Friday Afternoon Links

 Assorted content to end your week.

- Alejandro Jadad studies the social murder traceable to politicians' flawed responses to COVID-19 and other known causes of sickness and death, while Tara Moriarty points out the incomplete reporting of deaths across Canada. And Solarino Ho reports on the new federal modelling showing that Canada is on the precipice of another avoidable COVID wave. 

- Meanwhile, Kimi Chaddah writes that the burgeoning scandal of UK Cons partying in the midst of lockdown orders reflects the broader belief in ruling-class impunity. 

- Jennefer Laidley and Mohy Tabbara study the state of welfare in Canada, finding that even the temporary boost provided by COVID supports in 2020 left the incomes of people receiving social assistance below the poverty line in all ten provinces. Ayla Peacock asks how people are supposed to navigate a crisis of affordable housing while only bringing in poverty-level wages. And Stephen Wentzell reports on Campaign 2000's latest research indicating that we're not on pace to eliminate child poverty until the 2070s. 

- John Woodside reports on a new PBO review showing that Canada is forfeiting billions annually in tax giveaways to the fossil fuel sector, while Kenny Stancil highlights how the oil industry is rolling in profits (and handing out massive payouts to shareholders) while squeezing consumers. And Matt Simmons points out how Coastal GasLink is flagrantly breaking environmental laws is while calling in the RCMP to violently remove land defenders. 

- Finally, Patrick Galey notes that scientists are identifying nothing but reason for skepticism in long-term "net-zero" pledges which rely on offsets and nonexistent future technology rather than near-term emission reductions. And David Suzuki puts our environmental destruction in perspective while calling for us to use our brief time on Earth to improve our planet rather than degrading it. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Bruce Arthur writes about the need for governments' responses to COVID to adapt to the increased risk posed by the Omicron variant. And Charles Blow writes that he's understandably lost patience with anti-vaxxers who are endangering us all in the service of ever-more-implausible claims and theories.

- Sarah Krichel interviews Nora Loreto about the failures of Canadian media in covering the pandemic. And Robert Reich discusses the similar pattern in the U.S. of corporate media serving mostly to comfort the already-powerful at the expense of people who need journalism on their side. 

- Mickey Djuric reports on Scott Moe's predictable choice to use the collapse he precipitated in the public health care system as an excuse to funnel money to corporate surgical centres.

- Marcus Baram offers a look inside the world of corporate union-busting, while Kim Moody discusses the power workers vital to logistical industries have if they choose to exercise it. And Ben Ger and Rebecca Kantwerg make the case for tenants to organize and bring collective bargaining to the world of housing.

- Finally, Stefanie Davis reports on Saskatchewan's looking place back at the bottom of list of Canadian provinces in providing anything close to a liveable minimum wage.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Miquel Oliu-Barton et al. study the effects of different government approaches to COVID-19 - and find that elimination strategies have produced far superior outcomes to attempts to live with uncontrolled community spread. And Andre Picard begs us to stop repeating our mistakes in responding belatedly and insufficiently to the spread of increasingly dangerous mutations. But Bruce Arthur discusses how Ontario looks to be limiting any public health response, while Teri Carter writes about the arrival of Omicron in areas of Kentucky where the population is operating in denial of the pandemic. Katelyn Jetelina examines what we know about the Omicron variant so far. And Alexander Quon and Adam Hunter report on the confirmed arrival of Omicron in Saskatchewan, even as Scott Moe cozies up to anti-vaxxers.

- Meanwhile, a Nature editorial highlights the need for vaccine equity to limit global spread, rather than relying on selective and ineffective travel bans, while Glen Pearson warns against trying to hold to a risky lifestyle behind a wall of pandemic nationalism. And Umair Haque discusses how capitalist ideology has exacerbated the pandemic, while Walker Bragman calls out Joe Biden in particular for prioritizing pharmaceutical profits over the needed distribution of vaccines. 

- Jake Johnson writes about the continued concentration of wealth within a tiny proportion of the world's population, while Michael Read takes note of Australia's impending inheritance tsunami. And Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger highlight how some of the most prominent tycoons in the U.S. have avoided paying taxes on their fortunes by selectively booking business losses. 

- Adam Tooze writes that the U.S.' dependence on fossil fuels may drag its entire economy down in the decades to come - a warning which applies with equal force to Canada. John Michael McGrath discusses a new report from Ontario's Financial Accountability Officer on the immense costs of a climate breakdown (and the costs which couldn't yet be modeled), while Gordon Laxer suggests that we should limit the influence of foreign oil companies on our politics. And Nazanin Meshkat reports on a call from Ontario doctors to stop gratuitous highway construction due to its effect on people's health. 

- Finally, Barton Gellman discusses the wealth and privilege of the violent movement which launched a coup to try to keep Donald Trump in power this year regardless of the choices of voters - and will likely do far more toward that end in 2024. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Holiday cats.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Matt Gurney writes about what continues to be a woeful response to COVID in Ontario among other provinces, while Jason Herring reports on Alberta's collapsing emergency medical services. And Claire Pomeroy recognizes the tsunami of disability which will need to be addressed arising out of long COVID. 

- Umair Haque writes that our social system is collapsing due to the capitalist imperative to concentrate perpetually more wealth into fewer and fewer hands. And David Dayen highlights why so many workers have decided after facing the trauma of a pandemic that they're not willing to tolerate exploitative jobs. 

- Elaine Power, Paul Taylor and Valerie Tarasuk remind us that charities and food banks shouldn't be accepted as a response to poverty and hunger. 

- Scott Schmidt points out the obvious unsustainability of an economic system which relies on people taking on unmanageable debt to provide both jobs and profits. And Dan Darrah reports on the record profits being reaped and bonuses being paid out by Canada's big banks as they extract a growing share of our country's wealth. 

- Finally, Morgan Meaker writes that the U.S.' rejection of Meta's attempt to buy out Giphy may reflect a noteworthy first step in reversing the concentration of wealth and power through antitrust law.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Supriya Dwivedi writes about the Groundhog Day-style loop we're trapped in due to a pandemic which is being allowed to continue and evolve. And while Daniel Wood and Geoff Brumfiel point out how the politicization of the pandemic is resulting in systematically higher death rates among Trump-supporting counties, Gaby Galvin reports on new polling showing that even in the U.S. a strong majority of the public favours doing far more to keep people healthy and safe - making the continued reluctance to do anything other than cater to the anti-social few all the more inexcusable. And Roni Caryn Rabin discusses how the pandemic has led to higher blood pressure among the public beyond anything traceable to the spread of the coronavirus.  

- Meanwhile, Karl Nerenberg calls out Canada's refusal to lift a finger to make vaccines more available around the globe. And Adeoluwa Atayero reports on Scott Moe's choice to put gratuitous barriers in the way of vaccinating children in schools. 

- Heather Rust exposes how the U.S.' corporate health care system is using worker burnout as an excuse to make conditions even worse for those trying to continue caring for patients, while Francis Racine reports on a warning from the Ontario Health Coalition that the Ford government is only increasing reliance on the private long-term care businesses who have caused so much avoidable suffering and death. And David Helps and Alexander Stephens point out that increased union organization and better conditions for workers are musts in order to rebuild a function economy and society. 

- Andrew Leach discusses how Alberta is past perceiving temporary oil price spikes as actual booms - suggesting that the fossil fuel industry's spin about being a source of wider prosperity has run its course everywhere but in the halls of power. Taylor Noakes rightly argues that we should be investing in a transition to a clean economy, rather than permitting and even subsidizing the continued destruction wrought by the existing oil and gas industry. And Kyle Bakx reports on the grim choice between maintaining the tailings ponds which have done so much damage to Alberta's land and wildlife, and allowing the companies responsible to release the water back into the broader environment.   

- Finally, Garret Ellison reports on the EPA's developing conclusion that there may be no safe level of several commonly-used bio-persistent chemicals. And Sasha Abramsky warns that the western U.S. may be on the verge of a drought that never ends. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Bruce Arthur examines what the spread of the Omicron COVID variant figures to mean for Ontario. Rachel Emmanuel reports on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization's recommendation that all Canadian adults receive COVID booster shots. Alex Putterman examines how the need is exacerbated by the Omicron variant, while Josh Marshall points out that the gap in effect between vaccination and prior infection is only growing. And Anita Sreedhar and Anand Gopal write about the breakdown in social awareness which is resulting in large groups in the U.S. (and substantial ones in Canada as well) remaining unvaccinated with no regard for the danger to themselves and others.

- Meanwhile, Nicole Ireland reports on how patients and health care workers alike are feeling the effects of a health system bearing unmanageable burdens due to Scott Moe's fourth wave in Saskatchewan.

- Max Fawcett discusses why right-wingers fear allowing young people to vote on their own future - and why responsible political actors shouldn't let the reactionaries have their way. And Stella Levantesi and Giulio Corsi document how fossil fuel industry's latest set of scare tactics in their decades-old crusade to stifle climate action.

- Matt Gurney notes that we can't afford to let our future political choices be constrained by past expectations which don't fit into an evolving world at large - though it's worth noting that the expectation of a fossil fuel-based economy is likely the most important one currently limiting the perceived range of options in Canadian politics. 

- Finally, Kyla Tienhaara notes that two lawsuits arising out of Keystone XL signal how corporate trade agreements allow the ghosts of past trade negotiations to impose unacceptable costs on future democratic decision-making. And Jiwon Choi et al. trace how NAFTA produced first massive job losses in vulnerable U.S. counties, and then a shift in voting patterns away from the Democrats.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Crawford Kilian writes that even if the Omicron variant of COVID-19 doesn't prove as dangerous as it appears, it should serve as a reminder as to why we should be careful to protect everybody's health and safety. And Andrew Nikiforuk examines the evidence that Omicron is going to lead to the most dangerous wave yet, while Virginia Harrison reports on the exponential spread it's causing in South Africa.

- Nick Dearden discusses how big pharma's profiteering paved the way for variants to emerge. And Ketty Nivyabandi, Madhukar Pai and Christina Warner push for Canada to stop obstructing the availability of vaccines in the countries where they're needed most.

- Jim Stanford writes that the case for 10 paid sick days (rather than any lesser sop to corporate interests) is particularly compelling when that time frame matches the incubation period for COVID.

- Andrew Jackson argues that our response to inflation should be focused on making essential goods affordable, not on trying to funnel money to the owners of capital. And Paul Krugman highlights how the increases in prices people are facing result from supply chain limitations and corporate profiteering, not the printing of money.

- MiningWatch maps out the impacts on communities around the globe if new mining plans are allowed to run roughshod. And Pam Palmater discusses how the RCMP's role is still fundamentally one of clearing Indigenous lands for the benefit of corporate interests. 

- Meanwhile, James Whittingham challenges the Moe government's pathetic excuses for standing in the way of any transition toward electric vehicles in Saskatchewan.

- Finally, Amir Barnea encourages workers to organize in order to put their relatively high level of bargaining power to the best possible use.

Musical interlude

The Knocks feat. Powers - Classic

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Philip Bump discusses how partisan resistance to public health measures is making it harder for the U.S. to count on vaccinations to limit the spread of COVID-19. And Connor O'Donovan reports on how Saskatchewan's health care system is drowning under chronic short-staffing which has only been exacerbated by the Moe government's catering to anti-vaxxers, while Alexander Quon looks at the nine-figure budgetary cost of the additional health care needed during the fourth wave. 

- Meanwhile, Danny Dorling offers his take on what "normal" might look like in the wake of COVID-19, and how long it may take to get there.

- Jeffrey Jones rightly argues that the oil industry's windfall from a temporary increase in prices should be directed toward cleaning up its messes. But Amanda Stephenson reports on the continued refusal by the UCP to ensure that environmental damage is cleaned up either in a reasonable time frame, or using the proceeds of the current boom. 

- Barry Saxifrage discusses how Canada is actually going backwards in any effort to electrify transportation. Alex Ballingall reports that the Libs are once again stalling in the development of an overall plan to meet our climate commitments. And Emma Newburger reports on John Kerry's laughable claim that the work of averting climate breakdown can be left to the same private sector which has misled the public for decades in order to keep spewing pollution without consequences. 

- Al Jazeera reports on the devastating effects of air pollution in Delhi, requiring the shutdown of schools and all kinds of other activity. And Jim Robbins points out the unprecedented wildfires and high temperatures surfacing in the U.S.' prairies. 

- Finally, Jon Horler highlights how business lobbyists are disproportionately represented in Canadian media. And while the information we receive consists increasingly of corporate PR, Per Axbom discusses how algorithms serve to deprive people of needed services in the name of efficiency. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Deborah Gleeson discusses how inequality in vaccine availability is making new variants an inevitability, while Joseph Stiglitz and Lori Wallach write that an intellectual property waiver is a must to ensure vaccines are available around the globe. And Rachel Cohen warns that the same issue looks to be developing when it comes to new COVID treatments. 

- Phil Tank reports on Nazeem Muhajarine's well-placed criticism of the Moe government's incomplete holiday advice. And CBC News reports on the Saskatchewan Party's truly destructive choice to require parents to be present for COVID vaccinations in schools, sending a message to anti-vaxxers that their cultivated distrust is a higher priority than public health. 

- Meanwhile, Anna Salleh writes that the pandemic has exposed the importance of ensuring improved indoor air quality at all times - while noting the reluctance of governments to actually make the effort to do so. 

- Marc Lee notes that even if the pollution caused by the burning of natural gas is offshored, fossil fuel production is the main obstacle to British Columbia meeting its emission reduction targets.

- Claudia Horn and Isadoro Cardoso write about the climate justice movement which is trying to push for progress even as corporate-influenced governments fail miserably. Mitchell Beer notes that a majority of oil industry workers would be happy to transition out of the sector. And Stephen Maher writes that any meaningful fight over the existence of carbon pricing in Canada should finally be over. 

- Meanwhile, Drew Anderson exposes the pitiful attempt of Alberta's tar sands operators to brand their environmental devastation and carbon pollution as "beautiful". And Mark Kaufman discusses the history of the industry's PR efforts to block any systemic progress against climate change - including the sham of substituting individual carbon footprints for discussion of industrial pollution. 

- Finally, Robert Kuttner makes the case that the excesses of corporate control have left us with a choice between capitalism which subjugates the population as a whole, and individual liberty protected by a social-democratic economy which limits corporate power. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Eric Topol writes that we have the public health tools at our disposal to overcome the Omicron COVID variant if our leaders are responsible enough to use them, though Susan Delacourt notes that repeated messages about the pandemic being over have created avoidable fatigue about the need for more. John Michael McGrath writes that our health care system can't bear another mismanaged COVID wave. And Tara Deschamps reports on a new survey showing a massive supermajority of Canadian workers facing burnout over the past two years. 

- Luke Savage highlights how the pharmaceutical companies peddling COVID vaccines developed through public research now stand to profit by denying inoculations to large swaths of the planet and extending the pandemic. And the Strategic Organizing Centre exposes how Amazon concealed tens of thousands of COVID cases among its workers from occupational health and safety authorities. 

- John Clarke writes that British Columbia's recent floods offer an indication both of the consequences of a climate breakdown, and our lack of preparation to meet them. Gerald Kutney observes that "natural" disasters are increasingly the result of human intervention and neglect. And Alex Cosh discusses how migrant workers have been put at particular risk. 

- Max Fawcett examines the actual causes of inflation in Canada - in contrast to the Cons' attempt to blame the existence of any social benefits whatsoever. And Justin Chandler asks why social assistance rates aren't keeping pace with any level of inflation, while Kristin Rushowy reports on the Ontario NDP's plan to at least ensure the province's minimum wage increases to something closer to the cost of living. 

- Finally, Armine Yalnizyan discusses the new fiscal federalism which is seeing at least some federal investments tied to policy improvements rather than being dumped into a black hole (as requested by far too many premiers).

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats at rest.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Niels-Jakob Hansen and Rui Mano study the effect of mask mandates in saving tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. alone - while noting that far more could have been saved if they had been more widely applied. Anthony Vasquez-Peddie reports on a new study showing that thousands of Canadians died as a result of the systemic fallout from the pandemic beyond those who succumbed to COVID directly. And Bruce Arthur writes that we can't afford for our leaders to confuse hope for a strategy in responding to the Omicron variant, while Matthew Yglesias laments that the U.S. has chosen not to put substantial resources into improving its pandemic preparation.  

- Shannon Proudfoot writes that Canadian politicians will again have no choice but to reckon with the climate crisis in 2022. And Nadia Thunderwoman George reminds us of the persistent effects of environmental racism. 

- David Zipper notes that the theme of individual responsibility for car crashes serves to conceal the systemic factors which actually cause them. And andrea bennett makes the case for free transit as a safer and healthier alternative to car culture. 

- Cyrus Tharpe writes that the current shortage of truckers is the result of unacceptable pay and working conditions, not a lack of willing workers. PressProgress examines new documents showing the pressure Amazon puts on its workers to work like machines at the expense of their health. And Matt Bodie reviews Gali Racabi's forthcoming paper reminding us that the prioritization of "management rights" over any other interest in the workplace is entirely a legal construct rather than an unavoidable state of affairs.  

- Finally, Matt Bruenig highlights the value of universal benefits in ensuring that social goods can be provided without a disproportionate burden on anybody. 

On toxic preferences

From the standpoint of any reasonable observer, there's reason for outrage that Saskatchewan is one of the provinces pushing to undermine federal standards for water pollution from coal mines - especially when the argument being made is that regulations should allow for a certain amount of selenium to be released as a matter of expectation, rather than evaluating whether water is actually safe. 

But that doesn't mean anybody should be surprised. After all, the Moe government has made clear that its fanatical devotion to fossil fuel extraction at all costs extends even to allowing other provinces to dump their coal runoff into Saskatchewan's primary water sources - just as long as they follow the same standards the Sask Party is actively undermining.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jill Lepore writes that the COVID pandemic has left no room for doubt that there is such a thing as society reflecting mutual obligations - and that its decay or subjugation to laissez-faire ideology produces disastrous results for everybody. And Randy Robinson discusses how inequality is resulting in the propagation of child poverty. 

- Fatima Hassan argues that vaccine nationalism only stands to draw out the suffering from COVID, while Peter Walker reports on the efforts nurses' unions are making to remove intellectual property obstacles to increased manufacturing and distribution. Larry Elliot discusses how the Omicron variant in particular shows the problem with leaving large swaths of the globe without access to vaccines. And while Katherine Wu and Kai Kupferschmidt each point out what we don't yet know about the variant, Ewan Birney writes that we shouldn't take that vacuum of knowledge for an excuse to hold off on the action need to limit transmission. 

- Meanwhile, Urbi Khan talks to eight nurses about the damage that's already been done to Ontario's health care system by the pandemic. And CBC News reports on the outbreak of tuberculosis which is devastating Pangnirtung years after a federal campaign was supposed to have put Canada on a path to eradicating it.  

- Lawrence Scanlan writes that people appear to be increasingly willing and eager to take back some power from the wealthiest few. Alan Murray and David Meyer point out the absurdity of granting preferential tax treatment to capital gains when capital is accumulating at unprecedented rates. And David Cay Johnston discusses how the rich further entrenched their power and privilege under the Trump Republicans. 

- But in case there was any thought there's nowhere to go but up in balancing the interests of the wealthy and the rest of us, Dan Fumano reports on the attempt by British Columbia businesses to claim extra votes for corporations in municipal elections. 

- Finally, Robin Sears discusses the lessons Canada could draw from Germany's successful cross-party cooperation if our two main parties weren't so obsessed with politics built around false majorities. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Ivan Semeniuk reports on the response to the Omicron COVID variant both globally and in Canada. But Eric Topol writes that the U.S. is kidding itself in pretending that a wave hitting Europe won't affect it as well, while Lauren Pelley highlights how there's no prospect of anybody going back to a "normal" state until the virus is controlled around the globe. Alan Beattie reports that wealthy countries are still refusing to waive intellectual property monopolies over vaccines even as they come face to face with the worst-case scenario as to what happens when COVID is allowed to circulate in the name of profit. And David Shield reports on the massive amount of work to be done in responding to long COVID in Saskatchewan.

- Aaron Wherry discusses how the Cons' attempt to turn inflation into an excuse to crush people under the boot of austerity has no basis in fact, but might still do severe political damage.

- PressProgress reports that Brad Wall has been actively looking to exploit essential workers for higher rents in Saskatchewan and Alberta based on his recognition that neither province's conservative government will protect them. And Pratyush Dayal reports on the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission's study into the systematic barriers to housing facing vulnerable people.

- Paul Webster exposes how Doug Ford chose to leave a billion dollars in the hands of the private owner of a toll highway rather than pursuing it on behalf of the public. And Robert Benzie writes that Ford's catering to a few business cronies doesn't include the competence to actually provide services, as a botched registry is actually pushing corporations to refuse to register with the province. 

- Nick Lavers discusses new research showing the health dangers of microplastics which appear to be able to infiltrate the brain. And John Roy Porter highlights how a climate breakdown poses a serious threat to food supplies.

- Finally, Paul Brent rightly wonders what happened to the Libs' promise of national pharmacare.

Musical interlude

Elderbrook w/ Bob Moses - Inner Light

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Gurney writes that the COVID pandemic has exposed - without ameliorating - our political leaders' inability to respond to any real crisis. And in case anybody was under the illusion that we're past the worst of COVID itself, Michael James and Christine Fernando report on the emergence - and apparent spread - of what may be the most threatening variant yet. 

- Nicole Ireland reports on the Public Health Agency of Canada's advice that we need to use more effective masks to limit COVID transmission. Zak Vescera reports on the stark differences in vaccination rates based on socioeconomic privilege in Regina and Saskatoon, while also noting that Saskatchewan as a whole is having to pursue "microtargeting" to squeeze out further vaccination opportunities. And Stephane Dubois highlights how pediatric vaccinations will help our population-wide protection - though Kelly Skjerven reports that the Moe government hasn't bothered to provide leave to enable parents to get their children vaccinated. 

- Meanwhile, Meaghan Ellis examines the personality traits which tend to underlie COVID denialism and anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. And Bruce Arthur discusses the challenges in trying to deal with anti-vaxxers. 

- Stephen Wentzell talks to Naheed Dosani about the importance of paid sick leave in ensuring health equity for workers. And PressProgress reports on the Horgan government's decision to offer only half a loaf, rather than the full 10 sick days recommended to protect the health of workers and the people who rely on them. 

- Jeanelle Mandes reports on new research showing that the rate of child poverty in Saskatchewan remains above a quarter of all children (where it's been for over a decade). And Katie Hyslop discusses how child poverty can generally be traced to mothers' poverty in particular. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the future costs of procrastinating on a transition to a clean economy, while Heather Scoffield notes that the price tag is already soaring due to immediate climate calamities. And Peter Zimonjic reports on Environment Commissioner Jerry DiMarco's recognition that Canada's climate policy has bounced from failure to failure, while Barry Saxifrage discusses how Canada is actually backsliding in the effort to replace dirty fossil fuels with clean electric power. 

- Finally, Jerry Dias offers a reminder of the efforts of the workers who make Black Friday possible. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Cory Neudorf argues that a pandemic is the last time when we can afford to prioritize abstract individual interests over the collective good, while Alexander Wong writes that vaccination is a textbook example of a way in which parents can protect children from avoidable harms. Bruce Arthur asks why millions of doses of vaccines are about to expire even as Ontario demurs on any plan to make booster shots more widely available. Ed Yong examines the frustrations and challenges facing health care workers whose experiences with long COVID are being dismissed. And Nick Boisvert reports that the Libs' messaging from the return to Parliament includes making Chrystia Freeland the latest politician to prematurely spread dangerous themes about the pandemic being over. 

- Meanwhile, Andrew Kolodny discusses how the pandemic exacerbated the spread of toxic recreational drugs. And Zachary Siegel makes the case for a policy of safe supply to end the wave of avoidable poisonings. 

- David Wallace-Wells examines the global health toll of ten millions deaths a year caused by polluted air. Bill Stollery makes the case to treat climate change as a societal threat, while also noting that we can readily afford to fund a war effort against it by ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share. David Suzuki writes about the need for the public to engage in the fight as politicians and businesses fall short of the mark. And Andrew Freedman reports on new research casting doubt as to whether countries' already-insufficient emission reduction pledges will actually be achieved. 

- Nia Williams reports on the price tag facing British Columbia as it looks to update its infrastructure to account for the consequences of a climate breakdown. And John Michael McGrath notes that an effective climate plan will need to offer alternatives to individual vehicles, rather than merely relying on electrification. 

- Finally, Randy Robinson maps out the location of continuing child poverty in Canada, while Andrew Kersley highlights how poverty serves as yet another factor shortening people's lives. Nick Boisvert reports on Campaign 2000's latest study finding that any progress against child poverty stalled or regressed over the past two years. And Nathan Sing writes that the Libs have chosen to write any action to reduce hunger and ensure food security out of their list of priorities. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Michaeleen Doucleff offers an FAQ on the causes and consequences of long COVID in its various forms. Guy Quenneville reports on the need for COVID cases to keep declining just to get Saskatchewan's health care system back to its already-precarious state from the summer. And CBC News reports on the Moe government's choice to block SGI from protecting its workers and customers with a mask mandate.  

- Katherine Scott offers some lessons in income security from the pandemic, while Daphne Bramham laments that we don't seem to be learning anything about disaster prevention or response despite the constant opportunities to do so. And Gregory Beatty discusses how both low-income Saskatchewan residents and community organizations are paying the price for the Moe government's decision to deprive people of any housing security. 

- Marc Lee takes a look at what the Libs have promised on the housing front - and how their choice in which options to pursue may make all the difference between partially relieving the housing crisis and exacerbating it. And Farrah Merali points out the growing share of Ontario's homes held by investors rather than residents who are making living unaffordable for the province's citizens. 

- James Rowe, Jessica Dempsey and James Mager discuss how pension funds are being hijacked by oil lobbyists and petropoliticians to force continued production in a dying industry. 

- Finally, Ken Boessenkool and Mike Moffatt write that the proper response to inflation driven largely by supply bottlenecks is to communicate why an austerity playbook will do nothing to help. And Faiz Shakir highlights how the one source of inflation which could be controlled through public policy is corporate profiteering.  

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Tuckered-out cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Doug Saunders writes that Europe's devastating new wave of COVID - like those elsewhere - can be traced directly to politicians pandering to antivaxxers rather than making responsible decisions to protect public health. Yushi Nomura et al. study the retention of antibodies after full vaccination - finding that women are far more likely to see a precipitous dropoff after a few months. And Carolyn Johnson and Andre Picard each discuss the benefits of new treatments, while recognizing that they're not a substitute for preventing viral spread. 

- Matthew Barker writes that a basic income would work wonders in ensuring people are able to secure a home. And Rachel Tribe discusses the problem with substituting restrictive food aid for the ability to buy what people need. 

- Steve Randall discusses a new study showing that Canada loses billions of dollars to tax abuse every year. Ben Steverman highlights how just one of Donald Trump's giveaways to the rich has led to a precipitous drop in revenue from the U.S.' estate tax. And Clay Cockrell notes that claiming unfathomable wealth doesn't actually serve to make the uber-rich happy or fulfilled. 

- Sally McManus writes that Australia doesn't have a shortage of workers, but of jobs worth working. And Nelson Lichtenstein discusses the U.S.' slow-motion general strike as a means of securing improved wages and working conditions. 

- Robert Reich laments the U.S.' obsession with deficits as a mechanism to shut down discussion of improvements to people's well-being (while recognizing the role he and the Clinton administration played in framing policy choices that way). 

- Finally, Hannah Richardson reports on Samantha Price's recognition that instead of treating "woke" as an insult to younger people, parents and teachers should recognize that what's being held up for criticism is the laudable decision to build a more caring world. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Bruce Deachman discusses the new "normal" we're approaching in which COVID continues to be a threat to people's health on an ongoing basis. 

- Nancy MacDonald highlights the nonstop catastrophes facing British Columbia as record heat is followed in short order by unprecedented flooding. And Crawford Kilian calls out the political response based on questioning whether anybody could have anticipated exactly the disasters which have long been the subject of warnings by climate scientists. 

- Seth Klein writes about the interregnum between broader recognition of the need to avert a climate breakdown, and the point of actually taking the necessary steps in response. Mario Canseco finds that Canadians are justifiably losing patience with climate change deniers. And Maxine Joselow takes note of one worthwhile development out of the Glasgow climate summit, as the international community is increasingly recognizing the importance of climate change as a public health issue. 

- The Star's editorial board recognizes that while food banks are performing (far too many) important services at the moment, they don't represent a fix for the underlying poverty. And Mitchell Thompson discusses how workers in Atlantic Canada have stared down - and thus far averted - the threat of austerity. 

- Todd Litman writes that the only solution to traffic congestion (along with the other problems generated by excessive reliance on car culture) is to provide alternatives. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow writes about the connection between corporate monopolies and the soaring prices faced by consumers. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Stephanie Nolen examines (PDF) some of the inequality revealed and exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Bonnie Allen reports on the tragic story of a Yorkton woman who died as a result of neglect and misinformation. Nancy Lapid points out the health risks caused by breakthrough infections even in people who are fully vaccinated. And Brian Goldman interviews Sheila Singh about the delays in diagnosing childhood cancers as a result of the pandemic - both in the strain it's placed on health care providers, and people's reluctance to seek out care.

- Cheryl Mack and Jennine Wismark discuss how homelessness in Alberta is also a public health emergency. And Scott Schmidt writes that while it's for the best that Alberta has finally signed on to a child care agreement with the federal government, it's still problematic that the UCP seems entirely uninterested in the "care" part of it. 

- Nicholas Kusnetz offers a reminder of the deep ecological damage done by the tar sands. And Jeffrey Jones notes that Alberta's best hope to reinvigorate Calgary's hollowed-out downtown is to become a hub for renewable energy development.

- Finally, Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian discuss how the privatization of public assets undermines the possibilities for democratic decision-making.

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.