Militarization of Police Forces

The creeping militarisation of our police https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/the-creeping-militarisation-of-our-police/12320236 Police militarization fails to protect officers and targets black communities https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/police-militarization-fails-to-protect-officers-and-targets-black-communities-study-finds Militarization fails to enhance police safety or reduce crime but may harm police reputation by Jonathan Mummolo, Princeton University (2018) https://www.pnas.org/content/115/37/9181

Ford’s Failure on Long Term Residences

By J. R. Moitessier Will Ford’s failure to protect Long Term Care Facility Residents and Staff during the COVID-19 pandemic be his Walkerton? Earlier posts, as well as mainstream media, have commented on the impact of budget cuts to public health funding, the significant  reduction in inspections of long term care facilities, the disproportionate impact

Films for the Pandemic

LITTLE JOE, dir. Jessica Hausner, 2019. Dr. Troy Michael Bordun, Concordia University and Trent University Streaming platforms released Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe (2019, UK/Austria/Germany) in March. Despite Little Joe’s success at Cannes (Emily Beecham won Best Actress and the film received a Palme d’Or nomination), Hoopla, where I viewed it, didn’t showcase the film on

Punk Rock Pandemic

Career Suicide, a Toronto hardcore band with Martin Farkas, Jonah Falco, Noah Gadke and Chris Colohan recorded this 7″ vinyl in December 2002. It was issued on Deranged Records in 2003. You can listen to the band on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YJXk8sjeAk QUARANTINED It started with a cough and now your Skin is turning green. The windows

Political Graffiti in the Pandemic

Amazon dot com is a problem

In a pithy commentary published on The Nation website, Mike Davis points out that in previous wars wealthy individuals and corporations were expected to play their part. Income tax was increased on rich citizens to pay for the war. And essential corporations such as railways were nationalized.  In 2014, Paul Krugman wrote in the New

Not in Time: Viral Stories (excerpt)

Ian McLachlan  In North America and Europe, we have become accustomed to everything reaching us whenever we need it. Instant satisfaction of every whim on demand – what could be more fulfilling? In the process, we have lost all sense of how intricately fragile our supply chains actually are. It is only when disaster strikes

Doug Ford’s budget cuts: Havoc in long-term care homes

Stephen Katz, a professor of Sociology at Trent University and faculty member of the Trent Centre for Aging and Society The first Canadian deaths from the COVID-19 virus were older residents of long-term care homes. As such places quickly became ‘hot spots’, their residents, by nature of their age, appear destined to be viral cases. However, the

Contact Tracing Apps are a Bad Idea

Alan O’Connor In the Coronavirus Pandemic a small number of governments have introduced contact tracing using mobile-phone apps. Big-tech companies rushed to develop apps as a “quick fix” for a complex socio-medical crisis.  Why is this a problem?  (1)  Many doctors have spoken out against these apps because they violate civil liberties. Dr. Michael Ryan,

Macroeconomics and the Pandemic

By Alan O’Connor Less than two months into the Pandemic, the government of Mexico is imposing austerity measures (David Agren, The Guardian, April 24, 2020). In Ireland it is reported that: “There is growing concern in the Department of Finance that the current unprecedented State supports are unsustainable in the medium term.” (Irish Times, April