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For a better workout, new science says to... sniff chocolate?
A new study found that something surprising happens in your brain the moment you smell chocolate. Here's what we think is going on.
Certain bitter foods may trigger a brain response similar to working out, study finds
New sensory nutrition research reveals how bitter foods like dark chocolate may sharpen memory and attention through taste-triggered brain activation.
Four generations of family keep this chocolate business sweet
Bob and Martha Pollack enlist four generations of the family to keep their candy business running.
Milwaukee business owners see financial benefits as Brewers continue in playoffs
Milwaukee Brewers playoff games generate $5.1 million per home game in economic impact, boosting local hotels, bars and businesses. Jada with Drip Chocolate MKE says sales increased by 40%.
Your morning coffee could one day help fight cancer
Scientists at Texas A&M are turning an everyday pick-me-up into a high-tech medical switch. By combining caffeine with CRISPR gene editing, researchers have created a system that allows cells to be programmed in advance — and then activated simply by consuming a small dose of caffeine from coffee, chocolate, or soda. The approach, known as chemogenetics, lets scientists precisely turn gene-editing activity on and off inside targeted cells, including powerful immune T cells that can fight cancer.
Bye, protein powder — for a better workout, new science says to... sniff chocolate?
A new study found that something surprising happens in your brain the moment you smell chocolate. Here's what we think is going on.
Who was invited to dinner with King Charles: Justices, business leaders and Palm Beach friends
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted a white-tie dinner at the White House with King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Nearly 130 guests enjoyed Dover sole meunière and a beehive-shaped chocolate dessert on Tuesday night. The guest list included business leaders, tech CEOs and friends from Palm Beach, Florida. The six conservative justices on the Supreme Court also attended, despite Trump’s recent criticism over tariffs. Fox News stars and other conservative media figures were present, along with three of Trump’s children, his father-in-law, sports figures and lawmakers, including House and Senate leaders.
Four generations of family keep this chocolate business sweet
Bob and Martha Pollack enlist four generations of the family to keep their candy business running.
I tried 6 brands of packaged chocolate-chip cookies, and I was most disappointed by a cult-favorite
I tasted store-bought cookies from Tate's Bake Shop, Pepperidge Farm, Chips Ahoy, Kroger, Keebler, and Pillsbury's to see which brand is best.
People at Work: Local chocolatier cooks up major step for family business - Asheville's 828 News NOW
Molly Cook, the chocolatier behind Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates, a chocolate company she owns and operates with her husband, John Cook, is preparing a big step for her local business.
February brings live music, wine festivals and casino shows
Discover February concerts, wine events and casino shows across Northern California, from Thunder Valley to Lodi and Livermore.
MrBeast Sales Slow, Angel Stock Falls, MUBI and Neon Look for Hits, and Will an NBA Franchise Set a Sales Record?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) You probably remember egg prices spiking a few years ago. This led to a lot of debate between the pro-market/pro-competition/antitrust/Neo-Brandesian crowd and the center/center-right/center-left/abundance/libertarian crowd over the cause, whether it was the avian flu outbreak or whether industry consolidation led to price fixing, using avian flu as a convenient cover. Basel Musharbash wrote a whole investigation at BIG looking at it. Well, two years later, we have our answer: it was price fixing. The Justice Department found proof, via emails, of price fixing. Indeed, just the threat of an investigation brought prices down two years ago: I bring this up because at least half a dozen of my favorite political writers and pundits, who were skeptical about price fixing at the time, haven’t written any mea culpas on this issue. It’s really dispiriting and makes it much, much harder to trust their work on other issues. If you take a hard stand on an issue, then you get it wrong, you need to explain how and why you got it wrong. Or update your priors. This is how epistemological bubbles are formed! All of which is to say, it’s time for another installment of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. Last issue, I mostly focused on the “wrong” side of the equation, so today’s is a bit more balanced, but with one big mea culpa (though I still stand by my original concerns). Let’s dive right in! Subscribe CORRECTION: UFC Didn’t Release Subscriber Data (But Seems to Have Bragged About It Internally) In my analysis of the viewership of UFC Freedom 250, I wrote... “Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers.” Well, that datecdote did not come from a PR rep, but from great reporting from James Faris at Business Insider. The actual quote was this: “Paramount’s flagship streaming service generated about a million new subscribers on the day of its first-ever UFC event, Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow told employees in a town hall on Tuesday morning, three staffers who attended the meeting told Business Insider.“ This wasn’t the biggest goof in the world; even Faris emphasized to me that this is more a “clarification” than a correction. Still, it sounds like, internally, the folks at Paramount were very happy about this result—and I’m guessing they were happy with this news getting out—even though the gains didn’t last through the quarter, dropping to 700K adds. RIGHT: MrBeast’s Struggles Continue... I’m very skeptical about MrBeast’s burgeoning media “empire” and, in particular, its $5 billion valuation, as I wrote earlier this year and last year. Sure enough, according to Business Insider, regarding its “booming” consumer products division_:_ “US sales volume grew 13% year-over-year in 2025, following a 33% leap the previous year, according to a presentation deck dated May 2026....A February 2025 investor deck viewed by Business Insider showed Feastables’ net revenue more than doubled in 2024 from 2023, to $215 million, and was forecast to grow 74% in 2025, to $375 million.” [Emphasis mine.] If you told investors that you projected 74% growth but delivered 13%,1 that’s not ideal. But it’s not just MrBeast. Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime had sales drop in half for their energy drinks. It’s one thing to build a successful entertainment company and an entirely different thing to succeed in the heavily-consolidated-but-also-very-competitive consumer packaged goods space! CPGs are dominated by a few firms with very wide moats compared to YouTube, which has few barriers to entry. These businesses require different skill sets and have completely different business environments. WRONG: Does the NBA Have an $8 Billion Bidder? Almost as soon as I published my article about the NBA’s finances, casting skepticism on NBA expansion, I saw this Front Office Sports headline: One group “claims to have already raised $8 billion” for the Vegas expansion team. I mean, wow. That’s just $2 billion less than what the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at when they were sold just last year. And they’re arguably the most popular team in the NBA. (Side note: the new owner is now under an investigation for fraud in how he went about financing the Lakers and the Dodgers purchases.) So much for the “dried up” language I used in that article. (This is why I usually stick to my “Entertainment Nuance Guy” tone in articles...) I went off old information—from April, when I read/heard about the NBA downplaying expansion efforts—instead of doing a quick double-check for new news. That said...if you read the article, the market for Seattle is “slow”, with just one reported bidder. So I wasn’t entirely off. This goof has annoyed me since I first published it, mainly because it undercut that article’s real point, which I stand by: NBA franchises are really overvalued right now. Now, I get why NBA teams are overvalued. When it comes to owning sports teams, it’s basically never wrong to assume that some rich person somewhere will care more about owning a team (or just being part of a group since they’re so expensive) than the actual financials. There are only so many teams to own, and opportunities to buy in preferred markets don’t come along very often. This explains why the teams sell for such high multiples (usually above a 10 to 12.5 revenue multiple, which is very high). You only need one person to overpay! Beyond the ultra-wealthy luxury good explanation, I worry NBA teams are becoming speculative assets. More and more private equity investors are buying into NBA teams. But the value, in owning a team, comes from selling it later, not any meaningful relationship to revenue or profit growth. In other words, the newer NBA owners are increasingly expecting someone later to buy their inflated asset. That’s not sound economics; that’s the “greater fool” theory at work.2 At some point, actually making money has to matter. Especially since revenue growth is now below the growth of the stock market. (And this matters because the NBA doesn’t have easy levers to pull to drastically lower their costs—half of their revenue has to go to players and then you actually have to run a team, including coaching, training, travel, media expenses, and more—or raise revenues aside from one-off expansions in America and overseas.) I just don’t see how investors make their money back buying NBA teams, except for selling at a higher price later on down the line. But if revenue/profit growth continues to slow, at some point, someone will be left holding the bag. RIGHT: Baseball and Basketball are about equally popular. Related to the above, I wanted to cite two quick pieces of evidence for one of my other theories: that the NBA and MLB are about as popular as each other, but the NBA gets much, much better media coverage. One YouGov survey has that fans prefer basketball to baseball by 52% to 48%, which I’m guessing is within the margin of error for that poll. That’s virtually even, meaning they’re about the same popularity. Over on NBC, a recent Red Sox-Yankees game averaged 4 million viewers, higher than Sunday Night Basketball’s average of 3.4 million on the same network. A Yankees-Dodgers game averaged 3.9 million two weeks ago. Not every game averages this much, but it shows you that baseball isn’t far off from basketball, depending on the matchup. Altogether, the NBA is just slightly more popular than baseball, but NBC is paying MLB a fraction of what they pay the NBA, a point I’ve made before. RIGHT: Angel, MUBI and Neon Updates... I’ve long been skeptical about many of Hollywood’s buzziest startups/smaller indie studios. It’s not that they don’t make great movies—films like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once are amazing—or that they’re not (rightfully) pushing the majors to make better films, but...they get a ton of hype, and that hype often doesn’t live up to the reality or difficulty in scaling up. Starting with MUBI, well, The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on MUBI’s struggles last April, best summarized by the subheader “After Sequoia valued Mubi at $1 billion, a left-wing revolt sent the indie film company into a tailspin”. MUBI lost $7.3 million on $200 million in revenue in Q4 2025, but reportedly hit a record 1.7 million subscribers at the end of Q1. As for Neon, Department M purchased a “significant stake” in the company earlier this year. How much is that “stake” worth? According to Deadline, “No financial figures for the Neon-Department M deal were disclosed.” So...that’s not great! If it was a big valuation, we’d hear about. Also, I found this curious: “Both Neon and Department M already have separate partnerships with Qatar. The Qatar Film Committee has a slate deal in place with the former, and a biopic production pact with the latter.” Color me skeptical about much Middle Eastern investment dollars. See: LIV Golf. Finally, as for Angel (formerly Angel Studios), their stock very, very slightly popped last month after Young Washington ($20 million budget) which made $45 million in the US, but their stock is still way down from its opening. Smaller Updates RIGHT: The WGA should focus on antitrust concerns! I’ve been on this for years. Post-WGA/AMTPT deal in 2023, I wrote an article for the Ankler calling on the WGA to focus and organize against industry consolidation. Sure enough, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Paramount-WBD merger, and people are organizing around this issue now. I wish this energy had coalesced earlier (specifically to lobby Washington much earlier), but better late than never! WRONG: Actually, the chip shortage might be due to market manipulation. In my last “Long Reads for the Long Summer” article, I shared an article about how LLMs are causing memory chip prices to spike, which will make all electronics more expensive. Well, turns out, three RAM manufacturers control 90% of the market, and now a private lawsuit accuses them of price-fixing. So yeah. WRONG/UPDATE: The Odyssey will hold! Two weeks ago, I wrote, “As of this moment, we haven’t had a super-blockbuster, though The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday could all cross the $500 million mark. (At this point, The Odyssey would need a very strong hold to get there.)” Well, it’s safe to say it’s going to have that hold! It only dropped 30% in weekend two and IMAX screenings are sold out all month. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also off to a great start. RIGHT: People are rushing to get shows out yearly. I’ve long been bullish on yearly, weekly-released shows, and Leslie Goldberg at The Ankler wrote about how many people in town are now listening. WRONG: Mark Carney reverses Canada’s stance on homegrown production. After writing about Canada installing domestic production quotas, Canada has backed off. WRONG: I don’t trust Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s online “views”. When I originally wrote about the latest Spider-Man film’s record-breaking trailer, I thought this was just YouTube views, but after watching this Corridor Crew video and doing more research, well, it’s all social views of the trailer globally. Really? That stat includes TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts views. Basically, I don’t trust it anymore. (This film will probably set record, but I trust the pre-sales data more.) RIGHT: Celebrity Production companies are still struggling. I’ve written about this for years, but the company that I didn’t track was Kevin Hart’s HartBeat, which was valued at $650 million but is struggling now and might just end soon, especially after Kevin Hart pulled his endorsement deals. And Bad Robot is moving to NYC. CORRECTION: SpongeBob is a “second run” title. In my 2025 recap article, I had _SpongeBob SquarePants_labelled as a “library” title, when it is still a “second run” show, with new episodes still coming out on Nickelodeon. CORRECTION: In my last “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong” update, I offered a correction from Doug Creutz and misspelled TD Cowen. Thanks, Grammarly! 1 Though he could have increased prices to make up for the gap, he couldn’t have increased them that much. 2 There’s a theory, which I think that Daryl Morey created and Bill Simmons popularized, that, to be successful building your team, you only need a handful of bad GMs in the league to take advantage of. To be clear, Daryl Morey’s theory was also for signing bad contracts, that you could always get out of bad contracts. Basically, there’s always someone who will make a bad trade. It’s not the same exact thing, but similar enough to the Greater Fool Theory that I really like it.
Munson’s Chocolates Selected for TD Small Business Takeover at TD Garden During March 31st Bruins Game
Eight Decades of Handcrafted Chocolate Meets One of Boston’s Biggest Stages
The 'Spirit of Chocolate' celebrates chocolate as both science and story
On Valentine’s Day, the Palmer Museum of Art became a tasting room and a classroom all at once. “The Art of Chocolate: A Guided Tasting Experience,” presented by the Arboretum at Penn State in partnership with Penn State’s Cacao and Chocolate Research Network, paired research with sensory discovery and chocolate with cheese.
Workers reach tentative agreement with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts
HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) – Chocolate Workers Local Union No. 464 tells abc27 that they have a tentative agreement with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to avoid a work stoppage. The agreement i…
Tariffs' impacts on chocolate business during holiday season
Raleigh-based Videri Chocolate is grappling with increased ingredient costs and says that trade tariffs continue to impact small businesses during their peak holiday season.
'Phantom of the Opera' returns to Saenger Theatre in New Orleans for extended run
Other local stage performances include "Murder Most Meemaw" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Pickle-flavored sparkling water is here: review by lifelong pickle fan
From prebiotic soda to bone broth hot chocolate, we've been going through something of a beverage renaissance lately. Enter pickle-flavored sparkling water.
The science behind Easter candy cravings — and when it becomes too much
Americans love Easter candy, spending more than $5 billion on it in 2024, with chocolate bunnies and eggs among the most popular treats, according to the National Confectioners Association. While having a candy or two on a holiday isn’t a problem, consistently eating too much sugar can have significant negative effects. According to Brenda Davy, a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech and a registered dietitian, added sugar consumption is
How artisan chocolate became a popular Mother’s Day gift
Compartés reports artisan chocolate is rising as a top Mother's Day gift, driven by consumer demand for thoughtful, personal, and unique presents.
Performance and artistry an important part of children’s entertainment
EnviroGanza with Jack Golden at the Chocolate Church Arts Center held the attention of 300 students while educating at the same time.
Tariffs sour Valentine’s for North Carolina's small business entrepreneurs
Many of the gifts that define Valentine’s, specifically flowers and chocolates, rely heavily on imports which have been affected by tariffs.
Four generations of family keep this chocolate business sweet
Bob and Martha Pollack enlist four generations of the family to keep their candy business running.
Four generations of family keep this chocolate business sweet
Bob and Martha Pollack enlist four generations of the family to keep their candy business running.
Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to Open Mellow Mushroom in Hershey in Fall 2027
Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) today announced it will bring Mellow Mushroom to Hershey, Pennsylvania, marking the stone-baked pizza brand’s first location in the state. Mellow Mushroom is slated to open in fall 2027 at 337 West Chocolate Avenue, in the heart of downtown Hershey. The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will be owned and operated by HE&R. […]
Rats make an ultrasonic sound when they eat chocolate
Animal sounds could be a window into their internal emotions, new research indicates.
Hersheypark slammed for reply to Dollywood ticket prices after Dolly Parton’s death
Hersheypark was slammed over its reply to a social media user praising Dollywood’s affordability after Dolly Parton’s death: ‘Our summer tickets are $49.99,’ Hersheypark wrote in ‘error.’
Chocolate leads to better workouts, says science — and you don't even have to eat it
A new study found that something surprising happens in your brain around chocolate, giving you more energy. Here's what's going on.
Google gives Android users a way to install unverified apps if they prove they really, really want to
: Chocolate Factory describes concession as an attempt to balance openess with safety
Business Monday: He went from telescope engineer to making craft chocolate in Honokaʻa
It took a few years to have a significant harvest, but now the Pollard’s farm has more than 1,000 producing cacao trees, each of which yields five pounds of chocolate each season.
Magic mushroom-infused products appear in Colorado gas stations – what public health officials want consumers to know
Hallucinogenic chocolate bars were removed from six Denver-area gas stations.
How Navy deployment inspired single mom to start plant-based chocolates business
A Black-and-veteran-owned chocolate business in Southern Maryland evolved from a military deployment that kept a woman away from her daughter for more than a year. A 13-month deployment was much too long for Thereasa Black and inspired her to change her life and be her own boss. “I graduated from GW Law School, and then about six months later, I…
Vanderbilt Health Pets of the Day: Freddy and Cooper
Today’s first Dog of the Day is Freddy, submitted by Beth Piazza of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “Freddy was adopted on Valentine’s Day of 2024 from the Nashville Humane Association. He is the cuddliest 90-pound lap dog.“ Today’s second Dog of the Day is Cooper, submitted by Brandie Taylor of Medicine. “Cooper is a 14 year old chocolate lab. He loves eating and going to get pup cups!” Freddy and Cooper were featured in the June 9, 2026, edition of MyVUMC News. To see the archived collection of Vanderbilt Health Pets of the Day, go to: https://news.vumc.org/section/voice/pets-vumc/. Pet photos wanted! The Vanderbilt Health Pets of the Day are posted to the Voice section of Vanderbilt Health News and included in regular editions of the MyVUMC News newsletter, which is published twice a week by Vanderbilt Health News and Communications. Now through July 6, we especially want to see photos of your pets enjoying spring and summer. That might be having fun at the lake or beach, hanging out in the backyard, lying on the couch, or in the case of a pet fish, just living the life aquatic (we’re not too strict about what constitutes enjoying spring and summer). If you have a pet picture you would like to send in for consideration, go to the submission form here and follow the guidelines.
Valentine's Day costs in NJ a heartbreaker amid tariffs, inflation
The cost of chocolate, jewelry, roses and wine are all up for various reasons in 2026, including President Trump's tariffs.
Why politicians should pay more attention to the polls (reprise)
Welcome to the 231st edition of The Week in Polls (TWIP), a polling newsletter that always welcomes new readers. So please don’t keep TWIP a secret; share it with your friends and colleagues: Share The Week in Polls With all the stories swirling around Reform, JL Partners and political polling, I am finally tearing myself away from talking about the regulation of polling this week - and instead re-running a previous piece reminding us why the solution to problems with polls isn’t simply to ban or ignore them. Rather, we need them to play a vital role in making our politics - and politicians - better. This is followed by summaries of the latest national voting intention polls, seat projections from MRPs and the most recent party leader ratings. Subscribers who pay for the full edition can also read ten insights from the latest polls and analyses, including: A trio of organisations and a pair of professors have been casting their eyes over the Liberal Democrats ahead of the party’s autumn conference; What impact did the summer heatwave have on views on climate change? and Which wins out between chocolate and cheese? If you are not yet a paid subscriber, you can read all ten by starting a free trial now: Get FREE 7-day trial For more polling news as it comes in ahead of next week’s edition, you can also follow The Week in Polls on Bluesky. Picking up on my doubt last week about whether or not 35% of British train travellers have tried to order a takeaway for delivery to a railway station or carriage, thank you to reader Iain, who has been in touch to say he has done just that… in India. Another quick pair of updates, this time on the controversies around Reform and polling. Politico has a further scoop - “Farage aide caught in donor sting attended Egypt retreat with JL Partners” - and Ian Dunt has written about the problems with polling too: “Seeing the response of many polling experts in the last few weeks suggests that they are nervous about what is happening and keen to mitigate against it. Seeing the response of journalists, which has been basically non-existent, suggests the precise opposite.” My usual reminder as well: please do hit reply if you’ve spotted a poll, focus group or new piece of poll-based research that you think should be in contention for coverage in a future edition. Thank you! And with that, on with the show. How politicians get public opinion wrong I have written before about the benefits that come from widespread availability of high-quality political polling. We need more polls and more good coverage of polls. However, what I’ve not dug into before is the research into how accurately politicians estimate public opinion on issues. Thankfully we have academic research to tell us. First, the bad news: We present results from a study of 866 politicians in four countries.1 Politicians were asked to estimate the percentage of public support for various policy proposals. Comparing more than 10,000 estimations with actual levels of public support, we conclude that politicians are quite inaccurate estimators of people’s preferences. They make large errors and even regularly misperceive what a majority of the voters wants. Politicians are hardly better at estimating public preferences than ordinary citizens. Walgrave, S., Jansen, A., Sevenans, J., Soontjens, K., Pilet, J.B., Brack, N., Varone, F., Helfer, L., Vliegenthart, R., van der Meer, T., Breunig, C., Bailer, S., Sheffer, L. & Loewen, P.J. (2023a), “Inaccurate Politicians: Elected Representatives’ Estimations of Public Opinion in Four Countries”, The Journal of Politics, 85(1): 209-222. The bad news is not quite as bad as that makes it sound because, when asked whether the majority of public opinion was for or against various policies, politicians picked the wrong option ‘only’ 29% of the time. However, this included getting it wrong even when public opinion is far from evenly split on an issue: They do not only get it wrong when the public is divided and hard to read (e.g., when there is a 51%:49% distribution). Seventy percent of the misplacements occur for policies with a relatively clear distribution of at least 60% (dis)agreeing citizens. Moreover, the public scored only slightly worse than politicians, picking the wrong option 2.7 out of 8 times on average, compared with 2.3 times for politicians. Turning to the other measure of accuracy (not which side is in the lead but what the percentage support is for each side), politicians on average were 18 percentage points out in their guesses. Again, this was only slightly better than the public, whose error came in at 21 percentage points.2 Further research, using the same mix of countries, gives a little more comfort about how (in)accurate perceptions are: We show that politicians have a better understanding of public opinion when they think the issue matters to voters. Further, when an issue is personally important to politicians they more accurately estimate their party supporters’ opinions. The results confirm that politicians hold more accurate perceptions of voters’ preferences when they think it is important to do so but not necessarily when the issues actually are important to voters. Butler, C., Walgrave, S., Soontjens, K. & Loewen, P.J. (2024), “Politicians are better at estimating public opinion when they think it is more salient”, Party Politics: 1–13. Even so, it’s not a good picture. The remedy for this? Politicians should spend more time reading the polls. So forward this newsletter to someone you know… Share For a more general argument against banning polls, see my 2024 piece. Is “Let Bartlet Be Bartlet” good advice or not? The latest episode of my Political Fictions podcast heads across the Atlantic for a dip into one of the political TV classics: Mark and Cory talk about a giant of American political drama for the first time this week, as they tackle The West Wing. They talk about Let Bartlet Be Bartlet, the nineteenth episode of series one. In it, Mark wonders if The West Wing is actually the epitome of the “Boris Johnson school of politics”, Cory outmanoeuvres Mark into confirming we will record a Christmas Special about Love, Actually and they debate whether the central message of this episode has been misunderstood. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Subscribe to our newsletter for some additional bonus content and to get alerted whenever a new episode comes out. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod/incompetech.com and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. You can also listen to our episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the web or YouTube. Elsewhere from me… [ A Lord's Eye View How to fix the problem of money in our politics Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords. This time I am taking a look at how our political system is regulated, and the protections we need to keep democracy safe from becoming simply a contest to see who has the biggest bank account… Read more 5 days ago · 3 likes · 2 comments · Mark Pack ](https://lordseyeview.substack.com/p/how-to-fix-the-problem-of-money-in?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=1269283) If you spot a factual error… Borrowing an idea from Stuart Ritchie and others, if you spot a factual error in an edition of this newsletter, I will give you a free 12-month subscription to the paid-for version (or an extra 12 months on your existing one). Factual errors qualify, but grammatical errors or disagreements over interpretation do not, and my decision is final. Messages about both of those are always welcome, though. Voting intention and leadership ratings Here are the latest voting intention polls from different pollsters. It is all pretty static at the moment, with a small and consistent Labour lead in nearly all the polls. The table is also online here, along with explanations about what is included. It is updated regularly throughout the week as new polls are released. Next are the seat projections from MRPs, also sorted by fieldwork dates, listing those which are based on dedicated fieldwork (rather than models based on averages of other polls). Because such MRPs are published infrequently, some of the entries below are quite old. Finally, here is a summary of leadership ratings, with a graph from PollCheck: Detailed numbers from the latest polls are online here, and both that and the graph are updated regularly throughout the week as new data comes out. For historical figures on both voting intention and leader approval stretching back to the 1930s, including Parliamentary by-election polls, see PollBase. Catch up on the previous two editions [ ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ A crisis point for political polling Sep 13 ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ Read full story ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/a-crisis-point-for-political-polling) [ ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) [ Extra questions about the polls in Reform’s funding scandal Sep 6 ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) [ Read full story ](https://theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/extra-questions-about-the-polls-in) My privacy policy and other legal information are available here. Links to purchase books or other items are usually affiliate links which pay a commission for each sale. Quotes from social media messages are occasionally lightly edited for punctuation and clarity. If you are subscribed to other email lists of mine, please note that unsubscribing from this one will not automatically remove you from the others. If you wish to be removed from all my lists, simply reply to this email to let me know. A quintet of Lib Dem polling analyses, and 9 other polling insights you shouldn’t miss The following ten findings from the most recent polls and analyses are only for subscribers who pay for the full edition, but you can sign up for a free trial to read them straight away. Ahead of the start of Liberal Democrat conference, we have a trio of organisations and a pair of professors with pieces out about Ed Davey’s party:
How artisan chocolate became a popular Mother’s Day gift
Compartés reports artisan chocolate is rising as a top Mother's Day gift, driven by consumer demand for thoughtful, personal, and unique presents.
Inside the Dubai chocolate boom and the factories racing to keep up
We visited the creator of Dubai chocolate and its first industrial operation and traced how the supply chain is racing to meet soaring demand.
Hershey to return to classic Reese’s recipe after founder’s grandson criticizes brand
Hershey plans to phase out compound coatings in select Reese's products, transitioning to traditional chocolate by 2027, affecting less than 3% of Reese's items.
Tariffs Confound Small Businesses Again
Chocolate makers and fig-paste importers are facing a tangle of unknowns, including whether to seek refunds for tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court.
Family-owned Maryland candy business set to close with plans for possible new location
Easter brings a rush of customers to Log Cabin Homemade Chocolates in Bel Air, Maryland, which has been in business for 66 years.
Lahaina Means Business networking event set for Nov. 4 at Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate
Lahaina business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals are invited to a free community networking event, Lahaina Means Business from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate in Lahaina. The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset and the Maui County Office of Economic Development are sponsoring the event, which aims to build connections, encourage […]
North Carolina small business owners on how tariffs are negatively impacting their bottom line
Many of the gifts that define Valentine’s, especially flowers and chocolates, rely heavily on imports which have been affected by tariffs.
Baton Rouge walkers of Camino de Santiago share stories of churros, chocolate, beauty and pain
The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage offers spiritual, social and physical challenges as walkers from around the world connect and search for meaning along the centuries-old trail in Spain.
Dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate: Which is healthier?
This is why dark chocolate has earned its reputation as the “better-for-you” chocolate.
Dozens of crashes into Long Grove bridge tracked by local business on ‘wall of shame'
A suburban chocolate shop is stepping beyond selling treats to track the dozens of times a historic bridge has been hit by truck drivers since 2020.
19 unique small business gifts that beat the boring big-box picks
From artisanal chocolate truffles from Buffalo to affordable candles poured in LA, here are the unique gifts small businesses are offering
Hershey targets the health-conscious with savoury Halloween snacks
Halloween trick-or-treating could be less sugary than usual this year as consumers look for healthier snacks and candy companies such as Hershey , the United States' biggest chocolate-maker, adapt their product offerings.
Roundup: Cocoa demand / ‘Funflation’ / Data center utility demand
Market instability: Cocoa demand is showing signs of recovery after a period of weakness, but the market remains unstable as prices continue to swing sharply amid uncertainty over supply and consumption. Chocolate makers are still adjusting to elevated cocoa costs, while traders are watching factors such as crop conditions, weather risks and shifting consumer behavior. […]
Julie’s Sweet Treats officially open for business
A local chocolatier cut the ribbon on her new chocolate shop just in time for Valentine’s Day. Julie’s Sweet Treats, located on 6 East Main Street, is officially open for business and is celebrating i...
10 Dane County employers get grants for AI, manufacturing training
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced state funding for Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Quartz Health Solutions, DSG Outerwear and more in the Madison area.
Scientists just created chocolate honey packed with surprising health perks
Scientists in Brazil have transformed cocoa waste into a functional chocolate-infused honey packed with antioxidants and natural stimulants. Using ultrasound waves, they enhanced honey’s ability to pull beneficial compounds from cocoa shells—no synthetic solvents required. The process is considered green and sustainable, and the product could find its way into gourmet foods and cosmetics.
Zingerman’s candy business breaks out with its sights set on national growth
The Ann Arbor-based small-batch confections business has a new managing partner and Ecuadorian chocolate supplier.
Donaldson’s Finer Chocolates celebrates 60 years
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Gluten-free fried chicken, a Biblical fantasy and baking fails
In this week's food and culture newsletter, consider what makes "good" art, Hilldale gets a Chocolate Shoppe, and how to make Persian(ish) rice.
Local businesses prepare for Valentine’s Day rush
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Local businesses are feeling the Valentine’s Day rush, and for Hazel Hill Chocolate, preparations started months ago. Owner Nick Xidis said his team began preparing as early as Christm...
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe, according to science
Understanding a bit of chemistry can transform your baking skills.
A Small Business Owner Saved This World War II-Era Chocolate Brand From Extinction
Legacy brands, especially food ones, provide sensory links to the past. That's why this entrepreneur is keeping alive a NECCO chocolate brand from the 1930s.
Valentine’s Day sticker shock: Chocolate prices are spiking
Chocolate lovers are experiencing sticker shock this Valentine’s Day.
The actual reasons why chocolate makes you feel good
Chocolate’s enduring appeal lies in how it interacts with the brain and body
My partner is monitoring his sleep score, steps and fibre intake. He has become a dry shite
Tell Me About It: What happened to spending half the day in bed, eating chocolate, wine and olives?
Event Recap: Fourth Annual Health Solutions Summit | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
2026-01-30-Despite a recent ice storm, over 200 people turned out for hot chocolate and health policy on January 28, 2026‘s for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's Fourth Annual Health Solutions
ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Chocolate’ in Argenta; ‘Mamma Mia!’ at WAC
Following a six-month revival run on Broadway, the 25th anniversary tour of “Mamma Mia!” is onstage this week for eight performances at Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center.
Earth’s largest otters have chocolate bar-sized babies
Chester Zoo celebrates the birth of giant otter triplets.
Tom Brady, famed health nut, explains his junk food endorsements in retirement: 'Moderation in all things'
Tom Brady has struck a new partnership with chocolate maker Ferrero pegged to the 2026 World Cup.
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, union agree to deal
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts and the Chocolate Workers union have reached a deal, averting a potential strike.
Hershey Entertainment, Resorts reaches tentative agreement with union
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts has reached a tentative deal with the chocolate workers union, Local 464.
How one chocolatier survived when cocoa prices soared
When cocoa prices doubled, chocolatier Jerome Peñafort of Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie refused shrinkflation by finding new ways to innovate.
Sweet treats stir up sweet memories at downtown Doniphan business
Within these walls, bright, cheery colors, the smells of warm chocolate and caramel, and the sounds of laughter welcome both the young and young at heart who