Beat Norovirus: Cruise Health Tips You Need

Title: Navigating the High Seas: How to Stay Shipshape and Healthy on Your Next Cruise

In the age of Instagrammed sunsets and endless buffets, cruises have become the ultimate travel escapade—offering both relaxation and adventure. But even on the most luxurious liner, there’s an uninvited guest that loves to crash the party: norovirus. To make sure this pesky virus doesn’t sink your vacation plans, here’s what you need to know to stay healthy while sailing the high seas.

**Sailing Smart—The Pre-Cruise Prep**

Before you even pack your swimsuit, arm yourself with knowledge. Research your cruise line’s health and safety protocols, specifically their cleaning procedures and how they handle onboard outbreaks. The savvy traveler knows preparation is key—consider packing a personal travel kit stocked with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and portable water filters to help sidestep any viral stowaways.

**Guarding Against Germs—Your First Line of Defense**

Once aboard, the allure of endless activities can be as captivating as the sea views; however, maintaining a strict hygiene regimen is paramount. Frequent hand washing—with soap and water, not just sanitizer—should become as routine as checking the daily ship itinerary. Clean hands are your first line of defense, turning potentially harmful germs into mere specks in your ship’s wake.

**Mindful Mingling—The Delicate Dance of Shipboard Socializing**

Cruises are social hotbeds, teeming with opportunities to meet fellow travelers. But remember—viruses thrive in close-quarter environments. Practice mindful mingling, especially during peak meal times when dining areas can become crowded. And if the buffet calls your name, use utensils to serve food instead of your hands, building a subtle barrier against unwanted germs.

**Stay Hydrated and Nourished—Fuel for the Voyage**

While you navigate endless dining options, prioritize hydration and balanced meals. Avoid dehydration—which can impair your body’s immune response—by drinking plenty of water. Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your system fortified and ready to fend off intruders, like norovirus, that might seek to ruin your maritime escapade.

**Emergencies at Sea—When to Seek Help**

Occasionally, despite your best efforts, illness might strike. If you find yourself battling more than just seasickness, report any symptoms promptly to the ship’s medical staff. Early intervention can not only speed up your recovery but also protect fellow passengers from a ship-wide outbreak.

As the cruising industry rebounds and more travelers return to these floating paradises, being proactive about your health is non-negotiable. With careful planning and a dash of vigilance, you can ensure that your next cruise is memorable for all the right reasons, leaving the pesky viruses far behind in your ship’s wake.

Mastering Risk: Thriving in High-Stakes Jobs

The workplace can be a battlefield — especially in high-risk professions where the margin for error is razor-thin. From nuclear plants to construction sites, professionals across various sectors gear up for their daily grind with an unspoken understanding of the risks involved. Yet, the key to thriving in such environments is not only about accepting these risks but mastering them with a blend of skill, preparation, and vigilance.

High-risk professions, by their nature, dance on the edge of danger. Whether you’re scaling new heights as a lineman or navigating the volatile intricacies of a nuclear reactor, the stakes are high, and so is the potential for life-changing accidents. We’ve seen this in dramatic cases like those of Hisashi Ouchi, whose tragic ordeal reminds us of the catastrophic consequences of a single miscalculation.

But let’s put this under the microscope—what makes managing these risks crucial and, more importantly, achievable? First, there’s comprehensive safety training which should be as routine as clocking in each day. Training should be treated as an ongoing process not just a one-time box to tick. Think of it as sharpening your sword before going into battle; it’s the edge you need to cut through potential hazards.

Then comes the role of cutting-edge technology. Today’s advancements are stunning, offering a suite of tools from wearables detecting hazardous exposures to AI systems predicting equipment failures. These aren’t just tech toys — they’re life-saving allies, turning reactive measures into proactive strategies.

But beyond training and tech, lies the personal responsibility of maintaining one’s health and mental acuity. A sound sleep regimen, regular fitness routines, and nutrition that fuels rather than fatigues—these are the unsung heroes of workplace safety. They keep you agile, both in body and mind, ready to respond to any challenge with the speed and precision it demands.

So, how do you turn the odds in your favor in a high-risk job? By making safety a lifestyle, not just a protocol. It’s about personal investment and communal vigilance where every team member becomes a sentinel for each other’s wellbeing.

In closing, let’s remember—while the risks in high-risk professions are formidable, they’re not insurmountable. With the right blend of preparation, technology, and personal health strategies, you can not only face these challenges head-on but redefine the very nature of what it means to work on the edge.

Super Bowl LIX pregame music was easier to love than Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show

Fully appreciating Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show required an intimate knowledge of his mindset and music, and the willingness to dig deeper.

Fully appreciating the New Orleans-centric pregame show required nothing more than ears.

Rap mogul Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has curated the Super Bowl pregame and halftime music since 2020, when the NFL acted on the need to freshen up the entertainment that frames the game.

Lamar, the latest product of the Roc Nation/NFL alliance, self-edited his lyrics Sunday at the Caesars Supedome. Everyone onstage was modestly attired.

But as the first rapper to headline a Super Bowl halftime show on his own (singer and collaborator SZA joined in briefly), he was bound to be polarizing.

And he was.

The Pulitzer Prize-winner from Compton, California, is not about club-shaking beats and mass-appeal hooks. He’s a storyteller. At the Super Bowl, he told stories within stories – but mostly to his own audience.

‘Squid Game’ and Drake

Enlisting Samuel L. Jackson as the show’s “Uncle Sam” narrator set the tone. Dancers costumed in red, white or blue formed a symbolic, ever-changing American flag. The set’s streetlamps, The Athletic noted, came with their own inner-city symbolism of danger after dark.

The Buick Grand National parked onstage obviously referenced a similar muscle car, the Buick GNX; “GNX” is the title of Lamar’s 2024 album.

But anyone unfamiliar with Lamar’s beef with rival rapper Drake – or who has never seen Netflix’s hit dystopian South Korean drama series “Squid Game” – missed much of the show’s subtext.

The circle, triangle, square and x shapes of the individual stages on the Caesars Superdome field recalled a Sony PlayStation console. They also evoked masks worn in “Squid Game,” in which poor contestants compete in games of life or death.

Jackson’s narration set up the “Great American game” – another “Squid Game” reference, or simply a narrative device to frame the whole show as a video game.

The “Game Over” message that flashed in the stands may have referenced the same things – or Lamar declaring himself the winner in the Drake feud.

Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” one of 2024’s omnipresent songs, trolls Drake and his crew as pedophiles. It won Grammys for record and song of the year.

When Lamar arrived at “Not Like Us” in the Superdome, he left out the word “pedophile” but kept the wordplay about “tryna strike a chord but it’s probably A-minor.” An A-minor chord versus “a minor” – get it?

Was the lower-case “a” Lamar wore around his neck a reference to the “a minor” line? Or did it refer to the similar “a” in the logo of Lamar’s production company, pgLang?

Tennis superstar Serena Williams was once an object of Drake’s obsession. Lamar inviting Williams to “Crip-walk” – a dance step popularized in Compton that she previously performed at the 2012 Olympics – at halftime was likely another dig at Drake.

All of which shows that Lamar and his team put a lot of thought into a halftime show that was vibe-y, clever and bold.

It also excluded a lot of viewers.

At the 2023 Super Bowl in Los Angeles, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Lamar and singer Mary J. Blige banged out one uptempo hit after another. Their Super Bowl-sized show offered enough in terms of star wattage and melodic hooks to keep even casual hip-hop engaged.

Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX presentation was destined to appeal to a much narrower audience.

NOLA in the house

By contrast, the pregame show was all about New Orleans energy and joy, which is much easier to appreciate.

The NFL took heat for not booking a New Orleans artist, specifically Lil Wayne, for halftime. Wayne ended up getting some Super Bowl airtime anyway by starring in a cheeky commercial with the tagline “we’re all a little sensitive.”

But to its credit, the Super Bowl went all-in on New Orleans during pregame and honored the victims of the Jan. 1 attack.

New Orleans native Ledisi – who will return to perform her Nina Simone tribute at the 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – showcased all the power and beauty of her voice during a potent “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” backed by a New Orleans high school choir in yellow robes.

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews came up with a swinging arrangement of “America the Beautiful.” It was framed by sousaphone and acoustic guitar and illuminated by his trombone and his pal Lauren Daigle’s sumptuous, sunny voice. Their version managed to be both respectful to the song and true to the spirit of Super Bowl LIX’s host city.

So, too, Jon Batiste’s national anthem, rendered on a piano that his wife, Suleika, painted with pastel silhouettes of butterflies. At the outset, Batiste triggered a sample of the “Triggerman beat,” a beat that is the bedrock of many New Orleans hip-hop and bounce recordings.

Late one night during Super Bowl week, Fox broadcasters Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Terry Bradshaw joined Saints owner Gayle Benson and former Saints and current Broncos coach Sean Payton to film a video on Bourbon Street that opened the pregame show. They resolutely walked down Bourbon to a piano where Lady Gaga sang “Hold My Hand,” her ballad from the “Top Gun: Maverick” soundtrack.

After the video, the telecast cut to the Superdome. Piano prodigy turned movie and TV star Harry Connick Jr. welcomed viewers to his hometown, then handed off to New Orleans urban radio legend “Wild” Wayne Benjamin Jr.

Wild Wayne introduced a who’s who of New Orleans music and culture: much-celebrated Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. The Soul Rebels and the Original Pinettes brass bands. Southern University’s Human Jukebox marching band. Mardi Gras Indians. Percy “Master P” Miller, inserted into the mix for no apparent reason other than he’s Master P. Big Freedia.

The camera circled back to Connick, who was joined by New Orleans jazz lifers Leroy Jones on trumpet and Freddie Lonzo on trombone for “Go to the Mardi Gras” atop a “NOLA Strong” logo.

It was New Orleans writ large for a global audience.

And it felt more like a Super Bowl halftime show than the actual halftime show did.

Salman Rushdie attacker trial live: Hadi Matar goes on trial

A man accused of attempting to murder Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie will go on trial in New York this morning.

Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault, which carry a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

Sir Salman is expected in court this week to face his alleged attacker, two years after he was stabbed more than a dozen times onstage before he was due to deliver a lecture, leaving him blind in one eye.

It came more than three decades after Ayatollah Khomeini, the former Iranian supreme leader, issued a fatwa calling for Sir Salman’s execution for The Satanic Verses and placed a multi-million dollar bounty on his head.

Mr Matar’s lawyer has previously told The Telegraph that his client cannot receive a fair trial because there are no Muslims in the jury pool.

Green Day-Inspired Comedy Movie in the Works From Live Nation Productions (EXCLUSIVE)

A comedy movie inspired by (and developed with) Green Day is being produced by Live Nation Productions.

Titled “New Years Rev,” the film is a coming-of-age story of three friends — played by Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust — who journey to Los Angeles, mistakenly believing that their band is opening for Green Day on New Year’s Eve.

More from Variety

Per the logline, “Their roadtrip is a rowdy and mischievous jaunt across the country filled with adventures, based on the exploits of Green Day and their years of living in a tour van.”

The film, written and directed by Lee Kirk, also stars “The Office” favorites Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, alongside Ignacia Diaz-Silverado and Keen Ruffalo. Production is underway in Oklahoma.

“Van days rule. You will drive all night on no sleep then play a show for 10 kids in a basement of a friend of a friend’s house 50 miles east of anywhere you’ve ever heard of,” said Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong in a statement. “But you’ll do it again the next day, and the one after that. Because you’re doing it with your bandmates who become your family and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever known. It’s electric. Let the music and mischief ensue.”

“New Years Rev” is produced by Tim Perell for Process; Green Day’s Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool; and Stella Bulochnikov for Pat Solitano Productions. Ryan Kroft and Michael Rapino for Live Nation Productions and Jonathan Daniel are executive producers.

Green Day, the rock trio behind alternative classics like “Basket Case,” “American Idiot” and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” released its latest album, “Saviors” in 2024. The California rockers are set to headline Coachella in April.

Live Nation Productions is the film and TV arm of Live Nation Entertainment. Its music-inspired projects include the Oscar-winning “A Star Is Born,” “Moonage Daydream,” “Love, Lizzo” and Anderson .Paak’s upcoming scripted feature “K-Pops.”

“With incredible guidance from Green Day, ‘New Years Rev’ tells the story of young artists chasing a dream — long nights, endless miles, and the electrifying rush of the stage fueling their journey,” said Kroft, Live Nation Productions’ head of film and TV. “Brought to life by an incredible cast, it’s a tribute to the magic of live music.”

Kanye West now selling swastika t-shirt after Super Bowl ad

Kanye West is now selling a swastika t-shirt on his website, capping a week that started with his surprise appearance with practically nude wife Bianca Censori at the Grammys and ended with a string of antisemitic social media posts.

The rapper’s website currently has a single item for sale: a white t-shirt with a black swastika on the front.

The store item’s appearance comes after West reportedly spent $8 million on a lo-fi Super Bowl commercial for the Los Angeles area which featured West sitting in a dentist’s chair and asking people to go to his website.

TMZ reported on Monday that 100,000 shirts had already been sold.

West’s latest stunt comes on the heels of Elon Musk limiting the rapper’s X account for posting pornography, which prompted West to leave the social media platform entirely.

A day prior, West assured fans he was not in the midst of a mental health crisis after earlier in the week saying he had autism.

“I wouldn’t want anybody to do an intervention of me,” he said in a video posted on Sunday.

Musk previously suspended West on the platform in 2022 for making antisemitic remarks but reinstated his account in July 2023.

Rocker loses cool on stage, leaves mid-song: ‘(Expletive) y’all, I’m going’

Kid Rock’s surprise appearance at a Nashville concert was cut short when the rocker left the stage mid-song.

The Detroit area rocker was introduced as a special guest at Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday bash on Saturday night, Feb. 7, according to Taste of Country and as seen in a TikTok video from ZPierre509.

Rock was performing “Proud Mary” when the singer was underwhelmed with the crowd’s response.

“Hey, hey, stop. If you ain’t gonna clap, we ain’t gonna sing,” Rock said, according to the video. “That’s how it’s gonna go.”

The singer then showed the crowd how he wanted them to clap with their arms over their head.

“Don’t get too fast,” Rock said as he demonstrated.

Rock started to sing again, but was still dissatisfied with the audience and stormed off the stage.

“You know what? (Expletive) y’all. You ain’t gonna clap, I’m going,” Rock said before leaving.

Rock recently announced a seven city tour with Chris Janson opening in some cities and Uncle Kracker opening in others.

The tour will start in Omaha, Nebraska, in March and end in Kansas City, Missouri, in April

‘New York Dolls’ Founding Member David Johansen Is Battling Cancer, His Family Says

The daughter of “New York Dolls” front man, David Johansen, reveals her father has been quietly battling stage-four cancer and a brain tumor for over most of the past decade.

“There have been complications ever since. He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing.”

After a fall in November 2024, Johansen broke his back in two places, leaving him bedridden and incapacitated, and requiring around-the-clock care, which has left his family struggling financially.

“As hilarious and wise as David continues to be, he is physically debilitated and his care exceeds what we are capable of providing without specialized professional help,” she added.

“David has worked continuously as a singer and actor for the better part of six decades, to the delight of his fans all over the world. However for the past five years, David has been unable to work as a performer.”

While Hennessey did not provide specifics about her father’s cancer diagnosis, she said he has been in intensive treatment and the family hopes through physical therapy, full-time nursing and funding for day-to-day vital living expenses, Johansen will be able to regain “some mobility and independence.”

Supporters can directly donate through the fund’s website, or purchase a custom Johansen “Luv” T-shirt to offer their support with all proceeds going toward his treatment.

The band at the time also featured guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur Kane and drummer Jerry Nolan, and together helped set the stage for a punk revolution.

The group released two albums before Johansen later embarked on a solo career in 1976.

In 1987 he scored a Billboard hit with the single, “Hot Hot Hot” under his Poindexter pseudonym as he continued to explore his love for various genres including blues, jazz, swing, folk, and Latin.

He also embarked on a career as an actor, landing prominent roles such as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 Bill Murray-led film “Scrooged,” the part of Looney in the 1989 comedy “Let It Ride,” and television-series credits as well.

David Johansen Has Stage 4 Cancer and a Brain Tumor, Leaving His Family to Fundraise for ‘Incapacitated’ Singer’s Medical Care

The family has teamed up with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to raise money for his treatment

David Johansen, the singer from the seminal punk band New York Dolls, has stage 4 cancer, his daughter shared in a statement announcing fundraising efforts to care for his illness.

“David is a legend but he’s also my very real very sick dad,” his daughter Leah Hennessy shared in an Instagram post on Feb. 10, when she announced a partnership with the Sweet Relief Musician’ Fund — which provides financial assistance to artists and those in the music industry struggling with health challenges.

On the charity’s website, Hennessey shared Johansen’s health struggle, explaining, “David has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade.”

Although she did not offer specifics about his type of cancer, she shared that five years ago, it progressed to a brain tumor. “There have been complications ever since. He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing.”

“To make matters worse, the day after Thanksgiving David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places.” He underwent surgery, but Hennessy explains that since then, “David has been bedridden and incapacitated. Due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially and my mother is caring for him around the clock. “

As Johansen said in a statement, as reported by Rolling Stone, “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you.”

The family is raising money for full-time nursing and physical therapy, as well as daily expenses. “With professional specialized care, we are hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence,” Hennessey wrote.

Along with the New York Dolls, Johansen is also well-known for his alter-ego Buster Poindexter; In 1987 he scored a Billboard hit with single, “Hot Hot Hot” as the outlandish character, a year before his memorable turn as the Ghost of Christmas Past in Bill Murry-led hit Scrooged.

As Hennesssy wrote in an Instagram post: “David is a legend but he’s also my very real very sick Dad. I have so much to say but I guess I’ll be posting about this a lot and I don’t have to say it all now. I know how dire so many of our situations are right now, and how much fundraising literally everyone is doing but if you love David or any of the magick he’s brought into the world please just take a minute to read this or share it. Thank you guys as always.”

Kendrick Lamar televised ‘the revolution’ during Super Bowl halftime performance. Here’s what it meant

Standing atop a Buick GNX, rapper Kendrick Lamar warned, “The revolution ’bout to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.”

Flipping Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem about Black liberation, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” (and possibly taking aim at President Trump, who was in attendance), Lamar utilized his 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance to tell a uniquely American story — all while dissing Canadian rapper Drake.

Fresh off a clean sweep at last weekend’s Grammys, the 37-year-old Compton rapper elicited a slew of theories and interpretations, from both fans and peers, about his performance, which celebrated Black culture. As his dancers, dressed in red, white and blue, assembled to create a divided American flag, with Lamar at its center, his storytelling was subtle but powerful.

Inside New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam in a star-patterned top hat and introduced the crowd to “the great American game.” Guiding the audience through halftime, he made remarks like “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” after Lamar’s performance of “Squabble Up.” When longtime collaborator SZA joined the rapper to sing “Luther” and “All the Stars,” the Oscar-nominated song from “Black Panther’s” soundtrack, Jackson exclaimed, “That’s what America wants! Nice and calm.” The actor’s performance and commentary led to comparisons to his Uncle Tom role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” where he played a loyal house slave named Stephen.

Throughout the show, Lamar openly toyed with the idea of whether he would perform the Drake diss and L.A. anthem, “Not Like Us,” saying, “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” — referring to Drake’s defamation lawsuit. But as the recognizable beat echoed, Lamar flashed a sly smile while rapping the line, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” and let the audience fill in the blank, calling him a “certified pedophile.”

Rapper Flavor Flav was among the celebrities who took to X to praise the performance, writing, “The way the WHOLE stadium just yelled ‘A MINOOOOOOOOOORRRRR.’ ” Ab-Soul, who’s signed to Lamar’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment, also wrote on X, “BIG AS DA SUPER BOWL,” referencing Drake’s “First Person Shooter” — the track that instigated the feud between the rappers. Doechii, who was recently won top rap album at the Grammys, congratulated SZA and Kendrick, saying, “So proud of yall so inspired.”

Also, during his performance of “Not Like Us,” the camera flipped to show tennis star Serena Williams crip-walking. After receiving backlash for doing the same dance in 2012 following her Olympic win, the fellow Compton native brought the dance back for the big game. The athlete was also rumored to be in a relationship with Drake in the early 2010s. After years of speculated disses by Drake in songs like “Worst Behavior” and “Nothings Into Somethings,” Williams took the opportunity to perform with his biggest adversary.

Lamar ended the show with an electric performance of “TV Off.” Joined by collaborator DJ Mustard, it was a full-circle moment in which he called for viewers to turn away from distractions and focus on the reality around them.

Mike Carson, co-creative director and production designer of the halftime performance, told Wired that the stage had a video game motif. The performance spaces in the shape of Xs, Os and triangles resembled PlayStation controller buttons. The performance concluded with the words “GAME OVER” spelled out in the crowd — referencing both the game and his beef with Drake.