The decimation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 2022 Feb 24 has been immense. Ukraine has crumbled, its economy severely damaged and its people scattered across the EU and the Western world. On one hand Ukraine has a bully neighbour intent on destroying it, while on the other Western countries have continued to provide Ukraine with enough weapons to continue its fight, the result being even more destruction of Ukraine. Ukraine’s predicament has had many other global implications, almost all bad.
The Covid-19 pandemic slowed down the world economy by messing up supply chains, but the real kicker to the world was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the West’s response to it. Decisions by the West early in the invasion clearly helped Russia and decimated Ukraine, but no country and people will get off Scot-free. As oil and gas, and wheat prices skyrocket, coupled with supply chain problems with China, the world will soon welcome a global recession.
Conflicted, I am, to hear the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Dr. Moore talk about the expected exponential growth of the Omicron variant BA.2, his recommendation to wear masks in public, but to not proactively re-implement Ontario’s mask mandate. it sounds like he’s talking from both sides of his mouth and it makes no sense. For a guy that is quite logically minded, it really looks like something is amiss.
You would think that once you have attained sufficient resources to satisfy a specific need that, once satisfied, you would then redirect excess resources to a different need. For example if you needed a healthy snack and wanted to eat an apple, once you ate an apple or two you would be satiated and stop. Instead you would then look to your other needs, if you were still hungry, such as a sandwich, to balance out your meal. It would be illogical to simply keep searching for and buying various different apples for the sake of variety and interest. In my simple view that is not what I see in the world.
Sometimes you see old people purposely forget things, or purposely do what they are advised not to do. They know what they are doing, but use any excuse to not do it. I understand. They have the right to make decisions for their own life. As CoVid-19 indicators climb here in Toronto and Ontario, I see a purposeful forgetfulness permeating the ether. Government is looking the other way as the indicators worsen.
When indicators were receding the Ontario government was keep to use this as evidence, to bolster its direction to loosen all CoVid-19 mandates. An election is within 2 months, so there is impetus to not annoy voters. This does not protect public health.
In an act of cowardes the West is allowing Ukrainians to die at the hands of Russia. There are protests and finger pointing by the West, and there are sanctions against Russia, but this has not stopped Putin’s punishment and killing of innocent Ukrainians. I had thought that such worldwide organizations such as the UN would be able to prevent such war atrocities, but this has not happened. It has been a long time since WW2, and we, as a species, seemed to have not learned very much.
I’m not old enough to know if human rights atrocities are common in today’s world. It seems like all the bombings in Russia and China’s destruction of their indigenous Uighur minority is well tolerated in the world. I have no experience in such matters, so I’m learning. This is what you get when you’ve not lived through a war.
I don’t know as I’m not old enough, and so I’m asking. I’ve not been through a war before. All these international human rights agreements between countries really useful an enforceable? We are witnessing wanton destruction and killings of Russia bombing Ukraine, as well as the more opaque China destroying their indigenous Uighur population.
Russia bombs Ukraine, destroying cities, killing and injuring countless people. Russia is a member of the UN Security Council, as is China. Both are also part of the UN Human Rights Council, and have been the chair on numerous occasions. Why is Russia and China able to chair these UN councils when they so easily violate the very principals of their council?
The reduced local CoVid-19 Omicron transmissions here in Ontario and the Western world, has been a welcome sight for everyone. This has coincidentally merged with the frustration the Western world has experienced after living with the virus and pandemic for over two years. We all want to breath a sigh of relief and get back to a pre-pandemic life. We all wish to get back to living more normally. The restrictions must go and not return.
It has been over two years since CoVid-19 has blighted the earth. From Wuhan, China, it spanned out all over the earth, reproducing and growing, maiming and killing people. The race between CoVid-19 strains results in the winner finding ever better ways of infecting humans and animals. The other strains die off. Much has been done to blunt the sword of Covid-19, but now we are at a point where we’ve chosen to live with the virus instead of trying to eradicate it. CoVid-19 is formidable and is here to stay.
