frankarmstrong Tick Yes or No: ‘I understand the content I will be reviewing may be disturbing. It is possible that reviewing such content may impact my mental health, and it could even lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).’[i] Last year, a sixteen-year-old Malay girl posted a poll on Instagram asking her followers whether she should live … Read more
The grip of the pandemic having loosened, Frank Armstrong travelled over land and sea from Rome to Athens, and on to the Dodecanese Islands. Although Greece’s Covid-19 death toll has been among the lowest per capita in Europe, it now contends with severely diminished tourist earnings, and the worrying prospect of another war with Turkey. … Read more
In Ireland literary deities hover over us like U.S. Presidents carved into Mount Rushmore. It is a stirring thought that it isn’t philosophers, engineers, scientists, painters or even composers that summoned the Irish nation and gave us international renown, but poets, novelists and playwrights. Yet conversely these looming presences barely register in contemporary discussions; just … Read more
Introduction There are still many unresolved questions regarding the pathogenesis of this disease and especially the reasons underlying the extremely different clinical course, ranging from asymptomatic forms to severe manifestations, including the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). SARS-CoV-2 showed phylogenetic similarities to both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV viruses, and some of the clinical features are shared … Read more
Pan’s Song Your rule has lapsed Apollo, all narrative is dead, You said true form is timeless, but they chose me instead, My pipe has no rhythm, but is easy on the ear, A great tumult rise in ecstasy, precisely as you feared, It’s true you had your time, But as samples, your’s is mine, … Read more
Pressing Pause In the grip of serious illness anyone but an obtuse contrarian seeks medical assistance. As the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, doctors are performing heroics, often at grave risks to their own health. Enhanced screening, testing and emergency treatment facilities, along with developing a vaccine, are now paramount considerations; but we … Read more
Sucked in by day-to-day dramas, or absorbed by the most closely studied pandemic in the history of medicine, the mental space to muse idly is severely circumscribed. But we may find a portal, removed from the daily thud of mortality lists and the slow grind of lockdowns, to raise the spirit. Art is more important … Read more
The total number of deaths attributed to the Coronavirus in Ireland had reached 22 by March 27th, from 2,121 confirmed cases. However, with 14 of those occurring over the previous two day it suggests that number could rise steeply. Indeed, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned that intensive care units may be at capacity ‘within a … Read more
Introduction – To Boldly Go IN A PERIOD OF PROFOUND DISLOCATION WE ASSERT THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM. Last December two Cassandra Voices editors gathered for a think-in with an external advisor. What followed was, for us, an excruciating exercise defining the mission of our publication. Formulating a so-called ‘elevator pitch’ does not come easily … Read more