Month: December 2024

December 23, 2024 10:08 ET  | Source: MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc.
TOKYO, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. (NasdaqCM: MRM), a holistic healthcare company based in Japan (the “Company”), today announced its major Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, updated for the month of November 2024. Data is provided for all salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available and excludes certain salons where such information is not available.
Salon Operation Business
The following monthly KPIs provide insight into the business fundamentals and progress of the Company, updated for the month of November 2024:
(*1) Number of Salons: Includes the Company’s directly-operated salons and franchisees’ salons.
(*2) Number of Salons with Data: The number of salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available.
(*3) Total Customers Served: The number of customers served at salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available.
(*4) Sales Per Customer: The ratio of total salon sales to number of treated customers at all salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available.
(*5) Repeat Ratio: The ratio of repeat customer visits to total customer visits in the applicable month for all salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available.
(*6) Operation Ratio: The ratio of therapists’ in-service time to total therapists’ working hours (including stand-by time) for the applicable month for all salons for which comparable financial and customer data is available.

* Repeat ratios shown in the chart above do not include salons in public bath houses. In November 2024, the repeat ratios for all salons and salons in public bathhouses only were 77.5% and 56.9%, respectively.

*Since July 2021, the salon operation business has been managed by Wing Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
Health Tech Business (Lav®)
The Company offers a government-specific health guidance program (the “Program”) using Lav®, an on-demand training application developed by the Company. The Program is designed to be less burdensome for the users and is delivered through a completely remote support style using the web remote interview and chat function of Lav®. This approach helps to reduce the dropout rate of conventional specific health guidance programs.
The Program provides support to medical professionals, such as public health nurses, dietitians, etc., that assist eligible individuals (age between 40 and 74) who are at risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases that can be caused by an unbalanced diet, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, smoking, stress, and other factors, by reviewing their lifestyle habits through specific health checkups that focus on metabolic syndrome. The implementation of specific health checkups and specific health guidance has become mandatory for medical insurers in Japan, including national health insurance and employee health insurance providers, since April 2008.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set a nationwide target of at least 70% for specific medical checkup implementation rates and at least 45% for specific health guidance implementation rates. In fiscal year 2021, however, the medical checkup implementation rates and specific health guidance implementation rates were only 56.5% and 24.6%, respectively. As a result, the market for these services is expected to expand due to the government’s effort to achieve the set target implementation rates. According to a survey by the Japan Health Guidance Association, the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been increasing, and the adoption rate has exceeded 50% due to the impact of COVID-19 in recent years.
As of November 2024, the Company has entered into contracts with 95 corporate insurance associations, and the cumulative number of users of the Company’s Lav® app has exceeded 8,000 people, bringing the total to 8,515 individuals.
(*1) Number of new contracts with corporate insurance associations entered into in the applicable month to implement specified health guidance program offered by the Company.
(*2) Number of new users that started using specified health guidance offered by the Company in the applicable month.
(*3) Cumulative number of contracts with corporate insurance associations excluding the number of terminated contracts.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about the Company’s possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “design,” “target,” “aim,” “hope,” “expect,” “could,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “goal,” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to the Company’s future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company’s control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company’s current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company’s operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release include:
More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in the “Risk Factors” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” sections of the Company’s most recently filed periodic report on Form 20-F and subsequent filings, which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
About MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc.
MEDIROM, a holistic healthcare company, operates 308 (as of November 30, 2024) relaxation salons across Japan, Re.Ra.Ku^® being its leading brand, and provides healthcare services. In 2015, MEDIROM entered the health tech business and launched new healthcare programs using an on-demand training app called “Lav^®”, which is developed by the Company. MEDIROM also entered the device business in 2020 and has developed a smart tracker “MOTHER Bracelet^®”. In 2023, MEDIROM launched REMONY, a remote monitoring system for corporate clients, and has received orders from a broad range of industries, including nursing care, transportation, construction, and manufacturing, among others. MEDIROM hopes that its diverse health-related product and service offerings will help it collect and manage healthcare data from users and customers and enable it to become a leader in big data in the healthcare industry. For more information, visit https://medirom.co.jp/en.
Contacts
Investor Relations Team
ir@medirom.co.jp
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/044097ba-afae-4c7e-873a-d6c864729cce
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/095a807a-8dbc-43a6-9a11-0a2a1417d3db
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a31937c9-e59c-4cff-9c46-0e75e4440dd2
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2fcdb5d-8393-46d1-9f3d-73d7a4e2ecb4
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6ed0bcb-54f5-419b-b54d-d3f0086f4bdc
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec917127-1447-4db9-bf54-c489f757898e
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09ed0042-eb22-4eb2-b449-6ad4bb0b1298

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized that Maha Kumbh is not just a religious event, but a major opportunity for showcasing Prayagraj’s hospitality. The festival will run from January 13 to February 26, 2025.
Adityanath revealed that over 20,000 religious institutions have been allocated land, including all 13 Akharas. Efforts are ongoing to accommodate remaining institutions by January 5.
Infrastructure developments include 30 pontoon bridges and a new riverfront. A Tent City will accommodate 20,000 devotees, and health services have been expanded with new facilities. Cultural corridors like Akshay Vat and Saraswati Koop have been developed to enhance visitor experience.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Email: info@devdiscourse.com
Phone: +91-720-6444012, +91-7027739813, 14, 15
© Copyright 2024

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: 8 Developer Tips for Surviving – IGN First  IGN
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Santa Rosa’s InResponse program, which provides mental health crisis care and support, will expand to a 24/7 schedule starting Dec. 29, offering around-the-clock assistance to individuals in need across Sonoma County.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Santa Rosa, call the InResponse Mental Health Support Team at 707-575-HELP (4357)
On a recent afternoon, Sonoma County Behavioral Health therapist Matthew Taylor glanced at the dispatch system as a new call came through for the InResponse team.
“Is this the teenager?” he asked aloud, recognizing the person from a previous interaction.
“We have to take a very soft approach,” paramedic Jake Ortlinghaus added as the two sat in their Sonoma Avenue office.
Moments later, they were in the van — Taylor taking quick bites of his spiced “kickin chicken” — on their way to repeat a scene that plays out eight to 12 times a day: a therapist, paramedic and outreach specialist arriving to de-escalate a crisis, or pre-crisis, and offer support.
Starting Sunday, the team will be able to answer these calls around the clock. Santa Rosa’s InResponse program is set to expand to a 24/7 schedule, a long-anticipated step that could transform access to mental health, homelessness and social work care in Sonoma County.
“A lot of the times families or individuals just try to white knuckle it through the overnights,” said Wendy Tappon, a Sonoma County Behavioral Health client care manager and InResponse team lead. “With a team that’s 24/7… there’s another option.”
“My hope,” she added, “is that we will be utilized and that people won’t suffer alone.”
Launched in January 2022, InResponse takes a civilian, multidisciplinary approach to calls involving mental health crises, substance use and other “gray area” situations — cases where care, not law enforcement, is often the appropriate intervention.
The program emerged amid growing calls to reform following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Modeled after Eugene, Oregon’s CAHOOTS program, InResponse deploys teams of mental health professionals, paramedics and outreach specialists with support from agencies like Buckelew Programs, Catholic Charities, the Santa Rosa Fire Department and the Sonoma County Behavioral Health Division.
In 2023, the program responded to 4,759 calls, with 1,931 primarily involving mental health care. From January through September of this year, the team responded to 3,702 calls — 2,018 focused on mental health and 492 on homelessness-related care. There is often overlap in the type of services provided.
The program’s impact on emergency services has been significant. Last year, 3,568 calls were diverted from law enforcement and 1,408 from fire and emergency medical services. Santa Rosa police Lt. Chris Mahurin described the program as a win-win for both responders and the community.
InResponse limits the number of calls police respond to, reduces the potential for use-of-force incidents, while “increasing the amount of people getting the service they genuinely need,” Mahurin said.
The move to 24/7 care fulfills a long-standing goal for InResponse. The new night shift — running from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. — was delayed primarily by staffing shortages. Program Director KT Swan said six new team members were recently hired: three for the first half of the week and three for the second.
Currently, two vans cover daytime shifts from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon to 10 p.m.
The program’s $3.1 million annual cost has been covered through a mix of federal and local funds. With American Rescue Plan Act funding set to expire this year, Sonoma County has pledged $1.5 million from Measure O, a tax-funded mental health initiative, to help bridge the gap, Mahurin said. Program leaders are also applying for grants, and the Santa Rosa City Council has said it will step in if additional funding is needed.
The InResponse team works as a coordinated unit. During a call, therapist Matthew Taylor looks for signs of mental distress, assessing whether someone needs immediate intervention, longer-term support or both. Paramedic Jake Ortlinghaus focuses on physical health concerns, while outreach specialists like Catholic Charities’ Cavan Nelson evaluate basic needs like food, clothing or shelter.
“It’s kind of like a symbiotic relationship in the sense of it’s working in partnership with the person,” Nelson said. “It’s not like we are forcing help upon someone.”
The team tailors its response to each situation. During a recent call, Taylor gently asked, “Is that something you want to talk about, or should we leave that alone?” They checked the individual’s physical health, praised her progress and ensured she had updated mental health resources.
Sometimes the work involves practical tasks: checking refrigerators for food, providing meals or clothing, staying present during a difficult phone call, calling an ambulance — something Ortlinghaus can do without triggering a fire department response — or connecting individuals to InResponse navigators for ongoing care.
The team works across what Swan calls a “whole spectrum of folks,” from those in active crisis to individuals at risk of escalating. Occasionally, a higher level of care is required.
Taylor described 5150 holds — when someone is involuntarily placed in a psychiatric facility for their safety — as a last resort and a difficult but necessary part of the job.
“There’s a duty to act if there’s concern around safety for themselves or someone else,” Swan explained. “That individual sometimes doesn’t have insight around what’s happening for them.”
The 24/7 expansion will fill a critical gap: overnight crises. Families and individuals who previously waited until morning to seek help will now have access to care when they need it most.
“Challenges don’t arise at a specific time,” Swan said.
After a recent call, Taylor, Ortlinghaus and Nelson reflected on the people they’ve helped. Some needed only one interaction to seek further care; others took 11.
They’re lucky, they said, they get to see people grow or just check on them again.
For the InResponse team, that persistence — and now, the ability to respond at any hour — could make all the difference.
You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Santa Rosa, call the InResponse Mental Health Support Team at 707-575-HELP (4357)

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Al-Kassar: There is no relationship between Roshen League foreigners and the national team’s decline  Yalla Shoot
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All this data can help us save time, personalize services and stop cyberattacks. But the information is useless if we can’t make sense of it, which is why AI has become an indispensable business tool and, increasingly, a means for social good. 
Designed to find patterns in reams of data, AI can identify the time-sucking tasks that hinder productivity as well as the subtle transaction anomalies that indicate a stolen account. In fact, in 2023, Mastercard’s AI-powered insights prevented $20 billion in fraud across its network.
Here are the stories from 2024 that illustrate AI’s benefits and potential — and the importance of implementing it responsibly.
As generative AI goes mainstream, it’s supercharging complex forms of fraud, arming criminals with powerful tools at almost no cost. In October, Rohit Chauhan, Mastercard’s executive vice president for AI Fraud Solutions, offered insights for how companies and consumers can fight back against criminals, such as those create digital twins that mimic humans in order to defraud their family, friends and associated businesses.
Businesses are already countering cyberthreats by using AI to make security tools smarter. Chauhan explains how gen AI can take those efforts even further by decoding spending habits — at the level of the individual and the broader market. These sophisticated fraud models can stop bad actors sooner while letting more legitimate transactions through.
But, he adds, often a low-tech solution works just fine — like using an agreed-upon password or personal question to foil fraudsters who pose as family members. Sometimes the secret is simply to be human. 
AI is the superhero of cybersecurity, but it can also act as its own Clark Kent–like alter ego, plugging away at the office to improve the employee experience. In May, Anshul Sheopuri, Mastercard’s executive vice president for people operations and insights, and Lucrecia Borgonovo, chief talent and organization effectiveness officer, shared how the company is using AI to help employees manage their careers. From matching staff with the right projects to optimizing the use of office space, AI is improving day-to-day experiences and informing career paths.
As an emerging technology, AI sparks questions and concerns — and even fear. Sheopuri and Borgonovo explain that the best way to build trust is to make sure employees understand the company’s commitment to responsible and ethical AI: “We view AI as a partner on our journey to improve the employee experience, and we work hard to create opportunities to use it but also to nurture conversations about it.”
AI and data hold huge potential for driving positive change in struggling communities worldwide, from better health care outcomes to faster disaster relief to more productive farms. The trick is getting AI into the hands of those who need it the most. In September, leaders from across politics — including multilateral organizations like the United Nations — academics, nonprofits and tech companies shared ways to harness AI responsibly and at scale at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s annual Impact Data Summit. 
AI will add $15.7 trillion to the global economy, said Gayan Peiris, a U.N. Development Programme advisor for data, technology and AI, but, he added, only 10% of people will benefit from it: “We need to ensure we build a future where our global south is not just users of AI; they are part of this.”
Cultivating future data talent, developing and implementing responsible regulation to build trust and ensuring public–private collaboration will be critical, panelists said. 
“It’s instructive to look at the lessons learned,” said Jon Huntsman, Mastercard’s vice chairman and president for Strategic Growth, during one panel. “What has [technology] done for humanity? Where has it misfired? What governing structures have been good versus less good? Let history be our guide… The inclusive nature of what we’re embarking on must be part of it. The divisions globally are too profound.”
Artificial intelligence has the potential to multiply impact exponentially. Here are some of the ways — and how we can ensure this is done responsibly.

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Sebastian Stan’s Comedy Thriller With 93% on Rotten Tomatoes Hits Streaming Next Month  MovieWeb
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Kim Muff, Concordia USD 333
Students and staff at CES, CMS, and CJSHS were all smiles when gifts were delivered to their classrooms just before Christmas. Gifts were purchased with donations from the USD 333 Education Fund, created in 2022 to directly support Concordia public schools, and the school district has received contributions which enhance learning in many ways.
Students and teachers were excited to receive literacy resources, STEM activities, new classroom games, stand-up desks, and compound microscopes. Resources provided from donor funds create a renewed excitement for learning. These donor gifts are in addition to a recent anonymous donor contribution of $20,000 announced at the December USD 333 Board of Education meeting. Those funds will be used to upgrade the video productions software and equipment at CHS, among other classroom resources across the district.
The long-term goal of the USD 333 Education Fund is to provide opportunities to grow funds as a viable option for endowed positions, programming, and facility improvements for decades to come.
The fund is held at the Community Foundation for Cloud County, a 501(c)(3) managed by the Greater Salina Community Foundation. All gifts to this fund are tax deductible.
More information about the Concordia Education Fund is available at this website: https://sites.google.com/usd333.com/concordia-education-fund?usp=sharing.

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After several years of decline, California’s population grew by almost a quarter of a million residents in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a rebound that brings the Golden State almost back to its pre-pandemic numbers.
The numbers are not all rosy. California experienced a slower growth rate than the country as a whole, particularly large states in the fast-growing South. It also experienced the nation’s largest domestic migration loss.
But experts say California’s new population figures represent an important turnaround.
“The big picture is California is growing again,” said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. “It shows California has a pretty healthy growth rate… The number of people who are coming into the state from abroad has increased, the number of people leaving for other states has decreased. There are still substantial flows to other states, but that’s not as large as it was.”
While California’s population gain of 232,570 people from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, represents the largest numeric population increase in the nation’s West, it lagged behind Texas, which expanded its population by 562,941, and Florida, which grew by 467,347 people.
California’s 0.6% population increase also fell short of the national average (0.9%) and was significantly outpaced by the District of Columbia (2.2%), Florida (2%) and Texas (1.8%).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s population dropped after a decade of steady growth. Upon reaching its highest-ever population level in 2020 with more than 39.5 million people, the state lost nearly 1% of its population by July 1, 2021, as it introduced a rash of restrictions, including the closures of offices, retail stores, restaurants and schools.
California is still the nation’s most populous state with 39,431,263 residents, significantly more than Texas’ 31 million and Florida’s 23 million. But its overall population remained 124,000 short of its 2020 peak.
California’s population decline has been seized on by the right as a sign of the failure of its liberal progressivism. GOP critics, such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have presented California as a state in decline, arguing that in recent years its residents were fleeing to red states because California had become a bastion of high crime, unaffordable housing, excessive regulation and wacky leftist ideology.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office celebrated the Census Bureau estimate, released the same week that the California Department of Finance released data that also showed state population growth.
“People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream and experience the success of the world’s fifth largest economy — strengthening local communities, regional economies and our state’s future,” said Brendan Richards, a spokesman for Newsom.
California’s population growth stems largely from international migration and natural population increases (the net result of births minus deaths) — not domestic migration.
Census Bureau estimates showed California experienced the nation’s largest domestic migration loss — minus 239,575 people — while Texas added 85,267.
The main driver of California’s population growth is people from outside the U.S.: the state experienced the nation’s second largest net gain in international migration, attracting 361,057 people from other countries, short of Florida’s 411,322, but ahead of Texas’ 319,569.
California also experienced the nation’s second highest natural increases — births outnumbering deaths — with a net gain of 110,466 people, just short of Texas’ 158,753.
Beyond the cultural wars’ rhetoric between red and blue states, population shifts have the potential to reshape the national potential landscape.
In 2021, new census data resulted in the state losing a congressional representative for the first time in its history, falling from 53 to 52 seats in the House of Representatives. Last year, the Brennan Center for Justice predicted that the state was on track to lose four more congressional districts in reapportionment in 2030, leaving California with just 48 House seats.
Michael Li, senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, said Friday the Census Bureau’s new estimates indicated there might be a slightly less dramatic 2030 reapportionment across the nation. But assuming the population trend of the last two years carried out for the rest of the decade, he said, California was still on track to lose three or four seats — and possibly more, depending on how harshly President Trump’s administration clamped down on immigration.
“California’s population is sustained mostly by immigration,” Li said. “It has around 360,000 people coming in from outside the United States… With a new administration coming in, talking about deporting millions of people and maybe cutting off pathways of legal immigration into the country, there’s a lot that could change.”
The Trump administration, Li said, could also fiddle with the census. For example, adding a citizenship question could depress turnout and participation.
The Census Bureau estimates were released a day before the California Department of Finance released data Friday showing the state’s population grew by about 49,000 in the fiscal year ending July 1 to 39,172,742. The department’s estimate is substantially lower than the Census Bureau’s estimate of 232,570, largely because the bureau attributes a much higher level of international migration to California.
As a demographer who has looked at population data for decades, Johnson said this year’s difference between the Census Bureau and California Department of Finance estimates was remarkable.
“The big difference is migration, and migration is hard to measure,” Johnson said. “We have legal flows and administrative records, but people sometimes will be, for example, adjusting their status from some sort of temporary status to a permanent status. Technically, that could be considered immigration, but it’s not a new resident. And then, of course, unauthorized or undocumented immigration is difficult to measure as well.”
The California Department of Finance attributed the state’s growth to a combination of factors: legal immigration continuing to rebound after the pandemic; greater domestic migration in and slowed domestic out-migration; natural increase as the number of deaths lowers from its pandemic peak.
Johnson said he didn’t expect conservatives to stop holding up California as a symbol of national decline.
“There’s still a lot of people leaving California to move to other states — no doubt about it — so there’s probably some political hay to be made there,” Johnson said. “The reason for that is because the cost of living and housing prices are so high in California, which means people want to live here, because that’s a demand and supply consideration.”
During California’s heyday of rapid population growth, Johnson said, the state used to gain people from the rest of the country, as well as from abroad. But that hasn’t been the case for a couple of decades.
Still, Johnson said, liberals could push against simplistic conservative narratives and offer a reality check.
“Why is California so expensive?” he said. “Part of it is probably that it’s more difficult to build housing here. But one reason it’s more difficult to build housing here is because land is expensive, and land is expensive because a lot of people want to own land or own houses in California.”
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Jenny Jarvie is a national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Atlanta.
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