Covid 19 Philippine Recession

[Jollygoodfellow]

Anyone have a good chocolate cake recipe?

Sorry might be off topic but forget what this topic is about. 

[Mike J]

6 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Anyone have a good chocolate cake recipe?

Sorry might be off topic but forget what this topic is about. 

This one sounds really good. 

INGREDIENTS
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
7-8 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk as needed

INSTRUCTIONS
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes.
Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.

[hk blues]

15 hours ago, GeoffH said:

Given fatality rates in the nursing homes in many countries there might even be a decreased demand for nursing homes staff in the short to medium term :(

That's what I was alluding to.

[hk blues]

13 hours ago, JJReyes said:

I personally know one physician/entrepreneur in the Philippines who is certified by the Canadian government to provide additional training for nurses.  The applicants still need to test, pass and qualify upon arrival.  But the pre-departure training lowers the cost because the requirements are completed in the Philippines rather than in Canada.  Similarly, caregivers destined for Australia are required to complete certain requirements including one year working at Philippine nursing home prior to deployment.  An authorized agency in Manila verifies and certifies the completion.

Yes.  That makes sense and confirms what I was thinking - it's not as easy to move from the Philippines to other places as it might seem -there are hoops to be jumped through and they cost money as well as time.

[OnMyWay]

19 hours ago, Mike J said:

This one sounds really good. 

INGREDIENTS
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
7-8 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk as needed

INSTRUCTIONS
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes.
Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.

I'm fairly sure that is the one my wife baked for my daughter's birthday!  It was amazing but as I mentioned we had no vanilla, so we put in a bit of almond extract and it had an almond aroma.  I thought my wife screwed up the proportions because the cake batter was very watery, but it turned out as a super moist cake that never got dry!

[OnMyWay]

On 6/8/2020 at 4:31 PM, graham59 said:

How will the adults be able to return to work when their kids are busy studying at home...as no return to 'face to face education'  until a vaccine is AVAILABLE in the Philippines, is the new policy ...presumably for ALL the millions of kids ?

They certainly know how to condemn themselves to misery and recession here...well, for the POOR, anyway.

The school situation has got me really pissed off.  I have to agree with your last sentence, but I will not add the choice words I am thinking of.

And even if a vaccine become available sooner rather than later, why would I give to my kids?  They are not at risk for Covid and all vaccines have some risks.  Especially rushed ones.

My wife's sister is a public school teacher in Manila.  She has to find her own laptop and provide her own internet data to teach online.

I'm seriously thinking about taking the family to the U.S., mainly because of this.  I thought I could give my kids a good private school education here, but online teaching does not cut it.

[graham59]

8 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I'm seriously thinking about taking the family to the U.S., mainly because of this.  I thought I could give my kids a good private school education here, but online teaching does not cut it.

I quite understand.

My three children from my first marriage (two stepchildren...one my own boy) seemed to be receiving a reasonable (private) education here in the Phils,  UP TO A POINT.

When I felt they were in danger of falling behind 'world' standards, I whisked them all back to the UK...adventure over.  They all subsequently passed through good British universities.

Here, our next door neighbour teaches at the local High School, just up the road, so we are kept informed of DepEd developments too.

[fillipino_wannabe]

The Department of Education (DepEd) has removed around 60 percent of the curriculum to adjust for the remote learning approach this coming school year, its official said on Wednesday.
Aside from the usual textbooks, Sevilla said they will provide self-learning modules for students and guides for parents. She added that online learning will be a combination of recorded and live teaching.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/741936/deped-slashes-60-of-curriculum-for-remote-learning/story/?fbclid=IwAR3LvfQNATQbv8AQ_zbG4TVdYobc5IIIk2AlrQM_OBCdQM8R7eTmOmwTWp8


May aswell just watch youtube videos instead

[hk blues]

1 minute ago, fillipino_wannabe said:

The Department of Education (DepEd) has removed around 60 percent of the curriculum to adjust for the remote learning approach this coming school year, its official said on Wednesday.
Aside from the usual textbooks, Sevilla said they will provide self-learning modules for students and guides for parents. She added that online learning will be a combination of recorded and live teaching.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/741936/deped-slashes-60-of-curriculum-for-remote-learning/story/?fbclid=IwAR3LvfQNATQbv8AQ_zbG4TVdYobc5IIIk2AlrQM_OBCdQM8R7eTmOmwTWp8


May aswell just watch youtube videos instead

All well and good IF student's homes have reliable and stable internet AND a suitable device AND there are not 2 or 3 other siblings in the same place learning at the same time.  And there are the same issues at the other end so more potential for issues. I'm not convinced that this will be effective here. That said, we've signed my son up as it will be better than nothing but I'm dubious as to it's value for money.  A number of his classmates' parents have said they'll skip the year but i'm opposed to that as I want my son to have some discipline around study.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

All well and good IF student's homes have reliable and stable internet AND a suitable device AND there are not 2 or 3 other siblings in the same place learning at the same time. 

All true and it effectively means that only middle class and above families will be able to take advantage of online learning.

For example, where some of the family are in Ozamiz most of the baranguay (including one of the schools) is outside cell phone coverage, let alone broad band coverage, only a couple have laptops, most of the family have phones but lots of them are cheaper phones (not smart phones).