Dave Thomas

@davethomas.bsky.social

Professor of Politics & International Relations, Mount Allison University. Studies global capitalism and Canadian corporations abroad. Covid aware. He/him. Also really enjoys baking and gardening.

Begging folks to stop referring to the pandemic in the past tense. It’s still “during COVID”. The pandemic isn’t over just because you want it to be. We have no sterilizing vaccine. No treatment or cure for Long Covid. People are still dying & becoming disabled every day because we refuse to adapt

It is not complicated. These two recent headlines encapsulate the binary that is colonization: the oppressor and the oppressed. This is what Israel has always been and what it has always done to Palestinians. This is Zionism. There is no peace until this injustice ends.

AP: Israeli soldiers burn a hospital in Gaza, December 28, 2024Dire tie if Jamal Aswan hospital arrested for refusing to leave patients.

Kids helped me make a batch of these for the striking postal workers today. The workers are in good spirits despite the relentless drizzle this week. Solidarity with CUPW.

Photo of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack fresh out of the oven.

Although Netanyahu and Gallant will most likely never be tried, it is a small step toward justice for the ICC to clearly spell out the charges against them and issue the warrants. It is now incumbent upon every member state, including Canada, to enforce the warrants.

Democracy Now!@democracynow.org · 2y ago

BREAKING — The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Israel's assault on Gaza.

Covid conscious community: I’ve started seeing a few of these air filters in classrooms on campus. Brand is Fellowes, Aeromax 4. Anyone know much about them? From my searching online they seem like a good option but expensive?

Photo of wall mounted air purifier in a classroom. Brand is Fellowes, Aeromax 4.

Quick introduction to my research work here. I’ve typically worked on Canadian corporations abroad through a critical international political economy approach. My first book looked at Bombardier and a few of its high speed rail projects abroad. Link is here: fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/bombard...

Bombardier Abroad: Patterns of Dispossession

Centred around a theoretical framework that combines concepts of dispossession, political economy and important interventions from the field of settler colonial studies on the topic of colonial dispos...

fernwoodpublishing.ca

Coming back here after a long absence. The thing I liked about Twitter a long time ago was being part of several communities: academic, New Brunswick/Maritime, old friends, Covid aware, radical politics globally. Also a place to build community. Maybe it can happen again.

“The largest Canadian newspapers have given disproportionate attention to the deaths of Israelis, portrayed Israelis in more humanized ways, characterized their deaths as more worthy of indignation, and more often identified who was responsible for killing them”

Palestinian deaths count for less in Canada’s newspapers. Data proves it ⋆ The Breach

An analysis of thousands of sentences in Canada’s top newspapers shows a clear bias that serves to sanitize Palestinians’ deaths

breachmedia.ca

Another student emailing me today who is out with Covid. I’ve lost track of how many and it’s just October. I don’t think I’ve ever seen attendance this low in all my years of teaching. But sure, let’s just let it rip through everyone over and over with no protections.

When I first heard someone had recorded a new version of Tracy Chapman’s song Fast Car I was horrified and deeply sceptical. But I gotta say, Luke Combs does it justice and it’s a great sound. Others might disagree.

I teach a third year course called Global Capitalism this term. We are doing a unit on food and watching the documentary Food Inc from 2008. Still a classic for documenting the corporate concentration and control over food production and distribution in America. Very similar trends in Canada too.

If someone were to ask me what one simple thing is to help you enjoy life, I would say grow some fresh herbs and smell them on a regular basis. Basil, dill, cilantro, rosemary, whatever. Added bonus if you add them to your food.

This book is such a gift. The photos and stories shared here are so valuable. It provides an insider’s perspective on what life was like inside the hospitals during brutal phases of the pandemic.

Image of a book cover. Title is Shadows and Light: a physician’s lens on Covid. By Heather Patterson, MD.

In preparation for the Fall, me and a few colleagues convinced our union to purchase a couple CO2 monitoring devices that will be lent out to faculty members. The institution doesn’t seem interested in monitoring indoor air quality, so we will start doing it ourselves.