Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Glen Korstrom, reporter
Given the acrimony and anger prevalent with protestors blocking roads, rail and other infrastructure, here’s a good read on how to de-escalate tensions. And it starts with words of wisdom from Niccolo Machiavelli – LinkedIn via Adam Lerner
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/enemies-strangers-adam-lerner/
Interesting to see a newspaper in South Carolina’s capital of Columbia endorse Pete Buttigieg in the upcoming primary, and proclaim “Buttigieg’s policy centrism is more important than his personal life.” – The State newspaper
https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article240519821.html
There could hardly be a worse time for Richard Branson to launch a cruise line but his Virgin Voyages is set to launch in April. Curious how he downplays coronavirus fears:
"the longer-term impact will be negligible,” said the incorrigible salesman. “I think the fact that we're going out of America means that I don't think we'll suffer. People are booking as much as they've ever booked right now." – Seeking Alpha
Timothy Renshaw, Managing Editor
What are women up to in the United States? The U.S. Census Bureau, in recognition of National Women's History Month, provides a detailed breakdown of what women are up to in the workforce. For example, a lot are in health-care support, where 84% of workers are women, but not many are in construction (3%), natural resources (4.2%) or law enforcement (19.7%).
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor
Story about the decision – against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – to bring coronavirus-infected Americans home from overseas on a flight with uninfected passengers, calling into question the U.S. government’s ability to stop the disease from spreading on this continent. – Washington Post
Organizers with Metro Vancouver’s “think thrice about your clothes” campaign, aimed at curbing the amount of clothing going into landfill in the region, will report on their progress to the Metro board Friday. Its report blames “rapidly changing fashion trend cycles and low prices” for the 20,000 tonnes of clothing thrown away in the region each year. – CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metro-vancouver-clothing-waste-1.5472781
Tyler Orton, reporter
Seattle is pouring US$7 million into upgrades to its antiquated monorail system, which will be used to get NHL fans to games (free transit passes for ticket-holders, too). To anyone who’s experienced the sprawl that is Seattle, this is a rather ambitious endeavour for the car-addicted city. — Seattle Met
For anyone curious about the surprise exec shake-up at Disney, this traces the career path of new CEO Bob Chapek. He’s going from leading the amusement parks to leading the content side of the business, leaving many to wonder what the future will look like for the Mouse House. — Vulture
https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/why-did-bob-iger-resign-disney-ceo.html
The story of “Fitz” St. John traces a Barbadian stowaway to B.C., where he led the way in early labour movements in the province at a time when discrimination was rampant. — Labour Heritage Centre
www.labourheritagecentre.ca/fitz/
Nelson Bennett, reporter
Columnist Terry Glavin wrote a book about the battles of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en to have their aboriginal rights and title recognized in the landmark Delgamuukw Supreme Court of Canada decision, so many of his readers wondered when he might weigh into the current battle between hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs against the Coastal GasLink pipeline. In a column this week, Glavin says that upholding the rights of aboriginal people includes the rights of those First Nations who actually support the project, not just the few opposed to it. – National Post
MIT has arguably some of the smartest minds working in the field of energy engineering, so it’s worth hearing what James Temple, editor of MIT Technology Review, has to to say about Bernie Sanders’ version of the Green New Deal: A $16 trillion (that’s a “T” not a “B”) plan that would be unnecessarily expansive and which excludes important emissions cutting technologies, like nuclear power, carbon capture and natural gas. – MIT Technology Review
