Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
Updated calculations confirm that COVID-19 is delivering a seismic shock to the global energy system. How about losing what equates to the entire energy demand of India in 2020? Or a global demand drop seven times what it was after the 2008 global financial crisis? On the upside: a record annual drop in carbon emissions. A lot of big numbers to digest here courtesy of the International Energy Agency.
https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2020
It's not light summer reading, but CN Rail's first-quarter 2020 financial report provides more insight into the state of Canada's economy now and how it might look a few more miles down the line. Suffice it to say that all will not be Mozart and maypole dancing for Canadians and their economy in 2020.
Insights from long-term investors on how to navigate the COVID-19 storm. – McKinsey & Company
The time-tested and tedious adult website blackmail caper courtesy of digital slime and Internet bottom-feeders. – Federal Trade Commission
Jeremy Hainsworth, reporter:
Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney writes in The Economist that in a post-COVID-19 world it may be reasonable for people globally to demand quality improvements to social supports and medical care. He said for decades, humanity has moved from a market economy to a market society, and that the pandemic could reverse that to a case where private value is shaped by public values. – The Economist
Hayley Woodin, reporter:
Food bank demand south of the border as millions of newly unemployed Americans struggle to make ends meet. Meanwhile, farmers are culling herds and leaving tonnes of food in the field. Critics blame the U.S. Department of Agriculture for not acting sooner. – Politico
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/26/food-banks-coronavirus-agriculture-usda-207215
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
The good news: In spite of demand-based shortages of items such as hand sanitizer and toilet paper, our food distribution chain has held steady during the pandemic. Researchers Michael von Massow and Alfons Weersink explain why. – Retail Insider
The bad news: Despite a deceleration in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and other jurisdictions, we are still vulnerable to a resurgence of the virus – particularly if we allow ourselves to be swayed by a “crowd mind” that demands “a return to “normal,” pushing aside the hard rational truths that science and history teach us about this moment.” – Tyee
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
COVID-19 is not only changing how people are interviewed, it is allowing viewers to see inside interviewees' homes. This fun and quirky piece points out some curious books on famous people's shelves. – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/books/celebrity-bookshelves-tv-coronavirus.html?smid=tw-share
As a break from COVID-19 news, I read this fascinating piece about Brazilian politics. I hadn't realized all the machinations taking place after Jair Bolsonaro won the presidency. I hadn't realized how he alienated himself from all official political parties, and has had Trump-like rotation in his cabinet, losing eight members so far. His move to fire the police chief is only his latest controversy. – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/world/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-moro.html
