What are we reading: September 19-23, 2022
Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
If you have your heart set on repairing watches or operating a nuclear power reactor, you might want to book another appointment with your local career councillor. Both pursuits are high on the list of endangered jobs in the new economy. – Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-disappearing-over-the-next-decade-employment-projections-2022-9
Featured this week from the inane adventures of the idle rich file, Rhain steakhouse in Dubai and its US$1,000 steak coated in gold leaf. The dish is accompanied tableside by armed guards, who are perhaps on duty to protect the customer from opponents of overindulgence. – Dmarge
https://www.dmarge.com/golden-steak-dubai
The travel time for your electric car to become greener than its internal combustion engine counterpart might be longer than you think. This SlashGear estimate figures around two years or 30,000 kilometres. Still, the trip will be worth it in the end, and after rolling up 300,000 km or so in that electric car, it will have generated around 41% fewer emissions than its gas-powered equivalent.
https://www.slashgear.com/1010820/how-many-miles-before-an-electric-car-is-greener-than-a-gas-car/
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
El Salvador’s experiment to make Bitcoin an official currency could not have happened at a worse time, as Bitcoin’s value has fallen about 70 per cent since November. The government gave all resident adults digital wallets with the equivalent of US$30. Most citizens just spent the money and stopped using the wallets. The government also spent about US$150 million to roll out Bitcoin ATMs. Given that El Salvador is a poor country, this wasted money comes from badly needed government resources. – Barron’s
https://www.barrons.com/articles/bitcoin-price-el-salvador-crypto-51662678826?st=y5gtpom5omg1lhe
Another interesting article that relates to Central America was on why inflation in banana prices has been paltry compared with other foods. Global production increases have meant there’s simply an oversupply of bananas. Year-round production also ensures that there is no seasonality in pricing. – Globe and Mail
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-banana-price-inflation-immunity/
