Oscar Wilde

 Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer, poet, and prominent aesthete. His parents were successful Dublin intellectuals, and from an early age he was tutored at home, where he showed his intelligence, becoming fluent in French and German. He attended boarding school for six years, then matriculated to university at seventeen years old. Reading Greats, Wilde proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. After university, Wilde moved around trying his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems and toured America lecturing extensively on aestheticism. He then returned to London, where he worked prolifically as a journalist for four years. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde was one of the most well-known personalities of his day. He next produced a series of dialogues and essays that developed his ideas about the supremacy of art. However, it was his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray – still widely read – that brought him more lasting recognition. He became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London with a series of social satires which continue to be performed, especially his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest.

At the height of his fame and success, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall in a sensational series of trials. He sued his lover's father for libel, though the case was dropped at trial. After two subsequent trials, Wilde was imprisoned for two years' hard labour, having been convicted of "gross indecency" with other men. In prison he wrote De Profundis, a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long, terse poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six.

Links: http://www.celtic-weddingrings.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/08/oscar-wilde-irish-author/
http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/
http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/bio1.htm

Olympic Diving

Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport thet is part of the Olympic Games.

Olympic history

Diving was included in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1904 Games in St Louis. The springboard and platform events have been included since the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Since the Stockholm Games in 1912, women have taken part in the diving events.

The first Olympic competitions differed from those which exist nowadays, notably with respect to the height of the platforms and springboards. The diving programme has been relatively stable since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam: men and women take part in 10-metre high-dive and 3-metre springboard events. In 2000, the Sydney Games witnessed the entrance of synchronised diving on both the springboard and the platform.

This discipline was firstly dominated by the USA. This domination started to waiver with the participation of China at the end of the 1980s. When the American Greg Louganis, who is considered as the greatest diver ever, was still in competition, the Chinese managed to achieve some victories. Since Louganis retired, China has dominated the men’s events. Lately, China’s women divers have proved themselves unbeatable. .

One of four disciplines

Diving, along with swimming, synchronised swimming and water polo, is one of the four disciplines governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA).

Links: http://www.olympic.org/diving-equipment-and-history?tab=History 

http://www.london2012.com/diving

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving

Olympic Swimming.

Olympic Swimming, past and present

At the first few modern Olympic Games, Swimming events were held in open water. At Paris in 1900, for instance, they took place in the River Seine. However, the rules were formalised in 1908, when the London Games staged the first Olympic Swimming competition to be held in a pool.
Other than the Marathon Swimming 10km event, held in the Serpentine within Hyde Park, the Swimming competition will take place in the dazzling Aquatics Centre, built in the Olympic Park especially for London 2012.

The basics

There are four strokes used in Olympic competition: Freestyle (essentially, front crawl), Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly. All four strokes feature in the Individual Medley and Medley Relay events.
Olympic races are conducted over a variety of distances, from 50m (one length of the pool) all the way up to 1500m. All the pool events begin with heats, with the best swimmers from the qualifying rounds eventually racing for gold in the final.

Medal Winners Swimming:  http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/4672010/

• Olympic sports
  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Boxing
  • Canoe Slalom
  • Canoe Sprint
  • Cycling – BMX
  • Cycling – Mountain Bike
  • Cycling – Road
  • Cycling – Track
  • Diving
  • Equestrian – Dressage
  • Equestrian – Eventing
  • Equestrian – Jumping
  • Fencing
  • Football
  • Gymnastics – Artistic
  • Gymnastics – Rhythmic
  • Gymnastics – Trampoline
  • Handball
  • Hockey
  • Judo
  • Modern Pentathlon
  • Rowing
  • Sailing
  • Shooting
  • Swimming
  • Synchronised Swimming
  • Table Tennis
  • Taekwondo
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball
  • Water Polo
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling
  
  Galya Shepeliuk 10-B.
  
  

Olympic and Paralympic Values

It takes more than being an exceptional sportsman or woman to become part of the Olympics or Paralympics. This is why both games come with a set of core values which encompass what these competitions are all about proving that sport even at this level, is not just about your ability.

The Olympic Values are

• respect – fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment
• excellence – how to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life; taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives
• friendship – how, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences

The Paralympics

The Paralympic games began life as a sports competition involving World War II veterans, with serious back injuries, in Stoke Mandeville, England. Following this initial competition, international attention grew as competitors from overseas, beginning with athletes from The Netherlands, added strength to the idea until the first official Olympic style games for athletes with a disability were organised in Rome in 1960. It was not until Toronto 1976, however, that other disability groups were added along with a broader spectrum of disciplines. It was here that the picture that is the modern Paralympic games began to emerge alongside the first Paralympic Winter Games which took place in Sweden on the same year.

The Paralympic Values are based on the history of the Paralympic Games and the tradition of fair play and honourable sports competition. Some say that in this particular competition the values are even more important than in any other.

The Paralympic Values are:

• Determination – the drive and motivation to overcome both physical and mental barriers in order to achieve your goals.
• Courage – having the self-belief and confidence to overcome adversity and face difficulty.
• Equality – showing respect and humility towards all those around you in the spirit of fair play.
• Inspiration – to be motivated by the achievements and actions of others and to be a positive example to others.

The Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games are one of the most spectacular reminders of the debt we owe to the Greeks.
The original Olympic Games were held every four years in honour of Zeus, the supreme god of Greek religion. The first record of the games dates from 776 B.C., but it is certain that they existed prior to that. They were held continuously for over 1.000 years until they were abolished in the reign of King Theodosius about 392 A.D. The Olympic festival was a great unifying bond between the Independent city-states of Greece.
The important sports in the original Olympic Games were running, jumping, wrestling, throwing the discus and throwing the javelin. Only men competed and they wore no clothes in order to have greater freedom of movement. Each competitor had to take the Olympic Oath - a promise to behave in a sportsman-like fashion.
The modern Olympic era began in 1894 when Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin decided to revive the ancient Greek tradition of celebrating health, youth and peace with a sports festival. Baron de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the first modem Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896. Since then the Olympic Games have been held every four years with only two exceptions because of the two world wars.
Even though the modern Olympic Games embrace the whole world, the connection with Greece is still very strong. A lighted torch is brought all the way from Greece, carried by a relay of runners, in order to light the Olympic Flame which bums all through the Games. As in ancient Greek times, the competitors still take the Olympic Oath. The long-distance race is still called the Marathon. Marathon was a village about 26 miles from Athens. In the year 490 BC the Greeks defeated a powerful Persian army at that spot. After the fierce day's fighting a soldier volunteered to bring news of the victory to the anxious citizens of Athens. He ran all the way and after gasping out the message. "Rejoice, we conquer!" he collapsed and died.
One important rule of the Olympic Games is that the competitors must be amateurs. This rule has been under a lot of pressure in recent years because modem sport is so professional and competitive. Athletes train for years to take part in the Olympics and some countries spend much more than others on equipment and facilities. But despite these pressures, the amateur rule remains.
In modern times the Olympic movement has become an enormous and expensive organisation, It's controlled by the International Olympic Committee, which consists of members from all the participating countries. The IOC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It chooses the locations of both summer and winter games (both take place once very four years, with winter games half a year before summer Olympiads). It also controls the rules of the competitions and selects new Olympic sports. The famous flag of the IOC shows five rings of different colours linked together. The rings represent the five continents. 
Galya Shepeliuk 10-B.

Newspapers of Wales

Welsh Citizen

The newspaper is published once a week on Tuesday.
Circulation^ 1,000 copies
Convering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events.

South Wales

The newspaper is published once a week on Thursday.

Circulation: 2 ,500 copies

News of crime business, education, environment, politics, transport, weather.

Cambrian news

The Cambrian News is an award-winning weekly newspaper, with a huge circulation area in mid, west and north Wales.The Cambrian News is a tabloid newspaper and is unique in that three of its editions – Aberystwyth, South and Machynlleth & Llanidloes - go to press on a Tuesday, while the two Gwynedd editions – Meirionnydd and Arfon/Dwyfor – go to press on a Wednesday.

Circulation: 10000 copies

As well as its hefty news, sport and advertising sections, the Cambrian News has a popular, pull-out lifestyle section, called CQ, which features personalities, entertainment, fashion, food and drink, travel, puzzles, reviews, youth matters and lots more.

Sample Diet Plan*_________*

Breakfast ½ cup oatmeal ½ cup skim milk 1 tablespoon raisins ½ teaspoon cinnamon coffee or tea

Morning Snack ½ cup blueberries

Lunch ½ cup oatmeal 1/2 cup low fat yogurt 1 banana

Afternoon Snack ½ cup raw vegetable sticks

Dinner 4 oz grilled chicken breast Large green salad ½ cup oatmeal

Evening Snack Sugar free pudding  Your Daily Recommended Fat Intake should be 303.5 gms. Which includes the following Saturated fats is 75.5 gms. Monosaturated fats is 121.7 gms.  Polysaturated fats is 105.2 gms.

Recommendation diet

Breakfast

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

• Calories: 87 Fat: 0.3 gram Note: Makes 2 servings.

Morning snack

Egg White French Toast

• Calories: 80 calories Fat: 0.5 gram 

One cup of orange juice

• Calories: 103 

Lunch

Tomato-Spinach Roll 

• Calories:100 

Dinner

Zucchini-Mushroom Sandwich 

• Calories:125

Chicken with pineapples

• Calories:250

Snack
Chokolate ice cream

• Calories: 100

Your Daily Recommended Fat Intake should be 303.5 gms.
Which includes the following

Saturated fats is 75.8 gms.

Monosaturated fats is 121.4 gms.

• Polysaturated fats is 106.2 gms.

Duck with apples

Several years ago I got into trying out lots of different duck recipes. This was one of the tastiest and easiest. The cooking time actually varies according to the size of the duck.

Taste of baked duck with apples reminds me of family celebrations in my childhood, such as New Year or birthdays parties.

I find that dish very appetizing, delicious, lush and savory, with fantastic spices aroma. Good cooked duck is juicy, with a golden crisp. Just try it and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Ingredients

  Duckling (about 7lb)

  4-5 apples

  Marjoram

  Black pepper

 Salt

Directions step by step:

1)    Unfreeze the duckling if it was frozen and wash it with cold water;

2)   Rub the duck with them mix of salt and black pepper, season with marjoram and let it settle while you are preparing apples;

3)   Wash apples, cut each into 6-8 pieces and remove seeds;

4)   Feel duck’s belly with apple pieces;

5)   And sew it with threads or toothpicks ;

6)   Warm the oven up till 390F-400F, put pan with duck to the oven and bake it for about 1 hour. Then pour the duck with juice which created during the backing;

7)   Continue backing and pouring the duck with the juice, from time to time, till the duck gets soft and can be easily pierced with a fork;

8)   Cut the duck into portion pieces and serve with baked apple pieces and your choice of the side dish.

    

 Bon Appetit!

Vasilyeva- administrator

Shepeluk- expert

Fedorova- manager

Danish Pastry*_____*

I have to say thet a few weeks ago my mother found in internet   interesting recipe of Danish Pastry.
Then she deside to make it..to me..The pastry was delicious with fantastic aroma of spices! I adore this  dessert most of all*

Ingredients For the Danish Pastry :

 

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• ½ cup flour 

• Ingredients for the Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fresh, sliced strawberries or other fruit 

Make the Danish Pastry Dough

Add ¼ cup lukewarm water to the yeast in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Stir in the sugar, salt, egg yolks, vanilla, and milk. Begin adding flour stirring until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a soft and sticky dough.
Butter the top and cover tightly. Chill the dough for one hour.

Make the Butter Layer

For successful laminated dough the butter should be kept icy cold at all times. Rub the countertop with ice and then place a sheet of wax paper over the chilled countertop. Place the butter on the wax paper and beat with a rolling pin until it is smooth and easy to work with but still cold. Add the remaining ½ cup flour and work it into the butter until the mixture is smooth. Form the mixture into a six inch square and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill it for 30 minutes.

Laminating the Dough

On a surface that has been well dusted with flour roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Lay the butter diagonally in the center of the square and fold the corners of the dough over the butter. Be sure to enclose the butter completely. Seal the edges of the dough by pinching.
Flatten the dough gently by pressing the rolling pin into it. Roll from the center outward. Do not roll over the ends but stop rolling when you are within ½ inch of the ends of the dough. Turn the dough 180 degrees and roll the dough in the same way. Continue to roll the dough until you have an 8 inch by 18 inch rectangle. You may need to flour the counter a few times to keep the dough from sticking. If it is a warm day or the butter starts to melt just immediately stop and chill the dough for about 15 minutes before proceeding.
When the rectangle is the correct size, brush off any flour that might be on the dough. Fold the top quarter of the rectangle down to the center of the rectangle. Now fold the bottom to the center, leaving some space between the two ends. Fold the top half of the dough over the bottom half and close like a book. Turn the dough 90 degrees so that a short side faces you and roll it into an 18 x 8 rectangle again. Fold it again just as before. Mark the lower right corner of the dough by pressing a finger into the dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Two turns are completed.
Repeat this process two more times always beginning with a short side facing you. Chill the dough between the turns. After the last turn chill the dough, tightly wrapped, overnight.

Make the Filling

You can certainly use any filling you like in this. Poppyseed Nut Almond Paste Fruit Preserves Dried Fruit Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie Filling. These are the instructions for the cream cheese filling, which I covered with fresh strawberries.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, salt, lemon and orange zest and flour until the mixture is smooth. Chill over night.

To Assemble the Pastry

Roll each half of the dough into a 16 x 8 inch rectangle. Trim the edges evenly.

• Spoon half the filling down the center of each rectangle.
• Cut the long edges of the rectangle as if you were cutting fringe.
• Fold first one piece of fringe over the filling then fold the corresponding piece from the other side, as if you were braiding.
• Brush the pastries with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water and sprinkle with sugar crystals.
• Turbinado crystals work best for this because the crystals are large.
• Let rise for one hour. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 30 minutes or until golden.

Make the Glaze

• 1 ¼ confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together until a smooth, pourable glaze is formed. Add a little water if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle the glaze over the warm pastry.

 Bon appetite!
 Links:http://maryeaudet.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Danish-Pastry

A cake with chocolate glaze by Oleksandra Vasilyeva

If to be honest, I adore sweets! And one of my favourite desserts is a cake with chocolate glaze from sour cream. For the first time I tasted it at my friend's birthday party. I liked it so much that I asked my friend's mother about how to cook it. She gave me a recipe and next evening my mother and I baked this dish. It had delicious sweet soft taste.  

Here is the recipe of a cake:

• 1 (4 ounce) package sweet baking chocolate (such as Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate®) - broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
•  
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sweetened flake coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 8-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Place the chunks of chocolate into the boiling water and stir until the chocolate has melted; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of softened margarine with 2 cups of sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in 4 egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the chocolate-water mixture until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the liquid ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, in 3 or 4 additions. Beat until batter is smooth, about 1 minute.
4. In a metal or glass bowl, beat the reserved egg whites until they hold stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted straight up. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter, keeping as much volume as possible. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes have browned lightly and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in pans before removing.
6. To make frosting, pour the evaporated milk into a large saucepan, and mix in 1 cup of sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1/4 cup of margarine, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat, and mix in the coconut and pecans, beating the frosting until cooled and spreadable. Frost and fill the cake with the coconut frosting.

And of chocolate glaze:

The Chocolate Glaze from Sour Cream is used to glaze cakes, cookies and other sweets whenever there is a big celebration such as a birthday or a wedding.

Things You’ll Need:

Sour cream - 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp.

Sugar - 7 tbsp.

Butter - 1/4 of a stick or 2 tbsp.

Medium pot

Step 1

Mix sour cream with sugar and cocoa in a medium-sized pot.

Step 2

Cook the mixture on medium heat until it begins to boil slightly. Make sure that it is bubbling slightly, not furiously. Boil for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Add butter and continue to boil for another 2 minutes. You will have a dark chocolate, glistening concoction.

Step 4

Turn off the heat. Use the glaze while it is hot. It can be reheated for glazing at a later time.

Tips & Warnings

Stir continuously to avoid burning.

Bon appetite!

Links: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/willard-family-german-chocolate-cake/detail.aspx