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What are we reading? October 22, 2020

Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor The ever-eloquent Josh Marshall on how the chaos and criminality of the Trump era has undermined our capacity for shock: “The sad truth is that we’ve gotten used to this – the casual law-breaking and bad acts,
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Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor

The ever-eloquent Josh Marshall on how the chaos and criminality of the Trump era has undermined our capacity for shock:

“The sad truth is that we’ve gotten used to this – the casual law-breaking and bad acts, the aping of foreign strongman antics, the lies that come as easy as water flowing down a hill. It all seems normal now.” – Talking Point Memo

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-thing-is-upon-us 

Jack Handey is working on some vaccines. He hasn’t had much luck with the Hangover Vaccine – “despite years of study, little progress” – but his Pseudo-Vaccine is promising:

“Doesn’t really do much of anything, but comes with a coupon for half off your next vaccine.” – New Yorker

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/26/vaccines-im-working-on

Timothy Renshaw, Managing Editor

New recipe for an anti-COVID-19 tonic: slurpees, saponins and soapbark trees. – The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/single-tree-species-may-hold-key-coronavirus-vaccine/616792/

Add an estimated US$3.94 trillion drop in global GDP to the world's upwardly spiralling pandemic bill. COVID will cost the top 10 hardest hit countries a projected US$697 billion. – Buy Shares

https://buyshares.co.uk/pandemic-to-trigger-4-trillion-loss-in-global-real-gdp-in-2020/

Succinct description of 21st century social networks from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt: "amplifiers for idiots and crazy people." – The Verge

https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/21/21527525/google-ceo-eric-schmidt-says-social-networks-idiots-youtube

Emma Crawford Hampel, online editor:

There are many parallels between the U.S. election 100 years ago and the one now. “Sick president. Global pandemic. Racial injustice. Welcome to the U.S. election...of 1920.”  – Maclean’s

https://www.macleans.ca/politics/washington/sick-president-global-pandemic-racial-injustice-welcome-to-the-u-s-election-of-1920/

Glen Korstrom, reporter

Given that it is election time, it's worth a look back at one of the most transformative elections in B.C. history – 1991. Longtime BC Liberal Mike McDonald tells the story in his blog post about the lead-up to that election, and how the stars aligned for a party that had no seats in the legislature but went on to become the official opposition. Well worth a read – Rosedeer blog

https://rosedeer.blog/2016/10/17/1991-the-election-that-transformed-bc-politics/