Saturday, November 23, 2024

BIG Wrap

It’s your funeral, as they say, but is it?

Is it safe to say most of us avoid talking about the topic of funerals? Makes one kind of uncomfortable, right? Considering that every single one of us will experience funeral arrangements in some way or another, maybe it should be a topic of conversation. For instance, why does it cost so much money to put a hole in the ground? Tune into this relevant discussion from Slate about funeral practices that could open...

Americans shop with both barrels blazing

More than 2 million guns were purchased by Americans last month, representing an 80% increase over January 2020, reports the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/03/gun-sales-january-background-checks/ In Canada, meanwhile, sales of snow shovels and windshield scrapers, and apologies are soaring.

Joining the club

Clubhouse, Silicon Valley’s invitation-only audio chat room, is gaining popularity among Chinese users, reports Bloomberg News's Yueqi Yang, adding these highlights:  • The hashtag “Clubhouse Invite Code” was trending on Weibo this week. • In the U.S., Clubhouse broke into the Top 30 of most downloaded apps among iPhone users, according to SensorTower, after Elon Musk made an appearance in a chat room last Sunday. • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also joined Clubhouse and chatted about the company’s AR...

Corporate conjugation

While human couples forced to spend more time together are splitting faster than atoms in a nuclear reaction, tech corporations merged at a brisk rate in 2020. Omri Wallach of Visual Capitalist, using data compiled by Computerworld (https://www.computerworld.com/article/3513439/biggest-technology-acquisitions-of-2020.html), showcases the largest mergers and acquisitions in the technology space over the last year (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-biggest-tech-mergers-and-acquisitions-of-2020/).  

Green energy reality check

As politicians increasingly enact legislation intended to green up the planet, a report by Mark Mills released by the Manhattan Institute in July 2020 gives pause for thought. https://www.manhattan-institute.org/mines-minerals-and-green-energy-reality-check?fbclid=IwAR1RKKYny1ch6tsvc_i18coZ097VHTTiC9yVVSeZthD-8Yf5V1avyMLoNNg

Fuels in love

Bloomberg reports that fuel-cell and solar stocks are soaring, thanks in part to clean-energy tax credits in a U.S. Congress pandemic relief bill. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/fuel-cell-solar-stocks-surge-on-covid-bill-capping-banner-year-1.1540654