text:
What sets the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra apart from each other?
Canada's 10 biggest auto brand losers during the COVID-19 pandemic
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These fraternal twins bring different dishes to the family BBQ
by Matthew Guy | July 23, 2020
Experts claim our upbringing forms a large part of our personality as adults. However, we're willing to wager nearly everyone reading these digital words knows a pair of siblings that grew up in the same house but ended up following very different paths in life.
And if you don't know any, you're probably that very sibling.
The same can happen in a big car company. General Motors has a house full of nameplates, all playing together under one roof. Occasionally, one gets upset when the parents unfairly dole out some of the good toys, like when Buick showed up with the very pretty Avista concept coupe just after Chevy mailed in the Camaro redesign.
One of the best examples of this 'not-fair!' sibling rivalry? Chevrolet's Silverado and GMC's Sierra. Both trucks share virtually everything in terms of powertrain but, like fraternal brothers perpetually seeking to differentiate themselves from each other, tend to wear very different clothes.
"Silverado" showed up as a trim level on Chevy's full-size trucks in 1975, perched atop a range of trims that included Custom Deluxe and Scottsdale (your author dearly wishes GM would revive those names, by the way). As for "Sierra," that title appeared the same year as a prefix or suffix to trim levels — check the Sierra Grande and High Sierra.
Today, while the Silverado and Sierra share much in terms of running gear, their personalities are very different. If they were showing up to a summer backyard party at their parents' place, Silverado would probably bring Texas BBQ, while Sierra would be holding a plate of New York striploins. Both are expensive, tasty, and appeal to different people.
Powertrains
Let's start with available engines and transmissions, since they are virtually identical across both lines. For 2021, the half-ton class of trucks (badged as the 1500-series) is offered with no fewer than five different power sources under the hood. And it goes without saying they're all available with two- or four-wheel-drive.
Entry-level customers will find a 4.3L V6 making 285 horsepower and 305 lb.-ft. of torque. Past that, you'll find a turbocharged 2.7L inline-four that GM steadfastly refuses to advertise as a four-cylinder. Then, we find a pair of 5.3L V8s, both of which make an identical 355 hp and 383 lb.-ft.
One of these V8s has a fuel-saving device called Active Fuel Management, which permits the mill to shut down half its cylinders in certain conditions. The other saves go-juice using Dynamic Fuel Management, which enables the engine to operate in 17 different patterns between two and eight cylinders, depending on demand. Since they share displacement, shop carefully to make sure you're getting the engine you want.
Adjacent to these gas-burners is a 3.0L Duramax diesel, making just 277 ponies but an impressive 460 lb.-ft. of twist. Topping the range is a mighty 6.2L V8 with Corvette roots, putting down 420 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque. You needn't guess which one we prefer. Transmissions range in gear count from six to 10 depending on application.
Shoppers of three-quarter and one-ton trucks, denoted by 2500 and 3500 badging, will have a simpler time selecting powerplants. Two engines are available, both with 6.6L of displacement. One's a gasser, making 401 hp and 464 lb.-ft. The other is a burly diesel, putting out 445 hp and a towering 910 lb.-ft. Transmission gears number six or 10, the latter showing up for duty on the diesel.
So these two trucks share the same bones, then, not unlike our fictional fraternal family. When it comes time to dress for work – or play – however, they diverge like a path in the proverbial wood. Rather than list everything available in both pickups, a task that would consume the entire internet, we'll compare each trim when appropriate and provide detail when the ladder for each truck does not align.
At the base level, Silverado is called the Work Truck (WT) and Sierra is simply called — Sierra. Where the Chevy's front fascia is quite angular, GMC's bears a grille resembling a handlebar moustache. Sierra's headlamps are similar in shape throughout its trim range, while the Chevy starts at this end of the pool with a set of vertically stacked peepers before graduating to a narrow set of LEDs.
Chevy adds a Custom trim above the WT which incorporates snazzier exterior design elements like painted bumpers and heated mirrors but retains much of WT's styling features, such as the blacked-out grille. Think of it as a bridge between the WT and mid-grade LT. GMC dispenses with such frivolity and jumps right into the mainstream with the SLE. Both it and the more common Chevy ladle on the chrome at this level.
The two trims with the biggest exterior differences are the off-road and super-lux models. Bowtie shoppers who are fans of the dirt will find themselves in a Trail Boss truck, offered as an addendum to both the Custom and LT trims. Chevy makes the off-road kit available at a lower price point this way. GMC calls its wheeler the AT4. While both are appended with similar off-road equipment, the AT4 incorporates much more colour-keyed trim to give it an upscale look compared to the rough-'n'-ready Trail Boss.
As for the top rung, think of the Chevrolet Silverado High Country as a tuxedo-clad cowboy and the GMC Sierra Denali as a tuxedo-clad oil baron. Both are snazzily attired, but one looks more at home on the ranch while the other takes up residence in a corner office.
This trend extends to the truck's interiors, as well. Nowhere is this more apparent that the just-mentioned duo of High Country and Denali. The former can be equipped with brown leather that looks like an expensive saddle but costs far more. Denali is available with a dark walnut environment but the effect is far more muted than in the Chevy — not unlike the oil baron's wingtips compared to the cowboy's elaborate boots.
Other differences? For the 2021 model year in Canada, only the most basic GMC work truck is equipped with single-zone air conditioning; everything else gets separate controls for driver and passenger as standard equipment. Such comfort is not offered in the Chevy until the LT trim, and isn't standard until the next-to-top-rung LTZ.
It's a similar story with items like infotainment systems, with GMC including an 8-inch touchscreen on all trims save for the work truck while Chevrolet chooses to hold the availability of the large(ish) screen until the LT model. However, optional equipment groups that add driver aids like lane-change alert pop up with like readiness across both trucks.
So, too, does feature count at the business end of things. Both the Chevy and GMC have similar options for cargo, including the same number of tie-downs in the box and equal ability to tow trailers and bear payload. The GMC does currently have two tricks up its sleeve, showing up in the form of a CarbonPro carbon-fibre composite bed and MultiPro origami tailgate. Both are optional on Sierra and unavailable at any price on Silverado for now.
Pricing (& Justification)
Speaking of, these fraternal twins have starting prices that overlap each other like clapboard siding on a rural two-story house. The cheapest Chevy is stickered at $31,495, with the least expensive GMC starting about $1,000 higher. This nets a V6-powered two-wheel-drive regular cab pickup.
Beyond this work-grade level, the Sierra is reliably more expensive than a (roughly) equivalent Silverado. This can be chalked up to the former's slightly higher level of standard equipment such as the dual-zone climate control and infotainment differences mentioned above. Major options, like the 3.0L diesel engine, are equal in price.
Fans of trucks with an off-road bent will be interested to know that, thanks to the absence of large touchscreens and bucket seats, the Trail Boss kit (two-inch lift, knobby tires, et al) can be had on the Silverado for a sticker price of less than $45,000. These greasy bits are not available on the GMC unless one climbs to the $60,000-plus AT4 trim, a truck which is much more plushly fitted inside but is no more capable off-road.
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Mayor John Suthers
Mayor of the City of Colorado Springs
jsuthers@springsgov.com
https://coloradosprings.gov/mayors-office
John Suthers was elected the 41st mayor of Colorado Springs by an overwhelming majority on May 19, 2015.
Suthers brings decades of experience in government and management to the City of Colorado Springs. Before being elected Mayor, Suthers served as Attorney General of Colorado from 2005 to 2015. Under Suthers' leadership, the Colorado Attorney General's office earned a national reputation for excellence. In 2012, he was awarded the Kelly-Wyman Award, the highest honor given by the National Association of Attorneys General.
Prior to being Attorney General, he was named by President George W. Bush in 2001 to be United States Attorney for Colorado and he was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate. In 1999, Suthers was appointed by Governor Bill Owens as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, based in Colorado Springs. In that position he managed an organization with 6,000 employees and a budget in excess of $500 million.
In 1988, he was elected District Attorney of the 4th Judicial District, which includes El Paso and Teller Counties. For the next eight years he managed the largest and most productive prosecution office in the state of Colorado. During that time he also served as President of the Colorado District Attorney's Association and President of the El Paso Country Bar Association.
A lifelong resident of Colorado Springs, Suthers attended grade school here and graduated from St. Mary's High School. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, and in the top quarter of his law school class at the University of Colorado. After graduation he returned home and became a Deputy District Attorney in Colorado Springs before spending ten years at the law firm of Sparks, Dix and Enoch.
John's wife Janet also grew up in Colorado Springs, earned her MBA from UCCS and is retired from Agilent Technologies. She is a lifelong community volunteer including service on the District 12 School Board and the City Planning Commission. John and Janet have two accomplished daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The fight for political offices is not an easy game as often projected by developed democracies.
Protests broke in several major cities in the US following the victory of Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
Carrying anti-Trump placards and chanting 'not my president', the protesters portrayed US as a divided country. On one side is the Republican Party, its candidate, now president-elect Trump and his supporters happy with the result. In effect constituting the side that is to form government in January and hence become the ruling side or party.
On the other side is the Democratic Party, now in power with Barack Obama as incumbent president, Hillary Clinton, the former presidential candidate and supporters making up the oppositions who are unhappy.
All polls had indicated a Hillary Clinton win so the result came as a shock to her supporters and the world. But her supporters' rejection of Trump as the president will yield nothing because he emerged as the winner in a contest fraught with personal attacks between the two contenders.
The fight for political offices is not an easy game as often projected by developed democracies. As now proven, from the recent US elections, it can be abrasive and charged. Not only was this during the campaigns but also the post-election period where Clinton supporters in major cities are denouncing the election of Trump.
An election creates two sides – the winner and the loser. There is a problem if the loser opts for protests. Often in Africa losers, sometimes, create excuses of rigging, unfairness and unleveled ground to explain loss and consequently reject the results.
Now the US presents a case of a free and fair election, but produces results that have prompted outrage. This in effect interrogates democracy and raises the question whether the majority is competent to pick the right candidate. And also whether the minority (losers) is that knowledgeable to discern the choice by the majority as wrong and worry it could plunge the country into chaos or disrepute.
Unlike in nascent democracies, in developed there is no public animosity between winners and losers because of developed institutions and patriotisms espoused by individuals on both sides. To them the country is greater than individual interests including who occupies the big office or is in power. This explains why often after elections, people get back to work and wait for the next election. So the US protests, though coming as a surprise, illuminate stoked disrespect for Trump resulting from the ugly contest.
During the campaign, Trump and Clinton got personal with each assassinating the others character. For instance, Clinton played on Trump's alleged sexual harassment of women as several of them were resurrected from the past to accuse him. Trump called Clinton names including labeling her 'Crooked Hillary' and also accusing her of corruption.
During the campaigns, Trump also refused to commit himself to accepting results, alleging there was a plot to rig the election. In response Americans including Republicans were aghast at the suggestion of vote rigging. This, to them, dented the country's record as a democracy developed and perfected over two centuries. It is one of the values that make other countries look up to the US for lessons, so it was abominable for Trump to allege rigging, which would have demolished it.
With the record gone, US would never have been the example for others. Even the moral authority to admonish other countries that mess elections would be lost. So in this regard, Trump's victory saved the US cherished elections tradition. It is a different matter how he will run the country as 45th president, the important thing is that the sanctity of the process of picking the president is intact.
It is now the Clinton side that is presenting a threat to democracy in the US, which is taken as a standard. The protests smack of intolerance, which devalues it (democracy) especially when it related to rejecting a dully elected president.
Curiously, Trump supporters who were overzealous during the campaign have remained calm and not exploded into mass celebrations, which probably would have ended in clashes with Clinton's. Instead, there have been some reports of they (Trump's supporters) being a target. There have also been reports of anti-Trump protestors' vandalised property, prompting a police response with tear gas.
From the reaction of Clinton's supporters it is unimaginable how Trump's supporters would have reacted if she had won. First, he most probably would have alleged rigging and not conceded defeat. Such an action would have flared tempers, sparked off violence as well and discredited the election.
How will February 18 begin and end?


text:
Entering A New Dimension
The end of the year is traditionally for taking stock of the past year and speculating on the future, when there may be just a few moments reflection to look beyond the immediate demands of paying customers and consider possibilities and probabilities.In the short term, evidence is things don't change very much - whatever the latest press release from so-and-so about a "revolutionary" new product says. Your basic digital copier still works on the same principle and does the same job as ever, albeit at greater speed and with more options for the finished product. Inkjet printers, which inevitably feature large in a column about digital imagery, still work on the same principle of squirting coloured water droplets, though their speed and accuracy has improved dramatically.Although we often think we live in a world where things can change over night, it takes time for technology to be adapted to practical purpose, and accepted for use. While we now could not live without a mobile phone, it did take ten years for them to become widely acceptable, and therefore actually useful - as most people had one. Well, anyone that mattered anyway.The technological breakthrough was not just the mobile phone itself, but the satellite systems and networks that have gone on to make everything else possible that goes with it, like that great boon to navigation, the sat nav.As someone who can still actually read a map, regular readers will know I retain a healthy scepticism on certain developments. It's like the person who wants to convert all London parking meters to credit cards which you top up by using your mobile phone. Yeah, good idea standing on a London street waving your credit card and your mobile phone. Mugging has always been a popular pastime in the capital and it's good to know that old traditions are still encouraged.What makes modern technological developments exciting is that often they create unexpected opportunities in other areas, and it is that exponential growth of capabilities that pushes the boundaries of the possible. When Johannese Gutenberg invented moveable type, it was a revolutionary creation, but it couldn't be used for anything else but printing books. Nowadays one small step for mankind can result in an enormous leap in another direction.Take the technology that drives the microscopic valves of the inkjet printer - charged droplets that are sent out to create an intricate pattern, in this case an image on paper.Those clever clogs at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have been developing the same principle into some interesting areas.
At the 2008 International Expo in Zaragoza, Spain, an entire building, 300 square metres, will be created by moveable walls of water droplets, which can change shape and carry images and messages. It will be in effect an enormous three dimensional inkjet printer - literally projecting an entire pavilion. The jet heads, contained in the roof can be raised or lowered, and the spray can be instructed to open doors or windows.It may not be a practical habitation - living in a perpetual waterfall, but it is fascinating adaptation of a now relatively straightforward principle.The creators make the point that previously buildings were designed in two dimensions on paper, and only converted to three with bricks and mortar at the final stage of construction. This dynamic use of fluid walls presents a building perhaps as radical as the Crystal Palace was to Victorian England.This inspiration got me thinking that the future for digital printing might be a step into the third dimension. There have been 3D scanners, for medical and scientific use, for some years, and more recently handheld devices have opened vast new opportunities which may even see their way to consumer cameras and mobile phones.Many scanners work on the principle of stitching several independent images together to make the whole, so it is not such a big step to take a complete 360 degree view. The trick is printing it.For some time it has been possible to project a 3D image on a flat computer screen for viewing, but taking it a step further into something solid is more complicated. There are now, however, machines still called printers that can perform this magic, and output a real object previously only possible using an injection mould or the services of a skilled craftsman.
The technology is still inkjet principle, but instead of water droplets, tiny polymer beads are projected into the print chamber in the form of an initially white powder. Earlier devices used laser beams to fuse the beads together, but the latest ones using a binding fluid, building up the image in layers, and adding colour as it goes.This can create a completely accurate 24 bit colour model of the original design, however complicated. It's much more environmentally friendly as the sealed activity unit can be used in an office situation and the waste powder can be recycled.If you think this sounds more like science fiction, you can watch the science fact on video. Perfect Colours have one of the machines and can demonstrate it. You can view the introduction film on their website www.perfectcolours.comThis is cutting edge technology, literally, and another area where items are being actually created, not merely copied. How much like the modern digital print outlet where more often than not we are creating originals not copying them.Is it such a big step to see a 3D printer having a place in a copy shop of the not too distant future?


text:
In the Barwon South Western region of Victoria more than 2,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed every year.The Haematology and Oncology Trials Team...
Cardiology Research
The Geelong Cardiology Research Unit has been involved in the conduct of clinical trials since June 2000 and is recognised both nationally and...
Clinical Trial Unit (Endocrinology / Infectious Disease and Paediatrics)
The Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) is supported by a team of endocrinologists and specialists in infectious diseases. The CTU has been in operation for...
Department of Neuroscience
The Geelong Neuroscience Research Team has been actively involved in the conduct of Clinical Trials since 1987. The Department of Neuroscience at...
Department of Peri-operative, Anaethesia and Pain Management
Research is an essential part of healthcare development. The Department of Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management Research Unit...
Epidemiology Unit for Musculoskeletal and Metabolic Disorders (Epi-UMMD)
The Epi-UMMD conducts population-based research into musculoskeletal and metabolic disorders, and the nexus between physical and mental health. At...
ICARe (Intensive Care Audit & Research)
Barwon Health Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a 24-bed ICU with an active profile in clinical research. Admissions include patients from all medical,...
The Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT) is a multidisciplinary strategic research centre that...
Radiation Therapy Research
The Department of Radiation Oncology fosters scholarship, research capabilities and excellence. Over the past two years, the department has...


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Q: Wordpress: Add config option to all widget settings In Wordpress, my goal is to be able to give a custom class to every widget that I put in the sidebar.
Preferably I would like to add this class in the widget settings of each widget. ALSO 3rd party widgets.
I was thinking of changing the classname, because the classname is already passed to the register_sidebar function (%2$s):
<?php
register_sidebar(array('before_widget' => '<aside id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s blue">'));
?>

Ofcourse I shouldn't change WP core code or 3rd party plugins. This means that I need to write a plugin that will hook into the widget configuration process.
I already found out that it's possible to modify all widgets forms, by hooking into action 'in_widget_form':
<?php
add_action('in_widget_form', 'teaserWidgetAddToForm');

function teaserWidgetAddToForm($widget_instance) {
  ?>
  <label for="<?php echo $widget_instance->get_field_id('teaser-classname'); ?>">Custom classname(s):</label>
  <input type="text" id="<?php echo $widget_instance->get_field_id('teaser-classname'); ?>" name="<?php echo $widget_instance->get_field_name('teaser-classname'); ?>">
  <?php
}
?>

This data should be saved by the Widget super class, but how do you retrieve this data (so when opening the widget settings later shows what you filled in earlier)
And, this saved data should be put in the widget instance -how is this done? I guess by using something like:
<?php
$wp_registered_widgets[<widget_id>]['callback'][0]['widget_options']['classname'] = <chosen_class>;
?>

So basically I have 2 questions:

*

*Am I using the proper way to address this problem (styling of individual widgets)

*If so, how can I modify a widget instance to save and retrieve additional settings, without having to modify Wordpress or 3rd party Plugin source code.

A: *

*By default each widget instance has a unique ID which can be used to style it.

*In order to save data from fields added in an in_widget_form action, you need to also have a widget_update_callback filter.
function my_widget_update_callback($instance, $new_instance) {
    $instance['my_classnames'] = $new_instance['my_classnames'];
    return $instance;
}

To display the saved value in the form you'll need to first retrieve the instance settings.
function my_in_widget_form($instance) {
    $settings = $instance->get_settings();
    …

Finally, I think the simplest way to add your custom classes is in a widget_display_callback filter, which runs before a widget is displayed. You have to display the widget yourself because you can only return an instance from this filter, and instances do not control the widget CSS classes.
function my_widget_display_callback($instance, $widget, $args) {
    if (!isset($instance['my_classnames'])) {
        return $instance;
    }

    $widget_classname = $widget->widget_options['classname'];
    $my_classnames = $instance['my_classnames'];

    $args['before_widget'] = str_replace($widget_classname, "{$widget_classname} {$my_classnames}", $args['before_widget']);

    $widget->widget($args, $instance);

    return false;
}

See this article for more info on the available hooks related to widgets: http://shibashake.com/wordpress-theme/wordpress-widget-system

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
AVATAR – GURURAJ ANANDA YOGI
Gururaj Ananda Yogi was born on 3rd March 1932 as Purushottam Narsinhram Valodia in the province of Gujrat in India, to a well-to-do business and farming family. As a child, he displayed a remarkably advanced spiritual consciousness. Already by the age of 3, his questions were consistently about the meaning and purpose of life, and the possibility of truly knowing or experiencing the Godhead.
At the tender age of 5, he ran away from home to seek a personal experience of communion with the Divine. He wandered from village to village for 4 and a half months, visiting many temples and holy men. His frantic parents finally found him ragged and barefoot wandering through a village street. When questioned, he explained that he went to as many temples as possible, but that "the gods were lifeless and would not speak to me".
His life between the ages of 5 and 15 was in most respects quite normal for a child in his Indian culture. The one exception to this was his continuing overwhelming, intense desire to directly experience a "Reality" far greater than his limited consciousness. This led him to the reading of many religious scriptures and books on philosophy and psychology.
As he matured, his reading and his highly developed intuition made him more and more aware that what he sought actually lay within himself, and within all human beings. He came across many names for this greater "Reality" within. Some spoke of the "Kingdom of Heaven Within", or the "Divine Spark Within"; others spoke of the "Universal Mind", or the "Real Self". The Western psychologist Carl Jung spoke of the "Collective Unconscious", and various Western philosophers spoke of the "Superconscious Mind".
Each new book that the boy read seemed to offer some new name or descriptive term. Yet, all who claimed to have directly experienced that inner "Reality" maintained that the words used to describe it was of little significance; only the experience itself was truly important. And how intensely the growing boy yearned for that experience!
SUPERCONSCIOUS AWARENESS
He knew that this area of "Superconscious Awareness" lay deeply buried beneath layers of conditioning in the subconscious mind. If he could somehow penetrate these muddy strata of subconscious conditioning, the deeper "Superconscious Self" would shine through into his conscious awareness. Contained within that experience would be the answers to all the anguished questionings of his conscious mind.
His reading of the scriptures and philosophy and encounters with various gurus told him that one of the classical methods for penetrating to this greater "Reality" was through meditation. But what kind of meditation? Practised in what way and for how long? He could not answer these questions himself, and he knew therefore that he required a teacher.
This raised yet another question: Which teacher? There were many teachers professing to impart spiritual knowledge and practices in his native Indian culture. He knew that the teacher must be right for him, must truly possess the knowledge and the spiritual force to be able to lead him step by step on his inward journey towards the conscious experience of the Superconscious Self.
THE ULTIMATE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT TEACHER
Having resolved his mind upon the ultimate importance of the right teacher, he once again ran away from home at the age of 15. This time, he travelled for a year, visiting ashrams (centres for spiritual teaching) and gurus (spiritual teachers) Gururaj Ananda Yogi´s Light Emblem throughout India. While searching intensively for his teacher, he took instruction in dozens of meditation techniques and spiritual practices.
His quest was finally fulfilled. In a monastery near Almora in the Himalayas, he found the guru he had long sought – Swami Pavitrananda. Gururaj was led by him step by step through the illusory veils of the conditioned conscious and subconscious mind towards the Superconscious Self.
PAVITRANANDA – GURURAJ´S GURU
After a period of intensive and careful preparation under the direction of Pavitrananda, Gururaj reached the critical point in his development where he was
ready for the breakthrough into full illumination. Gururaj stated that "for some time my meditations had been very deep, and I knew that I was ready for the experience of Nivrikalpa Samadhi".
(Nivrikalpa Samadhi: The state of consciousness in which there is a permanent, fully opened channel between the conscious and superconscious mind). Then on a hot Thursday afternoon, the long-awaited experience arrived. In Gururaj's words: "Pavitrananda casually summoned me to meditate with him. In Pavitrananda's presence, I slipped almost immediately into a profound meditation. I merged into a state of blissful consciousness far beyond the realms of space and time". It was a state of "joyful, eternal freedom, of immense peacefulness and yet vast power, transcending all the limitations and conditionings of my mind". He knew with certainty beyond the possibility of description that "what I was experiencing was, in fact, my Real Self". It was totally clear that "my mind, my body, my personality were only reflections and expressions of this real and true Nature".
He said that "when I surfaced from meditation two hours had gone by – but it could have been two minutes, so far had I been from ordinary time. When I opened my eyes, everything around me was covered in gold". He could perceive with total, immediate certainty, not as a mental concept but as a living experience, that "everything around me – myself included – as simply dancing, vibrating patterns of energy. I just knew that I was the very same joyous, unbounded energy as everything and everyone around me – indeed of all of creation". It was as if "my consciousness was their consciousness and their consciousness was mine". At the same time, it was "as if we were all part of a vast, infinitely larger consciousness". And yet he knew that "no words could even begin to describe the full reality of that experience – one must just have the experience to know".
It is inevitably a part of the human creative urge to try to give some form of outward expression to inward realisations. Thus some who, like Gururaj, have fully attained this state, and many who have only glimpsed it have written extensively about their experiences They have chosen what seemed appropriate words or names to describe it, but usually, the terms selected are to some extent dictated by their cultural heritage – particularly their religious or philosophical background.
THE MANY NAMES FOR "ILLUMINED CONSCIOUSNESS."
Therefore, this state of illumined consciousness has been called by many names. A Christian or Jew might speak of "God-realisation", of reunion with their "Divine Source". A Burmese Buddhist might speak of "Nirvana", a Japanese Zen Buddhist of "Satori" or "Enlightenment". The Western philosopher might speak of "Unity Consciousness", an Indian philosopher of "Brahman Consciousness". A Western psychologist might speak of "Transpersonal Awareness". Perhaps the most neutral term used is "Self-Realisation" since it does not imply any special religious or philosophical commitments.
Having once fully and permanently entered the self-realised state, Gururaj could perceive with perfect clarity and simplicity a truth which he had often encountered in his philosophical reading. In his words: "It was so very obvious to me that having realised this state, it made little difference how one arrived there – provided the path a person chose was right for that individual. One could be a Christian or a Jew, a Hindu or a Moslem, a Buddhist or a Taoist, a student of Eastern or Western philosophy".
Indeed, according to Gururaj, a person might follow a path without any of the usual religious or spiritual connotations. Perhaps they might be involved in a system of Western transpersonal psychology, such as that of Carl Jung's. Or one might be a practical person, immersed in the responsibilities of daily life, with very little time or concern for religious, philosophical or psychological theories. For this, according to Gururaj, "was a matter of direct personal experience – not of beliefs, philosophies or life styles".
According to Gururaj, what was of crucial importance was a "sincere striving to reach beyond the limits of the petty ego, the small conditioned mind, to a larger Reality". Whatever the path, one must follow it with real commitment and sincerity. If the sincerity and depth of commitment were there, then it was obvious to Gururaj from his experience with Pavitrananda that a programme of proper meditation and self-help could also be of immense use, even invaluable.
Many such understandings and realisations emerged as the immediate aftermath of the youth's enlightenment experience. But most important to him was the constant, deeply joyful fulfilment of a fully realised consciousness; he felt that there was absolutely nothing the world could offer him that would bring greater happiness or satisfaction than he already possessed. As a result, he began to entertain the idea of living a peaceful, reclusive life as a monk in some secluded Himalayan cave. However, it was not to be so.
Pavitrananda insisted that Gururaj immerses himself in the world. He was to become a householder and to thrust himself into the complex, dynamic, vital civilisation of the Western world. He was to know directly – by personal experience – the pleasures and pains, the joys and sorrows, the problems and solutions, the creativity and the fulfilment to be found in a full, active participation in the world. Having gained this practical experience, he could be far more useful to active Western people when one day he began his work as a Spiritual Teacher. For it was his destiny to provide instruction and guidance – through meditation and self-help programmes – to many people in the modern Western world.
Thus, it was necessary that he should marry, raise a family, and live and work in the West. To prepare himself for these responsibilities, he studied English and the practical subjects of commerce and accountancy. In his early 20's, having completed his studies, he sensed that the time was right for him to move to the West.
HE EMIGRATED FROM INDIA TO SOUTH AFRICA
He emigrated from India to South Africa. The choice of South Africa was largely dictated by the ease of immigration as Gururaj, and his father had lived in South Africa for three years when he was a child, thereby establishing rights of residency.
In South Africa, he entered a business career. To pursue a career in business successfully in the highly competitive modern business community inevitably requires much dedication, energy and creativity. Given this, it must be understood that the Superconscious Mind is a virtually unlimited resource of energy and creative intuition. Having attained the self-realised state, Gururaj had constant and far-reaching access to this immense inner resource.
Consequently, he possessed a phenomenal energy level and a highly developed intuitive mind. This intuition – a kind of creative "sixth sense" – would guide him with an almost unerring accuracy in making the immense number of practical, daily decisions that modern business demands. His energy was such that he required only 2 or 3 hours of sleep per night. This enabled him to work 14-16 hours per day, and as we shall see later, still fulfil his many other responsibilities and interests.
With such inner resources of creativity and energy, it was inevitable that he was very successful in his business career. Within a remarkably short time he became the director of several companies providing several types of goods and services, including films, finance, accountancy, advertising and publishing.
Even while living immersed in the world of business, it was always clear to Gururaj that the accumulation of wealth should never be the ultimate purpose of one's business activities. In his words: "Wealth is not an end in itself. Money is simply a resource, such as any other man-made resource. The test of any resource is how well we use it. The real question is: Do we use our collective or personal wealth in such a way as to uplift ourselves, or friends, families, or our communities? Is our wealth put to positive and creative use? Or, is it used only for personal comfort, pleasure, prestige, power, etc. – in other words to strengthen the small, limited ego?".
In accordance with this principle, Gururaj always used a sizeable portion of his business earnings – and much of his personal time – to further various spiritual or community projects. He was a major contributor in terms of time, energy and money to the founding of an Indian cultural society in Cape Town, South Africa – a major accomplishment for the Indian community there.
Business and community projects did not occupy all of his time or seemingly endless fund of energy for he married and raised a family. To anyone who came to know Gururaj well, it was very evident that he had a deep and sincere devotion to his family. In spite of an extremely full schedule of activities and responsibilities, he always gave much time and love to the care and upbringing of his children. He had warmth and an intuitive way with children that was quite magical to witness.
Gururaj's ability to relate to children indicates a certain highly sensitive aspect of his personality. The outward, creative expression of this sensitivity (combined with the full access to the Superconscious) is found in yet another dimension of this multidimensional man – for Gururaj was a musician and a remarkably gifted poet.
Starting in his adolescence, he wrote a number of musical compositions in the various Indian forms. Some of these compositions are deeply moving. As one meditator who knew him for many years states: "I listened to one composition which he wrote at about the age of 15. It is difficult to begin even to find just the right words to describe it, but it is almost as if it fully embodies the anguished yearning of a finite consciousness to find infinity. It was so powerful that I was moved to the depths; the tears welled up, and I think I must have momentarily experienced the inner consciousness of the 15-year-old boy. I could just feel the passionate longing for the infinite love of the deeper Self that drove him to run away to seek his enlightenment". But even more than music, Gururaj used poetry as an expressive medium for his inner realisations. He began writing poetry in his early adolescence and had already received several awards in India by the age of 20. In fact, critics have favourably compared his work with Tagore's.
GURURAJ´S BOOKS ' POETRY "GLIMMER OF LOVE" AND "THE MASTER REFLECTS."
A volume of his collected poems has been published entitled "Glimmer of Love," together with "The Master Reflects" – a collection of Gururaj's sayings, and "From Darkness to Light" – a compilation of his Satsangs or lectures. In order to provide the reader with an example of his poetic gifts, one of his beautiful poems, Stillness of Eternity, is included here. This poem – as with all of his poetry – was written quickly and spontaneously, seemingly flowing directly from the Superconscious Self to his pen, entirely bypassing the analytical intelligence of the conscious mind.
STILLNESS OF ETERNITY
Winged birds of time fly on.
Flying to the rising sun and turning back at dusk:
A long journey it seems to reach back at starting point –
Winged birds, time's creatures, fly on.
I, that am, forever still, know –
Of no journey's start, nor end, nor flight.
Your out spanning wings, measuring the sky,
Swift and slow, slow and swift,
Smiling at the wingless snail treasuring earth:
Both, in smog or dirt, in motion bound.
Of no measure, nor motion, neither doing's undoing …..
Bewildered you in your wingedness, the wingless too –
Chained by grooves of motion's air and earth
Tossed and twirled and set afire, seemingly so new:
To fly on, to plod on, through many a life and birth.
Of no air, nor earth, nor life nor birth, still ever new
By ordinary standards, to be a poet, a musician, a successful businessman, a community leader and a devoted family man would constitute a full life; it was certainly the fulfilment of Pavitrananda's injunctions to "immerse himself in the world". But it must be remembered that Pavitrananda's instructions to him were for a purpose. His active life in the Western world was to prepare him well for a time when he, as a Spiritual Teacher, would help guide other active, Western people toward self-realisation.
For this, in Gururaj's words, "had been in the back of my mind all of those years, ever since my meeting with Pavitrananda". Over the years, Gururaj became increasingly impressed with the central importance of meditation as a means of gradually acquiring access to the Superconscious Self. It also became clear that each person is a unique individual. Therefore to be fully effective, the meditation practice given to each person must be right for him as an individual. It must fit into one's individual life style as a whole, enhancing every area of life, work, marriage, personal relationships, etc. – in the path, one has chosen.
Thus throughout the years, Gururaj continued to read widely on spiritual, philosophical, and psychological subjects, and to study and practise many forms of meditation. More importantly, he continued to exercise the power of his intuitive inner perception. Using these tools of knowledge, experience and intuition, he gradually began to teach meditation, always stressing the importance of matching the right techniques to the right individual. In this way, he evolved a method of selecting meditation practices that would meet the unique mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each person.
PERSONALLY SELECTED INDIVIDUAL MEDITATIONAL PRACTICES
Over the years, Gururaj had personally selected individual meditational practices for thousands of individuals from many racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds – including Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, as well as many non-religious people. In watching their greatly accelerated progress, he became increasingly impressed with the effectiveness of these practices as a tool for aiding people in fulfilling the purposes of their individual quest for self-realisation.
In 1975, Gururaj completed the business phase of his life. He continued to live in Capetown with his family and took the vow of full-time service to humanity. Thus, the remainder of his life was devoted to helping people throughout the world in their spiritual quests for self-realisation.
To this end, Gururaj, together with other like-minded people in several countries, founded the International Foundation for Spiritual Unfoldment in the autumn of 1975. Within just one year, individuals in nine different countries started national branches of the International Foundation for Spiritual Unfoldment (IFSU) to help make such meditation practices easily available to all individuals who might desire them.
There is an important point regarding Gururaj and his life and work which must be made very clear. According to Gururaj, "the purpose of the external guru is to help awaken the internal guru within each person. Therefore, my work is to guide people in learning how to experience their inner guide, to awaken them to an awareness of their greater self. When this is accomplished, my guidance is no longer required, for each person becomes a guru unto himself".
Thus, Gururaj wanted all to know that he was just an ordinary human being, different from most individuals only in the fact that he had walked the spiritual path to the goal which the great majority of people are still striving to reach – thus enabling him to be useful as a guide. He repeatedly said that what he has attained in his spiritual quest, all other human beings can also attain.
In accordance with this understanding, he insisted that he be treated as an ordinary human being with no more fuss or reverence than the dignity required by any person and that IFSU in no way become a "cult of the guru". Gururaj's prime concern was to see IFSU become a worldwide fellowship of individuals on the path to fulfilment and self-realisation.
This came to fruition with societies forming in various countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Israel and South Africa.
Gururaj began spending as much as nine months a year away from his home giving public Satsangs (lectures), interviews, consultations and residential courses for his meditators to deepen their experience of meditation.
AN INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER AT SYMPOSIUMS AND CONFERENCES
He was a crucial speaker at the following public symposiums and conferences:
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
Loyola University, Chicago
Theosophical Society: Boston, London,
Copenhagen, Cape Town (South Africa)
Vedanta Society: South Africa, England
Lorton Men's Prison, Virginia
Pastoral Counselling Centre of Greater
University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
University of British Columbia, B.C., Canada
Max Mueller Institute, New Delhi, India
Benares University, Benares, India
Lions Club, Barcelona, Spain
Rotary Club, South Africa
Symposia:
World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1984
The Wrekin Trust Symposium, "Mystics and Scientists," special guest of Sir George
Trevelyn, King Alfred's College, England, 1979
Holistic Health Symposium University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1978
International Neuropsychiatry Symposia, South Africa, 1982
Annual Meeting of Association for Humanistic Psychology, Washington, D.C. 1982
International Business Leaders Peace Conference, Boston, Mass 1982
Semi-Annual Conferences:
Sociedad Española de Meditación
Dansk Meditation Samfond
British Meditation Society
American Meditation Society
Canadian Meditation Society
Irish Meditation Society
Media Interviews:
Sunday Telegraph, London, 10th April 1983
Yoga Today, United Kingdom, 1984
Television Series, Civilizations with Enrique Quesad, Madrid, Spain
Page 5 TV 5, Las Vegas, Nevada
Today in Chicago, CBS TV, Chicago
Focal Point, KTIV TV, Sioux City, IA
Party Line, NBC TV, Sioux Falls, S.D
Midday Am, NBC TV, St Louis
At Your Service, KMOX, CBS Radio, St Louis
Mac & Friends, KWIT Radio, Sioux City, IA
Here are a few of the diverse topics on which he spoke about:
The Nature of Fear and Anger; How to Handle Negative Thinking
Toward a New Perspective of Living: Inner Tranquillity
Stress and Cardiovascular Disease
The Psychology of Growth of Consciousness
Fear of Death, Mechanics of Physical Death …What is it that survives Physical Death?
Meditation and Psychotherapy: A Combined Approach
Barriers That Block Us from the Experience of Love
Relaxation Techniques and Stress Management
What is Inner Growth and Why is the Path Not Smooth?
The Mechanics of Healing: A Non-pharmacologic Therapy
Meditation: A Journey beyond the Mind
Why is Nature So Apparently Cruel? Humility & Suffering
Prayer and Positive Positioning Self
Meditation: Physiological Basis, Clinical and Preventative Usage
Illness: Mental, Physical, and Spiritual. How should this be Accepted?
Though Gururaj's health began to deteriorate and his diabetes worsened, his incredible energy and determination to serve his chelas (students) never ceased.
During this period, his family in Cape Town made the great sacrifice of seeing him for shorter and shorter periods. The demand for his teachings and physical presence grew greater and more significant by the day. His teachings became firmly established in various countries, and though no definite figures exist, it is thought that around 100,000 people worldwide received personally prescribed practices from Gururaj.
The late seventies saw the immense growth of the organisation worldwide. Gururaj continued to pour his love and energy into his students, but in 1980, a strange set of events occurred. These events would change the face of the organisation and signify a different delivery of the teachings.
Gurus are very unusual people. Their Divine simplicity can be a complex issue for the average meditator or person. This is because they function at an entirely different level – from a foundation that is well beyond most people's comprehension.
The great force that is the essence of a Spiritual Master acts as a mirror and reflects how we are back to ourselves.
The process of personal Spiritual growth requires introspection and is, to a degree is confrontational. We do not always appreciate how purifying this process can be, and if we are not sincerely established on the Spiritual Path, then the growth process becomes more difficult.
At this time, meditators who found this process difficult decided to leave en mass. These were key people in various countries around the world. There dawned another stage or era in the formulation of the teachings.
The teachings delivered in the early years by Gururaj are a complete resource of information on thousands of subjects and extol a deep spirituality of pure consciousness.
The following years saw the teachings change radically, not in essence but delivery and presentation.
GURURAJ HAD NEVER BEEN A PEDESTAL GURU
Gururaj had never been a pedestal Guru and was always approachable, but in the following years, he became closer to his chelas on a personal level. Despite his failing health, he continued to travel month after month.
The outpouring of love was immense, powerful and heart-stirring. This, combined with one's personal practices of meditation, and the knowledge and wisdom imparted through the teachings, broke though any heart barrier and one felt the flood as this ignited the soul.
This era of Gururaj's teachings brought many people in proximity to their teacher. These incidents acted as a catalyst. Some predicted that Gururaj would either rise to be the great Avatar or disappear into insignificance.
Even for meditators, many separated the man from his teaching, but of course, this is more a reflection on a person's level of unfoldment and understanding. For those that had found unity within themselves, this question never arose.
Gururaj continued to travel extensively. The numbers attending courses were not so great now. There were no longer were there 500 people on residential courses – rather between 30-120 but in a totally different manner.
A true Master is not concerned with the comings and goings of people. He gives what he gives with totality and expects nothing in return. People take what they need and have the free will to stay or go as they please. This said it is reflective of a person's ability to fully understand the workings of a Spiritual Master – the ability of so few!
The significant change in the teachings was focused upon interacting with Gururaj when he was around. Being in proximity to your Guru is often a challenging experience. As mentioned previously, the teacher acts as a mirror and reflects you back to yourself.
This same process is an integral part of personally prescribed meditation – something for which Gururaj was famous. However, this process is intensified by the Guru, who increases the intensity by several hundred percent. This is the greatest gift from the Guru. Who else in the world would give you a complete and honest report on yourself in graphic detail!
This process intensified for all the chelas, but it was this that pushed them forward at an accelerated pace. The process continued over a period of years, with the various branches of IFSU expanding slowly and constructively.
Gururaj's health and ability to continue long overseas trips became an enduring challenge not only for him but those involved in his care. We never knew when he would stop his travels! Many times one felt torn seeing him in constant pain, discomfort and intense tiredness. Should he continue to travel? He knew that South Africa was far away from the majority of his meditators, both in distance and affordability.
For the love and devotion of his chelas, he would continue travelling. He used to call his chelas his children, and he cared for them in like fashion. Would a father not sacrifice his health to be with his children? In Gururaj's case, this question never arose. Parents feel responsible for their children, but the relationship between Guru and Chela is more akin to a love affair on a pure level – beyond the physical. In this relationship, beyond the physical, hearts merge away in total unity.
For the chela this experience gave a feeling beyond description – bliss; to feel totally loved would be a privilege that many may never experience, even in the most intimate relationship.
FOR THE DEVOTED CHELA, THIS WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF "DIVINE LOVE".
For the devoted chela, this was the experience of "Divine Love", beyond textbooks, beyond assumptions, and beyond mental analysis. This experience lifted you beyond any earthly experience, physical or mental. It is hard to put this in writing as adjectives do not fully capture or translate these feelings in totality.
Those chelas in close proximity of the Guru were truly blessed with this opportunity. The realisation dawned for many that the Avatar was here in our physical presence. We rejoiced! How blessed were we to have this experience. We felt like the Disciples of Christ in modern day times.
Gururaj's teachings have the ability to change the world. When compared with the ancient scriptures, the Bible, Bhagavad-Gita, and Koran, these teachings continue to a further stage not accomplished by the others. These great past works would take an aspirant to the level of Sattva or Light, but that's where they end. Gururaj's teachings go beyond this, giving definite instructions on how to transcend to the core of oneself and beyond into infinity.
Gururaj, having brought his teaching to the world, now prepared for his departure. He often reiterated that apart from bringing his teachings to the world he must find someone who could continue his work in total purity and realisation.
Like a complete solar system, Gururaj acted as the sun or the source of energy, and his close chelas like the revolving planets, some closer to the source and others at an appropriate distance. We said before that the relationship between Guru and Chela is like a love affair. This relationship blossoms in the heart and is intensified by the expansion of the heart and mind through one's personal Spiritual Unfoldment.
When you can love in entirety, those expressions cannot segregate or divide themselves in unequal measures. This expression, therefore, emanates equally to each person or object. Likewise, each chela of the Guru receives love in equal measure. Love is Love, and true love finds its expression equally. If love were to focus greater extent on one than the other, then it would not be pure Spiritual love.
A CHANGING POINT IN TIME
On the evening of the 31st August 1986, Gururaj made a telephone call from Cape Town in South Africa where he lived to Rajesh, one of his English teachers, and told him that he would be his "Spiritual Heir". Rajesh was not totally surprised by this as he had suspected such an occurrence, but he was overjoyed nevertheless to hear this confirmation from the lips of his Guru.
Gururaj told Rajesh and Jasmini that he needed to prepare them and put them through various experiences and practices in preparation for this succession, but at this stage, he did not want anyone knowing about this and Rajesh was to tell no one. Gururaj was to visit the UK some months later in October to hold residential courses in England and America and would discuss matters with him then.
These months passed, and Gururaj arrived back in England. He reiterated what he had said some months previously. He said that his time was now limited and that he had to prepare both Rajesh and Jasmini to continue his work.
Gururaj suggested that he take both of them and put them through various experiences, but outside of their home in the UK. The island of Cyprus was suggested as a possible destination for the following March, before the usual spring residential courses.
Rajesh worked as a travel agent so began making the preparations. In the ensuing months, news of the trip to Cyprus reached other shores, and others began to be invited, but its original motive was only known by one other woman meditator in the US.
The invitations did not perturb Rajesh and Jasmini as they knew Gururaj would do what he wanted, regardless of those present or absent.
The March 1987 trip to Cyprus ended up being twenty-something people, mostly the national leaders of Gururaj's societies from various countries. This trip would fulfil many new experiences for Rajesh and Jasmini and all those present.
The months passed, and soon March arrived. All the arrangements were made, and the group flew from London to Larnaca in Cyprus en route for Limassol, a southern holiday town frequented by foreign tourists. Here the group was accommodated in spacious apartments on the seafront.
Gururaj was not to say goodbye to his chelas that day. This was no doubt symbolic as he would always be with them in spirit, and whenever they were to think of him or call his name, he would be with them. On the return journey home from the venue in the car, Rajesh asked Gururaj why he had asked him
to do the Satsang. He replied, "I wanted to get you started – it's time".
Gururaj spent the weekend in London before travelling to Canada. Over this period, he discussed the future of his teachings with Rajesh and Jasmini. They sat up the whole night, and they recorded these important moments on tape.
Gururaj gave Rajesh a suffix to his spiritual name Rajesh – "Ananda". He reiterated, as before in August 1986, that he would carry on his work and asked him to look after his children.
Gururaj was due back from Canada for an overnight stay before returning to his home in Cape Town. When he arrived back in London the conversation that weekend was a little strained; there was an air of finality as if everything had been accomplished and there was nothing more to say. In reality, that was true.
GURURAJ'S PHYSICAL PASSING WAS ON MONDAY, 17TH MAY 1988
The news of Gururaj's physical passing on Monday, 17th May 1988 passed quickly around the world. However prepared you are for death, the news of the departure of a loved one is always a wrench when a physical link is broken. Gururaj had had a massive heart attack in the dining room of his home. His devoted wife, Lata, was there by his side. In accordance with local culture, Gururaj was cremated the same evening in his home town of Cape Town, South Africa.
Regretfully, none of his meditators from abroad was present.
After several months, Rajesh and Jasmini then formed a new organisation called FISU Meditation – Foundation for International Spiritual Unfoldment. This was a slight variation on the original name of IFSU – International Foundation for Spiritual Unfoldment. Gururaj had brought his teachings to the world, and he had laid the foundation. As living examples of what he taught being achieved in this lifetime, FISU was formed.
Gururaj Ananda Yogi, renowned as one of the greatest Spiritual Teachers to have lived in the 20th century, brought his teachings of truth, love and hope to the world, enabling the householder to live a better and more fulfilling life. Now, these teachings live on under the spiritual guidance of Rajesh Ananda and Jasmini Ananda.


text: Q: Yolov3 COCO detection Metrics I am training YoloV3 using Darknet with this repository : https://github.com/AlexeyAB/darknet . When testing, I obtain the mAP value as well as Precision, Recall, and F1 Score for threshold 0.25. However I would like to obtain the COCO detection evaluation metrics as stated in this page: http://cocodataset.org/#detection-eval, namely these values,  AP at IoU=.50:.05:.95, AP at IoU=.50 (PASCAL VOC metric), AP at IoU=.75   and AP Across Scales. Any help will be hugely appreciated.


Geisha is a well established unique fashion and lingerie business located in the picturesque town of Matlock in Derbyshire's Peak District. With over 30 years in business, Geisha is thriving and keeping up to date with fashion trends. Ladies are invited to choose from a wide lingerie collection and be assured of a qualified fitting service when required.
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text:
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Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) Investor Lawsuit alleges False and Misleading Statements
An investor, who purchased shares of Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), filed a lawsuit over alleged violations of Federal Securities Laws by Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated.
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According to the complaint the plaintiff alleges on behalf of purchasers of Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) common shares between May 4, 2017 and July 4, 2017, that the defendants violated Federal Securities Laws. More specifically, the plaintiff claims that between May 4, 2017 and July 4, 2017, the Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that the Company was experiencing delays in systems rollouts as well as a longer customer decision-making process and order-to-revenue conversion cycle, that the foregoing issues were negatively impacting the Company's services business and operations, and that as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
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text:
Q: Java MongoDB Object Versioning I need to do versioning on (simple) Java object graphs stored in a document-oriented database (MongoDB). For relational databases and Hibernate, I discovered Envers and am very amazed about the possibilities. Is there something similar that can be used with Spring Data Documents?
I found this post outlining the thoughts I had (and more...) about storing the object versions, and my current implementation works similar in that it stores copies of the objects in a separate history collection with a timestamp, but I would like to improve this to save storage space. Therefore, I think I need to implement both a "diff" operation on object trees and a "merge" operation for reconstructing old objects. Are there any libraries out there helping with this?
Edit:
Any experiences with MongoDB and versioning highly appreciated! I see most probably there won't be a Spring Data solution.

A: We're using a base entity (where we set the Id, creation + last change dates,...). Building upon this we're using a generic persistence method, which looks something like this:
@Override
public <E extends BaseEntity> ObjectId persist(E entity) {
    delta(entity);
    mongoDataStore.save(entity);
    return entity.getId();
}

The delta method looks like this (I'll try to make this as generic as possible):
protected <E extends BaseEntity> void delta(E newEntity) {

    // If the entity is null or has no ID, it hasn't been persisted before,
    // so there's no delta to calculate
    if ((newEntity == null) || (newEntity.getId() == null)) {
        return;
    }

    // Get the original entity
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    E oldEntity = (E) mongoDataStore.get(newEntity.getClass(), newEntity.getId());

    // Ensure that the old entity isn't null
    if (oldEntity == null) {
        LOG.error("Tried to compare and persist null objects - this is not allowed");
        return;
    }

    // Get the current user and ensure it is not null
    String email = ...;

    // Calculate the difference
    // We need to fetch the fields from the parent entity as well as they
    // are not automatically fetched
    Field[] fields = ArrayUtils.addAll(newEntity.getClass().getDeclaredFields(),
            BaseEntity.class.getDeclaredFields());
    Object oldField = null;
    Object newField = null;
    StringBuilder delta = new StringBuilder();
    for (Field field : fields) {
        field.setAccessible(true); // We need to access private fields
        try {
            oldField = field.get(oldEntity);
            newField = field.get(newEntity);
        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
            LOG.error("Bad argument given");
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
            LOG.error("Could not access the argument");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        if ((oldField != newField)
                && (((oldField != null) && !oldField.equals(newField)) || ((newField != null) && !newField
                        .equals(oldField)))) {
            delta.append(field.getName()).append(": [").append(oldField).append("] -> [")
                    .append(newField).append("]  ");
        }
    }

    // Persist the difference
    if (delta.length() == 0) {
        LOG.warn("The delta is empty - this should not happen");
    } else {
        DeltaEntity deltaEntity = new DeltaEntity(oldEntity.getClass().toString(),
                oldEntity.getId(), oldEntity.getUuid(), email, delta.toString());
        mongoDataStore.save(deltaEntity);
    }
    return;
}

Our delta entity looks like that (without the getters + setters, toString, hashCode, and equals):
@Entity(value = "delta", noClassnameStored = true)
public final class DeltaEntity extends BaseEntity {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = -2770175650780701908L;

    private String entityClass; // Do not call this className as Morphia will
                            // try to work some magic on this automatically
    private ObjectId entityId;
    private String entityUuid;
    private String userEmail;
    private String delta;

    public DeltaEntity() {
        super();
    }

    public DeltaEntity(final String entityClass, final ObjectId entityId, final String entityUuid,
            final String userEmail, final String delta) {
        this();
        this.entityClass = entityClass;
        this.entityId = entityId;
        this.entityUuid = entityUuid;
        this.userEmail = userEmail;
        this.delta = delta;
    }

Hope this helps you getting started :-)

A: looks like Javers is the right tool for this job, see http://javers.org/documentation/features/#javers-repository
Javers is conceptually a VCS for domain object versioning, backed by JSON and MongoDB

A: This is how I ended up implementing versioning for MongoDB entities. Thanks to the StackOverflow community for helping!

*

*A change log is kept for each entity in a separate history collection.

*To avoid saving a lot of data, the history collection does not store complete instances, but only the first version and differences between versions. (You could even omit the first version and reconstruct the versions "backwards" from the current version in the main collection of the entity.)

*Java Object Diff is used to generate object diffs.

*In order to be able to work with collections correctly, one needs to implement the equals method of the entities so that it tests for the database primary key and not the sub properties. (Otherwise, JavaObjectDiff will not recognize property changes in collection elements.)

Here are the entities I use for versioning (getters/setters etc. removed):
// This entity is stored once (1:1) per entity that is to be versioned
// in an own collection
public class MongoDiffHistoryEntry {
    /* history id */
    private String id;

    /* reference to original entity */
    private String objectId;

    /* copy of original entity (first version) */
    private Object originalObject;

    /* differences collection */
    private List<MongoDiffHistoryChange> differences;

    /* delete flag */
    private boolean deleted;
}

// changeset for a single version
public class MongoDiffHistoryChange {
    private Date historyDate;
    private List<MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem> items;
}

// a single property change
public class MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem {
    /* path to changed property (PropertyPath) */
    private String path;

    /* change state (NEW, CHANGED, REMOVED etc.) */
    private Node.State state;

    /* original value (empty for NEW) */
    private Object base;

    /* new value (empty for REMOVED) */
    private Object modified;
}

Here is the saveChangeHistory operation:
private void saveChangeHistory(Object working, Object base) {
    assert working != null && base != null;
    assert working.getClass().equals(base.getClass());

    String baseId = ObjectUtil.getPrimaryKeyValue(base).toString();
    String workingId = ObjectUtil.getPrimaryKeyValue(working).toString();
    assert baseId != null && workingId != null && baseId.equals(workingId);

    MongoDiffHistoryEntry entry = getObjectHistory(base.getClass(), baseId);
    if (entry == null) {
        //throw new RuntimeException("history not found: " + base.getClass().getName() + "#" + baseId);
        logger.warn("history lost - create new base history record: {}#{}", base.getClass().getName(), baseId);
        saveNewHistory(base);
        saveHistory(working, base);
        return;
    }

    final MongoDiffHistoryChange change = new MongoDiffHistoryChange();
    change.setHistoryDate(new Date());
    change.setItems(new ArrayList<MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem>());

    ObjectDiffer differ = ObjectDifferFactory.getInstance();
    Node root = differ.compare(working, base);
    root.visit(new MongoDiffHistoryChangeVisitor(change, working, base));

    if (entry.getDifferences() == null)
        entry.setDifferences(new ArrayList<MongoDiffHistoryChange>());
    entry.getDifferences().add(change);

    mongoTemplate.save(entry, getHistoryCollectionName(working.getClass()));
}

This is how it looks like in MongoDB:
{
  "_id" : ObjectId("5040a9e73c75ad7e3590e538"),
  "_class" : "MongoDiffHistoryEntry",
  "objectId" : "5034c7a83c75c52dddcbd554",
  "originalObject" : {
      BLABLABLA, including sections collection etc.
  },
  "differences" : [{
      "historyDate" : ISODate("2012-08-31T12:11:19.667Z"),
      "items" : [{
          "path" : "/sections[LetterSection@116a3de]",
          "state" : "ADDED",
          "modified" : {
            "_class" : "LetterSection",
            "_id" : ObjectId("5034c7a83c75c52dddcbd556"),
            "letterId" : "5034c7a83c75c52dddcbd554",
            "sectionIndex" : 2,
            "stringContent" : "BLABLA",
            "contentMimetype" : "text/plain",
            "sectionConfiguration" : "BLUBB"
          }
        }, {
          "path" : "/sections[LetterSection@19546ee]",
          "state" : "REMOVED",
          "base" : {
            "_class" : "LetterSection",
            "_id" : ObjectId("5034c7a83c75c52dddcbd556"),
            "letterId" : "5034c7a83c75c52dddcbd554",
            "sectionIndex" : 2,
            "stringContent" : "BLABLABLA",
            "contentMimetype" : "text/plain",
            "sectionConfiguration" : "BLUBB"
          }
        }]
    }, {
      "historyDate" : ISODate("2012-08-31T13:15:32.574Z"),
      "items" : [{
          "path" : "/sections[LetterSection@44a38a]/stringContent",
          "state" : "CHANGED",
          "base" : "blub5",
          "modified" : "blub6"
        }]
    },
    }],
  "deleted" : false
}

EDIT: Here is the Visitor code:
public class MongoDiffHistoryChangeVisitor implements Visitor {

private MongoDiffHistoryChange change;
private Object working;
private Object base;

public MongoDiffHistoryChangeVisitor(MongoDiffHistoryChange change, Object working, Object base) {
    this.change = change;
    this.working = working;
    this.base = base;
}

public void accept(Node node, Visit visit) {
    if (node.isRootNode() && !node.hasChanges() ||
        node.hasChanges() && node.getChildren().isEmpty()) {
        MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem diffItem = new MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem();
        diffItem.setPath(node.getPropertyPath().toString());
        diffItem.setState(node.getState());

        if (node.getState() != State.UNTOUCHED) {
            diffItem.setBase(node.canonicalGet(base));
            diffItem.setModified(node.canonicalGet(working));
        }

        if (change.getItems() == null)
            change.setItems(new ArrayList<MongoDiffHistoryChangeItem>());
        change.getItems().add(diffItem);
    }
}

}


text:
Cracks show in Nokia-Microsoft partnership
Finnish firm's app VP expresses frustration at slow progress on WP8
By Stephen McBride
Nokia is becoming frustrated with the slow development of Windows 8 for mobile, according to analysts.
Nokia's app development VP, Bryan Biniak, has come close to publicly condemning Microsoft for its sluggish movement on Windows Phone 8.
"As a company we don't want to rely on somebody else and sit and wait for them to get it right," Biniak told International Business Times.
WP8 has drawn criticism as a platform for an ecosystem that is weaker than those of Apple and Samsung. Biniak said Nokia executives were pressing Microsoft for a change in its corporate mindset, away from focus on its financial calendar and towards supporting the mobile OS.
"We are releasing new devices frequently and for every new device, if there is an app that somebody cares about that's not there that's a missed opportunity of a sale," said Biniak, adding that "waiting until the end of your fiscal year when you need to close your targets, doesn't do us any good when I have phones to sell today."
Microsoft's focus has been on the next iteration of Windows Phone, due to be released in early 2014, which is intended to support more powerful handset architectures. But, like many analysts, Biniak argues that smartphone purchase decisions hinge upon software rather than hardware, and that means apps.
"To give you a reason to switch, I need to make sure the apps that you care about on your device are not only on our phones, but are better," he said. "I also need to provide you unique experiences that you can't get on your other devices.
"It's not just about the hardware, it's about the tools that are on the hardware. You can't sell a phone without the apps, you just can't."
The full report on International Business Times can be read here.


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text:
Khosla Ventures Move From Being The Largest To The Controlling Shareholder In CIGS
Mr. Vinod Khosla, an entrepreneur in the field of thin solar films, had shared his research findings with GTM long back in mid-2010. At that time, Solyndra was in business, and there was a large hype regarding thin solar films. Interestingly, Stion had generated most of the hype. Now, however, the condition is different. Mr. Khosla's company – Khosla Ventures – has become the controlling shareholder of the CIGS thin solar film company Stion. There has a steep rise in the funds generated by Khosla Ventures, and though the company will still operate in the stand-alone mode with their existing business model, the shareholder base likely to be modified largely.
In the past, Stion, founded in 2006 as Nstructures, had raised funds to the tune of $200 million from companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Braemar Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures and AVACO. Mr. Khosla had, in 2010, admitted and admired Stion's technical capability in manufacturing high quality thin-film solar panels in a shorter time and less money than anyone else in the industry. In fact, Khosla added that by using funds of less than $50 million they have produced solar panels of 120 to 130 watt panels with a high efficiency of 13 percent. The 2 ft x 5.5 ft panels incorporated circuits which are monolithic in nature, resulting in the increase of efficiency and yield.
Mr. Khosla had also made the observation that Stion had made itself stand out from the rest by reducing the cost of thin films. This fact had always kept Stion a few steps ahead of its competitors, and according to Khosla, this brilliant piece of foresight coupled with innovation is the sole reason for their industrial advancement. This approach has also enabled Stion to stay away from the brutally competitive market of low-margin businesses. This can be a deterrent to the profitability and overall progress of a business.
It is a fact that Benny Buller, who was in Solyndra, had not yet joined Khosla Ventures when the investment was made. However, Stion still produces high efficiency modules at their plant in Mississippi plant. In a recent development, they are going to produce and deliver in excess 5 megawatts by the end of this quarter. According to Tom Cheyney, Stion has projected a high efficiency of 20 percent on Gen 2 prototypes using the "tandem junction" technology.
In an official statement from Stion, they have said that following the transaction of $250,000 with Khosla Ventures, the company has been able to buy all existing assets. However, existing customers will still get the same services as before, and the management and employee bases will remain intact in all plants. Operational procedures at the Hattiesburg, MS plant will be gradually ramped up to meet industry needs. The new funds will also enable increased manufacture and marketability of the "tandem junction" technology. Through the new inflow of funds, shareholders and creditors will stand to benefit. There was a time when Stion was facing hindrances in raising enough funds, in spite of help from Agave Partners and JPMC. However, with the advent of Khosla Ventures, they are all set to hit the market in a bigger way.
Posted in Green Tech


The February meeting has been moved to Monday, Feb 3 at 7pm. The meeting will be at 2612 Ferndale Drive Iowa City.
Start planning and brewing for the 2014 IBU Open Judging is March 29 at Confluence Brewing. Entries, judges and stewards are welcome. http://www.ibuopen.com/ This is the first contest in the IHBOTY circuit.
Saturday, January 25 Begins: 12:00 pm (Brewmaster), 1:00 pm (regular and non-drinking) Ends: 4:00 pm Location: Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center Exhibit Hall, 300 E. 9th St., Coralville, IA Food: Available for purchase, or within walking distance from restaurants Restrictions: Must be at least 21 years old to enter. IDs will be checked.
Congratulations to Scot Schaar of Davenport and a member of MUGZ. Scot entered 3 of the 4 contests and earned a total of 34 points.


Mummy showed me a picture of my best bud, Jäger and I was in awe!
No wonder he can scare off his brother (Snowy, the goldie) easily.
I wanna be like him!!
Maybe this way I can stop being a wuss and finally scare Pecan ah ma off.
So I started practising, hard.
Mummy couldn't stop laughing when I showed her my 'mean' face.
In fact, she kept calling me a "Gu Niang"
I think I look quite vicious ma.
But as usual, Pecan ah ma agrees with her.
She just wouldn't give a damn about me and my 'fierceness' and simply walked away when I confronted her.
Oh well, guess I just have to work harder.


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We at First Financial Capital are proud to offer a number of special purpose loans including automotive center loans in West Hollywood because we understand that car culture dominates the market in Southern California. Nevertheless, regardless of what type of property a borrower is looking for, even for smaller operations such as car wash loans in West Hollywood, they can all benefit from First Financial Capital's loan terms that have been created with the borrower in mind. First Financial Capital, a fully funded commercial real estate lender, provides loans from $1,000,000 to $25,000,000 within the state of California, and loans with a $10,000,000 minimum outside of California.


In 2015, the Slovak military spending, was attributed by 56.2% to Personnel, 20.1% to Procurement & Construction and 19.2% to Operations & Maintenance, with other spending directions receiving much smaller percentages of the available budget.
Slovakia's aerospace sector, as a part of the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector, must be seen in context of both Europe and the entire world. This sector always includes both civil and defence/military elements. On the civil side this sector and its market is cyclical depending on the acquisition plans of airlines, which fluctuate considerably, especially in a period of uncertain economic expectations and global security concerns. On the defence side, demand depends on the defence budgets and procurement policies of governments, which in turn depend on geopolitical developments and the changing perception of threats.
The Security and Defence Industry Association (ZBOP) of the Slovak republic is a national, independent and non-profit association representing the interests of Slovakia's security and defence industry. A comprehensive list of products and services supplied by ZBOP members is available in English.
Predmetom zákazky je poskytovanie služieb pravidelnej mestskej autobusovej dopravy pre potreby cestujúcej verejnosti v meste Nitra. Ďalšie informácie budú uvedené v súťažných podkladoch.


text:
Cans et Cévennes ist eine französische Gemeinde mit  Einwohnern (Stand: ) im Département Lozère in der Region Okzitanien. Sie gehört zum Arrondissement Florac und zum Kanton Le Collet-de-Dèze. Nachbargemeinden sind Florac Trois Rivières im Nordwesten, Pont de Montvert - Sud Mont Lozère im Nordosten, Cassagnas und Barre-des-Cévennes im Westen, Vebron im Süden und Südwesten sowie Florac im Westen.

Sie entstand mit Wirkung vom 1. Januar 2016 als Commune nouvelle durch die Zusammenlegung der bisherigen Gemeinden Saint-Julien-d'Arpaon und Saint-Laurent-de-Trèves. Diese sind seither Communes déléguées.

Gliederung

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Ort in Okzitanien

Gemeindegründung 2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


umm yeah that's a big girl big deal!!
Aww, I hate change too and I remember worrying about every tooth that came out. The times sure have changed, I got $0.50 max when I lost my teeth, although we had this sweet tooth shaped pillow with a little pocket on the front for the tooth and in the morning there would be money in the pocket instead. Definitely a good reason to skip a workout.
Wow! 5.00 - times have changed. I never got more than a few coins and nothing if it had the beginnings of a cavity.
holy moly $5!? Lucky girl :) I think we only got $.50, max.
That is a great event!
1. Terry Hitchcock is so lucky to be interviewed by you. Don't be surprised if a few IHR readers plan a 75-day run expecting the same opportunity.
2. I hope your Princess doesn't bump into any #occupyKindergarten protests because with a payday like that, she's gonna be labeled as the 1%.
3. BIG deal in my life? My son learned how to whistle. Real whistle. That's equal to first-step, first-word, etc. in my house.