If you are hankering for a Europe destination, you should really consider the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. Emilia-Romagna may be the only region of Italy that is named for a road, one constructed by the Ancient Romans almost 2200 years ago. This article describes the Romagna subregion, some of its many tourist attractions, local food, and local wine. A companion article presents Emilia, the inland western “half” of the region that borders the Lombardy, Liguria, and Tuscany regions of Italy.

Our Romagna tour follows the highway from east to west, going slightly southward along the way. Start by visiting Rocca Sforzesca (Sforza Castle) in the village of Dozza whose wine shop, Enoteco Regionale, boasts an excellent collection of local wines. Formula One auto racing fans will want to visit the town of Imola in mid-April. Other attractions include shopping for fancy ceramics and eating at San Domenico’s, a world-class restaurant with a three thousand item wine list.

Pottery fanciers will enjoy the city of Faenza, a center for faience pottery since the Twelfth Century. Guess what’s on display at the Museo delle Ceramiche. If you fancy spas make sure to visit the neighboring city of Bagno di Romagna with its hot springs.

Ravenna, north of the highway, was once the capital of the Roman Empire. You should check out the Basilica di San Vitale (Church of Saint Vitale) with its famous mosaics. If you are up to it you can visit a historic mausoleum and the tomb of that great Italian poet Dante. For some reason Ravenna has many sites with historic mosaics.

Rimini on the Adriatic coast is a major European holiday destination, and is quite crowded during the high season. Its Grand Hotel was featured in Fellini’s 1973 movie Amaracord.

Perhaps it is no accident that the founder of Italian cuisine Pellegrino Artusi was born in this region. See our companion article I Love Touring Italy – The Romagna Subregion for a sample menu and more information on Romagna wines as well as an in-depth examination of Romagna’s tourist attractions. It is the home of the controversial Albana di Romagna DOCG, Italy’s first white DOCG wine. The G stands for Garantita. While one can guess what that word is supposed to mean, many feel that this honor was far from deserved. I never tasted this particular wine. From my readings I have no great desire to do so, except perhaps to set the matter straight.

Ever since starting this blog I’ve been obsessed with checking our statistics: how many people visit per day, what posts people are interested in, what websites referred to us, and… what search terms led people to our blog.

Imagine my surprise when I checked our statistics today and saw that one person found their way to our blog through this gem of a search term:

horny sluts at queens university of king

Yeah. For real. Just one more reason why The Queen’s Feminist Review needs to exist.

Those with eagle eyes for new ideas to tackle climate change may have noticed a tentative proposal from CLG for local carbon budgets. At the time nobody really knew what that would look like or how it would work. Today, John Denham MP gave us a few more hints – presenting local carbon budgets as a new deal on climate change between local and central government. For those local authorities that want to set ambition plans for their local area on climate change, this is a chance to pilot the idea and have a conversation with government about how to get it done effectively.

We already have national carbon budgets to help us get to the ambitious target of 80% reduction in carbon emission by 2050.  A local carbon budget would take the same principle and give local authorities the responsibility for the long term planning and management of reducing carbon emissions.

But while we may be clearer about the process – akin to a local area agreement negotiation in many ways – the detail is yet to come. In particular on what central government are going to bring to the table. Their side of the deal needs to set out clear strategic changes that will make local government’s ability to influence in their local area simpler.

And if they need a place to start, why not create a single pot of funding for climate change projects rather than the dauntingly long list of acronyms that makes up the current funding model. Then we can start talking about better data quality, developing expertise and of course removing bureaucracy.

While many of us would love to get away from it all, we often feel guilty about spending our money or our time in leisure. If the idea of a luxury cruise or a resort hotel is frankly unappealing to you, you might realize that it is time for you to take a look at the benefits of ecotourism.

Ecotourism is defined as “environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples” by the Natural Conservancy, and as you can see the benefits of ecotourism are varied both to you as an individual and to the world at large.

One of the first benefits of ecotourism that can be found is that it is specifically low-impact, both on the natural world and on the local communities that support it. No matter where you go, you will find that you will not be damaging the world around you. You will be able to see beautiful vistas and experience amazing things, all without causing any harm the the environment around you. Many people enjoy this aspect of ecotourism, and count it as a large benefit that their grandchildren will be able to see the things that they have seen.

Another benefit of ecotourism is the fact there is a powerful educational aspect to it as well. Whether you are taking a look at a volcano or heading out to the deserts, you’ll find that there is a great deal to learn and that you can learn a great deal on an ecotourism tour. Not only will you get to see flora and fauna as they grow naturally, you will also be able to learn a lot about how they live and what can be done to protect them.

Ecotourism is also something that is specifically geared towards supporting the local culture rather than exploiting it. Far too much tourism seeks to change, sanitize or exploit the native cultures, but ecotourism works in conjunction with the traveler to both put money into the local economy and to do it in a way that allows all parties to profit. You will find that there are many ecotourism opportunities that will allow you to get a look at cultures which are changing very quickly and really understand where they have been and where they are going.

For many people the real benefits of ecotourism are the memories that they will take with them. There is a lot to be said for an experience that allows you to give to a good cause without taking away from it, and you’ll find that the presence of ecotourism is one that supports many countries and many different causes. It can increase awareness of the world around you, both in terms of the natural world and the cultures that live in it, so make sure that you take a look and think of what ecotourism can do for you and your family!

> Ahora que se acerca la campaña de navidad, el casal de la juventud de Petrer comenzará a promover la adopción de animales frente a la compra.

Es muy importante concienciar a la gente en este tema, la gente sigue viendo a los animales ‘de compañía’ como un mero objeto, se pagan cantidades desorbitadas por cualquier cachorro porque sea de raza o venga de una familia con pedigree. Mientras tanto, a diario miles de animales son abandonados y los albergues no dan más de si. Una situación que hay que erradicar lo antes posible, al menos informando bien a la gente.

Este año como novedad se realizará en Petrer e intentarán estar también en Elda. Si estás interesado puedes enviar un mail a faunalibre@hotmail.es y te informarán de cómo colaborar en esta campaña.

The guy brewed up a batch of brown ale for the Thanksgiving festivities.  Not only is this economical, but it also keeps with our ethos of keeping more of our lives homegrown and home crafted.  My only contribution is sampling…oh, and designing some labels.  I couldn’t decide between the two finalists so I’m bringing a set of both to adorn the cobalt blue Grolsch top bottles.  (Benton is the name of a famed Little Falls resident, paying some homage.)  The image in the bottom label is an 1830s engraving of the Mohawk River and cliffs that rim the entrance to the city.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950 ‘ s, 60 ‘ s, 70 ‘ s and early 80 ‘ s !!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us. While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, a te isaw, and didn ‘ t worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker natin, matigas na kahoy din at wala pang gulong. We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads , sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na) Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata)

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711 (minsan straight from the faucet or poso) We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate rice with Star margarine, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank softdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet Coke), but we weren’t sick or overweight kasi nga…… WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso, habulan at taguan. No one was able to reach us all day (di uso ang cellphone, walang beepers ). And yes, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down the street , only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’ s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD ‘ s, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. …… …WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get was from our friends with the words..masakit ba? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,ang sasabihin sa iyo…beh buti nga ! We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt, washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls… we were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns “gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband, sumpit, tirador at kung anu-ano pa na pwedeng magkasakitan. ..pero masaya pa rin ang lahat. We made up games with sticks (syatong), and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay.paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang.

We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window! Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala yang mga childhood depression at damaged self-esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo. Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tingnan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO’s, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failures, successes, and responsibilities. We learned from our mistakes the hard way. You might want to share this with others who’ve had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed. And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were. It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn’t it?!

A resident of Pickering Road contacted me, concerned about the footpath which runs along the front of the terraced houses on the lower level.  The footpath is rather uneven and in need of some repair so I contacted Streetscene to arrange for an inspection.  I was interested to find that the lower level on Pickering Road is ‘unadopted’ and therefore the responsibility of the landowner and not the Council.  I shall be contacting the residents in due course to give them the news.

So, I figured, Thanksgiving being tomorrow & all, I’d talk about a recipe I made the other day.  This recipe was based off of my Butternut Apple Soup.  I am calling it Double Squash & Applesauce Soup. I know, be astounded at my creativity on that one.

This recipe features Musselman’s Applesauce (that I was provided), but I was not compensated in any way for this creation

I think either variety of the soup would be a great way to serve squash at Thanksgiving (or any other time) other than the traditional boiled or roasted!  Here’s the recipe

***

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2-1 c. onion, chopped (I used red )

3 small carrots, chopped

1 butternut squash – small to medium sized, peeled and cubed

2.5 cups pre-cooked & mashed Blue Hubbard squash (This is just what I had in my fridge.  A few cups of any variety of uncooked squash would be fine too!)

2-3 cups Musselman’s Natural Unsweetened applesauce (adjust this amount to your taste!)

4 cups chicken/vegetable stock (or 4 buillon cubes & 4-5 cups of water!)

Various spices

1. Add olive oil to large soup pot.  Heat slightly & add carrots and onion, cooking over medium low for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.

2. Add cubed butternut, cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add stock of your choice, mashed squash & applesauce.  Add spices (I used salt, pepper, cumin, and thyme) to taste and bring to a slow boil.

4.  Boil, stirring occasionally until squash and carrots are cooked through.  I added more applesauce at this point.

5.  It’s ready to serve as is, but I prefer it blended smooth, either with an immersion blender or a regular blender in smaller batches!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Sunt haotica la volan si cand dau de un semafor sunt cel mai fericit copil din lume, pentru ca in sfarsit ma pot uita si eu in oglinda si pot sa ma holbez la lumea din alte masini. Si e atat de nostim cand il vezi pe cel din spate cum se scarpina-n cap sau cum are toata mana stanga bagata strategic in nara stanga si el nu stie ca tu-l poti vedea. El sta pitit la el in masina si se crede in siguranta, dar uita ca e inconjurat de geamuri.
Si aici insa linistea mea se spulbera usor: daca nu e un autobuz mare si galben, care, vorba lui Mihai, e mare si pateaza, vin copilasii care vor sa-ti spele parbrizul. Si pe bune acum chiar e curat si eu, singura-n masina, fac semne disperate ca nu vreau nimic curat si ca mai curat de atat nu se poate, dar ei stiu una si buna: daca e vorba de masina stationata ei sunt acolo sa-ti dea o mana de ajutor. Si uite asa 5 baietei mici ma ameninta cu bidoane de doi litri dupa care-mi cer bani…
Ce zi frumoasa si cu soarele pe cer…

Zacatecas, Zac., 25 de noviembre de 2009.- El Fiscal del Ministerio Público de la Federación cumplimentó una orden de cateo obtenida vía electrónica de un Juzgado Federal Especializado en Cateos, Arraigos e Intervención de Comunicaciones, logrando asegurar un costal de plástico, el cual contenían marihuana con un peso neto de 11 kilos 300 gramos.

Gracias a denuncias ciudadanas que señalaban al inmueble ubicado sobre la calle Francisco García Salinas 104 esquina con calle Cerro Clerigos, de la colonia Lomas de la Pimienta del municipio de Zacatecas, como centro de distribución de drogas, el agente del Ministerio Público solicitó y obtuvo la orden judicial 726/2009.

En consecuencia, el enervante quedó a disposición del Representante Social de la Federación, quien continúa con la integración de la averiguación previa AP/PGR/ZAC/408/II/CS/2009, por la comisión del delito contra la salud en contra de quien o quienes resulten responsables.

Dichas acciones forman parte de la estrategia nacional propuesta por el Gobierno Federal para proteger la integridad y los derechos de las personas en todo el país y dar vigencia plena a las garantías individuales de manera pronta y expedita.

Zacatecas, Zac., 25 de noviembre de 2009.- Al dar a conocer los resultados del recorrido “Vestigios coloniales de sistemas hidráulicos en Zacatecas: Pánuco-Vetagrande-Sauceda de la Borda”, enmarcados  en las actividades del Taller “El agua en la historia de Zacatecas”, los organizadores, Edgar Hurtado Hernández y José Francisco Román Gutiérrez,  destacaron que, entre los acuerdos, se planteó la elaboración de un proyecto de rescate de la infraestructura hidráulica de este complejo.

Señalaron que los investigadores participantes en el Taller, provenientes del CIESAS-México (Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social), El Colegio de Michoacán y la UAZ, acompañados por el Cronista de Vetagrande, Raymundo de Lira Quiroz, visitaron desde las 10:00 horas  parte de la región semidesértica del norte mexicano. Ahí conocieron los vestigios de la hacienda de beneficio que en el siglo XVI perteneció a Cristóbal de Oñate, especialmente su sistema hidráulico: los escurrimientos superficiales y las obras coloniales para su almacenamiento y conducción.

El recorrido prosiguió en Vetagrande, a partir del camino de terracería que conduce a Sauceda de la Borda, desde el panteón municipal, siguiendo el curso del “Arroyo Grande”. En su camino registraron algunas de las importantes obras de mampostería para el aprovechamiento de las aguas que temporalmente inundaron los cauces en el periodo colonial.

En este lugar –destacaron– los asistentes  pudieron verificar la importancia de la infraestructura hidráulica y los escurrimientos de superficie –tanto de lluvia como los generados por el desagüe de las minas–, para dar movimiento a los molinos de minerales en la Hacienda de Sauceda. Por último, dentro de la actual población de Sauceda de la Borda, hicieron un recorrido por la antigua huerta y jardín, el pozo, la noria, la presa y las obras coloniales de desagüe.

Eran las ocho y media de la mañana. Cuando llegué al andén del metro, el marcador indicaba que aún faltaba un minuto y medio para que llegase. Me senté en el banco y, antes de sacar mi libro de la mochila, vi que estaba allí. Doce horas después, la encontraba por segunda vez, la chica de elegancia suburbial. ¡Menuda coincidencia! Subí tras ella al vagón cuando el metro llegó. Ella se apoyó en una barra y yo me sujeté a ella, a la barra, tras ella. Alguien se levantó y yo me senté. Ella quedaba de espaldas. Observé su espalda, y sus ojos de reojo. Había jaleo en la estación, y ella miró hacia atrás unos segundos. Me dejó mirar su rostro. Quizás ni siquiera llegaba a la veintena. Tenía unos ojos muy brillantes, bellos de gelatina. Un poco tristes quizás. No podía decir si era simpática o antipática. Pero tenía curiosidad por saberlo. Se bajó en Urgell. Allí no hay conexión con otra línea de metro, ni tampoco universidad alguna. No sé adónde iría. Quizás a una tienda. La observé desde el vagón como caminaba por el andén. La perdí de vista. Una chica que se parecía a ella se había parado para guardar algo en el bolso. Otra chica que también se parecía a ella iba fumando ya un cigarrillo.

Who knew I could feed myself from a front yard garden alone? Other than the flour, I grew everything for this dish in my small, urban yard; potatoes, garlic, chard, tomatoes and squash.

I may have mentioned my front yard transformation last spring. With the help of a great neighbour, a dumping of dirt, a seed catalogue and some eager kids, we transferred lawn into an edible space.

Less the brussels sprouts and the chard, most of the garden now harvested. There were the three varieties of potatoes; Peruvian Reds, Blue and Russian Fingerlings, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash, sweet Yellow Pear Tomatoes just for this dish alone. (It doesn’t even hint at the edamame, peas, beans, beets, asparagus, blueberries, herbs, okra, cabbages, zucchini, pumpkins… corn… wow!)

After digging up a surplus of potatoes, I needed a few ideas on what to do with them. With BBQ season pretty much a thing of the past, potato salad wasn’t topping my list as much as the gnocchi. Besides, I just had to when I saw the light pinkiness of the potatoes and the great texture that was perfect for such a thing.

Feeding yourself all on your own, that’s local.
Now, that’s something to be thankful for!

PERUVIAN PINK POTATO GNOCCHI

1Lb Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (you can use other starchy potatoes, like Russetts as well)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling.
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a large bowl, finely mash the cooked potatoes so they are lump free.
Add the salt and half of the flour then add 1/4 cup at a time stirring to combine and bring everything together in a smooth dough. You may not need it all.
Depending on your work surface, third or quarter the dough. Take one piece and cover remaining pieces.
Roll the dough into long “snakes” and cut into 1″ pieces.
Roll each piece off the back of a floured fork and repeat finishing all of the dough.
Drop into salted boiling water and cook gnocchi until they float; about 3 – 4 minutes.

While the gnocchi were boiling I made the “sauce” of tomatoes, chard, squash and garlic.
I cubed the peeled, cleaned squash and sautéed it, covered in a large, lightly oiled pan. Once the pieces began to soften, I removed the lid to let the stem escape and pieces brown.
I added two cloves of finely chopped garlic and the chard to cook for another two minutes.
Once the chard had wilted, I added 1 cup of sliced yellow pear tomatoes, salt, pepper and a palmful of chopped basil.
Simple and delicious.