Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
While the Bank of Canada can usually be relied on to make confident economic projections in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report, on Wednesday it admitted the COVID-19 pandemic had forced it to throw its confidence out the window. But the top bank allowed that its projections suggest “the near-term downturn will be the sharpest on record.” – Globe and Mail
Meanwhile, a supernova that flared up a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away is the brightest ever seen from this planet, scientists have found. The star explosion – actually two stars that collided and blew up – happened about 3.6 billion years ago in another galaxy, but its light just recently reached Earth – NBC
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
Is there any good news out there? A glimmer or two, perhaps, when it comes to the U.S. trucking trade. – FreightWaves
https://sonar.freightwaves.com/freight-market-pulse/good-news-the-freight-market-is-about-to-turn-up?
So maybe talk of recovery at some point down the long and winding pandemic road is not just fanciful optimism. For those still looking on the bright side, here is a recovery game plan to consider courtesy of the Peterson Institute for International Economics
https://www.piie.com/publications/piie-briefings/how-g20-can-hasten-recovery-covid-19?
Jeremy Hainsworth, reporter:
The Chronicles of Narnia.
I’ve found a need to escape the current hard reality and continue to meander through the fantasy world of C.S. Lewis. It’s a compilation of seven books – The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawntreader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle. All together, it’s a fantasy ride with fantastic creatures through epic battles to the end of the world, a series of tales on par with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Nelson Bennett, reporter:
The American West is facing what could be the worst mega-drought ever. A mega-drought is defined as one with recurring droughts lasting for two decades. They have happened in the distant past before, but climate change is assumed to be aggravating what can be a natural cycle. – Smithsonian Magazine
You may have seen some kooky conspiracy theories or quack remedies related to the COVID-19 pandemic on social media. But if you like or interact with them on Facebook, Facebook plans to let you know that you may be dealing with a hoax and will provide a fact-check. The social media giant is trying to fight misinformation that could have serious consequences for people’s health. – Al Jazeera
