Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Tuckered-out cats.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Madeline Holcomb reports on new research showing that COVID-19 boosters are more effective when delivered to the same arm as previous vaccine doses. 

- Jessica Wildfire highlights how the war on remote work is the result of corporate landlords' determination to sacrifice human health and well-being in order to prop up real estate values. And Nojoud Al Mallees reports on the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's warning that we're actually seeing a reduction in the construction of desperately-needed housing, while Marc Lee points out what we can learn from Singapore about the value of public-sector ownership of the provision of housing.  

- Mitchell Beer rightly warns against taking the word of Suncor's CEO on climate policy as he tries to lock in decades of extreme carbon pollution in order to keep extracting profits. And Geoff Dembicki takes a look at the oil industry-funded death cultists claiming credit for Danielle Smith's ban on clean energy. 

- Finally, Gary Marcus predicts that an already-enshittified Internet stands to get far worse as junk content from large language models crowds out accurate material. 

Musical interlude

Tame Impala - One More Year

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Joseph Choi reports on new research showing that updated COVID-19 vaccines help build immunity against the Eris strain. And Keenan Sorokan reports on both Eris' spread into Saskatchewan, and the strong recommendation from the experts still interested in public health that people get boosted and take steps to avoid spread of the virus.

- Anne Shibata Casselman offers a grim look at what Canada will look like in a few decades if we can't reverse course from the current path toward climate breakdown. Dharna Noor reports on the juxtaposition of dirty energy conglomerates demanding to be let off the hook for the climate crisis in the wake of Maui's lethal wildfires. And Zack Budryk reports on new research showing that U.S. carbon pollution is increasingly caused by the richest households. 

- Phillip Inman reports that the UK is among the many countries seeing corporations rake in record profits while falsely pretending that price increases are the result of unavoidable inflation. 

- David Climenhaga rightly recognizes that the choice to use violence to remove the crises of homelessness and drug poisonings from public view does nothing to ameliorate the underlying problem. And Cory Johnston is duly critical of the City of Regina's refusal to recognize that reality in smashing communal encampments while doing nothing to ensure people have alternative housing. 

- Finally, Jessica Wildfire compares our current sociopolitical reality to a "behavioral sink", where conditions of relative abundance give way to needless waste and competition, and eventually the disintegration of any social cooperation. (And it's particularly worth highlighting her observation that in our case, that's the result of a deliberate choice by people with immense amounts of money and power to use their resources undercutting the very idea that wealth can be shared or community interests considered.) 

[Edit: fixed wording.]

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Margaret Walton-Roberts and Ivy Lynn Bourgeault highlight how plans to poach workers from abroad are bound to fall short of meeting our need for care providers (while also raising ethical concerns). And Benjamin Shingler discusses how extreme heat is putting an increasing number of workers at risk. 

- Tom Burton eulogizes Mary-Louise McLaws by noting that she was among the few voices calling for people to avert avoidable deaths and illness by recognizing how aerosolized ventilation is needed to limit the spread of COVID-19. And Luke LeBrun exposes the connection between the federal Cons and anti-public-health forces.

- Thom Hartmann discusses why the uber-wealthy few fund bigotry and hate - with the instigation of culture wars serving to distract from class-based extraction. 

- Cory Doctorow points out how selective complaints about privacy have served to create the U.S.' exploitative private surveillance apparatus, while lauding some much-needed steps toward public protection from corporate data brokers. 

- Finally, Robin Urevich and Pablo Sandoval expose how Los Angeles landlords have ignoring a requirement to preserve housing for low-income residents and instead marketing protected units to tourists. And Christopher Cheung reports on Burnaby's much-needed effort to build its own affordable homes, rather than relying on giveaways to private developers as the only option to increase the housing stock. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Crawford Kilian reviews two new books on the effects of an overheating planet. Damian Carrington reports on the science tracing unprecedented heat waves to climate change. And Jag Bhalla warns about the dangers of undue optimism about the state of our living environment - with the people with the least predictably standing to suffer the most.  

- Meanwhile, Elizabeth Rush describes the experience of arriving at a large glacier just in time to see it collapse. 

- Ari Pottens and Scott Seymour discuss the harm unmonitored methane releases are doing in exacerbating the climate breakdown. And David Thurton reports on the double-counting and general trickery behind the Libs' self-congratulation over tree-planting.  

- Pete Evans reports on yet another hike in profits for Loblaws, while the Canadian Press reports on the same as Metro even as it withholds reasonable wages from employees. 

- Finally, Jeff Ernsthausen exposes how the ultra-wealthy use "charitable" foundations to claim massive tax credits and avoid paying their fair share for a functional society. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Rubbernecking cats.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Ekaterina Pesheva writes about the continued uncertainty as to the driving mechanism behind long COVID even as large numbers of people suffer from it. Eric Berger notes that experts are cautioning Americans to keep a close eye on COVID exposure as new variants develop, while Andre Picard discusses how a summer spike in cases serve to remind us we're still in the middle of a pandemic. And Janice Brown laments that government policy rooted in a "let-'er-rip" philosophy seems to be designed to fail from the standpoint of public health protection. 

- Euan Nisbet warns that sharp increases in atmospheric methane represent both a cause and effect of the climate crisis - and that the elevated levels now reflect those from previous climate shocks. 

- Kevin Krizek discusses how larger vehicles offer the illusion of protection for drivers at the expense of grave and avoidable risks for pedestrians and others. 

- Finally, Phoebe Fuller reports on the work unions are doing to protect Canadians from weaponized hate - even as the Cons and their allies stoke it at every opportunity. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Arianna Johnson reports on new research showing how COVID-19 can continue to affect organ function long after the lungs have healed. Philip Finkelstein calls out the lack of any effective response to the widespread and continuing risk of long COVID. Erin Prater examines what we can expect as new variants create another wave this fall. And Tania Bubela, Kimberlyn McGrail and Sharmistha Mishra argue that Canada needs a national inquiry into our COVID response. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on warnings from the UN's desertification conference that global food supplies are at risk even before we reach 1.5 degrees of warming. And Cabin Radio reports on the Northwest Territories' evacuations due to wildfires, while Maanvi Singh, Andrew Witherspoon and Bryony Moore document the devastation of Maui. 

- Robson Fletcher discusses how Alberta (like Saskatchewan) is an extreme outlier in insisting on continuing to use fossil fuel-generated power out of fealty to the oil and gas sector when there are cleaner and more affordable options available. And David Climenhaga points out that the result is nothing but embarrassment on the world stage. 

- David Moscrop writes that the Ontario Auditor General's report on the Greenbelt giveaway proves that the Ford PCs are corrupt - and it's worth noting that Doug Ford's response refusing to review or reverse the handout to donors and cronies only shows that his primary goal is to ensure the spoils of that corruption outlast any investigation or protest. 

- Finally, Shannon Proudfoot points out Pierre Poilievre's laughable attempt at class tourism. 

Musical interlude

Metric - Speed the Collapse

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Rachel DuRose writes about the rise of the Eris COVID-19 variant, while Esther Choo notes that health care workers are bracing for another fall wave even as the ongoing risks have been disappeared from any public attention by authorities looking to squelch any mitigation efforts which might affect immediate profit-seeking. And Madeline Miller offers a personal warning as to the devastating effects of long COVID. 

- Gergana Krasteva reports on Antonio Guterres' stark warning that we're reaching an era of global boiling, while Catrin Einhorn discusses how coral is being exterminated by unprecedented ocean temperatures. And Justine Calma offers a reminder that promises to suck carbon pollution out of the air at some unspecified point in the future based on nonexistent technology will do nothing to ameliorate the damage that's already been done to our living environment. 

- Meanwhile, Todd Miller reports on new research showing that the effects of exposure to small particulate air pollution include increased risks of heart disease. 

- Trillian Reynoldson reports that Regina's food bank usage has reached another all-time high as people's real-world deprivation and stress continues to stand in stark contrast to the Sask Party's obstinate denial of reality. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow discusses the value of interoperability as a counter to the systematic enshittification of social media. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jennifer La Grassa reports on the impending wave of the EG.5 COVID-19 variant, even as Phil Hahn warns that what little and belated data we have on COVID infections in the form of wastewater analysis may soon be cut off. And Ed Yong writes about the difference between ordinary tiredness and the fatigue triggered by long COVID.  

- Matthew Rosza discusses the reality that July was the hottest month in recorded human history. The Guardian publishes accounts from climate experts about the fact that where we stand now is both predictable and disastrous, while Andrew Mitrovica recognizes that future generations should see our destruction of our living environment as unforgivable. And Dimitris Dimitriadis, Joey Grostern and Sam Bright report that fossil fuel corporations are predictably using new social media to keep up their longstanding pattern of disinformation to enable continued carbon pollution. 

- Giulia Carbonaro examines how work may change in the course of a climate breakdown. And Vanessa Balintec reports on the success of four-day work week which has led many employers who tried it as a pilot project to make it a permanent feature. 

- Liam O'Connor writes about the history of streetcars in Saskatchewan, along with the prospect that a similar model could be a key element of future development. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow highlights how fighting junk fees and abusive corporate practices should be a key element of the progressive political project. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Floored cats.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Hanwen Zhang highlights yet another rise in COVID cases - albeit paired with obviously-unwarranted minimizing of the risks involved. 

- Jessica Wildfire pushes back against the establishment demand that people somehow evolve to become cacti in order to survive a climate breakdown, which Michael Mall similarly challenges the claim that adaptation is a substitute for averting catastrophe. And Nicholas Frew reports that the damage caused by carbon pollution-driven extreme weather events are turning SGI into a burden rather than a boon. 

- Meanwhile, in case anybody was under the illusion that climate calamity was the only readily-avoidable consequence of allowing fossil fuel operators to run rampant, Daisy Brickhill warns that new drilling licenses in the North Sea are threatening sensitive wildlife habitats. And Sharon Lerner reports on the Trump EPA's choice to green-light a Chevron boat fuel ingredient which is virtually certain to cause cancer in anybody exposed to it over a lifetime. 

- Emily Leedham reports on the Globe and Mail's belated and begrudging changes to its much-trumpeted "Canada's Top 100 Employers" advertorial based on their repeatedly providing free publicity to corporations responsible for workers' deaths. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow discusses how AI is being used by for-profit health care providers to deny needed treatment. 

Hiatus

 Gone trippin'. Back to this space on my return.

Musical interlude

Kungs, The Knocks - People

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Cory Doctorow examines how private equity systematically loots both the pension funds which provide capital for its acquisitions, and the businesses which it purchases in order to extract transaction and management fees. And Nancy Fraser discusses how capitalism in any guise - not only the current neoliberal model - is fundamentally at odds with democracy. 

- David Helvarg writes that a climate crisis is already here, even as any goals to even slow the rate of carbon pollution continue to get pushed into the distant future. And Laura Paddison talks to scientists about the impossibility of proclaiming a "new normal" when we don't yet have any idea how much damage we're doing to our living environment. 

- Phoebe Weston reports on warnings from scientists that we're headed in the direction of losing any pretense of food security. And Augustin Guibaud discusses the immediate dangers of unprecedented levels of wildfire smoke - as well as the downside risk of unanticipated effects. 

- Meanwhile, Ari Pottens and Scott Seymour offer a reminder that uncontrolled and unmonitored methane releases (including those generated by fossil fuel production) are resulting in far worse carbon pollution than what's recognized on government books.  

- Finally, Hamilton Nolan writes that the strike by writers and actors has the potential to reverberate far beyond the entertainment industry as a large-scale test of workers' pushback against attempts to capture the fruits of their labour. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Andrew Dessler writes about the non-linear nature of the environmental effects of carbon pollution - with the result that we're seeing cascading effects with each additional increase in temperature. And Sarah Kaplan discusses how we should be recognizing extreme weather events as alarm bells reflecting a climate breakdown in progress.

- The Guardian's editorial board writes that we can't afford to put our living environment on the back burner while perpetually finding other supposedly more immediate issues to prioritize first. And Margaret Shkimba points out the need for leaders to match rhetoric with action (though I'd argue there's a need to focus far more on policy decisions rather than personal theatre).

- Jonathan Freedland discusses how the oil sector has managed to control the public conversation about climate policy in order to keep lining its pockets at the expense of our planet. And Drew Anderson reports on yet another unconscionable UCP subsidy to dirty energy, this time paying $14 million in public money to make up for rent which oil barons couldn't be bothered to pay to landowners.  

- Lana Payne questions why the Bank of Canada is continuing to punish workers with increased interest rates and suppressed wages when there's little reason to believe that will do anything to limit inflation based on corporate profiteering. 

- Finally, David Macdonald and Ricardo Tranjan chart how much Canadian workers need to earn in order to afford housing - and how consistent a pattern there is of rents far exceeding what people can afford. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Nestled cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Daniel Altmann et al. examine the myriad forms of long COVID even as governments have gone out of their way to pretend there's no longer a problem to be addressed. And the Star's editorial board offers a reminder that we shouldn't take a summer lull (compared to a higher baseline than previous years of the pandemic) as either an excuse for avoidable risk or a declaration that the spread of COVID-19 is over. 

- Jordan Kovacs and Jimmy Thomson warn that British Columbia has failed to learn lessons from past heat waves as extreme weather conditions become commonplace. And W. Larry Kenney points out how the combination of heat and humidity is especially deadly. 

- Cloe Logan discusses the futility of any climate change plan based on looking for excuses to keep extracting and burning fossil fuels. 

- George Monbiot writes that with ecosystems collapsing and supplies of necessities in grave danger, we're facing a stark choice between plutocrats' unfettered wealth accumulation and the future of human life on Earth. And Paul Kiel reports on the the connection between the billionaires who have taken ownership of a majority of the U.S.' Supreme Court, and tax policies which leave the public footing the bill for their extravagant gifts to judges and lawmakers. 

- Finally, Peter Armstrong calls out the problems with addressing inflation solely through interest rate increases aimed at reducing wages. Jim Stanford points out that retail food prices are still surging due to corporate profit-taking even as input costs are leveling off. And Garros Gong discusses how corporate monopolies represent a threat to general prosperity. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Neil Shaw reports on the demands by Scottish doctors that their government reinstate COVID -19protections in health care facilities. And Tia Ewing reports on new research showing the devastating and lasting effects of long COVID. 

- AFP reports on what's already a record-breaking year for wildfire damage in Canada even before we reach peak fire season. Dharna Noor writes about the dirty energy sector's repudiation of any climate promises even as their devastating impact on the world manifests itself worse and sooner than ever anticipated. And Caitlyn Clark discusses how workers are having to fight for their health and safety against employers determined to expose them to unmitigated harm from smoke and heat. 

- Yvette D'Entremont writes that Nova Scotia's government is choosing not to collect the data needed to know exactly how bad the province's housing crisis is. 

- Jon Schwarz highlights how the hanger-on class which has thus far supported the accumulation of wealth by the elite few is becoming the new target for exploitation as lower classes are squeezed dry. And Cory Doctorow discusses why it's dangerous to hope for better outcomes when merely replacing one corporate monopoly with another. 

- Finally, Bill Longstaff points out that Norway serves as a compelling, one-word refutation of the most deeply-embedded corporatist assumptions which have been allowed to form the basis for Canadian economy policy. 

Musical interlude

Jamie Woon - Night Air

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Qiulu Ding and HanJun Zhao study the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain, including lasting effects on function and memory. Ida Mogensen et al. find that the younger people who were so frequently declared to be "low-risk" are entirely vulnerable to long COVID. And Thomas Graham, Amrit Dhillon and Caroline Kimeu discuss the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the global South which have been almost entirely neglected by wealthier countries. 

- Aarhus University studies the accumulation of "forever chemicals" even in some of the most remote populations in Europe. 

- Tony Keller points out that Canada is one of the worst climate offenders in the world in terms of both inefficient personal vehicles, and a transportation system designed to require their use. And Markham Hislop highlights how the demand of fossil fuel tycoons and their puppet governments to the public on the hook for site remediation reflects an attempt to break a decades-old deal to have the oil industry clean up at least one aspect of its own mess. 

- Linda McQuaig contrasts Doug Ford's endless supply of free money for developers and donors against his brutal austerity when it comes to social needs. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow points out the selective security in the U.S.' welfare system which makes strict demands of recipients, while providing no security against fraud and abuse aimed at them.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sabina Vohra-Miller discusses the ample body of research showing how COVID-19 vaccinations produce superior health outcomes in the course of a pregnancy. And Nature examines the limited effectiveness of rapid tests in identifying asymptomatic cases (which are responsible for half of COVID transmission). 

- Katharine Sanderson comments on a new study showing how plastic debris is reaching the most remote depths of the ocean. And Guy Standing writes about the extractivists planning to shift from polluting the depths to mining them with no regard for the resulting harms. 

- Meanwhile, Harrison Tasoff discusses how forests can't adapt quickly enough to keep up with the current pace of climate breakdown. 

- Carly Weeks reports on the push from health care advocacy organizations to get premiers to follow through on their rhetoric about health care - as to date not a single one has been willing to commit to evidence-based improvements in order to access federal funding. 

- Finally, Brian Fung reports on the widespread and illegal sharing of data from U.S. tax preparation providers, who disclosed sensitive personal information to social media giants for their advertising purposes. And Darryl Greer reports that the federal government's reflexive distrust of CERB recipients has given rise to a flurry of court proceedings where people have proven their entitlement to benefits. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Heidi Ledford discusses new research which is helping to identify genetic risk factors for long COVID - though the fact that new COVID-19 variants are being allowed to run wild while that work is in its infancy means that people will be exposed to readily-avoidable suffering. Jennifer La Grassa and Lauren Pelley reports on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization's recommendation that Canadians continue to be vaccinated. But the announcement that university-based wastewater monitoring is being abandoned - leaving any continued reporting to politically-controlled bodies which have shown they're more interested in normalizing transmission than protecting public health - makes it all too likely that Saskatchewan residents will fail to do what they can and should to protect their communities. 

- Patrick Rail interviews Armine Yalnizyan about the grim reality that the Bank of Canada is looking to raise interest rates for the sole purpose of causing pain to the general public. 

- Arielle Samuelson and Emily Atkin write about the oil companies laughing all the way to the bank while the world burns due to the use of their products. Melissa Rossi discusses the eminently-desirable principle underlying 15-minute cities which has been subjected to ritual denunciation as a fossil fuel propaganda point. And Rosa Saba reports on the work being done to turn the availability of outdoor patio space into a normal expectation rather than a perceived aberration. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow discusses how U.S. Democrats shut off their greatest grassroots operation in modern history in favour of governance by triangulating establishmentarians - and how the result has been predictably disastrous both in terms of electoral outcomes and policy effects. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats with friends.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Joseph Puthussery et al. study the feasibility of real-time, location-based air sampling to identify the presence of COVID-19, while Jennifer La Grassa reports on the efforts of scientists to ensure the powers that be don't scrap what few remaining monitoring efforts are still in progress. And The Japan News' editorial implores that country's government not to stop preventative measures after a ninth wave - which is striking particularly due to our abandonment of any pretense of identifying waves as they keep happening. 

- Meanwhile, Patrick Heuveline discusses how the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated the U.S.' disproportionate number of excess deaths compared to other similarly wealthy countries. And Harold Meyerson writes about the recent increase in lower-income earnings which the corporate sector is determined to squelch.

- Hayatullah Amanat reports on a new survey showing the large number of Canadians losing sleep and suffering adverse health effects from financial worries. And Vanessa Balintec highlights why more needs to be done to ensure that people aren't trapped in precarious work without rights or recourse against abusive corporations. 

- Finally, Bill McKibben argues that a wave of unprecedented heat should confirm that we can't afford to put off urgent climate policy. But while Natasha Bulowski reports on research showing that the same oil industry which is determined to keep spewing carbon pollution could afford to clean up its messes, Markham Hislop calls out its unconscionable refusal to do anything but force the public to pick up the tab. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Claire Pomeroy writes that the establishment's refusal to stop the transmission of COVID-19 has created a desperate need to account for the widespread disability it's causing. But Brody Langager reports that in Saskatchewan, a non-profit's website is instead serving as the closest patients have to a central source of information as the Moe government continues not to care about public health.

- Carol Hughes makes the case for a windfall tax on grocery profits which have been extracted by self-serving oligarchs under the false cover of claimed inflation. And D.T. Cochrane notes that the Competition Bureau's recent report only strengthens the argument.

- Sheila Block and Grace-Edward Galabuzi highlight how shifts in Ontario's workforce have exacerbated racial inequalities.

- Erika Shaker calls out the dog-whistle of "parental choice" as an excuse to reinforce inequalities of privilege and power. And Noah Fry warns that Blaine Higgs is using a bland public image to divert attention from an anti-social agenda no less extreme than that of Danielle Smith.

- Finally, Luke Savage discusses how Toronto's election of Olivia Chow as mayor provided a needed rebuke to the austerian corporate forces which had previously dominated the city.

Musical interlude

Ten Sharp - You

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Emma Goldberg et al. study how the end of COVID-19 protections in China predictably gave rise to a swift and extensive outbreak. And Michelle Gamage reports on the push to ensure kids in British Columbia schools aren't avoidably exposed this fall, while Mark Lieberman discusses the reality that schools are among the many workplaces still reeling from the lasting effects of long COVID on workers. 

- Sascha Pare and Carolyn Gramling each report on the unprecedented melting of Antarctic sea ice among the ubiquitous indicators of a climate breakdown in process. And Stacey Priestley, Andy Baker and Pauline Treble write about the exhaustion of western Australian groundwater as a product of climate change. 

- Gamage also reports on updates to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act - while noting that it still falls short of addressing the long-term effects of historical pollution and environmental racism. 

- Oliver Milman exposes the "double agent" lobbyists who are simultaneously representing the carbon pollution industry and clients seeking to claim to be climate-friendly.

- Finally, Denis Campbell discusses how the UK Cons have locked the National Health Service into a death spiral of eroding care due to their hostility toward public employees - and the parallels to most Canadian provinces are painfully obvious. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jessica Wong et al. study the risk of hospitalization and death from  the Omicron strain of COVID-19, and conclude (contrary to the spin of denialist governments) that it was just as severe as the original version. And Lindsey Wang et al. find (PDF) that prior COVID infection can be traced to more severe respiratory infections among children in 2022. 

- Meanwhile, Alexander Rabin and Lisa Patel point out how children are particularly susceptible to damage from wildfire smoke. And Carly Weeks examines how inadequate pediatric care can have long-term consequences for any child whose health isn't treated as worth prioritizing. 

- Lydia DePillis comments that contrary to the spin of fossil fuel shills and science denialists, a climate breakdown has severe consequences for Canada. David Shearman discusses the climate grief we can expect as the breakdown becomes more obvious and less avoidable. And Madeleine Cuff writes about the consecutive days of record-breaking global heat this week.  

- Carl Meyer reports that the tar sands operators who have been trying to put on a veneer of interest in climate solutions have in fact been lobbying to tear them down at every opportunity. 

- Finally, Emily Leedham exposes the connections between socon groups seeking to take both the U.S. and Canada back to the dark ages. And Susan Delacourt rightly points out that the real threat of foreign interference comes from the Cons' U.S. puppet-masters looking to impose bigotry and theocracy in Canada. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats into everything.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jerry White discusses how the wealthiest few have continued to amass obscene riches in the first half of 2023 despite occasional rumblings about requiring them to contribute to the common good. 

- Paul Fauteux points out that fossil fuel pushers have used trade agreements to block measures to subordinate any attempt to combat climate change to their insistence on using the atmosphere as a carbon dumping ground in the name of extracting profits. AFP reports on research showing that the growing list of risks underestimated in current climate assumptions includes the potential for severe and widespread harvest failures. And Adam McKay highlights the reasons not to let minimizers and denialists claim that the appropriate response to existential risk is to calm down and keep up the status quo. 

- Jim Mandeville discusses the widespread support among Canadians for communities which are more resilient to climate risks. And Henry Grabar points out that communities built around people rather than cars and suburbs produce both an improved local standard of living and a lower carbon footprint. 

- Ned Carter Miles reports on the accidental discovery of a process to generate electricity from humidity in the air. 

- Finally, Ashna Hurynag reports on the British Medical Association's recognition that a large number of doctors are unable to carry their normal workloads due to the lingering effects of long COVID. Which naturally means the UK Con government is laser-focused on ensuring that migrant children don't have a single moment of joy while being treated as chattel. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Seth Borenstein writes that we shouldn't treat constant wildfires as an exceptional event since we can expect them to be the norm for decades to come. The Straits Times reports that the wildfires are both a consequence and cause of climate disaster, as they're spewing higher amounts of carbon pollution than ever recorded. And Matthew Rosza writes that there's no end in sight to either the fires, or the smoke they're spreading across the continent.

- Meanwhile, Andreas Sieber points out that it's readily possible to finance a just transition by charging fossil fuel magnates a fraction of the costs they're imposing on the planet. But Jody MacPherson discusses how Danielle Smith's UCP continues to want to exacerbate the damage of carbon pollution - and avoid any move to a cleaner or more sustainable economy - for as long as possible. 

- Pete Evans reports on the findings of Canada's Competition Bureau that the grocery industry is indeed made up of a small number of corporations with inordinate power to fix prices and extract profits - however obvious that already seemed to everybody whose paycheque doesn't depend on pretending otherwise.

- Finally, Rupert Neate reports on the warning from Patriotic Millionaires UK to uber-wealthy people at an investment conference that their extraction of riches is destabilizing society at large - though I wouldn't hold out much hope the result will be anything other than an increase in the amount of money spent trying to distance the rich from the rest of us.

Musical interlude

Manuel Riva feat. Misha Miller - Wild Young Heart

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Richard Murphy points out the stark contrast between the UK Cons' attempt to pretend that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and the tens of thousands of excess deaths still resulting from it. Mary Van Beusekom discusses a new study showing that Ontario's infection levels were likely 19 times higher than reported at the peak of the Omicron wave. And Kai Kupferschmidt interviews new WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar about the multiple global public health challenges which demand action (even if governments prefer to ignore and minimize them). 

- Alex Himelfarb warns against prematurely declaring the death of neoliberalism when it still serves as the default ideology underlying our society despite its unpopularity. And Brooke Kruger reports on the Saskatoon Food Bank's observation that people are increasingly reliant on it to ensure a source of food (even as Scott Moe continues to pretend that everyone's doing just fine). 

- Niels-Jakob Hansen, Frederik Toscani and Jing Zhou discuss how corporate profiteering is the main driver of ongoing inflation in Europe. And Isaac Callan and Colin D'Mello report on the flood of corporate lobbying as businesses look to take over health care services in Ontario. 

- Robin McKie discusses Bill McGuire's conclusion that we're past the point of averting some level of climate breakdown - though it's still vital to do what we can to reverse the damage. And Moran Cerf, Sandra Matz and Malcolm MacIver find that people who participate in prediction markets (and thus have a reason to pay close attention to climate issues) are more concerned about the climate. But Carbon Brief reports on the Climate Change Committee's recognition that the UK government is falling ever further behind its climate commitments, while Reuters reports on CDP's research showing the same to be predictably true for fossil fuel giants. And Taylor Noakes offers a reminder that hydrogen fuels and carbon capture and storage serve more as delay tactics for carbon polluters than as remotely useful solutions. 

- Finally, Kelly Kimball discusses how existing wildfire models are being overtaken by the reality of far more severe fires. And news.com.au reports on the immense tracts of tropical forest being lost both to fire and to deforestation.  

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Jessica Wildfire writes about the desperation to return to some past normal (stoked of course by the people who profit from it) which is leading far too many to take obviously reckless risks with their health in the midst of a pandemic. And Kevin Jiang points out that it isn't only people's lungs being harmed by wildfire smoke, as "smoke brain" is also resulting in devastating health impacts. 

- John Timmer discusses the contradiction between the U.S. public's general desire for action to avert a climate breakdown, and its disapproval of many of the steps needed to get there. And Ryan Cooper points out that the car culture which dominates development patterns in the U.S. and Canada can only be seen as a death cult. 

- Matt Stoller and David Dayen comment on the urgent need to move past neoliberalism as its harm to the bulk of the population becomes inescapable. And Chris capper Liebenthal writes that the destruction of the Titan submersible (and the deaths of its occupants) can be traced entirely to laissez-faire capitalism run amok. 

- Finally, Phil Paine discusses how an educated and active populace is vital to democratic governance. Which should mean it's little surprise that the right is pushing to expand the use of child labour - both to undermine the bargaining power of workers, and to reduce the prospect that citizens will be sufficiently informed and engaged to exercise their franchise effectively. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Michael Marshall discusses the growing body of knowledge about the persistence of long COVID - with people still suffering symptoms after a year tending to suffer from it as a chronic condition thereafter, and no effective treatment available once long COVID sets in. And the UN points out new research indicating that 36 million people in Europe alone may have experienced long COVID, while Erin Durkin writes about the choice of New York (and many other jurisdictions) to effectively abandon the patients suffering from it.  

- Jing-Xin Li et al. find that a nasal vaccine is both safe and effective to boost COVID immunity. And Richa Naidu reports on the potential for air sanitizing spray to offer some defence against airborne pathogens - though as others have pointed out, that shouldn't be taken as an excuse for failing to work on improved ventilation and other air safety improvements. 

- Fabio Falchi and Salvador Bara study how light pollution has been continually worsening over the past dozen years.

- Jillian Ambrose reports on the Energy Institute's analysis showing that carbon pollution from fossil fuels continues to rise. Emily Wilmsen discusses the reality that even if we achieve a "net zero" emissions target, we'd still see temperatures continue to rise for a decade or more due to the damage already done to our planet. 

- Stefan Labbé reports on the grim reality that Canada has already experienced its worst year for wildfires in recorded history before the normal wildfire season even begins, while Drew Anderson examines the multiple causes of the fires. And Natasha White and Zahra Hirji report on the damage the fires have done to one British Columbia carbon offset project, wiping out what's supposed to be work to reverse the damage from carbon emissions and replacing it with further harm. 

- Clive Thompson notes that subsidizing e-bikes has proven to be a popular and effective way to rein in at least one source of greenhouse gas emissions. And Gaurab Basu and Jonathan Jay point out that "greening" efforts for cities also have the benefit of helping to remediate existing inequalities. 

- Finally, John Michael McGrath offers best wishes to Olivia Chow in winning Toronto's mayoralty - but also a warning that she may be pushed off a glass cliff due to the wreckage left behind by JOhn Tory and his Con co-conspirators. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Sociable cats.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Henrietta Cook reports on new data as to the number of people dying in hospitals as a result of the spread of COVID-19, while Adam Rowe reports on the CDC's recognition that COVID's human toll is paired with serious economic damage. And Sophie Rosenblum and Michael Bailey ask why we haven't even applied the pandemic's obvious lessons about the importance of air filtration in schools. 

- Meanwhile, Emily Baumgaertner explores how noise exposure can cause substantial harm to public health. And Chris Hatch discusses how oil barons have effectively trapped humanity in a hot car - even as they continue to demand ritual shows of fealty to their power to endanger us all. 

- Niigaan Sinclair discusses the high cost of austerity in the PCs' Manitoba. And Michael Marmot points out the outright decline in child height and other measures of public health and development to demonstrate the wide-ranging effects of austerity in the UK. 

- Steve Morgan and Nav Persaud make the case for a publicly-funded essential medicines program to make needed medications both freely available and less expensive. 

- Finally, Joseph Stiglitz and Tommaso Faccio write about the much-needed steps by some countries to take minimum corporate tax levels into their own hands as a compromised global process appears to have stalled. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- John Dearing, Gregory Cooper and Simon Willcock discuss the doom loop which is seeing worse-than-predicted effects of the climate breakdown resulting in vicious cycles of ecosystem collapse. J. Besl writes about new research showing that coastal flooding may be faster and more severe than anticipated due to inaccurate measurements of coastlines. And Jan Olsen reports on the warning from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control that mosquito-borne diseases will become more prevalent as the planet warms. 

- Meanwhile, Inayat Singh reports on the Canada Energy Regulator's conclusion that fossil fuel expansion is incompatible with any effort to meet existing climate commitments. 

- Luke LeBrun and Mitchell Thompson expose how the Con-connected Civitas invited well-known bigots to attack trans people at a secret conference session. And Moira Donegan discusses how women in the U.S. are suffering as a result of social conservatives getting their way in stripping away reproductive rights. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow's York University commencement speech emphasized the need to reject the establishment admonition that there is no alternative, and instead work on building something better than what serves its entrenched interests. 

Musical interlude

Elderbrook - Talking

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Steve Turton writes about the dangers of global temperatures which were far exceeding recorded highs even before the start of an El Nino cycle. And Denise Chow reports on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's warning that a spike in ocean temperature will likely linger through most of 2023 at least. 

- Laurie Parsons points out how heat waves and other extreme weather events exacerbate existing inequalities. Paul Brown discusses how urban microclimates can exacerbate dangerous temperatures and winds, while Blaine Friedlander reports on new research showing how wildfire smoke endangers the health and lives of people downwind. And Neha Wadekar highlights how women in particular bear a disproportionate share of the costs and burdens of a climate breakdown.  

- Nigaan Sinclair and Sean Carleton write about the residential school denialism industry (with the full participation of the racist right) which is constantly on the lookout to undermine any recognition and acknowledgment of a genocidal legacy. 

- Finally, Fahad Razak and Angela Cheung discuss the desperate need for Canada to develop a long-COVID strategy - even as the ongoing mass infection giving rise to a steady stream of cases is being systematically ignored. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner discuss how even crucial advances like vaccines are under threat due to the ruthlessly persistent anti-science message being used to excuse continuing disregard for human health. And Jonathan Watts reports on new research showing that we're reaching dangerous climate tipping points faster than previously predicted as the cumulative impact of multiple factors alters our living environment beyond recognition. 

- Umair Haque discusses why we're continuing to stoke an addiction to fossil fuels even as we're experiencing the direct effects of a climate breakdown. But Dharna Noor reports on the prominent role of dirty energy money in fighting against any prospect that corporations could even be permitted to consider environmental or social factors in making decisions.

- Meanwhile, in advance of the COP28 climate conference, leaders from around the world have agreed to statements on the importance of an equitable green transition and a financial architecture which properly accounts for climate costs and risks. But it remains to be seen whether that theoretical recognition will be translated into any action - or whether oil barons will be allowed to dictate the terms of engagement yet again. 

- Matthew Taylor reports on new research showing that most people will be just as well off if we recognize that fossil fuel assets will eventually be stranded - meaning that those fighting to ensure they're exploited are doing so solely for the benefit of their already-wealthy cronies. 

- Kartikay Mehrotra and A.C. Thompson expose how lobbyists from the trucking industry have kept pedestrians and cyclists at increased risk by fighting regulations to mandate the use of side guards - with the assistance of regulators who stifled a recommendation that they be required. 

- Ellis Simani and Robert Faturechi report on the convenient timing that's seen executives and insiders clean up in trading U.S. biotech and health care stocks. 

- Finally, Iglika Ivanova and Jim Stanford discuss how British Columbia (and other jurisdictions) can better protect gig workers from corporations whose sole business plan is to evade worker protections and rights. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Mitchell Beer writes about the Canada Energy Regulator's recognition that the future will involve far less fossil fuel use than the oil industry and its spokespuppets want us to believe. And Marc Fawcett-Atkinson discusses how biomethane is just another distraction intended to turn the focus away from actual solutions. 

- Rob Thubron reports on Antonio Guterres' latest warning that continued dependence on fossil fuels is incompatible with a liveable planet, while Fiona Harvey reports on Avinash Persaud's call for far more support for developing countries facing the brunt of the damage of a climate breakdown so far. And Yale Climate Connections points out that there's strong public support for strong action to stop carbon pollution - even as people demanding action wrongly believe they're in the minority due to the cacophony of paid fossil fuel shills dominating any public discussion. 

- Tina Reed discusses how scientists seeking to provide people with accurate information within their disciplines are being harassed off of Twitter (and out of other public spaces) as the violent, anti-knowledge right is being deliberately legitimized by wealthy conservatives. And Cory Doctorow writes about the importance of presenting and defending an alternative to the corporatism and fascism - rather than presuming that the only option is to compromise on everything while satisfying nobody. 

- Omar Mosleh reports on Barrie's appalling proposal to outlaw any assistance to unhoused people. And Clara Pasieka reports on the movement pushing back against that naked cruelty. 

- Finally, Michael Sainato reports on the tens of billions of dollars being stolen from workers by employers every year in the U.S.