Chillie Hot Chocolate Recipe

http://notecook.com/drinks/chilli-hot-chocolate-recipe/

Facebook is to Charge Users

http://webupon.com/social-networks/facebook-is-to-charge-users/

Marriage and Freedom (Can the two REALLY co-exist?)

Here is an interesting topic which came up in a magazine I was reading lately. I thought it was quite a good subject because the number of people who say to me, ‘if only I could get married and keep my freedom.’ It sounds a bit too much like wanting your cake and eating it.  Is there freedom in marriage? and what is freedom anyway?

In the dating game you make a choice, and hopefully consider other people’s feelings in the process. Mid- teens I would turn away a man who said he wanted a one night stand or no strings, but underneath I sensed that he was discreetly hoping for a relationship. I didn’t want a relationship at the time as I was enjoying the freedom to travel study and do as I liked. I was probably lonely sometimes but that is the sacrifice you make for doing the things you want to do. I did not want to drag somebody in to a situation that was not going to last.

People make the mistake that long term single life is great. Freedom in itself is chains. A married person can’t sleep with whoever they want to any time of the day or night but on the other side of the coin a single person can’t have a back rub or a candle lit meal whenever they want it!

Scenario:

So you thought you were in love, you tied the knot and now you yearn for the days when you could do as you pleased, get a last minute flight, pick up a one night stand or just roll home after a drunken debaucherous adventure without anyone to object!

Flirting, dating, getting your (now spouse) naked was exciting and something that you thought about every waking hour. Things were fun and the time you spent together was valuable because you knew that it would end with a ‘good night’ or ‘goodbye’ and you would have to wait patiently to see them again. You are in love, you say, this is the real deal!

Time has passed and the wedding ring has been on for some time, you have slept in the same bed for many years and the shine has begun to tarnish a little.

When your partner is out or asleep you begin to fantasize about the times when you used to do what you wanted rather than feeling trapped into pleasing the other person all the time. They have started putting restraints on you to be home at a certain time, attend events with relatives you don’t like and do a bit of work. In the olden days you would have bent over backwards to hammer a nail in or come home for a cooked meal but now it all seems so dreary to be expected to do what you are told.

Then comes the secretary. At first it was just harmless flirtation, the odd poke on face book or a works do where you stayed out longer than you should have because they were there. They are young and sexy and lead an exciting life (Or so it seems). They make you feel wanted and special and young again.

Like a dog running off when its owner calls, you switch off your phone and indulge in that long desired word freedom.

I’ll just do it once and then we’ll forget all about it and still be great work partners. You tell yourself, but it never works out that way…

In love with two people.

Emotions run high as you begin to misinterpret lust as love. You think about them all day every day and feel miserable when you can’t see them or speak to them. Psychiatrist’s waiting rooms are full of clients claiming that they are in love with two people. Are they really? Or are they just romanticising adultery – the desire for an elicit sexual encounter and the sweet taste of lost freedom.

The spouse has been grumbling all afternoon and telling you to pick up your pants you feel like a child. He/she has taken on the role of parent, and parents are there to be disobeyed, right! Disobedience is an assertion of freedom.

The gulf widens

Sensing you are a player or thrill seeker, your mistress may begin to pull away. At home the distance between you lengthens as you have put too much attention in elsewhere and you can’t or don’t want to give it back. You are like a juggler on a high wire, trying to keep all your balls in the air. (In a manner of speaking!)

Possessiveness

Is an attempt to control another’s freedom. It is usually viewed negatively but it can also develop out of evidence that the other is playing away. The mistress may be a lonely heart who becomes possessive of the man (see Fatal Attraction) or one party may begin stalking the other, hiring a detective or not letting them leave the house.

MBA
No it’s not a formal qualification today… it actually stands for ‘Married But Available.’

These are often dangerous types, unsure about what they want, or indeed wanting it all, selfish and inconsiderate. They are often blatant about their marital status and yet up for anything.
A married woman seeking a bit of freedom may find this type an attractive opportunity, He is ‘at your disposal?’ In other words ready to be put into the bin.

Peer pressure, Street Cred!

Some partners may enter into affairs because they do not want to be perceived as free, i.e. their own person and not under the thumb, I think that this is particularly true of men. They may also do it because they want to fit in, and flirting with a girl to impress your mates may lead to a full blown relationship.

Responsibility

Once a couple have children, freedom is impossible during the kids early years. The husband or wife may have some freedom by going to work but the responsibility is always present.

I will probably be heavily criticised for saying that children out on the streets late at night looting London are there because many of their parents want their freedom.

The above scenarios are commonplace in marriages throughout time. However there is some positive stuff and the good news is they do not always end in divorce…

Healthy ways to keep freedom.

Check out the menu. Eat at home.

It is quite normal to want to be desired by the opposite sex and harmless flirtation is a way of feeling that we are still attractive. The grass is not greener on the other side. Everybody has their problems and try to avoid romanticising that this person is greater than the one you already have.

Time out/open relationships

Everybody needs time out, even if it is to go to our room, paint our nails, play golf, or just be at one with ourselves. Couples need to allow each other time for same sex friendships and not be possessive over one another.

Some couples agree to letting each other have a ‘weekend off’ in order to spend it with a sexual partner of their choice. Whether this works or not depends on the couple, but it could be a lot healthier to be open with your spouse than sliding into deviance and guilt. It could also be worth explaining to the third party that this is a no strings arrangement. It may protect the third party from setting themselves up for a fall.

A high percentage of us humans are greedy buggers who just want what we can’t have, this has to do with asserting our freedom to make choices and the fact that we biologically programmed to procreate the species by promiscuity.

Time together minus one

…or however many kids there are. Nothing is worse than feeling that the children are curbing a couple’s freedom ad it is easy for this resentment to show. Go and see a movie or have a romantic dinner together and leave the brats with a minder.

Fly Agaric And The Red Nose Reindeer

(Image Wiki)

Fly Agaric or Amanita Muscaria is an easily recognisable red toadstool with white spots. The active ingredients are hallucinogenic and this is why it is often found in stories and picture books accompanied by fairies. Indeed one of the effects of Amanita consumption is the sensation of flying. Amanita heightens the senses, induces a trance like state and this  can lead to spiritual experiences. The name Fly Agaric bares no relation to the flying experience under its influence but to the fact that Amanita Muscaria is a good insect repellent and was often sprinkled in milk to keep away flies.

As it happens, Fly Agaric is a favourite food of Reindeer who will seek the toadstools in places such as Siberia out even under deep snow. Some associations have been made between tripping Reindeer and the legend of Santa Clause. It would certainly explain flying reindeer with names such as Prancer, Dancer, Cupid and Comet!

‘…And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound…’

Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863)

Some sources describe Shaman gathering Fly Agaric in red coats with white fur and black boots. Aparently these spiritual people  lived in tents known as Yurts and these had a smoke hole in the roof down which the Shaman would descend on a poll. Once safely on the ground they would hand out Fly Agaric to the guests inside. Doesn’t this compare rather well to Santa visiting with toys?

Another symptom of Fly Agaric consumption is a glowing complexion and red nose. Add to this a drug induced ‘ho ho ho’. Remind you of anyone?  

Historian Ronald Hutton of the University of Bristol argues against these claims, denying that there is any evidence for the Shaman connection.

Reindeer urine containing Amanita was consumed by the Siberian peoples. The active ingredient in Amanita is not metabolised by the body and thus remains in the urine. Some say this is the origin of the term ‘getting pissed.’ Reindeer excreted Fly Agaric was much safer than the raw product because one could experience the hallucinations without the negative elements such as nausea, loss of balance and sweating etc.

Not only that, reindeer would drink human urine especially if it contained Magic Mushroom. As a result herdsmen would carry their urine in oil skins to keep the herd together.

Successful Niche Blogging For Writers

(Image wiki)

With the growth of the internet and digital services, niche blogging has become a profitable business for many people. There are a wealth of ideas to choose from such as dating, flower arranging, health and beauty and so on.

For writers, niche blogging means that traffic to your pages pays per click, so not only are you getting your name and content recognised but you are also making an income from each visitor.

Niche blogging should not be mistaken for splogging. A term which refers to spam blogging. In other words internet traffic is directed to fake, empty or non-existent websites. Niche bloggers use genuine content links and genuine web platforms.

As a writer, if you are planning to go in for niche blogging then I suggest two options. The first is ready-made niche blog sites such as Triond, Bukisa and Wiki Nut. These sites are free to join and users can display a wide range of topic on their profile.

While Wiki Nut and Bukisa categorise your content to be displayed on relevant areas of their site, Triond farms out articles to be shown on the most relevant websites such as Computersite, Socybery and Heathmad.

The Triond user’s profile acts as a platform for links and there is no actual content on Triond itself. Writers are paid per view and the websites upon which content are displayed contain pop up advertisements. There are two figures on your user account, one shows your pay received by content and the other shows what you have accumulated if you have added AdSense to your account.

If you want to go it alone then you can set up your own niche blog. This must be paid for. The website can be monetised using Google AdSense or Clickbank. Once your blog is set up then it will begin generating income.

A writer’s niche blog is not easy money. You must write regularly and consistently in order to gain an audience and keep them. When you are starting out, the best way to generate traffic is to link your articles to as many social bookmarking sites as possible. Some are good while others are a waste of time. I would recommend the following.

1. Facebook and Twitter
2. Stumbleupon
3. Digg
4. Zoolo
5. Xanga
6. Delicious
7. Google bookmarks
8. Reddit
9. Myspace
10. Amazon bookmarks

Setting up a profile with each of these is a time consuming business but once you have done it you can look for a ‘bookmarking demon’ which is a site made to enable  you link all your new articles to your chosen bookmark sites in a matter of minutes.

You cannot be impatient in this business! After a few years you will start to see a rise in your earnings even when you are away from your desk.  

What Planet Are You On? The Search For Gas Giant Tyche

(Image Wiki)

‘My very early morning jam sandwich usually nauseates people.’

In other words Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

You may have come across this or another popular an acronym for remembering the order of the planets in the solar system (even though many dispute Pluto is a planet at all.) When I was at school there were 9 planets, well then Pluto got knocked out and demoted to star status. Now two American scientists want to stick a ball back on the galactic snooker table and call it Tyche.

Tyche is a Gas Giant and in fitting with its neighbours has been given a Greek Name. Tyche after the Greek goddess of fortune.

Matese and Whitmire are scientists from Louisiana-Lafayette University and according to Universe Today; they have been working on their theory for over 4 decades. On 26^th of April 2010 they published a paper entitled ‘Evidence of a Jovian Mass Solar Companion in the Ord Cloud.’ The document explored whether the existence of such a planet could be the reason for localised long-distance comets forming a cluster band rather than taking random paths.

Other scientists are sceptical about the theory calling it un-statistically sound and the evidence ‘subtle’.

The planet is said to be 1.3 Trillion miles from the sun and have a temperature of -73 degrees C. A bit too cold for a visit then! The Daily Mail claims that it could be ‘the largest planet in the solar system’ and ‘up to 4 times the size of Jupiter.’ Tyche may not have been born in our solar system but in fact pulled in by gravity.

The question on many people’s lips is ‘if it’s so big why has it taken this long to find it?’ Well it is apparently located in the Ord Cloud which is a long long way off. Don’t forget this is only a theory, so whether Tyche really exists or is just a load of hot air, time will tell...

Forbidden Fruit. The Sensual Appeal of Durian

Durian are football sized green spikey fruit with a soft yellow pulp with the consistency of banana around large seeds. It takes its name from ‘Duri’meaning ‘thorn’. It is often referred to as ‘The king of fruit.’ While it is a delicacy to some, it is disgust to others. The smell is something of a combination of paint thinner and old gym socks. The taste outweighs the smell and it resembles custard or a sweet vanilla pudding.

Durians originated in Borneo and Sumatra and have been consumed since ancient times. It has only been known about in the west for about 600 years. Although the fruit is available in many parts of Asia, the chief exporter is Thailand.

The King of Fruit grows on mature trees after about five years. The giant globes weigh around 7lb and are a danger to pickers and they must wear hard hats at all times during the harvest.

Banning

Durian is banned from shopping malls, trains, hotels and airlines etc. Anywhere that you see this sign. Hotel staff have been reported to track down Durian eating residents and march in to fumigate the room. 

In Cooking

Malaysians use Durian in candy, cakes, mousse and ice-cream.

Sambal Tempoyak is a Sumatran dish of fermented Durian, coconut milk and sambal sauce.

In Indonesia the seeds are baked with sugar and eaten as a snack. Raw Durian seeds are toxic and should not be consumed. The Indonesians also cook the young leaves, roots and stem as a vegetable.

Malaysian Border is made with minced Durian, salt and onions.

Durian honey is made with the nectar from bees. (The flowers close during the day but at night the Durian trees are pollenated by honeybees and bats.)

In the Moluccas Island, Durian husks are used to smoke fish.

Thai supermarkets sell Durian paste but this is often mixed with pumpkin which is of similar consistency.

Medicinal Properties

It is believed that a preparation of Durian leaves can aid fever. In Java Durian (pre-digested by elephants!) is sold for $300 and considered an aphrodisiac.

Words of warning

Pregnant women and those with high blood pressure are advised to avoid Durian

Do not consume the fruit with alcohol, caffeine or fizzy drinks as it will cause unbearable indigestion!

Keep The King of Fruits covered up in the fridge or the odour will contaminate everything else.

Don’t go on the pull after you have eaten Durian or you will probably get slapped!