bmy777net Sharing is not always caring: 7 dangerous things to post onlineGanghwa, South Korea: For seven years, Kim Seongmin has been facing a cancer that has spread to his lungs, brain and liver. Doctors recently gave him only months to live. He can’t sleep at night without painkillers. Still, Kim broadcasts into North Korea twice a day, bringing its people news and information they are cut off from because of strict censorship laws. “North Korea is keeping its people like frogs trapped in a deep well,” ​said Kim​, 62, during an interview at his rural home on this island west of Seoul, where he records and edits shows for Free North Korea Radio. “We broadcast to help them realise that there is something wrong with their political system.” Kim Seongmin, president of Free North Korea Radio, edits content for the station at his home on Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times For two decades, North Korean defectors living in South Korea have been infiltrating the North with outside news and entertainment, through balloons floated across the border or broadcasts such as those from Kim’s radio station. But Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has grown increasingly sensitive to “anti-socialist and non-socialist” influences that could threaten his totalitarian grip on power, and he is cracking down on such efforts like never before. Authorities are searching homes and pedestrians, meting out harsh punishments, including public executions, to people who consume news and TV dramas ​from South Korea, or even if they sing, speak​, dress ​and text-message like South Koreans, according to North Korean documents and a South Korean government report. Bottles filled with rice and packages, each containing propaganda posters, a US dollar bill and a Bible, which Kim Seongmin’s group plans to send to North Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times North Korea has been flexing its military muscle beyond the Korean Peninsula by sending troops and weapons to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. But at home, Kim Jong-un is reinforcing the country’s defences against foreign influences. He has built more walls along North Korea’s border with China, giving soldiers there a shoot-to-kill order to stop an outflow of refugees and an influx of people smuggling outside goods and information. He has destroyed ​his country’s few roads and railways linking to South Korea​, after declaring that the North was no longer interested in reunification with the South. And he has introduced a slate of draconian new censorship laws. “We sense the fears of the Kim Jong-un regime​,” Admiral Kim Myung-soo, the chair of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told parliament recently. This year, the North called foreign content being sent across from the South “filth” and retaliated by sending balloons filled with rubbish and broadcasting eerie noises across the border. Defectors prepare to release balloons carrying leaflets and a banner denouncing Kim Jong-un in 2016. Such continued campaigns have enraged the Kim regime. Credit: AP Kim, the founder of Free North Korea Radio, was a captain and propaganda writer at a North Korean artillery unit when he fled to China in 1995. He wanted to defect to South Korea but was arrested at a Chinese port. He said he was on his way to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, for certain execution when he jumped through the window of a train toilet booth while an armed guard waited outside. He fled back to China and arrived in Seoul in 1999. He launched Free North Korea Radio in 2004. “He was a pioneer, the first North Korean defector to start a radio broadcast into the North,” said Lee Min-bok, a fellow defector who began sending leaflet-filled balloons to the North around the time Kim started his radio broadcasts. “He spoke more closely to the North Korean heart, because he broadcast in North Korean dialects.” During recent broadcasts,​ Kim’s station reported international criticism of the North’s troop ​dispatch to Russia and invited North Korean female veterans to testify to any sexual violence they had endured in the North’s Korean People’s Army. It carried letters from Japanese people whose family members had been kidnapped to ​the North. North Korean defectors living in ​the South reported that there was hot water in every South Korean home while ordinary North Koreans had to take cold showers, even in the winter. Lee Si-young, director of Free North Korea Radio, at the recording studio where its content is recorded daily in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Kim often gets information from informers inside the North who use mobile phones with prepaid Chinese SIM cards. With those phones, they can pick up Chinese signals from near the border and exchange calls, text messages and photos with Kim. With their help, he reported the execution of Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-un’s uncle, in 2013, days before the North’s state media announced it. Through his sources, Kim also monitored young North Koreans who grew up in the wake of a famine in the 1990s and have depended more on unofficial markets than on state rations to feed themselves. They trust their government less than the generations before them did and have an insatiable appetite for foreign entertainment and news, which they obtained through CDs, DVDs and computer memory sticks smuggled from China, as well as through balloons carrying USB drives and broadcasts such as Kim’s. Kim can’t tell how many North Koreans listen to his shortwave broadcasts, which are financed by US and South Korean human rights and religious groups. In the North, all radio and TV sets have their channels fixed to receive only government broadcasts, although defectors say people often manipulate their devices to receive South Korean broadcasts. Free North Korea Radio and other sources of outside news – such as Radio Free Asia, funded by the US Congress, and North Korea Reform Radio, which is run by another group of defectors – seek to chip away at the information blackout. The office of Free North Korea Radio in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Efforts to exert influence from abroad have increasingly drawn Kim Jong-un’s ire as he seeks to control the country’s younger generations, according to internal North Korean government documents Kim received from his informers. “Anti-socialist and non-socialist practices” have become a malicious tumour that “penetrated deep into social life in general,” putting North Korea’s socialist system at a crossroads, said one of the ​North Korean documents that Kim shared with The New York Times . In an unnamed provincial city, 9000 high school students surrendered themselves for watching “impure” videos after authorities promised not to punish them. Under laws introduced recently by Kim Jong-un, those who watch, possess or distribute South Korean content face a punishment of five to 10 years in labour camps, according to the South’s National Intelligence Service. Even those who “speak, write or sing” in a South Korean style or publish texts using South Korean fonts face up to two years of hard labour. Those who distribute them widely face the death penalty. A 22-year-old farmworker was killed by firing squad in 2022 for possess​ing 70 songs and three movies from South Korea​ and sharing them with seven other people, according to a human rights report from South Korea’s Unification Ministry. Last year, North Korea called for “random inspections” of electronic devices to ferret out those who consume South Korean videos and broadcasts. The crackdown has created a chilling effect, leading to an estimated 70 per cent drop in outside information reaching North Koreans, said Kang Shin-sam, head of the Seoul-based human rights group Unification Academy, during a recent forum. But some North Koreans find new ways to circumvent censorship, other analysts say. Kim Seongmin worked at a studio in Seoul with a staff of five other North Korean defectors until he moved months ago to his island house. Two police officers are assigned to guard him against possible terrorist attacks from North Korea. Over the years, he has received numerous threats from South Koreans who accused him of raising tensions with the North, as well as anonymous packages that contained dead mice or dolls smeared with red paint, and with knives stuck in their chest. A North Korean secret police officer he had known in the North​ once called him from China, threatening to harm ​his sisters in the North, Kim said.​ But he persisted. In July, the South Korean government awarded him a citizen’s medal for his work. Lee Si-young, another defector who joined the station’s staff eight years ago, said she listened to Free North Korea Radio while in the North. “For North Koreans, our radio signals are like a lighthouse in the darkness, bringing hope that a better day will come,” she said. Kim said he would die knowing that the work he started would be continued by younger defectors he trained. “I will die a happy man,” he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .

(TNS) — Crawford Central School Board members officially pulled the plug Monday on a major infrastructure project meant to generate years of energy savings for taxpayers while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, just 13 years after it began operation, the Biomass District Heating System is set to be disassembled and sold for parts while taxpayers continue footing the bill for the plant’s construction at a rate of about $181,000 per year for another 12 years. Board members on Monday voted unanimously in favor of an addendum to the original agreement that will allow Crawford Tech to convert the biomass building to classroom space once the high-pressure steam system has been removed. With the notable exception of the ongoing debt payments, the move brings to an end a multimillion-dollar effort at alternative energy production. “I think it’s time to move on,” board President Kevin Merritt said after the meeting. “It was costing us more money to operate the biomass than if we just went back to natural gas.” While the choice to pursue the biomass did not pay off, Merritt declined to point fingers at his predecessors on the board. “It’s not a fault of the people that made the decision back when they started it,” he said. “Things just didn’t materialize to what was expected or anticipated from the original agreement. Gas prices were supposed to skyrocket. They never did.” First conceived 16 years ago, the biomass plant proposal came in direct response to natural gas prices that had remained high for several years before spiking even higher for much of 2008. Looking back, the plan still sounds like a good one, Matt Barnes, a certified energy manager with Erie -based Rabe Environmental systems, suggested in separate presentations to board members at Crawford Central and Crawford Tech earlier this year: Find a cheaper source of fuel and use it to heat the Meadville Area Senior High-Meadville Area Middle School complex, Crawford Tech and the Meadville Area Recreation Complex (MARC). “It was extremely high,” Barnes said of the cost of natural gas when the plant was being planned, “making the viability of the biomass a good, cost-effective source of energy at the time. I believe the district made a good-faith decision to build and operate the plant but would not have been able to predict the amount that natural gas prices would have dropped over the subsequent years.” A biomass plant burns renewable and biodegradable energy sources, such as switchgrass or wood chips, to generate heat or electricity, and the possibility of an energy fuel with a stable and relatively low price that was readily available in the region proved appealing to federal and state officials at the time as well. According to Meadville Tribune reporting at the time, Crawford Central secured $3.6 million in financing for a project that ultimately cost about $3.2 million. The financing included $1.1 million in state and federal grants and a $2.4 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. After multiple refinancings and years of payments going almost exclusively toward interest, nearly $2.3 million in total debt remains: $2.1 million of the original principal and $230,300 in interest. Based on a 2008 agreement, payments are split between the three entities that partnered on the biomass project: Crawford Central is responsible for 42 percent; the authority that oversees the MARC, 34 percent; and the Career and Technical Center, 24 percent. However, since at least 2016, Crawford Central has paid the MARC’s share in an agreement reached after the district slashed its annual funding for the facility. Since Crawford Tech receives its funding from Crawford Central, Conneaut and PENNCREST school districts, with the districts splitting the annual budget based on the percentage of students they send to the school, Crawford Central ends up funding nearly 85 percent of the debt payments. Board members at the time had no way of knowing it, but when natural gas climbed to $12.69 per 1 million British thermal units (Btu) in June 2008, it was by far the highest price that natural gas would reach for the next 16 years. As demand plummeted in the wake of the Great Recession, the price fell to $5.82 per 1 million Btu by the end of 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical and analytical agency for the U.S. Department of Energy. Increased production has kept prices low in the years since. In fact, since 2008, the price has climbed over $5 per 1 million Btu in just 21 of 190 months. In the last two years, the monthly average price has fluctuated between $5.53 and $1.49 per 1 million Btu. In retrospect, the dropoff in price was so steep — and so perfectly timed following the decision to proceed with the biomass — it appears “almost comical,” Crawford Central Business Manager Austin Stofferahn told board members in September. As the plant neared completion in late 2011, district officials were still projecting that it would save taxpayers $1.5 million over 25 years. Thirteen years later, the savings estimate seems naive. Operating the biomass last winter cost at least $61,000 more than heating with natural gas-fueled conventional boilers would have cost, according to a report from Barnes. Stofferahn’s skepticism regarding savings extended even further. “I’d almost be willing to bet that the savings were extremely minimal, even from the first year, second year, third year,” he told the board in September. “After that, I’d be willing to bet there was no savings.” In addition to lower fuel costs, the biomass plant was originally projected to generate its own electricity, which would be used to offset the cost of operating the plant. That never happened, according to Merritt. According to a presentation on the biomass plant this spring, electricity for the facility cost $32,000 last winter. “The electric generator — that went offline shortly after it started,” he said. “Nobody ever repaired it.” Like the savings projections, the original agreement between the school district, the recreation complex and Crawford Tech seems naive from today’s vantage point. “Biomass has historically been a stable, low-cost energy source and modern equipment to burn biomass for hot water heat is reliable, efficient and clean,” the 2008 agreement stated. Despite that optimism, reliability has been an issue for Crawford Central’s biomass plant almost from the start. The plant began operating in the winter of 2011-12. By the summer of 2013, Crawford Central was raising taxes and slashing its annual funding to the MARC, largely as the result of state funding cuts to education that resulted from the Great Recession. Following an outpouring of community concern to save the MARC, Crawford Central slashed but continued its annual funding for the MARC. Doug Lang, one of the leaders of the effort to save the MARC, told The Meadville Tribune at the time, “Now that we’ve stabilized things, we can get on with trying to market the MARC to the community, which should lessen the financial burden on all the community — and figuring out how to make the biomass work right.” By the middle of the decade, Crawford Central was replacing 10 to 15 of the steel tubes at the heart of the plant due to corrosion each year. In 2021, that number jumped to 40, resulting in $52,000 in repairs. By the end of last winter, the biomass was no longer being used to heat the MARC due to a ruptured hot water supply line that occurred about a month before the end of the October to April heating season, according to Matt Tarr, director of buildings and grounds for Crawford Central. In addition, a feasibility study revealed early this year that the biomass boiler’s refractory material, the heat-resistant brick lining in the interior of the boiler, was failing and needed to be replaced. The news came just before the retirement of the longtime district employee who was the only person qualified to operate the plant. Repairs needed to get the plant running for this fall were estimated at $240,000, but to convert it from high pressure steam to hot water, find appropriate staffing and address other long-term concerns would likely have cost more than $500,000, according to the HHSDR consultants who conducted the study. The original biomass agreement also called for the formation of a Biomass Operating Committee with members from the board for each of the partner entities. It’s not clear if such a committee ever met, according to Merritt, who was elected to the Crawford Central board in 2019. While the biomass plant will soon be disassembled, the partnering entities behind its construction continue to work together. Crawford Central still sends students to Crawford Tech, of course, and continues to lease the use of the MARC’s facilities. The decision to let Crawford Tech use the biomass building for classes will require extensive renovations following the removal of the biomass equipment. It also comes after Crawford Tech earlier this year purchased the former location of Integrity Complete Auto Repair for $545,000 in a move also intended to enable the school to expand its classes. Like their counterparts on the Conneaut and PENNCREST boards, Crawford Central members also approved the Integrity purchase; at the time, Crawford Central members were still determining their plans for the future of the biomass. Merritt, who chairs the joint committee that oversees Crawford Tech in addition to presiding over the Crawford Central board, said that “ultimately we could probably use both” buildings. Discussions earlier this year called for the school’s automotive technology and diesel technology classes to be moved to the Integrity location. The biomass building has been touted as a possible location for welding classes. Crawford Central efforts in recent months to persuade Conneaut and PENNCREST, its partners in the technical school, to pick up an increased share of the biomass debt payments proved unsuccessful. Recent meetings have suggested a possible fraying of the partnership between the school district and the MARC. Where the district once contributed as much as $260,000 to the MARC’s budget each year and sent all of its fourth graders to the facility for swim lessons, today it pays $45,000 and has not offered swim lessons in nearly a decade. The addition of the MARC’s share of the biomass debt payments brings the total annual contribution to about $105,000, still well short of what it was paying 15 years ago. At the school board’s work session last week, several members questioned an agreement that would continue the district’s annual payments to the MARC at the same rate, with Merritt saying he couldn’t support the arrangement and another saying he “actually started laughing” as he read the contract. Like Merritt and other current Crawford Central board members, Aaron Rekich, the executive director of the MARC, was not involved in the development of the biomass plants and its early years of operation, but he was optimistic about the working relationship between the district and the complex despite what he characterized as recent confusion regarding both the expenses associated with the annual facilities usage agreement and the evolution of the biomass. “There was an agreement back when this first started that we’re trying to iron out and figure out exactly where the information is. Apparently right now there’s a lot of miscommunication on what happened back when the biomass was made and why they’re paying for the bonds,” Rekich said. “We’ll end up putting something together and talking to (Superintendent) Jenn Galdon about it.”

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Bowen Hardman had 20 points in Akron's 101-48 victory NCAA-Division III-member SUNY-Brockport on Saturday. Hardman went 8 of 14 from the field (4 for 10 from 3-point range) for the Zips (6-2). James Okonkwo scored 12 points and added 16 rebounds. Nate Johnson shot 5 for 8, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points, while adding six rebounds. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a weekNEW YORK — Several of President-elect Donald Trump 's Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and "swatting attacks," Trump's transition said Wednesday. "Last night and this morning, several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks "ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action." President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a meeting of the House GOP conference, followed by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The FBI said in a statement that it is "aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners. We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement." Among those targeted was New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is seated before President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Her office said that, Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. "New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism," her office said in a statement. "We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7." In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff's office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it "received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz's supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9 a.m. this morning." While a family member resides at the address, they said "former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. "The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results." Gaetz was Trump's initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by unusual violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The U.S. Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. to serve as his pick to lead the . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.A pot plant tree, homemade gifts: How to have a sustainable Christmas

A divisive election. At least two major wars raging in Europe and the Middle East. And the ever-present pitfalls of internal family politics. Together, they might make for one of the nation’s tensest Thanksgivings yet — or you could consider eating some psychedelic mushrooms to up your overall sense of love and sail right through it, two experts told The Baltimore Sun. The legality of doing that in Maryland saw a major boost forward this year, when Gov. Wes Moore signed into law, enacting the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances, which will look at how to enact a legal framework for introducing sales of psychedelics into the state. “The Task Force will study naturally derived substances such as psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine, and mescaline and is tasked with making recommendations on use, permitting, education and safety, access to treatment, and regulated support to enable equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances,” health care provider Healthesystems said. How Marylanders respond to legalized psychedelics is yet to be determined. But two industry experts told The Sun that in places where mushrooms are legal, they‘re an excellent fit for creating less stressful holidays. Gary Logan, ATCD, and Robert Grover, MSc., are founders of The Journeymen Collective, an alternative wellness collective that conducts guided retreats for clients during psilocybin trips. Conducted in the mountains outside of Vancouver, Canada, Logan and Grover say that taking “magic” mushrooms is a logical choice for stressed-out Americans looking for ways to make an already tense Thanksgiving a much calmer, thankful affair. “It can open up a greater perspective to more easily recognize the blessings we’ve been given,” Logan said. “There is often a new appreciation for personal and professional relationships.” That America has recently been through what one political analyst told The Sun was a “painful slog of an election season” is in no doubt. With voters almost as closely divided as they were in 2016, and a Democratic administration flipping back to another Trump administration, political scientists said they are concerned about how civil this year’s national gathering may be. Flavio Hickel Jr, assistant professor of American Politics at Washington College, told The Sun that while it depends on the individual group’s personal and political dynamics, the stress and worry that permeated much of the election could now condense into one super feud in families that had members who voted each way. In fact, Hickel said even single-party voting families may find it hard to stay civil on Thanksgiving. “In general, yes, I expect Thanksgivings to be more tense this year. It was a very contested election,” Hickel said. “Even in a group where everyone is a Democrat, discussions of why Democrats lost can invoke strong feelings and breed tension, let alone the strong feelings and tensions that could emerge if Democrats and Republicans discuss the election results and future around the dinner table,” he said. Logan, the psychedelic guide and founder, said that while he wouldn’t advise actually eating mushrooms at the meal, the properties that come along with this type of plant-based substance are ideal for defusing events that might go into confrontational areas. “While it certainly would be interesting to mix in the mashed potatoes at the Thanksgiving table, we wouldn’t advise that,” Logan said. Nor should Baltimoreans or Marylanders look to swap the traditional American Thanksgiving drinks table for psilocybin, although it might change their attitude toward drinking later. “We definitely wouldn’t suggest replacing your alcohol use with psilocybin. We have had people come in and have a guided journey then go home and say they didn’t feel the need to drink anymore,” he said. “I’d also say that the mushroom is a fungi that grows in the forest and we see it as a medicine from nature. We certainly believe it is better for your mind, body and spirit than alcohol.” He said that for Marylanders, looking into guided experiences might be the first step toward having an even better holiday season in 2025. “So, if this year you started looking into a guided retreat now, by next time you sat down at the Thanksgiving table you may have an entirely different outlook on the people around it, yourself, and the holiday,” he said. Matt McDermott, president of Humble & Wallop, a strategy and creative firm in Hampden, told The Sun that in Baltimore, as in anywhere else in the U.S., this is a particularly delicate year for avoiding or confronting politics at gatherings like Thanksgiving. As these issues have become more personal to people, they are more likely to see a debate centered around them. “The fear that this administration has a mandate that could lead to the greatest assault on human rights since Jim Crow. Women’s rights,” McDermott said. “Trans rights. Immigrant rights. We’re not talking about economic policy or defense budgets,” he said. “We’re talking about a right to exist, [like] life, liberty, happiness. As a husband of a strong, successful woman and a father of a trans teen, I couldn’t shrug off a dinner-table hot take that argues against their rights.” Hickel gave the following tips for Baltimoreans across all political backgrounds for Thanksgiving, regardless of whether legal alcohol or substances are being used. “If political conversations are unavoidable, try to remember that it is unlikely you will be able to convince a partisan opponent through one conversation/argument,” Hickel said “If you aren’t trying to win the argument, then you are less likely to get irritated when you can’t.” If using all those tips and avoiding a conversation isn’t possible, then perhaps consider just bringing up taking or buying legalized mushrooms as a topic for the whole gathering to consider, Grover suggested. “Again, I wouldn’t suggest just trying it at your Thanksgiving table but it might make for an interesting conversation to tell your family you were thinking of trying a guided magic mushroom journey,” he said. “They might not understand it but in reality many of them could probably benefit from it,” Grover said. “And if you put the work into one you could definitely have an entirely different perspective on life and the family in it by the next Thanksgiving dinner.” And if that still doesn’t work? Well, there’s always a foolproof way to make yourself thankful and welcome at holidays this year. “Bring pie, but leave the politics at home,” McDermott advises.

Property Cards Distribution Under Swamitva Scheme in 376 Villages of Nagpur Division TodayNoneWater-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Expands as Demand for Eco-Friendly Solutions Rises 11-27-2024 08:23 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Data Bridge Market Research Private Ltd . / PR Agency: Data Bridge Market Research Private Ltd . Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Expands as Demand for Eco-Friendly Solutions Rises "Global Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market, By Component(Heat Pump, Convector Heater, Radiator, Boiler, Chiller, AHU, Colling Tower, Expantion Tank), Cooling Type (Direct Cooling, Indirect Cooling), Implementation type (New Construction, Retrofit), End-User (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2031. Data Bridge Market Research analyzes that the global water-based heating and cooling systems market, which was USD 40,284.00 million in 2024, is likely to reach USD 69,039.70 million by 2031 and is expected to undergo a CAGR of 6.97% during the forecast period. Explore Further Details about This Research Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Share Report https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-water-based-heating-and-cooling-systems-market **Segments** - By Product Type: The global water-based heating and cooling systems market can be segmented by product type into heat pumps, boilers, chillers, cooling towers, and others. Heat pumps are expected to witness significant growth due to their energy efficiency and eco-friendly nature, especially in residential and commercial applications. - By Application: Based on application, the market can be categorized into residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The residential segment is likely to experience steady growth as homeowners increasingly focus on sustainable heating and cooling solutions. In the commercial sector, there is a growing emphasis on energy-efficient HVAC systems to reduce operational costs. - By Region: Geographically, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America holds a prominent market share, driven by stringent regulations on energy efficiency and the increasing adoption of renewable heating and cooling technologies. Asia Pacific is expected to witness rapid growth due to urbanization, industrialization, and government initiatives promoting sustainable practices. **Market Players** - Daikin Industries: Daikin is a leading player in the global water-based heating and cooling systems market, offering a wide range of products such as heat pumps, chillers, and boilers. The company focuses on technological innovation and sustainability to meet the evolving needs of customers. - Johnson Controls: Johnson Controls is a key player known for its advanced HVAC solutions, including water-based heating and cooling systems. The company emphasizes energy efficiency, smart controls, and automation to enhance comfort and reduce environmental impact. - Siemens AG: Siemens is a prominent player in the market, providing cutting-edge heating and cooling solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The company's emphasis on digitalization and IoT integration contributes to efficient and intelligent HVAC systems. In conclusion, the global water-based heating and cooling systems market is witnessing significant growth driven by increasing awareness of energy efficiency, environmental concerns, and government initiatives promoting sustainable practices. The market segmentation by product type,The global water-based heating and cooling systems market is undergoing a period of substantial growth and evolution, propelled by various factors such as the rising emphasis on energy efficiency, growing environmental awareness, and government thrust on sustainable practices. Market segmentation based on product type reveals a diverse landscape, with heat pumps leading the way due to their energy efficiency and eco-friendly attributes, particularly in residential and commercial applications. This growing preference for heat pumps can be attributed to their ability to provide both heating and cooling functions efficiently, making them a versatile choice for modern consumers. Boilers, chillers, and cooling towers also play crucial roles in the market, catering to specific heating and cooling needs in various sectors. Moving on to segmentation by application, the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors present distinctive growth opportunities within the water-based heating and cooling systems market. In the residential segment, there is a steady increase in demand as homeowners prioritize sustainable heating and cooling solutions to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. This trend aligns with the global push towards sustainable living practices and energy efficiency in households. The commercial sector, on the other hand, is witnessing a surge in the adoption of energy-efficient HVAC systems to drive down operational costs and optimize building performance. As businesses look for ways to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency, the demand for water-based heating and cooling systems is expected to rise significantly. Geographically, the market dynamics vary across regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America holds a dominant market share, fueled by stringent energy efficiency regulations and the increasing adoption of renewable heating and cooling technologies. The region's advanced infrastructure and focus on environmental sustainability further boost the demand for water-based HVAC systems. In Asia Pacific, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and government initiatives promoting sustainable practices are driving market growth. Countries like China, India, and Japan are witnessing a surge in infrastructure development, leading to increased deployment of water-based heating and cooling systems to meet the rising demand for efficient HVAC solutions. **Market Players** - Alfa Laval Ab (Sweden) - Betherma B.V. (Netherlands) - Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH (Germany) - Carrier (U.S.) - Castrads Ltd (U.K.) - Daikin (Japan) - Electrolux (Sweden) - Eucotherm (Austria) - Ferroli S.P.A (Italy) - Fujitsu (Japan) - Glen Dimplex Group (Ireland) - Jaga N.V. (Belgium) - Johnson Controls (Ireland) - Lennox International Inc. (U.S.) - Mhs Radiators (U.K.) - Midea (China) - Purmo Group (Finland) - Schneider Electric (France) - Siemens AG (Germany) - Sigma Thermal (U.S.) - Stiebel Eltron (Germany) - Trane Technologies plc (Ireland) - Vaillant Group (Germany) - Vasco Group (Belgium) - Vertiv Holdings (U.S.) The global water-based heating and cooling systems market is experiencing substantial growth and evolution driven by various factors such as the increasing focus on energy efficiency, environmental concerns, and government initiatives promoting sustainable practices. The market segmentation by product type highlights the versatile nature of heat pumps, which are anticipated to witness significant growth due to their energy efficiency and eco-friendly attributes, particularly in residential and commercial applications. Boilers, chillers, and cooling towers also play critical roles in catering to Table Of Content 1 Introduction 1.1 Objectives Of The Study 1.2 Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Definition 1.3 Overview 1.4 Limitations 1.5 Markets Covered 2 Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Segmentation 2.1 Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Covered 2.2 Geographical Scope 2.3 Years Considered For The Study 2.4 Currency And Pricing 2.5 Dbmr Tripod Data Validation Model 2.6 Multivariate Modeling 2.7 Primary Interviews With Key Opinion Leaders 2.8 Dbmr Water-Based Heating and Cooling Systems Market Position Grid 2.9 Dbmr Vendor Share Analysis 2.1 Secondary Sources 2.11 Assumptions 3 Executive Summary............. Browse Related Reports: https://payalnath852.blogspot.com/2024/11/cleanroom-technology-market.html https://payalnath852.blogspot.com/2024/11/cobalt-market-growing-demand-in.html https://payalnath852.blogspot.com/2024/11/diamond-blackfan-anemia-treatment.html https://payalnath852.blogspot.com/2024/11/electrofusion-fittings-market-expanding.html Office Number 402, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India Data Bridge Market Research is a market research and consulting company that educates its clients about the market and encourages growth and expansion. We offer customized reports, syndicated research, consulting services, cloud-connected intelligence, and a holistic suite of offerings including competitive intelligence, epidemiology analyses, trade analytics, country analysis, and pharma insights. We deliver objective and actionable insights, crafted to meet the unique needs of our clients. Our database features thousands of statistics and in-depth analyses on 200 plus industries and more than 5000 markets in 75 major countries globally. Additionally, DBMR has served for more than 40% of Fortune 500 firms internationally and has a more than 3000 client's network. This release was published on openPR.

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COMMERCE, Texas (AP) — Scooter Williams Jr. had 19 points in East Texas A&M's 68-67 victory over Abilene Christian on Wednesday. Williams added six rebounds and three steals for the Lions (2-10). Khaliq Abdul-Mateen added 17 points while going 3 of 8 and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line while he also had five assists and three steals. The Lions snapped a seven-game slide. Quion Williams led the Wildcats (7-5) in scoring, finishing with 17 points and seven assists. Leonardo Bettiol added 16 points and seven rebounds for Abilene Christian. Hunter Jack Madden had 13 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The Christmas season affects more than just our wallets and waistlines, so how can you reduce the impact of your yuletide celebrations on the environment? The total environmental cost of Christmas is hard to measure – and whether a real or fake Christmas tree is the more ethical choice is up for annual debate – but the Stockholm Environment Institute estimates Christmas festivities account for 650 kilograms of greenhouse gases per person, or about 5 per cent of each person’s annual carbon footprint. Christmas can be the most wonderful, and most wasteful, time of the year. Credit: Monique Westermann Australian shoppers are expected to spend $11.8 billion on gifts this year, up $1.6 billion on last year, Roy Morgan estimates. Australia Institute polling suggests a quarter of Australians anticipate receiving unwanted gifts, most of which are expected to end up in landfill. It is a different story at Lori Spence’s house: she is something of an expert on managing, and reducing, waste. Three-and-a-half years ago, Spence relocated with her husband and two children to Narara Ecovillage, an 130-person sustainability-focused community on the NSW Central Coast. “We have a culture that appreciates crafted, homemade, homegrown and home-baked gifts,” Spence says. Typical presents include homemade elderberry wine or hand sewn knitwear. Lori Spence and her two children try to celebrate Christmas in a sustainable way. Credit: Each family brought a dish to the recent village Christmas party. Leftovers were shared, given to the village chickens, or composted, Spence says. Ten-cent recyclables, including glass bottles and cans, were delivered to the nearby recycling centre. Money earned will be allocated for children’s equipment and craft activities. When it comes to the tree, “decorate a favourite pot plant instead of buying a plastic tree”, Spence recommends. Alternatively, she suggests donating your real tree to keen gardeners on Facebook Marketplace after the holidays. If you’d like to keep the sparkle this Christmas without emission-driven electricity use, Spence suggests solar-powered lights, which require minimal maintenance and can last up to 20 years with proper care. Even better – invest in high-quality decorations or create your own plantable Christmas decor using newspapers, seeds and water, she says. University of Sydney Business School retail academic Lisa Asher requests no Christmas gifts, saying: “The joy of coming together, and being together, is a gift in itself”. “Photos which capture this are worth more than material items,” she says. Asher says Australians produce 30 per cent more waste during the Christmas period due to gift-wrapping paper, food waste, unwanted gifts and over-consumption, describing the environmental impact as “eyewateringly significant”. “We are led to believe buying and consumption is necessary, but is it really?” The federal government’s National Food Waste Feasibility Study found households generate roughly 30 per cent of Australia’s food waste . Asher says businesses and families need to commit to gradual changes. “The Christmas dining table is a great place to start,” Asher says. Sourcing sustainably can be challenging, but small steps like freezing leftovers and eating local produce can reduce carbon emissions of food miles . Secret Santa is a great option for minimising the number of gifts and unwanted items for those who still wish to buy presents, she adds. As part of her sustainable resolution, Asher successfully avoided buying new clothes this year. “I repaired clothes, and if I wanted something new, I purchased it second-hand,” Asher says, a practice she plans to continue and encourages others to adopt in the new year. Queensland University of Technology fashion lecturer Zoe Mellick says there has been a growing disconnect between the gifts we give and their value to the recipient. Mellick suggests creating a wishlist and asking preferences for gifts – “that way, people are receiving gifts that they want,” she says. When buying clothes, Mellick advises considering local brands affiliated with Seamless , a federal government initiative that recognises brands which aim for clothing circularity by 2030. Uturn, a sustainable fashion marketplace, had a threefold increase in sellers listing their unwanted clothes on its website in October. It anticipates wardrobe reassessments will increase in the holidays. Alex Dimou, managing director of Uturn, hopes more customers will embrace sustainable Christmas gifting by buying items secondhand. “We see thousands of designer and premium items come through our stores,” Dimou says. Salvation Army circular economy senior manager Sarah Knop says the organisation sees a significant surge in donations at this time of year. The Salvation Army’s Sarah Knop says more people should shop for gifts secondhand. Credit: Simon Schulter Buying from charity stores is a way “to be more sustainable, but also to ensure Christmas comes within budget”, she says. “Some of the best gifts I’ve seen, to be honest, come from secondhand stores.” Knop suggests decorative silk scarves or cloth as a reusable, zero-waste wrapping alternative to the 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper the CSIRO estimates Australians use each year. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here .Prospects for President Yoon's impeachment are dim with ruling party boycotting vote

MIAMI , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Donald B. Olson is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Life Achiever for his contributions in Leading Oceanography and Marine Science Innovator. Dr. Donald B. Olson has established himself as a prominent figure in oceanography, marine, and atmospheric science over his illustrious 50-year career. Currently a professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science since 1979, Dr. Olson's contributions span across education, research, and international collaboration. Dr. Olson's academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming in 1974, followed by both a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy from Texas A&M University in 1976 and 1979, respectively. His early academic achievements paved the way for a distinguished career focused on advancing our understanding of oceanographic systems and their impact on marine ecosystems. Throughout his career, Dr. Olson has been instrumental in fostering educational opportunities in South American oceanographic programs. He served as visiting faculty at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Sao Paulo , pioneering graduate courses in physical oceanography tailored for fisheries and climate studies across Latin America . Additionally, Dr. Olson led a groundbreaking summer program on biophysical interactions in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology , supported by funding from the U.S. Navy to enhance biophysical models of the ocean. Dr. Olson's expertise spans multiple disciplines within oceanography, including marine ecosystem ecology, mesoscale oceanography, and mathematical physiology. He is a member of prestigious scientific organizations such as the American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Oceanographic Society, and American Fisheries Society, reflecting his influence and recognition in the field. His prolific research has garnered numerous grants from institutions like the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. Dr. Olson's work is widely published, with over 150 articles in scholarly journals and contributions to various book chapters. He has also served as an associate editor for Oceanography magazine, the Journal of Marine Research, and as editor of Geophysical Research Letters-Oceans. Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Dr. Olson received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Wyoming , celebrating his impact on oceanographic research and education. Looking ahead, Dr. Olson remains committed to advancing oceanographic knowledge, fostering international collaborations, and mentoring future generations of scientists in the field. Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner CircleSo-called ‘murder hornet’ eradicated in U.S., officials say

Ever since it opened at Disneyland in 1969, the Haunted Mansion has spooked and delighted millions and millions of Disney Parks guests from all over the world. Now, with the Disney Treasure's Haunted Mansion Parlor, there is a brand-new way to experience this beloved attraction while in the middle of the ocean on Disney's newest cruise ship. Welcome, Foolish Mortals The Haunted Mansion Parlor feels like the perfect extension of The Haunted Mansion itself and just screams authenticity. From the iconic ticking clock sound to a floating Madame Leota to eerily familiar paintings that hide dark secrets to hitchhiking ghosts and the always wonderful 'Grim Grinning Ghosts,' there is so much love and care put into every inch of this lounge. However, this isn't just a smaller version of the Haunted Mansion. No, this is its own wonderful place with its own story to tell that shouldn't be missed. "We built our own mythology here because we're on a cruise ship, so we wanted it to have a nautical twist to everything," Danny Handke, senior creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said. "And we built it all around this Captain character who is currently dead but lives on in this place and even in a portrait in the lounge. "This is the Captain's lounge, and the story is he rescued his bride-to-be who is actually a murderous mermaid you can also meet in the parlor. They get engaged and things start to go wrong and that's where the real Haunted Mansion story comes into play. More of the story is then told in various ways around the space and you have the option to discover it on your own and figure out what the lore is." One of the biggest additions to this lore is the centerpiece of the Haunted Mansion Parlor - an aquarium with ghost fish. While this alone seems like a very cool concept, its history goes way back to when the original Haunted Mansion was being developed. "The Haunted Mansion was worked on and developed for 10 years before it opened in 1969 at Disneyland for the first time and there were so many things that didn't make it in," Daniel Jones, executive illusions & effects development at Walt Disney Imagineering, told me. "So, with love, we looked at all these concepts and what really popped out were the Museum of the Weird elements that Imagineer Rolly Crump had worked on. Most of all however, the team and I agreed the Ghost Fish Aquarium was a must because it's the perfect fit." The Museum of the Weird was set to be a companion walkthrough experience to the Haunted Mansion but it never saw the light of day due in part to Walt's passing. Variations of some of the planned pieces of the museum - from the 'Donald Armchair' near the Endless Hallway to the iconic wallpaper - made it into the Haunted Mansion, and now one more of Crump's designs can be celebrated. While this was an exciting prospect for the team, it also proved to be one of the parlor's most difficult challenges. "The Ghost Fish Aquarium was a call it action to my team and I because a lot of illusions and things that we like to do tend to be in the dark and from one point of view and, as you know, the aquarium is the central piece and can be seen from all sides," Joseph said. "You can look through and see other people behind it. So it is, for all intents and purposes, a real fish tank just like you'd normally have but with ghost fish." Getting this bit of "Disney Magic" came down to the wire as it wasn't quite to the standard of Walt Disney Imagineering until after it was already installed on the ship. "The aquarium is a great example of typical Disney Magic where there's a lot of technology in it but you don't see any of it or don't even question it," Joseph said. "This thing was mocked up and developed probably four years ago and since then we've been kind of tweaking on and off how it would work and what's in it. And, really to the last minute, we didn't have it fully working to what we all knew it could do until it was on the ship, which is pretty late in our process." "The aquarium is a great example of typical Disney Magic where there's a lot of technology in it but you don't see any of it or don't even question it." Grim Grinning Ghosts Galore While Joseph didn't reveal all the tricks that finally brought the aquarium to the finish line, he and Handke did share how Imagineering made the rest of the parlor feel just as real and believable as the ghost fish are. We spoke previously about the paintings that change before your eyes in the parlor, which are very much in the style of those found in the original Haunted Mansion by Marc Davis, but Imagineering once again went above and beyond to honor the past while paving a new way forward. "What we're really proud of about this paintings is a new technique that we use where you can go right up on top of them, put your face right near it, and it looks and seems like a real painting," Joseph shared. "Just like in a museum, you can go up and see the texture of the art, all the brush strokes, and even the glossiness and the matte finish of the oil paint." This is made even more impressive by the fact that these paintings do change and move, from the captain becoming a skeleton to his bride-to-be showing her true form as that murderous mermaid. However, Imagineering was careful never to go too far and leave what we all expect from the Haunted Mansion behind. In fact, their passion for the attraction is one of the main reasons it feels so authentic. This is perhaps seen best in the mirror behind the bar where we see the hitchhiking ghosts, Madame Leota, and more. One route the team could have taken was to update these characters and use modern-day techniques to bring them to a new audience, but they chose a different path. "For the character behind the bar, we elected to go with the original Haunted Mansion animated figures," Joseph said. "So, there's no CGI in that because we wanted it to feel like the original from 1969. Those aren't animated cartoon characters that you can see in a video game, they are very analog looking. So, we took a very high ISO camera with high resolution and filmed a whole bunch of the figures in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland and then amped up the quality and added glow and all that." I know it's cliche to say, but the Haunted Mansion Parlor truly is a love letter to the original attraction and the incredible people who made it into the iconic attraction it is and always will be. To shine a haunted light on that and bring this story to a close, I want to share one final story from Daniel Joseph that just really proves why this is more than just another lounge. "Another character we all loved from the Museum of the Weird was Rolly Crump's Candleman," Joseph said. "Sadly, Rolly passed away during the development of the Haunted Mansion Parlor and we were all saddened by that and the fact he'd never get to see it completed. "So, we knew we wanted to do a bust in there no matter what just like you'd find in the Haunted Mansion, but we then knew the perfect choice was to make it of Rolly. To make it even more special, one of our team members suggested we do Rolly partially as the Candleman and make sure the side of his head that's melting is next to the fireplace. This was a huge honor and another really detailed thought and the authenticity of the design that follows suit with everything else in the Mansion parlor." For more on the Disney Treasure, check out why The Tale of Moana is one of the best shows I've seen on land or sea and why the Plaza de Coco dining experience was one of the most emotional I've had in quite some time. Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

Representatives will meet with global partners to share market insights and discuss the company's unique supply chain solutions HOUSTON , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith , a leading global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces its attendance at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada . Company representatives will be on hand to meet with current and potential customers during the trade show, which runs from Tuesday, January 7 , to Friday, January 10, 2025 . CES, also known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is widely regarded as the world's premier technology showcase. The biggest names in consumer electronics and entertainment will gather to debut their newest products and cutting-edge innovations. "This is a great opportunity for us to shake hands with our customers, forge new relationships, and gain insights into their needs and the challenges they face within the semiconductor supply chain," said Todd Burke , Smith's President of Global Business Development. "We are excited to demonstrate how Smith's customized programs can help keep chip inventories in balance and how our open-market strategies can generate new revenue streams." Todd and his team will discuss the benefits of supplier diversification , robust inventory management , and staying ahead of market trends . "As artificial-intelligence products and services become more mainstream, demand will continue to rise for the components powering its processing capabilities," said Todd. "Smith's agile sourcing team, broad global reach, and decades of industry expertise underpin our ability to develop fully customizable solutions that help our customers avoid supply chain disruptions and support their success." Visit Smith's CES landing page to schedule a meeting. About Smith Founded in 1984, Smith is celebrating 40 years of Intelligent DistributionTM. As a leading independent distributor of electronic components, Smith sources, manages, tests, and ships billions of components to partners worldwide in every industry and vertical. Offering a comprehensive suite of flexible and scalable supply chain solutions, Smith identifies and delivers customized service programs to support its customers' success. The company's expertise is backed by decades of market data, cutting-edge technology, and a systems-based approach to quality excellence. Smith has generated more than USD $12.9 billion in global revenue since 2019 and ranks eleventh among all global distributors. Visit www.smithweb.com to learn more. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-smith-at-ces-2025-in-las-vegas-302334000.html SOURCE SmithAustralia news LIVE: Labor fast-track social media ban; ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leaderZurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 779 Shares of Veracyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:VCYT)