#ndpldr Roundup

Assorted links and information as the NDP's leadership race reaches its conclusion this weekend.

- Jeremy Appel takes a look at the most recent fund-raising reports, which show Avi Lewis' lead reaching the level where his total donations exceed those of his opponents combined - even as he's relied on smaller donations than the other candidates. 

- Curtis Fric examines polling on the apparent openness of voters to considering the NDP - though it's worth being careful about putting too much stock into immediate impressions of a party which has been engaged in a leadership campaign (and lacking a permanent leader) rather than focusing on defining itself to the public. And on that front, the Angus Reid Institute's polling on the lack of familiarity with the leadership candidates signals both that there's plenty of work to be done in making an introduction, but also that there's plenty of room to make a strong first impression. 

- The Canadian Press reports on the candidates' positions on pursuing a seat in the House of Commons. And for all the focus of Heather McPherson's surrogates on proximity to power, it's striking to see her message framing the ultimate point of the leadership in terms of the ability to ask questions in opposition rather than building a voter coalition capable of winning government. 

- Finally, Linda McQuaig makes the case for a left-wing populist being exactly what the NDP needs in response to the concentration of wealth and power. And Desmond Cole's conversation with Leah Gazan likewise addresses the importance of unapologetic socialism rather than muddled messaging. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Daniel Drache and Marc Froese offer a reminder that we know all too well what a Donald Trump "trade deal" looks like - making the continued Lib/Con obsession with a new one into an exercise in either self-destruction or self-delusion. And Peter Zimonjic reports on Mark Carney's decision to follow the U.S. in prioritizing cryptocurrency schemes over actual economic development. 

- Curtis Fric discusses new polling showing that the U.S.' polarization doesn't extend to public views of control by the wealthy, as a massive supermajority recognizes that billionaires pay too little tax and have too much power. Will Bunch writes about the painful contrast between a public that's emerging to take action against the abuses of the Trump regime and wealthy Democratic Senators who see fascism as presenting new opportunities for supplication, while Adam Bonica notes that the Republicans have repeatedly gotten their way by making laughable appeals to comity and compassion in order to better entrench their arbitrary cruelty. David Sirota and David Resnikoff each discuss how Zohran Mamdani's successful mayoral campaign offers a template for what an opposition party should be doing. 

- Michael Copley et al. examine how home insurance is becoming unaffordable (or outright unavailable)  in the U.S. as the most sophisticated risk managers around decide it's not worth carrying the losses from a climate breakdown. 

- Katharine Hayhoe offers her tips for dealing with climate dismissives on social media. And G. Elliott Morris makes the case to quit social media (particularly on the platforms whose content is determined by top-down algorithms).

- Finally, Susan Helper et al. study the effects of the U.S.' modern slavery in the form of prison labour, and find that it systematically undermines wages and working conditions for workers generally. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Nick Turse highlights how Donald Trump's use of military force to control domestic civilians is unprecedented, while Asawin Suebsaeng and Ryan Bort warn that it stands to get far worse as it gets normalized. And Jamelle Bouie discusses why Trump wants to keep the U.S. in a state of perpetual crisis, while Marcy Wheeler points out that the basis for claiming the authority to rule by fiat is based on little more than blackmail and hostage-taking. 

- Meanwhile, Kelly Hayes discusses what needs to be included in the movement opposing to Trump's fascism - including the commitment to support and care for all of his victims. And Choose Democracy offers some suggestions for activists demonstrating their resistance based on Free DC's example. 

- John Michael McGrath discusses how even the most rabid anti-democratic zealots are having trouble pretending it's possible to get by without state capacity. And Jessie Blaeser examines the growing body of evidence that DOGE (which remains an example for Canada's right-wing politicians) has left a trail of destruction while utterly failing to save money. 

- The Guardian's editorial board writes that Mark Carney's attempt to tie climate progress to voluntary financial commitments has proven an utter failure, while Gillian Steward warns that Carney looks to be abandoning any interest in meaningful climate policy now that he holds power. And while Tim Palmer writes about the importance of basic research in responding the the climate crisi, Ryan Cropp reports that Australia's government is suppressing a study showing the dire consequences of the climate breakdown. 

- But Kristian Knibutat points out that for those willing to look at real data, clean technology has turned into both the safest and highest-upside investment. And David Fenton offers the framing of a "pollution blanket" as indicating both the reality of carbon pollution, and the possibilities for amelioration.

- Eric Wilkerson discusses the futility of trying to negotiate trade deals with a Trump regime which will neither bargain in good faith nor respect any outcomes. 

- Finally, Fred Wilson writes about the need for the Canadian labour movement to engage in mass organizing and systemic opposition to the capital class. And Emma Arkell highlights how legislative victories in British Columbia are translating into the ability to organize precarious workers. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Claire Brown and Mira Rojanasakul report on new research showing that the climate breakdown is only accelerating as the powers that be look for excuses to avoid taking any action to slow it. And Steven Sherwood, Benoit Meyssignac and Thorsten Mauritsen examine the increased amount of heat being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. 

- Anna Robertson reports on the actors seeking to ensure their pension fund isn't used to exacerbate the climate crisis. But Drew Anderson contrasts the pleas of rural residents against the capture of power in Alberta (among other places) by a wealthy few willing to boil our planet in order to keep windfall profits rolling in. 

- Meanwhile, Reuters reports on the entrenchment of the reality that clean energy is the most affordable option as long as public policy isn't being used to block it. And Clean Energy Canada points out that a large majority of Canadians want access to wider range of electric vehicles, rather than being trapped in a U.S.-dominated market. 

- The Plastics Pollution Coalition examines how microplastics are contaminating the oceans. And Ayurella Horn-Muller discusses how arsenic is building up in rice supplies, while Colid Todhunter offers a reminder of how industrial agriculture has been sent up to maximize corporate rent-seeking rather than either the availability of food or a secure living for farmers. 

- Finally, Margaret Sullivan discusses how to stay informed without succumbing to constant doomscrolling. And Noah Berlatsky interviews Kat Abughazaleh about the importance of ensuring people see prospects to build a better world, rather than feeling helpless in the face of corporate and political forces aligned against anything of the sort. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Roge Karma discusses how Donald Trump's tariff chaos is threatening to reinstate a consensus against any strategic decisions around trade. And Garrett Evans highlights how the contrast between free-flowing capital and constraints on public political influence results in distorted decision-making. 

- Hannah Natanson, Joseph Menn, Lisa Rein and Rachel Siegel report on the dangers of DOGE's illegal harvesting and pooling of sensitive personal information. And Jill Lawrence writes that one of the main uses Trump is making of government power is to wage information warfare - as full and accurate data sets are disappeared in favour of selectively-edited data and propaganda. 

- Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports on the Moe government's choice to lobby on behalf of the corporate pesticide industry at the expense of people's health. And Andrew Mitrovica discusses how petropoliticians including Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith are undermining any unified Canadian response to the Trump regime. 

- Meanwhile, Bill McKibben notes that countries which don't act as fully-owned subsidiaries of the oil sector are making significant progress in transitioning to cleaner and more efficient energy sources. And Kate Yoder examines new research showing that it's possible to prime public support for climate action by focusing on binary indications of the climate breakdown rather than less-visible trends.

- Finally, Alex Cosh writes that the polarized Canadian election result is best seen as a temporary response based on strategic considerations, rather than a locked-in expression of approval or transfer of support toward the largest parties. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- The Guardian discusses how Canada is on the frontline of Donald Trump's attacks on any concept of a rules-based international order. Franklin Foer writes about how Trump is operating entirely according to Vladimir Putin's worldview, while Anna Betts reports on the U.S.' place in the list of countries seeing a rapid decline in civic freedoms. Rana Foroohar writes that Trump is proving to be a disaster even in terms of the accumulation of wealth, while Umair Haque warns that our economic system is entirely unfit to assess and manage the risks we're now facing. And Isaac Stanley-Becker warns that air safety is under even more threat than one would think from Elon Musk's well-publicized mass layoffs (and the spate of plane crashes that has followed). 

- Ryan Meili discusses the importance of building connections around the globe to fill the void left by a decaying American empire - rather than retreating into an insular mindset which leaves us more isolated and vulnerable. David Olive adds a few more suggestions to Canada's list of options in responding to the trade component of the U.S. threat. And Nick Tsergas highlights why it's long past time for anybody who cares about their own credibility to ditch the morass that is X. 

- Taylor Noakes calls out the dark money being used to propagandize for continued reliance on dirty energy. And Heather Stewart talks to Yolanda Diaz Perez about the success of Spain's left-wing government - including the need to push back as to the terms of political debate rather than accepting right-wing framing. 

- Finally, James Tapper, Anna Fazackerley and Vanessa Thorpe discuss how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in the UK. And Laura Spinney laments that right-wing, anti-social narratives have come to dominate any discussion of a disease which still serves as a compelling demonstration of the need to take care of each other. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Rebecca Solnit writes about the many warnings and precedents which foretold California's current wildfires - and the importance of recognizing the cost of forgetting. Freddy Brewster and Lucy Dean Stockton point out the massive subsidies to the fossil fuel sector which have left California with limited resources for firefighting and public safety. And Greg Sargent discusses how Donald Trump is using the wildfires to attack public services, while Nitish Pahwa writes that the immediate flurry of fascist conspiracy theories spread using the most concentrated wealth on the planet seems to be baked in as an inevitable response to any public emergency. 

- Hamilton Nolan highlights the choice between a response to climate change which values and account for all people's well-being, and one which merely allows a few rich people to profit from the carnage and seek to escape the destruction imposed on everybody else. And George Monbiot discusses the oligarchy which is at the heart of current politics and which is driving us toward the latter path.

- Nora Loreto discusses how Justin Trudeau's effort to attach himself to progressive vibes bore no resemblance to his actual policy choices which favoured corporations. David Moscrop points out that it was a lack of political viability rather than any ideological orientation which resulted in his caucus rebelling against him. And Jeremy Appel writes that while there's reason for suspicion that the next Lib leader will be inclined to run to the right, there's no basis to think that strategy will be successful. 

- Stewart Prest writes about the need to be ready for the Trump administration's planned attacks on Canada. And Linda McQuaig discusses how Pierre Poilievre is entirely playing into Trump's hands by attacking Canadian institutions. 

- Finally, Tom Parkin is somewhat optimistic that Canadian voters will rightly reject a Con party which is happy to amplify the idiocy of the likes of Jordan Peterson and Elon Musk. But Bruce Arthur warns that Facebook's elimination of fact-checking will make it easier for bad actors to control the flow of information. And Brian Beutler writes that the U.S. election offers a damning refutation of the hope that people will make political choices based on facts rather than widespread disinformation.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jeremy Appel reports on a new study showing that Alberta has both avoided developing the capacity to manage tailings pond spills, and misinformed the public to minimize the harm from the oil and gas sector based on the data it actually has. And John Woodside notes that after over nine years in power, Justin Trudeau still hasn't bothered to set caps on fossil fuel extraction emissions. 

- Barb Mayes Boustead discusses what "normal" now means in the midst of a collapsing climate. Damian Carrington reports on a new study showing how the climate crisis is undermining the Earth's water cycle. Darrin Qualman warns that Canada's Prairies may face a grim future as hotter temperatures and increased drought exacerbate the already-volatile nature of agriculture. But Jeremiah Budin notes that agrivoltaic solar panels may help to make farming more productive in addition to generating clean energy, while Wade Thorhaug discusses how locally-supplied public markets can enhance food security. 

- Prem Sikka discusses how concentrated wealth and power are corrupting democracy in the UK and elsewhere. George Lakoff and Gil Duran offer their New Year's resolutions to respond to the second Trump administration and its corporate backers. And Gene Monin writes about the need for Canada to stand up to Trump rather than allowing itself to be bullied into acquiescence. 

- Finally, Taylor Lorenz exposes how Instagram has already gone out of its way to suppress LGBTQ-related content. And Robert Booth reports on Facebook's decision to eliminate fact-checkers while promoting (and lobbying to spread) hate speech. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Owen Schalk writes that there's no need for Canadian leaders to be doormats for the Trump administration. And A.R. Moxon offers some lessons as to how an opposition party and movement should respond in the face of rising fascism - with a willingness to fight being the first step to both achieving substantive results and earning trust. 

- Jonathan Weisman discusses how U.S. Democrats lost enthusiasm among the working class by hoping policy aimed at long-term stability would overcome an immediate sense of precarity and unfairness. Michael Podhorzer notes that the most important difference between the 2020 and 2024 U.S. elections was a collapse in interest among anti-Trump voters. Brian Beutler writes about the need for simple and repeated messages to reach voters - and the danger that corporatism and corruption will run rampant if opposition leaders don't focus attention on them. 

- Meanwhile, Charlie Warzel and Mike Caulfield write about the most important effect of the right-wing information ecosystem, as it serves to rationalize and excuse even what's obviously wrong. Brandi Buchman talks to Michael Fanone about the disillusionment of security officers seeing the leader of a  violent riot returned to office. 

- Amanda Marcotte writes about the role of toxic masculinity in fomenting terrorist violence against inclusivity and equality (currently framed in terms of "woke" culture). Yves Engler discusses how Pierre Poilievre is using the same themes, while at the same time planning to impose far more draconian restrictions on speech than anything he claims to be complaining about. And Olufemi Taiwo highlights the need for solidarity against the divide-and-conquer bullying from the right. 

- Finally, Amos Barshad discusses how buy now, pay later services are creating sustained precarity (particularly among those who are already the most financially vulnerable). Aballah Fayyad weighs in on the value of universal social programs which both reduce administration costs and ensure far greater income security for recipients. Ned Fresnikoff points out that modest income redistribution alone may do little if anything to reduce homelessness if it's not accompanied with action to make more affordable housing available. And Laura Dwyer-Lindgren et al. study the radically different life expectancies among ten distinct groups of Americans based on factors including race, geography and income. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- The UN sets out Antonio Guterres' New Year's message calling for us to divert course from the road to climate ruin. Hannah Osborne examines some of the grim impacts of the climate breakdown in 2024 (which only figure to get worse as action is delayed), while Julia Jacobo reports on the multi-trillion-dollar cost of climate disasters in a single year. But then Mark Olalde exposes how fossil fuel giants are determined to avoid paying any of the environmental costs they're creating for everybody else. 

- Oliver Milman reports on a new study showing the connection between car dependency and unhappiness in the U.S. David Zipper discusses how the U.S. is exporting its propensity for needlessly large and heavy vehicles. And Ricky Leong points out some recent Calgary examples as to how cities designed to privilege drivers over anybody else can be catastrophic for pedestrians. 

- Rob Csernyik reports on the rapid expansion of gambling in Canada - as governments consistently accept easily-foreseen social damage in exchange for their own hit of short-term revenue. 

- Jason Sattler offers a reminder that whatever other schisms might appear in the Musk-Trump administration, their shared hatred of workers will serve as a consistent organizing principle. And Annie Lowrey discusses the challenges facing parties confronted with anti-labour populism which speaks to grievances and false promises rather than any interest in workers' well-being. 

- Finally, Christopher Holcroft writes that the ultimate question in the 2025 federal election is whether Canada will be able to hold off an invasion by U.S. oligarchs. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Laurie Laybourn and James Dyke comment on the developing doom loop as fear, hardship and political instability created by a climate breakdown in progress make it harder to coordinate efforts to ameliorate it. And Gaby Hinsliff writes that Storm Darragh taught her family and community how poorly prepared they were for climate disaster, while Matthew Ballew et al. examine how psychological distress appears to be a spur toward climate activism. 

- Fiona Harvey warns that a COP29 outcome more attuned to Vladimir Putin's political ends than the preservation of a liveable environment may be only the beginning. David Suzuki laments how the oil industry undermined any effort to agree on a plastics treaty. Eamon Ryan discusses how the oil industry and other corporate forces poisoned public opinion against a successful push to reduce carbon pollution in Ireland. And Joe Vipond makes the case to treat the fossil fuel industry like big tobacco - i.e. as a dishonest and destructive actor impeding work which is necessary for the public good.  

- Dharna Noor reports on new NOAA data showing that the Arctic is now a net emitter of carbon pollution, rather than serving as a carbon sink. Max Fawcett discusses Kevin O'Leary's attempt to play Alberta for a fool by seeking out public money for a highly-polluting, zero-benefit AI project - and the danger that the UCP will be happy to play along. And Rewiring America studies the effects of converting to electrical power - finding that a shift to electric appliances produces demonstrable benefits to air quality both inside and outside the home. 

- The Angus Reid Institute finds that a strong majority of Canadians see corruption and tax evasion as a major cause of the affordability crisis - potentially signaling a strong appetite for a credible plan of attack against them. Paul Krugman (on his new site after his retirement from the New York Times) discusses how the right's anti-public sector rhetoric facilitates actual fraud and abuse by corporations and the righ. David Macdonald points out that a time-limited GST holiday isn't a particularly good use even of a temporary windfall, while glaringly failing to address the structural factors that are stressing people's finances. And Paul Kiel reports on a tax loophole which wealthy Americans are using to avoid contributing a cent of a Medicare tax paid by workers. 

- Jason Sattler writes that Donald Trump's main political skill is setting up an alternate reality for himself and a maddeningly large number of voters. Oliver Willis notes that he's been able to get away with denialism in large part due to the refusal of Democrats to engage in a meaningful fight as to the controlling narrative. And Simon Wren-Lewis rightly argues that progressives shouldn't fall into the trap of echoing and reinforcing the politics of stupid. 

- Finally, Ryan Romard writes that public sector strikes in Canada (spurred by years of relatively high inflation paired with pay freezes) are helping to set up opportunities for all kinds of workers to seek better wages and working conditions. 

[Edit: added link.]

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ajit Niranjan reports on new data from the World Meterological Organization showing that multiple greenhouse gases are accumulating to unprecedented levels in our atmosphere (primarily due to a continuing fossil fuel addiction). Sophie Kevany reports on new research finding that industrial fishing is undermining the effect of oceans as carbon sinks.

- Anna Bawden notes that the human-level effects of the climate breakdown include record numbers of heat-related deaths and widespread droughts. The University of Michigan points out that some of the areas of the U.S. facing the greatest environmental disasters are the ones where fossil-fueled climate denial is the most prevalent. And Saul Elbein reports on new research from the Lancet as to the health impacts of the climate crisis. 

- Alex Himelfarb offers a warning against allowing right-wing populists to use ritual invocations of "common sense!" as a substitute for any evidence or rational support for their regressive policies.

- Finally, Will Snell points out that the UK's already-appalling wealth gap has been getting worse over time - and that it will take a massive shift to equality-based policy to move in the right direction.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Gloria Dickie reports on the UN's latest Emissions Gap report which shows that we're headed for a climate disturbance of 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century based on our current policy trajectory. Madeleine Cuff points out the reality that carbon pollution is now increasing more than it was before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while John Timmer notes that we're a mere four years away from breaching the Paris temperature target. 

- Meanwhile, Jonathan Watts discusses the conflicting options in trying to motivate people to action - with distress seeming to serve as a better motivator than (implausible) hope. 

- Emma McIntosh explains how Doug Ford is planning to rush massive highway developments while destroying bike infrastructure, while Max Fawcett points out the absolute idiocy of doing so. And Alex Himelfarb discusses how the right's "common sense" con is intended to avoid any application of logic or evidence to antisocial policy positions which would never survive reasonable analysis. 

- Cloe Logan writes about the reality that consumer products are getting less durable and sustainable due to manufacturers' incentive to keep people replacing them - while pointing out that better information would at least allow people to determine how long their purchases will last. 

- Finally, DT Cochrane discusses how Canada's discussion of inflation (and the Bank of Canada's means of addressing it) has almost completely missed the cause and effect arising from corporate profiteering - meaning that even the lowering of interest rates now will leave people with eroded purchasing power. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tyne Logan examines how people react to the extreme heat which is becoming increasingly common. David Bowman discusses why we can no longer pretend that formerly "normal" temperatures will be seen again in our lifetimes. And Denise Chow notes that even the hardiest of desert-adapted plants are struggling to survive the climate breakdown. 

- Kenny Mendoza et al. study the effects of ultra-processed foods, and find a connections to cardiovascular disease. And Hiroko Tabuchi reports on the dumping of forever chemicals into the food chain via wastewater sludge which is used as a fertilizer. 

- Bronwyn Bragg and Jennifer Hyndman discuss how low wages are at the root of the problems with Canada's meat processing industry. And Janet Andrews and Stephen von Sychowski offer a reminder that workers have the power to build a brighter future by organizing, while Mick Lynch discusses the depths the corporate class will sink to in trying to prevent that from happening. 

- In a similar vein, David Moscrop interviews Jim Stanford about the uber-rich's angry and manipulative response to paying a slightly more share of the cost of a functional society. Anne Applebaum writes that kleptocrats aren't merely stealing money, but also trying to destroy any democratic means of furthering the public interest. And Rowan Moore discusses how the UK's Grenfell inquiry exposes the contempt of the wealthy few for the lives of everybody else. 

- Finally, Sheena Goodyear discusses Carol Off's work to reclaim the concept of freedom as a positive goal based on the ability to make meaningful decisions, rather than a cover for hate and exploitation.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Richard Sandbrook makes the case for a Green New Deal as combining the ambition and the feasibility needed to halt climate change. And Stewart Elgie and Kathy Bardswick argue that we can still build a cleaner climate, rather than focusing solely on trying to hide from the effects of continued breakdown. 

- But then, Bill Hare rightly notes that Australia - like Canada and other fossil fuel exporters - is severely harming the cause of climate protection by subsidizing carbon pollution that's intended to be spewed without being counted as part of any global carbon budget.  

- James Faris discusses how a shortage of housing only figures to get worse as climate impacts make existing cities uninsurable and unliveable. Geoffrey Deihl observes that the harm we've already done our living environment is causing wildfires and other effects which cancel out our modest mitigation efforts. And Lou Robinson and Angela Dewan report on CarbonPlan's research showing that most of the world will be too hot to host an Olympic Games by 2050 if we don't change course. 

- Meanwhile, Troy Farah writes that the Olympics have become a painful reminder of collective denial around COVID-19, both through highly visible impacts on the athletic events themselves and on the mass infection which inevitably follows from large crowds doing nothing to mitigate spread. 

- Finally, A.R. Moxon points out the value of making a positive case for caring for other people as the only viable counter to the well-funded spread of fascism. David Moscrop discusses the absurdity of Pierre Poilievre's attempt to paint Justin Trudeau's neoliberalism as communism in order to bring conspicuous cruelty into the middle of Canada's Overton window. And Gerry McGovern notes that one of the main effects of artificial intelligence - and one of the ones which makes it particularly appealing to the techbro right - its role in outsourcing accumulated bigotry and prejudice to machines which can be treated as neutral. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Scott Rivkees writes that COVID-19 denialism has come to dominate public policy around an ongoing viral threat, while Kelly Skjerven reports that the relentless minimization of the ongoing pandemic has led Canadians to stop getting updated vaccinations. Eric Reinhart discusses how doctors are understandably demoralized by systemic failures which prevent them from helping to treat patients. And Joyce Sampson writes that there are plenty of benefits to face masks even beyond the reduced transmission of (and infection by) COVID. 

- Kat Echner comments on the potential for employee ownership trusts to allow employees to share in the benefit from their work. And Jon Brodkin reports on Apple's violations of employee rights in preventing workers from gathering wage data or discussing working conditions.  

- Jen Hassum writes about the need for progressives to recognize and channel people's rightful anger at a system rigger against them - rather than allowing the Cons to coast on that sentiment while planning to make matters worse. 

- Meanwhile, Martin Wolf discusses the advantages of a land value tax to ensure idle assets don't exacerbate inequality. And Guio Jacinto makes the case for industrial policy (dealing with steel and other vital inputs) to ensure that Canada rebuilds an industrial base while transitioning to a clean economy. 

- Finally, Pete Evans highlights the juxtaposition between record fossil fuel profits and attempts to walk back previous climate commitments, while Alex Lawson takes note of the particularly glaring profit-taking by BP as it breaks emission reduction promises. Julia Levin points out the continued lack of an evidentiary basis to think carbon capture will accomplish anything but greenwashing continued environmental destruction. And Drilled News surveys the oil industry's determination to bully people into believing we can't live without their exploitation. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- CBC News reports that Saskatchewan's children's hospital is among the health care facilities with an internal outbreak, while Laura Sciarpelletti talks to some of the parents begging the provincial government to limit transmission in schools.

- Moira Wyton reports on British Columbia's warning to businesses that they need to be prepared for major worker shortages - though the apparent decision to let that happen only following the spread of a disease rather than through choices which actually keep people healthy is left without any adequate explanation. And Josh Rubin notes that while corporate interests and deficit scolding have dominated most discussion of COVID policy, it's workers who are being faced into impossible choices in trying to get by now that public supports have been slashed.

- Robert Reich describes the "Potterizing" of the U.S. as policy is systematically made to enrich corporate oligarchs and rent-seekers rather than to benefit people. And Noah Smith interviews Ryan Petersen about the causes of the supply chain crisis - including the short-term focus on shareholder payouts rather than investments in people and infrastructure.

- Nathan Robinson writes that the backlash against Don't Look Up misses the central point contrasting the self-interest of billionaires against the possibility of collective action. And George Monbiot discusses how the movie mirrors his experience as a climate campaigner. 

- Leyland Cecco reports on the continued spread of an unexplained neurological condition among New Brunswick children in the face of alarming official denial.

- Erika Shaker makes the case for student loan relief to ensure that people who have worked toward higher education aren't limited in their future choices due to resulting debt.

- Finally, Jeremy Sherman discusses the need to make sure that the all-too-familiar sociopathic model of political communication is challenged and weakened. And Johann Hari writes about the concerted effort to undermine our ability to concentrate rather than having our attention dictated by corporate manipulations.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Dan Diamond reports on the shortage of health care workers as the fifth wave of COVID crests in the U.S., while Carl O'Donnell and Ahmed Aboulenein report on the escalating number of children being hospitalized with the coronavirus. Robyn Urback warns that our governments' response to an escalating pandemic is now limited to telling us we're on our own, while Nanjala Nyabola views the main story of 2021 as one of failed political leadership in the face of collective crises. And Amnesty International highlights the deliberate choice to withhold vaccines from much of the world which has led to the most devastating wave yet. 

- On the comparatively hopeful side, Brett Wilkins reports on the development of the non-monopoly Cobervax vaccine. And the University of Hong Kong points out research showing that a nasal spray vaccine may help to prevent respiratory transmission. 

- Jeremy Appel writes that the response of Cargill workers to disregard for their health and well-being has been to fight for a collective agreement which ensures they'll be better treated. But lest anybody think employers will do the right thing without being forced, Jake Johnson reports that Delta's response to getting its way in reducing the recommended quarantine period (in the absence of any public health justification) has been to slash sick leave for its own workers. 

- Peter Kalmus discusses how the true tragedy of Don't Look Up is how closely a supposedly over-the-top movie mirrors what he sees in his work as a climate scientist. And Ryan Cooper points out how perception is winning out over reality when it comes to public awareness of the U.S.' respective economic positions under Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

- Finally, Tenille Lafontaine rightly asks that Saskatchewan work to ensure that women are able to speak out online without facing a firehose of abuse and threats. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ricky Leong discusses the complete lack of any reasonable explanation for the UCP's failure to protect the health of Albertans in the face of the fourth wave of COVID-19. And Murray Mandryk comments that the Sask Party likewise insists on doing too little, too late even as people suffer as a result of their negligence.

- Adam King writes that the Pandora Papers offer just the latest reminder that any refusal to fund the society we want is a matter of choice rather than lack of resources.

- Matt Bruenig points out the U.S.' dangerous combination of gratuitously-slashed unemployment benefits and a lack of new employment. And Lysa Lloyd offers her perspective on the precarity and drudgery that come with surviving on social assistance. 

- Sandy Carrier discusses how a general disability benefit in particular would provide a desperately-needed basic standard of living. And Andre Picard writes that all parties should be able to agree on the need to ensure people with disabilities aren't trapped in poverty.

- Angela Smith interviews Jessica Whyte about the neoliberal movement's use of human rights language to impose cruel capitalist structures. 

- And finally, Alan Finlayson discusses the need to present progressive politics based on concrete proposals and demands, rather than nebulous values which are easily distorted by opponents while offering little of substance for potential supporters to draw upon.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Anand Giridharadas writes about the dangers of letting political discussions become primarily a matter of process and personalities, rather than the real impact decisions have on people's lives. 

- Graham Thomson calls out Jason Kenney for his consistent refusal to acknowledge the reality of COVID - both in communicating with the public and in making decisions about how to respond to a deadly pandemic. And Tanya Lewis points out the need to upgrade face masks to deal with more infectious COVID variants. 

- Kristian Nielsen examines the role privileged people will play in determining whether we're able to avoid a climate catastrophe. Max Fawcett discusses Canada's choices in its approach to the upcoming United Nations climate change conference - noting that all available evidence suggests that it's countries who get ahead of the inevitable transition to clean energy who will be best off in the long run. And Rebecca Leber discusses how Republicans are ensuring their states will be left behind by prohibiting municipalities from implementing any effective climate action. 

- Meanwhile, Heather Scoffield writes that investors and financial institutions are recognizing that the future is renewable as well - though they may need a boost from public policy to fully incorporate the into their decisions. 

- Douglas Todd writes about the reemergence of inheritance culture, as the children of families with wealth to spare are nearly alone in their ability to afford a home in Canada's major cities. And Chris Lehmann reviews Matthew Stewart's The 9.9 Percent as an important description of the group of workers outside the wealthy elite which works to preserve its privilege. 

- Finally, Melissa Ridgen interviews Murray Sinclair about the path toward reconciliation. And Martin Lukacs writes about the Defenders of the Land who are challenging the exercise of colonial power and pointing the way toward reconciliation based on the mutual recognition of rights.