DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   The original recipe for Italian Cream Cake had no rivals. But then we stirred in a little chocolate!                 Ingredients 5 large eggs, separateD 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup shortening 2 cups sugar 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Garnish: pecan halves Preparation Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; set aside. Beat butter and shortening until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut, chopped pecans, and vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Po

      This is a nice light list of songs to increase your Christmas spirit on this wonderful holiday. It includes some songs that commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, and some that are more modern in concept – but regardless of the type, they are all great songs and perfect for the first prize of our competition. Merry Christmas! 10. Josh Groban and Brian McKnight/ Angels We Have Heard on High    This is quite a great Christmas carol that is sung beautifully by Josh Groban and Brian McKnight. “The words of the song are based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos Campagnes (literally, The Angels in our Countryside). Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick. 9. Billy Porter and Vanessa Williams/ Joy To The World    “Joy to the World ” is one of the best-known and best-loved of Christmas carols. It contains a message of joy and love replacing sin and sorrow. It may also be interpreted to be about life after the se

    The Carnaval de Oruro (or Carnival of Oruro ), is the biggest annual cultural event in Bolivia.     Celebrated in Oruro, the folklore capital of Bolivia, the carnival marks the Ito festival for the Uru people. Its ceremonies stem from Andean customs, the ancient invocations centering around Pachamama (Mother Earth, transformed into the Virgin Mary due to Christian syncretism) and Tio Supay (Uncle God of the Mountains, transformed into the Devil). The native Ito ceremonies were stopped in the 17th century by the Spanish, who were ruling the territory of upper Peru at the time. However, the Uru continued to observe the festival in the form of a Catholic ritual on Candlemas, in the first week of each February. Christian icons were used to conceal portrayals of Andean gods, and the Christian saints represented other Andean minor divinities. The ceremony begins 40 days before Easter.     Legend also has it that in 1789, a mural of the Virgin Mary miraculously appe