Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
America rolling more cash into public education; per-pupil spending now around US$12,201; in B.C. it's just over $11,650. – United States Census
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/school-spending.html
More big dollars down the road in the global electric vehicle market. – IDTechEx
Heavy news flash!: kilogram redefined, now anchored to the Planck Constant; finally. – Vox
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
Having written relatively recently about the various rules that pro sports leagues have on players' cannabis consumption, I was interested in this piece about 11-year NFL veteran Chris Long waiting until his retirement to denounce the league's ban as "silly" – Denver Post
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/05/23/chris-long-nfl-marijuana/
Tyler Orton, reporter:
AI is now learning to make puns. Your deep affection for dad jokes may wane after being exposed to the likes of, "The greyhound stopped to get a hare cut." – Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/comedian-machine-ai-learning-puns/
Beijing has been laser-focused on developing facial recognition technology to track citizens (and visitors). Now it's expanding to Panda faces. – The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/21/18633787/facial-recognition-app-panda-china-chengdu-conservation
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
New study affirms turbocharged growth of clean-energy sector in Canada, finding the industry is expanding faster than the economy as a whole. – Canadian Press
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/clean-energy-one-canadas-fastest-080005718.html
Spam sushi is a big thing in Hawaii (confession: I love it); now the Vancouver Canadians, with the help of Glowbal Group, are rolling out a ballpark-appropriate delicacy in the same vein. Mmmm, hot dog sushi. – CTV News
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/mobile/hot-dog-sushi-coming-to-vancouver-canadians-games-1.4432923
Hayley Woodin, reporter:
After a week and a half touring the Emerald Isle, I couldn’t resist sharing the following story. As a long-standing tradition, Diageo – owner of Guinness and other beverage brands – gives the lord mayor of Dublin 120 complimentary kegs per year. This year, the company gave Nial Ring an additional 30 kegs when he ran out six months early. Now, taxpayers are footing a $22,600 bill for additional alcohol after the lord mayor gave out more than 13,000 pints of his free Guinness in 10 months. – The Drinks Business
The International Monetary Fund, as it has previously, commented this week on Canada’s financial stability and vulnerable housing market. Municipal, provincial and federal measures have reduced housing-related risks; now, the IMF says, is not the time to change course. “The government is under pressure to ease macroprudential policy or introduce new initiatives that buttress housing activity. This would be ill-advised…” – IMF
