The Sunday Edition for June 14, 2020
Listen to this week's episode with host Michael Enright:
A COVID-19 confinement chronicle: week 13 — Michael's essay: "Poorer countries account for three-quarters of the 100,000 new cases detected worldwide each day. And those numbers likely suggest an undercount. Which means if we truly believe the cliché "We are all in this together," richer countries should be planning huge humanitarian programs now and looking at issues such as debt forgiveness and financial support."
Police reform, the case for defunding, and the obstacles to both: It used to be a given that increased spending on police budgets meant increased security — and that police budgets were untouchable. In less than three weeks, though, the Black Lives Matter movement has completely changed the conversation. Robyn Maynard, the author of Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present, makes the case for defunding. And John Sewell, co-ordinator of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition and a former mayor of Toronto, explains the forces, as powerful as ever, that are working against change.
A Nobel laureate on reviving the global economy after the COVID-19 shutdown: The COVID-19 pandemic set off the most extensive economic meltdown in at least 150 years, devastating economies across the globe. After they've been shut down, whole economies and employment can't simply be cranked up again, to full capacity, with the flip of a switch. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz joins Michael Enright to talk about what will be needed to rebuild the global economy, whether it will transform capitalism, and the hazards and opportunities that lie ahead.
An inspiration for artists and poets, the Tantramar Marsh is under threat: The Tantramar Marsh of New Brunswick is the only saltwater intertidal marsh of its kind in the world. It's a magnet for wildlife and for artists and writers. Rising sea levels due to climate change may mean its future is bleak. Janna Graham's documentary is called "The Banished Sea."
Bill Richardson and the pandemic version of the "Safety Dance": We now live in an age in which fancy footwork has become a necessary life skill. On paths and sidewalks, in supermarkets and stores, and just about anywhere else humans encounter each other, we are expected to sashay around each other as never before, which has led to some interesting forms of the distancing dance. Bill Richardson is back with his own inimitable take.
There's a reason we procrastinate and it's not laziness: There's a long list of things that set humans apart from other species but, surely, no other creature procrastinates the way we do. We may blame it on laziness, lack of motivation or disorganization, but Carleton University psychologist Tim Pychyl, author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change, says the real roots of procrastination are in our desire to avoid difficult or unpleasant emotions. Managing emotions is the best way to fight procrastination, not a productivity app.
Documentary: Mamma in the Mirror (reprise): In The Sunday Edition's 20 years on the air, we have broadcast a number of stories related to dementia. One of the most moving pieces we've aired on the subject was the story of how artist Tony Luciani embarked on a new project, in life and art, with his mother, and transformed their lives. Alisa Siegel's documentary, "Mamma in the Mirror," first aired in March, 2019.
Music this week by: Duo Concertante, Franz Schubert, Bill Evans, BadBadNotGood, Bucky Pizzarelli, Lena Horne, Michael Kaeshammer, Greg Keelor, Lenny Breau and Dave Brubeck.
