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:
Do we need to reconsider the value of economics? Might it be an outdated discipline? A new book, reviewed in this essay, is a thoughtful take on the matter. – The New York Review of Books
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/05/against-economics/
This somewhat unwieldy feature examines the conduct of Boeing as it developed the troubled 737 MAX. The thorough investigation is most unflattering and worrying. – The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/18/the-case-against-boeing
Tom Hanks is, by all accounts, one of Hollywood’s nicest people. This profile does nothing to unsettle that view as the actor takes on a film role of another nice person, Mister Rogers. It even reveals Rogers’ four rules for journalism. – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/movies/tom-hanks-mister-rogers.html
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
I usually only have time for books on vacation but over the Remembrance Day weekend I found myself engrossed in this deeply personal book by Nightly Business Report anchor Bill Griffeth. He was caught off-guard when a DNA test showed that he was not related to his late father, and reveals results of a re-test along with a brother and cousin to determine whether it was his 95-year-old mother who had had an affair, or whether it was his grandmother. Well researched and told this is a good fast read, particularly if you are thinking about taking a DNA test – The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth
Here’s a link to an article about the 2016 book, and an excerpt about what it was like for Bill to get the first test result. – CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/06/cnbc-anchor-bill-griffeth-got-the-shock-of-his-life-after-a-simple-dna-test.html
This article accurately describes the craziness in the room of the Louvre where the Mona Lisa is on display. It merits having its own venue. – New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/arts/design/mona-lisa-louvre-overcrowding.html
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
Donald Trump tried to mock her – didn’t go well for him – and Alberta’s Jason Kenney flipped up his nose like a goat at the idea of meeting with her. What is it about this little Swedish girl that makes big fat North American politicians quake in their carbon-loving boots, and otherwise inspires millions of people? A look at Greta Thunberg’s hold on our imagination. – CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/the-greta-factor-1.5336417
The ex-chief of CSIS warns that Canada needs to wise up fast about the menace of China and Russia: “The risks posed by these two countries are certainly different, but they are generally based on advancing all their interests to the detriment of the West,” says Richard Fadden, former security adviser to Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper. – CBC/Yahoo News
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canada-needs-start-seeing-russia-230403592.html
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
More multibillion-dollar tariff darts to the heartland courtesy of Tariff man Trump. – Tariffs Hurt the Heartland
Not a lot of global energy companies thus far getting that green feeling. – Edie
