The Daily Populous

Thursday July 18th, 2019 night edition

image for The food you buy really is shrinking

According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics, 2,529 products on supermarket shelves decreased in size or weight in the five years between 2012 and 2017.

All around you, all the time, many consumer products are growing lighter, thinner, less substantial – all while maintaining the same price.

The answers lie not only in rising costs of commodities, but also in certain peculiarities of human perception and some unsettling trends in business.

While most people will react to the “shrinkflation” of the products they buy each week with momentary outrage, some go further – they remember.

“One of the earliest examples I saw of downsizing, growing up as a kid, was coffee,” Dworsky recalls.

Would Dworsky prefer it if companies came right out and just raised the price, rather than playing these games? »

City hopes ‘Baby Shark’ song will drive homeless away

Authored by apnews.com

West Palm Beach parks and recreation director Leah Rockwell tells the Palm Beach Post they’re trying to discourage people from sleeping outside the glass-walled Waterfront Lake Pavilion, which she says rakes in some $240,000 annually from events.

The loop of “Baby Shark” and “Raining Tacos” is a temporary fix to keep homeless people off the patio.

Rockwell says the city wants to formalize hours for the facility, which should make trespassing laws easier to enforce. »

Germany introducing mandatory measles vaccination for kids

Authored by apnews.com
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BERLIN (AP) — The German government is proposing a measure to make measles vaccinations mandatory for children and employees of kindergartens and schools.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet approved the plan Wednesday, noting the number of measles infections has risen significantly in recent years.

The German news agency dpa reports that while 543 cases of measles were registered in Germany last year, there have been more than 400 cases this year already. »

Rand Paul blocks Senate from approving 9/11 victim compensation fund

Authored by thehill.com
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to pass an extension of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

But Paul objected, pointing to the country's growing debt and arguing that any new spending should be offset by cuts to other spending.

A spokesperson for Paul later told The Hill that Paul "is not blocking anything," adding that he is "simply seeking to pay for it.". »