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6 Major companies reported weaker showing than 2016 at this time.
The Speaker Editors
Mac DeMarco Drops New Album, ‘This Old Dog’
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The 27-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter has dropped three tracks off his new album which will be released in its entirety May 5.
“This Old Dog,” “My Old Man,” and “On the Level” are free to listen to on the musician’s Bandcamp page.
China Making It’s Own Wikipedia, but Public Can’t Edit It
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The government, which enforces strict censorship of media, has decided it needs its own online encyclopedia. Wikipedia, like many other popular free information sources on the internet, is blocked in China.
China’s encyclopedia will not be like Wikipedia, though. It will not allow public edits, and its editors will be hand-picked by the government.
The want to put together 300,000 entries. Analysts have said they do not expect to see subjects China does not like to talk about, such as “Tiananmen Square 1989” and “Falun Gong spiritual group” to be included.
New Loonie Low
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The loonie might go as low as 70 cents to the U.S. dollar in 2017, according to experts.
Right now it’s around 73 cents, a 14-month low.
The fall of the loonie is tied to the same old things: a strong period for the U.S. economy, interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and oil prices that are expected to stay low.
However, business in the U.S. isn’t doing amazing: This week, the U.S. PMI was below the forcast level, and construction spending contracted very slightly.
Meanwhile, Canadian manufacturing is doing well. Their PMI reported a 6-year high this week.
First Pack of Wolves in Denmark in 200 Years
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Scientists might know the general whereabouts of up to 40 wolves in the country, but they are keeping the location secret because they fear public attention would have a negative impact on the wolves, which haven’t existed in Denmark for 200 years.
It’s thought the current inhabitants are making their way from Germany, about 500 kilometers away. One was spotted in Jutland 5 years ago.
The big news is of a recent sighting of a pair on CCTV, male and female, which generally only come together briefly to mate. Scientists predict there may be cubs within the the next year or two.
In other Northern European countries as well, a slight increase in wolves has been reported. They are harassing farmers and killing sheep and deer.
Oil Prices Drop to Pre-OPEC Levels
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This week they hit their lowest level since last November. Brent went below $50 U.S. Crude was at $46.47.
Leaked Doc Reveals UK Plans for Wider Internet Surveillance
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No more end-to-end encryption is one of the consequences of a new law proposed in a draft in the UK.
The authors of the draft want to force internet providers to monitor all communications in near realtime, as well as install backdoor equipment to break encryption, so providers can be required to turn over communications to authorities “in an intelligible form” (non-encrypted) within one working day.
In the UK, law already requires internet providers to store all browsing data for 1 year.
It isn’t yet known how the requirement for a backdoor will work, since many messaging and other apps use end-to-end encryption for security, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Wire, and iMessage, and these apps are based outside of the UK.
Swearing Makes You Stronger, Psychologists Say
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It might not be a surprise to anyone who has ever used strong language in a difficult situation as part of their natural strategy for getting through it, but scientists have tested it.
They had people repeat swear words and perform physical tasks, like riding exercise bikes and squeezing hand grips. Compared with people who didn’t swear, those who used strong language had higher performance.
The research was done by Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele University.
U.S. Missile Defense Shield in South Korea Now Operational
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As part of America’s elevated response to North Korea’s military expansion, the THAAD missile defense system installed in South Korea has been completed, less than 2 months after the equipment arrived there, according to the U.S. military.
The move to install the shield was made last July during the Obama administration.
U.S.’s New Health Care Bill Passes
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217 – 213 was the vote that passed without motion to reconsider, but all 193 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted “Nay.”
Democrats made news by shouting “Hey Hey, Goodbye” on the Senate floor, and protesters staged public demonstrations against the move in the streets.
Trump said of the bill, “Make no mistake. This is a repeal and replace of Obamacare.”
The bill’s writing had several changes made in order to get passed, including that states can opt out of essential benefits, spending caps, hospital care, and pre-existing conditions requirements, on the condition that the state show it would improve the market to opt out.
The bill also cuts spending on Medicaid $880b over 10 years. This is where the figure of “24m more uninsured Americans” comes from, as reported by the CBO.
U.S. Forces May Stay in Iraq
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Prime Minister Al-Abadi wants some or all of the 7,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq to stay, even after ISIS leaves, according U.S. mainstream news reports.
Puerto Rico: Bankrupt
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The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history is taking place in the territory of Puerto Rico. $120b debt and pension obligations need to be restructured.
It owes $72m to creditors, many of which will have to eat the losses.
The 3 million-strong territory will close 184 schools as part of its cutting down of social services costs (students will go to other schools). Pensions are also expected to take a hit.
The Puerto Rican economy faces many challenges. They have lost 10% of their population in the last 10 years (mostly to the U.S.), and 20% of the island’s jobs. The current unemployment rate is at 12%. Because they are a territory and not a state, they do not have representation and have a hard time getting funding from the U.S. government.