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ABOUT U.S. ATM Industry DEFENSE FUND
ATMIA – Working for you and the industry!
ATMIA is constantly working hard for its U.S. members – both visibly and behind the scenes. Our mission and current business plan continue to focus more and more strongly on member-centric value.
Although advocacy is a core component of that mission, without a nationally galvanizing issue like physical fee placard notices, it may not be as noticeable today as it was a few years ago. However, ATMIA USA is more engaged with industry initiatives and issues than ever before – particularly at the state level. Some recent history and an overview of current efforts are discussed below.
Highlights of recent successes
ATMIA recently hosted a two-day fly-in event in Washington, DC. A full schedule of eight meetings focused on members of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. And the day ended with a very productive meeting at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Last year, U.S. Executive Director, David Tente, and EFTA President and CEO, Kurt Helwig, met with Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer to discuss Operation Choke Point the morning before it was voted out of committee. The Fly-In group met with him again, to thank him for his ongoing efforts and support for our industry.
The growth of Reg E dispute fraud was brought to the attention of CFPB Chief of Staff and Public Affairs Director, Emma Doyle. ATMIA requested that windows for consumer claims and ATM operator responses be better aligned, in order to make fraud more difficult to perpetrate. The maximum window for consumers to file a claim is currently 180 days. ATMIA also supports current efforts to change CFPB leadership to a five-person commission, and to bring the funding mechanism into normal budgetary processes.
The hallmark of successful U.S. initiatives within the last six years is the revision of Reg E, eliminating the requirement for a physical placard fee notice, if an electronic version is presented. ATMIA was involved in this effort from its earliest legislative beginnings in July of 2011. In addition to our own individual contribution, ATMIA's partnership with EFTA helped legislators define the bill and move it forward. The House version of the bill (HR 4367) was passed and signed into law in December, 2012.
ATMIA led the industry in developing recommendations for a path to Windows® 7 migration. The Microsoft Consulting Services group's Principal Consultant participated in nearly every meeting of the ATMIA Windows 7 Migration Committee. Another notable product of this committee's efforts was an 'ATM OS Migration Cost Model', which helps ATM operators predict costs and plan for future operating system migrations.
Up until March of 2014, IADs were not permitted to own and operate ATMs in the State of Tennessee, except in cooperation with a financial institution. This created a tremendous burden on independent operators and a need to enter into a token 'lease' agreement with an FI for each retail terminal. ATMIA's U.S. operator survey found that more than 3,000 such leases were in place at the end of 2013.
ATMIA supported the effort to lobby Tennessee legislators and educate them on the impact to the industry in their state. Tennessee Senate Bill 1478 was passed by an overwhelming majority, in a mere six months – for the first time, granting independents the right to own and operate ATMs.
Current and ongoing activities
Founding member and co-chair of the EMF ATM Working Committee
ATMIA was one of the first members of the EMV Migration Forum cross-industry group and a founder of the ATM Working Committee. Early on, it was the lone voice for ATM operator concerns over the impact of EMV migration, in a discussion dominated by merchants and POS considerations. In fact, there were suggestions initially that ignoring the ATM channel could speed up the work effort.
The ATM Working Committee quickly became one of the largest EMF committee groups and is dominated by ATMIA members. Its primary work product, the "Implementing EMV at the ATM" white paper, is an indispensable resource and tool for all ATM operators.
ATMIA has also contributed to creation of a webinar based on the White Paper and a consumer education website, GoChipCard.com.
Compliance and regulatory monitoring services
for all 50 states and PR
Whether your organization operates thousands of ATMs or just a few, compliance and regulatory burdens are growing every day – both at the state and federal levels. In fact, the smaller the organization, the more challenging these requirements may be.
Many new regulations become effective as soon as the bill is passed or the rule written. And smaller organizations simply do not have the resources to monitor the changes that occur on a daily basis. For this reason, ATMIA has implemented compliance and regulatory monitoring services for all 50 states.
Analysts review bill movement on a daily basis and notify members of new activity on ATM related issues. In addition, email alerts are sent when new law is posted to the State Register. These services are worth thousands of dollars, even for a single state, but are available free to all ATMIA members
For more detailed information about this benefit of membership, download the Compliance Benefits of Membership brochure.
Founding member of the Federal Reserve's Faster Payments Task Force
ATMIA is a founding member of the Faster Payments Task Force, which is developing criteria for a faster and more secure payments system. This work is based on the "Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System" white paper that was released earlier this year.
The voice of the ATM channel is a critical one in this discussion. Prospects for additional, revenue-producing transactions utilizing the ATM, and potentially including a cash component, could be greatly enhanced through implementation of a ubiquitous real-time system.
An expanding library of Best Practices manuals for the lifecycle of the ATM
The Best Practices library has grown to over 35 manuals addressing a wide variety of topics. Numerous aspects of security and fraud prevention are included, as well as many other topics critical to the lifecycle of an ATM.
All ATMIA members have free access to Best Practices manuals and their periodic updates. This is one of the most highly valued benefits of membership.
Investigating the feasibility of next generation ATM operating systems
The recent migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 is just the beginning of a series of OS upgrades that could be ahead for the ATM industry. Even the embedded versions of Windows used today on many retail ATMs have only a short lifespan remaining.
Members of ATMIA's Next Generation ATM Architecture Committee are proactively looking at the feasibility of alternative operating systems. It is important to identify those alternatives now and create a framework for evaluating the risks, costs, and potential benefits; rather than simply react when those decisions are upon us.
Promoting the importance of cash and consumer access to cash
ATMIA accepts that it is a basic economic freedom for citizens in free economies to choose their most trusted, efficient and convenient form of payment for goods and services, whether that be cash or other forms of money or a combination of both.
Advocacy for the right to choose cash is a basic tenet of ATMIA's mission. It is done through ongoing promotion of cash, publishing of position papers, production of videos, and other means.
Advocating with the Federal Reserve for
ATM operator/acquirer routing choice
ATM operators today have very little influence over ATM transaction routing. Business relationships between issuers and networks determine which networks are enabled on debit cards. And network rules generally give issuers the right to make routing choice, as well.
ATMIA has met with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and recommended adding language to Reg II prohibiting restrictions on ATM operator routing selection between the networks enabled on an issuers debit card. This would create new competition between networks for routing selection by those operators and result in downward pressure on network fees.
ATMIA believes that these changes are important and necessary for the health of the ATM industry, which continues to serve as the consumer's preferred channel for convenient access to cash. They will also have a positive impact on other electronic payment channels, since many of those networks offer both merchant and ATM services. Therefore, ATMIA will continue to advocate for ATM operator routing choice and keep this discussion alive in the public arena.
Reduction of withdrawal dispute (Reg E) fraud
Fraudulent withdrawal disputes are a $20+ million annual problem for the ATM industry, which hits independent operators the hardest. And unfortunately, handling such disputes has become a daily, standard operating procedure for ISOs and their processors.
ATMIA is working with networks, processors, and issuers to find a better way of deterring this type of fraud. Within the current environment, it is the acquirers that typically suffer the loss, even though they are the least able to play an active role in prevention.
Advocating for variable surcharging
Variable (discriminatory) surcharging may be the most sought-after and oldest issue that faces ATM acquirers. This is the ability to vary the amount of the surcharge at a specific ATM, based on differences in network fees and other costs – or for any other reason.
Some networks require that surcharges applied to their transactions are no higher than the lowest surcharge applied to any other network's transactions at that ATM – even if the cost of using that network is the highest.
ATMIA has long been a supporter of the elimination of any sort of controls or limitations on the amount of surcharge/convenience fees, believing that competition and the marketplace is the best arbiter.
A new effort is being launched to vigorously pursue this issue. More information will be available soon.
"Foreign bank" fees creating risk
of new surcharging regulations
A recent survey of bank ATM surcharges, which includes the fee banks charge customers to use an out-of-network ATM ("foreign bank" fees), has generated a demand from Sen. Chuck Schumer that the CFPB investigate this issue.
It remains unknown as to what action might be taken – or when. However, ATMIA will take proactive measures to inform regulators and legislators about the facts surrounding this issue.
The ATMIA U.S. Defense Fund
ATMIA's Charter establishes protocols for the use and management of each region's Defense Fund. For the USA fund, the purpose is:
To establish a US industry defense fund to be used by ATMIA's Government Relations Committee (GRC), and other important US-based Committees, to cover the costs of lobbying and monitoring various state and federal authorities regarding any proposed legislation which could adversely affect ATM businesses and the industry as a whole.
Such a fund will be properly registered and audited as part of the ATM Industry Association's annual audit and will be managed in a transparent way by the Government Relations Committee, and any other US-based Committees making use of the fund, reporting to the Executive Board of ATMIA. Meetings of voting committee members may be held as required to determine the scope of additional disbursements.
Contributions will be managed to retain the dollars in the general ATMIA account / Region P&L equal to the budgeted monitoring cost each year. Any excess contributions must be moved to that Regions' Defense Fund and future disbursements must be approved by the Finance Team and Executive Director of the Region.
In addition, contributors and sponsors of the fund will receive public recognition in ATMIA newsletters, press releases and announcements at annual US conferences as well as on a special webpage on which their logos and links will be showcased. A donor may choose not to have their donation recognized in this way and may, in this case, fill in a confidentiality statement to accompany the donation.
Every dollar contributed to the US Defense Fund is used for US efforts only.
All of the efforts discussed above are supported by the U.S. Defense Fund. Although the fund currently does have a positive balance, contributions are needed on an ongoing basis to avoid the need to use those funds for the provision of ordinary member benefits, such as compliance and regulatory monitoring services.
A healthy U.S. Defense Fund helps ensure that ATMIA is able to react quickly to events or issues that could inflict harm on its members or the industry. Defense Fund contributors are acknowledged on the ATMIA website, at the annual conference, and through email notifications at various times during the year. It is a great way to help the industry – and visibility demonstrate support from your organization.
Protect Our Industry: Donate Today!
ATMIA is accepting credit cards, checks and cash donations. If you prefer to spread out your donation over a number of months in order to make it more affordable, ATMIA will bill you monthly or charge your credit card on a monthly basis.
Choose the U.S. Industry Defense Fund from the drop down list and complete the form.
Contact David Tente, US Executive Director at david.tente@atmia.com or (407) 833-7906 or Sharon Lane, ATMIA Global Director, Finance and Member Services, at Sharon.lane@ATMIA.com or (605) 271-7371.
Meet Our U.S. Regional Sponsors


An operator that has really been transformed in the last few years, the company's emphasis on its network served by brightly-coloured, route-branded buses is coupled with a very strong focus on customer service and innovation. People who like people have been recruited to work in customer-facing roles and the company has put the passenger at the heart of everything it does. The judges particularly liked the fares initiatives, not least for young persons through its 'Solo' card, and its commitment to new technology. They felt Reading Buses was the standard to which other bus companies should aspire.
Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, the company puts its longevity down to hard work and placing a strong emphasis on its relationships with its staff and customers, as well as providing modern, attractive vehicles. Whilst in the past largely an operator of contracted services, Courtney continues to be a forward-thinking business evidenced by its significant recent move into operating commercial services, with such mileage increasing by 80% since the start of 2013. The judges liked the wide use of customer surveys and social media, on top of a very high standard of operation.
This was a truly all-inclusive approach to accessibility which, in the view of the judges, stood out for its simplicity. Whatever the customers' age, with or without disabilities, Reading Buses is working to remove the barriers to bus travel to create a network that is totally accessible. The company has shown absolute dedication to excellent customer service. A whole range of initiatives, of which its 'Solo' scheme to attract young persons to travel is just one, have contributed to a significant growth in passenger numbers and revenue, and passenger satisfaction levels amongst the highest in the country.
Simon has worked his way up to the position of Chief Operating Officer at First Berkshire in just five years. While his priority is the best possible service delivery for customers, he also recognises the individual and collective roles of his team. His achievements to date have won him respect in the business and are all the more remarkable given his relatively short time in the industry.


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Gruszyn () – nazwisko rosyjskie.

 Boris Gruszyn (1929–2007) – radziecki socjolog
 Piotr Gruszyn (1906–1993) – radziecki konstruktor

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


At FraudFighter, we pride ourselves on the level of support we provide our customers. Regardless of whether you are a small or medium size company or corporate enterprise, our commitment is to treat you as a valued customer for life. The success of our business has always been based on satisfied customers. From pre–planning to helping you make ongoing improvements in your fraud prevention efforts as well as your overall business goals, your success and satisfaction is of paramount importance to us.
The FraudFighter Support Center also plays a role in our service oriented architecture as it allows you to find self–guided product assistance. Simply click any of the links on this page to learn more about our products.
You can also call us directly at 800–883–8822. Our commitment is to have a live person available to answer the phone and give customer support during our normal business hours, which are 8:00AM – 5:00PM Pacific Time; Monday–Friday.
Consult the Reference Materials (Manual, Quick Guide, Tips on What to Look For) that accompanied the product when you received it.
Simply Call us at 800–883–8822 to speak with someone right away.


Diaper Tips: Our 7 Best For When You're Flying With a baby | FamiliesGo!
Like our diaper tips? Find more advice in our Know section.
I wish I'd had these diaper tips the first time I flew with my first baby. It's a whole new world flying with the not-yet-potty trained. You don't just have to worry about flight schedules and hotel deals; You also have to worry about on-the-go diaper changes in lots of less than ideal circumstances.
Whether you find yourself in an airplane bathroom without a changing table or stuck in a layover with fewer reserves than you thought, there are ways to manage it all.
If you pack all the changing items you always use you'll need an extra suitcase (and more luggage means more luggage fees). Travel lighter and cheaper by ordering online before you go and having these items shipped to your destination. Just call your hotel or vacation rental ahead of time to make sure they accept such deliveries – most can.
When you're on the go, skip multiple layers, pants with complicated snaps and other wardrobe items that are hard to take on and off in the best circumstances. For easy changing in transit I like to dress my nearly 2-year-old daughter in a simple shirt and leggings.
When flying with a baby or toddler there are lots of good reasons to want an aisle seat. Chiefs among them: not having to climb over your neighbor every time you need to change your baby's diaper or take your tot for a stroll in the aisle.
Airplane bathrooms are small and notoriously dirty. So I like to have a few zip-top bags ready with all the essentials for one diaper change: 2 diapers, wipes, a sample size of Vaseline or rash cream and a changing pad. I just grab one of these packs and leave my bulky diaper bag or backpack in my seat.
At least once on every trip we really need an urgent diaper change and no changing table nearby. Now that my daughter is a toddler and steady on her feet we've mastered the standing diaper change. If you're careful, it can work with all but the most …explosive … Diaper situations. It comes in handy in cramped airplane bathrooms or anyplace without a family restroom. If a standing diaper change just won't work, check out my seven ways to handle the no-changing-table scenario.
If a changing table is, let's say less then pristine and you don't have disposable changing pads, or an extra diaper, consider using toilet seat covers to cover up the changing spot before you put down your diaper pad.
7. Set up diaper changing station when you first arrive at your destination.
Some parents are Okay with throwing a towel down on a bed or on the floor for an impromptu diaper change. If you're used to having a changing station and prefer it, set up a changing station where you're staying. Pick a spot like a spare couch or bed where you can put down a pad and put out some diapers, wipes and maybe a trash bag. Just keep in mind that you're on vacation and are likely to still be doing a fair amount of changing away from home base.
Jennifer Saranow Schultz is a writer based in San Francisco, where she lives with her toddler and husband. You can find her daily hints to help make parenting easier and cheaper at HintMama.com, on Twitter at @HintMama and on Facebook at Facebook.com/HintMama. Before leaving journalism in 2011, she was the lead writer for The New York Times "Bucks" personal finance blog and spent seven years as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal.


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Q: What's the best way to check if a proxy workable in Qt? I'm sending HTTP requests with QNetworkAccessManager example.
QNetworkProxy proxy;
proxy.setType(QNetworkProxy::HttpProxy);
proxy.setHostName("some proxy IP");
proxy.setPort(5555);
network_manager.setProxy(proxy);

I want to check if a proxy can work before using it. I know I can just send a HTTP request to google with this proxy. But it will receive more than 1K data. It's relatively large since I would test many proxies. I don't think that's a good way. And I wanted to send ping via the proxy server. Seems no good way to send ping with Qt. If I use the WinAPI IcmpSendEcho to send ping, there's no way to assign a proxy.

A: Since you want to use the proxy using HTTP you could try and connect to the proxy using a QTcpSocket and see if the connection is actually established. If so you can proceed using the proxy address and port for further connections.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Would You Ever Consider Becoming Vegetarian? – The New York Times
February 18, 2020 Raman
Find all our Student Opinion questions here.
Are there foods that you eat with your family that you would feel uncomfortable eating with your friends?
In the Opinion essay "I Admire Vegetarians. It's a Choice I Won't Ever Make," Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer writes about how central meat is in her family's culture, and therefore how difficult it would be to ever give it up. She writes:
Just before New Year's, I posted a photo of a giant roast pig on Instagram.
I paused before I did it, and at first I wasn't exactly sure why. I had the brief thought that by Western standards, the photo might be deemed a little graphic: The head of the pig was still attached, its cheeks sliced open. But that wasn't really the source of my reluctance — we all know pork chops once had heads.
I was hesitating, I realized, simply because a giant roast pig is so ostentatious — so flagrantly, flauntingly meaty. And I felt uneasy because I was posting such a spectacle of meat at a time when many were making resolutions to not eat any meat at all.
I've recently watched so many people around me become vegetarians, or sometimes vegans. They are doing so for reasons — both moral and environmental — I understand and support. But I've been awed by the seeming casualness with which they make these decisions. I admire them and at the same time know that this choice is one I will almost certainly never make.
I felt this tension when I ate the pig. My mom had bought it — an expensive indulgence — for the end-of-chemo party she was throwing herself at the midway point of being treated for breast cancer. In southern Chinese culture — a sphere of which my Chinese Malaysian family is a part — whole roast pigs are brought out for special occasions: weddings, funerals, festivals. My mom can recall hauling one, not yet roasted, into the jungle each year on Tomb Sweeping Day to visit her grandfather's grave. He's buried in the jungle because he died there after his family fled their home during World War II.
I felt the same tension a week later when, after I'd returned home to London, I went with a newly vegan friend to the farmers market. She bought mushrooms and I, feeling slightly sheepish, bought chicken breasts that I wanted to use to make Malaysian chicken rice, which I did later that night, sending a picture of the results to my mom back in Kuala Lumpur, where she asked about the quality of the chili sauce.
And I've felt it in the weeks since, which I've spent on an unabashed — or rather, slightly abashed — Malaysian food kick, newly insistent on procuring wax duck and wax sausage for Lunar New Year even as I've stopped picking the options with meat in them at lunchtime fast-casual restaurants.
Later in the essay, Ms. Wittmeyer suggests that other people share her same concerns:
What I am saying is simply that I don't think I'm alone in feeling this tension. Such feelings transcend race and ethnicity, but I happen to be part of a generation of Asian-Americans whose parents came over (and then, in some cases, went back) after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. There is a whole cohort of people at this moment who are around my age, with parents who are getting older, who are having children of their own and contemplating what sort of relationship they'll be able to offer these children to the distant countries their families are from, even as they contemplate what sort of future they can offer their children at all. Amid all this, food remains an important link in a connection that can sometimes feel tenuous. When I asked a friend about her New Year's resolutions, she said one of them was to cook only Vietnamese food for the month of January.
In "The Omnivore's Dilemma," published in 2006, before the connection between diet and climate change had become so mainstream, Michael Pollan wrote about his reluctance to become fully vegetarian. To do so, he wrote, would mean losing something along the way that "I'm not prepared to dismiss as trivial"; that what seems like such a simple decision, to stop eating meat, has a way of alienating us from our histories and our traditions and the people around us. It is an unideal irony that the pull of these forces has become stronger for me even as combating climate change becomes ever more urgent.
The throughline to all of this, of course, is modernity. Modernity made our families this way, scattering them around the globe, leaving some of us feeling insecure in our roots. Modernity is why I must fly more than 6,500 miles to see my mom, leaving almost a ton of carbon dioxide behind each time I do. Modernity is why she can get first-class cancer treatment in Malaysia, at a specialist hospital where they brag about their radiotherapy machine. Modernity is why we can buy the roast pig; it is why we feel that we have to eat it, even if perhaps we should not, because not eating it would fundamentally change who we are.
Students, read the entire essay, then tell us:
Are you a vegetarian or vegan? Have you ever considered becoming a vegetarian? Do you have any friends or family members who don't eat meat? What do you find compelling about vegetarianism? What would you find challenging about it?
How important is meat in your diet? How important is it in your family's cultural traditions? Would your family be offended or concerned if you ever tried to give up eating meat?
Ms. Wittmeyer argues that "food remains an important link" to traditions, home countries and ancestral lands. Are there certain recipes that your family holds dear, for holidays, other celebrations or even just everyday meals? Does your family bond over preparing and eating particular dishes? Are there meals that remind you of family or conjure memories of the place you or they are from? Would you ever consider giving up any of these foods, for either moral, environmental or health reasons?
Are there any foods that you currently eat — or don't eat — that make family meals a little uncomfortable?
Are there foods that you eat with your family that you would feel uncomfortable eating with your friends? Please share.
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Source: Thanks https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/learning/would-you-ever-consider-becoming-vegetarian.html
A slice of Carnival: Unique flavors that take the cake – FOX 8 Live WVUE
Standard Pour bourbon bar plans new restaurant in the Dallas 'burbs – The Dallas Morning News
Traveling With Chef Scott Conant: Cooking With An Italian Lens – Forbes
December 12, 2019 Raman
Eating Out: Alexander's & Co, Holywood – Food that looks even better in real life than on TV – The Irish News
July 17, 2021 Raman
You Can Bid On A Slice Of Princess Diana's Wedding Cake At Auction – Delish
August 3, 2021 Raman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Often asked: Greenwich What Is Adoption?
1 How do you qualify for adoption?
2 Does it cost to adopt a baby UK?
3 Do you pay to adopt a baby?
4 How much does it cost to adopt a child in London?
5 What are 4 types of adoption?
6 How long is the adoption process?
7 Is adopting a baby hard?
8 How do you adopt a newborn baby?
10 How can I adopt a baby fast?
11 How do you pay for adoption?
12 What are adoption fees for?
13 Is adoption allowed in Islam?
14 Do you get a monthly check when you adopt a child?
15 Is adoption free in England?
How do you qualify for adoption?
Who can adopt?
resident or domiciled in NSW.
of good repute and fit and proper to fulfil the responsibilities of parenting.
over 21 years of age.
at least 18 years older than the child to be adopted.
Does it cost to adopt a baby UK?
Adoption agencies do not charge to assess or approve adopters for domestic adoption, that is an adoption made in the UK. When an adoption application is made to court, there is a one-off court fee of around £170. One child or multiple siblings filed together is one fee of £170.
Do you pay to adopt a baby?
But most adoptions from foster care are free. Other types of adoption usually do cost money. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, working with a private agency to adopt a healthy newborn or baby or to adopt from another country can cost $5,000 to $40,000.
How much does it cost to adopt a child in London?
'The cost to apply to adopt is generally in the region of £10,000-£15,000. There are also additional charges that apply in intercountry adoption to process paperwork with the governments both here and abroad, as well as travel and accommodation costs. '
You might be interested: Quick Answer: How To Put Kitten Up For Adoption Sims 3?
What are 4 types of adoption?
Types of Adoptions
Foster Care. These are children whose birthparents cannot care for them and whose parental rights have been terminated.
Foster-to-Adopt.
Infant adoption.
Independent adoption.
How long is the adoption process?
You will have to be licensed in order to adopt. An attorney will be needed to process the legal paperwork. The whole process can be completed in 6 to 18 months. The time frame is dependent upon the state of parental rights of the child and rather or not the prospective parent has a history of fostering.
Is adopting a baby hard?
Adoption is so much more difficult and complicated than people think it is. Domestic infant adoption is actually rather rare, with only roughly 10 percent of hopeful parents being placed with a baby. The wait is often long and full of disappointment and heartbreak. Even after adopting a baby, adoption is hard.
How do you adopt a newborn baby?
First things first: you don't adopt a newborn baby on your own. You do it with the help of an adoption agency. There are several types of agencies that help families adopting newborns, and American Adoptions is one of them. We are a fully-licensed, full-service national adoption agency.
You might be interested: Readers ask: How To Start Adoption?
How can I adopt a baby fast?
Do something every day to move it forward, and choose an agency that can complete your home study the quickest (call three and ask what their process is). Put together a killer profile that speaks directly to the expectant mother, using conversational language, so she can picture her baby in your family.
How do you pay for adoption?
Think You Can't Afford Adoption? Here are 10 Surprising Ways to Pay for It
Take Advantage of the Federal Adoption Tax Credit and Income Exclusion.
Check With Your Employee Benefits Programs.
Choose an Agency With Sliding Fee Scales.
Look Into State Subsidies for Adopting a Child.
Weigh the pros and cons of fundraising.
What are adoption fees for?
Adoption fees help cover the medical care of the animal while he or she waits for a new home, as well as food and transportation costs. These fees help to provide care for the other animals in the shelter or rescue group who may have medical bills that are much higher than any possible adoption fee.
Is adoption allowed in Islam?
New Delhi: Adoption is prohibited in Islam since there is a possibility of sexual relations between an adopted son and mother or an adopted son with a biological daughter, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is set to tell the Law Commission.
You might be interested: FAQ: Point-of-purchase Ads For A Product Work Best In Which Stage Of The Adoption Process?
Is adoption free in England?
In terms of the adoption process itself, if you're adopting in the UK an agency can't charge you a fee for arranging the adoption of a child. Once you've successfully adopted the child, the costs don't end there – you'll now have a new child or baby in your household to care and pay for!
Quick Answer: How Much Of A Check.Do.They Give Every Month For Adoption?
Quick Answer: Where Can You Give Your Guinea Pig For Adoption?


Discussion in 'The Basics, Starting Out' started by M_freeman, May 2, 2010.
w/ deadnutz mount. The 22" barrel has the 1-9 rifling so I want to use the 168 gr Berger VLD. Anyone have any idea where this scope will max out on elevation cliks (distance) with this set up. The specs say the scope has 64" of internal range adjustment at 100 yards. ( I have no idea what this means) Hopefully this excersize will give me the knowledge to personalize better long range rifle.
This means that you can shoot somewhere between 400 and 500 yards by adjusting the scope.


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About Amy Baxter, MD
Dr. Amy Baxter is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and the inventor of pain relievers Buzzy® and Bee-Stractors DistrACTION™ cards. After graduating from Yale University and Emory Medical School, she completed Pediatrics Residency and a Child Abuse Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's and Pediatric Emergency Medicine training at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Virginia. As a pain management researcher and advocate, when the oldest of her three children met a "needle wielding fiend", she invented a device that blocks needle pain. She is the director of Emergency Research for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Associates at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite, and a Clinical Associate Professor at Medical College of Georgia. Buzzy - Dr Baxter's innovative solution to blocking needle pain for kids - was a feature story in Pediatric Safety in July of 2011.
Website: http://www.buzzy4shots.com/
Articles by Amy
DistrACTION Cards: Because Kids Already Know Shots Hurt
Last updated on June 10th, 2016 at 07:16 amAs a pediatrician, I have a confession to make. I'm ashamed to admit that in residency I was amused when kids ramped up the drama getting shots. I'm not talking about a sadistic pleasure watching a 4 year old get poked repeatedly, I'm talking about an artistic appreciation of the wailing, screaming, and ninja-like thrashing performance when the nurse...
Buzzy – Because Kids Need Shots That Don't Hurt
Last updated on August 31st, 2015 at 12:42 amAs a pediatrician, I strongly support vaccination. I never thought shots were a big deal; parents and staff even chuckle sometimes when a kid is freaking out about shots. You know, 'deal with it'. I have taken care of children who died from vaccine-preventable diseases, and I used to think that any delay in shots endangers all society. Then I had my...
We're Teaching Kids to Fear Shots: a Pediatrician's Perspective
Last updated on May 17th, 2018 at 04:38 pmEditor's Note: As the events in West Africa show, infectious disease epidemics devastate communities, spread fear, and create civil unrest. Vaccinations – when available – protect our children and society. However, as Dr. Amy Baxter explains in this post and accompanying TEDx Talk video, our vaccination approach is creating the unintended consequence...
Last updated on August 30th, 2015 at 03:01 pm"How do you respond when the place that you trust to keep you healthy hurts you…or ignores your plan…or ignores you?" …"We have had an erosion of empathy in medicine. Somehow we've decided to ignore the fact that shots…hurt." …TEDx Talks 11/2013 As flu season hits, there is a segment of our society...
Resetting Needle Phobia for Kids Who Get "Home Shots"
Last updated on March 9th, 2018 at 12:33 amA recent post on an arthritis blog I belong to discussed a common problem, out of control needle fear. In many cases, it has grown so out of control that home shots are going to be transferred to the hospital, or effective IM medications are going to be swapped for less effective oral ones. If you're on this path, here is a way to try to address the...


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The fourth best book of 2017: Art Sex Music by Cosey Fanni Tutti
Kiran Dass | Guest writer
All week this Christmas week we countdown the best six books of 2017. Number four: Art Sex Music, the memoir by musician Cosey Fanni Tutti, whom reviewer Kiran Dass describes as 'a staunch, fearless woman with backbone'.
"I don't like acceptance. It makes me think I've done something wrong." – Cosey Fanni Tutti.
In the last few years there has been a welcome wave of vigorous autobiographies from strong, independent pioneering women in music who are finally telling their stories. The best ones have come from Viv Albertine, Grace Jones, Kim Gordon, and this year from my favourite woman in music, Cosey Fanni Tutti. I love that these books are enjoying a wide readership across age and gender. A friend recently told me he loved Tutti's book so much that he gave it to his teenage daughter in the hope that it would inspire her to form her own band.
Cosey Fanni Tutti is a musician, artist, former striptease artiste and pornographic model. I have to say, in my job as a bookseller I lost count of the times I saw middle aged male customers pick up this book and flip straight to the photos. A few cracked spines there. When Steve Braunias invited me to write this review he asked if I'd read the book "by the woman in awful 80s band Throbbing Gristle." But I think he was just being funny because Throbbing Gristle (which Tutti played guitar, cornet and sang in) was a brilliant, exciting group – confronting, reactionary, uncomfortable and sonically adventurous. Their record 20 Jazz Funk Greats is an absolute blinding classic, and hilariously, is neither jazz nor funk. To this day, I still crack up about the time when I saw a book about that album shelved in the jazz section when I used to work at Unity Books in Wellington. I like to think it was just somebody being subversive, in the spirit of the group.
I first got into Throbbing Gristle and Cosey's work when I was still living at home in Ngaruawahia as a teenager. Probably via the Hamilton Public Library. It wasn't long before I made friends with a chap from Lancashire, who bizarrely enough used to be Throbbing Gristle "leader" Genesis P-Orridge's (now Genesis Breyer P-Orridge) butler. His responsibilities included feeding P-Orridge's pet snake and walking his daughter Caresse to and from school. When she was six-years-old, Caresse, with her father's later group Psychic TV, recorded a mildly disturbing version of Jimi Hendix's 'Are You Experienced?' It's on YouTube if you're interested.
But out of all the members of Throbbing Gristle, P-Orridge was the least interesting to me. And, an egotistical, lazy diva, he does not come off well in Tutti's book. He was the "frontman" and I have an aversion to frontmen. It's always the band members behind them who are more interesting. It was Tutti who I thought was cool.
Who is Cosey Fanni Tutti? She was born Christine Newby in dreary suburban post-war Hull, England. She has been working in art and music since the 1970s in avant-garde/experimental circles and she's had a singular, influential career right on the edgier margins of popular culture. Her first art collective COUM Transmissions was influenced by the Dada art movement and they constructed incendiary performances which straddled the line between music and art. As they gained more popularity and showed their work in some of the most prestigious galleries in the UK, people started getting pissed off. They famously provoked the uptight Tory MP Sir Nicholas Fairbairn to declare them as being "the wreckers of civilisation".
Art Sex Music is frankly written with such stunning forensic detail. The detail is extraordinary and she explains that when she was researching for an art exhibition and went through the diaries she had meticulously kept throughout her life, it was all there, laid out chronologically. A story waiting to be told. It's a great insight into her life, and the diary entries benefit from the lack of hindsight and retrospection. In that way, it feels very immediate, immersive and raw.
The first half is enlightening because we learn so much about her growing up in bleak Hull in the 1950s, and what was an especially difficult family dynamic. Her firefighter father had rejected her. There's an upsetting scene where years after he has thrown her out of the family home, he turns up to put a fire out at the squat where she is living.
Tutti is a proactive do-er. But for all their right-on commune squat living, it's apparent that the misogyny and patriarchy of the times dictated things. She was the only one in her gang of friends who would hold down a full-time job in admin or some other spirit-crushing mundane job, while hand-making all the props and costumes for their art shows, do the admin and bookings, as well as all of the domestic and emotional labour of keeping a home. And what comes through clearly in Tutti's book is that typical scenario that comes to light: the woman being the engine room and enabler of getting stuff done, but not necessarily being in the limelight or being the frontperson. Tutti writes about the tensions in the group Throbbing Gristle, the control that her then partner P-Orridge had over her, becoming a mother and balancing domestic life with her art and music practice.
Tutti writes in detail about her work as a striptease artiste and pornographic novel, and how she used these as platforms to challenge people's perceptions and assumptions about morality and erotica. And remember, this is in conservative pre-punk Britain.
I loved this book. It's my favourite non-fiction book of 2017. I ripped through it but didn't want it to end. I love Tutti's voice, warmth and sharp observations. Art Sex Music is hugely inspiring, endlessly fascinating and it doesn't matter a jot whether you are interested in her music or art. It's a strong story that stands alone. Personal, anecdotal and invigorating, it's a clear-sighted (and importantly, never bitter) narrative of a staunch, fearless woman with backbone who isn't interested in being liked or accepted by any establishment, and who has created some of the most groundbreaking art and music to emerge from the last four decades. And these are exactly the kind of positive and exhilarating stories that we need.
Art Sex Music by Cosey Fanni Tutti (Faber, $40) is available at Unity Books.
EXCLUSIVE: Daffodils 'Boys' music video premiere
The Spinoff Music


Your feedback in the HEDS Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey is important to Scripps College. The survey is open to all students, whether or not you have experienced unwanted sexual contact, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, or sexual harassment. The survey is anonymous. Information provided in the survey will not be investigated or reported to law enforcement. Survey results are used only to improve policies, practices, and the support offered to students at Scripps. Please respond to the survey so your voice is heard! The survey will be closing on March 21st at 8:59 PM! For your reference, an email reminder went out on Friday, March 2nd that includes the link to the survey. If you have any questions please email assessir@scrippscollege.edu.
Along with the other Claremont Colleges, Scripps is participating in the HEDS Survey on Campus Climate for Sexual Assault. If you are a December graduate, withdrawn, on leave, or studying abroad, it is important we hear from you as well. Please look for the email and know that your participation is valued.
If you would like someone at Scripps to follow up with you about a specific incident, please contact Sally Steffen, Scripps's Title IX Coordinator.
If you have any questions about the survey or its administration, please contact Junelyn Peeples, director of Assessment and Institutional Research.


ZVEZDA-ENERGETIKA, JSC is specialized in comprehensive power solutions for gas and oil industries, industrial systems and housing infrastructure. It provides the full range of services for construction of diesel and gas piston motor-operated power systems of variable complexity, and gas turbines.
R&D, production&servicing expertise of its employees ensures high quality and efficiency of any complexity level power supply projects provision.
ZVEZDA-ENERGETIKA has operating power plants in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Western Siberia, Chukotka district, Yamalo-Nenetskiy district, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Krasnodar region, Astrakhan and Novgorod regions, Sakhalin, and Kazakhstan.
ZVEZDA-ENERGETIKA has close partner relationship with leading power equipment and parts manufacturers, e.g. Cummins, Wartsila, General Electric, MTU, The Mamins Volzhskiy Diesel, Zvezda, Kolomenskiy plant; PO Eltechnics, Thomson Technology, Basler, ABB, Schneider Electric, etc.
ZVEZDA-ENERGETIKA owns production facilities (10,000 m²) located in St. Petersburg. Besides, it has a representative office in Moscow and service centers in Surgut, Nadym and Salekhard. It has over 650 high-skilled employees.


Don't miss this casual night of food, festivity and fun! Highlighting new and old Pikesville, 40 local restaurants will serve signature dishes, beer, wine and cocktails. Adding to the excitement will be music, raffle prizes, celebrity judges and other surprises. Proceeds will support Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland and the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce's efforts to improve Pikesville.


Hi guys. Crystal here from Crystal & Co., and I want to share some of my favorite Halloween craft ideas with you!
It is not too late to make a few (or all) of these fun Halloween crafts.
Here are twelve ideas you will love.
Blood Shot Eyeballs– my twins share a video with instructions for turning powdered donuts into eyeballs.
Spider Handprints– you can read the Itsy Bitsy Spider and create this keepsake craft.
Witchy Fingers– pretzels, green chocolate and almond slivers make this super cool treat that is perfect for a school party.
Halloween Bark– this salty and sweet dessert will be a hit, I promise.
Ghost Poo with Free Printable– print, stuff your cello bags, staple and you're good to go. These are always a hit with kids.
Homeschool Freebies by Subject– if you homeschool this is a list you will want to check out.
Pumpkin Poo with Free Printable– these printables are treasures that make giving treats to friends so simple.
Pumpkin Pie Play Dough– you can not eat it, but the smell is amazing and have fun watching your kids create!
Mummy Cookies with Free Cookie Tag– dip a Milano cookie in white chocolate and you are on your way to creating these adorable mummy cookies. Add the cookie tag and they make excellent treats for teachers.
Broomstick Pretzels– pretzel rods and fruit roll ups make this simple snack perfect for after school.
Ghost Treats– marshmallows can be created into so many things, including ghosts. Who knew?
Puff Paint Pumpkin– intimidated by carving a pumpkin? Use puff paint to decorate instead.
Happy Halloween crafting! And don't forget to make some No Guilt Healthy Halloween treats!


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Home » Public Service Leadership & Management » Transparency, Accountability & Collaboration » 'Increase cooperation between all levels of government': legislation seeks to update 50-year-old rules on US federal-state cooperation
'Increase cooperation between all levels of government': legislation seeks to update 50-year-old rules on US federal-state cooperation
By Jack Aldane on 01/04/2022 | Updated on 01/04/2022
A new bill seeks to reduce duplication and costs, improve service delivery, and strengthen accountability and oversight of federal programmes, services, and benefits delivered by all levels of US governments.
Rules governing elements of the relationship between US federal and state and local governments could be modernised under legislation progressing in the Senate.
Lawmakers introduced a bill last week with a proposal to revise and upgrade existing laws enshrined in the 1960s, which would improve coordination between levels of government on the provision of services such as employment benefits, surveys, training and technical aid.
The bill's key aim to "reduce unnecessary duplication and costs, improve service delivery, and strengthen accountability and oversight of federal programmes, services, and benefits primarily delivered by state, local, territorial, or tribal governments".
If passed, the legislation could "help ensure tax dollars are not spent on unnecessary resources to execute core government responsibilities" by resetting action rules around intergovernmental cooperation from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Read more: The great resignation: US state and local governments face workforce crisis
"This common sense, bipartisan bill will increase cooperation between all levels of government to improve the ability of state and local governments to provide critical services more efficiently and save taxpayer dollars as they help carry out many federal programmes," said Gary Peters, a US senator and one of the lawmakers who introduced the bill.
Once the bill becomes law, the OMB would have 150 days to publish a new strategic plan, and 90 days to issue fresh guidance. Such guidance would update the existing rules from the OMB, which were introduced in August 1969, which provided the detailed guidance to implement the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968.
The commission was formed in 1959 to "strengthen the American federal system and improve the ability of federal, state and local governments to work together cooperatively, efficiently and effectively".
Another requirement is a yearly report summarising services provided to governments by agencies, as well as cost savings and recommendations on further service delivery improvements. All reports would be submitted to the senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Read more: US lawmakers champion public sector collaboration panel
Reviving intergovernmental cooperation
The new legislation is the latest in a number of attempts to modernise the relationships between US federal, state and local governments. In 2019, a new commission designed to nurture cooperation between the US state, federal and local governments was proposed in a bill put forward by bipartisan lawmakers. Representatives Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, and Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican, said the Restore the Partnership Act would "reconstitute and reform" the US Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, an independent government agency which was disbanded in 1996.
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Federal GovernmentOffice of Intergovernmental AffairsOffice of Management and BudgetSenateUS
About Jack Aldane
Jack is a British journalist, cartoonist and podcaster. He graduated from Heythrop College London in 2009 with a BA in philosophy, before living and working in China for three years as a freelance reporter. After training in financial journalism at City University from 2013 to 2014, Jack worked at Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters before moving into editing magazines on global trade and development finance. Shortly after editing opinion writing for UnHerd, he joined the independent think tank ResPublica, where he led a media campaign to change the health and safety requirements around asbestos in UK public buildings. As host and producer of The Booking Club podcast – a conversation series featuring prominent authors and commentators at their favourite restaurants – Jack continues to engage today's most distinguished thinkers on the biggest problems pertaining to ideology and power in the 21st century. He joined Global Government Forum as its Senior Staff Writer and Community Co-ordinator in 2021.
US Office of Personnel Management uses live polling for staff meetings; UK unions vow to fight anti-strike law: management & workforce news in brief
US House Republicans vote to make it easier to fire individual federal officials and cut pay
On the front line: how can governments safeguard against cyberattacks
Cybersecurity breaches risk impacting vital public services, particularly as governments adopt hybrid work models which can leave their networks more fragmented and less secure. During a Rubrik webinar, experts discussed […]
Has one US state discovered the secret to successful government data sharing?
Data sharing in government is notoriously difficult. Due to vertical structures that hinder horizontal working, privacy concerns, and numerous other barriers, it is a nut that most organisations are yet […]
COVID-19 contact tracing: the vital roles of people, knowledge and technology
Tech can support efforts to manage the disease by automating cumbersome processes and improving the tracing workflow Let's face it – contact tracing has always been difficult. First, its goal […]


Admit it, you know you want them. It's okay; statistics are fun to look at and the right ones can be helpful in making new decisions… like how to rearrange failing strategies or build a new workplace engagement program. The problem is that the industry is inundated with statistics – which ones are the right ones to help you perfect that critical presentation, article, or infographic you're working on?
That's where we come in: Blogging4Jobs has scoured the internet to find the best statistics for HR in Recruitment, Mobile, Social Media, Employee Engagement, Big Data, and Technology Management Systems. This is, in fact, the statistics guide you've been looking for.
Even if you aren't one of those that need these statistics for HR on a day to day basis they're fun to look at and are a good benchmark for making new decisions when it comes to rearranging failing strategies or building a need workplace engagement program.
Our statistics guide provides 65 statistics for you, and we've done all the work. Sit back, search and find the right HR and recruiting statistic for you.
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The IFGA is a non-profit organisation established to promote the growth and development of the sport of Footgolf in Ireland, providing information, support, expertise and infrastructure to courses and players.
The Irish Footgolf Association was established in 2014 to promote, nurture and develop the sport in Ireland. It is the Association's goal to have over 30 affiliated Footgolf courses by the end of 2016.
The IFGA is proud to promote and oversee official Footgolf competitions at Local, National and International level. Ireland will be hosting the Carzone.ie Irish Open & Stage 2 of the European Footgolf Tour 2016 from the 13th - 15th of May at Highfield Golf & Country Club.


Nagging aches and pains can really mess with your sleep. And there's research to back that up: a 2015 study of people ages 30 to 74 found that those who suffered from knee and low back pain got less (and poorer quality) sleep than those who didn't, and their sleep disturbance increased with severity of pain. While there are plenty of ways to manage chronic pain so you can get more shut-eye, sometimes the solution is as simple as the right pillow—at least according to the reviewers of the ComfiLife Orthopedic Knee Pillow.
This contoured pain relief pillow is designed to fit naturally between your knees to keep your legs, hips, and spine in alignment while you snooze. If you suffer from back aches or sciatica, good sleeping posture like this is especially important because it can relieve pressure on the low back and lower spinal nerves to prevent pain, according to The Cleveland Clinic.
"I had problems with my lower back and hips from arthritis and sciatica, and was only able to sleep maybe an hour at a time before I had to get up and move around," said one commenter. "A friend recommended I try one of these. What a difference! I can sleep the night through, and don't wake up in lots of pain and almost unable to move."
Another reviewer wrote about how the pillow has helped her battle pregnancy pain: "The pillow has sturdy rise, which allows me to use it not just as a knee separator but as a knee prop when reclining on my back or when drawing one knee up further than the other while lying on my side. This seems to help the hip pain, and gives me some options for changing positions to take pressure off my back."
The best-selling orthopedic knee pillow comes with a zippered cover that you can throw in the wash, plus a 100% money-back guarantee in case you don't experience the same pain relief that these commenters did. It sells for about $23 on Amazon; you can also buy it at comfilife.com.


Soon-to-be Uncle Scott visited us this weekend, and got a taste of what our crazy domestic bliss looks like. Let me tell you, we are hard-core partiers!
We did have a great time hanging out, showing Scott the city, and having him participate in all of our "pregnancy fun". Like having sushi for dinner, and then driving immediately to the burger joint because I HAD to have a root beer float with soft serve ice cream. Except they didn't have soft serve. So I got a churro. Which didn't satisfy my craving, so Scott ate most of it. And then we went home and made root beer floats with what we had in the freezer.
1) Teach Max how to surf. Yes I am afraid of this because I hate the ocean. However, Scott has literally grown up in the water and surfed all over the world. I just won't be there when he teaches Max. Especially after that one time, when I told Scott that he could get eaten by sharks while surfing, and Scott said "That's not a bad thing. I wouldn't mind going that way. I mean, I am in their territory, it's only natural." Just to push my buttons.
2) Teach Max all sorts of jokes. Especially the "Hand me my brown pants" pirate joke that he taught Katie when she was little. Scott would set the joke up and Katie (at 5) would tell the punch line. They would both do the pirate voices and I would cry I was laughing so hard.
3) Babysit. He's moving to SF for Grad School, and we are more than happy to swap food, laundry, and other things for free (trustworthy!) baby sitting.
4) Give moral support. Scott's great at listening, looking at things in different ways, and reminding me of what's important in life. Plus, he's worked with kids for years….and can definitely change a diaper or wipe up puke. Yay!
5) Art. I can't draw, paint, or color inside of the lines. But Scott sure can. I have zero artistic talent. Scott can help Max to sculpt from Play-Doh, instead of eating it.
6) Height. We're hoping that whatever recessive gene gave my little brother his six feet one inch frame will somehow find it's way onto Max's DNA, even though it skipped over me completely.