Tausi Insider

Pete Ryan/Tausi Insider On a warm night this past July, Bay Street finally came back out to play. Over a glittering view of Toronto’s entertainment district from the rooftop terrace of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, 300 guests — including lawyers, students, clients, bankers and businesspeople —enjoyed mini Jamaican patties, jerk shrimp, rum punch and ginger beer, while a steel-pan band and dancers in traditional Caribbean dress entertained the crowd. Caribbean Fête, hosted annually since 2018 by the Caribbean Practice Group at WeirFoulds LLP, made its long-awaited return after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus. “We had people constantly asking us, when is this thing coming back? Are you guys ever going to do this party again?” says partner Kayla Theeuwen, who barely had a chance to enjoy the food and drink, flitting about as the consummate host and reconnecting with her network. Indeed, WeirFoulds had been trying to get this popular shindig going again since it was last held in February 2020, to m...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. It was easy to go home because we had to. Now, how do we get people to want to come back? In 2019, less than 6% of American workers worked primarily from home. Then COVID hit, and by May 2020, 35% of workers worked completely remotely, as high as 57% among professional and management occupations. Now, business leaders want people back in the office . Without in-person workplace interactions, leaders see workers missing out on building vital connections that facilitate collaboration and innovation and the soft skills gained by interacting with people at various levels within the company. But according to Pew research , 61% of remote workers say they work from home because they prefer to. Among knowledge workers unsatisfied with their current workplace flexibility, 71% said they were open to finding another job in the oncoming year. Demanding workers come back will drive quit rates and turn off new t...

U.S. consumer confidence eased further in November amid persistent worries about the rising cost of living, a survey showed on Tuesday. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index fell to 100.2 this month from 102.2 in October. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 100.0. Still, the index remains above its COVID-19 pandemic lows. It places more emphasis on the labor market, which remains tight. Consumers’ 12-month inflation expectations increased to 7.2 per cent from 6.9 per cent last month. “Inflation expectations increased to their highest level since July, with both gas and food prices as the main culprits,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board in Washington. “The combination of inflation and interest rate hikes will continue to pose challenges to confidence and economic growth into early 2023.” https://www.tausiinsider.com/u-s-consumer-confidence-slips-in-november-inflation-expectations-rise/?feed_id=33...

Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against COVID-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus. Eagle-eyed users spotted the change Monday night, noting that a one-sentence update had been made to Twitter’s online rules: “Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.” By Tuesday, some Twitter accounts were testing the new boundaries and celebrating the platform’s hands-off approach, which comes after Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk. “This policy was used to silence people across the world who questioned the media narrative surrounding the virus and treatment options,” tweeted Dr. Simone Gold, a physician and leading purveyor of COVID-19 misinformation. “A win for free speech and medical freedom!” Twitter’s decision to no longer remove false claims about the safety of CO...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has pulled its emergency authorization of a COVID-19 antibody co-developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and Vancouver’s AbCellera Biologics Inc. ABCL-Q after determining the drug, called bebtelovimab, is not expected to neutralize the two latest subvariants of the virus’s dominant Omicron strain. The announcement Wednesday takes away authorization from the last COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment, leaving antiviral drugs from Pfizer, Merck and Gilead Sciences as treatments for the disease, as well as convalescent plasma for some patients. AstraZeneca’s antibody Evusheld is also authorized for protection against COVID-19 infection in some people. It is a setback for AbCellera, as its share of royalties from bebtelovimab, which is marketed by Eli Lilly, accounted for 92 per cent of the Canadian company’s US$101-million third-quarter revenue. Its stock fell by 3.7 per cent Wednesday. Eli Lilly and its distributors have paused commercial distribution of...

Pfizer Inc PFE-N and Clear Creek Bio Inc on Tuesday announced a collaboration to identify a potential drug candidate and develop a new class of oral treatment against COVID-19, as Pfizer seeks to expand its anti-infective pipeline. Charlotte Allerton, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, said COVID-19 has “the potential to remain a global health concern for years to come.” Pfizer already has a COVID-19 antiviral pill Paxlovid, which the drugmaker expects to generate about $22-billion in revenue this year. Pfizer has been making various deals to boost its portfolio. This year, it has announced acquisitions of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co and Global Blood Therapeutics for $11.6-billion and $5.4-billion, respectively, and also launched a company with Roivant Sciences focused on an experimental bowel disease treatment. Under the agreement with Clear Creek Bio, the pharmaceutical giant will pay an undisclosed amount upfront as well as make additional milestone payments along with roya...

A Florida pastor and his son are accused of doing some very unholy things. Earlier this morning, Pastor Evan Edwards and his son Josh, 30, were arrested for bilking taxpayers of $8 million in a COVID-19 relief scam. Police made the arrest at the Edwards's home in New Smyrna Beach. The elder Evans was seen being pushed in a wheelchair. A Florida pastor and his son have been arrested on charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Disney World. https://t.co/fwvoPoz7XX — NBC News (@NBCNews) December 14, 2022 The Edwards are Christian missionaries from Canada who moved to Florida in 2019. They ran an organization called ASLAN International Ministry. According to an indictment unsealed today , Josh Edwards "submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application" on behalf of ASLAN International Ministry for $6 million, claiming their ministry had "average monthly ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. It has been an unprecedented few years for brick-and-mortar retailers, but in 2022, physical stores have started to bounce back. In October, nationwide foot traffic to shopping centers was up more than 18% from two years ago. Meanwhile, 54% of consumers prefer brick-and-mortar retail to any other channel, suggesting that people still love going to physical stores. There are bright spots for retailers, but it is important to note that while in-store shopping has surged, the industry has evolved since the pre-pandemic era. Recent consumer habits and preferences that emerged during the pandemic appear to be here to stay. Let's explore these in more detail. Related: As Inflation Soars, Consumers Want More Rewards and Shopping Incentives. Here's How to Give Them What They Want A lot of retail journeys start online but end in store According to Google , searches for "open now near me" h...

Nuclear fusion, infectious diseases and an incredible new space telescope were ongoing stories in 2022, but what were some of the other big scientific developments, discoveries and events of the year? Technology 16 December 2022 ...

Artificial intelligence that analyses the sound of a cough to detect covid-19 had been reported to be 99 per cent accurate, but a comprehensive analysis shows it’s only about 60 per cent accurate Technology 3 January 2023 ...