Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jeff Masters points out how the climate breakdown is making hurricanes and other severe weather far worse than would otherwise be the case. And Gary Fuller reports on new research showing how air pollution contributes to multiple health issues. 

- Paul Kershaw writes that the Iran war and resulting oil supply shock is finally convincing many countries to shift to renewable energy as a matter of security even if they'd never bothered for environmental purposes or cost savings. And Susan O'Donnell and M.V. Ramana point out the absence of any rational case to forego a transition to renewable power in favour of nuclear plants which are both vastly more expensive and take far longer to put into operation. 

- Ed Zitron examines the comically-irresponsible world of private equity - and the systemic risks involved in allowing it to dictate economic decisions without meaningful oversight or regulation. And Eric Platt, Jill Shah and Euan Healy report on the bets major banks are making against the viability of consumer debt. 

- Sharon Zhang reports that Palantir paid precisely zero dollars in U.S. federal income taxes in 2025, even as it racks up publicly-funded contracts to invade people's privacy. 

- Finally, Lindsay Tedds examines how Mark Carney is implementing Stephen Harper's fiscal framework - yet being adulated for it by a Lib cult of personality.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Reich discusses how Donald Trump is a threat to civilization (in the form of any social order other than one based on brute force and coercion) around the globe. And Marisa Kabas warns that much of the media is playing into Trump's hands by normalizing - if not outright siding with - his violence and dishonesty.

- Paris Marx discusses how the U.S.' tech giants serve its military ends - and how Canada and other countries are enabling their own domination by putting critical information in hostile hands. Kaylie Tiessen points out how trade deals have been used as an excuse to prevent Canada from exercising any digital sovereignty. And Heather Stewart notes that AI slop isn't worth the immense financial and environmental cost anywhere.

- Clare Fieseler comments on Trump's destruction of clean power development even as it becomes far more efficient and effective than the dirty energy sources that form his donor base. And Arnie Gundersen offers a reminder that spin about small nuclear reactors serves only as a delay tactic rather than a viable alternative to renewables.

-  Finally, Ed Cara reports on a new study showing that the ongoing toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. is in the range of a million hospitalizations and a hundred thousands deaths every year. And Maja Stojanovic et al. examine the vascular damage done by COVID-19.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Yanis Varoufakis rightly argues that the EU (and the international community generally) should be treating the U.S.' draconian sanctions against ICC judges as fully disqualifying it from being treated as anything but a bad actor. And James Ball writes about the challenges facing the war on disinformation as the few people who once worked on countering propaganda are likewise being treated as persona non grata, while Charles Ornstein discusses the Trump regime's intimidation tactics toward working reporters (including treating basic requests for comment as evidence of hostility). 

- Connie Loizis reports on the development of a private security state under the not-at-all-telling branding of Sauron. And Arian Campo-Flores discusses how the wealthy are buying privacy which has been made unavailable to anybody else. 

- Elizabeth Todd-Breland opines that there's no room for dispute that corporations need to pay more taxes to support a functional society. And Richard Partington writes about the need for UK Labour (and other governments) to recognize the human toll of increased automation. 

- Finally, Tina Swanson offers a handy categorization of climate policies based on their level of utility - with the corporate right's preferred delay tactics of nuclear reactors and carbon capture and storage serving as representative examples of what not to bank on. Marc Lee discusses what we've learned about Mark Carney's agenda, including his his prioritizing dirty energy over any considerations of well-being or long-term prosperity. And David Roberts interviews Saul Griffith about the success of Australia's rooftop solar program. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Moira Doneghan writes that the Jeffrey Epstein e-mails released over the past week provide a window into the anti-morality of the wealthy and powerful few who think the world exists solely to serve their whims. And Timothy Snyder discusses how the Trump regime's grift bubble looks to be a major contributor to the ultimate collapse of the U.S. 

- Robert Reich documents the failing Trump economy and the first steps needed to reverse the damage, while A.J. Schumann discusses how mass deportations are contributing to the economic collapse. Beth Mole traces the fallout from the Republicans' attacks on health, as over 74,000 participants in 383 clinical trials immediately lost access to treatment while countless more people will lose the benefits of study data. And Lesley Blume and Chloe Shrager discuss how the deregulation of nuclear radiation exposure may be catastrophic. 

- Rosie Hampton writes about the need to develop new physical spaces which allow for organizing within - and particularly between - progressive causes. Amanda Marcotte rightly notes that to the extent there is a crisis of men's loneliness, it can be traced directly to capitalist exploitation and isolation (which only stands to be exacerbated by the replacement of human interaction with manipulative AI). Jessica Winter discusses Scott Galloway's hope to develop an aspirational version of masculinity. Schuyler MItchell points out how the bigoted right is using the language of "gender ideology" to blame trans people for everything. And Adam Bonica and Jake Grumbach note that contrary to lazy pundit assumptions, Gen Z is far less inclined toward racial resentment and other forms of prejudice than earlier generations. 

- Finally, Aaron Richterman et al. study the effects of cash transfers and add to the pile of research showing how a social income makes people healthier. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Thomas Zimmer writes about the importance of drawing principled lines as to what's compatible with democracy rather than presuming that whatever's currently happening must be within bounds. A.R. Moxon discusses the glaring contrast between minority groups being told they need to be respectful toward their oppressors, and the legitimacy being conferred on those oppressors to engage in violent eradication. Dharna Noor reports that U.S. climate activists are engaging in the fight against authoritarianism based on their recognition that it's not going to be possible to agitate for change in a system that eliminates any responsiveness to public demands. And David Dayen highlights the futility of any U.S. budget deal that doesn't rein in Trump's arbitrary exercise of power, while theorizing there may be some opportunity to win meaningful restraints as part of a deal to fund farm bailouts.

- Chuck Collins and Omar Ocampo discuss how the concentration of wealth and power over the past few decades has been even worse than we generally assume. Rachel Funk Fordham highlights the impact of Citizens United on American politics, while Dean Baker explains why CEOs have been entirely willing to play along with the Trump regime. And William Murphy writes about the combination of debt and financialization that prevents people from fighting back against a rigged system. 

- Meanwhile, Melissa Naschek interviews Vivek Chibber about the continued importance of class politics. And Helen Quinn reports on new research showing both that a growing number of UK children are growing up in poverty, and that the cost of that deprivation manifests itself in all kinds of health and social outcomes. 

- Finally, Michael Barnard discusses why small modular reactors do nothing to avoid the problems of cost and waste that make nuclear power a poor option compared to readily-available renewable alternatives. And Drew Anderson examines a new report showing that the UCP's hostility to clean energy has driven away investment which would otherwise have resulted in substantial developent. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jared Yates Sexton writes about the Trump administration's attacks on reality and truth. Marisa Kabas laments the fact that the U.S. is deteriorating faster and in more ways than it's realistically possible to track even absent the harm being done to its information environment. And about the best available reason for hope is to note, as Agent Nkrumah does, that the Trump Republicans are running scared. 

- Scott Galloway writes about the rise of violence entrepreneurs as part of the MAGA propaganda machine. And Olufemi Taiwo discusses the need for shame as part of any functional social system - even as the Trump regime looks to purge anything of the sort (with far too much assistance from the corporate media). 

- Susan Delacourt reports on new polling showing that Canadians quite rightly don't see any point in negotiating a trade agreement with a regime which can't be trusted to honour it. 

- Erin Sikorsky discusses how the U.S.' war on climate action will leave it at a disadvantage as the global economy shifts toward clean energy. David Wallace-Wells offers a reminder that attacks on climate policy have had harmful effects around the globe. And John Woodside reports that environmental groups are being shut out of any direct interaction with a Carney government which is only interested in catering to CEOs. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk notes that spin about nuclear power serves mostly to delay a clean energy transition (and commit massive amounts of money to an inefficient, non-renewable energy source). And Adam Thorn writes about the importance of using public policy to foster a move toward electric vehicles. 

- Finally, Ryan Cooper reports on the success of Greenland's state companies in both providing employment and generating public returns as an example for other jurisdictions to follow. 

Sunday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your Sunday reading.

- Seth Borenstein, Mary Katherine Wildeman and Anita Snow find that the U.S. suffered a record number of heat-related deaths in 2023, while Aryan Dwivedi reports on unprecedented death tolls in India this year. And Julius Choudhury offers some tips on surviving extreme heat at an individual level - though they rely largely on levels of wealth and privilege which are certain to be unavailable to far too many.

- Rachel Donald interviews Naomi Oreskes about the power dynamics - extending beyond fossil fuel companies to capitalist ideology generally - which have given rise to a worsening climate crisis. 

- John Timmer reports on new research showing that investment in renewable energy more than pays for itself in social and health benefits. But Andrew Dessler highlights how fossil giants whose products are grossly inferior in any fair competition are rigging the rules to preserve their profits. And Michael Franco writes about a new study showing that modular nuclear reactors are expensive, slow and risky compared to existing alternatives - meaning that their spectre serves mostly as a delay tactic for oil and gas barons.

- Polly Neate notes that in the UK (as elsewhere), it's entirely possible to meet everybody's right to housing if a government bothers to marshal public resources to ensure homes aren't built only for profit.

- Finally, Andrea Blanco discusses how psychosis can be a symptom of COVID-19 - and how the medical response can be a matter of life and death. Alison Escalante writes about the persistence of COVID in the body long after an initial infection appears to have abated. And Hunter Crowther reports on the new strains which are becoming dominant in Canada.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jessica Wildfire comments on the elite panic which has seen information suppression become the norm in order to maintain the status quo for the general public while the wealthiest few try to insulate themselves from obvious dangers. And Larry Elliott writes that if billionaires appear to be afraid of the concept of a global wealth tax, it's because there's no justification for them to escape paying their fair share to sustain the societies which have provided them with obscene riches. 

- The Canadian Labour Congress highlights new polling confirming that Canadians recognize the crucial role of worker organization, and want to remove barriers to unionization. And Jen Kostuchuk and Anelyse Weiler point out the need for improved protections in the midst of a climate breakdown where extreme heat and other threats to health and safety are becoming more common. 

- Stephanie Cooke discusses why nobody should be pretending to take nuclear power seriously as anything but a delay tactic to prevent the deployment of renewable energy. And Brett Forester reports on a toxic sewage discharge at the Chalk River nuclear reactor in February which was never publicly disclosed at the time. 

- Finally, Linda Farthing discusses how Mexico's forests are far healthier than most due to their protection by community and Indigenous stewards. And Drew Anderson reports on the UCP's imposition of politically-driven commands to the Alberta Electric System Operator to back a ban on renewable power despite recognizing that it was ill-advised. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Brishti Basu reports on the ill effects of WorkSafeBC's decision to push people back to work while they continue to suffer from long COVID. And Alex Skopic calls out the CDC's choice to direct people back to work while they're still infected with COVID-19, while Reina Sultan talks to experts who point out the obvious and avoidable risks to others including workers and customers arising from that guideline. 

- Anita Hofschneider writes about the looming prospect that the effects of a climate breakdown will include the exposure of nuclear waste. And Mari Yamaguchi reports that 13 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, authorities still have little idea of the condition of the damaged reactors or the status of the fuel waiting inside. 

- Meanwhile, Joseph Winters reports on the push to ban detergent pods due to their propensity to release microplastics into the environment - as well as the reality that the problem with microplastics generated by clothing goes far deeper. 

- Mouhamad Rachini discusses how teachers across Canada are barely getting by (while administrators have put more and more unqualified babysitters in charge of children as a substitute for providing adequate education resources). And Megan Ogilvie highlights how Ontario has been driving family doctors out of the profession while funneling money toward impersonal corporate substitutes. 

- Finally, Paul Willcocks rightly questions why a supposedly austerian Vancouver mayor and council are funneling tens of millions of dollars to a single private school. Jennifer Lee reports on the $97 million price tag to reverse the effects of the UCP's ideological decision to push lab services into the corporate sector. And Adam King points out the much higher cost of Doug Ford's attempt to suppress public-sector wages. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Leonie Thorne reports on new data showing that COVID-19 was Australia's third-leading cause of death in 2022 even as conventional wisdom decreed that the pandemic in progress be ignored. And Christopher Waddell examines (PDF) the lessons Canada should have recognized for future health emergencies from COVID, while Andre Picard asks whether we've learned anything to prepare for another pandemic even while in the midst of a continuing one. 

- Blair Fix takes a look at the mountain of evidence showing that inequality has been worsening over the past few decades as public policy has catered more and more to corporate interests. Cory Doctorow examines how Amazon has enshittified its services to extract more and more from buyers and sellers alike. And Debbie Cenziper et al. expose how Philips Respironics covered up known dangers of tainted breathing machines, putting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children at avoidable risk in order to avoid answering for defects in their products. 

- Gordon Laxer discusses how any serious conversation about foreign meddling in Canadian governance needs to start by recognizing the grossly outsized influence of the foreign-owned oil sector. Claire O'Manique writes that we can't afford to keep giving carbon polluters a free pass for the damage they're doing to our living environment. And Michael Mann writes that while we've already failed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, we can't give up on the work that can still be done to rein in catastrophic climate change. 

- Finally, John Woodside reports on the warning from numerous nuclear safety experts as to the costs and risks of the small modular reactors being pushed by the Trudeau government (along with several right-wing provincial governments).  

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Rebecca Leber highlights how drilling in the Arctic and other high-cost fossil fuel extraction plans are based on a sociopathic bet against any prospect of limiting the harm from a climate breakdown. Carl Meyer reports on new research showing that 90% of Saskatchewan's heavy oil sites aren't bothering to measure methane emissions, instead taking license to spew as much carbon pollution as they can get away with while launching vicious attacks on anybody who suggests they might have some responsibility to humanity at large. And Nina Lakhani discusses how private equity is seeking to extracts profits both from dirty energy, and from cleaning up the damage it causes. 

- Meanwhile, Martin Bush discusses why we need to be focused on renewable energy and power storage, rather than buying into the high cost and massive delay involved in nuclear power. 

- Tatiana Walk-Morris writes about the latest financial industry scam of "earned wage access", in which employers team up with corporations to force people to pay to receive the wages they've earned. 

- Martin Regg Cohn notes that the Greenbelt scandal represents a new low even for a Ford government steeped in corruption and cronyism.

- Finally, Jonathan Sas offers a warning about the politics of resentment and abandonment being pushed by Pierre Poilievre and his party. And Nick Seebruch points out how the Cons are taking a brief break from claiming to be free speech warriors to threaten journalists with jail time for daring to report on their convention. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Kelly MacNamara writes about the slowing of Antarctic ocean circulation as a calamitous consequence of climate change which is happening far sooner than predicted. And Alex Cooke reports on the state of emergency in Nova Scotia reflecting the immediate impact of extreme weather and unprecedented levels of heat. 

- Meanwhile, Timothy Gardner reports that the U.S.' plans for new nuclear power include the use of bomb-grade uranium - meaning that the dangers of fixating on nuclear energy include the readily foreseeable risk of weapon proliferation. 

- Talmon Joseph Smith and Joe Rennison report on the growing recognition that inflation is primarily the product of a profit-price spiral, with corporations all taking advantage of talk of limited supplies to pad their bottom lines at public expense. 

- Pete Evans reports on the CMHC's warning that household debt now exceeds Canada's entire gross domestic product - meaning that Canadians are in a far more precarious position than even their peers in other corporate-dominated countries. 

- Finally, Jessica Hamzelou reports on the plight of patients who benefited from a brain implant to help warn of epileptic incidents - only to lose the benefit of a valuable medical tool to a corporate shutdown and the failure of anybody to support its continued use. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Will Stone writes about the role viral reservoirs may be playing in both prolonging individual long COVID symptoms, and allowing for the development of new variants. Simran Purewal, Kaylee Byers, Kayli Jamieson and Neda Zolfaghari highlight the need for people talking about the effects of long COVID to be believed rather than dismissed. But Apoorva Mandavilli reports on the CDC's choice to simply stop observing the effects of an ongoing pandemic.

- Meanwhile, Pete Evans reports on the latest push by employers to take away the benefits of remote work in order to force daily commutes and constant control on workers. David Macdonald discusses how public sector strikes have represented primarily an attempt to defend real wages from the effects of inflation, while Mitchell Thompson reminds us that Danielle Smith has made clear that the infliction of pain is the point in dealing with education and health care workers. And Paige Oamek talks to some of the younger workers organizing to ensure they're not at the mercy of callous employers.

- Eva Wiseman writes about the folly of trying to match even the most banal forms of consumption by the obscenely wealthy. And Paul Waldman discusses why the right to repair movement may be the unifying point for all kinds of people with a healthy skepticism of corporate control over our lives.

- Tom Perkins reports on research showing that toxic "forever chemicals" are included in the pesticides sprayed on crops.

- Charlie Angus writes that the push toward a clean energy economy has passed the point of theoretical transition to reach the development of large-scale employment. And Brian Potter discusses how nuclear power has done nothing but become more costly with time - making it absolutely useless in the context of plummeting prices for renewables and storage. 

- Finaly, Linda McQuaig writes that Doug Ford's to turn the public Ontario Place into a for-profit spa may eclipse the Highway 407 debacle as the most appalling handover of public assets for private profit in Ontario's history.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- The John Snow Project discusses how government minimization of the ongoing risk of COVID-19 - including the removal of what few policies remained to limit its spread - is pushing people to neglect the continued danger. And Josh Lynn reports on the latest data which shows that COVID remains a threat to Saskatchewanians, with 18 deaths in the last two-week reporting period alone. 

- John Burn-Murdoch examines why life expectancies in the U.S. are falling from their already worrisome levels. And in a couple of prime examples of the risks which have been deemed acceptable to impose on the public, Jake Johnson reports on the leak of a radioactive compound from a nuclear power plant, while Holly Yan et al. report on a train derailment and ethanol spill resulting in a fire and evacuation. 

- All of which makes it particularly damning that the Libs are throwing public money at the nuclear and fossil fuel sectors. Bill McGuire points out the folly of the UK's similar attempt to brand subsidies for increased oil and gas development (and associated carbon pollution) as somehow being part of a net zero emissions plan. And Nils Markusson discusses the utter failure of carbon capture and storage to meet even its selective promises to reduce emissions.  

- Luke Mari writes about the need for middle-density development to make communities walkable and liveable. And John Lorinc reports on the Ford PC's plan to put Ontario Place - including its nominally public areas - fully under corporate control. 

- Finally, Luke LeBrun reports on the Canada Revenue Agency's own recognition that Canadians want to see far more action to confront tax dodging by wealthy people and corporations. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Nicole Grether writes about the hundreds of thousands of young people orphaned by COVID-19 in the U.S. alone, while Kyodo News reports on research in Japan documenting how acute brain syndrome following infection can be fatal for children. Lisa Riley Roche tells the story of a teacher facing the lasting effects of long COVID, while Heather Stewart discusses the fight for fairness in the workplace for people already suffering from the condition. And Lizz Schumer highlights how the lack of action to help people dealing with long COVID fits into the wider pattern of failing to acknowledge and accommodate invisible disabilities. 

- Selena Simmons-Duffin discusses the U.S.' collapsing life expectancy due to multiple avoidable causes of death. Tom Krisher reports on new research showing that ever-larger SUVs and trucks are causing escalating numbers of pedestrian fatalities. And Bonnie Allen offers a memorial for the 1,200 Saskatchewanians who have died of drug poisonings in just the last three years (as the Moe government has gone out of its way to eliminate any harm reduction options). 

- Kim Willsher writes about the role of women on the front lines of France's pension protests in refusing to be told they'll have to work until they die. And Jason Resnikoff discusses how solidarity - not automation - is the key variable in determining whether workers will have the leverage to protect their interests. 

- Andrew Longhurst, Amit Arya and Lesley Barron point out that Western Canada's experience with for-profit surgery has provided nothing but a cautionary tale - even as Doug Ford is determined to barge ahead with corporatized medicine in Ontario. And Patrick Rucker, Maya Miller and David Armstrong expose how one major U.S. health insurer is simply denying claims as a matter of course, ensuring that patients facing medical difficulties are systematically forced to fight their insurer at the same time. 

- Finally, Saber Chowdhury and Ed Markey comment on the need to phase out fossil fuels now, rather than looking for excuses to keep dumping carbon pollution into our atmosphere. And David Schlissel discusses how nuclear reactors are a thoroughly inadequate alternative, costing more and taking far more time to build than renewable energy sources and storage options. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Wallace-Wells discusses how the U.S. is woefully unprepared to deal with the real prospect of another pandemic (particularly on top of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which is the subject of a policy of denial). 

- Peter Frankopan writes that climate is a crucial aspect of history which we ignore at our own peril both in assessing past events, and planning for our own futures. Tessa Koumoundouros reports on new modeling showing that the melting of large ice sheets may result in a far more rapid climate breakdown feedback loop than already anticipated. And Jamey Keaten reports on Antonio Guterres' rightful opprobrium toward climate-wrecking corporations.

 

- Meanwhile, Susan O'Donnell and M.V. Ramana write that New Brunswick (and other governments) shouldn't give in to the demands of nuclear operators seeking to lock down massive funding for projects which will almost certainly fall short of being worth their immense cost.  

- Joel Lexchin offers a reminder of the cozy relationship between the Canadian government and big pharma which has once again been leveraged to prevent any action to make needed medications more affordable. And Lyndsay Armstrong reports on the concern by Nova Scotia social workers that one-time access to for-profit counselling represents more of a corporate recruitment strategy than a plan to help citizens. 

- Finally, Trish Hennessy introduces the latest issue of Monitor Mag with a reminder as to the importance of income inequality and the options available to tackle it. And D.T. Cochrane makes the case for a minimum tax on corporate book profits to limit corporate tax avoidance and fund social priorities. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Kat Eschner interviews John Peters about the growing inequality in wealth, income and influence. And Scott Martin offers a reminder not to conflate the gross disparity in pay between CEOs and workers with anything that's actually been earned.

- Mitchell Thompson discusses how privatized surgeries are a threat to the fundamentals of Canadian health care. And John Bell writes about the human consequences of putting profits before caring for people.

- Peter Reina's review of a book on project failure includes a handy chart showing the level of cost overruns for different types of infrastructure - with renewable energy ranking as having by far the lowest level of overruns, while nuclear operations are joined only by the Olympic Games as the absolute worst.  And Nojoud Al Mallees reports on the refusal by oilsands giants to spend a nickel of their windfall projects on their much-hyped claim to decarbonization. 

- Jonathan Chait writes about the John Durham investigation as a prime example of the right looking to its own paranoid fantasies about perceived enemies as a model for its own plans. And Asawin Suebsaeng and Patrick Reis offer a look inside Donald Trump's end-of-term killing spree as a particularly cruel and violent example. 

- Finally, Meghan Krausch discusses what's been lost from the ongoing collapse of Twitter, while noting that the ultimate purpose of allowing for connections with other people can be met in new and less-corporatized ways.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- William Anderson sets out a few of the most important realities about the Kraken COVID-19 variant and its place within the ongoing pandemic. Glen Pyle and Jennifer Huang confirm that infection results in a far greater risk of myocarditis than vaccination. And Julia Doubleday weighs in on the fact that the wealthy and powerful gathered in Davos demanded exactly the preventative measures for themselves that they've denied the rest of us.

- Meanwhile, Steven Lewis discusses how a focus on ensuring everybody has access to primary health care would alleviate both health inequalities and burdens throughout our health care system. But Taylor Noakes writes that the federal government may need to take the lead in building a public system where conservative premiers are solely interested in slashing and privatizing.

- David Macdonald offers a thorough look at which industries and recipients are reaping the spoils from inflation in Canada - with corporate profits predictably the main beneficiary. And Jim Stanford corroborates that conclusion with a look at how unit profit costs have soared while wages have barely budged.

- Finally, Michael Barnard discusses the decades of experience with nuclear power which make it clear it can't compete in a fair comparison to renewable energy.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Hannah Davis et al. review what we know so far about long COVID - and how much work remains to be done in making treatments and support available. And Phil Tank discusses some of the myths and distortions which continue to distract people from an ongoing pandemic in Saskatchewan. 

- Meanwhile, Bill Hodgins reports on a staff report from Peterborough Public Health pushing for improved indoor air quality to deal with COVID and other health issues. 

- Anupriya Dasgupta examines how fossil fuel companies are allowed to disseminate blatant disinformation through mainstream media channels. And Dana Drugmand reports on the appointment of an oil CEO to oversee the next round of global climate talks.

- David Schlissel examines the inordinate cost of modular nuclear reactors compared existing clean energy options. Yet as the Moe government insists on pouring money into nuclear vaporware, Carla Shynkaruk reports on a Saskatoon group home which is shutting down and displacing nine residents due to a lack of provincial funding.

- Finally, Andrea Pinochet-Escudero writes about the limitations of organizing solely for an election campaign. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Shiloh Payne reports on new numbers from the World Health Organization showing that COVID-19 is responsible for nearly 15 million excess deaths around the globe. Liji Thomas writes about the widespread harm caused by long COVID in the U.S. And Neetu Garcha interviews Sanjiv Gandhi about the plight of children facing severe illness and death from COVID and other (likely related) infectious diseases. 

- James Powell discusses how Doug Ford's developer-heavy housing task force is utterly failing to address the "affordability" part of its mandate. Rachel Cohen writes about the concerted attack on housing first measures by conservatives bent on preventing public policy aimed at getting people into permanent homes. And Wayne Mantyka reports on the fire at a Regina tent community as a predictable outcome of focusing on dismantling alternatives rather than ensuring housing is available. 

- Deena Winter reports on cluster of cancer and other fallout from 3M's dumping of chemical waste into drinking water supplies. And Sabranth Subramanian reports on the massive public liabilities left behind as a result of the UK's Sellafield nuclear site. 

- Landon Wilcock discusses the desire of oil and gas workers to shift to industries which have a future - along with the best means to get them there. And Brett Forester reports on the call from MPs to ensure the resource extraction sector takes responsibility for its contribution to violence against Indigenous women. 

- Zak Vescera points out how labour regulation hasn't caught up to the systematic exploitation of workers by gig platforms.  

- Finally, Martin Lukacs and Emma Paling report on the deep organizing which enabled Ontario workers to push back against some of the Ford government's excesses.