2009:
- Multiple examples of Armstrong using drugs, including the blood-boosting hormone EPO, citing the "clear finding" of EPO in six blood samples from the 1999 Tour de France that were retested. The International Cycling Union (UCI) concluded those samples were mishandled and couldn't be used to prove anything. In bringing up the samples, USADA said it considers them corroborating evidence that isn't even necessary given the testimony of its witnesses.
- Testimony from Hamilton, Landis and Hincapie, all of whom say they received EPO from Armstrong.
- Evidence of the pressure Armstrong put on the riders to go along with the doping program.
"The conversation left me with no question that I was in the doghouse and that the only way forward with Armstrong's team was to get fully on Dr. Ferrari's doping program," Vande Velde testified.
- What Vaughters called "an outstanding early warning system regarding drug tests." One example came in 2000, when Hincapie found out there were drug testers at the hotel where Armstrong's team was staying. Aware Armstrong had taken testosterone before the race, Hincapie alerted him and Armstrong dropped out of the race to avoid being tested, the report said.
Armstrong's Ex-Wife Implicated
Though she didn't testify, Armstrong's ex-wife, Kristin, is mentioned 30 times in the report.
In one episode, Armstrong asks her to wrap banned cortisone pills in foil to hand out to his teammates.
"Kristin obliged Armstrong's request by wrapping the pills and handing them to the riders. One of the riders remarked, `Lance's wife is rolling joints,"' the report read. Attempts to reach Kristin Armstrong were unsuccessful.
While the arguments about Armstrong will continue among sports fans - and there is still a question of whether USADA or the UCI has the ultimate authority to take away his Tour titles - the new report puts a cap on a long round of official investigations. Armstrong was cleared of criminal charges in February after a federal grand jury probe that lasted about two years.
USADA sought evidence from federal investigators, but in its report, the agency said none was ever turned over to its offices, based in Colorado Springs, Colo.
UCI confirmed receiving the report and said it would respond to it soon, "not to delay matters any longer than necessary." It has 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The head of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Doug Ulman, lauded Armstrong's work as a cancer fighter. Armstrong won all his titles after overcoming testicular cancer.
"Our longstanding concerns about the impartiality and fairness of USADA's proceeding are compounded today," Ulman said. "As a federal judge pointed out, USADA appears motivated more by publicity rather than fulfilling its mission."
Armstrong's Italian Doctor
Some of the newest information - never spelled out in detail before Wednesday - includes a depiction of Armstrong's continuing relationship with physician and training guru Michele Ferrari. Like Armstrong, Ferrari has received a lifetime ban from USADA.
Long thought of as the mastermind of Armstrong's alleged doping plan, Ferrari was investigated in Italy and Armstrong claimed he had cut ties with the doctor after a 2004 conviction that was later overturned. USADA cites financial records that show payments of at least $210,000 in the two years after that. It also cited emails from 2009 showing Armstrong asking Ferrari's son if he could make a $25,000 cash payment the next time they saw each other.
"The repeated efforts by Armstrong and his representatives to mischaracterize and minimize Armstrong's relationship with Ferrari are indicative of the true nature of that relationship," the report states. "If there is not something to hide, there is no need to hide it and certainly no need to repeatedly lie about it."
Next Moves
The report also went to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which also has the right to appeal, but so far has supported USADA's position in the Armstrong case.
"We would like to commend USADA for having the courage and the resolve to keep focused in working on this difficult case for the sake of clean athletes and the integrity of sport," WADA President John Fahey said.
ASO, the company that runs the Tour de France and could have a say in where Armstrong's titles eventually go, said it has "no particular comment to make on this subject."
Armstrong chose not to pursue the case and instead accepted the sanction, though he has consistently argued that the USADA system was rigged against him, calling the agency's effort a "witch hunt" that used special rules it doesn't follow in all its other cases.
His attorney, Herman, was even more pointed in his criticism. He called it "a one-sided hatchet job - a taxpayer funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations based largely on axe-grinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals and threat-induced stories."
- Bicycling magazine: Injustice for All
- Bicycling magazine: USADA Report Details Doping Evidence in Armstrong Case as Ex Teammates Come Forth
- Bill Strickland, editor-at-large at Bicycling Magazine.
This segment aired on October 11, 2012.


text:
There's no secret why the ARM architecture has trounced the x86 architecture in the mobile arena. The lowest Intel mobile processors (utilizing the Atom architecture) can get is 0.65 W (800 MHz Silverthorne, Atom Z Series), while ARM processors are typically well below half a watt in power consumption.
Overall, at similar clock speeds, the ARM architecture simply appears to hold certain power efficiency advantages. The natural question becomes, if ARM can work such wonders in the power sensitive mobile arena, could it compete in the more computing-power sensitive netbook/notebook arena.
Qualcomm, one of the biggest ARM licensees, apparently believes the answer is "yes." At Computex 2010 in Taiwan, Qualcomm unveiled its third-generation Mobile Station Modem MSM8260 and MSM8660 Snapdragon chipsets, with the option of dual-core ARM CPUs clocked at up to 1.2 GHz.
The MSM8260 supports HSPA+, a rising 3.5G technology being deployed by AT&T and T-Mobile. The MSM8660 supports both HSPA+ and rival 1xEV-DO Rev. B tech, a 3.5G technology which will be utilized by Verizon and Sprint during their own 4G transition. Support for these advanced standards makes the chipset ideally suited for making speedy next generation cell phones.
Among the other impressive features integrated on the chip include GPS, a GPU with 2D / 3D acceleration engines for Open GL ES 2.0 and Open VG 1.1, 1080p video encoding and decoding, a dedicated low-power audio engine, and support for 24-bit WXGA 1,280 x 800 pixel displays. The GPU is likely sourced from AMD/ATI as past chipsets, such as the one used in the Nexus One, had a dedicated on-chip GPU die based on the z430 (ATI/AMD) design.
Thus far, no one has shown off any SnapDragon 1.2 GHz dual core smartphones or netbooks, but we can only hope and assume the industry's finest are toiling away to make some killer next generation devices.
Thus far, the Android platform has made heavy use of Qualcomm's Snapdragon arsenal, so don't be surprised if you see a dual-core Android smartphone storming onto the market sometime in the near future. Let's just hope it has a very big battery or some smart switching technology to turn off the second core when not in use.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Motorsport is inherently dangerous. As per paragraph 22 of the club constitution, the club shall not be held liable for any loss, injury or death of any member or guest, howsoever arising.
The BMW Motorrad Club Cape cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for any actions or decisions you make as a result of the information posted on this site. Although this site is enabled and used by the BMW Motorrad Club Cape, posts are made by members, non-members, advertisers and guests and none of it is vetted by the club before posting. This is the internet and Africa – you are responsible for yourself.


text:
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text:
SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Thursday, October 18, 2012) – The Rip Curl Pro Portugal completed a mammoth day of competition today, determining seven of eight Quarterfinalists in improving three-to-five (1 – 1.5 metre) surf at Supertubos and setting up a possible finish for tomorrow.
Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal bore witness to high scores and drama in today's ever-improving conditions, including major shakeups in the hunt for the 2012 ASP World Title.
Kelly Slater (USA), 40, reigning 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 2, suffered a shock elimination in Round 3 at the hands of Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 30, significantly hindering his run for the 2012 ASP World Title. Holding three event wins this season (Fiji, Trestles, France), Slater was in a commanding position with the best eight of 10 adjusted ratings heading into Portugal. However, today's exit along with another Equal 13th from Tahiti this year and an absence in Brazil (Equal 25th place) will force him to carry a poor result in his year-end scoreline.
"That was a key heat," Slater said. "It's that round you really want to get through because there are so many more points on offer for the next round. When you start throwing stuff away, the problem is that I'm going to be carrying a 13th now. It's just the way it is, and maybe it will make for a better finish to the year. It could become exciting. I'm kind of sneakily up there at the top with the wins, but I was carrying a couple bad results already and now I'm definitely going to be carrying one of those three by the end of the year. It's a little frustrating, but it might make it more interesting in the long run. Joel (Parkinson), Mick (Fanning) and John John (Florence) are really good in these conditions. John John is super sneaky in these kind of waves, and I expect Mick to find his waves also."
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, current ASP WCT No. 1, drew first blood in Round 4 this afternoon, posting a win over compatriots Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30, and Josh Kerr (AUS), 28, to advance directly into the Quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
"You expect those three-man heats to just be full of fireworks but when you're faced with the occasional scrappy heat you've just got to deal with it," Parkinson said. "I expected some more barrels out there but there weren't many. There were a couple of turns, but this board definitely performs better in the barrels. Stoked to make it through either way."
Parkinson's Quarterfinal berth today solidifies his current lead on the ASP WCT rankings, but the stylish Australian remains cautious when discussing the remainder of the year.
"Even though he (Slater) is in second on the ratings and he's out of the event, we have a little bit of work to do in front of us," Parkinson said. "It definitely tightens up the race a little. I guess doing that might bring it down to Pipe. I think it's time for me to win another event though. It's been far too long. Hopefully I've been keeping it for the right time."
Parkinson has drawn lethal rookie John John Florence (HAW), 20, in the Quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Owen Wright (AUS), 22, current ASP WCT No. 7, caused the second major upset of the day, eliminating two-time ASP World Champion (2007, 2009) and current ASP WCT No. 3, Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, in Round 5 of competition. Despite Fanning jumping out to an early lead, Wright fought back on his backhand, securing a Perfect 10 and then backing it up with a 8.00 out of a possible 10 in the dying moments to take the heat.
"He got the jump of me so quick there," Wright said. "I was thinking, 'Alright, this guy's in the title race and he's not messing around'. Then my 10 was behind his wave and that put me back in the hunt. Right there at the end of the heat, he paddled and had a dig and then my last wave came through. I had to punch through a pretty big chandelier to get out of the barrel, but I'm stoked with that. I needed it, it's a pretty big confidence booster for me."
Wright will take on Julian Wilson (AUS), 23, in Quarterfinal 3 when competition resumes.
Adriano De Souza (BRA), 25, defending Rip Curl Pro Portugal winner and current ASP WCT No. 6, continued his impressive run at Supertubos today, claiming a Round 4 heat and advancing directly to the Quarterfinals.
"I'm motivated to do well and I'll just keep going," De Souza said. "I'm very quiet right now and nobody's talking about my name so it's very similar to last year and I'm happy. When I'm happy I perform better. I know the road to the Final here in Portugal, but right now in the middle of the road these are giant guys. It will be a challenge on the final day."
Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, punctuated the afternoon with a sensation Round 4 bout against rapidly-improving rookie Kolohe Andino (USA), 18, and current ASP World No. 4 John John Florence (HAW), 20.
"In the beginning of the heat, I broke my board on the second wave so I was kind of sad, but then I think the new board actually works better so it's good that I found this one," Medina said. "I got a couple of 7s and a 9 and another 8. It's getting better right now and that was a lot of fun."
When competition resumes, up first will be Jeremy Flores (FRA), 24, up against Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 30, in the final heat of Round 5 at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am to assess conditions for a potential 8am start.
Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 5.33
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.24 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.50
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.33 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.43
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.73 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 6.17
Heat 7: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 9.20 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 5.27
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.00 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.23
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.27 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 9.83
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.43 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.33
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.27 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.60
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.77 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 9.84
Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.50, Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.80, John John Florence (HAW) 5.77
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.30, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.53, Josh Kerr (AUS) 6.26
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.46, Owen Wright (AUS) 13.07, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.40
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.10, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.06, Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.93
Heat 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.57 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.84
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 17.03 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 5.80
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 18.00 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.54
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
QF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
QF 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
QF 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD


text:
OperationRate is such a hindrance when it gains access to the computer. It may affect Macintosh gadgets with Safari or Chrome as the default browser. Frequently reported cases implicate the installation of suspicious freeware as one of the culprits. In such instances that this adware is running on the computer, you will see several pop-up ads, as well as redirects and search hijacking.
OperationRate ads and search hijacking
Added to users displeasure is a massive display of advertisements on the browser window. In addition, the homepage will point to an unwanted search engine that will also be in the new tab window. Mac users will also get this page when they try to do a web search on any section of the browser. This occurrence only implies that OperationRate is expanding its control of the compromised Mac machine.
Doing a closer analysis of samples of OperationRate files reveals its affiliation with a number of freeware or shareware. The same free programs are responsible for placing unwanted files under critical folders like Application Support and Launch Agents. To control your web browser, OperationRate loads an extension that dictates how your browser will function, especially the search engine.
How does OperationRate enter the Mac?
By installing freeware with OperationRate bundled with it, you are giving the adware all the means to enter the Mac computer. Aside from the said unwanted application, you may also get similar threats like ObsessionPortal, LoadCoordinator, and so on. Let us say you have no idea that freeware is dragging this adware into your Mac computer, but given the fact that you acquire programs from questionable sources, you will certainly end up in the current scenario. Therefore, avoid unfamiliar websites, particularly if you are aiming to download freeware. As much as possible, acquire your software requirements only from reputable websites and providers.
The importance of cleaning the computer
There are several compelling reasons why it is crucial to remove OperationRate from a Mac computer. First, this adware can have a detrimental impact on system performance by consuming valuable resources like CPU and memory. This can result in sluggishness and instability, hindering the overall functionality of the Mac computer. In addition, OperationRate adware poses a significant threat to user privacy as it collects browsing habits, personal information, and sometimes even sensitive data. This data can be exploited for targeted advertising or even more malicious purposes. OperationRate or any type of adware bombards Mac users with intrusive advertisements, pop-ups, and redirects, disrupting workflow and diminishing the overall user experience.
Leaving the OperationRate adware unchecked exposes the system to further online security risks. Adware often serves as a gateway for more malicious software to infiltrate the computer, putting sensitive data and personal information at risk. By promptly removing OperationRate, Mac users can effectively lessen these risks and safeguard their Mac from potential security breaches and data breaches.
Procedures to Remove OperationRate from Mac
This area contains comprehensive procedures to help you remove adware and potentially unwanted program from the computer. Guide on this page are written in a manner that can be easily understand and execute by Mac users.
To successfully remove OperationRate from your Mac, follow the steps below:
- Quick Fix : Scan the computer with the Combo Cleaner tool.
- Step 1 : Uninstall OperationRate from the Applications folder.
- Step 2 : Remove malicious browser extensions.
- Step 3 : Delete OperationRate files from your Mac computer.
- Step 4 : Run another scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
- Step 5 : Remove OperationRate entries from internet browsers.
Quick Fix - Scan the Mac Computer with Combo Cleaner
Combo Cleaner is a trusted Mac utility application with complete antivirus and optimization features. It is useful in dealing with adware, malware, and PUP's. Moreover, it can get rid of adware like OperationRate. You may need to purchase the full version if you want to maximize its premium features.
1. Download the tool from the following page:
2. Double-click the downloaded file and proceed with the installation.
3. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon onto your Applications folder icon.
4. Open your Launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon.
5. Wait until your antivirus downloads its latest virus definition updates.
6. Next, click on "Start Combo Scan" to start removing OperationRate.
7. Free features of Combo Cleaner include Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus and privacy scanner, users have to upgrade to a premium version.
Proceed with the rest of the removal steps if you are comfortable manually removing malicious objects associated with the threat.
Step 1 : Delete OperationRate from Mac Applications
1. Go to Finder.
2. On the menu, click Go and then, select Applications from the list to open Applications Folder.
3. Find OperationRate or any unwanted program and suspicious item. It may also disguise itself as a different file with random names.
4. Drag the suspicious file to the Trash Bin to delete the application from Mac.
5. Right-click on Trash icon and click on Empty Trash.
Step 2 : Remove Browser Extensions that belongs to OperationRate
1. Locate the add-on or extension that is relevant to the adware. To do this, please follow the following depending on affected browser.
Safari - Choose Preferences from the Safari menu, then click the Extensions icon. This will open a window showing all installed extensions.
Chrome - Select Preferences from the Chrome menu, and then click the Extensions link found on the left pane.
Firefox - Choose Add-ons from the Menu. Look at both the Extensions and Plug-ins lists when it opens a new window.
2. Once you have located OperationRate, click on Remove or Uninstall, to get rid of it.
3. Close the browser and proceed to the next steps.
Step 3 : Delete Malicious Files that have installed OperationRate
1. Select and copy the string below to your Clipboard by pressing Command + C on your keyboard.
2. Go to your Finder. From the menu bar please select Go > Go to Folder...
3. Press Command + V on your keyboard to paste the copied string. Press Return to go to the said folder.
4. You will now see a folder named LaunchAgents. Take note of the following files inside the folder:
- com.OperationRate.plist
- unknown.service.plist
- unknown.system.plist
- unknown.download.plist
- unknown.update.plist
The term unknown is just a representation of the actual malware name. Attackers may use the following file names:
- OperationRate, (random characters).plist
If you cannot find the specified file, please look for any unfamiliar or suspicious entries. It may be the one causing OperationRate to be present on your Mac. Arranging all items to see the most latest ones may also help you identify recently installed unfamiliar files. Please press Option + Command + 4 on your keyboard to arrange the application list in chronological order.
Important: Take note of all the suspicious files as you may also delete the same item on another folder as we go on.
5. Drag all suspicious files that you may find to Trash.
6. Please restart the computer.
7. Open another folder using the same method as above. Copy and Paste the following string to easily locate the folder.
~/Library/Application Support
8. Look for any suspicious items that are similar to the ones in Step 4. Drag them to the Trash.
9. Repeat the process on the following non-hidden folders (without ~):
/Library/Application Support
10. Lastly, go to your Finder and open the Applications Folder. Look for subfolders with the following names and drag them to Trash.
- OperationRate
Optional : For locked files that cannot be removed, do the following:
1. Go to Launchpad, Utilities folder, open Activity Monitor.
2. Select the process you want to quit.
3. Click on Force Quit button.
4. You may now delete or remove locked files that belongs to OperationRate adware.
Step 4 : Double-check with MBAM Tool for Mac
1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac from this link:
2. Run Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac. It will check for updates and download the most recent version if one is available. This is necessary for finding recent malware threats, including OperationRate.
3. If it prompts to close all running web browser, please do so. Thus, we advise you to PRINT this guide for your reference before going offline.
4. Once it opens the user interface, please click on the Scan button to start scanning your Mac computer.
5. After the scan, Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac will display a list of identified threats, and OperationRate is surely part of it. Be sure to select all items in the list. Then, click the Remove button to clean the computer.
Step 5 : Remove OperationRate from Homepage and Search
- Open your Safari browser.
- Go to the Safari Menu located in the upper left-hand corner, and then select Preferences.
- Under the General tab, navigate to the Default Search Engine section and select Google or any valid search engine.
- Next, be sure that the "New Windows Open With" field is set to Homepage.
- Lastly, remove OperationRate from the Homepage field. Replace it with your preferred URL to be set as your default homepage.
Google Chrome
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Input the following on the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard : chrome://settings/
- Look for 'On Startup' area on the sidebar.
- Select 'Open a specific page or set of pages'.
- Choose the unwanted homepage, and click on Ellipses (three dots) and select Edit.
- Enter the desired web address as your homepage, replacing the OperationRate setting. Click Save.
- To set the default search engine, go to the Search Engine area from the sidebar link.
- Click on 'Manage search engines...' button.
- Select the questionable Search Engine and click on Ellipses (three dots). ClickDelete. to remove it from the list.
- Go back to the Search Engine area and choose a valid entry (i.e., Google) from 'Search engine used in the address bar'.
Mozilla Firefox
- Run Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Type the following on the address bar and hit Enter on keyboard : about:preferences
- Click Home on the sidebar area.
- Under "New Windows and Tabs", you may choose Firefox Home (Default) or Custom URLs.
- Input the desired URL to replace OperationRate settings if you chose Custom URLs.
- To configure default search engine, select Search on the sidebar to display the settings.
- Under the Default Search Engine list, please select one (i.e., Google).
- On the same page, you have the option to Remove unwanted search engines.
Optional : If you are unable to change browser settings, execute these steps:
Some users complain that there is no way to change browser settings because they are grayed out by OperationRate. In such a situation, it is important to check if there is an unwanted profile. Please do the following:
1. Quit any running applications and launch System Preferences from your Dock.
2. Under System Preferences, click Profiles.
3. Select OperationRate or any relevant profile from the left pane. See the image below.
4. At the bottom of this window, click the minus [-] button to delete the account. Please refer to the image above.
5. Close the Profiles window and open the affected browser to change all settings associated with OperationRate.


text:
7 Nights | WESTERN CARIBBEAN
About Cozumel, Mexico
You will visit the following 4 places:
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the third by population (after Kingston and Spanish Town). It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches. The city is backed by picturesque low mountains. Popular beaches include Doctor's Cave Beach and Walter Fletcher Beach, home to an amusement park. Today, Montego Bay is known for its large regional hospital (Cornwall Regional Hospital), port facilities, second homes for numerous upper class Jamaicans from Kingston as well as North Americans and Europeans, fine restaurants, and shopping opportunities. The coastland near Montego Bay is occupied by numerous tourist resorts, most newly built, some occupying the grounds of old sugarcane plantations with some of the original buildings and mill-works still standing. The most famous is the White Witch's Rose Hall which now features a world-class golf course.
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of 57,466 within an area of 208 square miles (540 km2). Much of Galveston's modern economy is centered in the tourism, health care, shipping and financial industries. The 84-acre (340,000 m2) University of Texas Medical Branch campus with an enrollment of more than 2,500 students is a major economic force of the city. Galveston is home to six historic districts containing one of the largest and historically significant collections of nineteenth-century buildings with over 60 structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places. $$https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P41OR0rxUE$$
San Miguel de Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatán Channel. The island is covered with mangrove forest which has many endemic animal species. Cozumel is a flat island based on limestone, resulting in a karst topography. There are a number of visitors to the island's balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel. The islands belongs to Cozumel Municipality of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. George Town, its capital, is home to the Cayman Islands National Museum, dedicated to Caymanian heritage. There are fast food restaurants, night clubs, and resorts on the western side of the island down to George Town. The eastern districts have more restaurants specialising in native Caymanian cuisine. Because of its clubs, resorts, and hotels, Seven Mile Beach has the largest concentration of visitors and tourists on the island. Watersports such as scuba diving and snorkeling are among the most popular activities on Grand Cayman as the island is known for its coral reefs and underwater sea walls along with a number of shipwrecks.


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If This Is It, Please Let Me Know
UPDATE: No baby yet. Have been to hospital and they say that I am in 'early' labor and that it could go on for days and oh, hai, yeah, sometimes it hurts like a bitch but it's just that way sometimes. Will update on that hospital visit - which made me, much to my embarassment, cry - later, after I have drunk my castor-oil martinis.
You all are getting sick to the death of the subject of my pregnancy, I know, and I apologize. Believe me, if I could summon the will to discourse intelligently upon any other topic, I would do so. Because, yes - as I keep saying over and over again - I am well and truly sick to the death of it myself.
I've been having crazy false labor for about the past 16 hours now. It's not regular labor, because, well, it's irregular, but it's more painful than past episodes, and this morning it's involving actual back pain and shit and although I know that this can go on for weeks, it feels different enough that I think something might be up. Which means, of course - because I have gone and written those words down and therefore invited the gods to bitch-slap me hard - that it's all probably all going to amount to nothing. But still: I get to sit here and feel my insides cramp up and wonder, for the umpteenth time, is this it? while contemplating the pros and cons of either continuing suffer through an interminable labor (because, false or not, this feels like labor, and so it is, to my mind, labor, and someday this kid is going to hear all about how mommy was in labor with you for weeks and don't you forget it) OR finally getting to a point where this kid might decide to get his massive self out of there.
For the record: the 'pros' of this continuing to be false labor involve the fact that so long as the labor is false, I do not have to get up off my lazy ass and do anything about it, like, say, pushing a giant kid out of my nether regions. The pros of this being true labor, obviously, involve the fact that I CAN HAS GIANT FETUS OUT OF MAH UTURUS kthxbye?
This is me, this morning, at 37 and a half weeks pregnant:
I am massive. My back hurts. My belly hurts. And it just keeps contracting and uncontracting and messing with my head omfg and I wish that I knew whether this time, it really is time.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go double over in pain and pray for respite.
Everybody who participated in the shower this weekend? Thank you all beyond much, really. I'm trying to get around to all the posts to thank you personally - I've made it to about half of them so far, I think - but I'm being slowed by this may-or-may-not-be-labor thing. I promise that I'll get there eventually. In the meantime, big love to you all. (And also to everybody who talked me down from my panic about C-section nazis terrorizing me with their calls of doom and gory videos. Thanks for hearing me out, and for, as always, saying just the right soothing things in low tones and telling me to just go ahead, get it out, be angry. I love you for that.)
Labels: her bad pregnancy


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The Meccano Society of Scotland
Balado 2006
(Scottish Traction Engine Exhibition)
On 4th and 5th of May 2006 some of our members displayed at the Scottish Traction Engine Exhibition at Balado
Pictures from Balado 2006
High resolution versions of the photos are also available for download if desired.
Click here to see higher resolution photo
Tip - You may find it better to view the pictures in 'full screen' mode - For most browsers F11 will toggle this on and off.
© 2024 Meccano Society of Scotland


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There's a notion known as the lemon law which has to do with the reimbursement for recently-purchased vehicles that fail to meet certain standards. A hilarious episode of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother centered on the idea of applying the law to dating--you don't like your blind date after five minutes? No problem, the date's off, your night is saved! I submit that we should also be able to apply it to an ordered meal.
Why not? If the food is gross or far from what I anticipated and I'm not able to choke it down, should I be forced to pay for it? Probably. Definitely. But that's just something to consider.
Working in a bakery means I've tried many, many types of muffins, and I'll state with confidence that these are the most cake-like I've ever had. Their texture is delicate and as fluffy as a down pillow, and each bite just dissolves in the mouth. Plus, they're adequately sweet without being a sugar-rush source. The simplest of all crumb toppings (three basic ingredients!) just contributes to the magic, adding a buttery richness and textural contrast all at once. The lemon flavor is bright and the overall effect is an enjoyable one.
Bonus: You can make the batter and topping ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for days, nay, weeks! Look somewhere else for a fiber-filled, nutritious, and minimally tasty muffin, my friends. This is dessert for breakfast, and the lemon law need not be applied.
Luxurious Lemon Muffins
(adapted from these)
(makes 24 huge muffins)
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 eggs
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 cups butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon peel and juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
read more words!


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The Art of Frank Gasparro consists of 115 drawings, plaster models, photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera collected by, and related to, Frank Gasparro, the 10th United States Mint Chief Engraver. Christina Hansen, Gasparro's daughter, donated the collection in 2009 to the National Numismatic Collection (NNC).
The Gasparro collection holds a few finished presentation drawings and cast plaster coin models. Most images are rough sketches based on one of two themes: Lady Liberty and eagles. The eagles hold branches in their beaks and are surrounded by stars. Some soar in flight and others perch on rocks. Liberty's face gazes both left and right and may wear a crown or liberty cap.
Each drawing, whether of Liberty or an eagle, changes ever so slightly. This body of work is a testament to the technological tools available to the 20th- century graphic artist. In these sketches Gasparro was not observing a live model in his studio or creating images with a computer. The designer instead used photographs from magazines and newspaper as his muse, and Xeroxes and tracing paper to make quick changes. Each time Gasparro xeroxed an image, he made a change to the drawing. A piece of tracing paper made it easy to turn the head of Liberty from facing right to left. Each drawing gives us evidence of Gasparro's progression of an idea.
By viewing Gasparro's drawings as a series, one is able to follow the evolution of the coin design from the artist's perspective. This body of work offers a visual path into the thought processes of a working 20th-century graphic artist. It did not matter that some of these "ideas" did not become coins. It is the concrete visualization of the artist's process that gives this collection its historic value.
Frank Gasparro was born August 26, 1909, on the centennial of President Lincoln's birth and by chance, the same year Victor David Brenner put Abraham Lincoln's portrait on the obverse of the penny. Fifty years later in 1959, the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, Frank Gasparro placed the Lincoln Memorial (replacing the previous wheat ears design) on the reverse side of the Lincoln penny.
Douglas Martin of The New York Times quoted Christina Hansen (Gasparro's daughter) in Gasparro's obituary, "Frank Gasparro, 92, of Mint; Art Is on 100 Billion Pennies," October 3, 2001, "…he originally aspired to make sculptures like those of Rodin and Michelangelo, but came to take pride in his billions of lowly pennies. He was known to show cashiers the reverse side of a penny and announce that he had designed it."
Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial Reverse remained on the penny for 49 years. Used and collected by generations, it may be Gasparro's very long fifteen minutes of fame. Gasparro's coin designs also include the presidential coat of arms on the Kennedy half reverse; the obverse and reverse of the Eisenhower dollar; the Susan B. Anthony dollar; and multitudes of medals and commemoratives that he continued to design for the United States Mint and private mints after his retirement from federal service.
Robyn Einhorn
Collection Manager
National Numismatic Collection
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.


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Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2 is our second MOOC in a two-part sequence, and looks at 'Developing Effective Interventions'. Here we invite you to develop analytical skills and deep understanding about a complex, controversial policy problem – one with no simple, easy answers. About half a billion people on our planet still lack access to improved water supplies and about two billion do not have improved sanitation services, leading to an unknown but very large number of avoidable deaths each year from water-related diseases. Millions of dollars are spent on avoidable health care expenditures, and people – mostly women – spend many billions of hours carrying water from sources outside the home. Reducing these costs is a major global challenge for us all in the 21st century. Join us to explore the challenging and complex political, economic, social, and technical dimensions of the policy interventions that donors, national governments and water utilities use to address this challenge. This second MOOC consists of the following seven sessions:
• Session 1: Introduction and how our 'ancient instincts' affect water policy interventions.
• Session 2: Planning better policy interventions: Roles, features and examples of planning protocols.
• Session 3: Water pricing, tariff design and subsidies.
• Session 4: Providing information to households and communities to improve water and sanitation conditions.
• Session 5: Changing the institutions that deliver water and sanitation services: Privatization in developing countries.
• Session 6: Changing institutions: Lessons from the UK water privatization story.
• Session 7: Changing institutions: Improving regulation of the water and sanitation sector.
Your instructors for this course have worked in and studied this sector for many years. Professor Dale Whittington has worked on water and sanitation policy and planning issues for over 40 years in more than two dozen low and middle-income countries. Dr Duncan Thomas has worked in the UK and European water sectors for 15 years, focusing on overcoming barriers to technological, organizational, regulatory and policy innovations.
Please watch this introductory video outlining the course: https://youtu.be/KkBmo3EKkkI
What you will learn
Introduction and how our 'ancient instincts' affect water policy intervention
Planning better policy interventions: Roles, features and examples of planning protocols
Roles, features and problems of water pricing, tariff design and subsidies
Providing information to households and communities to improve water and sanitation conditions


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Book News: Disgraced 'New Yorker' Author Talks Plagiarism — For A $20,000 Fee
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
Jonah Lehrer, the science writer who resigned from The New Yorker in July after he was caught recycling his own material and fabricating quotes, was paid a $20,000 honorarium by the Knight Foundation to speak about his "mistakes" at a media seminar Tuesday. Lehrer introduced himself as "the author of a book on creativity that contained several fabricated Bob Dylan quotes."
Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique turned 50 to great fanfare this month. For The Atlantic, Ashley Fetters lays out some of the biggest criticisms of the feminist classic.
In The Daily Beast, Jessica Ferri writes about the "fetishistic" thrill of holding pieces of Sylvia Plath's hair: "Glancing around the room to make sure no one was paying attention I reached into the box and pulled out a long, thick braid, still bound at each side with rubber bands, and held it in my hands."
Secret History author Donna Tartt is releasing her first novel in 11 years this fall, according to publisher Little, Brown. Amazon says the new book will be titled The Goldfinch: A Novel and describes it like this: "A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an explosion that takes the life of his mother. Alone and determined to avoid being taken in by the city as an orphan, Theo scrambles between nights in friends' apartments and on the city streets. He becomes entranced by the one thing that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that soon draws Theo into the art underworld."
- Camilla Long won the "Hatchet Job of the Year" Award on Tuesday, an annual award by The Omnivore magazine given to "the writer of the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months." Her cutting review of Rachel Cusk's Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation called the book "a needy, neurotic mandolin solo of reflections on child sacrifice and asides about drains." Washington Post Book critic Ron Charles was a runner-up for the award, and wrote a measured response to the news of his defeat: "[E]verybody knows I deserved to win."
Update at 10:30 a.m. ET:
- Harry Potter trade paperbacks are getting new covers — check out the first one over at the Monkey See blog.


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Polymer Gels Video No. 1
Polymers are very large molecules that are composed of many smaller subunits connected together by various types of chemical bonds. Some popular examples are polyethylene, the common plastic used in kitchen sandwich baggies and DNA, the genetic blueprint. Polyethylene is composed of many small ethylene (2 carbons and 4 hydrogens) molecules aligned in a head-to-tail manner and polymerized to form poly methylene groups with methyl groups at each end.


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Ubuntu Breezy Installation Guide
Method 1: Installing Breezy's Included Driver (8.16.20)
The fglrx driver supports Radeon 8500+ and the X-series cards (see release notes). When running the dpkg-reconfigure commands you can accept the defaults whenever you aren't sure.
Installing the driver
All Platforms:
sudo apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx sudo apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-$(uname -r) #Okay if it is already installed sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg #Select the fglrx driver and 64-bit users should deselect int10a
64-bit users:
You have to downgrade to an older version of libdri.a due to an incompatilbity with the ATI drivers. Download it here
Change to download directory:
gunzip libdri.a.gz sudo cp /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libdri.a libdri.a.old sudo cp libdri.a /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/
If you wish to revert to any non-fglrx driver you will need to copy the libdri.a.old file back over the fglrx version.
All platforms: Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to restart your desktop.
Confirm that it works
$ fglrxinfo display: :0.0 screen: 0 OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc. OpenGL renderer string: MOBILITY RADEON 9700 Generic OpenGL version string: 1.3.5272 (X4.3.0-8.16.20)
If you have a widescreen LCD display that is stuck at 1024x768 then it is probably the bug in the 8.16.20 driver that was fixed in 8.18.X (see the next section).
The output of dmesg | grep fglrx and /var/log/Xorg.0.log are most useful when looking for errors.
Method 2: Generating/Installing Ubuntu packages for the newer 8.28.8 drivers in Breezy Badger
Important Warning: Installation of this driver requires removing the restricted-modules package in order to work. That package includes drivers for madwifi (Atheros wireless cards), nvidia cards, and a handful of other devices. I provide a work-around for the madwifi drivers, but you need to perform it before removing the restricted modules (jump to end of this this post).
When running the dpkg-reconfigure command you should answer the questions that you know and take the defaults for the rest. You might want to say no to the monitor detection--it has caused X-Windows to crash for some people.
Remove existing fglrx driver
Remove Breezy's included drivers if they are installed:
sudo apt-get remove xorg-driver-fglrx sudo apt-get remove fglrx-control sudo apt-get remove linux-restricted-modules-$(uname -r) sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg #select the "ati" module
- Note 1: If after reboot, your system hangs at a black screen before taking you to a graphical login - reboot to 'recovery mode' and edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf to use 'vesa' instead of 'ati'. Then continue with the steps below.
- Note 2: You can change your xorg.conf file to Option "vesa" BEFORE rebooting, so after rebooting you can have usable X (and skip Note 1). Remember that you HAVE to reboot (just restarting X will leave you with unusable X).
Installing the new driver
Download the ATI driver installer: ati-driver-installer-8.28.8.run (this installer is for 32bit and 64bit systems)
This guide refers to the 32bit version of the driver. The installation procedure for 64bit should be the same as for 32bit, except some filenames will differ slightly.
Change to the download directory. Make sure that you have the universe and multiverse repositories enabled in /etc/apt/sources.list before doing these steps. Sample sources.list.
Install necessary tools:
sudo apt-get install gcc-3.4 module-assistant build-essential fakeroot dh-make debconf libstdc++5 gcc-3.3-base
Create .deb packages:
bash ati-driver-installer-8.28.8.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/breezy
Install .deb packages:
sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx_8.28.8-1_i386.deb sudo dpkg -i fglrx-kernel-source_8.28.8-1_i386.deb sudo dpkg -i fglrx-control_8.28.8-1_i386.deb
Remove any old fglrx deb's from /usr/src/:
sudo rm /usr/src/fglrx-kernel*.deb
Compile the kernel driver:
sudo module-assistant prepare sudo module-assistant update sudo module-assistant a-i fglrx
Update the xorg.conf file:
sudo aticonfig --initial sudo aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv
Confirm that it worked
$ fglrxinfo display: :0.0 screen: 0 OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc. OpenGL renderer string: RADEON 9700 Generic OpenGL version string: 2.0.6011 (8.28.8)
(renderer string depends on your hardware and may/will be different)
Look for error messages in /var/log/Xorg.0.log and kern.log. If you receive the (EE) No devices detected error message, it is highly possible that you own a Radeon from the 7000-7500 series with the R100 chip, which the proprietary Linux drivers don't support.
Madwifi Drivers in Breezy Badger
In order to continue using the madwifi driver you can do the following before removing the linux-restricted-modules package and rebooting.
sudo cp /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/volatile/ath_hal.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/ sudo depmod -a $(uname -r)


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On my 16th birthday my mother bought me a lovely gift. A simple chain with my name "Meeta" hanging in free letters. My mother is a gorgeous woman and has all the grooming of an aristocratic Sikh Indian family.
Like many Indians she believes only in India one can buy the purest gold and perfect diamonds.
Her gift to me on my 16th birthday was bought in Delhi from our trusted family jewelers, who had served my mother's family for years. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, gold – whatever was desired was always via this family jeweler. So, when my mum came with me on that particular day, I am sure the jeweler was thankful to see yet another generation who would be buying precious gems from him.
I was not told to choose anything I wanted as many may have expected. My mother had something very particular in her mind. She gave the order and the jeweler looked rather surprised at the mediocre order my mother had just given him. I suppose he was expecting something flashier in diamonds, in comparison a 22 carat gold chain seemed almost insufficient to him.
My mother knows me well. When we picked up the chain, she opened the box and I was ecstatic at the contents. It was her way of welcoming me into sweet "almost" adulthood! A secret family ritual apparently, that was passed down from generation to generation – the mother gives her 16 year daughter a gift to remember her by.
Twenty years later I still wear that chain! It's how I keep my mum close to my heart. She is all the way in Dubai and I often miss her. Our talks, our shopping sprees, our eating binges, our laughs, her kisses and hugs and yes even our arguments! I love her because she knows exactly how I tick. She knew back then that I was not the one for gaudy, big, flashy jewelry. She knew I would always be the one for elegant but exquisite things. She knows I like to make my statement with an understatement. She knew exactly how I would cherish this gift. I do!
There are so many great memories I have of my mum and me – the ones I adore the most are definitely the times I used to spend baking with her. One such memory is from not so long ago as a matter of fact. Last April when we were in Dubai I had asked my mum to give me a recipe of her luscious coconut and lemon cake. It was one of the cakes I grew up on.
Many of you will remember her wonderful refreshing orange cake. The cake was extremely popular with many of you too. So many of you left comments and sent me wonderful emails regarding the cake that I had to show my mother some of the feedback you sent. She certainly was blushing with pride LOL!
Instead of giving me the recipe for this cake via telephone or email, she made me wait till I made my trip to Dubai! Once again she hit the nail on the head. Because the time I spent with her in the kitchen that afternoon was unforgettable.
Just like her gift twenty years ago, she knew what I would cherish the most. Time! Time with her because it's what I miss out on the most.
To my mum – you mean the world to me!
Printable version of recipe here.
For the cake
185g all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
45g shredded dried coconut
1 tablespoon lemon zest
250g sugar
125g butter + more for brushing the cake form, melted
2 eggs
250ml milk
For the Coconut Frosting
185g icing sugar, sieved
90g shredded dried coconut
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, coarsely grated
60ml lemon juice
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Brush a round cake pan (20 cm in diameter) with some of the melted butter, then line with baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl sieve the flour and baking powder. Then add the shredded coconut, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, butter and the milk. Using a wooden spoon mix into a smooth creamy mixture.
Fill the dough into the cake pan and bake for 40 minutes, until a slight crust forms on the surface. Take the cake out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Finally, take out of pan and allow to cool completely on a rack.
For the Coconut Frosting
In a smaller bowl, mix the icing sugar and the shredded coconut. Add the lemon zest and pour in enough of the lemon juice to make a stiff, but still spreadable mixture.
Spread the frosting over the surface and the edges of the cake using a metal spatula.
Storing: Stored in an airtight container and in the refrigerator this cake will last for 4 to 5 days.
This cake brings back a lot of childhood memories for me. I made this for my birthday earlier in June. It was just another way for me to be a little closer to my mum. My friends and colleagues simply loved the flavors of this cake. The lemon juices are soaked up by the coconut, keeping the entire cake moist and luscious. The aroma of this simple but flavorful cake is incredible. Each bite is utterly delicious so much so that I have to reveal a little trick. Make two smaller sized cakes with this recipe. This way you can indulge in smaller slices without feeling the big guilt.
I was looking forward to enter this cake to A Fruit A Month, which is being hosted this month by Sug at Tasty Palettes. The fruit she has chosen is the great coconut. However, I believe I have missed the deadline. Sug I had all the good intentions as you see. You can read all about the coconut and get detailed information on selecting and storing in my Food Know-How section: coconut.
You might enjoy these cakes from WFLH too:
The Perfect Party Cake | |
Sour Cream Cherry Cake | |
Orange Cake |
Other coconut recipes from around the blog:
Closet Cooking's spectacular Mango Coconut Rice Pudding
Taste & Tell's creamy Coconut Cream Flan
Dhanggit's Kitchen's moist Almond, Coconut, Honey Brioche
Simply Recipe's fruity and nutty Berry Cobbler with Coconut Walnut Topping
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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Having Fun With Cherries! Cherry Clafoutis, Cherry Pistachio Crumble Cakes & A Grilled Salmon, Fennel, Radish & Cherries Salad
Cherries… A love story. Cherries are still, along with other stone fruits, one of those once-a-year-come-and-get-it-now foods. In a world where so many foods are available year round, which in by no means give them the attributes of tasty and/or affordable by way, that's something I am madly in love with. I live for seasonal eating. It's better on all counts, starting with the intoxicating flavors and scents of recently picked fruits and vegetables.
I love the anticipation building up in March waiting for the first weekend we'll go strawberry picking. Waiting for the end of May to bite into the first local peach, juice going down my elbow, its soft skin brushing my cheeks with every bite. Living with blue fingers and tongue all throughout the Summer from blackberry and blueberry picking..and eating…and juicing. With October, I am ready for the local apple crops to flood the farmers maker stalls.
Comes cherry season and it's far more than just love of seasonal food that is awaken in me. It's a whole part of my history. My childhood. My life in France. Nostalgia is definitely a driving force in who I am as a person and certain foods fall right in that category. Not only do they remind me of wonderful times spent back home but they also define my cooking and baking in the present moment.
Growing up in Apt, in Provence, we were lucky to have a few cherry trees in the backyard. We had cherry picking parties where friends were invited to lounge under the cherry trees after an afternoon of filling up their baskets. When we moved near Aix En Provence, our yard was a food lover's dream come true. Figs, strawberries, raspberries, red currants, apricots and more cherries.
The best moments of my childhood were spent in between rosemary bush, a patch of lavender and perched high on a cherry tree. You can safely guess that there is not one family recipe that does not come with a tug at my heart.
I get the same pinch, tug or pull every time I grabbed the first cherries of the season and make clafoutis. It's like a tradition. Cherries. Clafoutis. Repeat. Except there is rarely enough left for anything else. One for the clafoutis. One for me. Repeat again. This time, granted after overloading at the market, I had enough for clafoutis, a cake or two and a salad.
One thing I am not used to, even after 14 years here, is the heat. That suffocating heat that grabs your throat and chest. I have learned that the secret to Summer living here resides in three habits: do things at night, do them early in the morning and lastly, do not stop moving. Stopping in that heat will knock the wind from under your sails. So what do we do? We do a bit of all three. We start the work day earlier than normal, do not stop until dinner time and I rarely turn the oven on before 10 or 11pm.
I am growing slowly enamored with those evening rituals. I let my mind wander and the nostalgia comes wafting in by waves. Small splashes at first with each lemon zested and egg broken and whisked. Huge floods take over once I set out baked goods to cool and the smells vanilla and sugar whipped up with fruits or chocolate take over every nook and crannies of the house.
When it comes to lunch or dinners, we are grilling everyday and eating lots of fresh salads loaded with grains and vegetables. One salad I have completely fallen in love with came as an accident. Sort of. I was already inspired to make a version of this fennel, radish, cherry salad from Beatrice at La Tartine Gourmande intrigued by this combination of the three ingredients.
Some leftover grilled salmon one day prompted me to add this to the fennel, radish and cherry combination. A little lemon juice, olive oil and oregano and we were in for the best salad we've had in a long time. Bill asked for seconds. That's rare at lunchtime. He asked for leftovers the day after. We were about to fight over it when I said "there's cherry cake for dessert!".
But not just cherry cake…. Warm and light vanilla cake loaded with cherries and a pistachio crumble topping. We took advantage of an impeding storm to head out to the yard and enjoy a few short minutes of a cool breeze passing by. Under the pecan tree this time. Hope you enjoy the cherry recipes after the jump! Someone needs to hold me back…I am slightly nervous that there is no clafoutis for dessert tonight! Ahaha! Have a great week everyone!
Cherry Clafoutis:
It's like Summer does not officially start unless there is a clafoutis involved. The recipe originated with my grandmother and years after her passing, it's my way to pay homage to her ways around the kitchen. And was she a fine cook. And a loving one too. There was never one of anything. Probably why she had six children too. Ah!
Serves 6 to 8
1 to 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
4 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup gluten free flour of your choice(I used red rice flour but you can use all purpose)
powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle. Place all the cherries in a 8-inch round pie tin slightly coated with some melted butter (or cooking spray if you wish).
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey until well combined. Add the milk, cream and flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour over the cherries, trying not to disturb them too much so to speak. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Serve at room temperature with some powdered sugar dusted on top if desired.
Cherry Cakes With Pistachio Crumble Topping:
Makes one 10-inch cake or four 4-inch ones.
For the crumble topping:
5 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup millet flour (or all purpose)
1/3 cup pistachios, dry roasted, unsalted, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the cake(s):
1 cup millet flour
1 cup superfine rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour
(or use 2 cups all purpose flour instead of the three flours listed above)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk (I sometimes used coconut milk)
1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
For the crumble:
Put all the ingredients, minus the nuts in a food processor and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs. Put into a bowl, sit in the nuts , cover and refrigerate while you prepare the cake. You can do this by hand, mixing in all the ingredients together, just make sure the butter is super cold.
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
For the cake(s):
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda. Stir and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together with the lemon zest until creamy looking. Add the eggs, one at time. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure it is all combined. Reduce the speed and add the the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop the machine and with a spatula gently stir in the cherries.
Pour the mixture into your preferred baking pan, coated with cooking spray. Spread the top with the crumb topping.
Bake for about 45 minutes for one single 8 or 9-inch cake and about 30-35 for smaller ones.
Grilled Salmon, fennel, radish and cherry salad:
This is more of a method/ingredient list than a precise recipes since quantities change with what I have on hand and according to our tastebuds that day. Feel free to experiment with little of a lot of each ingredient!
Makes enough for 4 people:
1 to 2 cups arugula
1 small fennel bulb, fronds removed and thinly sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup cherries, pitted
12 oz grilled salmon, flaked
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh oregano
On four plates, layer the arugula, fennel, radish slices, cherries and salmon flakes. Drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some oregano.
You can also mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt pepper and oregano. Divide among 4 serving plates.


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Sometimes I find myself talking for the sake of talking, no content conveyed. No content in the action of talking and no content in the words spoken, just discursive thought, expressed in words. I think my ego does this to affirm that it exists. As long as I can engage myself with thought or engage others in my thoughts, I distract myself from the idea of nothingness or the idea of death. Fear of a wave disappearing into the ocean when it always has been the ocean.
May I cultivate through Zazen the need to talk only when I have something to say.


text:
Carbo AirBlocks? are 60% stronger and 30% lighter than
Harken Classic blocks. Use the 40 mm Carbo for jib and
mainsheet systems on high-performance dinghies and
for loaded control lines on small keelboats.
The nylon-resin sideplates are densely packed with
long-glass fibers for a compact block with a high
strength-to-weight ratio. Sheaves spin on high-load
ball bearings with fitted races for low-friction operation.
Ball bearings, sheave, and sideplates are UV-stabilized
with carbon black for maximum protection.
Sheave 40mm
Length 64mm
Weight 40grms
Max line 10mm
Maximum working load 220kg
Breaking load 735kg


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Helpful Hearing Articles
Make informed decisions on the purchase of your next hearing aid device!
Hearing Survey
Take our hearing health survey and start your journey to better hearing!
Musicians have unique needs when it comes to hearing protection. They need to protect their hearing, but they also need to be able to hear their own music clearly, as well as hear other musicians' music and voices while performing.
Conventional store-bought earplugs are great at providing hearing protection. However, they don't attenuate evenly—musicians typically want a more even frequency response from their earplugs. Foam or off the shelf earplugs usually attenuate the highs more than the lows and this doesn't sound good to the musician.
Most musicians need specialized protection. This means protection across all frequencies with more emphasis on the low-to-mid frequencies. Musician plugs generally attenuate evenly across frequencies but this may vary by type of instrument they play and their location to other musicians.
Musician's earplugs come in both custom and non-custom options. Over-the-counter musician earplugs can reduce sound levels by approximately 20 dB, enough to reduce harmful sound without distorting speech or music.
Custom-made earplugs fit deeply in order to seal within the bony portion of the ear canal. This deep fit reduces what is known as occlusion, a hollow or boomy sound in the musician's own voice that is sometimes experienced with lower quality earplugs. This style of deep-fit earmolds are popular with musicians because of the quality of sound they allow them to hear while practicing and performing.
Musician's earplugs provide protection for:
For musicians who perform for large audiences, in-ear musician monitors (IEMs) are the current standard in musician technology. They allow the musician to clearly hear the music they are making as the audience would hear it while still protecting the musician's ears from extremely loud amplification systems and audiences.
IEMs work best if they are custom molded to fit each musician's ears personally. However, there is still the option of universal fit musician monitors. Universal IEMs typically come with interchangeable foam or silicone tips to allow for a semi-custom fit.
Both earmolds and IEMs can be custom made (using an ear impression) to fit your unique ear shape by your hearing healthcare provider.
The ear impression that is used to make the earmold or in-ear monitor is the most important part of the process in getting a good custom fit. The quality of the ear impression material and technique directly impacts the sound quality, sound isolation and comfort that are achieved with the earmold.
Because this part of the process is so crucial, it's important that you hire someone who is experienced and trained in making impressions for high-quality musicians earplugs. Most hearing healthcare providers are trained in this process and know the importance of a good fit.
Speak with your hearing healthcare provider about his or her experience in custom fitting patients with musician's earplugs and IEMs and about your options for high-quality occupational hearing protection.
Helpful Hearing Articles
Make informed decisions on the purchase of your next hearing aid device!
Hearing Survey
Take our hearing health survey and start your journey to better hearing!
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Street :18-1 & 20-1 Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas
Postcode :50480
City :Kuala Lumpur
Federal State :Wilayah Persekutuan
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Welcome to preschoolmalaysia.com! We are here to wish you all have a Happy and Prosperous New Year! We thank you for your support and your passion in waiting for our newly customized website with fresh content to serve you better! |
With over 30 years of proven record and success stories, The children's house have gained the trust and recognition of parents and is often regarded as a Montessori preschool to nurture children into compassionate and well balanced individuals who are confident, independent, socially adaptable, and above all, positive and lifelong learners.


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How the months fly by when you are having fun! This is so true when I think about the fantastic Daring Bakers and the monthly challenges. It's hard to believe this is my fourth month with the awesome group and I find it so astonishing that I have managed to complete four challenges with more or less good to pretty good results.
This month it was the brilliant Peabody who was to give us our assignment. I have no problem admitting that I was nervous about it.
If anyone is a regular visitor over at her blog (and I think almost all of you are) will know she dishes out the most incredible cakes, sweets and desserts. So, I knew she would set a high standard.
When the challenge was announced I was on vacation but you can all take a guess what the first thing I did upon returning. I logged into the DB blog and checked out what challenge she had chosen. It was to be a mirror cake - a strawberry mirror cake to celebrate the flavor of summer. She had chosen a recipe from Cakes and Pastries At The Academy by the California Culinary Academy 1993 - a cookbook I have my eye on for a while. So, I was excited to be making something from that.
Reading over the instructions a few times it was all straightforward stuff. I was a bit relieved as, besides the fact that it would be time consuming and there were several steps, it all looked very doable. All I had to do was organize myself and set myself a workable timeline.
As with each challenge there were the rules and the modifications we had to stick to.
The rules for this challenge were:
- Cake must be a white cake.
- Cake must be strawberry (unless there are health issues or one was not able to find strawberries).
- The mirror had to be made.
The allowed modifications were:
- The alcohol may be substituted for a non-alcoholic flavor or omitted.
- Cake may be decorated BUT a portion of the mirror must be visible
I tried to research mirror cakes on the internet and was a bit disappointed not to have found much information on it. Also the library did not produce much useful details for this cake. So, I was more intrigued by the mystery of it. I finally decided to make the cake in one go, instead of dividing it over a span of two days. The entire cake kept me busy for approx. 4 hours, but that was including chatting to other DBs and commenting on the DB blog!
The cake consists of four components:
- Two layers of spongy cake
- Two layers of Bavarian cream as a filling
- Strawberry juice for the mirror
- Finally the actual mirror.
Strawberry Mirror Cake
Adapted from Cakes and Pastries At The Academy by the California Culinary Academy 1993
Special Pans: 11 x 17" Jelly Roll Pan, 10" Springform Pan, 8 1/4" Cake Round or Tin (or pattern)
Strawberry Mirror Cake
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2 TBSP sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
½ cup water
1/3 cups sugar
2 TBSP kirsch or strawberry liqueur
Preheat oven to 230C. Butter and flour the sides of an 11-by-17 inch jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Line bottom of pan with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit bottom pan exactly.
Beat eggs, egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and light. Beat in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to form peaks. Add the 2 TBSP sugar and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks (do not over beat).
Sift flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in . Stir in one fourth of the whites. Then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake until light brown and springy to touch (7 to 10 minutes).
Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife along edge to loosen. Invert cake tin to cut out 8 ¼ inch circles of cake. Wrap the cake layers, separated with waxed paper, and set aside.
At this point the cake can be frozen.
Soaking Syrup
Combine water and the 1/3 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Cool to room temperature; flavor with liqueur. Set aside or refrigerate in glass jar until ready to use.
My tips: In Germany cream of tartar is called Weinstein Backpulver. Alnatura is the brand I used, which I found at DM Drogerie. I had posed a question on the DB blog about what cream of tartar actually does when added to baking ingredients. As always the DBs are so full of energy and provided me with useful information from O chef.
I did not notice any great difference in my egg whites with the addition of the cream of tartar.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream
2 ½ TBSP unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cups strained strawberry puree
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups milk
1 TBSP lemon juice
several drops of red food coloring
1 ¾ cups whipping cream
Sprinkle the gelatin over the strawberry puree in a small bowl and set aside until spongy.
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl' beat until light. Bring milk to a boil in sauce pan. Add a few tablespoons of the hot milk to the yolk mixture, stirring continuously. Once the egg mixture has tempered you can pour the rest in a steady stream and stir with a wooden spoon. Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your finger leaves a clear trail in sauce when drawn across the back of the spoon. Do not boil or mixture will curdle.
Immediately remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin mixture. Pour into a stainless steel bowl places over a bowl of ice water. Stir in lemon juice and a few drops of red food coloring. Cool over ice water, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens to the consistency of softly whipped cream.
While gelatin mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. When the gelatin mixture resembles softly whipped cream, fold the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture.
My tips: I made my strawberry puree by simply throwing them in the blender and pureeing them. It is not necessary to add any extra sugar or lemon juice. If the strawberries are fresh and taste good simply pureeing them will do.
Strawberry Juice
1 ½ pints of strawberries
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water
Wash and hull strawberries; coarsely chop.
Place strawberries in saucepan; crush to start juices flowing. Place over low heat; add sugar and water; simmer slowly for 10 minutes.
Pour juice and pulp through damp jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined colander and drain into a bowl for 15 minutes. Do not press down on fruit.
Strawberry Mirror
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TBSP kirsch
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP unflavored gelatin
Few drops of red food coloring
Prepare strawberry juice.
Place lemon juice, kirsch, and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over this mixture; set aside until spongy and soft.
Measure 1 ½ cups Strawberry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer; pour over gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve gelatin. Tint to desired color with red food coloring. Place bowl over bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until the mixture is syrupy and just beings to thicken (do not allow to jell); remove from ice water.
When mixture is syrupy, pour a 1/16-inch layer over the top of cake. Refrigerate until set.
My tips: Make sure there are no bubbles when you pour the liquid onto the cake. To get rid of the bubbles simply tap the bowl on the counter a few times to release the air. Do the same with the tin once you have poured it onto the cake.
To Assemble the Cake
- Brush sides of 10-inch springform pan lightly with flavorless salad oil or almond oil. Cut out a cardboard circle that is exactly the same size as the bottom inside of the pan; cover cardboard with aluminum foil and fit into bottom of pan. Center one layer of the cake bottom of pan. Brush the cake with some of the soaking syrup to just moisten(not drench) the cake; set aside.
- Prepare Strawberry Bavarian Cream. Immediately pour about half of the Bavarian Cream over the first layer of cake in the pan. Set the next layer of cake on top of the cream. Pour remaining Bavarian Cream over cake and smooth top of the cream with spatula. Refrigerate until the cream sets (1 to 2 hours).
- Prepare the Strawberry Mirror.
To serve
Wrap a hot towel around the outside of springform pan for a few minutes. Run a small sharp knife tip around the edge of the Strawberry Mirror to separate it form the sides of pan. Mirror will tear when sides are unlatched if it is stuck at ANY point. Slowly unlatch the pan and slide it off the cake. Slice cake in wedges and serve in upright slices.
The red and pink are such bright and prominent colors, I thought of adding a bit of contrast in color, but also slightly to the taste, by adding a few lovely green pistachios. They livened the cake up and gave it a bit of crunch. I used some leftover strawberries and cut them in quarters leaving the greens on. I was quite pleased with the end result.
The cake is a stunner. It looks great with the alternating layers of cake and cream and finally the bright red mirror. The green highlights added more to it's good looks. Taste-wise, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I used fantastic organic strawberries that were exploding with flavor when eaten pure, however, the taste of the fruit somehow was lost in the cake.
Another thing I was a bit disappointed with was the overall texture. While the spongy cake was perfect and tasted great on its own, the cream was a bit stiff. When I first read the ingredients of the cake, I was a bit taken aback by the amount of gelatin that goes into the cream. It's a large amount and I wonder if that's what made the cream so stiff. I was hoping for a light and fluffy creamy texture but that was not the case.
On the whole though the cake tasted OK. The three of us had a slice each and Tom took the rest for his students over at the uni. They enjoyed it to the last slice.
Would I make this again?
I have mixed feelings about this one. It was easy to make even though it takes a lot of time to prepare. I think if I was to give this another try I would probably use other berries, like raspberries, which are more tart and add more flavor than the strawberries do. I would also reduce the overall amount of gelatin to make it creamier. Furthermore, I would also leave the food coloring out. It does add to the vibrant color of the cake but I think the natural coloring of the berries would have been just as spectacular.
What did I learn from this challenge?
Organization is the name of the game. I took plenty of time for this and organized myself really well. I carried out each component of the cake step by step and it all came together really well. The overall making of this cake was a lot of fun and when I finally poured the mirror over the cake and slid it into the fridge to set, I felt completely satisfied.
Thanks to Pea, for choosing a very interesting challenge. To see the other completed cakes from the rest of the fantastic members visit the Daring Bakers' Blogroll and work your way down the list.
Time to relax for a few days until the next challenge is announced. Hope to see you all here around the same time next month again.
Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers, mirror cake, strawberry, cake, Bavarian cream, bake, recipe, food, food blog, photography, nikon d70s
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2007 Meeta Albrecht unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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With more than 300 new resident artists every month, a total of more than 1,200 artists discover or rediscover the Cité internationale des arts every year. Find out who they are.
Should you wish to contact an artist in residence, just send us a request and we'll put you in touch.


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'Syrian Regime Is Responsible,' White House Says Of Attack
(We added a new top to this post at 1:15 p.m. ET.)
"Anyone who approaches this logically" would conclude that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is responsible for last week's chemical weapons attack near Damascus that reportedly left hundreds dead and thousands more injured, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters early Tuesday afternoon.
His sharp words came on day when speculation about the likelihood of U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria increased. While the U.S. has concluded — even as it continues to examine the evidence — that Assad's forces are to blame for the attack, Carney said President Obama is still considering "the appropriate response."
Our original post and earlier updates:
The Obama administration expects to formally declare Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime used chemical weapons against its own people last week, The Associated Press is reporting. Then, word of how the U.S. is responding — almost surely with some type of military action — is "likely to follow quickly," the AP adds.
The wire service says it's getting those tips from "two administration officials ... [who] insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the internal deliberations." NPR has not independently confirmed the news.
This follows Monday's stern words from Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that while evidence is still being collected, "despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable" that chemical weapons killed hundreds of Syrians and injured thousands more last week near Damascus. It is the Assad regime, Kerry said, that "maintains custody of these chemical weapons ... [and] has the capacity to do this with rockets."
The AP report also follows the shift we reported about Monday — from what had been a discussion of "whether" the U.S. and its allies would respond militarily to a discussion of "when" and "how."
That discussion continued Tuesday on Morning Edition, when Ambassador Frederic Hof — a former Obama administration special representative on Syria who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East — told host David Greene that President Obama now basically has no choice but to take military action.
Because Obama has said that using chemical weapons would be a "red line" that the Assad regime should not cross, the credibility of both the U.S. and the president are now at stake, Hof says. The most likely action the U.S. will take, Hof and other experts say, is to fire missiles at military targets inside Syria.
Obama has "a range of options available," Hof believes, from a "limited, largely symbolic strike perhaps against a target related to chemical weapons" that might just exacerbate America's "credibility problem" if they're seen as being too weak, to an "intense, sustained series of attacks against regime delivery systems."
Also Tuesday, there's word from Damascus that U.N. inspectors who are investigating the reports of chemical weapons use won't resume their work until Wednesday. Their first day on the ground was Monday.
Syrian officials also pledged Tuesday that they would use "all available means" to defend the country against any missile strikes.
About 100,000 people — most of them civilians — are thought to have been killed since protests against the Assad regime began in the spring of 2011 and a civil war followed. Millions more have fled their homes.
Update at 1:05 p.m. ET. "Syrian Regime Is Responsible," White House Spokesman Says:
Saying that "there is no doubt here that chemical weapons were used ... on a massive scale on Aug. 21 outside of Damascus," White House spokesman Jay Carney just added that "for anyone who approaches this logically," it's clear that "the Syrian regime is responsible."
President Obama, Carney said, is still considering "the appropriate response."
Update at 12:15 p.m. ET. "It's Imminent," Senator Says Of Military Action:
"I do think it's imminent, and I think it's going to be happening in a very short period of time," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., tells Here & Now, about the likelihood of a U.S. strike on Syria. He's the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Update at 8:45 a.m. ET. "We Are Ready To Go," Hagel Says:
The Pentagon has given President Obama "all options for all contingencies," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel tells the BBC.
"He has seen them, we are prepared. ... We are ready to go," if the order is given, Hagel added.


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Groucho Reviews
All Films
Home Video
DVD Video
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Latest Film Reviews
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Conspiracy of Silence (2004)
Conspiracy of Silence
is well-meaning but has has no faith in its audience.
Aliens of the Deep (2005)
[Though] he's like the Joe Garagiola of the deep...Cameron's unadvisable whims are excusable: as a coffee table book,
Aliens of the Deep
is a beaut.
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
Qualifies, barely, as a guilty pleasure...with its generous scrapbook of literary wisdom and pleasantly overcooked performances.
Hide and Seek (2005)
Hide and Seek
is trashy, but there's no fun to be had in its ugly child-endangerment psychoses....The hidden-in-plain-sight "secret": another crappy movie.
In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
Skillfully paints a portrait of a reclusive and mysterious man by embracing his mystery and primarily letting [Darger], through his work, speak for himself.
Are We There Yet? (2005)
[Alternates] rocket-fueled slapstick with soft-piano sentiment....Then again, it's not every day you see Ice Cube, on a horse, charging after a train.
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Plays more like
Die Hard 2
on a budget than a remake in spirit of Carpenter's scrappy original....When the remake is so flavorless...it's time to hit the video shelves.
Appurushîdo (Appleseed) (2005)
[A] warrior babe cradles [an] injured cyborg bunny in her arms and weeps for him. Take that,
Hotel Rwanda
Travellers and Magicians (2004)
A dual story of accidental spiritual journeys [that] illuminates storytelling's scriptural capacity to impart life lessons...a charming little film [to see] on a big screen.
Racing Stripes (2005)
While no one will walk out quoting killer punchlines, the requisite fart jokes and pop cultural references are slightly zestier than usual.
White Noise (2005)
As inherently unthrilling, incoherent, and unsatisfying as scrambled porn.
Beyond the Sea (2004)
Kevin Spacey's Beyond the Sea is a wonderful and terrible thing. Some will take to its old-school melodrama and movie-musical virtuosity. Cinematic dog-lovers will come to gawk. Either way, Spacey's...
In Good Company (2004)
Has a pleasant whiff of Capra about it, with its accessible story, good humor, and insinuating themes.
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement) (2004)
When Jeunet attempts to achieve dramatic heft, with no commensurate change in style, he falls distressingly short.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Million Dollar Baby
makes the line between subtle and obvious seem finer than it is, and delivers its one-two punches Old-Hollywood-style.
Spartan (2004)
Writer-director David Mamet's unpleasantly truthful paranoid thriller Spartan should contribute to our turn-of-the-century zeitgeist as Alan J. Pakula's The Parallax View did to the post-Watergate '7...
Touching the Void (2004)
Early on in Touching the Void, Joe Simpson explains a basic principle of Alpine Style mountain climbing: "At some point, you're going to have to rely, wholly, on your partner." On that point turns Si...
Meet the Fockers (2004)
DeNiro is pretty much the only reason to see
Meet the Fockers
...[betrays] creative exhaustion.
Fat Albert (2004)
"Hey hey hey," Fat Albert exclaims, "How did I get this way?"
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
When Jim Carrey's Count Olaf sizes up the three perpetually out-of-focus orphans in his musty foyer, he purrs, "I must say, you're a gloomy-looking bunch." The Baudelaire children, it seems, have los...
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Flatly retells a high-concept
Boy's Life
adventure story that's hard to break, but easy to bleed of its significance.
Overnight (2004)
is guiltily mesmerizing; if it's instructive at all, it's as a cautionary tale of the fatality of lost perspective.
[Despite] an identity crisis...a surprisingly subtle and pleasantly off-kilter comedy-drama.
Kinsey (2004)
Kinsey's many contradictions and awkward personality get full attention from Condon's clever treatment and Liam Neeson's best screen performance in years.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Admirably scruffy in its droll comic pursuits, but has all the storytelling aplomb of a Sunday-funnies section.
Cachorro (Bear Cub) (2004)
The Spanish dramedy Bear Cub tells the story of Pedro, a gay Madrid dentist who slows down his swinging ways to care for his sister's son, Bernardo. On paper, Bear Cub sounds like a sickly sweet, con...
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Instead of building on its predecessors,
Blade: Trinity
feels cheap, compromised, and plumb tuckered out.
28 Days Later (2003)
"The mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the organ when again tou...
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Symbolic martial arts romance...sex and death offer a freedom but also a finality...colorful, sumptuous, and often gorgeous.
Alexander (2004)
is unavoidably a problematic epic, but it has integrity and deserves an audience willing to engage in Stone's dialogue.
Closer (2004)
Strangers becoming lovers, lovers becoming estranged: the paradox of oh-so-modern coupling keeps the home fires burning in Patrick Marber's astringent
Touch of Pink (2004)
What do you get if you cross Play It Again, Sam with The Birdcage? You might get Touch of Pink, Ian Iqbal Rashid's sweet and gentle farce about the trouble with maintaining illusions. Unfortunately,...
We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)
We Don't Live Here Anymore
frames with precision emotional moments in the lives of people who build their own prisons and, over time, plot escapes.
She Hate Me (2004)
A reminder that Spike Lee is one of our great American filmmakers, unafraid to address, directly and artfully, contemporary issues in a context of national history.
Silver City (2004)
A pastiche of
and the deeply sarcastic ensemble satires of Robert Altman...Cooper's English-mangling version of George W. is a certified hoot
Finding Neverland (2004)
A missed opportunity...recommendable to audiences looking for a warm-hearted, tearjerking movie, but not terribly commendable for cineastes in search of a sophisticated film.
La Mala educación (Bad Education) (2004)
True to form, Almodóvar gets unimpeachable performances from his cast (particularly Bernal...) and paints his frames with gleefully lurid strokes.
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
A mildly abrasive satire of America's holiday lockstepping [which backpedals] desperately into toothless humanism.
Callas Forever (2004)
sequences, though consistent with
Callas Forever
's washed-out '70s look, have a beauty and immediacy which the rest of the film lacks.
Vera Drake (2004)
The austerity of the film's latter part might seem merely maudlin had Leigh not so carefully established that life goes on in and around the film's central polemic.
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Ukraine: Disclosure and Transparency: Beyond The Balance Sheet
25 November 2020
About the SSE
The SSE initiative is a UN Partnership Programme organised by UNCTAD, the UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and the PRI. The SSE's mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policymakers and relevant international organizations, can enhance performance on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SSE seeks to achieve this mission through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical assistance and advisory services.