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AMESBURY, Mass. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Provident Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:PVBC), the holding company for BankProv (the "Bank"), today announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a new stock repurchase program. Under the repurchase program, the Company may repurchase up to 883,366 shares of its common stock, or approximately five percent of the current outstanding shares. The repurchase program was adopted following the receipt of non-objection from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston . The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions, through block trades, and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Repurchases will be made at management's discretion at prices management considers to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders, subject to the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company's financial performance. Open market purchases will be conducted in accordance with the limitations set forth in Rule 10b -18 of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other applicable legal requirements. The repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified at any time for any reason, including market conditions, the cost of repurchasing shares, the availability of alternative investment opportunities, liquidity, and other factors deemed appropriate. These factors may also affect the timing and amount of share repurchases. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares. About Provident Bancorp, Inc. Provident Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PVBC) is the holding company for BankProv, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Massachusetts . With retail branches in the Seacoast Region of Northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire , as well as commercial banking offices in the Manchester / Concord market in Central New Hampshire , BankProv delivers a unique combination of traditional banking services and innovative financial solutions to its markets. Founded in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1828, BankProv holds the honor of being the 10th oldest bank in the nation. The Bank insures 100% of deposits through a combination of insurance provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). For more information, visit bankprov.com . Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements, such as statements of the Company's or the Bank's plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as, "expects," "subject," "believe," "will," "intends," "may," "will be" or "would." These statements are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which are beyond the Company's or the Bank's control), and actual results may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements (which reflect management's analysis of factors only as of the date on which they are given). These factors include: general economic conditions; interest rates; inflation; levels of unemployment; legislative, regulatory and accounting changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank; deposit flows; our ability to access cost-effective funding; changes in liquidity, including the size and composition of our deposit portfolio and the percentage of uninsured deposits in the portfolio; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; competition; our ability to successfully shift the balance sheet to that of a traditional community bank; real estate values in the market area; loan demand; the adequacy of our level and methodology for calculating our allowance for credit losses; changes in the quality of our loan and securities portfolios; the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans; our ability to retain key employees; failures or breaches of our IT systems, including cyberattacks; the failure to maintain current technologies; the ability of the Company or the Bank to effectively manage its growth; global and national war and terrorism; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other pandemic on our operations and financial results and those of our customers; and results of regulatory examinations, among other factors. The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Readers should carefully review the risk factors described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Investor contact: Joseph Reilly President and Chief Executive Officer Provident Bancorp, Inc. jreilly@bankprov.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/provident-bancorp-inc-adopts-stock-repurchase-program-302320082.html SOURCE Provident Bancorp, Inc.On Sunday night, I checked my phone during the intermission of an emotionally wrenching but joyful play and read news that was, for me, also emotionally wrenching but joyful: President Joe Biden had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden . On a human level, it is totally understandable that a father – especially one who lost two of his four children to tragic early deaths – would pardon his only remaining son for non-violent crimes. That is self-evident and needs no explanation. From a rule of law perspective, as a former assistant Watergate special prosecutor who is familiar with pardons dating back to the Nixon and Ford administrations, I can confidently say that this pardon was legal and, in my view, appropriate. As the president wrote in his statement released Sunday night, “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.” Indeed, the prosecution of the president’s son was politically motivated. Another suspect accused of the same crimes would almost certainly not have been pursued in the same way. While I recognize that Biden’s pardon is very likely to be politically problematic for his legacy , I want to challenge the critiques of Biden for pardoning his son after promising not to – criticisms that are coming from both the left and the right. Consider this: Had the president never vowed to withhold his power to pardon his son, there would be no grounds for Democrats saying he reversed a promise and is paving the way for Trump to pardon any criminal crony he wishes to protect. And Trump and his Republican allies couldn’t call the president a hypocrite. It’s often said of the Watergate scandal that it was not so much the crime as the coverup that ensnared the Nixon administration; this time, for many critics, it seems to be less the pardon, and more his promise not to issue one, that is dogging Biden. Laura Mannweiler Dec. 2, 2024 Yes, Democrats tend to hold their elected officials to a higher ethical standard than Republicans do. Yes, Biden has given a get-out-of-jail-free card to President-elect Donald Trump to claim that he's justified in pardoning anyone he wants. But let’s be honest: In his first term, Trump already issued legally unjustified pardons to a rogue’s gallery of loyalists and relatives. And he pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to continue to use the presidential pardon in ways that no respectable legal scholar can justify. Trump’s first pardon as president was to former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio , convicted of contempt of court for defying a judicial order to stop detaining Latinos he suspected of being illegal immigrants. His last was to convicted tax evader Albert Pirro Jr ., the ex-husband of staunch Trump supporter and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. In between, he pardoned Charles Kushner , his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law, who was convicted of tax evasion , illegal campaign donations and witness tampering and is now perhaps the only person pardoned of federal crimes ever to be named to one of the best jobs in any administration: U.S. ambassador to France. ( Trump nominated him last week.) The motley crew of criminal loyalists pardoned by Trump in his first term includes his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn , found guilty of giving false statements to the FBI about his Russia contacts; Roger Stone , the political operative found guilty of witness tampering, lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election; Paul Manafort , Trump’s former campaign manager who was found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud; and Steve Bannon , Trump’s former chief strategist who was convicted of contempt for defying a congressional subpoena but released from prison last month in time to work on the 2024 Trump campaign. He also pardoned or reversed the sentences of three members of the U.S. military who were convicted of or charged with war crimes , and pardoned four U.S. military contractors for the massacre of unarmed civilians in Iraq . All in all, Trump granted 237 acts of clemency in his first four years in the White House, including at least one that I approve of: his pardon of women’s suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony for voting illegally . In contrast, Biden has granted only 26 so far. Remember that it was Biden’s own Justice Department that pursued investigations and prosecutions of the president’s son and a number of high-profile Democratic allies, including then-Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and New York City Mayor Eric Adams . Ahead of his second term, Trump has promised to pardon all of those convicted of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Even if Biden’s pardon of his son is politically questionable, it is nonsensical to argue that it somehow opens the door for future pardons by Trump. That door was already open. Biden’s reversal of his pledge not to pardon his son is especially understandable after Trump’s election, since the president-elect would almost certainly have sought to further politicize the younger Biden’s conviction. Remember that it was Republican members of Congress who began investigating Biden’s son to bolster Trump and weaken Joe Biden before his expected run against Trump in 2020. The younger Biden was a pawn. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” the president wrote, after spending the Thanksgiving holiday with Hunter and his family, only a few weeks from the anniversary of the tragic deaths of the president’s first wife and daughter in a 1972 car accident. It is also worth looking at the legal facts of the case against Hunter Biden . Illegal gun possession charges are typically brought only when the gun is used to commit a crime . Hunter possessed the gun for only 11 days, never loaded a single bullet into it and got rid of it without using it. I am not excusing his behavior. It was illegal to lie on the permit form and obtain the gun, but indicting him was unfair and selective prosecution. The president was right to call it politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.” That is why a pardon actually serves justice in this case. Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder Dec. 2, 2024 The tax case , too, is one that would not normally have been pursued because Hunter Biden already had paid his back taxes before he was indicted . The special counsel pursuing the charges surely saw the weakness of his case and therefore agreed to accept a plea deal with no jail time, which later fell apart for other reasons. Again, Hunter Biden’s last name played a role in a case in which he had pleaded guilty to avoid further embarrassment to his family. Despite the blowback he now faces over his son, I would urge the president to double down by granting preemptive pardons to protect many people who have worked hard for his administration and for the American people, but who have been threatened with political prosecution by Trump . Those threatened by Trump include Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and his team assigned to investigate Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and his mishandling of classified government documents; judges and prosecutors involved in other criminals cases against him; Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former head of the House Intelligence committee; impeachment witness Alex Vindman and many of those involved in the impeachment and Jan. 6 committees ; former heads of military and intelligence agencies; and too many others to list. There is no legal predicate or justification to prosecute these people because they have committed no crimes; rather, they have been singled out for retribution by the president-elect for lawfully doing their jobs to uphold democracy and rule of law. They should not be facing criminal or congressional investigations. Preemptive pardons are not new. President Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal rather than face guaranteed conviction by the Senate after being impeached by the House. One month later, his successor, Gerald Ford, granted Nixon a full and unconditional pardon for any crimes he might have committed as president. Those crimes included the Watergate burglary and coverup that my team led by special prosecutor Leon Jaworski was investigating, and that pardon ended our ability to indict Nixon, whereas his top aides were tried, convicted and imprisoned. Ford did require that Nixon be told that accepting a pardon was an admission of guilt under a Supreme Court decision, Burdick v. United States. I believe justice was served by Biden’s pardon of his son, and I would urge the president to go further and issue preemptive pardons to protect others from the baseless, politically motivated prosecutions that Trump has pledged to pursue against his perceived enemies. Jill Wine-Banks was a prosecutor during the Watergate scandal and later served as the first woman general counsel for the U.S. Army and as executive director of the American Bar Association. She’s the author of “The Watergate Girl,” a legal analyst for MSNBC and a host of #SistersInLaw podcast and her YouTube show, "Just The Facts."

Last year was another record breaker for the automotive industry's transition , as fuel efficiency in new U.S. vehicles reached a record high and CO2 emissions per mile reached a record low, according to an EPA report released this week. The report aligns with trends over previous years but comes amid questions surrounding the future of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, with President-elect Donald Trump vowing to eliminate the $7,500 EV tax credit implemented by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and taking an otherwise skeptical view on the burgeoning sector. The EPA's report outlined that CO2 emissions for model year 2023 vehicles hit a record low of 319 grams per mile (g/mi), down from the previous record low of 337g/mi in 2022. The 18 g/mi decrease is a sharper drop than the previous three years combined. It also found that new vehicles lowered CO2 emissions by 11 percent for the year. "This report provides a critical data-driven affirmation that strong, technology-neutral standards can underpin environmental progress while saving drivers money at the pump," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. "Manufacturers continue to innovate and are bringing technologies to market which will directly improve air quality, better protecting people's health and saving lives." The EPA attributed much of the reduction in emissions to the increased production and deployment of battery electric models (BEVs) and hybrid plug-ins (PHEVs), stating that without the carbon-cutting vehicles, the average CO2 emissions for new vehicles would be 37g/mi higher. Electric vehicles increased from 6.7 percent of overall U.S. auto production in 2022 to 11.5 percent in 2023. The trend is expected to continue, with the agency predicting that those combined EVs reached nearly 15 percent of production for model year 2024. But the boom in EV manufacturing could be at risk with reduced consumer incentives from the incoming Trump administration. In an analysis published last month , three economists, Joseph Shapiro of UC Berkeley, Felix Tintelnot of Duke University and Hunt Allcott of Stanford, projected a 27 percent drop in sales if EV tax credits are eliminated. Their research also found the elimination of the federal tax credit would decrease annual EV registration – sales and leases – by 300,000, and reduce EV market share from around 11 percent to 8 percent. "EVs are a technology that have fundamental advantages relative to gas vehicles, so in the long run, EV adoption is likely to be high," Shapiro told Newsweek . "But if EV adoption happens in 2030 versus 2080, a lot of carbon would be emitted." There are also possible implications for the future of American EV production, as Shapiro said that the countries where technologies are first adopted often have a competitive advantage, pointing to China's investment into its own growing EV sector. "In the medium to long run, there could be geographic impacts as to where green supply chains are located," Shapiro said. Even if the next administration rolls back federal regulations, states have proposed plans to implement their own subsidies, including California. On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to maintain $7,500 buyer credits for EVs through state funding if Trump pulls the plug on the federal program. "We're not turning back on a clean transportation future—we're going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don't pollute," Newsom said, with his office suggesting that Tesla would be excluded from the credits despite being the biggest domestic producer of EVs by far. "Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California!" wrote Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a post on X. "This is insane."Golden Ticket Hits Milestone with Launch of 200th A.I. Instructor Led Course 12-24-2024 12:46 AM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Press Ranger Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/1734970209.jpg Celebrating 200th Course on Platform Golden Ticket Reaches New Heights in A. I Educational Innovation Golden Ticket Online Services Ltd, a leader in Innovative A. I educational technology, proudly announces the launch of its 200th course, Led by an A.I Instructor's marks a significant milestone in its mission to provide accessible, high-quality education worldwide. Based in London, Golden Ticket continues revolutionising the online learning landscape by combining digital education with engaging reward systems. Since its inception, Golden Ticket has been dedicated to empowering learners through a comprehensive online platform offering diverse courses across academic and professional disciplines. The platform is designed to cater to the varied interests and skill levels of its global audience, ensuring that every learner finds a path to success. "Reaching the 200-course mark is a testament to our commitment to educational excellence and innovation," said Ashley Alexander, CEO of Golden Ticket Online Services Ltd. "We are thrilled to offer learners even more opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills, and we remain dedicated to enhancing the learning experience through our unique engagement programs." The newly launched courses are developed by educational professionals and subject matter experts, ensuring that learners receive the most current and relevant information backed up by AI Chatbot Instructors to give problem-solving sessions Golden Ticket's platform not only provides educational content but also integrates reward-based engagement programs, making learning both enriching and enjoyable. Golden Ticket's innovative approach to education has garnered attention from learners and educators alike, positioning the company as a pioneer in the field of digital learning. By continuously expanding its course offerings, Golden Ticket reaffirms its commitment to breaking down barriers to education and fostering a culture of lifelong learning. As Golden Ticket celebrates this remarkable achievement, the company looks forward to furthering its mission of making quality education accessible to all. With a focus on technological advancement and learner engagement, Golden Ticket is poised to continue its growth and impact in the educational sector. Media Contact Company Name: Golden Ticket Contact Person: Alicia Alexander Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=golden-ticket-hits-milestone-with-launch-of-200th-ai-instructor-led-course ] Country: United States Website: https://goldentickets.uk/ This release was published on openPR.

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.DICKINSON — With Thanksgiving coming tomorrow, Nov. 28, 2024, The Dickinson Press and Players Sports Bar and Grill decided to tip things off a bit early and get the show in so everybody can enjoy the weekend. While the H-O-R-S-E showdown between Gaylon and Jared Scheeler is off for now ... postponed until a later date to be determined later ... the Blue Hawks' show is at home — and on the road — as Dickinson State University's men's and women's hoopsters are at Scott Gymnasium versus Rocky Mountain — starting at 5 p.m. on Black Friday — while Montana State-Northern will be in town on Saturday for a set of games beginning at the same-Hawk-time and same-Hawk-gymnasium. And don't forget about the big DSU gridiron showdown in Dillon against Montana Western on Saturday at high-noon in the second round of the NAIA playoffs. Handsome Rob offers an update on Players' specials for the weekend and the crew breaks down all the previews a day-early. Enjoy ... and y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Holiday Season. ADVERTISEMENT

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Aduro Clean Technologies Announces Voting Results for Election of DirectorsAnkara, Dec 3 (AP) The recent rapid advance by opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad must reconcile with his own people and hold dialogue with the opposition, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday. At a joint news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, Hakan Fidan said Turkey and Iran, which support opposing sides in Syria's civil war, have agreed to resume diplomatic efforts along with Russia to restore calm days after insurgents launched a lightning offensive and captured almost all of the country's largest city, Aleppo. The swift advance by fighters that Turkey supports was a huge embarrassment for Assad and it comes at a time when his allies — Iran and groups it backs and Russia — are preoccupied with their own conflicts. The push is among the rebels' strongest in years and raises the prospect of another violent front reopening in the Middle East when U.S.-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian-allied groups. Fidan, whose country has backed forces opposed to Assad, blamed the recent flare-up of the conflict on the Syrian government's refusal to enter a dialogue with the opposition that Turkey supports. “Recent developments show once again that Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” the Turkish minister said. “Turkey is ready to make all the necessary contribution toward this.” Fidan's comments emerged amid Turkish frustration that recent efforts toward a reconciliation with Assad have fallen flat. The comments indicated that the shock offensive launched by opposition fighters could be aimed at pressuring the Syrian leader to engage in political talks. Turkey has been seeking to normalize ties with Syria to address security threats from groups affiliated with Kurdish militants along its southern border and to help ensure the safe return of more than 3 million Syrian refugees. Assad has insisted that Turkey's withdrawal of its forces from northern Syria be a condition for any normalization between the two countries. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who visited Assad on Sunday before traveling to Ankara, reiterated Tehran's full support for the Syrian government. Iran has been one of Assad's principal political and military supporters and has deployed military advisers and forces after 2011 protests against Assad's rule turned into an all-out war. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have deployed in Syria to back the government's counteroffensive against the insurgents, an Iraqi militia official and a war monitor said Monday. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, some 200 Iraqi militiamen riding on pickups crossed into Syria overnight through the strategic Bou Kamal crossing. They were expected to deploy in Aleppo to support the Syrian army's pushback against the insurgents, the monitor said. Meanwhile, Associated Press video showed armed insurgents at Aleppo's international airport, one of them standing on a Syrian government flag and others tearing down a poster of Assad. Insurgents were also seen mounting abandoned aircraft and walking around airport grounds strewn with weapons and ammunition boxes. The rebel offensive in Syria has caused concern among neighboring countries that the conflict could spill over. In Iraq, Interior Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Miqdad Miri said security forces have deployed in greater numbers to protect their large border with Syria. Fidan reiterated Turkey's support for Syria's territorial integrity, but suggested that Turkey would not hesitate to intervene against Syrian Kurdish militia groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists if they “exploit the environment of instability.” “It was a mistake to ignore the legitimate demands of the opposition and for the (Syrian) regime not to sincerely engage in the political process,” Fidan said. Turkey, he added, "will never, ever allow terrorist organizations that seek to exploit the environment of instability," Fidan said. “We will eliminate any threat to our national security and our people wherever it emerges.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that the instability in Syria would come to an end “in line with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people.” He spoke Monday at a joint news conference with the president of Montenegro. Both Fidan and Araghchi said Turkey, Iran and Russia would convene a new three-way meeting to address the conflict in Syria. "We have decided to hold closer consultations and dialogue, and with God's permission, we will cooperate to further improve the situation toward peace and stability in our region,” Araghchi said. Russia, whose intervention in Syria's civil war on behalf of Assad was crucial in turning the conflict in his favor, has said it will continue to support him. “We continue our contacts at the appropriate level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday. “A position will be formed regarding what is needed to stabilize the situation.” The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the Assad regime has ignored Security Council resolutions and refused to come to the table. “We are watching that situation very closely, and we will continue to engage with partners in the region to find a path for the situation to go back to calm,” she said. (AP) NB NB (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

By Kaushalya Perera Sri Lankans love their educational qualifications. Qualifications permit envious comparisons of value, similar to the ownership of gold jewellery, an expensive watch or a branded pair of shoes, resulting in exactly the same questions of provenance, worth and authenticity, but from a much higher moral ground. For the past two weeks we, the people, have watched as allegations that the (now) ex-Speaker’s educational qualifications were faked, proliferated across the news and social media. We waited for him to prove otherwise, all the while observing how his party and his current place of work (the Parliament) seemed to have neither the will nor the means to verify these claims. As I write, the ‘qualifications war’ has turned into an Absurd play. Why were the ex-Speaker’s qualifications so important? This is a two-fold problem related to the unhealthy relationship that Sri Lankans have with qualifications, coupled with NPP’s self-branding as a ‘clean’ party. Let’s take the second part first. One of the NPP’s pledges was that they would give ‘sudussata sudusu thaena’, i.e., appropriate positions to suitable individuals. This was a constant thread of their election rhetoric and it was accepted as a counter to the rampant nepotism and cronyism we have been seeing. After the (ex) Speaker stepped down, the Prime Minister said in Parliament that her Party includes members with no certificates, as well as those with many qualifications; that all are equally valued because her party values all types of knowledge; and that knowledge cannot be understood narrowly. I fully agree. It is the kind of vision I expect from a Minister of Education. At the same time, it cannot be denied that the NPP knowingly played the qualifications game during their long drawn-out campaign. The JVP’s image—associated in public discourse with ragging, student protests and workers’ strikes—was subsumed into the NPP’s much-vaunted membership of professionals, academics and artists. And the reason why the ‘qualifications game’ was so effective as election currency is precisely because Sri Lankans value qualifications so highly, in such a problematic way. It provided legitimacy to the NPP’s portrayal of themselves as a party standing against a host of corrupt charlatans. This brings us to the first part of the problem – our love of qualifications. In the education sectors, we’re all familiar with that little line: ‘A certificate will be provided’, which is included to increase participant numbers. Also familiar are instances of people registering for a specific course disappearing from the actual class and turning up at the ‘certificate-awarding ceremony’. Further, degrees are often demanded in some sectors for jobs that do not require one. This love of qualifications is not a new phenomenon. In an interesting article, titled ‘The growth of foreign qualification suppliers in Sri Lanka’, published in 2005, Angela W. Little and Jane Evans describe the growth of the ‘qualification marketplace’ in Sri Lanka. They found that advertisements by ‘qualification-suppliers’ in three national newspapers (Sinhala, Tamil and English) grew steeply over three decades, rising from 15 qualification-suppliers in 1965 to 153 in 2000. One can only imagine what a post-2000 study would reveal! The authors chart the rise of the qualifications industry in parallel with the economic liberalisation and economic growth that occurred post-1980. Though they did not make this link, we can connect this rise to the failure to expand higher and vocational education to a growing population and a fast-changing economy, during two decades of political upheaval. During this period, public funds for education declined, and declined even more sharply post-2000, despite large loans from international financial organisations. This is the context for both the deterioration of public education and the rise of privately-funded education, which is symbolised by the desire for a qualification, rather than an education. Qualification versus education Re-creating a society that values learning and education over a certificate of qualification would involve a protracted and difficult journey. It would require a few decades of high quality, widely-accessible education as well as moral re-socialisation: a simple-sounding solution, yet one that is very difficult to initiate and achieve. Indeed, it would be illogical to expect any kind of moral or ethical socialisation from an underfunded and damaged education system, embedded in a decaying society. The fact remains that the education sector desperately needs actual physical resources. Today, while a small proportion of schools in Sri Lanka contemplate installing computer labs, other schools are deprived of the basics; school meals, electricity, running water, uniforms, chairs, desks and books. We also need more and better paid teachers, plus national regulations and explicit minimum standards for the teaching profession, regardless of whether they are in the state, private or international sectors. A larger issue that is not discussed is that we actually do not know enough about our own education system. Our attention has for too long been focused on the state education system, resulting in a lack of attention towards other sectors, e.g., early education, private and international education. The education ecosystem in the country needs urgent study, and researchers across disciplines can contribute to this need. And while the education sector has accepted multiple donations and loans, it is not at all clear if these funds are used in a manner that best fits the purpose. In summary, it is vitally important that the fundamentals must be fixed. But we need to also re-think the way we over-estimate the value of a qualification, as against a wholesome education. A re-examination of values and ethics The fact that we value qualifications rather than an education has been apparent for a long time now. The prevalence of forged certificates and honorary doctorates is not the only indicator. Long before ChatGPT arrived, newspapers and social media were advertising ghostwriting services, i.e., the writing of assignments and dissertations for a fee. This is a business that is clearly unethical and must surely be illegal, but it is now so common that both the suppliers and their clients appear to consider it perfectly normal. We have come to value quantity over quality: two degrees simultaneously, more qualifications, promotions and rankings based on numerical criteria and so on. Start somewhere It is obvious that ethics socialisation has not happened through education in Sri Lanka. This is a major problem that has no simple or quick solution. When the Parliament that is supposed to be discussing the interim budget of a financially distressed country spends that time trading accusations with each other about each other’s educational qualifications; when an MP is unable to prove – even after a week – the qualifications he claims to possess and then imagines that it is sufficient to resign from his position but not from his seat in Parliament; when a party that has pledged immediate action on corruption-related issues takes several days to effect a resignation from a powerful position; and when the Prime Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson are angered when questioned about matters of veracity and authenticity – we know we still have a long way to go to re-socialise a population into ethical beliefs and conduct. It is not enough to prevent bribes and reduce wasteful spending. We also need to start looking at providing meaningful and broad-based public education, where learning and integrity go hand in hand. (Kaushalya Perera teaches at the Department of English, University of Colombo.) Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.

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By James Royal, Ph.D., Bankrate.com Cryptocurrencies are enormously volatile, but that volatility can create opportunities for profit if you’re looking to trade these digital assets. Cryptos such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have risen a lot since their debut — but they’ve also experienced tremendous boom-bust cycles along the way. Experienced traders have been speculating on cryptocurrencies for years, but how can you get started if you’re new to the crypto market? Here’s how to start investing in cryptocurrency and the significant risks you need to watch out for. First things first, if you’re looking to invest in crypto, you need to have all your finances in order. That means having an emergency fund in place, a manageable level of debt and ideally a diversified portfolio of investments . Your crypto investments can become one more part of your portfolio, one that helps raise your total returns, hopefully. Pay attention to these five other things as you’re starting to invest in cryptocurrencies. As you would for any investment, understand exactly what you’re investing in. If you’re buying stocks, it’s important to read the annual report and other SEC filings to analyze the companies thoroughly. Plan to do the same with any cryptocurrencies , since there are literally thousands of them, they all function differently and new ones are being created every day. You need to understand the investment case for each trade. In the case of many cryptocurrencies , they’re backed by nothing at all, neither hard assets nor cash flow of an underlying entity. That’s the case for Bitcoin , for example, where investors rely exclusively on someone paying more for the asset than they paid for it. In other words, unlike stock, where a company can grow its profits and drive returns for you that way, many crypto assets must rely on the market becoming more optimistic and bullish for you to profit. Some of the most popular coins include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana , Dogecoin and Tether (a stablecoin) . So before investing, understand the potential upside and downside. If your financial investment is not backed by an asset or cash flow, it could end up being worth nothing. A mistake that many new investors make is looking at the past and extrapolating that to the future. Yes, Bitcoin used to be worth pennies, but now is worth much more . The key question, however, is “Will that growth continue into the future, even if it’s not at quite that meteoric rate?” Investors look to the future, not to what an asset has done in the past. What will drive future returns? Traders buying a cryptocurrency today need tomorrow’s gains, not yesterday’s. The prices of cryptocurrencies are about as volatile as an asset can get. They could drop quickly in seconds on nothing more than a rumor that ends up proving baseless. That can be great for sophisticated investors who can execute trades rapidly or who have a solid grasp on the market’s fundamentals, how the market is trending and where it could go. For new investors without these skills — or the high-powered algorithms that direct these trades — it’s a minefield. Volatility is a game for high-powered Wall Street traders, each of whom is trying to outgun other deep-pocketed investors. A new investor can easily get crushed by the volatility. That’s because volatility shakes out traders, especially beginners, who get scared. Meanwhile, other traders may step in and buy on the cheap. In short, volatility can help sophisticated traders “buy low and sell high” while inexperienced investors “buy high and sell low.” If you’re trading any asset on a short-term basis, you need to manage your risk , and that can be especially true with volatile assets such as cryptocurrency. So as a newer trader, you’ll need to understand how best to manage risk and develop a process that helps you mitigate losses. And that process can vary from individual to individual: Newer traders should consider setting aside a certain amount of trading money and then using only a portion of it, at least at first. If a position moves against them, they’ll still have money in reserve to trade with later. The ultimate point is that you can’t trade if you don’t have any money. So keeping some cash in reserve means you’ll always have a bankroll to fund your trading. It’s important to manage risk, but that will come at an emotional cost. Selling a losing position hurts, but doing so can help you avoid worse losses later. Finally, it’s important to avoid putting money that you need into speculative assets. If you can’t afford to lose it — all of it — you can’t afford to put it into risky assets such as cryptocurrency, or other speculative assets, for that matter. Whether it’s a down payment for a house or an important upcoming purchase, money that you need in the next few years should be kept in safe accounts so that it’s there when you need it. And if you’re looking for an absolutely sure return, your best option is to pay off high-interest debt. You’re guaranteed to earn (or save) whatever interest rate you’re paying on the debt. You can’t lose there. Finally, don’t overlook the security of any exchange or broker you’re using. You may own the assets legally, but someone still has to secure them, and their security needs to be tight. If they don’t think their cryptocurrency is properly secured, some traders choose to invest in a crypto wallet to hold their coins offline so they’re inaccessible to hackers or others. Remember that investing in cryptocurrency can be part of a broader investment strategy, but shouldn’t be your only one. While investing directly in cryptocurrency is popular, traders have other ways to get into the crypto game, some more directly than others. These include: Each of these methods varies in its riskiness and exposure to cryptocurrency, so you’ll want to understand exactly what you’re buying and whether it fits your needs. In theory it takes only a few dollars to invest in cryptocurrency. Most crypto exchanges, for example, have a minimum trade that might be $5 or $10. Other crypto trading apps might have a minimum that’s even lower. However, it’s important to understand that some trading platforms will take a huge chunk of your investment as a fee if you’re trading small amounts of cryptocurrency. So it’s important to look for a broker or exchange that minimizes your fees. In fact, many so-called “free” brokers embed fees — called spread mark-ups — in the price you pay for your cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is based on blockchain technology . Blockchain is a kind of database that records and timestamps every entry into it. The best way to think of a blockchain is like a running receipt of transactions. When a blockchain database powers cryptocurrency, it records and verifies transactions in the currency, verifying the currency’s movements and who owns it. Many crypto blockchain databases are run with decentralized computer networks. That is, many redundant computers operate the database, checking and rechecking the transactions to ensure that they’re accurate. If there’s a discrepancy, the networked computers have to resolve it. Some cryptocurrencies reward those who verify the transactions on the blockchain database in a process called mining. For example, miners involved with Bitcoin solve very complex mathematical problems as part of the verification process. If they’re successful, miners receive a predetermined award of Bitcoins. To mine Bitcoins , miners need powerful processing units that consume huge amounts of energy. Many miners operate gigantic rooms full of such mining rigs in order to extract these rewards. As of October 2024, running the Bitcoin system burned as much energy per year as the country of Poland. If you’re looking to invest in Bitcoin, you have a variety of ways to do so, and you can work with a number of companies, including: If you’re looking to buy Bitcoin, pay particular attention to the fees that you’re paying. Here are other key things to watch out for as you’re buying Bitcoin . An altcoin is an alternative to Bitcoin. Many years ago, traders would use the term pejoratively. Since Bitcoin was the largest and most popular cryptocurrency, everything else was defined in relation to it. So, whatever was not Bitcoin was lumped into a catch-all category called altcoins . While Bitcoin is still the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization by far, it’s no longer the only game in town. Other altcoins such as Ethereum and Solana have grown in popularity, making the term altcoin somewhat outmoded. Now with a reported 15,000 or more cryptocurrencies in existence, it makes less sense than ever to define the industry as “Bitcoin and then everything else.” Cryptocurrency is a highly speculative area of the market, and many smart investors have decided to put their money elsewhere. For beginners who want to get started trading crypto, however, the best advice is to start small and only use money that you can afford to lose. Bankrate’s Brian Baker contributed to an update of this story. ©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The Big Central Conference released its All-Division football teams for the 2024 season. You can find the selections for the Liberty Silver Division below. NOTE : The selections were made by coaches from the conference and not reporters from NJ.com . If an athlete’s name is misspelled, please let us know and we will make the correction.. FIRST TEAM Terrell Mitchell, Somerville, RB, Sr. Brenden Pacheco, Somerville, QB, Sr. Jonathan LoStocco, Somerville, OL, Sr. Joshua Rodriguez, Somerville, WR, Sr. Maximus Nuzzi, Somerville, LB, Sr. Matthew Chubenko, Somerville, DL, Sr. Brady Scheier, Somerville, WR, Sr. Sam Muse, Somerville, LB, Sr. Andrew Avent, Rahway, RB, Jr. Kevin Taylor, Rahway, DL, Sr. Donea Fish, Rahway, DL, Sr. Jonathan Martinez, Rahway, OL, Sr. Jaylen Eastman, Rahway, DL, So. Malachi Love, Rahway, OL, Sr. Jake Arekalian, Watchung Hills, LB, Sr. Brayden Kelly, Watchung Hills, WR, Sr. Jack Martin, Watchung Hills, DL, Sr. Alejandro Dilone, Watchung Hills, OL, Sr. Nicholas Ramaci, North Hunterdon, QB, Jr. Luke Testa, North Hunterdon, DL, Sr. Antonio Sauchelli, North Hunterdon, WR, Jr. Trey McFadden, Montgomery, WR, Jr. Brandon Rector, Montgomery, OL, Sr. SECOND TEAM Giovanni Ippolito, Somerville, DL, Sr. Remy Ozomgbachi, Somerville, DL, Sr. Sean O’Neill, Somerville, OL, Sr. Jaquan Robinson, Rahway, QB, So. Allen Davorson, Rahway, DB, So. Zaire Fields, Rahway, WR, Jr. Nick Valenti, Watchung Hills, DB, Sr. Byron McCann, Watchiung Hills, K/P, Sr. Mason Kelly, Watchung Hills, QB, Sr. Cole O’Connor, North Hunterdon, RB, Jr. Patrick Wojtal, North Hunterdon, LB, Jr. Eamonn Kyler, Montgomery, LB, Sr. Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! 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