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"By the end of the first quarter of the 2015, legislators had introduced 791 provisions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Nearly 42% of these provisions (332 provisions) seek to restrict access to abortion services; abortion restrictions have been introduced in 43 states. By April 1, 53 abortion restrictions had been approved by a legislative chamber, and nine had been enacted. Many of the new abortion restrictions enacted this year would either limit the use of medication abortion (Arkansas and Idaho) or ban abortion at 20 weeks postfertilization (West Virginia), a disturbing combination of attempts to curtail access in both the early and later months of pregnancy, potentially leaving women with fewer options and a greatly reduced time frame to get the care they need."
Some of the topics covered: Researchers think it's time to treat loneliness as a serious public health issue; official site of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, with much to offer for K-12 educators, parents, and generally curious; nearly 13,000 viewers have subscribed to the National Science Foundation's YouTube channel; a list of over 250 excellent digital libraries and archives; curators collected social media posts related to Broadway, a narrow 13.5-mile slice of Manhattan over a period of 158 days, creating an interactive digital installation; in addition to jobs, The Muse features profiles of each company, which include video interviews with employees, office photographs and descriptions of the company culture.
Margaret Cullison writes: The bond of womanhood serves us well throughout our lives. My mother valued the companionship of friends her own age, but she also liked learning about the tastes, interests, and ideas of younger women. This worked to her advantage as she grew older and faced the hard reality that the long-time friends of her generation were leaving this earth in far too rapid succession. The friendships she cultivated with younger women helped to soften those repeated losses.
The number of people with insurance coverage for alcohol and drug abuse disorders is about to explode at a time there’s already a severe shortage of trained behavioral health professionals in many states. Until now, there’s been no data on just how severe the shortage is and where it’s most dire. One health care consulting firm has developed the first measurement of how many behavioral health professionals are available to treat millions of adults with a substance use disorder in all 50 states.
The Architect of the Capitol began a multi-year project to repair deficiencies, restoring the Dome to its original, inspiring splendor. The Dome has not undergone a complete restoration since 1959-1960 and due to age and weather is now plagued by more than 1,000 cracks and deficiencies. Construction task lighting is visible and 720 LED construction task lights are installed to help workers as they restore the Dome at night.
The troubled payment formula for Medicare physicians is one step closer to repeal. The current system would be scrapped and replaced with payment increases for doctors for the next five years as Medicare transitions to a new system focused "on quality, value and accountability." The deal also would permanently extend the Qualifying Individual, or QI program, which helps low-income seniors pay their Medicare premiums. There's enough in the wide-ranging deal for both sides to love or hate.
Julia Sneden writes: One of the great strengths of this book is Dr. Mukherjee's willingness to detail the theories and politics and failures and frustrations that have accompanied this War On Cancer. After many years of emphasis on possible treatments for various cancers, it is only in the last years of the 20th century and these first years of the 21st century that the researchers realized they needed to go back to the very nature and core of what cancer really is, in order to understand and possibly manage or cure it.
Legislative attempts in many states have been made to make sure that patients and doctors are notified whenever imitations deemed "interchangeable" by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are substituted for brand-name biologics. Already, Colorado has passed a notification law, and Utah has revised its earlier law. More than a dozen states are considering comparable measures.
Announced at the Science Faire: A $150-million philanthropic effort to empower a diverse cadre of promising early-career scientists to stay on track to become scientific leaders of tomorrow; The $90-million Let Everyone Dream campaign to expand STEM opportunities to under-represented youth; A $25-million Department of Education competition to create science- and literacy-themed media that inspires students to explore 120 universities and colleges committing to train 20,000 engineers to tackle the “Grand Challenges” of the 21st century; A coaltion of CEOs called Change the Equation committing to expand effective STEM programs to an additional 1.5 million students this year
In the midst of Winter it is always easy to pine for Spring but then we often ache for Summer and its swimming weather only to welcome Autumn for the heat-relief it brings. Then Winter calls to skiers, sledders, and everyone for holiday fun. The year's variety, while it can be challenging, is emotionally bracing. It adds variety to our days and a sense of movement to our lives; almost like a well-written novel, it keeps us intrigued about what will happen next.
"By rethinking the whole approach to 3D printing, and the chemistry and physics behind the process, we have developed a new technology that can create parts radically faster than traditional technologies by essentially ‘growing’ them in a pool of liquid," said Joseph DeSimone. "In addition to using new materials, CLIP can allow us to make stronger objects with unique geometries that other techniques cannot achieve, such as cardiac stents personally tailored to meet the needs of a specific patient."
The artist's ambitious mirror sculptures, known as 'geometric families,' which she produced in the last decade since reinstating her studio in Tehran, are on view. Indigenous art forms such as Turkoman jewelry and clothing, coffee house paintings (a popular form of Iranian narrative paintings), and the technique of reverse-glass painting influenced her work.
Mourning garments, heavily beaded with jet, contrast with delicate bridal gowns originating from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as christening robes crafted from cascades of handmade broderie anglaise lace. A tablecloth embroidered with the names of colleagues and friends of an American soldier who took part in the D-Day landings is incomplete. His British fiancée stopped embroidering the cloth when she heard he had been killed in action. The stitched decoration remains unfinished, the needle still in the cloth.
Julia Sneden writes: Surely, I thought, people have observed and learned a lesson from the large urban areas in the northeast and far west — but no, our small cities have replicated the poor planning and nutty zoning that have allowed the destruction of roadside beauty all over the country. We're right up there with the big guys. The roads that lead into our towns and cities are lined with fast-food joints and factories and car dealerships and shopping centers, so that reaching the center of town seems to take forever.
Astronomers have expanded the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into a new realm with detectors tuned to infrared light. Their new instrument has just begun to scour the sky for messages from other worlds. The idea dates back decades, Wright pointed out. Charles Townes, the late UC Berkeley scientist whose contributions to the development of lasers led to a Nobel Prize, suggested the idea in a paper published in 1961.
"Current federal well-drilling regulations are more than 30 years old and they simply have not kept pace with the technical complexities of today’s hydraulic fracturing operations," Secretary Jewell said. "This updated and strengthened rule provides a framework of safeguards and disclosure protocols that will allow for the continued responsible development of our federal oil and gas resources. As we continue to offer millions of acres of public lands for conventional and renewable energy production, it is absolutely critical the public have confidence that transparent and effective safety and environmental protections are in place."
Donor-conceived children argue that donors should be subjected to better medical screenings. Generally, donors are only tested for sexually transmitted diseases. There are no laws requiring medical testing for genetic diseases or requiring that donors – usually in their 20s at the time of donation — update medical information as they age and inherited diseases may surface.
Joan L. Cannon writes: In spite of everything, there's pressure to let something loose that I might know that someone else has still to learn, or something I've noticed that someone else hasn't thought of, and that might tickle the imagination or stimulate the intellect or conjure a useful memory and make someone’s else's day a tiny bit brighter.
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell both idealist and opportunist, master of deadly intrigue, and implacable in his ambition.
"Until the discovery of Nathaniel Gould's 18th century account books at the Massachusetts Historical Society in 2009, many of his pieces were mis-attributed, or listed as 'unknown cabinetmaker, Salem.' Now, over 20 pieces have been firmly attributed to Gould’s shop. Audacious features the Montalto Bohlen Collection with alluring surfaces and textures made from familiar and exotic woods some displayed in vessels, bowls and vases while others are completely abstract, emphasizing form over function.
"Since 2012, a number of large pension plan sponsors have given selected participants a limited-time option of receiving their retirement benefits in the form of a lump sum. Although sponsors' decisions to make certain lump sum "window" offers may be permissible by law, questions have been raised about participants' understanding of the financial tradeoffs associated with their choice. This report focuses on 1) the prevalence of lump sum offers and sponsors' incentives to use them, 2) the implications for participants, and 3) the extent to which selected lump sum materials provided to participants include key information. "
This is what I miss, from my marriage, from my husband. The toe-to-toe enveloping, the hug. Tommy was low maintenance, helpful around the house, had interests that matched mine, and most importantly, thought I walked on water. I told my daughter, "I'm not ready to date, and I can't imagine sharing my new life with anyone, but I miss spooning. It's a bedtime perk I pine for."
The advocacy group Compassion & Choices says that bills on aid-in-dying have been introduced this year in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Utah. "I'm very worried about it because I meet people in my practice who conflate hospice and palliative care with assisted suicide or euthanasia,” said Ira Byock, director of the Providence Institute for Human Caring in California.
"Beatrix Farrand was America’s finest landscape garden designer. Her most extensive project, Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington, DC, has been described as ranking with 'the greatest gardens in the world.' Her career and her work continue to be an inspiration today. She has long been a role model for many women in the landscape design field who have followed her."
Jane Shortall writes: Into our life, onto our stage, they marched, the good, the not so good, and the downright peculiar. Despite the circumstances, the horrific illness, the very reason we were here, at times, both of us felt we were in some daft comedy, the characters created by Woody Allen. It had always been obvious to me, with no need for deep thinking, that we would have been so much better off, for every reason imaginable, staying in France.
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