Friendship

Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating the following on a consistent basis:

• the tendency to desire what is best for the other
• sympathy and empathy

• honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth , especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
• mutual understanding

In a comparison of personal relationship, friendship is considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association can be thought of as spanning across the same continuum. The study of friendship is included in sociology, social psychology, anthropology,philosophy, and zoology. Various theories of friendship have been proposed, among which are social exchange theory, equity theory,relational dialectics, and attachment styles.

10 Secrets to Success

10 Secrets to Success are...

1. How You Think is Everything.

Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.

This trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words from the dictionary.

I’ve found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.

2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

Write down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a project plan? Yes, that’s exactly what this means. You may have heard the old adage: A New Years resolution that isn’t written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.

Goals are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second career as a freelance writer – what are your goals?

3. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.

Be like Nike and “Just do it”. I took action by reaching out and started writing. Every day I try to take some action towards my goals. It may be small, but it’s still an action. Have you taken action towards your goals?

4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.

Becoming a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should instill in our kids. It’s funny that once you’re out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?

5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

I think every story of success I read entails long hard hours of work. There is no getting around this and there is no free lunch. But, if you’re working towards something that you’re passionate about, something you love – then is it really work?

6. Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

I think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis paralysis’.

7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.

Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks that are not helping you achieve your goals.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”

9. Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong about being firm – just don’t cross the a-hole line. How do you deal with people?

10. Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter.

Horoscopes and Astrology

my Horoscopes and Astrology today!
Thursday, April 15 2010

* You may be unable to get the support you require just now. A holding pattern until some more appropriate time in the future might be advisable. Someone may challenge you and you are not ready. Your current situation may demand some re-evaluation. You have a good attitude, however and may take the obstacles today as just another challenge to prove you know how to use your problem-solving abilities. Your keen intuition assists in negotiating and sales. Those who have resisted your ideas in the past will respond more favorably in the future. Family, home and relatives gain much of your attention this evening. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations or thoughts--a little poetry; music.

German chocolate cake

Ingredients

1 (4-oz.) package of Baker's Sweetened Chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

4 eggs whites

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

German chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting.Sweet baking chocolate is traditionally used for the chocolate flavor in the actual cake, but few recipes call for it today. The filling and/or topping is a caramel made with egg yolks and evaporated milk; once the caramel is cooked, coconut and pecans are stirred in. Occasionally, a chocolate frosting is spread on the sides of the cake and piped around the circumference of the layers to hold in the filling. Maraschino cherries are an added touch.

Bread pudding

Bread pudding is a dessert popular in British cuisine, Puerto Rican cuisine, Mexican Cuisine,Argentina, Louisiana Creole and that of the Southern United States, as well as Belgian and French cuisine. The French refer to it by the English name "pudding" without the word "bread" and the Belgians call it Bodding or broodpudding, which literally translates as bread pudding. In Spanish it is also referred to as "Capirotada," "Migas" and "Pudín de Pan".It is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, suet, egg, sugar,or golden syrup, spices, and dried fruit.

The bread is soaked (often overnight), squeezed dry, and mixed with the other ingredients. The mixture is transferred into a dish and baked.

It may be served with a sweet sauce of some sort, such as whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or caramel sauce, but is typically sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices. In Malaysia, bread pudding is consumed with custard sauce. In Hong Kong, bread pudding is usually served with Vanilla Cream Dressing

Sugar paste

Sugar Paste icing is a very sweet edible sugar dough usually made from sugar and glucose. It is sometimes referred to as fondant or sugar gum or gum paste. It can be used to cover cake , mould features, create decorations for cakes and many other uses.

Sugar paste is sold in white and colours. The white version can be easily coloured with gel food colorings . Nearly every colour can be reached in this manner.

One of the biggest advantages of the commercial varieties is that they can usually be stored for long periods of time. Depending on how fresh the product is, it can be stored for up to a year. The disadvantages of the homemade version are that it doesn't store for as long as the commercial version and it is very difficult to make a pure white paste. In most cases one will be colouring the dough anyway so this shouldn't be a problem. The commercial version is also often easier to work with although the results achieved with the home made versions are quite adequate.

KAYAK!

A kayak is a small human-powered boat that traditionally has a covered deck, and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler who strokes a double-bladed paddle . The cockpit is covered by a spraydeck (skirt) that keeps the inside of the boat (and the paddler's lower body) dry. The spraydeck or similar waterproof covering attaches securely to the edges of the cocpit, preventing the entry of water from waves or spray, and making it possible, in some boats, to roll the kayak, capsizing and righting the boat without it filling with water or ejecting the passenger. Some modern kayaks eliminate cockpits, seating the paddler(s) on top of the boat or replace paddles with other propulsion methods.

The kayak was invented and first used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland. In some parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom , kayaks are referred to as canoes and vice versa. Inuit/Eskimo Kayaks are a type of a generic class of boat of Canoe Shape. Continental European and British canoeing clubs and associations of the 19th Century used craft similar to kayaks, but referred to them as canoes. This explains the naming of the International and National Governing bodies of the sport of Canoeing.

CAKE MIX COOKIES

ingerdiant:

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, M&M'S® etc. (anything you like in cookies)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Method:

Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient (s).

Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cooke sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

Makes about 4 dozen. Yummy!

ICE CREAM!!

Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to (or in replacement of) the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt,sorbet,gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, like the USA, the term ice cream applies only to a specific variety, and their governments regulate the commercial use of all these terms based on quantities of ingredients. In others, like Italy and Argentina, one word is used for all the variants. Alternatives made from soya milk, rice milk, and goat milk are available for those who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy protein, or in the case of soy and rice milk, for those who want to avoid animal products.

Viola

This article is about the Viola, a musical instrument. For other uses, see Viola (disambiguation)

The viola is abowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.

The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect fifth below the violin), and nearly identical playing position. However, the viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin's. As its mellow voice is frequently used for playing inner harmonies , the viola does not enjoy the wide solo repertoire or fame of the violin.

Pizza Hut

History

The chain was founded in 1958 by Dan and Frank Carney. They chose the name "Pizza Hut" since the sign they purchased only had enough space for nine characters and spaces. The Original Pizza Hut building was later relocated to the Wichita State University campus. Additional restaurants were opened, with the first franchise unit opening in 1959 in Topeka,Kansas . At the same time Pizza Hut was growing in and around Kansas, Shakey's Pizza was developing a stronghold along the West Coast. The competition provided Pizza Hut the impetus to evaluate its mission and direction. Dan and Frank Carney saw Shakey's expanding into their territory and realized that they needed to determine if Pizza Hut should be in the entertainment business or if it should be a neighborhood pizza restaurant. They decided to stick with the neighborhood business and realized that they needed to have a good standard image. The Carney brothers contacted Wichita architect Richard D. Burke, who designed the distinctive mansard roof shape and standardized layout, hoping to counter the competition from Shakey's. The franchise network continued to grow through friends and business associates, and by 1964 a unique standardized building appearance and layout was established for franchised and company-owned stores, creating a universal look that customers easily recognized.

By 1972, with 314 stores nationwide, Pizza Hut went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock ticker symbol PIZ. In 1978, Pizza Hut was acquired by Pepsico , who later also bought KFC and Taco Bell . In 1997, the three restaurant chains were spun off into Tricon , and in 2001 joined with Long John Silver's and A & W Restaurants to become Yum! Brands. The oldest continuously operating Pizza Hut in the world is in Manhattan, Kansas,in a shopping and tavern district known as Aggieville near Kansas State Universit.

Winter Wedding Flowers

As we all know, most weddings are held during the summer and early fall – think the months of June, July, August, and September. Though not as common, winter weddings are special in their own right and can be extraordinary with the right selection of flowers, branches, and berries particular to the winter season. The only tricky part is having décor that affirmatively states “winter wedding” and not “holiday office party”. Of course, there is nothing wrong with simply ignoring the winter season if your wedding happens to fall within a winter month. But if you would like to make the wedding look seasonal, there are many interesting and exquisite wintry flowers to use!

White is very bridal and also brings to mind snow and frost. I love red because it is festive, romantic, and warm. Both white and red are perfect for a winter wedding, and you can also add in accents of another color – perhaps a pale pink, a deep burgundy, a light blue, or a silvery green.

Seasonal flowers perfect for a winter wedding include peonies, ranunculus, amaryllis, anemones, and narcissus. Think “early spring” for winter flowers. Here in LA, ranunculus, anemones, and narcissus are grown at local ranches in Carpenteria, CA in the winter. Peonies are mostly imported from Israel or New Zealand. In addition, there are several very dependable flowers available all year and can also be used in a way that states “winter wedding” especially in shades of white or red. These include roses, tulips, mini callas, lilies, tulips, chrysanthemum, freesia, and baby’s breath.

A word on baby’s breath, also known as gypsophilia: baby’s breath has come a long way! We have definitely grown wary of the florist who uses a sprig of baby’s breath next to a red carnation or red rose. The varieties of baby’s breath available today are simply stunning with each stem filled with hundreds of large, fluffy white blossoms – I especially love the varieties from Esmeralda Farms. Floral designers today are using baby’s breath in such creative ways that we forget we are looking at the humble baby’s breath! They make excellent flowers for a whimsical winter wedding.

We might accent the flowers with a festive and seasonal look using red berries such as ilex or hypericum. Hypericum or coffee berry is available all year in shades of red, brown, and green. To move away from that holiday party look, you can mix in silver tinted greens rather than the green leaves typically used during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. This softens the red/green or white/green contrast. My favorites include berzillia and dusty miller. Their silvery-grey colors evoke snow dusting the leaves of trees and brush.

Birch bark also creates the imagery and feeling of walking through a forest on a snowy winter’s morning. They have a silvery-white coloring. You can use sheets of birch bark to line clear glass containers. I have also seen hollowed out birch “logs”. These can be used as actual containers for a long reception table by either gluing flowers directly to the birch or by cutting out holes to slip flowers through the bark and into a vessel of water hidden within the hollowed log.

Burger King

Burger King (NYSE: BKC), often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade Country,Florida,United States. The company began as a franchise restaurant chain, based in Jacksonville, Florida in 1953, named Insta-Burger King, and operated by Kieth J. Kramer and Matthew Burns. After the company ran into financial difficulties in 1955, its two Miami-based franchisees, David Edgerton and James Mclamore, purchased the company and rechristened it Burger King. Since that time, the company has used several variations of franchising to expand its operations. Burger King Holdings Corporation is the parent company of Burger King; in the United States it operates under the Burger King Brands title while internationally it operates under the Burger King Corporation banner. It is a publicly traded company with investment firms of TPG Capital, Bain Capital, andGoldman Sach Capital Partners each owning about 25% of the company.

At the end of fiscal year 2009, Burger King reported that there are more than 12,000 outlets in 73 countries; 66% are in the United States and 90% are privately owned and operated. The company has more than 37,000 employees serving approximately 11.4 million customers daily. In North America, franchises are licensed on a per store basis, while in several international locations licenses are sold on a regional basis with franchises owning exclusive development rights for the region or country. These regional franchises are known as master franchises , and are responsible for opening new restaurants, licensing new third party operators, and performing standards oversight of all restaurant locations in these countries; the largest example of a master franchise is Hungry Jack's, which exclusively owns, operates or sub-licenses over 300 restaurants in Australia.

The Burger King menu has evolved from a basic offering of burgers, fries, sodas and milkshakes in 1954, to a larger, more diverse set of offerings that includes several variations of chicken, fish,salads and breakfast . The Whopper, a sandwich that has since become Burger King's signature product, was the first major addition to the menu by McLamore in 1957. Not all introductions have had the success of the Whopper; BK has introduced many products which failed to catch hold in the marketplace. Some products that have failed in the US have seen success in foreign markets, where BK has also tailored its menu for regional tastes.

The company's "Golden Age" of advertising was during the 1970s when it introduced its mascot the Magical Burger King , a memorable jingle, and several well known and parodied slogans . Beginning in the early 1980s, its advertising began to lose focus; a series of less successful ad campaigns created by various agencies continued for the next two decades. In 2003, Burger King set about resuscitating its moribund advertising with the hiring of the Miami-based advertising agency of Crispin porter and Bogusky (CP+B). They completely reorganized Burger King's advertising with a series of new advertisements centered on a resuscitated Magical Burger King character.

PlayStation Portable

"PSP" redirects here. For other uses, see psp (disambiguation).

The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was announced during and it was unveiled on May 11, 2003 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004.The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in the PAL region on September 1, 2005.

The PlayStation Portable is the first handheld video game console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage medium. Other distinguishing features of the console include its large viewing screen,robust multi-media capabilities, and connectivity with the PlayStation 3, other PSPs, and the interna.

Sales of the PSP have (with cyclical exceptions) lagged behind its main competitor, the Nintendo DS. Nevertheless, the console is "the most successful non-Nintendo handheld game system ever sold". After the release of a remodeled, slimmer, and lighter version of the PlayStation Portable, titled Slim & Lite, in early September 2007, sales quadrupled in the United Kingdom the following week and increased by nearly 200% in North America for the month of October. The Slim & Lite had a minor redesign including a new screen and inbuilt microphone, and has since been followed by the PSP Go.

The Cacao Tree

CHOCOLATE
Theobroma cacao

The cacao tree produces flowers and fruit year-round. The cacao tree is small and comes from the forests of Central and South America. It needs a warm and humid climate, regular rainfall as well as a fertile and well-irrigated soil. It grows in the shade, preferably at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,300 feet, in the tropics 20° above and below the equator. The cacao tree yields its first crop at 3-4 years old. It is an adult plant at 10. It produces from 300 to 1,000 pounds of cocoa per acre for about 50 years.

The cacao tree fruit is a huge berry called cacao pod, usually egg or melon-shaped, 5 to 12 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide. The cacao pod contains 30 to 40 seeds. It takes 20 to 25 pods to get 2 pounds of cocoa. Once the tree reaches maturity, fruit pods will sprout from its trunk and branches. The golden-red to purple fruit pods turn brown at maturity, at which time they are split open and the insides scooped out. Each pod generally produces 20 to 40 almond-shaped cacao beans.

After the cacao beans are removed from the fruit, they undergo fermentation, a process that reduces their bitterness and helps develop their heady aroma. After they are dried the beans are ready to be cleaned, graded, packed, and shipped for processing into chocolate products.

Once the beans are selected, they are roasted and shelled to obtain the center cacao kernel, or nib. To transform the cacao kernels into the thick, dark-brown paste called chocolate liquor, the nibs are ground between large heated rollers in high-speed mills.

Chocolate liquor is the base from which all chocolate products are made. Pure chocolate liquor, which contains 53 to 55 percent cocoa butter, is unsweetened and too bitter to eat. It is compressed into blocks or squares and is used for cooking and baking."

History of perak

As with the other Malay states in the north, Perak was constantly under threat from regional powers. During the 16th century, the Achinese and the Dutch was the main cause of concern due to Perak's monopoly of tin. In the 18th Century, Perak was then threatened by the Bugis and Siamese. Under the Siamese influence, Sultan Kedah was forced to remove the Sultan of Perak to ensure compliance by the Perak state.

These external factors did not help the state due to the internal turmoil regarding the succession to the throne between Raja Ismail, Raja Abdullah and Raja Yusuf in 1870. There was also a situation with the Chinese faction due to the growth of the tin industry. Perak led the immigration of Chinese into Malaya due to her abundance of tin. With the influx of the Chinese, they brought with them the secret sect and triad. Unrest occurred during the 1870 s between Hai San clan and Ghee Hin clan that forced British intervention in protecting Perak's interest.

Evidently, in 1874, a conference was held on Pangkor Island for the signing of the Pangkor Engagement. Under the agreement, Raja Abdullah was elected as the Sultan of Perak. The British also appointed J.W.W Birch as the first British Resident. Unsatisfied with the British forceful influence in Perak, the Malays plotted to assassinate J.W.W. Birch in 1875. After the death of Birch, Sultan Abdullah, Dato Sagar, Ngah Ibrahim and Dato Maharajalela were accussed for his murder and was sentence to death or exile.

Perak became part of the Federated Malay State in 1896 until the Japanese invasion. With the withdrawal of the Japanese forces in 1945, Perak was put under the British Military Administration.

In October 1945, the British laid out the Malayan Union scheme before the British Parliament. Under the scheme, Pulau Pinang, Melaka and nine other Malay states were to be united under the Malayan Union. Sir Harold MacMicheal was then entrusted in obtaining the agreements from the Malay Rulers.

Malays opposition to the British plans to form the Malayan Union catalyst the movement for Independence. Sparked by national sentiments, Dato Onn Jaafar formed United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) on 11 May 1946. The Malay Federation was founded on 1 February 1948 and on 31 August 1957, Malaya achieved Independence.

BAKERY=)

Top Baking Schools & Pastry Chef Programs

Becoming a professional baker or pastry chef requires an enormous amount of training. Just because you prepare great bread or bake a delicous birthday cake doesn't mean you are ready for working in the restaurant industry.

If you ever dreamed of becoming an executive pastry chef or opening up your own bakery, I highly recommend you do some research and learn everything you can about what it takes to become a professional one.

You can start with my article called Becoming a Pastry Chef and then be sure to check out my interview with Certified Master Baker Leslie Bilderback.

Trained bakers and pastry chefs are in demand these days. Experienced chefs can earn upwards of $60,000 per year but remember you will still have to start at the bottom and work your way up. One way you can insure a better job and quicker route to the top is by getting a good culinary education.

It's critical to choose the right school that fits your needs and provides you the training and education you'll need to be successful. Below is a listing of some of the top baking schools and pastry programs available. When you find a school in the city you are interested in going to, click on the link for more information.

If the school looks interesting and you want more information including how to get an application, click on the Request Free School Info button, fill out a short form and receive more information directly from the school. No obligations or commitments required.