Maldives Popular Outing Spot The North Male Atoll

The Maldives is made up of many atolls (groups of islands) and the North Male Atoll is part of the larger

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Kaafu Atoll, and is home to the country's capital, Male, although the administrative capital of Kaafu is Thulusdhoo, not Male.

The total population of the 107 islands making up the Kaafu Atoll is just under 10,000, because only 9 are inhabited!

There are about 58 hotels in the North Male Atoll alone, and I'm guessing they aren't included in the inhabited islands! They range from the top of the range One&Only Reethi Rah, Banyan Tree and Huvafen Fushi to more budget places like Athama Palace, Relax Inn Hotel and Central Hotel.

The diving in the Maldives is supposed to be wonderful, but from what I saw near Reethi Rah it wasn't as good as near Kanahura.

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TOFU a Very Famous Food of China

 DELICIOUS TOFU :

Diced, mashed or crumbled, you'll love this versatile Chinese food
"Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart soft as tofu" (Chinese Proverb)

Tofu has an image problem in the west. Even chefs will sometimes claim it lacks flavor. And it's true that the custard-like white substance doesn't look very appetizing. But despite its critics, tofu has a lot going for it.

What is Tofu?:

Also known as soybean curd, (tofu is the Japanese name for soybean curd; the Chinese name is doufu) tofu is made from soybeans, water, and a coagulant such as calcium or maganesium, in a process that has a great deal in common with making cheese.

Nutritional Benefits:

Nutritionally speaking, tofu is high in calcium, iron and B vitamins, but low in fat and sodium. Tofu is a excellent source of protein, not only for vegetarians, but also for individuals who have trouble digesting meat, or suffer from medical conditions such as chronic heartburn. And if that isn't enough, tofu has been credited with offering protection against diseases such as cancer and osteoporosis.

How Does Tofu Taste?:

Of course, that does leave the not so small matter of flavor. There is no question that, served alone, tofu tastes rather bland. But tofu is not meant to be eaten alone. The beauty of tofu is that it absorbs the flavors of the food it is cooked with. (Picture a large white sponge and you've got the basic idea).

Types of Tofu:

There are two types of tofu: regular and silken. Regular tofu comes in a variety of textures, from firm to extra firm tofus, which are fairly dense and solid, to soft tofu, which is more jello-like. Originating in Japan and made through a process that has more in common with making yogurt than cheese, silken tofu has a creamy, custard-like texture. It also comes in varying degrees of firmnes

Which Tofu to Use?:

When it comes to regular tofu, the firmer tofus are recommended for stir-fries and grilling, while soft tofu works well in soups. Normally, a recipe will specify which type of tofu to use - if not, it's safest to stick with medium firmness.
Silken tofu is great for blended dishes like pudding, dressings, and purees. A recipe will nearly always state when silken tofu is required.

Shopping for Tofu:

In regular supermarkets, tofu is usually located in the refrigeration case of the produce section. The firmer tofus generally come in brick packages, while softer dessert tofus come in plastic containers. (Less frequently, tofu may be found in aseptically packaged containers that don't require refrigeration in other sections of the store).
In Asian markets, Chinese tofu may be sold in plastic containers or loose in bins filled with water.

Storing Tofu:

Like any perishable product, you need to check the package of tofu for an expiry date. (If the tofu hasn't reached its expiry date but still smells sour, throw it out or return to the store for a refund). Also, depending on the type of packaging, the tofu may need to be refrigerated immediately. Either way, once you've opened it, cover the leftover tofu with water and store it in the refrigerator, being sure to change the water daily. (If possible, use distilled instead of regular tap water). The tofu should last for up to a week.

Draining and Marinating Tofu:

Draining tofu before cooking increases its capacity to absorb other flavors, making for a tastier dish.
Another way to increase the tofu's flavor is to marinate it. For best results, use extra firm tofu that has been drained. The longer the tofu is marinated, the more flavorful the result. After marinating, you can fry the tofu, bake it, or add it to a soup or salad. If not using immediately, store marinated tofu in a sealed container in the refrigerator, and use within 3 - 4 days.

Freezing Tofu:

Freezing tofu gives it a more meaty texture. The regular to extra firm tofus are better for freezing, as the softer tofus do not hold their shape as well. To add even extra firmness to the tofu, drain it before freezing. Frozen tofu will last for at least three, and up to five, months.

Final Thoughts:
If you live near an Asian market, try the Chinese-style tofu packaged in water. It is softer than Japanese tofus, but still firm enough to hold its shape during cooking.

What Are the 10 Greatest Inventions of Our Time?

Before you consider, here are a few opinions from Scientific American readers in 1913 on what makes a great invention. 

A competition sponsored in 1913 by Scientific American asked for essays on the 10 greatest inventions. The rules: “our time” meant the previous quarter century, 1888 to 1913; the invention had to be patent able and was considered to date from its “commercial introduction.”

Perception is at the heart of this question. Inventions are most salient when we can see the historical changes they cause. In 2013 we might not appreciate the work of Nikola Tesla or Thomas Edison on a daily basis, as we are accustomed to electricity in all its forms, but we are very impressed by the societal changes caused by the Internet and the World Wide Web (both of which run on alternating-current electricity, by the way). A century from now they might be curious as to what all the fuss was about. The answers from 1913 thus provide a snapshot of the perceptions of the time.

The airplane: The Wright Flyer for military purposes, being demonstrated at Fort Myer, Va., in 1908.Image: Scientific American - November 1, 1913

Following are excerpts from the first- and second-prize essays, along with a statistical tally of all the entries that were sent in.

The first-prize essay was written by William I. Wyman, who worked in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., and was thus well informed on the progress of inventions. His list was:

1. The electric furnace (1889) It was “the only means for commercially producing Carborundum (the hardest of all manufactured substances).” The electric furnace also converted aluminum “from a merely precious to very useful metal” (by reducing it’s price 98 percent), and was “radically transforming the steel industry.”

2. The steam turbine, invented by Charles Parsons in 1884 and commercially introduced over the next 10 years. A huge improvement in powering ships, the more far-reaching use of this invention was to drive generators that produced electricity.

3. The gasoline-powered automobile. Many inventors worked toward the goal of a “self-propelled” vehicle in the 19th century. Wyman gave the honor specifically to Gottleib Daimler for his 1889 engine, arguing: “a century's insistent but unsuccessful endeavor to provide a practical self-propelled car proves that the success of any type that once answered requirements would be immediate. Such success did come with the advent of the Daimler motor, and not before.”

4. The moving picture. Entertainment always will be important to people. “The moving picture has transformed the amusements of the multitude.” The technical pioneer he cited was Thomas Edison.

5. The airplane. For “the Realization of an age-long dream” he gave the laurels of success to the Wright brothers, but apart from its military use reserved judgment on the utility of the invention: “It presents the least commercial utility of all the inventions considered.”

6. Wireless Telegraphy. Systems for transmitting information between people have been around for centuries, perhaps millennia. Telegraph signals got a speed boost in the U.S. from Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail. Wireless telegraphy as invented by Guglielmo Marconi, later evolving into radio, set information free from wires.

7. The cyanide process. Sounds toxic, yes? It appears on this list for only one reason: It is used to extract gold from ore. “Gold is the life blood of trade,” and in 1913 it was considered to be the foundation for international commerce and national currencies.

8. The Nikolai Tesla induction motor. “This epoch-making invention is mainly responsible for the present large and increasing use of electricity in the industries.” Before people had electricity in their homes, the alternating current–producing motor constructed by Tesla supplied 90 percent of the electricity used by manufacturing.

9. The Linotype machine. The Linotype machine enabled publishers—largely newspapers—to compose text and print it much faster and cheaper. It was an advance as large as the invention of the printing press itself was over the painstaking handwritten scrolls before it. Pretty soon we won’t be using paper for writing and reading, so the history of printing will be forgotten anyway.

10. The electric welding process of Elihu Thomson. In the era of mass production, the electric welding process enabled faster production and construction of better, more intricate machines for that manufacturing process.

The electric welder invented by Elihu Thomson enabled the cheaper production of intricate welded machinery. 

Chongqing Famous Food Hotpot

Hotpot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local people consider the hotpot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery and hot taste, scalding yet fresh and tender. Nowadays, as a matter of fact, Chongqing hotpot is famous and popular all over the country. Chongqing hotpot was first eaten by poor boatmen of the Yangtze River in Chongqing area and then spread westwards to the rest of Sichuan Province. Now it is a very popular local flavor and can be found at every corner of the city.

People gather around a small pot filled with flavorful and nutritious soup base. The pot may be boiled by various means, such as charcoal, electric or gas. You have a choice of spicy, pure or combo for the soup. There are a great variety of hotpots, including Yuanyang (Double Tastes) hotpot, four tastes hotpot, fish head hotpot, tonic hotpot, entire sheep hotpot, etc. Chongqing hotpot is characterized by its spiciness, but to suit customers of different preference, salty, sweet or sour flavors of hotpot are available. As long as you can stand the spiciness, you are advised to try the spiciest one to ensure an authentic experience.

Thin sliced raw variety meat, fish, various bean curd products and all kinds of vegetables are the main ingredients for this cuisine. All of these are boiled in the soup, and then you can dip them in a little bowl of special sauce.

Chongqing people love their hotpot, especially when the weather is steamy. The fire dances under the pot, the heavily oiled and spiced soup boils with hazy steam, and the people are bathed in sweat. Chongqing hotpot can be found wherever there are street vendors or small restaurants, it has the greatest variety and is known for its delicious soup base and dipping sauce. Tasting this traditional dish will be the first choice of tourists who come here.

The most representative and famous types of hotpots are as follows:

Cattle-gut Hotpot

Hotpots are the traditional famous course of Sichuan, of which Chongqing hotpot is specially noted, characterized by hotness, heavy flavors and dense soup. The traditional Chongqing hotpot's materials include cattle guts, cattle waists, beef and other vegetables, being a real self-help course. Hotpot enjoys an age-old history in China.

Yuanyang Hotpot

Yuanyang hotpot is characterized by its unique flavor. In fact, Yuanyang hotpot is a mixture of the hot soup of traditional cattle-gut hotpot and the bree of mum hotpot. Thus it is honored Sichuan Innovative Hotpot. The pot is divided into two parts by a copper slice in the middle. One side is the container of hot soup, the other side is bree. The option of hotpot's materials is decided at your will.

Time-honored "Qiaotou" Hotpot

Chongqing hotpot is well known throughout China as a unique local eating culture, and the Qiaotou hotpot is said to be among the top ones, and it has been enjoying a high reputation in generations of Chongqing natives. The staff of Qiaotou has created Yuanyang hotpot, hotpot banquet and various nourishing series stockpot on the basis of hot-soup hotpot.

The other famous local food is hot and spicy Ma La Tang, which is similar to hotpot in some way. Literally, "ma" means numbness in the mouth, "la" is chili hot and "tang" means piping hot.Ma La Tang, with various raw ingredients cooked in a communal pot of steaming stock blended with spices, originated in Sichuan's largest city, Chongqing. The double-sided soup pot, placed on a central table burner, is the focal point of the meal. Ingredients include fresh sliced abalone, sea cucumber, hog tendon, Beijing cabbage and beef dumpling, prawns, carp fish fillet, bean curd, chicken fillet and vegetables. The excellent dipping mixture of sesame oil, chili sauce, peanut sauce, chopped chilies and garlic combine to make magic. Savory titbits are appetizingly tasty -- egg coated glutinous square, crispy spring roll, fried buns, eight treasure black rice and water chestnut jelly. Diners cook their food right at the table in steamingMa La Tang, a savory broth blended with the spices found in abundance in Sichuan.

Albert Einstein Part 3

Einstein and the Atomic Bomb

In July 1939, scientists Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner visited Einstein to discuss the possibility that Germany was working on building an atomic bomb. The ramifications of Germany building such a destructive weapon prompted Einstein to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to warn him about this potentially massive weapon. In response, Roosevelt established the Manhattan Project, which was a collection of U.S. scientists urged to beat Germany to the construction of a working atomic bomb.Even though Einstein's letter prompted the Manhattan Project, Einstein himself never worked on constructing the atomic bomb.

Einstein's Later Years

From 1922 until the end of his life, Einstein worked on finding a "unified field theory." Believing that "God does not play dice," Einstein searched for a single, unified theory that could combine all the fundamental forces of physics between elementary particles. Einstein never found it.

In the years after World War II, Einstein advocated for a world government and for civil rights. In 1952, after the death of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel. Realizing that he was not good at politics and too aged to start something new, Einstein declined the honor.

On April 12, 1955, Einstein collapsed at his home. Just six days later, on April 18, 1955, Einstein died when the aneurysm that he had been living with for several years had finally burst. He was 76 years old.

Albert Einstein Part 2

Scientists Take Notice of Einstein

Recognition from the academic and scientific community did not come quickly. Perhaps it was difficult to take seriously a 26-year-old patent clerk who, until this time, had only earned disdain from his former teachers. Or perhaps Einstein's ideas were so profound and radical that no one was yet prepared to consider them truths.

In 1909, four years after his theories were first published, Einstein was finally offered a teaching position. Einstein enjoyed being a teacher at the University of Zurich. He had found traditional schooling as he grew up extremely limiting and thus he wanted to be a different kind of teacher. Arriving at school unkempt, with hair uncombed and his clothes too baggy, Einstein taught from the heart.

As Einstein's fame within the scientific community grew, offers for new, better positions began to pour in. Within only a few years, Einstein worked at the University of Zurich (Switzerland), then the German University in Prague (Czech Republic), and then back to Zurich for the Polytechnic Institute.

The frequent moves, the numerous conferences that Einstein attended, and preoccupation of Einstein with science, left Mileva (Einstein's wife) feeling both neglected and lonely. When Einstein was offered a professorship at the University of Berlin in 1913, she didn't want to go. Einstein accepted the position anyway. Not long after arriving in Berlin, Mileva and Albert separated. Realizing the marriage could not be salvaged, Mileva took the kids back to Zurich. They officially divorced in 1919.

Einstein Becomes World Famous

During World War I, Einstein stayed in Berlin and worked diligently on new theories. He worked like a man obsessed. With Mileva gone, he often forgot to eat and forgot to go to sleep. In 1917, the stress eventually took its toll and he collapsed. Diagnosed with gallstones, Einstein was told to rest. During his recuperation, Einstein's cousin Elsa helped nurse him back to health. The two became very close and when Albert's divorce was finalized, Albert and Elsa married.

It was during this time that Einstein revealed his General Theory of Relativity, which considered the effects of acceleration and gravity on time and space. If Einstein's theory was correct, then the gravity of the sun would bend light from stars.

In 1919, Einstein's General Theory of Relativity could be tested during a solar eclipse. In May 1919, two British astronomers (Arthur Eddington and Sir Frances Dyson) were able to put together an expedition which observed the solar eclipse and documented the bent light. In November 1919, their findings were announced publicly.

The world was ready for some good news. After having suffered monumental bloodshed during World War I, people around the world were craving news that went beyond their country's borders. Einstein became a worldwide celebrity overnight.

It wasn't just his revolutionary theories (which many people couldn't really understand); it was Einstein's general persona that appealed to the masses. Einstein's disheveled hair, poorly fitting clothes, doe-like eyes, and witty charm endeared him to the average person. Yes he was a genius, but he was an approachable one.

Instantly famous, Einstein was hounded by reporters and photographers wherever he went. He was given honorary degrees and asked to visit countries around the world. Albert and Elsa took trips to the United States, Japan, Palestine (now Israel), South America, and throughout Europe. They were in Japan when they heard the news that Einstein had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. (He gave all the prize money to Mileva to support the kids.)

Einstein Becomes an Enemy of the State

Being an international celebrity had its perks as well as its disadvantages. Although Einstein spent the 1920s traveling and making special appearances, these took away from the time he could work on his scientific theories. By the early 1930s, finding time for science wasn't his only problem.

The political climate in Germany was changing drastically. When Adolf Hitler took power in 1933, Einstein was luckily visiting the United States (he never returned to Germany). The Nazis promptly declared Einstein an enemy of the state, ransacked his house, and burned his books. As death threats began, Einstein finalized his plans to take a position at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. He arrived at Princeton on October 17, 1933.

As bleak news reached him from across the Atlantic, Einstein suffered a personal loss when Elsa died on December 20, 1936. Three years later, Einstein's sister, Maja, fled from Mussolini's Italy and came to live with Albert in Princeton. She stayed until her death in 1951.

Until the Nazis took power in Germany, Einstein had been a devoted pacifist for his entire life. However, with the harrowing tales coming out of Nazi-occupied Europe, Einstein reevaluated his pacifist ideals. In the case of the Nazis, Einstein realized they needed to be stopped, even if that meant using military might to do so.

Albert Einstein Part 1

Who Was Albert Einstein?

Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist of the 20th century, revolutionized scientific thought. Having developed the Theory of Relativity, Einstein opened the door for the creation of the atomic bomb.

Dates: March 14, 1879 -- April 18, 1955

Overview of Albert Einstein

In 1879, Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany to Jewish parents, Hermann and Pauline Einstein. A year later, Hermann Einstein's business failed and he moved his family to Munich to start a new electric business with his brother Jakob. In Munich, Albert's sister Maja was born in 1881. Only two years apart in age, Albert adored his sister and they had a close relationship their whole lives.

Was Einstein Lazy?

Although Einstein is now considered the epitome of genius, in the first two decades of his life, many people thought Einstein was the exact opposite. Right after Einstein was born, relatives were concerned with Einstein's pointy head. Then, when Einstein didn't talk until he was three years old, his parents worried something was wrong with him. Einstein also failed to impress his teachers. From elementary school through college, his teachers and professors thought him lazy, sloppy, and insubordinate. Many of his teachers thought he would never amount to anything.

What appeared to be laziness in class was really boredom. Rather than just memorizing facts and dates (the mainstay of classroom work), Einstein preferred to ponder questions such as what makes the needle of a compass point in one direction? Why is the sky blue? What would it be like to travel at the speed of light?

Unfortunately for Einstein, these were not the types of topics he was taught in school. Although his grades were excellent, Einstein found regular schooling to be strict and oppressive. Things changed for Einstein when he befriended Max Talmud, the 21-year-old medical student who ate dinner at the Einstein's once a week. Although Einstein was only eleven years old, Max introduced Einstein to numerous science and philosophy books and then discussed their content with him. Einstein flourished in this learning environment and it wasn't long until Einstein had surpassed what Max could teach him.

Einstein Attends the Polytechnic Institute

When Einstein was 15 years old, his father's new business had failed and the Einstein family moved to Italy. At first, Albert remained behind in Germany to finish high school, but he was soon unhappy with that arrangement and left school to rejoin his family.

Rather than finish high school, Einstein decided to apply directly to the prestigious Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. Although he failed the entrance exam on the first try, he then spent a year studying at a local high school and retook the entrance exam in October 1896 and passed.

Once at the Polytechnic, Einstein again did not like school. Believing that his professors only taught old science, Einstein would often skip class, preferring to stay home and read about the newest in scientific theory. When he did attend class, Einstein would often make it obvious that he found the class dull.

Some last minute studying allowed Einstein to graduate in 1900. However, once out of school, Einstein was unable to find a job because none of his teachers liked him enough to write him a recommendation letter. For nearly two years, Einstein worked at short-term jobs until a friend was able to help him get a job as a patent clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Finally with a job and some stability, Einstein was able to marry his college sweetheart, Mileva Maric, whom his parents strongly disapproved. The couple went on to have two sons: Hans Albert (born 1904) and Eduard (born 1910).

Einstein the Patent Clerk

For seven years, Einstein worked six days a week as a patent clerk. He was responsible for examining the blueprints of other people's inventions and then determining whether or not they were feasible. If they were, Einstein had to ensure no one else had already been given a patent for the same idea.

Somehow, between his very busy work and family life, Einstein not only found time to earn a doctorate from the University of Zurich (awarded 1905), but found time to think. It was while working at the patent office that Einstein made his most shocking and amazing discoveries.

Einstein Changed How We View the World

With just pen, paper, and his brain, Albert Einstein revolutionized science as we know it today. In 1905, while working at the patent office, Einstein wrote five scientific papers, which were all published in the Annalen der Physik (Annals of Physics, a major physics journal). Three of these were published together in September 1905.

In one paper, Einstein theorized that light must not just travel in waves but existed as particles, which explained the photoelectric effect. Einstein himself described this particular theory as "revolutionary." This was also the theory for which Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics

 in 1921.

In another paper, Einstein tackled the mystery of why pollen never settled to the bottom of a glass of water, but rather, kept moving (Brownian motion). By declaring that the pollen was being moved by water molecules, Einstein solved a longstanding, scientific mystery as well as proved the existence of molecules.

His third paper described Einstein's "Special Theory of Relativity," in which Einstein revealed that space and time are not absolutes. The only thing that is constant, Einstein stated, is the speed of light; the rest of space and time are all based on the position of the observer. For example, if a young boy were to roll a ball across the floor of a moving train, how fast was the ball moving? To the boy, it might look like the ball was moving at 1 mile per hour. However, to someone watching the train go by, the ball would appear to be moving the one mile per hour plus the speed of the train (40 miles per hour). To someone watching the event from space, the ball would be moving the one mile per hour the boy had noticed, plus the 40 miles an hour of the speed of the train, plus the speed of the earth.
Not only are space and time not absolutes, Einstein discovered that energy and mass, once thought completely distinct items, were actually interchangeable. In his E=mc2equation (E=energy, m=mass, and c=speed of light), Einstein created a simple formula to describe the relationship between energy and mass. This formula reveals that a very small amount of mass can be converted into a huge amount of energy, leading to the later invention of the atomic bomb.
Einstein was only 26 years old when these articles were published and already he had done more for science than any individual since Sir Isaac Newton.