Category: Food and Drinks

In 2018, a government-funded study estimated that Canada’s total consumption of cannabis was approximately 926,000 kg per year or 77,000 kg monthly.

Health Canada reports that licensed producers in June 2018 sold 2,151 kg of dry cannabis and 4,652 liters of cannabis oil. This represents approximately nine percent of the national demand.

Comparatively, in June 2019, legal medical and recreational sales totaled 9,976 kg of dry oil and 9,614 liters. This is about 26 percent of the market.

Legal sales have almost tripled. Illegal sales still dominate.

Volumes of dry (kilograms) and oil (lCanada’sproducts sold each month. Authored from Health Canada data. Michael Armstrong

By contrast, StatIt seemsStatIt’sseems more optimistic. In its surveys, StatCan asks users if they have purchased at least some legal cannabis. This number was estimated at 47 JulypeJuly’s, or 2,5 million Canadians, for the first three months of 2019. This is a sharp increase from 23%, or 954,000 people in the first quarter of 2018.

Unfortunately, these estimates aren’t very plausible. In March 2018, Health Canada’s 296 702 registered patients were the only ones who could buy cannabis legally. Just Canada132,975Canada’s did. StatCan’s estimations are, therefore, three to seven times too high.

While survey respondents reported buying legally, the majority didn’t.

Growing Pains

A lack of retailers is one reason why legal sales haven’t performed better in certain regions. British Columbia and Ontario opened stores at a slower pace.

The biggest problem has been the shortage of products. Although there is plenty of oil, the producers have not processed sufficient dry products. Legal foods, drinks and vapes, as well as lotions, are not yet available.

Read more: Canada’s legalization of weed edibles is another global social experiment.

Those shortages are predictable side effects of the government’s legalization strategy. It chose a regulated pharmaceutical approach, rather than the more hands-off approach many U.S. states have used.

This hands-off approach, however, has some drawbacks. Ex-black-market producers don’t always prioritize consumer safety. Some are allegedly fake and aren’t product lab tested.

Social conservativesCanada is also concerned about the minimal government supervision. Nearly 80 percent of California cities have banned sStatCan’snsed marijuana shops.

The pharmaceutical approach is not without its drawbacks. Existing grow-ops are not allowed to becomedidn’t because of strict standards. They remain illegal, and they underchaven’tprices of legal producers.

While legal producers are building facilities and gaining experience, they need time. This almost ensures initial product shortages.

The feds’ heavy-handed approach is understandable. Should not be denying the limitations of this approach.

The new Australian dietary recommendations from the NHMRC recommend eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer refined cereals. They also suggest eating less red meat, starchy vegetables, and refined grains (unless you’re a young woman) and reducing food high in sugar or salt.

The new guidelines are a reminder to us to continue to resist the temptation to eat processed foods.

Following these guidelines is good not only for our health but also for the environment. This may motivate us to make better food choices.

Rubbish in, rubbish out

Packaging is usually a big part of highly processed foods. Avoid foods that come in packets because they are more likely than not to contain salt, sugar, and fat. You can choose foods that do not need packaging, such as fruit and nuts. This is good for your body and the planet.

We help the environment, our budget, and ourselves when we choose to drink tap water instead of a soft drink can. Plastic bottles are used for soft drinks, juices, and iced water. These bottles can be recycled but are often disposed of in a way that is harmful to the environment.

Most of our waste is made up of food containers and packaging. In the best-case scenario, our packaging for food and drinks ends up in municipal landfills, where it is the biggest component. In the worst-case scenario, these items will float down rivers and out into the sea, where they will pollute our environment and endanger our wildlife.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or trash vortex, is one of the biggest environmental concerns for the 21st century. The garbage created by modern societies makes its way to the ocean, where currents have gathered it into a giant ball of plastic as big as Australia and growing.

Turtles, birds, and fish that ingest plastic in the ocean are at risk. They are unable to distinguish between organic and inorganic debris and have evolved to eat anything that floats on the ocean surface.

They can die from starvation if their bodies are filled with plastic. Even if they do survive, the trash they have consumed contains toxic substances and other pollutants.

Red meat is not green.

The NHMRC also recommends reducing red meat consumption. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by lowering your cholesterol.

In both their gaseous (methane), and solid (nitrous oxide) forms, cattle produce a large amount of greenhouse gases. A UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report from 2006 showed that livestock farming worldwide generates more greenhouse gasses than all cars, trains and planes combined.

The production of meat contributes to deforestation worldwide, which is a significant contributor to climate change. This occurs because the vegetation that stores carbon is removed. In Australia, cows contribute to soil compaction that is not able to handle hoofed animals. In many places, cattle pollute streams and cause erosion. Environmentalists often see reducing the amount of meat we consume as a green option.

A healthy family and environment can be achieved by eating fresh, whole foods purchased in reusable bags. It is great to know that these noble goals don’t conflict. If you don’t want to change your diet for yourself, then do it for the sake of the planet.

The Earth’s crust contains arsenic, a naturally occurring substance. Arsenic exposure, which is often caused by contaminated water and food, can have a variety of negative health effects, including cancer.

Arsenic is a serious public health problem. According to a 2020 study, arsenic contamination in drinking water is affecting up to 200,000,000 people worldwide. This level of exposure exceeds the HTML1 limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (10 parts per billion HTML1). Over 70 countries have been affected. These include the United States of America, Spain, Mexico and other countries such as India, China, Canada.

We believe that arsenic is a public health problem in many countries. This issue requires immediate action. We are studying the way arsenic exposure can cause cancer by forming cancer stem cells.

In the U.S., communities of color are disproportionately affected by arsenic contamination in their water.

Food and water contamination with arsenic

The body can absorb arsenic through several routes, including inhalation, skin contact, and other methods. The most common way to get arsenic is by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food.

Those who live in areas where arsenic levels are naturally high in soil and water, or have a natural tendency to be higher are at heightened risk. For example, in the United States, this includes the Southwest, including Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Human Activities like mining and agriculture may also cause arsenic to be present in water and food sources.

Arsenic is also found in foods and drinks, as well as rice. Consumer Reports investigated in 2019 and found that certain brands of bottled waters sold across the U.S. had arsenic levels that exceeded the legal limits. Multiple studies also revealed that arsenic levels in some popular brands of baby food were much higher than legal limits.

Cancer stem cells and arsenic

Arsenic exposure can increase the risk of multiple cancers.

Arsenic’s cancer-causing mechanisms are complex and still not fully understood. Research suggests arsenic may damage DNA, interfere with cell signaling pathways, and affect the immune system. All of these can lead to cancer.

The left image shows normal ovarian epithelial cell growth. The cells on the right are shown after three weeks of chronic exposure to arsenic at 75 parts per trillion. Cristina M. Andrade Feraud/Azzam Laboratory, FIU, CC-BY-NC-ND

Scientists also link chronic exposure to arsenic with the development of tumor stem cells. They are believed to be the cells responsible for spreading and growing cancer. Cancer stem cells, like normal stem cells within the body, can be transformed into a variety of different cell types. Unknown is the stage at which a stem cell acquires a genetic mutation that changes it into a cancerous stem cell.

The goal of our research is to determine which type of cells arsenic targets in order to form cancer stem cells. We use cell cultures from the same organ at different stages of development to investigate how the origins and characteristics of the cells influence the formation of cancerous stem cells.

To reduce the health effects of arsenic, it is important to prevent chronic arsenic. It is necessary to conduct further research to better understand the formation of cancer stem cells by arsenic and to develop effective prevention strategies. Until then, monitoring and regulating this toxic metal found in water and food sources can help improve the health and wellbeing of the affected communities.

Roman Tragedies strip Shakespeare’s plays off everything except their political content. This decidedly theatrical and at times chaotic, production focuses on the power struggle that started in the Roman Republic’s broader political arena and led to the bloody creation of the Roman Empire.

The interpolation of filmed scenes, mostly related to war and bloodshed with some junk food and beverage adverts, footage taken from the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and footage taken from the upcoming South Australian State Government election was part of this.

The English subtitles translated the plays backwards from the vernacular Dutch of the performance, which was a contemporary language, into a clear, but mostly prosaic, English. The audience tweeted and sent in real-time news.

A live percussion group, mostly composed of drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments, created psyche-piercing commentary at certain dramatic moments. Onstage cameras recorded and sometimes chased the action. This was then live-streamed to the audience.

At crucial moments, close-ups of the principal actors were streamed on these large screens while they were actually saying their lines.

Tony Lewis/Adelaide Festival

A flawless performance

The majority of Toneelgroep players were outstanding. The majority of performances, whether judged individually or in ensembles, were flawless.

Frieda Pittoors’s performance as Volumnia was brilliantly controlled, understated, and convincing. She is a mother who has intentionally shaped Coriolanus into a war machine. Gijs Scholten Van Aschat, who played Coriolanus, was a standout performer. Hans Kesting as Antony received a rapturous response from the audience.

Three tragedies

The Toneelgroep Amsterdam’s production of Coriolanus begins with the play. This is because the Toneelgroep Amsterdam prefers to follow the historical timeline in the depiction of events. The order of the three tragedies could have provided more information about how each play evoked and indirectly commented on events and power struggles affecting Shakespeare and the Elizabethan England contemporaries.

Coriolanus is an exploration of life and death for the tragically prideful and inflexible Roman general, Gaius Marcius. (Martius according to Shakespeare). Coriolanus may be the ShakPittoors’say that concentrates most on one character, even more so than Hamlet.

This production does a good job of handling the relationship between Coriolanus’ mother Volumnia and Coriolanus, while avoiding many of the excesses that come with a strictly Freudian interpretation.

Julius Caesar follows Coriolanus, which depicts the conspiracies against agAmsterdam’sr, assassination of Caesar and his aftermath.

It is also beautifully and compellingly performed, especially when his fellow politicians decide to “remove”, the Caesar, in order to maintain their democracy. The first two plays of the Toneelgroep’s production are excellent examples of Shakespearean tragedy.

The final Roman Tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra, had some highlights.

Casting Octavius as a young, blonde woman who is tough and composed was a brilliant choice. Roman Tragedies has lost me with Antony and Cleopatra.

Tony Lewis/Adelaide Festival

Cleopatra’s gravitas, and the potentially deadly power she possessed, were compromised, in my opinion, by her coquettish deportment and highly mannered performaCoriolanus’was not the behavior of a tragic heroine. She seemed to lose her dignity when she screamed at the loss of her son like a banshee.

It is not a good idea to make fun of Shakespeare’s tragedies. It was a travesty to portray Antony’s wife Octavia, whom he marries out of strategic reasons, as a gum-chewing, dimwitted ingenue.

It was the director’s”fault “hat the two leading roles were portrayed almost in a soap operatic manner. ShakToneelgroep’sgic hero is always someone of high status, and he or she is brought low by both his or her tragic flaws as well as by fate. This production reduced Antony and Cleopatra to (almost?) a celebrity power couple relationship, similar to Francois Hollande’s and Valerie Trierweiler’s. The 24-hour news cycle mCleopatra’s worked up until this point.

This representation of Antony & Cleopatra may be the ultimate reductiontio absurdum to the dominant news-cycle analogy of the Roman tragedies.

 

Health Canada is responsible for producer licenses, package design, and medical cannabis sales.

Cannabis retailing, like alcohol, is regulated by the province. In Ontario, a provincial agency is responsible for wholesale and online sales. One agency is responsible for retail licenses and employee qualification.

Preventing defects

This regulatory approach focuses on conformance with rules and specifications. conformance is important to prevent consumer harm and product defects.

Cannabis producers, for example, must adhere to Health Canada’s Guidelines for Good Production Practices. These include testing to ensure products don’t contain pesticides or mould, but do contain the promised levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

This testing will help make legal products more reliable than those sold on the black market. users have reported that their legal, moderately-strength products give the same high they get from their illegal, high-strength ones. Some illicit suppliers overstate the attributes of their products. They know that they will not be tested.

Read more: Scarce retail weed shops means most Canadians still use black market pot

Health Canada also requires producers and distributors to track all their cannabis . Each month they must report the amounts harvested, processed, or sold.

Many organizations go beyond these legal minimums. Retailers, for example, are not required to test their products. Quebec’s cannabis agency, however, tests ten products per supplier every month to verify their content.

Some producers have also adopted ISO 9000 , which is an international quality standard. others have formed cannabis industry association.

Growing from Cuttings

To ensure consistency, producers do other things. Most grow plants from cuttings instead of seeds. It helps the plants to match their “mother”‘s traits.

Indoor growing also helps to improve consistency. Indoor growing is more expensive than open fields or greenhouses, but you have more control over the conditions.

Producers must strive to deliver high-quality cannabis while also focusing on science. Esteban Lopez/Unsplash

Problems can still occur despite all efforts. Since October, 13 cannabis-based products have been recalled by producers. Some products had errors on the label. Others were mold contamination, inadequate THC, and unlicensed products.

Health Canada urges users to report any side effects that they may experience as a result of cannabis use.

Consumers want to gain benefits as well. Consumers also want to benefit.

Designing products

Producers must, therefore, design products that satisfy and delight customers. It’s difficult to ensure design of high quality. consumer preferences are diverse, and there are many product design options.

Cannabis dried for smoking is the most basic form of cannabis product. Even this requires a lot of decisions. The producers must choose plant varieties and grow conditions that produce top shelf flowers. They must decide whether they want to sell their product as pre-rolled joints, dried flowers or filter-tipped “cigarettes”.

The process of extracting oils and other extracts begins with dried plants. Oils can also be blended, purified and diluted to create many formulations.

The ingredients in cannabis drinks, foods, and lotions are a combination of extracts and other ingredients. Should cannabis-infused drinks taste like cannabis or something else? They should be spicy, sweet, salty, or sour.

Create experiences

Cannabis is a drug, and the quality of its effects is also important. Cannabis producers clearly design tangible goods. They might adapt concepts related to “experiential services” like entertainment. What kind of experience should they provide to the consumer?

Recreational users are looking for pleasant effects that range from mild relaxation to strong highs. They also pay attention to the aroma of cannabis when smoking it.

Medical users, on the other hand, need specific treatment. Most of these consumers prefer cannabis oil. These oils allow for more precise dosages, and they avoid the harmful effects of smoking.

As producers gain more experience, they may experiment with the formulations of cannabis products. What are the best combinations of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids for recreational highs? Which cannabinoids provide the best medical relief?

There are already some experiments underway for beverages. The buzz from traditional cannabis drinks is much slower to arrive and fade than alcohol. In response, companies are developing drinks with faster onset times. These beverages will be better suited to “social drinking”.

Extra challenges

Scientific research is a challenge for product designers. Cannabis contains THC and CBD, as well as many other chemicals that are still not fully understood. At first, you will need to do a lot of trial and error.

The regulatory challenges are also significant. Producers are designing edibles such as sugars and cannabis chocolates but can’t test these with consumers until October. It is not yet possible to use product feedback methods like tasting panels.

Designers must also consider the inherent contradictions of public policy. Legal cannabis products need to be attractive enough to attract existing users from illegal suppliers. They shouldn’t be so appealing as to attract new users or cause pets or children to accidentally ingest them.

After the firestorm has passed, the risks to health remain. These include physical and chemical hazards associated with damaged structures, contaminated air, food and water, and the well-documented risks to mental health and well-being.

Prepare to return

Burnt property can pose many hazards. It is important to be prepared and cautious when returning.

Check if emergency services have declared a region safe for residents to return to and seek advice. Most jurisdictions have resources that are relevant to their region. The Western Australian Department of Fires and Emergency Services offers extensive information.

Wear a disposable face mask when entering a property that has been affected by fire for the first. Also, wear heavy duty gloves and overalls with long sleeves. Face masks “P2”, available at hardware stores, are the best to use. Paper dust masks and handkerchiefs are not effective in filtering out very fine dust particles, asbestos fibres or other hazards. Bring enough plastic bags to hold dirty clothes, which you should remove before entering the vehicle.

Gas cylinders and garden chemicals can also be hazardous, as well as cleaning products, gas cylinders and other burned residues.

Air quality

Smoke may be present from recent fires, or smouldering local debris. Smoke can be toxic and worsen lung and heart problems in some people. Children, unborn babies, smokers, and those with lung and heart diseases, including asthma, are at the greatest risk.

Portable generators can also cause air pollution. They should only be used in areas that are well ventilated to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

It is likely that houses, whether or not they have been damaged by fire, will have experienced a period of time without power. Dean Lewins

Food and Water Safety

It is likely that houses, whether or not they have been damaged by fire, will have experienced a period of time without electricity. Food that has been thawed or warmed up should be thrown away. Food, drinks, or medicines that are damaged by heat, smoke, and water should also be thrown out.

It is safe to use rainwater if the tanks are intact, and there are no unusual smells, tastes or looks. However, it is wise to boil the untreated water. If firefighting foams, animal carcasses or other contaminants have contaminated the water in a rainwater tank, it should be drained out and replaced with fresh water. Also, it’s important to clean the roof of any carcasses or other contaminants which could end up in the rainwater tank.

Personal Impacts

Children and adults can both be affected by the psychological trauma caused by a fire. They may be grieving for many different losses. This could include friends, neighbors, animals, and livestock who have died or been injured in the fire. It’s also possible that they are grieving over the loss of personal items and treasured possessions.

Although most people recover from a traumatic event, some may experience long-lasting emotional effects, including depression, anxiety and anger. Other symptoms include fatigue, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may find that they are no longer able to live in the surroundings they once loved and have to move away.

Read more: The age of solastalgia

The onset of mental health issues can sometimes be delayed months and even years after the event. Help from a counselor or family doctor can manage and reduce these impacts. Involvement in community activities and social connections can help promote resilience and be protective.

After a bushfire, it’s important to remember that post-traumatic anxiety has a positive counterpart called post-traumatic growth. This can help individuals and communities become more resilient and stronger.

Rebuilding community centres and restoring community services and activities as quickly as possible is key to helping individuals and community recover. Firefighters will, therefore, prioritise the protection of assets in communities.

Support from the community is vital

It can be dangerous and traumatizing to return to areas affected by fire. Residents should prepare and equip themselves for potential hazards and seek the advice of appropriate authorities, such as local councils, emergency services and public health agencies.

For a person to feel less affected by the psychological and personal effects, it is important to maintain social relationships and receive community support. The support must continue even after the media has forgotten about the tragedy.

This work has already started in the affected communities of NSW and Victoria. Meetings are being held to begin the process of rebuilding communities and lives.

The festivities begin in the evening of October 31 and conclude on November 2. It is believed that spirits of the dead can reenter our world for a brief moment during this time. In homes, altars are made where photos and other items that evoke the memory of the deceased are displayed. Flowers, incense and images of saints are among the offerings made to the dead. Crucifixes, favorite foods, and images of saints can also be included. Families gather at cemeteries for a meal not only with the dead but also among them. Different cultures have similar traditions.

We believe, as scholars of death and rituals of mourning, that Dia de los Muertos is most likely related to ancient Aztec feasts. They honor the memory and continuity of generations by celebrating the reunion of those who have gone before.

While Western societies, especially the United States, are moving away the direct experience of a griever the rites, customs, and traditions of other cultures can offer valuable lessons.

Loss of Rituals

In the U.S., and in Europe as a whole, funerals were conducted in the home until the early 20th century. In some cases, the dying person will organize elaborate and stylized deathbed rites in advance of their death. According to French historian Philippe Aries, death rituals in the Western world declined between the 18th century and the 19th century.

The fear of death, and even the dead body, increased. The funeral business took over care of the dead as medical advances advanced. Death was increasingly hidden from the public eye. Death became frightening and threatening.

As morticians and scholars have noted, the American culture today lacks many of the formal mourning rituals which help people cope with loss.

Ancient cultures have their own traditions

The mourning customs of older cultures, on the other hand, prescribed specific patterns of behavior to facilitate the public expressions of grief and provide support for bereaved people. They also emphasized the importance of maintaining personal bonds with deceased relatives.

According to Aries, the Middle Ages were a time when death was a ritual that took place in public. The ritual included specific preparations and the presence of friends, family and neighbors as well as food, drink, music and games. These customs were social in nature, and they kept death “tame”, by enacting familiar ceremonies which comforted the mourners.

In contrast to the modern focus on controlling emotions and keeping grievance private, grief was expressed in a cathartic way.

In many cultures, the expression of emotions was not only expected but also performed in a ceremonial way. This can be seen as ritualized weeping and shrieking. The ancient Celts, for example, had a tradition of “death wail” which allowed grieving people to express themselves. Today, they are still practiced by various indigenous groups in Africa, South America and Asia, as well as Australia.

Two women of the Manobo/Dulangan tribe from Mindanao in the Philippines sing a song for the dead.

The traditional Irish and Scottish practice of ” wailing” or loudly weeping for the dead was also a vocal expression of mourning. These expressions of grief were powerful ways to express the impact that individual losses have on the community. Mourning became public and shared.

Since antiquity, and in parts of Europe up until recent times, it was common for professional women mourners to be hired by funeral directors to perform highly emotional laments.

These customs were part of a larger tradition of mourning that separated the dead from the living world and symbolised the transition into the afterlife.

Rituals for celebration

The dead were also honored through carnival-like celebrations. The dead were celebrated with elaborate feasts and games in ancient Greeks or Romans cultures.

Many cultures still practice these practices. In Ethiopia, the Dorze ethnic group sings and dances before, during, and after funerary rituals as part of communal ceremonies to defeat death and vindicate the deceased.

The Nyakyusa burial tradition, which is not far away in Tanzania, begins with wailing and then includes feasts. The participants are also required to dance at the funeral and flirt with each other in order to confront death by affirming life.

The Irish tradition of ” Merry Wake” is a mix of Mourning and Celebration, which honors the dead. In New Orleans, the African-American “jazz funeral” procession also combines sadness and celebration, as the solemn march for the deceased is transformed into music, dance and a party atmosphere.

This sentiment is further reinforced by the image of a high-profile West African soccer star, who represents the masculine ideal, that of an adult man capable of supporting his family and community financially. These images are widely circulated, but they mask the harsh reality. Only a small fraction of the thousands of young footballers who want to play professionally abroad will ever get the chance.

Only a select few of those lucky ones make it to the top clubs in Western Europe. Most of them play on the fringes of European Football, in obscure locations like the lower division clubs of Poland. These small clubs are mostly located in rural areas.

After overcoming marginality once, these footballers are now in another marginal situation. The footballers thought that reaching Europe was the end of their struggle, but they are now faced with low wages, isolation, lack of exposure, and a meager prospect of athletic advancement.

The wage for lower divisions depends on the region and the duration of the stay of the West African player. Some players earn the equivalent to an average Polish wage, which is around $1070 per month. Others get less, or play for free, and receive only small bonuses for winning games. Some players have to find other sources of income in order to supplement their meager football salaries. Some clubs offer them flats or rooms of a basic standard.

The clubs in the lower divisions usually train twice or three times per week. The training usually occurs in the late afternoon or evening because Polish footballers who play in lower divisions are often at work or studying during the day. West African footballers are known to do extra sessions of training on their own initiative. They run, do exercises in gyms, and practice drills.

Poland as a Case Study

Around 100 West African footballers play in the lower divisions of Polish football. They stay optimistic and believe that the hardships they are experiencing are temporary. In the hopes of a more lucrative career elsewhere, these people remain positive. In reality, this rarely happens.

During my 18-month fieldwork, I was able to observe the process and the less glamorous sides of football in Poland’s lower division clubs.

Only two West African footballers from the lower leagues of Polish football have been able to secure a contract with a higher division in more than a decade. A Burkinabe striker Prejuce Nkoulma spent eight years in Poland playing in all levels of Polish football, before moving to the Turkish Super League. Robert Ndip Tambe played only half a season in the Polish fourth division. This Cameroonian impressed managers and scouts enough to land a contract in Slovakia’s top division.

Players become increasingly frustrated as they realise that it is impossible to escape marginalization in Polish football. The players then seek alternatives and often move to places where there are West African diaspora communities. Warsaw is the capital of Poland and has the largest cultural diversity.

Why Warsaw is such a magnet

West African migrants in Warsaw are a small, dispersed community. However, one place in the capital is very important for them. The PolBlack informal community club has formed on a public artificial pitch in one of the city parks.

PolBlack has a very good organisation. The club has an elected leader, rules to follow, and fines or suspensions if they don’t. West African migrants and other footballers meet regularly to train, play informal games and take part in more organized football events such as matches between Anglophones or Francophones.

The park is not only a place where West Africans from all walks of life gather to socialise and celebrate special occasions, but also conduct business. The park is also a place where West Africans of all trades gather to socialise, celebrate important occasions and conduct business.

The photos I took on my field research show the lives of players, and the park where they gather – those who have given it up to become professional athletes as well as the ones who still harbor hope.

Southern Poland in Winter 2015. Pawel Banas/GLOBALSPORT

Austin and Nelson, two Cameroonian players, stand in front of their “home,” which they shared in a village south of Poland with three Brazilians and two Cameroonians during the 2014/2015 football season. The building is an old tavern, which was converted into a home.

Poland, Cracow region, Spring 2016. Pawel Banas/GLOBALSPORT

A football match in the fourth division of Poland. In Poland, the attendance at lower-tier football games rarely exceeds 100.

Cracow, Poland, Spring 2016. Pawel Banas/GLOBALSPORT

Oyeniyi is a Nigerian 20-year-old forward who celebrates his goal during a home match in the fourth division.

Central Poland Spring 2016.

The attic apartment in which a West African footballer lives. The fifth division club pays for the rent. In lower divisions, it is common for clubs to only pay meager salaries but offer basic housing to their West African player.

An economist will say that the existence of secondary markets – where tickets can be resold again – indicates a lack of supply, a low price, or both.

For example, event promoters are encouraged to sell as many tickets as possible in order to profit from the sale of concession stand items such as food, beverages, and other concessions. They are then compelled to set ticket prices low.

Scalpers profit from such situations as they have the opportunity to arbitrage (make a profit by buying and selling something), which would not exist in a world with tickets that are plentiful and priced according to demand.

Read more: Coming soon to a cinema near you? Ticket prices shaped by demand.

Online reselling platforms also put upward pressure on prices by making tickets easier to resell, while simultaneously allowing ticketing companies to double dip on commissions and booking fees. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking ticket re-seller Viagogo to the Federal Court, alleging the company engaged in deceptive pricing.

Some Australian States have passed legislation that limits the price at which tickets can be resold. However, policymakers and promoters are still struggling to keep pace with technological advances. These make scalping easier than ever.

Why does scalping occur?

Economists are puzzled by the continued existence of the scalping and resale market. Why do ticket prices remain so low if tickets for major events are undervalued to the extent that a whole industry is based on their resale?

The event promoters may be risk-averse and prefer the certainty of selling out to the uncertainty of ticket prices that could potentially be too high.

This is in line with studies that show that people prefer events to be held at venues where they are packed, rather than a venue with a small number of attendees. This encourages event promoters, as other people influence the demand for tickets.

It is also possible to have the idealistic belief that fairness will prevent event promoters setting too high prices. This idea is often expressed in the media that tickets should be in the hands “true fans”.

The pros and cons to scalping and reselling

There is a case to be made that ticket-scalping actually benefits concertgoers and sports fans. Scalpers distribute tickets only to those who are most interested in them, or as economists would say, increase the allocation efficiency on the market.

Secondary Markets for Tickets allows potential buyers to express how much they are willing to pay to attend the event. Tickets can be purchased at a fixed price, but only if they are first-come-first served. This will leave out some people. These secondary markets allow for these mutually beneficial exchanges.

Online platforms that allow you to buy and sell tickets actually increase the efficiency of allocation. The platforms provide buyers and sellers with an ever-increasing amount of information. They also reduce the time and costs associated with purchasing each resold Ticket (known as Transaction Costs).

Read more: London Olympics tickets: will the poor get through the door?

But scalping and secondary ticket markets are not without their downsides. Enterprising scalpers may be encouraged to buy up large proportions of available tickets in order to maximise their profits.

has shown that this “rent-seeking” can reduce (or even eliminate) any gains made in allocation efficiency.

It is also a question of fairness and whether ” true supporters” are priced out of seeing their favorite team or performer. Then there’s the fact that scalpers steal profits from the artists, performers or sporting personalities who are on display.

What can be done to stop scalping?

The “pricing bots”, as demonstrated by Uber , a competitor to Taxi and soon to be available in some Australian Cinemas, can adjust prices based on consumer demand in real-time.

This technology would reduce the scalping of tickets by giving event promoters more control over pricing. As previously mentioned, some artists and groups are reluctant to raise prices. To combat this, they have taken a number of drastic measures.

Kid Rock has, for instance, embarked upon a series of ” US$20 best night ever ” tours. The name implies that almost all tickets at supermarkets and venues are priced at US$20. It is clever to make the ticket price transparent and clear up front in order to prevent tickets being sold over face value.

Kid Rock also tends to perform at the same venue. The total number of tickets available in a city increases, and the secondary market can offer a lower price for a ticket.

Read more: The economics behind Uber’s new pricing model

The Glastonbury music festival has begun printing pictures of the ticket purchaser on every ticket. This may ensure the purchaser of the key and the attendee are the same person. However, the high cost of administering such tight controls makes them viable to only the most profitable of events.

Harry Styles will play Sydney’s Enmore Theatre in the latter part of this year. A similar system is expected to be implemented. Before entering the venue, ticket holders will have to check in at a ” Check-in.”

Taylor Swift has announced to fans that they can “boost their place” in the virtual queue by taking part in Swift-related activities, such as watching her music videos or purchasing her music.

Swift’s stated objective to “get tickets into the hand of fans…NOT bots or scalpers” is admirable. However, many have viewed this as little more than an opportunistic money grab by her most loyal supporters.

These measures are likely to frustrate ticket scalpers more than they will deter them. Scalpers will continue to sell tickets at low prices as long as major events’ tickets are priced below market value.

The competitive online video games are known as esports. They bring excitement and competition to a world where traditional sporting events cannot. The global virtual audience for esports will surpass 700m in 2021, thanks to the explosion of popularity that occurred during COVID-19.

The hospitality and tourism industries suffered the opposite. The constant lockdowns resulted in a sharp drop and the near complete shutdown of tourism activities for many months.

The majority of professional sports matches and events took place behind closed doors. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, for example, received very little revenue because there were no tourists or fans attending the games.

A increase in spending on concessions, merchandise, parking, food and drink usually accompanies mega sporting events. Online viewership, however, only impacted travel plans and reservations to host cities.

Shouldn’t the hospitality sector be actively attracting fans of esports, given that the esports industry is growing rapidly and tourism has just begun to recover after lockdown? We wanted to see how the hospitality industry could convert esport fans into active tourists in our research. We conducted a survey of 549 fans of the competitive video game League of Legends and a 12-month study of active World of Warcraft gamers.

Fans, Esports and Live Events

The League of Legends 2021 world championship attracted over 4m online viewers. Even though online audiences were substantial, pre-pandemic, only a tiny fraction of the revenue was generated by ticket sales. This means that few fans would travel to attend live events.

Some areas have attracted large crowds. For example, Korea’s Sangam Stadium. The experience can be captivating for the spectators. The gameplay is shown on large immersive screens, which amplifies the tension and excitement in the crowd.

By not actively seeking out esports viewers, tourism and hospitality industries risk alienating an ever-growing global fanbase. The tourism and hospitality industry may lose out on the lucrative and attractive market.

Teams like Na’Vi, Alliance, T1, KT Rolster, OpTic and FaZe are fiercely competitive in League of Legends and Call of Duty. merchandise has become a big business in esports.

It is a great opportunity for cities to provide activities and events for those who attend competitive esports events. Consider, for instance, special teams-specific social spaces and fan zones to capitalize on the loyal followers. Fans who are die-hard will not miss these events because they bring excitement and passion to the sporting event.

Building excitement for events

Esports are experienced online in the form of a community. It is consumed largely without actual proximity to the other spectators.

A potential spectator will be more likely to travel alone or to hope to meet online friends for the first. Many people find it difficult to buy tickets and travel to an event.

local event provider can do more, however, by providing forums and discussion channels to build excitement and anticipation before the event. The online spaces could also be used to give fans advice on what to do and where to stay, making it easier to transition from the online world to the offline one.

Tourism needs to encourage online video game audiences to attend large live events in order to maximise the potential spending. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

The esports calendar is dominated primarily by the prestigious World Championship competitions, such as League of Legends, StarCraft II, and Crossfire. Smaller qualifiers or regional competitions are not as popular. They are usually only online.

Many fans find traveling internationally for competitions less attractive. Attending major sporting events can be expensive, especially for the younger audience of esports.

Local events can be a great way to introduce esports competitions in person for first-time spectators.

Star players are attracted to the game.

Esport salaries and prize money are increasing significantly. Prize money has been awarded to the winners of DOTA 2’s biggest esports events, totaling over $5 million (PS3.8million) .

By any measure, this makes them huge celebrities, and their presence at events can be an important draw for fans. The opportunity to meet and interact with stars is one-of-a-kind and should be included in the esports promotional strategy.

Organisers of events could provide additional opportunities for fans to watch players warm up and practice. The live event would be more valuable than watching it online.

Live events have not yet taken off as much as online viewing. If tourism and hospitality could attract even a fraction of the 700m online viewers for esports, this would be a new revenue stream that cities can benefit from.

Mega-esport competitions may become the biggest sporting events on the calendar. These events could fill entire stadiums, which would benefit hotels, bars, and shops as well as local tourism. Tourism is in decline everywhere as a result of the pandemic. The hospitality industry must be creative, find new opportunities such as esports, and entice massive audiences online to come and experience their passions on the ground.