HARRODS LOOKS TO CHINA

High-end department stores are devoted to one idea. Their customers must enter a different world: a parallel universe, ten times better than the real one. “Enter a different world” also happened to be the advertising line for Harrods, the Knightsbridge department store, from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Today Harrods is certainly a different world—but one that arouses sharply mixed feelings. Though it still sells itself as quintessentially English, with a lot of PR flim-flam about its Victorian roots and building, and its Establishment-supplier role of “Everything London”, Harrods today belongs to the Middle East. Since 1985, when Mohamed Al Fayed bought the place, there’s been a Middle Eastern sensibility at the helm, with a Middle Eastern market much in mind. This meant that long before Harrods lost its Royal warrants, its traditional, local customers—toffs and Sloanes—started leaving in droves, to be replaced by tourists and new money from Essex and Egypt. And although it’s now two years since Fayed sold up to the Qatari royal family, this target market is, if anything, more entrenched.

Walk through womenswear on the first floor, and you pass rails of international designers, both fashion-editor approved (Céline) and elderly kaftan-glam (Roberto Cavalli). But many brands seem heavily curated by Harrods buyers, sticking to a safely middle-aged colour palette of navy, red and peach. This is not a place to go for edgy looks; and if you want to see the full range of a designer’s vision, many have fully stocked, own-name stores only a tube-ride away. The same goes for menswear—apart from the high-street “Denim Lab” section, where a teenage boy with not too much money or fashion savvy could nonetheless leave with a well-edited look from Topman or Superdry.

The main plus is that, on a Wednesday lunchtime, while the pavements outside pullulated with office workers and day-trippers, the shopfloor was deserted. You’d have the changing rooms all to yourself.
The Food Hall used to be a thing of glory—a place where countesses would order a slice of something from a grocer with immaculate manners—and it still has some nostalgic appeal. The ornate paint’n’plaster Edwardian ceiling, the smell of sweet-cured ham, the decorative pastries (cream slices with an edible Harrods logo; doughnuts iced with Union Jack-red glitter) achieve the right sense of cornucopia. But the British food is pedestrian (a basket of Red Delicious apples is apparently the best local orchards have to offer) and easily outshone by a Lebanese deli counter, a rack of heavily loaded prawn-and-salami pizzas and luscious-looking bowls of heat-and-serve curries.

Elsewhere, there’s an emphasis on trinketisation—crystal-studded chessboards, crystal-studded handbags, crystal-studded candles—at the expense of investment in new or niche British products. The only two truly modern-Brit moments in the whole store are a single rail of (rather good) clothes by Victoria Beckham, and the accurately sentimental entrance-hall memorial to Dodi Fayed and Princess Di.

Yet Harrods is only echoing the reality of modern Knightsbridge—where, according to its managing director, the vast majority of its customers still come from, and where homes are overwhelmingly bought by non-doms. And despite the apparent lack of footfall, the post-Fayed books show it’s doing more than something right. Turnover last year was around £1 billion—bolstered, perhaps, by “International Lifestyle Furniture” on the third floor, an expressive boardroom collection of zebra wood, macassar ebony and silver-gilt. Or by the own-brand gift shop, a presence both on the second floor and at most British airports.

Harrods, like everyone, is now setting out its stall for the Chinese: it has hired 60 Mandarin-speaking assistants. In the first quarter of 2011, its sales to this community were up year on year by 40%: it seems they’re as happy as the rest of the world to buy global bling wrapped in the signifiers of tourist-board Old England. A bit of posh, with a bit of Posh. 


Illustration Richard Rockwood

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine

*** Wonder Woman ***

Wonder Woman  is a superhero comic books and cartoons of DC Comics . She is the princess of Themyscira ( sometimes called Paradise Island ), daughter of the Queen of the Amazons , Hippolyta . Her mother created from a clay image , to which five goddesses of Olympus gave life and presented him with superpowers . As an adult , was sent to the " world of men " to spread a peace mission and fight the god of war , Ares. Became a member of the Justice League , as well as Superman and Batman . It was the first heroine to be created in 1941 by DC Comics . Debuted in All Star Comics # 8 ( Dec. 1941) .
Publication
In an interview dated October 25, 1940 , conducted by his student Olive Byrne ( under the pseudonym ' Olive Richard " ) and published by Family Circle with the title" Do not laugh at the Comics " , William Moulton Marston described what he saw as the educational potential of comic books ( an article gave the following interview and was published two years later in 1942 ) .1 This article caught the attention of Max Gaines , who hired Marston as an educational consultant of the National Periodicals and All- American Publications, two of the companies that would merge to form the future DC Comics . It was at this time that Marston decided to create a new superhero .
In the early 1940s , DC Comics was dominated by superpowered male characters such as Green Lantern , Batman , and the main one , Superman . Is attributed to the wife of Marston , Elizabeth Holloway Marston , the idea of creating a super -heroine :
Cquote1.svg William Moulton Marston , a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph ( forerunner mechanical magic lasso ) , had the idea for a new kind of superhero , one who would triumph not with fists or powers , but with love. " Good ," said Elizabeth . " But do you a mulher.2 " Cquote2.svg
Marston introduced the idea to Max Gaines , cofounder ( along with Jack Liebowitz ) of All- American Publications. Marston developed Wonder Woman with Elizabeth.2 For creating Wonder Woman , Marston was also inspired by Olive Byrne Charles , a woman who lived with him in situations of poligamia3 To write the comic adventures of the new superhero , Marston used the pseudonym Charles Moulton , combined his middle name with Olive .
Hence , " Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should rule the world," Marston escreveu.4 Although Gloria Steinem had placed Wonder Woman on the first standalone cover of Ms. in 1972 , Marston , writing well before , designed Wonder Woman to represent a particular model of female power . Feminism argues that women are equal to men and should be treated as they are.

Features
Appearance
Basically , Wonder Woman is a Caucasian woman with black hair ( which have been short, long , curly , straight ) , using a golden tiara with a star, a costume that combines red bustier with a golden eagle as a symbol ( being replaced by a double " W " in the 1980s by then) , blue shorts with white stars and long boots vermelhas.6 After the civil war in which his mother was deposed from the throne of the Amazons , Wonder Woman stopped wearing the tiara .
Powers and abilities
The powers of Wonder Woman are huge :Physical Strength : Wonder Woman is considered the strongest female character in the comics , she having a huge physical strength ( comparable to Superman ) , so that she can , with ease , lift tons .Ability to Fly: The character is still able to fly , and can currently reach supersonic speed .Superhuman agility : Wonder Woman possess a level of agility extremely high , much higher levels of human , causing it to catch a bullet in the air , for example.
It is said to have the strength of Hercules , the wisdom of Athena , the beauty of Aphrodite and Hermes speed . In the Pre -Crisis era , it was only the gift of planar (a few feet off the ground ) , this ability being replaced years later by the ability to fly itself ( given in current versions ) .
Is also trained in all the fighting skills of armed and unarmed ancient Greece . Foreign languages ​​Themysciriana , ancient and modern Greek , English, Portuguese , Spanish, French , Japanese, Chinese , German, Russian , Italian, Korean , Hindi , among others .
Weapons and equipment
Wonder Woman , beyond the powers of the gods received gifts that help increase your skills : two indestructible bracelets , which uses to deflect projectiles and lightning , a tiara that can be used as a boomerang , and a unbreakable magic lasso that makes people touched tell the truth. The loop also made the god Ares see the folly of their actions , because they destroy all humans would have no more worshipers . In later stories , written by Joe Kelly ( the bow " Imperfect Paradise " , the comic book / comic book Justice League ) explained that this tie (sometimes nicknamed the lasso of truth ) is a symbol of truth in our world , leaving Wonder Woman , so the role of guardian of the truth . Wonder Woman had a kind of radio receiver / transmitter telepathic waves , with whom he could communicate with the Amazons who were Themiscyra .
In the original Wonder Woman had an invisible plane made ​​of metal dummy Amazonium ( because it did not fly ) , because of many jokes ( in MAD magazine , for example) and it was gradually being withdrawn from the stories . But its use highlighted in the TV series of the 1970s and the drawings of the Super Friends , caused him to be reused a few times during this period . With the release of Wonder Woman by George Perez , it was established that she can fly with his own powers and the aircraft was discarded . Recently, the plane was reinstated the chronology , with a dowry of lansiranianos race of aliens .
History
The Paradise Island was inhabited by the ancient Amazons of mythology , and there were no men on the island . Wonder Woman came into the world on Paradise Island as a girl statue created by Hippolyta , queen of the Amazons . So in love with his sculpture , the queen asked the gods to give life figure , and was met ( similar to the Greek myth of Pygmalion ) . Named Diana . Along with life , the gods also gave various skills the little girl , who was already at an early age strongest able to boot a tree bare hands and outrun a gazelle .
When Diana was an adult, Steve Trevor , U.S. Air Force pilot with his plane crashed on Paradise Island . The Queen Hippolyta decreed that the rider who won several competitions including the commission would have to take Steve back to the United States , and become a champion on behalf of the Amazons on American soil . Prohibited from participating by his mother , Diana disguised herself and won the contest , which included gunfights on Kangoos ( native species of Kangaroo Island Paradise) , racing competition , and trim bullets with her ​​bracelets .
Wonder Woman adopted the secret identity of Diana Prince , a nurse from the U.S. Air Force . He was in love with Steve Trevor . In this version she really did not fly ( glide on air currents ) and wore a telepathic wave radio . In the story published in Sensation Comics # 1 , January 1942 , had a nurse named Diana Prince , which helped Wonder Woman . This Diana agreed to let the superhero , who wished to be on the side of the patient Steve Trevor , assume his identity while she went to be with her ​​soldier boyfriend , who was in South America One of the supporting characters was the most successful chubby Etta Candy , one of the fans of Wonder Woman called " Girls Hollyday " ( as translated into Portuguese in the Brazilian magazine " Collection # 3 DC 70 years " , the Panini Publishing , July 2008 ) .
As opponents , Wonder Woman had many classic villains from the Golden Age of Comics ( Evil ( originally from Saturn) , Giganta , Cheetah , Queen Clea ( Atlantis ) , Dr. Poison , the priestess Zara ) , some was reformulated in Silver and still appearing in modern stories .
Powerless
In 1969 , the Amazons reached its 10,000 th year on earth , and it had to be deported to another dimension in order to renew their powers . Wonder Woman refused to accompany them , as Steve Trevor , her lover, had been guilty of high treason by the United States , and she wanted to meet him and help clear his name . As a result , Diana lost her powers and requested removal of the Justice League .
Diana abandoned traditional clothing and glasses , and began to adopt a new look , to call the attention of Steve and make him forget Wonder Woman and began using the name Diana Prince . She , in this state , he starred in a series whose title in Portuguese was The Adventures of Diana ( published in Brazilian Who Was ? 's Ebal8 with some stories reprinted by April) , which was a kind of secret agent , assisted by I - Ching , a master oriental .
The absence of powers lasted until 1972 when Gloria Steinem , publisher of real feminist magazine Ms. Magazine (mentioned above ) , offended by the fact that most superhero being powerless to put on the cover of Ms. Magazine # 1 with his original costume . This sparked controversy , and DC quickly in February 1972 , restored Wonder Woman with her ​​costume and powers clássicos.9
" Death "
At the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths , Wonder Woman received a flurry of Anti-Monitor , which disappeared so that your body back in time , back to clay of Paradise Island . A final tribute to Wonder Woman Pre -Crisis was seen in Legend of Wonder Woman, miniseries written by Kurt Busiek , 1986. In this saga, the Amazons gather before Hippolyta , an adventure that tells Diana that was before his " death " . At the end , the goddess Aphrodite appears and says that he was using his power to keep this pre -crisis version of Paradise Island and its inhabitants part of the changes caused by the Crisis on Infinite Earths , Hippolyta says he does not want it . Aphrodite then meets his application , eliminating the shields on the mystical island. The island and the amazons pre -crisis begin to dissolve , as if they never existed . As a final punishment , Aphrodite turns them into stars . All memories and existence of this version of the island - Paradise , like Wonder Woman 's Pre - Crisis, cease to exist ...
Post- crisis The first appearance of Wonder Woman at DC post- Crisis timeline , is Wonder Woman vol . 2 , No. 1 ( Feb. 1987). As super -heroine acting with other heroes , she appeared in the miniseries Legends .
According to the last reset of the chronology of Wonder Woman by George Perez made ​​after the Crisis on Infinite Earths , Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazons would be the reincarnation of women throughout history have died as a result of hatred and misunderstanding of men. In case, Hippolyta was the first woman killed by a man ; Princess Diana ( Wonder Woman ) was the embodiment of unborn daughter of this woman . Before being exiled on Paradise Island , the Amazons lived in Greece , where they were banned after a conflict with Heracles ( Hercules ) and his armies . Wonder Woman would only come to the world of men after crisis , which also caused it not to have participated in the founding of the Justice League . Currently she has no secret identity . Wonder Woman won Gaia , the Earth Goddess , the power of telepathy and also the power of the bracelets , which when touched unleash bursts capable of hurting cosmic super- beings , besides, of course , any telepath can invade your mind , thanks to the tiara. Etta Candy would marry an old man Steve Trevor , reintroduced in the current adventures .

'' HIS OWN CURATOR ''

It must have been in 1980 that my wife, Lucinda, and I made our first visit to Paris, a delayed honeymoon, the two nights in Brighton’s Royal Crescent Hotel immediately after our wedding being something of a stop-gap measure, all we could then afford. We were drawn to Paris by a combination of things. Lucinda was a wholehearted Francophile, a consumer of French novels, and a fearless, if not faultless, French speaker. As an actress, she had taken a course at Jacques Lecoq’s Ecole Internationale de Théâtre. She knew where to find inexpensive but perfectly acceptable oysters and champagne. So she led the way. 

What attracted me was the promise of setting my eyes on the works of Manet, Degas, Cézanne and Bonnard, and exploring the great museums and galleries, newest of which was the Pompidou. Its revolutionary exoskeletal—or should that be extravisceral?—structure had been celebrated in all the Sunday colour supplements. So we had to go there. And we did—delighting more, it must be said, in what it revealed of the city’s gorgeous, variegatedly grey roofscape, visible from its upper storeys, than in the provocations and titillations of its own design. If the colour supplements had mentioned the Atelier Brancusi it had escaped us; but we soon noticed the incongruous little building, stepped into it, and were amazed. 

Until then, Constantin Brancusi had been barely known to me. I now revere him as a wholly original genius, in sculpture and drawing, and as a key figure in that paradoxically non-parochial movement, the Ecole de Paris. If he had been only a minor associate of the movement, of questionable artistic stature, there would still have been an aura of legend about him. The feats of his youth alone would have singled him out. 

Born in rural Romania in 1876, Brancusi left home at the age of ten or 11, on an impulse that seems almost to have been a prophetic calling. He was not heard of for the next six years. In his gadabout teens, challenged to make a violin, he did just that, examining another instrument, puzzling out how to align the grain of the wood to achieve a classical richness of tone. After several years of menial employment, he enrolled at art school, and as a graduate student modelled a life-size, écorché human figure sufficiently accurate to be of use to medical students. In his early 20s, he set off on foot for Paris, with his flute for company. 

He reached the capital city of art in 1904, for a while contemplated apprenticing himself to the great Auguste Rodin, but at last decided against it on the grounds that “nothing of significance grows under the shade of a large tree.” A fund of folksy wisdom, reinforced by steely independence of purpose, seems to have been part of his natural equipment. Rodin, he opined, sculpted “in beefsteak”—that is, in the decadent Renaissance manner, lavishing undue care on the virtuoso treatment of musculature and flesh. He himself was on a quest for something purer, truer, stronger; both of the earth and spiritually fulfilling...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine

Os superlativos

tall = alto
tallest = o mais alto
The tallest boy in the room.
O menino mais alto na sala.
simple = simples
simplest = o mais simples
The simplest form.
A forma mais simples.
thin = fino
thinnest = o mais fino
The thinnest skin of the body.
A pele mais fina no corpo.
hot = quente
hottest = o mais quente
Summer os the hottest season.
O verão é a estação mais quente.
heavy = pesado
heaviest = o mais pesado
The heaviest box.
A caixa mais pesada.
easy = fácil
easiest = o mais fácil
The easiest problem.
O problema mais fácil

GALACTIC GAMES AND PHABLETS

GAME Mass Effect 3

It’s a space-faring trilogy that combines galactic conflict with wrenching personal choices. If that sounds like the original “Star Wars” films, it’s deliberate: “Mass Effect” is an ambitious bid to show and extend the storytelling power of gaming. This third chapter, which also works as a stand-alone, rounds off a series that has been innovative in many ways. Your choices from earlier games carry over into later ones; the gameplay mixes role-playing and run-and-gun action; the romantic subplots (and sex scenes, including same-sex relationships) caused a stir, but why should such a staple of movies not be found in games too? The game is morally ambiguous, requiring you to make hard choices and live with the consequences.

In “ME3” Commander Shepard (male or female, it’s up to you) scours the galaxy for allies to take on the Reapers, a mysterious race of alien machines set on wiping out all organic life. The visuals, writing and voice-acting are all top-notch, and the controls and navigation have been steadily refined. But the rather incoherent ending, featuring the well-known intergalactic hub of, er, London, has been hugely controversial. When choices affect the game in so many ways, it’s a pity this doesn’t apply to the very end. The series may not have quite lived up to its lofty goals. but it’s still a milestone in gaming, and all the fuss highlights the devotion of its fans.

Mass Effect 3 around £40 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
 
GADGET Samsung Galaxy Note

As you may have noticed, the third version of the iPad recently went on sale, extending Apple’s dominance of tablet computing still further. What can its rivals do in response? With the Galaxy Note, a thin-but-wide smartphone with a 5.3-inch screen, Samsung is pushing the idea of a device that is bigger than a phone but smaller than a tablet. The size of a Moleskine notebook, the Note offers two things the all-conquering iPad does not: the option of writing and drawing with a built-in stylus, and the ability to fit in your pocket. Web pages look great on its roomy and vibrant OLED screen, and the stylus lets you sketch and jot with surprising precision. (It’s also brilliant for playing “Draw Something”, the addictive social-sketching game.) True, the Note looks a bit odd when held up to your ear, but voice calls are just a minor feature of phones these days. And it seems to be setting a trend: HTC, LG, Huawei and others are launching hybrid phone-tablets (or “phablets”) too. Apple may respond with a larger iPhone or an iPad mini later this year. But, for the moment, the Galaxy Note is the phablet to beat.

Galaxy Note phone  £0-£600, depending on contract

APP Flipboard for iPhone

The best realisation of the “Daily Me” personalised newspaper is Flipboard, an iPad app that takes stories from around the web in a variety of categories, plus items posted by your friends on Facebook and Twitter, and compiles and formats them like a magazine. It’s a lovely way to browse your social networks that feels less frenetic than scrolling through an endless list of updates, and it’s now available on the iPhone too. The simple, flippable layout had to be completely rejigged to work on the smaller screen, but it provides the same appealing mixture of personal and global news in the palm of your hand. Alas, there’s no sign of an Android version.


Flipboard for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch: free
Tom Standage is digital editor of The Economist and author of "An Edible History of Humanity"

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine

'' Aprenda advérbio ou adjetivo em Inglês* ''

Adjectives- Adjetivos

Adjectives Modify Nouns- Adjetivos modificam os substantivos
Adjetivos são colocados diretamente antes de um substantivo
Examples:
Tom is an excellent singer.
I bought a comfortable chair.
She’s thinking about buying a new house.
Adjectives are also used in simple sentences with the verb ‘to be’. In this case, the adjective describes the subject of the sentence:
Examples:
Jack is happy.
Peter was very tired.
Mary’ll be excited when you tell her.
Os adjetivos são usados com os verbos sentido ou verbos ou aparência (sentir, gostar, cheirar, som, aparecer e parecer)

para modificar o substantivo que vem antes do verbo:

Examples:
The fish tasted awful.
Did you see Peter? He seemed very upset.
I’m afraid the meat smelled rotten.
Adverbs- Advérbios

Advérbios modifica os verbos, adjetivos e outros advérbios
Advérbios são facilmente reconhecidos, pois termina em ‘-ly’ (com algumas exceções!):
Examples:
Adjective -> careful / Adverb -> carefully
Adjective -> quick / Adverb -> quickly
Adverbs are often used at the end of a sentence to modify the verb:
Examples:
Jack drove carelessly.
Tom played the match effortlessly.
Jason complained about his classes constantly.
Adverbs are used to modify adjectives:
Examples:
They seemed extremely satisfied.
She paid increasingly high prices.
I was suddenly surprised by Alice.
Adverbs are also used to modify other adverbs:
Examples:
The people in the line moved incredibly quickly.
She wrote the report unusually neatly.

''BURGUNDY, 8CL AT A TIME''

Named after Bernard Loiseau, the celebrated French chef who committed suicide in 2003, and opened by his widow, Dominique, Loiseau des Vignes is the best place to eat in Beaune—or even Burgundy. The food is a creative, if pricey, post-nouvelle-cuisine take on traditional local dishes—émulsion à l’ail doux meets escargots de Bourgogne—but for a wine lover, what makes this place special are the Enomatic machines that occupy one and a half walls of the restaurant.
Or rather not the machines, as such, but the bottles they contain, all sold fresh by the glass. Loiseau des Vignes claims to have been the first restaurant in Europe to offer most of its wine list as 8cl and 12cl pours as well as by the bottle.

This may or may not be true, but it’s a welcome innovation. Even in Burgundy, the best local wines are expensive, so having the chance to sample, say, a 2008 Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru (€8 for a small pour) or a 2007 Roumier Morey-St-Denis Clos de la Bussière (€24, ditto) makes them a lot more affordable.

In total there are 134 wines by the glass, although not all are available at any one time. These are divided into 51 whites, 51 reds and 32 “from elsewhere”—which basically means the rest of France. The prices are reasonable and the selection includes some of Burgundy’s great domains, from Sauzet to Coche-Dury, Rousseau to Méo-Camuzet.
There’s a separate list of 75cl bottles, including a few “myths” such as Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. For a Michelin-starred restaurant, even these look comparatively cheap. A bottle of 2005 La Tâche (yours for €2,500) would cost 25% more at auction.

With the excellent dégustation menu, we drank a selection of wines suggested by the sommelier. These were mostly spot-on, complementing the dishes with grace and style, and didn’t force us to trade up to the stratosphere. The minerally Hubert Lamy St Aubin, La Princée (€10 for 12cl), the citrus-tinged Christophe Buisson St Romain (€9), the fleshy Humbert Frères Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru (€23) and the more restrained Tollot-Beaut Aloxe-Corton (€15) were all good—the latter particularly successful with some of the ripest, smelliest cheeses I’ve had in Burgundy. It was like the region coming alive in my glass.

loiseau-des-vignes.com; €300 for two
THE COMPETITION
If you want to rub shoulders with winemakers, importers and Pinot Noir lovers, Caves Madeleine is a convivial shop-cum-bistro that serves some of the tastiest food in Beaune. There’s no wine list (or website) here, but sit at the long middle table and you are—literally—surrounded by 900 choices, all selected by the owner, Lolo Brelin. More than a third come from outside Burgundy, but stick with the local wines. You can bring your own (corkage is €6), though Brelin’s prices are attractive. Call +33 3 80 22 93 30 for a reservation and be prepared to speak French.

Situated on the pretty main square in Puligny-Montrachet, no more than a stagger from the gates of the legendary Domaine Leflaive, Le Montrachet is an excellent place for lunch for anyone visiting the Côte de Beaune. The food is stylish, modern French fare and the wine list is one of the best in the region, specialising in the wines of Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet. The top end is well represented (including a palate-watering line up of 41 Montrachets), but you can drink inexpensively, too. Try the €57 set menu with a bottle of St Aubin.

le-montrachet.com
Tim Atkin is a Master of Wine and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge. He has won more than 20 awards for wine writing

Illustration Chris Price

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine