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Q1 2016 Newsletter: Seafarer's Story
The following is an excerpt from our Q1 2016 Newsletter. Below is the story of how and why we added Seafarer Overseas Growth & Income Fund to our portfolios.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a late-19th century novel by Oscar Wilde. Dorian pledges his soul to stay forever young, rich, and beautiful. In his stead, his portrait bears the burden of age and bad behavior. After each wicked exploit, the portrait turns more grotesque. As you might expect, the story does not end well for Dorian.
Naturally, Dorian Gray came up in a discussion about emerging market currencies (the connection is obvious right?!). Andrew Foster, founder and portfolio manager of Seafarer Funds, was explaining to us his outlook when impromptu he launched into Dorian Gray.
The analogy – emerging market (EM) countries' manipulation of exchange rates (e.g. China) to prop up their economies – is beside the point. The story symbolizes how Seafarer stands out.
Wind in Their Sails
As discussed in previous newsletters, EM stocks have been a pain point. EM is a small but important part of our portfolios. Over the long-term, we expect that EM stocks will provide strong returns amid high volatility. The past few years, our clients have experienced the latter and not much of the former.
Late last year, we reevaluated our EM strategy. Seafarer first crossed our radar a year ago due to its brief but impressive track record.
While it's necessary to see evidence of skill, investors generally overemphasize past performance. Studies show that a dart-thrower would do better with recently underperforming funds than outperforming. Mean reversion is a fundamental law of investing that few escape.
Thus, strong past performance is a prerequisite but not sufficient. What caused outperformance? How replicable was it? Does the fund take concentrated risks or stay diversified? How are fund flows? What is the manager's style – does he predict macro themes, focus on metrics, or evaluate individual companies?
The more we communicated with Seafarer, the more confidence we gained. Seafarer's managers are undeniably, overwhelmingly smart. They have a deep understanding of EM investing and are serious and forthright about the risks. And as with most upper echelon managers, they leave you so impressed as to be uneasy: your impulse is to handover your last dime.
In our last newsletter, we outlined some of the fund's characteristics that we liked: bottom-up security analysis, low fees, small asset base, and a concentrated portfolio. But due diligence goes beyond metrics. Our visit to Seafarer's Larkspur headquarters hammered home our conviction.
An Impressively Unimpressive Setting
Many fund managers want to be seen as masters of the universe. Their offices usually have the downtown location, sweeping views, and fancy artwork to match.
Seafarer's HQ is refreshing. Seafarer resides in a 3-story, non-descript office park in a quaint Bay-side town. There was no receptionist, flat screen TVs, or abstract paintings.
The humble setting is symbolic. Seafarer is one of the lowest fee active emerging markets managers available even though it is relatively small (firms usually lower fees as they grow).
On a variety of humdrum but important issues, Seafarer demonstrates an investor-friendly culture. It is important to see this mindset at the firm's onset. Fund managers may pay lip service to investor issues and later blink when choosing between themselves or investors.
Intrinsic to investor friendliness is firm ownership. A publicly-owned firm owes allegiance to its shareholders. It can talk all day about putting clients first, but shareholder profit is the priority. A privately-owned firm is better able to resist short-term profits pressure.
After the grand tour, which didn't require any walking because the whole office is visible from the middle of the room, we moved to the (very nice) conference room and learned Seafarer's backstory.
Seafarer's Christening
Foster was previously the Chief Investment Officer at Matthews Asia Funds in San Francisco, where he oversaw $12 billion in assets. He has spent his whole career immersed in Asia's development and was early to invest in China's late 90s/early 00s ascendance.
After years of explosive growth, in 2009 Foster foresaw a Chinese structural slowdown. China could not continue growing at the same breakneck clip. China's rise had dominated his career, so he started rethinking his future.
Foster had never invested outside of Asia. He spent his last years at Matthews researching a general EM strategy (see opposite table for non-Asia EM regions). Had Matthews been open to such a fund and/or had Matthews had an employee-owned culture (Seafarer does), then Foster would likely still be there. Instead, he left in 2011 to launch Seafarer.
A startup is an unusual move for a portfolio manager, especially for one without millions from investors queued up. Ironically for people that pride themselves on risk taking, investment managers are often by nature risk-averse. By and large, they follow a rigorous but predictable path from prestigious university to banking/analyst/consulting gig to graduate school to pedigreed investment shop where they manage millions from day one.
Granted, Foster had made enough money that the choice was Seafarer or spending his days sailing (hence "Seafarer" i.e. the life foregone). Still, he chose an uncertain path with administrative, marketing, and regulatory headaches and low expectations.
Incentives make the investing world go round. Studies show that managers' personal investment correlates with strong performing funds. Foster has over $1 million invested in his fund. His wife, Michelle, is Seafarer's co-founder and President. And, as a fellow small business, it gives us added confidence that Seafarer is more than a job for Foster.
Focus on the Small Picture
Managers who tell big picture stories – e.g. global commodities demand is going to be X, so invest in A, B, and C – tempt investors. They make sense of the chaotic world and give the impression that their finger is on its pulse.
Foster is not one of those managers. Ask him about which way the global winds are blowing or about unifying themes behind his success, and he punts. He and his team focus on what they know best: analyzing companies.
Seafarer's mission is straightforward: it finds healthy companies with reasonable valuations, and then holds them until it can buy a better company. Determining which companies fit that mandate is extremely difficult. Still, we believe in that goal's achievability more than forecasting global trends and deciding which countries, currencies, or industries to move into or out of.
Seafarer invests in China, India, Brazil, and Poland. But it would prefer to discuss its Chinese medical supplier, Indian IT consulting firm, Brazilian aluminum wheel manufacturer, and Polish bank.
Captain's Communiques
Just as we do with you, fund managers communicate quarterly with investors. Many write newsletters, others publish Powerpoint slides, and some do conference calls. The broad themes are the same: provide a high-level asset class overview, highlight good moves, rationalize bad ones, and project conviction in the future.
Seafarer's communications cover similar territory, but they are distinctly nuanced and unassuming. We encourage everyone to visit Seafarer's website and watch one of the Quarterly Briefing videos. It's hard to put a finger on it, but watching Foster rather than simply reading him delivers great insight.
Foster's essays are equally poignant. After years of underperformance, Foster recently addressed mounting arguments against EM investing. While his main point was the need for investors to embrace EM dysfunction, he confessed his own doubts about EM investing and conceded some points to critics. He is also blunt with his errors ("My prediction was terribly wrong") and with what he doesn't know.
What May Rock the Boat
No investment comes without risks, and no manager is above nitpicking.
Foster's business plan called for $225 million under management by early 2016. In April 2015, Seafarer had $147 million. Today, it has about eight times that. Foster's goal is to have $5 billion under management, and he expresses no desire to balloon beyond that.
For one, it will be interesting to see how Seafarer deploys this gush of capital. Second, we are curious to see if it will be easier for him to outperform with a small fund than a large one. Smaller funds concentrate a manager's best ideas. And some of Foster's best ideas have been in small companies, which are harder for a larger fund to invest in effectively.
We are also curious that Foster has transitioned a growing percentage of the fund out of Asia. Much of Seafarer's outperformance since inception has come through its Asian investments, which makes sense considering Foster's background.
And, as with any EM manager, we'll be watching how Foster manages the effect of fluctuating exchange rates. EM currency volatility can overwhelm companies' bottom lines. Foster has built a currency forecasting model (this is his one attempt at macro forecasting), but he admits that it lead him astray last year.
Diversification is core to our investment philosophy. As a result, our portfolios hold a variety of funds that can seem like a mishmash of ideas.
Still, there are unifying themes. Relaying the story behind Seafarer is meant to demonstrate one: our firm and our funds must be philosophically aligned. Verifying that alignment requires comfort in the firm and manager and that we evaluate factors beyond performance.


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Celebrate & Support Men's Health in June & Year-round
For centuries, men have been breadwinners, protectors, soldiers, fathers and husbands. They are taught to be strong and firm, thus withstanding pain and images of weakness. This tradition has led to a culture of men, fathers, husbands and partners who often ignore their own health and well-being in the name of masculinity. Over the years, poor health education and a lack of male specific health programs that focus on men's health and well-being has continued, and in some ways, gotten worse.
We at Health Power are committed to improving the Physical, Mental and and Spiritual Health of men, especially men of color, because we know that "Men's Health is Power".
Also, while June is Men's Health Month, because of the important role they play in their families, "Men's Health is also a Women's and Family Health Issue". In other words, the health of our men is closely connected to the health of their spouses, other partners, and other family members. Thus, Health Power is focusing on:
Increasing men's health awareness
Disease prevention through risk reduction
Early disease detection, and
Disease Control.

subset: commoncrawl


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Your Say
A whistle blower's job is never done
As a disabled vet who worked for the Veterans Administration for 15 years, I often wondered how the director and upper management had so much power to literally "kill" patients by fabricating wait times and falsifying medical records just to obtain bonuses without any accountability whatsoever.
Since I began working at the VA as a medical lab technologist my goal was to eventually apply to upper level management since I had a front line view as a patient for many years. I enrolled in an master's program for health-care management on the weekends and completed it in about three years. I then began applying for positions here locally and all over the country. I had plenty of telephone interviews but never got the job. They were plenty of positions. I applied at the Carl Vinson VA but still no luck. What was disheartening were the people who got hired over me were non-veterans who had no formal education at all.
When I questioned the director about this policy she simply said "you have to volunteer." I quickly responded "What does that mean?" She just threw her hands up in the air and shrugged her shoulders. Then I began to ask questions among the employees and it became clear to me that they pick who gets to "volunteer."
Subsequently they train and show them the certain "KSA" (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) tasks that all government positions include. After that their favorite relative, friend, or lover gets the job. That's how "Billy Bob" or "Betty Sue" gets a position that decides on what's best for our vets. Meanwhile, the man or woman who sacrificed so much for their country so they could one day go to college are written off like collateral damage.
I even witnessed a person who didn't graduate high school move up to associate director and sometimes acting director, as well as an information security officer, who never took one computer course, and paid a six figure salary and have the responsibility for all critical and private data. And people wonder how foreign governments hacked into our systems so easily.
So I decided to become a whistle blower and speak out which only resulted in my being suspended, incessantly harassed, and eventually terminated for having conduct "unbecoming a federal employee." I was even once suspended for using the telephone — "abuse of government equipment." Of course I retained an attorney, to keep the VA from destroying my life and decided to medically retire due to a service connected injury I had, which had gotten progressively worse as I got older. I still try to attend public stakeholder meetings at the local VA, but they quit having them for some reason; probably because they couldn't deal with the questions my fellow vets and I would ask.
One must realize that our government has become more corrupt than ever before. I finally became aware that a government employee does not get ahead by doing what's right, they get ahead by telling the person over them what they want to hear. Hence, going to war over weapons of mass destruction that were not there; then subsequently "killing" vets by falsifying records and wait times. Not to mention unelected federal employees "leaking" information and deciding what is "best" for the taxpayers to hear. Sometimes I feel like our own government is a bigger enemy than ISIS or al-Qaeda. One has to wonder how many more must die before something is really done.
If anyone would like to challenge my statements and facts I will be glad to oblige you —particularly anyone from the VA bureaucracy where I gladly tried to serve my fellow vets in the manner they deserved. I took this letter to the Carl Vinson VA, handed to the director's secretary and asked for a reply. She didn't. Instead she turned into "Major Major" played by Bob Newhart in the movie "Catch 22" — "When I'm in I'm not here, and when I'm not here I'm in, you just can't find me." To all my fellow vets, thanks for your sacrifice and service.
Alan Richardson is a disabled USAF veteran.


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6395 signed of the 10000 goal
Donald Trump, stop discriminating against transgender kids
Rebecca Wilkie5 months ago I Signed
This petition ends 31st May 2019
We are urging President Trump to reverse his decision to strip transgender children of legal protection.Read more
We believe that all children have a fundamental right to receive an education without being discriminated against, and that a tacit endorsement of discrimination by the President runs counter to fundamental American values.
Discrimination has no place in schools whether based on sex, race, sexuality, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.
President Trump, think again and help stop the suffering of transgender kids.More info
Thank you
Now spread the word so others can sign it too.


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Possible Solutions
Turn off the surface cooking area.
The surface cooking area has been in operation too long.
- The surface cooking area automatic shutoff was activated.
- Remove utensils from the surface cooking area and allow it to cool.
Reset power to the product:
- Power unit down by turning off the circuit breaker(s) for one (1) minute.
- Power unit up by turning on the circuit breaker(s).
- Monitor the cooktop for one (1) minute to ensure the error code does not display again.
- Verify cooktop operation.
Still need help?
In the event you need service, please call 1-800-JENN-AIR (536-6247) to arrange for an authorized servicer to perform repairs.


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Because Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation isn't enough Hyperdimension on your PlayStation Vita in 2015, Idea Factory confirmed to IGN that Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is releasing in Spring 2015 for the Vita in North America and Europe.
Unlike previous Hyperdimension Neptunia games, Action Unleashed is a more action-oriented title, as you can see in the trailer above, with the game also allowing you to switch characters on the fly during battle.
Will you be adding Action Unleashed to your Vita library next year?


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Less than a year after they ambled on to the scene with their tinny folk rock debut, Holy City, South Carolina's Company are back with Dear America. Armed with fuller production, the group who appeared to pride themselves on delivering fidelity of the lowest order seem keen to inject much-needed brawn into a sound that had been frustratingly frail.
Kicking off with 'Moonlight', it's immediately apparent that things have become tighter and slicker, while 'Show Me You Really Want Me' is considerably warmer than anything on Holy City. The songs themselves, however, are decidedly average, with the former coming dangerously close to the polished 90s Rockabilly of the Mavericks while the latter, seemingly free of irony, sees singer Brian Hannon appropriate the vocal whine of Wheatus's Brendan Brown. Lyrically, it makes sure not to break any poetic ground with the ad nauseum chorus repetition, "Show me you really want me / Show me you really care."
There are countless other influences sprawled proudly across the album's ten songs. Something About You lifts the guitar motif from The Decemberists' 'Yankee Bayonet' before developing in to a quiet-loud power pop number in the vein of Sloan. 'Opening Night''s mawkish attempt to paint a concert scene from the point of view of a band member again touches on Wheatus with unfortunate results, while 'Stuck In My Head''s steady chug and wailing guitars will inevitably herald Pavement comparisons. These songs, however, lack the humour and self- awareness of the artists they seem so at pains to imitate, coming up well short of the careful studies of geek culture exhibited in their by Weezer and Ben Folds in their pomp.
When Company go down the folk route, the results are slightly more satisfying, if only because it's more difficult to pin down a specific forebear in a genre of such scope. While the songs are pleasant, however, they're unlikely to merit revisiting and as Hannon sings the chorus of 'I Am Bound To Drop The Ball', you get a sense of just how bland this record is: "I'm reminded of a thing that my father said to me. He said, "Son, when you get old you'll understand." Surprisingly, this really seems to be the sum total of Hannon's received paternal wisdom as the lyrics go far beyond folk rock truism to plant their feet firmly in the realm of songwriting parody.
Closer, 'Dreams', finds the group again happy to plagiarise their peers. This time it's Band of Horses by numbers, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Company have been touring with Ben Bridwell and co in recent months. Like when Chris Martin condescended to revive Embrace's flagging career by bequeathing comeback single, 'Gravity', back in 2004, it feels as though this was dusted off and presented to Hannon as a gesture of goodwill to their support act. A departure from the previous nine songs, it feels tacked on; an over-eager attempt to provide a euphoric addendum to an unremarkable album. But as the cymbals crash and the frantic downward-strums kick in, it simply ends up feeling hackneyed and one-dimensional.
It's true, then, that the production provides a decent ration of added punch, while Hannon at least wears a wider range of influences on his sleeve, even if he's unable to do so with any degree of subtlety. Company's sound is less obviously indebted to James Mercer this time around, instead drawing on a deeper inkwell that touches on the standard bearers of American indie rock over the last two decades. Unfortunately Hannon's deference sees him veer towards mimicry throughout and he seems quite content to reproduce rather than emulate and in moving away from the unkempt folk charm of Holy City, Company have also jettisoned any semblance of originality. Dear America is therefore a weak effort that plays it safe to the point of tedium, its only purpose to illuminate the work which inspired it in the first place.


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Gordon McCoun
Gordon works closely with companies to develop and implement effective financial communications strategies to optimize their valuation in the capital markets and enhance their ability to attract investment.
He also advises on a broad range of issues including: enterprise valuation, financial reporting, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, crisis management and transaction communications.
Prior to joining Teneo, Gordon was Vice Chairman of the Strategic Communications (Americas) segment of FTI Consulting, one of the world's leading consulting companies. Before its sale to FTI in September 2006, Gordon was Vice Chairman and Head of the Capital Markets Communications Practice at Financial Dynamics (FD), the world's largest business communications consultancy. His first position in strategic communications was Vice President of Investor Relations at Morgen-Walke Associates, the predecessor to Financial Dynamics, which he joined in 1998.
Supporting Gordon's communications expertise is more than 20 years of experience on Wall Street in both equity research and portfolio management. He was a Vice President in the investment research & Co., a boutique investment bank, and a portfolio manager for both institutional and high-net-worth individual funds at Prudential Insurance, Mutual of America, Citibank and The Bank of New York.
Gordon has written and published white papers and client memoranda on topics relevant to the capital markets such as financial disclosure, the shifting balance of power in corporate governance, capital allocation, assessment of equity trading venues, the importance of cash dividends, the SEC's pursuit of Regulation FD violations, and emerging trends in sell-side research coverage.
Gordon received an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University's Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.


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The Art Of Voice Acting/
From time to time I am asked to give advice or pointers to someone who is interested in doing voice-over work. Sometimes I will have coffee or lunch with this person and give them my thoughts for an hour or so. I'm always happy to talk about something that I care about, namely radio production and voice work.
The first thing I always recommend is that people purchase James Alburger's book The Art Of Voice Acting. In fact, I need to order the forth edition and take a refresher myself. If I ever start a voice class this will be my textbook of choice.
DISCLAIMER: You can order the book by clicking on the picture and I'll make parking meter money.
Last week I received an email from someone who is still in college and interested in doing voice-overs. I will withhold the person's name but here is the email along with my reply.
Currently I am in my last year of college at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. My major is Broadcast Media and I hope to obtain a job somewhere in television production. Recently, I have been attempting to explore the world of voice acting. I do not know where to start or what to look for as far as auditions, however. Most of the information I find online are for voice acting lessons and subscriptions to online talent companies. It is difficult to find reliable information. My friends all have told me that I had a great voice for cartoons or disney and I was wondering if you could advise me on where to start. I would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom you may give.
Thank You, ********** Hello (). Good to hear from you. I agree with you, there is so much stuff out there it is difficult to know who is shooting straight.
The first thing I would recommend is a book called The Art of Voice Acting. I have worked with the gentleman who wrote the book as well as attended conferences that he has produced and he is the real deal.
When it comes to cartoons and animation one name comes to mind... Bob Bergen. I have attended his animation workshops and while I haven't found much call for animation voices here in Memphis I did feel that I learned a lot from him. To my knowledge, he hasn't written any books but here is a link to his website.
There are good coaches and workshops but I would caution against throwing too much money around too quickly. Read the book, do the exercises, practice reading copy everyday. Get some honest feedback from people in the know. Don't put yourself out into the marketplace too early. At the same time don't wait years just going to classes. At some point you do have to put yourself out there.
I may have only confused you more but those are my initial thoughts.
Oh yes, one more thing...
Good luck.
~ Rick
"The one to call for voice-over / audio production" ~ Rick Tarrant Productions 714-VOX-RICK 714-869-7425


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Date: September 15, 2019
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: IFN Banquet Hall
Please join Ifn Muhsen for our caregiver support group facilitated by Dr.Shazia Tayyab, Psychiatrist and co-facilitated by Sr. Mariam Eldeib, Clinical Social Worker. This is a Support group ONLY for caregivers and family members of individuals with #Disabilities #Support #Community
Alhamdillah, IFN is happy to inform that we are now Silver and Gold Certified by MUHSEN (visit https://muhsen.org/masjid-certification/ for more info). In furthering our cooperation with MUHSEN, we have started classes at Sunday School for children with special needs from Fall of 2017 to present.
For more information, please contact ( firstname.lastname@example.com )
Sr.Sadia Thiryayi is the Lead Coordinator of this program and Sr. Muizza Suglatwala will be Lead Teacher of this program at IFN. For more information on MUHSEN, please visit www.muhsen.org.
IFN is pleased to commit its support to MUHSEN in their efforts to help families with Special Needs. IFN is currently a Silver and Gold Certified institution as indicated from MUHSEN and we will continue to progress in our efforts to make it more inclusive for each and every child with varied abilities.
Link to 2018-2019 Enrollment Form: https://goo.gl/forms/akFEYkdzcFvGFicv1
Also here is the link for the Muhsen Survey for the academic year 2017-2018: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HS7YYLR
Request from MUHSEN below:
We want to know the requirements of Special Need Families in our community. If you know of any family with Special Needs, please click on the link below to fill out a Needs Assessment Survey -All Responses are Confidential:
MUHSEN has launched a map to show where there is a special needs individual on a U.S.map on our Facebook page. Insha'Allah it will be an eye opener for this new merger between IFN & MUHSEN.
Please visit & share:
We need Volunteers to help out with implementing some of these services that we plan to offer. Please DO YOUR PART and volunteer.
Please click on the following link and pick "Special Needs" from the list:
More information on Muhsen can be found at: https://muhsen.org/about/


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Technical difficulties prevented me from posting this Thursday when it was released, but it's one of those feel-good stories that's a good read any day.
On Saturday, former Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett will earn his degree in university studies with an emphasis on history and sociology from UNLV. Lett was known as "The Big Cat" during his days with the Cowboys from 1991-2000.
The accomplishment fulfills a promise Lett made his his mother, Rachel, when he was playing college football at Emporia State in Kansas.
"I was the only child in my family to not have a college degree so this is something I've promised my mom I would do," said Lett in a statement from UNLV. "I also do a lot of public speaking in schools and I want to be a role model for these kids. I get a lot of questions about education and now I can say I graduated from college."
Lett decided to return to school after he visited UNLV defensive line coach/assistant head coach Andre Patterson at UNLV last year. Patterson coached the Cowboys defensive line from 2000-02. Lett was in the home-building business after his career ended in 2001, but he wanted to get back into football after attending the 2008 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
"I ran into some of my old NFL teammates and friends who are now coaching," Lett said. "We started talking football and it felt really good. But I knew I needed to finish my college degree to get involved."
During his days with the Cowboys, Lett earned two trips to the Pro Bowl and was a member of all three of the team's Super Bowl teams in the 1990s. But he's best remembered for two gaffes. During Super Bowl XXVIII, he had the ball stripped away from him by the Bills' Don Beebe while returning a recovered fumble. During the 1993 Thanksgiving game, he touched a blocked field goal in the final seconds, allowing Miami to recover and kick again for a 16-14 win.
Now he can also be remembered as a guy who made good on a promise to his mother and set an example for other former players.


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This Teen Took His 89-Year Old Grandma To Prom. And Make Everyone Tear Up.
Austin Dennison found out that his 89-year-old grandmother, Delores Dennison, never went to her prom, so he decided he had to take her to his.
The memorable evening started with Austin serenading her before they left for prom. They dined at her favorite restaurant, Bob Evans. At the prom, the couple slow danced to Frank Sinatra's song Delores. The night was an evening the two would never forget. They made it home shortly after 9pm, for Mrs. Dennison's bedtime.
This is so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. If you think what he did was awesome, share this post with others.
Source: Shane Dennison


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Star Base Yorktown: What is the outer shell made of? If breached by say space junk, would explosive decompression follow? Is there a force field supporting the structure? Did anyone else notice similarities with 'Elysium', 'Inception', and even 'Dr. Strange', with the topsy-turvy mobius feel to it?
Krall: Did he and his crew change more physically or mentally over time? Would a bit more backstory on the USS Franklin been helping in telling their story? Was there a favorite stage of his appearance? (for me, it was the full blown dragon-man)
Jaylah (or however it is spelled ): Since being offered to join Star Fleet Academy, would her character be interesting enough to join a later film? Based simply on appearance and speech patterning, I'd think so.
Teenaxians: A couple of them were beamed aboard with Kirk. Why were they not returned to their planet? Are they hostages? One at the end, was in a classic 'red shirt', was he a member of the crew, even minus the pants?
I'm sure there were more questions, but now my brain is not longer sleep deprived, I can't remember them


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The Fly Girl Guide to Africa Fashion Week London
"I mean what else are we gonna do but level up?" - Fabolous
I am writing to you from my hotel room in London where I am covering Africa Fashion Week London. I'm too hype. I literally just leveled up. My life, my mindset, and my happiness are just on a new level. Welcome, to The Fly Girl Guide: The Level Up.
Why did I travel to London to cover Africa Fashion Week London? Because I want to see what's good with fashion from the African Diaspora. I'm so over New York Fashion Week. I don't care what Kendall or Gigi is wearing. The coverage of NYFW is so saturated and unoriginal. What's good with the other models like, Maria Borges, Grace Mahary, Leomie Anderson, and Diandra Forrest? And I will never forget when Who What Wear snapped the worst snapchat story talking about, "look at the Black model and she closed the show." I wrote about that horrible white privilege fiasco here.
I'm just over it. I want to know what real dope fashionistas are wearing and what inspires them. It seems to be a gap within the African fashion market. African style can influence but it doesn't cross over. Currently, you can find dashiki shirts in most stores, I saw them in Rainbow for $14.99 USD but they aren't authentic and African styles don't seem to have a place in the Ready To Wear sector. There must be a way to bridge the gap.
From yesterday's show, I saw designs that one could wear for work, special occasions and chilling. Stranger Things and chill in Emporium Line's sweat suits with Ankara print. Laura Jane served neoprene peplum skirts and capes along with men's bomber jackets and sweatshirts in neoprene fabric. McStell Fashion Gallery for Daviva showcased a stunning printed co-coordinated halter top with wide-legged pants. Nipo Skin for Daviva presented a menswear line that included everything for every man. With precise cuts and the use of leather and cords, the line is well tailored.
Nnooll was my favorite line. It's a brand I can truly see crossover. The line was playful, yet sophisticated. Each garment is ethically handmade in The Gambia.
African fashion is on the come up. There's more to African fashion than a dashiki shirt made popular by Dime Piece clothing brand and Rihanna. I'm seeing a direct need to bridge the gap. I look forward to today's shows before I head to Paris!


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Coming in strong with the duo discuss what they recently viewed! Nnekays talks about seeing Spike Lee's Blackklansman move, and James was inspired by Notorious RBG. James also had an interesting experience with a woman in Starbucks... should we yearn for the better days of the 1950s? Nah. What the hell is Melania wearing and what historical implications does it have. Hint: it's not good. Nnekay talks about all the new and exciting Asian and Asian-American actors on Fall TV Premiers. James wants us to Queer the Vote, but highlighting some LGBTQ politicians running this coming November!
Run For Something Candidates:
Twitter: @minoritykorner
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Like Us On Facebook: Minority Korner
This is one of our wildest episodes to date. And for our 50th episode, no less! We've got first time guest, comedian Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie, Mystery Science Theater 3000) and returning guest Brandon Johnson (Rick and Morty, Animals). They're on to discuss the brand new film, BlacKkKlansman. Brandon, once again, tries to hock bootleg merchandise. Baron earns his anointed title of "The Big Pun" by making puns with a machine gun pace. April holds it down by recommending some post WWII era German-Jewish poetry. And Ricky fixes his car stereo like the Fonz. Plus, the crew discusses the films, style, and career of BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee. And as always, we have Staff Picks.
In news, the "Popular Movies Oscar" gets some support, Idris Elba tells everyone NOT to believe the James Bond hype, and screenwriter John August is compiling the list of popular films that can't be found online.
Weekly Movie Recommendations:
Ricky - Kareem: Minority of One
April - Point Break
Brandon - Crazy Rich Asians
Baron - The Final Master
PLUS, we have two Spotify playlists. One is for Movie Soundtracks and the other is for Movie Scores. Check 'em out!
Next week we're discussing Crazy Rich Asians.
With Baron Vaughn, April Wolfe, Brandon Johnson, and Ricky Carmona.
You can let us know what you think of Who Shot Ya? at @WhoShotYaPod on Twitter. Or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.
Warning! We recorded this episode earlier in the week before the passing of the great Aretha Franklin. We mean in no way to pay disrespect, and pay great homage to how she pathed the way for future generations of black artist and people to live their truth. Off the bat the wonder twins talking about the queen of soul herself, Aretha Franklin, sending prayers for her and talking about some of her past controversies. James saw Spike Lee's newest film Blackkklansman and give a spoiler free review. In Nnekay's korner- she's got a booklist for you! This time she is giving you books from Latin American literary cannon that will help you diversity the American one. Also she had some selections from WOC writers to diversify your reading list and possibly some of your loved ones, to boot! In James' korner, he is give you THEATER- by way of teleplay! That's right we have the Minority Korner players in the house. Playing out selections from the 1984 James Baldwin Village Voice interview. James playing James Baldwin and Nnekay playing the interviewer. The interview covers the James Baldwin's views on homosexuality, the black community, the future, and more. It's a deep insight into his thoughts on the LGBTQ community in the 80s.
Twitter: @minoritykorner
Email: email@example.com
Like Us On Facebook: Minority Korner
Read more at http://minoritykorner.libsyn.com/#RL2vQF0XfBCc2VyL.99


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MEDIA ADVISORY: MU, Columbia Participate in National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day
Story Contact(s):
Jesslyn Chew, firstname.lastname@example.com
By Diamond Dixon
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a range of developmental disabilities that can occur in individuals whose mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy. Each year in the United States, nearly 40,000 babies are born with FASD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid formally will proclaim Sept. 9 as FASD Awareness Day. The ninth day of the ninth month of the year is recognized nationwide as FASD Awareness Day and represents the nine months of pregnancy during which women should abstain from alcohol. On that day, individuals, organizations and communities across the country organize events and special ceremonies to increase awareness of FASD and promote compassion for individuals with the disorders.
Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid
9 a.m., Monday, Sept. 9
Jesse Hall, south porch
MU Campus
The event is free and open to the public. For more information about FASD, visit: http://www.nofas.org/factsheets/ or http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/index.html


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The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands District Office will conduct a Construction Quality Management (CQM) course at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 19, on St. Thomas.
"This course is aimed at familiarizing contractor personnel with CQM concepts and procedures, in order to perform contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," said SBA District Director Yvette T. Collazo. "Small businesses in the construction industry will greatly benefit from this course, and we encourage them to register."
The CQM course includes such topics as "What is Construction Quality Management?" "Contractor Quality Control," "Contractor and Government Responsibilities," "Preconstruction Conference and Coordination Meeting," "Submittals and Quality Management During Construction," among many others.
The course is free of charge and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Small Business Development Center's Training Facility located at 8000 Nisky Center, Suite 720, St. Thomas.
To register, visit access https://conta.cc/2Lnz367.
For more information, contact Wayne Huddleston at [email protected].
For information on SBA assistance for small businesses, please visit www.sba.gov/pr.


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Texas Wills and Trusts | Divorce | Tax | Aviation Law
A 24/7 Texas Online Law Practice
Perez Law Office, PLLC is a Texas web-based law practice providing affordable estate planning, divorce and small business legal services delivered via a secure online platform. The services I provide through my virtual law office offer a convenient and affordable alternative to traditional lawyer-client interactions.
No need to schedule an appointment, miss work, travel to a law office, or wait to meet with an attorney. Once you register on this website, you will have access to this online law office 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via your secure, personal login page – from any location, and at any time, that is convenient for you.
Your entire transaction can be conducted online, without disrupting your busy schedule. Whenever you have questions for me, or need to communicate with me for any reason, you can send me a secure message from your private account, and I will respond as quickly as possible.
Attorney-client communications via this online law office are secure and encrypted – as opposed to conventional e-mail, which is unencrypted and does not provide a secure means of client communication. My clients' data are maintained in a Tier 4 data center – the most stringent standard of data protection, designed to protect mission-critical software. All payments are processed via a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) – compliant credit card processor, and no credit card account numbers are stored on our servers.
Accessing Online Legal Services is Easy! Here's how it works:
You'll never have to miss work, travel to a law office, or wait for long periods of time to talk with a lawyer. Talking with a lawyer is as simple as creating an appointment online for consultations via telephone, Skype or online chat.
1-2-3 Step Procedures to Access Services!
- Perez Law Office's online services require you to register with this website, which will give you access to your own MyClientSpace website.
- On the secure MyClientSpace website you can purchase the legal services you need and retrieve your item(s) online.
- When you are ready for check-out, you can save your data and you can purchase your selected service with a credit card online.
It's as easy as that! If you would like to have legal guidance when completing a document, or would like it to be done for you please contact me via telephone, private message, or Skype.
How My System Works
- I help Texas individuals and small businesses deal with their legal problems without spending thousands of dollars in legal fees, or resorting to non-lawyer alternatives like LegalZoom.
- I offer legal forms bundled with legal advice for a fixed fee.
- I also offer traditional legal services that we bill either on a fixed fee basis per project, or by the hour, depending on the matter and the type of legal problem.
- Within this secure space you can purchase the legal services that I offer, and your entire transaction can be conducted online.
- To purchase a legal form bundled with legal advice you start by completing an on-line questionnaire. You can start your questionnaire for free without paying a fee.
- Online legal services may not be suitable for every legal matter. If I determine that your specific legal matter requires services beyond the scope that I provide, or that I am otherwise unable to help you with your legal matter, I will promptly refer you to a full-service Texas law firm or a Texas lawyer referral service free of charge.
Only a Law Firm Can Give You Legal Advice.
Questions? Call 281-755-6033
Perez Law Office, PLLC
Magnolia, TX 77354
Comments on this entry are closed.


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Welcome to the 600 Festival Association's newsroom. It is our hope that this serves as a helpful resource including a repository for photos, videos, press releases and more. If you have any questions or specific needs, please let the team know.
Event Logos
Movies on the Campus
Zucchini 600
Haulers on Union
Little 600
Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola
Event Images and Video
- Movies on the Campus /movies-on-the-campus-event-photos/
- Haulers on Union:
- Photo: /haulers-on-union-event-photos/
- Video: https://youtu.be/MzZPfr_LX7o
- Little 600: /little-600-event-photos/
- Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola:
- Photos: /speed-street-event-photos/
- Video: https://youtu.be/EhHnKopcyQQ
600 Festival Video: https://youtu.be/HjiGYIAgZQw
Media Materials
- Press Releases: Please visit /press-releases/.
- Jacqueline Gafrarar, Executive Director Biography
- Fact Sheet
Credentials: For credential details, please visit /credential-details/.
Social Media
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/600FestivalAssociation/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/600festival
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/600festival/
- Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/festival600
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOozXTvE1gHn1y1-KCxZy6A
Media Contacts
- Meg Seitz: 412-508-4721, [email protected]
- Mary Johnson: 917-689-0733, [email protected]


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Led by Stacie Jones, The Jones Insurance Agency is a true local New York insurance agency, specializing in Medicare and Healthcare Reform. Stacie's personal hands on approach has been the backbone of her entrepreneurial success.
The Jones Insurance Agency is a full-service insurance agency that can help you to protect your family or business. We specialize in helping people to sort out their healthcare options, including the Affordable Healthcare Act and Medicare options for retiring baby-boomers. We can show you how to protect your income in case you become sick as well.
We excel in helping to de-mystify life insurance, and show you how this valuable tool can help you with wealth and asset protection, as well as covering your family in the event of an unforeseen tragedy.
The Jones Insurance Agency is a family business, so protecting families is our first priority. Let us help protect yours today!


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The outer gelcoat finish on a fiberglass boat is a porous resin material that protects the hull and gives the boat its shine. Time and exposure to the elements will eventually erode the relatively soft surface of gelcoat, leaving your previously shiny hull looking dull and chalky and fading the boat's colors. To bring back the color and shine to your boat, you must go beyond a simple wash and wax. With a few simple products and a lot of elbow grease, you can restore the shine and vibrant color to your fiberglass boat.
Mix 5 cups of mild liquid detergent with 5 gallons of fresh water in a 5-gallon bucket. Wash the boat with this mixture using clean cloths and lots of water.
Put on rubber kitchen gloves and safety glasses. Dampen a clean cloth with acetone and fold the cloth into quarters. This is the de-greasing part of the project, to remove the mold release wax being exuded by the gel coat, so as you wipe down the hull, refold the cloth as necessary to ensure you're wiping with acetone and not a dry cloth. Re-wet the cloth as necessary.
Apply about 1 tbsp. of polishing compound to another clean cloth and begin wiping it onto a 3- by 3-ft. area of the boat in overlapping strokes to ensure a thin, uniform layer of polishing compound is on the surface. When the area is covered, polish it with an electric buffer and polishing pad until the oxidized surface layers are gone and the color begins to return. Continue polishing the boat, one 3- by 3-ft. area at a time.
Wax the boat with automotive paste wax in overlapping circular strokes, using a clean cloth, working in 3- by 3-ft. areas. As you complete one area, apply wax to another area until the whole boat is waxed.
Allow the wax to form a haze. Buff the wax with an electric buffer and a buffing pad, using circular motions.
- Repeating this process once every season or two ensures your boat's colors will remain more vibrant; the wax also adds another layer of protection to the surface of the boat.
- BoatUS Boat Tech: Restoring the Shine to Fiberglass
- "The Complete Book of Boat Maintenance and Repair"; D. Kendall; 1975


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Empty Bowls Community Event
Join us on St. Patrick's Day for a community meal to support Cyrus Centre.
Enjoy a delicious meal of soup, homemade bread, dessert, and beverage. Choose your soup bowl - it will be yours to keep!
6 p.m. Saturday, 17 March
Clayburn Village School
Tickets available at the Clayburn Village Store: $10/adult or $25/family
Live music ♦ Silent auction ♦ Cyrus Centre presentation
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Our parish AGM will be held on Sunday, 25 February following the 10 a.m. service. Please join us as we review our life as a community in the past year and plan for our future.
Join us after the meeting for our monthly potluck lunch.
Ash Wednesday Service
14 February 7 p.m.
Join us as we mark the beginning of the season of Lent.
Join us for a service of Lessons & Carols on Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!
Sunday, 24 December 7:00 pm
Come and share the stories & music of the season, then join us after the service for seasonal refreshments.


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Microsoft Corporation
As Microsoft's corporate Senior Technical Evangelist covering Private Cloud, Virtualization & System Center, Symon Perriman is a recognized industry expert in datacenter management, cloud, virtualization, high-availability, disaster recovery, mobile technologies and social media. Previously he spent four years as a Program Manager on the Server Clustering & High-Availability engineering team and has been working in the technology industry since 2002. Symon holds several patents and industry certifications, including Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), MCSE Private Cloud, and VMware Certified Professional (VCP). Additionally he has contributed to four technical books for virtualization, server, clustering and SQL; co-hosts the 'Edge Show' for IT Professionals; has had his technologies featured in PC Magazine; and also serves as President & Founder of FanWide Technologies LLC. He graduated from Duke University with degrees in Computer Science, Economics and Film & Digital Studies.


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Publisher: Who Cares What the Law Says? Government Can Do as It Pleases!
Missouri Publisher of the Columbia Tribune Henry J. Waters the Third is incensed and frustrated. Missouri legislators like Senator Jim Lembke and Representative Paul Wieland, and tea parties throughout the state are opposing red light cameras because they deprive citizens


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Richard Railey is definitely not an idiotic, racist troll. Nope, he's just your average 56-year-old community college student, pursuing an associates degree in IT security while trying to form a White Student Union at Tarrant County College. Burnt Orange Report wrote about Railey's quest this morning, and also referred to Railey as a former GOP precinct chair in Tarrant County.
That's not quite correct, as it turns out. Railey is a current GOP precinct chair, in district 1056. That's according to Shelly Pritchard, the Tarrant County GOP's executive director.
"His name's so familiar to me," she said thoughtfully. "I know he's real active."
"He's trying to form a white student union at the community college right now," I told her.
There was a long pause.
"He's doing whaaaaat?" Pritchard replied, finally. "No comment with me," she added. And then, "Wow."
Railey -- who also, as BOR points out, refers to himself as "Mstr Rick," for some reason -- has already set up a Facebook page and a Wordpress blog for his proposed White Student Union. He calls it an "an ethnocentric campus club open to all current or former students, employee's [sic], staff, and administrators from any of five TCC campuses located throughout the Fort Worth Metro area."
It's slightly more toned down than "Mstr Rick's" personal blog, where he waxes on about his support for White Nationalism and what he terms the "White Ethno-Centrist Movement." (Side note: Rick, are you by any chance an Unfair Park commenter? This is beginning to sound a bit familiar.)
The seat of Railey's gripe with Tarrant County College and its perceived racism is laid out in this post, titled "Equality of Ends," from August 2011.
"Last summer, on June 14th of 2010 I was arrested for DWI and spent two months in the Tarrant County Jail awaiting trial," Railey writes. "In the ensuing time I lost my job, car, was evicted in absentia from my apartment, personal belongings thrown into the street, and other possessions in storage sold at auction."
Railey adds that he was found guilty of misdemeanor DWI and released with time served: "Fifty-five years old, no money, no job, no place to live, no family or close friends to call on, and no possessions save the clothes on my back; I wander aimlessly down to East Lancaster Street, Fort Worth's notorious 'Homeless Quarter' and land at the PNS (Presbyterian Night Shelter)."
To speed up the story: Railey finds out that as veteran (he says he served in Panama in the mid-'70s), he qualifies for supportive housing at Fort Worth's Liberty House, where he still lives, and some educational opportunities. He applies for and receives a Pell Grant, and starts studying IT security at TCC.
But Railey says he found he needed more money to finish his degree, so he applied for a TCC Foundation Scholarship. A financial aid officer tells him that scholarship is reserved for "diversity applicants." Later, he was told by TCC and Texas Board of Ed higher ups that the scholarships were need-based. Cue the white guy outrage.
"No room at the Inn for White Guys at Tarrant County College," Railey writes. "I seem to be getting that a lot lately. 'you don't count.' What? Why do so many in Fort Worth disgorge such disdain for white guys?" (Fort Worth is 63 percent white, according to the last American Community Survey).
During roughly the same time period, Railey also filed a complaint with the Tarrant County Elections Office, according to Fort Worth Weekly, in which he claimed to have been intimidated by a copy of Ebony magazine he spied a poll staffer reading as he was on his way into the booth.
""It is EXTREMELY inappropriate and probably a federal election law violation to have this magazine displayed by a polling official," Railey wrote, according to FWW. "[A]nd I believe it was an attempt to intimidate, bully, and threaten white voters." He sent the complaint to the secretary of state as well.
The flames of Riley's apparently unquenchable outrage were fanned yet again last year, when he discovered TCC has a "Men of Color" mentoring event, aimed at lowering the school's attrition rate among black and Latino male students. Railey writes that he applied for a mentor through the program and was rejected (although I'm sure that would have been fun for both of them).
Railey filed a racial discrimination complaint against TCC with the Dallas-based regional headquarters for the federal Office of Civil Rights. According to his own blogging, he alleges that the president and the chancellor of the school:
colluded, conspired, and schemed to purposefully, willfully, and with malice to have separately and jointly exercised conduct directed against my person based on race for the purposes of debasement, intimidation, bullying, and harassment, at a level of severity that has affected my ability to participate and/or benefit from my educational program at Tarrant County College.
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All of this seems to be the back-story of Railey's desire for a White Student Union. The real question, though, is not, "Why is this racist guy so frothingly racist?" but, "What will TCCD do with his request?" We've sent an email to see if they have any plans to approve the group, and will update if we hear back. At least now TCC students know where to go if they want to emulate a 56-year-old community college student.
Update, March 29: Rita Parson, the public information officer at TCC, emailed last night to let us know that Railey has refused offers to take part in mentorship programs, and hasn't done any of the paperwork to make his "White Student Union" a recognized student organization. From her email:
Thank you for your inquiry. Richard Railey is a student at Tarrant County College. TCC administrators have met with him to discuss his concerns and have offered to provide him the opportunity to participate in mentorship programs, but he has declined to take advantage of the student support program and services that are open to all Tarrant County students. The organization referenced should not have a TCC or Tarrant County College reference since it has not gone through the process to be a recognized organization.
Parson also adds on a section from the student handbook, which says "No organization will be established or allowed to operate which discriminates against staff members or student in violation of state or federal law." The school also has recently written a new segment of the handbook, titled, "Speech, Assembly and Expression." It says, in part, that students and faculty are free to express their views "subject only to rules necessary to preserve the equal rights of others and the other functions of the College District." Make of that what you will.


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About Alpha Media
341 S Yorktown Pike – Mason City, IA 50401
Alpha Media is a growing radio broadcast media company that has a passion for outstanding radio and digital content. Our philosophy is to be smaller, faster, bolder, and work as a team at all levels. We hire and retain the absolute best talent who can deliver a unique outlook and innovative ideas. At Alpha we believe in creating progressive products, world class events and building strong relationships in our communities.
"With radio reaching over 90% of virtually every segment of the population…and with 245 million Americans spending at least 2 ¾ hours a day listening, radio is here to stay."
Alpha Media, headquartered in Portland, Oregon was formed by veteran radio executive, Larry Wilson in August 2009 and was originally named Alpha Broadcasting. Alpha Broadcasting initially acquired six Portland radio stations; KINK-FM, KUPL-FM, KUFO-FM, KCMD-AM, KXL-AM and KXTG-FM.
In 2012, L & L Broadcasting was established and began acquiring stations across the country. On July 1, 2014, L & L Broadcasting and Alpha Broadcasting merged, creating Alpha Media. Between the original Portland stations and pending transactions, Alpha Media will own 135 radio stations in 28 markets across the US. As Alpha continues to grow we still follow our philosophy of keeping radio Live and Local in each of our markets. Alpha Media stations work closely with each of our local communities and advertisers.
Our formats include Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Spanish, Urban, News Talk, Sports, Rock, Country and more. In addition to the radio stations; Alpha Media owns the intimate performance venues, Skype Live Studio in Portland, Oregon and Alamo Lounge in San Antonio, Texas.
Here at Alpha Media we are a radio family focused on our local autonomy and connection to the community to deliver the most compelling Live and Local content.
We focus on our relationships with team members, clients and partners rather than negotiating deals.
Whether it's a 2-day music festival or a community fun-run, our team is relentlessly focused on innovation, efficiency and entertainment.
Alpha Media is known for outstanding service to the community. Our commitment to these communities and the radio industry is to never stop learning and recognizing opportunities for growth.
Thank you for taking a moment to get to know us a little better. If you would like to contact us see our staff list below!
General Manager: Dalena Barz
Email: email@example.com
Operations Manager: Tim Fleming
Email: email@example.com
Program Director Star 106, Super Hits 102-7 & 1490 KRIB : Jared Allen
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
News Director: Bob Fisher
Email: email@example.com
Farm Director: Jesse Stewart
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Production Director: Joe Malone
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Assistant Production Director
Graphic Design/Web: Eric Fleming
Email: email@example.com


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1. Make a check list
Shoved in my underwear drawer is a 2 page list entitled: "What to do when someone wants to see the house". I made this bad boy when I was going to Vegas for Miss USA and leaving my husband to tend the house and any possible showings (none, actually, but hey, I was prepared). It breaks the house down room by room and lists the main things to do when getting that room ready. I've followed this list so many times now I have it memorized. At the end, it hits the high points of the main things to take care of in every room--vacuum, spray air freshener and light candles (which is what I do very first, actually, so they burn the whole time I'm getting ready), take pets to their respective hiding locations, etc. The list is key!!
2. Divide and conquer
Forrest and I have divided up all of the tasks that need to be done for a showing and it really saves time. I handle all of the "list" things on the inside and he handles the outside ones. There is some overlap, in that I take care of the outdoor seating area and he does one final sweep of the floors. Since we each have our own tasks to handle there is no confusion over who does what. We just get it done.
Forrest woks to make the yard look beautiful, while I'm more of an indoor girl.
3. Make a plan for pets
One of the cardinal rules of house selling is to hide all trace of pets. You never know if the people looking are pet people or if they think pets are nasty. I hide everything--bowls, beds, toys, all of it. Even though we have a fence I don't want the dogs to stay in it because I want the potential buyers to be able to go in the fence, check out the yard, etc without Sonny and Ruffles going all attack dog on there. No, they wouldn't bite them, but it could really give a negative vibe to hear them barking their heads off. We are lucky to have the Hayes across the street who don't mind if we put the dogs in their fence. As for the cats, I round them up very last, toss them in their carrier, and they spend a couple of hours hanging with me, either at the office or doing errands. They hate it, but they would hate going to a strange house even worse. I think they feel safe together in the carrier and with us, and since it's just for an hour or so, I think they can get over it. Having a set plan on what to do with your fur babies can have them
4. Posh it up all week long
I always want the house to look its best--like I'm going to have a party. I hope that doing that helps people see themselves living and entertaining in it themselves. To that end, I always have plants around, especially as centerpieces. Live plants are beautiful and add lots of depth and richness to a room, in my opinion. Although they usually end up dying, I think that plants go a long way in taking a room to the next level. I also keep the tables set all the time now. To me, it looks nice! I used to put everything out when we found out someone wanted to come but we don't always have a lot of time, so leaving these nice touches out really helps. Plus, our house always looks "fancy"!
I used these plants that I won at the auction last week to add some color and pizzazz to the house. Now if only I can keep them alive....
5. Leave unused items hidden
I want people to open cabinets, closets and drawers when they view the house so they see that there is plenty of stuff for all of their paraphernalia. I have plenty of space for all of my stuff but I decided to streamline my storage so show actually how much space the house really has. I put all unnecessary coats in the truck if my car, along with extra dry goods (rice, pasta, etc) and alcohol (that's really so we don't look like drunks). These are things that I don't need on a daily basis and it's not hard to get them when I need them. Plus, I'm not worried about the state of my cabinets because I always know they are straight--the mess is in the car! Yes, I haven't used the trunk of my car since May but hey, that's why Forrest has a truck.
What do you think? Do you have any tips that can make my house showing even faster? What tricks of the trade did you use when you sold your house? What do you like/dislike to see when you are house hunting?


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Australia's oldest exhibiting Aboriginal art gallery
Ochre on Carved Wood
90 x 12 x 12 cm
Please note that prices are subject to change at the discretion of the gallery.
#9837 LOCATION: Bondi Beach
Skin: Jarpijapinga (March fly) Dance: Trick dance Country: Marlawu (Mother) & Imalu (Father)
Josette Orsto was born in 1962 and is the daughter of Jean Baptiste and Declan Apuatimi. Trained by her father in the art of carving and painting, Orsto is prolific in many different media including acrylic and ochre on canvas and paper, batik, etching, linocut, woodcut, lithography and wood sculpture.
She was commissioned by Australia Post to design artwork for the September 1997 and 1999 prepaid envelopes. Josette was a finalist in the 2003 20th Telstra Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.


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Since it is dress-up season in Greece we attended lots of parties
both in the city and the suburbs.
This girl is a wicked little devil...
a pop tube top finds its perfect match in a Marilyn skirt
a mystery woman outside Guru bar poses for us, dressed up as kitchy Greek singer
urban team@Blue Peach
The people at Blue Peach bar decided to express themselves in various ways.
Rocky Horror meets Pipi Longstocking in the face of this dj
This year we spotted several corpse brides inspired by Tim Burton's flick.
We could tell ya but then we'd have to kill ya...


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Definition of Capitalization
1. Noun. Writing in capital letters.
Generic synonyms: Writing
Derivative terms: Capitalise, Capitalize
2. Noun. An estimation of the value of a business.
Generic synonyms: Estimate, Estimation
Specialized synonyms: Market Capitalisation, Market Capitalization
Derivative terms: Capitalise, Capitalize
3. Noun. The act of capitalizing on an opportunity.
Generic synonyms: Development, Exploitation
Derivative terms: Capitalise, Capitalize
4. Noun. The sale of capital stock.
Specialized synonyms: Overcapitalisation, Overcapitalization
Generic synonyms: Marketing, Merchandising, Selling
Definition of Capitalization
1. n. The act or process of capitalizing.
Definition of Capitalization
1. Noun. (North America) (alternative form of capitalisation) ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Capitalization
1. [n -S]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Capitalization
Literary usage of Capitalization
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Biennial report by Minnesota Tax Commission, Washington (State). Board of State Land Commissioners, Washington (State), Board of State Land Commissioners (1912)
"Table II: Railroad Capitalization The first items considered are the main track mileage and the proportional capitali/ation at par of railroads in Minnesota ..."
2. Financing an Enterprise by Hugh Ronald Conyngton (1921)
"Functions of Capitalization The "Value Idea" in Capitalization Effect of the "Value Idea" in Capitalization PAGE . 308 Value Variations Between Capital ..."
3. American Railroad Economics: A Text-book for Investors and Students by Aaron Morton Sakolski (1913)
"In analyzing railroad capitalization a distinction must be made at the outset between Capital and Capitalization. Capital is the amount of actual money or ..."
4. Corporation Procedure: Law, Finance, Accounting by Thomas Conyngton, Robert Joseph Bennett, Paul Whittier Pinkerton, Hugh Ronald Conyngton (1922)
"Capital, Capitalization, and Capital Assets' The different forms of organization of business enterprises and the various types of security issues which are ..."
5. A Manual of Corporate Organization: Containing Information, Directions and by Thomas Conyngton (1904)
"In states where a tax is levied on the capital stock, such tax may be largely and legitimately avoided by a small capitalization. If it is essential that ..."
6. Accounting Theory and Practice by Roy Bernard Kester (1918)
"Capitalization of a Consolidation or a Merger The capitalization of a corporation, in a legal sense, is the sum total of the par value of the authorized ..."
7. Commentaries on the Law of Municipal Corporations by John Forrest Dillon (1911)
"Elements of Value of Property ; Capitalization and Bonded Indebtedness. — A further element tending to show the value of the property used for the public ..."


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Two Bedroom
|Bedrooms : 2
Bathrooms : 2
Sleeps up to 2-4 guests
|Size : 1615 Sq. Ft.
Floor : 2nd with elevator
Price : 595€/night 4165€/week
Apartment Features : Elevator, ADSL-WiFi, Washer/Dryer, Water View, Maid Service, Private Concierge service, Chauffeur pick up at airport (additional fee)...
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and spacious apartments in Paris, located in a stately renovated Haussmannian building of the Napoléon III era (1850's to 1870's). Quai des Celestins is adjacent to the river Seine, just across the water from the Île Saint Louis.


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I am an Adjunct Lecturer in Empirical Methods at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and work as a Director, Applied Research at the Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University. At CID, I am mostly involved in research projects aimed at helping governments to rethink their development strategies both at the national and sub-national levels. All of our engagements are tackled by multidisciplinary teams, staffed with Harvard scholars and CID Fellows specialized in the specific expertise required in each case. Since I joined CID in 2014, I have been involved in projects at the national level in Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Jordania, at the sub-national level Buenos aires, and in Mexico I have worked in Chiapas, and Hermosillo-Sonora.
Before joining the field of international development, I worked for ten years in corporate finance and business development in Latin America, performing as Director of Finance for the Cisneros Group of Companies (1997-2003), Head of Corporate Finance for Mercantil Servicios Financieros (2005-2007), and Business Vice-President for Sony Pictures and Entertainment Latin America (2008-2009).
At that point, I decided to switch tracks and get involved in development economics. I went back to school and enrolled in two Master of Science degrees in International Finance and Trade (2011) and Economics (2012) from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and went on to complete my Ph.D. in Economics at Universidad de Barcelona (2016). In the meantime, I had the opportunity to lead the Macroeconomic Policy Team for presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski in the Venezuelan elections of 2012, and complete the Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2014).


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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The Television Plug
That year we were living in San Mateo, California while our Dad worked in San Francisco. He had a half hour commute each way, which meant he spent an hour a day just getting to and from work. He would get home, tired and hungry, and the three of us would sit, glued to the set, watching the Mickey Mouse Club. Daddy would say, "Hi, kids" and we would ignore him. Nary a word came out of our mouths. Eyes front, we didn't deign to notice his existance.
He carped. He complained. He nagged. Since he didn't believe in hitting, he never spanked us, but I think he may have been tempted. He acted mean (you are the most ungrateful kids . . ), he acted pathetic (I drive an hour a day just to put food on this table and you can't bother to say hi when I get home), he ranted and raved.
And then one day he came home, said "Hi, kids," waited a couple of minutes to give us a chance to respond, and when we didn't he walked over, unplugged the TV, and cut the plug off. Without a word. He then went into his bedroom to change his clothes.
We ran out to the kitchen and told Mama what had happened. She went into their room and talked to Daddy. When she came back out, she said that when we could get the TV fixed, we could watch it again.
As the oldest, it was my job to figure out how to do this. So, I called a TV repair shop listed in the yellow pages and explained our problem. Fully -- confessing how the plug happened to have been cut off the set. The gentleman I talked to told me that it would cost $.75 (yes, 75 cents) for the part and labor. Just to bring the set in and he would take care of it. I was elated! Saturday was allowance day, and I got $.75 a week, Forry got $.25, while Colleen got nothing. We could afford to do it that coming Saturday. But, when I asked Mama if she could take the set in before she went shopping, she looked at me in amazement. It was up to us to get it fixed. That meant, it was up to us to get it to the shop. But, even if he was a big nine year old, Forrest and I couldn't lift the TV and get it into the car. And I couldn't drive. How could we manage this?
When I called him back, the gentleman said he would gladly come out and do the work, but since he would not be able to do any other work while he drove to and from our house, it would cost $12.50.
We were stunned. $12.50! Do you know how long it takes to save $12.50 when you only have $1.00 a week? That's right. Thirteen weeks. And that's how long my parents didn't watch TV while Forry and I saved to get it repaired. For 13 weeks Mama missed Jack LaLane and her soaps. Daddy missed the Pabst Blue Ribbon Monday Night Fights. They both missed I Love Lucy. Because allowing children to be responsible for their own actions was more important than watching TV. In all that time, neither said a word to us about the TV. Didn't scold us. Didn't remind us we were missing Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland and Captain Video and Hop Along Cassidy. Didn't tell us we could have avoided this. Didn't complain about not having it available. Not one word.
To this day, if someone comes in when I am watching TV, you can bet I look up and say "hi". Forry, too. And if Colleen were still alive, she would, too.
8 comments:
- J said...
A book however, is different...when your only daughter ran away, you noticed not, because your nose was buried. HA! :) I also notice that your allowance was the same in 1954 as mine in 1974...prices didn't go up much, huh? Maya's started out at $1.00 a week, but she's up to $5 now, and she's a bit younger than you were then.
I suspect nowadays people would be THRILLED to get from San Mateo to San Francisco in half an hour, don't you?
I've always liked this story. We learned from the hearing of it, so we didn't have to have our plug cut, thankfully. ;)
- Rain said...
that was great. When my kids were little, we decided that TV had become too important and we said one hour a week-- each. That meant us too. That was when I broke the soap opera habit finally. I didn't want to ban it totally but with one hour, they had to each be selective. Now as adults, they use TV but don't watch a lot of it and are actually glad they grew up with that limitation.
- Ron Southern said...
Children these days would, I fear, burn the house down in reaction!
- Melissa said...
I love this story. What a great way to teach kids responsibility and respect. My parents used to stant in front of it if we didn't say hi. I too, stop and say hi when someone comes in, no matter who it is and no matter what is on. Although with Tivo, I can pause stuff now.
- Anvilcloud said...
Quite a lesson! Smart man!
- Sharon said...
Wonderful story!
- Maya's Granny said...
J - Yes, I didn't notice when you ran away until you came back in. What a wrteched mother I am. And prices stayed much the same for a long time. Stamps were three cents for decades. A nice lunch, with a fancy sandwich, potato salad, coffee, and pie was $.99 for a long time. And how wonderful it would be to be able to get from San Mateo to San Francisco in half an hour these days!
Ron, some children might burn the house down, but children who are raised correctly would accept it, just as we did. Of course, if my parents had said anything, we would have rebeled. But, since they allowed the situation to teach us, we could see that what had happened followed logically from what we had done.
- Suzann said...
sooooo wonderful - love this story - love your stories. Television, we did not have a television until the really late seventies - cutting the plug and walking away what a priceless lesson.


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Old house at Far Hills, New Jersey, USA, fronting on to a road leading towards a bridge. Children playing by the roadside. Photochrome print c1898-c1905.Add to Cart
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I bet the Colorado Department of Public Health will reject this study - as they do most anything that doesn't paint a favorable picture of cannabis.Read More
We make it legal, they still grow it illegally.Read More
This is El Paso County, Colorado (where I live) and our City, as well as our County, opted OUT of retail marijuana. But that doesn't pertain to "legal" home grows, which have become the direct supplier for the black market.Read More
Since when did we become comfortable with our employees working with a little buzz from last night? And why have we been pressured and bullied into looking the other way?Read More
It's easy to ignore catastrophe when all you care about is $$$ in your own pocket or campaign coffers. Shame on Colorado politicians from BOTH parties.Read More
While we can read the manuals and updates from various expert agencies, it's really the role-playing and table-top practice drills that help us to think through the unexpected.Read More
Since the legalization of marijuana, many of us have repeatedly experienced employers who are bullied by their very own employees.Read More
But those who live where marijuana is legal are learning more information about the "safety" of marijuana and quite frankly, they feel duped. People often ask, "How can I take my vote back?" Unfortunately for them, it is not going to be easy undoing their decision, but maybe others can learn from Colorado's colossal mistake.Read More
There are multi-faceted issues in a culture of acceptance and each particular issue must be carefully reviewed with safety at the core of the conversation.Read More
Quite frankly, one very unfortunate accident by an employee under-the-influence could cost a large company significantly or a small company everything. Implementing protective factors is a priority and a right for every stakeholder in the workplace.Read More
Their choice of courage and integrity …. to tell the truth in the face of massive media bias, completely bought and paid for by the Big Marijuana Industry (NORML, The Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Free Policy Alliance) is inspiring and encouraging.Read More
The content of this piece is utterly replete with false assumptions and made-up "facts". Yes, there is a slight correction at the end but it comes nowhere near rescuing the writer from a foray into over-glorifying the world of weed.Read More
"You better ask for a copy of this e-mail because messages like this have a way of disappearing very quickly," the CDPHE employee said.Read More
Alaska already has legal marijuana and those who choose to use it – do so freely. Why sell out to Big Marijuana? In fact the Marijuana Policy Project said recently, "We don't care about Alaskans, we care about winning ground in Alaska for our cause."Read More
We in Colorado have found that the Big Marijuana proponents, sponsored by big dollars, come in to our states with a strategic plan that fits their own agenda. They write the laws (NOT our policy-makers). They write the regulatory framework. They call the shots and then …. they fight regulation every step of the way.Read More
Why is the marijuana industry not taking proactive, public measures to issue warnings and disclaimers about the dangers associated with childhood exposures?Read More
Here is a piece of my truth: marijuana impacts my life on a daily basis. It is now an integral part of my career, it is a major focus for me and a topic I am well and widely versed upon. But there are not enough hours in the day or venues available for me to tell enough people what some of us REALLY know about marijuana and to effectively get the truth out there.Read More


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Although it seems if a program is compressed/packed with a EXE packer most AV (AntiVirus) programs will still give false positives - many of which are insane warnings.
The advantages of using a EXE file packer however are obvious - smaller file sizes, encrypted data, and even basic protection from would be thieves. As such many trainer authors will not release a trainer without using a EXE packer.
My recent Spelunky trainer without using a EXE packer gives zero false positives at two online virus scanning services (using a total of 63 virus scanners- with repeats); however, once that same trainer is packed with a EXE packer it receives multiple false positives.
The false positives given for the packed trainer range from obvious warnings to overly ridiculous warnings -such as a packed file warning, suspicious activity warning, claiming it is a trojan downloader, trojan dropper, possible worm, or even variations of a virus.
Towards the end of this article I included a section called Antivirus & Packer Results that goes into more details, with AV scanner reports, about false positives with antivirus software.
Unpacked Trainer
As mentioned my unpacked trainer gives 0 false positives at VirusTotal.com and Virusscan.jotti.org. Here is the VirusTotal report and the Jotti Virusscan report.
The trainer fresh from being compiled is only 158.5 KB (162,304 bytes) in size.
Being a unpacked file all the resources inside the EXE, text strings, images, memory addresses, etc. are easily read/modified/extracted with any hex editor or resource editor like Resource Hacker.
So even if the trainer has built in protection (see my trainer protection tutorial) against trainer spy programs, debuggers, or whatever - they can easily be removed from a unpacked file.
A EXE file packer will compress the data, encrypting it, and in many cases adding additional protection for any EXE or game trainer.
Choosing a EXE File Packer
To protect the work of creating the game cheats, writing a trainer, making the custom images, and such - a EXE packer is used. Finding the right packer software can take longer than all the work that went into the trainer itself.
The main reason is most file packers are used by malware/trojan/viruses, and any file packed with particular EXE packers are flagged by AV for that reason alone.
So the trick is to find a file packer that hasn't had it's reputation ruined by malware, and is still up to date to work with your trainer.
Antivirus companies all seem to claim that just because a file is packed by a EXE packer, their software will not flag the file just for that reason. Of course if you try scanning your trainer or EXE files before and after packing them you will see that AV software will for one reason or another.
Filer Packer - What to Look For
There are many things to look for, many of which you will decide on when trying file packers yourself. I have listed the main things I looked for when trying EXE file packers.
- Cost - freeware or paid file packers. As paid file packers are less likely to be used by malware authors many are not flagged by AV software as often; however, at a cost of $100 to several thousand it is often not worth it. Several paid programs such as Petite and PECompact are even flagged by AV more than UPX.
If you want to invest money in a file packer then try the shareware software, otherwise stick to freeware. Either way, besides the cost, both types of software have nearly the same problems and benefits.
- Compression level for packed files. Not all EXE file packers offer the same level of compression of your game trainers or EXE files. I recommend you find one that provides a high level of compression, and perhaps even changes depending on the areas of the file (for example the compression on the EXE resources compared to the rest of the file).
- Additional features and extra protection. Many file packers are command line programs, and you may prefer a GUI frontend. Even if the EXE packer is command line driven many frontend programs exists - do a search to find if one exist.
Also many file packers offer built-in protection against debuggers, unpacking, and other forms of protection. I would suggest if it claims to offer protection, try it for yourself.
Another thing to look for is if the file packer can pack both 32-bit and 64-bit EXE files. That way no matter what type of PC file you have it will work.
Be aware there are many file packers that have no protection besides basic encryption due to the file compression, and can easily be removed. For example UPX can easily be unpacked by the main program itself, and it offers no way to prevent it.
- How easy it is to unpack the compressed file. If you are only looking to shrink the trainer file size then you may not be concerned about this. As mentioned UPX can easily be unpacked by the main program itself, and it offers no way to prevent it.
Some file packers are easily defeated by a easy to find and use scripts in OllyDbg, by the file packer itself (such as UPX), or other widely known methods.
A easy way to check this is a simple web search of the file packer name and the text unpack - such as unpack UPX. Just remember everything is un-packable, you are just looking for something that makes it harder for others to unpack.
One thing that helps is a often updated file packer and using the newest version. This often helps prevent would be thieves from unpacking your latest trainers.
Finding EXE File Packers
One of the most used file packers is UPX. Thankfully many antivirus programs do not flag everything packed with UPX instantly as a virus anymore. UPX however offers no protection, and any packed file is meant to be easily unpacked.
There are some tricks to prevent unpacking UPX packed files; however, doing them will often get even more AV flagged false positives. At the Skilinium blog tutorial are some tricks to prevent others from unpacking a UPX packed file.
There are numerous other file packers available, and perhaps some of the best packers are those not widely known. The more popular a file packer becomes the more unpacking tutorials, tools, and programs are made - making it easy to unpack a popular file packer.
I am listing some file directories of EXE file packers to get you started. Just be aware that many found online are often out of date and will only work on DOS, 16-bit, or 32-bit EXE files.
- Softpedia - List of Packers/Crypters/Protectors
- Download32 - Packers and Unpackers
- SAC - Archivers, exe-compressors, archiver shells and other related utils
Many more can be found with a simple Google search, and often specific EXE packer websites.
Other Protection Methods
Besides using a EXE file packer there are things you can do when programming your game trainer to help protect it.
For many programming languages there are so called obfuscator tools. They work by basically renaming all functions to numbers (to make it more difficult to understand the code, for example turning the function GetAmmoPointer to function 123), renaming variables, removing all comments, and other things.
Of course you can use do such things yourself as you write your trainer or after it is completed.
Another thing you can do is to break up cheat memory addresses to two variables (or more), or do simple math on the address variable to make it valid (for example a variable holds 123460 before it's used, four is subtracted to get the real address, which would be 123456).
Such tricks will keep the cheat address protected from people who use a hex editor to view the trainer EXE file looking for the addresses.
There are many other things you can do, just use your imagination. I have another tutorial about protecting your trainer available.
Antivirus & Packer Results
My unpacked Spelunky trainer is 158.5 KB (162,304 bytes) in size, and has 0 false positives - here is the VirusTotal report and the Jotti Virusscan report. This is the base file used to get the following results.
UPX Packer
I first packed the same trainer with the most common EXE packer, UPX, with the best compression option of -9. The packed trainer file size is 94 KB (96,256 bytes).
Jotti Virusscan scanner reports 3 false positives (with 20 AV scanners) of a trojan-downloader. The VirusTotal scanner reports 7 false positives (with 43 AV scanners) of a trojan-downloader, generic packed file warnings, and a worm warning.
UPX Packer Modified
I used the same UPX packed trainer (as above). It had the same file size of 94 KB (96,256 bytes). This time however the packed trainer was modified so it is not as easy to unpack.
I used the software tool found at the Skilinium blog tutorial to make the UPX trainer harder to unpack. Afterwards the false positives increased due to AV scanners pointing out it is a modified UPX packed file.
Jotti Virusscan scanner reports 3 false positives (with 20 AV scanners) of a trojan-downloader. The VirusTotal scanner reports 9 false positives (with 43 AV scanners) of a trojan-downloader, generic packed file warnings, suspicious file, modified UPX warning, and a worm warning.
Additional UPX Trainer
As the UPX packed trainer was giving such insane virus/malware warnings from the virus scanners, I made a version of my trainer with nearly everything removed leaving just a window GUI with a few buttons.
I packed with the file with UPX and tested it, and here are the results. VirusTotal gave nearly the same results as always; however, Jotti Virusscan reported 5 false positives (with 20 AV scanners) of various trojan-downloaders in the trainer.
Online Scanner Details
I tried many various EXE file packers and every single one of them made my trainer give false positives. Unpacked the trainer gives no false positives, so I modified my trainer multiple times and noticed some various things happening with the online scanner results.
With the Virusscan.jotti.org scanner it seems three of the AV scanners always report the same thing as the other two. It seems that the AV scanners G Data, F-Secure, and BitDefender all share a virus definition database. No matter how long or specific the warning is, they all say the exact same thing every time.
The VirusTotal.com scanner has a great add-in that actually works and is useful. Any file scanned at the VirusTotal website is sent to the antivirus homepages so they can update their definition databases.
I have noticed several of the scan results of the trainer files at VirusTotal reported a certain false positive number, and if I re-scanned the same files or viewed the previous results a day or more later the false positives were often less.
For example one of my tests originally had 13 false positives late Saturday. Now as I am writing this article and checked the test results page it now currently only reports 9 false positives. It seems that several AV companies actually review and update their products from the VirusTotal files.
One other interesting thing I noticed is that even though both online scanners use several of the same AV scanners, those identical AV scanners will give different results. Often the AV scanner will find nothing at one site, and it will give a false positive at the other site.
I have to say that the VirusTotal.com scanner seems to be the best online virus scanner. It offers the most AV scanners on each test, and AV companies will get a copy of your file and often remove false positives without any extra effort.
It also seems that VirusTotal uses the most up to date scanner databases, by the fact that the results can vary day to day - plus they actually list when the AV was last updated.
EXE file packers can be a great tool to shrink your trainer file sizes by half or even more, while offering some basic protection.
AV false positives vary widely and can even if the only thing changed in your trainer is some text.
For example my released Spelunky trainer that is packed/compressed only has one false positive from 42 AV scanners; however, if I alter the text or cheat addresses in the trainer it has been as many as 13 false positives.
Using the same packer on various trainers that were created with the same tools, even the same programming method, will all have different results. I use the same basic trainer skeleton that I programmer for my various trainers (modifying the images, text, and cheats for each game), and each will have varying false positives.
False positives seem to be a part of the game cheating scene and as such most users just accept them.
If you want to avoid them there are two things you must do - use a programming language and write your own trainers (no trainer maker/creation tools as nearly anything made with them are flagged by AV) and do not use any EXE file packer.
You can learn more about creating trainers in my article about programming languages and trainer creation/maker tools.


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Welp, I am officially traveled out. (For this month, anyway)
This past weekend, I traveled to Puerto Vallarta for my dear friend Leah's bachelorette party. I was a little nervous going in because I didn't know most of the people going, but I can say now that I had the best time. Puerto Vallarta is ridiculously gorgeous and the girls (and guy) on the trip were hilarious and so much fun. We all got along insanely well. Check out some of the pictures I took below.
One of the days we were there we all took a booze cruise excursion. We ventured out on a boat to Marrietas Island and went snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Then they served us lunch, we learned about some birds, and drank some Tecate and Margaritas.
*The excursion was booked through Vallarta Adventures!
The last night, we braved the cartel-ridden streets (I kid, I kid... or do I?) and went into town. We ate at a delicious (seriously, so good) restaurant called La Leche and then went clubbing it up at Mandela's. Interesting tid-bit about La Leche--last year, El Chapo's son was kidnapped by a rival cartel while he was eating dinner there. Equal parts awesome and terrifying am I right??
I learned 3 things from this trip.
1. Meeting new people is sometimes scary but often ends with a shit ton of laughter and great times.
2. Puerto Vallarta is absolutely worth visiting, and I will definitely go again. (btw, we stayed at the Grand Fiesta Americana Hotel and it was the bees knees)
3. I am now at the age where I require naps if partying multiple nights in a row.
Other Awesomeness....
-Incase you were curious, you can check out the video of the kidnapping at La Leche below! I guess I should note that they released him go about a week later.
-This has to be the song of the summer. Or it is in PV at least!
-The next book on my list!
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
-This movie had my head snapping back, my mouth dropped open to my chest, and multiple "WTF?" spewing from my lips. Christopher Plummer's acting is on point as well.
-I wore this tropical dress to both Mexico-bound Bachelorette parties I attended this year. Its comfrotable, cute, and has pockets! Weeee pockets! And yeah, haters, I got it off Amazon (I have a problem).
Alrighty, that's all I've got for today! Have any of you taken a great vacation this summer? What's on your "favorite" list right now?
Until next time,