National Lottery Awards 2018! Celebrating some truly extraordinary people. Volunteers, charities and projects that make a huge difference to lives right across the country, all with the help of national lottery funding. We have got a fantastic show for you this evening, including a brand-new Athlete of the Year Award, an incredibly well-deserved special achievement award and a lot of very familiar faces along the way. Now, each and every time you buy a national lottery ticket, a percentage of the money you spend goes towards good causes that have made a real impact on real people. Take it from a very gifted young man who's had his life shape forever by national lottery funding. All over the UK, we're gaining from it. £30 million a week, the lottery, on average, gives to left-changing projects. The logo was a helping hand, steering me from a place that sells them grams. Now I use my gifts the way others sell them can. Elders suffer a broken heart when families grow apart. We fund the noble start to local solutions for social inclusion. The younger opportunities to sustain and sharpen skills opting out of options to sharpen the stainless steel. £7.9 billion revitalised sites, previously lost or hidden, ensuring history can teach in tip-top condition. Imagine dreaming of winning medals in sports then seeing dreams come true when sporting medals. All over the UK, we're gaining from it. Breaking cycles, breaking boundaries. We've put £38 billion into changing lives. Countless futures reshaping from it. Broken-world power who credits local projects supported by national lottery money were setting him on the right path. And that's why we're here tonight, recognising the hard work and dedication of wonderful people who make those projects possible. So, let's kick things off with the first category of the night. It's the Education Award. And to present it, we have one of Britain's finest actors. He is the star of Frost Nixon and the Queen. Please, everybody, welcome Michael Sheen. This year, we'll see a truly extraordinary anniversary. November 11th marks the centenary of the Armistice Agreement that ended the First World War. Back in 2017, 21 children from Thornhill Primary School in Cardiff wrote The Armistice Cantata, a remarkable musical production inspired by songs from the Great War. So, who better to tell them that they'd won this year's Education Award than someone who knows a thing or two about music and Cardiff? Catherine Jenkins set off to break the good news. I love a surprise. Inside, the children are already performing the Armistice Cantata, and I can't wait to go and deliver the wonderful news. Armistice Cantata was a unique project that the children were involved in, writing lyrics to exist in tracks that were popular during the time of the First World War. I wrote the song called Heroes. Saying thank you to all the people who worked hard in the war. I was involved writing the song called Son of Mine, which was about a mother writing to their son during the war. The children took it in both hands and just ran with it and have been so enthusiastic. It's been an amazing opportunity for them to sort of connect with their ancestors as well. We all just worked really hard to make sure that what we wrote really meant something to people. Congratulations, Armistice Cantata. You have won the National Lottery Education Award. When did you first hear Armistice Cantata? I first heard it when they sang a couple of the songs to our group. Very impressive, but when they put it together as a full show, it was just amazing. Are you pleased with what the children have achieved? I'm absolutely ecstatic. I'm so proud. I thought the children were absolutely fantastic and having written the lyrics, I could see you were singing it from the bottom of your heart. You knew it so well and the voices were so lovely and strong, and I loved it. Thank you so much. What a treat for me to get to hear you sing. Thank you. Armistice Cantata. Please welcome Grenville Jones and Claire Holcomb. I have to thank everyone who took the time to vote for our project, Armistice Cantata, from our Golden Oldies charity. It is vitally important that young children today understand the significance of the First World War, and that would not be made possible without the wonderful support of the National Lottery. So thank you again for the brilliant children at Thornhill School and their fantastic music teacher. Ladies and gentlemen, we will remember them. Next tonight, we have the health category. And to present this award, we have an actress best known for her role as consultant, Connie Beecham in Hobby City and Casualty. It is the brilliant Amanda Mealing. Thank you. It's encouraging news that more and more people are surviving a breast cancer diagnosis in 2018. Many assume that once the medical treatment has finished, you're fine. But I can tell you firsthand that this is often when the emotional and psychological battle begins. That is why the Becker app from Breast Cancer Care is tonight's National Lottery health winner. Shirley Ballas went up to Glasgow to meet some of the app users. Let's have a look. I'm really looking forward to delivering this news. I recently found out that I have cancer in my family. And this app is an amazing place to go, to share for hope. And I'm very, very excited about delivering this ball to all the ladies today. It's going to be a huge surprise. I was diagnosed on January the 21st, 2015. At first, I didn't believe it. I didn't think I had cancer. I thought they made a mistake. Breast cancer treatment for me was like surviving a war. The treatment's mentally and physically exhausting. I didn't actually think I would get through to the end. I had the chemo, I lost my hair, and that was the biggest thing. Long shoulder length, blonde hair that I loved, and I lost it. When you go through treatment, you have the continuous appointments. You're seeing a consultant, your GP, a nurse. And I think I felt when treatment stopped, that we security blanket was pulled from me. That's when the Beka app became part of my life because a lot of my questions and queries actually could be answered from people posting things. The Beka app is like my magazine first thing in the morning. There's always five different articles that you can go into, some on beauty, relationships, as well as the recipes. I like reading the blogs that people put on. It makes me feel there are somebody else out there that's feeling the same way that I am. I've just arrived. All the ladies are through there, and I have a huge entrance planned for them. I won the National Lottery Health Award. Your big ball. He thought you were just having a coffee morning. So I saw on the app that there was actual ballroom dancing that's healthy for everybody to do, to keep moving, so I wondered whether you all wanted to try a step or two. And come with me and try just a little flatter. OK? Right, left, close. And in. Take it and go. The Beka app helps me. It's just like a friend. It's my friend. And it's there 24-7, any time at all. I just find it very useful in helping me manage my fears, worries. I know I'm not alone. Please welcome Betty Hart and Samir Akkadie. I just wanted to say thank you so very much. Everyone at Best Cascade are really thrilled and proud. And thank you so much to the Big Lottery Fund. There's some particular people I need to thank who helped us to develop this app with an enormous amount of energy and passion. And they were people from Cast, Skimmit, Christina Barrick, and, of course, Betty and the other volunteers who helped test the app for us to make sure it worked well for people with breast cancer. So thank you very much from everyone at Breast Cancer Care. Next tonight we have the Voluntary Charity Award. The question is, who's won it? Well, here to tell us is a man who's never short of his own hard-hitting questions. It is the brilliant Louis Theroux. Having fled persecution in their own country, many refugees and asylum seekers arrive in the UK with absolutely nothing. As a result, paying for something as simple as a bus fare can mean having little money for food. The bike project aims to take that stark decision away. With their army of volunteers, they fix up secondhand and abandoned bikes. They then donate them in areas around the country, instantly giving people back their independence. They even offer a bike buddies scheme, pairing them with volunteers who help them build a life in their new communities. DJ and presenter Roman Kemp delivered the good news in the best way he knows how. Capital breakfast with Roman Kemp. OK, so I've just come off air. I'm about to record a very special message for the guys at the bike project and their bike beneficiaries. They are all currently gathered at their new workshop in Deppford to record some social media filming. They think they're just listening to the radio. However, we're going to play in our specially-recorded message with some very good news. Capital breakfast with Roman Kemp. I am off to meet an amazing charity called the Bike Project. Good morning. You have actually won the National Lottery Voluntary Charity Award 2018. Let's hear it for them. It's really great to have this kind of recognition. It's a really big boost. Just makes it all feel really worthwhile. You've done it. Hello. Congratulations. Thanks so much. Thanks for coming out. Now talk to me. What's been the reason behind this for you? When I was at university, I mentored a sign-in seeker called Adam. When I met him, he was given just £36 a week to live off and not allowed to work. He couldn't really afford to get anywhere, so I ended up getting my bike, and that was really the first step into normal living for him, because all of a sudden he could access education, health care. We'd now collect bikes, do them up, and donate it to refugees and asylum seekers. When you see people who are not integrated at all, not speaking a bit English, come to us, got a bike, help them into work, and see their confidence grow, that's been really rewarding. Dem, how has the National Lottery helped? They've kind of given us money at really crucial junctures. Lottery paid for work stands, tools, equipment. Tell me about the bike buddy scheme. We match volunteers who prefer refugees and go for rides with them, get to know each other, get to the local area, and that kind of thing. Where do I sign up? Ali, you're interested in being a bike buddy? Yes. Ali, hello, sir. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Right, OK, so, you've got Ali, I just think we need a bike. So, Ali, how did you get involved in the bike project? I came from Iraq. My life was not safe operating, so when I moved to London and I saw Alem Zikr, I have not too much money. I need a bike. I found the bike project, they said to me, you'll have a bike ready. Amazing. It is amazing. It helped me to go appointment with a doctor, or you need to go to school. I don't need someone to support me. It's like having a freedom. Welcome, Gemstein and patron David Morrisey. Six years ago, the bike project was simply a figment of my imagination. I'd just given away a single bike to a refugee, seeing the benefit that I had. And so, six years later, to be standing here, holding one of these, having given out almost 3,700 bikes, it's a huge privilege. We work with a really vulnerable, really marginalised group, and hopefully winning this award will do something towards not only recognising their plight, but amplifying their voice. Thank you. I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of the bike project, but all the charities in the voluntary charity section do amazing work, sometimes in very challenging circumstances. And it's testament to people in this country who have the innate desire to reach out and help people who are less fortunate than themselves. That's what we do best. Thank you very much. Next tonight, we have something very exciting and completely new. Here to present the first ever national lottery athlete of the year award is a remarkable sportswoman who's no stranger to awards herself, including Olympic Gold and an OBE. It's the phenomenal Rebecca Adlington. CHEERING Since national lottery funding for the Olympics and Paralympics sport started in 1997, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have gone on to win an incredible 860 medals. CHEERING This award is being introduced for the very first time in 2018 to celebrate the achievements of over 4,800 world-class national lottery-funded athletes, myself included. Each and every one of our finalists have been hugely successful and inspirational, but there can only be one winner. So, who's it going to be? So, the winner of the national lottery athlete of the year is... Duncan Scott. CHEERING He laid this one on me. LAUGHTER Cheers.  I couldn't be standing where I am today without the support that I've had from them over the last couple of years. But, you know, I'm the brand ambassador for the Learn to Swim programme in Scotland, so hopefully winning this award will inspire some kids in the future to learn how to swim as it's a life skill. But other than that, thanks very much. And... Yes. Next up, we have the heritage category. To tell us who's won it is an actor who's often seen providing the answers. From silent witness, please welcome the magnificent Liz Carr. I do love a podium. Accessible. The UK has a wealth, as we know, of stunning heritage sites. But for many disabled people, they can be difficult to reach and fully enjoy. Oh, yes, I can tell you from personal experience. So, thankfully, we have the Heritage Ability Project by Living Options Devon, and they've worked tirelessly to help change that. Their aim is to make these wonderful places more accessible for all kinds of disabled people. So, actor and comedian Sally Phillips made her way to Torquay to meet the team and to deliver a sky-high surprise. So, apparently...  Actually, that's such a lie. Love to be competitive. I really want my surprise to be the best, so guess what? I have a plane! FOX AWAY! The project began several years ago. It was found that a lot of the heritage in the south-west was not accessible. I registered severely site-impaired. When I visit a site like this, the information that they issue to people so that you can take it around the site with you has always been too small. Come into places like this in the past, lots of bumps, lots of steps. So, certain parts aren't accessible. I feel really left out when all the hearing people can get what's going on. It just doesn't feel right. They've all enjoyed their day, but I want the same access. The Heritage Ability Project makes sites more accessible. So, we do this with our visual stories. Someone with disabilities can plan ahead, and then when they get here, they can use the tramper, they can maybe use the large print and the self-guided map, or the BSL tour to improve their visit. We're a three-year project, and we're halfway through, and already the feedback we've received has been remarkable. The difference with having accessible information available to me is that instead of having to ask who I'm with constantly, what's this, what's that, I can look for myself. With a tablet, I can use a recorded BSL guide. So, I don't have to worry about relying on an interpreter or family and friends who are hearing to know what's going on. I can be independent. Having the tramper means I can just sit and enjoy the scenery and get where I want to go. We have an ETO of T-minus five minutes. Hi, Maria. Hi, I'm Sally. How are you? Great to meet you. What part has the National Lottery played in making this possible? Without this money, we just couldn't have done this project. We could design it, but we wouldn't have been able to deliver it. Is there an aerodrome movie? Oh, it's wonderful. Oh, yes. No. We've won! This is incredible. Now we can really go for it. Yeah, it's great to let people know that they can get in now, places that they were excluded from. It is. Yeah, it's about time and it's happening. Well done, you. Mary Ann Soper. Thank you. I am delighted to be able to receive this award on behalf of disabled people and deaf British sign language users across the UK who have found difficulty accessing heritage sites. We'd like to thank National Lottery Players, Heritage Lottery Fund, all our supporters, sponsors, of course, our staff volunteers, and I must say a personal thank you to Mary Ann Soper for her inspirational leadership. Thank you, everybody. Our next award is in the Arts category, and to present it is the incredibly talented star of episodes and the split, the brilliant Stephen Mangan. APPLAUSE In 2017, Hull became the UK's city of culture, and it more than lived up to the title. 5.3 million people flocked to the city's world-class cultural programme, which included nearly 3,000 events and over 400 new commissions, installations and exhibitions. And it was made possible in no small part by National Lottery Funding. An army of hard-working volunteers contributed to what was an astonishing success. Christopher Eccleston set off for Hull to surprise the amazing people behind it all. Former resident poet Philip Larkin once said, Hull is a city that is in the world, yet sufficiently on the edge of it, to have a different resonance. Now, if you speak to the people of Hull, they'll tell you exactly what that means. It's an individual place with a strong sense of community as well.  It's more than a city, it's probably a family. The Hull City of Culture 2017 was something like 2,500 different events. We had 50 years since decriminalisation of homosexuality, which ended up in a huge dance in the city centre. We had the amazing place I wish to communicate with you, where the residents made that whole block into an art installation, and nobody's lost that sense that art can transform a place and change people's lives. We gave people a platform to go express themselves, to sing about their city, to celebrate what the city was capable of doing, and with that, confidence has just flourished. What I loved most was the change in the feeling of Hull, people about themselves. Suddenly, people started to walk taller and became proud, and it was OK to be positive, and it was OK to shout out that Hull's actually a good place to live. I think people are now talking about us, and people are visiting us. I'm so proud. We've organised a gathering with some of the team and volunteers, but what they don't know is they've actually won the National Lottery Arts Award 2018. Let's go and give them the good news. As you know, you've been gathered here today because you've been nominated for a National Lottery Arts Award, which is an amazing achievement in itself. So, to celebrate that, I've commissioned a new piece of art. I'm really thrilled to win this National Lottery Award. It's great to be recognised nationally, to celebrate our success is absolutely phenomenal. A huge amount of funding came through the National Lottery, and it's great that people can see that connection. The city deserves it. Filled my heart with real pride and joy. That award today is just the clarification that, yeah, we did do it, and we knew we'd done it, but we're now telling the rest of the country and the rest of the world we just nailed it. Thank you. We are so thrilled to accept this on behalf of the whole city of Hull, a huge amount of people to thank us part of it, the National Lottery, those volunteers. You've never met anything like them. The audiences, our partners, our sponsors. City of Culture just was a massive collaborative effort and really showed what change can happen when a whole city comes together. Art can transform places and can change people's lives. Thank you. Next, we have the Environment Award. And to present it, we have a great partnership with really great hair. We've already seen a strictly judged tonight, so how about one of its couples? Please welcome Vick Hope and Graziano de Prima! CHEERING This year's Environment Award goes out to a fantastic scheme called Pollination. The project has encouraged schools throughout the UK to improve their environments and encourage the population of flower pollinators. 260 schools have already embraced the challenge from debating pesticide use to installing bee hives on school grounds. They've literally created a buzz. East Ender star, Nitin Ganatra, travelled to Northern Ireland to deliver the good news. Butterflies. The prettiest of the pollinators. Now, over there is Carly Sefin, one of the architects of the Pollination project, and I am really looking forward to giving her this news. Pollination is a lottery-funded project that encourages young people to learn about the importance of pollinators and then use that learning and practical skills to improve their school grounds, doing... Hello! Hello, I'm Nitin. I've come all the way from Albert Square. I've got a little surprise for you. Pollination, you have won the Environmental National Lottery Award in 2018. Oh, God, I feel quite emotional. That is just the most fantastic news. Thank you so much. How does that feel? Just unbelievable. All the staff, all the children will just be delighted that not only are they doing something to help pollinators, but it's being recognised, and that's wonderful. Tell us a little bit about what you're doing. So, we've had 260 schools across the UK take part in pollination. They've planted towers of tyres with pollinator-friendly plants. We've seen children going outside more using local meadow space, and we've also seen children even put beehives in their schools, which has just been amazing. So, Carly, I want to surprise some of the kids who are involved with this project, and I think I've got a really good idea to surprise them with. Sounds really intriguing. So, have a little look around. Can you see any pollinators using the garden today? I came here to say congratulations. Pollination has won the Environmental... Hello there. Oh, what have you got? Tortoise shell. That's a tortoise shell. Butterfly. Since you've been doing all of this, have you seen an increase in insects? Yeah. In the morning, you can see all the plants, and there's lots of pictures, and there's no rhyme. What is this bee doing? It's sucking all the nectar. Right, we need to follow this bee to find out where the hive is, so we're going to have some fresh honey, right? It's so exciting. It's been such a great project to work on. We've created gardens all over the UK, and I'm absolutely delighted. Here to the National Lottery for Believing in this project, and to the amazing team at LTL, and our wonderful partners, that has just made it such fun to work on. But most of all, this has to go to 35,000 children, their teachers, and the young people who have been involved in this project, who have surveyed, who have sown, who have campaigned and created the best pollinator habitats you can imagine. Bee and pollinator decline is one of the greatest threats to the world's ecosystem, and I'm just so delighted our future seems in such safe hands. So, thank you, guys. This has been for you. Next slide, we have the Sports Award. It is a heavyweight prize, so we need a heavyweight to present it. Please welcome The Mighty. David, hey! The Sheffield Steel Kings, a brilliant para-ice hockey club who used sport to get people back into physical activity and improve their mental health in a big way. Players get to enjoy fast-paced sports. So, to tell the Kings they'd taken their throne, we sent para-gold medalist Johnny Peacock. It's fast. Furious. And for some, it can be completely life-changing. I worked for a prestige car company for 11 years, and then it had me accident, and, yeah, that was it. It was a motorbike accident. I was on my way home from work, and the car pulled lights on me, and that's the last thing I remember. Anything below the chest is now... ...paralysed. I had shattered my spine. It just hits you. You're actually physically disabled. When I left hospital, I went back to work, and it kept me going. I got made redundant, and I sat in the house for a year and a half, and salt. I basically give up. I needed something to look forward to, and I was just looking at a magazine and saw these guys.  I can do that. Since I started playing for Steel Kings, I've been part of a team again. I feel like I'm somebody. So the teams still have no idea that they've won. Got a little surprise for them. Q Klaxon. You are the winners for the Sport National Lottery Awards 2018. It's fantastic. Absolutely fantastic news. It's just one big family.  This team's been brilliant. I've just lost my wife. I don't think I've got to do it without that. So what we're trying to do is get people enjoying life again. We've interrupted your training, but I hope it's worth it. It's definitely worth it. Well, mate, massive congratulations again. Thanks for the courage, buddy. Well deserved. You have to get you in a slight suit. You just want to take me out. That's it. Two points! And Jake Oakley. Truly an honour to be up here. To receive this award on behalf of the Sheffield Steel Kings. The award is huge, not just for us as a club, but for the sport. Our whole mission, the Steel Kings, is to get more people into sport and finding a new lease on life. Yeah, from the bottom of our hearts, just... Thank you very much. Thank you. It's time for the final honour of the night. And this is a big one. It's the award for special achievement. And I can tell you, this year's winner is someone truly inspirational. To tell us more, we have somebody who knows firsthand just how special she is. Please welcome her daughter Francesca. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm here tonight thanks to my mum. Hi, mum. LAUGHTER Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is strong, independent and beautiful, with the fiercest sense of social justice. She's passionate, loving and caring. Oh, and she also has incurable cancer, but that certainly doesn't define her. Cancer doesn't stop my mum. Despite receiving chemotherapy every week, she works tirelessly to improve the lives of thousands of other people affected by cancer and cancer poverty across the UK. She gives them something to look forward to. Cancer has devastated our family in so many ways, but it has taught us the importance of making memories, which is what Fiona now gives to other families like ours. And tonight is one of those nights, mum, a night where we make memories together as a family, memories that we will never forget. Thank you so much, Francesca. We can all see just how big a moment this is for your whole family. But here's the thing. Fiona was nominated for this year's Voluntary Charity Award, but had no idea. We had something much bigger planned for her. Here's what happened when presenter Lisa Faulkner went to meet her and find out more about her incredible work. It's impossible to know how you'd react when you're diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, but Fiona Cauldron, well, she did something remarkable. Tell me about something to look forward to. Something to look forward to passes on gifts and experiences to people affected by cancer. How did you come up with the idea? When I got breast cancer in 2007, we found putting little treats in the diary, gave us something nice to think about. What is your cancer diagnosis now? In 2013, it sprints up my lungs, so at that point, it becomes incurable. What sort of gifts do you give? We try and focus the gifts around things that give people rest, recuperation, and a chance to build positive family memories together. I'm on my own with two boys, and I wanted something that we could share together, so Fiona gifted me a flight with a pilot for my children, so I just wanted them to be excited about something and just take some nice photographs and just enjoy a day out together.  All these brilliant things that you do for other people. I'd like to give you a little treat from me afternoon tea. Oh, that's lovely. Oh, thank you so much. My mum died when I was young of cancer, and I just think what you're doing is incredible. The only people that understand fully what we do is people that are either going through it or have been through it, and they get why things like that are so super important. Unless you've been diagnosed with cancer, you have no idea how it turns your entire world upside down. Everything changes. Most of your time is spent at the hospital, so it's really nice to go and do something for yourself and something that's a bit of a luxury. When you're on well with cancer, you realise that life can be short and it's all about enjoying the moment and having special ties with people that you love. A little treat, a weekend away, make all the difference. Particularly as you go along the journey and can no longer work, so money becomes tight, and the whole point of being alive is to make a few more memories along the way. That's how I'm looking at my terminal diagnosis anyway. What has the charity done for you? It gives me something positive to focus on. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning. People are relying on me, and it's given our family something positive to come out of, not really a great experience. You care to do the honours. Fiona, congratulations. I'm so honoured to give you this, and I was so blown away by you and your charity. I had such an amazing day, and if you'll have me, then I would be honoured to be your ambassador. Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you. Thank you for your absolutely overcomer. No idea at all that this was going to happen this evening, and I'm so blown away by it and to say the obvious thank yous to the Lottery and to my wonderful, wonderful family, because there's no way on this earth I could have done this without them. My husband who sat there, my son, my step-daughters, and my wonderful daughter who works with me. I guess I think one of the main things I would like to say is that cancer poverty is a really, really under-recognised and under-supported area.  The things that go first are the things that you need most, the little nice things in life, even if it's only going out for a meal in an evening. It's really, really important to create positive memories with the ones you love. Thank you very much for this. Congratulations again to Fiona. Thank you so much to Francesca, and of course to Lisa Portman as well. Well, that is it for the National Lottery Awards 2018. Thank you to our wonderful celebrity guests, to all of our incredible winners, and of course to every single one of you at home watching. Until next time, good night.


Good day fellow investors. Now at Singapore Airport I just arrived from the Nishmasters Funds Conference in Penang and I'm very very excited for the upcoming days because I have about five interviews and as I told you when I made the interview with Dr. Perry Enster now I met the asset manager of the fund so they have a fund they call for friends, fools and family so it's very nice that they with their business experience of 30 years are willing to share their knowledge so this week will be about how to find great businesses because that is what businessmen do and I really want to make this a pillar of this channel to find great businesses to invest in great businesses and then to do that also at a great great price of course the better the price the better the returns and the lower the risk so I think this will be really a very very interesting addition to this channel because whatever happens up and down bad market good market if you have great businesses then you'll do well because the risk of permanent capital loss is very minimal so stay tuned for the upcoming days as I'll be discussing more about Asia I've been here a few days really looked around really felt what Asia is and I'm even more positive than I used to be about Asia so that was an amazing experience really seeing Asia getting to know Asia getting to know Asia that from people that have built thousands of apartments in Chengdu or set up schools here in China all over the place that have consulted businesses so I'm really really excited for what is about to come and for adding more value to this channel and of course with the goal of improving our financial lives thank you for watching this intro I'm not in my suit I'm getting ready for a 14-hour flight so I apologize for that and I'll see you soon in the next video


Hey everybody, it's Brian. Welcome to the 14th yeet tutorial. Alright, today we're going to be talking about the difference between find, find all, and see active data provider. This is kind of a little bit leaning into more of an advanced topic, but I think we're there. So if you've been following along, we are just simply displaying a model. Let's go ahead and jump into the code here. And we're just using the find, meaning we're finding a single record. Find all is actually extremely easy to understand. Find all, well, finds all the records that meet whatever criteria you plug into it. And if you give it no criteria, it'll just find all the records. So we're gonna say find all, instead of John, we're gonna change it to Slardy. Because, well, we've got multiple records in here that have Slardy as a first name. Hitchhiker guide to the galaxy reference. And let's actually just jump back out to here. And if you hit enter, you notice how first it starts off with an array. So that's a light bulb moment. You're like, Aha, it's just an array of items. Well, you're right. That's all it is. So you can actually go into the view. Let's comment that out for each model's item. I just echo out the primary key here. Let's jump back to our page. And sure enough, 10 and 11. Those are the primary keys of Slardy. 10 and 11. So that's find all. Now you may be jumping ahead a little bit here. And this is why I want to do a tutorial. And if you're looking at, like, index or manage, you're sitting here going, Oh, I see how that works. It's just an array. So you're inclined to go out to let's just open up index here and take this little guy. And let's delete this. And oh, yeah, spotted a problem. So we're going to change this to model. And let's go back out to our page and it will go to test. It does not work. This is a typical ye problem. Or I should say a PHP problem where if you don't have PHP configured, it won't show you the error message. So what's going on here? Why isn't this working? I mean, you think in theory that would work. Notice how it's data provider. And what that is is it takes a different class, a C active data provider. And this can be a little bit frustrating sometimes. But basically what C active data provider is is a class that encapsulates the find all method. You can see C active data provider provides data in terms of active record objects, which are class model class. It uses the AR C active, you know, the find all method basically to retrieve from the database. The criteria can be used to specify the query options. It's got a nice little example here. So you can say C active data provider. And then you're going to give it different conditions here. And you can set the order and you can page eight and do all these other things. So this really gets into more of an advanced topic. But I wanted to bring it to your attention before you start diving too much in. And I'm going to devote an entire tutorial to the C active data provider because it does get a little bit complex here. But you can see how you can set a condition like status equal one, order. You can set the order of different items. And you can, you know, with means you can actually join tables. Yeah, it's pretty slick. That's why it's an entirely separate class. So rather than trying to glue together all the SQL statements, it actually encapsulate into a nice object oriented method. Now, just to get this example working for this tutorial, let's actually jump in here and go to the index. And you see how we're just doing data provider teachers. And let's go back up here. Let's kind of comment that out. And let's rename it here model. Normally you'd leave it as data providers, but we're going to leave it as model. And go here. And voila, it's only works because we're passing the correct type. Instead of array, it's hard typed as C active data provider. So that and a nutshell is how that works. We're going to be covering C active data provider in future tutorials. I just really wanted to give you a quick overview of the differences between the three.


There are over 85 Nutropics on the market and some of them are completely under-researched. Which are those and do they pose any risk to you? Hey friends, welcome back to my channel. My name is Greg and I'm a brain hacker creating content that will help you upgrade your brain performance. If you're interested then subscribe below and join our amazing community. Today we're going to be talking about some of the most popular and often used Nutropics that are sadly under-researched. I'll talk about the benefits, the potential side effects and I'll tell you which of those Nutropics you can still continue supplementing and which of them you should probably avoid. So if you're ready, let's just begin. The first Nutropic I want to talk about is Nupept. Now Nupept is a synthetic molecule and compound similar to Pyracetam, the first Nutropic ever developed. Now based on the limited evidence, Nupept may alleviate cognitive decline and offer narrow protection. However, there are three big problems with Nupept. First of all is that there's only one clinical study done in people and even in this case these were not health individuals but people who suffered from mild cognitive decline. The second problem is that in this one study that was done, the effects of Nupept were quite weak and the third problem is that researchers do not yet understand the mechanisms of Nupept. How does it work? If it's really effective, if it's safe, what's the optimal dosage, etc. Hence, until we know more about Nupept, I definitely recommend avoiding it. The next compound I want to talk about is Adrafenyl. Now Adrafenyl is another under-researched Nutropic. It is a prodrug to Modafenyl, a very potent smart drug and according to studies when you supplement it, it actually increases the levels of Modafenyl in the body. So it works as a stimulant, it can increase your energy levels, wakefulness and even promote cognition. Actually, when I try it out, I got those benefits and you can watch my full experience with this compound up here. In addition to that, there are a few studies showing that supplementing Adrafenyl can help people who suffer from depression and can boost attention. But again, studies were done on people who suffer from mild depression and cognitive issues. So what does this mean to us? Well first of all is that we lack safety information on Adrafenyl, mainly because most studies were done on Modafenyl, not Adrafenyl. Secondly, as far as we know, long-term supplementation is not recommended because of the effect of Adrafenyl on liver. And thirdly, Adrafenyl is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. So because of its illegal status and lack of scientific data on safety and potency, I recommend avoiding Adrafenyl. The next compound is PQQ. Now PQQ is a vitamin-like compound that can support mitochondrial function and work as an antioxidant. Now limited human evidence shows that PQQ may have a neuroprotective role in the elderly. But we lack more studies to confirm this effect, and secondly, we lack studies on healthy and younger individuals. We also don't know the optimal daily dose, so it's kind of hard to recommend PQQ to people. But unlike other two compounds, PQQ is a natural compound that is found in different foods like kiwi, like soy, like parsley, and even spinach. And all those foods are pretty much very healthy. So because of that, I personally don't see a big issue of supplementing PQQ. Yes, you need to take a low enough dosage, not too high, and maybe you need to cycle just to stand the safe side. But until we know more about it, personally, yeah, I don't see any big problems of supplementing PQQ. By the way guys, do you want to know how well does your brain perform?  The next compound is Celestrus Panicolatus. Now this is a plant native to India used by local Indian healers to promote brain health and brain performance. Actually I personally know Indians, Indian healers, who are using this plant in the form of seeds and oil to boost other brain performance, and also they recommend to other people. Now according to preliminary evidence, yes, supplementing Celestrus Panicolatus can help with cognition, can alleviate cognitive issues, and even help with intestinal health. Mostly most of the studies so far were done on animals, so we lack high quality clinical trials in individuals, in healthy young individuals. And because of that, there is no doubt this isn't under research and tropic. But since most studies so far show positive effects, since it's a natural compound used for centuries by healers, and because I've been trying it for a very long time and I didn't have any issues with it, personally, again, I don't see any big problems with supplementing it, again, if you take a low dosage for a short period of time. And if you take it for a longer period, you need to cycle it to avoid any kind of potential side effects. And we have Choleas Forskulin. Choleas Forskulin is another herb used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.  It contains a potent compound called Forskulin, which seems to be the reason for its medicinal properties. Now according to limited evidence, this compound can help with cognition, can protect you against cancer, and even boost your testosterone levels. We currently don't know the optimal daily dosage, but it seems to be somewhere between 10 to 50 milligrams of Forskulin per day. Yet, this is not under research and tropic. We lack studies, especially clinical studies, in healthy individuals. We really don't know yet the optimal daily dosage, the side effects, what happens if you supplement for long term. So yeah, it is an under research and tropic. However, again, it has been used for centuries. And data show positive effects. It doesn't seem to be dangerous or cause any kind of serious side effects. And because of that, personally, I don't see an issue of supplementing this compound. Of course, it's not one of my favorite naturopics, but well, it could be beneficial. So we just talked about some of the under research naturopics. But which are the naturopics? You should definitely consider supplementing. Well, click up here and watch the next video. Thank you guys for watching. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me, follow your inception on social media, and guys, I hope to see you soon again.


manufacturing is more than just data science it's about the actual implementation so I often use a term called AI for AI artificial intelligence for actual implementation in manufacturing if you look at what we do today in many industries you use technologies like automation intelligent system to make products but there are a lot of gaps the gaps could be inventory the waste a lot of labor costs and also quality issues those are common so I think the future manufacturing would be how these gaps can be physically reduced or removed that can make the manufacturing is even more attractive for young people and also it's a very meaningful for future technology always evolve over a different period the good AI technology to solve those high complex problems for example optimization scheduling diagnostics prediction those are can be great tools but every company have a different type of problems they need to define the good purpose that's why the global Lighthouse Network we often talk about change story what's your change story why you change just because of 5G because AI probably not I want to improve the quality on my product I want to increase the efficiency of my production I want to integrate my suppliers capability into my manufacturing system to help more a leaner more advanced solution so I think those are the very important thing so when you define the right purpose if those are clear I think the high tech hot tech or good tech they can make things happen if objective are not clear that's only become a demonstration I mean it's also good but probably the ROI may not have high return yes how can you help the current workforce to use the right technology and tools I think to teach them I think the empowerment is more important right so as academia we need to first the test technology faster second we teach younger generation even the new technology to meet the demand of a society the third University we can make mistakes first that will give a industry and other partners the opportunity to learn for the correct way if you look the future how we make this a whole thing will address smart digital technology one town AI 5G for example should make things transparent traceable and transferable but first we have to find the right purpose at the industry we have many problems but once the purpose is clear we can use technology to fuel the process gap if we can use the technology to fill those gaps then these are good technology they may not be high tech but they're good tech


Hello, good afternoon. I am Kimberley Ubiyevo. This is the news update. A protest broke out in Abyokuta, Teogon State Capital, on Tuesday when residents poured into the roads and streets of Obyton, scarcity of cash, and the attendants excruciating pains. Aladdin Sonni, Fajol and Shawari, in Oban Toko area of Abyokuta, were taken over by the protesters, making bonfires, chanting anti-CVN songs. The Shakbon branch of an old-generation bank was also vandalized, as the protesters attempted to set it ablaze. Ogon Police spokesman Abyombola Uyemi, who confirmed the protest said officers are monitoring the situation to prevent the destruction of property and loss of lives. News Updates


16 Of Paris, what am I to say? The whole proceeding was a delirium, a madness. I spent a little over three weeks there, and during that time saw my hundred thousand francs come to an end. I speak only of the one hundred thousand francs, for the other hundred thousand I gave to Mademoiselle Blanche in pure cash. That is to say, I handed her fifty thousand francs at Frankfurt, and three days later, in Paris, advanced her another fifty thousand on note of hand. Nevertheless, a week had not elapsed ere she came to me for more money. Elle est cent mille francs. Qui nous restant? She added. Tous les mangeras avec moi mon euchitel. Yes, she always called me her euchitel. A person more economical, grasping, and mean than Mademoiselle Blanche, one could not imagine. But this was only as regards her own money. My hundred thousand francs, as she explained to me later, she needed to set up her establishment in Paris, so that once and for all I may be on a decent footing, and proof against any stones which may be thrown at me, at all events for a long time to come. Nevertheless, I saw nothing of those hundred thousand francs for my own purse which she inspected daily, never managed to amass in it more than a hundred francs at a time, and generally the sum did not reach even that figure. What do you want with money, she would say to me, with air of absolute simplicity? And I never disputed the point. Nevertheless, though she fitted out her flat very badly with the money, the fact did not prevent her from saying when, later, she was showing me over the rooms of her new abode, see what care and taste can do with the most wretched of means. However, her wretchedness had cost fifty thousand francs, while with the remaining fifty thousand she purchased a carriage and horses. Also we gave a couple of balls, evening parties attended by Hortense and Lissette and Cleopatra, who were women remarkable both for the number of their liaisons and, though only in some cases for their good looks. At these reunions I had to play the part of host, to meet and entertain fat mercantile parvenues who were impossible by reason of their rudeness and braggadocio, kernels of various kinds, hungry authors, and journalistic hacks, all of whom disported themselves in fashionable tailcoats and pale yellow gloves, and displayed such an aggregate of conceit and gaskinade as would be unthinkable even in St. Petersburg, which is saying a great deal. They used to try to make fun of me, but I would console myself by drinking champagne and then lolling in a retiring room. Nevertheless I founded deadly work. C'est un util, Blanche would say of me, qui a gagnait deux cent mille francs, and but for me would have had not a notion how to spend them. Presently he will have to return to his tutoring. Does anyone know of a vacant post? You know one must do something for him. I had the more frequent recourse to champagne in that I constantly felt depressed and bored, owing to the fact that I was living in the most bourgeois commercial milieu imaginable. A milieu wherein every sue was counted and grudged. Indeed, two weeks had not elapsed before I perceived that Blanche had no real affection for me, even though she dressed me in elegant clothes and herself tied my tie each day. In short she utterly despised me. But that caused me no concern. Blase and inert I spent my evenings generally at the Chateau de Fleur, where I would get fuddled and then dance the can-can, which in that establishment was a very indecent performance, with a cla. At length the time came when Blanche had drained my purse dry. She had conceived an idea that during the term of our residence together it would be well if I were always to walk behind her with a paper and pencil, in order to jot down exactly what she spent, what she had saved, what she was paying out, and what she was laying by. Well, of course I could not fail to be aware that this would entail a battle over every ten francs. So, although for every possible objection that I might make, she had prepared a suitable answer, she soon saw that I made no objections and therefore had to start disputes herself. That is to say she would burst out into tirades which were met only with silence as I lulled on a sofa and stared fixedly at the ceiling. This greatly surprised her.  Un uchitelle.  Then she would leave the room but return ten minutes later to resume the contest. This continued throughout her squandering of my money. A squandering altogether out of proportion to our means. An example is the way in which she changed her first pair of horses for a pair which cost sixteen thousand francs. Bibi, she said on the latter occasion as she approached me, surely you are not angry? No, I am merely tired was my reply as I pushed her from me. This seemed to her so curious that straightway she seated herself by my side. You see, she went on, I decided to spend so much upon these horses only because I can easily sell them again. They would go at any time for twenty thousand francs. Yes, yes, they are splendid horses and you have got a splendid turnout. I am quite content. Let me hear no more of the matter. Then you are not angry? No. Why should I be? You are wise to provide yourself with what you need for it will all come in handy in the future. Yes, I quite see the necessity of your establishing yourself on a good basis, for without it you will never earn your million. My hundred thousand francs I look upon merely as a beginning, as a mere drop in the bucket. Blanche, who had by no means expected such declarations from me but rather an uproar in protests, was rather taken aback. Well, well, what a man you are! she exclaimed. Mets-tu à l'esprit pour comprendre?  Are you not sorry that your money should be going so quickly? No, the quicker it goes the better. Mets-tu, me dis donc. Are you really rich? Mets-tu, you have too much contempt for money. Qu'est-ce que tu feras après dis donc? Après, I shall go to Hamburg and win another hundred thousand francs. Oui, oui, c'est ça, c'est magnifique. Ah, I know you will win them, and bring them to me when you have done so. Dis donc, you will end by making me love you. Since you are what you are, I mean to love you all the time and never to be unfaithful to you. You see, I have not loved you before, parce que je croyais que tu n'es qu'un util. Qu'est-ce que chose comme un loquet, n'est-ce pas? Yet all the time I have been true to you, parce que je suis bon feel. You lie, I interrupted. Did I not see you the other day with Albert, with that black jowled officer?  Rubbish, il faut que je ne se passe. Even if that officer were here now, I should refrain from putting him out of the room if I thought you really cared for him.  You hear? You say, do you, that you would not be angry? Mets-tu es un vrai philosophe, c'est-tu? Oui, un vrai philosophe. Eh bien, je t'aimerais, je t'aimerais. Tu verras, tu seras content. True enough, from that time onward she seemed to attach herself only to me, and in this manner we spent our last ten days together. The promised étoile I did not see, but in other respects she, to a certain extent, kept her word. Moreover, she introduced me to Hortense, who was a remarkable woman in her way, and known among us as Therese Philosoph. But I need not enlarge further, for to do so would require a story to itself and entail a coloring which I am loath to impart to the present narrative. The point is that with all my faculties I desire the episode to come to an end as speedily as possible. Unfortunately our hundred thousand francs lasted us, as I have said for very nearly a month, which greatly surprised me. At all events Blanche bought herself articles to the tune of eighty thousand francs, and the rest sufficed just to meet our expenses of living. Towards the close of the affair Blanche grew almost frank with me, at least she scarcely lied to me at all, declaring amongst other things that none of the debts which she had been obliged to incur were going to fall upon my head. I have purposely refrained from making you responsible for my bills or borrowings, she said. For the reason that I am sorry for you, any other woman in my place would have done so, and have let you go to prison. See then how much I love you, and how good hearted I am. Think too what this accursed marriage with the general is going to cost me. True enough the marriage took place. It did so at the close of our month together, and I am bound to suppose that it was upon the ceremony that the last remnants of my money were spent. With it the episode, that is to say my sojourn with the French woman, came to an end, and I formally retired from the scene. It happened thus. A week after we had taken up our abode in Paris there arrived thither the general. He came straight to see us, and thence forward lived with us practically as our guest, though he had a flight of his own as well. Blanche met him with Mary Batenage and Glafftor, and even threw her arms around him. In fact she managed it so that he had to follow everywhere in her train, whether when promenading on the boulevards or when driving or when going to the theatre or when paying calls. And this use which she made of him quite satisfied the general. Still of imposing appearance and presence, as well as of fair height, he had a dyed mustache and whiskers, he had formally been in the curse years. And a handsome, though a somewhat wrinkled face, also his manners were excellent, and he could carry a frock coat well, the more so since in Paris he took to wearing his orders. To promenade the boulevards with such a man was not only a thing possible, but also, so to speak, a thing advisable, and with this program the good but foolish general had not a fault to find. The truth is that he had never counted upon this program when he came to Paris to seek us out. On that occasion he had made his appearance nearly shaking with terror, for he had supposed that Blanche would at once raise an outcry and have him put from the door. Wherefore he was the more enraptured at the turn that things had taken, and spent the month in a state of senseless ecstasy. Already I had learnt that after our unexpected departure from Murlettenburg he had had a sort of fit, that he had fallen into a swoon, and spent a week in a species of garulous delirium. Doctors had been summoned to him, but he had broken away from them, and suddenly taken a train to Paris. Of course Blanche's reception of him had acted as the best of all possible cures, but for long enough he carried the marks of his affliction, despite his present condition of rapture and delight. To think clearly, or even to engage in any serious conversation, had now become impossible for him. He could only ejaculate after each word, hmm, and then nod his head in confirmation. Sometimes also he would laugh but only in a nervous hysterical sort of a fashion, while at other times he would sit for hours looking as black as night with his heavy eyebrows knitted. Of much that went on he remained wholly oblivious, for he grew extremely absent-minded, and took to talking to himself. Only Blanche could awake him to any semblance of life. His fits of depression and moodiness in corners always meant either that he had not seen her for some while, or that she had gone out without taking him with her, or that she had omitted to caress him before departing. When in this condition he would refuse to say what he wanted, nor had he the least idea that he was thus sulking and moping. Next, after remaining in this condition for an hour or two, this I remarked on two occasions when Blanche had gone out for the day probably to see Albert, he would begin to look about him, and to grow uneasy, and to hurry about with an air as though he had suddenly remembered something and must try and find it. After which not perceiving the object of his search, nor succeeding in recalling what that object had been, he would as suddenly relapse into oblivion, and continue so until the reappearance of Blanche, merry, wanton, half-dressed, and laughing her strident laugh as she approached to pet him, and even to kiss him, though the latter reward he seldom received. Once he was so overjoyed at her doing so that he burst into tears. Even I myself was surprised. From the first moment of his arrival in Paris Blanche set herself to plead with me on his behalf, and at such times she even rose to heights of eloquence, saying that it was for me she had abandoned him, though she had almost become as betrothed and promised to become so, that it was for her sake he had deserted his family, that having been on his service I ought to remember the fact and to feel ashamed. To all this I would say nothing, however much she chattered on, until at length I would burst out laughing, and the incident would come to an end, at first as I have said she had thought me a fool, but since she had come to deem me a man of sense and sensibility. In short I had the happiness of calling her better nature into play, for though at first I had not deemed her so, she was in reality a kind-hearted woman after her own fashion. You are good and clever, she said to me, towards the finish, and my one regret is that you are also wrong-headed. You will never be a rich man. Un vrai brus, un calmak, she usually called me. Several times she sent me to give the general an airing in the streets, even as she might have done with a lackey and her spaniel. But I preferred to take him to the theatre, to the balmabil, and to restaurants, for this purpose she usually allowed me some money, though the general had a little of his own, and enjoyed taking out his purse before strangers. Since I had to use actual force to prevent him from buying a fayton at a price of seven hundred francs, after a vehicle had caught his fancy in the Palais Royale as seeming to be a desirable present for Blanche. What could she have done with a seven hundred franc fayton? And the general possessed in the world but a thousand francs. The origin even of those francs I could never determine, but imagine them to have emanated from Mr. Astley, the more so since the latter had paid the family's hotel bill. As for what view the general took of myself I think that he never divined the footing on which I stood with Blanche. True, he had heard in a dim sort of way that I had won a good deal of money, but more probably he supposed me to be acting as secretary, or even as a kind of servant, to his inamorata. At all events he continued to address me in his old, haughty style, as my superior. At times he even took it upon himself to scold me. One morning in particular he started to sneer at me over our machutinal coffee. Though not a man prone to take offence, he suddenly and for some reason of which to this day I am ignorant, fell out with me. Of course even he himself did not know the reason. To put things shortly he began a speech which had neither beginning nor ending, and cried out, Abaton Rampou, that I was a boy whom he would soon put to rights, and so forth, and so forth. Yet no one could understand what he was saying, and at length Blanche exploded in a burst of laughter. Finally something appeased him, and he was taken out for his walk. More than once, however, I noticed that his depression was growing upon him, that he seemed to be feeling the want of somebody or something, that despite Blanche's presence he was missing some person in particular. Twice on these occasions did he plunge into a conversation with me, though he could not make himself intelligible, and only went on rambling about the service, his late wife, his home, and his property. Every now and then also some particular word would please him, whereupon he would repeat it a hundred times in the day, even though the word happened to express neither his thoughts nor his feelings. Again I would try to get him to talk about his children, but always he cut me short in his old snappish way and passed to another subject. Yes, yes, my children, was all that I could extract from him. Yes, you are right in what you have said about them. Only once did he disclose his real feelings. That was when we were taking him to the theatre, and suddenly he exclaimed, My unfortunate children. Yes, sir, they are unfortunate children. Once too, when I chanced to mention Polina, he grew quite bitter against her. She is an ungrateful woman, he exclaimed. She is a bad and ungrateful woman. She has broken up a family. If there were laws here, I would have her impaled. Yes, I would. As for De Griers, the general would not have his name mentioned. He has ruined me, he would say. He has robbed me and cut my throat. For two years he was a perfect nightmare to me. For months at a time he never left me in my dreams. Do not speak of him again. It was now clear to me that Blanche and he were on the point of coming to terms. Yet true to my usual custom, I said nothing. At length Blanche took the initiative in explaining matters. She did so a week before we parted. Il a douche chance, she prattled. For the grandmother is now really ill, and therefore bound to die. Mr. Astley has just sent a telegram to say so, and you will agree with me that the general is likely to be her heir. Even if he should not be so, he will not come amiss, since in the first place he has his pension, and in the second place he will be content to live in a back room, whereas I shall be madame generale, and get into a good circle of society, she was always thinking of this, and become a Russian chatelein. Yes, I shall have a mansion of my own, and peasants, and a million of money at my back. But suppose he should prove jealous. He might demand all sorts of things, you know. Do you follow me? Oh, dear, no! How ridiculous that would be of him! Besides, I have taken measures to prevent it. You need not be alarmed. That is to say, I have induced him to sign notes of hand in Albert's name, consequently at any time I could get him punished. Isn't he ridiculous? Very well, then. Marry him. And in truth she did so, though the marriage was a family one only, and involved no pomp or ceremony. In fact, she invited to the nuptials none but Albert and a few other friends, Hortense, Cleopatra, and the rest she kept firmly at a distance. As for the bride-room, he took a great interest in his new position. Blanche herself tied his tie, and Blanche herself pomaded him, with the result that in his frock coat and white waistcoat he looked quite comile faux. Il est pourtant très comile faux. Blanche remarked when she issued from his room, as though the idea that he was très comile faux had impressed even her. For myself I had so little knowledge of the minor details of the affair, and took part in it so much as a supine spectator that I have forgotten most of what passed on this occasion. I only remember that Blanche and the widow figured at it not as du comigé, but as du placé. Why they had hitherto been du comigé, I do not know. I only know that this entirely satisfied the general, that he liked the name du placé, even better than he had liked the name du comigé. On the morning of the wedding he paced the salon in his gala attire, and kept repeating to himself with an air of great gravity and importance, Mme Zelle Blanche du placé. Mme Zelle Blanche du placé. Du placé. He beamed with satisfaction as he did so. Both in the church and at the wedding breakfast he remained not only pleased and contented, but even proud. She too underwent a change, for now she assumed an air of added dignity. I must behave altogether differently, she confided to me with a serious air. Yet, Mark you, there was a tiresome circumstance of which I had never before thought, which is, how best to pronounce my new family name? Zygoryansky? Madame la Générale de Sago? Madame la Générale de 14 consonants? Oh, these infernal Russian names! The last of them would be the best to use, don't you think? At length the time had come for us to part, and Blanche, the egregious Blanche, shed real tears as she took her leave of me. Tu étais bon enfant, she said with a sabre. Je te croyais bête et tu en avais l'air. But it suited you. Then, having given me a final handshake, she exclaimed, attam. Whereafter, running into her boudoir, she brought me, hence, two thousand frank notes. I could scarcely believe my eyes.  More than two thousand franks, however, I am not going to give you for the reason that, if I did so, you would gamble them all away. Now, good-bye. Nous serons toujours bons amis, and if you win again, do not fail to come to me. Et tu seras heureux. I myself had still five hundred franks left, as well as a watch worth a thousand franks, a few diamond studs, and so on. Consequently, I could subsist for quite a length of time without particularly besturing myself. Purposely I have taken up my abode where I am now partly to pull myself together, and partly to wait for Mr. Astley, who I have learnt will soon be here for a day or so on business. Yes, I know that. And then I shall go to Hamburg. But to Rülettenburg I shall not go until next year, for they say it is bad to try one's luck twice in succession at a table. Moreover, Hamburg is where the best play is carried on. CHAPTER 17 It is a year and eight months since I last looked at these notes of mine. I do so now only because being overwhelmed with depression I wish to distract my mind by reading them through at random. I left them off at the point where I was just going to Hamburg. My God, with what a light heart comparatively speaking did I write the concluding lines. Though it may be not so much with a light heart as with a measure of self-confidence and unquenchable hope. At that time had I any doubts of myself? Yet behold me now. Scarcely a year and a half have passed, yet I am in a worse position than the meanest beggar. But what is a beggar? A fig for beggary. I have ruined myself, that is all. Nor is there anything with which I can compare myself. There is no moral which it would be of any use for you to read to me. At the present moment nothing could well be more incongruous than a moral.  If only you knew how fully I myself comprehend the sordidness of my present state. You would not trouble to wag your tongues at me. What could you say to me that I do not already know? Well, wherein lies my difficulty? It lies in the fact that by a single turn of a roulette-wheel everything for me has become changed. Yet had things be fallen otherwise these moralists would have been among the first, yes I feel persuaded of it, to approach me with friendly jests and congratulations. Yes, they would never have turned from me as they are doing now. A fig for all of them. What am I? I am zero, nothing. What shall I be tomorrow? I may be risen from the dead and have begun life anew. For still I may discover the man in myself, if only my manhood has not become utterly shattered. I went, I say, to Hamburg, but afterwards went also to Rilleutenberg, as well as to Spa and Baden, in which latter place for a time I acted as valet to a certain rascal of a privy counsellor, by name Heinz, who until lately was also my master here. Yes, for five months I lived my life with lackeys. That was just after I had come out of Rilleutenberg prison, where I had lain for a small debt which I owed. Out of that prison I was bailed by—by whom? By Mr. Astley? By Polina? I do not know. At all events the debt was paid to the tune of two hundred tollers, and I saled forth a free man. But what was I to do with myself? In my dilemma I had recourse to this Heinz, who was a young scape-grace and the sort of man who could speak and write three languages. At first I acted as his secretary at a salary of thirty gulden a month, but afterwards I became his lackey for the reason that he could not afford to keep a secretary, only an unpaid servant. I had nothing else to turn to, so I remained with him and allowed myself to become his flunky. But by stinting myself in meat and drink I saved, during my five months of service, some seventy gulden, and one evening, when we were at Baden, I told him that I wished to resign my post, and then hastened to be take myself to roulette. Oh, how my heart beat as I did so! No, it was not the money that I valued. What I wanted was to make all this mob of Heinz's, hotel proprietors and fine ladies of Baden talk about me, recount my story, wonder at me, extol my doings, and worship my winnings. True, these were childish fancies and aspirations. But who knows but that I might meet Paulina and be able to tell her everything, and see her look of surprise at the fact that I had overcome so many adverse strokes of fortune. No. I had no desire for money for its own sake, for I was perfectly well aware that I should only squander it upon some new blanche, and spend another three weeks in Paris, after buying a pair of horses which had cost sixteen thousand francs. No. I never believed myself to be a hoarder. In fact, I knew only too well that I was a spendthrift. And already, with a sort of fear, a sort of sinking in my heart, I could hear the cries of the croupures, Trant et en, rouge, impère et passe, court noir, paire et manque. How greedily I gazed upon the gaming-table, with its scattered louis, d'or, ten goulden pieces, and tollers, upon the streams of gold as they issued from the croupures' hands, and piled themselves up into heaps of gold scintillating as fire. Upon the L, long rolls of silver lying around the croupure, even at a distance of two rooms I could hear the chink of that money, so much so that I nearly fell into convulsions. Ah, the evening when I took those seventy goulden to the gaming-table was a memorable one for me. I began by staking ten goulden upon pass, for pass I had always had a sort of predilection, yet I lost my stake upon it. This left me with sixty goulden in silver. After a moment's thought I selected zero, beginning by staking five goulden at a time. Twice I lost, but the third round suddenly brought up the desired coup. I could almost have died with joy as I received my one hundred and seventy-five goulden. Indeed, I have been less pleased when, in former times, I have won a hundred thousand goulden. Losing no time I staked another hundred goulden upon the red and one, two hundred upon the red and one, four hundred upon the black and one, eight hundred upon monk and one. Thus, with the addition of the remainder of my original capital, I found myself possessed within five minutes of seventeen hundred goulden. Ah, at such moments one forgets both oneself and one's former failures. This I had gained by risking my very life. I had dared so to risk. And behold, again I was a member of mankind. I went and hired a room. I shut myself up in it, and sat counting my money until three o'clock in the morning. To think that when I awoke on the morrow, I was no lacky. I decided to leave at once for Hamburg. There I should neither have to serve as a footman, nor to lie in prison. Half an hour before starting I went and ventured a couple of stakes, no more, with the result that in all I lost fifteen hundred Florence. Nevertheless I proceeded to Hamburg, and have now been there for a month. Of course I am living in constant trepidation, playing for the smallest of stakes, and always looking out for something, calculating, whole days by the gaming tables to watch the play. Even seeing that play in my dreams, yet seeming the while to be in some way stiffening to be growing caked as it were in Meier. But I must conclude my notes which I finish under the impression of a recent encounter with Mr. Astley. I had not seen him since we parted at Rudlettenburg, and now we met quite by accident.  Consequently I was in a position to try my luck again at Rudlet. And if I won anything I should be able to continue my play, whereas if I lost what I now possessed I should once more have to accept a lackey's place, provided that in the alternative I failed to discover a Russian family which stood in need of a tutor. Plunged in these reflections I started on my daily walk through the park and forest towards a neighboring principality. Sometimes on such occasions I spent four hours on the way and would return to Hamburg tired and hungry. But on this particular occasion I had scarcely left the gardens for the park when I caught sight of Astley seated on a bench. As soon as he perceived me he called me by name and I went and sat down beside him. But unnoticing that he seemed a little stiff in his manner I hastened to moderate the expression of joy which the sight of him had called forth. You here, he said? Well I had an idea that I should meet you. Do not trouble to tell me anything, for I know all. Yes, all. In fact your whole life during the past twenty months lies within my knowledge. How closely you watched the doings of your old friends I replied. That does you infinite credit, but stop a moment. You have reminded me of something. Was it you who bailed me out of Rittenberg Prison when I was lying there for a debt of two hundred gulden? Someone did so. Oh, dear, no. Though I knew all the time that you were lying there. Perhaps you could tell me who did bail me out. No. I'm afraid I could not. What a strange thing. For I know no Russians at all here, so it cannot have been a Russian who befriended me. In Russia we orthodox folk do go bail for one another, but in this case I thought it must have been done by some English stranger who was not conversant with the ways of the country. Mr. Astley seemed to listen to me with a sort of surprise. Evidently he had expected to see me looking more crushed and broken than I was. Well, he said, not very pleasantly, I am nonetheless glad to find that you retain your old independence of spirit as well as your buoyancy. Which means that you are vexed at not having found me more abased and humiliated than I am. I retorted with a smile. Astley was not quick to understand this, but presently did so and laughed. Your remarks please me as they always did, he continued. In those words I see the clever, triumphant, and above all things, cynical friend of former days. Only Russians have the faculty of combining within themselves so many opposite qualities. Yes, most men love to see their best friend in a basement. For generally it is on such a basement that friendship is founded. All thinking persons know that ancient truth. Yet on the present occasion I assure you I am sincerely glad to see that you are not cast down. Tell me, are you never going to give up gambling? Damn the gambling! Yes, I should certainly have given it up were it not that you are losing. I thought so. You need not tell me any more. I know how things stand, for you have said that last in despair and therefore truthfully.  No. None whatever. Astley gave me a searching glance. At that time it was ages since I had last looked at a paper or turned the pages of a book. You are growing blasé, he said. You have not only renounced life with its interests and social ties, but the duties of a citizen and a man. You have not only renounced the friends whom I know you to have had, and every aim in life but that of winning money, but you have also renounced your memory. Though I can remember you in the strong ardent period of your life, I feel persuaded that you have now forgotten every better feeling of that period. That your present dreams and aspirations of subsistence do not rise above pair, impair, rouge, noir, the twelve middle numbers, and so forth. Enough, Mr. Astley, I cried with some irritation, almost in anger. Kindly do not recall to me any more recollections, for I can remember things for myself. Only for a time have I put them out of my head. Only until I shall have rehabilitated myself am I keeping my memory cold. When that hour shall come you will see me arise from the dead.   In fact, I will bet you a wager that I shall do so. Say no more, I interrupted impatiently, and to show you that I have not wholly forgotten the past may I inquire where Menema Salpalina is? If it was not you who bailed me out of prison it must have been she, yet never have I heard a word concerning her. No, I do not think it was she. At the present moment she is in Switzerland, and you will do me a favour by ceasing to ask me these questions about her. Astley said this with a firm and even an angry air. Which means that she has dealt you a serious wound? I burst out with an involuntary sneer. Menema Salpalina, he continued, is the best of all possible living beings. But I repeat that I shall thank you to cease questioning me about her. You never really knew her, and her name on your lips is an offence to my moral feeling. Indeed. On what subject, then, have I a better right to speak to you than on this? With it I bound up all your recollections and mine. However, do not be alarmed. I have no wish to probe too far into your private, your secret affairs. My interest in Menema Salpalina does not extend beyond her outward circumstances and surroundings. About them you could tell me in two words. Well, on condition that the matter shall end there, I will tell you that for a long time Menema Salpalina was ill, and still is so. My mother and sister entertained her for a while at their home in the north of England, and thereafter Menema Salpalina's grandmother, you remember the mad old woman, died, and left Menema Salpalina a personal legacy of seven thousand pounds sterling. That was about six months ago. And now Menema Sal is traveling with my sister's family, my sister having since married. Menema Sal's little brother and sister also benefited by the grandmother's will, and are now being educated in London. As for the general, he died in Paris last month of a stroke. Menema Salblanche did well by him for she succeeded in having transferred to herself all that he received from the grandmother. That, I think, concludes all that I have to tell. And de Griers? Is he too traveling in Switzerland? No. Nor do I know where he is. Also I warn you once more that you would better avoid such hints and ignoble suppositions, otherwise you will assuredly have to reckon with me. What, in spite of our old friendship? Yes, in spite of our old friendship. Then I beg your pardon a thousand times, Mr. Astley. I meant nothing offensive to Menema Salpalina, for I have nothing of which to accuse her. Moreover, the question of there being anything between this Frenchman and this Russian lady is not one which you and I need discuss, nor even attempt to understand. If, replied Astley, you do not care to hear their names coupled together, may I ask you what you mean by the expressions this Frenchman, this Russian lady, and there being anything between them? Why do you call them so particularly a Frenchman and a Russian lady? Ah, I see you are interested, Mr. Astley, but it is a long, long story and calls for a lengthy preface. At the same time the question is an important one, however ridiculous it may seem at the first glance. A Frenchman, Mr. Astley, is merely a fine figure of a man. With this you, as a Britisher, may not agree. With it I also, as a Russian, may not agree, out of envy. Yet possibly our good ladies are of another opinion. For instance, one may look upon Racine as a broken down, hobbledahoy, perfumed individual. One may even be unable to read him, and I too may think him the same, as well as in some respects a subject for ridicule. Yet about him, Mr. Astley, there is a certain charm, and above all things he is a great poet, though one might like to deny it. Yes, the Frenchman, the Parisian, as a national figure was in process of developing into a figure of elegance before we Russians had even ceased to be bears. The revolution bequeathed to the French nobility its heritage and now every whippersnapper of a Parisian may possess manners, methods of expression, and even thoughts that are above reproach in form, while all the time he himself may share in that form neither in initiative nor in intellect nor in soul. His manners and the rest having come to him through inheritance. Yes, taken by himself the Frenchman is frequently a fool of fools, and a villain of villains. Per contra, there is no one in the world more worthy of confidence and respect than this young Russian lady. Degrier might so mask his face and play apart as easily to overcome her heart, for he has an imposing figure, Mr. Astley, and this young lady might easily take that figure for his real self, for the natural form of his heart and soul, instead of the mere cloak with which heredity has dowered him. And even though it may offend you, I feel bound to say that the majority also of English people are uncouth and unrefined, whereas we Russian folk can recognize beauty wherever we see it and are always eager to cultivate the same. But to distinguish beauty of soul and personal originality there is needed far more independence and freedom than is possessed by our women, especially by our younger ladies. At all events they need more experience. For instance, this mademoiselle Paulina, pardon me, but the name has passed my lips and I cannot well recall it, is taking a very long time to make up her mind to prefer you to Mr. Degrier. She may respect you, she may become your friend, she may open out her heart to you, yet over that heart there will be reigning that loathsome villain, that mean and petty user, Degrier. This will be due to obstinacy and self-love, to the fact that Degrier once appeared to her in the transfigured guise of a marquee. Of a disenchanted and ruined liberal who was doing his best to help her family and the frivolous old general. And although these transactions of his have since been exposed, you will find that the exposure has made no impression upon her mind. Only give her the Degrier of former days and she will ask of you no more. The more she may detest the present Degrier, the more she will lament the Degrier of the past, even though the latter never existed but in her own imagination.  Yes, I belong to the well-known firm of Lovell and Company. Then see here.  But the two characters do not mix with one another. I, again, am not even a sugar-refiner. I am a mere roulette gambler who was also served as a lackey. Of this fact Mademoiselle Polina is probably well aware since she appears to have an excellent force of police at her disposal. You are saying this because you are feeling bitter, said Astley, with cold indifference, yet there is not the least originality in your words. I agree, but therein lies the horror of it all, that how trepidation, playing ever mean and farcical my accusations may be. They are none the less true. But I am only wasting words. Yes you are.   It was at her request that I came to Hamburg in order to see you, and to have a long serious talk with you, and to report to her your feelings and thoughts and hopes. Yes, and your recollections of her, too? Indeed. Is that really so, I cried. The tears beginning to well for my eyes. Never before had this happened. Yes, poor unfortunate, continued Astley. She did love you. And I may tell you this now for the reason that now you are utterly lost. Even if I were also to tell you that she still loves you, you would none the less have to remain where you are. Yes, you have ruined yourself beyond redemption. Once upon a time you had a certain amount of talent, and you were of a lively disposition, and your good looks were not to be despised.  Yet you remained here, and your life is now over. I am not blaming you for this. In my view all Russians resemble you, or are inclined to do so. If it is not roulette, then it is something else. The exceptions are very rare. Nor are you the first to learn what a task-master is yours. For roulette is not exclusively a Russian game. Hitherto you have honorably preferred to serve as a lackey rather than to act as a thief. But what the future may have in store for you I tremble to think. Now, good-bye. You are in want of money, I suppose, and take these ten, Louis-d'Or. More I shall not give you, for you would only gamble it away. Take care of these coins, and fare well. Once more, take care of them. No, Mr. Astley, after all that has been said, I— Take care of them, repeated my friend. I am certain you are still a gentleman, and therefore I give you the money as one gentleman may give money to another. Also, if I could be certain that you would leave both Hamburg and the gaming tables and return to your own country, I would give you a thousand pounds down to start life afresh. But I give you ten Louis-d'Or instead of a thousand pounds for the reason that at the present time a thousand pounds and ten Louis-d'Or will be all the same to you. You will lose the one as readily as you will the other. Take the money, therefore, and good-bye. Yes, I will take it if at the same time you will embrace me. With pleasure. So we parted on terms of sincere affection. But he was wrong. If I was hard and undiscerning as regards Polina and de Griers, he was hard and undiscerning as regards Russian people generally. Of myself I say nothing. Yet words are only words. I need to act. Above all things I need to think of Switzerland. Tomorrow, tomorrow. Ah, but if only I could set things right tomorrow and be born again, and rise again from the dead. But no, I cannot. Yet I must show her what I can do, even if she should do no more than learn that I can still play the man, it would be worth it. Today it is too late. But tomorrow. Yet I have a presentiment that things can never be otherwise. I have got fifteen Louis-d'Or in my possession, although I began with fifteen Goulden. If I were to play carefully at the start. But no, no, surely I am not such a fool as that. Yet why should I not rise from the dead? I should require at first but to go cautiously and patiently, and the rest would follow. I should require but to put a check upon my nature for one hour, and my fortunes would be changed entirely. Yes, my nature is my weak point. I have only to remember what happened to me some months ago at Rulettenberg, before my final ruin.  On the occasion in question I had lost everything. Everything.  Perhaps I shall need it for a meal, I thought to myself. But a hundred paces further on I changed my mind and returned. At Goulden I staked upon monk, and there is something in the feeling that though one is alone and in a foreign land and far from one's own home and friends, and ignorant of whence one's next meal is to come, one is nevertheless staking one's very last coin. Well, I won the stake, and in twenty minutes had left the Casino with a hundred and seventy Goulden in my pocket. That is a fact, and it shows what a last remaining Goulden can do. But what if my heart had failed me, or I had shrunk from making up my mind? No. Tomorrow all shall be ended.


update holy moly guacamole batman we've got gold at two hundred and two thousand and forty four dollars an ounce at one time sold off about four bucks from there not doing very much ha ha ha you would think so with silver hitting twenty five dollars an ounce the Federal Reserve from Atlanta came out today and dropped the GDP estimate from three point five to one point eight and that's sent spot stocks spiraling to the downside we were up one time we were up several hundred points in the Dow Jones overnight now down several hundred points so not really much of a difference less than one percent which is really not too much of a difference when you consider these price levels that were listed at the US dollars gotten hit pretty badly and this is one of the reasons why you see such a strong move coming into silver and in the gold which certainly not unexpected the one thing that wasn't expected the most people accept those that follow the trade what you see twenty four seven and that is the bond move still keeps powering on folks looks like we're going to be heading up to that one thirty nine target we had a one thirty three and a half handle today folks we were one twenty nine just a few days ago is as you might recall but interest rates are you know really really fluctuating back and forth so people are really confused about what to do and by golly I think that must be the Fed's job to make confusion the you know the art of what's looking at the one that's been in the news for the last two days though has been the crude oil and we said from the very beginning that this market's going to have a hard time getting above eighty two dollars a barrel we hit eighty one seventy last night and we've dropped just about three dollars a barrel from that level and so you know this is far from over the saga that's going on between Saudi Arabia and the gerrymandering that's going on between Capitol Hill there in Washington and what's going on it's a political play we've been there done that before many times and so those of you that trade the oil know that that's not anything unexpected sure she get a big jump on Sunday night at seven dollars a barrel now it's only three dollars a barrel higher than it was then so things are already starting to change so let's keep in mind that we're going to have a show coming up I'm going to be doing two hours back to back which is always a lot of fun like doing something a little different today so stay tuned we'll be talking with Stan Harley at the break so stay tuned for Stan Harley he's always great the Harley stock market letter so we'll see in a few minutes