Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

Canada and the Great Irish Famine 
This book by William Jenkins, published in paperback last October, has been approved for addition to the Ottawa Public Library collection.

2025 continues series of world’s three warmest years

What in Irish history “was surely a major tribute to the longevity of our race, and the healthy character of our much-abused weather”? Find out on Valentine’s Day.

New variant of the flu virus is driving surge of cases across the US and Canada

Flu activity in Canada has started to trend downward as of 9 January, following a sharp spike in mid-December.
During the peak period in late December, over 26% of all flu tests performed across the country came back positive.
In Canada, the surge was driven by a highly infectious new H3N2 subtype called subclade K. This variant is noted for causing high fevers and hitting children particularly hard compared to previous years.

Keep up to date with the Canadian respiratory virus surveillance report.

Constable’s “The Cornfield”: A Bicentenary Harvesting
From Gresham College, by Malcolm Andrews, reflections on a painting that has acquired iconic status – a marker of national identity — as a representation of typically English countryside.  At 1 pm on Tuesday.

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips: Anonymous, Dianne Brydon, Gail, Sylvia Smith, Teresa,