Author: Robert Richardson

It takes a lot more than an impressive resume to land a job at Amazon.Even in its early years, when the online retailer had just 2,100 employees, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was fastidious about hiring the strongest employees possible.In fact, according to Nicholas Lovejoy, who joined the company as its fifth employee in 1995, Bezos would grill every candidate himself. “One of his mottos was that each time we hired someone, he or she should raise the bar for the next hire,” Lovejoy said in a 1999 interview with Wired.Jeff Bezos’ 3-question hiring testToday, given his busy schedule and Amazon’s rapid growth, it’s unlikely that Bezos — who has a current net worth of $192 billion, according to Forbes — has the time to meet with every candidate.But, to ensure that the company would retain its high standards, Bezos outlined three key questions for leaders to consider before hiring new employees in his 1998 letter to shareholders.Although written 22 years ago, these are timeless questions that both hiring managers and candidates should think about before any job interview:

Source: Jeff Bezos’ 3-question rule for hiring new Amazon employees

Leishmania is a flesh-eating parasite that affects millions of people each year, in 98 countries and territories — but isn’t native to Canada and the United States. So why are veterinarians starting to report Leishmania here, so far from this parasite’s natural warm climate?Leishmania are microscopic parasites transmitted by sandfly bites, and cause a disease called leishmaniosis. There are several forms of this disease, affecting the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs. Some forms of the disease lead to severe disfigurement, others death.Leishmaniosis is classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization, primarily affecting those in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease particularly affects populations lacking access to adequate housing and sanitation services.Leishmaniosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans; dogs are the reservoir for this parasite.

Source: A flesh-eating parasite carried by dogs is making its way to North America

QUEBEC — Recommendations issued by Quebec’s Human Rights Commission nine years ago intended to combat racism in Quebec society have not been implemented, the commission reported on Wednesday.It’s another reminder of the systemic nature of racism in the province and the need to address it, the leaders of the commission said. Their declarations struck a jarring contrast to Premier François Legault’s continued refusal to say systemic racism exists in Quebec.

Source: Systemic racism: Little movement on recommendations, commission says | Montreal Gazette

Goldman Sachs agreed to pay more than $2.9 billion to regulators to resolve probes into its central role in an international scandal.The bank’s parent company entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that should allow it to avoid having to exit certain business operations.The bank’s Malaysian subsidiary formally pleaded guilty for its role in the 1MDB debacle, admitting to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.Goldman ignored red flags that came up during due diligence on the 1MDB deals in pursuit of fees, authorities said.

Source: Goldman agrees to pay more than $2.9 billion to resolve 1MDB probes

SpaceX is expanding the beta test of its Starlink satellite internet service, reaching out via email on Monday to people who expressed interest in signing up for the service.Called the “Better Than Nothing Beta” test, according to multiple screenshots of the email seen by CNBC, initial Starlink service is priced at $99 a month – plus a $499 upfront cost to order the Starlink Kit.That kit includes a user terminal to connect to the satellites, a mounting tripod and a wifi router

Source: SpaceX Starlink service priced at $99 a month, public beta test begins

International shipping companies are on track to get a free pass on their greenhouse gas emissions for the rest of this decade under what’s being called a “compromise” proposal that postpones energy efficiency requirement for marine vessels until 2030.The plan, adopted by Japan, China, South Korea, Norway, and several EU member states, imposes “a combination of mandatory short-term technical and operational measures on the world’s 60,000 vessels, from reducing engine power to introducing ship-level carbon intensity targets,” Climate Home News reports. But “these measures would not be enforced until 2030—a decade too late, green groups say.”

Source: New Carbon Regulations Give International Shipping a Free Pass Until 2030 – The Energy Mix

Scientists say they are racing against time to name and describe new plants, before species go extinct.Plants and fungi hold promise as future medicines, fuels and foods, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.But opportunities are being lost to use this “treasure chest of incredible diversity” as species vanish due to habitat destruction and climate change.New estimates suggest two-fifths of the world’s plants are at risk of extinction.The assessment of the State of the World’s Plants and Fungi is based on research from more than 200 scientists in 42 countries.The report was released on the day of a United Nations summit, which will press for action from world leaders to address biodiversity loss.Plant extinction ‘bad news for all species’A third of tropical African plants face extinctionSeeds hold hidden treasures for future food

Source: Two-fifths of plants at risk of extinction, says report – BBC News

While many provincial ridings are working to secure their nomination for the Oct. 24 election the BC Liberals named their candidate, Roxanne Helme, in late June.Helme is a career lawyer who has sat on local, national and international councils. Having been declared early she’s among the more prepared BC Liberal candidates but shares the party’s disappointment in the snap election.“I’m interested in good governance and not politics, and it’s politics which has taken us into this election and at an undesirable time,” Helme said Monday. “I was looking at another year [until the election], so I’m happy enough to get on with it personally. But my neighbours are not happy with it. We had a stable government and this is just politics.”The Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding will have a new MLA as incumbent Andrew Weaver will not run again.Helme actually graduated from Oak Bay High in the same class as Weaver in 1980.

Source: Meet the Liberal candidate for Oak Bay-Gordon Head – Victoria News

Quibi, the beleaguered short-form content company started by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, announced on Wednesday that it was shutting down just six months after the app became available. The mobile streaming service offered entertainment and news programs in five- to 10-minute chunks intended to be watched on phones by people on the go, but it struggled to find an audience with everyone stuck inside their homes during the pandemic.Despite raising a combined $1.75 billion in cash from each of the Hollywood studios, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and other investors, Quibi will wind down its operations and begin selling off its assets. It had searched for a buyer for the company but found no takers.

Source: Quibi, Short-Form Streaming Service, Quickly Shuts Down – The New York Times