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Keep their names! Note their addresses and that of their associates! Knit your list of those who oppress you in Code just as Madame Therese Defarge did in Tale of Two Cities! While Marie and her Ladies in Waiting play milkmaid at Le Petit Trianon, others are planning the revolution….
What the Costumes Reveal
By JOE NOCERA
Published: October 28, 2011
On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party.The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a "foreclosure mill" firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes. Steven J. Baum is, in fact, the largest such firm in New York; it represents virtually all the giant mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
Earl Wilson/The New York Times
Joe Nocera
The party is the firm's big annual bash. Employees wear Halloween costumes to the office, where they party until around noon, and then return to work, still in costume. I can't tell you how people dressed for this year's party, but I can tell you about last year's.
That's because a former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year's party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.
When we spoke later, she added that the snapshots are an accurate representation of the firm's mind-set. "There is this really cavalier attitude," she said. "It doesn't matter that people are going to lose their homes." Nor does the firm try to help people get mortgage modifications; the pressure, always, is to foreclose. I told her I wanted to post the photos on The Times's Web site so that readers could see them. She agreed, but asked to remain anonymous because she said she fears retaliation.
Let me describe a few of the photos. In one, two Baum employees are dressed like homeless people. One is holding a bottle of liquor. The other has a sign around her neck that reads: "3rd party squatter. I lost my home and I was never served." My source said that "I was never served" is meant to mock "the typical excuse" of the homeowner trying to evade a foreclosure proceeding.
A second picture shows a coffin with a picture of a woman whose eyes have been cut out. A sign on the coffin reads: "Rest in Peace. Crazy Susie." The reference is to Susan Chana Lask, a lawyer who had filed a class-action suit against Steven J. Baum — and had posteda YouTube video denouncing the firm's foreclosure practices. "She was a thorn in their side," said my source.
A third photograph shows a corner of Baum's office decorated to look like a row of foreclosed homes. Another shows a sign that reads, "Baum Estates" — needless to say, it's also full of foreclosed houses. Most of the other pictures show either mock homeless camps or mock foreclosure signs — or both. My source told me that not every Baum department used the party to make fun of the troubled homeowners they made their living suing. But some clearly did. The adjective she'd used when she sent them to me — "appalling" — struck me as exactly right.
These pictures are hardly the first piece of evidence that the Baum firm treats homeowners shabbily — or that it uses dubious legal practices to do so. It is under investigation by the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman. It recently agreed to pay $2 million to resolve an investigation by the Department of Justice into whether the firm had "filed misleading pleadings, affidavits, and mortgage assignments in the state and federal courts in New York." (In the press release announcing the settlement, Baum acknowledged only that "it occasionally made inadvertent errors.")
MFY Legal Services, which defends homeowners, and Harwood Feffer, a large class-action firm, have filed a class-action suit claiming that Steven J. Baum has consistently failed to file certain papers that are necessary to allow for a state-mandated settlement conference that can lead to a modification. Judge Arthur Schack of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn once described Baum's foreclosure filings as "operating in a parallel mortgage universe, unrelated to the real universe." (My source told me that one Baum employee dressed up as Judge Schack at a previous Halloween party.)
I saw the firm operate up close when I wrote several columns about Lilla Roberts, a 73-year-old homeowner who had spent three years in foreclosure hell. Although she had a steady income and was a good candidate for a modification, the Baum firm treated her mercilessly.
When I called a press spokesman for Steven J. Baum to ask about the photographs, he sent me a statement a few hours later. "It has been suggested that some employees dress in … attire that mocks or attempts to belittle the plight of those who have lost their homes," the statement read. "Nothing could be further from the truth." It described this column as "another attempt by The New York Times to attack our firm and our work."
I encourage you to look at the photographs with this column on the Web. Then judge for yourself the veracity of Steven J. Baum's denial.
A version of this op-ed appeared in print on October 29, 2011, on page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: What the Costumes Reveal.
I can only imagine what Halloween parties might be like at the office of Steven D. Silverstein, at 14351 Redhill Suite G, Tustin, CA 92780 or Barrett, Daffin, Frappier, Treder, & Weiss, L.L.P., at 20955 Pathfinder Road, Suite 300 Diamond Bar, California 91765, or any of countless similar law firms that fit the Dickensian caricature of soulless lawyers whole live solely to destroy the lives of others might be like. Silverstein, at least, seems to dress in Halloween costume year round as a loan shark or loan shark lawyer. But there are other Dickensian characters, like Madame Thérèse Defarge in Tale of Two Cities: she waited for the revolution a long time, keeping the names of the government agents and traitors to the people memorialized in code or glyphs known only to her in her endless knitting.
I don't know how long it will take for the revolution to come here, but I do not believe we need to pray merely that people such as these employees of Steven Baum, or Steven Silverstein, or Barrett, Daffin, Frappier, Treder, & Weiss, will receive their just deserts in the afterlife. On my list, the names of Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are close to the top of the list for pretending to be on the side of the people, while working tirelessly in their high ranking Senate Committees for the banks and their attorneys, to give them tax breaks for their work evicting people after non-judicial foreclosures under California Civil Code 2924.


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Calcutta: Dav Whatmore is still favoured to become the Team India coach, but the Australian will almost surely have to contend with the iconic Sunil Gavaskars hostility when the seven-man special committee meets in Bangalore on Monday.
Gavaskar is one of three former captains Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Ravi Shastri being the others given the responsibility of helping select Greg Chappells full-time successor.
Whatmore, who has just finished four years with Bangladesh, must deal with former South African coach Graham Ford too.
According to The Telegraphs sources, Ford has sent his CV to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He has done so at the behest of a senior Indian cricketer, somebody in the know said on Sunday.
However, Niranjan Shah (the BCCI secretary) limited himself to saying: Its possible that Ford has sent his CV
I havent seen it, though
Whatmore, of course, adopted the direct approach: He met Shah and chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty during last months Chittagong Test.
Both had gone there as part of a BCCI delegation.
Ford, who succeeded Bob Woolmer after the 1999 World Cup, was sacked by the South African board in 2001. In recent years, he has been coaching Kent.
Obviously, the senior Indian cricketer would have spoken to somebody in the BCCI before advising Ford to email his CV.
Whatmore, therefore, has reason to lose sleep.
However, that Ford was fired is something few would have forgotten. So
Incidentally, John Wright had also been at Kent when he sent his CV to the BCCI, almost seven years ago.
That started a relationship which lasted four-and-a-half years.
Returning to the meeting, the Gavaskar factor is bound to hang heavy.
Specifically, he wants an Indian to get the high-on-profile-and-pressure job and, till rather late on Sunday, there was nothing to suggest hed decided to go along with the majority view.
Chetan Chauhan was being talked about till a few days ago, but the fact that he has only played a few ODIs has weakened his case enormously
Gavaskar may propose Mohinder Amarnath
Even (Gundappa Viswanath) Vishy can be discussed, another source pointed out.
Being more than conversant with limited overs cricket is a top requirement.
The meeting is going to be chaired by BCCI president Sharad Pawar. Three of his colleagues Shah, joint-secretary Mohinder Pandove and treasurer N. Srinivasan complete the committee.
As Pawar wont land in Bangalore till around 6.00pm, the meeting is unlikely to begin before 8.00pm.
Its one of the most awaited in recent memory.
Meanwhile, former coach Madanlal is of the view that the BCCI should have advertised and sought applications.
That, I think, would have been the proper way of going about the whole thing
A few days ago, Madanlal went public with his desire for a second innings. The BCCI, well, hasnt taken notice.
I wasnt disappointed when I was removed in 1997 (after a year in the job)
Im not disappointed today either, he insisted.
Madanlal was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning XI and has served as a national selector as well.


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The decision to build up this blog to narrate my experience as research fellow, did not really considered the fact that I have never been a blogger before, nor paid much attention to blogs in general.
In order to speed up with my research work, I have directed most of my time towards my research project so far, thus leaving little or nothing for my blog activity (yes, I still have the bad habit of sleeping at night, although I am surviving well with little or no social activity!).
So, even if the majority of the posts were written shortly after the situation described, they now sound mainly as a retrospective history of what I have been doing so far.
It is mandatory, therefore, to apology with you my readers (many I hope), for this delayed start: slowly, I will catch up with all the things I have done/learnt transforming this sort of past agenda in a real time event.
[Don't tell anyone, but I am still trying to understand how the blog platform works ]
As I was anticipating in other posts, I had previously stepped into glucose metabolism almost by accident and long time before committing to this research experience. I had worked only partially with pancreatic physiological models. I was not proficient in the techniques to be used, but I did possess the knowhow of what I was going to apply.
So, developing new competencies is exactly how I have spent my first 6-8months…
I don't want to make the story long describing all the readings I had to do and listing every single method I had to learn, apply or simply revisit…but I feel mandatory to share with you a couple of techniques that are important pillars of my research project…so take this as a little preview of what is coming up in future posts!


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US history
posted by HM .
View of himself : He saw him self as a man who has risen from the bottom to the top with self determination despite of his financial problems.
Describe his character : Nixon was a very insecure and paranoid president, because of his past low stature he always presumed he was not good enough to stand by the elite and he could never make it to the top. Thus he always supported the working class and knew that one day he will change things around for them. Moreover He did not like the media very much and thought that it interfered with governmental issues for instance the pentagon papers.
how did his personality help him achieve success :
When Nixon reached the top in spite of being a republican he did everything in his power to form government programs such as welfare, medicare and revived many programs to help the public. Also through his determined personality he managed to separate the large communist countries China and Soviet Union and did all his best to stop the war in Vietnam.
how did it contribute to his downfall :
His extreme actions to impress the public lead to some unsuccessful welfare plans which overspend the government funding and his determined personality lead to the excessive bombings of Cambodia and Laos without congressional permission in hope that it will end the war, this not only made him seem like a madman but also caused him to lose congress's support later. Moreover what really contributed to his downfall was his insecure and paranoid personality, for instance when the Watergate scandal took place Nixon lied about the tapes so they could not be given out to the media and his staff could not be exposed of the burglary, regardless he was still blamed for the scandal. What actually started the scandal was his opposition towards the democratic party, in the past he managed to surpass election by finding a conspiracy against the incumbents but this time he was caught.
What was your assessment of Nixon's presidency:
Most of the things Nixon did were very liberal and democratic, it was ironic to why he despised the Liberals so much. His every step let him to the next one, for instance his anti communist campaign paved a safe way for only him to form diplomatic relationships with the Communist countries. Despite the Watergate scandal Nixon was a very effective president, with a history of always being unheard and at a low status he was committed to hearing out the working class. Nixon did everything in his power to keep all the interest groups happy, for instance the Environmental protection agency, and price controlling ,energy rationing and even contributing to the growing welfare. His foreign policy still serves as an example for presidents today and is still well known for his farfetched diplomacy. However Nixon's same determinism became his enemy. Initially the Watergate scandal started with the news of the reelections. Not only did Nixon want to win the elections but he also like old times wanted to remove the democratic incumbents. Most people see his Watergate plan was to only sabotage the democrats so he could win the elections for another year to complete his tasks including the end of war. Some saw his involvement in the scandal to only coverup and hide corruption in his staff which would eventually lead to him. Nevertheless neither of his intentions got him anywhere. But in my opinion his effective legacy still remains as a great lesson. Basically his goals were very innocent but his methods were unethical.
What were his major accomplishments:
His mere visit to china improved the US China relationship which improved many aspects of trade and so many other things. Moreover his unique anti communist image also easily lead him to soften relationships with the Soviet Union, forming "increased trade and two landmark arms control treaties called SALT (named for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks underway since 1969) froze each country's arsenal of intercontinental missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty banned the development of systems designed to intercept incoming missiles, so that neither side would be tempted to attack the other without fearing devastating retaliation."( 0----)
Not only did he improve conditions outside of US he also formed effective programs at home, he promoted the "new federalism" created many funding for the states resulting in numerous initiates. His favoritism for equality lead to affirmative action programs to assure African Americans and Women of education and jobs. Nixon managed to cover all interest groups and also created the Environmental protection agency.
Lastly despite the war never ended Nixon's Vietnam plan saved many lives of American soldiers and preserved American dignity.
What was his major failures (aside from Watergate) :
He cut the last tie between our currency and the value of gold, in order to pay off bills from the Vietnam war with devalued dollars, devaluing every dollar each of us earned or saved since, and setting the stage for unlimited spending and printing of money, and inflationary practice by our government, ever since.
how do you think Americans view Nixon today if the Watergate never happened? Most people compare Nixon to Clinton, but I think that regardless of Watergate Nixon was an efficient president who lied and swore for the betterment of his country. If Watergate did not occur perhaps Americans would not view the government as so distrustful and the media would not be it is today. It is not what happened at Watergate that created controversy and hurt Nixon but how it was exploited.
How did anti communism help shape Nixon's career from his early campaigns to HUAC to Vietnam? Being a part of the anti communism paved his way to an easy diplomacy with China and Russia hence leading his further plans in to stopping war in Vietnam.
Despite his anticommunism, he opened the door to Russia and china, how do you think this contradiction is explained by Nixon?
The only way Nixon went into China and Russia without being blamed for being soft on communism was his HUAC support and the anti communist campaigns he entered the presidency with in the first place. His background made him a special position to bring diplomatic terms in China without being traitor to his own country. Furthermore this also aided him to fix terms and come to a treaty with the Soviet Union.
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Sep. 24 – Oct. 23 The seventh sign of the ZODIAC
Element: Air. Symbol: Scales
Librans mean diplomacy, charm, idealism and generally peace loving nature. On the other side of the scale, Librans are known to be indecisive, changeable, gullible and easily affected.
The most civilized of all zodiac signs!!
Astrologers believe that Librans are the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters for being gifted with many features as strong sense of justice and analytical abilities. On the other hand, Librans do not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges their opinions or decisions because once they have reached a conclusion, its truth seems to them self-evident. Among their faults is an impatience of criticism and a greed for approval.
Sociability = Libra
Librans are very sociable people, for them life is a boring journey if without friends and companions. By nature, they are the happiest when people especially friends are around. Librans make friends with people from all walks of life. They are optimistic and cheerful people who can delight their friends and acquaintances. Dear Librans, you are the kind of people of whom it is said, "They always make you feel better for having been with them"
Masters of Relationships
Librans are sensitive to the needs of their partners, understanding of the other person's point of view, trying to resolve any differences by compromise; No one is able to see another person's point of view better than a Libra. They could sacrifice their interest for the sake of a relationship success. Their marriages stand a good chance of success because Librans are known by the union of "true minds". Librans dislike scenes, and will often go out of their way to avoid any conflicts with their partners. They prefer to cooperate and compromise rather than reaching the pick of an endless argument. It's true that Librans is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings.
Libra Dark Scale
The negative aspect of Libran character is being frivolous, flirty and quite shallow. Libra moods can be changeable and indecisive just like unpredictable weather. Libra and routine never go together; sometimes they are easygoing to a point of annoyance and shallowness. Again for anyone dealing with Librans, Never provoke them! They are slow to anger; but you will be shocked by their sudden outbursts of rage.
Luxurious work
Astrologers believe that Libra is too lazy to do the hard work required and to climb a corporate ladder. However, their nature helps them to be good diplomats and party politicians for they are moderate in their opinions and able to see other points of view. By being naturally creative and artistic, they are successful painters, interior decorators, actors or screenplay writers or composers. These are the fields where Libra can shine brightly due to the mix between Libra's hobby and moneymaking. . Those with a gift for finance make perfect businessmen and financiers as they have the optimism and ability to recover from financial setbacks.
Guys, hope that you have now a better knowledge of both Virgo and Libra and hope I was adequately neutral as I am a true Libran myself !!


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New legislation is aimed at making it easier for small companies to find state financing programs, according to a business advocate.
"One of the things we keep hearing is that there are many programs that could benefit companies, but business owners just haven't heard about them," said Bob Loderstedt, CEO of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. "It would be nice if there was a place we could find out about them all."
A measure signed into law Thursday by Gov. Chris Christie establishes a program within the Department of State's Business Action Center "to assist small businesses in identifying all of the financial assistance programs for which those businesses may be eligible," according to an announcement from the governor's office. "This program will help small businesses navigate the numerous finance, incentive and assistance programs administered by various state departments and entities that are available to these businesses."
The new program could be very successful "if it's widely communicated to people and put together in plain English — with the name of a person to contact for information, and the steps a business has to take to access it," Loderstedt said. "It would also be great if, before going live, they asked small businesses across a number of sectors to test it out and give them feedback."
Details of the new program are still being worked out, said Business Action Center spokesman Fred Snowflack.


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"So how can Luke's loss and acceptance of loss help you have great sex? Sometimes, you have to lose everything before you can realize your sexual greatness."
"High-pressure situation? Check. Skills? Check. Mad self-belief? Check. The result? Linsanity!"
"If you're using anger, fear, and aggression in order to get what you want sexually, you're essentially making someone else feel powerless so that you can feel powerful. ... And then you become The Emperor (and I can pretty much guarantee that no one wants to bang that guy willingly)."
"Luck, passion, drive, 'x-factors,' and the like can all be incredible assets when you're on a journey toward sexual greatness. These elements are what make the journey exciting and make your sexual greatness story compelling. But without well-rounded fundamentals, these elements can only take you so far."
Without sexual freedom, truly great sex cannot be achieved.
"When I take a step back from my frustration, I realize that typing is a skill I started developing in the 4th grade. The only reason I'm so good at it is because I've had 18 years of practice. ... I'm pretty sure 4th grade me would not have gotten this far this quickly."
"Just Like Playing Trombone, Sex is A Physical Activity. If you haven't had sex in a while, or even if you're just trying something you haven't done in a while, it can take some time before your body remembers how to move effectively."
"Even though Lizzie Miller doesn't even come close to the 12-year-old-boy-with-boobs body type, she's pretty damn hot. And when she manned-up, stripped-down, and showed the world her body, she changed the game."
Ever been curious about those shoes that have 5 individual toe pockets? They're called Vibrams, and this post lets you know how wearing Vibrams can help you have great sex!
Want to perfect your sexual swag? Perfecting a grubbin' recipe can actually help you get there.
Have you ever found that switching from one sexual partner to another can be challenging sometimes? Check out how switching the city you bike in can help you transition from partner to partner more strategically.
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Johannesburg - A court ruling that the City of Johannesburg find emergency accommodation for 86 people facing eviction has serious implications, the city said on Thursday.
"The decision has a potential impact on the city's budgets and might have a knock-on effect on future decisions taken with regards to finances and revenue," spokesperson Gabu Tugwana said.
He said the city would have to seek legal advice on the implications for local authorities to pass and enforce by-laws - including action against landlords who own unsafe buildings which place the lives of occupants in grave danger.
ConCourt ruling
Earlier, the Constitutional Court ruled that the city must provide emergency temporary housing by April 1 for the 86 people.
The court found the city's housing policy was inconsistent with its housing obligation and was unconstitutional because it did not provide accommodation for people in an emergency situation.
It rejected the city's argument that even if it did have an obligation to provide temporary accommodation in such cases, it did not have the means to do so.
"The court was not persuaded that the city did not have sufficient resources to provide accommodation for the occupiers, holding that the city had wrongly budgeted on the basis that it was not obliged to provide them with emergency housing."
The judgment dealt with when it would be just and equitable under the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE) to evict unlawful occupiers from private property.
It was common cause that the occupiers of the building, which had been red flagged as a derelict fire risk in the past, were unlawful.
The people had been living in the building in abysmal conditions for a long time and had paid rent, although no record of the rent to the present owner through a "caretaker" could be found.
The owner of the property, Blue Moonlight, bought the property in 2004, but met resistance when it wanted to redevelop it.
The occupants, who brought in around just under R1 000 a household, did not want to move because they would be homeless and away from their sources of income.
They tried to raise the matter with the housing tribunal, but eventually the issue went to court.
Temporary accommodation
The city must, by April 1 provide the occupiers, whose names are on a list filed on April 30 2008, with temporary accommodation as near as possible to the Berea property.
Morgan Courtenay, the occupiers' attorney at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), at the University of the Witwatersrand, called the judgment "a huge victory for the poor generally".
The centre called on the city to immediately take steps to carry out the court's order and to consult with the occupiers and their representatives over this.
Jackie Dugard, executive director of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA, said the city had been in a state of denial about the needs of poor people under threat of eviction by private landlords.
"That must now end."
The city said it would comment further once the full judgment had been studied.
Eish the begging bowl is getting bigger and bigger! When they are then in the temoray housing you will not be able to get them out again....
Dum FU@ks You invented this law and when it comes back and bites you on the ass you dont like it Change the law back to what it was and every will have an equal chance
The PIE act must surely be THE BIGGEST F UP of all of the ANC's idiotic laws in the past 17 years.
ILLEGAL OCCUPATION - What part of that is difficult to understand? Why are those who do not OWN a property have so much more rights to it than the owners of properties (buildings/farms etc).
We all want more than what we have, but it does not mean that we can just take/occupy whatever takes our fancy - unless you are an illegal immigrant, illegal squatter, or a member of the anc. It is just WRONG
This thing is easy,the city council must built an alternative accomodation in the middle of a "desert",take them there and the will come back the following day.Sorted


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Yulong Snow Mountain is the southernmost snow-capped mountain in China and the ocean glacier nearest to the equator of all the snow mountains in Eurasia. Neighboring the famous ancient town of Lijiang(Located 25 kilometers north of Lijiang) Yulong Snow Mountain is a popular tourist destination in Yunnan province. It is the one and only place you can ski in South China.
All year around snow falls on the peaks and which are frequently lost in the clouds and fog. Looking from a distance the mountain resembles a Jade Dragon Yulong which is how it got its name.
Frustrating - when I shot ,the weather is very bad, dark clouds and dense fog obscured the summit. so had to shoot the other---
White Water River .


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The Food Nomad – goes "California Dreamin"
"Driving down the 101, California here we come" Yes, we were that cheesy – living out our California dream driving along Highway 101 in a Mustang convertible while listening to the song that made the teen drama series "the OC" synonymous with California living.
A few months ago, the Boy and I were in Laguna Beach for a friend's wedding, and took the opportunity to drive up along the coast to experience the magnificence of the Westcoast. Our trip wove through Laguna Beach, LA, Santa Barbara, Cayucos, Monterey, Napa, and finally, San Francisco. Here are some of the pictures from our food journey (Napa deserved it's own posting so watch out for that separate entry!).
"The OC breakfast" at the Sand & Surf Hotel – lean turkey sausages, egg white scramble with organic baby spinach and cherry tomatoes, plus a side of wild grains. Enjoying all this while watching the surf – I feel healthy just thinking about it!
"We finally meet" – my 1st visit to In-N-Out Burger after hearing my American friends' constant ravings about this. We got our burgers "animal styled". The burgers were good with simple ingredients (mine also had caramelized onions), and I like how they cut the fries right in front of the customers.
Standing in the organic garden at the Cass House B&B in Cayucos. A beautifully restored heritage mansion that once belonged to the local shipping tycoon, Captain Cass. The Cass House also has their own restuarant (headed by owner and chef Jensen Lorenzen), and opens from Thursdays through Mondays. I would highly recommend a visit as they use only seasonal ingredients (whether from market or from their own garden), and the food is meticulously executed without being pretentious.
Cass House: Our amuse bouche – deviled quail egg with truffle oil, accompanied by tender asparagus spears and a few thyme flower petals.
Cass House: Appetizer of an egg confit sitting on a bed of shredded multi-coloured beets, with a generous brushing of well-aged balsamic.
Cass House: Stone fruit appetizer consisting of fragrant nectarines, peaches and plums from their own garden, sitting on a dollop of light ricotta.
Cass House: Tender morsels of roasted lamb neck sitting on a pond of creamy polenta, with baby carrots and generous shavings of summer truffle.
Cass House: Foie gras terrine layered between what I feel was aged parmesan, accompanied by walnuts and wild berries. The sweetness and fruitiness really complimented the rich saltiness of the terrine.
Cass House: Mishima Ranch wagyu beef with fried sweetbread, roasted green onions and pearl onions.
Cass House: Line-caught wild king salmon accompanied by a salmon-filled ravioli and wilted kale. I love kale so anything with kale makes me happy!
Cass House: Berry sorbet with soft shortbread (almost felt like a cake) and mascarpone cream.
Cass House: Decadent chocolate cream cake with basil ice cream. I love the idea of combining herbs in ice cream.
Our breakfast the following day at Cass House. Pork sausage (very garlicky, yum!), blueberry scone (super buttery), and kale quiche. I would highly suggest staying at Cass House, beautifully appointed rooms with attention to detail, plus they use Frette sheets!
After staying overnight at Cayucos, we headed to the decadent Hearst Castle.
Along Highway 101 towards Monterey – the coastline is just astoundingly beautiful.
Our first dinner at Monterey – my dish of lobster / grilled salmon sitting on a bed of wilted kale, stewed tomatoes, artichoke, and cannellini beans.
Good morning! Waking up to huevos rancheros is a true joy!
Farmers market at Santa Cruz – walking through it made me so happy and excited.
I LOVE Artichokes!
Fish taco – very light and tender cuts of fish mingled with fresh vegetables. Hey, California was once Mexico, they should know a thing or two about Mexican cuisine.
In San Francisco for 1 night and I had to try Perbacco, which was highly recommended by a foodie friend. My starter was a burrata / summer squash salad (excuse the lighting, it was a dark restaurant!)
My braised short-rib dish with crushed hazelnut on top – so rich and decadent.
My other half's healthier option of king salmon (the skin was perfectly seared) and house-cured salmon roe.
One of the best dessert combos I've had thus far – burnt caramel ice cream sprinkled with Tahitian vanilla sea salt, accompanied with pine nut cookies. The contrast between brunt sweetness and the crunchy salt is amazing!!
Bon Appetit!


text:
It's only natural for boys to be boys
Nowadays we tend to assume there's only one way to bring up children, be they male or female, but this kind of thinking is flawed and means that boys lose out
WHEN Dr Kate Byrne sees her eight-year-old son tiptoeing along the roof of their granny flat 20 feet above the ground, she doesn't rush out and yell at him about how dangerous it is.
Instead Byrne, the mother of seven boys aged between three and 19, calmly tells her middle one to get down.
"I don't use the word 'dangerous' because as soon as you instill that fear, a child is likely to become fearful, so I just say I don't want him up there.
"I let them feel their way -- boys tend to know their own capabilities, and they lose that ability if we instill them with fear."
Byrne, a psychologist who specialises in children and adolescents, is a strong believer in allowing boys to be boys.
There are differences between boys and girls, she says, and we should accept them.
It's a concept supported by Dr Patrick Ryan, director of the doctoral programme in clinical psychology in the University of Limerick. Nowadays, he says, we tend to assume that there's only one way to bring up children, male or female -- and this often doesn't take into account the inevitable differences.
"I think people often look on boys as mad things! They have a lot more physical energy than girls -- they really want to run and jump, so expecting them to sit down and play quietly is very hard for boys," says Kate Byrne.
Parents should bite their tongue when tempted to list a range of blood-curdling 'what ifs' to adventurous boys, she advises.
"If you spend your life worrying your son about what might happen if he does this or that, he may become anxious and fearful.
"Discourage a boy from climbing a tree by warning that he could fall and break his neck and you may discourage him from ever climbing anything," she warns. "If you don't trust them how will they ever trust themselves?" she asks.
"You have to grit your teeth and let boys off the leash," Byrne insists.
None of us can deny the modern trend of over-protection where children are concerned. Child consultant Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, points to a huge increase in parental anxiety, which has led to restrictions on children's physical activity, their play and their freedom to roam.
She believes the increasing lack of opportunities for unsupervised play may cause more long-term problems for boys than girls.
This theory, some believe, is borne out in the prevalence of behavioural disorders which affect an estimated eight to 10pc of school-age children, with boys being four times more likely to be affected than girls.
The roots of this problem may, to an extent, lie in the way we live: modern life means an overly protected environment for many boys, says Ray King, principal of the 660-pupil all-boys Scoil na Mainstreach in Celbridge, Co Kildare.
Busy modern families don't always know their neighbours, he says, adding that nowadays "there is a level of privacy and protection" involved even in the child's neighbourhood.
"With both parents working and child-minders after school there is now an emphasis on protection and a reluctance to allow children to engage in their environment as we would have done when we were young."
Many children, he points out, may now go direct "from school to a minder, which often leaves very little time for informal play activities".
"Then at weekends there tends to be more emphasis on structured activities such as music and games. Opportunities for traditional unstructured play are not as plentiful as they were years ago."
Add to that the mistake that parents and society make in assuming that "there's one way to bring up children, full stop", says Patrick Ryan.
This means that although young boys naturally tend to be more boisterous than girls, the response of society has been to suppress it because it's seen as a "negative" thing when it fact it should be understood as a natural display of energy. Rough and tumble play is all important.
"It creates a connection between boys because they're all doing something similar and that's important in terms of their development -- their sense of esteem, their sense of identity; they are part of the group.
"It also helps them regulate their behaviour -- if one boy in the group steps out of line they will cajole or jostle him back into shape.
"This behaviour teaches boys the rules and norms of acceptable behaviour in a group, which is important in terms of going out into society."
Lack of horseplay can have unpleasant consequences, he warns.
"Research shows that if you try to control that natural boisterousness it tends to seep out somewhere else -- if they cannot do the rough and tumble in play it gets pent-up and comes out in aggression.
"Boys are more into risk-taking in play and behaviour than girls are generally so it's about how you perceive it."
Boys actually need rough and tumble play in order to learn what it is to be male, says family therapist and author Steve Biddulph.
"What boys learn in rough and tumble is an essential lesson for all males: how to be able to have fun, get noisy, even get angry and at the same time know when to stop. For a male living with testosterone this is vital."
Climbing, for instance, is very important for a boy's neurological development, says Kate Byrne, yet, she points out, not only do we often discourage them from doing it, it can even be viewed as bad behaviour.
"A child gets to develop different neurological perspectives and it's good for spatial awareness. It exercises muscles and it's good for their gross motor development.
"Horseplay is rough and tumble and part of their natural neurological need as males to compete and experience success and failure in a friendly non-hazardous way. Rough and tumble horseplay with brothers or friends is important for their emotional development, while they're also developing a hierarchy within their peer or sibling group. That's very important for males.
"It goes back to the whole thing about dominant alpha males and a male's need to see their place within the world and within society."
Patrick Ryan would like to see more rough and tumble in schools, but acknowledges that today the emphasis is more on trying to take out all possible risks than allow horseplay.
Meanwhile Kate Byrne believes schools, where children are expected to sit down for long periods of time without regular breaks, are more suited to girls than boys.
"Boys would need shorter lessons and more physical breaks in order to concentrate better."
Not necessarily, says Ray King. Learning to sit down and pay attention is a crucial part of a child's preparation for life but, he points out, there's a lot more physical movement around the modern classroom than people may realise.
"When I was in primary school we sat in our desks from nine to three, apart from the lunch breaks.
"Now there's a lot more movement around the classroom and genuine interaction: between the child and teacher and the child and other children and between the child and the learning experience."
Horseplay and informal rough and tumble is not for the schoolyard, he says -- for schools, structured sports is the better option.
Play in the playground is limited by space, resources, time supervision and facilities.
"We have an official non-running rule which is essentially a ban on dangerous play. We have a huge variety of structured sports activities.
"It's a great way for boys to let off steam and release energy."
Irish Independent


text:
Gao-De Li
Received PhD degree in 1989 at Second Military Medical University(SMMU), China
Did malaria research from 1980-1995 at SMMU,China
Did malaria research from 1995-1997 at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Did malaria and cancer research from 1997-2008 at Liverpool University.
2009 - Practicing acupuncture, being the member of British Acupuncture Council, also working as an independent researcher.