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Real World Economics: Fed has few laurels to rest on

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

Edward LottermanHubris can be defined as “excessive pride leading to one’s downfall.”Take, for example, Bob Woodward’s 2000 book “Maestro,” which lauds Alan Greenspan as an unparalleled manager of the U.S. economy. Not surprisingly, that author and book also serve as an example of hagiography — or “excessively flattering biography.”The definitions of hubris and hagiography are from a dictionary. The sniping at Woodward’s ridiculous book is mine. The public should keep all that in mind when reading about how well the U.S. economy is doing now and how Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a genius who has achieved a “soft landing” of the economy — something as mythical as unicorns and “surgical air strikes.”Yes, by virtually all indicators — low unemployment rates, low inflation, good growth of output, good growth in job numbers, etc. — the U.S. economy is doing very well indeed — even as Republicans would like voters to think that things are worse now t...

SUNY Cobleskill and NYSDOT want to boost technician workforce

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- SUNY Cobleskill and the New York State Department of Transportation are hoping to bolster the technician workforce through an internship program for students studying Agricultural Engineering and Diesel Technology. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Classrooms in the Curtis Mott building at SUNY Cobleskill aren’t your typical lecture halls. You’ll find students welding and doing hydraulic experiments.“We’ve got about 30 engines, and students go through and disassemble and rebuild them," said Kaden Marvin, SUNY Cobleskill Northeast Regional Technical Training Center Instructor."Pretty much all of our classes have a lecture component where there is a little bit of pen and paper testing, but just to kind of understand the theory of it," Marvin explained, "but then we get in, get our hands on it, they have to through and basically learn how to fix it when it’s broken, and how it operates.”Students are able to train...

Pomona church destroyed by fire Sunday morning

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

A Pomona church caught fire early Sunday morning, bringing out dozens of firefighters to battle the blaze.The fire at Victory Outreach Church Pomona at 177 W. Monterey Ave. broke out at about 2:45 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department said on X, formerly Twitter. The Rev. Robert Garcia and fire officials told KTLA that firefighters believe the 12,000-square-foot church, which was built in 1981, will be "a total loss.""It's a tough morning for us, because today we were getting ready to have our outreach for the whole community. We were going to give gifts; we had 500 people already registered," Garcia said.Garcia noted that Sunday is hard, but one congregant had a hopeful message."Pastor, when it's all said and done, the building is going to be burned down, but the church is still going to be standing, because we're the church," Garcia quoted the congregant as saying.No injuries have been reported and the causse is under investigation.

Santa Clara County’s responses to baby Phoenix investigation

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

Here are statements from Santa Clara County and its officials to the Bay Area News Group in response to the news organization’s ongoing investigation into the fentanyl-related death of a 3-month-old Phoenix Castro.Date: Oct. 25Who said it: Statement from the County of Santa Clara Regarding the Death of Phoenix CastroIn response to: Bay Area News Group public records request for documents related to the county’s involvement with the family of Phoenix Castro prior to her death.Statement: “The County’s most important obligation is to protect the safety of any child who may be experiencing abuse or neglect. The family of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro had significant involvement with the County Department of Family and Children’s Services prior to her death. The Department is conducting a thorough internal review of every aspect of this case. The County is also requesting a complete external review of this case by the State Department of Social Services, which has oversigh...

Cupertino celebrates 45 years as Sister City of Toyokawa, Japan

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

On Dec. 19, 1978, Cupertino City Councilmember Daniel O’Keefe, vested with full powers authorized by then-Cupertino Mayor James E. Jackson, visited Toyokawa, Japan to sign the Sister City declaration in the office of Mayor Yoshio Yamamoto of Toyokawa.Cupertino and Toyokawa are celebrating 45 years as sister cities. A virtual 45th anniversary ceremony was held over Zoom, with the mayors of the two cities exchanging greetings, sharing videos and exchanging anniversary gifts. The ceremony was hosted from Toyokawa.Toyokawa sent a painting by artist Ayako Kabeya with cherry blossoms that symbolize the friendship between the two cities. The painting can be viewed in the lobby of Cupertino City Hall.Cupertino sent a 3-foot-tall rabbit statue painted by Janki Chokshi called “Bridges: Symbol of Love.” The statue, part of a community art project by Cupertino Rotary, pairs the Golden Gate and Toyokawa bridges, intermingles California redwood trees and poppies with Japanese cherry blossom trees...

Milpitas nonprofit holds Holiday Wish Drive

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

Holiday Wish DriveOperating from the belief that every child deserves a gift during the holidays, the Family Giving Tree (FGT) is well into its 2023 Holiday Wish Drive. For over 30 years, the Milpitas nonprofit has held its wish drive to help Bay Area families facing financial hardships during the holiday season.Before the pandemic, FGT’s Holiday Wish Drive delivered over 80,000 gifts annually, and the nonprofit is slowly working its way back to those numbers. For 2023, they aim to deliver 44,000 gifts.To contribute a gift, visit FGT’s Virtual Giving Tree at https://wishdrive.org and choose from thousands of requested gift options.Winter Warble FestKaraoke fans can step into the spotlight Dec. 28 at the Winter Warble Fest: A Holiday Sing-Off, set for 6-8 p.m. at the Milpitas Library.The audience will judge contestants in this all-ages sing-off on their vocal ability, stage presence, creativity and audience impact. The competition involves multiple rounds, the number of which will be...

List: Fentanyl has killed at least 5 Bay Area babies since 2020

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

At least five children younger than 2 have died from fentanyl overdoses since 2020, including three in the South Bay since May.Here is a look at the tragic death toll.Jasani KerryAGE: 2DEATH: On Sept. 20, 2020, Jasani died in his family’s Brentwood home after overdosing on fentanyl.CHARGE: His mom, Genesis Barrera-Galdamez, 22, was charged with second-degree murder but later pleaded to manslaughter. Francesca PittmanAGE: 1DEATH: On Aug. 1, 2022, Francesca died from apparent fentanyl poisoning after being rushed to a hospital from her home in Livermore.CHARGE: Her father, Justin Pittman, pleaded not guilty to murder charges, and is currently awaiting trial. Phoenix CastroBaby Phoenix Castro, who died May 13 of fentanyl poisoning at 3 months old while in the care of her father, has become a symbol of what went wrong with the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services as it implemented its “family preservation” plan. (Courtesy of Edward Morillo)&nbs...

Sunnyvale teen wins YoungArts award

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

YoungArts award winnerSunnyvale resident David Lin, a student at Homestead High School, has received a 2024 YoungArts award in classical music, joining nearly 700 of the most accomplished young visual, literary and performing artists from across the country.YoungArts award winners are selected through a competitive application, which is reviewed by panels of discipline-specific artists. All YoungArts award winners have demonstrated exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry and a commitment to developing their crafts. This year, winners were selected from more than 9,000 applications across 10 artistic disciplines: classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing. Each award winner will receive a monetary award of $250.For the duration of his career, Lin is eligible for exclusive creative and professional development support; microgrants and financial awards; presentation opportunities in collaboration with major venues and cult...

Montessori school moving from Campbell to Cambrian Park

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

After spending 25 years in an old post office building in Campbell, a local Montessori school is moving to a campus in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose.Casa di Mir Montessori’s new location at 1975 Cambrianna Ave. is a former school site and is currently home to a California Sports Center. The Montessori school is set to begin holding classes there in the 2024-25 school year.“Our lease for the new space begins in July 2024,” says Megan Shumate, director of marketing and development for the private school, which enrolls preschoolers through eighth-graders. “This move is historic for us because it gives us a more permanent home in the South Bay.”In anticipation of the lease for the old post office coming to an end, school staff formed a committee to search for a new site. While Casa di Mir Montessori has been located in the South Bay for over 35 years, it’s been a while since all its students have been under one roof.“Currently, we have a split campus in Campbell,” Shumate says. “Ou...

Las 10 series más populares de Netflix este 2023

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:17:00 GMT

El informe, publicado esta semana en forma de un archivo descargable de Microsoft Excel, presenta más de 18,000 títulos que, según Netflix, representan “el 99% de todas las visualizaciones” en su plataforma, que cuenta con casi 240 millones de suscriptores.El transmisor dice que comenzará a publicar “What We Watched” dos veces al año, y que la edición inaugural cubrirá la visualización entre enero y junio de 2023.Los títulos se clasificaron según las horas de visualización acumuladas, redondeadas a las 100,000 más cercanas. El thriller psicológico coreano “The Glory” ocupó el tercer lugar con más de 622 millones de horas vistas, justo detrás de las 665 horas que los espectadores pasaron viendo la segunda temporada de “Ginny & Georgia”.En un comunicado que presenta el informe, Netflix dice que la clasificación por sí sola no es suficiente para comparar y contrastar la popularidad de dos programas o películas. En cambio, dice que “para com...