text:
Bryan Stevenson • Freedom • General Culture • independence day • Juneteenth • racial reconciliation • reparations • True Justice
Reparations: Repairing and Rethinking Our Idea of Independence
Imagine I got here to you and confessed that I had stolen something from you many years ago, something that made it exceedingly troublesome for you and your family to prosper. But relatively than compensate you for my theft, and even return what I had stolen, I merely apologized. Naturally, you'd be unhappy by my phrases. Imagine if I had stated: "But it happened so long ago. You've overcome so much in the meantime, and your family has found a way to flourish in the face of hardship, even without what I stole from you. So returning or replacing it isn't going to change anything. It's only going to stir up bitterness. Besides, we're both Christians, and you of all people should understand forgiveness." You in all probability wouldn't contemplate my apology contrite or Christian.
Unfortunately, this trade is just like the disposition of many Christians and U.S. politicians when the topic of reparations resurfaces. However I feel we will do better. Holding our Christian and American freedoms in tandem, we will make amends for one of America's biggest sins in tangible ways in which don't disregard the offense of the centuries-long enslavement and unjust discriminatory laws towards African People. As Christians, how we interact in the dialog of reparations may be one of the best testimonies of our faith to the remaining of the world.
The historical past of enslavement could seem distant and irrelevant to some, however for me and many different African People, the legacy is recent and painful. On a current go to to my grandmother's house, we dug around in her archives in search of previous articles, books, and footage. At the cusp of seventy-five years previous, she's desperate to move along gadgets of significance to her grandchildren that specify the history of our individuals. Her extra significant contributions have been within the type of first-person and second-hand stories that specify our household's legacy and lineage. I watched her face contort into horror as she informed us how her grandmother described what it was wish to be whipped by a slave master and having salt poured in these wounds. And I responded in type to her reenactment of shock when she discovered for the first time what her grandmother meant by "nursing" as she identified in footage all of the white babies she had nursed. As she relives those reminiscences, I reside them together with her. That historical past programs by means of the blood in my veins too.
We've only partially loved the truest sense of American independence and freedom as long as we help or stay apathetic to the indifference of a system that is insistent on overlooking previous wrongs.
The ache of mistreatment and human devaluation lives on. It has not gone away. It carries social, financial, and financial penalties passed right down to me and so many others. And it has come at the hands of a government that allowed such atrocities to occur underneath a rule of regulation. The system was damaged for my grandmother, and her grandmother, and the extent of retributive justice has been sluggish and minimal. What my grandmothers acquired was not recompense from a contrite government. As an alternative, what they acquired was earned by means of persistence and sacrifice from the bottom rungs of American hierarchy, oftentimes sanctioned by American churches. That I'm solely a couple generations faraway from being considered worthless within the eyes of my government and America's largest denomination is a haunting reality. And in actuality, 1-in-Three those that appear to be me are considered such by at this time's felony justice system.
In HBO's current documentary True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Battle for Equality, Stevenson, too, understands the proximal weight of an unjust system at play. Bryan Stevenson is the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, which seeks to finish mass incarceration and extreme punishment in america, problem racial and economic injustice, and shield primary human rights for probably the most weak individuals in U.S. society. Within the documentary, Stevenson recollects from his childhood when his grandmother took him to an previous shack the place his grandfather was born and informed him to pay attention for a sound. He says it's the identical sound he hears when he goes into jails round the USA. "It's the sound of suffering… agony… misery… and when you hear that sound of misery, it will push you to do things that you won't otherwise be able to do." One of those things we will do is work out a method to repair what our methods have damaged for generations, as a result of, as Stevenson goes on to say, "There's a history of untold cruelty that hides in silence in this country. And I think there are things we can hear in these spaces that can motivate us." The point right here shouldn't be that slavery was evil, which it was, however that it was a specific sort of evil that has never been really reckoned with by way of restitution. And opposite to the opinion of some, ending slavery by way of a civil conflict doesn't rely as restitution for slavery.
Sadly, many Christians of our tradition flip a deaf ear to those untold cruelties. Some even echo Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's sentiments: "I don't think reparations for something that happened 150 years ago, for whom none of us currently living are responsible, is a good idea," the senator informed the press. "We tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a civil war, by passing landmark civil rights legislation, elected an African American president," a president that McConnell and many others staunchly opposed. "I don't think we should be trying to figure out how to compensate for it."
To McConnell's latter point, I need to agree. There isn't a sufficient quantity of "compensation" for America's gross iniquity of human slavery. Some acts of wickedness are merely irreversible. Nevertheless, there could be simply recompense. Simply restitution. And former slaves have been owed this. Through the Reconstruction Period, the U.S. authorities thought-about and even started to act on paying restitution to African People by offering them avenues to accumulate positions of elected power, land, and reparations. However finally the federal government reneged on these alternatives. As an alternative of making amends, it proliferated many years of additional race-based violence and injustice. America stole labor from African People that it by no means paid again. Our nation owes a debt, and it needs to pay it, even whether it is to the decedents of those who have been wronged. Simply because time has passed, the invoice of justice the federal government is accountable to pay has not expired.
During a reparations hearing on Juneteenth of this yr, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates excoriated Senator McConnell for his dismissiveness on the matter. "Enslavement reigned for 250 years on these shores. When it ended, this country could have extended its hallowed principles—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—to all, regardless of color. But America had other principles in mind. And so for a century after the Civil War, black people were subjected to a relentless campaign of terror, a campaign that extended well into the lifetime of Majority Leader McConnell," Coates stated. "We grant that Mr. McConnell was not alive for Appomattox. But he was alive for the electrocution of George Stinney. He was alive for the blinding of Isaac Woodard," he continued. "Majority Leader McConnell cited civil rights legislation yesterday, as well he should, because he was alive to witness the harassment, jailing, and betrayal of those responsible for that legislation by a government sworn to protect them."
Coates's words are a prophetic and stinging rebuke to any who joyfully rejoice Independence Day with out also recognizing how irresponsibly that independence was carried out. The admonishment pierces the elemental parts of those that sneer at even the thought of repairing what the American forefathers, and the various that adopted, did not make right. As long as People deal with the darker origins of our country's history with obscure and empty phrases–bracketing previous sins as nonexistent, nonessential, abstract, and inconsequential to our future–the cycle of human objectification will solely take type in other unforeseen methods.
Why convey up such a controversial and heavy matter on the heels of a traditionally enjoyable and leisurely holiday? Why should we maintain returning to these standard, drained, controversial conversations over and over again? Why can't we just move ahead, chill out, and enjoy the fellowship of family, buddies, and fireworks? Because to do so is to numb ourselves with forgetfulness that anesthetizes a larger realized sense of freedom our society can experience. I consider we've only partially enjoyed the truest sense of American independence and freedom, and it is going to stay this manner so long as we help or remain apathetic to the indifference of a system that is insistent on believing its past sins are by some means rectified as a result of time has past. Lingering sin continues to be sin. The passing of time simply maturates its effects.
Many, nevertheless, undertake the notion that indirect culpability of American slavery and segregation lessens the burden of duty for the subsequent era. Within the "Frequently Asked Questions" portion of Richard Rothstein's guide The Colour of Regulation: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, he's asked by an unnamed questioner: "I wasn't even born when all this stuff happened. When my family came to this country, segregation already existed; we had nothing to do with segregating African Americans. Why should we now have to sacrifice to correct it?" Quoting Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, he answers: "Your ancestors weren't here in 1776, but you eat hot dogs on the Fourth of July, don't you?" His point is that, "When we become Americans, we accept not only citizenship's privileges that we did not earn but also its responsibilities to correct wrongs that we did not commit. It was our government that segregated American neighborhoods, whether we or our ancestors bore witness to it, and it is our government that now must craft remedies." Unfortunately, too many of us Christians sit idly by, failing to concede that we reside with enduring effects of slavery and de jure segregation. The longer we sear our consciences to those information, the better it turns into to keep away from confronting each our gospel and constitutional obligation to reverse it. In consequence, a chasm of the potential wealth African People might have amassed and handed on to the subsequent era only grows wider. Moreover, it's value noting that no one is advocating a transfer of wealth immediately from white individuals to black individuals. This can be a query of how the federal government may in some type, (by means of tax dollars perhaps) repay what is because of descendants of slaves.
Turning a comforting blind eye or reassuring ourselves of how far we've come as a country merely gained't suffice the comparable work of doing justice, which requires repairing (reparation) what's broken, whether we're the individuals liable for breaking it or not. Once we permit our beliefs to turn into tangential matters in the best way Jesus compels us to use our freedoms to love our neighbors; we deceive ourselves into believing there isn't a approach to repair previous—or even current—American atrocities. However whether we select to disregard the financial, emotional, physical, religious, and social inequities and strife brought on by 250 years of American slavery, 100 years of Jim Crow legalized segregation, 150 ongoing years of disproportionate incarceration of African People, and continued housing discrimination, or not, it still exists and it's affecting your neighbor. The query for us Christians is now, will the church lead in demanding justice, or will we permit our nation's "original sin" continue to mature with hollow words that lack action?


One week after they were shut out by Chatham, the Fonda-Fultonville Braves built a 41-point lead through three quarters on their way to a 41-14 win over Coxsackie-Athens.
Russ Williams passed for 146 yards and threw three touchdown passes in the first half for the Braves (3-1, 3-1 C South). Pat Hart ran for 165 and scored two touchdowns.
Daeclan Myrick scored two touchdowns for Coxsackie-Athens (1-4, 0-4 C South) in the fourth quarter.
The Braves are home Saturday for a game against Cobleskill-Richmondville.
F-F — Matt Westfall 30 pass from Russ Williams (Pat Hart kick).
F-F — Kevin Twardzik 22 pass from Williams (Hart kick).
F-F — Brandon Baker 20 pass from Williams (Hart kick).
F-F — Hart 2 run (Hart kick).
F-F — Hart 42 run (kick failed).
F-F — Twardzik 6 pass from Anthony Sinicropi (Hart kick).
C-A — Daeclan Myrick 1 run (run failed).
C-A — Myrick 27 run (Myrick kick).
Records — Fonda-Fultonville 3-1, 3-1 C South; Coxsackie-Athens 1-4, 0-4 C South.


A belief in the power and imminence of the Drexlerian vision of radical nanotechnology is part of the belief-package of adherents of the view that an acceleration of technology, linked particularly with the development of a recursively self-improving, super-human, artificial intelligence, will shortly lead to a moment of ineffably rapid technological and societal change – the Singularity. So it's not surprising that my article in the IEEE Spectrum special issue on the Singularity – "Rupturing the Nanotech Rapture" – has generated some reaction amongst the singularitarians. The longest response has come from Michael Anissimov, whose blog Accelerating Future offers an articulate statement of the singularitarian case. Here are my thoughts on some of the issues he raises.
One feature of his response is his dissociation from some of the stronger claims of his fellow singularitarians. For example, he responds to the suggestion that MNT will allow any material or artefact – "a Stradivarius or a steak" – to be made in abundance, by suggesting that no-one thinks this anymore, and this is a "red herring" that has arisen from "journalists inaccurately summarizing the ideas of scientists". On the contrary, this claim has been at the heart of the rhetoric surrounding MNT from the earliest writings of Drexler, who wrote in "Engines of Creation" "Because assemblers will let us place atoms in almost any reasonable arrangement , they will let us build almost anything that the laws of nature allow to exist." Elsewhere, Anissimov distances himself from Kurzweil, who he includes in a group of futurists who "justifiably attract ridicule".
This raises the question of who speaks for the singularitarians. As an author writing here for a publication with a fairly large circulation, it seems to me obvious that the authors whose arguments I need to address first are those whose books themselves command the largest circulation, because that's where the readers are mostly going to have got their ideas about the singularity from. So, the first thing I did when I got this assignment was to read Kurzweil's bestseller "The Singularity is Near"; after all, it's Kurzweil who is able to command articles in major newspapers and is about to release a film. More specific to MNT, Drexler's "Engines of Creation" obviously has to be a major point of reference, together with more recent books like Josh Hall's "Nanofuture". For the technical details of MNT, Drexler's "Nanosystems" is the key text. It may well be that Michael and his associates have more sophisticated ideas about MNT and the singularity, but while these ideas remain confined to discussions on singularitarian blogs and email lists, they aren't realistically going to attract the attention that people like Kurzweil do, and its appropriate that the publicly prominent faces of singularitarianism should attract the efforts of those arguing against the notion.
A second theme of Michael's response is the contention that the research that will lead to MNT is happening anyway. It's certainly true that there are many exciting developments going on in nanotechnology laboratories around the world. What's at issue, though, is what direction these developments are taking us. GIven the tendencies of singularitarians towards technological determinism, it's a natural tendency to assume that all these exciting developments are all milestones on the way to a nano-assembler, and that progress towards the singularity can be measured by the weight of press releases flowing from the press offices of universities and research labs around the world. The crucial point, though, is that there's no force driving technology towards MNT. Yes, technology is moving forward, but the road it's taking is not the one anticipated by MNT proponents. It's not clear to me that Michael has understood my central argument – it's true that biology offers an existence proof for advanced nanotechnological devices of one kind or another – as Michael says, "Obviously, a huge number of biological entities, from molecule-sized to cell-sized, regularly traverse the body and perform a wide variety of essential functions, so we know such a thing is possible in principle." But, this doesn't allow us conclude that nanorobots built on the mechanical engineering principles of MNT will be possible, because the biological machines work on entirely different principles. The difficulties I outline for MNT that arise as a result of the different physics of the nanoscale are not difficulties for biological nanotechnology, because its very different operating principles exploit this different physics rather than trying to engineer round it.
What's measured by all these press releases, then, is progress towards a whole variety of technological goals, many very different from the goals envisaged for MNT, and each of whose feasibility at the present time we simply don't know. I've given my arguments as to why MNT actually looks less likely now than it did ten years ago, and Michael isn't able to counter these arguments other than by saying that "Of course, all of these challenges were taken into account in the first serious study of the feasibility of nanoscale robotic systems, titled Nanosystems…. We'll need to build nanomachines using nanomechanical principles, not naive reapplications of macroscale engineering principles." But Nanosystems is all about applying macroscale engineering principles – right at the outset it states that "molecular manufacturing applies the principles of mechanical engineering to chemistry." Instead of work directed towards MNT, we're now seeing other goals being pursued – goals like quantum computing, DNA based nanomachines, a path from plastic electronics to ultracheap computing and molecular electronics, breakthroughs in nanomedicine, optical metamaterials. Far from being incremental updates, many of these research directions hadn't even been conceived when Drexler wrote "Engines of Creation", and, unlike the mechanical engineering paradigm, these all really do exploit the different and unfamiliar physics of the nanoscale. All these are being actively researched now, but not all of them will pan out and other entirely unforeseen technologies will be discovered and get people excited anew.
Ultimately, Michael's arguments boil down to a concatenation of ever-hopeful "ifs" and "ands". In answer to my suggestion that, if MNT like processes could only be got to work at low temperatures and ultra-high vacua, Michael says "If the machines used to maintain high vacuum and extreme refrigeration could be manufactured for the cost of raw materials, and energy can be obtained in great abundance from nano-manufactured, durable, self-cleaning solar panels, I am skeptical that this would be as substantial of a barrier as it is to similar high-requirement processes today." I think there's a misunderstanding of economics here. Things can only be manufactured for the cost of their raw materials if the capital cost of the manufacturing machinery is very small. But this capital cost itself mostly reflects the amortization of the research and development costs of developing the necessary plant and equipment. What we've learnt from the semiconductor industry is that as technology progresses these capital costs become larger and larger and more and more dominating for the economics of the industry. It's difficult to see what can reverse this trend without invoking a deus ex machina. Ultimately, it's just such an invocation that arguments for the singularity seem in the end to reduce to.
Thanks for the response, Richard.
The word "Singularitarian", as defined in the Singularitarian Principles (2000), basically just means someone that encourages the pursuit of smarter-than-human intelligence. Nothing less, nothing more. It's worth pondering on how innocuous this is.
With his 2005 book, Kurzweil hijacked the term "singularitarian" and has tried to apply it to his highly complex, occasionally doubtful claims. I reject this redefinition, and identify with the older, innocuous definition.
Besides semantic differences, there are actually distinct groups associated with each. I identify with the former group (which is relatively small, only consisting of maybe a thousand people) and don't identify with the latter group (which may consist of a large percentage of people who read Kurzweil's book).
You may criticize Kurzweil if you'd like, but the point I'm making is that there are many "singularitarians" (in the 2000 definition sense) that never bought into all of his claims.
There's some reference that addresses the assembler point, I'll look for it.
No tendency towards technological determinism here. It seems like you're not consistently responding to my response here, preferring to switch over to other people that are easier to attack — those that believe every advance in nanotechnology is necessarily a step towards inevitable assemblers. I don't believe that they are, though certain nanotech developments suggest the eventual creation of assemblers more than others.
Yes, biological nanotechnology does not necessarily mean that MNT based on mechanical principles will work. I totally understand this 100%. But obviously, considering that I feel that MNT based on mechanical principles is probably possible, it makes sense that I consider biological MNT better evidence for mechanical MNT than you do.
It seems that many of your arguments against MNT could have been applied 10 years ago anyway. I'll go back and look at them, but I think many of these points have been addressed in debates with the CRN people. "Addressed" not as in one side definitively won, but that arguments on both sides have been presented and people are free to make their own choice.
You seem to be implying a probability of near-zero that mechanical MNT is possible, which is a much stronger claim than mine, which is that both types of MNT may be possible, and we lack the information to make any definitive judgements one way or the other.
When Drexler wrote that MNT was "mechanical engineering principles applied to the nanoscale", he also implied that these principles would need to be significantly modified to address the physical differences at the nanoscale. Any physicist approaching the problem of engineering nanoscale systems recognizes this a priori, and it's odd to imply that Drexler didn't.
MNT and runaway intelligence enhancement are two entirely distinct things. Even if some others blur these together in their minds, I certainly don't. You're attacking a strawman if you think that I am invoking superintelligence to solve the problems of MNT. In your response here, you seem to repeatedly attack Kurzweil (who is easier to argue against) rather than people like myself and Drexler (more difficult). Sure, Kurzweil is better-known, but if you're bothering to write a post to respond to my arguments, then addressing Kurzweilian arguments is out-of-bounds.
The capital cost of machines that can self-replicate using sunlight and readily available materials would be extremely small, yes. So even if the cooling and vacuum requirements are great, these requirements could potentially be met economically. Capital costs in the semiconductor industry are very high because the equipment cannot self-replicate from raw materials.
Michael, perhaps I'm having trouble criticising your arguments because I'm not sure what they are. You say "I feel that MNT based on mechanical principles is probably possible" – why is what you feel an argument? 15 years ago, much less was known about how biological nanomachines actually work, so given that state of knowledge the existence of biological nanomachines was significant evidence for the possibility in principle of mechanical MNT. Since then, there's been a huge advance in our knowledge of how cell biology works, with structures obtained for many of the most impressive biological nanomachines, single molecule biophysics studies analysing their operation (see, for example, my recent post about the ribosome), and theory and simulation, all of which make clear that these machines don't work on mechanical principles at all. It's in the light of this new knowledge, rather than what you feel about the feasibility of mechanical MNT, that we need to reconsider the degree of support that the existence of biological MNT offers to the feasibility of mechanical MNT.
As to how you need to judge specific technical criticisms of MNT, it's not a matter of "arguments on both sides have been presented and people are free to make their own choice". If people really want to make a judgement they need to equip themselves with an appropriate level of knowledge in the relevant disciplines, particularly surface chemistry and solid state physics, and look in detail at how the claims and estimates in Nanosystems stack up against what's now known about nanoscale physics and chemistry. And, once again, a huge amount more is known about this than in 1992, on issues like surface reconstruction in diamondoid clusters and nanoscale friction, to give just two examples.
If/when Intel starts making chips out of diamond, the pace of diamond nanoscale research (not necessarily surface site-specific) will be quickened. It would be nice if there were some industry bigger than SPMs (revenues of maybe $100 million/yr?) to sustain the kind of research that would be required to make actuators suitable for manufacturing, say, R.Freitas's X-bar tool-tip and handle. Existing research grants aren't big enough to support such a project, even assuming it was doable and we knew how to do it.
Diamond electronics is a niche interest at the moment; there are some applications like radiation detectors where the material's radiation hardness provides an advantage that outweighs other disadvantages. And there's an interesting line of research developing that uses controlled point defects in diamond as the sites of qubits for quantum computing. But the type of carbon I think Intel is going to be interested in now is graphene.
I agree graphene. But diamond might still hold its own in niche applications like spacecraft computer chips or if you'd want chips as sensors in an extreme environment like drill-heads or something, where its thermal and wear properties are superior to flimsy graphene/CNTs. Maybe alternate piezo-actuator applications are a better segway to an SPM surrogate. A researcher last year came up with a desktop mini wind-turbine that uses a piezo-actuator (I think a polymer magnet too) instead of "standard" wind turbine designs. Dont' know if the morphology of the piezo-actuator is anything like an SPM piezo-tube stack. Maybe next-gen hearing aids? I can see diamond products being valuable enough to be MNT-able assuming MNT, but never MNT-ed piezo-electric goods over conventional manufacturing techniques.
When I do a literature search of nanotech research around the world, what I notice is the vast amount of work going into developing nanotech thats based on solution-phase chemistry (synthetic biology being one example of this). Such "wet" nanotech is being developed in both university and private labs all over the world – Asia, North America, and Europe. I see almost no work going into "vacuum-phase" chemistry and the development of "dry" nanotech.
This suggests to me that "wet" nanotech will make its appearance in the next few decades. "Dry" nanotech will occur later, if it is even possible. It is much more likely that many of the benefits we want (life extension, better and cheaper manufacturing) will be realized by "wet" nanotech and the "dry" stuff will be regarded as a historical footnote like the Babbage machines of the late 1800's. This is what I think will happen.
Brian Wang had a thoughtful approach, which was to identity what we want, then to go about getting it using whatever technology that works, rather than to obsess over the development of "dry" nanotech and A.I. I like his idea of singularityLite, which uses more prosaic technologies such as biotech and robotic construction technologies.
As of yet, I am not convinced of the possibility of dry nanotech. Even if it is possible, I think "wet" nanotech will be more profound in that it works with a far greater number of the elements in the periodic table than the "dry" stuff is supposed to do.
I think A.I. is a bit further off than most people think and will be much less significant when it gets developed. The reason why I believe that is because of the way our brains work as well as the expected future development of semiconductor technology.
First, our brains. Brains do not work like semiconductor chips. The dendritic connections that make us us are dynamically reconfigurable. That is, they delete and regrow themselves all the time. This is how learning occurs. Also, human memory is not electronic. It is chemical. The dendrites are not only dynamically reconfigurable. They vary by chemical type. This, no doubt, has implications for how human memory occurs. No computer system or even proposed computer system is designed on the basis of these characteristics.
Second, semiconductor technology. Currently, semiconductor chips are made by the deposition, patterning, and etching of layers of thin film materials. This technology will reach its limits in the next 10-15 years (somewhere between 22nm down to the 10nm design rule). The next fabrication technology will be self-assembly chemistry. In other words, computer chips will be grown, rather than carved as they are now. This is more like how biology works. Already, some of the thin-film layers are being processed using self-assembly chemistry. As the technology progresses, more and more of the vacuum process technology will be replaced by self-assembly chemistry. Eventually (around 2030), the entire electronic system will be grown, rather than built. The biological processes that govern the design and functionality of "wet" nanotech will also be the same processes to build our computer systems. In other words, the scenario is the reverse of what the singularity people expect. Instead of our nano fabrication technology becoming more "machine-like", our machines and computers will become more "biology-like".
At this point, the chemically-mechanical dynamic characteristics of dendrites will be incorporated into our computer designs. This is when we are likely to create sentient A.I., not before. Is it not likely, then, that any such sentient A.I. will be more like our biological brains, in design and functionality, than current semiconductors? One would think so.
One thing I notice about transhumanism and especially Singulatarianism is that neither groups respond well to criticism, unlike the greater scientific body at large, who generally welcome it.
I've just been told by E.Yudkowsky and R.Hanson not to post on their blog at Overcoming bias, affiliated with Oxford University.
Err, when I have a chance to use someone else's internet or public/private, I tend to cram in posts that would otherwise be spread out. This seems like pretty common behaviour from what I can tell, some people post a lot on weekends.
I've been banned from the CRN blog (I assume), sl4 and now a blog affiliated with a British institution that has been ranked as the world's leading centre of Philosophy. Nothing personal, but many Singulatarians and Transhumanists have already made up their minds about many issues using facts derived from 1970's/1980's guesses about minds, policy and chemistry, that have been proven wrong. I'd urge those in these communities to actively seek debate and analysis with mainstream AI, health policy and nanotech communities. And to modify their beliefs accordingly, just as scientific hypothesees would be were the dialectic to poke holes in existing scientific thoughts.
Probably the idea that abacuses are conscious, health-care should be all private and diamonds don't reconstruct, made some sense decades ago. But there is no method for updating beliefs in these communities. I gave the deprogramming my best shot for the sake of impressionable minds. I'm mildly disappointed in myself more than anything as unless religion, there is no candid admission a leap of faith is needed in these belief systems.


text:
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Inspire the Next Generation of Latino Writers and Debaters
May 8, 2018 by Ed Trust
Since 2014, Raymond Arroyo has been a seventh-grade English teacher at Creston Academy, a Title I school in the Bronx, New York, where 86 percent of the student population is Latino.
At first, I did not want to be placed in the Bronx. I was a native New Yorker from Queens. Any other borough would have been closer and more familiar to me. And yet out of four interviews, I was only accepted by a Bronx middle school called Creston Academy. Now looking back, I realize that being placed in the Bronx was a blessing in disguise. As a Puerto Rican who attended a prestigious university, I started to question what it even meant to be Puerto Rican. But in my classroom, my students answered that question for me.
I think back to one student, Taina, who was Puerto Rican and loved to write. She wrote pages upon pages for assignments and would not be satisfied if I did not give her a new piece of criticism every class period. Eventually, she started writing about what it meant to be a Puerto Rican living in America. We navigated that question together. At the end of the school year, I left her a note letting her know that she now held the torch for young Puerto Rican writers. Taina showed me that the writer in me was not produced by four years in college. The writer in me was always Puerto Rican.
It's also important that young Latino students are taught by motivated Latino teachers. As an educator, I'd like to believe I contribute to the culture of my school by putting an emphasis on achieving success by following a vision.
Two and a half years ago, I took over the debate team of my school. The team had seen little success, with the exception of one or two students who performed well individually. When I stepped in, I implemented a new system that required debaters to use each other's arguments. I was met with fierce resistance. Strong debaters who were used to working alone had no intention of sharing their arguments, while weaker debaters felt pressured by not living up to expectations.
At our first tournament, we did poorly. On the way back, I told my team I was proud of them. They looked at me surprised. So, I pointed out to them that during the tournament, they were forced to rely on each other to improve with each round. That's when my debaters bought into my vision of the team. We went on to take first place at the city championships that year and made it into the Octofinals of a statewide debate tournament the following year. But those victories paled in comparison to the true victory of coming together as a team.
For so long, my students associated being Latino with only cultural artifacts. But when they have me as a teacher, many of them for the first time associate being Latino with being successful. I hear many of them tell me that they want to be smart like I am. But what they do not realize is that they have always been as intelligent as I am. Our culture prioritizes education. It is the greatest honor for me as an educator to pass on the tradition of Latino excellence to my students.
I came to the Bronx not knowing what to expect. Four years later, I still teach in the Bronx to shine a light for the new generation of Latino writers and debaters. In return, they teach me something new about what it means to be Latino.
Love our blog? Let it love you back! Sign up to get the latest blog posts emailed directly to you.
Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3, 2019 by Emily Herd
It's Teacher Appreciation Week — a time to celebrate the amazing educators across the country who work tirelessly to…
Q&A with Ricky Castro, 2017 Illinois Teacher of the Year
September 27, 2018 by Letisha Marrero
Ricardo "Ricky" Castro is a Spanish, Dual Language, and ESL teacher at Elk Grove High School, just outside Chicago,…
Letter from The Education Trust to the Senate Appropriations Committee on FY 19 Education Funding
June 28, 2018 by Ed Trust
The Honorable Richard ShelbyChairmanSenate Appropriations CommitteeWashington, DC 20510The Honorable Roy BluntChairmanSenate Labor-H Approp. Subcom.Washington,…
Teacher Appreciation: Stories of Courage and Kindness from Room 40
May 29, 2018 by Brooke Haycock
My dad is a former cop turned special education teacher in California. For the past 20 years, his daily…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Give My Students a Sense of Belonging
May 11, 2018 by Ed Trust
Wynter Pitts is a first-grade teacher at Citizens Academy Southeast, a Title I school in Cleveland with a 97…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Support Latino Students Seeking the American Dream
Jennifer Pisonero is a Black Latina Spanish teacher at University Preparatory Academy (UPA) Middle School in Detroit, as part…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Mitigate the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Charisma Ricksy is a third-year educator and grade-level lead at Baton Rouge University Prep Elementary, a Title I school in…
Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Fight for Educational Equity
Zachary Wright is the 12th-grade world literature and AP Literature teacher at Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, where he…
Profiles in Education Equity: Rachel Man, Teacher Leader
April 16, 2018 by Ed Trust
Rachel Man is in her fifth year as a teacher in Prince George's County, Maryland. She currently teaches eighth-grade…
5 Ways State Leaders Can Support Teacher Diversity
February 14, 2018 by Davis Dixon
At Ed Trust, we want to continue the conversation about recruiting and retaining excellent teachers of color. According to…
Our Stories, Our Struggles, Our Strengths
February 14, 2018 by Ashley Griffin
America is experiencing a diverse, cultural shift and the teacher workforce is lagging behind: While Latino students make up…
Our Stories, Our Struggles, Our Strengths Infographics
February 14, 2018 by Ed Trust

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kilde captures World Cup downhill for 2nd straight win
by: PAT GRAHAM, Associated Press
Posted: Dec 4, 2021 / 01:54 PM MST / Updated: Dec 4, 2021 / 03:01 PM MST
Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde competes during a men's World Cup downhill ski race Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — If there was any thought a knee injury might hold back Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, that's been erased.
His speed has quickly returned.
The Norwegian standout captured a World Cup downhill race with an aggressive run Saturday for his second win in as many days.
It's more proof the 2019-20 overall World Cup champion is returning to top form after tearing his ACL less than a year ago — and with the Winter Olympics in Beijing just two months away.
"I wanted to come back as fast as possible and I guess this is the result and I can't be more happy," Kilde said.
Starting 19th overall, Kilde finished the demanding Birds of Prey course in 1 minute, 39.63 seconds to edge Austrian racer Matthias Mayer by 0.66 seconds. Beat Feuz of Switzerland was third, while Italian racer Matteo Marsaglia turned in a surprise run from bib No. 28 to take fourth.
Kilde won the super-G Friday in just his third race back from a training crash last January in which he hurt his right knee. He said he received congratulations from his girlfriend and U.S. skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin, who's competing in Lake Louise, Alberta, this weekend.
"She's awesome," Kilde said. "We're good for each other."
The 29-year-old Kilde dedicated the race Saturday to his good friend and teammate Kjetil Jansrud, the five-time Olympic medalist who crashed into the fencing during the super-G race Friday. Jansrud will return home to be evaluated after damage was detected to the cruciate ligament in his knee.
"Crossing my fingers for him to come back," Kilde said. "Not ready to kind of 'lose him' already. We should just give him a hand and a big applause for everything he's done."
Feuz said he thought winning Friday "set something free" in Kilde, which carried over to Saturday. Kilde will be the favorite Sunday in another downhill.
"If you're able to ski free, then all of the run comes together and he showed that in perfect fashion today," Feuz added through a translator.
The top American finisher was Ryan Cochran-Siegle with a sixth-place finish and 1.24 seconds behind Kilde's winning time. He plans to glance at video of Kilde's run.
"He's just technically so sound," Cochran-Siegle said. "The only 'weakness' that he had was his knee injury and he's clearly come back from that 100%. He's skiing at a high level."
The 36-year-old Marsaglia turned in his best career downhill result with a late charge on a deteriorating course due to the warm temperature and all the racers. This course seems to suit him: Marsaglia's only World Cup victory came at Beaver Creek in a super-G in 2012.
"Why today? I don't know. It was like I trusted myself every day," said Marsaglia, who arrived late to Beaver Creek — after the rest of Italy's team — because he had a son born three weeks ago. "I had a lot of problems these last 10 years, but especially last summer. I almost didn't train during the summer because of my back. I have a lot of back problems. … When my body lets me ski as I can, I can also be fast."
Same can be said of Kilde, who put in the grueling rehab work to get back, watched what he ate, got a good night's sleep and stayed away from alcohol.
"Give yourself a plan but don't waste anything," Kilde said. "That's what I've had in mind and it's been working pretty well."
More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/skiing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
More AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico's 2022 regular legislative session is underway. After a year of virtual meetings in 2021, this year's session brought a welcomed return to in-person attendance at the roundhouse. Although, COVID-19 is requiring legislators to keep a hybrid model with some virtual discussions.
Among those chiming in virtually was the Governor. Yesterday, January 18, she gave her "State of the State" speech via video feed. She mentioned the "unimaginable financial resources" at the state's disposal — more than $1.5 billion in additional funds compared to last year.
by Alyssa Bitsie, Allison Keys / Jan 19, 2022
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque homicide detectives arrested a suspect on Tuesday in connection to a murder last year. The Albuquerque Police Department reports that 38-year-old Juan Pacheco III was arrested and charged with the November 13 murder of 19-year-old Joseph Morales.
Pacheco is accused of fatally shooting Morales in the area of Dallas St. and Copper. In a news release, APD reports that officers were initially dispatched to a residence on Dallas St. where they say 10 gunshots were reported by a ShotSpotter activation.
Community mourns after 2 high school coaches die from COVID-19
Weather Video Forecast / 8 hours ago


It's a very special day today, in that it's been 1 year of me blogging. I honestly can't believe that it's been a year, so much has happened and I'm going to share some of the things that have!
As with most things in life, it's certainly had its ups and downs. I can't say that I blogged solidly for the entire year, I did take a few breaks to look after my mental health. However, today is my official blogiversary, with my first ever beauty review being posted on this date last year!
I didn't plan this, but it's very fitting that this post is coming straight after my previous post about the future of my blog and having my tarot cards read.
I'm going to share some of my stats just in case anyone is interested, but honestly I have no idea what 'good' or 'bad' stats look like! I did have a period after I added affiliate links from Awin, where Google removed me from all searches, and my views dropped massively (that was definitely a low point of my year).
As I said, I don't know what 'good' or 'bad' stats are, I like to think that I'm doing pretty well but I honestly don't have a clue. Please don't compare yourself, or your blog, to these stats, I'm just doing it so I can keep track, and compare against it in following years.
Posted 88 times (including this one) – that works out at roughly 1.7 posts a week (we can see that I did not keep up to my twice a week posting schedule).
It honestly seems like such a huge amount of things when I write it all out in a list and it's crazy to think that many people, from such a vast variety of countries, have read my blog!
Of course it's not all about stats. I've met some incredible, supportive, talented, individuals through blogging and I'm so incredibly thankful for every single person who is following, or reads (but if you read and aren't following then what are you doing? Join the party), and supports, my blog.
When I started I honestly didn't think it would ever amass to anything, I don't really see myself as anyone important and, for the most part, I'm just giving my opinion. It's absolutely wild to me that so many people are reading what I have to say.
There have been some hard times throughout this year, which resulted in me taking breaks from blogging. Usually these were in my personal life, but I did want to share a bit about some of the negative aspects that I have noticed during my year blogging. Sometimes it is really difficult, especially when you see people getting loads of opportunities, despite hardly posting. I've seen blogs that only post reviews of things they got for free, and it sometimes does get to me. I pride myself on being authentic and truthful, but unfortunately that isn't what everyone looks for. I tend to lose motivation quite a lot and the emphasis on stats (ironic when I've just shared mine, I know) can make blogging less fun and if you focus on it too much when you're trying so hard, it can get upsetting. However, I've definitely grown a lot throughout the year and am learning to just appreciate what I have.
Whether you're a new blogger, or have been around for ages, know that you are fantastic how you are and don't compare yourself to others. I'm starting to learn how to do this, but it's definitely a process. When I started my blog I was so nervous to post, I didn't know what my friends or family would think of it, but I love doing it so it doesn't really matter what they think.
The point I'm trying to make is, blogging has its ups and downs, but if you love it then the ups should outweigh the downs. Don't compare yourself to anyone, or any other blog, because you are unique and if you're truthful, and passionate, then that will come through in your posts. There are some incredible bloggers out there, and most people in the community do want to see you grow and succeed and will support you on your journey. There will be those who don't understand, there will be things that annoy you, but don't be distracted by those things and you'll get through.
Stay true to who you are – Don't feel pressured to be someone that you aren't, and don't write anything that you don't 100% believe.
Don't be nervous – Everyone is when they start, but there really is nothing to be nervous about. In the entire year that I've been blogging, I've probably received a handful of minorly rude comments, but most of them have been nothing but love.
Do what you love – I love beauty, however I also have other interests. Whilst my blog has been mainly reviews, I'm starting to branch into other beauty-related topics because I find them interesting too. Write about what you love, and don't box yourself into one category.
Remember the numbers are people – This seems like a weird thing to say, but you can get really caught up in numbers and statistics. Whilst the numbers are important, remember to take a step back and think about those numbers as people, it puts things into perspective.
Engage with other bloggers – It's so rewarding to form bonds with other bloggers, at the end of the day you're all trying to grow and you're all heading in the same direction, so why not do so together.
This year has honestly been surreal, I still can't believe that this blog is mine and that so many people have read my posts. I'm grateful for every single person who supports me, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings. I'm excited to grow and I'm excited to work with more bloggers and brands.
Congratulations on one year ?
Hello there, my name is Abhijith ?. Congrats on your blogoversary ?. Wishing you more success and happiness ?✨.


text:
This Is Scary
Kim Kardashian's son, Saint West, was hospitalized for pneumonia
Genelle Levy
Just days after the Kardashian-Jenner clan debuted their highly anticipated Christmas card, Kim Kardashian's two-year-old son Saint West was hospitalized for pneumonia on Thursday, December 28th.
The hospitalization occurred shortly after Kim and aunties Kourtney and Khloé met up at Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod's house for a Taco Wednesday hangout. Following the party, the tiny tot was taken to an L.A. area hospital by ambulance where he was hooked up to multiple IV and oxygen machines. But luckily, he made a speedy recovery and is now home safe.
Saint was released on Saturday, December 30th, just in time for New Year's Eve. Kim posted on Instagram, "my precious baby boy is so strong…pneumonia is so scary. I just want to thank every nurse and doctor out there who works so hard around the clock." She also noted that little Saint was fascinated by his first ambulance ride — aka truly looking on the bright side!
And with everyone safe and sound, Kim was able to celebrate New Year's Eve with hubby Kanye West. The couple hosted a New Year's Eve party, even sharing a smooch at midnight documented on Snapchat.
Kim and Kanye are expecting their third child, a daughter, via surrogate at the end of January. It definitely looks like they've learned how to roll with the punches on the roller coaster ride that is parenthood.
As for us, we're just glad Saint is healthy and safe, and we're wishing him — and the whole Kardashian-West fam — all the best in the new year.
By Genelle Levy
Meghan Markle's favorite jeans are majorly marked down for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
Kim Kardashian shared the first real pic of Baby Psalm, and he could be Chicago's twin
Pink called out the "parenting police" in an Instagram photo of her daughter
Kim Kardashian unveiled a new plan to help former prisoners find jobs, and we respect her social justice hustle
Beyoncé and Meghan Markle met at The Lion King premiere, and they're officially #squadgoals
Kim Kardashian has changed the problematic name of her shapewear line after backlash


The ESP employs all persons working at Chandler Park Academy and offers a benefit package to its full-time staff. The package of benefits includes: Health, Dental, Vision, Term Life & Disability and a 401k plan.
The ESP employs all persons working at Chandler Park Academy. Bids were not solicited.


Woodend Artists have started the Waste Creative project with a series of workshops making animal sculptures from recyclable materials. Working with three different groups of young people from the New Charter estates in Mossley, artist Richard Dawson and myself, Jacqui Symons used milk bottles, plastic pop bottles and cardboard to create group sculptures of a wolf, a giraffe and an elephant and smaller individual sculptures.
The next part of the project is a visit to the Recycling Centre in Sharston, Manchester and then we'll start to create an information booklet that will be for New Charter residents and will include information about recycling and what can and can't be recycled.


text:
Former Tennessee ...
Former Tennessee Football Player Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
By Tom Bible Law
On behalf of William Bible at Law Office of W. Thomas Bible, Jr.
Football player Jamal Lewis, who once played for the Tennessee Volunteers and went on to have a professional football career in the NFL, filed for bankruptcy in June of 2012. While stories about professional athletes with money troubles are not uncommon, what may be surprising about Lewis' case is that he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – the type most people associate with business reorganizations. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to individuals in some cases and offers people several benefits.
High Assets, High Debts
In his bankruptcy petition, Lewis listed $14,455,854 in assets, including five houses, several cars and part ownership in a water park in Ohio.
Lewis may appear to have a lot of money, but he also listed $10,566,764.18 in debts on his petition. Bank of America has a lien on Lewis for $947,876 and auto makers Benz and Chrysler have liens for a total of $128,000. M&T Bank also obtained a judgment against Lewis for over $350,000 after they claimed he defaulted on a business loan. Other creditors say he owes them for failed business attempts, such as a trucking company he tried to start, and for the construction of some of his homes.
Chapter 11 for Individuals
Lewis' financial situation is an excellent illustration of when an individual, rather than a business, would file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is "reorganization" bankruptcy, similar to Chapter 13 bankruptcy. People who want to restructure debt but have liabilities that exceed the limits of Chapter 13 may need to file Chapter 11.
When determining whether a person needs to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy rather than Chapter 13, the court looks at the amount of secured and unsecured debt a person has. The calculation can get complex, as the court will assess not only how much a person owes on property, but also the property's value, when looking at secured debt.
For people who qualify, Chapter 11 bankruptcy can offer several protections while allowing filers time to restructure their finances. Chapter 11 can also help a person save a home from foreclosure or save a vehicle from repossession, as filing bankruptcy puts an automatic stay on all collection actions by creditors. Creditors may not even contact a debtor once he or she has filed a bankruptcy petition.
Talk to a Lawyer
Deciding whether to file bankruptcy and which type to file is a complicated decision that one should not make without legal guidance. If you are considering bankruptcy, speak with a qualified bankruptcy attorney who can advise you about your options.
December 05, 2022 How to Survive Financially During Holidays Read More
November 30, 2022 Is Saving Money the Key to Financial Success? Read More
November 28, 2022 How to Improve Your Financial Health Read More


text:
Q: How to write a function in javascript to match two words I am new in coding. I was working on a typing website which match the word in text field to the word shown in the website. How to write the function in Javascript. Here is what I have tried.

let displayWord = document.getElementById('word').innerHTML
let displayMessage = document.getElementById('message')
let inpWord = document.getElementById('input').value

function matchWords() {
    if(displayWord === inpWord){
        console.log('words matching')
    }
}
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Document</title>
    <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-EVSTQN3/azprG1Anm3QDgpJLIm9Nao0Yz1ztcQTwFspd3yD65VohhpuuCOmLASjC" crossorigin="anonymous">

Typing test

Type The Given Text

Hello

                <input class="form-control form-control-lg" type="text" name="" id="input">

A: The issue is, that you grab the value when the document is loaded but at this point the value is empty.
If you change your code to this it should be updating the h4 field while you type.

let displayWord = document.getElementById("word").innerHTML;
let displayMessage = document.getElementById("message");
let inpWord = document.getElementById("input");

function matchWords() {
  if (displayWord === inpWord.value) {
    displayMessage.innerText = "words matching";
  }
}

input.addEventListener("keyup", matchWords);

A: your script looks good by far, you just need to set an event handler to your input to trigger your function when user types in it.
below your code refactored with some suggestions:

*

*use const instead of let when variable is not going to change.

*is it better to store the HTML element that way you'll be able to do more with it.
in this case I use the input element to change its outline color and also change the message
const word = document.getElementById('word')
const message = document.getElementById('message')
const inputText = document.getElementById('input')

function matchWords() {
    if(word.innerHTML === inputText.value){
      message.innerHTML = "It does match!"
      inputText.style.outline = "1px solid green"
    } else {
      message.innerHTML = "It does not match!"
      inputText.style.outline = "1px solid red"
    }
}

inputText.onkeyup = () => matchWords()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Say hello to my lip savior - the e.l.f Studio Lip Exfoliater. Now, I am an old Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub lover; even when I found it overpriced and overrated, I continued to use it. And yes, I am too lazy to make my own lip scrub, I prefer the ease of a ready-made one. So recently, when I ordered the e.l.f Studio Lip Exfoliater from Amor for Rs. 600, I found the ultimate substitute.
I am in a habit of scrubbing my lips before applying dark or matte lipsticks. I want them to look flawless. And besides that, whenever I think my lips need a little extra love I will get exfoliating. This e.l.f Studio Lip Exfoliater is shaped like a lipstick bullet, so no digging into a pot and getting your fingers dirty. Just rub the bullet onto your lips and wipe off with a paper towel.
This lip exfoliater is infused with Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Avocado, Grape and Jojoba Oils and has a sugary taste. All the ingredients help smooth, nourish and protect the lips. This is the best, affordable and effective lip exfoliater out there.
Have you tried the e.l.f Studio Lip Exfoliater?


Our designed and patented MPS™ allows Zap-Lok™ and other mechanical connected pipe to be laid from a standard DP 2 vessel.
The MPS comprises all the equipment necessary to perform pipelay on standard pipe sizes of 2" to 16" in an S-lay configuration.
Being modular, the MPS™ is adjustable in width and length to cater for available deck space and the amount of product to be laid for a particular project.
The MPS™ can be adapted from rigid pipelay to flexible pipelay with the addition of a powered reel drive or carousel, or we provide a dedicated installation spread specific to the product requirements.
Up to 5km lay rate in 24hrs, with a quick mobilisation.
Can be adapted from rigid pipelay to flexible pipelay with the addition of a powered reel drive or carousel.
Significant cost savings over traditional pipelay methods.
The modular nature of the MPS™ is adjustable in width and length to cater for available deck space and the amount of product to be laid for a particular project.
The company brings together subsea services, technology products, project management and engineering capabilities to provide solutions that are innovative and cost effective for the client.
View our full project track record online.


Losing your license because of a drinking and driving conviction can have a devastating effect on your life, especially if you need your license to get to work. The consequences of a conviction can be disastrous financially – not only do you lose your driver's license and often have to pay a significant fine, your insurance company will likely cancel your policy and you will have to pay exorbitant insurance rates. At some point you will likely have to pay the costs associated with installing an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. But by far, one of the worst things about being charged with a drinking and driving related offence is that if you are found guilty you will get a criminal record. If it is not your first offence, you face the very real prospect of going to jail if convicted a second time.
Notwithstanding the significant penalties associated with being found guilty of a drinking and driving related offence, a significant number of charges do not result in convictions. This is because the Crown, or prosecution, may not be able to prove the case against you. Drinking and driving cases are incredibly complex and there are a large number of rules that the Crown and police must properly adhere to in order to prove the case against you. Brampton DUI & drinking driving lawyer Michelle Johal has acted for many clients charged with drinking and driving offences that could not be proven in court, and were dismissed for a variety of reasons. In some cases if the Crown recognizes they have problems proving their case they will accept a plea to a charge of careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act instead. This result does not result in a criminal conviction. Don't plead guilty to a drinking and driving offence without consulting Brampton DUI & drinking driving lawyer Michelle Johal first. You may be surprised to learn about the potential defences to your charge.
If you require legal representation, call Criminal Lawyer Michelle Johal today at 416.824.3584 or fill out an online inquiry form. Someone will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.


Home Home Decor Baby Nursery Ok, I love navy so I am def going to love this. The while bed is good and the rest is somewhat neutral/light. IDK, I like it but wouldn't actually choose this. Only because it will make the room very small.
Baby Nursery Ok, I love navy so I am def going to love this. The while bed is good and the rest is somewhat neutral/light. IDK, I like it but wouldn't actually choose this. Only because it will make the room very small.


text:
Q: Pandas read_csv can't find file When I tried to read a csv into a dataframe in Pandas
it can't find my file what are some possible solutions?
Here is the error:
*FileNotFoundError                         Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-2-0c537d0c5b39> in <module>
----> 1 data = pd.read_csv('1.01. Simple linear regression.csv')

C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py in parser_f(filepath_or_buffer, sep, delimiter, header, names, index_col, usecols, squeeze, prefix, mangle_dupe_cols, dtype, engine, converters, true_values, false_values, skipinitialspace, skiprows, skipfooter, nrows, na_values, keep_default_na, na_filter, verbose, skip_blank_lines, parse_dates, infer_datetime_format, keep_date_col, date_parser, dayfirst, cache_dates, iterator, chunksize, compression, thousands, decimal, lineterminator, quotechar, quoting, doublequote, escapechar, comment, encoding, dialect, error_bad_lines, warn_bad_lines, delim_whitespace, low_memory, memory_map, float_precision)

A: Make sure you are in the correct directory
Pandas.read_csv, Python will always look in your "current working directory"
data = pd.read_csv('1.01. Simple linear regression.csv')
data.head()

You can always a give a full path
Pandas.read_csv, Python can also look in a specified folder "current working directory"
I have to do by directory path most of the time myself and set my encoding and add a r before also.
data = pd.read_csv(r'C:\Users\path\to\your\file\mess.csv', encoding='utf8')
data.head()

you can also rename the file name to keep it simple
1.01. Simple linear regression.csv

into
1_01_Simple_linear_regression.csv

 data = pd.read_csv('C:\Users\path\to\your\file\1_01_Simple_linear_regression.csv')
 data.head()

Sometimes you also need to double \ in the path
data = pd.read_csv("C:\\Users\\path\\1_01_Simple_linear_regression.csv")


text:
Sheila Chavez
Marin Gorman
Secret Settlements – Our Stand
Patrick Malone & Associates Offers Scholarship to Law Students for Representing Real People
Patrick Malone
Daniel C. Scialpi
Alfred Clarke
Heather J. Kelly
Aaron M. Levine, Of Counsel
Peter R. Masciola, Of Counsel
Hospital Errors
Cancer Misdiagnosis
Kaiser HMO Malpractice
Military Malpractice
Hospital Security Misconduct
Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
Brain Injuries From Medical Care
TBI Long-Term Care & Rehabilitation
Baby & Child Injuries
Infant/Child Brain Injuries
Pediatric Anesthesia Errors
Jaundice/Kernicterus
Sex Abuse of Children and Youths
Sexual Abuse Claims in Washington D.C.
Auto, Truck, and Motorcycle Accidents
Maryland Car Accidents
Virginia Car Accidents
Defective & Dangerous Products
Accounting and Legal Malpractice
How To Sue Your Lawyer For Malpractice
Common Legal Malpractice Claims
Damages For Legal Malpractice
Missing The Deadline For A Lawsuit
Steps in the Legal Process
The Jury Trial System
Legal Deadlines for Filing Your Personal Injury Lawsuit
Better Health Care Newsletter from Patrick Malone
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletter on Getting Better Health Care
Free Fact Kit for Injury Victims
Tips for Patient Safety and Better Health Care
Health Care Advocates' Power Kit
More Legal Resources
Fellow Inner Circle Members
DC Hospital Ratings Map
Motor Vehicle Accident Blog
Washington D.C. Bike Map
Commute Risk Calculator
Patient Safety Blog
ProtectPatientsBlog.com
Malpractice A-Z
Patrick Malone Law
Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Law Firm | Patrick Malone Law
Research your injury rights
Are You A Lawyer Seeking Co-Counsel ?
How we can help others during the holidays with health and well-being needs
It's the season of goodwill, gratitude, and giving. And in case you didn't know it, research has shown that being generous to others also can have health benefits for the charitable.
For those interested in helping others with their health, medical, and other needs, here's a sampling of ideas that may be useful and how to get started.
1. Take time to support those giving care
President Biden and the Democrats in Congress overcame fierce opposition this year to pass health care reforms that many patients, especially older Americans, will benefit from in the days to come. Seniors on Medicare, for example, soon will see the cost of insulin capped at $35 for a month's supply. In 2025, they are scheduled to enjoy a $2,000 yearly cap on their prescription drug costs. And in 2023, the federal government plans to use its enormous market sway to begin negotiating via Medicare with Big Pharma over the prices for a small but expanding number of prescription drugs. Advocates hope this effort will provide a new, big way to slash what we all pay for medications.
Still, in months of negotiations — with opposing Republicans and reluctant Democrats, too — the administration failed to get Congress to provide vital financial support to a giant group struggling with the U.S. health system: home caregivers. These unsung Great Samaritans quietly battle with major life challenges, as the Washington Post reported:
"More than half of Americans 50 and older — 54% — are considered to be caregivers because of the help they provide to one or more people 65 and older, according to the most recent findings of the University of Michigan's ongoing National Poll on Healthy Aging. Most often, caregiving involves helping with health care, usually through making appointments, talking with doctors, and handling insurance issues, but it can also include assisting with home cleaning, yard work, grocery shopping, meal preparation, banking and bill paying. The survey found that 94% are not being paid for their help, and nearly half (47%) have been helping out for at least three years. The most frequent recipients are parents (45% of the time) and friends, or neighbors (19%). The researchers note … that such support 'is often essential for aging in place and managing chronic conditions' — issues that people increasingly confront as they age."
Alas, as those who have experienced the responsibility of home caregiving know, it can be an isolating, lonely, arduous, and costly labor of love. In the days ahead, individuals can acknowledge caregiving's extreme stresses confronted by family members, friends, work colleagues, neighbors and others. Give them a call. Schedule a visit. Make time to have a cup of coffee or a meal with them to let them know they are valued, and their struggles are appreciated. Perhaps circumstances will allow you or your church or social group to provide a caregiver or two with a formal or informal, occasional or regular respite, letting them have what for too many is the rarity of time and resources for themselves.
For more information on resources for those involved in family caregiving, AARP has a special web page devoted to this topic and accessible by please clicking here.
2. Help erase scandalous medical debt
Reporter Noam Levey, the independent and nonprofit Kaiser Health News Service, and National Public Radio developed an important, tragic series over many months of 2022, detailing the bankrupting burden that tens of millions of Americans suffer with: medical debt.
This scandal of the U.S. health care system afflicts as many as 100 million regular folks, with Levey finding that "a quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000. And about 1 in 5 with any amount of debt said they don't expect to ever pay it off." Their indebtedness to doctors, hospitals, and others in the health system forces far too many to forgo needed medical treatment and prescription medications, as well as causing "families to cut spending on food and other essentials. Millions are being driven from their homes or into bankruptcy."
Despite the efforts exerted too often by doctors, hospitals, and other providers to squeeze patients — especially the poor, working poor, and uninsured or underinsured — for every penny they possess, collection efforts frequently go for naught. That leaves financial institutions to aggregate, buy, and sell medical debt with what can be cruel abandon for those who find these stressful obligations hanging over their lives. Enter RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based 5013(c) founded by, yes, two former debt-collection executives. They have shown how gifts from the charitable can wipe out substantial medical debts, with a $100 contribution, for example, eliminating $10,000 in others' obligations.
Officials in Ohio, the city of Toledo and Lucas County, have done this, using $800,000 in coronavirus relief funds to eliminate an estimated $240 million in medical debt for local residents. Television satirist John Oliver has done this, as has political activist Stacey Abrams. So, too, have churches and charities nationwide. Abrams persuaded a political action committee to donate $1.34 million to RIP, which then wiped out $212 million in medical debts owed by 108,000 residents of five southern states. Oliver chronicled how his show's $60,000 donation wiped out $14.9 million in medical debt. RIP says it has wiped out $7.4 billion in medical debt.
For more information on RIP Medical Debt, please click here.
3. Food insecurity poses global challenge
In 2022, Americans learned more than ever about the desperate straits regular folks can be left in after extreme weather and other natural and man-made calamities strike. Since 2010, a novel group of people with expertise in food have tried to ensure that nutritious meals, a fundamental of human welfare, get to those in the worst circumstances. Chefs around the globe have answered the emergency calls and rallied around José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen charity he founded with his wife.
Andrés, who launched his superstar culinary career in Washington, D.C., has defined the group's global mission: "WCK is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises, while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 200 million nourishing meals around the world." The organization has fed the hungry in war-torn Ukraine, inundated Pakistan, flooded Kentucky, wildfire-ravaged California, and hurricane-stricken Florida. The group welcomes volunteers, as well as donations of many different kinds.
To be sure, food insecurity is a persistent problem, not only after disasters and not just in the developing world. As the experts and advocates underscored in the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, the first such event in a half century: "Millions of Americans are afflicted with food insecurity and diet-related diseases — including heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes — which are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. The toll of hunger and these diseases is not distributed equally, disproportionately impacting underserved communities … Lack of access to healthy, safe, and affordable food, and to safe outdoor spaces, contributes to hunger, diet-related diseases, and health disparities …"
To learn more about battling food insecurity nationally and in the region, click on these links (they represent a slice of the many charitable groups involved in the struggle): D.C. Central Kitchen, Maryland Food Bank, SOME (So Others Might Eat), Capital Area Food Bank, and D.C. Hunger Solutions.
4. How do future MDs learn all about you?
Technology makes strides by the day, including in the use of virtual reality to help teach aspiring doctors crucial, basic information about human anatomy and physiology. It may sound macabre, but the demand is still big for "anatomical donors" — those who make what Maryland officials describe as a posthumous, selfless gift of their whole body for training medical students, surgeons, first responders, and other health personnel.
The Georgetown University Medical School explains the importance of donor bodies: "When a medical student peers inside a human body that he or she has just dissected, his or her medical training takes a quantum leap from theory into practice. After all, a doctor's patients are real people. And the only way doctors-in-training and health care professionals get the chance to immerse themselves in the intricacies of human anatomy comes from dissecting an actual body of a deceased person. Simply put, dissection of a human body by every medical student is nothing less than an indispensable part of a first-rate medical education and of medical research, in general."
The Howard University Medical School offers this insight about the possible benefits to donors' families: "Burying a loved one has become an expensive commitment during an already trying and emotional time. The cost of a funeral home, a casket, transportation costs, a burial plot and the other numerous expenses associated with the loss of a loved one can be devastating to people of modest means. The Department of Anatomy at Howard University will at no cost pick up the deceased, embalm them, cremate, and return the ashes to the family in a funeral urn. The body will be used to learn anatomy by the very same health professional students who will serve the community after their education."
This gift has constraints, including personal and religious belief, the common-sense exclusion of those who have died from highly communicable diseases or who were emaciated or obese. The sensitivities of loved ones obviously comes into play, especially because unlike "live" organ donations that many people automatically may think of, anatomical gifts occur after death. Don't forget that live organ donors also are desperately needed.
For more information on making anatomical donations, check with your favored medical school, or you may wish to learn more from online postings by the states of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Those interested in "live" organ donations (hearts, kidneys, livers, lungs, pancreases, and more) can check out another of our firm's newsletters on this topic by clicking here.
5. A lifesaver must be replenished, always
It becomes an instant, urgent need for those involved in terrible vehicle wrecks. Or for those who must undergo major surgery. It is a big, sustained demand for patients with chronic illnesses, including certain cancers. As the American Red Cross advises, "every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and or platelets."
Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. But insufficient numbers of Good Samaritans give blood and do so regularly, leaving the nation's health care system — and countless patients across the country — in constant worry about supplies.
Not everyone may give blood, and there are eligibility requirements to safeguard donors and the supply. But giving is painless and hospitals, clinics, and blood-banking institutions, with a boost from supporting charitable organizations, try to make the process as easy, simple, and convenient as possible. Those who donate, the Red Cross emphasizes, give a special gift, as "blood and platelets cannot be manufactured; they can only come from volunteer donors," and "one donation can potentially save up to three lives."
For more information on donating blood, please click here.
Season's best greetings from all of us at our firm!
Over the years, this newsletter has suggested for our readers other health-related gifts, including participating in a randomized clinical trial.
Or you may want to donate items you and your loved ones no longer use, including eyeglasses, hearing aids, rehabilitative gear, and prescription medications
You may resolve to share service-oriented activities with others and in your community, as members of our firm do. If you're looking for charitable groups that can always benefit from help, the firm has a list of suggestions, available by clicking here.
No matter how you choose to give to others, all of us at the firm are grateful to work with you and to wish you and yours the merriest and healthiest holidays as well as all the best in the months and years ahead!
Credits: Photo above, Chef José Andrés dons protective gear as he helps deliver food assistance to combat-besieged Ukrainians. World Central Kitchen/WCK.org
Painting, above, Rembrandt van Rijn. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. The Mauritshuis, the Hague, the Netherlands. Work commissioned by members of Surgeons' Guild, Amsterdam, 1632; Surgeons' Widows' Fund, Amsterdam, 1798-1828; purchased by the Dutch State and placed in the Mauritshuis at the order of King William I, 1828
Negotiate those bills — especially if medical prices prove to be so arbitrary
In recent months, consumers have started to see big federally required downloads of previously proprietary data on hospital prices, especially those negotiated with health insurers and big employers. This economic information, of course, comes atop increasing scholarly scrutiny of skyrocketing medical charges.
The still-developing read-out from the increasing price transparency should not come as a shock to patients who foot the bills: Medical charges vary wildly and seemingly without sensible explanation, as the medical journal Health Affairs has reported:
"Studies of price variation among hospitals and insurers within the U.S. suggest that much of the price growth driving spending growth is excessive, particularly in the private sector. In their 2018 article 'The Price Ain't Right?' Zack Cooper and colleagues used Health Care Cost Institute data from 2011 to find enormous variation in private insurer spending by hospitals for the same procedures … A 2021 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis (also of commercial payers) showed massive variation in prices for common hospital and physician procedures by geographic area. According to the KFF analysis, in 2018 the average price for a knee or hip replacement at an in-network facility varied by a factor of two between the Metropolitan Statistical Area with the lowest average price (Baltimore, Md., at about $23,000) and that with the highest average price (New York City Metro area, at about $58,000).
"Comparing Medicare prices with prices paid by private insurers offers another measure of variation in U.S. health care prices and provides further evidence of excessive prices. Christopher Whaley and colleagues at the RAND Corporation analyzed data on spending for hospital inpatient and outpatient services from a selection of employers and private insurers and found that in 2018 those insurers paid 247% of what Medicare would have paid for the same services at the same facilities…"
While the experts parse data reluctantly flowing from parties in the U.S. health care system, regular folks can choose in the days ahead to pursue a strategy the information points to: If prices for medical services and goods are as arbitrary as they seem, why not consider them flexible and negotiable? Why give away your hard-earned money when a little dickering can go a long way?
This will take patience, persistence, a willingness to educate oneself in frustrating red tape and bureaucracy. But experts say you can save yourself real money in 2023 and beyond by taking steps such as:
Getting an itemized bill and reviewing it, yes, line by line, asking questions about items that do not make sense
Talking with your doctor about the costs of your care, inquiring gently if less-costly options will work. While some M.D.s are conscious of and try to assist patients with the nose-bleed expenses of medical care, too many practitioners keep hectic schedules and fail to consider patients' finances when ordering tests, procedures, and prescription medications.
Talk to the people in the doctor's office, clinic, or hospital who deal with medical bills. Find out if your bill would be less if you paid cash, rather than making an insurance claim. Determine if paying cash, up front, can result in negotiated, lower charges for major tests or procedures.
Don't ignore a medical bill. Do understand the infuriating flurry of paperwork that ensues when patients get charged — with insurers providing a detailed explanation of benefits (EOB), doctors firing back about their charges, and so on. At the end, drill down on what you as the patient owe and whether your insurer and providers still might negotiate and lower that charge.
Don't be shy. Ask if you qualify for assistance programs, especially those that may be based on income or age. Recent news reports have focused on hospitals' failure to inform the uninsured, poor, and working poor about charity care to which they are entitled under programs that give institutions giant tax breaks in exchange.
Ask around to see if your doctor's office, hospital, or local governments provide patient advocates or ombudsmen to help those who feel overwhelmed and mistreated by medical bureaucracy. If you even think your case has gotten sufficiently out of hand, you may wish to consult with an attorney, remembering that lawyers do not charge for such initial discussions and many lawsuits get handled on a contingency basis.
Recent Health Care Blog Posts
Here are some recent posts on our patient safety blog that might interest you:
-As cardiologists and other medical specialists grow increasingly aware of big differences in the heart and circulatory health of men and women, researchers also are prodding doctors who take medical histories of female patients to be sure to ask simple but important questions about their experiences with problem pregnancies. That's because vital preventive information can be surfaced, if clinicians learn, for example, that their patients had preeclampsia, "a complication that occurs in about 5% of pregnancies and in which dangerously high blood pressure can lead to seizures, organ failure, and death," according to Stat, a science and medical news site.
-Almost three dozen leading groups representing a range of doctors, specialists, and other health workers have called on the Biden Administration to deal urgently with the long-running but increasing and dangerous practice of hospitals allowing their emergency care facilities to be overwhelmed because they also are parking patients waiting for rooms and treatment. This "boarding" crisis, already at breaking points for many exhausted ER staffs, will worsen and imperil patients even more if the nation gets hit — as growing indicators suggest is occurring — with a "tripledemic," a choking load of coronavirus, flu, and other respiratory infections serious enough to require hospitalization.
-People around the planet must be more wary of the fungus among us, because the too often overlooked pathogens are becoming "increasingly widespread, resistant to treatment, and deadly." That's the view of the World Health Organization, as reported by the New York Times and other media organizations. WHO has sought to heighten awareness about an array of fungal infections because fewer of them can be treated well with familiar therapeutics, the newspaper reported
-The liquor cabinets, beer coolers and wine cellars in our homes harbor one of the most pernicious substances in U.S. households, a leading (but often overlooked) cause of preventable death and debilitation: Yes, alcohol itself. Federal officials estimate that 1 in 8 deaths of Americans ages 20 to 64 results from injuries or illnesses tied to excessive drinking. And if you look only at the prime ages of 20 to 49, the booze toll is tied to 1 in 5 U.S. deaths, according to a study newly published on the medical JAMA Network.
-The Biden Administration is encountering stiff industry opposition but is forging ahead with plans to announce in coming months major regulatory reforms that advocates hope finally will force nursing homes to meet minimum staffing guidelines to care for some of the nation's most vulnerable. The tragic devastation of long-term care facilities and their residents by the coronavirus pandemic demonstrated the dire need for federal regulators to set baseline standards for nursing and other front-line resident care, critics say. Their arguments have been bolstered by lawsuits against nursing homes and their subsequent disclosure of harms done to seniors, the sick, and injured — those who are so debilitated that they require substantial living assistance but too often do not get it due to substandard staffing and profit-driven decision-making by facilities' owners and operators.
HERE'S TO A HEALTHY 2022!
Patrick Malone & Associates
Copyright © 2022 Patrick Malone & Associates P.C., All rights reserved.
Your Name**
Tell us about your case (please include where the incident happened).**
Auto, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents
Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries
Accounting & Legal Malpractice
The Lawsuit Process
FAQs about injuries & the legal process
Legal deadlines for your lawsuit
What to expect from your "independent" medical examination
Patient Safety Tips
DC Hospital Rating Map
Patient Safety Newsletter
from Patrick Malone
Books for Attorneys
Expert Witness Resources
Closing Arguments in Trial
Medical Society Statements on Expert Witness Testimony
Cross Examination Transcripts
Client reviews on
Patient Safety Blog by Patrick Malone & Associates
Accessibility of Health Care
PATRICK MALONE & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
1310 L Street NW
Auto, Truck And Motorcycle Injuries
Defective And Dangerous Products
© 2023 Patrick Malone & Associates, P.C. | All Rights Reserved | Legal Notice


text:
Home News White House staff trick Donald Trump into eating vegetables
White House staff trick Donald Trump into eating vegetables
Sourced from Consequence of Sound
Donald Trump, a 73-year-old man who has the world's largest nuclear arsenal at his fingertips, must be tricked into eating vegetables. The White House staff has also sought to cut down the president's ice cream consumption by making it "less accessible."
All this is according to former White House physician Ronny Jackson, a staunch Trump supporter who is currently running for Congress in Texas. In an interview with The New York Times, Jackson spoke about his tenure as Trump's physician.
In public, Jackson lauded Trump's health as "incredible." At one point, he even told reporters that Trump could live to 200 years old.
Behind the scenes, however, Jackson said he wanted Trump to lose 10-15 pounds. He mapped out a workout routine involving an exercise bike and elliptical machine, while also seeking to alter Trump's nutrition. Ultimately, "the exercise stuff never took off as much as I wanted it to," Jackson told The Times. "But we were working on his diet. We were making the ice cream less accessible, we were putting cauliflower into the mashed potatoes."
Previous articleSmall earthquakes under Mt Ruapehu over the weekend
Next articleU.K study reveals first names of those more likely to shop online


text:
Q: Kafka - Confluent Cloud - what is the status and limitations? Did anyone used Confluent Cloud in Production?
What is the status of it?
I heard that it allows replication without renaming the topic and offsets to be consistent in replicas.
Is that true?
Also - can NPI data be used for it?


Radiant heat can be adjusted in distance and height.
Adjustable brightness for various applications.
Requires 220V single phase power supply at 15 amps.
Portable with four swivel casters (two with brakes).
Timer is included for auto shutoff.