Author: ovieoftoronto

A campaign to benefit the Calgary Food Bank will be getting some support from the red and white team this weekend. Ahead of Saturday's game between the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, players will take part in a challenge to stuff as many non-perishable food items into a bag as possible. The team will be working to benefit the Purolator Tackle Hunger Campaign, an effort they have supported for several years. “One of the most basic human needs is food, so this is a big issue that we have to continue to focus on,” defensive lineman James Vaughter…

“Our volunteers keep giving people hope,” says WayPoint's volunteer services coordinator. Anyone who doubts the power that volunteering can have on the lives of others need only look at Doug Jones in action. The volunteer has been singing and playing guitar for patients at Waypoint Mental Health Care Center in Penetanguishine on and off since 2018. More recently, he has been performing for inpatients at the Geriatric Psychiatry Horizons Program, a program for older adults diagnosed with mental illness and young people with dementia. “A lot of them can't communicate,” said Magdalena Stapinski, clinical manager for the Horizon program, “but…

AI-based language translation startup DeepL has spent millions of dollars it has raised on hiring, growing its headcount by about seven times in three years, in a bid to maintain its edge over well-funded tech giants.The German startup, which recently raised $300 million at a $2 billion valuation, is pioneering AI technology that's helping to create a world where language barriers are less of a problem. The company announced Wednesday that it's adding 165 countries to the market for its translation products, aimed at businesses in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.However, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta are all…

Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District became the largest school district in the country to approve a district-wide cell phone ban. While this is great news for teachers, it's not so great for many kids. Meanwhile, parents are torn between wanting their kids to learn without distractions and fearing they'll lose the constant, easy communication they've grown accustomed to. Everyone will have to learn to live without cell phones.High school hallways are filled with students with their heads bowed, not because they're engrossed in a book, but because their favorite influencer has posted a new video. Schools have…

Germany's top antitrust official warned on Wednesday that the rise of advanced artificial intelligence tools will act as a “prime accelerator” for anti-competitive behaviour by big tech companies. The warning from Germany's Federal Cartel Office chief Andreas Mundt comes as AI leaders such as Microsoft, Google and Nvidia face increased scrutiny from U.S. and European Union watchdogs over concerns they are exerting undue influence on the market. Mundt said powerful AI systems “will only make all the problems worse”, citing concerns that they will discourage users from shying away from the big tech companies' platforms and instead using alternative services.…

Article ContentsLondon Health Sciences Centre's budget deficit this year is $78.1 million, $2 million more than expected, the treasurer of the centre's board of directors said at its annual general meeting on Wednesday.John Leach told colleagues that the hospital had begun taking steps to reduce its budget shortfall “in recent weeks.””The road ahead is going to be tough,” said David Musiji, the hospital's new acting CEO amid major upheaval in leadership. “We will get through this together.”Article ContentsThe hospital's operating budget for 2024-25 is $1.6 billion, up from about $1.5 billion the previous year.The budget deficit is about $30 million…

The Pokémon brand has been used in all sorts of advertising and promotions in Japan, and now it's been linked to a new cafe that combines the best elements of summer, like fun on the beach and fun in the mountains. According to PR Times, they've partnered with Japanese cafe chain Pronto to offer several Pokémon-themed foods and drinks in a tasty new marketing ploy. Purchases will come with a card or keychain, so fans can enjoy something extra special with their dinners. These are just some of the products Pronto is offering to celebrate this season with Nintendo's pocket…

YYC Calgary International Airport is expecting a record number of travellers to board the plane this summer and has issued some tips to help passengers make their trip as smooth as possible. Last year, 62,700 passengers per day flew through YYC. YYC said it expects a record 64,000 passengers per day to visit the airport in July and August. During the pandemic, it saw 57,700 passengers per day. According to airport officials, some of the features available to YYC guests include an online reservation system to reserve parking in advance, an online reservation platform where travelers can reserve their spot…

Former 'Jackass' star Bam Margera pleads guilty in family altercation, gets six months probationWEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Former “Jackass” star Bam Margera will receive six months' probation after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct over an altercation at his suburban Philadelphia home on Wednesday. The guilty plea ends a misdemeanor assault case that began with a “scary and unpredictable” incident during a two-week trip home last year. Defense attorney William Brennan said Margera is now clean, sober and productive. He said Margera pleaded guilty to two summary charges. Jess Margera, who called her brother “a good guy when he wasn't…

(TNS) A bipartisan bill to help the struggling media industry by requiring Google and Facebook to pay news companies whose articles appear on their platforms faced its first test Tuesday night when it passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee on a 9-2 vote.If approved by the Senate and signed into law, Google and Facebook would be forced to agree to pay a negotiated lump sum annual fee to the news organization fund or enter into arbitration or mediation to negotiate a cut of their digital advertising revenues.”News organizations are downsizing and closing at an alarming rate,” Rep. Buffy Wicks, an…