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DAYWALKING
JOHN 11.9-10
Games With Friends
November 24, 2018 February 26, 2019 Matthew SchrammLeave a comment
Another month passes. He sits, now, in a polished wooden chair at an old desk in a room at an Inn at the edge of the village called Moganshan. It's nicer than it sounds. But cold—there is no central heating in this part of Shanghai, only air conditioning that he knows will blow hot air because of the sun symbol on the remote. It should be snowing but it's not that cold, and he's told they don't get much snow here anyways in Deqing or wherever they are. It took nearly four hours in an early-2000s model tour van driven by the now-past-middle-aged Chinese man who smoked a cigarette at the pit stop where all the foreigners stopped for the toilet and snacks. They all smoke cigarettes, unless of course they are married and their wives made them promise to quit. That's Jie's story, at least, but it's likely true of others.
The lights are off. His coworker, Clay, snoozes in the bed in the room at the Inn at the edge of the village called Moganshan. Now the lights are on. Breakfast is in 20 minutes. He sips hot water from a baby blue Original ceramics mug that has on it a white rabbit and the word "dreams." There is something dried and natural in the water but he's not sure and it mostly just tastes water, not tea. He takes some pictures of the room so he won't forget. Why write, then? To pass the time. Not for memory, certainly. He won't remember this.
Breakfast is in 12 minutes. Last night they sat around a bonfire and played Mafia and Fishbowl. Serge, Jessie, Ethan, Ivy, Feng, Joe, Clay, and Frisky, Serge's doggo. Before the bonfire, they ate Shao Kao (probably spelled differently) which is like shish-kebab barbeque over coals. It was mostly delicious along with the Chinese beer-water, fish ball soup, fried rice, fruit, and salad. He ate his fill, and his stomach bulged while his family did the same, miles away in Minnesota, celebrating a day of Thanks and Giving. He misses them, of course, but he will see them in less than a month when he flies to Portland for Christmas.
Moganshan
This is the story of Moganshan. Once, long ago and certainly before this place was ever spotted with the sounds of construction, horns, and villas, a man loved a woman. The man, Gan Jiang, one of China's most skilled swordsmiths, was ordered by Helu, the king of Wu, to forge a pair of swords. He and his wife, Mo Ye, set to work on the swords, but found that their furnace was not quite hot enough to melt the metal. Mo believed there was not enough qi—vital human energy, the air of life—in the furnace so, depending on the storyteller, they either cut their hair and nails, casting them into the flames, or they cast themselves into the flames as a sacrifice to make the furnace burn hotter.
In the former telling, the couple eventually produces swords good enough for the king, except that it takes them three years instead of three months as the king had commanded. The two swords are named after the couple: Ganjiang and Moye, male and female. They keep Ganjiang and give Moye to the king. The king, already upset, learns of their treachery and moves to have Gan Jiang killed. Before he can do so, Gan hides the male sword and leaves a message for his wife and unborn child about its location. The child is born, raised, and told the truth about his father. He seeks vengeance, but the king is warned in a dream of his coming. The king places a bounty on Chi, Gan's son, and an assassin finds him. Taking pity on poor Chi, the assassin suggests that he surrender his head for the king, along with the formerly lost Ganjiang. If he does so, the assassin will take up the bounty and avenge Chi's father. He does.
The assassin brings the severed head and legendary male sword to the king, who is overjoyed at their coming. But Chi's head just stares and stares, making the king quite uncomfortable. The head is boiled and nothing changes; after 40 days there is no sign of decay or breakdown. The assassin convinces the king to stare back, thinking maybe the king's power will cause it to decompose. The king bends over the cauldron, and the assassin makes his move, using Ganjiang to decapitate the king. His head falls into the water next to Chi's, and the assassin resolves then to remove his own head as well. Three heads in a pot, flesh melting now that the deed is done and vengeance complete, only skulls remain. The guards cannot recognize whose head belongs to whom and decide the three men should be honored as kings for their bravery and loyalty. They are buried in the "Tomb of Three Kings" at Yichun. The swords are lost, then reappear during the early Jin Dynasty. They, too, are buried, but at Yanping Ford.
And, nearly two thousand years later, another man walks in the bamboo woods of Moganshan. He does not love a woman, nor does he know much about the making of swords. His knowledge of qi is limited to Danny Rand and his Iron Fist. But he has time, so he researches the story he only heard bits of on the way to the village of Moganshan. Feng, the teller, has it that the lovers committed suicide for the sake of the swords, and their souls are kept inside of the terribly beautiful weapons of old. He does not know which telling he likes better. The latter reminds him of Romeo & Juliet except that these lovers died for a noble reason. The former is bloodier, more wasteful.
https://daywalking.home.blog/?order=asc
Milwaukie Drake November 25, 2019
The Place Where He Belongs May 29, 2019
Beyond the Finish Line May 17, 2019
Careless March 8, 2019
DOWNTOWN! February 26, 2019
mschramm123@gmail.com
Oregon's Emerging Poets: An Anthology, 2017
America's Best Emerging Poets: An Anthology, 2018
America's Emerging Writers: An Anthology of Nonfiction, 2018
America's Emerging Poets 2018: Pacific Region, 2018
America's Emerging Science Fiction Writers: Pacific Region, 2019


On Politics and Social Media - Today is going to be awesome.Today is going to be awesome.
If you follow along on any of my social media channels you know that I've been, like much of America, a bit riled up after the election of our new U.S. president, especially since the inauguration. I'm not here to talk about politics at this moment, so hang in there with me. I'm here to talk about what some of my followers expressed when I did start talking more frequently about politics in the last year, and what their reaction has made me realize.
For the record, I've been speaking about my political (personal, social, world) beliefs here on this blog and on social media for years. I don't do it a lot, but when stuff in the world or in my own life happens that I care about, I say what I think. I feel like I have a personal responsibility to say what I think. Also, I'm gay. Openly gay. I'm married to a woman. I'm covered in tattoos. Over the years, my hair has been every color in the rainbow. I live in a liberal mecca (and moved here from another liberal mecca). I have done work (very publicly) for both the Obama and Clinton campaigns, the Human Rights Campaign and other progressive causes. I'm an artist. You get the picture.
I sometimes naively assume that if you follow me online or take my classes, that you also get the picture — of me and what I'm about. But what I have learned over the years (and especially recently), is that a portion of my following, while they might assume I have political opinions that are different from their own, they don't want me to talk about them. They just want to look at my pretty pictures.
Here's the thing: for the most part, I do make a living drawing and painting "pretty" (and mostly politically benign) pictures — bold, graphic landscapes, floral line drawings, animals, repeating decorative patterns, vintage-inspired quilt motifs, and inspirational hand-lettered sayings.
The day of the inauguration, I wrote a post here about activism. I started more fervently making and posting politically charged artwork. Afterward, I got comments and messages on various platforms saying some flavor of: "I follow you because I like your art, but I do not want to hear about your political views." Others argued with the power or validity of anger (I had said, in no uncertain terms, that I was angry). One woman proclaimed that she was unfollowing me, and that she was also going to unfollow every artist who was also currently an activist speaking out against the government. Because, to her, it is wrong to question the president. She also vowed to unsubscribe to the platform on which I teach classes and to never buy one of my books again. She was done with me. It's worth noting that I have not experienced a mass spewing of vitriol. Most of my former followers have unfollowed me more quietly, and, even if they've expressed their opinion about why, they've done it politely and respectfully.
In truth, I believe the beautiful thing about social media platforms is that you get to choose who you follow or don't. That requires a bit of trial and error — you might follow someone because you "like their art," but then later discover they express opinions that you find offensive. I have unfollowed folks for a variety of reasons. I am in full support of unfollowing, because a lot of the time, it makes sense. And so, my response to the woman I mentioned above was some version of "…that's the great thing about social media — you don't have to follow or listen to anyone who you don't want to, who rubs you the wrong way, who you disagree with, etc. Follow if you want, but I totally respect unfollowing. Peace!" You get to "curate" your own social media feed.
That's right: I might make pretty pictures, but they do not define who I am. I am a complicated, sometimes messy human being. I have past experiences that haunt me. I have regrets, hopes and dreams. My views have been shaped by my experience — as a woman and a lesbian, for example — just like your experiences shape your views. That's why on my Instagram feed and here on my blog you see both the pretty things I draw and paint and, occasionally, of the other stuff — my struggles, my beliefs, my heartaches, my joys and contemplations and my political rants.
I also want to acknowledge that while I have lost many, many followers over the past months (especially in the past weeks), I am incredibly heartened by the support that the vast majority of my following (and it's going strong) have expressed for my activism and my activist artwork. I think most of my followers do see me as a whole human being — they want to see me as a whole human being. They like knowing where I stand, and where they stand in relationship to me. Sometimes we don't agree. Almost daily I am challenged to think about at least one thing one of my followers has said or asked.
I am also heartened by the activism of so many artists on the Internet — many of whom have never said a controversial thing on their Instagram feed or blog until now. I continue to urge artists to use their voices. Your freedom to do so is what makes our democracy great! Your words have weight. Use them.
Have a good Wednesday, friends! And thank you for listening.


On Rich's final night Jean arranged a banquet. The entire island of a little more than 100 happy and hardy Polynesian people attended. They roasted a couple pigs along with local fruits and vegetables. The evening was filled with warm smiles and breezes. Jean and Turua taught Rich a couple dances. Rich told them about the glaciers and williwaws of the Strait of Magellan. All listened intently as Jean translated.
Laughter and conversation broke out among the people. Rich sat on the ground next to Jean. They talked more as they watched the flames of a small campfire flicker in front of them.
"You are welcomed to visit a thousand times and beyond that, you must stay," Jean said.
Rich stood and slowly made his way to the beach and the dinghy. Just offshore, The Odyssey rested.
"Rich!" A hushed voice said.
Rich turned. It was Turua standing next to a palm.
"My English is not that bad," Turua said.
"Did he tell you he has a daughter?" Turua said.
"I am a woman and think of such things," Turua said.
"Where does she live?" Rich said.
"I heard you say you were sailing to Sydney," Turua said.
"It man be many months before I'm able to get to New Zealand," Rich said.
"It took many months to collect the pearls," Turua said.
"I will deliver them," Rich said.
"I don't suppose you'd have an address," Rich said.
"What if I can't locate her?" Rich said.
"You will have some beautiful pearls," Turua smiled.
"They will find the girl," Rich said.
Rich nodded and smiled assuredly. He pushed the dinghy into the water and motored slowly back to The Odyssey.
The island faded from Rich's sight far too fast.


Professor GD Agarwal's death on Thursday will not go in vain. Already, another swami by the name of Swami Gopal Das has declared his intent to go on an indefinite hunger strike at Matri Sadan from Friday.
The Matri Sadan in Haridwar has become the hub of the Save Ganga agitation and has witnessed forty such on fasts during the last decade. Earlier, another young swami Nigamanand had also fasted to death in a brave attempt to stop sand mining on the banks of the Ganga.
Prof GD Agarwal, Ganga crusader and brave heart environmentalist was also known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand. He had been fasting from June 22. And his single-point demand was for the Ganga to be cleaned up at the earliest.
This should not have been difficult for the Modi government to meet primarily because the prime minister had, ever since he declared is intent to become prime minister in 2013, made a promise to clean up our national river. So much so that Modi had said that he was the son of the Ganga.
Alas, this belief was soon belied by the government's unwillingness or inability to take concrete action on the ground. Of course, there was no shortage of funds because not only was the nomenclature of the Ministry of Water Resources extended to included River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation but the Namami Ganga received an unprecedented Rs 20,000 crore for cleaning up operations.
In February 2018, Agarwal wrote a letter to Modi demanding to know why instead of working to rejuvenate the river, his ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation was busy diverting its water or else undertaking indiscriminate dredging which would only destroy the river.
Agarwal also demanded that all work on the Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydropower project on the Alaknanda river, the Singoli Bhatwari and Phato Byung projects on the Mandakini river as also other hydro projects on the tributaries of the Alaknanda be halted with immediate effect.
He demanded that a Ganga Protection Bill be passed immediately in Parliament. The bill had been drafted by the Justice Girdhar Malviya committee two years ago. He also demanded the setting up of a statutory 20-member Ganga Council that would oversee all projects that could impact the Ganga.
The Modi government did not respond to his letter. Finally, on June 22, (Ganga Avataran Divas) Agarwal started a fast-unto-death surviving only on lime water.
Of course, this was not his first fast to save the river. He is known to have fasted in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013 during the UPA regime. Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh interacted with him closely during his tenure as minister and agreed to scrap the hydro-projects coming up along the Bhagirathi river.
Ramesh also declared that the 135 km stretch from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi be declared an eco-sensitive zone, a decision which came in for strong criticism from the 'development' lobby and which the BJP government in Uttarakhand has subsequently promised to reverse.
Agarwal went on to write four more letters to Modi, none of which received any response. All his letters reiterated the same points which have aggrieved activists and farmers mainly to end sand mining along the banks of the Ganga and also stop all hydropower projects on Alaknanda, Mandakini, Dhauliganga, Nandakini and Pinderganga as these would destroy the natural flow of the river.
It is to Minister of Sanitation and Drinking Water Uma Bharati's credit that she did go down to meet the fasting Agarwal at Matri Sadan in early August. Following her meeting, she sought to get his demands fulfilled by Minister of Water Resources Nitin Gadkari.
But Agarwal was no longer willing to settle for assurances. He wanted concrete action. Following his death, Gadkari issued a statement explaining that the government had accepted almost all his demands. Not only had the government come up with a notification to ensure minimum flow of the Ganga at various locations but they had also come up with a legislation to protect the river and this had been sent to the Cabinet for approval.
The question is who is going to buy this explanation? India's foremost environmentalist has been asking the government in power to ensure its most premier river providing precious drinking water to millions of homes and farmers have a pollution-free, continuous flow as also to ensure that no sand mining take place along its banks especially around Haridwar.
These were legitimate demands that should have been provided as a matter of right to all of us. The Ganga is in ICU as are all our rivers. Not willing to take this lying down, Agarwal, a former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and also the first member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board, was willing to fight for this cause.
Let us hope it does not go in vain.


Hump day! We're half way there.
So glad my daughter's room is finally finished. I love the gray walls with pops of color throughout. Her desk is one of the areas she uses the most. She likes to sit there and do legos or draw. She tends to collect a lot of paper so I wanted a tray to corral all of it. I made a simple acrylic tray in my office so it was a no-brainer to make one for her too.
I bought a plastic frame from Michael's and some pretty scrapbook paper.
Cut the paper to size to fit into the frame.
Boom! Done! So simple but so cute!
Here it is on the corner of her desk. I love how it's not bulky and since it's clear, you can still see the desk. It doesn't always stay as clean as I'd like it, but it works.
What's the easiest project you've tackled lately?
In case you missed it, the room reveal is here.
You're reading DIY Acrylic Tray by Andrea, originally posted on Decorating Cents. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Andrea on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Instagram, and Hometalk.
Happy Spring Andrea! I love this DIY -it's simple and practical but can add a touch of fun and color to your decor. And I bet it can be applied to a variety of acrylic accessories.


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About Eye SriLanka
A trusted lieutenant who turned into a 'mole'
Byeyeadmin
It is now known that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) executed Mahattaya, the organisation's deputy leader, in the mid-1990s on the charge of being an agent of Indian intelligence.
A compilation of documents from the LTTE's political wing published now says the dreaded militant group believed that it had got conclusive proof against him only after he was left out of the charge-sheet in India in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, filed in 1992.
The documents suggest Mahattaya, whose real name was Gopalasamy Mahendraraja, was accused by the LTTE leadership of not only tipping off Indian security agencies about the whereabouts of a ship carrying its front-ranking leader Sathasivam Krishnakumar, alias Kittu, in early 1993, but also hatching a plot to kill the supreme leader V. Prabakaran.
The documents, now part of the book published by VOC Noolagam, say it was intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman who foiled the alleged attempt to assassinate Prabakaran. They provide a narrative that portrays Mahattaya as a man who was envious of Kittu hogging the limelight in the media and later, one who harboured dark designs to eliminate the leadership and take over the organisation.
Under the LTTE intelligence scanner for long, it was his non-inclusion in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case charge-sheet that confirmed Pottu Amman's doubts about Mahattaya, the documents claim.
Pottu Amman had grown suspicious of Mahattaya immediately after Kittu lost a leg in a grenade attack in March 1987. "The area did not come under any attack from the Sri Lankan Army. Rival groups were also totally inactive. Then who would have been responsible for the blast?" asks one of the documents.
Pottu Amman was also closely monitoring the "special relationship" between Mahattaya and Indian intelligence during the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and his subsequent proximity to the late president Ranasinghe Premadasa.
A time-bomb under bed
Kittu's arrival in Jaffna was a closely guarded secret and only top leaders were aware of it. Who leaked it to the Indian intelligence agencies? This was a question that bothered Pottu Amman, who waited for further evidence. Mahattaya did not attend Kittu's funeral.
The political wing statements suggest that the LTTE interrogated many Mahattaya supporters, including cadre who escaped from custody in India during this period.
Barring Mahattaya, all others admitted to their role in their statements, the documents claim. They had been promised money and India's support if the conspiracy succeeded. A bodyguard of Prabakaran lodged in an Indian prison was released and given special training. As per Mahattaya's plan, the assassin should plant a time-bomb in Prabakaran's bed. The submissions of all those arrested were compiled as a document. Meetings were organised to explain the plot to LTTE cadre.
Adele Balasingham, the Australian wife of Anton Balasingham, says in her book that she and others were shocked when Mahattaya and his close associates were rounded up in Manippay. "Prabakaran visited our home and explained the Indian intelligence's conspiracy to eliminate him and to make Mahattaya as the leader of the organisation. It had happened in 1993 and he told us that it needed further investigation," she wrote.
Mahattaya and his associates were executed on December 28, 1994. (The Hindu)
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Cowboys news: Cornerback competition for starting spots on the Dallas defense
Check out today's latest and greatest news surrounding America's team!
By Connor Livesay@ConnorNFLDraft Jun 5, 2021, 4:00am CDT
Share All sharing options for: Cowboys news: Cornerback competition for starting spots on the Dallas defense
Photo by /Collegiate Images/Getty Images
Dallas Cowboys hope to turn a corner with Trevon Diggs, Kelvin Joseph - Todd Archer, ESPN.com
Trevon Diggs and Kelvin Joseph, or will Anthony Brown take a job?
FRISCO, Texas — At first glimpse, there appears to be a lot of similarities between Dallas Cowboys cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Kelvin Joseph.
Both were second-round draft picks — Diggs in 2020; Joseph in April. Both played in the SEC — Diggs at Alabama; Joseph at LSU and Kentucky. Both have good size — Diggs is 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds; Joseph is 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds.
The Cowboys drafted both cornerbacks because of their abilities to make plays on the ball.
Diggs showed that last season, leading the Cowboys in interceptions (three) while starting 11 of the 12 games he played. Joseph had four in his nine-game season at Kentucky in 2020.
The Cowboys hope the similarities between the two continue through the end of the offseason program, into training camp and then the regular season.
Over the past two seasons, the Cowboys have found themselves in a transition at the cornerback spot with Byron Jones leaving after the 2019 season for the Miami Dolphins and Chidobe Awuzie leaving after the 2020 season for the Cincinnati Bengals — both as free agents. The Cowboys felt Jones' price was too high to keep on the roster, and Awuzie had a disappointing season last year, mostly because of a hamstring strain.
Mailbag: Most Impressive Rookie DB? - David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
Nahshon Wright just keeps impressing people.
I realize it's very early, but who so far has impressed the most of the rookie DBs: Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Israel Mukuamu, Tyler Coyle? — ROBERT FERGUSON / CARROLLTON, TX
David: I promise I'm not blowing smoke. We've had a chance to watch two practices, and Nahshon Wright has shown up in both of them. His instincts are impressive, and he's consistently contesting passes thrown his way. It doesn't mean much in an unpadded practice, but it's at least encouraging that he's making the most of the opportunities he's seeing.
Cowboys Should 'Break The Bank' To Sign All-Pro DT Geno Atkins - Timm Hamm, Cowboy Maven
The Cowboys could still use some veteran help in the middle of the defense.
The Cowboys have their 90 man training camp roster set, right? Not so fast. The club has taken a look at former Bengals captain and DT Geno Atkins.
Atkins was taken by the Bengals in the fourth round in 2010. He quickly established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the game making his first of eight Pro Bowls in just his second year.
The 33-year-old was more of an afterthought for the Bengals in 2020, however, playing in just eight games. He suffered a shoulder injury prior to the start of the season, and it clearly limited his effectiveness.
It's the end of an era in Cincinnati, but can it be the beginning of something special in Dallas?
Atkins has a checkup with Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper in a few weeks and is expected to be cleared from a torn rotator cuff by July 1.
Atkins could certainly help shore up the Cowboys' run defense, which last season ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed (2,541) and 26th in rushing touchdowns allowed (20).
The Cowboys have the cap space ($8.9M) to sign Atkins, who made $11M last season in Cincinnati but should be expected to sign for considerably less.
Tarell Basham is ready to write the next chapter with the Dallas Cowboys - Peter, Texas News Day
Tarell Basham is a sneaky good addition to this Cowboys defense.
After spending several seasons at the AFC, the Dallas Cowboys welcomed defensive end Tarell Basham in 2021 as part of a defense-improving solution.
Dallas — Defensive End Tarell Basham won't start over at the Dallas Cowboys after signing a two-year contract with a free agency.
As he sees at the age of 27, his move to Dallas is a continuation of his journey, which began as a third-round nominee from Ohio in 2017.
"This will definitely be a new chapter from the previous chapter, but it's the same book," Basham told reporters on June 3. But one thing I want to say to everyone is that the toilets are different, so I'm still drinking the same thing, I just went to a different toilet, you know what I mean. We are moving. Up. "
After spending 2017-18 in Indianapolis Colts and playing 16 games, Basham played 42 games in the New York Jets from 2018 to 2020, starting 12 games. 6-4, 266 lbs edge rusher, 69 combined tackles, 8 lost tackles, 19 quarterback hits, 5.5 sack, 3 forced fumbles, fumble recovery, intercepts, 7 times Collected pass breakups, but Jets is in the worst category. NFL team in his span.
During the Adam Gase era, Jets recorded 9-23 and 2-14 in 2020.
"Crazy, I didn't even know that the environment was like that," Basham said. "I didn't feel like that while I was there, but then going in this positive direction, top-down, everyone wins, from the office to the headquarters to the equipment staff. I'm looking forward to this building, you can feel it. That's the difference. "
Summing up the good and the bad from the Cowboys 2021 OTA sessions - Tom Ryle, Blogging the Boys
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Dak is back
All eyes have been on Dak Prescott as he returns from his brutal ankle injury. While he is being held out of 11-on-11 work out of an abundance of caution, he has been doing everything else, including some nifty throws in 7-on-7.
If Prescott is 100% back, then the future is indeed bright. He is finally being recognized as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He is surrounded by some great weapons like CeeDee Lamb, featured above. His leadership and dedication are second to none. His loss last year doomed the season.
The grain of salt here is that he has not taken a hit, and probably will not take one until the Cowboys open the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their impressive defense. We will all hold our breath the first time someone collides with him, and probably will every time after that all season. It does not seem likely that he will become overly cautious of his ankle. However, most of us have no idea what he went through. We think we have prime Dak again. The proof is yet to come.
Who Turned Heads At Thursday's Practice? - Hek'ma Harrison, DallasCowboys.com
Who impressed the media in Thursday's practice?
Dalton Schultz isn't just keeping Blake Jarwin's seat warm while he rehabs from an ACL injury. In fact, at Thursday's minicamp Schultz played like a guy ready to shine in 2021. During team session Schultz ran excellent routes. In man coverage against Jaylon Smith, Schultz came close to making a one-handed catch that would have turned a lot of heads. Schultz will be a security blanket for Dak Prescott and proving his reliability may benefit the fourth-year veteran in a contract year.
La'el Collins: "I'm Just Starting To Feel Like Myself" - Matthew Lenix, Inside the Star
La'el Collins health could be key to the Cowboys offensive success.
The Dallas Cowboys were hit by the injury bug hard in 2020. One unit that suffered major damage was the offensive line and starting Right Tackle La'el Collins was hit the hardest after having to have hip surgery which kept him out for the entire season.
It couldn't have happened at a worse time for Collins. Just before the 2019 season, he signed a five-year, $50 million dollar extension with $35 million in guarantees. He responded by looking like one of the best right tackles in the NFL, causing many to wonder why he didn't make the Pro Bowl. Now, he's returned to the practice field during OTAs as he gradually continues to progress during his rehab, and he mentioned recently how the grind to get back has him feeling like years past.
"To be honest with you, I'm just starting to feel like myself," Collins said on Thursday. "And it feels good. I'm working overtime with treatment and physical therapy to make sure this goes right. All the hard work is definitely paying off."
Coming off of the best season of his career, Collins was looking to further established himself as one of the best right tackles in the league in 2020. However, his hip had become a continuous nuisance and he had to do something about it.
"It was something that had been lingering for a while," Collins said. "I couldn't get down to what was going on. I kept working on it and it came down to the point where something had to be done."
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Q: Locking down SOLR on ColdFusion 9 This might belong on serverfault, so please move if it does.
We just discovered that you can get to a list of SOLR indexes by going to: http://example.com:8983/solr/ this then allows you access to the SOLR admin for each index.  This strikes us as... a bad thing. Luckily though, this is locked down to only be accessbile from a certain IP (our office IP via the firewall), but still means the janitor can get access to our SOLR collections. not ideal.
One way to circumvent it has been to remove the admin folder, however this still allows people access to http://example.com:8983/solr/ which isn't ideal.
I've read through the SOLR documentation on security, but can't seem to fully lock down access to /solr/*. It might be very well a case of looking at the wrong part of the documentation.
Using the code from the documentation:
<security-constraint>
  <web-resource-collection>
    <web-resource-name>Solr authenticated application</web-resource-name>
    <url-pattern>/core1/*</url-pattern>
  </web-resource-collection>
  <auth-constraint>
    <role-name>core1-role</role-name>
  </auth-constraint>
</security-constraint>

<login-config>
  <auth-method>BASIC</auth-method>
  <realm-name>Test Realm</realm-name>
</login-config>

and replacing <url-pattern>/core1/*</url-pattern> with an actual solr collection name does mean that when visiting http://example.com:8983/solr/collection_name/ it will ask me for a login and password, however, when just trying to lock down /solr/* or even * I get no such luck.
I'm using the built in solr that came with CF9

A: Is this a remote Solr server or is it on the same server as CF9, if on the same server as CF9 then you can just tell Solr to listen on 127.0.0.1. There was a patch for this for CF 9.0.0 back in 2010: http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-04.html
If it is a remote solr server, then you can use your network firewall, or a local firewall (windows firewall or iptables) to limit access to this port (and possibly this server) to only the CF server.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The South Arkansas Arts Center welcomes the 151st Annual International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society. The watercolors will be on exhibit in the Price and Merkle Galleries October 6-30. The AWS traveling exhibition is sponsored by Richard Wharton, in memory of his parents, Frances and Wayne Wharton. Showing in the Lobby Gallery will be Sherman, Texas, acrylics artist Beth Hubbert. Her show, "In Living Color, Moments and Memories", will run October 6-30, as well. An artist's reception is planned for this Saturday, October 6, from 6:00-7:30pm in the Price and Merkle Galleries.
The American Watercolor Society's annual exhibition is one of the most revered watercolor exhibits in the world. More than 1,100 artists from throughout the United States and 27 foreign countries submit their work to a panel of jurors chosen from Signature Members of the AWS. Of these submissions, 150 paintings are selected for the exhibition. Forty paintings from the show are selected for the Traveling Exhibition, which tours six museums and galleries across the country in California, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee during the next year, with SAAC being the only scheduled exhibit in Arkansas . While inclusion in this exhibition is itself an honor, participants also compete for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals of Honor, and 29 other awards and medals totaling nearly $50,000 in prize money.


text:
Rewards for Fugitives
A Move Against Corruption in Lebanon
Gibran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement party. (File)
In November, the United States took action to support the Lebanese people in their calls for reform and accountability.
For more than a year, the people of Lebanon have taken to the streets demanding social, political and economic reform. They are tired of living under the country's deteriorating conditions – including rising inflation, crumbling infrastructure, water pollution and unreliable electricity -- while political leaders enrich themselves and refuse to implement needed reforms.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke about Lebanon at a recent press briefing:
"The Lebanese people clearly want their corrupt political class – so much beholden to Hezbollah – to stop ruining their country."
On November 6, the United States took action to support the Lebanese people in their calls for reform and accountability. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Gibran Bassil, President of the Free Patriotic Movement political party and a former Lebanese cabinet official.
The Free Patriotic Movement is a key political ally of Hezbollah. Bassil was designated under the authority of Executive Order 13818 which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, targeting corruption and serious human rights abuse around the world.
Secretary of State Pompeo pointed out that U.S. sanctions against Bassil also followed and built upon "the recent counterterrorism designations under Executive Order 13224 of former Lebanese officials, Yusuf Finyanus and Ali Hassan Khalil, who put personal interests and those of Iran-backed Hezbollah ahead of the welfare of the Lebanese people.
Through his corrupt activities, Bassil has also undermined good governance and contributed to the prevailing system of corruption and political patronage that plagues Lebanon, which has aided and abetted Hezbollah's destabilizing activities."
Secretary of State Pompeo said it is long past time for Lebanese political leaders "to put aside their own narrow self-interests and instead work for the people of Lebanon."
"They want an independent nation. They want a sovereign country. They don't want the political elites that have been corrupted through the system that was put in place and permitted them to loot and rob their country. They want freedom; they want prosperity, they want jobs."
Those are also the things that the United States wants for Lebanon, said Secretary Pompeo: "And the sanctions we put in place against the former minister are appropriate and useful towards getting us closer to that one day where the Lebanese people can have what it is they so richly deserve."
Reflecting the Views of the U.S. Government as Broadcast on The Voice of America
More Editorials
Civil Society Space Shrinking Further in Russia
Martin Luther Kind Day 2021
Designating Companies Shipping North Korean Coal
Vietnam Stifling Free Expression
China's Dangerous Nuclear Game
Sanctioning Maduro's Enablers
Holding Accountable Those Who Prosecuted Citgo-6
U.S. Sanctions Corrupt Nicaraguan Officials
Democracy and Governance


text:
Q: Show Calculated Field on SuiteCRM Dashlet I have create calculated field on custom module. So basically, this module sum all invoice totals made by each sales. Calculated field is sum of all invoice assigned to user. I have already made the calculated field on detail view and its work. Now, I want to show the calculated field on dashlet. Here is my screenshot :

As you can see, the current sales column is blank. It should be filled with integer value showing sum of invoice total made by sales name. I've created the module, field, and layout using suitecrm studio & module builder. How can I show calculated field on dashlet ?
Here is the function to show calculated field on detail page and its already work, however it doesnt work on dashlet or listview:
public function preDisplay(){
    //$this->bean contains all the information on the Case
    //use that information to grab the related account bean, something like:
    //date format still error here

    $a = new AOS_Invoices();
    $validFromFormatted = date_create_from_format('m/d/Y', $this->bean->valid_from);
    $validToFormatted = date_create_from_format('m/d/Y', $this->bean->valid_through);
    $arr = $a->get_full_list(null,'(aos_invoices.assigned_user_id = \''.$this->bean->user_id_c.'\' and invoice_date between \''.date_format($validFromFormatted,'Y-m-d').'\' and \''.date_format($validToFormatted,'Y-m-d').'\')');

    $sum = 0;
    foreach($arr as $key=>$value){
        if(isset($value->total_amount))
            $sum += $value->total_amount;
    }

    $this->bean->current_sales = $sum;
    parent::preDisplay();
}

A: Instead of creating a custom dashlet. You could create a report instead. Add the field you want to be displayed. Add the total amount field and then set the total function. You could group by the sales name.
On your home screen, add the reports dashlet, select the edit button, and select the report you just created.

A: Add a logic hook(before_save) which will calculate that field while saving record and then will save it inside same module.
Once you have field in same module then just add in dashlet like normal fields.
Advantage of using this logic:

*

*Reduce load on home page loading because there are pretty much other modules as well which need to be loaded.

*No in-depth customization so very much upgrade safe and friendly.


From Edinburgh to Manchester, London to Cardiff, Travelodge is offering a great deal on over 500 hotels across the UK during February 2013.
On her recent visit to India, Anne Coates stayed at three Mahindra Homestays. An anitdote to anonymous hotels, Homestays offer the chance to stay with Indian families and learn more about the culture and the area. In Jaipur, Anne stayed at Cosy Home.
Overlooking the breathtaking Lake Achensee on one side and the Alpenpark Karwendel – Tirol's largest nature park – the Hotel Wiesenhof offers the best of winter and summer vacations – it is truly a holiday destination for all seasons as Anne Coates discovered on a recent visit.
Daish Holidays, a family business, has hotels in Newquay, Isle of Wight, Torquay and Bournemouth. Anne, Olivia and Harriet Coates went to stay at the Barrowfield Hotel in Newquay and report back on this family-friendly hotel.
Lucy Daltroff visited a country house hotel which proved to be an excellent place to stay for families: Feversham Arms in Helmsley.
On a visit to relatives in Australia, Claire Griffin and her family were caught up in the Queensland floods and decided to leave quickly, finding a last minute retreat at Dubai's Desert Palm, part of Per Aquum Resorts, for some sun and respite.
The Tamarind Hotel in Barbados has just reopened after a multimillion-pound revamp and as soon as travel journalist Lucy Daltroff arrived she discovered a welcoming and fun, family-friendly feel about the place.
Anne Coates stayed at the Thistle Hotel in Brighton with Olivia and Harriet and enjoyed all the amenities with the bonus of being in one of their favourite seaside towns that's also great for shopping.
Osterreichischer Hof Hotel (4*) is an excellent base for a skiing, hiking or spa holiday in Bad Hofgastein, Austria.
Not a hotel for families with babies and/or toddlers but great for a break in this great French city for parents with older children, writes Anne Coates.


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text:
\section{Introduction}
 The adiabatic theorem was first stated by  Max Born and Vladimir Fock  in 1928. It asserts that ``a physical system remains in its instantaneous eigenstate if a given perturbation is acting on it slowly enough and if there is a gap between the eigenvalue and the rest of the Hamiltonian's spectrum" (see Wikipedia page on adiabatic theorem).

 Since under certain conditions, there is a way of expressing Hamiltonians via reversible Markov chains, we state and prove the corresponding theorem for Markov chains. The task turned out to be less complicated than it was initially expected, and we used only a small fraction of  the machinery of mixing times and relaxation times of Markov chains that was developed so successfully in the last thirty years (see \cite{a}, \cite{af}, \cite{bk}, \cite{d}, \cite{lpw}, \cite{sj} and references therein). Stated in terms of Markov chains, the adiabatic theorem is intuitively simple and accessible (see \cite{ar} for comparison). Here we will quote Nielsen and Chuang \cite{nc}: ``One of the goals of quantum computation and quantum information is to develop tools which sharpen our intuition about quantum mechanics, and make its predictions more transparent to human minds". It is important to point out that despite clear similarities and relation between the two, the quantum adiabatic theorem and the adiabatic theorem of this paper are different.

\vskip 0.3 in
 First we state a version of the adiabatic theorem.
 Given two Hamiltonians, ${\cal H}_{initial}$ and ${\cal H}_{final}$, acting on a quantum system.
 Let ${\cal H}(s)=(1-s){\cal H}_{initial}+s{\cal H}_{final}$.
 Suppose the system evolves according to ${\cal H}(t/T)$ from time $t=0$ to time $T$ (the so called {\it adiabatic evolution}).
The adiabatic theorem of quantum mechanics states that for $T$ large enough, the final state of the system will be close to
the ground state of ${\cal H}_{final}$. They are $\epsilon$ close in $l_2$ norm whenever $T \geq {C \over \epsilon \beta^3}$,
where $\beta$ is the least spectral gap of ${\cal H}(s)$ over all $s \in [0,1]$, and $C$ depends linearly on a square of the distance between ${\cal H}_{initial}$ and ${\cal H}_{final}$.
 See \cite{jrs} and \cite{m}. There are many versions of the adiabatic theorem.

\vskip 0.3 in
\noindent
Now, let us list the main concepts involved in the theory of mixing and relaxation times that we will need in the following sections. We refer the readers to \cite{lpw} and \cite{af} for details.
\begin{Def}
If $\mu$ and $\nu$ are two probability distributions over $\Omega$, then the {\it total variation distance} is
$$\| \mu - \nu \|_{TV} = {1 \over 2} \sum_{x \in \Omega} |\mu(x)-\nu(x)|=\sup_{A \subset \Omega} |\mu(A)-\nu(A)|$$
Observe that the total variation distance measures the coincidence between the distributions on a scale from zero to one.
\end{Def}

\begin{Def}
 Suppose $P$ is an irreducible and aperiodic finite Markov chain with stationary distribution $\pi$, i.e. $\pi P=\pi$. Given an $\epsilon >0$, the mixing time $t_{mix}(\epsilon)$ is defined as
 $$t_{mix}(\epsilon)=\inf\left\{t~:~\|\nu P^t - \pi\|_{TV} \leq \epsilon,~~\text{ for all probability distributions } \nu \right\}$$
\end{Def}

 \vskip 0.2 in
 \noindent
 Now, suppose $P=\Big( p(x,y) \Big)_{x,y}$ is {\it reversible}, i.e. $P$ satisfies the detailed balance condition
 $$\pi(x)p(x,y)=\pi(y) p(y,x)~~\text{ for all }x,y~\text{ in the sample space }\Omega$$
 It is easy to check that if $P$ is reversible, then $P$ is self-adjoint with respect to an inner product induced by $\pi$, and as such will have all real eigenvalues.
 The difference $\beta=1-|\lambda_{(2)}|$ between the largest eigenvalue (i.e. $\lambda_1=1$) and the second largest (in absolute value) eigenvalue $\lambda_{(2)}$ is called the {\it spectral gap} of $P$. The relaxation time is defined as
 $$\tau_{rlx}={1 \over \beta}$$
 One can show the following relationship between mixing and relaxation times.
 \begin{thm} \label{relax}
 Suppose $P$ is a reversible, irreducible and aperiodic Markov chain with state space $\Omega$ and stationary distribution $\pi$.
 Then
 $$(\tau_{rlx}-1)\log(2\epsilon)^{-1} \leq t_{mix}(\epsilon) \leq \tau_{rlx} \log (\epsilon \min_{x \in \Omega}\pi(x) )^{-1}$$
 \end{thm}
 \vskip 0.3 in
 To conclude the introduction, we would like to point out that the mixing and relaxation time techniques were widely used in the the theory of computations and algorithms (see \cite{sj}).  This current paper was influenced by the work of D.Aharonov et al \cite{siam}. The model of adiabatic quantum computation is based on the quantum adiabatic theorem. The connection between the adiabatic quantum computation and relaxation times of reversible Markov chains was used in \cite{siam} to prove an equivalence between adiabatic quantum and quantum computations. See \cite{ksv} and \cite{nc} for more on quantum computation.

\section{Hamiltonians, Markov chains, and adiabatic quantum computation}

 Let the Hamiltonian (or {\it energy}) ${\cal H}$ be a Hermitian real matrix. If it is also  true that $I-{\cal H}$ is nonnegative, irreducible and aperiodic (i.e. $(I-{\cal H})^k>0$ for $k$ large enough), by Perron's theorem, its largest (in absolute value) eigenvalue is positive with a unique eigenvector with all positive coordinates.

 Let $I-{\cal H}=\Big(a_{i,j}\Big)$ be an irreducible and aperiodic nonnegative $(N+1) \times(N+1)$ dimensional Hamiltonian matrix, with eigenvalues $$1-\lambda_0 >1-\lambda_1 \geq 1-\lambda_2 \geq \dots \geq 1-\lambda_N,$$ where
 $\lambda_j$ are eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian ${\cal H}$, the lowest of them is the {\it ground energy} $\lambda_0$, and by Perron's theorem, $1-\lambda_0>|1-\lambda_j|~~(j=1,\dots,N)$. Then $$P=\left(P_{i,j}={\alpha_j \over (1-\lambda_0) \alpha_i}a_{i,j}\right),$$
 where the  {\it ground state} ${\bf \alpha}=(\alpha_0,\dots,\alpha_n)$ with all $\alpha_j >0$ is the unique eigenvector of ${\cal H}$ corresponding to $\lambda_0$,
 will be an irreducible aperiodic reversible Markov chain over $(N+1)$ states,  with eigenvalues
 $$r_0=1>r_1 \geq r_2 \geq \dots \geq r_N,$$
 where $r_j={1-\lambda_j \over 1-\lambda_0}$, and stationary distribution
 $$\pi={1 \over \|{\bf \alpha}\|_{\ell_2}^2}(\alpha_0^2,\dots,\alpha_N^2)$$
 Thus if $I-{\cal H}$ nonnegative, irreducible and aperiodic, we can convert the Hamiltonian into a reversible transition probability matrix.
 Observe that the spectral gap $\beta=1-\max\{|r_1|,|r_N|\}$ of $P$ will be a multiple of the spectral gap
 $\beta_H=\lambda_1-\lambda_0$ of ${\cal H}$, $$\beta={\beta_H \over 1-\lambda_0}$$
 whenever $r_1 \geq |r_N|$. If we consider a {\it lazy Markov chain} $\widetilde{P}={1 \over 2}(I+P)$, then the eigenvectors of $\widetilde{P}$  will coincide with the eigenvectors of $P$, and its eigenvalues will be
 $$\tilde{r}_0=1>\tilde{r}_1 \geq \tilde{r}_2 \geq \dots \geq \tilde{r}_N \geq 0,$$
 where $\tilde{r}_j={1+r_j \over 2}$. The lazy Markov chain $\widetilde{P}$ evolves twice slower than $P$, and its spectral gap
 $$\widetilde{\beta}=1-\max\{|\tilde{r}_1|,|\tilde{r}_N|\}=1-\tilde{r}_1={\beta_H \over 2(1-\lambda_0)}$$
 Observe that $$P={1 \over 1-\lambda_0}(I- A^{-1}\mathcal{H}A),$$
 where $$A=\left(\begin{array}{cccc}\alpha_0 & 0 & \dots & 0 \\0 & \alpha_1 & \ddots & 0 \\\vdots & \ddots & \ddots & 0 \\0 & \dots & \dots & \alpha_N\end{array}\right)$$

 \noindent
  In quantum computation, if we operate on $n$ {\it qubits} (quantum bits), the Hamiltonian will be a $2^n \times 2^n$ matrix. In this case, if the conditions are satisfied, and we can convert the Hamiltonian into a Markov chain, the stationary distribution $\pi$ will represent the quantum probabilities for the multiple qubits, $|0\dots00>,~|0\dots01>,\dots,|1\dots11>$
  We can also consider a restriction of the Hamiltonian to an invariant subspace, that will have the needed properties.

 \vskip 0.2 in
 In the model of adiabatic quantum computation, an algorithm is described by the adiabatic evolution
 $${\cal H}(s)=(1-s){\cal H}_{initial}+s{\cal H}_{final},$$
 where the input is the {\it ground state} (the eigenvector corresponding to the lowest eigenvalue of)  ${\cal H}_{initial}$, and
 the desired output is the ground state of ${\cal H}_{final}$. Thus, according to the quantum adiabatic theorem, if the duration time $T$  is large enough, then the output will be $\epsilon$ close to the ground state of ${\cal H}_{final}$. The duration time $(T\max_{s}\|{\cal H}(s)\|)$ required will be the running time for the algorithm (according to some definitions). Therefore finding the optimal $T_{\epsilon}$ would optimize the algorithm's running time. In \cite{siam}, D.Aharonov et al use Markov chain techniques to estimate the spectral gap for the Markov chain $P_{final}$ generated from ${\cal H}_{final}$, and therefore, obtaining the estimate for the spectral gap of  ${\cal H}(s)$ when $s$ is close enough to one, and subsequently using the quantum adiabatic theorem to bound the running time.

 \vskip 0.2 in
 \noindent
 Now, suppose $\mathcal{H}$ is a Hermitian real matrix that satisfies the required conditions, i.e.  $(I-{\cal H})^k>0$ for $k$ large enough.
 Then $(1-\lambda_0)P=I- A^{-1}\mathcal{H}A$ and
 $$\mathcal{H}=I-(1-\lambda_0)D^{-{1 \over 2}}\widehat{P}D^{1 \over 2},$$
 where
 $$D=\left(\begin{array}{cccc} \pi_0 & 0 & \dots & 0 \\0 & \pi_1 & \ddots & 0 \\\vdots & \ddots & \ddots & 0 \\0 & \dots & \dots & \pi_N\end{array}\right)={1 \over \|{\bf \alpha}\|_{\ell_2}^2}A^2~~~\text{ and }~~\widehat{P}=DPD^{-1}$$
Here, since $\pi=(\pi_0,\dots,\pi_N)$ is the stationary distribution of reversible $P$, the matrix $\widehat{P}$ will be a self-adjoint Markov chain with the same spectrum as $P$.
 \vskip 0.2 in
 \noindent
 In the above discussion we summarized a connection between the Hamiltonians and Markov chains in the context of quantum information.

\section{Adiabatic theorem for Markov chains}

  Given two  transition probability operators, $P_{initial}$ and $P_{final}$, with a finite state space $\Omega$. Suppose $P_{final}$ is irreducible and aperiodic and $\pi_f$ is the unique stationary distribution for $P_{final}$. Let
  $$P_s=(1-s)P_{initial}+sP_{final}$$
  \begin{Def}
  Given $\epsilon>0$, a time $T_{\epsilon}$ is called the {\it adiabatic time} if it is the least $T$ such that
  $$\max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{1 \over T} P_{2 \over T} \cdots P_{T-1 \over T} P_1 - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq \epsilon,$$
  where the maximum is taken over all probability distributions $\nu$ over $\Omega$.
  \end{Def}
  \begin{thm} \label{adiabatic1} Let $t_{mix}$ denote the mixing time for $P_{final}$. Then the adiabatic time
  $$T_{\epsilon}=O\left({t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)^2 \over \epsilon} \right)$$
  \end{thm}
  \begin{proof}
  Observe that
  $$\nu P_{1 \over T} P_{2 \over T} \cdots P_{T-1 \over T} P_1={T! \over N! T^{T-N}}~~\nu_N P_{final}^{T-N}+ \mathcal{E},$$
  where $\nu_N=\nu P_{1 \over T} P_{2 \over T} \cdots P_{N \over T}$ and $\mathcal{E}$ is the rest of the terms.
  Hence, by triangle inequality,
  \begin{eqnarray*}
  \max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{1 \over T} P_{2 \over T} \cdots P_{T-1 \over T} P_1 - \pi_f \|_{TV}
  & \leq &

  \max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{final}^{T-N}  - \pi_f \|_{TV}\cdot {T! \over N! T^{T-N}} +S_N,
  \end{eqnarray*}
where $0 \leq S_N \leq 1-{T! \over N! T^{T-N}}$.

 \vskip 0.2 in
 \noindent
 Let $T=K t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)$ and $N=(K-1) t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)$, so that
 $ \max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{final}^{T-N}  - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq \epsilon /2$. Observe that
 $$e^{\int_{N}^T \log{x} dx+(T-N)\log{T}} \leq  {T! \over N! T^{T-N}} =e^{\sum_{j=N+1}^T \log{j}+(T-N)\log{T}} \leq 1$$
 and therefore, expressing $T$ and $N$ via $t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)$, and simplifying, we obtain
 $$\left( {\left(1 +{1 \over K-1} \right)^{K-1} \over e} \right)^{t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)}=e^{N\log{T \over N}-(T-N)} \leq  {T! \over N! T^{T-N}} \leq 1 $$
 So
 $$0 \leq S_N \leq 1-{T! \over N! T^{T-N}} \leq 1-\left( {\left(1 +{1 \over K-1} \right)^{K-1} \over e} \right)^{t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)}$$
  and we need to find the least $K$ such that
  $$1-\left( {\left(1 +{1 \over K-1} \right)^{K-1} \over e} \right)^{t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)} \leq \epsilon /2$$
 Now, since $\log(1+x)=x-{x^2 \over 2}+O(x^3)$,  the least such $K$ is approximated as follows
 $$K \approx {t_{mix}(\epsilon/2) \over -2 \log\left(1-\epsilon/2 \right)} \approx {t_{mix}(\epsilon/2) \over \epsilon}$$
  Thus for $T=K t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)\approx {t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)^2 \over \epsilon}$,
 $$\max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{1 \over T} P_{2 \over T} \cdots P_{T-1 \over T} P_1 - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq \epsilon$$
 \end{proof}
Observe that Theorem \ref{adiabatic1} is independent of the distance. We can use $\ell_2$ norm in the definitions of adiabatic and mixing times, and arrive to the same result.

 While a version of the quantum adiabatic theorem can be proved without a gap condition (see \cite{ae}), the Markov chain $P_{final}$ over finite sample space $\Omega$, if it is reversible, will have a spectral gap. Here we apply Theorem \ref{relax} to the result in Theorem \ref{adiabatic1}.
 \begin{cor}  Suppose $P_{initial}$ and $P_{final}$ are  Markov chains with state space $\Omega$. If $P_{final}$ is reversible, irreducible and aperiodic with its spectral gap $\beta>0$, then
 $$T_{\epsilon}=O\left({\log{2 \over \epsilon}+\log{1 \over \min_{x \in \Omega}\pi_f(x)} \over \epsilon \beta^2}\right)$$
 \end{cor}

\section{Continuous time Markov processes}

 In the case of continuous time Markov chains, an equivalent result is produced via the method of uniformization and order statistics. Suppose $Q$ is a bounded Markov generator for a continuous time Markov chain $P(t)$, and \
 $\lambda \geq \max_{i \in \Omega} \sum_{j:j \not= i}q(i,j)$ is the upper bound on the departure rates over all states. The method of {\it uniformization} provides an expression for the transition probabilities $P(t)$ as follows:
 $$P(t)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} {(\lambda t)^n \over n!} e^{-\lambda t} P_{\lambda}^n,~~~~~\text{ where }~P_{\lambda}=I+{1 \over \lambda}Q$$
 The expression is obtained via conditioning on the number of arrivals in a Poisson process with rate $\lambda$.
 \vskip 0.2 in
 \noindent
 The definition of a Mixing time  is similar in the case of continuous time processes.
 \begin{Def}
 Suppose $P(t)$ is an irreducible and finite continuous time Markov chain with stationary distribution $\pi$. Given an $\epsilon >0$, the mixing time $t_{mix}(\epsilon)$ is defined as
 $$t_{mix}(\epsilon)=\inf\left\{t~:~\|\nu P(t) - \pi\|_{TV} \leq \epsilon,~~\text{ for all probability distributions } \nu \right\}$$
\end{Def}

 Suppose $Q_{initial}$ and $Q_{final}$ are two bounded generators for continuous time Markov processes over a finite state space $\Omega$, and $\pi_f$ is the only stationary distribution for $Q_{final}$.
   Let $$Q[s]=(1-s)Q_{initial}+sQ_{final}$$ be a time non-homogeneous  generator.
   Given $T>0$, let $P_T(t_1,t_2)$ ($0 \leq t_1 \leq t_2 \leq T$) denote a matrix of transition probabilities of a Markov process generated by $Q\left[{t \over T}\right]$ over $[t_1,t_2]$ time interval.

   \vskip 0.2 in
   \noindent
 Observe that the continuous time Markov adiabatic evolution is governed by
 $${d \nu_t \over dt}=\nu_t Q\left[{t \over T}\right],~~~t \in [0,T]$$
 while the quantum adiabatic evolution is described via the corresponding Schr\"odinger's equation
 ${d v_t \over dt}=-iv_t \mathcal{H}^T\left({t \over T}\right)$.

   \vskip 0.2 in
   \begin{Def}
  Given $\epsilon>0$, a time $T_{\epsilon}$ is called the {\it adiabatic time} if it is the least $T$ such that
  $$\max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{T}(0,T) - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq \epsilon,$$
  where the maximum is taken over all probability distributions $\nu$ over $\Omega$.
  \end{Def}
We will state and prove the following adiabatic theorem.
\vskip 0.2 in
\begin{thm} Let $t_{mix}$ denote the mixing time for $Q_{final}$. Take $\lambda$ such that
$$\lambda \geq \max_{i \in \Omega} \sum_{j:j \not= i}q_{initial}(i,j),~~\lambda \geq \max_{i \in \Omega} \sum_{j:j \not= i}q_{final}(i,j)~
\text{ and }~\lambda \geq {\epsilon \over 2t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)}+1,$$
where
$q_{initial}(i,j)$ and $q_{final}(i,j)$ are the rates in $Q_{initial}$ and $Q_{final}$ respectively.
Then the adiabatic time
$$T_{\epsilon} \leq {\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)^2 \over \epsilon} $$
\end{thm}
 \begin{proof}
 Observe that
 $\lambda \geq \max_{i \in \Omega} \sum_{j:j \not= i}q_t(i,j)$, where $q_t(i,j)$ are the rates in $Q\left[{t \over T}\right]$ ($0 \leq t \leq T$).

  Let $T=K t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)$ and $N=(K-1) t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)$, so that
 $$\max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{final}(T-N)  - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq \epsilon /2,$$
 where $P_{final}(t)=e^{tQ_{final}}$ denotes the transition probability matrix associated with the generator $Q_{final}$.

 Now, let $P_0=I+{1 \over \lambda}Q_{initial}$ and $P_1=I+{1 \over \lambda}Q_{final}$. Then $P_0$ and $P_1$ are discrete Markov chains and
 $$\nu P_{T}(0,T)  =  \nu_N P_T(N,T)= \nu_N \left( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} {(\lambda (T-N)^n \over n!} e^{-\lambda (T-N)} I_n \right),$$
  where $\nu_N=\nu P_{T} (0,N)$ and
  $$I_n={n!  \over (T-N)^n}\int \!\!\!\dots\!\!\! \int _{N<x_1 <x_2 <\dots<x_n<T}[(1-x_1/T)P_0+(x_1/T)P_1]\dots[(1-x_n/T)P_0+(x_n/T)P_1] dx_1 \dots dx_n$$
  i.e. the order statistics of $n$ arrivals within the $[N,T]$ time interval. We used the fact that, when conditioned on the number of arrivals, the arrival times of a Poisson process are distributed as an order statistics of uniform random  variables.
  Hence
  \begin{eqnarray*}
 \nu P_{T}(0,T) & = & \nu_N \left( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} (\lambda (T-N)^n \cdot {e^{-\lambda (T-N)}  \over (T-N)^n T^n n!}
 P_1^n \int _N^T \dots \int_N^T x_1\dots x_n  dx_1 \dots dx_n \right)+ \mathcal{E} \\
 & = & e^{-\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)} \nu_N  \left( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} {\lambda^n [(1-{1 \over 2K})  t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)]^n \over n!} P_1^n\right)+ \mathcal{E} \\
 & = & e^{-\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)} \nu_N  P_{final} \left(\lambda \left(1-{1 \over 2K}\right)  t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)\right)+ \mathcal{E} \\
 \end{eqnarray*}
  where  $\mathcal{E}$ is the rest of the terms. Thus, the total variation distance,
  $$\max_{\nu} \| \nu P_{T}(0,T) - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq e^{-\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)}\epsilon/2+S_N$$
  whenever $\lambda \left(1-{1 \over 2K}\right) \geq 1$, i.e. $K \geq {\lambda \over 2 (\lambda-1)}$.
  Taking $K \geq {\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2) \over \epsilon}$, we bound the error term
  $$S_N=\|\mathcal{E} - \pi_f \|_{TV} \leq1-e^{-\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)} \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} {\lambda^n [(1-{1 \over 2K})  t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)]^n \over n!}=1-e^{-{\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2) \over 2K}} \leq \epsilon/2$$
  as $\epsilon < -2\log\left( 1 -{\epsilon \over 2}\right)$.

   \vskip 0.2 in
   \noindent
  The condition  $K \geq {\lambda \over 2 (\lambda-1)}$ is met since we have taken $\lambda \geq {\epsilon \over 2t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)}+1$ and\\ $K \geq {\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2) \over \epsilon}$.  Therefore
  $$T_{\epsilon} \leq {\lambda t_{mix}(\epsilon/2)^2 \over \epsilon} $$

 \end{proof}

 \noindent
 In the end, we would like to mention a possible application.
 The Glauber dynamics of a finite Ising model is a continuous time Markov process. Its mixing time can be estimated using path coupling. The adiabatic transformation of the Markov generator corresponds to an adiabatic transformation of the Hamiltonian. The above result can be applied to obtain the adiabatic time for the transformation. The result can be adjusted when the adiabatic evolution of the generator is nonlinear.

\bibliographystyle{amsplain}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


The infographic gives a quick view of social media statistics during the Lebanese parliamentary election, 2018. The importance of social media for election campaigning has received a lot of attention recently. Social media monitoring can provide key insights from users who are actively talking about the election in Lebanon and abroad.
This is the first Lebanese election in the social media age – What are the Lebanese saying on social media? and who is winning the Lebanese Election battle on social media?
Check out the infographic below for a full summary of the analysis.
Data source: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums, Instagram, Comments, Tumblr, Reddit, Google+.
The analysis focused on the hashtags of the electoral slogan of each party during the past two months, the most influential candidate, and the candidates party. The data & insights of this infograph have been sourced from Crimson Hexagon.
So can social media be used to predict election results? There has been couple apps and surveys to poll voters prior to the parliamentary elections yet the analysis of social media did a better job at predicting Trump's win than the polls. Yet, there is no conclusive proof that social media is associated with election votes and the probability of success. Besides the widespread use of fake social media profiles and bots on all social networks.
Crimson Hexagon is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyze consumer insights on social media and other online data sources. The platform is used by Netflix, amazon, BBC….
Feel free to use the data & infographic above but make sure to link back to this article.


text:
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Opinion by Thornton May
The future of mobility: Are we asking the right questions?
The shape of the future is discernible if we can find the relevant patterns.
By Thornton May
Contributing Columnist, Computerworld |
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In the 2000 documentary No Maps for These Territories, science fiction author William Gibson remarks, "I think we live in an incomprehensible present." An expert quoted in The New York Times insists that "we've reached a new level where nobody knows what's going to happen."
I disagree. The present is understandable and it is possible to make foresight-rich preparations for the future if we ask the right questions.
One of the categories requiring the sharpest questions about the future is mobility. The mobile present has many moving parts and is very complex, but base patterns are discernible. I believe every human on this planet needs at least to attempt to comprehend the current point to which the mobile revolution has brought us. Furthermore, I believe modern executives have a fiduciary responsibility to think long and hard about where the mobile revolution is taking us.
Why mobility matters
The most rapidly adopted consumer technology in the history of mankind, mobile technology has had a huge economic impact — more than $1 trillion — and has changed the corporate competitive landscape as well as how people live their daily lives. Some go so far as to argue that mobile technologies have changed what it is to be human.
Are the mobility-now and the mobility-of-the-future receiving the kind of deep-thinking attention they deserve? Are we, as individuals and institutions, asking the right questions about the future of mobility?
Here are some of the important ones.
Technology and purpose questions
We have migrated from a world where 350 million PCs are replaced every five years to one where some 4 billion mobile phones are replaced every two years. Much attention has focused on determining what the future device landscape looks like. Will the smartphone expand from its aspirational beachhead as the universal remote for our personal lives to the device managing the operating system of total digital existence? Will the smartphone be the only device we have to buy? Or will the smartphone be washed away in a tsunami of wearables and implantables? Will this many-device landscape give way to a no-device world of internet of things-enabled ubiquitous computing where access to services is just a voice command or an algorithmically determined action on our behalf away?
These are the questions market research analysts, product designers, venture capitalists and stock pickers tend to focus on.
[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]
The question social scientists ask in the face of all this exponential technology innovation is: To what purpose is all thisgear directed? What outcomes does using mobile technology make possible? Is all this mobile technology liberating humans to realize our unique individual potential?
Training questions
Humans may not be the only species that uses tools — or even makes tools — but we are very tool-intensive. The question is, Are we tool-savvy enough? Fire is a powerful tool. Used appropriately, it can cook meat and keep the winter chill away. Used poorly, it can burn our house down. The same can be said for just about every technology tool. They can be used for good or evil. A close friend who is a Harvard Business School grad and a Fortune 500 CIO mentioned that in the hands of a trained carpenter, power tools can create homes and furniture of great beauty. In his hands, they create trips to the emergency room. Our economy spends billions — perhaps trillions — developing tools. Are we spending enough to train and educate workers and citizens in appropriate tool usage?
Responsibility questions
Will mobile use be regulated in the future? Should it be? To drive a car legally, a citizen must take a driver's test. Is it totally implausible that at some point in the future a citizen might be required to take a mobility test before being allowed to access publicly provided communication infrastructure? Will there be fines for doing mobility wrong (as there are fines for poor driving habits)?
The smartphone is more powerful than early supercomputers and increasingly affordable. We put these devices in the hands of 10-year-olds. At some time in the future, will we regulate the age at which an individual can possess a mobile device (similar to the drinking age)?
The empirical data indicates that a subset of the user population doesn't take appropriate care of these powerful devices. About 5% of smartphones in America are lost every year — wasting roughly $30 billion in value.
Henry David Thoreau once commented, "Men have become the tools of their tools." Anthropologists, futurists and now mental health professionals are now having conversations regarding the extent to which digital devices have become tools of digital enslavement or digital engagement. In Cyber Junkie and Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap, author Kevin Roberts describes cyber addiction.
The power and affordability of digital tools is increasing at a pace far in excess of our creation of guidelines for their safe and productive use. Are we the boss of our tools, or are our tools the boss of us?
What might the mobile future look like?
The future of mobility is much bigger than the question of what features and functions the next smartphone will have. Moving forward, mobility will be a mindset, not a screen size or a specific technology stack. Mobility is everywhere every-ware (as in hardware, software, wetware).
One of my favorite science fiction novels is Kiln People (2002, David Brin). In this pretty good whodunit, we are presented with one view of what the future might look like. Real people — folks like you and me — are "Archies" or "Rigs" (shortened from Archetypes and Originals). Archies can affordably create a "ditto" — a color-coded duplicate of themselves that can go out (i.e., be mobile) and perform the quotidian tasks of existence. This frees them up for realizing their full human potential — whatever that might be. Is such a future possible?
My good friend Michael Schrage (MIT research fellow and author of The Innovator's Hypothesis) presents a plausible view of the future, if one less easily made into a movie for the Syfy Channel. Combining the totality of quantified self, surveillance, geo-tracking and social media data collection with advanced analytics enables a capability he terms "selvesware." He extrapolates the recommendation engines at disruptor companies such as Netflix and Amazon to personal assistants. Michael envisions selvesware serving the role of a perpetually present leadership coach providing real-time advice on executive behavior (i.e., when to say something, when to remain quiet, what to say, how to say it and to whom to say it). Imagine having every leadership book you ever read embedded in action-oriented software guiding your actions. Michael believes the end result might be a more productive version of ourselves.
What questions are you asking about the mobile future?
Futurist Thornton A. May, author of The New Know: Innovation Powered by Analytics, is a speaker, educator and adviser. More information is available on his website at thorntonamay.com.
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IT reaches for its full potential


To sign up for classes, please use the the 'PURCHASE' button to buy a class, and then use the form below to schedule the purchased class with our studio manager, Nell. Have questions? click here.
*Please note that the minimum age to take a class with us is 16 years old.
This class lasts approximately one hour and 30 minutes. Please bring a towel for your lap. For an introductory class you will learn the basics of throwing pottery. We will focus on centering the clay, compressing the bottoms of your pots and pulling up the wall to form a cylinder. You will make a cup and a bowl. You are provided with two balls of clay. Not everyone ends up with two pieces, but we will certainly try to get you there. When you have finished your lesson, you will clean up your station and choose your glaze colors; one color per piece. After you leave, your pieces are trimmed, dried, bique fired, glazed, glazed fired, and packaged for pick-up. This entire process takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Ages 16+.
A full 8-week class. One day per week, three hours per day.
Each class includes three hours of instruction. Students are expected to execute their class, clean their station and finish any projects necessary within the three hours provided. Any additional instruction or studio use is $20.00 per hour. Students will have access to: MQP studio glazes (commercial glazes and underglazes are not included in this class), all regular bisque and glaze firings, all studio tools, and one pottery wheel. Your box of clay (for purchase separately for $30+tax for 50lbs) is non-refundable. If all the clay is not used in the class, you are welcome to take it with you or leave it to be recycled. If clay is left behind for more than two weeks, it is added to recycling. If pots are left behind for more than 60 days, they will be discarded. Ages 16+.
Monthly studio space allows the experienced potter unlimited access to the studio and its equipment during business hours and the rental of a shelf in the studio.
The included studio equipment is as follows: wheels, slab roller, extruder, kiln firings, and MQP glazes. Clay and commercial glazes and underglazes and not included. Wheel and slab roller access is first come, first serve. If you do not pay your fee, your shelf will be surrendered and its contents will be kept for two weeks. After two weeks, if you fail to retrieve your pieces, they will be discarded. This option does not include instruction; you must be knowledgeable enough to work on your own. This studio is not intended for production work*. Ages 18+.
A private event held on Friday or Saturday evenings at 6pm. These nights are BYOB. The event must have a minimum of 4 tickets to be held and cannot exceed 12 tickets. One spot must be purchased to hold desired date.
This night is a private event to make pottery with friends. It is done as an introductory class, with each participant getting two 2-lb balls of clay to try and make a piece. Our instruction will focus on centering the clay, compressing the bottom, and pulling up the walls to create either a cup or a bowl. This event lasts approximately 2 hours, including clean up. After the class, your instructor will determine when your pieces are dry enough to trim, fire, glaze, and fire once more. This process takes between 2 and 6 weeks. There is no need to check in on your pieces, when they are ready to be picked up we will contact you! These nights fill up fast, so contact us AT LEAST three weeks before your desired date. Ages 21+.
We plan to host this class once a month. Please keep checking back for our next available class.
A one time class to make 2 hand-built mugs.
In this class you will learn how to make two mugs from clay slabs. You choose the design and color and you keep both after they've been fired! The class is BYOB, so grab a friend and a favorite drink and join us at Mud Queen for some dirty fun! **Please note: This is NOT a wheel throwing class. This class will typically take place once a month on Friday or Saturday at 6pm. There are 8 spots available.
Please note, that while we appreciate the unique perspective children bring to the art community, we do not offer children's classes. The minimum age to take a class with us is 16 years old.
*'Production work' is an amount of work exceeding 'hobby' standards. This quantity is specified at the discretion of the owners.


This past weekend I boarded a Via train to Ottawa looking forward to a bit of relaxation and rejuvenation in my hometown. The Toronto grind makes me feel like I need to getaway quite regularly. I used to be critical but as I get older I find the city more and more inviting. I remember being bored after a day in Canada's capital, and my longing to get back to the excitement of Toronto. But now every time I visit, I think about extending my stay and this time around I turned to my boyfriend and asked "Should we just move in here?" He didn't object, but my parents might have.
Visits home also mean seeing friends and extended family. My top reason to visit is always my nan. Now nearing 89, she is frail and suffers from dementia. Unfortunately, it isn't always easy to get to Ottawa, so I haven't seen her since Christmas.
On the way to visit Nan, my mom prepared me because my grandma's condition and state of mind has become worse. Mom told me Nan might not remember my name seeing as she had forgotten my oldest brother's name a number of times. I walked in worried she wouldn't know me, kind of hovering behind my mother. I peaked out from behind her, like I used to do as a child feeling vulnerable in a strange situation. You can imagine my happiness when Nan immediately exclaimed "Hello Jessica! When did you get to town? Good to see you dear." I wanted to cry but instead went in quickly for a hug and a kiss, blessed that I had one more day with this remarkable woman.
Moments like that are those that make you hug your loved ones a little tighter and appreciate everything a little more.