text:
Press Releases U.S. Rep. Kind: Statement on cyber-attacks on multiple U.S. agencies
U.S. Rep. Kind: Statement on cyber-attacks on multiple U.S. agencies
Washington, DC — Rep. Ron Kind released the following statement on reports that the Kremlin-backed Russian operatives hacked into multiple U.S. agencies–including the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security:
"Russia's egregious cyber-attack highlights the severe cyber vulnerabilities that we need to be addressing now. It is deeply troubling that the White House remains silent on the attacks. It underlines the need for the President to stop playing games and sign the bipartisan NDAA into law, which includes critical improvements to our cyber capabilities. All tools available must be utilized to deter further attacks and respond to this attack—including proportional offensive cyber responses and sanctions against Russia."


text:
Q: c# efficient way to add an escape for some characters in a string i need to replace some charachters in a string with a \ plus the original character
so giving thats string and array
string origin = "words&sales -test\strange";
string[] specialChars = new string[]{"\", "&", "-", "?",......};

i want to get
"words\&sales \-test\\strange"

notice that the \ itself is a character to find and replace
thanks

A: Generally speaking, the fastest way to build String values in C#/.NET is with a StringBuilder, even if you're transforming another String value.
The other problem is the "best" way to determine which char values should be escaped or not: if the set of escapable characters is fixed at compile-time, then use a switch() statement, as that will be compiled to a native jump-table, which is faster than using a runtime HashSet<Char> for determining set-membership:
e.g.:

static String Escape( String input )
{
    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder( capacity: 5 * input.Length / 4 ); // Assuming 25% length increase due to escaping.

    foreach( Char c in input )
    {
        switch( c )
        {
        case '\\':
        case '&':
        case '-':
        case '?':
            _ = sb.Append( '\\' ).Append( c );
            break;
        default:
            _ = sb.Append( c );
            break;
        }
    }

    return sb.ToString();
}

If the set of escapable character is defined at runtime then using a HashSet<Char> will likely be the best overall option - though if you know you're only processing chars with Unicode code-points within a limited range (say ASCII-compatible chars in the range 0x00 to 0x7F) then you could use a Boolean[127] array to store the escape flag map.
Using a HashSet<Char>, it would be like this:
static String Escape( String input, IEnumerable<Char> escapableChars )
{
    HashSet<Char> escapeThese = new HashSet<Char>( escapableChars );

    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder( capacity: 5 * input.Length / 4 ); // Assuming 25% length increase due to escaping.

    foreach( Char c in input )
    {
        if( escapeThese.Contains( c ) )
        {
            _ = sb.Append( '\\' ).Append( c );
        }
        else
        {
            _ = sb.Append( c );
        }
    }

    return sb.ToString();
}

Of course, the above code can be optimized further: some suggestions:

*

*First check to see if the String input even has any escapable characters in the first place: if none of its characters are escapable then just return input directly without having created a new StringBuilder.

*Create an (on-demand) pool of StringBuilder instances instead of creating new instances on every call.

*Allow ReadOnlySpan<Char> instead of String for input and writing output to Span<Char> - you'll need an initial step to calculate the required minimum size of the Span<Char> first though, and pass that info back to the caller.

*

*The same minimum-size calculation can be done to have an exactly correct capacity: value for the StringBuilder instead of my (lazy) 25% estimate.

*Add memoization: use a Bloom filter and output cache keyed by the input value.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
The Keg Royalties Income Fund Announces Strong Quarterly Sales Results
Vancouver, October 16, 2006 - The Keg Royalties Income Fund (KEG.UN:TSX, the "Fund") and Keg Restaurants Ltd. today announced sales results for the 13 and 39-week periods ended October 1, 2006.
Keg Restaurants Ltd.'s total system sales for the 13 weeks ended October 1, 2006 were $98.0 million compared to $87.6 million for the 13 weeks ended October 2, 2005, an increase of $10.4 million or 11.9%. For the 39-week period ended October 1, 2006, The Keg's total system sales were $286.8 million compared to $260.3 million for the 39-week period ended October 2, 2005, an increase of $26.5 million or 10.2%. Royalty Pool Sales increased by 14.6% to $91.6 million for the quarter, and by 13.8% to $273.8 million for the nine-month period.
The Keg's same store sales (sales of restaurants that operated during the entire period of both the current and prior years) increased by 8.9% in Canada and by 7.1% in the United States for the 13-week period ended October 1, 2006, and by 8.1% in Canada and by 7.0% in the U.S. for the 39-week period ended October 1, 2006. After translating the sales of the U.S. restaurants into their Canadian dollar equivalent, consolidated same store sales increased by 7.3% for the 13-week period and by 6.4% for the 39-week period, in spite of the continuing negative effect of the exchange rate between Canadian and U.S. dollars.
"We are pleased to once again deliver strong quarterly sales results, which we believe demonstrate The Keg's continued ability to deliver growth that outpaces the industry," said David Aisenstat, Keg President & CEO. "As the administrative and interest costs for the Fund are relatively fixed, growth in sales directly results in increased royalties and therefore provides the Fund with an increased level of distributable cash. This, in turn, assists the Fund in realizing its strategic objective of achieving not only consistent, but growing distributions to the Fund's unitholders."
Vancouver-based Keg Restaurants Ltd. is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouse restaurants in Canada and has a substantial presence in select regional markets in the United States. KRL continues to operate The Keg restaurant system and expand that system through the addition of both corporate and franchised Keg steakhouses. Keg Restaurants Ltd. has been named one of the "50 Best Employers in Canada" for the past four years by the Globe and Mail's Report on Business Magazine.
This press release may contain certain "forward looking" statements reflecting The Keg Royalties Income Fund's current expectations in the casual dining segment of the restaurant food industry. Investors are cautioned that all forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Keg's ability to continue to realize historical same store sales growth, changes in market and existing competition, new competitive developments, and potential downturns in economic conditions generally. Additional information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Fund's financial results are detailed in documents filed from time to time with the provincial securities commissions in Canada.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, which may be made only by means of the prospectus, nor shall there be any sale of the Fund units in any state, province or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state, province or jurisdiction. The Keg Royalties Income Fund units have not been, and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an application for exemption from the registration requirement under U.S. securities laws.
The Trustees of the Fund have approved the contents of this press release.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Compass "box-shadow" mixin returns Invalid property value For some reason box-shadow mixin returns value that is considered Invalid by browser. Why does it happen? How to fix?
In my .scss:
@import "compass/css3/box-shadow";

@include box-shadow(0px 1px 5px 1px #c4c3c3);

Returns this:
-webkit-box-shadow: compact(0px 1px 5px 1px #c4c3c3, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false);
-moz-box-shadow: compact(0px 1px 5px 1px #c4c3c3, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false);
box-shadow: compact(0px 1px 5px 1px #c4c3c3, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false, false);

I use compass with webpack's sass and css loaders. This is what is returned in a <script> tag:

UPD:
It looks like this is node-sass issue. sass-loader is using node-sass and node-sass is not compatible with Compass. https://github.com/sass/node-sass/issues/1004

A: Like you I was importing box shadow in the same way @import "compass/css3/box-shadow"; and having the same problem.
This should work right? The why, I can't answer other than to say we updated out SASS compiler from Compass to gulp-sass which I believe is based off of node-sass. (Following the comments node-sass seems to be involved. I prefer to just import what I need like you). I found as Harry did that it seems the chain is failing.
To resolve this I updated my import statement to @import "compass/css3"; and it worked as expected. This will get you going but may not be ideal depending on your situtation.
Hope it helps!

A: I had the same issue, but then I realized that the sass generated version of the css was not including the "px" for my values.
I had to add the px to each value I was setting. Because it needs to be next to the number, i.e. 8px, I had to use the interpolation syntax shown below.
@mixin halo($halo-color: $gray-base, $halo-width: 8) {
    -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 #{$halo-width}px $halo-color;
    -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 #{$halo-width}px $halo-color;
    box-shadow: 0 0 #{$halo-width}px $halo-color;
}


text:
Keynotes Presentations - Open to All
Tuesday May 13 8:45 AM - 11:00 AM: Opening Ceremony & Keynote
America's Foreign, Defense & Cyber Policy: An Insider's Perspective
Thomas Donilon
former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama
Please join us for the opening of GovSec 2014 which includes the presentation of colors and singing of the national anthem, followed by our opening keynote.
In his capacity as National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama until June of 2013, Tom Donilon oversaw the National Security Council staff, chaired the cabinet level National Security Principals Committee, provided the President's daily national security briefing, and was responsible for the coordination and integration of the Administration's foreign policy, intelligence, and military efforts.
From an overview of presidential decision making to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden to perspective on U.S.-China relations, Donilon breaks down the issues that are impacting the U.S., locally and globally.
Wednesday May 14 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Morning Keynote Panel
Boston Marathon Bombing: A Collaborative Approach To Catch A Terrorist
Richard DesLauriers
former Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Colonel Timothy P. Alben
Superintendent, Massachusetts State Police
Edward F. Davis
former Police Commissioner, City of Boston Police Department
Brian McGrory
Editor of The Boston Globe (Moderator)
Former FBI Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police Colonel Timothy P. Alben, and former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis worked together as well as with many other federal, state, and local agency heads throughout the Boston Marathon Bombing investigation.
In this keynote panel session, moderator Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory, will host a discussion with the panelists on the importance of information sharing and collaboration among policing and intelligence community partners (federal, state & local) to successfully combat terrorism.
As leads of the Boston Marathon bombing incident, Special Agent DesLauriers, Colonel Alben, and Commissioner Davis will share their experiences with the audience on how teamwork and partnering among all levels of law enforcement as well as citizens across America helped capture the Boston Marathon bombers.


The Handbook, richly illustrated with over a thousand photos and many hundreds of diagrams and graphs, comprises a total of five fully elaborated chapters divided into clear paragraphs and is providedwith an index. The first chapter deals with people who consume potatoes, create economic value and set up related organizations. Chapter two is based on the plant, its growth, how it uses sun, water and mineral resources and how it defends itself against diseases and pests. In the third chapter, the Handbook gives an overview of the propagation material with both a genetic and a seed material component. All aspects of the crop in its environment of soil and weather in various climates as well as the influence of climate change is described in the fourth chapter. In conclusion, chapter five deals with the cultivtion and storage of the tubers with all the equipment and organization involved.


text:
Trial films is a subgenre of the legal/courtroom drama that encompasses films that are centered on a civil or criminal trial, typically a trial by jury.

The "trial" genre differs from the broader "courtroom drama" in that the latter includes any film in which a justice system plays an integral role in the film's narrative, and thus does not necessarily require the inclusion of a legal trial.

Notable films
In 1989, the American Bar Association rated the 12 best trial films of all time in their ABA Journal, providing a detailed and reasoned legal evaluation for its choices. Ten of the films are in English; M (1931) is in German and The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) is a French silent film. Moreover, ten of them take place (at least, in part) in a courtroom.

In 2008, the American Film Institute compiled its own "courtroom drama" top-ten list, five films of which were also on the ABA list.

The ABA also published a list of the 12 best trial stageplays, noting that the transition from film to the stage is sometimes difficult. It also has an extensive honorable mention list.

Varieties
Outside of the first few minutes of the film, 12 Angry Men (1957) never enters a courtroom at all. It views the particular case and the system of justice through the prism of jury deliberations. The film explains practical explications of legal concepts basic to the American system of justice, and their effect on a particular trial and defendant. Those include the presumption of innocence, burden of proof, and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

The trial in M (1931) does not take place in a legal courtroom; rather, crime syndicate leaders along with the city's underground hold proceedings in a warehouse. Despite the lack of legal trappings, "it is one of the most effective trials ever filmed, questioning our notions of justice and revenge, mob rule and order, power and responsibility." Wearing long leather coats instead of robes, criminals become judges. The murderer is cast as the victim, while the forces of law and order must rely on luck. Peter Lorre strikingly raises the issue of his culpability due to alleged insanity, and the imposition of ultimate retributive justice is depicted as being unsatisfying for society and the survivors of the murdered victims.

While courtroom films are typically dramas, My Cousin Vinny (1992) is a comedy centered on a trial in Alabama. It resulted in Marisa Tomei winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Military trial films
The military trial film is a subtype of the trial genre that focuses on military trials (i.e., courts-martial).

They typically include conflicting questions of loyalty, command responsibility, ethical rules and rules of engagement, obedience to superior authority, politics and class conflict. War and trials are good foils for one another. The struggles are perennial and engaging. A partial list includes:

Religious trial films
 God on Trial (2008) is a BBC/WGBH Boston television play that takes place in Auschwitz during World War II. The Jewish prisoners put God on trial in absentia for abandoning the Jewish people by allowing Nazi Germany to commit genocide.
 The Passion of the Christ (2004), in which Jesus Christ (played by Jim Caviezel) is alternately tried by Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate and ultimately executed by Pilate. Nominated for three Academy Awards.
 The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) features Walter Huston as the Devil arguing for a man's soul. Huston was nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award.
Solomon and Sheba (1959) portrays the famous Judgment of Solomon from the Bible.
 The Man Who Sued God (2001), an Australian film starring Billy Connolly who takes God (represented by the church) to court for compensation over the destruction of his fishing boat due to an "act of God".
 Inherit the Wind (1960), starring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly, is an American film set in a small religious town where a teacher begins to teach evolution, and goes to court for his right to teach such.
 The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), directed by Scott Derrickson, is an American courtroom drama horror film loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel. It follows a self-proclaimed agnostic defense lawyer representing a parish priest who is accused by the state of negligent homicide after he performed an exorcism. The film, which largely takes place in a courtroom, depicts the events leading up to and including the exorcism through flashbacks.
 The Crucible (1996) is a drama film written by Arthur Miller and based on his play of the same name, loosely dramatising the Salem witch trials. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor.

Other examples

 An American Tragedy, a 1931 drama directed by Josef von Sternberg.
 Judge Priest, a 1934 Will Rogers comedy directed by John Ford.
 The Prisoner of Shark Island, a 1936 biopic directed by John Ford.
 Fury, a 1936 drama directed by Fritz Lang.
 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, a 1936 film by Frank Capra.
 They Won't Forget, a 1937 drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
 Young Mr. Lincoln, a 1939 biopic directed by John Ford.
 The Return of Frank James, a 1940 western directed by Fritz Lang.
 The Letter, a 1940 film directed by William Wyler.
 The Devil and Daniel Webster, a 1941 fantasy film directed by William Dieterle.
 Roxie Hart, 1942 comedy directed by William Wellman.
 The Ox-Bow Incident, unusual in that the trial does not take place in a formal court room, but is a vote among a posse that turns into a lynch mob. Directed by William A. Wellman, and starring Henry Fonda (who also starred in Twelve Angry Men). It was nominated for Best Picture Oscar in 1943.
 Leave Her to Heaven, a 1945 film noir directed by John M. Stahl.
 In Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) has his sanity examined at a hearing. The film won 4 Academy Awards, with Gwenn winning for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film was also nominated for Best Picture.
 The Lady from Shanghai, a 1947 film noir directed and starring Orson Welles.
 The Paradine Case, a 1947 film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
 Pinky, a 1949 film directed by Elia Kazan.
 Adam's Rib, a 1949 comedy directed by George Cukor.
 Rashomon, a 1950 film directed by Akira Kurosawa.
 A Place in the Sun, a 1951 drama film directed by George Stevens.
 The Sun Shines Bright, 1953 remake directed by John Ford.
 The Phenix City Story, a 1955 film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson.
 Gunman's Walk, a 1958 western directed by Phil Karlson.
 The Wreck of the Mary Deare is told in flashbacks as witnesses give their account of a story during an Admiralty court proceeding.
 Compulsion, a 1959 film directed by Richard Fleischer.
 Sergeant Rutledge, a 1960 western directed by John Ford.
 It Started in Naples, a 1960 film directed by Melville Shavelson.
 La Vérité, a 1960 film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.
 Divorce Italian Style, a 1961 comedy-drama film directed by Pietro Germi.
 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a 1962 western directed by John Ford.
 Kibar Feyzo (1978) is a Turkish comedy drama film starring Kemal Sunal, Şener Şen, Müjde Ar, Adile Naşit, İhsan Yüce, İlyas Salman and Erdal Özyağcılar.
 ...And Justice for All (1979), directed by Norman Jewison and nominated for 2 Academy Awards, examines the flawed and human, venal, and immoral side of justice, focusing on all-too-human judges. As Norman Webster wrote, the film "is a sweeping – and somewhat simple-minded – indictment of the American justice system." The film can be seen from the perspective of Judicial Qualifications Commissions (also known as Judicial Tenure Commissions), which are judicial agencies charged with overseeing judicial performance and conduct. From that end, the indictment of the courts and judicial system (and the examples) are not so outlandish as might be supposed. Starred Al Pacino, Jack Warden, and John Forsythe.
 From the Hip (1987) is a Comedy Drama starring Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins, John Hurt, and Ray Walston about a first year lawyer manipulating his way into trying a case much earlier in his career than is normal. Much of the humor took place in the first case, a simple assault case in which he garnered significant media attention and developed a high profile for himself and attention to his firm. The more dramatic second case was a murder case which tested the young attorney's ethics.
Suspect (1987) is a legal mystery thriller starring Cher, Dennis Quaid and Liam Neeson.
The Accused (1988) is a legal drama starring Jodie Foster.  It is loosely based on the 1983 gang rape case of Cheryl Araujo.
 Presumed Innocent (1990) is a film directed by Alan J. Pakula, adapted from the novel of the same name by Scott Turow, in which an assistant district attorney (Harrison Ford) is on trial, framed for the murder of another assistant DA (Greta Scacchi). The film received several nominations for its screenplay, written by Alan J. Pakula and Frank Pierson.
 JFK (1991) is an American conspiracy-thriller film that examines the events leading to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and it alleged cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. The film culminates in the 1969 trial of businessman Clay Shaw for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to assassinate the president.
 The Client a 1994 American legal thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher, and starring Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Renfro in his film debut. It is based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. The film was released in the United States on July 20, 1994. The movie features an all star cast. Sarandon nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
 Primal Fear (1996) is a film, directed by Gregory Hoblit, that tells a story of a defense attorney (Richard Gere) who defends an altar boy (Edward Norton) charged with the murder of a Catholic archbishop. The film is an adaptation of William Diehl's novel of the same name. Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his career-launching role.
 A Civil Action (1998) is a film based on the 1996 nonfiction novel of the same name. It stars John Travolta and Robert Duvall, the latter having been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the film.
 A Time to Kill (1996) is a feature film adaptation of John Grisham's 1989 legal drama of the same name.
 The Rainmaker (1997) is a feature film adaptation of John Grisham's 1995 legal thriller of the same name. It stars Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Roy Scheider, Virginia Madsen, and Teresa Wright in her final film role.
 Amistad (1997) is a historical drama, directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of an uprising in 1839 by newly-captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the northeastern United States, and the legal battle that followed their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter. It was nominated for four Academy Awards.
 Chicago (2002) is a remake directed by Rob Marshall.
 Bernie (2011) is a black comedy film based on the real-life 1996 murder of 81-year-old millionaire Marjorie Nugent in Carthage, Texas by her companion Bernhardt "Bernie" Tiede. Tiede having been extremely well-liked in his local community, the film explores the trial process and the popular support he received, which caused great difficulties for the prosecution.
 The Trial (2014) is a Filipino legal drama film that tells the story of a mentally handicapped man who is accused of rape by the family of a teacher on whom he has a crush. It stars John Lloyd Cruz, Jessy Mendiola, Gretchen Barretto, Richard Gomez and Enrique Gil, and was produced by Star Cinema as part of their 20th anniversary offering.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) is a legal drama focused on the trial of the so-called 'Chicago Seven' in the late 1960s to early 1970.

See also
Legal drama
List of trial films

References

Further reading

  ; ; .

Sarat, Austin, Jessica Silbey, and Martha Merrill Umphrey, eds. (2019). Trial Films on Trial: Law, Justice, and Popular Culture. University of Alabama Press. .
 (includes a section on movies about lawyers)

External links
 807 "Best trial movies" at Internet Movie Database, which brings a worldwide perspective, but also lumps in some movies that do not quickly come to mind as "trial movies".

Drama
Film genres
Legal films by genre
 Trial movies

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This Photographer blog opens a small window into my six months travels throughout this SE Asia Journey. During this time I traveled in Thailand, Lao, Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). As you scroll down, hopefully reading the short stories, you'll get a flavor of the amazing people and culture I encountered there.
This morning I have been invited to attend the inauguration of a new building owned by a Thai meditator. We are told that there will be a small group of monks who have arrived to give their blessings and that the head monk is someone special.
There is a short ceremony underway when we arrive and we are invited to participate. We each take a plate of cooked rice and offer a small portion into the bowl of each of the eight monks, one by one. When this is done the monks are given a variety of other foods in their bowls. When they have all been served we also take some food.
While I'm eating I am told about the head monk. His name, Luang Pu Naen Kum, which means Enlightened Great Grandfather. He became a monk at age 7 and though he is still young, only 26, he remembers some 400 years of his former lives as a monk. They tell me that when his master passed away he was blessed with the gift of sidhis. For example, by placing his hand on a book he knows everything within the book.
After lunch the monks chant and offer blessings on everyone, then the head monk walks around the new building blessing each room and painting sacred words on the entry way. Sitting back down, the head monk offers sacred threads of protection to a few people by tossing them in the air just above their hand (so as not to touch the individual). When he looks up and sees me in front of him he begins to laugh and asks if I'd want one? Yes, of course! He asks that I come closer and while chanting reaches out, takes my hand and slowly, purposefully, wraps the thread and ties it around my wrist. Then holding my hand, he whispers some mantras while rubbing my wrist. With a big smile he says, "Please come to my temple so we can discuss dharma".
So blessed, I continue to look forward to each new day here. The Thai people are perhaps the sweetest people one could know.
By midday we are feeling a little drained from the heat of another Bangkok afternoon and Chris suggests that we go for a traditional Thai massage (no, not the other kind). He knows a good place just down the road and in no time we are inside having a shower and changing into oversized silk PJ's. We enter a long room partitioned off on either side by curtains and on the raised wooden floor are little mattresses and pillows. Two Thai massage girls enter, maybe early twenties, attractive and very sweet. My girl, Yen, is maybe five foot tall 100 lbs, I'm 6'2 about 195 lbs. She looks me up and down and we both start laughing.
During the next two hours Yen works me over from toes to head and back again, putting everything she had into it, literally, using all her body (hands, elbows, knees, head, fists, palms, fingers, jumping, twisting, pulling, even sitting and standing on me) and all her 100 lbs weight. She asks "is Ok, no hurt". For a little girl she's really going deep, but never too much.
At one point Yen lies down with her knees up and asks me to sit with my back against her knees. She locks her arms around my arms and counts, "1,2,3" and rocks me up onto her knees (my back pivoting on her knees). Well, this worked out OK until the whole thing seemed just to funny, we both started laughing and I came tumbling down on top of her. Yen, determined to get it right said, "this time no laugh, OK" and "1,2,3", I was up on her knees, my back stretched out.
Before leaving, Yen brings tea and asks, "You come back?" My first experience with Thai massage was quite enjoyable, I'm sure I'll return, 2 hours about $8, the laughter and sweetness, priceless!
It's fashion week here in Bangkok and I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to attend the ELLE Sretsis fashion show. The weeklong event is being held in a specially erected tented pavilion, just a few minutes walk from where I'm staying. If you want to understand how serious the Thai women take their fashion one has only to look toward the thousands of well-dressed people waiting outside the big tent. Fortunately, I found the Thai friend who had arranged the invitation but, as she handed me my ticket she asked, "did you bring your camera?". Yes, I told her. Well, she says, "no pictures are allowed during the show!" Quickly her eyes brighten again and I'm following her to the press booth. In no time she had arranged a Press Pass for me and I'm being escorted inside, past the big crowd to a roped off area, just at the head of the runway.
From the look of the long white catwalk and all the lights and video cameras, it is obvious that this is a professional show. Soon after I found my place I was joined by dozens of other photographers and video crews each maneuvering for the best shooting spot. Being tall, I felt sure that almost any spot here should have a great vantage point. But these Thai photographers knew a thing of two about being on the short end of the shooting scale. They all brought little ladder-stools to stand on and two set up right in front of me, almost totally blocking my view. Undeterred, I also made use of their little ladders and borrowed a step from each of their stools to regain the height advantage.
Soon the crowd was pouring in and the hall filled to maximum. The lights went down and video presentations projected a history of fashion in Thailand. As the video faded, spotlights switched on and light colorful techno music announced the start of the runway production. This is the Faerie Collection by Sretsis (sisters spelled backwards). One after another beautiful model prance down the runway, feet strutting in time with the beat. The clothes, a woman's dream come true, bestow a sweet, almost magical innocence, like a Cinderella fairy tale come to life. Some of the models, I'm told later, were quite famous Thai models, others obviously from Europe or America. The crowd clapped and cheered for their favorite design, we photographers clicked away (and I tried not to fall off my little perch).
Almost before you knew it, it was over (maybe 15-20 min). Everyone enjoyed the show…just another flavor of beautiful and sophisticated life in Thailand.
A 15 minute ride on the modern Skytrain to the Eastern edge of Bangkok brings me to the river. This is where it's possible to catch a local boat up into the oldest part of the city. It's a slight bit cooler along the river and the almost constant sweating takes a few minutes off while I watch life float by.
As the boat edges closer and gets tied off you can feel an increase in activity nearby and just a few meters from the dock is a thriving little market where the adventurous can get a bite to eat. Anything from roasted grasshoppers and other assorted large bugs to a great variety of cooked foods and exotic fruits, all very colorful. Must be the heat because my appetite has disappeared, but I do enjoy some chilled coconut juice.
The object of today's adventure, Grand Palace at Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the home of the Emerald Buddha, is just down the road. Many tourists are here and many have not understood that how they are dressed will determine if they can enter. Before entering each person is scrutinized carefully. No shorts or three quarter pants, shoes or sandals must have a strap around the heal, shirts must have some kind of sleeve, all rules westerners must follow to enter sacred places. My attire seems to meet with the approval of the gate guards and I am allowed to pass.
A Wat is a place where Buddhist monks live or get ordained and is a gathering place for the people during the many festivals. The shear number of intricately designed buildings here makes it difficult to describe. But this is the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok and it has a vast number of buildings, exceptionally colorful, with polished colored tiles and mosaics including mirror and gold. Murals, which surround many areas, depict the Thai version of the Ramayana. This is also the home of the Emerald Buddha, considered the talisman of the Thai kingdom. Legend says it was sculpted in India, at one point it's true nature was concealed by a covering of plaster (discovered when it was dropped). Now its kept in a glass case inside the main building (sorry, no photos are allowed inside).
The tall golden Chedi temple spire is central and all around the grounds are large ornate statues of the guardians, with wild, sometimes grotesque faces. But my favorites are the golden guardians, half animal, half man, or woman.
Ranking somewhere between skydiving and wild bull wrangling is a ride in heavy traffic on the back of a small two wheel Thai motorcycle taxi (125cc). These guys weave in and out of traffic, sneaking around, across lanes and back again, even up on the sidewalk.
Always jockeying to pull in front of rushing traffic, at the fastest speed their motorcycle can manage. Truly they possess a skill that borders the impossible. A quick jerk on the handlebars by the driver and the fabric of my pants caress a large bus on one side and a Toyota on the other. I've driven my motorcycle in California traffic on many occasions and enjoyed the convenience of lane splitting (driving between two lanes of stalled traffic). But this raises the bar (and the adrenalin) to a whole new level.
A truly invigorating ride through the back streets of Chinatown brings us past every kind of item one can imagine for sale. From a hundred kinds of dried fish to entire streets of stuffed toy animals, I eventually arrive at Wat Pho, with all limbs intact. This Wat is special in that it is one of the oldest (16th century) and has the largest collection of Buddha statues in Thailand, including the longest reclining Buddha. It was also the earliest center for public education in Thailand and today Wat Pho is the center for teaching and preserving traditional Thai massage.
Here the feeling is very soft and not nearly as crowded as where the Emerald Buddha was at Wat Phra Kaew. The focal point here of course is the 46 meter long by 15 meter high reclining Buddha. The statue is done all in gold leaf, except the eyes and the feet (which are inlaid in Mother-of-pearl, 108 auspicious scenes on the soles of the Buddha's feet).
About the grounds are numerous buildings housing another 394 large gilded Buddha's. There's a very comfortable, expansive feeling here and I sit for a while in one of the many beautiful courtyards, in a shaded area by some little statues. After a while I catch sight of a few of the many younger (boys) monks talking and playing between classes. I have learned that it is expected that every Thai male child will spend some time as a monk, before he takes up any career. At any one time there can be nearly 500,000 monks in Thailand. This may be a better idea than what is often done in the west: sending the young boys to learn war.
Mii kwaamsuk (I am happy).
Entering a new Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) sub-dasha period today (Venus, Venus, Sun), I can easily tell it is no random chance that I've been drawn here to Myanmar (Burma). The first thing you notice when stepping out of the airplane onto Myanmar soil is that the air is soft and sweet, as is virtually everyone who I have met, including the happy smiling immigration staff inside the airport.
Invited to stay with the family of some new friends who live here in Yangon (Rangoon), I'm hardly here a few minutes and already I feel completely at home. Tonight they are having a birthday party for one of my hosts, the wonderful, sparkling, divine Lay Wah (meaning large white gem).
Cooking all day, they have prepared a feast for the numerous family members and friends who are here to celebrate and enjoy Lay Wah's important 21st birthday. There are talks and blessings honoring Lay Wah and, of course, the feast, followed by chocolate cake. More and more people arrive all night and I have barely learned one name when someone new appears.
It was already clear to me before arriving in Burma that this was an exceptional young woman, with great sweetness, depth and clarity of awareness. Everyone who meets her instantly falls in love with her and is sad to see her go. But her mastery of nature was made all too evident when she was able, with a smile, to coax me into singing for family and friends (yes, my friends, first time before a live audience).
This is a whole new kind of place and a whole new time I've ventured into and I think I'm really going to enjoy discovering its secrets. Armed with a lakh of Kyat (100,000) of the local currency I must search out a way to access the internet and share a taste of what I have discovered here.
Now it's up and off for serious bargaining in the big central market with Gary, who is helping me to negotiate the best exchange rate for local currency. My pockets bulge with a lakh of Kyat (pronounced Chat), about 100,000 of the local Kyat currency (about US$100).
But no time to look around the market just yet, today I'm going to the Shwedagon Pagoda temple complex. Shwedagon is steeped in legend; some say the stupa here has been the main center of Buddhism in SE Asia for 2500 years. Since its full moon today it's very auspicious to visit and it's packed with people making pilgrimage.
To get to the main east entrance we first have to walk through a sea of street venders and thousands of pilgrims. Free of this obstacle course, shoes are removed and we walk bare foot up hundreds of steps to the central temple area.
People in every corner are lighting candles, incense and offering flowers. It's especially important to go to the correct place for your personal offering. There are signs (in Burmese) indicating the seven days of the week, so if you were born on a Sunday, you make offerings at the Sunday place.
Groups of monks are also everywhere (many curious to see me, the rare westerner). In fact, it feels like I may be more interesting to them than this fascinating and beautiful place.
Over 300 feet high and said to be gilded with over 53 tones of gold leaf, the top of the main stupa is also set with 5000 diamonds and 2000 other precious stones. ¨This adds some perspective when bargaining the taxi driver down 20 cents for the ride home.
Being 'hand made' often invokes thoughts of special little differences that make something unique. Usually this is a good thing, not so with most of the hand made roads in Myanmar. Roads here are built mostly by hand, breaking and hauling baskets of rock, cooking hot tar in small wood heated drums along the side of the road, poured one bucket at a time. This morning we're in the best worn out old Nissan taxi we could hire. Rather than rolling down the road, it's more like being beaten and dragged, reluctantly, across an irregular, bumpy, rock-protruding surface.
It's a four hours drive, with no air conditioning, to the place where we catch the bus up the mountain to Kyaikh Tyo (pronounced, Chai Tyo). Fortunately, the company is good (my friends Garry and Lay Wah) with plenty to see along the way. Just a little way outside Yangon the rice paddies begin to dot the landscape with the occasional small village of thatched houses. And of course, pagodas and other interesting spiritual icons spring up out of every little village and field. Further along, the fields disappear and are replaced with forests of teak and rubber trees, until finally we begin to see low rolling mountains on the horizon. Stopping at a small street market in one little village for lunch we are quickly surrounded by children, baskets on their heads. They all want us to buy some of their dried black peppers, fruits or veggies.
When finally we reach the small town where we'll catch our bus I see that it's not a bus at all, but a large open heavy truck, already being packed with people. Since it's really hot and the open truck is so over crowded we are "invited" to ride up front with the driver. The invitation costs us only few thousand extra Kyat and we're in and on our way up the mountain. It's a 45 minute ride of twists, hairpin turns and very steep grades (no guard rails) to the next station where everyone disembarks.
From here it's still another 45 minutes to an hour climb up the mountain. The twists and turns continue, as do the very steep grades, but now on foot in the heat. A small group of porters follow us and constantly ask if we want them to carry us on their bamboo palanquins. No, we tell them confidently, we can make it. But after each additional series of steep hills Lay Wah asks us to wait so she can catch her breath. Myself, I'm also happy for the break and a chance to wipe away the sweat that's now pouring in streams down my face, neck and back. Occasionally a porter will pass us carrying one or even two children in a bamboo basket strapped to his head and shoulders. Or we'll see someone being carried down the mountain on one of the bamboo palanquins, looking ever so pleased to let someone else do the work.
Numerous stops later we congratulate ourselves on reaching the top, totally exhausted and just able to find our little hotel perched on the side of the mountain. From here its just steps away to the entrance of the Kyaikh Tyo compound and the massive golden rock that balances precariously on the edge of the mountain. Even here, on top of the mountain, there are thousands of pilgrims and monks who have come from all over. A small group of monks from Vietnam ask me about where I'm from and are surprised and pleased to hear that I teach meditation and am from a community that has so many people meditating. One can feel a deep sense of quiet here and after walking around a bit we decide to meditate near the edge where the rock is situated. The experience, we all agree, was most profound, like a blessing, and more than worth the arduous trip up here.
The following morning after breakfast we hike back down the mountain, thankfully much easier than coming up. But at the place where we catch the truck back to the village we find that as soon as a truck arrives it is immediately swarmed with people going back and even the front seats are sold out. Fortunately, Lay Wah finds one truck operator that says they'll try to squeeze us in the back.Climbing up tall makeshift wooden steps we are greeted by what appears to be an already crammed full seating area. But soon tiny spaces are cleared and we wedge ourselves as tightly as possible between the other passengers, who greet us with typical warm smiles.
Sitting pressed hip to hip on heavy rough wooden planks, only 2″ X 4″ wide, our knees pressed firmly against the back and sides of the person in front (and someone against you from behind) there is nothing to hold onto, except each other. As the truck pulls away slowly from the dock it seems just another 45 minute ride in the back of a big truck filled to capacity with total strangers. But only a moment later the driver, obviously his first time driving, slams on the brakes and everyone lunges hard forward against each other in a heap. The little board I'm sitting on does not allow any balance for my much larger frame and I am thrust under the woman in front of me with my hands coming to rest firmly on her backside. As everyone collects themselves the woman in front turns around, gives me a look that says 'you do that again and my husband beside me will have at you. Then, suddenly, the truck lurches forward, everyone falls backwards and the woman in front is now in my lap with her hands on my legs. Her husband looking on, very surprised. But before anyone has a moment to collect themselves the truck is again lurching and stopping in fits. The driver now able to continue his drivers lesson, we careen wildly down the mountain.
Out of a sense of self-preservation I'm able, with one hand, to reach under and grab the 2×4 plank under the woman in front of me. Obviously not an appropriate thing to do under normal circumstances but at this point its every man for himself (the woman glancing back and forth between her husband and myself). After a while the situation becomes so totally ridiculous that we are all laughing uncontrollably, literally in each others arms, and alternately on their backs. For the next 45 minutes we are continuously tossed about like so much loose baggage as we wind our way down the mountain in ever-increasing fits and starts.
All I can tell you is that to have reached the bottom alive and in one piece we must have received a really good blessing at the top.
The bus station on the outskirts of Yangon is like a village, streets with bus stalls run in all directions. Mostly old, road weary buses, loaded to the max with passengers and almost anything else (from truck tires to fruits and vegetables). It'll be a long trip north to Inle Lake in the Shan district. The first 10 hours are over Myanmar's distinctive ˜hand made" roads, then just before dark, the road disappears altogether and is replaced by a narrow (one lane) dirt logging track. We creep along at a blazing 5 miles an hour as we constantly make room for logging trucks and other buses coming from the other direction. This ˜road' twists and turns through the mountains for hours and hours and hours. From the new dirt and large boulders pushed about in many places it seems that the track was just cleared from avalanches. The darkness hides the depth of the drop off at the edge of the track. There will be little sleep on this night, 20 hours later the bus pulls onto a paved road once again and we arrive at Inle Lake, it's 6 am.
Staying at the very friendly 4 Sisters Inn we get some rest, pancakes and arrange for a motorized long boat for the day. Inle Lake is a large shallow lake in the mountains; the water is maybe 10 feet deep. Here the fishermen stand on the back of their little boats using one foot on a paddle and throwing out fishing nets or baskets. There are also large areas of floating gardens (tomatoes, beans, flowers and almost anything else). Little Venice like primitive thatched villages dots the lakeshore. Here we visit little markets and silk weaving areas (also rare lotus 'silk' thread weaving).
Our boatman takes us to the other side of the lake and well up a small river, past more little villages and farms. Finally we reach the Ba Daun village, the one I am told which has the nearly extinct ˜long neck women". For generations these women have maintained their tradition of wearing many rings around their neck, adding more and more rings over time. Most of the women are very friendly and seem as interested in us as we are in them, asking if they can have copies of the photos taken with them. Only the young ones seem shy.
It's a soft quiet place, a simple place from another time. We stay only a short while before heading back across the now glass smooth lake.
The road to Mandalay is long and as usual bumpy and in the end we arrive just a little too late to see the Ayeyarwady River winding through the valley. The city of Mandalay is much quieter and cleaner than Yangon and a perfect place for a day's rest. It's here that I learn how to play Burmese pool. In this game you play on an oversized pool table, 2 men and one beautiful Burmese girl play the game together. The girl plays between the shots of the men, taking first one shot for one man, then one shot for the other. People gather around trying to see who the girl will make points for, who's shot she will miss. You never know which way the game will go.
The next morning we head out on a day trip to Sagaing, a small mountain area that is known as the meditation center of all Myanmar. Our driver lets us off at the top of the mountain and we walk down, passing along the way so many monks, as well as some sweet, angelic nuns, young and old. So many different people seem to be drawn here over the years to spend time in meditation. Perhaps another day, another time it might be interesting to return to do long meditation on the mountain, but not today. Instead we head back toward Mandalay, stopping to see traditional stone carving and finally a walk across the kilometer long wooden footbridge, where hundreds on monks enjoy the sunset. A perfect end to a sweet, quiet day of exploration.
Hiring a car and driver we set out from Inle Lake and travel through the mountains on the road toward Mandalay. But not long out I see a woman along the side of the road drying fresh red (very hot) chilies. Knowing Lay Wah's love for these dangerous little morsels I ask the driver to stop so we can have a look. The woman who does not speak any English tells Lay Wah she has been drying this batch of chilies for the last 10 days and that we were just in time, as she was about to remove them to carry to market. It's not long before Lay Way has happily struck a bargain and the woman is stuffing large handfuls of the little red devils into a very large bag. Once she gets them home she will roast them in oil and chop them into fine fiery bits.
From here we take a little 20 kilometer detour to see Pindaya cave. As we approach the mountain a sea of little white pagodas greets us from the valley below. Pindaya is a natural cave going back into the mountain hundreds of feet. Over time people have placed more than 8,000 Buddha statues in the cave and this is now a place of reverence and pilgrimage. Walking through the cave it's like walking through a silent maze of golden Buddha's of all shapes and sizes going back deep into the heart of the mountain. The cave has a natural silence and the many rock fingers seem to reach down from heaven, it almost like Buddha could be reaching down to touch the heart of this place.
The 9 hour boat ride from Mandalay to Bagan offered ample time to learn and play a fascinating Chinese card game. All I can tell you is that 2s are highest and you lead with the 3 of clubs. Though I have now played the game hundreds of times, I am still amazed that someone who seems to be loosing can suddenly win at the last moment. If you ever have a long trip with friends it's a fun and challenging game to play.
Arriving in Bagan one of the first things you notice is that there are very few cars and most people move about by bicycle or horse cart. After settling in we arrange for a horse cart to pick us up before dawn. Long ago this once great city was rocked by a earthquake, now all that remains are thousands of pagodas spread out across the plane.
Before sunrise we head out in our horse cart, passing in the half-light what seems like hundreds of massive structures. The only sound is the clip-clop of the horse along the road.¨After some time we arrive at a large pagoda and are escorted inside and up narrow passageways to old steep stone steps. We walk out onto a small ledge and finally look out onto a sea of pagodas rising from the morning mist, just in time for the rising sun. It's an awe-inspiring sight and one can only imagine at the former greatness of this ancient city.
After sunset we continue on by horse cart, spending the whole day exploring many different pagodas and what remains of the old city.
This is a small note to all my friends who have been enquiring about me here in SE Asia. As you might know from the stories here, I am still traveling around SE Asia and for the past 3 months have been living in Myanmar (Burma). Communications from here are rather difficult at times and access to the Internet to upload the text part of my little stories can be an all day affair. Uploading photos from here is usually not possible due to the extremely slow connection speeds available to me. Please accept my apologies for the delays this may have caused.
You all must know of the massive earthquake that shook SE Asia about a week ago. Even though the epicenter of the quake was hundreds of miles away the building here rocked and swayed for the longest time and people were running in the streets. There was no significant damage here from the actual quake. Unfortunately, the Tsunami that followed caused some loss of life along Myanmar's southern coast. Though Myanmar seems to have been spared the great losses of most of the other countries hit by the Tsunami, we are still saddened by this great human tragedy.
Thank you for your kind thoughts and concern for my safety here. Wishing you all the best in this New Year!
Living in Myanmar these past 6 weeks has been a fascinating opportunity, rich with beautiful people and ancient places steeped in spiritual tradition. During this time I have been especially fortunate to live with and get to know a wonderful Kayin family (pronounced Ka'ren). Headed by Naw Lay, a single mother, with 4 sons and 2 daughters it is a close knit family from the very small village of Mezali, along the Ayeyarwady River delta.
Most of their early life, living in a small one room thatched house, they know everything about each other and are constantly looking to help one another. Contrast this with life in the western world where one might casually ask, 'how's it going', and then go on watching TV. Here they 'see' each other and understand. When someone comes home they stop what they are doing and greet them and talk about how they are doing, are they happy. If someone looks tired or feels uncomfortable, you might find one family member after another taking turns giving them a massage: sister, aunt, even the mother's village friends and relatives might join in. And yes, on more than a few occasions I have found any number of relatives taking turns working on me, massaging my shoulders, my back, giving me a head massage that continues on until I tell them I'm happy. As a family their mission is to ensure that each other is happy and has a better chance to succeed in life. Family is their basic support system and pretty much all they can depend on. ¨In the village they grew up in you won't find running water, electricity or paved roads, and certainly no Mega Mart shopping center, cell phones or gas station to fill up the new sports car. It's just simple life at its most basic. Working in the rice field, tending a flock of ducks, hauling water from the river, singing village songs and being with family.
Having spent so much time with them I feel almost a part of the family. As a small token of my appreciation for everything the family has done for me during my stay here, I'd like to share one small story told to me quite innocently by the family….
Lay Wah, the younger of two sisters has four brothers. Her father had died from an illness when she was still quite young so her mother works very hard, often many jobs, just to get money for food (a few dollars a month). Times were very hard but Lay Wah loved her family and especially her mother who worked so hard for them all. Thus at the tender age of 12, it often fell upon Lay Wah to care for and feed her younger brothers while her mother was working.
One evening, after feeding her brothers and putting them to sleep, Lay Wah found that there was nothing left to eat, not even the simple rough village rice they relied on. She was very distraught as she paced back and forth, very worried that her dear mother would soon come home from a long day's work and there would be nothing to feed her. All Lay Wah could do was open and close the empty rough wooden rice bin and hope. Again and again she opened the box, but there was nothing inside. With her mother returning any minute, Lay Wah didn't know what to do. Instinctively she closed her eyes and, turning deep within, began to pray. In her innocence and deep inner silence, she softly asked, 'Please God, help me, I need rice to feed my mother, please God, help me now'. Lay Wah opened her eyes and this time when she raised the lid of the rice box it was filled with rice and not the rough quality village rice, but the finest quality pure white rice.
Naw Lay, Lay Wah's mother, entered the house moments later to a surprised and beaming Lay Wah, who presented her mother with the rice. Her mother was also quite surprised to see so much expensive rice and, knowing they didn't have enough money to afford expensive rice, wondered where it could have come from. But all Lay Wah could say was that God had sent it.
From my perspective, if I don't see or find anything else on this journey, I know I've found everything I could have dreamed of finding, and so much more.
Back in Thailand I'm off to Chiang Mai in the north. Today it's been a full day, trekking, across rivers and streams, over broken bamboo bridges, up the side of a mountain to visit hill tribes and then down the other side where there was a chance to go on a little elephant safari. Most people there seemed to be in couples and they were seated together on big metal chairs on the back of the elephant. Being by myself they invited me to ride on the neck of the largest elephant. Almost felt like some kind of mahout. It was a slow trek through the forest then up a very steep and very narrow dirt track. These big animals are sure footed, and that's good, you don't want one of these big guys slipping off the mountain and tumbling down over on top of you. Fortunately, my elephant seemed to like me pretty well, every now and then he would grab my foot with his trunk and give a good tug.
Following this I hitched a ride down a river on a bamboo raft. The rafts are made of several large diameter bamboo pieces that are maybe 25 feet long and the whole raft is not more than 4 feet wide and tied together in three places by one inch wide strips of old tire. Usually there are two passengers sitting in the middle of the raft with a boatman at the front and rear. There was a young couple from Ireland occupying the middle seat so this left me standing as the rear boatman manning a bamboo poll (used to steer around rocks). It was not the rainy season, so the river was pretty easy, with the occasional little rapids (not more than class 3).
Quiet rice paddies and farming scenes drifted by, as well as small groups of elephants grazing along the river's edge. It was a nice easy float. Then at one point there was a sign advising passengers to disembark, for their own safety. The boatman on the front indicated we should get out, but we waved our hands indicating to push on. The boatman looked at me and laughed as I pushed off a rock with my bamboo poll. Off we went around a bend and the river suddenly narrowed to a small rushing gap between large rocks, just barely the width of the raft. The couple from Ireland grabbed their bamboo seat really tight and I crouched low and shoved my bamboo poll this way and that as we surged into the gap. Somehow we managed to scrape through without getting crushed, or even too wet. The boatman looked behind us to see that all the other boats had stopped and their passengers were scrambling off to walk around the rapids. Just another day of exploration, one never knows what's around the bend….
For many years I have been hearing about the wondrous temples in the Cambodian jungle. Now after all this time I am here and very much looking forward to seeing for myself. To start, these temples are for the most part very, very large. To give you an idea of their size each temple is about the area of a small town. Now put them one beside the other stretched out across the jungle… The temples of the ancient spiritual center of Angkor thought to be commissioned by god-kings, beginning around the 9th century.
My great fortune this week is to be able to explore some of the most impressive of these temples. My top two favorites are without a doubt the mysterious Bayon Temple (which is in the exact center of the city of Angkor Thom) with its 216 giant four-faced heads looking down on you and the Ta Prohm Temple, in many places over grown by massive tree trunks and roots. Remember Angelina Jolie in the movie Tomb Raider, then you'll immediately recognize these two temples from the film. What you might not get from viewing the film is that long ago these were active living sacred places, with priests, devotees, pilgrims, workers and even kings. It is said that one temple alone required 10's of thousands of workers just to maintain the temple buildings and grounds. Untold numbers of feet have walked these narrow passageways and climbed the unbelievably steep stone stairs. Ok, Angkor Wat Temple is also a little impressive, but mostly for its great size and prominent position as you enter the area.
Massive intricately carved walls reach out from all directions and into the distance. These walls are frequently covered with scenes from the Ramayana, the churning of the Ocean of Milk, and others of gods and demons in the eternal struggle for balance in life. Of course the requisite Apsaras, beautiful celestial nymphs, can be found dancing around the base of many of the temples. Another favorite is the 350 meter long Terrace of elephants, a huge field bounded on one side by a high wall covered entirely in carvings of elephants.
In other places there are entire fields covered with thousands of large "forgotten" carved stones, with no idea of where they originally fit in, they sit and mark time. These days it seems that Cambodia, and most of the world, may have forgotten what was the essence and heart of such places as this. But long ago the spiritual heart of this place was lost, or driven out. Now all that remains are the very impressive spiritual bones of a once glorious past. It's been a long and fascinating day and now it's time for me to meditate…to reconnect with the source of nature.
This week I'm in northern Laos, in Luang Prabang a small town situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Luang Prabang is an interesting fusion of traditional Buddhist and old French styles. Perhaps the best contributions of the French have been the many bakeries, the French colonial architecture and perhaps a special something, a sweetness, in some of the younger faces.
By afternoon an open market takes over the main road through town, an intoxicating couple hundred yards. Walking here one sees a never-ending array of fresh fruits, cooked foods, baked breads and wonderful cakes (coconut, my favorite). The local crafts and arts are everywhere and you'd need several large suitcases to hold just a small sampling. But for me it's an especially good place to watch the local people. My normal smile is returned by a beautiful flowing sweetness that does not seem to end.
During the day I take the slow boat up the Mekong River to visit even smaller villages. Along the way up river I pass fishing villages and limestone caves with thousands of small Buddha statues inside. In many places you see bamboo racks one after another, holding rice cakes drying in the sun. Or frames holding beautiful hand made paper with flowers and bamboo leaves. Still, if you've come all this way why not catch a glimpse of the primitive local alcohol stills. Though I didn't give it a try, I'm told they brew very potent rice liquor, Lao whisky.
But if you want something really thrilling then you hire one of the small speedboats for a trip up river. These little racers have car engines, no mufflers, and they nearly fly up the river. The regular boat trip to Chiang Mai takes days but in the speedboat, only a few hours. Due to frequent accidents passengers are advised to wear protective gear (motorcycle helmets and life jackets). Oh, and before you strap yourself in, check to see that your driver hasn't been dipping into the Lao whisky!
Many of the temples here in Luang Prabang are covered with intricate inlaid work, both inside and out. The Tree of Life on the side of one tiny temple building was magnificent. Wondering the courtyard, I come across young monks using a bamboo pole to pick green mangos from a tall tree. One of the monks jokes with me and asks if I know about green mangos (most foreigners don't) and when I say yes, he happily picks one for me. Lay Wah taught me how to eat them green while I was in Burma, tart and great in salads, tasting a little like green apples.
Some hours later, using country dirt roads, I'm far into hill country exploring remote villages. Most of the adults are off in the fields in the afternoons getting ready for the next planting, before the rainy season. This means clearing trees and burning anything that remains. There are thousands of small fires. This explains the constant thick smoky haze and constant falling ash everywhere. I'm told if I come back after the rainy season it seems like another world. Until then, you'll forgive me if there are no photos of beautiful lush green sweeping mountain panoramas. Because of the haze, even I had to use my imagination.
Late follow-up: Because of extra thick smoke from all the clearing and burning of fields, nearly all flights into and out of the Luang Prabang have been canceled, for the second day. Lao Airlines is operating some limited flights (their pilots are allowed landings with very limited visibility clearance). I hear it should be any minute now, for the last 7 hours. Next time I'll try the slow boat down the Mekong.
A very fast driver and Thailand's great highways has made it a quick 5 hour car ride north from Bangkok to Sukhothai (meaning, rising happiness). But we bypass the old city ruins in Sukhothai, once capital of the ancient arm of Kymer civilization. Instead, we drive another 60 kilometers to the small town of Chinarai, an otherwise unremarkable little town, except today. Today there is the once a year special elephant coronation festival, held here for the past several hundred years. Today is the day when the young boys of the village, who are becoming monks, will have their heads shaved, get anointed and dressed in colorful robes and crowns, and then ride to the temple on elephants.
This is their last day for some time to be out in the world and this town really makes a big deal of it. Really big, many marching bands on each of the four sides of the courtyard, dancing Apsaras (beautiful nymphs) and the entire population dressed in traditional clothes, singing and dancing together as the boys come into the temple courtyard on their elephants. The party goes on for a hours outside as the boys are ushered into the little temple and the head monk chants the rites, initiating them into the order.
Being one of only a handful of foreigners present, I was invited to go where I wanted, to see everything. Starting with visiting a private home where one boy was being prepared, to seeing the elephants being painted and prepped, to being invited inside the temple by the head monk to witness the occasion.


text:
Q: Как сделать проверку на поля на unique в update? Есть метод update и поле name.

 'name' => 'nullable|unique:services|min:1',

Но я не смогу обновить это поля не меняя ему имя так как такое имя уже есть в базе, можно ли сделать, что бы юник не проверял то которое обновляет ? Или самому доставать из базы и сравнивать и тд ?

A: Валидатор unique умеет это делать, это написано в документации:
Вам нужно в правилах на update получать ID с таблицы services и написать валидатор:
 'name' => 'nullable|unique:services,name,' . $id . '|min:1',

И всё, будет искать совпадения по всем записям кроме указанного ID.


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Guildhall students reach IoD Student of the Year final 6
Two London Guildhall Faculty of Business & Law students made it to the final 6 of the IoD's Student of the Year competition.
Ali Izadpanahi and Laurence Prax have been tipped as names to watch after making it to the final stages of the Student of the Year awards at the Institute of Directors 2014 Directors Awards. The award recognises promising students who have demonstrated the qualities of future directors.
Having won a year's membership through the Guildhall's IoD student membership competition, both students made it through a rigorous application process and assessment day at the IoD to reach the prestigious final stage.
The award was open to all IoD student members across the United Kingdom, and students were judged on a range of attributes including commercial awareness, leadership, communication and ambition.
Laurence said of this achievement "It's a privilege to receive such recognition from an institute as prestigious as the IoD. Making it into the final has provided me with some real encouragement to pursue my business, Night Owl, further."
Ali added "As a foreigner, who found London a home at the age of 18 with no guardians, am very privileged to have reached the final of IoD competition in the most attractive city for business and innovation, especially when the competition is conducted by the Institute of Directors; such outstanding and prestigious organisation."
Dean Professor Stephen J. Perkins added "It was a real joy being there to witness and support the success of Ali and Lawrence, as two of only six people to reach the final of this prestigious awards process. Their certificates of achievement were well deserved: entrepreneurs, whose app-based businesses reflect not only the enterprising abilities of Guildhall's 'most business-ready graduates'.They also bring to life the Faculty's commitment to aligning 21st century creativity and culture with business and law."
The London Guildhall Faculty of Business & Law Student Membership Competition is now open to give all Guildhall an opportunity to gain a free annual IoD membership and follow in Ali and Laurence's footsteps.


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Justia Dockets & Filings Ninth Circuit Arizona District Court Velasquez-Lopez v. USA Filing 7
Velasquez-Lopez v. USA
ORDER - Magistrate Judge Burns' 6 R&R is accepted. Petitioner's 1 Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence is denied and dismissed with prejudice. The Clerk of Court shall terminate this action and enter judgment accordingly. Pursuant to Rule 11(a) of the Rules Governing Section 2255 Cases, in the event Petitioner files an appeal, the Court declines to issue a certificate of appealability because reasonable jurists would not find the Court's procedural ruling debatable. See Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). Signed by Judge G Murray Snow on 08/27/2015. (ATD)
1 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 8 9 Juan Jose Velasquez-Lopez, Petitioner, 10 11 ORDER v. 12 No. CV-14-02166-PHX-GMS No. CR-09-1145-8-PHX-GMS USA, 13 Respondent. 14 15 16 Pending before the Court are Petitioner's Motion to Vacate, Set Aside or Correct 17 Sentence and United States Magistrate Judge Michelle H. Burns' Report and 18 Recommendation ("R&R"). Docs. 1, 6. The R&R recommends that the Court deny the 19 Motion and dismiss with prejudice. Doc. 6 at 11. The Magistrate Judge advised the 20 parties that they had fourteen days to file objections to the R&R and that failure to file 21 timely objections could be considered a waiver of the right to obtain review of the R&R. 22 Id. at 11-12 (citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 72, 6(a), 6(b); United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d 23 1114, 1121 (9th Cir. 2003)). 24 The parties did not file objections, which relieves the Court of its obligation to 25 review the R&R. See Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d at 1121; Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 149 26 (1985) ("[Section 636(b)(1)] does not . . . require any review at all . . . of any issue that is 27 not the subject of an objection."); Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b)(3) ("The district judge must 28 determine de novo any part of the magistrate judge's disposition that has been properly 1 objected to."). The Court has nonetheless reviewed the R&R and finds that it is well- 2 taken. The Court will accept the R&R and deny the Motion and dismiss with prejudice. 3 See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) (stating that the district court "may accept, reject, or modify, in 4 whole or in part, the findings or recommendations made by the magistrate"); Fed. R. Civ. 5 P. 72(b)(3) ("The district judge may accept, reject, or modify the recommended 6 disposition; receive further evidence; or return the matter to the magistrate judge with 7 instructions."). 8 IT IS ORDERED: 9 1. Magistrate Judge Burns' R&R (Doc. 6) is accepted. 10 2. Petitioner's Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence (Doc. 1) is 11 12 13 14 denied and dismissed with prejudice. 3. The Clerk of Court shall terminate this action and enter judgment accordingly. 4. Pursuant to Rule 11(a) of the Rules Governing Section 2255 Cases, in the 15 event Petitioner files an appeal, the Court declines to issue a certificate of appealability 16 because reasonable jurists would not find the Court's procedural ruling debatable. See 17 Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). 18 Dated this 27th day of August, 2015. 19 20 21 Honorable G. Murray Snow United States District Judge 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 -2-


text:
Sounders: US Open Cup
Sounders-Timbers U.S. Open Cup tickets go on sale today
A limited number of tickets being made available to general public at 3 p.m..
By Jeremiah Oshan@JeremiahOshan Jun 5, 2015, 11:45am PDT
Share All sharing options for: Sounders-Timbers U.S. Open Cup tickets go on sale today
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
We're all quite aware that the Seattle Sounders-Portland Timbers rivalry is widely considered to be the most heated in MLS. We also remember the last time that rivalry was staged in the U.S. Open Cup at Starfire Soccer Stadium, when the Sounders beat the Timbers with a pair of extra-time goals last year. We probably are even aware that another one of these epic battles is scheduled for June 16.
But did you know you can still buy tickets?
Although season-ticket holders and various supporters' groups have already been given first crack, a limited number of tickets still remain. Those tickets will go on sale on Friday at 3 p.m. Tickets start at the perfectly reasonable cost of $20 and can be purchased here. It's probably not a good idea to wait too long on buying those, either, as they tend to go quite quickly.
The winner of the match will advance to the fifth round of the U.S. Open Cup to play an undetermined opponent.
The same day, S2 will be playing at Real Salt Lake.


National Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are required by law to serve meals that meet a variety of nutrition requirements. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which went into effect in 2012, changed those standards significantly, bringing better nutrition to schools. Here's how the updated standards have affected your child's lunch tray.
School lunches must be trans fat–free.
Meals must meet age-appropriate calorie limits and portion sizes (elementary school lunches must be 550 to 650 calories and middle school lunches must be 600 to 700 calories).
Schools must gradually reduce sodium levels in school meals until elementary school lunches contain fewer than 640 mg sodium and middle school lunches contain fewer than 710 mg.
Plain or flavored whole milk and 2 percent milk were allowed.
Milk must be fat-free or 1 percent (flavored milk must be fat-free).
Whole grains were encouraged, but not required.
Half of all grains offered must be whole-grain rich and by 2014, all grains offered must be whole-grain rich.
Schools are required to serve at least ½ cup of fruit and ¾ cup of veggies each per meal, and there are weekly requirements for legumes, green, red or orange, and starchy vegetable offerings. Children must take at least one fruit or vegetable with their meal.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meals are primarily federally funded and reimbursed to local school systems through the Georgia Department of Education at a set rate based on student eligibility data. Each student must choose at least three of the five components and one of the three must be a fruit OR a vegetable.
Students are offered an opportunity to select only items they will consume as a means to cut down on waste. This is called Offer versus Serve (OVS). Schools are required to offer choices within each food component to encourage children to choose a well-balanced meal including all 5 components form items they like.
OVS is followed during lunch for grades K-12. We also follow the OVS provision for all grades at breakfast. Signs at the serving line and menus sent home to parents or on your school system's website will assist students and parents with their selections.
When eating healthy school meals at lunch, under the OVS provision, students must take at least ½ cup vegetable or fruit, plus 2 items from the food components listed above. So at school, your child is receiving a balanced meal including fruit and/or veggie, milk, a grain item, and a protein source.
Healthy school meals at breakfast allows students with the OVS option to choose at least 3 food items based on 3 of the components listed above with at least 1/2 cup fruit. Again, your child is receiving a balanced breakfast that includes age appropriate calories, and reduced sodium and saturated fat.


The first Steering Committee of the International Chemistry Olympiad (SC IChO) was created in the year 1992 as a response to the problems that occurred after the political changes in Europe in the years 1989-1992 that had as their consequence the existence of new states, and consequently a rapid increase of the number of participating countries in the IChO. The existence of the SC IChO was later incorporated into the IChO regulations as § 8.
(1) The long term work involved in organizing the International Chemistry Olympiads is coordinated by the Steering Committee.
(2) Members of the Steering Committee are elected by the International Jury by a secret ballot to serve a two year term. There must be at least one person from each of the following regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe. Other three members can come from any region. The term of the elected committee begins on the 1st day after the IChO. Members are elected for no more than two consecutive terms.
(4) The incoming Steering Committee elects its own Chair from among its elected members at a meeting held before the committee's term begins.
d) has the right to call extraordinary meetings of the International Jury when necessary.
(6) The Steering Committee is not empowered to make any decisions affecting the International Chemistry Olympiad that would interfere with the duties and responsibilities of the International Jury (see § 6 and 7).
The business meetings of the Steering Committee are held during the current IChO. Besides that an annual meeting must be hosted in the organizing country at least five months prior to the IChO.
The MINUTES of the Steering Committee meetings held in 2012 – 2015 are available to download.


You want to protect your business from future legal and financial liability, from daily operations business transactions, including manufacturing agreements or licensing agreements, to structural changes such as mergers or acquisitions. The advice of an experienced business lawyer can reduce your exposure, saving your business time and money in the long term.
At the Law Office of Donald Schiffer, I leverage an extensive business background as well as more then 30 years of legal practice to offer the experienced guidance you want when addressing mergers, employment agreements or other business transaction concerns.
Contact my office online, or call 619-699-4860 to schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how I can help to guide your business through complicated transaction issues.
From administrative agreements to mergers, acquisitions and business sales, I have the knowledge and background needed for efficient and comprehensive support. After careful discussion of your goals and expectations for your contracts, I will advise you of potential legal issues and your options for proceeding.
My representation covers all facets of these transactions, including the smaller details busy business owners may overlook — including but not limited to licensing issues, non-compete agreements and non-disclosure agreements.


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Q: Angular JS - Text boxes are not updating in Isolated Scope In my JS file:
var app=angular.module("isolateScope",[]);

app.controller("attrScope",["$scope",function($scope){
    $scope.gem="ruby";
}]);

app.directive("diffScope",function(){
   return{
       scope:{
           gemType:'@',
           twoWay:'=',
       },
       //template:'@scope:<input type="text" ng-model="gemType"/>
=Scope<input type="text" ng-model="twoWay"/>'
   }
});

In My HTML File:

        <input type="text" ng-model="gem" />

            <diff-scope gem-type="{{gem}}" two-way="gem">
                @scope:<input type="text" ng-model="gemType"/>
=Scope<input type="text" ng-model="twoWay"/>
                </diff-scope>

But child Textboxes are not updating when parent textbox is typed nor it is loading with the value from parent textbox?

A: You can't define the template inside the html you use your directive in as you did. In this case, you must use transclusion, that will let you define html content in both directive's template and child elements in your directive.
When you define your directive, you must specify either the template or the templateUrl property (as you did, but commented it out). Namely in this template your scope attributes will get passed and become available.
Check out this fork of your plunker with the working solution.

A: You can define your template in html.
You have to use ng-transclude and add the isolated scope of the directive to the transclusion in link and add that transcludedElement with isolated scope to your directive element.
There is a very good description in this blog post about it.
Please have a look at the demo below or in this fiddle.

var app = angular.module("isolatedScopeApp", []);

app.controller("attrScope", ["$scope",
  function($scope) {
    $scope.gem = "ruby";
  }
]);

app.directive("diffScope", function() {
  return {
    scope: {
      gemType: '@',
      twoWay: '=',
    },
    transclude: true,
    link: function(scope, element, attrs, ctrl, transclude) {
      transclude(scope, function(clone, scope) {
        element.append(clone);
      });
    }
  }
});

  <input type="text" ng-model="gem" />

    <diff-scope gem-type="{{gem}}" two-way="gem">
      @scope:
      <input type="text" ng-model="gemType" />

      =Scope
      <input type="text" ng-model="twoWay" />
    </diff-scope>


PRODUCES $3125/MONTH IN INCOME! 6 Bedroom Rooming House, 2 Full Baths, fantastic investment opportunity! License will convey with purchase. BRAND NEW ROOF 2015! First floor has full bath w/washer & dryer, shared kitchen with and common living area with private office. Second floor also has a full bath and 4 generously sized bedrooms. The walk up attic offers great storage space or the possibility to expand the living area. Natural gas heat, city water and city sewer, electrical 100 amps, fire alarm and hard wired smoke detectors. All rooms recently painted. LOCATED NEAR BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, TRANSPORTATION, DON'T LET THIS ONE GO BY! GREAT FOR INVESTMENT! GET PAID EVERY WEEK! (Cash or commercial financing, sold "AS IS" peeling paint, no government financing).


The Brain Balance Program in Carmel and across the country helps children overcome the challenges of learning and developmental issues through an integrated, drug-free approach. Learning disorders are a group of disorders that hinder the brain from receiving, processing, storing, and communicating information. At the Brain Balance Achievement Center of Carmel, we can help to improve a child's processing and learning ability in order to help them become successful both in the classroom and at home.
Learning disorders can lead to difficulties in the classroom, and in return cause trouble in children's self-esteem and interpersonal skills. Across the United States, 1 in 5 people are impacted by the challenges of learning disorders. Many individuals with learning disorders have above-average intelligence, but have difficulty processing information. If you are noticing that your child has been struggling with academic issues, the Brain Balance Program is the answer you've been looking for.
Common learning disorders that the Brain Balance Program can help with include Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Dyspraxia. Reading, recognizing letters, learning letter sounds, and identifying rhyming words are challenging for children with dyslexia. These children often have trouble with spelling and writing when they get into school. A child's fine-motor skills are affected by Dysgraphia, one sign of this disorder can be distorted and incorrect handwriting. Children with Dyscalculia often have problems learning numerical skills. A sign of this learning disorder in children is noticing that the child has trouble with basic addition and subtraction problems. Dyspraxia is a condition characterized by challenges in carrying out routine tasks that involve balance, fine-motor control, and kinesthetic coordination. To learn more about the specific symptoms of LDs, please refer to the DSM-IV criteria for Learning Disorders.
The Brain Balance Achievement Center of Carmel helps children reach their academic and personal goals. Our Brain Balance Program begins with a personal assessment to evaluate your child's learning strengths and weaknesses. After the initial assessment, our center will be able to develop a custom plan for your child based on their current physical, verbal, and comprehension skills. This plan will help the Brain Balance Achievement Center of Carmel address your child's specific challenges and uncover the root of the issue.
We understand that as a parent, it can be difficult to watch your child struggle. We can help. The Brain Balance program combines sensory motor and academic activities, with a nutritional program and at-home exercises in order to help your child reach their physical, social, and academic potential. Our program works to help children with learning disorders in Carmel improve left-brain connectivity. Increasing left-brain activity leads to increased processing and learning skills.
Are you looking for a program to help address your child's learning disorder? Our program has helped children just like yours overcome their challenges and we look forward to helping your family as well. Contact Brain Balance Achievement Center of Carmel today at 317-843-9200 to get started!


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©2018 by Hudson Conservatory. Proudly created with Wix.com
info@hudsonconservatory.com
Quality dance instruction in Hudson, Ohio
Sunita Joshi, Director
Sunita began her dance studies at an introductory level at the age of two. As it became apparent that she displayed the determination and patience required for advanced ballet training, she began focused ballet studies and became involved with pre-professional ballet productions at the age of six. Her most notable accomplishments during these studies include being invited upon audition to attend sessions at American Ballet Theatre and North Carolina Dance Theatre. She attended BalletMet on scholarship where she was also invited to study in a two week choreography workshop. She quickly gained experience from these opportunities, performing soloist roles by the age of thirteen. Reaching professional status at the age of sixteen, Sunita enjoyed presenting many principal roles from well-known ballets including the Snow Queen from The Nutcracker, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. A highlight in her early career was being selected to perform Heinz Poll's Adagio for Two Dancers for the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival's inaugural season, to critical acclaim. Additional performances of note include repertoire with Verb Ballets in Cleveland, dancing works by Ginger Thatcher, Gary Pierce and additional choreography from Heinz Poll.
While many of Sunita's early opportunities required that she relocate, Northeast Ohio has always been her home and a place where she has felt a duty to share her knowledge and experiences. Teaching became a priority to which Sunita was increasingly drawn, and she has spent several years on faculty in local studios integrating and using her knowledge of classical ballet to influence their contemporary training. In 2014 she and fellow director, Eric Carvill, opened the Hudson Conservatory of Ballet (HCB) where she has has developed all of the programming and syllabus within HCB's Primary School (ages 2-9). Her influence through the years has helped students expand their opportunities as they received numerous scholarships, recognition, and awards, to various training programs such as Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and many other notable programs along with top placements at Youth America Grand Prix, ADC | IBC, and other national level competitions. This ingenuity and patience while working with young dancers has given her a strong reputation in the region as a master teacher, enriching faculties and giving insights on programming.
Sunita's main passion is for classical ballet; however as she has enjoyed working with all styles of dance during her career she is consistently pursuing other realms of study to integrate into her teachings. In March 2013 she became certified as a Beyond Barre instructor, and in December of 2013 completed a 200 hour yoga training program as well as graduated from Pennsylvania State University's World Campus with a degree in Business Administration. Sunita has attended many conventions and seminars to further her training, She has attended the Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach, California and NYC. She is also a member of the More Than Just Great Dancing organization.


A.S. Watson opens health & beauty flagship store in Hong Kong | O.W.N.
A.S. Watson Group has reached a new milestone with the opening of its flagship Watsons store on Yun Ping Road in Causeway Bay, marking the Group's 12,000th retail store in the world.
Spanning over three storeys and covering an area of over 8,000 sq. ft., this new flagship health and beauty store is the largest Watsons store in Hong Kong incorporating Watsons latest store design in a contemporary and elegant style.
With a history dating back to 1841, A.S. Watson Group was the 14th company to register in Hong Kong. Starting as a small dispensary, the Group is now the largest international health and beauty retailer with 12,000 stores in 24 countries/markets as well as one of the fastest-growing retailers.
"We plan to open 1,300 new stores this year across different markets – that is an average of 3 stores per day," Mr Li added.
Watsons, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, is recognized as the No. 1 Pharmacy/Drugstore brand in Asia for seven consecutive years and is one of A.S. Watson Group's major retail brands.
As an all-rounded health and beauty store, the flagship store provides customers with over 8,300 unique products, including organic skincare products and 840 healthcare and beauty brands, of which 250 are Watsons exclusives.


text:
Q: how to detect if getUserMedia with video and audio constraints has audio or not? i want to detect, is there any audio or not while showing media stream in video tag in JavaScript. what i have done to show webcam stream to video tag is below, now i want to detect whether user speaks anything? how can i detect that? can anyone help me to solve this?
var constraints = { audio: { echoCancellation: true }, video: { width: 640, height: 480 } };
navigator.mediaDevices
            .getUserMedia(constraints)
            .then(function (mediaStream) {
                videoInput = document.querySelector("video");

                videoInput.srcObject = mediaStream;
                videoInput.onloadedmetadata = function (e) {
                    videoInput.play();
                };
            })
            .catch(function (err) {
                console.log(err.name + ": " + err.message);
            });


text:
Q: uiautomatorviewer text box, what does it do? In the uiautomatorviewer (the one that comes with android sdk) window , there is a textbox in the upper left corner (on top of the heirarchy view). What is it for?
Thanks

A: It's a search box. You can enter text to search for and then move to next or previous result with the little arrows.
Yep, ugly UI.


A commissioner to the General Assembly (our denomination's national meeting that happens every two years), came back to report on what he did. He was a bit disappointed that he was on the church growth committee. The first day they sat down and talked about how if the church continues to decline at the same rate, then there will be no members left in forty years. The second day, they studied Matthew 25. The third day, they studied Matthew 25. They went on a couple of field trips, and they studied Matthew 25 some more.
The people hearing the report were shocked. That was it? I mean Matthew 25 is super, but… that's it?
1) Become determined to keep our recent grads. If anyone has met anyone who has recently graduated from seminary, you will know that we have a glut of qualified candidates, and no place for them to go. Actually. Let me rephrase that. We have some of the most brilliant people in our church who are unemployed. I have seen the most incredibly gifted minds walking around, wanting to be ordained, and we have no place for them. Some of them are finding jobs as interns, or working in seminaries, or non-profits, but they can't get ordained without a traditional call. Can we begin to open up our idea of what a validated ministry is? Can we make sure that we track these graduates? Could Presbyteries support them and encourage them while they look for positions? Can we offer internships and educational opportunities for them? (I know you guys need jobs, not more education, but untill then….) We're going to need them soon, and we don't want to lose them.
2) Quit giving incentives to ministers who are past retirement to stay employed. I'm not sure what other denominations are doing, but in the Presbyterian Church (USA), pastors get incentives to stay in their jobs beyond the age of 65. This is going to take action from the General Assembly to change. I've written on this before, and here's a comment from a Pension representative to explain exactly what they're doing. With grads not able to get jobs, this seems like a bad idea.
3) Help churches to die well. There are many things that we do, as pastors, when we stand beside the bed of someone who is dying, and there are many things that we don't do. It's the same with our churches. We don't tell churches that they are failures because they are dying. We don't shame them for not living a few years longer. We celebrate their lives. And with churches, we can help them to imagine how they can use their resources and assets to plant new churches.
4) Support people who want to plant churches. While going to Bible School, I was told there was one way to "make disciples" and that was to plant churches. In our denomination, only a couple of New Church Developments were started nationally in the last couple of years, but I know at least twelve people who would start a church tomorrow, if they could. Many of them have been approved by the denomination. They are raring to go, but there's no place for them to go. They have been told to just plant the church, and then look for denominational support. But they have children. They need insurance. They need some support.
I'm a part of a group of pastors who are starting to fundraise for NCDs outside of the denominational systems. They are DOC, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Post-evangelicals.
There will be some NCD failures, just like a percentage of new businesses fail. We can plan for those. And we can let the pastors decide what makes sense in their context—a traditional church, an emerging church, a monastic community, a coffeehouse church, a nesting church, or whatever…. There are a million ways to do it now.
Generation X is an entrepreneurial, innovative generation. We start businesses. We create new technology. And we are itching to start new churches. (The DOC is doing a great job of this.) And the Millenials are a very large generation. Can we begin to imagine congregations that make sense in their context?
Will we support our innovators? Will we allow people to retire? Will we give dignity to churches who are dying? Can we have a better vision for the next forty years? What would you like to see happen?
Orginally posted at Tribal Church.