COVID-19 March 26, 2020

The following COVID-19 resources may be useful to many of you; if you know of similar resources not on this list, send me an email and let me know.

i will be sending out regular newsletters updating this list and containing links to new information and perspectives that i find useful. When and if things calm down and i return to my activities as humble bookseller, this list will go back to being about that. Don’t hold your breath. To subscribe:

(Select “Kersplebedeb Newsletter” for news of interest to everyone everywhere, and “Montreal List”, “Halifax” or “Ottawa” if you want to also receive news about events happening in those cities.)

Care & Getting By

• Coronavirus Pandemic: What You Need to Know, by Ready for Revolution, by Hood Communist March 19, http://hoodcommunist.org/2020/03/19/what-you-need-to-know-to-stay-safe-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
• Dr Jon Grayson – Coronavirus (Covid-19) & OCD, The OCD Stories, https://theocdstories.com/podcast/dr-jon-grayson-coronavirus-covid-19-ocd
• Canada Emergency Response Benefit: Q&A, CUPE March 25, https://cupe.ca/canada-emergency-response-benefit-qa
• COVID Mutual Aid UK, https://covidmutualaid.org/
• COVID-19 DC Resource Toolkit, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PINVWIZ-GVfqYM1pUPuzEL4j_9HrGMXBCeGUxL5tRbk/edit
• Safety Practices: A Small Zine Of Compiled Resources On: Food & Supply Distribution During The Coronavirus Pandemic, https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-SupplyDistro-MASafetyPracticesZine-WEB.pdf

Fightback

• Rebel Steps: Emergency Episode On Rent Strikes And Tenant Organizing, It’s Going Down March 23, https://itsgoingdown.org/rebel-steps-emergency-episode-on-rent-strikes-and-tenant-organizing/

Analysis

• Survival will always be insufficient but it’s a good place to start, March 25, Alexis Shotwell, https://alexisshotwell.com/2020/03/25/survival-will-always-be-insufficient-but-its-a-good-place-to-start
• The Coronavirus Pandemic Demonstrates the Failures of Capitalism, by Kandist Mallett, March 24, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/coronavirus-pandemic-failures-capitalism
• We Should Be Very Wary About the Growing Military Response to the Coronavirus Crisis, by Sarah Lazare, March 23, https://inthesetimes.com/article/22401/military-trump-coronavirus-covid-emergency-response-national-guard-yemen
• Beyond the Economic Chaos of Coronavirus Is a Global War Economy, by William I. Robinson, Truthout March 23, https://truthout.org/articles/beyond-the-economic-chaos-of-coronavirus-is-a-global-war-economy/
• Coronavirus Colonialism: How the COVID-19 Crisis Is Catalyzing Dispossession, Sean Carleton, March 23, https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/coronavirus-colonialism-how-crisis-is-catalyzing-dispossession
• The Virus, Capitalism, and the Long Depression: Interview With Michael Roberts By Ashley Smith, Spectre March 24, https://spectrejournal.com/the-virus-capitalism-and-the-long-depression/
• Can COVID-19 Take Down NATO?, by Ann Garrison, Black Agenda Report 25 March, https://blackagendareport.com/can-covid-19-take-down-nato

 

Work

• Cleaners are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. But many work with little protection for less than minimum wage — and they’re scared, by Sara Mojtehedzade, March 24, https://www.thestar.com/business/2020/03/24/cleaners-are-on-the-front-lines-of-the-covid-19-crisis-but-many-work-with-little-protection-for-less-than-minimum-wage-and-theyre-scared.html
• Most Brown and Black Americans Are Exposing Themselves to Coronavirus for a Paycheck, by Chris Moody,
• March 23, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xgqpyq/most-brown-and-black-americans-are-exposing-themselves-to-coronavirus-for-a-paycheck
• The Danger We’re Facing: A Grocery Worker Speaks Out, Chris Brooks, Labor Notes March 23, https://labornotes.org/blogs/2020/03/danger-were-facing-grocery-worker-speaks-out
• Québec prépare un appel aux sans-emploi pour travailler dans les fermes, Radio Canada 24 mars, Thomas Gerbet,
• NYC Construction Continues In A Pandemic: “I Currently Do Not Feel Safe”, by Christopher Robbins, Gothamist March 24, https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-construction-continues-pandemic-i-currently-do-not-feel-safe

 

The Clampdown

• Trudeau leaves door open to using smartphone data to track Canadians’ compliance with pandemic rules, by Catharine Tunney, CBC News March 24, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cellphone-tracking-trudeau-covid-1.5508236
• Les données cellulaires pour cibler les lieux de rassemblements?, La Presse 24 mars, Tristan Péloquin, https://www.lapresse.ca/covid-19/202003/24/01-5266284-les-donnees-cellulaires-pour-cibler-les-lieux-de-rassemblements-.php
• Toronto is gathering cellphone location data from telecoms to find out where people are still congregating amid coronavirus shutdown, Murad Hemmadi, National Post March 24, https://nationalpost.com/technology/city-of-toronto-gathering-cellphone-location-data-from-telecoms-in-bid-to-slow-spread-of-covid-19-tory/wcm/f916f892-b47d-43a4-85aa-2a214e136ee0
• Les droits de la personne en temps de pandémie, Alexandra Pierre et Christian Nadeau, Le Devoir 24 mars, https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/idees/575592/les-droits-de-la-personne-en-temps-de-pandemie
• The Wall Street Journal’s Pitch For Mass Murder Is Catching On In Capitalist Circles, by E. Karla, Hampton Institute March 24, https://www.hamptonthink.org/read/the-wall-street-journals-pitch-for-mass-murder-is-catching-on-in-capitalist-circles
• Opinion : Migrants Irréguliers, Trudeau A Cédé À La Panique, by Jaggi Singh, La Presse March 25, https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/5ea9acaf-e906-4cca-9605-5023e7f97222__7C___0.html
• Trudeau’s cowardly border decision puts public health and migrants at greater risk, by Jaggi Singh, Ricochet March 26, https://ricochet.media/en/3007/trudeaus-cowardly-border-decision-puts-public-health-and-migrants-at-greater-risk
• Don’t Let Panic Force You to Support a Growing Fascist Police State, Hood Communist March 19, by Ahjamu Umi, http://hoodcommunist.org/2020/03/19/dont-let-panic-force-you-to-support-a-growing-fascist-police-state/

 

Far Right

• Covid-19 and India’s Hindu-Fascism Outbreak, Pranav Kohli, Prannv Dhawan, 22 March, https://www.newsclick.in/index.php/covid-19-and-indias-hindu-fascism-outbreak
• Heartland terror: The FBI said Timothy Wilson planned to blow up a hospital in Missouri. Before that, he was active in online chats for two neo-Nazi groups, by Nick R. Martin, Intercept March 25, https://www.informant.news/p/heartland-terror

 

Confined in the Age of COVID-19

• Empty the Jails Now: An Interview With Bret Grote, Jacobin, https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/03/prison-jail-coronavirus-release-abolition-incarceration
• 14 inmates escape from Washington jail amid COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, by Bill Hutchinson, 24 March, https://abcnews.go.com/US/14-inmates-escape-washington-jail-amid-covid-19/story?id=69767853
• Fighting the Cuomo Virus to Free Imprisoned Elders, by Susie Day, Counterpunch March 23, https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/03/23/fighting-the-cuomo-virus-to-free-imprisoned-elders/
• El Jones interviews a prisoner at Burnside about what it’s like to be in jail during a pandemic, by El Jones, Halifax Examiner March 25, https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/featured/el-jones-interviews-a-prisoner-at-burnside-about-what-its-like-to-be-in-jail-during-a-pandemic
• Let My People Go! A Call To Release All U.S. Prisoners in Response to COVID-19, Hood Communist March 26, by Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, https://hoodcommunist.org/2020/03/26/let-my-people-go

 

Quebec

• Consensus sur la réponse québécoise à la crise : où est passé notre esprit critique ?, Raphaëlle Corbeil, 24 mars, https://ricochet.media/fr/3003/consensus-sur-la-reponse-quebecoise-a-la-crise-ou-est-passe-notre-esprit-critique-
• MTL COVID-19 Mutual Aid Resource List // Mobilisation d’entraide liste des ressources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PgbUR1gT1PKIDPJFuWXhqieFLY7TAxxl4r_9dsaB05w/edit and link to add info: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-XBgn1HXA-lPPtCPFQSUqr_H1tViUkHk8KpkCbV-MJ4h4RQ/viewform

 

International

• No, China didn’t cover up the Covid-19 outbreak: An analysis, Asia-Review March 20, https://asia-review.com/186/no-china-didnt-cover-up-the-covid-19-outbreak/
• Coronavirus pandemic puts India’s informal workers in the firing line, Utpal Bhaskar Anuja, Livemint 23 March, https://www.livemint.com/news/india/coronavirus-pandemic-puts-india-s-informal-workers-in-the-firing-line-11584902659516.html
• Coronavirus Lockdown Could Lead to Famine, Possibly Worse
• Clearly, more than half of the Indian population would not be able to stay at home for long. Compensating them would cost around Rs 3 lakh crore or 1.5% of our current GDP. Does this Government have the will?, by Surajit Das, 25 March, https://www.newsclick.in/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Nationwide-Lockdown-Impact-Famine
• Coronavirus Is Spreading across Borders, But It Is Not a Migration Problem, By Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, Meghan Benton, and Susan Fratzke, Migration Policy Institute March 2020, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/coronavirus-not-a-migration-problem
• Dispatch #3 From Palestine on COVID-19, Curfews and Mutual Aid, Independent Jewish Voices March 25, https://www.ijvcanada.org/dispatch-3-from-palestine-on-covid-19-curfews-and-mutual-aid/
• The Corona Crisis: A Letter From A Comrade In China – Did China Buy Time For The West?, Angryworkers March 25, https://angryworkersworld.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/the-corona-crisis-a-letter-from-a-comrade-in-china-did-china-buy-time-for-the-west/
• Coronavirus in Gaza: Just 40 ICU beds for two million people under siege, by David Hearst, 24 March, https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/coronavirus-gaza-population-2-million-available-intensive-care-beds-26
• Defying Allies, Italy Signs On to New Silk Road With China, By JASON HOROWITZ, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/23/world/europe/italy-china-xi-silk-road.html
• Thoughts on a Pandemic, Geoeconomics and Africa’s Urban Sociology, by David Ndii, The Elephant March 25, https://www.theelephant.info/op-eds/2020/03/25/thoughts-on-a-pandemic-geoeconomics-and-africas-urban-sociology

 

DIY and Tech

• Peer-to-peer COVID-19 contact tracing without the surveillance, March 25, http://taint.org/2020/03/25/001936a.html
• Health care workers must move to reusable respirators now: Here’s how, Tarek Loubani March 25, https://medium.com/@trklou/health-care-workers-must-move-to-reusable-respirators-now-heres-how-33708ce0cd93
• DIY Emergency Handwashing Station Instructions Zine, http://www.indigenousaction.org/diy-emergency-handwashing-station-instructions-zine/

Science

• Antibiotic resistance: the hidden threat lurking behind Covid-19, by Julie L. Gerberding, March 23, https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/23/antibiotic-resistance-hidden-threat-lurking-behind-covid-19/
• Can you catch the coronavirus twice? We don’t know yet, by Graham Lawton, New Scientist 25 March, https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532754-600-can-you-catch-the-coronavirus-twice-we-dont-know-yet/