COVID

Norfolk Southern statement on board of directors nominations

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

ATLANTA, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) received notice that Ancora Holdings Group, LLC has nominated eight candidates to stand for election to the Norfolk Southern Board of Directors at the company's 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Key Points: 
  • Reiterates commitment to building more resilient, productive railroad and driving long-term value
    ATLANTA, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) received notice that Ancora Holdings Group, LLC has nominated eight candidates to stand for election to the Norfolk Southern Board of Directors at the company's 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
  • Norfolk Southern issued the following statement:
    The Norfolk Southern Board and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of the company and our shareholders.
  • The Norfolk Southern Board is composed of highly qualified, independent directors.
  • The Norfolk Southern Board has maintained an ongoing process of refreshment, with six directors appointed to the board in the past five years.

City Furniture Selects Elite Rewards "Sales Vendor of the Year" 2023

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Elite Rewards, a consumer incentive marketing company based in Tampa, Florida received City Furniture's "Sales Vendor of the Year" Award for 2023 presented by CEO Andrew Koenig for its continued partnership and success growing business through its "Test Rest – Get & Give" and Gift with Purchase (GWP) programs.

Key Points: 
  • "Elite Rewards is always looking to evolve what customers desire as a gift, they're innovative and timely.
  • City Furniture also recognized Elite for its success in increasing conversion of in-store traffic into additional sales utilizing Elite's "Test Rest – Get & Give'' mattress program.
  • City Furniture introduced the concept of "Get $25, Give $25", to customers testing mattresses while visiting the store.
  • Those wishing to learn more about Elite Rewards, please visit www.eliterewards.biz , or contact J.B. Siegel, Press contact at [email protected] , tel: 727-543-8100.

New Report Gives Insight to Healthcare Employee Mental Health in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAL WorkLife, the leading expert in mental health and well-being for healthcare organizations, released the 2024 Well-Being in Healthcare: Trends and Insights report highlighting trends and issues impacting healthcare organizations and systems. For physicians and healthcare professionals, challenges such as stress, anxiety, burnout and isolation have led to increased absenteeism and turnover while also raising concerns about the impact to patient safety and satisfaction. The 2023 data foreshadows mental health trends that will continue into 2024 and allows employers to better support their employees.

Key Points: 
  • MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAL WorkLife , the leading expert in mental health and well-being for healthcare organizations, released the 2024 Well-Being in Healthcare: Trends and Insights report highlighting trends and issues impacting healthcare organizations and systems.
  • The 2023 data foreshadows mental health trends that will continue into 2024 and allows employers to better support their employees.
  • The 2024 Well-Being in Healthcare: Trends and Insights report summarizes the case engagement data across VITAL WorkLife's healthcare clients which include over 52,000 physicians and APPs, 60,000 nurses and 165,000 employees.
  • The report is made available by VITAL WorkLife, the leader in mental health and well-being in healthcare in the United States, to help healthcare leaders better support their employees in 2024.

Disruption Unveiled: The Post-Pandemic Workforce and Human Capital with David Leighton of WITI

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

TAMPA BAY, Fla. , Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than 40 percent of companies have adopted some sort of telecommuting policy in recent years, but the number of telecommuters still has never risen above 7 to 10 percent of the working population. Most employees cite difficulties with home-work boundaries and social isolation as the key drawbacks to telecommuting. There is a need for companies to change their business strategies to accommodate the vastly different social needs of remote workers. (1)

Key Points: 
  • Most employees cite difficulties with home-work boundaries and social isolation as the key drawbacks to telecommuting.
  • There is a need for companies to change their business strategies to accommodate the vastly different social needs of remote workers.
  • Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you'll hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors.
  • Disruption Interruption can be listened to via the Podbean app and is available on Apple's App Store and Google Play.

Rebamipide May Combat Low-Grade Inflammation in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Patients

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 19, 2024

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rebamipide may be useful for rehabilitation of patients with SARS-CoV-2 post-COVID syndrome according to new research being presented at the 2024 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, this month.

Key Points: 
  • "This study revealed higher levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and lower levels of bacterial permeability protein in patients with post COVID syndrome.
  • Rebamipide, by reducing intestinal permeability, reduces endotoxin load, lowering the level of low-grade inflammation.
  • To explore Rebamipide's usefulness for rehabilitating SARS-CoV-2 post-COVID syndrome patients, researchers examined 62 patients, aged 42-55 years with post-COVID-19 syndrome using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for joint pain.
  • Given the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on enterocytes, the results suggest that Rebamipide may be useful for rehabilitation of patients with SARS-CoV-2 post-COVID syndrome.

Too much heat in the kitchen: survey shows toxic work conditions mean many chefs are getting out

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 8, 2024

“Chefs, chefs, chefs!

Key Points: 
  • “Chefs, chefs, chefs!
  • Australia is seeing a similar gap, with chefs ranked the eighth most in-demand occupation.
  • Our study is the first quantitative survey to examine working conditions and mental health issues among chefs in both Australia and New Zealand.
  • The survey also followed up previous Australian studies, which indicated exploitation was an industry norm, with chefs experiencing burnout and wage theft.

‘Banter, bollockings and beatings’

  • As one British study titled “Banter, bollockings and beatings” made clear, an often macho culture can prevail, including bizarre induction rituals.
  • An Australian study published in 2022 showed chefs were significantly more likely than the general population to commit suicide.
  • And even before the pandemic, the industry’s “toxic” workplace culture was blamed for mental health issues and high suicide rates among employees.
  • Two-thirds (67%) of respondents worked more than 38 hours weekly, but a fifth of the chefs worked 52-61 hours.

Leaving the industry

  • Results showed high levels of physical and mental fatigue (“exhausted at work”, “emotionally drained”, “becoming disconnected”).
  • The majority of respondents said they were likely (with 20% extremely likely) to look for a new employer during the next year.
  • Read more:
    All these celebrity restaurant wage-theft scandals point to an industry norm

Mental health and healthy hospo

  • The Better Work Action Plan, the first phase of New Zealand’s Tourism Industry Transformation Plan, was launched by MBIE in 2023 under the previous government.
  • It followed extensive consultation with representatives from hospitality and tourism, Māori, unions, workers and government.
  • Its aim was to develop a sustainable tourism workforce by addressing longstanding issues of low pay and poor conditions across the sector.
  • By chance, however, New Zealand’s new minister for mental health, Matt Doocey, is also tourism and hospitality minister.


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

COVID: there’s a strong current of pandemic revisionism in the mainstream media, and it’s dangerous

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

To reassess and agonise over how reasonable lockdown was is now a near-constant in the media, particularly in the UK.

Key Points: 
  • To reassess and agonise over how reasonable lockdown was is now a near-constant in the media, particularly in the UK.
  • However, against the backdrop of the continuing COVID inquiry, fringe views are making their way into the mainstream.
  • And online debates have abandoned much of the ethical and political nuance they deserve.
  • Yet, with increasing distance, the thorny, difficult issues tend to be flattened to false narratives and a history of simple choices.
  • With the benefit of hindsight, established accounts of successful interventions and stories of failure often take on new shades.

Streamlined narratives

  • The nuances that highlighted the complexities of epidemic management in polio soon gave way to a streamlined narrative: the Salk vaccine, the first vaccine to treat polio, was pinpointed as the cause of all troubles, when the new Sabin vaccine took its place.
  • More recently, the history of Aids is too often told as the victory of “technoscience” that brought a raging pandemic under control through effective, sophisticated pharmaceutical innovation.
  • In the flattened narratives of successful pharmaceutical innovation, the politics of activist groups and the pandemic’s implication for sexual politics are too often lost.


Lukas Engelmann receives funding from European Research Council (ERC) and British Academy Dora Vargha receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and The Wellcome Trust.

Beam Suntory Announces Full Year 2023 Financial Results

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, today announced the company’s 2023 full year results, with net sales up 7% year on year and operating income up 13% versus 2022.

Key Points: 
  • Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, today announced the company’s 2023 full year results, with net sales up 7% year on year and operating income up 13% versus 2022.
  • The company continued to drive growth across key brands including Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark, and experienced strong demand for its award-winning Japanese whisky portfolio as the House of Suntory celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023 with special limited-edition offerings.
  • “We are pleased with the results we delivered last year as our portfolio of brands – rooted in quality and craftsmanship – and our geographic diversity continued to benefit our business,” said Greg Hughes, President & CEO at Beam Suntory.
  • Beam Suntory remains focused on its premiumization strategy as it works toward its ambition to be the World’s Most Admired Premium Spirits Company.

Wall Street Prep Survey Reveals 70% of L&D/HR Executives in Financial Services Identify Graduate Desk Readiness as a Critical Challenge, Along with Growing Need for Soft Skills Training.

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

BOSTON, Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 70% of Learning & Development (L&D) and HR leaders identified gaps in desk readiness as the top priority to address in 2024 training plans, based on a Wall Street Prep survey of 260 L&D/HR executives in financial services. 65% said that improving soft skills was another growing imperative.

Key Points: 
  • BOSTON, Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 70% of Learning & Development (L&D) and HR leaders identified gaps in desk readiness as the top priority to address in 2024 training plans, based on a Wall Street Prep survey of 260 L&D/HR executives in financial services.
  • 65% said that improving soft skills was another growing imperative.
  • The Wall Street Prep State of L&D in Financial Services Survey was conducted in December 2023 and January 2024.
  • While expectations from internal stakeholders are growing, survey respondents face budget pressures, with 70% of executives reporting flat or declining budgets.

LTC Reports 2023 Fourth Quarter Results and Discusses Recent Activities

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Five of these properties are expected to be sold for $1.6 million under an agreement signed subsequent to the end of 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Five of these properties are expected to be sold for $1.6 million under an agreement signed subsequent to the end of 2023.
  • One of the properties located in Texas was closed during 2023, and another is expected to be closed.
  • Two of the properties located in Georgia and South Carolina were transitioned to an operator new to LTC subsequent to December 31, 2023.
  • LTC received all 2023 contractual interest of $19.5 million due from Prestige after applying $3.4 million of its security.