Andrew Bell

Anchor, Reporter

Follow|Archive

“To live and to die alone is a human tragedy, but not to be remembered and mourned after human life is an ugly blemish on human dignity.”- Chicago lay preacher Earl Lewis

On this day in 1995, Chicago residents were warned of an incoming heat wave that ultimately caused an estimated 465 heat-related deaths in the city and left dozens buried in unmarked graves. Temperatures hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). Local people opened hydrants to cool off and in some cases, resisted violently when authorities try to shut them. Refrigerated trucks were used to hold bodies. The deaths mirrored the city’s poverty map: Many of those who succumbed didn’t dare to open windows or sleep outside because they feared crime.  Most victims were older men who lived alone – they were considered especially vulnerable because of lack of social connections.

Why you should take a Pokemon Go break

In fact, some research indicates that avoiding isolation is as important as shunning smoking for extending your life. So stop playing Pokemon Go and actually make a call on your phone.

Finding a life partner is a big part of staying connected. Dating apps have streamlined the process – and apps with new twists keep arriving.

There’s Bristlr, which “connects those with beards to those who want to stroke beards.”  And glutenfreesingles, which…well, you get the picture.

At 10:45 a.m. ET today, we’ll be joined on BNN by Marie Cosnard, head of trends at fast-growing happn, an app that aims to bring together people who have already met. Fans say the app is more useful than Tinder because it screens out “random weirdos.” (Please don’t talk about me that way.)

‘The world’s largest laser’

We’ll be digging into another kind of reaction on Commodities at 11:50 a.m. ET, when we hear from Mark Herrmann, director of the U.S. National Ignition Facility.  The centre, part of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, is working on fusion energy with what it says is “the world’s largest and highest-energy laser.”

However, the facility has come under fire. “The question is if the NIF will be able to reach ignition in its current configuration and not when it will occur,” a U.S. Department of Energy report said in May.  

Physics Today quotes Stephen Bodner, a former director of the laser fusion program at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, as saying the report “is confirmation of what I predicted in 1995. It took the community 21 years, and many billions of dollars, to vindicate my predictions. So sad.”

Mark Carney hits back at critics

Bank of England chief Mark Carney has been snarling back at British MPs who grilled him on the bank’s anti-Brexit stance in the run-up to the June 23 vote. Critics have accused him of “startling dishonesty” and of “peddling phoney forecasts and scare stories.”  

Meanwhile, British bank stocks have been crushed. Barclays PLC (BCS.N) is down 31 per cent in U.S. dollar terms since the referendum and 20 per cent in pounds.  At 3:30 p.m. ET, we’ll be joined by Wells Fargo Securities analyst Matt Burnell, who reckons U.S. investment banks aren’t immune and that they face a 4 per cent earnings reduction over the next year as European revenues drop.  

Finally, sounds like the Brits could run short of Bolivian marching powder to ease the pain of separation. The Mirror reports that the captain and first officer of a tugboat have been found guilty of trafficking three tonnes of cocaine, “worth 512 million euros” ($876 million) that were found last year when the vessel was seized in the North Sea.

“While we suspect that the end destination for this load would have initially been mainland Europe, there is no doubt given the size of the seizure that a good percentage would have ended up being sold in the U.K. and fuelling further criminality,” one cop said.

Looks like they’ll have to stick to warm, watery beer for now.

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.