Tag: covid

Head-Scratchers, or How to Get a Balanced View of World News

April 20

What paper or journal do you read and watch to make sure you get a balanced view of what is going on in this world? A friend posed this question to me: he said he was trying to advise his son on what to read/watch. By balanced, he meant views not only on the right but also on the left – he looked for views and opinions describing facts and behavior from the far right to the left liberal woke community, and all others in between.

I told him I get my information on current events from many sources: newspapers, online and paid subscriptions, as well as the internet and television, and radio. I read many newspapers across the political spectrum and could not single out one that is the best or that would provide a balanced viewpoint. But subscription cost is a factor, and I gave up on many first-rate Canadian newspapers charging up to forty dollars a month.

But most newspapers give you ten free articles to read a month, such as the Guardian or the Toronto Star. By accident I noticed an ad for the Washington Post, a liberal newspaper, for an annual subscription for nineteen dollars US and subscribed, not believing that it was a genuine offer. But it was, and I have been receiving the digital copy of the paper ever since at the originally advertised price. In contrast, reading the New York-based “Epoch Times” provides a conservative angle.

The internet and television are other excellent sources of news. Fox News has the reputation of being a right-wing propaganda channel, while CNN has more of a left-wing bias. So between the two, you may get a “balanced” view.

An overarching theme over the past several years has been “climate change”. Whether you believe IPCC reports or follow Steve Koonan’s contrary arguments, it is your choice. Koonin’s name to fame is that he was a scientific advisor to Obama (his book published in 2021, entitled “Unsettled” explains his views). But many people follow their prejudices and if they believe that climate change is a hoax, then Koonin provides support for their beliefs. There are volumes written on this subject and you can read up on both sides of the story, although the bulk of evidence in my readings supports that ‘climate change” is real.

The other major story over the last two years, of course, has been the pandemic. One source of disagreement focused on whether the virus came from China: several studies concluded it did, while others did not. Another controversial subject was whether the World Health Organization announced the pandemic in time or was late, with dire consequences. President Trump’s approach to downplay the virus, in the beginning, was also a source of controversy. And then his continuing approach to downplay the virus-caused catastrophe was further debated. You could listen to Fox News or CNN, to hear conflicting arguments.

And now the major news item is the war in Ukraine. Depending on which newspapers you read or TV channels you listen to, you get various arguments on whether the US is doing the right things. Although most news stories characterize the war as “unprovoked”, the New York Times’s Thomas Friedman quoted George Kennan (expert on Russia in the US) who commented that the expansion of NATO was a mistake when Russia was not a threat and that it triggered Putin’s war in Ukraine. So, who or what do you believe?

I told my friend that besides listening to all the different news sources, my interest is in “head-scratchers”: stories that make you scratch your head and ponder if the news makes sense based on the information provided and my built-up knowledge.

For example, to defend the Odessa region in Ukraine, a consortium of Canadian industry executives wrote to the Canadian Defense Minister that Canada send twenty-four anti-ship Harpoon missile systems to Ukraine: The Royal Canadian Navy has two hundred of them in storage. This recommendation follows Canada’s promise to Ukraine to send lethal weapons. But the Defense Department has yet to respond. What is the holdup? Are Harpoons not functional? Would Canada ever need these weapons to defend its coasts? If there are legitimate reasons for not sending these weapons, then some explanations would be in order. So, I scratch my head.

Another example. While the US, major European countries, and the EU expelled Russian diplomats as a symbol of outrage against the unprovoked war in Ukraine, Canada refused to do so. The Prime Minister said such diplomatic expulsions would lead to retaliation by the Russians that would lead to Canada losing its “eyes and ears” in Moscow. Is that true? Do the other countries not lose their “eyes and ears” as well, but do not consider it important? But is intelligence gathered only by people on the ground? Do we not have cyber intelligence? And why do we think that while all the other major countries of the Western alliance can do without people on the ground in Moscow, Canada cannot? The scenario makes little sense to me. So, I scratch my head.

What is also incomprehensible to me is that the Deputy Prime Minister and who is also the Finance Minister of Canada has Ukrainian ancestry and has been vocal about assisting the Ukrainians. Words have been flowing freely about supporting fully the Ukrainians, and the recent budget had money allocated to helping Ukraine. But instead of words, action is required now and not in a few months that budgetary processes take. In a few months, the war may be over. Another headscratcher.

As our Prime Minister Trudeau said in the 2015 election victory, “Canada is back”. According to John Ivison in a recent column in the National Post, Canada is more “at the back” of the countries providing meaningful and timely help to Ukraine. Canada is the ninth of twelve countries, providing financial and military aid to Ukraine, after Estonia. Are we experiencing bureaucratic malaise? We do not want to antagonize Russia by sending powerful weaponry to Ukraine? And if so, why not? Does that make sense?

My advice to the friend’s son would be to listen and read widely and try to understand events from all points of view. And the understanding will deepen with events that do not seem to make sense.

Rambling and Random Thoughts on Covid and Cannabis

April 14, 2022

The two-year pandemic took its toll on people. There were lockdowns. The Canada/US border was closed. Even the Ontario and Quebec border was closed for a while. My community center where I play cards and my gym was closed on and off. People got cabin fever. When our border opened and Covid mandates lifted, people felt like they gained the freedom to get back to life. And jumped for joy.

Joy for Kathy and me comprised taking a quick trip to see grandchildren in Durham, NC. Crossing the border into the US was a pleasure; as in the old days, the US border guard asked where we were going and for how long. That was it. There was no masking required and nobody asked for a vaccine passport.

And Durham was great with the grandson going to a UNC and Virginia Tech ball game where masks were scarce. And they sold beer and popcorn. Refreshing. In the grocery stores, many people wore masks, and nobody paid attention to unmasked people. It was up to you if you wanted to be more cautious and wear a mask.

When talking with people, I found the American attitude towards the virus relaxed. In contrast, my friends at home drop comments about having to be careful: “the current sixth wave is serious”. In the US, people believe they have to live with the virus and take responsibility for their actions.

Coming from Ottawa, the lack of cannabis stores in Durham was a total surprise. It is illegal to sell cannabis in NC. By the last count, there were one hundred and eight cannabis stores in Ottawa, with another forty being considered for licensing by the Ontario authorities. Along the “green mile” on Wellington Street in Ottawa, I heard there are nine cannabis stores. (We should compare this number to the thirty-six liquor stores in Ottawa).

Do we have too many cannabis stores in Ottawa? Will there be an amalgamation of ownership of these stores? I do not know. Are there disadvantages to having so many stores? Some of the BIAs claim cannabis stores on the street can negatively affect other stores coming to the area.

I have not visited cannabis stores, but perhaps, will. For now, I find their storefronts and fancy names outlandish, garish, and suggestive, like: “Dutch Love” and “Spiritleaf”. But obviously, there is a growing market for them.

Coming back to Canada reminded us that Canada still considers the virus a threat: we had to fill out an “arrivecan” form. My Samsung phone stored my data from previous returns to Canada and it took me literally two minutes to fill out the form. Kathy used her iPhone that brought up an outdated “arrivecan” form that demanded proof of an antigen test. She tried to get the most up-to-date form with no success. Do you think the government could get its IT group organized? After a while, I filled out the form for her on my Samsung phone that worked. At the border, the Canadian border official was pleasant, and we crossed the border in a couple of minutes, having our “arrivecan” approved in advance.

On the second day at home, I received an email from Public Health Canada reminding us to quarantine:

“IF YOU:

Were NOT randomly selected to complete COVID-19 molecular testing

THEN, YOU MUST:

for the 14 days after you entered Canada, monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19; and maintain a list of the names and contact information of every person you have come into close contact with during the 14 days AND all of the places you have been”.

It was not clear why this requirement exists: I thought with our three vaccinations we were safe, and quarantining was unnecessary. The email explained that people arriving from outside Canada need to quarantine, but it was blurry if coming back is from the US or elsewhere. I wish the government people could write clearly.

My Take on the “Freedom Truck Convoy”

February 1, 2022

Everybody was talking about the truck convoy arriving in Ottawa last weekend. Friends from New Jersey and Oregon called us asking to what extent the trucks blocked our street. We live in the inner suburbs and had no truck passing by our house. Now the downtown area was another scene, but we did not go there. We saw some of the long-haulers going by on the Queensway, our major highway into Ottawa. Most of what we saw was on TV.

The trigger for the convoy was truckers’ dissatisfaction with rules introduced recently by the federal government mandating cross-border truck drivers to have covid vaccination. Now 90% of the cross-border drivers are vaccinated. So one would have assumed that the unvaccinated drivers were the ones in the convoy, but vaccinated drivers also came showing their solidarity. The original purpose of the convoy morphed into a much larger movement to get rid of vaccine mandates, including masking. People were clamoring for “freedom” from the lockdowns. People were fed up with two years of not living the “normal” way.

To have thousands of people congregating downtown Ottawa surrounded by thousands of trucks is no small matter. But the Prime Minister refused to meet with them and called them “fringe”, not representing Canadians. And the PM then moved out of his official residence for safety reasons, implying escalation of tensions, potentially resulting in trouble. In addition, he tweeted he would quarantine because one of his children tested positive with Covid. Very convenient. Could not meet the protesters. There were no politicians of his party and government officials to at least offer to meet with the protesters and hear them out. Shameful. I believe the government represents all the people of Canada, “fringe” or not. And the huge demonstration such as we experienced in Ottawa last weekend called for a serious government response to try to defuse the bottled-up frustration that two years of covid wrought. It was a major mistake to write off the protesters and not have a plan to meet with them, no matter how wacky their demands may have been (the provincial government controls the lockdowns).

But the more significant mistake occurred when the government, which controls the international border, announced late last year that all cross-border truck drivers had to be vaccinated. Before they brought in the rule, the truckers had had an exemption from vaccination because of the economic importance of the truck traffic between and the US., and at any rate, 90% of the truck drivers have been vaccinated. So why not continue with the then-existing rule? If the government wanted to ensure the virus was not brought into Canada by the truckers, then it could have asked for a test at the border, in place of vaccination. Many companies followed the test or vaccination approach. What was the thinking of government policymakers to make it mandatory for the drivers to be vaccinated? It was an absurd policy.

I am fully vaccinated and I do not agree with the arguments anti-vaxxers use against the jab. But I respect people’s opinions and their right to demonstrate peacefully against the jab and to be heard. Science provides the best current knowledge on a virus such as Covid, which of course can change over time, with additional information. Today, the mRNA vaccine is the best vaccine against Covid, supported by statistical evidence (obtained by testing). I remember when DDT was the ”go-to” pesticide until it was not. Today the Pfizer vaccine is one of the “go-to” vaccines for Covid and I have it.

Most of the columnists have been critical of the “freedom convoy”. They called them selfish, their goals unrealistic and their behavior in downtown Ottawa, with their blaring horns, bothersome. I have no trouble with their protest so long as it is peaceful. I have trouble with the government’s policy on cross-border driving and their inept handling of the convoy in totally ignoring them, especially their unwillingness to meet with them. Just my opinion.

Financial benefits for some can lead to business failure for others

December 8, 2022

Do you remember the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)? People who lost half their income because of Covid received $500 per week from the government. And the payments went on until October 2021. We are not talking about peanuts: the CERB costs $37 billion, benefitting over four million people. After October, half the people who received CERB transitioned to the Canada Recovery Benefit, which pays $300 per week.

We met two of these lucky people receiving CERB in 2020. They were training for a hike out west with heavy backpacks when we met them on a walk to where our cottage is. They stayed at the cottage their family-owned and told us they will use their money from the government to fly out west and hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Working was not the foremost in their minds. They were college students living at home and enjoying the family cottage during the summer.

Is there anything wrong with accepting government money for not working and enjoying life? If these students had to work to attend college, they would have had to take a job, possibly in the hospitality industry, where waiters and waitresses have been in great demand since Covid started. According to government statistics, a third of restaurants closed over the past two years, since Covid started. And these students working may have saved many restaurants from closing due to lack of staff.

An example of this scenario materialized with our visit to Denny’s restaurant. The franchisor and family served the busy breakfast period. They could hardly keep up with the steady line of people coming for breakfast. Our waiter told us nobody who worked there had come back since the government introduced CERB. He said that some previous waitresses told him they wanted to stay home because their income just did not match CERB payments. It was easy to understand why people would not work.

A similar situation played out in Montreal last week when we visited a brasserie on rue St. Paul, in Old Montreal, a historical and very popular place with tourists. I noticed after we were seated that a lineup formed outside where the restaurant people were checking vaccination passports of the visitors. More than half the tables were empty. So I asked the waitress why the people waiting were not let in. She explained she was the only waitress on this floor and they limited the number of people in the restaurant to what the waitresses could serve. I asked why not hire more people. She said that they tried, but nobody wants to work. A similar situation played out again at night when we went for dinner, again, in Old Montreal. One waiter served an entire floor, running his legs off. I have seen no studies linking CERB to restaurant closures. But personal experience shows that giving out government money can lead to people refusing to work when work is available. Is this a moral or ethical issue? Are Canadians becoming soft, looking for an easy life? Is the government encouraging people to stay away from work? Just asking.

border crossing, coming home

December 5, 2021

Border Crossing, Coming Home

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer yelled at us to put our masks on; we had just driven up to the port of entry from the United States to Canada at Prescott, Ontario. Having driven eight hours from Pennsylvania, we were tired. As well, we thought that the crossing would be pleasant and quick since we had seen no one on the highway leading to, and on, the international bridge to Canada, and our “ArriveCan” forms were completed and submitted. But, when we arrived down the slope from the bridge to the gates, we noticed two lines of cars, maybe ten in each line. And the lines were going through the border very slowly, ten minutes for each traveler. I was getting impatient with the wait since we had our two vaccinations each plus negative covid test results from a couple of days previously: all the requirements for a quick crossing.

When we pulled up to the window, the officer yelled at us and said if a health inspector were present he/she would give us an $850 fine for not wearing masks and he said he was doing us a favor by explaining the requirements at the border; his brusqueness took us aback and we retorted no signs were saying to wear masks driving up to the kiosk where he sat behind glass. Well, that triggered another out-pour from the officer lecturing us that the law is clear and is on the travel website and it was approved by Order-in-Council! There you have it. I tried to digest all this info while putting my mask on. Kathy was driving, and I sat on the passenger seat, I was clearly over the required distancing from the officer, but he said that all of us in the car should be masked. Fortunately for us, he said a health inspector was not present to give us a fine. But I wondered if the CBSA officer had the authority to write a ticket and if not, why bother blasting us. The point could have been more politely expressed. And he would not even acknowledge that a sign could be useful for people ignorant of this requirement.

The officer wanted to see proof of Kathy’s vaccination papers from the Ontario government. He said he could not decipher the writing on the picture of Kathy’s vaccination certificate she took the night before in a hotel. Then, after responding to the standard questions whether we bought cannabis, tobacco products, had firearms, and/or carried $10,000 in cash on us (we said we wish we had the money), he bade us goodby. He was doing his job. Right? Although the experience did not generate a warm feeling in us crossing the border, we were through in a few minutes.

Driving away from the gate,  I realized that he never asked for proof of having a negative covid test done during the last seventy-two hours. The “ArriveCan” form asks if one has had a test, but it does not ask for the results to be uploaded to the form. And the officer at the border never asked about it. So why do we have to have a negative test when its proof is not needed to enter Canada? I guess it is an honor system.

I remember a few years ago, the border agents used to say “welcome back to Canada”. Not this time. This time, it felt like a humiliating experience being told off and lectured to. On the way home and the next day, I searched the internet for hours for the policy on masking at border crossings with no success. Now I do a lot of research on the internet so I was not new in uncovering information. But I could find nothing; I went back to the “ArriveCan” form and the principal item upfront is a warning not to pay anybody for helping with filling out the ArriveCan document. The text states forcefully that there are fraudulent websites and that we should only look for the canada.ca website which provides the form free and also provides help if needed. I wish the CBSA would go after the fraudulent websites and have better communication skills with average Canadians who may not even understand or know what an “Order-in-Council” is and put up a simple sign at the border that a mask should be worn when approaching the kiosk. How difficult would that be?