Latest news with #MarkPorter
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Young Men from Edinburgh set sights on summit of Gran Paradiso
Next Month a group of ten young men and staff from Charity 'Midnight and Beyond' are preparing for the challenge of a lifetime: climbing Gran Paradiso (4,061m), the highest mountain in Italy. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The expedition brings together young men who have been engaging with Midnight and Beyond, a Charity which focuses on building trust, resilience and self-belief through consistent relationships, support and outdoor adventure in North Edinburgh. The group has been undergoing physical training and mental preparation through our 'Go Beyond' tailored programme including hill walking, Padel ball, cycling, boxing, football, camping and engaging in group support and activities all while getting kitted out and preparing for the alpine environment ahead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This will be our most ambitious challenge yet! The team will travel from Edinburgh to Chamonix, trek into Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park, and attempt to summit the peak with the support of experienced alpine guides. The climb will involve glacier travel and rope work, pushing the young men out of their comfort zones and giving them the chance to achieve something they once thought impossible. North Edinburgh to Gran Paradiso 'This is more than a mountain,' says our Go Beyond Coordinator Mark Porter. 'For these lads, it's a powerful symbol of everything they've overcome and everything they're capable of. They've put in the work, and this trip will be a life-changing experience.' We are currently seeking sponsorship and equipment donations to support the expedition. Support could include sharing our story, sponsoring the team and helping to provide essential alpine gear such as water bottles, insulated jackets, waterproof trousers, gloves and climbing accessories. 'This is a real opportunity to back something special,' says Mark Porter. 'The lads are ready - they just need the tools to make it happen'.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
A boomer living on Social Security applied to 3,700 jobs in 7 years. He suspects ageism set him back in the job market.
"I received kissoff in email 2/5/2021," Mark Porter wrote, adding, "I asked if the woman I phone screened with had any further feedback as to why I wasn't hired." That's one of 224 similar notes about rejections that Porter has entered into the spreadsheet he uses to track the nearly 3,700 job applications he's sent out in the last seven years. After being laid off from a full-time job in early 2018 at the age of 60, he's been unable to secure another permanent role. Porter, now 67, has spent most of his career in payroll and accounting roles, including stints as a payroll specialist, accounting associate, and accounts receivable clerk. In the years since his layoff, he's earned some income from short-term contract roles, the last of which was a payroll specialist job that ended in the summer of 2024, when the original employee returned from maternity leave. "I had to burn through my 401(k), and I had to burn through money that my mother left me," said Porter, who rents a one-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts. "It's been really rough." Porter's story reflects the challenges many older Americans are facing. They're struggling to find work, draining their savings, and watching retirement slip further away. Business Insider has heard from thousands of older Americans who are having trouble affording necessities with limited savings and Social Security income. Hundreds have said they are still working full time, have taken part-time jobs to supplement their income, or are actively looking for work. These challenges are compounded by a cooling job market. While the unemployment rate for Americans age 55 and older remains low compared to historical levels, it's ticked up over the past two years as various factors, ranging from economic uncertainty to the early impacts of AI adoption, have led many companies to cut back on hiring. US businesses are now hiring at nearly the slowest pace in more than a decade, and white-collar jobs, which include the payroll and accounting roles Porter is looking for, have been particularly affected. The number of accounting job postings on Indeed has declined significantly since 2022. Business Insider has heard from hundreds of Americans over the past year who are struggling to find work as US businesses slow hiring and flatten management structures. Share your story by filling out this quick form and read more below: I'm a 53-year-old middle manager who can't find a job. I burned through my savings and even resorted to selling plasma — this market is a black hole. A boomer moved to Panama so her retirement would be more affordable. Now she's struggling to find a job, and her dream is slipping away. From six figures to $25 an hour: These struggling job seekers are settling for lower-paying jobs to pay the bills Job searching in 2025? It's a mess no matter how old you are. Combatting age bias in the hiring process Since April 2017, Porter has tracked every job he applies to in a Google spreadsheet, which includes the company name, job title, pay, location, and which version of his résumé he used. Despite holding a bachelor's degree from Boston College and having decades of work experience, Porter has had trouble landing interviews. This has led him to conclude that his age is a major factor holding him back. Porter said job searching started to become more difficult in his fifties and persisted throughout the Great Resignation, even as job postings and hiring surged amid the post-pandemic recovery. He said he knows several people his age facing similar struggles. Through conversations with them, Porter heard a theory that applicant tracking systems can detect a candidate's age based on certain phrases in résumés, potentially hurting older applicants' chances. Porter said a professional résumé writer he hired about two years ago believed the theory had some merit. "She said rewording will get you past a lot of these résumé readers that just toss résumés in the trash based on how old they think you are — by the tone of the way the résumé is written," he said. Porter said he couldn't recall exactly what tweaks were made to his résumé, but that they didn't seem to boost his response rate from employers. Though age discrimination is difficult to prove, in a survey published by Harris Poll and the American Staffing Association in 2024, 78% of baby boomers said they believed their age would be a contributing factor when being considered for a new position, and 53% said they thought their age limited their career opportunities. Financial challenges have had personal and career impacts Porter said his age isn't the only thing complicating his job search. A few years ago, Porter said he interviewed for a role at a financial services company that seemed promising — until the company asked to run a credit check. At the time, he was in bankruptcy, the result of credit card debt he'd accumulated to cover living expenses while unemployed. The company told him that because the role involved handling financial securities, his bankruptcy could complicate his hiring, and the interview process stopped there. Porter said he hopes to emerge from bankruptcy in the coming months and may reach back out to the company to see if any opportunities are still available. In the meantime, Porter's roughly $2,000 a month Social Security check, which he said he began collecting two years ago, is what's keeping him afloat. "That's the only reason I have a roof over my head and food to eat," said Porter. His Social Security income is critical because he was forced to deplete much of his savings during his years of job hunting. Looking ahead, Porter plans to keep applying for positions through Indeed, but he said there seem to be significantly fewer job postings than there were a few years ago. In recent months, he said he's broadened his search, even contacting the owner of a plumbing company to ask whether someone his age could realistically be trained and hired. He didn't get a firm answer. When he's not looking for work, he said he can't afford to vacation as much as he used to, but that he's found ways to stay productive. "There's a pool at my apartment complex where I can swim during the summer," he said. "And the rest of the year, I go to a health club and I have books I can read. I keep myself busy."
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
NHS GP says taking painkillers 'can make headaches worse' for some
People over the age of 40 are more likely to be affected by the issue An NHS GP has warned people about taking common painkillers such as paracetamol for headaches - and explained that it can actually make it worse. Dr Mark Porter, an expert who has regularly appeared on Good Morning Britain and This Morning said that pain in the head can be from a lot of different causes. He explained that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has just updated its guidance on diagnosis and management to help GPs and their patients. The doctor said that some of the advice related to serious illnesses such as meningitis or a brain tumour could be the 'sinister' cause. However a second piece of advice was about how headaches can actually be triggered by the pills people take to treat them. Writing in The Times, he said: 'Nice estimates that 1-2 per cent of the population have medication-overuse headache (MOH) — frequent headaches caused by painkillers and migraine treatments. That's about a million people in the UK. Could you, or someone in your family, be one of them? 'MOH can affect anyone at any age but is most common among people in their forties. It starts when someone takes medication for an existing headache — typically migraine, but tension headaches too — then continues to do so regularly for the next few months. The definition of 'regularly' depends on the medication: for migraine treatments such as sumatriptan and opioid-containing painkillers including codeine or codeine/paracetamol mixes (co-codamol), this means ten days or more a month; for others such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin, it means 15 days or more.' Dr Porter said genetics could play a part meaning it could run in families and that it's more common in women than in men, and in people with anxiety and depression. He added: 'Interestingly we tend not to see similar persistent headaches in people who take these painkillers for other reasons, such as an arthritic hip or knee. 'Whatever the underlying cause, by the time most people seek help they will have been struggling with almost daily headaches for months. The nature, site and intensity will vary from person to person, but they tend to be worse in the morning. Painkillers help, but not for long, and the headache soon returns, perpetuating the cycle: the more painkillers you take, the worse the problem can become.' In order to eliminate other causes Dr Porter said people first need to stop taking the migraine treatments and/or painkillers. He said: 'Some people may require weaning, depending on the type of medication and doses involved, but Nice advocates abrupt withdrawal for most. This can be a hard sell because typically it takes at least two weeks for the headaches to start to improve, with full recovery often taking two to three months. For those who struggle, the difficult initial period of cold turkey can be eased using preventive medication such as amitriptyline. 'And, talking of prevention, this is a condition that should be avoidable. If you are having regular headaches, such as migraines, then seek help early rather than self-medicating. And don't take over-the-counter codeine-based painkillers for frequent headaches because they are more likely to trigger MOH than simple paracetamol and ibuprofen.' Nice advises that the following symptoms warrant further investigation or referral in people with headache: • Any worsening in pain associated with a high temperature. • Sudden onset (reaching maximum intensity within five minutes). • New weakness, altered sensation, confusion or a change in personality. • Impaired consciousness. • Recent head trauma (eg within the past three months). • Headache aggravated by coughing, sneezing, exercise or changes in posture. • Accompanying tenderness over the temples, jaw-ache during eating, and/or visual disturbance (excluding typical migraine aura). • Any substantial change in the type or severity of the headache.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High Wire Networks Announces Reverse Stock Split
BATAVIA, Ill., May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a global provider of managed cybersecurity services, today announced that its board of directors has determined to effect a one-for-250 reverse stock split of the Company's common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the 'Common Stock'). Mark Porter, High Wire Networks CEO commented, 'This is an important and essential step in our ongoing efforts to become listed on a major exchange. Inclusive of increasing our stock price, it also better positions the Company to meet several requirements as set out by Nasdaq, while more closely reflecting the true value of our stock to the market. We look forward to continuing the pursuit to list on the Nasdaq and to providing updates to shareholders on our progress.' The reverse stock split will take effect at market open on Monday June, 2, 2025 on the OTCQB market. The CUSIP number of 42981W203 will be assigned to the Company's Common Stock when the reverse stock split becomes effective. When the reverse stock split becomes effective, every 250 of the Company's issued shares of Common Stock will be combined into one issued share of Common Stock, without any change to the par value per share. This will reduce the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock from approximately 251,151,117 million shares to approximately 1,004,604 million shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Stockholders who would otherwise hold a fraction of a share of Common Stock of the Company will automatically be entitled to receive an additional fraction of a share of Common Stock to round up to the next whole share. The reverse stock split ratio approved by the board of directors is within the previously disclosed range of ratios for a reverse stock split disclosed in the Company's Information Statement filed on February 10, 2025. About High Wire NetworksHigh Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is a fast-growing, award-winning global provider of managed cybersecurity. Through over 200 channel partners, it delivers trusted managed services for more than 1,100 managed security customers worldwide. End customers include Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation's largest government agencies. The company's Overwatch by High Wire Networks™ platform offers a range of subscription services for threat prevention, detection, and response, meeting the security and compliance requirements of organizations large and small. The company's IT enablement services provide the foundation for growing its higher-margin Overwatch business. High Wire was recently ranked by Frost & Sullivan as a Top 12 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas. It was also named to CRN's MSP 500 and Elite 150 lists of the nation's top IT managed service providers. Learn more at Follow the company on X, view its extensive video series on YouTube or connect on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking StatementsThe above news release contains forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this document that are not statements of historical fact, including but not limited to, statements identified by the use of terms such as 'anticipate,' 'appear,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'hope,' 'indicate,' 'intend,' 'likely,' 'may,' 'might,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'project,' 'seek,' 'should,' 'will,' 'would,' and other variations or negative expressions of these terms, including statements related to expected market trends and the Company's performance, are all 'forward- looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performances and are subject to a wide range of external factors, uncertainties, business risks, and other risks identified in filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in the company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any statement is based except as required by applicable law and regulations. Company ContactMark Porter, CEOHigh Wire NetworksTel +1 (952) 974-4000 Media RelationsLori AlemanDirector of MarketingHigh Wire NetworksO: 630-635-8477 | C: 602-920-0902Email:
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High Wire Networks Announces Reverse Stock Split
BATAVIA, Ill., May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a global provider of managed cybersecurity services, today announced that its board of directors has determined to effect a one-for-250 reverse stock split of the Company's common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the 'Common Stock'). Mark Porter, High Wire Networks CEO commented, 'This is an important and essential step in our ongoing efforts to become listed on a major exchange. Inclusive of increasing our stock price, it also better positions the Company to meet several requirements as set out by Nasdaq, while more closely reflecting the true value of our stock to the market. We look forward to continuing the pursuit to list on the Nasdaq and to providing updates to shareholders on our progress.' The reverse stock split will take effect at market open on Monday June, 2, 2025 on the OTCQB market. The CUSIP number of 42981W203 will be assigned to the Company's Common Stock when the reverse stock split becomes effective. When the reverse stock split becomes effective, every 250 of the Company's issued shares of Common Stock will be combined into one issued share of Common Stock, without any change to the par value per share. This will reduce the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock from approximately 251,151,117 million shares to approximately 1,004,604 million shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Stockholders who would otherwise hold a fraction of a share of Common Stock of the Company will automatically be entitled to receive an additional fraction of a share of Common Stock to round up to the next whole share. The reverse stock split ratio approved by the board of directors is within the previously disclosed range of ratios for a reverse stock split disclosed in the Company's Information Statement filed on February 10, 2025. About High Wire NetworksHigh Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is a fast-growing, award-winning global provider of managed cybersecurity. Through over 200 channel partners, it delivers trusted managed services for more than 1,100 managed security customers worldwide. End customers include Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation's largest government agencies. The company's Overwatch by High Wire Networks™ platform offers a range of subscription services for threat prevention, detection, and response, meeting the security and compliance requirements of organizations large and small. The company's IT enablement services provide the foundation for growing its higher-margin Overwatch business. High Wire was recently ranked by Frost & Sullivan as a Top 12 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas. It was also named to CRN's MSP 500 and Elite 150 lists of the nation's top IT managed service providers. Learn more at Follow the company on X, view its extensive video series on YouTube or connect on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking StatementsThe above news release contains forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this document that are not statements of historical fact, including but not limited to, statements identified by the use of terms such as 'anticipate,' 'appear,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'hope,' 'indicate,' 'intend,' 'likely,' 'may,' 'might,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'project,' 'seek,' 'should,' 'will,' 'would,' and other variations or negative expressions of these terms, including statements related to expected market trends and the Company's performance, are all 'forward- looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performances and are subject to a wide range of external factors, uncertainties, business risks, and other risks identified in filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in the company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any statement is based except as required by applicable law and regulations. Company ContactMark Porter, CEOHigh Wire NetworksTel +1 (952) 974-4000 Media RelationsLori AlemanDirector of MarketingHigh Wire NetworksO: 630-635-8477 | C: 602-920-0902Email: in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
