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Asian shares rise after 'relief rally' on Wall Street
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed more than 800 points and the S&P 500 had its best day in more than two years Tuesday as the market clawed back more of the ground it lost in a miserable several weeks on Wall Street.
The S&P 500 rose 3.1%, its best day since May 2020, as all but six of the stocks in the index notched gains. The benchmark index has been rallying since hitting its lowest point of the year on Friday to close out a September slump.
Twitter surged 22.2% after Elon Musk said he would go ahead with his $44 billion acquisition of the social media company, abandoning months of efforts to get out of the deal.
The Dow rose 2.8% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 3.3%. Small company stocks also made solid gains, lifting the Russell 2000 3.9% higher. European and Asian markets also rose broadly.
The two-day rally hit markets as investors look for signs that central banks might ease up on their aggressive rate hikes aimed at taming the hottest inflation in four decades. Australia's central bank made an interest rate hike that was smaller than previous ones and that helped Australia's market jump 3.8%.
In the U.S., a government report on job openings showed the number of available jobs in the U.S. plummeted in August compared with July. It's a sign that businesses may pull back further on hiring and potentially cool chronically high inflation, which could allow the Federal Reserve to slow the pace of rate increases.
Analysts sought to downplay the early October rally, which followed a decline of more than 9% last month. The major indexes remain in a bear market after falling 20% or more from their most recent record highs.
"Wild moves like these can be hard to digest, but they aren't surprising," said Lindsey Bell, chief markets and money strategist at Ally. "It is natural for some of the biggest up days in the market to cluster around the biggest down days."
John Lynch, chief investment officer for Comerica Wealth Management, said the optimism could be misguided as inflation remains stubbornly hot.
"Investors should be worried about false positives," he said. "Be wary of the history of bear market rallies, they can be very seductive."
Major indexes could be in store for more declines ahead, Lynch said, as more economic data and the next round of earnings reports paints a clearer picture of how inflation continues to impact business operations and consumer spending.
The S&P 500 rose 112.50 points to 3,790.93, while the Dow gained 825.43 points to close at 30,316.32. The Nasdaq rose 360.97 points to 11,176.41 and the Russell 2000 added 66.90 points at 1,775.77.
Treasury yields continued to pull back from their multiyear highs, which has helped relieve some of the pressure on stocks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which helps set rates for mortgages and many other kinds of loans, slipped to 3.64% from 3.65% late Monday. It got as high as 4% last week after starting the year at just 1.51%.
The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely tracks expectations for Federal Reserve action, fell to 4.10% from 4.12% late Monday.
The market was mostly quiet with company news ahead of the next round of corporate earnings.
Cruise line operators were among the biggest gainers in the S&P 500. Norwegian Cruise Line jumped 16.8%, Royal Caribbean surged 16.7% and Carnival gained 13.3%.
Investors are watching closely as central banks raise interest rates to make borrowing more difficult and slow economic growth to try to tame inflation. Investors are hoping that they will eventually ease off their aggressive rate hikes and the move by Australia's central bank is a hopeful sign for some.
Wall Street is worried that the rate hikes, especially the increases from the Fed, could go too far in slowing growth and send economies into a recession. The Fed has already pushed its key overnight interest rate to a range of 3% to 3.25%, up from virtually zero as recently as March.
Economic growth is already slowing globally and the U.S. economy contracted during the first two quarters of the year, which is considered an informal signal of a recession. The economy still has several strong pockets, including employment.
Wall Street will get a more detailed look at the employment situation in the U.S. this week, with a report on hiring by private companies due out Wednesday, the latest tally of weekly applications for unemployment benefits on Thursday and the government's monthly jobs report for September on Friday.
If those reports point to a still strong job market, that could trigger a bond market sell-off, which would weigh on stocks, said Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors.
"All those could hit the stock market because right now the bond market is really driving the stock market," he said.
Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
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Judge: ITG is liable for Florida tobacco settlement payments
DOVER, Del. — Cigarette manufacturer ITG Brands assumed liability for tobacco settlement payments to the state of Florida when it acquired four brands from Reynolds American in 2015, a Delaware judge has ruled.
Vice Chancellor Lori Will ruled Friday that, as a result, ITG must compensate Reynolds American for losses due, granting summary judgment in favor of Reynolds.
Reynolds sold the Kool, Winston, Salem and Maverick brands to ITG in 2014 to gain federal regulators' approval of its acquisition of Lorillard Inc.
Before the sale closed, Reynolds American affiliate R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. was making payments under a preexisting settlement agreement with Florida for reimbursement of smoking-related health care costs. After closing, Reynolds stopped making payments for the four brands it no longer owned.
The asset purchase agreement required ITG to use reasonable best efforts to join the Florida settlement and make annual payments to Florida for sales of the brands it acquired from Reynolds. ITG has yet to join the settlement agreement with Florida or make any payments.
Florida sued Reynolds and ITG and obtained a judgment requiring Reynolds to continue making payments based on ITG's brands, unless and until ITG joined the Florida settlement agreement.
"That judgment on Reynolds amounts to over $170 million to date and tens of millions of dollars more each year into perpetuity," Will noted. The "unambiguous terms" of the asset purchase agreement support Reynold's arguments that ITG agreed to assume the liability imposed by the Florida judgment and must indemnify Reynolds, she concluded.
The ruling comes in a long-running legal battle between Reynolds and ITG, both based in North Carolina. In 2017, a different Court of Chancery judge concluded that ITG's obligation to use its best efforts to try to reach a tobacco settlement agreement with Florida did not end when the sale closed.
Last year, Reynolds asked ITG to compensate Reynolds Tobacco for what it had paid and will pay due to the Florida judgment, but ITG refused. In subsequent litigation, ITG argued unsuccessfully that it had fulfilled its reasonable best efforts obligation and was not required to indemnify Reynolds for the payment liability to Florida.
Last year, in the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the state of Minnesota, ITG agreed that it had assumed obligations under that state's tobacco settlement agreement to make payments for sales of the four brands it acquired from Reynolds. ITG agreed to make payments to Minnesota for 2021 and all future years, while payment liabilities for the period from 2015 to 2020 were split between ITG and Reynolds.
American Airlines CEO defends JetBlue deal to federal judge
The CEO of American Airlines said Monday that his airline needed a partnership with JetBlue because Delta Air Lines had bulked up through a merger sooner than American, had more takeoff and landing rights at New York airports, and fewer unionized workers.
Robert Isom also conceded that Delta has "run a nice, reliable airline" and enjoys some cost advantages over American.
The Justice Department and six states are suing American and JetBlue in federal court over their regional partnership in the Northeast, which government lawyers call a de facto merger. Isom defended the arrangement, which has been in effect for well over a year, as JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes did last week during a trial in federal court in Boston.
Hayes, however, once had misgivings about the deal — called the Northeast alliance, or NEA — because of American's size advantage over JetBlue.
"I think NEA is dead as Robin isn't supportive," former JetBlue executive Scott Laurence texted a consultant in January 2021.
Laurence — who later jumped to American after a one-month gig at Delta — testified that Hayes worried American "had nearly unlimited resources" to tilt the alliance to its favor. Despite Hayes' concerns, American and JetBlue announced their deal six months after Laurence's text message.
The Justice Department is trying to convince U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin to kill the partnership, under which American and JetBlue work together to set schedules and share revenue, although they are not allowed to collaborate on prices. Government lawyers argue that the deal limits competition and will push fares higher.
American and JetBlue say the government has no evidence that the deal is hurting consumers. To the contrary, they say it will help travelers by creating a stronger competitor to Delta and United in New York and Boston.
American and JetBlue say they were unable to grow in New York on their own because they couldn't get enough new takeoff and landing times — called slots — at congested airports. JetBlue resorted to unusual tactics including red-eye flights, and it tried to get slots from other airlines.
"How did that go?" JetBlue lawyer Richard Schwed asked Laurence.
"It went poorly," the executive replied. "I don't think our competitors were interested in seeing us gain more access."
The trial is expected to last about another week, but it could be weeks or months later until Sorokin issues his ruling — there is no jury.
Buffett's successor buys nearly $70M of Berkshire stock
OMAHA, Neb. — Billionaire Warren Buffett's successor bought nearly $70 million worth of stock in the conglomerate he is slated to one day lead.
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Greg Abel on Monday disclosed buying 168 Class A shares in the company in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The purchases made last Thursday at prices between $405,800 and $408,514.01 per share will give Abel a small stake of 173 Class A shares in the Omaha, Nebraska-based company's future.
His holdings pale in comparison to Buffett's Berkshire investment. The legendary investor, who has been Berkshire's Chairman and CEO for decades, holds 229,016 A shares and 276 B shares to give him control of more than 30% of Berkshire's voting stock. He has been gradually giving his shares away to five foundations, with most of his donations going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Abel already oversees all of Berkshire's noninsurance businesses, and Buffett has said that he will one day take over as CEO as part of the company's succession plan. But the 92-year-old Buffett says he has no plans to retire.
Investors will no doubt be encouraged to see Abel buying some Berkshire shares, but this summer he sold back to the company for $870 million his stake in Berkshire's Iowa-based utility division that he used to lead. So even after these recent purchases of Berkshire stock, he has a significantly smaller investment in Berkshire that he used to.
Edward Jones analyst Jim Shanahan said he's glad to see Abel investing in Berkshire shares because it "demonstrates his alignment with shareholders." But he said it's a relatively small investment given Abel's wealth and compared to his previous stake in Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
Berkshire owns more than 90 different companies including BNSF railroad, Geico insurance, several major utilities and an assortment of manufacturing and retail companies that includes Dairy Queen, See's Candy, Helzberg Diamonds and Precision Castparts. Besides the companies it owns outright, Berkshire also has a sizeable investment portfolio with major stakes in iconic companies such as Apple, Coca-Cola, Bank of America and American Express.
Fraud, scam cases increasing on Zelle, Senate report finds
NEW YORK — Incidents of fraud and scams are occurring more often on the popular peer-to-peer payment service Zelle, according to a report issued Monday by the office of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, giving the public its first glimpse into the growing problems at Zelle.
The report also found that the large banks that partly own Zelle have been reluctant to compensate customers who have been victims of fraud or scams. For instance, less than half of the money customers reported being sent via Zelle without authorization was being reimbursed.
Warren, D-Massachusetts, a long-time critic of the big banks, requested data on fraud and scams on Zelle from seven banks starting in April. The report cites data from four banks that tallied 192,878 cases worth collectively $213.8 million in 2021 and the first half of 2022 where a customer claimed they had been fraudulently tricked into making a payment. In only roughly 3,500 cases did those banks reimburse the customer, the report found.
Further, in the cases where it's clear funds had been taken out of customers' accounts without authorization, only 47% of those dollars were ever reimbursed.
Since being launched in June 2017, Zelle has become a popular way for bank customers to send money to friends and family. Almost $500 billion in funds were sent via Zelle in 2021, according to Early Warning Services, the company that operates Zelle.
Zelle is the banking industry's answer to the growing popularity of peer-to-peer payment services like PayPal, Venmo and the Cash App. The service allows a bank customer to instantaneously send money to a person via their email or phone number, and it will go from one bank account to another. More than 1,700 banks and credit unions offer the service. But the service has also grown more popular with scammers and criminals. Once money is sent via Zelle, it requires a bank's intervention to attempt to get that money back.
The cases of growing fraud and scams at Zelle have been highlighted in previous news reports, including two by The New York Times. But those stories cited mostly anecdotal evidence. Early Warning Services has previously said that 99.9% of all transactions happen without complaints of fraud or scams. A group of Democratic senators asked for usage data on Zelle after the reports in The New York Times.
Banks are required under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to repay customers when funds are illegally taken out of their account without authorization. Banks have argued that in cases of fraud — meaning a customer's account becomes compromised somehow and they send an unauthorized payment — they do reimburse customers. Banks are more reluctant to reimburse customers who claim to have been scammed, arguing that customers would make such claims more often and it would be hard to tell whether the customer is telling the truth.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has also been looking into Zelle and other payment platforms, and is expected to issue regulations that could require banks to reimburse customers for a wider array of scams and fraud.
The banking industry, aware of Washington's increased scrutiny of Zelle, has been on a campaign to show Zelle is a safe way to send money. The industry typically likes to point out that fraud and scam claims occur more often on the non-bank payment platforms like Venmo or the Cash App.
"That doesn't mean that Zelle, just like every other instant (peer-to-peer) payment service, is entirely free from those who seek to defraud the American consumer," four banking industry lobby groups said in a joint statement. "Banks know this and take steps to mitigate instances of fraud and criminal activity."
The data for individual banks shows the increase in fraud and scams. PNC Bank had 8,848 cases on Zelle in 2020, and is on pace to have roughly 12,300 cases this year. US Bank had 14,886 cases in 2020 and had 27,702 cases in 2021. Truist had 9,455 cases of fraud and scams on Zelle in 2020, which ballooned to 22,045 last year.
In response to Warren's report, Zelle's owner said the increased cases reflected the fact the service has become more popular.
"Zelle usage has grown significantly since its launch, from 247 million transactions in 2017 to 1.8 billion in 2021, while the proportion of fraud and scams has steadily decreased," Early Warning Services said in a statement.
Warren made fireworks at a congressional hearing last month involving most of the CEOs of the big Wall Street banks that use and partly own Zelle, where she pushed each of the CEOs to release fraud and scam incident data at their banks. The seven are: JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC Financial, Truist, Bank of America, Capital One and U.S. Bank.
The hearing featured an exchange where Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, apologized to Warren for not getting her the data she requested and promised she would have it at the end of that day.
Warren's office says ultimately JPMorgan's data on Zelle did not provide the information they were looking for, so data from JPMorgan is not included in the report.JPMorgan did not return a request for comment.
Wells Fargo and Capitol one were also not included in the report. Wells said it sent its data to Warren's office on Sept. 28, a week after the congressional hearing.
This story has been updated to correct the name of the company operating Zelle. It is Early Warning Services, not Early Warning Systems.
Brazil election authority: Bolsonaro, Lula headed to runoff
RIO DE JANEIRO — Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the leftist Workers' Party got the most votes in Brazil's presidential election Sunday, but not enough to avoid a runoff vote against his far-right rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
With 97% of the votes tallied, da Silva had 47.9% support and Bolsonaro 43.6%. Since neither candidate received more than 50% of the valid votes, which exclude spoiled and blank ballots, a second round vote between them will be scheduled for Oct. 30.
Brazil's election authority announced late Sunday that a second round was a mathematical certainty.
The highly polarized election will determine whether the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world's fourth-largest democracy or keeps the far-right leader in office for another four years.
Bolsonaro's administration has been marked by incendiary speech, his testing of democratic institutions, his widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years. But he has built a devoted base by defending conservative values and presenting himself as protecting the nation from leftist policies that he says infringe on personal liberties and produce economic turmoil.
Da Silva is credited with building an extensive social welfare program during his 2003-2010 tenure that helped lift tens of millions into the middle class. He is also remembered for his administration's involvement in vast corruption scandals and his own convictions, which were later annulled by the Supreme Court.
THIS IS BREAKING NEWS: Previous version of story is below:
Brazil's top two presidential candidates were neck-and-neck late Sunday in a highly polarized election that could determine if the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world's fourth-largest democracy or keeps the far-right incumbent in office for another four years.
The race pits incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro against his political nemesis, leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. There are nine other candidates, but their support pales to that for Bolsonaro and da Silva.
With 91.6% of votes counted, da Silva had 47.3%, ahead of Bolsonaro with 44.2%, according to the electoral authority.
It appears increasingly likely neither of the top two candidates will receive more than 50% of the valid votes, which exclude spoiled and blank ballots, which would mean a second round vote will be scheduled for Oct. 30.
"We will most likely have a second round," said Nara Pavão, who teaches political science at the Federal University of Pernambuco. "The probability of ending the election now (in the first round) is too small."
Recent opinion polls had given da Silva a commanding lead — the last Datafolha survey published Saturday found a 50% to 36% advantage for da Silva among those who intended to vote. It interviewed 12,800 people, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
The election wound up being far tighter than anticipated, both in the presidential contest and those for governorships and congressional seats.
"The far-right has shown great resilience in the presidential and in the state races," said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo.
"It is too soon to go too deep, but this election shows Bolsonaro's victory in 2018 was not a hiccup," he added.
Bolsonaro outperformed in Brazil's southeast region, which includes populous Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states, according to Rafael Cortez, who oversees political risk at consultancy Tendencias Consultoria.
"The polls didn't capture that growth," Cortez said.
Bolsonaro's administration has been marked by incendiary speech, his testing of democratic institutions, his widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years.
But he has built a devoted base by defending conservative values, rebuffing political correctness and presenting himself as protecting the nation from leftist policies that he says infringe on personal liberties and produce economic turmoil.
While voting earlier Sunday, Marley Melo, a 53-year-old trader in capital Brasilia, sported the yellow of the Brazilian flag, which Bolsonaro and his supporters have coopted for demonstrations. Melo said he is once again voting for Bolsonaro, who met his expectations, and he doesn't believe the surveys that show him trailing.
"Polls can be manipulated. They all belong to companies with interests," he said.
A slow economic recovery has yet to reach the poor, with 33 million Brazilians going hungry despite higher welfare payments. Like several of its Latin American neighbors coping with high inflation and a vast number of people excluded from formal employment, Brazil is considering a shift to the political left.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the reliability not just of opinion polls, but also of Brazil's electronic voting machines. Analysts fear he has laid the groundwork to reject results.
At one point, Bolsonaro claimed to possess evidence of fraud, but never presented any, even after the electoral authority set a deadline to do so. He said as recently as Sept. 18 that if he doesn't win in the first round, something must be "abnormal."
Da Silva, 76, was once a metalworker who rose from poverty to the presidency and is credited with building an extensive social welfare program during his 2003-2010 tenure that helped lift tens of millions into the middle class.
But he is also remembered for his administration's involvement in vast corruption scandals that entangled politicians and business executives.
Da Silva's own convictions for corruption and money laundering led to 19 months imprisonment, sidelining him from the 2018 presidential race that polls indicated he had been leading against Bolsonaro. The Supreme Court later annulled da Silva's convictions on grounds that the judge was biased and colluded with prosecutors.
Social worker Nadja Oliveira, 59, said she voted for da Silva and even attended his rallies, but since 2018 votes for Bolsonaro.
"Unfortunately the Workers' Party disappointed us. It promised to be different," she said in Brasilia.
Others, like Marialva Pereira, are more forgiving. She said she would vote for the former president for the first time since 2002.
"I didn't like the scandals in his first administration, never voted for the Workers' Party again. Now I will, because I think he was unjustly jailed and because Bolsonaro is such a bad president that it makes everyone else look better," said Pereira, 47.
Speaking after casting his ballot in Sao Bernardo do Campo, the manufacturing hub in Sao Paulo state where he was a union leader, da Silva recalled that four years ago he was imprisoned and unable to vote.
Bolsonaro grew up in a lower-middle-class family before joining the army. He turned to politics after being forced out of the military for openly pushing to raise servicemen's pay. During his seven terms as a fringe lawmaker in Congress' lower house, he regularly expressed nostalgia for the country's two-decade military dictatorship.
His overtures to the armed forces have raised concern that his possible rejection of election results could be backed by top brass.
On Saturday, Bolsonaro shared social media posts by right-leaning foreign politicians, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, who called on Brazilians to vote for him. Israel's former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude for stronger bilateral relations and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also praised him.
After voting Sunday morning, Bolsonaro told journalists that "clean elections must be respected" and that the first round would be decisive. Asked if he would respect results, he gave a thumbs up and walked away.
Leda Wasem, 68, had no doubt Bolsonaro will not just be reelected. Wearing a jersey of the national soccer squad at a polling place in downtown Curitiba, the real estate agent said an eventual da Silva victory could have only one explanation: fraud.
"I wouldn't believe it. Where I work, where I go every day, I don't see a single person who supports Lula," she said.
Savarese reported from Sao Bernardo do Campo. AP writers Daniel Politi and Carla Bridi reported from Curitiba and Brasilia.
Business sentiments cool as cheap yen, costs weigh on Japan
TOKYO — Business sentiment among large manufacturers worsened for the third straight quarter, a Bank of Japan survey showed Monday, as the nation grappled with rising costs, the dropping value of the yen and restrictions on economic activity over the coronavirus pandemic.
The headline measure for the "tankan," measuring sentiment among large manufacturers, was plus 8, down from plus 9 the previous quarter.
The tankan measures corporate sentiment by subtracting the number of companies saying business conditions are negative from those responding they are positive.
Worries are growing about how the Bank of Japan hasn't gone along with other central banks in tightening interest rates to curb growing inflation. Japan has been trying to fight deflation in recent years and has kept interest rates at near zero.
The nose-diving yen is also a concern, although a cheap yen has in the past been lauded as helping the nation's big exporters like Toyota Motor Corp., by raising the value of overseas earnings.
The rising costs of imports, including energy as well as food, is hurting Japan, when the U.S. dollar is now trading at nearly 145 yen, when it used to be at 130-yen levels just a few months ago. A year ago, the dollar cost 111 yen.
Sentiment among large nonmanufacturers improved to 14 from 13, according to the latest tankan.
The world's third-largest economy has struggled for decades to keep growth going. But the stagnation has worsened the last two years because of reduced travel and supply shortages caused by the pandemic.
The war in Ukraine has added to the problems for a resource-poor nation that imports almost all its oil.
The return of individual visa-free travel later this month is certain to work to boost incoming tourists.
The pandemic had squelched overseas tourism, which had sustained economic activity in recent years.
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
US shift away from coal hits tribal community in New Mexico
KIRTLAND, N.M. — The clamor of second graders breaking away from lessons to form lunch lines has gotten quieter in a rural New Mexico community, where families losing coal jobs have been forced to pack up and leave in search of work.
At Judy Nelson Elementary, 1 in 4 students have left in an exodus spurred by decisions made five years ago to shutter a coal-fired power plant and mine that sit just up the road from the school in a largely Navajo community. The plant and mine had provided electricity to millions of people across the southwestern U.S. for nearly a half-century.
The San Juan Generating Station burned its last bit of coal Thursday. The remaining workers will spend the coming weeks draining water from the plant, removing chemicals and preparing to tear down what has long been fixture on the high-desert horizon.
It's part of the latest wave of coal-burning units to be retired as New Mexico and other states try to fight climate change by requiring more carbon-free sources of electricity. President Joe Biden also has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
Just weeks ago, Hawaii's last coal-fired power plant closed after 30 years, and more retirements are scheduled around the U.S. over the next decade.
Realities of shuttering the San Juan plant are setting in for surrounding communities, including the Navajo Nation, where poverty and joblessness already are exponentially higher than national averages. Hundreds of jobs are evaporating along with tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue used to fund schools and a community college.
"A lot of the Native American families have multi-generations living in the home so it doesn't just affect the husband and wife. It affects their children and their grandchildren," said Arleen Franklin, who teaches second grade at Judy Nelson. Her husband purchases equipment for a coal mine that feeds another power plant scheduled to close in 2031.
Denise Pierro, a reading teacher at Judy Nelson, said it's stressful for parents to see a steady income erased. Pierro's husband, who served as the general manager of the mine for the San Juan plant, is among those forced into early retirement.
"They've taken the rug out from underneath our feet," she said.
Area power plants, mines and associated businesses represent 80% of property tax revenues that fund the Central Consolidated School District, which spans an area the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Almost 93% of the students are Navajo.
It's rural and remote. Some students ride a school bus for three hours round trip, arriving home well after sunset. Internet service is spotty or nonexistent, and many homes don't have electricity or indoor plumbing. The poverty rate within the district is four times the national level. The median annual household income is about $20,000, and the unemployment rate hovers around 70%.
New Mexico's Democratic leaders have celebrated the plant's closure while touting a landmark 2019 law that pushes for a renewable energy economy. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is running for reelection, has said the law represented a promise to future generations for a cleaner environment and new job opportunities.
Environmentalists have said the closure will reduce air and water pollution in a region that some have described as an industrial sacrifice zone. They argue that power plant emissions and methane from the oilfields have caused health problems for residents.
Joe Ramone, a 69-year-old pipe welder who worked at San Juan, lives in a Navajo community not far from the Four Corners plant. When the wind blows just right, he said his community is hit with ash and coal dust.
Still, he said his priority is making sure Navajos have work.
"I don't want to see anybody unemployed and I am in no way in favor of these companies being shut down. But there's room for improvement," he said, suggesting more investments could have been made.
The loss of the San Juan plant and the mine ripple through every facet of life, from fewer lunch orders at Kirtland's café to a dwindling ash supply for concrete manufacturers. Meanwhile, prices have skyrocketed for everything from the Navajo staple of mutton to the woven baskets and other materials needed for healing ceremonies.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico, which runs the plant, is providing $11 million in severance packages to help about 200 displaced workers. About 240 mine workers are getting severance payments worth $9 million. Another $3 million went to job training.
A state fund established by the energy law also includes $12 million for affected workers.
Solar and battery storage projects are meant to eventually replace the capacity lost with San Juan's shutdown and provide jobs during construction. But some of those projects have been delayed due to supply chain problems, and others are on hold indefinitely amid historic inflation and other economic constraints.
Fresh off a night shift as an electrician at the mine for the neighboring Four Corners Power Plant, Christine Aspaas, a Central Consolidated School Board member, said even if those "green" jobs existed now, they would be temporary. And to make up for lost property tax revenue, she said, some families will have to pay up to seven times more.
It's been heartbreaking for so many Navajos to consider leaving home, Aspaas said.
"That's what others don't understand," she said. "There's culture, there's traditions, and so it's not easy."
Sharon Clahchischilliage, once a teacher and a former New Mexico lawmaker, said people in her Navajo community near Shiprock are angry.
"One of them told me, 'I don't know who to be angry at for us having to do this. We don't have a family anymore,'" she said, referring to bonds broken as Navajos search for jobs elsewhere.
In the final days, the plant's spinning turbine sent vibrations through layers of concrete and passing work boots. Heat emanated from the boilers below.
In the dim control room, workers monitored screens displaying temperatures, pressure, turbine speeds and pollution control systems. Allen Palmer, 70, spent over half his life working his way up the ranks.
"I hate to see it close," he said.
Workers knew for years that the plant would be shuttered. It became more real as coal piles shrank each day — until there was nothing left. As the finish line approached, the company served workers green chile cheeseburgers as a morale booster alongside a big projection screen that read: "Thank you to all employees at San Juan for your years of dedicated service!"
The last few dozen employees will be laid off over the coming weeks. Some were ready to retire; in June, there were voluntary layoffs when the first of the last two generating units closed.
"There's lots of us who have worked 20-plus years and we all know each other and it's our family," said plant director Rodney Warner, who will oversee the decommissioning. "It's who we are."
December would have marked 10 years at the plant for Steven Sorrow, 32. He and his coworkers know there's a good chance they will have to uproot and possibly enter other fields. Some will head to Wyoming, Colorado or Utah, where there are other plants and mines.
"It's going to be an adjustment for sure," he said. "I feel like I've tried to prepare over the five years when they told us what we had left. Hopefully I've prepared well enough."
Aspaas said officials need to find ways to keep the workforce in New Mexico. She said the foundation of economic development is education but without economic development, education suffers.
"This whole transition, everything that's happening, the closures, that's what is threatening our ability to keep funding education," she said. "When you go down to what it impacts, it is the education of our people, of the Navajo people, our students."
Glitzy Valentino show sees Paris Fashion Week at fever pitch
PARIS — Valentino's Paris fashion show on Sunday saw black cars snared for blocks dropping off battalions of celebrities who, amid the commotion, just couldn't find the entrance.
Seated VIP guests were sweatily crammed in together inside the Le Marais' Carreau du Temple venue, waiting as the show started an hour late. Outside, screaming members of the public braved the rain for hours just for a glimpse of their favorite stars.
Fever pitch like this at Paris ready-to-wear fashion shows is reminiscent of the French capital's pre-pandemic fashion scene — and one more visible sign the industry is buoyant again after the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some highlights of Sunday's spring-summer 2023 collections in Paris:
VALENTINO'S REVEAL
"Cuts and transparencies reveal the persona," the brand said of designer Pierpaolo Piccioli's glitzy spring collection that mixed gimmicks with moments of thoughtful fashion skill.
Models with faces and necks completely covered in disturbing interlocking "V" make-up began the show, introducing the theme of the reveal.
The exploration of inside-out or back-to-front continued in a beautiful nude skin-like top with matching nude pants speckled sparingly with diaphanous plumes on model Anna Cleveland.
A coat had ostrich feathers peaking out from inside through the hems. The sides of some dresses were scooped out, while a dazzling purple sequined floor-length gown revealed the model's flesh only at the back.
Yet at times it felt as if the lauded Italian designer may have tried to fit too much in. By outfit number 91, it also felt exhausting — with fashion insiders fidgeting for the show to wrap up.
The Valentino finale was the true reveal of the show, which was livestreamed: The models did not even walk past seated guests as usual, but straight outside to the cheering general public, making some inside feel superfluous.
RAIN ON GIVENCHY'S PARADE
Rain would normally be a good thing in the green thickets of the Jardin des Plantes, the gardens in central Paris.
For Givenchy's outside runway, it was another story.
VIP guests including Olivia Rodrigo survived torrential downpours only thanks to helpers clutching transparent umbrellas. But the show had to go on. For Matthew M. Williams, a designer who has garnered lukewarm reviews of late, this collection was a little like crunch time.
For spring, the U.S. designer moved his street aesthetic in a dressier direction — likely trying to bring him to the safer ground of the age-old house's traditional aesthetic. He had some success.
An oversized tweed black bolero cut a creatively surreal silhouette atop a pencil-thin mini dress, twinned with Matrix-style shades. Elsewhere, features such as ruching on a silken top, or draping on a fluid skirt, resembled thick organic sinews or ribs.
This felt like a good, gently transgressive direction for the house immortalized by Audrey Hepburn's LBD.
However, many of Williams' design elements still felt out of place on the haute Paris runway, such as 90s lowslung cargo shorts that seemed off-kilter. Furthermore, they clashed with the black silken ruffled cuffs that dangled down.
THE ART OF THE INVITATION
The art of the chic invite is still very much a staple of the Paris luxury industry.
The little works of art sometimes provide a hint as to what the collection has in store; other times, they are just plain wacky.
Balenciaga's spring invite was — unfathomably — a real used leather wallet containing real French franc notes, a health security card, a photo of a pet cat, and credit cards as well as other things spilling out. Countless videos appeared on social media of surprised guests opening their "invite."
One fashion inside exclaimed: "But how do you know how to get to the show?"
Valentino's invitation was a smooth black cube that opened to have nothing inside but a QR code. Chanel's was a card of Kristen Stewart's face that was so big it could not fit into letter boxes.
BARBARA BUI IS SMART
Low-key French designer Barbara Bui is a good example of how the pandemic affected the fashion industry — for better and for worse.
Many houses went digital during the lockdowns, opting to show a fashion film instead of staging a show, which was for many months prohibited. In this spring Paris season — like in Milan's — the industry seems to be very much back to pre-pandemic runways, yet Bui's was one of a spattering of collections that continued with the fashion film format.
It's a smart move: Smaller houses like Bui's have benefited from the new flexibility as runway collections are clearly much more expensive to produce.
The collection's spring video featured a couple of lovers in a French country house seeking each other out and seemingly wearing each other's clothes — a good theme for a co-ed fashion show.
The film's use of light sat well with the fluidity of a loose white tuxedo suit on a bare chest, or a giant multicolored foulard thrown nonchalantly over the male model's naked shoulder. A cobalt blue one-shoulder piece was set off by the male model's long bright red and androgynous nail polish.
Tesla sales bounce back in Q3 but fall short of estimates
AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla's sales rose 35% in the July-September period compared to the second quarter as the company's huge factory in China got past supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions.
The electric vehicle and solar panel company said Sunday it sold 343,830 cars and SUVs in the third quarter compared with 254,695 deliveries made from April through June.
But the delivery numbers still fell far short of Wall Street estimates. Analysts polled by data provider FactSet expected sales of 371,000 vehicles.
Tesla said it's becoming more challenging to find transportation capacity at a reasonable cost when it needs to move vehicles from its factories to its customers. Tesla said it had higher than usual numbers of vehicles in transit at the end of the quarter that will count as sales once they're delivered to customers.
Tesla said it produced 365,923 vehicles in the July-September period.
So far this year, the company has delivered 908,573 vehicles, but it will need a strong finish to the year to hit its predictions of 50% annual sales growth for the next few years.
Last year, the Austin, Texas, company delivered 936,172 vehicles. A 50% increase would be just over 1.4 million for this year.
The third-quarter sales are a good indication of how the company's earnings will go when it releases them after the market closes on Oct. 19.
The rest of the auto industry reports September and third-quarter sales on Monday in a tough environment. Automakers, including Tesla, have reported difficulty getting computer chips and other parts needed to make vehicles. As a result, some factories are running way under capacity, and supplies of vehicles are low and prices are high.
As the pandemic erupted in the U.S. in 2020, automakers had to shut factories for eight weeks to help stop the virus from spreading. Some parts companies canceled orders for semiconductors. At the same time, demand for laptops, tablets and gaming consoles skyrocketed as people stuck at home upgraded their devices.
By the time auto production resumed, chip makers had shifted production to consumer goods, creating a shortage of weather-resistant automotive-grade chips. Although Tesla has fared better than other automakers, the industry still can't get enough chips.


Tell me, what is it you plan to do/ with your one wild and precious life? Don't feel intimidated by the language, you are not alone. We will hold your hand to pass from beginner to intermediate. Mary Oliver deeply touched that "wild, silky part of ourselves", and for this, we are forever grateful. Let's make her a tribute in Spanish.
Join us for a poetry night, meet people with interests similar to yours, socialize, make new friends and practice your Spanish in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. All levels are welcome.


text:
The Queen forced to stop giving staff £6 Tesco Christmas gift
Her Majesty gifts her staff a pudding every Christmas
Queen Elizabeth II (Image: Chris Jackson/ PA Wire)
Britain's monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has been forced to stop personally giving her staff a Christmas gift bought from Tesco's.
The Queen will be spending Christmas at Windsor in Berkshire for the festive period, rather than Sandringham in Norfolk, where the royal family normally visits.
It will be the first time in more than 30 years that the Queen and Prince Phillip have remained at Windsor during Christmas.
Because of this change in tradition, The Queen will be forced to stop the annual giving of gifts to her staff.
The Queen usually gives her staff a special yuletide gift, a tradition which both her father King George V and grandfather King George IV followed, reports Birmingham Mail.
The Queen buys her staff Christmas puddings and also gives them a greeting card from herself and the Duke of Edinburgh.
But this year it will be different.
Her Majesty reportedly used to buy the 1,500 Christmas puddings from Harrods and Fortnum and Mason - the royal grocer for more than 150 years.
But now, the puddings are brought from Tesco.
The Queen and Prince Philip typically present each of their employees with the supermarket's Finest Matured Christmas Pudding.
(Image: Tesco)
But The Queen has been forced to scrap this year's traditional ceremony. However it's believed the staff will still be given their presents, just not from the Queen herself.
A source told The Daily Mail newspaper: "It's a great shame but inevitable and the right thing to do.
"The staff will still receive a gift from the Queen as usual but there will be no special moment with Her Majesty. It's as much a disappointment for her as it will be for them, as it's a hugely special time of the year."
"About 1500 Christmas puddings paid for by The Queen (through the Privy Purse) are distributed to staff throughout the Palaces, staff in the Court Post Office and Palace police," the website states.
"Each pudding is accompanied by a greeting card from The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh."
It adds that Her Majesty personally hands out presents to some members of the royal household at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor Castle.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The 2011 World Women's Curling Championship (branded as Capital One World Women's Curling Championship 2011 for sponsorship reasons) was held in Esbjerg, Denmark at the Granly Hockey Arena from March 19–27, 2011. The Swedish rink skipped by Anette Norberg won the final game over Canada's Amber Holland after a steal of two points in the tenth end.

Qualification
 (host country)
 (defending champion)
 (highest finisher from the Americas region at the 2010 World Championship)

Top six teams from the 2010 European Curling Championships
 (winner)
 (runner-up)
 (third place)

 (defeated  in World Challenge)
Top two teams from the 2010 Pacific Curling Championships
 (winner)
 (runner-up)

Teams
These are the confirmed teams.

Round-robin standings
Final Round-Robin Standings

Round-robin results
All times listed in Central European Time (UTC+1).

Draw 1Friday, March 18, 7:30pmDraw 2Saturday, March 19, 9:00amDraw 3Saturday, March 19, 2:00pmDraw 4Sunday, March 20, 2:00pmDraw 5Sunday, March 20, 7:00pmDraw 6Monday, March 21, 9:00amDraw 7Monday, March 21, 2:00pmDraw 8Monday, March 21, 7:00pmDraw 9Tuesday, March 22, 9:00amDraw 10Tuesday, March 22, 2:00pmDraw 11Tuesday, March 22, 7:00pmDraw 12Wednesday, March 23, 9:00amDraw 13Wednesday, March 23, 2:00pmDraw 14Wednesday, March 23, 7:00pmDraw 15Thursday, March 24, 9:00amDraw 16Thursday, March 24, 2:00pmDraw 17Thursday, March 24, 7:00pmTiebreaker March 25, 2:00 PMPlayoffs

1 vs. 2Friday, March 25, 7:00pm3 vs. 4Saturday, March 26, 10:00amSemifinalSaturday, March 26, 3:00pmBronze medal gameSunday, March 27, 10:00amGold medal gameSunday, March 27, 3:00pm''

Top 5 player percentages

References

Capital One World Women's Curling Championship, 2011
World Women's Curling Championship
Sport in Esbjerg
Curling competitions in Denmark
2011 in Danish women's sport
International sports competitions hosted by Denmark
March 2011 sports events in Europe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cooper-Atkins Customer Service Representatives offer the highest quality support and are available to answer the needs of our callers daily. Please contact our Customer Support Desk for product information or services. We value each customer relationship and strive to fulfill the needs of our clients to reach the highest level of satisfaction.


IBPS SO Admit Card 2016 Released: Download Call Letter Now!
IBPS SO Admit Card: Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection is filling up vacancies for the recruitment of Specialist Officer. IBPS has issued a sum total of 4122 vacancies this year. IBPS Specialist Officer Exam will be conducted on 30 and 31 January 2016.
The candidates who've been shortlisted for IBPS SO Examination can now get their admit cards from the official website. You can download IBPS SO Admit Card from the section below.
On the day of IBPS SO 2016 Examination, the candidates need to carry the admit card to the examination centre at all costs. Failure to do so, the candidate will not be allowed to attempt the written examination.
To download IBPS SO Admit Card 2016, refer to the link below and then simply enter your registration number and DOB/ password.
From the left side, select CWE Specialist officer .
You can now download IBPS SO Office Admit Card.
Once you download the admit card now you can start preparing for your IBPS SO Exam. You can try our recommended mock tests.
Stay connected for more information regarding IBPS SO Recruitment 2016. To excel in Bank Examinations, download the Best IBPS SO Exam Preparation App for free.


text:
Q: PasteSpecial error when cutting instead of copying I have a "calendar" and sometimes I have "tasks" (with comments) that I want to move to a different date on the calendar.  I can do it successfully (keeping the comment) but then I have to go back and delete the original location.  When I try the following with ctrl-x instead of ctrl-c, I get an error PasteSpecial method of range class failed on the first PasteSpecial call
Sub PasteasValue()

    Application.EnableEvents = False

    Selection.PasteSpecial xlPasteComments
    Selection.PasteSpecial Paste:=xlPasteValues

    Call ShapeThem(Selection)

    Application.EnableEvents = True

End Sub

I'm not sure what is fundamentally different when I cut vs copy.

A: Paste Special only works with copy, and not cut. You can't do this manually either.
If you comment out the first Paste Special, the second one will fail too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
2022 Clash All News Cup News Los Angeles Coliseum NASCAR
2022 Clash to be open to all Cup teams
NASCAR confirmed the 2022 Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum will be an invitational format that is open to all Cup Series teams.
In a Wednesday interview, NASCAR executive senior vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell told SiriusXM host Dave Moody that the process for determining the field still was being finalized, but that it likely would involve heat races to set the lineup of a main event that would feature "probably 20 to 25 cars max" on the temporary quarter-mile oval.
"When we discussed this with teams, we could have just gone with, 'Hey if you're eligible for the Clash, that's it," but I think a number of teams have looked at this and said this could be a really cool event not only for our organization but our sponsors, and we'd like the ability to come out to the event," O'Donnell said. "So we're going to make it an invitational.
"Certainly, anyone qualified for the Clash will be in the main event. But we want to make it realistic for other teams to come out, have enough time on the racetrack, on TV, in front of the fans to make it worth their while as well. That's the ongoing discussions in the industry. What makes this something you want to go out there and race and showcase your sponsor in the LA market."
See more at NBC Sports.


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text:
Engagement is not a goal, it's an outcome of trust and responsibility
You often hear people talk about how technology is so "engaging" for kids. But that misses the point. It's not the technology that's engaging, it's the opportunity to use technology to create something that is valued by the community and by yourself. Yes, a new device can be entertaining for a while, but when the novelty value wears off, what are you left with?
Feel free to use — with credit!
Engagement is not a goal, it's an outcome of students (or anyone) doing meaningful work. Meaningful to themselves AND to the community they are in. Meaningful because someone trusted them to do something good and they shouldered the responsibility. Trust engenders trust in yourself and in others. Joining as a citizen of a community, whether that community is a classroom or a virtual tribe, where you belong, and your voice is valued and encouraged. True citizenship is a two-way street, not a list of rules and punishments.
Engagement is not something you DO to kids or you GIVE kids, it's the outcome of this cycle of experiences.
Podcast: Depth & Light. Past, present, and future of maker movement in education
I sat down with JD Pirtle for a chat about making in education. First, we discussed the origin and current state of the maker movement in schools. We talked through a variety of pedagogical issues educators face when teaching with technology, including approaches to three of the biggest: time, space, and assessment.
Listen to more episodes here.
Podcast: creativity, making, and design in schools
The folks at Soundtrap interviewed me at ISTE 2019 for a "Best of ISTE" podcast about creativity, making, and design in schools.
Podcast at Spotify
Spanish translation of Invent to Learn now available in Spanish – Inventar para Aprender
I'm very proud to announce that Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom is now available in Spanish. This has always been a dream of ours, and now it's here!
Inventar para Aprender: Guía práctica para instalar la cultura maker en el aula is a beautiful translation from Siglo Venintuino Editores. See the Siglo Veintiuno website for global distributors and online shopping information (Mercado Libre).
An e-book Kindle version is available from Amazon.com with the paperback version available on Amazon shortly.
El movimiento maker llegó para quedarse, de la mano de una tribu cada vez más amplia de personas convencidas de que la mejor manera de aprender es hacer (y, si es posible, desarmar y volver a armar). Para integrar conocimiento y acción, tienen magníficos aliados: los fablabs, la informática física y la programación.
Los recursos son infinitos y están casi al alcance de la mano: de hacer títeres con medias, lana y botones a programar robots futboleros; de reutilizar materiales descartados a crear diseños propios para fabricar objetos 3D; de armar figuras con papel y cinta adhesiva a editar podcasts o videos.
Este libro, pionero en español, es una guía completa para que educadores formales e informales lleven la creación y el construccionismo a las aulas, desde el jardín de infantes hasta la escuela secundaria. Con cálida sabiduría, Sylvia Libow Martínez y Gary Stager reúnen las ideas pedagógicas con la práctica, incluyendo los secretos y las dificultades: trabajar por proyectos, elegir y conseguir los materiales y tutoriales más convenientes, motivar a los chicos y hasta persuadir a la administración de la escuela.
En Inventar para aprender se alinean la teoría, la práctica y las herramientas para transmitir a los niños la sensación poderosa de que el mundo es un lugar en construcción. Y para acompañarlos a entrar en él como sus protagonistas: creando.
New book – The Art of Digital Fabrication: STEAM Projects for the Makerspace and Art Studio
I'm very proud of the latest publication from Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, The Art of Digital Fabrication: STEAM Projects for the Makerspace and Art Studio by Erin E. Riley. This is an absolutely gorgeous book of projects using 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, CNC machines, and other tools found most often in school makerspaces. These are exceptionally inventive, beautiful, and thoughtful projects, brought to life with photos of student work and clear explanations of the steps and stages of how these projects unfold in the classroom, makerspace, or studio.
The book will be available in paperback and hardcover on May 6, 2019, but you can pre-order it now at Amazon and other online retailers. If you pre-order, you can have it in your hands on May 6!
Erin has created a unique book that offers a vision of STEAM that embraces Art as a primary motivation, with design as the guiding vision. Every project offers multiple understandings across all STEAM disciplines. This viewpoint creates avenues for teachers to understand how digital fabrication tools can be an opportunity for students to express themselves and find meaning in the world. It creates pathways for modern mathematics to emerge as concrete manifestations of precision and beauty. And it allows engineering to be fully expressed as the desire of humankind to make ideas become real.
It was a wonderful learning opportunity for me to edit this book. Erin is an amazing teacher, constantly adding and inventing new projects with her students, and then making them better. Her documentation is superb, and her explanations of the choices she makes as a teacher and designer are thoughtful and deeply enriching. And she is an artist, she hand designed every page of this book with loving care and attention to detail.
Erin organized the book by artistic process, rather than by tool. Processes like drawing, patterning, casting, prototyping, making 3D objects, and more are each explored with a variety of tools. This creates a treasure chest of inspiration and a relatable way for art teachers to see digital fabrication as an expansion of artistic vision. It opens a whole new way of thinking when you realize that drawing with a machine is similar to drawing with the hand, with the added benefit of being able to precisely draw with a laser, with a pen attached to a vinyl cutter, with code, light, or even with 3D filament. She also wrote an introduction explaining important concepts in graphic design and software, what students learn from digital fabrication, and making the case for STEAM in modern education.
For the past few months I've been carrying a dog-eared, marked-up copy of the work-in-progress proof of this book to various conferences and workshops, showing it to educators. The reaction has been extraordinary—people actually tried to convince me to sell them the unfinished proofs! But now the wait is over, it's done and we can share it with the world. Check it out, you will not be disapointed.
Available for pre-order at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble online.
Beautiful full-color photos, directions, and ideas for innovative projects using digital fabrication technology.
Features Inside the Book
Over 25 Digital Fabrication Projects with color photographs of steps and student work. All projects offer extension ideas, resources, and connections to STEAM curriculum.
The Project Cross-Reference lists projects by digital fabrication tools, supplies, and software. Color coding highlights certain process details in each project chapter.
An Art Material and Process Inventory intended to spark creativity and encourage the mixing of materials and processes within digital fabrication.
An Overview of the Digital Fabrication Machines commonly found in school labs or makerspaces.
Photocopy-friendly Design Guides and Checklists for the main design software programs demonstrated in this book can be given to students as they self-guide through each design program.
A Maker Powers Classroom Poster
Curriculum Connections of digital fabrication experiences with skills and curriculum subjects.
Introductory articles supporting STEAM learning, where the Arts is integral to deep understanding of content and student empowerment.
Available for pre-order at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble online.
For volume sales, PO purchases, or international sales, contact CMK Press. This book is now available from local distributors in the U.S, Australia, and the U.K.
Podcast – No Such Thing: Learning in the Digital Age
Recently, I was a guest on the No Such Thing podcast hosted by Marc Lesser. Marc is Chief Learning Officer of MOUSE, a national youth development non-profit.
MOUSE designs computer science and STEM curriculum and engages students through the Design League and maker events.
MOUSE does similar work to Generation YES, where I was the president for over a decade. Both organizations support students as learners and leaders in their schools and communities. It was great to talk to Marc about my background in engineering, the 2nd Edition of Invent To Learn, how schools can be a glorious explosion of interesting things, and the (hopefully) lasting impact of Maker Education.
Be sure to check out other podcast episodes of No Such Thing. Marc has a fresh approach to K-12 education in the digital age, focusing on youth led initiatives. And to find out "why the ice cream truck?"
Direct link to podcast page if the embed above does not work.
Invent to Learn to be published in Korean and Chinese
Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom (Second Edition) will be published in simplified Chinese, the language of mainland China. The publisher is Tsinghua University Press Limited (清华大学出版社有限公司), a respected publisher of education, technology, and culture books with deep experience in books and electronic resources from around the world. We look forward to sharing the publication date soon.
Our Korean publisher, HonReung Science Publishing Company, will also publish the second edition. The first edition is available online.
To be notified of upcoming book releases from CMK Press, the publisher of Invent to Learn, please add your name to the email newsletter list.
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Sylvia Martinez and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from me. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
Spotlight at Envision 2030: The annual CoSN conference
Sylvia Martinez will be a spotlight speaker at ENVISION 2030: LEADERSHIP FOR LEARNING – the COSN Annual Conference.
STEAM to the Future: What's Next in STEAM, Design, and Making
9:15 AM – 9:45 AM: Breakout
Room: Atrium Ballroom (Hilton Portland Downtown)
Format: Spotlight Session
Presenters: Sylvia Martinez, Columbia University FabLearn Fellows, Principal Advisor
Brief Session Description: Let's time travel a few decades forward to see what science, technology, engineering, and math will be like, and the prominent role that the arts, design ,and creativity will play in the future. Right now, scientists and engineers are creating a future where biology and engineering mix with computation and computer science. The future holds things like driverless cars, buildings that heal themselves, "radical mycology," which are plastics that adopt organic properties from mushrooms, clothes that adjust to the weather, robots, Artificial Intelligence, and holodeck-like experiences that will bend the definition of reality. However, this fourth industrial revolution is not some far away abstraction, all of these futuristic visions will depend on the ingenuity and creativity of people who are K-12 students today. We owe it to them to teach them how to make, design, and create using the most modern technology in their STEAM classes today.
What are the implications for K-12 education when subjects are being reinvented every year? Are we content with providing students with science classes that don't cover any science invented this century? What questions do education leaders need to answer to make sure that the future of STEAM is part of schools starting today.
Makey Makey Engineers Week Webinar
February 12, 2019 (in honor of Engineers Week), I'll be the guest on a fun, informal webinar with the Makey Makey team! The Makey Makey is one of my favorite tools for physical computing. It's versatile, easy to use, and you'll never run out of ideas!
There is a reason that the Makey Makey is on the cover of Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, both the first edition and the new second edition. There is just nothing else like it for facilitating creativity at the intersection of the digital and physical world.
Engineers Week is near and dear to my heart. I have an electrical engineering degree and worked for a decade in aerospace. While I don't work as an engineer these days, I still see the world through that lens, where challenges are just invitations to invent the future! The E in STEAM is often overlooked, or worse, misunderstood as something that only "some kids" can do. We will be talking about how STEAM can happen for ALL students in real classrooms, makerspaces, and libraries!
Join us via this Zoom link as we chat about the new edition, STEAM, and tips for starting a makerspace in your school on February 12th at 4:00 pm CST. For more details and to register, use this link.
But wait, there's more!
There's a chance to win free books live during the webinar! To win your own copy of Invent to Learn, The Invent to Learn Guide to Fun, or The Invent to Learn Guide to MORE Fun, you must be live during the webinar! (Winning books must be shipped to US and Canada addresses.)


LBM Embark on Three Month North American Tour!
Fresh off of their nationally televised appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Tony Danza Show, Ladysmith Black Mambazo are embarking on a three month, 60-City North American Tour.
The tour starts January 29th in West Palm Beach, Florida and wraps up on April 26th in Austin, Texas. The world renowned a capella group is touring in support of its latest release Long Walk to Freedom, which features guest appearances by Zap Mama, Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, and Vusi Mahlasela.
To see when the group will be performing in your area click here.


Handmade Porcelain pins with a metal back. Approximately 5cm in length.
Each piece is hand made and individually hand painted.
comes with a strong pin on the back attached with strongest professional epoxy so it will never fall off.


text:
package com.adaptris.core.jmx;

import com.adaptris.annotation.AdapterComponent;
import com.adaptris.annotation.AdvancedConfig;
import com.adaptris.annotation.AutoPopulated;
import com.adaptris.annotation.ComponentProfile;
import com.adaptris.annotation.DisplayOrder;
import com.adaptris.annotation.InputFieldDefault;
import com.adaptris.core.AdaptrisMessage;
import com.adaptris.core.AdaptrisMessageConsumerImp;
import com.adaptris.core.AdaptrisMessageFactory;
import com.adaptris.core.ClosedState;
import com.adaptris.core.CoreException;
import com.adaptris.core.util.Args;
import com.adaptris.core.util.ExceptionHelper;
import com.adaptris.core.util.ManagedThreadFactory;
import com.adaptris.util.FifoMutexLock;
import com.adaptris.util.TimeInterval;
import com.thoughtworks.xstream.annotations.XStreamAlias;
import lombok.Getter;
import lombok.Setter;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.BooleanUtils;

import javax.management.InstanceNotFoundException;
import javax.management.MBeanServerConnection;
import javax.management.Notification;
import javax.management.NotificationListener;
import javax.management.ObjectName;
import javax.validation.Valid;
import javax.validation.constraints.NotBlank;
import javax.validation.constraints.NotNull;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

@XStreamAlias("jmx-notification-consumer")
@AdapterComponent
@ComponentProfile(summary = "Listen for notifications against the specified ObjectName", tag = "consumer,jmx",
metadata = {com.adaptris.core.jmx.JmxNotificationConsumer.JMX_NOTIF_SOURCE},
recommended = {JmxConnection.class})
@DisplayOrder(order = {"objectName", "serializer"})
public class JmxNotificationConsumer extends AdaptrisMessageConsumerImp implements NotificationListener {

  public static final String JMX_NOTIF_SOURCE = "jmxNotificationSource";

  private static final TimeInterval DEFAULT_INTERVAL = new TimeInterval(60L, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
  @NotNull
  @AutoPopulated
  @Valid
  private NotificationSerializer serializer;

  @AdvancedConfig
  @InputFieldDefault(value = "true")
  private Boolean failIfNotFound;

  /**
   * The object name which we will register as a listener for.
   *
   */
  @Getter
  @Setter
  @NotBlank
  private String objectName;

  private transient MBeanServerConnection connection;
  private transient ObjectName actualObjectName;
  private transient ScheduledExecutorService scheduler;
  private transient FifoMutexLock locker;
  private transient TimeInterval retryInterval;

  public JmxNotificationConsumer() {
    setSerializer(new SimpleNotificationSerializer());
    locker = new FifoMutexLock();
    changeState(ClosedState.getInstance());
  }

  protected String objectName() {
    return getObjectName();
  }

  @Override
  public void prepare() throws CoreException {
  }

  @Override
  public void init() throws CoreException {
    try {
      scheduler = Executors.newSingleThreadScheduledExecutor(new ManagedThreadFactory(getClass().getSimpleName()));
      connection = retrieveConnection(JmxConnection.class).mbeanServerConnection();
      actualObjectName = ObjectName.getInstance(objectName());
    } catch (Exception e) {
      throw ExceptionHelper.wrapCoreException(e);
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void start() throws CoreException {
    boolean success = addNotificationListener();
    if (!success) {
      if (failIfNotFound()) {
        throw new CoreException("Failed to add NotificationListener");
      } else {
        scheduleNext();
      }
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void stop() {
    try {
      connection.removeNotificationListener(actualObjectName, this);
    } catch (Exception ignoredIntentionally) {

    }
  }

  @Override
  public void close() {
    shutdownScheduler();
  }

  private AdaptrisMessage createMessage(Notification n) throws CoreException, IOException {
    AdaptrisMessageFactory fac = AdaptrisMessageFactory.defaultIfNull(getMessageFactory());
    AdaptrisMessage msg = getSerializer().serialize(n, fac.newMessage());
    msg.addMessageHeader(JMX_NOTIF_SOURCE, n.getSource().toString());
    return msg;
  }

  /**
   * @return the serializer
   */
  public NotificationSerializer getSerializer() {
    return serializer;
  }

  /**
   * @param serializer the serializer to set
   */
  public void setSerializer(NotificationSerializer serializer) {
    this.serializer = serializer;
  }

  @Override
  public void handleNotification(Notification notification, Object handback) {
    try {
      retrieveAdaptrisMessageListener().onAdaptrisMessage(createMessage(notification));
    } catch (Exception e) {
      log.error("Unhandled exception {}", e.getMessage(), e);
    }
  }

  /**
   * @return the failIfNotFound
   */
  public Boolean getFailIfNotFound() {
    return failIfNotFound;
  }

  /**
   * Whether or not to fail if the ObjectName is not found.
   * <p>
   * If set to false, and the object is not found, then an attempt will be made periodically to check the MBeanServeConnection for
   * the object instance availability; when it becomes available, the notification listener will be added at that point.
   * </p>
   *
   *
   * @param b the failIfNotFound to set, default is true
   */
  public void setFailIfNotFound(Boolean b) {
    failIfNotFound = b;
  }

  boolean failIfNotFound() {
    return BooleanUtils.toBooleanDefaultIfNull(getFailIfNotFound(), true);
  }

  private boolean addNotificationListener() {
    boolean success = false;
    try {
      connection.addNotificationListener(actualObjectName, this, null, null);
      success = true;
    } catch (InstanceNotFoundException e) {
      log.trace("{} not found", actualObjectName);
      success = false;
    } catch (IOException e) {
    }
    return success;
  }

  private void scheduleNext() {
    if (scheduler != null && locker.permitAvailable()) {
      log.trace("Scheduling next attempt in {}ms", retryInterval());
      scheduler.schedule(new NotificationRetry(), retryInterval(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
    }
  }

  private void shutdownScheduler() {
    try {
      locker.acquire();
      ManagedThreadFactory.shutdownQuietly(scheduler, DEFAULT_INTERVAL);
    } catch (Exception ignoredIntentionally) {
    } finally {
      scheduler = null;
      locker.release();
    }
  }

  private class NotificationRetry implements Runnable {
    NotificationRetry() {}

    @Override
    public void run() {
      boolean success = addNotificationListener();
      if (!success) {
        scheduleNext();
      }
    }
  }

  TimeInterval getRetryInterval() {
    return retryInterval;
  }

  void setRetryInterval(TimeInterval t) {
    retryInterval = Args.notNull(t, "retryInterval");
  }

  long retryInterval() {
    return TimeInterval.toMillisecondsDefaultIfNull(getRetryInterval(), DEFAULT_INTERVAL);
  }

  /**
   * Provides the metadata key '{@value #JMX_NOTIF_SOURCE}' that contains the source of the
   * notifcation.
   *
   * @since 3.9.0
   */
  @Override
  public String consumeLocationKey() {
    return JMX_NOTIF_SOURCE;
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How to config AspectJ in Android Studio? I want to use .aj files in my android project, It works fine in Eclipse. But how to make it work in Android Studio?
I tried the Aspectj weaver plugin but it seems cannot apply the aspects to the project.


text:
interface IEditorConfigSettings {
	end_of_line: string;
	indent_size: number;
	indent_style: string;
	insert_final_newline: boolean;
	trim_trailing_whitespace: boolean;
}

export = IEditorConfigSettings;


The YOUrALPS challenge continues. After the start of the pilot activities in September 2017 and further scientific investigation on framework conditions for the development of the Alpine School model, the next step implies the involvement of political stakeholders in the context of the so-called infodays. With the start of the pilot site activities since September 2017, the bottom-up development of the Alpine School model has been launched: Pilot schools and associated protected areas are aiming at integrating non-formal learning approaches in the teaching of young people either in class or outdoors. In this context the practical experience of non-formal educators enriches the nature experience and will strengthen ties between youngsters and their natural environment. At the same time a scientific analysis on the framework conditions in all the five Alpine partner countries has been carried out. At the heart of the theoretical approach remains the UNESCO concept of education for sustainable development and its interpretation by every partner country. In this way light is shed on innovative aspects for a multifaceted and interdependent approach to learning. Hence, in spring 2018, the time will be ripe for presenting these insights to political stakeholders over the whole Alpine territory. Infodays on the project will be held in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and France, with the goal of mobilizing political influencers and decision takers for the aims of the YOUrALPS project. It is at the political level that willingness to cooperate has to be established and an agreement has to be found to integrate the idea of the Alpine School model into formal school curricula. It is an ambitious goal and there is still a long way to go, but the infodays will be the first step on that way, calling on political stakeholders to take notice and take action. ALPARC is lead partner for YOUrALPS and responsible for technical and financial management and the coordination of project partners' activities. Moreover, the network is responsible for the project's communication activities. YOUrALPS is an Interreg Alpine Space project and lasts from November 2016 to October 2019. It is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Alpine Space programme. For further information about the project, please visit the YOUrALPS website.


"The toolkit can be used across the UK so there are wide benefits from the work incubated in Scotland", said Lindsay McGregor, associate director at Scottish Futures Trust and Chairman of the UK Lighting Board.
As the cost of electricity is set to double over the next ten years, an easy-to-use toolkit has been launched to give UK's local authorities real-time information on how many millions they would save by phasing in energy efficient LED street lights.
The new street lighting toolkit gives UK councils power to save millions.
Developed by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) and supported by the Scottish Government through its Resource Efficient Scotland (RES) programme, the toolkit allows councils to input their current street lighting data which in turn calculates what the reduced electricity usage would be if they changed to new, energy-efficient LED lighting. The toolkit also calculates what level of investment is required by the council to replace its old lights with new LED fittings, and the payback period of the loan.
Across Scotland, there are nearly 900,000 street lights costing local authorities £41 million in annual electricity charges. The street lights also impact on the environment by releasing 199,091 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. With councils under constant pressure to make the best use of limited budgets, SFT is encouraging them to use the toolkit which has demonstrated in trials that the average council can save between 60-70% of their present electricity costs, whilst also benefitting the environment.


Payments processing firm First Data had headline results that sent the stock tumbling on revised guidance tied to FX headwinds — but underlying business trends show traction across key segments such as ISV channels and through POS offering Clover, which saw processing volumes up 45 percent year on year.
At this writing, intraday, the stock was off 12 percent, and that comes as earnings came in at 35 cents a share, missing the Street by two pennies, and the aforementioned headwinds will bring earnings for the year to $1.38 to $1.40, versus the Street at $1.45 and where previous estimates from the company had been $1.42 to $1.47.
Drilling down a bit into the numbers, total segment revenues, according to supplemental materials provided alongside the Monday earnings announcement, were up 5 percent year on year on an organic constant currency basis to $2.2 billion.
Segment data show that Global Business Solutions was up 6 percent on a year-over-year organic rate, and stood at $1.4 billion for the period. Similarly, Global Financial Solutions was up 6 percent to $407 million. Beyond that, Network Security Solutions was off 2 percent to $367 million.
CEO Frank Bisignano stated on the call that these segments grew with "notable … strong contributions in the North America region." For GBS, growth in that region was 4 percent, driven by partner solutions and by direct sales. As a result, transactions grew by 9 percent for GBS in North America. As has been seen in past quarters, JV sales declined modestly, while international sales grew by 17 percent, and growth was seen across all regions. In international business, GBS revenues in Latin America grew by 45 percent, while Asia Pacific was up 16 percent.
GFS international sales were up 9 percent, and also saw growth in Latin America and Asia Pacific, up a respective 7 percent and 31 percent. Accounts on file accelerated a growth rate that had been seen in recent quarters at the 6-percent to 7-percent level, to 8 percent in the third quarter.
Within NSS, revenue growth was hit by the non-renewal of what the company termed a "low margin plastics contract" while EFT network saw mid single-digit revenue growth.
CEO Bisignano said that in reference to its tablet-based POS offering "we are now processing about $70 billion of annualized volume globally on Clover, up a healthy 45 percent year over year … for historical perspective, Clover was generating less than $20 billion in annualized volume in early 2016." He noted that expansion should come as merchants can sign up through Clover.com (he stated there are efforts with JV partners to advance enrollment of those merchants) and with increased efforts to penetrate the full-service restaurant vertical.