Mandarin Oriental Cooking School | Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia

In case you weren?t aware, when it comes to chilies, ?Size matters.? So said the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok?s estimable Chef Narain Kiattiyotcharoen, displaying an array of brilliantly colored capiscums: ?Don?t be fooled?this bigger chili is mild enough to eat crunchy, like a vegetable. This little one is our femme fatale.? He held out a petite, curvaceous red pepper?best known as a bird?s eye?with enough power to scorch the roof of your mouth.

For my palate, this was an important distinction, because ever since my first plate of tongue-searing, eye-watering, five-chili som tam more than three years ago, I?ve never stopped craving it.

In fact, I?m hopelessly addicted to Thai food in general, and I?m beginning to think that recovery might be impossible. Luckily, I live in Bangkok, where my next moo ping or gai yang fix is always right around the corner. But for all the time I spend scarfing down Thai food, I decided it was time to learn how to feed my own addiction. So, I signed up for a cooking class at the iconic Oriental.

Housed in a gorgeously restored antique house on the far side of the Chao Phraya, the class?s kitchen was the stuff of foodie dreams. Polished brass cookware gleamed; fresh herbs bloomed on the patio; and antiques (think a century-old wooden coconut scraper carved to look like a rabbit) decorated the corners.

For my practically private lesson, Chef Narain greeted me and one other student enthusiastically. While we noshed on Lilliputian local sweets and sipped tea, he introduced us to the essentials of Thai cuisine. Along the way, he made sure we touched, smelled and tasted each ingredient to better understand it.

Though I had encountered all of the items before, I found myself learning important tidbits along the way. I now know that there are three principle kinds of basil?sweet, lemon and holy, the latter of which was once used for offerings in India. I know that kaffir lime is actually bitter, but has an incomparable perfume; that pandan leaves smell grassy when raw, but have a vanilla sweetness when cooked; that galangal is hotter and more aromatic than ginger; and that only the purple-hearted pieces of lemongrass impart any real scent.

It wasn?t long before we were putting those ingredients to use. Pandan flavored the pouching liquid for tiny Thai bananas. Kaffir lime leaves and shredded lemongrass were tossed into bubbling oil later used to deep-fry chicken. With a loud crackle, the fragrance of citrus filled the entire room. And loads of dried chilies?along with shrimp paste, coconut palm sugar and a whole spice cabinet?s worth of seasonings?went into the curry paste for haw mok thalay (steamed seafood mousse).

It wasn?t long before we were putting those ingredients to use. Pandan flavored the pouching liquid for tiny Thai bananas. Kaffir lime leaves and shredded lemongrass were tossed into bubbling oil later used to deep-fry chicken. With a loud crackle, the fragrance of citrus filled the entire room. And loads of those chilies?along with shrimp paste, coconut palm sugar and a whole spice cabinet?s worth of seasonings?went into the curry paste for hor mok, or steamed fish mousse.

Not everything was easy. Constructing the banana leaf cradles for the haw mok felt like culinary origami. More challenging still was transforming unwieldy chicken wings into poultry-pops that were safe for even the daintiest dinner party. The process involved splitting the wing, extracting one of the bones, then sliding the meat to the very edge of the remaining bone and wrapping it in its own skin. The dish seemed fussy and a bit daunting at first, but with some patient instruction, I was able to turn out several credible specimens. (Or that?s what Chef Narain said, anyway.)

After all that work, it was time to feast. Despite our amateur efforts, the results were pretty impressive. As we nibbled on our delicate finger foods, I vowed to recreate at least some of this menu at home. The next time I get a hankering for Thai food, I may just stay in.?DIANA HUBBELL

The Oriental Thai Cooking School at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok; 48 Oriental Ave.; 66-2/659-9000; mandarinoriental.com/bangkok; Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bt4,000 per person per class, or Bt20,000 per person for six consecutive classes.

Sample Menu

Gai Takrai (Deep-fried chicken with lemongrass, kaffir lime and sweet chili sauce)

Haw Mok Thalay (Curried seafood mousse)

Gaeng Ron (Coconut milk soup with glass noodles, tiger lily buds, wood-ear mushrooms and pork balls)

Gluay Khai Chueaum (Glaceed bananas with coconut cream)

Source: http://blog.travelandleisureasia.com/destination/2013/07/18/mandarin-oriental-cooking-school/

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UK Needs Seven Million More Migrants Over Next 50 Years To Keep Down Debt

Britain needs seven million migrants over the next 50 years to help keep down national debt levels, according to the official forecaster.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned the UK's ageing population was squeezing public finances and said there was "clear evidence" that migrants, who tend to be working age, have a "positive effect on the public sector's debt dynamics".

Increasing pensioner numbers and a strained healthcare system means an extra ?19 billion of spending cuts or tax hikes are needed to combat an "unsustainable" pressure on the nation's public finances short term, according to the organisation.

It said the Government would need to find the additional savings in the year to April 2019 on top of the current ?153 billion in austerity measures to get debt down to 40% of economic output.

If no action is taken, the burden of an ageing population in terms of pensions and healthcare will wipe out much of Chancellor George Osborne's spending cuts, leaving the UK with a ?65 billion hole in its finances, according to the OBR.

In its annual fiscal sustainability report, it said: "It is clear that longer-term spending pressures, if unaddressed, would put the public finances on an unsustainable path."

"Public sector net debt would approach 100% of gross domestic product (GDP) and still be rising," it added.

The report predicts, however, that the debt would be nearly double that without net migration to improve public finances.

Under an annual flow of 140,000 migrants from 2016 the public sector net debt to GDP ratio would reach 99% by 2063 but that would soar to 174% if there was a complete block on immigration.

The OBR report adds: "Our sensitivity analysis shows that overall migration has a positive impact on the sustainability of the public finances over our 50 year horizon. Under our central assumption of 140,000 annual net inward migration from 2016 the public sector net debt to GDP ratio reaches 99% by 2062-63, while assuming zero gross migration increases the net debt to GDP ratio to over 174%.

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"These results are driven by the assumed age structure of net migration, which tends to be more concentrated in the working age group and hence reduces the dependency ratio throughout the projection period."

The OBR said the move to a single-tier state pension had slightly eased the pressure on public sector debt, but added that spending on healthcare was the biggest spending pressure over the next 50 years.

It said the cost of the state pension was predicted to rise from 5.8% of GDP to 8.4% of GDP as the population ages, even with the introduction of the new flat rate payment system and increase in retirement age to 67 taken into account.

Healthcare spending is expected to increase from 7% of GDP to 8.8% of GDP, while long-term social care costs are set to rise from 1.3% of GDP to 2.4% of GDP.

The OBR also warned that declining North Sea oil reserves will take its toll, with oil and gas revenues expected to plunge from 0.4% of GDP now to almost negligible levels - at 0.03% of GDP by 2040.

But action taken so far by the Government, including an extra year of spending cuts to 2017-18 and the single tier state pension, is helping to offset some of the pressures, the report added.

Robert Chote, chairman of the OBR, said on presenting the report: "Since last year, the underlying deficit and debt path look less favourable.

"But this and the costs of long-term care reform are likely to be offset by the Government's announcement of additional spending cuts in 2017-18 and savings from the single tier pension.

"That said, there are huge uncertainties around the scale of the challenge and the UK is certainly not alone in confronting it."

He added that the extra ?19 billion needed to get borrowing back on track could be spread over the next 50 years rather than action taken in one go.

In a written statement, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the OBR's report shows that without the steps taken over the past year, public borrowing would be around 50% of GDP higher in 50 years' time.

He added that the report identifies the extra spending cuts as "one of the key factors in containing the growth of spending over the long-term, demonstrating the importance of the Government's programme of fiscal consolidation for the long-term health of the public finances".

The OBR said Osborne was shown a draft copy of the report in early July and had not revealed any further measures that should be taken into account.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/18/uk-migrants_n_3615076.html?utm_hp_ref=uk?ncid=GEP

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Obtaining Vocational Music Training for Private Work

There is so much potential within the minds of those who are apt in music. They can actually have the highest financial gains if they would only secure enough credentials for themselves. Those who can particularly teach music--whether the lessons regard the voice, deal with some set of instruments, or even strike chords with choral conducting--should find opportunities for accreditation and immediately enroll in them. Such opportunities are amazingly distributed all over the many Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) which are all AVETMISS compliant nationwide.

In order to gain access to the educational and accreditation opportunities offered by such RTOs, you must try and visit the nationally recognized training database called the TGA, with URL at www.training.gov.au. This site offers a list of the RTOs that provide music courses. You can also search by topic if you don't have a particular RTO yet in mind.

Now to give you a hint on the kind of music courses which can be taken under RTOs, here is a list of several accredited courses offered in the diploma level.

1. Commercial or Performance Music. This course fits those who'd like being stage performers or recording artists. You do not have to be a degree holder in order to record and sell albums and be known. You can just get some quality training from an AQTF-compliant RTO and you'll get going.

2. Accompanying. These are for the instrumentalists who love to be in the background while someone else is startling the audience with his/her powerful vocals.

3. Band Management. If you are the rocker or the acoustic type and would like to work with a group, this is for you.

4. Composition. Only music geniuses are able to compose the best songs. You can start training your way to becoming one.

5. Conducting. Whether choral conducting or conducting for the general public, you can get training for this as well.

6. Teaching. Of course, music theories need to be mastered as they are well-practiced. Teach them once you have been well-taught yourself.

7. Business Management. If you are ultimately putting up a music school or a music store, then go for this field.

Note that generally, RTOs make use of the RTO software that has been optimized for both trainer and student use. This software, which has to be made compatible with the NCVER validation software, may in turn be used for faster and more organized trainer-student interaction before, during, and even after the training period. While student versions may be offered freely upon enrolment under an RTO, be sure to make use of the most attractive VET music offers now.

The writer blogs about AVETMISS, AQTF and learning management systems at http://www.docstoc.com/profile/waagchristian

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/obtaining-vocational-music-training-for-private-work-337233

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Video: A 54-year-old woman is trying to make sense of a false, life-changing stage IV breast cancer diagnosis

Newborn baby may have set local record

Addyson Gale Cessna, weighing 13 pounds and 12 ounces, may be the largest baby ever delivered at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital near Pittsburgh, Pa. The hospital does not keep a record, but doctors involved said they have never delivered a baby that weighed that much.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsGamecore/~3/Q6QdW_XPYzI/

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The Granddaddy of Messaging Apps, WhatsApp, Finally Goes For A Subscription Model on iOS

While messaging has become a veritable war with apps like Line, KakaoTalk, WeChat, Path and Facebook Messenger across Asia and Western markets, there’s been one longstanding app that’s presided over the space with very few apparent changes. WhatsApp, the Sequoia-backed messaging app that dominates in Europe and that is often tipped as an attractive acquisition candidate for companies like Google and Facebook, just went freemium finally on iOS. The app has been paid for years on the iPhone at a $0.99 price point. But today it went free with an annual subscription fee of $1 after the first year. This isn’t really a surprise as CEO Jam Koum talked about this several months ago. It brings WhatsApp’s business model on iOS in line with other platforms like Android, BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows Phone. The paid app business model is really a vestige of an older era where developers would sell their work up-front. But over time, many paid apps have made the switch toward going free with paid features. Games really triggered this wave, but other high-usage apps like messaging have gone for a freemium strategy. Japan’s Line, for example, made $58.9 million in the first quarter of this year in Japan through in-app purchases and sales of stickers — which apps like Path and Facebook Messenger have subsequently copied. WhatsApp launched way back in 2009 and quickly grew popular in markets where SMS pricing made messaging through smartphone apps cheaper. It really dominates in European markets and has a strong foothold in India as well. Recently, the company said it was bigger than Twitter with more than 200 million monthly actives, 10 billion messages sent and 17 billion received in a single day.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/n9h46Fms5NU/

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Boston-Based Local Marketing Startup Privy Raises $1.7 Million ...

Privy, a Boston-based local marketing startup that was also one of the standouts from the 500 Startups Demo Day this past February, has raised $1.7 million in seed funding from?Atlas Ventures, 500 Startups, and others for its end-to-end solution for small businesses.

Also participating in the round were John Dais (VP Finance at Wildfire), Mike Volpe (CMO of Hubspot), Justin Kitch (founder of Homestead), Ralph James (former COO of First Marblehead), Jere Doyle (founder of Eversave) and other angel investors.

Founder Benjamin Jabbawy explains that building a startup in the local marketing space was a natural fit, as the child of small business owners himself. ?Having been technical my whole life, I was the son that both of my parents would say, ?hey, I need a website for my business. I need Facebook, Google Ads, etc.,? he explains with a laugh.

Privy was started in 2011, originally with the focus of serving the small, independent small business owner/operator, as well. But after participating in the 500 Startups program, the company shifted more of its resources toward another sector within the small business market: the multi-unit regional and national chains which already have a marketing manager or team in place.

Jabbawy notes that it was important that Privy had begun small, because it helped inform the design and feature set of the product, which aims to be simple to understand and easy to use. Today, interested businesses can now get started using the service in about 20 minutes or less.

A marketing manager, upon first login, uploads the information about the business, including the names of the managers at each location and the addresses. They then authenticate with all the different channels where they have assets, including Facebook, Twitter, email (Constant Contact, Mailchimp, e.g.) and more, as well as at their website and mobile site.

Afterwards, they can then use Privy by entering their ?chalkboard specials? ? the limited-time offers they run for a specific time frame, plus a photo and description of each. Marketing teams can do this as the offers come up, or they can load them up to a year in advance if they?re better organized and prepared. Privy then automates the distribution of those campaigns to the various services and sites the company uses.

From an online dashboard, businesses can see at a glance which sites are driving customers, and drill down into customer info, data on redemptions, reviews, claims, and more. Customer data can also be both imported and exported to Mailchimp and Constant Contact and CSV, to allow for more personalized targeting of the audience segments.

With the additional funding, the company is planning to double its team of eight over the next few months and further develop the product. On the latter front, more integrations are in the works, including for services like Yelp, Foursquare, and Open Table, as well as within the ?offline world.? Though?Jabbawy couldn?t get into specifics on this, he did say the plan includes point-of-sale system integrations, in order to track conversions from online to off.

?In addition to proving ROI,? he says, ?it?s really about one of the big challenges we have: the segmentation and the re-marketing. We focus all of our distribution efforts on behalf of our merchants on finding really high-intent customers,? he explains. Jabbawy says it?s?not about using huge discounts to convert customers, it?s about getting the right people at the right time.

?Seventy-eight percent of consumers turn to the web before deciding on buying locally,? he says. ?Yet, local businesses struggle to capture this interest, the moment of a consumer?s highest intent, and convert it into real, in-store customers.? That?s where Privy aims to help.

Currently the pricing for Privy?s system is custom (on demand). Jabbawy declined to provide the customer count, saying only the company had ?enough to make it interesting.?

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/15/boston-based-local-marketing-startup-privy-raises-1-7-million-seed-round-from-500-startups-atlas-and-others/

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MPs say horsemeat contamination likely fraud

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) - The contamination of meat products with horse DNA was most likely due to fraud and prosecutions should be pursued, a second parliamentary report into the scandal said on Tuesday.

"The evidence suggests a complex network of companies trading in and mislabelling beef or beef products which is fraudulent and illegal," said Anne McIntosh, an MP who chairs the cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which published the report.

Europe's horsemeat scandal broke in January when traces of horse were found in frozen burgers sold in Irish and British supermarkets, including those run by market leader Tesco, raising questions about the safety of the European food supply chain.

"We are dismayed at the slow pace of investigations and seek assurances that prosecutions will be mounted where there is evidence of fraud or illegality," said McIntosh.

The report was critical of retailers, arguing they should have been more vigilant against the risks of adulteration, especially where meat products were traded many times.

It recommended retailers carry out regular DNA tests on meat and meat-based ingredients which form part of processed or frozen meat products, reporting results to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The additional cost of this testing should be borne by retailers and not passed on to consumers, it added.

"Consumers need to know that what they buy is what the label says it is," said McIntosh.

Britain's grocers have responded to the scandal by increasing testing, while Tesco, for example, has pledged to be more open about its supplier base.

FSA CRITICISM

The FSA did not escape criticism from the report.

"There has been a lack of clarity about the responsibility of the FSA in this incident. This must be rectified," the report said, adding the FSA must be seen to be independent of industry and given powers to compel industry and local authorities to carry out food testing.

The report did, however, conclude that the scandal, was not as extensive as originally feared. A study by the same parliamentary committee in February said the contamination discovered by that date was likely to be the "tip of the iceberg".

The new report said testing of processed and frozen beef products sold in Britain since January found horsemeat contamination was limited to a relatively small number of products with more than 99 percent of those tested found to be free of horse DNA.

It said tests across EU member states found 4.66 percent of products tested contained over 1 percent horse DNA.

However, in separate EU-mandated tests for the presence of veterinary drug phenylbutazone (bute) in horses slaughtered for human consumption, the UK had the largest number of positive results.

The committee said a newly introduced system for testing horses for bute before they are released to the food system must continue with government and industry sharing the cost.

(Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mps-horsemeat-contamination-likely-fraud-230829673.html

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