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Wednesday February 24, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 24, 2021

The upside of vaccine envy: If everyone else wants it, I want it, too

Like COVID-19, its grip is tightening and the spread is exponential. Vaccine envy is the latest pandemic phenomenon to spread across borders and deep into our psyches.

February 6, 2021

Vaccine envy taps into our most basic instincts. If somebody else has something, especially if it has value, I want it, too. And if I don’t have it, why don’t I? 

Scarcity just feeds into the feeling. The rarer a commodity, the sharper the envy. If you’re old enough, you may remember the Cabbage Patch Kids fad, back in the early 1980s. A pretty mundane soft doll backed by astute marketing, it took the world by storm just before Christmas, causing huge demand and riots in stores as desperate parents kicked and scratched their way to the front of the queue.

By contrast, COVID vaccines are actually useful, so rarity causes people to go to extremes to get a head start on others.

In the U.S., where anything and everything is turned into a competition, vaccine envy has sparked an unseemly race to get a shot before your neighbour. The chaotic nature of the U.S. health-care system, where nobody is really in charge and vaccines are available in a dizzying array of locales, exaggerates the rush.

September 18, 2020

People line up in the cold for hours, wake up in the middle of the night to sign in to pharmacy websites, persistently call their doctor or volunteer at a vaccine clinic, in the hope of getting an unused dose at the end of the day. Of course, the wealthy have a huge advantage, willing as they are to pay cash or build a new hospital wing in return for a bit of Pfizer or Moderna.

The one-upmanship is particularly acute in Hollywood, where celebrities will do anything to get vaccinated. One producer told Vulture, “There are no more drug dealers in town. I can get any I want, and it doesn’t even matter, at this point. It’s the vaccine dealer that everybody wants on speed dial.”

The U.S. being a meritocracy, it also gives low-rollers a chance to be entrepreneurial when acting on their vaccine envy. The State of Massachusetts recently came up with the brilliant idea of encouraging the elderly to get to their mass vaccination sites by allowing any relative or caregiver who accompanies somebody over 75 to also get a vaccine. Suddenly, old people, who had been left alone and isolated since the start of the pandemic, were hugely popular.

Websites like Craigslist were soon brimming with invitations to the elderly, according to the New York Times. “I have a great driving record and a very clean Toyota Camry,” said one ad. “I can pay $100 cash, as well. I am a friendly conversationalist and will allow you to choose the music and show me all the pictures of your grandkids!”

January 7, 2021

Canadians are sure to mumble. At least in the U.S., they’ve got vaccines to fight over. Our supply seems to be sitting in a warehouse in Belgium, or frozen at a snowbound UPS facility in Louisville, Ky., of all places.

Here, vaccine envy has turned into a national psychosis, another reason to beat ourselves up for some fatal national flaw. Why can’t we be like Israel? Or Australia? Or Romania? If only we hadn’t sold Connaught Laboratories in 1989. One dual Canada-U.K. citizen praised the British response, noting that when he got sick with the disease in the spring, he received fabulous treatment from Britain’s National Health Service, which followed up his hospitalization with weekly home deliveries of tinned beans, bags of apples, and lavender soap. (Continued: iPolitics) 

 

Saturday December 12, 2020

December 12, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 12, 2020

Trump largely mum on toll of coronavirus as he continues to fight election results

U.S. President Donald Trump has been highlighting lots of really big numbers this week: New highs for the stock market. The 100-plus House members backing a lawsuit challenging his election loss. The nearly 75 million people who voted for him.

November 24, 2020

All the while, he’s looked past other staggering and more consequential figures: The record numbers of coronavirus deaths, hospitalizations and new cases among the citizens of the nation he leads.

On Friday, Trump’s team blasted out a text with this strong, high-minded presidential message: “We will not bend. We will not break. We will never give in. We will never give up.”

But it was not a rallying cry to help shore up Americans sagging under the toll of a pandemic that on Wednesday alone killed more Americans than on D-Day or 9-11. It was part of a fundraising pitch tied to Senate races in Georgia and to Trump’s unsupported claims that Democrats are trying to “steal” the presidential election he lost.

November 6, 2020

Of Trump’s tweets over the past week, 82 per cent have been focused on the election and just 7 per cent on the virus — almost all of those related to forthcoming vaccines — according to Factba.se, a data analytics company. Nearly a third of the president’s tweets on the election were flagged by Twitter for misinformation.

As he talks and tweets at length about the election he is futilely trying to subvert, the president is leaving Americans without a central figure to help them deal with their grief over loved-ones’ deaths and the day-to-day danger of the pandemic that still rages. His strategy is to focus totally on the shiny object coming soon — the prospect of a vaccine.

Friday night, the the Food and Drug Administration gave the final go-ahead to a vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, launching emergency vaccinations in a bid to end the pandemic. But Trump’s three-minute internet address hailing the vaccine made no mention of the toll the virus has taken.

July 28, 2020

Calvin Jillson, a presidential historian at Southern Methodist University, said Trump has proven himself unable or unwilling to muster the “normal and natural, falling-off-a-log simple presidential approach” that is called for in any moment of national grief or crisis.

“He simply doesn’t seem to have the emotional depth, the emotional reserves to feel what’s happening in the country and to respond to it in the way that any other president — even those who’ve been fairly emotionally crippled — would do,” Jillson said.

November 21, 2020

Trump did convene a summit this week to highlight his administration’s successful efforts to help hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and prepare for their speedy distribution. And he spent part of Friday pressing federal authorities to authorize use of the first-up vaccine candidate from Pfizer.

At his summit, the president put heavy emphasis on the faster-than-expected development of the vaccines, calling it “an incredible success,” “a monumental national achievement,” “really amazing” and “somewhat of a miracle.” He’s also claimed credit, though Pfizer developed its vaccine outside the administration’s “Operation Warp Speed.”

In a passing nod to the pandemic’s toll, Trump promised the coming vaccines would “quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalizations,” adding that “we want to get back to normal.” But it will be months before most Americans have access to a vaccine.

Asked what message he had for Americans suffering great hardship as the holidays approach and the virus only gets worse, Trump’s answer had an almost clinical tone.

April 23, 2020

“Yeah, well, CDC puts out their guidelines, and they’re very important guidelines,” he said, “but I think this: I think that the vaccine was our goal.”

To focus otherwise would undercut Trump’s goal of minimizing the national pain of the virus’ toll and his claims that the danger will soon vanish.

Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, on Friday answered that approach with a promise for greater presidential leadership. Of the virus, he said: “We can wish this away, but we need to face it.”

Jeff Shesol, a presidential historian and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, said Trump’s failure to express empathy was a “personal pathology manifesting itself as political strategy.” (Global News) 

 

Thursday October 15, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 15, 2020

Social Media greatest source of Covid-19 disinformation, journalists say

The majority of journalists covering the pandemic say Facebook is the biggest spreader of disinformation, outstripping elected officials who are also a top source, according to an international survey of journalism and Covid-19.

June 26, 2019

The social media platform, which announced this week it was updating its hate speech policy to ban content that denies or distorts the Holocaust, was identified by 66% of journalists surveyed as the main source of “prolific disinformation”.

Despite 82% reporting the misinformation to Facebook, and its other platforms WhatsApp and Instagram, which also spread fake news, almost half said they were unhappy with the response.

Twitter, YouTube and Google Search also frequently spread disinformation about Covid-19, the survey conducted by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University found.

June 12, 2019

The pandemic project was launched in April 2020 to study the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on journalism worldwide and to collect evidence-based suggestions to inform the recovery.

“The first 30 findings from our English language survey are both startling and disturbing,” said author and Australian academic Julie Posetti, the global director of research at ICFJ. “Based on an analysis of 1,406 vetted survey completions during the pandemic’s first wave, we can conclude that many journalists covering this devastating human story, at great personal risk, were clearly struggling to cope.”

Almost half of the respondents, drawn from the US, the UK, India, Nigeria and Brazil, nominated politicians and elected officials as the second top source of disinformation after social media. The lack of trust in government agencies was also prevalent.

August 7, 2020

The survey backs up findings published in August that websites spreading misinformation about health attracted nearly half a billion views on Facebook in April alone, as the coronavirus pandemic escalated worldwide.

Facebook had promised to crack down on conspiracy theories and inaccurate news early in the pandemic but fuelled traffic to a network of sites sharing dangerous false news.

Journalism is one of the worst affected industries during the pandemic as hundreds of jobs have been lost and outlets closed in Australia alone.

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Pandemic Times

Ninety per cent of journalists surveyed said their media company had implemented austerity measures including job losses, salary cuts and outlet closures.

Earlier this year News Corp Australia closed more than 100 local and regional newspapers or made them digital-only, cutting about 500 staff.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the newspaper industry has lost more than 50% of its employees since 2001, and Covid has sped up the decline. (The Guardian) 

 

Wednesday May 13, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 13, 2020

Bryan Adams’s Instagram post draws rebukes from Chinese-Canadian organization, social media users

A prominent Chinese-Canadian activist says she is shocked, disappointed and angry about an Instagram post on Canadian singer Bryan Adams’s official account that she and others say is racist.

January 29, 2020

The post contains a snippet of Adams singing his hit song Cuts Like a Knife. An accompanying description expresses his frustration that COVID-19-related restrictions have led to the postponing of three shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

“Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of a tenancy of gigs at the @royalalberthall, but thanks to some f–king bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the whole world is now on hold,” the post read.

“My message to them other than ‘thanks a f–king lot’ is go vegan.”

Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice called the post racist and believes it could stoke hatred of Chinese-Canadians.

“People look up to public figures. He is seen as an idol by many,” Go said. “It justifies this racist hatred against Chinese … This is so irresponsible and just so, so, so, so racist.”

Coronavirus cartoons

As the coronavirus pandemic has spread, many have raised concerns about growing anti-Asian and anti-Chinese racism in Canada, with reports of anti-Asian hate crimes on the rise in Vancouver, including physical and verbal attacks. 

But on Tuesday morning, the singer issued an apology on Instagram “to any and all that took offence” to his post. He said he just wanted to rant about “animal cruelty in the wet-markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism.”

“I have love for all people and my thoughts are with everyone dealing with this pandemic around the world,” he wrote in the post. 

As of 10 p.m. PT Monday, his original Instagram video had received more than 1,500 replies. 

Many of the comments expressed love for his music and dismay he would not be touring, but dozens of others accused Adams of racism. (CBC)



 

 

Saturday November 16, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 16, 2019

Trump impeachment: Stunning scenes as witness applauded after seeing off real-time ‘intimidation’ by president

Career diplomat Marie Yovanovitch received a rare, emotional standing ovation after she testified about Donald Trump’s threatening intimidation over Ukraine, and fended off in real time a stunning Twitter attack from the president.

November 2, 2019

As Ms Yovanovitch delivered her testimony on Capitol Hill, providing a damning portrait of a “smear campaign” against her led by Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, Democrats accused the president of seeking to intimidate witnesses, and said his words could be included in any articles of impeachment.

At the conclusion of Ms Yovanovitch’s evidence, congressman Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee underscored the historic nature of the day. He said Mr Trump’s attack on the diplomat had been “just appalling”.

“But as we have observed so often, appalling in this administration is not the least bit surprising,” he added. “Nonetheless, she endured the attack and went on. We are grateful for that.”

April 13, 2018

Asked about suggestions from several members of his party that the president’s tweet could form part of an article of impeachment, he said they were “part of a pattern to intimidate witnesses. It’s also part of a pattern to obstruct the investigation”.

For her part, Ms Yovanovitch received loud applause from many of those watching, when she concluded almost five hours of testimony. In unusual scenes, spectators spontaneously started clapping when Mr Schiff gavelled the hearing closed, then stood and cheered for her as she left the room.

Ms Yovanovitch, 61, was not considered the Democrats’ star witness. As Republicans pointed out, the party first chose to call William Taylor and George Kent to deliver the opening public testimony on Wednesday.

The two men, like Ms Yovanovitch long-time career professionals who had served presidents of both parties, detailed how Mr Trump apparently placed his own political needs ahead of the security of Ukraine, by making military aid and a state visit to Washington dependent on Kiev announcing an investigation into Joe Biden and his son. Republicans have long accused the Democratic former vice president of improperly using his position to oust a prosecutor who threatened the business interests of his son, though there is no evidence to support the claims.

January 20, 2017

Ms Yovanovitch’s manner and demeanour were similar to those of her colleagues – methodical, logical and stressing service of country over partisan politics. She reminded her audience that diplomacy was not just about cocktail parties, and that US diplomats had died while working to represent the nation, most recently in the 2012 attack on a compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Yet, the words of Ms Yovanovitch, who was recalled in May from her position as the US ambassador to Ukraine at the behest of Mr Trump and Mr Giuliani, carried more power for several reasons. Firstly, in her prepared remarks, she referred to discovering the president had been using been discussing her removal. (The Independent)