Moroccan Tagine

A tagine is a unique type of ceramic or clay cookware that's popular in North Africa. The bottom is a wide, circular shallow dish used for both cooking and serving, while the top of the tagine is distinctively shaped into a rounded dome or cone.

The word "tagine" also refers to the succulent dish which is slow-cooked inside the cooking vessel. Typically, a tagine is a rich stew of meat, chicken, or fish, and most often includes vegetables or fruit. Vegetables can also be cooked alone.

Tagines are primarily used to slow-cook savoury stews and vegetable dishes. Because the domed or cone-shaped lid of the tagine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables to buttery-tenderness. This method of cooking is very practical in areas where water supplies are limited or where public water is not yet available.

The traditional method of cooking with a tagine is to place the tagine over coals. Large bricks of charcoal are purchased specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Smaller pieces of charcoal are reserved for cooking brochettes and other grilled meat.

source: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/moroccanfood101/a/Tagines_descrip.htm

The Aries Horoscope 2012  brings with it a reason to smile and rejoice. Those who were going through disillusionments for the past few months, will not be settled and feel at peace. The strong desire to chip out the unnecessary bothering will lead you towards attaining harmony of mind.

Your knowledge will lead you to the right direction in life. Your realist self will play a strong role making you respond to things with an even more practical thinking. From the first month of 2012, people under Aries horoscope enter the Jupiter cycle. This brings in a good amount of cash flow and some drastic change in career. This is also the time for you to relax and go for a vacation. Spend time with your near and dear ones as family and friends will bring in joy towards the mid of the year.

 Work

The professional success will kiss your feet in 2012. However, for the good time to arrive you have to patiently wait until the last quarter of the year. Throughout the year, there might be some hurdles in your career. Your calm and serene nature will help you continue your regular acts with wise thinking. Come September and you will find some drastic change in your job. A change of place or the job itself is on the cards towards November. A specialization course in relation to your work field is advised. This will help you in being promoted to a higher level. Those who are in business will have some profitable business deals signed by the mid year.

Love

Year 2012 will be synonymous to love and romance for Aries. After a much-disturbed love life in the previous year, you can now expect a long-term stability when it comes to emotional bonding and relationships. Those who are single may expect your dream partner to finally enter your life. The passion of love will strengthen the romantic bond between those who are married or engaged. Enjoy every moment of togetherness as you start understanding the harmony of a relationship. Marriage is on the cards towards the end of the year.

Domino's Pizza

Domino’s Pizza is the second largest franchised pizza chain in the U.S.A., and the history of Domino’s Pizza is similar to its rival Pizza hut; two brothers started it with borrowed equity in the sixties. Tom and James Monaghan bought a small Michigan Pizzeria called Dominick's, which was jointly run by them until James traded his share for a second hand car. Tom revitalized the image by changing the name to Domino’s Pizza .
By the late seventies there were over 200 franchise pizza businesses in the States and Domino’s Pizza was ready to go International. In 1983 Domino’s Pizza opened its doors in Winnipeg, and in the same year opened its one thousandth store. Later that same year Domino's corporate history was to begin in Australia with its first franchise in Brisbane, on the East coast.
The locations for Domino’s Pizza grew quickly from here as they sprung up in all sorts of diverse places including Bogotá. Despite Domino's Pizza springing up diverse locations, they were still a very traditional company. Domino's Pizza menu had been kept very simple and streamlined; they only sold one type of pizza crust which they named the regular pizza. Domino's Pizza dough was shaped by tossing the dough and pulling it into shape. The pizza menu included just two sizes of dough, it was not until much later that competition forced them to add a medium and extra-large sized pizza. There were no such things as side orders you could have Pizza, pizza or Pizza and you could only drink a Coke with it.
In 1989 the history of Domino's Pizza was to change when the Deep Pan pizza was introduced, for the first time in twenty five years the company was being forced to react to market demand. This move consolidated the financial base and ensured the growth of Domino's Pizza , as the same year they opened their five thousandth store.
The wind of change had started and by 1992 they were to introduce the first non-pizza item to their menu, this was obviously a reluctant move as it was bread sticks. Domino Pizza dough was already on hand and the making of bread sticks is not so different.
For many years the company had advertised that if the delivery of their pizzas took longer than thirty minutes then the pizza would be delivered free. This was parodied by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie which specified the "pizza dude has 30 seconds" to complete the delivery. The turtles pizza was late and they received a refund of $3 for "being two minutes late, dude!" However the benefits to Domino Pizza was enormous as millions of kids were to hear the name of Domino Pizza endorsed on celluloid. In 1993 Domino Pizza discontinued this policy and stated that if a customer was unhappy they could have a new pizza or a refund.
By 1994 Domino’s Pizza marketing policy widened as chicken wings were introduced to the menu. At the same time the company hit the African continent as they opened a store in Egypt . By 1996 Domino’s Pizza website was launched and the company declared global sales of nearly $3 billion.
Despite their reluctance to add a wider range menu they have as a company given the pizza industry many innovations that have now become standard. The belt driven pizza oven was the invention of Domino Pizza and they began using corrugated cardboard delivery boxes which were very effective at holding the heat within the pizza during the delivery time. Ever mindful of the fact that a cold pizza must be about the worst dining experience on earth Domino’s pizza introduced the "Heat Wave," a portable electrical bag system that keeps the pizza hot during delivery.

By 1997 they had also had an internal modern facelift as their stores were all brightened up and the company introduced a new logo. Domino Pizza continued to grow exponentially and in 1997 they opened seven stores in one day but on 5 different continents.

In 2004, Super Bowl Sunday was the most hectic pizza delivery day of the year when Domino’s Pizza sold over a million pizzas, which was an increase of 42 percent on their normal Sunday trading volume. As the company continues to grow so rapidly it is just as well the practice of adding a dot onto the logo was discontinued after three outlets as Domino’s Pizza now has over seven thousand outlets globally.

source: http://www.recipepizza.com/the_history_of_dominos_pizza.htm

Woman Dies Over Too Much Coke.

Experts have concluded that a New Zealand woman's eight to 10 litre a day Coca-Cola habit likely caused her to suddenly collapse and die.

Natasha Harris, 30, was a stay-at-home mother of eight who was helping her children get ready for school when she collapsed slumped against a wall.

Her partner, Chris Hodgkinson, quickly called emergency services and tried to resuscitate her using mouth-to-mouth.

However, all efforts failed and she passed away in February 2010.

Medical reports state that she died of a heart attack. However, expert witnesses at an inquest testified that her 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit, combined with poor nutrition, likely lead to hypokalemia.

Hypokalemia, also known as low potassium levels, can include abnormal heart rhythms.

Pathologist Dr Dan Mornin added that the high levels of caffeine in Coke that built up to toxic levels in her body may have contributed to her death.

Hodgkinson testified that Harris would drink between 2.1 to 2.6 gallons of regular Coke every day.

She would drink a Coke when she woke up and would drink another just before she went to sleep.

He admitted she was addicted to Coke.

Reports by the Daily Mail said she would go 'crazy' if she ran out of it, becoming moody, irritable and low.

In a press statement, Coca-Cola said their products are safe.

"But grossly excessive ingestion of any food product, including water" could be harmful," the statement added.

"We believe that all foods and beverages can have a place in a balanced and sensible diet combined with an active lifestyle."

Source: AP
Published April 22 2012

Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (Spanish: [fiˈðel ˈkastro]; born August 13, 1926) is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011. Politically a Marxist-Leninist, under his administration the Republic of Cuba was converted into a one-party socialist state, with industry and business being nationalised under state ownership and socialist reforms implemented in all areas of society.

Born the illegitimate son of a wealthy farmer, Castro became involved in leftist anti-imperialist politics whilst studying law at the University of Havana. Subsequently involving himself in armed rebellions against right wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, he went on to conclude that the U.S.-backed Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, who was widely seen as a dictator, had to be overthrown; to this end he led a failed armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Imprisoned for a year, he then traveled to Mexico, and with the aid of his brother Raúl Castro and friend Che Guevara, he assembled together a group of Cuban revolutionaries, the July 26 Movement. Returning with them to Cuba, he took a key role in the Cuban Revolution, leading a successful guerrilla war against Batista's forces, with Batista himself fleeing into exile in 1959.

Castro subsequently became Commander in Chief of the armed forces and shortly thereafter became Prime Minister. His involvement in the overthrow of Batista, as well as a suspected relationship with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, alarmed the United States, who through the CIA organised the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 to overthrow his government, before proceeding to orchestrate repeated assassination attempts against him and implement an economic blockade of Cuba. To counter this threat, Castro forged an alliance with the Soviet Union and allowed them to store nuclear weapons on the island, leading to the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Adopting Marxism-Leninism as his guiding ideology, in 1961 Castro proclaimed the socialist nature of the Cuban revolution, and in 1965 became First Secretary of the newly founded Communist Party, with all other parties being abolished. He then led the transformation of Cuba into a socialist republic, nationalising industry and introducing free universal healthcare and education, as well as suppressing internal opposition. A keen internationalist, Castro then introduced Cuban medical brigades who worked throughout the developing world, and aided a number of foreign revolutionary socialist groups in the hope of toppling world capitalism.

In 1976 he became President of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. On the international stage, he held the post of Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1979 to 1983. Following the collapse of key ally the Soviet Union in 1991, Castro led Cuba into its economic "Special Period", before then taking the country into the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in 2006 and forging economic and political alliances with other nations in the Latin American "Pink Tide". Amidst failing health, in 2006 Castro transferred his responsibilities to Vice-President Raúl Castro, who was then elected President when Fidel stepped down in 2008.

Castro is a controversial and highly divisive world figure, being lauded as a champion of anti-imperialism, humanitarianism, environmentalism and the world's poor by his supporters, but alternately his critics have accused him of being a dictator whose authoritarian administration has overseen multiple human rights abuses. Nonetheless, he has had a significant influence on the politics of a number of other world leaders, namely Nelson Mandela, Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, and he is widely idolised by many leftists, socialists and anti-imperialists across the world.

quoted from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTmdjugaevI

Titanic's Richest Passenger Built NYC Hotel.

The Versailles room at the hotel is prepared for a function. (AP)

A century after the Titanic sank, the legacy of the ship's wealthiest and most famous passenger lives on at the luxury hotel he built in New York City.

John Jacob Astor IV was one of the richest men in America when he died in 1912. Astor went down with the ship after helping his pregnant wife escape into the last lifeboat.

Astor founded the St Regis Hotel on Fifth Avenue in 1904. The expensive hotel still has butlers in black tailcoats roaming the hallways. The elaborate lobby with its fresco-ed ceiling is exactly the same.

And the thousands of leather-bound books that he collected have been preserved on the same bookshelves for 100 years.

This year the hotel paid tribute to Astor with a small dinner in his library. - AP

Published April 10, 2012

Indonesia Shaken With 2 Massive Earthquakes.

Massive traffic in Acheh Province, Sumatera

Two massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia on Wednesday, sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles. No deadly waves or serious damage resulted, and a watch for much of the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.Some people in Penang and Klang Valley in Malaysia reported feeling tremors.

People are stuck in a traffic jam as they evacuate to higher ground after a strong earthquake was felt in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday.

Women and children cried in Aceh, where memories are still raw of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone. Others screamed "God is great" as they poured from their homes or searched frantically for separated family members.

Patients were wheeled out of hospitals, some still lying in their beds with drips attached to their arms. And at least one hotel guest was slightly injured when he jumped out of his window.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was a shallow 22 kilometers, hitting in the sea 435 kilometers from Aceh's provincial capital.

An alert that followed from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii advised countries all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa, that a seismically charged wave could head their way.

Two deadly tsunamis in the last decade - the most recent off Japan just one year ago - have left the world much better prepared.

Sirens sounded along coastlines and warnings spread like wildfire by mobile phone text messaging. Though often chaotic, evacuations began immediately with streets clogged with traffic, especially in Aceh.

The only wave to hit, though, was less than 80 centimeters high, rolling to Indonesia's emptied coastline.

Just as the region was sighing relief, an 8.2-magnitude aftershock followed.

"We just issued another tsunami warning," Prih Harjadi, from Indonesia's geophysics agency, told TVOne in a live interview.

He told his countrymen to stay clear of western coasts.

Residents in Aceh could hardly believe it."What did we do to deserve this?" cried Aisyah Husaini, 47, who lost both her parents and a son in the 2004 tsunami. "What sins have we committed?"

"I'm so scared, I don't want to lose my family again," she said, clinging to her two children in a mosque in Banda Aceh, where hundreds of people sheltered.

Again, though, the threat quickly passed.

Experts said Wednesday's quakes did not have the potential to create massive tsunamis because the friction and shaking occurred horizontally, not vertically. The earth's tectonic plates slid against each other, creating more of a vibration in the water.

In contrast, mega-thrust quakes cause the seabed to rise or drop vertically, displacing massive amounts of water and sending towering waves racing across the ocean at jetliner speeds.

Roger Musson, seismologist at the British geological survey who has studied Sumatra's fault lines, said initially he'd been "fearing the worst."

"But as soon as I discovered what type of earthquake it was ... I felt a lot better."

The tremors were felt in neighboring Malaysia, where high-rise buildings shook, and Thailand, India and Bangladesh.

Those countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives evacuated buildings and beaches and readied relief efforts in case of disaster.

The World Meteorological Organization said communication systems set up after the 2004 tsunami appeared to have worked well.

"Our records indicate that all the national meteorological services in the countries at risk by this tsunami have received the warnings in under five minutes," said Maryam Golnaraghi, the head of WMO's disaster risk reduction program.

The alert was sent out by U.S. National Weather Service, which operates a tsunami warning station in Hawaii, she said.

Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

The giant 9.1-magnitude quake and tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, killed 230,000 people in about a dozen nations. - AP