|
LEGO
Denmark's Lego has become the world's second-biggest toy maker after
reporting a 13 per cent increase in sales. It generated sales of
US$1.8-billion in the first half of this year, overtaking US-based Hasbro.
The world's biggest toy maker is Mattel with annual sales of $2.3-billion.
On average, each person on earth owns 86 Lego blocks and ten lego sets are
sold each second. 400-million Lego figures were sold last year. Lego
recently introduced a series of building blocks designed for girls.
JOBS
Older Canadians who can't find higher paying jobs are pushing out students
in the low-wage part-time work force. The jobless rate among students 15-
to 18- looking for part-time work has soared to more than 20 per cent, the
highest on record, as older workers are forced into part-time jobs. Since
2007, employment in the 15-to-18 age group has plummeted dramatically by 22
per cent, well above the 4-per cent drop in that group's population.
SWISS MADE
Switzerland's parliament has taken steps to tighten rules governing how
Swiss-made products are labelled. The government has approved a threshold
of 60 per cent of the value of manufactured goods in order for them to
carry the coveted Swiss Made label. The threshold for most food products
has been set at 80 per cent of the product's weight. The new requirements
are expected to become law next year.
GENETICS
In 2012, the global dairy-genetics business was worth C$1.5-billion, up 155
per cent since 2006. Canadian exports of dairy animal genetics (bovine
embryos, semen and live cattle) totaled $110.3-million and went to more
than 100 countries. The Canadian dairy industry generated total net farm
receipts of $45.9-billion in 2012.
FISHING
It is a good time to be a fisherman. The global fish-price index of the
UN's Food and Agriculture Organization hit a record high earlier this year.
Changing consumer diets, particularly in China, explains much of the
sustained upwards movement. High oil prices, which increase the cost of
fishing and transportation, also add to the price of putting fish on the
table. The FAO's price for wild fish nearly doubled between 1990 and 2012
while that of farmed fish only rose a fifth. The amount of wild fish
captured globally has barely changed in two decades with a ceiling of about
90-million tons a year.
COMPETITIVENESS
Switzerland and Singapore top the list of the most competitive countries in
the world in a global ranking that puts Canada in a distant 14th place.
Finland, Germany and the United States round out the top five of this years
most competitive countries. In 2009, Canada sat in ninth position. However,
Canada fares well in education, efficient financial and labour markets and
its strong institutions. Innovation and business sophistication is where
Canada has tumbled in the rankings.
BUYING
In 2008, 11.8-billion pieces of mail were sent, in 2012, that figure was
9.8-billion. In 2012, e-commerce spending in Canada was C$21.45-billion, up
from C$15.3-billion in 2010. By 2016, e-commerce spending in Canada is
projected to be $35-billion. Based on a survey of 4,000 Canadians who shop
on line, 37% bought apparel; 35% books and music; 23% consumer electronics;
19% computer hardware and 16% other general merchandise.
BUMPING
Passengers who are denied a seat on overbooked Air Canada flights within
Canada may be able to get larger refunds. The Canadian Transportation
Agency has upheld an earlier ruling that previous compensation for
passengers involuntarily bumped from domestic flights was inadequate. Air
Canada passengers who are delayed less that two hours should be compensated
C$200. Between two and six hours the compensation rises to $400 and at more
than six hours the amount jumps to $800.
STYLE
Japanese apparel stores are testing a new way to attract shoppers: digital
mannequins that model the piece of clothing you have just picked off the
rack. The system uses an innovative hanger that signals a computer when it
is picked up. The computer then displays the clothing on a model on a
nearby screen. This technology is part of a trend among bricks-and-mortar
retailers who are trying to match the personalized shopping experience
provided online.
SERVICE
The upsurge in popularity of food trucks among consumers in the US is
threatening the quick service restaurant (QSR). New research shows that
about half the respondents in a survey would have ordered from a fast food
restaurant had they not obtained a meal or a snack from a food truck. The
top reasons consumers gave for using food trucks related to availability of
"interesting" foods and convenience, which are the traditional
strengths of QSR outlets.
DEVICES
It is estimated that the market for smartwatches will reach US$9-billion
with unit sales of 90-million by 2018. And by the end of this year, global
tablet shipments are expected to reach 227-million units. Chinese app users
spend 64 per cent of their time on apps developed locally, if more foreign
app developers can make apps that catch on in China, there is a great
potential there.
HEIGHT
The average height of European men grew by a surprising 11 centimetres from
the early 1870s to 1980, reflecting significant improvements in health
across the region. The swift advance may have been due to people deciding
to have fewer children in this period as smaller family size has previously
been found to be linked to increasing average height. The study analyzed data
on height in 15 European countries.
CALLS
The average monthly complaints in the US from consumers who signed up for
the Do Not Call List but still are getting telemarketing calls have jumped
63 per cent from 2011. Much of the blame is on a proliferation of
computerized robocalls. Illegal robocall operations are taking advantage of
increasingly sophisticated technology that has made it much easier to
simultaneously send thousands of robocalls costing less than one cent a
minute.
RADIO
Despite pressure from online listening services, radio in Canada continues
to churn out consistent profits. Last year, Canada's 675 commercial radio
stations saw their revenues increase, reaching C$1.62-billion. Profit
before interest and taxes increased almost four per cent to $323-million.
In 2012, these stations employed 10,050 people and paid $681-million in
salaries. FM stations bought in the most money. Eleven stations were
started last year bringing the total to 546.
LABELS
Eight meat and livestock groups from the United States and Canada have
asked a US court to strike down stricter US meat labelling rules that they
say have hurt US processors and Canadian farmers. The suit seeks to undo
recent revisions to rules that required retail outlets to label meat according
to where it came from. The country of origin labelling rules have led to
lower US imports of Canadian cattle and pigs which has hurt Canadian
farmers and US processing plants that relied on imported livestock.
HIGHWAYS
The Durango-Mazatlan Highway is one of Mexico's greatest engineering feats.
It has 115 bridges and 61 tunnels and is designed to bring people, cargo
and legitimate commerce through a mountain range known until now for
marijuana, opium poppies and an accident-prone road called the Devil's Backbone.
The 230-km highway will link port cities on the Gulf of Mexico with the
Pacific and will eventually move five million vehicles a year, more than
four times the number on the old road plus more goods and produce from Asia
to the Mexican interior.
HAIR
Venezuela is calling on the police to act against gangs that are stealing
women's hair. The thieves sell the hair, sometime stolen at gunpoint, to
salons where it is used for extensions and wigs.
ADVERTISEMENTS
A British online broadcaster, along with a German advertising agency, wants
to turn bus and train windows into talking advertisements. The company is
using technology that beams high-frequency oscillations, or vibrations,
through the glass. When a commuter rests their head against a train window,
the oscillations are converted into sound through a process called bone
conduction, they will hear the message while other passengers remain
oblivious. In recent tests, some commuters were annoyed that they could not
rest their heads and sleep.
TIME
In 1979 the United Auto Workers (UAW) had more than 1.5-million members and
nine of the country's best selling cars were American brands. The Toyota
Corolla came eighth, the first time a foreign brand had cracked the top
ten. Today, the UAW's membership is around 400,000, and not all are car
workers. And of the top selling cars last year, seven were foreign badged.
Americans are not only buying foreign cars, they are also making them.
Seven of America's 15 most productive assembly plants were foreign owned.
CARS
Americans are paying record prices for new cars and trucks. The average
price of a vehicle in the US hit US$31,252 recently, up almost $1,000 over
last year. The sharp increase has been driven by consumers loading cars up
with high-end stereos, navigation systems, leather seats and safety
gadgets. This buying pattern began about two years ago with low interest
rates that let buyers choose pricier cars while keeping monthly payments in
check. Add in booming sales of expensive pickup trucks and you get record
high prices.
CROPS
Researchers in the key corn-growing state of Illinois are finding
significant damage from rootworms in farm fields planted in a rotation with
genetically modified corn, a combination of measures that are supposed to
protect the crop from pests. Evidence from two Illinois counties suggests
that pest problems are mounting as the rootworms grow ever more resistant
to efforts to fight them. The Western corn rootworm is one of the most
devastating corn rootworm species in North America.
DEBT
An anonymous half-million pound bequest to Britain has mushroomed to 350
million pounds (US$546-million) since it was made 85 years ago. The donor
left the money in 1928 but said it should be handed over once Britain had
amassed enough funds to pay off its entire national debt, which now totals
1.2-trillion pounds.
POWER
South Korea has switched on a road which can recharge electric vehicles as
they drive over it. The project's developer says the 12km route is the
first of its kind in the world. Vehicles fitted with compatible equipment
do not need to stop to recharge and can also be fitted with smaller than
normal batteries. Two public buses are already using the technology.
CENSORSHIP
A man using the British Library's wi-fi network was denied an online
version of Shakespeare's Hamlet because the text contained "violent
content."
|
Posts
