Thursday, August 23, 2007

Confidential
Confidential Confidentiality has been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as "ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access" and is one of the cornerstones of Information security. Confidentiality is one of the design goals for many cryptosystems, made possible in practice by the techniques of modern cryptography.
Confidentiality also refers to an ethical principle associated with several professions (eg, medicine, law, religion, journalism,…). In ethics, and (in some places) in law and alternative forms of legal dispute resolution such as mediation, some types of communication between a person and one of these professionals are "privileged" and may not be discussed or divulged to third parties. In those jurisdictions in which the law makes provision for such confidentiality, there are usually penalties for its violation.
Confidentiality of information, enforced in an adaptation of military's classic "need-to-know" principle, forms the cornerstone of information security in today's corporates.

History of the English law of confidentiality
Prince Albert v Strange (1848) 1 Mac. & G. 25 Saltman Engineering Co. Ltd. v Campbell Engineering Co. Ltd. (1948) 65 R.P.C. 203 Attorney-General v Observer Ltd [1990] 1 A.C. 109 Campbell v MGN Ltd [2004] 2 A.C. 457

Wednesday, August 22, 2007


Test debut: July 10, 1924 Last Test: June 25, 1934 Source: [1]George Geary George Geary (born July 9, 1893, Barwell, Leicestershire, England; died March 6, 1981, Leicester, England) was easily the greatest cricketer Leicestershire produced before the advent of David Gower and one of the best and hardest-working bowlers of the inter-war period. Above medium pace and right-handed, Geary was able to swing the new ball very effectively but relied for most of his success on his amazing persistence and ability to bowl with slight yet well-disguised variations of pace and cut. He was able to bowl quite incredible numbers of overs on unresponsive pitches, as shown in the last Test of the 1928/1929 Ashes tour, when he bowled an amazing 81 overs on a typical billiard-table Australian wicket in very warm weather. Because he was tall and very solidly built, he was able both to get bounce and to bowl the long spells required for success in Australian conditions which destroyed the reputations of all English bowlers of slighter build.
Geary was also a capable lower order batsman who usually relied upon hitting, but could get runs with a quiet, if unstylish determination when they were desperately needed. Though he never scored a thousand runs - his best aggregates were 923 in 1929 and 900 in 1925 - his runs were frequently of great value to a county that never possessed any of the exceptionally high-class batsmen other counties could command in Geary's heyday. Owing to his considerable height and reach, Geary was an excellent slip catcher and, despite all the bowling he had to do, almost always his county's leading fielder.
For all his impressive build and strength, and his shrewd skill, George Geary proved a quite nervous starter in the cricket world. He played a few times for Leicestershire in 1912, and in 1913 established himself as the leading bowler of what became a very weak bowling side in good weather owing to the tragic illness of Tom Jayes. The last year before World War I saw Geary come right to the from with 114 wickets for just over 20 runs apiece, far ahead of any other bowler in the team. After serving in the air force during the war, Geary was unlucky not to have his leg cut by an airplace propeller and this affected, at least temporarily, his great strength and powerful build. After a very disappointing season in 1919 in which his wickets cost over 34 runs each, Geary did not play a single first-class game in 1920 - preferring the financial incentives of a Lancashire League professional job. He played a few times in midweek games in 1921, and was so successful that he took 23 wickets on unresponsive pitches and decided to commit himself to Leicestershire again.
He was bowled relatively little (though with good success) during 1922, but the following year saw him advance into the elite of bowlers with 115 wickets for less the eighteen runs apiece, and in 1924, seemingly out of necessity given the terrible weakness of Leicestershire's batting, Geary advanced so much that he scored 864 runs for an average of 24, which was excellent in so appallingly wet a summer, and was probably denied the "double" only by an injury during June. His Test debut against a weak South African side was due only to England experimenting after the rubber had been decided and was of no consequence, but he, remarkably given how little service he had given to Leicestershire, received a benefit but it was severely affected by rain. His bowling was unaffected, though, and the following year he advanced even further, scoring a maiden century against Kent. 1926 saw Geary produce two of his finest performances against powerful batting sides (even considering the treacherous pitches): he took fourteen cheap wickets against both Hampshire and Lancashire during June. The latter match was Lancashire's last defeat for over a year and a half. He played in two of the Tests that year and saved England from defeat at Headingley with some steady batting whilst George Macaulay hit up 76, but he took only three wickets. 1927, with so many very dead wickets, was a struggle for Geary, but on the matting wickets of South Africa he bowled so well as to be seen as the most dangerous bowler since the incomparable Sydney Barnes, taking twelve wickets at Johannesburg.
However, a severe arm injury ruled Geary out of the last three Tests and, though he batted with some success in many games in 1928, he could bowl so little that he took only ten expensive wickets. Yet, his powerful build was seen as so vital for the rock-hard Australian pitches that Geary, with the reputation he had acquired, was still chosen. He proved a great success, heading the averages and working amazingly hard to back up probably the strongest batting side any country has ever fielded - so strong that men of such class as Phil Mead and Ernest Tyldesley could not keep their Test places. Following on from this, 1929 was his best season ever, for he exceeded 150 wickets and on a rain-affected pitch against an admittedly weak Glamorgan batting lineup had the astonishing figures of 10 wickets for 18 runs, which was at the time the best bowling figures in the history of first-class cricket. he also had his highest ever batting aggregate with 923 runs. 1930, with the Australians back, saw Geary, however, as powerless as all of England's other bowlers to stop the onslaught of Bradman. He was also affected by injury, and with Voce and Bowes developing had no chance of retaining his Test place in the following years, though he still bowled well in the wet summers of 1931 and 1932.
The dry summer of 1933 was disastrous for Geary - he took only 40 wickets and not once took five in an innings. However, despite further injuries, in 1934 he bowled so well when fit that he was chosen for two Tests but his only significant contribution was an innings of 53 against the marvellous leg spin bowling of Grimmett and O'Reilly at Trent Bridge. Though these proved his last Tests, 1935 saw him in such deadly form on fiery or sticky pitches early in the season that, despite injuries hampering him later, he was second in the averages to Hedley Verity and took 11 for 40 in one match against Sussex. In his second benefit match the following year, Geary produced his best bowling since 1929 on a broken pitch with an amazing 7 for 7 and 13 for 43 in the match. His last two seasons in 1937 and 1938 saw him decline with the ball on improved Leicester pitches, but his batting in 1938 was so good that he averaged over 30 - far above any previous season - and hit three centuries.
His retirement at the end of that year did not mark the close of Geary's involvement with cricket. For over twenty years after that he was cricket coach at Charterhouse and in that time was seen as one of the best coaches any school has ever had. Most notably, the brilliant batsman Peter May admitted that Geary's coaching played a vital role in his development. After he left Charterhouse in 1959, Geary went to Rugby School, who were desperate for assistance to develop young players and improved their fortunes. Geary, as always, served them whole-heartedly, and he bowled, without the sweater to keep him cool, in the nets until he was about seventy-seven, a testimony to his amazing endurance despite many injuries and other setbacks. He died after gradually failing health in 1981 at the age of eighty-seven.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007


Netherlands Belgium Spain
Canada South Africa Massachusetts
Aruba Dutch Antilles
Israel Andorra California Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Iceland Luxembourg Maine New Jersey New Zealand New Hampshire* Norway Oregon* Portugal Slovenia Sweden Switzerland Tasmania United Kingdom Vermont Washington Argentina Brazil Mexico United States Austria Croatia Hungary Israel Australia Chile China Colombia Connecticut Costa Rica Estonia France Greece Hawaii Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Romania Sweden Taiwan United Kingdom United States Uruguay Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country
A civil union is a recognized union similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples with rights, benefits, and responsibilities similar (in some countries, identical) rights and responsibilities to opposite-sex civil marriage. In some jurisdictions, such as Quebec and New Zealand, civil unions are also open to opposite-sex couples.
Most civil-union countries recognize foreign unions if those are essentially equivalent to their own; for example, the United Kingdom, lists equivalent unions in Civil Partnership Act Schedule 20.
Many people are critical of civil unions because they say they represent separate status unequal to marriage ("marriage apartheid").Others are critical because they say civil unions allow same-sex marriage by using a different name.

Terminology
To illustrate the possible difference between civil unions and domestic partnerships, the state of New Jersey enacted a domestic partnership law in 2004, offering certain limited rights and benefits to same-sex and different-sex couples; however, after a state Supreme Court ruling in 2006 that same-sex couples must be extended all the rights and benefits of marriage, the state legislature passed a new civil unions law, effective in 2007, which fulfills the court's ruling.
In California, on the other hand, where domestic partnership has been available to same-sex couples since 2000, a wholesale revision of the law in 2005 has made it, like the New Jersey civil union law, equivalent to marriage in nearly every respect at the state level, though neither is recognized by the federal government.
See also: Civil unions in New Jersey and Domestic partnership in California

Examples
The first civil unions in the United States were offered by the state of Vermont in 2000. The federal government does not recognize these unions, and under the U.S. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996, other U.S. states are not obliged to recognize them. By the end of 2006, Connecticut and New Jersey had also enacted civil union laws; New Hampshire followed in 2007; furthermore, California's domestic partnership law had been expanded to the point that it became practically a civil union law, too. The same might be said from 2007 for domestic partnership in Maine, domestic partnerships in District of Columbia, domestic partnership in Washington, and domestic partnership in Oregon (effective 1 January 2008).
Since 2005, both New Zealand and the United Kingdom have offered civil unions similar to marriage nationwide, although in the UK they are termed civil partnerships. As of May 2007, only five nations (The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, and South Africa) offer full same-sex marriage. The U.S. state of Massachusetts offers state-wide same-sex marriage.

History

List of jurisdictions allowing same-sex unions
Jurisdictions in the U.S. that offer civil unions or domestic partnerships granting nearly all of the state-recognized rights of marriage to same-sex couples include
States in the U.S. with domestic partnerships or similar status granting some of the rights of marriage include
Massachusetts is the only state that offers same-sex marriage, which was legalized in 2004.
Due to the federal Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA, same-sex couples in marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships in the U.S. do not have the 1,138 rights that a married couple has under federal law. and
Domestic partnerships in District of Columbia (Washington, DC) (1992/2002). United States
In Canada:
were extended to same-sex couples before the enactment (2005) nationwide of same-sex marriage in Canada. Between June 2003 and June 2005, courts in eight provinces and one territory of Canada extended marriage to include same-sex couples.

Domestic partnerships in Nova Scotia (2001),
Civil unions in Quebec (2002),
Common-law relationships in Manitoba (2002), and
Adult interdependent relationships in Alberta (2003) Canada
In Mexico:
In South America:

Mexico City (2006) and
the state of Coahuila (2007).
some parts of Brazil (2004),
Colombia (2007) and the
Argentine capital of Buenos Aires (2003) and Rio Negro Province (2003). Mexico
In Europe,
In 2001, the Netherlands passed a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, in addition to its 1998 "registered partnership" law (civil union) for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Belgium did likewise in 2003. Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005.

Denmark (1989),
Norway (1993),
Sweden (1995),
Iceland (1996),
France (1999),
Finland (2002; parliament accepted Sep 2001, into force in Spring 2002),
Portugal (2001),
Germany (2001),
Luxembourg (2004),
Andorra (2005),
United Kingdom (2005),
the Czech Republic (2006),
Slovenia (2006), and
Switzerland (2007). Europe
In Africa: South Africa legalized same-sex marriage in 2006; civil unions are also available to same-sex couples.

Africa
In the Middle East:

Israel (1994 as common-law marriage; 2006 as recognition of foreign marriage). Asia
In Oceania:
all Australian jurisdictions (both states and territories) provide either a registered partnership or domestic partnership, including;
In Australia same-sex marriage as well as civil unions/civil partnerships are banned under Commonwealth law.

New Zealand (2005) and
New South Wales (1999),
Victoria (Domestic partnership 2001, registersed partnership from 2007),
Northern Territory (2004),
Tasmania ("Significant Relationships", 2004),
Western Australia (2002),
Queensland (2003),
South Australia (2007), and
the Australian Capital Territory (1994). Oceania

Main articles: Same-sex marriage in Australia, LGBT rights in Australia, and Domestic partnership in Tasmania Australia

Main article: Civil unions in Denmark Denmark

Main article: Pacte civil de solidarité France

Main article: Civil union in New Zealand New Zealand

Main article: Civil unions in PortugalCivil union Portugal

Main article: Civil unions in Switzerland Switzerland

Main article: Civil unions in Mexico Mexico
The Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sul and the Argentinian province of Rio Negro and the city of Buenos Aires have domestic partnerships. In 2007, Colombia came close to passing a law granting legal recognition to same-sex couples, but the bill failed on final passage in one house of the national legislature.

South America

Main article: Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Below, listed by state, is information regarding civil unions in the United States.

Main articles: Same-sex marriage in the United States, Civil unions in United States, and Domestic partnership in the United States United States

Main article: Civil unions in Vermont Connecticut

Main articles: Civil unions in New Jersey and Same-sex marriage in New Jersey New Hampshire

Same-sex marriage
Registered partnership
Domestic partnership
Same-sex union
Common-law marriage

Sunday, August 19, 2007


Bread - Pasta - Cheese - Rice Sauces - Soups - Desserts Herbs and spices Other ingredients
Vietnamese cuisine (cuisine means ẩm thực in Vietnamese: ẩm: drink and thực: food) is known for its common use of fish sauce, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Vietnamese recipes use many vegetables, herbs and spices, including lemon grass, lime, and kaffir lime leaves. Throughout all regions the emphasis is always on serving fresh vegetables and/or fresh herbs as side dishes along with dipping sauce. The Vietnamese also have a number of Buddhist vegetarian dishes. The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are pork, beef, prawns, various kinds of tropical fish, and chicken. Duck and goat/lamb are used much less widely.

The three regions
Meats such as snake, soft-shell turtle, and goat are enjoyed almost exclusively as "cocktail delicacies" with alcohol, and are not considered typical everyday fare. However, dog meat consumption is more widespread in the North, where it is considered a borderline mainstream meat, although not eaten nearly as often as pork or fish. While it can be found, dog meat is harder to find in the larger cities, and tourists may not always see it. Hột vịt lộn is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It's typically served with fresh herbs (rau ram or Vietnamese basil), salt, and pepper; lemon juice is another popular additive, when available.

Vietnamese food Món nhậu or cocktail delicacies
A typical meal for the average Vietnamese family would include:
All dishes are communal and to be shared apart from the individual bowls of rice.

Individual bowls of rice
A roasted meat or fish dish
A stir-fried vegetable dish
canh (a clear broth with vegetables and often meat) or other Vietnamese-style soup
Prepared fish sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping The typical Vietnamese family meal
Vietnamese cuisine is widely available in the Vietnam, Australia, United States, Canada, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Russia, and is also popular in areas with dense Asian populations.
In recent years it has become popular in other Asian countries such as South Korea, Laos, Thailand, etc.
Certain dishes which have become trademarks of Vietnamese cuisine include Pho, Bun, Banh Mi, and Goi Cuon.

Popularity of Vietnamese cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine boasts a huge variety of noodle soups, each with influences and origins from every corner of the country and each with a distinct and special taste. A common characteristic of many of these soups is a rich yet very clear broth.

Noodle soups
See also: List of Vietnamese culinary specialities
Popular Vietnamese dishes include:
tomato based broth and garnished with bean sprout, prawn paste, herb leaves, water spinach, and tomato chunks.

Banh bao (Bánh bao) Steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. Banh bao is an adaptation from the Chinese baozi to fit Vietnamese taste. Exclusively vegetable banh bao are also available. Vegetarian banh bao are popular food in Buddhist temples. Typical stuffings for banh bao include slices of marinated "xa xíu" (from Chinese cooking) meat, tiny boiled duck eggs or quail eggs, and pork.
Banh Bot Chien (Bánh Bột Chiên): A Chinese influenced pastry with many versions all over Asia, the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side.
Bánh canh, a thick rice noodle soup with a more basic broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sauteed onions sprinkled on top.
Banh Chung (Bánh chưng) Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans, fatty pork and black sesame seeds, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet)
Banh Mi Thit (Bánh mì kẹp thịt) Vietnamese baguette, French bread containing paté, Vietnamese mayo, different selections of Vietnamese cold cuts and deli (a large variety, most commonly with ham, head cheese, and a Vietnamese bologna), pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber slices. Often garnished with coriander, black pepper. This food is common everywhere in Vietnam as a favorite of factory workers and school kids and eaten for any meal of the day, commonly breakfast and lunch. There are a wide variety of banh mi (with different meats) and many shops have popped up across North America serving primarily Banh mi.

  • Breakfast Banh mi: stuffed with scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs and canned sardines, or the more popular version eaten widely for breakfast in Vietnam: Eggs fried sunny-side-up with onions, sprinkled with Soy sauce and eaten with a fresh (and sometimes buttered) baguette.
    Bánh tét: same ingredients as banh chung but in cylindrical form and wrapped in banana leaves. It is served during Tet.
    Banh trang: These are large round flat rice crackers which when heated enlarges into round, easily shattered pieces. They can be eaten separately, although it is most commonly added into the vermicelli, noodle dishes e.g. in cau lau, mi quang...Many 'banh trang' that exists include the clear sesame seed ones, prawn-like cracker with dried spring onions, sweet milk etc...
    Banh xeo (Bánh xèo) Crepe made out of rice flour with tumeric, shrimps with shelves on, slivers of fatty pork , sliced onions, and sometimes button mushrooms, fried in one or two teaspoons of oil, usually coconut oil, which is the most popular oil used in Viet Nam. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in Nước chấm or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. Rice papers are sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh xeo and the accompanying vegetables.

    • Bi cuon: (Rice paper rolls with the bi (bì) mixture of thinly shredded pork and thinly shredded pork skin tossed with powdered toasted rice, among other ingredients, along with salad)
      Bo bia (Bò bía): Stir fried jimica and carrots, Chinese sausage, shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped with vermicelli noodle in a rice paper roll. Dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (with freshly roasted and ground peanuts).
      Bo la lot (Bò lá lốt): not strictly a spring roll, but rather spiced beef rolled in pepper leaf (la lot)and grilled.
      Bo kho (Bò kho): Vietnamese beef and vegetable stew, often cooked with warm, spicy herbs and served very hot with French baguettes for dipping.
      Bò 7 Món: Vietnamese seven courses of Beef. A less popular version is the Ca 7 Mon (Cá 7 Món) - or, seven courses of fish.
      Bun Bo Hue (Bún Bò Huế) – Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. Beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, lots of dried chilies give its broth the distinctive flavors. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms and shredded rau muống.
      Bun Mang Vit (Bún Măng Vịt): Bamboo and duck noodle soup.
      Bun Oc (Bún Ốc): Vermicelli with snails (sea snails similar to the snails in french cuisine).
      Bun Rieu (Bún riêu) – noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a
      Canh chua: Vietnamese sour soup - typically with fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, beansprouts, when made in style of a hotpot, it is called Lau Canh Chua.

      • Ca cuon (Cá cuốn): A roll with fish and spring onions.
        Cao lầu: A Hoi An dish, made of specially burnt flavoured egg noodles topped with meats.
        Cha-lua: sausage made with pork, potato starch and fish sauce.
        Chao ga: A chicken and rice porridge.
        Com hen (cơm hến) is a popular dish for the low-budgeted customers in the city of Hue and the vicinity.
        Com tam (Cơm tấm) – Grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus a Vietnamese dish called bi (bì) (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shread pork skin) over broken rice (what the words "com tam" actually mean in Vietnamese) and sweet and sour fish sauce.. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trung hap (trứng hấp) and grilled prawns.
        Mam: fermented fish in various styles.
        Nem Nguoi (Nem Nguội): A Hue dish and a variation of the Nem nuong meatballs, these also come from Central Vietnam. They are chilled, small and rectangular in shape, and stuffed with vermicelli. The reddish meat is covered with peppers and typically a chilli. Very spicy, eaten almost exclusively as a cocktail snack.
        Paté Chaud: A French inspired meat-filled pastry. Characterized by flaky crust and either pork or chicken as the filling.
        Prawn paste cake (Cha tom): (a variant of the Chao tom, eaten often with Com tam)
        Spring rolls aka Egg roll (Nem rán or Chả giò) – deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat, yam, crab, shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms ("wood ear" variety) and other ingredients. The spring roll goes by many names - as many people actually use (falsely) the word "spring roll" while referring to the fresh transparent paper rolls (discussed below as "Summer Rolls") that are dipped in water to soften and then rolled up with various ingredients. Traditionally these rolls are made with a rice paper wrapper but in recent years Vietnamese chefs have changed the recipe to use a flour based wrapper rolls.
        Summer rolls aka Spring rolls (Gỏi cuốn) also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls. They are rice paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in Nước chấm or peanut sauce. Spring rolls almost constitute an entire category of Vietnamese foods, as there are numerous different kinds of spring rolls with different ingredients in them. They include:
        Bun thit nuong (Bún thịt nướng): One of the more popular (and simple) Vietnamese dishes, basically a combination vermicelli plate, a kind of vermicelli counterpart to Cơm tấm. Grilled pork (often shredded) and vermicelli noodles over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Also often includes a few chopped up egg rolls, spring onions, and shrimp. Served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of Nước chấm.
        Bun Cha Gio (Bún Chả giò): Slighltly similar to Bun Thit Nuong, except this very simple vermicelli Vietnamese cuisine boasts a couple of spring rolls served with chilli fish sauce and greens.
        Nem Nuong (Nem nướng): grilled meatballs, usually made of seasoned pork. Often reddish in color due to food coloring additive and with a distinct taste, grilled on skewers like kabobs. Ingredients in the marinade include fish sauce.
        Chao tom: Prawn paste/cake on sugarcane.
        Goi (Gỏi): salad. Many varieties with the most popular including:
        Goi Du Du (Gỏi đu đủ): Vietnamese papaya salad typically with shredded papaya, shrimp, slices of pork, herbs, and with a more vinegar-based rendition of Nước chấm.
        Goi Hue Rau Muong (Gỏi Huế rau muống): a salad dish originating from Hue (Central Vietnam), including water spinach (Rau Muong).
        Mi xao don (Mì xào dòn): Crispy deep-fried egg noodles, topped with a wide array of seafood, vegetables and shrimp in a delicious gravy sauce.
        Ga xa (Gà xả): Lemongrass chicken. Lemongrass beef and other meats are also popular variations.
        Bo luc lac (Bò lúc lắc): Beef cut into cubes and marinated, served over greens (usually watercress), and sauteed onions and tomatoes. Eaten with rice.
        Sup mang cua (Súp măng cua): A creamy bamboo-crab soup. Served typically as a first dish at banquets.
        Banh Cuon (Bánh cuốn): Rice flour rolls and/or pancakes sometimes stuffed with ground pork and onion. They are eaten in a variety of ways with many side dishes, including one out of a million kinds of Cha (Chả), which are Vietnamese meats spiced and flavored in a multitude of ways -often ground to a paste and cooked.
        Chao (Cháo): Rice congee. There are also a variety of different broths and meats used, including duck, chicken, etc.
        Vietnamese hotpot: a spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup, with many vegetables, meats and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs. Also called lau (lẩu).
        Banh beo (Bánh bèo): a central Vietnamese dish consisting of tiny and round rice flour pancakes, each served in a tiny round dish. They are topped with minced shrimp and other smaller ingredients. Dipped in Nước chấm.
        Com chien Duong Chau : a Chinese fried rice dish, name after a region in China. It's a well-known dish in Vietnam.
        Mi bo vien (Mì bò viên): Chinese influenced egg noodle soup with beef balls, shrimp, and (sometimes) won tons.
        Bun cha Hanoi (Bún chả Hànội): Similar to Bun Thit Nuong, Bun Cha Hanoi comes from the Northern capital of Hanoi. The difference being that the pork meat is ground and marinated, then rolled into balls, grilled and left in a bowl of Nước chấm along with pickled vegetables, daikon and carrot. The meat balls are especially savoury, having truly soaked in the sauce. It is eaten with vermicelli and greens.
        Banh Hoi (Bánh hỏi): A special Vietnamese noodle that is extremely thin and woven into intricate bundles. Often topped with spring onion and a complementary meat dish.
        Thit heo quay (Thịt heo quay): BBQ pork, often eaten at weddings (and with Banh hoi)
        Thit vit quay (Thịt vịt quay): Roast duck, eaten over rice.
        Com ga rau thom (Cơm gà rau thơm): Vietnamese mint chicken rice. Rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with a mint (and other herbs) fried chicken (which is shredded). The rice has a unique texture and taste which the fried mint garnish enhances. Served with a special herb sauce on the side.
        Cafe sua da (Cà phê sữa) – strong coffee most often served with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup to be stirred in. A Vietnamese favorite.
        Banh bot loc (Bánh bột lọc): A Hue food, consisting of tiny rice dumplings made in a clear rice flour batter, often in a small, kind of flat tube shape. Stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. It is wrapped and cooked inside banana leaf, served often as Vietnamese hors d'oeuvres at more casual buffet-type parties.
        Mi quang (Mì Quảng): A very popular yet extremely complicated noodle dish. Also originating from Quang Nam, Mi Quang varies in its preparation and features very sharply contrasting flavors and textures in (if prepared properly) a shallowly filled bowl of broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and roasted rice chip (banh trang).
        Pho (Phở) – beef noodle soup (Phở bò) It is a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth achieved from hours upon hours of boiling meat and different herbs. There are many varieties of pho, with different selections of meats (most commonly beef and chicken) along with beef balls. Pho is typically served in bowls with spring onion, (in pho tai) slices of semi cooked beef (to be cooked by the boiling hot broth), and then of course the broth itself. The use of vegetables and various herbs is common in the southern region. Popular Vietnamese dishes

        Chè is a sweet desert usually made from beans or beans and sticky rice. Many varieties of chè are available, each with different fruits, beans (for example, mung beans or kidney beans), and other ingredients. Chè can be served cold, cool or hot.
        Fruit smoothies are also popular. They are simple to make and require just a few teaspoons of sugar, crushed ice and fresh locally available fruits. The smoothies come in many varieties, including apple custard, avocado, jack fruit, durian, strawberry, passionfruit, dragonfruit, lychee, mango, and banana. Desserts

        Chayote
        Cucumber
        Eggplant
        Daikon
        Water spinach/ rau muống
        Bok choy
        Carrots
        Cauliflower
        Cabbage
        Bitter melon Vegetables

        Durian (sầu riêng)
        Jackfruit (mít)
        Pitaya - dragon fruit (thanh long)
        Lychee (vải)
        Longan (nhãn)
        Tomato (cà chua)
        Rambutan (chôm chôm)
        Mango (trái xoài)
        Mangosteen (măng cụt)
        Guava (ổi)
        Sweetsop (na/mãng cầu)
        Soursop (mãng cầu xiêm)
        Water apple (mận)
        Plum (mận)
        Star fruit (khế)
        Watermelon (dưa hấu)
        Langsat (bòn bon)
        Acerola (xê-ri)
        Sapodilla (hồng xiêm/xa-pô-chê)
        Pomelo (bưởi)
        Spondias cytherea; see Spondias genus (cóc)
        Green star apple (vú sữa)
        Persimmon (hồng)
        Papaya (đu đủ)
        Buddha's hand (phật thủ)
        Rose apple (gioi in the North, mận Đà Lạt in the South) Fruits

        Basil (rau quế)
        Lemon grass (cây xả)
        Ngò gai (saw leaf herb)
        Ngò ôm (rice paddy herb)
        Rau răm (Vietnamese Coriander)
        Thai basil (húng quế)
        Cilantro (rau ngò )
        Mint (rau húng lủi)
        Houttuynia cordata (giấp cá or diếp cá)
        Tía tô (Perllia)

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer (November 1, 846 — April 10, 879; French: Louis le Bègue), was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in France in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor.
Twice married, he and his first wife, Ansgarde of Burgundy, had two sons: Louis (born in 863) and Carloman (born in 866), both of whom became kings of France, and two daughters: Hildegarde (born in 864) and Gisela (865–884), who marry with Robert, Count of Troyes. With his second wife, Adelaide of Paris, he had one daughter, Ermentrude (875–914) — who was the mother of Cunigunde, wife of the Count Palatine Wigerich of Bidgau; they were the ancestors of the House of Luxemburg —, and a posthumous son, Charles the Simple, who would become, long after his elder brothers' deaths, king of France.
He was crowned on 8 December 877 by Hincmar, archbishop of Rheims, and was crowned a second time in September 878 by Pope John VIII at Troyes while the pope was attending a council there. The pope may even have offered the imperial crown, but it was declined. Louis the Stammerer was said to be physically weak and outlived his father by only two years. He had relatively little impact on politics. He was described "a simple and sweet man, a lover of peace, justice, and religion". In 878, he gave the counties of Barcelona, Gerona, and Besalú to Wilfred the Hairy. His final act was to march against the Vikings who were then the scourge of Europe. He fell ill and died on 10 April or 9 April 879 not long after beginning his final campaign. On his death, his realms were divided between his two sons, Carloman and Louis.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Making the Most of the MicroMaking the Most of the Micro
Making the Most of the Micro was a TV series broadcast in 1983 as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. It followed the earlier series The Computer Programme. Unlike its predecessor, Making the Most of the Micro delved somewhat deeper into the technicalities and uses that microcomputers could be put to, once again mainly using the BBC Micro in the studio for demonstration purposes. The series was followed by Micro Live.

Presenters
Ian McNaught-Davis (known as 'Mac') was once again the anchorman but Chris Serle and Gill Nevill were absent, instead various experts were brought in as required to demonstrate some of the more technical aspects of the microcomputers and their uses. John Coll was the main technical 'bod' (he had also written the User Guide for the BBC Micro along with other manuals) and Ian Trackman also featured - he wrote most of the software that was used for demonstrating certain features of the microcomputer, not only for this series but also The Computer Programme and Computers in Control. The programme also featured location reports to demonstrate various practical and business uses of microcomputers.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Study: Salvage logging, replanting worse

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Logging dead trees after a wildfire and planting new ones can make future fires worse, at least for a decade or two while the young trees create a volatile source of fuel, scientists found in a study that contradicts conventional practices.

The findings by scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University and published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal raise questions about the long-standing practice of salvage logging on national forests.

The study, the first of its kind, comes at a time when global warming is expected to increase the size and numbers of wildfires and the annual cost of fighting them is running around $1 billion.