This summer, the free admission program at City of Edmonton pools will run from May to September. With success and increased attendance in 2018, the city of Edmonton has decided to continue the program into 2019.
Pools to be included in the program:
There are no fees to get into the Edmonton outdoor pool, but there is an admission process to ensure that the pool isn’t at capacity – just show up to the pool of your choice and take advantage of some kid-friendly fun on the cheap during the summer in Edmonton.
We’re looking forward to getting into the city of outdoor pools this summer, for free!
Find more information including opening times and more, at the City of Edmonton outdoor swimming page, at www.edmonton.ca.
Samuel Jones largely lives off the money he makes from YouTube as a TV and film reviewer. “In terms of paying rent, buying food, buying cigarettes, it’s all YouTube money,” he said. While his channel’s co-creator Max Bardsley is in university, Jones works on “NitPix ” full-time. The U.K.-based pair also nurture a small fashion business on the side that mostly provides some spending change. Recently, Jones and Bardsley have been thinking about a backup plan. Like other content creators who have built brands and businesses on tech platforms like YouTube, they fear their livelihood and creative outlet could be threatened by a new copyright directive passed by the European Union in March.
Under the new rules, which member states have two years to formally write into law, tech platforms like YouTube could be held liable for hosting copyrighted content without the proper rights and licensing. That’s a big change from the status quo, which generally assumes platforms are not legally liable for their users’ uploads so long as they take down infringing content once flagged. But according to the directive, companies like YouTube can soon be held liable unless they can also prove they made “best efforts” to get authorization for the content and prevent it from being shared without rights in the first place.
YouTube and other tech platforms have argued that the only practical way to avoid liability will be to install even more restrictive content filters than the ones they currently have to prevent infringement. The EU directive does not require tech companies to do that and it makes exceptions for using copyrighted material in parody or commentary, as would be the case in Jones and Bardsley’s reviews. But experts say it will be difficult for platforms to create automated filters that can distinguish this context, at least at first. That could mean a channel like “NitPix” would have to avoid using any movie or TV clips in their reviews to ensure their videos upload to the site in a timely manner.
Opening on Thursday 9 May, the VIP bedroom area of the cinema complex looks almost like an ordinary bedroom, except it’s filled with eleven freshly-made double beds. Designed to entice consumers away from Netflix and back to the cinema, this new concept offers a cosy home-like movie experience – and to ensure that customers don’t fall asleep, cinema beds are equipped with electronically adjustable headrests. Venanzio Di Bacco, CEO of Pathé Switzerland, told Swiss local news site 20 minuten that customers can be assured that the beds are freshly made after every film screening: “The hygiene aspect is very important to us,” he said. Dia Biacco also rejected the idea that the hall will be used for immoral or inappropriate activity. “The offer is unique in Switzerland. But we tested the concept abroad and had no problems so far.”
Besides a bedroom area, the cinema complex also has an Imax cinema with over 350 seats and a hall with single and double sofas. For customers wanting to try these VIP areas, the cost is 49 Swiss francs ($48.50) and means cinema-goers can jump the queue and enjoy free snacks and soft drinks. For younger moviegoers, the children’s cinema area includes beanbags, a slippery slide, and a ball pit. The cost is 14.50 francs per child. For those wishing to stick to a more conventional cinema experience, a ticket costing 19.50 francs is available to watch the latest film releases in the other six non-VIP halls located within the cinema complex. Pathé cinema in Spreitenbach is located right next to the Shoppi Tivoli and holds its grand opening on Saturday 11 May 2019 between 10am and 4pm.
Canada’s economy is reporting its biggest one-month employment surge since 1976, when the government started collecting comparable data.
Statistics Canada says the labour market added 106,500 jobs in April, the bulk of which were full time. The increase helped drop the unemployment rate to 5.7 per cent last month, down from 5.8 per cent in March.
The labour market has seen strong employment numbers since mid-2016 and has remained a bright spot for an economy that has struggled in other areas — to the point it almost stalled over the winter. Employment grew 0.6 per cent with the April increase, which was the highest proportional monthly expansion since 1994.
A closer look at the April numbers reveals the overall gain was driven by the creation of 73,000 full-time jobs and 83,800 positions in the private sector.
The City of Oakland is in such dire financial straits that it is planning to use $2.9 million from state gas tax revenues to keep the city’s lights on, rather than using the money to fix pothole-riddled roads, for which the funding was intended.
The San Francisco Chroniclereported Wednesday that the city is facing severe financial shortfalls, despite a booming economy that has seen wealthier households relocate from San Francisco across the bay to gentrifying neighborhoods. The problem is that the city’s costs are rising faster than its growing revenues, thanks partly to pension obligations — an increasingly common challenge for large, Democrat-run cities that made ambitious promises to public sector unions. As Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf — famous for tipping off illegal aliens to an impending federal law enforcement sweep, in an effort to defend her “sanctuary city” — noted in her recent budget statement to the city council last week: The deficit for this year will be $25 million. As a result, the Chronicle notes, Oakland — which is generously extending benefits to illegal aliens — can barely keep its street lights on.
To deal with the crisis, the city is shifting money from pothole repair to street lighting, even though the money raised by the 2017 gas tax must be used for transportation. The city will still apparently have other funds, both from the gas tax and its own revenues, to use for pothole repair — though less than it would otherwise have had. Republicans attempted to repeal the gas tax hike in a 2018 ballot initiative, but the state government gave the measure a misleading title. As a result, the measure failed, though polls showed a majority of Californians opposed the hike. The budget notes that the city will spend $150,000 per year on a legal fund to assist illegal aliens facing deportation.
It’s second nature: When your Uber or Lyft pulls up, you hop in the back seat. Sure, you check that the license plate and driver photo match what’s on the app. But should you also pull out hand sanitizer and sit up front to be safer? Maybe you should, research shows. Concerns about cleanliness and the dangers of sitting in the back could give you pause the next time your ride rolls up to the curb. Experts say that riding in the back seat of a ride-hailing vehicle is germier than a toilet seat and potentially more dangerous than sitting in front. As millions of Americans embrace ride-hailing apps – and Uber gets ready to become a publicly traded company – the health and safety risks of back-seat riding are becoming clearer. According to a study by insurance company Netquote, the average rideshare vehicle has about 219 times as many germs as the average taxi, which is cleaned regularly. It’s nearly three times germier than the average toothbrush holder and more than 35,000 times germier than the average toilet seat. John Chung’s recent Lyft ride probably qualified. Chung, a Philadelphia-area resident, was visiting Cleveland on a business trip this month when he hopped into the back seat and discovered fingernail clippings and questionable residue. “I try not to touch too much, but what are you going to do?” he said, adding that he often feels like he doesn’t have viable alternative options.
They are fun, convenient, and always updating! They are perfect for the brain and easy for you to play with. You can play with a pet, create a city and any number of activities to enjoy and reduce the stress of a boring moment in your life. We used to call it TV until too many commercials took over.
The average American video gamer is 33 years old, prefers to play on their smartphone and is spending big on content — 20 percent more than a year ago and 85 percent more than in 2015, a report showed on Thursday. The annual research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) comes as more American households rethink how to set limits for kids who love gaming and how to allocate their entertainment budgets in the streaming era. The $43.4 billion spent in 2018 was mostly on content, as opposed to hardware and accessories. Of pay-to-play games, “Call of Duty: Black Ops III”, “Red Dead Redemption II” and “NBA 2K19” took the top spots for most units sold but the list did not include free games such as “Fortnite.” “Games are striking an important chord with American culture,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA’s acting president and chief executive officer. “That’s what makes it the leading form of entertainment today.” Nearly 65 percent of U.S. adults, or more than 164 million people, play games. The most popular genre is casual games, with 60 percent of players gaming on their smartphones, though about half also play on personal computers and specialized consoles. Parents are limiting screen time for their kids and using video game ratings to screen content, and 87 percent of parents require permission for new game purchases, the study showed.
I see, now you need to rewrite what I want to say. Politically correct is not freedom of speech! I need to be able to write well, concise, and use words that explain what I wish to communicate. Maybe the word needs to be polite social instead of politically correct?
You know how annoying it is when the iPhone corrects ‘fucking’ to ‘ducking’ every time you type out the word? Imagine that for an entire essay.
The new feature, called ‘Ideas in Word’, will recommend ‘sensitive’ phrases like “We need to get some fresh blood in here” be modified so that “fresh blood” becomes “new employees”.
“It might underline places where your writing exhibited gender bias,” reports Fast Company. “If you tend to say “mailman” or Congressman” in the generic, it might suggest you use “mailperson” or “Congressperson.” If you use the term “gentlemen’s agreement,” it may suggest you use “unspoken agreement” instead.”
The term “disabled person” would be replaced with “person with a disability” while the new version’s “inclusiveness check” searches for words or phrases that might be “offensive” to someone from another country or culture.
Mark Sullivan, who is a fan of the new features, says he is worried about “unknowingly or accidentally inserting terms or references in my writing that convey value judgements that I don’t really mean” and wants to avoid “writing something that might offend”.
Rumor has it that every new purchase of Word will come with a voucher for a yearly supply of soy lattes from Starbucks.
Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York. (Bloomberg pic)
BANGALORE: Apple has finalised a short list of locations for its first retail store in India, according to people familiar with the plans, as the company redoubles its efforts in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.
The iPhone giant has zeroed in on several upscale sites in Mumbai, and plans to make a final decision in the next few weeks, said the people, asking not to be named because the discussions are private.
The vetted spots are comparable to iconic Apple locations on Fifth Avenue in New York, Regent Street in London or the Champs-Elysees in Paris, they said.
Apple has been prohibited from opening its own stores in the country because it doesn’t meet local sourcing requirements, but it’s shifting manufacturing into India and is in talks with the government about its retail expansion.
The Cupertino, California based company has struggled to establish itself in India where consumers have opted for less expensive Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Vivo.
But Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has vowed to improve in the fast-growing market, especially as Apple loses ground in China.
Manufacturing in India will also allow the company to sidestep 20% tariffs on imported phones, making its devices more competitive.
“India is a very important market in the long term,” Cook said after the company’s earnings report last week.
“It’s a challenging market in the short term, but we’re learning a lot. We plan on going in there with sort of all of our might.”
Apple doesn’t break out its revenue from India since it’s such a minor part of the business. In the most recent quarter, the company generated 44% of revenue from the Americas and 18% from greater China.
India is lumped in with the rest of Asia-Pacific, which altogether account for about 6%.
Apple has tried in recent years to gain ground as India eclipsed China as the fastest-growing smartphone market in the world.
One Apple veteran took over as country chief at the end of 2017, overhauling its strategy and replacing top sales executives. But with little sign of progress, a new country chief was named in November.
Still, Apple continues to flounder in India. Research firm Canalys estimates the company’s shipments fell by more than 75% in the first quarter of 2019, giving it only about 1% of the country’s smartphone market.
Now Apple appears to be doing the difficult – and expensive – work of building a foundation for its business.
Foxconn Technology Group, its most important manufacturing partner, is running quality tests for the iPhone Xr series in India and plans to begin mass production at a facility in the suburbs of Chennai.
Older models are already assembled at a Wistron plant in Bangalore. The increase in local operations should expedite approval for a company-owned store when a new government takes over in India at the end of May or early June, said the people.
“Its own retail store might be just what Apple requires to reinforce its premium image,” said Rushabh Doshi, an analyst with Canalys.
“A store just before the next launch will be the perfect timing for Apple to restart its Indian growth story.”
It’s clear Cook won’t give up against Chinese phone makers that have come to lead the market. “We have made some adjustments in India and we’ve seen preliminarily some better results there,” he said last week during the earnings call.
Indeed, last month Apple ran front-page newspaper ads announcing sizeable discounts on the latest iPhone Xr. The phone maker, which rarely slashes price on its latest models, has offered a markdown of 17,000 rupees (US$244) on its latest iPhone Xr, bringing the price down to 59,900 rupees.
This week online retailer Paytm Mall announced cash paybacks on a variety of iPhone models.
“The price cuts are definitely a step in the right direction,” said Doshi. “Apple has a delicate balance to maintain: It needs to appeal to the cost-conscious Indian buyers, while ensuring that price drops do not dilute its premium image.
We’re in the midst of two tectonic demographic shifts in the workplace that, at first glance, seem to be at odds with each other. We’re living longer and working longer–either by choice or necessity (it’s hard to finance a 30-year retirement with a 40-year career). The fastest-growing age demographic of employees in the workplace is 65 and older, which has experienced a 35% jump in numbers over the past half-decade. In fact, nearly half of the age-demographic increase in the number of people participating in the U.S. labor force between 2016 and 2026 is attributable to those 60 and older. So, many of us are surprised today to find ourselves at midlife and mid-career.
At the same time, there’s such a growing reliance on DQ (digital intelligence) that companies are desperate to hire and promote digital natives. Nearly 40% of Americans now report to a younger boss, and this will become the majority by 2025. Seven of the 10 most valuable companies in the world today are tech companies. The average employee age at giants like Facebook, Apple, and Google isn’t quite 30. And we’re seeing startup entrepreneurs in their early 20s become global disruption billionaires before they turn 30. Sixty may be the new 40 physically, but when it comes to power in the modern workplace, 30 is the new 50.
Some like to portray this as a generational war now that we have five generations in the workplace for the first time. I beg to differ. Because, based upon my experience over the past half-dozen years, I’ve seen how a symbiotic relationship between generations can be created–like an intergenerational potluck–to take companies to great heights.
