The Spotlight Series highlights the Marquis resumes and career accomplishments of hand-selected professionals UNIONDALE, N.Y. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marquis Who's Who (MWW), the world's leading biographical publisher, is proud to recognize Spotlight biographees for the fourth quarter of 2024. The Spotlight Series shines a light on a select group of individuals to share their unique bodies of work through exposure on the MWW corporate home page and the official Spotlight website . Spotlight listees exhibit qualities that complement the MWW motto: "Often imitated, never duplicated." These exemplary professionals hold influence, status and proficiency within their fields that mark them as respected and trusted experts. It is Marquis' great honor to celebrate these individuals' accomplishments and highlight their work, influence and impact. Each month, distinguished MWW listees are selected for positions in the Spotlight Series. Listees' Marquis features are carefully curated to share in a convenient location online. These features include highlights, such as Marquis-issued awards and narratives in one of many print or online publications. Each Spotlight feature is introduced by a biography, which provides a snapshot of a listee's career highlights, philanthropic endeavors, and/or career achievements. The Marquis Spotlight Series recognized 15 prominent listees in the fourth quarter of 2024: October 2024 Dr. Lin Morel Founder and Chief Executive Officer Beyond Words Group Inc. Joanne Fern Owner J&S Operated Equipment Rentals Harry H. Kazakian Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer USA Express Legal & Investigative Services Inc. Dr. Joseph G. R. Martinez Regents' Professor (Retired) University of New Mexico Dr. Floyd W. McCoy Professor Emeritus University of Hawaii -Windward November 2024 Jillian C. Bergeron Master Aesthetician and Holistic Healer Dr. Gordon E. MacKinnon Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Educator MacKinnon Psychological Associates Michael Ettinger, Esq. President Ettinger Law Firm James R. Eigenberg County Commissioner Jackson County, Minnesota Victor M. Renteria Secondary School Educator Bowie High School December 2024 Dr. Douglas C. Munski Professor University of North Dakota Dr. Imogene Mathison Mixson Academic Dean (Retired) Wallace State Community College Lea-Ann M. Riddell, RN Manager of Resident Care Steeves & Rozema Dr. Richard Ferrell Associate Professor of Psychiatry Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College Michael Garvich Senior Product Care Engineer Team Leader Electrolux North America Congratulations to these Spotlight listees, who are pillars of the Marquis Who's Who community and examples of the highest standard in their fields and among their professional networks. About Marquis Who's Who ® Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the first edition of Who's Who in America ® , Marquis Who's Who ® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion, and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America ® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians, and executive search firms around the world. Marquis ® publications may be visited via the official Marquis Who's Who ® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com . View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marquis-whos-who-recognizes-spotlight-biographees-for-the-fourth-quarter-of-2024-302319744.html SOURCE Marquis Who's Who
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As the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, there could be no better time to revisit the tumultuous events of 1968 in what was then Czechoslovakia. In August of that year, Russian tanks rolled into Prague – along with the armies of five countries within the Soviet bloc – to crush Czechoslovakia’s new, homegrown version of communism, dubbed by foreign media “socialism with a human face.” Student demonstrators were murdered, the country’s new leaders deposed. Moscow’s message was clear: There would be no deviation. Until 1989, the country’s neck would stay under the Russian boot. For those few months of 1968, however, the Prague spring air was filled with hope. Director-writer Jiří Mádl brings this time to compelling life in Waves , the Czech Oscar entry that follows the fervently committed team at Czechoslovak Radio. This hardscrabble bunch of journalists and technicians is right at the coalface of the struggle against censorship. Radio is the revolution’s message stick. “We stand with you!” the newscasters tell their audiences – from students protesting in the streets to ordinary people gathered in church, alternately praying and listening to the latest from the priest’s portable transistor – as they fight their own bosses for the right to tell the truth. “We stand with you! Stand with us!” The hero of the hour is Alexander Dubcek, the country’s new president who, as he rose through the ranks of the Communist Party, had fought for political liberalization. Just as important, however, is the eruption of youthful rebellion happening not only in Czechoslovakia but across the world. Without overloading his brush, Mádl paints a picture of a younger generation for whom political freedom is inextricably entwined with sex, music and fun. RELATED: Oscars: Academy Reveals List Of Documentary, Animation & International Features Eligible For Consideration As the story begins, Tomáš Havlik (Vojtěch Vodochodský) isn’t one of them. Tomáš is quiet, responsible and believes himself to be apolitical, an electronics technician who has been his younger brother Pavel’s (Ondřej Stupka) guardian since their parents died. That guardianship is alarmingly provisional; their apartment is often spot-checked by sour social workers, keen to find sufficient fault with Tomáš’ parenting to tidy Pavel away into an orphanage. Pavel continues to be the authorities’ bargaining chip when Tomáš gets a job at Czechoslovak Radio. As the station’s technician, he becomes pivotal to the journalists’ struggle to report the country’s crisis as it happens. Meanwhile, Pavel goes to hear rousing talks by Milan Weiner (Stanislav Majer), Czechoslovak Radio’s icon of liberalism; by night, he sticks up posters with his older friends from university. Imagine what those murderers and rapists do to young men in prison, murmurs one of the Soviet censors to Tomáš. Time to take a broader view of the situation, don’t you think? Vodochodsky brilliantly conveys the sense of man in a permanent state of tension, his anxiety wired into movements as small as the flicker of an eyelash. That tension is echoed in a Simon Goff’s soundtrack of insistent, tuneless rhythms knocking insistently behind the footage of troop invasions, the feverish clatter of the newsroom and the rush between hideouts where they transmit news when the station is shut down. The crew never talks about it, but they are prepared to die for what they do; meanwhile, they tease and romance each other – even Tomáš has a tentative affair with Vera (Tána Pauhofová)), a multilingual reporter with seeming nerves of steel – and party like there’s no tomorrow. RELATED: The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host Mádl catches them in passing, scruffy and vigorous; by contrast, the Brutalist architecture around them – the towering geometry of stairwells, the endless gray of hospital corridors, the threadbare apartment where the brothers live – is grim as death. Mádl never lets the narrative pace falter, even in the domestic sphere; a trip to buy onions is as lively, in its own cheerful way, as the urgent business of the newsroom. Stylistically, Mádl’s work harkens back to the handsome art cinema that used to come out of Eastern Europe before the Wall came down; at the same time, he is not afraid to roughen up proceedings with a camera that swings between faces during an argument or to break the flow with a jolting splash of slow motion. Most of all, he never lets us forget that everything we see here — absolutely everything in life – is at stake. History informs us what happened next. Alexander Dubcek led a delegation to Moscow to negotiate a withdrawal that was rejected. When he returned to Prague, they were back to business as usual, locked behind the Iron Curtain. But the flame had been lit. Twenty years later, there would be another wave of discontent and revolt; the time finally would be ripe. Comrade Dubcek, with his cheerful grin and big ideas, would be back. But that, as they say, is another story. RELATED: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More Title: Waves International Sales: Urban Films Director-screenwriter: Jiří Mádl Cast: Vojtěch Vodochodský, Ondřej Stupka, Stanslav Majer Running time: 2 hr 11minDestiny 2 Xur Exotics today: All items for sale and where to find him on December 27 What is Xur selling this week? (Image: Charleen Bougourd/Bungie Inc. ) Destiny 2's Christmas event, The Dawning, is still underway – but it feels a little bit sad after the big day has passed. Still, it's Friday, and like a child stockpiling vouchers and cash, we're off to take our strange coins to Xur to buy exotic weapons and armour for our Guardians to see in the New Year with. This year's Final Shape expansion mixed things up for the tentacle-faced NPC, meaning Xur can now sell a much more varied list of items, and he's only ever found in one spot. Luckily for you, we'll cover where he is, and what he has, for December 27 - 31. Here's what Xur is offering for Guardians this week in Destiny 2 (Image: Bungie Inc. ) When and where does Xur appear? While Xur used to appear in multiple places, hopping between planets, he can now be found at Destiny 2's main social space, The Tower. Head to Cayde's ramen shop, and down the alley next to it to find Xur. He only appears from 5PM GMT/ 10AM PDT/ 1PM EDT on Friday to 5PM BST/ 10AM PDT/... Lloyd Coombes
NoneSouth Korea lifts president's martial law decree after lawmakers reject military ruleLONDON (AP) — Brighton had most of the chances but could not find the net in a 0-0 draw with Brentford that extended the south coast club’s winless run in the Premier League to six games on Friday. It was a frustrating night for the home side and especially Julio Enciso. The Paraguay striker had a host of opportunities to score but couldn’t make them count. Along with Southampton, Brentford has the worst away record in the league with seven losses and two draws and it was easy to see why in this toothless performance. Brentford had an early goal from Yoane Wissa ruled out for offside and, although it came a bit more into the game in the second half, it failed to pressure Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who made his Premier League debut eight minutes before halftime when Mark Flekken went off with a thigh injury. One bright spot for the home side was the return of winger Solly March. He came on as a late substitute to make his first appearance for Brighton since injuring a knee against Manchester City 14 months ago. The result leaves Brighton in 10th place with 26 points, one spot and two points ahead of the Bees. Arsenal was hosting Ipswich in Friday's other game in the Premier League, AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerBy ERIC TUCKER WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals.” Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number” were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are “primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump disavowed Project 2025. The post-election Donald Trump is humming a different tune. Perhaps the ditty is called, “No One Should Confuse Campaigning With Governing.” Or maybe Russ Vought’s words are more apt for a song title: The rapture of “Graduate-Level Politics.” Either way, Trump certainly likes the melody and is now embracing the Project 2025 agenda. The most obvious sign that Trump is warming to Project 2025 is that several of his nominees for high-level administrative posts have direct ties to the conservative playbook. The author of Project 2025’s chapter on the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, has been tapped to lead that same agency. Tom Homan, Trump’s choice to direct his immigration effort as the nation’s “border czar,” is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a contributor to Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” John Ratcliffe, another Project 2025 contributor will, if confirmed, lead the CIA. It is too early to tell if Carr, Homan and Ratcliffe will be confirmed, but if and when they are we’ll have a clearer idea if their comments from the past are actually implemented, and I will report on that in greater depth at that time. However, we don’t have to wait to learn about the intent of two of Trump’s supporters, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped to head the yet-to-be-established Department of Government Efficiency, a direct offspring of Project 2025’s principal ambition to “dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people.” On Nov. 20 they co-authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which they described how their mandate is to “cut the federal government down to size.” There is no doubt that Democrats, Republicans and independents should applaud every effort to realize efficiencies in government. But we must be vigilant about the specifics of those savings — analyzing the costs and benefits to ensure that cuts are made for efficiency purposes and not based on political or cultural motivations that jeopardize the vulnerable and powerless. Linda McMahon, a longtime Trump ally and the president-elect’s pick to run the Education Department, echoes wherever possible Project 2025’s plan to raze the half-century-old bureaucratic division. She has done so from her perch as leader of the America First Policy Institute, another conservative think tank with growing influence in the Trump administration AFPI’s America First Parents Initiative, its Higher Education Reform Initiative and even its Biblical Foundations Project all reiterate Project 2025’s agenda of parental choice, the promise of charter schools, local and state control of curricula, restoration of a retributive school disciplinary model, and rejection of DEI initiatives, transgender rights in participation, pronouns and naming, critical race theory, exposure to America’s discriminatory past, and so on. Once again, we must be watchful in the coming weeks and months to see if Trump’s appointees follow through with pre-election promises. Vought, widely anticipated to return as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, is probably the loudest proponent of Project 2025. He wrote the chapter on the Executive Office of the President, but his cheerleading for the Heritage Foundation’s right-wing agenda goes well beyond that individual contribution. The CNN report on Vought’s beliefs should be alarming to all regardless of whether one is a Trump supporter. Vought calls for establishing a “Christian nation.” He refutes the legislative practice of carving out abortion exceptions for rape and incest. He insists that mass deportation of immigrants will “save the country.” He boasts that he is working on “shadow” operations that will control the government. And when asked why the president-elect distanced himself from Project 2025, Vought’s response was teeming with admiration. “Graduate-level politics,” he said with a grin. “We’ve got to win elections.” So true. That’s music to Trump’s ears. The verdict is still out but the trends are becoming more obvious. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as The Fulcrum reports on the nuances and complexities of the issues proposed or implemented from Project 2025. Our goal is to use critical thinking and rigorous analysis, reexamining outdated assumptions, and using reason, scientific evidence, and data as the backbone of these crucial investigations.UnitedHealthcare is increasing security after Brian Thompson’s killing, executive says
What is one thing — just one — you can agree on with someone on the opposite side of the political divide? The late Gen. Colin Powell once told me, “Figure that out and you can get a lot done. And as you win one victory together, you might just discover along the way that there’s something else you agree on.” Our nation seems utterly divided. Many of the wounds that have been torn open in these last few election cycles are real and painful. But too much focus has been placed on further tearing open those wounds rather than healing them. One way we can heal them is simply by rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on the things we can agree on. One thing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught his lieutenants, several of whom trained me when I was a young organizer, is that if you are comfortable in your coalition, your coalition is too small. We need unlikely allies and uncomfortably large coalitions. Coalitions of what can seem like strange bedfellows get things done. When I served as national president of the NAACP, we brought together prison guard unions, conservative governors and Democratic legislators to dramatically shrink prison systems and allow people who served their sentences to regain their right to vote. Bipartisanship itself can be a powerful tool and vehicle for progress. Here are a few examples, just from recent or ongoing environmental fights for legislation at the federal, state and local levels. ‘One of the most important conservation bills in a generation’ We know that Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are close friends of the fossil fuel and other extractive industries. As such, one might assume Republican support for conservation efforts would be hard, if not impossible, to find. But one of the green movement’s great victories at the federal level during the first Trump administration was passage of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. The bill provided permanent funding for important conservation and public recreation projects across the country and addressed a multi-billion-dollar maintenance backlog in national parks and other public lands. At the time, then-executive director of the Sierra Club, Michael Brune, called it “one of the most important conservation bills in a generation.” It passed in a closely divided U.S. Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, by a vote of 73-25. We now hope to replicate that success with passage of the bipartisan EXPLORE Act during the current lame-duck session or in the next Congress. That bill is a wide-ranging package of popular policies including the Outdoors for All Act and expansion of the Every Kid Outdoors program to make national parks and public lands accessible to more of America’s youth. One of my favorite current examples of a powerful multi-partisan, common ground-finding coalition at the state level is in the fight to stop a dangerous carbon capture pipeline in Iowa. A bill supported by that coalition to slow approval of land seizures for the project passed the Republican-majority Iowa House in March by a whopping 86-7 vote . That bill was unfortunately killed in the state Senate, by just a handful of powerful senators, before it could receive a floor vote. But coalition organizers are still fighting, and they believe the bill — or one similar to it — has the support to pass once they can get it to the Senate floor. At the local level, I heard a story just this month that illustrates how, even when things seem bleak, there are still plenty of opportunities for progress. A Sierra Club volunteer leader receiving a lifetime achievement award for her work spoke to a crowd that was no doubt devastated by the results of the recent election. She told them she had, just the day prior, attended a board of supervisors meeting in her community where she and other community members convinced the body — composed entirely of Republicans except for one Democrat — to ban gasoline-powered leaf blowers. It was a reminder of how often straightforward local community organizing transcends politics. This is just a small sampling of countless examples across the country of Americans who are not letting partisanship stand in their way as they work to make things better for their families and communities. The common ground is there if we bother to look for it. And look we must if we care about getting things done. We do not have to agree on much for us to thrive together, in our families and communities, and as a country. For those of us fighting to get something done, we must remember: coalitions that include a variety of viewpoints are coalitions that ultimately win. Gen. Powell’s words still ring true. Ben Jealous is the executive director of the Sierra Club and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Send letters to letters@suntimes.com Get Opinions content delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here .CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals have found all manner of ways to lose close games this season. Sunday's 44-38 loss to AFC North rival Pittsburgh can be blamed on a defense that missed tackles and allowed 520 yards of offense, and three turnovers by Joe Burrow. It's become a familiar story in this disappointing season. Cincinnati (4-8) keeps scoring lots of points but can't close out games. Seven of the Bengals’ eight losses this year have been by one score. Burrow has stopped talking about the possibility of going on a run and making the playoffs. He'd just like to win another game or two. “Playoffs are the furthest thing from my mind,” the fifth-year quarterback said. “You never know what can happen, so I’ll keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to be the best player I can be for the rest of the season, week in and week out.” The Bengals allowed Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson to throw for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns. After Wilson threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, the Steelers (9-3) scored on seven of their last nine possessions. They didn't punt until early in the fourth quarter. Burrow lost two fumbles and threw an interception. “We haven’t done enough to earn the win,” coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s a simple as that. It’s nobody else’s fault but our own. We haven’t earned it.” Turnovers aside, Burrow had another strong game, finishing with 28 for 38 for 309 yards with three touchdowns. Burrow is having a great season statistically, and he hasn't hidden his disappointment and frustration about Cincinnati's narrow losses. ... WR Ja'Marr Chase had a touchdown catch to bring his league-leading total to 13. The defense missed tackles and couldn't hold off the Steelers, even with Burrow keeping the game close. It didn’t help that LB Logan Wilson (knee) and DT Sheldon Rankins (illness) had to sit out. The Bengals have allowed 34 or more points six times, including in four of the past five games. Cincinnati became the first NFL team to lose four games in a season in which it scored 33 points or more. RB Chase Brown has been dependable as the featured back since Zack Moss went down with a neck injury. He rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. He also had three catches for 30 yards. The second-year back has 677 yards rushing and six TDs. “He’s really coming along, improving his game every single week,” Burrow said. “Pass game, run game, running hard, understanding his protection responsibilities. He’s a guy that practices hard, plays hard, and a guy you can count on.” The Bengals' coaching staff. Something has got to give. There was no excuse for the defense to play this badly after a bye week. The unit gave up 500-plus yards for the second time this season. None were reported in the game. 30.3 — The average points per game by the Bengals against teams with a .500 or better record this season. They are 0-7 in those games. The Bengals will try to regroup before facing the Dallas Cowboys (5-7) next Monday night. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL