text:
Richtige Ernährung ist wichtig
Ver Faces $20.86M Claim From Crypto Lender Genesis Subsidiary
Posted on Januar 25, 2023 by admin
• A subsidiary of bankrupt crypto lender Genesis, GGC International Limited, has filed a $20.86 million claim against Bitcoin Cash (BCH) proponent Roger Ver.
• The embattled firm alleged that Ver failed to settle cryptocurrency options trades that expired on Dec. 30, 2022.
• Crypto exchange CoinFLEX previously accused Roger Ver of owing it $47 million USDC and later filed a $84 million claim against the investor.
Crypto lender Genesis has been making headlines recently, this time due to a lawsuit filed by its subsidiary GGC International Limited against Bitcoin Cash (BCH) proponent Roger Ver. The embattled firm has filed a $20.86 million claim against Ver, alleging that he failed to settle cryptocurrency options trades that expired on Dec. 30, 2022.
This is not the first time that Ver has been in hot water. Crypto exchange CoinFLEX previously accused him of owing it $47 million USDC. The exchange later filed a $84 million claim against the investor, which Ver denied.
GGC International Limited is a British Virgin Islands company that is fully owned by Genesis. The company carries out spot trading activity and enters into derivatives referencing digital assets as a principal, according to the bankrupt lender website. The company has requested the court to award it the fees it expended in bringing the case against Ver. Ver has been given 20 days to answer the allegations, otherwise a judgment will be taken against him by default.
It remains to be seen how the case will play out, but it is clear that there is a lot at stake for Ver. The crypto space has been rocked by a number of high profile cases recently, and this could be another in a long line of them. It will be interesting to see how the court will rule on the matter and if Ver is indeed liable for the claims brought against him.
Posted in Viel
Alameda Research's $65B Credit Line With FTX Sparks Debate
• Court filings have revealed that Alameda Research had a $65 billion artificial credit line with FTX.
• Thailand has established rules for crypto exchanges and digital wallet management.
• Other news includes Polygon's hard fork, Ethereum's rising gas expenditure, a decline in Kazakhstan's mining hashrate, and Silvergate's $1 billion loss.
Cryptocurrency news was abuzz today with the reveal that Alameda Research had a $65 billion artificial credit line with FTX. Court filings in the FTX bankruptcy case made this information public and included a deck detailing the current findings relative to FTX group funds. The deck included an illustration of the FTX liquidation process alongside a code sample that allegedly represented the Alameda backdoor.
According to the filing, Alameda was exempt from auto-liquidation and wasn't required to post any real collateral for trades. This means that Alameda was allowed to trade with artificial credits, which was 43,000% more than the credit line available to FTX market makers. This news has sparked debate and controversy in the crypto community as many are questioning the ethics and legality of this kind of transaction.
In other news, Thailand has established rules that will require all crypto companies to have a digital wallet management system. This mandate has been put in place in order to ensure that crypto exchanges and wallets operate in compliance with local regulations. The new system will also facilitate greater control and transparency in the Thai crypto market.
Polygon has completed its hard fork and is now fully launched on the Ethereum mainnet. The hard fork was necessary for the implementation of Ethereum 2.0 and has been welcomed by the crypto community.
Ethereum's weekly gas expenditure has been on the rise, a sign that the network is becoming increasingly active. This is due to the increasing number of transactions occurring on Ethereum's blockchain.
Kazakhstan's mining hashrate has seen a decline over the past few weeks, likely due to the increasing difficulty of mining. This could be a sign that miners are becoming less interested in the Kazakh market, potentially due to the recent regulatory changes.
Silvergate has posted a $1 billion loss due to an "accounting error". The company has stated that the loss was due to an "accounting error in the first quarter of 2021" and that the error has since been rectified.
Finally, research on mining company holdings has indicated that the bitcoin halving has caused a significant shift in the industry. The halving has caused miners to shift their strategy from short-term profits to long-term investments. This shift has been reflected in the holdings of major mining companies, which now have a higher percentage of their funds invested in cryptocurrencies.
FTX's Assets Revealed: $5B in Transactions, $1.6B in Crypto
• FTX's total assets have been disclosed in a new court filing, totaling roughly $5B of transactions under review.
• Of these assets, $1.6B were crypto assets, $1.9B were attributed to Alameda between hot wallets and BitGo custody, and $181M were recovered from FTX US tied to BitGo custody accounts.
• The largest illiquid holding was Serum (SRM), with a value of $1.9 billion, followed by SOLETH and MAPS at $561 million and $521 million respectively.
FTX.com, a cryptocurrency exchange, recently had their total assets revealed in a new court filing, totaling roughly $5 billion of transactions under review. Of these assets, $1.6 billion were crypto assets, with the largest illiquid holding being Serum (SRM), with a value of $1.9 billion. This was followed by SOLETH and MAPS at $561 million and $521 million respectively.
Alongside the crypto assets, $1.9 billion were attributed to Alameda between hot wallets and BitGo custody, and $181 million were recovered from FTX US tied to BitGo custody accounts. This was in addition to the $90 million that was 'hacked' by an insider alleged to be SBF, though he denied this accusation in Twitter Spaces prior to his arrest.
Due to the disparity between the $1.6 billion in crypto assets and the $5.5 billion in total assets recovered by FTX Debtors, a shortfall was declared by the investigators. This included a significant amount of the MAPS tokens, with FTX holding 15% of the total market cap of the project. This has meant that offloading the MAPS tokens would likely have a detrimental effect on the project's market cap, making it difficult and risky for FTX to liquidate these assets.
Ultimately, this court filing has shed light on the assets held by FTX, revealing a significant amount of illiquid tokens as well as a shortfall in assets. It remains to be seen how FTX will resolve this issue and what the effects of liquidating the illiquid assets will be.
Bitcoin Method Review | Scam or Legit?
De centrale bank van Zweden voltooit de eerste fase van het proefproject met digitale valuta
Allicin
Gjennom
Muskelmasse
posteriormente
Telefonanbieter
Viel


The Mercedes-Benz "AMG C43" is a perfect sports car model that comes with the feature of a sedan. It has a large 3 liters AMG with an improved biturbo V-6 engine that produces an astonishing 362 hp and 384-pound ft torque. This model zips to sixty mph in just 4.6 seconds to give a top speed of around 130 mph. Let us learn about its remarkable features in detail.
The C43 AMG Mercedes model is a lot more than just a snappy acceleration. It is a comprehensive package of comfort, performance and technology. The taut suspension of the model provides a firm drive that improves dexterity without exhausting roughness. Its optional nineteen inches wheels give remarkable summer performance tires that let it take turns through accuracy.
The steering is light and direct. Big brakes provide smooth operation with ease. This 4Matic drive enhances dry-road handling and adds high end security on normal roads as well as wet, snow-clad and icy roads.
The C43 model of Mercedes C-Class series is best seller model in the entire Mercedes-Benz model series. It is extensively redesigned to be 200 pounds lighter as compared to its previous models. The reason for its light weight is due to extensive amount of aluminum used in making it. This model has got 111.8-inches of wheelbase that grows by nearly three inches in size. This results in greater leg space for rear-seat passengers.
The Mercedes AMG C-Class is launched in various type of variations such as coupe, sedan and convertible configurations. This sedan begins with the model C300 at just $39,000, C300 4Matic at around $41,000, C43 sedan at $52,500, C63 at $65,000, and C63S at around $72,800.
C43 model bonds the distance between the fundamental model and the complete tilt AMG C63, which is handcrafted with V-8 engine. It is available with 469 hp or 503 hp in the C63S. Thus, in these ways, the C43 provide superior performance to users in terms of crisp handling and stirring performance at a price lower than the C63 model.
C43 comes with a multipurpose role and 5 selectable drive modes. These are eco, sport, comfort, individual and sport plus. Eco provides the finest fuel economy, with a slight reduction in performance. Comfort is default everyday setting. Sport provides tighter suspension settings and sharper throttle response.
All of these interesting features of Mercedes AMG C43 makes it one of the unbeatable, high performance and efficient sports car.


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Racial profiling provision of immigration bill scrutinized
By By John Fritze and The Baltimore Sun
| WASHINGTON —
A coalition of civil liberties and immigrant-rights advocates led by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland wants to strengthen a provision in the Senate's sweeping immigration bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from racial profiling.
The 867-page, bipartisan immigration bill, which is expected to dominate the agenda in Congress this summer, would impose a first-ever federal prohibition on profiling. But advocates are concerned that broad exemptions contained in the proposal — including one for "national security" — would undermine its impact.
Racial profiling is one of dozens of issues expected to trigger debate as lawmakers begin digging into the specifics of the legislation, which would be the first overhaul of U.S. immigration law in nearly 30 years.
The effort to change the proposal, Cardin and advocates acknowledge, will be tough.
"It's not as strong as it needs to be," the Democrat said. "We are looking at whether we can strengthen it."
A post-9/11 emphasis on airport and border security has broadened the potential for profiling beyond traditional concerns about "driving while black," rights advocates say. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union now are just as focused on Muslims who endure added scrutiny before boarding planes or Hispanics held at the border for questioning even when they hold U.S. passports.
"It's an enormous problem," said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU's legislative office in Washington. "I'm glad Congress is going to do something to address this issue but we want them to do more."
The issue has a deep history in Maryland. The ACLU and the NAACP have waged a decades-old battle with state police over access to racial-profiling complaints. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in January that the agency must make public the internal affairs files on those complaints after redacting identifying information.
More recently, groups have criticized Frederick County for a high percentage of arrests of illegal immigrants for low-level crimes.
A 2011 Migration Policy Institute study of state and local immigration enforcement practices found that 60 percent of arrests of immigrants began as traffic stops.
Kim Propeack, political director of the immigrant-rights group CASA de Maryland, said staff members have heard complaints from Frederick, Prince George's and Baltimore counties, among others.
"In a phrase," she said, "it's a problem."
The immigration bill, crafted by a group of eight senators, would allow many of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants to apply for legal status. The measure calls for spending an added $6.5 billion on border security and would require companies to verify the immigration status of new employees.
Eighty-two senators voted to bring the bill to the floor this week. The legislation is a priority for the Obama administration, but is also politically important for Republicans, who lost much of the Hispanic vote in last year's presidential election.
The profiling provision mimics 2003 guidance from then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who barred federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and the U.S. Border Patrol from making spontaneous decisions based on race or ethnicity.
[Most read] She survived her father's vicious attack as an infant. 43 years later, she wasn't so lucky, according to new charges. »
But the guidance — and the bill — make broad exemptions for national security, catastrophic events and border protection.
"These loopholes really swallow the rule," said Sameera Hafiz, policy director with the Rights Working Group, a coalition of civil liberties organizations. "A lot of profiling has been systematized against Muslims, Asians and others under the guise of protecting national security."
Cardin intends to file at least one amendment and possibly more in the coming days to tweak the language of the national security exemption so that it would apply more narrowly.
First, he will have to persuade Democratic leaders in the Senate to allow the amendment to come to the floor for a vote. If he succeeds, he would then have to persuade colleagues that strengthening the language would not erode the bipartisan support the broader bill now enjoys.
Cardin said he also intends to submit an amendment that would apply a controversial law that bans Russian human rights abusers from entering the United States to other countries. Cardin has long sought to expand the so-called Magnitsky Law, which he shepherded through Congress late last year.
[Most read] Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, removed as Planned Parenthood CEO »
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who support the immigration bill, including Cardin, have been hesitant to propose substantive changes without broad bipartisan support. Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, the chamber's No. 3 Democrat, has said he'd like to see as many as 70 senators vote in favor of the bill.
Such a high vote threshold could nudge an otherwise skittish Republican-led House of Representatives to support some version of an immigration bill.
As it stands now, the racial-profiling provision has sparked little opposition — or attention. The National Association of Police Organizations declined to comment on the proposal.
Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the union is concerned about several items in the bill but the section on profiling isn't one of them.
"Our agents aren't trained to look at ethnicity," said Moran, whose union represents 17,000 border agents. "Our job is to look at the total picture."
john.fritze@baltsun.com
twitter.com/jfritze
Crime, Law and Justice

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Zedd & Katy Perry Make Irresistible Pop Magic With '365'!
The Valentine's Day treats kick off with Zedd and Katy Perry! The last time we heard something new from Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was with the release of her 2017, lukewarm received fifth studio album Witness. We're moving on and forgetting about…
Best of 2018, Exclusive, Reviews
Jon ALi Presents: The Top 70 Singles Of 2018!
IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! If you've been paying attention, I've already worked my way through my Top 50 Albums Of 2018 and Top 20 Music Videos Of 2018. So now, without any further ado – it's time for the finale: The…
Maren Morris Goes Full Pop With Zedd & Grey On 'The Middle'!
Zedd has released his new collaboration with Country star Maren Morris, "The Middle"! After a 2017 led mostly by the smash success of his Alessia Cara-assisted hit, "Stay," 2018 holds high expectations for Zedd since "Get Low" with Liam Payne failed…
Liam Payne Solidifies Solo Stardom With Zedd On 'Get Low'!
Zedd is no stranger to a high-profile pop collaboration, we know this from his many hits with Foxes ("Clarity"), Ariana Grande ("Break Free"), Selena Gomez ("I Want You to Know"), Hailee Steinfeld ("Starving") and most recently Alessia Cara with "Stay," which…
Zedd & Alessia Cara Play Lovers In Tragic 'Stay' Music Video!
Zedd and Alessia Cara have finally debuted the music video for their hit collaboration, "Stay"! Filmed outside of Los Angeles, the 27-year-old hit-making producer and the 20-year-old "Scars to Your Beautiful" songstress play lovers in the tragic clip, directed by Tim…
Zedd & Alessia Cara Team Up On Pop-Friendly Affair, 'Stay'!
Kygo and The Chainsmokers aren't the only ones with a fierce collaboration up their sleeve. Fellow EDM heavyweight Zedd, of Ariana Grande "Break Free" and Hailee Steinfeld "Starving" dance-pop greatness, is also joining in on the fun this week with the…
Hailee Steinfeld, Zedd & Grey Get Together On Killer Collab 'Starving'!
Hungry? Why yes, I'm "Starving"… for new bops that is! Following the release of her fierce collaboration with DJ-producer Prince Fox on "Fragile" back in May, Hailee Steinfeld has decided to team up with two other EDM master-crafters, Zedd and production…
Kesha Makes Glorious Return On Zedd's 'True Colors' Re-Release!
Our brave pop Warrior Kesha has returned to us with her first musical release in about three years! And it's all thanks to Zedd! The 26-year-old "Clarity" hit-maker was one of the first high-profile male artists to publicly support Kesha in…
New Music, New Releases
Zedd Teams Up With Jon Bellion On New 'True Colors' Single, 'Beautiful Now'!
With his sophomore album True Colors primed to drop in just a few days (May 18), Zedd offers up "Beautiful Now" featuring Jon Bellion, the official follow-up to his Selena Gomez-assisted hit "I Want You To Know." "Beautiful Now" is a…
New Music, Premiere
Zedd Offers Up Another Taste Of Sophomore LP 'True Colors' with 'Addicted To A Memory'!
Selena Gomez-assisted lead single "I Want You To Know" has proven to be another radio success for Zedd, and luckily that isn't keeping the German DJ from holding out on us. This week, Zedd offers up "Addicted To A Memory," the…
Zedd & Selena Gomez Take Us To The Club for 'I Want You To Know' Music Video!
Fresh off making its Billboard Hot 100 debut at #17 last week, Zedd drops the official music video for his latest smash "I Want You To Know" featuring Selena Gomez! The colorful clip sees Selena breaking it down on the dance…


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France confirms arrest, detention of Bel Ali brother-in-law
By Olivier LUCAZEAU (AFP) Mar 18, 2019 in World
France said Monday it had arrested and detained Belhassen Trabelsi, the brother-in-law of ousted Tunisian leader El-Abidine Ben Ali, who had been on the run for three years after fleeing Canada.
Prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux in the southern city of Marseille said Trabelsi had been charged with "aggravated fraud and money laundering in an organised gang."
Officials gave no other details of his arrest.
Tunisia said Sunday it was seeking Trabelsi's extradition to face charges of fraud.
A Tunisian justice ministry statement said he faced 17 arrest warrants in Tunisia and 43 international warrants.
The millionaire businessman and brother of Ben Ali's wife Leila Trabelsi left Tunisia in January 2011 when the Arab Spring uprising forced the veteran leader to flee to Saudi Arabia.
Trabelsi and his family flew in a private jet to Montreal where he requested political asylum but Canada turned down his appeal in 2015 , and a year later as it prepared to deport him he vanished.
A leaked June 2008 US diplomatic cable concluded that Trabelsi was "the most notorious (Ben Ali) family member and is rumoured to have been involved in a wide range of corrupt schemes".
Trabelsi -- whose holdings included an airline and hotels -- has denied the allegations against him, saying he accumulated his wealth from being a successful entrepreneur.
More about tunisie, Canada, Diplomacy, Extradition, Investigation
tunisie Canada Diplomacy Extradition Investigation France


1) Tends machine that cleans and sterilizes containers, such as barrels, fruit juice bottles, milk cans, and baking pans: Moves controls to fill washing and sterilizing tanks with water and steam, and to regulate temperature in cleaning tank.
2) Dumps specified amounts of chemicals into cleaning tank.
3) Loads containers on conveyor that carries containers through cleaning and sterilizing operations.
4) Examines containers for cleanliness and defects, such as dents and cracks.
5) Cleans and lubricates equipment.
6) May manually clean containers prior to machine cleaning, using sponge or brush.
7) May be designated according to type of container washed as Barrel Washer, Machine; Bottle Washer, Machine I; Can Washer, Machine.
Is being a "CONTAINER WASHER, MACHINE" your very best career choice?
See the Future Outlook and Educational Requirements for "CONTAINER WASHER, MACHINE"
End Of Job Description for: "CONTAINER WASHER, MACHINE"


text:
@implementation SamuraiRenderStyle

@def_prop_strong( NSMutableDictionary *, properties );

BASE_CLASS( SamuraiRenderStyle )

+ (instancetype)renderStyle
{
	return [[self alloc] init];
}

+ (instancetype)renderStyle:(NSDictionary *)props
{
	SamuraiRenderStyle * style = [[self alloc] init];

	[style mergeProperties:props];

	return style;
}

- (id)init
{
	self = [super init];
	if ( self )
	{
		self.properties = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
	}
	return self;
}

- (void)dealloc
{
	[self.properties removeAllObjects];
	self.properties = nil;
}

- (void)deepCopyFrom:(SamuraiRenderStyle *)right
{
//	[super deepCopyFrom:right];

	[self.properties addEntriesFromDictionary:right.properties];
}

#pragma mark -

- (id)objectForKey:(id)key
{
	return [self.properties objectForKey:key];
}

- (BOOL)hasObjectForKey:(id)key
{
	return [self.properties hasObjectForKey:key];
}

- (id)objectForKeyedSubscript:(id)key
{
	return [self objectForKey:key];
}

#pragma mark -

- (void)setObject:(id)object forKey:(id)key
{
	[self.properties setObject:object forKey:key];
}

- (void)removeObjectForKey:(id)key
{
	[self.properties removeObjectForKey:key];
}

- (void)removeAllObjects
{
	[self.properties removeAllObjects];
}

- (void)setObject:(id)obj forKeyedSubscript:(id)key
{
	[self setObject:obj forKey:key];
}

#pragma mark -

- (void)clearProperties
{
	[self removeAllObjects];
}

- (void)mergeProperties:(NSDictionary *)properties
{
	for ( NSString * key in [properties.allKeys copy] )
	{
		[self setObject:[properties objectForKey:key] forKey:key];
	}
}

@end

// ----------------------------------
// Unit test
// ----------------------------------

#pragma mark -

#if __SAMURAI_TESTING__

TEST_CASE( UI, RenderStyle )

DESCRIBE( before )
{
}

DESCRIBE( after )
{
}

TEST_CASE_END

#endif	// #if __SAMURAI_TESTING__

#endif	// #if (TARGET_OS_IPHONE || TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR)

#import "_pragma_pop.h"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


There's nothing quite like a holiday to trigger all your perfectionist demons.
I love the reasons we celebrate Easter: the resurrection of Jesus, if you're a Jesus person, or the coming of spring if you're not. But like many holidays, it comes with a ton of cultural pressure that mostly lands on Mamas. And whether I can meet a holiday with joy or dread mostly depends on whether I've been taking good care of myself emotionally or not. If my needs are met – joy. If the well is dry – dread.
The pressure to make a holiday is unique, because it comes at a set and arbitrary time – whether you feel like holidaying or not. During Easter I feel pressure to make sure everyone has an outfit that's appropriately springlike but in which they will not freeze to death, since it's still 30 degrees where we live. To host a big dinner and/or a family gathering with all the attendant cleaning, shopping and cooking and which, like most holidays, will fall short of the expectations for at least one, and possibly more, of the people present. And do that ON A SUNDAY, when I have to go to work the next day. Oh, and don't forget to make it look effortless and be sure you look good doing it.
The critical part of what we came up with was his idea: a) decide what our little family is doing; and b) invite anyone else to join us IN WHAT WE ARE DOING. Or not. Those are the only choices. What we're doing is not up for debate.
This short-circuits the people pleasing, hustling-for-approval thing that happens when, instead of making definite plans for our family, I try to come up with something that everyone is happy with. All of that is lifted when I can say we are doing X, and leave everyone else with the choice to join us or not. If it's not what anyone else wanted to be doing with their holiday, it's on them to decline, and if they do join us, it was their choice and they are responsible for their own good time. It seems like a small change, but it created a big internal shift for me.
Full disclosure: Anthony has tried to lead me to this before, with mixed results. Clearly I'm a bit of a slow learner when it comes to this kind of thing. The pressure I put on myself makes so much noise, it can be hard to think clearly in its presence.
And then a midday dinner – not brunch or an Easter buffet, but one of our very favorites: Italian. There's wine! And going out means it has a definitive end point at which I can go home and put on pajamas.
A day of enjoyment and rest for EVERYONE, including Mama.
That's what I call a holiday.
Once upon a time, I was under the impression that your skin remained the same throughout your life, right up until you got old and got wrinkles. And then I turned 40. And every single cosmetic I used stopped working. My skin didn't look much different, but something was certainly changing.
Overnight, it seemed, my face became the place where makeup went to die. The mineral foundation I'd used for years? No trace of it by about 11 a.m. Eyeshadow? Mush. Mascara? Smudged. Eyeliner? EVERYWHERE. For nearly a year I ran through product after product – smudge-proof this, waterproof that, a fistful of different primers – before I realized that the problem was not just the products. My techniques also needed to change along with my skin, but hadn't.
These are the products and techniques that really worked for me – and that I arrived at after trying a lot of things that didn't. It would make me SO HAPPY if I could save you some of the money I wasted. My price point is 'not spending any more than I have to,' and I live in a rural area where there's no Ulta or Sephora, so I like to be able to order my products from Amazon or buy them at the drugstore or the grocery. My year of experimentation taught me where I could go with drugstore products, and where I had to spend a little more.
Use eye primer. My eye primer of choice is Laura Geller Eye Spackle. It brightens my eyes and keeps my eyeshadow in place, creaseless and defined, instead of a muddy, mushy mess. Other primers I tried brightened the lid but didn't do anything for staying power, because my eyelids are hot and oily. If you have cool dry lids you might be able to spend far less. I have friends who swear by this inexpensive eye primer from Elf.
Switch to matte eyeshadow. Unfortunately, one of the casualties of aging is sparkly eyeshadow. Now that the skin above my eyes is less smooth and elastic than it was, eyeshadow with any sparkle or shimmer just makes the skin look crepey, and matte shadows look much better. They're not always easy to find. Physicians Formula matte shadows are my favorite, because they're long-wearing and you can make the colors more intense if you apply them with a damp brush. I've also had good luck with these Cover girl neutrals, which can be found just about anywhere.
Use REALLY good mascara. The only mascara I have found that doesn't give me raccoon eyes is Estee Lauder's Double Wear zero-smudge mascara. Even fixers or 'raincoats' over other mascaras don't give me the results of the Estee Lauder. It's a little more spendy, but worth it.
Use brushes. If you haven't started putting on your eye color with brushes instead of those rotten little sponge applicators that come with the products, definitely do that. Not only will you get better results and more control, there is something about dragging that tiny piece of foam over delicate skin that can make you hate life.
Eyeliner: know when less is more. From the fabulous book Makeup Wakeup, I learned that for the bright, well-defined look I was looking for, that didn't age me or look harsh, I should be "tight-lining" my eyes – putting eyeliner pencil only on the waterline and deep in my lashes, and for me, only on the top. (I have small eyes, and lining both top and bottom tends to make them look even smaller.) As a bonus, this also cut down on my eyeliner transfer.
Eyeliner part 2: go smudge-proof. The hands-down best smudge-proof eyeliner I've found is Essence waterproof gel eye pencil. I understand a lot of theater performers use it for its ability to stay in place – and as a bonus, it's SO affordable.
Know your eye structure. Probably the most helpful insight was when I realized my eyes are 'hooded.' (This came after I had already burned through a bunch of money and products, naturally.) Hooded eyes are when not much of your eyelid and crease is visible. Many women are born with this structure, and many acquire it as they get older. Depending on your particular structure, your mascara or eyeliner may transfer onto your browbone. That was what was happening to me. While I've always had hooded eyes, something about my changing skin was now causing my eye makeup to transfer all over the place, where it hadn't before. Enter this wonderful technique for applying makeup to the mature hooded eye.
Use liquid or cream foundation. The mineral-powder foundation that gave me the fresh, minimally made-up look I loved ten years ago was now aging me, while at the same time not providing the coverage I needed. I was really hesitant to go back to liquid foundation. I associated it with a too-made-up look. But makeup has made a lot of progress in ten years. I tried a few, and settled on Revlon Colorstay for now. I like the way it looks, but I feel like it's not great for my oily, easily-congested skin, so I'm still looking for my foundation soulmate.
Had similar experiences? Hit me up in the comments with your favorite products, techniques and lessons learned.


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This week's Sunday Art Blog features ingenious billboard and decal designs, mind blowing illustration, and an art and poetry show geared toward recovery and healing.
This week's Sunday Art Blog has a theory: less is more. You'll find some really fun and creative things happening in the links below. I'd like to call your attention to the Aldie Counseling Center Art and Poetry Show, which is a page I just made with photos and links to poems that appeared in the art show on Wednesday, October 9, 2013. It is the first art show I was ever in that was geared toward the overcoming of addiction and mental illness. It was truly an honor to be a part of. Another amazing site is Sheen's Portfolio on Behance. You will thank me for linking to it after you've seen it. The skill is astonishing. It's pure perfection, and you will love it! Enjoy this week's Sunday Art Blog, everyone! See you next week!
50 Really Creative Billboards and Decals from TwistedSifter
50 Creative Macbook Decals / iPad Decals, also from TwistedSifter
Aldie Counseling Center Art & Poetry Show: Overcoming Addiction, Recovery, and Healing
Sheen's Profile and Portfolio on Behance - YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS WORK! IT'S STUNNING!
Funny and Creative Facebook Covers
Portraits of Kids with Their Favorite Toys - SO CUTE!


We still need a few more volunteers for the casino.
Tues Aug 21, One Chip Runner 1:15 – 7:30 pm, also one Chip Runner evening 6:30 pm – 3:30 am.
Wed. Aug 22, One Banker and two Chip Runners all for the 6:30 pm – 3:30 am shift.


The menu of contemporary creations is designed to delight, inspire and deliver a delicate fusion cuisine that is based on traditional Mediterranean flavours, the cultures we visited and embraced… and the rich Portuguese history we built along the way. This exceptional balance provides a range of exciting flavours, delivering a groundbreaking gastronomic fusion cuisine that leads the way in innovation, taste and quality.
Here you will find stunning dishes, such as, Shrimp and coconut cream soup with mango tartar and coriander, Mullet, shrimp arzoto and arugula and Angus beef, coffee cream, potato and banana gratin with sautéed vegetables.
The atmosphere at the Dom Duarte has been carefully created to deliver a calm, relaxing and elegant dining experience. Decorated in soft tones of Champagne whites, creams and a touch of pastel orange, these colour palettes are expertly complimented by traditional decors, chandeliers and small table centrepieces.
Giving way to the excellent Algarve summer sunshine and day hours, where guests prefer to be out in the sunshine and al fresco dining... the Dom Duarte is closed during the months of summer.


I much enjoyed Antiphony — a delightfully tuneful and bouncy score, brilliant production values and some very pretty, well-tuned singing by a team of infectiously enthusiastic performers. Please pass on my congratulations.
The staging and costumes were beautiful, the conducting stirring and the children impressive.
How very impressive the performance was this evening. Things have come SUCH a long way since The Tin Knight days.
It was such a pleasure to come to the opera yesterday… I feel very proud to be associated with your next production.
I was impressed with how unique and remarkable an organization W11 is, and with how much your values overlap with our own. You provide so much opportunity for young people to learn and grow. You instil in them a love and understanding of opera and allow them to perform at a high artistic level while still being inclusive. Your commissions have resulted in the realization of many excellent operas by composers and librettists (some young, some prominent) who otherwise never would have created these works. And most remarkably, you have done it all without government funding or affiliation with an established opera company. It is my sincerest wish that the W11 and Family Opera models would be emulated elsewhere, so that more young people can benefit from what we have to offer.
What a marvellous production. We adored it. Guillaume was wide-eyed with amazement. Can I put my name on the list to write another one? I would love to.
I loved the production too — such high production values. I look forward to seeing more.
I thought the opera was magnificent — great performances, exquisite costumes and sets and such wonderful enthusiasm.
Just wanted to say a huge well done! We thoroughly enjoyed Antiphony, the whole production was superb… The whole cast was so disciplined and gave a great performance.
I felt very proud of our 2 Avondale girls (+ our 1 ex-Avondale) this year, especially because the standard of performance was so high. I particularly appreciated the group singing. W11 Opera is a fantastic experience for any child but particularly perhaps for our children with such very limited experience of theatre and music.
I think W11 Opera is quite mind-blowing.
What great news about W1… to be recognized as the Critics Top Choice for a Musical in London. That recognition didn't just happen; it took lots of hard work, countless hours of effort and youngsters with talent and energy to make it fly.
What have I been missing these past years — why on earth haven't I been/seen W11 Opera before? We were both blown away and completely captivated. We thought the whole production was simply stunning. Such fantastically fun costumes, brilliant staging and lighting and as for the children — so utterly professional and amazingly well trained — almost all out of stage school, except I knew they were not! Right, book our seats for next year, whatever it is you are doing, we'll be there… You and your total team are utterly brilliant — but the children are more than brilliant — it must be an amazing end experience for them — inspiration is a great thing to have experienced, I hope they all get more of it in their futures.
The opera was a huge success with the boys… Ali is determined to audition next year!
Thank you so much for letting us participate with these small contributions in your impressive, wonderful and inspiring Opera project.
Thank you to you both for making the W11 opera such a great experience for both Jamie and me… I certainly remain a great admirer of the W11 Opera concept and am thoroughly impressed by the ethos and comraderie of the whole company.
Thank you so much for all that you have done to make the W11 such a wonderful experience for all the Raiders. This was the first "big" theatrical production which Lu has been in and we are delighted that she has not only developed her interest in singing but also that she had great fun with new friends and understood the tremendous pleasure of entertaining other people.
Angus LOVED the whole experience and can't wait til next year.
Jack had a fantastic time during the whole process and will certainly be auditioning next year and what a spectacle it was! Congratulations all round.
WOW!!! What a triumph. We were all stunned. What an achievement — and I know even greater things are to come.
I wanted to write to say what a fantastic time Henry had the W11 Opera this year. He loved being part of show and was quite depressed when he realised that it was all over. He even wore his costume into school the following day — although the trousers fell to bits! He really found his feet, his confidence and his voice as part of the Opera — which, as you'll know as a parent, is so very much what you want for your children. It was all rather unexpected, because Henry tends to be drawn to every kind of laddish game, and we imagined that the opera would be too girly for him! Anyway, against the sentiment of his solo, Henry's heart really was in it. And he's already asking about next year.
It is a gift for the children to have such an opportunity to work with professionals, and I am happy to support their development. The production was a joy. I have heard all kinds of positive feedback from parents and teachers alike.
I have just come back from W11 Opera which I enjoyed HUGELY! What fun, what costumes, and singing, and what professionalism — it was absolutely superb and thank you very much for alerting me!
We absolutely adored it…. Simon came out eulogising and saying it was the best ever… Great choice of opera — lots of catchy numbers, lots of cameo roles to keep all the budding stars happy…….
Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter! As usual the real stars of W11 are the group mothers!
I think every bit of W11 Opera is absolutely super! It's really good to not always have to do schoolwork and think about school but to take a really fun break and meet up out of school with different people and especially W11 Opera because it's basically an essential part of life that one time or another you just have to have fun!
I have been doing W11 Opera for 3 years now and I have to say every one I have done has been fantastic.
W11 Opera is a fantastic opportunity for children to discover their musical skills and for people to see their potential, but most importantly to make new friends and have fun!
W11 has brought me lots of opportunities over the years and has been a wonderful part of my life.
A musical world, I know my experience has been an adventure to remember.
This is my third year in W11 Opera and I really enjoy it. I like W11 because it is creative and challenging.
It's fun, exciting and action-packed. It's definitely something to audition for.
W11 Opera is the best musical organisation for kids that I've ever seen or been in! An unmissable event! A good laugh, and great fun!
I love W11! I love my part. W11 has changed my life.
W11 is my first opera and I have absolutely loved it so far! W11 has given me the chance to practise my singing, acting and even dancing. And plus I even get to perform in it! I've made millions of new friends and hope to keep in touch with everyone!!!!! GO W11!
Every year it gets more and more exciting as you get more and more involved! The best part would most probably be getting lost backstage at the Britten Theatre after a performance — when you are on a major adrenalin rush there's no knowing what you'll get up to!!!
We want more, more, more.


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Fiona Clark
From: Croydon, London
04/10/78070 years old
About Fiona
Fiona was brought up in Staines but frequently moved, as her ex-husband was part of the army. She eventually settled with her 4 children and her new loving partner in Croydon. She cared about nothing more than she cared for her children. Being patient and understanding as they each have their own mental health issues varying from autism, ADHD to depression and anxiety. She loved to cook and was a chef for a while when she was younger. Fiona was also very passionate about politics being a big supporter of everyone deserving of basic human rights and LGBT rights.
Share You Memories of Fiona
Fiona's Accomplishments
Fiona Clark was my mother. She was also one of the first few thousand to die from Covid. She leaves behind four children, a very loving boyfriend of 14 years, her dad, sister, three nieces and an entire hole in the hearts of her friends. Fiona was the most understanding, nonjudgmental and patient mother anyone could have asked for. Though I only got to spend 18 years with her I wouldn't have traded those 18 years with her for even a lifetime with another mum. She put every other person before herself which often left her drained and burnt out, but even then she'd be there for us. I never thought I would have to write something like this so early on in my life and I miss her more than anything in the world but I'm glad to say I can think of her and smile a massive smile.
Fiona was brought up in Staines but frequently moved, as her ex-husband was part of the army. She eventually settled with her 4 children and her new loving partner in Croydon.
She cared about nothing more than she cared for her children. Being patient and understanding as they each have their own mental health issues varying from autism, ADHD to depression and anxiety. She loved to cook and was a chef for a while when she was younger. Fiona was also very passionate about politics being a big supporter of everyone deserving of basic human rights and LGBT rights.


text:
Affolterbach ist ein geographischer Name:

 Affolterbach, Ortsteil der Gemeinde Wald-Michelbach im Kreis Bergstraße, Hessen
 Affolterbach (Ulfenbach), linker Zufluss des Ulfenbachs in Affolterbach, Gemeinde Wald-Michelbach, Kreis Bergstraße, Hessen

Siehe auch:
 Affalterbach
 Afholderbach

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Published: Jan 07 at 11:59 p.m.
Updated: Jan 22 at 12:32 p.m.
This has been adapted from a series of articles by Francis Campbell.
He doesn't want to sound alarmist, but there's no doubt Richard Zurawski has grave concerns.
Zurawski's statement at a meeting of Halifax Regional Municipality council's environment committee highlights dire circumstances, in a world where climate change threatens millions of people. He's convinced the time to act is now.
The local crisis, Zurawski said, is that the nearly half million residents of HRM each annually produce about 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere. Those greenhouse gases directly contribute to warming temperatures and the goal is to reduce that emission level to one tonne per person by mid-century, the councillor said.
The former meteorologist, elected to city council in 2016, was responding to a presentation by Shannon Miedema, manager of the municipality's Energy and Environment Planning department, and Alex MacDonald, a climate change specialist with the same department.
According to the presentation, Halifax releases nearly 7.5 million tonnes of emissions, mainly from residential buildings, on-road transportation and commercial and institutional facilities. These sectors contribute about three quarters of the community-wide emissions.
Leading climate scientists warned in a recent report there are only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum temperature increase of 1.5 C; beyond that, even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.
The authors of the landmark report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the target is affordable and feasible although it lies at the most ambitious end of the 2016 Paris agreement pledge to keep temperature increases between 1.5 and two degrees.
Zurawski said it's imperative that we reach the 1.5-degree goal.
Heat-related deaths would abound, and water shortages would be evident everywhere, Zurawski said.
The world is currently one degree warmer than pre-industrial levels. At a two-degree increase, extremely hot days, such as those experienced in the northern hemisphere this summer, would become more severe and common, increasing heat-related deaths and causing more forest fires, the United Nations panel report said.
Miedema and MacDonald say emissions must be reduced significantly by the year 2050. To do so must be taken in steps, setting up smaller, incremental targets and deciding where to go from there based on mitigation objectives and climate scenarios.
Businesses and the private enterprise must play a role as well, they said.
"I will urge you in the strongest sense to lay out the scenario that happens if we do not implement this," Zurawski told Miedema and MacDonald after the presentation.
The impact of climate change has the potential to be directly catastrophic for human beings, according to researchers, but nature would be hardest hit. Insects, which are vital for pollination of crops, and plants are almost twice as likely to lose half their habitat at two degrees compared with 1.5 degrees. Sea-level rise would affect 10 million more people by 2100 if the half-degree extra warming brought a forecasted 10-centimetre additional pressure on coastlines. The number affected would increase substantially in the following centuries due to locked-in ice melt.
"We are the lead city on the Eastern seaboard of Canada, we are the dominant city in Atlantic Canada. I want us to implement this," Zurawski said.
Updated Apr 02, 2019 at 12:05 a.m.


The lacrosse journey of Hall of Famer Jo Connelly. She attended the Brooks School in Massachusetts before going to Penn State University, where she earned first team All-America honors. She would go on to play on three US National teams in 1997, 2001 and 2005. This interview is another in our series on tweeners—those who excels despite some obvious deficits (see the related link below). Follow the Fred Opie show and the content Fred shares on his website, Twitter and Facebook. Take the time to review the show on You Tube, iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud. If you like what you hear and learn, tell others about it and share and post the link to the show.


As much as I dislike Sprint and their 10 years of circling the drain, their current deal was too good to pass up. So today, I actually became a Sprint customer.
It's not JUST the 12-months free (though that's certainly part of it). It's also the fact that Sprint customers now roam free on T-Mobile. So it's like two networks for the price of one, and that price is free.
I actually ported in a Google Voice number which surprisingly worked.
Probably no so much an issue with roaming on T-Mobile? In any case it's an extra line for me so .
Can you put the Sprint sim in a TMobile phone do it has to stay on TMobile LTE ?
How is Sprint so far? In LA they have B41 plus 10x10 plus 5x5 B25.
Well, I haven't left the house since activating this morning so it's kinda hard to say.
It's my understanding B41 can't penetrate a paper bag. Would it even work in a car?
Yeah no. It works just fine unless medal is blocking it. I get it everywhere. If that was the case then 5G millimeter wave would be screwed. So yeah no.
That's what I did. Using a T-Mo iPhone XS Max. It says "Sprint". Not sure what happens when roaming if it says T-Mo?
I think it says Sprint.
I've been on the free plan since last Fall. Love it so far, except the slower than slow upload speed. Also my bill went up a bit this month. Was $4.09 now $4.69.
So hell did freeze over? LOL.
Congrats man! Keep us updated on performance and the like.
Plus you will find it actually works out to be 14 months right now because the current ed date is 3/31/2020. (They only update the current "end of savings" date once every few months, so it has to be set about 14-15 months out right when it gets extended, so it can stay as a fixed date for a while without short-changing anyone).
To see your last free date in your online account, go to DashBoard / Manage Plan / See Details, or you can see it also in the MySprint app on the phone.
Last edited by comintel; 01-31-2019 at 10:41 PM.
I also took the promo. Nothing is better than free. Also if T-mobile buys them they may be offer some great plan to Sprint customers to merge faster.
Is it real roaming? With a lot of real data when you roam on T-Mobile? Or another Sprint scam like their existing roaming so far (the extended areas where they don't promise any data, or the Verizon areas with only 200 MB a month) ?


The MTN television commercial for the recently activated Number Portability Scheme, for the first time, does have some 'interesting' messages in it.
We all know Saka the comedian, aka Hafiz Oyetoro, he appears to be the ambassador for this campaign. Yet we remember his popularity and dedication to the Etisalat brand of which it seemed his loyalty to that brand was unquestionable.
In this commercial, he is systematically unveiled as he sings the theme song, with emphasis (to my mind) on 'I don port o… to MTN. One would be certain his Etisalat days are over. Yet thinking about the message being passed across by this commercial, it clearly demonstrates how number portability enables him to 'dump' Etisalat 90 days later, due to unsatisfactory services (or contract terms) and port in with MTN.
* Next, judging by the speed with which advert was released, MTN takes the bull by the horns, confident that this scheme is more favorable to them more than their competitors. How long and how mcuh did it take for MTN took to woo Mr. Saka for this we may never know.
Watch the ad and laugh.


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White House Pursuing Plan to Expand Immigrant Rights
Article | July 25, 2014 | Christi Parsons and Brian Bennett | Los Angeles Times
Even as President Obama grapples with the crisis of immigrant children arriving at the Southwest border, White House officials are laying the groundwork for a large-scale expansion of immigrant rights that would come by executive action within weeks.
Officials signaled strongly Friday that Obama's move would shield from deportation large numbers of immigrants living in the country illegally, as advocacy groups have demanded. Read more >
U.S. Weighs Giving Refugee Status to Youths in Honduras
Article | July 24, 2014 | Frances Robles and Michael Shear | The New York Times
Hoping to stem the recent surge of migrants at the Southwest border, the Obama administration is considering whether to allow hundreds of minors and young adults from Honduras into the United States without making the dangerous trek through Mexico, according to a draft of the proposal. Read more >
5 Immigration Issues Central American Leaders Will Raise with Obama
Article | July 24, 2014 | Rebecca Kaplan | CBS News
President Obama will sit down Friday with the presidents of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala - the three countries that have been the greatest source of children illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
In addition to their meeting with Mr. Obama, the leaders are visiting Capitol Hill and are taking part in a panel discussion - and they're armed with a laundry list of issues to discuss with U.S. leaders. Read more >
Rich Countries, Barred Doors: Why Aren't the U.S. and Europe More Welcoming?
Article | July 23, 2014 | Bill Frelick | Los Angeles Times
Something similar is happening at the U.S.-Mexico border and on the Mediterranean. In both places, lifesaving and rights-respecting policies are being blamed for a surge in migrants and asylum seekers.
Italy started a rescue-at-sea operation called Mare Nostrum in response to the drowning of 360 boat migrants in October. In the first six months of this year, 65,000 boat migrants arrived in Italy, an eightfold increase over the same period in 2013. Read more >
Granger Releases Border Crisis Working Group Recommendations
Press Release | July 23, 2014 | Office of Congresswomen Kay Granger
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12), Chairwoman of the House Working Group to address the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border, issued the following statement announcing the group's recommendations and solutions. Read more >
Plan for Young Migrants at Impasse in Congress
Article | July 22, 2014 | Ashley Parker and Jeremy W. Peters | The New York Times
Lawmakers are deadlocked on a plan to deal with the surge in migrant children who are filling detention centers along the Mexican border, with both Democrats and Republicans saying Tuesday that it was increasingly unlikely they could reach an accord before Congress leaves town for a five-week recess at the end of the month. Read more >


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The huge investment bank that has everyone worried
Rob Marstrand 7 July 2016, 21 August 2017 0 10068
Stock investors have completely lost confidence in one of the world's most important investment banks. If it did come crashing down it could start a new global financial crisis across Europe, the USA and beyond. But are the fears massively overdone? It depends if you believe its new boss. If you do, the bank's stock could actually be a great investment.
The bank in question is Deutsche Bank (DB), by far Germany's largest bank. At the end of March this year it had assets of 1.7 trillion euros (US$1.9 trillion). That puts it in the same league as giant US banks such as JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo.
At 11.54 euros, DB's share price is down 62% over the past year. It's taken a big hit since Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum on 23rd June. But most of the price fall happened well before that, as this chart shows.
DB's assets are equivalent to over 50% of German GDP. By comparison, JP Morgan Chase's assets – being the largest US bank – are equivalent to around 20% of US GDP (using the same accounting rules). In other words, DB is a much bigger deal for Germany than JPMC is for the USA.
DB isn't just a "German" bank though. It has a huge, global investment banking business that trades securities and derivatives throughout the world. It's interlinked with every other large financial institution in the US, Europe and Asia.
So it's clear that if Deutsche Bank has a solvency problem then the implications would be huge. This is "systemic risk" writ large. If DB was allowed to fail it would be far worse than when relatively small Lehman Brothers went down in late 2008. Other banks would fail as well.
Clearly, DB's stock investors are deeply concerned about its prospects. But the bank hasn't announced any major new losses or financial distress – at least not yet. So the question is whether this is just a product of over excitement and market rumours? Can Deutsche Bank really be in so much trouble that it's about to need a bailout?
It's certainly priced that way. Using financial results from the end of March, DB stock is priced at 0.3 times book value. Book value – also known as net asset value or shareholders' equity – is the sum of all assets less the sum of all liabilities. In other words, all that a company owns less all that it owes.
Put another way, in theory you could buy the whole of the bank, liquidate its assets, pay off its debts, and you'd make a profit of 233%. You'd get more than three times your investment back.
There's only one way that the market could have got this right, and that's if Deutsche Bank is in desperate need of new capital. If that's the case then it would have to issue billions of euros of new stock, perhaps tens of billions – either to the German government or investors. That would leave existing shareholders owning a much smaller piece of the pie.
Enter the highly respected new CEO John Cryan. As recently as May he said that "We're convinced we can realise this transformation with our own funds." In other words, without raising new capital.
So let's look at the evidence.
A lot of what happens hinges on the credibility of John Cryan. He was parachuted into a joint CEO role in June 2015 with a mandate to restructure and save the bank, and has been sole CEO since May this year.
Cryan, aged 55, is a softly spoken British banker, who speaks with a modest and self-deprecating tone. He's also fluent in German, having moved to Germany "for love" in his late 20s.
He's known as a workaholic. One ex-colleague is reported to have said: "Most managers can drink people under the table. John can work people under the table."
His track record is also impressive. Cryan started as an accountant at Arthur Andersen, a top accounting firm at the time (now defunct). Next he was an investment banker from 1987 to 2008 at UBS and predecessor firms, rising to be head of the global "FIG" team, or Financial Institutions Group.
(UBS is a huge "bulge bracket" investment bank and wealth manager, headquartered in Switzerland – and where I previously worked for 15 years. I don't remember ever meeting Cryan when I was there, although I did work for his boss at one point.)
FIG bankers are the deal makers that advise big banks and insurance companies on company takeovers and capital raising. They work punishing hours, and have brutal international travel schedules.
Most junior investment bankers can't hack the pace after a few years and leave. To end up running a global sector team shows incredible ability and staying power.
In the depths of the financial crisis in 2008, as UBS was starting to rack up huge losses that eventually ran to around $50 billion, Cryan was called on to become UBS's chief financial officer. He stuck in the job until 2011, taking a key role in managing the crisis and keeping the bank afloat.
His boss at the time, ex-UBS CEO Oswald Gruebel – a gritty Swiss banker not known for heaping praise on anyone – showered compliments on Cryan when he departed.
So it's no surprise that Deutsche Bank tapped Cryan in their hour of need. Put simply, if Cryan can't sort out Deutsche Bank then it's doubtful that anyone can.
Cryan has launched a huge restructuring of DB's businesses, under the moniker of "strategy 2020". It's all about making the business simpler, more efficient, less risky, better capitalised and more disciplined.
Two thirds of the top three tiers of managers have been replaced. Non-core businesses have been sold or are for sale, including Indian asset management and a stake in a Chinese bank. The bank's presence is being closed or reduced in 10 countries.
Across Spain and Poland 43 bank branches have been shut down. In Germany around 200 further branches will be closed. The balance sheet is being scaled back. Around three quarters of the bank's computer software systems have been removed. The overall aim is to cut costs by about a third.
Make no mistake, this is a massive transformation that Cryan has taken on. In the meantime the bank is still dealing with huge lawsuits for various past misdemeanours – the multi-billion dollar legacy cost left to Cryan by his predecessors. But he says he's confident most of the remaining ones will be resolved this year.
Deutsche Bank clearly has an impressive and highly respected CEO at the helm. The question is whether he's been brought in too late to tackle this huge task.
The bank itself sailed through the 2007-2009 financial crisis relatively unscathed. It's only loss making year was in 2008, when it wrote down assets by 10 billion euros and reported a net loss of 3.9 billion euros. Most of its peers lost a hell of a lot more over a few years – in some cases over 50 billion.
This relatively benign result was a surprise to many, since DB had a reputation for taking huge trading risks. I remember a senior fixed income trader at UBS once telling me, around 2004, that he couldn't believe the complex and risky derivative trades for clients that DB had happily taken on, and which UBS has flatly refused.
Thus it appeared that DB had escaped the worst of the crisis due to great trading skill, or luck, or both. But there were less charitable conclusions. For a time there were serious rumours that the bank had cooked its books. We'll never know the truth.
In the following years the bank took more lumps due to various fines and trading losses from legacy positions. But it stayed profitable (just about) until 2015, when Cryan got to work clearing out the stables.
Last year it reported a loss of 6.8 billion euros (US$7.5 billion). In a presentation on 31st May Cryan said it "may not make a profit this year", having made a small profit in the first quarter.
If DB has incurred huge losses I'd expect a profit warning to come out in the next week or two, ahead of the full announcement. But for now there's silence.
Second quarter results are due to be announced on 27th July. If DB has incurred huge losses I'd expect a profit warning to come out in the next week or two, ahead of the full announcement. But for now there's silence.
There is, however, one little sign of potential trouble. As of today the bank's head of foreign exchange and emerging market debt trading is leaving the firm. Did DB find itself making currency bets on the wrong side of Brexit currency turmoil?
After all, the British pound plunged around 10% on the "surprise" result, which is bound to have caught out some traders, and Deutsche Bank is one of the biggest currency traders in the world (if not number one).
For now we'll have to wait and see if there's a huge loss lurking in the accounts. Should we trust Cryan or the markets?
If you trust John Cryan then Deutsche Bank stock could offer an excellent profit opportunity for investors. If you trust the current view in the markets then it's toxic waste. Next time I'm take a closer look at whether the massive potential profit is worth the substantial risk.
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Christmas song has mysterious local roots
"Please Come Home for Christmas," has mysterious local roots
Christmas song has mysterious local roots "Please Come Home for Christmas," has mysterious local roots Check out this story on cincinnati.com: http://cin.ci/16whGeg
Steven Rosen Published 1:35 p.m. ET Dec. 18, 2014 | Updated 7:20 p.m. ET Dec. 18, 2014
Undated photo of Charles Brown when he was younger.(Photo: Provided/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives)
A year doesn't go by without a new recording of "Please Come Home for Christmas," that melodically stately, melancholy ballad about not wanting to spend the holidays alone.
This year, there are at least two new versions – by country singer Darius Rucker and alternative rockers Landlady (with guest vocalist Amelia Meath). They join the impressive likes of the Eagles, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, James Brown and others in making the song well known.
But what's not so well known is that the original version was recorded in 1960 at Evanston's King Records studio by Charles Brown, an African-American blues musician known for his jazz-influenced piano playing and his genteel and politely forlorn vocal style.
Brown came and went from Cincinnati with little fanfare. And, as he claimed in interviews before he died in 1999 at age 76, he may have been held here against his will by a kingpin of Northern Kentucky's famous illegal-gambling operations, the late Frank "Screw" Andrews (Andriola). Andrews ran several gambling clubs along Newport's Central Avenue, at least some of which welcomed African-American customers. Some of Brown's predicament seems to have seeped into the emotions of his Christmas song.
Brown had once been a star to black audiences, but by 1959-1961, his Cincinnati years, he was down and out. In the 1940s, as the pianist/singer for a Los Angeles trio called Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, the Texas-born Brown had several huge hits with the trio in "Merry Christmas Baby" and "Drifting Blues." On his own in the early 1950s, he had many other national rhythm-and-blues smashes, including "Black Night" and "Trouble Blues."
But after the hits and cash flow stopped, Brown had a weakness that may have made him an easy mark in Newport. He needed money to bet on horses, according to Danny Caron, the musician who befriended Brown in the late 1980s and helped him launch a late-in-life return to popularity that also saw Brown inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"It was easy for Charles to get indebted," Caron said in an interview. "He could go through thousands of dollars a day. You gave Charles Brown a thousand dollars and it was gone in an hour. He didn't have enough money ever to gamble. That makes it very easy for him to get indebted."
In an interview for the Denver Post with this writer in 1990, before he was set to open for Bonnie Raitt as part of his comeback, Brown recalled his Cincinnati/Newport days and how he got an employment offer from Andrews. "Mr. Screw was crazy about me. When he picked me up and wanted me to come there and stay and join the music department, he paid me $750 a week. Anybody I wanted to bring in, I could."
Brown was Andrews' house pianist. And one artist Brown brought to town to work with him was close friend Amos Milburn, another seemingly past-his-prime blues pianist and singer ("One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," "Chicken Shack Boogie").
In 1960, word of Brown's presence in town reached Syd Nathan of King Records. In the 1990 interview, Brown recalled that Nathan asked him, "'Could you write something as good as 'Merry Christmas Baby?' I said, 'I don't know how good it will be, but I'll write.' He said, 'You and Amos go write one apiece and let me hear what you done.' When we brought it to Syd Nathan he fell in love with mine." Milburn's "Christmas Comes But Once a Year" ended up as the B-side of Brown's King single.
"Please Come Home's" opening was a memorable chiming-bell sound. Philip Paul, who played drums on the record, said that was a gong played by Gene Redd, a King Records musician. "I think that made the recording," Paul said.
The song became Brown's first hit record in eight years and reached No. 21 on Billboard's Top Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. Brown subsequently recorded other singles and even an album of Christmas songs for Nathan, but never had another hit. While Brown claimed he wrote "Please Come Home" alone, the credits listed Redd as co-writer.
Brown told Living Blues magazine in a 1994 interview that in Cincinnati he married an older white woman with children named Eva McGhee, who owned "one of the finest garages in Cincinnati." He characterized it as a "a friendly marriage – it wasn't really love." Brown's 1999 obituary said he was twice divorced and left no family. (Some who knew Brown say he was gay.)
But he also told of wanting to leave town and being threatened by Andrews. He finally escaped, Brown recounted, when federal Internal Revenue Service agents launched a devastating raid on Andrews' Sportsman's Club at 333 Central Ave. on Aug. 22, 1961. The raid was part of the new Kennedy administration's crackdown, and made headlines for days when it happened.
Fortunately for Brown, one "customer" may have helped him escape both Andrews and the federal bust. He was an African-American undercover IRS agent who infiltrated the place before the raid.
In his memoir "Three of the First," Hilton Owens Sr. (who died in 2007) recalled, "I struck up an acquaintance with well-known ballad singer Charles Brown who was famous almost everywhere, except at the Sportsman's Club, where he was merely a fill-in during intermission for the main entertainer. … Brown never discussed why he was trapped in the Sportsman's Club, and I did not pry."
In his 1990 interview, Brown recounted those events. "That night we were playing there, this black guy came and asked, 'Mr. Brown, would it took you and Amos long to get out of there?'"
Brown's path after that is unclear. Accounts say he went to Los Angeles, but a 2004 CD collection called The Very Best of Charles Brown: Original King Recordings shows he recorded again for King on Oct. 9, 1961, and off and on until 1968 while also recording elsewhere. A booklet accompanying another CD says he lived in Cincinnati awhile in the late 1960s, too.
The 1960s and 1970s were decades of struggle and obscurity for Brown. But his one towering accomplishment was "Please Come Home." It becomes more appreciated with each passing Christmas.
Brian Powers of Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County helped with the research.
Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/16whGeg


It's Jeremy Stacey's drumming that drives the Crims into this piece of classic repertoire and it seems somehow appropriate that it's Jeremy, this time on Mellotron, who takes the team to silence and a round of deserved applause. Although Sailors Tale has been in the set list since the band returned to active service in 2014, there are times when this listener at least has to pinch himself upon hearing these piercing themes and turbulent solos filling a venue once again. And tonight's is a stomper and a half!
The sax is nicely predominant in these desk tapes and makes things sound nice and gritty... never get sick of hearing versions of this song either. Be wonderful hearing Sailors coming out of the musical build up of Formentera Lady. Now that would be a challenge make Formentera Lady sound "current"!
Is it my imagination or is this getting faster? Oh dear!
"We may understand our knowing, but we can't know our understanding."


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Melania Trump Wears Controversial Jacket On Texas Border Visit
By Bridget Read Originally published by Vogue US
By Bridget Read
Originally published by Vogue US
Melania Trump has given the world another baffling sartorial moment from her outrageously unaware crisis wardrobe: On her way to visit children at the border in McAllen, Texas, some orphaned from their parents by her husband's zero tolerance immigration policy, the first lady was photographed wearing a £29 green Zara jacket that says, in huge white lettering, "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" Less than a year after making headlines with python Manolo Blahnik stiletto heels, which she donned to visit another group of Texans, those stranded by the destruction of Hurricane Irma, it's unclear what reason she could possibly find to wear a garment with such a message to the Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter, where some 55 children live in citizenship limbo.
Forget About Melania's Shoes, Here's What We Should Be Talking About
You could say the jacket's message is a fitting metaphor for the first lady's attempts at softening some of the president's more brutal and unpopular policies, in that it completely undermines them. From her anti-bullying platform to the aforementioned trip to Houston, Melania's lacklustre gestures at offering herself as a more empathetic White House fixture than her husband have consistently fallen short of any meaningful action. Even her reported misgivings about the policy of separating children from their parents at the border, which the president said influenced his decision to sign an executive order ending the protocol, have only superficially landed: Thousands of children are still separated from their parents, with no plans yet announced to reunite them, and the latest border policy will hold families, though together, indefinitely in detention centers, an equally nightmarish prospect. Only a day ago, Donald Trump used the word "infest" to refer to migrants crossing the border, many of them seeking asylum.
Melania is an immigrant herself, having come to the United States on an "Einstein visa" (for people with "extraordinary ability") from Slovenia as a model then with a Camel cigarette ad in Times Square. "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" neatly sums up the apathy that many feel both Ivanka and Melania Trump display underneath rhetoric that positions themselves as public figures that see themselves first as wives and mothers.
Though she removed the jacket before disembarking from the plane in Texas, appearing at a press conference at the shelter in a white safari shirt, it seems hard to believe that the first lady could have missed the enormous statement on the back, or that she could have missed the implication it would have during her visit to McAllen. Perhaps the Zara item was a stylist's attempt to pre-empt criticism, as with her python heels, that Melania's expensive ensembles when visiting traumatised people is uncouth."This was 100 percent her idea. She absolutely wanted to come," a spokesperson said of her trip south – but what about her outerwear? Another spokesperson in an additional statement said, "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message." It was certainly not hidden – it was literally emblazoned on her back.
This article was originally published on Vogue US.
Tom Ford Succeeds Diane Von Furstenberg As CFDA Chairman
By Alice Newbold
Disney Weighs In On Georgia's Controversial Abortion Law
By Hayley Maitland
Bianca Jagger Still Wears A Tux Better Than Anyone Else
By Susan Devaney
What To Expect From The 'Downton Abbey' Film, According To Its Renowned Costume Designer


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Q: HOWTO: get data from MYSQL database and then use/show this data in a php page in a while/foreach? I figured out how to get the data, how to use it in a while loop, but I am stuck on the last part: a loop in a loop.
I have the following code:

            <?php
                $result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM TabContent WHERE TabID = 1");
                while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
                  {
                  echo '

'. $row['LayoutName'] .'

'. $row['LayoutTiles'] . 'Tiles, '. $row['LayoutLayers'] . 'Layers

';
                  }
            ?>

Cancel

        etc etc same as above

The problem I have is with the div with id="tab1" and the next one with id="tab2" etc. I can get an array of tabs using:
<?php
                $result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Tabs");
                while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
                  {
                  echo 'tab'. $row['TabID'] .;
                  }
            ?>

Giving me: Tab1 Tab2 Tab3 etc. Now the hard part, how do I use these so I can make a loop using this to replace my html div ids?

A: Here's a couple of tutorials that might help you in your struggle:
http://www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/phpmysql
http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/php/php.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A Halloween roundup: spider jewelry.
You are here: Home / Jewelry / A Halloween roundup: spider jewelry.
If you have somehow clicked on this post without reading the title, I'm sorry. Click away. You won't like it.
PS: Anyone else with a hatred of eight-legged beasties will want to come back another day, too.
From Anansi to Aragog, spiders are a frequent fixture both in literature, mythology, and our daily lives. Terrifying when they sneak up on you in bed, but beneficial for killing other, less pleasant insects (like my eternal foe, the mosquito).
I've seen references to the fact that spiders are sometimes considered good luck and also to the spider's fierce defense of its young – but my personal opinion is that most spider motifs just symbolize the fact that spiders look really cool as jewelry.
These Daniela Villegas earrings have a whole lot of awesome going on.
First up: they're rose gold. How often do you see a pretty-in-pink spider? Then: those tourmalines! Yeah. Hard to resist. And finally the subtle spider surmounts, tourmaline-bodied, which cling to the earlobe. Badass.
There are three things I love about this spider brooch: the fact that its body is Tiger's Eye, its delicate spindley legs, and the awesome angle that Bonhams' photographer used to capture this beauty here.
This piece is estate (pre-owned), but not not dated.
Anna Ruth Henriques makes some of the coolest spider jewelry I've ever seen (thanks to JCK Marketplace for introducing me). The above are in silver with rubies, diamonds, and moonstone.
More Anna Ruth Henriques. The black pearl earrings are via Stone and Strand, the rest are from the artist's website. I've chosen my very favorites, but if you like what you see, I urge you to look into more of her work.
This next piece of spider jewelry is antique – late Victorian, to be precise. It's a light and lovely piece that looks to me like a spider sitting on top of an ice cube (although that wouldn't make much sense, really).
The largest piece of the pendant is faceted rock quartz crystal on a 14k gold bail. The front features a delicate spider crouching on the surface of the crystal, with 8 tiny gold wire legs, and rose cut diamond and sapphire body. The spider is attached by a rived that goes through the rock crystal, ending in a golden point on the back side.
The fabulous Jennie Kwon has this small series of spiderweb jewelry, which I think is adorable. The above are all from Twist Online; Catbird also offers a pair of Jennie Kwon spiderweb earrings. Bezel-set diamonds in the webs suggest spiders (or dewdrops?) but these webs' architects are not present.
Catbird gets extra points for naming the pieces after Charlotte's Web but Twist has the bangle, which is my favorite piece.
All of this spider jewelry requires at least a dose of chutzpah to wear, but this crystal Saint Laurent brooch is especially bold. Damn if it doesn't look cool, though, on that black blazer. I'm convinced.
This beauty is similar in era to the previous piece of spider jewelry, but very different in execution. This Art Nouveau stickpin is streamlined compared to its predecessor, but its bold diamond-set body and curved extremities make a statement all the same.
And finally HAPPY ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!! I love this time of year. Go eat something bad for you and take a moment to believe that something magical could be real.
Okay, not going to lie…spiders freak me out but some of this jewelry is gorgeous! I personally wouldn't be able to wear it on a daily basis but I like the idea of wearing it for Halloween. I do love the spider web jewelry!
Those might be my favorites – I love the delicate lines of the webs.
Uck – not into any bug jewelry at all. Maybe butterflies. But I love the pearls in these pieces that have them. All the same, if money were no object, I'd buy those Villegas earrings to wear just this time of year. They're beautiful!
Aren't they?? Gotta love those gemstones.


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Shock Poll: Extremist Teabagger Californians Want Givebacks From Public Employees
As the state of California crumbles under the weight of massive deficits and uncontrolled spending, a stunning poll reveals these wild-eyed extremists actually think it's time for public employee unions to start giving up some of their lavish benefits. To use Democrat-speak, it's time for them to give their fair share.
California voters want government employees to give up some retirement benefits to help ease the state's financial problems, favoring a cap on pensions and a later age for collecting them, according to a new poll.
Voter support for rolling back benefits available to few outside the public sector comes as Gov. Jerry Brown and Republicans in the Legislature haggle over changes to the pension system as part of state budget negotiations. Such benefits have been a flashpoint of national debate this year, and the poll shows that Californians are among those who perceive public retirement plans to be too costly.
Voters appear ready to embrace changes not just for future hires but also for current employees who have been promised the benefits under contract.
Seventy percent of respondents said they supported a cap on pensions for current and future public employees. Nearly as many, 68%, approved of raising the amount of money government workers should be required to contribute to their retirement. Increasing the age at which government employees may collect pensions was favored by 52%.
Although pension costs today account for just a fraction of the state budget, they are putting local governments under considerable financial strain, and analysts say effects on the state may not be far off.
"It's pretty clear that there's broad support for making changes in the area of pensions," said Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who co-directed the bipartisan poll for The Times and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
So a Democrat-run poll in a Democrat state says it's time for these greedy unions to give something back.
"It's just gotten way out of hand," said Beverly Marcelja, a 67-year old Democrat and retiree living in Tracy, in the Central Valley.
Let the head-scratching begin.
"It's one thing for Republican governors in Wisconsin and Indiana to support these types of changes, but seeing this type of support from California voters, even California Democrats, is really remarkable," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and a former GOP strategist.
Indeed. But let's not get too excited. It appears a majority are OK with tax hikes, or at least a special election to decide on whether to increase taxes.
Labels: California
Jennifer Lopez said...
Most DEMOCRAT voters in California want reforms as well.
Turns out the Tea Party is a big tent.
harkin b said...
I love the comment from the rep of the CA Labor Federation who says the public is having a 'moment of envy'. Earth to corrupt pol, it's not envy pal it's the realization that the democratic party has bought votes for years with an unending cycle of luxury benefit/retirement packages that is breaking the backs of taxpayers while at the same time taking money away from the things that government should be doing regarding infrastructure and public offices. The more you expose these cockroaches and how they have no clue on how to balance a budget or live within their means, the worse it makes them look. All they have left now is class warfare but they can't admit that public employees have also created a preffered class for themselves.


If we will not worship the Lord our God now, when will we?
It would be as if we had been brought up out of Egypt, out of slavery, delivered with all the power and might of the Almighty God, set free that we might worship Him in the desert, and found the desert not to our liking.
As long as turmoil and wickedness and injustice remain in the earth, we will worship. The One we serve is our only hope.
We will worship on behalf of those who cannot, and if for a brief moment, I cannot, or you cannot, others will worship for us, praising our God, our Great High Priest, Who has had to see and experience all the ills, all the pain, all hardness, all the evil that could have been so good, and ever turning every stream toward a faithful, glorious end, if only we would lend our consent to His so good will.
It is the will of the Son of God that we should worship and serve the Father, the Father who gave and sent Him. That much we know, and that we can accomplish.
His banner over us is love.


Noted Mising leader Ranoj Pegu have recently claimed that TMPK is a political organization and it has the right to participate in political activities.This statement of Ranoj Pegu slipped into as comment on the social networking site Facebook in one of his replies to the members of networking group called Mising Students Union(MSU) on July 30,2011.The Takam Mising Porin Kebang,literally All Mising Students' Union, is one of the oldest community organization in the Mising tribe that inhabits in two northeastern Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.The tribe belongs to Tani group of people who are known as descendants of Abotani.
Ranoj Pegu,a Marxist-Leninist,has been playing a significant role in matters relating to the community as a leader since the last three decades.He is considered as the man behind the current Mising autonomy movement among the community circle.The Misings are demanding autonomy under Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.The debate into the virtual world sparked off after a thread post by one Achyut Kumar Doley when he asked '' dear guys plainly speaking how much people frm our 28 lacs population loves Dr Ronuj pegu as our torch bearer......it is purely non-political''(sic).Ranoj Pegu ,who later joined the thread on the Facebook group,said that TMPK,MMK and TMMK are political organizations and they have the right to participate in political activities.
After all our main demand for autonomy is a political demand. It is not simply social or cultural demand. Difference is that these are not 'political party'. These organisations are fighting for a cause and using parliamentary struggle as a tactical means. Once the cause is achieved the organasations will withdraw from active politics and leave it only to political parties."
Pegu also adds, "After all our main demand for autonomy is a political demand.It is not simply social or cultural demand.Difference is that these are not 'political party'.Putting points of justification in his Facebook comment he says '''these organizations are fighting for a cause and using parliamentary struggle as a tactical means.Once the cause is achieved the organizations will withdraw from active politics and leave it only to the political parties."
Ranoj Pegu's comment sparked off a lengthy thread discussion on Facebook with as many as 221 comments which could be longest ever discussions on internet relating to the Mising community till date.Meanwhile the statement have invited mixed reactions among the student community especially who are members of the MSU group on Facebook across the virtual world.With volleys of reactions pouring in from the student community Ranoj Pegu have posted a document entitled ''why TMPK is a political organization ''on the same site the previous night.By claiming the TMPK , which is basically a student organization as political organization,the debate is likely to be heated one in the coming days among the Mising student community at large.
If they claim to be a pol party, then let them fight as a non-aligned ( either to any mainstream pol party ) third force for the rights of the Mishing community.If they claim to be a pol party, then let them fight as a non-aligned ( either to any mainstream pol party ) third force for the rights of the Mishing community.


Proper Pencil art requires techniques that need to be worked on steadily and accurately. We see no reason why even beginners shouldn't benefit from another of the country's leading pencil and botanical artists. Janie is concentrating on aspects that both complement and develop our other botanical and pencil art courses, but, as you can see, she covers a range of subject matter with her students.
"Very enjoyable – small class – tutor very informative.
"Excellent course. Look forward to coming to another one when possible.


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There's never been a folk hero quite like Davy Crockett, and you'll see why when you watch him take on an alligator, battle an Indian chief in a tomahawk duel and fight for freedom at the Alamo.
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
There's never been a folk hero quite like Davy Crockett, and you'll see why when you watch him take on an alligator, clash with an Indian chief in a tomahawk duel and battle for freedom at the Alamo. Davy and his friend George Russell fight in the Creek Indian War, then Davy is elected to Congress and brings his rough-hewn ways to the House of Representatives. Finally, Davy and George journey to Texas and join in the last stand at the Alamo.


How would you like to live here? Too bad, it's already rented!
As of January 16, Dan and I are the proud owners of our first rental home and even in just a week we are starting to get a picture of the ups and downs involved. On the upside, we already have most of the repairs finished that we wanted done before having a tenant moved in. We were also pleasantly surprised by the great response we had to our Craigslist ad. Within 2 hours of first posting the ad, we already had people calling and filling out rental applications online. In fact, we had 10 showings in the first 3 days which was enough to find multiple candidates that we were fairly confident in renting to.
One of the candidates seemed like a great fit for us. She was an elderly retired woman (let's call her Mary, not her real name of course) with two handicapped grandchildren that she cared for and received monthly payments from the government on their behalf, in addition to a decent pension. Mary also had lived in her last two locations for almost 10 years each, which sounded pretty darn good to us. Older woman with guaranteed income and longevity? Perfect! We let her know that pending a reference and credit check we would be interested in moving forward with her application.
During the course of our research into becoming landlords, multiple individuals recommended to us that previous landlord references were one of the crucial screening calls to make. With this in mind, we prepared to make a few phone calls. We noticed that Mary hadn't written down her past landlord's number, so we gave her a quick call to which she responded that she didn't have it on her but she would call us right back with it. After waiting a couple of hours and not hearing back, Dan decided to try to find the number himself using her listed address. Luckily, he found a full listing provide by the city housing authority of all of the owner/property managers for each rental unit including name and phone number. However, we needed to call Mary back anyway to get a few more pieces of information and this time she gave us her landlord's number herself.
We called the landlord with the number she provided and he gave her a raving review. Never late on payments, grandkids don't cause any problems, just everything perfect. However, there were a couple of discrepancies that didn't quite pass the stink test. First, Mary had written on her application that she paid $525/mth at her current address and the landlord said $1200. Second, she claimed that her reason for leaving was that the landlord was selling the property but the landlord was very emphatic that they didn't know she was moving and how disappointed they were in losing her. Finally, the name and number of the landlord didn't match what was on the city spreadsheet as the legal contact, and the number was only 1 digit different from her personal number (which also happened to be from a different area code then the local one). We had Dan's brother double check the owner of the cell phone number – he works for a local cell distributor – and found that Mary was the owner of the account.
Now I'm usually a pretty relaxed person and don't get angry too easily, but this situation really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, seriously? You're going to give me a fake phone number and have your family lie to a prospective landlord? We don't know why she lied to us, whether she didn't have the other landlord's number or was intentionally hiding problems she was having, but to us it doesn't matter. She will not be living in our house under any circumstances. Luckily, we had a second choice tenant whose credit check showed exactly what she told us it should and her landlord's name and number matched the spreadsheet and also happened to be a former mayor. Somewhat more legit.
It is easy to see how people who own businesses can become cynical very quickly. Most people just want to do the right thing, but some really are trying to take advantage of you. The important thing is having a healthy balance of faith and skepticism about other people, so hopefully you can determine which is which. And remember, if it stinks…it's probably fishy.


This Astex Pharma abstract was just published today - and contains preliminary data for the phase 1/2 trial of SGI-110 (second generation version of the DNA hypomethylator decitabine aka DACOGEN). More updated results from recent dose cohorts are not included in this abstract but will be presented at the AACR meeting on Monday April 2.
SGI-110 is a novel second generation HMA, formulated as a low volume SQ injection. It is designed as a dinucleotide incorporating decitabine and guanosine, to prolong in vivo exposure and potentially improve efficacy of its active component, decitabine by protecting decitabine from rapid deamination by cytidine deaminase. Preclinically, SGI-110 demonstrated potent activity in-vivo using different routes of administration.
A randomized Phase 1-2 FIH PK/PD-guided, dose-escalation study is being conducted in subjects with relapsed/refractory intermediate or high-risk MDS or AML. The objective of the first stage of the study is to determine the safety and tolerability of SGI-110 and to establish the MTD and the biologically effective dose (BED). Subjects are randomized to one of two SQ regimens (daily x5 or once weekly x3, both given in 28-day courses). PD is evaluated by LINE-1 global DNA hypomethylation,. The second stage of the study will be a randomized Phase 2 dose expansion, once the BED and MTD have been determined.
Currently, 5 dose-cohorts have been fully enrolled, (n= 55) at doses ranging from 3mg/m2 to 60 mg/m2 daily x5, and 6mg/m2 to 90 mg/m2 weekly x3 but are not yet fully evaluable. PK guidance has allowed rapid dose escalation, and PD assessment of global hypomethylation has been correlated with increased dose and exposure levels. Apart from manageable local injection site pain, SGI-110 has been well tolerated. Other AE's were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or anemia. There have been 3 remissions in relapsed AML subjects: 1 CR with weekly (60mg/m2) and 1 PR and 1 CR with daily (36 and 60 mg/m2 respectively) . The PK profile showed efficient conversion of SGI-110 to decitabine achieving exposures in the therapeutic range as predicted from the SGI-110 rational design, characterized by decitabine AUC in therapeutic range (cohorts 4-5), lower Cmax, and longer effective half life, as compared to historical data based on molar equivalent doses of IV decitabine. Dose-dependent hypomethylation induction in the first 5 cohorts was observed. The subject who achieved a CR had the highest degree of hypomethylation induction of all subjects tested to date, and also the highest decitabine AUC in the cohort. Updated efficacy, safety, PK, and PD data of both regimens will be presented. SGI-110 is safe and well tolerated to date; biologically effective and therapeutic dose levels have been achieved with little toxicity so far with both regimens.
Preliminary efficacy (PR+CR) has been observed in relapsed AML subjects. The PK profile showed efficient conversion of SGI-110 to decitabine with achievable therapeutic exposures, longer apparent half life, and lower Cmax than predicted equivalent decitabine doses given IV. Global Hypomethylating effects were observed at all dose levels, evaluated to date with both regimens. The results justify the progress of the study to the second dose-expansion Phase 2 stage after establishing the BED and MTD.


O'Shea, Matthew K and Tanner, Rachel and Müller, Julius and Harris, Stephanie A and Wright, Danny and Stockdale, Lisa and Stylianou, Elena and Satti, Iman and Smith, Steven G and Dunbar, James and Fletcher, Thomas E and Dedicoat, Martin and Cunningham, Adam F and McShane, Helen (2018) Immunological correlates of mycobacterial growth inhibition describe a spectrum of tuberculosis infection. Scientific reports, 8 (1). p. 14480. ISSN 2045-2322.
A major contribution to the burden of Tuberculosis (TB) comes from latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections (LTBI) becoming clinically active. TB and LTBI probably exist as a spectrum and currently there are no correlates available to identify individuals with LTBI most at risk of developing active disease. We set out to identify immune parameters associated with ex vivo mycobacterial growth control among individuals with active TB disease or LTBI to define the spectrum of TB infection. We used a whole blood mycobacterial growth inhibition assay to generate a functional profile of growth control among individuals with TB, LTBI or uninfected controls. We subsequently used a multi-platform approach to identify an immune signature associated with this profile. We show, for the first time, that patients with active disease had the greatest control of mycobacterial growth, whilst there was a continuum of responses among latently infected patients, likely related to the degree of immune activation in response to bacillary load. Control correlated with multiple factors including inflammatory monocytes, activated and atypical memory B cells, IgG1 responses to TB-specific antigens and serum cytokines/chemokines. Our findings offer a method to stratify subclinical TB infections and the future potential to identify individuals most at risk of progressing to active disease and benefit from chemoprophylaxis.