Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf launches NEW Mexican Chocolate beverages
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf introduces new Mexican Chocolate beverages from 2 Mar 2017
Since time immemorial, traditional Mexican chocolate has been used to make some of the most delicious beverages. Dressed with cinnamon sugar and chillies, its bold flavours are believed to date back to the ancient Aztec civilisation!
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom’s representatives released an exclusive statement to US Weekly that the actor and the singer are taking a break.
“Before rumours or falsifications get out of hand we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time,” said the release.
No reason nor rhyme was stated which actually gives more incentive to speculate on what’s going on.
The couple seemed happy over the past few days as they were at two Oscars parties.
Orlando even posted a photo of him and Katy’s puppy yesterday on Instagram.
What gives? Perhaps they just need to go on a nude vacation on the beach again?
Katy and Orlando have been dating since January 2016, when they met at a Golden Globes afterparty.
Orlando’s latest project is yet another instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that will be released in May while Katy is promoting her latest single “Chained to the Rhythm.”
The last surviving giant freshwater stingray of those rescued after the mass deaths of more than 50 of the rare fish in the Mae Klong River in October will be returned to its natural habitat this month.
The stingray, nicknamed “Mae Buaban”, is being kept at the Samut Songkhram Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre.
Authorities say it will be released back into the river when the water quality improves to a safe level and the Fisheries Department officially allows the release.
“We just lost ‘Mae Nongpho’, another giant freshwater stingray, which died on February 13 due to a miscarriage. We also found that Mae Buaban had also lost her babies too, so we have no reason to keep it,” said centre director Kobsak Khetmuan.
“We wrote a letter to the Fisheries Department to ask for permission to return it to the river, as the water quality is now safe. After we receive a letter from the department, we will consult with the provincial governor and people in the province to set up a time and place for releasing the stingray back into the river this month.”
In October last year, more than 50 giant freshwater stingrays were found dead in the Mae Klong River and its tributaries in Samut Songkhram.
Only two pregnant giant freshwater stingrays were saved and taken to the centre for treatment.
Both giant freshwater stingrays were recovering and in good condition after intensive treatment for sicknesses related to water pollution.
However, both were kept at the centre as officials were worried that the water quality in the river was still too poor for them to survive.
Kobsak said a veterinarian team from Kasetsart University had confirmed that the death of Mae Nongpho was caused by an infection in her blood system related to an unexpected miscarriage.
Low birth rate
“She died very suddenly. First she was healthy and then she stopped eating and died within one day. We found from the preliminary autopsy that there was pus inside her uterus, which indicated infection from the miscarriage. However, the official cause of death for Mae Nongpho is still under examination,” he said.
Following the unexpected death, the veterinarian team examined Mae Buaban and found that she had also lost her offspring. However, she was still healthy.
Nonn Panitvong, a freshwater fish specialist from the Siamensis biodiversity network, said giant freshwater stingrays should not be kept in captivity for long.
“A giant freshwater stingray is a big fish, which is very hard to raise in captivity. This is because of its gigantic size and the large amount of waste that it produces every day. If the pond is too small and does not have a good enough water purification system, the fish will die,” Nonn said.
“Moreover, this kind of stingray lives in deep, turbid riverbeds, so … raising it in shallow, clear water for a long time can make it strain and affect their health, especially pregnant fish which are very sensitive to the changing environment.”
He said both stingrays should have been released as soon as the water quality was safe enough and their health had recovered, adding that after four months in captivity one of the critically endangered species had died.
“We should be very careful when dealing with this kind of rare fish, because the giant freshwater stingray is a viviparous fish and it will take decades for one to be ready to reproduce, so the birth rate is very low and one adult stingray is very valuable to keep the species from extinction,” he said.
Giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis) is an endangered species of stingray found only in the Chao Phraya River Basin, the Mekong River Basin and some rivers in Malaysia.
Its numbers are decreasing due to the loss of habitat and increasing water pollution.
It was estimated that the mass death in October killed over two-thirds of the population in the river, which is an important habitat for the fish.
Hyun Bin spoke about his passion for acting in a recent interview with a Hong Kong fashion magazine.
“I’ve played so many different roles over more than 15 years, but I still hope to play more various characters,” Hyun said.
Hyun, who debuted in 2003 with KBS’ drama “Bodyguard,” built up a successful career playing lead roles in hit dramas and films, such as MBC’s 2005 drama “My Lovely Sam-soon” and SBS’ 2010 drama “Secret Garden.”
“The past experiences gave me more skills. I hope I can show you greater depth and richer emotions in my acting,” he said.
Yet, not all of his projects have been successful.
His most recent drama in 2015, “Hyde, Jekyll, Me” closed with a viewership share below 5 per cent, the lowest ever in his career.
Hyun is not daunted by such disappointing numbers.
Rather, he focuses more on new challenges.
“I enjoy the feeling of standing in front of the camera,” he said.
“If the audience is happy I feel happy (too).”
The Court of Appeal has upheld the death penalty against two Myanmar migrant workers for one of the most shocking crimes in Thailand’s history – the violent murders of two British backpackers on the resort island of Koh Tao.
David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were fatally beaten on the beach on September 15, 2014. Witheridge was also raped.
The gruesome crime made headlines in Thailand and across the world.
Police arrested defendant Zaw Lin on Koh Tao – a part of Surat Thani province – about two weeks after the crime took place.
Wai Phyo (Win Zaw Tun), the second defendant, was later arrested at a pier in Surat Thani town.
The two defendants pled innocent and insisted that their initial confessions had been made under duress.
Their legal team also tried to rebut evidence submitted by the plaintiff.
Read also:Â Migrant confesses to Koh Tao murders
The Criminal Court, however, ruled in December 2015 that there was sufficient evidence against the two migrant workers, convicting and sentencing them to death.
After reviewing the evidence, the Court of Appeal concluded the defendants were guilty beyond doubt.
“All items of evidence offered by the plaintiffs are reasonably linked and solid. The ruling is not made on any single piece of evidence but as a whole,” the court said.
The court dismissed as unreasonable the defendants’ complaint that investigators had failed to record every step of the process in gathering evidence.
The defendants argued that police did not have pictures of collecting samples from the female victim.
“It’s not possible to take pictures of every step taken in a long process,” the court ruled.
Nakhon Chomphuchat, a lawyer for the defendants, said they would now file a petition the Supreme Court.
Both defendants are being held at the Bang Kwang Central Prison in Nonthaburi province.
They were informed of the Appeal Court’s ruling on February 23 at Nonthaburi Provincial Court, while the verdict was read out officially for the plaintiffs to hear at Samui Provincial Court yesterday, Nakhon said.
Read also:Â Protests stirred up in Myanmar over Koh Tao murders
FREE dental check-up at any of the over 290 participating clinics islandwide (1 – 31 Mar)
Are you keeping your oral health in check? During the month of March 2017, FREE dental check-ups* will be available at participating dental clinics as Colgate celebrates Oral Health month
Marking Independence Movement Day, millions of South Koreans poured onto the streets, turning central Seoul into a sea of national flags Wednesday.
But this time, the nation is deeply divided, protesting for and against President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment.
As the Constitutional Court is set to rule on whether to unseat or reinstate the scandal-ridden president in early March, tension between pro-Park and anti-Park factions has reached a peak and their rhetoric has become fiercer.
Anti-Park protesters holding national flags in their hands claimed that her ouster is crucial to salvage the nation, while Park’s loyal supporters argued that impeachment should be rejected to inherit the legacy of the independence fighters.
“It was hard enough to get back this country from Japan and achieve democracy. But then it is sad to see this sharp division within the country when it is already the world’s only divided country,” said Min Sun-hong, 44, who brought two children to the anti-Park rally. “I hope the court rapidly put an end to this chaos by upholding the impeachment.”
Wednesday marked the nation’s Independence Movement day when South Koreans staged a nonviolence protest across the nation and waved the nation flag against Japan’s colonial rule 98 years ago.
It eventually led to independence from Japan in 1945.
South Koreans protesting against Park held a candlelight vigil in Gwanghwamun Square in the evening, demanding the court uphold the impeachment to save the country’s hard-won democracy.
Despite the drizzle, an estimated 300,000 people joined the rally as of 8 p.m., according to the rally organizers.
This time, many of the anti-Park protestors also waved national flags, attached with a yellow ribbon to pay respect to the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014.
They have so far held up only candles in a sign of defiance.
“It has been a disgrace for our national flag to be carried for the wrong and unjust cause at the pro-Park rallies,” said Chung Kwang-il in his 50s, holding a big flag in his hands.
Read Also:Â After night in cell, Samsung scion taken for questioning
“The true spirit of the independence movement, which has taught us to fight injustice, is being upheld by candle-holding protestors.”
The national flag has largely been seen as a symbol of the pro-Park rally as Park’s supporters have vehemently wthe Korean flags during their rallies, which also received criticism for misusing it to serve their own political agenda.
The Korea Liberation Association, comprising of independence fighters and their descendants, asked for respect for the national flag, a symbol of the country and independence movement, in a statement Monday.
Separated by dozens of police buses, Park’s avid supporters, mostly senior citizens in their 60s to 80s, staged a rally from the afternoon in the central area encompassing Gwanghwamun interchange through Seoul Plaza to Namdaemun gate.
The organizers claimed 5 million people — which many see as an inflated number — attended the rally.
“We are now living in a prosperous country because we adopted a liberal democracy but because of North Korea, we haven’t fully achieved liberation yet,” sais Jung Dong-il, 74.
“I think we are beginning a real civil revolution here to protect the country from communism.”
The pro-Park protestors argued that the impeachment process was legally flawed and sparked by false news reports and fabricated evidence, calling for the nullification of the impeachment.
They called anti-Park protestors North Korean sympathizers.
For the first time, they marched some 4 kilometers toward the presidential office, chanting “Invalidation of the impeachment” and “Arrest Ko Young-tae.”
Ko, Choi Soon-sil’s now-estranged confidant, is a whistleblower who has revealed Choi’s alleged meddling in state affairs and her close ties to the president.
They claim that the corruption scandal was caused by Ko, who held a grudge against Choi and Park after failing to capitalise on the Park-Choi friendship.
Read Also:Â President Park made 570 phone calls to Choi Soon-sil while she was on the run in Germany
The rallies have been largely peaceful, defying concerns over possible violent clashes due to the growing scale of the rallies and the close proximity of the opposing sides.
The rally came a day after the independent counsel wrapped up its 70-day investigation by naming President Park Geun-hye as a bribery suspect in the corruption scandal that led to Park’s impeachment.
Park is accused of colluding with her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil to extort money and favors from local conglomerates including Samsung Group.
The Constitutional Court is now reviewing whether Park’s alleged violations of the law and the Constitution are serious enough to impeach her, with the ruling expected before its acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi’s term ends on March 13.
Read Also:Â President Park rejects face-to-face questioning scheduled for Thursday
(File) U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) takes his seat before hearing testimony to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on the nomination of former U.S. Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) to be Director of National Intelligence in Washington, U.S., Feb 28, 2017. Pic: Reuters
A BIPARTISAN group of U.S. members of Congress has backed a proposal for $7.5 billion of new military funding for U.S. forces and their allies in the Asia-Pacific region, where tensions have risen over China’s territorial ambitions and military buildup.
Five members of the U.S. House of Representatives and eight senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties wrote to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to support the Asia-Pacific Stability Initiative (ASPI) proposed in January by John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Service Committee.
Copies of the letters were seen by Reuters. Their signatories include members of the armed services committees in both houses of Congress.
McCain’s proposal calls for $1.5 billion annually for five years to 2022 to boost U.S. munitions stocks in the region, build new military infrastructure, such as runways, and help allies and partners increase their capabilities.
SEE ALSO:Â Defense Sec. Mattis says no need for dramatic US military moves in South China Sea
The House letter urged Mattis to incorporate McCain’s proposal in the fiscal 2018-22 defense budgets.
“The Asia-Pacific region holds many interests for U.S. foreign policy that will require our government to continue to prioritize our time, energy and resources there,” it said.
The letter called former President Barack Obama’s policy of giving precedence to the Asia-Pacific “sound” and it was “critical” that this be continued under President Donald Trump.
It expressed concern about “the eroding military and economic balance that is the result of the People’s Republic of China’s two-decade military modernization, combined with the effect of years of sequestration on the U.S. military and our foreign policy apparatus.”
The Senate letter also expressed concern about increasing Russian activity in the region and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
SEE ALSO:Â US defense secretary heads to Asia to reaffirm ties with key allies, S. Korea and Japan
“ASPI will show both allies and adversaries that the U.S. remains committed to ensuring peace and security in a region that contains the world’s three largest economies, four most populous countries, six of the world’s largest armies, and five of the seven U.S. mutual defense agreements,” it said.
Trump has vowed to take a tougher line with China and to build up the U.S. military, although it is unclear whether he will succeed in lifting caps on defense spending that have been part of “sequestration” legislation.
China is due to announce its defense budget for this year this weekend, and its navy is likely to secure significant new funding as Beijing seeks to check U.S. dominance of the high seas and step up its projection of global power.
{“total”:0,”error”:””,”stumbleupon”:0,”linkedin”:0,”pinterest”:0,”facebook_total”:0,”buffer”:0,”google”:0,”twitter”:0,”vk”:0}
167177
When Mr Philip Chew, 82, visited his old workplace in Taman Jurong three years back, he was struck by how much the place had changed.
The retired civil servant, who worked for JTC Corporation in the 1970s, could find neither the old shophouse in Corporation Road where his office once stood nor the food centres he used to frequent.
“Only the diamond blocks are still standing,” said Mr Chew. He was referring to how blocks 63, 64, 65 and 66 in Yung Kuang Road are connected to form a diamond with a courtyard in the middle.
Mr Tan Chan Kiat, 43, who spent his childhood there, described the four blocks as “the closest thing we had to a mall”.
“The supermarket was our go-to place for things we could not get at the wet market, such as fishing gear, lottery tickets and videotape rentals,” said Mr Tan, who lived a five-minute walk from the Taman Jurong blocks.
He added: “The courtyard was where we played hopscotch, catching and badminton.”
Architectural historian Lai Chee Kien said the blocks’ design, with the corridors facing inwards and looking over the courtyard, encouraged social activity.
Having the corridors face one another is “a social form of defence for the neighbourhood”, he added.
“It’s the idea of knowing your neighbours so well that you can distinguish between the residents, visitors and strangers.”
JTC, formed in 1968 as Jurong Town Corporation, built the 456-unit residential development in the 1970s.
Companies in the industrial zone rented the units to house their employees, including foreigners.
Residents nicknamed the development “di zhap yit lau”, or “21 storeys” in Hokkien, for its height.
The blocks were built as Singapore made an industrialisation push to attract investments and create jobs.
By 1980, more than 110,000 people lived in JTC housing units in Taman Jurong, Boon Lay Gardens, Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens.
The flats were handed over to the Housing Board in 1982 but the units in the four blocks in Yung Kuang Road remained as rental ones.
Over the years, most of the former JTC blocks were demolished, except for the Yung Kuang Road blocks and a few others in Boon Lay Drive.
When the Asian financial crisis hit in 1997, companies that fell on hard times terminated the tenancies of employees living in the diamond blocks.
With occupancy rates falling, HDB decided in 2001 to relocate remaining tenants to other rental blocks nearby.
But businesses on the first two floors continued operations.
“Our business took a hit then,” said Madam Lek Kim Noi, 62, who runs Chee Khiang Bookstore with her husband. He had set up the business in 1973.
“A few shops closed during that time. We then moved from the second floor to the ground floor, which had better visibility,” she added.
Long-time grassroots leader Roland Choo, 49, said there was talk that the four blocks would be demolished.
“It didn’t happen and eventually HDB used them as interim rental housing for families,” he added.
From 2009 to 2014, the blocks were used in a scheme which offered low-cost housing to people without permanent homes.
In 2015, a year after the last interim housing residents were relocated, the units were spruced up for HDB’s Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme.
The scheme puts families in temporary homes as they wait for their new Build-To-Order flats.
Residents move out within three months of getting the keys to their new homes, and other couples take over the units.
Mr Choo said he is unsure of the HDB’s plans for the estate while architecture and landscape photographer Darren Soh, 40, who captures buildings in Singapore, thinks the blocks will eventually have to go.
“At some point in time, the building will be too old to keep,” he said. “But some old buildings are socially significant too. The diamond blocks are a remnant of our industrial past.”
leepearl@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Mar 02, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Hakka people used to sing their traditional songs loud and proud at the mouth of the Singapore River in the early 1960s, said freelance voice-over artist Lee Yong Tick.
“Back then, there wasn’t much to keep the people entertained at night so some Hakka people would sing,” he added.
The 57-year-old was just a child then and did not have the chance to learn or participate. He noted that this practice stopped after people complained the singers were too loud at night.
For decades after that, Mr Lee heard little about Hakka songs or Hakka singing groups – until 2005, when a university senior introduced him to Char Yong (Dabu) Association’s Ke Yun Tuan, which translates to Hakka melody group.
It has close to 20 members whose ages range from 30 to 70.
“When I was growing up, people always asked if I knew how to sing Hakka songs but I never picked it up. I decided to join the group to learn how to, since the songs are a big part of our culture,” he said.
Through songs, the Chinese dialect is being kept alive here today.Â
According to the 2010 census, there are more than 230,000 Hakkas here and they form the fourth-largest Chinese dialect group. The largest group is the Hokkiens, followed by Teochews and Cantonese.
The name Hakka literally means “guest people” and was given by other people in the lands where the Hakkas settled.
Despite the name, Hakkas in Singapore can trace their roots to provinces in southern China, where their ancestors lived after migrating from northern provinces like Shanxi.
Char Yong’s president Ivan Ho, 65, said scholars believe the Hakkas moved around constantly, with five or six great migrations taking place across a span of 2,000 years.
“Wherever we went, the flatlands and fertile ground were already occupied so we had to reside on hilly terrain or mountainous areas,” he added.
This gave rise to traditional Hakka music known as “mountain songs”. “We had to sing and shout across the hills – the sharp tone can travel farther to help us communicate with each other,” Mr Ho said.
While their ancestors used to sing on mountains and at the mouth of the Singapore River, Hakka groups today sing proudly in concerts and on stages.
At the 10th Hakka Song Festival last year, the representatives of seven local associations performed more than 30 songs.
Two Malaysian Hakka associations were also invited to perform.
Last October, Char Yong’s song group also organised its own concert at Hwa Chong Institution’s Cultural Centre Theatre.
Around 600 people attended the event which celebrated the group’s third anniversary.
Beyond singing, the association also organises Hakka classes for members and their relatives who are interested in picking up the language.
Char Yong has run the class annually for the past two years.
Secretary-general Lam Phin Chong, 66, said enrolment has not been overwhelming but it is encouraging that people in their 20s have signed up.
Lessons are taught by the head of heritage and publication of the association.
“They are keen on picking up simple phrases that they can use in daily life,” he added. Students learn words such as “soi mok” (which translates to “fall asleep”) and “hong ki” (“awaken”).
He said they are difficult words to pick up because they do not sound similar to their Mandarin equivalents (“shui jiao” and “shui xing”).
An interesting aspect of the dialect is that the names of some body parts are linked to gender.
For example, tongue is “sep ma” and is “female” while nose is “pi gong” and is “male”.
Mr Lam hopes people will be able to pick up the dialect more easily through Hakka songs. The establishment of Hakka TV, a Taiwanese broadcasting station, has heralded more modern compositions.
The station was launched in 2003, two years after the Hakka Affairs Council was set up as Taiwan relaxed its stance on speaking dialects.
The 193-year-old Ying Fo Fui Kun building in Telok Ayer Street, which houses the Hakka clan association, will also reopen as a free public gallery later this year after being shuttered for two years for restoration works.
The gallery is part of the clan association’s drive to promote Hakka cultural values, said clan president Lai Ah Keow.
Mrs Joanne Tan, 50, notes that it is difficult to find people who speak Hakka now.
“I’m quite lucky, many of my colleagues are coincidentally Hakka so I get to speak it with them other than with my siblings and cousins,” said Mrs Tan, who works at a charity organisation.
Student Rachel Lim, 21, said when she meets other Hakkas, they can bond over other aspects of the culture besides language – such as the nation’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew’s Hakka heritage and the notion that Hakka women are often strong and hardworking.
She is not fluent in speaking Hakka but can understand it. “I would want to improve it just to communicate with my grandparents better.
“But I predominantly speak English to my parents and friends so Hakka is not a priority or necessity,” she said.
She has not taken formal classes but makes use of a different technique. “I imagine my grandma saying what I want to say, and follow after her,” she added.
Read also:Â What various dialect groups bring to the table on Chinese New Year
abigailng@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Mar 02, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
