track sports

track sports Employers know that prioritizing employee wellbeing is the right thing to do, but there are also business benefits. Data from Indeed, analyzed by Oxford researchers, shows that companies with higher employee wellbeing levels have better valuations, return on assets, and profits. Indeed Introduces the 2024 Work Wellbeing 100, ranking the Top Publicly-Traded Companies for Work Wellbeing in the US. Investing in work wellbeing does more than improve employee morale — it can also drive tangible business benefits. Oxford recently analyzed Indeed's work wellbeing dataset and highlighted a strong correlation between company wellbeing and business performance. Indeed's 2024 Global Work Wellbeing Report findings revealed that higher levels of employee wellbeing are associated with improved firm valuation, return on assets, and gross profits. Companies with higher levels of employee wellbeing also collectively outperformed the stock market. The Indeed-Oxford research also looked into whether happier employees today mean better business results later. Data from before and after COVID-19 showed that companies with happier workers before COVID-19 performed better afterward in all three performance indicators (valuation, return on assets, and gross profits). The Indeed-Oxford research revealed the long-term business benefits of prioritizing employee wellbeing. Indeed reinforced the business case for work wellbeing by launching the Work Wellbeing 100 , an index ranking the top 100 publicly traded companies based on their Indeed Work Wellbeing Score. The Work Wellbeing 100 demonstrates companies with higher wellbeing outperformed leading stock indexes like the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Russell 3000, proving that prioritizing wellbeing benefits both people and businesses. This index ranks companies based on their Indeed Work Wellbeing Score , a composite metric on Indeed Company Pages. Given these findings, integrating employee wellbeing into your core business strategy is crucial. But the report indicates that only 22% of respondents feel they are thriving at work. Here are ways prioritizing wellbeing can set you apart and drive success. Make your company more competitive for talent Employee expectations around wellbeing are rising, and employers need to adapt. In a 2023 study by Indeed and Forrester Research , a substantial portion of millennials (54%) and Gen Z adults (59%) reported that their work wellbeing expectations had increased compared to the previous year. For this demographic, it's not enough to simply have a job; they want to work for a company that genuinely cares about them. These dynamics present an opportunity for employers to stand out in a competitive job market. By prioritizing wellbeing, companies can foster a more engaged and productive workforce. But that requires them to treat work wellbeing as a business strategy rather than just an HR effort. Boost retention by understanding what's important to employees Understanding employee sentiments enables employers to identify strengths and areas for improvement, allowing them to better meet workforce needs. This strategy should include measuring employee wellbeing as a key metric alongside other initiatives. For instance, the Indeed Work Wellbeing Score is a composite metric on Indeed Company Pages that measures key outcomes of work wellbeing: happiness, purpose, satisfaction, and stress. Developed in partnership with leading happiness and wellbeing experts, Indeed also measures and displays key drivers of workplace wellbeing, including belonging, fair pay, and flexibility Based on data from over 25 million surveys, the Indeed initiative represents the largest global study on work wellbeing. Scores are freely accessible to Indeed users, allowing employers to assess and improve their standing. This transparency helps businesses understand what matters most to their employees and serves as a valuable guide for job seekers to find companies where they can thrive. Build a resilient future through employee wellbeing Employees who aren't thriving at work can't perform at their highest potential, impacting individual employee experience and company performance. But every employee deserves the opportunity to thrive at work, and employers are responsible for providing that. When companies focus on wellbeing, they enhance their appeal to current and potential employees while fostering a more resilient and adaptable workforce. Investing in wellbeing supports and empowers that workforce, creating an opportunity for impactful business performance benefits rather than being a trade-off with other priorities. In an era where the future of work is increasingly focused on the employee experience, incorporating wellbeing into your business strategy is one of the smartest moves you can make. "The future of work conversation cannot happen without employee wellbeing at the center of it," Davis said. Indeed is committed to measuring and understanding work wellbeing to benefit individuals, businesses, and society. To learn more about how companies can strengthen their employer brand by focusing on work wellbeing, click here . This post was created by Indeed with Insider Studios.

NEW YORK — Stocks fell in morning trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 fell 1.4%, with more than 80% of stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. Still, the index is managing to hold onto a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 402 points, or 0.9%, to 42,945 as of 10:41 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 2%. Both the Dow and the Nasdaq are also holding on to weekly gains. Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market Friday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slumped 3.2%. Its enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes. Other Big Tech stocks losing ground included Microsoft, with a 2.2% decline. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 2.2% and Best Buy slipped 1.9%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. Energy was the only sector within the S&P 500 rising. It gained 0.5% as crude oil prices rose 0.8%. Investors don’t have much in the way of corporate or economic updates to review as the market moves closer to another standout annual finish. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. In Asia, Japan’s benchmark index surged as the yen remained weak against the dollar. Stocks in South Korea fell after the main opposition party voted to impeach the country’s acting leader. Markets in Europe gained ground. Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained at 4.59% from late Thursday. The yield on the two-year Treasury slipped to 4.32% from 4.33% late Thursday. Wall Street will have more economic updates to look forward to next week, including reports on pending home sales and home prices. There will also be reports on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity. Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

A new way of treating serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks could be a “game-changer” and is the first leap in treatment for 50 years, researchers say. Offering patients an injection is more effective than the current care of steroid tablets and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%, according to a study. Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation. It is currently used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but a new clinical trial has found that a higher single dose can be very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up. The findings, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, included 158 people who needed medical attention in A&E for their asthma or COPD attack (COPD is a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties). Patients were given a quick blood test to see what type of attack they were having, with those suffering an “eosinophilic exacerbation” involving eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) being suitable for treatment. Around 50% of asthma attacks are eosinophilic exacerbations, as are 30% of COPD ones, according to the scientists. The clinical trial, led by King’s College London and carried out at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, saw patients randomly split into three groups. One group received the benralizumab injection and dummy tablets, another received standard care (prednisolone steroids 30mg daily for five days) and a dummy injection, and the third group received both the benralizumab injection and steroids. After 28 days, respiratory symptoms of cough, wheeze, breathlessness and sputum were found to be better in people on benralizumab. And after 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group who failed treatment compared with those receiving steroids. Treatment with the benralizumab injection also took longer to fail, meaning fewer visits to a GP or hospital for patients, researchers said. Furthermore, people also reported a better quality of life on the new regime. Scientists at King’s said steroids can have severe side-effects such as increasing the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis, meaning switching to benralizumab could provide huge benefits. Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel, from King’s, said: “This could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD. “Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined. “Benralizumab is a safe and effective drug already used to manage severe asthma. “We’ve used the drug in a different way – at the point of an exacerbation – to show that it’s more effective than steroid tablets, which is the only treatment currently available.” Researchers said benralizumab could also potentially be administered safely at home or in a GP practice, as well as in A&E. First author Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia, said: “Our study shows massive promise for asthma and COPD treatment. “COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide but treatment for the condition is stuck in the 20th century. “We need to provide these patients with life-saving options before their time runs out.” Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, welcomed the findings but said: “It’s appalling that this is the first new treatment for those suffering from asthma and COPD attacks in 50 years, indicating how desperately underfunded lung health research is.” AstraZeneca provided the drug for the study and funded the research, but had no input into trial design, delivery, analysis or interpretation.

Salvation Army of Mitchell kicks of holiday season with Thanksgiving mealThe price of gold rose dramatically in 2024, eventually reaching $2,790 per ounce in October before moderating slightly. This consistent uptick in price has sparked new interest in gold investing, with some people considering the addition of gold jewelry to their investment mix. But turning gold jewelry into a smart investment isn't as simple as it might seem. Below, industry experts discuss what makes jewelry different from other gold investments, and add insight into whether it can be a worthwhile portfolio addition. Find out more about the benefits of gold investing . Is gold jewelry considered an investment? Experts weigh in Many serious investors prefer gold bars and coins. But gold jewelry may offer unique potential — provided that you have careful buying strategies and realistic expectations. "Gold [jewelry] can be a great investment if you buy it for the right price," says Matt Harris, a consignment jewelry and gem expert at Curated Fine Jewelry. He recommends looking for plain gold pieces such as chains, rings and bracelets through consignment shops, private marketplaces and pawn shops. You may find prices just slightly above gold's spot price. Unlike standard gold bars and coins , jewelry offers potential value beyond its metal content. "The design, craftsmanship quality and brand name can influence the value of gold jewelry," says Ashleigh Trent, personal lines director and co-founder of Tower Street Insurance. Well-made pieces from respected designers may appreciate even if gold prices stay flat. Add gold to your investment portfolio today . It's common for retail stores to mark up gold pieces by 100% over wholesale costs, according to Harris. This means gold would have to double in value just for you to break even. And the challenges continue when selling. For example, the "we buy gold" shops usually buy gold jewelry for 30% to 50% below its spot value. They offer considerably less because they need to refine the piece, and of course, profit. These markups and resale difficulties make gold jewelry a complicated investment choice. What to look for in gold jewelry as an investment How can you tell whether a piece of gold jewelry holds investment value? Trent and Ruhee Rathod, director of finance and operations at Bario Neal, break down five characteristics to look for: Higher purity levels: Look for 18K gold (75% pure) or higher. The purer the gold content , marked by higher karat numbers, the more valuable the piece. Avoid gold-plated (GP) or gold-filled (GF) items. Classic designs and brand reputation: Choose timeless styles over trendy pieces. Traditional designs from prestigious brands hold value over time. Proper documentation: Seek certificates proving the gold's purity and the piece's authenticity, especially for designer jewelry. Solid construction: Heavier, denser pieces contain more gold by weight. Since gold is usually valued by the gram, substantial pieces often make better investments than delicate ones. Clear origins: Traceable jewelry with documented sources tend to command higher prices. Other smart ways to invest in gold Besides jewelry, Bario Neal's Rathod highlights several gold investment options worth weighing: Gold IRAs: Roll over an existing 401(k) into a gold IRA to diversify your retirement savings. These accounts offer secure storage in guarded facilities and often include insurance protection. Gold ETFs and mutual funds: Buy shares in gold-focused funds for an affordable investment method without storing physical gold. These options work well when gold prices are high but you want smaller investment amounts. Physical gold: Purchase gold coins or bars through authorized dealers. This traditional approach gives you direct ownership of the metal. Physical gold is one of the best inflation hedges . The downside is you'll need to arrange secure storage. Precious metal certificates: Get certificates from trusted bullion banks representing gold ownership. You can exchange these for physical metals later, avoiding immediate storage concerns. Mining company stocks: Invest in gold mining companies for indirect exposure to gold prices. This option can offer higher returns but comes with more market risks than owning physical gold. The bottom line Gold jewelry can offer beauty and value. But before buying gold in any form, know the risks that could affect your investment. Rathod advises consulting a financial advisor first to determine whether jewelry fits your portfolio goals. While gold jewelry might not match the investment potential of bars or coins, choosing well-documented pieces from reputable sources can provide financial and personal value. Just remember to keep detailed records and focus on the long term — gold jewelry works best as a slow, steady investment you can also enjoy wearing. Sharon Wu, a senior writer with over a decade of experience, specializes in consumer-focused content covering home and finance topics such as insurance, investments, credit, debt, mortgages and home security.

Is Knott’s Xcelerator coaster an endangered species?

Lauren Boebert joins Cameo, charging $250+ for personalized video messages

A look at the bar inside Miron Victory Court, a space in the JMA Wireless Dome that will be open for the first time on Saturday. Christopher Carlson Chris Carlson | ccarlson@syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse University will open its new event space in the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time on Saturday, providing fans an indoor space to drink and gather before games and concerts. The space, Miron Victory Court, sits in between the JMA Wireless Dome and the Barnes Center. Syracuse plans for it to be open for Dome games when it expects big attendance numbers, starting with Saturday’s football game against UConn. “I think it’s an opportunity for you to get out of the mix of the stadium, step away a little bit,” Syracuse Vice President & Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala said. “You can hang out, have a beer, have some nachos. You’ll be a part of it, hear the cheer and what’s going on but you’re out of the craziness.” The 22,000 square-foot space will open two hours before the UConn game on Saturday. It can fit between 2,800 and 2,900 people. It is air-conditioned and heated. The space offers customers a full bar, simple concession options like pretzels and nachos and a grab-and-go areas that will be stocked with food, beer and hard seltzers. Indoor bathrooms that are part of the building but sit outside the event space will be available to patron before the space opens. Sala said the school expects to utilize it for big-number basketball games, starting with the Orange’s game against Georgetown on Dec. 14. “It’ll play off the attendance,” Sala said. “Maybe we open this for a big lacrosse game but we don’t really get into the third level. We won’t open this for the early basketball games. We’ll probably open it for the Georgetown game and then when we get into the ACC. We don’t open the backcourt until those bigger games because our crowds don’t need it.” Fans can gather around 20 bar tables, a number that Sala said could shrink or expanded depending on the response from fans on Saturday. There were 20 registers set up in the space where fans will be able to buy drinks, food and merchandise. Sala said that space can be divided to provide VIP areas when necessary and he expects to utilize it to provides VIP experiences when the Dome hosts major concerts like Metallica’s visit in April. “We had Metallica in the space when it was being built,” Sala said. “This will be a big part of the Metallica concert. They do a VIP experience, I think it’s called The Black Box. They are going to use this space.” The main space includes five television screens set above the bar and 14 smaller screens on the walls throughout the space which are either 85-inch or 65-inch. “We can put anything on these monitors,” Sala said. “We can show the game on the big screen. We can show other things on the video boards.” The space opens up to the third floor of the JMA Dome, directly toward stairs that lead up to Sections 327 and 328 and down to Sections 247 and 248. Concessions that have traditionally lined the walls of the building near those sections have been moved inside, creating extra room for walking. The JMA Dome's Gate P leads directly into Miron Victory Court, a new space in the JMA Wireless Dome. Christopher Carlson Sala said the new space alleviates a couple of challenges the building faces when at its busiest. He said that more than 33 percent of ticket holders traditionally use Gates N and P. Because of that, there is often a build-up of fans as they rush to their seats shortly before kickoff. The new space sits near those gates on the Northeast corner of the building, allowing traffic an extra space to flow it the concourses get overwhelmed. “For a football game, concert, any big event, that we do, that is the gate people come to,” Sala said. “They come across the quad from the pre-game experiences. They come from all the shuttle buses. That’s where we see our people. ... It’s tight in those concourses, so now we’ve got this grand space.” The building also created an additional entry point to the building next to Gate G. Sala said they are calling the Miron South Entry. On rare occasions, like when the Orange hosted Clemson in football in 2019 and Elton John in 2022, the concourses have been so packed that customers have gone frightened when they were unable to move. The new space provides some additional space. The event space was part of a phased renovation that included new blue seats with chairbacks and improved wireless connectivity in the building and seating improvements for people with disabilities. The state chipped in $23 million of taxpayer money for the project, initially supplying $20 million in funding and adding another $3 million to account for increased costs. The initial estimate for the improvements was $44.8 million. Sala said there are no major improvements on the horizon for the building but there are still some concession and restrooms that need to be upgraded. That includes the eventual elimination of troughs in the men’s room, one of the most obvious ways that the building shows its age despite the recent renovations. “We didn’t get to everything,” Sala said. “We’d like to bring the restrooms up to today’s code. We get a lot of people saying they like the troughs, some that don’t. You don’t see troughs today. We’ll be putting in the right pictures. It’s not a lot (of work remaining). It’s not a big project. I think the big projects where we displace people for 17 months around this facility, you won’t be seeing any of that for a while. Sala said that a Hall of Champions that was considered as part of the original plan is not imminent but could be re-considered. RECOMMENDED • syracuse .com JJ Starling, Eddie Lampkin rescue Syracuse in win over Youngstown State (Donna Ditota’s Quick Hits) Nov. 16, 2024, 3:54 p.m. What time, TV channel is Syracuse women’s basketball-FDU on today? Free live stream Nov. 17, 2024, 8:00 a.m. The project took 17 months to complete. The building is named after Bob and Diane Miron, who provided $7 million to the project. Miron is the former chairman and CEO of Advance/Newhouse Communications. Diane Miron is a retired teacher who worked in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District. Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-382-7932The rise and fall of strongmen, and justice for a woman unbowed

Anthony's Holiday Market in Amsterdam carrying locally made goods

Offering patients an injection is more effective than the current care of steroid tablets and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%, according to a study. Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation. It is currently used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but a new clinical trial has found that a higher single dose can be very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up. The findings, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, included 158 people who needed medical attention in A&E for their asthma or COPD attack (COPD is a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties). Patients were given a quick blood test to see what type of attack they were having, with those suffering an “eosinophilic exacerbation” involving eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) being suitable for treatment. Around 50% of asthma attacks are eosinophilic exacerbations, as are 30% of COPD ones, according to the scientists. The clinical trial, led by King’s College London and carried out at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, saw patients randomly split into three groups. One group received the benralizumab injection and dummy tablets, another received standard care (prednisolone steroids 30mg daily for five days) and a dummy injection, and the third group received both the benralizumab injection and steroids. After 28 days, respiratory symptoms of cough, wheeze, breathlessness and sputum were found to be better in people on benralizumab. And after 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group who failed treatment compared with those receiving steroids. Treatment with the benralizumab injection also took longer to fail, meaning fewer visits to a GP or hospital for patients, researchers said. Furthermore, people also reported a better quality of life on the new regime. Scientists at King’s said steroids can have severe side-effects such as increasing the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis, meaning switching to benralizumab could provide huge benefits. Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel, from King’s, said: “This could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD. “Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined. “Benralizumab is a safe and effective drug already used to manage severe asthma. “We’ve used the drug in a different way – at the point of an exacerbation – to show that it’s more effective than steroid tablets, which is the only treatment currently available.” Researchers said benralizumab could also potentially be administered safely at home or in a GP practice, as well as in A&E. First author Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia, said: “Our study shows massive promise for asthma and COPD treatment. “COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide but treatment for the condition is stuck in the 20th century. “We need to provide these patients with life-saving options before their time runs out.” Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, welcomed the findings but said: “It’s appalling that this is the first new treatment for those suffering from asthma and COPD attacks in 50 years, indicating how desperately underfunded lung health research is.” AstraZeneca provided the drug for the study and funded the research, but had no input into trial design, delivery, analysis or interpretation.First treatment in 50 years for serious asthma attacks is ‘game-changer’SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is “alert” and conscious after being taken off the field on a stretcher during the team's 1-0 win at Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday, manager Julen Lopetegui said. The game was delayed for around eight minutes as Fabianski received treatment on the field at St Mary's Stadium. The 39-year-old Polish goalkeeper was hurt in a collision from a corner and was replaced by Alphonse Areola in the 36th minute. Southampton 'keeper Aaron Ramsdale had run the length of the field to check on Fabianski amid worrying scenes. Fabianski was then greeted by applause as he was taken off with an oxygen mask on, but did not need to go to the hospital. “He had one big knock around the head, around the neck and he was not very sure about his actions. Fortunately the news is he is talking, he is alert, he is conscious,” Lopetegui said. “I talk with him. The doctors say that he feels better and well. I am positive with him. He showed he more or less recovered his sense. I am not afraid. We feared but now he is better and it is a positive feeling because we were very worried.” West Ham, which also saw defender Max Kilman go off in the first half, scored through Jarrod Bowen in the 59th. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer