Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder discusses the imminent prospect of a majority of Americans suffering from long COVID as more and more dangerous variants are allowed to run rampant. And Courtney Greenberg reports on a new finding that half of Canada's population was infected over a period of only five months at the start of 2022.

- Marco Chown Oved examines how grocery stores have been hiking prices, and finds it to be a matter of profiteering rather than merely passing along costs. And David Macdonald warns that sharp increases in interest rates are virtually guaranteed to cause a recession while doing little to help curb the inflation most people are facing.

- David Wallace-Wells rightly questions why we accept (and largely ignore) the eight-figure annual death toll from air pollution. And Sonia Furstenau makes the case for a windfall profit tax on the energy giants who are simultaneously gouging customers and overheating our planet.

- Charles Rusnell reports on the UCP's attempt to conceal the concentration of drug poisonings in Edmonton and elsewhere. 

- Finally, Rachel Gilmore examines the deep links between Con MPs and open racists and white supremacists. And Max Fawcett rightly labels the party as a whole as the Convoy Party of Canada.

Musical interlude

Lost Synths - Don't Mind

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Benjamin Mazer writes that of all the other public health analogies, COVID-19 may prove most similar to smoking in the systematic failure of governments to take readily-available steps to prevent widespread harm. Beth Mole reports on research showing that COVID was the leading cause of death of Americans aged 45 to 54 in the first three quarters of 2021. And Benjamin Shingler reports on the new wave cresting due to the BA.5 subvariant, while Katie Anthony and Andrea Michelson discuss the danger of repeated infections at short intervals. 

- Meanwhile, Zak Vescera reports on the glaring gap between the messaging conveyed to the public about Saskatchewan's public health measures in 2021, and the recognition by Dr. Shahab and others that it was grossly insufficient. And Patrick Collison writes that the prospect of universal COVID vaccines is running into a lack of interest in developing new versions which could be more easily administered and more effective against variants.  

- Carolyn Ferns discusses how Ontario's private child care operators have proven they can't be trusted with the task of building an effective system for families. Tom Conway highlights how unions are having to take the lead in pushing for safety in all kinds of workplaces. And Christine Saulnier points out the continued need for paid sick days for the sake of everybody's health. 

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing that investment in plant-based proteins is the most effective use of carbon mitigation funding. And Geoff Dembicki discusses how the oil industry's history of deception includes pushing carbon capture and storage which it has known for decades to be ineffective. 

- Finally, Shane Wright discusses how Australia's Labour government is ensuring that its budget is assessed based on public well-being, not merely on GDP or profits. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Chas Danner writes about the arrival of the BA.5 COVID-19 surge in the U.S. Nora Loreto writes about the thousands of Canadians who died of COVID acquired in hospitals - and the many people who continue to get sick from it. Kenyon Wallace and Megan Ogilvie report on new research showing the disproportionate concentration of COVID deaths among lower-income Ontarians. And Sophie Mellor reports on the belated recognition by federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos that it's impossible to stay fully immunized against COVID without regular boosters - even as doctors in both Ontario and Saskatchewan are desperately trying to prod negligent provincial governments to lift a finger to make additional vaccination doses available to people who need them. 

- Meanwhile, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke discusses research showing how the body's immune response to COVID may damage the brain. And Aron Emmi et al. find an immune response to COVID which extends to the brain stem. 

- Robert Reich calls out the attempt by Jeff Bezos and other corporate tycoons to use inflation as a pretense to redistribute the product of price increases away from workers. And David Milstead reports that CEOs took massive pay increases in 2021 without anybody complaining about any impact on prices. 

- Meanwhile, David Moscrop rightly points out that the inflation excuse is merely the latest example of how a capitalist system is designed to extract wealth from the working class to benefit the privileged few. And Stephanie Brobbey offers some suggestions for change from the perspective of somebody who has been employed enabling the wealthy to abuse the current system. 

- Finally, George Monbiot writes that we may be reaching the conclusion of the contest between democracy and plutocracy, with our future as a species hanging in the balance. And Umair Haque discusses how the U.S. is in the final stages of a collapse. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats at home.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Eric Topol discusses the ominous rise of the Omicron BA.5 COVID-19 subvariant. Katelyn Thomas reports that Quebec has joined the jurisdictions demanding that people manage their own risk while depriving them of the information needed to properly evaluate it. Nick Natale, John Lukens and William Petri Jr. review the effects of COVID on the nervous system. Andre Picard writes about the imminent rollout of another round of vaccines. And for those inclined to pretend there's nothing that can be done to stop the spread, Shane Landry et al. find that the combination of fit-tested N95 masks and air filtration is sufficient to protect even against high viral loads over prolonged periods at close range. 

- Sharon Eubanks writes that oil and gas giants can rightly expect to face the same fate as tobacco companies in having to make reparations for their prolonged dishonesty and harm to the public, while Camilla Hodgson reports on litigation in Peru which is leading the way. And Kate Ravilious highlights how the effect of methane in contributing to climate breakdown is even worse than previously anticipated. 

- Owen Jones discusses how the sudden and vicious attacks on LGBTQ rights in the name of a violent patriarchy represent a threat to women as well. 

- Finally, James Hutt reports from the Labor Notes conference, including a surge in organizing which offers hope for the future of organized labour and workers generally. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes that the decision to stop doing anything to limit the spread of COVID-19 is opening the door for a forever plague. Olivia Bowden and Kenyon Wallace report on the start of a summer COVID-19 wave in Ontario, while Cindy Harnett discusses how one is also cresting in British Columbia. And Erin Prater examines the groups of people (covering a large proportion of the population) who are most likely to be vulnerable to long COVID, while Megan Leonhardt reports on the failure of far too many employers to support workers who suffer from it. 

- Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed, Abe Oudshoorn, Cindy Brown and Luc Theriault discuss the need for Canada to build more housing for immigrants and migrants. And Holly Funk writes that Saskatchewan's minimum wage continues to fall far short of what people need to live. 

- Lori Fox discusses British Columbia's climate refugees pushed out of their homes by unprecedented fires and smoke. And Thomson Reuters reports that glaciers are becoming increasingly unstable as our planet keeps overheating. 

- Finally, Dayne Patterson reports on the revelation that the RCMP spied on advocates for Medicare. And Dennis Gruending rightly treats that as an example of Canada's police state being used to push the wrong side of history. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jim Stanford laments the likelihood that we're headed for a self-inflicted recession in the name of an arbitrary inflation target. 

- Acey Rowe talks to about the Craig Desson about the mechanisms used to perpetuate old wealth. And Rupert Neate writes about Gary Stevenson's story as someone who made large amounts of money in financial trading - but only through intolerable betting on needless suffering and growing inequality.

- Meanwhile, Mitchell Thompson calls out the Canada Infrastructure Bank's demand to turn essential public water supplies into sources of profits and management fees. 

- Ayurella Horn-Muller reports on some of the global responses to SCOTUS' decision to condemn humanity to a climate breakdown. And the Council of Canadians has released new Abacus polling data showing that Canadians recognize the need for strong climate action even when weighed against immediate economic interests.

- The Ottawa Citizen's editorial board weighs in on the need to combat intimate-partner violence.

- Finally, Umair Haque writes that we're all too likely to look back on the summer of 2022 as the start of an age of crisis.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Danny Altmann discusses how infection with COVID-19 tends to produce weakness and long-term illness rather than immunity, while Tom Livingstone likewise notes that reinfection is worse than previously assumed. Hanna Geissler reports on the warning from experts that we're looking at another new wave in the near future, while Patrick Rail talks to Kashif Pirzada about how the worldwide petri dish resulting from a refusal to stop community transmission is producing newer and more dangerous variants on a regular basis. And Carly Weeks reports on Theresa Tam's recognition that misinformation about the severity of COVID-19 and the ongoing need to try to limit its spread is proving to be deadly.

- Hasan Sheikh and Brandon Doucet make the case to follow through on Tommy Douglas' vision for medicare by adding universal dental care. But Jeff Labine reports that the Trudeau Libs aren't even bothering to respond to provinces who are looking to move forward.

- Phoebe Stephens writes about the need for smaller-scale food providers to limit the ability of corporate conglomerates to gouge the public. And Wayne Mantyka reports on the call from Saskatchewan mayors for the provincial government to fill thousands of public housing units which have been left vacant even in the midst of a housing crisis.

- Finally, Karen Geier discusses how the Cons' leadership race is pushing the party even further off any reasonable map of political philosophies into MAGA-land. And Luke LeBrun reports on Pierre Poilievre's choice to lead a march of COVID deniers, violent insurrectionists and secessionists in order to court their support.

Musical interlude

The Knocks feat. Donna Missal - Bang Bang

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Katherine Wu writes about the much-needed update to COVID-19 vaccines coming this fall - and the challenge getting people to receive them after months of false messaging about the pandemic being over. 

- Steven Lewis discusses how the privatization of health care (including surgical services) stands to undermine our universal Medicare system. And Andrew Gregory reports on a new study showing how the UK Cons' privatization was the direct case of avoidable deaths alongside other demonstrable harm to services. 

- Charles Pierce points out how the hard right has been getting what it's paid for in securing a stranglehold over the U.S. Supreme Court. And Brigette Bureau reports on the intimidation of judges in Canada by Flu Trux Klan terrorists, while Brett Forester reports that the RCMP remains far more interested in infiltrating peaceful land defenders than dealing with the actual violence in our midst. 

- Emily Leedham reports on WestJet's attempts to use scab labour to operate while refusing to provide acceptable wages and working conditions for check-in clerks.

- Finally, Alex Himelfarb makes the case for proportional representation as a means of guarding against anti-majoritarian control over public policy. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Adeel Hassan reports on the dominance of the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains in the U.S. Phil Tank reminds us of the folly of the Moe government's admonition that people should assess their own risk even while actively suppressing the data which could make that possible, while Wency Leung reports on the push among experts for Canada to reinstate mandatory masking policies to limit the damage from a new wave. And Virginie Ann reports on research showing that the public health measures which Canadian governments seem determined never to use again helped to save tens of thousands of lives. 

- David Shield reports on research linking Saskatchewan's alarming HIV rates to inadequate social assistance. And Noushin Ziafati reports on the recommendation of a coroner's inquest jury that Ontario declare an epidemic of intimate partner violence and focus on eradicating it. 

- Edward Ongweso Jr. writes that we should recognize any current bout of inflation as being caused by corporate greed rather than pandemic stimulus payments to individuals. And David Sirota discusses how John Roberts has been central to the constitutionalization of corruption in then U.S.  

- John Clarke discusses the RCMP's "pipeline police" who have been mandated to violently suppress land defenders. And Natasha Bulowski reports that the Libs' case for TransMountain depends on its use to export dirty fossil fuels for a century.  

- Finally, Ariana Kelland reports on one case showing the continued fallout from the Phoenix pay fiasco, as an employee lost her home and her job after going without pay for months. Shelley Murphy reports on a much-needed award of damages to an employee who was handed on a platter to U.S immigration services in retaliation for reporting a workplace injury. And Chris Brooks discusses the possibility of substantially building strength in organized labour - as long as unions' organizational models are updated for the new reality in the workplace. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Elevated cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Ed Yong writes about the need for people to keep caring for and protecting each other to make up for being abandoned by business-driven politicians in the middle of a deadly and debilitating pandemic. Olivia Bowden discusses the considerations surrounding booster vaccine doses which do require government involvement. And Victor Castro-Gutierrez et al. study the connection between school infections and community spread (showing a clear pattern of the former driving the latter), while Sandra Lopez-Leon et al. examine (PDF) the long COVID symptoms suffered by children. 

- Stephanie Kelton writes that interest rate hikes and austerity are the hydroxychloroquine cure for inflation (i.e. quackery being pushed by the right as a substitute for viable measures which don't suit their political purposes), while the effective medicine of taxing windfall profits is being conspicuously left off the table. And TVO interviews Mike Moffatt about the glaring need for action to make housing remotely affordable for the people who need it most. 

- Jeremy Appel exposes how Amazon is trying to intimidate its workers in Quebec - but notes that it's also finding more resistance there than in some places. 

- Malcolm James, Jane Kenway and Rebecca Boden highlight how private schools in the UK use public money to create educational and social inequality. 

- Finally, David Fraser reports on the launch of the Ottawa People's Commission to report on the city's occupation. Jonathan Montpetit reports on the threats being made against libraries by convoy-affiliated bigots attempting to silence any voices which don't share their hostility to LGBTQ+ people. And Robert Reich writes about the roots of the U.S. Trumpism which is bleeding into Canada. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Geoff Thompson reports on new research showing that the cognitive decline caused by COVID-19 is worse than previously known, while the European Academy of Neurology finds a greater risk of neurodegenerative disorders. And the Economist reports on findings that the vaccine development and distribution process (which is no longer being treated as a priority as we race toward pandemic denial) has saved 20 million lives worldwide, while Wenkai Han et al. find that the coronavirus projects to escape immunity.

- Meanwhile, Tania Arrietta discusses how past and ongoing austerity made the pandemic worse in the UK. 

- George Monbiot suggests that debt relief for developing countries may serve as an important part of a climate strategy. 

- Finally, Kenan Malik writes about the well-recognized reality (contrary to the UK Cons' spin) that union influence and solidarity is necessary for the public good. And Andy Burnman makes the case for Labour to back proportional representation as a means of better distributing power. 

#SKNDPLDR Roundup

A brief roundup of news and coverage from the Saskatchewan NDP's leadership campaign as Sunday's convention approaches.

- There's been some more media coverage at a high level, including Adam Hunter offering an overview of the campaign; Global News interviewing Harvey; CKRM profiling both candidates; and Katia St. Jean offering profiles in French. 

- Meanwhile, those looking for somewhat deeper dives with the candidates will find them from Lenore Swystun's Civically Speaking, including an interview with Harvey going into her experience of racial divisions in Saskatchewan, and one with Beck with Beck which includes some discussion of her recognition of the effects of inequality and poverty based on her family's history. 

- Finally, the last interim financial disclosure statement before the vote has been released (if not reported on). And it looks to rule out any prospect of a shift in the race behind the scenes, as Beck raised roughly $13,000 in May to Harvey's approximately $2,500. 

For those who haven't yet voted, the deadline to do so is Sunday at 3 PM. And we'll find out shortly thereafter who will lead the NDP into the next election. 

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Mary Ziegler and Scott Lemieux both warn of the many other rights in imminent danger due to both the fact of the elimination of abortion rights by the Republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court, and the excuses made for it.

- Dylan Scott discusses how the decision will lead to increase in child poverty. And Cassandra Szklarski reports on the growing reality of child hunger in Canada - as well as the need for a fundamentally more equitable policies to ameliorate it, rather that short-term band-aids. 

- Meanwhile, Erika Ibrahim reports on the Libs' choice to keep delaying even a framework bill for a national disability benefit. And Sid Frankel, John Stapleton and Shalini Konanur discuss how the demand that people repay the CERB benefits which they were told to apply for is further squeezing people already living in poverty.  

- Emily Leedham calls out Pierre Poilievre's designs on using the threat of withholding federal funding to dictate the lines of academic freedom. 

- Raymond Zhong writes about the proliferation of extreme heat around the globe. 

- Finally, Adam King discusses how Amazon is continuing to violate labour standards in an effort to prevent employees from exercising any collective bargaining power. 

Musical interlude

Cannons - Fire For You

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Kit Yates weighs in on the work which still needs to be done to avoid further waves of COVID-19. And Marsha Barber writes that we can tell from even the limited information still being released that it's delusional to suggest we're out of the pandemic, while Jonathan Charlton reports on research showing how important now-discarded vaccine mandates have been in broadening protection against the spread of COVID.  

- Lauren O'Neil writes about the end of Ontario's COVID-related paid sick days, including the reality that we'd all be better off if workers were better able to recover from all kinds of illnesses rather than being compelled to work. 

- David Feckling discusses how there's no business case for the tar sands if they aren't being massively subsidized - both through deliberate climate negligence as a matter of policy, and through direct public funding. And David Climenhaga writes that the TransMountain pipeline expansion has officially turned into a money loser for the federal government for the purpose of lining the pockets of the oil sector. 

- Meanwhile, Carl Meyer reports on the Notley government's choice to acquiesce to CNRL's lobbying demanding that methane regulations be torqued to allow heavily-emission operations to keep spewing pollution. 

- Finally, Jessie Anton reports on the needed backlash against the Saskatchewan Party's choice to pour money into private schools with anti-LGBTQ affiliations while forcing public schools into brutal cutbacks and job losses.

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Resting cats.