I found this article published today on the web.  It is written by Alia Hoyt and is excellently done!  Enjoy

Pizza is one of the most popular foods on the planet. In fact, it’s so popular that you would think it has been around forever. But actually, it’s relatively new to the stomachs of the Americans who treasure it.

Despite its relatively short tenure in the United States, pizza has become a staple in the diets of many. In fact, it’s so beloved that each person in North America puts away an average of 23 pounds of it each year [source: Domino’s Pizza]. More than 3 billion pizzas a year are sold in the United States alone, resulting in about $37 billion in revenue, according to the National Association of Pizza Operators.

The beauty of pizza is that, no matter what your tastes, there are so many ways to make it and so many topping possibilities that virtually anyone can create a pizza to suit himself. Not too keen on cheese? Just sprinkle it on or leave it off entirely! Can’t decide between macaroni and cheese and pizza? That’s OK — some places actually serve the two kid-friendly dishes combined!

In its simplest form, pizza consists of three main ingredients: bread, tomato sauce and cheese, but the options are almost limitless from there. In this article you’ll learn more than you ever thought you could about pizza, including its history in Italy and the United States, how dough is made, and topping trends around the globe.

We’ll also describe in mouthwatering detail the different types of pizza and what makes each of them special. And you might want to keep a phone handy — in case you’re tempted to order one while reading this.

Italians are usually credited with the development and spread of pizza around the world. Much of that credit is accurate, but the concept of putting stuff on hot bread probably dates back to the days of cavemen. Actual pizza probably made its debut in ancient Greece. The Greeks baked round flatbreads (similar to what we know today as foccacia bread) that they decorated with a variety of spices, seasonings, oils and other toppings.

The word “pizza,” meaning “pie,” was coined sometime around A.D. 1000  near Rome and Naples, Italy. In the 18th century, flatbread pizza became a popular and cost-effective meal for the peasant population in Naples. People were just beginning to realize that tomatoes, which had been brought over from the New World in the 16th century, were actually not poisonous. By the end of the 18th century, the residents of Naples — and tourists — began to top the bread with tomatoes, essentially creating pizza as we know it. Street vendors sold the dish in the poor areas of Naples before the opening of the world’s first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, in 1830. And pizza is sold today from the very same spot.

The Pizza Industry
Although the product may not closely resemble the pizza that originated in Italy, pizza delivery and dine-in chains are wildly popular. Some quick facts:
Pizza Hut is the largest chain pizza restaurant in the world. The company has nearly 6,600 locations in the United States and more than 4,000 in 100 other countries.
Domino’s Pizza leads the market in delivery. The company boasts about 9,000 stores in more than 55 countries.
Papa John’s, despite being a relative newcomer to the industry, is the third-largest pizza company in the world.
[sources: Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Domino’s]

Sometime around 1889, Italy’s royal couple, Queen Margherita and King Umberto I, toured their kingdom. The Queen took note of the large, flat bread being consumed. She tried it and loved it. She called Chef Rafaelle Esposito to her palace, where he created a variety of pizzas for her. In honor of her, he designed a pizza with toppings in the colors of the Italian flag (red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil). This pizza became her favorite and is known to this day as the Margherita. Her love for pizza made her incredibly popular among her subjects — most royals would never have dined on peasant food, much less encourage its spread [source: A Full Belly].

Pizza appeared on the American scene quietly in the late 19th century with the mass arrival of Italian immigrants. It was mostly sold on the streets of large Italian neighborhoods in such cities as Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City. Pizza soon became available in cafes and grocery stores, but it pretty much remained exclusive to Italian neighborhoods until after World War II. At this time, soldiers returning from Italy increased demand for the dish. Pizza’s popularity spread like wildfire, and pizzerias began popping up all over the United States, followed quickly by chain restaurants like Shakey’s Pizza and Pizza Hut.

Everybody Loves Ray’s Pizza
Apparently, pizza tastes better when it’s made by a guy named Ray. At least that’s what New Yorkers seem to think — more than 30 pizzerias use the name “Ray” in New York City alone. Here is a brief timeline of the Ray trend:
Ralph Cuomo opened Ray’s in 1959 in Little Italy.
He opened another on 54th Street and Seventh Avenue in the early 1960s.
Rosolino Mangano bought the second Ray’s and changed the name to Famous Original Ray’s, even though it wasn’t technically the original.
Mangano, who now goes by “Ray” himself, opened up more Famous Original Ray’s across the city.
Mangano sold a store to a new owner, who began using other variations of the Ray name in his stores.
Cuomo decided to trademark the name (he had to have been in cahoots with the other two owners in order to make this happen, though).
The three Rays went after other people using the name, including Joe Bari, who had operated Ray Bari Pizza since 1973. It’s now called RayBari Pizza.

[source: A Full Belly]

The Dough
Accomplished pizza chefs consider the dough-making process an art form. The specifics of dough-making vary depending on whether the final goal is a thin, crispy crust or a thick, soft one. The mandatory ingredients in pizza dough are flour, water and yeast. Shortening, salt and sugar are also included in many basic recipes. These extras provide more taste and texture options.

Flour is the “meat” of the dough recipe. Chefs use high-gluten flour because gluten makes the crust tough enough to stand up to the water and other ingredients.
Water is vital to the recipe because it brings all the ingredients together. It encourages the production of gluten and works with starch in the flour to bind the gluten. This is what makes a pizza crust nice and firm. The amount of water used in a pizza dough recipe varies. The dough can be made to be pliable or stiff, as desired by the chef.
Without yeast, pizza crusts would lose pretty much all texture and softness. Yeast, a leavening agent, makes the dough rise. A living, single-celled plant from the fungi family, it ferments (digests) sugars and starches. Fermentation causes the dough to rise by trapping gas bubbles inside it. It also makes the dough more pliable and easy to maneuver.
Salt provides extra flavor. It also slows the fermentation process.
Shortening increases the pliability and moisture of the dough by providing lubrication. Some chefs use canola or olive oil to add a little extra flavor.
The amount of sugar changes the fermentation rate. More sugar equals quicker fermentation. Sugar also helps the crust to brown and keeps water inside the crust.

Mixing: Blend dry ingredients with a mixer. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and add to the mixture. Mix until dough “slaps” the sides of the mixing bowl. At this point, the dough should look nice and smooth, not wet and sticky.

Balling: Use your hands to roll balls of dough. The skin should be tight, not cracked. Place balls on an oiled sheet pan.

Proofing: Cover the dough with wax paper and let it sit at room temperature until it doubles in size.

Retarding: Place the dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours to slow yeast activity.

If these steps are completed properly, the dough stays usable for approximately three to five days.

Unconventional Pizzas — Creative or Just Silly?
We know that taste buds vary. Otherwise, there would be no place for the minced mutton on pizzas in India. Other than the Italian law governing the purity of Neopolitan pizza, there don’t seem to be any rules in the pizza industry. But do so-called “unconventional” pizzas even qualify as pizza? Probably not, if you want to be strict about the “bread, cheese and sauce” rule. However, if you don’t mind messing with tradtion, you might enjoy some of these concoctions:
dessert pizzas with Oreos and chocolate-chip cookie dough
tiny bagel bites topped with miniscule amounts of cheese and toppings
macaroni-and-cheese pizzas
Mexican pizzas — thin tortilla crusts topped with refried beans, cheese and olives
Baking
You can bake pizza in a variety of ovens. Chefs use a peel, a long, paddle-like utensil, to slide pizzas into electric deck ovens. The pizza is baked directly on a screen or hot bricks. Conveyor belt ovens are used primarily in large chain restaurants. Gas canister ovens position stone bricks directly above the heat source. “Brick-oven pizzerias” use coal or wood-fired brick ovens, which often lend a smokier taste.

Sauce and Cheese
Pizza sauce is usually tomato-based. However, the list of unconventional pizza sauces includes pesto, alfredo, ketchup and barbecue. “White pizza” recipes often eliminate the sauce entirely, replacing it with garlic butter.

Traditional pizza is made with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on tomato sauce. Many chefs like to experiment with blends of cheeses, herbs and seasonings like oregano and basil.

Pizza Styles
Americans eat almost
252 million pounds of pepperoni a year.
People have strong opinions about pizza — in terms of passion, it seems to rank right up there with politics and religion. Some pizza lovers treasure the taste of true Chicago-style pizza so much that they have it shipped across the country. Neapolitan pizza purists in Italy lobbied recently to pass a bill protecting the style and restricting pizza vendors from using the Neapolitan name unless they meet specific guidelines (see sidebar). But those of us who enjoy variety certainly have plenty of pizza styles to choose from, including:

Neapolitan: Features a very thin, bubbly crust. Basil and mozzarella do not cover the sauce, as is common in many American pizzas. Instead, they accent it. It is usually cooked in a brick or wood-fired oven.
New York: Also thin-crusted, an authentic New York pizza features sweet tomato sauce topped with a layer of cheese. New York pizza enthusiasts don’t ruin the purity of the slice by asking for a lot of toppings.
Chicago: The opposite of New York and Neapolitan pizzas in many ways, Chicago-style pizza boasts a thick crust that is baked in a pan, rather than directly on the bricks or on a sheet. The application of cheese and sauce is also reversed. Cheese goes on the bottom, followed by toppings. Sauce finishes off the creation, which is so thick that a fork and knife are necessary. Greek: Greek pizza is also baked in a pan. One trademark characteristic is an oily crust. It is often topped with traditional Greek toppings like spinach, feta cheese and olives.
California: Superthin crusts and seasonal toppings are trademark components of California-style pizzas. They’re typically topped with whatever veggies are in season in the Golden State.
thick square or rectangular crust. Toppings are placed on top of the dough. The version made in Sicily actually places the toppings, such as pecorino cheese and anchovies, inside the crust, rather than on top.
Topping Trends
It probably won’t come as much of a shock that pepperoni is the No. 1 pizza topping in America. According to the National Association of Pizza Operators (NAPO), Americans consume almost 252 million pounds of pepperoni every year. Other perennial favorites are extra cheese, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions. Americans also enjoy ham, bacon, ground beef, chicken, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, eggplant, olives, spinach, tomatoes and broccoli.

On the flip side, NAPO reports that anchovies consistently maintain their place as the least popular pizza topping, although they are very popular in some countries. In fact, the world has decidedly eclectic taste in toppings.

India: pickled ginger, tofu and minced mutton
Russia: “mockba” (a blend of tuna, mackerel, sardines, onions and salmon)
Japan: squid and a combination topping called “mayo jaga” (mayonnaise, bacon and potato)
Brazil: green peas
Costa Rica: coconut [source: Domino’s Pizza]
Neapolitans Mean Business
Few foods have their own personal watchdog agency, so Neapolitan pizza must be pretty tasty! The True Neapolitan Pizza Association holds very strict pizza standards, recognizing only the Marinara (topped with tomato, garlic, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and sometimes basil) and the Margherita as authentic pizzas.
The Italian Ministry of Agricultural Politics recently passed a law governing how the pizzas must be made if they want to bear either of these names:

Must be round and no more than 13 ¾ inches in diameter
Center must be less than one-tenth of an inch tall
Crust must be three-quarters of an inch thick or less
Dough has to be kneaded entirely by hand
Must use very specific and traditional types of salt, flour, tomatoes and yeast
[source: MSNBC]

Most expensive: Scottish chef Domenico Crolla created the “Pizza Royale 007” (in honor of James Bond) for a fundraiser. It cost 3,000 euros ($4,437) and featured high-end toppings like edibl e gold, lobster marinated in cognac, champagne-soaked caviar, venison medallions and smoked salmon [source: BBC].

Most extravagant: Though it is hard to top Crolla’s creation, the “Luxury Pizza” at Nino’s Bellissima restaurant in New York City is covered with fresh lobster, crème fraiche, chives and six types of caviar. At $125 per slice and $1,000 per 12-inch pizza, this entree is certainly a delicacy [source: Reuters].

Largest ever made: According to Guinness World Records, this feat was accomplished on Dec. 8, 1990, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The pizza measured 122.7 feet (37.4 meters) in diameter and required 1,102 pounds (500 kilograms) of flour, 1,764 pounds (800 kg) of cheese and 1,984 pounds (900 kg) of tomato puree.

Largest ever made and eaten: Guinness World Records credits the city of Havana, Fla., with hosting this accomplishment on Oct. 11, 1987. The pizza tipped the scales at 44,457 pounds (20,165 kg). The pie was divided into 94,248 slices and devoured by 30,000-plus spectators.

Longest pizza delivery: Lucy Clough of Domino’s Pizza is arguably the world’s most dedicated pizza delivery person. On Nov. 19, 2004, she traveled 10,532 miles (16,950 kilometers) from London to Melbourne, Australia, to set the record for longest pizza delivery, as recognized by Guinness World Records.

To learn more about pizza, check out the links on the next page.

Domino’s Pizza Legends
If you visit urban legend Web site Snopes.com and type in “pizza,” you’ll notice that most of the results are related to Domino’s Pizza. Here is a rundown:
Legend: The “30 minutes or less and it’s free” promise was discontinued because a rushing delivery driver fatally hit a child with his car.
Truth: Domino’s reportedly settled out of court in a few cases involving automobile accidents with drivers, one of which killed a woman. Domino’s never said that the time limit was a factor and instead blamed weather and road conditions. The chain now emphasizes quality with the “Made Fresh, Arrives Fresh” guarantee.

Legend: Domino’s Pizza provides financial assistance to anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
Truth: Domino’s does not contribute financially, but founder Tom Monaghan is a champion of pro-life causes. Monaghan doesn’t even own Domino’s anymore — he sold it in 1998 for $1 billion. Which brings us to our next legend…

Legend: The founder of Domino’s is building an all-Catholic town in Florida.
Truth: This one is actually right. Monaghan is currently heading up the development of Ave Maria, Fla., which is about 90 miles from Miami. The city will ban practices frowned upon by Catholicism, such as pornography, birth control and abortions. Eventually, the city will be home to more than 30,000 residents, including 5,000 students at a new Catholic university.

I just returned from my first trip to BarCampOrlando. Instead of boring you with the individual panel remarks, I decided to take the cynical approach.

Saturday at BarCampOrlando Developer Day started off decently. The usual cliques of the locals developed instantly, but I did not let that deter me. I tried to weasel my way into any conversation with comments that were sure not to make any of the developers angry. Things like "hey, this guy was telling me PHP is much better than Rails" and "Outsourcing Rules." The kind of stuff that seems to help people want to be friends with me! If only Dale Carnegie knew how much I learned from his book! Here are some of the things that I learned from Developer Day:

• If you want your website to work, you have to be like Gary Vee
• British people sound so much better when presenting ideas, I am thinking about picking up one of those accents so people listen to me more seriously.
• Seems the only thing Rails and PHP guys get along about is heckling the .net guys during their meetings!
• One of the Panel speakers says the web will close again, since it is cyclical and we are currently in an open period
• Another Panel speaker said while twitter spends tons of money to make their site work better, we use our brains instead of money.
• Do not dress up when going to tech events, you stick out in a crowd and the guys dressed in flip flops and ripped shorts will comment to each other about how tacky you look
• The Antichrist of the internet is centralized corporate control.
• Data portability is for everyone but facebook.

Sunday started off with rain and only 1/3 the amount of people as Saturday. I guess developers have no interest in Media day. It seemed like the rain was more eventful than the topics being discussed. I do not think it is wise to start panels at 10:30am on a Sunday morning after the majority of the attendees were out partying the night before. Sometimes Guitar Hero and Rockband are too much for most tech guys in one evening! There were very few discussions to attend, and it seemed the free food was what most people were talking about. So all in all, it was a nice event, and I would certainly go back again next year. The only thing that will keep me from attending next year is if they use those cheap name tag stickers again, cause they stained my white shirt black!

Please read the article, as I am deeply troubled by this

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Teen_Beating.html

The DA is not trying these savages as adults, even though it was a premeditated act of violence that could have potentially let to a death of a teenage girl who thought she was friends with these trash scumbags.  Not only should the kids be held accountable but their horrible parents should also be held in some sort of role.  When did it become acceptable for 6 girls to beat up another?  THESE ARE GIRLS, who one day will be mothers?  I am just sickened by the video, you can see after she awoke from her concussion she just wanted to leave and they still beat her.  The sheriff said the girls were in the holding cell laughing about the attack, asking if they would be out in time for cheerleading practice, and "I guess we won't be having a good spring break".  Obviously these inbred demons have no remorse for the damage they did to this little girl, and therefor the DA should be ashamed of himself and pray if he has kids they never encounter a**holes like the ones he is pussying out on.  Guess she would have had to die for this to be taken as serious as it is, and set an example to our youth!

THIS JUST IN!   THEY HAVE DECIDED TO CHARGE THEM AS ADULTS !  FINALLY THE RIGHT THING IS DONE!

When did it become acceptable to ask someone if they wanted a cheese slice of pizza?  Maybe it is my fault for growing up in a civilized pizza region of the world, but when you walked into a pizza place and said "give me a slice", the guy/girl behind the counter never said "what kind, a cheese slice"?  Cause I guess they anticipated the NO I JUST WANT DOUGH AND SAUCE answer that would follow.  Let's get something straight people of Florida and anywhere else that is as clueless when it comes to pizza, when I walk into a pizzeria and ask for a slice, it is naturally a slice with cheese.  If I said I want a slice with meatballs then it would be a slice wiith meatballs.  If pizza places want to call baked dough and sauce PIZZA, then I will rightfully agree to say I would like a Cheese Slice.  But until then when I ask for a slice of pizza... I no longer want to hear some moronic response like, a cheese slice?

After watching this video I wanted to share it with you all.  Copy and paste the link into your browser.

http://video.vois.com/item/8SS936P4GTHJ8TRD

Please let me know your thoughts and reactions in the comment field!

I guess it is natural progression, first you see a few people on myspace and facebook with their shirts off and using that as their main profile photo and then everyone else decides to follow....  I am not sure what makes everyone think that this is what other members want to view as their main photo but what do I know.  It is almost like everyone got an ab roller or ab lounge for christmas and quickly worked out and decided to show it to the world.  The other big christmas gift this year must have been digital cameras.  As if photos of mens chests weren't good enough, it gets better.

Being VOIS is a 18+ years old site, built for grown ups, members who are supposed to be grown up think it is ok to show photos showing full frontal nudity of themselves, and actually think somehow that everyone else here on the site wants to view them in their public albums.  Now, I happen to have a camera, and I happen to have a penis, but never ever did I have the brilliant thought of putting the two of them together and taking a photo of my "member" to share with the world. 

We have private photo albums here on VOIS..........USE THEM! 

Most people hate it when someone lies to them, and even more so when it is done on a regular basis. However is there any way that you could possibly tell if someone is lying to you? I am sure that all  parents would love to have some type of machine that would automatically tell them when their  are lying to them. It would definitely make parents lives a lot easier. There are some things that you can do that may prove helpful. Following are a few techniques that may be able to help you when it comes to figuring out if someone is lying to you or not.

When it comes to dealing with  kids there are plenty of signs that will indicate to you that they are lying. Most kids can give it away simply by their body language. Some  children will fidget when they are lying, and will also avoid any type of eye contact with you. Some children will also constantly touch their ears or their face when they are being dishonest. Another way is to watch your child's facial expressions very closely. For some kids their facial expressions will tell you very quickly that they are the guilty party. Unlike adults young children who are guilty of something may not get very defensive when they are first accused of something. They may not say anything at all and will become very uncomfortable as you continue to ask them questions.
When it comes to young teenagers it may be little more difficult to tell if your child is lying. If however you figured out little gestures or expressions that your children make when they are lying you may still be able to use these things to tell if they are lying when they are older. This is yet another reason why it is very important to pay close attention to your young children. For teenagers they will usually also avoid any type of eye contact and in some cases will repeat the question in an attempt to try and give themselves some time to think up an excuse. They may also add some very unnecessary details to their story, which may also tell you that they are going overboard to try and convince you that they are telling the taught. Of course there is one that all parents know well and that is when they try and change the subject, and then you definitely know that they are trying to hide something. Remember that you know your children better than anyone else does, so if you take the time to watch them, and get to know their body language and facial expressions you should have no problem being able to tell if your child is lying to you or not.

posted from associated content

Queen Elizabeth II's speech in the British parliament Tuesday may have been routine but at least nobody got bored to death. That would have been against the law.

Dying in parliament is an offense and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel showing a legal drama series.

And though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colorful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armor. Illegal.

Other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman's hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying Scotsmen within the city walls of York, northern England.

A law stating that in Liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for UKTV Gold television out Tuesday.

Nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on Christmas Day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the Puritan Oliver Crowmell.

The laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.

Respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.

Most ridiculous British law:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)

6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)

8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armor (three percent)

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)