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microcosmic cold war! Okay, so I have recently figured out that blogging about China is not that fun. There is a lot of bad news, controversy, hatred,misinformation, fanaticism and the like. But I feel fine because I don?t want to do it because it?s fun, that was not my intention. I want to participate in this communication because I think I have a perspective to offer. So despite this being more difficult than I thought, I will continue to post. This is a silly post. I thought the way this was written by BBC
Seeing Architecture on your Italy Vacation During your Italy vacation you will find that architecture here has had strong ties to religion through the ages. Many of the great architectural pieces are religious buildings such as churches and chapels. Just walking around the tourist attractions and in the country side you will come across several chapels and churches with great and unique architectural design. There are numerous other pieces to see in the architectural center of the world. But as with many things when you are on vacat
Fiat to develop new low cost car: new Palio? Uno? The latest automaker to jump onto the low cost car bandwagon is Fiat. The company plans to reveal its low cost car somewhere in 2010. According to Fiat R&D Chief Harald Wester, the new low cost car will be slighty larger than the Fiat Panda, but did not quote any indicative price range for the car. The new low-cost Fiat will help with the company?s position in markets such as South America, Russia, India and China. It?s not known yet whether the new low cost car will be Fiat-badged or not,
Honeymoon!!! and I just planned out our Honeymoon Timeline!!! I'm soooo thrilled!!!! He was looking at the Coldplay website and realized that they are going on tour again this year. They are having a concert in Houston on November 18, which will be our ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY as husband and wife! So Carlos has now scheduled our Rome getaway to end with the Coldplay concert in Houston for the Viva la Vida tour! Oh MY GOSH!! What a grande finale!!!!!!!! I cannot believe how perfect this is going to be! W
Photosets: Sensory Overload, por Steven Meisel El norteamericano Steven Meisel (1954) es uno de los fotógrafos de moda más importantes de la historia, y se ha especializado en en campañas publicitarias para firmas de renombre internacional como Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein y Versace. Actualmente, Meisel trabaja para revistas como Vogue US y Vogue Italia, para la que realizó nada más y nada menos que sus portadas durante 15 años, 180 portadas en total,Yylas que sigue haciendo por lo que este nada fácil rec
Rally d?Italia Sardegna - Dia 1 Loeb abre vantagem no primeiro dia de Rally O piloto Sebastien Loeb da Citroën Total World Rally Team terminou o primeiro dia do Rally da Sardinha com a liderança. Seu companheiro de equipe, o espanhol Daniel Sordo mantém a segunda colocaçao, enquanto o Subaru do norueguês Petter Solberg lutou para subir para o terceiro lugar. Apesar das fortes chuvas que aconteceram na ilha no meio da semana, o dia se manteve seco, embora os estágios tenham se tornado muito mais traiçoeir
Fashion Shopping Tour in Rome Shopping Tour in Rome This walk leads to the major shopping roads in Rome, an area including the most known Via del Corso and Via Condotti. - You can start your walk in Via del Corso, from Piazza del Popolo, a large square and elegant pedestrian area. Among the monuments it includes: an Egyptian obelisk which stands in the centre of the Piazza, church of Santa Maria del Popolo and the Twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1681) and Santa Maria in Montesanto (1679) - Via del Co
Summer dessert with a sparkle Michele Chiarlo Moscato d?Asti DOCG 2007 P&B in Calamandrana 7% $10.99 for a 375ml at Bottle Barn Chiarlo
Marega Pinot Grigio We opened the Marega Pinot Grigio to try out another white wine for the upcoming summer season - it came recommended from our friends at Murphy?s in Virginia Highlands. It was typical of Pinot Grigio - slightly sweet, pale color, light fruit, no woodiness (Pinot Grigio?s are rarely aged in wood) - a nice in-between that isn?t a Chardonnay and isn?t a Reisling. I liked this white colder - I?d recommend definitely letting it get to temperature before drinking. However, it was an enjoyable whit
Pogroms, Yet Again. New York Times writes today that: "On Saturday, several hundred Italians attacked a camp of Roma, or Gypsies, on the eastern outskirts of Naples brandishing sticks and throwing homemade incendiary devices, after a 16-year-old Roma girl was accused of trying to steal a baby. The police were called to restore order and no one was injured, but the episode led national news programs." Pogroms, the lynchings of Europe. I'd have hoped that we'd moved past this, but we hadn't. My favorite part o
Surviving the Dreary Dollar in Style Story and photos by Valerie McGuire Vintage stores in Florence offer a reasonably priced alternative to expensive boutiques. The euro exchange rate with the dollar is about 1.6. If the economy continues as predicted, the dollar is likely to depreciate even more in the coming months. Not since the euro was first introduced has the US dollar become so weak. Italians may lament that life is not the same since losing la vecchia lira, but for American tourists, students and expats, a strong eur
Remnants of Resistance Story and photo by Christine Kim Political graffiti on a wall in Florence recalls a history of resistance and features the hammer and sickle, a communist symbol signifying unity between industrial and agricultural workers. Sometimes it?s hard to remember Italy?s rich history in political dissent among all the touristy clubs and bars aimed at American students. If you are wondering where all the leftists congregate, the first place you can look isn?t far from NYU?s La Pietra campus. Tak
One Day to Roam Rome Story and photos by Meridith Roy The Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome and is beautifully illuminated at night. Step one: breathe in deeply. Once you exit Stazione Termini, Rome?s main train station, you?ll find yourself surrounded by noise, crowds, and cars. Step two: exhale and get ready to fall in love with a quintessentially Italian city. If you are the type of traveler who likes to see everything, stay a week in Rome. If you are a broke college student making a day tri
Hello Italy. Italy. by J. Schock at 3:43 PM Seems to me, this is one glaring area where the AVP needs to catch up to FIVB: photo: fivb
FIVB Italian Open: Rogers-Dalhausser into semis Italian Open: Rogers-Dalhausser into semis by J. Schock at 3:09 PM Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser are back to ass-kicking in international competition, making it to the semi-finals of the FIVB Italian Open in Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy. Three other American teams are struggling or are out of competition: Matt Fuerbringer / Casey Jennings (20) - Play 11th seed Germans tomorrow Jake Gibb / Sean Rosenthal (7) - OUT; Last week's winners in Prague, they were knocked out by Fu
It's Friday, See Something Different time to relax. Time to see something different..., and this is REALLY different: it's an animation done painting walls on the streets of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Baden (Switzerland). I have no idea how much work a movie like this may entail, but it seems like a lot of work and painting! Nevertheless, the result is awesome. The artist known as Blu is from Bologne, Italy and in his site you can see more of his work, in walls all around the world. Thanks Dani, for sending the vid
La bella vita? I finished work this evening around 7 and walked across the Ponte Vecchio to meet Rino at the other side of the Arno, for an aperitivo. We always go to the same place, an Irish pub called Friends. I love the atmosphere and they have the most amazing aperitivos. The best part is with a glass of yummy red wine, an entire buffet of crostini are available?we spent a few hours there tonight with Lupen (more to come on Lupen later?the love of my life) drinking wine, sittin g outside, munching on cro
Euro Notes: In Italy, It Helps to be Pretty in Politics said this? A female legislator with the nickname -- wait for it -- Mara La Bella, or Mara the Beautiful. 32-year-old Mara Carfagna used to be a model and showgirl. She's the new -- wait for it -- Minister of Equal Opportunities. Seriously! There's more! The article then says: Silvio Berlusconi, 71, has been a fan of Miss Carfagna for several years, and had to apologise to his wife last summer after he remarked that if he was single, he would try to marry her. Miss Carfagna is unmarried,
The passionate Alice Feiring and her new book, The Battle for Wine and Love, have fanned the flames of the natural winemaking debate. In particular she has bruised the feelings of the California wine industry, to which she has not been very complimentary. This has resulted in some lively back and forth on the side of the Californians in The Los Angeles Times, hardly a surprising forum for the pro-California view. I applaud Alice’s spirited attack on industrial wines and support of wines with personality and a sense of place. Her intensity has helped keep the debate a debate.
Extreme positions help sell books and it looks like Alice has done a good job in riling up the Californians and keeping her book in the headlines. I’m sure if the truth came out Alice, like me, has a long list of California wines she loves.
It’s becoming the spoofulators vs. the natural movement and the main spoofulators seem to be in California. Yet this raises the question of what’s really natural or not and at what point the line is crossed from one to the other. It’s not as clear as it may seem. At some point it is just as bad to do too little to the wine as it is to do too much. Bad wine is bad wine, natural or not.
Let’s take a look at the revered (I agree) wines of Josko Gravner in northeastern Italy on the border with Slovenia. Gravner ferments and ages his white wines on the skins and seeds for six or seven months in terra cotta amphorae coated with beeswax. This has a somewhat dramatic (to say the least) impact on the flavor and color of his wines. Is this natural winemaking or a kind of natural spoofulation? The wines of Gravner are extreme wines manipulated to that style by the hand of the winemaker. Are the techniques of Clark Smith more intrusive than this? I’m not sure this is a question that has been answered.
There are a few buzzwords out there that seem to define the natural wine forces: biodynamic, indigenous yeasts, little or no sulfur and never, never any machines. Yet there are a whole array of interventions other than these that winemakers impose on their wines either because they dream of crafting great art like Gravner or because they are commercial winemakers that must put out a good tasting stable wine year-after-year to keep their jobs. It seems a bit preposterous to return to primitive methods of winemaking that more-often-than-not have the potential to produce faulted wines. Not all progress is inherently bad and any good winemaker will do everything needed to improve their wines. Many winemakers resolve this conflict between their desire to be part of the natural movement and the realities of putting better wine in the bottle by forgetting to talk about certain things when they talk to the press.
Great wines are made, they don’t just happen. That’s why they call them winemakers. There is an incredible array of tools and knowledge available to today’s winemakers. To not make use of any of these tools and techniques does not make any sense. However, what you do with these many new tools is all important. You can’t make wine without manipulation, but without a doubt you can’t make great wine with with over-manipulation. I believe in terroir. I have tasted it in wines way to often to have any doubt. As long as a winemakers manipulations are designed to enhance that terroir I don’t have any problems with them.
I took a walk in a quiet place. In it, there were many souls from ancient times. They were from Greece and Italy, Sumeria and Egypt, Persia and Etruria. The voices were silent but the souls were coming through loud and clear, on a Friday afternoon on the eastern edge of Central Park.
I had just interviewed a gentleman about his life, his book and things Italian. But we didn?t quite make a connection. How could you do anything in 15 minutes, except perhaps to size each other up like two bulls in a ring? Not that it was that kind of encounter. I left feeling the need to reconnect with my roots, so I hopped on a subway and headed back a couple of thousand years, to interview the ancient ones.
Q. What were the wines like when you were living?
A. They were dark and musky, and warm. They tasted a little like sour water sometimes and at other times sweet like rose petals.
Q. Who made the wine in your community?
A. We had families who passed the trade down from generation to generation. There were families, like in Chaldea, who had been working with the grape for hundreds of years.
Q. Who among you were the first to taste wine?
The fellow in profile speaks
A. When we first tasted it, it came about by accident. One of the servants had left a vase of grapes lying around in a cool dark place and forgot about it. Several weeks later one of the porters was walking around and smelled this sweet odor. He had it brought up to the dining area and we all took bites out of this fruit we knew, but it tasted very different this time. And the juice in the bottom of the vase we all took sips of. This was something we had never experienced before. So we instructed the porters to pick more grapes and let them sit in the basement in the same manner. That was the first time we had seen it.
Q. How did the news of this travel?
A. Slowly at first, but after 400-500 years pretty much everybody in the known world had an idea of the transformative powers of the grape.
Q. And the merchants, how did they fit in?
A. At first, it was seen as a religious ritual, so the merchants stayed away. A tribe of women eventually wound their way through the empire, setting up trade with the Egyptians.
Q. Many times we hear that the Greeks brought wine culture to Italy. Who knows about that in this room?
An Etruscan princess answers
A. We had already started with the grape before the Greeks arrived. We had been going on for several hundred years. What the Greeks did was to bring some new grape types with them, but not superior to the ones we had been cultivating for 500 years.
Q. It seems Ancient Romans loved wine. Poems were written about it, buildings and temples were erected in honor of the god of the grapes.
A. That all is true, but keep in mind we had very little to eat and drink. We were often sick and food went bad quickly. Wine kept, and it kept us well and our bellies full. And it made us happy.
Q. Did the grape have anything to do with the expansion of the Empire(s)?
A. Other than it went where man went? Of course when we conquered Gaul or the Huns or the Britons, we would plant vines and keep the local people collected and subdued. Wine had a part to play in the civilizing factor of the wild tribes.
Q. Last Question. If you were around today, what kind of wine would you like to see? What would you make?
An older Roman answers
A. Listen, I would round up some of my soldiers and head to Toscanium and set that land straight. I?d bring them back to the Jovian roots and light a bloody fire under their feet. And by all the power of Jupiter, we?d bring them back to the flame of truth and all that is holy about the miracle the gods have sent down from the heavens in giving us grape with which to make this precious wine. Anyone caught disrespecting the gift of the gods would be crucified and struck down, their family sent into exile. To go against the Divine Immortals is the worst sin one could commit against the pantheon that rules our ancient souls.
Drop dead gorgeous I'm dying to know I nearly died of embarrassment To die for I'm dying to go on holiday, give up work, move house, get married, whatever.
I don't think so.
No one ever died because they were attractive. No one died because they didn't know the latest gossip. No one ever died of embarrassment. Did you die when you ate that creme brulee, chocolate cake or drank vintage champagne?
.............and no one ever, ever died because they didn't go on holiday, continued to work, stayed in the same house, didn't get married, or whatever.
People die from accidents, heart attacks, any number of diseases like liver disease or kidney disease. Some people die because they are born into poverty in a third world country and some people die in war.
Then there are those who die from cancer. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends, work colleagues, nieghbours.
Happily there are also those who beat cancer. The ones who discover it early. And that is the secret to beating cancer - early detection. Which is why they have tests like mammographies, PAP smears, colonoscopies, PSA's, skin and mole checks. If you have a history of cancer in your family these checks are even more important. Discuss cancer screening with your doctor next time you visit. It could save your life.
I would like to thank the 179 fabulous bloggers who cared enough to participate in LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow - 2008. Thank you for sharing your stories. I cried, I laughed and I rejoiced at the stories you shared. I'm honoured some of you chose to share your very personal stories with me via email, stories too painful to share with the world.
While I was writing the round up I received a call to tell me a friend had lost her battle with cancer. There was a big difference in our ages and until we were both diagnosed with cancer we weren't close. Our friendship developed as we shared our cancer journey. Some of our conversations were about death and our theories on an after life. Those around us found it hard to comprehend how easily we talked about death. How we could laugh about how we wanted to look in our coffins. For her it was to be no make up at all , for me it is to be no rosy cheeks or red lipstick. She'd chosen her outfit already - something simple. I'm in no hurry to choose my outfit. I'm thinking something white and angelic :) No harm in looking the part. Don't be shocked when your loved ones use humour to talk about their cancer - it helps us overcome our fears.
As much as I use humour to talk about my cancer, I no longer use the expressions - drop dead gorgeous, I'm dying to know, this chocolate is to die for, I'm dying to go on holiday, whatever.
I'd like to dedicate A Taste Of Yellow 2008 to my friend Augusta . A remarkable woman with a great sense of humour, she enjoyed whiskey, Scotch Finger biscuits, good cheese and semillon wine.
Because there were so many entries I have split it into two posts. There will be a link to the second part at the end of this post. I'd like to thank everyone who participated in LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow 2008. The following is in no particular order apart from entries with the wristband being featured first.
Lynn in Augusta Gorgia at Cafe Lynnylu persuaded her husband Alex to pose for her entry in the photo competition. I'm sure he was rewarded with the bowl of this delicious Lemon Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl. Some days I achieve very little (apart from a lot of laughter) when I spend far too much time on line chatting with Bron Marshall back in New Zealand. This Yellow Patty Pan Squash with Lemon and Currant Quinoa is just one of her many brilliant creations. Bev at Yummy In My Tummy in Kortenaken, Belgium made Lemon and Ginger Muffins in honour of her grandfather . Her handsome, smiling grandfather lost his battle with cancer only four years ago when he was just 68 years of age. Laurie from Astoria, New York with the delightful blog name Heaven is Chocolate, Cheese and Carbs has made these Sunny Caramel Cupcakes decoareted with yellow and white fondant. Chris at Mele Cotte runs another cancer themed event Cooking To Combat Cancer. She honours her gran who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer with a Mango Pepper Salsa. If Helene that lovely French Tartelette in the US comes to visit me I would hope she would pack her suitcase full of macarons. She makes the most delicious sounding (and looking) ones I've ever seen. Today she serves them in her Tropical Fruit Verrine with Peach Macarons. How good does that sound! Kalyn you all know from Kalyn's Kitchen in Salt Lake City said this about her Chipotle-Lime Deviled Eggs - these deviled eggs were so good, I ate the ones in the photo before the pictures had even loaded into my computer. She had me craving deviled eggs when I read the post. I decided to put these two dishes together as they both involve eggs but are totally different, which is the beauty of food blogging. I love how we see things differently and share our ideas. These Ouefs Mayonnaise are a favourite of Fred's and after previous mayonnaise attempts everything finally came together and Sam at Becks and Posh in San Francisco was happy with her home made mayonnaise. Recently I've been on a similar cooking wave length to ChichaJo at 80 Breakfasts in Manila in the Philippines. We bothmade labnah the same week and there I was eating a bowl of semolina when her Semolina Porridge popped up for A Taste Of Yellow. Arfi at HomeMadeS in Auckland New Zealand contributed two entries. She had some time to herself while her little ones were visiting their Grandmother so she whipped up this wonderful Banana and Coconut Pudding. Tami at Running With Tweezers in Atlanta Gorgia contributes a Tangy Tarragon Vinaigrette to serve with Yellow Tomatoes. Lori at Lip Smacking Goodness honours an aunt and her mother in law lost to cancer and celebrates those who have triumphed with this recipe for Mini Passionfruit Cheese Cake with Passionfruit Curd. Bron Marshall couldn't resist a second entry and as it is the end of summer in New Zealand corn is everywhere. I often bought it from road side stalls when driving on the outskirts of Auckland. Bron served the family a snack of Yellow Grilled Corn with Chilli Butter. My favourite Cream Puff in Canada, Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice is another blogger touched by cancer with the loss of her father in 2001. Thank you Ivonne for finding the time to participate with another fabulous cake. This year she lays a little yellow on us with a Lemon-Lime Cocounut and Macadamia Nut Cake. A healthy and colourful Corn Salad from the sweet Paz at The Cooking Adventures Of Paz. I get to enjoy the streets of New York through Paz's weekly photos. Tammy at Wee Treats By Tammy in Auckland dedicated her recipe from Cuisine for Lemon Rice Pudding With Cinnamon Ice Cream to her aunt undergoing chemo at the moment. Jennifer at Use Real Butter in Nederland Colorado has kicked cancer's ass. To make these Lemon Petit Fours despite currently undergoing chemo shows her strength of character. Ilva from Sweden now lives in Tuscany, Italy and daily shares her impressions of Italy with her photos at Lucullian Delights. She shares her recipe for Saffron and Carrot Cupcakes With Cardamom and Pinenuts. Arundathi at My Food Blog in Chennai, India contributes with an intriguing recipe for Lemon Rice. This fabulous looking Lemon Layer Cake is from Karen at Do Better in the San Francisco Bay Area. From Bristol in the UK, Sam's Mum Chris at Ms Cellania shared her delicious Lemon Curd last year. This year she has gone savoury with a delicious Kedgeree. From the family comments at the bottom of the post at Bake at 350 I can see Bridget's Mom Gayle was special and much loved. Bridget from Spring Texas made Rose Sugar Cookies in tribute to her mother. In New Zealand Morven at Food Art and Random Thoughts dedicates her recipe for Sicilian Peppers to friends and family touched by cancer. Judy at
Tecnorati
Q. What were the wines like when you were living?
The fellow in profile speaks
An Etruscan princess answers
An older Roman answers