text:
Bollywood recreates lesbian love story of Norwegian filmmaker Tonje Gjevjon
By Guest Blogger on December 4, 2015 • ( Leave a comment )
Norwegian actress and director Tonje Gjevjon, might have never thought that her real life love story may one day transcend on the celluloid, and that too in a Bollywood film? But that is now happening!She and her partner, Edith Roth Gjevjon will enact their real life roles on reel life in a forthcoming Bollywood film.Tonje Gjevjon, has an interesting personal story to share that only proves her conviction in making a Gay love story. Tonje met her partner Edith Roth in Bergen at a Lesbian Bar. Edith was a bartender there. The moment Tonje saw Edith, she felt that she was the only girl made for her."I was so wildly attracted to her that I could feel myself going insane. She was in a stripped Tshirt, face like an angel, I knew I was head over heels for her and that we were going to be together for a long time. She was so radiant and sweet. And I knew instinctively that she was the one who I was searching for because my heart finally felt at peace," she quips ecstatically.But at that time Edith was in a relationship with someone else. They both instantly clicked and within couple of months they got married. Now they have been living together for 16 years at Nessodden ( and this summer celebrated being married for 15 years), a beautiful island near Oslo. The island is like a dream world with picturesque nature, calm sea, long trees, flowers blooming everywhere, deers strolling around, and during winters the sea actually freezes into snow. Tonje's parents lives in the neighbouring house.
A source from the film confirms, "We have actually shot in their real house and in the film we have shown them as what they are in real life, a married couple with their real names. To add authenticity we showed their real house as their reel house. Also in a scene we have mentioned how they actually met. This is for the first for any film that real life characters are used for reel life with their actual life story. And seeing them together on the sets, if Intimacy is the act of connecting with someone so deeply, you could feel like you could see into their soul, a perfect example for straight couples!"Director Tonje Gjevjon gushes, "Yes it's true, My Prince charming is a princess, Edith touched my soul tender like morning mist. And we wanted to capture the same sentiments when we were filming Dunno Y2- Life is a moment. It is a brave moment for Bollywood that a mainstream film has a gay theme. Our film has got the purity of FIRE but within the mainstream Bollywood landscape. It's quite big in ambition. World cinema has changed and films with gay love theme are the flavour of the season with highly appreciated films like Blue is the warmest color, Carol etc. doing exceptionally well"
Dunno Y2- Life is a moment is a film on equality rights. It conveys a message that love is above gender, race, religion or human boundaries. It is a film which celebrates human rights. It is a love story between Aryan and Ashley, two boys. In Part One Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyun, Aryan and Ashley fell in love, but it had a tragic ending. But Dunno Y2- Life Is a Moment has moved on to celebration. This film is mainly important for Human Rights worldwide, as this is the first Indian film which will have two men getting married. It becomes even more complex, as one is a Pakistani Muslim and the other, an Indian Hindu. If the conditions of LGBT rights in India are bad, in Pakistan it is at its worst. The film is set in Norway, where same sex marriage is legal from ages. It is the first Indian Norwegian collaboration, an international film with international crew and actors.The film stars me (Kapil Sharma), Yuvraaj Parashar, Zeenat Aman, Pakistani actress Meera, Sadia Khan, a host of European actors, directed by Norwegian director Tonje Gjevjon and Indian director Sanjay Sharma. The sequel is a musical romantic comedy in three languages Hindi, English and Norwegian.The film releasing on Sept 17, 2005, co-incides with the release of the highly anticipated Roland Emerich's LGBT film Stonewall that kick-started the modern day gay movement. The stonewall riots is often regarded as the birthplace of the LGBT movement.
Categories: Kapil Sharma
Tagged as: Bollywood lesbian love story, Gay Bollywood, LGBT
The Priyanka Chopra Effect On Houston
Confessions of a reluctant Bollywood Editor


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text:
Telescopes, etc
Opposition Loop Of Mars, 2010
Here's an easy astronomy project that requires only a simple, inexpensive digital camera and a star atlas, yet produces very pleasing results!
It's well known that the noun planet comes from the Greek πλανητης meaning wanderer. A superior planet (orbiting at a greater distance from the Sun than the Earth) generally moves through the heavens prograde (in the direction of increasing RA). However, around the time of opposition, as the Earth in its orbit catches up with and overtakes the planet, the latter appears to become momentarily stationary, then move retrograde (in the direction of decreasing RA) for a period before again becoming momentarily stationary and then resuming prograde motion. As the orbits of the Earth and the superior planet are not coplanar, this results in the planet appearing to describe a loop in the sky.
Mars, being the closest of the superior planets to the Earth, displays the most pronounced opposition loop. The planet began the opposition loop of its 2009-10 apparition on 22 December 2009 and resumed prograde motion on 11 March 2010. In January 2010, once the planet became conveniently placed for evening observation, I began a project to photograph the remaining portion of its opposition loop. I used an inexpensive digital camera to photograph Mars against the background sky on every clear evening, starting on 17 January, and then analysed the images to estimate the coordinates of Mars and plot its motion against the background stars.
After a little experimentation, I adopted the following regime. Initially, Mars was bright enough to be seen in the camera viewfinder and I was therefore easily able to aim the camera. On each evening, I took four or five images with exposures in the range 2s - 16s, with the camera set to maximum aperture, maximum sensitivity (1600 ASA) and x5 optical zoom. The camera was mounted on a tripod, and the longer exposures resulted in appreciable trailing of the stars and planet. Generally, depending on the amount of haze in the sky, an exposure of 4s - 8s proved optimal: exposures of this length generally recorded stars to magnitude nine or so (considerably fainter on clear nights), yielded a good density of comparison stars close to the planet, resulted in a sky background of acceptable darkness and limited the length of trailing to an acceptable extent. In the later weeks of the project, once Mars was far from opposition and had become much fainter, it was not visible in the camera viewfinder and in order to locate it I had to take several images of circa 4s exposure, starting with a wide angle view and progressively increasing the magnification in two or three stages, after each adjusting the aim of the camera as necessary, before capturing the final images with x5 optical zoom.
I used the Paint Shop Pro graphics package to read the pixel coordinates of Mars and two nearby stars from each image, then consulted ESA's Hipparcos and Tycho electronic star catalogues to provide the coordinates of the stars, after which it only remained to use a spreadsheet to calculate the coordinates of Mars from those of the stars.
The chart below shows the results. Each red diamond represents one estimate of the position of Mars. The background stars are plotted from the Hipparcos and Tycho star catalogues, with magnitude indicated by size (larger dots represent brighter stars). At the time of the first positional estimate, 17 January 2010, Mars was in Cancer, already approximately one month into its opposition loop. Thereafter, Mars continued its retrograde motion, making its closest approach to the Earth at a distance of 99,330,000 km on 27 January and coming to opposition on 29 January. (At opposition, the planet shone prominently at magnitude -1.3, by far the brightest object in its region of the sky.) On 07 February, Mars passed 4° N of M44 (Praesepe). In early March, Mars' apparent motion slowed, and on 11 March it became momentarily stationary and then resumed prograde motion. Its speed then increased; on 15 April it passed just 2° N of M44 and on 12 May it passed from Cancer back into Leo, thereafter continuing its prograde motion.
The chart contains a few aberrant estimates that deviate from the otherwise smooth motion of the planet. The worst offender is the estimate on 03 April. On that evening, the sky was very hazy and only the brighter stars were visible. This forced me to use stars distant from the planet to estimate the position of the latter, and I believe that distortion in the edge field of the camera introduced inaccuracies in the positional estimate.
Original: Newsletter July 2010

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Access For All At Wexford Swimming Pool As Poolpod Lift Installed
Wexford County Council Enabling mobility for all swimmers in 2018
County Wexford Skills & Training Expo:
County Wexford Chambers, in collaboration with the Regional Skills Forum and Wexford Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), are hosting the County Wexford Skills & Training Expo on Wednesday 13th June 2018 from 9:00am-1:00pm in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy.
Poolpod installed in Wexford Swimming Pool & Leisure, Ferrybank, Wexford
Access For All In Wexford Swimming Pool
Wexford County Council awarded 9 Blue Flags and 8 Green Coast awards
Tuesday, 22nd May 2018
Top Marks for Wexford Beaches and Marinas at National Awards Wexford County Council awarded 9 Blue Flags including first Blue Flag for Carne Beach.
Warning: Current Email Scam
Wexford County Council have been made aware of fraudulent emails purporting to come from a Wexford County Council email address seeking personal information in connection with a Revenue tax refund or seeking credit/debit card details. This email did not originate in Wexford County Council and should be deleted.
Enniscorthy to host County Wexford's first Africa Day
Wexford County Council Press Release – Thursday 17 May, 2018. On Friday, 25th May, 2018 Wexford's first ever Africa Day will be celebrated at The Presentation Centre, Enniscorthy, from 12.00 to 2.30 p.m.
Wexford County Council Press Statement 16 May 2018, Council responds to Transparency International Report
Wednesday, 16th May 2018
Council responds to Transparency International Report
New Cycling route for Southeast as The Nine Stones Cycle Loop is launched
The Nine Stones Cycling Loop Trail is a County Wexford-based Cycling Trail within the Wexford Trails family together with Wexford Walking Trails, Wexford Garden Trail, Wexford Craft Trail & Wexford Heritage Trail. While the Nine Stones Cycle Loop Trail traverses County Wexford for the most part, it also enters parts of neighbouring counties Carlow and Wicklow.
Spotlight On New Council Housing As Ministers Visits Wexford
Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English, T.D. visited the village of Oylegate County Wexford on Friday last, 11 May 2018 to officially open two specially designed family homes funded by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Two families can now look forward to a fresh start in these new homes which will cater for their specific family needs.
Minister announces €15 million funding for Rural Towns and Villages
Wednesday, 9th May 2018
Minister Michael Ring announces €15 million in funding for Rural Towns and Villages throughout Ireland Up to 200 rural towns and villages to benefit over the next 15 months
Sheriff Seizes Goods at Carrig-on-Bannow Pub
Tuesday, 8th May 2018
Council takes action following failure to pay Commercial Rates Tuesday 8 May, 2018.
Enniscorthy Industries Exhibition
Thursday, 26th April 2018
Wexford County Council invites you to visit the newly-opened "Enniscorthy Industries" Exhibition now on view at Enniscorthy Castle. "Enniscorthy Industries" is a fascinating look back at Enniscorthy's proud industrial heritage, and includes artefacts and photographs from such well-known employers as Breen's Carriage Factory, Letts, Donohoe's and the Davis and Roche families.
President Higgins joins hundreds in Wexford to commerate the death of John Redmond
Monday, 16th April 2018
Wexford Remember …….. President Higgins joins hundreds in Wexford to commerate the death of John Redmond Press Release - 15th April 2018 This morning Sunday 15 April Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D Higgins was in Wexford Town for a day of commemoration to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of one of Wexford's most famous figures, John Redmond.
€10m SICAP funding brings hope to Wexford's disadvantaged
Monday, 26th March 2018
Press Release – Monday 26 March, 2018. An ambitious countywide project to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment in County Wexford reached a major milestone today when the 2018 – 2022 SICAP contract was signed between Wexford County Council, Wexford Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and Wexford Local Development at County Hall, Wexford.
€13 million approved for Wexford Social Housing
Wexford Country Council's Social Housing Programme has received a major boost following the news that the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has approved the purchase by the Council of 57 houses in two social housing turnkey projects.
Minister Josepha Madigan launches Wexford Arts Plan
Today Monday 12 March, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Ms Josepha Madigan, TD launched Wexford County Council's Arts Plan – 'Advancing the Arts' 2018 – 2022. The launch took place at the Council's headquarters at Carricklawn, Wexford.
St Patrick's Day Parade Times across the County
St Patrick's Day Parade Times across the County Wexford Town 10:45 am Enniscorthy 1:00 pm New Ross 1:00 pm Gorey 2:45 pm Wexford Town Road Closures The following roads will be closed in Wexford Town on Saturday 17th March From 9:15 am - Mauldlintown & William Street
Hinkley Point - Notice of Transboundary Environmental Public Consultation
Wednesday, 21st February 2018
Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant, Bridgwater, Somerset, United Kingdom Why is this consultation being undertaken?
Terra Nostra - Exhibition exploring landscape past and present
Opening night postponed to 9th March 2018. Curated by Karla Sanchez 2nd March – 27th April 2018 Wexford County Council Buildings, Carricklawn, Wexford The Arts Department of Wexford County Council is delighted to present Terra Nostra, an exhibition exploring landscape (memory, imagination, perception) and the relationships we have to land.
Council Declares Hi-tech War on Litter
Use of Mobile CCTV, Drones and Satellite Technology to Identify Offenders In response to concerns that litter offences may be on the increase across the County Wexford, Wexford County Council has launched a series of initiatives aimed at identifying and prosecuting those responsible.


text:
package org.aanguita.jacuzzi.io.serialization.localstorage;

import org.aanguita.jacuzzi.concurrency.LockMap;
import org.aanguita.jacuzzi.io.serialization.activejdbcsupport.ActiveJDBCController;
import org.aanguita.jacuzzi.objects.Util;
import org.javalite.activejdbc.DB;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.lang.reflect.Method;
import java.util.*;
import java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;
import java.util.stream.Stream;

/**
 * A local storage implementation backed by SQLite 3 databases. Data access is performed via the ActiveJDBC orm
 * <p>
 * A write-through cache is maintained for all written data, so accessions do not go to the database.
 *
 * todo put IOException upon loading not existing path?
 */
public class LocalStorage {

    private static class TableField {

        final String name;

        final String type;

        public TableField(String name, String type) {
            this.name = name;
            this.type = type;
        }
    }

    static final String DATABASE = "jacuzzi_localStorage";

    static final String METADATA_TABLE = DATABASE + "_metadata";

    static final String ITEMS_TABLE = DATABASE + "_items";

    private static final TableField ID = new TableField("id", "INTEGER NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT");

    private static final TableField LS_VERSION = new TableField("ls_version", "TEXT");

    private static final TableField CREATION_DATE = new TableField("creation_date", "INTEGER");

    private static final TableField NAME = new TableField("id", "TEXT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY");

    private static final TableField STRING_ITEM = new TableField("string_item", "TEXT");

    private static final TableField INTEGER_ITEM = new TableField("integer_item", "INTEGER");

    private static final TableField REAL_ITEM = new TableField("real_item", "REAL");

    private static final String CATEGORY_SEPARATOR = "@/-CAT-/@";

    private static final String LIST_SEPARATOR = "\n";

    public static final String CURRENT_VERSION = "0.1.0";

    /**
     * Path to the local database
     */
    private final String path;

    private final Map<String, String> stringItems;

    private final Map<String, Boolean> booleanItems;

    private final Map<String, Byte> byteItems;

    private final Map<String, Short> shortItems;

    private final Map<String, Integer> integerItems;

    private final Map<String, Long> longItems;

    private final Map<String, Float> floatItems;

    private final Map<String, Double> doubleItems;

    private final Map<String, Date> dateItems;

    private static final LockMap<String> locks = new LockMap<>();

    public LocalStorage(String path) {
        this.path = path;
        stringItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        booleanItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        byteItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        shortItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        integerItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        longItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        floatItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        doubleItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
        dateItems = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());
    }

    public static LocalStorage createNew(String path) throws IOException {
        DB db = ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        db.exec("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS " + METADATA_TABLE);
        db.exec("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS " + ITEMS_TABLE);

        StringBuilder create = new StringBuilder("CREATE TABLE ").append(METADATA_TABLE).append("(");
        appendField(create, ID, false);
        appendField(create, LS_VERSION, false);
        appendField(create, CREATION_DATE, true);
        db.exec(create.toString());

        create = new StringBuilder("CREATE TABLE ").append(ITEMS_TABLE).append("(");
        // todo add index to name
        appendField(create, NAME, false);
        appendField(create, STRING_ITEM, false);
        appendField(create, INTEGER_ITEM, false);
        appendField(create, REAL_ITEM, true);
        db.exec(create.toString());

        Metadata Metadata = new Metadata();
        Metadata.setString(LS_VERSION.name, CURRENT_VERSION);
        Metadata.setLong(CREATION_DATE.name, new Date().getTime());
        Metadata.saveIt();

        ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        return new LocalStorage(path);
    }

    private static void appendField(StringBuilder create, TableField field, boolean isFinal) {
        create.append(field.name).append(" ").append(field.type);
        if (isFinal) {
            create.append(")");
        } else {
            create.append(",");
        }
    }

    private Metadata getMetadata() {
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        try {
            return (Metadata) Metadata.findAll().get(0);
        } finally {
            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        }
    }

    private Item getItem(String name, boolean create) {
        // must be previously connected
        Item item = Item.findFirst(NAME.name + " = ?", name);
        if (item == null && create) {
            item = new Item();
            item.setString(NAME.name, name);
            item.insert();
        }
        return item;
    }

    public String getPath() {
        return path;
    }

    public String getLocalStorageVersion() {
        return getMetadata().getString(LS_VERSION.name);
    }

    public Date getCreationDate() {
        Long date = getMetadata().getLong(CREATION_DATE.name);
        return date != null ? new Date(date) : null;
    }

    public int itemCount() {
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        try {
            return Item.count().intValue();
        } finally {
            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        }
    }

//    public List<String> keys() {
//        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
//        try {
//            return Item.findAll().stream().map(model -> model.getString(NAME.name)).collect(Collectors.toList());
//        } finally {
//            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
//        }
//    }
//
//    public List<String> keys(String category) {
//        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
//        try {
//            return Item.where(ID.name + " LIKE ?", category + "%").stream().map(model -> model.getString(NAME.name)).map(categoryAndName -> extractName(category, categoryAndName)).collect(Collectors.toList());
//        } finally {
//            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
//        }
//    }

    public List<String> keys(String... categories) {
        String preKey = generateName("", categories);
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        try {
            return Item.where(ID.name + " LIKE ?", preKey + "%").stream()
                    .map(model -> model.getString(NAME.name))
                    .map(fullKey -> fullKey.substring(preKey.length()))
                    .filter(key -> !key.contains(CATEGORY_SEPARATOR))
                    .collect(Collectors.toList());
        } finally {
            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        }
    }

    public Set<String> categories(String... categories) {
        String preKey = generateName("", categories);
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        try {
            return Item.where(ID.name + " LIKE ?", preKey + "%").stream()
                    .map(model -> model.getString(NAME.name))
                    .map(fullKey -> fullKey.substring(preKey.length()))
                    .filter(key -> key.contains(CATEGORY_SEPARATOR))
                    .map(key -> key.substring(0, key.indexOf(CATEGORY_SEPARATOR)))
                    .collect(Collectors.toSet());
        } finally {
            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        }
    }

    public boolean containsItem(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        connect(name);
        try {
            return getItem(name, false) != null;
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void removeItem(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                item.delete();
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void clear() {
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        try {
            Item.deleteAll();
            stringItems.clear();
            booleanItems.clear();
            byteItems.clear();
            shortItems.clear();
            integerItems.clear();
            longItems.clear();
            floatItems.clear();
            doubleItems.clear();
            dateItems.clear();
        } finally {
            ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
        }
    }

    private <E> E loadCache(Map<String, E> cache, String name, E value) {
        cache.put(name, value);
        return value;
    }

    private void connect(String name) {
        ActiveJDBCController.connect(DATABASE, path);
        getLock(name).lock();
    }

    private void disconnect(String name) {
        getLock(name).unlock();
        ActiveJDBCController.disconnect();
    }

    private Lock getLock(String name) {
        return locks.getLock(path + name);
    }

    public String getString(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (stringItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return stringItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(stringItems, name, item != null ? item.getString(STRING_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setString(String name, String value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        String storedValue = getString(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(stringItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setString(STRING_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Boolean getBoolean(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (booleanItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return booleanItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(booleanItems, name, item != null ? item.getBoolean(INTEGER_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setBoolean(String name, Boolean value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Boolean storedValue = getBoolean(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(booleanItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setBoolean(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Byte getByte(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (byteItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return byteItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(byteItems, name, item != null ? item.getInteger(INTEGER_ITEM.name).byteValue() : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setByte(String name, Byte value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Byte storedValue = getByte(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(byteItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setInteger(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Short getShort(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (shortItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return shortItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(shortItems, name, item != null ? item.getShort(INTEGER_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setShort(String name, Short value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Short storedValue = getShort(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(shortItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setShort(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Integer getInteger(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (integerItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return integerItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(integerItems, name, item != null ? item.getInteger(INTEGER_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setInteger(String name, Integer value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Integer storedValue = getInteger(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(integerItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setInteger(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Long getLong(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (longItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return longItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(longItems, name, item != null ? item.getLong(INTEGER_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setLong(String name, Long value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Long storedValue = getLong(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(longItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setLong(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Float getFloat(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (floatItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return floatItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(floatItems, name, item != null ? item.getFloat(REAL_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setFloat(String name, Float value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Float storedValue = getFloat(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(floatItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setFloat(REAL_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Double getDouble(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (doubleItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return doubleItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                return loadCache(doubleItems, name, item != null ? item.getDouble(REAL_ITEM.name) : null);
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setDouble(String name, Double value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Double storedValue = getDouble(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(doubleItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setDouble(REAL_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public Date getDate(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        if (dateItems.containsKey(name)) {
            return dateItems.get(name);
        } else {
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, false);
                if (item != null) {
                    Long date = item.getLong(INTEGER_ITEM.name);
                    return loadCache(dateItems, name, date != null ? new Date(date) : null);
                } else {
                    return null;
                }
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        }
    }

    public boolean setDate(String name, Date value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        Date storedValue = getDate(name);
        if (value == null || !Util.equals(value, storedValue)) {
            loadCache(dateItems, name, value);
            connect(name);
            try {
                Item item = getItem(name, true);
                item.setLong(INTEGER_ITEM.name, value);
                saveItem(item);
                return true;
            } finally {
                disconnect(name);
            }
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public <E> E getEnum(String name, Class<E> enum_, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        try {
            String str = getString(name);
            if (str != null) {
                Method valueOf = enum_.getMethod("valueOf", String.class);
                return (E) valueOf.invoke(null, str);
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            // cannot happen
            // todo fatal error
            return null;
        }
    }

    public <E> boolean setEnum(String name, Class<E> enum_, E value, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        try {
            Method getName = enum_.getMethod("name");
            return setString(name, (String) getName.invoke(value));
        } catch (Exception e) {
            // cannot happen
            // todo fatal error
            return false;
        }
    }

    public List<String> getStringList(String name, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            return item != null ? deserializeList(item.getString(STRING_ITEM.name)) : null;
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setStringList(String name, List<String> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Boolean> getBooleanList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Boolean> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Boolean.parseBoolean(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setBooleanList(String name, List<Boolean> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Byte> getByteList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Byte> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Byte.parseByte(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setByteList(String name, List<Byte> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Short> getShortList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Short> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Short.parseShort(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setShortList(String name, List<Short> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Integer> getIntegerList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Integer> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Integer.parseInt(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setIntegerList(String name, List<Integer> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Long> getLongList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Long> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Long.parseLong(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setLongList(String name, List<Long> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Float> getFloatList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Float> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Float.parseFloat(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setFloatList(String name, List<Float> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Double> getDoubleList(String name, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                List<Double> values = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    values.add(Double.parseDouble(str));
                }
                return values;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public void setDoubleList(String name, List<Double> list, String... categories) {
        setList(name, list, categories);
    }

    public List<Date> getDateList(String name, String... categories) {
        List<Long> longList = getLongList(name, categories);
        if (longList != null) {
            List<Date> list = new ArrayList<>();
            for (long value : longList) {
                list.add(new Date(value));
            }
            return list;
        } else {
            return null;
        }
    }

    public void setDateList(String name, List<Date> list, String... categories) {
        List<Long> longList = new ArrayList<>();
        for (Date date : list) {
            longList.add(date.getTime());
        }
        setLongList(name, longList, categories);
    }

    public <E> List<E> getEnumList(String name, Class<E> enum_, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, false);
            if (item != null) {
                Method valueOf = enum_.getMethod("valueOf", String.class);
                List<E> enumValues = new ArrayList<>();
                for (String str : getStringList(name, categories)) {
                    enumValues.add((E) valueOf.invoke(null, str));
                }
                return enumValues;
            } else {
                return null;
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            // cannot happen
            // todo fatal error
            return null;
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    public <E> void setEnumList(String name, Class<E> enum_, List<E> list, String... categories) {
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, true);
            Method getName = enum_.getMethod("name");
            List<String> strList = new ArrayList<>();
            for (E value : list) {
                strList.add((String) getName.invoke(value));
            }
            setString(name, serializeList(strList), categories);
            saveItem(item);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            // cannot happen
            // todo fatal error
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    private void saveItem(Item item) {
        item.saveIt();
    }

    private void setList(String name, List<?> list, String... categories) {
        name = generateName(name, categories);
        connect(name);
        try {
            Item item = getItem(name, true);
            item.setString(STRING_ITEM.name, serializeList(list));
            saveItem(item);
        } finally {
            disconnect(name);
        }
    }

    private String serializeList(List<?> list) {
        if (list.isEmpty()) {
            return "";
        } else {
            StringBuilder serList = new StringBuilder(LIST_SEPARATOR);
            for (Object item : list) {
                serList.append(item.toString()).append(LIST_SEPARATOR);
            }
            return serList.toString();
        }
    }

    private List<String> deserializeList(String value) {
        value = value == null ? "" : value;
        StringTokenizer tokenizer = new StringTokenizer(value, LIST_SEPARATOR);
        List<String> list = new ArrayList<>();
        while (tokenizer.hasMoreTokens()) {
            list.add(tokenizer.nextToken());
        }
        return list;
    }

//    private static String generateName(String category, String name) {
//        return category + name;
//    }

    private static String generateName(String name, String... categories) {
        StringBuilder catBuilder = new StringBuilder();
        Stream.of(categories).forEach(cat -> catBuilder.append(generateCategory(cat)));
        return catBuilder.append(name).toString();
    }

    private static String generateCategory(String category) {
        return category + CATEGORY_SEPARATOR;
    }

    private static String extractName(String category, String categoryAndName) {
        return categoryAndName.substring(category.length());
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Bauge Little town of the Loire in France is located east of Angers at 280 km from Paris. The place is well-known for its Chateau, one of the nicest castles to visit in france and Bauge Opera festival.
A little bit of history: an important battle happened here in 1421, between the English Army and the Franco-scots. A major defeat for the English.
The Castle was built in the 15th century by Rene d'Anjou for his mother Yolande d'Aragon. A guided tour is available. Also a virtual tour with sound, light and image is opened in the attic. Don't miss the apothecary's shop, one of the most beautiful apothecaries in France.
The Chapelle de la Girouardiere where you can admire the sumptuous cross (known to be a fragment of the True Cross of Christ) is made with precious stones by Louis I d'Anjou. and became the the cross of Lorraine in the late 15th century.
The Opera Festival of Baugé is happening during the Summer between July and August. In the program, there are famous operas, Les Noces du Figaro, Madama Butterfly. You find also concerts during the festival.


text:
Who should be allowed to vote in Alaska elections?
Featured September 28, 2022
By Quinn Townsend – Alaska Policy Forum Voting is a fundamental right and duty of American citizens. It is so important that enfranchisement is protected by four separate U.S. Constitutional amendments (the 15th, the 19th, the 24th, and
ELECTION INTEGRITY: Despite declining population Alaska has skyrocketing voter rolls
Alaska's election system has been plagued by bloated voter rolls for years. The mounting problem is rife for election fraud, especially with regards to absentee voting. The difficulties are perhaps most clearly illustrated when contrasting Alaska's
As censorship police close in, we must redouble the defense of freedom
Culture January 18, 2021
A liberal-minded person was once understood to be someone who invited vigorous debate over controversial ideas, someone who listened to opposing arguments and calmly followed the logic wherever it led – even if that meant rethinking one's core
State responds to questions about the integrity of Alaska's vote
Politics November 24, 2020
The Alaska Division of Elections, under Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, recently posted answers to frequently asked questions it has received about the security and integrity of the recent 2020 general election in Alaska. The answers dealt with questions regarding the
Change.org deletes petition asking Alaska to ban controversial Dominion voting machines
After quickly amassing more than 550 online signatures, a petition asking the State of Alaska to ban the use of controversial Dominion voting machines was abruptly removed from the Change.org website. The petition states: "We the undersigned are voting
Proofs of a stolen election
Featured November 9, 2020
So, let's see. Have presidential elections been stolen before? The answer might surprise you: without a doubt. A friend of mine, being too generous, recently told me that stealing an election would involve such a tremendous amount of chicanery on a scale so
Rep. Young helps introduce emergency act to protect voting integrity
Freedom August 4, 2020
Rep. Don Young joined nine other U.S. House members in introduced emergency legislation to help states ensure that those who want to vote in person can do so safely while also making mail-in voting more secure by cleaning state voter rolls. The Emergency
Despite fraud concern, Mat-Su to consider mail-in only voting for 2020
Politics June 1, 2020
Despite concerns about the security and integrity of mail-in only voting, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly will consider a resolution at its June 2 meeting to halt in-person voting for the 2020 regular election this fall. Assembly Members Dan Mayfield and Tam
Rep. LeDoux denies criminal charges of voter misconduct
Crime March 13, 2020
Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage, and two others have been charged with voter misconduct by the State of Alaska. Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson announced March 13 that criminal charges were filed against Rep. LeDoux, Lisa (Vaught) Simpson, and Caden


text:
require("babel-register");
var app = require("./app.js");


As many of you know, I teach middle school science at a I.S.A.S. School in New Orleans. I currently teach 6th grade Earth Science, 7th grade Physical Science, and 8th grade Life Science. My teaching career has taken me from the Junior Highs of Thibodaux to my current job in the Lakeview area of New Orleans. I am fortunate to have taught at such great schools.
A number of followers have asked, so today I am sharing my science lab classroom with you. Check it out!
From the lab tables to the expansive cabinets, this classroom has science written all over it.
Take a look at the bulletin board listing all my students.
Check out how I like to use actual photos as a backsplash along the cabinet walls. The students and parents just love this inexpensive accent. Students love to see their pictures and their work.
Poster projects on sea-life by the 6th grade Earth Science students hang from the light fixtures and flood the room with color and creativity. The front of the classroom has a modern SMART board and a good ole dry erase board.
The rear corner of the room houses a place for my desk.
The hallway that leads to the science lab is also filled with student work and photos by grade level. The hallway sets the tone for what to expect in my classroom.
The outside view of the science lab from the blacktop features more marine life poster projects.
Let the countdown begin (19 days to go), y'all!
love your classroom! I teach 3rd grade and I can tell that yours is a room full of creativity, inquisitiveness, and learning!
I agree your thoughts here about our senior community living which they need it during their retirement period. So thanks for this info you share.


What a busy month it has been so far.
Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa in conjunction with Lanterns Restaurant have sponsored money towards the buying of formula for the orphanage at Tu Bong but we have also been building a garden at the orphanage, so they can be more self sufficient in the future.
A group of 20 people volunteered to help us to build the garden including some students from Nha Trang University Hello English club as well as friends of ours. We planted pumpkin, tomatoes, cucumber, beans, lettuce and some other vegetables. We worked very hard digging the garden and then Steven and Ian were able to do some repairs to the watering system so now the vegetables will get proper watering. It will be very exciting to watch the vegetables grow.
We have a new baby at the orphanage who is doing very well. He has so much hair it is amazing.
All the other children are doing very well. Tai and Đức will be walking very soon and Phuc seems to be so much happier. Lisa Lim has been doing some work with him as well as the stretches we are doing and he is also up in the pram that Donna Marshall gave to us,he loves being able to see all the children better. It is wonderful to see the children pushing him around in the pram and him smiling.
Laurent Casternet and the staff at Intercontinental Hotel donated some toys, clothes and nappies which were very welcome. Tai, Đức and Trong especially loved the pig and lady bug soft toys.
We are very blessed to have so many people helping and working together so these children have a chance for a better future.
We would like to thank Lisa, Ian, Mariska, Antone, Louise, ... For helping us with the garden and Bela, Lisa, Ian and Hang for coming up with me the following week to plant some extra vegetables.
What a great day we had yesterday.
The weather was perfect. We loaded up a bus with a great group of people and a few bikes, with a stop for breakfast along the way we made it to Tu Bong before 9am. A brief play with the children and then we started our gardening.
It's amazing how hard the ground gets so quickly. It was quite hard work but we were able to make quite a few garden beds. Steven was able to fix the watering system so we had sprinklers to keep our vegetables growing. It got very hot very quick but everyone continued to work, joking and chatting making the time go so quickly.
The ladies at the orphanage cooked us a wonderful lunch even though there was no electricity, we had worked up a big appetite. We planted tomatoes and cucumber in the garden beds in front of the orphanage thanks to the hard work of Lisa, Louise, Dung and Mariska.
We planted pumpkin, beans, okra, bok choy and a herbal leaf in the gardens in the main area with more gardens ready for more vegetables in the weeks to come. The boys all worked so hard digging, it was a very full and busy day with an amazing amount of work done.
Even though everyone was tired and hot they still wanted to have a look around the beautiful grounds of the temple. We left at 6:30am and got back at 4:30pm a very tired, some a bit sunburnt, group of people.
We made new friends, practised some English, learnt about gardening but hopefully started the process that enables the babies to have better nutrition for a better future.
We couldn't have don't it without the help of all the wonderful volunteers who came with us. Thank you to Hải, Hiền, Thảo, Thế, Thoa, Liền, Sơn, Mimi, Janny, Lisa, Ian, Anton, Mariska, Louise Dung and Steve.
It will be so exciting to watch the vegetables grow.
Janny and I went for a quick trip up to the orphanage to prepare for the upcoming gardening trip.
Of course while we were there we spent time playing with the children.The car that Ian and Lisa bought was in much demand. Hau is pushing Đức around on it and Tai wanted to be pushed as well.
Tai and Đức were up walking and pushing some special walkers that they have. They will be walking by themselves soon.
We have a beautiful new boy, just a week old and his name will be Lộc. His feet and toes are so tiny.
Phuoc is growing so quickly. He is so much bigger, smiling and kicking and loves to watch the other children play.
Hien had a great big sleep and only woke up an hour before we left. The twins were running and playing with all the blocks and Trong seemed really happy playing with them.
There were 3 people from Offir Un Toit visiting. It was lovely to have lunch and talk with them. We discussed the garden and building the sandpit.
After lunch Giac Hanh took us for a drive up the mountain on the road he has been building. The views are spectacular from up there. It was still raining a bit so it wasn't as clear as it could be. After the mountain trip Giac Hanh took Janny and I to the hardware shop in Van Gia so we could buy the shovels, hoes and hand tools we will need for the garden. We were able to discuss different types of organic mulch. I can't wait to start the garden on Sunday. Hopefully the weather will be good.
Together we can make a diffirent.
What a great day on Sunday at Hashtaglunchbag.
We went a little early to help practise English with the University Students who do such a great job helping each time we do #hashtaglunchbag. Lisa and Ian came along for the first time and enjoyed themselves.
Zallo Group supplied the food for the meals.We put together 600 meals and then they were taken out to three different locations. SOS a government run orphanage, Linh Quang which is a poor community at the back of Nha Trang and a third place that I can't remember.
It was a lot of fun with laughing and joking and of course many pictures taken. We haven't done #hashtaglunchbag for a few months because of Christmas and then TET so it was great to catch up with everyone.
Thank you very much MiMi, Dung, Janny, Ian, Lisa and of course Steve for coming along.
What a great day we had on Sunday. Lisa and Ian Lim wanted to go back to the orphanage. We left at 7:30am by car and were able to be there before 9am in time for lots of cuddles and playing.
Ian and Lisa had bought a ride on car the perfect size for most of the children and they absolutely loved it. It was able to be converted to a walker for Đức, Tai and Trong to use as well. Duc used it and was so surprised to be able to walk a bit with it. He even stood for about 10 secs by himself and them sat down suddenly with such a surprised look on his face it was hilarious.
Under the car is a storage area and they love packing and unpacking it. They are so surprised each time to open it and see the things still in there. Lisa was able to do some work with Phuc. I am really hopeful that we can do some more work for him. If we can help with stimulation and help his gut working he will be so much more comfortable.
Lisa and Ian had bought a beautiful sparkly scooter for Se so she has something just for her and doesn't need to share it with the babies. She was very shy and I am sure soon we will see her whizzing around on it, hopefully outside.
Some good news. It looks like Truong (our ten year old boy) is back with his family. Their financial circumstances must have changed. I do hope it is a permanent and happy change for him. He was starting to really become much happier and more interactive. He is a very quick learner who loved to build things and do puzzles and his English was really starting to improve. I hope it all goes well for him but we will miss him.
Janny and I had bought vegetables which we steamed and pured. Enough for two weeks. I bought some big IceCube trays and divided the food into portions. Hopefully enough Vege's for 2 weeks for them. We fed them some of the vegetables with a little rice for lunch. Hau certainly didn't like the taste but all the others seemed to enjoy it except Đức wasn't too keen on the carrots. Hopefully they will be encouraged to increase the amount of vegetable content in the children's diets. It's not normal in Vietnam to each so many vegetables. Rather they eat a lot of rice. I know this change is a big thing but hopefully little by little it will happen. I think it will be much easier when we grow our own vegetables.
We returned back to Nha Trang when they went to sleep. 10 very tired babies in their beds and 4 very tired adults in the car. Always busy up there but always an amazing and fulfilling time. Little things all add up to make a big difference.
Thank you Lisa and Ian for the toys and your time. Thank you Janny for coming up with us on your day off.
I was contacted through withlocals. com by some people who were staying at Vinpearl who wanted to come to the orphanage. Louise and Nick Holmes are a lovely couple from Australia who are on a holiday in Vietnam and wanted to help the less fortunate whilst visiting.
We went to the orphanage by car and stopped at the shop where we buy formula from in Tu Bong on the way so Nick and Louise could buy formula and some other supplies for the children. We were able to take up the pram and toy bike that Donna Marshall gave us. The pram was a great hit with Phuc. He loved sitting up and hopefully it will make it easier for him to see what is happening around him more.
Nick had a bit of a job trying to work out how to unlock the breaks that I had put on. Hau, Hien and Hieu loved the bike. They can't quite reach the peddles but loved being pushed around and were fascinated by the storage at the back of it. Packing and unpacking it.
Louise found a special friend in Trong who fell asleep in her arms and Nick was great with all the kids patiently pushing them around on the bike and pushing Phuc around in the pram. Louise helped with feeding the children always a challenge to keep them focused with so much going on around them and they just want to play.
Nick was pushing Hien and Hieu on the bike and Đức and Tai were following him in their walkers, it was so funny, it looked like follow the leader.
It was very exciting to see the two new staff who have just started.
It was a great day and as usual very difficult to leave.
Thank you Donna Marshall once again for the pram and toy bike, Hang for the carton of milk (fantastic receptionist at our spa), Janny for arranging everything for a great trip (couldn't do it without you), Darrin Brown for the really comfortable car with Hieu,his wonderful wife, who was our fantastic driver who was punctual and very helpful (highly recommend you try Nha Trang Private Car ) and most of all Nick and Louise Holmes for coming up and spending some time with the children and buying formula for them. It is wonderful to meet people who care and want to help others.
I met an amazing Australian couple who have moved to Vietnam recently and who want to get involved with helping the less fortunate. Lisa and Ian wanted to come up to the orphanage and have a look to see what it was like and how they could help. They gave me some money and I bought lots of essential items.
One of our walkers were broken and these walkers allow the younger children some independence and keeps them out of everything. Lisa is a natural therapist,who has a practise in Australia, and she is hopeful that she can help Phuc gain more mobility and brain stimulation. I look forward to working with Lisa this could be very exciting, anything to help Phuc would be wonderful. We put Ian to work putting together the new walker and fixing the new seats in the old walkers that of course don't fit exactly.
Donna and Eva (her three year old daughter) bought up some toys that her two daughters had thoughtfully donated. The children loved the musical toys. Donna also gave me a pram that unfortunately we couldn't fit in the car but I will take up soon and I plan on putting Phuc in it so he can sit up and look around more.
Cara and Donna loved cuddling our youngest baby, Phuoc, who was awake for most of the time we were. The children were very excited to spend time with everyone. Playing with new toys being cuddled and chased.
They were all very tired and happy by the time we had to leave. It was great to spend time with everyone. All the children seem to be getting over their colds which is a relief.
Thank you to Lisa, Ian, Donna, Eva, Cara and Hang for going up with me, it was a great day.
Visiting the orphanage with Sheran, Mi Mi and Pi Sheran is a lovely lady who lives in Nha Trang and works as a teacher, she wanted to come and visit whilst she was on school holidays for TET. MiMi and Pi are some Vietnamese friends who were able to come and visit for the day. We all went up by motorbikes. A bit of rain but quite a nice ride.
The babies loved Sheran. She is use to interacting with children and babies and was very comfortable with them. They went to her straight away and she played lots of games with them. They especially loved the fishing game. Maybe they are a bit young at the moment but the older ones seemed to understand a bit.
They are still loving the Duplo that Joseph bought and are starting to learn how to put together the bricks not just pull them apart. We have had three workers leave and now only three staff left so they were very happy to see us so we could give them a break.
While we were there another lady I had met came up for a few hours. Cheryl is visiting from Hong Kong with her family and we met through Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa. She came up in the rain and could only stay for a short time. Hopefully she will come back again with her friends.
The youngest baby Phuoc is growing quickly and seems to be a lot more settled with his sleeping. He really enjoyed looking at the other children running around. Hieu, Hau, Hien, Trung and Nghia are running now they seem to be especially fond of the Duplo and playing with baskets. Duc, Tai and Trong are growing so fast. They are so much bigger than the other children. Their feet and hands are very large. They are so close to walking. When they smile they light up the room.
Phuc (our disabled young boy) was laughing and giggling when I was tickling him when playing with him on the mat. (Mattress) It's wonderful to see all the babies happy and playing together.
Staying the night certainly allows you to spend more time with them and you can relax and not be so rushed. Feeding time is great fun and they are feeding really well. Thank you Sheran, Mi Mi, Pi, Cheryl and Hang for coming up. As always it was fantastic.
It's amazing how much has changed in the few short weeks I have been away. Duc, Tai and Trong look so different. Duc and Tai are such strong young babies. They are crawling quickly and scooting around in their walkers.Trong is slower. He isn't able to sit properly and seems much slower than the other two. Hieu, Hau, Hien, Trong and Nghia are running. They are playing together all the time and never seem to stop.
I bought up Joseph, a friend from Australia, who has been before with me to the orphanage. Joseph bought over lots of toys for the children including a big set of Duplo that all the children loved. The younger ones loved to try and eat the blocks and were attracted to the bright colours, apart from the fact that they make a lot of noise when banged on the granite. I started to show Hau and the others how to put together the blocks and whilst they seemed to understand they couldn't quite get it but they certainly seemed delighted to be able to pull apart anything I put together for them. When Truong and Se came home from school they we're so excited to see the blocks they were putting together cars and buildings in no time. The younger children were trying to get to them as fast as they were putting them together and pull them apart for them which of course they didn't like.
Phuoc, the new baby, is now 6 weeks old and is as cute as a button. He is sleeping much better now. Joseph helped me do exercises with Phuc. He loved getting onto a mat and looking around and stretching. His legs are very skinny though. Joseph and I discussed ways of trying to get him upright. Joseph is an ambulance officer in Australia and has a good medical background and maybe we can get something to help Phuc sit upright and support his neck. We'll see what we can do in the future.
Joseph and I stayed for 3 days; it was great to spend some time. Unfortunately several of the carers have left and they only have 3 left. Thuy, Ninh and Hoa work so hard and the children love them, however we need to find more carers to help them. With the new baby and Phuc who needs so much care and the others all mobile it is a very busy place. If you know anyone who would like a job as a carer please let me know. Thank you very much Joseph for coming up with me and spending the time. The children loved playing with him.
Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa donated money to a group of young people who went to a school on the Dao San Boarder which is on the border of Vietnam and China. This story is written by Trang who accompanied the group doing this charity work.
This school belongs to the Lai Chau Province it is 1650kms away and is 1526m above sea level. This school has 664 students teaching grades 6,7,8 and 9 and it is the only school for 10 local towns. There are 300 students who board at this school because they live too far away to go home every day so the school provides all of their meals. The students have a hard life, they attend classes twice a day, only one compulsory, however all attend both as they want to learn. They also have cultural and community classes at night that teach the students to live as Kinh people. They are taught to cook, clean and prepare food so they may help their families when they return to their village.
They have outside activities as well. Volleyball, playing with marbles and skipping are the main things they like to do when they have no classes. I'm sure because of the cold weather they like to exercise to keep warm also because they are teenagers and have so much energy. All students are so well behaved.
They are keen to learn and they listen closely and try to do exactly what you have told them. They are really friendly saying hello to everyone and are well behaved. One of the problems they have is that they need to heart the Kinh Language (Vietnamese) they are speaking H'mong, Dao and Ha Nhi, their minority language, with their parents. Sometimes it's hard for some students to hear what people say. Teachers here are very patient they love the students like their own children. The teacher's here receive a higher salary than those in the city because of the isolation.
The Vietnamese government is trying to help all the ethnic minority students go to school, they pay approximately 400,000 vnd per month per boarded student and support 70% of the school fee for all students. Boarded students don't need to pay anything extra.
The living conditions of the ethnic minority people are very poor. Their main business is growing agricultural products. Once a month they take what they have grown to the local market to sell.
Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa donated money to buy blankets and noodles for the students. In the winter the lowest temperatures are in the minuses, and the students never seem to have enough clothes to warm themselves. They live together in the dorm rooms. With the money donated we were able to buy blankets and noodles as well as collecting donated clothing for them. Because of limitations of cost we were able to deliver 30 gifts (1 blanket, 1 box noodle, 1 shirt, 1 pant's) to the top 30 students but clothes and books had been donated so we were able to give clothes and books to many children.
The day we left the school, all the students stood in a line from the school yard to the gate to wave and say goodbye to us. It was really hard to say goodbye after staying for 2 nights and 3 days.
We would like to thank Trang and all of the people in this group who took the time to visit this remote school and show these people that others have not forgotten them.
On Thursday night the 23rd of December Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa in conjunction with the AM group (a group of young Vietnamese people who want to help people in need) gathered together, we had collected over 50 jackets and cash. Some of our staff bought in clothing and donated cash themselves. Four of our staff having working all day, and one staff,on her day off, wanted to join us at 9pm to help deliver the clothing and money. We finished after 11pm. We divided into three groups to give a jacket and cash to the silent disadvantaged, disabled and homeless people who sleep in doorways, collect the recyclables and sell gum and lottery tickets in an effort to survive. After all the recent rain and flooding in and around Nha Trang it is quite cold and many are struggling to stay warm and earn a little money. Every single person that we gave clothing and cash to smiled with joy, amazed that we would help them, they couldn't thank us enough. One lady who was sleeping in a doorway on cardboard, was given a bag with two jackets and she gave us one back so someone else may benefit because she only needed one. It was an amazingly joyful and immensely humbling experience. The true spirit of Christmas. Steven and I would like to thank Duy and Hằng for inviting us, Trang for helping to coordinate everything, our wonderful staff Dung, Phuc, Loan, Dao who joined us and our staff who gave clothing and money when they themselves have so little. Together we can make a difference!
It is getting quite cool now in Tu Bong. We have bought a few mats so the children can sit and play and not get cold. Everyone is starting to get over their colds a bit. In conjunction with Lanterns, Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa help pay some of the costs for the formula each month for these babies.
There has been a new addition to the orphanage, another boy. He was born a week ago. He seems healthy, sleeping and eating. His weight was 3.1kgs. Now there are 9 boys and one girl all under the age of two years old.
Thank you all for coming to the dinner at the Alana Hotel on Thursday "Woman's Day". The Alana Nha Trang Beach Hotel did a wonderful job with the food and were very welcoming and helpful. It's a great venue for an event. It was great to have friends supporting this event and to meet new people. We met and chatted with a cocktail before sitting down and enjoying the super 5 course menu. Anya Dinh spoke and greeted everyone and later Quế Trang and I Eileen Maree Brown spoke about the Tuong Lai Foundation and our hopes for the Orphanage at Tu Bong in the future.
We were very blessed to be joined by Thuy, the manager of the orphanage, who was celebrating her birthday and two of the monks, Su Thong Giac Thong who also shared with us the stories of how some of the children were left at the orphanage as well as Su Uy.
We had decorated the room with pictures of the children, some taken by @Oona, who will have her pictures showcased at the upcoming silent auction LIVINcollective on Thursday 27th of October. People were very interested in learning about the children and reading the story boards we had prepared. Thank you to Steve Brown who was a wonderful MC as always making everyone laugh. There were lucky door prizes that were donated by Alana Hotel and Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa a nights accommodation, a spa treatment, as well as vouchers to be spent at the food and beverage venues at Cinnamon Restaurant . Two hours and a half hour body scrub, chocolate wrap and Lomi Lomi massages were donated by Pure Vietnam Beauty & Spa. All winners were very happy people!
Xin gửi lời cám ơn đến tất cả quý vị đã tham gia vào bữa tiệc nhân ngày Phụ Nữ Việt Nam tại khách sạn Alana vào ngày thứ Năm vừa rồi. Gửi lời cám ơn chân thành đến khách sạn Alana đã chuẩn bị rất xuất sắc từ món ăn cho đến phục vụ cũng như khâu chào mừng khách mời cùng chúng tôi. Chúng tôi có cocktail nhẹ cho các vị khách lúc ban đầu để mọi người chào hỏi cùng nhau. Sau đó tất cả cùng thưởng thức thực đơn năm món. Anya đã có đôi lời phát biếu đầu tiên để chào đón các vị khách và Trang cùng tôi cũng đã nói về quá trình thành lập quỹ từ thiện Tương Lai cũng như các dự định cho trại trẻ mồ côi Tu Bông trong giai đoạn tới. Tôi rất hạnh phúc khi Thủy, người quản lý tại trại trẻ hiện nay, chúng tôi cũng đã tổ chức sinh nhật cho cô ấy vào tối ngày hôm đó và còn có sự tham gia của hai vị Sư đến từ Tịnh Xá. Một trong hai vị Sư Thống đã có đôi lời phát biểu về câu chuyện các bé đã bị bỏ rơi như thế nào.
Chúng tôi đã trang trí căn phòng bằng các bức ảnh của các bé, một vài trong số đó là ảnh được Oona chụp. Nhân đây tôi cũng xin báo với mọi người rằng chúng tôi sẽ có buổi đấu giá kín cho các bức ảnh được chụp bởi chị vào ngày 27/10 tại nhà hàng Livin Collective. Tôi vui vì các vị khách đã rất thích thú xem các bức ảnh cũng như là say sưa đọc các mẫu chuyện về các bé.
Cảm ơn Steve đã tham gia làm người dẫn chương trình cho buổi tối ngày hôm ấy, anh luôn biết cách làm cho mọi người cười. Giải thưởng cho chương trình rút thăm may mắn tối ngày hôm đó được tài trợ bởi khách sạn Alana cùng Pure VietNam Beauty and Spa, giải thưởng bao gồm: một đêm nghỉ tại khách sạn Alana, voucher massage, voucher tại nhà hàng Cinnamon. Về phía Pure VietNam giải thưởng là gói tẩy tế bào chết bằng đường sau đó đắp dưỡng da bằng sô-cô-la và cuối cùng là massage Lomi Lomi. Các vị khách chiến thắng đều đã rất vui mừng với những giải thưởng.
Xin gửi lời cảm ơn chân thành đến tất cả các vị khách.
Cùng chung tay chúng ta sẽ tạo nên sự khác biệt.
What a great night it was on #thursdaynight at LIVINcollective. Oona Baumier had returned from her travels especially or this event and her beautiful canvas's up for auction.
Thank you to all who braved the weather to come out and support this great cause and have a great time. The food and wine were fantastic and there were many great prizes that went for good prices. Everyone had a great time chatting and making new friends. We all had a lot of fun.
Everyone who came received a 2 week free membership to California Gym Fitness - Nha Trang Center.
Thank you to Livincollective for having allowing us to use your wonderful venue.
Joseph is an ambulance officer from Australia. I know him because he has been to Vietnam many times helping in another charity school where I use to teach English. Joe's parents are Vietnamese and he wants to help his parents country particularly orphans and disadvantaged children. This visit he wanted to come to Tu Bong with us for two days to see what it was like.
My assistant Trang met Joseph at the Costa, where he has been staying, and took him to the orphanage by bus, this is a 3 hour trip but the advantage is that you get to see the country side and have a chat. Joe was quite shy with the babies in the beginning, he observed everyone for some time but soon he was playing and holding them. I think he was a little overwhelmed with 9 babies all laughing playing and crawling on him. He started to play games with the older children who loved all the attention especially from a man. In the after noon we all went to temple and around the grounds together and finished off with a swim at the local beach because we were so hot. Then before it getting dark we went to the local beach to go swimming to cool down after the long walk. We went back to the orphanage when it quite late to have dinner, the ladies always cook fantastic food, and then we went to the Temple to teach the novice monks English. Joe talked about his job in Melbourne and what it is like to be an ambulance officer in Australia because it is totally different in VietNam.
We had two bikes and Joe said he would be comfortable going back on the bike so it only took 1 1/2hrs to go back to Nha Trang.
Joe will be back with us in January next year. This time he would like to stay a couple weeks at the orphanage. He is planning to get some toys and educational aids for the children here.
We are waiting to see you again Joseph.
Marco and Buffy came to visit Tu Bong Orphanage through "With Locals" in August. They were visiting Vietnam with their two sons Olivier and Indy and wanted to visit an Orphanage in Vietnam and help with children and babies. Buffy and Marco help in an Orphanage in Romania and wanted their children to help other children in Vietnam. They came up and spent two days and a night with us at the Orphanage. They played with the children and babies and made a very special bond with Tuong, a 10 year old boy who stays with us because his family is so poor. Tuong has been very sad and he was so happy to have the attention of Marco and the boys. We took Tuong swimming with us in the afternoon and he had so much fun in the water. It was such a simple thing that has made a lasting difference.
Marco and Buffy have a catering business in Rotterdam and the Wilson Agency wanted to host a dinner for the 10th Anniversary of the Wilson Agency BV. The Wilson Agency are an office who arrange the customs clearance, liner bookings, forwarding, barging and other related activities for shipping on behalf of Wilson and Wilson's customers. This company was established in 2006 by Robert Bravenboer. The service, which includes a network of agents, is specialized to provide tailor-made quality solutions to Norwegian linked transport requirements and door-to-door services.
When Marco met with Robert Bravenboer the Managing Director, they talked about Vietnam and that Robert and his wife had visited 6 years ago. Marco and Robert spoke about how they all loved the country and the people. Robert wanted his guests to donate money to our Orphanage instead of receiving presents and flowers.They had a very successful dinner with many people attending and many people donated to the orphanage.
They have donated over $3 000 (AUD) This has been an amazing result for the Orphans of Tu Bong.
I would like to thank Robert Bravenboer for his generosity of spirit in sharing with us and Marco and Buffy who not only helped us at the time of their visit but have continued to help us when they returned to their own country.
We went up to the orphanage for two days with a group of friends and had a fantastic time. It was wonderful to go and spend time with everyone after the busy time with our dinner at Skylight.
Maureen, her sister in law Tracey Lowe, Thương Phan, Hola Nhân (friends of Maureen's), Eva Llinas (who I met at the Skylight dinner), Trang and I all went by bus. It is a great way to see the scenery and also have the time to chat a bit.
The weather was great. Not too hot and we were able to visit the temple and look around the beautiful grounds without being too uncomfortable. Unfortunately Thương Phan and Hola Nhân had to come back the same day but the rest of us stayed overnight.
They did get to spend time with the children and have a look around. Maureen, Tracey and Eva were able to meditate that night with the monks on top of the Temple. The monks provided them with their own little tent so they wouldn't be bothered by mosquitos.
All the children are growing some fast. Tai is now 0.5kg heavier than Hieu. Trong and Duc are looking more and more alike. The babies are rolling, laughing and getting so big. Even Phuc seemed to be getting a little bigger. He is stretching more and seems to have better movement with his arms and legs. The twins seem to be smiling more and playing more not sitting back watching as much. Hau is still in love with his drums and Hien is crawling everywhere at a million miles an hour. Of course the big thing was Hieu walked for the first time. She has taken one or two steps and fallen but this time she actually took a lot of steps. I was lucky enough to get it on video. Everyone was very excited and there was lots of celebrations after, a very happy time.
Our first fund raising dinner at Skylight was a fantastic success. We sold out all seats and had extra people wanting to come. Nha Trang people have shown wonderful support and it is very humbling. Thank you Skylight for allowing us to have the event there, your team were great and we all enjoyed the dinner and venue. Thank you to team Skylight for your amazing generous donation. We would like to thank the sponsors who donated prizes for the raffle tickets. Intercontinental, Skylight, Lanterns restaurant, BBQ Un In, Livin Collective, Cheers, Ha Van Roof top and Nha Trang Private Car Hire. It was wonderful that Giac Hanh and Su Thong were able to join us and speak a little about charity. Thank you to my wonderful husband Steve Brown, Trang and Trang for your wonderful support, understanding and assistance in making this event such a success.
Thank you everyone very much for coming and supporting us.
Bữa ăn tối gây quỹ Từ Thiện tại Nhà Hàng Skylight đã thành công rực rỡ. Mặc dù không còn chổ do chúng tôi đã bán hết vé nhưng vẫn còn các vị khách muốn tham gia. Người dân Nha Trang đã rất niềm nở hổ trợ sự kiện lần này cùng chúng tôi. Cám ơn Skylight đã đăng cai điạ điểm tổ chức cùng đội ngũ nhân viên tuyệt vời. Nói nhỏ là thức ăn tại Chef's club là không thể nói không được các bạn ạ. Trân trọng gửi lời cám ơn đến các nhà tài trợ đã đóng góp giải thưởng: Intercontinental, Skylight, Lanterns restaurant, BBQ Un In, Livin Collective, Cheers, Ha Van Roof top and Nha Trang Private Car Hire. Và còn có sự góp mặt của Sư Giác Hạnh (Trụ Trù chùa), Sư Thống đã tham gia phát biểu trong buổi tiệc. Gửi lời cám ơn đến chồng tôi Steve Brown, Trang và Trang đã hộ trợ tôi rất nhiều để bữa tiệc được thành công.
Cám ơn tất cả mọi người đã đến và ủng hộ chúng tôi.
I took Michelle up to the orphanage. Michelle contacted me because some friends of hers had been to the orphanage previously when they were in Nha Trang. We went up and back by bus. We were able to spend some wonderful time with the children. Hieu is standing by herself but not confident enough to walk. Hau and Hien are standing but still have wobbly legs, Phuc is getting more exercises and seems to be much happier now. The twins are standing but not as strong as Hau and Hien with their legs. All the babies love the drums. They bang and play them maybe not relaxing for everyone else but they have so much fun doing it, it is wonderful to see. The babies are getting so big, rolling, smiling, and sucking on their hands. The weather was rainy and much cooler so it was very comfortable and all the children seemed to be taking advantage of it and having longer naps. It was a shame it was such a short visit but it is always wonderful to watch new people fall in love with the children.
Another great Sunday morning at BBQ Un In with #hashtaglunchbag. It has been one year already since Nha Trang first joined with the world wide #hashtaglunchbag. It is held on the last Sunday of each month and is sponsored by a group of hotels, each one providing the food each month. A group of volunteers come together to pack and distribute the food to the various destinations.
There are a lot of people who come from the local University as well as people from various businesses and tourists who have heard about this fantastic initiative. I am so happy when I see people starting to give something of themselves especially helping those who are less fortunate.
Thanks to Star City who sponsored this month's #hashtaglunchbag . Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who made it possible.