text:
Rice and Rubio: Two who won't do
NOW THAT Mitt Romney's back from his brief tour of capitals in Europe and the Middle East, the parlor game of handicapping the veepstakes, guessing who the former Massachusetts governor will pick for a running mate, starts in earnest.
Any number of names have floated in the ether for a while now, but according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey, Romney's best chances for winning the electoral vote in Florida — that state that always manages to figure in the election outcome, for better or worse — lie in picking one of two seemingly galvanizing choices: Former Bush 43 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
In those names, there's the frisson of making history, the tantalizing prospect of the GOP reaching for a deus ex machine surprise, naming either the first Latino or the first African American vice-presidential running mate to a Republican presidential ticket.
But once that rush of blood to the head passes, a look at both candidates suggests that, at the national level, neither Rice nor Rubio work for Republicans, for reasons singular to the GOP's internal mindset, or for Americans generally, for reasons that resonate with the 47 million indispensable female beneficiaries of one component of the Affordable Care Act.
While jobs are thought to be the linchpin issue for the 2012 election, people still tend to vote their interests. For those 47 million women, their interests were upheld on Wednesday when new health insurance regulations under the Affordable Care Act went into effect, in particular no co-pay preventive services for women's health including annual checkups, domestic violence screening, FDA-approved contraception, breastfeeding support and supplies, gestational diabetes screening, HPV testing, sexually transmitted infection counseling, and HIV screening.
They're part of a law that Republicans want nothing to do with; they're also part of a law that millions of American women likely won't want to live without. The importance of the ACA provisions to those women, and the vehemence that Republicans attach to those provisions, complicate life for Romney if he picks either Rubio or Rice.
PPP, a polling organization based in Raleigh, N.C., tested the names of five potential Romney running mates with 871 likely voters between July 26 and July 29. "Home state Senator Marco Rubio makes the biggest difference for Romney, pushing him up to a 49-47 lead," PPP reported. "Rubio's approval numbers aren't earth shattering at 45/42, but his appeal is strong enough to help Romney gain a couple points with both Democrats and Republicans."
"The other difference maker among potential Romney running mates is Condoleezza Rice. She has a 59/28 favorability rating, basically unheard of among politicians today. Republicans (76/15) and independents (62/26) and love her and even with Democrats she's on narrowly positive ground (42/41). If she was on the ticket Romney's lead with independents would jump from 7 points to 13, leaving him ahead 46-45 overall."
"Basically, what we found is that if Romney wants things to pretty much stay the same, he can make the safe choice and pick one of the boring old white guys," said Tom Jensen, director of PPP. "But I think it's pretty clear with his running-mate choice, if he wants it to be a game-changer, he is going to have to take a risk."
Astute observers of American presidential politics will note that phrase game-changer. The last time the phrase had currency in our political conversation was in 2008, when advisers to the John McCain presidential campaign used it as much of their rationale for picking Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate.
We all know how that turned out.
According to the PPP analysis, adding either Rice or Rubio to the Romney ticket cuts President Obama's lead with Florida's Latino voters from 27 percentage points to 14. That's a big chunk but it still leaves a sizeable double-digit lead the GOP isn't likely to erode any further.
And on the favorables of his poll's results, Jensen of PPP gives Rice an edge. "At a time when we are so polarized as a country, it is really rare for somebody to have that kind of universal appeal," Jensen told The Huffington Post.
But hold up. Jensen may be confusing "universal appeal" with universal recognition, and those two ain't the same animal at all. The specifics of the distinctions between them constitute some of the reasons why Rice won't do for the Republicans.
First of all, Rice has been consistently reluctant to do it. She's denied having presidential aspirations previously and frequently, indicating she's happy to hunker down at her post at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. So much for fire in the belly.
It doesn't look good when a candidate has to be effectively drafted, dragged into the race against her will. Her primary occupational energies are already focused on doing something else. And if Rice does harbor political ambitions, it can't have escaped her attention that signing on for the tail end of the most bewildering GOP campaign in memory could well damage her brand, and her chances, down the road.
Also, for reasons she has everything to do with, Condi Rice on the Romney ticket would revive perceptual connections to the Bush 43 administration, and its role (and her own) in the genesis and prosecution of the two most ruinous wars in the nation's history, one of them absolutely unnecessary. Rice imagistically weds the Republican Party to the freight of its past. Much of the country outside conservative Florida wouldn't let Romney-Rice forget that. The Obama campaign wouldn't let the country forget it, either.
But the third matter may be the thorniest one. Rice won't do because her pro-choice stance on abortion, and a moderate view on women's reproductive rights, have already made her anathema to those most risk-averse, severely conservative conservatives in the Republican base.
Potentially making matters worse, picking Condi Rice in light of Wednesday's startup of those new ACA health-care provisions for women, including contraceptive counseling, would be seen as a Romney slap in the face to those conservatives Romney needs. For them, Rice's foreign-policy credentials are offset by her fidelity, however mild, to pro-choice principles — and by extension, the provisions of the ACA that now enshrine those principles as law. A law that Republicans hate.
SEEN THROUGH the wider lens — what appeals to the country as a whole, and not just to Republican values voters — Rubio is equally problematic, for different and similar reasons. If Romney taps Rubio, much of the campaign's energy will have to be directed at alerting the country to his personal biography, telling the country just who Rubio is beyond being a young Cuban-American perceived as a "rising star" in American politics. For an electorate that still has questions about Romney himself, a Rubio pick might be one relative unknown too many.
Choosing Rubio will definitely reawaken the experience argument — that, simply put, he hasn't yet achieved the political gravitas for being the proverbial heartbeat from the presidency. After the debacle of McCain's selection of Sarah Palin, it's not clear that Republican rank and file voters would get behind yet another improvisation, another emotionally satisfying but politically inchoate "game changer," so soon after the last one.
Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska for about two years and eight months. Marco Rubio was elected in November 2010 and didn't take office until January of last year. You don't grow presidential timber that fast, and the Republicans know it.
And Rubio can be expected to have problems with many American women who remember that he co-authored the Blunt-Rubio amendment, an intrusive piece of legislation Rubio advanced in the Senate with Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt.
The measure, which died in the Senate on March 1, would have let employers make exemptions to workers' health-care coverage based on how they felt about the moral dimensions of birth control — effectively replacing doctors with employers on a very personal matter.
Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith told the Tampa Bay Times that Rubio "championed a dangerous and extreme measure which would have denied women the lifesaving health care they need. Make no mistake: Sen. Rubio, along with Mitt Romney, tried to turn women's health care into a political football in order to advance their own extreme agenda — a shameful, partisan tactic which threatened the lives of women in our state and across our country."
THERE ARE more than 22 million women between the ages of 18 and 29 who are eligible to vote. That 22 million is less than half of the American women empowered by the reproductive rights provisions of the ACA now in effect.
A Romney pick of Rubio would be a slap in the face to those 47 million women, many who'll remember Rubio's earlier gambit, as well as the poisonously invasive law signed by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a law that requires women to have an abdominal ultrasound procedure before an abortion. If Rubio's on the Romney ticket, he won't be any more appealing to women in that state than McDonnell is right now.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
"Governor McDonnell's unwillingness to listen to the thousands of women across the commonwealth who are outraged by this political overreach into their lives shows nothing more than arrogance," NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene said in a March statement.
Bottom line tactical question: What's it gain Team Romney to win the swing state of Florida and lose the swing state of Virginia, with Rubio aboard? Sounds like a wash at best.
We're less than a month from the Republican National Convention, the GOP's dressage event in Tampa, Fla. If Romney is contemplating a rollout of Rice or (especially) Rubio, ethnically diverse, demographically rich Florida would be a natural setting, and likely to yield the Romney campaign a short-term punch in the polls.
But Mitt Romney's not running to be president of Florida. And what plays in Florida can't be expected to play everywhere else.
The list of veep possibles has been bandied about for months now. Bob McDonnell. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. It's been said, as much as advice as analysis, that Romney doesn't want a "boring old white guy" for a running mate.
There should be some serious discussion in GOP circles about answering another question: Whoever Romney picks, will that choice be enough to distract potential voters from their concerns about the "boring old white guy" they can't get around — the one at the top of the ticket?
Image credits: PPP logo, poll snapshots: © 2012 Public Policy Polling. Romney: CNN. Rice: Public domain. Rice, Colin Powell, George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, 2002: public domain. Rubio: via lifenews.com.
Labels: analysis on Rice as running mate, analysis on Rubio as running mate, Condoleezza Rice, Marco Rubio, Michael E. Ross on Romney 2012 campaign, Mitt Romney, PPP poll on Romney veep picks
Tampa, Day 2: 'Red meat delivered well'
Tampa, Day 1: Résumés on the convention floor
Tampa: The Jersey mauler arrives
Tampa: Ann Romney: A love story
Tampa: Santorum speaks
Tampa: John Kasich's convenient memory
Tampa: So the Speaker of the House walks into a ba...
Tampa: Romney official
Tampa: Waiting for the chameleon man
All in: Romney plays the birther card
Hurricane Todd
Women's health and The Economy: Jan Schakowsky mak...
Legitimate apes: Akin, RomneyRyan and the GOP plat...
The Stone Age, Act IV: Akin's mistake
Romney-Ryan: Scenes from a marriage
Economist/FT: Obama presidency preferred by global...
El nuevo día: Immigration reform in America
Mama Grizzly stays home
Game on: Romney, Ryan and the new old campaign
Oak Creek and its aftermath
Return of the oldest trick in the book
Why Mitt Romney's taxes matter
Hair is a battlefield: Gabby Douglas and the pate ...
Aurora: Two ways of coming to grips
Sarah Scissormind: A comedian's unusual proposal
Romney in Poland: A long, strange trip it's been


Tears For Fears have rescheduled their upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour due to "unforeseen health concerns and doctor's orders". Check out the new dates and ticket details below.
Due to kick off next week on April 27 in Leeds, the upcoming shows in support of their greatest hits retrospective 'Rule The World' have been been pushed back to January and February of next year – with Alison Moyet remaining as the special guest support act. Their appearance at Bath Festival however, has been cancelled.
The band's upcoming rescheduled UK and Ireland tour dates are below. For tickets and more information, visit here.


text:
No fines handed out at first B.C. COVID-19 roadblock as checks move across province
VICTORIA — The Mounties in British Columbia say no cars were forced to turn around at a roadblock in place to ensure residents abide by travel restrictions due to COVID-19 as enforcement spreads over the weekend. Cpl.
Canadian Press May 7, 2021 1:22 PM May 7, 2021 1:35 PM
VICTORIA — The Mounties in British Columbia say no cars were forced to turn around at a roadblock in place to ensure residents abide by travel restrictions due to COVID-19 as enforcement spreads over the weekend.
Cpl. Chris Manseau says 127 vehicles were stopped at a roadblock in the Manning Park area with no fines handed out.
Manseau says there are clear indications of an upcoming roadblock so drivers are well aware they are approaching one.
The RCMP say three other roadblocks will be set up over the weekend on Highway 1 in the Boston Bar area, Highway 5 in the Old Toll Booth area, and at Highway 99 in the Lillooet area.
Drivers will be asked for identification, documentation regarding their name and address, as well as the purpose for their travel.
Motorists breaking travel rules can be fined $230 for failing to follow instructions at a road check or $575 if the reason for travel violates the essential travel health order.
Manseau said in an interview that he believes the Mounties would be happy if no fines were handed out.
"We want people to stay home," he said. "This isn't a punitive thing. If this all goes through until the pandemic is over and we don't issue any fines, I think we'd find that as a greater success than a lot of fines."
He urged those thinking of travelling this weekend to ensure they're only doing so for essential purposes, and to stay within their health region if they are not.
British Columbia's solicitor general recently said police conducting checks will only ask drivers and not their passengers whether they're travelling for non-essential reasons. Mike Farnworth said passengers will not be questioned for constitutional reasons based on legal advice, so the stops at high-traffic corridors and two ferry terminals don't stray into potential investigations.
Non-essential travel in B.C. is limited to three regions, which are areas covered by the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities; the Northern and Interior health authorities; and Vancouver Island.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2021.
More National News
Alberta promising changes to campuses amid university 'woke' free speech standoff

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Turing Functional and $\Sigma_1^0$-formulas in models of fragments of PA In models of PA with restricted induction power (for example, only $I\Sigma_n$ is present), the failure of higher induction scheme is characterised by the existence of definable cuts (like $\Sigma_2$ cuts).
In the standard model (classical setting where the first order universe is just the standard numbers), we have the following normal form $\{X\in 2^\omega: \exists k \varphi(X,k)\}$ (here $\varphi$ is $\Delta_0^0$-formula) is equivalent to $\{X\in2^\omega: \exists k \exists y,z<k \varphi(X|y, z)\}$. Intuitively, it just states that some Oracle Turing Functional characterised by the given $\Sigma_1^0$-formula always has finite use in any convergent computation.
By saying Turing functional, I mean the r.e. set ($\Sigma_1^0$ in $M$) $\phi$ consisting of quardruples $(x,y,P,N)\in M^4$ where $M$ is some given model of arithmetic.
Now my question is to what extent can this be generalized to the non-standard models. More precisely, the naive lift of the previous statement is not true in the non-standard models. For example, consider the model M of $I\Sigma_1 + \neg B\Sigma_2$, then there is a $\Sigma_2$(in fact $\Delta_2$)-cut $I$. Let $a>I$ be some non-standard element. Then the following set $B=\{X\subset M: \exists k \forall z<2^{k+1}-1 \exists j<k \ \  z(j)\neq X(j)\}$ may not be open in the sense that there does not exist a set $A$ consisting of $M$-finite functions in M such that $B=[A]^\prec$ unlike the standard situation. Since every number in $M$ has some binary representation, thus it codes a M-finite set. Therefore, intuitively it says there is some initial segment which is not coded in the model. And we know that $I$ is such a candidate. Furthermore, there is no normal form for this. Even worse, it cannot be considered as a Turing functional as well, since neither the positive use or the negative use is M-finite. I believe the problem occurs with the consideration of bounded quantifiers here. Is that the root of all evil?

A: I am not sure whether I've correctly understood your question, but here is my attempt.
What I wish to say is (that not much induction is needed to show) that if we take away the bounded universal quantifiers in $\Sigma_1$, then only a finite amount of the oracle is read in any run of the corresponding Turing machine that leads to a halt.
Consider an existential sentence $\varphi(X)$ in the language of arithmetic that looks like
 $$\exists\bar v\ \Bigl(\bigwedge_{i=1}^np_i(\bar v)\in X
                  \wedge\bigwedge_{j=1}^mq_j(\bar v)\not\in X
                  \wedge\bigwedge_{k=1}^\ell r_k(\bar v)=s_k(\bar v)\Bigr),$$
where the $p_i$'s, $q_j$'s, $r_k$'s and $s_k$'s are terms.
Suppose $A\subseteq M\models\mathrm I\Delta_0+{\exp}$ such that $M\models\varphi(A)$.  Take $\bar c\in M$ which witnesses this fact.  Then any $X\subseteq M$ whose behaviour on
 $p_1(\bar c),\ldots,p_n(\bar c),q_1(\bar c),\ldots,q_m(\bar c)$ agrees with that of $A$ would satisfy $\varphi(X)$ too.  With $\mathrm I\Delta_0+{\exp}$, one can find $M$-finite sets $X$ that agree with $A$ on those $m+n$ elements of $M$.

A: Simpson, Subsystems of Second-Order Arithmetic, states an analogue of the normal form theorem that is provable in $\mathsf{RCA}_0$:

Theorem II.2.7 (normal form theorem) Let $\phi(X)$ be a $\Sigma^0_1$ formula. Then we can find a $\Sigma^0_0$ formula $\theta(s)$ such that $\mathsf{RCA}_0$ proves
  $$
(\forall X)[\phi(x) \leftrightarrow (\exists m)\theta(X[m])].
$$
  Here we write $X[m] = \langle \xi_0, \xi_1, \ldots, \xi_{m-1}\rangle$ where $\xi_i = 1$ if $i \in X$, $0$ if $i \not \in X$.

$\mathsf{RCA}_0$ is a standard system of second-order arithmetic with induction for $\Sigma^0_1$ formulas with set parameters and with the $\Delta^0_1$ comprehension scheme.
Therefore, there is some problem with the example that the question tries to construct. I don't see any problem with putting the defining formula $\phi(X)$ from $B$ into normal form.

It may help to realize that $\mathsf{RCA}_0$ does prove
$$
(\forall X)(\forall m)(\exists \sigma)[\sigma = X[m]].
$$
This is provable directly by $\Sigma^0_1$ induction. So if $X$ is any set in a model of $\mathsf{RCA}_0$, every initial segment of $X$ is coded by a number in the model. Perhaps (this is just speculation) the question is trying to apply the universal quantifier $(\forall X)$ to a set $X$ that is not actually going to appear in the model, because the existence of that set would force $\Sigma^0_1$ induction to fail?

A: (This is essentially the same point as in Carl's answer but it avoids fully expanding to second-order models.)
The theory IΣ1 is the minimal subsystem of PA where all of basic computability theory works as usual. This is because IΣ1 is equivalent to the fact that total computable functions (i.e. total Σ1-definable functions) are closed under primitive recursion.
To formalize and understand the idea of oracle computation in a model M of IΣ1, you need to expand M to a model MX with a new predicate symbol interpreted by the oracle X. Since the expanded language has new Σ1 formulas involving the new predicate symbol, it may fail to satisfy IΣ1 and therefore basic computability theory may not work as expected in MX.
The example you give, where X is a cut of M illustrates this well but having M-finite initial segments is not enough for MX to satisfy IΣ1. Indeed, if M satisfies IΣ1 then the halting set K (relative to M) has M-finite initial segments, but MK satisfies IΣ1 if and only if M satisfies IΣ2 since every Σ2 formula over M is equivalent to a Σ1 formula over MK. In the case where M fails to satisfy BΣ2, then MK will fail to satisfy BΣ1 and bounded quantifiers will behave very badly in MK. However, since BΣ2 is weaker than IΣ2, bounded quantifiers are not the end of the story.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Vista Equity Partners Backs Austin-based YouEarnedIt
April 6, 2018 by lalorek Leave a Comment
Autumn Manning, co-founder and CEo of YouEarnedIt, courtesy photo.
YouEarnedIt, a startup focused on rewarding employees at companies, has landed an investment from Vista Equity Partners, based in Austin.
The Austin based startup also received investment from its previous investors, Ridge Ventures and Silverton Partners. It did not disclose the financial details of the deal. Previously, YouEarnedIt raised $8 million in venture capital.
"It has always been my vision to push the boundaries of employee engagement and give companies a better way to support their people and amplify their culture," Autumn Manning, co-founder and CEO of YouEarnedIt, said in a news statement. "To be working with Vista – one of the best software investors available – to grow our presence in the HR software market is great validation for what we have built at YouEarnedIt and where we can go from here."
The company, founded in 2013, plans to use the funds to hire additional employees, on further product development and sales and marketing.
"When Autumn and I launched YouEarnedIt, we understood that the importance of prioritizing culture to build incredible teams and companies was pivotal for businesses to succeed," Kenny Tomlin, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of YouEarnedIt, said in a news statement. "
YouEarnedIt works with more than 400 customers worldwide. Since last January, when Vista raised $6.5 million in Series A funding, the company has doubled in size and overhauled its employee engagement and rewards platform.
"Employee engagement and productivity continues to be a top focus for companies," René Yang, principal at Vista Equity Partners and co-head of the Endeavor Fund, said in a news release. "YouEarnedIt's innovative approach to employee engagement provides a true platform for companies to enhance their culture of engagement and create incredible transparency across the organization. We are thrilled to be partnering with YouEarnedIt to help the business continue its strong trajectory of growth."
YouEarnedIt also added James Mann as its Chief Financial Officer and Michael Logan and Executive Vice President of Sales.
Filed Under: Austin


text:
Book launch: Gunboats, Empire, and the China Station by Dr Matthew Heaslip, 22 October 4.30pm
By Melanie Bassett on October 9, 2020 in event
Join us online in marking the launch of Gunboats, Empire, and the China Station – a book that 'transforms our understanding of the Royal Navy in the 1920s'.
22nd October from 4.30 to 5.30 pm. Please book via Eventbrite.
Professor Joe Maiolo (King's College London) will open the event with a short introduction, after which the author PTUC's Dr Matthew Heaslip (University of Portsmouth) will read a few key passages from the book before opening the floor to questions.
Click here for Bloomsbury's page for the book
About Melanie Bassett
Dr Melanie Bassett is a Faculty Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. She manages the PTUC website and social media outputs alongside undertaking her own research on port towns. Her PhD research, 'The Royal Dockyard Worker in Edwardian England: Culture, Leisure and Empire' re-examined the concept of a monolithic imperial identity and tracked the nuances of working-class imperialism. She has worked with Professor Brad Beaven on a number of WW1 projects, including 'Mapping the National Impact of the Jutland Battle: Civic and Community Responses during the First World War' and 'Lest We Forget' in partnership with Portsmouth City Museum, which culminated in a large-scale exhibition that commemorated the ways that Portsmouth and its people experienced the War. Mel previously worked in museums and was employed at Portsmouth City Museum and the Royal Naval Museum. Follow Melanie @melanie_bassett
View all posts by Melanie Bassett →
book launch, China, China Station, interwar, Matthew Heaslip, port towns, research, Royal Navy
Call For Manuscripts – The Materiality of Sino-Foreign Maritime Cultural Exchange
The Coastal History Network announces a new IHR Partnership Seminar: Coastal Connections


text:
Hans Clevers
2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Principal Investigator at the Hubrecht Institute for
Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research and the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University. He received the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for "describing the role of WNT signalling in tissue stem cells and cancer".
1978-1984, M.D., University of Utrecht
2002-Present, Professor in Molecular Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht
2012-2015, President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam
2015-Present, Principal Investigator, the Princess Máxima Center
2012, Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Medicine
2013, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
2014, National Icon of the Netherlands (Hubrecht Organoid Technology (HUB) company)
2019, Keio Medical Science Prize
Wnt signals dictate cell fate decisions during animal embryogenesis. Clevers uncovered how Wnt signals control gene expression. Looking beyond embryogenesis, he unveiled the role of Wnt signalling in colon cancer and in its physiological counterpart, the self- renewing gut epithelium. Combining these insights, he described the generic marker gene Lgr5, which has identified multiple novel adult stem cell types. Against prevailing views, these stem cells could be expanded indefinitely as organoids: mini-organs recapitulating healthy or diseased human tissue in a dish. Organoids are now widely used in basic and applied biomedicine, occupying a niche between 'classical' 2D cell lines and experimental animals.


text:
A meeting of ministerial minds
Fareed Zakaria Commencement 2012 Speech
Michelle Bachelet, United Nations undersecretary general for women and former president of Chile, delivered the keynote speech at Harvard's inaugural Ministerial Health Leaders' Forum.
Photo by Aubrey La Medica
International health officials air common concerns, trade possible solutions
Date June 6, 2012 July 19, 2019
Over two decades, childhood deaths have fallen significantly, from 12 million annually in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010, a statistic that simultaneously gives cause for hope and motivation for the global health community to keep its shoulder to the wheel.
"There are still too many preventable deaths," Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Dean Julio Frenk said Monday. "It is within our grasp to make enormous progress to ensure the survival and development of small children."
Frenk told a gathering of more than a dozen ministers of health from various nations that this is a time of opportunity to make gains in child and maternal health. The reason, he said, is that the 2015 deadline for achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is approaching, and many nations are realizing they're not on track to achieve them, which could prompt renewed activity.
The ministers gathered at the Harvard Kennedy School's (HKS) Taubman Building for a dinner discussion that ended the first full day of the Harvard Ministerial Health Leaders' Forum, an event sponsored by the Ministerial Leadership Program for Health, an initiative launched by HSPH and HKS in collaboration with the Children's Investment Fund Foundation last fall. The forum is designed to allow health ministers to learn from each other's experiences, draw on the resources of Harvard faculty members, and help the officials to achieve their nations' health priorities.
The three-day forum mixed in speeches with small-group exercises, case studies, and discussions on setting priorities and learning how to work with finance ministers to get projects funded. On Sunday evening, Michelle Bachelet, United Nations undersecretary general for women and former president of Chile, delivered the keynote speech. Ministerial Leadership in Health Program Executive Director Michael Sinclair said the hope is that the forum will help to create a network of sitting health ministers who can serve as resources for each other, sharing best practices and getting advice from each other as they tackle the difficult health problems facing their countries.
"The program is to recognize the extraordinary leaders from around the world and create an environment to begin building a network of shared learning and mutual support," said Frenk, who served as Mexico's minister of health from 2000 to 2006.
On Monday, Frenk addressed the dinner gathering, followed by with Amie Batson of USAID and Mickey Chopra of UNICEF. Batson and Chopra spoke about an upcoming meeting in Washington, D.C., a call to action on improving child health.
"Child survival … is truly something that every country, every stakeholder, every family takes responsibility for," Batson said.
At the current 2.2 percent annual reduction in the rate of child death, Batson said the world will fall short of the international goals on child health, which call for a two-thirds reduction in childhood death from 1990 levels.
"The question is what the world needs to do differently," Batson said.
Chopra said that rapid progress is possible if governments move maternal and child health up on their priority lists.
"The gains we can make are just remarkable, if not miraculous," Chopra said.
The series of eight Millennium global goals include ending poverty and hunger; ensuring universal education, gender equality, child health, maternal health, and environmental sustainability; fighting HIV/AIDS; and creating a global partnership for development.
Some discussion focused on how to best implement health programs. Frenk brought up smallpox as an example of an international success — perhaps the greatest one — though it left little improvement in overall health systems in its wake.
Such a vertically oriented approach focused on a single disease and a horizontal approach focused on strengthening health systems have their drawbacks. Frenk advocated instead a "diagonal" approach, incorporating elements of both, using focused health priorities to drive broad improvements in the health system.
William Hsiao, the K.T. Li Professor of Economics at HSPH, commented near the end of the discussion that we've known how to improve maternal and child health, and had the tools to do so, for decades. More recently, we've understood the best ways to deliver those tools and apply that knowledge to populations in need, through campaigns to encourage breastfeeding, to vaccinate children, and to improve hygiene. He challenged the ministers in the room, asking them to consider what the barriers are in their own nations to improving maternal and child health.


text:
What You Need to Know About the Disposable E-Cig
In the vaping world today, a lot of changes and modifications have been made. Vaping appears to be replacing other commonly used tobacco products, like cigarettes, at an astounding rate. Its popularity is constantly increasing, making room for innovative devices.
However, as these devices change and adapt, one of the most classic devices that still remains unparalleled is the disposable e-cigarette, also known as disposable e-cig. Let's do a deeper dive into the disposable e-cig: what it is, its advantages, and where to buy it.
What is a Disposable E-Cig?
A disposable e-cigarette, e-cig, or vape pen is a vaping device that comes pre-filled and can be tossed in the garbage after it runs out of liquid. It also comes pre-charged and is non-rechargable, making it easy to use and reuse until it is completely finished.
But why exactly are these vaping devices so popular and have remained so since their conception?
If you are just looking for something to vape that is ready to go when you are, then you should opt for a disposable vape pen, as these come prefilled and can be enjoyed on the go. Plus, when they're done, just throw them out and use a new one.
E-cigs that are disposable are ideal for those looking for no-nonsense, easy-to-use vape pens. These options usually lack a button for vaping or any other features (especially customizable ones), which makes them even more appealing for people who just want to be able to pull 'n' go.
Little to No Maintenance
There are vaping devices that require coil changes, e-liquid refills, charging, and other such upkeep for seamless vaping. However, with disposable e-cigarettes, these requirements are non-existent, making them even easier to use. If you want something you can just pull and forget about, then this is the piece for you.
Appropriately Long Life
This is an exceptionally popular way of vaping because of its ease of use, but also its longevity. Each vape pen contains roughly 200 puffs, which lasts roughly two weeks (take that figure with a big grain of salt as it is dependent on each specific user, their lung capacity, and frequency of use).
However, they don't last far too long where you'll find yourself pining after a new flavor. You will get a great amount of time with each and every disposable pen so you aren't running to the store too often, but also not craving a new flavor too early on. It's a win-win.
When it comes down to it, vaping can be an activity that can have an effect on your wallet. Fortunately, however, when you buy these disposable pens, you won't be breaking the bank, as they are quite affordable and don't require any separate purchases. They range in price, anywhere from $6 to $12.
Where Can You Buy Disposable E-Cigs?
If you are looking for a reputable supplier of disposable e-cigs, then you need to check out Kingdom Vapor. They can supply you and your smoke shop with the best vaping products for outstanding prices. Give them a call at (814)-297-8240 so they can answer any questions you may have!


text:
Austen T. Mabe is a member of the Commercial Real Estate & Banking Group of Mahaffey Pickens Tucker, LLP. He focuses his practice on representing buyers, sellers and lenders in the acquisition, financing and disposition of commercial real estate, including retail, multi-family, office and industrial properties. He also regularly assists both tenants and landlords in reviewing and negotiating leases and ancillary agreements for retail and office space.
Mr. Mabe is an active member in good standing of the North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia State Bars, and in addition to previously working for firms in Charlotte and Atlanta, Mr. Mabe most recently served as a member of the legal department for one of Charleston's largest employers. While there, he focused on the purchase, sale and leasing of commercial real estate throughout the greater Charleston area, represented the company in numerous construction projects ranging from $200,000 to $40 million and advised the company on a variety of general commercial and corporate transactions.
Mr. Mabe was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in Economics. He earned his law degree from Wake Forest University. Mr. Mabe and his family live in Suwanee, Georgia.
Commercial Real Estate & Banking
Wake Forest University School of Law, Winston Salem, North Carolina
UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina


ISR was established in 1987 by David Hary, a professor of Biomedical Engineering who has had extensive experience in implementing computer-based systems. ISR was created to help firms take advantage of computer-based systems for automation, control, simulation, testing and measurement. By bringing expertise from diverse fields of engineering and science, ISR has been effective in addressing complex multidisciplinary requirements. ISR's experience enables us to create systems that are intuitive to operate; provide complete solutions for the industrial environment; and identify the most adequate and cost-effective hardware and software solutions to address both present and future needs.


JOAQUIN MURIETTA ESTATES Condos For Sale in STOCKTON | Sacramento Condo Mania!
Joaquin Murietta Estates offers easy care townhome living in a quiet area and yet close to major arteries.
Want to sell your condo in JOAQUIN MURIETTA ESTATES?


Mokgalapa, who hails from Tshwane, was a councillor in the metro for nine years, and was most recently an MP and as who was the party's spokesperson on international affairs.
Speaker Katlego Mathebe declared him mayor as he was the only candidate - which was in line with the municipal structures act.
On Tuesday, the voteless exercise however smoothed the process out.


text:
Q: Udacity Android Development Settings causes Fatal Exception I am working through the Udacity Android Development course and when I tap the settings, the app crashes. I am following the code given here: (https://github.com/udacity/SunshineVersion2/blob/3.13_add_share_action_provider/app/src/main/java/com/example/android/sunshine/app/SettingsActivity.java).
I also found a similar thread here: (PreferenceFragment NullPointerException). But none of them have really helped. I understand that the methods in Preference Activity are deprecated and I tried to target the API as well as convert it to a fragment, but neither options work. Below is the logcat message when I click the settings button:
AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
Process: com.example.android.sunshine.app, PID: 24808
java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity
java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtualmethod 'void android.preference.Preference.setOnPreferenceChangeListener(android.preference.Preference$OnPreferenceChangeListener)' on a null object reference

Below is the code for settings activity:
public class SettingsActivity extends PreferenceActivity
    implements Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener {

@Override

public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    // Add 'general' preferences, defined in the XML file
    addPreferencesFromResource(R.xml.pref_general);

    // For all preferences, attach an OnPreferenceChangeListener so the UI summary can be
    // updated when the preference changes.
    bindPreferenceSummaryToValue(findPreference(getString(R.string.pref_location_key)));
    bindPreferenceSummaryToValue(findPreference(getString(R.string.pref_units_key)));
}

/**
 * Attaches a listener so the summary is always updated with the preference value.
 * Also fires the listener once, to initialize the summary (so it shows up before the value
 * is changed.)
 */

private void bindPreferenceSummaryToValue(Preference preference) {
    // Set the listener to watch for value changes.
    preference.setOnPreferenceChangeListener(this);

    // Trigger the listener immediately with the preference's
    // current value.
    onPreferenceChange(preference,
            PreferenceManager
                    .getDefaultSharedPreferences(preference.getContext())
                    .getString(preference.getKey(), ""));
}

@Override

public boolean onPreferenceChange(Preference preference, Object value) {
    String stringValue = value.toString();

    if (preference instanceof ListPreference) {
        // For list preferences, look up the correct display value in
        // the preference's 'entries' list (since they have separate labels/values).
        ListPreference listPreference = (ListPreference) preference;
        int prefIndex = listPreference.findIndexOfValue(stringValue);
        if (prefIndex >= 0) {
            preference.setSummary(listPreference.getEntries()[prefIndex]);
        }
    } else {
        // For other preferences, set the summary to the value's simple string representation.
        preference.setSummary(stringValue);
    }
    return true;
}
}

Below is my strings.xml:
<resources>

<string name="app_name">Sunshine</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="action_refresh">Refresh</string>
<string name="title_activity_detail">DetailActivity</string>
<string name="title_activity_settings">SettingsActivity</string>
<string name = "pref_location_key">location</string>
<string name="pref_location_label">Location</string>
<string name="pref_location_default">82072</string>
<!-- Label for the temperature units preference [CHAR LIMIT=30] -->
<string name="pref_units_label">Temperature Units</string>

<!-- Label for metric option in temperature unit preference [CHAR LIMIT=25] -->
<string name="pref_units_label_metric">Metric</string>

<!-- Label for imperial option in temperature unit preference [CHAR LIMIT=25] -->
<string name="pref_units_label_imperial">Imperial</string>

<!-- Key name for temperature unit preference in SharedPreferences [CHAR LIMIT=NONE] -->
<string name="pref_units_key" translatable="false">units</string>

<!-- Value in SharedPreferences for metric temperature unit option [CHAR LIMIT=NONE] -->
<string name="pref_units_metric" translatable="false">metric</string>

<!-- Value in SharedPreferences for imperial temperature unit option [CHAR LIMIT=NONE] -->
<string name="pref_units_imperial" translatable="false">imperial</string>

and here is my pref_general.xml:
<PreferenceScreen xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
>

<EditTextPreference
    android:key = "Location"
    android:title = "Location"
    android:defaultValue= "82072"
    android:inputType = "text"
    android:singleLine="true"
    />

    <ListPreference
        android:title= "@string/pref_units_label"
        android:key = "@string/pref_units_key"
        android:defaultValue="@string/pref_units_metric"
        android:entryValues="@array/pref_units_values"
        android:entries="@array/pref_units_options"
        />

</PreferenceScreen>

Thank you for your time and help in advance.

A: Most programming languages and operating systems are case-sensitive. android:key = "Location" does not match <string name = "pref_location_key">location</string>.

A: for me I was using
 bindPreferenceSummaryToValue(findPreference("example_list"));

instead of
 bindPreferenceSummaryToValue(findPreference(getString(R.string.pref_temp_units_key)));


text:
Q: Continuous Integration Perhaps? I have a desired need, but I'm not totally sure where to look to.
I use BitBucket.org for my private development of Websites, and my desired effect that I'd like to do is this:

*

*I work on feature/ and bug/ branches exclusively

*Whenever I pull in code to my master (via Pull Request), I want something to trigger:

*I would like the contents of the master branch to be uploaded to a server (perhaps via FTP?) automatically (even better: just the changes that occurred)

is this something that technology like Jenkins can do? (I don't know anything about CI, it just seems to sound like the thing I'm looking for)

A: CI is useful for building and testing each commit. The functionality you're talking about should be built into BitBucket, using Hooks if necessary (the gear icon on the repo page). Here's the docs for Hooks.


text:
Q: How to navigate JSON file, get desired object and push it into array using javascript? How to read JSON file and push it into array using javascript? I don't find any example as deep as this one. This JSON will goes on and on thru year. Thanks in advance.
*source taken from firebase.
*poor grammar is not a crime ^_^
*navigate and read JSON object. Sorry for the lack of knowledge.
{
"Year": {
    "2017": {
        "Jan": {
            "A": {
                "Actual Sales": "14",
                "Code": "3",
                "Comment": "15",
                "Date Due": "8",
                "Date Received": "7",
                "Description": "6",
                "Drawing Number": "4",
                "Due Day": "12",
                "Invoice": "1",
                "PO": "2",
                "Qty": "9",
                "Rev": "5",
                "Status": "11",
                "Total Sales": "13",
                "Unit Price": "10"
            },

            "B": {
                "Actual Sales": "14",
                "Code": "3",
                "Comment": "15",
                "Date Due": "8",
                "Date Received": "7",
                "Description": "6",
                "Drawing Number": "4",
                "Due Day": "12",
                "Invoice": "1",
                "PO": "2",
                "Qty": "9",
                "Rev": "5",
                "Status": "11",
                "Total Sales": "13",
                "Unit Price": "10"
            }
        }
        "Feb": {
            "A": {
                "Actual Sales": "14",
                "Code": "3",
                "Comment": "15",
                "Date Due": "8",
                "Date Received": "7",
                "Description": "6",
                "Drawing Number": "4",
                "Due Day": "12",
                "Invoice": "1",
                "PO": "2",
                "Qty": "9",
                "Rev": "5",
                "Status": "11",
                "Total Sales": "13",
                "Unit Price": "10"
            },

            "B": {
                "Actual Sales": "14",
                "Code": "3",
                "Comment": "15",
                "Date Due": "8",
                "Date Received": "7",
                "Description": "6",
                "Drawing Number": "4",
                "Due Day": "12",
                "Invoice": "1",
                "PO": "2",
                "Qty": "9",
                "Rev": "5",
                "Status": "11",
                "Total Sales": "13",
                "Unit Price": "10"
            }
        }
    }
}

}

A: [{
    "Year": 2017,
    "Jan": {
        "A": {
            "Actual Sales": "14",
            "Code": "3",
            "Comment": "15",
            "Date Due": "8",
            "Date Received": "7",
            "Description": "6",
            "Drawing Number": "4",
            "Due Day": "12",
            "Invoice": "1",
            "PO": "2",
            "Qty": "9",
            "Rev": "5",
            "Status": "11",
            "Total Sales": "13",
            "Unit Price": "10"
        },

        "B": {
            "Actual Sales": "14",
            "Code": "3",
            "Comment": "15",
            "Date Due": "8",
            "Date Received": "7",
            "Description": "6",
            "Drawing Number": "4",
            "Due Day": "12",
            "Invoice": "1",
            "PO": "2",
            "Qty": "9",
            "Rev": "5",
            "Status": "11",
            "Total Sales": "13",
            "Unit Price": "10"
        }
    },
    "Feb": {
        "A": {
            "Actual Sales": "14",
            "Code": "3",
            "Comment": "15",
            "Date Due": "8",
            "Date Received": "7",
            "Description": "6",
            "Drawing Number": "4",
            "Due Day": "12",
            "Invoice": "1",
            "PO": "2",
            "Qty": "9",
            "Rev": "5",
            "Status": "11",
            "Total Sales": "13",
            "Unit Price": "10"
        },

        "B": {
            "Actual Sales": "14",
            "Code": "3",
            "Comment": "15",
            "Date Due": "8",
            "Date Received": "7",
            "Description": "6",
            "Drawing Number": "4",
            "Due Day": "12",
            "Invoice": "1",
            "PO": "2",
            "Qty": "9",
            "Rev": "5",
            "Status": "11",
            "Total Sales": "13",
            "Unit Price": "10"
        }
    }
}]

This way you'll have a nice Json containing, for each position in the array, an information about the Year it's referring to ("Year" attribute), and for each month, you'll have a JSON object you can gather needed info from (A, B, ...)

A: This question is unclear...
The JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format is mainly useful when you call APIs with Ajax. It is mostly an interchange format, just like XML. Here is an example with XMLHttpRequest:

var req = new XMLHttpRequest();

req.onreadystatechange = function(event) {
    if (this.readyState === XMLHttpRequest.DONE) {
        if (this.status === 200) {
            console.log(this.responseText);
            // Your JSON is here!
            var json = JSON.parse(this.responseText);
        } else {
            console.log(this.status, this.statusText);
        }
    }
};

req.open('GET', 'https://api.github.com', true);
req.send(null);

Using a local JSON file is generally not the best solution because you will need to request asynchronously your filesystem. A better solution, especially if you use modules, is to go for a simple object literal to store information. With CommonJS, you could do something like this:
// data.js
module.exports = {
  foo: 'Foo',
  bar: 'Bar',
  baz: 'Baz'
};

// main.js
var data = require('./data');

Then, for whatever reason, you could push your data into an array using Array.prototype.push():
var arr = [];
arr.push(data);

EDIT 1: Your comment is still unclear, but... Do you want something like that?
var arr = [];

// Suppose your JSON is stored in a "json" variable
arr.push(json['Year']['2017']['Jan']['A']);
arr.push(json['Year']['2017']['Jan']['B']);

EDIT 2: Try this...

var json = {
  "Year": {
    "2017": {
      "Jan": {
         "A": {
          "Actual Sales": "14",
          "Code": "3",
          "Comment": "15",
          "Date Due": "8",
          "Date Received": "7",
          "Description": "6",
          "Drawing Number": "4",
          "Due Day": "12",
          "Invoice": "1",
          "PO": "2",
          "Qty": "9",
          "Rev": "5",
          "Status": "11",
          "Total Sales": "13",
          "Unit Price": "10"
        },

        "B": {
          "Actual Sales": "14",
          "Code": "3",
          "Comment": "15",
          "Date Due": "8",
          "Date Received": "7",
          "Description": "6",
          "Drawing Number": "4",
          "Due Day": "12",
          "Invoice": "1",
          "PO": "2",
          "Qty": "9",
          "Rev": "5",
          "Status": "11",
          "Total Sales": "13",
          "Unit Price": "10"
        }
      },
      "Feb": {
        "A": {
          "Actual Sales": "14",
          "Code": "3",
          "Comment": "15",
          "Date Due": "8",
          "Date Received": "7",
          "Description": "6",
          "Drawing Number": "4",
          "Due Day": "12",
          "Invoice": "1",
          "PO": "2",
          "Qty": "9",
          "Rev": "5",
          "Status": "11",
          "Total Sales": "13",
          "Unit Price": "10"
        },

        "B": {
          "Actual Sales": "14",
          "Code": "3",
          "Comment": "15",
          "Date Due": "8",
          "Date Received": "7",
          "Description": "6",
          "Drawing Number": "4",
          "Due Day": "12",
          "Invoice": "1",
          "PO": "2",
          "Qty": "9",
          "Rev": "5",
          "Status": "11",
          "Total Sales": "13",
          "Unit Price": "10"
        }
      }
    }
  }
};

var arr = [];

for (var key in json['Year']['2017']['Jan']) {
  arr.push(json['Year']['2017']['Jan'][key]);
}

console.log(arr);


Sandia Safeguards has a long history of contributions to international nuclear safeguards, starting from the beginning of the U.S. support program to the IAEA in the late 1970's. Sandia is an advanced systems engineering laboratory, able to draw upon broad expertise in areas such as the surety of nuclear weapons, information assurance, domestic and international safeguards, nonproliferation, physical protection, arms control, and the nuclear fuel cycle. Sandia strongly supports the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) mission of revitalizing, strengthening, and sustaining domestic and international safeguards capabilities through the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative(NGSI).
Rebecca D. Horton is a Senior Manager in the Advanced Science & Technology Program Management Center at Sandia National Laboratories. She currently works at Georgia Institute of Technology as the on-campus partnerships manager to develop strategic research collaborations, enhance the talent pipeline for work in national security missions and to accelerate technology transfer. She joined Sandia in 1984 and has worked in multiple safeguards and security programs for both domestic and international applications. Her areas of research and program management experience include information systems analysis and cybersecurity technology R&D; security risk and vulnerability assessments methodologies; physical security technologies RDT&E such as microsensor-based contraband detection and advanced access control/ image assessment techniques; and automated containment and surveillance for international nuclear materials and facility protection important to Non-Proliferation & Arms Control and International Safeguards. Rebecca earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University focused in Image and Statistical Signal Processing and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University.


text:
Q: Porting ASP.NET application to Mono/Apache under Linux I've got a relatively small ASP.NET project that was written using C# 4.0.
I was wondering if anybody had managed to port such a project over to running under a webserver on Linux, the latest information I can find appears to only have support for ASP.Net 2.0 - Configuring and running Mono ASP.NET 3.5 (AJAX.NET) on Linux computers
The project uses LINQ-to-SQL for the entire data access layer, and I know Mono itself support LINQ, so I thought it stands to reason that it should work.
I just want to know if it's a complete waste of time or not before starting.
Thanks.

A: I run an ASP.NET 4.0 application on Suse Linux using mono. My experience with mono is that it just works. My app is ~ 15.000 LOC and uses third party components like mongo-csharp-driver, lucene.net, elmah, munq, and sphorium.webdavserver.
I've had almost no compatibility problems during development - and the ones I had where easily worked out (for example sphorium accesses the registry; this obviously works different on Linux/Mono). I've even started developing with Visual Studio instaed of MonoDevelop and without the Mono plugin, because Visual Studio is a better IDE, and it just works when I compile my web app on linux and deploy it on Apache (even though I develop with .NET on Windows).
I've written a short blogpost on getting started with the setup

A: This is definitely not a waste of time. The company I work for converted our VB.Net application to C# so that it can run under mono. This application has over 200k lines of code. We now are running with Ubuntu/Apache/Mono/Postgresql on Amazon ec2.
The only concern I would have is with your database. If it is MS SQL then you will need to look at migrating to MySQL or Postgresql. Again we did this with 300+ tables and 900 stored procedures. It is definately something worthwhile in the long run.
I think that the best way to get started would be to setup a local environment running something like Ubuntu. You can get the near latest versions of mono from the repositories at http://badgerports.org/ or if you prefer you can the latest versions as build scripts which are maintained here. Install monodevelop and build your code on linux with mono. From experience the mono with C# is a pretty much a complete implementation of the .net framework. I would be surprised if there was something in your application that is yet to be implemented in mono.
I have an answer here showing an easy configuration for your application under apache. I use this configuration for mono applications running on Ubuntu.


The importance of reading aloud to and with our children is undeniable. But how we present Read Alouds, or shared reading, is almost as important as the reading itself.
Barry Zuckerman and his fellow authors argue in their 2008 article regarding Read Alouds that '[i]t is not sufficient to simply read a text aloud in order to encourage children to learn from being read to." Instead, we story tellers need to take an interactive approach as we share books with children.
Label and describe the pictures while reading.
Provide feedback to your child's observations.
Let your child become the narrator of the story.
Make connections between the story and your child's past experiences or to the world around you.
Discuss the meaning of the story after completion.
Offer explanations for what has happened in the story.
Offer explanations of new vocabulary.
Ask your child to make predictions—what will happen next in the story or what will happen after the book has ended.
Give your child a chance to talk about their feelings—how they would feel if they were in the character's shoes or how the story makes them feel.
As Dr. Zuckerman, et al., explain, "One of the most powerful pieces of shared reading is what happens in the pauses between pages and after the book is closed." So parents and teachers, let's see what we can do to make the most of these priceless pauses!