Trump: ‘I predicted the coronavirus’

Harry Shannon In a remarkable press briefing today, President Donald Trump told reporters that he had predicted the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Trump had been widely ridiculed for a tweet he made on 31 May, 2017 just after midnight.  It read: ‘Despite the constant negative press covfefe” and there was much speculation on what the w…

“We’re Number One” – Trump

Harry Shannon As the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. climbed above the total in Italy to become the highest in the world, Donald Trump claimed: ‘Thanks to me, we’re number one.’ In a rambling press conference, Trump said: ‘Several other countries have tried to beat us, but they haven’t succeeded.  Countries like Ita…

My latest letter in the Toronto Star

Harry Shannon Background: We are hearing a lot from political leaders urging us to follow social (physical) distancing guidelines.  On Thursday morning (April 2) I heard Toronto mayor John Tory on CBC radio’s morning show doing just that.  Unfortunately, his style of talking is to speak very fast, barely pausing for breath, so interviewers …

A post on, you guessed it, coronavirus and COVID-19

Harry Shannon Some thoughts on the coronavirus and its impact. I am not paying attention any more to the number of new confirmed cases. That’s because, as far as I can tell, whether someone is tested is rather arbitrary: has the person sought care; does the person have symptoms; how severe are the symptoms; are there enough testing kits; h…

How Breitbart creates fake news on coronavirus – though maybe unintentionally

Harry Shannon You have no doubt heard of the far-right web site Breitbart.  It makes Fox News look timid and centrist.  As for accuracy … um, consider this. On March 17, 2020, they published a story about coronavirus.  Well, they published a lot of stories on the topic, but one headline caught my eye. It read: ‘Study: 86 pe…