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By Dheza Marie Aguilar

It was an early Sunday evening when we decided to check out Finio,a modern Filipino restaurant that prides itself delicious localmeals with a twist. Located at the busy street of Tomas MoratoAvenue in Quezon City, it is easy to miss the resto amidst the lineof bigger establishments in area. But the orange neon sign drawsone’s eyes to its modest 138-sqm interior.

“At Finio we serve food in palayok pots and banana leaves.The name Finio is actually short for Epifanio [my lolo]. He was agreat cook and hails from Lucban, Quezon”, said Jerald OngChoa, owner and interior designer of Finio. “We really wantedFilipino cuisine since that is our favorite.”

The restaurant was empty when we walked in but the vibrant interiorprojected by the interplay of light hues, tropical accents,minimalist wall decor highlighted by diffused lighting make it warmand inviting. We were accommodated by its very friendly staff,which didn’t tire to explain the menu that was served to us.

The flavor is rich and pure without a trace of fishiness and thetexture is downright meaty -- none of that mealiness you sometimesget with commercial stuff. And because you're controlling theprocess, you can flavor the oil any way you want, lending subtlehints you won't find in regular canned tuna.

You can use this conserved tuna in any way you'd use the bestcanned stuff: make a salad with potatoes and green beans as they doin southern France, or with white beans as they do in Spain. Mix itinto a spicy fresh tomato sauce for pasta. Fold it into a caper-ymayonnaise. Stuff it into roasted red peppers. Or just topbruschetta with little chunks of it, being sure to spoon over someof that good olive oil.

ime. You can cook it in water or you can cook it in oil. You can flavor the oil or you can leave it plain. All work, though eachresults in a slightly different dish.

Cooked in water, tuna tastes purely of fish and the texture isfirmer and meatier. Cooked in oil, the flavor is complex, and thetexture is softer and richer. Cooked for a long time in oil, thetuna absorbs the garlic and spice flavors, but dries out a bit.Cooked briefly, the flavor is not not developed, but the texture isnicer.

In the end, I settled on adapting a little bit from severaldifferent recipes - cooking the tuna briefly in olive oil flavoredwith garlic, red pepper, bay leaf and lemon peel.

I learned a couple of things. First, the quality of the tuna makesa difference but not as much as you might think. This is importantbecause fresh tuna can cost the Earth these days.

Cut the fish into the biggest chunks you can while maintaining acube shape (this will ensure that it cooks evenly). If the tuna isabout one inch thick, that is how wide you should cut the chunks.Generally, the bigger the chunks, the better, up to about twoinches.

Use as small a pan as will hold the tuna and to crowd the chunks offish together as tightly as possible. Use only enough oil to cover;the flavor seems to be richer this way. I used a one-quart saucepanto cook a pound of tuna, and it took only a cup of oil.

Just when you think there’s nothing in the house to eat, youremember. Security is a can of tuna in the pantry and a can openerin the kitchen drawer.

Tuna is high in protein and low in calories. Only the egg cancompete with it on equal terms. But, pound for pound while eggs winon cost, they lose on cholesterol levels. Let’s call it adraw.

But, hey, didn’t we just read a recent news controversy abouthigh mercury levels in some fish, especially blue-fin tuna?That’s the kind that often is used for sushi. Unless you arepregnant or have dietary restrictions, the occasional serving ofcanned tuna isn’t a problem.

Canned tuna comes in a variety of textures: solid pack, usually asingle piece of meat; chunk, made up of large pieces of meat;flake, smaller and less desirable pieces of meat; and grated, mushyand useful only where the end use is an unrecognizable mixture suchas a paté or sauce.

Canned tuna also comes in different packing media: olive oil,vegetable oil, brine and water. Technically, they areinterchangeable in recipes, but olive oil will give the bestflavor. And with apologies to Charlie the Tuna, all of our testedrecipes were made with tuna packed in Italian olive oil. Life isshort. Eat the best.

We say 6-ounce cans here, but if you have a 6.5- or 7-ounce can, itshould work.

Mayonnaise seems to figure into many tuna recipes. Hellman’sis preferred. For a tuna salad sandwich, though, nothing beatsMiracle Whip. But if you have a food processor or a blender,it’s easy to make your own mayo.

There was a time when my fashion advice was heeded. Now, the shirtsI recommend stay in the drawer. The outings I originate are metwith "do I have to go?"

Keeping that in mind, I put control of this week's outing in mykids' hands (kind of).

My goal was to have my kids get excited about buying and eatinglocal produce. Their goal — once they'd "thought" of it— was to prepare a dish that used at least three locallygrown vegetables.It wasn't a market day where farmers bring their goods to town, sowe headed out to the farms. It wasn't long before our inspirationcame in the form of a sign: "U-pick garden." We followed the trailof signs to a parking lot with a tractor and a couple of sheds.

Not seeing anyone, I called the number on the sign and found outhow to help ourselves. A map on the shed directed us to rows androws of vegetables. It was the perfect spot for a family with nogarden at home.With everything from cauliflower to corn, the garden seemed to belacking nothing. It even had authentic garden mud thanks to Augustrain. We promised ourselves another trip to the fields when we hadbetter footgear.

Encino, Calif.

When Harvard law student Jesse Gabriel organized a “Dinnerfor Darfur” fundraiser in April, he was amazed that 17student groups got together and raised $16,000 in one night.

When nurse Harriet Lavin showed footage of Darfur at asong-and-prayer evening in Kenosha, Wis., she was struck by the“instant generosity” of 70 rural residents who openedtheir pocketbooks to the tune of $2,500 for a cause theyhadn’t known anything about.

And when Los Angeles 11th-grader Shelby Layne raised $15,000 fromthree jewelry sales to help Darfur refugees, it “wassuccessful beyond my wildest dreams,” she says.

The three activists are among thousands nationwide who have raisedmoney for a project that addresses the rape, mutilation, and murderof Darfuri women  now among at least 2 million Sudanesedisplaced by the conflict. The aim: Supply families with solarcookers and teach women in refugee camps new cooking skills so theydon’t have to burn wood.This reduces the need for women to hunt for firewood outside thecamps, where the risk of attack and rape is greater.A recent report by the humanitarian group Refugees Internationalidentified rape as a weapon of systematic ethnic cleansing beingused by Sudanese government-backed janjaweed)

Lafayette, LA The newest generation of college students willsoon be packing their bags and heading off to school.  For many ofthese millions of teenagers it will be the first time in theirlives that they will be missing one vital element: mom's healthyhome cooking!

Teens depend so strongly on their families to educate them as towhat constitutes a healthy meal that when Mom and Dad are absent;they slip into a fast food, instant gratification lifestyle.College can be a pressure cooker of stress and new students wholack proper nutrition risk having a disadvantage at a time in theirlife vital to their success.  How can we ensure that our futuregeneration will turn down the burritos, pizza and wings in favor ofhealthy alternatives that they have created by themselves, forthemselves?

Neal Bertrand, author of the cookbook "Rice Cooker Meals: Fast HomeCooking For Busy People" reveals that a surprising new trend infood preparation is the use of the common rice cooker, a devicethat many have overlooked in these "fast food times".  Rice cookerscan easily produce home-style meals that lock in all of the healthyelements that a busy student requires to make the Dean's List. More and more students are turning on to the fact that they canbecome a "Top Chef" without challenging their short attentionspans.

Here Neal shares the top 5 reasons why rice cookers produce quick,affordable meals and also support healthy, nourished minds:

Apressure cooker lacks the high-tech appeal of a food processorthat can whirl avocados into soup, and it doesn't have the easyfamiliarity of a slow cooker that roasts chicken. But what theseold-school devices lack in image, they make up for in practicalityand economy.

Pressure cookers are an attractive option for busy cooks, turningout meals in 30 minutes without heating up the kitchen. And theyare thrifty, transforming inexpensive cuts of meat and pantrystaples such as dried beans into succulent dishes while preservingmoisture and flavor.

"They might not be sexy, but they get the job done," said MartieSullivan, owner of Sweet Basil Gourmetware & Cooking School inScottsdale.

Thanks to safety improvements, these World War II-era appliances nolonger rattle like a freight train, spit water like a fountain andlaunch meatballs like missiles.

Today's pressure-cooker meals are more sophisticated than yourgrandmother's meat, potatoes and stewed tomatoes, with options suchas leek and asparagus risotto, chicken cacciatore, short ribs andcheesecake.

Sweet Basil cooking instructor and slow-cooker aficionado AmyBarnes had no interest in a pressure cooker until she recentlyexperimented with one to develop family-friendly recipes.

"I'm a big fan of cooking things on low temperatures for longstretches, so I was a bit intimidated at first. I had heard thehorror stories about (pressure cookers) exploding, but after I readall the instructions and started using the cooker, the fearsdisappeared and I became hooked," said Barnes,

Dr. Thomas Farin, President of Pegasus Associates Lighting, said,"This recent re-design of our mini pendant light section matchesour corporate goal perfectly by providing our customers with bothan easy-to-use, intuitive web site and competitive pricing on thesebeautiful mini pendants." Mini pendant lights are able to providegeneral lighting, task lighting and decorative lighting over akitchen island, a small kitchen table, bar areas, restauranttables, small end tables, and bedroom night stands. When used ingroupings, they can be used very effectively in great rooms, foyersand dining rooms, offering a modern and often less expensivealternative to chandeliers.

By Paul Majendie

BEIJING (Reuters) - Astrology expert Raymond Lo has a word ofwarning for China's Olympic leaders -- they should wear an oxpendant to ward off bad karma at the Olympics.

The Beijing Games open at eight minutes past eight o'clock in theevening on the 8th day of the 8th month in 2008, a time thattraditionally offers the perfect combination of good luck andprosperity.

The Olympics are being staged in the Year of the Rat but, accordingto Chinese animal astrology, that could spell trouble for anyoneborn in the Year of the Horse.

Lo, a noted exponent in Hong Kong of the ancient art of feng shui,said "The clash between the Rat and the Horse is a serious clashbetween water and fire.

"For people born in the Year of the Horse, it is recommended thatthey wear a pendant of an ox which will help to attract away theRat so as to minimise the influence of the clash."

He pinpointed the birthdays of China's leaders -- President HuJintao and Premier Wen Jiabao were both born in 1942, the Year ofthe Horse in the 12-year cycle of Chinese animal astrology.

In a telephone interview from Hong Kong, Lo explained: "Thetraditional belief is that you need an animal to attract away therat."AUSPICIOUS DAY  Continued...

Following team GB's super-success at this year's Beijing Olympics,the only hue to be seen in for the rest of summer is gold.Take inspiration from Elie Saab's mesmerising spring/summer 2007 show in which no dress wascomplete without a splash of the molten shade (we're talkingfull-on glamour - glitter, shimmer, sparkle).Alternatively, be a winner in a statement pendant - choose yoursnow from our jewellery gallery

The 3.5mm headset jack is on the right spine, while the chargerjack is on the bottom. On the top is an opening for an optionallanyard. Also on the top is a tiny microphone.

Getting the headset set up is pretty simple. Just power it on viathe multifunction Call button, and turn on the Bluetooth pairingmode on your cell phone. We managed to pair the Jabra BT3030 withthe LG Chocolate 3 without a problem. From there, we couldplay/pause tracks, skip songs, and adjust the volume, all from theJabra BT3030.

The Jabra BT3030 comes with nice pair of ear buds that sitcomfortably in the ear, but since it has a 3.5mm headset jack, youcan use any headphones of your choosing.

Aside from using the Jabra BT3030 for music, you can also use theit to make calls via the last number redial or voice command. Whenthere's an incoming call during music playback, the music willpause and you will hear a ringing tone. You can then hit the Callbutton to answer the call. After you hang up, the music will resumefrom the paused point.

Other features include call-waiting support, the ability to rejectcalls, plus the ability to transfer calls from the headset to thephone, and vice versa.

Sound quality was quite good, and comparable to most MP3 players onthe market. The bass was a little weak, but the overall quality wasdecent.

Call quality was mixed. While we heard our callers just fine, wedid have to bring the pendant close to our mouths for callers tohear us. They reported a little bit of static and echo from us aswell. This seemed to vary from caller to caller, however, so weurge you to give it a trial run before you settle for it.

The Jabra BT3030 also comes with an optional clothing clipaccessory, plus an AC adapter. It has a rated battery life of 8hours talk time, 7 hours music streaming, and 9.58 days standbytime.

August 23, 2008 (Germany)

munichfabricstart  pre collections from 3  5 September 2008will be kicking off the 2009/2010 A/W fashion season with a fullprogramme. At the M,O,C, and Zenithhalle some 750 internationalexhibitors will be providing an initial, comprehensive overview ofthe current trends for fabrics and findings.

Trend Theme SDelicatessen: Top Class Fabrics: Even Richerand Even More Ingenious

NEW: Trend Cooperation for Youngsters with the London TrendAgency mudpie

NEW: VDMD Speed Dating  Designers presented in QuickSuccession

New Website and Changed Corporate Identity

As its partners for the event munichfabricstart

Robert Rauschenberg, Volon (Cardboard), 1971. Cardboard 141 x 373 x27,3 cm

Collection of the artist. ?Robert Rauschenberg / VG Bild-Kunst,Bonn 2008

Photograph by Ellen Labenski.

MUNICH.- The exhibition unites a selection of works from the series’Cardboards,’ ’Venetians,’

’EarlyEgyptians,’ ’Hoarfrosts’ and ’Jammers.’Rauschenberg’s preoccupation with other cultures, as well asexperiences from the various journeys he took are reflected inthese pieces, which were created between 1970 and 1976. For thefirst time, these work groups in Rauschenberg’s ouvre, whichhave been largely ignored up to now, are receiving theacknowledgement they deserve.

Rauschenberg’s travels in the 1970s took him to Italy, France,Jerusalem and India. The series presented here, which were createdon, or immediately after these trips, exhibit exceptionalsimplicity, liveliness and brilliance, utilizing new materials andtechniques. During this period Rauschenberg created works made ofcardboard, fabric and found objects. In all five series headdresses the classic problems of painting, such as composition,color and texture, as well as those of sculpture, such as weight,balance and the placement of the object in space, with his typicalinventiveness.

Ginghamsburg is a small village with a unique name that is locatedin the southern portion of Monroe Township in Miami County, Ohio.

Miami County is located in southwestern Ohio in the upper MiamiRiver Valley. The settlement dates back to 1845 with theestablishment of a blacksmith shop by Abraham Ehrhart and a fewscattered houses;  the first mercantile store was started in 1855. By the spring of 1867, a post office was officially established inthe village by the store owner and first postmaster, ChristianBesom, in which he registered the village name spelled with anending “h”: “Ginghamsburgh.” In 1893, thename was officially shortened by then postmaster R.M. Evans.

According to the United States Geographical Survey (USGS),Ginghamsburg is the only place in the United States with this name. The first written record of the village’s name is found on avery large 1850 property ownership map, which still hangs in theMiami County Recorder’s office.  The A.J. Johnson Company, anoted map publisher from Chicago first illustrated the village ofGinghamsburg (with no ending “h”) on their 1864 Ohiomaps in an atlas book format.

Obviously, the place must have been known as Ginghamsburg by thelocal and regional residents or these maps would not have shown itas such.  But, where did this unique name come from?

Many Theories

She went on to expound on the uniqueness of her towel dolliessaying that they were always the first to be sold out at all thecharity bazaars and how the proceeds have helped the old folks homebelonging to the Little Sisters of The Poor in Sri Lanka

This exchange of playful banter would prompt Dorothy Loke, 71, toad lib that her stuffed doggies were not doing too badly either.

Proudly waving a patchwork pooch with the cotton still sticking outfrom an opened end, she commented that hers made for the best petsaround because they come with no hassles.

See, how cute they are? Dont you feel like giving it a big hug,said Loke smiling sweetly as she cuddles up to her faux pooch.

05:17 PM CDT on Friday, August 22, 2008

 We were somewhere outside of Amarillo driving toward Colorado whenthe feeling kicked in. It happens once every road trip. Usually I'mwith my wife, but this time I was driving with a photographer onour way to the Continental Divide.

 Anyone who's been over-served at a bar with his friends has hadthat post-midnight moment: "Guys, we could buy this bar. Andlive in it." For me, it comes when I see some littlemodern-day version of a Norman Rockwell village outside the carwindow.

 I usually say to my wife: "Honey, we could move here. I couldbuy the little newspaper. You could get your nurse practitionerlicense and be like the doctor in

Northern Exposure

. We'd know everyone in town. They probably have pie-bakingcontests, like, every week."

 Blockout I didn't this time, what with the wife at home and the guy next tome looking nothing like her. But the feeling was there. I've lived the bulk of my adult life in The DFW, as we in-the-knowpeople call it. I style (key word, there) myself an outdoorsy type.More rugged than the fey, urbanized types both in my profession andamong my friends, who think a hunting expedition is thetwice-yearly sale at Nordstrom. They don't have calluses on theirhands. OK, granted, mine are because I'm too cheap to buyweight-lifting and gardening gloves, but still.

 Our destination was a little town called Creede, Colo. Theyear-round population is 400. This is man's country, by God, and itmade me feel ditto.

 For a day. Then I relearn what I block out every trip.

"Doors open and doors close," she said. "This one was open for me."

 Which, in my mind, defeats the purpose of the Olympics. Since whendid the motto  Citius, Altius, Fortius  translate to free agencyfor all?

 If countries can hijack athletes simply because they aren't blockout goodenough to make their homeland rosters -- or, more disturbingly,because they're being offered generous financial incentives -- thenit blurs the lines of national identity that define the Olympicessence. How do we take seriously the sight of war-torn Georgiausing a couple of tall Brazilian ringers, Renato Gomes and JorgeTerceiro, for their men's beach volleyball team? Or J.R. Holden,from Pittsburgh by way of Bucknell, playing for the Russian men'sbasketball team after President Vladimir Putin rubber-stamped hispassport? Or Chris Kamen, not good enough to make the U.S. RedeemTeam, hooking up with Germany because his great-grandparents wereborn there? Gee, can I sign up for Team Italy because mygrandparents came over on the boat?

 "I went up to him and said, `Give me one word in German. Just one.Just one,' " Kobe Bryant said of Kamen. "He couldn't do it."

 I have no doubt that Hammon loves her native land; when theAmerican anthem ended and the Russian anthem started, she removedher hand from her heart. ``I'm still American. That's why I had myhand over my heart,'' she said. ``I love my country. I was justgiving thanks to having growing up in the U.S. I've been around theworld, and the rest of the world doesn't have it as fortunate asthe U.S.'' Nor do I take issue with her going overseas and tryingto make a better living in the pro ranks there, which supplementsher WNBA contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars. But she andother mercenaries make a mockery of the Olympics when they selltheir services for cash, which Hammon did when she signed a deallast year with CSKA Moscow that included a provision to play forthe Olympic team.

The Roman

blinds, available from Davonne Blinds , decorate both traditional and modern style homes.

 In terms of light control, Roman blinds can be made in a range of fabrics, including Block out, Light filter and See through fabrics.

 Block out range of fabrics offers maximum sun protection, and makethe room considerably dark once the blinds are down.

 The Block out range of fabrics suits the areas, which have strongsun and heat problems or areas such as bedroom, that require lesslight.

 The Light filter range of fabrics would block the sun, but wouldallow much light. It provides privacy and light control at the sametime.

 The benefit of the See through fabrics is that it allows the userto enjoy the view, while being protected from the sun.

 Davonne Blinds provides a wide range of Roman blinds fabrics forthe customers" choice, including plain fabrics or fabrics withtexture or pattern. 22-Aug-2008

FOXBOROUGH - The last impression left by Blockout the Patriots' offensiveline was not a favorable one, and it is the one that remains etchedin most people's minds.

 They don't see the line that produced three Pro Bowl selections,allowed 21 sacks, the team's lowest total in a 16-game season, andopened the holes that allowed the team to rush for 4.1 yards percarry, its highest average since 1985.

 They see the line that surrendered five sacks and nine hits of TomBrady to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, the line thatcouldn't keep the quarterback clean when it counted most, the linethat looked overmatched and overpowered in the biggest game of theseason.

 "It was tough," said Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins of the Super Bowlloss. "We know we didn't play up to our potential that game andthat had to do a lot with why we lost."

 Redemption for the offensive line may lie in the lessons learnedfrom that game. When the Giants loaded up on pass rushers topressure Brady into oblivion, the offensive line was unable to takeadvantage by creating holes in the running game. New Englandaveraged just 2.8 yards per carry (16 rushes for 45 yards) in theSuper Bowl. Yesterday, the Patriots spent a lot of time working onthe running game, trying to, in the words of Laurence Maroney,"just finish everything and become more of a balanced team."

 The Patriots rushed for 1,849 yards last season and had seven gamesin which Maroney or Sammy Morris went over 100 yards. The offensehad balance - the Patriots passed it 586 times and ran it 451. Butdespite the numbers, it seemed as if offensive coordinator JoshMcDaniels became enamored at times of his record-setting passingattack, neglecting the run game, content to Brady-to-Moss opponentsinto submission. Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, thePatriots passed the ball 54 times and ran it just 16.

 The best cure for an offensive line that is having trouble in passprotection, as the Patriots had in the Super Bowl, is to ram theball down the opponents' throats with the running game.

 Former 49ers center and current CBS broadcaster Randy Cross, whocalls the Patriots' preseason games, said few teams have as manyskilled pass rushers to throw at the Patriots as the Giants didlast season with Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, andJay Alford.

 Cross said he expects a lot of teams, including the Patriots, torun the ball more out of spread formations this season to counterschemes that utilize extra defensive backs and replace run stopperswith pass rushers along the defensive line.