text:
ALL Foreign Affairs Agencies Affected By #OPMHack: DOS, USAID, FCS, FAS, BBG and APHIS
June 15, 2015 By domani spero in Disasters, Federal Agencies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Huh? News, Realities of the FS, Security, Security Clearance, State Department, Technology and Work, Trends, USAID Tags: AFSA, APHIS, BBG, credit monitoring, CSID, FAS, FCS, identity thief protection, OPM, OPM hack, OPM Privacy Act Incident Services, SF-86, USAID	1 Comment
Posted: 6:15 pm PDT
AFSA has now issued a notice to its membership on the OPM data breach. Below is an excerpt:
On Thursday June 4, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) became aware of a cybersecurity incident affecting its systems and data. AFSA subsequently learned that the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of many current and former federal employees at the foreign affairs agencies have been exposed as a result of this breach.
The most current information provided to AFSA indicates the following: Most current, former and prospective federal employees at ALL foreign affairs agencies have been affected by this breach. That includes the State Department, USAID, FCS, FAS, BBG and APHIS. OPM discovered a new breach late last week which indicates that any current, former or prospective employee for whom a background investigation has been conducted is affected.
In the coming weeks, OPM will be sending notifications to individuals whose PII was potentially compromised in this incident. The email will come from opmcio@csid.comand it will contain information regarding credit monitoring and identity theft protection services being provided to those federal employees impacted by the data breach. In the event OPM does not have an email address for the individual on file, a standard letter will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. All the foreign affairs agencies suggest that those affected should contact the firm listed below. Members of the Foreign Commercial Service may additionally contact Commerce's Office of Information Security at informationsecurity@doc.gov.
As a note of caution, confirm that the email you receive is, in fact, the official notification. It's possible that malicious groups may leverage this event to launch phishing attacks. To protect yourself, we encourage you to check the following:
Make sure the sender email address is "opmcio@csid.com".
The email is sent exclusively to your work email address. No other individuals should be in the To, CC, or BCC fields.
The email subject should be exactly "Important Message from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management CIO".
Do not click on the included link. Instead, record the provided PIN code, open a web browser, manually type the URL http://www.csid.com/opm into the address bar and press enter. You can then use the provided instructions to enroll using CSID's Web portal.
The email should not contain any attachments. If it does, do not open them.
The email should not contain any requests for additional personal information.
The official email should look like the sample screenshot below.
image via afsa.org
Additional information has been made available on the company's website, www.csid.com/opm, and by calling toll-free 844-777-2743 (International callers: call collect 512-327-0705).
Agency-Specific Points of Contact:
If you have additional questions, contact AFSA's constituency vice presidents and representatives:
State: Acting VP Bob Silverman; Matthew Asada as of June 22.
USAID: Sharon Wayne
FCS: Steve Morrison
FAS: Mark Petry
BBG: Andre de Nesnera
APHIS: Mark Prescott
Retirees: Larry Cohen
Read the full announcement here.
Amidst this never ending round of data breaches, go ahead and read Brian Krebs' How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Security Freeze. The USG is not offering to pay the cost of a credit freeze but it might be worth considering.
Of course, the security freeze does not solve the problem if the intent here goes beyond stealing USG employees' identities. If the hackers were after the sensitive information contained in the background investigations, for use at any time in the future, not sure that a credit freeze, credit monitoring and/or ID thief protection can do anything to protect our federal employees.
Security clearance investigations, by their very nature, expose people's darkest secrets — the things a foreign government might use to blackmail or compromise them such as drug and alcohol abuse, legal and financial troubles and romantic entanglements. (via)
I understand why the USG has to show that it is doing something to address the breach but — if a foreign government, as suspected, now has those SF-86s, how can people protect themselves from being compromised? If this is not about compromising credit, or identities of USG employees but about secrets, credit monitoring and/or ID thief protection for $20 Million will be an expensive but useless response, wouldn't it?
Notifications of Individuals Potentially Affected By #OPMHack on a Rolling Basis From June 8-June 19
June 15, 2015 By domani spero in Federal Agencies, Interagency Cooperation, Security, Security Clearance, State Department, Technology and Work, Trends Tags: CSID, data breach, OPM, OPM hack, OPM Privacy Act Incident Services, Winvale Group LLC	1 Comment
Posted: 4:15 am EDT
On May 28, just days before the OPM breach was reported, OPM issued a solicitation for OPM Privacy Act Incident Services. The services required include 1) notification services, 2) credit report access services, 3) credit monitoring services, 4) identity theft insurance and recovery services, and 5) project management services. According to the solicitation, these services will be offered, at the discretion of the Government, to individuals who may be at risk due to compromised Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The $20,760,741.63 contract for Call 1 was awarded to Winvale Group, LLC (http://winvale.com) on June 2 but was published on fedbiz on June 5, the day after the breach was reported. Call 1 contract includes services to no more than 4 million units/employees.
Here's what the company says via: http://winvale.com:
Excerpted from CSID FAQ:
What systems were affected?
For security reasons, OPM cannot publicly discuss specifics of the systems that might be affected by the compromise of personnel data. Additionally, due to the ongoing FBI investigation, it would be inappropriate to publicly provide information that may impact current work by law enforcement. OPM has added additional security controls to better protect overall networks and systems and the data they store and process.
What personal information was compromised?
OPM maintains personnel records for the Federal workforce. The kind of data that may have been compromised in this incident could include name, Social Security Number, date and place of birth, and current and former addresses. The communication to potentially affected individuals will state exactly what information may have been compromised.
Why didn't OPM tell affected individuals about the loss of the data sooner?
OPM became aware of an intrusion in April 2015. OPM worked with the DHS's Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) as quickly as possible to assess the extent of the malicious activity and to identify the records of individuals who may have been compromised. During the investigation, OPM became aware of potentially compromised data in May 2015. With any such event, it takes time to conduct a thorough investigation, and identify the affected individuals.
It is important to note that this is an ongoing investigation that could reveal additional exposure; if that occurs, OPM will conduct additional notifications as necessary. Protecting the integrity of the information entrusted to the Office of Personnel Management is the agency's highest priority.
I did not receive a letter stating that my information was compromised, but feel that I should have. Can you help me?
OPM is aware of the affected data and the networks and the data on which it resides. OPM will begin sending notifications to individuals whose PII may have been compromised on June 8, 2015. These notifications will take place on a rolling basis through June 19, 2015.
What are the risks of identity theft with the information that was compromised?
Receiving a letter does not mean that the recipient is a victim of identity theft. OPM is recommending that people review their letters and the recommendations provided. In order to mitigate the risk of fraud and identity theft, OPM will offer credit report access, credit monitoring and identify theft insurance and recovery services at no cost to them, through CSID®. This comprehensive, 18-month membership includes credit monitoring and $1 million in identity theft protection services.
How long will it take to inform all the potential victims involved in the incident?
OPM will begin conducting notifications to affected individuals using e-mail and/or USPS First Class mail on June 8, 2015 and will continue notifications on a rolling basis through June 19, 2015.
Can my [family member] also receive services if he/she is part of my file/records?
Your [family member] was not affected by this breach. The only data potentially exposed as a result of this incident is your personal data.
To see the full list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here. This is not dated, and it does not include any information on the potential breach of security clearance data.
If SF-86s are compromised, wouldn't the breach potentially could also affect family members?
1) More Systems Compromised in #OPMHack, 2) A Love Letter to Hackers, and 3) What's a Credit Freeze?
June 15, 2015 By domani spero in Federal Agencies, Media, Privacy, Security, Security Clearance, State Department, Technology and Work, Trends Tags: @APDiploWriter, @jimsciutto, "phishing" attacks, Brian Krebs, data breach, OPM hack, Patrick F. Kennedy, personally identifiable information, PII, security freeze, SF-86, Winvale Group LLC	1 Comment
On June 4, OPM released a statement on "a cybersecurity incident" that potentially affected personnel data of current and former federal employees, including personally identifiable information (PII) (see OPM Hack Compromises Federal Employee Records, Not Just PII But Security Clearance Info). The initial estimate was that the OPM hack affected potentially 4 million employees. On June 12, fedscoop reported that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) believed that the breach may have compromised personal data of as high as 14 million employees.
We understand that the State Department issued a notice to employees concerning the OPM breach on June 4. A second notice dated June 12 (am told this was actually a June 11 notice) was shared with BuzzFeed (see below). Several unnamed State Department employees were quoted in that BuzzFeed article, a tell-tale sign of growing frustration that we can also see from our inbox.
Hack of OPM reportedly exposed second set of much more sensitive data http://t.co/uSCwt8sqeB by @dangoodin001
— Ars Technica (@arstechnica) June 13, 2015
My 3 pieces on #OPMHack this week. I was pessimistic. I know USG. http://t.co/E7YhFCFeTQ + http://t.co/zoGoVpzdd7 + http://t.co/sOauUMT09G — John Schindler (@20committee) June 12, 2015
#OPMhack @AFGENational wrong that all Feds affected. State/USAID mostly unaffected. AFSA informing our members. http://t.co/uymmIcnHG4 — Robert Silverman (@silverrj99) June 12, 2015
Get the original email, and you have a recipe for BRILLIANT phishing attacks on the US State department: http://t.co/LJlPmcIYDu — Nicholas Weaver (@ncweaver) June 13, 2015
Excerpt from email sent by Under Secretary of Management Pat Kennedy on June 12 (via BuzzFeed)
This is an update to my previous e-mail of June 4th [repeated at the very end of this message.]
As was communicated last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently became aware of a cybersecurity incident affecting its systems and data that may have exposed the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of some current and former Federal employees. This email provides additional information regarding next steps for those affected State Department employees. But, every employee should read this email.
In the coming weeks, OPM will be sending notifications to individuals whose PII was potentially compromised in this incident. The email will come from [DELETED] and it will contain information regarding credit monitoring and identity theft protection services being provided to those Federal employees impacted by the data breach. In the event OPM does not have an email address for the individual on file, a standard letter will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service.
1. Make sure the sender email address is [DELETED]
2. The email is sent exclusively to your work email address. No other individuals should be in the To, CC, or BCC fields.
3. The email subject should be exactly [DELETED]
4. Do not click on the included link. Instead, record the provided PIN code, open a web browser then manually type the URL {DELETED]. You can then use the provided instructions to enroll [DELETED].
5. The email should not contain any attachments. If it does, do not open them.
6. The email should not contain any requests for additional personal information.
7. The official email should look like the sample screenshot below.
Additional information has also been made available beginning on June 8, 2015 on the company's website [DELETED].
Regardless of whether or not you receive this notification, employees should take extra care to ensure that they are following recommended cyber and personal security procedures. If you suspect that you have received a phishing attack, contact your agency's security office.
In general, government employees are often frequent targets of "phishing" attacks, which are surreptitious approaches to stealing your identity, accessing official computer systems, running up bills in your name, or even committing crimes using your identity. Phishing schemes use e-mail or websites to trick you into disclosing personal and sensitive information.
Hopefully no one will copy this "recipe" to send folks a fake notification to enroll somewhere else.
On May 28, just days before the OPM breach was reported, OPM issued a solicitation for OPM Privacy Act Incident Services. The services required include 1) notification services, 2) credit report access services, 3) credit monitoring services, 4) identity theft insurance and recovery services, and 5) project management services. According to the solicitation, these services will be offered, at the discretion of the Government, to individuals who may be at risk due to compromised Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The $20,760,741.63 contract for Call 1 was awarded to Winvale Group, LLC on June 2 but was published on fedbiz on June 5, the day after the breach was reported. Call 1 contract includes services to no more than 4 million units/employees.
Note that the State Department notice dated June 12 says that "email should not contain any attachments (#5). The OPM Services awarded on June 2 includes the following:
3.1.1.2 Contractor email Notification: The Contractor will prepare and send email notifications to affected individuals using read receipts. Emails (or attachments) will appear on Government letterhead, will contain Government-approved language, and will contain the signature of the Government official(s). Emails may contain one or more attachments. Email notification proof(s) will be provided to the Government for approval not later than 48 hours after award of a Call against the BPA. The Government will approve the email notification within 24 hours to enable the Contractor to begin preparation for distribution. The Contractor will require, receipt, track, and manage read receipts for email notifications.
Get that?
Now this. Somebody from State sent us a love letter for the hackers:
Dear Hackers: While you're in there, please get my travel voucher for $291.46 approved, permanently cripple Carlson Wagonlit so we can stop wasting money on a useless product, and figure out how many special political hires there really are roaming our halls. Oh and please don't use my SF-86 info against my parents, it isn't their fault I was an idiot and gave the government every last bit of info on my entire life. I'm sure there's more but it's the weekend, let's chat Monday. #LetsActLikeNothingHappened #SeriouslyThoughWTF .
And because the initial report is often understated per abrakadabra playbook hoping the bad news will go away, we're now hearing this:
Just in: State tells all staff more systems compromised in #OPMhack incl bkgd checks of "current, former & prospective Fed govt employees"
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 14, 2015
Oops, wait, what's this?
@jimsciutto @Diplopundit No doubt the email was sent this afternoon, so it is new in that respect. But it contains no new information.
— Matt Lee (@APDiploWriter) June 15, 2015
Well, here is part of that email sent from "M" on June 15, 5:35 pm ET:
"OPM has recently discovered that additional systems were compromised. These systems include those that contain info related to background investigations of current, former, and prospective Federal government employees, as well as other individuals from whom a Federal background investigation was conducted. This separate incident…was discovered as a result of OPM's aggressive efforts to update its cybersecurity posture… OPM will notify those individuals whose info may have been compromised as soon as practical. You will be updated when we have more info on how and when these notifications will occur."
So that original OPM estimate of 4 million affected employees is now OBE. That original $20 million contract will potentially go up.
Brian Krebs' piece on credit monitoring, the default response these days when a breach happens is worth a read. Basically, he's saying that credit monitoring services aren't really built to prevent ID theft (read Are Credit Monitoring Services Worth It?).
What can you do besides the suggestions provided by the State Department and OPM? Brian Krebs suggests a "credit freeze" or a "security freeze" not discussed or offered by OPM. Check out the very informative Q&A here.
AP story cites union folks saying all govt workers' info exposed in breach. No better time to read/act on this: http://t.co/IzLNZ2NW7a — briankrebs (@briankrebs) June 12, 2015
We know what else is on our to-do list today.
New Sounding Board Topic: "Please don't share the Sounding Board with Al Kamen."
June 15, 2015 By domani spero in Media, Org Culture, Org Life, State Department Tags: Al Kamen, In The Loop, rats, Sounding Board
Rats and diplomacy: An unhealthy stew http://t.co/82mNHb5L4z Rats in cafeteria rattle State Department employees
— Al Kamen (@KamenIntheLoop) June 9, 2015
We have it in good authority that there is now a hopeless new Sounding Board topic that says, "Please don't share the Sounding Board with Al Kamen."
C'mon, folks. Don't do this. People should be able to talk freely about rodents and critters with whoever they want, even Al. Like the song goes … ♫ let it go, let it go, don't hold back, it's only about the damn rats ♬
Oh, but there's something else, please cover your eyes if you don't want to see this but … last year somebody unearthed a Mike Causey column from the Washington Post that talks about … you guess it, rats. The Ghost of DC says this was published on October 7th, 1968.
State Department Full of Rats http://t.co/XxebSoPOQV
— Ghosts of DC (@GhostsofDC) May 23, 2014
1968! That was before all of you were born.
But there's good news. An average rat's life span is 2-3 years. The bad news? Apparently, according to Discover Magazine, a female rat can mate as many as 500 times with various males during a six-hour period of receptivity—a state she experiences about 15 times per year. Thus a pair of brown rats can produce as many as 2,000 descendants in a year if left to breed unchecked. See 20 Things You Didn't Know About… Rats
Ugh! So, clearly, the old plan from 1968 still works: the rats must be stopped now before the Government gets bogged down in another unwanted ground war. Sign-up sheets over there.
Obama Admin Official Leaks Dismal Stengel-Kerry Memo on ISIS Counter Messaging
June 15, 2015 By domani spero in Functional Bureaus, Govt Documents, Huh? News, John F. Kerry, Media, Public Diplomacy, Secretary of State, Security, Social Media, State Department, Technology and Work Tags: 12 FAM 540 SBU, counter messaging, ISIS, leaked memo, leaks, Richard Stengel, SBU, State/R, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs	1 Comment
An internal State Department memo paints a dreary view of the Obama administration's efforts to counter messaging by the Islamic State. And somebody leaked it to the New York Times.
The Coalition's messaging working group vs. #ISIL can't manage to communicate with itself, State Dept. official says. http://t.co/PnXRr9I2OL
— Michael R. Gordon (@gordonnyt) June 13, 2015
UAE reticent, Brits are overeager." @stengel says US & allies losing social media war v #ISIS. http://t.co/N49ehY2qez pic.twitter.com/CYpDNt7tFG
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) June 13, 2015
At least #johnoliver no longer mocks them. Major "metric" of success in eyes of pol types. https://t.co/G6hL0cZYmc
— Alberto Fernandez (@VPAFernandez) June 13, 2015
@stengel's internal memo on anti-#ISIL communication strategy, courtesy of another leak in Washington http://t.co/OcucAQ8ia5
— Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) June 13, 2015
@comradewong why did one Obama admin official leak the memo? To undercut Kerry/Stengel/State?
— Jonathan E. Kaplan (@Jonny99Kaplan) June 13, 2015
Why, indeed?
The internal memo, dated June 9 is marked SBU or "sensitive but unclassified." It was drafted and approved by Richard A. Stengel, the State Department's under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs (State/R) and a former managing editor of Time magazine. The memo addressed to Secretary Kerry is cleared only by one person, Susan Stevenson, from Stengel's own Front Office; there are no other addressee. It's hard to say how far this memo traveled in 4-5 days before it was leaked but the source could not be too far away from Stengel and Kerry's offices.
The question now is motive. Who leaked that memo and why? Is it to garner support from higher ups like those in the WH or is it to torpedo Stengel's "big proposal and immediate improvement" before it get legs. Who gains, who losses from this leak?
The memo is made available online by the NYT.
Pardon me, you're waiting for the SBU leaker to get caught? We'll, we're also waiting for the trap doors for the leakers of the 2010 secret cables sent by then Ambassador Eikenberry on the Afghanistan strategy, and the 2012 top secret cable by then Ambassador Crocker on Pakistani havens. To-date, none of those leakers have been caught. So, catch the SBU leaker? Good luck!


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Q: OpenGL - poor performance with high scale values I'm observing a strange phenomenon with my OpenGL-program which is written in C#/OpenTK/core-profile.
When displaying mandelbrot-data from a heightmap with ~1M vertices the performance differs dependant on the scale-value of my view-matrices (it's orthographic so yes I need scale). The data is rendered using VBO's. The render-process includes lighting and shadow-maps.
My only guess is that something in the shader "errors" on low scale values and there is some error handling. Any hints for me?
Examples:

A: There is nothing unusual about this at all. At lower scale values, your mesh does not cover a great deal of the screen so it does not produce very many fragments. At larger scales, the entire screen is covered by your mesh and worse still, overdraw becomes a huge factor.
You are fragment bound in this scenario, reducing the complexity of your fragment shader should help and a Z pre-pass to reduce overdraw will also help.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Michael West's The Wide Game: Memorable Horrors
For background on The Wide Game and an interview with Michael West, see my author spotlight.
The Wide Game is a tense, well-structured page-turner that draws on regional flavor–the fictional town of Harmony in an atmospherically real Indiana–that earns it a place in American horror alongside other regionalists like Stephen King and Bentley Little, not to mention Poe and Lovecraft. In other words, West's supernatural worlds, like the best we have, flow from the world he knows, not from some new twist on the latest trendy monsters. As a result, the casual reader who wants fast-paced scares as well as the horror fan who wants substance will find much of value in this reissue of the beginning of West's Harmony cycle.
This paragraph is for the part of me who likes the frosted side. While far from qualifying as extreme horror, The Wide Game delivers some startling (narratively justified) gore that engaged my love of extreme aesthetics, i.e., the side of horror that pushes the boundaries of where art can and should take the imagination. Despite my general efforts as a reader not to anticipate plotlines, I did see the major twists coming–that said, West is courteous enough to deliver twisted plotting with tickle-torturing efficacy, something too often lacking in today's straightforward subgenre ruts, and his attention to detail is careful enough to merit serious rethinking and rereading in order to admire the narrative elaboration as a product of true craftsmanship rather than cheap trickery.
My description so far might suggest labored prose, but West's reads like the opposite. The regional flavor only appears in spare description and characters' attitudes, and that craftsmanship is so admirable in part because the buttresses are all but invisible behind lean, easy prose. What's interesting about the writing is that, mostly embedded within characters' perspectives, it depends heavily on allusions, many of which are especially poignant given the book's pervasive nostalgia, which begins with the dedication "For the Class of 1988." Indeed, readers who didn't either live through the 80s or see a lot of John Hughes movies will miss a great deal of the culture that West captures both through his narrator's voice and in the dialogue of his characters, both in a 1988 timeline and in a class reunion timeline ten years later.
Now I get to the whole wheat side. The 80s nostalgia is part of what makes the book fun, but it also makes the book itself, particularly the 2013 reissue, a compelling commentary on "Gen X" as it ages and begins to assess where the attitudes that characterized its "cool" in the 80s had led the world by the late 90s (and now, by the early 2010s). Much as critics have interpreted the surge of horror in the 1970s as a reaction to a generation's earlier idealism gone horribly awry, The Wide Game provides a confrontation between present and past and finds horror in the difference between what the present is and what characters thought it would be.
This historical perspective is especially keen in one exchange of allusions between characters in the 80s timeline. Skip, a bully, makes fun of some other boys for liking the band Duran Duran, whom he labels a "Bunch o' queers." To prove his own masculinity, Skip brags, "I listen to Judas Priest." Historical perspective, of course, allows this little detail to join a few others that suggest that Skip himself might have some latent tendencies: the lead of Judas Priest eventually came out as gay. Other allusions are similarly layered with meaning, particularly an allusion to Stephen King's The Stand, which West and I discuss in our interview–but like many of the other allusions, that one changes with the added (and perhaps subtracted) perspectives of time and memory as the narrative unfolds.
What might be even more fascinating than any given allusion is West's systematic use of film language and film-derived imagery, which reflects his educational background. Some examples: "Her head might just do a Scanners." "Some Fangoria-loving dweeboid is out here trying be Jason." "You can drop the sledge hammer, Oliver Stone. I get the message." Kevin-Williamson-like lines like these have a Kevin-Williamson-like justification, a central character who wants to make movies. At one point he thinks of a situation, "If it had been one of his movies, he would have used a slow fade to black. It was the language of film. Everything got fuzzy and the screen slowly grew dark. The reality of it had been closer to a jump cut." Moments like this one suggest that the character's memory and consciousness are themselves structured according to "the language of film," and with such a suggestion, The Wide Game opens up a critique that even Oliver Stone has made a time or two.
The bottom line is that The Wide Game is a fun read even if you don't care to think about issues of generational identity, history, memory, and the influence of art over the structure of thought. But if you care to think, the book has all that, too.
About Michael West: Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses, and the Legacy of the Gods series. A graduate of Indiana University, with a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, West has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.
His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.
Website: http://www.bymichaelwest.com
Twitter: @bymichaelwest
Category: Book Thoughts, Film and Media | Tags: book review, horror, horror writer, michael west, the wide game
Jess resides here (@frellathon) says:
Excellent review. I'm looking forward to checking this one out

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It is somewhat ironic that most prospective clients have a sizable checklist that an asset/liability management model must meet, including explicit methodology to measure many forms of interest rate risk. Yet, almost inevitably, many clients (there are some outstanding exceptions) fall into the routine of checking the boxes on their ALCO laundry list (primarily IRR guidelines) and moving on, far short of actively managing the balance sheet.
Our model (as do most) creates a "treasure trove" of data that can easily form the basis of both long- and short-term strategies to increase both spread and margin. In short, the data should be used to manage the banks pricing and positioning on both sides of the balance sheet. This active management, as you know, requires focus and commitment along with the belief that your bank's balance sheet is a product of management and not just an institution created by responses to competition.
Authority: The ALCO should have the authority to make balance sheet decisions. As elementary as it sounds, the ALCO should not just discuss "possible strategies" but have the ability to implement real change.
Pricing Power: The most effective ALCOs have the ability to price various products as well as the ability to implement specific strategies. The "pricing" committee, if any, should be a part of the ALCO. In fact, the pricing committee should be the ALCO.
Scorekeeper: The ALCO should have someone assigned to monitor previous strategies and report on their "effectiveness." The decision to enhance or scrap a strategy should be based on results, not a "feeling" about its merit.
Product Expert: Someone on the ALCO should know the current rate and deposit history for all deposit categories. This expertise should include a clear understanding of each tiered product and not only the rate for each tier but the balances and number of accounts in each. The "expertise" should include various wholesale alternatives including the cost and current wholesale balances and wholesale ratios.
Cashflow Needs: Assign a member of the committee to present the cash flow needs for the relevant period including loans in the pipeline, expected loan prepays, maturing wholesale deposits and deposit expectations. Prepays, loan maturities and amortization should be included.
Big Picture Person: Someone should keep track of current events both nationally and locally. For instance, the Federal Reserve's latest declaration of "patience" should be a part of the ALCO's input. This information could be the basis of a decision to grab more wholesale funds rather than grow additional retail deposits. If the Fed decides not to raise overnight rates in the near future, it may signal that wholesale funds may be the best funding solution.
Liquidity and Balance Sheet Expert: Assign someone on the committee to understand the liquidity worksheet, including the "severe stress event" worksheet. This is critical to proactively understanding the impact current decisions will have on the liquidity ratio and severe stress worksheet. A review of current ratios related to funding as well as other significant ratios, such as spread and margins, is critical to the success of any new strategies.
Actually, we believe all of the areas above are necessary to run an efficient ALCO meeting. Hopefully, everyone on the committee will have a part to play.
In summary, use the data provided by your ALM provider to more efficiently manage your balance sheet and structure your ALCO for success.
Lonnie Harris is executive vice president in the Asset Management Group at Country Club Bank in Kansas City.


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Wildlife Art – How boaring!
Apologies for the delay and very slow progress on my wild boar wildlife painting. As you can see the stripes are almost there and a few snouts will appear shortly but then it's all that grass and blurry background!
Continue reading Wildlife Art – How boaring!
Bit of an update on my wild boar wildlife painting. I tried so hard to be logical and work the humbugs first, I lasted 3 from 9 boar…….
No doubt, if you are local to the Forest of Dean you will recognise these little cuties immediately. These little ones are now being born in the woodlands and they are really very sweet to see. They are called humbugs (due to their stripes which sadly disappear as they grow larger) or hoglets.
Bit of an update on Holly's dog portrait. I'm a little behind as my website crashed entirely losing my blog to boot. I've had to rebuild it all from scratch as my databases were lost so it's been a frantic few days (and I work a full time job too). At last I can stop pulling my hair out now I'm back online! I have lots more to do to sort it out but at least you can visit some sort of website for the time being!
I also thought it was time for a bit of a spruce up and have tidied up in terms of pages, navigation etc so it's easier to get around and then a new range of colours just right for spring as it is the season for all things stormy! I've also made my blog with a narrow sidebar so I can add bigger pics!
So Holly has been patiently awaiting my return to the easel bless her so it's pastel pencils at the ready to get her finished now.
This little cutie is still on Ebay. due to my website mania I haven't really had chance to post it anywhere! You can find it here. See more Wildlife Art.
And here is a bit of England's glory. Some sunshine in the beautiful woods of the Forest of Dean where I live. Not much green yet but it will soon start to appear and we can all sigh with relief that the grey of winter is finally over! All we need now is the sound of the cuckoo which is an old signal to leave your wellies at home!
Still working away on Holly, one of my latest labrador portraits and I think I've managed to get her shine coming through! Her reference photo is very hazy so it's been quite a bit of guess work. Her Mum asked for the lightness on her forehead to be toned down, which I have done and it's given way to lots of chocolate, yummy! Read my Customer reviews from previous clients.
Holly's Mum also mentioned the rolls of fur under her neck are what makes Holly so her. I think they are pretty unusual but they were great to do! Not far to go now and Holly has been luckier than most in that she got both her eyes early on. Of late I've been hopping about pet portraits so much I've missed vital parts of the anatomy being put in first!
Just for a little background info, I used derwent sticks for the blended background, then derwent, pitts and stabilo pastel pencils for Holly herself. I've used mainly pitts for the base chocolate layer (sounds like I'm baking a cake) with derwent and stabilos for the highlights as they sit on top the best to give that lovely sheen. I've got a bit of a project coming up, I need some eye catching wildlife art pieces for my shows this summer so keep your eyes open for something new!
So as we are talking dog portraits, here is one of the photographic kind. My beautiful Willow out in the woods local to my house.
Also, as I mentioned in a previous post on my blog that went to blog heaven when I deleted the database (don't do it, there is no recovery unless you have off site back up, mine was on the same database – doh! But that's what the hosts offer!) anyhow I digress, as I mentioned before I would add a little bit about me outside of pet portraits so here are a couple of photos from the local area. The above shot is from Woorgreen, one of my favourite places to visit. Sadly for two thirds of the year it's quite muddy but now the sun is back, I'm hoping it will dry up!
This is the view from Clanna woods. I little place in the middle of nowhere, very farm orientated and quite pretty and rural. I go to places like this a lot with my day job, but it's only when the sun is out and the skies are clear you get to see how lovely things really look.
As it's Easter, I'm wishing you all a very happy bank holiday. Enjoy the sunshine everyone!
Holly's dog portrait is now completed. I've sent each update of my labrador portraits to her Mum, and so far the news is all good, fingers crossed the last update is also the same! It's definitely been hard resisting too much chocolate especially as it's been Easter and Holly's colouring has certainly made me feel very peckish!


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Join SMART in Promoting Rail Safety
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 8:40am
SMART trains are a part of our communities in Marin and Sonoma counties. It's important to understand the rules that keep you safe near tracks, trains, crossings, and at station platforms.
SMART is partnering with California Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rail safety, and asking the community to help promote rail safety by sharing these important safety messages with at least 5 friends and family members:
Never walk on the tracks—it's dangerous and illegal.
Wait for the gate. Pay attention to signs and signals at railroad crossings. Wait for the bells and lights to stop, and for the gates to rise before crossing the tracks.
Distractions are dangerous. Stay alert and aware near tracks, trains and at station platforms. Don't be distracted by cell phones, texting and headphones.
Don't risk it. Drivers should never rush through railroad crossings to avoid waiting. Never stop your car on the tracks—drive through crossings only when you can make it safely through to the other side.
We are also encouraging people to share these messages using social media, with the hashtags #SaveLivesTell5 and #SMARTsafety.
Visit www.BeTrackSMART.org to learn more about railroad safety, access additional railroad safety resources, or request an Operation Lifesaver safety presentation.


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Arsenal to face Chelsea in all-English Europa League final
By James Masters, CNN
Updated 2313 GMT (0713 HKT) May 9, 2019
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick as Arsenal claimed victory in Valencia.
(CNN) Arsenal will face Chelsea in another all-English final after both London clubs made it through to the Europa League final on Thursday.
Follow @cnnsport
A day after Tottenham set up an all-English Champions League final against Liverpool, Arsenal overcame Valencia in Spain, while Chelsea held its nerve to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 on penalties.
It is the first time one country has provided all four finalists for both the Champions League and Europa League.
Penalty drama
While Arsenal's route to the final was rather more sedate, Chelsea's was anything but after it was taken all the way to penalties by an exciting and adventurous Eintracht Frankfurt.
With the tie level at 1-1 after the first leg, it was Chelsea that struck first at Stamford Bridge through Ruben Loftus-Cheek after 28 minutes.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek gave his side the lead at Stamford Bridge.
The visiting side hit back four minutes after the interval through Luka Jovic, one of the most sought after strikers in Europe, with the forward racing through to slot the ball past the stranded Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal.
Both teams had chances to win the tie in the additional 30 minutes of extra time but David Luiz's spectacular block on the line denied Sebastien Haller, while Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta's effort was ruled out for a foul on the Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper.
With the scores level at 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate, it was left to penalties to separate the side with Kepa the hero for Chelsea.
The Spaniard saved two spot kicks, allowing Eden Hazard to fire home the winner and send Chelsea into the final.
Kepa Arrizabalaga and Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea celebrate after winning the semifinal tie.
For Kepa, who was caught up in controversy after refusing to be substituted during Chelsea's shootout defeat by Manchester City in the League Cup final earlier this year, it was a moment of redemption.
"Penalties are down to luck. Today we won and in the Carabao Cup final we lost, but this is football," Kepa told BT Sport.
"Today was really good and we played against a very difficult team and we are very happy.
"Our season was a little bit difficult but we have reached two finals and we have qualified for the Champions League so I think it's a good season. Now we will have a strong London derby with Arsenal in Baku."
Aubameyang inspires Arsenal
While Chelsea was made to sweat, Arsenal enjoyed a more comfortable evening as it eased past Spanish side Valencia.
Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Arsenal came from behind to win 4-2 on the night and 7-3 on aggregate.
Alexandre Lacazette scored Arsenal's second goal of the night in Valencia.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick and Alexandre Lacazette was also on target as Arsenal became the third English club to reach a European final in as many days.
The victory was particularly sweet for Arsenal head coach Unai Emery, formerly of Valencia, who is attempting to win the competition for a fourth time.
READ: Valencia fans condemned after racist gestures
READ: Football's craziest week just got even crazier
After a difficult opening 15 minutes in which Valencia took the lead through Kevin Gameiro, Arsenal grew into the contest and hit back through Aubameyang's exquisite finish.
That goal appeared to knock the home side's confidence and when Lacazette added Arsenal's second five minutes after the interval.
But Valencia rallied and Gameiro leveled just eight minutes later to set up a tense final half hour.
Yet, any hopes the home side may have had of a comeback were quickly curtailed when Aubameyang grabbed his second and Arsenal's third with a neat finish
The Gabon international then completed his treble with just two minutes remaining to send Arsenal into the final on May 29.
Matteo Guendouzi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrate victory with their teammates.
Visit CNN.com/Sport for more news, features and videos
Emery, who won the trophy three times in succession with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, will now hope his side can overcome Chelsea in the final.
"I am very proud of the players and the supporters," Emery told BT Sport after the game.
"The players did all they could and we can be proud of the whole club.
"We knew we had to be calm after they scored and we needed to control our emotions. It is very difficult to score four goals against this team because they are very organized. It gave us confidence to score quickly we know our strikers are taking chances."


LVA's Awards and Recognitions - Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties, NJ Inc.
Barry Batt's incredible story of a childhood deprived of education has stirred interest among all who have read it, from educators in New Jersey to those overseas. It is slated for publication this year in an upcoming book on literature, and has earned him the first-place memoir writing award in the New Jersey Association for Lifelong Learning (NJALL) 2016 Learner Writing Contest. Other LVA, Essex & Passaic Counties students also placed well in the contest, including Clifford Henry, an Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldier who served in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He won first-place for fiction writing. Other awards include, but are not limited to Literacy New Jersey's 2015 Outstanding Affiliate prize, and its 2015 Student Excellence award, as well as NJALL's 2014 Teacher of the Year award. Our students and tutors are a hard-working lot and they deserve every acknowledgement they've received and more. We've included some of the wide range of awards they've earned here on our site.


Inside Music Box there is a whole orchestra waiting to get out! You can easily compose your own music or enter existing tunes. Music Box works in harmony with your computer in composing and playing.
The archives own big box version shown.
Music Box main menu. Doesn't look much and the looks don't get any better. But in it's favour it does make some nice sounds.


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Q: Fatal Exception: java.lang.SecurityException: Invalid API Key I have a crashes
Crashed: main
       at android.os.Parcel.createException + 1969(Parcel.java:1969)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException + 1935(Parcel.java:1935)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException + 1885(Parcel.java:1885)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.IGmsServiceBroker$Stub$zza.getService + 14(:14)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.BaseGmsClient.getRemoteService + 244(:244)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.api.internal.zaaq.zaan + 6(:6)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.api.internal.zaau.run + 6(:6)
       at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call + 458(Executors.java:458)
       at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run + 266(FutureTask.java:266)
       at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker + 1167(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1167)
       at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run + 641(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:641)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.util.concurrent.zza.run + 6(:6)
       at java.lang.Thread.run + 764(Thread.java:764)

Fatal Exception: java.lang.SecurityException: Invalid API Key for package = com.Filmgrail.android.bergen_dev. Status code received = 12
       at android.os.Parcel.createException + 1969(Parcel.java:1969)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException + 1935(Parcel.java:1935)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException + 1885(Parcel.java:1885)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.IGmsServiceBroker$Stub$zza.getService + 14(:14)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.BaseGmsClient.getRemoteService + 244(:244)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.api.internal.zaaq.zaan + 6(:6)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.api.internal.zaau.run + 6(:6)
       at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call + 458(Executors.java:458)
       at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run + 266(FutureTask.java:266)
       at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker + 1167(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1167)
       at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run + 641(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:641)
       at com.google.android.gms.common.util.concurrent.zza.run + 6(:6)
       at java.lang.Thread.run + 764(Thread.java:764)

I checked package name, API_KEY and it is all right.
I tried to generate new API_KEY, downloaded new google-services.json and app works good on my devices, but some other users have this crash.
I use:
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-config:19.0.0'
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-core:17.1.0'
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-analytics:17.1.0'
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:18.1.1"
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-auth:17.0.0"
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-gcm:17.0.0"
    implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-analytics:17.0.0'
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:17.0.0"
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-identity:17.0.0"

    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.2.0'

    classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.5.0'

I do not know how to fix this issue.
Help me, please

A: You need to add App id to into manifest file. following code help you.
        <meta-data
        android:name="com.google.android.awareness.API_KEY"
        android:value="API_KEY"/>


June 30 2012 would have been Max's eleventh birthday.
Andy suggested throwing a party - a kids birthday party with Max's friends - and without hesitation I signed right up. Max's birthday has been a hard day for me to handle over the years, and the wonderful distraction of a celebration turned out to be perfect.
Max's buddies dropping off fifty party favor bags (that they assembled) to the oncology unit.
Food was never a great surprise for Max, but who can say no to In N Out?
Six amazing boys plus our Hannah & Nicky who remember Max and have dropped us notes over the years, raised money for MROF, and are genuinely great kids.
We released 11 balloons this day in Max's honor.
I'm not sure where I am in my heart and in my mind four years after Max has gone to heaven. The hole in my heart will always be there, but the edges are slowly getting less jagged... more bearable. It's taken this long for me to come to terms with being broken and whole at the same time. I wonder where Hannah and Nicky are in their hearts and minds? We all have our own places and our own ways of processing grief. And don't kid yourself; the grieving for a child never ends, the journey goes on, it's a part of your life, and there's no "getting over it."
I lost my dad, age 85, and my brother, age 60 over the past eight months. The grief experienced through these losses is so different than that of Max. His life was so short and incomplete. I try not to wonder what he'd look like now (his friends are so big!). I try not to wonder what his voice would sound like. I try not to wonder how different the relationships in our home would be if the bridge had not left us. I try not to think about these things, because there is nothing that can be done.
Max was a gift to us - a blessing of immeasurable value. His coming and going changed us forever for the bad and the good. And there is good. Lots of good.
Happy Birthday, my darling boy.
Wow. Time marches on, doesn't it? I can see that by how much Hannah and Nicky have grown. I've been truly blessed beyond words to know Max's story, your family's journey.
As you've said and shown through the years, LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX!
Beautiful post. Your family honor's Max well. So happy I got to know him "virtually", I'm better for it.
Thinking of your Max and reading through old blog posts. My son is 18 mos old and has a head full of Max curls. I am so sorry life worked out this way. It is cruel and unfair. He's a sweet sweet sweet boy. Magical, for sure.


Our latest funky and colourful batik cushion. These cushions are made from a unique traditional batik material from Nigeria, West Africa. The bright and bold cushions have a beautiful mix of colours including lemon green, orange and blue against a nearly black background with a pink flash running through the patterns. No two cushions are exactly the same and the cushions work well together in twos, threes and fours to create a beautiful jumble of colours.
We use cushion pads of 45 x 45 cm (18 x 18 inches) for plump full cushions.


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A Nearby Supernova in M51
Credit & Copyright: R Jay GaBany (Cosmotography.com)
Explanation: One of the nearest supernovas of recent years was discovered late last month in the bright nearby galaxy M51. It is visible on the right of the above before and after images of the picturesque spiral. Can you spot it? The supernova, discovered originally by Wolfgang Kloehr and now dubbed 2005cs, is still near its maximum brightness and visible with a telescope toward the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). The supernova has been identified as a Type II but has an unusual brightness history, creating speculation that is similar in nature to the brightest supernova of modern times: 1987A. The progenitor star has been identified as a bright blue star. Although hundreds of supernovas are discovered each year by automated searches, nearby supernova are rare and important because they frequently become bright enough to be studied by many telescopes and are near enough for their (former) host star and immediate surroundings to be spatially resolved. Supernova 2005cs may have left behind a core that has been compressed into a neutron star or black hole.
Publications with keywords: supernova - M 51
Publications with words: supernova - M 51
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy from Hubble
NGC 7814: Little Sombrero with Supernova
The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy
Supernova in NGC 2525


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iTestosterone – Men's Nutrition, Fitness, Health & Testosterone
5 Health Benefits of Creatine for Athletes – Strength, Performance
Creatine is a well-known substance that has been researched thoroughly. While it occurs naturally in the human body, it has also gained popularity as a supplement used by people who are looking to increase physical fitness.
It's known for contributing to increases in both power and strength. Do you know what we're talking about? It's all about creatine.
Our bodies' amino acids produce creatine naturally. A strong majority of creatine (95%) is stored in the muscles that are attached to our bones.
But how about the other 5%? The rest of this creatine is stored in locations such as the liver, kidneys, and brain and is released whenever we perform any sort of physical activity.
The stored creatine in our skeletal muscles is called phosphocreatine. It comes in handy once it's released, because it's jam-packed with strong phosphate groups which give huge jolts of energy to our bodies whenever our muscles are in need.
If you're an average person, then you're probably using around 2 grams of creatine on a daily basis.
Creatine is produced, stored, and released naturally in our bodies. It's enough to keep the average person going.
But how about bodybuilders and athletes? These people may require a bit more. That's why it has gained popularity as a supplement in the physical-fitness community. Using it as a supplement has been shown to give many health benefits.
This article will be all about using creatine as a supplement. We'll be giving you 5 vital health benefits of this substance. But we'll be going over some more details first.
What Creatine Does
As mentioned earlier, the creatine stored in skeletal muscles is called phosphocreatine. Whenever it gets released, your body gets an instant and rapid boost of ATP. This is needed whenever physical activity is being performed.
During maximum-capacity physical effort, strong jolts of energy will last in a range of 5-10 seconds before having a drop in phosphocreatine stores, which causes fatigue.
So, when you take it as a supplement, what happens? Two main things will happen. First, it will re-generate more ATP during your workout.
Second, you'll have an increase in phosphocreatine stores, which positively affects recovery after the workout. (study)
All together, this lends a hand to increases in overall strength gains. These gains are the reasons why so many people in the fitness community are turning towards the supplement.
Using creatine supplements will do more than just aid in the regeneration of ATP and increase phosphocreatine stores. Creatine is attracted to water and when its molecules enter the cells, water molecules follow along.
This causes the cells to swell. Whenever the cells swell, this gives our bodies an anabolic signal. This signal leads to extra utilization of glycogen and protein. It also minimizes the overall breakdown of protein.
Benefit #1: Workout Performance & Muscle Gains
This is one of the biggest benefits towards using creatine as a supplement. And it's why many people in the physical-fitness community are turning towards the substance.
Whenever creatine supplements are used, there's a huge burst of energy that happens during anaerobic exercise.
These high-intensity workout bursts cause increased performance during power training. And this leads to gains in strength as well. Let's look at what the studies have to say.
Workout Performance
Studies have shown that weightlifting performance has been positively affected by the use of creatine supplements. (study, study, study)
For example, at maximum strength, the maximal amount of repetitions used in the exercise were increased by 26%.
To put that into more understandable terms, let's suppose that you were bench-pressing a certain weight 4 times at maximal effort. By using creatine, you could add an entire rep to the set, allowing you to press it 5 times instead.
Muscle Gains
There's a study that puts the effects of creatine up against the effects of protein as supplementation. The study involves the use of creatine monohydrate at 6-24 grams daily, and protein at 20 grams daily.
Through muscle mass building exercise routines, it was shown that the creatine supplementation when combined with dextrose actually increased the growth of muscles by as much as protein supplementation.
The use of creatine and dextrose can cause 20% more growth in the muscles, in contrast to not using any at all.
Effects On Myostatin
Myostatin is a specific protein which is produced and released by myocytes. Myostatin actually inhibits the growth of cells in the muscles. When there are high levels of myostatin in the body, this adversely affects muscle growth.
When creatine is paired with resistance training, it actually brings the levels of myostatin down. In turn, this causes an increase in the potential of muscle growth. Power athletes can take advantage of muscle gains by using creatine.
Benefit #2: Brain Health
When it comes to using creatine as a supplement, the benefits reach far beyond muscle growth and increases in workout performance. It has also been shown to positively affect the health of the brain as well. (study, study)
People with Parkinson's disease can find creatine beneficial as it can help protect your brain in ways that can prevent depression. Creatine can also help with the cognitive functioning of the brain. Let's dig a little deeper into the details.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that has negative effects on dopaminergic neurons in a specific area of the brain.
PD adversely affects the movement of the victim. People with PD often find themselves prone to poor fitness, losses of mass in the muscles, less strength, and above-average fatigue.
A study was performed with mice. The results showed that creatine helps prevent drops in the dopamine levels in the brain.
Small amounts of dopamine are what cause certain symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. By using creatine, someone with PD can help prevent lowering dopamine levels. It will also increase strength and workout performance in patients.
Diminishing Depression
There was a study performed on 5 different women who were dealing with depression. These subjects had no positive response to past therapeutic treatments.
These women were given 4 grams of creatine on a daily basis, which was included with the SSRI antidepressants that were already being taken.
The women reported enhancements in mood. This enhanced mood can be contributed to the increases in phosphocreatine levels, shown through brain imaging.
Other Forms Of Brain Protection
Studies have been performed on animals to test the efficiency of creatine on other brain-related issues. Creatine supplementation was shown to improve the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
Creatine was also shown to decrease the chances of brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, and strokes. It was also shown to protect neurotransmitters (GABA) from damages that could occur over time.
Cognitive Functioning
Creatine is well-known for helping decrease muscle fatigue. But it's also been shown to help decrease mental fatigue as well. In turn, this improves overall cognitive functioning. Studies have shown many positive benefits for creatine affecting cognitive abilities.
For example, whenever vegetarians used creatine as a supplement, they improved their brains' processing speed, memory, and overall intelligence.
Pairing Use With Coenzyme Q10
There was a study conducted on 75 different people who had PD and mild cases of impairment to their cognitive abilities.
When Coenzyme Q10 was paired with creatine, results showed that the participants found delays in the declination of their cognitive abilities. The study required the combination of these 2 to be given for over 18 months.
Benefit #3: Decreased Muscle Damage & Muscle Fatigue
It's no mystery that creatine efficiently aids muscles in growth. But on top of this, creatine has also been shown to decrease the chances of muscle damage and muscle fatigue as well. (study, study)
When carbohydrates were paired with creatine, a study showed that the knee extensor muscle recovered more quickly.
When maltodextrin was paired with creatine, studies showed that runners had a reduction in inflammation. Creatine alone also showed to have positive effects on inflammation when studied in young sprinters.
Benefit #4: Reduced Muscle Loss Due To Aging
Studies were conducted on a group of elderly people. The results showed that creatine supplementation can help slow the deterioration of muscles due to aging. (study)
Not only that, but supplementation also pointed towards an improvement in endurance along with strength increases when paired with resistance training.
There was another study conducted which involved 30 elderly men. The results showed that, when paired with proper workout routines, supplementation increased the mass of lean tissue. It also improved leg strength and overall endurance.
In 2 more studies involving 46 elderly people, it showed positive effects on overall functional capacity.
Benefit #5: May Increase Testosterone
While creatine supplementation is known throughout the fitness community for increasing testosterone, there are still more studies that should be done. (study)
While study results have pointed towards an overall increase in testosterone, some of the results have been inconsistent. Let's look further into some previous studies that were conducted.
There were multiple studies conducted on athletes who ranged from amateurs and all the way up to elite athletes.
For the athletes who were sprint-swimming and taking creatine supplements, there was found to be a 14% increase in testosterone. Rugby players who were deprived of sleep also found jumps in their testosterone levels.
However, in the elite college football and rugby players, there was very little (if any) increase in the overall testosterone levels. This inconsistency in the results leads to further studies needing to be conducted.
Better When Combined with Glycerol & Dextrose
Human case studies have shown that creatine supplementation combined with glycerol like GlycerSize can increase cell volumization by over 40% more. (study)
When combined with dextrose it can increase glycogen resynthesis (muscle fuel) by as much as 82% and it was as powerful of a muscle builder as protein supplementation. (study)
Creatine Supplements: Many Benefits Await
Creatine is a naturally-occurring substance in the human body and is created by amino acids. Around 95% of creatine is stored in the muscles attached to our bones, where it's released whenever we perform physical activity.
People who engage in an average amount of physical activity will do just fine with their naturally-occurring amounts of creatine. However, when it comes to people who have high-intensity workouts, supplementing with it can be beneficial.
If you do a lot of anaerobic exercises, then you'll be able to reap the benefits that supplementation has to offer.
You'll not only find increases in workout performance, but you'll find increases in overall muscle gains as well. It's worth noting that creatine supplements will have little-to-no effects on people who engage in endurance workout routines only.
While more studies are needed, there is a correlation between creatine supplementation and improved brain health. It has effects on the neurotransmitters in the brain, which can contribute to mood enhancement.
Creatine Dosing – How Much Should You Take?
First and foremost, this guide should be used as secondary information to whatever your doctor recommends if he/she has recommended the use of creatine to you.
With that being said, the most common dosage is either 5g of creatine monohydrate or 3g of creatine HCL.
HCL is more water soluble than monohydrate so you need less of it to accomplish the same bioabsorption rate.
If you eat a ridiculous amount of red meat, you may already be loaded up since that is the best natural source.
However, there are a lot of negative health consequences with eating extreme amounts of red meat so this is not advisable. It's just easier and safer to consume it in supplement form.
Will Creatine Damage Your Kidneys?
There's a bit of a myth surrounding creatine and the health of your kidneys. You may have heard that the supplement can do some serious damage to your kidneys. However, studies prove otherwise.
Short, medium, and long-term studies have shown that creatine is safe to use and that it poses no direct risks to your kidneys. The myth comes from a single-case study from a specific patient who had kidney disease and used it as a supplement.
Whenever creatine is broken down, it turns into creatinine. Properly-functioning kidneys will work to quickly remove creatinine. However, if kidneys are damaged, they will not remove the creatinine.
This was the case in the above single-case study. If your kidneys are damaged and you're taking it as a supplement, you'll see a heavy rise in creatinine levels.
If your kidneys are functioning normally, then you will only see a rise in creatinine if you take heavy doses of creatine. However, your kidneys should remove creatinine quickly.
Potential Side Effects: Exercising Safe Use
Whenever using creatine as a supplement, it's known to likely be safe for use whenever doses are taken up to 20 grams on a daily basis.
However, there are some side effects that can arise due to dehydration or taking too much creatine at a time. These side effects include stomach pains and stomach cramping.
How can you help to prevent stomach pains and cramping when using creatine? For starters, it's good to always stay hydrated throughout the day.
Especially if you plan on doing high-intensity workouts, which are the ones recommended for creatine use. Also, using HCL instead of the Monohydrate form will allow you to take a smaller dosage for the same results which may help eliminate any possible side effects.
creatine dosage
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Home > AIIM > aiimpapers > 3492
Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers
A 2D metal-organic framework/Ni(OH)2 heterostructure for an enhanced oxygen evolution reaction
Dongdong Zhu, University of Adelaide
Jinlong Liu, University of Adelaide
Liang Wang, University of WollongongFollow
Yi Du, University of WollongongFollow
Yao Zheng, University of Adelaide
Kenneth Davey, University of Adelaide
Shi-Zhang Qiao, University of Adelaide
Zhu, D., Liu, J., Wang, L., Du, Y., Zheng, Y., Davey, K. & Qiao, S. (2019). A 2D metal-organic framework/Ni(OH)2 heterostructure for an enhanced oxygen evolution reaction. Nanoscale, 11 (8), 3599-3605.
2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely regarded as promising electrocatalysts for the oxygenevolution reaction (OER). This results from their inherent properties such as a large portion of surfacecoordinatively unsaturated metal atoms, rapid mass transfer and enhanced conductivity. However,2D MOFs have a strong tendency to aggregate, which severely limits their potential application in theOER. Here, novel 2D Ni-BDC/Ni(OH)2(BDC stands for 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate, C8H4O4) hybridnanosheets are synthesizedviaa facile sonication-assisted solution method. Because of the rationalmaterial design, the large surface area of Ni-BDC is maintained. Significantly, after coupling, the electronicstructure of Ni atoms in the Ni(OH)2component is well modified, leading to the generation of Ni cationswith higher oxidation states, which are desirable for the OER. As-prepared Ni-BDC/Ni(OH)2exhibits highactivity, favorable kinetics and strong durability towards the OER. Specifically, the OER current density ofNi-BDC/Ni(OH)2is 82.5 mA cm−2at 1.6 Vversusa reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which is signifi-cantly greater than those of Ni-BDC (5.5 times), Ni(OH)2(20.6 times) and Ir/C (3.0 times). Moreover, thesonication-assisted method developed in this work can be readily adapted for the preparation of various2D MOF-based hybrid functional materials.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c8nr09680e
Australian Institute for Innovative Materials


"A unionized public employee, a member of the Tea Party and a CEO are sitting at a table. On the table is a plate with a dozen cookies. The CEO takes 11, looks at the Tea Partier and says 'Look out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.'"


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Тене́євське сільське поселення () — муніципальне утворення у складі Аліковського району Чувашії, Росія. Адміністративний центр — село Тенеєво.

Історія
Станом на 2002 рік присілок Еренари входив до складу Єфремкасинської сільської ради.

Населення
Населення — 634 особи (2019, 822 у 2010, 960 у 2002).

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До складу поселення входять такі населені пункти:

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Поселення Аліковського району

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Dave has built his web development career by pushing the envelope. He oversaw the complete CSS-based redesign of Macworld.com and was a regular contributor to CreativePro.com. His years of teaching programming means he knows how to make it all simple and straightforward.


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Economy Politics
PPF accounts to be closed, interest lowered to 4 per cent if you become NRI
Under the new rules issued by the government, these investments will be deemed to be closed on the day the investor becomes a non-resident.
BusinessToday.In
Oct 30, 2017,
Updated Feb 14, 2018, 9:19 AM IST
Select small savings schemes like Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Saving Certificates (NSC) will not earn you the same rate if you become non-resident Indians (NRI). Under the new rules issued by the government, these investments will be deemed to be closed on the day the investor becomes a non-resident. Subsequently, the investor will be paid interest at the much lower post office savings account rate at 4% p.a, the government said in a notification. This is nearly half of what these investments earn at present. The amended rules were notified in the official gazette earlier this month.
According to the amendment to the Public Provident Fund Act, 1968, "if a resident who opened an account under this scheme subsequently becomes a non-resident during the currency of the maturity period, the account shall be deemed to be closed with effect from the day he becomes a non-resident."
Interest with effect from that date will be paid at the 4 per cent rate applicable to the post office savings account up to the last day of the month preceding the one in which the account is actually closed, the Public Provident Fund (Amendment) Scheme, 2017, said.
As far as the NSC is concerned, it is deemed to be encashed on the day the holder becomes an NRI, according to the notification.
"interest shall be paid at the rate applicable to the post office savings account, from time to time, from such day and up to the last day of the month preceding the month in which it is actually encashed," it stated.
The government has kept interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged for the October-December quarter. The interest for both PPF and NSC schemes stands at 7.8% p.a for October-December. Since April last year, interest rates on all small saving schemes are declared on a on a quarterly basis.
A person is considered resident in India if he is in the country for 182 days or 60 days in a year and 365 days in each of the preceding four years as per Income Tax Act. When a person doesn't satisfy both these conditions, he is termed as NRI.
As per the latest rules, NRIs cannot open a new PPF account in India. But they were allowed to keep contributing to their existing PPF accounts as per a 2003 notification. This was for the PPF account they opened prior to becoming NRIs.


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@interface PodsDummy_Pods_VividDemo : NSObject
@end
@implementation PodsDummy_Pods_VividDemo
@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Kimanzi calls for patience as winless streak persists
Monday, July 17, 2017 - 15:24
Head coach Francis Kimanzi ponders team tactics during the Round 16 match against Sony Sugar on Saturday 15 July. Kimanzi has called for patience even as the winless streak was stretched to eight matches.
After guiding his charges to yet another draw against Sony Sugar in a Round 16 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) match played on Saturday 15 July, Francis Kimanzi believes it is just a matter of time before his side pick a win in a league match.
The barren draw meant that we have gone for eight matches without a win with the last win having come against record league champions Gor Mahia on Sunday 30 April; a worrying streak that has left us bottom of the log with 12 points.
While Kimanzi admits that the position of the team is a concern he is banking on the positives picked from the last three matches to spur the team back to winning ways.
Positive intentions
"It was a tough game (against Sony Sugar). We showed some very positive intentions and controlled the game very well which is also very important. We just need to work on the composure in front of the goal and being more quick and aggressive. If we perfect that in the next few fixtures then we can turn the tables,
"Every team wants to be in a place where you enjoy. When you are at the bottom you have psychological and mental fear. You tend to overdo things just to turn the results but when you get positive results everything settles down and mentally you become better, said Kimanzi.
As he ponders on a winning formula for the next league fixture against Kakamega Homeboyz slated for Saturday 29 July against Kimanzi spared some kind words for his June acquisitions who he feels have settled in faster than expected.
Good development
"We are in the process of building a team. We have seen some good development from the players we acquired in June and they are proving to be important additions to the team. I think we are playing better football than many teams but still we can't get the result that we want. We need 100% results that can be a huge reward for the job that we are doing," observed the former Harambee Stars coach.
Also read: Opiyo sees red as Sony holds Mathare
Francis Kimanzi
Sony's sugar two sweet for Mathare
Kimani returns for Sony Sugar clash
Nyakeya calls for caution against Sony Sugar


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My Chemical Romance building their own studio
My Chemical Romance are building their own studio in Los Angeles where they will record their next album.
by : Elle Canada- Feb 1st, 2012
My Chemical Romance are building their own studio in Los Angeles to record their next album.
The 'Sing' group have finishing touring their 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys' album, and are setting up their own equipment so they can record as much as possible.
Guitarist Ray Toro told Noise11.com: "We just got a studio so we're kind of building that.
"The tough thing doing records in a cycle is you have three or four months to write and record and sometimes that's tough.
"You always feel like there's something over your head, but now we'll have our own place where we can go and make music 24 hours a day. It's gonna be great!"
The band's last two albums have been concept driven, and they feel the rise of mp3 sales – meaning fans don't have to buy whole albums anymore – is a good thing, as it makes artists consider every track before they release.
Second guitarst Frank Iero added: "With us It's never going to be 'Oh, we had these twelve songs so record it real quick and we'll put them out!'.
"I think the days of some bands just filling the time and putting out a disc are over, and I'm glad, because those are some of my least favourite records."
Céline Dion Announces Rare Neurological Disorder and Postpones Spring 2023 Tour
Our thoughts are with her.
by : ELLE Canada- Dec 8th, 2022
The Alpha Sounds of Jamaican Artist, Shenseea
The singer's heart lies in dancehall, but that doesn't mean she can't step outside the limits of the genre.
by : Kelsey Adams- Nov 7th, 2022


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Foreign operators ›
In accordance with section 27A of the Civil Aviation Act (1988), CASA may issue a permission to operate a foreign registered aircraft on regulated domestic flights where CASA has not permitted the issue of an Air Operator's Certificate authorising that operation.
The use of section 27A is limited by section 27A (3) to a period of not more than 7 days.
To apply for permission under section 27A of the Act, please return a completed Application for a Section 27A Permission form. The form can be obtained from International Operations.
CASA will not consider an application unless cabotage approval has been granted by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
NOTE: NEW NOISE REGULATIONS: There are new Regulations affecting the operation of large marginally compliant (MCC3) jet aircraft in Australia. From 01 July 2010 operations by MCC3 aircraft are prohibited at: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Newcastle (Williamtown), Essendon and Avalon airports. Applications for Non Scheduled flights to these ports can only be assessed if a noise permission has been obtained from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. The Noise permission must accompany the application form. Further information, including list of affected aircraft, is available in AIP GEN 1.2-15.
For high capacity aircraft - $AUD570
For low capacity aircraft - $AUD480
This fee is payable at the time the application is lodged. A completed Payment Advice Form is required to accompany the application.
Form 088 Application for a Section 27A Permission
Contact CASA International Operations for more information
Last modified: 23 June 2019


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Greed is good
Christmas gift mayhem as meaningful culture
by Erin B. Taylor on December 21, 2012
It's unavoidable. This time every year, without fail, the moralists come out in force to tell us that we're consuming too much. Sky-high credit card bills, enough food to feed an army, and a mountain of waste for each child provides incontrovertible evidence that we're over-indulging and destroying the true meaning of Christmas. It is, so they say, about reflection and family, not bling and booze.
Modern life and mass consumption are generally blamed for this travesty. The rise of individualism in capitalist society has resulted in the fragmentation of families, and a shift towards expressing our identities through indulgent spending. In the old days, this never happened: consumption was always moderate and considered, not the rampant and destructive behaviour we witness today.
Or so we are led to believe. In fact, a quick survey of global cultures indicates that this viewpoint is completely and utterly wrong. Not only is it untrue that gift-giving represents a shift in social values, but it's also completely false that conspicuous consumption is a new fad.
Gift-giving has always been a central activity of human life. Human beings in all times and places have given each other gifts to celebrate the relationships they have with each other. In fact, it's been argued — and generally agreed — among anthropologists that gift-giving is the 'social glue' that holds us all together.
Whether we're talking about religious festivals, birthdays, buying a round of drinks at a bar, or inviting friends over for dinner, gift-giving is inextricable from all of our meaningful relationships. Through the process of choosing, wrapping and presenting gifts, we show that we care.
Crucially, our loving and caring natures aren't just demonstrated through giving. In order to be considered good people, we also have to be ready to receive gifts. Universally, turning down a gift can be the most insulting thing that you do. It's not just bad manners, its a rejection of a relationship, the biggest "fuck you" that you can ever give someone.
"But surely, it's the quantity of gifts that's out of control," I hear you say, "That's where we've all gone wrong in contemporary times." Not so. Again, anthropology tells us that there's nothing new under the sun, and what we're witnessing has surprising precedents.
To appreciate the purpose of consumption for consumption's sake, cast your imagination over to the north-west coast of Canada and the United States. Think back a couple of hundred years, to an indigenous village who are holding a traditional feast called the 'potlatch' (meaning 'gift'). Like their neighbours up and down the coast, this village holds a potlatch annually to celebrate the year gone by and to redistribute wealth among the group, so that no single family has much more than anyone else.
In the reverse of our contemporary society, the family with the highest status isn't the one that retains the most wealth; it's the one that gives the most away. So, the potlatch is an institution to ensure that social hierarchy is kept under control, by making it a virtue to give.
However, the potlatch comes with a twist. When Europeans arrived in the late 18th century, the flow of goods into these communities increased significantly. With so much to go around, these items took on a new social function. Rather than redistribute them, families started burning goods during the potlatch ceremony. By indicating that they had so much stuff that they couldn't give it away, they were essentially demonstrating that the potential of their generosity was endless.
Potlatching was banned in Canada in 1884. Ironically, the English authorities saw it as wasteful and a major obstacle to converting the natives to Christianity. They certainly did not understand the point of the ceremony, the fact that it is both a social and an economic institution, or the role that material exchange plays in social reproduction.
If we want to claim that our present-day Christmas is over-indulgent and destructive, and that 'traditional' practices are somehow more correct and moral, then we ought to spare a thought for the potlatch. Although altered by the arrival of Europeans, the potlatch still operated according to a centuries-old social logic. The destruction of goods wasn't a major departure from past practices, but a logical extension of them.
Universally, turning down a gift can be the most insulting thing that you do. It's not just bad manners, its a rejection of a relationship, the biggest "fuck you" that you can ever give someone.
Erin B. Taylor
Managing Editor. Hangs out in the Caribbean asking endless questions about financial culture and mobile phone use
Erin's Bio
Erin is PopAnth's Managing Editor. She is a cultural anthropologist who is currently living in Lisbon, Portugal, where she has a full-time research position at the Instituto de Ciências Sociais (ICS).
PopAnth writings by Erin
How to be a tourist in Ireland
Swimming with Joris Luyendijk
Crossing the sexes with friendship
Imaginary currencies
Humans of SoCal's wineries
What do Eurovision, sport, and ritual warfare have in common?
What do the things you carry say about you?
Missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits
If the home team always wins, is it really sport?
An anthropologist's guide to choosing an engagement ring
Ten things I've learned about the Portuguese
Alone in the city
Hug, hit or ignore? Cultural differences in dealing with strangers
Calm down and cheer up
Who are you calling fundamentalist? Inside Rastafarianism
Dreaming of Money in Ho Chi Minh City
The World Until Yesterday
Hollywood Blockbusters
Boom! - a baby boomer memoir, 1947-2022
How to Be Irish
The Comfort of Things
Haiti After the Earthquake
Archaeology from space
The brain in love
Capitalism has corrupted the true meaning of Christmas
Traditional societies are more moral than ours because consumption is not as prevalent
All societies and cultures exchange gifts for ritual purposes
More on gift-giving
Grant McCracken gives his own perspective on Christmas giving: Christmas Gift Giving: The Anthropologist Versus the Economist, on his personal website.
Daniel Miller explains festivities in all their glory in the book Unwrapping Christmas. (Clarendon Press, 1995).
Lewis Hyde takes us on a cross-cultural journey in The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World. (Canongate Books, 2007).
Martin Harris has a chapter on the potlatch in his book Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The Riddles of Culture (Vintage Books, 1990).


Home > Mobile > Fallout Shelter Update 1.6 And PC Version Of The Game Available Now.
Dwellers returning from the Wasteland and certain Vault tasks.
would like to instantly return Dwellers after a quest or complete Barbershop customizations or crafting, can now use a refreshing Nuka-Cola Quantum.
Update 1.6 can be downloaded by visiting the App Store or the Google Play store.
Fallout 4 characters, and special Dweller customization options – as well as all of the new content in Update 1.6.
What are you waiting for? Go grab the update and the PC version of Fallout Shelter and let us know what you think about the update in the comments!
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV Demo Hits on July 19!


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Arts & Culture • Music
T.I. & YOUNG THUG TEAM FOR "THE WEEKEND" VIDEO
This morning (10/16), Tip "T.I." Harris partnered with Billboard for the premiere of the official video for "The Weekend ft. Young Thug," the latest single off his tenth studio album, Dime Trap (10/5). "The Weekend" was produced by Swizz Beatz and the video was directed by Kid Art. Watch here: T.I. & Young Thug Are Stone Cold Killers in 'The Weekend' Video: Premiere
Keeping the momentum going, T.I.'s performance of "Wraith ft. Yo Gotti" and "Jefe" from the 2018 BET "Hip Hop" Awards will air TONIGHT at 8:00pm ET/ 7:00pm CT on BET.
Dime Trap Track List:
1) Seasons ft. Sam Hook
2) Laugh At Em
3) Big Ole Drip ft. Jesse Of WatchTheDuck
4) Wraith ft. Yo Gotti
5) The Weekend ft. Young Thug
6) The Amazing Mr. F Up ft. Victoria Monet
7) At Least I Know ft. Anderson .Paak
8) What Can I Say
9) Jefe ft. Meek Mill
10) More & More ft. Jeezy
11) Pray for Me ft. YFN Lucci
12) Lookin Back
13) Light Day
14) You ft. Teyana Taylor
15) Be There ft. London Jae
About Tip "T.I." Harris: Tip "T.I." Harris is a GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist who has left an indelible mark on the world of music and pop culture. Having sold over 10 million albums in the US alone, Tip remains an influential figure in the world of music and entertainment. He is the founding executive of Grand Hustle Records, and the owner of two successful urban clothing brands, Akoo and Hustle Gang. In 2016, Tip became an artist-owner of the global streaming service, TIDAL, alongside Jay Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna and others. Tip's business interests and portfolio now stretches across a variety of sectors including real estate development, lifestyle, technology, fashion and sports, to name a few.
Tip is also an actor and producer who premiered his new BET business competition series "The Grand Hustle" on July 19th, reprised his role in the Marvel sequel "Antman & The Wasp" on July 6th, and co-produced the musical drama "Glow Up" as part of the PepsiCo's Creators League. This May, Tip and his son Domani, along with producer Cordale "Lil' C" Quinn, received a TONY Award nomination for "Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre" for SpongeBob Square Pants: The Musical.
Also widely recognized for his influence in the community, Tip has become an activist and dominant force in social issues around race relations, civil and human rights. In response to mass inequality and the murders of unarmed Black citizens, Tip began his Us or Else movement where he penned a thought-provoking series of op-Eds in the New York Times, Washington Post and Huffington Post, a socially charged album entitled Us or Else: Letter to the System, followed by a provocative short film. Using that as a platform, Tip launched a formal charitable, social justice and philanthropic arm, Harris Community Works, dedicated to driving systemic change in underserved communities. His most recent philanthropic work includes relief and support efforts for Puerto Rico, Houston, Colin Kaepernick's Million Dollar Challenge and more. Most recently, Tip became a coveted member of the Mayor of Atlanta's Transition Team. In this role, he will support the Mayor and City of Atlanta in policy and advocacy efforts that drive the city of Atlanta forward.
Arts & Culture • TV & Film
An Interview with Director Arturo R. Jiménez on "Steiner's Workshop"
Arts & Culture • Events
How to Get Tickets For Important Art Events at Reasonable Prices?
Expo 2020 Showcases Women Empowerment
Chastity Belt Debut New Website and Premiere Music Video for "It's Obvious" From Their Acclaimed Third Album
Jack Mac 'Swagger Mac' Release Date October 18th


Kasucci truth exposure Trump continues to favor Saudi Arabia Russian-Russian back.
Original title: After the expulsion of Kasushi's truth, Trump continued to "biased" Saudi Arabia, but pulled the Sino-Russian back.
Recently, Saudi Arabia admitted that journalist Kashuji was murdered and dismembered in the country's consulate in Saudi Arabia, causing world public criticism. Germany subsequently announced the suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia. On the contrary, Trump continued to "biased".
Russian satellite news agency reported on November 20 that Trump said that Russia and China could benefit from the possible cancellation of defense contracts between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Trump said in the statement, "If the United States rushes to cancel these contracts, Russia and China will have great benefits and will be willing to sign new contracts. This will be a good gift from the United States directly to them."
Germany has already imposed strict sanctions on "stopping the delivery of arms"
Germany announced on the 19th that it has banned 18 suspects involved in the case and stopped exporting arms to Saudi Arabia. This is the most severe sanctions imposed on Saudi Arabia by the Western countries.
When asked about the reasons for the sanctions against Saudi Arabia, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said: "This terrible crime has not yet been clarified so far."
In addition, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs also announced that it will stop exporting arms to Saudi Arabia, and even the government has approved it. Saudi Arabia is a major customer of the German arms industry. From January to September this year, the German government has approved the export of weapons worth 416 million euros to Saudi Arabia.
The latest recording exposure: "I am wearing the clothes that just killed the man!"
The Turkish media (Habertürk) announced on the 19th the details of some of the recordings of Saudi journalist Kashoeji when he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
After the expulsion of Kasushi truth Trump continued to biased Saudi Arabia but pulled the Sino-Russian back.


Washington, DC - We're encouraged by declines in overall youth tobacco use over the last several years reflected in the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Protecting our nation's youth from the dangers of tobacco products is among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's most important responsibilities and we're taking aggressive steps to make sure all tobacco products aren't being marketed to, sold to, or used by kids. These efforts are a cornerstone of our comprehensive plan announced last summer. They are also the focus of our Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan announced in April. We're actively examining a policy to prevent future generations from becoming addicted in the first place by rendering cigarettes minimally or non-addictive and taking every opportunity to disrupt the cycle of successive generations of nicotine and tobacco addiction.