Rice Dumpling - Recipe

By Nanyang Cuisine

Ingredients:
Bamboo leaf 80 piece
Pork (cut into cubes) 1500 g
Mushroom (sliced) 100 g
Chestnut (cooked) 250 g
Dried shrimp 150 g
Shallot 80 g
Garlic 80 g
Glutinous rice(soaked in water for 4 hours) 2000 g

Seasoning:
Parsley powder 2 dsp
Soy sauce 3 dsp
Dark soy sauce 3 dsp
Pepper 1 dsp
Gourmet powder 1 dsp
Salt 1 dsp
Five-spice powder 1 dsp
Sugar 2 dsp

For Glutinous Rice:
Garlic oil 4 tbsp
Pepper 1 dsp
Gourmet powder 1 dsp
Dark soy sauce 1 dsp

Method:
1. Mix glutinous rice with seasoning.Steam for 30 mins.
2. Heat wok and fry shallots, garlic, dried shrimps till fragrant.Add in mushroom, pork and seasoning. Fry till fragrant.Finally, add in chestnuts and mix well.
3. Fold 2 pieces of bamboo leaves to enclose rice and filling.Fold into dumpling shape and tie them. Boil for 2 hours.

Can Singapore be a new catwalk for global fashion?

By Miral Fahmy Miral Fahmy

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) – London. Paris. Milan. New York. And maybe Singapore?
The Asian nation is pitching itself as the newest destination for international and regional fashion designers to showcase their collections.
And the dire state of the global economy may be a factor helping Singapore's aspirations, fashion experts say.
"There are lots of very, very, very rich people in this part of the world, and what the recession has done is just knock off one 'very'," said Colin McDowell, a renowned British fashion writer and stylist who is also creative director of the Audi Fashion Festival Singapore, the year's premier event.
"Fashion needs the very, very rich," he told reporters. "And with its rich artistic tradition and huge creative potential, the future of fashion can be in Asia and if there's going to be a core leader, it could be Singapore."
McDowell, who is senior fashion writer for London's Sunday Times, said when he came to Singapore several years ago, he had thought it "a tad complacent."
"But Singapore is the only Asian city that looks Western, where English is widely spoken and that is a big advantage," he said. "If Singapore wants, it can be part of the fashion scene."
Asian economies have been hit by the global crisis, but that has not prevented Singapore, an island nation of nearly 5 million, from courting the region's wealthy with a global gourmet gathering, luxury boat show and now the fashion festival.
Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, Gareth Pugh and Singapore-born Ashley Isham are the main international designers showing at the event. Several Singaporean designers will also take part.
The Lacroix couture collection was launched on Wednesday night at an event full of women dressed in designer gowns and dripping with diamonds.
"Singapore's not high on the totem pole of a lot of top designers but we're building stepping stones," said Tjin Lee, managing director of organizer Mercury Marketing&Communications.
"We want Singapore to be the place where designers such as Lacroix, such as Pugh, can reach out to the whole region. We want it to be the place that Asian designers, too, can flock to, and be showcased by the international media," she told Reuters.
Lee expected some 6,000 people to attend the festival, adding that the 600 tickets offered to the public had been sold out, despite the tough economic climate. The festival, however, has been shortened to five days from 10 in previous years.
"Previous festivals have been commercially driven, but we're hoping to inspire and entertain this time," she said. "People need to go out and see art, experience beauty."
Pugh, a rising talent with sometimes experimental designs, also said the recession was the best time to get creative.
"People with money want to spend it on something special, they want to wear something unique, which is great for designer fashion," he said.

Phil Spector sentenced to 19 years to life

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Ap Special Correspondent

LOS ANGELES – Phil Spector was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth in the music producer's home six years ago. Spector, 69, looked straight forward and showed no emotion as Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler ordered a term of 15 years to life for second-degree murder plus four years for personal use of a gun. Clarkson's mother, Donna, made a brief statement before sentencing, speaking of her daughter's fine qualities, sense of humor, intelligence and dedication to her craft of acting.
"I'm very proud of Lana, proud to be her mother," Donna Clarkson said. She added, "No one should suffer the loss of a child."
The judge also ordered Spector to pay $16,811 in funeral expenses, $9,740 to a state victims' restitution fund and other fees.
Spector, dressed in his customary dark pinstripe suit with a red silk tie, was led away immediately. His attorney asked that he be transferred immediately from county jail to a state prison. It was not immediately known to which prison Spector would be assigned.
Spector gained fame decades ago for what became known as the "Wall of Sound" recording technique that changed rock music.
Clarkson was most famous as the star of Roger Corman's 1985 cult film classic "Barbarian Queen." She was 40 when she died.
Spector's young wife, who is in her late 20s, attended the sentencing.
"This is a sad day for everybody involved," Rachelle Spector said. "The Clarkson family has lost a daughter and a sister. I've lost my husband, my best friend. I feel that a grave injustice has been done and from this day forward I'm going to dedicate myself to proving my husband's innocence."
Spector's son Louis, accompanied by his wife, also came to the sentencing. He had attended much of the trial.
"I'm torn about this," he said. "I'm losing my father who is going to spend his life in jail. At the same time, justice is served."
Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson said afterward that the outcome sent a message: "If you commit crimes against our citizens we will follow you and prosecute you. And no matter whether you are famous or wealthy, you will stand trial."
Asked how he felt about Spector personally, Jackson said, "I find nothing tragic about him. Everything he did was intentional."
Jackson said the case was "rock solid" legally and will not be subject to a successful appeal.
Defense attorney Doron Weinberg told reporters that the appeal will be extremely strong.
"Mr. Spector did not kill Lana Clarkson," he said, "and we hope by the time we are through we will be able to prove that."
Spector had two trials with essentially the same evidence. His first in 2007 was televised gavel to gavel and spectators flocked to the courtroom. But when the jury deadlocked after a five-month trial, his legal "dream team," which at times numbered half a dozen lawyers, bailed out.
By the time the second trial started in 2008, interest had waned. The judge ordered cameras turned off and only a handful of spectators and reporters stopped in sporadically to watch testimony.
During jury selection, only a few panelists remembered Spector's heyday as producer of teen anthems including "To Know Him is to Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, The Ronette's "Be My Baby," The Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and The Righteous Brothers' classic, "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'." Spector also worked on a Beatles album with John Lennon.
Ironically, Clarkson didn't know Spector's music legacy either when she met him only hours before she died at his Alhambra "castle" in February 2003. She was working as a hostess at the House of Blues nightclub on the Sunset Strip, where she had to be told by a manager that Spector was an important man.
His time had passed. Clarkson's career also was ebbing. Their fateful meeting, recounted in both trials, led to her death and the end of his life as he knew it. For the next six years he spent millions of dollars on lawyers as he sought to prove that Clarkson killed herself.
But what had happened inside his house was never clear. Clarkson's body was found slumped in a chair in a foyer. A gun had been fired in her mouth. Spector's chauffeur, the key witness, said he heard a gunshot, then saw Spector emerge holding a gun and heard him say: "I think I killed somebody."
Weinberg said forensic evidence proved that Clarkson shot herself and cited her desperation at not being able to get acting work. Jackson said the shooting fit the pattern of other confrontations between Spector and women.
Much of the case hinged on the testimony of five women from Spector's past who said he threatened them with guns when they tried to leave his presence. The parallels with the night Clarkson died were chilling even if the stories were very old — 31 years in one instance.
Weinberg said Spector's appeal will assert that the judge erred in allowing the women to testify.

Fashion Finds of the Day

So much fashion, so little time. That's why we scour the 'Net to bring you a new Fashion Find each day. From dresses to jewelry, there's a great find waiting for every type of woman at the Women's Fashion site on http://shop.ldboutique.com/

Telephony Online

Nortel confirms it wants out of LG joint venture
By Sarah Reedy
Nortel Networks today confirmed that it is seeking a buyer for its majority stake in its joint venture with Korean vendor LG Electronics. Rumors of the sale of Nortel’s business divisions have been circulating since the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. While it has acknowledged it is in negotiations to sell some of its business units, today is the first specific plans Nortel has confirmed.
In a press release announcing the planned divestiture this afternoon, Nortel stressed that LG-Nortel is a profitable, standalone business with a strong balance sheet and that it hasn’t filed for creditor protection. The joint company has been profitable since it was established in November 2005, but Nortel said it will seek a buyer to “secure a sound future for the LG-Nortel business, its valued customers and loyal employees.”
“As we work to evaluate the ultimate path forward for all of our businesses, this decision will allow LG-Nortel to embark on the next phase of its journey and realize its full potential,” said president and CEO of Nortel Mike Zafirovski in the statement.
The planned divesture comes after Nortel has faced increasing pressure from its creditors to divest key product groups or break itself up for sale. The vendor, which makes wireless and fixed-line equipment, sold off much of its 3G portfolio to Alcatel-Lucent in 2006, but has focused on its 4G long-term evolution product development with LG since then. Nortel is also looking to separate its Carrier Networks, Metro Ethernet Networks and Enterprise Solutions groups into standalone divisions.
The Canada-based company will file a motion with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for approval of a proposed sale process for its 50% + 1 share of the company. It has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to help with the sale, which will require LG’s consent and further approval from the Ontario Court.

Chinese Dumpling Festival "Dragon Boat Festival"

Chinese Dumpling Festival “Dragon Boat Festival” redirects here. For dragon boating as a sport
Zongzi: Rice dumpling with red bean filling
The Duanwu Festival (in Mandarin Chinese pronunciation) or Tuen Ng Festival (in Cantonese Chinese pronunciation) is a Chinese traditional and statutory holiday. It is a public holiday in mainland China and Taiwan, where it is called the “Duanwu Jie” and a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is called the “Tuen Ng Jit”. In English it is also referred to as “Dragon Boat Festival”, after one of the traditional activities for the holiday.
The Duanwu Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of double fifth. In 2009, this falls on May 28. The focus of the celebrations includes eating zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.
The Duanwu Festival has also been celebrated in other East Asian nations. For some equivalent or related celebrations in these countries.

Prague - Czech Republic - Ep1

Prague attractions - Prague "most wanted"
Prague is a very popular European tourist destination. Whether you come to Prague to see famous monuments, visit its various museums and galleries, enjoy the night life or everything together, we guarantee you won’t get bored! There is a lot of things to do in Prague.

Website: http://www.unmenw.com/

Telecom Surge Protection

Packaging protects protective devices from reflow
A TDA Elektronic Technology product story

TDA Elektronic Technology has improved the base cover used in all its CPTC devices to further meet the temperature resistance requirements of Pb-free processing.
TDA Elektronic Technology has improved the base cover used in all its CPTC devices to further meet the temperature resistance requirements of Pb-free processing.
The PPS (polyphenylene sulphide) material is known for the exceptional heat, chemical and flame resistance.
Its heat resistance combined with good electrical insulation properties means PPS can be used in electrical components in place of metals and some thermosets.
High soldering temperature resistance for PPS is 280C.
And although PPS will burn and char in the presence of a flame it is self-extinguishing, and any smoke that does form is lower in toxicity compared with that given off by many polymers.
Circuit designers now have a more durable choice for their applications.

website: http://www.tdaelek.com

Be Happy

Don't worry, be happy!Shrinking retirement funds, job losses, and a general sense of financial malaise may be setting in – but remember, the good things in life are often free

Looking Good During the Economy Crisis - 3 Ways to Save on Beauty Services

Just because the world is experiencing an economy crisis doesn't mean that you can't still look your best. In fact, now is a great time to work out those costly "kinks" in your beauty budget. Here are three ways that any frugal fashionista can get the most for her money on her quest to looking fabulous:
1. Look for salon specials! With most industries on edge during this economy crisis, the truth remains that the beauty industry is no different. Many beauty salons, whether upscale or locally owned shops, are offering massive discounts as they try to get more clients in their chairs. They all know that it's no good for business to have an empty chair and a beautician that needs to be paid!
Some deals that you should be on the look out for include "two for one" specials which will allow for you and a friend to get a service for the price of only one. That's a 50% discount off of the retail or regular price. For basics like manicures, splitting the cost with a buddy can be really cost effective.
2. Take advantage of beauty supply stores. In large areas, more and more beauty supply stores are springing up. For a fraction of the cost of a full salon treatment, frugal fashionistas can buy for cheap, or at least a lot cheaper than those salon prices, the top quality hair, skin, and nail products that the professionals use.
Often these beauty supply stores will allow customers to use coupons for products. You can get coupons that will allow you to buy for cheap by looking through your Sunday newspaper, sifting through your local circulars, contacting manufacturers for coupons, and checking for in-store coupon deals. Also, always ask friends if they have or know where you can get coupons. Maybe they are hoarding coupons of products that they don't or can't use, but you can!
3. Host a beauty bash! You and your buddies can get together and make light of the work of becoming the goddesses that you are by fixing each other up. At a beauty bash, everyone brings their own beauty supplies, and the group shares the work of making everyone look their best. From hair to nails, this frugal fashionista event is a testament to the human spirit and a great way to try out new looks for cheap. Not only will everyone experience a saving, cost conscious women will appreciate the chance to experiment and bond without having to pay any huge salon prices or tip someone for a look that they don't even like!