With efficiency enhancement central to its value proposition and indeed the ethos of the company itself, Schneider Electric was keen to explore ways of streamlining certain manufacturing processes to achieve both short and longer-term efficiency goals. To help meet these objectives, the company has incorporated Stratasys 3D printing technology across its manufacturing operations in Grenoble, France, having originally used it for several years for prototyping new solutions.
Indeed, such is the widespread deployment of the technology that Schneider Electric now uses a combination of Stratasys Polyjet and FDM-based 3D printing solutions for product development, prototypes and industrialisation. This comprises multiple applications, including injection moulding and assembly-line tooling, the design and production of which is managed via the company's internal model shop, Openlab. This extensive deployment of 3D printing technology also complements the company's vision of creating the Factory of the Future.


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IMAGE: Wangechi Mutu, Water Woman, 2017. Bronze. 36 x 65 x 70 inches. Edition 2 of 3, with 2 AP. Collection of The Contemporary Austin. Purchased with funds provided by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation, 2017.5. Installation view, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas, 2017. Artwork © Wangechi Mutu. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.
The Contemporary Austin's Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria is named in honor of a founding grant by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation. This contemporary art destination presents exhibitions and permanent outdoor art installations on a site of great natural beauty on Lake Austin.
A complement to the Jones Center, The Contemporary Austin's downtown location, the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria is committed to a vibrant, engaging program of exhibitions alongside thoughtful land stewardship. The Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation's gift allows for the commissioning, exhibition, and acquisition of new works of art by leading international contemporary artists as well as the preservation of the works and Laguna Gloria grounds. The gift celebrates Betty Marcus's great passion and vision for the arts, especially in outdoor settings.
With diverse ecology—including woodlands, meadows, gardens, and waterfront and a rich array of flora and fauna—Austin's historic Laguna Gloria is a precious reserve of natural beauty, and a welcoming art-in-nature site, in the heart of the city.
Check out a free, fun-filled Action Pack to enhance your visit, available in both English and Spanish. We also offer free art-making workshops on Second Saturdays and Drop-in Tours on First Sundays. More info here.
See what's in bloom!
Follow along to see photos throughout the seasons from our talented Laguna Gloria horticulturists and groundskeepers.
Artists on View
Sarah Crowner
Anya Gallaccio
Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler
Juan Muñoz - New!
Wangechi Mutu
Marianne Vitale
Ursula von Rydingsvard
View a Map of the Artworks and Grounds

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This impressive piece of art will be sold at the GATHER-Epiphany event. The highest bidder will take home this magnificent and meaningful piece artwork while making an impactful contribution towards the event's fundraising goals.
Inspired by the works of Edward Tufte, 8:03 a.m. is a visual representation of where we come from before gathering for school each day. The Epiphany Pre-K through 4th Graders used acrylic paints to mix a color that makes them think of being at home, while the 5th Graders took a photograph of an inanimate object that makes them think of being at home. These dots were then mapped to the location of each student's home. The concentric circles define 2-kilometer distances and are made up of the explanations the students gave as to why they chose the colors they did.
The background structure for the piece is Hahnemühle German Etching paper. The dots have been painted with acrylics. The 5th Grade photos were taken with many different cameras and reproduced on German Etching paper.


text:
Tor.com content by
R.E. Stearns
Fiction and Excerpts [1]
Barbary Station
Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:00pm
2 Favorites [+]
Space Opera || Two engineers hijack a spaceship to join some space pirates—only to discover the pirates are hiding from a malevolent AI.
five books
Five Books About Running Away to Join a Space Pirate Crew
Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:00pm 17 comments 5 Favorites [+]
Disclaimer: If you're hoping for a hard sci-fi piracy list, know that I chose these novels for the characters and events, although several of them benefit from stellar worldbuilding too. I also want you to know that I almost started this list with I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space by Megan Rose Gedris, AKA Rosalarian. However, it's impossible to find the first and last issues of the comic at a reasonable price, and I want to offer you novels to read. So instead, please check out my five favorite books about running away from one's problems to join a space pirate crew.
Series: Five Books About…
Five Books About Running Away From One's Problems to Join a Space Pirate Crew
Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:00pm 9 comments 6 Favorites [+]
The Warrior's Apprentice cover art by Nicholas Jainschigg
Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:00pm 3 comments 2 Favorites [+]
Adda and Iridian are newly minted engineers, but aren't able to find any work in a solar system ruined by economic collapse after an interplanetary war. Desperate for employment, they hijack a colony ship and plan to join a famed pirate crew living in luxury at Barbary Station, an abandoned shipbreaking station in deep space.
But when they arrive there, nothing is as expected. The pirates aren't living in luxury—they're hiding in a makeshift base welded onto the station's exterior hull. The artificial intelligence controlling the station's security system has gone mad, trying to kill all station residents and shooting down any ship that attempts to leave—so there's no way out.
Adda and Iridian have one chance to earn a place on the pirate crew: destroy the artificial intelligence. The last engineer who went up against the AI met an untimely end, and the pirates are taking bets on how the newcomers will die. But Adda and Iridian plan to beat the odds. There's a glorious future in piracy… if only they can survive long enough.
Barbary Station, the debut novel from R.E. Stearns, is available October 31st from Saga Press.
Ron on Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: "Friday's Child" 32 mins ago
smithalix on Nicolas Cage Coldly Murders Nightmare Animatronics in the Trailer for Willy's Wonderland 35 mins ago
Thierafhal on Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Q Who" 1 hour ago


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Trump Administration Says Identities of Coronavirus Stimulus Loan Recipients Are 'Confidential'
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says that information is confidential. Government watchdogs say that excuse is bogus.
Eric Boehm | 6.12.2020 2:55 PM
(Al Drago/CNP/AdMedia/SIPA)
When the Obama administration pumped $787 billion into the U.S. economy through the 2009 stimulus bill, it drew criticism for wasting taxpayer dollars on politically connected industries, sending cash to places that literally don't exist, and funding "shovel-ready jobs" that weren't. Most Americans came away from the experience feeling the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was a waste.
The Trump administration appears to have learned a lesson from all that: You should avoid criticism for wasteful spending—by not letting anyone know where the money is going in the first place.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced this week that the administration will not make public the names of businesses that received taxpayer-backed loans through the Small Business Association's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March; by May 30, it had provided more than 4.5 million loans worth more than $500 billion.
Though recipients of Small Business Association loans are usually identified in official government records, Mnuchin told a Senate committee this week that the Treasury department will keep information about PPP loan recipients "confidential."
"As it relates to the names and amounts of specific PPP loans, we believe that that's proprietary information," Mnuchin told the Senate Small Business Committee.
That's "bogus," says Danielle Brian, the executive director of the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight. The CARES Act requires that information about loan recipients must be reported.
"The decision to hide the information is actually just a blatant attempt to dodge standard requirements for transparency and accountability," Brian said in a statement. "There's no good reason to keep this information private."
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is charged with oversight of the PPP program, has also struggled to get information from the administration.
The GAO has requested information on the establishment and management of the PPP program, but it has received only some of the information and only after a delay, GAO spokeswoman Sarah Kaczmarek tells Reason. The GAO has received "no information" about when it will receive data on "the PPP loan themselves," Kaczmarek says.
Several media outlets have filed a joint Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the identities of businesses that received loans through the PPP program. The Project on Government Oversight plans to file a separate FOIA request seeking the data.
Unfortunately, this is not the only example of the Trump administration refusing to make coronavirus stimulus spending transparent or accountable. Almost since the moment the CARES Act passed, the administration has been dismantling the system of inspectors general responsible for overseeing key parts of the $3-trillion-and-counting coronavirus response. In an April 22 letter to the White House, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R–Iowa) said he worried the administration was trying to "strip IGs [inspectors general] of their fundamental ability to timely report waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in government programs to Congress."
That's just part of Trump's wider war on accountability, which has included the firing of a State Department inspector general who was reportedly investigating allegations that Secretary Mike Pompeo had asked a staffer to run personal errands, as well as the firing of a Department of Transportation inspector general who was investigating Secretary Elaine Chao for favoritism in awarding government contracts.
Administration officials and Sen. Marco Rubio (R–Fla.), who shepherded the PPP program through Congress, have been quick to praise the program's effectiveness in keeping unemployment down and ensuring that furloughed employees could quickly return to their jobs once lockdowns lifted. "The Paycheck Protection Program saved millions of jobs and small businesses during the most uncertain economic situation this nation has faced since the Great Depression," Rubio said Wednesday.
The program may indeed be partially responsible for lower-than-expected unemployment numbers. And because the PPP program paid businesses to keep employees on payroll, it may have helped reduce the "job matching" issues that slowed the recovery after the last recession. But the overall effectiveness of the PPP program or the federal government's wider coronavirus response cannot be measured if vital details are being hidden away.
Keeping loan recipients secret also means it is impossible for the GOA and independent watchdogs to assess how funds were disbursed and which businesses were given priority. In the early stages of the program, for example, several prominent Trump campaign donors received huge loans. Other loans went to entities that hardly seemed like small businesses in need of rescue, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Obama stimulus turned Solyndra into a metaphor for everything wrong with taxpayer-funded business bailouts. What is the Trump administration's Solyndra? Mnuchin doesn't want you to know.
NEXT: A Cop Shot a 10-Year-Old and Got Qualified Immunity. Tom Brady and 1,400 Other Pro Athletes Want To Fix That.
Eric Boehm is a reporter at Reason.
Coronavirus Transparency Accountability Trump Administration Obama Administration Stimulus Government Waste
June.12.2020 at 3:02 pm
It's private because I assure you they have no idea themselves and won't know for a year.
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StackOfCoins
Mnuchin looks like lizard people.
RabbiHarveyWeinstein
Lots of cross-pollination in the shtetlekh, if you know what I mean.
Public risks and private profits. God bless corporate Democrats and corporate Republicans!
Not just private. Secret even.
lorijknight763
June.13.2020 at 6:23 am
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Longtobefree
Reading that, I thought Obama was back in office.
Of course, if the government got out of the loan business, none of this would be necessary.
Of course, if the government hadn't panicked on the Communist Chinese Virus, none of this would be necessary.
Of course, if the government had properly written oversight into the bill, none of this would be necessary.
Of course, if the government were properly limited in role and scope, and funded with a modest flat tax, this magazine and comments section would also be unnecessary.
AlbertP
Now you done quit preachin' and gone to meddlin' – – – –
Moderation4ever
The hallmark of a great confidence man is the ability to keep his victims believing, because no one want to admit they have been taken in. You don't want to admit the Trump steaks taste like horsemeat, the Trump tie looks like the ones at Walmart, or that you could have gone to technical school for the tuition to Trump University. Have the Trump supporter realized they have been taken yet, or are they still believing Trump is an honest guy? Because accepting the facts he is crooked is too hard.
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June.12.2020 at 11:21 pm
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Crazy mick
You peasants expect the government to tell you what they're doing with your money? So much for draining the swamp.
crufus
Who is surprised that career criminal Donald Trump, who spent his whole career defrauding contractors, vendors, investors, creditors, customers, tax authorities, and the people, would fail to steal his share of the bailout funds?
The only real question is how much of the money went to Trump and company and how much went to other criminals in his administration.
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text:
Home News Ukraine war: all eyes on Lithuania as sanctions close Russian land access to Kaliningrad
Ukraine war: all eyes on Lithuania as sanctions close Russian land access to Kaliningrad
News George Holan · June 28, 2022 · 0 Comment
Protesters hold a demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine at Independence Square in Vilnius, Lithuania, on March 24 (Picture: Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images)
Kaliningrad is a Russian oblast (region), of just under half a million people on the Baltic Sea. It sits between Lithuania to its north and east and Poland to its south and is about 1,300km from Moscow. It was claimed by the Soviet Union from Germany after the Second World War and has been controlled by Moscow ever since.
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When the sixth round of EU sanctions on Russia came into effect on June 17, Lithuania announced that sanctioned Russian goods to Kaliningrad would be banned from transit through Lithuania. The sanctions affect oil and refined oil products, and any technology that could be used for military purposes. Other products on the list were cement, construction materials and metal goods.
The decision jeopardises an agreement signed in April 2003 between the EU and Russia which allowed people and goods from Kaliningrad to obtain a transit document for train travel across Lithuania to Russia. The EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borell, backed the decision, saying that Lithuania was correctly implementing EU sanctions.
Moscow reacted immediately and strongly, threatening "serious consequences", which, as yet, have not been specified.
On June 20, Lithuania's chargé d'affaires was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told to cancel the restrictions or face the consequences. A senator on Russia's upper house – the Federation Council – Andrey Klimov, called on the EU to "correct Vilnius's impudent little stunt", while the head of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, stated that "appropriate measures" that would have a "serious negative impact on the population of Lithuania".
The heightened tensions between Vilnius and Moscow follow hot on the heels of a discussion in Russia's State Duma on June 8 – the lower house of parliament – about revoking the Soviet Union's recognition of Lithuania's independence. By making a stand over transiting goods to Kaliningrad, Lithuania is also highlighting its sovereignty.
Russia removes Polish flag from Soviet massacre memorial as forces continue 'mas…
Threat in the Baltic
The deteriorating relationship between Russia and the west after the former's invasion of the Donbas in 2014 saw Russia deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad in 2016 that could reach the Baltic State capitals and two-thirds of Poland. In April 2022, the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet air force ran simulated bombing campaigns in Kaliningrad. With more than 1,000 personnel – and at a time of heightened conflict over Ukraine – this was a big concern for Vilnius.
The Suwałki gap is a stretch of land 100 kilometers long stretching along the Lithuanian and Polish border dividing Belarus from Kaliningrad. The Suwałki gap has long been Nato's weak point as Russia could quickly isolate the Baltic States. Although still an unlikely prospect this would be Nato's weakest point. So Russian military drills in Kaliningrad are viewed with alarm in Vilnius.
And, while Lithuania has the smallest Russian minority in the Baltic States, Moscow's propaganda makes much of the ethnic Russian population in a similar way to its insistence that Crimea and the Donbas region are intimately tied through cultural and linguistic links to the Russian "motherland" .
So the ban on the transit of certain goods to Kaliningrad represents an important stand by Lithuania against Russia. While the original ban was on the transit of sanctioned goods by train, Vilnius extended the ban to goods moved by lorry on June 21.
For Lithuania, it is a calculated risk. Since mid-2021 Lithuania no longer directly relies on Russia for energy, having connected to the European power grid. Therefore, it is a targeted action by Lithuania that leaves Russia with little scope for action.
Vilnius versus Moscow
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuania has sent more than €115 million (£99 million) in military aid By comparison, Italy has sent €152 million in military aid, and its GDP is higher at US$1.89 trillion (£1.54 trillion) in 2020 If you combine its humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, Lithuania has sent 0.2% of its GDP. This is 0.02% less than the US. In 2020, Lithuania's GDP stood at US$56 billion. By contrast, America's GDP in 2021 was US$23 trillion.
Well before the Russian invasion – in July 2021 – Lithuania called for Ukraine to be given Nato membership. It has repeated this call since the conflict started in February. Lithuania was also among the first EU states to request that Brussels provide funding for Ukrainian refugees. Lithuania has been a main advocate for Ukraine becoming an EU member and campaigned for Brussels to begin talks to facilitate that move.
The Russian government has called Lithuania's actions a "blockade". But people and unsanctioned goods can still transit across Lithuania and people from Kaliningrad can still enter Poland and Lithuania without a visa.
www.scotsman.com


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The Round Temple of Sandhurst Road
This is a longer version of an article first published on the holiday of Mahashivratri in Mumbai as "Squaring the Circle", Mumbai Mirror, Sunday Read, 22 February 2015.
"I need not dilate on the urgent necessity in the interest of our work of removing temples, where necessary, otherwise than by force. In laying out schemes I exclude every religious edifice that I can. But in the case of Hindoo temples it is not possible to exclude all, for they are sprinkled over the City like pepper out of a castor. And if our schemes are not to suffer, we must treat each case liberally".
Proceedings of the Trustees for the Improvement of the City of Bombay, Special Meeting, 15 January 1907, T.R. 11
On this week's festival of Maha Shivratri, devotees annually offer prayers in Mumbai's oldest temple dedicated to Shiva, the Nageshwar Mandir at Sardar Vallabbhai Patel (SVP) Marg. Popularly known as the "Gol Deval", few who circle around its swayambhu (self-manifested) ling are aware of how this "Round Temple" came to be in the middle of a busy main road. Known before 1955 as Sandhurst Road, this arterial avenue was named after the Governor who tackled the outbreak of bubonic plague in western India in 1896. Lord Sandhurst created the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT) in 1898 to immunise the city in the wake of the epidemic, arming it with draconian powers of acquisition, demolition and redevelopment, to unclog the city's arteries and increase its circulation by redeveloping its slums, swamps and streets.
Sandhurst Road was an early showcase scheme of the BIT, spanning the breadth of the island from the eastern docks to the western seaboard. For the poor worst hit by the plague it was a way in – for fresh air and natural light in their crowded lanes and cramped chawls. For upwardly-mobile merchants it was a way out – quickening the commute between inner-city shops and godowns and upmarket Gamdevi, Cumballa and Malabar Hills.
However, immediate measures taken by the British to combat the epidemic sparked widespread resistance from Indians subjected to inspection, segregation and quarantine. At the peak of the epidemic raging across the Empire in 1897, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was tried for incitement to the Chapekar brothers' murder of a medical officer and his army escort on plague duty in Poona. On his release from jail at the turn of the century, the Lokmanya was soon to gain celebrity as a militant nationalist.
Basheshwar Lakde, current trustee of the Nageshwar Temple, says that in 1902, as the BIT notified its street scheme for Sandhurst Road, rumours that their temple would be demolished spread amongst the city's Veershaiva Lingayats. The Lokmanya advised the community's pancham – including his grandfather Rambhau Annaji Lakde – to fight with their lives to prevent entry by British officials.
In August 1904, led by "Sri Guru Maharaj Parbu Ling Swami Guru Gangadhar Swami", the pancham and temple trustees rejected the BIT Special Collector's offer of Rs 5,575-12-0 for the 145 square yards on which the temple stood. The BIT offered further amounts for "re-instatement of the idols" payable "for expenses attendant on a change of residence or place of business" under the 1894 Land Acquisition Act. But a temple was neither commercial nor residential property, and its value was incalculable at a market rate. Moreover, the trustees appealed, the ling in the temple was swayambhu.
The Lingayats approached Frank Oliveira, High Court pleader, to argue their case before the acquisition appeal tribunal this was the sole Shiv temple in Bombay, and while a ling was not "immoveable property" in the legal sense, "the Hindu Shastras do not allow them to remove this to a new place".
The BIT had diverged once from the otherwise straight line of Sandhurst Road to loop around the Khoja cemeteries on Dongri Hill. Determined against further costly realignments, they called on S.M. Edwardes – author of the Gazetteer of Bombay, later Police then Municipal Commissioner – for his opinion on the portability of idols. Of Swayambhu lings, he claimed, there were only twelve known and sanctified in India.
Since there were few Lingayats in Bombay before 1815, theirs could not have been more than a century old. Edwardes cited the Basava Purana that, especially for Lingayats, a "temple itself is nothing, without the ling which is the stone house of the Deity and without the Jangam (the priest) who is the human abode of the Deity". The priest "is possessed of greater divinity than in the stone image", and there was nothing in the Shastras which proscribed re-consecration.
Confident in this expert advice that nothing prevented its re-consecration, the BIT notified acquisition of the temple for their Sandhurst Road (East) Scheme no.3 in February 1905. By November, the trustees demanded its denotification via solicitors Mirza and Mirza, but the BIT retorted that "the demolition of the temple is an absolute necessity". Through 1906 it remained open to the public as the road was constructed – though the land beneath it was now legally owned by the BIT.
Their engineers now sought help from Police Commissioner H.G. Gell, "to arrange with these people the sum to be paid for removal, as he can exercise a little pressure to prevent extortion". BIT Chairman G.O.W. Dunn commented this was "no doubt expensive, but it would be much more expensive to excite religious animosity and cause widespread discontent".
In early 1907, word spread that the Guru had accepted the BIT's cash award and agreed to shift the shrine under police pressure. On this undertaking, the BIT sought ejectment of the other temple managers in the Small Causes Court, deeming them "tenants for the purposes of worship on payment of a nominal rent". Anyone refusing this deal were deemed "not tenants but trespassers".
What happens next is not recorded in the municipal archives. A pamphlet of the Nageshwar Trust states that hundreds of agitated Lingayats chanting Shiva's name barricaded the temple against the police and BIT demolition squads. As the British attempted to enter, a cobra miraculously appeared from beneath the ling, raising his hood and hissing. The story goes that the Britishers fled from this ominous portent, and quickly backtracked on their demands to shift the temple.
What is clear is that later that year, the BIT conveyed to the temple trustees a new plot north at Bhandari Street. But through 1908, as Sandhurst Road neared completion, the temple had still not been re-consecrated at this alternate site. By now the British conceded that the sacred Ling "will be left in situ in the centre of the road which is to be widened so as to allow ample space, with a raised stone foot-path… A fine open space will be created which should bring in somewhat increased return from the improved frontages".
In early 1909 the trustees agreed with the BIT's architects to pull down parts of the temple in the path of the road, enclose the round platform with a plinth and railings, and crown the temple dome. More than a year later this remained undone, forcing the BIT to do the work at their own expense, so Sandhurst Road could open to traffic before the 1911 royal visit of King George V and Queen Mary.
In 1954, Sandhurst Road was renamed SVP Marg, and one of the last of the old pancham, Laxman Dhondiba Sathbhai, registered the Nageshwar Temple Trust, which has managed the Gol Deval ever since. The plot reserved by the BIT for reinstating the Swayambhu ling, now called Nageshwar Wadi, is today an auditorium and dharamshala for priests and devotees.
mumbaispacetemple
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Is there any Google Search tip that you know that you use daily?
Online search is not something new to anyone with a smartphone or computer. We do online searches every day for anything and everything ranging from articles, guides, videos and images. But did you know there are Google search tips and tricks that can help you use and get most of your online search?
In this article, I will not only show you how to search on Google but also a few tips on sites that you can find engaging topics online.
If you want to look for an exact say "Uhuru Kenyatta" then using quotation marks on the Google Search Engine will give you results of exact words contain Uhuru Kenyatta and nothing else in between the words.
Another Google search trick and tip that I find it most useful is the use of asterisk between words. This Google search trick often works for me when I am searching for a song that I have heard some parts of the Lyrics, but I don't know the name or the artist of the song.
And boom! The first result was the Lyrics of the song "Help Them Lord" by Chaka Demus.
Another Google tip and trick you need to know is the use of a colon to search for content in specific sites or domains. Assuming there was a story of a person you look up to that you had read in a particular site and you want to re-read or share it with your friends.
Did you know that you can Google search specific file types online such as PowerPoints, PDF, Word Document among online? Yes, it is straightforward and very accurate. What you need to do is combine colon operator, term filetype and the file extension of the document like pdf, doc, ppt, ebup among others.
At times you may want to search for a webpage with specific words in the title. This method comes in handy for celebrities and popular figures if they want to know what blogs are talking and writing about them.
We live in an era that there is a quick spread of fake content including images. For instance, a few weeks ago there were images going around on social media on starving Kenyans in Turkana. The drought was true, but the images that appeared online were recent while some were from past years.
Therefore, to verify an image on Google at hand, you can use the Google image reverse to debunk the image. Search for Google Image Reverse and then click on the first link and you will be able to upload and scan the image online. You will be able to find the information about the image.
At this point, I am sure you have learnt much, but our list of tips and tricks would not be complete by not mentioning the kind of filters that you can use on Google Search Engine. On the Google Search Engine, you can filter searches according to News, Images, Map, Time, and License type.
Lastly, when you need to get reviews on specific topics of your interest locally, then you can join free minded Kenyans on KenyaTalk. You can also find useful reviews and topics on Quora and Reddit. They are free, and all you need is to create an account.
With the above Google search tips and tricks, I am sure you will be more accurate in your searches in future.
If you have more Google search tips and tricks that works for you that you would love to share drop them in the comment section below.


RiceBran Technologies (RIBT) (RIBTW) ("RBT"), a global leader in the production and marketing of value added products derived from rice bran, today announced that it will relocate its corporate headquarters to 1330 Lake Robbins Drive, Suite 250, The Woodlands, TX 77380 as of May 30, 2018.
This corporate relocation to The Woodlands, located approximately 27 miles north of downtown Houston, positions the Company's main offices in closer proximity to Arkansas and Louisiana where the majority of rice bran supply in the U.S. is produced. The Woodlands is home to more than 1,900 companies, including some of the country's largest corporations, and ranks as one of the nation's fastest growing large cities. With a growing population and extensive corporate campuses that employ over 58,000 professionals, The Woodlands provides RBT with access to a highly skilled labor pool to support future growth.
Dr. Robert Smith, CEO of RiceBran Technologies, commented, "We look forward to calling The Woodlands the new home of our corporate headquarters. The Woodlands will position RBT much closer to the Delta, the major rice growing region of the U.S., the main source of our rice bran supply, and the biggest regional opportunity for our future growth. This will provide greater access and efficiencies to our senior management team as well as key people in operations and logistics, accounting and finance, and customer service. The Woodlands area of greater Houston has an exceptional labor pool that is attracted to our business and industry, and we have already made many hires here to staff our new office. We look forward to building a growing presence in this region as RBT expands its operations, revenues, and pushes towards profitability in order to maximize value for the benefit of our shareholders."
This release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about RiceBran Technologies' expectations regarding growing its business and maximizing shareholder value. RiceBran Technologies does not undertake to update forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking information. Assumptions and other information that could cause results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking information can be found in RiceBran Technologies' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent periodic reports.
Have Insiders Been Buying Mogo Finance Technology Inc. (TSE:MOGO) Shares This Year?


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Former Chesapeake security guard guilty of second-degree murder in Pokémon Go case
Posted 3:49 pm, March 1, 2019, by Rachael Cardin, Updated at 11:27PM, March 1, 2019
CHESAPEAKE, Va. – A 23-year-old Chesapeake man will remain behind bars after a 12-person jury finds him guilty of second-degree murder.
After a nearly two-week trial, a jury came to a verdict Friday afternoon and found Johnathan Cromwell guilty of second-degree murder and using a firearm to commit murder.
Johnathan Cromwell takes the stand
Chesapeake Police said a shooting on January 26, 2017, left 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen dead after Cromwell, working as an armed security guard in the Riverwalk neighborhood, fired at Chen, who was driving a dark blue minivan at the time.
Prosecutors have provided evidence to support Chen was playing Pokémon Go on private property near the clubhouse the night he was killed. Defense counsel maintains Cromwell has barred Chen from the area 10 days prior to this incident and they said Cromwell acted in self-defense because Chen was driving his car at Cromwell, who then fired.
Chen was shot at least five times. Ten rounds total were fired. Cromwell was licensed by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to be an armed guard and his company was hired to patrol Riverwalk and other areas.
Prosecutors said evidence shows Cromwell fired through the driver's window initially and they told the jury Cromwell could have moved out of the way, but instead wanted to confront Chen and put himself in harm's way to do that.
Cromwell, through tears, told the jury his younger brother died four months before this incident after getting in a bad car accident. He said his fear that night was that his mother would have to bury another son.
"I think the judge and the attorney all did a good job," said Jenny Sung, a family friend of Chen. "We need to give credit to them; they really are very cautious, and we will see Monday."
Cromwell's lawyer, Andrew Sacks, didn't have much to say after the loss.
"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment because the case is still underway, but I will be back Monday morning to fight as hard as I can for Johnathan just like we fought for the last two weeks," Sacks said.
Some of Cromwell's family members were visibly upset in the courtroom after the judge read the verdict. Although they didn't want to speak on camera, they will be back in the courtroom Monday at 9 a.m. when the jury hears character witnesses testify and jurors recommend a sentence to the judge.
Cromwell faces anywhere from five to 40 years in prison.
Click here for our full coverage on this case.
Topics: Johnathan Cromwell, Pokemon Go murder, verdict
Former security guard convicted of murdering man in Chesapeake neighborhood sentenced to 30 years
Man shot to death after tripping on barbecue, bumping into apartment door
Jury acquits man accused of killing, dismembering 2-year-old dumped in Chicago lagoon
'I think it was a joke' Victim's family reacts to split verdict in Chesapeake murder trial
Princeton grad found guilty of murdering his father after his allowance was cut
Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher not guilty of murder in ISIS detainee's death
Murder suspect mistakenly released from Florida jail
Man sentenced to 81 years for role in deadly Newport News home invasion
Man pleads guilty to murder of 4-year-old son in Norfolk
Suffolk Police arrest man in connection with 2016 homicide
Man sentenced to life in prison, plus 163 years in prison for Hampton GameStop robbery
Man arrested, charged with murder and arson following Norfolk fire
Husband found guilty of killing wife in 1993, burying body in backyard


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« April 2007 | Main | June 2007 »
A Beautiful Thing: La Scala To Play @ Ground Zero
This October 14, 2007, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala will be at the World Financial Center in NYC's Lower Manhattan, where they will play Verdi's Requiem overlooking Ground Zero. The event has been commissioned in the name of remembrance for the roughly 2300 victims of 9/11.
It began as architect Daniel Liebeskind's idea, and Milan mayor Letizia Moratti and the La Scala management immediately agreed.
The La Scala chorus had already appeared at Ground Zero (well, literally on the edge of it) in the Summer of 2002, when the chorus conducted by Riccardo Muti sang Va' Pensiero in memory of the victims.
Posted at 08:29 PM in Filarmonica della Scala, Remembrance | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
La Netrebka Shows Up At Carnegie, Finally
Hiding behind a full orchestra, a conductor, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky's big secksay shoulders, last nite a gold-sequined Anna Netrebko has finally appeared in a recital at Carnegie Hall: "artistically ready at last" (read: not as afraid of showing up alone with a piano accompanist in front of all those meanies lol).
The AP is not totally awed by our lovely soprano:
In her opening number, Juliette's waltz song from Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette," she sounded more nervous than impetuous. The Act 1 aria from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" was theatrically gripping, as was the haunting "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's "Rusalka." A sad Rachmaninoff song, "Oh, Do Not Sing to Me, Fair Maiden" was lovely, until marred by a slight crack on one high note. Her two duets with Hvorostovsky, from Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" and Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," were well sung but seemed dubious choices for the concert hall, dependent as they are on the dramatic context of the full operas.
We love Dmitri's black leather pants though.
Juan Diego Flórez Speaks to Style (and hopefully it will rub-off on him).
One of Opera Chic's frequently implemented bookmarks is the excellent website Voce di Tenore, especially the "We Hear That" section that reports on the latest Roberto Alagna, Juan Diego Flórez, and José Carreras headlines.
For this forthcoming post, we must thank the generous Voce author for bringing to our attention an interview with Juan Diego Flórez in the latest Corriere Della Sera supplement "Style" that came with the May 25th paper (and the hotness that is the all-grown-up, surly/cranky Ewan McGregor on the cover).
Fishing it from the bottom of the OC "To Do" stack that accumulated right before we left for Salzburg, we finally read it. We liked the photography (especially the photo above), but Flórez showed-up like he was ready to organize the kitchen pantry ("Am I supposed to put the marmalades next to the syrups?? or with the canned fruit?!"), while his wife showed-up dressed for a soviet bloc teen beauty pageant from the 80s (see below).
The interview uncovered a few things: It was revealed that Flórez has outgrown his digs in Bergamo and is in the process of building a new house on the hills of San Bartolo in Pesaro where he will be neighbors with both Pavarotti and Tibor Rudas (the record producer mastermind behind 'The Three Tenors'). How cool would it be to borrow sugar from Pavarotti, or argue over noise complaints at 3am? Also: more space for babies amirite?
The Peruvian tenor's schedule is packed until until 2013 (when he will drive his flying car to recitals and eat his foil-packeted spaceman food). The article also adds a postscript that he is now married to 26-year-old, ex-model Julia Trappe, but I don't really "get" the modeling thing or the age thing, but l8ly my snarking ability is at half capacity, so whatevs let's just leave it at that. Labeling him as a 34-year-old heart-breaker, Flórez chats about his former career singing in the bars of Lima, his debut at the Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival, his La Scala La Fille bis, the future of singers in a changing opera world, his fashion sense, and some other things. Here below I translationed a few of the questions, and paraphrased a few of his replies:
Is it true that you are famous for being a heartbreaker and a lady's man?
"I was seen with lots of different young women when I first started working and that was the reason for some of this reputation. Now since four years ago I've been engaged to Julia, who is a big fan of physical fitness...a health nut. In all the places that we go, we look for a hotel that has a spa and a gym where she can do her exercises."
How do you like your women?
"Feminine, intelligent, and refined."
What do you do when you aren't singing?
"I like movies, but I look to stay away from large crowds. Therefore I like to watch dvds often at home. Most of all I love to play soccer with my friends. I'm an Inter fan!"
Your travels?
"When I go for work, I am never able to visit the cities. I want to go to Egypt, Hawaii, and Australia for the nature."
How do we find you in Italy?
"I like the Italians, the food and the wine (especially Barolo and Tuscany wines)."
What dishes do you love the most?
"I love to cook, and when I have time, I make l'Aji de gallina: a piece of boiled chicken and nuts 'piccante'"
Is it true that you are passionate about the computer?
"I use it loads to keep me in contact with my family. Also, in my hotel room, there is no piano, so the pc becomes a tool to warm-up my voice. Also when I compose I use it". [ed: c'mon...you know you google yourself and read Opera Chic.]
You have become rich. Is there something that once was a dream that now you can do for yourself?
"Ten years of a career does not make one rich. I am not the kind that loves the glamour of shopping. In fact, I play sports and help others: On June 2, I'm holding a huge concert for 20 thousand people, with the aim to raise money to build a residence for poor Peruvians." [ed: he's doing the upcoming concert with Gian Marco Zignago, a young Peruvian pop star]
Who are your favorite composers?
"Wagner and Strauss, even if I'm not adept to sing them. And I love my dearest homeboys Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini."
Who are your role models?
"Alfredo Kraus, amazing with vocal phrasing and stage presence. Pavarotti for his beautiful voice, and Ernesto Palacio who had such elegance and was my maestro."
And which conductors did you learn the most from?
"Riccardo Muti I learned a lot from when I was working with him during rehearsals. And also Pappano." [ed: we like where you're going with this one]
So there it is. At first we were miffed by JDF's selection of boring drab/worn corduroys, the brown belt & black shoes combo, and the horrible old socks, but we're so over him it's not even funny. Next interview we'd love to see the Trappsters in Valentino and M.Bardelli...I mean cmon...regardless of the fact if you are rich or not, if you're in good enough standing to build a new house next door to Pavarotti, you can splurge on some new threads.
Posted at 01:49 PM in Juan Diego Flórez | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Happy Birthday Shirley Verrett!!!
Today Opera Chic celebrates the birthday of Professor Shirley Verrett: tanti auguri di buon compleanno to the statuesque Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres & Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (how sad that the French have given her more recognition than her own country did, by the way). So, let's all start carving that big rock at Mount Rushmore and add her beautiful visage to that company of surly old d00ds, ok?
As Professor Verrettt's own University of Michigan page says, Verrett "has performed and recorded as soloist with conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Colin Davis, Carlo Maria Guilini, Bernard Haitink, Herbert von Karajan, Josef Krips, Rafael Kubelik, Erich Leinsdorf, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Seiji Ozawa, Georges Pretre, Thomas Schippers, Georg Solti, and Leopold Stokowski".
Opera Chic's not wearing her Yankee cap now, but she ideally tips her hat at that awesome list -- what a career, signora Shirley!
Posted at 01:12 PM in Birthday YAY!, Shirley Verrett | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Sokolov Plays Conservatorio G. Verdi (He Won)
Opera Chic is back tonight from a late night passed at Conservatorio G. Verdi where she basked in the glory of Grigory Sokolov's piano recital in the white belly of that huge auditorium on via Conservatorio. The program consisted of Franz Schubert's Sonata in C minor D 958 which was played technically beyond-perfect, and suffused with tenderness and a wide range of color. The usual thirty-two minute composition (with four movements) took much longer under the careful caress of Sokolov, clocking-in at around forty. His pedal work is outstanding...his legato, his staccato, his transpositions...everything. He is appassionato in the fullest sense, and this performance quickly erased all prior memories of Barenboim's momentous (but hey, kinda sloppy and heavy-handed) recital two nights ago at La Scala.
The second half of the program was, um, okay...a selection of Aleksandr Nikolaevich Skrjabin works with only a few standouts (not at the fault of the superb Sokolov, but my own incapacity to really get into Skrjabin). One "mistake" (we use this ironically) of Sokolov was launching directly into the astounding, trompe l'oeil splendor of "Opus 9 Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand", which demonstrated so much of his endless talent and received so much applause, that the following four program pieces sent the entire audience into proper applause etiquette confusion, with half the auditorium tepidly applauding, and the other half shushing them during each subsequent piece. jokes on us all. Again, his presentation of the Skrjabin work for the left hand was insane, his right hand hanging idly at his side. His phrasing and mastery of mixing legato with brighter staccato and spirito was beyond words. He used the voice of his left hand to mind-bogglingly sound like two. The Sonata No. 3 Opus 23 was also a standout, leaving the remaining works (Due Poemi Opus 69, Sonata No. 10 Opus 70, and Vers la flamme Opus 72) a bit of a chore (OC wanted the delicious encore already).
Six bis were given, starting with a sweet andante Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in E Minor, and then including another Chopin waltz, Liszt, Beethoven, Brahms, which all brought standing ovations. Opera Chic is just glad she was able to catch this great pianist play live in such a beautiful city that cherishes its musicians.
btw, we found one of Jessica's 2005 Sokolov performance reviews on a Sokolov website, and we love this quote: "And although he's a big bear of a man, he can be as graceful as a ballet dancer (take the hand crossings in the Schubert) and create sounds as delicate as a hummingbird." It's a wonderful quote because it's true! He's just perfect.
Now here's a picture of some random ladies mobbing the vendor in the lobby of Conservatorio after the show for Sokolov discs vvvvvvv
Posted at 02:46 AM in Aleksandr Nikolaevich Skrjabin, Conservatorio G. Verdi, Frédéric Chopin, Grigory Sokolov, Performance Review, Recital | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
So Bootleg It Almost Hurts: 2007/8 La Scala Season
In the precious few hours before Teatro alla Scala makes official today's announcement for Season 2007/8 (omg omg omg), and knowing that a flood of international visitors will be clamoring to make the connection to read about the latest offerings from Stéphane Lissner, the brilliant team behind the Teatro alla Scala website has taken the entire site offline due to 'maintainance activities'. bwahahahah! [ed: guys, it's spelled 'maintenance' fwiw tia loalz. but well done with 'inconvenience'…you got that off.] [insert 'How many IT techs does it take to update a basic calendar app?' joke here]
But as always, you come to Opera Chic for the latest breaking news…so here we have it! R U RRAEDY??!!
General Manager Stephane Lissner has created a new powerhouse season with 260 performances, broken-down into fourteen opera(s) and six ballet(s). The 2007/8 season will open, as always, on Sant'Ambrogio (December 7) with Daniel Barenboim's conducting of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, directed by Patrice Chéreau (and NO ALAGNA this time!!)
Daniel Barenboim will also conduct in June 2008 Prokofiev's The Gambler, Verdi's Requiem on November 9, 2007, and Bruckner's 8th with Berlin's Staatskapelle in July 2008. From January to June 2008 Barenboim, who holds the title of Maestro Scaligero (that was once Wilhelm Furtwangler's), will play the complete Beethoven sonatas.
Among the conductors who will appear in 2007/08 at Teatro alla Scala: Riccardo Chailly will conduct Puccini's Il Trittico, the Concerto di Natale on December 22, 2007, and Rossini's Stabat Mater; also making appearances will be Daniele Gatti; Daniel Harding; Gustavo Dudamel (La Boheme); Lorin Maazel (Wozzeck).
General Manager Stephane Lissner has signed a deal with French-German satellite channel Arté: la "prima", the Concerto di Natale, and a Tchaikovsky Gala on December 31 (Roberto Bolle will dance!).
The kewlest parts of the new season?
1. La Scala has finally invited their first woman conductor to appear: Marin Alsop. (*looks at timeline/watch/calendar...thinks wtf?!*). you;ve come a long way, bebbeh!
2. Terry Gilliam will direct Andrea Chenier in June '08 (with Daniel Oren conducting). dang, kip!
3. On September 16, 2007, for the 30th anniversary of Maria Callas's death, a documentary about her life will be shown in the Ridotto dei Palchi, and two exhibits will be dedicated to her at the Museo della Scala.
For our star vocalists, La Scala will show many of the same singers that have graced the stage in the past few seasons:
December 7th's la prima will have Tristan und Isolde with Ian Storey and Waltraud Meier in the leads. January 15th will see Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Anna Caterina Antonacci as Elisabetta and Mariella Devia as Maria. The end of January is Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac with Plácido Domingo in the title role! March will bring Il Trittico with Juan Pons, Barbara Frittoli, and Leo Nucci. Our April Fools Day Verdi's Macbeth (directed by Graham Vick) is with Nucci and Violeta Urmana. The beginning-of-June Andrea Chenier will bring Marcelo Álvarez in the title role, with Maddalena as Fiorenza Cedolins to Renato Bruson's Gerard. Juan Diego Florez -- who lives just around the corner in Bergamo -- and Magdalena Kozena will appear in recitals.
The opera season will end with an operetta, Franz Lehár's Merry Widow.
Ballet season will begin December 14th with Bourmeister's Swan Lake and will end with Neumeier's La Dame aux camélias.
This new season looks tight. We can't wait to have ourselves a listen!
*cries*
It's been 12 days since the OC blog has been Roberto Alagna-free, and we were hoping we could make it last to at least two weeks...but the OC inbox is clogged with readers asking why we haven't yet posted on the latest Alagna flounderings.
Forum boards across the vast tubes of the internets have been echoing for the past week with news of tenor Roberto Alagna's newest string of cancellations, which this time manifest as a drop-out of three June performances in Il Trovatore at Madrid's Teatro Real.
We had first caught wind of the situation last week when dear, cherished, illuminated reader *fignaz* (who has forever gained permanent residence in the hallowed halls of OC legends) had earlier alerted Opera Chic to the massive warning signs and circulating rumors of an imminent Alagna break-down and pull-out, stating that shortly after Alagna's May 18 recital in Paris at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (where he sang French opera arias, tarantellas, and Sicilian folk songs) the tenor had a "bad hypoglycemia attack" (codename: nervous breakdown/panic attack), which prompted the singer's doctor to intervene with rounds of diagnostic tests. We were waiting for the French papers to confirm details, but they clearly don't care, and the official statement has finally been announced by representatives at Teatro Real.
As of today, Teatro Real still hasn't knocked down Alagna's name from the la prima cast listing (opposite Fiorenza Cedolins and Dolora Zajick), but yesterday the theater announced Alagan's Manrico replacements, including South Korean tenor Francesco Hong (sharing the dates with both la prima's Francisco Casanova and Richard Margison), who should probably start a support group for replacement tenors that have stepped in for the super-flaky Alagna, and make Antonello Palombi the treasurer.) [ed: As of this morning, Alagna has been pulled from the cast listing for June's Il Trovatore on the Teatro Real website].
(the latest member of the "I Covered Alagna's Latest Cancellation And All I Got Was This Crappy T-Shirt" club, tenor Francesco Hong)
As everyone knows by now (hell, even Fox News is reporting on it), Alagna is checking into a clinic this weekend for a nose job that will take six weeks of recovery time and two weeks restriction of airplane travel. The surgeons will exorcise the great goblins that reside inside his nasal cavities, currently robbing him of precious oxygen...or something like that. listen, this is totally ridicculous, i talked to alagna's doctor onetime in an elevator in paris and he didnt mention nose jobs at all. i call shenanigans.
What we love is that Drama-Llama-Alagna once again managed to eclipse another great maestro, Nicola "My Grandpappy Went Duck-Hunting with Puccini" Luisotti, who will be conducting the Il Trovatore run. But who cares about the conductor when one of the worlds greatest tenors (who can't seem to find access to any of the worlds greatest doctors) might be sick? omg halp sumbuddy halp roberdo b4 he flies n 2 another steroid rage! I asked for my cheeseburger without pickles biyotch *overturns trays**punches cashier* RAWR RAWR.
While discussing Alagna, no one should miss this Spanish-language interview from El Pais, (also alerted to us by fignaz) where Alagna rehashes more of his old beefs with conductors and other paranoid ramblings. Bonus is the accompanying image of Alagna in the most insane selection of white pants and shoes, which I shamelessly copied+pasted from the story below. Where does one even buy shoes like that? Forget the doctors...this man needs a stylist!~ STAT!
now here's a picture of the cuddly knut (before he got ugly) to chase away the horror of Alagna's white pants/shoes above:
Posted at 10:27 AM in Roberto Alagna | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBack (0)
Barenboim's Hissy Fit, Part II
Big update!! Okay, so we know that there was a bit of mystery last night surrounding the Daniel Barenboim recital at Teatro alla Scala, as he shunned the adoring Milan audience by hastily leaving the theater without a single encore.
We just didn't understand: we showed Barenboim much love and respect last night and the audience (Maurizio Pollini among the crowd) applauded him heartily. We called for encores, and even gave him standing ovations (well, the platea seats are too expensive to raise one's a$$ off of them, people there never give standing ovations) but he still refused.
Word has it that it was indeed the 2nd row camera sniper that had Barenboim's panties in a twist (btw, it seemed to OC last night that the photo detractor was in the first row, but apparently not)...
Opera Chic has learned that Barenboim was visibly pissed during the intermission, even after he scolded the detractor during his first curtain call (in front of the entire auditorium) by charging towards the camera-wielder and wagging his finger angrily.
La Scala General Manager Stéphane Lissner was brought in for damage-control, and asked a reluctant, still-pissed-off Barenboim to make the audience happy and play again, just once. But Barenboim was all like, awwww hells naw. And he decided to punish the entire hall (Maurizio Pollini included) for one guy's lack of discretion.
Even more jarring about his abduction is that a lovely reader from Bologna had written OC with a full report of Barenboim's Bologna recital just two days prior, where he treated the fans to a *full hour* of bis:
"The public started screaming non-stop, and we then had an hour of encores, Evgeny Kissin style. Mostly Frédéric Chopin, including a Polonaise that brought the house down!!!" [thanks for the review, again, Big D!]
Now, Opera Chic is on the record in this blog and in IRL as saying that Barenboim is a wonderful artist, a committed musician, a man of peace, and a generous intellectual.
He's also an ex-child prodigy...and OC knows he's still a prodigy; she just thought he wasn't a child anymore. *snaps*
(photo from daniel barenboim)
Posted at 11:01 PM in Daniel Barenboim, Performance Review, Recital, Stéphane Lissner, Teatro alla Scala | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Natalie Dessay is OC's Hero 4Evar
This weekend passed in Salzburg at our 5-star luxury hotel (rhymes with lol "facher" lol) -- resting under soft down comforters and nibbling on slices of sacher torte -- found us curiously flipping through the awesome Austrian television channels, sampling the assorted randomness of the current Österreich trends. Aside from all of the dubbed crappy American action movies from the 80s, entertaining commercials and dramas, we found a live broadcast of The 15th Annual Life Ball, streamed direct from Vienna. The Life Ball (warning: YouTube link with sound) is Europe's largest annual HIV/AIDS charity, which materializes as a star-studded gigantic party organized to raise money and awareness for the admirable cause.
After suffering through the spectacle of Richie Rich's Heatherette nightmarish take on fairytales and fables, and the hostess screaming through assorted interviews with Heatherette Muse Amanda Lepore and (slowly-becoming-Amanda-Lepore-Clone) Jenna Jameson, we switched back to something a bit more sedate (mind you, this was after our super-cleansing spa treatments reduced us to baby-soft skin and matching vibes). However, if we had only known that our own Natalie Dessay had made an appearance, maybe we would have endured the live stream.
In the picture above, our favorite French soprano parties with British designer Vivianne Westwood while dressed as a pirate. Arrrggg! We can't imagine any soprano as kewl as Natalie to make an appearance at the hotness that is The Life Ball.
Posted at 09:39 PM in Natalie Dessay | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Welser-Möst Comes Clean: My Berg Is Teh Suck
George Szell's ghost is all like, wtf:
Listeners aren't always aware of these discrepancies, but the Cleveland Orchestra's audience Thursday at Severance Hall was abuzz at intermission about the two interruptions during the last movement of Alban Berg's Chamber Concerto for Piano, Violin and 13 Wind Instruments.
The piece was moving along when everything suddenly collapsed and music director Franz Welser-Möst uttered, "Sorry." He took the ensemble back a bunch of bars and tried again, to no better effect.
"You see how difficult this is," the conductor said to the audience. "It worked this morning."
Teh dog ate his score, too.
Posted at 09:23 PM in Alban Berg, Franz Welser-Möst | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Faust For Halloween
Philippe Fénelon's "création mondiale" of Faust in Toulouse revolves apparently around a large carved skull large carved pumpkin. The Capitole opera house in Southern France seems to appreciate the subtle dig at hellish US tradition and the nice "Peanuts" hommage. Dutch Tenor Arnold Bezuyen and US baritone Robert Bork play Faust and Mephistopheles, German conductor Bernhard Kontarsky tries to make sense of the orangey mess.
Posted at 08:30 PM in Charles Gounod, Faust | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Bolle Slams Fracci, Scala; Barenboim's Hissy Fit
Roberto Bolle, who's coming soon to New York (OMG!!!) for Manon and Romeo and Juliet with Alessandra Ferri slams "egotistical" Carla Fracci and snarks his own house, la Scala, in a Corriere della Sera interview today.
Attacking the bureaucratic Italian system of danza classica (unfavorably compared to other countries) he says:
"This system cripples the advancement of new generations of dancers... I consider human but egotistical that an artist such as Carla Fracci remains on the Opera di Roma payroll; not just as a financial issue, but as an artistic issue, too".
Then he concludes that "la Scala is a no. 1 theatre worldwide for opera; for ballet, not so much. The Metropolitan and the American Ballet are numero uno".
Bolle then sends a Valentine to his "favorite", Darcey Bussell, his partner for 8 years at Covent Garden who has just retired. About Bussell and Alessandra Ferri, who is about to retire, too, Bolle says: "... I admire them for the knowledge they so generously shared with me, but especially for the classy decision to retire from splendid careers in the moment of maximum accomplishment and of maximum splendor".
Bolle also repeats once more his devotion to the memory of Rudolf Nureyev: "When I was 15 he gave me the gift of confidence in my abilities, in my vocation. His charisma remained intact to the end".
He owes his (very generous, we have to repeat here: Roberto is not only really talented and incredibly hawt but also has a generous heart) commitment to charity to the example set by Mother Teresa, to whom he is very devoted. He also confesses that he has a bit of a superstitious habit: he lights a small candle in his dressing room for good luck, "if fire regulations allow that!".
About his personal taste in music, he confesses to listening to a lot of Justin Timberlake, not just Tchaikovsky. Rawk your body!
More later on Daniel Barenboim's hissy fit last night at la Scala....
Posted at 03:27 PM in Carla Fracci, Roberto Bolle | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Barenboim at La Scala: Troppo Forte!
Opera Chic fought too many hours of traffic on the slick roads from Salzburg to Milan this afternoon, and with the constantly falling rain and crowds, we vow to fly next time – no more awesome Rosenberger Autobahn restaurants, no more awesome green scenery, no more bootleg gas station shops to explore – we'll take our chances. And we'll tell you more about the Salzburg festivities later, as well as full reports from the very awesome Muti Don Calandrino.
Arriving cranky and exhausted to a chilly Milan, OC quickly showered and changed into a pair of Levis and Aspesi windbreaker thrown over gray-as-rain cashmere sweater, Paul Smith fold-up umbrella thrown into my LV Speedles 30, and headed down to La Scala where Barenboim was scheduled to grace the La Scala stage with a piano recital, an Omaggio all'Italia that still managed to bring out the crowds into a soggy evening.
Here's a quick recap, since OC is seriously in need of some beauty rest: Maestro Scaligero Barenboim took the stage and began bowing. Simultaneously, a La Scala page came dashing over to an elderly man sitting in the first row. He stood directly in front of said man, placing his hand over the man's camera for at least five seconds until the camera was put down.
Here's the fun part: At the first curtain call after the first three Liszt selections, Barenboim jumped up from his piano bench and stared directly at the violator, waving/wagging his finger at him angrily, scolding him for his prior recording actions. He was visibly pissed. He was like, "Don't make me come down there and smack that camera out of your hand!"
The last work before the intermission (from "Années de pèlerinage. Deuxième Année. Italie": Après une lecture de Dante. "Fantasia quasi sonata") was stellar, and Barenboim flogged the piano like a raging animal. He pounded on the keys like a man with a vengeance…like he had a beef with the piano or something...like he had cast Orichalcum's Most Holy WTF, and the house went wild with his mad orc rushing skills.
During the intermission, two little stage elves came out and mopped up a puddle (??) from underneath the piano bench, and then changed the old busted one with a new sweet model. After the intermission, Barenboim began three little parafrasi of Verdi (Il Trovatore, Aida, and Rigoletto), which were sweet and enjoyable.
But here's what is teh suck: Barenboim performed the same program in Bologna two nights ago at the Auditorium Teatro Manzoni, and a very adorable reader from Bologna wrote me a synopsis. He told me that on Saturday night to the Bologna audience, Barenboim commanded an hour of encores, reaching into a Chopin-heavy repertoire, bringing the house down. WTF?! Tonight at La Scala, Barenboim came out for maybe three curtain calls, and then at the fourth, he pushed the piano bench towards the piano, and closed the keyboard! WTF? Snubbed! No encore. La Scala gets no love. ;__;
Honestly? We think he was going to find the detractor from the first row who tried to film him, and kick his a$$.
Posted at 12:29 AM in Daniel Barenboim, Performance Review, Recital, Teatro alla Scala | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
New Music: Don Calandrino Comes Back, Burns Salzburg Down
Opera Chic didn't really want to spend Memorial weekend (well, it's Memorial weekend in the US, Italians couldn't care less, but whatevs) in sticky-hot-as-if-it's-already-July Milan, so she hopped on to cool (even too cool, OC was greeted by a hellish, if short, hail storm) Salzburg like a happy bunny.
Because since all the cool kids are always mentioning "new music", Opera Chic decided to treat herself to some deinitely new music – music none of you guys has ever really heard. Music that's 229 years new, actually.
Because the Whitsun Festival in Salzburg has begun last Friday with Riccardo Muti conducting a lost opera by Domenico Cimarosa, Il Ritorno di Don Calandrino, a score that he has found in the archives of the San Pietro a Maiella Conservatorio.
Tonight, OC has just returned to her hotel after seeing the second performance. Long review coming tomorrow, on Tuesday at the latest.
Suffice to say, Cimarosa's tight relationship with Mozart was evident -- it's an opera about two women lusting after the same man, so similar at times to Rossini's l'Italiana in Algeri (the general tone of playfulness) and to Mozart's own Così Fan Tutte (the structure built around the relationship of two couples with a fifth character).
The libretto is a witty little kitty that, unfortunately for nonItalian speaking audiences, has so many delightful -- really extraordinary -- wordplays easily lost in supertitles translation.
Muti's conducting, as always with this kind of material, the material he's most comfortable with and that he dominates completely, was a miracle of airy splendor: his ability to lead the kids (students) of his creature, the Cherubini orchestra, to a performance perfectly suitable to a historic venue such as Salzburg, was amazing. His talent for quicksilver, driven pulse and for nevertheless pointing out the moments of sadness behind the slapstick of most of the action, was another miracle.
Before going to baed, just one suggestion to a smart tenor who really wants to look good: call Muti on his cellphone (he doesn't do email and does not even know what an iPod is) and ask him to send you a copy of the score: Scene 6, act II, begins with the tenor aria "La donna è sempre instabile" ("La donna è sempre instabile / sempre si cangia e vola / come la banderuola / che gira qua e là"). We easily see someone like Rolando Villazon bringing the house down singing that aria during a recital. Muti has already found interest for Don Calandrino in Russia and Paris: he really might have found there much more than a curiosity for the Whitsun Festival in Salzburg. It may very well be an opera buffa worth performing again, for wider audiences: it has essentially four leads, one tenor, two dueling (in many ways, literally too) sopranos, and a bass-baritone. At least two arias deserve to become classics of the genre.
More tomorrow, now Opera Chic spake and she is tired.
PS Our favorite post-performance moment: the old dude who approached the gift shop representative asking for a cd of the opera. He had to be told that this was the first performance in more than two centuries. That made Opera Chic lol. (esp because she saw a nice ladey recording the entire performances a few rows back from OC's choice seat).
May ye gawds of Opera Share help us all.
Posted at 01:23 AM in Domenico Cimarosa, Il Ritorno Di Don Calandrino, Riccardo Muti, Salzburg | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
El Sistema: Made In Scotland
By now we all know how the awesome Venezuelan system for music education, El Sistema, nurtured the genius of our pocketsize, cute Afro'd conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.
The Scots are so impressed with it that they want to import it. It will apparently be rebranded as "El McSistema". Attempts to convince Hugo Chavez to wear a kilt have so far been unsuccessful.
Posted at 11:56 PM in Gustavo Dudamel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Amato Opera's Slimmed-Down Falstaff
Only the Amato Opera (page with sound), that workshop of bonsai teatro musicale, could attempt the monster feat of slimming that sweet whale of a character down. Tonight and tomorrow at the Amato Opera, NYC. We wonder: how many baby paellows will it take to fill Falstaff's belly on that tiny little stage?
Posted at 11:17 PM in Falstaff | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Readers Request: More Muti Hawtness
Due to massive and insistent reader request after Opera Chic's first Muti family-hawtness pawst, here's more images of the Riccardo Muti / Cristina Mazzavillani Muti offspring, daughter Chiara (an actress), and sons Domenico and Francesco.
Here's a magazine photo of Francesco, Chiara and il Maestro @ la Scala:
This is another photo of Francesco:
Here's Chiara, from her website, showing off her impressive cheekbones and the trademark Muti jawline in a Bailey black and white portrait, and a bit of cleavage in a Ferri shot.
Chiara by Bailey:
Chiara by Ferri:
Posted at 11:21 AM in Chiara Muti, hawt, Riccardo Muti | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (1)
Wayne Marshall's Bernstein
Maestro Wayne Marshall (pictured in the photo above with Opera Chic's Uncle Solly, aka Maestro Yuri Temirkanov) is not only a great pianist, an excellent organist, and a most elegant conductor, he also seems to have a special connection to Lenny's music.
Opera Chic's milanese friends are still raving about a Marshall concert at la Scala in 2001 -- when, among Gershwin gems, he conducted an apparently incandescent Candide ouverture.
Tomorrow night Maestro Marshall will lead the Accademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra, that most Bernsteinian institution, in Rome: the program will make Rosalind Russell's awesome ghost very happy, because it's Wonderful Town. In the cast, Kim Criswell, Catherine Torriani, Sebastien Lemoine, Vincente Ordonneau, Leroy Villanuava Wreck, Zachary Halley and Renata Palminiello.
Posted at 07:49 PM in Wayne Marshall, Yuri Temirkanov | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Ailing Luciano Pavarotti's Hommage To La Stupenda
Dame Joan Sutherland, accompanied by her husband Mr. Joan Sutherland, the conductor and musicologist (a much better musicologist than a conductor, by the way), has just visited Bologna where she has been awarded the «Siòla d'oro», the opera prize given to outstanding singers and named after the great soprano Lina Pagliughi, born exactly 100 years ago (she passed away in 1980).
Musicologists, singers, critics have spoken, during the ceremony, about Dame Joan's genius: but the real big moment came when she was suprised by a video sent by a faraway friend, Luciano Pavarotti.
Our dear sweet "Big Luciano", still ailing from his fight against a terrible illness, could not obviously participate but sent a video. Where, still pale and haggard after the treatments, bravely downplayed his health problems with a smiling "these days I'm not very well, non sto tanto bene", joked about his partnership with the Dame "we were a golden couple, golden in every sense", and explained how Sutherland and her hubby Richard Bonynge, "Joan and Ricky", "will be forever in my heart: and I still think about all the fun we had together, since our very first tour together, in Australia. Brava Joan, bravissima: all the world knows how much your talent deserves this award. And if I may add something, you set a standard of professional behavior and dedication to your work".
Cue the Thunderous applause.
Sutherland, always cool, explained that "nowadays I don't do much, I am an old lady", but hasn't lost her gift for the cutting remark.
Her favorite performances? "Norma and Esclarmonde".
Does she listen to her records? "Not when I was still singing. Now, I do, occasionally. And I ask myself: how did I manage to hit that acuto?"
Why, if she admires Rossini so, did she only sing in Semiramide? "Unfortunately a singer's willingness to do an opera has to be accompanied by a opera house's proposal to sing in that opera".
Why doesn't she give masterclasses? "I'm 80, I don't wanto to have anything to do with opera anymore. I only work occasionally as a judge in singing contests".
What about young singers then? "Young singers do not have the appropriate technique".
She doesn't go to the opera much: "In my days, every cast had at least three or four excellent voices. Nowadays, you're lucky to hear one. And anyway in today's opera houses they have too many microphones and too many absurd directors".
Triple yay!
Posted at 11:46 AM in Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Richard Bonynge | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Ferruccio Furlanetto's Chiropractic Lesson
Opera Chic's hero, the Zampano' of today's opera world, Ferruccio "I Got Teh Powah" Furlanetto, on stage demonstrates a Russian chiropractic technique during dress rehearsals for Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in Vienna's Staatsoper.
crack! crack! snap! pop!
The opera is conducted by our Daniele Gatti and will have its premiere on May 28
Posted at 05:55 PM in Ferruccio Furlanetto | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Dancer In The Dark: Saddest Film Opera Ever
That crushing sadness put on celluloid that is Lars von Trier's «Dancer in the Dark» will be made into an opera by Denmark's Royal Theater. The Danish opera house has commissioned the work to composer Poul Ruders and the English-language libretto to Henrik Engelbrecht.
La prima is set for the 2010-11 season: Swedish soprano Ylva Kihlberg is set to sing the role of Selma (Bjork's role).
Posted at 04:11 PM in Poul Ruders | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
OC New Buddy: Stephen Pollard
After Uncle Normy and Dame Jessica, Opera Chic has found another British friend, the exquisite ness that is Sir (a Opera Chic Knighthood, not those given out in liberal -- heh -- quantities by that Helen Mirren impersonator) Stephen Pollard.
Posted at 03:56 PM in Stephen Pollard | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Two Premieres in One For English National Opera
Tonight marks la prima of Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice at the London Coliseum, the first ever English National Opera staging of Britten's last opera (with Ian Bostridge in the lead) with direction by Deborah Warner. Conducting is the 32-year-old maestro Edward Gardner in his highly anticipated debut as ENO's new Music Director (he did a lovely Così fan tutte for the rumored-to-be-slightly-endangered ENO last season while he was still Music Director "Designate" from March 2006, and has only held official title of Music Director starting this month).
Resume-builders (aside from being marginally adorable) include Music Director of Glyndebourne On Tour, and a Young Artists Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society, which puts him in good running with the new generation of talented young conductors (Ticciati, Dudamel, et al).
Word has it that Ian Bostridge as Aschenbach is in great form for this new production. Dramatically lit, there is much play of light and shadow, with nonspecific scenery that isn't terribly evocative of Venice, focusing rather on the pathos/drama. Gardner marks high with a light touch at the podium. yay for everyone!
Posted at 03:20 PM in Edward Gardner | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Two Hawt Mutis' in Two Hawt Events
This past weekend OC found a gem in La Stampa that almost made her spit out a fresh, creamy bite of burrata (bella fresca) onto her lap (which would have been tragic...wearing a Nanette Lepore floral sundress). I turned to an article discussing one of Riccardo "how do i make internets?" Muti's very h0tt offspring with wife Cristina Mazzavillani: actress, film star, singer (maybe: read below) and model Chiara "I never gave my dad an iPod for xmas" Muti (in photo above).
The events that spark the article is a coincidental double-date between Italian director Ruggero Cappuccio, who has a current choke-hold on the Muti clan for this Friday, May 25. The stellar date will witness the launch and re-release of two double-coincidental projects for both maestro and daughter that are produced from collaboration with Cappuccio. Another coincidence is that both projects celebrate Naples...but that just gives us yawnz0rz.
The first of Ruggero's appointments is with Riccardo Muti and the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini at Salzburg's Haus fur Mozart. Friday marks la prima for a brand new staging of Domenico Cimarosa's Il Ritorno Di Don Calandrino by (obvs) Ruggero Cappuccio with Muti on the podium. The production was commissioned for the 2007 Festival di Pentecoste (and co-produced for the Ravenna Festival) with thankfully no castrati this time.
The other Friday, May 25 appointment for Ruggero (that he already said he would not attend) is with Muti's daughter Chiara, who starred in the director's 2004 movie Il sorriso dell'ultima notte, that will be replaying at Il Politecnico Fandango in Rome until May 31.
I don't know…if we were in Ruggero's shoes, how would we have ever decided which event to attend?! On one hand you have the ravishing (albeit a pretty wooden actress, in all her beauty) Chiara...and on the other you have the hotness that is Riccardo. Chiara's cute (and she can make things move without touching them: yes, that was cleverly-crafted joke) but she's not really my type so thanks n e way/ I guess i'd pick Muti, too, but only if he promised to hold me afterwards, but you know he wouldn't...he'd have like some obscure 18th century scores to study.
And what has our lovely Chiara been up to lately? omg u wont believe:: It comes to light in the article that while living in Paris and waiting for a few films to hit the screen this autumn, she is preparing for a recital/play with pianist Paolo Restani about the life of Mozart, which will debut on June 4 at Teatro Municipale Giuseppe Verdi di Salerno. Let's hope she makes her daddy proud.
Speaking of hawtness, this is Muti's son, Domenico, avid soccer player.
This is the Muti family in 2001:
^^^update^^^
Now, to try and recover from all the hawtness, here's a nice piece by the Maestro himself in the online Welt, where he explains his work among the dusty shelves of the Conservatorio San Pietro a Maiella, the archives where he unearthed all those 18th century forgotten gems.
Posted at 08:01 PM in Chiara Muti, Domenico Cimarosa, hawt, Il Ritorno Di Don Calandrino, Riccardo Muti, Salzburg | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
BREAKING NEWS: A Night At La Scala In Memory Of Gianni Versace: A Bejart Ballet For Gianni
On July 15, 2007, la Scala will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of fashion designer, opera and ballet costume designer and music lover Gianni Versace.
The program of the night has yet to be defined precisely, but La Maison Versace and the Versace family and the City government of Milan have joined forces in an effort to organize with la Scala a night of ballet: coreographer Maurice Béjart has written a new ballet in memory of Versace. The second half of the show, also directed by Béjart, will introduce a selection of scenes from the ballets Versace had worked on for la Scala as costume designer.
The same day will see a street of downtown Milan exceptionally named after the designer. A Mass in the Duomo, the city's gothic cathedral a short walk through the Galleria from la Scala, will end the commemoration of Versace's death.
Posted at 06:02 PM in Gianni Versace, Maurice Béjart, Teatro alla Scala | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


This paper provides a simple model for basis risk in a longevity framework, by separating common and idiosyncratic risk factors. Basis risk is captured by a single parameter, that measures the co-movement between the portfolio and the reference population. In this framework, the paper sets out the static, swap-based hedge for an annuity, and compares it with the dynamic, delta-based hedge, achieved using longevity bonds. We assume that the longevity intensity is distributed according to a CIR-type process and provide closed-form derivatives prices and hedges, also in the presence of an analogous CIR process for interest rate risk.


Free summer activities in South Lake Tahoe, you say? Can it really be?! It so often happens that when you're searching for things to do in a new city, nothing comes for free. Since we are unemployed and traveling on a budget, it's not always possible for us to pay out the pocket for activities everyday. We have had to use our creativity to find things to fulfill our days, while spending the summer in South Lake Tahoe. Here are five free summer activities in South Lake Tahoe that we have enjoyed over the last two months.
It goes without saying that spending time at the lake or on the water in South Lake Tahoe is a must do. The gorgeous 80km circumference body of water has multiple bays and beaches with gorgeous azure water and mountainous surroundings. We spent multiple days hanging out on my uncles boat, trying wake boarding and floating on the water in our tubes.
If you aren't lucky enough to know someone with a boat, there are multiple beaches and picnic spots along the waters edge. Due to this winter being the heaviest snowfall in the last five years, the lake is at its fullest leaving us very small to no beaches. Our favorite (and just about only one left) beach has been Reagen Beach. It has a teeny tiny stretch of sand and some stairs leading down to it, as well as a large stretch of luscious green grass. It comes complete with some benches, picnic tables, a jungle gym, beach volleyball court and bathrooms as well as a few spots of shade. Hanging at or on the lake is probably our most favourite of free summer activities in South Lake Tahoe!
During the summer the beaches are home to some live music concerts. Our favourite has to be at Lake View commons. The concerts take place every Thursday evening from the last week of June till the end of August. The concert starts at 4pm and ends at around 8pm. You can read about the lineups at liveatlakeview.com .People take their blankets and sit on the steps, or even their slackline and hammocks and hang out on the grass of the commons. Some even pump up their float tubes and enjoy the music from the water. If you take along your ID you'll be allowed into the beer garden and can have a few beers as you watch the sun go down over the mountains. For sure, a great way to bring in the weekend! Don't forget to bring along your wallet in case you find something you love at the small flea market stalls.
I've heard of golf, and I love to play frisbee, but call me old fashioned for not ever hearing about frisbee golf (otherwise known as disc golf). Turns out this is a pretty popular game and such fun! In South Lake Tahoe, there are two disc golf courses that we know of, both of which are FREE! Yes, you only need to have your own discs in order to play. They go for around $10 each. You could probably get away with only having two (as long as you don't lose one like I did). The concept is the same as golf. You tee off, but instead of using a golf club you throw the frisbee towards the "hole" which is actually a big metal bucket/crate with chains to catch your frisbee.
We played at Zephyr Cove Park and it was a gorgeous course – kind of like doing a small hike. As you go up the hills, you are rewarded with gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe itself. The other course is at Bijou and is apparently a bit easier and flatter.
With the entire perimeter of the lake being surrounded by mountains, why wouldn't one hike? The Tahoe Basin is filled with an abundance of hiking trails for people of all abilities. Our favourite had to be hiking Mt Tallac, one of the higher peaks in Tahoe standing at 9735 ft. Less strenuous hikes can be found around Echo Lake. An even shorter hike is down and up to Lower Eagle Falls. Whichever you choose, remember to take ample amounts of water, especially in the summer months. I'd possibly even a swim suit – those alpine lakes are hard to resist when you've been in the sun for a few hours! Read more about Hiking in South Lake Tahoe here.
During the summer particularly, The Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys hosts some big name music concerts. Tickets for popular acts sell out fast (and are often very expensive). Don't worry – park outside Edgewood Golf Course (across the street from the Outdoor Arena) and set yourself up for an evening of tailgating! We packed a picnic blanket and some chairs, beers and UNO cards. We were so close to Jack Johnson we could almost see him (well, we could see the sides of the video screen at least)! Some sang along while others even danced alongside the road. Another group enjoyed the concert from atop their campervan parked streetside!
Now this may seem random to some, but there is a Thursday night softball league that runs every week. Since we were staying with my relatives, we went weekly to watch my cousin and my other cousins boyfriend play. We didn't know much about softball, initially, but definitely grew to love the game. Even though we didn't know many people playing it was still a good evening out. Mark loves to watch any live sports and we totally got into it. Each week we would pack some snacks and refreshments and a blanket, and sit on the bleachers enjoying the game.
We were lucky enough to spend 8 weeks over the summer in South Lake Tahoe. While in Tahoe we stayed at my aunts home and spent lots of time hanging out with my cousins and family. We spent time fishing, hiking, going to yoga classes and getting to enjoy a bit of the Tahoe lifestyle.
We hope you can someday enjoy these free summer activities in South Lake Tahoe, or at least be inspired by them!
I love Lake Tahoe all year round. I lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and loved escaping to this beautiful region, doesn't matter the season, there is always great things to do!
Isn't it gorgeous? I've been in autumn and winter too, but summer is by far my favourite!!
Seems like a pretty decent day out! The background reminded me of river sliding in Laos. Though need to be a bit more sober to remember I guess:) Google and you will understand why?
I'd love to play a round of disc golf, this sounds like so much fun! Especially because you also see a bit of your surroundings. I'd probably loose my disc as well though 😀 And after that I can totally see myself lying on the beach with some beers, friends and listening to a concert. This sounds all so awesome!
Basically how we spent our days!!
It looks like you had a blast! We've spent a few summers in North Lake Tahoe but haven't seen much of the South. I really want to go back now and explore South Lake Tahoe. It looks so beautiful.
Loved this post. I don't see many written about Tahoe. We used to go there with our kids many years ago when their cousins lived in Reno. We'd all meet at the lake and go swimming in those icy waters! (They never get warm, do they?!) The kids would also look for crawfish. The water was so clear they were easy to find. What a great place for a summer getaway!
They really don't – you just have to get used to them!!! My cousins also used to live in Reno and are now up in Tahoe…. so much better if you ask me!
I don't know anyone who would have a boat but I would love to visit and go swimming from the shore. A day at the beach with a picnic sounds amazing in my book! Reagen Beach sounds like it has great facilities – thanks for the tip!
Live at Lakeview sounds like a really fun gig – will have to plan my trip to coincide with it!
Hahah I know right?! We only went out on the boat 3 or 4 times but the beach and swimming from the shore are just as good! Actually this summer the lake was the highest its ever been (thanks to all the snowmelt) so there was literally only 1 meter of beach at Reagen (but lots of grass hence it becoming our favourite).
You had me at free and Lake Tahoe! 😉 Seriously though, what a gorgeous place to stay a few days and explore, perhaps after visiting Yosemite NP nearby. In terms of activities, hiking the Tahoe Basin would be high on my list of fave things to do!
We actually did it the other way around (stayed in Tahoe and visited Yosemite for a few days) but that is definitely doable!
My cousin lives close to Lake Tahoe, and I have lost the count of the number of gorgeous pics she sends me every time she visits! Yes, photos every single time, so I already know how amazing this place is. Now, you are talking about some free activities and I want to go there already! I would definitely do the hiking as I am totally into mountains & views.
And views you will find!!! We love finding free activities when we explore new places! Glad we could help!
Lake Tahoe has been on my list for a while. It's one of those all-season destinations. I'd love to do some hiking around the lake and then relax later on listening to some of the live beach music. That sounds like the perfect chill vibe of a summer day.


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Description: This CS has a similar function to a Map Editor. But the advantage is that you can add or change objects on the map within the game. There is also a video of this mode in the button of this update.