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The impact of the stock market crash on my own investments and that of my friends and family inspired me to create a website to help people with their portfolios. Most people have a retirement account with limited options to invest in and very little information about what they should buy. The site I created is meant to help people get a feel for how different combinations of the funds that are available to them would have performed in the past.

http://www.riskcog.com

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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Merit pay including that based on test improvement results should be just one component of teacher compensation, it is disingenuous of the teachers union to oppose this idea. There are well articulated draw backs to this approach, but the end result is worth it.

The principal of a school is in the best position to set up the particular incentive system for the their teachers, so principals should be given the power and responsibility of setting up a system that works for their area and staff. This means the union and the state would have less power for setting compensation.

I think that comparing teacher compensation to private sector professionals is entirely appropriate. Teachers have to be compensated in line with the private sector, however this in different that saying that current teachers with their current training deserve this higher pay. The teachers that get this higher pay might be different people or the same people with more training. Price fixing salaries is a clumsy way to achieve this, but it is likely better than nothing.

posted 5 years ago
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I started a vegan diet last fall after reading about the health drawbacks to a meat-centric diet. I didn't make this change because I was anti-meat or anything, but I find now that hearing this show is giving me quite a sour stomach and general revolted feeling... This is new for me! I guess I can identify with how my Jewish and Muslim friends probably feel hearing that pig grease slurped in front of the microphone ;) (Background reading: "The China Study", and "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease")

posted 5 years, 2 months ago
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