Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
The U.K.’s move to put barcodes on stamps sounds like a good idea to better track mail and reduce counterfeiting. Stamp collectors may fret but this is likely something that will spread to other countries. – The Guardian
Reading this article made me check out my stash of coins to check for what the Royal Canadian Mint calls Camel Toe Toonies – fake $2 coins named for a defect where the polar bear’s paw has a noticeable indent. What’s shocking is that some estimates are that there are “millions” of these fake coins in circulation. – The Globe and Mail
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-counterfeit-fake-toonie-china/
Nelson Bennett, reporter
A quarter of Canadians have given up the notion of ever owning a home and have resigned themselves to being “forever renters,” according to a new survey. The survey, by Finder, estimates nine million Canadians don’t think they will ever be able to buy a home. – Financial Post
Replacing a fuel oil or natural gas fired furnace with an electric heat pump can save you tonne of emissions (literally, annually), but can it save you money? According to this article in Grist, the answer is “yes” if you are replacing a natural gas furnace and “hell yes!” if you are replacing a furnace that uses heating oil. The savings are not huge, when you replace a natural gas furnace, because natural gas is still pretty cheap. On the other hand, in addition to getting heating in the winter from a heat pump, you also get cooling in the summer. – Grist
https://grist.org/climate-energy/heat-pumps-can-help-save-the-planet-but-can-they-save-you-money/
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
Do young people still have summer jobs? Or want them? – U.S. Census
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/07/do-young-workers-still-have-summer-jobs.html
In case you forgot to red-pencil these celebratory summer dates on your July calendar, here is a review courtesy of the U.S. Census starting with the ever-popular National Ice Cream Month, which coincides with National Hot Dog Month, and is kicked off in part by National Fried Chicken Day (July 6) and National Sugar Cookie Day (July 9). With any luck, August might be given over to Recovery From American Dietary Excesses Month. Though that recovery might take more than a month . – U.S. Census
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/ice-cream-day-month.html
After digesting all of the above, anticipating a lifespan of 80 years might be wishful thinking at best, but how about a lifespan of 200? Turns out that there might be a drug for that as science is increasingly viewing aging as a disease rather than an inevitable downward spiral into senility. – Thred
https://thred.com/tech/drug-that-increases-human-lifespan-to-200-years-is-in-the-works/
