Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 561«..1020..560561562563..570580..»

Home » Page 561

Provided by Associated Press All states have certified results of the 2020 presidential election ahead of a Dec. 14 meeting of electors. (AP Graphic)

WASHINGTON (AP) Voters cast their ballots for president more than a month ago, but the votes that officially matter will be cast Monday. That's when the Electoral College meets.

The Constitution gives the electors the power to choose the president, and when all the votes are counted Monday, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to have 306 electoral votes, more than the 270 needed to elect a president, to 232 votes for President Donald Trump.

The spotlight on the process is even greater this year because Trump has refused to concede the election and continued to make baseless allegations of fraud. That makes the meeting of the Electoral College another solid, undeniable step toward Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, when Biden will be sworn in as president.

Some questions and answers about the Electoral College:

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

In drafting the Constitution, America's founders struggled with how the new nation should choose its leader and ultimately created the Electoral College system. It was a compromise between electing the president by popular vote and having Congress choose the president.

Under the Constitution, states get a number of electors equal to their total number of seats in Congress: two senators plus however many members the state has in the House of Representatives. With the exception of Maine and Nebraska, states award all of their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state.

WHAT'S THE BEEF WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

The Electoral College has been the subject of criticism for more than two centuries. One often-repeated gripe: the person who wins the popular vote can nonetheless lose the presidential election. That happened twice in the last two decades in 2000 with the election of George W. Bush and in 2016 when Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes.

Biden, for his part, won the popular vote and will end up with 306 electoral votes to Trumps 232. Trump was the fifth presidential candidate in American history to have lost the popular vote but won in the Electoral College.

WHO ARE THE ELECTORS?

Presidential electors typically are elected officials, political hopefuls or longtime party loyalists.

This year, they include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump elector who could be a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, her partys 2018 nominee for governor and a key player in Biden's win in the state.

Among others are 93-year-old Paul Pete McCloskey, a Biden elector who is a former Republican congressman who challenged Richard Nixon for the 1972 GOP presidential nomination on a platform opposing the Vietnam War; Floridian Maximo Alvarez, an immigrant from Cuba who worried in his Republican convention speech that anarchy and communism would overrun Biden's America, and Muhammad Abdurrahman, a Minnesotan who tried to cast his electoral vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders instead of Hillary Clinton in 2016.

WHERE DO THEY MEET AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

The Electoral College doesn't meet in one place. Instead, each state's electors and the electors for the District of Columbia meet in a place chosen by their legislature, usually the state capitol.

The election is low tech. Electors cast their votes by paper ballot: one ballot for president and one for vice president. The votes get counted and the electors sign six certificates with the results. Each certificate gets paired with a certificate from the governor detailing the state's vote totals.

Those six packets then get mailed to various people specified by law. The most important copy, though, gets sent to the president of the Senate, the current vice president. This is the copy that will be officially counted later.

DO ELECTORS HAVE TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATE WHO WON THEIR STATE?

In 32 states and the District of Columbia, laws require electors to vote for the popular-vote winner. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld this arrangement in July. Electors almost always vote for the state winner anyway, because they generally are devoted to their political party.

A bit of an exception happened in 2016 when 10 electors tried to vote for other candidates. Those included people pledged to support Clinton who decided not to back her in a futile bid to get Republican electors to abandon Trump and choose someone else as president.

Abdurrahman, the Minnesotan who wanted to vote for Sanders, was replaced as an elector. This year, he has said he will cast his vote for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once the electoral votes are cast, they are sent to Congress, where both houses will convene on Jan. 6 for a session presided over by Vice President Mike Pence. The envelopes from each state and the District of Columbia will be opened and the votes tallied.

If at least one member of each house objects in writing to some electoral votes, the House and Senate meet separately to debate the issue. Both houses must vote to sustain the objection for it to matter, and the Democratic-led House is unlikely to go along with any objections to votes for Biden. Otherwise, the votes get counted as intended by the states.

And then there's one more step: inauguration.

Read more from the original source:
EXPLAINER: What's in store when the Electoral College meets - msnNOW

Read More..

Men have a greater performance advantage over women in cricket, golf and tennis compared to sports such as running or swimming according to new research, which also finds that testosterone blockers taken by transgender women only minimally reduce the biological advantage underpinning performance.

The study, published in Sports Medicine, found that while elite men are around 10-13% faster than elite women at running and swimming, the gap is between 29% and 52% when it comes to bowling cricket balls, hitting long drives, weightlifting and in sports that generally rely more on muscle mass and explosive strength.

Performance differences larger than 20% are generally present when considering sports and activities that involve extensive upper body contributions, the study adds. The gap between fastest recorded tennis serve is 20%, while the gaps between fastest recorded baseball pitches and field hockey drag flicks exceed 50%.

However when transgender women suppress testosterone for 12 months, researchers found that the loss of lean body mass, muscle area and strength was only around 5%. Therefore, they say, the muscular advantage enjoyed by transgender women is only minimally reduced when testosterone is suppressed and small compared to the baseline differences.

The results are significant because under the current International Olympic Committee guidelines, transgender women are allowed to compete in female sports categories if they suppress their testosterone below 10 nmol/L for 12 months before and during competition.

Yet even when testosterone was suppressed to around 1 nmol/L it did not remove the anthropometric and muscle mass/strength advantage in any significant way although the authors say the reduced cardiovascular performance may generate smaller retained advantage in endurance sports.

The study raises significant questions for sport, with the paper stating the IOC may need to reassess whether its current guidelines for transgender women are fair or safe for female competition. They also ask whether, from a medical-ethical standpoint, it is acceptable for the IOC to ask trans women to significantly reduce their testosterone if it does not deliver on its stated aims.

Meanwhile researchers also found the biological gap between women and men is so great that 10,000 males have personal-best times that are faster than the current Olympic 100m female champion, as does the 14-year-old male schoolboy 100m record holder.

These data overwhelmingly confirm that testosterone-driven puberty, as the driving force of development of male secondary sex characteristics, underpins sporting advantages that are so large no female could reasonably hope to succeed without sex segregation in most sporting competitions.

Read more:
Strength of trans women drops slightly after year of treatment, research claims - The Guardian

Read More..

A groundbreaking new study on transgender athletes has found trans women retain a 12% advantage in running tests even after taking hormones for two years to suppress their testosterone. The results, researchers suggest, indicate the current International Olympic Committee guidelines may give trans women an unfair competitive advantage over biological women.

World Rugby recently became the first sports federation to ban trans women from womens rugby, citing significant safety risks and fairness concerns. But most sports still follow IOC guidelines from 2015, which permit trans women to play against biological women providing their testosterone remains below 10 nanomoles per litre a figure higher than average biological female levels, which range from 0.12 to 1.79nmol/L.

However the new study, based on the fitness test results and medical records of 29 trans men and 46 trans women who started gender affirming hormones while in the United States Air Force, appears to challenge the IOCs scientific position.

The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that before starting their hormone treatment trans women performed 31% more push-ups and 15% more sit-ups in one minute on average than a biological women younger than 30 in the air force and ran 1.5 miles 21% faster.

Yet after suppressing their testosterone for two years a year longer than IOC guidelines they were still 12% faster on average than biological females.

The trans women also retained a 10% advantage in push-ups and a 6% advantage in sit-ups for the first two years after taking hormones, before their advantage disappeared. But the researchers say they may underestimate the advantage in strength that trans women have over cis women because trans women will have a higher power output than cis women when performing an equivalent number of push-ups.

The scientists conclude by saying more than 12 months of testosterone suppression may be needed to ensure that transgender women do not have an unfair competitive advantage when participating in elite level athletic competition.

When it initially published its transgender guidelines five years ago, the IOC said its overriding sporting objective is and remains the guarantee of fair competition. However, its plans to lower the testosterone limit to 5nmol/L came to nothing because the issue was so contentious. Instead the IOC indicated it wanted sports to implement their own transgender policies.

When asked for its response to the new research the IOC said it was now working on a a framework for voluntary guidelines on the basis of gender identity and sex characteristics, adding: Overall, the discussions to date have confirmed considerable tension between the notions of fairness and inclusion, and the desire and need to protect the womens category, all of which will need to be reconciled. The IOC aims to release this framework in 2021.

The academic research also highlighted the benefits of testosterone for trans men. Before taking the hormone, they performed 43% fewer push-ups and ran 1.5 miles 15% slower than their male peers. But after one year there was no longer any difference in push-ups or run time, and the number of sit-ups performed by trans men exceeded the average performance of their male peers.

Go here to read the rest:
Trans women retain 12% edge in tests two years after transitioning, study finds - The Guardian

Read More..

Men are three times more likely to need intensive care treatment from a coronavirus infection than women and also have a greater risk of death, according to a new global study.

Analysis of more than 3 million cases around the world published in the journal Nature Communications on Wednesday showed that there was no difference in the proportion of either sex actually getting infected.

But once COVID-19 positive, male patients have almost three times the odds of requiring intensive treatment unit admission and higher odds of death compared to females, the study said. The death rate was estimated to be 1.4 times more likely for men.

The researchers from the University College London and the University of Cape Town used data from 46 different countries and 44 US states to confirm what had until now only been anecdotal signs of differences.

With few exceptions, the sex bias observed in COVID-19 is a worldwide phenomenon, the study said.

The confirmation of this sex disparity with global data has important implications for the continuing public health response to this pandemic, it stressed.

The study noted a few gender-based socio-cultural and behavioral differences that could contribute to the sex difference with men more likely to smoke, go out into crowds and fail to wash their hands with soap.

A more likely cause, however, is the fundamental differences in the immune response between males and females, the study said, noting that the male sex hormone testosterone suppresses the immune system.

Interestingly, testosterone-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer has been associated with improved outcomes for COVID-19, suggesting that suppression of the immune response by testosterone, as well as the protective effect of oestrogen, may underlie the observed sex-bias, the study suggested.

These data have implications for the clinical management of COVID-19 and highlight the importance of considering sex as a variable in fundamental and clinical research, the paper said.

The rest is here:
Men are 3 times more likely to need ICU treatment from COVID-19: study - New York Post

Read More..

Shabana Guptaguptasha@grinnell.edu

As the pandemic continues, so do its accompanying struggles; something especially true for the nonbinary and trans community. Economic instability, job discrimination and dysphoria are all hitting harder than normal for the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary (TGNB) students stuck at home with minimal contact with friends and other TGNB folk. A Columbia University study found that a high percentage of TGNB people were struggling during COVID-19, which begs the question: how are Grinnells TGNB students doing?

Grinnell has a lot of TGNB students who are living openly with their identities. Some students have relatively accepting families, even if their families are not perfect. In some cases, this lack of acceptance affected their decisions on where to live during lockdown.

Romeo Garcia 23 is currently living on campus. There are a couple reasons why he chose to be in Grinnell instead of at home in Oklahoma. One of them is because of his gender expression and the constraints he feels when living with his parents.

Gender presentation is a big portion of the issues many TGNB students must face in their home environments. For students living by themselves or with friends, quarantine is a wonderful time to explore clothing and new interests. For those living at home, options may be more limited. Expectations from family may cause them to present in a way that isnt always in line with the students needs.

Garcia said that his parents accept his gender identity, and that they took the transitioning relatively well. He said that their main problem is with his gender expression. They dont understand that a boys favorite color could be pink, or that a boy could like glitter or nail polish or eyeliner, god forbid, Garcia said.

They dont understand that a boys favorite color could be pink, or that a boy could like glitter or nail polish or eyeliner, god forbid Romeo Garcia 23

His parents, especially his stepdad, expect that Garcia fits traditionally masculine stereotypes. You cannot complain, you cannot feel things. Thats my moms idea of masculinity, Garcia said. The second a trans person does stuff thats not expected of their gender, theyre [his parents are] like, So that changes you back now.

Garcia said these expectations became extremely stressful when he was home for the summer. Youre expected to perform for them. Like, this is causing me distress and unhappiness.

Garcia also made sure to present only as masculine when outside of his parents house. I dont want to be perceived as genderqueer or anything. Id get beat up or something.

There has been a rise in hate crimes against the TGNB community during 2020. The Human Rights Campaign reported 40 known murders of TGNB people during 2020, making it the most violent year since the HRC started recording TGNB violence in 2013.

Being in Grinnell for the school year is a lot more comfortable for Garcia, and he said that he can wear and act in whatever way pleases him without fear of repercussions. Its such a queer space that I can queer my expression more. Like yes, this is my ideal actually, this is what brings joy for me.

Katie Hidlebaugh 22 is living at home with their dad, stepmom and brothers. Many of Hidlebaughs issues with living at home are a result of their gender presentation. Their dad made comments about what they were wearing before they were comfortable talking about identities and gender presentation with him. Nothing major, its just a lot of microaggressions, they said. Their dad has since stopped referring to them in gendered terms. Hidlebaugh said that their mom has been really good at helping with dysphoria. Their moms house was destroyed in the derecho, though, so Hidlebaugh is not able to live with her for now.

Hudson Clulow 23 has also been living on campus this semester. They stayed over the summer for a variety of reasons, one of which was their hometowns constrictive culture.

Clulow came out as trans in 9th grade, about a year after coming out as gay. Their family is supportive now, though it started out rocky. The small community they live in still tends to identify them with their dead name, the name they were assigned at birth, despite knowing their current name. When everyone knows you personally theres just a sense of I can ask you whatever I like, Clulow said.

When they went to the grocery store or picked up their younger sister, people would come up to them and say, Oh, I know youre going by Hudson now, but Ive always known you as [deadname]. According to Clulow, the conversation would often be followed by some hugging.

Facing the broader home community has also presented some issues for Hidlebaugh, who has run into difficulties at their workplace. They have their pronouns on their nametag, which means people tend to look at them strangely after noticing. They said that most of the time people are accepting, though there was an instance involving their manager. According to Hidlebaugh, his manager thought it was a political statement.

Hes a baby boomer they said.

COVID-19 has also gotten in the way of necessary procedures and activities for trans youth. Jax Seiler 22 has a relatively accepting home life and is currently living with his dad and brother. Other than confusion surrounding pronouns, his home life has been fine. His mom takes initiative when it comes to learning about trans topics. Seiler isnt living with his mom, but she does send him trans memes every so often.

The main issue that Seiler has faced because of COVID-19 is that his appointment for testosterone was canceled. It was scheduled before everything went on lockdown, but his nurse was out sick. The next week no one was able to get an appointment. Seiler said that he can generally pass as a dude.

The worst I have to deal with is getting misgendered until I get on T [testosterone], he said.

Grinnell TGNB students seem to be working around the conditions of COVID-19. The four students I spoke with for this article said that they have relatively supportive families, and their workplaces have an overall positive environment. There are probably students that have not been voiced in this story, and their experiences might be closer to what Columbia University found in their survey.

There is a diversity within the TGNB students experience of COVID-19. Like Garcia found, quarantine can be a good time to explore and experiment with gender expression. I can do funky gender things like wearing a skirt or a dress, he said. No ones here perceiving me, its not going to change the way a lot of people think about me.

Follow this link:
Checking in with Grinnell's TGNB community The Scarlet and Black - Scarlet and Black

Read More..

You may think that exercising regularly is the key to a healthy body. But as soon as you get out of the gym, you end up feeling tired for the rest of the day.

The two hours at the gym in the morning takes a toll on your body.

Dor Eckstein, a famous fitness instructor from Israel, says that too much exercise isn't necessary to achieve your fitness goals. You need to carefully plan a workout schedule and clean up your diet if you want to inch closer toward your fitness goals. It's an absolute honor to hear from Mr. Eckstein today.

Mr. Eckstein, thank you for talking to us today. Can you please tell us why you think people shouldn't pressure themselves too much about exercising?

I agree that training regularly is more logical for many because the more you train, the quicker you achieve your fitness goals. But based on my experience, if you exercise more than you should, you end up getting burned out. Whether you are a student or an employee in an office, a tired body will result in a tired mind. And that's not helpful whether you're studying, working, or trying to lose weight. If you are not a professional athlete, I would suggest you cut down your exercise sessions and limit them three times a week.

What's the difference between eating in small portions multiple times and eating three meals throughout the day?

I always encourage my clients to eat three wholesome and satisfying meals every day. I'm against eating in small portions many times because the body doesn't get time to process the food you eat and convert that into energy.

Consider your body as your car's fuel tank. You don't refill it when you use up a liter of fuel. You wait for the vehicle to consume a significant amount of fuel before you fill the tank. Follow this concept for eating as well. That way, you will burn more calories and get in good shape within a few months.

What are your service charges?

You can select from two packages: one that lasts for six months and lasts for one month. The six-month package costs NIS 445 per month, but you must commit to six months of training. I usually recommend this package because it helps me change your diet and exercise program according to your progress.

You can also go for the one-month package that costs NIS 1800. I'll suggest the exercise and diet programs during our first meeting, and then we can conduct a followup by phone within 30 days to check on your progress.

How do you contact your clients?

Once you agree to work with me, I provide my phone number. I am usually available on my phone all the time, except when I'm talking to one of my clients or sleeping. You can ask me anything about your fitness when I'm available.

Well, thank you so much, Mr. Eckstein. It was great talking to you. We're sure that you can help more people get into their desired shape through proper education about exercise and nutrition.

See the article here:
Dor Eckstein on the Role of Exercise and Nutrition in Fitness - BBN Times

Read More..

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loop Insights Inc. (MTRX:TSXV) (RACMF:OTCQB) (the "Company" or "Loop"), a provider of contactless solutions and artificial intelligence ("AI") to drive real-time insights, enhanced customer engagement, and automated venue tracing to the brick and mortar space, is pleased to announce the following:

LAUNCH OF MULTILINGUAL PLATFORM IN SUPPORT OF CANADA-WIDE OPPORTUNITIES WITH NATIONAL BRANDS

Loop is pleased to announce the release of its multilingual capabilities for its digital wallet and venue management platform, which is essential to anticipated national rollouts of each platform in the near future. Languages supported are English, French, and Spanish.

Venue Bubble - Over the past several months Loop Insights has successfully created, launched, and executed its Venue Bubble solution. Specifically, on December 1st, Loop announced Achieving 100% Success in Delivering The First-Ever Fully Integrated Venue Bubble in Live Environments at NCAA College Basketball Tournaments. In that press release, Loop CEO Rob Anson stated:

With the whole world watching, including professional sports leagues and teams, college sports leagues and teams, world-renown venues and hospitality companies, Loop hit it out of the park and provided the world with the empirical data necessary to demonstrate our bubble solution is nothing short of world-class. To this end, we have already commenced significant discussions regarding the possibility of Loop protecting and helping to re-open some of North Americas largest sporting events in 2021.

Given the advanced level of these discussions and requests by potential national partners/clients across North America, Loop incorporated multilingual capabilities in preparation of any potential definitive agreements.

Travel Bubble - On December 9th, Loop announced the enhancement of its Travel Bubble solution and stated:

Story continues

We have now commenced significant discussions surrounding travel bubble opportunities with some of North Americas largest airlines, resort operators, venues, and hospitality groups globally. We anticipate this new revenue stream may be significant for the Company as we progress these opportunities in 2021.

Given the advanced level of these discussions and requests by potential national partners/clients across North America, Loop incorporated multilingual capabilities in preparation of any potential definitive agreements.

Loop Insights Service - On December 3rd, Loop announced it had Launched Second Product Into TELUS IoT Marketplace For National Sales and Marketing To TELUS Business Customers. This acceptance into the TELUS IoT Marketplace provides Loop with national sales and marketing exposure across Canada, including national brand TELUS customers that require bilingual capabilities.

Digital Wallets For Contact Tracing and Vaccination - This product release is both timely and necessary with Canadian Provincial and Federal governments looking to provide a unified solution with contact tracing and vaccination certification.

RECEIPT OF $4,600,000 FROM THE EXERCISE OF WARRANTS ALLOWS LOOP TO CONTINUE EXECUTING WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FURTHER FINANCING

Loop is pleased to announce the receipt of approximately $4,600,000 from the exercise of warrants up to December 10, 2020. The proceeds from this latest round of warrants being exercised are expected to provide Loop with the financial resources necessary to fund growth and operations to the end of 2021 at a minimum, assuming the Company wasnt able to generate any further revenue from business operations. As such, the Company does not foresee the need for any financing with the exception of strategic client partners that may want to invest in Loop in order to participate in its growth.

Moreover, as the Company expects to generate meaningful revenue from its current and anticipated sales pipeline over the next 12 months, as well as, receive additional proceeds from further anticipated warrant exercises, the Company is confident it now has the war chest necessary to pursue all anticipated business opportunities as the demand for its solutions continues to grow on a weekly, if not daily basis.

Loop Insights CEO Rob Anson stated, These warrants being exercised significantly bolster our financial strength, resources, and confidence necessary to close on any deal in our pipeline, many of which are of significant size and scale. The continued support and confidence of our valued shareholders are deeply appreciated as we aggressively pursue our growth strategy in 2021."

LOOP TO COMMENCE VERIFIED DISCUSSIONS BY CEO AND KEY PERSONNEL ON AGORACOM FIRST POSTS THIS WEEKEND

The Company is commencing discussions on its CEO Verified Forum on AGORACOM this weekend, which is intended to serve as the Companys primary social media platform for interaction with both current and prospective shareholders in a fully moderated environment. Loop believes this is a necessary and important step given the significant increase in the need for information by investors.

Rob Anson added, Ive always prided myself on responding to all investor inquiries by email, phone or text but given the growth of the Company in 2020, the demand for engagement and discussion by investors has grown to the point that it now makes sense to unify these discussions under one umbrella that provides all investors with the exact same access. AGORACOM provides verification of Loop management, as well as, smart rules of engagement to ensure civilized, constructive, and robust conversation between all of our stakeholders. It will become an invaluable tool given our anticipated developments and I look forward to posting my first comments and interactions with shareholders this weekend.

By engaging and communicating in an open forum free for anyone to view, the Loop Verified Forum provides investors with full transparency and equal access to information, without the trolling, profanity, and nonsense of unmoderated forums and social media platforms.

The Loop Insights Forum can be found at https://agoracom.com/ir/LoopInsights/forums/discussion

AGORACOM Verified Forums provide the first-ever identity verification of small-cap company executives on an investor platform. As a result, Loops CEO and officers can post within a discussion forum without the risk of impersonation, while providing shareholders with the confidence of receiving verified information directly from the Company.

Moreover, the efficiencies of 1:MANY vs 1:1 conversations provide Loop management with significant time management efficiencies that will benefit all shareholders.

This Press Release Is Available On The Loop Insights Verified Forum On AGORACOM For Shareholder Discussion And Management Engagement https://agoracom.com/ir/LoopInsights/forums/discussion

About Loop Insights

Loop Insights Inc. is a Vancouver-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology company that delivers transformative artificial intelligence (AI) automated marketing, contact tracing, and contactless solutions to the brick and mortar space. Its unique IoT device, Fobi, enables data connectivity across online and on-premise platforms to provide real-time, detailed insights and automated, personalized engagement. Its ability to integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructure, and customize campaigns according to each vertical, creates a highly scalable solution for its prospective global clients that span industries. Loop Insights operates in the telecom, casino gaming, sports and entertainment, hospitality, and retail industries, in Canada, the US, the UK, Latin America, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia. Loops products and services are backed by Amazons Partner Network.

For more information, please contact:

Loop Insights Inc.

LOOP Website: http://www.loopinsights.ai

Rob Anson, CEO

Facebook: @ LoopInsights

T : +1 877-754-5336 Ext. 4

Twitter: @ LoopInsights

E : ir@loopinsights.ai

LinkedIn: @ LoopInsights

Forward-Looking Statements/Information:

This news release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Loops control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and competition from other industry participants, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Loop believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Loop does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of Loop should be considered highly speculative. There can be no assurance that Loop will be able to achieve all or any of its proposed objectives.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Excerpt from:
Loop Insights Launches Multilingual Platform In Support Of National Programs, Announces Receipt Of $4,600,000 From Exercise Of Warrants, Commences...

Read More..

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The San Diego office of American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH) has been named among San Diego's "Top Workplaces" in the 8th annual Top Workplaces awards sponsored by the San Diego Union Tribune and Philadelphia-based Energage. This marks ASH's second time to be recognized in the San Diego "Top Workplaces" awards and its fourth award in 2020 as a leading workplace. ASH was also recognized in South Carolina and Texas as a best place to work and was named among the winners in the Midwest region's Healthiest Employers awards. ASH has received dozens of national and regional awards through the decades as a top workplace.

"Creating a company culture where employees feel appreciated, engaged, connected and fulfilled is a tremendous challenge in any environment, so we're especially proud to have earned this award in 2020, during what has probably been one of the most difficult times for businesses and employees in modern history," said ASH Chairman and CEO George DeVries. "It's very gratifying to know that in the midst of a tremendous company-wide transition to a work-from-home status and market demand to maintain the highest levels of service, we received exceptional marks from our employees in the areas of leadership, performance, alignment of values, and connection."

The company also was recognized with the Top Workplaces Spotlight Award for Communication, due to its exemplary employee outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners of the Top Workplaces awards are ranked based on employee feedback to an independent survey regarding matters relating to workplace culture, including: Alignment on company direction, values, and cooperation; Coaching for employees through employee development, encouragement and recognition; Connection, through teamwork initiatives that enable employees to work at their full potential; Engagement in productivity, retention, and recruiting; Leadership that inspires employee confidence in the future; Performance in innovation and execution; and Basic foundational characteristics such as pay, benefits, and training.

ASH was founded in 1987 with just $4000 in seed money and has grown into a half- billion-dollar company serving more than 50 million members nationwide. ASH has more than 1,300 employees in offices across the country and has been a 10-time winner on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.

About American Specialty HealthAmerican Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH) is one of the nation's premier independent and privately-owned specialty health organizations offering technology-enabled benefits management services, including musculoskeletal health provider networks and programs, fitness center networks and exercise programs, and health management solutions for health plans, insurance carriers, employers and others. ASH has offices in Carmel (Indianapolis), IN, San Diego, CA, Fort Worth, TX, and Columbia, SC, For more information about ASH, visit http://www.ashcompanies.com or call 800-848-3555. Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter at @ASHCompanies.

Contact:Lisa FreemanAmerican Specialty HealthMobile: 310-422-9200lisaf@ashn.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-specialty-health-named-among-the-top-workplaces-in-san-diego-county-301190972.html

SOURCE American Specialty Health Incorporated

See original here:
American Specialty Health Named Among the Top Workplaces in San Diego County - BioSpace

Read More..

USA TODAY NETWORKand the Gannett Foundation today announced 16 non-profit organizations that will receive national grants from the companys A Community Thrives program.

Now in its fourth year, A Community Thrives awards grants to worthy causes in communities across the U.S. to help create positive change. Supported by the Gannett Foundation, the program also enables non-profits to promote their ideas and efforts on a national platform from the USA TODAY NETWORK, inclusive of USA TODAY and Gannetts hundreds of local media outlets, to drive further support through donations.

After receiving more than 900 submissions from organizations across 45 states, A Community Thrives is awarding $2.3 million in grants: $1 million in National Project Grants and $1.3 million in Local Operating Grants. The programs crowdfunding effort through MightyCause has raised an additional $3,341,000. A total of $5.6 million will be distributed to these non-profits from the Gannett Foundation and the programs fundraising efforts combined.

At Gannett, we take pride in supporting community-building initiatives. ThroughA Community Thrives, we lend financial support to that purpose and rally communities to champion good and meaningful causes. Congratulations and best wishes to these outstanding grant recipients and their amazing projects, said Gannett Chairman and CEO Mike Reed.

The Gannett Foundation selected the 2020 national grants recipients based on the proposed projects viability, sustainability, community need and community building properties and service to historically marginalized and/or under-resourced groups.

The recipients chosen for the 16 grants are as follows:

BUNKER LABS INC, Chicago, IL -- $100,000

Bunker Labs empowers military-connected entrepreneurs to create valuable networks and equip these entrepreneurs with resources & tools necessary to start and grow their businesses. This grant will support the delivery of 50 virtual (or in person if possible) education programs to targeted audiences in 2021.

30,000 Feet,Roseville, MN -- $100,000

30,000 Feet will establish a Black Arts Center that will be an arts and social justice tech hub for creative expression for Black children in Saint Paul to open by February 2022.

FOOD RESCUE US INC, Norwalk, CT (Project in Detroit, MI) -- $100,000

The grant will fund the expansion of Food Rescue US - Detroit to support the growing number of individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Detroit and the surrounding communities.

CREIGHTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, Phoenix, AZ -- $50,000

Creighton Community Foundation will build vibrant food and culinary communities in east central Phoenix to increase access to nutritious food. This will be accomplished by partnering with a Title I school to build food growing space, refurbish a community food room, operate farmer's markets, and engage community residents in growing and consuming healthy, local food to produce 250 tons of food for 1500 hundred families.

UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL OHIO INC, Columbus, OH -- $50,000

Funds will support the local Racial Equity Partnership providing racial equity training and learning exchanges to staff, board members, volunteers, and clients of health and human service organizations throughout Franklin County reaching 5000 people.

SOLAR AUSTIN, Austin, TX -- $50,000

Solar Austin's Pathways to Clean Energy Careers program will facilitate avenues for students, particularly women and people of color, to enter Austin's clean energy sector; Solar Austin will also develop best practices for local clean energy companies to improve diversity and inclusivity in their recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts.

LSU HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION IN SHREVEPORT, Shreveport, LA -- $50,000

The Eat Right and Move Program will address proper nutrition and exercise to promote better health outcomes in the Hollywood Heights neighborhood of Shreveport, LA. Outcomes will include: a reduction in obesity level and a decrease in cardiovascular risk factors upon completion of the 6 month exercise program, peer health mentors and policy assessment.

ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS, Asheville, NC -- $50,000

GreenWorks plans to reforest the City of Asheville by planting 50,000 trees by 2040 in partnership with businesses, local government, and private citizens. This grant will support shade tree planting, tree give away events targeting redlined, under invested communities and volunteer engagement to support these efforts.

HAVENLY TREATS, New Haven, CT -- $50,000

Havenly Treats will establish a series of paid advocacy workshops focused on building organizing capacity, cultivating solidarity across refugee immigrant communities, and advancing knowledge to build the economic and political power for 6 refugee women.

CREATIVE REACTION LAB, St. Louis, MO -- $50,000

CDAP's Creative Reaction Lab will educate and train formerly incarcerated and criminal justice system-impacted Black and Latinx youth to become civic leaders using a unique equity-centered creative problem-solving framework with six apprentices.

WORDS BEATS AND LIFE INC, Washington, DC -- $25,000

WBL's Creative Employment initiative will offer courses in music production, visual/media arts, performing arts, and the humanities to under-represented students with the goal of the participants becoming active participants in the DC /national creative economy.

GARY FOOD COUNCIL INC, Gary, IN -- $25,000

GFC will develop the Urban Agriculture Youth Educator and Internship program to train and certify up to 100 children aged 12-17 for the nationally recognized Junior Master Gardener program in Gary. The students will then serve as paid interns on area farms and create distribution events to provide food to 1,500 families.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTH CENTRAL OHIO, Canton, OH -- $25,000

Junior Achievement will create a virtual platform called vFairs JA that will showcase the region's most in-demand jobs to 5,000 -7,000 North Central Ohio 7th - 12th grade students in to increase access to rewarding and successful career pathways.

MESA UNITED WAY INC, Mesa, AZ (Project in Phoenix, AZ) -- $25,000

Helen Hopes, a program of the Mesa United Way, Culver Street project will provide a transitional housing space, a safe, stable environment, for Foster360 program participants who are experiencing homelessness. The grant will support two Culver Street apartments.

HOMELESS CHILDRENS PLAYTIME PROJECT INC, Washington, DC -- $25,000

The Playtime Project works towards a long- term goal of increasing resiliency in children experiencing homelessness, thereby helping to break the cycle of chronic family homelessness. The grant will support the expansion of its child centered play program to a short-term family housing site in Ward 8 in Washington, DC and will pilot a program at the Rolark, a family shelter, to serve up to 100 children.

BETTER TOGETHER FLOURISH NOW, Naples, FL -- $25,000

Better Together provides temporary housing and support services to families needing foster care with the end-goal of family re-unification. The program will expand to serve 150 additional children with temporary foster host families and wrap-around support services.

For more information, visit A Community Thrives.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pr/2020/12/10/usa-today-network-and-gannett-foundation-announce-2020-national-grant-recipients-a-community-thrives/3881603001/

Originally posted here:
USA TODAY NETWORK and The Gannett Foundation Announce 2020 National Grant Recipients for A Community Thrives - USA TODAY

Read More..

Video above: Boston-area gym Home Base pivots business during pandemicThings were looking up for Jason Zenga in late 2019 and in early 2020.The personal trainer worked out of a gym based in Santa Monica, California, where he taught classes twice a week. He also worked as an independent corporate trainer through a partnership with his friend, where they'd go to offices and train employees at companies across Los Angeles.But business began to dry up in March, as local and federal governments began implementing stricter policies to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. All of a sudden, the gym that employed Zenga closed. There were no offices to go to train employees at, and Zenga could only train the last few of his clients virtually. He had to apply for unemployment benefits."All the uncertainty was frustrating," Zenga told CNN. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Atlanta-based trainer Bria Young found her business booming during the pandemic. When gyms began to close, Young transitioned to packaging workouts into online digital programs on her website and began selling them."It completely flip-flopped, I didn't even need to go back to in-person training," Young told CNN. "I was able to find a new passion during this pandemic."There's no question that the fitness industry has been upended by the pandemic and for some trainers like Zenga, the last 10 months have proved to be financially devastating. For others, like Young, the pandemic has turned into a fruitful opportunity to pivot to virtual full time.Fitness industry lost 480,000 jobs due to COVID-19The fitness industry employed 3 million part-time and full-time employees prior to the pandemic, and as of Oct. 1 at least 480,000 jobs have been lost, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), a global trade association for the health and fitness industry."While other small businesses could pivot and sell online or do take-out orders, health clubs, and their staff of personal trainers and group instructors, had no real opportunities to earn revenue," IHRSA spokesperson Sami Smith told CNN in an email.Capacity restrictions on gyms meant "fewer people are visiting the club, which also translates to less personal training sessions and group exercise classes," Smith said."Some clubs and trainers have successfully pivoted to make money with outdoor workouts and virtual classes, but these are nowhere near enough to cover the difference."Patrons stopped going to the gym once COVID-19 hitPrior to the pandemic, more than half of U.S. exercisers were working out at home, according to a September report from the market intelligence agency Mintel.With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the U.S., people are even less likely now to go to their local gym."When asked about their comfort level returning to certain activities, over half of consumers said they were not comfortable going back to the gym," Mintel's report found.That meant a blow to a lot of personal trainers' pockets."All of a sudden it's a number missing from your bank account," said Chiheb Soumer, a personal training and wellness expert based out of Los Angeles, whose entire business model at one point was training in corporate offices."I lost 50% of my personal training clients because people are just scared. Gyms are closed so unless you have your own gym or you train outside, it's tricky."Going virtual didn't work for everyoneThe pivot to virtual was not an easy one across the board for personal trainers."I know trainers now who are doing security because they don't have enough clientele, they've been forced to do other jobs," said Ricardo Cornett, a trainer in Atlanta.Zenga, the Los Angeles trainer who applied for unemployment, said he wasn't the biggest fan of virtual training."It's really hard to establish a connection with someone who you've never met in person and if they don't have access to equipment," he said.While Zenga did try virtual training, he said "the attendance rate was super low, but the attrition was super high" because people would come in, check it out and never come back.Virtual training was also very difficult for him because he charged for all his virtual sessions, whereas other trainers did it for free."The only people that stuck around with the online stuff were people who knew me," Zenga said.Soumer, Zenga's business partner, said it's also difficult to give directions for exercises virtually and see if clients are doing it correctly. That's why he enjoys "the personal part of personal training much more."Related video: One person in a spin class triggered a COVID-19 outbreak at a cycling studio even with precautions in placeGoing virtual meant getting creativeThe pandemic has also changed the entire job of a personal trainer, one that is solely based on human interaction in a time where interacting can mean contracting the virus. Personal trainers have had to become more creative and entrepreneurial than ever before."Never in my life have I ever had to be quite so creative professionally," said Samm Haden, a trainer based out of Los Angeles, who said that the pandemic has allowed her to "find a whole other level of creativity."Both Haden and Young, the Atlanta-based trainer, went the virtual route and saw a lot of success.Haden initially took a week and a half off to brainstorm how she could move forward during the pandemic. She began doing live videos on Instagram three times a week, which transitioned into 30-day online video challenges on YouTube that she films with her family. As part of that challenge she created accountability groups on Facebook, so people could feel more connected."It allows people to feel like they're getting to know people as they're working out and building a relationship," Haden told CNN. "That helps people feel committed to people and accountability with other people."Similarly, Young said she always had a dream of going online despite training in a gym prior to the pandemic. When everything started changing, she began offering her gym program online, and created different challenges like "Squatober," bikini and nutrition challenges, which more than tripled her income.Young said she plans to take a step back from the in-person training going into the new year."I'm realizing I can reach a lot more people being online with my training," Young said. "Hopefully I can create an app at some point."Trainers remain hopeful about the futurePersonal trainers tend to be very positive people for the most part, said Soumer, the Los Angeles trainer."Even if you want to stay positive, you can't deny that this year is harder than previous years," Soumer said. "So many gyms closed, so many trainers lost their jobs. It sucks."But trainers like he and Zenga still have hope that the fitness industry will bounce back, eventually.Soumer still has four clients going forward he plans to work on things he can control. He's revamping his social media presence and building a website.Zenga, who was on a cross-country road trip at the time this article was written, said he plans to head back to Los Angeles and open a boxing gym."As soon as the government let's us operate," he said, "we're ready to rock."

Video above: Boston-area gym Home Base pivots business during pandemic

Things were looking up for Jason Zenga in late 2019 and in early 2020.

The personal trainer worked out of a gym based in Santa Monica, California, where he taught classes twice a week. He also worked as an independent corporate trainer through a partnership with his friend, where they'd go to offices and train employees at companies across Los Angeles.

But business began to dry up in March, as local and federal governments began implementing stricter policies to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. All of a sudden, the gym that employed Zenga closed. There were no offices to go to train employees at, and Zenga could only train the last few of his clients virtually. He had to apply for unemployment benefits.

"All the uncertainty was frustrating," Zenga told CNN.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Atlanta-based trainer Bria Young found her business booming during the pandemic. When gyms began to close, Young transitioned to packaging workouts into online digital programs on her website and began selling them.

"It completely flip-flopped, I didn't even need to go back to in-person training," Young told CNN. "I was able to find a new passion during this pandemic."

There's no question that the fitness industry has been upended by the pandemic and for some trainers like Zenga, the last 10 months have proved to be financially devastating. For others, like Young, the pandemic has turned into a fruitful opportunity to pivot to virtual full time.

The fitness industry employed 3 million part-time and full-time employees prior to the pandemic, and as of Oct. 1 at least 480,000 jobs have been lost, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), a global trade association for the health and fitness industry.

"While other small businesses could pivot and sell online or do take-out orders, health clubs, and their staff of personal trainers and group instructors, had no real opportunities to earn revenue," IHRSA spokesperson Sami Smith told CNN in an email.

Capacity restrictions on gyms meant "fewer people are visiting the club, which also translates to less personal training sessions and group exercise classes," Smith said.

"Some clubs and trainers have successfully pivoted to make money with outdoor workouts and virtual classes, but these are nowhere near enough to cover the difference."

Prior to the pandemic, more than half of U.S. exercisers were working out at home, according to a September report from the market intelligence agency Mintel.

With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the U.S., people are even less likely now to go to their local gym.

"When asked about their comfort level returning to certain activities, over half of consumers said they were not comfortable going back to the gym," Mintel's report found.

That meant a blow to a lot of personal trainers' pockets.

"All of a sudden it's a number missing from your bank account," said Chiheb Soumer, a personal training and wellness expert based out of Los Angeles, whose entire business model at one point was training in corporate offices.

"I lost 50% of my personal training clients because people are just scared. Gyms are closed so unless you have your own gym or you train outside, it's tricky."

The pivot to virtual was not an easy one across the board for personal trainers.

"I know trainers now who are doing security because they don't have enough clientele, they've been forced to do other jobs," said Ricardo Cornett, a trainer in Atlanta.

Zenga, the Los Angeles trainer who applied for unemployment, said he wasn't the biggest fan of virtual training.

"It's really hard to establish a connection with someone who you've never met in person and if they don't have access to equipment," he said.

While Zenga did try virtual training, he said "the attendance rate was super low, but the attrition was super high" because people would come in, check it out and never come back.

Virtual training was also very difficult for him because he charged for all his virtual sessions, whereas other trainers did it for free.

"The only people that stuck around with the online stuff were people who knew me," Zenga said.

Soumer, Zenga's business partner, said it's also difficult to give directions for exercises virtually and see if clients are doing it correctly. That's why he enjoys "the personal part of personal training much more."

Related video: One person in a spin class triggered a COVID-19 outbreak at a cycling studio even with precautions in place

The pandemic has also changed the entire job of a personal trainer, one that is solely based on human interaction in a time where interacting can mean contracting the virus. Personal trainers have had to become more creative and entrepreneurial than ever before.

"Never in my life have I ever had to be quite so creative professionally," said Samm Haden, a trainer based out of Los Angeles, who said that the pandemic has allowed her to "find a whole other level of creativity."

Both Haden and Young, the Atlanta-based trainer, went the virtual route and saw a lot of success.

Haden initially took a week and a half off to brainstorm how she could move forward during the pandemic. She began doing live videos on Instagram three times a week, which transitioned into 30-day online video challenges on YouTube that she films with her family. As part of that challenge she created accountability groups on Facebook, so people could feel more connected.

"It allows people to feel like they're getting to know people as they're working out and building a relationship," Haden told CNN. "That helps people feel committed to people and accountability with other people."

Similarly, Young said she always had a dream of going online despite training in a gym prior to the pandemic. When everything started changing, she began offering her gym program online, and created different challenges like "Squatober," bikini and nutrition challenges, which more than tripled her income.

Young said she plans to take a step back from the in-person training going into the new year.

"I'm realizing I can reach a lot more people being online with my training," Young said. "Hopefully I can create an app at some point."

Personal trainers tend to be very positive people for the most part, said Soumer, the Los Angeles trainer.

"Even if you want to stay positive, you can't deny that this year is harder than previous years," Soumer said. "So many gyms closed, so many trainers lost their jobs. It sucks."

But trainers like he and Zenga still have hope that the fitness industry will bounce back, eventually.

Soumer still has four clients going forward he plans to work on things he can control. He's revamping his social media presence and building a website.

Zenga, who was on a cross-country road trip at the time this article was written, said he plans to head back to Los Angeles and open a boxing gym.

"As soon as the government let's us operate," he said, "we're ready to rock."

Read more here:
COVID-19 took the personal out of personal training. Here's how trainers adapted - WAPT Jackson

Read More..

Contact Us Today

Page 561«..1020..560561562563..570580..»

Home » Page 561