THE DOWNINGTOWN REPORT AROUNDAROUNDAROUND THETHETHE WORLDWORLDWORLD Canada’s Post Card Gift While other countries’ postal services have been struggling to keep up with the great demand for its services, Canada Post has taken it on itself to send a free postcard to every household in Canada to encourage writing letters to loved ones. This idea stemmed from the increased number of greeting cards sent during the holidays. People needed more ways to communicate than just an email or zoom call. Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger conveyed the importance of connection for emotional health and how this free postcard encourages people to stay in touch while being safe. So far, 13.5 million households have received these cards with meaningful messages in both English and French. Canada Post’s plan is to distribute them throughout two weeks to invoke smiles and gratitude during this time of isolation. Vaccine Passports to save summer in Europe? Not only has this pandemic affected the health of millions of people but also the economy - especially in countries whose economy heavily depends on tourism like Greece, Spain, and Italy. The tourist industry provides jobs to about 27 million people in Europe which has led countries to look for alternate solutions to improve this summer’s travel. Some countries like Greece have already made deals with other countries like Israel to allow travel as long as travelers have their vaccine passports. These passports will serve as proof that the person has taken the vaccine. However, vaccine distributions have not been effective in some countries with only 5.5% of Germans and 4.96% of Belgians reportedly having the first dose. The success of summer tourism now relies on the distribution of vaccines. BUSINESSBUSINESSBUSINESS New Partnerships to bring in more Shoppers It has been harder and harder to bring in more shoppers to brick and mortar stores (businesses with physical locations) in the past few years and stores like Target, Nordstrom, and Kohls are finding new ways to increase foot traffic in stores. The new idea is a store inside store partnership similar to Starbucks and Target. One store hosts a small pop-up shop within another store to create an “all in one” shopping experience. Many companies have since partnered together: Kohls and Sephora, Target and Apple, Target and Ulta, and Nordstrom and Tonal (an at-home fitness startup). This significantly helps both stores by increasing their customer market and the customer's return rate. For example, most people visit Kohls once a quarter, but with Sephora, they would come multiple times for cosmetic purposes. U.S. Job Rise The pandemic has severely increased the unem ployment rate due to companies laying off employees to manage their business cuts. In fact, the number of unemployed people in February 2021 was almost double the number of people unemployed in February 2020 before lockdown in the U.S. However, recently there was an increase in jobs to 379,000 available jobs last month due to more relaxed Covid-19 guidelines. Most of these jobs came from the leisure sector (bars and restaurants), the transportation sector, and retailers and manufacturers. Though there has been an improvement, it is still doubtful that the U.S. would return to pre-pandemic employment rates. TTTHHHEEE UUU...SSS... Senate passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill A week ago, the House of Repre sentatives sent their proposal for the COVID relief bill to the Senate. This past Saturday, the Senate approved a modification of the House bill. The bill plans to give out $1400 stimulus checks to individuals making under $75,000 and married couples making under $150,000. The bill would also provide $1,400 per dependent. The stimulus payments would gradually decrease above those income levels and individuals making above $80,000 and married couples making above $160,000 do not receive stimulus checks. The Senate bill also extends unemployment programs through early September, such as the $300-per-week federal supplement for unemployed people. For 2021, the bill would temporarily expand the child tax credit. For children up to 5, it would be as much as $3,600 and as much as $3,000 for children 6 to 17. The bill would provide funding for vaccine distribution and coronavirus testing. In addition, the bill contains funding to help businesses. Lastly, The bill would temporarily increase money for people purchasing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. It includes billions of dollars for public health programs and veterans’ health care. One thing missing from the bill that was passed through the Senate was the promised minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $15. There was a vote in the Senate this past Friday to add back the minimum wage increase onto the relief bill, but it failed. On Tuesday, the Senate-approved bill will go to the House for final approval before heading to President Biden’s desk for signing. SCIENCESCIENCESCIENCE Vaccine For Apes? The Case of the When we think of vaccines , we usually Disappearing Butterflies think of humans getting them. But, that is Many studies, including recent ones by not the case at the San Diego Zoo in insect ecologists Art Shapiro and California. Zoetis Inc., a US animal Matthew Forister, have revealed that medical company, developed a non- butterflies, like other insects, have been human experimental COVID-19 vaccine slowly dwindling for the past decade. that was used on 4 orangutans and 5 Using data from the North American baboons in January after they Butterfly Association, Shapiro and developed symptoms such as runny Forister have discovered that butterfly noses and coughing. And in February, populations have declined an average they got their second dose. San Diego of 1.6% per year since 1977. However, Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) they also found that the declines were veterinarians believe that these great not associated with human apes are at high risk for contracting the development or pesticide use; rather, virus as they share a lot of their DNA the insects are disappearing due to with humans, but they also believe that climate change. The ecologists believe the experimental nature of the vaccine the warm weather during the fall is risky. Nadine Lamberski, chief interferes with the butterflies’ breeding conservation officer at SDZWA, cycle and the plants they pollinate. The expresses her concerns saying “This isn't study has helped scientists gain the norm,” but believes vaccinating the valuable information on approaches to apes is “worth the risk.” save insect populations. Perseverance’s First Drive Glow-in-the-dark Sharks NASA’s Mars 2020 rover Glowing animals so unds crazy, but Perseverance has performed its first researchers have found what they adventure! The rover moved a total believe to be the largest glow-in- of 21 feet, rolling forward 13 feet, the-dark species with a spine off the turning 150 degrees to the left, and coast of New Zealand. The kitefin moving back 8 feet. According to sharks that can grow up to 6 feet NASA, the drive served as a mobility and glow a blue-green light were test to “calibrate every system, found in the mesopelagic or subsystem, and instrument” before “twilight” zone, an area of the ocean the rover can go on missions over that can be 660 to 3,300 feet below 600 feet. In fact, all of the surface. Along with the kitefin Perseverance’s six wheels are species, the study, led by Jérôme powered, giving it a speed of 0.016 Mallefet at the Catholic University of kilometers per hour. Additionally, Louvain in Belgium, has also found after the rover left its touchdown two other bioluminescent sharks: the site, the mission’s scientists named black belly lantern shark and the spot Octavia E. Butler after the first southern lantern shark. All three African American woman to win both produce their own light through the Hugo Award and Nebula Award photophores (light-producing cells) for her literary work in science that provide camouflage from fiction. predators in the ocean. AAARRRTTTSSS &&& EEENNNTTTEEERRRTTTAAAIIINNNMMMEEENNNTTT Meghan and Harry Interview This Sunday 7 March, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke, and Duchess of Sussex, had a sit-down inte rview with Oprah Winfrey discussing the mistreatment they both faced from the British Royal Institution, Monarchy, and the British tabloid media. Meghan and Harry spent a good portion of the interview telling their side of the story about media falsehoods spread against them. In other parts of the interview, they discussed how poorly they were treated by the royal family members, such as the royal family’s refusal to provide security for them, being cut off financially, concerns about their first-born Archie would be, among other things. Probably the most pivotal moment in the interview was when Meghan told Oprah that the circumstances she faced from the royal family and the tabloids drove her into a dark place. Additionally, when she expressed concerns about her mental well-being to the Royal Institution, she was denied help. In the interview, Harry expressed gratitude that he and Meghan had each other to lean on. Oprah asked about Harry’s relationship with his family. He stated that his relationship with his grandmother, the Queen, was good, but his relationship with his father and brother was strained and needed work. The couple also announced in the interview that they were expecting a baby girl in the summer. Markle said she had one regret. “My regret was believing them when they said I’d be protected. Now, because we’re actually on the other side, we’ve actually not just survived, but are thriving.