Harry Shannon
I wrote this letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and several members of his cabinet:
There is a lot of talk about a wealth tax and about billionaires, but it’s hard for most people to understand just how much money the ultra-wealthy have. Even as a statistician, I have trouble getting to grips with the numbers. So I wan…
British Museum to change its name
Harry Shannon
Late in August, the British Museum moved a bust of its slave-owning founding father, Sir Hans Sloane. It was described as an attempt to confront the museum’s links to colonialism.
In a surprise follow-up, Hartwig Fischer, the museum’s director, announced that the museum will change its name. It will henceforth be known as …
Anti-maskers join forces with another new group
Harry Shannon
A rally was held today in Houston, Texas by two new groups that have agreed to work together. Don’t Use Masks or Barriers (DUMB) is teaming up with Counter Laws On Drinking (CLOD) to oppose what they call “government interference in the marketplace of behavior.”
DUMB claims that wearing masks to prevent COVID-19 is a plot…
Who is most at risk for COVID-19?
Harry Shannon
Data just released show that “Black people and other people of colour make up 83 per cent of reported COVID-19 cases while only making up half of Toronto's population.”
Quick now – how many times more likely are these racialized people to get COVID-19 than the rest of the Toronto population, i.e., white people? 1 ½ ti…
Policing
Harry Shannon
Another unpublished letter, this one sent to the Hamilton Spectator. Maybe too easy on the protesters, but the contrast is stark.
Re: Police launch criminal probe into ‘defund’ protest, July 25
In June, Peel police are called to a situation. A 62-year-old man may harm himself with a pocket knife. But he’s not the one t…
Time for a Wealth Tax
Harry Shannon
This was written as a letter to the Toronto Star. It wasn’t published, but you can read it here.
Re Covid-19 costs. Time’s up: help cities, Editorial, July 16
The COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with people’s finances, and governments have had to go into huge deficits to mitigate the impact on people who have lost t…
Which do you trust: The numbers or your impressions?
Harry Shannon
I'm a big fan of football/soccer (your choice about what to call it). In particular, Manchester United of the English Premier League. I have supported them ever since I was about six or seven years old, when Gordon, the boy next door who was a year older and therefore knew everything, told me they were the team to go for.
So wh…
Are you a swinger?
Harry Shannon
I was listening to CBC radio this morning. A reporter was talking about the popularity of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and said that a year ago Ford’s approval rating was -49% [if I remember correctly]. Today, his rating is +39%. The reporter continued, saying that this represented an 88% swing.
This, of course, is wrong. To un…
Proposal for a Museum (or Museums)
Harry Shannon
You probably read about the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol. Amid the protests over the police killing of George Floyd, it was pulled off its pedestal, rolled to the harbour, and pushed into the water.
I grew up in England, but I had never heard of Colston. Yet his name “permeates the city [Bristol] on buildings and landm…
Doug Ford’s tragic mismanagement
Harry Shannon
Another unpublished letter sent to the Toronto Star.
Mostly self-explanatory, and not saying much that hasn't been said already. But I was trying to put it all together and join some dots. In fact, over the last week since I sent the letter, there has been a fair amount of criticism of Doug Ford and his (Ontario) government. F…