January 29 - February 4, 2024 | |
In this issue...
• Loblaw backs down from reducing 50% rebate on expiring produce to 30%
• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Marketing weed
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• Ring makes it more difficult for police to request videos from neighbourhood doorbells
• If you loved the Ted movies, you'll love the Ted TV series, too! Sweet, crude and hilarious at the same time.
• Next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, February 26
• Valentine's Day is Wednesday, February 14!
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed last week!
... and trivia, quotes, community events and more!
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Loblaw backs down from reducing 50% rebate on expiring produce to 30%
I'm not sure what the people at Loblaw were thinking when they decided that - in a period of high inflation, exploding housing costs and general unhappiness: "This is a fantastic time to make our aging produce more expensive to the people who financially need to buy our aging produce."
Would a few pennies have made such a big difference in the wallets of the grocery giant's owners?
Article excerpt: "Loblaw Companies Ltd. is backing down from its decision to nix a 50% discount on food products nearing their best-before dates.
'We've listened to the feedback from our customers and colleagues and are reverting [where it existed before] to the 50% off discounts,' the company, whose stores include Atlantic Superstore, No Frills, Dominion and Freshmart to name a few, told CBC News in an email on Friday.
'In the Atlantic, we had not implemented the change and will not. In the rest of the country, customers can expect to see 50% stickers returning in the next few weeks.'
Earlier this week, CBC reported that an email from Loblaw Companies Ltd. stated it would no longer discount perishable foods like meat, fruit, and vegetables by 50% as their best-before date approaches.
The decision was widely criticized by people who rely on the discount to eat, especially as the price of groceries continues to rise."
Was the resulting horrible public relations damage worth it? Trying to squeeze a few extra pennies out of people living on tight budgets for some less-than-completely-fresh food? I mean, c'mon! Anyone know where I can buy some half-off rotting tomatoes to throw?
Read: Loblaw backs away from plan to end 50% discount on food nearing best-before date.
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CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Marketing weed
The latest episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence with host Terry O'Reilly looked at the marketing of marijuana now that it's becoming legal in more jurisdictions.
• January 25, 2024 - Cannabis Marketing. Synopsis: "This week, we go one toke over the line and look at the emerging world of cannabis marketing. We start with the question - just how does a plant become illegal? We’ll explore the history of cannabis. We’ll talk about which celebrities have their own brands (Hello, Willie Nelson!) Which high-end retail stores are now selling expensive cannabis paraphernalia. And which non-cannabis businesses are seeing a surprising uptick in sales - like fertilizer companies and fast-food restaurants." Click here to listen to the episode and here for the website post.
Click here for the show's website and here for the show's podcast archive.
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Ring makes it more difficult for police to request videos from neighbourhood doorbells
For some inexplicable reason, Ring is making it more difficult for the police to get access to data from their security doorbell devices.
Article excerpt: "Ring will no longer let local police publicly ask people for doorbell footage through its Neighbors app. The Amazon-owned company announced it’s going to sunset its Request for Assistance tool this week, forcing police to obtain a warrant for most of its video requests.
This change might seem like a step in the right direction, but it may actually make the clip-requesting process less transparent, as police can still request clips from Ring during what they consider 'emergencies.' In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Yassi Yarger confirmed that on 'rare occasions,' Ring will provide information to law enforcement 'when there is an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, such as a kidnapping or an attempted murder.'
Yarger adds that the 'emergency requests are reviewed by trained professionals who disclose information only when that legal standard is met.' In other words, police can still get footage in an emergency without a warrant. Google will also show footage from Nest devices to police in emergencies, no warrant required."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have a Ring doorbell in the first place, you're already kind of tuned in to keeping your property and neighbourhood safe, aren't you? Other than being branded a "snitch", I think most people would want the police to have access to their video footage in order to keep streets safer.
I know I would. If the police want my security camera footage, they're getting it. No need to go to court and jump through hoops. The more cameras around, the better!
Read: Ring steps back from sharing video with police - mostly.
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If you loved the Ted movies, you'll love the Ted TV series, too! Sweet, crude and hilarious at the same time.
If you're a fan of Family Guy and American Dad, you'll love the new Ted TV series airing on Peacock in the U.S. and Showcase in Canada. (What a nice surprise that it's airing in Canada!)
Creator Seth MacFarlane - whose humour I absolutely love - calls upon his trove of regulars. Not only does he supply the voice of Ted (which is quite close to that of Peter Griffin from Family Guy), he's tapped Scott Grimes to play the loud and lewd father on the series. Grimes also plays
Lt. Gordon Malloy on the MacFarlane vehicle The Orville, as well as voicing Steve on American Dad.
Article excerpt: "Absence apparently makes the heart grow fonder as Seth MacFarlane's rude, crude teddy bear Ted made his grand return to a viewership record on Peacock. The new prequel series, starring Max Burkholder as a young John Bennett with MacFarlane reprising his role as Ted, became the most-watched original title in the history of NBC's streaming platform over its first three days following the release of all seven episodes on Thursday. No specific numbers were given, but the series was one draw during Peacock's biggest single day in terms of engagement on Saturday.
Likely, Ted benefited heavily from hitting the platform just in time for the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend. In the run-up to the first-ever Peacock-exclusive playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, sports business expert Joe Pompliano reported that the streamer shot to the top spot of the app store while seeing over double the search volume on Google than at any other point in the platform's existence. The game itself became the most-streamed event in U.S. history with 23 million viewers across the app, NFL+, and local NBC stations. The inflated audience almost certainly brought more attention to Ted and John's antics over the weekend.
That's not to discredit Ted, however. MacFarlane's comedy series revisited the beloved bear over eight and a half years after his last film, Ted 2, hit theaters, finally exploring John's teenage years with his stuffed buddy by his side. Set in 1993, it picks up after Ted's 15 minutes of fame has run out, sending him back home to live with his best friend John and his family. He's far from a good influence on the 16-year-old, encouraging drug use and sex, but John's parents hope that sending him to school will help him straighten out. Although this bear is just as crass as in MacFarlane's 2012 movie, his friendship with John is unyielding even when the going gets tough for the pair."
Ted - the TV series - is a precursor to the original movie and shows Ted during his "owner" John Bennett's journey through his teen years in high school. Mind you, the parents in the original movie seem to have taken a turn for the worse in the new series, especially the father. The mother in the new series is played by Alanna Ubach, who is delightfully quirky and just wants everyone to get along. There's also Giorgia Whigham as Blaire Bennett, John's cousin and sister figure, who is living with the family while attending college.
With all this said, Ted is definitely not for anyone who doesn't enjoy crude, sarcastic and exaggerated humour. While that's right up my alley, it's not for everyone. I hope the show runs for years to come. This is the type of show that I could watch over and over again.
Despite its crudeness, the show has a lot of really sweet moments about friendship and family that take the edge off a bit.
Read: Ted prequel series sets viewership record with Peacock debut.
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Next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, February 26
The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, in Moncton on Monday, February 26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only). Click here for the Facebook event listing.
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated nearly $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, and Krista Richard's Community Sports Program, among others. During the last Rotary Trivia Night season (September 2022 to May 2023), more than $6,000 was raised.
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of its restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.
See you on January 22!
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Trivia: Did you know?
April Wine's 1975 album Stand Back holds the distinction as the first album by a Canadian band to sell 100,000 copies.
The tracks on the album include:
• Oowatanite
• Don't Push Me Around
• Cum Hear the Band
• Slow Poke
• Victim for Your Love
• Baby Done Got Some Soul
• I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love
• Highway Hard Run
• Not for You, Not for Rock & Roll
• Wouldn't Want Your Love (Any Other Way)
• Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love
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Quotes of note
• 1. "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."
- Babe Ruth, baseball player (1895-1948) (see photo)
• 2. "The day and time itself: late afternoon in early February, was there a moment of the year better suited for despair?"
- Alice McDermott
• 3. "Why does February feel like one big Tuesday?"
- Todd Stocker
• 4. "Don't wait until February to start living in January."
- Anthony T. Hincks
• 5. "I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give."
- Julia Child
• 6. "Is Valentine's Day a day to make cupcakes with your children? No, Valentine's is supposed to be a day about romantic love."
- Ayelet Waldman
• 7. "Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
• 8. "I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."
- Billy Joel
• 9. "A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so he gave him another six months."
- Henny Youngman
• 10. "I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted."
- W.C. Fields
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Winter fitness fun with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
If walking more for exercise is on your New Year's resolutions list, check out the Greater Moncton Walking Group which is walking in Mapleton Park in January. Meet-up is at Rotary Lodge just off Mapleton Road. In February, the group moves to Centennial Park, meeting in the parking lot on St. George Boulevard.
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
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Acadian mugs with family names - dozens of options!
New from Acadistuff: Acadian flag mugs with family names. Dozens of options available! Shipping is included in all prices. Tax extra.
• 11-oz. mug: Click here
• 15-oz. mug: Click here
Don't see your family name there? Contact me via email to have it added.
These mugs have been shipped all over North America!
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About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June via email to more than 500 subscribers in addition to many others who access it online. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
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