Andrew Bell

Anchor, Reporter

Follow|Archive

Gun upon gun, ha! ha!
Gun upon gun, hurrah!
Don John of Austria
Has loosed the cannonade.

--Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Lepanto
  
The naval Battle of Lepanto, celebrated in Chesterton’s sometimes hallucinogenic poem, took place on this day in 1571.

European Catholic  states, led by Spain’s Don Juan of Austria, smashed a  Turkish fleet off western Greece. The victory blocked the Ottoman Empire from expanding in the Mediterranean.

Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes lost his left hand in the fight but with his other hand wrote the novel, Don Quixote. A crucifix on one ship is said to have twisted itself to avoid a Turkish cannonball and is in Barcelona’s cathedral.

An aging workforce

An epic struggle faced by many of us is how to rethink ourselves  in the run-up to quitting the workplace and how to make the financial adjustment. Business Day PM has special coverage of Canada's aging workforce this afternoon. At 2:30 p.m. ET, we'll get strategy from Michael Drak, co-author of Victory Lap Retirement, which offers tips on building a “ lifestyle that reduces stress, reduces the demands attached to a full-time job and is based on a combination of work and play that can be carried on for as long as a person desires.”

We’ll also hear from Sharlene Massie, CEO at About Staffing, and TD economist Brian DePratto.

Job numbers beat expectations

Speaking of jobs, the Canadian and U.S. employment figures are Our Top Line this morning on BNN. Canada’s numbers were strong, possibly reducing pressure for more stimulus from the Bank of Canada. And under the heading of an older workforce, employment among women aged 55 and up grew by 38,000 in September.  

We’re all about change on the channel today. U.S. consumers are said to know little about autonomous cars and many don’t believe that all cars will eventually be self-driving. At 12:30 p.m. ET, we'll get more from Karl Brauer, executive publisher of AutoTrader & Kelley Blue Book.

Finally, London nightclub fans are mourning the closing of the legendary Fabric venue after the deaths by overdose of two 18-year-olds. The local council said the club had a "culture of drug use."  

Seems London is Europe's cocaine capital and ranks second after Amsterdam for ecstasy with narcotic use rife at nightspots.

Nightclubs are so boring that you can’t blame people for looking for something to do.

Every morning Commodities host Andrew Bell writes a ‘chase note’ to BNN's editorial staff listing the stories and events that will be in the spotlight that day. Have it delivered to your inbox before the trading day begins by heading to www.bnn.ca/subscribe