Institute...

Illustrating the wide range of U.S. grievances with China, a Senate committee released a report highly critical of the Beijing-funded Confucius Institute.

The Senate's  Subcommittee described systemic problems in the institute's language programs, saying they lack transparency, threaten academic freedom and give the Chinese government access to the U.S. education system that China does not extend to American programs.

Senate investigators uncovered no evidence connecting the Confucius Institute with Chinese espionage, an increasing U.S. concern that has prompted the Trump administration to step up its monitoring and enforcement efforts at American campuses.

But the investigation found that the Chinese government had provided about $158 million over the last 13 years to establish and run more than 100 Confucius Institutes in the United States, including seven in California.

The subcommittee also turned up lapses in U.S. government agencies' oversight of the programs. 

Hoaxer...

Twitter announced that it is permanently suspending Jacob Wohl, a 21-year-old Internet hoaxer, following the publication of a USA TODAY article in which he boasted of using the social media platform to spread lies and disinformation.

In the article published Tuesday morning, Wohl disclosed what he claimed were his plans to create “enormous left-wing properties,” including Facebook and Twitter accounts, before the 2020 presidential election in order “to steer the left-wing votes in the primaries to what we feel are weaker candidates compared with Trump.” 

Throughout the day, Twitter users had messaged the platform's CEO, Jack Dorsey, demanding that the company take action against Wohl.  

In announcing the suspension Tuesday afternoon, Twitter said in a statement: “The account was suspended for multiple violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically creating and operating fake accounts.”

According to Twitter, after Wohl bragged of his intentions to violate its rules against the creation of fake or misleading accounts, the company scrutinized his activity on the platform and found he already created multiple fake accounts.

Sleep...

lifespan

E

xcessive including th with our 

Sleep needs vary across ages.

A night or two of less sleep every once in a while will make you feel mentally and physically fatigued, but probably won’t affect your health or performance over the long term. 

Sleep deprivation becomes a real problem to health and quality of life when it becomes the rule rather than the exception. 

A large sleep debt can lead to diminished mental performance and changes to your appetite that can lead to weight gain.

A varying sleep schedule undermines your body’s ability to regulate sleep effectively. Too much catch-up sleep can leave you wide awake and unable to fall asleep by the end of the weekend. 

The right amount of sleep is the amount that leaves you feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and prepared for the day ahead. Identifying the sleep duration that meets your individual needs is the first step toward a lifelong habit of healthy sleep.

Caution...

“Intel has been obtained that gang members in Long Island are looking to ‘hit’ NYPD police officers, specifically in the Brentwood/Central Islip area in order to gain street credibility,” the document reportedly said. “These members are conducting reconnaissance of [member of service] private residences.”

Law enforcement living in the areas were advised to be aware of anything out of the ordinary and to do what they can to switch up their daily habits, according to the Post.

NYPD 105th Precinct officials issued a word of caution to officers residing in the area about the “threats” as the gang members were apparently caught surveying officers’ homes, the New York Post reported Tuesday, citing an internal memo.

Regenerative...

After age 50, you lose 1-2 percent of muscle strength per year. “After 60, you lose 3 percent a year, which comes out to about 4.5 pounds of muscle strength per year. 

Strength training helps you regain the muscle you lost and helps your cells remain younger since exercise slows cell aging. Exercise doesn’t just make you feel younger. It may actually turn off the aging process in your chromosomes.” 

Strength training can “ward off age-related muscle loss, improve mobility, decrease bone loss, and even help combat depression and cognitive decline.

Dr. Jasmine Marcus, PT, DPT, recommends that healthy older adults incorporate strength training into their exercise routine at least twice a week or more.The positive and regenerative properties of strength training cannot be overstated. 

What we need is to get out of the seated environment and move more. Step, squat, lunge, walk, jog, hop, and skip. Do full-body movements that aren’t painful and are fun to perform. 

Public Advocate...

A decade-ol arrest of Councilman Jumaane Williams has surfaced in the final stretch of the New York City public advocate’s race, roiling what had already been an unpredictable contest as his rivals demanded more information just before the polls were set to open on Tuesday.

Mr. Williams, 42, acknowledged that he had been arrested a decade ago on harassment and criminal mischief charges and spent a night in custody after what he called a “verbal disagreement” with his girlfriend at the time. Mr. Williams said the judge dismissed the case and sealed the records.

Another female candidate for public advocate, Dawn Smalls, who is a lawyer,  called for Mr. Williams or his lawyer to release his sealed arrest record, even as she said “the timing of this report raises red flags given the election is tomorrow.”

Jumaane Williams is the new Public Advocate but not for long, the new election would be in November.

Walking...

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, the fourth time the troubled player has been banned by the league.

The suspension comes about seven months after Gregory was reinstated by the Commissio following a lengthy process aimed at reviving his career. Gregory missed 30 of the 32 games over two seasons as a result of his first three suspensions.

Gregory had his best year in 2018, posting career highs with six sacks and 14 games. He was reinstated just before the start of training camp last year and was active for the season opener.

While suspensions in the most advanced stage of the league's substance-abuse policy are at least a year, it wasn't immediately clear how long the 26-year-old Gregory's latest ban would be.

* Some do it to themselves...

Quite...

Mr. Cohen is being questions by the Dems. Was he forced to testify? Did any one told him that  as an individual  "he has the right to remain silent?"

*People will say any thing if they are under pressure, so whatever the Media will elaborate on day and night, we just don't trust you.  it will be ignored.

Invitation

Just over 50 years ago, US B-52 bombers were pummeling Hanoi at the height of the Vietnam War. Now the Vietnamese capital is playing host to a US President as he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the hope of ending a separate war.

The city's reinvention since the end of the war is part of the reason it was selected for the important summit with Kim. Washington is sending a message to North Korea -- a former US enemy can become a strong friend and a vibrant economy if it's willing to cooperate.

The night before his historic summit with President Trump last June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took a surprise stroll in downtown Singapore to see the sights of the wealthy capitalist city.

The inference seemed clear. If cash-strapped Pyongyang chooses to engage the world -- and ditch its nuclear weapons -- this could be its future.

Experts believe the Trump administration plans to sell North Korea on a model such as communist Vietnam, highlighting its relationship with Washington as well as its economic boom since adopting market reforms. And all the North Koreans have to do, Washington is expected to say, is give up their nukes.

*Let us invite Peace, war never solved a problem but created death and devastation to all parties.  Just a thought.

Solicitation...

Robert Kraft’s arrest for solicitation of prostitution stemmed from an investigation into sex trafficking at a massage parlor in Florida.

Kraft was charged with two counts of misdemeanor solicitation after he was allegedly seen on video receiving illegal sex acts from two separate women. 

According to ESPN’s TJ Quinn, many women who worked at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter  including several who were living at the establishment  are believed to be victims of sex trafficking.

The two women who engaged in sexual activity with Kraft do not appear to have been illegal. One woman is the manager of the spa. Both have massage licenses from the state of Florida.

Was the SPA routinely did that or just this time?   Just a thought.

Soar...

Squats...

Squats build strong legs which help support the entire body. But they also promote body wide muscle building. If you’re squatting correctly, you’ll be causing your body to release testosterone and the human growth hormone, both of which are imperative for building muscle and increasing muscle mass.

These muscles help regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, playing a role in preventing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

You don’t even need to squat with heavy weights to achieve these effects, deep squats with a lighter weight are more effective at improving bodily strength than are parallel squats with heavy weights.

But squats may be a more efficient way of burning fat – as this process occurs even after you’ve stopped exercising…something that doesn’t happen with cardiovascular activity.

After all, one of the most time efficient ways to burn more calories is to gain more muscle! It’s said that, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body burns around 35-50 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you can burn up to 500 more calories per day.

ABS...

‘Abs are made in the kitchen,’ which refers to the fact diet trumps workouts when it comes to having visibly defined core muscles. 

While carbohydrates are a vital part of the diet, the body also stores extra water with extra carbohydrates. This can lead to a puffy appearance that hides muscle definition.

Skip the simple carbs (added sugar, refined grains) and opt for small portions of complex carbs (fruits, vegetables, whole grains.) 

Quality of protein matters; aim at grass-fed, wild and pasture-raised animal proteins and unprocessed plant proteins for the best results.

Adding healthful fats helps increase protein concentration in muscles. A 2007 study also showed consuming omega-3 fatty acids can decrease waist circumference. 

To benefit from adding fats to your diet, aim at monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids found in foods such as fish, avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil.

Price...

Senators challenged top executives of seven pharmaceutical companies on the spiraling costs of prescription drugs.

The CEOs of Pfizer, Merck, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi defended their pricing and business practices before the Senate Finance Committee.

The executives agreed that drugs should be more affordable for Americans. But they were reluctant to promise to cut list prices without other reforms.

They argued that other factors, such as pharmacy benefit managers that negotiate discounts and insurance coverage, have greater influence on the price consumers pay at the pharmacy counter. They spoke of drug rebates that don't always reach consumers, payments tied to the value of a drug and more transparency.

Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier called pricing "complex and interdependent," and said addressing cost, access and affordability would require bringing "all the parties around the table."

Senators were skeptical of the industry's price-setting practices and heavy spending on marketing and sales spending. 

Patents give drug companies exclusive rights to sell a drug for several years before generic companies can make competing versions of the drug.

Other senators questioned whether Americans are subsidizing the cost of developing new drugs for the rest of the world.

The senators do that Sound Byte every two years with no results whatsoever. Just a thought.