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Glove Scarf It's true what they say: Accessories can make or break an outfit. This includes handbags, jewelry, gloves, hats, scarves, ties, sunglasses, watches, umbrellas, tights, headbands, pins, suspenders, legwarmers-pretty much everything but your actually clothing. Aside from practical uses (hats to protect the face, gloves to warm the hands, bags to carry items in), accessories are used to add style and color to any ensemble.With accessories, you can dress up an outfit or dress it down, bump up your style or completely bury it, or spice up your outfit and completely make it your own. So how can you successfully accessorize?A big mistake people make (guys included) is overdoing it. In most cases, ladies and gentlemen, less is more. We've all seen those people who look utterly ridiculous and flat-out tacky as they walk down their faux catwalk, trying their absolute hardest to look fashionable.The secret is easy: Try your best to look cool and collected. If it takes you hours to look like you've put it together in 20 minutes, then so be it.Trust me, you'll be much more attractive. Overdoing your style actually makes you look less fashionable. An easy rule of thumb to go by is six pieces max.Instead of exaggerating your outfit and looking like you're trying too hard, take it down a few notches and look simple, relaxed and complete.It's easier than you think to go overboard, especially when it comes to accessories. So proceed with caution!It really bugs me when people wear their sunglasses indoors or on a gloomy day. I feel like approaching them and saying, "Excuse me, 'The Matrix' was so 1999. Did you not get the memo? You're not cool!" But, I just take a few breaths and refrain from inflicting utter embarrassment and walk away. Maybe they've been living in a cave for the past 10 years, who knows?Tanning in itself can be an accessory, believe it or not. And now, more than ever, is the best time to get one. Many people tend to go overboard with tanning. Do yourself a favor and refrain from looking like a carrot or burnt potato. Keep it au naturale.With a nice even tan, you need not accessorize too much because chances are you've already got a natural glow going on, and that's the best accessory of all.The best way to dress up an outfit is jewelry.We have all seen it time and time again-people wearing lots of jewelry with loud prints. It's just not flattering. Not only does it make you look like you're screaming for attention, it also looks like you don't have the slightest clue when it comes to fashion sense.If you have chosen an outfit with bold prints, keep the jewelry to a minimum.If you're wearing an outfit with solid colors, accessorize away. The best way to dress up a low-cut dress is a chandelier necklace and a killer cocktail ring. If you're a guy, wear a nice watch to dress up your ensemble.Dressing down an outfit is pretty much simple. Instead of wearing loud, bright jewelry, try wooden bracelets or natural toned earrings. This draws less flashy attention, but still has the same effect. For guys, less jewelry is best. Without it, you will look more relaxed and less uptight.The best way to accessorize an outfit is to pick one piece and run with it.Scarves have recently become my new best friend. I have discovered that wearing a scarf in any color with a white tank and a flattering pair of jeans has been a hit.Wrapping the scarf so that it drapes down in front of you creates more volume and dynamic emphasizing your upper half, so keep other accessories to a minimum. You want your main accessory to be the scarf because otherwise you'll just look like a clutter of random things.In other words, revolve your outfit around one specific piece, such as a chandelier necklace, a gaudy watch, a loud tie or a bright handbag.Feel free to mix and match things, but don't forget to keep the main thing the main thing.

fashionable hats Predictably, the F-word springs up a lot in the new Sex and the City movie.As in friendship. And forgiveness. Of course, libidinous lioness Samantha does drop the F-bomb. As if you'd expect anything less.But as Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) reunites onscreen Friday with her Sex and the City gal pals Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall), it always comes back to the first and biggest F: their enduring friendship."Life always doesn't always turn out to be your fantasy," writer Carrie observes in one of her signature voiceovers. "That's why you need friendships that are real, to get you through it all."The movie picks up where the HBO series left off four years ago and with all the same players, including long-time show-runner Michael Patrick King as writer and director and costume designer Patricia Field providing a fantasy wardrobe of pure designer eye candy rumoured to run to 300 outfits – with touches from crazy hats to sky-high stilettos.As the movie opens, Samantha has decamped for California to manage hunky blond boyfriend Smith Jerrod's career. Miranda, husband Steve and their son Brady are living the family life dream in a Brooklyn house. Charlotte and hubby Harry are snuggling in Manhattan with adopted daughter Lily. And after more breakups and makeups than can be counted, Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) are a solid twosome finally getting ready to tie the knot.That's how it starts, but not how it ends. And the filling in this Sex éclair is being kept under wraps as studio publicists and the stars repeatedly begged the press to not indulge in spoilers. They want to let the series' legion of fans who have been counting down to the opening discover the plot for themselves.This is how careful the cast was during a private interview with the Toronto Star in New York two weeks ago on a Sex and the City press day: Noth asked the reporter to turn off her digital recorder while he called for a publicist to rule on whether a question could be answered.The secrecy has led to rampant speculation, including the recurring whispers that someone dies. And Mr. Big's name comes up most often, something the cast and crew seems to enjoy joking about."I thought I killed you!" writer-director King quipped as he walked into a room and saw Noth, who later put the rumour to rest."There's a lot of death in this, but it's emotional," Noth said with a laugh.The women are 10 years older than when the series began with them looking for love, excitement and great sex in Manhattan. Now into their forties (Samantha celebrates her 50th birthday in the movie), love is still on the agenda, but Nixon pointed out the maturing characters show a new side of friendship."Forgiveness is a big thing," said the redheaded actor, who was wearing a pleated Grecian-inspired white sleeveless dress with carmine suede belt to chat with the press. "One of the things that comes with age is an awareness that you don't have to solve it right now."Nixon said her favourite scene in the film is also emblematic of this maturing friendship – it involves a quiet New Year's Eve in New York for two of the women that quietly reaffirms their bond."I think the kind of friend she is and the devotion she has to friendships, it's very enviable," Sarah Jessica Parker said of Carrie. "The time she has is enviable. I don't know how these women find this time to spend with their friends!"Looking fresh and glamorous after a long day of interviews in a one-shoulder, pale cocoa Lanvin dress with a dramatic ruffle across the front, Parker mused on how Carrie remains true to her close friends."Honestly, I think it's that thing about her that I love. It's this intense loyalty to people and, even when she screws up – and she's got a long history of well-documented mistakes – but I like the person she is very much."In the movie, while friendships are tested, there are many moments of bonding – usually over cocktails or champagne."My favourite scene was the one where the four girls are sitting around the table, it's the four points of view," said Cattrall, reflecting on when the friends help Samantha enthusiastically celebrate her 50th with cake and cocktails.The British-born, Vancouver Island-raised actor marked her own 50th last year, but looks years younger, wearing a pale aqua sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline and Jimmy Choo high-heeled strappy sandals.Cattrall observed "it was brave" for youth-obsessed Hollywood to have a woman "openly celebrate her 50th birthday" and that it was crucial it be an event just for the four friends.Bubbly Kristin Davis, dressed in a fitted taupe skirt suit with cream accents edging the lapels and cream Jimmy Choo stiletto sandals, added the four actors simply picked up where they left off when shooting began.She said the first day was "overwhelming, really," with fans lining the street to watch filming start.And just like a "Which Sex and the City character are you?" Facebook quiz, Davis said although she started out thinking she was a Charlotte, "I have decided now it's Carrie. I'm more direct. I'm a Carrie."It's new cast member Jennifer Hudson who's the Charlotte. "I'm more like Charlotte, I'd say. She's wholesome and traditional."Oscar winner (for Dreamgirls) Hudson comes on board as Louise, a 20-something from St. Louis who lands a job as author Carrie's assistant after she comes to New York "to fall in love."Hudson's first order of business when joining the SATC family was to see all 94 episodes in a marathon DVD-watching session. She'd only caught a few episodes before landing the part."It's addictive," she said of the show. The least dressed up of the City gals for the press day, Hudson, who has flawless skin, wore a tight kelly green tee over a black lace bustier with a wide black patent leather belt and black capri pants, and was enjoying a caramel lollipop.Like her character in the movie, "I'm a purse fanatic," Hudson said, wondering aloud if she'd be given the not-yet-in-production Louis Vuitton bag that has a guest appearance on her arm.As for the why behind making the movie, Nixon said there were still tales to tell about the characters. "These people had their stories wrapped up and half their lives still to live. Other stuff has to happen to them," she says.Does that mean King is considering another S-word: Sequel?"Here's my answer: When I am having a sexual experience, I like to stay totally focused on that sexual experience and, right now, I'm still in the climax of this Sex moment," he said."I literally think it would be inappropriate to the ladies I'm with to think about what's coming around the corner."

Double Face Coat Hillary Clinton isn't going to be elected the first female president -- not this year, anyway. The reasons for this outcome have gratifyingly little to do with her gender. It might not seem that way right now to Clinton supporters seething over her treatment, but the 2008 campaign has propelled the country significantly closer to the moment when a woman takes the oath of office.Yes, there have been sexist episodes and comments. Yes, it's infuriatingly more acceptable to make cracks about gender than about race.But the notion that Clinton was the victim of unrelenting, vicious hatred because she is a woman -- is it safe to call this reaction overwrought? Clinton managed to win more votes than any primary candidate in either party had ever before. It's hard to square that result with the notion that her candidacy exposed a deep vein of misogyny.Considering the inexplicably intense emotions that Clinton evokes, the litany of ugliness is surprisingly short. Meanwhile, the 2008 campaign has rewritten the rule book on playing presidential politics when the team is coed.The female candidate gets to be ironically, refreshingly post-feminist."If you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl," Clinton announced early on. "I'm very comfortable in the kitchen," she said, chiding Barack Obama for not being able to stand the heat of hard questions.For male candidates, gender remains a treacherous minefield whose danger zones the 2008 campaign only began to chart.Think of John Edwards commenting on Clinton's bright coral jacket ("I'm not sure about that coat") when asked in one of the debates to mention something he disliked about his opponent. You can bet a male candidate won't be dispensing fashion commentary in 2012 -- if there's a woman running.And Obama won't be calling female reporters "sweetie" again anytime soon, as he did recently in brushing off a query from a local television reporter. The reporter got the last laugh, pointing out in her segment that "this sweetie never did get an answer to that question."This sweetie rather liked that.More important than helping candidates figure out how to talk about gender, Clinton's candidacy has dispensed with damaging myths about women's capacity to compete in presidential politics.Not tough enough?If anything, Clinton came off as too tough.Too emotional?Clinton teared up in New Hampshire -- and, confounding male pundits, this display of vulnerability helped her win.Too fluffy?Clinton, perhaps to her detriment, out-wonked the competition.She demonstrated stamina and determination, a dogged workhorse to Obama's delicate thoroughbred.Improbably, she ended up winning the white guy vote -- and not all of this can be explained by the notion that these voters faced an unpalatable choice between gender and race.From a feminist perspective, Clinton's was not a perfect candidacy. Part of this stems from a fact outside Clinton's control: that her route to power was derivative, the Adam's rib outgrowth of her husband's career.Clinton has been elected senator, twice, in her own right, but the fact that her road to the White House involved standing by her man, no matter how badly he behaved, made her a flawed vessel for the feminist cause.And Clinton's least attractive campaign moments came when she took up the gender card and chose to play it as victim instead of trailblazer. The notion that the male candidates were ganging up on her because she is a woman instead of -- remember back when? -- the front-runner was silly. The complaint that asking her the first question in debates was evidence of a double standard was even sillier.By contrast, one of Clinton's most powerful lines came on Super Tuesday, when she thanked "my mother, who was born before women could vote and is watching her daughter on this stage tonight."It's easy to forget, in the passions of the time, the long way traveled in a relatively brief span.Like the mountain climber forced to turn back just before reaching Everest's summit, however, women still face an achingly long climb.If you care about seeing a woman elected president, one of the biggest disappointments of this campaign is the paucity of credible women waiting in the wings, in either party.If not 2008, then when? If not Clinton, then who? There are no obvious answers.Then again, four years ago, Obama was an unknown state senator, and almost no one imagined that an black American could win the presidency in 2008.

crochet skirt A light is still shining inside the Crochet Cafe. A small lamp remained glowing in the tiny shop snuggled within a cozy Old Town courtyard late this week.But for those who knew the store's owner, Debra Perry, the day was a little darker. Perry, 47, died Wednesday night from complications stemming from breast cancer. As news spread among friends and merchants in Old Town of her death, stories of remembrance and giving emerged that are destined to live on."It's unfortunate that it takes such a hard and ugly situation to bring the best out of people," one of her friends said Thursday. "She was so humble and appreciated everything that people had done for her."Perry, who was born in Long Beach on June 18, 1960, opened her shop in the Old Jail Courtyard off the intersection of Main and Old Town Front streets about a year and a half ago. Besides having her small shop in Old Town, Perry lived in Old Town in a small loft.She was a single mother raising her two sons, Noah, 16 and Elijah, 18. It is nearly impossible to talk to anyone who knew Perry without learning about "her boys."Perry's struggles with cancer were years old. However, at the beginning of this year, doctors discovered the cancer had spread from her breasts to her brain and lungs. She had to leave her work as a dental hygienist to focus on her own medical issues.Community ralliesAt the same time that Perry began to undergo extensive treatments, including brain surgery and chemotherapy, in February, the Old Town community began to rally around her.Quietly and without fanfare, the business owners, shopkeepers, residents of the area and friends paid off her car loan, helped with her rent, bought her food, fixed her car, arranged special events for her sons and offered as much emotional and financial support as they could.Those acts of kindness did not go unappreciated by the woman who received them, and those who witnessed them."She really wanted the community to know how much good goes on in this town," said Sandra Sappington, a longtime friend of Perry's. "That's something we talked about a lot in the past weeks, and it was something that she believed was important to be shared. There was so much giving; it just kept coming. It made her feel blessed."At the beginning of May, Perry moved from her Old Town apartment into Sappington's Temecula home, where Sandra and her husband, Lee, and their four daughters, all worked to ease the turbulence that came with Perry's fatal condition."I gutted my dining room to make her room," she said. "We wanted her to be in the center of the house, not secluded in a back room."It was in the Sappingtons' home that Perry died at 10:53 p.m. Wednesday night.FriendshipsSappington met Perry about six years ago because their children attended the same Bible study. The two women formed a friendship."We're so close, we almost didn't understand it at first," Sappington said. "But when she got sick, I realized it was my purpose to take care of her and to take care of her boys."Sappington said her job now will be to take care of Perry's two sons. She said arrangements are being made with attorneys to gain guardianship, uncharted territory for the family."She was very content and very much at peace with us taking the kids," she said. "Their mom was their mom, and always will be. I just hope I can be another mom ---- a second mom ---- for them."Though she was in a loving environment during the final weeks of her life, Perry's condition seemed to deteriorate faster than any of her friends expected, said Evelyn Honea, owner of the Temecula House of Jerky.Knowing that uncertainty surrounded her, Perry's friends and family held a special graduation ceremony Tuesday ---- ahead of Elijah's scheduled high school graduation on May 30 at Temecula Valley High School."We had a ceremony so she could see her son in his cap and gown and take pictures with him. We even presented him with a diploma," said Honea, a friend of Perry's who helped arrange the event. "It was good for her to hear the graduation music and to see him. I think she enjoyed that."I don't know who to feel worse for. I know she's in heaven, but those boys ---- that was their mom," she said. "She was very proud of her sons. She knew she had good boys."Full of passionHonea said Perry's signature was her long skirt and apron, and that she always had a book or Bible with her."She looked like someone out of a storybook," Honea said, "but when she was passionate about something, she was really passionate, that's for sure."Honea said she saw Perry on Wednesday and could tell she was "ready."Deborah Berger, owner of the Stampin Post, remembers when Perry moved her business into the Old Jail Courtyard, which has become a sort of crafting community in itself. Berger said she became close to Perry, and the two would often go down the street to have Friday night drinks at Bailey's to commiserate about the day, giggle and laugh."She'd stop everything to talk to you, listen to you or to pray with you," Berger said. "People were drawn to her gentleness."She said that affection for Perry continued through her deteriorating health."Everyone around here has given countless dollars," she said. "Someone donated the money for her car. She owed car payments and it was in jeopardy of being repossessed. Someone anonymously paid off the debt."It's really been a huge community effort. Everyone did what they could, when they could."A knitting clatchBesides selling yarn, the Crochet Cafe was a popular gathering place for knitters. With a seemingly endless supply of tea and cookies, Perry started her Tuesday night yarn club. By word of mouth, the small weekly gathering gained popularity and soon outgrew the confines of the small shop."Her shop has a soul," recalled Susan Long of Temecula, who was part of the knitting group that would gather at the Crochet Cafe. "We would knit outside when the store was closed."Long recalled the first personal experience she shared with Perry. It was a conversation about a difficult medical situation that Long's husband was going through."That's when she told me that she had cancer," Long said. "She was able to connect with people on a personal level. She understood that sometimes the best thing you could do for someone was to listen."Long said the sight of Perry's two teenage boys running a yarn shop while their mother was ill was also something she won't forget. She said Perry's younger son, Noah, took to the duties like a natural and was getting familiar with the name brands of yard and other knitting goods ---- not typical knowledge for a teenage boy to have.Food, friendsWhen Perry wasn't at her home or her shop, she could often be found eating at one of Old Town's staple eateries.Alissa Rauton, whose family owns the Swing Inn, recalled how when Perry began coming to the restaurant about a year and a half ago, she was "really quiet."But as Perry and her sons kept up their daily tradition of eating at the restaurant, coming in for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner in one day, the restaurant became an extension of the Perry family's home."This was their meeting place; this was their kitchen table. And we were fortunate enough to be a part of it," Rauton said.She added that Perry would still come in while she was undergoing chemotherapy, though the visits were less frequent. The boys still came for a meal and to give updates on their mother's condition. They were fed like family, she said."I saw her two days ago to say goodbye and to tell her that I loved her," Rauton said Thursday. "In such a short period of time, she made such an impact on us.'"She was angelic and she was a very beautiful person, despite a lot of tough things that she had gone through in her life. She was always curious about life and religion," said Rauton before stopping during her litany of descriptions."It's hard to put someone into a few words. We miss her."

brand name jeans AN HEIRESS without attitude or an energy drink to promote? How refreshing. In fact, Margherita Missoni -- scion to the iconic knitwear empire -- doesn't even name check the family brand when gushing about her favorite designers. Missoni, 25, hit Cannes on its first weekend to co-host a yacht party to benefit OrphanAid Africa; she helped design a rose gold and diamond bracelet selling on Yoox.com that supports the cause. She also acted in a short film showing at the festival.Barefoot aboard a big boat, wearing floor-length, flowing white silk with a floral motif, Missoni sat down and gave us the lowdown on her own look.Describe your personal style.Very irrational and distinctive. I start from a piece that I want to wear and then I build on that. I am never matchy -- ugh. It's hard to dissect my style but it is definitely bohemian.Name your Cannes essentials.It's quite easy because you only have to pack gowns. I wish I had brought a trench coat because of the rain, but I didn't think that far ahead. The most important thing is flats because you have to be ready for boats. I brought one pair of Vuitton patent-leather flats in white with all these gorgeous beads on them and a pair of Prada sandals.Where do you stay here?I am staying at the Majestic, and then next week, I come back and stay at the Martinez for amfAR [the annual fashion gala to support AIDS research]. I would rather stay at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes. It's much more quiet there.Where do you perch to watch the scenery?Nowhere. I keep it tight, in the sense of timing, and go to events. I don't hang out here that much. I love the South of France, but it is too intense and crazy for me.Tell us about the movie you're in.It's called "I Am an Island," and I play the patient of a psychiatric unit. There is a screening and a party for it on Sunday. There are so many directors here I would love to work with, like Woody Allen.As the face of Missoni, do you feel like you must always wear the brand?No! I think it is more believable if I don't wear Missoni all the time. If I wear other designers, people know that when I do wear Missoni, I actually like it. Right now, I am wearing my grandmother's vintage nightgown. She gave it to me the other day, and I thought it was so beautiful.OK. Pajamas and Missoni aside, which designers do you love?I love Louis Vuitton and Givenchy. Giambattista Valli, Proenza Schouler and Lanvin too. Oh, so many. For jeans, I wear Seven and J Brand.Do you have a life motto?Judge for yourself. The only person whose judgment counts is your own. I try to live by that.

Sodium Erythorbate A process for producing a soy protein isolate, the process comprising: dispersing white flakes produced from soybeans in a liquid to produce a soy protein extract; separating insoluble material from the soy protein extract to form a soluble soy protein extract; adjusting the pH of the soluble soy protein extract to about the isoelectric point of soy protein with an acid to form a precipitated soy protein mixture; centrifuging the precipitated soy protein mixture and decanting the supernatant to form a soy protein curd; diluting the soy protein curd with water to form a soy protein slurry; adjusting the pH of the soy protein slurry to a pH of from about 9.5 to about 10.5 with a base to form a pH-adjusted soy protein slurry; heating and reacting the pH-adjusted soy protein slurry with an Sodium Erythorbate without maintaining the pH level to form an enzyme hydrolyzed soy protein mixture; and adjusting the pH of the enzyme hydrolyzed soy protein mixture with an acid to a pH of from about 7.0 to about 7.6; wherein the enzyme hydrolyzed soy protein isolate has an average molecular weight of from about 12,000 Daltons to about 18,000 Daltons and a degree of hydrolysis of from about 2.9% to about 5.2%, wherein the soy protein isolate has a soluble solids index of from about 80% to about 100% at a pH of from about 7.0 to about 7.8, an average particle size of from about 15 .mu.M to about 60 .mu.M, and greater than 99% homogeneity in water at a pH of from about 7.0 to about 7.8 after 30 minutes, and wherein the soy protein isolate has greater than 90% homogeneity in water at a pH of from about 7.0 to about 7.8 after 2 hours.

Mandarin Oranges Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, and what better time to learn about the history of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's "independence day" as many think. the reason May 5 is celebrated is due to the fact that 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City, on the morning of May 5, 1862. According to Mandarin Oranges, the French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas. Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War. The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did. Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish. General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes. When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz's superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War. So now that you are familiar with the history of why Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, eat up! Here are some recipes to help celebrate, even if you're not Mexican. Appetizer Nachos 8 oz. homemade white corn tortilla chips 1 1/2 cups refried beans, warmed, recipe follows 2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced 2 to 4 canned, pickled jalapeno chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise 1 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounce) 1/2 cup sour cream Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread half the chips out in a large shallow casserole dish or on an ovenproof platter. Top with half the beans, in small spoonfuls, and scatter with half the chiles. Repeat with the remaining chips, beans, and chiles. Sprinkle the top of the nachos with the cheese. Bake until heated through and the cheese melts, about 3 to 5 minutes. Top the nachos with dollops of the sour cream and serve. www.foodnetwork.com Main dish Pork and Rice Quesadillas with Orange Salsa Cooking spray 1 cup instant rice, cooked according to package directions 2 cups diced roasted pork loin 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained 1 cup chopped arugula leaves 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup diced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 6 burrito-size flour tortillas, regular or flavored 1 recipe Orange Salsa, recipe follows Coat a stove-top griddle with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat to preheat. In a large bowl, combine rice, pork, beans, arugula, cheese, and tomatoes. Mix well to combine. Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top 1 side of the tortillas with pork mixture. Fold the other side over to cover filling. Transfer quesadillas to hot pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cheese melts. Serve with orange salsa. Orange Salsa 1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges, drained and chopped 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper 2 tbsp. freshly chopped scallions 2 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro leaves 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. ground cumin Salt and freshly ground black pepper Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Side dish Refried Beans One 15 1/2-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 medium onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) (optional) In a small bowl, mash two-thirds of the beans with a fork or potato masher. Reserve the whole beans separately. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the mashed beans and half the broth and cook, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the whole beans and the remaining broth and simmer about 4 to 5 minutes more until thickened but not pasty. Season with the salt and pepper, and stir in the fresh coriander, if desired. Serve.

Polo T Shirt Before I'd been to Venice, it had never occurred to me that I needed to go. Between Madonna and Indiana Jones and pop-culture osmosis, I thought I got the gist: gondolas, striped shirts, lots of tourists, some wit telegraphing "STREETS FULL OF WATER. PLEASE ADVISE." (It was Robert Benchley, not Mark Twain.)But last September I found myself in Europe for business, and had a free Saturday in Milan. I asked one of our hosts where I should go, and she said: "If you've never been there, you should really see Venice."I took her advice; one semi-competent train trip later, I wandered out of the train station and got my first view of the Grand Canal over the heads of the tourist horde.I found myself smiling within a few minutes of crossing the Ponte delle Guglie into Cannaregio, and never stopped. Venice's geometry and architectural vocabulary were enormously pleasing, from the bridges over the small canals (rii) to the narrow streets (calli) and the squares (campi), each with its church and well. Wherever I walked, there was something new to marvel at: the long-shuttered waterline entrances of ancient homes; the worn stone steps leading into the canals' green murk; the way a dim, echoing calle emerged into the broad expanse of a campo, or met the arc of a bridge. I felt like a little kid, eager to see what was around the next corner. Six hours later, I reluctantly tramped back to the Ferrovia, trying to figure out when and how I could return.Happily, it wasn't so long: I was back in Milan recently, and decided to extend the trip to add a weekend in Venice. (By train, Venice is within easy reach of Milan and Florence, and fewer than five hours from Rome). Unlike my first hurried trip, I'd get two nights in Venice, and all of Saturday to do as I pleased.That seemed like an enormous amount of time, but I knew it really wasn't. So I planned ahead, scouring guidebooks and travel Web sites after hours in my Milan hotel room. When I returned to the Serenissima, I was ready.Here's the weekend in Venice one smitten convert hoped for, and was lucky enough to get.Friday NightWhether you arrive via train or bus, entering Venice from the west is a great introduction: The crowds are dishearteningly thick at first, but cross the Grand Canal via the Ponte Scalzi and you'll soon find yourself in the quieter streets of Santa Croce, where you can get your bearings. If you find yourself crammed into a tourist thoroughfare, take a quick left or right – even in high season you'll quickly find a quieter street with some elbow room.I lugged my bags to the Hotel San Cassiano (www.sancassiano.it), a small hotel on the Grand Canal in San Polo, housed in the 14th-century Ca' Favoretto. (The route was a little tricky, but I found that charming.) I was hungry, but lingered long enough to survey the Grand Canal room I'd splurged on, noting happily that I had a swell view, an antique desk – and a divan. Molto bene.It was a clear night; stars spilled across the sky above the Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio. More than 60,000 people live in Venice, but the human-scale buildings and lack of cars make for minimal light pollution.For dinner I tucked in at All'Anforna, a comfortable Santa Croce pizzeria I discovered on my first trip (Lista dei Bari 1223, near the train station), and plowed my way through an entire gorgonzola pizza (pleasure elbowing shame aside about halfway through) and a couple glasses of prosecco.All'Anforna isn't fancy, but it's popular with locals and the portions are generous. (And the back garden is lovely.) Once finished, I strolled back to my room on Ca' Favoretto, where I threw open the windows to revel in the nighttime traffic on the Grand Canal.Twenty minutes later, I closed them – Venice is magic, but it's still chilly in February.Saturday MorningUp early, I headed for the Piazza San Marco, figuring I'd beat the lines for the Basilica and the Doge's Palace, Venice's busiest attractions. After navigating the city's warren of narrow streets, the grand scale of the piazza is striking, but its crowds, orchestras and pigeons can be wearing – particularly the pigeons. Going early in the morning or late in the afternoon can help you avoid the crowds; either way, guard against the snobby temptation to not see something just because everybody does.I immediately had to change my plans: The Basilica wasn't opening until noon that day. No matter: I moved on to the Secret Itineraries tour of the Doge's Palace (tickets available from Musei Civici Veneziani, 16 euros), which takes you behind the scenes into the palace's old administrative chambers before turning you loose with the other tourists in the publicly accessible parts of the palace. The tale of Casanova's confinement in the attic cells known as the Piombi and his eventual escape dominates the English-language tour, but it's a good yarn. Afterwards, don't miss the gigantic Hall of the Grand Council (with its blacked-out portrait of disgraced doge Marin Falier), the Bridge of Sighs, the gargoyle-like letterbox for anonymous charges and the Giants' Staircase. These sights are guidebook mainstays, but with good reason.Next I went to the Basilica – I walked right in, but expect long lines during the summer tourist season. (Admission is free, with three separate admissions for attractions inside. Be advised that you'll be turned away if you're sporting shorts or bare shoulders, and you must check your bags nearby at Ateneo San Basso.) Inside and out, the Basilica is chockablock with columns, reliefs, statues and relics acquired by the Venetians over the years in various dodgy ways, most notably while hijacking the Fourth Crusade to sack Constantinople. Strip away the weight of history and faith and you'll realize you're exploring a kids' clubhouse of loot piled up and given new names and histories.The same is true outside: You don't need to know anything about architecture to find the Basilica's south fa?ade (near the repurposed porphyry figures called the Tetrarchs) simultaneously impressive and amusing. The panels and columns are gorgeous individually, but together they make for a head-shaking hodgepodge of materials and textures. Inside or out, I can't improve on the travel writer Rick Steves' description of the Basilica's style as "Early Ransack."After St. Mark's, I walked down the waterfront to put right a disappointment from my original visit, when I'd been (politely) turned aside from Harry's Bar (Calle Vallaresso 1323, near the waterfront) for wearing shorts. This time around I was ready: not only had I upgraded to pants, but I'd also put on a nice shirt and jacket. They did the trick.What's inside? Harry's Bar is famous for its bellini (peach nectar and prosecco), its carpaccio and its astonishingly high prices. Is a very small bellini worth more than $20? I vote no. (But then, I reached that conclusion after drinking two of them.)Saturday AfternoonAfter heading off the beaten track of St. Mark's, it was time to find something to bring home for my wife and son.I wound up back in the Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio at Il Refolo, run by the same family behind Venice's renowned seafood restaurant Osteria da Fiore. I'd heard the dish to order at Il Refolo is the pizza with prosciutto and figs; the figs were out of season, but I dined happily on pizza with fresh basil while sitting in the sunshine. Revived, I was off to the shops in San Polo for souvenirs. I bought my wife a pair of gloves at hip, cheerful Fanny (Calle dei Saoneri, San Polo 2723), then went around the corner to look at gondola models at the shop run by Gilberto Penzo, an expert in all aspects of Venice's famous craft. The wooden model kits were a bit too delicate for my five-year-old – maybe next time. (He had to content himself with a chunk of rock with fossil crabs embedded in it, bought at a San Polo geology shop. The fossils, I saw to my amusement, were found in California.)Mission accomplished, my next stop was the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (Campo San Rocco, Dorsoduro 3052), decorated wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with the works of Tintoretto, the 16th-century painter and Venice's favorite son. (A scuola was a form of social club affiliated with a church or guild.) An English-language audio guide to the art comes with the 7-euro admission price, and is well worth it. So is navigating your way around the Scuola with one of the many handheld mirrors provided for sightseers to use. (The alternative: neck strain.) Tintoretto's "Crucifixion" is particularly impressive, a remarkable parade of characters going about their business around the figure of Christ. Also impressive: contemplating that Tintoretto spent the last two decades of his life painting canvas after canvas for the Scuola's walls and ceilings.By now it was late afternoon and I was flagging. I wandered deeper into Dorsoduro, one of the rare parts of Venice whose shops and streets seem geared more to locals than tourists, making my way through the lively Campo Santa Margherita on my way to the Zattere, the lagoon-side quay.I wasn't headed anywhere in particular, which is one of the great pleasures of Venice: You can pick a more or less random direction and see what sights the city delivers, waiting to check your map when you decide you're sufficiently lost. But you're rarely truly lost – there are lots of ways connecting most any Point A and B, and ubiquitous signs direct you to St. Mark's, the Rialto Bridge or the Ferrovia.When I wander, I generally wind up across a canal from the Squero di San Trovaso, a gondola repair yard near the Accademia Bridge in Dorsoduro that's more concerned with its craft than with amusing tourists. So it was this time. I rewarded myself for a hard day of walking with a gelato and hopped the vaporetto (water taxi) for a ride back up the Grand Canal to my hotel.Saturday NightI'd originally planed to eat and return to the Campo Santa Magherita, where young Venice amuses itself at night. But part of traveling well is knowing your limits, and I'd reached mine – weary and wary of an early morning of lugging my bags back to the bus to the airport. After fighting my way out of a nap that threatened to consume the entire evening, I ate arugula and pecorino drizzled with honey, followed by gnocchi, at Antica Birrara, a sprawling pizzeria in Campo San Polo. If you can, finish the night at Alaska, a colorful gelateria in Santa Croce (Calle Larga dei Bari 1159, near All'Anforna) that I'd enjoyed on my first visit.This time, it was closed – and that, I decided, was a sign: It was time for bed.Sunday MorningA long slog to the Piazzale Roma, a moderate wait among suddenly depressing cars and trucks and buses, and a long flight home. But there's a way to avoid the blues as the Serenissima and the lagoon vanish astern. Get out those guidebooks, thumb through them again, and mark down all the interesting places you didn't get to see.No, I didn't make it to the soaring Santa Maria della Salute. Or the lavish Ca' Rezzonico museum. Or the imposing Arsenale whose industry inspired Dante's vision of Hell. Didn't climb the spiral staircase of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, and didn't see the restored Fenice opera house. Never gazed at the countless labels adorning Enoteca Il Volto, or saw the Campo Santa Margherita at midnight, or learned which bars offer the best cicchetti – toothpick-friendly foods to go with wine. No chance to explore Castello, Giudecca or San Giorgio Maggiore – to say nothing of the other islands of the lagoon.But somewhere over Switzerland, these missed chances stopped being regrets, and turned into cheerful possibilities. Next time!

Soap Leaves The Open Data Definition is a new format for the import and export of data from within social applications. Rather than an academic exercise, it’s driven by necessity; hopefully, software companies and individual developers who feel the same pressures will join the conversation and build it with us. Data portability is an important issue, and it needs to be solved with practical solutions that work in the real world.Last September, Marc Canter held the first Data Sharing Summit in an office on an industrial estate in Richmond. The two day event was an effort to cajole social application providers into making their applications talk to each other in a standard way. In fact, the event served mostly to illustrate how difficult that would be to achieve. On the desktop, a file saved by one application can be opened by another application that does a similar thing, but it’s taken decades of software development and competition to get there - and by comparison, the Web is an infant.Users are waking up to the underlying issues. Facebook recently caught some flak from the New York Times for its closed policy on user data. When the videoblogger Robert Scoble publicly got his account deleted for abusing the site’s terms of service, he was flooded with requests for instructions from people eager to copy him. This kind of abuse is the only sure-fire way of making sure your data is wiped clean from the service, and even then, there’s still no good way of exporting your data before you kill your profile.Chris Saad, the Australian entrepreneur behind Particls, has given data portability a focal point (and logo) at DataPortability.org. The site suggests a set of simple formats that application developers should standardise upon in order to make their software work together. Some are now familiar names (RSS, OpenID) while others are newcomers (Saad’s own APML), but each covers a particular base: RSS allows for simple syndication, OpenID standardises authentication, and so on.Although each format is limited in scope, they collectively serve as a useful benchmark for openness. Certainly, we intend to support all of them with our Elgg social application engine when we relaunch it this summer, so that social applications built on top of its core don’t need to worry about building in compatibility. Alas, with the exception of RSS, support for most of the listed formats is still very rare. You can subscribe to content, but you can’t export it.It’s almost impossible to actually import and export your data from one application to another, for example to move your profile to another service, or to ensure that your data is preserved if the site you created it on goes out of business. Service closures are commonplace in our era of advertising-based business models, and they will doubtless become more so as the economy takes a turn for the worse. Chances are, when your favourite photo service goes down, so do your photos.A number of half-solutions are available. For years, many services have had interfaces that provide access to your data through third party tools. However, these are proprietary – they vary from service to service – and a tool written for one web application will most likely not work with another. The enterprise market has a standard called SOAP, but this is much too heavyweight for most needs and too cumbersome to support for most web coders. There are services that attempt to mediate between proprietary APIs, but this again leaves you reliant on a single point of failure.The semantic web community has RDF, a format designed for the purpose that is potentially powerful but – as one might expect from the semantic web community – prone to ambiguity and overcomplicated implementation. In small doses, it works (FOAF is based on a subset of RDF), but for more abstract data, it becomes exponentially harder to build for. Adding new data fields requires doing contortions in XML, which makes it harder to generate dynamically. RDF parsers are also not widely supported, and it seems unlikely that most web coders would bother to read through the specification, let alone sit down and actually write compliant software.This winter, we were faced with a dilemma. The markets our products are designed for require import / export functionality (or at least, we believe it should be a feature), but no Soap Leaves format existed. With this in mind, and not before exploring the alternatives, we built the Open Data Definition (ODD): an extremely simple format that allows for the import, export, syndication and streaming of just about any kind of data. The specification is a couple of pages, and implementation takes about forty-five minutes. We built it into Elgg, and although our software depends on plugins that add completely new types of functionality (a blog, a CRM tool), the engine will export to ODD without any further work.You can find details of the specification over at OpenDD.net, as well as a mailing list. It takes wide support before a format can become a standard, and in order to gain that, it needs to meet as many people’s needs as possible. We’d like to invite you to join in and make sure it meets yours.

Fresh Chestnut As Robert Key was making a compelling case to be considered for an England recall this summer with an unbeaten hundred for Kent against the New Zealanders in Canterbury, another familiar stocky figure was preparing for a long-awaited return to the Test arena Fresh Chestnut. At Old Trafford next month, in the second Test of England's series against New Zealand, Darrell Hair, the often controversial but highly regarded Australian umpire, will stand in a Test match for the first time since the abandoned fourth Test between England and Pakistan in August 2006 that precipitated his removal from frontline umpiring duties. He will also stand in the third Test of the series, at Trent Bridge, which starts on June 5, the ICC announced yesterday. Hair and Billy Doctrove, the West Indian umpire, awarded the Test at the Brit Oval to England after Pakistan refused to play in protest at England being awarded five runs for alleged ball-tampering by the touring team. The ICC board passed a motion of no confidence in Hair in November 2006, meaning that, while he was retained on the panel of elite umpires, he could not stand in a top-level match. No such sanction was applied to Doctrove, which led to Hair bringing a suit of racial discrimination against the governing body last autumn. After seven days of the employment tribunal he dropped his claim and the ICC agreed to reinstate him, subject to him taking courses to improve his communications skills. Since the vote of no confidence, Hair, who was consistently rated as one of the three most accurate umpires in world cricket, had been involved only in matches involving associate nations. His most recent international was Ireland versus Scotland last July. Hair will stand alongside Simon Taufel, his compatriot, at Old Trafford. Steve Bucknor will be the other umpire at Trent Bridge, with Ranjan Madugalle the match referee for the series. Key's innings yesterday means that, whatever the New Zealand fast bowlers might have heard about the greenness of early-season English pitches or the putative weakness of county cricket, it will cut no ice with them in future. Key, an habitual Kiwi-basher who is likely to be in the England Lions team announced today for a four-day match against the touring team at the Rose Bowl on May 8, made 178 not out, while James Tredwell, whom the selectors know to be rather more than the journeyman pro that many might have imagined him to be, scored a career-best 123 not out. Together they surpassed Kent's record partnership for any wicket against any of the 11 New Zealand touring teams. Eventually all the mighty have to fall: for F.E. Woolley and L.E.G. Ames (277 in 1931) must now be substituted J.C. Tredwell and R.W.T. Key (299 in 2008). It is, indeed, Kent's highest stand against any touring team. All credit to them because the bowling was by no means as bad as the scorecard suggests. It is a flat pitch, despite some bounce and movement for Chris Martin with the new ball and swing for Tim Southee. Key always seems to start his seasons well, not least against touring teams in Canterbury. This was his fifth hundred against one of them and his third in succession against the Kiwis (Keywis, perhaps?) after making 114 and 117 not out in 2004. Perhaps he is inspired by the chestnut trees in fresh leaf and blossom on the cherries on this loveliest of grounds. The limes are not yet out, but the Kent captain is in summer bloom, having almost carried his bat against Nottinghamshire and quickly shaken off the virus that ruled him out of the match away to Sussex last week to bat with impressive command after escaping a chance to second slip off Southee. Tredwell played soundly and sensibly, timing the ball really well after reaching a second first-class hundred. After justifying his promotion up the order against Sussex, he has batted for more than 11 hours in his past three innings.