Saturday, June 11, 2011

11/06 よみうり寸評


6月11日付

突然訪ねてきた業者に屋根の補修を勧められ、約30万円を支払った。その工事は、薄いビニールを屋根にかけ、テープで貼り付けただけのずさんなものだった◆国民生活センターは、こうした事例をホームページで紹介し、東日本大震災で損壊した家の屋根修理の勧誘に注意を呼びかけている◆すぐに契約せず、工事内容や費用をよく確認する。複数の業者から見積もりを取るなど、くれぐれも慎重に検討する。何より大切なのは、怪しいと思ったら、きっぱり断ることだ◆法外な高金利で現金を貸し付ける「ヤミ金」も被災地で暗躍し始めたようだ。収入を断たれ、当座をしのぐ生活資金が必要な人たちをターゲットにしているのだろう◆「倍にして返せ」「生きている限り取り立てる」。借りた人には繰り返し電話がかかってくる。こんな悪徳業者に付け入る隙を与えないためにも、国などによる手厚い被災者支援が欠かせない◆大震災から3か月。まずは支給が遅れている義援金を一刻も早く被災者の手元に届けてほしい。
(2011年6月11日13時50分  読売新聞)

11/06 編集手帳 - 深い憂愁の作風で知られた明治生まれの詩人、高橋元吉はうたっている ... 永田町がたたえる濁り水の浅いことよ


6月11日付 

深い憂愁の作風で知られた明治生まれの詩人、高橋元吉はうたっている。〈みづのたたへのふかければ/おもてにさわぐなみもなし/ひともなげきのふかければ/いよよおもてぞしづかなる〉◆深い水をたたえた湖面には波が立ち騒ぐこともない。おなじように、あまりに深い悲嘆の底に沈んだ人の表情も見た目にはいたって静かなものである、と。東日本大震災を経験した今にして、詩のこころに思いあたる◆大津波が押し寄せ、家族と離ればなれになった瞬間を静かな面持ちで語る被災者に、テレビ画面を通して幾度となく出会った◆震災から、きょうで3か月になる。本紙東京版で『亡くなられた方々』の欄を毎日ご覧になっている方は新たに死亡が確認された人たちの名前を見ながら、いまだに“あの震災”とはならず、真っただ中の“この震災”であることを日々実感しておられよう。いまもなお、8000を超す数の行方不明者がいる◆それにつけても――である。引き降ろす側に策と知恵なく、居座る人に誇りと大局観なく、政局の波立ちは長引くばかりである。永田町がたたえる濁り水の浅いことよ。
(2011年6月11日01時21分  読売新聞)

Celeste Siam's Favorite: Dance Remix



The Coolest tracks in my DJ Bag
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Hello Lifestyle Asia readers,

I’m Celeste Siam and from now on I would like to bring you some of the coolest tracks which you can dance at my sets, enjoy at your favorite terrace on in a club near you or simply listening when you feel like it. 

I must say that I wouldn't be able to start writing this music column without the help of all my international Dj friends and producers who month by month keep educating and surprising me with very interesting pieces of musical Art. 

For your pleasure, these are my first Top 5 contribution and "must have" on my Dj bag:



Studio Apartment feat. Rae - Your Words (David Penn Remix)


I love how people react when I play it. If I must find another name about how Spanish top producer David Penn remixed Defected's tune, I would just say "chapeau". Emotion's how Studio Apartment featured a multi talent UK Dj and Singer Rae, both already established in the industry with a no turning point. Elegant style with an Iberian touch makes it perfect for your early sets or wake up calls. Bring back again all your sexiness when listening to it.


 
Bob Sinclar - Fuck The Disco (2011)


Personally this is one of those tracks that would stay on my bag for quite long time. Another re-edition which perfectly reminds us that Disco and Funk is back by popular demand. People might not like it as they consider the "French touch" simply not enough underground but personally I feel that is time to get back where we used to shake the butt with not sugar added. The album made on cooperation with Dimitri from Paris, Knights of The Playboy Mansion has its own gems and"Fuck The Disco" is also one of them.

Christophe Le Friant aka Bob Sinclar has nothing to prove but his versatile production skills for almost two decades of success which allow him to delight us with several hits that in one way or the other form part of our collective memories. 

Gianni Kosta feat. Paolo Ravley - Crazy (Radio Edit)


Great house track, represents a remarkable sharpening of focus at a time where the so called "mash ups" seams to pollute some dance floors. Completely in concordance within the most actual trends which bring us one of the best in action in ages. Corrosive commercial dance pop of "Gianni Costa" to the lo-fi electro touch of "Paolo Ravley" brings you a cool mix, Isn´t it? The track came out on the right place at the right time.


 
Adele - Rolling in the deep (Leo Blanco & Hugo Sanchez private remix)


The soul singer continues her rising musical trajectory with her last album, blending vintage sounds and smooth soul-pop. Adele has made us back to reaffirm how much we can love music.

Leo Blanco and Hugo Sanchez invite you to re-discover what technology and "housy" beats could create. This private remix made by one of the well known duos with more projection on the Spanish and international music scene, created a synergy which simply armed a music bomb! Powerful vocal and latino house with piano accords as it best, anytime i dropped, the dance floor turns on fire. Definitely, it‘s one of my secret weapons.

J'aime Happy Wednesday



Enjoy classic French dishes and wines at the Happy Valley Racecourse
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In the spirit of Le French May Arts Festival, the Happy Valley Racecourse is hosting J'aime Happy Wednesday nights on 18 and 25 May 2011 with exciting on-track racing action, French food and wine and chances to win tickets to Le French May Arts Festival.

Indulge in classic French dishes between cheering on the horses, including a French Cheese Platter with Crackers, Duck Rillettes on French bread, Escargots de Bourgogne and Classic Coq Au Vin paired with exquisite French wines.


Unforgettable memories will be made as you pose for pictures with 'French Lady Ambassadors' or the amazing Macaron Tower in the Beer Garden, and don't forget to write down your impressions of the evening to enter to win tickets for the "IAM", "IETO" and "Blue Lady" shows at Le French May.



Speaking of winners, be sure to bring your winning tickets to the Winner's Circle to have a free instant photo taken, plus a celebratory glass of wine for the first 50 lucky winners.

Springalicious Cocktail Night Party Review



Springalicious Cocktail Night Party Review
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With everyone around town raving about the Springalicious Hong Kong Restaurant Week, how could Rebecca and I miss out on their Cocktail Night last Saturday, 30 April 2011? We found ourselves being pampered with having some of the city's best mixologists stirring up an amazing brew for us that evening at Crowne Plaza.
 
 
The invitation specified Cocktail Attire, so Rebecca and I were both excited to get an opportunity to put on a fancy new dress. The crowds there were all dressed to the nines, making it a splendid place to see and be seen.
 

 
The party was set at Club @28. With the breathtaking backdrop of the Racecourse and the flowing water all around the lounge area, the event was as exquisite as it can get.
 

We were obviously there for the unique concoctions, so we didn't waste any time in heading to all the cocktail stations. We loved Drop's  Watermelon Martini, and we definitely agree to their slogan that diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend.
 
While drinking up, we had a quick chat with a couple of fellow partygoers, and we were recommended to try Find's Earl Grey Martini. Antonio was crowded by fashionistas all wanting a sip, which turned out to be an interesting experience, as the cocktail was made up of jelly bubbles, foam, and of course, alcohol.
 
We then went downstairs for Dada's Equinox and Republik's Clear Bloody Mary. We loved the taste of rosemary in Equinox, where Sam shared his tip on putting the rosemary inside the vodka several days for the essence to sink in. The Clear Bloody Mary, on the other hand, tasted like Thai food, being spicy and sour. It was definitely one-of-a-kind.
 
 
We then retreated to the VIP lounge for some of Club @28's mouthwatering canapés and let the cocktails sink in. It was such an amazing night I can't wait to make my reservations at the Springalicious' participating restaurants.


Guest Contributor Gillian Chu is a Hong Kong based Canadian who loves going to the latest parties, fashion, and cultural events in town. See what else she's been up to lately on her blog, here!

Bling on the Diva



Interview with Candace Cheung, Director of Divalicious
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Hong Kong is obsessed with bra straps. You can tell just by browsing through any local gossip magazine, which jumps at any opportunity to call out the slightest hint of any celebrity’s bra straps. Candace Cheung noticed this taboo in our culture too, and in 2009, she created Divalicious – a company specialising in creating 'bling bling' bra straps for all occasions. I was excited to get an opportunity to sit down with her and find out more about her products and inspiration.

Candace Cheung

What is Divalicious?
Divalicious is a series of bling bling designer bra straps that can be worn in a feminine or rock manner. Each strap is made of hypoallergenic nickel free metal and genuine Swarovski crystals, so you can be sure that they help you outshine your friends comfortably. All the straps can be altered to suit your style, so you can play with the straps and make it a halter or cross-over.

How would you describe a Divalicious girl?
A Divalicious girl is trendy, sexy, and fun-loving. She is somebody who is confident in herself and isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd. She wears her Divalicious bra straps casually as well as formally, and it glams up her look effortlessly.



What gave you the idea to startup Divalicious?
It all started with belly dancing. I blinged up a bra strap for one of my belly dancing performance, which I thought would be a waste if I just left it in the cupboard after one use. That is why I wore it out one evening to spice up a boring ol’ black tube dress, and everyone just flocked over and kept asking me where I got it. I received so many compliments that I decided to start up a venture on it. I love seeing girls wearing my designs and it fills me with pride to hear from customers say how dazzling and fabulous they feel having a Divalicious strap on.



Tell me about your 2011 Spring/Summer collection.
Our 2011 Spring/Summer Collection, Summer Glitters, has included a touch of romance by adding orchid and leaf designs, complimented by colourful Swarovski crystals. It pairs nicely with a plain asymmetrical dress for a cocktail event, or a designer T-shirt and capris for a trip to the mall.



Exclusive discount for LifestyleAsia readers: Get a 10% discount off any purchase from Divalicious. So what are you waiting for? Check out their summer collection here!


Guest Contributor Gillian Chu is a Hong Kong based Canadian who loves going to the latest parties, fashion, and cultural events in town. See what else she's been up to lately on her blog, here!

Top 5 Jazz Bars in Hong Kong



The best places to get your jazz on
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Jazz is synonymous to feeling laid back, transporting us back to Chicago during the 1920s. It seems like the jazz bars in town are a bit of a sacred hideaway, and after a bit of digging, here are my top five picks of the best jazz bars in town.

1) Fringe Club
I recommend the Saturday night Jazz at the Fringe Club on the last Saturday of every month. Their jazz band is mainly made up of Japanese musicians, so you will see lots of their Japanese fans getting there real early for a quick chat. It is a very intimate performance area, and seats are on first come first serve basis, so get there earlier with a couple of friends to enjoy a chill drink and a spectacular performance.


2) Peel Fresco Music Lounge
The Peel Fresco Music Lounge's jazz nights on Thursdays and Saturdays is also a great choice. The lounge is relaxing and snug, and I love how they keep their music fresh by inviting different jazz musicians all the time. If you are heading their straight from the office, you can also grab a bite off their nibbles menu, freshly delivered from the restaurant right across the road.


3) Le Boudoir
Le Boudoir has a terrific live jazz band. I really like their luxurious decor, which feels like going back to an 18th Century French drawing room. Their signature cocktails are also to die for.


4) Salon de Ning
Salon de Ning in the Peninsula has a live jazz band daily after 9pm. They have hosted amazing jazz festivals which the Hong Kong jazz community is still raving about. They are a part of the Peninsula, so you can expect the best service in the world. With their lush curtains and velvet sofas, it gives a dark and sumptuous experience.


5) Champagne Bar
There is also the Champagne Bar in the Grand Hyatt, which has a jazz vocalist performing classic favourites every evening. As the name might have probably given it away, this bar is all about champagne. They probably have the most extensive champagne selection in Hong Kong. You will love this cozy bar, which is the perfect place for a pre-theatre drink, standing right across the road from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Arts Centre.



Guest Contributor Gillian Chu is a Hong Kong based Canadian who loves going to the latest parties, fashion, and cultural events in town. See what else she's been up to lately on her blog, here!

09/06 A Diplomat, He Isn’t: Prince Philip’s Tongue Remains Sharp as Ever


LONDON JOURNAL
By 
LONDON — In a rare move by a man who appears to despise few activities more than speaking to the news media, Prince Philiprecently agreed to cooperate in the making of a television documentary about his life. Although “cooperate” might be too strong a word.
Aidan Crawley/European Pressphoto Agency
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth last month in Ireland. He celebrates his 90th birthday Friday.
“Well, so what? You just get old,” a testy Philip is shown barking at the hapless interviewer, Alan Titchmarsh, who has just mentioned an award the prince received from The Oldiemagazine. Asked if it was hard to give up his naval career when his wife became queen, Philip snorts, “How long is a piece of string?”
It goes on. “No,” he snaps when asked if he thought much about his role as a father when his children were young. “I was a father. Are you a father?”
And this is Philip when he is trying to be helpful.
The prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, turns 90 on Friday. He is a former naval officer, has been married to Queen Elizabeth II since 1947 and is the longest-serving consort in British history. Although he intends to cut back on his engagements in a concession to his age, his propensity for uttering rude off-the-cuff remarks and wildly offensive would-be witticisms looks as if it is set to delight and appall the nation well into his 10th decade.
There are those who celebrate his habit of speaking his mind, saying that in an age when everyone is a potential victim, when even the slightest impolitic remark seems to require an over-the-top, self-flagellating apology, having a proud, all-purpose offender at the top of the royal food chain is refreshing and inspiring.
“He’s the last of a dying breed,” said Phil Dampier, a reporter who has covered the royal family and is the author, with Ashley Walton, of “Duke of Hazard: The Wit and Wisdom of Prince Philip,” a compendium of Philip’s best lines. “The great thing is that he never apologizes for these remarks.”
Indeed, when informed on a trip to Australia that his question — “Do you still throw spears at each other?” — had proved highly upsetting to the Aboriginal leader to whom it was addressed, Prince Philip accused the news media of making a big deal out of nothing.
“The trouble with you lot is that you’ve got a total absence of humor, a complete lack of humor,” he said.
Writing in The Times of London, the columnist Ben Macintyre said that Prince Philip’s “sense of humor is genuinely generational, reflective of a cast of mind in which Britainruled the waves, carved up foreign parts into easily derided types and assumed that anything made abroad was liable to break down.”
It is this mind-set, and his years immersed in naval humor, it seems, that cause Prince Philip to fall back on the nearest available stereotype when he meets people who are not like himself (which is almost everyone). It is what undoubtedly was behind his query — “Aren’t most of you descended from cannibals?” — to a museum curator in the Cayman Islands, and what inspired him to ask a Scottish driving instructor: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them to pass the test?”
Not to mention perhaps his most famous remark, to a British student in China: “If you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes.” (He later defended himself by saying that “the Chinese weren’t worried about it, so why should anyone else?”)
He also seems to be unable to refrain from the sort of personal comments that might occur to some people privately, but that even nursery school children are instructed never, ever to make, because such remarks are not very nice. Blind people, deaf people, people in wheelchairs, poor people, unemployed people, French people, young people, Elton John — all have come in for the Philip treatment.
To a Kenyan woman offering him a present: “You are a woman, aren’t you?” To a young boy who said he wanted to be an astronaut: “You could do with losing a bit of weight.” To the president of Nigeria, resplendent in traditional costume: “You look like you’re ready for bed.” To the singer Tom Jones: “Do you gargle with pebbles to sing that way?” To the girls in red uniforms at a British school: “It makes you all look like Dracula’s daughters!”
In the House of Commons the other day, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the duke’s “unique turn of phrase” and “inimitable approach.” And Mr. Dampier said that Prince Philip is “cracking jokes all the time” as a way to cope with his public role, which consists essentially of shaking hands and making numbingly boring small talk with hundreds of strangers every day.
But Johann Hari, a columnist for The Independent and an outspoken anti-monarchist, said there was little to laugh at.
“I find the idea of standing in front of a man who literally committed genocide and saying, ‘It’s a pleasant change to be in a country that isn’t ruled by its own people,’ not to be very funny,” said Mr. Hari, referring to an encounter between Philip and the former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner.
Mr. Hari also disputed the notion that simply by virtue of longevity, Prince Philip was an inspiring bridge between the old generation and the new.
“He’s a great symbol of continuity?” Mr. Hari asked. “If you gave my dad a job from which he couldn’t be sacked and a massive palace in which to live, he’d be a symbol of continuity, too.”
At the end of the Prince Philip documentary, in which he wipes the floor with the unfortunate Mr. Titchmarsh in the manner of a jungle beast dispensing with a bothersome gnat, Philip is asked if he has any regrets or wishes he had done anything differently.
For a moment, Philip looks as if he is prepared to open the door of introspection just a crack. “I’d rather not have made the mistakes I made,” he says. But then he slams it shut again. “I’m not going to tell you what they are.”

10/06 The Poster Plant of Health Food Can Pack Disease Risks

By 


Sprouts are a fixture of salad bars and the epitome of health food to many people. But the reality can be very different.
Stew Milne for The New York Times
Bean sprouts grow in a tube at Jonathan Sprouts in Rochester, Mass.
Stew Milne for The New York Times
Bob Sanderson of Jonathan Sprouts says fresh food is the most nutritious, but can be prone to problems because it is not sterile.
As a horrified Europe learned over the past month, sprouts are a high-risk food for carrying harmful bacteria likesalmonella or the toxic forms of E. coli, according to public health experts.
This year, at least two American growers have recalled sprouts contaminated with salmonella, and outbreaks of illness from tainted sprouts have occurred so often in the United States that health investigators have a special name for them: sproutbreaks.
Many sprout growers try to kill pathogens by soaking their seeds before germination in a concentrated chlorine solution, similar to but much stronger than the disinfectant used in swimming pools. While the Food and Drug Administration recommends a sanitizing step like the chlorine treatment, it does not require it and some growers skip it or use less stringent methods.
German authorities said on Friday that they had conclusively identified sprouts as the cause of the E. coli infections that have swept Europe since early May, killing at least 31 people and sickening about 3,000, including more than 700 with a severe kidney complications.
Epidemiologists in the United States said they were perplexed that it took German authorities so long to identify the culprit.
“I’m just staggered,” said William E. Keene, a senior epidemiologist of the Oregon Public Health Division. “This is basic outbreak investigation 101. This is on the high end of suspect vehicles. You always rule out raw milk, you always rule out ground beef, you always rule out sprouts. It just happens in the beginning steps.”
After a series of outbreaks of sprout-related illnesses in this country and abroad in the 1990s, the F.D.A. began encouraging sprout growers, known as sprouters, to take steps to sanitize their seeds and test their products for pathogens before sale.
The agency also warned the public that uncooked sprouts were a risky food, saying that children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems should not eat raw sprouts. The bacteria that can contaminate sprouts can be destroyed by cooking.
The F.D.A. says there have been at least 30 outbreaks of disease associated with sprouts in this country since 1996. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group that tracks food safety, said that its review of government data revealed 45 sprout-related outbreaks since 1990, including 2,500 illnesses. The group said that it was aware of one death, in a salmonella outbreak in 2003.
One of the most severe E. coli outbreaks ever recorded, in Japan in 1996, was associated with radish sprouts. About 10,000 people, many of them children, fell ill.
Bob Sanderson, president of Jonathan Sprouts in Massachusetts and the head of theInternational Sprout Growers Association, said that it would be wrong to draw conclusions about the safety of American sprouts based on the German outbreak, since growers there may use different methods than their counterparts here. “Fresh food is the most nutritious food and inherently prone to these problems,” Mr. Sanderson said of sprouts and other vegetables. “That’s what makes it fresh. It’s not sterile.”
Mr. Sanderson’s company recalled alfalfa and some mixed sprouts in April after routine federal testing found salmonella in them. Mr. Sanderson said that no illnesses had been associated with his products. After the recall, he said, he improved his testing methods.
Some sprout growers complain that the strong chlorine mixture recommended by the F.D.A. to sanitize seed can be dangerous for workers to handle.
Mr. Sanderson said that he used a lower concentration of chlorine for that reason, but he feels that the tests his company conducts on sprouts as they are growing are sufficient to catch any problems.
Sidney Chang, the owner of Chang Farm, another Massachusetts sprouter, recalled some of his sprouts two years ago after tests found listeria, another dangerous bacteria. Since then, he has built a new, more modern facility and now sanitizes his sprouts with a hot-water process. He also uses a less concentrated chlorine wash.
Experts say they believe sprout seeds can become contaminated in the fields where they are grown. Bacteria can hide inside damaged seeds, where sanitizing steps may not always be able to reach them.
Michelle Smith, an F.D.A. senior policy analyst, said that a single bacterium surviving in a kilogram of seed can be enough to contaminate a batch of sprouts because the way they are grown allows bacteria to spread.
Dr. Smith said that the F.D.A. expected to include new rules for sprouts as it wrote regulations as part of a major food safety law that went into effect this year.