NASA invites students to help name the next Mars rover

Name the Mars 2020 Rover - Image by NASA

Since an impressive number of parents and educators read this blog, I wanted to share that K-12 students in public, private, and home schools across the United States are invited to enter the Mars 2020 Name the Rover essay contest. One grand prize winner will not only name the rover but be invited to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Name the Rover contest is part of NASA's efforts to engage students in the STEM enterprise behind Mars exploration and inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"This naming contest is a wonderful opportunity for our nation's youth to get involved with NASA's Moon to Mars missions," explained NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "It is an exciting way to engage with a rover that will likely serve as the first leg of a Mars Sample return campaign, collecting and caching core samples from the Martian surface for scientists here on Earth to study for the first time."

The Mars 2020 rover is a 2,300-pound robotic scientist that will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

"Our Mars 2020 rover has fully taken shape over the past several months, as the project team installed various components onto the chassis: the computer brain and electronics; wheels and mobility system; robotic arm; remote sensing mast; the seven science instruments; and finally, the sample caching system," added George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive. "All that's missing is a great name!"

To enter the contest, students must submit their proposed rover name and a short essay, no more than 150 words, explaining why their proposed name should be chosen. The essays will be divided into three groups, by grade level - K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 - and judged on the appropriateness, significance and originality of their proposed name, and the originality and quality of their essay, and/or finalist interview presentation. The deadline for all submissions is November 1.

52 semifinalists will be selected per group, each representing Michigan and the other states and territories. Three finalists then will be selected from each group to advance to the final round.

As part of the final selection process, the public will have an opportunity to vote online on the nine finalists in January 2020. NASA plans to announce the selected name on February 18, 2020, which is exactly one year before the rover will land on the surface of Mars.

For complete contest and prize details, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/.

Detroit Elections Department to host job fair for poll workers

Polling station - Photo by John Mousey/Pixaay

In an effort to recruit adequate staff for the upcoming 2020 primaries and presidential elections in Detroit, City Clerk Janice M. Winfrey will host a job fair tomorrow at the New Center Park, (2998 West Grand Blvd.) from noon – 4 p.m. The Department of Elections is looking to hire Election Clerical Assistants and Poll Workers for training and administering elections.

Election Clerical Assistants
Prospective Election Clerical Assistants are required to have a high school diploma or equivalent, six months of general office or clerical experience, knowledge of Microsoft Office and comprehend standard office work methods. Interested candidates must submit a resume for employment and be available Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. with some required weekends.

Poll Workers
Prospective poll workers are required to be at least 16 years of age. If a perspective poll worker is 18 years or older, they must be registered to vote in the State of Michigan. Training sessions are mandatory for employment.

Voter Registration Drive
During the job fair, the Elections staff also will register prospective voters. Those individuals are required to be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, a resident of the State of Michigan and a U.S. citizen.

For more information, please contact the City of Detroit Department of Elections Recruitment & Training Division at 313-876-0230 or 313-876-0231. Election Clerical Assistants recruits can bring their resumes to the job fair or submit them to ecajobs [at] detroitmi [dot] gov. Poll worker recruits may also register at www.vote4detroit.net/pollaccess.

Detroit police officer indicted for taking $15,000 in cash bribes from a drug trafficker

Crime scene photo - Stock image by Gerald Altman/Pixabay

Detroit Police Officer Michael Mosley, 47, of Detroit, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of bribery for taking $15,000 in cash bribes from a drug trafficker, according to a prepared statement by U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. He was joined in this announcement by Rainer S. Drolshagen, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the indictment, Officer Mosley is a nineteen year veteran of the Detroit Police Department.  In April 2019, Mosley was a member of the Police Department’s Major Violators Unit.  During an April 3, 2019 search of a drug trafficker’s residence pursuant to a search warrant, Detroit police officers, including Mosley, discovered two kilograms of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, and six firearms.  The drug trafficker then confessed to owning the three kilograms of drugs to Mosley, and the trafficker signed a confession.  Subsequent to the April 3 search, Mosley remained in contact with the drug trafficker in an effort to secure the trafficker’s cooperation concerning other criminal activity.

The indictment further alleges that, at a certain point, the drug trafficker offered Officer Mosley a cash bribe of $15,000 in exchange for not pursuing criminal charges based on the three kilogram drug seizure.  Officer Mosley agreed to the deal.  On May 2, 2019, Officer Mosley collected $10,000 in cash, which the drug dealer had left for Mosley in the backyard of an abandoned house in Detroit.  On May 23, Officer Mosley accepted another $5,000 in cash left for him at the abandoned house.  In exchange, Officer Mosley gave the trafficker the original copy of the drug trafficker’s signed confession. 

Each of the two bribery charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.   

“Although the vast majority of police officers in Michigan are fully dedicated to protecting the public, sometimes there is an infrequent example of an officer driven by corruption and greed,”explained Schneider.  “I am thankful to Detroit Chief of Police James Craig for his commitment to combating corruption, so that the rare example of bribery does not overshadow the outstanding work of so many other great police officers.”

“Officer Mosley allegedly engaged in conduct that betrayed the oath he took to faithfully serve the people of Detroit,” added Drolshagen. “His behavior should not take away from the outstanding work done each day by the vast majority of law enforcement professionals at the Detroit Police Department.”

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Gardey.

An indictment is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

15 best books about productivity

Summer is, unfortunately, coming to an end soon. With that, it's time for a summer reading list of mystery and romance novels to turn to more serious subject.

The folks at Alux.com published their picks for the 15 best books about productivity. I'm proud to share this with my readers as the Tip of the Week for August 19.

You will find a video from Alux about the 15 best books for productivity embeded above.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog as part of our semi-regular Tip of the Week feature. Please check back every Monday for more advice on your home, money, and life.

Also, be sure to follow the author, Frank Nemecek, on Twitter and Instagram as @fnemecek for more great information.

Poll: Return of the monthly meet-ups?

I launched a poll on the Facebook page for this group; inquiring about interest in a monthly meet-up. I used to do these events at Gracie See pizzeria until they closed. I keep thinking about bringing them back but would like to know if there's any interest in such a thing.

For those of you who do not have Facebook or - gasp! - are on Facebook but haven't liked the page for this blog, I have embedded this poll above. I would appreciate your response.

Warrendale video series returns

For better or worse, I am bringing my video series about the Warrendale neighborhood back.

After a chance encounter with some Warrendale residents this afternoon, I have decided to challenge myself to create a video about the neighborhood every day for the next 100 days. This is my first one. I wanted to get this out there to the public before I had a chance to change my mind.

I will have another video about the Warrendale neighborhood tomorrow. If there's anything that you would like to see me showcase in a video, please feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.

Detroit to host pathway to home ownership workshop

The City of Detroit will host a workshop next week to help people buy their first home. This will happen on Thursday, August 15 from 5:30 - 7:30 in the evening at the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center (19321 West Chicago).

This event, called Pathways to Homeownership, is co-sponsored by Huntington Bank.

There is no cost to attend this workshop and everyone looking to buy a home in the near future is welcome to attend. Regardless, guests are asked to RSVP by emailing FowlkesE [at] detroitmi [dot] gov.

L. Brooks Patterson dies at age 80

L. Brooks Patterson with Amalia Raczkowski - Creative Commons photo by ALS of Michigan/Flickr

The longtime County Executive for Oakland County, L. Brooks Patterson passed away earlier today according to published news reports. He was 80 years of age at the time of his passing and had been battling pancreatic cancer for several months.

I have long opposed many of the political stances that L. Brooks Patterson took during his many years in office. Regardless, I am saddened to learn of his passing. My prayers go out to his family that they may be comforted during this troubling time.

There can be no denying that L. Brooks Patterson left his mark on Michigan. His presence will continue to be felt across the Great Lakes State for generations to come.

According to an article published in The Detroit News, L. Brooks Patterson passed away peacefully at 5:30 this morning. He died at his home in Independence Township, surrounded by friends and family.

Rest in eternal peace, L. Brooks Patterson.