Tag: President Obama

Obama Wants the US to Build the World’s Fastest Supercomputer | WIRED

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President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton applaud during the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps national service program on the South Lawn of the White House, Sept. 12, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA has signed an executive order authorizing the creation of new supercomputing research initiative called the National Strategic Computing Initiative, or NSCI. Its goal: pave the way for the first exaflop supercomputer—something that’s about 30 times faster than today’s fastest machines.

Supercomputers are at the heart of a huge number of important scientific and defense research projects. They’re used by aerospace engineers to model planes and weapons, and by climatologists to predict the the near-term impact of hurricanes and the long-term effects of climate change. Researchers involved in the White House’s Precision Medicine initiative believe exaflop speed supercomputers could aid the creation of personalized drugs, while the European Commission’s Human Brain Project hopes they will help unlock the secrets of the human brain.

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Immigrant spouses find relief with new H-4 visa rule | Money Cnn

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On Tuesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that select H-4 visa holders will be eligible for employment authorization.

It was part of President Obama’s executive action on immigration in November, but has been part of a grassroots movement for much longer. It is the first reform to be implemented that’s geared toward high-skilled immigrants.

The H-4 visa is given to spouses of those on an H-1B, as well as a handful of other, less common, visas. At present, H-4 visa holders can’t earn an income or possess a social security number.

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Why Obama’s 2016 Budget Has Small-Business Boost Written All Over It | Inc.com

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barack-obama-2015_49422President Obama is set to send his 2016 budget proposal to the newly Republican-led Congress as early as Monday, and news of what’s in it has already begun to emerge–namely, plans for spending increases.

While small businesses could expect a slight economic boost from more government spending, experts say, the budget debate is likely to be weighed down by intense partisan rancor that may offset any potential gain. Among other events, there’s a threat of more skirmishes over the debt ceiling and another government shutdown.

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Obama proposes 2 free years of community college | Mashable

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama wants publicly funded community college available to all Americans, a sweeping proposal that would make higher education as accessible as a high school diploma to boost weak U.S. wages and skills for the modern workforce.

The initiative’s price tag has yet to be revealed, and it faces a Republican Congress averse to big new spending programs. Obama was promoting the idea in a visit Friday to Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in a video message posted to Facebook Thursday evening.

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The secret handshake | Photographers Blog

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To watch a “challenge coin” being passed from one person to

another is to witness the equivalent of “the secret handshake.” Starting and ending as quickly as a bullet, the ritual is performed out in plain sight and almost always in the presence of others.

Most “civilians” remain clueless as to what they witnessed even though it happened right in front of them – seeing nothing more than a stone-faced soldier or Marine at attention quietly facing a commanding officer, politician, or at best a nation’s President, before reaching out firmly to shake hands.

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An afterword from one of our readers:

Peter,

My daughter was in Navy ROTC at Notre Dame and she received the Secretary of Defense coin from Bob Gates when he officiated at the Navy ROTC Graduation last year. Among other things, that coin guarantees she does not have to buy drinks in a navy bar. The person with the highest ranking challenge coin, does not buy drinks. The only higher coin than hers is the Commander in Chief and they are not given out very often. Nice story…..

Thanks,

Tom Kay,  General Manager,  Outdoor Elegance Patio Center