Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tastes of Burgundy set to tantalise French cooking fans in 2012!

Tastes of Burgundy set to tantalise French cooking fans in 2012!


After the resounding success of the Tastes of Burgundy tour 2011, three prominent Australian chefs are set to once again, delight the senses of food and wine enthusiasts with a penchant for French cooking with the Tastes of Burgundy 2012 tour.

Commencing in April 2012, Tastes of Burgundy will run 6 weeks of cooking schools in the iconic gourmet region of eastern France, La Bourgogne (Burgundy).

Each Tastes of Burgundy weeklong experience will be individually led by the crème de la crème of the industry;

• Serge Dansereau from one of Sydney’s best and Australia’s most acclaimed eating establishments, Bathers Pavilion on Sydney’s Balmoral Beach;
• Andrew McConnell, Executive Chef and co-owner of Melbourne’s Cutler & Co. Dining Room & Bar, Cumulus Inc and the recently opened Golden Fields in Melbourne;
• Kate Lamont, one of Western Australia’s most successful chefs of Lamont’s restaurant in Perth CBD, Cottesloe and the Margaret River.

Each of the renowned foodies have signed up to teach the one-week Tastes of Burgundy school experience in April, May and June 2012. Each week will include three “cooking days”, involving market visits (Dijon, Beaune and Chalon or Autun), menu design and afternoon cooking classes, culminating in an exquisite dinner each evening.

The 2011 tour saw illustrious chefs, Christine Manfield and Annie Smithers, lead participants through a culinary minefield in Burgundy, with dishes to inspire and stimulate.

“I was thrilled to be part of the inaugural Tastes of Burgundy tour for 2011’, says Christine Manfield of the highly acclaimed Universal Restaurant in Darlinghurst, Sydney. “It was a wonderful culinary and wine experience with myriad taste sensations, the produce is inspiring’ she says.

The non-cooking days will be packed full of trips and experiences including; barrel tastings in a stunning 14th century cellar; a visit to local artisan farm – one of France’s finest produces of cherve, and the must see Hospice of Beaune.

Participants will also dine in restaurants ranging from small bistros to the stunning Abbaye de la Bussiere, a former monastery, now Relais & Chateaux accommodation and Michelin-star gastronomic restaurant and bistro. A farewell degustation dinner created by the talented hands of Chef de Cuisine, Eric Pras, and his team at the famous three-star Michelin restaurant, Lameloise in Chagny, will conclude the week savoring the Tastes Of Burgundy.

Fine food and wine aficionados will delight in eight days of sumptuous local food and wine in Burgundy with their chosen chef, whilst cooking and residing at a stunning 18th century chateau just outside the village of Meursault. The chateau is set in 6-hectare parklands, complimented by traditional antique décor, a sunny outside terrace and in-ground swimming pool.

The week is all-inclusive, from first arrival and pick-up in Le Creusot, seven nights accommodation in a beautiful chateau, cooking classes, cultural visits, transport for the week, all meals, wine, champagne and the return transfer to Le Creusot for onward travel.

A complete culinary experience from the beginning to the end.

Visit www.tastesofburgundy.com for more information.

Critically Endangered Orangutan Pushed Closer to Extinction as Government Set to Reject Mandatory Labelling of Palm Oil

Critically Endangered Orangutan Pushed Closer to Extinction as Government Set to Reject Mandatory Labelling of Palm Oil

Thursday’s recommendation by the Senate Community Affairs Legislative Committee to reject a bill that requires mandatory labeling of palm oil in food products will mean that Australians are kept in the dark as palm oil continues to be labelled as vegetable oil.

Orangutans are being pushed dangerously close to extinction - predicted within the next 10 years - as widespread deforestation due to palm oil plantations has left them with sparse remaining habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is estimated that an orangutan dies every two hours as land is cleared for further palm oil plantations.

Greens senator Rachel Siewert and Independent senator Nick Xenophon have condemned both major parties for rejecting a move designed to help protect endangered orangutans and wildlife species.

The Australian Orangutan Project and Australian consumers demand that mandatory labeling of palm oil in food products is introduced. Palm oil is the single biggest threat to the orangutan and exists in 50% of supermarket products, yet is masked under a myriad of labels including ‘vegetable oil’.

Whilst some food manufacturers may voluntarily label or even remove palm oil from their products, it is clear that without labeling support by Government policy that most will not.

The palm oil industry does not want Australians to know if they are consuming their product and the Senate Community Affairs Legislative Committee has supported them. Public submissions to the senate consistently argue for the right to know using clear labeling.

“It is unmistakable that Australians want to make informed choices about products containing palm oil. The Australian Orangutan Project calls on the government to heed public support for the bill when it is introduced to parliament this coming Thursday,” says Stephen Leonard, Legal Advisor of the Australian Orangutan Project.

“I find it deeply concerning that the Australian Government seems more interested in doing what the Malaysian palm oil lobby would like, rather than listening to the Australian people."

The orangutan exists as a flagship specifies for many other critically endangered species that live in the same habitat, therefore protecting orangutans means protecting the whole ecosystem of flora and fauna.

“The destruction of rainforest for palm oil plantations is not only the major cause of orangutan decline, but all biodiversity, including Sumatran tigers & elephants and gibbons, as well as the cause of the displacement of vulnerable indigenous communities,” says Troy Kenah, Vice President of the Australian Orangutan Project.

The Australian Orangutan Project urges the public to speak out in favour of the Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling - Palm Oil) Bill 2010, and contact their local MP http://www.aph.gov.au.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Toyota One Hit Wonder, 'The Show'. Coming 24th July to Channel Nine.

The Show. Coming 24th July to Channel Nine. from One Hit Wonder Event on Vimeo.

Australian company harnesses the power of real-time audience feedback via Mobile Web technology for key US television programs

Australian company harnesses the power of real-time audience feedback via Mobile Web technology for key US television programs


Interactive Australian media company, iPowow Ltd, is positioned at the forefront of one of the biggest consumer waves to sweep the global industries of media, technology and communications – the Mobile Web.

Via its three key products, iPowow Business, iPowow Live and iPowow Social, the Company is able to provide the use of its platform to businesses, media corporations and global celebrities seeking to connect instantly with their audience via smartphone technology.

Live TV broadcasters, celebrity followers on social networks, businesses and advertisers are all able to use the iPowow platform to interact with their target audience and networks, in a fashion that basically monetizes those interactions.

Around the world, television broadcasters, advertisers and content producers have been waiting decades for the ‘holy grail’ to emerge from the digital revolution - the power to interact with viewers instantaneously.

Via iPowow technology, broadcasters can ask an audience a question, and television audiences, online viewers or even a stadium crowd can use their 3G mobile phones or laptops to respond instantly.

iPowow’s global, cloud-hosted platform collects and combines the audiences responses and then delivers the digital results directly, second by second, which is displayed onscreen, in real-time, as a moving graphic – similar to ‘the worm’ used in political campaigns.

The company has already signed major deals with global programs brands such as UFC, Cirque Du Soleil, The American Music Awards, ABC Australia, Top Rank, and has also recently announced the integration of its iPowow Live platform for the television broadcast of ‘The 2011 MISS USA® Pageant’.

“We are thrilled to be involved with The 2011 Miss USA® Pageant, a joint venture by The Miss Universe Organisation, Donald Trump and NBC Universal”, says iPowow CEO, Ettienne Fourie.

“In a world first, the 2011 Miss USA® Pageant will be using iPowow to give their viewing audience the ability to score every contestant during the show, instantly,” he says.

iPowow products are Twitter and Facebook connected, engaging millions of viewers outside of a TV show’s normal audience. The iPowow scoring screens also gives viewers the ability to send Tweets and Facebook posts during the event, showing scores and the current leader board places.

“This integration of participation television and social media is set to change everything for broadcasters”, says Ettienne.

The patented technology that sits at the heart of iPowow, is on the leading edge of a global shift towards participation television and second-screen content. iPowow gives broadcasters, television producers and advertisers the power to create a new breed of participation television.

iPowow Social also brings real-time audience feedback to social networking. The company has recently launched a campaign for basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal.
“The product gives sports stars and celebrities the power to ask all of their Twitter followers and Facebook friends a question and receive the answer, instantly,” says iPowow CEO, Ettienne Fourie.

“Every day Shaquille will ask his fans to help him out with questions and they pay a monthly subscription to play.”

iPowow Business enables Compliance & Training organizations to train staff via online video anywhere, anytime. In order to pass a course, users must answer questions correctly on the screen, second by second. At the end of the training video the user receives their score. All of these training records are electronically tracked, collected and available for both the user and the administrators.

The iPowow system is bank secure, proven across global TV audiences, and inexpensive to install. Best of all, it generates significant advertising and sponsorship revenue streams from mobile browsers.

The Company has raised over $3 million in investment capital to date and has successfully built an award-winning team and delivered three ‘Mobile Web’ global software products
in a staged process.

iPowow has created a unique multi-region, patent pending technology platform, and has established offices in New York, Los Angeles and Sydney. The innovative company is now seeking to drive its products into key overseas markets, particularly the US, creating a global network of Mobile Web products.

The company will be holding an information session & product demonstration for media and interested parties on Tuesday July 5th, at 6pm at iPowow Floor 1/328 Bronte Road, Waverley, NSW, 2024. To rsvp please visithttp://ipowow.eventbrite.com/

For more information visit: http://www.assob.com.au/wow or http://www.ipowow.com
About iPowow Ltd
iPowow is an interactive media platform that gives you the power to directly ask your audience what they think… and they will answer. You discover their emotional responses to what you are saying… instantly.

Contact:
Brianna Power
Ph: 02 8006 5035
URL: http://www.ipowow.com
Email: brianna@affinitymarketing.com.au