Have you ever dreamed of living on the water or are you only a misanthrope who doesn't like being around people? Here's some big news for you: A tiny lighthouse in San Francisco Bay is on the lookout for two recent keepers.

“East Brother Light Station, Inc.“, a nonprofit corporation, is seeking applicants for Keepers of East Brother Light Station, an island in San Francisco Bay that is home to an intact lighthouse and fog beacon dating to 1874,” announced Tom Butt, director of the nonprofit organization, announced in an email in December. 4.

“The successful candidates will be a couple, one of whom must hold a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential NMC boating license,” Mr Butt said. “They will operate the five-room inn, serving both dinner and breakfast, as well as providing ferry service for guests and all other duties from chef to maid. High-quality culinary experience and skills are critical qualifications.”

The job announcement comes as current lighthouse keepers Dre and Charity Elmore prepare to depart in March 2025. They will return to New York, where Charity previously ran a farmhouse and Dre gave tours of the Erie Canal.

The East Brother Light Station was in-built 1874 north of the present Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. It was home to many lighthouse keepers and their families who used a fog horn and a beaming Fresnel lens to forestall ship collisions. The U.S. Coast Guard automated the station in 1969 and, because of Butt and other preservationists, it reopened in 1980 as a captivating bed and breakfast where the general public can enjoy a novel vacation.

The role of lighthouse keepers has modified for the reason that nineteenth century. They ran the foghorn, polished the lights and washed sea foam from the windows, kicked dead fish that washed back into the water, and sometimes got drunk. Nowadays, attendants act as hotel professionals who know tips on how to cook gourmet meals, make beds and ensure tourists have a superb time. Their ranks over the a long time have included a retired Navy SEAL, a picket boat builder, a industrial fisherman and a flight attendant.

One of the youngest zookeepers, Desiree Heveroh, was stranded alone on the island without electricity for months in the course of the Corona crisis when an underwater power cable broke. She couldn't shower greater than once every week and preserved her own food since the freezers weren't working. Still, she made essentially the most of it, telling The Mercury News earlier this 12 months: “I planted a garden. I trained a raven. I had a little duckling. I learned a language. All the things you say you will do, I have done. I didn’t look at clocks or calendars and it was as lovely as it sounds.”

For this excellent experience, the keepers receive a modest salary and the possibility to inform an important story for the remaining of their lives. Butt explained more in his email: “The new goalkeepers will start in April 2025, which will allow two weeks of training time. Compensation is a function of business level, utilization and economics. Over the past two years, the average value for the couple has been $140,000 and rising. Compensation includes a health insurance plan and housing on the island.”

Interested parties must and should provide proof of a current Coast Guard NMC boat operator's license as a Merchant Mariner Apply using this online form. Find out more in regards to the lighthouse at https://ebls.org. Direct inquiries to EastBrotherLightStationJOBS@gmail.com.

Originally published: December 4, 2024 at 2:46 pm PST

Bruins

Brad Marchand isn't the one Bruin to feel Jim Montgomery's wrath.

Amid one other night of turnovers, penalty problems and a scarcity of attention to detail, Boston's third-year reserve coach delivered one other heated message to his club during a TV timeout.

Whatever message Montgomery was attempting to convey after watching David Pastrnak take his second penalty at midfield didn't appear to resonate with the remaining of the club. The Bruins gave up their third power play goal after halftime when former teammate Tyler Seguin scored his fourth goal of the season at 8:59 of the second minute.

The Bruins got Casey Desmith a handful of quality looks.

But with every attack, from Matthew Poitras scoring Pastrnak's first goal of the sport to Justin Brazeau ending Trent Frederic's wraparound feed, the Bruins countered with more poorly timed stick fouls on offense. And for each Jeremy Swayman save, there was one other round of fumbled marking within the shootout.

Thursday's 5-2 setback saw the Bruins fall to 3-4-1. Here are just a few takeaways because the B's embark on their worst eight-game season opening stretch since a 5-3 loss firstly of the 2011-12 season.

Montgomery wants his club to have a healthier attitude.

Sometimes being results-oriented can result in an excessive amount of deal with wins and losses over an extended season. Montgomery believes the Bruins are falling into that trap after the primary eight games of the brand new 12 months.

In fact, the Bruins don't appear like a confident bunch. Finally, it’s difficult to create such an environment after they play from the back due to lack of the ball at inopportune times and problems with penalty kicks.

In return, the Bruins proceed to hunt easy gratification fairly than asserting their identity. And in keeping with Montgomery, their focus at once isn't on what's needed.

“Our attitudes need to move in a better and healthier direction…” said Montgomery… “e.g. B. trying to regulate what you may control, which implies excelling in your role.” Our attitudes are not in the moment. You are on the results. And when your mindset is focused on results, you tend to take too many penalties because you get frustrated easily, and you turn the puck over a lot because you don't want to work for the offense. You want immediate results. This attitude of not being willing to work for what we want to achieve, to achieve our team game, is causing us problems at the moment.”

Are there any frustrations? Naturally. But they don't rise. At least not yet.

In fact, the Bruins desperately need a spark to energize their struggling offense. Montgomery's attempts to maneuver his lineup yielded no results, leading much of the fan base to suggest signing Tyler Johnson or promoting Fabian Lysell from Providence.

Still, the Bruins knew they would enter the season as a work in progress after enduring more roster moves in the offseason. Nevertheless, Marchand believes they can correct the plethora of errors in a timely manner.

Brad Marchand: “Many of the mistakes we make and the reasons we lose are due to our lack of respect for the game, consistency and details. You can fix these things. If you have a lack of effort and people don’t care, that’s a whole different problem and we don’t have that.” pic.twitter.com/kL5vXqfbes

— Bruins Daily (@BruinsDaily) October 25, 2024

“Many of the mistakes we make and the reasons we lose are due to our lack of respect for the game, consistency and details. These are things that can be fixed,” Marchand said after his two-penalty night. “If you lack effort and the guys don’t care, that’s a whole different problem and we don’t have that.”

The Bruins find themselves in uncharted territory because the season begins.

With a loaded roster, the Bruins compiled a 9-1 record in the primary month of the Montgomery era en path to a record-setting regular season.

A 12 months later, within the midst of a transitional season, Montgomery's club began the primary month of the Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci era at 8-0-1.

Of course, the struggling Florida Panthers dashed Boston's Cup hopes. The first 12 months had a shocking ending, while the next season delivered a far less surprising result.

Right now, the Bruins are nowhere near the Panthers or stars among the many NHL's elite. In fact, they’re entering uncharted territory under Montgomery heading into the season.

Due to camp injuries to the newcomers Elias Lindholm and Max Jones respectively Swayman's late arrival After the Bruins signed their $66 million extension, they’d to take care of several moving parts. In this respect, they’re catching up somewhat with one another in the event of chemistry.

The move doesn't free them from turnover or penalty issues. Nor does it excuse them for his or her sluggish bursts, their slow power play, or their defensive failures.

The early difficulties remind them: the season doesn't end in October. But the Bruins must correct their troubling trend of playing catch-up hockey sooner fairly than later.

“For this to happen to us at the beginning of the year is a little uncharted territory,” said defenseman Charlie McAvoy. “The last few years we've just been gangsters, but I think part of our attitude is that being the best team in October didn't do us any good.”

Are the Bruins closer to a breakthrough than we predict?

The penalties and turnovers once more put the Bruins in a difficult position. But her commitment improved between the ultimate two games of her road trip in Utah and Nashville and Thursday's outing.

While it wasn't necessarily a night-and-day comparison, the Bruins looked somewhat more confident when it got here to getting pucks into dangerous areas. Even on one other night of sloppy passing, they generated several quality looks for DeSmith behind Brazeau's net-front play and Pastrnak's creativity.

“It just feels like we’re close,” McAvoy said. “The last few games we're getting that top-notch look. The power play gets these looks. We go deep. We're coming to the internet. We're just one play away from many of them [chances].”

So close and yet distant.

Because of the period of time they spent on the penalty kill, the Bruins were barely able to ascertain a flow in 5-on-5 play. The PK units proceed to be stressed, forcing Montgomery to regulate his lineup after each short-handed situation.

Maybe the Bruins will finally give you the option to get to the web more consistently in the event that they can limit their mistakes and create more possibilities in 5-on-5 play. But despite one other slice of humble pie, early season adversity isn't necessarily the worst development.

“This is a tough league. It will humble you pretty quickly,” Marchand added. “If any team thinks they’re just going to get through, then they’re in for something else. It's a great opportunity for us to take advantage of it, get better and go through the process of simplifying it [our play]. We’ll be fine.”

Facilitating recruitment

In case of re-election for a second term Donald Trump He supports a plan that might give him the facility to fireside as much as 50,000 civil servants and replace them with members of his political party who’re loyal to him. If he ultimately finds these latest employees to be disloyal, he claims that under the plan he could fire them as well.

The United States has tried such a plan before.

As we write in our book “How the government built America”, newly elected President Andrew JacksonAfter taking office in 1828, he dismissed about half of the country's civil servants and replaced them with loyal members of his political party.

The result was not only a totally incompetent government, but additionally widespread corruption.

Swear loyalty

Jackson's policies, which rewarded political loyalists and punished enemies, represented a dramatic departure from the vision of the Founding Fathers, who created an independent civil service whose members were literally obligated to uphold the laws of the land.

In the passage of his very first lawOn June 1, 1789, Congress required newly appointed federal officials to take an oath of office, uphold the laws of the land, and conscientiously perform their duties.

Congress also passed Legislation on conflicts of interest to forestall employees from making decisions based on personal financial considerations.

While oaths are less essential today, they were considered essential personal obligations within the 18th and nineteenth centuries. The U.S. Constitution, for instance, incorporates an oath of office for the Presidentand it’s provided that members of Congress and other federal officials “are bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution.”

When President George Washington – and the subsequent five U.S. presidents – hired a brand new worker, Reputation was essential. Each of the presidents paid attention to how neighbors perceived the candidate and whether he had been elected to local office, a sign that the person – and so they were all men – was a reliable and honest employee.

This was not the goal of Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, and his system; he wanted loyalists in government offices.

The loot system

While early presidents were concerned in regards to the competence and honesty of officials, Jackson quickly put these concerns aside.

Instead of hiring those that desired to work in the general public interest and for the great of the nation, Jackson employed members of his political party who promised to march in lockstep with him and his policies. This system became often known as the “Spoils System.”

How Trump cardJackson also had a version of the “deep state” that he rejected. He claimed the appointment process was aristocratic and blocked the appointment of the common people he represented. He also insisted that have and competence were unnecessary.

Jackson was completely mistaken about a few of his political appointments.

One of his worst was Samuel Swartwouta long-time friend of the Army and political sycophant. Jackson appointed him to 2 consecutive terms as Customs Commissioner of New York, where he served from 1829 to 1837.

The job was considered an actual flagship and the highest-paying within the federal government on the time. It involved collecting taxes and costs on imported goods arriving on the country's busiest port.

But a congressional investigation showed that Swartwout had stolen just over $1.2 million during his time in office, which is reminiscent of about $40 million in today's currency.

Swartwout had fled to London but returned to the United States after being assured that no criminal charges could be brought against him.

Jackson also learned that his power to influence federal agencies through high-level appointments was limited. This was the case with the US Postal Service.

As a slave owner, Jackson was alarmed by the mailing of anti-slavery pamphlets in 1835 by the American Anti-Slavery SocietyFearing that the leaflets might result in a black rebellion, Jackson instructed his Postmaster General, Amos Kendall, himself a slave owner, to resolve the issue by restricting mailings and asking Congress to ban the U.S. Postal Service from sending all abolitionist materials.

Congress refused, citing Freedom of speech and expansion of presidential powers because the fundamental reasons.

Long after Jackson left the White House, Congress debated between 1864 and 1883 about making “performance” a central requirement for hiring latest employees, but nothing happened until an offended job applicant murdered President Chester Garfield.

Congress then passed the Pendleton Act of 1883the the Performance Appointment System still in use today. It also effectively ended a system that allowed whichever party won the White House to reward its supporters with tens of 1000’s of jobs.

A limited exception

Currently, most almost 3 million federal employees are appointed through merit-based recruitment procedures based on competitive examinations. They can’t be dismissed unless a limited variety of reasonsresembling poor performance or misconduct.

However, the law exempts roughly 4,000 federal employees whose appointment requires the recommendation and consent of the Senate and who’ve been designated by the President have a “confidential, policy-determining, policy-forming or policy-advocating character”.

The idea behind it’s to provide a brand new president the chance to influence his policies by hiring high-ranking federal officials.

The plan, supported by Trump, would expand the powers of the president, who under the present exemption can hire and fire tens of 1000’s of civil servants without regard to performance.

In short, he intends to reintroduce the spoils system.

This will not be an empty threat.

Towards the top of his term, then-President Trump said signed an implementing regulation Introducing a brand new job classification inside the federal government civil service called Schedule F for “employees in confidential, policy-determining, policy-forming or policy-representative positions.”

Under this rule, employees would lose virtually all of their civil service privileges and might be fired without cause. It is unclear what impact Trump's order had on the federal government, because it was issued two weeks before the 2020 election and was only in effect for just a few months.

Shortly after taking office Trump's order reversed.

A thankless task

When appointments to key federal positions are based on merit slightly than political loyalty, we imagine Americans will face a diminished level of presidency competence—as Andrew Jackson learned during his time in office.

While this will likely not matter to those that view the federal government as unimportant to the country – or worse, as an enemy of the country – our book “How Government Built America” tells a really different story in regards to the 1000’s of federal employees who provide all the pieces from health care to protection from natural disasters.

Not every civil servant is an excellent worker, and the identical applies to all employees within the private sector.

But there’s ample evidence that the federal government works because there are various people behind the scenes in Washington and across the country who’re serving the American people – and keeping their oath of office.

The concept that a university degree improves equal opportunities for college kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds has gained traction in recent times. For example, studies from 2011 and 2017 found that getting a bachelor’s degree helped students from socially disadvantaged families Do and their better-off peers._

Jessi Streiba sociology professor at Duke University, was skeptical. Other research has found that every little thing related to getting job – skilled networks, high grades, internships, status symbols – unevenly distributed by classTo discover whether college is the “great equalizer” or whether greater than only a bachelor’s degree plays a job, Streib interviewed 62 students at a public university who were studying business administration – the most well-liked majorShe also spoke to 80 recruiters and interviewed many more employers. Here she shares her findings.

According to your research, is college the “great equalizer”?

The college helps, but widespread employment practices that keep salary information secret appeared to play a bigger role for the scholars I interviewed. Potential employers on this job market often hide necessary information, corresponding to salary ranges and an in depth job description, that might help graduates determine which jobs to use for. The information is commonly not provided until a job offer is made.

Over and beyond recurrently offer graduates different amounts for similar jobs, so it’s difficult for prospective graduates to develop a general idea of ​​what they need to earn for the style of work they wish to do. Salary information might be found on web sites corresponding to glass door is commonly unreliable. For this reason, graduates whose parents have different educational qualifications – a facet of socioeconomic status – must guess where they must apply to maneuver on. This makes luck the “great equalizer” for individuals with a bachelor's degree.

What other hiring practices affect the roles that college graduates get?

In addition to hiding salary information, recruiters also obscure the factors they use to guage potential employees. For example, they might announce that they’re searching for applicants with good communication skills or the power to work in a team, but they don't describe what meets those criteria. Good communication can mean the power to specific yourself concisely, or it could mean being thorough and slightly verbose. In addition, different recruiters may use conflicting criteria. I've found that some prefer students who respond quickly and decisively, while others want those that take their time before responding.

At the identical time, employers – those that hire students just like the business students I interviewed – are likely to apply neutral criteria that students from all social classes can meet. They often don’t require high grade point averages and ignore student status symbols, corresponding to exposure to expensive activities like golf, skiing, and traveling abroad. They also are likely to refuse to barter with college graduates over salary. Students from middle- and upper-class families who know more about the way to negotiatelose their advantage. This in turn results in smaller income differences amongst latest hires.

How is a ignorance negating students’ class advantage?

Students from more privileged backgrounds are likely to have more family and friends who might help them find jobs. However, when salaries are concealed, people in students' networks often lack the crucial information and are subsequently just as more likely to direct students into low-paying jobs in addition to high-paying ones, my research shows.

In general, privileged students usually tend to turn to family, friends, or the profession center for advice on job-search issues corresponding to resumes and interviews. When information in regards to the hiring process is hidden, the recommendation students receive is never useful. Instead, their family and friends advise students to arrange for questions which might be never asked and advise them to reply questions in ways in which may very well be penalized by certain recruiters. For example, one student I spoke with was advised to maintain his answers temporary; the interviewer later told him he didn't get the job because his answers weren't detailed enough.

Do the outcomes differ for college kids from other study programs?

Students at public universities who usually are not studying business may face different processes, but my findings are more likely to be generalizable to many other students at non-elite universities. For many college graduates, whether or not they apply for a well-paying job is a matter of luck. For this reason, luck – together with a level – might be the massive equalizer.

The passage of the Every student is successful In 2015, the federal requirement that teachers be highly qualified to show was eliminated. This freedom of regulation, combined with a Lack of trained and qualified teachershas led to some states allowing unqualified individuals to show children.

Texas took advantage of this freedom to adopt a recent state law This allows almost any school to rent unlicensed teachers. As a result, Texas schools at the moment are hiring more unlicensed recent teachers than licensed ones. The supply problem is especially acute in rural and small-town schools, where nearly 75% of teachers hired in 2023-2024 were unlicensed. This is a rise from 17% in 2013-2014.

However, research shows that these unregulated hiring practices can negatively impact students' academic performance. It has a disproportionate impact Black students, English language learners, and rural students.

Why does it matter?

what’s required to acquire a teaching license varies by state, but most states require licensed teachers to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Many also require prospective teachers to finish a certain variety of lessons and likewise take an exam.

While hiring unlicensed teachers may fill a right away staffing need in classrooms, research shows that it has various negative consequences.

Firstly, unqualified recent teachers negatively impact student learning in middle and highschool mathematics. The learning loss experienced by students is similar to missing up to a few months of instruction during a nine-month school yr.

Second, unlicensed recent teachers are way more more likely to leave teaching than licensed and qualified recent teachers. Only 45% of latest teachers are unlicensed In rural communities they continue to be within the classroom for greater than three years, while almost 80% of fully qualified recent teachers proceed within the career. The high turnover rate of unlicensed teachers is disruptive to varsities and colleges can result in poorer student test results. And teacher turnover is dear and costs school districts $9,000 to $21,000 Hire and train a alternative for every teacher who leaves.

Third, unlicensed teachers in Texas can earn the identical salary and advantages as fully trained and licensed teachers and remain employed indefinitely. As a result, this recent state law removes the inducement for people to take a position their money and time in training and a teaching license. In the long run, that is more likely to result in an extra decline in the availability of highly qualified teachers.

Finally, Texas law requires public schools to do that Providing equal educational services and opportunities to all children. Federal law states that each one children “receive a fair, equal and high-quality education.” Despite these laws, there are not any qualified recent teachers in Texas Black students are 1.4 times more more likely to be educated than white students2.1 times more more likely to teach emerging bilingual students than native English-speaking students and 6 times more more likely to teach students in rural communities than in suburban communities.

What's next?

Three changes to state policy and practice could lead on to higher student achievement, a greater supply of highly qualified teachers, higher government transparency and lower costs to taxpayers.

Since 1999, Texas law has required schools to notify parents and guardians if their children are “inadequately certified or uncertified teachers.” However, the brand new state law allows school districts to exempt themselves from this government transparency clause, and by our calculations using state data, nearly 400 had done so by March 2024. If the Texas Legislature were to remove this exemption, parents would have the chance to be certain that their school districts take positive steps to rent more licensed teachers.

One approach to potentially reduce the tutorial harm of employing unlicensed teachers is to limit the length of time they teach before they’re required to acquire a license. Before 2015, school districts needed to apply for one Emergency authorization by the state for unqualified teachers if the district was unable to fill a vacant teaching position with a licensed teacher. These permits are only valid for one yr. This deadline could also apply to any unlicensed teachers being hired now.

Under Texas law, school districts will pay teachers in a different way depending on their qualifications. If most school districts were to adopt sliding scale teacher salaries – where the salary for fully qualified teachers is higher than for unlicensed teachers – this might provide additional incentives for unlicensed teachers to acquire full training and licensure.

Additionally, rural and small-town schools are currently struggling to recruit highly qualified teachers as they compete with wealthier and bigger school districts. Differentiated state funding that permits rural and concrete districts to supply similar salaries to qualified teachers could also help level educational playing fields across the state.

Taken together, these three policy changes could help increase the availability of highly qualified and effective teachers who stay within the career longer, particularly in rural schools. This, in turn, could reduce costs for varsity districts and be certain that all students receive the equitable, high-quality education to which they’re legally entitled.

Employers within the Bay Area and California more broadly reported strong employment gains in March, a hiring boost that — for now — counteracts the dismal job losses that the nine-county region and state suffered in February.

The Bay Area added 4,200 jobs last month, driven by a surge in hiring within the South Bay and East Bay, in response to a brand new state government report.

“Job gains are always welcome and remind us that the Bay Area economy is not in a 'bad luck loop,'” said Steve Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. “In addition, I expect that the soon-to-be-released January 1, 2024 population estimates will show that population growth has returned statewide and in the Bay Area.”

The South Bay added 2,800 jobs in March, while the East Bay added 900 positions, the state Employment Development Department (EDD) reported.

“Broadly speaking, Silicon Valley continues to be the place where innovation meets opportunity, creating a dynamic landscape that attracts entrepreneurs, startups, technology giants and research institutions,” said Ahmad Thomas, CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Tech firms have enjoyed strong sales and, in some cases, healthy profits of late – whilst job losses proceed across the region within the sometimes turbulent industry.

“There are reductions in some business areas and growth in others,” said Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based think tank.

The San Francisco-San Mateo region lost 500 jobs in March, in response to EDD. The metropolitan region has now lost jobs for 3 months in a row.

“San Francisco-San Mateo really stands out, not just this month but over the past year,” said Jeffrey Michael, executive director of the Stockton-based Center for Business and Policy Research on the University of the Pacific. “It is the only one of California’s 29 metropolitan areas to lose jobs in the last 12 months.”

Part of the issue may stem from the region's heavy reliance on technology. The Bay Area's employment gains in March got here despite — not due to — the tech industry.

Technology firms shed a net 2,900 jobs in March, in response to a Beacon Economics estimate derived from the state report.

The San Francisco-San Mateo region saw the worst job losses within the tech sector. Tech firms cut 2,800 jobs within the region in March. The South Bay lost 300 tech jobs while the East Bay actually added 200 tech jobs.

California added a complete of 28,300 jobs in March – a major improvement from the lack of 6,600 jobs in February.

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3%. This figure is well above the record low unemployment rate of three.8% in August 2022. Since that month, California's unemployment rate has steadily worsened.

Worryingly, California's unemployment rate was the best of the 50 states. Even worse, Nevada, with an unemployment rate of 5.1% in March, was the one other state with an unemployment rate of 5% or higher.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office of Business and Economic Development addressed California's relatively high unemployment rate, saying it was “in line with the state's pre-pandemic average of 5% from 2015 to 2019.”

According to Michael Bernick, a labor attorney on the Duane Morris law firm and former director of the state EDD, overall employment improvement in California has been driven by sectors that depend on spending from social services or public agencies.

“March job growth in California, as in previous months, was primarily in health care and government,” Bernick said. In March, government employers added 13,600 jobs statewide, while healthcare organizations in California added 6,400 jobs.

The combination of presidency, health care and human services jobs added in California accounted for 62.2% of jobs added statewide in March.

“The other private sector sectors in California are seeing little to no job growth,” Bernick said.

Beacon estimates Bay Area healthcare employers added 1,400 jobs in March, reflecting a rise of 500 healthcare jobs in each the South Bay and East Bay.

Beacon estimates retailers added 300 jobs within the Bay Area last month.

Experts said the Bay Area continues to be poised for robust long-term growth as vaunted artificial intelligence firms launch recent ventures and achieve enough success to rent large numbers of engineers.

“We see the emergence of artificial intelligence as a new economic engine,” Hancock said. “We are seeing this in deal flow, we are seeing venture capital-backed AI companies leasing large blocks of commercial space, and as tech workers return to the region we are seeing population growth again.”