text:
WASHINGTON – Norman Polsky, Hon. FASID, well known for his philanthropy that included substantial grants and gifts to the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation, passed away on September 2, 2010, at the age of 86.
The founder of Fixtures Furniture, Polsky and his wife Elaine established nine endowments for leading interior design organizations, including ASID, in 1982 in honor of their son Joel, who died unexpectedly. In 1990, they established the Polsky Family Supporting Foundation, which has nearly 50 endowments today across a broad range of areas and has been a major contributor to the ASID Foundation. Polsky was made an Honorary Fellow of ASID in 1993.
Polsky's contributions to the ASID Foundation include:
"The ASID Foundation will forever be grateful for the generous support that Norman showed for the foundation and the entire interior design profession," says Penny Bonda, FASID, ASID foundation chair. "Norman will be deeply missed throughout the design community and our thoughts are with his family."
More details of Polsky's life can be found in his obituary in the Kansas City Star at http://bit.ly/d7D3ZP and in a forthcoming article in ASID ICON.
About ASID
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a community of people—designers, industry representatives, educators and students—committed to interior design. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design to positively change people's lives. Its more than 36,000 members engage in a variety of professional programs and activities through a network of 48 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Visit www.asid.org to learn more.


text:
DJI DL/DL-S Lens Kit for Zenmuse X7
Our Shipping Service & Software Downloads
TurboCAD software downloads take between 3 - 24 hours to process, once we receive the serials from IMSI, we will email you your serial no.s and links to download the software.
We offer $10 flat rate shipping anywhere in Australia with Australia Post. Your order in insured against theft or damage, A signature will be required on delivery and If you are not available to take delivery Australia Post will "card it" you can then collect from your local post office, or call Australia Post to arrange re-delivery at a convenient time.
- ETA is 2-3 business days for NSW, VIC, QLD & ACT.
- ETA is 3-4 business days for WA, SA, NT, TAS.
We also offer Express Shipping on selected products, which will ensure your order arrives the next business day. For next business day service orders must be place before 1 PM AEST. You can see if Express Shipping is available for a particular product on the product page.
We will process your order within 24 hours of receiving it and ensure your order arrives at your door as fast as possible.
How we operate:
- Once you place an order with us , we will send you an Email Order Confirmation and Tax Invoice within 30 minutes.
- We will process your order within 24 hours.
- We will send a shipping confirmation Email with your order's tracking number and a link to where it can be tracked once it has been dispatched.
- Australia Post will deliver to the specified address and will require a signature for the order.
- If for any reason your order cannot be signed for, a card will be left with details allowing you to arrange another delivery time or pickup at your convenience.
- Your order is insured against loss or damage during delivery.
Returns Policy
Digital 3D will offer you an exchange or refund and arrange free return shipping if:
- Goods are damaged or faulty through no fault of your own.
- Goods are supplied incorrectly.
- Goods vary from their description on the website.
To obtain an exchange or refund please email firstname.lastname@example.com. You will receive instructions on how to return an order, and be issued a Return Authority Number that must accompany any return.
If a customer orders the incorrect product through no fault of Digital 3D they may apply for a refund on the following terms:
- The Item is returned in perfect condition with all related packaging intact.
- The Customer accepts they will be charged a 35% restocking fee.
- Authorised Reseller that specialises in CAD Technology.
- Express Shipping available.
- We are Australian owned and operated.
- Great prices.
- Fast delivery anywhere in Australia.
- Knowledgeable and friendly Customer & Tech support.
- Secure Store with SSL Encryption.
- We accept Paypal, Visa, Amex and Mastercard.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Today, after half an hour of searching for a bug, I discovered that it is possible to put a semicolon after an if statement instead of code, like this:
if(a == b);
// Do stuff
Which basically means that the stuff will be done whether
a equals
b or not, and the
if statement has no point whatsoever. Why doesn't Java give me an error? Is there any situation in which this would be useful?


text:
Appears the latest flashplayer from Adobe crashes Firefox 3.5+ in full-screen mode. I believe Adobe does not know how to program for linux and taking power users for granted. A search for Adobe proves to be #1 issue of linux.
Found a fix for full-screen mode without crashing. Add this to your linux firefox script:
export LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libGL.so.1
If you have 'unset LD_PRELOAD' in the script, delete it.
Now I am able to enable hardware acceleration in adobe flash settings for full-screen action.
This should fix 3d hardware acceleration and also make links clickable for web browsing in Thunderbird. I did notice there's a directory (/usr/lib/dri) that has all the latest 3d drivers but they are not linked to the above library file. Im assuming libGL autodetects whether to use software or hardware rendering. This is what I need to verify.
However, after testing full-screen mode with HD selected, the processor goes near 100% and image appears blocky. This is unacceptable since this badass videocard does Direct 10 and OpenGL 2.1.
Question: Does the OpenGL library above uses software or hardware rendering?
Hoping somebody figures this out. A quick google search is dominated with "I dont know". Dont worry about my linux version, I speak Linux.


text:
Join Accenture Interactive and help the world's leading organizations create the best customer experiences on the planet. Through connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, you'll help clients create new ways to excel while being part of an award-winning team who was recently recognized by Ad Age as the world's largest digital network—three years in a row.
Explore where your skills can take you with Accenture Interactive.
Clients will look to you to help them transform their digital businesses and strategies in the following areas:
Business Design Senior Manager,
Accenture Digital,
Service Designer,
Accenture Interactive,
Belgium & Luxembourg
Senior Manager,
Accenture Interactive,
Chicago, IL
Accenture Interactive,
Atlanta, GA
Accenture Interactive
Amsterdam, NL
Your success is important to us and we're committed to investing in your growth and development. Accenture Interactive's training and curriculum is organized by skill and industry acumen to give you exactly what you need, when you need it whether you're reskilling, upskilling or cross-skilling.
You'll be part of a vibrant and incredibly creative community that relishes imagining, creating and delivering products, services and solutions that most people don't even know they need (or want) yet. With more than 4,000 Interactive professionals working in over 40 countries, you'll have access to an invaluable network to ask questions, seek advice and share information.
Interested in learning more about us and our thinking? View latest research, articles and industry news.
Stay a step ahead of the game with careers tips, interesting articles, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today–all from the people who actually work here.READ MORE
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text:
expansion and refurbishment of existing IKEA store
|IKEA Beheer BV, Amsterdam
|Gert Jan Knevel, Rob Dekker
|facility management:
|Knevel Architecten
|project team:
|Rob Dekker, Bas van Berkum, Eraldo Brandimarte
|FACTA Bouwmanagement
|Ingenieursbureau Boorsma (structure), Halmos Adviseurs (M&E), DGMR (fire safety)
|Kruisweide 1 te Breda
|floor area:
|ca. 29.500 m² store
ca. 32.600 m² parking
|start design:
|November 2015
|start construction:
|September 2016
|May 2017
The original store opened in 2003. Apart from a few minor adjustments, the store has remained unchanged since then. Due to the growth of IKEA, various new developments and the wishes of the store, in 2015 the decision was made to expand the store and to extensively alter the existing part.
The extension of the shop floor is located on the northern side above the existing car park. In the existing store, an additional floor was installed for the restaurant and new meeting spaces. The entire kitchen and the existing restaurant have been modernised and extra floor area has been created in the store by moving fire escapes. On the ground floor near to the main entrance, the logistics area with chilled and frozen storage facilities for the restaurant has been expanded. The entrance area has also been renovated on both parking levels.
Attention was also paid to the sustainability of the store in particular, resulting in the use of high-quality insulation for the extension, the replacement of all the lighting with LED lighting and the replacement of old installations with more energy-efficient ones.
Knevel Architecten created the design for the whole expansion project by working closely with IKEA. Knevel Architecten has also been responsible for all the civil engineering tasks involved in the project as well as for monitoring during implementation.
The building works were carried out in a number of phases and the store remained open during that construction period. In addition, various measures were taken in order to prevent any inconvenience for customers.
The store is situated at the start of the WOON XXL furniture boulevard in a visible location next to the A16 motorway (at the Princeville junction). The store is easily accessible when travelling by both car and public transport. The water and green setting around the store makes this a high-quality location.
The original design principles from 2003 were respected when planning the expansion of the store. The extension on the northern side has made the front wider. The framed part of the façade has been moved along with the wordmark while keeping the existing colour, design and materials.
Following the expansion, the northern side of the store is still an enclosed blue volume. Because this side also provides access for cars, it was decided that the new emergency exits in this façade would be of a higher quality compared with the existing ones.
In order to improve the quality of the main entrance and visibility from outside, a suspended ceiling has been installed which connects to yellow cladding at the front and rear. These elements serve as a visual guide for customers.
On completion of the building works, IKEA remodelled the entire store to the new requirements.


text:
Fast Bike Bits Gift Vouchers
Not sure what to get as a present this year? How about a gift voucher to spend on anything on our site?
Available in a range of values and valid for a full 12 months from the date of purchase these make an ideal gift for the motorbike enthusiast.
All gift vouchers are delivered as a printed voucher to the purchaser.


text:
Revitalized Volquez ready to write next chapter
Righty could be Pirates' latest successful reclamation project with return to form
PITTSBURGH -- Had Frank Sinatra ever been inclined (and alive) enough to sing about San Diego's Petco Park and its effect on pitchers, he might have been compelled to croon, "If you can't make it there, you can't make it anywhere."
How, then, do we explain Edinson Volquez?
If Bud Black's Padres and the positives of Petco could not resuscitate Volquez's once-promising career, then you certainly had ample reason to be skeptical that the Pirates' $5 million investment -- relatively measly as it might have been -- would prove to be a worthwhile one.
But three starts into 2014 -- with a fourth set for Tuesday night against another former club, the division-rival Reds, at PNC Park -- Volquez (1-0, 1.71 ERA) has blown well past "worthwhile" and straight to a standing that qualifies as surprise. By any measure, he's been the Bucs' best pitcher, and his April output could be an indication that pitching coach Ray Searage and special assistant to the general manager Jim Benedict have worked their magic with yet another reclamation project, a la Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett, among others.
If this keeps up, Volquez might, in fact, be their best work yet.
"We just do our homework, that's all," Searage said. "You put in the time and show the kid that you care, and you can help him out tremendously."
Oh, they've helped, all right. Between their input and Volquez's conscientious approach, we've seen a rebirth of a right-hander who hadn't turned in an adjusted ERA better than league average since 2008, his All-Star season in Cincinnati. Among qualified pitchers from 2009-13, Volquez had the third-highest walk rate in the Major Leagues. With the Pirates, though, he's suddenly become a strike-throwing machine, walking just four batters through his first 21 innings while striking out 13.
"I'm really aggressive right now in the strike zone," Volquez said. "My fastball command is way better than what it was last year and the year before. Right now, everything is straight to the target. Before, everything fell open to the first-base side. Now it's more compact to the plate."
That's the mechanical key that pitching gurus Searage and Benedict picked up on when they analyzed video of Volquez before the offseason signing. When Volquez arrived for the club's minicamp in Bradenton, Fla., in January, Searage gave him some pointers on the proper long-toss process (Volquez had been trying, in Searage's words, to "scratch the sky" with this throws, before Searage got to throw more on a line). And in proper Spring Training camp, the Bucs went about the process of improving Volquez's bullpen work.
If you show up at PNC Park early enough Tuesday, check it out. For his first few throws, Volquez will have the bullpen catcher squat in front of the plate. This is intended to keep Volquez's body motion under control while speeding up his arm action.
"It helps him to keep his angle," Searage said. "So when he takes the ball from the glove, he's able to get it out and then up to keep his angle. It makes his arm work quicker as opposed to getting long."
Something else you'd notice if you watched Volquez warm up in the 'pen: He throws nearly as many pitches from the stretch as he does from the windup. This gets Volquez mentally prepared to repeat his delivery even when baserunners are aboard.
The good news, of course, is that they're not aboard nearly as much as they were during his Padres tenure.
"We didn't have all the answers right from the beginning," Searage admitted. "It was a slow process."
Indeed, when Volquez posted a 9.64 ERA in Grapefruit League play, suffice it to say, Pirates fans weren't beating down the doors of the Clubhouse Store to buy his jersey.
Pittsburgh's skipper, though, saw something beyond the stats.
"We live in a society where people love to crunch numbers," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Creative people look outside the numbers. We kept looking outside the numbers. There was incremental progress every time he took the ball. That's what we felt very, very optimistic about."
Early in camp, the Pirates had to press upon Volquez the notion that they weren't trying to coddle him. It took a little convincing. But if Volquez needed inspiration to embrace what Searage and Co. were selling, all he had to do was consult Liriano, the 2013 National League Comeback Player of the Year Award winner. Liriano had recruited his fellow Dominican Republic resident native told him Pittsburgh would be a fine place to rebuild his value, and Volquez soon discovered the unorthodox approach to bullpen sessions could be beneficial.
Volquez also discovered the benefit of the Buccos' system in which the starters watch each other's bullpen sessions. It was earlier this month, just before his first start of the season, when he noticed the slight delay Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole and Liriano all employ when they break their throwing hand from the glove. Volquez determined that would be another good method to ensure he doesn't fly open in his delivery.
"Now you're allowing yourself to keep the front side locked in so you stay on your back side," Searage said. "He saw that, and all of a sudden ..."
All of a sudden, Volquez looked like a new man. Or more accurately, like an approximation of his 2008 self.
It's only three starts, and Volquez has certainly benefited from the Bucs' strategic shifts and the offensive abyss that is April, in general. But the sheer number of strikes, relative to his recent past, is especially encouraging. Volquez is averaging 3.4 pitches per plate appearance, a career best. He's not exactly racking up the strikeouts, but he's allowing just 0.95 walks and hits per nine innings.
For a Pirates club that already has substantial ground to make up in the NL Central and already has taken a substantial blow to its pitching depth with the loss of prospect Jameson Taillon to Tommy John surgery, the continuation of this early trend is not just a wish but a necessity.
"We just have to continue to do it all season long," said Volquez. "For the team and for myself."


text:
A burst in hiring during February that added 236,000 jobs and pushed the national unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent is being felt in what just two years ago would have been the most unlikely of places for Southwest Florida: new construction.
The Sarasota-Manatee market is seeing so much growth in residential work that builders are having difficulty finding qualified workers.
Home builders in the region handled 2,500 permits last year, an increase of 25 percent, and the pace appears to have continued in 2013, with announcements about new projects or rekindled ones a nearly daily occurrence.
"To keep up with that production, that is where we are having some shortages in labor," said Alan Anderson, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association Manatee-Sarasota.
There are bona fide local shortages of workers licensed in masonry or block construction, framing, drywall, plumbing and electrical work.
Because Florida's housing recovery has been so uneven, Anderson's group has been reaching out to associations in areas that have not had as much work: Citrus and Lake counties, for example. With work picking up in the Tampa area, Anderson now finds himself in competition for those workers with his Hillsborough County counterparts.
If someone has construction experience and is currently feeling underemployed, "this would be a good time to look around," he said.
There were 48,000 new construction jobs nationally during February.
"Hopefully that is a good sign there will be gains here in Florida," said Sean Snaith, a University of Central Florida economist. "It is kind of a wait-and-see. In this recovery thus far, there has not been perfect correlation between what has happened nationally and what we see in Florida."
If there is a similar uptick in Florida, that would be bode well for the region's broader economy, says Chris Lafakis, an economist with Moody's Analytics who focuses on the Sunshine State.
"Housing is a tide that lifts all boats," Lafakis said. "Real estate, finance, appliance manufacturing, construction material, production, specialty trade contractors, building material wholesalers -- places like Lowe's and Home Depot will benefit as well."
Like Snaith, Lafakis noted that Florida still has not broken out of a period of uneven results. In December, for example, the state saw a decline of 15,000 jobs.
But "we don't expect that contradiction to continue," Lafakis said.
The robust gains nationally reported Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor suggested that the economy can strengthen further despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.
The national unemployment rate is at its lowest level in four years. Job growth has averaged more than 200,000 per month since November. Wages rose, and the job gains were broad-based, led by the most construction hiring in six years.
Employers have been emboldened by a rebounding U.S. economy. The housing, auto and manufacturing sectors have improved. Corporate profits are strong. The Dow Jones industrial average is at a record high.
The unemployment rate, which had been stuck at 7.8 percent or above since September, declined mostly because more people found work. Another factor was that 130,000 people without jobs stopped looking for work last month. The government does not count them as unemployed.
The 236,000 jobs that were added in February is a historically solid total. It would have been higher if governments were contributing to job growth, rather than subtracting from it as they have for nearly four years. Governments cut 10,000 jobs in February.
Robust auto sales and a steady housing recovery are spurring more hiring, which could trigger more consumer spending and stronger economic growth.
The construction industry has added 151,000 since September. Manufacturing gained 14,000 jobs last month and 39,000 since November.
Areas of strength
In Southwest Florida, manufacturing and health care -- two sectors that, before the return of the construction industry, helped stabilize and moderate the effects of the recession -- showed continued strength.
There are still more manufacturing job listings at Goodwill Industries Manasota's seven area Job Connection offices than in previous years, said Margie Genter, vice president of mission services. "Those manufacturing jobs absolutely pay more, but many of our job seekers don't have the basic skills," Genter said.
The most important skills to brush up on: computer basics and math.
At Sarasota Memorial Hospital, one of the region's largest employers, there are about 200 openings. About 80 of those are clinical positions, meaning directly involved with patient care, said spokeswoman Kim Savage.
Like other health care providers, Sarasota Memorial's need for workers spikes in the winter season, and then backs off in the warmer months.
Typically, those openings will shrink to 100 as summer approaches, Savage said, but other than that seasonality, hiring has held firm.
"It has been very stable. We haven't noticed any spikes or dips," she said.
Still discouraged
But the brighter hiring picture has yet to cause a flood of out-of-work people who are not looking for a job to start seeking one.
The proportion of Americans either working or looking for work dipped one-tenth of a percentage point in February to 63.5 percent, matching a 30-year low.
Though the recession officially ended in June 2009, many Americans have remained discouraged about their job prospects and have given up looking.
Further strong hiring gains will hinge, in part, on healthy consumer spending. So far, higher gas prices and a Jan. 1 increase in Social Security taxes have not caused Americans to sharply cut back on spending.
Across-the-board government spending cuts also kicked in March 1 after the White House and Congress failed to reach a deal to avoid them. Those cuts will likely lead to furloughs and layoffs in coming weeks.
A big source of strength nationally has been home sales and residential construction: New-home sales jumped 16 percent in January to the highest level since July 2008. Builders started work on the most homes last year since 2008.
Home prices rose by the most in more than six years in the 12 months that ended in January. Higher prices tend to make homeowners feel wealthier and more likely to spend, as do record-high stock prices.
"If my house is worth a little more, my 401(k) is going up ... maybe I can afford to go buy that car, or continue to spend," says Ed Hyland, investment specialist at JPMorgan Private Bank.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Construction spurs gains in employment
A burst in hiring during February that added 236,000 jobs and pushed the national unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent is being felt in what just two years ago would have been the most unlikely of places for Southwest Florida: new construction.


text:
AndroidX Test includes a set of JUnit rules to be used
with the
AndroidJUnitRunner. JUnit rules provide
more flexibility and reduce the boilerplate code required in tests.
This rule provides functional testing of a single activity. The activity under
test is launched before each test annotated with
@Test and before any method
annotated with
@Before. It's terminated after the test is completed and all
methods annotated with
@After are finished. To access the activity under test
in your test logic, call
Note: AndroidX Test includes another API,
ActivityScenario, that is currently in beta. This API works in a
variety of testing environments and provides thread safety within the tests
that use it.
We encourage you to try out this API to see how it can help you drive the lifecycles of your app's activities.
The following code snippet demonstrates how to incorporate
into your testing logic:
@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class.java) @LargeTest class MyClassTest { @get:Rule val activityRule = ActivityTestRule(MyClass::class.java) @Test fun myClassMethod_ReturnsTrue() { ... } }
@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4.class) @LargeTest public class MyClassTest { @Rule public ActivityTestRule<MyClass> activityRule = new ActivityTestRule(MyClass.class); @Test public void myClassMethod_ReturnsTrue() { ... } }
This rule provides a simplified mechanism to start up and shut down your service
before and after your test. It also guarantees that the service is successfully
connected when starting a service or binding to one. The service can be started
or bound using one of the helper methods. It automatically stops or unbinds
after the test completes and any methods annotated with
@After are finished.
@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class.java) @MediumTest class MyServiceTest { @get:Rule val serviceRule = ServiceTestRule() @Test fun testWithStartedService() { serviceRule.startService( Intent(ApplicationProvider.getApplicationContext<Context>(), MyService::class.java)) // Add your test code here. } @Test fun testWithBoundService() { val binder = serviceRule.bindService( Intent(ApplicationProvider.getApplicationContext(), MyService::class.java)) val service = (binder as MyService.LocalBinder).service assertThat(service.doSomethingToReturnTrue()).isTrue() } }
@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4.class) @MediumTest public class MyServiceTest { @Rule public final ServiceTestRule serviceRule = new ServiceTestRule(); @Test public void testWithStartedService() { serviceRule.startService( new Intent(ApplicationProvider.getApplicationContext(), MyService.class)); // Add your test code here. } @Test public void testWithBoundService() { IBinder binder = serviceRule.bindService( new Intent(ApplicationProvider.getApplicationContext(), MyService.class)); MyService service = ((MyService.LocalBinder) binder).getService(); assertThat(service.doSomethingToReturnTrue()).isTrue(); } }
Additional resources
For more information about using JUnit rules in Android tests, consult the following resources.
- BasicSample:
Simple usage of


text:
Power Supplies > Preferred Power Products P3 AC24-4-7CB
The P3AC24-4-7CB is a CCTV power center engineered to manage remote camera and accessory power requirements. The P3AC24-4-7CB distribution module is designed with 4 individually fused output for powering up to 4 CCTV cameras or accessories.
It will provide 24Volts AC via distribution to one fused output with a total of 7.25 Amps continuous supply current. The P3AC24-4-7CB power center is housed in the premium P3 heavy gauge metal enclosure.
P3AC24-4-7CB Spec Sheet
Bulk CCTV Store
41W195 Railroad Street, Unit A
Pingree Grove, IL 60140


text:
Event Server — Basic Job
$236.21 estimated pay
Instructions and details
About Instawork Gigs
Instawork is the best place for hospitality workers to find temporary jobs on-demand. From Michelin-star restaurants to small coffee shops, Instawork makes it easy for bartenders, cooks, servers, dishwashers and other experienced hospitality workers to find work at local businesses and earn up to $30/hr on a flexible schedule. No interviews or paper resumes. Just book the gig in the app and show up to do the work. Se habla español.
An event server role refers to a front of house worker whose primary responsibility is to assist the guests in having a positive experience.
Event Server responsibilities:
Maintaining high levels of customer service.
Responsible for accommodating all guests at a function while circulating the room.
Anticipating the needs of the guests and responding politely to their requests.
Run food from the kitchen to the banquet hall on demand.
Serve food and beverages, taking orders and offering dishes to guests, making sure that there is enough food for everyone.
Ensuring that all of the customer service functions are coordinated throughout each event.
Works in and contributes to a fun working environment.
Event setup and breakdown.
Cleans before, during and after events.
Stocks beer and merchandise.
Ensures adequate kegs, moves kegs, and taps kegs.
Other duties as assigned.


text:
About Van Heusen
Timeless style for timeless occasions...
For over 125 years the Phillips-Van Heusen brand has been providing customers with unsurpassed value and quality.
With the #1 dress and sport shirt in America, Van Heusen prompts immediate recognition in 9 out of 10 consumers.
The brand has a global presence with an international reputation for style and quality. Van Heusen offers multiple collections to reflect the fashion sense and value inherent in its consumers.
CoolFrames Designer Eyewear Boutique is an authorized Van Heusen online retailer. All frames are guaranteed to be defect-free and authentic. We will replace any defective or damaged items to ensure 100% satisfaction. Our in-house optical lab can install custom prescription lenses into any eyeglass frame and many sunglass styles. We specialize in Essilor presciption lenses including Varilux Progressives, Transitions as well as Crizal Alize and Sapphire (Forte) Anti-Reflective coatings.


text:
View gallery in plain
5 series crash image
520d 2010 Sedan R1
The tested model of BMW 5-Series was introduced in Australia during 2010. This rating applies to all variants with 4 and 6 cylinder engines. The V8 variant is unrated.
The 5-Series scored 15.531 out of 16 in the offset crash test. The passenger compartment held its shape well. There was a slight risk of serious leg and chest injury for the driver.
The vehicle scored 16 out of 16 in the side impact crash test and a further two points in the optional pole test.
Important note: The diesel left-hand-drive European 530d model was tested by Euro NCAP. Australasian specifications may vary and therefore models sold in Australasia might provide different levels of protection to those described on this page.
The safety feature information below is subject to change without notice. For up to date safety feature specifications for all variants, please see the safety feature table to the right or contact the manufacturer.
Dual front airbags, side airbags and head-protecting side curtains are standard equipment. Antilock brakes (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and electronic stability control (ESC) are also standard. Intelligent seat belt reminders are fitted to all seats. Other safety features include a head-up display, lane guidance, active cruise control, rear view camera and night vision enhancement.
Pretensioners are fitted to the front seat belts to reduce slack in the event of a crash. A three point seat belt is fitted to the centre rear seat. This provides better protection than a two point (lap) seat belt.
The passenger compartment held its shape well in the offset crash test. The brake pedal moved rearwards by 38mm. The clutch pedal moved downwards 3mm. The steering wheel hub moved 7mm forward, 7mm upward and 4mm sideways. The front ("A") pillar moved 1mm rearwards. All doors remained closed during the crash. After the crash all doors could be opened with normal effort.
The airbag cushioned the head of the driver and contact was stable. There were no knee hazards. The passenger's head was cushioned by the airbag.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) provides consumers with independent and transparent information on the level of occupant and pedestrian protection provided by different new car models, in the most common types of crashes, through its star rating program.
The vehicle was eligible for an optional pole impact test, since it had head-protecting side airbags. The manufacturer decided to go ahead with the pole test and the vehicle earned a further two points.
The 5 series is fitted with an 'active bonnet'. When a pedestrian is struck, actuators lift all four corners of the bonnet away from hard structures underneath. The bonnet has scored maximum points in the areas likely to be struck by the head of a child and has scored very highly in those areas likely to be struck by an adult. The front edge of the bonnet did not score any points for the protection provided to pedestrians' legs but the bumper scored maximum points.
Foward Collison Warning is a vehicle safety technology has the potential to prevent a crash or reduce the impact speed of a crash. Foward Collison Warning alerts the driver to an imminent crash so they can begin to take preventative action
Higher speed Auto Emergency Braking is a vehicle safety technology has the potential to prevent a crash or reduce the impact speed of a crash. This version typically utilises long range radar to scan further ahead of the vehicle (up to 200 metres) at higher speeds.
Low speed Auto Emergency Braking is a vehicle safety technology has the potential to prevent a crash or reduce the impact speed of a crash. This version targets city driving where crashes often occur at low speeds but can cause debilitating injury such as whiplash injuries. Typically, these systems look for the reflectivity of other vehicles and are not as sensitive to pedestrians or roadside objects.
Pedestrian Auto Emergency Braking is a vehicle safety technology has the potential to prevent a crash or reduce the impact speed of a crash. This uses a camera combined with radar to detect vulnerable road users through their shape and characteristics. The way in which pedestrians move relative to the path of the vehicle is calculated to determine whether they are in danger of being struck.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) helps drivers to avoid crashes by reducing the danger of skidding, or losing control as a result of over-steering. Australian research shows that ESC reduces the risk of Single car crashes by 25% find out more ...
Driver attention detection systems are designed to analyse the characteristics of the driver and identify signs of inattention or drowsiness.
Curtain airbags are designed to protect the driver's and front seat passenger's heads in a side impact crash.The curtain airbag activates instantaneously, deploying from the top of the door rails above the side window. They form a cushion between the driver or passenger and the window and stay in place if the car rolls over to protect their head.
Curtain airbags are designed to protect the driver's and passenger's heads in a crash. The curtain airbag activates instantaneously, deploying from the top of the door rails above the side window. They form a cushion between the driver or passenger and the window and stay in place if the car rolls over to protect their head.
Also known as Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Cruise Control detects the distance and speed of the preceding vehicle and maintains an appropriate following distance.
Traction Control systems optimise grip and stability of the car on the road during acceleration by measuring wheel rotation. It stops wheel spin by reducing engine power or temporarily applying the brakes to that wheel, allowing the car to accelerate smoothly, even on slippery surfaces. Limited slip differentials also help provide a more even distribution of traction forces when the car is on a slippery surface.
Adjustable steering columns allows for steering wheel heights to be adjusted to the driver's preference.
Drivers' airbags or frontal airbags typically deploy from the steering wheel to protect the driver from striking other parts of the car in a frontal crash. Drivers' airbags are designed to be used in conjunction with seatbelts and do not offer protection in the event of a side impact crash.
Pretensioners tighten and reduce slack in seat belts to protect occupants from rapidly moving forward in the event of a crash.
Pretensioners tighten and reduce slack in seatbelts to protect occupants from rapidly moving forward in the event of a crash.
The latest UCSR are based on statistics collected from car crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1990 and 2017, where someone was killed or seriously injured. Over eight million police reported crashes were analysed in the latest UCSR.


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Click on "Choose Design" in the top left corner of the T-Shirt Designer to design your own t-shirt. First you will see the most popular designs. The search bar will help you find the design you are looking for, and you can browse different categories, like specific categories for sports t-shirts designs or simply see our best designs by clicking on "Bestseller"). Now you can personalise your t-shirt by moving, enlarging or shrinking the design you have picked. To the right of your T-Shirt Designer you can choose colour, size and printing technique.
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To effectively prevent stretch marks from appearing during and after pregnancy, it is important to apply a specific stretch mark removal oil or cream on your belly daily, such as the anti-stretch mark oil by Weleda or the Love Boo Body Smoother . Your skin will become more supple and resistant to changes in weight and size and what's more, all our anti-stretch mark removal products are adapted to your specific skincare needs during pregnancy and are free of harmful chemicals.


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The earliest stirrings of modern industrial society may be traced back approximately 6,000 years ago, to emergence of the first cities, implementation of plow agriculture, and storage of food surpluses in the ancient Near East. Specialization and domestication were symptomatic of, and consequential to, these new socio-economic changes. Somewhat later in this nascent history, analytic and linguistic keys to the forward march of civilization found critical refinement in Aristotle's syllogistic and the rudimentary founding of the sciences. The current trajectory of the West achieved full self-consciousness during the period of European Enlightenment, with the birth of rationalism and elaboration of the modern scientific method, eventually leading to industrialization, hyper-specialization, technological innovation, and increasing commodification.
With Europe and, most especially, America now leading the way, the path charted and engineered by Western civilization spawned a hegemony that is rapidly overtaking the globe, socially, economically, and culturally. This ascendancy has unleashed a domination of values, which, unlike political hegemonies of the past, is lightning fast, wide ranging, virtually unchallenged, and spreading insidiously; artfully enabled by those very technologies to which it has given rise.
Not too long ago, Americans were convinced that their culture represented the apex of this historical legacy, the best in scientific and technological advancement, as well as political and economic leadership. What America had achieved, so they believed, was a dream come true. It was this 'American Dream' that has been held out to (or perhaps thrust upon) the rest of the world as the meaning of the 'good life' – the proper locus of human happiness.
Moreover, while cheap energy, in the form of fossil fuels, has dutifully served as the lubricant of this cultural and industrial progress, recent recognition that world oil extraction has peaked surely signals the prospective collapse of industrial economy, and with it, the potential dissolution of its core institutions. The trajectory of Western civilization, characterized now by accelerating energy decline and global climate change – a trajectory that Homo sapiens started in motion with those first city walls – is possibly nearing an apocalyptic end.
Of course, there are those dreamers and wishful thinkers who tell about new oil extraction technologies, and spectacular discoveries of conventional supplies that will safeguard our future. However, the exaggeration of these claims, and the unintended consequences of technologies needed to deliver on them, will surely spell more substantial ecological fallout – further constraining our access to clean air, water, flora and fauna. Furthermore, alternate sources of energy, aside from their unique liabilities, will not substitute for the demands of industrial civilization's extraordinary infrastructural, logistical and distribution needs. In short, we are living within an unsustainable bubble that is slowly deflating, and sustainable human existence in the not-to-distant future will likely require smaller and local approaches to everything.
So, with the globe facing epic crises – ecological, financial, economic, political, psychological – at whose feet do we lay blame? Where do we look to better understand the roots of such crises, or how to outrun their dire consequences? While many have identified pursuit of the American Dream as a proximate cause of this global unraveling, the USA was not alone in its reliance upon certain fundamental assumptions about management and control of nature, leading ineluctably to potentially devastating outcomes. All civilized regimes – from the first empires of ancient Mesopotamia to modern nations like Russia and China – all can share the responsibility. After all, industrial progress, economic growth, technological innovation, and political expansion have been the hallmarks of civilization since the beginning of history.
Not surprisingly, however, there seems to be growing disaffection in the West (of all places) with the way things are going and where we are heading. With a global financial meltdown, high unemployment, severe austerity, incessant war, insurrections popping up everywhere, unparalleled greed, apparently irrational terrorism, and the evaporation of the American Dream like warm breath on a mirror; it is as if the whole thing were coming down around us all at once. Mother nature herself seems to be speaking rather loudly as well right now, with perhaps more frequent and more brutal natural disasters than any other time in recorded history. Barely two decades into America's uncontested ascendancy to unipolar imperial power — with the entire planet globalizing around its neo-liberal capitalist mantra — and the whole thing starts to unravel.
If you think this makes the institutional fabric of Western civilization vulnerable, you are right; it does. Yet, do not believe for one moment that it is going to come down without a struggle. There are centripetal forces holding this spectacle together as much as there are centrifugal forces pulling it apart. Aside from the greedy and controlling hands of plutocrats, there is too much raw desire out there in the hinterlands, too many people who have been living on the fringes of this "Dream" just waiting their turn, scratching for a piece of the pie.
The entire Soviet Bloc, for example, systematically excluded from all the "fun" for almost a century, now has the forbidden fruit firmly within its grasp. These now independent nations are busy chasing the dream as quickly as they can muster the energy and the capital. China, as well, has awakened from its slumber, focused on putting a car in every citizen's driveway. While the Indians have decided, they too want to play. Mumbai has made a good beginning in this respect, taking over nearly all customer service functions for major US corporations, with consumer purchasing power filtering into their coffers.
Yet, a new generation of Russians is racing to be first at the finish line. The Russian Federation, in concert with its regional administrations, is aggressively stripping forestland, building new roads and expanding old ones, as well as refurbishing and building-out regional and the international airports. In fact, they are doing so with great abandon, as if there were no tomorrow; and perhaps there will not be. Yet, no one in Siberia younger than fifty years old seems to care to discuss this possibility. They are having too much fun with their newfound wealth and enjoying the spectacle.
This is most evident when you look at the younger generation of Siberians and the nouveau riche in Barnaul, Biysk, Belokurikha, and across Altai Krai. They cannot live without their cell phones, their iPods and their credit cards; without their health club memberships, pricey coffee houses and their air conditioners; without their recently financed foreign automobiles and their newly minted driver's licenses. In short, they have tasted the promise of this "society of the spectacle;" they are mesmerized by its allure and hooked on its fascinating appeal. It is not just blue jeans they want. They want it all!
So, short of an abrupt exhaustion of basic vital resources like fossil fuel, clean water, or fresh air, the only way you are going to see a quick collapse of this "curriculum of the West" as it moves east, is by prying it from the clutching hands of all those who previously had little, but now choose to have hope.
Yet, there is something ancient, nay, primitive, pulling concurrently at the emotional core of Siberians, something that once spoke clearly to a more archaic need, and perhaps still speaks to the older generations of Siberian's even today. I am referring to the well-mythologized Russian soul: a soul that in the mother tongue is feminine in gender (душа: dusha) and, as such, is intimately connected with the mystery of Mother Earth. I recall Dostoevsky's many references to the fact that the Russian soul is a reflection of the people's unfailing and non-negotiable connection to the land from which life springs.
As I understand it, there is an articulable and inescapable sentiment among these people that does not allow complete separation, physically or emotionally, from this land in which they were born and where they naturally survive and flourish. The Russian people have the greatest appreciation for, love of, and attachment to their homeland and families, as well as to the broader ties of kinship these entail. They understand all of this to be intimately connected, as their language makes abundantly clear:
(rod) – family (kind, sort, genus)
(rod.ina) – homeland, motherland
(rod.iteli) – parents
(rod.nit) – to bring together
(rod.ovoi) – ancestral (tribal)
(rod.stvo) – kinship
As well, historically, Russians have had to endure the hardships and struggles of constant political turmoil and invasion. Indeed, the Siberians understand struggle as a given, as part of the cycle of life, death, and nature. The normal conditions of existence here, whether in the city, the village, or at the forest dacha, are not what we Americans would consider easy, convenient, or comfortable (although conditions are ever changing). Yet those who live here have maintained some age-old instincts to survive, and even to celebrate life in the midst of repeated challenges and strife.
So, the personal and cultural resolve that personifies this soul must be a strength steeled over generations of people facing down aggression, natural and political, then calmly and courageously returning to their roots and rebuilding their lives upon an archaic foundation in which they never lost faith. In short, it is impossible to understand the depth and mystery of this soul independent of its rootedness in the simplicity of the Russian peasantry and the inviolability of the Russian soil.
There is an earthly sensuousness that infuses the Russian experience; this culture remains drenched in the primacy of the body and the natural world that nourishes it. Yet, this autochthonous connection to the land – the Siberian's more elemental experience of life in wilder, mysterious nature – may still be capable of influencing the future trajectory of both the new Russia and Western civilization.
Perhaps Russia's long-suffering messianic mission still stands firm in the Siberian wilderness, albeit less vociferously than before: quietly recalling humanity from the abyss of an alienated spirit that haunts the self-understanding of the West – its scientific rationalism, its consumerism, and its otherworldly transcendence – a self-understanding that seems to be marching all of us mindlessly to global collapse. Perhaps a more primal Siberian awareness can call us back to a feral memory trace, helping us recall our essential rootedness in Mother Earth and the earthly sensuous – our flesh, the flesh of the world.
Unfortunately, the delusion of 'manifest destiny' driving the Western hegemony and its commodity culture is chipping away relentlessly and callously at that archaic Russian soul, perhaps more rapidly than she is able to redirect the self-destructive trajectory of Western imperialism and its global appetite. Siberians, and those of us living here in Altai Krai, must rethink their commitment to this curriculum of the West as it continues to lead us relentlessly, mindlessly, towards a precipice.
* A truncated version of this article will appear in an upcoming edition of the newspaper Business Biysk, in Altai Krai, Russia.


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Tagged: Tim Federowicz
Red Sox Rumors: Mike Aviles and Erik Bedard
The Red Sox didn't pull off a blockbuster, like they have in years past, at the trading deadline this year. Boston's biggest needs were a shortstop, a starting pitcher, a left-handed reliever, and a right-handed hitting outfielder. The emergence of Josh Reddick took the Red Sox out of the outfielder market.
On the other side, with left-handed batters hitting just .195 off of Alfredo Aceves and improved pitching from Matt Albers and Dan Wheeler, they took Boston out of the reliever market.
That left shortstop and starting pitching as the two needs for Boston. Boston acquired utility-infielder, Mike Aviles for Kansas City for Yamaico Navarro and Kendal Volz. Aviles can play third, second, as well as shortstop and is also a good base runner as he was ten for twelve in stolen base attempts, while with the Royals.
Fielding wise, Aviles' best position is probably second base, followed by shortstop and third base. However, career wise, Aviles has spent the majority of his time in the field at shortstop. Yet, this season, he has spent the most time in the field at third base. Clearly, Alviles is an experienced utility man despite only being in the big leagues since 2008. Manager, Terry Francona has said that he wants to try and play Aviles in the outfield. Aviles hasn't played the outfield since college, but is willing to try.
However, the Red Sox gave up to much in my opinion. According to Alex Speier of WEEI, "A talent evaluator recently suggested that he (Yamaico Navarro) was ready to be an everyday third baseman for a second-division team in need of offense right now." Navarro is never going to be a Kevin Youkilis or an Scott Rolen, he could end up being similar to Brewers third baseman, Casey McGehee.
Kendal Volz was a ninth-round pick by Boston back in 2009. This season, he was moved to the bullpen and is now pitching in high A ball for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Volz is twenty-four years old and attended Baylor University.
Boston also made two moves just before the deadline. First, Boston traded Minor Leaguers Tim Federowicz, Stephen Fife, and Juan Rodriguez to the Dodgers for Trayvon Robinson. The Red Sox then traded Robinson along with Chih-Hsien Chiang to the Seattle Mariners for Erik Bedard and Josh Fields.
The best part about this deal is that Boston didn't have to give up a whole lot for Robinson, the cornerstone of the deal, who is now the Mariners number four prospect according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Robinson hit twenty-six home runs in a hundred games for the Albuquerque Isotopes (he Dodger's AAA affiliate), but struck out a whopping 122 times. Robinson also stole eight bases, walked forty-five times, and hit .293 for the Isotopes. In his first game in the Seattle Mariners organization, he went one for three with a stolen base, a run scored, and a walk.
Since Clay Buchholz is most likely out for the season (even though Terry Francona says there is a chance he could start before the season is over) with a stress fracture in his back, Bedard if healthy, should be able to fill Buchholz's role with no problems. However, Bedard has an injury history of his own, but if the Red Sox were scared of by Rich Harden, than Bedard must be healthy. Bedard, is a lefty who was A.L. East experience when he pitched with the Baltimore Orioles from 2002-2007.
Since it appears he is healthy, the only reason Bedard should struggle is his dislike of well, attention. According to Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald, "Bedard doesn't like the media. He doesn't like crowds. He doesn't like attention. He doesn't like day games. Some people wonder if he even likes baseball." You can read the rest of the article here and after reading that article, Bedard seems like a jerk in my mind.
Anyway though, this season, Bedard is four and seven and an ERA of 3.45. Yet, if you take out his horrible start on July 29 against the Tampa Bay Rays when he gave up five earned runs in 1.1 innings, Bedard's ERA is 3.00. The bad news though, is that that was Bedard's first start off the D.L. and his last in a Mariners uniform.
The other player Boston acquired from Seattle is twenty-five year old reliever named Josh Fields (not to be confused with Josh Fields, a former White Sox and Royal who recently signed with the Yomiuri Giants). Fields was the twentieth overall pick by the Mariners in the 2008 MLB draft. Fields has split time between AA Jackson and AAA Tacoma. In thirty-nine innings, Fields is one and two with a 3.92 ERA and a WHIP of 1.54. In a few years, it's very possible that Fields could be the best player Boston got in this trade.
Yet, personally, I think Boston will regret both trades. Navarro should become a starting third baseman somewhere in the majors and Boston should have just held on the Robinson. As for Bedard, it's a toss up on how he will pan out in Beantown.
Photo Credits
*Also thanks to everyone for making Soxoholics the twenty-eighth most visited fan blog during the moth of July.


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Hello everybody, our next patch is almost ready, and we are excited to announce that includes translations for 5 more languages: German, Russian, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Polish. Spanish is coming in a few weeks and is not in this patch build.
If you would like to participate in testing the translations, please follow the instructions and read the Release Notes below. If you encounter any problems with the patch, or have any feedback and questions, please use this thread to discuss. You may also participate in the Steamworks forum if you prefer: https://steamcommunity.com/app/237990...2667756899958/
Instructions for participating in the Beta:
- Navigate to your Steam Client LIBRARY
- Right-click "The Banner Saga"
- Click "Properties..."
- Click the "BETAS" tab
- In the dropdown box labeled "Select the beta...", choose "localization"
- Close the Properties dialog
The game should now start to update. When it is complete, you will be able to launch the new build of the game.
NOTE: Save file locations have changed. The new build will move your save files to a new location. See below for details.
The game has been localized into 5 additional languages:
- French
- German
- Russian
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
You can set your game language via Steam using the Properties->LANGUAGE menu. You can also change the language in-game via the options (Escape) menu. If the game language has been changed manually, the game should continue to start in that language until it is changed again manually, or until the Steam Client language changes and the client is restarted. If you select a language other than English, Subtitles should be enabled for you automatically.
In general, we want to GUIs to update immediately upon language change. Acceptable exceptions are:
- temporary tutorial tooltips that are already displayed on screen
- subtitles for video and VO for the duration of the current video or VO
- chat bubbles that are already displayed on screen
- The "Battle!", "Forge Ahead!", and "Pillage!" animations
Please take care looking for words that don't fit, don't appear, are incorrect, or are in English when they should not be.
Save Profiles:
There are now 5 Save Profile slots. When you create, resume, or load a game from a Save Profile, all saves for that profile go into a directory specifically for that profile. The folder is
The Profile menu is displayed when you attempt to Load or Resume a game from the Start Screen. When the player selects 'New Game' it automatically creates the new game in the next Profile, if one is available. If none are available, the Profile menu is displayed. If the player attempts to Load a game while playing, the Profile menu is never displayed.
The first time a player runs the patched game, her save files are automatically copied into profile 0 (zero). They are copied from the Local Store folder:
into the Local Store profile folder:
Bellower Fight
Made the Bellower fight easier by lowering his max str/arm for the second round in normal and easy mode. Also made his henchmen lower tiers.
All characters should now be un-wounded before the Bellower fight.
Incorrect caravan members:
Hogun and Mogun no longer join the caravan if they die in the fight outside the village where you first meet them. Repro: help the brothers in the fight at their village, lose the battle. The resulting popup says they were killed in the skirmish. They should no longer appear in the player's roster.
Fasolt no longer joins you in some circumstances after Einartoft. Repro: previously, if the player chooses to help Eyvind destroy the bridge at Einartoft, and the player fails the fight against the varl or surrenders, Fasolt will survive the bridge scenario. Iver appears and talks to Jorundr, who tells them to leave the city. Fasolt would then be in the party. Fasolt should no longer appear in the party in this scenario.
Battle GUI:
There are now hover/glow states for the small stars used for allocating willpower to attacks or abilities.
Miscellaneous Improvements:
- Spelling fixes
- Pixel gap removal
- GUI Loading system
- Texture size reduction
- Percent chance to hit is not appearing on the enemy popup when the enemy's armor is greater than the attacker's strength.
- Subtitles don't automatically enable if the language is set from the Steam Client


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Beginning in 2001, Warner Bros. Pictures began releasing adaptations of the Harry Potter books. These films have proven to be very popular and, in less than a decade, the Harry Potter film series has become the highest-grossing motion picture series in history, surpassing the world-famous James Bond franchise[1].
To date, eight films have been released:
- Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
- Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Alfonso Cuaron's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Mike Newell's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- David Yates' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- David Yates' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
- David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
The first film was released in the U.S. as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
The seventh and final adaptation, Deathly Hallows , has been split into two parts, the first of which was released in November, 2010, with the final part released on 15 July, 2011.
The final day of filming on the Harry Potter film series was completed on Saturday 12 June, 2010. However, members of the cast were recalled for re-shoots of the Epilogue scene on 21 December, 2010[2].
See List of Harry Potter cast members
Only thirteen characters appear in all eight films, they are:
- Harry Potter, portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, as well as the Saunders Triplets and Toby Papworth as a baby and as Josh Herdman and David O'Hara under the effect of Polyjuice Potion;
- Ron Weasley, portrayed by Rupert Grint as well as Jamie Waylett, Daniel Radcliffe and Steffan Rhodri under the effect of Polyjuice Potion;
- Hermione Granger, portrayed by Emma Watson as well as Daniel Radcliffe, Sophie Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter under the effect of Polyjuice Potion;
- Albus Dumbledore, portrayed by Richard Harris in the first two films and by Michael Gambon in the others, as well as Toby Regbo as a teenager;
- Rubeus Hagrid, portrayed by Robbie Coltrane, as well as Martin Bayfield as a teenager;
- Severus Snape, portrayed by Alan Rickman, as well as Alec Hopkins as a teenager and Ben Clarke as a child;
- Lily Evans, portrayed by Geraldine Somerville as well as Ellie Darcey-Alden as a child;
- Ginny Weasley, portrayed by Bonnie Wright;
- Neville Longbottom, portrayed by Matthew Lewis;
- Draco Malfoy, portrayed by Tom Felton;
- Fred Weasley, portrayed by James Phelps as well as Daniel Radcliffe under the effect of Polyjuice Potion;
- George Weasley, portrayed by Oliver Phelps as well as Daniel Radcliffe under the effect of Polyjuice Potion;
- Seamus Finnigan, portrayed by Devon Murray (In Deathly Hallows: Part 1, he is briefly seen on the Hogwarts Express)
As Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Deathly Hallows: Part 2 were filmed as one film, the following four actors have been present for filming of all films, only being cut from Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
- Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
- David Bradley as Argus Filch
- Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle (Herdman also briefly portrayed Harry Potter in Chamber of Secrets)
- Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas
Besides their record-breaking popularity, the Harry Potter film series, currently and once completed, are significant in several areas:
- The close involvement of its author, J. K. Rowling, in many aspects of production, including story consultation and casting.
- The fact that, with the exception of Albus Dumbledore, whose actor needed to be recast due to the death of the original, all major ongoing characters will have been played by the same actors for the entire series. A few supporting players have been recast over the years, however.
- The conclusion of the series marks the first time a book series of this length, involving an ongoing story arc, has been adapted for film in its entirety, and without profound changes being made to the original storyline.
- The book series and film series were released over a ten year period. The Philosopher's Stone was first published in the UK in 1997, with the final book The Deathly Hallows published in 2007. Likewise the first film was released in 2001 and the series concluded in 2011 with the eighth and final film.
- Each film in the series has been released to critical and financial success worldwide.
Logo historyEdit
The Harry Potter logo's design is based on the typeface used for the American editions of the books. In the first two films, directed by Chris Columbus, it was golden, however Alfonso Cuaron, the director of Prisoner of Azkaban changed the logo's colour to silver to reflect the films darker atmosphere. This was used in later films as well.
In every film but Philosopher's Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban, the Harry Potter logo appears floating slowly from background to foreground, usually through a sea of clouds. In the other two films, the logo flies in from the foreground, stops as it is illuminated, then flies back into the foreground. From Chamber of Secrets onward, the title sequence begins with the Warner Bros. logo fading in and slowly drifting in from the background through a sea of clouds.
Philosopher's StoneEdit
In Philosopher's Stone, the background is a generic patch of stormy clouds, and the logo is metallic gold. This is the first instance in which the title is not accompanied by Hedwig's Theme. Instead, the theme is played with the Warner Bros. Pictures logo, which is not shown as part of the title sequence.
Chamber of SecretsEdit
In Chamber of Secrets, the background is the sky above Privet Drive at sunset. Chamber of Secrets is the only film to depict the Warner Bros. Pictures logo in its original colour scheme. Because of the blue background of the logo, it is animated to turn on its "back" so the camera does not "go through" it. In every subsequent film, the blue background is omitted, and the camera passes between the letters of the logo.
Prisoner of AzkabanEdit
Prisoner of Azkaban is the only film to date that does not depict either the WB or Harry Potter logo against a sea of clouds. They are instead set floating in front of 4 Privet Drive , illuminated by wand light. Another noticeable difference is that the letters of the Harry Potter logo float around haphazardly. Different from the first two films, and continuing on in the next, the logo is coloured silver.
Goblet of FireEdit
In Goblet of Fire, the logo appears in the sky directly above Tom Riddle Sr.'s grave. Also, the subtitle materializes with a blue flame effect.
Order of the PhoenixEdit
In Order of the Phoenix, the logo drifts through what appears to be blue smoke or fog instead of actual clouds. This logo is grey and stone-textured instead of metallic, a trend that continues in the following films. Order of the Phoenix is also the first film to use a new font for the subtitle, something that also carries over to the newer films. The background is generic, but dissolves into a sunny sky over Little Whinging .
Half-Blood PrinceEditIn Half-Blood Prince, the clouds are grey, with lightning streaking through them. The WB and Harry Potter logos are intercut by a short scene showing the aftermath of "Duel in the Ministry Atrium" from Order of the Phoenix. After the Harry Potter logo appears, the background dissolves to an identical stormy sky reflected in the Swiss Re Tower. Half-Blood Prince is the first film to use the new Harry Potter logo with the re-designed letter P (see below). This new logo continues to be in use in subsequent films.
Deathly Hallows: Part 1Edit
In Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The WB logo is accompanied by the screeching sound RAB's locket makes. As it passes into the foreground, the metal rusts and deteriorates. Breaking the series' tradition, a full scene - including a monologue by Rufus Scrimgeour and a montage featuring the three protagonists - separates the title sequence into parts. The Harry Potter logo then appears, floating through the monochromatic clouds above Malfoy Manor. This is the second instance in which the Harry Potter logo is not accompanied by "Hedwig's Theme" (which again plays with the WB logo). Instead, a new theme is used, "Snape to Malfoy Manor", which segues into the next scene.
Deathly Hallows: Part 2Edit
In Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The logo sequence is more different than the 7 previous films where it shows the final scene of part 1 in which voldemort has the elder wand and tests to the clouds and then the scene flashes over to the WB logo where it is surrounded by dark clouds and as it passes, we then see the Hogwarts castle no longer colourful but affected by Dementors. We see Hogwarts students marching and Snape standing with a sad face in regards to what he has done to Hogwarts. Then we see the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 logo floating through the clouds and followed by a shot of Dobby's grave.
In other mediaEdit
In promotional materials, such as film posters and merchandise, and on DVD/Blu-ray covers, the Harry Potter logos appear differently that their film counterparts.
Philosopher's StoneEdit
For Philosopher's Stone, the lettering has a different bevel effect and texture from any other instance of the logo. It also has a white glow effect around it.
Chamber of SecretsEdit
For Chamber of Secrets, the logo has either a blue or green glow around it.
Prisoner of AzkabanEdit
For Prisoner of Azkaban, the glow effect is dropped. While subtle, the logo was redesigned for Azkaban. The letter P was elongated and given a different, pointed serif. Also, the film started the trend of colouring the logo in various shades of silver instead of gold (however, it is coloured bronze in some instances).Since the tone of the film transitoned from Light to dark.
Goblet of FireEdit
For Goblet of Fire and every subsequent release, the logo appears as shiny and metallic in all non-film appearances. It is depicted as either made of stone or rusting metal in the films' title sequences.
Order of The PhoenixEdit
Order of the Phoenix is notable for changing the font used for the subtitles, a change reflected in the film as well. However in the title sequence for the film, the title uses the old 'P' in 'Potter' as used in the first two films. Order of the Phoenix is also the first to depict the logo as weathered and scratched. The old subtitle font is still used in other promotional materials besides the logo.
Half-Blood PrinceEdit
In many advertisements, posters, and DVD/Blu-ray covers for Half-Blood Prince, the Harry Potter logo is shown tilted at an angle and cut off at either end. Some posters also depict the logo with a bluish sheen. This film is also the first to abbreviate the film title to "HP6", which was again done for the seventh film.
Deathly Hallows: Part 1Edit
Compared to the film version - which is strictly dark grey - the logo appears in varying shades, from black to light grey in promotional items, DVD/Blu-ray covers, and the soundtrack. On some posters, it has a noticeable red tinge. For the video game and other promotional materials, the logo has a blue hue.
Also, earlier instances of the logo kept the same font for the subtitle as previous films. The final version of the logo has the parts of the letters lengthened or shortened.
Harry Potter home VideosEdit
Individual DVDsEdit
|Release Dates
|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
|28 May, 2002
|Special Widescreen Edition
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|Extended Version
|11 Dec, 2007
|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
|11 April, 2003
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|Extended Version
|11 Dec, 2007
|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
|23 Nov, 2004
|2-Disc Widescreen Edition
|2-Disc Full-Screen Edition
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|11 Dec, 2007
|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
|Two-Disc Special Edition
|7 March, 2006
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|11 Dec, 2007
|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
|Two-Disc Special Edition
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
|Two-Disc Special Edition
|8 Dec, 2009
|2-Disc Digital Copy
Special Edition
|Widescreen Edition
|Full-Screen Edition
|Limited Edition
Death Eater Case
|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
|Widescreen Edition
11 April, 2011
15 April, 2011
|Full-Screen Edition
|Two-Disc Special Edition
|Blu-ray Combo Pack
|Blu-ray Three-Disc
Limited Edition
|Limited Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack + Wand pens
|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
11 Nov, 2011
2 Dec, 2011
|Blu-ray Combo Pack
Special Edition Box SetsEdit
|Release Dates
|Harry Potter: Years 1-3
|Widescreen Edition
|23 Nov, 2004
|Full-Screen Edition
|Harry Potter: Years 1-4
|Widescreen Edition
|7 March, 2006
|Full-Screen Edition
|Harry Potter: Years 1-5
|Widescreen Edition
|11 Nov, 2008
|Full-Screen Edition
| Harry Potter: Years 1-5
Limited Edition Gift Set
|Widescreen Edition
|11 Dec, 2007
|Full-Screen Edition
|Harry Potter: Years 1-6
|Widescreen Edition
|8 Dec, 2009
|Full-Screen Edition
|Harry Potter: Years 1-7 Part 1
|15 April, 2011
Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection
11 Nov, 2011
|Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection Limited Edition
|Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy
2 December, 2011
Ultimate EditionsEdit
|Release Dates
|Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone
Ultimate Edition
|8 December, 2009
|Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets
Ultimate Edition
|8 December, 2009
|Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban
Ultimate Edition
|19 October, 2010
|Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire
Ultimate Edition
|19 October, 2010
|Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix
Ultimate Edition
|14 June, 2011
Harry Potter and the
|14 June, 2011
Harry Potter and the
|13 November, 2012
Double FeaturesEdit
|Release Dates
|Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone/Chamber of Secrets
|13 September, 2011
|Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban/Goblet of Fire
|13 September, 2011
|Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix/Half-Blood Prince
|13 September, 2011
|Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Part 1/Part 2
|16 October, 2012
Wizard's CollectionEdit
A limited numbered collection of 31 discs, including all previously released content (eight films in Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet digital copy), an additional five hours of never-before-seen exclusive material and collectible memorabilia.
It's called "The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection" and it can be yours for $499.99. Order due date is July 31; the sets - weighing nineteen pounds! - will be available September 7.
- This new limited and numbered 31-disc collection contains all eight Harry Potter films on Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet Digital Copy and more than 37 hours of special features including all previously released materials and more than 10 hours of new to disc bonus content, and 5 hours of never-before-seen material. Witches and wizards that think they've seen everything will marvel at the all-new special features including the final two "Creating the World of Harry Potter" features titled "Story" and "Growing Up". Many other, yet to be revealed, exciting features, are also included.
- The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection will also allow fans to conjure up every available version of all eight films. In addition to the theatrical release of every film, the collection also includes the extended versions of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; and the 3D versions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows –- Parts 1 and 2.
- Beautifully packaged in a stunning gift box measuring 12-3/4" x 10-9/16" x 11-1/4" and weighing 19 lbs, the Harry Potter Wizard's Collection is the largest collection ever released by Warner Bros. and contains eight artistic and authentic film memorabilia that are essential for anyone who has ever dreamt of being accepted to Hogwarts. The collectibles are exclusive to the set, and each item along with the rest of the contents of this epic collection will be revealed to anxious fans in an online campaign on www.harrypotter.com beginning today.
Films Included in Collection – All on Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet Digital CopyEdit
- Harry Potter and the Philopher's Stone Theatrical Version and Extended Cut
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Theatrical Version and Extended Cut
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2D and 3D Versions)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2D and 3D Versions)
Special Features for Hours of EntertainmentEdit
Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Bonus Disc
- Nearly 4 hours of features including:
- All New! "The Harry Potters You Never Met" - Watch how thrilling stunts from the films were performed, and learn about the tricks behind the major stunts in the series.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Bonus Disc
- Over 2 hours of features including:
- All New! "Creating the World of Harry Potter, Pt. 7: Story"
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Bonus Disc
- Over 4 hours of features including:
- All New! "Creating the World of Harry Potter, Pt. 8: Growing Up"
- All New! Extended "A Conversation with JK Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe" - with 15 minutes of new footage
- Exclusive Premiums
- Exclusive memorabilia including a Map of Hogwarts, concept art prints, catalogs of props and posters, all designed by the graphic designers from the films will be revealed in detail on www.harrypotter.com.
External LinksEdit
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ List of highest-grossing films at Wikipedia
- ↑ Magrath, Andrea (9 December 2010). "Better get to the wig store! Emma Watson and Harry Potter co-stars to re-shoot crucial final Deathly Hallows scenes", Daily Mail. Retrieved on 9 February 2011.


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Wood Release (木遁, Mokuton, Viz: Wood Style) is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai originated from the Senju clan (in the anime from Asura Ōtsutsuki and passed on to each of his reincarnations).[1] It is made up of techniques that mix earth-based chakra in one hand and water-based chakra in the other[2] to create wood as well as various plants, from simple seeds to even flowering trees.[3] Wood and plants can be produced from any surface, including the user's own body, as the user's chakra is literally converted into a source of life. Wood Release techniques are commonly affiliated with the Snake seal.
Despite being known as a kekkei genkai, Hashirama Senju is the only known person to have naturally possessed Wood Release; all subsequent users have gained it by acquiring his genetic material — and even to then, their prowess with Wood Release paled in comparison to his.[4][5] His ability to use Wood Release was one of the reasons he was named the First Hokage, and with Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees he created the foundation of Konohagakure.[6] This technique also allowed him to completely reshape battlefields to his advantage.
As Obito Uchiha noted, Wood Release is very hard to control due to the vitality of Hashirama's cells, which can potentially overwhelm any who are infused with them; when Danzō Shimura's chakra levels were depleted, he was forced to sever his right arm, which had been infused with Hashirama's DNA, in order to prevent being turned into a tree.[7]
Wood Release has also been coveted by many for to its ability to suppress and control the chakra of a tailed beast and, by proxy, its jinchūriki.[8] Hashirama's necklace, when used in conjunction with his Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands technique, aided in this, but its exact purpose was unclear. After Naruto Uzumaki destroyed the necklace, Yamato, who had been experimented on and, as a result, was genetically identical to Hashirama, implied that he could no longer suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's influence.[9] Nevertheless, when Naruto began transforming during his training to control the Nine-Tails at the Falls of Truth, Yamato stated that he would try to suppress the beast,[10] though it is unknown whether this would have been successful due to Naruto overcoming the Fox's influence on his own.
The first person to attempt to make Hashirama's power his own was his rival, Madara Uchiha. Having used their confrontation at the Valley of the End to acquire a portion of Hashirama's flesh, Madara later applied it to the wound he sustained in his chest.[11][12] In addition, Madara used the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a catylyst to cultivate Hashirama's cells, resulting in the creation of a flowering tree made up of Hashirama's artificial body. The White Zetsu stored within the Demonic Statue were later pulled out through the tree by Black Zetsu, each gaining the ability to use a weaker version of Hashirama's Wood Release in the process.[13][12] Madara later used Hashirama's artificial body to repair the otherwise fatal wounds sustained by Obito Uchiha during his mission at Kannabi Bridge, giving him the ability to use Wood Release as well.[14] When Madara was later reincarnated in a state beyond his prime by Kabuto Yakushi, he once again gained access to Wood Release.[15]
After Hashirama's passing, Konohagakure once attempted to replicate Wood Release through implanting Hashirama's cells into various shinobi, which consistently ended in failure and the subject's death. Ultimately, the research was ceased and deemed forbidden.[16] Orochimaru, another who desired the First Hokage's abilities, injected Hashirama's DNA into sixty children, with the sole survivor gaining the ability to use Wood Release as a result.[17] Orochimaru also performed a similar procedure on Danzō Shimura by implanting the First's cells into his right arm. While Danzō was capable of using this power, his version appeared cruder and caused a significant drain of chakra with each usage, causing Danzō to avoid using it as much as possible.[18] Orochimaru himself would later acquire this coveted ability after taking over the body of one of White Zetsu's parasite clones.[19][20]
After reviving the Ten-Tails in an incomplete state, Madara and Obito were able to improve their control of the beast through the use of Hashirama's cells.[21] Obito also demonstrated the ability to channel his Wood Release techniques through the Ten-Tails' body while attached to it.[22]
- Wood Release parallels the real-life ninja art "mokuton-no-jutsu". One example of real-life mokuton-no-jutsu is Tanuki-gakure: the practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the foliage.
- In the anime, the Moulding Mushroom appears to drain chakra from Wood Release users.[23]
- In the anime, Hashirama left behind a scroll detailing his various Wood Release techniques. Danzō later obtained this scroll and gave it to Yamato in the hopes that he would one day refine his Wood Release to Hashirama's level.[24]
- A replica of Hashirama's face formed on Danzō's right shoulder after Hashirama's cells were integrated into his body.[25] Madara gained a similar replica of Hashirama's face on his chest after being reincarnated and modified by Kabuto.[26][27]
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 468
- ↑ Naruto chapter 316, page 6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 575, pages 4-5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 297, page 9
- ↑ Naruto chapter 545, pages 2-4
- ↑ Second Databook, page 279
- ↑ Naruto chapter 480, page 10
- ↑ Naruto chapter 609, page 2
- ↑ Naruto chapter 455, page 12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 497, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 606, page 12
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Naruto chapter 681, pages 11-14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 545, page 3
- ↑ Naruto chapter 602, page 13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 561, pages 11-12
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 351
- ↑ Naruto chapter 291, pages 15-16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 478, page 10
- ↑ Naruto chapter 618, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 620, page 10
- ↑ Naruto chapter 613, pages 5-6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 614, page 7
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 229
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 355
- ↑ Naruto chapter 478, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 575, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 657, page 4


text:
SAN DIEGO (CBS/AP) — A real estate research firm says California home foreclosure activity has fallen to a six-year low.
DataQuick said Wednesday that default notices totaled a little over 38,200 during the fourth quarter, down 38 percent from the same period of 2011. It was the lowest tally since the fourth quarter of 2006.
Default notices are the first step in the foreclosure process.
The San Diego-based firm credits rising home values, an improving economy and shift toward short sales—when the sale price is less than what is owed on the property.
The median sales price for new and existing houses and condominiums in December was up 20 percent from a year earlier, with the San Francisco Bay area witnessing its sharpest increase in more than two decades.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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text: I haven't had much to say about it recently, but thats because I have been lazy and haven't really been down. I've heard though that despite the not so summery weather its still going strong and lots of people still go down on Sunday. Wednesday sessions seem to have died off for now. But if you are female check out Tuesday night Trixie Chicks who often find time for an all girl polo game or two.


text:
Outlook 2015: Emerging Market Equities
Outlook 2015: Emerging Market Equities
As 2014 has progressed, what has become increasingly apparent is the sub-trend and divergent nature of the recovery in global growth. The only developed economy really showing momentum is the US while growth in the eurozone and Japan is stalling and unorthodox policy measures are being increasingly employed. Consequently, rather than assessing how global emerging markets (GEMs) will fare in a global expansionary cycle, we find ourselves instead focusing on how GEMs might perform in a low growth world.
Our 2015 outlook for GEMs is constructive but more muted than would otherwise likely be the case in a more 'normal' global expansionary phase of the cycle.
Lower growth for longer
GEMs would be expected to be among the primary beneficiaries of a global cyclical upturn given their higher beta nature. However, while GEMs' exports, in particular manufacturing and industrials have been increasing, the overall effect has so far been more muted than would otherwise be expected at this stage in the cycle.
Meanwhile, import demand for commodities has been weak. A slowdown in the commodity cycle is partly to blame, not least with the US progressing towards energy self-sufficiency, together with the longer-term diminished effects of global trade liberalisation and a slowdown in off-shoring. Weak demand from the US has so far not been reinforced by demand in the eurozone, Japan and China, where growth has slowed and the overall backdrop for GEMs to perform in has become more challenging.
Subdued export growth has weighed on earnings and Institutional Brokers' Estimate System (IBES) consensus earnings growth expectations of around 10% over the next 12 months look susceptible to potential disappointments. We believe instead that investors should look to GEMs' primary growth driver of domestic demand, together with the potential positive ramifications of reform implementation, for a positive economic and earnings growth catalyst in 2015.
Opportunities – strong domestic demand
There has been much negative market sentiment surrounding disappointing emerging markets export growth. However, we believe investors should not lose sight of the significant underlying domestic demand-led growth in the emerging world. Do not forget the combined population of China and India is over 2.5 billion, let alone the remaining emerging countries, and an expanding middle class is driving strong consumption demand and accounting for an increasing share of wealth creation globally. This structural story remains in its infancy and we believe will continue to create strong investment opportunities.
Opportunities - the new reformers
An important positive for GEMs could come from the increasing number of countries that are embarking on reform programmes to boost or sustain growth. In many cases this follows the election of pro-reformist leaders; for example Narendra Modi in India, Peña Nieto in Mexico, Joko Widodo in Indonesia and Xi Jinping in China. Common reform requirements include the need to rein in the influence of the state on the economy and release the potential of the private sector. However, the necessary reforms are typically country-specific; for example, China is looking to transition its economy away from credit and investment and increasingly towards domestic consumption growth, while in the case of India, there is a greater need for investment and infrastructure spend to reduce supply bottlenecks. While the reform process is unlikely to be smooth in either case, over time, the reforms could lift GDP meaningfully.
Shifting market sentiment
Emerging market equity mutual fund flows have been very volatile over 2014 and it is possible this volatility could continue into 2015 given the still-uncertain global backdrop. The year started with an extraordinary level of investor bearishness towards GEMs, as reflected by net outflows of over $40 billion from dedicated funds. Since then flows have reversed somewhat but year-to-date there have still been outflows of around $10 billion, according to fund flow data firm EPFR Global.
However, significantly, there is a strong case to be made that concerns have already been more than priced in by the market. GEM valuations are attractive with the MSCI Emerging Markets index trading at price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 10.5 times, which is an approximate 10% discount to history and over a 50% discount to the S&P 500 referencing the Shiller P/E ratio – this is the largest discount for over 10 years.
Source: Schroders, FactSet, IBES, MSCI, data shown to 16 October 2014
The challenge of a stronger US dollar
In 2015 we believe the primary challenge facing GEMs is the potential ramifications of future monetary policy normalisation in the US. For example, the prospect of restrictive policy on the US dollar bears monitoring closely given a stronger US dollar has historically been correlated with weak GEMs relative returns versus developed markets. That said, the US dollar has already strengthened sharply on a real effective exchange rate basis over 2014 and we believe it is unlikely that the dollar will continue to appreciate at such a pace in 2015.
It also looks too early to start worrying about interest rate hikes at this stage of the cycle, not least since equities tend to perform well during the initial rounds of rate increases as the positive impact of strong economic growth outweighs the tighter financing environment. Furthermore, although the US is one of the best performing developed economies, its recovery has been sub-trend which may lead interest rates, when they are finally increased, to peak at much lower levels than during a more 'normal' cycle. In combination with expansionary policy in the eurozone and Japan, global liquidity is likely to remain supportive for some time to come.
Clearly some emerging economies are more vulnerable than others to higher US interest rates. However, the adjustment process has been underway for many of the perceived weaker economies who in some cases now have narrower current accounts, more competitive currencies and have slowed loan growth. Subsequently, when policy is eventually tightened in the US, we would expect the impact to be more muted than the summer of 2013, not least since the prospect of interest rate hikes is now well known and, at least to some extent, looks to already be priced into the market.
Tail risks
Tail risks remain, most notably in Ukraine and the Middle East, although given the global nature of the current crises, any significant deterioration in either situation is likely to have global rather than emerging markets-specific ramifications. While the recent pressure on energy prices is creating strains on the budgets of certain energy-producing emerging countries, lower prices are a benefit to the energy importers and overall should boost global consumption demand to the potential benefit of GEM exporters.
Cautious optimism for 2015
Our 2015 outlook for GEMs is constructive but more muted than would otherwise likely be the case in a more 'normal' global expansionary phase of the cycle. We are currently positioned with a portfolio beta of around 1 (i.e. our overall market sensitivity is broadly in line with the index) and we are fully invested, although have a net underweight exposure to the more cyclical sectors (materials and energy combined). Generally speaking, we have overweight positions in markets which could benefit from potential reformist policy and markets which are beneficiaries of a pick-up in manufacturing and industrial exports and weak energy prices.
We are mindful that the ramifications of a stronger US dollar, a potential tighter financing environment and weak commodity prices could have a negative impact on emerging markets equities. Nevertheless, over 2015 we believe GEMs should deliver reasonable absolute and relative returns compared to developed markets, supported by attractive valuations, strong domestic demand and improving exports.
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Dame Helen Mirren thrilled students at Harvard University in Massachusetts when she agreed to show off her best "twerk" while she was honored as the 2014 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year on Thursday.
The Oscar winner was paraded around the campus in Cambridge in a convertible alongside Hasty Pudding Theatricals members dressed in drag.
She then hit an outdoor stage for a career tribute, during which she was asked if she knew how to 'twerk' like Miley Cyrus.
The 68 year old confessed to trying the sexy dance more in her bedroom, adding, "It was absolutely humiliating."
But, always game, the actress bent over and shook her backside to the delight of the crowd.
She also agreed to answer a series of bizarre questions, including one from a student who asked if she could beat up Meryl Streep in a fight.
She replied, "Meryl would win, definitely. She's bigger, stronger and mentally stronger than I am."
Next week, "How I Met Your Mother" actor Neil Patrick Harris will get his turn to be feted at Harvard as he will be honored as the male recipient of the 2014 Hasty Pudding Award.


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If you subscribe to the FontShop newsletter, you already know that each edition highlights promotional discounts offered by our foundries to bring you the best deal on a new font or help you complete your collection.
Here's part of the promotions section from our latest newsletter:
Did you know that you do not need a promo code to receive your discount? The price listed on the website is in fact the promo price. To make things even easier for our customers when it comes time to make a purchase, discounted products at FontShop now display the regular price as well as the discounted price.
Check out HWT Artz as it appears on its family page:
Now, not only will you know for certain that the font you select is the advertised discounted font, but you'll also be sure you're getting a great deal!
Want to stay up-to-date on all the promotional specials happening at FontShop? Make sure to sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter where we regale our subscribers with new and free fonts, typographic tips and trends, and important FontShop developments.
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