Musical interlude

Tinlicker feat. Helsloot - Because You Move Me

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Paul Krugman discusses how one of the top priorities of the second Donald Trump administration is to trash public health in the U.S. And CBC News reports that the Libs are cutting public health staffing even as COVID continues to circulate and new threats emerge while the U.S. vacuum undermines any international response.

- Hamilton Nolan writes that Trump's ascent makes for a painful political application of the Greater Fool Theory in action - and that the only path to reversing it is to engage in opposition rather than attempts to foist costs onto others. Thor Benson interviews David de Jong about the history of corporate oligarchs making common cause with fascists in order to entrench their wealth and power. And Nora Loreto writes that the rise of fascism can be traced to the displacement of democratic power by neoliberal capitalism.  

- David Climenhaga discusses Steve Verheul's recognition that Danielle Smith is looking to sell out Canada to benefit Trump, while Stephen Magusiak notes that Scott Moe and other right-wing politicians are joining the anti-Canada coalition. And James Magnus-Johnston writes that we can't take for granted that a US takeover is impossible when a substantial base of institutional power is perfectly willing to collaborate with it. 

- Noah Berlatsky writes about the need to support the people who dare to speak out against the abuses of the Trump regime, even as Parker Molloy points out the rage machine seeking to impose intolerable costs on anybody who does so. Grace Blakely discusses how only collective action will offer a viable alternative to the descent into authoritarianism, while Sam Pressler points out the dangers of thinking we can make progress without engaging people directly. And David Zipper notes that car-centric urban design has made it needlessly difficult for people to interact socially. 

- Finally, Jake Landau comments on the importance of providing refuge for trans people and others fleeing the U.S. But Emma Weller reports that the Libs are instead slashing our immigration resources while holding to the claim that there's no concern about anybody's safety. 

On team cancers

Shorter Scott Moe:

Of course I'm on Team Canada! I just don't intend to contribute to it, and instead plan to interfere with its every move, and want to make clear to its opponent that I'm on their side!

Can anybody check how many of Moe's reputed wicked slap shots were directed at his team's own net?

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Damian Carrington reports on Antonio Guterres' latest warning about the dangers of perpetuating our fossil fuel addiction - even as Donald Trump and a growing number of Canadian conservative quislings push to exacerbate it. Joshua Lappen discusses how the U.S.' fossil gas infrastructure is doomed - with Los Angeles providing a preview of what's in store across the country. Ember Energy examines (PDF) the EU's progress in transitioning to cleaner energy, with solar power overtaking coal for the first time and gas continuing to decline. And Conor Curtis points out how to talk about the reality that a transition to clean energy would be a plus for Canada's sovereignty as well as for our living environment. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk reports on the public outcry resulting from Danielle Smith's decision to declare open season for coal mining in the Rockies. And Joel Dryden talks to a member of the UCP's own coal policy committee who's rightly outraged that fossil fuel tycoons' whims are being given precedence over the product of a public consultation. 

- Shimly Rajendrakumar examines the effect of microplastics on agricultural systems, with a wide range of plastic products resulting in adverse consequences for the health of soil, animals and consumers. 

- Matthew Trevithick reports on the beginning of what could be a massive U.S. exodus to Canada as people flee the Trump administration, while David Baxter discusses the push from refugee advocates to ensure transgender people are able to make asylum claims rather than being told they're completely safe in a country that denies their existence. But Elizabeth Thompson reports that the response from the Libs so far is to assume everything's fine and maintain the fiction that the U.S. is safe. 

- Finally, Dan Rather discusses the firehose effect - and the need to withstand Trump's attempt to shock, awe and overwhelm people into compliance. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Kathy Sheridan discusses why it's well past time to ensure billionaires pay their fair share of taxes, while Graeme Wearden and Heather Stewart report on a new poll showing that even a majority of millionaires view extreme wealth concentration as a threat to democracy. And Andrew Perez and Asawin Suebsaeng highlight how the U.S.' oligarchy is past putting even a facade of caring about anything other than its own concentration of wealth and power, while Filipe Campante and Raymond Fisman note that crony capitalism invariably produces worse results for everybody other than the few members of the regime's inner circle.  

- Meanwhile, Tom Parkin points out the stark difference between anti-tax rhetoric in theory and practice, as workers earning up to $150,000 pay less tax in British Columbia than Alberta while only the richest pay less under a right-wing government. 

- Nora Loreto discusses how our political and economic system has been designed to squeeze workers and remove supports in order to ensure people are easily exploited by the rich. And Emma Paling notes that the U.S. has been dictating the terms of Canadian politics for decades at the expense of our sovereignty and well-being. 

- Mihai Andrei writes about new research showing the connection between hard-right ideology and systemic misinformation even before the social media takeover by regressive forces. 

- Finally, Gordon Brown offers a warning to Donald Trump about the dangers of abandoning the World Health Organization when countries' interests in fighting disease are so closely aligned. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Lounging cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman discusses the importance of calling out misinformation rather than downplaying or legitimizing it - especially when it's being sprayed around by the wealthy and powerful for their own self-serving ends. And Jill Hopke warns that the spread of anti-environmental propaganda on corporate social media is only set to get much worse, while Katharine Hayhoe notes that there's no reason to cling to a position of "neutrality" as to whether we'll have a liveable planet. 

- Jennifer Rubin writes about the Trump administration's blatant declaration that it will consist of government of, for and by billionaires. Freddy Brewster points out the techbro plan to trash the U.S.' public finances and the Earth's living environment in one fell swoop by funneling massive amounts of public money into cryptocurrency. 

- Sarah Kendzior's suggestions in responding to Trump's taking office include focusing on anti-corruption which should be a common priority for everybody but Trump and his cronies, while Ruth Ben-Ghat emphasizes the importance of a political opposition which stands up to autocracy. Nathan Robinson discusses the potential for a second New Deal movement in response to the economic and social depressions planned by Trump and his inner circle. And Christopher Holcroft writes about the need to stand up to the Cons' attacks on diversity and inclusion - which I'd note should have an immense payoff as a strong majority of people are included in the groups sought to be pushed further out to the margins. 

- Noah Berlatsky and Ilana Gershon discuss how authoritarian workplaces have laid the groundwork for similar patterns in culture and governance. And Briarpatch examines the reality of economic violence against workers.  

- Finally, the Missing Middle Initiative offers a set of guiding principles and goals to ensure young people have something to strive for. 

On litmus tests

Plenty of Canadian political figures seem to have reacted to the announcement that we won't face tariffs just yet with a sigh a relief, and an apparent view that we don't need to worry about what's happening to our south until such time as profits are immediately affected. 

Others will note that Trump's first day included attacks on the personhood of trans people and the protection of minorities, as well as the existence of anybody who might be perceived as an immigrant - and work on ensuring that people threatened by the new administration aren't trapped by it. 

When assessing who's resisting Trump in solidarity with the people most in need of help as opposed to looking out only for the interests of capital, there shouldn't be much doubt which we should want our leaders to be. We'll find out very soon who falls into which category.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Julia Kollewe reports on Oxfam's latest data on inequality showing that the wealth of billionaires grey by over two trillion dollars in 2024, with the prospect of multiple trillionaires looming as an imminent posibility. And Seamas O'Reilly discusses how tech oligarchs are making life objectively worse for the general public, while Philip Moscovitch talks to Ed Zitron about the spread of the rot economy. 

- Katherine Rempel reports on the reaction of businesses to Trump's tariff threats - which understandably involve routing import supply chains around the tariffs to the extent possible rather than building a new manufacturing sector from scratch. Gabriel Zucman makes the case for Europe to develop a trade regime managed to counter carbon pollution and wealth accumulation. And Christo Aivalis discusses how Canada's response should involve a move toward public ownership and economic planning, while Cory Doctorow suggests that Canada focus on developing alternatives and workarounds to rent-seeking in tech and consumer goods. 

- Meanwhile, Heather Stewart writes about a new paper on the importance of cohesion and trust to produce both economic and social success.  

- Finally, Joan Westenberg discusses the need to work on building rather than falling into cynicism and inaction. And Charlie Warzel notes that the internet can and should be a source of support and engagement, rather than merely a source of material for doomscrolling.