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Falling Hard: 15 Photo Spots to See the Best Fall Foliage in the U.S.
By The Team @ Explorest
Falling Hard: 15 Photo Spots to See the Best Foliage in the U.S.
From coast to coast, start planning your autumn explorations!
Although we'll miss the long nights, balmy temperatures and sunny skies of summer, we couldn't be more excited about the approaching arrival of fall. Autumn is a season that welcomes you in with a warm, cozy feeling. Fall signals long weekends in nature, time spent cuddled up next to a fire and comfort food, like a Thanksgiving meal surrounded by family and friends. There's a crispness in the air and as the weather begins to change, so does the landscape. The leaves on the trees transition from vibrant greens to burnt oranges, yellow and reds—and for travelers and photographers, autumn can be one of the most beautiful times of the year.
You can find photo locations all around the world on the Explorest app, but this week, we'll virtually transport you to 15 of the best places to see foliage in the U.S. No matter where you are in the country, our guide will help you find photo spots near you that'll have you falling hard for autumn.
Don't let the reputation of the West Coast fool you—it's not all palm trees, surf and sand. When you venture into the more northern parts of the region, the terrain becomes forest-like, rather than beach-like and the dense vegetation covers the landscape. The trees are massive and the bodies of water are visually stunning as they produce reflections of auburn shades of fall foliage in lakes, ponds and waterfalls.
If you're a visitor to the West Coast area of the U.S., we recommend beginning your autumnal journey in either Washington or Oregon to get the most out of the fall season. The PNW has exceptional hiking trails (particularly in the fall) and regardless of your level of physical endurance, you'll be able to find a trail that suits your needs. And if hiking to Sprite Lake or Lower Multnomah Falls isn't what you're looking for, you can find some of the best photo spots to see fall foliage on the West Coast in places like Cedar Creek Grist Mill, South Falls from Silver Falls State Park or Kubota Gardens Pond & Red Tree where you only have to walk a few hundred feet to enjoy the view.
credit: @bdorts — discover Cedar Creek Grist Mill on the Explorest app
credit: @scott_kranz — discover Sprite Lake & Prusik Peak in The Enchantments on the Explorest app
credit: @andrew.studer — discover South Falls from Silver Falls State Park on the Explorest app
credit: @ross_schram — discover Kubota Gardens Pond & Red Tree on the Explorest app
credit: @ross_schram — discover Lower Multnomah Falls Lookout view of Benson Bridge on the Explorest app
From Detroit to Chicago and everywhere in between, one could argue that the Midwest is best when it comes to experiencing the full essence of fall. The middle of the U.S. can reach freezing temperatures in the winter and the humidity in the summertime can be enough for anyone to feel exhausted! Fall presents the opportunity to explore this area of the country without being too cold or too hot.
You could spend hours in nature, marveling at fallen leaves crunching beneath your feet along trails like Park Bridge Pathway. Being out in the open will leave you feeling energized as if you can have a fresh start and (quite literally) turn over a new leaf with the new season. Alternatively, you could spend a day in the Windy City walking through Millennium Park to see the bursts of autumnal colors amongst the surrounding monochrome skyscrapers. Whatever your choice of adventure, the Midwest has some of the best photo spots to see fall foliage.
credit: @snaphappymichigan — discover Manistee River Roadside Park Bridge Pathway on the Explorest app
credit: @mattbweitz — discover Nichols Bridgeway view of Millennium Park & Crain Communications Building on the Explorest app
credit: @aubrietahope — discover M-109 view of D.H. Day Barn Farm Beach Look Down discover on the Explorest app
credit: @mattbweitz — discover Jay Pritzker Pavilion view of Millennium Park & Willis Tower discover on the Explorest app
It's common to associate autumn foliage with New England, but the East Coast offers a plethora of other places to capture the hues of fall. New York is one such place, and you can find changing colors of flora, from Manhattan to upstate. Fall is also a picturesque time of year to see the juxtaposition of nature and manmade structures that can only be found in a concrete jungle, such as New York City. You can splurge and spend a night at the swanky Gramercy Park Hotel to wake up to a view of the treetops in Gramercy Park or stroll through Prospect Park in Brooklyn to appreciate the tree-lined pathway of bright red leaves.
In addition to fall in the city, the East Coast is a region where you can spend hours driving through upstate forests, capturing the varying colors of the scenery kissed by the autumn sun. For those looking to use fall as a time to practice their drone skills, we highly recommend checking out Bunny Road at Storm King Art Center. The symmetry of the street splitting either side of the landscape creates an image that's pleasing to the eye and intriguing to those who don't get out of the city as often as they'd like.
credit: @joethommas — discover Gramercy Park Hotel Room view of Gramercy Park on the Explorest app
credit: @joethommas — discover Garfield Tot Lot in Prospect Park on the Explorest app
credit: @samalive — discover Bunny Road at Storm King Art Center on the Explorest app
credit: @joethommas — discover Brick House at corner of Barrow Street & Commerce Street on the Explorest app
credit: @gmp3 — discover Bow Bridge & The Lake Framed by Nature in Central Park on the Explorest app
The first official day of autumn, September 22, is coming up quickly! It's our hope that you can use this guide to explore the best photo spots to see fall foliage in 2021. While you're on your journey, don't forget to tag us @Explorest for a chance to be featured on our page. We can't wait to see what you snap!
If you're looking to discover new photo spots, download the Explorest app today. We provide insider recommendations to help you capture your travels, near and far.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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was a Japanese composer, lyricist, and singer from Nishi-ku, Sakai, Osaka, Japan. She participated in the opening and ending theme songs of the TV anime "Gu-Gu Gummo" under the name of "Susie Matsubara."

Her 1979 debut song "Mayonaka no Door" became a hit, reaching number 28 on the Oricon chart, selling 104,000 copies according to Oricon survey, and selling 300,000 copies announced by Canyon Records. In addition, since around 2020, the song has become widely heard not only in Japan but also overseas.

Early life
Matsubara was born November 28, 1959 in Kishiwada, Osaka in Japan. She spent her childhood in Hiraoka Town, Nishi-ku, Sakai, Osaka.

She grew up in a family of four, including a father, a mother and a younger sister. Her father was a board member of a hospital and her mother was a jazz singer who had sung with the Japanese jazz band and comedy group Crazy Cats. Matsubara started learning the piano at the age of three and later became familiar with jazz. As a child, she went to Sakai city's Hiraoka Elementary School and then in 1972, entered Poole Gakuin Junior High School. Around this time Matsubara became interested in rock music and joined the rock band "Kurei". In 1975 she started in Poole Gakuin High School and became active as a keyboard player of the band "Yoshinoya Band". They would play songs at a live house called Takutaku located in Kyoto. Matsubara was described as an excellent student and was expected by many around her to attend college, but at that time she had already made plans to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. In 1977, when she was still in high school, Matsubara went to Tokyo alone at the age of 17 to make her debut as a singer. The Japanese pianist  found her playing music and singing in various places in Kantō such as in the live music venue Birdland located in Roppongi, Tokyo.

Career
Matsubara started her career in 1979 and is known from hit songs such as her debut and immediate breakthrough "Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)" which has been covered by numerous artists, including Akina Nakamori. The song was ranked 28th on the Oricon Chart, and according to that chart sold 104,000 copies and 300,000 copies announced by Canyon records. Some of her other known songs were "" and "The Winner" among others.

After the release of the song "Neat na gogo san-ji" Matsubara became a well-known singer during that time. She was offered by many to perform in college festivals, concerts and so on. The song even gained a feature in a commercial of the famous Japanese multinational personal care company Shiseido, only less than two years after her debut.

Miki Matsubara received a number of artist awards. Amidst her career, she formed her own band called Dr. Woo. Matsubara also had some international work with Motown jazz fusion group Dr. Strut in Los Angeles (becoming a backing band in the album recordings for "Cupid" and "Myself"), Tokyo and Osaka (Hall concerts), later releasing a jazz cover album entitled "BLUE EYES". In that album she covered some famous jazz songs like "Love for sale", she also covered the soft rock song "You've Got A Friend" originally written and sung by Carole King.

Her vocal range was that of a mezzo-soprano.

During her music career she released 8 singles, and 12 albums. Despite her work being mainly domestic, outside of Japan she was also known for her work as an anime singer and songwriter, singing the opening and ending songs to anime such as Dirty Pair: Project Eden, although recently with the popularization of city pop her other work has gained overseas fans as well. While singing theme songs for the anime Gu Gu Ganmo, she performed under the name Suzie Matsubara (スージー・松原). Matsubara's song "THE WINNER" was used as the opening for the Gundam OVA-series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.

From the 1990s forwards she especially worked on anime soundtracks and music for commercials. Matsubara composed songs for a couple of anime, some of her most known musical compositions were for the anime series Gundam. Matsubara composed songs for several singers, like Hitomi Mieno, but her most notable works were likely with the singer and actress Mariko Kouda, whom Matsubara composed multiple songs to. Kouda's song "Ame no chi special (雨のちスペシャル)", which Matsubara composed, was featured in the five-minute music television and radio series Minna no Uta as a music video in 1997. It attracted a lot of attention and ranked 28th place in the Oricon chart. The song was repeatedly rebroadcast until 2004.

Personal life
Little is known about Miki Matsubara's personal life. She married Masaki Honjo (1953-2007), a backing band drummer for her band. Honjo later became a dentist and died in 2007 at the age of 54.

During Matsubara's years as a student, her eyesight deteriorated due to fatigue from a part-time job. Her eyesight was, however, fixed with surgery.

Illness and death
At the end of 2000, Matsubara sent an email to those around her, including her company and the members of Dr. Woo, stating that she could not continue her music career and that she would not be reachable after the message went out. She stopped all music activities and disappeared from the spotlight altogether. In 2001, it was revealed that Matsubara's actions were prompted by a late-stage cancer diagnosis she had received at the time, after which she subsequently began treatment. Matsubara spent her final years battling her illness.

After being told by her doctor that she only had three months left to live, Matsubara died on October 7, 2004, at age 44 due to complications from uterine cervix cancer. Her death was announced to the public two months later.

Legacy
An increased interest in city pop during the 21st century, particularly the 2010s, contributed to Matsubara gaining global recognition and "Stay with Me" (真夜中のドア, "Mayonaka no door") becoming a resurgent hit in the West and throughout Asia in 2020. Billboard Japan credits Indonesian YouTuber Rainych for the song's initial surge in popularity, after she shared a cover version with her almost 1.3 million subscribers on the platform in October that year. This rediscovery of the song in Indonesia—indicated by an upsurge of streams on digital music platforms Apple Music and Spotify—then spread to other countries worldwide and it continued to gain traction, especially in North America where it became a "'visible hit' on numerous streaming rankings" and "shot to No. 1 on Spotify's viral charts". The song became a well-known sound on the multimedia streaming app TikTok, most notably during December 2020—prior to this, it was already somewhat popular in the platform's anime community—where it sparked a trend among users of Japanese descent, who shared videos of themselves playing the song for their mothers and filming their reactions when they recognized the track. One such video garnered over 23 million views and 6 million likes. As of February 2021, the sound has been used in over 200,000 videos on the platform.

As a result of this resurgence in popularity, Matsubara's debut album, Pocket Park, was repressed on vinyl in late 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles

Some notable compositions

See also
Gu Gu Ganmo
Victor Entertainment
Dirty Pair: Project Eden
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Ojamajo Doremi
Ojamajo Doremi discography
Mariko Kouda
Mayumi Gojo
J-pop

References

External links

 Miki Matsubara at VGMdb
 Miki Matsubara at Last.fm

1959 births
2004 deaths
20th-century Japanese composers
20th-century Japanese women singers
20th-century Japanese singers
Deaths from cancer in Japan
Deaths from uterine cancer
Japanese women composers
Musicians from Osaka
People from Sakai, Osaka
20th-century women composers
Anime composers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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14 People on How They *Actually* Made New Friends as an Adult
've read enough think pieces and essays about making friends as an adult to recognize that any friendship forged amidst the hurdles of work, physical distance, dating, social anxiety, and preconceived notions is—to some extent—unlikely. I also know that it's this precise element of rareness that makes them so worthy of the pursuit. There's a wealth of advice for how to conquer the challenge (sign up for a pottery class! DM people on Instagram!), but very little literature on how the implementation of these protocols actually pans out.
We launched a bundle of earrings earlier this week that we're calling Swimmer's Ear but which actually encapsulates the simultaneous difficulty and unlikeliness of adult friendship (albeit in the context of marine life). According to lore from under the sea, dolphins are smart as hell and very, very social while turtles prefer to navigate the water in solitude, slowly and steadily. It's a different mentality, a philosophical fork, but for whatever reason, when the relationship is stricken (my ear can attest!) and it works (again, my ear can attest!), it is powerful. Meaningful. I might be overreaching but it's a metaphor — a reminder that the tension of the difficulty and unlikeliness makes for the kind of joy you can only embody with the gift of experience under your belt. The recognition of its rareness, the pursuit of something more. So! In the spirit of investigating what actually works (no, really!) when it comes to making, and keeping, friends as an adult, I asked the Man Repeller community (you?) to share how they (you?) made their most recent, genuine adult friends and what takeaways were gleaned to inform subsequent friendship endeavors.
You know what they say — the best stuff bubbles up in the most unlikely of places. Let your ear remind you of that the next time you're at a pottery class.
"It's an Automatic Friend Group"
How did you make your most recent genuine adult friend?
My most recent adult friends were made at my gym. I do CrossFit, which I know is notorious for having a "cult-y" vibe, but it's truly a wonderful community for making friends. I switched to a new gym a year ago after moving, and in the year since, I've made approximately half a dozen new GOOD friends. And a dozen more friendly friends, who might not get a wedding invite, but whom I could call for happy hour.
What efforts did you put in to help the friendship take root?
Initiating the first out-of-gym hang was scary, but I could tell we were all edging around the idea. Once we eventually initiated plans, it was easy after that.
How do you maintain the friendship now?
Since we see each other at the gym five or six days a week, it's really easy to keep in touch. You don't have to go out of your way to make time for someone when they're at a place you already go to. PLUS, it ends up being good incentive to go to the gym when that's where your friends are! Also, it's an automatic friend "group" as opposed to just one friend. So it's more fun.
What did this experience teach you about making friends as an adult?
It's definitely a strange breed of relationship, and feels very different from high school/college/law school friends. But it also can, at times, be more fulfilling, because these people know more about my life as it is NOW, versus what my life was five or 10 years ago. I think it's important to have both old and new friends!
"We Actively Check in With Each Other"
We met at a woman's church event. I went alone and didn't know anyone and I ended up meeting her and hitting it off. This past weekend she was the maid of honor in my wedding!
We had an automatic friendship connection. We both realized that we had potential to have a lasting and meaningful friendship through our faith, where we were at in our lives, and how complementary our personalities were. We made effort to see each other right off the bat. But what stands out is the fact that she was dating someone who didn't have the same beliefs as her and was vulnerable enough to discuss that openly with me despite being strangers at the time.
Dolphin Single Hoop 'n' Charm earring
We make time to see each other still and have since introduced each other to our other friends so that we are active members of each other's lives. We intentionally check in with each other and try to hang out at least once a week.
It does take work to maintain adult relationships. Life can be very busy and as we get older and get married etc., it's very important to put the effort into growing and maintaining existing friendships. Also, I think it's important to remember that it's healthy and sharpening to be friends with people who are different from you and it's important not to expect them to be like you, but instead celebrate them for being who they were created to be.
"Don't Be Embarrassed About Seeming Desperate"
I had recently moved back to the city I grew up in (London) and started a new job. A client introduced me to this girl via email as she thought we would get along. Turns out she grew up around the corner from me and our lives have followed very similar paths.
I would regularly text her to meet up and get drinks. Or tell her about different events happening that I thought she would be interested in.
We try to see each other every two weeks or so in person, and in between we email interesting articles or designers and artists that look cool. We used to hang out more regularly at the pub after work but she just had twins so her routine has changed a bit these days. Our last hangout was a gallery visit with the babies in tow.
Don't be embarrassed about seeming "desperate" when trying to establish a relationship with someone new. My mother is almost 70 and made some of her closest friends in the last 10 years, so I know it can happen at all stages of life. My fiancé really struggles to make new guy friends as he feels lame getting in touch with someone on a weekly basis. I keep reminding him to check in with people so they know he's thinking about them and actually listened to details in the last conversation they had.
"I Make Sure to Text Her at Least Once a Week"
I met her on Bumble BFF. I had just moved to a new city and was lacking genuine connections with people outside of work and my everyday life. I had nothing to lose so I made a profile on Bumble BFF and she was the first (and so far the only person) I went out with.
I definitely went outside of my comfort zone! I'm not very shy and love talking with people, but I feel vulnerable reaching out to hang out one-on-one with the intention of deepening a friendship as opposed to just staying acquaintances. But I realized I was seriously lacking in the female friend department and did not want to become complacent in that.
I make sure to text her at least once a week and try to arrange a plan to see her whenever we both have the time. We are both in serious relationships and work in the same field so thankfully we're very understanding of each other's schedules.
Theres no harm in putting yourself out there! The other person is likely just as nervous as you are.
"I Messaged Her to Invite Her Out for a Drink Saying, 'We Should Be Friends'"
I met her at a party and knew I needed to be friends with her, so added her on Facebook right away. When she accepted, I messaged her to invite her out for a drink saying, "We should be friends."
A friend of mine believes you're not really friends with someone until you spend time with them on three occasions outside of the context in which you met them. I have taken this to heart and tried to organize catchups at different times of day/environments.
Facebook messenger and regular beers.
I moved abroad a few years ago and at first it was hard to make friends, but I eventually succeeded by literally telling girls I met that I wanted them to be my friend. When I went in strong like that, it charmed people, and it made subsequent meetups more relaxing because we had already established we would be pals.
"I've Made Several Friends via Instagram"
We had been introduced a couple times by other friends but never really hung out. We followed each other on Instagram, so I reached out once and said we had lots in common and should get drinks. Now we're great friends. Since then, I've made several friends via Instagram by reaching out.
Harling is wearing the Turtle Single Hoop 'n' Charm earring; Haley is wearing the Dolphin Single Hoop 'n' Charm earring
We're both gay females in the south, so there was a pretty big connection from the beginning. The more we talked, the more we realized how much we have in common. Our relationship mostly consists of laughter and Real Housewives talk as opposed to serious heart-to-heart conversations, though.
She needs space—a lot of it. We'll go days without speaking, and I know when we go out, it'll be a fairly short hang. Our relationship has been a lesson in the importance of understanding others' needs.
It's okay to be a bit forward and to ask people to hang out with you.
"Adult Friendships Are Not a Myth"
They are my partner's partner (in polyamory we consider that a metamour).
Becoming friends with someone that is extremely important to your significant other can be scary, and attempting to build a relationship outside of the existing one (through our mutual partner) can be even more so (talk about respecting boundaries!). Accepting their offer to hang out for the first time without our mutual partner there was scary for me, but I'm so happy I did. Now I have someone in my life with whom I can talk about polyamory, relationships, works, dating, and life in general. And we have such a similar view that our conversations flow without a beat.
We happen to be neighbors, so maintenance isn't too challenging. Small-town catch-ups, dog walks, etc.
It has taught me that adult friendships are not a myth, and while they can come from unexpected places, the people who want to be in your life will be.
"We Don't Text Often, But When We Do Talk, It's Deep"
I was in a graduate program and she was an incoming first year. I reached out because we went to the same school for undergrad, but had never met (she's several years older than me). After a few years of catching up more regularly, we are now very close. I'm going to her wedding in July. 🙂
Consistently reaching out! I realized what I had to give, and that she wouldn't necessarily ask, but that I could keep giving. And I knew that by giving (my time, advice, support) I would ALSO feel supported and loved.
We don't text often, but when we do talk, it's deep. I think that's the thing with adult friendship—we don't have as much time to constantly chat/text/meet up (we also both have partners), so when we do text, it's typically a sustained conversation catching up on something important. And when we do make a plan, we do so with the intention of hanging out and talking for hours.
A) When you want to make a friend, you have to go for it. You might even have to reach out several times for it to stick. When someone declines a proposal to hang out, it's generally because they're busy, not because they're rejecting you. B) Adult friends might not do/be EVERYTHING you want a best friend to do/be. Maybe they're great for meme exchanges on Instagram. Or meeting up for yoga. Or deep chats over wine. Or shopping for your next interview suit. (I just described four separate adult friends of mine.) But they almost definitely won't be all of these. And that's okay!
"Moving From Seeing Her as a Potential Friend Rather Than Potential Partner Was a Bit of an Ego Blow"
We met on OkCupid, both testing the waters as bi women who had only ever dated men. We had a lovely first meeting over coffee where we talked in depth about our past relationships/friendships/how we care for others, and about her fairly recent departure from a long-term relationship. During our second meeting, she informed me that she and her boyfriend were going to get back together. Almost two years later, she's one of my closest friends, the closest by far that I've made since college, and I'm excitedly watching as she plans her wedding!
Turtle Single Hoop 'n' Charm earring
Moving from seeing her as a potential friend rather than potential partner was a bit of an ego blow for me (though she's credited something I said to her on our first meeting with helping her give her partner another chance). I had to come to terms with wanting to stay in her life and making that effort.
She's very good at checking in regularly/making sure we see each other regularly, and that has pushed me to do the same. Checking in when we know it's a rough time for the other, expressing genuine happiness for each other, and making time to show up for both one-on-one hangs and group events (her birthday party, where I didn't know anyone else, comes to mind, and in turn she came to a show I was working on with less than 24 hours notice after hearing how hard I had been working on it).
You have to be willing to put in the work. We no longer have the luxury of living down the hall from each other in a dorm, or sharing classes or bus rides or kindergarten snack time, so it can be a bit of a rocky start. You have to keep showing up and learning new things, as you don't always have the benefit of a shared history. But pushing myself to bond with someone who I don't have some work/school/etc proximity to has made my life richer. Having someone around with a similar heart/head to mine, but with a totally different day-to-day life has been a good demonstration of what it means to make a genuine friend as an adult. Which is not to say that you can't make close work friends (and I have!), but instead that sometimes the best friendships aren't the most convenient ones. Just like any good relationship—romantic, platonic, or otherwise—you have to put in the work to get the reward.
"It Helps to Figure out What Your Friends' Love Languages Are"
I've made three close female friends at work. We work in different departments at a 200+ employee engineering firm, and were able to meet because I was asked to fill in for one of their team members on a couple of projects. Engineering is a male-dominated industry, so there aren't that many females in the office to begin with; it's awesome when you do get to meet another female who rocks at their job and shines—and wants you to shine, too.
I had many friends until I came to the U.S. for college at 19 and left them all behind. I lost touch with everyone because I didn't make enough of an effort. I spent my twenties mostly surrounded by random acquaintances here and there. Once I settled into adulthood, I told myself I would make an effort to cultivate real friendships. I started by saying yes to most social things I was invited to. I expanded my circle by trying out random activities where I could meet new people (book clubs, sailing classes, cooking classes, etc.). At work, saying yes to projects outside of my department and outside of my comfort zone helped a lot. At first I did it thinking it would help my career, but lo and behold it led to meeting some awesome people.
The older I get, the more keenly aware I've become of my shortcomings and strengths, so I leverage that to maintain my relationships. I'm a bit of a natural loner and a homebody, so I make up the difference with my more socially active friends by playing on one of my strengths—thoughtfulness. I never forget a birthday and will totally go overboard on your gift, balloon, cake, card, mixtape. If you invite me to your dinner party I will bring you wine and your pet his favorite treat. I'll remember that June 6th is your one-year anniversary of breaking up with Jerkface McDoucheberg and will make sure you don't spend it alone. This is going to sound super corny and lame, but it helps to figure out what your friends' love languages are. For real! I have one particular friend who loves physical affection, so I just randomly drop by her desk daily and give her a hug. She loves it. Another friend is really service-oriented and loves volunteering, etc. I try to help her out by volunteering for her causes when I can.
It helps to realize that most people feel just as nervous, scared, lonely, shy, socially inept, weird, etc. If not more! Don't be afraid to make a move and send that text or that invite. What's the worst that can happen? They may say no. If someone makes you feel silly or shitty about your friendship advances, that's someone not worthy of friendship to begin with. Just move on. Like with sweaters, quality over quantity is key. I'm happy knowing I have a couple of organic, timeless, reliable, warm friends that I will keep forever instead of an endless pile of bargain-bin, scratchy acquaintances who won't be there when I need them. Good luck!
"It's Like Online Dating Where I Just Put Myself Out There"
I was flying solo at the first Man Repeller Good Evening event. I liked her style, told her, and we hit it off. I'm now in fashion but we both have backgrounds in economics and realized immediately how similar we are, in all the right ways.
We followed each other on Instagram and responded to each other's stories for a while, and then she reached out about brunch. Relatively new to the city, I was excited to meet a kindred spirit and jumped (but not TOO eagerly) at the offer.
Instagram, exchanging puppy photos and articles about economics and women empowerment, and heading to other events around the city!
It's really hard. I've been to maybe 15-20 events in and around the city in the last 16 months and made three great friends. It's like online dating where I just put myself out there and hope that the worst-case scenario is a mildly interesting conversation, even if we never exchange contact info.
"It's Those Intimate Conversations That Really Help Build the Foundation"
We met at work where she was actually my manager and I was just a part-time stylist. We had the same sense of style, and she was genuinely kind. The first day we worked together we talked the whole time. I knew that I just wanted to hang out with her.
I was invited to go to a concert with her and a bunch of other girls. I don't usually love concerts and I didn't truly love a few of the other girls, but I felt like if I didn't go, I was setting a tone that I wouldn't go to anything ever again—which would really ruin my chances at having a true and deep friendship with my manager. So I went, and I actually had a really good time (we saw Haim AND Lizzo AND Maggie Rogers at Red Rocks!) and I felt that on the drive home we had hit a new milestone of having "gone out" together and talking about stuff that wasn't work-related. It felt like an introductory phase into being real-life friends outside of work.
I think a big part of not letting a professional relationship slip into a work-acquaintance-only kind of thing is being vulnerable and talking about intimate stuff instead of just trash-talking your coworkers (although we love doing that, too). I told her about stuff with my husband and my family and details about me, and when I asked her about the same things, she was open and honest, too. It's those intimate conversations that really help build the foundation for true friendships.
You have to be willing to go out of your comfort zone. It isn't like being in school where you can count on seeing them in class or next period. Adults move, have lives, have families—and you have to work within those limitations to show that you're invested in them and want to be there and with them. For me it was actually going out in a group to show that I'm willing to do certain things for the other person. It's a lot like dating. You have to meet people halfway.
"We Put Together Happy Hours and Workout Events Around the City"
I met her at a Yelp event.
We made a conscious effort to go do things that the other person enjoyed. We also started a group chat.
We've started traditions together, like an annual chili cook-off, and our annual Christmas cookie party to involve our other friends and significant others.
It's hard, but group events make it better. We started an Instagram called @wine.dine.repeat to help women in Baltimore who are out of college come together and do fun things. We put together happy hours and workout events around the city for people to come and meet others in the area. Alysha January does a similar thing (you can sign up to hear more about her events here).
"I Just Kind of Awkwardly Hung Around Her"
I met her at an improv jam at UCB East Village after moving to the city and knew we'd be a great match. I just kind of awkwardly hung around her every week and tried to make (cringe) small talk until it got to the point where we were comfortable around each other. Now we're going to be roommates in a month!
She is on a two-person improv team where she and her partner eat an entire cake by the end of their set (Cake Kids, check them out), and I just kept going to all of their shows, and her class shows, and other improv shows she was in until she was tricked into thinking we were already friends. Her existing crew would often go out for food after shows and I would linger until they invited me to join. Once we were friends, but not yet good friends, I had to go out of my way to invite myself to larger group activities and force myself to remember they wanted me around, they just didn't always have me on their mind because I was a new friend breaking into a long-existing group. It can be uncomfortable to send a message asking if you can join a super bowl party, but chances are if you want to be there then whoever is hosting it wants you there too! When she invited me to join everyone at Coney Island a couple months later, I knew I was in and I was so happy I called my mom.
We try to set up monthly girls nights with our other girlfriends because so many of our mutual friends are men. It gives us a moment to connect in a different and more substantial way. We also see each other weekly for our improv group practice and will hang out before, or will sometimes try to get lunch. We also have a ladies group chat!
It takes so much more effort than making friends at school. I moved to NYC knowing no one and had no choice but to make friends, and I didn't feel like I had genuine lifetime ones until about a year in. You don't have the structure of forced friendship through clubs and classes like you do in university and you REALLY have to go out of your comfort zone and be persistent and patient. But after you have a couple friends it gets easier and easier to make more.
Photos by Louisiana Mei Gelpi.
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The Post's Christopher Morley recalls the first time he saw Pavarotti perform and his first meeting with the legend.
The Post's Christopher Morley recalls the first time he saw Pavarotti perform and his first meeting with the legend.
My first experience of Luciano Pavarotti was at home watching television with Mum, Dad and my little brother in 1963.
We always watched ITV's live spectacular Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and tonight's was to be very special, with the Italian super-tenor Giuseppe di Stefano topping the bill.
Mum being Italian, this was extra-special for us. But, as he frequently did, di Stefano cancelled, and Bruce Forsyth introduced instead the singer's current understudy at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Luciano Pavarotti.
This slim, somewhat shy young man, enchanted us all with his ardent, lyrical voice, putting himself into the role of Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme as he sang Che gelida manina.
In the summer of the next year my school music-teacher took me to Glyndebourne for a costume rehearsal of Mozart's Idomeneo, an event which proved a turning-point in my life and set me towards a career in music.
Among the cast, playing the role of Idamante, was Pavarotti, his intense, committed presence a perfect foil for the more renowned singers in the cast (Richard Lewis, Gundula Janowitz).
Later he was to tell me: "They were very happy times."
Thanks to a huge extent to the interest shown in him by the great Australian soprano Joan Sutherland and her husband Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti's career took off in a big way after that.
When he came to Birmingham, a giant of a superstar, performing at the NEC (by this time his appearances were often gala concerts rather than straight operatic productions), I asked him if he would turn his attentions to conducting.
"No, I have no interest in doing that," he replied. "I intend to coach young singers, to pass on everything I've been so lucky to learn."
I heard him again at the NEC a few years later, when he returned to his signature-role of Rodolfo.
As the music approached its climax, a lurch in the orchestra signalled a downward transposition in the score, calculated to bring Pavarotti's crowd-pleasing top notes within easier reach.
It was a sad, significant moment.


text:
/**
 * @function hull_demo.cpp
 * @brief Demo code to find contours in an image
 * @author OpenCV team
 */

#include "opencv2/highgui/highgui.hpp"
#include "opencv2/imgproc/imgproc.hpp"
#include <iostream>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

using namespace cv;
using namespace std;

Mat src; Mat src_gray;
int thresh = 100;
int max_thresh = 255;
RNG rng(12345);

/// Function header
void thresh_callback(int, void* );

/**
 * @function main
 */
int main( int, char** argv )
{
  /// Load source image and convert it to gray
  src = imread( argv[1], 1 );

  /// Convert image to gray and blur it
  cvtColor( src, src_gray, CV_BGR2GRAY );
  blur( src_gray, src_gray, Size(3,3) );

  /// Create Window
  const char* source_window = "Source";
  namedWindow( source_window, CV_WINDOW_AUTOSIZE );
  imshow( source_window, src );

  createTrackbar( " Threshold:", "Source", &thresh, max_thresh, thresh_callback );
  thresh_callback( 0, 0 );

  waitKey(0);
  return(0);
}

/**
 * @function thresh_callback
 */
void thresh_callback(int, void* )
{
  Mat src_copy = src.clone();
  Mat threshold_output;
  vector<vector<Point> > contours;
  vector<Vec4i> hierarchy;

  /// Detect edges using Threshold
  threshold( src_gray, threshold_output, thresh, 255, THRESH_BINARY );

  /// Find contours
  findContours( threshold_output, contours, hierarchy, CV_RETR_TREE, CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE, Point(0, 0) );

  /// Find the convex hull object for each contour
 vector<vector<Point> >hull( contours.size() );
  for( size_t i = 0; i < contours.size(); i++ )
     {   convexHull( Mat(contours[i]), hull[i], false ); }

  /// Draw contours + hull results
  Mat drawing = Mat::zeros( threshold_output.size(), CV_8UC3 );
  for( size_t i = 0; i< contours.size(); i++ )
     {
       Scalar color = Scalar( rng.uniform(0, 255), rng.uniform(0,255), rng.uniform(0,255) );
       drawContours( drawing, contours, (int)i, color, 1, 8, vector<Vec4i>(), 0, Point() );
       drawContours( drawing, hull, (int)i, color, 1, 8, vector<Vec4i>(), 0, Point() );
     }

  /// Show in a window
  namedWindow( "Hull demo", CV_WINDOW_AUTOSIZE );
  imshow( "Hull demo", drawing );
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This webcam is currently assigned to meteo-cugy.ch. It was originally added on 10 janvier 2018 and has been viewed 2 314 times since then. The current picture above was taken il y a 6 minutes, thereby the webcam seems to be currently active. So far, it was added to their personal favorites on webcams.travel by 0 people.


I enjoy working on jigsaw puzzles. Even though they can be challenging, my concentrated efforts produce a cohesive outcome. I like to start with the border pieces and create a framework for my puzzle. Then I separate out the dominant colored pieces onto separate cookie sheets. This technique allows me to stack the cookie sheets later when I need to pause solving the puzzle to clear off my dining table. If the finished puzzle picture has focal objects or person pieces, I start there. I prop up the puzzle box picture on end, so I can see it as I work. I need a constant reminder of what I'm trying to achieve. And all the effort, determination and joy in finishing the puzzle gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Being a member of Assistance League of Greater Placer for 20 years, I have found my "practiced" skills for putting together jigsaw puzzles, helps me in helping others. In my observation, I see the Assistance League of Greater Placer's Thrift Shop as a Giant Puzzle with numerous puzzle pieces coming together and forming a strong, vibrant, and exciting Thrift Shop.
Our current General Manager, Nancy, has held the position for 5 years. A special recognition poem for her outstanding service was written and recited by Assistant Manager, Janet, at our April meeting.
Our members volunteer for the numerous Thrift Shop positions that make our shop so special. They are each a necessary puzzle piece towards the end picture of success.
We have Assistant Managers, Backroom Captains, Treasurers, Schedulers, Media Contacts, Visual Display, Boutique and Salespersons as the great Puzzle Border starts. Then we fill in the center with Department Chairmen for Art, Books, Collectibles, Jewelry, Fabric, Kids Korner, Linens, Purses, Scarves, Shoes, Toys…the list goes on. And to complete the jigsaw puzzle picture, we add vibrant color pieces that are volunteers and customers!
Our Assistance League of Greater Placer members take pride in our Thrift Shop. It is open year-round and with the funds earned, we are able to provide 13 Philanthropic Programs in the Greater Placer communities to help individuals and families.
Come visit the Assistance League Thrift Shop, located at 1263 Grass Valley Highway, in Auburn. Enjoy a truly unique shopping experience and know that your monies will help others in our local communities. What a beautiful PUZZLE!
Perfect analogy, Jules! It has been a challenging, rewarding and most often joyful experience to support these wonderful women these past five years. Their energy and dedication ensures both a vibrant shop as well as chapter.
Great article which I truly enjoyed the puzzle concept since I'm a ardent puzzle person and like to work in the thrift shop. Well done, Julie and Nancy!
Awesome as always. You are irreplaceable!


text:
Q: Rethinkdb insert into nested array I want to add to an array nested inside a table, appending a new item to the array.
But the returned run query is undefined. Please can anyone suggest a better way to run this?
rdb.table('SavedBaskets').get(basketId).run().then(function(result) {
            let newPaymentHistory = [];
            if ('paymentHistory' in result) {
                newPaymentHistory = result.paymentHistory;
            }
            paymentHistory.push(charge);
            return rdb.table('SavedBaskets').get(basketId).update({paymentHistory: newPaymentHistory}).run();
        }).error(function(err) {
            console.log(err);
        });

A: You could use .append() such as
r.table("SavedBaskets").get(basketId).update(
     {"paymentHistory": r.row("paymentHistory").append(charge)}
).run(conn)

https://www.rethinkdb.com/api/javascript/append/
Seen here
http://docs.rethinkdb.com/2.0/api/python/update/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We are delighted to announce that our Summer 60's Night in aid of PINK raised £6300.
We had a fabulous night of music and singing. with Tommy Dene, Sandy Davidson, Eddie Corbet and the Smokin Bert Cooper Bank.
Much fun was had by everyone and a bit thanks to all those who participated and helped organise the night.


From the first day thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard.
Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. --The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. --Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. --Humber yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. --God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
Dan. 10.12 - Is. 57.15 - Ps. 51.17 - Ps. 138.6 - 1 Pe. 5.6 - Ja. 4.6,7 - Ps. 86.5-7.
Understanding what the will of the Lord is.
It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
This is the will of God, even your sanctification. --That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. --Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth: wherefore lay apart all filthiness.
Be ye holy; for I am holy. --[Jesus] said, Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. --Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. --The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Mat. 6.10 - Ep. 5.17 - Mat. 18.14 - 1 Thes. 4.3 - 1 Pe. 4.2 - Ja. 1.18,21 - 1 Pe. 1.16 - Mar. 3.34-35 - Mat. 7.24,25 - 1 Jno. 2.17.


text:
I Am… Sasha Firce — третій студійний альбом співачки Бейонсе, випущений у 2008 році.

Список композицій

I Am… Sasha Fierce

I Am… Sasha Fierce: Deluxe Edition

I Am… Sasha Fierce: Platinum Edition

Примітки

Посилання
 Офіційний сайт Бейонсе

Альбоми Бейонсе
Англомовні музичні альбоми
Альбоми, спродюсовані Трікі Стюартом


text:
Q: Unexpected header information from fgets This is a really simple problem so I know I'm missing something obvious, but I can't seem to figure it out. I am simply trying to read text line by line using fgets, however I am getting additional information that I am assuming is associated with the file header.
Long story short, I made a new text file using nano that is simply one decimal digit per line, i.e.:
2
8
3
4
...

My code to read the file is:
char line[20];
FILE * fp;
fp = fopen(infile, "r");
if (fp == NULL)
    exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
while(fgets(line, sizeof(line), fp)) {
    ... do some stuff ...
}
fclose(fp);

However, the first line it returns is "\177ELF\002\001\001", and all subsequent lines until it terminates are empty "".
Any suggestions as to why I'm not reading what I expect? Did creating the file with nano introduce extra heading junk that I don't want? If so, how might I avoid this?

A: Wow I'm a dumbass... I was wondering what an ELF tag was doing on a txt file, but I was too careless to check the script that implemented the function itself with the filename. Switched naming conventions and forgot to update that file.

A: You're reading the wrong file here. Executables, also known as ELF files on many systems, start with "\177ELF\002\001\001". It's therefore safe to say that infile has an incorrect value.


What now? There is a ton of pressure put on engaged couples to have this huge, perfect, storybook wedding regardless of what you can afford, or would even really enjoy. Hell, I actually like planning parties and the over the top production that is the "Traditional American Wedding" is just about the opposite of what I would want for my own wedding. But then what do you want? If a country club wedding with 300 people doesn't fit your personality, what makes sense for you and your fiance? That is actually a big part of why I started Folie à Deux Events. Weddings are not one-size fits all or even one-size fits most, regardless of what the Wedding Industry and Pinterest will have you believe. My goal is to help couples figure out what their dream wedding actually looks like!
The best place to start is to think about events that you and your partner have enjoyed in the past. Nail down what makes you happy and comfortable and start there with your planning. If you are both introverts, a 200-person guest list and a larger-than-life banquet hall are probably not your thing. To make things harder, most couples are not going to be exactly alike in their preferences. It is going to be a balancing act between what you enjoy and makes you both comfortable.
I know some people say budget should be the first thing you decide when planning a wedding, but that is wrong. Figure out who you want to invite and the type of event you want to throw, then get down and dirty with the budget. You can honestly make any budget work for any number of people, so the people come first. Cutting a guest list just to fit a budget is the last thing you should be doing. That said, never feel obligated to invite someone to your wedding if you aren't feeling it. Obligation invites are the worst! Also consider cutting down on the plus-ones for single friends or family. If you are on a tight budget, cut out the folks you either don't know or only know tangentially, no one will be mad.
Fitting a budget to your guest list sometimes means getting creative with the type of event you throw. A few ways to keep the cost down if you want to invite a lot of people is to throw a weekday or daytime wedding, serve hors d'oeuvres and cocktails instead of a seated dinner, throw a pot-luck wedding, or use a non-traditional venue like a park or a community center (though be careful, this can get expensive if you don't do your research!). Another option is to have a cash bar, your guests are adults and will understand. Alcohol is pricey and will be one of the biggest expenses at your wedding after the venue, food, and photographer. If you want to have a champagne toast, you should probably shell out the cash for that, but beyond that, do not feel that like you have pay for everyone to get wasted.
Pro-Tip: When doing guest lists and budgets, use Google Docs! It will help you organize everything in one place and its shareable with your family and vendors!
Do you actually want to DIY?
When it comes to decorations and event design, if you are on a shoestring budget, simple is best. You may actually be better off finding a venue that is already decorated or naturally pretty. Everyone thinks that if you are on a budget that you can just DIY your decorations and save a ton of money, but DIY is not always cheaper. You will invest a ton of time, energy, and money into a project that may not turn out like you saw on Pinterest. If you love creating and crafting then go for it, take your time and try to do most of it well ahead of time. But if its not your thing, buy it on Etsy or commission a local maker (like me!) to do it for you! Be careful to not take on too many elements of your wedding as DIY projects, if you try to do it all yourself, you will likely be mega stressed out or possibly even run out of time! You do not want to be pulling all-nighters with your bridesmaids trying to finish hot-gluing the centerpieces together. DIY the things you are most passionate about and that you will enjoy working on, and hire someone else to do the things you don't care about as much.
You want your wedding to feel authentic and personal. This may mean stepping back from all the magazines, wedding blogs, and inspiration boards for a bit until you have worked out what you and your partners priorities are for this wedding. It also means not giving into the pressures put on you from family members. If your mom bullies you into spending a ton of money on a wedding that is more her dream than yours, you are not going to be happy. If your families are helping to pay for the wedding, you may have to make some compromises, but do not let them steamroll all your ideas, be gracious and find a middle ground that makes everyone happy. It is easy to fall into the cookie-cutter trap of the wedding industry and be tricked into thinking you MUST have a $600 Peony bouquet, or a 4-tier fondant covered cake, or monogrammed silk robes for your bridesmaids, or even bridesmaids at all! You have to remember that wedding magazines, Bridal Expos, wedding tv shows, and even some wedding blogs are in the business of selling you WEDDING THINGS. They are also the ones to blame for perpetuating the myth that everyone spends $27,000 on their wedding (hint: that's the average, not the median). If they convince you that "average"couples spend nearly $30k on a wedding, it becomes much easier to sell you on custom beer koozies emblazoned with a kitchy rhyme and your wedding date. Here is a secret, "average" people like you and me DO NOT spend $30k on their wedding, and no one needs a beer koozie with your wedding date on it. Another thing you probably don't need? Wedding programs! Your ceremony is likely only 15 minutes long and programs can add $100+ to your budget! Better things to spend that money might be a Day-of-Coordinator, more booze for your guests, or be a little selfish put it toward your honeymoon! In the end, its all about determining what things are a priority and what aren't.
Who you invite is more important than how much you spend.
Throw the party you want, not the party you feel like you are supposed to throw.
Don't waste precious time DIYing something you don't care about.
Get help where you need it.
Listen to input from your family/friends, but don't let anyone hijack your wedding.
You can throw a wedding on any budget, normal people do not spend $30k on a wedding.
Those are some of the basic things you need to keep in mind when beginning your wedding planning. It doesn't have to be this crazy stressful thing if you approach rationally and work together with your partner to figure out exactly what you want your wedding to be like. Get help. Don't try to do everything yourself. Whether you hire a pro or just get some friends to lend their talents, no one person has all the skills required to pull off a whole wedding (except maybe Martha Stewart), so save the stress and ask for help!
I plan to go into further detail about specific elements of wedding planning for future posts. If you have a specific question or topic you would like answers on, hit me up in the comments or send me an email at erica@folieadeuxevents.com.


Darjeeling: Director-general of police Surajit Kar Purkayastha said on Monday that he was happy that "everything is normal" in the hills.
The officer was in Darjeeling to take stock of the situation, three days after a gunfight between suspected supporters of Bimal Gurung and police killed a sub-inspector.
"I have come here to take stock of the situation. I am happy to find that everything is normal. People are out on the streets and going about their work," Kar Purkayastha said.
Amitabha Malik was killed when a police force raided a jungle camp allegedly housing the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president and his supporters on Friday. The gin battle occurred on the banks of the Little Rangeet, 20km from Darjeeling and 7km downhill from Barnesbeg tea garden near the Sikkim border.
The DGP did not take questions from the media but expressed hope that more tourists would visit the hills soon.
"Tourists are also here. Everything is normal, there is a good team of police officers who are doing a good job. We want everyone to cooperate with us. We want more tourists to come in the next few days and everything will be normal," said Kar Purkayastha.
The DGP, accompanied by senior state police officers, visited Motor Stand in Darjeeling, where an IED explosion had taken place during the recent agitation. He later visited Roy Villa, which was vandalised by miscreants last month.
It was in Roy Villa where Sister Nivedita died in 1911.
The police have filed an FIR against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung, Yuva Morcha chief Prakash Gurung, former GTA Sabha member Dipen Mallay and other leaders in connection with the death of sub-inspector Amitabha Malik in the gunfight on Friday.


Aeromotive Pro Stock 4-port regulators combine the finest CNC-machined titanium, stainless steel, and billet aluminum with a "state-of-the-art" regulating mechanism. These regulators can handle any fuel, while performing more quickly and efficiently than anything else on the market. Developed with and for Pro Stock racers in NHRA and IHRA competition, and these regulators are designed for use with Aeromotive A2000 fuel pumps.


text:
© 2019 by St Damian's R.C Science College
Welcome to St Damian's R.C Science College
A Message from the Headteacher, Mr Logue
As the Headteacher of St Damian's I warmly welcome you to the St Damian's website which I hope you will find very useful and full of important information. It is both an honour and a privilege to be the Headteacher of such a proud Catholic school. I am truly blessed to have an amazing staff who work tirelessly for your children so that they are given every opportunity to fulfil their true potential. This is at the heart of our Mission. Our staff are supported by very able governors, led by Mrs E Jones, who has a very long association with the school. The governors, like my great staff, work tirelessly behind the scenes to make St Damian's the special place that it is.
There is a simple reason why I call St Damian's 'special'. That is down to the seamless relationships between the pupils and the staff. We pride ourselves on excellent relationships, where we work together to form a loving and caring Community, based on clear boundaries, accepted values and high expectations. Our parents overwhelmingly support the school and indeed we are very heavily over-subscribed, reflecting the confidence of the parents and the wider community.
Last year was arguably the most successful year in our history. We had many 'firsts' and gathered a plethora of external accolades and recognition for what 'we are about' and what we do. In our Section 48 inspection, in 7 out of 7 categories, we achieved outstanding, officially making us an 'outstanding Catholic school'. This was a first and was just recognition for the exceptional pastoral care we provide through moral, spiritual and emotional development. The staff were overjoyed by this. This came a few weeks after we received a letter from the Minister of State for Education that stated we were one of the 'top 100 non-selective state funded schools in England'. This was great recognition of the GCSE outcomes where many records were broken. Pupil outcomes in 2016 showed sustained pupil outcomes. Our collective aim this year is to ensure that the current Year 11 achieve excellent GCSE results. Indicators in school show that this can be achieved.
I have no doubt that by continuing to work together we will achieve our vision, which is simple: to become an outstanding school in all we do. There is no limit to what we, as a community, can achieve. I promise you that I will work relentlessly with staff, governors and parents to ensure that your child gets a world-class education.
Exceptional School Business Leader
We are extremely proud and delighted to announce Angela Ogden has won School Business Leader of the Year at the inaugural National School Awards 2019 showcasing the exceptional contributions School Business Managers make in our schools.
The Spirit of Enterprise
Super excited and exceptionally proud that we are finalists in Educate Awards 'Spirit of Enterprise' category for developing entrepreneurship and enterprise across the curriculum and working closely with employers and businesses. Such a great honour.
Careers Excellence Award
Mr Logue and the St Damian's community were delighted & exceptionally proud to welcome Mrs Henshaw with the Careers Excellence Award for 'Most Progress from a School'
Subscribe to be the first to know...
admin@stdamians.co.uk


text:
package com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.api.friends;

import android.view.ViewGroup;

import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.TencentWeibo;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.api.ILoadListener;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.api.IResultListener;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.api.Result;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.api.TAsyncTask;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.entity.Entity;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.entity.TObject;
import com.limemobile.app.blog.weibo.tencent.entity.friends.Recent;
import com.loopj.android.http.JSONObjectProxy;
import com.tencent.weibo.api.FriendsAPI;

/**
 * 获取最近联系人列表
 *
 * @param reqnum Integer 请求个数(1-20)
 */
public class GetIntimateFriendsTask extends TAsyncTask<Recent> {

    public GetIntimateFriendsTask(ILoadListener loadListener, IResultListener successListener) {
        this(null, loadListener, successListener);
    }

    public GetIntimateFriendsTask(ViewGroup container, ILoadListener loadListener,
            IResultListener successListener) {
        super(container, loadListener, successListener);
    }

    @Override
    public String callAPI(Object... params) {
        assert (params.length == 1);
        String reqnum = Integer.toString((Integer) params[0]);
        FriendsAPI friendsAPI = new FriendsAPI(TencentWeibo.getInstance().getOauthVersion());
        String response = null;
        try {
            response = friendsAPI.get_intimate_friends(TencentWeibo.getInstance(), TencentWeibo.JSON,
                    reqnum);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } finally {
            friendsAPI.shutdownConnection();
        }
        return response;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean parse(Entity<TObject> data, JSONObjectProxy object) {
        JSONObjectProxy dataObject = object.getJSONObjectOrNull(Result.DATA_KEY);
        if (dataObject != null) {
            data.data = new Recent();
            data.data.parse(dataObject);

            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }

}


text:
Browse Audible
Why Audible?
Get a free audiobook
The Algorithmic Leader
How to Be Smart When Machines Are Smarter Than You
Written by: Mike Walsh
Narrated by: Mike Walsh
5 out of 5 stars 5.0 (1 rating)
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The greatest threat we face is not robots replacing us, but our reluctance to reinvent ourselves.
We live in an age of wonder: cars that drive themselves, devices that anticipate our needs, and robots capable of everything from advanced manufacturing to complex surgery. Automation, algorithms, and AI will transform every facet of daily life, but are we prepared for what that means for the future of work, leadership, and creativity? While many already fear that robots will take their jobs, rapid advancements in machine intelligence raise a far more important question: What is the true potential of human intelligence in the 21st century?
Futurist and global nomad Mike Walsh has synthesized years of research and interviews with some of the world's top business leaders, AI pioneers, and data scientists into a set of 10 principles about what it takes to succeed in the algorithmic age. Across disparate cultures, industries, and timescales, Walsh brings to life the history and future of ideas like probabilistic thinking, machine learning, digital ethics, disruptive innovation, and decentralized organizations as a foundation for a radically new approach to making decisions, solving problems, and leading people.
The Algorithmic Leader offers a hopeful and practical guide for leaders of all types, and organizations of all sizes, to survive and thrive in this era of unprecedented change. By applying Walsh's 10 core principles, listeners will be able to design their own journey of personal transformation, harness the power of algorithms, and chart a clear path ahead - for their company, their team, and themselves.
©2019 Mike Walsh (P)2019 Mike Walsh
Life's Alternatives
5 out of 5 stars 5.0 out of 5
Audible.ca reviews
The Big K
Eye Opening!!!
Extremely thought-provoking and fascinating read about what AI is bringing to business and what we can do to ensure we grow with it as leaders. Love Mike Walsh's very optimistic viewpoint on this.
Jason Colak
Great summary of the Between Worlds podcast
I thought that Mike did a great job tying together a number of disparate topics from the various podcast discussions in a cohesive whole. As a person who leads a data/technical team in a "business" division of the org, I am living the challenges involved in straddling the 2 worlds so I was able to relate to a lot of the topics in the books.
Unfortunately a bit too simple.
Big fan of his podcast, but found this to be a bit too simple if you already have an "algorithmic" mindset.
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Time for a Drink
Topics: free society, freedom, moral law, prohibition, regulation, religion
While eating in a restaurant in the Atlanta airport recently, I noticed that the restaurant's bar was closed and — to make it perfectly clear — all the chairs had been turned over and placed on the bar.
Now, although I don't frequent bars in airports or anywhere else, I was nevertheless intrigued. "The bar doesn't open until 12:30 on Sundays," said my waiter. But, as I found out later, it isn't just this particular airport bar that didn't open until Sunday afternoon. In Georgia, no alcohol may be served in restaurants or bars until after 12:30 on Sundays.
In fact, until just recently, alcohol sales in retail stores on Sundays were prohibited by the Georgia legislature. On April 28, 2011, Nathan Deal, Georgia's governor, signed legislation allowing local communities the option of voting on whether to continue the Sunday alcohol-sales ban in their cities and counties or to eliminate it. Georgia's previous governor, Sonny Perdue, had always pledged to veto any measure ending the ban on Sunday sales, but he left office on January 10, 2011, constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.
On November 8, 2011 (the first election date available under state law), about 120 of Georgia's almost 700 cities and counties held a referendum on the matter of Sunday alcohol sales. In more than 100 communities that voted, the Sunday restriction was lifted, in many cases by large margins. The effective date of the repeal varied from November to February. Sunday sales in Georgia's capital and largest city, Atlanta, began on January 1, 2012.
The cost of having a single-issue ballot kept many communities from having such a referendum. However, on March 6, voters in some Georgia communities had more than a Republican presidential nominee to vote on in the Super Tuesday elections. In 16 cities and counties, there also appeared on the ballot the Sunday alcohol-sales question. The measure passed everywhere it was voted on except in the city of Jeffersonville, where it failed by one vote.
But Georgia is not alone when it comes to states that restrict alcohol sales on Sundays. Unlike Nevada and Louisiana, where beer, wine, and liquor sales are legal 24 hours a day, seven days a week, most states (or cities and counties that have been given a local option) restrict alcohol sales in some way on Sundays. A distinction is usually made between alcohol consumed on-premises and alcohol purchased for consumption off-premises. In Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Connecticut, the sale of alcohol is prohibited for consumption off-premises on Sunday. Most counties in Arkansas and Mississippi are the same way. In Colorado, the Sunday sales restriction wasn't lifted until 2008. Hard liquor cannot be sold for off-premise consumption on Sunday in Texas, Utah, North Carolina, or South Carolina. In Nebraska, there can be no on- or off-premises sales of hard liquor before noon on Sundays. No alcoholic beverages of any kind can be sold on- or off-premises before 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in West Virginia. Other states (and cities or counties) with Sunday restrictions generally have a later time on Sunday morning for alcohol sales (on- or off-premises) than during the other days of the week.
It can't possibly be because the states, counties, and municipalities are exercising what is commonly referred to as their police powers to protect the public's health, safety, and morals.
If there is something dangerous about drinking alcohol on Sunday morning before noon, then it is equally dangerous to drink alcohol before noon on any other day of the week. Yet most states with Sunday alcohol-sales restrictions generally allow the on-premises sale of alcohol the rest of the week sometime between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. But what is so magical about 6:00 a.m.? Is there really any difference between letting someone be served a drink at 5:30 a.m. instead of 6:00 a.m.? Some states prohibit the sale of alcohol only between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Do they not care about the health, safety, and morals of their citizens the other 20 hours of the day?
States are doing a poor job if they are protecting their citizens from the dangers of alcohol only during certain hours and on certain days. Shouldn't all states at least follow the model of Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee? Those states are "dry" by default; individual counties must vote to become "wet." Thirty other states allow their counties to go dry only by public referendum, but at least they give their counties that option. Seventeen states preclude any of their counties from going dry.
Consistency was never the hallmark of government at any level. In Wisconsin, one can be served alcohol until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, but until 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, with no ending time at all on New Year's Day. That seems counterintuitive, since the government is extending alcohol sales during the times when people are more likely to abuse alcohol. And why is it that casinos all along the Mississippi River are permitted to be open 24/7 and give free alcohol to gambling patrons all hours of the day and night? Many convenience stores also sell pornography in addition to beer and wine. There are no time restrictions on the purchase of pornography. And there are no laws that forbid the purchase of pornography on Sundays.
There is really only one reason that state and local governments and voters in counties and cities support restricting alcohol sales on Sundays: they are puritanical busybodies clinging to Prohibition- or Colonial America-era blue laws.
It was generally religious preferences that led Georgians to vote against the November referendum on the matter of Sunday alcohol sales. In the city of Snellville, James Freedle voted against the referendum, saying, "I don't think it's appropriate to drink on Sunday." In the city of Forest Park, Mayor and Sunday School teacher Corine Deyton, who also said she voted no, commented, "If you can't do without alcohol one day a week, there's something bad wrong with you." In rural Elbert County, one of the few areas where the referendum failed to pass, church pianist Patsy Scarborough pointedly said, "This nation has a trend of turning away from good morals. Americans need to be in church on Sunday, not out buying alcohol." "Thanks for voting no to sell alcohol on Sunday," read a sign on an Elbert County local church after the referendum failed.
But it's not just alcohol sales on Sunday. In some states and counties it is still illegal on Sunday to hunt, hold horse races, sell cars, or open a store before noon.
Now, as a religious person myself who does attend church on Sunday and doesn't purchase alcohol on Sunday or any other day of the week, I am sympathetic to those Georgians' views of church attendance and alcohol. That does not mean, however, that I believe that people who, for whatever reason, don't attend church on Sunday should be punished by not allowing them to buy a six-pack of beer at 7-Eleven on Sunday morning before they go fishing.
Some religious people always focus on the negative. They don't drink, dance, smoke, chew, or go with girls who do — but then they want to spread the misery even if it means using the state to tell others how they should live. It reminds me of H.L. Mencken's famous definition of puritanism: "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."
The problem with alcohol prohibitionists — religious or otherwise — is that they, for whatever reason, have never accepted or been introduced to the philosophy of freedom. Restricting the sale of alcohol or any other product on Sunday is really a restriction on commerce, property, and freedom, things that Americans — religious or otherwise — say they hold dear.
In a free society, businesses make their own decisions as to the days and times when they will offer their products for sale, just as individual persons make their own decisions as to the day and time when, and place of business where, they will make purchases. In fact, a free society can't have it any other way.
No alcohol was consumed on Sunday during the writing of this article.
Originally published at The Future of Freedom Foundation on March 20, 2012.
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text:
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

Events

Works published

France
 Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas, Seconde Semaine ou Enfance du monde, unfinished.
 Pierre de Ronsard, the collective in-folio edition of his works
 Honoré d'Urfé, La Sireine

Great Britain
 Robert Greene, The Debate between Folly and Love, translated from the French of part of Louise Labbe's Débat de Folie et d'Amour, London: Ponsonby; many editions in the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries
King James VI, The Essayes of a Prentise, in the Divine Art of Poesie
 Anthony Munday, I Serve a Mistress
 Thomas Phaer, The Thirteen Books of Aeneidos, Boox 10–12 translated by Thomas Twyne; Book 13 by Maffeo Vegio (see also The Seven First Bookes 1558, The Nyne First Bookes 1562, The Whole Twelve Bookes 1573)
 Clement Robinson "and Divers Others", A Handful of Pleasant DelightsOther
 Jan Kochanowski, Frazski'' ("Trifles"), Poland

Births
 February 12 – Barlaeus, also known as Kaspar van Baerle (died 1648), Dutch
 September 15 – Georg Rudolf Weckherlin (died 1653), German
 Also:
 Francis Beaumont (died 1616), English playwright and poet
 Anna Ovena Hoyer born (died 1655), German
 Anna Visscher (died 1651), Dutch  artist, poet, and translator
 Georg Rodolf Weckherlin born (died 1653), German
 Diederich von dem Werder born (died 1657), German

Deaths
 March 10 – Thomas Norton (born 1532), politician and poet
 August 22 – Jan Kochanowski (born 1530), Pole who published poetry in Polish and Latin
 Also:
 Johann Beltz (born 1529), German
 Lucas de Heere (born 1534), Flemish portrait painter, poet and writer
 Guy Du Faur, Seigneur de Pibrac (born 1529), French jurist and poet
 Sur, died sometime from 1581 to this year (born 1478 or 1479), Indian, Hindi poet and saint who wrote in the Brij Bhasha dialect
 1584/1585/1586: Ulpian Fulwell (born 1545/1546), English Renaissance theatre playwright, satirist and poet

See also

 Poetry
 16th century in poetry
 16th century in literature
 Dutch Renaissance and Golden Age literature
 Elizabethan literature
 French Renaissance literature
 Renaissance literature
 Spanish Renaissance literature
 University Wits

Notes

16th-century poetry
Poetry


text:
Category Archives: Barclays Capital
Acquisitions, Barclays Capital, Business, GE Commercial Finance, Internet, Media, Money, Multimedia, Public Companies, RBS Greenwich Capital, Software, Technology, Venture Capital
Stock photography and video footage leader sold out for $2.4B
Getty Images Inc. the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content and other digital media announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by affiliates of the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC in a transaction valued at approximately $2.4 billion, including the assumption of existing debt.
Under the terms of the agreement, Getty Images stockholders will receive $34.00 in cash for each outstanding share of common stock they own. This price represents a premium of approximately 55 percent over the closing price on January 18, 2008, the last trading day before the Company announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives. Based on Getty's 61 million fully diluted shares, the cash offer is worth almost $2.1 billion. The buyer is also assuming about $300 million in debt, pushing the total value of the transaction to $2.4 billion. The company's shares have immediately jumped $7.22, or 29.5 percent, to $31.67 Monday. The company had more than $850M revenues for 2007.
Ten-year-old Getty, whose nearest competitor is privately held Corbis Corp., put itself up for sale in January after taking a beating on Wall Street for two years. After reaching a high above $94 per share in November 2005, Getty's shares tumbled 77 percent to $21.80 in Jan. 18 of this year, as higher costs ate away at profits. Four days later, the Seattle-based company said it would consider strategic alternatives to boost shareholder value.
The Board of Directors of Getty Images has approved the merger agreement and resolved to recommend that Getty Images' stockholders approve the transaction. Completion of the transaction is subject to shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008.
"Our Board of Directors has thoroughly evaluated strategic alternatives for Getty Images and has determined that this outcome is in the best interests of our stockholders as it provides them with superior and certain value. Furthermore, Hellman & Friedman brings specific industry expertise and support for the vision of the Company's management team that will benefit our employees, customers and partners," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and chief executive officer of Getty Images. "Just over a decade ago we started Getty Images with little more than a vision and have achieved industry leadership due to the extraordinary talent, effort and commitment of our employees and partners. We are enthusiastic about entering the next phase of Getty Images' evolution by partnering with Hellman & Friedman as we continue to provide innovative offerings to businesses and consumers in a very dynamic digital media environment."
Andy Ballard, managing director of Hellman & Friedman, said, "Getty Images is the leader and pioneer in the visual content and digital media business. We believe in the vision and execution capabilities of Jonathan Klein and his team, and share their commitment to the Company's stakeholders and customers. We look forward to working with all of Getty Images' employees to realize the full potential of its traditional businesses while furthering the evolution of Getty Images into a global digital media company."
Financing commitments have been provided by Barclays Capital, GE Commercial Finance and RBS Greenwich Capital. In addition, Getty Investments and certain related parties, including the co-founder and chairman, Mark Getty, who collectively hold approximately 15 percent of the Company's shares, have agreed to vote in favor of the transaction and rollover their shares into the acquiring entity.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. was the financial advisor to Getty Images. Barclays Capital and RBS Greenwich Capital are acting as financial advisors to Hellman & Friedman. Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP are serving as legal advisors to Getty Images and Hellman & Friedman, respectively.
Troy Mastin, an analyst at William Blair & Co., said Getty's core business of selling more-expensive photographs to newspapers and magazines had declined as those media struggled with the rise of Internet content. Sales to direct mail and brochure customers also cooled.
At the same time, though, Getty's newer businesses grew faster. The company bought iStockPhoto.com, which sold images for as little as $1 for unlimited use, in 2006. Mastin said customers who once bought the low end of Getty's core stock photos moved over to buy the even cheaper royalty-free photos.
The company has also bought Pump Audio last summer, and bought Scoopt about a year ago. They have strengthened their positions in both the music and citizen journalism business with both acquisitions, as well as being a solid friend to the independent and freelance journalist with their wire service.
While Getty didn't give a specific reason for its January decision to seek a buyer, Mastin said it was likely because Getty felt Wall Street was paying more attention to the stagnating core business than to its emerging segments.
It has probably also something to do with the rapidly emerging web 2.0 companies within the space.
More about Getty Images
Getty Images creates and distributes the world's best and broadest imagery collections, making them available in the most accessible and usable way — 24 hours a day, every day. From contemporary creative imagery to news, sports, entertainment and archival imagery, our products are found each day in the full range of traditional and digital media worldwide.
Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein founded Getty Images in 1995 with the goal of turning a disjointed and fragmented stock photography market into a thriving, modernized industry able to meet the changing needs of visual communicators. We were the first company to license imagery via the web, moving the entire industry online.
Today, gettyimages.com serves an average of 3.2 billion thumbnails, 7.3 million visits and 4 million unique users in addition to an average of 175 million page views each month. Nearly 100 percent of the company's visual content is delivered digitally.
The company frequently receives industry recognition for both its photography and its business accomplishments. In 2005, American Photo Magazine acknowledged the company's commitment to the photography industry, naming Getty Images' co-founders Jonathan Klein and Mark Getty as number one of "The 100 Most Important People in Photography."
We believe our success comes from our focus on the areas that matter most to our customers:
Simplicity. We built a one-of-a-kind platform to help customers find and manage the right images, and in a few short years it has become the industry standard. We provide the most accessible and reliable way to search, download, license and manage the broadest and deepest selection of relevant still images and film clips.
Expedience. To serve the demands of a fully digital publishing industry, we provide instantaneous feed of news, sport and entertainment images as well as painstaking archival research. We also offer a full-service photo assignment service that can be tailored to your exact photographic needs.
Relevance. We are the first imagery company to employ creative researchers to analyze demographics, sales data and behavioral trends to anticipate the visual content needs of the world's communicators.
Experience. Our photographers are subject-matter specialists with years of experience, not generalists — a distinction that helps ensure that our images capture defining moments and deep insights.
About Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman LLC is a leading private equity investment firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and London. The Firm focuses on investing in superior business franchises and serving as a value-added partner to management in select industries including media and marketing services, financial services, professional services, information services, healthcare and energy. Since its founding in 1984, Hellman & Friedman has raised and, through its affiliated funds, managed over $16 billion of committed capital and is currently investing its sixth partnership, Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners VI L.P., with over $8 billion of committed capital. Representative investments in media and marketing services include: DoubleClick Inc., Catalina Marketing Corporation, Young & Rubicam Inc., Digitas Inc., The Nielsen Company, and Axel Springer AG.
The private equity group has invested in other rapidly changing digital businesses, including online advertising company Digitas, acquired by Publicis Groupe, and DoubleClick, whose buyout by Google Inc. is pending regulatory approval in Europe.
Hellman & Friedman LLC has also some recent acquisitions of non-tech companies like Saipem SA, which is oil and gas related organization, and a number of smaller private equity firms.
http://www.gettyimages.com/
www.hf.com
http://corporate.gettyimages.com/source/about/
http://corporate.gettyimages.com/source/investors/index.aspx?pageID=financialReleases&shPage=releaseDetail.cfm&ReleaseID=295764
http://finance.google.com/finance?q=GYI+&hl=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Getty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Klein_%28Getty_Images%29
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/feb/25/mediabusiness.digitalmedia?gusrc=rss&feed=media
http://mashable.com/2008/02/27/getty-images-buyout/
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/02/26/getty_images_accepts_buyout/
http://www.macworld.com/article/132247/2008/02/getty.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/02/25/getty.images.ap/index.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004199788_apgettyimagessale25.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23333922/
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080225/getty_images_sale.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/352615_getty26.html
http://mashable.com/2007/03/12/scoopt-acquired-by-getty-images/
http://mashable.com/2007/06/20/getty-images-acquires-pump-audio/
http://www.newratings.com/en/main/company_headline.m?section=company&option=headline&id=1703741
AcquisitionsdealsGetty ImagesHellman & FriedmanMoneyprivate equity firmpublic companyStock photographyvideo footage


text:
Q: Issue with preventing multiple entries in to the table in stored procedure I am calling a stored procedure for inserting few details in to the database using a PHP page. It should enter the data only if there are no similar data entry in the table. I tried to test it by making 100 requests together (using a testing tool). But 4 times the same row is present after the execution.
Here is the stored procedure I am using:
DELIMITER $$

USE `mydb`$$

DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS `AddCreditCard`$$

CREATE DEFINER=`root`@`localhost` PROCEDURE `AddCreditCard`(IN scardname VARCHAR(200),scardnumber VARCHAR(200),scardedate VARCHAR(200),scardcvv VARCHAR(200),scountry VARCHAR(200),sdeviceid TEXT,scard_type VARCHAR(200),OUT rflag INT)
BEGIN
    DECLARE user_id INT DEFAULT -1;
    DECLARE card_count INT DEFAULT -1;
    START TRANSACTION;
    SET rflag=0;
    SELECT udd_user_id_fk INTO user_id FROM user_device_details WHERE udd_device_id=sdeviceid;
    IF user_id<>0 THEN
        SELECT COUNT(uccd_entry_id) INTO card_count FROM user_credit_card_details WHERE uccd_card_number=scardnumber AND uccd_user_id_fk=user_id;
        IF card_count=0 THEN

            INSERT INTO user_credit_card_details(uccd_user_id_fk,uccd_card_name,uccd_card_number,uccd_card_expiry_date,uccd_card_cvv,uccd_country,uccd_card_type)VALUES(user_id,scardname,scardnumber,scardedate,scardcvv,scountry,scard_type);
            SET rflag=1;
        ELSE
            SET rflag=414;
        END IF;
    ELSE
        SET rflag=0;
    END IF;
    COMMIT;
 END$$

DELIMITER ;

The result I am expecting is that, at first it should return '1' and for all the requests after that it should return '414'. Kindly suggest me a solution for this issue.

A: If you have multiple lines after IF and before THEN, you need to enclose them in a BEGIN...END block.


While Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery are widely recognized as the "founding fathers" of the Appalachain Trail, the women who contributed to the Trail project are mostly unknown – until now. Three women – Jean Stephenson, Ruth Blackburn and Margaret Drummond – will join the ranks of MacKaye and Avery as A.T. "giants" who carried their vision and work forward to preserve the trail we all know and love today. Presentation by Gwen Loose, Vice-President of the Appalachian Trail Museum.


As the season gets into full swing, we've spent some time checking out the many craft breweries throughout the United States. We wanted to bring forth some craft breweries that may not have as much notice as they should since we would love to help others see why they've become local favorites. With that in mind, we bring to you Long Trail Brewing in Vermont, because the craft beer journey truly is a Long Trail indeed.
Long Trail has some great craft beer!
The folks at Long Trail focus on the quality of their craft beer above all else, bringing out brews that really pop with flavor and aroma. Our visit to their brewery was quite interesting and we found the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly, which is always a plus! This drew us in further, pushing us to taste each of the delicious brews they offer (that they had available at the time) and we were further impressed by the great beer they are producing!
We've put together a list of our favorite Long Trail brews and we hope that you get a chance to head to Vermont and check out these great brewers. Not only will the countryside enchant you, the outstanding craft beer they are producing will make you want to go back again and again. There is truly something to be said for the level of dedication they show to their craft.
There are plenty of brews on Long Trails availability list for you to enjoy, which guarantees that you'll find at least one or two to add to your "must-have" list of craft brews. We found several that we really enjoyed during our visit and even our resident portaholic found one she loved (which says a lot). Below we have listed the brews that topped our list from this outstanding craft brewery and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Green Blaze IPA – At 6% ABV, this brew is pretty mild on the alcohol, which is in pretty good taste for a brew with 60 IBUs. We really enjoyed this brew, the newest addition to Long Trail's brewing list, and we plan to pick up a couple more four-packs the next time we visit the area!
Double Bag – We haven't come across many double altbiers before, so we absolutely had to try this one. At 7.2% ABV, it is certainly one that you will want to sip and enjoy, as the alcohol will sneak up on you quietly. Overall this brew was quite a delight and we brought some home with us as well!
Limbo IPA – This IPA is nothing short of perfection. We loved the artwork on the label and the brew itself was simply divine. At 80 IBUs you're going to love the finish if you are an IPA fan. We highly suggest grabbing a six-pack and enjoying it to it's fullest.
Tell us about the Long Trail brews you've tried!
Leave us a comment about the different brews you have tried from Long Trail Brewing. We would love to hear your story and it may even spark our next feature! In the meantime, from all of us at West Palm Beach Brewery and Wine Vault, happy tasting!


As the world changes around us daily – one truth remains – for a scene to grow and survive it needs a heart to keep it going. For 20 years now Uriah, Ken and the crew from Uprise have steadfastly given the skaters of Chicago a place that they can depend on, where all who walk through doors can feel at home. This is the story of how and why they keep it going.