Juggling Dynamite

Canadian exporters are reporting widespread concerns about a global recession, with sentiment in the sector falling to the lowest level in seven years, according to a  survey by the country’s export financing agency.

Export Development Canada’s trade confidence index, a composite gauge based on a bi-annual survey of 1,000 businesses, dropped to 69.8, compared with 73.7 at the end of last year. It’s the lowest reading since 2011 and the second lowest since the last recession a decade ago.  Here is a direct video link.

The US CEO confidence index published by the Conference Boards has also reached recessionary levels, last seen heading into the 2008 downturn.

Naturally-occurring, hemp can be used to manufacture many biodegradable products to replace those presently derived from petroleum, such as plastics. See Industrial Hemp is the answer to petrochemical dependency:

Industrial hemp, not to be confused with marijuana, was recently removed from the federal government’s schedule of controlled substances in the 2018 Farm Bill. The crop can be used to make everything from biodegradable plastic to construction materials like flooring, siding, drywall and insulation to paper to clothing to soap to biofuels made from hemp seeds and stalks. Porsche is even using hemp-based material in the body of its 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport track car to reduce the weight while maintaining rigidity and safety.

The next wave of connected devices demands machine to machine communication in real time.  This video explains some of the benefits and challenges presently at hand.

It has been nearly a decade in the making, but 5G is finally becoming a reality. Carriers started rolling out fixed 5G to select cities in 2018, and mobile 5G will start making appearances in cities around the U.S. in 2019, with much more comprehensive rollouts expected in 2020.  Here is a direct video link.