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Premiere November 20, 2010
Opera. For the first time in over 20 years Verdi's magnificent opera Don Carlos will be performed in Gothenburg. Directed by Staffan Valdemar Holm.
Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901).
Watch a movie from the performance.
The grand historic opera Don Carlos is based on the freedom play of the same name, by Schiller. But Verdi put his imprint on the opera in his masterly characterisation of the different roles: the powerful but oh so lonely King Philip, his intensely pubertal son Don Carlos, freedom fighter Posa, the unhappy Queen Elisabeth and her temperamental and intriguing lady-in-waiting Eboli.
Watch pictures from the performance.
The story takes place in Spain in 1560 and centres on an unhappy love story that paralyses the Spanish Royal family. Don Carlos and Elisabeth love each other, but due to political reasons she is forced to marry his father, King Philip. The inconsolable Don Carlos is forced into a struggle for power that eventually leads to his own father condemning him to death.
For this production we have engaged former Head of Dramaten (The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm) Staffan Valdemar Holm. Staffan has produced a number of Verdi operas abroad and has a special love for Schiller. His constant scenography partner, and wife, Bente Lykke Møller, has created a magnificent decor and historical costumes. The famous Rumanian conductor Christian Badea returns to Gothenburg for this production. He last performed at the Gothenburg opera in our production of Turandot.
We are proud to be able to fill many of the demanding principal parts with our own singers. Tomas Lind repeats his Don Carlos from other opera houses. Anders Lorentzson portrays Philip as the lonely father and finds worthy bass resistance in Mats Almgren in his role as the Grand Inquisitor. In the role of Philip's wife Elisabeth we present Annalena Persson, returning to us after finding great success abroad.
Costume sketches by Bente Lykke Møller.
Don Carlos (Tomas Lind)
The historical Don Carlos
Don Carlos (1545–1568) was Spanish Crown Prince and the son of Philip II. He was born with both physical and mental disorders, and it has been said that these were due to excessive inbreeding. Early on in life he was assessed as incapable of succeeding his father; this fact was regarded as a national security matter and was kept secret through a variety of schemes. Among other things he had to pretend to be the suitor of Elisabeth of Valois during the peace negotiations with France in 1559, then his father took his place. A few years later he fell down some stairs, causing a severe deterioration of his physical and mental health. It is said that his mental illness expressed itself in an obsession with torturing animals; among other things he skinned horses while they were still alive. He adopted a hostile attitude towards his father at an early age. He schemed against him and had plans to take control over the Flanders region; even becoming a supporter of their independence movement. Don Carlos was jailed by his father in 1568, and died in prison. The cause of death has never been fully clarified. The rumour that he was murdered by his father has been proven untrue, as has the rumour that Don Carlos planned the murder of Philip II.
Don Carlos according to Schiller/Verdi
As a professor of history, Friedrich Schiller knew when he was recounting facts and when he was creating fiction. But despite what is usually said about his play Don Carlos, it is generally surprisingly consistent with actual events. However, it is far from accurate when it comes to the inner, emotional dimension: Schiller's Don Carlos is a typical romantic hero - misunderstood and unlucky in love, but not mentally ill and definitely not a torturer of animals. It also seems as if the real Don Carlos was not in love with Elisabeth. Verdi followed in Schiller's footsteps, but struggled with finding a true aria or solo for the title role, other than the short introductory aria. This may also have been caused by Verdi's belief that the original tenor was not good enough.
Tomas Lind
Tomas Lind sings the role of Don Carlos, a role he has previously performed in Stockholm. He has been a member of the Göteborg Opera ensemble since 1989. Thomas thinks understanding the historical Don Carlos is easy, if you think of him as an abused child and a member of a royal family to boot. That must mean that a lot of things were out of bounds but other things allowed, such as the torturing of animals."We have all felt that we've missed out on love and felt unloved at some point", says Tomas Lind, "so you have to channel that part of yourself in order to play the role." Imagine if, on top of that, you had been abused both mentally and physically as a child, just like Don Carlos was? Even grown and otherwise powerful men can suddenly feel very small in the presence of their father - just like Carlos. And that might never change."
Tomas Lind agrees that Don Carlos can be seen as an outsider. Tomas was also an outsider when younger but in a completely different way - he often chose his own path and had difficulty accepting advice and criticism: "I probably didn't vacillate as much as Don Carlos and I definitely never cried when I was younger, unlike him." Tomas also had a very good relationship with his own dad - "He was a very warm person, even if he found it difficult to talk about feelings," says Tomas - and he has never had a step mother. Thomas lives in the Hisingen area of Göteborg and has been in a relationship for the last ten years. He has one daughter from a previous marriage, now 29. His relationship with animals is the complete opposite of Carlos' - Tomas has had two dogs, and especially the second one, a Riesenschnauzer, was a great source of joy for him, he says.
Filip II (Anders Lorentzson)
The historical Philip II
Philip II (1527-1598) was the son of Charles V, who abdicated and became a monk in 1556. Upon his abdication Philip became king of the Spanish kingdoms Castile and Aragon and their colonies, as well as of Milan, Naples, Sicily and the Netherlands. Until his death, Philip II was the most powerful man in Europe - head of the original "empire where the sun never sets". He is seen as a hard-working and deeply religious monarch, who supported the Counter-reformation with all his power. Philip II lived in the monastery palace Escorial, which he started constructing in 1563. He was married four times; the first marriage to Maria of Portugal, who gave birth to his son Don Carlos. Elisabeth was his third wife, and she gave birth to two daughters but died while delivering the third. His fourth marriage was to his sister's daughter, a woman nearly 30 years younger than he was. She gave birth to his son Philip. Just like his father, Philip III succeeded Philip II in 1598.
Philip II according to Schiller/Verdi
"It is as strict and horrifying as the cruel ruler who once built it," Verdi said when visiting the Escorial Palace in Madrid in 1863. Five years later his opera premièred, with Philip II as one of the main characters. Both Schiller and Verdi created a nuanced and very human portrait of a ruler with a power that we cannot even imagine today - but a man who could still not control his emotional life or that of those around him. The historical accuracy of the character can only be guessed at, but the character does seem reliably portrayed. When it comes to actual events, this is the role that corresponds best to reality.
Anders Lorentzson
Anders Lorentzson has wanted to perform the role of Philip II for a long time. He has actually visited Escorial in Madrid, though the visit took place 19 years ago, and was impressed by the king's enormous library. During the visit he said jokingly "One day I'll be the King of Spain". Little did he know that this would one day be true, even though he already knew of the role back then and had sung Philip's great monologue. Anders himself has been married to the same woman for 25 years."I sowed my wild oats before I got married," he says jokingly while talking about Philip's four wives and mistress. Anders has three sons and emphasises that his relationship with them is very good, unlike Philip. The sons all play an instrument - guitar, bass and drums - so he has an entire accompanying band at home. For his wife's 50th birthday Anders acted as vocalist for the "boy band".
Regarding the character of Philip, Anders says that a man with such power must struggle to see any limits at all. But the Grand Inquisitor and the church place limits on his power, which is a source of immense frustration for him. He also realises that he cannot control his emotional state of mind, as emotions have to remain free of control. From the very start he realises that he cannot force Elisabeth to love him. No man can ever achieve that kind of power. As regards religion, Anders says that he is religious but not a member of any particular faith. He believes that religion has caused a lot of misery, which is also shown by this opera. Anders further mentions the Israel-Palestine conflict as an example. "Religion often becomes a cover for those who want to gain more power, which makes it quite insincere," Anders Lorentzson concludes.
Elisabeth of Valois (Annalena Persson)
The historical Elisabeth
Elisabeth (1545-1568) was a French princess and daughter to Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici. She had originally been betrothed to Don Carlos, who was of the same age, in 1559, but this was later changed to a betrothal to his father, Philip II, as a guarantee for the peace accord between France, Spain, England and the Savoy. The next year, at the age of 15, she arrived in Madrid and became Queen Isabella. She was probably never in love with Don Carlos, but when he was put in prison she is said to have locked herself in a room and cried for a week. She gave birth to two daughters during her marriage with Philip, but died delivering the third - the same year that Don Carlos passed away.
Elisabeth according to Schiller/Verdi
Verdi allowed his librettist du Loche to write an entire first act that did not exist in Schiller's play. That act takes place in France and lets us see how Elisabeth and Don Carlos fall in love when betrothed and how her husband-to-be is changed as part of the peace accords, from Don Carlos, the son, to Philip II, the father. (This act was later removed to create the four act version, the version performed at the Göteborg Opera.) The information in the act is historically accurate, except for the fact that the young betrothed were never in love. However, rumours that they were in love were spread by the protestants in order to discredit the Spanish royal family, and Schiller may have based his work on this. And that's lucky, because their duets are accompanied by some of the most beautiful music Verdi ever composed.
Annalena Persson
Elisabeth in Don Carlos is Annalena Persson's very first Verdi role. She probably thought she would sing a Verdi role a lot sooner, as she performed a duet from Don Carlos during the final student performance at the University College of Opera in Stockholm. It likely poses a larger challenge now that she has sung a lot of Wagner, as Verdi stretches vocal abilities much further and demands more refined singing. Annalena hopes this will provide further inspiration for the other roles. Just like many other late Verdi roles, Elisabeth combines lyric and dramatic song in a way that can be difficult to handle. Further Verdi roles are not part of Annalena's plans at present - however Lady Macbeth would probably be the next one. Regarding the role of Elisabeth, she says: "I really feel for her! This could easily take place right now, although not necessarily in a royal family. For some people it is part of everyday life to feel restricted from making choices, or to feel as if they're in prison. For example, this could be true of people from other cultures, and you only have to go as far back as to the early 20th century to be in an era where your dad decided who you should marry. I always find it fascinating to learn about the era for each role and then see where similar issues exist.
I haven't had to go back far in time for any of my roles." The difficult thing with this role is the need for restraint. Roles such as Isolde and Salome actually have the same feelings and are just as frustrated, but they can express themselves freely. Annalena has also looked at her own life and realised she often used to "bottle things up inside'', but that she no longer does so. "When my mum turned 60, she said she no longer cared what people thought of her - luckily that point came earlier on for me." Annalena moved out of home at an early age, 15 - the same age that Elisabeth was on her arrival to Spain. She moved in order to attend the Music College of Karlstad. She has also lived with an older man, although she did so of her own free will - she has been in a relationship with a jazz musician for 17 years. They have a very longed-for daughter, now 5, who they adopted from South Africa. However, the largest similarity between her life and that of Elisabeth is that Annalena also has a stepson, now 22. But having been his bonus mum (the expression currently favoured in Sweden ) since he was 5 it is unlikely that there will be further similarities with Elisabeth's destiny, she concludes with a big laugh.
The Princess of Eboli (Susanne Resmark)
The historical Eboli
Eboli (1540–1592), was actually called Ana de Mendoza y la Cerda, and became the Princess of Eboli upon marriage. She was the daughter of the Viceroy of Peru and married Ruy Gomez da Silva, a childhood friend of Philip II, at the age of 12. They had no less than ten children, and after his death in 1572 she initially became a nun. But her ambitions led her to become close to one of Philip II's other favourites, state secretary Antonio Pérez. They embarked on a love affair but were arrested for conspiracy against the state. She refused to ask Philip II for forgiveness and was imprisoned. She later died in prison. She was seen as very beautiful, but also as very domineering and intriguing. Her beauty was not lessened by the fact that she wore a patch over one eye - an eye lost in a duel with a page in her early years.
Eboli according to Schiller/Verdi
This role bears almost not relation with historical facts - except for Eboli being a part of the court of Philip II, that she briefly joined a nunnery, and that she was very beautiful. There is no reason to believe that she would have been the mistress of Philip II - although she was the mistress of men close to him - nor that she was in love with Don Carlos. However, the emotional aspects of this role are correct - both Schiller and Verdi describe her as scheming, domineering and impassioned. But her life ends with her cursing over her beauty that has led her to make unwise decisions.
Susanne Resmark
The first thing Susanne Resmark does during the interview is to take out her reading glasses so that she can read properly. But she still has vision in both of her eyes, rather than having lost one of them in a duel, "although I loved the fencing lessons at the University College of Opera," she says. However, there are still similarities between her and the real Eboli. "I love to ride, fence, flirt and hunt, just like she does," Susanne says. Susanne, originally from Ängelholm, used to participate in riding competitions when she was young, but she had to give riding up to concentrate on her singing. She also has a hunting licence and hunts both elk and deer. In addition, she also resembles Eboli through her "quick temperament and her joy of life," she says. Susanne has performed this demanding mezzo soprano role twice before - both in Copenhagen - and says that is one of the few operas where the mezzo and the baritone (Rodrigo, the Marquis of Posa) are the driving forces of the story. Eboli is not suffocated by the strict rules at the Spanish court - instead they seem to encourage her. But her Achilles heel, according to Susanne, is her love for Don Carlos - it drives her. It makes her supply the king with incorrect information regarding Elisabeth and the jewellery box: "Elisabeth and Eboli were previously very close - Eboli even took care of Elisabeth when she first came to Spain.
I think Eboli must have been Philip's lover even before Elisabeth arrived, otherwise it seems improbable. The fact that the king continues with the affair afterwards is probably because Eboli is like a breath of fresh air compared to the sad Elisabeth." In her great aria, Eboli sings that it is her beauty that has destroyed everything in her life. Susanne interprets it as Eboli believing that the source of her destruction was that the king found her beautiful. She believes that beauty is only surface-deep, but that the first impression of someone matters a lot. Susanne knows the subject matter well, as she had gastric bypass surgery last year and now weighs 50 kilo (almost 8 stone) less. It's much easier to play these types of roles now, she feels, even though she has never lacked self-confidence on the stage. But previously she probably would have refused to lie on a table, dressed in just a negligée. It has also become a lot easier to dance and get on her knees on stage now. Susanne has been married to a civil engineer for the last 16 years and they have two kids, 14 and 12 years old. They live in a large house in Ängelholm and have never been party to any intrigues or conspiracies against the state.
Bente Lykke Møller
Bente Lykke Møller, scenographer and costume designer, attended Statens Teaterskole in Copenhagen and has since then worked with both theatre and opera in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Chile and Austria. Together with her husband, director and former head of Dramaten (The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm), she founded Skandinavisk Førsøgs-teater. They have created a number of productions for Det Kongelige Teater, Malmö Dramatiska Teater, Dramaten and Kungliga Operan. Bente Lykke Møller also works as a scenographer on film and TV productions. In 2009 she received the Cultural Award from Sydsvenskan together with her husband.


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General purpose cloth tapes can be marked with pens and are generally coated with a rubber adhesive.
The durable and flexible cloth tapes can be pressure-sensitive, which means that they are designed to adhere with pressure, not with an adhesive.
Types of backing materials
There are many backing materials available on cloth tapes:
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Uses for Cloth Tapes
Some people like to use coloured cloth tapes as masking tapes around the home, workshop, construction sites or in the garden.
Other uses include to seal walls in the construction industry, for basic rigging tasks, for bookbinding and sewing and many other uses.

subset: commoncrawl


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Company Press Release
Morningstar Announces Appointment of James Tanner as Global Head of Business Development and Sales; Scott Cooley to Step Down as CFO
CHICAGO, Jan. 9, 2013�Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced two senior management changes. Scott Cooley, chief financial officer, will be stepping down from his role this year. The company expects him to remain chief financial officer until Morningstar names a replacement. Cooley, 44, has served as Morningstar�s chief financial officer since 2007. In addition, James Tanner, 52, has joined Morningstar as global head of business development and sales.
Joe Mansueto, chairman and chief executive officer of Morningstar, said, �Scott came to Morningstar as a stock analyst 17 years ago and has held many leadership roles within the firm. He has done a superb job as CFO. I hate to see him leave this post, but I understand that he is ready for a new challenge. Scott is considering several options, including going back to school to pursue a doctorate or staying with Morningstar in a research capacity. He�s going to take some time to think about the next chapter in his life, which I hope will include a role at Morningstar.�
Mansueto added, �We�re thrilled that Jim is joining Morningstar�s senior management team. Jim founded Wall Street on Demand, a very successful company that was acquired by UK-based Markit two years ago. We�ve long admired Jim�s customer-centric approach to business. His appointment adds even more firepower to the strong sales management team we have in place.�
�For the last 25 years, I have watched as Morningstar has become a premier research and information provider,� Tanner said. �I am proud and honored to be given the opportunity to join such an amazing team.�
Tanner most recently served as Markit�s vice chairman of business development and before that its head of global distribution. He holds a master�s degree in business administration from Harvard and a bachelor�s degree in Russian language and literature from Haverford College.
About Morningstar, Inc.?
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 385,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 8 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has approximately $195 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2012. The company has operations in 27 countries.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements?
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on our current expectations about future events or future financial performance. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, and often contain words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," or "continue." These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the events we discussed not to occur or to differ significantly from what we expected. For us, these risks and uncertainties include, among others, general industry conditions and competition, including current global financial uncertainty; the impact of market volatility on revenue from asset-based fees; damage to our reputation resulting from claims made about possible conflicts of interest; liability for any losses that result from an actual or claimed breach of our fiduciary duties; financial services industry consolidation; liability related to the storage of personal information about our users; a prolonged outage of our database and network facilities; challenges faced by our non-U.S. operations; and the availability of free or low-cost investment information. A more complete description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. If any of these risks and uncertainties materialize, our actual future results may vary significantly from what we expected. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.


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The Winnebago County Bar Association will promote and support the practice of law and the administration of justice according to the highest standards while also serving its members through education, collegiality and opportunities for public service.
Sections-Diversity Committee
Equal Opportunity Pledge
To provide equal employment opportunities for all, ________pledges to:
The following members of the WCBA and law firms have signed the
Winnebago County Bar Association
Equal Opportunity Pledge:
James Allen
Jerrold L. Barenbaum
Jeremy Bergstrom
Thomas Boswell
Lucinda Bugden
Kim M. Casey
Danielle Costello
Michael P. Davidson
Pamela Fox
Philip Frankfort
Richard Gaines
Victoria R. Glidden
Hon. Gwyn Gulley
Sherry Harlan
Charles Helsten
Matthew Hevrin
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Daniel Hiser
Holmstrom & Kennedy PC
Roberta Holzwarth
Barbara Huffman
Nancy Hyzer
Michael Iasparro
Jennifer Johnson
Gary Kardell
Bradley Koch
Jocelyn Koch
James W. Keeling
Timothy J. Leake
P.M. Lechtenberg
Carol Lockwood
Thomas Lester
Matthew Logan
Frank Maggio
Al Mezny
J. Joseph McCoy
McGreevy Williams P.C.
Marcia Mueller
David Mullins
Lisa Munch
Nicola A. Nelson
Stephen Moore
James Pirages
Richard S. Porter
Jeffrey Powell
Susan Riege
Cathy Ritts
Ellen Samuel
Peter Savitski
Michael Schappert
D. Renee Schroeder
Gregory T. Snyder
Jeffry S. Spears
Brett A. Strand
Heather L. Suchobrus
Charles Thomas
Kelly J. Varsho
Hon. Patrick Yarbrough
Kristine Youman
James Zuba
Linda Zuba


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Khergits were thinking that peace and prosperity came to their lands at last. They already had proven their bravery and valour in many great battles with merciless Black Knights, who had came from Western lands of Calradia. When the war was finally over and the dark clouds upon the Khergit lands were about to dissolve... when setting foot on Calradian steppes where had been irrigated with the blood of Khergit warriors and Black Knights, Swadian King Harlaus said: "Sanjar Khan, you shall pay for the bloods of many great warriors that you shed upon these fields and when you are handing over your loathsome, filthy soul to the God... spectres of thousands of Black Knights shall be with you!" The tension between King Harlaus and Sanjar Khan finally came to an end with Swadian raids to Khergit villages and Khergit castles captured by Harlaus' commanders. Then, it was nothing but great marching Swadian armies' terrible roars that flew up to the skies and began to shake Calradian lands wildly.
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Of Men
Of Men is the twelfth chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion section within The Silmarillion.
[edit] Synopsis
This chapter recounts the Awakening of Men, the Secondborn Children of Ilúvatar, after the first rising of the Sun. "Of Men" also compares the nature of the Elves to Men, and mentions Men's inevitable takeover of the dominion over Middle-earth from the Elder Children of Ilúvatar.


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Summer slump? "Mom I'm bored," kickin' in yet? At my house, water-skiing families are always leaving stray towels and items on our dock, but this particular leave behind … [Read more...]
You are here: Home / Archives for carpe-diem
A "Bucket List" for Kids? 101 Things To Do Before You're 12!
August 1, 2008 by Amy Jussel 5 Comments
Filed Under: EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: 101-things-you-gotta-do-before-youre-12, American-Folklife-Center, bizarre-races, Carnegie-Mellon-professor-pancreatic-cancer, carpe-diem, crazy-competitions, Dr.-Robyn-Silverman, EarthCalendar.net, geocaching, get-outdoors-kids, inspirations, Joanne-O'Sullivan, kids-boredom-beaters, kids-bucket-list, living-life-fully, nature-kids, npr, powwows, RADhole.com, Randy-Pausch, StoryCorps, summer-fun-activities, swinging-bridges, tween-journals, urban-gardens, volunteer-vacations


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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Easter Basket Breakfast
Greek yogurt - individual container
One Sliced Kiwi
Rainbow boba - also know as tapioca balls or pearls. Colorful cereal or dried fruit could be used in replace of the boba.
Here's what the boba look like once they're boiled. The package should say how to prepare them. Usually you just have to boil them for about 5 - 10 minutes depending on size.
1. If you can, cut off the label on the yogurt or cover with a pretty paper. Tie bow around the top edge. Use a little double stick tape to hold in place. Peel off lid.
2. Place sliced kiwi along the edges to look like grass. Lay kiwi flat on top of the rest of the yogurt.
3. Place boba or cereal on top. Done.
18 comments:
- jelly roll fabric said...
Those dishes look scrumptious. Been a big fan of the blog for a while - first time posting. Keep up the great work… I really love the stuff you've got on here.
- April 19, 2011 at 10:00 AM
- Jessica said...
What a beautiful breakfast! I have never heard of boba before.
Our kids had spring break last month. Spring break was always the week leading up to Easter, so this year it's just weird to me that spring break is all over the place for different areas... and not sure why it is like that this year.
- April 19, 2011 at 10:01 AM
- zakkalife said...
My Mother in Law is a teacher and her break was the same time as yours. I was told schools are doing this to get away from the idea that it's an Easter Break and emphasizing it's a Spring Break. I just hope they don't start doing this with winter break and have it a week before Christmas!
- April 19, 2011 at 10:36 AM
- Sheila... said...
this is awesome! any reason to have more boba bubbles other than a drink is my kind of recipe.
- April 19, 2011 at 12:09 PM
- jejoba said...
Where can you find boba? Is it available at most grocery stores? If so what part of the store is it located in?
- April 19, 2011 at 12:24 PM
- Michelle L. said...
Ha! Genius. I would defy any kid not to gobble this up!
- April 19, 2011 at 2:00 PM
- justJENN said...
I love this!
- April 19, 2011 at 2:05 PM
boba balls are actually extremely unhealthy due to the dangerous chemicals in them. maybe you should substitute for blueberries or something
- April 19, 2011 at 3:14 PM
- zakkalife said...
Sorry, I should have mentioned that. You can find boba pearls at Asian markets. Some grocery stores have an Asian aisle and you might find them there as well. If you really want to get some, I recommend buying online.
- April 19, 2011 at 3:40 PM
- zakkalife said...
I've never heard of boba having dangerous chemicals in them. After reading your comment, I did a Google search but still couldn't find anything. If you have an article I could read, I would be interested.
- April 19, 2011 at 3:43 PM
- allyn said...
the gift basket is adorable. i never thought to make an edible one. i always stuff ours with summer things like sunglasses and bathing suits. what a great idea. thanks for sharing.
- April 19, 2011 at 4:55 PM
- Anthonette said...
What a very cute breakfast treat! I love how you used the kiwi.
- April 19, 2011 at 10:22 PM
- BUSIR said...
I was afraid that they were sweets,never heard of boba in France.Y.S
- April 19, 2011 at 11:29 PM
- zakkalife said...
Boba are not sweet at all or at least the ones I get are not. They're a starch basically.
The whole point of this breakfast was to offer something that looked fun but wasn't actually sweet.
- April 20, 2011 at 7:34 AM
- pocketwonders said...
Neat Idea!
I do love my tapioca bubbles...
-wants bubble tea now-
- April 20, 2011 at 9:57 AM
- tamdoll said...
Looks fantastic. I have to find some of these giant tapiocas soon! Tomorrow I will be on the quest for an Asian market - the last one I used to go to has closed down.
- April 20, 2011 at 5:33 PM
- Yoshi Blade said...
What an interesting idea for an Easter breakfast. Thanks for sharing this post with us.
- April 26, 2011 at 2:11 PM
- Novi On The Go said...
What a delightful looking breakfast! I've never tried boba with yogurt before, it's normally served with sweetened coconut milk or with sweet potato or Asian fruit like jackfruit. This is something different, thank you for this.
- April 27, 2011 at 12:55 PM
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I'm reading a book called The Psychology of Wine, which is (duh) by a couple of psychologists. One of the points the authors return to repeatedly is the connection of wine experiences with memories. It's well-established that certain tastes and smells can transport our memories to a specific time or situation, and for those who love wine, this can certainly be the case.
A psychology convention brought me to San Francisco the weekend before Thanksgiving. Perhaps it was the influence of my reading material, but during the trip, I seemed to pair wine with experience.
Being at a conference and having professional interactions may have prompted some people to drink before dinner, but I decided to be good (for once). The rain had started by Friday evening, and apparently it's a rule in San Francisco that half the cabs disappear, so the line for a taxi plus the cold, windy, damp weather deterred me from waiting for one. I'd had a recommendation for the Daily Grill, which was a couple of blocks away, so I made a dash through the rain for dinner. Being cold and wet in a city where I was truly missing Hubby, whose work schedule wouldn't allow him to accompany me on the trip, may have led me to turn to an old friend: the Rodney Strong Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, this is one of our house wines. No, it wasn't adventurous, but it was "comfort wine," and I could almost believe its citrusy-grassy notes would preserve me from getting sick in the cold and damp.
I started with the special soup of the night, Butternut Squash with Crème Fraiche, which hit the spot with its creamy texture, sweetness, and spices. The Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad seemed a good, healthy choice for my entrée, and although I enjoyed it, it needed some mandarin oranges or something to balance the tangy saltiness of the ginger-soy dressing. I did appreciate that the tuna was served rare and not too spicy. Alas, jet lag caught up with me before I could get to dessert.
I was on a panel on Saturday, so again, the drinking had to wait until the evening. San Francisco "Wine Brat" Thea had invited me to join her at the Night That Never Ends BevMo Holiday Beer Festival. This time I had to wait in the taxi line, so I ended up being late and not able to spend that much time with her. Still, it was a pretty awesome beer festival, not least because I was able to try everything at the Unibroue table while talking to a fun couple from Oakland. I'm a fan of the Trois Pistoles but hadn't realized that their beers are all Belgian-style. I also liked the Anderson Valley Brother David's Triple (not available in Georgia, sadly) and the Scaldis Noel. The other highlight of the beer fest was hanging out with Ashley Routson the Beer Wench, who showed me around to some of her favorites and then drove me to North Beach for dinner so I wouldn't have to wait in yet another taxi line.
This brings me to the absolute highlight of the trip. Vicoletto, which means "little alley," had also been a recommendation. This cozy spot on Green Street is off the main North Beach drag (Columbus Avenue) and worth seeking out. I started with the Insalata tricolore, a salad of bitter greens and reds with parmesan and lemon vinaigrette. I asked the cute young guy behind the bar, whom I assumed was the general manager, what he would recommend for an entree, and he suggested the veal or lobster ravioli. I was in the mood for pasta – yet more comfort food – so I went for the ravioli. Check out the description from the menu:
Ravioli con aragosta: house made lobster ravioli, sautéed prawns and cherry tomato brandy cream sauce
Yeah, it was amazing.
And, of course, there was wine. The 2008 Sabazio Rosso di Montepulciano (100% Prugnollo Gentile, aka Sangiovese) had enough acidity to go with the food, but was fruity and smooth enough to drink on its own.
Finally, I didn't crash out before dessert and had a chocolate soufflé with crème fraiche ice cream. I've come to learn it's hard to do a good chocolate soufflé with a molten center, but this one was perfect.
And the hot Italian guy behind the bar? That was owner Francesco Covucci. Hanging out and observing him interact with his other guests gave me an education in relationship-building from a business perspective, which, ironically, had been part of my panel discussion. The evening helped me to feel like my trip had been as well-balanced as the Rosso di Montepulciano (which he told me was his favorite). The next time Hubby and I are in San Francisco, we're definitely going to Vicoletto.
By the way, as you can probably guess from his blog post while I was gone, Hubby is still pouting. I'll let you add your own sour grapes joke here.
Apologies for lack of pictures. The Blackberry is on its last keys, and its battery was dying that night.
Musings on wine, food, recipes, restaurants, and other topics that I, as a dedicated, although not professional, oenophile find interesting. Look for food/wine-related updates 1-4 times/month. Feel free to follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Travelin' Oenophile: San Francisco Adventures
Posted by Cecilia Dominic at 11:37 PM
Labels: Daily Grill, Rodney Strong, Sabazio, Vicoletto
2 comments:
- Marisa Birns said...
Too tired to eat dessert? Ack! That's really tired.
Don't worry about lack of pictures. Your descriptions were so vivid and wonderful. *salivating*
Ah, cute guys and their wines. Great combo. :)
- December 10, 2010 at 8:30 AM
- Cecilia Dominic said...
That's always what happens my first night or two on the West Coast -- I feel that three-hour time difference.
Glad the descriptions were adequate! And yes, wine is always better when paired with a cute guy. ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
- December 10, 2010 at 9:48 PM
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text: Júlio Yoshinobu Shimamoto, born in Borborema, São Paulo, and came from a family of Japanese samurai aristocrats. He got his interest in comics through translations of American newspaper and comic books stories. He did his first works in the late 1950s, through La Selva, and Continental, before he was hired by Mauricio De Sousa to draw 'O Gaúcho' in Folha de S. Paulo in 1964-65. In 1972, he went to Rio de Janeiro, where he worked for the advertising agency Caio Domingues e Associados. He eventually returned to comics, and made horror and erotic stories for the publishers Bloch, Vecchi and Grafipar. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was back at advertising and storyboard art, but from 1995, he drew comics for magazines like Metal Pesado, Fêmea Feroz and HQ - Revista do Quadrinho Brasileiro. He additionally launched Volúpia at Opera Graphica.


text:
We must become the change we want to see in the world. -- Mohandas Gandhi.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. -- Thomas Jefferson
I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success...
such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything. -- Nikola Tesla
17 April 2007
New York to Paris
My niece posted this. Step 24 is kinda funny.
Posted by Malachi de AElfweald at 4/17/2007 02:16:00 PM
Labels: Joke
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text:
One of the best ways to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a quicker bounce back is to exercise during pregnancy, but according to a recent study many women still fear exercising during pregnancy despite all the evidence of its benefit.
It's imperative that pregnant women know exercise is GOOD for her and not harmful to the fetus when done correctly.
Now, thanks to a new Prenatal Exercise program pregnant women can rest assured that the exercise they're doing is safe and tailored specifically to address her changing body and pregnancy health issues. The prenatal program is professionally produced and developed by a team of traditional and alternative doctors and physical therapists. Best of all it can be done on the woman's schedule and is available as an Apple App or DVD. It focuses on safe core strengthening exercises that help pregnant women avoid injury (pregnant women are more prone to injuries), control weight gain, and recover faster from labor and delivery. The prenatal program actually helps women feel pretty remarkable throughout their pregnancy.
The study showing the prevalence of fear of exercise during pregnancy found:
• Only 27% of the women exercised during pregnancy with many feeling it would hurt the fetus.
• 40% of minority women believed that even brisk walking would hurt the fetus.
"Despite what we have said over the last 10 years, pregnant women are still afraid exercise is going to hurt their child," says researcher Melissa J. Hague, MD, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University Of Kansas School Of Medicine in Wichita.


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Running any database on Amazon (and we run all databases on Amazon or on Amazon RDS service) may be costly, depending on how you utilize your resources. The recently announced Amazon DynamoDB is Amazons NoSQL service offering, but it is not like MongoDB with a twist, far from it. If you have read what I have written about MongoDB, I have now and then complained about the lack of functionality, but to be honest, I have learnt to live with MongoDB and it's shortcomings, and have started to like many of the JavaScript features of it (one thing I hate about it, and about JavaScript in general though, is the numeric datatype. It's just plain silly).
That said, we are now taking a shot at migrating again, this time to DynamoDB. In comparison with MongoDB, DynamoDB is incredibly simplistic, there are very few things you can do. To begin with, there is one "index" and one index only on each table. This index is either a unique hash key (that is what they call it) or a combination of a hash-key and a range-key (a unique composite key). I'll soon get into the gory details later. You can not have secondary indexes, i.e. indexes on any other attribute than the "primary key" or whatever you want to call it.
You can then read data in 1 of three ways. Simple:
- You read a single row by unique key access. If you have a composite hey, provide both the hash-key and the range-key, else provide just the hash key.
- You scan the whole table.
- If you have a composite key, access by the hash-key part and scan (you may filter, but in essence, this is still a scan) on the range key.
The supported datatypes aren't overly exciting either: Number, String and a Set of Number and String. The string type is UTF-8 and the Number is a signed 38 precision number. Other notable limits is that there is a max of 64 K per row limit, and that a scan will only scan up to a max of 1Mb of data. Note that there is no binary datatype (we have binary data in out MongoDB setup and use base64 encoding on that in DynamoDB).
Pricing is interesting. What you pay for is throughput and storage, which is pretty different from what you may be used to. Throughput may adjusted to what you need, and it's calculated in kb of row data per second, i.e. a table with rows of up to 1Kb in size that with a requirement of 10 reads per second will mean you need 10 units of read capacity (there is a similar throughput number for write capacity). Read more on pricing here.
All in all, DynamoDB still has to prove itself, and in some situations it might turn out expensive, in other situations not so. I have one major big gripe with DynamoDB, before I close for this time: DynamoDB is not Open Source, nor is it a product you can buy, except as a service from Amazon. You want to run DynamoDB on a machine in your datacenter? Forget it. This annoys the h*ll out of me!
We are still testing, but so far I am reasonably happy with DynamoDB, despite the issues listed above. The lack of tools (no, there are no DynamoDB tools. At all. No backup tool, no import / export, nothing) means that a certain amount of app development is necessary to access it, even for the simplest of things. Also, there is no Backup, but I am sure this will be fixed soon.


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Oney, Ozzie's 24-year-old son, put his famous father in another awkward spot Wednesday when he aired details via Twitter of Bobby Jenks' personal problems shared in the sanctity of the clubhouse.
References to Jenks' drinking issues, his marriage, an altercation with a clubhouse attendant and an emotional breakdown in Guillen's office did little but raise doubts about just how private any future interaction with the Sox manager will stay.
"It is an issue I trust Ozzie to manage as there are obvious peripheral issues that are in direct conflict to what we believe and could directly compromise the integrity of clubhouse privacy, privacy that is vital to a team's unity and success," general manager Ken Williams told the Tribune in an e-mail.
What could go wrong? Ozzie has been handling Oney less than masterfully… Remember the Guillen-Ordonez fight? Could we have more fireworks?
UPDATE: JJ has a good post about it.
UPDATE #2: Kenny also addressed Bobby's remarks:
"Not only do I disagree with Bobby's assessments, I condemn them for being non-factual and the reckless spirit they represent," Williams said. "The White Sox organization appreciates Bobby's efforts while he was here, and we wish him well. But if he pauses to reflect on the many hours of conversation and examples of support we have shown over the years, it is my hope he realizes he owes Ozzie Guillen an apology."


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Obama Sides with Marxists over Honduras
July 6, 2009
The so-called "military coup" in Honduras was a successful effort by Honduran patriots to preserve their constitutional system of government from an international alliance of communists and socialists backed by Iran . Not surprisingly, America 's Marxist-sympathizing President has come down on the anti-American side.Â
If all of this is news to you, consider yourself a victim of the "state-run media," as Rush Limbaugh calls it. We are being bombarded with liberal media propaganda that a "military coup" took place in Honduras, and that the U.S. should therefore oppose it.Â
Fox News, which has been trumpeting news about the "military coup," should be ashamed of itself for following the liberal media line. Â
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, noted that the problem was that the deposed president, Manuel "Mel" Zelaya, was "moving to re-write the Honduran constitution to extend and expand his power, while retaliating against those who stand in his way."
The leftist Zelaya was democratically elected in 2005 in a narrow win (with less than a majority of the vote) but he has been attempting to unconstitutionally and illegally undercut the conservative majorities in the Congress. His main purpose has been to circumvent a prohibition on serving more than one term as president.
With his departure, Honduras may have been spared a communist future.
Nevertheless, Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quickly issued statements saying that his removal was somehow a violation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. This was a clever ruse designed to disguise the fact that all of the major elements of constitutional power in Honduras, except for the increasingly unpopular and power-hungry president, acted on behalf of the people.
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has joined with the U.N. General Assembly President, Communist Priest Miguel D'Escoto, to demand that Zelaya be restored to power.
The new president, Roberto Micheletti, has made it clear that Zelaya was removed because he had behaved in an unconstitutional manner. "I did not reach this position because of a coup," Micheletti said. "I am here because of an absolutely legal transition process." Micheletti was a member of Zelaya's Liberal Party but opposed his illegal and unconstitutional actions.
What happened is that the Legislative and Judicial branches of the government in Honduras, in conjunction with the armed forces, acted to maintain and defend their constitution from a power-mad president who was a puppet of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.
Claims of a "military coup" have appeared in the press because that is the way far-left officials of the Obama Administration have described it. The Administration has been just as quick to undermine freedom and democracy in Honduras as it was late in supporting the pro-freedom and pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran.
On June 28, a "Teleconference Background Briefing" was held with the major media by "two senior officials" who were guiding coverage of the events in Honduras but whose identities were protected from disclosure by the lapdog press.
The transcript shows a New York Times reporter asking, "Is the U.S. Government calling this and considering this a coup d'état? Can you talk about the use of language? Some other governments have called it that."
The answer was, "...I would certainly characterize a situation where a president is forcibly detained by the armed forces and expelled from a country an attempt at a coup. We―I mean, we still see him as the constitutional president of Honduras . So it was an attempt at a coup. We don't think it was successful."
The official is saying it wasn't successful because the Obama White House wants to work with the Marxist governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua (backed by Iran) to bring Zelaya back to power.
At the same time, however, the official conceded that the controversy in Honduras stemmed from the effort by Zelaya to maintain himself illegally and unconstitutionally in power through a referendum or "survey" he had no right to initiate. He explained, "The fundamental political divide within Honduras was whether or not this effort by President Zelaya was seen as constitutional and legal, or whether it was seen as illegitimate and unconstitutional. And several institutions, including the public ministry, which is their equivalent of Attorney General, the Supreme Court, and the Congress had declared this survey to be illegitimate and illegal."
He went on to say, "Obviously, it was the armed forces that detained the president today and expelled him from the country. But as we're seeing now with the naming of an interim president by the congress, this was an effort that has included other political institutions."
Indeed, this was not a "military coup" in the traditional sense of the army acting unilaterally to depose a popular president. The Army was acting in accordance with the dictates of the other political institutions.
Not only did the Congress and the Supreme Court act against Zelaya, the Catholic Church of Honduras―which is not under the sway of Marxist-oriented Liberation Theology―had opposed his illegal acts.Â
One question from a CNN reporter helped illustrate the incoherent nature of the Obama policy: "You said that you felt other institutions felt that it was illegal and unconstitutional, but did you think it was and did you advise the president not to invoke it?" The official replied, "Again, it's not up to us to determine what's legal or not within the context of Honduras. It was important for us to leave this to Honduran institutions to try to resolve."
But that is exactly what happened when those institutions acted to remove the Marxist president, who is an ally of Castro and Chavez.
Asked if what Zelaya was doing "was in line with the constitution," the official answered in the negative. The official further added that "...from our point of view, what was important was not inserting ourselves and trying to make a determination of what was legal or illegal, but trying to insist that the Hondurans find a way to resolve this in a way that was in accord with their constitution."
But the Hondurans have resolved it. Why doesn't the Obama White House stay out of it?
In the New York Times story about the "coup," the reporter waited until the fifth paragraph to note that "the [Honduran] Supreme Court issued a statement saying that the military had acted to defend the law against 'those who had publicly spoken out and acted against the Constitution's provisions.'"
So it wasn't really a coup.
The headline over the Washington Post story said, "Honduran Military Ousts President," but the article noted that "the Honduran National Congress defiantly announced that Zelaya was out, and its members named congressional leader Roberto Micheletti the new president on Sunday afternoon. The Honduran Supreme Court also supported the removal of Zelaya, saying that the military was acting in defense of democracy."
So rather than destroy democracy, this action restored it. This is hardly a "military coup."Â There is no military official running Honduras today. And the former president wasn't shot but given exile. He's been told he can return but without the outside backing and interference of Chavez.
What the Obama Administration should be doing, under the circumstances, is protecting this democratic government from external threats from Chavez and Castro. Instead, it is working with Chavez and Castro to bring back to power a Marxist puppet.
Calls are already being heard from Obama's far-left base to destabilize Honduras by cutting off U.S. military aid to the government. Human Rights Watch, the George Soros-funded group, has come out with a statement denouncing the "military coup."
Some of these far-left activists are claiming that Obama was behind the "coup," but this is obviously propaganda designed to force the Administration to use international bodies, such as the U.N. and the Organization of American States, in an effort to restore Zelaya to power.Â
*Cliff Kincaid is president of America's Survival, Inc. - www.usasurvival.org
Visit Cliff Kincaid's website at www.usasurvival.org


text:
The U.S. Marine Corps is arguably one of the most revered institutions within the U.S. Department of Defense. So, when Combined Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) leadership recently welcomed members of the Djibouti Armed Forces (FAD) into the U.S. Marine Corps Corporals Course, it was a distinct honor.
Initiated by the Japanese military, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) supported a joint-nation noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) exercise and training here, Sept. 29.
The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa's 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion (CAB) Functional Specialty Group (FXSP) veterinarians spayed, dewormed and immunized the cats of Caritas Djibouti here, Aug 30.
Deputy command chaplain for U.S. Africa Command engages with key leaders and local practitioners of the Islamic faith during a week-long temporary duty assignment to Djibouti, Africa to take part in USAFRICOM's Cutlass Express 2017 exercise.
Twenty-eight U.S. Army Soldiers and one Air Force Airman participated in an Army traditional event, a Spur Ride, to earn their silver spurs, Oct. 21, 2016, at a nearby airfield in Djibouti.


text:
Vanessa Marcil is back on the market.
The former Beverly Hills, 90210 and Las Vegas star has filed for divorce from her husband of two years, Carmine Giovinazzo.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split and asked that the court terminate its jurisdiction to award spousal support, according to documents filed Aug. 17 and obtained by E! News.
Why did Brian Austin Green sue Vanessa Marcil this year?
They didn't have any kids together, but the couple had tried. Giovinazzo revealed via Marcil's Twitter in December that his wife had suffered two miscarriages.
"V has had a miscarriage. our second one this year. thanx for the love and prayers..............CDG," he wrote.
Tiffani Thiessen sounds off on falling out with 90120 costar Jennie Garth
Marcil has a 10-year-old son, Kassius Lijah, with ex Brian Austin Green, who's currently awaiting the arrival his first child with Megan Fox.
Meanwhile, Giovinazzo was Marcil's second husband, her first being Corey Feldman. She tied the knot with the Stand by Me actor in Nevada when she was 21 and they divorced four years later.


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Prior to this role, Scott was CenterPoint Energy's senior vice president of Natural Gas Distribution. Scott has held numerous senior leadership roles in gas operations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as leadership roles in electric operations. During his tenure with the company, he has been responsible for natural gas distribution financial and operational results. He has also led natural gas and electric regulatory and legislative activities, as well as enterprise-wide communications and community relations.
Scott currently serves as chair on the audit committee of Goodwill Industries of Houston and is a board member of the Southern Gas Association. He previously served on the boards of the Texas Gas Association and Association of Electric Companies of Texas.
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Investment outcomes – unrealistic expectations
Investment outcomes – unrealistic expectations
The Schroders Global Investor Study 2016 paints a picture of a world in which investment expectations are stuck in a bygone era. This should be a concern for everyone involved in long-term financial planning.
Schroders Global Investor Study: investment outcomes – key findings:
- Investors demand an average income of 9.1% compared with an average equity yield of 3.8%1
- Investors on average hold investments for 3.2 years, far less than the five-plus years asset managers recommend
- Investors are reluctant to take risk to achieve their desired income
- Investors are realistic about how long they can expect to live in retirement: 21.2 years
With interest rates around the globe stuck below 1%, achieving an annual return of 8% or 9% is a near impossibility without taking on significant levels of risk.
And, with capital preservation a top priority and a worryingly short-term outlook for holding investments, achieving that level of income in the current economic climate looks unlikely.
Painful process of adjustment
Until relatively recently, there had been a sense the exceptionally loose monetary policy adopted in response to the global financial crisis was a temporary phenomenon.
Sooner or later, according to the consensus, economic growth would pick up, interest rates would rise and some form of normality – in the sense, at least, of a pre-crisis policy environment – would return.
Eight years on though, such hopes appear increasingly forlorn.
Interest rates may have been tentatively raised in the US but, with inflation still very low around the world, few countries seem in any hurry to follow the Federal Reserve's lead. Indeed, Japanese and eurozone policymakers remain firmly in easing mode.
If this is the new reality, then a significant number of investors have a painful process of adjustment ahead of them.
Unrealistic expectations
Our findings suggest many investors expect too much in terms of investment income and do not realise how much they need to save or for how long.
At the same time, with average holding periods still relatively short, the mantra that equity investing should ideally be a long-term undertaking is going largely unheeded.
All this represents a challenge for investment management firms, which must attempt the awkward balancing act of readjusting investor expectations while still convincing them of the benefits of long-term saving and investment.
For the full story and interactive infographic visit www.schroders.com/gis or download the full report below.
1. Source: FTSE, S&P 500, CAC, DAX, Shanghai, Nikkei, ASX, Hang Seng, Bovespa, Mexbol. Average forward 12-month yield across 11 indexes as at 18 May, 2016, according to Bloomberg data.↩
Read the full report
Schroders Global Investor Study 2016 - investment outcomes 8 pages | 156 kbdownload
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text:
Back in June, I argued that John Kuester was not problem with the Detroit Pistons. Despite the fact that he handled plenty of things poorly, the roster that he inherited simply wasn't strong enough to compete.
Nevertheless, Kuester was fired, a new coaching staff was hired, but little else changed.
Unfortunately, Lawrence Frank has not been the answer Pistons fans have hoped for.
After losing to Boston tonight, the Pistons have lost three consecutive games by a combined total of 39 (!!) points. And frankly, that understates how poorly the team has performed.
From here, things don't get any easier. Of the Pistons next 19 games (through January, 2012), the Pistons are likely to be significant underdogs in all but 4 – Charlotte, Minnesota, and Milwaukee (twice) – and they will likely be slight underdogs in those games as well.
It is very possible that the 2011-2012 could threaten Lawrence Frank's own New Jersey Nets for the worst start in NBA history.
There is little Lawrence Frank can do to avoid that.
No discredit to Frank intended, however. He seems like a fine head coach who manages his players and himself very well. The problem with the Pistons is not that Frank and/or the rest of the coaching staff is insufficient.
The problem is that this collection of players simply doesn't have what it takes to be a winning basketball team.
And nothing short of a wholesale roster overhaul is going to fix that.
No hard feelings, Larry. I don't think this is your fault at all.


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So this class was all about the things you have to do on a day to day basis. And how to create more time for things you love...like scrapping. If you're a busy mum with several kids, lots of activities etc, I would really recommend this class to you.
...anyway, now I'm going off track here a bit! LOL! So I was doing my own thing. And I was trying to put into words why or how I can get more scrapping done. I sat down with a pen and paper and started to scribble. Soon I had 6 reasons which I changed a bit until I was happy with my plans.
... and "The Rules For Getting More Scrapping Done" had emerged. Once I had my 6 "rules" written down, I started to think about the format. I was tempted to go for something small and round, but then I remembered the drink coasters (beermats) that I had in my drawer and decided that they would be a good size for my little book.
I used lots of Chatterbox papers, yellow and white ric rac, a little chain and some black chalk ink. And my printer of course! The back is done using Catslife stamps.


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turned down more money from at least two teams -– he had a four-year offer early in free agency and then a three-year deal for roughly the same annual value as the deal the Red Sox offered -– but he chose Boston with an eye on having a big year for a contender and then hitting the market again next year.This could be yet another case of a Boras "mystery team(s)" with sacks of money to burn, but I'm sure Boston's was not the only offer Beltre received. Either way, he should be extremely motivated to have a strong year -- he's rolling the dice on doing well and hitting the market again next winter.
SoSHer bosockboy:
Bottom line Theo has found the best way to balance short term and long term interests of the club. There looks to be a clearly defined overhaul coming after 2011, with Drew, Cameron, Scutaro and possibly Beltre moving on after 2011 as well as 60 million or so coming off the books after this season. They have tremendous flexibility over the next 2 offseasons to add an impact bat, extend Beckett and VMart, and to add in young players like Iglesias, Reddick and Kelly.
They also have the farm fully intact to pull the trigger on a major deal if it arises in July, and 4 picks in the Top 50 this June to bolster the farm even further. Just tremendous flexibility in all respects....I'm a huge fan of this offseason. He found a way to make us very competitive during a transition period for the club.
into Baseball Musings' Lineup Analysis. This lineup -- if they repeated their 2009 OBP and SLG -- would be expected to score about 5.85 runs per game, almost one-half run per game more than the 2009 Red Sox scored (5.38).Ellsbury
The best lineup the Red Sox could trot out (for 5.91 R/G) with those numbers is:
Ellsbury does not bat either #1 or #2 in any of the top 30 lineups.Martinez
I'm also extremely curious how the front office's emphasis on strong fielding/run prevention (I expect to hear it called "the new Moneyball") will pay off.


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|editGenshō Ryūdōin
|龍堂院幻将 Ryūdōin Genshō
|Naruto Episode #195
|Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2
|Appears in
|Anime, Game
|Voice Actors
Genshō Ryūdōin (龍堂院幻将, Ryūdōin Genshō) is introduced in the anime along with his brothers. He is a taijutsu master, seeking revenge against Might Guy for their father's humiliation and death.
Genshō hates and wants revenge on Might Guy for defeating his father and humiliating him.
Genshō wears black pants, a black shirt under a dark grey jacket, all covered by an opened purple mantle where the edges are black. He also wears protection on his hands and a necklace with three large teeth. He has long white hair and his eyes have an unusual colouring with dark sclera and blue irides. Another particular feature is his black water drop tattoo and his claw-like nail in the index of his left hand.
Genshō is primarily a taijutsu master. Both Guy and Rock Lee mentioned him as a genius of this discipline, learning each technique that Guy showed him like sand absorbs water.
He uses kenpō, a Japanese martial art using principally fists and pressure points. Genshō is shown to be very fast, enough to completely prevent Lee from attacking him, and very strong in his hits, as mentioned by Lee during their fight, as he had to try and avoid him instead of blocking his attacks. As a taijutsu genius, he is capable of analysing new taijutsu techniques in an instant and find an appropriate counter attack in the next second, as he "broke" Rock Lee's Leaf Whirlwind by raising his knee and driving the elbow downwards at the same time without knowing Lee's technique before. Despite this, he was impressed by the speed and power displayed by Guy and Lee when they open four of the Eight Gates.
Puppet Techniques
Apart from his taijutsu ability, he is also able to manipulate wooden puppets by the way of charms placed upon them. If a target comes too close to them, the dummies will begin to attack by using taijutsu attacks. However, the wooden puppets are barely able to respond to their opponent's counterattack and are essentially used to overcome them by their large numbers. If the charm is removed, the puppet is disabled. Genshō is also able to control them as if the puppets were like his own body, therefore allowing them to be a greater threat for his opponents.
The puppets also have the ability to split into their base parts and then fuse together. When used, the wooden dummies form structures, at the behest of the user. These structures have ranged from the simplicity of small house up to the complexity of a huge castle, thus surrounding and isolating the targets. When the structure is complete, the wooden parts can be imbued with Genshō's chakra to be strengthened to a point where even Guy was unable to break the walls with sheer strength alone.
Unlike his two brothers, Genshō also possesses the ability to trick two opponents into fighting a wooden doll, which is actually unwittingly controled by their comrade, leading them to fight their allies without noticing.
Part I
Third Great Beast Arc
They sought revenge on Might Guy for their father's humiliation and death. He apparently has the ability to manipulate wood puppets. He captured Might Guy in a house made from the wooden pieces the puppets consist of, and tired him out there. After Naruto and Team Guy showed up, he, along with his brothers, added more puppet parts to the house, so that it became like a traditional Japanese castle. Despite knowing it was a trap, Lee rushed in, taking the chance. In order to get his revenge, Genshō used Wooden Men Possession Turnover Manipulation Technique to force Guy to fight to the death with Rock Lee. Guy realised he was fighting Lee, and Genshō's plan failed. He was then taken to the medical corps.
In Other Media
Video Games
Genshō also made an appearance in Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. In the game, he was trying to conquer the world using the Spirit Beast. With the Spirit Beast's evil spirits, he would force friends to fight against friends. In the end, Rokkaku was killed, Genshō killed Jakō by using his Explosion: Disappearance Killing Technique, and Naruto defeated Genshō after he combined with the newly resurrected Spirit Beast. He was able to create purple rays of infinite pain, draining all power from enemies. This Genshō was radically different from his anime counterpart.
- "Genshō" (幻将) means "phantom general".


text: Last week, I finished writing a new beading pattern! Learn how to create an adorable beaded Pug pin or pendant! This beading pattern is a photographic tutorial which explains the step-by-step process which I used to create this piece. You will need size 15/0 seed beads, felt, Ultrasuede, beading needles, thread, and one pin back to complete this piece. PDF file is 16 pages long and includes a 45 color photos, step-by-step instructions, a sketch which you can printed out and use as a template. The pattern is now available for sale on Etsy – you can now download the instructions immediately after purchase! Please visit my Etsy shop or click the pic for more details. Happy beading! 🙂


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As a senior member of Mac-Forums.com, I often found that some members asked for help about how to convert video to other formats, such as converting Real Media file to MP3 or WMV on Mac OS X, converting WMV to AVI for playback on Quick Time X (10), putting a segment of a TV program to iMovie to do some special editing and so on.
Okay, I will show you the easiest and fastest solution to make them according to my own experience.
Preparation: The first is to hunt a professional tool. Actually I have been looking for an all-in-one converter for Mac for a long time, and easiler I came across aPubsoft Video Converter for Mac. With its friendly interface, every one can easily and fastly convert among almost video/audio formats, especially for its audio/video synchnization and multi-thread encoding technology which makes it more powerful and professional than other similar programs on the market.
After downloading and installing aPubsoft Video Converter for Mac, just follow me as below:
Step 1. Click the "Add" button and import the video files you want to convert into this program
Step 2. Select the video or audio output format you want to. At the same time, you can set the output parameters of the conversion by clicking the "Setting" button on the main interface to open the setting panel.
For example, you can select the Size from the drop-down list, like 240*160, 320*240, 480*272, 480*320, 640*480, etc.
Step 3. Click the "Browse" button to specify a location to save the converted video or audio, like MP3. If you want to open the output folder, just click the "Open" button.
Step 4. Click the "Start" button to start the conversion
Okay, now you just need to wait for a while to get the desired file for great enjoyment.
Optional functions:
1. Snapshot
If you want to capture the current picture you like, just click the "Snapshot" button and the image file will be saved. Click the "Open" button next to the "Snapshot" button you can open your picture with ease.
2. Merge
Select all files and click "Merge", you can join several files into a one without any trouble.
3. Effect
Click the "Effect" button, you can adjust the brightness, contrast and saturation of the video when you watch the video at the "Preview Pane".
In addition, you can take some special effects like simple gauss blur effect, simple laplacian sharpen, gray, flip color, invert, aged film on the video clips.
Moreover, you can also check the option Deinterlacing to convert interlaced video into a non-interlaced form, so that you can enjoy a better and clearer video effect after conversion.
4. Crop
If you hate the black edges or letterboxed and want to remove them from your video, you can click the "Crop" button to easily and freely crop the unwanted parties via two ways, that are dragging the frame around the video and setting the crop values: Top, Bottom, Left and Right.
5. Trim
Click the "Trim" bar to split the current title or chapter by dragging the Start Time slider to set the start time, and dragging the End Time slider to set the finish time. Then you can rip any segment from the video on Mac as you like.
Well, that's all. aPubsoft Video Converter for Mac must open your eyes after my demonstation.


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Celebrate Star Wars Day with some Jedi jams
May the Force — and great Star Wars music — be with you.
Star Wars Day, or "May the 4th" to Jedi lovers everywhere, is today, and whether you're building Star Wars LEGO sets, whipping up some blue milk or otherwise celebrating George Lucas' sci-fi universe, a soundtrack can be put to good use.
So in honor of the fan holiday, here is the Jek Porkins Memorial Star Wars Day Playlist, a mix that even Jabba the Hutt would spin on his sail barge. (Porkins, for the uninitiated, was a burly Rebel Alliance pilot — call sign "Red Six" — who sacrificed his life heroically piloting one of the X-Wing Fighters that made a bombing run on the Death Star in 1977's Star Wars.)
John Williams' themes were signatures of the six movies, so there's a wide range of musical cues in the playlist, from the cult-classic Cantina Band to the emotional Yoda's Theme. The prequel The Phantom Menace left a lot to be desired, but at least the powerful Duel of the Fates track was a highlight.
More recently, Kevin Kiner has scored more of the recent Star Wars animated series — Meet Ahsoka is tied to Anakin Skywalker's young apprentice in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and teases the music that fans will hear when Kiner composes for the upcoming Star Wars Rebels cartoon.
Star Wars also inspired a lot of good music, too. Trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson does a disco version of the Star Wars main theme, and Epica put a heavy-metal spin on Darth Vader's Imperial March.
Bounty hunters are big in Star Wars lore, and the reptilian Bossk inspired a rock band's name while another gets namechecked in the title of MC Chris' Dengar's Dumptruck.
And "Weird Al" Yankovic did quite a few Star Wars spoofs, though one of his most classic was The Saga Begins, a little ode to The Phantom Menace set to the tune of American Pie.


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Mixing patterns in your home might sound a bit scary to some of you, but it is actually quite fun! When patterns are mixed correctly, they can bring so much personality and style to any room. Here are a few tips on how to create a seamless look.
Image Credits 1 2 3 4 5 6
- Start with a neutral or solid piece of furniture such as a couch or sofa.
- Neutral walls will create a place for the eye to rest, when incorporating multiple patterns.
- Choose one or two main colors you'd like to incorporate throughout the entire room.
- Now it's time to mix your patterns.
- Accessories such as throw pillows, curtains and rugs are the main pieces you will be using when mixing your patterns.
- Choose your rug first.
- Choose your curtains next.
- Choose artwork that fits your space, goes along with your color scheme, and is proportionate with the scale of your room, furniture and patterns.
- Lastly, choose your throw pillows and other accessories.
- Use at least 3 different patterns in a room. When in doubt, start with two patterns and add more if it is right for you.
- A good mix includes a small, medium and large scale pattern.
- If you are feeling bold, choose a piece of furniture or upholstered chairs with a pattern. Below you will see some great examples of these.
- Lastly, have fun with it and let your inner interior decorator go wild!
Image Credits 1 2 3 4 5 6


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If all the love in the universe could be represented by a single fruit, which one would it be? An apple or a strawberry?
The apple may have the Biblical advantage, but my bet is on the strawberry. This brilliant-red berry with its intoxicating fragrance and divine taste has the love advantage hands-down. It is juicy, sweet with just the right hint of sassy sour as love should be, it makes a perfect pairing with that other lovers' favorite– chocolate– and it even looks like a tiny little heart.
So here is my third Valentine's Day recipe gift to you as we continue our countdown to the big day: a vegan Strawberry Boondi Raita, a perfect accompaniment to the Vegetable Biryani and the Vegan Pink Lentils with Roasted Mushrooms that I've just shared with you.
Staying with our theme of arousing and heart-healthy foods for our Valentine's Day meal, strawberries have been considered aphrodisiacs since ancient times, and they are nourishing food for the old ticker. Like all berries they are packed with antioxidants and studies show they lower heart-disease risk. How much more perfect can this edible Valentine get?
I know that my raita is a rather counterintuitive use of strawberries– as a savory side instead of a sweet dessert. But life — and love– should be full of pleasant little surprises. And the succulent sweet-sour strawberries are a perfect foil to the slightly spicy crunch of the boondi.
Boondi, if you are not familiar with Indian snacks, are tiny little chickpea-flour balls that are available in clear plastic packets at any Indian grocery store. They make for a delicious snack, but they are also great in raitas where they are often used. Boondi is available both plain and with some masala added, and you can use either in the recipe depending on your taste. I like the hint of spice in this raita.
For the "yogurt" in this recipe– yogurt is the base of all raitas– I use my very simple and very delicious tofu yogurt. When I serve this to guests they can never tell the difference. In fact, Desi– also an omnivore– prefers this to the regular yogurt.
Next, stay tuned for a gorgeous breakfast to get your Valentine's Day to a raring start.
Strawberry and Boondi Raita: Countdown to Valentine's Day
- For the "yogurt ," you need 1 tetrapack of silken tofu (12 oz) + 1/4 cup nondairy milk + juice of 1 lemon + salt to taste.
- Blend the ingredients together to a smooth , yogurt-like consistency.
- Add to this:
- 1 tsp crushed , roasted cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup of thinly sliced strawberries.
- 1 cup boondis
- Mix well. Keep in mind that the boondis soften the longer they stand in the yogurt, so if you want the boondis to be crunchy, mix them in right before serving.
- Garnish with a couple of strawberry "hearts".
- Enjoy, all!
(C) All recipes and photographs copyright of Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.


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GT72 2PE (Dominator Pro)-018UK, 17.3" FHD Anti-Glare, Intel Core i7-4710HQ, 16GB DDR3, 1x128 M2
- The latest GT72 power house of a gaming laptop from MSI with incredible sound
- image quality and performance.
Stock Code: LT-154-MS
Manufacturer: MSI
+44 (0)1782 44 44 55
GT72 2PE (Dominator Pro)-018UK, 17.3" FHD Anti-Glare, Intel Core i7-4710HQ, 16GB DDR3, 1x128 M2GTX 880M: Graphic Powerhouse
The top-of-the-line new gen NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M graphics card provides gaming performance at "the speed of light" and with incredible realistic image detail. It boasts more than 21% better performance on 3D Mark 11 standard tests over similar level gaming computers of the previous generation of, like the GTX780M and GTX770M. The lightning-fast antialiasing provides crisper, smoother graphics on all 3D games, giving you a superior extreme gaming experience on top-end gaming platforms.
Mega Storage & Speed with SUPER RAID 3 (option)
Featuring the exclusive technology made by MSI, named Super Raid 3, the data read/write speed of the storage will reach 1600MB/sec or more, while 4 x M.2 SSD combined with RAID0 setting is the key. The Super Raid 3 is no wonder the most advanced storage technology considered both big capacity and high efficiency. NOTE : This model comes with 1 x SSD as standard. You can have upto 4 SSD's in this machine at any one time.
The latest 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
The latest 4th generation quad core processor platform, representing superior performance over previous generations. The CPU performance has increased by 3%~7%, while the overall platform is 15% more powerful. Additionally, the GPU performance of 2d and 3D visuals, is even more noteworthy, with an average increase of over 30%. There have also been significant advances in user experience and battery life. Moreover, it employs a more advanced encryption program to help businesses enhance information security and to protect your BIOS/FW from attacks by malware.
3K output / Matrix Display
Matrix display features up to 3 external displays, allowing you to output to 3 displays simultaneously using HDMI 1.4, mini Display-Port 1.2 and VGA port. Users can work with multi-task at the same time. (Overall 4 monitors include notebook's monitor on GT series).
Killer Double Shot Pro with Smart Teaming
MSI GT72 is the 1st laptop in the world who features Killer DoubleShot Pro. The Killer Double Shot Pro supports both Killer Gb LAN and WiFi 802.11ac dual band protocol and average latency improvement is 3.5 times than others who support 802.11ac as well. It also has Smart Teaming function which will be operated by Killer Network Manager to optimize the bandwidth usage combined with WiFi and Gb LAN at the same time.
Killer N1525 802.11ac - WLAN
Killer N1525 802.11ac Wireless 2.9X the throughput of current Killer Wireless-N Has 3.5X avg. latency improvment of other 11ac.
SteelSeries Engine
SteelSeries Engine is the App to combine all frequent functions for gamers in order to easily customize every individual key and functions to personalize every gamer's play style, including KLM, multiple devices management (for example, headset, mouse, and keyboard), key press macros, and text macros.
Friendly UI design
The SteelSeries Engine is easy to understand by using pictorial representations of devices along with basic drag-and-drop techniques to assign key presses, complex macros, device profiles and buttons. Also features intuitive macro creation with customizable colors, fonts, and names for everything.
4 keyboard layers options!!
There are 4 layers for gamers to set 4 usage scenario or game. Not only that, while playing the game, gamers can easily and quickly switch layer*, such as a chat screen with friends. Communication with friends is not interrupted!!
Intelligent keypress macro capabilities
There are virtually unlimited key press macro creation capabilities. Anything you can do on a mouse or a keyboard can be programmed along with specific event timing. You can even program mouse events into keyboard macros. Your macros will be running at a high priority in your computers Operating System, yet it does NOT interfere with your real time actions during gameplay.
KLM (Keyboard light management)
Depending on your mood and desires, you can choose from more than 1,000 color combinations and five different scenario modes for the keyboard, enabling you to be the coolest gamer at any LAN party!
Statistics to analyze and improve
Whether you're playing an FPS or editing in Photoshop, being better and more efficient is something we want to help you achieve. Use the Statistics module to record your keyboard or mouse actions. Then review the peripheral heat map, which shows with both color and numbers the frequency of your key or button presses. You can then use this information to fine tune your macros as well as your key and mouse button assignments to optimize your tools to play (and work).
Cooler Boost 3 : Ultra efficiency dual cooling system
The Cooler Boost 3 dual thermal system is made for next generation extreme performance CPU and graphics, this feature designed with independent launch key on the left side of keyboard, the user will find it easier to call this program at a glance with 1 touch. With advanced cooling efficiency, it doesn't increase any extra space but lower noise. The heat being generated by core components transferred to the vent quietly without troubling users, and supports up to Core i7 Extreme CPUs and GTX880M 8GB graphics with lower temperature than others. When you enable Cooler Boost 3 with boosted fan speed, it could decrease the CPU temperature around 8~10?C and GPU temperature around 4~5?C, the noise will be lower than most of the gaming notebooks with its powerful cooling design.
Sound by Dynaudio
MSI worked with Dynaudio, world-class name in sound system design from Denmark, studying electrical circuits, dozens of speaker drivers, and how to best arrange internal parts and components to optimize sound. For over a year, they tweaked the sound and developed electrical circuits and materials with the best sound response. The results of their studies have been incorporated into MSI's high-end GT Series gaming NBs--the laptops with the best stereo sound in the industry. The GT Series, the only laptops in the industry with a Dynaudio sound system, clearly leads the industry not simply in terms of volume, but also in terms of stereo and crisp, clear sound for a more enjoyable gaming and multimedia experience.
Audio Boost 2 with 3 independent amp for best sound experience
With dedicated AMPs for headset, isolated audio board and gold flash audio jack, the Audio Boost 2 is definitely delivering the most advanced hearing experience on gaming laptop, averagely enhance 30% of the sound signal with independent AMP. It gives the gamers more sound detail to identify the position of the enemies and minimize the distortion, which is the perfect design for gaming headset spec 32/48ohm. The gold flash audio jack will give less noise interference and assure the durability between pug-in and pug-out.
Windows Start button
On the SteelSeries keyboard there is a change to the usual keyboard layout, the CTRL key is moved to the left of the keyboard and has been made larger as this is an important key for gamers and is now more accessible. The windows key has moved to the right of the keyboard so while your gaming you don't press it by accident, so now you won't quit your game in the middle of a battle!
XSplit Gamecaster : Best Live Streaming App for Gamers
MSI GT72 comes with the latest online streaming software, the XSplit Gamecaster. On GT72, it designed with independent launch key on the left aside of keyboard, user will be easier to call this program at a glance with 1 touch. It's the recording and streaming App for gamers, and let gamers easily record their own gaming moments and share the live gameplay sessions with friends, family, or the world through Twitch, Youtube, UStream and more.
Product Specification:
- Product Code: GT72 2PE (Dominator Pro)-018UK
- OS: Windows 8.1
- CPU: Sharkbay Core i7-4710HQ (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz)
- Display: 17.3" FHD, Anti-Glare (1920*1080) eDP
- Memory Supplied: 2 x 8GB
- Memory Type: DDR3L
- Memory Speed: 1600
- Max Memory Support: 32GB
- Graphics Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce GTX880M
- Graphics Memory: GDDR5 8GB
- Storage: 1 x 128GB M.2 SSD + 1TB 7200RPM
- Keyboard Type: SteelSeries FULL back lit keyboard with SteelSeries Engine
- USB3.0 Ports: 6
- USB2.0 Ports: 0
- HDMI Port(s): 1(v1.4)
- mini Display port(s): 2(v1.2)
- LAN Port(s): 1
- Microphone Jack(s): 1
- Headphone Jack(s) (SPDIF): 1
- Card Reader: SD (XC/HC)
- Audio: -Sound by Dynaudio with subwoofer -Support 7.1 channel SPDIF output -Exclusive Audio Boost technology -Creative Sound Blaster Cinema
- LAN: Killer DoubleShot Pro Gb LAN
- Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac
- Bluetooth: V4.0
- Webcam: FULL HD Camera 1080p
- CD Drive : BD Writer
- Security: Kensington Lock
- Battery: 9-Cell Lithium Ion (83wHr)
- Dimension: 428(W) x 294(D) x 48(H)mm
- Weight: 3.78Kg (W/ Battery)
- Warranty: 2yr
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Ultrabooks are still too darn pricey for punters, with the new skinny laptops' average selling price during Q4 2011 63 per cent higher than that of regular notebooks.
Worse, said UK-based market watcher Context, which released the figures today, Ultrabooks are, on average, more than three times the price of a netbook.
Context, which tracks European technology sales channels through to the point before kit enters consumers' hands, said Ultrabooks costs, on average €670 (£557) in Q4 2011. That's before sales tax.
That compares to €410 (£341) for traditional consumer notebooks and €197 (£164) for netbooks.
"Ultrabooks were launched in a market characterised by strong economic constraints and very tight consumer wallets," said Marie-Christine Pygott, a Context senior analyst.
"With traditional notebook pricing decreasing even further year on year, those consumers who are buying notebooks over tablets, are still doing so with price points in mind, rather than a focus on weight and battery life."
Weight, battery life and overall portability are the key characteristics Intel has highlighted to promote Ultrabooks. The chip giant reckons 40 per cent of consumer notebook sales in 2012 will be Ultrabooks.
Acer accounted for 62 per cent of Ultrabook shipments in Western Europe through distribution during Q4 2011, followed by Toshiba, Asus and Lenovo.
"Consumers are more likely to choose a tablet PC or cheap, traditional notebook, particularly if the current economic pressures persist," said Pygott.
AMD's skinnybook platform, Ultrathin, may help push down prices later in the year, as will the launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge platform. ®