vava

Me too please

I have just average heavy bottom pots by Lagostina - and a few oddball pieces here & there. I'm not too keen on spending a fortune on pots as I use a older gas stove top, and for some reason, all my stainless steel pots get stained - I have to use special scouring cleaner to shine them up and it turns out to be a lot of unnecessary work. One piece of cookware that I would NOT do without is a large enameled cast iron dutch oven - mine is by Crueset (French) but you can get other brands that are just as good if not better. I love it - indispensable for slowcooking stews, soups, or braised dishes. A solid cast iron grill pan is also one of my favourites. MMmmmm getting hungry again.

Awwww thanks - but to retain my integrity, it was pretty much copy-paste-edit More on pots coming later, gotta run...

Here's a recipe although I never use eggplant... I would up the ratio of duck/chicken and crushed walnuts - I like to leave the walnuts still a little chunky, although many prefer a much smoother texture. Pomegranate juice isn't always easy to find, so I use the molasses - some people use the syrup, although I have personally not had good results with the syrup.

THE CHEF KNIFE The chef knife will have a triangular blade from 6 to 10 inches long (with the most popular being 8"), usually at least 1 1/2" tall which gently tapers to the point. French chef knives will have thinner, longer blades to better slice thick items, while German-style chef's knives will be wider across the blade and shorter in length for better chopping. The chef knife often seems too large to novices, but with some practice it becomes the knife of choice because it is efficient for large or multiple jobs. Use this knife to chop, slice and mince; the side of the blade can be used for crushing garlic and some spices. The chef knife is best used in a rocking motion for chopping. THE PARING KNIFE The paring knife has a blade of about 2 1/2" to 4 inches that is only about 3/4" wide at its widest point. It can be used to peel vegetables and fruit, trim meats, and cut pastry dough - any job that requires some delicate cutting work. THE BREAD/SERRATED KNIFE The long serrated knife is often called a bread knife because it is particularly good for slicing breads that require a back and forth sawing motion. Beyond breads, the serrated knife can be good for tomatoes and peaches and other fruits that have a skin that can bruise easily. The serrated knife must be sharpened professionally, and should not be used on a sharpening steel. However, the properly cared for serrated knife should not become dull because it is rarely drawn across a cutting board or other surfaces. *** I never use my bread knife for anything OTHER than bread. Also, I make sure to cut the bread and NOT the board - even professional sharpening doesn't get them to the same precision as when they're brand new. OTHER KNIFE TYPES Beyond the three most popular knives, you may have a need for one of these: Utility These are smaller than a chef knife and larger than a paring knife, usually with about a 6 inch blade. Utility knives, as the name implies, are used for many jobs and often serve as an extra knife for a kitchen helper to use. Sometimes it is called a sandwich knife, although now, most makers have an offset knife pattern that is more suitable as a sandwich knife. Boning The boning knife is used to cut meat off of bones, hence the name. The blades may be 5" or longer and are usually quite narrow. They are available in straight, curved, stiff or flexible. Slicing This is a long, thin knife, up to 8 to 10 inches, that is used for slicing roasts, hams, and turkeys. These are commonly available in either straight or serrated edge. Butcher This knife is similar to a chef's knife with a blade of up to 8 inches but is usually a bit heavier. Cleaver These are used to do heavy chopping and cutting of meats and for cutting through bone. They will either have a straight or slightly curved edge. A Chinese Chef's knife will look like a cleaver in profile but will be lighter because it is used for chopping vegetables rather than meats.

Wusthof also makes excellent knives - and I believe they manufacture all their knives in one plant, whereas Henkel has several manufacturing locations. I have a few Wusthofs, and a couple of older Henkels that were passed down to me - I love them all. The Henkels are over 25 years old, and they work like new. Of course, you can't necessarily get knives like that on a budget - IMO it's well worth it, and probably save you money in the long run. On a budget, rather than purchasing a SET of knives, I would suggest that you purchase ONE very good all-purpose chef knife, maybe 8" or 10". Get something that feels comfortable in your hand. That should serve you for most of your food prep needs in the immediate future. As your culinary passion grows, you may add knives one by one: a bread knife, carving, paring, cleaver etc. as you find the need for them. One I really like is a Santoku knife. Henkel has a few different collections in various budget ranges that may fit for you. I suggest you get the best you can - you won't regret it. Azat is right, good knives are very necessary.

Thank you Maral jan - I was just thinking about her. :) Happy Mother's day... Edit: Like a dufus, I mispelled, "Mother's day"

Example: "Honey, does this dress look ok on me?" :(

Once the spyware is on your machine, ZoneAlarm & popup blockers aren't worth squat. Get Spybot by Grisoft, install, and update it's definitions. Backup your registries, or make a system restore point. Restart your machine in safe mode. Run Spybot. Restart again in regular mode, enable the IE popup blocker (you don't need all the other toolbars, some of them may even contain the spyware!) or better yet, use Firefox. Stop surfing for pron/warez Let us know how it goes....

If we take a look at the results of the 2003 report, we see that not much has changed for Armenia in the last three years. Yet during the same period, we see major declines in the ratings for Azerbaijan, Russia and the Ukraine. Only the Ukraine & Georgia retain "partially free" press ratings of former soviet republics.

Here's the draft report - the official 2006 results have not yet been published: Source: Freedom House Armenia Status: Not Free Legal Environment: 20 Political Environment: 26 Economic Environment: 18 Total Score: 64 Throughout the year, the government sometimes limited constitutional protections for freedom of the press. In April, President Robert Kocharian approved legislation restricting media coverage of terrorism issues, citing ongoing terrorist threats. The Yerevan Press Club maintains that the legislation is vague and open to abuse. The government has yet to decriminalize libel offenses, and the Criminal Code allows authorities to impose high fines and up to five years imprisonment for slandering political officials. However, no libel cases were brought against journalists during 2005. Despite local pressure and Council of Europe recommendations to renew broadcasting rights for the independent television station A1+, which was taken off the air in 2002, the government rejected its tender bid for a new license for the 7th time. Although there is a good amount of media diversity and pluralism, some major broadcast media maintain a pro-government bias, and there is no independent public broadcaster. There is no official censorship; however, the president’s office provides policy guidance, particularly for Public Television Armenia (H1). Expressing political opposition often results in prosecution, harassment and intimidation. Although a man was sentenced in late 2004 to six months in prison for assaulting a journalist, he was released from custody and by the end of the year had yet to serve his sentence. Most journalists resorted to self-censorship rather than cover controversial topics such as corruption or issues involving the mostly ethnically-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. In April, the car of Samuel Aleksanian, editor of the state-operated weekly Syunyats Yerkir, was set on fire. According to the journalist, the arson attack followed the newspaper’s criticism of a local official. The Interior Ministry closed its investigation into the 2004 arson attack on a car owned by the editor of the independent daily Haiikakan Zhamanak with no arrests made. The newspaper reported that the politician suspected of being responsible was never investigated. There are a wide variety of independent media, including more than 20 radio and 40 television stations, most of which are based in Yerevan. Local communities outside the capitol experience far less media diversity, mostly due to a very poor economy. Russian television channels are also available. Most newspapers are also privately owned, but were dependent on support from business conglomerates or political interests. Moreover, most printing presses are located in Yerevan, making it difficult for regional distribution networks to function effectively. Because of low print circulation, television is the main provider of news and information. Economic pressure, such as the use of official advertising to influence coverage, was more common than direct, political pressure. RFE/RL broadcasts were suspended for several days around the time of the constitutional referendum. As with a similar suspension case from 2004, the official explanation was that it was due to “technical problems.” Internet usage remains low due to high costs, but there have been no reports of official restrictions imposed on the Internet.

Turkey has withdrawn it's troops and fighter planes from Nato excercies to take place in Canada. That must be major sanctions against Canada....

That was just Yervant's way of saying he missed you Azat. He's already told me that he's sent you two bottles of cognac.... maybe you could save one for when I visit

Some clean up has been done here - thank you to the mod who took care of that! good job. So now, children , let's stick to the topic. And no more insults please - Enjoy!

Here's another article in the mainstream Canadian press. Source: The globe and mail Apparently yesterday some of the Canadian news sites were conducting polls centering on Harper's choice to recognize the Genocide. I went to both the Gazette and Citizen web sites and the polls were about other subjects entiirely.... but I wouldn't be surprised to see new polls of this nature soon.

Here we go again. I hope this doesn't trigger a debate in Canada with regards to Harpers decision to call a Genocide a Genocide.

Turkey pulls envoys to Canada, France Last Updated Mon, 08 May 2006 10:27:51 EDT Source : CBC News Turkey has recalled its ambassadors to Canada and France to protest moves by the governments of those two countries to describe the mass killings of Armenians 90 years ago as genocide. * INDEPTH: Turkey The diplomatic move, expected to last "for a short time for consultations over the latest developments about the baseless allegations of Armenian genocide," was announced Monday. The envoy to Ottawa, Aydemir Erman, is already back in Ankara, a Turkish government official told CBC News. * FROM APRIL 22, 2004: Turkey denounces Armenian genocide vote in Commons Countries around the world have been putting pressure on Turkey's government to acknowledge what happened between 1915 and 1923, when an estimated 1.5 million Armenians died. Armenians have insisted their people were systematically killed during and after the First World War as the Ottoman Empire tried to quell the population in eastern Turkey. Turkish rulers have long insisted that the death count was much lower, and that the deaths were the result of an uprising by Armenian militants as opposed to a government eradication campaign. On April 21, Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeated his support for past House of Commons and Senate votes that the deaths should be recognized as genocide. "I and my party supported those resolutions and continue to recognize them today," Harper said. For its part, France is considering draft legislation that would make it illegal to deny the Armenian deaths were a result of genocide. French politicians have already voted to recognize the killings as genocide. The international campaign to press Turkey to acknowledge what happened nine decades ago comes as the country seeks entry to the European Union. Among other things, Turkey must agree to abide by European Union standards when it comes to human rights and justice – areas in which its government continues to attract criticism.

Also if any of your objects are action scripted to appear on the stage, make sure your registration points are all consistent, otherwise nothing will "center".

Anybody want to give a brief summary in English? (for those of us who don't read russian)

Vahan jan, my sincest condolences.

There were many burnings - and figures are very hard to substantiate, especially considering that even the best of witnesses would gather their information by "eyeballing" a number. I'm not sure if search with this kind of data will be fruitful. If you have other information to share, anything would be helpful.... Neverthless I wish you luck in your search

While were at it, we could also swap the "superiority complex" and the "humility" genes.

Hovsep jan, I hope you don't mind, I merged the topics together.

Unless the Russians are behind it?

Hi Boghos I understand your point. However, I was perhaps not very clear - in my examples it's not an outright boycott of all imported goods/foreign retailers etc. I neglected to mention my preference in purchasing "local" for me is a guideline that applies whenever suitable alternatives exist: I shall choose a local supplier over a foreign multinational, an independant farmer's market over a chain supermarket, Armenian produced goods/services vs. those hailing from Turkey, environmentally friendly products vs. products that may be harmful, organic foods vs. processed/refined foods and so forth. Each purchase we make is accompanied by a choice. I am by no means perfect and I probably do violate my own "guidelines" occasionally, but the point is as consumers, we can guide industry to a certain extent. For example: Yes, organic foods are more expensive, but they are clearly a healthier option. If we continue to purchase these products, educate the buying public, and lobby for better/more precise labelling laws - eventually organic products may find a greater niche in the marketplace - manufacture the demand to bring down the price. The same can apply for goods from Turkey - if due sto some "boycott pressure" from the local Greeks and Armenians, my local market notices that his Bulgarian preserves sell better than the Turkish counterparts - then it's been not only an effective grass roots initiative (to boycott) but it's also been beneficial for the market itself. Now when the suitable alternatives do not exist, we are left with another type of choice. Abstain from purchasing altogether, or some form of compromise. In most cases it's the latter - I don't think we're at the point where we can avoid buying fuel, for instance. EDIT: Please don't confuse me with some leftist, militant activist. I'm no such thing - but I do believe that in today's western societies, we cannot underestimate the power of the consumer. Yes we're "the little guy", but we can make choices.