Description: 1.42 Billion Chicken Wings: that’s a whole lot of chicken projected to be eaten in the United States on Super Bowl Sunday. Though prices are up over last year, the good news from the National Chicken Council (NCC) is that there are no fears of a wing shortage, unlike the situation accompanying last year’s… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Student life
Gas Going Up
Description: It keeps on going. Going up that is: the price of gasoline. You are probably among the many Canadians giving a second look at the price on the pump when you’ve been filling your vehicle with fuel. Though gas prices dropped to almost ridiculous lows in the early shutdown phase of the pandemic, prices… Read more »
Highest in 30 Years!
Description: Inflation in Canada is now at the highest it has been in 30 years! The December Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 4.8% is a rate Canadians have not seen since 1991. While many may have noticed rising costs for fruit such as oranges and apples, or a rise in meat prices too, anything with… Read more »
Microsoft Acquires Activision
Description: Big Tech giant Microsoft wants to grow bigger. Tuesday of last week Microsoft announced it is acquiring video game maker Activision in a cash deal totaling almost $69 billion. Activision’s products offer an advantage to Microsoft in the emerging virtual world. Some U.S. regulators are signalling, however, that they may take a hard look… Read more »
Taxing the Unvaxed
Description: Desperate times call for desperate measures. With unvaccinated citizens having a much higher probability of being hospitalized by contracting Covid-19 than vaccinated citizens, the Government of Quebec responded this week by announcing its intent to begin assessing penalties upon the unvaccinated. Premier Legault said $50 or $100 would not be enough. It remains to… Read more »
Good Year for Vinyl
Description: In the music business, 2021 was a good year for Adele; and for vinyl records. Though vinyl accounts for only 2% of U.S. music sales, for the first time since 1991, vinyl outsold CDs as the primary physical medium. Of course, streaming outstrips these older technologies by a huge order of magnitude. Date: January… Read more »
Bring Back Pandemic Premium?
Description: Early in the Covid crisis, many lauded grocery strore chains as they cranked up the salaries of front line employees with “Hero Pay.” But the “Hero Pay” premium has all but disappeared, while at the same time grocery chain profits have generated big bonuses for company executives. This has prompted pressure from various voices… Read more »
Another Wave
Description: It’s another blow from the Covid crisis hitting us as 2021 winds down This latest wave of the epidemic is causing problems for schools and universities. Exams are being postponed or moved online. Public schools are closing early for the Christmas break. Amid the turmoil comes this news of the need for better ventilation… Read more »
Starbucks Encore?
Description: Last week this blog featured a story of how Starbucks employees in Buffalo unionized the first Starbuck’s location in America. Following quickly on that move came news this week of two locations undertaking similar certification efforts in Boston. Union organizers say they anticipate that Starbucks will respond with anti-union tactics, much as happened in… Read more »
Starbucks Employees Unionize
Description: Starbucks employees in Buffalo have voted to become the first unionized Starbuck’s location in the United States. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, views this as symbolic of recent labour force trends, where employees are somewhat emboldened, reconsidering their options in the face of the Covid-19 economic and social trends. Starbucks has been… Read more »