By being busy with Christmas preparation I came accross Dregees of a special kind not seen for a very long time. I used to get them during Christmas when I was a child, later seen them in all colors but never in a silver, almost crome type of covering.

A dragée, from Greek tragêmata “sweets, treats”) is a form of confectionery that can be used for decorative or symbolic purposes in addition to consumption.

A classic, popular version of dragée are whole almonds coated with a sugar shell in various colors. Called mleb’es in Arabic, confetti in Italian and Jordan almonds or sugared almonds in English, these confections have a long history, and are traditionally associated with weddings and special celebrations. Throwing or handing out these candies at such occasions (hence the name for the multi-colored paper confetti which usually now replaces them) dates back centuries, and is meant to ensure prosperity, fertility, happiness, and good luck.

The town of Verdun, France, had acquired a reputation for its dragées by the 13th century. Originally the dragée was a spiced lump of sugar eaten as a digestive after meals.

The process by which the sugar shell is applied to the center is often known as “panning”.

A third form of dragée is a much smaller, pure sugar ball, usually with a metallic coating, made to resemble a ball bearing. These dragées are produced in various sizes, but tend toward slightly larger than a nonpareil and slightly smaller than a small pearl. In fact, one of the more recent developments in the finish of dragées has been the creation of fairly realistic edible pearls, which are used primarily in the decoration of cookies, cakes, and other forms of bakery. Silver dragées, now augmented by ones with gold and copper finishes, have long been used for both wedding and holiday food decoration.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the metallic-finish dragées to be inedible. Early in the 20th century, the silver finish may have contained mercury (it does not now). The sale of these dragées was banned for some time. Although the metallic-finish dragées can be purchased in 49 U.S. states, they are no longer sold in California due to a 2003 lawsuit against several sellers. Now, these dragées are sold with a notice that they are for decorative purposes only. However in other countries (including the United Kingdom) they are classed as food items.

With all the challanges I had in repairing my disabled desktop’s CPU, one thing I have learned: Always back up your data externally!

After receivingmy unit back from the repair shop I found out that all my data has been lost from the C:/drive, I mean all! Luckily I use apart from outlook also my webmail where I have stored most of the e-mail addresses. Software which I previously purchased had to be traced again by emailing each company for my account details to be able to re-install. Those mails I have kept in a special folder in my webmail. Installers i stored partly on my online storage space. But what helped me most was my three external Western Digitalhard disks where I had all my backup’s. All my pictures, iTunes files and WordPress data where save with a second backup online. With this I purchased a fourth external disk, a black beauty of 1000Gb from LaCieand with some time spend in transferring data I have now a save setup. Norton360 will do the nightly backup.

Secondly: before sending your unit for any repair or installation; backup your system! Here in the UAE there is nothing like consumer protection and they know it. If they got to rip out your C:/drive; they will do it with the least care. You as a consumer got to be cautious and protect your files. Better save than sorry. Also, keep replacing your HD every year or so. Even with all the software you have on hand to protect them, they ware out with heavy use.