Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Sarah Zhang writes that the three factors which will determine the path of the COVID pandemic over the winter are our own immunity, the adaptation of the virus, and our own behaviour. And Phil Tank reports on the warning from Saskatchewan doctors that easing up on existing restrictions (and caution) will lead to another wave.

- DW reports on the billions being made by vaccine manufacturers by marketing to wealthier countries while denying any help to much of the world. And Alyson Haslam et al. study the drastic difference the source of research funding makes in assessments as to whether oncology drugs are cost-effective - with corporate money generally assuring the outcome that will allow for future profits.

- Kari Paul discusses the list of conservative web sites which serve as the primary distributors of online climate denial. Dion Rabouin points out how much money the U.S. shoveled into a job-slashing, profit-taking fossil fuel sector over the course of the COVID pandemic, while Jean Chemnick notes that it stood in the way of any talk of a climate liability fund which would result in anybody paying for the damage they've caused to our planet.

- Jen Gerson highlights how increasingly frequent and severe disasters are leaving us no choice but to reckon with both the immediate costs of a climate breakdown, and our systemic inability to deal with crises with a hollowed-out public sector. And Ed Struzik examines the future of flooding in Canada as a whole, while CBC News reports on the dangerously low levels of the Bow River.

- Finally, Alex Tabarrok discusses the effect of mass resignations of workers on the UK's already-strained public health care system. And Emily Williams writes that health care workers are among the professionals fleeing Alberta after seeing how little they're valued and respected by the Kenney UCP and its corporate backers.

Musical interlude

Men I Trust - Tree Among Shrubs

Return of the Talking Head

I appeared on CTV's News at 5 with Matt Young today, around 24:00 in this show. 

And of course, there were a few points I didn't make in the process, most notably this: pathetic though it is that Scott Moe's plan for Saskatchewan "autonomy" is copied from Jason Kenney, it's all the more embarrassing that Moe's chosen to plagiarize from someone who's flunking out of the class.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Guy Quenneville reports on Dr. Saqib Shahab's warning that Saskatchewan needs to improve its vaccination rates and minimize social mixing to avoid a fifth COVID wave this winter. And Kelly Skjerven reports on modelling showing that delays in testing and seeking treatment are resulting in the majority of COVID admissions to ICU are happening within a day of admission to a hospital - signaling that people are ending up with more severe cases after delaying testing and treatment. 

- Meanwhile, Trevor Wilhelm reports on the belated arrest of an anti-vaxxer who bombed a Windsor assembly plant. 

- Arno Kopecky writes that the multiple calamities which have hit British Columbia this year should warn us what awaits everybody if we don't take immediate action to avert a climate breakdown, while Judith Lavoie discusses the connection between clear-cutting and the recent floods and landslides. And Damian Carrington reports on new mapping showing the natural carbon sinks which need to be preserved to avoid exacerbating the climate crisis. 

- Finally, Linda McQuaig warns that big oil continues to dictate the terms of any climate discussion. Cameron Fenton calls out the new language of climate denial grounded in delay and inaction, while Paul Dechene examines those principles as they apply to Regina's reluctance to accept even a statement of intention to join other municipalities in pursuing net zero emissions. And Rebecca Solnit offers some tips for confronting the climate challenge without losing hope. 

On priorities

While I've pointed out the absurdity of yet another round of anti-coalition scaremongering, it does seem clear that any discussion between the NDP and the Libs will instead involve a confidence and supply arrangement. And that may well be for the best, as it maximizes the policy outcomes the NDP can expect to generate from an agreement. 

That said, in determining which priorities should be given precedence, it's worth keeping in mind what can realistically be achieved in that type of arrangement - particularly in light of the dynamics it would create between the parties involved. So let's look at a few of the criteria by which we can evaluate possible points of agreement - and which options might best fit within a deal.

• Public Benefit - Needless to say, the core consideration for anything the NDP requests needs to be a tangible benefit for people. While this might seem obvious, remember that the Libs once considered it a good idea to keep the Harper Cons in power in exchange for partisan progress reports on stimulus spending. The NDP hopefully knows better than to pursue process points over substance - but in case there's any doubt, it needs to view the contents of a policy deal as embodying the belief that political choices can improve people's welfare. 
• Immediacy - Any supply agreement will necessarily be for a limited period of time, with a risk that Justin Trudeau will see an opportunity to call an election early no matter what time period is agreed on. And that means whatever concessions the NDP can win will need to be capable of implementation within a period of a year-plus. That likely rules out anything which would require starting any major program design or public consultation from scratch without a fairly well-understood end goal. And so while a basic income or electoral reform would make for worthwhile demands on the merits, they may not be practical as core components of a supply agreement. 
• Durability - That said, there's also reason for concern if any agreement fails to have a lasting impact. For example, while improved pandemic benefits are rightly an important consideration for now, there's surely little value in committing to support a government past the point when they may cease to be necessary. This may be where the NDP's past success in pushing for Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and Petro-Canada serves as a precedent as to what's possible. And while there may be limits on the structural change the Libs are willing to accept, the NDP should be keeping an eye on ensuring that the effects of any agreement last beyond the Parliament in which it's reached. 
• Acceptability - Of course, any demand made by the NDP is futile if it's beyond what the Libs can be pushed to accept. And while the Libs aren't setting up any particularly strict lines at the moment, there's a real risk that they'll see options to stay in power by other means (particularly by daring the Cons to bring them down) if the price for a supply agreement is seen as too high.
• Differentiation - By the same token, however, the NDP surely wants to be able to claim justified credit for the results of any agreement, rather than facing any plausible argument that the Libs would have done the same if they'd had a majority. And there may be particular value for the NDP in being able to claim to have pushed the Libs to action in an area where they'd otherwise proven reluctant to live up to their promises or stated principles. 
• Progressivity - Finally, different isn't necessarily better - so it matters which types are chosen for emphasis. While platform development always includes some effort to be everything to everyone, the terms of a supply deal will be taken as the ultimate declaration of the NDP's priorities. And it would be a waste of the balance of power to use it to pursue policies which tend toward political gimmickry rather than the expression of supporters' values.  

Not surprisingly, the main goals mentioned by Jagmeet Singh since the election (action on housing, dropping litigation against Indigenous children/providing compensation, and climate action) can meet each of the above criteria depending on the steps chosen. But even on those topics, the nature of any agreement may make a world of difference: indeed, a housing plan oriented toward subsidies for purchasers could easily fail the public benefit, differentiation and progressivity tests. 

Conversely, the best option may be one which isn't at the forefront of Singh's current messaging. The Libs have already put some effort into determining what a national pharmacare program could look like, meaning that it's as "shovel-ready" as any national benefit program is likely to be. But they've abandoned any commitment to following through or funding it, presumably due largely to industry pressure. 

That means the NDP can be the driving force behind a crucial national program which would carry both individual and systemic benefits, and which the Libs would have little reason to oppose directly (even if they haven't been willing to spend their own political capital implementing it). 

With pharmacare (ideally coupled with public-sector pharmaceutical capacity) along with a substantial contribution to a climate change plan (say, redirecting the value of fossil fuel subsidies to the NDP's proposal for a Civilian Climate Corps and green infrastructure investments?) as the centrepieces, there would then be room to add further elements which are either more limited in duration, or more distant in implementation. 

It remains to be seen exactly how willing the Libs are to pursue a more formal arrangement. But there's room for both the NDP and the country to benefit immensely if they can be pushed to do so - and after an election campaign where an immense amount of energy was spent to accomplish very little, it would be for the best if some well-selected pressure now can remind people what effective cooperation can achieve. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Andrew Gregory reports on a new meta-study showing which options have been most effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19 - with mask-wearing ranking as the single most effective measure, though numerous other ones have also been important. And CBC News reports on the impending Canadian approval of a pediatric vaccine dose for ages 5-11, though Stuart Trew points out how Canada is acting as a barrier to the availability of vaccines in developing countries which desperately need them.  

- Kathryn Blaze Baum and Matthew McClearn discuss why British Columbia is trapped in cycles of extreme weather arising out of the climate crisis. And Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes document how the oil industry has systematically deceived the public about the dangers of climate change for decades, while Amy Westervelt writes that overcoming that deeply-embedded disinformation remains one of the key steps in working to avert a total climate breakdown. 

- Paris Marx discusses why we can't rely on self-absorbed and avaricious billionaires to save us from the climate crisis. Mitchell Thompson notes that Canada's business elite has long had a soft spot for fascism when there's money to be made (or leftists to be attacked). And Armine Yalnizyan warns against using interest rate hikes being demanded by capital owners to address inflation when that will only result in even worse outcomes for people with lower incomes.  

- Umair Haque writes that the U.S.' structural inequality - in which any economic gains are more than skimmed off the top by the already-wealthy - has sent it into a civilizational death spiral of despair and distrust. And Eric Ohrn studies (PDF) how the spoils of corporate tax breaks have been directed toward executive compensation rather than wages for the working class. 

- Finally, Shannon Proudfoot writes that any attempt to limit child care to being boutique women's issue misses the broader importance of making it available.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ed Yong writes about the damage to people's health as care workers flee their jobs in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Kenyon Wallace and May Warren discuss how more infectious variants have made masks more important than ever as a form of personal protection. And Alanna Carlson Sinclair writes about her experience with long COVID to encourage people to get vaccinated. 

- Meanwhile, as many countries continue to lack access to vaccines, Jake Johnson highlights how the money lost to tax abuses by the rich could pay to vaccinate the world three times over. 

- Paul Taylor discusses the connection between the climate crisis and food insecurity - even before British Columbia's catastrophic flooding and mudslides cut off any connection between Western Canada and most global trade. Leyland Cecco points out the role corporate-driven forestry practices have played in causing fires and floods. Nina Lakhani reports on the concerns raised by Indigenous activists that carbon trading schemes may only incentivize damaging megaprojects rather than emission reductions and the preservation of our natural environment. 

- John Lin et al. study the massive methane leakage in Utah which results in reported emission levels severely underestimating the damage done by oil and gas extraction. And Oliver Milman reports on the Biden administration's choice to advance massive new offshore drilling leases in the wake of Glasgow. 

- Meanwhile, Robert Kuttner notes that the U.S. is working on making climate progress compatible with industrial goals through a transition to green steel. 

- Joan Baxter reports on the abuses inflicted on citizens by Canadian mining companies in Guatemala - and the stain on the country as a whole as we enable them. 

- Finally, Nicole Lyn Pesce reports on yet another record set of bonuses set to be siphoned off by the financial sector. And Len McCluskey discusses the need for workers to be strong and organized to counter the constant drive by employers to exploit labour. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Attentive cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Nora Loreto writes about the need for governments to make COVID management plans which take into account pockets of anti-vaxxers who will create significant risks for the general population. Andre Picard discusses why parents will need to ensure their children get vaccinated, while Matt Gurney wonders how children will react if a continued failure to take reasonable precautions foreseeably results in the loss of core activities. And Zak Vescera reports on research showing significant damage to the health of Saskatchewan people who have avoided care as a result of the poorly-handled pandemic. 

- Meanwhile, Jim Stanford studies the effects of paid sick leave, and finds that employers could ensure people don't have to work while sick with no measurable cost in competitiveness or profitability. 

- Adam Tooze's alarming takeaway from COP26 is that the world is trusting the same businesses who have created the climate crisis to solve it with little government action - though Simon Dyer notes that even the minimal commitments made to date make new oil and gas development completely untenable. Jason Hickel discusses the approach we'd be taking if we were actually treating climate breakdown as an emergency, while Seth Klein offers his suggestions as to what a Lib throne speech would look like if it wanted to meet that standard. And Julia Rock points out how pension funds are being hijacked to prop up the fossil fuel sector as capital which isn't under political control looks for investments outside of a dying industry. 

- CBC News reports on the widespread damage to British Columbia as torrential rainfall has combined with weakened natural drainage to produce floods and mudslides. And Carolyn Jarvis reports on the Ontario government's reluctant release of data showing the air pollution being inflicted on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

- Finally, Richard Swift wonders what value there is in the Pandora Papers and other revelations of the abuse of wealth and power when they don't lead to any investigations or prosecutions. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Eric Topol writes about the new wave of COVID-19 decimating Europe - and the level of denial required to pretend that the U.S. or any other region can escape it without taking steps to protect public health. And Zak Vescera talks to public health experts about the reality that Saskatchewan's best-case scenario (assuming current rules remain in place) involves a plateau over the coming months rather than a substantial reduction in the strain on our health care system. 

- Meg Oliver reports on the devastating effects of long COVID on children, while Jennifer Fereira takes note of the downstream impact on mental and physical health when a pandemic is met with insufficient measures. Omar Mosleh reports on the two subvariants which are spreading in western Canada. And Natalia Goodwin reports on the spread within deer populations, while Michael Le Page discusses the broader dangers of transmission within and by wildlife around the globe. 

- Meanwhile, Branko Milanovic highlights what our experience with COVID tells us about the possibilities (and implications) of making the systemic changes needed to avert catastrophic climate change.

- James Galbraith weighs in on the source of supply disruptions and associated inflation - being a matter of fragile logistics used by choice, rather than any effect of providing people with bare minimum incomes to survive a pandemic. 

- Finally, Sam Smart discusses (and documents) the right-wing elite's takeover of Canada's media. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Brian Goldman interviews Raywot Deonandan about the options available to limit the spread of COVID-19 through the coming fall and winter. But while most people are primarily concerned with the coronavirus directly, Adam Miller reports on the growing calls from health care workers to ensure the safety of essential service providers is assured against an increasingly violent and emboldened mob of anti-science quacks.

- Omayra Issa discusses how a climate breakdown in progress is causing anxiety and grief. Marieke Walsh reports on new polling showing overwhelming support for strong climate action in Canada even if it affects existing industries. And the Environmental Society of Saskatchewan offers (PDF) its recommendations to move the province toward a more appropriate level of climate ambition. 

- David Wallace-Wells muses that the strongest climate change rhetoric from political leaders is often coming from those who are trying to avoid doing their part. And Bill McKibben writes that we should be far past the point of expecting governments to fix the climate crisis - meaning that citizen action is the only plausible means of ensuring a habitable environment.

- Hannah Brais, Alex Nelson, Jesse Jenkinson and Kaitlin Schwan examine the connections between homelessness and women's rights. And Michelle Marcus and Katherine Yewell observe that universal free meals in schools produce significantly greater benefits for children from lower-income households than mere access. 

- Finally, Judd Legum weighs in on how corporate concentration and monopolization are the real cause of any current inflation facing consumers.

Musical interlude

LAUREL - Appetite

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Steven Mackay writes about new research showing the different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by gender - with the men who are disproportionately likely to die of the coronavirus expressing substantially less fear of its effects. 

- Robert Reich discusses how the inflation being used as an excuse to attack public spending and worker demands is in fact a result of profiteering by corporate monopolists. And George Monbiot writes that an end to extreme wealth is a must if we're going to rein in the climate crisis. 

- Mostafa Henaway offers an undercover account of life in an Amazon logistics facility - including the efforts made to winnow out all but the most compliant of employees to avoid unionization or any other worker strength. 

- Katherine Rader writes about new survey data showing that voters are far more likely to be persuaded by a commitment to strong universal programs than by mealy-mouthed bromides about access to for-profit services. 

- Finally, Gary Mason writes about the folly of Scott Moe's attempt to push nationalism as a substitute for even faintly competent government. Russell Wangersky discusses how Saskatchewan's citizens are worse off as a result of Moe's inflated sense of self-importance. And Steve Burgess evaluates the risk of Moe's bluster actually amounting to anything. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Helen Ward et al. discuss the work that needs to be done to respond to long COVID on a global scale, while CBC News reports on Rachel Notley's needed call for Alberta to begin taking the long-term effects seriously. And Reuters reports on the Netherlands' move toward additional public health measures as another wave sweeps across Europe.

- Meanwhile, Chris Hurl and Leah Barrett Werner point out how private consultants have been put in charge of the COVID response across Canada - and how the public has been ill served by putting people focused on generating profits in charge of public health.

- Umair Haque writes that we're grossly underestimating the dangers of a climate breakdown and the scope of work needed to avert it. Tom Ambrose discusses scientists' warnings that the omission of military entities from emission reduction targets leaves a massive blind spot in any effort to develop and apply carbon budgets. Sarah Johnson reports on WaterAid's call to include the water crisis in global discussions of climate change, while Ivana Kottasova and Amy Cassidy write about the push by youth for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.

- Finally, Aaron Huertas discusses the need for progressive activists and politicians to be willing to take action (including where it involves some risk of less-than-ideal coverage), rather than hoping for talking points alone to attract attention and persuade the public.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Shield reports on the development of a new COVID-19 variant which is becoming dominant in Saskatchewan, while Zak Vescera highlights how public health experts are refuting the Moe government's spin about not being provided reasonable options to limit the catastrophic fourth wave. And Shannon Proudfoot discusses how the pandemic (and the decision to treat it as over for the purposes of people without real family responsibilities) has been breaking parents left to navigate it on their own. 

- Bruce Arthur writes that booster shots will help the effort to contain COVID, but won't represent a panacea any more than the first round of vaccinations. And Vidya Krishnan reminds us of the need to stop prioritizing big pharma's profits over global access to vaccines if we want to get the pandemic under control. 

- Mary Annaïse Heglar and Amy Westervelt write that climate activists have been waiting politely and playing nice far too long while rapacious fossil fuel barons and their political lackeys set our planet on fire. Kate Aronoff responds to Barack Obama as he tries to put the onus for climate action on the activists he ignored - or even implicitly treated as his adversaries - while in power. Yanis Varoufakis argues that the Glasgow climate summit has failed due to a focus on distant and empty "net zero" targets. 

- Karl Nerenberg reports on Oxfam's push to tax the rich in the interest of both economic and environmental justice. 

- Armine Yalnizyan, Laurell Ritchie, Marjorie Griffin Cohen and Pat Armstrong discuss the work that needs to be done at the federal level to build a functional and effective care economy. And the CCPA's alternative federal budget reminds us again how the federal government could develop a just and equitable society if it wanted to make the effort. 

- Finally, Anastasia French, Craig Pickthorne and Christine Saulnier write that a living wage is an essential element of any genuine economic recovery. 

This is why we can't have even minimally acceptable things

Here we go again. And somehow, the latest round of hysteria includes the Cons learning nothing from the failure of their attacks on coalitions or other forms of inter-party cooperation in the past, while the defence of a principle which has always enjoyed strong public support is getting weaker with time.

So let's once again be clear. We would be better governed if our political parties spent more time figuring out how to accomplish the goals they profess to share (or at least can view as mutually agreeable), rather than engaging in constant efforts to prove the other guys unfit for office (which ultimately succeed only to the extent of proving all parties right in that assertion).  

And for the NDP in particular, the politics and principle couldn't align much more cleanly: keep in mind that it was Jack Layton's defence of cooperation, and work to offer examples in practice, that helped shake voters out of their default allegiances to produce the party's best result ever. So even if it may be worth clarifying the facts on the ground, that needs to be coupled with a statement that a willingness to work across party lines to get results is a far more desirable attribute in both an opposition party and a prospective government than a refusal to consider anything of the sort. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Festive cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading. 

- Bruce Arthur offers a reminder that we know perfectly well how to limit the damage done by COVID-19 as long as a government is responsible enough to implement basic public health protections. But Geoffrey Stevens writes that we're still seeing numerous provincial governments prioritizing political pandering over COVID control - particularly with an eye toward impending elections.  

- Nili Kaplan-Myrth writes that the price of catering to the anti-science fringe includes regular threats being levied at health care professionals who dare to encourage people to get vaccinated. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the patients waiting for Saskatchewan's organ donor program to resume after the Moe government's negligence forced it to be put on hold to deal with a flood of critical COVID cases. 

- Leger surveys Canadians about the climate crisis and finds large majorities demanding more action to avert a climate breakdown. But Josephine Moulds discusses how banks are lobbying to water down any progress even while pretending to be climate-friendly in their public messaging. And Colleen Silverthorn reports on the false promise of CCS and other fossil fuel-based megaprojects as a substitute for a just transition to clean energy.  

- Steven Bernard, Dan Clark and Sam Joiner report on research showing that over 3 billion people could see their current locations become unliveable over the next half-century if we don't stop climate change now. And Jen St. Denis reports on an analysis documenting the people who died as a result of British Columbia's unprecedented heat dome - with older people, isolated people and people living in areas with limited green space facing especially high risks. 

- Finally, David Rider report on a new study showing that Toronto's garbage privatization predictably produced higher costs and less stable employment rather than offering any efficiencies. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Adam Miller highlights what we can do to limit the spread of COVID-19 over the winter to come. And Pratyush Dayal reports on the Saskatchewan cancer patients who are rightfully angry at Scott Moe for falsely declaring the pandemic over and endangering their life-saving treatment.

- William Moss, Lawrence Gostin and Jennifer Nuzzo summarize where pediatric vaccines stand as the U.S. rolls them out (and Canada hopefully prepares to do so soon). And Jonathan Howard points out the folly of using "underlying conditions" as an excuse to refuse to vaccination (or mandate vaccination).

- Alex Himelfarb suggests some reading on the big change we need as we work on responding to an ongoing pandemic and worsening climate crisis.

- Mark Hertsgaard discusses the importance of stronger news coverage in portraying what's at stake in a climate breakdown.

- George Monbiot writes that we should be treating climate funding for developing countries as reparations rather than aid. And Stuart Trew et al. point out that the same corporate investment treaties which have locked in the upward flow of wealth are tying the hands of governments trying to implement climate policy, while Manual Perez Rocha notes the complete absence of any effort to remove that barrier to climate action in Glasgow.

- Finally, Shaina Luck reports that the Libs' attempt to substitute inaccesible subsidies for an actual social housing policy is resulting in large amounts of announced money sitting unused while homelessness escalates.