Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Casey Newton notes that repeated studies showing the distorting effects of X and other social media sites are making it impossible to pretend that major tech platforms deserve the protection of a presumption of neutrality. And Raphael Satter and Alexandra Alper report on the Trump regime's demand that other countries avoid asserting any protection for data integrity or public privacy where its tech giants think there's something to be exploited.

- Rory White investigates the consultants looking to overwhelm political conversations with AI talking points. And Brett McKay reports on the right-wing astroturf entities who are skirting or deliberately violating Canadian election laws in order to flood the airwaves with election ads without providing timely (or in some cases any) disclosure of who's funding them. 

- A.R. Moxon discusses why toxic masculinity is damaging to the people who succumb to it, while recognition of others' humanity is necessary to the flourishing of one's own. And Kelly Hayes writes that it's no surprise that people who have been systematically isolated are unable to understand the connections being made in Minnesota where people are building support networks. 

- Finally, Sharlene Gandhi examines data from 211 calls which shows that housing and mental health are the most glaring unmet needs among people calling for crisis support. And Simon Enoch discusses Saskatchewan's continued place as the province with the highest rates of child poverty - which is only becoming both broader and deeper under the Sask Party. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- A panel of experts has offered a set of recommendations to deal with the current COVID-19 reality, including a particular focus on the need for whole-of-society action rather than leaving a global pandemic to individual choices. And David Berger highlights how the facts starkly contradict the claim that we've beaten COVID rather than surrendering to it.  

- Jon Milton offers a primer on the Ford PCs' unilateral negation of collective bargaining and striking in order to avoid sharing money which the province has in hand with education workers. David Moscrop writes that the use of the notwithstanding clause in particular is indefensible from the standpoint of remotely competent governance. And Adam King highlights the importance of solidarity in pushing back against Ford's abuse of power to attack workers. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Glowacki reports on the soaring costs of healthy food which is being pushed further out of reach by wage suppression. 

- Jennifer Ludden reports on Cincinnati's smart move to take over housing from absentee landlords to ensure it's available for residents. And that makes for a stark contrast against what's happening in Regina, as Gillian Massie reports on the plight of homeless people as winter weather arrives without the city doing anything but threatening them. 

- Finally, Zeynep Tufecki writes that we shouldn't let the absurdity of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter distract from the problems with allowing our main social media connections to be operated to primarily serve the interests of corporate advertisers rather than users.