The Sunday Edition for February 2, 2020

Listen to this week's episode with host Michael Enright:

Michael's Essay — Fear, panic, preparedness and the new coronavirus: "I would suggest that we are better armed in many ways because of the work of one man — an Ontario judge named Archie Campbell. After the SARS episode subsided, Justice Campbell investigated every element of the crisis and underlined the systemic failures of different health and government agencies, many of whom were not even talking to one another. Most of his recommendations were implemented."

Brexit and the border: Brexit is finally a reality, but the future remains murky, particularly in Northern Ireland; it's unclear whether Brexit will ultimately mean a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland or whether London is effectively cutting Ulster loose. Garrett Carr has walked the entire length of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland — journeys he chronicled in his book, The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland's Border. He joins Michael Enright to talk about what Brexit means for that border and the people on either side of it.

From whitewater to dishwater: University student Isaac Finkelstein was excited about landing a summer job as a whitewater rafting guide. But he soon discovered a more profound education was in store when he found himself working as a dishwasher. His essay is called "A Flickering Path."

The four-legged companions of the homeless: It can be jarring to see homeless people sitting or sleeping on busy streets — completely alone while the sidewalks hum with human life all around them. But not all of them are alone. Many spend their days and nights with their closest, most loyal friends by their side — their dogs or cats. David Gutnick tells the story of the life-affirming bonds forged with their canine and feline companions in his documentary, "The Guardians."

One of these professors is not like the others: Canadian-born and educated, Lochlann Jain is not a typical academic. Professor Jain is an artist and a professor of anthropology and global health, researching science, law, gender, history, cancer, political economy and the respiratory system, among other things. Professor Jain's new book Things That Art — in which pages have titles like "things for whom the bell tolls" or "things recommended not so long ago for the resuscitation of the drowned" — also defies categories and the ways we order the world.

The carnal exploits and rebellious behaviour of music's bad boys — Bach and Beethoven: Music historian Ted Gioia discusses some of western culture's most revered musical icons — such as Bach and Beethoven — with a focus on the profane sides of their art and their temperaments. Bach wrote sacred music for the Church, but he was no choir boy. In his latest book, Music: A Subversive History, Gioia argues that much of their greatness lay in their transgressiveness. 

Mail: Pedestrian deaths, weather

Music: Stephane Grappelli, Raoul Bhaneja and Blue Standard, Pepe Romero, Bach, Keb' Mo', Wendy Carlos, Beethoven, Kingston Trio