DesiReflections

Chocolate is called in the modern age as  “food of the gods.” But the fact remains that  it has  4,000 years of history. Unlike modern times, it was actually consumed as a bitter beverage. Researchers  have found evidence that it was produced by pre-Olmec cultures living in present-day Mexico as early as 1900 B.C. The ancient Mesoamericans who first cultivated cacao plants found in the tropical rain forests of Central America fermented, roasted and ground the cacao beans into a paste that they mixed with water, vanilla, honey, chili peppers and other spices to brew a frothy chocolate drink. Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations in South America found chocolate to be an invigorating drink, mood enhancer and aphrodisiac, which led them to believe that it possessed mystical and spiritual qualities. The Mayans used to worship  Quetzalcoatl,  a god of cacao. They reserved chocolate for rulers, warriors, priests and nobles at sacred ceremonies. When...

With over 200 years of history, Pernod is the oldest French brand of anise spirits. Famous since 1805 for its spirits with extracts of absinthe, much appreciated by artists and poets, a century later it confirmed its success with Pernod anise spirit, an aperitif based on star anise with a fresh, original flavor. Refreshing drinks with a taste full of history. A spirit created in 1928, in response to 1915 ban on sale of absinthe Pernod anise spirit soon built itself a reputation. Now established in over 110 countries, from USA to Japan, this authentic aperitif is renowned for its subtle flavor with essences of star anise. Extremely refreshing, it is drunk in the most prestigious restaurants and hotels all over the world. It's got a similar anise-flavored base, but is different in several key respects. First off, it's got no grand wormwood, the supposedly hallucinogenic herb that got absinthe banned in the first place. Second, it's flavored with star-anise, the fruit o...

Some health experts believe that our pH balance is extremely important, others say it is essential, there are a few who clearly state that it is a matter of life and death. The only people who don't emphasize the alkaline/acidity balance as central to health are quacks that peddle a pharmaceutical pill for every ill, a drug for every bug.  Marcus Julian Fellceti, a renowned naturopath,  says that pH balance is a top priority whenhe treats his patients. Since most people are too acidic, teaching them how to return to a slightly alkaline  state is a major piece of the healing puzzle. pH stands for power of hydrogen, which is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the body. The total pH scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 7 considered to be neutral. A pH less than 7 is said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Our ideal pH is slightly alkaline - 7.30 to 7.45. You can test your pH levels regularly by using a piece...

We usually associate the beginning of the modern “antibiotic era” with the names of Paul Ehrlich and Alexander Fleming. Ehrlich's idea of a “magic bullet” that selectively targets only disease-causing microbes and not the host was based on an observation that aniline and other synthetic dyes, which first became available at that time, could stain specific microbes but not others. Ehrlich argued that chemical compounds could be synthesized that would “be able to exert their full action exclusively on the parasite harbored within the organism. This idea led him to begin a large-scale and systematic screening program in 1904 to find a drug against syphilis, a disease that was endemic and almost incurable at that time. This sexually transmitted disease, caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidium, was usually treated with inorganic mercury salts but the treatment had severe side effects and poor efficacy. In his laboratory, together with chemist Alfred Bertheim and bacteriologist Sah...

Tequila is basically a South American drink and it is loved world over as one of the best cocktail medium. Mexicans have geo tagging right for Tequila. Any Tequila made outside Mexico can not be called with this name. In Mexico, traditionally it is made from blue agave, a succulent plant found in various regions of the country. Many in Mexico believe that tequila is erotic and is the strongest aphrodisiac of all the schnapps: "if drinking alcohol," it is said there, "then drink tequila!" The national drink of Mexico, tequila is schnapps with 40 percent alcohol content. Like mescal, it is distilled out of agave ferments. The self-fermenting agave juice was a known aphrodisiac in pre-Spanish times, and its reputation has continued all the way to the present The ancient Aztecs used the agave, which they named metl, in many ways out of its fermented (but not distilled) juices they created pulque, the thousand-year-old ancestor of tequila. "Metl was...

Apple is a company which has created the real concept of ‘customer experience’ in their product. They were probably the first one to bring shape, design, aesthetics, ease of using, unique navigation in a stereo typed boring thing like computer. They are the first company who has killed their own product ‘IPod’ by integrating it in IPhones and IPads. So nobody was shocked when Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president for marketing announced removal of the headphone jack from the newly launched IPhone 7. He brought it up on stage on 8th September before the august gathering and framed the decision as a necessary—if difficult—end to an outdated technology. Apple has a way of talking about its products as inevitable, as beacons of progress that shape the entire field of consumer electronics. Sure, it may introduce products and features that its competitors have been selling for years—the iPhone 7 will be water-resistant, joining a host of 3-year-old Samsung smartphones—but Apple ...

Federal Communication Commission(FCC) in USA has recently  given  a landmark decision whereby the  telecommunications carriers, and interconnected providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, had to protect “customer proprietary network information,” or CPNI. CPNI which includes some of the most sensitive personal information that carriers and providers possess(es) about their customers as a result of their business relationship (e.g., phone numbers called; the frequency, duration, and timing of such calls; and any services purchased by the consumer, such as call waiting). To protect consumer privacy, the Commission’s rules require carriers/providers to file reports, annually, to certify their compliance with the CPNI rules. The US Enforcement Bureau recently took enforcement action and proposed fines against carriers/providers failed to comply, and issued an advisory to remind carriers/providers of their obligations. Internet Services have ...