Every day, the Boston Globe brings new details on the bid—by the private group Boston 2024 Partnership—to bring the Olympics to Boston. The Boston Group beat out Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC for the bid, but public support for the bid is tepid at best.
Proponents say the games would boost the city's economy and really put it on the world's map (as if it weren't there already).
Detractors say that traffic would become impossible, that public transportation—especially in light of the recent system's poor performance this past winter—couldn't handle the crowds, and that, as with most Olympics games, expenses would mushroom out of control.
On the other hand, I'm afraid that the Olympics would bring out the worst of Boston, as exemplified by the selfish, shortsighted, greedy, small-minded, obtuse, unethical—and sometimes criminal—behavior of the people who in recent years have been "in charge" of bringing casinos and medical marijuana to the state.
In both cases, they've done an absolutely terrible job, earning the distrust of citizens across the state. It took three and a half years from voters' approval of casinos to the opening of the first casino (expected late this month in Plainridge), with uncountable instances of bad behavior along the way.
And it took more than two and a half years from voters' approval of medical marijuana to the opening of the first dispensary (located in Salem), but from what I can see, the dispensary has nothing to sell, and this is in large part due to the fact that public officials—following their own convictions rather than the will of the people—continue to put up roadblocks.
The most recent roadblock is a regulation imposed by the Department of Public Health stipulating that lead levels in cannabis flowers can be no greater than 212 parts per billion, a level that is nearly 14 times lower than what Connecticut allows and almost 50 times lower than what's permitted by Colorado. According to several testing labs, this level is so strict that no grower can achieve it. And it's only that high because the department assumes that patients will ingest an ounce of marijuana a day!
So, as much as I think having the Olympics in Boston would be great, I dread the prospect of living through the shenanigans (to put it mildly) of the people who would be in charge of any aspect of that enterprise. That includes public officials, who would be involved in construction, permitting, transportation and security, as well as private parties, who would be involved in construction, ticketing and more. As recent history has shown, when many people are confronted with opportunity, they think of themselves first.
The world is running out of chocolate!
That was the gist of the scary headlines last week, courtesy of writers who combined increased consumption in regions like China with fungus in Costa Rica and droughts in West Africa—conflated by the specter of Ebola (!)—to reach their calamitous conclusion.
But I'm not buying it (their argument—not chocolate).
I remember the great lime shortage scare of earlier this year.
And I remember the great banana shortage scare that preceded it.
Yet limes and bananas never disappeared from local store shelves.
Admittedly, lime prices rose for a while, but the talk about bananas (based on the fact the industry has standardized on one variety—monoculture) was just that, talk.
So I expect that I'll always be able to buy my beloved chocolate.
Because where free markets exist (not Russia, for example) markets adapt surprisingly quickly.
And I'm confident that chocolate markets are robust enough and global enough to adapt to the fluctuations of both supply and demand.
In fact, one peek at a chart of cocoa futures confirms it. There's no problem here!
This chart, which shows a distinct drop of 17% over the past month, may in fact augur a coming oversupply—or something else.
In any case, I don't see any cause for fear. Contrary opinion (or at least skepticism) proves once again to be the proper attitude to a scare story.
The New England Patriots-Denver Broncos game last Sunday, featuring Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, was not only the most-watched game of the season (it captured 32% of television viewers), it was also the third-highest regular-season game of the sixteen years that CBS has had the NFL franchise.
And the Patriots won, which meant people here in Salem were happy.
Short-term, I'm hoping the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl.
But long-term, I'm wondering if we're near the moment of peak popularity for football.
Contrary Opinion theory maintains that popular perception of anything peaks at the exact moment before it begins to decline—which is obvious when you think about it.
But popular perception at that point is so strong that most observers—many of them participants in the activity/fad/mania—have no idea that their object of enthusiasm can do anything but get more popular!
I see the effect of Contrary Opinion in the stock market regularly; it's easy to measure there because everything is measured in dollars and cents.
The best time to buy a stock is when it's cheap, when nobody wants it. And the best time to sell a stock is when it's expensive, and everybody loves it.
But you can see it in anything.
And in our preference of sporting events, too.
Back in 1940, baseball and boxing were the premier spectator sports in the U.S.
Today, most Americans can't name a single current boxer.
And as for baseball, World Series viewership peaked in 1978 and 1980 and it's been steamrolled by football.
The trend is clear in this chart.
Now, there are a variety of reasons to explain the declining popularity of both boxing and baseball.
Boxing fans can blame corruption, an excess of sanctioning bodies and the growing realization that getting hit in the head repeatedly is a bad thing, among others.
Baseball fans can cite the slow pace of the game in an accelerating world, an excess of teams, steroids and competition from football, which makes for better TV.
The reasons are complex and they don't really matter—at least to me.
What matters is that football is king today, but is extremely unlikely to stay king forever.
So what will bring football down?
Concussions top the list today. Already the NFL has agreed to pay $765 million to ex-players and the NCAA has created a $70 million fund to diagnose current and former athletes.
And parents in many districts are beginning to direct their children to sports with fewer head injuries.
Another factor is that football is big nowhere else in the world.
One wild card, in fact, might be the fact that people are increasingly "cutting the cord" to their television, just as they did to their landline telephone. If that leads to declining revenues, CBS won't be bidding as much to show NFL games in the future.
Watching it unfold will be interesting, whether the peak comes soon or years down the road.
And if you want to think like a true Contrary Opinion investor, you'll ask yourself what will be America's next big sport.
No More Bushes or Clintons!
Last week's news that Jeb Bush might run for President was the last straw. First Hillary and now Jeb? Do we have no imagination? Don't we care about quality anymore? Or do the people on the left and the right simply care more about fundraising and winning (which is easier with a recognizable name) than they do about finding the best person for the job?
Being President of the United States of America is the hardest job in the world, and it should be crystal clear to anyone involved in that process that a close relative of a former president is extremely unlikely to be one of the best candidates, given that there are 45 million Republicans to choose from and 68 million Democrats.
Granted, a large percentage of those people (including me) don't want the job, but still, there are thousands of smart capable people who are worth considering not only because they might be more capable than a "relative" but are also because they are free of the political baggage that Jeb and Hillary would bring to the job.
To be clear, by "political baggage" I mean pre-existing relationships that dictate how they will act, regardless of whether or not it is in the country's best interest.
I recently attended the 52nd annual Contrary Opinion Forum at the beautiful Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain in Vergennes, Vermont, a haven characterized at this time of year by colorful foliage, crisp fresh air and spotty cell phone reception.
The Contrary Opinion Forum, to put it simply, is a cozy gathering of investment professionals and individual investors (often retired) who hear speeches from leading economists and other investment luminaries and then share opinions over drinks and dinner—over two days.
It was my 26th attendance at the Forum in 28 years. When I began, I was one of the youngest attendees, and I viewed the snowy-haired gentlemen around me as fonts of wisdom to be tapped. Now, my hair is rapidly graying and I'm becoming one of the old-timers!
But I continue to enjoy the Forum, for the opinions, for the camaraderie, for the chance to reflect in a peaceful environment, and for the buttons. At every Forum, two buttons are distributed that typically convey some worth of investing wisdom—frequently based on contrary thinking.
You can see my whole collection of buttons here, along with my own explanations.
So what did I learn at the Forum this year?
Well, more and more, it's not about learning; it's about hearing opinions and incorporating them into my own. In investing, the only certainty is that things will change!
That said, there was quite a bit of love for gold at the Forum, and not much love for equities. And since then, he stock market has fallen apart, making these guys look pretty smart!
My favorite speaker was Walter Zimmerman of United/ICAP, who covered a lot of ground.
And that in the same period, the U.S. has evolved from a democracy into a Capitalistic Commercial state.
That because investors focus on dollars instead of the Golden Rule, Wall Street has a gigantic ethical blind spot. As a result, a lot of rich people are miserable.
That Reagan didn't beat the USSR with arms; instead Volcker bankrupted the country with high interest rates (and maybe we can repeat that success with a strong dollar and cheap energy).
And that stock buybacks, so common these days, are an easy way to boost a stock but that they actually do nothing to make a company better or build true value, and this is a troubling trend.
One minority position was voiced by Steve Leuthold of Leuthold Strategies in Minneapolis who's been coming to the Forum for years. He said that his biggest long-term investment is in rranium, which no one likes now (thanks to the Japanese nuclear power plant leak) but which he expects to soar as China begins building nuclear plants to solve its pollution problem.
That's the kind of long-term story I like to hear, especially if few other people are hearing the same story, so I'll be watching uranium (the biggest uranium stock is Cameco CCJ). Right now it looks terrible.
Lastly, I'm very happy to report that Basin Harbor Club—run by the Beach family for over a century—recently installed a Tesla charger, and I was the first to use it! The drive from Boston to Lake Champlain over two mountain ranges is one of my favorites, and it was even better in the Tesla!
Here in Massachusetts, solar energy is not yet a big deal. But it is a growing force, and in my recent explorations of how I might incorporate it into my own life, I ran into the Duck Curve. Why it's named that is obvious, as you can see by glancing at the chart below.
But what does the chart mean?
Reading from left to right, it shows the net electric load on the electric grid throughout a typical March 31 in California, from midnight to midnight.
As the sun rises in the morning, and more and more solar panels begin to generate electricity and reduce the load on the grid, net demand drops, until at about 1 PM, net demand is lowest. Then as the sun sets and people arrive home and turn on their appliances, air conditioners, etc, net demand quickly rises.
Projecting current trends, the established utilities, who use the duck curve to spread their message, project that the spread of solar power installations will lead to a deeper belly for the duck (as more and more electric power is supplied by non-grid power) and thus an increased ramp up (the neck of the duck). And it's the slope of that ramp up that utilities say could lead to big troubles, because the biggest, most efficient fossil fuel-burning plants can't ramp up capacity that fast.
One of their suggestions (those bright guys at the utilities) is to constrain solar generating power at peak times. But that just doesn't seem right. In fact, it seems plain wrong!
The answer, obviously (to me), is to find ways to store that energy generated during peak solar hours and then put it back into the grid a few hours later as demand grows.
Now, batteries are expensive today, but that doesn't mean they'll always be expensive.
In fact, there is one fast-growing supply of batteries right now, and as this supply grows, costs are guaranteed to come down. It's electric cars, and the biggest concentration of them is in California. So, if all those electric cars had the ability (charging stations installed at workplaces would help), those cars could absorb some of that solar production during the day and thus make the ramp up the duck's neck less steep in the evening.
Getting back to me, here in Massachusetts, I recently received a quote on installing solar panels on the roof of my house, and I'm going to go through with it, once I replace my asphalt shingles, which are nearing the end of their natural life. But as I was thinking through the possibilities, I realized that my Tesla Model S, which has a battery capable of storing 85 kWH of electricity could easily store all the power my rooftop array would generate during the day and then release it to my house at night—if my car were home during the day and if my car were engineered to put energy back into my house.
In other words, the parts to the solution to the (coming) problem are already on the way. And with the right incentives (rational pricing), I'm confident a solution will be found—provided that the utilities and their regulators allow such solutions.
So don't let the duck curve scare you. Solutions will appear and in the long run, we'll all benefit from the spread of cheaper, cleaner solar power.
Remember back in mid-2007, when the housing bubble was peaking, and the first inklings of trouble surfaced in the sub-prime mortgage industry? Few observers at the time imagined how far prices would fall. But as the dominoes tumbled, we soon learned that everything was tied to real estate values that had been propped up by loans that couldn't be paid.
And now that the real estate boom-and-bust cycle has run its course, I can say confidently that there won't be another real estate cycle of that magnitude in the U.S. until you're dead.
That's just human nature. Having lived through a catastrophe, we take great pains to avoid seeing it repeated. In the stock market, for example, there was the Crash of 1929, and it wasn't until 2000, 71 years later (one lifetime), that we had a similar crash.
Which brings me to the reason for this column.
As part of the Dodd-Frank law enacted in 2010 in the wake of the real estate crash, bank regulators were required to establish minimum standards for the regulation of the home appraisal companies.
They haven't done it yet—it's only been four years—but they're working on it.
The dream (my word for it) of these bureaucrats is that home appraisers in the future will somehow magically not appraise properties at higher values when people are willing to pay higher prices, and conversely, that they will somehow not appraise properties at lower values even when people no longer want to pay higher prices.
In other words, they want the appraisers to ignore the market.
The current proposal mandates that appraisal management companies use only state-licensed appraisers with "the requisite education, expertise and experience necessary" to complete appraisals competently.
Leaving aside the question of whether expertise is different from experience—or was just stuck in because they couldn't think of a third word (independence might be nice)—I have no doubt this effort will generate plenty of paperwork but will do little to change the real problem.
Because the real problem is too complex! In fact, all of the following were to blame!
The post-World War II housing boom sparked the start of the uptrend as supply struggled to meet demand.
The baby boomer generation continued it.
Bank deregulation in the 80s rewarded financial institutions for getting into more aggressive, more profitable, lines of business.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 eliminated the tax deduction on interest on credit cards, leaving home mortgages as the main deductible interest.
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 increased the capital gains exclusion for home sales, encouraging not only the construction of larger homes but also the financing of second homes and investment properties.
The government itself explicitly encouraged home ownership, in particular by requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide an increasing amount of their financing to low-income borrowers and by using the Community Reinvestment Act to steer money to low-income neighborhoods.
Historically low interest rates meant people were desperate for higher-yielding alternatives, and particularly in the wake of the 2000-2002 stock market crash, real estate looked like the only game in town.
The ultimate result of the long uptrend was the evolution of flipping—the practice of buying a home to sell it quickly for a profit—and eventually the feature of flipping as TV entertainment!
I feel sympathy for young couples that bought a starter home in that climate; it's not their fault that they matured at exactly the wrong time. But I have no sympathy for the "players" who were trying to make a quick buck in that environment. It's the same at the end of every long-term bull market.
And making new regulations for home appraisers won't change human nature.
I haven't been to Russia, North Korea or Cuba, so I have no first-hand knowledge of heavy-duty communism.
But I have been to China, Ukraine and Grenada, so I have some experience with communism-light.
It's a little island in the Caribbean, down toward Venezuela, with a flag that looks like this. I was there this winter for a very relaxing one-week vacation.
The country's chief business is agriculture, particularly spices like nutmeg, mace and vanilla. But what most folks remember about Grenada—dimly—is that the U.S. once invaded Grenada.
To simplify, back in 1983, the government of Grenada was leaning toward communism, abetted by Russia and Cuba, among others. But some people in Grenada were impatient with the country's leaders, thinking they should change faster. So there was a coup—in which the Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, was killed. This worried the leaders of the neighboring islands, so they asked for help, and Ronald Reagan obliged, sending in U.S. forces just six days later.
After a few days, the rebels were ousted, and less than two months later, all U.S. forces were withdrawn from the island.
The following year, the island's airport—whose expansion had been a factor in justifying the U.S. invasion—was completed, and unveiled by Fidel Castro. It was renamed for Maurice Bishop in 2009. And today, communism is nowhere in sight.
In fact, the government—which follows the British model (people drive on the left, too)—is rather conservative. People have seen the prosperity that tourism can bring, and today Grenada's GDP per capita is a substantial $12,000.
China I visited in 2007, when it was already well along in its transition from communism to something I might call capitalist socialism. Today it's even further along—buying more cars than the U.S., for example—and trends are very positive, economically. GDP per capita is $6,800 and climbing, not least because the Chinese are so industrious. But the country retains a very strong culture of imperialism, and there's no sense that its leaders are even considering the benefits that a truly democratic free society can bring.
Ukraine I visited in 2010, to attend a wedding that was absolutely marvelous. But fear of the government was high in the country because corruption was a fact of life. (A car we were riding in, for example, driven by the cousin of the bride, was stopped for no particular reason; policemen were just looking for bribes.) So today, as Ukraine works to break free from the grip of Russia, I sympathize, and I wish them well. Last year Ukraine's GDP per capita was just $3,800.
Russia, by contrast, has a GDP per capita of $14,600, in part because of its mineral wealth. But Russia is losing power, because it is not evolving.
Venezuela also has a relatively high GDP per capita of $11,527, thanks to oil.
Cuba, close to the U.S. geographically but oh so far politically, has a GDP per capita of $6,500.
And North Korea is particularly poor, with a GDP per capita of just $1,200.
Note: technically, Russia's government is a Federal semi-presidential constitutional republic, while Venezuela is a Federal presidential constitutional republic, Ukraine is a unitary semi-presidential republic and North Korea is technically a hereditary single-party state.
Whatever you call them, they are not countries that we envy, and they are not countries that attract immigrants.
China has a bright future because it has changed its government in recent decades, and Ukraine as well can prosper if it can get free of the grip of Russia. But change takes time, in part because changing the mindset of a country's populace takes time.
Football is already the biggest sport in the U.S. The National Football League (NFL) brought in roughly $9.5 billion in revenue in 2013, while Major league Baseball brought in $7 billion and the National Basketball Association brought in just $4 billion.
But the NFL wants to get even bigger. It has a goal of hitting $25 billion by 2027, the better to compete with consumer companies like Disney, Apple and Procter & Gamble.
Maybe it will get there, but I have my doubts, and here's why.
Long experience in the business of analyzing the trends of stocks and the businesses behind them has taught me this: the perception that an uptrend trend will continue is always greatest at the exact moment that the uptrend ends.
I saw it with Internet stocks in 1999.
I saw it with housing in 2007.
And now I think—even more, I hope—that we're seeing it with professional football.
I don't say this because I hate football. In fact, I watched every New England Patriots game this year, on TV. And I enjoyed them!
I say it because there are two big problems caused by the growing popularity of professional football, and I hope that growing awareness of them will soon end the sport's growth.
Problem one is the negative effect that professional football has on education in this country. As football has become an increasingly large profit center at the college level, it's compromised the work of schools as centers of education. As schools increasingly reward athletic prowess, particularly if it's in a "revenue sport" like football, they increasingly ignore the fact that many of those athletes are otherwise unsuited for college. (A CNN investigation revealed that between 7% and 18% of revenue sport athletes at most colleges are reading at an elementary school level—and some of them are functionally illiterate.) And the problem extends right down to the elementary school level, as time spent on school sports detracts from time spent on academics.
In Europe, contrarily, serious athletes at all levels participate in clubs after school and on weekends. Progress at school is solely dependent on academic achievement.
Yes, you can argue that sports build character, but when that character comes at the expense of academic instruction, the result is a generation of U.S. kids who lag their peers around the world academically. The fact that U.S. kids are behind is well established, even though the connection to the sports culture is not—yet. But if more and more people make the connection, that could put pressure on the sports business.
Problem two is far higher profile today. It's the problem of concussions caused by playing football. Simply put, getting hit in the head is bad for your mental health, and the more you get hit, the more likely you are to see your brain turn to mush. Remember Muhammad Ali?
Last year the NFL agreed to settle a suit by retired players for $765 million, but a judge rejected the settlement, saying the league hadn't satisfactorily proved that was enough to treat all the affected players.
And now the league has measures in place to gauge the severity of concussions, and to keep players off the field if a concussion is judged too severe. That's a start, but it doesn't address the real problem, which is that getting hit in the head is bad thing, and playing football involves getting hit in the head regularly.
Now, I know that from today's perspective, professional football seems to have a solid lock on its business. It's big and strong, and it plans to get even bigger and stronger. But remember what I said about trends. It's exactly at the moment of peak perception—when it appears that a trend will go forever—that the trend will actually end.
In the case of football, I hope it's soon, so we can stop hurting the brains of our athletes, and we can start getting more academics back into our schools. So, is this the end of football?
As I write, the Northeast is in the midst of its first big storm of 2014. It might be a blizzard—it might not. It doesn't matter. Blizzard is just a word.
What the snow represents to me is a chance to get out early tomorrow morning, before my neighbors turn on their noisy snowblowers, and enjoy the beauty of a world turned white, where lines trump color, and human energy—briefly—is trumped by the force of nature.
And what do I do when I'm out there? I shovel! Shoveling snow is good clean work, much more fun than shoveling dirt. And it leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. When I'm done, the driveway is clear, and the heaping snowbanks send a message of industry that no spewings from a snowblower can hope to match.
But most people don't share my joy!
The worry about losing electric power. They stock up on food and milk. And gasoline. And rock salt. They test their generators. And most of all, they tune in to the media, to get the latest prediction of how bad it will be.
Obviously, many people find some pleasure in the community aspect of this worry, this anticipation, this preparation. I understand that. But as a contrarian, I simply can't join them. To me, snow is still fun.


The Forum granary houses many shelves, each full of many artifacts. Mostly there are pottery jars, but this is also where they store plaster casts of the spaces left by bodies killed in the eruption.
This man was breathing through his cloak to try to clear the air. Unfortunately the volcanic air was full of toxic gasses as well as ash, so this was not enough to let him survive.
Secrets of Roman architecture revealed! They actually used legos. Very, very large legos.
Many arches in ancient Rome are triumphal arches, celebrating the military achievement of a triumph, a title typically granted to a general after winning a foreign war. However, all of the arches on the forum of Pompeii are honorific arches - not commemorating a triumph. This one is the Arch of Augustus, commemorating Rome's first emporer, who died just 60 years before Vesuvius buried Pompeii.
Pompeii had at least four bath complexes. The tepidarium of the Forum Baths would have been the first room a bather entered after the dressing room. The purpose of the niches in this room is not known, but they might have held scented oils or other bathing accessories. As the name implies, the room was kept warm but not hot.
Clay atlantes (figures of Atlas) demarcate the sides of the niches.
A large marble basin in the Forum baths. It was donated by a member of Pompeii's city council, but its purpose is not mentioned. It is not very deep, so presumably it was for washing up rather than sitting in.
One of Pompeii's best-known mosaics. There's an inscription at the bottom which reads cave canem (Latin for beware of the dog ), but it was covered in dust when we visited. The mosaic is inlaid in the entrance of the House of the Tragic Poet, named for a fresco which actually depicts Ademetus at the oracle (where the oracle said that he would die unless someone offered themselves to die in his place) but which the excavators, in 1824, thought was a scene of a poet reading to a small crowd.
A Pompeiian pistrinum, or bakery. The hourglass-shaped structures were flour mills, usually powered by oxen. Bread was baked daily and sold either at an adjoining shop or by traveling vendors.
Rosemary and pomegranite plants growing on the edge of town.
The road along the northern edge of the city.
Looking back through the city on the way out - I believe on the Via Stabiana, although it could've been one of the smaller roads nearby.
The southern edge of Pompeii is the necropolis - the city of the dead. Although at the time Pompeii was destroyed cremation was the norm, in previous centuries the dead had been buried. Burial inside city walls was forbidden, so there were often graveyards just outside of the cities. Wealthy families had mausoleums in areas like this. After about 200AD, burial again became common, including richly decorated sarcophogi.
Another structure in the necropolis. I'm not sure what this one was - a mausoleum or just the ruined remains of an elaborate funerary monument.


Shanghai SIPG were defeated 3-1 by Kashima Antlers in the first leg of their Asian Champions League round-of-16 clash on Wednesday, leaving them with a mountain to climb in front of their own fans next week.
Elkeson scored 14 minutes from time for the Chinese Super League leaders to give them some hope of advancing to the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year after the former Japanese champions exploited SIPG's defensive frailties.
Yuma Suzuki put Kashima in front two minutes before half-time when SIPG failed to clear a corner and, three minutes after the restart, a similar inability to show authority at the back resulted in Daigo Nishi adding a second.
Yu Hai's own goal, when his headed attempt to steer Koki Anzai's cross away from Suzuki only succeeded in beating goalkeeper Yan Junling, gave Kashima a three-goal lead before Elkeson gave his side hope in the 76th minute.
"It's difficult to accept this result. I'm very disappointed," SIPG coach Vitor Pereira said after the game. "We let them score too easily, but when we are back at home, I'm sure we can score twice and win the game.
"We had a good second half but we only scored once. We have to make sure we don't repeat the mistakes we made today so we can perform better and qualify."
Pereira said conceding the two goals was the result of playing to their opponents.
"I thought we were better in the second half because we played our own tactics at both ends," he said. "When we're back in Shanghai, we will need to be more tactically aware in attack and avoid mistakes in defence."
The two teams will meet again at Shanghai Stadium on Wednesday with Kashima knowing even a one-goal defeat will be good enough to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
Kashima have never won a knockout game in the Asian Champions League over two legs, with the club falling in the round of 16 on four occasions since it was introduced in 2009. They were eliminated last year on away goals by another Chinese side as Guangzhou Evergrande progressed.
Ulsan Hyundai, meanwhile, edged South Korean rivals Suwon Bluewings 1-0 after Kim In-Sung scored the only goal with 23 minutes remaining when he latched on to Mislav Orsic's through ball before clipping it home.


text:
Jonny Kim
Physician, Navy SEAL, NASA Astronaut & First Korean-American Headed to Space
Jonny Kim is a decorated United States Navy Reserve lieutenant, physician, and NASA astronaut. While still awaiting his flight assignment, Kim will become the first Korean-American to head to space.
Kim was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1984. Kim found his calling in the service of others. His desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves galvanized him to enlist in the Navy at age 18. He found his passion in medicine during his service as a Naval Special Warfare Medic in the Iraq War, where he was inspired by the skill and devotion of the physicians who saved his teammates' lives.
In 2012, Jonny received his commission and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics from the University of San Diego. In 2016, he received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and then completed medical internship at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Jonny's commitment to science and his desire to inspire future generations led him to apply to the NASA Astronaut Corps. In 2017, he was selected by NASA to join the next Astronaut Candidate Class as a Navy Lieutenant.
Kim reported for duty in August 2017 to begin two years of training as an astronaut candidate. Upon completion, Kim started technical duties in the astronaut office while he awaits a flight assignment.
Kim's military decorations include a Silver Star Medal, a Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V," a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V," a Special Operations Medical Association 2006 Naval Special Warfare Medic of the Year, 2012 Tillman Scholar and various other service awards.
Astronaut Jonny Kim Interview with Mark Baird, Whitworth University
Korean-American Jonny Kim graduates NASA's astronaut program
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Veteran Affairs, Veteran Navy, Space, NASA, Astronaut, Korean, Physician, Harvard, Healthcare, Diversity, Diversity Topics, Inspirational, Motivational, Military, Asian American Heritage, Overcoming Adversity, Teamwork & Teambuilding,
Jonny Kim is the first Korean-American astronaut - CNN
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Jonny Kim, 35, is the first Korean American to become a NASA astronaut, according to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Keep Updating New JSON in Android I have JSON that keep changing , I need in android to keep updating the changes , how i can do this ?
my Android code is
r = getImage();
JSONObject data = new JSONObject(r);
String a = data.getString("name");
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),a, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();//This prints the name

so in this code I have it onCreate so it will execute one time , where do I begin to make it update automatically ?

A: Use count down timer .. If you want to update it frequently.. for doing it in Background use AsyncTask

A: JSON is backdated, try GSON which is developed by google using JSON api.
It provides very good functionality so that this class is converted to string in json format and the other end the json string dematerialized and convert it to class format. So that it is very easy to handle. All json processing is done into GSON api.
Try this gson
Hope you can do it as your target.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre staff members fill water jugs at the Sylvia Grinnell River, just outside Iqaluit, in an undated handout photo. The group has been delivering water to homes and organizations that may not have their own transportation, after the city warned last week its tap water was contaminated with fuel. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Rachel Blais, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Group delivers water to people without cars after fuel contaminates pipes in Iqaluit
Tap water can still be used for bathing, showering, laundry and washing dishes
When staff at Iqaluit's Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre heard the news last week that water from the city's distribution pipes wasn't safe to drink because of fuel contamination, they knew some people weren't going to be able to get the precious liquid themselves.
The city set up two distribution sites where people could fill up jugs with potable water, and many were able to drive to the nearby Sylvia Grinnell River and collect it themselves to boil for drinking.
But Rachel Blais, executive director of the food centre, which runs a meal service and other community programs, said many people don't have vehicles. Others, she said, have kids or work multiple jobs and don't have time to get water.
"We know that we have a lot of community members who are experiencing homelessness, or don't have access to transportation, or have disabilities or mobility issues, people who are elders, people who have children at home, the list goes on," Blais said in a phone interview Sunday.
The Nunavut capital's 8,000 residents were told on Tuesday not to drink the tap water after complaints started flooding in that it smelled of fuel.
City officials later said testing revealed a high concentration of various fuel components in a tank that supplies the water. The city has isolated and bypassed the tank, and once it is emptied and flushed, the authorities will investigate where the contaminants came from.
Tap water can still be used for bathing, showering, laundry and washing dishes, according to the city.
Blais said the first thing her group did was post a message on Facebook asking if anyone needed help getting water. They got calls and emails immediately, and at first their staff and members of their pre-employment training program filled the need. They then applied for and received emergency funding from Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Community Food Centres Canada to hire a full-time driver.
That driver now fills water jugs at the city's distribution points, or goes to the river himself if the lines are too long, and brings them to homes in a cargo van. Deliveries are also made to other community groups like the local women's shelter.
The water that's needed isn't just for drinking. The city is also advising people not to cook with or clean food with tap water.
"We've got a lot of community members who have a lot of people in their households — a lot of children in their households — and they need a lot of water," Blais said.
Another challenge, she said, was that local stores ran out of water jugs right away. Some of the people who needed water delivered couldn't afford the jugs anyway, Blais added. So starting Monday, she said they'll be delivering water in large Rubbermaid totes.
The Nunavut government has also been flying in shipments of potable water. Agnico Eagle Mines delivered approximately 15,000 litres of water to Iqaluit on Friday and Saturday as well.
Nunavut's chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson said last week that there does not seem to be any health risks to Iqaluit residents who drank contaminated tap water, and that people may be able to start drinking it again in the middle of this week depending on more test results.
Patterson said the contamination didn't happen naturally, and could be from an old oil spill that's been released with thawing permafrost.
The city said its water-engineering consultants suspect that contaminants outside of the plant, that are located in the soil or groundwater, have entered the tank from the exterior.
Blais noted the water situation in Iqaluit is not unusual in many Canadian Indigenous communities, where boil-water advisories are the norm. Climate change and the city's growing population are other threats to water security, she said.
Iqaluit is very lucky to have the Sylvia Grinnell River so close, she said.
"If we didn't have access to that clean water source, I don't know what the situation would have been."
— Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press
RELATED: Nunavut declares emergency in Iqaluit, city receives first shipment of potable water
Drinking waterIqaluit
Virus specialist raised in Salmon Arm recommends more COVID rapid testing
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From the divinity of our ancestors, and their skilful design, we are blessed from them with the most spectacular designs crafted from their vision and their surroundings.
We present to you the most adorable designs of the ancient India crafted with modern craftsmanship.
Our finest craftsmen make these dazzling antique jewellery with ruby, emeralds and kundan with utmost care and love.
These designer piece antique jewellery will tempt you to own them for sure.
Come and explore the wide range of antique jewellery which are unique in itself and different from every piece you see.


text:
(266622) Málna, denumire internațională (266622) Malna, este un asteroid din centura principală de asteroizi.

Descriere
266622 Málna este un asteroid din centura principală de asteroizi. A fost descoperit pe  la Piszkesteto de Krisztián Sárneczky. Asteroidul prezintă o orbită caracterizată de o semiaxă mare de 3,24 ua, o excentricitate de 0,08 și o înclinație de 3,3° în raport cu ecliptica.

Vezi și
 Lista planetelor minore: 266001-267000
 Centura de asteroizi

Referințe

Obiecte astronomice descoperite în 2008
Centura de asteroizi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { Service175Service } from '../../services/service-175.service';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-comp-175',
  templateUrl: './comp-175.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./comp-175.component.css']
})
export class Comp175Component implements OnInit {

  constructor(private _service: Service175Service) { }

  ngOnInit() {
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Laki Tours offers a unique whale watching tour from Grundarfjordur on the boat Iris from 10th November till 31st March.
Nowhere else in Iceland is there a better chance to see the biggest whales of the ocean, than along the Snaefellsnes Peninsula coastline: Orcas, Sperm, Humpback, Minke and Plot whales plus dolphins and porpoises.
For the past years, the herring have chosen Grundarfjordur and Kolgrafafjordur as their port of call and right behind them are the killer whales.
This phenomenon provides a golden opportunity to see (and hear) the vast number of Orcas swimming in the fjord. It is possible to get right up close with the Laki Tours boat trip to watch the whales and hear them as they blow.
This trip is a perfect opportunity to take unique photographs of these massive mammals enjoying a feast of herring, day after day.


text:
Fifth Quarter: No. 2 Susquehanna Valley sharp as can be
Susquehanna Valley 62, Newark Valley 0 brought a display of soutstanding two-way execution by the winners.
Fifth Quarter: No. 2 Susquehanna Valley sharp as can be Susquehanna Valley 62, Newark Valley 0 brought a display of soutstanding two-way execution by the winners. Check out this story on pressconnects.com: https://www.pressconnects.com/story/sports/high-school/2018/10/08/fifth-quarter-2nd-ranked-sabers-sharp-can/1558522002/
Rob Centorani, Andrew Legare and Kevin Stevens, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin Published 2:19 p.m. ET Oct. 8, 2018 | Updated 3:30 p.m. ET Oct. 8, 2018
Sabers make their entrance for first time under the lights. Kevin Stevens, Press Connects
Susquehanna Valley's Sethan King (35) is tackled by Newark Valley's Raidyn Ford (25) during the first quarter of action during Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley football, October 5, 2018.(Photo: Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo)Buy Photo
Stunning would be an apt description of what transpired Friday night on Susquehanna Valley's new field. Not the winner, rather the 62-0 scoreboard reading favoring the hosts over Newark Valley, which:
Won the last two Section 4 Class C championships, going 23-1 those seasons with a 2016 state title.
Hadn't lost to a Section 4 opponent other than Chenango Forks since the 2014 season opener (Tioga, 25-12).
Had surrendered 57 points through five games.
Hadn't been shut out since 2011.
But Friday night, after the teams traded early turnovers, SV (6-0) had 35 first-half points to the Cardinals' four first downs.
Most noticeable was the speed with which SV defended.
"Our defense has created a lot of problems for people because we're awful quick," said Sabers coach Mike Ford. "They have some big kids on their line but I think our speed was able to chase kids down or swarm them, box them in, and back-side pursuit was getting to them.
"All year we've had a swarming defense. The last two games we'd allowed negative rushing. I'm not sure what it was tonight but defensively they've just been all over the place."
Newark Valley's 41 rushes went for 38 yards and the Cardinals (5-1) punted eight times.
"Everybody does their job individually and when we come together as a team it works out well," said senior linebacker Dan Matthews. "Everybody flows to the ball, gang-tackles. We don't ever want solo tackles."
SV came into the game ranked second in Class C to Newark Valley's fourth. The Cardinals played without rushing leader Caden Bennett (leg laceration) and lost No. 2 rusher Andrew Obregon (leg injury) in the second quarter. Newark Valley's best player, senior lineman Trentyn Rupert, remains short of 100-percent physically following an automobile accident the week of the season opener.
As for how the Cardinals will regroup?
"It'll be a challenge for us," said coach Ted Hardenstine. "I think we have a group of kids that have pretty good character. I know that they hold themselves to a high standard, I know this isn't what they want to show or want to say this is their quality of football. I expect they'll come in Monday ready to work and to learn. Our focus will be what it always is, what got us here, one week at a time looking at our next opponent."
Most in the know pegged Susquehanna Valley as the favorite to represent Section 4 in state playoffs in this, the program's first season in Class C.
Following Friday night's game, Ford was asked for his take on what the Sabers could accomplish.
"Whatever they want," coach said. "We've been healthy so far, which is always huge. This group knows what they can do and because of that they're busting their butts to not let anything get in the way.
"Over the summer the seven-on-seven was a good springboard to show, hey, we could play with everyone in the state. All offseason they got on each other to get to the weight room, we've got a new strength and conditioning coach working with them three days a week, they're all there.
"They're talking football all the time, talking about what they saw on film, they're starting to get together in small groups. I've really seen a team that is investing in this season more than I ever have before."
Section 4 football: Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley
Susquehanna Valley's Jarred Freije (9) scores a touchdown during the first quarter of action during Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley football, October 5, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
Susquehanna Valley's Sethan King (35) is tackled by Newark Valley's Raidyn Ford (25) during the first quarter of action during Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley football, October 5, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley football, October 5, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
Susquehanna Valley quarterback Jarred Freije (9) throws during the first quarter of action during Newark Valley at Susquehanna Valley football, October 5, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
No problem waiting to play SV
Waverly wrapped up the Division III title with its 30-14 victory against Dryden on Friday. The Wolverines (5-1) earned the top seed from that division for the Section 4 Class C semifinals. The big reward is Waverly likely won't have to face Susquehanna Valley until the sectional final if both teams get there. SV still has some work to do to clinch the top seed out of Division IV, but it would be a huge upset if the Sabers don't do so.
Waverly coach Jason Miller was well aware SV dismantled previously unbeaten Newark Valley, 62-0, at the same time his team was beating Dryden. He admitted he'd rather see SV later than sooner.
More: Gallery: Dryden at Waverly football
"I don't mean any disrespect to Newark Valley, but they're a juggernaut right now," Miller said of SV. "They're a team that would have competed in (Class) B against Maine-Endwell and Forks, and they're in C. It's really in my opinion, having seen a lot of the other sections, too, their state championship to lose. They haven't won the sectional title yet, but man they've got quite a team."
While saying that, Miller also acknowledged his team has to take care of business one week at a time, starting with a tough home Friday against Tioga.
Sus Valley 62, Newark Valley 0 (Photo: Kevin Stevens / Staff Photo)
Points in bunches
Windsor dealt Chenango Valley a fourth consecutive defeat, 42-36 Friday night on the Black Knights' turf. Zach Wolcott's 10 completions went for 265 yards and four touchdowns for the winners, with six players making receptions.
For Chenango Valley, Anthony Forbidussi rushed 25 times for 228 yards and two scores, and passed for 113 yards and a TD.
Forks rolls on
Chenango Forks scored the first 52 points in its 52-20 win Friday night over visiting Johnson City. The Blue Devils gained 590 yards — 13.4 per play — 22 first downs and forced seven JC punts.
Jeremiah Allen rushed for 212 yards on 13 carries and Lucas Scott 100 on four rushes for the top-ranked Blue Devils.
More choices, the better
On the way to Saturday's 35-0 victory over visiting Union-Endicott, Horseheads penetrated into Tigers territory on its first two possessions only to turn the ball over on downs each time. The home team's third possession was set in motion when Matthew Robert recovered a fumble at U-E's 35.
On the fifth play of a drive aided by a 15-yard penalty assessed the Tigers, Maurice Rankins Jr. carried around right end for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:59 to play in the opening quarter.
The next three Horseheads possessions went for second-quarter scores.
"That was huge," said Raiders coach Kevin Hillman. "They did a nice job kind of taking away the inside a little bit. We've been doing pretty well with Rylie (Loomis), getting some stuff inside and off-tackle and they kind of started taking that away. But we've got other weapons we feel can make plays as well and we just started using them.
"That was kind of what was happening a couple weeks before, people were taking stuff away and that opened things for Riley, so, hopefully offensively that's what we want. You try to take away one thing and we go to something else."
Freshman running back Loomis, who gained 425 rushing yards in his first two varsity games, was held to 37 on 13 carries by U-E. He did make a 47-yard reception for the final TD of a 28-0 first half.
More: HS Football: Horseheads good and getting better
Sloppy mess
It was a rare game on grass for U-E, and sloppy conditions made for less-than-ideal footing.
"It was terrible. I'm not going to lie, I think it was an advantage for us," Hillman said. "No doubt about it because you have a team that plays on turf all the time. We practice in this. Our practice field is under water, so we've just been going on open fields and playing in mud.
"Psychologically I think the kids are like, this is what we play in. I think it was a huge advantage for us."
Said Tigers coach Tommy Baleno: "You have to use your feet a little bit different, instead of using plant steps you've got to use some choppy steps. We talked about that, but then doing it is something different."
Key defensive stand
In the fourth quarter of Binghamton's 25-21 victory at Vestal on Friday night, the Patriots trailed, 21-18 when they drove to Vestal's 11.
Then Binghamton quarterback Zane Olmstead's pass was tipped and intercepted by Alex Thrasher and Vestal took over at its 2 with 5:20 remaining.
One play later, Matt Thrasher made an improbable 55-yard run. Thrasher started left, spun off a defender, turned toward Vestal's end zone as he reversed field and sprinted along the right sideline to the Patriots' 37.
Adam Mieczkowski gained 8 yards off the right side on the next play.
That's when Binghamton's defense stiffened. Ty Wooden and Jesse Ramil teamed to drop Matt Thrasher for a 2-yard loss, Wooden stopped Thrasher after a 1-yard gain on third down and Jayquan Smith tackled Mieczkowski 2 yards short of a first down.
The Patriots then drove 71 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Perfect execution
Olmstead has 10 touchdown passes over the last two weeks, including four against Vestal.
He threw a beauty to Colbie Young in the third quarter that gave the Patriots a 18-7 lead. With Matt Thrasher providing tight coverage, Young ran a fade to the left side. Olmstead put it up high and Young made a leaping catch.
"We work on that ball placement all the time," said Young, who caught five passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. "It was just him putting it in the right spot and me going to get it."
Olmstead has some diverse options to target.
The speedy Devon Herman caught six passes for 114 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown reception, and 6-foot-3, 180-pound Cequan Johnson contributed four catches for 41 yards, including a 13-yard scoring catch.
"We look at it as we should have one loss right now," coach Ramil said of his squad, which has two overtime losses this season. "I keep telling the kids, it's about us, it's about us – fixing what need to do."
Backup running back Autrale Johnson runs for a touchdown in a 64-7 victory over Ithaca on Oct. 6, 2018 at Ernie Davis Academy in Elmira. (Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)
Backups' time to make impression
While it's understandably tough on a coaching staff when you're on the losing end of a 64-7 score, like Ithaca was Saturday against Elmira, there can also be tough calls for the coaches on the winning side. In this case, Elmira elected to go to the backups for the final three quarters, with the score 36-0 after one quarter and Ithaca showing no signs of being able to stop the Express offense.
That approach rewarded both the Elmira backups and the Express coaches, who got a chance to see what those players could do in extended game action.
More: Elmira football team stays unbeaten with 64-point effort against Ithaca
Elmira, now 6-0, ended up having 15 players carry the ball Saturday while Ithaca only had a few more than that dressed for the game.
"We have 50 guys on our roster and each and every single one of them, they bust their butt during the week," Elmira coach Jimmy McCauley said. "When we get a chance to, we make sure everybody gets in there. They deserve it. They come to practice and they do exactly what we want them to do.
"Those kids, we tell them, 'This is the chance for you to get some plays on film and for you to prove that you need to be bumped up in the depth chart.' I'll tell you right now, I thought a few kids stuck out for us late. They're going to get some good looks this week."
Athlete Of The Week: Jack Coleman of Maine-Endwell, Alexis Hendrickson o...
Alexis Hendrickson, a senior volleyball standout at Windsor High School, recently established a program record for all-time digs. October 3, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
Jack Coleman, a junior soccer player at Maine-Endwell, during a game against Owego. October 3, 2018. Kate Collins, Kate Collins / Staff photo
More: H.S. Football: Binghamton holds off Vestal, 25-21


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Sarah Mowery Dentistry
Shannon P., DA, Radiographer began her career in the dental field in 2001 as a hygiene assistant for Dr. William Bricker, Inc. She grew in her career to become a dental assistant for Dr. Bricker, then later under Dr. Mowery she received her dental radiographer's license. Shannon is very skilled at patient comfort during their dental treatment.
When asked what her favorite part of working in the dental field is, she replied "I like everything about my job, but I really like being a part of giving patients the smile they want!"
Shannon lives in Haviland with her two children and husband. Her son graduated from her alma mater, Wayne Trace, in 2015. As a family they enjoy all kinds of outside sports activites like dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. On any given weekend you will find Shannon playing in the mud.
She cannot imagine life without being at Sarah Mowery Dentistry. Shannon has a quiet reserve that brings peace and tranquility to the treatment room.
Ashley A., Administrative Assistant/Insurance Specialist is a 2004 Northwest State graduate with an Associate of Applied Business Degree in Office Administrative Support. She joined the dental team shortly after graduation starting with Dr. William Bricker in 2004. In her tenure here, she has been front office staff, hygiene assistant, sterilization, and may more job titles.
More recently she has become Sarah Mowery Dentistry's Insurance Specialist and the friendly face you will see as you leave the office. Ashley will help get the most benefits out of your dental insurance. She is also the office Financial Specialist, so anything having to do with helping afford dental work will be handled by Ashley.
When asked, Ashley states that her favorite thing about working in the dental field is "seeing patients leave with a smile on their face!"
Prior to her dental experience, Ashley graduated from Hicksville High school in 2001. She lived and grew up in the small community of Hicksville until she married her husband Dave. They now live in Paulding with their three children who attend Paulding Middle and Elementary Schools.
Ashley's favorite hobby is watching her kids play sports! Fortunately for her, the kids keep her happy in that respect as they are always into some kind of sport. When you are in, be sure to ask Ashley about sports... especially college sports if you want to get a rivalary going as Ashley is the lone Michigan fan in the office!
Tyson "Ty" Mowery is a Purdue University graduate. His degree is in Computer Engineering. Ty is the office's part-time IT speacialist and Book-keeper. In his down-time he is a Stay-at-Home Dad for his and Dr. Mowery's children: Annabelle (Feb. 2011) and Lillian (Feb. 2014).
Ty is originally from Pendleton, In; which is a small suburb outside Indianapolis. He has easily grown accustom to small town living despite his stint working in Chicago, Il after college graduation.
His favorite thing about working in the Dental field is watching his wife excel as a dentist.
Tyson is grateful to this small community of Antwerp for taking in their family and business. Without the people of Antwerp, they could not survive!
Thank you All for your support!
Lisa K., DA, Radiographer entered the dental field six years ago when she was hired by Dr. Mowery to be an administrative assistant, then she morphed into a hygiene assistant, and now she is the sterilization assistant. She is a very hardworking individual who will do anything to make the day run more smoothly whether she is answering the phone, seating patients, or sterilizing, Lisa can do it all. Technically, Lisa's job is to be in charge of sterilizing all the instruments and treatment rooms through out the day. Because of her, our new dental facility always has a sparkle.
When asked what her favorite part of dentistry is, she replied "the patients!" That is something that is shown continually as a point of pride for Lisa. When she goes to the waiting room to get patients for their appointment, she always has a spring in her step and a smile on her face! Lisa loves the friendly environment that is around Sarah Mowery Dentistry whether it is the patients or the other staff members.
Lisa, like most of the rest of the staff, is from this small community herself. She has a son who graduated from Wayne Trace/Vantage in 2017, her alma mater. Nathan graduated as a member of the National Technology Society Center and is now a National Honor Society member at IPFW. Lisa went on after high school to receive her Business degree from the University of Northwestern Ohio. Her favorite activities include crafting, working out, hiking and spending time with her family.
Lisa is constantly on the go, so if you do not see her when you are in, she is probably running up and down the stairs to the basement for supplies!!
Alisha H., CDA is a 2011 graduate of Northwest Ohio Dental Assisting School, Toledo, OH where she passed the state test to earn her certificate as a Certified Dental Assis
Alisha is a 2010 graduate of Hicksville Schools. She grew up on a farm in the small community of Hicksville with her parents, two sisters, and a brother. Currently she enjoys spending time with her three nieces and nephew.
Alisha was originally hired by Sarah Mowery Dentistry as an Administrative Assistant, but her CDA allows her to do so much more. She has become an asset in the operatory assisting patients and staff in numerous ways. So whether she is making your temporary crown or helping the doctor place your restoration, Alisha can help. She is truly an asset to our dental team as she can do any task that is asked of her.
When asked, Alisha states, "I love working as a dental assistant because every day is different, whether it be the patients, the treatment that is being done, or the surprises that pop up along the way!" She states, "I also love working for Sarah Mowery Dentistry because of the great staff here including Dr. Mowery herself! Everyone comes in every day with a great attitude and is willing to be a team player by making everyone's day as smooth as possible!"
Alisha cannot imagine life without teeth and this small community!
Megan M., RDH is a 2012 graduate of Owens Community College in Perrysburg, Ohio where she received her Associate of Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene. She started her career as a dental hygienist in a Fort Wayne office. However, Megan is VERY excited to be in her hometown of Antwerp!
Megan is a 2010 graduate of Antwerp School. Since she grew up here, she is grateful to working here. The town of Antwerp has been good to Megan; she met her husband, Jared, here. They have made the decision to raise their family here in Antwerp! Their son Hudson was born in 2015 their daughter Lilah in February 2017 and they added another son, Cooper, in February 2020.
When asked what one of her favorite things about working in the dental field is, Megan said, "I love helping patients have a healthy smile and making a connection with patients."
As with the rest of the staff, Megan prefers her small town community.
Shelby O., Administrative Assistant is a 2012 graduate of Indiana University/Purdue Unisversity @ Fort Wayne with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Dental Lab Technologies. She started her career in Orthodontics in Angola, IN. Shelby is very excited to have moved closer to home to continue her career.
Shelby is a 2008 graduate of Hicksville High School. Hicksville is where she grew-up, so she is very excited to be working in Antwerp's small community where she will be close to home. Hicksville has been very good to her as this is where she met her husband Josh. They currently live there with their son Reid who was born in 2014, daughter Ellie Ana who was born April 2017, and son Brooks born February 2020.
Her favorite past time is spending time with her kids and husband. If she can, she will do this in the outdoors, but just watching them grow and learn make her feel content with her life.
When asked, Shelby states "I love dentistry! It allows me to help people have confidence about their smiles. I love watching them want to show off their smile!"
Rural life, and the community here in Antwerp, allow Shelby to get to know her patients on a personal level allowing her love of dentistry to shine through.
Maycee


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CT Blogger
My Left Nutmeg
Tale of Two States: CT Court Boosts Public Ed While Neighboring RI Slashes It
Home > Education Published May 22, 2014 - 4:30pm
Connecticut may not have a governor who supports fair and adequate funding of our public schools, but at least we have a State Supreme Court that is willing to step in to ensure Connecticut's children get the quality education that they need and deserve.
The citizens of Rhode Island – not so fortunate.
Connecticut's State Supreme Court determined that the state in fact does have a constitutional obligation to adequately fund Connecticut's public schools (seems self-evident, but a sad testament to how low our school system has sunk to know that it's not). The Supreme Court sent the case, called Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding [CCJEF] v. Rell, back to the trial court for a full hearing on what an adequate state funding formula would entail.
As Mayor of Stamford, Dan Malloy was one of the original plaintiffs behind this landmark lawsuit, a case that would lead to more state support for public schools and reduced pressure on local property taxpayers to pay those costs.
But after getting re-elected on a promise to support the case, Governor Dannel Malloy joined Attorney General George Jepsen in trying to have the lawsuit dismissed, in essence sweeping it under the rug.
The judge in the case would have none of it, calling for a full trial in the case against the State of Connecticut that will begin later this year.
Unfortunately for the children, parents, and teachers of neighboring Rhode Island, their state supreme court isn't willing to stand up and ensure the politicians there don't destroy their state's public education.
Diane Ravitch recently reported the news in an article entitled, "Rhode Island Supreme Court Rejects Equality of School Funding: Sorry, Kids!"
Diane Ravitch writes:
Almost sixty years to the day of the U.S. Supreme court's historic Brown decision, the Rhode Island Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit against the state's inequitable funding system. The court said it was "deeply concerned" and acknowledged that the funding disparities hurt poor urban children most, but passed the buck. "Not our problem," the court said.
Here is a summary from the Education Law Center.
RI SUPREME COURT IS "DEEPLY CONCERNED" BUT DENIES RELIEF TO SCHOOL CHILDREN
On May 3, 2014, the Rhode Island Supreme Court dismissed the fair school funding case, Woonsocket v. State. The Court concluded that conditions in the plaintiffs' schools "make a strong case" against the current funding system. Nonetheless, the justices denied plaintiffs the chance to present their evidence in a trial on the merits of the case.
The Court wrote, "We emphasize that we are deeply concerned by the conditions of the schools in Pawtucket and Woonsocket as alleged by plaintiffs, as well as by the alleged predicaments of those municipalities regarding their inabilities to allocate the funding required to meet state mandates. Installing a means of providing adequate educational opportunities to every child in the state is not only an admirable goal; it is 'perhaps the most important function of state and local governments.'" (quoting the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education)
In its written opinion, the Court summarized plaintiffs' allegations, which detail the state's adoption of higher and higher standards while failing to align funding to those standards. Insufficient resources mean students do not have the opportunity to reach the standards, plaintiffs assert. More recently, the state went so far as to cap local taxing authority so that municipalities attempting to make up for state shortfalls were not allowed to do so, plaintiffs add.
The Court also quoted plaintiffs' complaint with regard to the most recent funding formula adopted by the state in 2010, noting that the formula "fails to provide adequate resources to allow children, especially in poor, urban communities, to obtain a quality education [and] a reasonable opportunity to meet the [state's] academic standards." The Court summarized plaintiffs' description of the dire state of school facilities, books, and supplies, and the low test scores that flow from the state's allegedly inadequate funding.
The state defendants filed a motion to dismiss this case, and the Court explained that its decision on the motion depended on interpretation of the Rhode Island Constitution's Education Clause, which states that:
"The diffusion of knowledge, as well as of virtue among the people, being essential to the preservation of their rights and liberties, it shall be the duty of the general assembly to promote public schools, and to adopt all means which they may deem necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education."
Although earlier precedent held that the Rhode Island General Assembly has exclusive authority over school funding, plaintiffs argued that repeal of a particular clause in the state constitution rendered that precedent irrelevant for the Woonsocket case. Plaintiffs also claimed that changes since the earlier precedent meant the state had replaced local control with state mandates. However, after an analysis of the impact of that repeal and other changes, the Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly's broad discretion in how it complies with the Education Clause was not impaired.
The Court indicates that the political branches could solve the problem of school funding without a court order by improving the states' system. But the justices appear to ignore the General Assembly's history of allocating inadequate funding for schools in low-wealth communities.
Based on that history and the current ruling, it appears that meaningful relief and educational opportunity will come to the students in under-resourced Rhode Island communities only if and when voters amend and strengthen the state constitution's education clause. Only then will future plaintiffs with similar claims finally be granted their day in court. Some education advocates are proposing such an amendment.
More about the case via the Education Law Center at: http://www.edlawcenter.org and http://www.educationjustice.org
Go to CT State Page
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Apple launched a new and improved privacy page today, this time with a focus on making the information offered more accessible for the average consumer, akin to the design of its product pages.
The Cupertino giant's stance on the privacy and security of personal data has grown increasingly vehement over the past three years, particularly after the hacking of several celebrity iCloud accounts back in 2014 as well as the company's run in with authorities over the San Bernardino case, which ended in Apple cementing its place as a leading advocate of data privacy as a fundamental human right.
The company has since then been progressively reducing the secrecy in which it shrouds its security systems and data collection practices, branding each measure and sharing it with consumers in a manner similar to its major product announcements. This revision of its privacy page doubles down on the same approach, serving as a promo of Apple's security products.
Although it might earn Apple a nice pat on the back from security aficionados, the new privacy page is still unlikely to attract the attention of the average user. The modern user might be relatively more privacy conscious or use security as an argument in favor of choosing a particular brand of device, but most would shy away from going through several paragraphs of text to understand the systems involved.
Apart from the revised privacy page, Apple has released a white paper and knowledge base article covering Face ID security in detail. New information reveals that Face ID and Touch ID are nearly identical in the way the two secure authentication data, and that any existing apps employing Touch ID won't need to be updated for compatibility with Face ID as the call for authentication remains the same.
The documents also delve into how Face ID in iPhone X handles changes in your facial features over time, smartly adding data to your identity when it detects changes within a certain threshold based on quality of the captured data, whether or not authentication was successful, and if not, whether or not a passcode was entered thereafter.
If Face ID fails to recognize you, but the match quality is higher than a certain threshold and you immediately follow the failure by entering your passcode, Face ID takes another capture and augments its enrolled Face ID data with the newly calculated mathematical representation.
You can check out Apple's new privacy page at apple.com/privacy, and as for Face ID white paper and knowledge base article, check out source links below.


text:
Time : 11:16 am
Liberia opposition vow to go ahead with June protest
Face of Malawi > Africa > Liberia opposition vow to go ahead with June protest
Africa, Featured, Politics
Opponents of Liberian President George Weah in a meeting of the council of patriot, on Tuesday maintained their stands to demonstrate on June 7 despite a call for dialogue launched by the head of state.
The call is to demand that President Weah "resign or find a solution to the appalling economic situation of the country, affecting most of the populace.
"On June 7, we will present our demands to you," added Mr. Dillon, who was speaking at a meeting, requested by George Weah, in the presence of representatives of ECOWAS, the United Nations and religious leaders, who made calls for "peace and dialogue".
Liberian politicians have been accused of trying to create tensions around this demonstration between the "American-Liberian" elite, descendants of freed slaves who have dominated Liberian political life for 170 years, and the "indigenous", including George Weah.
"I thought the Patriot Front would express its concerns today, but they say they will do so on the day of the demonstration. This is their right, but for me, these demands could have been put on the table during this dialogue rather than during a street demonstration," replied George Weah.
The former football star promised to "protect those who demonstrate and those who do not" and that he would "do everything possible" to avoid a return to the violence of the past. Many personalities directly involved in the civil war still hold important positions in the spheres of political and economic power.
When questioned by the press, Darius Dillon rejected any intention to "disrupt the peace" and explained that a dialogue would "perhaps" be possible if an audit on the conduct in 2018 of a controversial monetary operation to inject US$25 million into the economy were published. On May 7, George Weah said that the report would be made public "soon".
The international community is concerned about the risk of violence during this major demonstration, the largest since George Weah came to power in January 2018. This West African country remains haunted by a civil war (1989-2003) that left some 250,000 people dead.
Source : Africanews
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Tag: President Weah
Author: Misso Chitsamba
Journalist, Writer and Online Media Mogul, For more Info: info@faceofmalawi.com
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Emily Danby is a translator of literary and media Arabic with a particular interest in women's writing and the literature of the Levant. After graduating from Oxford University, Emily became an apprentice on the British Centre for Literary Translation mentorship scheme. Her published works include a translation of Samar Yazbek's Cinnamon along with pieces for the BBC, the Guardian, Saqi and Arabia Books.