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Pizza Obsessives: Craig Lindberg and His Neapolitan Garage
Slice interviews with folks who are mad about pizza.
Editor's note: Check out a My Pie Monday or two and chances are TXCraig1 will stick out in your mind for his pro level pies, and even more so if you catch a reference to his Acunto oven outfitted garage. Longtime member of the pizzamaking.com forum Pizzablogger scratches below the surface in this in-depth interview with the Texas pie fanatic.
The sound and vibration through the seat feels good—you've just had some aftermarket parts for your sports car installed, dialed everything in and buffed the car to a high shine. The car breathes with newfound muscle as you point it towards the road and head over to your friend's house. Upon arriving you give a beep, gun the gas for a second, and yell for your buddy to come outside.
Suddenly you hear the creak and scrape of your friend's garage door as it separates from the concrete floor. As the garage door opens, the elegant lines and beauty of a Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano is revealed sitting inside of the garage. You know your girl is a beauty in her own right, but you can only look into the garage, stunned. Holy. Shit.
For a pizza fanatic, this is the reality of Craig Lindberg's house. Standing seductively in Craig's garage is a commercial grade, traditional low domed, wood-fired Acunto Classico 5 Italian brick pizza oven...a literal object of desire.
A core member of the pizzamaking.com forums, Craig has been tirelessly pushing the limits of his pizza making since modifying his BBQ grill a couple of years ago and making pizzas on that which were already beyond what many are doing. Then came the Acunto.
After a pizza odyssey involving two broken forklifts, a forklift sunk in the wet ground of Craig's yard, having to remove part of the garage to fit the oven inside, and other hi-jinx, the two ton oven was in place. A mammoth vent tube was installed, the Acunto sprang to life and home pizza making has never been the same.
However, an oven is just an oven. The growing "Craig's Neapolitan Garage" thread is a testament to the passion and commitment to excellence Lindberg puts into every pie making session. This is as serious as it gets in the home pizza making world, so let's get the man in the hot seat already!
Name: Craig Lindberg
Location: Houston, TX
Oven: Mario Acunto Classico 5
What kind of pizzas did you grow up eating?
I don't remember eating much pizza growing up and what we did eat certainly wasn't Neapolitan or anything close. Only two names from my youth stick out in my mind—Shakey's, which I remember being my parent's favorite, and Pizza Hut, which I remember because my mom would go on about how much she hated their sausage. Up until about four years ago, a pepperoni pizza from Dominos was my favorite pizza.
What initially inspired you to make pizza at home?
I remember making pizza a long time ago with a recipe out of a Julia Child's cookbook, The Way to Cook, of all places, but it was just in the ordinary course of business.
Pizza didn't become a passion until about four years ago. A friend (who, incidentally, is now involved in the pizza business in NYC) had a wood fired oven (WFO) built into the kitchen of his home in Connecticut. I've always loved to cook and the kitchen is my favorite room in the house, so I of course told him that I'd like to see it. Sometime later he invited me and some others over to make pizza, and long story short, it changed my life. We made New York-Neapolitan style pies and his passion for pizza was contagious. That is the night I became a pizza obsessive. There were four of us invited to that dinner—two of us now have wood fired ovens.
October 25, 2010: FOR SALE- Brand New Neapolitan Wood Fired Oven
Recount to us how you initially found out about the Acunto Classico 5 oven that was "just sitting there rusting away in a warehouse".
I saw it posted at Pizzamaking.com in the Pizza Equipment for Sale section and it was literally rusting away in a warehouse. After I went to check it out, I told the seller if I didn't buy it, he needed to get someone out there to clean it up before real damage was done.
It was kind of ironic. I just poured a new patio in my back yard and had heavily reinforced an area to build an oven. I was only days away from ordering fire bricks when I saw her for sale. It took almost three months to negotiate a deal with the seller. Also ironic is that the place I planned to build the oven is about the only place on the patio I could not get the Acunto on because of a vertical support in the way, so she went into the garage. I'm happy she ended up there. She belongs there, not outside.
After the adventure of getting the oven to your house and into the garage, what was the biggest cooking adjustment you had to make transitioning from your BBQ grill to the Acunto?
It was actually a lot easier than I expected. I credit that to the design and construction of the oven more than any particular skill on my part. It heats up and maintains heat so evenly, it is amazing. I did a lot of watching and turning the pie in the BBQ, so working the Acunto was not that different. Granted, I'm not baking multiple pies simultaneously, which I'm sure would employ a learning curve. The only real transition was the speed at which things happen with bake times going from 2:30 or so to under 60 seconds in some cases.
How often are you making pizzas in the Acunto and about how many pizzas are you now making in a session?
I bake almost every week. I generally make dough Thursday night and bake on Saturday evening. The minimum number I ever bake is six. Eight is probably most common. The most I've done is 22.
How long did it take for you to get a handle on how much wood and what size of a fuel pile (wood and embers) works best in your oven?
My fire now is not much different from the first fire and ember pile I ever built in her; just a little hotter. I thought it would take a lot more time to figure it out. I guess I just got lucky.
The oven is big (47" diameter) and well insulated. I can build a big ember pile—the coals probably cover the leftmost 25% or so of the floor (it would completely fill a 24" oven) and stack about 6" high with burning wood on top of that—and I still have a ton of room to work. With all that room, I can decrease the radiant heat by moving the pie away from the fire, giving me some additional control when needed.
Generally though, I bake just slightly off center away from the fire. With a fire this big, the heat is very even all the way across and so long as I keep a burning log or two on top, there is very little variation in temperature. This makes baking easier. I'd guess a precise fire is much more critical in smaller and less well insulated ovens. About the only other thing I've changed from the first time is that I warm her up a little longer now (about three and a half to four hours).
What is your preferred bake time?
I was expecting 90 seconds to be the magic number, as some of the best pies I've eaten in restaurants timed in about there. However, I've had most of my best results at 55-65 seconds—probably because I've spent most of my time running at 900F+ temps since getting the oven. Baking a pie in under 60 seconds is pretty exciting. Our guests, many of whom have never eaten a Neapolitan pie, get quite a kick out of it too. That being said, I made some of my best pies ever last night at about the 90 second mark.
What is the most noticeable difference to you between the 55-60 second pizzas and a 90 second pizza?
There is a little more crispness in the outer shell of the crust on a 90 second pie and the inner part is a little dryer—not "dry" by any stretch of the imagination, but noticeably different from a 60 second pie. On a 60 second pie, there is less cooking and evaporation of the sauce during the bake. I might describe the flavors of the 60 second pie as fresher or more primal, but I don't think that does it justice. It's just different.
Was there any one aspect that you improved upon to get your dough where you want it, or was it an overall better intuition for the entire process?
The main factor was changing flour from King Arthur All Purpose flour (KAAP) to Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour. With the more intense heat of the WFO, I really didn't have a choice when it came to moving to an unmalted flour. KAAP worked great in my grill, but Caputo works better in every imaginable way. Beyond that, I think it is just comes with experience—knowing what to look for as the dough develops and how it feels when it is ready. I don't think I could describe it. You'd have to stand next to me and see and feel it.
Even then, what works for me might not be optimal for someone else...there are so many variables.
My advice to anyone using extended fermentation would be to err on the side of underworking the dough. I've also found that by working my dough less initially, I can make my dough balls a lot tighter and still have a super relaxed dough.
I couldn't agree more Craig. You have been utilizing minute amounts of wild yeast starter, short-mixing, stretch and folds, and extended fermentations for a couple of years now. Are you comfortable with your mixing and fermentation regimen, or do you still have some experimentation in mind? If so, what are you working on?
I'm in a happy place when it comes to mixing and fermentation for my pies, and I've settled in on 60% hydration.
Why do you prefer 60% as opposed to another hydration ratio?
I don't know why 60% is better. It must have something to do with the flour and the heat. With KAAP in my grill, 62% was the magic number. Since moving to Caputo and the wood fired oven, I've tried various levels between 59% and 64%. 60% yields the best results for me and has worked well consistently. It seems like some of the other folks with WFOs at pizzamking.com are also running around 60%. I plan to experiment more in the 58-60% range, but I don't know when I'll get around to it.
Also, my dough balls practically open themselves and the flavor is just incredible. I never was any good at that fancy Neapolitan stretch and slap and flip technique of opening dough balls. The good news is that with my current dough, you don't need it.
You have preferred Cento Italian (non-D.O.P.) tomatoes for a while now. What other tomatoes have you tried and what do you like about the Cento Italian tomatoes?
The Cento Italian are still my favorites and I use them about 95% of the time. To me, they have a deep, yet still fresh and lively, tomato flavor and they are consistently good from can to can. Others I've tried and like are Strianese San Marzano DOP and the DeCecco San Marzano DOP (I don't think they make the DeCecco anymore). Here in Houston, unless you're making BBQ or Mexican food, you pretty much have to take what you can get. Luckily the Cento is pretty widely available.
You have visited some of the top tier places like Una Pizza Napoletana (East Village), Kesté, and Motorino. What qualities in your pizzas have you strived for that differentiate yours in some way to better mirror your personal tastes?
I've been fortunate in that my job takes me to NYC, San Francisco, and other places giving me the opportunity to try many of the top names. For almost as long as I've been serious about pizza, I've had the benefit of knowing what a great pie tastes like. The value of that can't be understated. Every time I go, I try to find at least one thing I like and use it to make my pies better. I owe these guys a lot.
Craig, from following your workflow and pizzas for a while now, I would imagine your pies are at the same level as some of the places you have visited. Sorry to put you in a tough spot, but this is the hot seat after all. Am I far off the mark?
The places you mention all bake incredible pies and I understand what I do at home is not the same as what they do in their high-volume businesses. That being said, I love my pizza and would not hesitate to go head-to-head with any of them on a few pies. But then again, I've also been known to hunt wild hogs with throwing knives...
What qualities are you looking for in your pizzas when trying to make that "perfect" pie?
I find the Margherita to be the biggest challenge and it's my favorite pie for that reason. Fortunately, it's also my favorite pie to eat. A Margherita is the great equalizer—the one pie you can really compare from place to place. More than any other pie, perfection requires precise balance and unlike most every other pie, there is no hiding errors or shortcomings under a sea of highly flavored toppings.
My vision of the perfect pie is a very special Margherita which I've never made nor seen or tasted for that matter. Elements of this pie would include:
Balance: To me, the Margherita is the quintessential feminine pie. No rough edges, no pretenses, and no show of strength to cover weakness or lack of confidence. She is just beauty, poise, and grace; all manifestations of her perfect balance.
Crust: The cornice has a paper-thin outer shell and the texture inside is light, like a cloud with big and small bubbles whose walls are made out of hundreds of tiny-tiny little bubbles. You definitely know it is pizza and not bread. The crust has some bite, yet chews almost without resistance; it almost melts in your mouth and it digests easily.
The flavor of the crust is not "sour", but you taste flavors and experience aromas beyond what regular yeast can deliver. It's an experience that can not be created by yeast from the supermarket no matter how long you let the poor dough suffer in your refrigerator.
The bottom shows scattered spots of charring, but is not burned. The cornicione sports a pronounced leoparding or a more even and gentle charring. Either way, the key is that it adds flavor and visual excitement without dominating any of the other elements. Perfect charring is a fine line, but it is an absolutely essential part of the overall depth and balance of flavor. It is perhaps the most difficult element to master, as it involves so many variables from formula, to fermentation, to temperature, to oven skills.
Toppings: The sauce is such that the acid from the tomatoes balances against the richness of the cheese, but it also has a sweetness that balances not only the acid, but also the umami flavors of the tomato, the salt and the slight bitterness of the caramelization in the crust.
I prefer the basil applied before the bake so that the flavor infuses with the sauce. I also prefer a little more basil than you often get. One leaf is not balance. For me, basil is about both flavor and color.
The cheese should be torn by hand so that the rough edges melt and incorporate seamlessly into the sauce. The cheese should be sized such that the heat in the pie finishes melting it only at the very moment the pie is served.
The placement of the toppings is also important not only for visual appeal, but also for variety of taste. I want a Margherita where I get some bites with sauce, cheese and basil, some bites with only sauce and cheese, some bites with only sauce, some bites with only sauce and basil and so on. This gives the pie a certain come hither playfulness. What fun is it if every bite tastes the same?
There is not a single element that is irrelevant or can be left to chance, and there are so many elements which must be right simultaneously, that achieving perfection approaches impossibility.
It is easy to get started, but it could take years or even a lifetime to master. This is what I love about Neapolitan pizza. It is a large part of what drives my passion. Every time I finish baking, I can't wait until the next time so that I can incorporate what I just learned.
Amen brother! I've been shouting out against julienned basil on pizzas for years. Craig, are you tasting a smokiness in the char that is distinctly more "smoky" than your grill results or is it just a different type of bitterness?
I don't think the burning wood in either the grill or the wood fired oven imparts a noticeable amount of smoke flavor. There just isn't enough time and at those temperatures I think the combustion is so complete that there are probably no flavor compounds left. There is no smoke coming out of the oven other than maybe when you first put a new log on the coals.
Done properly, there is no bitterness in the char. It's very much like making a black roux for gumbo (equally difficult and both have to be right or your gumbo or pizza isn't); when it is right, the flavor is incomparable—deep and rich, but not bitter and an essential element of either dish. The difference between perfect and burned is a pretty fine line...it's almost binary.
How concerned are you with how "authentic" or "traditional" your pizzas are...would you be interested in the view a person from Naples or an organization like the AVPN may have about your pizzas?
I think my Margherita is going to be pretty close to authentic because there really is no arguing that they got it right and there is little need to change anything (I do make my pies a little bigger than spec). Do I care what they or anyone else thinks about the authenticity my pies however? Not in the slightest. To be fair, I would never claim them as such either. I just want my pies to be the way I want them to be. Hopefully others agree with my taste.
What is the one aspect of pizza making you are trying to improve the most?
All of them. Something about every pie I make disappoints me and it's not usually the same thing from one pie to the next. There are so many elements; you can't just focus on one. If I had to pick one to name, I'd say getting the char on the cornicione just the way I want it. I think it is the most difficult to master.
What is the most enjoyable part of the pizza making process for you?
By and large the whole process is relaxing for me now (it has not always been that way). Saturday afternoon, I open a bottle of wine, prep the toppings, hang out with my boys, build the fire, pull a chair up to the oven and drink more wine by the fire as the oven comes alive. I also love to cook for other people and share the experience. If four things go better together than pizza, fire, friends, and wine, I don't know what they are.
Any wine recommendations that you enjoy pairing with particular pizzas?
Drink what you like. For me, great pizza doesn't need anything from wine to be a perfect food. The wine only needs to add enjoyment to the experience. Don't force yourself into what someone else likes or thinks matches well. That will probably distract from the pie.
Do you ever entertain making pizzas for a living?
Oh!? Are you still in the imagining phase or have you taken further steps like constructing a business plan or looking for potential investors?
I pretty much know what the concept would be (or will be) and as far as the theme or the décor, it probably would not be a garage, but I have not ruled that out entirely. I don't think there is anything else quite like what I'm imagining. If there is, I haven't seen it. Heck, that almost sounds like I've decided to do it. I haven't. I know right where it needs to be located too, but I haven't written a business plan or done much of anything else for that matter.
Who would you like to see interviewed next?
Where to start? Omid (Pizza Napoletana), Larry (thezaman), Matthew and John (JConk007) over at pizzamaking.com or you.
Ha! I've been ducking the hot seat for quite a while now...too many others more worthy I need to interview still, but thanks Craig. Finally, are you still planning to tile your oven? Any ideas on what colors?
I don't know. We've gotten pretty comfortable with each other the way we are. I'm not much of one for dressing up. Heck, I usually don't wear shoes when I bake (despite several warnings to the contrary). How can I ask her to get all dressed up if I don't? Sometimes, however, I think she might like a nice new dress to show off. It's not out of the question. I think she likes earth tones, but we haven't discussed it much.
Thanks so much Craig for your time and we look forward to seeing more of your pizzas on My Pie Monday—and maybe even one day at your own pizzeria!
Catch additional questions and answers from this interview, including Craig's Reverse Engineering Una Pizza Napoletana project and specific wine recommendations at pizzamaking.com


text: Angel-125 12,983 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 (edited) Hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I started Multipurpose Colony Modules (MCM), and what a difference a year makes. Multipurpose Colony Modules has fulfilled its mission in more ways than one, but it lives on through its successor, Pathfinder. Many of MCM's art assets are carried over into Pathfinder and given a new mission. You can find the Pathfinder thread here. Thank you for all your support and I hope to see you all in the Pathfinder thread. Edited September 8, 2016 by Angel-125 Quote Link to post Share on other sites

subset: commoncrawl


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Ive got arrested development and massive PTSD problems all the time; my view of my self is horrible; I see myself the way the abusers saw me; as worthless and not worth keeping alive. They would have starved me to death if they could have gotten away with it; and or anything else at that torturous level. and when I say this; its all being done in a middle class house in some neighborhood of middle class money.
I wasn't want by anyone ever; I was thrown away so many times; after awhile; my mind was gone from the trauma of being insecure and alone.
So; now; Im suppose to like myself or now how to value and like myself; I guess I value myself; but not strong enough to value myself around people; Im a sensitive person that got thrown away from his tribe of other sensitive people; I get dis advantaged from the people I should have associated with; I got side lined on purposed when I was a brilliant talented sensitive person; Now Im trying to find my way back to what should have been mine in the first place; and Im not sure of the road map.
However, I can start using loa for this; start writing stories about my tribe and the pathways to get back their. Im wholly scared to death; what if they judge me and try to destroy me the way everyone else has; Ive found no-one to be who they claim to be; Ive been around the poor and the rich; they both turned on me and others; I don't anyone; The least I trust is the general middle class of any town; Ive seen what they do to children who have no family and have no homes; Just look at what foster kids go through; and their it is; no one rescues those kids or me; no one; no one really cares or thinks about it.
My issue is; I don't want to be lost for the remainder of my life. I have allot of PTSD from my teen-age years and Im in terror all the time because of relieving it and it dominates my life; keeps in indoors and safe inside where no one can hurt me. I have a-lot of rage and anger; war level rage and anger about how my life was mistreated and snuffed out instead of developed; and I thought it was going to be developed then I had the rug pulled out on me.
Dealing with the general public does not help; I trust non of them. They are mouthy punks who have been through nothing; Im on the outside of the world where bad things have happened where death and life preside; where torture and riches preside; where Ive been; no television script is allowed.
The point is; I feel like Im nothing in this general society of functioning people; I mean nothing to them; they appreciate nothing of me. Nothing of the darker worlds I have seen or been tortured in or torched in. They know nothing about loss; not real loss; for me; its like I was in a war; like the Syria war; and I was destroyed out of my town and relatives and name and school and memories; where everyone was killed; no family left; nothing; then Im carted out to some other country as an orphan with bad people who use me on the streets or some place else for their ability to make money; and thats that. And then Im nothing; thrown away.
I lost everything.
So; now Im going to built back? with who? who am I going to do with with?
So; Im using the laws of attraction; my imagination to conjure what Im interested in bringing into my life; and that will be my power. + God/universe.


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When we think of plastic surgery, we tend to think first of nose jobs, but it turns out the biggest new trend in modifying one's face is getting chin implants. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons just released new statistics that show that chimplants, as they're charmingly known, are the fastest growing procedure among all major demographics. Overall, they experienced a 71 percent increase in 2011. ASPS President Dr. Malcolm Z. Roth has the disturbing explanation as to why there's a sudden interest in boosting the presence of one's chin:
The chin and jawline are among the first areas to show signs of aging. People are considering chin augmentation as a way to restore their youthful look just like a facelift or eyelid surgery. We also know that as more people see themselves on video chat technology, they may notice that their jawline is not as sharp as they want it to be. Chin implants can make a dramatic difference.
Video chat? Video chat. Are you fucking kidding me? It is a universal truth that all people look hideous in video chats. Even fresh faced adolescents look crappy. Honestly, the lighting, the camera angle, the quality of the camera. It's a perfect storm. No one should be allowed to order up surgery based on impressions they form of themselves while on Skype. Damn you, Facetime! You're ruining everything. It's bad enough we've got to put makeup on before we make a stupid phone call. Now we have to get our chins done before our next videoconference? Ugh.
New stats: Chin surgery skyrockets among women, men, all age groups [EurekAlert!]
Image via jwblinn/Shutterstock.


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Dan Gilbert TED talks: Why are we happy? How do we make predictions? Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, gives talks at TED. Learn more about Gilbert "psychological immune system". Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we'll not be happy if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don't go as planned.
Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness, sharing some surprising tests and experiments that we can also try on ourself. Dan Gilbert said about Stumbling on Happiness: "My book is not about how good people are at predicting the future; it's about how good they are at predicting their emotional reactions to the future".
Dan Gilbert wrote a free study guide to his book "Stumbling on Happiness". This is his introduction: So here's a question that you're probably dying to ask me:Why does Stumbling on Happiness have twelve chapters? [… ]But as it happens, twelve is the number of weeks that a seminar at Harvard University typically meets, which means that my book is ideal for teaching. This year I designed and taught a seminar in which my students read one chapter from my book every week (plus a few other readings) and then met to discuss it. I taught one version of the seminar for graduate students and one for undergraduate students, and both seminars were great fun for me. The students seemed to like them, too. At least no one passed out. In the syllabus, I've described the main idea that each chapter of my book raises, and included a few key points for discussion and references to some supplemental readings that might inform it. Copyright law prohibits me from posting the readings themselves, but you should be able to find them in a library. Feel free to copy this syllabus—use it, change it, rearrange it, or sell it on eBay. One thing you'll notice about these readings is that they are primarily psychology articles because I am, in point of fact, a psychologist. That's why I say things like "in point of fact." I hope that those of you who read my book will send me suggestions for relevant readings in other fields—such as economics, biology, philosophy, business, the arts—to be included in future seminars. If you do, I'll post your suggestions here on this website, and together we can build the world's longest reading list, thereby keeping several generations of promising young people from ever finishing college.
Dan Gilbert free study guide is available on http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/img/studyguide.pdf Happy stumbling!


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A couple weeks ago, I wrote about our plans for our home. We had decided to stay in our little house, renovating a couple areas to make it more liveable while we save up to start an addition. You guys encouraged me so much with your comments that day. Seriously, if you are feeling frustrated with your living space because you feel cramped and crowded, go read the comments on that post. Actually, I am going to paste some excerpts here. I hope you don't mind.
Beth wrote, When I was a child, my grandmother lived near a family who had eleven children. Their house was tiny…think one bedroom, a kitchen, a living area, a bathroom. One evening we stopped by at bedtime, and the children were in their "beds." I was only five or six years old, but I remember how astonished I was to see that each child in the family slept on a cot, wherever there was floor space to put it, including in the kitchen. What amazed me even more was that they weren't the slightest bit embarrassed or self-conscious about it. To the contrary, they were smiling, friendly, happy to have company, and completely welcoming to us, even though there was barely room to stand in the kitchen. I've thought of that often over the years, and about the expression that 'love grows best in a small house'
Brigitte wrote, Our culture tells us we need more And bigger everything.
Ruby wrote, I am loving playing the 'make do' game more and more, the older I get, the more children we add to our family.
Rhonda wrote, One would think that having all the extra space would be wonderful. But trust me when I tell you that no one EVER spreads out. The littlest ones won't even go on another floor of the house if someone isn't with them ("too scary"). My children still find it necessary to sit on the couch with me while I knit (yes, all 5 of them) or pile around me while I'm making dinner. As I type this they are finding reasons to come into the office and sit on the floor under my desk or read over my shoulder! And let's not even mention how awful the cleaning and upkeep of a large house is. If you can imagine the mess that kids make in one room, just multiply it by the number of rooms in a large house — they will and do find a way to make any and every room look like a tornado hit it. And seriously, does anyone really want to clean FOUR toilets?
You get the idea, right?
We were so tremendously encouraged by your words. And Jonny, ever searching for a larger house, became far more content to stay put. And we even decided to stop thinking about an addition. We are going to really try to just work with what we have and we're excited about that. We plan to invest in a bit more land surrounding our house, and to focus on paying off our student loans (we should have done that years ago, but something else always seems to come up.) I am feeling more confident about our unconventional lifestyle here and more convinced that we can keep doing this. We all know the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side, and while I know that a larger home would make things more comfortable for us all, many of the things about living in a houseful of children that can be frustrating would continue to be frustrating in a larger space. Your comments reminded me of that.
The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness. — Pope Benedict XVI
I don't want to get too comfortable. Okay, maybe I do. I do, but I recognize that it would probably be better if I don't. Does that make sense?
So here we are. The house is a big mess. The little kids are watching far too many junky cartoons while we try to get through these renovations as quickly as possible. We are realizing (again)that it isn't possible to do anything quickly when you have children. We are accepting this, and trying to do so cheerfully. I am failing a lot at the cheerful part, but not completely. (I am trying not to worry about all the cartoon watching.) Jonny is making progress, and I think it's going to be great when we are finished.
We had a warm day this weekend and while we knew that we should stay home and keep working, we just couldn't. We drove to our fossil beach because there was a great low tide that day. We ended up staying on that beach for all of fifteen minutes (after driving an hour to get there). Small children got wet, they cried. It wasn't worth staying if the soundtrack for the day was going to be crying. So we went to a nearby playground. The older kids used their metal detectors to hunt for lost change, and the little ones played. Everyone was happy, even Jonny and I, despite the fact that we had driven an hour one way to end up at a playground. On the way home we broke all of our typical eating rules and stopped at a gas station with a little grill in the back where they cook up greasy grilled cheese sandwiches, potato wedges, and even fried shrimp. When the kids asked for ice cream from the case, we said yes.


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Show About Games Show: Co-op and the Girlfriend
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I dub thee, the depressing episode; intended for those who don't smile.
I really liked the Limbo segments! And I was laughing with the Harvest Moon bit. Great episode
..Limbo guy needs to think outside the box...
"can this limbo get any worse?" only if they have to watch this show. Just kidding, it was an obvious joke I had to make.
For real though, this show got kind of half a smile out of me a couple times, which is better than the previous ones, and the Harvest Moon bit wasn't really even noticeable until they blatantly said it. Hopefully this show improves, I'd really like to like it.
All I heard was tumbleweed throughout this episode. I thought previous weeks had been faltering but this simply wasn't funny! The British accent was just terrible and FAR too strung out for what is, effectively, a one joke sketch that lasted half the episode. As Therandombear points out, the YouTube video in WoW is good and in my opinion funnier than this entire episode. The Limbo segments were the best part of the episode and showed some creativity, but it was the SAME joke every time.
Hey...Candice is no hoe :<. She's a shy young girl with beautiful blue hair. It's not your fault that you didnt have the FAQ's for her XD.
OT: Limbo pieces...brilliant. "Hey guuuyysss~." *pulls lever, box falls on kid* "NOOOOB!"
Ok that was seriously funny. And the part about co-op, that is sad. I miss split screen games.
The Limbo bits were amusing,the rest could have been better if not for mediocre acting.
Oh wow, missed the Harvest Moon thing completely.
Limbo one was good, and I also miss co-op games too, split-screen or not.
O wow this has been your best episode to date. I think the timing was pretty good and I enjoyed it.
acck...it's there again guys, one really strong segment "British accent guy" - fall upon deaf ears(heh) - but the others are just average to weak.
Stick to your strengths.
I thought the online girlfriend thing was talking about dating online, not dating an actual virtual character. Such a surprise at the end, and despite it only being a minor misconception it had me in hysterics. Anyway this weeks episode was fantastic, each segment was hilarious, and the Limbo parts made it hard to breathe.
Seriously the Limbo scenes were the best and the voice suits the character and tone so well. Would love to see more of the little guy in the future.
Took Aeris to the ferris wheel at the golden saucer ones. Bitch is dead to(?) me now.
Almost fall of my chair laughing for that one , so wrong so bad and sooooo good
What was with the different episode that was up for like 5 minutes?
I was giggling the whole time.
I too enjoy being british. even though I am not british.
This show is completely devoid of humor.
Good stuff really enjoyed the first bit "This was British guys voice reporting, I'm British!"
I don't think people who aren't english understand the news sketch... For me that parody was bang on of what british media is like! The limbo parts were awesome as well!
Does the narrator sound a lot like BIG BROTHER? We love making fun of that voice in our family.
That was awesome as usual I'd go into more detail but I'm in a hurry.
Anyway, did anyone else see a different episode posted earlier today?
Two "Show About Games Show"'s in one day, thats really good value considering they're free.
Although it probably means I won't have a new one to watch next week. I won't spoil it for anyone but i'll just say that the part with Master Chief and Marcus Fenix was very tastefully done, you could have cut the latent sexual tension with an energy sword.
The british accent bit was made even more hilarious by the fact that I was watching the BBC news and heard what seemed to be the exact same voice
The British news report (in England) reminded me a lot of "On The Hour" / "The Day Today", which is absolutely a positive thing. In England.
This show keeps getting better and better; I must be part of your target demographic.
Harvest Moon!
Pretty good effort this week. I didn't quite get the girlfriend sketch but it was a nice twist at the end nevertheless. Limbo bits were decent but as usual felt a little repetitive after the first one. The British voicover was quite funny - I liked the unecessary seriousness and attention to detail, although being English myself, I didn't immediately realise that it was supposed to be a "British" voice. Overall a good episode. Still not amazing but I enjoyed it.
I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the part about the video game girlfriend.
I loved the 'fell on deaf eyes' gag. another great show, really loving this.
I want them to be funny, and i believe that tehy will become funny, after some time, but i weren't laughing.
A good episode, really liked the co-up part and the limbo bits, though it took me AGES to figure out what they were talking about in that relationship part...
I have nothing important to say, but I did want to say this show just keeps continuing to impress.
Limbo bits were kinda funny. the rest sucked as always. Really should be used to it by now and quit giving this horrible horrible show a chance.
Limbo Kid was great. Everything else...
Mentioning Warriors Orochi alone made me love this video.
kerrigan NOOOOOO! I tried to save her... *sniffles* I tried so hard. *sobs uncontrollably.*
Flax Yarn can fix any relationship, But I know Leliana will never leave me :)
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The Gordon State College Chorus and Vocal Ensemble will present a program of holiday favorites and other selections Thursday evening.
The concert will be held in the Fine Arts Auditorium on campus and begins at 7:30. It is free and the public is invited.
Gordon chorus offers up holiday music Thursday
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Nigel Slater's Shrimp with Asian Greens Recipe
Your source for quick recipe every single week day.
Once you start becoming accustomed to the flavors of Thai food—the pungency and sweetness especially—hey quickly become addictive. Right now, I can hardly get enough of the rather magical combination of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chile, and it happens to play a major role in this lightning fast recipe from Nigel Slater's Tender.
Why I Picked This Recipe: With a base of aromatics including ginger, lemongrass, chile, and scallion, the recipe was pretty much sold from the beginning. But I was also attracted to the combination of shrimp and greens, both of which cook so quickly that this recipe is essentially like a stir-fry.
What Worked: The sauce that this recipe produces is stellar: on top of the aromatics, the sweet-salty-pungent liquids mix with the earthiness of the greens and complements the sweetness of the shrimp. I found myself wishing for rice just to soak up what was left in the bowl.
What Didn't: By the time my greens were fully cooked, the shrimp had begun to become tough. Next time I'd remove the shrimp after sauteeing them and add them back in at the end, which would allow more control over the viscosity of the sauce and the texture of the greens. I altered the recipe to reflect this change.
Suggested Tweaks: More greens would have been welcome; next time I'd double the quantity. For a bulkier meal, a heap of white rice would also fit right in. Besides that, I wouldn't change anything: the combination of flavors is calibrated just right.
Adapted from Tender
- Yield:serves 4
- Active time: 10 minutes
- Total time:15 minutes
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil
- 4 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 large stalks lemongrass, tough leaves peeled away, tender heart minced
- 2-3 fresh red chiles (or to taste), minced
- 4 scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 10 ounces Chinese greens, such as Bok Choy
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 cup basil leaves
In a large (12-inch) skillet or wok, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, lemongrass, chiles, and scallions. Cook, stirring often, until they are soft and the ginger has just begun to color.
Increase the heat to high and add the shrimp. Cook until colored on both sides, then add the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook until the shrimp are just opaque. Remove them with tongs to a plate.
Add the greens to the skillet and turn them over in the pan as they wilt. Cook until they are tender and the sauce is somewhat reduced.
Add the shrimp back to the pan along with the cilantro and basil. Remove from heat as the herbs begin to wilt. Serve immediately in shallow bowls.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Take-Two Interactive Software, publishers of the popular Grand Theft Auto series of games, has received and rejected a $2 billion acquisition bid from Electronic Arts but left the door open to a possible acquisition later.
The EA bid, which wasn't made public until shortly before Take-Two announced its rejection Sunday, offered $26 cash per share for Take-Two. At the time the bid was made on Feb. 19, the price represented a 64 percent premium on Take-Two's Feb. 15 closing price of $15.83. It is currently a 49 percent premium on Take-Two's Friday closing price.
EA returned to the Mac fold as a publisher last year, with the release of six titles including Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed: Carbon, Battlefield 2142 and Command and Conquer 3. Take-Two has not published games for the Macintosh, but sometimes works with third-party Mac game publishers.
In its rejection the board of Take-Two said it judged the bid to be "inadequate in multiple respects."
"Electronic Arts' proposal provides insufficient value to our shareholders and comes at absolutely the wrong time given the crucial initiatives underway at the company," Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said in a statement.
Take-Two is scheduled to release the latest installment in the popular Grand Theft Auto series, "Grand Theft Auto IV," on April 29. The release of "GTA IV" was slated for October last year, but was delayed in order to give the development team more time for certain game elements. The series has sold more than 65 million copies to date, and the company said that it wants to hold-off on talks with EA until after that game hits the market. Therefore it proposed to start talks on April 30.
EA had originally told Take-Two the offer was subject to Take-Two agreeing to start talks by Feb. 22, but it noted Sunday that it would hold the offer open "for the present time" in the hope that discussions can begin.
In an open letter to investors CEO John Riccitiello wrote EA believes its offer is a good one for Take-Two shareholders. He said Take-Two's future is uncertain and that "there is a strong likelihood that the company will be sold in the not-too-distant future."
"So, that's it. We've made a proposal to buy Take-Two. Our preference is to make this a friendly transaction and I'm hopeful we can achieve that. We've sent this proposal in the genuine belief that combining EA and Take-Two would be good for the people who make games and good for the people who play them," he wrote.


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A Daring Rescue
Trudge through the slime toward the back of the room, where you discover the power generator seems to be missing many parts. Luckily, there happens to plenty of spare parts within the objects around. Repair the generator and throw the switch to inject power to the machine-operated door. That's only one side; in order to power up the other side, Croc needs to yank off the door to the left. Glide across the water as Penguin and pull the lever here.
Notice the shiny manhole cover on your back to the door. Bomb it open with a penguin bomb and drop down as Croc. You will find a LEGO canister on the very right.
The next room is a fun one. Whatever colored pipe you jump into, you pop out of the same corresponding pipe elsewhere. Slip into the yellow pipe, assemble this half of the zipline and glide across to complete the other half. Take the green pipe and bore a hole into the wall to unveil the red pipe. Take the red pipe to the other side and rip the heavy door off the wall. Simple!
Free PlayUse the Joker on the purple generator and enter the room. Smash and build things for a LEGO canister. On the top most floor on the left side, a particularly heated area in the corner can be accessed as long as you have the Heat Protection Suit. Push the object into the upper right corner and activate the crank. Take the water jet to a LEGO canister.
All the objects, including the metal bars on the left, in the sewer water below contribute to building a giant crocodile craft. Once it comes to life, hitch a ride on its back and plow through the sewers, causing mayhem among the workers. Destroy five green boxes for a LEGO canister.
Free PlayAt the end of the enjoyable crocodile ride, hop off and head up the left staircase. Shatter the glass door and throw the lever. The once smooth slope surface staggers into a staircase, allowing you to take them up to the LEGO canister in the room above.
Rip off the grate covering the penguin bomb gap and dive into the sewer pipe as Croc. As he is not a strong swimmer, you may need to vigorously tap the jump button and wiggle the control stick around to get Croc to reach the ladder. Once he's out, yank off the other grate cover. Then, send a penguin bomb through to destroy the shiny objects above. The explosion yields a couple of parts for a fan; ride it up to the ladder. In the bathroom (police officers like to all be in there at the same time?), bust the left most toilet to reveal a LEGO canister. An unlikely place, indeed...
Free PlayThe seemingly invincible water cooler in the bathroom easily crumbles before the Sonic Suit. Build the leftover pieces into a projectile launcher. Head past the broken mirrors and lug the heavy box on the left to the right. Grapple up, glide across, and access the green panel. This activates the elevator; glide back across to obtain a red power brick.
The scuff marks on the floor indicate that something has been dragged along this floor before. Kick down the door to your right and drag the hefty safe out, following the marks on the floor. Hop atop it and climb over to the fenced-in area. Step on the valve to open the way to the next area.
Free PlayDeliver 25 LEGO pieces to the Attracto machine for a LEGO canister. Stand at the booth with a mind-controlling character to gain access to the lower level. Here, you need to take three vehicles and park them on their specific pads. Set the van in the left pad. As Mr. Freeze, freeze the water puddle, then ride the bike to the far right. The patrol car belongs in the middle pad. Keep in mind that the van and patrol car need to be built from the surrounding objects. For your efforts, you get a LEGO canister.
In the jail, lift away the right jail door and smash the objects inside to build a fan. Use it to reach the second floor. Activate the lever to free all the prisoners and bomb the shiny door.
Free PlayA series of magnetic strips along the left wall lead up to this LEGO canister.
Climb the ladder on the right and glide across to hit a switch. Build the dropped pieces into a good old fashioned bomb. To the right of Catwoman's cell is a LEGO canister that you must get before roll the volatile explosive down the stairs to break into Catwoman's holding cell.
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Myers makes first start in center field
Rookie looks comfortable on defense before exiting with asthma symptoms
PHOENIX -- Wil Myers played center field in the Major Leagues for the first time in the final two innings of the Rays' 6-1 loss to the D-Backs on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday night, Myers got his first start at the position and appeared comfortable doing so, recording three putouts before exiting in the seventh inning with asthma-related symptoms.
Rays manager Joe Maddon was asked why he thought Myers could play a decent center field.
"Because he told me he can," Maddon said. "He played a lot there last year and he's done that a lot in the past. He's very confident about it. I've used that word about him a lot. Just to try and get a little different offensive look today. To get Kelly [Johnson] involved today. ... He's done it. He's very comfortable with it and I have a lot of confidence in him."
A reporter pointed out that in a short amount of time Myers has gained Maddon's trust. If he tells Maddon he can do something, Maddon believes him.
Maddon smiled at the observation.
"He might end up pitching, who knows? He might come in in the seventh or eighth inning at some point," Maddon said. "He might want to manage one of these days. Give me a day off."


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Review: 'One Direction: This Is Us' feels anonymous
The musical group known as One Direction inspires feelings, intense feelings. Just in the last week alone, the band has been applauded and booed, honored, put down and defended. All of which seems about right for a group that has ridden to fame as a byproduct of the hard-edged, all-or-nothing interactions of the social-media age. The new documentary "One Direction: This Is Us" is not the raw confessional that title might imply but rather both a primer and new product presentation.
The Brit sensations pride themselves on being, as one member calls them, "a cool boy band" mocking choreographed dance moves and playing a rock-oriented pop over the more typical boy band pop-flavored R&B. They conform to certain personality archetypes, with Harry Styles the pin-up leader, Zayn Malik even referred to by the others as "the mysterious one" and then Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson frustratingly difficult to distinguish for the uninitiated. The boys, ages 19 to 21, project a playful, irreverent image, slightly dangerous but safe to bring home to the folks. To paraphrase the '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, they're good-bad, but they're not evil.
All of which makes documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock a theoretically inspired choice to make the combo-pack concert doc and band history of "This Is Us." Spurlock's documentaries such as "Super Size Me" have a subversive sensibility and showman's panache that should match up with the behind-the-scenes horseplay of the boys' adventures on tour, but ultimately, the film feels anonymous. Interchangeable somewhat with other recent concert docs surveying the likes of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, the film shows that perhaps the technical apparatus of shooting an arena-scaled concert in high-gloss 3-D simply leaves little room for personalization.
PHOTOS: Billion-dollar movie club
The group is both a purposeful, manufactured phenomenon and a somewhat spontaneous occurrence, because the five individual members were all booted from a televised British singing competition only to be assembled by Svengali producer Simon Cowell as a group in 2010. They then lost again, but not without starting a wave of fan adulation that put them on tour before they had released any music. And they have been on a worldwide whirlwind of touring, recording and new releases ever since.
The movie steers clear of dealing with the boys' lives as tabloid stars, with no mention, for example, of Styles' short, intensely documented romance with musician Taylor Swift. The film's most honest moments come from time spent with the boys' parents, as Malik buys his mother a house and Styles' mother and stepfather marvel at being flown around the world by their son. On the flipside, other parents speak to feeling that their young sons left one day for an audition and never came back, meaningful moments in their lives together lost in the interim. But the emotional reality of contemporary fame is simply not what "This Is Us" is about, and so such moments are relative B-sides to the film's breezy camaraderie and flashy concert numbers.
The group's latest hit single declares itself the "Best Song Ever," and that sort of odd predetermination seems to percolate throughout One Direction's story. The boys don't dance, they aren't particularly interested in their singing, and they seem only nominally invested in their music. So what do they do? Can youthful cuteness be a skill and vocation? "One Direction: This Is Us" leaves the larger questions it points toward teasingly unexplored, making the film little more than a harmless keepsake.
'One Direction: This Is Us'
MPAA rating: PG for mild language
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Playing: In general release
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|Oocyte Biology
The Oocyte Biology group is interested in ovarian biology and the regulation of mammalian oocyte development, the development of oocyte maturation techniques, and particularly cryopreservation of oocytes and ovarian tissue in experimental models. The research program of this group spans basic discovery research to applied research and clinical trials. A key objective of the discovery research program is to obtain the ability of having a bank for the cryopreservation of oocytes and ovarian tissue.
The group works primarily in animal models but is also actively engaged in pre-clinical trials of research to develop new treatments for female infertility.


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Fla. author's book confused with '50 Shades'
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) -- The author of a book called "Shades of Gray" says her work is being confused with that of a chart-topping erotic fiction writer.
Susanne Jacoby Hale, an author based in Florida, says she has received emails, Facebook messages and phone calls from people thinking she wrote "Fifty Shades of Grey." "Fifty Shades of Grey," by British author E L James, has sold millions of copies and become a sensation among women drawn to the sadomasochistic romance between a college student and a wealthy entrepreneur.
Hale's book is about a dropout prevention teacher. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports even Hale's family members are being approached.
Her husband, a medical sales representative, says doctors regularly approach him wanting to talk about the book.


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Energy Saver+
Product Benefits:
- Save up to 60 litres of fuel compared to its predecessor.
- Plus the excellence of Michelin tyres in safety and longevity.
Optimised Profile - Increased safety:
- 10% larger tyre footprint gives better contact with the road and excellent grip.
Eco N Grip - Increased fuel savings with excellent longevity
- The new patented Eco N™ Grip technology uses a tread compound with improved molecular cohesion to reduce heat build-up.
Under-Tread Layer - Increased fuel savings
- Michelin has added a special under-tread layer containing very low rolling resistance polymers to reduce fuel consumption.
Original Equipment
Fitted as original equipment on: Audi A3, Citroen C4 Picasso, Honda Jazz, Kia Rio, Skoda Octavia, VW Passat, Volvo V40


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Kiss My Ash: How King Coal's Lobbyists Are Undermining Coal Ash Regulation
DeSmogBlog and PolluterWatch present: Coal Fired Utilities to American Public: Kiss My Ash [pdf]. This report reveals that between October, 2009 and April, 2010 industry representatives held at least 33 meetings with White House Office of Management and Budget staff--at least 4 months before the first public hearing on the proposed ruling on coal ash was held on August 30th.
If coal ash, a waste product from burning coal to generate power, contains concentrated levels of known carcinogens, neurotoxins and radioactive elements, is it hazardous?
According to King Coal's lobbyists, the answer is 'No.'
On behalf of the rest of the American public, the Environmental Protection Agency has struggled to move towards officially classifying coal ash as "hazardous." This step would open regulatory doorways that could limit contamination of drinking water, related sicknesses, and dangerous toxic floods.
Corresponding with today's final public EPA hearing on coal ash in Knoxville, Tennessee, DeSmogBlog and PolluterWatch released a report [pdf] calling attention to the relentless attempts by coal lobbyists to prevent the labeling of this hazardous material as, er, 'hazardous'. This last hearing is expected to reflect the sentiment at previous public hearings—people don't want to live at risk of contamination from heavy metals like arsenic, mercury and lead. Especially the folks in Tennessee who continue to deal with the consequences of a failed coal ash impoundment.
Utilities in the United States generate almost 140 million tons of coal ash each year, so they're willing to throw around millions of dollars to prevent the regulation of such a prevalent waste product. Those with the most at stake include American Electric Power, Duke Energy, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, which together account for over 25% of the coal ash sites that have been classified as particularly dangerous.
As the coal titans became weary of the EPA's intent to finally treat coal ash like the powerful contaminant it is, they dispatched a legion of lobbyists to delay regulation. The effort succeeded, buying time to ramp up a public relations campaign touting the "beneficial" uses of coal ash and pushing the familiar dire economic implications of federal oversight.
Last year, as EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson submitted a draft proposal for coal ash rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget, coal lobbyists began booking potentially illegal meetings with the White House, en masse, so as to clog OMB's review of the EPA proposal. From October 2009 to April 2010, coal's influence peddlers held at least 33 meetings with White House OMB staff—three times more than meetings that included university scientists and environmentalists.
King Coal's lobbying arm earned two substantial victories from these meetings. First, Jackson's goal of reaching a decision by the end of 2009 was effectively delayed. The second victory was the addition of a new, weaker proposal to require liners in coal ash ponds as a way to reduce water contamination, while classifying the waste as 'non-hazardous.' With this option, coal companies may have successfully bought their way out of meaningful oversight unless the EPA finally wakes up and does the job it is supposed to do, namely protect people and the environment from toxic materials.
Who exactly are these polluter lobbyists?
PolluterWatch has profiled a few of the key coal representatives who have fought tooth and nail to prevent the regulation of coal ash:
- John Pemberton of Southern Company
- William Tyndall of Duke Energy
- Patrick Quinn of the Accord Group, on behalf of Southern Co, Duke, and WE Energies
- Anthony Kavanagh of American Electric Power
Also noteworthy is Lisa Jaeger of Bracewell & Giuliani. Though not present at the meetings posted on the White House website, she lobbies on behalf of the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners, Southern Co, Dynergy, and other clients who pay her to prevent various regulations.
Of these lobbyists, only Kavanagh has not been employed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
*For more information, be sure to read the full report [pdf] and our compilation of high hazard coal ash pond locations, with associated parent companies.*


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Phoenix Film Foundation
7000 E. Mayo Blvd., #1059
Phoenix, AZ 85054 480/513-3195
Questions? Contact us.
Press inquiries click here.
The Phoenix Film Festival is a program under the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Phoenix Film Foundation, and is a sibling of the Phoenix Film Society, International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, Peoria Film Fest, IFP/Phoenix, Arizona Student Film Festival and Phoenix Critics Circle. Our mission is to support and develop the artistic appreciation, educational opportunities and growth of independent film within Arizona. The Foundation's primary functions through its programs are to promote the exhibition of independent films and conduct educational programs that teach the art of filmmaking


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Sabbath Mode - Electric Ranges
What is Sabbath Mode?
The Sabbath Mode sets the oven to remain on in a bake setting until turned off.
- When the Sabbath Mode is set, only the Bake cycle will operate.
- All other cooking and cleaning cycles are disabled.
- No tones will sound, and the display(s) will not indicate temperature changes.
- When the oven door is opened or closed, or the light switch actuated, the oven light will not turn on or off and the heating elements will not turn on or off immediately.
- Control may display Sabbath/Sab/5A6/5Ab.
CLICK HERE for more information on Sabbath Mode
Refer to your Owner's Manual for specific instructions on Sabbath Mode.
If you would like to download or view product literature for your appliance, please visit our Manuals and Literature page.


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Awards season is on its way and we are definitely getting our fill of eye candy. And it's not over! Thinking about our favorite stars' signature styles, here's what hair and makeup looks we think they're most likely to take down the red carpet:
1. Jessica Alba: Retro Glam Hair
Jessica Alba – Retro Glam Hair
With a deep side part and beautiful Veronica Lake-style hair, Alba is always a classic beauty.
2. Jennifer Lopez: Nude Lip
Jennifer Lopez – Nude Lip
The sultry star oozes sex appeal no matter what she does, but more often than not, keeps it simple on the red carpet by keeping her lips soft and natural.
3. Eva Longoria: Smoky Eye
Eva Longoria – Smoky Eye
All eyes on her. The Renaissance woman brings all focus to her smoldering peepers, balancing it out with a nude or peach pout.
4. Sofia Vergara: Loose Waves
Sofia Vergara – Loose Waves
The Modern Family star knows it's all about flaunting her most beautiful assets: her long locks! Keeping it down and wavy is her no-fail beauty look—one that's usually paired with a raspberry lip.
5. Zoe Saldana: Red Lip
Zoe Saldana – Red Lip
There's nothing more striking than a red lip. Saldana makes a statement time and time again with a perfectly-painted pout.
6. Rosario Dawson: Sleek Strands
Rosario Dawson – Sleek Strands
Keeping it straight and sexy, Dawson always looked pretty and polished.
7. Salma Hayek: Elegant Top Knot
Salma Hayek – Elegant Top Knot
A top knot perched at the top of her head keeps Hayek's hair out of her face and all attention on the stars' beautiful features.


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(Pocket-lint) - You'd think two cars sharing what is fundamentally the same engine would feel very similar, right? Not in the case of the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG and its supercar brother, the SLS AMG: these are two different beasts as you can see from our hands-on with that monster. But what if your taste is for something a bit less, well, in your face?
Well if you ask that question to Mercedes, it would point you to the car you can see at the top of the page. Same twin-turbo V8 punch, slightly more velvet glove wrapper. If we were being unfair (and sexist), we'd say the SL is the footballer's wife to the SLS's very Premier League footballer.
But before you start to scoff at that idea, dismiss the SL at your peril, because it has the on-paper potential to be the less obvious, but much more clever choice. If we forget about the odd thousand pounds between friends and round up prices, the SL is effectively half the price of the SLS, but it never comes across as being only half the car.
For a start, the first time I pin the throttle on the slip road leading to the A3, there's the same "Oh my god, hold on to the steering wheel for dear life, because the world's going backwards" acceleration that you get in the SLS.
But we will be honest, the SLS does feel ever so slightly more rapid and scary. Partly that's a trick of the audio phonics, because the exhaust note on the SLS is angry, crackling and hissing from the off, whereas on the SL it's relatively docile unless you really hammer it. And partly this sense is because – as we're comparing it the SLS roadster, with the roof down, you're a good bit more ensconced in the SL than in its big brother. It's like this car's plush, vented, heated and twin-stitched leather seats are wrapping their way around you in a protective embrace.
Pop up the built-in retractable wind deflector that's hidden behind your head and you can have a phone conversation, roof down, at UK motorway speeds – it's that refined. And just in case you weren't feeling soothed enough, Mercedes offers you the innovation of "Airscarf" - a ventilation system that gently blows warm air out of the top of the seat around your neck to provide an insulating buffer of warmth from chill winds.
Still not relaxed enough? Then how about switching on either the heating, venting or massaging functions of the two front seats. Or activating the brilliant Distronic Plus with pre-safe break – also available on much "lowlier" Mercs - it's the company's name for radar guided cruise control.
Pop up the folding hardtop roof and you're essentially in a coupe. But while it's tempting to rag around everywhere with the roof down, given the various devices that have been designed to insulate you from outside, doing so means you miss what's actually our favourite trick on this car: the variable transparency roof – or Panoramic vario-roof with Magic Sky Control in Merc marketing speak. The main roof panel that sits above your head is adjustable between almost totally opaque and clear-glass transparent. A button on the header rail puts a piezo-electric charge through it and allows you to completely alter the ambience in the cabin – a neat feature and nice party trick to show off to your passenger.
The IWC timepiece buried in the top of the dash is worthy of a mention too. Bentley's long done similar in a brand tie up with Brietling, so the IWC inserting is pertinent – indicative of the lofty status and positioning Mercedes intends for this car.
Naturally, the SL63 comes with an almost infinitely variable drive setup system, but Merc handily groups these into C (for comfort), S (for sport) S+ (you get the idea). Which means that you've the choice of wafting around in almost put-yourself-to-sleep levels of ride comfort and gearbox slushiness, or scare-your-self witness gun-crack like bangs from the exhaust as the gearbox smashes home the next gear under full bore acceleration.
But our favourite trick of the SL63's was that, left in standard mode, it uses stop start to kill this might mighty motor at the traffic lights. It might help you use slightly less than the gallon of fuel about every 11 miles that we managed on what was an admittedly rather adrenalin-fuelled rush around Surrey, too.
Gripes? Well, like the SLS, while we prefer Mercedes's Comand system to almost every other touchscreen system, and we love the clarity of the digital screen in the centre of the speedo, the main interface and centre screen aren't the last word in either user-interface menu simplicity, or graphical quality - why the yellow contrast colour background, Benz?
And while some might argue that looks are in the eye of the beholder, we'd argue that good design is good design – and if we're being honest the SL seems to have lost its way somewhat. It's turned into a rather lumpen and slightly unharmonious set of exterior forms, which is a shame, because if you look down the back catalogue of this model line, the SL - think Bobby Ewing and Dallas in the Eighties to name just one previous version - might have been in with a shout of "prettiest model line of any car in history" award. The new one rather kills any notion of that. Still, at least we can tell it apart from the previous model, which is more than can be said for the new Audi A3.
So, to our original point, is the SL just Surrey champagne parties, or proper Premier League with the odd midweek trip to Europe for the Champions League thrown in? It'll be pigeonholed as the former, leaving reasonable space for its bigger and much more expensive brother the SLS to do the shouty, exuberant personality thing of the latter. Which is a shame because, with the exception of the way it looks, this is an extraordinarily impressive car – one that can play happily in the supercar sandpit one minute and then waft you easily to the Cote d'Azur the next.
For refinement, features, interior ambience and tech it absolutely trounces a Jag XKR-S, which is probably its closest opposition, leaving only BMW's M6 Convertible as its true challenger. We're yet to drive the men from Munich's new performance range-topper, but it'll have to be an impressive car to beat the SL63. It's a true iron fist, velvet glove of a car.


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A group of unknown Taiwan-based notebook manufacturers, hereinafter referred to as "those bastards," are urging Intel to delay the release of its upcoming Calpella notebook platform in order to allow them to use up stock of existing laptop parts, Digitimes reports.
Intel's already-delayed Calpella platform promises support for the upcoming laptop Nehalem variants, Clarksfield and Auburndale, and an interesting new design. Nehalem's onboard memory controller will allow Intel to fold the Northbridge and Southbridge into one chip, dubbed Ibex Peak-M, which, although it sounds like it's related to Ubuntu, may yet be pretty sweet. Also included are Centrino 2-branded WiFi and WiMax chips. The package, presumably still branded "Centrino 2," was expected to launch this summer.
If those bastards have their way, however, Calpella may be delayed. Citing lagging laptop sales due to a flagging economy and cannibalization by netbooks, those bastards say stocks of Intel's Montevina notebook parts are at a high level. Exacerbating the problem are Intel's relatively high prices on Montevina parts, part of their own effort to combat the netbook trend's corrosive effect on margins industry-wide. Those bastards, Digitimes report, would like a few extra months to ship their remaining Montevina inventory, and have urged Intel to push the Calpella, Clarksfield, and Auburndale launches back to October, in the fourth quarter of 2009.
It's not clear why they're doing this. Aside from the general oddity of laptop vendors pushing for slower development of laptops, it seems utterly implausible that those bastards would have more than eight months' worth of chips in stock and on uncancellable orders. More likely, it would seem, those bastards simply want more months to coast on existing parts without unveiling new designs.
Intel may be surprisingly responsive to such pressure. Faced with a dire need to keep ASPs up in a crushing semiconductor crisis, and generally unpressured by competition from AMD in the notebook and netbook spaces, Intel may delay the launch, or simply keep Calpella pipelines dry until October in an intentional paper launch. As recent history has shown, large companies will bow to accommodate each other, as when MS caved to Intel by changing Vista standards to allow 915 chipset inventory to clear out. If this kind of intentional delay pans out, and proves to be typical of product spaces where Intel faces no competition, AMD's relatively uncompetitive position could be bad tidings indeed. Those bastards won't be the only ones listening keenly for news of a Calpella delay.


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The holiday season is also the booze season, and so we had the lot of you help us come up with some great gift ideas for people who like alcohol. Here's what we ended up with.
Advent calendars are one of the best things about Christmas. The only thing that could possibly make them any better is the inclusion of high-quality whisky. Whisky Advent Calendar: $239.15 [Master of Malt]
The perfect gift for your fancy friends who like to drink wine that doesn't come in a box or a glass jug. Combination Wine Decanter And Aerator: $36.24 [Amazon]
These glasses are a great gift for that friend of yours who is an ostensible adult, but still spills shit all over the place on a regular basis. Everyone knows one of those guys. No Spill Whisky Glasses (set of 6): $19.95 [Amazon]
Via Lionel Hutz
Enough of the fancy stuff. This is for your bro who likes to crush brews and sing fight songs every Saturday. College Football Beverage Dispenser: $119.00 [Big Fans]
This is a great gift for your obnoxiously trendy friend for whom a regular bottle opener isn't convenient enough. GrOpener: $16.00 [Indiegogo]


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By now most people are aware of our decision to stop analyzing and researching the Jessica Chambers murder. If not, well now you are. That said, and because of the exhaustive previous research by all of you genuinely good truth-seekers, an explanation is warranted and deserved.
My apologies in advance for any length of explanation – And prior to explaining, allow me to assert a belief that investigators probably know who did it.
The problem is proving it.
From day #1, when we became aware of this incident on December 7th,2014, we immediately noticed that not only did this story hold a series of various agenda items which might lead to a buried lede story (FTP and BLM protests); but also the entire construct of the media reports themselves were indicating a very troubling beginning to what should normally be a serious murder investigation.
When you understand why, you understand the current dilemma.
On December 6th the crime scene itself, and all of the evidence therein, was horridly handled. Many speculated in the days and weeks that followed the Panola County Sheriff's department might have done that intentionally. We can't speak to why, indeed we don't ever think anyone will admit why, but we can explain the outcome thereof.
Within an hour of the first responders arriving on the scene (8:13pm), a decision was made by someone (no-one will admit who – and no media has asked who) to remove the critical evidence, the vehicle Jessica was driving.
That vehicle was towed from the crime scene and showed up at M&M First Stop gas station at approximately 9:30pm.
At 9:30pm, according to his own admissions, Ali Alsanai (aka: Ali Fadhel, Basem Alsanai) had unrestricted access to the burned vehicle and took pictures of it. Ali uploaded pictures to his Facebook page showing his followers (see above and below).
The vehicle was towed without police escort, left unattended, and transported without a chain of custody for it to be considered evidence.
After the tow truck driver stopped at the gas station, purchased cigarettes or a soda and allowed Ali access, he dropped it off in the Panola Sheriff outdoor impound lot.
Any evidentiary value held by the vehicle was lost as soon as it became compromised by a lack of security.
In essence, any value within it would be dismissed prior to a courtroom because of the sloppy handling. Any decent defense attorney could get it thrown out because there was no specific and protected chain of custody.
Anyone could have engaged the emergency brake, anyone could have opened the doors, anyone could have put the transmission in park etc.
Similarly the same can be said of the actual crime scene itself which was also left unprotected within hours of the event.
There were no access restrictions put on the crime scene, no-one securing it from compromise, and no effort made to protect it from the external elements of man, weather or nature. No tarp was placed as ground cover, no physical security was in place, nothing. It was left completely unguarded.
Again, like the vehicle, this essentially removes any crime scene value from follow-up investigative inquiry. It didn't matter if investigators returned sometime after sunrise for pictures or further review, because no-one secured the scene. It was stomped all over by first responders, media, and anyone who might be a curious onlooker.
Three days after the incident the media were even reporting about visibly seeing investigators returning to the scene to "pick stuff up" and "place in paper bags".
Sometime around Tuesday 12/9/14 the scene was secured with perimeter tape, but that was about the extent of the effort. Just like the vehicle disposition, by 12/9 any courtroom value was again lost. Heck, we even captured pictures of vehicle parts left laying in the mud a week later.
So you have to approach this case from District Attorney John Champion's position of prosecutorial value. When you take that approach you begin to realize how and why John Champion is the lead investigator.
You also realize why Champion drove to Panola on Sunday 12/7/14 for the first media brief.
DA John Champion is not stupid. He might be annoying to listen to in repetition, and he might be covering for the botched prior decision making, but he's not completely incompetent as a DA.
Champion had to know by the time he was involved, if the goal was a prosecution of a felonious murder, he was already in a weak position regarding the evidence.
If you remove physical evidence from the vehicle and you remove physical evidence from the crime scene from prosecutorial value, what is he left with?
Hopeful of forensics (via DNA or similar) from the victim? Hopeful that cell phone "ping logs" might provide circumstantial evidence? Or, hopeful that someone would either a.) admit to it, or, b.) admit to specific first-hand knowledge of who did it.
Not much else.
Social media might provide some clues of where to focus attention, but social media is useless in court for Capital Crime rules of evidence. Even if anyone admitted on social media to murdering Jessica they would also have to admit it in person. The social media value -in a capital crime- is nothing without a person admitting, in person, they did what is claimed to have been done.
There's almost no way to prove a person wrote something just because it was written in their name. Anyone can claim a hacked or non-secure social media account and non-authorship. So social media might be useful as a mapping tool, but not much else.
Again, thinking in terms of prosecutorial value, if you remove 90% of the physical evidence due to probable inadmissibility, and forensic evidence is scarce to non-existent, where does that leave the investigation?
Yep, essentially walking around asking people to admit they did it, or know who did. The proverbial "word on the street", which is, not coincidentally, exactly what John Champion keeps talking about in every interview.
How does Champion or Darby put themselves in a better position to get an admission by a witness? Yep, a reward – currently at $43,000.
Repeating, they (Champion/Darby) probably have a good idea who did it – but proving that is another process entirely, and they are not going to initiate an arrest without a foundation to be able to prove it.
And in the Darby/Champion collective quest to stretch out the process, and simultaneously cover their butt, they've even lied about their process of collecting evidence with regard to the CCTV recordings at Ali's Gas Station.
There's plenty of "botch blame" to go around.
As if a proverbial cherry on the botched cake, there is also a severely dysfunctional family dynamic. Both Lisa Chambers/Daugherty (mom), and Ben Chambers (dad), have stated their unequivocal trust in the local investigators, that would be Sheriff Dennis Darby and self-appointed lead investigator, DA John Champion.
Obviously such trust would appear misplaced. However, when you accept at face value what has already been outlined in the town of Courtland – it becomes, well, apropos.
Strongly Recommend – PLEASE WATCH VIDEO AGAIN and pay attention at 06:35 as Darby speaks – this interview was recorded 12/11/14.
In addition, both Lisa Daugherty and Ben Chambers continue to try and position themselves in the best possible light; the key word is "themselves".
The past three media interviews with Lisa Daugherty have focused intensely on this effort, and apparently she plans to continue tonight.
We will continue to follow the case, and we'll post any new information or insight found as a result of the media waking up and potentially asking real questions, but in the interim the daily discussion threads will discontinue.


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A caucus is a gathering of like-minded individuals either to discuss and advance certain goals (if they meet regularly) or to elect a political candidate as part of the primary system (if used in the context of a broader election).
In the electoral system of the United States, each political party selects a nominee for office through a primary, and a caucus is a type of primary for selecting a nominee. A caucus consists of members of the party traveling to a central location to hear speeches, consider the issues, and then cast their votes to select the nominee of their party. Because of the significant effort required, a caucus usually results in a more knowledgeable, devoted and smaller number of voters than in broader primary systems that simply consist of voters stopping by a local polling booth.
The term "caucus" was one of John Adams' favorite terms. It is derived is from the Algonquian Indian language, having a general meaning of "to meet together." In Congress it means an informal organization of Members of the House or the Senate, or both, that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.[1]


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Joe Jonas Named Pepsi Ambassador for 'Pulse' Dashboard, #LiveForNow Campaign
PepsiCo has tapped Joe Jonas as a brand ambassador for its new celebrity-infused "Live for Now" global ad campaign.
The Jonas Brother will lend his star power by participating in Pepsi Pulse, the campaign's social media dashboard that curates trending pop culture news.
Jonas on Wednesday described his involvement and revealed his favorite apps, music services and other digital tidbits.
"It seemed like the perfect fit," Jonas said during an interview with Mashable in his New York City hotel suite Wednesday. "I like to be spontaneous and want to encourage fans to live for now.
"Being creative is going to be fun."
On Twitter, Jonas will tweet messages and photos to show how he's "living in the now," and spur on fans via #LiveForNow hashtag challenges to contribute content for the real-time Pulse platform.
Eventually, Jonas's music chops will be put to use, but there are no details on that yet.
Hey guys! I'm living the moment surrounded by close friends. How do you seize urs? #LIVEFORNOW twitter.com/joejonas/statu…
— joe jonas (@joejonas) May 10, 2012
Loving all the tweets, pls check Pepsi Pulse to see if urs was retweeted!!! #LIVEFORNOW
— joe jonas (@joejonas) May 10, 2012
Jonas is the third high-profile musician to join Pepsi's Live for Now initiatives. Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj helped launch the campaign, appearing in a commercial that also used her song "Moment 4 Life." A partnership with Katy Perry and her upcoming flick Part of Me 3D will include Live for Now branding and live events.
When prodded to name the gadgets, apps and music services he likes, Jonas was quick to tout his iPad and the Twitter app. But he also rattled off these favorites:
Shazam: This app recognizes music, TV and advertisements in seconds. To Jonas, it's "mind-blowing."
Fandango: Jonas enjoys being able to use a barcode as his movie ticket.
Uber: "It's pretty awesome," he says, adding that it's good for when traffic is high and the weather is bad.
GrubHub This app makes it easy for Jonas to order food from a mobile device and then have it delivered.
Spotify: Jonas likes listening to other people's playlists on Spotify.
Pandora: Jonas recently visited Pandora HQ and learned about the "DNA of music."
Fake text message app: Possibly Fake-A-Message or Fake Sms Celebrity, which lets Jonas send texts disguised as other celebrities.
Jonas also says ebooks are "cool." He wants to read The Hunger Games next but may consume the trilogy in printed form instead.
Behind Jonas in his suite stood a printed poster of Pepsi Pulse. On the web, the platform (see below) presents the trending news items in a top 10 ranking based on real-time data from social media-optimization company SocialFlow.
Shiv Singh, global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages, recently told Mashable the hub basically "is a cheat sheet for pop culture." It's purpose is to invite and inspire consumers to live in the moment by knowing what's hot across the web so they can be the first among their friends to share the information on social networks.
Photo above courtesy of Don Bowers/Getty


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April 2011
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April 2011


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As Head of Intervention and Analysis, I manage a number of that provide expert advice on archaeology to English Heritage, commissioning and carrying out research in support of the organisation's aims and objectives as set out in the National Heritage Protection Plan. This year's Day of Archaeology saw me heading to London to take part in a meeting of the Scientific Dating team.
I'll skip the train commute into London – I did that in my 2011 piece, and it wasn't that interesting then.
We gathered at 10am in the Wroxeter Room in EH's headquarters building at Waterhouse Square in Holborn.
The purpose of the meeting was to review progress across the full range of the team's activities and projects, to look at issues arising from the team's work, and to try to resolve the pressures that arise in a small team with a heavy workload. Much of the meeting focused on the two main commissioning budgets, for radiocarbon dating and tree-ring dating, covering progress on commissioned work and progress on completing reports. While much of the work goes on to appear in monographs and journal articles, most of the work is also disseminated through the English Heritage Research Reports series – the database of reports can be searched at http://research.english-heritage.org.uk/ (try searching using the keywords radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology).
Commissioned research can include work on English Heritage historic properties, designation casework, archaeological and characterisation projects. The team also becomes involved in specialist research arising from this work, including Bayesian analysis and wiggle-matching, and new guidelines are currently being drafted for radiocarbon dating. This work can involve working closely with European colleagues, for example in developing chronologies that will help us to date softwood timbers, much of this timber having been imported to England from Baltic states. The largest current European collaboration is The Times of Their Lives, a project jointly run by Cardiff University and English Heritage that won €2.5m of European Research Council funding to develop a new dating framework for the Neolithic period: http://totl.eu/project-introduction/. This builds on earlier ground-breaking work on the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland (Whittle, Healy and Bayliss, 2011 Gathering Time: Dating the Early Neolithic Enclosures of Southern Britain and Ireland). This is an important and ambitious programme of research, and involves frequent travel to coordinate research across Europe, from Serbia to Scotland. It is also, of course, a demanding programme of work and travel, and quite a lot of discussion at our meeting was devoted to trying to resolve some of the programming difficulties arising from juggling this and other commitments. Too much (unpaid) overtime is being incurred, and we will have to defer some work to try to bring working hours back to within reasonable limits.
My role, apart from listening to and taking part in the discussions, was also to update the team on developments elsewhere in Intervention and Analysis team and in our Department, Heritage Protection. The biggest development is, of course, the recent decision to split the organisation into two parts – a new charity, retaining the English Heritage name, to manage the historic properties, and a new service under the working name of National Heritage Protection Service, which will advise government on historic environment issues including heritage protection and designation. This change will have to be implemented by April 2015, by which time we will also have to absorb a further 10% cut to our grant-in-aid from government. There's not much I can say about this beyond recent press statements and briefings from our Chief Executive, but coming on top of the major reorganisation following on from the last Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010, a further period of uncertainty is inevitable. I also had to update the team on our Division's response to last year's staff survey and on developments with the Reports Series. There was also some discussion over our IT, but I'll draw a veil over that….
We also took the opportunity to celebrate success. Since the last team meeting, another in volume in the series of Radiocarbon Datelists has been published covering the years 1988-93. This can be bought or downloaded as a PDF from http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/radiocarbon-dates-1988-93/.
The next notable event will be the publication later this year of another major book, on the dating of Anglo-Saxon graves: Bayliss, A, Hines, J, Høilund Nielsen, K, McCormac, F G, and Scull, C, (forthcoming) Anglo-Saxon Graves and Grave Goods of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries AD: A Chronological Framework.
The meeting wound up by 3pm – my thanks to the team for wide-ranging and stimulating discussions, interrupted only occasionally by the need to explain complicated stuff to me. Thanks also for the tea and cakes.
After this I popped upstairs to see Richard Lea of the Properties Research team; we've been working together with another colleague, Nicola Stacey, on coordinating a programme of research on one of our historic properties, Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire. This work has included a substantial programme of tree-ring dating coordinated by Cathy Tyers, and has resulted in new dates for a number of surviving roof and floor structures within this partially-roofed monument.
We've recently received a revised report on the analysis of parts of the building by Wessex Archaeology, and we'll be reading that with keen interest next week.
I also dropped in to see my manager John Cattell, and also caught up with another senior manager, Barney Sloane, before catching the bus to Waterloo and heading home. There to sit in the garden with my other half, the cat and a large gin and tonic to contemplate writing this blog.
Frankly the cat appears at the special request of Lorna Richardson.


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Level 1 Certificate in Chocolate Tasting
About the course
Level 1 takes you through the basics of what is fine chocolate and the sensory elements used in chocolate tasting.
The Foundation course is designed to run over a single day workshop, as three evening class sessions or as three online webinar sessions plus self-study. Level 1 course provides a good grounding in chocolate tasting and includes tasting of 9 or more different origin or blended fine dark chocolate bars, tasted in different forms for an understanding of aroma, length, texture and taste.
The course finishes with a 30 question multiple choice exam based on the course content. Certificates will be issued upon achieving a pass mark.
What's included
- What is fine chocolate
- Train the chocolate senses
- Taste and profile fine chocolate
- The main origins and varieties of cacao
- How cacao is produced
- How chocolate is made
- Recognize flaws in chocolate
- Direct sourcing, sustainability and ethics
- Take away study guide
- Certificate for exam passes
- All the chocolate and sensory samples you will need
Who should take this course?
This course would be perfect for you if:
- You love chocolate, and want to know more about the craft
- You work in the catering/pastry/fine chocolate industries and want to improve your clients' experience
- You are considering launching a fine chocolate business
- You want to buy a fascinating and unique gift for someone
- You want to see just how good your palate is for chocolate