Welcome back to our second edition of a Sniippet of news.
Our one-minute weekly recap looks at some big government announcements and the return of sport. In our article summaries, we look at federal government help for the housing industry, bike-paths, and Foxtel’s new streaming service.
The one-minute weekly recap
- Last Thursday, the federal government unveiled their long-awaited roadmap to lower carbon emissions. Renewable energy will become the focus. Natural gas will replace coal as the key back-up for renewables. The government will also invest heavily in hydrogen. Good for the environment and in the long-run good for consumers.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has scrapped his plans to take on the unions and instead wants to negotiate a “new accord” between unions, businesses, and the government to stimulate growth. The accord could include Award simplification and enterprise-level bargaining. Older readers will be in disbelief that a Liberal government could mention the name Accord.
- The PM also announced on Tuesday that he wants to overhaul Australia’s vocational training so that student’s skills better match industry requirements. Apparently some courses have not been updated since before the internet!
- Data released on Wednesday says that large-scale solar power generation increased by 135 percent on last year. Big companies are joining the revolution started by the panels on your roof. No doubt they will get a better deal.
- Exports fell by $4bn (12 percent) in April down from a record high in March. Iron ore and other commodities are keeping exports strong.
- Stock markets continue to recover ground despite bad economic news. On Tuesday the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange re-opened after being closed for two months. Mask will be required and transparent barriers will be used to keep traders apart. If only I could equip my living room with transparent barriers to keep the kids from fighting
- The Australian dollar is also up by more than 15 percent from its March low of $0.57.
- The NRL returns tonight while the AFL has announced the draw for the first four rounds post resumption. Australian Super Rugby teams face a player exodus because of pay-cuts and uncertainty over broadcast money. Three Queensland players have already decided to try their luck elsewhere. The Reds always have an excuse.
- Meanwhile the original brumbies are fighting for their survival as the Victorian Parks plan a big cull. Is it unAustralian to kill the brumbies or does Australian wildlife need to be protected from them?
- However, the biggest change in the week was the tweak that Elon Musk and Grimes made to their baby’s name: from “X Æ A-12” to “X Æ A-Xii”. Apparently California does not allow numbers in baby’s names. It’s ok for viruses though.
Important for Sniipsters
Billion-dollar plan to escape housing’s ‘valley of death’ (The Australian Financial Review, 26 May)
The federal government is looking into a multi-billion dollar residential housing scheme to help the industry and stimulate the economy
Without help, the residential construction industry may decline by as much as 30 per cent in 2021
Call to fast-track bike lanes to boost jobs and take advantage of lockdown-induced bicycle sales (The Guardian, 26 May)
Bike sales have increased while bike-path use has increased by 270 percent in some Australian cities
Pop-up bike lanes could help reduce social contact on public transport during the crisis
Berlin, Montreal and Paris have fast-tracked new permanent bike lanes; Australia could do the same
States must be virus-free before Qld opens borders (The Australian Financial Review, 26 May)
Queensland will reopen borders when NSW and Victoria have no local COVID-19 cases for a month
The QLD Premier can review the requirement if needed
WHO warns of ‘second peak’ in areas where COVID-19 declining (Yahoo News and Reuters, 25 May)
WHO emergencies head, Dr Mike Ryan, said that we are still in the first wave
But some countries may experience an immediate second wave if they relax restrictions too soon
Cases are still increasing in Central and South America, South Asia and Africa
Binge, Foxtel’s new streaming service (ABC News, 25 May)
Launched on Monday with 10,000 hours of shows
Content deals with Warner Bros (owner of HBO), Sony and the BBC
Drawcards include Game of Thrones, the Fast and Furious movies, and the DC universe
From $10 a month with a 14 day free trial
Brain food for Sniipsters
This 2,500 year old technique is the secret behind super human memory (Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof)
discovered in 477 B.C. but still used today by memory champions
Visualise walking through a location you know well and “store” the facts you want to remember at different points along your walk
Use striking imagery for the facts you want to remember
Sniip Trivia Fun
Microsoft Solitaire turns 30 years old today and still has 35 million monthly players (The Verge, 22 May)
Originally included as part of Windows 3.0 back in 1990
It was designed specifically to teach users how to use a mouse
Shipped with over a billion PCs