text:
One year in: What we know and what we think we know about the Mueller investigation
By A.P. Joyce and Eric Lutz
When the Department of Justice tapped Robert Mueller to lead the FBI's Russia probe a year ago, the move was hailed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
"Robert Mueller is a superb choice to be special counsel," Newt Gingrich, one of President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters, tweeted after his appointment May 17, 2017. "His reputation is impeccable for honesty and integrity."
"Mueller is exactly the right kind of individual to serve as special counsel in the Russia investigation," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said of the former FBI director at the time.
But in the year since Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller, Washington has grown sharply divided over his investigation. The president and his conservative allies have relentlessly attacked Mueller and his team, characterizing the probe as a politically-motivated "witch hunt" and calling for it to be shut down, while Democrats — and some Republicans — have scrambled to prevent Trump from firing or undermining the special counsel.
Mueller, meanwhile, has appeared to run a methodical, tight-lipped investigation, which has already resulted in nearly two dozen indictments and several guilty pleas, and that may pose a significant threat to Trump's presidency.
What we know Mueller did
Robert Mueller meets with senators in June 2017.
For the first several months of Mueller's probe, his prosecutors interviewed members of the Trump campaign, transition and White House — hardly making a sound, but for the steady stream of reports related to the investigation that seemed to suggest key figures in the president's orbit were facing significant legal peril.
Then, in the fall of 2017, he made his first big move.
On Oct. 30, he indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates. The two pleaded not guilty to charges related to the work they did for pro-Russian interests in the Ukraine before joining the Trump campaign. That same day, the special counsel revealed he had already secured a guilty plea from George Papadopoulos — the former campaign aide whose drunken comments in 2016 to an Australian diplomat would later be revealed to be what triggered the probe in the first place.
Mueller kept rolling, and just over a month later notched another guilty plea. This time, it was from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to a charge of making false statements to the FBI over his contacts with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
After Flynn flipped, the president and his allies began to more explicitly attack the special counsel and his investigation, accusing federal law enforcement of anti-Trump bias and suggesting that the investigation improperly relied on the controversial Steele dossier that alleged the Kremlin had been "cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years" with the aim of encouraging "splits and divisions in western alliance."
That didn't derail Mueller, who continued to issue indictments into the new year. In February, he charged 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities over 2016 election interference. Then, Alex Van Der Zwaan — a former associate of Gates — pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Later that month, Gates cut a plea deal with Mueller and the special counsel issued a superseding indictment for Manafort.
All told, Mueller's investigation has yielded nearly two dozen indictments; at least four guilty pleas; and one imprisonment. Three former Trump staffers are cooperating with the special counsel, and he is continuing to investigate possible collusion and obstruction of justice on the part of Trump and his campaign.
What we think Mueller did
Special counsel Robert Mueller leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017
In addition to the many public actions the Mueller investigation has taken over the past year, there are a number of interesting elements of the Trump-Russia saga that Mueller is believed to be investigating, and which we still know very little about. Though the investigation rarely, if ever, leaks its findings, reporters have discovered a number of key areas of focus Mueller is said to be looking into.
To start, there is the infamous 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr., and a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer in Trump Tower. Mueller is said to be investigating the details of that meeting, where Trump Jr. supposedly sought dirt on Hillary Clinton. More on that later.
Then there are the potential conversations between Trump ally Roger Stone and former Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. In an August 2016 email, Stone claimed to have had dinner with Assange. The supposed meeting would have taken place between the release of hacked DNC emails and the release of stolen emails from Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. Stone denies the meeting actually took place. However, his longtime aide and friend Sam Nunberg — the man to whom Stone sent the email — made a series of distressed cable news appearances in March, in which he suggested that the Mueller investigation was targeting Stone and had broad knowledge of campaign activities.
Then there's the mysterious meeting between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian official that took place in the Seychelles in January 2017. Mueller is reported to be investigating the meeting where the parties allegedly attempted to set up a backchannel between the Russian government and the Trump administration. The meeting was brokered by representatives from the United Arab Emirates, and Mueller is reported to have obtained the cooperation of a Lebanese-American businessman, George Nader, who is an adviser to UAE and could have important information about that country's role in the whole imbroglio.
There's also a series of small mysterious avenues Mueller is said to be investigating that we know little to nothing about. For instance, Mueller is reportedly investigating the german banking giant Deutsche Bank, a major lender to both the president and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Mueller has also reportedly asked for records into Trump's business dealings, and may or may not have already interviewed the Soviet-born Felix Sater, a mercurial figure in the Trump orbit with ties to both the Russian mob and U.S. intelligence, and who is said to have played a role in Trump's efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
The cover-up vs. the crime
In addition to the the vast web of potential ties between Russia and Trump Mueller is believed to be investigating, there's also the entirely separate issue of whether or not Trump obstructed justice by trying to shutdown or obfuscate the investigation itself.
Here is where that meeting between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer takes on new importance. Mueller is believed to be investigating Trump's response in the moments just before and after the New York Times broke the story that the meeting took place, including whether or not Trump coordinated an effort to mislead the public about the nature of the meeting.
Mueller has interviewed Hope Hicks, one of the earliest Trump campaign officials, who reportedly helped craft the president's response to the news. He also sought an interview with Mark Corallo, the former spokesman for Trump's legal team who reportedly claims Hicks tried to keep the public from seeing Don Jr.'s emails about the meeting.
In addition, Mueller is reportedly looking into the circumstances that led to his investigation in the first place, including the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, and attempts to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
On this front, Mueller has been looking into a number of figures in and around the White House. In June of 2017, it was first reported that Mueller was seeking interviews with Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, head of the National Security Agency Adm. Michael S. Rogers. Both men are believed to have been approached by Trump in the lead-up to the Comey firing about potential help ousting the FBI director.
Mueller has also interviewed former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was also fired by the Trump administration and has been the target of a smear campaign by the president himself.
What's still to come
Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill in 2013.
Of course, a big factor in his investigation will likely be whether Trump winds up agreeing to be interviewed by the special counsel's prosecutors.
Mueller reportedly wants to ask Trump questions about his son's 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-connected attorney who supposedly had dirt on Clinton, as well as the 2017 firings of Flynn and Comey, among other topics.
But Trump's legal team has been wary of allowing Trump to testify before the special counsel. Famously loose with the facts and careless with his language, Trump could potentially incriminate himself, his lawyers reportedly fear.
Rudy Giuliani, one of the newest additions to the president's stable of lawyers, has said recently that a decision wouldn't be made on a potential interview until after Trump's expected June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I wouldn't want to take his concentration off something far, far more important," Giuliani told the Associated Press May 12.
Meanwhile, another probe into Trump's longtime fixer Michael Cohen has intensified following the April raid the FBI conducted under referral from Mueller. Both investigations represent significant political and legal threats to Trump and members of his circle.
For his part, Trump has alternated between suggesting that the Mueller investigation is nearing completion and launching angry Twitter tirades against it.
"The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime," Trump tweeted in March. "WITCH HUNT!"


text:
Duke's Beach House announces Chef's Tasting Menu
KAANAPALI – Enjoy stunning views and a three-course meal at Duke's Beach House while supporting local agriculture.
Duke's Chef's Tasting Menu is offered daily from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. and includes three courses for $27. A portion of the proceeds from each Chef's Tasting Menu will be donated to the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation through the Duke's Legacy of Aloha Program.
The Chef's Tasting Menu features appetizer favorites such as the Farm Salad, Crab Cake, Maui Onion Soup and Crab & MacNut Wontons, and Coconut Shrimp.
Entree offerings include Duke's Style Baked Fish, Duke's Petite Filet, Grilled Chicken Breast, Sauteed MacNut & Herb Crusted Fish or Sweet Potato Lau Lau.
For dessert, guests' choice of Vanilla Crme Brulee or Island Sorbet with a cookie is included.
Duke's is proud to support the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation, a nonprofit created to promote agriculture and farming.
Launched in 2007, the mission of HAF is to support and sustain Hawaii's agricultural industry by addressing critical needs and services of farmers and the industry, and by connecting the farmers with the community.
The Chef's Tasting Menu will be offered during the months of July and August. For more information, call (808) 662-2900 or visit www.dukesmaui.com.
Entries sought for World Whale Film Festival
Kingwell to sign official Lahaina Posters
LAHAINA — Village Gallery will host Lahaina artist Jim Kingwell on Friday, Jan. 8, for the release and signing of ...
Online Hawaiian school offers Keiki Program

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Motivation is the compelling issue in this game as SMU is one win away from becoming bowl eligible so today's season-finale (at home) takes on added significance for the Mustangs, who have not reached the postseason since 2012.
Meanwhile, Navy clinched a spot in the AAC Championship game following its 66-31 win at East Carolina last week so the coaching staff is more concerned about maintaining the Midshipmen's health than leaving the state of Texas with a win.
I backed SMU against South Florida last week and the Mustangs delivered an easy 35-27 cover as 12.5-point underdogs. Prior to that game, the Mustangs showed a lot of heart in their 55-31 win over East Carolina as 6.5-point road underdogs.
What made that victory even more impressive was the fact that it came only six days after the Mustangs suffered an embarrassing 51-7 loss to Memphis.
Let's also note that SMU took down Houston 38-16 in October as a 23-point road underdog so the Mustangs are more than capable of defeating Navy on Saturday.
Last week's loss to the Bulls doesn't bother me because (a) SMU once again outperformed the betting market, and (b) SMU is 5-1 ATS in its last six games following a loss and 5-1 ATS in its last six conference affairs.
I'm never fond of laying points on the road with a team that struggles to get stops on defense, and that's what we have with Navy in this game.
The Midshipmen are 0.7 yards per play worse than average defensively this season (6.6 yards per play to teams that would combine to average just 5.9 yards per play), and Navy's secondary has been 1.2 yards per pass attempt worse than average with opposing quarterbacks completing 63.4% of their pass attempts.
More concerning is the fact that the Midshipmen are giving up 230 rushing yards at 5.8 yards per rush attempt and 421 total yards at 6.9 yards per play on the road this season.
Navy's potent triple-option offense has an advantage against a solid SMU stop unit that is 0.1 yards per play better than average (5.6 yards per play to teams that would combine to average 5.7 yards per play).
SMU's coaching staff, beginning with head coach Chad Morris, deserves a lot of credit for the team's improvement on defense where the Mustangs are 13 points and 90 yards per game better than last year's unit.
Despite improvement on both sides of the ball, SMU remains undervalued by the betting market and takes the field with legitimate revenge for last year's 55-14 loss at Navy.
Finally, Navy is traveling for the second straight week, has Army on deck (1-6 ATS as a favorite before playing the Black Knights) and have nothing to play for after securing a spot in the AAC Title game.
Grab the generous points with SMU as Oskeim Sports' Free Pick for Saturday, November 26!


A local restaurant tucked into a corner of Columbia's downtown takes pride in its food and service and maintains a goal of being the "best of the best."
Square Market & Cafe, 36 Public Square, Columbia, won the Best Restaurant to See/Be Seen category for the second consecutive year � winning both years of the category�s existence � as well as Best Soup and Best Wait Staff in the 2013 �Best Of� contest sponsored by The Daily Herald.
Owner Debra Mann said she was thrilled with the wins and the recognition her restaurant received for its food and 23 employees.
People who visit Square Market & Cafe can dine in for lunch or dinner or turn to the restaurant for catering, rehearsal dinners, takeout or delivery.
The restaurant is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. More information about the restaurant may be obtained by calling (931) 840-3636 or visiting www.squaremarketcafe.com.


text:
Q: How to run functions from a dynamically loaded script I am trying to load a js script dynamically in index.html file using appendChild DOM method. And I am trying to use some functions from that dynamically loaded js in next line itself but I am getting error that the specified function is undefined. I understand that this error is because of async behavior of loading scripts in browser. I also used async flag as false but no use. Below are sample code.
<script>
var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var js = document.createElement("script");
js.type = "text/javascript";
js.async = false;
js.src = "https://example.com/test.js"; // There are two variants of test.js is there. Will be changing it dynamically based on conditional check.
head.appendChild(js);
</script>
<script>
   test(); // Method inside test.js
</script>

I want test.js to be loaded immediately after executing appendChild code part. Please help me on this. Please suggest if there is any other way for my purpose.

A: Synchronized XHRs are deprecated. You need to add an event listener so you can call your code as soon as the script is loaded. Example below:

var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var js = document.createElement("script");
head.appendChild(js);
js.onload = function() {
  console.log("yes", window.$)
};
js.src = "//code.jquery.com/jquery-3.3.1.min.js";
console.log("nope", window.$)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
[Heartland, near Helpston, Northamptonshire, home of John Clare]
THE English language is frequently the victim of fashion. It contains words that have fallen from use, those whose meaning has been transmogrified, and a bewildering array of new terms. It also contains potentially useful words that have scarcely been discovered, including some that could be of immense value to us. "Heartland" is one such word.
The Oxford Dictionary pays it scant attention, defining it merely as "the central or most important part of an area". The use of the word "area" here is disappointingly vague and rather devalues the overall concept. It seems as if heartland lacks resonance with us, being confined in everyday use to media statements about such things as NATO troops penetrating the Taliban heartland. But the word may yet develop useful depth.
The concept of cynefin — in some ways similar to heartland — is central to Welsh language and culture, though it has no straightforward translation. It is a spiritual and poetic idea concerning relationship with a place of true belonging, expressed primarily through the Welsh language.
Bedwyr Lewis Jones (a former Professor of Welsh at Bangor University) argues: "Cynefin is the Welshman's first and foremost window on the world." Scots Gaelic appears to have an equivalent word, duthchas. The Welsh language also includes the concept of hiraeth, which in its extreme form is a spiritual sickness that develops when one's cynefin is broken.
The life of John Clare (1793-1864), poet, naturalist, and profound countryman, is worth examining through the perspectives of cynefin and hiraeth. The landscape of his homeland, around the village of Helpston, in Northamptonshire, was his heartland, his real and fantasy worlds combined. But that landscape was ruthlessly destroyed by Enclosures Acts early in his adult life. Worse, he was tempted to London and the bright lights.
There, however, something fundamental was missing; he broke down and was confined to an asylum. Yet home was calling him. He escaped and walked back to Helpston, a beggar forced to eat grass. But home was no longer recognisable; his cynefin lay shattered. He spent the last 30 years of his life in a lunatic asylum.
CLARE's fall may have resonance for many of us. I went off the rails when, as a student, I became entombed within a city a long way from the woods and meadows where my soul dwelt. Strangely, home was not the West Country landscape where I was born and raised, but the woods of the West Sussex Weald where I went to school.
Few people can have felt more alienated from a boarding-school system than me, yet none has loved their school's landscape surroundings more. On leaving university, I went to work on the land, half-recognising that I was suffering from the spiritual sickness of nature-deficit disorder, long before Richard Louv coined the term and laid out a convincing thesis for it in Last Child in the Woods (Algonquin Books, 2006).
Cynefin is important to us all, to a lesser or greater extent, if only for the emotive and yin-yang senses of longing and belonging it instils. In which case, we must ask what is happening to our kind as we become progressively urbanised or sub-urbanised, as our contextual setting regresses further away from nature. Small wonder, then, that there are so many second homes in the countryside, owned by urban man — who seeks cynefin, which lies in not urbi, but rure.
To explain why we turn away from nature, where our true cynefin lies — besides referring to the obvious lure of materialism — I would point to a line of sublime depth by T. S. Eliot: "Human kind Cannot bear very much reality" (Murder in the Cathedral and Burnt Norton, 1935). The line, spoken by a bird in the poem, primarily concerns there our relationship with nature. Seemingly, we feel that nature, like God, demands too much of us.
I WOULD argue that the word heartland should be developed in the English language as the equivalent of cynefin, as it represents a concept that should be fundamental in our culture, our spirituality, and in poetic use of language. Such usage is seriously out of vogue at present, as our language is becoming dominated by professional "industry" speech based on science and business culture.
So often, a word has a standardised meaning within professional language, but variable or little meaning elsewhere. For example, a recent DEFRA survey of public understanding of environmental terms concluded: "Biodiversity was not understood, and even when explained it was not engaging." So much for the king-pin word of the environmental movement.
Poetic language must have a central part to play in communication on environmental, spiritual, and religious issues — not least because, in addition to a literal sense, it offers tiers of meaning. Jonathan Bate gives a cogent argument to this effect in The Song of the Earth (Picador, 2000), emphasising that the poetic approach is "our way of stepping outside the frame of the technological, of reawakening the momentary wonder of unconcealment".
Tennyson hit the nail on the head in In Memoriam: "For words, like Nature, half reveal And half conceal the Soul within."
Our inability, or refusal, to think in, and use, poetic language hinders us terribly. In particular, it prevents us from seeing the big picture, which in turn can lead us to becoming obsessed with and blinded by detail.
This could well be one of our main cultural problems. To take one of St Paul's many profound statements out of context, though with honest intent, we struggle to cope with the spirit, and so the letter killeth. The word heartland must have a central part to play in helping us understand ourselves, our spirituality, our relationship with nature and our environment, and with the Almighty.
Church Times - 1st October 2010
Matthew Oates
(a naturalist, writer, and broadcaster working for the National Trust. He is a co-founder of VINE (Values in Nature and Environment: www.vineproject.org.uk). These views are his own).
Posted by Arborfield at 10:35 am


Allthough I am a wedding photographer, occasionally on a rainy day like today, I use my studio for glamour and boudoir portrait sessions. While it is nothing fancy, this is my home studio and it does a wonderful job giving me everything that I need to make beautiful glamorous portraits for my beautiful clients. My studio is set up today for a double session between two best friends. Stay tuned to see final images from todays shoot using this layout!
I think the fake flowers really make this space, don't you?


emotanafricana, Washington, D.C., January 09, 2012.
Ms. Emira Woods of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. led a solidarity protest with OccupyNigeria today at the World Bank Headquarters in D.C. Supported by Sahara Reporters, Justice in Nigeria Now, Africa Faith and Justice Network Jubilee USA, Africa Action, Action Aid and OccupyNigeria Movement in Washington, D.C., the rally was a coming together for many Nigerians of different ethnic groups.
There were songs in Ibo, Yoruba and English exhorting President Jonathan to "end corruption, not subsidy", songs of solidarity, "solidarity for ever" with sprinklings of messages for those who have continued to ruin Nigeria AND the National Anthem was sung at the beginning and end of the protest at which World Bank Security as well as D.C. Police stood watch.
The rally – as has become the practice since the Occupy Movement started in the States – Occupy Wall Street, OccupyDC, etcetera, African-Americans, whites and other protesters from the OccupyDC Movement at nearby McPherson Square joined the rally. An American of Indian ancestry was among the speakers. The Occupy Movement has become a sort of rallying voice for various causes that seem to bring to the fore the plight of the neglected majority (the so-called 99% because of a finding that 1% of U.S. population owns around 70% of the wealth). Late last year, the Occupy Movement in some states moved to houses that were to be foreclosed as reported here earlier in attempts to prevent prospective bargain hunters from being able to buy foreclosed homes.
Also represented at the rally – reflecting a spirit of – down-trodden of the world, unite – was a representative of the 11-million member-strong AFLCIO labor union who read a message of solidarity with Nigerian labor unions to great applause.
There were speeches by Ms. Woods, Sahara Reporters' Sowore and many others touching not only the subsidy removal but big oil, despoliation of the Delta area through oil spills, corruption in Nigeria and the destruction of people's lives in Nigeria, Greece, and wherever the Bank and the IMF ply their deadly trade.
Ms. Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's Economy Czarina got several mentions in songs and speeches as being due for recall to the World Bank as she is seen by most Nigerians as non-patriot who represents the interest of the World Bank while the Fund's Ms. Lafarge was pointed out as the person sent to Nigeria, Ghana, etcetera, to order the governments to remove subsidies.
A speaker wondered how a policy that was to take effect from April 1 suddenly was fast-forwarded to January 1. He – like all speakers – saw the unprecedented more-than-100% increment as the handiwork of the commissioned agents acting on behalf of Western interests.
There were Nigerians not just from the D.C. area but from New York, Los Angeles and some holidaying Nigerians visiting the States.
Among the protesters were Nigerian professionals, including Ikhide R. Ikheloa, the author of the crisp, tight and interesting weekly "email from America" in the suspended 234NEXT and Aniedi Okure of Africa Faith and Justice Network.
On Friday, the protest moves to the Monetary Fund which is separated from The Bank's humongous building by a road. Protests are also planned for New York (The Nigerian Consulate) and other cities.
← (Oil Subsidy Removal)/Wole Soyinka: Back to the Trenches, Predictably!


Luca Pacioli, a Fifteen Century Venetian monk, is widely credited as the first person to document the principles of double-entry bookkeeping and is even thought by some historians to have actually invented it. If true, Pacioli can hardly be faulted for thinking only about measuring physical assets. After all, the basic economic resources of Fifteenth Century Italy were materials, labor and capital. These same resources would serve as the basis for wealth creation for centuries to come, until the end of the industrial age.
Nowadays resources can be divided into four broad categories: resources that exist in physical form, also known as structural capital; resources that exist as cash and cash equivalents, also known as financial capital; resources that reside in people, also known as intellectual capital; and, lastly, resources that take the form of relationships, also known as relationship capital.
Over the past few decades, the most valuable resources of a typical company have shifted from structural capital to intellectual and relationship capital. The shift has led to a mismatch between accounting rules and market capitalizations. For some, the mismatch has become problematic.
The problem is that commonly-used accounting principles insist on treating physical resources such as smoke-billowing factories and inventory-filled warehouses as assets while treating intangible assets, including investments in customer service and satisfaction, as expenses, no matter that the latter may create far more economic value than the former. Perhaps the reason has to do with financial reporting's originally intended audience: bankers, who naturally preferred to lend money against resources that could be repossessed, if necessary. Bankers would be hard pressed to repossess a relationship.
Invisible beans are hard to count. Can a company place a monetary value on the strength of its customer relationships? Can it impute a value for customer satisfaction or loyalty or advocacy — which, after all, drive customer profitability and overall brand equity? What, for example, is the value of a Facebook fan or a brand advocate actively tweeting and blogging about the benefits of a product or service?
The fact that companies commonly trade at several times book value is, at its core, a function of the level of perceived customer satisfaction, which—along with various external factors—naturally informs investor's expectations about future profitability. Clearly, a decline in customer satisfaction and a lower propensity to recommend (commonly measured using the Net Promoter Score) could foretell an erosion in future profitability, if only investors had this type of information at their disposal.
It's clear that investors would have a better understanding of the relationship between a company's current condition and its future capacity to create wealth if accounting could somehow incorporate a cumulative score that reflects the value of its customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy as an asset on the balance sheet. Perhaps someday that will be the case.
Meanwhile, the challenge of placing a value on a company's relationship capital is being partially addressed by various players in the social media space. A primary focus area has been Facebook fan valuations. Unfortunately, there's no universal agreement of which metrics should be applied or how they should be weighted, leading to a wide range of estimates regarding the average annualized value of a fan.
Vitrue, now part of Oracle Social Relationship Management, was among the first to devise a valuation method for Facebook fans, emphasizing five contributors to the long term business value of a fan: product spending, brand loyalty, propensity to recommend, brand affinity and earned media value. Rob Fuggetta, CEO of Zuberance and author of Brand Advocates, has long contended that brand advocates are worth at least 5-times more than average customers. Last month, Syncapse published a report stating that the average value of a Facebook fan is $174.17. CEO Michael Scissons explained the methodology that allowed his firm to impute such a precise number in a New York Times interview aptly called Putting a Dollar Value on a Facebook Fan.
It's understandable that the need to calculate a value for such intangible assets as "the media and messaging value that is inherent with fan membership," "the propensity for fans to organically lure more fans" and "the emotional draw felt by brands" may not have occurred to a Fifteen Century Italian monk. But the need is one that modern-day accountants, investors and analysts, as well as marketers themselves, would be wise to consider.


text:
Q: Laravel Return List of Items From Table Seems like this should be a simple question, but I'm not getting it. I have a table called "following" with columns 'user_id' and 'following_id'. I am trying to return a list of values from the user_id column where the corresponding following_id column contains a certain value (in this case it's 1). See code below.
public function showFollowers()
{
    $users = DB::table('following')->where('following_id',1)->lists('user_id');
}

Then, in my view is have
@if (!$user->showFollowers())
    You have no followers.
@else
    @foreach ($user->showFollowers() as $user)

{{ $user->getUsername() }}

         $user->username]) }}">
    @endforeach
@endif

I'm not getting anything though, and no errors so the query must be correct. I must not be looping correctly in my view...
Thanks!

A: You are not returning the value of the function.  Try:
public function showFollowers()
{
    return DB::table('following')->where('following_id',1)->lists('user_id');
}


Thanks Denny, anything from this decade?
This is so great! I feel like I am getting my money's worth of entertainment from this thread.
It's always worth a peak I reckon.
Thanks for that Denny, it's so much clearer to me now.
Maybe that perpetual liar sam harris should check his sh&thole; forum once in a while?
I like to think I have a lot to do with how miserable you think this forum is. Thanks for the compliment.
I notice you have edited this post, was it to actually add grammatical, punctuation and spelling mistakes Denny? Good work.
Guess all your BS finally came back to you. Can't say we really feel sorry for you.
Don't you get the feeling we are speaking past each other here?


Fidelity Technologies Corporation (Fidelity) today announced a contract with the Canadian Department of National Defense (CDND) for simulation and training systems.
The contract, valued at $3.2 million, is for the design, development, fabrication, installation and support of eight Indirect Fires and Forward Air Controller (IF/FAC) Training Systems.
These training devices, in both fixed and portable configurations, will provide interim training to the Canadian Armed Forces in the procedures and processes necessary for joint forces operations in Call for Fire and Close Air Support (CFF/CAS). The devices will help teach war fighters direct and indirect fire application techniques.
Fidelity's products will be installed on bases throughout Canada and deployed with Canadian Joint Forces Units throughout the world. Fidelity has already begun work, anticipating a delivery date of this summer. As part of the contract with the CDND, Fidelity will support these systems for a minimum of five years after delivery.


text:
Feature | July 09, 2008| Nick Obradovich
CT, MR Angiography Split PVD Diagnostic Duties
Emerging invasive modalities also show promise in better evaluating, treating PVD.
CIS utilizes Toshiba's Aquilion 64-Slice CT because of its speed, and it uses less radiation and contrast.
The only safe assumption to make about today's current gold standard imaging modality used to identify and evaluate atheromatous plaque in the peripheral arteries is that there is not one gold standard. To locate and evaluate these plaques that cause peripheral vascular disease (PVD), physicians have multiple tried-and-true imaging tests at their disposal.
In keeping with the general trend of modern cardiology and radiology, invasive imaging techniques — though still useful and necessary in certain instances — have largely given way to noninvasive scans. Yet, even among the noninvasive modalities, it's difficult to assert that one scan is totally superior to another.
And while certain modalities are popular, emerging modalities and techniques seem to have the potential to change the imaging of the peripheral arteries in the future.
What is the Gold Standard?
"Invasive angiography has a spatial resolution that the other [imaging] techniques can't match practically," said Eric Williamson, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Mayo Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. "You can argue that with MRI you can make the voxels as small as you want to, or intravascular ultrasounds where the spatial resolution is incredible. But, on a practical basis, there isn't any other technique that can image the entire vascular tree with the spatial resolution of invasive angiography. I don't ever see that failing to be the gold standard."
However, according to Dr. Williamson, noninvasive computer tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) are now the preferred modalities for diagnosis. Dr. Williamson favors CTA, using CT systems by Siemens and GE Healthcare.
"[CT] represents a big paradigm shift over the past five years," Dr. Williamson said. "CT angiography has essentially replaced catheter angiography as a first line imaging test of the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease at our institution."
CTA is the preferred modality at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS), a group of cardiovascular care centers in south Louisiana, according to Peter S. Fail, M.D., CT medical director for CIS. That is not to say that there aren't inherent problems with the CT. Perhaps the CT's biggest nemesis in producing clear images of peripheral arteries is presence of heavy calcium, according to the physicians who spoke with Diagnostic and Invasive Cardiology.
"As you get into the peripheral vascularature, they tend to be much more calcified than the coronaries," Dr. Fail said. "It's difficult to ascertain good luminal flow or is it just a completely occluded artery with calcium? That's where it becomes difficult to really separate."
Dr. Williamson is hopeful that newer CT systems, such as Siemens' SOMATOM Definition with Dual Source technology, will one day be able to solve the calcification problem, though no CT system has solved the problem yet.
"[Dual Source technology] allows you to characterize plaque in a way we haven't been able to do previously," Dr. Williamson said. "That sounds really cool…that you can remove all the calcification and look at the artery underneath and differentiate soft plaque versus calcified plaque. Theoretically, this is extremely helpful, but we haven't proven that its clinically important yet."
There are other challenges with CT.
"One of the downsides of CT is it doesn't give you hemodynamic information that you can get from an invasive angiography," said Dr. Fail. "But, a lot of times if you are looking for clinical or subclinical disease, the CT is definitely superior."
According to Christopher Kramer, M.D., professor of radiology and medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Center of the University of Virginia Health System, MRA is the gold standard for imaging the peripheral arteries.
"People have really moved to the noninvasive imaging for making a diagnosis," Dr. Kramer said. "[Doctors] may only go to invasive angiography when an intervention is needed."
"Generally, MRA is preferred. There's some artifacts on CTA, there's a lot of radiation and it uses nefrotoxic contrast material," he added.
Dr. Kramer also prefers MRA because calcium is easier to identify and doesn't interfere with imaging the peripheral arteries.
The doctors who spoke with Diagnostic and Invasive Cardiology concede that different institutions may favor the CTA or MRA over the other for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a physician's or institution's preference.
"You can find a lot of proponents for both [CTA and MRA]," Dr. Fail said. "When you [examine the reasons] why they are a proponent of one modality or another, it might be because they are really good at what they do in that particular modality. I think realistically if you have someone who is a good MR person, they're going to get fantastic images and great diagnosis with MR. If you have someone who is a good CT person, they are going to do the same.
"I don't think there's truly one benefit over the other. I think MR has got some hemodynamic issues or some flow issues that are maybe a little bit better than CT, but I think realistically, the time, expenditure, cost of the machine, etc., probably puts the PVD diagnosis into the CT ballpark."
Challenges with Contrast
Both CT and MR have experienced problems using contrasting agents with certain patients. According to Dr. Williamson, referring physicians and radiologists have been leery of giving patients with renal insufficiencies iodine-based contrast used for the CTA, instead ordering an MRA for those patients. Dr. Fail roughly estimates that 5-7 percent of PVD patients don't get a CTA because of a renal condition, although there are other factors involved in the decision.
For the MRA, using the contract Gadolinium has proved problematic.
There is strong evidence that Gadolinium has caused Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney failure, prompting the FDA to issue a warning in 2006. For patients needing an angiography for PVA who have stage four or five Chronic Kidney Disease (with creatinine clearance a less than 30 mL/min), CIS avoids using the MRA, said Dr. Kramer. He hopes that newer generations of MR will not require Gadolinium.
"[The number of patients affected] is not insignificant, that's for sure," Dr. Kramer said.
New Invasive Techniques
While noninvasive imaging seems to be the trend relating to PVD, there are new invasive technologies with both diagnostic and interventional applications, which may be available to U.S. doctors in the not-too-distant future.
One such technology is TopSpin Medical's IntraVascular MRI (IVMRI). Recent clinical trials were performed to determine if IVMRI could better locate vulnerable plaques prior to plaque instability. While the trials were focused primarily on the coronary arteries, they did look at the peripheral arteries, specifically the superficial femoral artery (SFA), according to a clinical review of these trials published last year titled "Intravascular MRI for the Evaluation of Lipid-Rich Vulnerable Plaques in Coronary and Peripheral Vessels" by Robert Wilensky, M.D., and Jacob Schneiderman, M.D. Dr. Wilensky, director, experimental interventional cardiology, professor of medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said the IVMRI may not yield the beautiful pictures like the MR, but it has yielded some "good results" on the presence of lipids within the arterial wall. Dr. Wilensky's report noted that IVMIR analysis of atherosclerotic plaques is expected to produce a better understanding of the disease process and more appropriate therapy.
The IVMRI received European approval in 2006 and has submitted its application for FDA 510(k) clearance, according to the company.
Another potential modality is Volcano Corp.'s OCT imaging catheter, which uses optical coherence tomography (OCT), which is designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease by providing high-resolution images in the 10-15 micron range. The first human procedure using the OCT imaging catheter was performed in May 2008 in The Netherlands.
News | Contrast Media Injectors | May 03, 2016
Global Contrast Media Injectors Market to Reach $1.8 Billion by 2022
The global market for contrast media injectors is set to increase from $830 million in 2015 to almost $1.8 billion by...
Image courtesy of Galt Medical
Technology | Contrast Media Injectors | October 01, 2015
Galt Medical, Health Line Launch Nexus CT Midline Catheter with MST Insertion Kit
Galt Medical has partnered with Health Line International Corp. and launched the Nexus CT Midline Catheter with MST...
The Bayer Arterion contrast injector.
Feature | Contrast Media Injectors | February 10, 2015 | Raissa Rocha and Dave Fornell
Latest Trends in Contrast Media Injectors
There have been several recent advances with contrast media injector technology, including cutting costs by reducing...
Medrads Avanta injection system offers fixed or variable flow contrast and saline delivery on demand, replacing the manual manifold and syringe in the cath lab.
Feature | Contrast Media Injectors | July 08, 2010 | Dave Fornell
Contrast Injectors Cut Dose, Keep Quality
Automated contrast media injectors are used in cardiac imaging to help improve patient safety and enhance image quality...
WEBINAR: Cardiovascular CT in pediatric patients: Technique...
WEBINAR: Myocardial CT Perfusion: A Comprehensive Appraisal...
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The Data-driven Crises Involving Paclitaxel and Impella RP
The Current State of Cardiac CT Technology in 2018
Cool Things on the ACC.18 Expo Floor
Contrast Media Injectors,Computed Tomography (CT),Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI),Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD),CT Angiography (CTA),Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)


We all know the feeling – it's hot and stuffy inside and you want to open your front door to let some refreshing air in. But you know how an open door is an open invitation for burglars, insects, and all kinds of intruders to get in and disturb the serenity and security of your home. So how can you protect your valuables and keep your family safe without feeling like you're confined in a concrete prison? The answer is by installing a security screen door.
Security screen doors are especially popular in Australia, considering that homes are burgled every 15 – 20 minutes in Victoria and NSW. Not to mention the fact that we're home to the most diverse wildlife, including a frightening number of venomous snakes and scorpions. So considering these statistics, it's no wonder you're considering fitting your home with some robust security screen doors.
If you're wondering what kind of security door you would need, it all depends on your location and certain factors concerning your personal life. For instance, if you live in a neighbourhood that has a high crime rate, or are a public person, businessman, politician, or any kind of an authority figure, you might want to consider the more advanced options, such as a steel door with a steel grill. If you're only looking for the appearance of security, want to prevent your child from walking out the door unsupervised, or just want to keep out bugs – an aluminium door might suffice.
But even if your screen door is made from the most impenetrable material that exists, it can still be easily broken into unless you've made sure to secure it with the proper locks. The best type of security locks for a screen door are five-pin cylinder, or an equivalent to them, as they are incredibly hard to pick. Three point locks are also effective in deterring intruders as they prevent the bottom and top of the door from being wrenched back. The most vulnerable type of locks are considered to be wafer locks.
Whatever door you choose, be careful. It's common for a product to be falsely advertised as a "security screen door" and still not be able to protect you against anything. Before you decide to make a purchase, make sure to check that a security door meets the relevant Australian Standard AS5039=2008. When it comes to the installation process, ask the company that's fitting your door for a written guarantee that claims they meet the AS5040 standard for installation.


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How to Find Profitability in the E-scooter Sharing Industry – A Conversation with Bullride
© ATOM Mobility
Home » News » Supplier News » How to Find Profitability in the E-scooter Sharing Industry – A Conversation with Bullride
Micromobility Sharing
Suppliers ATOM Mobility
When it comes to the future of e-scooter sharing, there are some pretty conflicting opinions out there. Some say it's the future of micromobility, others are less optimistic.
Ultimately, the success of scooter operators all depends on their ability to find profitability.
Let's be honest – this industry has higher-than-average overhead costs. The hardware itself is a major investment, and profits are further seeped by the maintenance workforce, storage, relocation costs, and new regulatory requirements that are regularly introduced.
But profitability is possible.
We spoke to Heiko Hildebrandt, co-founder of Bullride, which helps mobility companies offload their assets from their balance sheet to keep them in the black.
ATOM Mobility speaks to Bullride
The State of the Scooter Industry – Hopeful
The economy is just starting to stabilize as we exit the Covid slump and enter the new normal. How did Covid affect the micromobility sphere?
A study published in Bloomberg found that monthly ridership fell drastically in 2021, but made a comeback in 2022 when people returned to office.
Now, that's using US-based brands as a model.
Heiko Hildebrandt shares that the scooter operators he's worked with have experienced a similar effect:
"Corona was the greatest fuel you could pour onto the micromobility fire. During Corona times, people hardly used public transport, and most people switched to scooters. We saw two of the biggest micromobility brands in Europe, Bolt and Tier, raise record-setting VC investment at the end of 2021 – totaling 1.4B EUR – a clear sign of traction. And since Covid has ended, we've seen a 30%-40% slump in demand. So was Covid bad for business? Not according to my perspective."
However, according to Heiko, the real challenge is to make the unit economics work. Because the question is not about whether the product is in demand. The question is does it make sense from a business perspective.
The Challenges the Scooter Industry Faces
The scooter industry, while in demand, must face challenges that directly impact their unit economics. For some businesses, it pushes them over the edge and drives them into insolvency.
By knowing what those challenges are, scooter businesses can better set up their business models to protect their profitability.
Rising Hardware Costs
In order for a scooter's lifetime to be profitable, it has to be in use for at least 2 seasons – some even say, for 4 years. That means that the scooter has to be durable, easily maintained, with cost-efficient replacement parts.
"Scooters are usually imported from abroad (mostly China), and shipping costs are now 8x higher than they were two years ago. The costs of electronics components are ever increasing."
Jürgen Sahtel, Manager of the ATOM Vehicle Marketplace, agrees that the prices have gone up over the past two years.
"For example, hardware prices for the new Segway models have increased more than 40% over the last 16 months. And this trend is across all manufacturers – new scooters could be obtained starting from 650EUR and up, while more advanced models readily available in EU are priced at around 1000EUR per unit."
The hardware is one of the biggest up-front investments that a scooter operator faces. But it's also critical to balance cost with quality, as you need to be so resilient that it can withstand public use over the course of 2-4 years.
Expanding Regulation
When the e-scooter sharing industry took off, the industry was so fresh that there wasn't any regulation in place to keep it in check. It was the wild west, and operators were able to take advantage of the regulatory grey area.
Now, municipalities are starting to crack down on the industry and putting laws into place. Regulation, overall, is a good thing. However, the way it's done now shows a lack of understanding about the unit economics and its regulation that is being enacted.
"Most municipalities are limiting the size of a fleet that one scooter competitor can have. Their goal is to reduce the amount of scooter clutter on the streets. But that number is often too low to ensure what we call "natural floating" – the process of humans moving the scooters around the city. This puts a larger strain on relocation and charging teams."
Other burdens placed on scooter brands is the stricter demarcation of allowable parking zones. This is a factor that impacts relocation teams – those responsible for bringing scooters from less popular zones back to city centers and transport hubs. Additionally, mandatory tenders with the municipality are usually offered only for one year, making planning rather difficult.
A new trend that Heiko mentions seeing from a regulatory perspective is the emergence of mandatory insurance.
"Scooters used to be classified as bikes, and thus, similarly regulated. Now, they're being reclassified as motored vehicles, which have different regulatory requirements, including mandatory insurance."
This further skews the unit economics of each ride.
On the other hand, regulation can also play an enabling factor. Heiko shares that if tenders could be extended for, say, 3 years, it could provide scooter brands with planning stability. If municipalities limited only 2 competitors in a city, this would ensure enough demand to make the unit economics work.
Finding Profitability in Unlikely Places – Bullride's Unique Business Model
Heiko believes that the future lies in the shared economy. He's among the 4 co-founders of Bullride, an investment platform that shoulders the burden of the hardware investment and splits the scooter rent with the operating brand.
The Bullride platform crowdfunds the costs of the initial scooter investment. These people become your investors. Instead of giving away equity (ownership) of your company, they end up "owning" one of your scooters (1 scooter = 1,000 EUR).
The order is made into one of the top scooter manufacturers that have the best longevity – Bullride does this for you.
You split the rental income – 55% for you, 30% for investors, 15% for Bullride.
The idea works for a number of reasons.
You'll need money. A bank is unlikely to fund a scooter venture (because of historically low profitability), and a VC will ask for equity. This way, you get the investment, while retaining full control.
Bullride has very specific requirements. They know what works, and what doesn't. They only work together with entrepreneurs that meet their very strict requirements. That includes entering a city that has no more than 2 competitors, and a city that has no more than 100,000 inhabitants. 30,000 is the ideal sweetspot. You also only have one employee – and that's you.
The operating brand then may use a leading vehicle-sharing platform ATOM Mobility, to fast-track their time to market. ATOM takes profitability even further with its unique pricing model. Instead of the common model of cost-per-vehicle, ATOM uses a cost-per-ride model. That means that if you have less demand (and as a result, less income) in a certain month, then you pay less for use of the ATOM platform.
But scooter sharing is just the beginning. This same model, Heiko believes, can be applied to e-bikes, e-scooters, carsharing, even wind turbines and major investments like that. Why shouldn't a community be able to jointly invest in and co-own the infrastructure that they need to live?
This is a unique model that hasn't been commonly seen elsewhere. It's more than just scooters – Bullride believes that at the heart of it, what they're doing is democratizing asset ownership.
If you're looking to launch or scale your own vehicle-sharing business, to learn more abut this opportunity.
This article was originally published by ATOM Mobility.
Contact ATOM Mobility
Use the form opposite to get in touch with ATOM Mobility directly to discuss any requirements you might have.


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What a Three Person Bike is Called? (+Why Tandem Biking Is Popular)
Cycling / By Simon Hansen
Tandem Bikes are those two-person bikes that you see people riding around the park when you're out for a relaxing walk.
They always looked like something only a couple could do. They always looked like they were having so much fun.
What is a three-person bike called? A three-person bike is called a Tandem Bicycle. Anytime you ride a bike that has two or more people on it, it is referred to as 'Tandem' because of the formation of it, not because of the number of riders. However, a bike with three people riding it is also referred to as a 'triples' or 'triplets.'
The fun doesn't stop there, though. Did you know that there can even be more than three riders on a bike at once?
It's quite a sight to see. Today, we'll be taking a look at what exactly the style of biking is, as well as it's rich history.
Read Also: Are Bicycle Pedals Universal?
Tandem Biking, Meant for All
Tandem biking has a long and beguiling history, but the main purpose nowadays is meant for enjoyment.
A tandem bike is a bike that can carry 2 or more people. It is called 'tandem' because of the layout of it, not because of the number of seats. Tandem means front to back.
This can also include side by side tandem bikes that can include a bucket seat like some bikes.
This means that you could have any number of seats that you want on a bike if made correctly.
Not only is there two, three, and four-seater bikes, but the amount of people that have ridden tandem bikes has been larger than 10 people at a time!
History of the Tandem Bike
Originally in the 1890s, the Tandem Bike was made to be able to carry more people at a faster pace. If you think about it, it's kind of like a precursor to the automobile.
It may have even been the concept design behind making them. Anyway, the design of it was first officially patented by Mikael Pederson in 1898.
There are also other variations of the tandem where the bike was made for six seats to accommodate a marching band.
The bike was specially designed so that the players could play their instruments while moving at the same time.
The typical instruments that were used for this were larger brass instruments such as baritones or tubas.
Currently, the record holder for the longest tandem bike ever built, according to Guinness World Records, is "135 ft 10.7 in" and can have up to 20 people riding it at once.
Further History of the Tandem
One major part of the Tandem Bike's early time included wartime.
They were used in the second Angelo-Boer war in 1902 and used throughout the major wars of the world until shortly after the end of World War 2.
After the bloodshed was over, people of the UK started making a bicycle club using tandem bikes in 1971 which they called 'The Tandem Club.' The club still runs 'till this day.
Fun and Efficient
Not only are you riding a bike with one or more extra people, but the use of a Tandem Bike may be better. Not only do you have twice the amount of legs or more pedaling the bike, but you might even go faster on one.
Typically, the weight of a classic touring bike or mountain bike is made with the idea of performance.
If you want your bike to go fast for racing, you are going to want a more aerodynamic bike which is usually made of lighter materials.
Too much weight could be harder for the rider to maneuver with, but too little weight could make the bike easy to tip over.
However, when using a tandem bike, you have an area of two or more bikes and two or more people, with less material usage.
Normally most tandem bikes will still have two wheels. The only extra weight will be extending the body a small bit and adding the number of seats and pedals needed per rider.
The key difference in the performance of tandem bikes is the fact that you do have more people. For each person you add, you gain power in additional pedaling. More legs mean more power. This also means the ability to bike faster than on a normal bike.
Olympic Level Treatment
One of the highest accolades of honor that the Tandem Bike has been given is the use of professional sports. The Tandem Bike was first used in the Olympics in 1908.
We all remember that year, don't we? Of course not, I'll give you the highlights.
In record, this was the fourth year of the official Olympic Games. At the time, the event was referred to as 'Games of the IV Olympiad'.
It was originally supposed to be held in Rome, but due to a volcanic eruption of Mt.Vesuvius in 1906, the games were relocated to London, England.
During the fourth year of the games, there were over 22 sports with 110 events to last them. The total length of time that it took to host and complete all these events lasted a total of almost 188 days, over half a year.
The Tandem race continued to be featured in the Olympics from 1920 all the up until the race-style was discontinued in 1972.
Another interesting piece of note about the Tandem Bike is it was also used in the Paralympics. The Paralympics is a series of international sporting events hosted for athletes with a wide range of disabilities.
The Paralympics are hosted every year immediately following the traditional Olympics.
The Tandem Bike race was used for athletes that were blind.
The way it would work is the blind athlete would be assigned to the back of the bike where they designed the power to come from, and they would have captains assigned to their team that we're not blind to be able to steer for them.
What Makes the Tandem Bike Different?
Besides the fact that you get to ride with another person on the same type of vehicle, the are some differences in structure and functionality that differs from your regular bicycle.
Of course, the Tandem Bike is still a bike, so it will still have handlebars, wheels, pedals, and seats. However, the structure of it is made differently.
The main component of making a bike being able to 'go' would be a person to push the pedal, but the reason why that pedal moves is because of the chain or drivetrain.
The drivetrain is that thing that connects the chain to the wheels of your bike. In this case, the drivetrain for the Tandem Bike has been elongated so that all sets of pedals can be used to push the bike forward.
Another important difference is the body of the bike. When you're on a normal bike, the body is straight and slender. On a Tandem bike, it is different.
The 'Fork' is the technique used to make the bike, so its weight is distributed properly.
If it weren't adjusted for the weight of multiple people, the person in the front would be launched off the bike every time you brake quickly.


Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell. But this is his real story! This is Gordon Ramsay's autobiography -- the first time he has told the full story of how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction and his failed first career as a footballer: all of these things have made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. Gordon talks frankly about: / his tough childhood: his father's alcoholism and violence and the effects on his relationships with his mother and siblings / his first career as a footballer: how the whole family moved to Scotland when he was signed by Glasgow Rangers at the age of fifteen, and how he coped when his career was over due to injury just three years later / his brother's heroin addiction. / Gordon's early career: learning his trade in Paris and London; how his career developed from there: his time in Paris under Albert Roux and his seven Michelin-starred restaurants. / kitchen life: Gordon spills the beans about life behind the kitchen door, and how a restaurant kitchen is run in Anthony Bourdain-style. / and how he copes with the impact of fame on himself and his family: his television career, the rapacious tabloids, and his own drive for success.


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New dates for property development course announced
By Marc Da Silva
LendInvest has released new dates for a training course aimed at aspiring property developers to be held early next year.
The course will be held by the LendInvest Property Development Academy, a non-profit initiative designed to improve the skills of aspiring property developers whose projects can help to solve Britain's major housing crisis.
The decision was made to hold the event, to take place in central London on 20 and 21 January, after interest in the first course, to take place during the second week of November, was oversubscribed with 200 applicants for the 25 slots available.
Christian Faes, co-founder and CEO of LendInvest, said: "We have been astounded by the interest in the LendInvest Property Development Academy since we launched it last month. Our decision to add new London dates to accommodate more people is testament to the quality of the people who applied, a huge number of whom were able to demonstrate a genuine and serious intention to enter property development.
"Interest from developers, advisers and industry bodies alike in the LendInvest Property Development Academy has highlighted the desperate need for better development education. Our attendees are the lucky ones. They will benefit from the expertise of some fantastic coaches with crucial hands-on experience, as well as build a network of invaluable contacts from their local area.
"As momentum in the new government grows to encourage more SME housebuilding, we hope to be front and centre of the drive to give more developers the tools and confidence they need to deliver more homes onto UK streets."
LendInvest Property Development Academy, which will announce further course dates in London and other UK cities in early 2017, says that a full list of speakers and partners will be announced in due course.
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Our mission is to provide a quality and unique chilcare experience to help your child develop physically, Socially and emotionally in a safe and happy enviroment.
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Join us and Greater Bendigo Council for the "2021 Bendigo Esports Cup."
The City of Greater Bendigo and the AEL are hosting the annual 'AEL Bendigo Cup', an online video game competition dedicated to gamers who live in the Greater Bendigo area!
Kicking off 19th November 2021, registrations for the tournament are open from the 11th October 2021 on the AEL website. The tournament will feature Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Rocket League and will run over 4 weeks of groups and then the finals and feature a $700 prize pool!
Thanks to the City of Greater Bendigo Youth Council the event will also feature a Cosplay Showcase with a $300 prize pool!
Esports Competitions
Cosplay Showcase
Experience Bendigo
The annual Bendigo Cup presented by the Greater City of Bendigo is a free to participate online competition available to all residents in Victoria!
The competition will play over 4 weeks featuring team play in Rocket League (3 v 3) and solo play in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (1 v 1).
There is a $700 prize pool on offer split across 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each game!
Participate for some fun, meet like-minded players and prove you are the best of the best to be crowned the Bendigo Cup champion of 2021!
Register your attendance here
Registrations open 11th October
Registrations close 16th November 8:00pm AEDT
Rocket League ( 3 v 3 )
Exclusive to players from across Victoria, join in the 3 v 3 Rocket League tournament today to show off your skills to compete for a share of the $525 prize pool.
Teams are placed into groups at random to play through a round robin with the top teams from each group advancing into a double elimination bracket to play against one another until the champion is determined.
1st place will receive $100 in cash each ($300 total)
2nd place will receive $50 in cash each ($150 total)
3rd place will receive $25 in cash each ($75 total)
Competition Dates:
Week 1 – Friday 19th November @ 6:30PM AEDT
Week 3 – Friday 3rd December @ 6:30PM AEDT
Finals – Sunday 12th December @ 6:30PM AEDT
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (1 v 1)
Exclusive to players across Victoria, join in the 1 v 1 SSBU tournament today to show off your skills to compete for a share of the $175 prize pool.
Played on the Nintendo Switch in 1 v 1 format, each tournament day players are seeded into a tournament bracket to play against one another to rack up points. The players with the most points will face off in a final bracket for their share of the prize!
1st place will receive $100 in cash ($100 total)
2nd place will receive $50 in cash ($50 total)
3rd place will receive $25 in cash ($25 total)
Calling all cosplayers in from the Greater Bendigo region! It's your time to shine! So dust off those costumes because the AEL are hosting an online cosplay showcase with the support of City of Greater Bendigo's Youth Council! There are 3 x $100 prizes up for grabs!
The showcase is open to young and old with no prior experience required so get out those glue guns and get to crafting! Cosplayers must reside in the Greater Bendigo area!
There is no cost to enter the 2021 Bendigo Esports Cup Cosplay Showcase.
How it will run:
The Cosplay Showcase will be held online with all cosplayers required to provide their submission for live streaming on Sunday 9th December from 6:00pm AEDT.
Guest cosplayers will moderate and showcase each submission, selecting three submissions for a $100 prize at the end!
Register for the showcase:
Participants can register online via the button below. Competition is exclusive to residents of the Greater Bendigo region.
Registrations will close 9th December 2021 12:00pm AEDT.
*Submissions must not be of any r18+, sexist, racist, discriminatory or otherwise hate-related material. See terms & Conditions for full details.
Experience the Bendigo Region
Visit Bendigo and experience a vibrant regional city jam-packed with creativity, great food and bevvies, happening festivals and happy-as locals, all thriving among a heritage setting that stacks up to the grand European cities that inspired it.
Bendigo has long been a must-see destination. When gold was first discovered here in the mid-1800s the world soon cottoned on and the box-ironbark forests and creek flats were overcome by people from around the globe.
Bendigo boasts some of the country's most impressive architecture, public sculptures, fountains and gardens. Visit heritage halls, banks and factories re-invented as restaurants and wine bars. Bendigo's arts and cultural precinct is also home to indie boutiques showcasing local designers, lost trades, vintage goods and darling little cafes with some of the best views in town.
Make sure to time your visit to coincide with one of the many community and cultural festivals and events.
FAQ Deep Dive
Is the event open to anyone?
This event is exclusive to residents of the Greater Bendigo region. Players must be aged 13 years or older to compete in the esports competitions, those under the age of 16 we kindly request they obtain their parent's permission to participate.
Are there any other restrictions to play?
Registrations are accepted on a first in best dressed basis. There is no player cap and players of all skill levels are welcome!
What will I need to play?
To take part online participants will need a stable home internet connection, to play in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competition they will need access to a Nintendo Switch with a copy of the game and to participate in Rocket League they will need access to either a Personal Computer, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or XBOX with a copy of the game.
Players will also need to register for https://discord.com/ and follow instructions on the AEL website to join this discord to communicate with AEL staff and be ready for competition each day.
The games you've chosen are amazing, but what if I play something else?
Never played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Rocket League and think you may actually like it? Don't be afraid. Sign up anyway. We won't judge.
In the future we may have other games on offer, follow our socials to hear about any future tournaments or let us know if you have a suggestion!
And exactly how does one win?
It's a numbers game.
Players will compete over the course of the tournament. The best of the best will face each other in a Grand Finals to determine who the ultimate winner.
Make sure to read the rules for details on the tournament formats for each game!
Email us through here! or
Or you can message us through any one of our social pages on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and our friendly team will get back to you as soon as possible!
The AEL is proudly supported by
You can email the AEL through our contact form or send to [email protected]


Description: Chicken salad flat. Chicken salad on rolled oat bread.
Features & Benefits: Artisan breads. Layered by hand. Upscale Cafe experience.
Ingredient Statement: INGREDIENTS: ROLLED OAT BREAD: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Dough Base (Dextrose, Sugar, Soy Oil, Salt, Mono- Diglycerides, Soy Flour, Corn Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate [CSL], Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Iodate, Soy Lecithin, L. Cysteine, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Enzyme), Cracked Wheat, Yeast, Honey, Calcium Propionate, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, Enzymes, Soybean Oil), Salt, Caramel Color, Oats. CHICKEN SALAD: Chicken Breast, Water, Celery, Cucumbers, Coconut And/Or Soybean Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Bleached Wheat Flour, Sugar, Vinegar, And Less Than 2% Of Natural Flavors, Celery Salt, Egg Yolk, Textured Soy Flour, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Yeast, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Glucono Delta Lactone, Turmeric, Spices, Gums, (Xanthan, Guar, Sodium Alginate), Alum, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Phosphates, Potassium Lactate, Potassium Acetate, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate, Polysorbate 80, And Color Added. CONTAINS EGG, MILK, SOY, WHEAT.


text:
Presbyterian Church (USA) Battles Over Gay Marriage as Denomination Votes on Whether to Redefine Marriage to Include Same-Sex Couples
CP Church & Ministries | Tuesday, February 17, 2015
By Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter | Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Same-sex couple plastic figurines are displayed during a gay wedding fair in Paris in this April 27, 2013, file photo. | (Photo: Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
An amendment to the rules of the United States' largest Presbyterian denomination to recognize gay marriage has gained considerable support in its regional bodies, with 51 of 172 presbyteries already voting in favor of redefining marriage to include same-sex couples. The denomination's remaining presbyteries having until June to cast their votes to make the final decision.
Over the weekend several presbyteries belonging to Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to approve Amendment 14-F, which would change the denomination's definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.
By the end of St. Valentine's Day weekend, the count of presbyteries in favor of the Amendment stands at 51, the number opposed, 23.
"This overt departure from the clear teaching of the Scriptures is tragic, but not surprising," said Carmen Fowler LaBerge, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a theologically conservative group, who expects the amendment to pass.
"The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been actively undermining her own theological foundations for generations. This vote is simply the result of a hundred years of progressive deviation from the Truth," LaBerge told The Christian Post.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) holds its biennial meeting in Detroit, Michigan, June 14-21, 2014. | (Photo: Facebook/PCUSA)
Last June, at the PCUSA General Assembly held in Detroit, Michigan, a majority of delegates voted in favor of a recommendation to amend the denomination's Book of Order regarding marriage definition.
Currently, the Book of Order defines marriage as being between "a man and a woman;" the new language would remove the gender specific terminology, replacing it with "two people, traditionally a man and a woman."
"A proposed amendment to change the constitution to include same-gender marriages in the church's constitution passed the General Assembly but must be ratified by a majority of the church's 172 regional presbyteries," explained PCUSA in a FAQ document.
"Presbyteries have one year to vote on the proposed amendment. If a majority ratifies the amendment, it would take effect June 21, 2015."
This is not the first time that PCUSA has garnered headlines on its internal debate over homosexuality and the Church.
In 2010, the PCUSA General Assembly approved Amendment 10a, a measure that allowed for presbyteries to ordain noncelibate homosexuals.
In response to the passage of the amendment, scores of congregations have voted to disaffiliate from the mainline denomination.
Many of these departing churches came together in 2012 and formed the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, which presently boasts over 180 member congregations.
When asked by CP about whether or not she believes more will leave should Amendment 14-F pass, LaBerge replied that it was likely but will become more challenging due to increased efforts by regional bodies to keep churches in PCUSA.
"As more and more Presbyterians in the pews wake up to the reality that their denomination has abandoned the Bible in exchange for the accommodation of sexual immorality, many of them will leave," said LaBerge.
"They will either leave individually or they will seek to leave corporately as a congregation. But we are seeing presbyteries constrict the ability of congregations to leave, so many will wake up too late to escape."
New Conservative Presbyterian Denomination Reports Rapid Growth
The Decline of Decline? Alarming Rate of Mainline Protestants Leaving Church May Be Slowing Down
Kansas Church that Left Presbyterian Church USA Takes Property Fight to Court
Left Behind in the Mainline: Witnessing Within Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church Fights for Its $6M Property in Legal Battle With PCUSA After Split Over Homosexuality


text:
P-Notes & Sebi
RBI's Financial Stability Report & Change in base year for IIP and WPI
The Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) issue
Indian Government's Draft Gold Monetisation Scheme
simplifyconcept
untangle the complex
RBI's FSR: Banks NPA may further rise
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its 15 th financial stability report (FSR) on July 2. According to the FSR, the domestic and global economic outlook remains positive. But, bad debt of Indian banks may rise in FY18.
What is RBI's FSR?
The global financial crisis of 2008 has prompted global regulators to mandate banks to undertake stress tests to see if their risk appetite matches their risk taking capacity. Financial regulators and central banks in over 60 countries publish FSR bi-annually about the health of their banking, financial and systems. In line with this global trend, RBI has also been publishing FSR bi-annually since 2009.
Broadly, what does the FSR intend to do?
FSR throws light on the risk to the entire financial system. FSR assess the resilience of the financial sector through stress tests. FSR also focuses on emerging issues of systemic importance to the economy. It also outlines regulatory and consumer protection measures taken in the recent past by all financial regulators. Thus, broadly FSR aims to enhance transparency in the system.
Why is the FSR widely tracked by experts and markets?
The FSR reviews the nature, magnitude, and implications of risks on the macro environment. This has a direct or indirect bearing on various asset classes. RBI's commentary on macro outlook is important.
So, what does FSR say on the global macro environment?
While the FSR is positive on the global growth scenario it is worried about elevated geopolitical risks and weakening of international institutional mechanisms to deal with them. RBI is also taking a wait-and- watch approach to assess the rhetoric on protectionism and populism globally.
What is the outlook for the domestic economy?
FSR is positive on domestic economic growth prospects on the back of political expected to be at 7.3 per cent in 2017-18. Going forward, FSR says, reforms in foreign direct investment, implementation of goods and services tax (GST), and revival in external demand are likely to contribute to a better growth outlook.
However, FSR says, for sustainability of higher growth rates, revival in investment demand of private sector is essential.
What does FSR say on the fiscal deficit?
FSR has acknowledged that government's commitment to fiscal discipline had a positive impact on macroeconomic outlook. But, RBI is worried about fiscal positions of some States and the stretched debt capacities of some state owned enterprises.
What is the outlook for inflation?
According to FSR, CPI inflation is expected to be in the range of 2.0–3.5 per cent in the first half of the fiscal year and 3.5–4.5 per cent in the second half.
What is the outlook on banking sector?
FSR has acknowledged that more and more borrowers are relying on other-than-banking sources like mutual funds and bond market for their borrowing needs. While banks capital position is sound, stress test has indicated that under the baseline scenario, gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) of banks may rise from 9.6 per cent in March 2017 to 10.2 per cent by March 2018. This number can worsen if the macroeconomic conditions deteriorate.
So, what are other important takeaway from the FSR?
The report has highlighted that Indian banks will need higher provisioning from April 2018 due to transition to new Indian Accounting Standard (Ind AS). This will lower bank's profitability.
Re-basing IIP and WPI
Recently the base year for calculating Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was changed from 2004-05 to 2011-12. IIP gives us an idea about growth or fall in industrial activity in the country. WPI gives us an idea about growth or fall in wholesale inflation in the country. Both are important for policy makers and markets.
Why change base year for WPI and IIP?
A change is base year for IIP and WPI was needed to capture structural changes in the economy and improve the quality, coverage, and representativeness of the data. With the change in the base year, IIP and WPI are now aligned with base years for Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What are IIP and WPI?
IIP denotes the growth of the various sectors of the economy including mining, electricity and manufacturing, while WPI is the price representative of a basket of wholesale goods divided into primary articles, fuel & power, and manufactured products.
Who compiles WPI and IIP?
Office of the Economic Adviser, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion is entrusted with the task of releasing WPI. Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation releases IIP. These data are released monthly. The series with a new base year has been revised after eight years.
What is a base year?
The base year is nothing but the starting point from when an index is constructed. At that starting point, the index is assigned a value of 100. Now if the index (it could be a stock market, WPI, CPI, IIP or GDP) goes up to 102, the index is said to have gone up by 2%. Remember, the index can have different components. These components can be given different weights.
Why change the base year?
Often, economist and analysts complain that economic data is not in sync with reality on the ground. Base years are thus periodically revised to keep data relevant. Even components and weights assigned to those components are changed to reflect the true picture.
So, what are the changes in components for calculating WPI?
Apart from a change in base year, in the new series of the WPI, the number of items covered are increased from 676 to 697. In all, 199 new items have been added and 146 old items have been dropped. Weight for primary articles has been increased while weights for fuel and power basket have been reduced.
What are the changes in components for calculating IIP?
IIP in the revised series will continue to represent mining, manufacturing and electricity sectors, but weights for the manufacturing sector and mining sector has been increased. Weights for electricity have been pruned. Total item groups covered under the new series has been increased to 407 from 399 earlier.
So, how does the data look like for new IIP series?
The index of industrial production expanded slower by 1.7 per cent in May, as against the expansion of 2.8 per cent in April. Interestingly, the IIP data on new series shows that in none of the months in FY17 did the IIP contract. If old series is considered, IIP declined in six months — April, July, August, October, December, and February in FY17. Clearly, the industrial production was not as bad as was reflected by the old series.
How does the data look like for new WPI series?
As per the new series, WPI inflation was at 2.17% in May 2017 as compared to 3.85% in April 2017 and (-) 0.9 percent in May 2016. Interestingly, as per new series, WPI inflation stood at 1.7% in FY17 as compared to 3.7% under the old series. Clearly, WPI inflation was lower in the economy in FY17 than what was reflected by the old series.
What does this mean for over GDP data?
The new series will improve the accuracy of the data. It will also make them comparable to GDP. WPI is used as a deflator for deriving real GDP values from nominal data. Various components of the IIP are used to derive GDP. Since WPI is lower and IIP higher as per the new series, there are chances that GDP can be revised upwards.
July 19, 2017 simplifyconcept	Base Year, FSR, GST, IIP, RBI, WPI


You will never look at pizza the same way again, but you will want to come back and try every topping!
The Pizza Lovers Tour is topped with lots of pizza, enough beer, an era full of history, miles of walking, and we have giveaways too!
All food and drink tastings are included in the ticket price.
Join us on a Latin American themed culinary tour around downtown New Haven sampling small plates of food from a variety of nationalities. La comida, or food, shows off the city's diverse Latin culture. We will start with a Latin wine tasting at The Wine Thief, then to Jake's Diggity Dogs for a Tex Mex hot dog and Hawaiian mochi ice cream, then head to get Mexican guacamole, cross the gulf to Cuba at Soul de Cuba for a Cubano sandwich and mojito, spice it up with Nuevo Latino cuisine and a caipirinha at Pacifico and finish our trip back to the motherland of Spain at Barcelona for Tapas and wine.
Of all the tastes we have, our sweet tooth tends to win out, and this tour indulges on that! Walking to seven tasting spots we mix sweets with some drinks and savory bites to help cleanse our palate while viewing the amazing history and architecture of Downtown New Haven.
We start off right with an Irish breakfast and a Guiness at Trinity, then sample silky smooth and buttery cupcakes at Katalina's, after a rendezvous with a crepe and chocolate chaud or cappuccino at Choupette Creperie, rounded off with more sweetness at Tony's Square Donuts. Wash away your crumbs with a wine tasting at Odd Bins Bottle Shop so you can cannoli at Lucibello's Italian Pastry Shop after a nice walk. Finally we wander to Wooster Square and waste no time getting to our final port at Zafra Rumbar for Cuban food and mojitos!
The Live To Eat Tour combines amazing food, drinks and atmosphere with the science and education of healthy eating.
On this tour, we stroll and sample delicious foods from across the globe, all having one thing in common; they will make your feel great! With a tour guide educated in nutrition and genetics, we will test amazing cuisine from local restaurants and cafes to make sure it all fits. Our tour starts at Lalibela for Ethiopian fare, then to B Natural Cafe for a fresh juice, Yorkside for Greek yogurt & salad and finishing off at the original sustainable sushi spot, Miya's for sushi & saketinis. This tour combines food for thought, exercise for your stomach and a good stretch of your legs.
Combining some of New Haven's best restaurant tastes while scoping out your return shopping trip after the tour, the Broadway Chapel Tour shows off downtown's amazing walkability within the splendid architecture and history of Yale University.
On this tour we visit Tomatillo Taco Joint for chips, salsa & limonada and Yorkside Pizza & Restaurant for Greek specialties, pizza & wine, within the Broadway District that includes stores like J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, Patagonia, L.L.Bean, Apple, Barbour and Lou Lou Boutique. We continue our food trail with Turkish meze and tea at Midpoint Istanbul and then duck quesadillas & caipirinhas at Pacifico. We end the tour in the Chapel Street Historic District around retailers including Wave Gallery, idiom Boutique, L'Occitane en Provence and Raggs for Men & Women, with desert at the famed Anchor Spa. This special tour includes a parking voucher at 56 Broadway and exclusive offers to select shops!


Oh Shri Hari, you are the most auspicious.
This is what all the sages have been saying.
Please shower your grace on me.
Won't you remove all my shortcoming?
Where Bankatlal had grown maize.
The party wanted to enjoy roasted corn.
There was a well in the orchard, so deep and cool!
There was a cool shade of tall tamarind trees.
To roast the ears of corns.
About ten such agatis were made.
Clouds of smoke rose up.
Hanging up on the tamarind trees.
The wild bees with fiery stings got disturbed.
All those who were there.
Or dhotis or other garments.
Every one wanted to save himself.
But Maharaj did not stir.
He was in a deep contemplation.
I am the luscious ears of corn.
I am the eater and the eaten."
The bees covered Maharaj completely.
Not an inch of the skin could be seen.
Planted in the delicate skin of Maharaj!
But Maharaj was all joy.
Have I inflicted on Maharaj!"
Maharaj was pleased with him.
And not to sting Banket.
And went back to their combs.
Oh, Bankat think of this.
This painful event would not have occurred.
Verily I am the most sinful person."
Out of the delicate skin of Maharaj.
"Oh Bankat, why do you worry?
The bees did not harm me.
Why, are they anyway different from me?
Are not these all, froms of satchidananda?
Can water harm water itself?"
He sat silently before Maharaj.
And began to search for the broken stings.
Nowhere could he find a trace of stings.
Popped out all over the body.
Maharaj was no ordinary saint.
Narasinhaji ¾ a disciple of Kotashya Alli.
Narasinhaji was a great devotee.
Akot is a place about 70 km.
Of neem, peepal and anjani trees.
Silence of a deep forest.
It was almost a meeting of Hari and Hara.
Or of Vasishtha and Parashara.
Or rather of Kohinoor and Kaustubha.
Or of Eagle and Hanuman.
And sat together for a heart to heart talk.
You have a life of a householder.
It is very difficult for me to hide them.
I have to assume the grab of a mad man.
Although they all lead to the same goal.
How will he know the Truth?
A flint is in the bed of a river.
Water does not enter it.
Who is Sat Chit and Ananda.
In you, me and God?
Are not they one and the same?"
You have done me a great favour.
Evanescent like a mid-day shadow.
Who can treat it as real?
I shall abide by your advice.
I wish we meet each other as often.
Am I not your younger brother?
As you have the yogic powers.
The world within the blink of an eye."
Such in the case when true sadhus meet.
At each other with spiteful hatred.
The hypocrites are crazy for money.
Even as a broken boat.
To make a loud propaganda.
But be careful and avoid such hypocrites.
Do not go after a big organization.
Do not go after the bookish learning.
Lies in his experience of the Truth.
With coconuts in their hands.
In this forest of Akot.
Let us go to this Prayaga.
Maharaj wanted to favour him.
Even as the rays of the Sun.
And offered oblations to the Sun.
Repeating the various names of the Sun.
Was none else than the Sun.
And fell at his feet with deep reverence.
But do not get attached.
Krishna, the Blue One, will come and meet you.
Whenever you would think of me."
A piece of coconut and bade him go home.
which was the same of Shivagaon.
Or Malkapur or any such place.
Once, in the month of Shravan.
In the temple of Hanuman.
In this festival of Hanuman.
And that Bankatlal should not mind.
Did not stay in a palace with Shivaji.
To stay in the temple.
To receive Maharaj in the temple.
Shows the right path to the devotees.


Want to be notified of new releases in Lax/aufs-util?
These utilities are always necessary for aufs.
If you forget to install them, your aufs may not work correctly.
You will find GIT branches whose name is in form of "aufs3.x" where "x"
"aufs3.9", "aufs3.8", ... or something is the branch for you.
Note: The 3.x-rcN branch is to be used with `rc' kernel versions ONLY.
follow the minor version number of the kernel.
minor version number do not always require changes to aufs-util.
Makefile in this tree has some customizable make-variables.
specify the include path if necessary.
/usr/include, then you may not need to specify CPPFLAGS.
Otherwise you need to do something like this sample.
file which is built by "make headers_install."
specify your install path if necessary.
some commands have to be installed under /sbin.
and running some small internal tools.
manually. Just install them by "make install".
from aufs's point of view.
Move files from the upper writable branch to the lower branch.
The development of this script is sponcered by ASUSTek Computer Inc.
A library for shell scripts.
A dynamic link library for "readdir(3) in user-space".
the aufs manual in detail.


After much consideration, I've decided to take the rest of the year off from blogging. I have so many ideas for this space, but I need a break. I plan on spending my time catching up on my reading instead, both on- and off-line, so I'll still sorta be around!
Enjoy your time off and happy holidays!
Aww! I will miss your blog posts, but I understand. I hope you have a wonderful month!! Glad that you will still read on here so that I can still hear from you 🙂 But do really take the time to RELAX and Enjoy, soak in the magic of December and may it restore and rejuvenate your soul! ❤ !