By Linda AndersonMonday, February 05, 2007Investmentbanking has always been considered one of the traditional homes of an MBA.The sector offers “a breadth of opportunity and the capacity to progress your career rapidly,” says Graham Hastie, director of career services at London Business School. The appeal has not been lost on the LBS MBA class of 2006, with 42 per cent of MBAs opting for careers in the financial services sector. However, although investment banking retains its grip on the majority of LBS students – 23 per cent, Mr Hastie says other areas are attracting interest.Of the class of 2006, 6 per cent of students went into private equity or venture capital, 4 per cent into retail or private banking. A further 4 per cent went into asset management, corporate or commercial banking drew 4 per cent and the remaining 1 per cent moved into other financial areas.However, Mr Hastie adds that, in spite of “huge demand” from students for positions in private equity, it remains a very sm

By Anthony HopwoodMonday, February 05, 2007Despiterepeated criticisms, the MBA remains a popular qualification for a career in business. Even though some well known gurus have joined the critical chorus, the supply of talented people wanting the qualification continues to grow. Does the international cadre of MBA students know something the mighty critics do not? I think they do.An MBA offers three distinct advantages. First, it provides access to new knowledge. A good programme gives insight into the knowledge that has transformed many parts of the business world and provides an awareness of the shifting context of modern business. It also provides a basis for appreciating and developing the arts of management, very practice of the craft.Second, an MBA from a good institution can provide access to a powerful network of contacts: its alumni, friends and supporters.Third, an MBA from a respected and well-known school provides an entry point for the national and international managerial

By Raphael Minder Tuesday, November 06, 2007On Thursday, there could be a scramble to reach gate F31 at Changi airport in Singapore, where passengers will board the first commercial flight of the new Airbus A380.But for those who can contain their excitement and choose instead to kick off this historic day for world aviation with a gentle stroll around Changi, there are reasons to be impressed by the airport itself.Almost 26 years since its opening, Changi continues to collect almost every prize bestowed on airports by the tourism and travel industries (last year alone it grabbed another 25 of these eclectic awards). More silverware should soon be on the way, as Changi prepares to open in January a third, state-of-the-art terminal, as well as to upgrade the original terminal.Changi, however, is not the only Asian airport to excel. In fact, recently it was beaten to the top spot by Hong Kong in the closely watched survey of passenger satisfaction conducted by Skytrax, the aviation resea

By Edwina Ings-ChambersFriday, October 19, 2007 Thebeauty landscape has changed in recent years. Time was when a woman had her regular face creams, her tried-and-tested cosmetics, even her signature fragrance, and nothing new that appeared on the market could drive her off course. Now, in an era of countless scientific advances and new product launches, the cosmetics industry is so crowded that brands jostle for our attention by enticing us with limited editions (a solution that can frustrate as much as excite when you can no longer get hold of a favoured “for three months only!” product).ESTEE LAUDER
Signature Product Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex. Launched in 1982, it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.More than 1.3m bottles are sold globally each year and the formula has been updated over time.
Price: £32.
Bestseller Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Make-up SPF10. This is a long-lasting, lightweight foundation that provides u

By Richard McGregor in Beijing and Tom Mitchell in Hong KongMonday, November 05, 2007China has in effect frozen a proposal to allow mainland citizens to buy shares in Hong Kong, a decision that threatens to undercut the recent surge in the former colony's equities market to record highs.Wen Jiabao, the premier, has attached four conditions to final approval for the scheme, all of which are so open-ended that Beijing could take months, if not longer, to permit it to go ahead.“We] should make scientific judgment and analysis on what impact the massive funds flooding into Hong Kong's financial market would have,” Mr Wen said in a highly unusual intervention delivered to Hong Kong reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan.
His comments cap two months of messy policy infighting over the proposal between rival agencies in Beijing with conflicting interests in management of the country's financial system and capital account.The “through-train” to the Hong Kong stock market was announced in

By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in Monte CarloMonday, November 12, 2007Too many new media companies are chasing too little advertising revenue, one of the advertising industry's most senior executives has warned, as fresh questions were raised about the fast-rising valuations of online groups. “Everyone is seeing advertising as the manna,” said Maurice Lévy, chairman and chief executive of Publicis, one of the world's largest marketing groups. “Far too many people are building plans based on advertising and they may well be disappointed because there is not enough money for everyone.”Speaking at this weekend's Monaco Media Forum, Mr Lévy likened the boom in businesses whose revenue models depended on the continued growth of online advertising to the dotcom boom and bust that began a decade ago.

By Gideon RachmanFriday, November 09, 2007People facing alarming birthdays often say things like: “Forty is just a number.” You could say the same about “$100 oil”. But such benchmarks concentrate minds. As the oil price threatens to break through $100, politicians all over the world will think hard about the strategic consequences. The biggest single effect is obvious. Oil producers become richer and more powerful. The biggest oil consumers – the US, China and the European Union – become increasingly anxious. Beneath that big trend, there are smaller effects that could change the course of some of the most delicate and dangerous international issues – Iraq, Iran, China's foreign policy and the resurgence of Russia.The effects of a rising oil price on the economies of the producing countries are dramatic. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries made $650bn from oil sales in 2006, compared with $110bn in 1998. Russian oil and gas revenues have quadrupled over the same peri

意大利咖啡：一般在家中冲泡意大利咖啡，是利用意大利发明的摩卡壶冲泡成的，这种咖啡壶也是利用蒸气压力的原理来淬取咖啡（又一个瓦特的徒弟）。摩卡壶可以使受压的蒸气直接通过咖啡粉，让蒸气瞬间穿过咖啡粉的细胞壁（还是虎克的徒弟），将咖啡的内在精华淬取出来，故而冲泡出来的咖啡具有浓郁的香味及强烈的苦味，咖啡的表面并浮现一层薄薄的咖啡油，这层油正是意大利咖啡诱人香味的来源。

卡布奇诺·拿铁咖啡：卡布奇诺咖啡是意大利咖啡的一种变化，即在偏浓的咖啡上，倒入以蒸汽发泡的牛奶，此时咖啡的颜色就像卡布奇诺教会修士深褐色外衣上覆的头巾一样，咖啡因此得名。拿铁咖啡其实也是意大利咖啡的一种变化（意大利人确实善变），只是在咖啡、牛奶、奶泡的比例稍作变动为1：2：1即成。

康宝蓝·马琪雅朵咖啡：意大利咖啡真是“百花齐放”，又开出康宝蓝与马琪雅朵两朵花来。只要在意大利浓缩咖啡中加入适量的鲜奶油，即轻松地完成一杯康宝蓝。嫩白的鲜奶油轻轻漂浮在深沉的咖啡上，宛若一朵出淤泥而不染的白莲花，令人不忍一口喝下。在意大利浓缩咖啡中，不加鲜奶油、牛奶，只加上两大勺绵密细软的奶泡就是一杯马琪雅朵。不象康宝蓝，要想享受马琪雅朵的美味，就要一口喝下。

法国牛奶咖啡：咖啡和牛奶的比例为1：1，正统的法国牛奶咖啡冲泡时，要牛奶壶和咖啡壶从两旁同时注入咖啡杯，这种冲配方法延续了几百年。今天，它仍是法国人早餐桌上不可或缺的饮品。法国baby，奶味十足！

土尔其咖啡：至今仍采用原始煮法，复杂的工艺带着几许异国情调的神秘色彩。从中，我们可以窥视到奥斯曼帝国盛极一时的风采。

爱尔兰咖啡：名字里就带着一阵威士忌浓烈的熏香，爱尔兰人视威士忌如生命，也少不了在咖啡中做些手脚！以威士忌调成的爱尔兰咖啡，更能将咖啡的酸甜味道衬托出来。一丝成熟的忧郁……小心，咖啡喝多了也会醉！

摩卡咖啡：喜爱巧克力的伙计们，这就是为你们准备的！还记得意大利的拿铁咖啡吗？在其中加入巧克力就可以调成香浓的摩卡咖啡。

皇家咖啡：这一道极品可是由一位能征贯战的皇帝发明的，对了，他就是法兰西帝国的皇帝拿破仑！他可不喜欢奶味，他喜欢的是法国的骄傲——白兰地！（又一个在咖啡中掺烈酒的家伙！）蓝色的火焰舞起白兰地的

秘诀-1
　　
有些咖啡馆和煮咖啡的人喜欢把滤布泡在水中以保持湿润千万不要这样做，因为许多咖啡馆通不过卫生单位的检验，都是因滤布泡在生水里，产生了些细菌(尤其是过量的大肠杆菌)导致的。所以过滤套、滤布和竹匙洗干净后，最好尽量保持干燥。如果是在家里使用，不用时整理好放在冰箱里．才不会有卫生上的问题。

秘诀-2
　　
判断水质的小技七。注意不要用冷开水来煮，而要用稍微过摅过的生水来煮，比如用家里一般的滤水器过滤的水，而不是RO逆渗透过滤过的水来煮咖啡。水质基本上还是要硬水，而且要注意，生水在第一次烧开时，就要马上煮咖啡，否则在虹吸壶中沸腾久了一样有水质变差的问题，因为水中所含的空气已因为煮沸太久而散失。

秘诀-3
　　
在已经煮沸水的虹吸壶下座中插入上座时，如果水质够好，就不会有热水沸腾得要喷出的样子。如果水质不好(像是冷开水．或是含氧量不够的水，甚至只是因水在虹吸壶下座煮沸太久)，你就要小心，因为可能尝在插入上座时有热水喷出．有烫伤的危险。当然．如果你真的想煮杯理想的咖啡在发生会喷热水的情形时，你就知道应该换壶水，重新再煮，否则可能会因为水质的问题，浪费，你经心挑选的好咖啡粉。

秘诀-4
　
当熄火让咖啡下降时，从伸入下座中的上座玻璃管吐出来的如是大泡泡，那是证明咖啡油脂和胶状物充分，因为咖啡不是水，而是不被冰水稀释的胶凝物质，口感是圆润滑口、舒服而顺畅的；如泡沫细小甚至浮着一层泡沫的则是油水混和，．如水色强苦、强酶、辛烈刺激则是萃取及火候不足。

秘诀-5
　　
一般来说。虹吸式咖啡会以两种方法热虹吸壶，一是煤气；一是洒精，煤气因为火力大、加热比较怏，被比较多的咖啡馆采用，其实两种加热方式的差别并大，只要温
度控制得宜就可以。也就是说即使用酒精加热，如把每一个步骤之间的时间拉长，也一样可以煮出很棒的虹吸式咖啡。

秘诀-6

1、搅拌棒只在水刚上升及熄火时使用，焖煮过程中不要一直搅拌，以免破坏“焖”的过程。

2、滤布每次使用过后，一定要洗干净．如果滤布上残留有咖啡粉，会影响往