A nanoscale copper architecture offers lithium more space to spread out throughout charging, minimizing the conditions that promote harmful dendrites. Idea illustration (AI-generated). Credit: KAIST
Scientists utilized nanoscale production methods from the semiconductor market to create a copper present collector that assists lithium develop uniformly throughout battery charging.
Electric automobiles might take a trip further on a single charge if their batteries might keep more energy without growing or much heavier. An appealing option, called an anode-free battery, gets rid of products such as graphite that generally save lithium throughout charging, conserving weight and area.
Lithium rather transfers straight onto thin copper foil, where duplicated charging and releasing can trigger it to develop unevenly into sharp, branching spikes called dendrites. The protective layer over the lithium likewise ends up being unsteady, decreasing battery efficiency and reducing its life-span.
Scientists in South Korea have actually obtained exact production methods from the semiconductor market to assist these batteries last longer. Their approach, revealed by KAIST on September 22, integrates tiny structures that disperse lithium more uniformly throughout the copper foil with an ultrathin finish that assists a long lasting protective layer type throughout usage.
When longer battery life includes weight
Some previous efforts to extend battery life have actually included including excess lithium to change what is lost throughout operation or covering the surface area with a thick protective movie. Both techniques make the battery much heavier and thicker, wearing down the size and weight benefits that anode-free styles are indicated to provide.
“This research study demonstrates how ultrafine fabrication strategies utilized in semiconductor production can produce both consistent websites for lithium deposition and a steady protective layer without altering the bulk electrolyte formula or including excess lithium,” stated Jinwoo Lee, a teacher in KAIST’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Lee led the research study with fellow KAIST teacher Hee-Tae Jung, working with scientists from Kyungpook National University and the National NanoFab. He anticipates the innovation to assist speed up the commercialization of high-energy anode-free batteries.
MXene assists develop a protective barrier
The group covered the copper foil with approximately 10 nanometers of MXene, a two-dimensional product made in very thin sheets. Rather of working as an ended up protective barrier, the MXene imitates a guide, collecting the elements required to develop one as the battery runs.
The research study group. (leading row, from left)Eunji Kim, PhD trainee (KAIST); Hyunju Jung, PhD trainee (KAIST); Jinuk Kim, PhD trainee(KAIST). (bottom row, from left)Jinwoo Lee, Professor(KAIST); Hee-Tae Jung, Professor(KAIST); Yonghee Lee, Professor (Kyungpook National University). Credit: KAIST
In the research study’s LiPF6-based electrolyte, the product that brings charged particles inside the battery, the MXene surface area motivated a protective layer abundant in lithium fluoride, or LiF, to form. That layer lowered undesirable responses in between lithium and the electrolyte while likewise reducing dendrite development.
Tiny tubes offer lithium more space
To manage how lithium deposits on the copper underneath the finishing, the scientists utilized secondary sputtering lithography, or SSL, a procedure utilized for exact micromachining in semiconductor production. They produced a selection of tiny tubes, each about 300 nanometers in size and 150 nanometers in height, that increased the readily available area to approximately 4 times that of flat copper foil. With more surface area offered, lithium might expand instead of concentrate in separated areas and turn into spikes.
The scientists analyzed electrode surface areas and random sample while decreasing direct exposure to air, validating that a nanoscale protective layer formed evenly along the MXene.
Utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and other methods to examine the chemistry and structure, they likewise recognized the system behind the layer’s development. The resulting security assists extend battery life with little extra weight or bulk, supporting the objective of smaller sized, lighter batteries for electrical automobiles.
Referral: “Anion-Interactive Anode Interfaces for Stable Anode-Free Lithium Metal Batteries” by Eunji Kim, Hyunju Jung, Jinuk Kim, Sung-Jin Chang, Gyungtae Kim, Yun Chang Park, Yoon Kyung Seo, Kyung Jin Park, Sodam Choi, Kwangduck Seo, Hee Han, Su-Ho Cho, Chi Won Ahn, Vy Thuy Nguyen, Hyeyoung Shin, Minji Lim, Hee-Tae Jung, Yonghee Lee and Jinwoo Lee, 1 September 2026, Advanced Functional Materials DOI: 10.1002/ adfm.77931
This research study was supported by the Nano&& Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) moneyed by Ministry of Science and ICT (RS-2026-25542167), in addition to the Global Semiconductor Advanced Fab Utilization Project through the National Nano Fab Center (NNFC). This work was likewise supported by Semiconductor-Secondary Battery Interfacing Platform Technology Development Project of NNFC.
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Two lutetium clocks have actually been compared to record accuracy, ending up being delicate sufficient to spot gravitational impacts throughout height distinctions of just a couple of millimeters. Credit: Shutterstock
Lutetium clocks have actually accomplished record precision and contrast accuracy, making them appealing prospects for future time requirements and measurements of gravity.
An atomic clock developed from the aspect lutetium at the Centre for Quantum Technologies(CQT )at the National University of Singapore (NUS)has actually set a brand-new criteria for timekeeping precision. Outcomes released in Nature on program that the clock determined its shift frequency to 19 decimal locations, yielding an unpredictability of 1 × 10 ⁻¹⁹, the most affordable reported for any optical atomic clock to date.
“I am positive that what we have now is the most precise clock in the world,”states group leader Murray Barrett, a CQT Principal Investigator and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore.
Lutetium’s resistance to temperature level swings
Atomic clocks keep time by locking onto an atomic shift, an occasion that happens when an atom’s electron swaps energy levels at a set frequency. A laser is tuned to match this “clock shift,” and the oscillations of its light mark time much as a pendulum’s swings do. In the CQT clock, that referral originates from a single electrically charged atom, or ion, of lutetium-176 ( ¹⁷⁶ Lu ⁺), whose shift is matched to a laser with a wavelength of 848 nanometers.
Temperature level modifications and electromagnetic fields can move the shift frequency an atomic clock utilizes to determine time, so scientists should represent those impacts when evaluating its precision. Lutetium’s clock shift is hardly impacted by either, offering the clock a referral that stays steady throughout a broader series of conditions.
“The great residential or commercial properties indicate that high precision can be accomplished even in a wide variety of environments,” Barrett states. “The lutetium clock would be steady even if you went from the most popular location taped in the world in Death Valley to the coldest location in the Antarctic plateau.”
The group started examining lutetium more than a years earlier, presuming that its residential or commercial properties might put it amongst the very best components for timekeeping. Turning that possibility into a working clock took years of accuracy engineering and measurements of the atom’s residential or commercial properties. The scientists likewise created an approach called “hyperfine averaging” to specify the clock shift. To their understanding, they stay the only group dealing with lutetium for timekeeping.
When millimeters alter a clock’s ticking
The scientists constructed 2 lutetium clocks and compared their ticking over 200 hours utilizing a method called connection spectroscopy. The clocks concurred within an unpredictability of 5.7 × 10 ⁻¹⁹, the most accurate clock contrast ever reported. Taking more measurements might decrease that unpredictability even more.
“There is an amusing stating that ‘A male with a watch understands what time it is. A guy with 2 watches is never ever sure,” states Kyle Arnold, a senior research study researcher at CQT at NUS and joint very first author of the paper. “It essentially informs you that the only method to check the precision of a requirement is to compare clocks and show reproducibility.”
Pictured in the Centre for Quantum Technologies ‘lutetium atomic clock laboratory are(from left )Associate Professor Murray Barrett, PhD trainee Michael Lee and Senior Research Scientist Kyle Arnold. Credit: Centre for Quantum Technologies
Gravity slows the passage of time, triggering clocks at various heights to tick at somewhat various rates. Optical atomic clocks running at the 10 ⁻¹⁹ level can discover that impact over height distinctions of simple millimeters. The CQT contrast might fix a distinction of 5 millimeters, about 0.2 inches, in between clocks on the very same table. To keep that distinction from restricting the contrast, the scientists individually determined the relative heights of the 2 lutetium ions to less than a millimeter.
That level of sensitivity to gravity likewise makes complex inspecting the lutetium clock versus the world’s other leading atomic clocks. Distinctions in gravity in between places in the world are not yet understood all right to separate their impacts from distinctions in the clocks’ efficiency at this level of precision.
“In the future, I simply do not see how this clock can be beat,” Barrett states.
Beyond the cesium 2nd
Cesium atoms have actually offered the recommendation for specifying the 2nd given that the 1960s, and cesium atomic clocks support GPS and integrate interactions and transport networks. Optical clocks utilize much greater shift frequencies, providing more oscillations to count over the very same period and assisting them determine time more properly. Current record holders have actually utilized ytterbium, strontium, and aluminum, the components whose efficiency the CQT group reports its lutetium clock has actually gone beyond.
As these clocks enhance, the worldwide body accountable for time requirements is considering their measurements for a redefinition of the 2nd, anticipated in or after 2030. Their level of sensitivity to gravity might likewise end up being beneficial beyond the lab, permitting scientists to keep an eye on gravitational modifications throughout Earth. More precise clocks might furthermore assist examine unsettled concerns in essential physics.
“The next action is to take the lab-scale clock and miniaturize it into a portable system,” states Michael Lee, a PhD trainee on the NUS group and joint very first author of the paper. Moving the clock out of the lab would make it possible for brand-new contrasts and permit scientists to check out those applications. The group anticipates it can make the clock smaller sized without jeopardizing its precision.
Recommendation: “Lu+ optical frequency recommendations with precision confirmed at the 19th digit” by K. J. Arnold, M. D. K. Lee, Qi Zhao, Qichen Qin, Zhao Zhang, N. Jayjong and M. D. Barrett, 23 September 2026, Nature DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-026-11072-8
This task was supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, through the National Quantum Office, hosted in A * STAR, under its Quantum Engineering Programme 3.0 Funding Initiative (W25Q3D0007) and under its Centre for Quantum Technologies Funding Initiative (S24Q2d0009).
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Reboots are funny things. Fans say they want something new, right up until the new thing actually starts changing things. Then the peanut gallery opens. The responses come pouring in. Someone on the internet is complaining about something. Someone else has already made a 900-word defense of the criticism. And somewhere in the middle of all this, the fans settle on a unanimous opinion.
Science
Videos by ComicBook.com
Fourteen years ago, one beloved cartoon faced that same fate on September 28, 2012. The new version had fresh animation, a different feel, and a whole generation of fans ready to compare every last detail with what they remembered. Most of those differences could be debated. One of them, however, could be heard. For years, fans had grown up with the cast of colorful characters and one very specific battlecry. The word became so synonymous with the cartoon, kids could be heard yelling it across playgrounds and backyards all over America. With the reboot, that catchphrase was totally ignored and with it, something magical disappeared.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Replaced “Cowabunga” With “Booyakasha”
The reboot arrived with Nickelodeon’s 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It brought Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael back for a new generation while giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to look twice. The animation had changed. The characters had been reworked. Even the general feel of the show was different. But one of the first things fans noticed wasn’t something they could see at all. It was what came out of Mikey’s mouth. Something that even sent audiences at the TMNT movie theater raving and cheering.
The old “cowabunga” had been around for so long that it barely needed an introduction anymore. It was simply part of Michelangelo. Then along came “booyakasha.” The phrase had a completely different history, thanks in large part to Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G, which made its appearance here all the more awkward. Greg Cipes, the new voice of Mikey, brought it into the recording booth, and producer Ciro Nieli liked what he heard. The word stuck, and suddenly one of the most recognizable cartoon characters of the era had a new verbal trademark. For a reboot trying to establish its own identity, it was a small change. For fans who had spent years with the original, it was anything but. This new reboot also came out after all of the TMNT ripoffs and had to contend with the best of those.
The 2012 TMNT Reboot Eventually Brought “Cowabunga” Back
What makes the whole thing more amusing in retrospect is that “cowabunga” wasn’t actually gone for good. The 2012 series eventually brought the classic expression back, meaning fans didn’t have to stage a full-blown funeral for one of the franchise’s most recognizable words. Still, that early stretch with “booyakasha” became a memorable little marker of what the reboot was trying to do—and why it failed. It was familiar enough to feel like TMNT, but different enough to remind everyone that this was a new version finding its footing.
Because the new TMNT wasn’t supposed to be the 1980s cartoon wearing a new shell. It had its own look, its own jokes, and its own way of handling characters fans thought they already knew by heart. That meant some changes were always going to land better than others. A redesigned character might take a few episodes to get used to. A different tone might take an entire season. But a catchphrase? Fans could hear that change immediately. It was a time when the new cartoon struggled with the legacy of the ’80s cultural phenomenon, while trying to find new audiences in the 2010s.
And that’s probably why the whole “booyakasha” detour remains so memorable. It wasn’t some massive creative gamble that changed the direction of the franchise. It was a tiny decision that happened to touch something fans already considered part of Mikey’s identity. Nobody is going to miss 2012 show’s slang. But mention it to the right Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, and there’s a good chance they’ll remember exactly when they first heard it and why it sounded strange. For a reboot full of much bigger changes, that’s a pretty impressive legacy for one little word. On the bright side, turtle fans can always enjoy the TMNT video games.
Fourteen years later, “booyakasha” feels less like a replacement and more like a strange little time capsule from the 2012 reboot. “Cowabunga” eventually returned, the Turtles kept fighting, and Mikey kept being Mikey. Somehow, that silly word survived the sewer. If you’re a TMNT fan, share in the comments what your thoughts are on the better catchphrase.
Following a 2-0 defeat in the hands of the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana’s Black Stars would face the Scorpions of The Gambia in another test of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow at 4pm.
For close followers of the Stars, the defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening Group C fixture on Thursday makes tomorrow’s fixture a win-or-bust for the Ghanaians who currently languishes at the bottom place on the group table.
Cote d’Ivoire and The Gambia are perched at the top with three points each following their Matchday 1 wins, while the Black Stars, who lost at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, and Somalia are pointless and occupy the bottom places.
That would keep the pressure mounting on Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz and his charges to not just win but to close the gap on the leaders.
Coach Carlos Queiroz’s preparations was complicated by the unavailability of several established players including Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, and Jordan Ayew and four others.
In their absence, the team depended on nine additional players, including Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan, Rockson Yeboah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Benjamin Tetteh, Felix Afena-Gyan and others to face-off with the Elephants.
But on the battlefield, they lacked the character to stop the Elephants’ roar, leaving the Stars with a tough assignment of beating a rejuvenated Gambia side that is also anxious to cause a stir in Accra.
The Gambia, would approach the second round of matches aware of the importance of securing points in a Group C encounter against Ghana, a side considered one of the favourites from group.
Coming on the back of their 2-1 victory over Somalia in their opening fixture on Friday, they arrived in Accra full of confidence, knowing that their hosts are not in the best of shapes.
But playing at home is expected to provide the Black Stars with a different environment to deliver the results.
Upon arrival from Bouake, the Black Stars returned to the pitch on Saturday to begin preparations for their encounter with The Gambia with a recovery and training sessions.
Training intensified yesterday as Coach Queiroz and his men mapped up strategies to maim the Scorpions who are expected to ride on their physicality to torment the Stars.
Once again, the squad would combine experienced players with emerging talents, giving Queiroz different options as he prepares for the home fixture.
From what was seen, Coach Queiroz may be tempted to effect a few changes in the attacking set-up by starting Afena-Gyan as he aims to make the attack a little more aggressive.
The midfield is another critical area he must look at to enforce some changes and consider the possibility of tweaking the Caleb Yirenkyi and Kwesi Sibo partnership that appeared non-existent in Bouake.
Reboots are funny things. Fans say they want something new, right up until the new thing actually starts changing things. Then the peanut gallery opens. The responses come pouring in. Someone on the internet is complaining about something. Someone else has already made a 900-word defense of the criticism. And somewhere in the middle of all this, the fans settle on a unanimous opinion.
Nature news
Videos by ComicBook.com
Fourteen years ago, one beloved cartoon faced that same fate on September 28, 2012. The new version had fresh animation, a different feel, and a whole generation of fans ready to compare every last detail with what they remembered. Most of those differences could be debated. One of them, however, could be heard. For years, fans had grown up with the cast of colorful characters and one very specific battlecry. The word became so synonymous with the cartoon, kids could be heard yelling it across playgrounds and backyards all over America. With the reboot, that catchphrase was totally ignored and with it, something magical disappeared.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Replaced “Cowabunga” With “Booyakasha”
The reboot arrived with Nickelodeon’s 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It brought Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael back for a new generation while giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to look twice. The animation had changed. The characters had been reworked. Even the general feel of the show was different. But one of the first things fans noticed wasn’t something they could see at all. It was what came out of Mikey’s mouth. Something that even sent audiences at the TMNT movie theater raving and cheering.
The old “cowabunga” had been around for so long that it barely needed an introduction anymore. It was simply part of Michelangelo. Then along came “booyakasha.” The phrase had a completely different history, thanks in large part to Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G, which made its appearance here all the more awkward. Greg Cipes, the new voice of Mikey, brought it into the recording booth, and producer Ciro Nieli liked what he heard. The word stuck, and suddenly one of the most recognizable cartoon characters of the era had a new verbal trademark. For a reboot trying to establish its own identity, it was a small change. For fans who had spent years with the original, it was anything but. This new reboot also came out after all of the TMNT ripoffs and had to contend with the best of those.
The 2012 TMNT Reboot Eventually Brought “Cowabunga” Back
What makes the whole thing more amusing in retrospect is that “cowabunga” wasn’t actually gone for good. The 2012 series eventually brought the classic expression back, meaning fans didn’t have to stage a full-blown funeral for one of the franchise’s most recognizable words. Still, that early stretch with “booyakasha” became a memorable little marker of what the reboot was trying to do—and why it failed. It was familiar enough to feel like TMNT, but different enough to remind everyone that this was a new version finding its footing.
Because the new TMNT wasn’t supposed to be the 1980s cartoon wearing a new shell. It had its own look, its own jokes, and its own way of handling characters fans thought they already knew by heart. That meant some changes were always going to land better than others. A redesigned character might take a few episodes to get used to. A different tone might take an entire season. But a catchphrase? Fans could hear that change immediately. It was a time when the new cartoon struggled with the legacy of the ’80s cultural phenomenon, while trying to find new audiences in the 2010s.
And that’s probably why the whole “booyakasha” detour remains so memorable. It wasn’t some massive creative gamble that changed the direction of the franchise. It was a tiny decision that happened to touch something fans already considered part of Mikey’s identity. Nobody is going to miss 2012 show’s slang. But mention it to the right Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, and there’s a good chance they’ll remember exactly when they first heard it and why it sounded strange. For a reboot full of much bigger changes, that’s a pretty impressive legacy for one little word. On the bright side, turtle fans can always enjoy the TMNT video games.
Fourteen years later, “booyakasha” feels less like a replacement and more like a strange little time capsule from the 2012 reboot. “Cowabunga” eventually returned, the Turtles kept fighting, and Mikey kept being Mikey. Somehow, that silly word survived the sewer. If you’re a TMNT fan, share in the comments what your thoughts are on the better catchphrase.
Researchers at the University of Oxford recently offered an unusually hopeful prescription for one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges.
As cocoa production comes under mounting pressure from climate change, disease and biodiversity loss, their study argued that restoring nature itself, through protecting pollinators and adopting more biodiversity friendly farming systems, is vital to safeguard the world’s cocoa supplies.
The paper found that enhanced pollination increased yields by up to 20%, with factors affecting cocoa trees’ capacity to produce pods, availability of and access to soil resources, plantation age, lower cocoa tree density, and the presence of leaf litter all also markedly increasing yields.
In other words, the world can produce more cocoa by working with nature, rather than intensifying against it.
The argument was timely. Cocoa prices had already begun climbing sharply as poor harvests in West Africa exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Extreme weather, ageing plantations and persistent crop diseases were combining to reduce yields in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the two countries responsible for around 60% of global cocoa production.
A year and a half on, the question remains, not only for chocolate manufacturers and suppliers, but also for all the smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on a crop facing unprecedented uncertainty: have the strategies charted in the paper moved beyond scientific journals and into cocoa farms and corporate sourcing strategies?
Science news From research to reality
Dr Tonya Lander, co-author of the Oxford study, says these recommendations have been with the cocoa industry for decades. But is the industry listening?
“Increase pollination by increasing pollinator abundance, by providing pollinator habitat and avoiding the use of agricultural chemicals; include shade trees in plantations; protect and enhance plantation soils,” she explains.
Lander argues that to maintain and increase the proportion of cocoa being produced in habitat-enhancing, biodiversity centred, climate-resilient ways, cocoa buyers need to commit to buying Organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.
At present, she says, most progress is coming from the farmers themselves, and small companies and NGOs supporting the farmers in moving to these certification schemes.
“Given that only nine traders and processors handle 75% of the world’s cocoa, these companies have tremendous power to make positive change.”
Unfortunately, demand for organic cocoa is surprisingly low, as we know from the Netherland’s CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries). In an industry report from 2025, they find that only 4% of the cocoa beans, and less than 1% of cocoa paste and powder imported to the EU in 2023, as being organic. The import volume of organic cocoa beans to the EU has not increased since 2018.
Science news Are cocoa companies changing course?
Major chocolate manufacturers have spent years investing in farmer training, agroforestry and sustainability initiatives.
Mars, for example, has entered into two collaborative initiatives to tackle these issues. The first, a five-year collaboration with Sucden announced last year, is aimed at advancing low-carbon, climate-resilient cocoa production in farms in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. The programme was devised to encourage farms to embrace agroforestry practices aimed at improving soil health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, all while increasing farmers’ yields.
The second, another five-year scheme this time with ofi, is designed to accelerate the development of a climate-smart and regenerative cocoa supply chain in Ecuador, and will empower over 960 farmers to implement regenerative agriculture practices, like multistrata agroforestry and biochar applications, across more than 9,000 hectares of farmland – roughly the size of the Greek island of Santorini.
But is the sector as a whole investing enough in regenerative agriculture?
“There’s a lot more to do,” says World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Impact Director and Head of North America, Michael Matarasso, noting that climate impacts vary significantly between cocoa-growing regions.
The WCF represents over 80% of the cocoa industry. Their mission is to drive a more sustainable, resilient and equitable cocoa sector.
“The right response might be better planting material, more appropriate shade and agroforestry, improved soil and water management, stronger pest and disease management or a combination of these,” adds Matarasso.
“We need the evidence and data to make those choices and then the investment to deliver them at scale. WCF can help by bringing the sector together around a science-based strategic approach, grounded in high-quality data and robust methodologies.”
Of course, changing climatic conditions will affect where cocoa can be grown successfully in future, and Oxford researcher Lander agrees that a more unpredictable and more extreme climate adds further complexity.
“Rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall are affecting cocoa production, and make the need for habitat-enhancing, biodiversity-centred, climate-resilient cocoa production even more pressing.”
Science news Betting on cocoa – or beyond it
While much of the industry continues investing in improving cocoa cultivation, some are also looking into alternatives. Precision fermentation, cell-based production and cocoa-free chocolate ingredients have attracted increasing attention as potential ways of reducing dependence on climate-sensitive cocoa supplies.
A spokesperson for Lindt & Sprüngli told me, while they cannot predict the future development of cocoa crops, their current focus remains on traditional cocoa sourcing.
“At the same time, Lindt & Sprüngli continuously explores innovation in cocoa cultivation and chocolate production… and has made an investment in Food Brewer, a Swiss company researching cocoa ingredients based on natural cocoa plant cell cultures. This collaboration is research‑focused and at an early stage.”
For established manufacturers, it seems replacing cocoa entirely remains a distant prospect, while improving conventional production still appears to be where the industry’s largest investments are being made.
In the meantime, the scientific case for biodiversity-based cocoa production continues to strengthen, and awareness of pollination, agroforestry and ecosystem resilience has undoubtedly grown within the sector.
Whether that awareness is translating into measurable improvements on farms is a more difficult question; one that depends on investment, farmer incentives and the willingness of governments and companies to embed biodiversity into mainstream cocoa production.
Taylor’s new music video tells a rather dark tale (Picture: Taylor Swift)
In case you missed it, Taylor Swift debuted her brand new music video for Patient Zero at the VMAs on Sunday night.
The star-studded production features Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell and Cara Delevingne and follows Dakota’s character as she struggles in a relationship with a man who seems perfect on the surface, but is in fact very toxic.
Taylor plays the ex-wife, and throughout the video attempts to warn Johnson’s character to run, so she doesn’t end up like her.
Since the premiere, many people who have experienced an unhealthy relationship dynamic have taken to social media to share how the video resonated with them.
And it’s also sparked one key question for everyone with a toxic ex: Should you warn their new partner what they’re really like?
In the Patient Zero lyrics, Taylor says she wouldn’t tell ‘someone else what to do’, but accepts a call from an ex’s new partner and offers support, as she knows the situation all too well.
‘If you’re sick of him, I got you, I was patient zero,’ she sings.
But is this the best approach? Metro asked therapists for their professional opinion on whether or not you should get involved in this kind of situation.
Here’s what they had to say…
In Patient Zero, Taylor’s character warns Dakota’s character to run (Picture: Taylor Swift)
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BACP senior accredited psychotherapist, Debbie Keenan, says it’s a ‘really complicated issue’ and that people in this situation should start by considering their intent before saying anything.
Do you want to warn the new partner to protect them, or are you merely trying to take control of the situation/get revenge on your ex?
She notes that even with the best of intentions, the warning might be taken the wrong way, and you could just be seen as ‘vindictive and jealous’.
If you are genuinely trying to help the other person and decide to speak to them, you need to be prepared for this reaction. BACP accredited sex and relationship therapist, Cate Cambell, refers to this as the ‘dangers of telling’, and urges people to prepare thoroughly for the possibility of not being believed.
‘Usually, the ex has created a story of them as mad, toxic, and abusive, so the new person can be quite rejecting and it can cause a bit of psychological damage,’ she warns. ‘It’s even worse if the ex then hears about this and gets involved.’
Because of this, she agrees with Taylor’s stance from the song, claiming it’s better to wait for them to come to you.
‘When people are trying to recover from a relationship, it’s often better to keep well away – but maybe be available if the new partner contacts you. Even that needs some preparation, though.’
Baljit Kamal, a BACP-accredited psychotherapist and counsellor, also cautions against giving unsolicited advice to the new partner, as she points out what was true of your relationship might not be true of their one.
‘People can change or at least behave differently with different partners,’ she tells Metro. ‘Jumping in uninvited could be seen as intruding, and if the new partner isn’t ready to hear it, your warning might fall uninvited.’
Like Taylor and Cate, she thinks waiting to be contacted by the new partner is the best, most ‘balanced’ approach, instead of going out of your way to interfere.
‘If the new partner asks directly, be honest about your experience; that way you’re not dictating their choices, but you’re also not hiding what happened to you,’ she says.
‘Sharing your story without exaggeration, without resentment, gives them information they can use, while respecting their autonomy.’
Albums What if there’s a genuine safety concern for the other person?
If there’s a genuine concern for the new partner’s safety, Debbie Keenan recommends sharing factual information with them, or signposting them to Clare’s Law.
Clare’s Law is a UK scheme that allows the police to release information about a previous history of abuse or violence a person might have.
‘The police assess whether information can be lawfully disclosed,’ Debbie explains.
‘Pointing someone towards Clare’s Law can give them an independent way to find out any relevant information themselves.’
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
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From Alex Gibney’s massive research study of the increase of X owner Elon Musk to Danny Boyle’s drama of the birth of British tabloid paper The Sun, this year’s Venice Film celebration included a great deal of motion pictures hypothesizing on the past, present and future of the media. None did it rather as disturbingly, nevertheless, as Lance Oppenheim’s Primetimestarring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, among the earliest stars of the early-21st-century reality-TV transformation.
Called To Catch a PredatorHansen’s program was planned to reveal the vulnerability of young kids and women online; rather, it showed the gullibility of perverted adult males, who appeared in remarkably great deals at Hansen’s “bait home” totally anticipating to make love with a small. In spite of the suspicious legality of each sting operation, and the full-on prurience of seeing these males embarrassed on nationwide tv, To Catch a Predator lasted numerous years before this powder keg of debate lastly, and possibly undoubtedly, blew up.
If Oppenheim’s movie were just about Hansen’s hubris, that alone would suffice for a motion picture. Primetime Includes an excellent supporting efficiency from Merritt Wever as Hansen’s manufacturer, Andie Bender. Wever worries that her character is imaginary– and decently presumes that her co-star Skyler Gisondo, who plays the program’s underage-looking catfish “Decoy Dan”, is the movie’s genuine human heart– Andie represents the numerous layers of enablers that enabled Hansen’s harmful aspirations to thrive uncontrolled.
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Here, Wever reviews the styles of the style, which launched in the U.S. on Friday, with possible spoilers …
DUE DATE: Did you learn about To Catch a Predator before you got this function?
MERRITT WEVER: I did. I indicate, I’m old enough that I remember it being on tv. I keep in mind, I did in fact view it myself, however I’ve typically questioned [how others will react to it]… The movie played in Venice, for example, and I questioned the distinctions that would occur in between audiences that currently understood about the program, due to the fact that it’s part of our cultural background, and ones that did not. I believe there’s most likely plenty of more youthful individuals from the U.S. who didn’t understand that it existed or didn’t enjoy it when it was initially on. I’ve been curious what they’ll believe of not simply the motion picture, however of the program itself.
DUE DATE: Why did you wish to do it?
WEVER: I wished to do it due to the fact that I liked the initial whiff, or hit, that I left of the character. The script went through a great deal of models. I believe it was continuously in flux and they were continuously dealing with it and on it and finding out how this sort of carousel of characters were going to connect and what shape they were going to take. Andie constantly had this kind of rottenness to her that I believe she is battling with, coming to terms with, and having to make options around whether she’s going to dedicate to the rottenness or attempt to move in another instructions. I believe Lance and I yapped, and [screenwriter] Ajon [Singh] yapped about that myth of the 2 wolves. Do you understand it? An older informs a kid that inside everybody are 2 wolves, a light one and a dark one. And the child states, “Which one wins?” And the senior states, “Whichever one you feed.” I believe Lance and I talked about attempting to discover a structure for a character who is attempting to select in between 2 wolves inside her.
DUE DATE: It’s intriguing, since at the start of the movie, we wish to think that you’re going to be the conscience of the motion picture.
WEVER: That’s what I hoped would come through, and I didn’t understand if it would or not– that she’s the character that you believe is going to make a various option. And she’s the one that does not.
DUE DATE: Is she based upon a genuine character? Exists any someone, or is she a composite of individuals?
WEVER: I would not even call her a composite. She truly is a from-scratch character. Chris’s character is a drama, and I would call Skyler’s character an amalgamation, however Andie constantly sort of was drawn from thin air. There were manufacturers on his program, however I believe she’s in some methods the most from-scratch character. And I believe that’s most likely likewise why there was a lot space.
Merritt Wever and Robert Pattinson in’ Primetime’
A24
DUE DATE: It appears you’ve been around tv a lot in your life– not the very same type of tv, certainly– however how did you get ready for the function, and what type of research study can you provide for a piece like this?
WEVER: I looked into a lot about her task. I check out a great deal of memoirs. I enjoyed a great deal of documentaries. I like to do a great deal of research study, although I’ve discovered that I need to take care with research study since in some cases it can send me into an instructions that gets me interested or thrilled, however that does not in fact belong on the planet of the movie I’m doing. I’ve in fact discovered that often when I’m playing individuals who are based upon real-life figures, I begin to get connected to the figures in their sincere models and after that utilize that as my lighthouse rather of the script. And at the end of the day, it’s what’s on the page that you’re in fact doing. The thing I discovered most valuable when it came to pure research study was talking to 2 veteran tv manufacturers about what their task required 20 years back too, before we had phones and the web in our pocket, and, particularly, what it’s like to work with a host when you are a manufacturer on a program and how you are accountable for not simply finagling a production, however finagling a human being.
DUE DATE: That definitely encounters.
WEVER: Yeah. I believe that’s the hardest part of her task. And likewise, I believe for the functions of the movie, the most fascinating part of her task.
DUE DATE: How carefully did you deal with Robert Pattinson? Did you understand him prior to recording?
WEVER: No, I didn’t understand him. I believe initially I Zoomed with Lance, and after that the next action was to Zoom with Lance and Rob, however we didn’t understand each other. I believe he was coming off of a hectic shooting schedule, and I believe we simply type of struck the ground running.
DUE DATE: Did you have whenever to practice with him? You certainly have a close relationship in the movie.
WEVER: No. And likewise, wedding rehearsal is not actually where Lance’s interest lies. Possibly since he originates from a documentary background, he wishes to shoot whatever as is. I believe since Lance and I had actually invested so much time talking, it didn’t feel required to talk more once we got to set with Rob. And I likewise do not truly like talking excessive about the work, the acting, if it’s separated from the real doing of it, like when you’re doing a play and you’re in a practice session procedure. I do not like to choose ahead of time what something’s going to be, however various individuals work in a different way?
DUE DATE: It’s fascinating that you discussed his documentary background. Due to the fact that it does start rather naturalistic, and after that it winds up really in a different way. It ends up being type of a tabloid motion picture, and I suggest that as a compliment.
WEVER: Yeah, that’s the design. I suggest, Lance is somebody who was a really particular and strong visual language, and he’s been dealing with his partners– his DP and his editor– for a long period of time. They have a language and they have a design that they live within. I keep in mind when the task came my method, I check out the script, which was really particular and distinct, and they informed me that it would be directed by a documentarian. And I keep in mind believing, “Well, geez, how is that going to work?”
Before I had actually seen any of his movies, I simply keep in mind thinking– presuming– that there would be a great deal of fly-on-the-wall shots, where it’s simply 2 individuals sitting and speaking to the video camera in a really fixed image. And after that, I believe, within the very first couple of minutes of his very first documentary that I began to see, I resembled, “Oh, he understands how to movie this story. He understands how to shoot this story, and this is in fact rather a great match in between product and filmmaker.” I do not understand if you saw Ren Fairethe minimal series he did. It focuses around a mad king, which’s constantly how I saw Chris in this, somebody calling the shots, wreaking havoc while his subject scampered around in his wake.
DUE DATE: What are your ideas on Chris Hansen as a host?
WEVER: Once again, due to the fact that of his background, Lance thinking about the meta. He’s interested in where truth and fiction link, feed each other, speak to each other. There were so lots of shifts and modifications in the product that I had to focus on my own paper at the end of the day. That was the only thing. I would not state I was in control of it, however that became my task. I wasn’t going to have the ability to wrangle any part besides that a person.
Merritt Wever as Andie in’ Primetime’
A24
DUE DATE: It’s absolutely a movie that asks the audience to choose it, and it’s practically over by the time you’ve had the possibility to battle with the …
WEVER: Yes, it’s a trip. And it goes rapidly. And I’ve seen it two times with audiences, various audiences. [Laughs.] Yeah, perhaps I need to have let you end up asking your concern! In some cases I disrupt individuals since I’m attempting to go out the clock with things I can’t think of, and after that I do not provide a chance to ask me the important things that I stress I do not have a response for.
DUE DATE: No, you were beginning to. It was an observation actually instead of a concern. It’s about how, a bit like your character, one discovers oneself, as an audience, swept together with it, despite the fact that you understand where it’s heading. How else could that reveal have ended, the method individuals were being allured, and, definitely, with the suspicious legality of everything? I believe that your efficiency especially reveals the method individuals were seduced by the scores.
WEVER: The only action I have is yes, proper. I seem like it’s a movie that exists within a custom of movies that occur every 5 to 10 years to inform a comparable story versus a suspicious– to utilize your word– media landscape. And the container of the story is constantly various, however the ethical stays the exact same and it’s constantly an unsightly one, however it does not actually matter. We do not appear to find out.
DUE DATE: I did observe that early in your profession you did Series 7: The Contenders (2001 ), about a truth program in which routine individuals are required by a nationwide lotto to eliminate each other …
WEVER: It’s not my method to be self-referential, however I likewise believe that’s the one film that Lance hasn’t seen. He appears to have a secret link to whatever, anything you request for. I might text him quickly in fact to see if he has some links for me. I understand what you indicate. I truly did think about that film too as soon as it was all done. It’s likewise extremely increased and raised, other than that a person is a program that didn’t exist, and this one is a program that did, however both of them are stunning and unexpected.
DUE DATE: I’m not recommending that you understood 25 years ago that this would occur, however it is fascinating that something you did as sci-fi, or speculative fiction, quickly ended up being something that was really rather genuine.
WEVER: I understand, I understand. I keep in mind when we were making that movie, I remember us speaking about this brand-new program called SurvivorI believe we shot it in perhaps ’99 or 2000. Yeah, those 2 movies are definitely in discussion with each other.
DUE DATE: You discussed the movie script. The movie does sort of modification. I would not state it significantly alters, however it definitely alters from a lighter tone to a much darker tone, and it practically ends up being No Dark Thirty at the end. Was that on the page?
WEVER: I would not state that the visuals were on the page, however it’s real that it lives tonally in more than one location. And I believe the obstacle, or among the jobs I had, was how do I make certain that 2 characters who nearly seem like they reside in various worlds however remain in the very same scene together, how do I ensure that you purchase that they’re in fact speaking with each other? In some methods, I believe that was a job for Lance and his editor. I believe that there were numerous cuts of this movie, and I keep in mind when I left, I believed, “I’m not truly sure which movie we simply made. And I’m unsure which movie they’ll select at the end of the day to have actually made. And I likewise do not understand which variation of Andie they’ll pick.”
I believe we attempted having her reside in a great deal of various locations, and, once again, perhaps that speaks with Lance’s background as a documentarian. I discovered it nearly confusing to work that method, however in some cases the container and the material feed each other, and the story, as you mentioned, ends up being progressively madcap and disorienting, so perhaps it makes good sense that, by the time I left, I wasn’t sure precisely who I was or what I had actually done and what I was going to belong of– I was going to need to wait up until the edit was done and see this movie, and in an odd method, satisfy the movie, and satisfy Andie, for the very first time. In doing press, individuals keep asking me for the responses, and in an odd method, I’ve never ever seemed like I had less responses for individuals. I’m still discovering who Andie is and what we made, and I’m requiring to speak with the audience what it is that we made and what they saw in her.
DUE DATE: She appears nearly like an unexpected Lady Macbeth.
WEVER: She makes her option. She selects her fighter. Yeah. And to bring Skyler into this, I believe that you see his character as the last victim of the program. He’s Decoy Dan. I believe he does a remarkable task, and I believe that without his efficiency and his character, the movie would not imply anything. We did collaborate, however I believe that Andie– strangely– exists a bit off to the side, even in the movie. Dan and Chris communicate with each other and hang around with each other in a manner that Andie does not. We worked together quickly, and he was terrific. When I believe of Andie, I believe about her over to the side, alone.
DUE DATE: How did you feel doing those scenes? Were you there when they recorded the scenes with the pedophiles, essentially, as they enter the kitchen area? Was that simply the magic of movie theater or were you really there, seeing those setups on the screens?
WEVER: I existed, however we didn’t constantly have the video footage that was occurring. We were pretending to be enjoying, however I existed, and I existed enough that I might see a few of the things as it played out. I comprehended what she was going to be seeing.
DUE DATE: I simply question how it impacted you mentally in regards to seeing. I suggest, we can’t feel excessive compassion for these individuals, however yet there is a component of …
WEVER: Empathy? I believe if there wasn’t empathy in the movie, we would definitely be missing out on a piece of the story. I believe that’s part of the disaster of it. I imply, Rob’s character repeats the line, “What would’ve taken place if I had not been here?” I will state, this was the 2nd in a string of parts I played where the core of the character was kind of nasty, and there was not a scene of genuine catharsis or modification. And I did, by the end of this shoot, feel quite rotten myself, and for the very first time resembled, “All right, how do you get something out of your body? Do you require to deliberately do that?” It wasn’t an enjoyable area to discover yourself residing in, day in and day out. And I remember we did 3 weeks of night contends completion of the movie, actually the last days, and I was all set for it to be over, and I was prepared to not be her any longer.
DUE DATE: How did you eliminate her? What did you do?
WEVER: I was really rapidly on an aircraft to another part. In some cases that’s great, in some cases that’s valuable, however, in retrospection, I question if, moving on, I’ll be a bit more deliberate when I play specific parts that I ‘d like to bid farewell to as quick as possible. It was likewise like coming off of a year, or a year-and-a-half, of a great deal of work after the strike attempting to sort of offset wasted time, offset lost earnings. I was working at a rate that I believe captured up with me– especially physically, as you get older. That’s simply another thing that you just find out the tough method, that, as you age, you require to kind of take care of yourself a bit more. These are long days.
DUE DATE: It’s amusing, there’s a great deal of movies at the minute– like Danny Boyle’s brand-new movie, Ink — where it appears to me that we’re attempting to recall and find out where whatever went so incorrect worldwide, this now post-truth world. Did the script speak with you in regards to what’s occurring today?
WEVER: It’s based upon a post, and I remember I liked that, it was how I might rely on that the ethical center of the movie would remain in the ideal location. It’s based upon that, and the reality that Lance stated early on, “Just so you understand, this is not a hit piece in any instructions. That’s not the look I’m taking.” In the initial post, there’s a lot of empathy, and it does appear to be like a tale of what occurs when media, news, and law enforcement come together and get really blended up, and the incorrect entity begins to call the shots. I suggest, listen, our present president was on a truth program for many years and years and seasons and seasons, so I believe recalling is most likely productive, a beneficial undertaking.
DUE DATE: What’s next for you?
WEVER: I’m considering the important things I can’t state. What’s next for me is … Yeah, I’m considering the important things I can’t state, which seems like I’m completely more used than I am, I guarantee. [Laughs.] This lady is extremely tech obtain, extremely tech get.
Taylor’s new music video tells a rather dark tale (Picture: Taylor Swift)
In case you missed it, Taylor Swift debuted her brand new music video for Patient Zero at the VMAs on Sunday night.
The star-studded production features Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell and Cara Delevingne and follows Dakota’s character as she struggles in a relationship with a man who seems perfect on the surface, but is in fact very toxic.
Taylor plays the ex-wife, and throughout the video attempts to warn Johnson’s character to run, so she doesn’t end up like her.
Since the premiere, many people who have experienced an unhealthy relationship dynamic have taken to social media to share how the video resonated with them.
And it’s also sparked one key question for everyone with a toxic ex: Should you warn their new partner what they’re really like?
In the Patient Zero lyrics, Taylor says she wouldn’t tell ‘someone else what to do’, but accepts a call from an ex’s new partner and offers support, as she knows the situation all too well.
‘If you’re sick of him, I got you, I was patient zero,’ she sings.
But is this the best approach? Metro asked therapists for their professional opinion on whether or not you should get involved in this kind of situation.
Here’s what they had to say…
In Patient Zero, Taylor’s character warns Dakota’s character to run (Picture: Taylor Swift)
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BACP senior accredited psychotherapist, Debbie Keenan, says it’s a ‘really complicated issue’ and that people in this situation should start by considering their intent before saying anything.
Do you want to warn the new partner to protect them, or are you merely trying to take control of the situation/get revenge on your ex?
She notes that even with the best of intentions, the warning might be taken the wrong way, and you could just be seen as ‘vindictive and jealous’.
If you are genuinely trying to help the other person and decide to speak to them, you need to be prepared for this reaction. BACP accredited sex and relationship therapist, Cate Cambell, refers to this as the ‘dangers of telling’, and urges people to prepare thoroughly for the possibility of not being believed.
‘Usually, the ex has created a story of them as mad, toxic, and abusive, so the new person can be quite rejecting and it can cause a bit of psychological damage,’ she warns. ‘It’s even worse if the ex then hears about this and gets involved.’
Because of this, she agrees with Taylor’s stance from the song, claiming it’s better to wait for them to come to you.
‘When people are trying to recover from a relationship, it’s often better to keep well away – but maybe be available if the new partner contacts you. Even that needs some preparation, though.’
Baljit Kamal, a BACP-accredited psychotherapist and counsellor, also cautions against giving unsolicited advice to the new partner, as she points out what was true of your relationship might not be true of their one.
‘People can change or at least behave differently with different partners,’ she tells Metro. ‘Jumping in uninvited could be seen as intruding, and if the new partner isn’t ready to hear it, your warning might fall uninvited.’
Like Taylor and Cate, she thinks waiting to be contacted by the new partner is the best, most ‘balanced’ approach, instead of going out of your way to interfere.
‘If the new partner asks directly, be honest about your experience; that way you’re not dictating their choices, but you’re also not hiding what happened to you,’ she says.
‘Sharing your story without exaggeration, without resentment, gives them information they can use, while respecting their autonomy.’
Music What if there’s a genuine safety concern for the other person?
If there’s a genuine concern for the new partner’s safety, Debbie Keenan recommends sharing factual information with them, or signposting them to Clare’s Law.
Clare’s Law is a UK scheme that allows the police to release information about a previous history of abuse or violence a person might have.
‘The police assess whether information can be lawfully disclosed,’ Debbie explains.
‘Pointing someone towards Clare’s Law can give them an independent way to find out any relevant information themselves.’
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
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Helium anomalies concentrate within 1.5 km of faults F-I, F-II and F-III • A 10 km × 2 km magnetic intrusive body imaged beneath Zones B and C along F-III • Seismic program expanded to approximately 50 km • C1–C4 hydrocarbon results being interpreted
Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) (“QIMC” or the “Company”) today reports the integrated geophysical interpretation of the helium zones announced on September 22, 2026 at its New Salem–Apple River area, Cumberland Basin Project, Nova Scotia. Working with Professor Marc Richer-Laflèche, Ph.D., of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), the Company has integrated the 526-sample helium survey with regional gravity and aeromagnetic data and finds that the helium zones, the mapped faults and the buried basement architecture describe a single structure.
Highlights
Soil-gas helium anomalies concentrate within 1.5 km of faults F-I, F-II and F-III, confirming direct structural control on basement degassing in the south-western part of the Cumberland Basin. Anomalous stations are approximately five times more frequent within 1.5 km of a mapped fault than beyond 2 km.
The width of the anomaly corridors around the faults points to porous and permeable rocks in the New Salem and Apple River sectors — an essential element in the formation of a reservoir for hydrogen, helium or natural gas.
Regional gravity reveals a structural transition zone between the Cumberland Basin and the Cobequid Highlands — a north-west-dipping ramp between low-density basin sediments and dense, older basement — acting as a corridor that focuses gas toward the surface. The helium zones lie strictly within this transition zone.
Tilt-derivative processing of aeromagnetic data locates a magnetic intrusive body approximately 10 km × 2 km beneath Zones B and C, along fault F-III. This magnetic source is interpreted as the likely deep source of the degassing observed at surface. Fault F-III follows its edge, and both zones occur where the fault bends or intersects cross-structures.
These results confirm the predictive degassing model developed jointly by QIMC and INRS, validating the Company’s multi-method approach for the next phase of its exploration program.
Seismic program expanded. Approximately 8.5 additional line-kilometres of 2D seismic have been added to the Nova Scotia program, now approximately 50 km, dedicated to the new helium anomalies, including a north–south segment across Zone C to image the fault, the basement ramp and the hanging-wall section in a single seismic section.
Additional soil-gas geochemistry. The Company will undertake additional broader-spectrum soil-gas surveys, including C1–C4 hydrocarbons, across the New Salem–Apple River fairway.
Conventional, non-stimulated model. The New Salem–Apple River play is a conventional gas system — natural migration along faults into structural traps at shallow depth. The Company does not use and does not intend to use hydraulic fracturing or any form of reservoir stimulation in Nova Scotia.
“Three independent datasets now point to the same structure at New Salem–Apple River, and that is what turns an exploration idea into a new clean gas corridor,” said John Karagiannidis, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Regional gravity shows a buried basement ramp. Aeromagnetics show a basement block whose edge our faults follow. And more than 500 helium samples show exactly where that system reaches the surface. None of these datasets knows about the others, yet all three agree — and they place the target at 600 to 1,000 metres, the same depths where we intersected 24 to 30 percent clean natural hydrogen at Bennett Hill. For investors, the significance is simple: New Salem–Apple River is no longer a surface anomaly. It is a mapped structure with a depth, a footprint and 50 kilometres of seismic about to be shot across it.”
New Salem–Apple River Helium Zones — Professor Marc Richer-Laflèche, Ph.D., INRS, Qualified Person
Helium as a tracer of basement degassing
In studying the southern part of the Cumberland Basin, we have used helium as a geochemical tracer of basement degassing processes at the regional scale. Because it is unaffected by the biogeochemical reactions that take place in soils, helium displays concentration variations of which even the most subtle are indicative of fluctuations in diffusive flux and thereby record the processes by which gases disperse through the materials of the continental crust. Whether the objective is the search for energy resources such as hydrogen or natural gas, or the search for rare gases of interest to high-technology industries, helium geochemistry is a key step in building a model of gas circulation at the scale of a sedimentary basin such as the Cumberland Basin (Figure 1).
Sampling was concentrated in the south-western part of the basin, a region that had until now remained essentially unexplored. The study area is crossed by three faults (F-I, F-II and F-III) which converge eastward with the North Cobequid fault zone. The predictive model used by QIMC and INRS anticipated a setting of elevated degassing in this sector. The use of helium as a tracer of basement degassing clearly highlights the importance of the local faults in the distribution of diffusive helium anomalies at the basin scale. Overall, the data reveal anomalies located mainly within the Cumberland Group (Ragged Reef Formation), but also south of the North Cobequid fault, in the sedimentary units of the Rapid Brook Formation (Horton Group). This points both to a deep origin for the helium (granitic basement) and to regional structural control. To evaluate the importance of the granitic basement beneath the basin, we superimposed the helium soil-gas data on the gravity and aeromagnetic data (Figures 3 and 4).
Figure 1. Helium anomalies on the Nova Scotia geological map. The anomalies occur principally within Carboniferous sedimentary units of the Cumberland Group, with additional anomalies in Horton Group units south of the North Cobequid fault. The Devono-Carboniferous granite (DCg) lies 1.5–2 km south-east of Zone C. Interpretation: Prof. M. Richer-Laflèche, INRS.
Spatial relationship between helium anomalies and faults
Analysis of the spatial relationship between the position of the helium anomalies and that of the faults nearest to the sampling sites reveals a close geometric association between the principal structural breaks and the helium concentrations measured in soils. Overall, the anomalies tend to concentrate in a restricted zone, within 1.5 km on either side of faults F-I, F-II and F-III. It should be noted that the spatial distribution of helium anomalies around a fault can serve as a qualitative indicator of the permeability of the host rock. In a low-permeability setting (for example, granitic basement), transport should be limited to diffusion along the fracture planes of the fault, producing a relatively narrow corridor of anomalies and a rapid decay of the signal with distance. In a more permeable setting, such as the New Salem and Apple River sectors (porous Lower Carboniferous sandstones and conglomerates), gas can migrate laterally through the rock matrix once it has reached the near-surface, which widens the corridor and flattens the decay curve.
The data presented in Figure 2 are more compatible with the presence of relatively porous rocks. In the context of exploration for hydrogen, helium or natural gas, this observation suggests, a priori, the presence of porous and permeable rocks — one of the essential elements in the formation of a reservoir.
Figure 2. Spatial distribution of soil-gas helium anomalies relative to faults F-I, F-II and F-III, New Salem–Apple River sector, Cumberland Basin (anomalous stations> 5.48 ppmv). Anomalies concentrate within 1.5 km of the faults; the width of the corridors is consistent with porous, permeable Lower Carboniferous host rocks. Interpretation: Prof. M. Richer-Laflèche, INRS.
Gravity: the basin–basement transition zone
The presence of the faults is a key element in the distribution of helium at the local scale. It does not, however, by itself explain the intensity or the regional character of the anomalies observed. To explain the distribution of the helium anomalies, we used the gravity and aeromagnetic data available for this sector of Nova Scotia. The use of gravity data, presented in Figure 3, is a classic step in the study of a sedimentary basin for energy-resource exploration (hydrocarbons, hydrogen, geothermal). The observed spatial variations of the Bouguer anomaly underline, in a simple and robust manner, a strong contrast between the north-west (low-density sedimentary rocks of the Cumberland Basin) and the south-east (high-density rocks of the Cobequid Highlands). A transition zone, dipping to the north-west, marks the contact between the Cumberland Basin and the older terranes to the south. In basin studies this type of transition is common and frequently controls the transfer of gases (focusing), because the older basement rocks (gravity high), rich in granitoids, are poorly permeable to fluids and gases compared with the sandstone and conglomerate rocks of the Lower Carboniferous, which are much more porous and permeable. The distribution of helium anomalies on the gravity map highlights a dual control, involving first the transition zone and second the faults F-I, F-II and F-III. The clustering of a large number of anomalies in anomalous Zones B and C justified a more detailed study, based on processing of the local aeromagnetic data (Figure 4).
Figure 3. Helium anomalies on the residual Bouguer gravity field. Zones A, B and C lie strictly within the north-west-dipping transition zone (ramp) between the low-density Cumberland Basin to the north-west and the dense Cobequid Highlands basement to the south-east. Interpretation: Prof. M. Richer-Laflèche, INRS.
Aeromagnetics: a magnetic intrusive body beneath Zones B and C
Tilt-derivative processing of the aeromagnetic data sharpens the edges of magnetic sources at depth. It reveals a discrete magnetic body approximately 10 km long and 2 km wide beneath anomalous Zones B and C, along fault F-III. Fault F-III follows the south-western edge of this body, and both zones occur where the fault bends or intersects cross-structures. This magnetic intrusive body is interpreted as the likely deep source of the degassing observed at surface. Tilt-depth analysis of the same data places the top of the magnetic basement at roughly 600–750 m beneath Zone C and 900–1 000 m beneath Zone B (Figure 5).
Figure 4. Helium anomalies (circles, sized and coloured by concentration) on the tilt derivative of the total magnetic field. Zones B and C sit on the same tilt-derivative ridge — the edge of a buried magnetic intrusive body approximately 10 km × 2 km — which fault F-III follows. Processing and interpretation: Prof. M. Richer-Laflèche, INRS (Oasis montaj; NAD83 UTM 20N).
Figure 5. Tilt-depth estimate of depth to the top of the magnetic basement. Zone B overlies roughly 900–1 000 m of cover; Zone C roughly 600–750 m. Estimates are indicative (±20–30%) pending seismic and drilling calibration.
The Geological Model
Crystalline basement is effectively impermeable, so gas generated within or beneath it migrates along the basement–sediment interface toward the shallow edge of the basin and escapes where regional faults breach the cover. At New Salem–Apple River the gravity data image that rising interface as a ramp, the aeromagnetic data show a discrete basement block whose edge fault F-III follows, and the helium reaches the surface precisely where the faults bend or intersect along that edge. The Lower Carboniferous units cut by these faults host most of the anomalies. This basement-ramp-and-fault configuration is similar to the one that focuses helium migration in producing helium provinces internationally.
No Hydraulic Fracturing, No Reservoir Stimulation
The gases identified at New Salem–Apple River — helium and, elsewhere on the corridor, clean natural hydrogen and thermogenic hydrocarbons — are migrating naturally through faults and along the basement interface to the surface today. The exploration model is therefore conventional: gas trapped in porous sandstones within fault-bounded structures at 600–1 000 m, to be tested by conventional wells and produced, if warranted, by natural flow. QIMC does not use hydraulic fracturing or any other form of reservoir stimulation and has no intention of doing so in Nova Scotia. This is a natural-flow, low-footprint exploration model, consistent with the Company’s approach to clean natural hydrogen at Apple River–Bennett Hill.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Professor Marc Richer-Laflèche, Ph.D., P.Geo., of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Professor Richer-Laflèche led the geological and geophysical interpretation described in this release.
ABOUT QUÉBEC INNOVATIVE MATERIALS CORP.
Québec Innovative Materials Corp. is a North American exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of natural hydrogen and critical mineral projects. The Company is advancing its district-scale hydrogen exploration model across Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Minnesota, leveraging its proprietary R2G2™ framework.
QIMC is committed to responsible exploration, technical innovation and sustainable development, with the objective of supporting clean energy and decarbonization initiatives.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
QUÉBEC INNOVATIVE MATERIALS CORP.
John Karagiannidis
President & Chief Executive Officer
Email: [email protected]
This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such statements include, without limitation, the planned scope, timing and objectives of the Company’s expanded Nova Scotia seismic program; additional soil-gas sampling and interpretation of C1–C4 hydrocarbon results; the anticipated contribution of integrated geological, geochemical and geophysical studies to exploration targeting; potential future drilling and subsurface testing; and the Company’s strategy to evaluate potential conventional gas accumulations without hydraulic fracturing or reservoir stimulation. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “potential,” “may,” “will” and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.
Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, including the availability of sufficient financial resources, qualified personnel, contractors and suitable equipment; obtaining or maintaining necessary permits, authorizations and land access; suitable weather and operating conditions; and the ability to acquire and interpret data of sufficient quality to advance the exploration objectives described in this release. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual activities, results or outcomes to differ materially, including operational delays, changes in program scope or costs, permitting or access constraints, equipment availability, limitations in data quality or geophysical resolution, and the possibility that further exploration will not support the current geological model or identify a commercially viable gas accumulation.
There can be no assurance that the planned programs will be completed as anticipated, that interpreted targets will be confirmed, or that exploration will lead to development or production. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such statements speak as of the date of this news release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by applicable securities laws.
Caution Regarding Exploration Results and Interpretations
The soil-gas anomalies and integrated geological and geophysical interpretations described in this release are exploration indicators used to guide further investigation. They do not, on their own, establish the presence of a subsurface gas reservoir or an economically recoverable accumulation of helium, hydrogen or hydrocarbons. Spatial relationships between helium anomalies, mapped faults and interpreted basement features support a working geological model but do not independently confirm the source of the gases, their subsurface migration pathways, or the presence and continuity of gas-bearing traps. Inferences regarding rock porosity and permeability drawn from the distribution of soil-gas anomalies are qualitative and have not been confirmed by drilling or core measurements in the target areas discussed.
Interpretations of the geometry, extent and depth of magnetic sources are subject to modelling assumptions and significant uncertainty. Depth estimates derived from magnetic data refer to an interpreted magnetic source or basement feature and should not be interpreted as confirmed depths to gas-bearing formations or reservoirs. Further seismic investigation and, where warranted, drilling and appropriate subsurface testing are required to evaluate these interpretations and potential reservoir conditions.
References to a conventional, non-stimulated exploration model describe the Company’s intended approach and do not establish that any accumulation could sustain commercially meaningful natural flow. Soil-gas concentrations and geophysical interpretations are not measurements of reservoir gas composition, formation pressure, gas flow rate, reservoir deliverability or recoverable volumes. Results from the Company’s drilling at Bennett Hill, and comparisons with producing helium provinces elsewhere, provide exploration context but are not necessarily indicative of geological conditions, gas concentrations or potential productivity at New Salem–Apple River.
Resource World Magazine Inc. has prepared this editorial for general information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell securities in the companies discussed herein. The information provided has been derived from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed. This editorial does not take into account the readers investment criteria, investment expertise, financial condition, or financial goals of individual recipients and other concerns such as jurisdictional and/or legal restrictions that may exist for certain persons. Recipients should rely on their own due diligence and seek their own professional advice before investing.
Dakota Johnson is among those bringing best-seller Verity to the big screen (Picture: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Dakota Johnson’s become a familiar face in movies over the past decade and she recently wowed us with her transformation into Marilyn Monroe in the short film Flesh Impact.
And now the actress daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith is back on the big screen, appearing alongside Anne Hathaway in the movie version of Colleen Hoover’s best-seller Verity.
And with Anne — who is heavily pregnant with her third child — giving the UK premiere of the movie a miss, it was left to Dakota and co-star Josh Hartnett to walk the red carpet together.
And Dakota certainly stood out, donning a sheer beige lace dress, giving guests and crowds a flash of black lingerie by designer Fleur de Mal.
The 36-year-old star teamed the striking frock with simple gold jewellery and her long dark hair worn loose over her shoulders for the screening at London’s Curzon Mayfair.
Johnson ‘s co-star Josh Hartnett joined her on the red carpet at the screening (Picture: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Johnson’s frock left little to the imagination (Picture: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios and SonyPictures Entertainment)
Johnson stars in the film as Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is offered the job of a lifetime; to finish the remaining books in a series of bestsellers by Verity Crawford (Hathaway), who has been left incapacitated by a car crash.
She moves into the author’s home and soon develops romantic feelings for her husband Jeremy (Hartnett), but after uncovering a hidden manuscript penned by Verity herself, some shocking secrets about the author’s past come to light.
Except of course, you can expect more twists and turns along the way, which have sparked many theories among fans of the book about what’s really going on.
‘It’s so thrilling, it’s so sexy,” Johnson told Reuters.
‘You are constantly trying to figure out what the truth is and who the good people are and who the bad people are. It’s kind of a lot like life.’
Hathaway previously told E! News about some of the differences fans of the book can expect.
Verity is the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation to hit the screen (Picture Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for AmazonMGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment)
‘The house might not look exactly the way in your head when you read the book. For a lot of people, Verity is a blonde,’ she explained.
‘So, you just kind of hope that people will go with your version of it and let it be its own thing.’
She added: ‘It was so wonderful to have the first wave of audiences see it and have them tell us that they loved what we did. They thought that we got the spirit of the book correct and that’s been a real relief.’
Hartnett, meanwhile, who was joined on the red carpet by his wife Tamsin Egerton, praised his co-stars to the hilt during an appearance on This Morning.
Josh Hartnett was joined at the screening by wife Tamsin Egerton (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
‘I mean, these are two of the best actors working in Hollywood right now,’ he told Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary. ‘And the movie kind of resides on their faces, in my opinion, the way that they interact, I think, is just beautiful to watch.’
The Oppenheimer star, who lives on a farm in Hampshire with Egerton and their four children, added that it takes a strong script to lure him to Hollywood these days.
Anne Hathaway plays writer Verity Crawford in the steamy thriller
‘My life is my family life and every once in a while I come out and do something like this,’ he explained, ‘which is such an anomaly for me.’
Verity is the fourth of Hoover’s novels to reach the big screen, following previous adaptations of It Ends With Us (2024), Regretting You (2025) and 2026’s Reminders Of Him.
It will be in UK cinemas on October 2.
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Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.
Somehow, the Minnesota Vikings are a 3-0 football team. Not many predicted that outcome going into the 2026 season (I certainly didn’t).
VT’s Vikings postgame has plenty to consider following the 23-16 victory over the Buccaneers. Brian Flores had another sizzling day. So did Matt Daniels. What was lacking was Kevin O’Connell’s end of things, a crew that is yet to figure things out. Consider some of the other rapid-fire thoughts.
Premier League Vikings Postgame: 6 Quick Thoughts
1 — Decent News for Justin Jefferson
Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings (14) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) line up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The bad news is that Justin Jefferson sprained his ankle and didn’t come back. The good news is that he was close to doing so.
Kevin O’Connell was reasonably upbeat in his postgame presser. Minnesota’s skipper clarified that Jefferson was close to returning, as the game broadcast suggested when showing #18 trying to test his ankles after getting taped.
What’s sometimes true, though, is that a player is more sore on a Monday than on a Sunday when the adrenaline is pumping. Consider Jefferson questionable, at best, moving into Week 4.
2 — Yet Another Passer Hurt
Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field after an injury during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yet again, a passer facing off against that Brian Flores defense left the game with an injury. The Vikings are playing clean, physical football. What sets them apart is an unusual level of sophisticated aggression.
Both of Caleb Williams in Week 2 and Baker Mayfield in Week 3 did an admirable job of hanging in there. Eventually, though, it feels like a dam breaking, allowing the waters of pressure to drown the quarterback.
It looks very difficult to leave a game against Flores without having a ton of bumps and bruises.
3 — Will Reichard is Steph Curry
Nov 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry (30) questions a call after losing a ball out of bounds while defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Georges Niang (20) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Josefczyk-USA TODAY Sports – Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Will Reichard is a beast. The specialist went 3/3 on his field goals and 2/2 on his extra points, doing so with Johnny Hekker as his holder. A pair of those field goals came from beyond 50.
Coach O’Connell referred to him as being Minnesota’s version of Steph Curry. Get the K1 open for a three and just wait for the football to go swoosh.
4 — Nice Bounce Back from Eric Wilson
Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles with the ball defended by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Early in the game, I made note of a tough Eric Wilson rep when a pulling guard pushed him back before tossing him to the ground. Mr. Wilson then had a fantastic game.
The veteran linebacker finished his day with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 pass defended. He was all over the place, proving vital within the suffocating defensive effort.
5 — Only a Matter of Time
Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Myles Price (4) celebrates with wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) after returning a punt for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Only a matter of time for Mr. Price. Check it out:
Don’t forget that he was an undrafted add who demanded $0 in guaranteed money. Mr. Price has earned things the whole way through a pile of hard work.
6 — Kyler Murray Had a J.J. McCarthy Day
Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) reacts after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Not a great day at the office for Kyler Murray.
He finished the Week 3 game having gone 15/29 for 168 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He got sacked 3 times and finished with a 66.5 passer rating. On a few occasions, Murray underthrew the ball when going deep.
Murray isn’t yet a finished product in this offense. Do note, though, that next week’s game will mean roughly 1/4 of the way through the 2026 Vikings season.
Taylor’s new music video tells a rather dark tale (Picture: Taylor Swift)
In case you missed it, Taylor Swift debuted her brand new music video for Patient Zero at the VMAs on Sunday night.
The star-studded production features Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell and Cara Delevingne and follows Dakota’s character as she struggles in a relationship with a man who seems perfect on the surface, but is in fact very toxic.
Taylor plays the ex-wife, and throughout the video attempts to warn Johnson’s character to run, so she doesn’t end up like her.
Since the premiere, many people who have experienced an unhealthy relationship dynamic have taken to social media to share how the video resonated with them.
And it’s also sparked one key question for everyone with a toxic ex: Should you warn their new partner what they’re really like?
In the Patient Zero lyrics, Taylor says she wouldn’t tell ‘someone else what to do’, but accepts a call from an ex’s new partner and offers support, as she knows the situation all too well.
‘If you’re sick of him, I got you, I was patient zero,’ she sings.
But is this the best approach? Metro asked therapists for their professional opinion on whether or not you should get involved in this kind of situation.
Here’s what they had to say…
In Patient Zero, Taylor’s character warns Dakota’s character to run (Picture: Taylor Swift)
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BACP senior accredited psychotherapist, Debbie Keenan, says it’s a ‘really complicated issue’ and that people in this situation should start by considering their intent before saying anything.
Do you want to warn the new partner to protect them, or are you merely trying to take control of the situation/get revenge on your ex?
She notes that even with the best of intentions, the warning might be taken the wrong way, and you could just be seen as ‘vindictive and jealous’.
If you are genuinely trying to help the other person and decide to speak to them, you need to be prepared for this reaction. BACP accredited sex and relationship therapist, Cate Cambell, refers to this as the ‘dangers of telling’, and urges people to prepare thoroughly for the possibility of not being believed.
‘Usually, the ex has created a story of them as mad, toxic, and abusive, so the new person can be quite rejecting and it can cause a bit of psychological damage,’ she warns. ‘It’s even worse if the ex then hears about this and gets involved.’
Because of this, she agrees with Taylor’s stance from the song, claiming it’s better to wait for them to come to you.
‘When people are trying to recover from a relationship, it’s often better to keep well away – but maybe be available if the new partner contacts you. Even that needs some preparation, though.’
Baljit Kamal, a BACP-accredited psychotherapist and counsellor, also cautions against giving unsolicited advice to the new partner, as she points out what was true of your relationship might not be true of their one.
‘People can change or at least behave differently with different partners,’ she tells Metro. ‘Jumping in uninvited could be seen as intruding, and if the new partner isn’t ready to hear it, your warning might fall uninvited.’
Like Taylor and Cate, she thinks waiting to be contacted by the new partner is the best, most ‘balanced’ approach, instead of going out of your way to interfere.
‘If the new partner asks directly, be honest about your experience; that way you’re not dictating their choices, but you’re also not hiding what happened to you,’ she says.
‘Sharing your story without exaggeration, without resentment, gives them information they can use, while respecting their autonomy.’
Restaurants What if there’s a genuine safety concern for the other person?
If there’s a genuine concern for the new partner’s safety, Debbie Keenan recommends sharing factual information with them, or signposting them to Clare’s Law.
Clare’s Law is a UK scheme that allows the police to release information about a previous history of abuse or violence a person might have.
‘The police assess whether information can be lawfully disclosed,’ Debbie explains.
‘Pointing someone towards Clare’s Law can give them an independent way to find out any relevant information themselves.’
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
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Personal finance Key Takeaways
Founders earn investor trust by running a weekly execution meeting, keeping a one-page plan and assigning a clear owner to every metric that matters.
Monthly investor updates that honestly share wins, misses and asks build credibility, because bad news rarely ruins a relationship but silence does.
Early-stage founders love to talk about vision. I get it. Vision is exciting, and it is often the reason a company exists in the first place. Still, when I sit across from a founder, I usually learn more from their operating habits than from their headline.
I have heard plenty of polished pitches over the years. The founders who earn my attention are usually the ones who show me a simple system for execution. They know what matters this week, who owns it, how progress gets tracked, and when the team will review it again. That may sound basic, yet basic wins more often than a grand speech.
My father taught me that lesson long before I worked in venture. He came from very little, built from scratch and expected the people around him to care deeply about the details. But one thing he said really stayed with me, and that’s if you expect other people to care about your company, you had better care first.
Founders who gloss over the details usually reveal something larger. They want the title of a founder more than the work of actually building. You can’t expect the investors to care more about your company than you. And that shows up in how you organize the details.
Personal finance Care shows up in the calendar
One of the clearest signals of discipline is how a team runs its week. I want to see a recurring execution meeting with a fixed rhythm, a short agenda and real owners on every priority. A good weekly meeting does not need fancy software or a consultant. It needs structure. The best teams I meet can answer four questions quickly. What were the top priorities last week? What moved forward? What slipped? What matters most before the next meeting? If a founder cannot answer those questions with clarity, then the team is probably drifting.
I think about punctuality the same way. People love saying they arrived right on time, as if that proves seriousness. To me, arriving exactly on time often says the opposite. Life happens. Traffic happens. Tech issues happen. People who truly care usually build margin into the day. That mindset carries into company building. Great founders prepare before the meeting starts. They do not show up and decide what matters in real time.
Personal finance Keep the weekly plan painfully simple
Founders often assume better execution means more process. Usually, it means less. Early teams rarely need layers of bureaucracy. They need one page.
I like a one-page weekly plan because it forces clarity. The company mission may be broad, yet the week should feel specific. List the three to five priorities that matter most. Name the owner beside each one. Add a target date or metric. Then review the same sheet at the next meeting.
That simple habit does two things. First, it exposes confusion early. Second, it makes accountability feel normal instead of personal. A missed priority no longer becomes a dramatic confrontation. It becomes a visible item the team can address, learn from and reset.
Too many founders confuse motion with traction. They stay busy, take meetings, answer messages and jump between fires. Then Friday arrives, and nobody can say what actually moved. A one-page plan gives the week a spine.
Personal finance Metrics need owners, not admirers
Another thing I watch closely is how founders talk about metrics. Vague language tells me very little. I don’t want to hear that revenue is improving or the pipeline looks strong. I want to know who owns revenue, what the customer pipeline looks like, where deals are stalling and what number the team is trying to move next.
A young company does not need 50 dashboards. It needs a handful of numbers that matter and a person responsible for each one. Revenue, pipeline, customer conversations, burn, runway, hiring or product releases can all matter depending on stage. What matters most is ownership.
When no one owns a metric, everyone gets to admire it from a distance. That helps nobody. A founder should be able to say, “Sarah owns the pipeline. James owns product delivery. I own fundraising and key hires.” Clear ownership creates clear conversations.
Personal finance Investor updates are a discipline tool
Many founders treat investor updates like a favor. I see them as an operating tool. A solid monthly update forces a founder to slow down, look at the business honestly, and decide what belongs in the headline, what belongs in the lowlight, and what support is needed next.
One of the better update formats I have seen is also one of the simplest. Share key metrics, cash in the bank, runway, major wins, major misses, asks and priorities for the next month. That is it.
I have also seen the other side, and it is painful. I have backed founders who chased the investment hard, then went silent after the investor made the deposit. In one case, I learned through LinkedIn that a founder had moved on to a new job while investors were still waiting for a clear update on the company. That kind of behavior kills trust fast. Bad news doesn’t ruin a relationship, but silence does.
Personal finance Accountability works best when it feels normal
The strongest teams make accountability part of the culture before a crisis arrives. They revisit priorities every week. They schedule standing check-ins. They create a place where asking for help feels responsible rather than weak.
That matters because founders carry a lot. There will be weeks when the plan slips, the hire falls through, or the customer says no. A disciplined operating cadence gives the team a way to recover without panic. It turns execution into a repeatable practice.
If you are building an early company, start here. Set a weekly execution meeting. Build a one-page plan. Assign clear owners to the few metrics that matter most. Send a monthly investor update that tells the truth. Then repeat. Vision opens the door. Discipline keeps it open. Traction usually comes from founders who care enough to do the simple things every single week.
Personal finance Key Takeaways
Founders earn investor trust by running a weekly execution meeting, keeping a one-page plan and assigning a clear owner to every metric that matters.
Monthly investor updates that honestly share wins, misses and asks build credibility, because bad news rarely ruins a relationship but silence does.
Early-stage founders love to talk about vision. I get it. Vision is exciting, and it is often the reason a company exists in the first place. Still, when I sit across from a founder, I usually learn more from their operating habits than from their headline.
I have heard plenty of polished pitches over the years. The founders who earn my attention are usually the ones who show me a simple system for execution. They know what matters this week, who owns it, how progress gets tracked, and when the team will review it again. That may sound basic, yet basic wins more often than a grand speech.
My father taught me that lesson long before I worked in venture. He came from very little, built from scratch and expected the people around him to care deeply about the details. But one thing he said really stayed with me, and that’s if you expect other people to care about your company, you had better care first.
From Alex Gibney’s mammoth study of the rise of X proprietor Elon Musk to Danny Boyle’s dramatization of the birth of British tabloid newspaper The Sun, this year’s Venice Film festival featured a lot of movies speculating on the past, present and future of the media. None did it quite as disturbingly, however, as Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, one of the earliest stars of the early-21st-century reality-TV revolution.
Called To Catch a Predator, Hansen’s show was intended to show the vulnerability of young boys and girls online; instead, it proved the gullibility of perverted adult men, who showed up in surprisingly large numbers at Hansen’s “bait house” fully expecting to have sex with a minor. Despite the dubious legality of each sting operation, and the full-on prurience of seeing these men humiliated on national television, To Catch a Predator lasted several years before this powder keg of controversy finally, and perhaps inevitably, exploded.
If Oppenheim’s film were simply about Hansen’s hubris, that alone would be enough for a movie. But Primetime also features a superb supporting performance from Merritt Wever as Hansen’s producer, Andie Bender. Though Wever stresses that her character is fictional — and modestly posits that her co-star Skyler Gisondo, who plays the show’s underage-looking catfish “Decoy Dan”, is the film’s real human heart — Andie represents the many layers of enablers that allowed Hansen’s dangerous ambitions to flourish unchecked.
Watch on Deadline
Here, Wever reflects on the themes of the theme, which released in the U.S. on Friday, with possible spoilers…
DEADLINE: Did you know about To Catch a Predator before you got this role?
MERRITT WEVER: I did. I mean, I’m old enough that I remember it being on television. I remember, I did actually watch it myself, but I’ve often wondered [how others will react to it]… The film played in Venice, for instance, and I wondered about the differences that would arise between audiences that already knew about the show, because it’s part of our cultural backdrop, and ones that did not. Although I think there’s probably plenty of younger people from the U.S. who didn’t know that it existed or didn’t watch it when it was originally on. So, I’ve been curious what they’ll think of not just the movie, but of the show itself.
DEADLINE: Why did you want to do it?
WEVER: I wanted to do it because I liked the original whiff, or hit, that I got off of the character. The script went through a lot of iterations. I think it was constantly in flux and they were constantly working with it and on it and figuring out how this kind of carousel of characters were going to interact and what shape they were going to take. But Andie always had this kind of rottenness to her that I think she is wrestling with, coming to terms with, and having to make choices around whether she’s going to commit to the rottenness or try to move in another direction. I think Lance and I talked a lot, and [screenwriter] Ajon [Singh] talked a lot about that fable of the two wolves. Do you know it? An elder tells a child that inside everyone are two wolves, a light one and a dark one. And the youngster says, “Which one wins?” And the elder says, “Whichever one you feed.” So, I think Lance and I talked about trying to find a structure for a character who is trying to choose between two wolves inside her.
DEADLINE: It’s interesting, because at the beginning of the film, we want to believe that you’re going to be the conscience of the movie.
WEVER: That’s what I hoped would come through, and I didn’t know if it would or not — that she’s the character that you think is going to make a different choice. And she’s the one that does not.
DEADLINE: Is she based on a real character? Is there any one person, or is she a composite of people?
WEVER: I wouldn’t even call her a composite. She really is a from-scratch character. Chris’s character is a dramatization, and I would call Skyler’s character an amalgamation, but Andie always kind of was drawn from thin air. There were producers on his show, but I think she’s in some ways the most from-scratch character. And I think that’s probably also why there was so much room.
Merritt Wever and Robert Pattinson in ‘Primetime’
A24
DEADLINE: It seems you’ve been around television a lot in your life — not the same kind of television, obviously — but how did you prepare for the role, and what kind of research can you do for a piece like this?
WEVER: I researched a lot about her job. I read a lot of memoirs. I watched a lot of documentaries. I like to do a lot of research, although I’ve learned that I have to be careful with research because sometimes it can send me into a direction that gets me interested or excited, but that doesn’t actually belong in the world of the film I’m doing. I’ve actually found that sometimes when I’m playing people who are based on real-life figures, I start to get attached to the figures in their honest iterations and then use that as my lighthouse instead of the script. And at the end of the day, it’s what’s on the page that you’re actually doing. But the thing I found most helpful when it came to pure research was talking to two long-time television producers about what their job entailed 20 years ago too, before we had phones and the internet in our pocket, and, specifically, what it’s like to work with a host when you are a producer on a show and how you are responsible for not just finagling a production, but finagling a human being.
DEADLINE: That certainly comes across.
WEVER: Yeah. I think that’s the hardest part of her job. And also, I think for the purposes of the film, the most interesting part of her job.
DEADLINE: How closely did you work with Robert Pattinson? Did you know him prior to filming?
WEVER: No, I didn’t know him. I think first I Zoomed with Lance, and then the next step was to Zoom with Lance and Rob, but we didn’t know each other. I think he was coming off of a busy shooting schedule, and I think we just kind of hit the ground running.
DEADLINE: Did you have any time to rehearse with him? You obviously have a close relationship in the film.
WEVER: No. And also, rehearsal is not really where Lance’s interest lies. Perhaps because he comes from a documentary background, he wants to shoot everything as is. But I think because Lance and I had spent so much time talking, it didn’t feel necessary to talk more once we got to set with Rob. And I also don’t really like talking too much about the work, the acting, if it’s divorced from the actual doing of it, like when you’re doing a play and you’re in a rehearsal process. I don’t like to decide ahead of time what something’s going to be, but different people work differently?
DEADLINE: It’s interesting that you mentioned his documentary background. Because it does start off quite naturalistic, and then it ends up very differently. It becomes kind of a tabloid movie, and I mean that as a compliment.
WEVER: Yeah, that’s the style. I mean, Lance is someone who was a very specific and strong visual language, and he’s been working with his collaborators — his DP and his editor — for a long time. So, they have a language and they have a style that they live within. I remember when the job came my way, I read the script, which was very specific and unique, and they told me that it would be directed by a documentarian. And I remember thinking, “Well, geez, how is that going to work?”
Before I had seen any of his films, I just remember thinking — assuming — that there would be a lot of fly-on-the-wall shots, where it’s just two people sitting and talking to the camera in a very static image. And then, I think, within the first few minutes of his first documentary that I started to watch, I was like, “Oh, he knows how to film this story. He knows how to shoot this story, and this is actually quite a good match between material and filmmaker.” I don’t know if you saw Ren Faire, the limited series he did. It centers around a mad king, and that’s always how I saw Chris in this, someone calling the shots, creating chaos while his subject scurried around in his wake.
DEADLINE: What are your thoughts on Chris Hansen as a host?
WEVER: Again, because of his background, Lance interested in the meta. He’s interested in where fact and fiction intertwine, feed each other, talk to each other. But there were so many shifts and changes in the material that I had to focus on my own paper at the end of the day. That was the only thing. I wouldn’t say I was in control of it, but that became my job. I wasn’t going to be able to wrangle any part other than that one.
Merritt Wever as Andie in ‘Primetime’
A24
DEADLINE: It’s definitely a film that asks the audience to go with it, and it’s almost over by the time you’ve had the chance to wrestle with the…
WEVER: Yes, it’s a ride. And it goes quickly. And I’ve seen it twice with audiences, different audiences. [Laughs.] Yeah, maybe I should have let you finish asking your question! Sometimes I interrupt people because I’m trying to run out the clock with things I can’t think about, and then I don’t give them an opportunity to ask me the things that I worry I don’t have an answer for.
DEADLINE: No, you were starting to. It was an observation really rather than a question. It’s about how, a bit like your character, one finds oneself, as a viewer, swept along with it, even though you know where it’s heading. How else could that show have ended, the way people were being entrapped, and, certainly, with the dubious legality of it all? I think that your performance particularly shows the way people were seduced by the ratings.
WEVER: The only response I have is yes, correct. I feel like it’s a film that exists within a tradition of films that come along every five to ten years to tell a similar story against a dubious — to use your word — media landscape. And the container of the story is always different, but the moral remains the same and it’s always an ugly one, but it doesn’t really matter. We don’t seem to learn.
DEADLINE: I did notice that early on in your career you did Series 7: The Contenders (2001), about a reality show in which regular people are forced by a national lottery to kill each other…
WEVER: It’s not my way to be self-referential, but I also think that’s the one movie that Lance hasn’t seen. He seems to have a secret link to everything, anything you ask for. I may text him soon actually to see if he has some links for me. But I know what you mean. I really did think of that movie too once it was all done. It’s also very heightened and elevated, except that one is a show that didn’t exist, and this one is a show that did, but both of them are shocking and surprising.
DEADLINE: I’m not suggesting that you knew 25 years ago that this would happen, but it is interesting that something you did as sci-fi, or speculative fiction, soon became something that was actually quite real.
WEVER: I know, I know. I remember when we were making that film, I remember us talking about this new show called Survivor. I think we shot it in maybe ’99 or 2000. Yeah, those two films are certainly in conversation with each other.
DEADLINE: You mentioned the screenplay. The film does kind of change. I wouldn’t say it radically changes, but it certainly changes from a lighter tone to a much darker tone, and it almost becomes Zero Dark Thirty at the end. Was that on the page?
WEVER: I wouldn’t say that the visuals were on the page, but it’s true that it lives tonally in more than one place. And I think the challenge, or one of the tasks I had, was how do I make sure that two characters who almost feel like they live in different worlds but are in the same scene together, how do I make sure that you buy that they’re actually talking to each other? But, in some ways, I think that was a task for Lance and his editor. I think that there were many cuts of this film, and I remember when I walked away, I thought, “I’m not really sure which film we just made. And I’m not sure which film they’ll choose at the end of the day to have made. And I also don’t know which version of Andie they’ll choose.”
I think we tried having her live in a lot of different places, and, again, maybe that speaks to Lance’s background as a documentarian. I found it almost disorienting to work that way, but sometimes the container and the content feed each other, and the story, as you pointed out, becomes increasingly madcap and disorienting, so maybe it makes sense that, by the time I walked away, I wasn’t sure exactly who I was or what I had done and what I was going to be a part of — I was going to have to wait until the edit was done and see this film, and in a weird way, meet the film, and meet Andie, for the first time. So, in doing press, people keep asking me for the answers, and in an odd way, I’ve never felt like I had less answers for people. I’m still learning who Andie is and what we made, and I’m needing to hear from the audience what it is that we made and what they saw in her.
DEADLINE: She seems almost like an accidental Lady Macbeth.
WEVER: She makes her choice. She chooses her fighter. Yeah. And to bring Skyler into this, I think that you see his character as the final victim of the show. He’s Decoy Dan. I think he does an exceptional job, and I think that without his performance and his character, the film wouldn’t mean anything. We did work together, but I think that Andie — weirdly — exists a bit off to the side, even in the film. Dan and Chris interact with each other and spend time with each other in a way that Andie doesn’t. So, we worked together briefly, and he was wonderful. But when I think of Andie, I think about her over to the side, alone.
DEADLINE: How did you feel doing those scenes? Were you there when they filmed the scenes with the pedophiles, basically, as they come into the kitchen? Was that just the magic of cinema or were you actually there, watching those setups on the monitors?
WEVER: I was there, but we didn’t always have the footage that was taking place. We were pretending to be watching, but I was there, and I was there enough that I could see some of the stuff as it played out. I understood what she was going to be watching.
DEADLINE: I just wonder how it affected you emotionally in terms of watching. I mean, we can’t feel too much sympathy for these people, but yet there is an element of…
WEVER: Compassion? I think if there wasn’t compassion in the film, we would certainly be missing a piece of the story. I think that’s part of the tragedy of it. I mean, Rob’s character repeats the line, “What would’ve happened if I hadn’t been here?” But I will say, this was the second in a string of parts I played where the core of the character was kind of nasty, and there was not a scene of real catharsis or change. And I did, by the end of this shoot, feel pretty rotten myself, and for the first time was like, “All right, how do you get something out of your body? Do you need to intentionally do that?” It wasn’t a pleasant space to find yourself living in, day in and day out. And I remember we did three weeks of night shoots at the end of the film, literally the final days, and I was ready for it to be over, and I was ready to not be her anymore.
DEADLINE: How did you get rid of her? What did you do?
WEVER: I was very quickly on a plane to another part. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s helpful, but, in retrospect, I wonder if, moving forward, I’ll be a little more intentional when I play certain parts that I’d like to say goodbye to as fast as possible. It was also like coming off of a year, or a year-and-a-half, of a lot of work after the strike trying to kind of make up for lost time, make up for lost income. So, I was working at a pace that I think caught up with me — particularly physically, as you get older. But that’s just another thing that you only learn the hard way, that, as you age, you need to kind of take care of yourself a little more. These are long days.
DEADLINE: It’s funny, there’s a lot of films at the moment — like Danny Boyle’s new film, Ink — where it seems to me that we’re trying to look back and figure out where everything went so wrong in the world, this now post-truth world. Did the script speak to you in terms of what’s happening today?
WEVER: It’s based on an article, and I remember I liked that, it was how I could trust that the moral center of the film would be in the right place. It’s based on that, and the fact that Lance said early on, “Just so you know, this is not a hit piece in any direction. That’s not the gaze I’m taking.” But in the original article, there’s a lot of compassion, and it does seem to be like a tale of what happens when media, news, and law enforcement come together and get very mixed up, and the wrong entity starts to call the shots. I mean, listen, our current president was on a reality show for years and years and seasons and seasons, so I think looking back is likely fruitful, a worthwhile endeavor.
DEADLINE: So, what’s next for you?
WEVER: I’m thinking of the things I can’t say. What’s next for me is… Yeah, I’m thinking of the things I can’t say, which sounds like I’m thoroughly more employed than I am, I promise. [Laughs.] This girl is highly tech avail, highly tech avail.
Scientists at the University of Oxford just recently provided an uncommonly confident prescription for among farming’s most important obstacles.
As cocoa production comes under installing pressure from environment modification, illness and biodiversity loss, their research study argued that bring back nature itself, through safeguarding pollinators and embracing more biodiversity friendly farming systems, is essential to secure the world’s cocoa materials.
The paper discovered that improved pollination increased yields by as much as 20%, with aspects impacting cocoa trees’ capability to produce pods, schedule of and access to soil resources, plantation age, lower cocoa tree density, and the existence of leaf litter all likewise considerably increasing yields.
To put it simply, the world can produce more cocoa by dealing with nature, instead of heightening versus it.
The argument was prompt. Cocoa rates had actually currently started climbing up dramatically as bad harvests in West Africa exposed the fragility of international supply chains. Severe weather condition, aging plantations and consistent crop illness were integrating to decrease yields in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the 2 nations accountable for around 60% of international cocoa production.
A year and a half on, the concern stays, not just for chocolate makers and providers, however likewise for all the smallholder farmers whose incomes depend upon a crop dealing with unmatched unpredictability: have the techniques charted in the paper moved beyond clinical journals and into cocoa farms and business sourcing techniques?
ICC From research study to truth
Dr Tonya Lander, co-author of the Oxford research study, states these suggestions have actually been with the cocoa market for years. Is the market listening?
“Increase pollination by increasing pollinator abundance, by offering pollinator environment and preventing making use of farming chemicals; consist of shade trees in plantations; secure and improve plantation soils,” she discusses.
Lander argues that to preserve and increase the percentage of cocoa being produced in habitat-enhancing, biodiversity centred, climate-resilient methods, cocoa purchasers require to devote to purchasing Organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance accredited cocoa.
At present, she states, the majority of development is originating from the farmers themselves, and little business and NGOs supporting the farmers in relocating to these accreditation plans.
“Given that just 9 traders and processors deal with 75% of the world’s cocoa, these business have incredible power to make favorable modification.”
Need for natural cocoa is remarkably low, as we understand from the Netherland’s CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from establishing nations). In a market report from 2025they discover that just 4% of the cocoa beans, and less than 1% of cocoa paste and powder imported to the EU in 2023, as being natural. The import volume of natural cocoa beans to the EU has actually not increased considering that 2018.
ICC Are cocoa business altering course?
Significant chocolate makers have actually invested years buying farmer training, agroforestry and sustainability efforts.
Mars, for instance, has actually participated in 2 collective efforts to deal with these concerns. The very first, a five-year partnership with Sucden revealed in 2015, is targeted at advancing low-carbon, climate-resilient cocoa production in farms in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. The program was developed to motivate farms to welcome agroforestry practices targeted at enhancing soil health and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, all while increasing farmers’ yields.
The 2nd, another five-year plan this time with ofi, is developed to speed up the advancement of a climate-smart and regenerative cocoa supply chain in Ecuador, and will empower over 960 farmers to execute regenerative farming practices, like multistrata agroforestry and biochar applications, throughout more than 9,000 hectares of farmland– approximately the size of the Greek island of Santorini.
Is the sector as an entire investing enough in regenerative farming?
“There’s a lot more to do,” states World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Impact Director and Head of North America, Michael Matarasso, keeping in mind that environment effects differ substantially in between cocoa-growing areas.
The WCF represents over 80% of the cocoa market. Their objective is to drive a more sustainable, durable and fair cocoa sector.
“The best action may be much better planting product, better shade and agroforestry, enhanced soil and water management, more powerful insect and illness management or a mix of these,” includes Matarasso.
“We require the proof and information to make those options and after that the financial investment to provide them at scale. WCF can assist by bringing the sector together around a science-based tactical method, grounded in premium information and robust approaches.”
Obviously, altering weather conditions will impact where cocoa can be grown effectively in future, and Oxford scientist Lander concurs that a more unforeseeable and more severe environment includes more intricacy.
“Rising temperature levels and unforeseeable rains are impacting cocoa production, and make the requirement for habitat-enhancing, biodiversity-centred, climate-resilient cocoa production much more pushing.”
ICC Betting on cocoa– or beyond it
While much of the market continues purchasing enhancing cocoa growing, some are likewise checking out options. Accuracy fermentation, cell-based production and cocoa-free chocolate components have actually drawn in increasing attention as prospective methods of lowering reliance on climate-sensitive cocoa products.
A representative for Lindt & & Sprüngli informed me, while they can not forecast the future advancement of cocoa crops, their present focus stays on standard cocoa sourcing.
“At the very same time, Lindt & & Sprüngli constantly checks out development in cocoa growing and chocolate production … and has actually made a financial investment in Food Brewer, a Swiss business looking into cocoa components based upon natural cocoa plant cell cultures. This cooperation is research‑focused and at an early phase.”
For recognized producers, it appears changing cocoa completely stays a far-off possibility, while enhancing traditional production still seems where the market’s biggest financial investments are being made.
In the meantime, the clinical case for biodiversity-based cocoa production continues to reinforce, and awareness of pollination, agroforestry and community durability has actually unquestionably grown within the sector.
Whether that awareness is equating into quantifiable enhancements on farms is a harder concern; one that depends upon financial investment, farmer rewards and the determination of federal governments and business to embed biodiversity into mainstream cocoa production.
Researchers at the University of Oxford recently offered an unusually hopeful prescription for one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges.
As cocoa production comes under mounting pressure from climate change, disease and biodiversity loss, their study argued that restoring nature itself, through protecting pollinators and adopting more biodiversity friendly farming systems, is vital to safeguard the world’s cocoa supplies.
The paper found that enhanced pollination increased yields by up to 20%, with factors affecting cocoa trees’ capacity to produce pods, availability of and access to soil resources, plantation age, lower cocoa tree density, and the presence of leaf litter all also markedly increasing yields.
In other words, the world can produce more cocoa by working with nature, rather than intensifying against it.
The argument was timely. Cocoa prices had already begun climbing sharply as poor harvests in West Africa exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Extreme weather, ageing plantations and persistent crop diseases were combining to reduce yields in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the two countries responsible for around 60% of global cocoa production.
A year and a half on, the question remains, not only for chocolate manufacturers and suppliers, but also for all the smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on a crop facing unprecedented uncertainty: have the strategies charted in the paper moved beyond scientific journals and into cocoa farms and corporate sourcing strategies?
Cricket From research to reality
Dr Tonya Lander, co-author of the Oxford study, says these recommendations have been with the cocoa industry for decades. But is the industry listening?
“Increase pollination by increasing pollinator abundance, by providing pollinator habitat and avoiding the use of agricultural chemicals; include shade trees in plantations; protect and enhance plantation soils,” she explains.
Lander argues that to maintain and increase the proportion of cocoa being produced in habitat-enhancing, biodiversity centred, climate-resilient ways, cocoa buyers need to commit to buying Organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.
At present, she says, most progress is coming from the farmers themselves, and small companies and NGOs supporting the farmers in moving to these certification schemes.
“Given that only nine traders and processors handle 75% of the world’s cocoa, these companies have tremendous power to make positive change.”
Unfortunately, demand for organic cocoa is surprisingly low, as we know from the Netherland’s CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries). In an industry report from 2025, they find that only 4% of the cocoa beans, and less than 1% of cocoa paste and powder imported to the EU in 2023, as being organic. The import volume of organic cocoa beans to the EU has not increased since 2018.
Cricket Are cocoa companies changing course?
Major chocolate manufacturers have spent years investing in farmer training, agroforestry and sustainability initiatives.
Mars, for example, has entered into two collaborative initiatives to tackle these issues. The first, a five-year collaboration with Sucden announced last year, is aimed at advancing low-carbon, climate-resilient cocoa production in farms in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. The programme was devised to encourage farms to embrace agroforestry practices aimed at improving soil health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, all while increasing farmers’ yields.
The second, another five-year scheme this time with ofi, is designed to accelerate the development of a climate-smart and regenerative cocoa supply chain in Ecuador, and will empower over 960 farmers to implement regenerative agriculture practices, like multistrata agroforestry and biochar applications, across more than 9,000 hectares of farmland – roughly the size of the Greek island of Santorini.
But is the sector as a whole investing enough in regenerative agriculture?
“There’s a lot more to do,” says World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Impact Director and Head of North America, Michael Matarasso, noting that climate impacts vary significantly between cocoa-growing regions.
The WCF represents over 80% of the cocoa industry. Their mission is to drive a more sustainable, resilient and equitable cocoa sector.
“The right response might be better planting material, more appropriate shade and agroforestry, improved soil and water management, stronger pest and disease management or a combination of these,” adds Matarasso.
“We need the evidence and data to make those choices and then the investment to deliver them at scale. WCF can help by bringing the sector together around a science-based strategic approach, grounded in high-quality data and robust methodologies.”
Of course, changing climatic conditions will affect where cocoa can be grown successfully in future, and Oxford researcher Lander agrees that a more unpredictable and more extreme climate adds further complexity.
“Rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall are affecting cocoa production, and make the need for habitat-enhancing, biodiversity-centred, climate-resilient cocoa production even more pressing.”
Cricket Betting on cocoa – or beyond it
While much of the industry continues investing in improving cocoa cultivation, some are also looking into alternatives. Precision fermentation, cell-based production and cocoa-free chocolate ingredients have attracted increasing attention as potential ways of reducing dependence on climate-sensitive cocoa supplies.
A spokesperson for Lindt & Sprüngli told me, while they cannot predict the future development of cocoa crops, their current focus remains on traditional cocoa sourcing.
“At the same time, Lindt & Sprüngli continuously explores innovation in cocoa cultivation and chocolate production… and has made an investment in Food Brewer, a Swiss company researching cocoa ingredients based on natural cocoa plant cell cultures. This collaboration is research‑focused and at an early stage.”
For established manufacturers, it seems replacing cocoa entirely remains a distant prospect, while improving conventional production still appears to be where the industry’s largest investments are being made.
In the meantime, the scientific case for biodiversity-based cocoa production continues to strengthen, and awareness of pollination, agroforestry and ecosystem resilience has undoubtedly grown within the sector.
Whether that awareness is translating into measurable improvements on farms is a more difficult question; one that depends on investment, farmer incentives and the willingness of governments and companies to embed biodiversity into mainstream cocoa production.
Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026.
In June, legendary music executive Clive Davis also died at age 94 following a hospitalization for an upper respiratory infection.
The following month, G.R.L. member Lauren Bennettdied at age 37, while Bonnie Tyler died at 75. Emergency!‘s Randolph Mantooth and Police Academy‘s Peter Van Norden also died in July. They were 80 and 75, respectively.
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In August, news broke that The Sopranos alum Vincent Pastore, All That star Christy Knowingsand formerThe Challenge winner Tyler Duckworth died. Dolly Parton died on August 25, one day before Tim Curry‘sdeath. Also in August, influential artist Yayoi Kusama’s website confirmed that she died at age 97 in Tokyo. Singer Jaye P. Morgan and voice actor Peter Cullen also died that month.
In September, Disney Channel star Carla Jeffery, legendary activist Gloria Steinem and jazz singer Cassandra Wilson died at the respective ages of 33, 92 and 70. Later that month, musicians Duncan Sheik and Chad Gilbert and model Presley Gerber died, as did Naked Eyes singer Peter Byrne and AEW wrestler Pac.
Scroll down to remember all the stars who died in 2026:
Credit: AEW/YouTube
Red carpet Celebrity Deaths of 2026: AEW Wrestler Pac, Peter Byrne and More Stars We’ve Lost This Year
Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026.
In June, legendary music executive Clive Davis also died at age 94 following a hospitalization for an upper respiratory infection.
The following month, G.R.L. member Lauren Bennettdied at age 37, while Bonnie Tyler died at 75. Emergency!‘s Randolph Mantooth and Police Academy‘s Peter Van Norden also died in July. They were 80 and 75, respectively.
In August, news broke that The Sopranos alum Vincent Pastore, All That star Christy Knowingsand formerThe Challenge winner Tyler Duckworth died. Dolly Parton died on August 25, one day before Tim Curry‘sdeath. Also in August, influential artist Yayoi Kusama’s website confirmed that she died at age 97 in Tokyo. Singer Jaye P. Morgan and voice actor Peter Cullen also died that month.
In September, Disney Channel star Carla Jeffery, legendary activist Gloria Steinem and jazz singer Cassandra Wilson died at the respective ages of 33, 92 and 70. Later that month, musicians Duncan Sheik and Chad Gilbert and model Presley Gerber died, as did Naked Eyes singer Peter Byrne and AEW wrestler Pac.
Scroll down to remember all the stars who died in 2026:
Credit: Rick Kern/WireImage
Red carpet Peter Byrne
Naked Eyes announced singer Peter Byrne’s death at age 74 in a statement shared via their website on September 23.
“Peter Byrne, singer and songwriter for the band Naked Eyes, died peacefully in Los Angeles, California, on Monday, September 14, after a brief illness,” the statement read. “Peter is survived by his siblings Eileen, Sandy, Carol, and Steve; his three children, Merlin, Dylan, and Chloe; and his ex-wife, Elena. A private service will be held for the family.”
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Red carpet Tim Janus
Competitive eater and The Amazing Race season 30 alum Tim Janus died on September 16 after a battle with cancer, his publicist confirmed to Major League Eating. He was 49.
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Red carpet Presley Gerber
Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died on September 20 at age 27.
Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Red carpet Chad Gilbert
New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert died on September 20 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 45.
“He left this world surrounded by friends and family and took his final breaths with his wife and mother by his side, just as he wished,” Gilbert’s wife, Lisa Cimorelli, wrote in an Instagram statement. “We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went.”
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Red carpet Duncan Sheik
Spring Awakening composer and “Barely Breathing” singer Duncan Sheik died of organ failure on September 17, his mother confirmed to The New York Times. He was 56. In the days before his death, Sheik was in “critical but stable” condition in a hospital and “receiving medical care” for an unspecified health issue.
Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for FUNimation Entertainment
Red carpet Mike McFarland
Mike McFarland, a voice actor from the English-dubbed versions of One Piece and Dragon Ball Z, died on September 9 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 56.
“Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans that knew his work,” anime streaming service Crunchyroll said in a statement. “He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us and will be sorely, sorely missed.”
Credit: Taylor Made Official/YouTube
Red carpet Brian Duckworth
Country musician Brian Duckworth, a member of the group Taylor Made, died at age 56 at his home in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on September 7, an obituary from the Bartlett Funeral Home confirmed. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Red carpet Barry Melrose
The longtime NHL coach and ESPN analyst’s death at age 70 was announced on September 9. Melrose retired as one of ESPN’s color commentators in October 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettmansaid in a statement. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.”
ESPN also paid tribute via a statement, which read, “For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey. His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing, and his passion was unmistakable. He was a foundational part of ESPN’s hockey coverage, and fans and teammates truly appreciated his entertaining delivery and charismatic personality.
“We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones. He always kept it interesting and he will be missed,” a network spokesperson added.
Credit: Adam Gasson/Total Guitar Magazine/Future via Getty Images
Red carpet Andy Williams
The former AEW wrestler and metal guitarist died on September 5 after collapsing during an Enjoy Wrestling tag-team match. He was 48.
“Andy Williams was a musician and wrestler. He was one of the best people I ever met,” AEW’s Josh Alexander wrote via X. “Everytime we spoke I left the conversation better for it. I’ll remember Andy for what he was. A dude with an enormous heart that could always put a smile on my face. Rest in Peace brother.”
Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Red carpet Cassandra Wilson
Grammy-winning jazz singer Cassandra Wilson died in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 2, according to her manager. She was 70.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist,” Robert Torre said in a statement to WBGO. “Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager.”
The statement continued, “Her family and close friends respectfully ask for privacy during this difficult time as they grieve her loss. Further information regarding memorial services and arrangements will be shared at a later time.”
Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO
Red carpet Gloria Steinem
Legendary feminist activist Gloria Steinemdied on September 2 at the age of 92.
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” an obituary shared via Instagram read. “Her words, actions and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Red carpet Carla Jeffery
Jeffery’s management company announced that the Zombies actress died on September 1. She was 33.
“Carla was more than a client; she was family,” the statement read. “Our hearts are with Carla’s family and loved ones during this devastating time. We respectfully ask that their privacy be honored as they grieve this unimaginable loss. Rest beautifully, Carla. Your light will never be forgotten.”
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Red carpet Peter Cullen
Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, died at his home in Los Angeles on August 26, his agent confirmed to TMZ. He was 85. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
“Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide,” his loved ones said in a statement. “His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle.'”
Credit: Everett Collection
Red carpet Jaye P. Morgan
Singer and actress Jaye P. Morgan, largely known for her appearances on TV specials and game shows like The Gong Show, died of natural causes at age 94 on August 24, her rep confirmed to multiple outlets.
Credit: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Red carpet Yayoi Kusama
A message on Yayoi Kusama’s website revealed that she “passed away peacefully” in a Tokyo hospital on August 14. The esteemed pop artist was known for creating installations inspired by her own hallucinations — many of which prominently featured polka dots.
“She dedicated her entire life to international activities as an avant-garde artist in various fields, including fine arts, performance art, novels, and poetry,” a statement read. “She never laid down his paintbrush until shortly before her death, continuing her search for eternal love and soul throughout her 97-year life.”
The statement continued, “We aim to carry on the artist’s legacy and deliver hope and strength for the future to people around the world through art.”
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Red carpet Tim Curry
TMZ reported on August 26 that Rocky Horror Picture Show and Clue star Tim Curry died at age 80.
Credit: Getty Images
Red carpet Dolly Parton
“Jolene” singer and country legend Dolly Parton died at age 80 on August 25, her rep confirmed in a statement.
“Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee,” the statement read. “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.”
Her rep continued: “Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
Per Parton’s request, a “small, private service will be held for immediate family,” and her “fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media and her website.” The statement concluded, “In lieu of flower, the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”
Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Red carpet Shelley Fabares
The One Day at a Time, The Donna Reed Show and Coach alum died in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 22, following a short illness. She was 82.
“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter and comfort,” her family said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued and cared for.”
As well as her television roles, Fabares costarred in three films with Elvis Presley and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Johnny Angel” in 1962.
Credit: Courtesy Instagram / Quévin Castro
Red carpet Quevin Castro
Portuguese soccer star Quévin Castro died at age 25 on August 22 after collapsing during a preseason match between his team, Real Sport Clube, and rivals Estrela de Amadora at Estádio das Seixas in Malveira, Portugal.
In Real Sport Clube’s tribute to Castro, the team remembered him as “far more than a player.” (Castro signed with the club in June and never got to play in an official match for them.)
“He was a member of our family, leaving a mark on all those who had the privilege of knowing him, both on and off the pitch,” Real Sport Clube’s statement read.
Castro’s former team West Bromwich Albion announced plans to pay tribute to him during the following day’s match.
“West Bromwich Albion are devastated to learn of the untimely passing of Quevin Castro, aged just 25. Albion will pay tribute to Quevin on Sunday, with a period of applause in the 25th minute of the fixture against Burnley. [Coach] James Morrison’s men will also wear black armbands,” the team confirmed.
Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp.
Red carpet Michael Wright
Sugar Hill actor Michael Wright died on August 19. He was 70.
“Our family is grieving an enormous and deeply personal loss,” his wife, Susan Knight, said in a statement shared via Instagram.”We understand how much Michael meant to so many people, and we are grateful for the love, prayers, memories, and condolences already being shared.”
Credit: Buena Vista/Everett Collection
Red carpet Hayden Panettiere
The Heroes and Nashville alum’s representative confirmed her death at age 36 to Us on August 16.
Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement, “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
Credit: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Red carpet Tommy John
News broke on August 16 that New York Yankees icon Tommy John died at age 83 after battling bladder cancer.
“The New York Yankees mourn the passing of Tommy John, who was a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans,” a statement from the team read. “While his incredible longevity and post-surgery achievements changed the fortunes and trajectory of countless athletes around the world, it also overshadowed his excellence as a pitcher, which included consecutive 20‑win seasons with the Yankees.”
Credit: Courtesy Instagram / Tyler Duckworth
Red carpet Tyler Duckworth
The Challenge alum Tyler Duckworth’s mother, Joni, announced on August 13 that her son had died at age 44 earlier in the week. No cause of death has been determined as of publication.
Duckworth was a pioneer for LGBTQ+ contestants on The Challenge as a two-time winner of the Cutthroat and Rivals seasons. Many Challenge cast members paid tribute to the late reality star following the announcement of his death.
“Absolutely heartbroken to hear about Tyler. We shared something special being part of The Challenge family,” Brad Fiorenza wrote via Instagram. “I’ll always be grateful for the memories we shared; especially at this last event just a couple weeks ago. Tyler will be deeply missed by so many. May his amazing soul live on in the lives he’s touched. RIP my dear friend 🕊️🙏”
The Challenge star Tina Barta shared her own memorial message, writing, “Some friendships are measured in years. Others are measured in memories, laughter, shared experiences and the way someone makes you feel when they are in the room. @themightyduckworth you are one of those special people. A true friend and confidant.💔… Tyler, thank you for being part of my story. I’m grateful our paths crossed in this crazy life and that I get to carry those memories with me. Rest peacefully, my darling friend 🕊️.”
Credit: (Photo courtesy of Ryan de Nino/ Instagram)
Red carpet Ryan de Nino
Married at First Sight season 2 star, Ryan de Nino, “died suddenly” in New Jersey in August, according to TMZ. He was 40. According to the outlet, the family will not be releasing any further details surrounding the reality TV personality’s death.
Credit: Courtesy of Christy Knowings/Instagram
Red carpet Christy Knowings
All That star Christy Knowings died on August 11 after suffering an asthma attack, a family member told TMZ. She was 46.
“Man this one hit hard!!! Rest well Christy!!!” fellow All That alum Kenan Thompson wrote via Instagram when reacting to the news. “Never could have imagined this day!! Sending so much love to her family!! She was a real one and one of the funniest people out here!!! Gonna miss you buddy!!!”
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Red carpet Reggie Bannister
Reggie Bannister died at age 80 on August 9 at his cabin in Crestline, California, his wife Gigi confirmed to TMZ. Gigi revealed that Reggie had a myriad of health problems — including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease— due to being exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while serving in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
He is best known for playing the shotgun-wielding hero Reggie in the Phantasm horror movies. Other notable credits include supporting parts in 1990’s Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation, 1997’s Wishmaster and Bruce Campbell’s 2002 cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep.
Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Red carpet Ben Jones
The Dukes of Hazzard star, who played mechanic Cooter in the original 1980s action-comedy series, died following a heart attack. His wife of nearly 34 years, Alma Viator, announced the news via Facebook on August 9. He was 84.
“I lost the love of my life today. Ben passed from a massive heart attack. He was home resting in his favorite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees,” she wrote. “Ben had the most amazing, rich, full life. He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I loved him so, so much.”
Credit: Harry How/Getty Images
Red carpet Matt McQuillan
Former PGA Tour golfer Matt McQuillan died on August 5 at the age of 45.
“It is with heavy hearts we share the passing of Matthew Justin McQuillan (Matty to most). He passed away at KGH Wednesday August 5, 2026, surrounded by family,” an obituary read. “Matty was a respected golfer, devoted son, hilarious brother and friend.”
Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing/Marvel Entertainment
Red carpet Mary Rivera
The actress, best known for playing Ned Leeds’ grandmother in Spider-Man: No Way Home, died in April 2026. She was 82.
The Night Heat actor’s son revealed that he died on July 29 at age 83. “Myself and my family are still trying to process this horrible loss. There simply are not enough words I can say about you right now,” the Instagram message read. “You are my forever hero and my best friend. Always and forever. I love you.”
Credit: Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald
Red carpet Vincent Pastore
Page Six reported on August 1 that former Sopranos star Vincent Pastore was found dead at age 80 in his Bronx residence. Police suspect that he died of natural causes.
Pastore was a mainstay of the mob movie and TV genre, having most famously played Tony Soprano’s henchman Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.
“This is a hard one for us, it seems like I’ve known Vinny forever. We did lots of work together and traveled all over the USA as well as Italy and Australia,” Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli wrote via Instagram. “Lots of good times. Lots of laughs. Vinny was a kind hearted brother who cared deeply about his family and friends. I will miss him always.”
Credit: Foc Kan/WireImage
Red carpet Kavinsky
Kavinsky, the French DJ best known for his 2010 song “Nightcall,” was found dead in his Paris home on July 28. He was 50.
The cause of death was not immediately released, but officials said there were “no suspicious elements at the scene.”
Credit: Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
Red carpet Jordan Devey
NFL alum Jordan Devey‘s wife, Linsey Devey, confirmed his death on what would have been their 15th wedding anniversary. He was 38.
“Today would have been our 15th year anniversary. We have filled the walls of our homes and hearts with countless memories, joys, struggles and triumphs,” Linsey wrote via Instagram. “We brought four beautiful children into this world that have your eyes, freckles and compassion. You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you. And as you said in your last words to me, ‘We’ll talk soon.'”
Credit: CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
Red carpet Chuck Russell
Chuck Russell, who directed 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warrior, 1988’s The Blob and 1994’s The Mask, died at his home in San Diego on July 22, his family confirmed to TMZ. He was 74.
The local fire department responded to Russell’s home on the day of his death following a report of a medical emergency involving an unconscious male, the outlet reported.
Kaylee’s dad, Joshua Hottle, shared with TMZ on July 21 that the Godzilla vs. Kong actress was killed earlier that day after being involved in a car accident in Maryland. She was 18.
Credit: 20th Century Fox Film / Everett Collection
Red carpet Brenda Fricker
The Home Alone 2 actress, who played the “pigeon lady” died in July at the age of 81 after a “period of ill health.”
“We will never see her again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,” Fricker’s agent, Phil Belfield, told the BBC in a statement on July 17. “I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Red carpet Hal Williams
The Private Benjamin actor’s death at age 91 was confirmed to Deadline by his representative on July 15. Hal Williams had recurring roles on classic sitcoms 227 and Sanford and Son, in addition to appearing in the hit movies Hardcore and Flight.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Red carpet Sam Neill
The Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders star’s family confirmed that he died at age 78 in an Instagram statement on July 13.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the statement read, using the Māori word for family. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”
The statement continued, “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
Neill’s family concluded telling fans that “more details will be shared later” regarding the actor’s death.
“For now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss,” they added.
Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Red carpet Josh Grisetti
Friends of the Broadway actor and director wrote via Instagram on July 12 that Josh Grisetti died two days prior at the age of 44. The news was later reported by Playbill and other outlets.
Known for his roles in 2015’s It Shoulda Been You and 2016’s Something Rotten!, the actor also appeared in the ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity and Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
He is survived by his wife, Mackenzie Grisetti, per Playbill.
Fellow Broadway actor Sierra Boggess shared an Instagram post that paid tribute to her late friend, detailing how much the Broadway community adored him. “We all loved him so unbelievably much. He created light and thought and humor everywhere he went,” Boggess, 44, wrote. “You have left such a space in all the lives of everyone who knows you and loves you.”
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Red carpet Lindsey Graham
The South Carolina Senator’s spokesperson confirmed on July 11 that Lindsey Graham died at age 71 following “a brief and sudden illness.”
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” a statement read.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said via X that he was “devastated” over Graham’s death.
“Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable,” McMaster wrote. “The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend. We grieve with [Lindsey’s sister] Darline, his family and his devoted staff. May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.”
The South African Football Players Union announced Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams’ death on July 11, only a few weeks after he competed in the World Cup. No cause of death was immediately announced.
“His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family, teammates, clubs, the football fraternity and the country at large,” the organization said in a statement. “Death has cruelly stolen one of our own. It has robbed our nation of a remarkable footballer, but it will never take away the legacy Jayden Adams leaves behind. We will forever remember his humanity, his extraordinary talent and the pride with which he represented South Africa.”
“There are no words to describe the pain I’m feeling. 💔 “Rest in peace, my love,” Adams’ girlfriend Aqueelah Chloe Adendorf wrote via Instagram. “Thank you for every memory, every laugh, every hug, and every moment we shared. You were not only the love of my life but also my greatest supporter and my best friend.”
She went on, “A part of my heart left with you, and I will carry your love with me forever. Until we meet again, I’ll miss you every single day. Rest easy, my angel. I love you always and forever.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino added in his own statement, “It is so incredibly sad to hear that South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams has passed away just weeks after featuring in his nation’s historic FIFA World Cup campaign. My thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates. The Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.”
Credit: (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Red carpet Peter Van Norden
Peter Van Norden, the actor known for his roles in the Police Academy and The Naked Gun film died at 75.
Van Norden’s son, Robert, announced on July 10 that his father had died the night before.
“Peter passed away peacefully last night with his wife, Wendy, at his side,” Robert wrote via Instagram. “He was a terrific father, husband, friend, and a greatly respected member of the theater community. He will be missed.”
Credit: (Photo by Dianna Whitley_Shooting Star)
Red carpet Randolph Mantooth
Randolph Mantooth, best known for playing firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage on the hit 1970s NBC series Emergency!, died at 80.
Mantooth died on July 9, at a hospice facility in Ventura, California, his brother, Donald Mantooth, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Donald told the outlet that the actor had been “ill for a number of years and kept getting thinner and thinner.”
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer Bonnie Tyler died on July 8 at the age of 75.
“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” a Facebook statement read. “We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Red carpet Louise Lasser
Louise Lasser, who starred in the 1976 sitcom Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, as well as early Woody Allen films, died at her home in Manhattan on July 6. She was 87. Lasser’s friend Susan Charlotte confirmed the actress’ death to The New York Times.
Credit: Toby Canham/Getty Images
Red carpet Lauren Bennett
Bennett’s former G.R.L. bandmates announced the singer’s death on July 6.
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren,” the girl group wrote in a joint statement shared via Instagram. “Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us. We will forever cherish the love, laughter and countless memories she gave us.”
Credit: Everett Collection
Red carpet Joby Baker
The actor died of natural causes on June 22, his family told Deadline. He was 92.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dick clark productions
Red carpet Victor Willis
The Village People lead singer Victor Willis died at the age of 74 following a “short but aggressive illness.”
“We are profoundly sad to announce the death of Victor Willis,” the group wrote via Facebook on June 30. “Privacy is requested.”
Credit: Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
Red carpet Michael Byrne
Indiana Jones actor Michael Byrne died on June 20 at the age of 82, according to The Guardian. Neither a cause nor a specific place of death were immediately disclosed.
Credit: Courtesy TNA Wrestling / YouTube
Red carpet Joe Doering
The former TNA Wrestling star’s sister-in-law, Mandy Banh, announced on June 26 that Doering died following a multi-year battle with brain cancer.
“It is with great sadness that we share Joe passed away peacefully this morning, June 26, at 9:13 a.m. He was comfortable and not in any pain,” she wrote on the wrestler’s GoFundMe campaign page. “Please keep Joe’s family and friends in your thoughts during this difficult time. Thank you all for your love, support, and kindness—it has meant so much to us.”
Banh concluded, “We love you, Joe. You will be forever in our hearts and deeply missed.”
TNA Wrestling — where Doering worked on and off between 2005 and 2022 — also honored the memory of the former two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Joe Doering,” TNA Wrestling tweeted on June 26. “A commanding in-ring performer and a wonderful person, he will never be forgotten. We offer our deepest condolences to his fans, his friends and his family.”
Credit: Everett Collection
Red carpet Ann Blyth
Oscar-nominated actress Ann Blyth died at age 98 on June 24. Blyth was best known for playing Joan Crawford’s scheming daughter, Veda, in the 1946 movie version of Mildred Pierce. She received an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress for the role.
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for FLC
Red carpet Clive Davis
Music mogul Clive Davis died at age 94 on June 21, the New York Times reported the following day. His death was confirmed by his family. Less than one month before his death, Davis was hospitalized for an upper respiratory infection.
Credit: Justin Cary GoFundMe
Red carpet Justin Cary
Sixpence None the Richer bassist Justin Cary died on June 18 after suffering a stroke. He was 50.
The band’s lead singer, Leigh Nash, confirmed the news on a GoFundMe set up to support Cary and his wife, Linda, prior to his death. “Justin passed peacefully this morning and Linda was next to him,” a statement read on the GoFundMe page. “Please continue to pray and give strength during this very difficult time.”
Nash also paid tribute to Cary via Instagram, writing, “‘We sure had a great time’ is an understatement. Thank you, Justin. We love you forever. Please keep his dear Linda close to your hearts. She is our family. There’s never been anybody like Justin. 🙏🏻.”
Credit: Getty Images/DAVID SWANSON / AFP
Red carpet Tay Keith
Nashville police confirmed on June 18 that hip-hop producer Tay Keith was found dead at age 29 at his apartment. A cause of death has yet to be determined, though Nashville police clarified that “foul play” was not suspected.
Keith’s childhood friend and collaborator BlocBoy JB initially posted a “broken heart” emoji via Instagram following the producer’s death.
“Damn cuz you just hurt me bad,” BlocBoy JB later wrote.
Credit: David Livingston/Getty Images
Red carpet Daveigh Chase
The actress, who is best known for voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and starring in horror film The Ring, died on June 16 at age 35. Daveigh Chase‘s boyfriend told TMZ that her cause of death was due to meningitis and an infection in her blood, which led to sepsis.
Credit: Alien Productions/Everett Collection
Red carpet Anne Schedeen
Anne Schedeen, best known for playing matriarch Kate Tanner on the 1980s sitcom ALF, has died at age 77.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share Annie has passed peacefully,” said a statement on her official Facebook page on June 14. “She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of creative energy, whip smart humor, delight in her family, adoration for little dogs, burning hatred for Trump, passion for second-hand thrifting, and love for a good story. We are bereft without her. We loved her so so much, as did all who met her.”
“She was a force. And it is unimaginable to think about life without her in it,” the post continued. “But as she said, “I’m always with you.” And she’s right. The memories, artwork, belly laughter, handmade jewelry, oil paintings, sculptures, costumes, and all around joie de vivre live on.”
Credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Red carpet Oliver Tree
Singer Oliver Tree reportedly died in a June 14 helicopter collision in Brazil. He was 32.
Credit: (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Red carpet Aldon Smith
The San Francisco 49ers confirmed the death of former player, Aldon Smith, on June 13 via a statement. He was 36.
“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the statement read. “Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen.”
The organization continued, “Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”
Credit: (Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBC NewsWire)
Red carpet Gene Shalit
Today show legend Gene Shalit died at 100, his family confirmed on June 12.
According to a statement shared by the family to NBC News, the longtime movie critic “passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.”
The family described his decades-long stint on Today as “an extraordinary era for him.”
Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Red carpet Princess Bajrakitiyabha
Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha died at age 47 on June 11 after more than three years in a coma, the Thai government announced. She fell unconscious during a public engagement in December 2022.
Credit: MGM/courtesy Everett Collection
Red carpet Anthony Guidera
Actor Anthony Guidera, who appeared in movies like The Godfather Part III, Armageddon and Species, died on June 6. He was 65.
According to his wife, Valarie Guidera, Anthony’s heart stopped suddenly while the couple were at their Los Angeles home on May 11. After spending three weeks on life support, Anthony was able to have a natural death at home.
Credit: Randall Michelson/Getty Images
Red carpet Talay Riley
British singer-songwriter Talay Riley, real name Mark Orabiyi, was stabbed to death in London on June 5. He wrote songs for artists including Dua Lipa, Britney Spears and Zendaya.
“We will always cherish his kindness, beautiful spirit, and remarkable talent. His presence touched many lives, and his memory will remain in our hearts forever,” his family said in a statement. “May his soul rest in perfect peace.”
Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Everett Collection
Red carpet Patrick Godfrey
The Ever After star died at age 93 at home, surrounded by his family.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm Patrick Godfrey passed away last night,” the actor’s talent agency, Markham Froggatt & Irwin, wrote in a statement. He died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. Paddy was an exceptionally talented actor and a remarkable individual, and we will miss him greatly.”
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
Red carpet Anthony Head
Anthony Head, known for his roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, died at age 72. His daughters confirmed the news in a statement released on June 5.
“He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family. It has been, and forever will be, an honor and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many,” Emily and Daisy Head shared in a statement. “We know how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues, and fans of the shows he was in — he loved his job very much, and he always considered himself incredibly lucky, to have been able to work alongside such exceptionally talented people, in such wonderful productions, across a career that spanned several decades.”
They continued, “Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind, but we know his legacy will live on, in the shows he was a part of, and in the audiences that love them. How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.”
Credit: Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Red carpet Kanya King
Kanya King, the founder of the U.K.’s MOBO Awards, died at age 57 on June 3 after a battle with colon cancer.
“Kanya passed away peacefully on 3 June 2026 after a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer. She was surrounded by her family, close friends and love,” the MOBO Organisation said in a statement to Us Weekly. “The music world has lost one of its most fearless champions.”
The statement continued, “What Kanya created was never simply an awards ceremony. It was an act of cultural justice. MOBO did not just celebrate Black music; it legitimized it, amplified it, and demonstrated its commercial and creative power to a world that had too often chosen not to see it.”
Credit: (Photo by Universal Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Red carpet James Handy
James Handy, best known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, was fatally stabbed on June 3. He was 81.
The LAPD alleged via a statement on June 4 that the veteran actor was stabbed by his girlfriend’s son, Michael Gledhill, who turned himself in.
“On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to a radio call of unknown trouble in the 19200 block of Erwin Street. The 911 caller stated, ‘I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.’ Upon their arrival, officers discovered 81-year-old James Handy in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. The victim was transported to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced deceased,” the LAPD’s statement read.
Credit: Kevin Winter/ImageDirect
Red carpet Peabo Bryson
R&B singer Peabo Bryson — best known for singing 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion in the hit Disney movie — died on June 2. He passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 75.
“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” Bryson’s family said in a statement to People. “While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”
Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
Red carpet Ronald LaPread
The Commodores cofounder’s daughter Soraya LaPread shared via her Instagram Story on May 30 that Ronald LaPread died. “It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed,” she wrote in a statement, per Page Six.
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Red carpet Kelly Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis shared on May 30 that sister Kelly Lee Curtis died at age 69. “A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace,” Jamie wrote via Instagram. “She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.”
She continued, “She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie. Kelly always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing… Isten Veled, God is with you. Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I’ll see you on down the line.”
Credit: Courtesy of Matt Brown/Instagram
Red carpet Matt Brown
Bear Brown, Matt Brown’s brother, confirmed on May 30 that the Alaskan Bush People star died at age 43.
Credit: (Photo by Lynn Karlin/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Red carpet Marcia Lucas
Oscar-winning film editor Marcia Lucas died on from cancer in California on May 27 surrounded by family. She was 80.
Marcia won an Academy Award for editing Star Wars, which was directed by her former husband George Lucas, and was known for her work in several 1970s films such as American Graffiti, Taxi Driver and New York, New York.
Her family’s attorney confirmed her death via a statement to Variety.
“Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered. Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love,” the statement said. “Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”
Credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images
Red carpet John McClain
McClain, who was a music executive and coexecutor of the King of Pop’s estate died on May 26. His colleague, John Branca, confirmed the news to Us Weekly.
“I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and ‘brother’ John McClain,” read Branca’s statement. “One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future. When we were named in Michael’s will, I knew that he would bring great insight into Michael’s music and that his friendship and dedication to Michael would underscore all the great projects that we could bring to the world. He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him.”
Credit: Marie Etchegoyen / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Red carpet Pierre Deny
Emily in Paris actor Pierre Deny died on May 25 at the age of 69.
“It is with deep emotion that we announce the passing of Pierre Deny, which occurred this Monday following a sudden and severe case of ALS,” the actor’s daughters said in a statement via the Daily Mail on May 27.
Credit: (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
Red carpet Grizz Chapman
30 Rock’s Grizz Chapman died on May 22, his longtime representative Saideh A. Brown confirmed to TMZ. He was 52. Chapman is survived by his wife Diana Chapman and their two children.
Chapman’s cousin, Donte “Hammer” Harrison, paid tribute to the late actor via an Instagram post the same day.
“Life gave my cousin Grizz Chapman some heavy battles, but he fought them with strength and dignity until the very end,” Harrison wrote. “A lot of people knew him as the sitcom star from 30 Rock, but we knew the man behind the screen. A good heart, good energy, and somebody who made an impact in this life.
He added, “After years of fighting illness and dialysis, he passed peacefully in his sleep on May 22nd, 2026. I’m thankful we got time to reconnect 2 months before his passing. Rest easy, cousin. Your name and legacy will live on forever.”
Virgin River actor Stewart McLean was found dead in Canada’s Lions Bay on May 22 after being reported missing on May 18. He was 45. Authorities are reportedly treating the case as a potential homicide.
Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Unbridled Eve
Red carpet Rob Base
Base’s death was announced in a post shared via the “It Takes Two” rapper’s Instagram.
“Today, we share the heartbreaking news that hip hop legend Rob Base passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, surrounded by family after a private battle with cancer. 💔,” the statement read. “Rob’s music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world. Beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten.”
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Startups Key Takeaways
Education is not separate from selling, especially in a specialized industry. It is a necessary part of helping customers make a useful comparison and decide on a product.
Businesses naturally want to emphasize what their products can do. The harder, and often more important, conversation is explaining what they cannot do.
Customer education can’t belong only to the marketing department or sales team. It’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure customers can see the company’s expertise in action.
Some businesses sell products that customers already understand. Others have to explain the category before they can explain why their company is the right choice.
I operate in one of those industries. Most people have seen window film, but many do not know how solar control window film differs from decorative film, privacy film or security window film. They may also associate window tinting only with cars, rather than home window tinting or commercial window film for buildings. Before customers can evaluate a proposal, they first need to understand what the product can do and can’t do and which option fits the problem they are trying to solve.
This challenge is not unique to the window film business. Technology companies, financial services firms, healthcare providers, specialty contractors and many other businesses offer products or services that are difficult to evaluate from the outside. In these industries, customers are often being asked to make a significant decision without having the technical knowledge that the seller uses every day.
That knowledge gap can create hesitation. It can also tempt a business to sell more aggressively. In my experience, pressure does not resolve confusion — clear education does.
Confusion changes how customers evaluate value
When customers do not understand the differences between their options, price often becomes the easiest way to compare them. Two proposals may appear similar even when the products, installation requirements or expected outcomes are very different. If no one explains those differences clearly, the customer may reasonably assume that the lowest price represents the best value.
This is why education is not separate from selling in a specialized industry. It is a necessary part of helping customers make a useful comparison.
The conversation should begin with the customer’s problem, not the company’s product catalog. A homeowner may be dealing with rooms that become uncomfortably hot in the afternoon. A property manager may want to reduce glare in an office, improve privacy in a conference room or add another layer of protection to existing glass. Those customers are not initially looking for a lesson on film construction. They want to know whether their problem can be solved.
Once the goal is clear, the business can explain the available options in terms that connect directly to that outcome. Technical knowledge still matters, but it becomes valuable to the customer only when it is translated into relevance.
Leaders in any industry can apply the same approach. Listen for what the customer wants to change or improve, then explain the solution through that lens. A buyer does not need to understand every technical detail, but they should understand why a recommendation makes sense for their situation.
Honest limitations are part of good education
Businesses naturally want to emphasize what their products can do. The harder, and often more important, conversation is explaining what they cannot do.
In specialized industries, broad terminology can create expectations that a product or service was never designed to meet. For example, customers exploring safety and security window film need a clear explanation of how the system is intended to perform and why no responsible company should make guarantees that the product can’t support.
Every technical business has its own version of this issue. Software has implementation limits. Financial products involve risk. Construction projects can reveal hidden conditions. Healthcare services do not produce identical outcomes for every person. Avoiding these realities may make an early sales conversation easier, but it often creates disappointment later.
Trust grows when a company is willing to say that a solution is not right for a particular situation. That honesty may cost a transaction, but it protects the customer relationship and the company’s reputation. It also helps the right customers move forward with realistic expectations.
Education should therefore include tradeoffs, not just benefits. Customers should understand why one option costs more, what they gain from it and when the added expense may not be necessary. Recommending the right solution instead of the most expensive one shows that the company is focused on the outcome, not simply the size of the sale.
The people delivering the work complete the lesson
Customer education cannot belong only to the marketing department or sales team. In a service business, the employees performing the work often have the greatest credibility because customers can see their expertise in action.
Our installers are the final and most important impression customers receive from our company. They may answer questions about care, appearance, and what to expect after installation. Their technical ability is critical, but so is their ability to communicate clearly and without unnecessary jargon. A strong installation paired with a dismissive interaction can still weaken the customer’s overall experience.
This is true well beyond the window film industry. Technicians, consultants, healthcare professionals, delivery teams and other frontline employees frequently become the most trusted representatives of a company. Their communication can either reinforce what the customer was promised or create doubt at the moment the business should be building confidence.
Leaders should teach employees the reasoning behind common questions and know when to involve an expert instead of relying on scripts. Frontline employees also know where customers get confused, so their feedback should guide training materials.
Clarity creates confidence
Some entrepreneurs worry that educating customers will make the sales process longer. Poor education can certainly overwhelm buyers with information they don’t need. However, good education does the opposite. It answers the questions preventing a decision and helps customers understand whether the solution is right for them.
The goal is not to turn every buyer into an expert. It is to replace uncertainty with enough clarity for the customer to make a confident choice.
In technical service businesses, that confidence depends on both the product and the people delivering it. A customer may begin by searching for residential window tinting, commercial window film or a way to reduce heat, but what they ultimately need is confidence that they understand the recommendation and can trust the team carrying it out.
When customers are confused, clarity is the answer. The companies that teach well do more than close sales. They create stronger relationships with customers and a reputation that competitors can’t copy.
Dibakar Ghosh is a tech journalist at How-To Geek with over a decade of experience using and writing about open-source software, Linux, Android, AI, and personal productivity. He writes about software, operating systems, and tools that help people get more from the technology they already use.
I bought my Galaxy Watch thinking it’d make me more productive. I could keep up with my messages, get reminders to move if I’d been sitting for too long, and stay accountable with all my to-dos just a wrist raise away — basically, I could stay on top of all the crucial information without having to reach for my phone and get distracted by everything happening on that big screen.
Little did I know that the Galaxy Watch itself would end up becoming an even bigger distraction machine, constantly buzzing with notifications I didn’t care about. Sure, I could put it in DND mode, but that’s not practical 24/7. Also, at that point, what’s even the point of having a smartwatch in the first place?So here’s what I did.
I finally stopped letting every app buzz my wrist
Decide what apps reach your wrist instead of letting the apps decide for you
While the fix was hiding inside one simple setting, it wasn’t necessarily a simple one. I wasn’t able to fix my notification troubles by pressing a single toggle — I had to press 45 toggles in total. Now, in case you haven’t already guessed, I’m talking about manually toggling individual app notifications on and off.
Now, before you click away, let me tell you that this is the most effective solution to the notification problem. It gives you granular control over your notifications, so you can decide which apps are important and should be allowed through and which ones are redundant and should be blocked entirely.
To access the setting, simply open the Settings app on your watch and head to Notifications> App Notifications. You’ll see a list of all the apps whose notifications can appear on your watch. That said, if you don’t want to do this from the tiny screen on your watch, you can open the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone and go to Watch Settings -> Notifications -> App Notifications.
It took me around an hour to get everything sorted, but your mileage may vary depending on how many apps you have installed.
How app notification filtering works combined with the rest of the settings
Get a quieter wrist without missing the things you actually need
The Samsung Watch, by default, has a notification setting called Smart Device Selection. It basically sends notifications to the device you’re actively using, whether that’s your watch or your phone.
This means that if you’ve put your phone to the side, it won’t bother you with notification sounds, but it will still collect those notifications. All of them will be forwarded to your watch instead. But by disabling notifications for individual apps at the watch level, you can essentially filter out all the redundant, distracting stuff while making room for the things that actually matter.
This, in my opinion, is a far better notification setup, especially compared with the phone-only version of app notification controls. On your phone, if you disable an app’s notifications, you essentially lose that incoming information altogether. Sure, notifications from most apps are usually annoying, but sometimes they’re useful, and I don’t want to miss those.
And of course, when you’re really busy, you can simply enable Do Not Disturb mode to block out all distractions. As you may already know, Samsung lets you sync DND between your watch and phone, so that’s another welcome “smart” feature.
If you have a set schedule when you always enable DND and expect a distraction-free environment, setting up Modes and Routines to protect that time block can be a huge advantage.
Your smartwatch is only smart if you program it to be
The default settings on your smartwatch are designed for the masses, not for your specific needs and requirements. So, if you really want a smart and personalized experience, it’s worthwhile to spend that extra hour or two optimizing everything. You only have to do it once, and your gadgets will pay dividends for a long time to come.
To install app on your device, tap the Share button in Safari. Scroll down and select 'Add to Home Screen'. Then tap 'Add' to place the app icon on your Home Screen.
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