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Cosmologist, Astrophysicist
Martin Rees is the UK's Astronomer Royal and a Fellow (and former Master) of Trinity College, Cambridge. After studying at Cambridge, he held post-doctoral positions in the UK and the USA, before becoming a professor at Sussex University, and subsequently moving to Cambridge as professor and (for ten years) Director of the Institute of Astronomy. He has received numerous international awards including the Balzan Prize. the Crafoord Prize (Swedish Academy), the Bower Prize (Franklin Institute) and the Templeton Prize. He is a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy, and several other foreign academies. He served during 2005-2010 as President of the Royal Society and in 2005 he was appointed to the UK's House of Lords. His research focus has been on black holes, cosmology, the 'multiverse' and extreme physics in the universe. He has written several general books on cosmology, and also one, Our Final Hour, addressing possible existential threats from advanced technology and environmental degradation. His newest book is On the Future: Prospects for Humanity (Princeton University Press).
Past Programs Featuring Martin Rees
Pioneers in Science: Martin Rees
Thursday, May 29, 2014 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
2014 Kavli Prizes
Thursday, May 29, 2014 | 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Bhavna AgrawalComputer Engineer, AI Researcher
Dr. Bhavna Agrawal, a leading researcher at IBM, is bringing education and artificial intelligence technology together to help solve various problems in elementary and higher education. Some of her latest work involved working with automatic recognition of children's speech.
Selena AhmedBotanist
Selena Ahmed is an assistant professor and Program Leader of Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems at Montana State University, as well as a partner of Shoots & Roots Bitters. She examines the effects of global environmental change, policy, and management on food system quality and the resulting linkages to land-use strategies and community well-being.
Al and AlArtists
Since 2001 AL Holmes and AL Taylor have created an award winning body of films commissioned by Animate, Arts Council England, BFI, Channel 4 television, Cornerhouse Cinema, FACT gallery, Film London, MuHKA, Southbank Centre and the World Science Festival, exhibiting internationally in galleries, site specific installations, film festivals, television and concert halls.
Lorenzo AlbaceteRoman-Catholic Priest
Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete is a Roman Catholic priest, theologian, physicist and author. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, he is one of the leaders in the United States for the international Catholic movement Communion and Liberation and is on the Board of Advisors of the Crossroads Cultural Center.
Cristina AlberiniNeuroscientist
Cristina Alberini, professor in the Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Structural and Chemical Biology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and has been studying the biological mechanisms of long-term memory for the last 20 years.
David Z. AlbertPhysicist, Philosopher
David Albert is the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and a physicist who explores quantum mechanics. He is world-renowned for his insights into philosophical questions about the nature of time, space, and other problems of modern physics.


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Tagged: skywatching
Why Must We Ever Send Humans To Mars?
China has had some notable space successes in the previous couple of years like launching an uncrewed mission to Mars and starting construction of its personal space station. Detected sedimentary rocks for the very first time outside Earth, and just before NASA lost get in touch with on June ten, 2018, the rover had traveled a record distance of 45.16 km (28.06 miles). No human-created terrestrial car other than Chance has covered that much distance on a further planet. There have been a lot of alterations, cancelations and delays in essential Mars missions to make up infrastructure on the Red Planet, in spite of the agency getting a target of landing humans on that planet in just 18 years. Free of charge stated that examining the human landers in detail will support the agency assess how to make plans for touching down on Mars. The agency is also, he said, "going for the infrastructure pieces" on the moon, including energy and other elements that might be repurposed for Martian exploration.
The Mars 2020 rover searches for rock outcrops exactly where signs of previous life may well remain. RIMFAX assists in this effort by identifying outcrops that seem to have spent significantly less time exposed to radiation on the surface. Chemical and mineral indicators of previous life are very best preserved in rocks that have been only lately url exposed to the destructive radiation from space that frequently bombards the Martian surface. RIMFAX gives precious information about the past surface exposure history of sedimentary rock layers that it sees underground.
The Mars InSight lander, an observatory developed to measure seismic activity, tilts just slightly in the course of these events. Scientists have attributed that slight incline to the deformation of the surface of Mars as a outcome of the pretty slight cooling impact from the reduced solar radiation. The Otter would drop us at Resolute Bay, exactly where we would devote the evening in dormitory-style facilities, then a lengthy flight down to Hall Beach to choose up fuel in a larger ATR 42 turboprop plane , then on to Iqaluit exactly where we would invest one more evening. We at some point created it to Ottawa where the group went their separate techniques, and Pascal and I headed back to Northern California, from exactly where I would drive back to Los Angeles. Early in martian history, the climate was warm adequate for potentially habitable lakes and rivers of water to exist. Nevertheless, roughly 3.six billion years ago, the climate shifted from getting habitable to inhabitable when liquid water disappeared from the surface.
This close to opposition, the relative positions of Jupiter's moons and their shadows are altering noticeably. Uncover a place where you can see as close down to the horizon as attainable to catch a great celestial reunion of three planets and the moon on Monday, March 28, 2022, at mid-dawn. Having said that, their measurement resulted really difficult with a non-confocal Raman spectrometer in the samples studied. Little grain sizes and high-level alteration reduce the Raman signal intensity and promote Raman shifts with respect to the databases, respectively.
You would assume with the millions they are saving by not posting 'hundred billion pixel' pictures, they could afford a improved camera. A new evaluation of seismic data from NASA's Mars InSight mission has revealed a couple of surprises. Telemetry downlinked after each tests indicates Ingenuity is a go for flight. Prior analyses of Chassigny, which landed in France in 1815, looked at isotopes of xenon, a chemically inert gas that can survive unchanged for millions of years. These isotopes – atoms that differ by their quantity sneak a peek at this web-site. of neutrons – occur in certain ratios that can be tied to a place and time. The HMP base consists of a cluster of eight structures — a couple of hard buildings and a quantity of vinyl-covered frames that make up the rest of the camp.
(It collects pairs to increase the potential that 1 of the samples will be returned to Earth.) Mission scientists had believed that Seitah's rocks would be sedimentary, simply because visually they seemed to be composed of unique layers. But as soon as Perseverance ground away at some of the Seitah rocks, another surprise emerged. Igneous rocks are vital because scientists can analyse the radioactive decay of components inside them to establish how old the rocks are. If and when Perseverance's samples come back to Earth, researchers will be in a position to date rocks from certain places on the surface of Mars for the very first time. Alternatively, Perseverance has spent the year rolling around the bottom of the crater, creating a host of surprising discoveries — one particular of which is that Jezero's floor is made of igneous rocks.
SpaceX is honored to assistance the United States Space Force with a solution provided the highest probable rating for system capability, schedule readiness, and technique risk, employing a mix of new and flight-confirmed launch automobiles. We appear forward to leveraging this in depth capability to continue delivering the country's most trustworthy and affordable launch services for years to come. Inspiration4 is commanded by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and an achieved pilot and adventurer.
The new MARS has a lot of options that will let us to work within the constraints of a reduced employees. New corporations or individuals applying for 1 of our licenses can now full that approach on the internet, anything that previously required filling out a paper application. As the volume of regulated milk products' sales reduces, the amount of license fees collected by the board also reduces. The males and ladies who participated in the mission told White they developed feelings for their robotic creations early on. Funded the analysis, by way of the Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientist Program and the Mars Odyssey THEMIS project.
An vital element of space travel is efficiency, each and every piece onboard serves a goal. A way to enhance this efficiency is to combine functions, such as an RV-like dwelling that functions as the crew's lab on wheels. Collecting samples as it explores an ancient and now-dry river channel is but 1 target the six-wheeled geologist will pursue during its second Red Planet exploration. The answer is that it has numerous essential attributes you won't come across on other power stations. If you're going camping and need to have to energy a hot plate and deep freezer even though charging your phone, this device assists you do just that.
Rod Cambridge, your "source" for your claim NASA has buried their findings of life on Mars for 40 years is not fairly the red hot smoking gun of peer reviewed research you purported. "I heard that life on earth would end and now I can support move us to a new planet" where life has already ended, what a waste of sources. Bill Clinton announced that meteorites identified on Earth that had been determined to be from Mars had structures inside that proved there was life on Mars. A month later scientists admitted that the structures have been caused by higher reentry heat. Wright and 3 co-authors published their evaluation on August 9, 2022, in the journal Geophysical Study Letters.
At east quadrature on September 13, 2016, the day side of Mars covers 84.7% of the Martian disk, showcasing the smallest Martian phase of the year. Planets that orbit the sun outdoors the Earth's orbit – Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – constantly remain full or close to full, as Mars is carrying out now with its 85% phase. It would be sheer lunacy to not at least acknowledge the slobberknocker at scrum-half, exactly where Antoine Dupont and Faf de Klerk will do battle. Up front, having said the original source that, Grégory Alldritt and Kwagga Smith – in the absence of the tough-hitting Jasper Wiese – will have the most almighty of clashes from the back of the respective scrums. The Springbok, a pacy, rangy No eight, will have his hands complete containing the brains and brawn of Alldritt. France have not beaten South Africa anyplace considering that 2009 and Fabien Galthié's side will be desperate to prove that they are bona fide World Cup favourites with victory tonight.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Justin Gray
Crash Course: Get To Know The Ray Before His Animated Series
It was announced this week that The CW was growing its ever-expanding line of superhero content with a new animated show set to debut on CW Seed, starring DC Comics superhero The Ray. The show is being touted as featuring the first gay lead superhero on television, but who is The Ray? We've put…
Kieran Shiach
Justin Gray and Ron Randall on 'Convergence: Catwoman'
Though she's best known as a seductive jewel thief, Catwoman has long been a protector of the unprotected. Justin Gray and Ron Randall will continue this tradition in the two issue Catwoman miniseries during DC's Convergence event, wherein the erstwhile villainess becomes Suicide Slumm&#x…
Juliet Kahn
Convergence Week 4: Pre-Crisis Miniseries
A more appropriate name for DC Comics' Convergence event, at least the miniseries that will accompany the main series for two months next spring, may be "Nostalgia Trip."
DC has been rolling out titles and creative teams for the 40 planned series week by week. The first batch focused…
Convergence Week 2: Azrael, Gen 13, Kingdom Come And More
Over the past couple of weeks, DC Comics' Convergence event has resulted in some of the most exciting and most bizarre announcements since the company threw out their previous shared universe canon in favor of the "New 52" reboot -- especially since the core idea of next April's …
Exclusive Preview: All Star Western #34 By Darwyn Cooke
When the New 52 launched back in 2011, one of the interesting things about the lineup of titles was the presence of a lot of books that attempted to break out of the standard superhero genre, at least a little. There were horror, fantasy and war comics, but the most creatively and commercially succe…
'Dark Horse Presents' New Carla Speed McNeil, Michael Avon Oeming, Sam Kieth, Richard Corb…
This year's winner of the Eisner award for Best Anthology, Dark Horse Presents has been one of ComicsAlliance's favorite titles since it was relaunched in 2011 to continue the classic and influential series' tradition of showcasing emerging talent alongside some of the greatest writer…
Andy Khouri
DC Comics' Attempts to Make You Care About the Freedom Fighters: A Brief History
Over the weekend DC Comics announced a brand-new "New 52" Phantom Lady miniseries, co-starring Doll Man, from the writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and drawn by Cat Staggs and Rich Perotta with covers by Amanda Conner. The book is the latest in a line of works written by Gra…
J. Caleb Mozzocco
DC Digital-First Goes Daily with 'Batman,' 'Ame-Comi Girls,' 'Smallville Season 11′ and Mo…
Following test runs with its Batman Beyond Unlimited, Superman Beyond, Justice League Beyond and Batman: Arkham Unhinged titles, DC Comics has emboldened its digital-first distribution initiative to sell original content five days a week via its Web store and mobile apps...
'The Ray' Joins DC Comics' 'New 52′ With Upcoming Miniseries By Jimmy Palmiotti And Justin…
A brand new Ray will join the ranks of DC Comics' relaunched line beginning in December with a four-issue miniseries by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. As revealed by The Washington Post's Comic Riffs, this will be the character's fourth incarnation with a new costume and the new ide…
Caleb Goellner
A Power Girl Mega-Gallery In Honor Of 'Power Girl' #12
Power Girl cuts one of the most distinctive full-body silhouettes in comics, and few artists have cut her as distinctively as Amanda Conner during her run with co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray that ends today in DC's "Power Girl #12...
Brian Warmoth


The Cinema for Peace Foundation awarded writer/actor/director Ben Affleck on Friday with its Cinema for Peace Humanitarian Award for his work with the Eastern Congo Initiative, an organization he founded in 2010 to raise awareness for and bring assistance to regions of eastern Congo stricken with violence and disease.
use the power of cinema and the media to have folks tune in."
to work and live together," Affleck told ET. "It's about storytelling.
from the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For more from the event, including Thandie Newton's thoughts on her time on ERand the movie that inspired Affleck to change his life, click the video above!


Hey everyone, one of my buddies has an old nerf barricade and stockade laying around that he is wanting to update after playing with my stryfe.
For the older barricade, I remember reading or seeing somewhere that its possible to put just stockade flywheels in the barricade so it can shoot newer elite darts instead of just older whistler darts. Is this true? All it needs is stockade wheels? Will stryfe, rapidstrike, rayven or better yet Worker plastic flywheels fit in the barricade cage? Will worker wheels fit with minimal grinding of the cage?
For the stockade, I also remember seeing or reading somewhere that its possible to put a barricade flywheel cage/130 motors into a stockade along with stockade flywheels to get rid of the crappy stockade pancake motors. Is it true that barricade flywheel cage and 130 motors with stockade wheels fit in a stockade ? Will shell cutting be needed for that? Can Worker plastic flywheels be used in the barricade cage/130 motors in a stockade?
For both, are there any other (stryfe, rapidstrike, rayven etc...) cages that are interchangable with the barricade/stockade (aside from eachother maybe) in hopes of a metal cage ____cade?
We are looking to update the barricade to shoot elites with stock barricade 130 motors on full rewire and 2 efest imr and full lock removal. Hopeflly with worker plastic flywheels.
We are looking to update the stockade to run stock (barricade,stryfe etc) 130 motors on full rewire and imr's with lock removal. Hopefully again with worker plastic flywheels.
If anyone know anything about the older barricades and stockadess please chime in.
1: theoretically any flywheels should be able to be used in the barricade cage with modification to some degree, but i know for sure that stryfe/rapidstrike flywheels work with just a tiny bit of trimming to the cage.
2: the barricade/stockade cages are completely unique and stryfe/other replacement cages can't be used without some serious shell cutting and re-moulding.
Hey but one things for sure, DO NOT BE A NOOB AND WRAP THE FLYWHEELS IN ELECTRICAL TAPE!!!!
Edited by IAmAPenguin, 04 August 2017 - 01:12 AM.
Def not wrapping flywheels lol. Either use the stock stockade wheels, my stock stryfe wheels, or hopefully plastic worker wheels if they fit.
Our biggest concern is getting the barricade cage/motors into the stockade shell without cutting. Any know for sure if they interchange?
Ive replaced the motors in a stockade for a friend with motors the same dimensions as the stock motors and no cutting was required.
And may i ask why you are looking to interchange the stockade cage with the barricade cage? I do not believe that it would have any advantages over the stockade cage.
Or is there confusion on how to open the barricade cage? If so, you will need to remove all of the screws from the cage and cut any solvent weld holding it together with a dremel, xacto knife, hacksaw ect. You can google how to open the cages if you are experiencing any trouble.
I have modded two barricades, you can install containment crew wheels with some minimal trimming of the flywheel cage. Worker wheels should be the same diameter and work just as well.
I run mine on two IMR and have not rewired. On one occasion a blaster was accidentally switched on in a backpack and ran until the batteries were completely dead without failing or overheating, so I doubt a rewire is necessary to run two 3.7 volt red Efest IMRs with one dummy cell.
I personally also recommend removing the barrel while you're in there, it's a simple mod while the flywheel cage is open and it makes the blaster more compact and holsterable. It additionally makes it much easier to clear jams. Downside is dirt can get in, so don't leave them laying around during outside wars if you do this.
We are hoping to put the cage and 130 motors from the barricade into his stockade along with the stockade flywheels or hopefully worker plastic flywheels, then 2 imr and 1 dummy. Then probably put stockade cage/crap motors back in the barricade with barricade wheels.
We like the power and motors in the barricade more than stockade and prefer the blue stockade over yellow barricade, and elite style darts over taggers/whistlers. So we are looking "upgrade" his stockade using the barricade motors/cage/elite wheels and downgrading the barricade that barely gets used with the leftovers (stockade motors/cage/barricade wheels) as we hardly ever use it or tagger/whistler darts.
That seems like a lot of extra work to switch colors, but I suppose it's not more work than actually painting it.
It does. But we both like the looks of both "cades" and don't want to paint them. We'd have to pretty much fully dissamble them to paint anyways, so figure we might put all the best parts (barricade motors/flywheel cage) into the preffered, frequently used stockade shell, and put the leftover stockade motors/cage back into the lesser used barricade shell.
After barricade cage/motors, rewire, imr's and maybe worker flywheels (stock stockade wheels at minimum) it should put the stock stockade to complete shame and make the stock barricade feel insecure.


Dining Room, Navy Dining Room was posted October 31, 2018 at 8:49 pm by Salongallery Dining Room . More over Navy Dining Room has viewed by 821 visitor.
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Absentee voting should have a place, not a priority
Here's an easy New Year's resolution. It doesn't involve weight loss, exercise or financial goals. In fact, you'd only have to alter your schedule once or a few times each year.
Make the resolution to vote at your local precinct, when possible.
Too many are voting with absentee ballots.
There's a place for absentee voting.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators, the practice originated with Civil War soldiers. Then, members of the military who were stationed overseas were given the opportunity. By the 1970s, it became available to many more—the elderly, the disabled, the business traveler, the vacation-goer, and just about anyone for no particular reason at all.
The Election Assistance Commission now reports that two out of five votes are cast early or with an absentee ballot. It more than doubled from 24.9 million in 2004 to 57.2 million in 2016. And unfortunately, that increase is not from new voters. The majority are citizens who had historically voted on Election Day at their local precincts and are now choosing to vote with an absentee ballot.
Despite the big numbers, absentee voting has its drawbacks.
Citizens who vote an absentee ballot at home may be more susceptible to pressure from other household members to vote for particular candidates. At a precinct site, it's just the voter and a privacy booth—with no helpful suggestions from those around you.
There's a certain amount of trust that goes along with sending in an absentee ballot. The voter gives up ownership of the ballot to a county auditor's office for safe handling until Election Day. But at a precinct site, the voter inserts the completed ballot into a ballot machine where it is instantly accepted and counted.
Absentee ballots must be reviewed at the county level with an absentee board. Missing signatures, signatures that do not closely match or other directions not properly followed could result in ballots that are rejected and not counted. However at the precinct site, election officials obtain information from the voter and most questions are typically addressed immediately and resolved.
The absentee ballot must be postmarked the day before the election, and yet the post office is not required to postmark absentee ballots. Probably very few in Iowa knew this until dozens of mail-in ballots in Winneshiek and Fayette counties were not counted because of missing postmarks. An Iowa House seat in that district was decided by just nine votes.
Because the absentee ballot must be mailed early, the voter runs the risk of not having late-breaking information that could sway a vote. Election Day precinct voters have current information.
And perhaps the biggest concern with absentee ballot voting is the consolidation of election power into fewer hands. There are about 1600 precincts in Iowa where voting takes place on Election Day, but there are only 99 county absentee boards.
We will always have absentee ballot voting. It's necessary for those who truly depend upon it to exercise their right to vote.
But keeping the vote decentralized as much as possible is pretty important.
It was former President Obama who once stated, "There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even—you could even rig America's elections, in part, because they are so decentralized and the numbers of votes involved."
Obama is right. A decentralized vote is the best way to run an election.
And the vote is most decentralized on Election Day at the precinct level.
absentee voting, decentralized, Iowa, Sandra Reicks
Alabama shows that voter identification laws work
Sometimes the habitual complainer of foul play gets a little embarrassed when fairness rules the day after all.
That's how opponents of voter identification laws should be feeling after the recent Alabama senate race. Despite their dark premonitions, voting laws didn't hurt turnout or seem to affect the outcome.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Alabama is one of 34 states with voter identification laws. It requires its citizens to present a photo ID prior to voting. Voters may use a driver's license, a non-driver, state-issued, or federal-issued ID, a US passport, a student or employee ID from a college or university, or a military or tribal ID. If the citizen does not possess any of these, he or she may receive a free Alabama photo voter identification card from their county Board of Registrar's office. In addition, the Alabama Secretary of State's office visited every county with mobile units to offer another way to receive a free voter identification card.
The Alabama program sounds reasonable and helpful—not a burdensome hindrance intended to suppress the vote, as opponents of voter identification cards have argued
And yet there persisted much grumbling about these laws. Just days before the election, the New York Times, MSNBC, the Huffington Post and the Daily Beast all ran stories fretting about how voter identification laws would likely hurt turnout and possibly swing the election to Republican candidate, Roy Moore.
Elections without a presidential vote typically have lower turnouts. The 2014 midterm election in Alabama had a 33 percent turnout, and expectations for this special senate election were to equal that number or come in lower.
Instead, voter turnout surged to 40 percent and Democrat Doug Jones won the election.
It was also a win for the merits of voter identification laws. There may have been some isolated instances of short-term voting delays, but the long-term benefit of knowing that the vote was legitimate exceeds any inconveniences.
Many elections in this country over the past 200 years have been decided by a mere percentage point or two. The Jones-Moore race falls into this category. The Alabama Secretary of State lists the unofficial results of the election as Jones beating Moore by 1.54 percent. That's close. But because the state had voter identification laws, we know the Alabama election was run with the highest integrity possible. Moore, who hasn't conceded yet, should do so.
And while lawmakers like to fuss about voter identification laws, it doesn't match the sentiment of most voters—no matter what their political persuasion. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, 80 percent of all voters were fine with them.
Voter identification laws don't suppress the vote. Apathy does, and that's not something that can be legislated. When people choose to participate in the political process, their voice is heard.
Iowa just enacted its own voter identification laws. According to the Secretary of State's website, "During calendar year 2018, voters will be asked to show their ID before voting at the polls. Anyone who does not have the necessary ID will be asked to sign an oath verifying their identity, and will be allowed to cast a regular ballot. Beginning January 1, 2019, Iowa voters will be required to show a driver's license, non-driver's ID, passport, military ID, veterans ID or Voter ID Card at the polls before they vote. Voters without the necessary ID will be offered a provisional ballot and can provide ID up until the time of the county canvass of votes."
These voting laws will be a good thing for Iowa.
And as Alabama has shown, it will be fair for all.
Alabama, Iowa, Sandrda Reicks, voter identification
Adoption subsidies and home-schooling can be lethal combination
Taxpayers are funding adoption subsidies that sometimes provide a generous, supplemental income to abusive parents.
It's an unintended consequence of a well-meaning law. Until the 1980 Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, foster parents were discouraged from adopting children because foster care payments ended once the adoption went through. The new law gave an adoption subsidy close to what was received in foster care payments. It was for those who had a lot of love to give—but maybe not the financial resources—to adopt hard to place children out of foster care.
Foster parents, though, are closely monitored. Those with full adoptive parental rights are not.
A hard to place or special needs child is defined as a Caucasian child who is eight years of age or older, a minority child who is two years or older, or a child with physical, mental or emotional problems. According to the North American Council on Adoptable Children, parents who adopt a hard to place child out of Iowa's foster care system may receive monthly payments of up to $500 – $900, depending upon their special needs status.
That's for one child. Multiply the money when more children are involved. The subsidy is an entitlement, and the adoptive family's income is not considered when negotiating financial support.
For the average family trying to provide a loving home for these children, the subsidy is likely not enough. And, it's not why they do it. Most want to give these forgotten kids a permanent home and a good start in life. The subsidies are just one tool they can use to help provide for the well-being and needs of their adopted children.
On the other hand, abusers see foster kids as dollar signs. These adoptive parents use subsidies as supplemental income that will benefit themselves—not the children. If money didn't come attached to the kids, there would be little interest in adopting them.
Once the adoption goes through, abusive parents can use home-schooling as a method to isolate these unwanted children and conceal neglect and abuse.
Three recent cases in Iowa show the vulnerability of these children. Natalie Finn, 16, died of emaciation. Malayia Knapp, 17, ran away from her home, reported abuse to the police, and is a survivor. Sabrina Ray, 16, was found dead in her home. Initial reports are that she was severely malnourished.
All three girls were adopted out of foster care and being home-schooled by parents, who were receiving adoption subsidies.
These cases have been so distressing that in an effort to find a fix, some want all parents who home-school their children to submit to new regulations.
But home-schooling, alone, is not the problem. Many children, from all walks of life, are achieving excellent academic results and are thriving in the home-schooling atmosphere.
Adoption subsidies, alone, are not the problem either. Many children have found a loving and permanent home with a family that would not be possible without this financial support.
The problem is the potentially lethal combination of the two. Isolation plus money equals a fraud that can kill. And taxpayer dollars are funding it.
When there's public money involved, there needs to be transparency. If parents are accepting adoption subsidies, it should be under the condition that the children be enrolled in public or private schools. It's not enough for Iowa's Department of Human Services to become involved after a complaint is filed. One visit does not compare to regular observations from the public or private school system.
Whenever tragedy strikes, there's a tendency to overreact. We don't need to shut down home schools or discontinue adoption subsidies. Both do a lot of good. We do, though, need to look at the link between home-schooling and adoption subsidies.
It's a false narrative to say that Natalie Finn fell through the cracks. It implies that she was an unfortunate enigma, but that all is well everywhere else. And all the while, Malayia, Sabrina, and an unknown number of other children suffer.
It's not a crack. It's a chasm, and it demands a policy change.
adoption subsidies, home-schooling, Iowa, Malayia Knapp, Natalie Finn, Sabrina Ray
It's time to go for the gold in education
Education reform and the reduction in poverty must be tackled simultaneously to improve our education system.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development launched the Program for International Student Assessment in 2000 as a tool to assess education achievement on an international level. In 2000, there were just 41 countries reporting data. That year, the United States ranked 16th in reading, 20th in math, and 15th in science. Finland, Canada and New Zealand took first, second and third in reading while Hong Kong, Japan, and the Republic of Korea took the top three spots in math and science.
The 2015 PISA report included data from 70 countries. The United States ranked 23rd in reading, 39th in math and 25th in science. Singapore and Hong Kong were the education heavyweights.
Americans are more competitive than that. We want the gold, the silver, or at least the bronze—not 39th.
But when it comes to education, we tend to lose our all-in, competitive drive to succeed and instead fall back on protective, territorial natures.
New Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has received blistering opposition from teachers' unions and others. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, President of the National Education Association, said that she is, "…dangerously unqualified and lacks the experience we demand…"
But teaching experience hasn't historically produced exceptional results in this leadership role. During the first 15 years of the PISA report, Rod Paige, a former superintendent for the Houston Independent School District, served as Education Secretary during the Bush Administration and Arne Duncan, a former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, served for the Obama Administration. Going from 20th in math out of 41 countries in 2000 to 39th in math out of 70 countries in 2015 is not an improvement, despite having very qualified and experienced educators at the helm.
DeVos gave a less than stellar performance at her confirmation hearing, but one theme that stood out was her desire to empower parents. Nobody cares more about the education of our children than their parents. Maybe it's time to allow them greater decision-making through school choice. If private schools were to receive public funds, though, it should be required that these institutions—just like public schools—be non-selective in accepting students and be accountable and transparent through standardized and reported testing.
The competitive scramble for those finite, public dollars could affect infrastructure. High performing schools may expand. Low performing schools may close. One thing that won't change is that we will always have parents who want the best for their kids, students who want the opportunity to realize their full potential, and teachers who want to help them reach their dreams. The particular building in which they accomplish that is less important.
But even a monumental decision to implement school choice wouldn't solve the poverty factor. Teachers have been telling us for a long time that student poverty is one of the greatest challenges they face in successfully educating our youth.
According to both the OECD and UNICEF, the United States has one of the highest relative (less than one-half the nation's median income) childhood poverty rates among developed nations. The argument that poverty is affecting the success that teachers have in the classroom has merit, and it's not the job of the educator to fix that. That responsibility belongs to our legislators.
Legislators must do everything possible to bring good-paying jobs to their state. For those families still struggling in low-paying jobs, an immediate increase in the minimum wage to $9.00 could be a real help. Small businesses have shown that reasonable increases can be absorbed.
It's tough to instantly produce good-paying jobs, but raising the minimum wage is entirely within their power. Until legislators increase the minimum wage, they cannot sincerely say that they are doing their part to improve education.
We must do something different to better compete at the international level on education. School choice has been talked about for decades. Perhaps the time has come to act instead of talk. Trusting parents, instead of the government, to make education choices for our youth might be the sea change that is needed.
If we can make bold moves and reduce poverty, maybe we could even medal at the 2030 PISAs.
education, Iowa, Sandra Reicks, school choice
"Buyer beware" is necessary to help contain health care costs
Some people, who had never cast a ballot before, voted in this past election solely as a protest to the financial burden that Obamacare had placed upon their families. Voting is a good tool, but there's something more immediate that can produce good results in containing health care costs—taking personal responsibility.
Consumers think in terms of caveat emptor, or buyer beware, when purchasing all sorts of goods. Not much is purchased without asking, "What's this going to cost and what value will I receive?"
That basic question gets left out many times when purchasing (non-emergency) health care services. In the past, individuals didn't see the need. Most insurance plans had small deductibles.
But that's changing, particularly in the individual health insurance market. Opting for $5,000 or $10,000 deductibles is necessary, just to get the monthly premium down to an affordable rate.
There are, though, a couple of things that all individuals can do to help reduce health care costs.
Get used to asking your doctor for an estimate on what a particular procedure will cost. Having the money talk with your physician might feel a bit uncomfortable, but those feelings dissipate when you realize the damage that can be done to your pocketbook by remaining uninformed.
For example, knee and hip replacements are becoming increasingly common among our aging population. What's not common is any type of standardized pricing for this procedure. Insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, in its report called, "A Study of Cost Variation for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries in the U.S.," found that total knee replacement surgeries could vary between $16,772 and $61,585 within the same geographical market.
Asking a few questions could save not just hundreds or thousands of dollars, but tens of thousands of dollars.
After receiving an estimate from your provider, utilize price transparency websites as much as possible to verify that estimated costs are within an acceptable, average range. Although price transparency in the health care field has been met with some legal challenges, most states are continuing to move forward with providing or referring some type of informational system.
The Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute monitors states and their health care price transparency efforts. In its annual "Report Card on State Price Transparency Laws," it gave Iowa a "F."
Iowa is not alone. Only seven states were given passing grades. Many failed because pricing data collected was insufficient or in an incorrect format, quality of care data was left out, websites were not easily navigable, or sites were not even up and running at the time the report was issued.
Iowa does not have a state all-payer claims database. The Iowa Hospital Association does provide some pricing comparisons on its website, www.iowahospitalcharges.com, but its data is based upon prices charged, not actual payment received from negotiated insurance contracts. It also lacks quality of care comparisons.
Still, it can be of some help. After first searching for "musculoskeletal system," and then selecting knee replacements, its data show that even within the Cedar Valley there can be a $10,000 swing in average charges for knee replacements of comparable difficulty.
More information is better, but having some comparison data is better than having none at all. It's a start.
A knee replacement surgery is a high-cost procedure. Patients may fall into the trap of thinking that pricing doesn't matter because the $5,000 or $10,000 deductible will be exhausted, and insurance will pick up the rest. But many insurance plans require a patient co-pay percentage of ten or 20 percent, after the deductible has been reached, which can become quite costly. Many other procedures will fall below the deductible threshold, meaning the patient will pick up 100 percent of the tab.
If all health care consumers got into the habit of making smart purchasing decisions, premiums and deductibles could come down for everyone.
It may seem harsh to arm yourself with a "buyer beware" mentality in the health care field. Health care, after all, is no more onerous than any other industry.
At the same time, it's no less.
health care, Iowa, price transparency, Sandra Reicks
Drug testing welfare recipients isn't the best idea
Drug testing welfare recipients is an idea that doesn't go away. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states have passed this type of legislation and another 17—including Iowa—have proposed it.
It has plenty of public support. Based upon both Rasmussen and Huffington Post polls, more than half of Americans want to see welfare recipients drug tested.
And yet, the program hasn't proven to be a great success.
Many states that are experimenting with this policy are prudently choosing not to test every welfare recipient because of possible legal challenges of invasion of privacy. That means only those who are legitimately suspected of using drugs can be tested. With no better method to solidify suspicion, most of these state agencies are simply asking welfare recipients to complete questionnaires. It explains why some of these states have drug tested only a small percentage during the rollout of their program. And from that small number, very few are testing positive.
Besides having a hard time legally testing welfare recipients, there are costs to consider. Administering the program doesn't happen for free. The financial burden of the program can outweigh any savings. Doing no drug testing could cost taxpayers less.
But just because drug testing welfare recipients isn't the best idea, it doesn't mean that lawmakers should ignore what's at the heart of the matter.
Working people perceive that some individuals are gaming the welfare system, and lots are angry about it.
You don't have to watch cable news to know that the country has become increasingly divided. One growing division seems to be between the working, tax-paying class and able-bodied individuals who don't work and receive taxpayer assistance.
In reality, many who are receiving food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid health insurance are working. They just don't earn enough to support their families. The Family Investment Program (FIP) provides cash payments to families, but it has a five-year, lifetime limitation. Many receiving FIP benefits are required to work at least part-time hours or enroll in some type of program to further their education. According to the Department of Human Services, a single parent with two children receives just $231 per month in cash assistance if the parent is working 20 hours a week at the minimum wage rate of $7.25.
I believe that what working people want more than mandatory drug testing of welfare recipients is seeing able-bodied individuals make the effort to support themselves. The public assistance program is designed to do that.
But there are two things that could improve the system.
Increase the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour. A modest increase in the minimum wage could do so much good for families and could be enough to get some off of welfare programs, decreasing the number that taxpayers support. And history has shown that even small businesses can adjust to minimum wage increases when they're reasonable.
Secondly, enforce the rules we have. Last fiscal year, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals recovered $17 million in fraud as a result of welfare eligibility investigations. That's a big number, but likely doesn't represent the total dollar amount of deceit that may be out there.
And although FIP benefits can be extended to families beyond five years through a hardship exemption, the exception should be rare and compelling. Those specific dollars should be reported separately so taxpayers can know if the five-year lifetime maximum benefit becomes simply a lifetime benefit.
Give people a chance to move off of welfare by increasing the minimum wage, and do everything possible to maintain integrity in the public assistance program we have.
Maybe then, we'd have fewer taxpayers wanting drug testing of welfare recipients—which is largely a failed policy.
drug testing, Iowa, Sandra Reicks, welfare recipients


فیلم Godzilla: King of the Monsters با محوریت معرفی هیولاهای جدید منتشر شد – سرگرمی ... دارد، قرار است بیش‌تر در مورد روند داستانی فیلم اطلاعات کسب کنیم. ... فیلم Godzilla: King of the Monsters قرار است در تاریخ سی و یکم ماه می سال 2019 ... ۱۳ دی ۱۳۹۷ - Is it a gigantic, three-headed monster named King Ghidorah?
Info. Shopping. Tap to unmute. If playback doesn't begin shortly, ... More videos on YouTube ... very much the latter in a new image from Godzilla: King of the Monsters (out May 31), ... Mike Dougherty January 3, 2019.


text:
Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate
Nicholas J. Noble, Didier Dubreuil, Barry V. L. Potter
Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
Noble, N. J., Dubreuil, D., & Potter, B. V. L. (1992). Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2(5), 471-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate. / Noble, Nicholas J.; Dubreuil, Didier; Potter, Barry V. L.
In: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Vol. 2, No. 5, 1992, p. 471-476.
Noble, NJ, Dubreuil, D & Potter, BVL 1992, 'Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate', Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 471-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
Noble NJ, Dubreuil D, Potter BVL. Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 1992;2(5):471-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
Noble, Nicholas J. ; Dubreuil, Didier ; Potter, Barry V. L. / Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate. In: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 1992 ; Vol. 2, No. 5. pp. 471-476.
@article{87289120b4d3467e9b7f8c1f4d1001b9,
title = "Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate",
author = "Noble, {Nicholas J.} and Didier Dubreuil and Potter, {Barry V. L.}",
doi = "10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9",
journal = "Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters",
T1 - Total synthesis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate4,5-pyrophosphate, a novel second messenger analogue, via myo-inositol 1-phosphate 4,5-bisphosphorothioate
AU - Noble, Nicholas J.
AU - Dubreuil, Didier
AU - Potter, Barry V. L.
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
U2 - 10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
DO - 10.1016/S0960-894X(00)80172-9
JO - Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
JF - Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters


It is first and foremost the passion for interior design and interior design that guides FX Studio's approach by Clairoux. Our creative and collaborative approach allows us to develop all projects in a contemporary style without ever sacrificing the functional aspect of the composition. We put our expertise and professionalism at your service for a tailor-made design. In addition, at FX Studio we are confident that our presence at major international design events, such as those in New York, Toronto, Chicago and London, is critical to our quest for innovation. This allows us to stay abreast of trends and discover new products.
For Frédric Clairoux, director of the studio and designer for almost 15 years, the deepening of the creative process involves participation in international trade missions and seminars, but also by collaboration with European firms. Each employee is specialized in a specific field and brings his experience and his vision on the projects, that is what gives the studio this unique touch and this creativity to any test!


text:
Q: Changed computer, can't access rails app - psql database I'm unable to run an existing rails app locally after changing mac computers. I did a restore from Time Machine backup on my new computer so I wouldn't have to re-add all my apps and information. When I tried to run my app, I received the following error
Internal Server Error
FATAL: role "<username>" does not exist

I'm pretty sure this has to do with the PSQL database because when I type
psql <database name>

I receive the following error
psql: FATAL:  role "<username>" does not exist

I have tried
sudo su - postgres

and receive the following error
su: unknown login: postgres

I don't know if this error is because I don't know the password for postgres or if postgres role doesn't exist. I'm not sure what to do from here. Any suggestions?

A: *

*find path: which createuser

*create postgres user: PATH_FROM_ABOVE/createuser -s postgres

*connect psql -U postgres -d postgres

*create missing role: create user "<username>" password '<password>';

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


So The Victory Cycle is a book for anyone looking to achieve their full potential?
Yes, the idea behind the Victory Cycle is that you can apply it to any goal you want to achieve. I wanted to create a system that was simple to identify with but was deep enough to make lasting change. Victory is an acronym: V-Vision, I-Inspiration, C-Commitment, T-Timed Steps, O-Obstacles, R-Rejoice, Y-Yearlong Adjustments.
Let's look at a real example, understanding of course that this is about as brief as it can get. Say you're looking to start a business.
It all starts with your "Vision." You would look deep into what you want your business to be about. What kind of business, what kind of service or product would you create? Remember back to when things seemed totally possible and you had all the optimism in the world within you as you decide what to make as your new business. Your Vision of your business would be a direct reflection of who you are. Make your business your "purpose." So, you would certainly want to make money, but more importantly you have to really love what you're doing otherwise it just becomes work, right?
Next, what's your "Inspiration?" Basically, what is it that is inspiring you to open this business, what makes you want to get up out of bed in the morning and chase it down? In essence what's your "Why?" Once you find that inspiration, hold onto it tight because you'll need it later when things get tough, and they always do.
Now, commit! Your "Commitment" is your how. In truth, it's your sheer determination of getting this business off the ground. The level of commitment we're talking about is almost life or death, because without deep seated commitment you will lose your grip on your dreams. You must absolutely commit fully to this new business venture or it will fail.
Your "Timed Steps" is your plan. You must time out some steps in order to track and hold your progress, otherwise you're just drifting along. Planning along the way creates organization, and with organization comes real progress. That's what we're looking for. Small steps add up to giant leaps over time, don't bite off more than you can chew, make them significant but manageable.
"Obstacles" are just that, things that show up in your path to Victory. Anticipate them, overcome them at all costs, but don't let your train to success become derailed as a result of them. Think about some potential obstacles that may show up within your business plan.
"Rejoice" is enjoying life along the way. You must celebrate what you're doing and your progress up to this point. Life is to be enjoyed and so is all of your hard work.
"Yearlong Adjustments" are all about checking your course during your journey. If you don't check what's working with this new business and what's not working you'll just end up in a more challenging situation later if you don't address it early. Capitalize on what's going well and fix what's not working.
Of course this is a cycle, so all of this must add back up to your "Vision" back at the beginning. Keep cycling through and polish your Victory until it becomes real and strong. You could apply the cycle to weight loss, finding a job, getting a promotion, or running that marathon you always wanted too. Virtually any goal or mission can enter the cycle and you can break it down within the concept.
Leading people through an emergency situation takes quick decision making – how do you step back and improve for the next time?
At the fire department, we do something called a Post Incident Analysis (PIA), where we discuss what went wrong and what went right. Also discussed are ways to improve and prevent situations from happening in the first place. It's really a session to learn and grow from. There's always something that can be learned from reviewing what happened. Same thing happens in the "Y-Yearlong Adjustments," review what's going well and what you can improve on for the betterment of your goal over all. Make those changes and try again.
You have a lot of motivating visuals in your book – did this develop from what you saw in the line of duty?
The graphic of the cycle was created as a result of my education with personal development. I liked the idea of a repeatable concept for success. We are basically constantly re-inventing ourselves, growing and changing. The circle of fire represents birth and rebirth of who we are. Particularly when it comes to the "O-Obstacle" portion within the cycle. Simply stated, that's where we earn our character, that's where we are forged into the man or women we truly are and become as a result of our failures and defeats. Similar to a sword that is heated and cooled for strength, so are we within our challenges and obstacles in life.
You've been on tour promoting The Victory Cycle – what's a recent decision you've made to benefit your readers?
The main decision I have made is to really strive the issue of urgency. All too often we hear a good idea, we like what we hear and even agree. Too often though, we leave a class where we learned something good and waist time getting started. The Victory Cycle is about immediate action, in other words what are you going to do today towards your goal? No matter how small a step, take at least one, and plan the next one tomorrow. Feel the urgency of your dreams in your heart and soul. Chase them down with a sense of urgency, don't let them fade away into the past. You can do it, just believe in yourself.
Head over to michaelannese.com and get started on your Victory Cycle!
The Victory Cycle – Kuwait City a Success!