Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats with company.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Pratyush Dayal reports on the COVID outbreak which has infected every single resident of a Regina care home. And Dan Scheuerman reports on the effect the drug poisoning crisis is having on people's health generally by further straining already-limited health care resources. 

- Don Pittis writes about the shock treatment being administered to the economy through interest rates hikes - and the explicit goal of suppressing wages so they don't catch up to locked-in increases in prices and profits. And Marc Fawcett-Atkinson points out that Alberta is both Canada's wealthiest province and the one with the most hunger - confirming again that mere GDP numbers don't translate into reasonable standards of living when the spoils of development are funneled to the privileged few. 

- Ben Sichel discusses the need to build organizing unions rather than mere service providers to members. And Eric Blanc interviews Harper McNamara, Sam Smith, and Atulya Dora-Laskey about the factors which enabled them to organize the first successful organizing drive at Chioptle - including workers' desire to have a say in working conditions which are otherwise set by management detached from the realities of the workplace. 

- Erika Shaker discusses what Canada should learn from the U.S.' partial forgiveness of excessive student debt. 

- Finally, Tracey Ferrier discusses the International Cleanup Conference's recognition that chemicals are already affecting food supplies (and stand to do so all the more based on a climate breakdown). And Dorothy Woodend interviews George Monbiot about his book Regenesis and the importance of ensuring that our methods of food production don't destroy the soil and natural environment necessary for our survival.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Laura Ungar reports on the message from experts that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. And Jon Kamp discusses the reality that COVID-19 remains one of the main direct causes of death in the U.S., while Neha Madaan reports that the main Omicron subvariant in India is mutating to become even more dangerous. 

- Meanwhile, Therese Kleim reports that the drug poisoning crisis also continues to escalate in Saskatchewan while being met with utter neglect from the Moe government. 

- Inayat Singh writes about Canada's connection to two of the key climate tipping points which we're passing with barely any effort to change course. And Annette McGivney discusses the unprecedented megadrought in the U.S. as another example of the extreme conditions being caused by the continued spewing of carbon pollution. 

- Jason DeParle notes that the U.S. has seen a little-discussed drop in child poverty which is traceable entirely to public-sector supports. And David Moscrop writes about the problem with Canadian housing policy which has been set for the benefit of capitalists who want to profit from a basic human right, rather than people who actually hold the need. 

- Finally, Emily Leedham points out how Pierre Poilievre has spent his entire career attacking the interests of workers. Michael Harris writes that he's best considered a symptom of the rot which set in under the Harper regime. And Aaron Wherry rightly identifies Poilievre as the ultimate expression of the Conservative id. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

 Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading.

- Jim Naureckas discusses the absurdity of the New York Times (among other outlets) criticizing the idea of saving millions of lives from COVID rather than choosing to act in denial of it. Paige Ouimet points out the widespread long-term damage long COVID is inflicting on the U.S.' workforce. And Rachel Jobson interviews Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha about the need to recognize both the reality of people with disabilities generally, and the importance of listening to them in caring for those newly disabled by the pandemic.

- Becky Kane writes that an obsession with quantifying worker productivity through constant surveillance is serving mostly to undermine its theoretical purposes. 

- Justin McCurry writes about the popularity of Kohei Saito's Capital in the Anthropocene as a rallying call for degrowth and greater equality. And Owen Schalk offers his own reminder of the dangers of pursuing growth for its own sake.

- Finally, Audrey Nilson discusses new research showing that gratuitously lengthy prison sentences don't lead to community safety.

Musical interlude

ODESZA feat. Sasha Alex Sloan - Falls

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes that what information we continue to receive about COVID shows that we can't afford to stop working on preventing its spread. And Katherine Wu offers a warning as to what this winter's flu season might bring based on the experience of southern-hemisphere countries over the summer. 

- Umain Haque points out that we should have a fairly easy decision to make in determining whether to fund a transition to clean energy - as the price of doing the work would pay for itself in six years, while the long-term cost of failure is an existential threat to civilization. Max Wakefield discusses how the UK is paying an alarming price - while fossil fuel operators rake in gigantic windfall profits - due to its subsidization of oil and gas over efficiency and renewable energy. And Damien Gayle reports on research showing how oil giants' much-publicized funding for clean alternatives is a tiny fraction of the riches they've hoarded by perpetuating dirty energy. 

- Meanwhile, Damian Carrington reports on a new study showing that we're passing or approaching some of the most crucial tipping points in determining whether we fall into catastrophic climate breakdown. And David Wallace-Wells discusses how massive floods are exposing Pakistan's vulnerability to extreme weather events. 

- Eric Gardner points out that discount stores are the latest example of corporate behemoths filling their coffers at the expense of affordable necessities for workers. Charles Rusnell and Jennie Russell expose the Calgary Police Service's ties to a seedy California degree mill which is supposedly providing training on crisis intervention. And Kaley Kennedy writes about the need to take profits out of child care. 

- Finally, Madeleine Carlisle discusses how U.S. libraries are in the cross-hairs due to Republican efforts to disappear books which could result in the inconvenient development of empathy and recognition of diversity. Jeff Labine warns that the extreme right is looking to take over school boards in Canada as it's already managed to do south of the border. And Bob Hepburn calls out Pierre Poilievre for fomenting the deplorable culture of bigotry and exclusion. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Ontario's COVID-19 Science Table has published a primer on long COVID (and the need for associated supports) just in time to be abolished for interfering with the Ford PCs' message that everything is fine. Sri Taylor reports on a massive jump in U.S. cases as students have returned to classes. And Marilyn Thompson and Jenny Deam report on how Republicans in power are using the force of the state to cater to anti-vaxxers and Trumpist quackery while imposing intolerable demands on already-strained hospitals. 

- Meanwhile, Ja'han Jones writes about the poisoning of black America as a result of selectively inadequate infrastructure and deference to corporate polluters. 

- Emily Stewart interviews Nathan Tankus about the need for an authority with the ability to take rational steps in response to imminent inflation, rather relying solely on an after-the-fact response which is limited to suppressing wages and killing jobs. And Grace Blakeley writes that the UK can't afford another bout of Con austerity, while Umair Haque identifies it as the country offering the most jarring example of how not to succeed in the 21st century. 

- Kenneth Mohamed writes about the need to rein in an oil industry that's destroying our living environment in order to extract gigantic windfall profits. Max Moran points out that any plan for a just transition needs to include the development of a civil service capable of doing the work. And Brady Dennis reports on new research showing the massive amounts of land which the U.S. stands to lose to rising sea levels. 

- Finally, Bruce Arthur discusses the futility of trying to argue with radicalized rightists who are impervious to facts and rational debate. And Meghan Grant and Rachel Ward report on the attempt by Flu Trux Klan fanatics to smuggle guns into what were billed as peaceful protests - a plan which was foiled only by the fact that undercover officers were selected to carry out the operation. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Megan Ogilvie and Kenyon Wallace interview public health experts about the steps they're taking to stay safe as students return to school and another COVID wave crests. Dilshad Burman points out the increased risks to workers when isolation periods are eliminated, while Megan Molteni writes about the difficulties facing people whose access to health care is turned into a game of Russian roulette in the absence of making requirements. And even as current policy fails to account for the harms to health lasting far after an initial infection, David Axe discusses the perils of new mutations which could result in longer infections to begin with.  

- Simon Black observes that while workers have fought to stand their ground at times in the course of the pandemic, there's ample room to seek improvements in wages and working conditions. Kim Kelly makes the case for workers to push to unionize. Jim Stanford discusses both why the Bank of Canada should be pivoting away from interest rate hikes in the face of a slowing economy, and why it's all too likely to keep reducing employment in the name of fighting inflation caused by matters beyond its control. And Darren Shore points out that Canada is far behind many peer countries in implementing taxes on the wealthy which would both improve public balance sheets and reduce inflation from where it produces the most unfair consequences. 

- Trevor Melanson and David Colletto argue that the path to needed climate action is to highlight the connection between a just transition to clean energy and relief from high non-renewable energy prices. And Nick Gottlieb points out that Canada is falling far short of the mark in funding energy efficiency retrofits. 

- Molly Taft reports that the same Gulf of Mexico oil field which caught fire last year is now spewing methane into the atmosphere. And Bob Weber reports on a new lawsuit seeking to hold Alberta's government accountable for the cumulative environmental effects of the fossil fuel industry and other development. 

- Finally, Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott report on Barry Seid's "attack philanthropy" seeking to weaponize wealth to undermine social organization. Leah Gazan writes about the rise of far-right extremism in Canada as one of the offshoots of the cultivation of a fascist movement in the U.S. And Jeff Shantz calls attention to the horrors of vigilante violence against unhoused people. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Centre of attention cats. 

 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Bruce Arthur laments the message being sent by Ontario's government that there's no need to care about other people in the face of an ongoing pandemic, while Norm Farrell discusses British Columbia's sliding back into a neglect phase. Anne Flaherty reports on the young workers losing their careers to long COVID. And Grady McGregor reports on China's development and approval of a nasal vaccine which offers the prospect of better protection to those who haven't been sacrificed to COVID-19 before it's available. 

- Meanwhile, John Michael McGrath writes that governments which have gone out of their way to eliminate COVID protections can't plausibly expect to keep any promises that schools will stay open. 

- Rosa Saba reports on the disconnect between a hot job market and the continued refusal by employers to pay people accordingly, while Nojoud Al Malles talks to labour leaders about the growing gap between stagnant (or worse) real wages and record profits. 

- Andrea Houston discusses how Canada's public health care system is being sabotaged by politicians eager to chop it up into profitable pieces. And Sanah Ashan notes that mental health - like health care generally - needs to be based on recognition of the importance of the social determinants of health. 

- Finally, John Smith writes that any hope for a better future needs to be paired with a willingness to fight for it. And Jeremy Corbyn notes that a new spokesperson doesn't serve as justification to keep repeating the same old corporatist mistakes.

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Labour Day reading.

- David Macdonald offers a reminder that any difficulty employers are having finding workers is a result of their failing to pay wages to even match, let alone stay in front of, the cost of living. And Trish Hennessy takes a look at the politics of inflation - including the tools to support a reasonable standard of living which have mostly been ignored or ruled out in favour of blatant political bribes by governments who are ideologically opposed to helping people.

- Jake Rosenfeld discusses how the disconnect between low unemployment and continued exploitation is resulting in greater recognition of the importance of unions. And David Beers interviews Enda Brophy about the efforts of gig workers to fight back against platforms designed to evade the protections won in the 20th century.

- Meanwhile, Jorge Renaud writes that one of the U.S.' main workarounds to avoid paying reasonable wages - the prison labour complex - does nothing to improve the future employment prospects of the inmates who have been turned into profit centres.

- Christopher Curtis writes that the CAP government's failure to rein in an epidemic of drug poisonings should be a far greater issue in Quebec's ongoing election. And Karen Ward highlights the importance of how we talk about an avoidable public health catastrophe to avoid minimizing or excusing the human cost of inaction.

- Finally, EKOS offers a look at Canadians' views of the Flu Trux Klan - with a strong majority opposing it within nearly every grouping except for those who consumer disinformation on a regular basis.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jasmine Kerrissy and Judith Stepan-Noris examine the state of the U.S. labour movement for Labour Day. And Gil McGowan points out the many basic freedoms which are lacking for Canadian workers and their unions.

- Alex Himelfarb writes about the politics of inflation - and particularly the deliberate effort to allow profits to rise while suppressing any associated improvement in wages. And Ted Johnson discusses the significance of even modest student debt relief in making clear that working people can benefit from public policy choices.

- Jeremy Clifton and Nicholas Kerry study the values which best map to political ideology, and find that the most important dividing line is not based on fear (as often assumed) but the acceptance of hierarchy and inequality. And Ariel Kalil et al. find that welfare restrictions driven by both neoliberal and conservative politicians served to exacerbate those factors by preventing parents living in poverty from providing needed emotional support to their children.

- Kevin Rennert et al. find that our current estimates of the social cost of carbon - though far higher than the prices set by public policy - are themselves far short of sufficient to account for the damage wrought by carbon pollution. And Megan Rowling reports on the prospect of a rapid transition if only the money currently spent on fossil fuel subsidies is instead put into a clean economy. 

- Finally, Kate Aronoff writes about Mississippi's example of eco-apartheid, while the Economist's review of two new books points out the imminent reality of large number of climate refugees from around the globe.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Jennifer Ackerman reports on what Saskatchewan can expect from a COVID wave allowed to sweep across the province without precautions. Eva Ferguson points out that plenty of experts and parents alike are calling for protective measures in Alberta schools (to no avail in the face of the UCP's catering to the Flu Trux Klan). And Rob Ferguson discusses what's looming this fall in Ontario.

- Meanwhile, Matt Gurney writes that any substantial flu season will exacerbate the crisis in an undersupported health care system.

- Steven Greenhouse explores how younger workers are organizing and providing hope for a resurgence of the U.S.' labour movement, while Hayley Brown delves into the numbers showing how unionization leads to higher wages and improved benefits. And David Moscrop writes that only the most entitled and delusional employers can be surprised to see workers choosing not to work extra for no reward.

- John Smith notes that a punitive social housing regime should be taken as a canary in the coal mine for any democratic effort to meet the basic needs of citizens. Armine Yalnizyan points out Orangeville, ON's imminent implementation of free public transit as an example to note of how strong and freely available public services can benefit everybody. And Alexander Shevalier offers a reminder that universal pharmacare stands to both keep people healthier and save money.

- Finally, Michael Harris discusses the need to be wary of politicians looking to incite violence against journalists for doing their job of questioning the misuse of influence and authority - particularly in light of the disproportionate effect their rhetoric has on historically suppressed voices.

Musical interlude

CHVRCHES - Asking For A Friend

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Martha Lincoln writes about the needless harm caused by public health messaging about being people being "tired" of pandemic precautions which many (if not most) are entirely willing to take. Rachel Gilmore reports on the WHO's warnings about the continued human toll from COVID. And Patrick Rail warns that Ontario is careening toward a brutal eighth wave this fall, while Josh Rubin reports on the recognition that the elimination of any isolation period will only increase the number of worker absences caused by COVID.

- Alexander Quon reports that a shortage of workers continues to devastate Saskatchewan's health care system and put patients at risk. And Heather Ganshorn and Medeana Moussa discuss the problems with "privatization creep" being imposed on Saskatchewan schools by the Moe government. 

- Meanwhile, Russell Wangersky points out that Scott Moe's recent bloviating about basic environmental enforcement actually means complaining about federal action which he specifically demanded - not that we can expect any acknowledgment of such inconvenient realities from a government focused purely on posturing and hate-mongering. Jared Wesley discusses how that same philosophy has resulted in Jason Kenney's downfall. And Luke LeBurn reports on the latest revelations of threats to the lives of federal cabinet ministers as a result of the Flu Trux Klan which continues to be supported by the Cons and their provincial cousins. 

- Martyn Brown suggests that Anjali Appadurai's campaign for the leadership of the B.C. NDP should include a much stronger message about the need to build labour solidarity and challenge the dominance of the rich. Darren Shore discusses how Canada is being far outpaced by other countries in bringing in tax revenue from the wealthiest few. And Umair Haque writes that soaring energy prices - like so many unfair and frustrating elements of our world - are the result of an economic system designed to enrich a well-connected few. 

- Finally, Tameed Hawfiq reports on a new report showing how increased mercury levels are threatening human and animal life in the Arctic. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Rachel Aiello reports on Health Canada's approval of COVID booster vaccines targeted at the Omicron variants. And Andrew Romano discusses the hope that the updated vaccines will result in a turning point in combating COVID - though getting enough people vaccinated to limit further spread and variation looks to be a serious challenge after months of messaging that people could move on from taking any precautions. 

- Owen Jones discusses how UK Con leadership frontrunner Liz Truss is one of the appalling number of right-wing politicians who values fossil fuel profits over human life, while Trevor Herriot calls out the Moe government's attack on the very concept of enforcing environmental laws. Geoff Leo exposes the case of a 14-year-old who died while under the "care" of social services. And Brody Langager reports on the work being done to push the Sask Party to fund harm reduction, while Zak Vescera offers a reminder that nobody can avoid the devastating effects of the drug poisoning crisis.  

- Alice Lee et al. study the increase in fuel poverty in the UK, while noting that a transition to clean energy would also reduce inequality of access and ensure a more stable supply. Mia Rabson reports on new research showing the particular ubiquity of toxic chemicals in dollar store products. And Damien Gayle reports on a new study showing how carbon capture and storage isn't part of the solution in trying to avert a climate breakdown. 

- Paul Prescod writes about the importance of unions in fighting for the rights and interests of minority workers. And Molly Smith reports on new research showing that single women without children are managing to accumulate more wealth than men in the same cohort - but those with children lag far behind other groups. 

- Finally, James McCarten reports on new opinion polling as to the main concerns of Canadians - with climate change and misinformation ranking as major public concerns even as so many right-wing politicians dedicate themselves fully to preventing any action on them. Aaron Wherry writes that political leaders need to part of the solution in ending rage farming as a political strategy - though there's plenty of reason for concern that the Cons and their allies only plan to keep pushing the envelope in lying to stoke anger, rather than taking anybody's advice to do what they can to avoid having people get hurt. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Liz Szabo examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved - and the reality that the large number of infections in the Omicron wave is overwhelming the benefit of existing immunity.  And Andre Picard highlights how counterproductive it is to be eliminating Ontario's Science Advisory Table and other expert groups in the midst of a pandemic where ignorance has already seized an advantage over evidence-based precautions. 

- Meanwhile, Jane Greenhalgh and Selena Simons-Duffin report on the jarring drop in overall U.S. life expectancy due to the pandemic. Sarah Neville discusses the aftershocks of each COVID wave in increasing the risks of a myriad of other health conditions. And Carly Weeks reports on the drop in routine vaccination rates as anti-vax fanatics have applied their politically-cultivated disregard for public health to other diseases. 

- Justin McCarthy reports on the increasing public support for unions in the U.S., with over 70% of respondents approving of organized labour even in a generally polarized political environment. Caitlin Clark reports on the success of port workers in Tacoma in doubling their pay and securing better benefits and working conditions by unionizing, while Randy Thanthong-Knight reports on Unifor's push for wage increases following the election of Lana Payne. And Gregory Beatty discusses the potential for a four-day work week to improve health and work-life balance without affecting productivity. 

- Beatty also examines the Sask Party's attempt to push students into religious schools rife with abuse and scandal by cutting support for public education. And in the wake of public revelations of exorcisms at a Bible camp, Jason Warick reports that officials actually argued that they were necessary in the name of "spiritual warfare". 

- Nick French writes that the nonsensical and counterproductive response to student debt relief by U.S. Republicans only serves to signal how important and powerful a policy it is. 

- Finally, Pollara finds that a strong majority of Albertans are firmly opposed to both the goals and methods of the Flu Trux Klan (even as the UCP's leadership contenders go out of their way to cater to it). 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Wrapped-up cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Kaylyn Whibbs reports on the entirely justified concerns of parents whose children have been unable to receive a COVID booster due to provincial neglect. And Dana Smith discusses how polio has managed to make a resurgence in the U.S. as the same anti-social attitudes and aversion to science which have allowed COVID-19 to run rampant are also reversing previous victories over preventable diseases. 

- Richard Wolff discusses how messaging about "economic policy" typically serves as a cover for class warfare (though it's worth distinguishing between corporatist policy serving only to enrich the wealthy, and development policy which actually seeks to help people). And David Climenhaga rightly calls out Jason Kenney for trying to lure unsuspecting workers to Alberta with the promise of wages he's actively working to suppress. 

- Kate Aronoff examines how Ron DeSantis and other right-wing demagogues are trying to eradicate the slightest trace of social responsibility from corporate governance in order to justify continued carbon pollution. And in case there was any doubt that the balance instead needs to tilt toward greater consideration for the public interest rather than a sociopathic focus on short-term profit, Peter Milne reports on the massive amount of money the Australian public will be paying to clean up a Chevron oil field. 

- Meanwhile, Shah Meer Baloch and Damian Carrington report on the devastating monsoon and flooding hitting Pakistan, while Michael Le Page reports on the unprecedented heat wave endangering millions in China. 

- Finally, Peter Wehner argues that we can't afford to give in to the fatalism of Trumpists (which holds as true in Canada as in the U.S.). But as Stephen Maher writes, there's little reason to think Pierre Poilievre and his ilk will do anything but continue to court and support violent extremism since it suits their own political ends. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Dayne Patterson reports that what little data Saskatchewan residents have to manage to risk of COVID is showing higher levels than have been seen in months. Sophia Tan et al. find that even while breakthrough COVID infections have escalated, prior vaccination (and particularly recent vaccination) has a substantial impact on reducing transmission. And Nili Kaplan-Myrth implores parents to ensure that children reduce the risk of spread by masking when they return to school. 

- Meanwhile, John Michael McGrath discusses why clean air may be the foundational public health advancement of the 21st century just as clean water was in the 19th century - though it's of course worth pointing out the forces seeking to reverse that progress. 

- Sharon Kirkey writes about the unmanageable burdens being placed on Canada's hospital emergency rooms - due largely to austerity in dealing with the health care system as a whole. And Zak Vescera reports that Saskatchewan is sharing the experience of other provinces in having ambulance service delayed by the wait to get patients seen in ERs.

- The Star's editorial board weighs in on the need to stop exploiting and abusing temporary foreign workers. 

- Finally, Ian Welsh discusses how our ongoing (and escalating) problems can be traced not to a lack of technological development, but to a failure to use the technology and resources we have for the betterment of people's lives. And David Sirota and Joel Warner highlight the need to end the flow of dark money which ensures that the U.S.' political system serves only the interests of the wealthiest few. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Wency Leung asks how much more of a human toll we're willing to accept in order to operate in denial of a continuing pandemic. And Phil Tank discusses how the Moe government has chosen to frame the constant stream of preventable disease and death as merely a monthly report beneath any direct comment or action.

- Zak Vescera has been digging into the shady history of the Sask Party-boosted churches and private which have been caught in a child abuse scandal - including their exploitation of donors, and their links to longstanding reporting of violence against children. 

- Andrew Longhurst points out the dangerous rise of corporate health care in British Columbia. And Frances Bula reports that the building of social housing alone hasn't been enough to help people who can't realistically be expected to avoid the myriad of pitfalls which can be used to throw them back out on the streets. 

- Sarah Jones writes that the real story behind "quiet quitting" is the near-universal expectation on the part of employers that workers will willingly suffer to the point of burnout. And Greg Jericho discusses how Australia is among the many countries where workers have been seeing little if any benefit from consistent productivity increases.

- Finally, Charles Rusnell reports on the right-wing rage farming behind the increasingly violent attacks on any political figure even faintly tethered to reality. And David Sirota offers a reminder how the U.S. is subsidizing the massive dark money network drowning out any meaningful political discussion with fascist propaganda.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Carolyn Johnson discusses how one's initial development of an immune response to COVID may affect the impact of future vaccinations. Kim Constantino reports on a finding from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that long COVID is responsible for a third of the U.S.' total number of job vacancies. Bronwyn Bragg offers her account of the impossible choices facing parents of young children who haven't had access to protection from vaccines at all. And Bruce Arthur discusses Ontario's imminent shutdown of its COVID science table as an example of obvious disregard for public health which is breaking down public trust.

- Tammy Robert goes in depth as to the Saskatchewan Party's choice to underfund health care in Saskatchewan, while the Globe and Mail's editorial board is rightly aghast at Scott Moe's choice to use a fiscal windfall to bribe voters rather than to make any effort to repair the damage. And Jeremy Simes reports on the grim circumstances facing Saskatchewan's health care workers based on both a lack of resources and the cultivation of anti-science violence.

- Brian Sullivan offers a look at what's happening to the former waterways being destroyed by our climate breakdown. And Damian Carrington asks how long we'll abide a fossil fuel sector which has proven itself determined to destroy our planet in the name of short-term profits, while Ainslie Cruickshank exposes how industry-sponsored curricula are being used to indoctrinate children to serve the interests of oil and gas tycoons.

- Thom Hartmann discusses how the wealthiest few have a stranglehold on U.S. politics, while Zachary Carter points out that the current debate over partial student loan forgiveness is really an issue of whether workers are to have any control over their own destiny in a social order designed to serve their exploiters.

- Finally, Ira Wells discusses how instability in the U.S. represents a direct threat to Canada. And Rachel Gilmore takes a look at the cross-border Diagolon movement - seen as too valuable to Pierre Poilievre for him to speak a word against it - which has been actively seeking the violent undermining and overthrow of elected governments.

Musical interlude

Gorgon City w/ Hayden James & Nat Dunn - Foolproof

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Maggie O'Farrell offers her experience as to the devastating effects of long COVID. And Jose Manuel Aburto et al. study the particularly insidious impact of COVID on minority racial and ethnic populations in the U.S. 

- Meanwhile, Dayne Patterson reports on the call from Saskatchewan doctors for people to be more responsible than their government in masking up to protect each other. And Kelly Skjerven reports on Joel Hill's work mapping out the service disruptions in Saskatchewan's health care system. 

- Zak Vescera reports that one of the schools at the centre of the Saskatchewan Party's child abuse scandal has been shut down only after refusing to cooperate with an outside administrator. And Russel Wangersky rightly calls out the Moe government for doing nothing other than shrieking about the federal government while its own areas of responsibility grow increasingly dire. 

- Saurav Sarkak offers a hopeful story on how Punjabi workers in Toronto are joining together to fight back against wage theft and employer abuses. 

- Finally, Umair Haque discusses what will be needed to survive an age of dystopia - with community-building and the recognition of priorities larger than one's self not ranking at the top of the list. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Linda McQuaig writes about the dangers of treating public health care systems as resources to be plundered by corporate raiders rather than essential services for people. And John Michael McGrath discusses how the Ford PCs are demanding that some of the most vulnerable patients in Ontario sacrifice  to hide the damage they've done to health care (while refusing to allow that imposition to be subject to normal legislative accountability).  

- Katie Bach highlights the tens of millions of Americans suffering from long COVID, including millions unable to work as a result of it. 

- James Temple points out the flaws in "net zero" climate plans which are intended to maximize continued corporate pollution as long as possible based on questionable assumptions about offsets and scopes of responsibility. And Hanna Hett asks whether Canada is prepared to accept the climate refugees losing their homes as a result of the carbon pollution which we continue to subsidize and promote around the globe. 

- Michelle Gamage discusses the massive amount of food waste generated in Canada - and the source of that waste in a system which makes it cheaper and easier to discard food than to find a use for it. 

- Jared Brock writes about the need to apply fair taxes to ensure that parasitic extractors at least have to contribute something to the common good. 

- Finally, Max Fawcett discusses Pierre Poilievre's choice to operate in league with Diagolon extremists and other elements of the violent right-wing fringe. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ben Beckett interviews Max Desbris about the role a climate breakdown plays in exacerbating natural disasters, while Grace Livingstone and Ellen Tsang report on thousands of indigenous islanders in Panama who have lost their home and community to the environmental disruptions we've seen so far. Leslie Hook and Chris Campbell write about the dangerous and unexplained surge in methane levels which is increasing the pace of global warming. Mia Rabson reports on the hydrogen supply agreement between Canada and Germany - including the firm recognition by a country facing short-term supply issues that fossil-fuel-based energy isn't a viable option, even as the Trudeau Libs try to keep money flowing to the oil patch. And Chantal Hebert discusses how the Cons' leadership contenders are looking to make Canada's already confused and ineffective climate policy even worse. 

- Meanwhile, Crawford Kilian reviews Serhii Plokhy’s Atoms and Ashes as an important reminder that nuclear "accidents" are both entirely predictable and caused in part by deliberate choices. 

- Jessica Corbett discusses how profiteering by grain giants is a classic example of disaster capitalism. 

- Jose Jimenez et al. study the historical reasons explaining the deadly resistance to accepting that COVID-19 is airborne. And Science Daily reports on new research showing a connection between increased blood clotting and long COVID. 

- Finally, John Smith writes about the opportunity lost when Jeremy Corbyn's leadership - with its potential to offer hope to massive numbers of otherwise disenfranchised people - was undermined by establishment resistance (including within his own party).

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats on the ball.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jonny Thomson writes about the philosophy of "lagom" as an alternative to perpetually demanding more. But Matt Gurney notes that on a rapidaly warming planet, the former luxury of air conditioning is becoming a necessity for far more people - even if that fact isn't reflected in policy. 

- Adam King discusses how class struggle is on the rise - particularly in the sense of workers fighting back against the exploitation taken as a given by employers. And Jim Stanford warns us not to be taken in by spin seeking to justify increased inequality and suppressing benefits for workers in the name of fighting inflation. 

- Shawn Micallef calls out the City of Toronto for raiding homeless people without having any plan to provide alternative acceptable accommodations. And Elizabeth Mulholland points out the need to start treating poverty and income insecurity as serious public policy problems which demand action. 

- Fiona Harvey writes that the world's largest grain traders are predictably among the corporate interests raking in massive profits by hiking prices - making them a likely source of substantial revenue from any windfall profit tax. And Geoff Dembicki calls out Pierre Poilievre for falsely blaming revenue-neutral carbon levies rather than oil industry profiteering for out-of-control gas prices. 

- Finally, Luke LeBrun discusses how Poilievre refuses to name or disassociate himself from Jeremy McKenzie and associated violent extremists - choosing instead to criticize the media for pointing out how he's allying himself with racism and hate. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Eric Topol examines the growing body of knowledge about long COVID - and the need to use that awareness to develop the means to mitigate it. Lola Mayor reports on the example of one 10-year-old struggling to walk and talk as a horrifying example of the effects of a disease treated as "mild", while Jenny Jin et al. find that COVID appears to transmit in utero and stay in a fetus' body. And Adina Bresge examines the considerations for Canadians deciding whether to wait for new vaccines targeted toward Omicron - including the warning from Dr. Theresa Tam not to wait too long since a previous vaccination. 

- Akshay Kulkarni reports on the increase in sick leave among British Columbia nurses since the start of the pandemic. Emma Teitel discusses how the exodus of nurses from public health care settings can be traced to a lack of respect and fair wages. And Anne Helen Peterson rightly challenges the phrasing of "quiet quitting" to describe workers who do their jobs rather than sacrificing their own interests for the benefit of their employer. 

- David Sligar examines the importance of taking into account household composition in setting the terms of income-linked policies. And PROOF studies (PDF) the prevalence of food insecurity among Canadian families - with Alberta and Saskatchewan ranking among the provinces with the highest rates of hunger and associated problems. 

- Finally, Ian Welsh writes about the multiple factors creating immense social problems - even as the leaders with the theoretical authority to respond are increasingly selected solely for power accumulation rather than any ability to act in the public interest. 

On jurisdictional issues

Shorter Jason Kenney:

For all my Ottawa-bashing bluster, even I have to admit it's asinine to pretend provincial laws can nullify the existence of federal powers. 

Shorter Scott Moe:

The federal government has no jurisdiction to enforce its laws in the Glorious Republic of Lesser Fucktrudeauistan! It's in the Magna Carta!

Meanwhile, as some point out the danger of implicitly encouraging a violent response by individuals, let's note that Moe has also gone far past the UCP in centralizing provincial policing structures as a substantive step toward concentrating force under provincial jurisdiction. (And sadly, the response in Saskatchewan was mostly limited to quibbling over security at the Legislature rather than the broader implications.)

Musical interlude

The Paper Kites - Walk Above the City

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jacques Poitras exposes how New Brunswick's end to public health measures in response to COVID-19 was based on a single flawed study linked to libertarian think tanks. Alexander Quon reports on both the worrisome substance of the Moe government's latest monthly COVID report as well as the continued degradation of information, while Zak Vescera reports that Dr. Saqib Shahab is finally recommending that people consider the value of wearing masks in public spaces. And CBC News reports on UBC research which hints at an exploitable weak spot in all existing COVID variants - though it remains to be seen whether politicians will once again allow anti-science cranks to undermine the effectiveness of any newly developed vaccines and treatments. 

- Meanwhile, Jacqueline Howard reports on new research showing that nearly half of cancer deaths could be preventable based on just a few underlying risk factors. And Lee Fang reports on Eli Lilly's use of a "community development" charity to lobby for insulin profiteering. 

- Nick Butler discusses how the oil industry has become all the more greedy and destructive over the past few decades - and how public control could ensure it doesn't operate as a barrier to a healthy environment and energy security. And Kyle Bakx examines both the windfall profits being reaped by Canada's oil sector, and the complete lack of any resulting social benefit as it uses the money to lobby against the climate and goose its own share prices. 

- Sonali Kolhatkar discusses how new labour organizing - particularly by young people, women and people of colour - can help improve workplaces for everybody.

- Finally, Luke LeBrun reports on a terrorism assessment confirming that the Flu Trux Klan - endorsed by so many of the Cons and their right-wing cousins - served as an organizing point for violent extremism. And Laura Osman reports on how the anti-reality convoy has taken root, and is now using pseudo-law to lay claim to a headquarters after it has been evicted. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Jason Gale reports on new research showing how COVID-19 can cause impacts on the brain for a period of years (with no apparent end in sight). And Saima May Sidik discusses the long-lasting cardiovascular problems which may also follow from an infection. But Sean Boynton reports that the choice to "let 'er rip" is resulting in even the acute measures of hospitalizations and deaths being higher than in the previous two years of the pandemic - while Isaac Callan and Colin D'Mello expose how the Ford PCs (presumably not alone among their right-wing cousins) were more interested in slashing costs and services than ensuring people had the tools to deal with COVID.

- Meanwhile, Brady Bouchard warns that family physicians won't be able to paper over the destruction of other elements of the health care system for long. And Jeremy Simes reports on the plight of one Regina patient wrestling with the possibility of seeking an MRI at his own expense, while CKOM reports on the Moe government's explicit choice to start diverting surgical patients to Alberta based on their ability to pay for their own travel. 

- Don Pittis discusses how workers shouldn't see an eventual drop in inflation as much of a win if it means their real income has been eroded by a combination of corporate-driven price increases and artificially suppressed wages. And Greg Jericho highlights how wages are falling far short of keeping up with theoretical labour demand in Australia. 

- Owen Jones writes about a rare but welcome step in unionizing a London nightclub - offering an example for all kinds of workers in precarious service jobs.  

- Finally, Erika Shaker offers a primer on student debt in Canada - and the value of removing the limitations faced by young workers as they complete their education with massive debt burdens. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Anne Sosin and Ranu Dhillon write that it's long past time to take the well-documented and devastating effects of long COVID into account as part of the measure of public health policy. And with a few provinces finally making second booster shots available, Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti offer their take on the considerations to be taken into account in deciding whether to get boosted. 

- Fahad Razak et al. write that we can't begin to ameliorate a collapsing health care system without getting COVID-19 under control. And Kenyon Wallace reports on the warning from emergency room physicians about the crisis at the St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto, while Alexander Quon reports on the prospect that laboratory services disruptions in Saskatchewan are set to get even worse. 

- Isabella Weber and Mark Paul discuss how interest rate hikes will only exacerbate the difficulties faced by the working class as a result of corporate-driven inflation. Lana Payne writes that consumers should be angry at CEOs rather than workers for exploiting the opportunity to take windfall profits. And Adam King discusses how the left can find an opportunity in labour shortages. 

- Émile Boisseau-Bouvier and Laura Cameron highlight how the Libs are set to miss their deadline to end fossil fuel subsidies - and are hiding behind weasel wording to avoid any action at all. 

- Finally, Chris Hedges warns that the U.S. in particular is headed toward irreversible civilizational decline.  

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

 Upturned cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Eric Topol writes that the only sensible response to the increased death and sickness from COVID-19 is to dedicate our efforts to fully containing it. And Jessica Nelson reports on research from the University of Alberta showing the massive health care costs alone traceable to unvaccinated people, while Enxhi Kondi reminds us that photo ops dedicated to new beds is useless when it's paired with a plan to refuse to respect or support the workers needed to keep hospitals functioning. 

- Meanwhile, Nakia Lee-Foon examines some of the ways in which COVID and our corporate-driven responses exacerbated inequalities. And Katherine Scott finds that the federal government's all-too-temporary willingness to ensure people had some source of income led to a drastic drop in poverty. 

- Clare Coffey writes that people can't be blamed for finding it difficult to cope with a capitalist system designed to extract every possible resource from them. Jim Stewartson discusses the obvious problems with arranging our economy and society so as to systematically treat psychopathic traits as preconditions to positions of power and wealth. Jeff Sommer points out how a growing proportion of the U.S.' economy is devoted to stock buybacks rather than anything which does anything but enrich existing shareholders and corporate insiders. And Jeff Schurhke reports on Starbucks' union-busting crime spree - and the need for unions and workers alike to counter it. 

- Finally, Derek Eaton and Anik Islam write that the U.S.' climate change legislation can help lay the groundwork for a clean transition in Canada. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- CBC News reports on the rise of COVID levels in Saskatchewan cities' wastewater. David Axe reports on the development of the BA.4.6 variant which looks likely to represent an even greater threat than the currently-dominant version. And Bruce Mirken discusses how the failure to recognize and mitigate the risk of long COVID has resulted in the U.S. (and Canada) sleepwalking toward disaster. 

- Meanwhile, Zak Vescera reports that overburdened hospitals in Saskatoon are clogging up other elements of the health care system, including the availability of ambulances which are spending hours waiting to hand off patients.

- The Washington Post maps the extreme heat covering much of the U.S. Jon Henley reports on the extreme drought which is drying up rivers in Europe, while Darrell Roberts reports on the fires threatening communities in Newfoundland which are being exacerbated by a lack of moisture. And Chris Saltmarsh discusses how the privatization of water has made it more difficult to protect limited resources against the effects of a climate breakdown. 

- Jacques Gallant reports on the federal government's failure to act despite being well aware of the drug poisoning crisis.

- Finally, Aaron Saad wonders whether we've devolved to the point of living in post-empathy times, while noting that collective acceptance of the view that we don't need to care about each other is an obvious predictor of impending fascism.