ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: Which VPN is best for you?Why did Azerbaijani-French ties turn sour?NoneDOVER, Del. — A Delaware judge has reaffirmed her ruling that Tesla must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick on Monday denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. McCormick also rejected an equally unprecedented and massive fee request by plaintiff attorneys, who argued that they were entitled to legal fees in the form of Tesla stock valued at more than $5 billion. The judge said the attorneys were entitled to a fee award of $345 million. The rulings came in a lawsuit filed by a Tesla stockholder who challenged Musk’s 2018 compensation package. McCormick concluded in January that Musk engineered the landmark pay package in sham negotiations with directors who were not independent. The compensation package initially carried a potential maximum value of about $56 billion, but that sum has fluctuated over the years based on Tesla’s stock price. Following the court ruling, Tesla shareholders met in June and ratified Musk’s 2018 pay package for a second time, again by an overwhelming margin. Defense attorneys then argued that the second vote makes clear that Tesla shareholders, with full knowledge of the flaws in the 2018 process that McCormick pointed out, were adamant that Musk is entitled to the pay package. They asked the judge to vacate her order, directing Tesla to rescind the pay package. McCormick, who seemed skeptical of the defense arguments during an August hearing, said in Monday’s ruling that those arguments were fatally flawed. “The large and talented group of defense firms got creative with the ratification argument, but their unprecedented theories go against multiple strains of settled law,” McCormick wrote in a 103-page opinion. The judge noted, among other things, that a stockholder vote standing alone cannot ratify a conflicted-controller transaction. “Even if a stockholder vote could have a ratifying effect, it could not do so here due to multiple material misstatements in the proxy statement,” she added. Meanwhile, McCormick found that the $5.6 billion fee request by the shareholder’s attorneys, which at one time approached $7 billion based on Tesla’s trading price, went too far. “In a case about excessive compensation, that was a bold ask,” McCormick wrote. Attorneys for the Tesla shareholders argue that their work resulted in the “massive” benefit of returning shares to Tesla that otherwise would have gone to Musk and diluted the stock held by other Tesla investors. They value that benefit at $51.4 billion, using the difference between the stock price at the time of McCormick’s January ruling and the strike price of some 304 million stock options granted to Musk. While finding that the methodology used to calculate the fee request was sound, the judge noted that the Delaware Supreme Court has noted that fee award guidelines “must yield to the greater policy concern of preventing windfalls to counsel.” “The fee award here must yield in this way because $5.6 billion is a windfall no matter the methodology used to justify it,” McCormick wrote. A fee award of $345 million, she said, was “an appropriate sum to reward a total victory.” The fee award amounts to almost exactly half the record $688 million in legal fees awarded in 2008 in litigation stemming from Enron's collapse .fb777 hub 。

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislative Republicans moved closer Monday to enacting a measure that would erode the powers of the incoming governor and other Democratic officials, and also placing on the ballot constitutional amendments that could buttress GOP voting and tax policies. Along party lines, the GOP-dominated state Senate voted successfully to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that in part would weaken Gov.-elect Josh Stein, the next attorney general in Jeff Jackson and other Democrats also elected in November as lieutenant governor and schools superintendent. Those changes are within a 131-page measure initially approved two weeks ago during a lame-duck session of the General Assembly. Republicans advanced the measure as their current veto-proof majority over Cooper likely will end after this month as Democrats won additional House seats. That will give Stein, who takes office in January, a better chance to use his veto stamp to block successfully bills he opposes. Cooper vetoed the measure last week , calling the bill a “sham” that does very little financially to help with Hurricane Helene recovery, even as “disaster relief” was included in the bill's title. He also said provisions altering executive branch powers were unconstitutional. One provision starting in the spring would end the governor's authority to appoint the State Board of Elections and transfer it to the state auditor, who will now be Republican Dave Boliek. The bill now returns to the House, where last month three Republicans voted against the measure. Such a margin, if left intact, could scuttle the attempted override expected next week. Senate leader Phil Berger said after Monday’s vote he was confident that House Republicans would have the votes to complete the override. Even then, litigation is possible. The GOP-controlled legislature has tried to change the election board’s makeup for several years by passing laws that have been blocked by courts, including one last year that would move board appointment authority from the governor to the General Assembly. As with the Senate's initial debate on the bill two weeks ago, the chamber gallery was full of bill opponents who call it a Republican power grab after the electorate chose Democrats to top positions in the Nov. 5 elections. Republicans are “not listening to the voters in North Carolina,” said demonstrator Della Hann, 64, of Southport. “There are checks and balances in government and they need to be respected.” But Berger said in a news release that the provisions "actually balance our three branches of state government so that North Carolina remains on a positive trajectory, free from Democratic party and liberal activist obstruction.” Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Senate's presiding officer, ordered the Senate gallery cleared last month when visitors clapped once too often during a debate on the measure. On Monday, Robinson cleared the gallery again following disruptions after Cooper's veto message was read and right before the vote. “Everybody's got to go,” Robinson said before calling for a 10-minute recess. To avoid potential arrest, protesters left the Legislative Building or quieted down outside the gallery. Senate Republicans proceeded later to approve in separate bills proposed amendments to the North Carolina Constitution related to photo voter identification and a cap on income taxes. Each received 30 votes — exactly the number needed for a constitutional referendum. To be placed on ballots statewide in November 2026, these measures still would have to be voted on by the House by the end of the year and receive 72 votes. Constitutional amendments aren't subject to vetoes. One proposed referendum would, if approved by a majority of voters, amend the constitution to say all North Carolina voters must show photo identification before voting. The constitution currently only specifies that it's required for in-person voting. ID exceptions are allowed now and would remain with the amendment. The other referendum would set a rate cap on income taxes at 5%, down from the current 7%. Individual and corporate income tax rates are currently both below 5% in the state, and state laws separate from the constitution already direct that people voting by mail provide a photocopy of a qualifying identification. Senate Republicans backing the ID question said it's important to ensure that all forms of voting will be treated equally going forward as it relates to photo ID, which the GOP successfully got approved in 2018 but didn't take effect until last year. And with Republicans approving multiple income tax reductions over the years that have boosted the state economy, Cabarrus County Republican Sen . Paul Newton said, it's time again to let voters decide whether they should remain permanently lower. Democrats opposed to a lower tax cap say the state is already facing revenue challenges in light of lower tax rates that will make it harder to address major spending needs. Gary D. Robertson, The Associated PressWhere to start in the stock market as a new investor? There are lots of options – thousands and thousands in fact. That can be confusing. One approach I think investors new and old alike should consider is buying shares in an investment trust. What is an , exactly? Basically it is a pooled fund. So the company has money it uses to buy shares in other companies. It then sells shares in itself, which investors can buy. Its own price can move up and down independently of its portfolio valuation. So sometimes such trusts sell at a discount (or premium) to a sum-of-the-parts valuation of their portfolio. I reckon there can be some good reasons to buy into investment trusts – but also some watchouts. Of course, like any investment, some trusts do far better (or worse) than others. My points below relate to investment trusts in general, not a specific one (though I use one to illustrate some points). Easy diversification A key principle of risk management is avoiding concentrating too much risk in one place. That sounds simple – and it is. But is no less powerful or important for that. As investment trusts typically buy into dozens or sometimes even hundreds of companies, they offer a straightforward form of diversification. Expert managers – sometimes Some trusts or use some other automated trading strategy. Others employ managers – often at great expense – to (this is the difference between what are known as passive and active approaches). Consider ( ) as an example. Its share price is down 38% in the past three years or so. Over five years, though, it is up 60%. That is more than 10 times the average share price growth seen in firms in that period. The explanation for both the three-year fall and five-year gain is the same: Scottish Mortgage’s fund managers have focused mostly on , including and . So the trust’s fortunes have to some extent reflected those of leading growth shares, due to the investment choices its managers have made. Managers can help an investment trust perform much better than the market overall – or much worse. Access to unlisted companies Another interesting thing about Scottish Mortgage is its dividend history. It last cut its dividend after the Wall Street Crash – close to a century ago! But as with any share, past performance is not necessarily a guide to what may happen in future. Anyway, if I wanted to buy a share with a long dividend track record I have a number of shares I could choose from. However, if as a small private investor I wanted to buy a share in an unlisted growth company like SpaceX I could not. Guess what, though? SpaceX is Scottish Mortgage’s third-biggest holding, accounting for over 5% of its value. An option to consider Investment trusts can have other downsides to the ones I mentioned above, not least fees and costs. Still, I see a lot to like about them in principle. That is why, when looking for shares to buy, they are on my radar, although I decide on a case to case basis whether a given investment trust is suitable for me.

Westhill's Collin White will be among the Section III football players participating in The Big 44 Ernie Davis/Floyd Little All-Star Game (Marisa Pankow | Contributing photographer). Marisa Pankow | Contributing photographer Lindsay Kramer | lkramer@syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. — Many of Section III’s best football players are set to defend their turf at the Big 44 Ernie Davis/Floyd Little All-Star Game. The contest between the all-stars from Section III and IV will kickoff at noon on Sunday at Nottingham High School. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Central New York coach follows 1 mantra through 50-year career: ‘I needed football way more than football needed me’ New state football rankings: trips to Section III finals boost 2 teams’ stock Syracuse.com’s Section III championship predictions: Where we were right, wrong and close Final syracuse.com high school football rankings: Section champions crowned, state playoffs begin Christian Brothers Academy overcomes early struggles to secure Class AA football section crown (56 photos) If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. About Us Photo and Page Reprints Advertise with us Jobs at Advance Media New York Contact Us Newspaper Archives Frequently Asked Questions Accessibility Statement Submit letter, commentary syracuse.com syracuse.com Orange Sports Insider The Post-Standard Email Newsletters Manage your Subscription Place a Vacation Hold Make a Payment Delivery Feedback News Weather Business Sports High School Sports Betting Entertainment Living Opinion Obituaries Jobs Autos Real Estate Rentals Classifieds Tablet Apps iPhone, Android apps Videos Sitemap Sponsor Content Archives Sell your car Post a job Post a classified ad Sell/rent your home Twitter Instagram Facebook YouTube RSS Your Privacy Choices Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Ad Choices Disclaimer Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement , (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy , and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2024). © 2024 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved ( About Us ). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here . Ad Choices

A former Verizon employee who fed information to Chinese security agents about his employer, Chinese hacking operations, and pro-democracy activists living in the U.S. was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday. Ping Li, 59, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to act as an agent of China going back to at least 2012. His sentencing comes as the U.S. cybersecurity community reels from a Chinese hacking operation that U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, recently described as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history—by far.” The operation, which compromised Verizon and other telecom giants, targeted politicians including Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and may have given the hacking group Salt Typhoon, which is linked to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), access to some victims’ call audio and text messages. The hack exploited security backdoors that the companies built into their systems to assist domestic law enforcement with wiretapping requests. Li’s sentencing agreement doesn’t suggest that he was involved in the Salt Typhoon hack, but his case illustrates how China has sought to infiltrate major telecoms and use insiders to gather information about corporate operations and political opponents. Li, who was born in China but moved to the U.S. 30 years ago and became a U.S. citizen 16 years ago, began working for agents of China’s MSS at least as early as 2012, according to his sentencing memorandum . He traveled to the country to meet with a former classmate and friend who worked for the MSS on multiple occasions and also shared information with them through a variety of online accounts. Li shared information with MSS agents about different types of communications the U.S. government can electronically monitor, what Verizon branches in China were doing, and cybersecurity training material from another employer. He also provided the agents with names and identifying details about members of Falun Gong, a religious group banned in China, who were living in the U.S. according to his plea agreement . When the FBI arrested Li in July, he initially claimed that the MSS agent and former friend had only requested advice about investing in the stock market, according to his plea agreement. But after being confronted with emails he had sent, he admitted to conducting research on behalf of China and transmitting internal cybersecurity materials from his employer that he knew he wasn’t allowed to share.Is the artificial intelligence stock market boom still wired or tired? Top AI stocks such as ( ) and ( ) face high expectations. For many companies — such as Google parent ( ), ( ) and Facebook parent ( ) — the rise of generative AI poses both risk and opportunity. Amid the emergence of — which generates text, images, and video — it's a good time to be cautious amid the hype, especially given at ( ). Meanwhile, startups OpenAI and Anthropic are battling Google, Meta and others in developing . has gained 37% in 2024 despite growing competition in internet search. OpenAI recently laid out more details of its plans to adopt a in 2025, amid negotiations with investor Microsoft and a feud with ( ) founder Elon Musk. Tesla stock has advanced 73% this year. AI Stocks: Nvidia Cooling Off Many companies suddenly tout AI product roadmaps. In general, look for AI stocks that use artificial intelligence to improve products or gain a strategic edge. Meanwhile, chipmaker Nvidia has been a bellwether for AI stocks. has jumped 176% in 2024 after surging 239% last year. But Nvidia stock has plateaued since early October but may have a . For Nvidia, ramping up production of next-generation Blackwell AI chips in 2025 has been a key issue. Rival ( ) soared on its . Broadcom makes custom AI chips for cloud computing titans. Meanwhile, ( ) makes cloud computing networking gear for Meta, Microsoft and others. Also, Arista stock has gained 92% in 2024. Meanwhile, data analytics software maker ( ) has bucked the trend that chipmakers are the best AI stocks. has soared 360% this year. Palantir stock ranks No. 3 in the roster of growth stocks. Microsoft is the biggest investor in generative AI leader OpenAI, having spent some $14 billion on the startup. Still, Microsoft stock has gained only 14% in 2024 vs. the S&P 500's 25% gain. Further, Nvidia-based is a new AI cloud infrastructure provider that plans an IPO in 2025. Key Issues For Top AI Stocks Meanwhile, Meta 's ( ) top AI executive, Clara Shih, to head a new "Business AI" group. Meta stock has gained 69% in 2024. Also, capital spending has boomed at cloud computing giants Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Tech giants are spending heavily on , such as AI chips and servers, as well as research and development. Capacity constraints in Microsoft's data centers are limiting its ability to meet demand, resulting in a slower growth forecast for its Azure cloud-computing business. Amid increased capital spending by cloud computing giants, the big question is how much incremental AI-related revenue they're getting. The cloud giants in the September quarter notched , indicating that AI investments may be paying off. Also, ( ) has been one of the top AI stocks to watch. Apple stock has gained 32% in 2024. The big question is whether Apple Intelligence features in iPhone 16 models will spur a big upgrade cycle. The best AI stocks to buy span chipmakers, software companies, cloud computing service providers and technology giants. What's clear is that AI stocks are under more scrutiny. "We expect AI to transition from a 'tell me' to a 'show me' story, with any disconnect between investments and revenue generation to come under increased scrutiny," said a Bank of America report. " Software Makers Pivot to AI Agents So far, the biggest demand for AI chips has come from cloud computing giants and internet companies. Broadcom, Qualcomm, ( ), and ( ) are other AI chipmakers to watch. Broadcom and Marvell make custom AI chips for cloud computing giants. In general, semiconductor plays have out-performed software companies as the best AI stocks. Many software companies, meanwhile, have yet to monetize AI products. One big issue for software companies is how fast customers ramp up pilot programs to commercial deployment. Having struggled to generate new revenue from "copilots," software companies are now turning to . Also, for most big application software companies, how to charge for AI-related products has been an issue. Many U.S. companies are pursuing custom AI software development projects, which will take longer to ramp up commercially. Also, AI technology uses computer algorithms. The software programs aim to mimic the human ability to learn, interpret patterns and make predictions. Until recently, machine learning was largely limited to models that processed data to make predictions. The AI models focused on pattern recognition from existing data. Corporate spending on AI projects was modest as companies mulled return on investment. AI Stocks To Watch By Industry Group New generative AI models process "prompts," such as internet search queries, that describe what a user wants to get. Generative AI technologies create text, images, video and computer programming code on their own. Companies will aim to boost productivity by developing customized AI for specific industries. Proprietary company data will be used to train AI models. AI systems require massive computing power to find patterns and make inferences from large quantities of data. So the race is on to build AI chips for data centers, self-driving cars, robotics, smartphones, drones and other devices. For chipmakers, analysts expect a market for "edge AI" — on-device processing of AI apps to emerge. While "training" AI models is now the biggest market for chipmakers like Nvidia, the market will shift to " ," or running AI applications, in the long run. Will AI Startups Challenge Tech Giants What's more, one key question for investors is whether tech industry incumbents will be the big generative AI winners. Or, will a new wave of AI startups eventually dominate? OpenAI has told employees its now on an annual revenue run-rate of $3.4 billion, up from $2 billion in January. OpenAI has raised $6.6 billion in new funding, , up from $86 billion early this year. The new round was led by venture-capital firm Thrive Capital. Microsoft again invested. New investors include SoftBank and Nvidia but not Apple as rumored. Large language models provide the building blocks to develop applications. Further, LLMs help AI systems understand the way that humans write and speak. Also, LLMs require training data for specific tasks. Companies with access to troves of data hold an edge. OpenAI is part of a wave of LLM startups that includes AI21 Labs, Anthropic and Cohere. Anthropic introduced Claude 3, the newest version of its chatbot, and claimed its performance is better than OpenAI's GPT-4. However, OpenAI's dominance faces a . Musk's xAI announced it will open source its Grok LLM, and released the source code for public use. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump named former ( ) executive and Silicon Valley venture capitalist David Sacks . Further, Sacks is an associate of ( ) and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has emerged as a key advisor to Trump.

Anthony Albanese supports a very tongue-in-cheek suggestion that tech giants will comply with an under-16s social media ban if the government coughs up $1000 per child kicked off each platform. Last week, federal parliament passed a world-first ban on children under-16 from having social media accounts. The Prime Minister spoke to radio station NovaFM on Tuesday morning, receiving praise from the show hosts, who suggested pushback from the tech companies could be averted by cash incentives. “TikTok, in particular, they recognised 76 million people last year that were underage. They have the technology to do it,” radio host Michael Wipfli said. “If we, for example, hypothetical, said to Meta ‘hey we’re going to give you $1000 for identifying every person under the age of 16’, how’d you reckon they’d go? I reckon they’d be pretty good at it,” Wipfli said. “That’s exactly right,” Mr Albanese said. “Well, we’ve given them a financial incentive to get this right as well because we want to make sure that the obligations were on the social media companies, not on parents.” Under the new laws, social media companies like Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, is required to prevent under-16s from using their services. Failing to comply brings the prospect of a $50m fine when the ban becomes active in no less than 12 months. The Australian Human Rights Commission and Meta both said the legislation was rushed. Meta also tried to suggest there was a “lack of evidence” to suggest social media had a causal link with children’s mental health. UK technology secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC the British government was in contact with Australian counterparts and considering similar laws. “As you’d expect, I’m really interested in what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and the evidence they’re basing it on,” he said. Originally published as Anthony Albanese backs facetious cash sweetener for tech companies to follow under-16 social media ban

Trimble and Mallon sanctioned DUP ministers over rotation plan

Shyam Benegal's funeral to be held on Dec 24 at 2pmBaltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, leads fan balloting for the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games after one week of voting, the league announced on Monday. Ravens superstar Jackson set the overall pace with 44,681 votes followed by teammate Derrick Henry, the running back leader, in second overall at 40,729 votes. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was third overall at 40,602, only 127 votes behind Henry in the rusher's race, with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen fourth overall on 36,574 and Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs fifth on 35,637. The Detroit Lions lead all clubs in total votes received, followed by the Ravens, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL's revamped all-star event will be staged in Orlando, Florida, for the second consecutive year. In all, 88 players will gather on February 2 in skills competitions and a flag football showdown with coaches Peyton and Eli Manning. While other vote totals were not revealed, Washington rookie Jayden Daniels was the top NFC quarterback in the fan voting and top receivers were Minnesota's Justin Jefferson in the NFC and Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase in the AFC. NFL fans can vote as often as they wish through December 23 with selections decided by a consensus of ballots by players, coaches and fans with each group counting for one-third of every player's final total. NFL players and coaches will cast votes on December 27. js/rcw

PARSIPPANY, NJ – November 25, 2024, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), a national leader in specialized technical training for more than 75 years, announces the graduation of eight new technicians from its specialized Johnson Controls International (JCI) Academy program at the Denver, CO campus. This is the first group to graduate from the Denver location; the JCI Academy has also operated at Lincoln’s Columbia, MD campus since the Fall of 2022. Since the inception of Lincoln Tech’s partnership with JCI in 2018, more than 500 students have graduated from Lincoln schools and gone straight to work at JCI locations across the country. “Our partnership with Johnson Controls enables us to broaden our innovative training programs, providing graduates with hands-on experience and direct pathways to careers that align with market needs,” says Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO. “We are proud to contribute to building a future-ready talent pool that ensures the efficient and sustainable operation of our building systems.” The graduating class celebrated its milestone on Friday, November 15th at the Denver campus – when the ribbon was also officially cut on the Johnson Controls Academy classroom. The graduates – six of whom had previously attended Lincoln Tech, along with two current JCI employee who were advancing their skill sets – will move into positions at JCI branches in Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. As entry-level technicians, they’ll begin careers installing, troubleshooting, repairing and maintaining fire and security alarm systems on JCI-operated buildings. Marcus Biart, a graduate of the Electrical and Electronic Systems Technology program at Lincoln Tech’s Mahwah campus, enrolled in the JCI Academy to further his training and will go on to a position at JCI’s Fort Worth, TX location. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he told his fellow graduates when speaking at Friday’s ceremony. “JCI’s instructors were willing to teach me, and I was eager to learn. Thank you for giving a young man like me a chance.” Mike Schade, VP of Human Resources at Johnson Controls, was among the speakers to congratulate the graduates on their successes. “You all wanted to do something unique and exciting with your life,” Schade said. You had a vision. And vision is an important word here – at Johnson Controls not only do we want to have great technicians and help build their careers, we want to help build the trades for our economy and our country. The work we do saves lives and saves the planet.” The JCI Academy at Lincoln Tech provides six weeks of intensive hands-on training designed to close the skilled labor gap and prepare future technicians for security and fire installation and service roles. On-site housing for the duration of the program and relocation expenses upon completion are supported by Johnson Controls. To ensure smooth onboarding, graduates of the Johnson Controls Academy receive support from a retention coach for one year post-graduation. The collaboration between Johnson Controls and Lincoln Tech began in 2018, enhancing classroom experiences with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Johnson Controls is dedicated to workforce development from the K-12 level and throughout employees' careers. Through the partnership with Lincoln Tech and initiatives like the Community College Partnership Program, STEM 101, and HVAC learning labs, Johnson Controls equips schools with vital resources to develop smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, benefiting students along the way. There are more than 800,000 positions projected to open nationwide for electricians and electronic systems technicians by 2033*, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. * Career growth projections can be found at onetonline.org for the years 2023-2033 and are current as of November 18, 2024. ### About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946. Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 13 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institutes in both Maryland and Connecticut.For more information, go to lincolntech.edu . Contact Information Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Scott Watkins swatkins@lincolntech.edu About Johnson Controls At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering. Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry. Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social Platforms. Contact Information Johnson Controls International Kari Pfisterer (414) 217-1488 kari.b.pfisterer@jci.com Attachment Scott Watkins, VP Marketing Lincoln Tech 973.766.9656 Swatkins@lincolntech.eduFLAGSTAR FINANCIAL, INC. APPOINTS BRIAN CALLANAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A social media presence might be essential, but with social media platforms in a state of flux, which is the best one for a photographer to call home? The fast-growing Bluesky platform could be a breath of fresh air for photographers tired of their work being hidden behind a pay-to-play paywall. I’m going to come right out and admit upfront that I’m a fan of the fairly new Bluesky social media platform—or perhaps I should qualify this by saying, “so far, so good, at least.” Looking to fill the unmet needs of many social media users who are tired of the relentless exploitation of their content by traditional social media platforms, and of their lack of control over how that content is used and presented, the Bluesky platform aims to provide a decentralized and more egalitarian social media forum that strives to place the needs of its users over corporate greed. The decentralized structure of the platform is apparently driven by the desire to offer its users more control over their own content, as well as making it “billionaire proof”—heading off any attempt by some well-heeled individual or group to buy it out from under the feet of its users and turn it into some kind of toxic tarpit whose owners impoverish their users while simultaneously (and metaphorically) feeding off their flesh to enrich themselves. I know—this sounds like some kind of far-fetched nightmare from a dystopian world very different from our own, but maybe it could happen! I have been using Bluesky for a short time now, and I have to say that I am quite surprised and impressed at how refreshingly different it feels from the other, more traditional social media platforms. As an example of this, when I post one of my photographs, I typically receive ten times more responses from my few followers on Bluesky than I do from my orders-of-magnitude larger followings on the other platforms. So when this video about using Bluesky as a photographer appeared in my YouTube feed, I felt I had to share it with you. Andy Hutchinson is a straight-talking photographer from down under, whose enjoyable, no-nonsense style is featured front and center on his of the same name. In his latest video, Andy describes his experience using the relatively new Bluesky social media platform as a photographer and offers some valuable and very practical advice to photographers who might be interested in establishing a presence on it. Before you watch it, I should just warn you that Andy does not mince his words in any way, and his sometimes strident opinions about the various social media platforms are often peppered with some colorful language that you might not want your kids to hear. You have been warned! Gordon Webster is a professional photographer based in New England. He has worked with clients from a wide range of sectors, including retail, publishing, music, independent film production, technology, hospitality, law, energy, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, medical, veterinary, and education.

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Ghana has introduced a new citizen-driven digital platform aimed at bolstering transparency in the electoral process. The iCollate app allows voters to actively participate in the collation of polling station results, providing a tool for real-time updates and evidence submission. Developed by Ghanaian ICT firm Wigal Vision Ltd, iCollate empowers citizens to upload election results, submit photos and videos, and access nationwide updates directly from polling stations. The app is available for download on both the Google Play Store and Apple Store, with additional access through the website iCollate.app and a shortcode ( 800 2024#) for feature phone users. “This app represents a collective effort by Ghanaians to safeguard our democracy and ensure transparency. iCollate lets citizens take an active role in ensuring elections are free, fair, and accountable,” said the project lead for iCollate. While the platform is not an official results declaration tool and does not aim to override the Electoral Commission’s authority, it serves as a citizen-led effort to improve the accuracy and integrity of election result collation. iCollate provides a vital opportunity for the public to verify results at the grassroots level and contribute to the integrity of the process. The introduction of iCollate highlights the growing role of technology in strengthening democratic processes, offering a more inclusive way for Ghanaians to participate in monitoring their elections. Call to Action for the Media The media is encouraged to leverage iCollate as a resource for real-time updates during the election period. By using data and visual evidence submitted by citizens, journalists can enhance their election coverage. The media is also urged to promote the app to the public, helping to maximize its impact and support transparency in the electoral process.Jimmy Carter: A brief bioLibero Copper Announces $3 Million Public Offering of Units

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The US Army has initiated innovative warfare with new drone technology. The battlefield is evolving, with US Army leaders highlighting a shift toward drone-centric warfare. “Combat is moving into a very drone-heavy type of warfare,” stated 1Lt Alexis Gavrillis, a Military Intelligence Officer with the 317th Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB) of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He emphasized that enhanced surveillance and fire capabilities through unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are pivotal for modernizing military operations. Next-gen patrol drones Recently, soldiers from Delta Company, 317th BEB, conducted field tests of cutting-edge unmanned aircraft systems near Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania. While the US Army has utilized drone technology since the 1930s, recent innovations mark a significant leap forward. The MQ-1 Predator drone, operational from 1995 until its retirement in 2018, paved the way for advanced systems, including the Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) unit known as Skydio and the Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) system referred to as GhostX. The Skydio is designed for infantry and scout patrols, boasting a maximum flight time of 30 minutes and an operational range of 3-5 kilometers. This system allows soldiers to gain real-time insights into their surroundings, helping them plan tactical maneuvers effectively. In contrast, the GhostX system has a maximum range of 15 kilometers, extendable to 25 kilometers with a long-range kit, and offers approximately one hour of flight time. This drone provides vital surveillance and intelligence data, giving commanders a broader battlefield view. US Army’s new fleet The 317th BEB is the first unit across the Army to incorporate these innovative systems into their training regimen. “My platoon is here to train on the equipment and tactics, building proficiency with all our gear,” said Staff Sgt. Kevin Sweeny, the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Counter UAS for Delta Company. According to Sweeny, becoming a certified drone operator involves completing foundational training. “You have to be a qualified aircraft operator before you can launch the drone, so we run initial qualification programs for several units within our brigade,” he explained. So far, 132 soldiers have completed training to become certified Skydio operators. “They can unpack the aircraft, assemble it, plan a mission, and have it in the air in under ten minutes,” Sweeny noted. The goal is to equip every 3rd Brigade Combat Team company with Skydio systems. Upcoming plans include deploying these drones to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Germany to facilitate further training and feedback to enhance operational efficiency. Replacing legacy MQ-1 Predator Gavrillis highlighted the aim of current exercises: “The end goal is to evaluate personnel performance, platoon structures, squad communications, and overall teamwork.” No specific Military Occupation Specialty is required to operate the Skydio or GhostX. Any soldier who undergoes the training successfully can join the ranks of drone operators. “The GhostX systems will also be distributed down to battalion levels, necessitating additional certified operators,” Sweeny added. The drones’ advanced camera systems allow commanders to make timely, informed decisions while keeping ground troops safe. “These aircraft will undoubtedly benefit the US Army and individual units,” Sweeny asserted. He highlighted the importance of maintaining proficiency and ensuring safe flight operations to maximize the effectiveness of the technology. In closing, Sweeny expressed his firm belief in the strategic value of these drones: “They are vital pieces of equipment that will enhance our mission capabilities and effectiveness on the battlefield.” With these advancements, the US Army continues to redefine its approach to combat, ensuring readiness for future challenges.( MENAFN - Live Mint) The iconic Birkin bag, debuted by French fashion house Hermès in 1984, has long been a symbol of luxury and exclusivity. Named after actress and singer Jane Birkin , the bag is handcrafted and produced in limited numbers, due to its high price tag. Depending on its model and condition, a genuine Birkin bag can sell anywhere from $18,000 to $225,000 on resale platforms such as Wrist Aficionado, cementing its status as a coveted fashion accessory for the wealthy elite. However, a new twist has emerged in the world of luxury fashion, as a convincing dupe of the Birkin bag has gone viral. Available on Walmart .com for under $100, the lookalike leather bag has garnered significant attention, particularly among fashion enthusiasts who admire the style of the Birkin but cannot or choose not to afford the authentic version. Despite the sharp contrast in price, the dupe is said to resemble the luxurious original, providing a much more budget-friendly option for those desiring the high-end aesthetic. The viral success of this affordable alternative has ignited an ongoing debate online, as shoppers flock to Walmart to secure their own version of the bag. Unfortunately, due to high demand, the lookalike bags are currently sold out, but eager buyers can check back on the retailer's website in hopes of new stock being added. The incident highlights the growing trend of "dupe" culture in the fashion industry, where consumers are increasingly seeking affordable alternatives to high-end, designer items. MENAFN29122024007365015876ID1109039892 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Former Swim Ireland chief accused of coercive control and multiple assaults of wife

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