Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Toby Buckle and Greg Sargent highlight the need for a global response to the race war being propagated by Elon Musk and other white supremacists. And Will Bunch explains his (however belated) exit from the media empire of a tycoon whose violent anti-humanitarism is absolutely inescapable. 

- Meanwhile, as the fascists among us try to pretend they're defenders of civilization, Moira Doneghan examines the parallels between the Trump regime and the despots who oversaw the decline of Rome. Robert Reich comments on the symbolism of Trump's use of the White House as the backdrop for cage fighting. And Judith Levine discusses the importance of an iconoclastic movement to tear down the monuments built for no purpose other than to assuage a dictator's ego, while Rev. Dr. William Barber II points out the need for a general deep clean as part of the U.S.' reconstruction. 

- Kevin Hardy reports on the increasing number of Americans going hungry due to a combination of evaporating social supports and soaring prices. And Ben Casselman points out the U.S.' general population is rightly peeved at seeing a perpetually increasing gap between income and expenses while a few hoarders amass unprecedented riches. 

- Dell Cameron and Yulia Almazova report on the connections between media, techbros and Trump regime figures in Peter Thiel's private "Dialog".   

- Finally, Brett McKay reports on the lobbying by DoorDash and Uber to pressure Alberta and Saskatchewan to refuse to provide the protections B.C. has offered to precarious workers. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- John Harwood discusses how Donald Trump's second term in office has been more harmful than even the most dire predictions anticipated. Donald Gutstein calls out Danielle Smith for promoting the twin U.S. interests of dirty energy and Alberta separation as her primary areas of activity. And Peter Zimonjic reports that Mark Carney is joining the corporate elites working on normalizing Trump's abuses, as he's removing a number of the targeted tariffs which had served as important pressure points against Trump's arbitrary actions.

- Meanwhile, for those looking for construction actions which Canada could and should be taking, Jon Milton and Nathaniel Denaro make the case for a vehicle production Crown corporation to ensure our existing industrial base isn't subject to the whims of the Trump administration and the U.S. automakers collaborating with it. And Brendan Haley points out the value of energy efficiency as a nation-building project. 

- Karl Nerenberg writes about Carney's immediate shift toward austerity and tax-cutting after he won power as the defender of a progressive Canada. Grant Robertson and Kathryn Blaze Baum report on the results of a federal investigation showing that existing reliance on algorithms to govern regulatory activity was a major cause of a deadly listeria outbreak - even as Carney seeks to replace even more government functions with AI vaporware. And Sophia Harris reports on the CRA's woeful lack of resources to answer public inquiries as well as ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. 

- Finally, David Coletto and Eddie Sheppard discuss new polling showing that an increasing number of Canadians are slipping into exonomic anxiety and precarity. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Alex Morrison reports on the call from climate experts for immediate action to avoid careening past imminent climate tipping points. BNE reports on the unprecedented reversal of of the Deep Western Boundary Current as yet another example of the damage already done. And Aliyah Marko-Omene reports on the drought emergency facing southwestern Saskatchewan - even as the Moe government continues in its nihilistic determination to exacerbate the climate breakdown. 

- Jim Stanford points out that the digital services tax which Mark Carney sacrificed just to sit down with a manifestly untrustworthy counterparty has been was itself far from sufficient to account for the rents being extracted by U.S. tech giants.  

- Meanwhile, Stuart Trew and Marc Lee highlight how the business lobby's knee-jerk demand to eliminate regulations and development strategies in the guise of "trade barriers" will do little to boost anybody's economy, but create immense risks for democratic decision-making. 

- Finally, Tim White discusses the EU's experience - paralleled across North America as well - showing that the financialization of housing ensures that people's human rights aren't met. And Aishwarya Dudha reports on the rise of mortgage delinquencies across Canada - with Saskatchewan once again ranking worst among the provinces. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Ali Bustamente rightly challenges Donald Trump's claim that people should be happy to endure a regime-induced recession as an economic purge by pointing out how many people will suffer incalculable damage as a result of it. Paul Krugman calls out the attempt to conjure up a reasonable or coherent economic theory behind Trump's damage. And Melinda Cooper notes that while telling people to accept the loss of market income, Trump is also slashing both public supports and the civil service needed to make them available. 

- Robert Reich rightly warns that Trump's position that he can declare anybody a foreign enemy and disappear them without any due process means that nobody is safe. Melissa Ryan calls out the political class for merely standing aside and watching as democracy and human rights go up in flames. And Steven Beschloss writes that the American people can make the choice to hold onto what makes them human rather than going along with the regime's abuses, while Troy Nahumko discusses the importance of empathy as the basis of civilization. 

- David Moscrop writes about the need for Canada's next Prime Minister to work on breaking free from the U.S., while Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that we're at the stage of needing to prepare for war in order to preserve any prospect of peace. Megan Gordon writes about the need to protect workers as the key goal of our immediate response to a trade war, while Angella MacEwen points out the need to invest in an economy that serves both workers' interests and the national interest in the long term. And Tom Parkin notes that the unfocused tax slashing and capital gains giveaways on offer from the Libs as well as the Cons serve mostly as an upward transfer of wealth and an attack on our ability to invest in actual priorities.  

- Finally, Jessica Glenza reports on the expert warnings against vaccine denialism, while Natasha May reports that people around the globe are at risk from the measles outbreaks caused by anti-vaxxers. And Beth Mole discusses how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s crusade against vaccinations is threatening to derail breakthroughs to fight other diseases which are otherwise within reach. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Kenneth Vogel and Shane Goldmacher discuss how the Trump regime is using the power of the state to attack any opposition voices and actors. Madeline Sherratt reports that the Republicans' shredding of the U.S. constitution includes trying to keep Trump in power past the maximum of two terms. Josh Marshall reports on DOGE's use of federal contracting power to coerce a private security firm into helping it break into the U.S. Institute of Peace. And Paris Marx highlights how techbros are seeking to unleash DOGE-style assaults on public services in Canada and around the globe - even as the U.S. experiences the grim consequences of a government being in the hands of vandals determined to destroy it beyond repair. 

- Meanwhile, Mike Konczal reviews two books touching on the ability of progressive parties and leaders to get things done. 

- Evan Dyer discusses how Canada and Europe can help meet each others' defence needs as the U.S. turns into a hostile actor. 

- Matt Bruenig examines how to measure the number of people who live paycheque to paycheque in the U.S., finding that an estimate of up to 60% referenced by Bernie Sanders is entirely plausible. And Jason Linkins discusses the strong public response to Sanders' anti-oligarchy tour. 

- Finally, John Calvert discusses why we shouldn't accept a race to the bottom when it comes to regulating in the public interest - particularly as a supposed response to the corporatism of the Trump administration. And Michael Gorman reports on the rapid backtrack after Nova Scotia's Cons passed legislation which would have effectively eliminated professional regulation. 

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. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stelios Giogiades and Ryan Voisin discuss how political choices are a crucial determinant of health for children. Danny Dorling laments that children in the UK are shorter and hungrier now than just a decade ago due to their uncaring Con government, while Buttle UK examines the realities of childhood poverty. And Oshan Jarow reports on research showing that unconditional child benefits produce massive returns on investment with time. 

- Meanwhile, Kiran Stacy discusses a new survey showing that the vast majority of UK voters are favourable toward housing construction as long as it doesn't result overburden local services - signaling that the housing crisis is just another problem which can't be solved without also ensuring people have access to basic services generally.

- Marc Lee makes the case for free public transit, while Luke Bornheimer writes about the harmful effects of making driving children to school the default mode of transportation. Byard Duncan, Ryan Gabrielson and Lucas Waldron report on the use of car loan deferments as just another way financial predators wring money out of consumers. And Andrew Hawkins reports that the US National Highway Safety Administration is only now getting around to setting safety standards for the effects of vehicles on pedestrians. 

- Colin Newlyn asks why so many employers are determined to follow the orthodoxy of dehumanizing employees even when it demonstrably produces worse outcomes. And Heather Stewart examines how workers are getting stuck in precarious work as the unpredictable and excessive demands of a current employer preclude any opportunity to find more stable jobs. 

- Finally, Josh Cohen discusses how to respond to the age of rage on a personal level. A.R. Moxon notes that the proper response to conservative division is to build a generous, caring society that won't sustain irrational anger. And Jason Sattler points out that the only way to put an end to high-stakes battles for democracy every election cycle is to build it up consistently whether or not an election is looming. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Damian Carrington reports on the response to the consensus among climate scientists that we're headed for climate catastrophe, including the UN's recognition that there's no higher-stakes issue for humanity. Matt McGrath, Mark Poynting and Justin Rowlatt discuss how the oceans are headed for yet another record-breaking year of heat. And the Canadian Press reports that British Columbia is facing unprecedented threats to its natural waterways due to years of extreme heat and limited precipitation. 

- Meanwhile, Phil Tank offers a reminder that the Sask Party's choice to blow billions on carbon capture and storage has produced little result other than to delay action which would actually reduce carbon pollution.  

- Matt Gurney implores Doug Ford to stop exacerbating his province's health care crisis by refusing to offer reasonable compensation to family doctors. 

- Katie Dangerfield reports on new research into the myriad health risks of ultra-processed foods. 

- Craig Lord reports on the Bank of Canada's recognition that renters rather than property owners are facing the greater level of financial stress. 

- Finally, Geoffrey Picketts writes about the utter lack of reason behind separatist rhetoric in Alberta and Quebec - though there's probably nothing more pathetic than Saskatchewan's "me-too" equivalent which replicates the economic social and risks of separatism, while replacing any theory of self-determination with complete subservience to Alberta puppetmasters. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Joe Vipond and Steve Bentley write about the need to treat the climate breakdown in progress as a serious problem requiring immediate action rather than a game. David Thurton reports on the Libs' inexplicable choice to eliminate the federal government's ability to carry out environmental assessments based on carbon pollution with multi-jurisdictional impacts. And Steve Hanley points out that the fossil fuel sector's response to the development of satellites capable of tracking methane releases has been to direct its "innovation" toward new steps to conceal its continued emissions. 

- Mark Olaide and Nick Bowlin expose how Oklahoma courts and regulators alike went out of their way to prevent the oil industry from paying the cost of its contamination of a family farm. And Drew Anderson reports on the UCP's choice to ban new renewable energy for threatening the hegemony of the fossil fuel sector. 

- Meanwhile, Justine Calma discusses how environmental journalists face disproportionate and increasing threats of violence for daring to expose the reality of corporate malfeasance. 

- Adam King discusses how Canada's latest income survey shows a deteriorating standard of living for the working class - driven largely by the withdrawal of supports in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. 

- Finally, Alex Hemingway points out that it will be impossible to meaningfully alleviate Canada's housing crisis without massive investment in public and not-for-profit homes. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Thomas Neuberger (via Ian Welsh) discusses the imminent reality that insurers will refuse to cover massive swaths of property due to the climate crisis - even as the public money which could provide a social insurance alternative continues to be spent exacerbating the problem through fossil fuel subsidies. And Joan Westenberg notes that many people will own less assets to insure in the first place, as a default model of temporary access to everyday needs at extortionary prices replaces any expectation that people will have personal property of their own. 

- Jonathan Watts reports on a new analysis showing how 80% of all carbon pollution can be sourced to just a few dozen oil, gas, coal and cement producers. And Carl Meyer reports on new research showing how Canada's tar sands operators are lying to the public about "net-zero plans" which in fact serve as nothing but excuses for continued (or even increased) emissions. 

- Michael Harris examines how the right's general war on democracy is playing out in Canada. And David Moscrop is duly appalled that the concept of ensuring that hungry children have food to eat is being shot down by the Cons and their provincial cousins.  

- Finally, Samia Madwar asks whether work is inherently toxic - while also pointing out many of the factors which make it far more so than necessary. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Alex Fulton discusses the lessons we should be learning from the response to COVID-19 in preparing for the next pandemic. Richard Payerchin highlights how physicians recognize the need to diagnose and treat long COVID as it afflicts an increasing proportion of the population, but largely lack the means to do so.  And Milos Ajcevic et al. find a connection between cognitive impairment associated with long COVID, and dysfunction in cerebral blood flow observable through MRIs.

- Josh Gabbatiss writes about new research which projects that we're entering an age of decline for fossil fuels. Emily Chung points out what Canada can learn from Sweden's success in replacing oil heating with electric heat pumps. Joe Fassler argues that the disproportionate carbon pollution spewed by the ultra-rich can only be seen as a theft from everybody else. And Kevin Timoney writes about the multiple problems with tar sands tailings ponds - including but not limited to the toxic leaks into drinking water sources which have been concealed by the UCP government and operators alike. 

- John Michael McGrath highlights how the Ford PCs' supposed housing strategy figures to do far more to cause sprawl than to make homes available. Helena Horton writes that a road-building spree is utterly incompatible with any responsible climate strategy. And Matt Gurney notes that Ford's complete lack of credibility in funding promised transit infrastructure makes it impossible to take him seriously on transportation matters generally. 

- The Angus Reid Institute examines how Canadians are responding to additional cost pressures piled on what have long been precarious personal finances. Erin Weir points out that the list of windfall profits which should be tapped into to help the working class includes those emanating from grocery inputs. And Wayne Simpson makes the case to make the grocery rebate permanent to provide predictable support for people living on lower incomes. 

- Finally, Gillian Steward writes that Danielle Smith has chosen to present herself as the face of anti-science quackery and violent bigotry. And Stephen Magusiak reports on the Take Back Alberta group (which appears to be in full control of the UCP) which has been based on organizing exactly those malignant forces. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Farah Hancock offers an informative look at the circumstances where people are most likely to share air in ways that results in COVID transmission. And Nam Kiwanuka highlights the need for messaging about the ongoing pandemic which is both internally consistent, and paired with action to enable people to protect themselves and others. 

- David Moscrop is optimistic about some gains being made by the labour movement in Canada and the U.S. in both achieving certification, and winning public policy improvements. And Sara Mojtehedzadeh exposes more of Uber's tactics to avoid employment standards and exploit its drivers, even while cynically claiming to be offering them opportunities. 

- Diane Abbott rightly argues that the UK Cons as a whole need to answer for the gross dereliction of duty which has led to Boris Johnson's departure - a point which applies equally to the conservative parties in Canada who believe that shedding a single leader entitles them to a clean slate for decades of disastrous choices.

- Finally, Bill Gillies writes about the need for change from an electoral system which allows minorities of voters to stake a party to absolute power. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Gloria Oladipo reports on the spread of two new Omicron subvariants (BA.4 and BA.5) across the U.S., while Rahul Suryawanshi et al. find that Omicron infection doesn't provide substantial immunity against other variants of COVID-19 (particularly among the unvaccinated). And Tanya Lewis discusses how a focus on cleaner indoor air would protect against COVID as well as other avoidable health problems. 

- Karen Hawthorne interviews Sue Robins about the need for our health care system to move toward a focus on care rather than business. But Katie DeRosa reports that B.C. is instead seeing (and investigating) the acquisition of medical practices by corporate providers who are looking to create a two-tiered system through individual subscription fees - a reality that's also playing out in Ontario. 

- Greg Jericho points out the obvious unfairness of allowing corporations to grab windfall profits by raising prices, while cracking down on any prospect of wage gains to direct anything to workers. And Alex Cooke writes about the devastating effects of an economy planned to provide less than a living wage to workers. 

- Steven Greenhouse and Harold Meyerson argue that established unions can and should do far more to build organizing capacity among younger workers, rather than limiting their focus to a failing effort to cling to what they have now. And Lee Fang discusses how one of the cynical corporate responses to any attempt at unionization has been to co-opt the language of social justice to claim there's no need for organization in the interest of equity and inclusion.

- Finally, Alex Williams discusses how the inflation we're seeing now is the result of conscious choices to eliminate physical productive capacity in all but the most exploitative jurisdictions in the name of goosing corporate profits. Liat Olenick warns that the U.S.' baby formula shortage is just a preview of the precarity of all kinds of food supplies as our climate breaks down. And Umair Haque writes that we can't plausibly treat the multiple, overlapping and substantially-unanswered crises we're facing as anything less than a collapse in progress. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Aekkachai Tuekprakhon et al. study how the Omicron COVID-19 subvariants are evading both previous immunity and existing treatments. And Zak Vescera reports on Dr. Saqib Shahab's recognition that misinformation and apathy are key factors keeping Saskatchewan's vaccination rates low - though both government policy and messaging have played a substantial role in their development. 

- Meanwhile, Dr. Kevin Wasko discusses the five key areas where Saskatchewan's health care system is in the most need of improvement.

- Isaac Callan reports on the Ford PCs' refusal to make any effort to even discuss accessibility improvements for people with disabilities. And as Vanmala Subramaniam reports, that contrasts thoroughly against their choice to grant virtually every item on the wish list of Uber and other exploiters of precarious workers seeking to avoid normal employment responsibilities. Luke Lebrun exposes the PC's approval of a candidate whose background involves scamming students through an unaccredited career college. And Randy Robinson discusses the state of the Ontario election campaign - including the strong demand for change among women.  

- Alex Hemingway highlights how an investment in public housing can be self-financing while meeting people's essential needs. 

- Barry Saxifrage examines how Canada (like other countries) fell far short of its Copenhagen climate change commitments, while AFP reports on InfluenceMap's research showing how the fossil fuel sector is trying to use Russia's attack on Ukraine as an excuse to keep ignoring any climate responsibilities. And Damian Carrington reports on Antonio Gutteres' call for young people to refuse to pursue work with climate wreckers. 

- Finally, Clint Smith rightly opines that nobody should have to live through the losses caused by the U.S.' refusal to avoid readily-preventable mass shootings. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- James Tapper reports on the UK's soaring rates of long-term illness caused by COVID-19, while Tara Madden writes about the utter uselessness of people trying to substitute admonitions toward positive thinking for a plan to help people suffering from long COVID. And Denise Balkissoon writes that far too little attention is being paid to the transmission of COVID within animal species (and back into people).

- David Moscrop writes that there's no valid reason to make workers and citizens pay the price for inflation fearmongering through wage cuts or avoidable austerity. Cam Scott writes that the #FluTruxKlan reflects little but an active attempt to push social regression. And Markham Hislop notes that the rise of fascist activity is the result of economic despair being preyed on by the Cons and their allies. 

 - Max Fawcett offers advance warning of the preposterous "freedom oil" propaganda now being used to try to avoid any transition away from dirty fossil fuels. And Drew Anderson notes that even if somebody was desperate to try to push Canadian oil and gas in the European market, there's little practical way to make it happen.

- Finally, Corey Mintz discusses how the Ford government has chosen to legislate away employment protections in order to serve the interests of the apps exploiting precarious workers.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The Max Planck Society explores how COVID-19 has developed to hide out and mutate within the human body. Tami Luhby discusses how even a receding Omicron wave has continued to have devastating effects on millions of Americans. And Jessie Anton reports on the concerns of Saskatchewan teachers about having to try to assess risk in the dark, while Mickey Djuric reports that what little Scott Moe is allowing anybody to see includes a spike in emergency room visits by children under 5. 

- Debra Satz and Stuart White write about the damage income inequality does to the fundamental underpinnings of democracy. And Elise von Scheel exposes Jason Kenney's selective calls to insulate Alberta-connected Russian oligarchs from sanctions, while Duncan Kinney reports on the money the AIMCo pension fund has invested in Russian assets. 

- Nick Gottlieb writes that a U.S. court reviewing the Biden administration's cancellation of oil and gas leases has recognized the folly of claiming to be addressing climate change by subsidizing and expanding fossil fuel production - and calculates how Canada's own choices are indefensible when that factor is taken into account. John Woodside discusses how Canada is both contributing to and suffering from the climate breakdown in progress based on the IPCC's most recent findings. And Rebecca Leber discusses the need for climate policy to be informed by social science research in order to be effective. 

- Finally, Mitchell Thompson highlights how Doug Ford's plan for gig workers is to strip them of benefits and protections which would otherwise be available to them. 

Tuesday Evening Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Sarath Peiris discusses the foolishness of prioritizing the self-indulgence of the grossly uninformed over the protection of the vulnerable. For those looking for a thoughtful discussion of how to avoid recklessly gambling with public health, Andre Picard discusses how protections could be removed responsibly. And Yasmine Ghania talks to public health experts about what living with COVID would mean if it wasn't based in wilful denial. 

- Jacob Serebrin reports on Quebec's soaring count of pediatric hospitalizations, while Noah Ivers and Cora Constantinescu urge parents to get children vaccinated as soon as possible. And Yan Xie et al. examine the long-term cardiovascular damage caused by COVID. 

- Stefanie Davis reports on the push by Saskatchewan workers to demand some protection - though that was met with a typically callous response as Scott Moe has chosen to surrender utterly to COVID. And Julia Raifman, Alexandra Skinner and Aaron Sojourner study how low-income workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic.

- Peter Coy discusses how wealth inequality in the U.S. has reached a higher level than has been seen since World War II. Heather Vogell points out the problem with private equity taking over needed housing and turning a human right into a profit centre. And Alex Collinson discusses how the UK's cost-of-living crisis is the result of the systematic transfer of wealth from workers to the wealthy - which won't be improved any by suppressing wages. 

- Finally, Peter Votsch offers some thoughts about building labour strength in the workplace. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board argues that Canada needs to ensure its labour and employment laws protect gig workers.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Cory Neudorf asks that Saskatchewan not play Russian roulette with the Omicron COVID variant.  Rahul Suryawanshi et al. find that any theory of hoping for protection through infection is as foolish now as ever, since Omicron itself is limited in the immunity it encounters or provides against other variants. And Theresa Tam confirms the consensus that Omicron remains infectious for just as long as prior variants - making the push to shift people back to work sooner another example of wilful neglect of public health. 

- Meanwhile, Matthew Elmas discusses how Australia has slashed support payments to force gig workers to rush back to work rather than self-isolating. 

- Colleen Silverthorn reports on the desperate state of Saskatchewan long-term care homes fighting outbreaks among workers and residents alike. Laura Sang describes the brutal toll of a 16-hour hospital shift in the midst of a cresting COVID wave. And Laesa Kim is rightly outraged that her five-year-old daughter - like so many other people with other disabilities - is being sacrificed in the misplaced attempt to return to "normal". 

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing that chemical pollution is yet another form of environmental damage which has crossed a boundary incompatible with a stable living environment. 

- Finally, Geoff Dembicki looks in depth at the manipulative police tactics and massive amount of public resources used to abuse women and undermine environmental activism. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Kuodi et al. find some hopeful evidence that vaccinations may help to prevent long COVID symptoms as well as more acute ones. Nili Kaplan-Myrth rightly questions why safety is being treated as a privilege to be withheld from vulnerable people. And Yasmeen Serhan discusses how responsible leaders are challenging the anti-social actions of those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated, while Adam Hunter reports that Scott Moe's nonexistent public health response and insistence on coddling anti-vaxxers are being rejected by a growing majority of Saskatchewan's public. 

- Leyla Asadi, Raina MacIntyre, Lisa Brosseau and Trish Greenhaigh highlight the need to upgrade to respirators which effectively control the inhalation of viral particles. Josh Mark reports on John-Mark Opondo's call for people to self-isolate even with mild cold-like symptoms in order to reduce COVID spread. And Megan Ogilvie reports on Ontario's shortage of therapeutic drugs to treat COVID patients.  

- Taylor Lambert discusses the toxic mix of intimidation, disinformation and heavy-handed legislation that defines Jason Kenney's reign in Alberta - though one would be hard-pressed to find much basis for distinction from the governing philosophies of Scott Moe or Doug Ford. 

- Scott Schmidt calls out the familiar con being used once again by corporate spokesflacks to try to attack universality in health care. And Luke Lebrun reports on a new study documenting the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's deliberate choice to push racist messages and themes.  

- Matthew McClearn discusses how far Canada has to go in eliminating fossil fuel subsidies from a starting point of pouring more money into them than any other G20 country. And Amory Lovins and M.V. Ramana point out how a fully renewable power grid is entirely feasible with current technology - as long as we don't let climate deniers and corporate polluters set our energy agenda. 

- Finally, Joel Dryden reports on the effect of gig platforms on Alberta's labour market - including the reality that corporations are using apps as an excuse to avoid basic protections for workers who are actually their employees. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Smriti Mallapaty reports on new research suggesting that vaccines provide only partial protection against the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. Sarath Peiris asks when Scott Moe and his minions will be held accountable for sacrificing hundreds of lives and thousands of people's health to science denial and wishful thinking. And the Maple examines the failure of both Moe and Jason Kenney to take steps to protect public health in the face of record case and hospitalization counts. 

- Jim Stanford writes about the importance of frontline workers in a pandemic - and the economic forces trapping them in precarity and deprivation. 

- Alec Salloum discusses how the Moe government's changes to Saskatchewan social programs are depriving the people who most need housing and income supports of those basic building blocks of a healthy life. And George Eaton points out how cuts to pandemic supports look to increase poverty and inequality in the UK. 

- Cole Hanson highlights how Canada has chosen to legitimize tax evasion rather than making it a priority to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share. And Adam Ramsey similarly writes about the UK's role in the Pandora Papers and the global system of tax avoidance, while Peter Oborne discusses the partisan connections between tax evasion and big-money donations to the UK Cons. 

- Meanwhile, Umair Haque and Doug Saunders each discuss the self-inflicted damage the UK faces as a result of Brexit. 

- Finally, Magdi Semrau explores how the U.S.' media distorted coverage of withdrawal from Afghanistan in favour of a frame of permanent war with no regard for consequences. And David Pugliese exposes how Canada has trained far-right extremists in the Ukraine.