Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor
In case you're wondering what the status of your immune system might be following a viral cocktail of vaccinations and COVID infections, here is an informative stab at calculating that status from the Atlantic.
Meanwhile from the back-to-basics news desk, a refresher in how to breathe. Properly. – Shondaland
https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a38658028/how-to-breathe-the-right-way/
And while you're indulging in that deep and meaningful breathing, consider this week’s roundup of 10 trends that will change your world. – Forbes
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor
Some clear-headed advice on how best to stay safe during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among recommendations: start wearing N95 masks; also, if you are sick, quarantine yourself for a full 10 days – not the five days now recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after the CDC bowed to pressure from the airline industry. – The Tyee
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2022/01/03/How-Citizens-Should-Respond-Omicron/
The Bank of Canada has been looking into the idea of issuing a cryptocurrency. But Internal federal government documents released after an access-to-information request show Canada’s Finance Department has warned Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland that adoption of a digital loonie could entail "wide-reaching implications for the economy, the financial system" and central bank operations. — Bloomberg
Glen Korstrom, reporter
Wine lawyer Mark Hicken reflected on his blog about what we could learn from policy failures during Prohibition when it comes to navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the most important thing is to get public buy-in for the measures – WineLaw.ca
A sophisticated online scam targeted prominent Indian female journalists and activists and provided fake job offers to teach at Harvard University. There was an interlocking constellation of social media accounts and emails, and while the scammers got personal information, they did not appear to have tried to use it to steal identities or money. The victims tended to have been critical of India’s ruling party, so some speculate that the aim was simply to humiliate the women, some of whom quit their jobs. – New York Times
Nelson Bennett, reporter
Talking Türkiye. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may not be able to fix his country’s economic problems, which includes inflation of 36%, but he’s determined to fix the spelling of his country’s name. It’s no longer Turkey, folks – it’s now Türkiye. – Travel Awaits
https://www.travelawaits.com/2721555/turkey-changes-spelling-to-turkiye
Yes, flurona’s a thing, but it’s rare. While some people have been unlucky enough to catch both COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously or back-to-back – leading the co-infection to be dubbed flurona – it’s pretty rare. It has only made an appearance in 2021 because regular influenza rates were so low in 2020, due to social distancing, lockdowns, and increased sanitary measures. – Fortune
https://fortune.com/2022/01/06/flurona-cases-covid-flu-infections-same-time-omicron/
