Cheesecake Brownies
One 9-inch (23cm) or 8-inch (20cm) square pan
Adapted from Ready for Dessert (Ten Speed)
For those of you who like higher brownies, use an 8-inch pan.
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips
8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) or 8-inch (20cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.
4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.
Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares.
Storage: These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well, too. |
Social media offers the opportunity to join groups of people, to create communities where people come together. We come together for a cause, to solve a problem. We join tweet hands to share content and knowledge, to increase the depth and reach of voice or simply connect with human beings. As each individual comes into a group they bring with them their personalities, feelings, insecurities, knowledge, objectives, egos and even their baggage. We may join teams with a goal of becoming more successful as a team than we are as individuals or to leverage the strengths of a team to gain personal growth and benefit. We aspire to join. We ask to get in. We are invited to groups. Some we join, some we don’t. Then as more people join the community they each bring with them the personalities, feelings, baggage and objectives etc. So now you have a party mix of all of these things. You don’t know if people are joining for good intentions. You don’t know if they are there to help the team or if they will sacrifice relationships to achieve their own objectives. |
Fire erupted Tuesday in a suspected arson attack on Barcelona's historic Sagrada Familia church, forcing 1,500 tourists to evacuate, officials said. Firefighters extinguished the fire in the sacristry before it could consume the stonework of Antoni Gaudi's world-renowned masterpiece, but some furnishings were damaged, they said. Ambulances ferried away four men working on the church who had inhaled smoke belching out from the blaze in the Barcelona landmark which was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on November 7 last year. A "disturbed" man is suspected of setting off the fire in the basilica's sacristry, which was closed to the public at the time, according to church and police officials. "He appears to be a disturbed man of around 55 who was found with several lighters in his pocket," Sagrada Familia Foundation president Joan Rigol told journalists outside the church. Firefighters had managed to put out the blaze, he said. "The structure has not suffered any damage, but there was damage to furniture," said Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu, who rushed to the church after the fire. About 1,500 people were evacuated as a precaution, a Catalan police spokeswoman said. "Some tourists saw the smoke and called the alarm. They also saw someone who emerged from the sacristy who is the person that has been detained. A lighter, cloth, elements to start a fire were found," she said. |
Edited version of Austin Kleon's talk at Broom Community College, Binghamton, New York. For an explanation and examples, please read the original blog post.
The word "meltdown" goes to the heart of the big nuclear question - is nuclear power safe?
The term is associated in the public mind with the two most notorious accidents in recent memory - Three Mile Island, in the US, in 1979, and Chernobyl, in Ukraine, seven years later.
You can think of the core of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), such as the ones at Fukushima Daiichi, as a massive version of the electrical element you may have in your kettle.
It sits there, immersed in water, getting very hot.
The water cools it, and also carries the heat away - usually as steam - so it can be used to turn turbines and generate electricity.
If the water stops flowing, there is a problem. The core overheats and more of the water turns to steam.
The steam generates huge pressures inside the reactor vessel - a big, sealed container - and if the largely metal core gets too hot, it will just melt, with some components perhaps catching fire.
In the worst-case scenario, the core melts through the bottom of the reactor vessel and falls onto the floor of the containment vessel - an outer sealed unit.
This is designed to prevent the molten reactor from penetrating any further. Local damage in this case will be serious, but in principle there should be no leakage of radioactive material into the outside world.
But the term "in principle" is the difficult one. |
I'm very much in favour of euthanasia for the terminally ill. I believe everyone has the right to a dignified ending. The comments on this Reddit thread are very touching. On Tuesday I'll finally end my battle with cancer thanks to Oregon's Death with dignity act. As part of my preparations I've ended my pain medication and am trying to regain what little dignity and clarity I can.
Who I was doesn't matter. I'm in pain, I'm tired and I'm finally being granted a small shred of respect. Feel free to AMA if you're so inclined. |
In the park opposite the Belgian Prime Minister's office in Brussels, 150,726 people have pitched camp to demand a "non-violent revolution". This is no Tahrir Square. In Belgium, politics are always fraught but never confrontational or violent. In any case, the protesters are not seeking to overthrow the government. There is no government to overthrow.
Nor is there a "real" protester or tent to be found anywhere in the park – only a few students drinking beer and kissing. The "vigil", outside the Belgian equivalent of No 10 Downing Street, is a virtual protest. It exists only in cartoon-graphic form on "www.Camping16.be", one of several websites that have sprung up to demand an end to the mother of all Belgian political crises. |
Next Sunday, there will be a "real" demonstration, or rather, since this is Belgium, an open-air dance, in the streets of Ghent. The dance has been convened to "celebrate" the fact that "little" Belgium is about to break a world record. A week today, the Belgians will wrest from Iraqis the title of the country which has gone the longest after an election – 252 days – without agreeing on a new government. The Ghent "celebration", called by Flemish students, but open to Belgians of both "linguistic sexes", will be surrealist-ironic (and therefore very Belgian indeed). It will mock the failure of 80 sets of negotiations since June to agree a national government capable of winning the support of a majority of MPs from both the north (Dutch-speaking) and the south (French-speaking) parts of the country. Popular protest of this kind is one of the things that makes this Belgian crisis different from those that have gone before. There was a "Shame on Politicians" march through Brussels last month by 35,000 people, equally divided between French-speakers and Dutch-speakers. There is a "no-shave-until-we-have-a-government" protest, led by the actor Benoît Poelvoorde, and a "no-sex-until-you-agree" protest by a group of female Belgian politicians. |
Belgium is divided by far more than language. The Dutch-speaking north, once rural and poor and looked down on by French speakers, has been economically booming for decades. It has become in effect, a vast mega-suburb which is right-leaning in its politics. The French-speaking south, once industrially powerful, has been depressed for decades but is beginning to recover. Its politics remain dominated by a largely unreconstructed Socialist party. Imagine, therefore, a country of 10 million made up of the industrially depressed, old Labour-run parts of Durham and Yorkshire and the most booming parts of Tory-run Berkshire and Hampshire. And then add two different languages and 500 different kinds of beer. There is also, of course, the problem of what to do with Brussels, a "French-speaking" city just within the borders of Flanders. Yves Desmet, political commentator for the left-liberal Flemish newspaper De Morgen, believes that – whatever happens – Belgium cannot split in two. "Belgium is a pair of Siamese twins, joined at the head by Brussels," he said. But is this conundrum all that is holding Belgium together after 180 years? Is a country sometimes described as an accident of history being held together by an accident of geography? Brussels is only 18 per cent "Flemish" but it is the official capital of the Flanders region as well as of Belgium and the EU. More than 300,000 Flemings commute into the city each day from the surrounding leafy, Flemish-run (but increasingly Francophone suburbs). No Flemish politician can contemplate "losing" Brussels. No rational split could put Brussels in Flanders. The migration of French speakers into Flemish areas around Brussels is another of the perennial thorn-bushes of Belgian politics. Possible ways of solving that issue are on the table but all questions of either dividing Belgium, or reformulating the country's messy political contract, break down on the question of Brussels itself. Mr de Wever has hinted vaguely that he might be prepared to accept a separate Flanders without Brussels. Mr Tindemans says: "That is what we read but he must know that it is entirely unrealistic. Could Flanders, and all those Flemish commuters, really cut themselves off from Brussels? No." Brussels is no longer a majority Francophone-Belgian city either. It has become the capital of "another Belgium", full of people from Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Italy and eastern Europe, plus wealthier permanent ex-pats from three dozen nations, connected with the EU or Nato. The interests, and votes, of these "new Belgians" complicate an already impossible political equation but may, in the long term, help to solve it. One "new Belgian", the Romanian-born film-maker Dan Alexe, 49, said: "We haven't come all this way to find a new identity just to have that identity fractured. To me, a naturalised Belgian, there is a core 'Belgianness', which Belgians themselves sometimes forget. "This is, fundamentally, a very gentle country, a matter-of fact country, a country that appreciates the small pleasures of everyday life. Flemings and Walloons also have far more in common than they realise." Mr Desmet says that the "revolt" in recent weeks by both Flemish and Francophone defenders of "Belgian identity" is interesting but not politically decisive. "They represent a youngish, culturally aware, arty, well-educated section of the population, who are important, but far from being a majority in Flanders or in Wallonia," he said. "You will find them in Brussels and in the larger Flemish towns. In between, in the ex-rural, suburban sweep of most of Flanders, most people still have a sense of Flemish, not Belgian, identity." For Mr Desmet "Belgitude" – the state of being Belgian – is almost an existential quality. "Belgitude is precisely the absence of a strong, centralising national state and a lack of insistence on one cultural identity. It is a willingness to accept different cultures and traditions and allow them work together. It should therefore be able to embrace the new "multi-culturalism" of Brussels as well as the Flemish and Francophone traditions." For Mr Tindemans, a form of Belgium will always survive, if only for pragmatic reasons. Nothing else can make the present tangle of conundrums in the geographical area known as Belgium work better – or even work at all. "The present generation of Belgian politicians have proved that they are incapable of finding the solution," he said. A lasting settlement will have to wait for a new, younger, more broad-minded and imaginative generation of political leaders. They will have been influenced, perhaps, by the "Belgitude" – whether emotional and romantic or coldly rational – displayed in this year's "virtual", self-mocking and therefore very Belgian demonstrations. |
Art lovers have for centuries debated the reason for her enigmatic smile. Now it appears Mona Lisa may have been hiding a remarkable secret – she was a he. An art historian claims the model in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece was one of his male muses, a young man called Gian Giacomo Caprotti, whose nose and mouth bear striking similarities to those of Mona Lisa. Similarities: Italian art historian Silvano Vinceti believes that the model for both the Mona Lisa and St John the Baptist (right) was Gian Giacomo Caprotti
Caprotti, who was also known as Salai, worked as an apprentice with
the artist for more than two decades from 1490 and they were rumoured to
have been lovers.
Some experts had already suggested Leonardo could have based his masterpiece on a self portrait.
But Silvano Vinceti, a researcher who has been analysing the painting
using state-of-the-art high-magnification techniques, also claims to
have found the letter ‘S’ in the model’s eyes, which may be a reference
to Salai.
Self-portrait: Leonardo died in May 1519 aged 67 and was presumed to be homosexual Several of Leonardo’s works, including St John the Baptist and a
drawing called Angel Incarnate, are said to have been based on Salai.
Mr Vinceti, president of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural
Heritage, said these paintings depict a slender, effeminate young man
with long auburn curls and almost identical facial features to the Mona
Lisa.
‘Salai was a favourite model for Leonardo,’ he said. ‘Leonardo
certainly inserted characteristics of Salai in the last version of the
Mona Lisa.’
Most experts believe the model for the Mona Lisa, which hangs at the
Louvre in Paris, was Lisa Gherardini, the 24-year-old wife of a rich
Florentine silk merchant.
They say Leonardo started painting her in 1503. But Mr Vinceti claims
he may have started in the late 1490s in Milan, coinciding with the
time he built up a relationship with Salai.
His claims have caused a stir in the art world, with many dismissing
the idea that Mona Lisa was a man. Da Vinci expert Pietro Marani said
the theory was ‘groundless’.
The art professor at Milan’s Politecnico university said: ‘All
Leonardo subjects look like each other because he represents an abstract
ideal of beauty.
They all have this dual characteristic of masculine and feminine.
‘The work began as the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, but over the
years it slowly turned into something else; an idealised portrait, not a
specific one.
‘That’s also why you have this fascinating face that transcends time
and transcends a specific person, and why all these theories keep piling
up.’ |
The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2nd, 2011,
their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.
The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any
health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.
It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve
What is beautiful and special about
the band and have it stay that way.
Meg and Jack want to thank every one of their fans and admirers
for the incredible
support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of the White Stripes’ intense and
incredible career.
Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings from
The White Stripes in their Vault
Subscription record club, as well as through regular
channels.
Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn’t met with sorrow by their fans
but that it is
seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band has
created. It is also done
with the utmost respect to those fans who’ve shared in those
creations, with their feelings considered greatly.
With that in mind the band have this to say:
“The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong
to you now and you can do with it whatever you want.
The beauty of art and music is
that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your
involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”
Sincerely,
Meg and Jack White
The White Stripes |
Not sure I like this. Pretty sure I don't. IAC’s Match.com is continuing its acquisition strategy today with the purchase of online dating site OkCupid for $50 million in cash. The deal also includes future earnouts contingent upon performance.
While Match.com has a significant userbase, OkCupid singles tend to be younger, which is why Match found it to be a useful acquisition. The site, which is free, apparently generates revenue via advertising and according to IAC, has “been the fastest growing dating site in the advertising-based category.”
OkCupid, which has raised $6 million in funding, was co founded by Max Krohn, Sam Yagan, Chris Coyne and Christian Rudder. Match has previously acquired dating site People Media for $80 million and most recently Singlesnet.
Yagan will continue to operate OkCupid from the startup’s offices in New York. Hopefully the acquisition doesn’t prevent OkCupid from publishing its anonymized data about the online dating scene. Or better yet, the reports will include data from both Match.com and OkCupid. |
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