Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Gillian Steward asks how many communities need to be destroyed for the UCP and other climate denialists to start even pretending to care - though I'm not optimistic there's any level of real-world destruction that would dislodge a well-funded and deeply-ingrained culture of fossil fuel zealotry. Doug Cuthand writes that Canada's increase in wildfire activity is one of the many harms caused by climate change. And Erin Martin-Jones discusses how the same phenomenon has been observed around the globe, while Brian Owens points out the increase in "fire clouds" as a particularly severe form of fire activity.

- The University of Amsterdam examines how scientists are responding to the climate breakdown, and finds that the people who know the consequences of carbon pollution best are doing far more to try to avert it. And The University of the Basque Country finds that the oil industry's fraud on the public isn't limited to denying its longstanding knowledge of the climate crisis, but includes suppressing research into damage to biodiversity.

- Michelle Gamage offers a reminder that the COVID pandemic remains an ongoing crisis - even if British Columbia has joined other jurisdictions in treating it as less than an emergency. And Craig Brierly discusses new research showing that COVID-19 vaccines have helped people to avoid heart attacks and strokes.

- Cory Doctorow rightly questions why we allow the finance sector to loot the productive economy.

- Finally, Sarah Krichel discusses how Mark Zuckerberg's selective ban on Canadian news (allowing the right-wing pseudo-news echo chamber to reverberate while suppressing any journalism with standards of accuracy) is poisoning the flow of public information.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Cory Doctorow discusses the inherent impossibility of trying to build any public good on an economic system centered on selfishness:

This is the problem at the core of "mechanism design" grounded in "rational self-interest." If you try to create a system where people do the right thing because they're selfish assholes, you normalize being a selfish asshole. Eventually, the selfish assholes form a cozy little League of Selfish Assholes and turn on the rest of us.   

Appeals to morality don't work on unethical people, but appeals to immorality crowds out ethics.

- Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson points out that Canada's real productivity problem is its embrace of neoliberalism. 

- Adam King discusses how pay transparency produces better results for workers. Francesca Fionda notes that corporate mining operators are having difficulty finding workers due to the public's recognition of the industry's track record of abuse. And Zak Vescera reports on Simon Fraser University's use of public money to hire a fossil fuel-connected firm to spy on striking teaching assistants. 

- Clayton Page Aldern writes that the effects of a climate breakdown will foreseeably include a more violent world as well as a hotter and more parched one. Doug Cuthand highlights how Canada's shouting match over carbon pricing is keeping us from even talking about the scope of policy needed to actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And Chris Hatch reports on polling showing that the Cons have fostered a culture of denialism which renders them unwilling to even acknowledge the reality of climate change. And Darryl Greer reports that terminal operators are claiming the entitlement to hide their carbon pollution as a "trade secret". 

- Finally, Joel Dryden and Carla Turner report on the dwindling water resources in southern Alberta - which would represent a problem for any reality-based Saskatchewan government, particularly one planning to throw billions at an irrigation scheme which relies on water that's either disappearing or becoming polluted. And Fatima Syed points out that Ontario is rapidly burning through its available landfill space (due mostly to businesses and institutional dumpers). 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Aaron Wherry discusses the deadly-serious consequences of climate denialism which is driven by frivolous rhetoric. And Andre Mayer points out the numerous ways in which the climate breakdown is actually responsible for the increased cost of living which is being used as an excuse to stall what little action has been planned to try to combat change. 

- Sachi Mulkey reports on new research showing that methane from landfills represents just one more area in which we're spewing more carbon pollution than previously documented (or taken into account in climate change plans). And Ben Webster reports on a carbon capture project which ExxonMobil isn't bothering to complete after trumpeting it as an excuse for fossil fuel expansion.  

- Hugo Daniel reports on the misinformation and denialism from a major asbestos supplier which has continued to pollute information flows long after the dangers of asbestos use were widely known. And Maureen Tkacik discusses how Boeing purged its organization of people who knew how to build safe airplanes in order to maximize short-term profits. 

- Candice Odgers reviews Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation - and in the process points out that anybody genuinely concerned about children's well-being should be working primarily on alleviating real-world stressors, rather than focusing solely and conveniently on social media. And Emine Saner discusses how Estonia's focus on fostering a supportive environment for children and teachers alike has resulted in better educational performance. 

- Finally, Katya Schwenk reports on how large corporates are funneling dark money into buying extreme firepower for police forces - making them both more likely to pursue extreme violence, and biased to direct it against people without the same level of wealth or power. And Doug Cuthand highlights how prisons have replaced residential schools as the main institution used to impose control on Indigenous people. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Nandini Gautam discusses the World Health Organization's research showing how COVID-19 damages the human immune system. And Adam Kucharski takes a look at historic accounts of the 1918-19 influenza pandemic as a grim foreshadowing of how history books will look back on the public policy response to COVID. 

- Doug Cuthand calls out the Moe government as falling squarely into the group of obstructionist governments looking to derail COP28 and any other work to avert a climate breakdown, while Jeremy Appel examines the idiocy of Danielle Smith's invocation of a Sovereignty Act to try to avoid any path to reducing emissions from the power sector. Chris Kruszewski and David Ellis point out how the wealthiest and greediest few are the only people who benefit from false solutions and delay. And Arielle Samuelson documents some of the fossil fuel lobbyists who are being allowed to set global climate policy, while Jon Queally points out the particular absurdity of a fossil fuel-sector greenwashing effort based on gradually reducing only the carbon pollution caused by the extracting of fuel intended to release massive amounts of CO2 into atmosphere when it's burned. 

- Clarrie Feinstein reports on the reality that condo construction in Toronto is doing nothing to alleviate the housing crisis when half of the units are being snapped up as investment properties. And Liam Casey reports on the Ford PCs' conclusion that it's far too inconvenient for construction firms to face an investigation into *every single fatality* on their work sites, such that deaths will be lumped together as part of what's apparently expected to be a regular inquest process. 

- Finally, Dylan Matthews discusses the results of a large-scale basic income experiment in Kenya - with multiple payment structures producing economic benefits, but long-term security in monthly payments also creating gains in well-being and mental health. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Mary Van Beusekom discusses new research showing that a quarter of COVID-19 survivors are still facing impaired lung function (among other health problems) a year after infection. And Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti write about the CDC's approval of new vaccines better targeted toward current variants, while Beth Mole reports on its concurrent recommendation that everybody get a booster this fall. 

- Scott Denning makes the point that we shouldn't call a broken climate a "new normal" when we have no idea how to navigate it, while Al Jazeera reports on Volker Turk's warning that a dystopian future is already here. And Thora Tenbrink discusses how perceptions of the climate threat vary from place to place - particularly in a rural-urban divide. 

- Meanwhile, Michael Keller reports on a new research tool showing the consistent acidification of oceans as another example of the degradation of vital environmental systems. 

- Penny Daflos exposes the parasitic extraction of health funding by private staffing agencies. And Dayne Patterson reports on the Moe government's refusal to accept a donation of money to buy an MRI machine to operate in Estevan - presumably in large part because resources allowing essential services to be publicly performed would limit the ability of Sask Party donors to profit from them. 

- Finally, Doug Cuthand calls out the Moe government for trying to reduce access to sex education and inclusive learning in a province which desperately needs to work on improving both. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Katie Camero discusses how the belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is over (pushed by businesses and politicians eager to avoid responsibility for anybody's health) is creating avoidable dangers for everybody. Sydney Stein et al. study the persistence and dispersal of COVID in the bodies of its victims, while Alexander Tin reports on CDC research tracing the number of long COVID deaths in the U.S. And Jill McIntosh reports on a new study showing a correlation between vaccine refusal and car accidents - with the plausible confounding factors of carelessness and a disregard for others hardly serving as a defence for people inflicting risks on the public in multiple ways. 

- Danyaal Raza weighs in on the prospect of community health hubs to ensure people have access to the primary care they need. Kenyon Wallace and Megan Ogilvie trace the causes of the crisis of pediatric care in Ontario. And Chris Gallaway highlights how the solution to capacity limitations is investment in a public system that's designed to succeed, not funneling money toward corporate profiteers based on the claim that Medicare is beyond repair. 

- Armine Yalnizyan tests (and finds reason to doubt) the theory that increasing interest rates are invariable effective to reverse inflation. And Derek Decloet reports on the reality that Canadians are facing exceptionally high levels of consumer debt payments even with rates at relatively low levels - which should raise a red flag that further increases will cause catastrophic damage to individual-level finances.  

- Geoffrey York reports on the RCMP's investigation into corruption by the mining company Ivanhoe in its exploitation of copper resources in the Congo. And Matteo Cimellaro reports on a push by Indigenous nations in the Amazon to limit the harm done by the Canadian resource extraction sector.

- Janetta MacKenzie writes about the inevitable decline in fossil fuel reliance despite the obstruction of the industry and its political spokespuppets. Justine Hunter reports on a Canadian Climate Institute study finding that Canada's haphazard climate adaptation plan is both underresourced, and poorly targeted to address the known results of a climate breakdown. And Don Pittis discusses how a focus on electric vehicles alone neglects both the carbon pollution resulting from power generation, and the effects of perpetuating a car-based transportation system.  

- Finally, Doug Cuthand highlights how the cynical assertion of "sovereignty" by Danielle Smith and Scott Moe is based on the deliberate erasure of treaty rights. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Olha Puhach, Benjamin Meyer and Isabella Eckerle examine what we've learned about viral shedding from the COVID pandemic so far, while Bhanvi Satija reports on WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' warning that we may face plenty more dangerous mutations if we keep pretending the pandemic is in the past. And British Columbia's lessons learned report (PDF) offers at least a somewhat substantial review of what governments need to be doing in order to be able to ensure public health during an emergency.

- Kate Bueckert reports on the continued expansion of food banks which were supposed to be a temporary relief measure, not a long-term alternative to an adequate standard of living. 

- Pratyush Dayal discusses the wave of Saskatchewan residents being evicted from housing due to cost pressures far beyond their control. And Jen St. Denis writes about the supports needed to keep people from falling into homelessness.

- Doug Cuthand writes that we should be funding safe consumption sites to reduce the harm from drug use - and not lending any credence to the politically-motivated messages of the anti-social parties bent on attacking them. And Euan Thompson, Ginetta Salvalaggio and Petra Schulz add supportive housing and safe supply to the list of policies which can end the drug fatality crisis.

- Finally, Simon Enoch offers a reminder that the Moe government's plans to shutter Saskatchewan's SLGA liquor stores represents the continuation of a longstanding policy of undermining public institutions, not a result of market forces. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Beatrice Adler-Bolton discusses how the U.S.' debate over the most basic of COVID-19 protections reflects fundamental choices as to whether people should have even the slightest respect for each others' health and well-being. Glen Pearson notes that a (however unjustifiable) willingness to accept protections in order to avoid needless COVID spread will necessitate other, far larger changes in how we live our lives. And Public Health Ontario offers (PDF) a look at the current state of knowledge about long COVID - including the reality that it's going to cause mass disability among people who have been infected even with "mild" cases.

- Igor Derysh calls out corporate profiteers for falsely blaming price increases on labour costs - even as it's profit shares and executive pay that have gone up disproportionately. And Ben Winck writes that U.S. workers actually faced substantial real wage cuts in the last year.

- Meanwhile, Darren Shore points out how Canada is lagging even behind the U.S. in ensuring that entertainment for the executive class isn't treated as a tax writeoff. 

- Nick Gottlieb discusses how the new climate denialism is wrapping itself in false assertions that we're already doing enough to avert a climate breakdown. Kate Aronoff writes that any subsidies to try to boost the immediate supply of fossil fuels should include strict controls to avoid long-term climate damage. And Nick Grover argues that we need to stop pouring money and resources into building highways which serve only to increase pollution and sprawl.

- Finally, Chloe Chaplain reports on the large number of young people who see themselves and their interests being completely neglected in the UK's political system. And Doug Cuthand writes that education is crucial to ensure that Indigenous people in particular are able to be full participants in Saskatchewan's future.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Doug Cuthand writes that falsely pretending we're "back to normal" in the midst of a pandemic does nothing but put people at needless risk. CBC Radio talks to experts about what we should be doing with vaccine passports, and finds that if any change is in order it's to ensure that the definition of being vaccinated includes the receipt of booster doses. And Ian Welsh writes that there's no way to describe people fighting against public health protections other than unambiguously pro-death.  

- Mohy-Dean Tabbara, Jennefer Laidley and Garima Talwar Kapoor point out how single people living in deep poverty have been neglected in the design of pandemic supports (even before governments started slashing those in the name of forcing people back to unsafe work).  

- Robert Danisch warns that a foreign-funded extremist movement should push Canada to start reckoning with the collapse of democracy in the U.S. CBC Radio discusses the perversion of the concept of "freedom" fuelling the #FluTruxKlan's rhetoric. And Mitchell Thompson writes about Ted Byfield's legacy as one of the people most responsible for laying the groundwork for reactionary extremism in Canada.  

- Finally, George Monbiot calls out the UK Cons for using crocodile tears about affordability for the poor as an excuse to shovel profits toward the fossil fuel sector. And The Energy Mix highlights how a methane feedback loop may be causing a climate breakdown on an even more rapid pace than we'd previously anticipated. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Elian Peltier reports that Denmark's message that the COVID pandemic is over has predictably given rise to a new - and particularly dangerous - wave as people abandon even the most elementary care to avoid community transmission. And Brittany Gervais reports on the justified outrage of immunocompromised Albertans who have been told the new normal involves their being unable to participate in society due to uncontrolled viral spread. 

- Cindy Blackstock, Leilani Farha, Monia Mazigh and Alex Neve offer some important questions about how we treat protests generally in the wake of the #FluTruxKlan being allowed to lay siege to Canada's capital. Doug Cuthand discusses how the deference shown to violent extremists shows the operation of white privilege in action. And Justin Ling points out the role of QAnon and other conspiracy theorist groups in driving the convoy. 

- John Anderson discusses what Canada has lost through two decades of corporate tax revenue lost to tax slashing and loopholes. 

- Meanwhile, Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood notes that workers predictably haven't benefited from yet another temporary boom in oil prices. And Marc Lee, Tom Green, Peter McCartney and Anjali Appadurai discuss the need for British Columbia's royalty regime to take into account the transition away from relying on carbon pollution for energy. 

- Alyshah Hasham writes about a new learning hub intended to ensure that people facing criminal charges aren't trapped in a cycle of poverty and recidivism. 

- Finally, Lee discusses the need for more medium-density not-for-profit housing to ensure that a fundamental right isn't left to the whims of market forces and exclusionary zoning. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Mike Mariani writes about the difficulty people suffering from long COVID have experienced trying to have their condition recognized and treated under governments looking to diminish or deny the existence of their disease. And Hannah Devlin and Nicola Davis discuss how scientific knowledge of COVID has evolved - with the recognition of the importance of masking (which is of course only becoming all the more vital in the face of the Omicron variant) serving as one of the most important developments.

- Wendy Glauser writes that in addition to providing frontline care, health workers have been performing vital work in providing the public with accurate informaion. Omar Mosleh discusses Tara Moriarty's fight to share accurate data in the face of Scott Moe's attempt to overrule health experts. And Jason Warick talks to several political scientists who conclude that Moe's combination of science denial and support for the bigoted #FluTruxKlan is unprecedented in Canadian history.

- Danyaal Raza and Wendy Lai are hopeful that the development of an unpatented vaccine will significantly shorten the timeline to vaccinate the world - though prioritizing public health over intellectual property rights when it comes to existing vaccines remains an important part of any plan. And until it's possible to achieve global protection through vaccination, Molly Jong-Fast discusses the importance of living - and doing our best to limit the spread of COVID - one day at a time. 

- Scott Schmidt asks where Alberta (among other jurisdictions) will end up in dealing with foreseeable future COVID waves if it allows violent ignorance to carry the day now.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand rightly notes that the police deference to violent anti-vaxx occupiers demonstrates the obvious presence of white privilege. And SURJ Toronto highlights the importance of using that privilege to push for fairness and equality.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Doug Cuthand writes that all spin to the contrary, the #flutruxklan has nothing to do with freedom. Rachel Gilmore reports on the its connections to white nationalism and racism. Justin Ling reports on the warnings to MPs that they're at risk of violence - even as conservatives both provincial and federal continue to support the convoy. And Elizabeth Thompson and Roberto Rocha point out that the firehose of money directed toward the violent overthrow of Canada's federal government includes large donations made anonymously or using fraudulent aliases.  

- CTV News reports on the spread of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant in Canada. Zak Vescera reports on the warning to Saskatchewan's medical community that this will be the worst wave yet even as Scott Moe leaves the province at the mercy of the pandemic, while Phil Tank looks at the soaring rate of outbreaks in long-term care homes. And as our governments actively make a goal out of ensuring that everybody gets infected, Katie Russell discusses a few of the factors which increase one's risk of suffering from long COVID.

- Meanwhile, Walker Bragman and Andrew Perez expose how businesses have lobbied against any protections for workers or customers. And John Bell discusses the connection between profiteering and pay-for-play cronyism reflected in Doug Ford's private vaccine clinic contract.

- Jim Stanford examines the connection between income security and power dynamics in the workplace. And Steve Early reports on the harm done to workers through false promises of cooperation from employers in schemes to increase workloads without raising pay.

- Finally, Umair Haque discusses how acceptance of social Darwinism is at the root of the U.S.' inability and refusal to address collective problems.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- John Vidal discusses how the results of the Glasgow climate summit represents a failure by our leaders to act seriously in the face of a closing window to avert catastrophe, while George Monbiot writes that there's no choice but for citizens to pursue direct action as a result. Patrick Galey points out that the same governments dragging their heels on agreement to save our planet have had no hesitation locking themselves into trade deals which create obstacles to action at the national level. And Robert Hiltz reminds us of Canada's history of failing to live up to its climate change promises.

- All of which leads to Umair Haque's worry that we're approaching a point of civilizational collapse which we're unwilling to even acknowledge (let alone reckon with).

- Jonn Elledge points out the exclusionary classism of UK Cons looking to declare people living in poverty as unduly privileged while claiming that a far higher standard of living is unacceptable for themselves.

- Rainesford Stauffer and Abdullah Shihipar make the case to ensure workers have access to paid leave whatever their reason for needing to make use of it. And Justin Chandler discusses how employers can facilitate working from home for the benefit of all concerned - rather than instead forcing people back into a zero-flexibility requirement to work within an office space.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand highlights how preposterous Scott Moe's demand for "nation" status is coming from the premier failing in the most basic functions of provincial governance.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Fickling responds to the attempt by petropoliticians to blame high gas prices on limited climate action rather than the vagaries of commodity economics. Lisa Friedman reports on the agreement among 30 countries to slash methane emissions as a crucial short-term step in mitigating a climate breakdown. And Pratyush Dayal reports on the embarrassing gap between Saskatchewan residents' acknowledgment of the reality of the climate change, and their unwillingness to be part of the solution in fighting it. 

- Emma Black argues that any successful push toward a just transition needs to originate in the working class. Chris Saltmarsh highlights the importance of a Green New Deal which reflects state planning in the public interest, rather than attempting to get capital interests to develop a clean economy. 

- Lucy Ellman discusses how we've prioritized frequent and gratuitous air travel over basic health and safety (among other far more important concerns).   

- Kim Moody writes about the needless fragility of just-in-time supply chains as exposed by events ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, to the disruption caused by a single stuck ship. 

- Jennifer Sweet reports that out-of-control housing markets are pricing cooperatives out of the picture along with most individuals. 

- David Climenhaga writes about the dangers of Jason Kenney's all-in bet on an equalization referendum to salvage public support. 

- Finally, Doug Cuthand notes that the racism which led to Joyce Echaquan's death remains embedded in Canada's history and established social structures. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ian Austen takes Alberta's shame to the international stage by pointing out how the UCP's "best summer ever" has given rise to the fourth wave of COVID-19. Adam Hunter points out how similarly disastrous pandemic mismanagement hasn't yet produced the same political consequences for Scott Moe as for Jason Kenney, while Doug Cuthand calls out Moe for putting politics over public health. And Zak Vescera reports on the Moe government's decision to start withholding modeling information which has demonstrated how reckless it's been.

- Meanwhile, Mackenzie Read talks to Nazeem Muhajarine about the need for more public health steps to get Saskatchewan's fourth wave under control. Lynn Giesbrecht reports on the hundreds of cases already known to have arisen in two weeks following the return to schools this fall. Dan Jones reports on the responses to Moe's attempt to point fingers at other for his failure to get people vaccinated in Northern and rural areas. And Jaela Bernstein discusses how underpaid frontline workers are bearing the brunt of anti-vaxxer rage.

- Supriya Dwivedi writes that the recent federal election highlighted the Canadian media's lack of recognition of how to deal with far-right disinformation. And Michael Spratt notes that while a manufactured controversy over a question about discrimination was turned to the advantage of right-wing parties, it also served to confirm the distinct and ongoing problem of racism in Quebec.

- Aaron Saad discusses how Canada's governing political parties have prevented their bases from fully understanding and engaging with the climate crisis. And Chris Hatch comments on the climate implications of the federal election.

-Finally, Loren Balhorn writes about the continued importance of working-class political parties to provide voters with a plausible mechanism for social change.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Doug Cuthand discusses how everybody is worse off as a result of the combination of government negligence and individual vaccine hesitancy. And Liam Harrap tells the story of a cancer patient struggling to get access to needed care due to the pandemic which has been allowed to burn out of control. 

- Meanwhile, Amanda Sealy reports on the prospect of vaccines being available for ages 5-11 within a matter of weeks - making it all the more galling that conservative governments have facilitated a fourth wave by eliminating public health rules too soon then taking too long to revisit their talking points.  

- Jonathan Tirone discusses how the "locked-in" emissions even from existing refineries will lead to climate catastrophe if they're spewed out as planned.

- Rosie Collington and Mariana Mazzucato comment on the disastrous results of replacing knowledgeable and effective government with reliance on expensive and self-interested corporate consultants. 

- Finally, Owen Jones comments on the widespread dissatisfaction with capitalism among young adults who see their futures being mortgaged for the sake of making the obscenely rich even wealthier. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Doug Cuthand calls out the Kenney and Moe governments for prematurely and irresponsibly declaring victory over COVID rather than paying any attention to how they've put their citizens at risk. And Nesrine Malik highlights how decades of anti-government rhetoric have laid the groundwork for vaccine hesitancy in the midst of a pandemic.

- Darren Shore reviews Jonathan Gauvin and Angella MacEwen's Share the Wealth as an important read in understanding both the reality of wealth inequality, and the policy choices which can address it. Kim Siever discusses the overwhelming popular support for the principle that the wealthy should pay their fair share. And Katherine Scott examines the NDP's pre-campaign policy commitments in addressing social and economic inequality. 

- Sask Dispatch comments on the need to start talking about - and planning for - the failure of the climate system we've relied up to support us. And Jeremy Corbyn discusses how climate change is a class issue - both in its disproportionate impact on vulnerable people, and the need for class struggle to combat it.

- Finally, Jason Vermes reports on the reality that the growth of global temperatures is only accelerating even as the base temperature reaches higher levels than any seen in recorded history. And Bonnie Allen and Theresa Kliem report on what's becoming one of the worst droughts in Canadian history - even as farmers are forced to brace for the prospect of it turning into the new normal.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- John Paul Tasker writes that Canada needs to push hard to increase the number of vaccinated people to prevent a fourth wave of COVID-19. An anonymous COVID ward worker in the UK expresses well-justified anger that health care workers and vulnerable people will bear the brunt of a conservative government's gross negligence in slashing public health protections. Marianne Guenot reports on an outbreak of 964 cases at a single outdoor music festival which required proof of immunity - signalling the massive dangers of eliminating social distancing as a protective measure. And Emma Sandri reports on new research documenting the many debilitating symptoms of long COVID. 

- Amelia Pollard discusses Pfizer's push to encourage third "booster" shots of little medical value in more profitable markets rather than allowing vaccines to be distributed where they're most needed. And Erika Edwards reports that any approval of vaccines for children under 12 may be on hold until winter. 

- Philipp Heimberger and Sebastian Gechert highlight how corporate tax cuts don't contribute to growth, only to exacerbated inequality. And Mark Blyth calls out the conservative obsession with inflation at the expense of human well-being. 

- Saba Dar examines the history of land privatization in Saskatchewan - and the environmental damage associated with selling off public lands. 

- Marion Werner, Annie Shattuck and Ryan Galt ask why glyphosate is still ubiquitous in both commercial agriculture and home gardens after being recognized as a probable human carcinogen. 

- Finally, Doug Cuthand writes that we're far past the point where empty statements of apology or regret are a sufficient response to broader awareness of Canada's legacy of genocide. And Emilie Nicolas points out the level of ignorance about Indigenous peoples - to say nothing of Indigenous languages - that has been treated as a laughing matter by the same people stoking outrage over Mary Simon's ability to speak French. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Jennifer Lee reports on the debilitating lasting effects of long COVID. John Pavlovitz tells the story of his family's experience suffering from COVID-19 after three of its four members were fully vaccinated. And Paul Taylor notes that people on immune-suppressing drugs may see reduced effectiveness from vaccines.

- Alexia Cambon points out the folly of clinging to restrictive requirements to spend specific, non-productive hours in an office after we've seen how people can work successfully with more flexibility. And the Canadian Press reports on the pattern of people choosing not to stay in abusive workplaces once they've experienced an alternative.

- Joe Pinsker writes that the lesson we should take from the world's happiest countries is that people value a functional society substantially more than income growth concentrated at the top. And Tim Jackson argues that a capitalism system based substantially on manufacturing unhappiness then charging for temporary relief is ultimately doomed to fail. 

- Douglas Todd writes about the psychological toll that results when basic needs such as housing become unaffordable. And Zak Vescera reports on the Saskatchewan Party's choice to cut thousands of Saskatchewan residents off from the social supports they need in the name of arbitrary program changes.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand writes about the need to recognize and give modern effect to treaty rights as the key step toward reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous peoples.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Devon McKendrick reports on Manitoba's announcement of a digital vaccine passport as a means of both incentivizing people to get vaccinations, and ensuring that additional activity avoids unacceptable risks to the public. And Andre Picard writes about the merits of vaccination-based lotteries to similarly encourage hesitant people to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

- Zak Vescera reports on the Moe government's inexplicable plan to sweep away overdose prevention sites set up in the course of the coronavirus pandemic. And Jim Storrie writes that the constant stream of preventable drug-related deaths is the scandal which deserves to be top of mind for Albertans in evaluating the UCP.

- Richie Assaly highlights the need to be skeptical of empty words from the Cons (and Bloc) who have long minimize or stoked Islamophobia for their own political gain. And Max Fawcett reminds us how the Cons in particular are at the root of the prejudice which they now pretend to decry.

- George Monbiot discusses how a series of shifting targets and highly selective metrics has substituted for actual greenhouse gas emission reductions in the UK. And Andrew Nikiforuk examines some of the lies and spin used to excuse climate inaction in Canada.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand discusses the importance of finally giving due respect to the burial sites of children killed by violent colonialism.