Kuch Khaas Hai...

Yoghurt and beaten rice mixed together with seasoning. This dish is very soothing and a perfect way to detoxify. When Avalakki / beaten rice is offered to any Hindu, he/she will not refuse it. This is because of a very endearing story of Sri Krishna and his friend Sudama. Avalakki is known as “Sudama”.

Time Required: 10 Minutes


Ingredients:

2 Cups Avalakki / Poha / Beaten Rice
2 Cups Curds / Yoghurt
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup Fresh Grated Coconut
1tbsp Coriander Leaves, Chopped finely
Salt to taste

For the Seasoning:

2tsp Oil
1tsp Bengal Gram
1tsp Urad Dal
1tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Green Chilis, Chopped
Few Curry leaves
1tsp Asafoetida

Method:

Soak Avalakki in water for 2 to 3 minutes. Heat Oil in a kadai/pan and add Bengal Gram, Urad Dal and Mustard Seeds. When the Mustard Seeds starts to splutter, add Red Chilies, Green Chilies, Curry leaves and Asafoetida. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Drain excess water from Avalakki and remove to a mixing bowl. Add the seasoning over the Avalakki and add the remaining ingredients to it and mix well. Serve with any pickle or chutney pudi / powder

This flower arrangement / Ikebana is arranged in such a way that it represents victory.One you can easily make and represent spirit of dusshera.




Materials Required:

1 Wooden container
2 Bulrushes
5 Roses
2 Philodendron leaves with long stalk
Flower Arranging Sponge

Method:

Soak the sponge for few hours in water. Cut the bulrushes to equal size. Cut Philodendron to 3/4 th the size of the bulrushes. Cut 1 rose to 3/4 th the size of Philodendron and the rest shorter than the other.

Line the wooden container with a plastic sheet and keep the sponge in it. Stick the bulrushes and the leaves in a “V” shape. Arrange the roses in the middle as shown in the picture.

Investment Scams: Bulletin Boards

There are literally hundreds of investment boards where anyone can rant, rave, or post BS. Online bulletin boards (BBs) come in various forms, including newsgroups, usenet, or web-based boards. Some of the larger BBs, like those found on sites such as Raging Bull, Boards on Yahoo! Finance, and Silicon Investor, see thousands of messages posted on an hourly basis.

While there are many valid and useful posts on these boards, a large number of tips turn out to be bogus. Fraudsters most often use a pump and dump scheme on BBs by pretending to reveal inside information about big upcoming announcements, great new products, or lucrative contracts. The opposite can be done too. If fraudsters hold a short position in a company, they will try to spread negative rumors in the hope that investors will panic and push prices down.

Here's the tricky part about BBs: anonymity. You don't know for sure who you're dealing with and how credible they are. People claiming to be unbiased observers who've carefully researched a company may actually be company insiders, large shareholders, or paid promoters. A single person can easily create the illusion of widespread interest in a small, thinly-traded stock by posting a series of messages under various aliases.

In the aftermath of the dotcom bubble, bulletin boards experienced a dramatic drop in traffic. Thankfully, many investors realized they couldn't believe everything they read online. But that's not to say there is no valuable information on BBs. Before Enron went bankrupt, posts were made online that revealed many of the fraudulent practices taking place at the energy giant. Regrettably, at the same time, there were countless posts that were bullish on Enron. It's nearly impossible to sort out the valuable posts from the fake ones.

Investment Scams: Newsletters

Almost every stock pick site offers a newsletter that is supposedly full of useful insights and great stocks. There are many good newsletters out there, but some are just promoting stocks under the guise of presenting investors with "free unbiased information."

In fact, many companies hire employees or pay people to write online newsletters to promote their stock. In theory, this practice is not illegal. But federal securities laws require newsletters to disclose who paid them, the amount paid, and the type of payment. Most fraudulent newsletters fail to provide this information. Instead, they lie about the income they receive, their independence, their research, and their historical results. They stand to profit handsomely if they convince investors to buy or sell particular stocks. Newsletters also use the pump and dump technique discussed earlier. With enough people on the list, it is possible to create movement in the price of small stocks.

Even worse is junk e-mail or "spam." As spam costs next to nothing to create, it has become the tool of choice for many fraudsters. Often these messages consist of “get-rich-quick” schemes and offer "guaranteed results." If the sender is unfamiliar to you or the message is addressed generally (great investment tip) it is likely a scam. Brokers and traders don't give away good tips to random people for free. Besides, no reputable company would spam to get their name out. The smartest thing you can do is hit your delete button.

Identifying these shady e-mails isn't tough. Besides promising huge results with no risk, look for CAPITALIZED LETTERS WITH MANY EXCLAMATION MARKS!!! FOR SOME REASON SCAM ARTISTS THINK YOU'LL LISTEN IF THEY WRITE LIKE THEY ARE SCREAMING AT YOU!!! Another clue is when the e-mail comes from free e-mail providers such as yahoo.com or hotmail.com. Spammers use these addresses to hide where the original message comes from.

This rice recipe is from Thailand. Rice is stir-fried with yellow curry paste, pineapple, raisins and cashew nuts.

Time Required: 25 minutes
Serves: 4




Ingredients:

1 Cup Pineapple pieces
3 Cups Cooked Rice
½ Cup Coconut Milk
1 Green Chili, Chopped finely
2 Onions, Chopped finely
2tbsp Butter
½ tsp Sugar
2tbsp Raisins
2tbsp roasted Cashew nuts
2 sprigs Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

For the Paste:

½ Onion
2 pods of Garlic
3 Ripe Red Chilies
1” Ginger, Grated
1tbsp Roasted Cumin Seeds
1tbsp Roasted Coriander Seeds
2 stalks Fresh Lemon Grass, Chopped or 1tbsp dry lemon grass soaked in warm water

Method:

Heat butter in a thick-bottomed pan and add onions and green chili and sauté. Add the yellow curry paste and fry for one more minute. Add the chopped pineapple, Rice, Coconut Milk, Raisins and Cashew nuts and mix well. Cook until all the moisture evaporates. Add Sugar and Salt and mix again. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot.

Flower Gerberas represents Sun very well in a flower arrangement. This Ikebana is a variation of the Shoka style called Niju-ike, where the arrangment is done on two different levels in a double bamboo container.



Materials Required:
Bamboo Container
3 – 5 Gerberas
3 leaves
3 Asparagus branches
Foam or Pins
2 small containers to hold water, flowers and foliage

Method:
Choose small containers that can fit into the bamboo. Fill water or foam in the two containers and place one in the first level and the other in the lower level. If foam is not being used keep a flower pin in the container. In the bottom level arrange the leaves and the Gerberas as shown in the figure (Picture1).

Picture1


In the top level arrange the Asparagus branches in such a way that it droops down the bamboo (Picture2).

Picture2


Either you can hang the arrangment or place it on the ground (Picture3).

Very few of the scams on the Internet are new. Most of the swindling techniques we see today originated long ago as telemarketing, direct mail, or even door-to-door selling schemes. But the Internet adds another troubling dimension to these old tricks. For example, a fancy Web site can create the illusion of a large and reputable company, especially if it provides links to legitimate sites.

Here are some of the largest and most successful investment scams:

* Ponzi Scheme - A type of pyramid scheme, this is where money from new investors is used to provide a return to previous investors. The scheme collapses when money owed to previous investors is greater than the money that can be raised from new ones. Ponzi schemes always collapse eventually.

* Pump and Dump - A highly illegal practice where a small group of informed people buy a stock before they recommend it to thousands of investors. The result is a quick spike in stock price followed by an equally fast downfall. The perpetrators who bought the stock early sell off when the price peaks at a huge profit. Most pump and dump schemes recommend companies that are over-the-counter bulletin board (OTCBB) and have a small float. Small companies are more volatile and it's easier to manipulate a stock when there's little or no information available about the company. There is also a variation of this scam called the "short and distort." Instead of spreading positive news, fraudsters use a smear campaign and attempt to drive the stock price down. Profit is then made by short selling.

* Off Shore Investing - These are becoming one of the more popular scams to trap U.S. and Canadian investors. Conflicting time zones, differing currencies, and the high costs of international telephone calls made it difficult for fraudsters to prey on North American residents. The Internet has eroded these barriers. Be all the more cautious when considering an investment opportunity originating in another country. It's extremely difficult for your local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute foreign criminals.

* Prime Bank - This term usually describes the top 50 banks (or thereabouts) in the world. Prime banks trade high quality and low risk instruments such as world paper, International Monetary Fund bonds, and Federal Reserve notes. You should be very wary when you hear this term--it is often used by fraudsters looking to lend legitimacy to their cause. Prime bank programs often claim investors' funds will be used to purchase and trade "prime bank" financial instruments for huge gains. Unfortunately these "prime bank" instruments often never exist and people lose all of their money.