The new normal
“Oh, the humanity,” cried Herbert Morrison, as he watched in horror as the giant airship, the Hindenburg, burst into flames at its mooring. The year was 1937, and Morrison’s words…
covid-19
Jericho Update on Jalil Muntaqim
For months, public health experts, faith leaders, Congress members, and hundreds of others have warned NYS officials that the prisons are potential death traps in the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing this,…
Despite COVID-19, 15,000 people join Fight for Equity rally against racism at Alberta Legislature
A mostly youthful throng estimated at more than 15,000 people braved the coronavirus pandemic yesterday evening to join the Fight for Equity rally against racism at the Alberta Legislature in…
Facing our plague: COVID-19 and Albert Camus
A woman sits alone at a bus stop in New York City. Photo by Nickolay Romensky. In 1947, Albert Camus published The Plague—La Peste in the original French—a novel about…
The facts of the case #nlpoli
From the start of the pandemic, the provincial government took decisions for political reasons, not medical ones. It continues to do so. It is clear that the provincial government has…
Jason Kenney’s bloviations about medical matters may have found a friendly audience south of the Medicine Line
Stuff UCPers Say! Epidemiologists and other scientific types may not like it very much when Alberta Premier Jason Kenney equates COVID-19 with influenza, but at least Fox News seems to…
Jason Kenney’s Miniscule Pandemic Bump
He’s tried everything from rolling up his shirtsleeves and pointing at graphs to quoting Franklin Roosevelt (“we have nothing to fear but fear itself”), but still Albertans refuse to give…
Americans Riot For Equality
ICE T sums it up for people who don’t understand the looting: People are saying.. They should protest like this or demonstrate like that… We tried Taking a Knee… A…
Would you like a nasal swab with your fries, sir? Health care comes to A&W, McDonald’s and Timmy’s in Jason Kenney’s Alberta
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney runs a government deeply committed to erasing the obvious connection between government and the services that are essential to the functioning of society. How else is…
Authoritarianism & Medical Martial Law
No to medical martial law. Fascism is never in the true interests of public health or safety, nor is it ever justifiable. Must we be reminded of this? Authoritarianism always…
Did the premier just forget to tell his Chief Medical Officer of Health he’s about to end Alberta’s public health emergency?
It was a short exchange during Wednesday afternoon’s daily COVID-19 briefing by Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw. It carried quite a bit of information, though. CBC Provincial…
The Village Idiot
I suspect few regard British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as anything other than a village idiot. If you have been following the scandal surrounding his Chief Adviser, Dominic Cummings, you…
We know what’s wrong with long-term care in Canada — we need politicians with the courage to fix it, not an inquiry
There are bound to be calls for formal inquiries after the long-term care horror show discovered in Ontario and Quebec, and quite likely on its way to being discovered in…
Opening Schools in September
The province is asking for our advice – the public‘s – in how to open schools in September. As much as I value democracy, getting advice on a public health…
Fighting the Boogeyman with Dwight, John, and Janice #nlpoli
Ontario Premier Doug Ford pleaded with Ontarians to get tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, even if they were not showing any symptoms. He repeated the call on Monday after a…
Who will see their pandemic money first? The UCP’s political staffers, or Alberta’s health care aides?
In case you were wondering if Alberta’s United Conservative Party was also going to apply for funds from Ottawa’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit to keep party staff employed, that question…
Federal Conservatives seek emergency support to help kick unemployed people off emergency support!
Surely there’s a special corner of Hell for the leaders of political parties who try to get unemployed people kicked off federal pandemic emergency supports at the same time they…
THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL
In the worst of times, the best we have is art. It transforms, heals, elevates us. We all need this simple message of hope. That, a walk in the woods…
Frustration grows as Tyler Shandro’s promised $2-per-hour top-up for health care aides fails to appear, again
More than a month has passed since Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro promised the government would pay the province’s health care aides a $2-per-hour coronavirus-crisis top-up — and there’s still…
Facebook And The Unravelling Of Truth
At a time when access to accurate, well-informed and well-researched information is crucial, it is probably not surprising that there are bad actors who promote disinformation. After all, chaos, their…