RCI | English : Interviews

Does it seem like our politicians are more than ever dressing for a theatrical effect, or have you seen them using props, or employing theatrical gestures and language?

In Toronto, Laura Levin (PhD), associate professor in the Theatre Department of York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design thinks so.

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Professor Levin notes that theatrics to some extent has always been a part of politics, but its changing.

Laura Levin (PhD), professor in York University's York’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (supplied)

With the advent of internet, increased TV news coverage, and  a variety of social media, politicians are being viewed, and perhaps is some cases view themselves, as celebrities as much as politicians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the campaign trail in Sept, 2019. Though a millionaire, sleeves are rolled and tie loosened to better imitate "the middle class working person". His past employment includes time as a drama teacher. . (CBC)

She also notes the concepts behind reality television seem to be having an influence on politicians, their habits, actions, and dress.

She also says that while this is especially considered to affect American politics, Canada is part of the same landscape and not immune. Indeed, she points out there are clear cases of politicians in other countries engaging in theatrics to garner attention to themselves by the broadcast media, and any and all other media, and social platforms.

Leaders debates have changed from staid affairs, to now become important theatrical events especially since the 1988 debate with Liberal leader John Turner and then Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in which accusations flew back and forth. Debates are also seen as matches to be "won or lost" (Radio-Canada)

Is it likely to go away? Not really, she says, noting even the overly repeated claims by some politicians that they will not and do not engage in such theatrics can itself be construed as a form of theatrics.

Marshall McLuhan the late Canadian philosopher who predicted the world wide web decades before its invention, and who coined the term “global village” also said, “the medium is the message”; another prediction that seems easily applicable to where politics may be headed.

Apparently a fungus is attacking coffee trees and reducing the harvest.  This is mostly in central and south America where some of the best beans come from.

Stuart McCook (MS, PhD), a professor of history, and assistant vice-president international at the University of Guelph, and author of Coffee is Not Forever: A Global History of the Coffee Leaf Rust.

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The coffee rust fungus apparently has always been around but is being made worse by changing climate conditions. McCook says this is a similar situation to that which is happening to banana crops also now being threatened with fungus.

A worker picking coffee 'cherries' on a plantation on the slope of Agua volcano, Guatemala 2015 (Nadia Sussman-Bloomberg)

Compare the healthy tree above with this tree which has been attacked by the coffee leaf rust in 2013 in Gualemala (Moises Castillo-AP)

While progress is being made in developing plants resistant to the rust, the other factor is the weather. As climate changes it’s likely there will be less suitable land available to grow the trees. Added to that is a growing world demand.

Professor and author Stuart McCook at a coffee farm,  Finca Sol Naciente in Dota, Costa Rica. (supplied)

McCook says its likely there will coffee available in the foreseeable future, but that may be only if the farmers themselves earn more to pay for resistant plants and as an incentive to keep growing coffee instead of other crops. That means, and likely no surprise here, that in coming years your cup of coffee may increase substantially in price.

Stuart McCook- Coffee is not forever" A global history of the Coffee. Leaf Rust. Note the photo of the coffee leaf attacked by rust

Around the world countries and companies are rushing to embrace and develop the so-called 5G network. This will be needed for the massive amounts of data transfer as more and more devices become connected to the internet, from cars, to refrigerators.

Dr. Anthony Miller (MD, FRCP, FRCP (C), FFPH, FACE) is a specialist in internal medicine and Professor Emeritus of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. He is among a group of concerned medical experts and individuals that the health risks of radio frequency radiation. This comes from all these mobile devices and the myriad towers we already have, and he says the health risks at present are being ignored and that these risks and concerns will only be increased with 5G.

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Dr. Miller points out there are already studies showing the concerns for increased cancer risks from cell phones constantly held to the head, or carried in pockets close to genitals.

He and others say with 5G, the number of cell towers and signals will greatly increase the amount of RF radiation we are experiencing.

Dr Anthony Miller appearing at Toronto City Council meeting on RF radiation in 2013. (Toronto City Council. Youtube)

This group includes Frank Clegg, former president of Microsoft Canada  and now CEO of the non-profit Canadians for Safe Technology, which seeks to inform about potential risk of wireless devices and how to use them more safely.

In addition to the concerns of many medical experts, is a small group of individuals who experience electromagnetic hypersensitivity resulting in severe headaches and other symptoms which they blame on the signals.

They also say the Canadian government agency Health Canada, has outdated guidelines and limits in its Safety Code 6, which they say need to be re-evaluated in light of evidence of scientific concern

In cities almost everywhere you look you can now see cell antennaes, either on the tops of buildings or stuck on the sides of any high structure. With 5g, their number, and signals, are expected to increase dramatically. (CBC)

In 2017 a large number of scientists and medical doctors launched an appeal against 5G. Their website says the number of concerned experts has risen to 286 as of Feb.3, 2020. The appeal begins as follows:

We the undersigned, more than 180  scientists and doctors from 36 countries, recommend a moratorium on the roll-out of the fifth generation, 5G, for telecommunication until potential hazards for human health and the environment have been fully investigated by scientists independent from industry. 5G will substantially increase exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) on top of the 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc. for telecommunications already in place. RF-EMF has been proven to be harmful for humans and the environment.

For their part the telecom companies say they use low-energy RF signals similar to that of televisions and baby monitors. They also say the 5G frequenices have already been in long use for fixed wireless communications and satellite internet connections.

They also say that there is no scientific proof that the RF technologies cause any harm when used within national and international guidelines. In Canada they note they adhere to the levels of Safety Code 6.

A report by a government committee reporting on Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation and the Health of Canadians ” tabled in the House of Commons on June 15, 2016, noted, "While some studies have reported health effects below Canadian and international safety limits the totality of the scientific evidence does not support the link between radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) and health effects".

Additional information

Canadians for Safe Technology

Winnipeg Free Press: M. Cash: Jan 23/20: Is 5G a health hazard? Depends on who you ask

CBC: Jan 12/18:  Canadians claiming to have 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity' feel forced to ...

Uses natural antibodies, not drugs

A small-scale trial study has shown promise in the fight against HIV.

The study involves use of natural white blood cell antibodies to help fight the virus.

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann (MD) is a professor in the Department of Medicine at they Universite de Montreal, and a researcher at the Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CRCHUM)

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People infected with HIV must take anti-retroviral drugs (ART) for life. The drugs help suppress the virus, but do not eliminate it.

In collaboration with the Rockefeller University (United States) and the University of Koln (Germany) researchers have tested a new treatment on a small sample of nine people with HiV and who are taking the drug treatment.

Dr Daniel Kaufmann, with doctoral student and lead author Julia Niessl (CRCHUM)

The research involves laboratory creation of two antibodies the body itself would create to recognize the virus.

T cells are important white blood cells (lymphocytes) that help control chronic infections like HIV.  The patients stopped their ART and were given injections of the “neutralizing antibodies”. It showed continued repression of the virus and also showed an unsuspected interaction and a potential influence between the two arms of the human immune system: humoral immunity (antibodies) and cell-mediated immunity (T cells).

The patients experienced continued suppression of the virus for several weeks after ART was stopped. Blood tests at intervals during the cessation of the standard drug treatment showed that the activity level of CD4 and CD8 T cells responding specifically to HIV was augmented during the period of antibody therapy.

Niessl et al

Niessl et al.

As antibodies are not drugs but are a natural production of the body, Dr. Kaufman points out that the antibody treatment has virtually no negative side effects. They not only block the virus but may stimulate the immune response system itself.

Dr Kaufmann points out the larger trials are being undertaken, and that the concept of developing antibodies to treat viruses can be expanded to deal with other diseases; He says this is an expanding field of research and is already being researched in relation to the deadly Ebola virus where results in tests have been very promising. The concept is also being tested in cancer research

The World Health Organisation estimates there as of the end of 2018 there were over 37 million people around the world infected with HIV.

The research was published today in the science journal Nature Medicine under the title: Combination anti-HIV-1 antibody therapy is associated with increased virus-specific T cell immunity. (abstract here)

An independent panel reviewing electronic media in Canada has released a long awaited report.

Canada’s Broadcast Act hasn’t been updated since 1991,  well before the arrival of the internet and streaming services like Netflix, Prime, Crave, Apple, Spotify and Amazon etc.

The just released report, Time to Act' seeks to make recommendations concerning a variety of current technologies and situations including streaming services, the public broadcaster, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada (CBC/R-C) and the regulatory agency the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Tech and telecom journalist Anja Karadeglija was among reporters attending the release. She is editor of the The Wire Report and is in Ottawa.

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The panel was to examine and suggest updates to Canada’s long outdated Broadcast Act, and wider issues of electronic media production, distribution, and regulation.

Anja Karadeglija, editor of the The Wire Report (supplied)

Canada has been concerned that streaming services are available in the country but pay few or no taxes though they can sell advertising space to Canadian and multinational companies.  Governments have been reluctant to impose taxes, but the report recommends that foreign online services pay the Goods and Services Tax

Janet Yale Chair of the independent Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel holds up a copy of the report during a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, January 29, 2020. Over 200 pages it suggests sweeping changes to the media landscape in its 97 recommendations (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Canadian broadcasters say it’s additionally unfair as they have to pay into the Canada Media Fund, which finances and supports the creation of Canadian media content, but the digital platforms don’t.

Netflix made a deal with the Liberal government earlier to invest in Canadian production, but the chair of the panel said, making an American show in Canada for an American audience does not constitute Canadian content and doesn’t reflect Canadian experiences. Netflix argued that clients choose what they want to watch and CanCon quotas would “merely encourage spending on quantity over quality to meet an arbitrary number."

The panel also said the CBC/RC should be adequately funded so it can eliminate advertising on TV and with a renewed focus on reflecting national, regional, local, and Indigenous communities to Canadian audiences. The panel said the public broadcaster should be “a public media institution with a singular focus on serving a public rather than a commercial purpose”, and should not be in competition with private broadcaster and print media for dwindling advertising revenues.

It is interesting to see how the panel desire for more Canadian content, especially from the CBC plays against reports that the CBC itself had earlier asked the CRTC to allow a reduction in Canadian content in the face of competition from American online and streaming services.

Another aspect of the wide-ranging report is to ensure the CRTC has adequate regulatory authority over streaming services,

The Report is over 200 pages and makes 97 recommendations. The Heritage Minister, Steven Guilbeault, said after the report was presented that the government would act on the report within months, although given the complexity and issues, that will likely be a challenge

Additional information

Government of Canada: Panel Report;

CBC: E. Glasner: Jan 29/20: Independent panel report calls for more Canadian streaming content and an ad-free CBC

Canadian Press ( via Huff Post): Jan 29/20: CBC Should Drop All Ads In 5 Years: Recommendations

Canadian Press (via TorStar): D. Padden: Jan 29/20: Head of expert panel urges Liberals to act quickly on telecom, broadcast reforms

Global News: A. Connolly; Jan 29/20: Netflix, other streaming services should be forced to create CanCon,...

The U.K. has just announced it will permit a partial use of Huawei technology in development of its 5G network.

Other countries have banned Huawei over security concerns.  Canada is still debating its position on Huawei.

Stephanie Carvin (PhD) is an assistant professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. She notes security alone may not be the only consideration

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The so-called 5G network is going to represent a significant leap forward in technology allowing for rapid transfer of vast amounts of data. But the U.S. and other security experts say Huawei technology poses a danger due to the potential for theft of secrets and security information.

Stephanie Carvin (PhD) is an assistant professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

RCI:Jan 28/20: UK decision on Huawei leaves Canada thinking about its plans

While so far there has been no public release of any information showing Huawei has built in so-called “back-door” access to its technology, Carvin says there are other concerns.

She notes that the Chinese government has shown it is more than willing to act very forcefully to defend and promote Huawei. She notes that if Huawei was shown to break domestic laws in Canada or other countries, prosecution would be a touchy issue as China would likely react with severe trade sanctions and other measures as it has down already in the Meng Wanzhou case here in Canada, and threats against Germany  as well.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou has been under partial house arrest in Vancouver on a U.S extradition request for fraud, but is free to move around since being detained in December 2018. Two Canadians were subsequently detained in China under what are described as terrible conditions on charges of espionage, in what is being called by some as "hostage diplomacy". China has shown it will react very forcefully to restrictions or other actions against Huawei, which is claimed to be an independent company ( Reuters- Leslie Wasson)

She notes that the Trudeau government has said that security is not the only concern in the eventual decision to allow Huawei to develop Canada’s 5G net, saying geopolitics and geoeconomics are factors in the decision to come.

Additional information

CNN Business: J. Horowitz: Jan 29/20: Europe moves to secure 5G networks but won't ban Huawei

CBC: Jan 25/20: U.K.'s proposal to limit Huawei's role in 5G networks most 'pragmatic' path, expert says

Bloomberg: Czuczka/Arons: Dec 14/19: China Threatens Retaliation Should Germany Ban Huawei 5G

This week saw the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the biggest of the Nazi death camps, camps where a total of about six million Jews were murdered. The hope was that the lesson was learned that myths, mistrust, and misunderstanding leads to hate which leads to violence and murder.

It seems that lesson is being forgotten and that anti-semitism may be on the rise.

Tina Fetner (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

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Are anti-Semitic hate crimes on the rise in Canada? It might be so, but as professor Fetner points out, there are no clear definitions of might constitute a hate crime in jurisdictions across Canada, and what constitutes a “reportable” crime.

McMaster University professor Tina Fetner (PhD) (supplied)

There has been an increase in anti-Semitic attacks elsewhere such as a deadly attack against a Synagogue in the U.S.

It also seems hateful speech of all kinds is becoming more prevalent generally and in a variety of ways.

In December 2017, a Toronto synagogue opened this hate letter, the same one sent to at least four other synagogues in the country, including two in Edmonton. (B'nai Brith Canada)

Professor Fetner says to curb this increase in hate, people have to be willing to move away from bystander when hate is expressed, to someone prepared to intervene to stop it before it grows and spreads.

Additional information-

CBC: M.Ziegler: Jan 24/20: Holocaust survivor in famous Auschwitz liberation photo says rising anti-Semitism 'scares me'

PostMedia: D.Quan: Jan 3/20: ‘A disturbing new normal’: How Jewish Canadians are reacting to spate of anti-Semitic violence

Associated Press (via CBC): Feb 12/19: Anti-Semitism 'spreading like a poison' in France, interior minister says

CBC: Dec 21/19: Anti-Semitic attacks hard to fight because no single organization behind them, says journalist (U.S. home attack)

CBC; Dec 18/17: 'An 8 on the frighten scale': Toronto synagogue troubled by letter calling for Jewish genocide

While several studies in recent years have highlighted dangerous levels of fishing on many ocean species, they do not include the effects of recreational fishing.

A new study by an international team of scientists estimates some 900,000 tonnes of fish are taken from the oceans yearly.

Daniel Pauly (PhD, FRSC) heads the research project called The Sea Around Us,  named in honour of Rachel Carson’s 1951 book.

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The study is published today in the journal Frontiers of Marine Science under the title “Estimating global catches of marine recreational fisheries”. (open source here)

Daneil Pauly (PhD FRSC) heads the research group The Sea Around Us

While there are already expressed concerns about the accuracy of individual country’s catch reports to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, usually suspected of being under-reported, the recreational catch estimated at over a million tonnes, has never been included in the estimates.

An added concern to the issue, is that recreational catches of sharks and rays, already endangered, amounts to over 50,000 tonnes.

Pauly notes that the ‘environmental’ policy of catch and release very often doesn’t save the fish or shark, “For example, 98 per cent of scalloped hammerheads die.”

He adds that shark reproduction in slow and if many die before they can reproduce, it’s an additional threat to an already threatened population.

“In Australia, a group of recreational fishers lands large tiger sharks and hammerheads from the beach. These large animals are essential to population health and are unlikely to survive the experience of a lengthy fight and subsequently being dragged up the beach,” said Jessica Meeuwig, co-author of the study and director of the Marine Futures Lab at the University of Western Australia. “Given the threatened status of these species globally, such practices are inappropriate.”

The report estimates thousands of tonnes of endangered sharks and rays are caught by sport fishers, but even when released many will not survive the ordeal. (pub domain PxFuel)

Also of concern is the ‘high-grading’ of species, that is catching the biggest of fish and taking the best examples out of the breeding pool, a situation already a concern with big-game trophy hunting on land.

Pauly says the report is to highlight the issue to governing bodies which study and regulate fishing quotas.

While many average earners complain of taxes, a group of the world’s wealthiest is saying they should be taxed more.

The disparity in earnings between the wealthiest and the middle and lower classes is such that some of those uber-rich are becoming concerned about social upheaval.

Jeff Rubin is the former chief economist at CIBC Markets and the author of the forthcoming book by Penguin Random House The Expendables: How The Middle Class Got Screwed  by Globalization

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A small group of millionaires and billionaires has been lobbying the U.S. government for some time to increase taxes on them. Now they’ve gone to the world stage realising that the disparity between rich and poor is a global phenomenon and needs to be dealt with internationally.

Jeff Rubin, author, speaker and former chief economist at CIBC Markets explains the motives behind the millionaires calls to increase their taxes. (Western University-via YouTube)

Rubin points out that even in Canada, the rich have been dodging some $3 billion in taxes on investments from the approximately $240 billion they have in offshore accounts.

He notes also that huge multinational corporations like Google, Facebook and others also book global revenues in low or no tax jurisdictions to avoid paying taxes as much as possible.

Huge leaks of tax-haven financial records in recent years have exposed the vast sums of global wealth hidden offshore. A Canada Revenue Agency study estimates wealthy Canadians have hidden up to $240.5 billion in foreign accounts and are dodging up to $3 billion a year in federal tax on those funds. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

He says surveys show that people in dozens of countries no longer feel capitalism is working for them. Rubin notes the rise of so-called populism in democracies is evidence that people are looking to other messages than the prevalent centrist messages of politicians, and that in spite of claims to be for the workers and middle class, people don’t believe the mainstream politicians nearly as much as they have.

He notes that historically when social disparity becomes too great, social and/or political change has been the result and not always smoothly.

In a tweet the millionaires indicate the possibility of revolt if the wealth disparity continues (twitter)

Millionaires letter

To Our Fellow Millionaires and Billionaires Across the Globe, There are two kinds of wealthy people in the world: those who prefer taxes and those who prefer pitchforks.

We, the undersigned, prefer taxes. And we believe that, upon reflection, you will as well. For that reason, we urge you to step forward now – before it’s too late – to demand higher and fairer taxes on millionaires and billionaires within your own countries and to help prevent individual and corporate tax avoidance and evasion through international tax reform efforts. We make this request as members of the most privileged class of human beings ever to walk the earth.

Extreme, destabilizing inequality is growing across the globe.

Today, there are more billionaires on earth than ever before, and they control more wealth than they ever have. Meanwhile, the incomes of the poorest half of humanity remain virtually unchanged. In many nations, tensions caused by inequality have reached crisis levels. Low social trust and a pervasive sense of unfairness are diminishing basic social cohesion. This breakdown within nations exacerbates tensions between countries. The resulting dynamics guarantee that the global community will fail to adequately respond to the looming climate catastrophe. This will be disastrous for everyone, including millionaires and billionaires. It is time for us to act. Despite vocal protests to the contrary, most reasonable people understand that philanthropy has always been, and always will be, an inadequate substitute for government investment.

Taxes are the best and only appropriate way to ensure adequate i...

Announced this week, Canada has a new agency to look into the various issues of climate change.

Non-partisan and arms-length from the government which is funding it, the agency will partner with experts in a variety of fields of research to suggest policy and actions to all levels of government working toward reducing emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Dave Sawyer is the Chief Economist at the new institute, and I reached him in Ottawa this morning.

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The agency is called the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices  and as part of the mandate will hold discussions with experts including economics, climate change adaptation and mitigation, Indigenous knowledge, natural and social sciences, public policy, energy systems, engineering, business leaders and other stakeholders.

Dave Sawyer is the Chief Economist at the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices (supplied)

It will develop evidence-based suggestions to help decision-makers and Canadians understand and evaluate the policy choices that could put Canada on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The idea is for Canada and Canadians to better understand the challenges, opportunities and choices ahead to address the many present and expected issues around climate change.

Additional information:

Canadian Institute for Climate Choices: Charting our course

CBC: A. Wherry: Jan 21/20: New federally funded climate institute launches after demise of national roundtable