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(Delhi, Varanasi, Khajuraho, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai)
Silence envelops your senses as you venture deep into the vast caverns of the rock-cut cave temples on Elephanta Island.
The UNESCO World Heritage site contains a treasure trove of rare relics, beautiful sculptures and a temple to the Hindu god Shiva in a place protected against the rigors of time. Back in nearby Mumbai, you'll dive into the hustle and bustle of the city as you tour highlights such as the Hanging Gardens, Gateway of India and St. Thomas Cathedral at your own pace. Join the pilgrimage to the holy city of Varanasi where you'll learn the spiritual secrets of the Ganges and the Sarnath ruins; explore Delhi with a private guide and driver; experience the dance, music and art of the ancient temples of Khajuraho; visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise; tour the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri; and discover the beauty of the royal city of Udaipur.
It's five-star accommodation all the way on this trip. No detail is missed as a team of expert tour guides and private drivers whisk you away to a hand-picked selection of the country's finest historical sites and spiritual marvels. World-class chefs serve up all the irresistible tastes of India in opulent hotel dining rooms, and the country's most exclusive hotels ensure your comfort at every stop.
Enjoy a personalized vacation that best suits your needs, developed by one of our experienced destination experts. Relax during your trip with our 24/7 support and expert local guidance.
Relax and enjoy an airport transfer in a private vehicle, with driver, and English-speaking assistant.
Spend the day on a privately guided full day tour of Old and New Delhi which boasts spectacular monuments and holy sites. The city of New Delhi was designed in the typically British colonial style, with tree-lined avenues and colonial bungalows. This tour takes you to the Laxminarayan Temple, a modern Hindu temple, and the famous Gate of India, which is a 42-meter high War Memorial Arch. On route you drive past the Parliament House, the secretariat buildings and the Vice Regal Palace that is now the official residence of the President of India. Visit the Red Fort which was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, when he moved his capital from Agra to bring prestige to his reign. Its wall is 1.5 miles long, and varies in height from 60 to 110 feet. At 72.5 meters, the Qutab Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world. Surrounding the building are many fine examples of Indian artwork dating back to 1193. Afterwards view the Humayun's tomb, which is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture dating to the Slave Dynasty (1268-1287 AD). The complex is a World Heritage Site and the first example of this type of Mughal architecture in India. This style of mausoleum is similar to the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Enjoy your flight from Delhi to Varanasi. The flight duration is approximately 90 minutes.
From your hotel, a private vehicle, with driver, and English speaking guide, will transfer you to the airport for your flight.
Take a private guided tour of Sarnath. Located 5 miles from Varanasi, the site is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma after his enlightenment. Sarnath is one of four holy Buddhist sites sanctioned by Buddha himself for pilgrimage. Amongst the ruins is the Dharmekh Stupa, an impressive 128-foot high, and 93-diameter large structure. It was constructed by the Emperor Ashoka in 249 BCE. There are also several other Buddhist erections that were added between the 3rd and the 11th century BC.
The Aarti Ceremony is a Hindu ritual where light or fire is offered to the deities. Each Lamp wick is soaked in ghee or purified butter and lit, whilst songs of praise are sung in front of the deities. "Aa", means "towards", and "Rati" can be translated to "the highest love for God" in Sanskrit. Almost all the Hindu worship rituals involve the ceremony of Aarti. Perhaps the first mentioning of the Ceremony of Aarti in India can be found in the Rig Veda, which is considered to be the earliest scripture of Hinduism. This evening Aarti Ceremony is an absolutely wonderful sight from the Ganges River. This tour includes a boat ride to experience the magical ceremony from the water.
Glide along the famous and holy Ganges waterway in a private boat accompanied by an expert guide. The Ganga Ghats at Varanasi attract tourists and pilgrims of all ages for the opportunity to take a dip in the holy Ganges, which is believed to absolve one's sins. Pilgrims and tourists alike can be seen swimming and bathing immediately next to the funeral pyres of the riverside temples. This is a somewhat surreal experience and only for those with a strong constitution.
Winding through the streets and popping out onto the riverside will give you an insider's look at the symbiotic life of the riverside people of Varanasi. Eventually, as you tour through the city you will end up on Bengali Tola, the street of the Bengalis, where you will be visiting the hidden Mother Goddess Kali shrines, and the vistas of life along the riverside. The tour continues to the historic ritual bathing site called Dashaswamedh, or the ten-horse sacrifice Ghat, the perfect way to conclude this walking city tour.
"One can survive everything nowadays, except death." In India dying is accepted as a part of life, and when one dies, there are a multitude of rituals and ceremonies that need to be performed. This experience takes you to the Manikarnika Ghat to take a look at the various death rituals passage that the Hindus perform. Hindus, who carry out a myriad of rituals in their lifetime, believe that humans are reborn according to their karma and hence, perform many death rituals to ensure that the soul rests in peace. You may wonder why Hindus burn or cremate the body instead of burying it. The answer lies in the belief. Here, your tour guide will introduce you to the history and mythology associated with this Ghat. You will get to understand the rites and see the inner workings of this unique place. This experience is expected to last approximately 4 hours including travel time.
Enjoy your flight from Varanasi to Khajuraho today. The flight duration is approximately one hour.
Sit back and relax during this airport transfer in a private vehicle, with driver and English-speaking assistant.
This private guided tour of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho, is a once in life time experience. Situated in a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, about 620 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, this unique location is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of India. Khajuraho contains the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, which are famous due to the erogenous nature of the sculptures. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India. The city of Khajuraho was the original capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th century. These marvelous Khajuraho temples and the whole surrounding area were enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 22 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 8 square miles.
Meet your driver for a private transfer to Jhansi Railway Station. Enroute stop at Orchha.
Enjoy your train ride from Jhansi to Agra. The train ride duration is approximately two and a half hours.
A private vehicle with driver and English-Speaking assistant will provide a transfer between the train station and your accommodation.
Today your guide will pick you up from your hotel for a private tour of Taj Mahal, the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal. Also visit Agra Fort, built of red sandstone and marble. This great monument of red sandstone dominating a bend in the river Yamuna, two kilometers northwest of Taj Mahal was constructed by the Mughals during 1565-1571.
Enjoy a traditional ride on a Tonga (horse drawn carriage).
Transfer to Jaipur with private vehicle and driver. On the way, visit ancient ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, the "City of Victory" was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.
Spend the day today in the company of a knowledgeable English speaking guide as you tour the Amber Fort and City Palace of Jaipur, the iconic Observatory and the Hawa Mahal. The magnificent Amber Fort was established in 1592, and remained the citadel of the Kachhawaha rulers right until they moved their capital to Jaipur in 1727. Maharaja Man Singh I created this imposing monument on the remains of an ancient 11th century fort. Since the first half of the 18th century, the City Palace has been the abode to the rulers of Jaipur. The sprawling expanse of the breathtaking palace is a superb harmony of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Part of the palace has been converted into a museum, open to the public, while a section - Chandra Mahal - still remains the home of today's maharaja. The Observatory of Jaipur is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period". Within it, the Jantar Mantar is a collection of massive astronomical instruments, built of local stone and marble. Each instrument carries an astronomical scale marked on the marble inner lining, and bronze tablets were also employed. Built in 1799, the whimsical Hawa Mahal - Palace of Winds - which adjoins the Palace has become quite the city icon, with its ornate facade in pale pink, tiered baroque like build, projecting 'jharokha' windows and balconies with perforated screens. These were designed so that the mysterious veiled ladies of the harem could look down upon the colourful and bustling bazaars below, remaining hidden themselves. Overlooking busy streets, it offers great views of the city. We feel the Amber Fort is best reached by car, but an optional elephant ride is available should you prefer (cost not included).
From its creation in 1727, the royal families and nobles of Jaipur patronized the craftsmen and artisans of the city. These traditions continue to this day and as a result modern day Jaipur is considered by many as the craft capital of India. Traditional methods are still used to produce many valuable and highly prized items. Using skills passed down through generations, artisans and master craftsmen can be seen in the areas of Ghat Darwaza and Vishveshwar ji. On this fascinating evening walk mingle and talk with the locals whilst sampling some of the region's culinary delights; try pakoras, aloo tiki, samosa and ladoo from some of the city's most popular street food vendors. Observe local artisans in their workshops; jewelers and silversmiths, gold painters and tie dying experts. The iconic Hawa Mahal also called the Palace of the Winds is the meeting point at which this two and a half hour walk begins.
Meet your driver for a transfer from Jaipur to Udaipur. The drive takes approximately 6.5 hours.
Today visit the majestic white City Palace built in granite and marble. The palace complex is surrounded by crenellated fort walls, and overlooks Pichola Lake. The Garden of the Maids of Honor is well laid out with extensive lawns and shady walks. Constructed for forty eight young ladies-in-waiting sent to the royal house as part of the dowry, the garden has many fountains in its four delightful pools, chiseled kiosks and marble elephants. The Crystal Gallery in the Fateh Prakash Palace features a breath taking collection of crystals including tables, sofa sets, a dining table, dressers, fountains, beds, and an exquisite jewel studded carpet.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in the company of your guide.
For centuries artisans of Udaipur have created woven, printed dyed and embroidered textiles. These artists have practiced for generations preserving the identity of each art form. You can visit the homes of traditional artisans, some of them the last remaining in the line, to witness, understand, and appreciate the subtle nuances of these art forms unique to Udaipur. It is rare opportunity to experience the vibrant and diverse world of textiles up close, at your own pace. An expert will be at you hand to answer your questions and help interact with artists.
Enjoy an evening boat ride at Lake Pichola.
Today travel to Eklingji, located about twelve miles north of Udaipur, featuring a complex of 108 ancient temples, carved from sandstone and marble. The main temple was built in 734 AD to propagate the blessings of Lord Shiva. Afterwards continue on to Nagda, known for its 10th century temples. The Jain temple of Adbudji is essentially ruined, but it still displays interesting architecture. Visit the Sas Bahu temple that has fine intricate carvings. There are also some small temples submerged in the nearby lake.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with English-speaking assistant.
Enjoy your flight from Udaipur to Mumbai today. The flight duration is approximately 90 minutes.
You will be welcomed at the Mumbai Airport by an English speaking representative and transferred to your accommodation by private vehicle and driver.
This full day tour of Mumabi is the best way to experience the city at your own pace. The tour covers all the must-see places on any traveler's itinerary including visits to the Gateway of India, St. Thomas Cathedral, Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay University and the Oval Maidan, Town Hall, Victoria Terminus, Crawford Market, Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach, Mani Bhavan the home of Gandhi, Malabar Hill and the Hanging Gardens and finally Dhobi Ghat.
A cruise through Mumbai Harbor brings you to the rock-cut cave temples on Elephanta Island. In 1987, the caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rock-cut temple complex covers an area of 60,000 square feet consisting of a main chamber, two lateral ones, courtyards and subsidiary shrines. The site of these magnificent caves contains beautiful reliefs, sculptures, and a temple to the Hindu god Shiva.
Khyber is Mumbai's famed restaurant for Mughlai cuisine. The opulent decor includes original paintings by some of India's most famous artists. Please note that drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic are not included.
A legend which is considered one of the best hotels in New Delhi and an iconic property in Delhi's 5-star hotel category, The Imperial offers a unique experience embracing facets of India's history and stands witness to the birth of the capital city of New Delhi. Built in 1931 by Blomfield; one of Sir Edwin Lutyen's associates and inaugurated by Lord Willingdon in 1936, the hotel is known for its contemporary colonial style. As New Delhi's landmark Hotel, it is located on Janpath, the erstwhile Queensway, steps away from the renowned shopping district and major attractions of the city.
Nadesar Palace is situated in one of the oldest living cities of the world, on the banks of the river Ganges. Nadesar Palace has hosted royalty, statesmen and celebrities since 1835. The name Nadesar is derived from the Goddess Nadesari, whose shrine is located in the front of the Palace. Set amidst verdant gardens, mango orchards, marigold and jasmine fields, Nadesar Palace is a haven of peace and tranquility. Works of art from the Maharaja's collection decorate the walls of the Palace's 10 luxurious suites. Embellished with original pieces of furniture refurbished to recreate the atmosphere of a bygone era, the décor of the rooms is intended to evoke the colours of marigolds, jasmines, and pale pink lotuses that are offered to the holy Ganges.
The Lalit Temple View Khajuraho Hotel is located in Khajuraho making it one of the best hotels to stay at while in town. All 47 guestrooms at the hotel provide all the comforts and conveniences guests would expect in a hotel in this class. The guestrooms are equipped with non smoking rooms, air conditioning, bathrobes, daily newspaper, desk, hair dryer, ironing board. Guests can experience the high standards of comfort while staying at this luxury Khajuraho hotel with everything they need right on the site such as room service 24hr, shops, bar/pub, laundry service/dry cleaning, meeting facilities , restaurant, safety deposit boxes, disabled facilities. The hotel offers massage, kids club, gym/fitness facilities, sauna, steamroom, spa, pool outdoor to provide extra pleasure and relaxation for all guests. Modern comfort and convenience are seamlessly combined to ensure the guests' satisfaction.
The Oberoi Amarvilas is located 600 meters from the Taj Mahal and all rooms, suites, lobby, bar and lounge offer breathtaking views of the monument. Indulge with your own private view of the greatest monument of love. Wake up to the glorious sight of the Taj Mahal, bathed by the first rays of dawn. Richly detailed interiors are perfectly complemented by a choice of international and Indian cuisine. The hotel offers a range of activities to relax and recharge, including a fitness center, outdoor swimming pool and luxury retail arcade. Rejuvenate at the full service Oberoi Spa, or get in touch with your inner self with a yoga session.
The The Tree of Life Resort & Spa is nestled among the undulating Aravalli hills lies the perfect getaway. The Tree of Life Resort & Spa, Jaipur offers guest relaxation coupled with style, beauty and unmatched service. The resort features 14 luxury villas set on seven serene acres of land. Built using local architectural style and design – with extensive use of sandstone and lime reflecting Rajasthan's long history – the Tree of Life Resort & Spa will transport guests through centuries of tradition laced with a modern touch. Each Villa is named after an Indian tree. The colour of the interiors takes after the colour of the flower which the tree bears. All villas come with a private lawn, and some with your own private pool, and are replete with generous personal space, enough to ensure maximum privacy and total tranquility. Your very own dedicated butler is at your service to ensure the highest level of personal attention. Villas are outfitted with luxuries such as bangle trees, books, private pools & more. At The Tree of Life Resort & Spa, you'll spend your days and nights amidst natural, pastoral surroundings, yet just a short drive away from the hustle and bustle of the magical 'pink city,' Jaipur.
Udaipur, in the heart of Rajasthan, is a city of majestic palaces and beautiful lakes. Here, adorning the banks of Lake Pichola and standing witness to the historic City Palace, The Oberoi Udaivilas captures the romance and splendour of a royal era. Conceived as a traditional Indian palace, The Oberoi Udaivilas showcases the rich heritage of the Mewar region of Rajasthan with its rambling courtyards, gentle rippling fountains, reflection pools and verdant gardens. Grand architecture inspired by the palaces of Rajasthan present a picture of majesty resplendent with pavilions and domes that lead you to a journey of discovery. Interiors embellished with decorative domes, hand painted frescoes, intricate mirror work and beautifully crafted artefacts create an ambience of regal splendour. An enchanting boat ride across Lake Pichola transports you to the ceremonial welcome that awaits you at the resort. Rooms with terraces that open on to semi-private swimming pools present exquisite views and are a unique feature of The Oberoi Udaivilas. Magnificently decorated suites with private swimming pools and outdoor dining pavilions are exclusive retreats. Fine international cuisine, authentic flavours of Rajasthan or a quiet drink are all presented with views of the City Palace and Lake Pichola. The luxurious spa with its own swimming pool overlooks the lake and is a haven of serenity. Trained therapists pamper body and soul with rejuvenating treatments. The resort also offers private Yoga sessions, meditation and Pranayam sessions with the resident Yoga teacher. At The Oberoi Udaivilas, the magnificent setting combines with royal service to make your holiday a journey into the romance and grandeur of another century. The resort offers an experience created exclusively for those who know there is nothing like too much luxury.
The history of Mumbai and The Taj Mahal Palace are dramatically intertwined. The hotel is Mumbai's first harbour landmark (built 21 years before the Gateway of India) and the site of the first licensed bar in the city. For more than a century, the Taj has played an intrinsic part in the life of the city, hosting Maharajas, dignitaries and eminent personalities from across the globe. Today it is a Leading Hotel of the World and favourite destination for discerning business travellers. A treasure-trove of invaluable memorabilia, there is a story to tell behind every pillar, a landmark deal in every boardroom, and a storied celebration under every awning. Come be a part of the legend.
India & Area
Jim Allard ,
December 09, 2014
"Sunita Singh did an outstanding job
Overall an excellent trip, well carried out.
Outstanding services
The drivers in Delhi and overland from Agra to Udaipur made a great impression. Both were accomplished and accommodating. Access to transport in Delhi and Mumbai on our leisure days was noted and appreciated.
Guides in Delhi, Agra and Udaipur were standouts. The transfer reps all did an excellent job particularly since, on a number of occasions, they were there in the middle of the night.
All accommodations except for Mumbai were excellent. Memories of the culture of India ranks first but a close second in our minds will be the palace hotels.
The Leela Palace offers a peaceful and intimate refuge from the bustle of Delhi. Our reaction to the Nadesar was that it was the best hotel ever. Little did we realize each subsequent hotel in Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur would top that, except for the last in Mumbai.
We were there at an important moment in India's development and the various viewpoints in different cities reflects the promise and challenges facing the country.
Some thought the shock of Varanasi could be better absorbed later in the itinerary, however, the geography preempts that alternative.
Always room for improvement so we would offer the following
Biggest disappointment was the Taj Tower in Mumbai. Small rooms that could be anywhere on the planet. Better choice would be the old wing which matches up better with the overall experience.
Not all of the guides were understandable. They all seemed intelligent and knowledgable but were lacking in delivery of a dialogue. Some speak in a droning monologue that is difficult to follow and includes blinding detail that is soon forgotten.
Two glitches that were remedied: The pickup of the van in Agra had an impossible seating arrangement but that was corrected overnight to our complete satisfaction. The Lake Palace Rooms in Udaipur were initially a problem. One room was lovely but the other two were substandard, although the hotel said they were in the same class. Basically, the better room had the bathroom and closet along the full wall while the substandard alternative used only half the wall resulting in a minute closet, no shower, a single sink and no window. They initially stated that there was nothing better but within an hour the duty manager had found two adjacent rooms on another floor that had the double sinks, separate claw bath and shower overlooking the lake as well as better closet space. They graciously moved us while we were at dinner on the rooftop.
Finally there is always the gouging at shops where the guides get a commission. At a couple of stops this seemed egregious but we are all seasoned travellers and work around that annoyance.
Some of the others may wish to add to these comments but those are my thoughts.
Good memories, thanks"
India & Area
PaulDugdale ,
December 08, 2014
"Seamless first class organization and management of our tour.
Sunita Singh did an outstanding job setting up all our accommodations, guides and internal transport."
India & Area
BarbaraBrown ,
November 28, 2014
"My Husband and I recently traveled to India the had the most amazing experience..
India is a remarkable country. it is the oldest civilization in the world and we were constantly marveling at the continuity of the culture over the millenniums.
We highly recommend that you book your India trip with the Kensington Tours INDIA Specialist, Senior Sales Consultant Sunita Singh who has lived in India & travelled extensively within the country and neighboring countries.
The entire trip was well planned and ran without a hitch. The guides were excellent, well educated, very knowledgable and extremely solicitous of us. A special recommendation to our driver Rakesh (spelling?) who negotiated the roads and sometimes heavy and interesting traffic with skill and good humor.
This was a private tour comprising of my husband and I. We were most impressed with the way the trip was organized and with the quality and care shown by every Kensington representative along the way.
We visited all the important destinations which exceeded our expectations. A wonderful aspect of traveling in this manner was that our guides were able to take us off the beaten path and we experienced local India in this way.
Our travels took us to Delhi, Varanasi, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, the temples in Ranakpur and Agra. Varanasi was the highlight of the vacation. It is such a spiritual and special place and well worth the detour. The hotels were all 5 star plus and luxurious. We especially loved The Lake Palace in Udaipur and the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. The Oberoi in Agra was also amazing.
It was a treat and a privilege to travel through Rajasthan in this way. India is such a special country to visit."
India & Area
Mike Simon ,
May 06, 2014
"Kensington planned a wonderful fascinating itinerary for us. All of the guides were so accommodating and flexible, wanting to be sure we were being cared for. India can be a difficult place in which to travel without the proper drivers and guides. Kensington's staff was all top notch."
India & Area
Jim & Gayle Stinson ,
April 21, 2014
"Our individualized, private trip to India was just fabulous. Thanks to all for a trip of a lifetime!"
India & Area
Sharleen Dickson ,
April 21, 2014
"The driver and guides were excellent!"
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Developed by Subcommittee: F39.03 | Committee F39 | Contact Staff Manager
1. Scope
1.1 This specification covers validation of systems to ensure that the system serves it intended function. 1.2 This specification covers verification of systems to ensure that the system functions properly. 1.3 This specification covers validation and verification of systems to ensure that they are unlikely to adversely affect the proper functioning of any other system. 1.4 This specification will not cover processes or installation.
KeywordsValidation, Verification, Systems, Software, Hardware
The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee.Back to Top
Date Initiated:
Technical Contact:
Paul Dunscomb
Draft Under Development

subset: commoncrawl


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Here's How Much Your Twitter Is Worth And Info On Selling It
So, you have 'a very impressive Twitter' (like Donald Trump) and want to cash in, hmm?
Well, we've found a site showing you what your Twitter is worth and how to sell it. And we promise you'll be disappointed if you read this.


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The Never-Ending War
Ex-Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach said testily to retired General W.Y. Smith, who was entreating him to explain which of Hanoi's policies had been about a neutral solution, "Why bother? The time has passed. Even if in the end we all agree on something, what difference will it make? It will make no difference. I have finished." (This statement may have reflected two realities: that Hanoi disagreed with the National Liberation Front over offering "neutrality" as a solution for South Vietnam, and that neutrality probably would not have lasted long anyway.)
The historian and diplomat Luu Doan Huynh condemned the insistence of the visiting Americans that the US had no French-style imperialist designs on Vietnam. "But really, your bullets are the killers of our people. We see that this is America's gift to Vietnam—allowing the French to kill our people…. So how can we conclude that you are not our enemy?… But please try to understand me when I say: Blood speaks with a terrible voice!"
Chester Cooper, a CIA veteran whose career reaches back to the 1954 Geneva negotiations on Indochina and the author of an intelligent book, The Lost Crusade: America in Vietnam, written in 1970, provided an antidote to Mr. McNamara's optimism at the meetings with the North Vietnamese. Following a Vietnamese charge that US peace initiatives were covers for escalating the war, he burst out, "I am beginning to think that not only did we not understand each other. I'm beginning to think that we did not want to understand each other." The retired journalist and diplomat Luu Van Loi responded: "…As for our reaction—the psychology of our reaction—all of these points, all of these proposals, all of these initiatives, all of these intermediaries—all of these efforts foundered, and could not be taken with total seriousness, because of the bombing."
Most blunt and remorseless of all, as he has always shown himself, was General Giap, the victor at Dienbienphu and over the Americans in many battles. He rejected Mr. McNamara's use of the word "tragedy." "Maybe it was a tragedy for you…. You wanted to replace the French; you failed; men died; so yes, it was tragic, because they died for a bad cause. But for us, the war was a noble sacrifice…. So I agree that you missed opportunities and that you need to draw lessons. But us? I think we would do nothing different, under the circumstances." I am reminded of Giap's encounter after the war with the CBS reporter Morley Safer in Hanoi. When Mr. Safer told the general that a crippled North Vietnamese veteran admitted to him that, in view of the suffering it caused, the war may not have been worth it, Giap made "a movement of the back of [his] hand across [his] face…as one would discourage a pesky gnat."7
At various points in McNamara's report the Vietnamese say how little they knew about their adversaries, even the French (hence Mr. McNamara's regrets that they had not been readers of The New York Times). They admit that at Geneva in 1954 they let the Chinese and the Russians talk them into a two-year pause before elections to unify the entire country—which the US and Diem ensured never took place. They admit, too, that they were exhausted by the war with the French between 1947 and 1954, and needed peace.
What they do not speak about is the National Liberation Front. It is a mark of the Hanoi-centered viewpoint of McNamara's book that there is only one veteran of the National Liberation Front on the Vietnamese side—Nguyen Thi Binh, the NLF's best- known international figure throughout most of the war. She is mentioned in the index but says not a word in any of the book's many verbatim exchanges, and no one refers to her. In all their talk of history, which they insist the Americans fail to understand, the Vietnamese themselves pass over the years of disagreement between the Lao Dong, the Vietnamese Communist Party, based in Hanoi, and the Southerners who were left largely on their own from 1954, after Geneva. The exhausted Communist army withdrew to the North and the Southerners were given instructions to oppose Diem by political means and in a united front with non-Communists. It was this front that Diem began destroying with American encouragement.
This is the background to Robert Brigham's admirable Guerrilla Diplomacy. Professor Brigham is also a joint author of Argument Without End, and while that book sketches the differences in the interests of Northerners and Southerners in the 1950s, it omits, unlike Brigham's own book, their essentially irreconcilable quarrels. These were always the same: before 1959, they disagreed on how Diem and the Americans should be resisted and, in the last years of the war, on whether there should be negotiations. Those arguments help to explain the confusion about "the missed signals," or the signals from Hanoi which were changed after the first transmissions. In fact Professor Brigham's sources told him that Hanoi sent signals to the US about possible negotiations which the NLF opposed. The NLF, as Mr. Brigham shows, sometimes sent its own conflicting signals.
The facts of the struggle between Ngo Dinh Diem and the dissident South Vietnamese he was determined to exterminate in the years after the North-South division of the country in 1954 were well known to the Americans supporting Diem; they had, after all, brought him to Saigon from his American exile in 1954 to head Washington's creation: the South Vietnamese government. (Diem, a genuine nationalist, had earlier turned down an offer of high office from Ho Chi Minh.) In the 1960s Mr. McNamara could have read this history in the book by Professors George McT. Kahin of Cornell and John Lewis of Stanford,8 as well as in the work of others, and listened to some of the more skeptical officials in the State Department and the National Security Council. Instead Mr. McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Rusk, and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson convinced themselves that they were defending the South—an American-created entity—against an invasion ordered by Hanoi. Scholars like George Kahin were dismissed as antiwar academics.
What even those antiwar academics did not understand fully, however, was the extent of the splits inside the enemy camp. In 1986 Truong Nhu Tang, one of the non-Communist founders of the NLF who also represented it abroad before defecting to the United States, published Journal of a Vietcong. In it he made a fundamental point: "…The actual relationship between North Vietnam's government and the Southern revolution was both more complex and more direct than Westerners like to believe—more complex than Johnson and the now-departed Richard Nixon thought, and more direct than many antiwar figures believed."9
Complex is also the word used by Professor Brigham to describe the relationship between the NLF and the Lao Dong. He is one of the first Western specialists to use documents available only in Hanoi and to interview veterans of the Party and of the NLF without the intention of scoring political points. His book is a highly professional work of history, well written, and in my opinion reliable. It will disturb the former US officials for whom the NLF was simply a tool of the North. It will also upset those of us who opposed the war and visited the offices of the NLF and North Vietnam abroad where we were assured that the NLF was virtually independent. Its alliance with Hanoi, we were then told, was a purely comradely one, created because the Americans and their puppet government in Saigon were too much for the Southerners to handle on their own.
Professor Brigham shows that the Front did indeed have its roots in the South, but that the Lao Dong, the Communist Party, which was controlled by Hanoi, was always central in its ultimate leadership. Both the Chinese and the Russians, keen to avoid a dramatic confrontation with the Americans, had urged a political struggle. But by 1959, after Diem's "unprecedented purges," as Brigham puts it, the Hanoi Politburo resolved that "the time has come to push the armed struggle against the enemy." In 1960, at a meeting in the southern jungle near Cambodia, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam was proclaimed. By 1961, harried by Diem's counterinsurgency, which was mistakenly modeled on British strategy in Malaya, the NLF was assassinating local officials and harassing Diem's soldiers. During the time of most of this violence in the countryside much of the rural population, apart from Catholics and members of Southern sects such as the Cao Dai, tended to side with the NLF. This was widely accepted by journalists in Vietnam in the early 1960s, and was certainly my experience in 1965 and 1967.
While this was going on in 1961, American officials such as John K. Galbraith, Chester Bowles, and Averell Harriman urged Kennedy to press Diem to reform rather than make war; but Kennedy, McNamara says, believed the US was in danger from international Communist ambitions and was in any event fascinated by counter-insurgency, although he said of the Vietnamese, "It's their war." Unaware of Kennedy's willingness to go it alone in Vietnam, both the NLF and Hanoi hoped that an international campaign calling for a "neutral" solution would bring pressure to bear on the US. But once the Americans were fully involved, it was the NLF that opposed any negotiations until the US had pulled out its troops; the Lao Dong, fearing the destruction of the North's economy, considered negotiations if the bombing stopped.
Professor Brigham concludes that the Lao Dong's Political Bureau had fashioned the Party's negotiating position and the NLF had no ultimate independent course of action. But the NLF's envoys abroad, especially in France, continued to press for US withdrawal to be succeeded by negotiations. A Lao Dong veteran told Professor Brigham, "We had to watch the NLF carefully in those days. We were not sure what they would say on one day that we had to undo the next."
Bao Ninh, a North Vietnamese war veteran and the author of one of Vietnam's most famous novels, The Sorrow of War,10 says that the Northern soldiers were warned to give no credit at all to the NLF's contribution to the final victory. As soon as the war ended, the NLF was shoved aside. "I guess we were naive," said one non-Communist member of the NLF. "We always believed there would be a place for us in a new government of reconciliation." Brigham suggests, following the analysis of William Duiker, that the Northerners imposed their regime on the South because so many Southerners had been killed and there were very few able officials to start reconstruction. I am more convinced by another of Mr. Duiker's explanations: that the North feared that NLF veterans might create "obstacles." This is also the view of the North Vietnamese who appear in Henry Kamm's excellent book Dragon Ascending, discussed below.
Quoted from Flashbacks: On Returning to Vietnam (Random House, 1990); see also my review, "The War that Will Not End," in The New York Review, August 16, 1990, p. 32.↩
Kahin and Lewis, The United States in Vietnam, especially Chapter 5, "The Origins of the Civil War." A much fuller account can be found in Professor Kahin's Intervention: How America Became Involved in Vietnam (Knopf, 1986), Chapters 3 and 4.↩
Journal of a Vietcong (London: Jonathan Cape, 1986), p. 254.↩
Pantheon, 1995; see my review, "No Trumpets, No Drums," The New York Review, September 21, 1995. Wayne Karlin, a Marine veteran of Vietnam, and coauthor of The Other Side of Heaven: Post-war fiction by Vietnamese and American Authors, has provided a highly useful survey of contemporary Vietnamese fiction in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 23, 2000. Mr. Karlin's main point is that much of the most incisive writing about the war is by nondissident writers, who are often as frank as the dissidents who are comparatively well-known in the West.↩
Quoted from Flashbacks: On Returning to Vietnam (Random House, 1990); see also my review, "The War that Will Not End," in The New York Review, August 16, 1990, p. 32.↩
Kahin and Lewis, The United States in Vietnam, especially Chapter 5, "The Origins of the Civil War." A much fuller account can be found in Professor Kahin's Intervention: How America Became Involved in Vietnam (Knopf, 1986), Chapters 3 and 4.↩
Journal of a Vietcong (London: Jonathan Cape, 1986), p. 254.↩
Pantheon, 1995; see my review, "No Trumpets, No Drums," The New York Review, September 21, 1995. Wayne Karlin, a Marine veteran of Vietnam, and coauthor of The Other Side of Heaven: Post-war fiction by Vietnamese and American Authors, has provided a highly useful survey of contemporary Vietnamese fiction in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 23, 2000. Mr. Karlin's main point is that much of the most incisive writing about the war is by nondissident writers, who are often as frank as the dissidents who are comparatively well-known in the West.↩


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Notice of Correction to NOT-OD-13-010 "Advance Notice: Revised Policy for Managing Conflict of Interest in the Initial Peer Review of NIH Grant and Cooperative Agreement Applications"
Release Date: February 28, 2013
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
This Notice corrects Section II.B.1. "Financial Benefit" in Guide Notice NOT-OD-13-010. The second paragraph of that section is corrected to read:
Through this current policy, regardless of the role he/she plays in the application and regardless of the complexity of the application:
the reviewer is in conflict with the review and is "out of the SRG" or "may not serve", unless a waiver is granted by the DDER in advance of the meeting.
Thus, the second bullet in that paragraph has been deleted.
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text:
Updated: July 7, 2011 2:28PM
Dear Mr. Berko: Health insurance stocks have been making new highs. How can this be, when Obamacare will change how insurance companies do business and how hospitals and doctors bill patients?
While I don't like Obamacare, my broker believes the health insurance industry will make more money under Obamacare than it does now and has recommended that I invest $5,000 in Cigna, UnitedHealth, Aetna, WellPoint, Coventry and Humana. Please tell me what you think. Meanwhile, my wife doesn't believe that members of Congress and their families are exempt from Obamacare. We have a wager on your answer. I say they are exempt, and my wife says they are not. — RP in Rochester, Minn.
Dear RP: It's not correct to call our health care bill "Obamacare." Our president should not get all the credit. This legislation, though encouraged by Obama, is really a caring, collaborative effort by 535 members of Congress who were concerned that Americans are being treated unfairly by the health care industry. Its real name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). So we owe our 535 selfless, hard-toiling and empathic members of Congress heartfelt shouts for their unerring wisdom and forethought in crafting the PPACA. Without them, it never could have happened.
Frankly, without its passage, our health insurance companies would not be raking in the lucre now overflowing their coffers. And passage of the PPACA is the reason health insurance stocks are setting record highs, receiving record premiums and making record earnings. The health insurance industry aggressively supported passage of the PPACA, contributed huge sums of money to ensure passing votes and helped inform the public that the PPACA was essential to their health. In return, Congress gave insurers a free pass to raise premiums, reduce coverage and pay enormous salaries.
In 2010, for instance, UnitedHealth Group (UNH-$51) increased revenues 9 percent, raised premiums 18 percent, grew net income by 26 percent, boosted its dividend four-fold and then paid CEO Stephen "Hot Cakes" Hemsley the equivalent of $103 million in compensation. No wonder UNH and Steve contributed so copiously to congressional PACs.
And while the CEOs of AETNA (AET-$44), HUMANA (HUM-$80), COVENTRY (CHV-$34.98), WELLPOINT (WLP-$77) and CIGNA (CI-$48) don't earn as much as "Hot Cakes," their pay scales are soon to zoom as their revenues and earnings find the federal mother lode to nobble the market. Unlike their policyholders who are being "premiumed" into urinal poverty, those CEOs won't have trouble meeting their co-pays. So the talk on the Street is that most insurers have uncommon potential for gains in the next few years.
The Street thinks CIGNA, WELLPOINT, UNITEDHEALTH, HUMANA, COVERNTRY and AETNA may in a few years trade at $80, $105, $95, $120, $50 and $85 respectively. Meanwhile, their revenues and earnings should continue to grow enormously. And with the blessings of Congress, these insurers will continue to make even more money under the provisions of the PPACA. These companies have been awarded a license to steal.
And yes, according to page 144, line 22 of the PPACA, members of Congress and their families are exempt from its provisions — as they should be. These people are important, and the work they do is critical to keeping America running smoothly. Our congressmen and women should be above the niggling paperwork, the bothersome co-pays, the crowded waiting rooms. They must be allowed to choose the best doctor and the best hospital, rather than their insurer picking that doctor or hospital for them.
Address your financial questions to Malcolm Berko, P.O. Box 8303, Largo, FL 33775 or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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750.000 Swiss Francs (approx. EUR 620.000, USD 800.000, GBP 500.000) for each of the four subjects. Half of the amount must be destined by the winners to research projects.
In twelve years 48 research projects in a wide variety of fields have benefited from an input of 23 million francs and launched the careers of numerous young researchers.
The Balzan Prizes for 2012 were presented today by the President of the Italian Republic. During the ceremony, which took place at the Palazzo del Quirinale, the prizes were presented to:
David Charles Baulcombe (UK), University of Cambridge, for Epigenetics Ronald Dworkin (USA), New York University, for Jurisprudence Kurt Lambeck (Australia), Australian National University, for Solid Earth Sciences, with emphasis on interdisciplinary research Reinhard Strohm (Germany), University of Oxford (UK), for Musicology
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Chairmen of the International Balzan Foundation "Prize", Bruno Bottai, and "Fund", Achille Casanova. In accordance with the ceremony´s usual formalities, each Prizewinner, introduced in turn by Salvatore Veca, Chairman of the General Prize Committee, gave a speech of acceptance and thanks.
According to established tradition reflecting the Italo-Swiss nature of the International Balzan Foundation, the Award Ceremony takes place in alternate years in Rome, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, and in Bern, in the presence of a Representative of the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation, usually the Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs.The Balzan Prize 2012 for Epigenetics was given to David Charles Baulcombe "For his fundamental contribution to the understanding of epigenetics and its role in cell and tissue development under normal and stressful conditions".
Ronald Dworkin received the Balzan Prize for Jurisprudence "For his fundamental contribution to the understanding of epigenetics and its role in cell and tissue development under normal and stressful conditions".
In the field of Solid Earth Sciences, with emphasis on interdisciplinary research, Kurt Lambeck was recognized "For his exceptional contribution to the understanding of the relationship between post-glacial rebound and sea level changes. His findings have radically modified climate science".
The Prize for Musicology went to Reinhard Strohm "For his extensive research on the history of European music within the cultural and socio-historical context from the late Middle Ages to the present, and for his detailed descriptions of high-rank vocal music, especially early sacred music in Flanders, and of the works of Vivaldi, Händel and Richard Wagner".The International Balzan Foundation awarded 750.000 Swiss Francs (approx. EUR 620.000, USD 800.000, GBP 500.000) for each 2012 prize, a figure which places the Balzan Prize amongst the biggest prize funds in the world of Science and Culture.
The winners are each required to allocate half of their prize money to funding research projects carried out preferably by young scholars or scientists in their respective fields. In twelve years 48 research projects in a wide variety of fields have benefited from an input of 23 million francs and launched the careers of numerous young researchers.
The subject fields honoured (which change every year and which are chosen from arts, letters, moral and physical sciences, mathematics and medicine). The winners are chosen by the General Prize Committee, an independent body belonging to the International Balzan Foundation "Prize" which is presided over by Salvatore Veca and is composed of twenty leading academics from ten European countries.
The Ceremony will be followed, on Thursday 15 November, by the Balzan Prizewinners Interdisciplinary Forum 2012, which will take place in the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. The Forum is a public event dedicated to the Balzan Prize subject areas for 2012 with the four Prizewinners playing a prominent role together with Members of the Balzan General Prize Committee and Members of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
The International Balzan Foundation, founded in 1957, operates through two separate institutions. The International Balzan Foundation "Prize" (chaired in Milan by Ambassador Bruno Bottai) selects the subjects to be awarded and the candidates through its General Prize Committee. The Balzan Foundation "Fund" (chaired in Zurich by Achille Casanova) administers the estate left by Eugenio Balzan, so as to place at the disposal of the International Balzan Foundation "Prize" the necessary financial means to realize its objective.
Further information and pictures of the Prizewinners are available on www.balzan.orgPress contacts USA / CANADA / UK
Judith Sandberger | PR&D
Further information:
Further reports about: > Balzan Prizes > Balzan Stiftung > Climate change > Committee for Advanced Therapies > Earth Science > Earth's magnetic field > Gates Foundation > Merit Award > interdisciplinary research > research project > sea level change > stressful conditions > tissue development
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Colombia's deputy police director says one of the country's top drug traffickers has surrendered in Aruba to US authorities,who flew him to New York to face criminal charges.
Jose Antonio Calle was indicted in New York's Eastern District last year for the alleged international distribution of 25 metric tonnes of cocaine as well as money laundering.
The US government had offered a $5m reward out for him.
Authorities say the 43-year-old Calle heads a violent drug-trafficking paramilitary gang called the "Rastrojos," or Leftovers.
His brother and alleged accomplice Juan Carlos Calle was captured in Ecuador in March and sent to the United States.
The Rastrojos emerged a decade ago from the dissolution of Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel, and allegedly shipped tons of cocaine northward through Mexico.
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text:
Match report
For match photos, scroll to photostream above left. For match stats click on the statistics tab. Manager reaction to follow.
Marouane Fellaini was involved in goals at both ends as Everton frustrated Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City in a 1-1 draw. Fellaini headed Everton, victors in eight of their previous 10 clashes with City, into a first-half lead but conceded a penalty to allow Carlos Tevez to level. The result preserved City's unbeaten start to the season in the Premier League and prolonged their run of home games without defeat to 37, a sequence stretching back to a loss to Everton two years ago. It was also Everton's seventh draw in their last nine games.
The match took some while to warm up and City suffered an early blow as Aleksandar Kolarov limped off after just six minutes. Manager Roberto Mancini had opted to rest Pablo Zabaleta but the Argentinian was summoned from the bench straightaway.
Joleon Lescott returned to the side, to face his former club, in place of Matija Nastasic. The England defender looked composed as he resumed his partnership with Vincent Kompany after more than a month out of the starting line-up.
Everton playmaker Leon Osman gave the City defence plenty to think about in the early stages without creating a clear-cut opening. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had to pick himself up from a collision with Edin Dzeko after coming to claim a cross from Maicon.
City threatened the Everton goal in the 20th minute when David Silva crossed and Dzeko headed wide. Tevez controlled well in the area but was unable to shoot and Dzeko inadvertently took the full force of a Samir Nasri shot in the back of his head.
Everton's 33rd-minute opener came in familiar fashion as Leighton Baines, who passed a fitness test to feature, crossed. Kompany did well to divert the cross away from Nikica Jelavic but it dropped for Fellaini, who kneed the ball in at the second attempt at the far post after Joe Hart saved his initial header. It was the Belgian's eighth goal of an impressive season.
That brought the game to life and City almost found an immediate equaliser as Tevez met a Nasri cross with a deft header that Howard did well to save. Gareth Barry then chested down another Nasri cross for Dzeko to turn and shoot but again Howard was alert.
City's equaliser came after Dzeko tangled with Fellaini and went to ground. Referee Lee Probert pointed to the spot. Tevez made no mistake as he stepped up to tuck home his eighth of the campaign. Fellaini almost produced the perfect response in the final moments of the first half with a glancing header from a Steven Pienaar cross, but Hart saved.
City upped the tempo at the start of the second half but again it took time before the chances came, aside from a Tevez shot which was blocked by Phil Jagielka. Tevez almost broke away after a miskick by Distin but the defender recovered quickly to nick the ball away from the striker. Tevez also headed over but it was not until just after the hour that City seriously threatened again as Maicon burst down the field and forced Howard to parry a powerful 18-yard drive.
City decided to freshen up their attack by sending on Sergio Aguero. The game became scrappy as Everton's hard-working defence did their best to repel City's threat. Mario Balotelli also entered the action for the last 10 minutes in place of Dzeko and did inject a bit of energy into the side.
His first chance to aim at goal, however, was screwed well wide. Nasri then combined well with Silva in the area but could only win a corner. Everton went close in injury time from a Jelavic free-kick but Hart saved and the ball squirmed wide.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini: "Everton is always a difficult game because they work hard, they defend very well. In the second half we played better, probably deserved to score another goal. In the end we are not happy but the season is long and this doesn't change anything.
"If you don't pay attention you can lose three points and it is sometimes better to take one. In this moment we are not very strong with our strikers. We need them to score more goals.
"They are four top strikers but this can happen during the season. It is important they work hard like they worked today. Dzeko, Tevez, Sergio [Aguero], Mario [Balotelli] - in this moment we are like this but we will solve this problem."
Everton manager David Moyes: "We've been playing well in most of the games and we showed it again against the champions. I was pleased with that and then 20 minutes after half-time we knew we would have to weather it.
"Manchester City tend to get better in the second half and they did do. It was a good draw for us. We've had some bad draws but that was a good draw."
Man City
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Manager: David Moyes
|Next fixtures
|29 Dec 2012
|v Norwich (A)
|19 May 2013
|v Norwich (H)
|04 Mar 2013
|v Aston Villa (A)
|03 Feb 2013
|v Liverpool (H)
|09 Dec 2012
|v Man Utd (H)
|29 Jan 2013
|v QPR (A)
|Next fixtures
|12 May 2013
|v West Ham (H)
|30 Mar 2013
|v Stoke (H)
|23 Feb 2013
|v Norwich (A)
|12 Jan 2013
|v Swansea (H)
|16 Apr 2013
|v Arsenal (A)
|02 Feb 2013
|v Aston Villa (H)


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Looking stunning in blue, Megan Fox stopped by the 'Tonight Show With Jay Leno' to promote her new film 'This Is 40' and to talk about motherhood.
The 26-year-old new mom who wore a Roland Mouret dress and sparkly Christian Louboutin heels talked admirably about being a new mom, "I love it. It's my favourite thing that I've ever done so far, so I'm happy with it."
Fox also discussed hiring a night nurse to help out with parental duties after she and husband Brian Austin Green weren't getting enough sleep, "Having an infant is difficult. It's a lot of work and I didn't hire any help because I overestimated my own abilities," Fox said.
"I said to Brian, 'We have to get a night nurse or we're going to get a divorce because someone's got to sleep in this house or we're going to kill each other.'"


text:
|Christmas Eve:
Sales: 9 AM - 6 PM
Service: 7 AM - 2 PM
Christmas Day:
Baytown Specials
2015 GMC Sierra 1500*2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab..
Sale Price: $55,874*2014 GMC Yukon XL 2WD 4dr SLT
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2014 GMC Acadia SLE*2014 GMC Acadia FWD 4dr SLE1
2014 Buick LaCrosse Premium I*2014 Buick LaCrosse FWD Premium I
2014 Buick LaCrosse, Leather*2014 Buick LaCrosse FWD Leather
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If you're looking for a Houston Buick GMC dealer but can't stand the hustle and bustle of a big city dealership, Baytown GMC Buick is for you. Our excellent inventory is sure to have the Buick or GMC truck, car or SUV you've been searching for. Not sure if Baytown GMC Buick is the dealership for you? Our sales associates are standing by to assist you via email or at (800) 481-4397. Once you experience our excellent customer care, you'll see why so many Houston Buick and GMC customers trust us to fulfill their GM automotive needs.
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Vancouver 2014
About Our Walk
Great Strides provides a great opportunity for people within the community to get involved in a great cause. Participants can form walk teams at their workplace, through their clubs and organizations, or with friends and family.
Walk day is a fun, family-oriented event with a healthy 5k walk, children's activities, food, and festivities that participants look forward to year after year.
Top Teams
2 - Matt Pack ($10,975.07)
3 - Levi's Team ($9,389.00)
4 - Leann's Lions ($5,811.00)
5 - Regulators ($2,485.00)
Top Striders
2 - Gordon Johnson ($6,643.00)
3 - Mary Pozsgai & Family ($5,981.07)
4 - Mark Rittenbaum ($5,811.00)
5 - Steven Pozsgai ($2,500.00)
Volunteer for Great Strides
The success of Great Strides depends on the wonderful volunteers who help the day of the event as well as throughout the year.Become a Volunteer
Walk Goal: $68,500.00
Raised: $60,932.57Donate Now
Walk Details
Date: 05/10/2014
Check-in: 9:00am
Walk: 10am
Distance: 5k
Chapter: Oregon - Portland
Event Location: Esther Short Park,
Vancouver, WA
New Mobile App
Download our Great Strides Mobile App today!
Stay Connected to Great Strides!
Text STRIDES to 80077 to receive informative monthly text messages.


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It has now become really important for Time-Out from life. From Blogging and fron online world. Learn To Take Time Out is now high on my to do list
Learning To Relax
I put all of my eggs into one basket and forget to have fun, do you do that to? I guess because I am a Mum, a full-time blogger, and homeschooling while we travel that I am spread far (and too thinly!). I am now making March my month to take time out and relax doing things that make me feel better.
The other day I looked at our boys Ripstik and I was determined to learn how to ride. It is not something that I thought about – I just was determined to give it a go and before I knew it I was able to stand up and ride it.
Of course I still cant work out how to stand on it and start without holding onto a pole/table. But I am having fun…every-time I go out to put the washing on the line, or take it off, I am jumping onto the Ripstik for a few laps around the tables. The balancing act, and the movements take a lot of self control. Its a fine art – staying up right, moving forward and turning corners.
Learning a New Skill ~
Riding a Ripstik around the tables!
What does that have to do with blogging?
Well it is so much like blogging ~ you have to learn how to stand up – you have to learn the ropes of blogging.
If you want to succeed with riding a ripstik you have to practice and learn the moves.
Same with blogging ~ you have to want to keep blogging because it will take time – and commitment.
The Rewards Of Sticking Around
Lately we have been getting a lot of rewards for sticking around online. Not in money, but in gifts – passes – book reviews and personal development reviews!
We have also been asking for the universe to provide, and the powers that be have listened.
Its amazing how much can happen and change with a mindset change. We are ready to move on from where we are staying, so we have been getting our bus ready for the journey. Davids boss has replaced him at work – so its a matter of looking for a new place/new adventure. Its way past our due date for getting on outta here.
Watched this lady bettle the other day!
Was so nice to sit and watch this gorgeous animal!
Have You Asked and Received?
What about taking time out of your life to have fun….have you done that lately? Or do you need to Learn how to Take Time Out?
Take Time Out of your life is vital for inner health as well as personal health, plus mental health. If you spend too much time doing business and not pleasure then you will be burnt out. Its time to relax and chill out…
Here are 7 Ideas To Get You Started:-
- Grab a book – grab a chair, a big cold drink and sit for at least 30 minutes without anyone interrupting you!
- Book a night with your other half. Have a date night where its just the two of you.
- Turn off the computer – switch off the mobile phone, and forget about the online world….take time out.
- Have an early night – sleep is so important. Jump into bed and get as much rest as possible.
- Ring a friend – and arrange to meet up for coffee/cake – taking time out with a friend is a great way to rest
- Escape for a weekend. Pack up – leave the mobile phone at home, Go for that weekend getaway and remember to spoil yourself.
- Have a DVD night – its a great way to give yourself time to relax and it will also give you blogging ideas!
Can You Learn To Take Time Out?
I think so but I am asking you…..what do you do for much needed R and R so that when you come back to the blogging world you have heaps of ideas?


text: As part of the Governor's top-to-bottom review of state government, TSAC is seeking to use existing resources to fund grants for students with the greatest need. Establishing an endowment for need-based aid will allow the state to reach a larger number of underserved students who desire to earn a postsecondary credential at our public two-year institutions. The Governor understands that cost can play a large role in limiting access to postsecondary education, so this endowment is being established to address that need.


text:
Your View: Guest Column - Obamacare is costing, not serving the people
Democrats and liberals, the majority of which advocate for Obamacare, apparently think 1.1 million who have signed up for coverage as of Dec. 23 is a good thing. They dismiss, as a small number, the 5 million and dependents who have lost their health coverage due to being dropped by their provider. One writer to the Enterprise characterized Obama's statement that "If you like your health care you can keep it ... period," as being mostly true. What parallel universe has he been living in?
Forget about the fact that the 1.1 million is a figure generated by the state exchanges. Healthcare.gov, the government website still can't provide enrollment numbers.
Forget about the fact that 7 million need to enroll by March 15, 2014, and after three months, signups are barely 16 percent of the goal. That's sign-ups, not enrollees.
Forget about the fact that the majority of enrollees need to be young and healthy to prevent adverse selection against the insurance providers. The young will pay higher premiums to subsidize the cost for the old and sick.
Forget about the fact that many millions of individuals presently covered by small group health plans (under 50 insured lives) will be thrust on the exchanges in 2014 when their employers receive huge renewal premium increases which they can't afford.
Forget about the supposed penalty people who don't sign up for Obamacare will have to pay. The first year that penalty is $95 or 3 percent of taxable income. Given the choice, young people will opt to pay the penalty rather than the much higher monthly premium. But wait! Just like in the commercials, there is more in this offer. There are about 12 exceptions to having to pay a penalty. If they don't work, other protests can be negotiated.
Finally, the State of Hawaii was given $200 million to establish Obamacare exchanges. They were given an additional $53 million to build their website. As of Dec. 23, they had signed up 1,100 people ... at a cost of $230,000 per person.
Come election time, let's be sure to send all the 535, plus two, back to Washington so they can continue to serve the will of the American people. ... Ouch! I bit my tongue.


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RELEASED: June 6, 2011
EAU CLAIRE — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire music and theatre arts department will host the 2011 National Association of Teachers of Singing Summer Intern Program June 7-17.
The program pairs experienced and recognized master teachers of voice with talented young members of NATS in order to improve the studio teaching skills of young educators. Twelve voice teachers from around the U.S. and four master voice teachers will be in residence, and there will be events almost every day, including lectures, demonstrations, discussions and recitals. All events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the Haas Fine Arts Center.
The master teachers in residence for the program will be Claudia Catania, Metropolitan Opera and Broadway; David Small, University of Texas at Austin; Christopher Arneson, Westminster Choir College; and Marietta Simpson, Indiana University. A full schedule of events and biographies may be viewed on the music and theatre arts website.
According to Dr. Mitra Sadeghpour, associate professor of music, 24 music students from UW-Eau Claire and Eau Claire area high schools also will receive voice lessons from the interns and will attend the professional recitals and lectures. The students will give a free recital at 2 p.m. June 16 in Phillips Recital Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center.
"I was honored to be selected as a NATS intern in 2005, and it was one of the most important experiences in my teaching training, to be paired with a master teacher who evaluated my teaching technique and style," Sadeghpour said. "UW-Eau Claire is proud to host this program for 12 young teachers whose lives are about to change in a most profound way."
The event is sponsored locally by Wisconsin NATS, R|S Design, and Radiant Living Yoga and Ayurveda LLC. NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with more than 7,000 members in the U.S.,
Canada and 25 other countries.
For more information, contact Dr. Mitra Sadeghpour at email@example.com.
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2007 Chowing with the Hounds (SF Bay Area) Picnic Recipes
- susancinsf Oct 7, 2007 09:14 AM
There is a report here:
on the annual picnic/get together of SF Bay Area hounds. This board is the place to post recipes and recipe requests, so I will start it out: everything was delicious! For me personally, the carrot pudding was a standout. I believe it was a repeat from a prior year hit, but would love to see this recipe again: perfect for Thanksgiving!
I also loved Ruth's potato/bacon thingies, the corn salad, the fattoush salad, and Urmi's basil chicken! Can we have recipes?
oh yes, and the ginger truffles......and the bbq picnic sandwiches! I could go on and on...
I actually made David's carrot pudding for T-Day a couple of times, and it was indeed a big hit, taking the place of sweet potatoes (which no one in our family is crazy about).
Thanks for all the compliments about my Cheesy Potato Bites -- potatoes, cheese, bacon, how could I go wrong? I cobbled the dish together doing what I often do: read a bunch of recipes and use elements from different ones (techniques from one, ingredients from another, etc.). The amounts are very approximate, since I'm working backwards from the batch I made for the picnic (six pounds of potatoes). Depending on how much other food you have, I'm guessing this would be enough for 8-10.
Ruth's Cheesy Potato Bites
One pound small (15 to a pound) Yukon Gold potatoes
6 oz good quality bacon (not thick sliced -- I used Niman Ranch dry-cured applewood smoked bacon)
2 oz blue cheese
2 oz St. Andre cheese
2 oz chevre
2 oz ricotta
(or any blend of cheeses to taste -- the ricotta adds moisture, other recipes I looked at added mayo and/or sour cream)
2 oz finely grated parmesan
truffle oil
Note: I bought all these ingredients, except the potatoes, at Trader Joe's. The quality of the bacon makes more of a difference than the quality of the cheese.
Steam the potatoes until cooked through but still firm enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Let cool (but don't refrigerate or they get wrinkly).
Cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is well-rendered and the bacon is crisp but not burned. Cool and mince finely into bacon bits. Cream all the cheese except the parmesan together (I used a food processor) and fold in about two-thirds of the bacon bits, reserving the rest.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
When the potatoes are cool, cut in half and use a small melonballer or teaspoon to scoop a hollow in the center of each half. Put the parmesan and truffle oil (or melted butter or olive oil) into saucers or small bowls. Tap each potato half cut-side down in the oil, then in the parmesan (parmesan should be mostly on the flat edge, not filling the hollow) and set on a baking sheet. Bake until just starting to turn golden brown (about six minutes). Remove from oven and let cool slightly (just until they won't make cheese filling too runny to work with). Put a blob (a scant teaspoon) of the bacon-cheese mixture in each hollow and top with a pinch of the reserved bacon bits. Return them to the oven and bake until they look good to you (about 10 minutes). Serve warm.
This sounds more complicated than it was -- I made the batch for the picnic (slightly over 150 pieces) in less than two hours. The filling can be made ahead of time, and the assembled potato bites can be held for a while before baking.
Oh, and I used the rendered bacon fat to make this recipe -- easy and delicious:
Swedish ginger cookies:
re: Ruth Lafler
I'd certainly recommend making Ruth's potato apps! They were quite delicious and got lots of kudos. They were also quite good at room temp (actually outdoor temp).
re: oakjoan
I agree, those were amazing!
I made the fattoush:
8 tomatoes (I used smallish Early Girls, if you're using bigger ones you could use less), seeded and chopped
1 big English cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 big handful each of mint and parsley, chopped
a good sprinkling of kosher salt
Mix all of the above together. Over it all, squeeze a half a lemon, and then drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss.
While you're doing all of the chopping, toast 2-3 rounds of pita (cutting them first, if possible, so that they're one layer), and let cool. Then break up all of the pita with your hands or scissors all over the rest of the salad, and sprinkle it all with about 1/2 a teaspoon of sumac, and toss again.
To bring it to the picnic, I toasted and cooled and broke up the pita, and then took the pita seperately from the rest, and tossed it all when I got there so as not to get the pita too soggy in advance.
Those ginger truffles were fantastic! As was that calamari salad!
re: Ruth Lafler
Those sound incredible - and a good way to use up odds and ends of cheeses. Do you think I could mince the bacon before cooking it?
re: MMRuth
Thanks, MM! I don't think it matters how you make the bacon bits, but I've had better luck getting the right amount of rendering without burning with larger pieces rather than smaller -- with small pieces I always end up with some pieces that are underdone and some that are burned (or little burned fragments mixed in) and it's easier to separate the good from the bad if it's in big pieces.
re: Ruth Lafler
I made the butterscotch budino from the Pizzeria Mozza recipe published in the NYTimes. I followed the recipe (the budino part, at least) pretty much to the letter, so I'll just post the link:
Helpful hints:
1) It's really hard to tell by sight when the caramel has caramelized enough, since you're starting off with brown sugar - the first time I made this, I panicked and pulled the pan way too early. I found that the point when all of the liquid becomes bubbles is the time to take the pan off heat.
2) If both your cornstarch and your baking powder are made by Clabber Girl... check the label first. I made my first batch with 5 Tbsp of baking powder. That was hideous.
The original has a warm caramel sauce and whipped creme fraiche on top of the budino... I figured it was dicey enough, bringing a dairy dessert to a picnic, without messing around with warm sauces and whipped toppings, so I made a pine nut brittle (with cayenne and rosemary) and mixed in some Maldon sea salt to top the budino.
1/2 c pine nuts
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 sprig rosemary
3 TBSP corn syrup
2 oz unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
Maldon sea salt
Preheat oven to 375. Toast pine nuts (about 10 minutes)
Heat with rosemary sprig to simmer, take off heat (if anyone can come up with a better way to infuse rosemary into brittle, please let me know. This method didn't give me much rosemary flavor in the final product. Maybe blending with corn syrup and water, and straining?).
Line sheet pan with Silpat.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, without stirring. Add corn syrup, continue to boil, brushing down sides of saucepan with a brush dipped in water to force down sugar crystals forming on walls of pan.
When sugar reaches 250 degrees, gradually add butter, without stirring. Continue to cook until mixtures turns light brown. Remove from heat and add salt, baking soda, and peppers. Mix in pine nuts, immediately spread on Silpat, sprinkle with Maldon sea salt. Cool.
re: daveena
Thanks so much, daveena (nice meeting you, btw!). Good call on the brittle: it was the finishing touch that really made the dish. I think I liked the bit of crunch from the brittle better than I would have liked sauce and cream.
re: Ruth Lafler
I also loved the butterscotch boudin. Everything I tried was delicious. I loved the Thai dishes - massaman curry, garlic noodles and chicken with basil - I'd love to get all these recipes.
I also really liked the carrot pudding, corn salad, roasted pepper salsa, Ruth's potatoes, aloo chaat, two types of fried plantains, the ground cherries, the chocolate sorbet, the vanilla chocolate truffles (I preferred these to the ginger ones - although I might be alone on that) and sesame peanut noodles. So hopefully people can post the recipes for those, and any other dishes I am forgetting.
I made one of the two spanekopetas, and I can post the recipe soon. I'd love to get the other recipe as well.
Dave MP
re: Dave MP
Here is the spanekopeta recipe. I used frozen spinach and frozen phyllo dough, though it could be done w/ fresh/homemade too. I also used all parmesan instead of romano. This style is more caserole like, unlike the other spanekopeta at the picnic which was in individual triangular pieces. Also, I assembled the spanekopeta on Wednesday, and then froze it until Saturday morning for the picnic.
Spanakopeta (recipe from my grandmother)
1/2 lb. phyllo dough (cut 1 lb. package in half)
2 packages frozen spinach, leaf or chopped (or one of each)
2 T olive oil
1 medium grated onion
1 T dried dill
1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
2 T grated romano cheese (or parmesan cheese)
2 T large curd cottage cheese
1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg for glaze
Thaw phyllo dough according to package.
Saute onions in oil until wilted. Add frozen spinach to onion and cook together until defrosted. Cool. Add dill.
Beat 2 eggs well. Add baking powder, feta, cottage cheese and 2 T romano or parmesan.
Combine spinach and cheese mixtures.
Butter 13 X 9 inch pan. Construct Spanakopeta as follows:
Layer 5- 6 sheets of phyllo in pan, overlapping each other, covering the sides of the pan (overlap 1 inch over sides of pan). Brush each sheet with melted butter. Put half of spinach/cheese mixture in pan, spread evenly, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Repeat with 5 or 6 more phyllo sheets, brushing with butter. Spread rest of spinach/cheese mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Top with rest of phyllo sheets, brush with butter. Fold sides over to seal. Brush with one beaten egg.
With sharp knife cut diagonally into 3 to 4 inch squares.
Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until brown. May be frozen and baked for 1 hour at 350.
re: Dave MP
Here is a link to Cece's post where she reveals the secret of the other spanekopetas:
re: susancinsf
ahha! I suppose mine could be made in the same style using the same filling. I haven't tried that before, but I might do it soon.
Dave MP
re: Dave MP
Hello everyone,
Thanks for a great picnic. Nice meeting you and tasting your food. I enjoyed every dish I tried -- it was quite a spread. I'll definitely be cribbing your recipes from this thread. Here's the recipe for the corn salad, a version of Peruvian choclo con queso.
8-10 Fresh Corn Stalks
8 oz. Danish Havarti Cheese
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Lime
Steam or boil the corn, shock them in ice water to cool them. Cut off the kernels. Cube cheese, and chop bell pepper to pieces that are roughly the size of a corn kernel, mix together and drizzle lime juice to taste. If you have a bbq grill fired up, you can grill the corn and get a little bit of char on it instead of steaming it.
The idea is for this to be very simple, be able to taste every ingredient and enjoy the produce, so definitely use fresh corn.
Photo of the original: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14506668...
re: daveena
daveena, the butterscotch budino was fabulous, thanks so much for making this for us! Didn't know it was yours, and kudos for being so impeccably organized in portioning it out in individual servings. Great to meet you!
re: daveena
Oh no! I missed butterscotch! Butterscotch Budino? I guess I'll just have to make it. Thanks, daveena, for the link.
The Thai garlic noodles with roast pork, praised on the SF board report, sounds a lot like a dish we learned how to make at Kasma Loha-Unchit's amazing weeklong intensive cooking class in Oakland (though I wasn't at the picnic to see for myself). Would the creator be willing to share if that was the recipe used?
re: david kaplan
That was Marlon's contribution if I am not mistaken, and he told me he was going to bring the 'garlic noodles from his Thai cooking class'....so I am guessing your guess is correct. Marlon, can you confirm?
re: susancinsf
That's what he told me (those were fantastic!) and I'm eagerly anticipating the recipe!
re: JasmineG
Actually all the three Thai dishes at the picnic were made from Kasma's recipes. We are all Kasma alum so to say :). I will post the basil chicken recipe later!
Urmi (aka jhinky)
re: jhinky
Three more cheers for Kasma! That garlic noodle recipe is among my favorites.
re: david kaplan
Basil Chicken:
Actually I used pretty much the recipe that Kasma has on her website (I used about 5x the recipe) - see http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/reci...
I use ground chicken instead of coarsely chopped up chicken as I find the taste distributes better and thats the way my favorite Thai restaurant made it :) And use as much chilli as you can - it adds to the flavor.
re: jhinky
YUM, thanks! I can't wait to make that!
re: jhinky
I didn't see the garlic noodle recipe on there. Can someone post that?
re: Dave MP
it is posted!
re: jhinky
You got the chiles just right for me: hot enough that I said "wow, that's hot" but still kept eating it. :-)
Since everyone is clamoring for it, here's a link to the recipe for David's carrot pudding, which he posted when he brought it to the 2005 picnic:
Carrot Pudding:
Darn! I am kicking myself since I wasn't able to make it to the picnic this year. I saw the post a little late, and had plans already. Sounds like it was a great time, with lots of good food.
Ruth I am going to make your potatoes for a party the 27th, should I use a warmer? (I think that I Iove potatoes just about any way they're prepared) The party is going to be fairly informal
do you recommend that I keep them warm in a serving dish? All the food is going to be appetizers, or walk about food, but I want to serve them the best way. What do you think?
re: chef chicklet
People seemed to think they were good at room temp (or rather, air temp). Since it uses soft cheeses, they don't get hard and congealed when they cool. They also retain heat well, so if you put foil over the baking sheet when you take them out of the oven, they should keep warm for a while.
My basic truffle recipe was originally based on this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/...
As I used it, it gradually underwent some revisions until it became this:
But since then, it's undergone some more revisions, so I'll see if I can approximate what I actually did for y'all here.
Ingredients are for a single batch. You can make multiple batches of the same flavour as a single batch, but it gets a lot trickier on the timing. I recommend that if you want to make lots of truffles, you still work with about these quantities at one time, otherwise you'll never get them all rolled before they start to melt, etc. I do, however, pipeline the process, so I end up making/melting one batch while another is cooling in the bowl, etc. I don't do a whole set right to the end and then start the next one. And I save all batches up and coat with chocolate together so I only have to #%@$ing temper chocolate once.
Ingredients for regular truffles, makes 42-48 truffles
16 ounces of chopped or grated chocolate
6 ounces of heavy cream
1/4 cup of sugar.
1 ounce butter
1.5 - 2 ounces of liquid flavouring. If you use a powdered flavouring, or something heavily concentrated, then replace this liquid content with more cream.
8 ounces of chocolate for coating + extra (see notes below) In Temper!
Chop or grate your chocolate into a mixing bowl. I use my food processor's cheese grating plate for this -- it's messy, and you lose a little chocolate to the heat of the mixer (measure your 16 ounces after you chop, rather than before), but it's about 80 zillion times faster and easier on the hands than chopping block chocolate by hand. If you're chopping try to keep the largest pieces below the size of a large pea.
Heat your cream, the sugar, plus flavourings if appropriate (vanilla pods or any dried flavourings, should be included with the cream), until bubbles start to appear around the edges, but not until it boils. Poor this over the chocolate and butter stirring together with a spatula until the chocolate and butter melt and the ganache is smooth.
If the chocolate hasn't completely melted and the mixture is cooling off, put the metal mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water, as a double boiler, and finish melting the chocolate. This is more likely to be necessary if you didn't chop the chocolate very finely.
At this point, add any other flavourings and mix together. The ganache should be nice and shiny. Let the ganache cool until it's nearly set--hard enough to hold a shape, but not so hard that you can't work it a little. It should get to this stage just left out in a cool room after a few hours, but who has that kind of time? Throw it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. No wimpy-assed stirring! Stir it well and truly, scraping the edges thoroughly.
Once the ganache is holding shape, I use two spoons to work it into a rough shape and plop it onto a piece of parchment paper. (Waxed paper also works. Getting the chocolate back off your silpat is a pain in the ass, thus, silpat not recommended.)
You could, at this stage, or after chilling the rough shapes for 10-15 minutes, roll them into a round shape. You could, but no one I've ever served a truffle too has complained that the rustic shapes were somehow less delicious than they would be if they were closer to round, so I don't bother. I'm lazy that way.
Coat your ganache with something. If they're not travelling far and are going to be eaten soon, I'll often opt for rolling them in sugar or another dry coating of a flavour that works with the filling (mixing powdered ginger with white sugar for ginger truffles for example, or rolling a nut truffle in toasted almond slivers). In the case of the picnic truffles, though, they needed to travel long distance, so I opted for a chocolate coating to help them hold up to the abuse.
It takes about 8 ounces of chocolate coating to do a 16 ounce batch of truffles. But if all you're doing is one batch of truffles, you won't be able to coat it in only 8 ounces of chocolate, because the coating process requires a messy excess that you can dip your fingers into and shake off and such. Use a minimum of a pound, and if you're doing multiple kinds of truffles, save them all up and coat them together out of a communal pot of tempered chocolate 8 ounces per batch plus 8 ounces extra. You can save the extra and do something else with it later. I often use El Ray for the shell, since a better quality of chocolate does show up nicely here, but Whole Foods was out, so the shell on the picnic truffles was the same Callebaut dark as the ganache.
Bring the coating chocolate into temper. (Notice how I gloss over how to do that. I'm bad at it, I barely manage it at the best of times. You'd be better off searching for someone else's method.) Dip one hand into the chocolate and bring up a small amount in your cupped fingers. Use the other hand to drop one of your ganache fillings into the middle of that pool and then wrap your fingers around it quickly and make sure it gets thoroughly coated in the chocolate. Return it to the waxed paper or to new, clean, shiny waxed paper, if you prefer, to set.
About 5 minutes after you coat the last truffle, they should all be set in their shells and basically ready to go. I usually leave them overnight before I pack them up, and if I'm planning on, say, taking them on an airplane and flying them across the country, will usually throw the boxes into the fridge until the last minute so they're extra hard and resilient when baggage handling is throwing them on the ground and driving a 747 over them. Refrigeration is generally not the best thing for chocolate, and this does tend to make it bloom a little if it wasn't in absolutely perfect temper to start with. That said, much like roundness, few people complain about a little blooming. It doesn't really negatively affect the taste.
The flavourings I used:
1. Vanilla -- a couple of vanilla beans, cut open and heated with the cream then scraped and pods removed. Also, an ounce and a half of relatively weak vanilla (I normally use less, stronger vanilla, but I had a bottle of vodka and vanilla beans in the freezer to use up).
2. Pomegranate -- 1 ounce of pomegranate molasses, 1 ounce of fresh pomegranate juice. The molasses really provides all the flavour, the fresh juice just brightens it up a little. You could probably replace the fresh juice with lemon juice or something with no noticeable ill effect on the taste, since it isn't enough to really taste the flavours in all that chocolate anyway. You know, if you don't want to buy a $4 bottle of juice and use 1oz of it.
3. Ginger - About 3 inches grated fresh ginger, plus 1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger mixed in with the chocolate after it's melted. I use Penzies candied ginger because it's got a lot of sugar and a lot of kick.
4. Chipotle -- One large dried pepper cut up a little and heated with the cream. Pass the cream through a wire mesh strainer when pouring over chocolate to get all the seeds out unless you'd like to burn a few of your guests at random.
re: Jacquilynne
Jacquilynne, the truffles were absolutely delicious. The texture, as well as the taste, was perfect. I thought the least successful were the chipotle because I couldn't detect much of a chile taste. Maybe I got one with less chile, but even that was great because of the texture and taste of the choc.
Good job!
Oh, yeah, and the presentation was so elegantly simple.
Here's a recipe request for the Morrocan bell pepper "salsa," attributed to Cyrus. Color was amazing and flavors popped. Great starter.
Moroccan Pepper Spread
(This is probably the easiest recipe in the world)
3-6 cloves of garlic
2 jars of roasted peppers
A bunch of cilantro
A bunch of parsley
A dash (or three) of olive oil
A dash (or three) of vinegar
Multiple dashes of red chili pepper
A dash of cumin
Assemble all in a blender and blend for 1-3 minutes. Eat with pita or bread of any kind.
We handed out copies at the picnic but for those who were not there.
Fresh Rice Noodle Rolls
BBQ Pork cut into matchstick size
Scramble Eggs cut into matchstick size
Cooked bean sprouts with very thin ginger strips
Thin strips of green onions
Chinese parsley leafs
Thinly sliced sweet mini cucumbers ( available in Asian market)
Wasabi Hoisin Sauce
Fresh rice noodles sheets.
Lay the rice noodle sheet flat on a flat surface. You will need to roll it away from you. The roll should be as long as possible so you need to roll the side of the sheet.
Lay a good amount of the bean sprouts, scramble eggs, and BBQ pork in that order. Then top with the parsley, green onion and finally the sweet white mini white cucumbers.
Then make two to three roll of the noodle around from you until there is only one final roll. Squeeze a little of the wasabi hoisin sauce in a nice design on the inside of the last fold. Then complete the final roll. Then lightly squeeze the roll tight but be gently not to break the rice noodle.
Scramble eggs are just a few eggs cooked in a little oil and when cooled cut into strips
The wasabi hoisin is just some bottled hoisin with just enough wasabi mix in for a little bit to the sauce.
re: yimster
Didn't you put a few cilantro sprigs or something at the far end of the roll. Right before the hoisin/wasabi sauce?
re: oakjoan
Yes, I did.
Garlic Noodles, Bamee Haeng (recipe from Kasma Loha-Unchit Clark)
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 head garlic
1 lb chinese thin noodles
1/4 cup tianjin vegetables
6 green onions
4 cups bean sprouts
3 tbs fish sauce
3 tsp sugar
15 lettuce leaves
chopped peanuts
1 lb charsiew pork
heat oil. fry garlic chopped. set aside
cook noodles, drain.
toss with vegetabl;es, onions, sprouts, garlic, fish sauce,
sugar and some chili flakes. toss well to wilt sprouts.
put on platter, top with peanuts and pork.
serve warm or at room temp.
serves 6-8.
I made 5 times the recipe!!!
re: marlon
Yes! Thank you! This dish was amazing and I can't wait to make it. What are tianjin vegetables?
re: Dave MP
Tianjin pickled vegetable is sold in a cute little earthenware clay pot at 99 Ranch and lots of other Chinese markets. They look to me like little pickled cabbage pieces. They're very salty.


text:
Maker Faire Bay Area 2013
Start Your Own Maker Club
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Start a club in your school, organization, and community. We welcome kids, parents, teachers -- really anyone who loves to make with others.
Website Video
Tony DeRose — Founder
Young Makers
Tony is a researcher at Pixar Animation Studios who loves working in the garage with his two sons on various wacky engineering projects, many of which are a combination of hardware and software.
Michelle Hlubinka
Michelle Hlubinka is a writer, designer, and program developer Maker Media, focusing on its educational outreach and programming. Before joining the Maker Faire crew, she worked at the Exploratorium's Center for Museum Partnerships and MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group. That work built on previous research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as a long-time mentor in the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, and as a curriculum designer for various publishers and educational researchers. When she's not supporting future makers, she does some making of her own, most often as a visual artist.


text:
Making Memories Across America
The Making Memories Across America dinner and auction is an annual fundraiser held to benefit the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter, including the 24-hour helpline, MedicAlert/Safe Return Program, family support groups, respite for caregivers and research. This year's dinner will be held March 2 from 6 to 11 p.m., at the Brown & Williamson Club, 2800 S. Floyd St. Awards will be given, including Family Caregiver of the Year, Professional Caregiver of the Year, Media Partner of the Year, Corporate Partner of the Year and the Giving Award. The event includes dinner, an auction, dancing and live entertainment. Tickets are $100 per person or $1,500 for a reserved table for 10. Expected dress will be cocktail attire. For reservations or more information, call 502.451.4266 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Event Details
Date: Mar 2, 2013
Starts: 6:00 PM | Ends: 11:00 PM
Brown & Williamson Club,
2800 S. Floyd St.
Louisville, Ky
Phone: 502.451.4266