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What are we reading? June 28, 2018

Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web. Kirk LaPointe, editor-in-chief, vice-president of Glacier Media: Although long, Peter German’s report on money laundering at B.C.
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Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.

Kirk LaPointe, editor-in-chief, vice-president of Glacier Media:

Although long, Peter German’s report on money laundering at B.C.’s casinos is required reading for anyone interested in the intersection of corruption, gambling and wealth. The report via the BC Attorney General’s Office:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/German_Gaming_Final_Report.pdf

 

American historian J.M. Opal examines the origins of Donald Trump’s feelings of victimization at the hands of Canada. It goes back some - The Walrus

https://thewalrus.ca/the-historical-roots-of-trumps-anger-with-canada/

 

We may have great medicine, but the truth is that the bugs are winning and we are running out of options - The New York Review of Books

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/06/28/superbugs-are-winning-antibiotics/

 

Ever wonder what makes for a great team? Studying baseball teams is a good focus - The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/finding-the-formula-for-team-chemistry/561722/

Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor, BIV

Facebook fomentation: Group of investors said to be mounting challenge against CEO Mark Zuckerberg at scandal-seared social media giant – Vanity Fair

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/could-mark-zuckerberg-face-a-coup-detat-at-facebook

Big newspapers have taken a beating from changing media-consumption habits for decades, but their country cousins are proving more successful at withstanding the digital onslaught, according to a recent report:

“The number and variety of newspapers that continue to exist – in tiny towns with populations in four figures, at gas stations in poor rural counties, and in villages clumped near each other – give hope to even the most pessimistic observer.” – The Economist

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2018/06/23/small-town-american-newspapers-are-surprisingly-resilient

Emma Crawford Hampel, online editor:

United Airlines is trying something new: telling delayed passengers exactly why their flights are late - but only in a few airports, and only on a trial basis - Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-flight-delay-information-20180627-story.html

And now, from Alberta: what a relief! New Alberta farm health and safety rules released Wednesday mean agricultural workers will be able to go to the bathroom in fields - Edmonton Journal

http://edmontonjournal.com/business/local-business/farm-workers-permitted-to-relieve-themselves-in-fields-drive-without-seatbelts-under-new-rules

Nelson Bennett, reporter:

This year’s Fraser River sockeye should be abundant, but warm water for both the parents and offspring could mean a much lower return this year - Island Fisherman Magazine

https://islandfishermanmagazine.com/fraser-river-sockeye-forecast-2018/

What’s killing Puget Sound’s salmon and steelhead? - Puget Sound Institute’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

https://www.eopugetsound.org/magazine/ssec2018/marine-survival-1

Glen Korstrom, reporter:

Bruce Pardy provides his take on the Supreme Court of Canada’s April decision in favour of provincial liquor monopolies, and comes down strongly in favour of free trade in this 10-page report – Fraser Institute

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/protecting-government-from-free-trade.pdf

Avison Young's report looks at how commercial landlords can vet and select cannabis-retail tenants and it breaks down federal, provincial and municipal areas of jurisdiction related to legalized cannabis – Avison Young

https://avisonyoung.uberflip.com/i/998039-aytopicalreport-howtoqualifyprospectiveretailcannabisoperatorsjune2018final

Vancouver city council on June 26 amended bylaws to allow for cannabis stores - not the old dispensary-style zoning but a new class of retail licence. It also provided an update on enforcement stats in this report - City of Vancouver

http://council.vancouver.ca/20180626/documents/phea1presentation.pdf

Hayley Woodin, multimedia reporter:

What is the future of free trade? The first in a three-part series on the topic explores open trade in America and Mexico (with no mention of Canada) – The Economist

https://www.economist.com/open-future/2018/06/27/what-is-the-future-of-free-trade

Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries have diplomatically severed ties with Qatar. Now, reports suggest Saudi will move to physically cut ties with Qatar by turning the country from a peninsula into an island [VIDEO] – Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-06-26/saudi-moves-forward-with-plan-to-turn-qatar-into-island-video

In the ongoing Amazon-Walmart battle for retail and e-commerce supremacy, this week was won by Amazon. The company bought online pharmacy PillPack for a reported US$1 billion. The company was reportedly in talks with Walmart – TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/28/amazon-buys-pillpack-an-online-pharmacy-that-was-rumored-to-be-talking-to-walmart/

Anna Liczmanska, editorial researcher:

Are you in a good mood or bad mood? - Darius Foroux

https://dariusforoux.com/managing-your-mood/

Tyler Orton, reporter:

The province has just extended its provincial nominee tech pilot. Lots of illuminating minutiae included in this updated FAQ on why it’s extending the program and making one key change to it - WelcomeBC

https://www.welcomebc.ca/getmedia/206c472e-2297-4b3e-bf96-fa98ff46884f/BC-PNP-Tech-Pilot-FAQs-August-2017.pdf.aspx

How to spot fake news: one tweet of note went viral this week, attributing a quote to Harley Davidson CEO Matt Levatich, in which he thrashes the U.S. president. The problem is that Levatich never said it and it’s pretty easy to deduce that - Slate

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/06/trump-moron-harley-davidson-ceo-quote-fake.html

The British Tories used to be defined by their efforts to cut taxes, de-regulate and, overall, accommodate business. Here's how the Brexit is changing that - Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-27/nobody-knows-what-it-means-to-be-a-u-k-conservative-anymore

Albert Van Santvoort, reporter:

In a review of Harvard professor Dani Rodrik’s latest book, Straight talk on trade, Jeff Madrick visits Rodrik’s nuanced concerns about both protectionism and free trade - New York Review Books

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/06/28/dani-rodrik-trade-staying-invisible-hand/?sub_key=5b338c821ecf5

Economist Stephanie Kelton discusses the economic constraints to government spending and how capacity is a much larger factor than affordability - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-kelton-pony-for-all-20170929-story.html

Why have economists become so timid? The field used to be visionary, now it’s just dull - The Chronicle of Higher Education

https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-Economists-Became-So-Timid/243326/#.WvBKa7_HjjI.twitter