Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Stephanie Dubois reports on the growing body of research showing that the risk of COVID-19 reinfection is worsening due to the Omicron variants. Troy Charles talks to Ayisha Kurji about the multiple viruses hospitalizing Saskatchewan children as public health rules have been eliminated, while Gail Lethbridge points out the web of contradictions in COVID-19 messaging which is causing massive outbreaks in Nova Scotia. Sarah Wildman writes that vulnerable people stand to be left out as public health protections are removed in the name of returning to an exclusionary "normal". 

- Michael Marmot writes about the lives being endangered by the UK Cons' refusal to provide any help to people whose existing poverty has only been exacerbated by soaring costs of living. And Doug Nesbitt comments on the failure of wage levels to come anywhere close to keeping up with prices - even as anti-inflation rhetoric is used to try to ensure workers are left behind. 

- Meanwhile, Stephen Vance discusses how Ontario's "sunshine list" - based on a far outdated standard - facilitates right-wing rhetoric against front-line public sector workers. 

- Donya Ziaee discusses how the agreement on pharmacare between the NDP and Libs leaves many open questions as to what a system might look like - and argues that we'll need to work to ensure the result actually helps people rather than locking in corporate profits. And Andrew Jackson takes note of the many ways in which the federal budget falls short of the shift toward more progressive policy that people may have expected both as a result of the confidence and supply agreement, as well as the lessons learned in the course of the pandemic.

- Finally, Clem Nocos writes that the Libs' financial commitment and actions fail to match their rhetoric when it comes to housing policy. And Sabrina Maddeaux points out how what's included in the federal budget is particularly insufficient for young people who don't have the advantage of already owning a home.

Musical interlude

Kadebostany - Mind If I Stay

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- George Monbiot writes that rhetoric about "learning to live with it" has become the go-to excuse to allow preventable tragedies - including the COVID pandemic and the deepening climate crisis - to go unaddressed. Joe Vipond, Kashif Perzada and Malgorzata Gasperowicz argue that Albertans (like citizens elsewhere) have never given informed consent to the mass infection strategy apparently being substituted for any reasonable public health policy. And Linda Geddes reports on new research adding a massively increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and blood clots to the list of effects of infection. 

- The CCPA offers its review of Saskatchewan's provincial budget, highlighting Scott Moe's attempt to use it as to stop talking about the ongoing pandemic even as the damage wrought by COVID-19 reaches new heights. Phil Tank points out how a continued focus on (misleading nominal-dollar) comparisons to a decade and a half ago shows that the Saskatchewan Party has never grown up. And Jessie Anton reports on the students taking direct action to push for adequate education funding - rather than cuts for an already-starved public system while new money is funneled to private operators. 

- Meanwhile, the CCPA's federal budget review recognizes that some important steps toward improving people's lives are ultimately being treated as secondary to keeping the corporate sector comfortable. Mike Moffatt notes that a belated federal return to the world of making housing policy falls far short of what people need to fulfil their right to a home. And Alex Ballingall reports on the rightly frustrated response of environmental groups to a budget whose main investment in climate change is a handout to oil companies for carbon capture and storage schemes which do little to reduce emissions while locking in fossil fuel infrastructre. 

- Fatima Syed writes about the Ontario NDP's complete and ambitious climate plan in an election where the other main parties are looking to downplay the future of the planet. And Paige Bennett reports on new research from the White House Office of Management and Budget showing a multi-trillion-dollar price tag attached to climate inaction.  

- Jacob Lorinc discusses the growing recognition that corporate greed is the main driver in life becoming perpetually less affordable. 

- Finally, Lauren Pelley explains why a national pharmacare program hasn't yet been implemented despite a myriad of promises and studies - with furious lobbying by profiteers of course ranking at the top of the list. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Tim Requarth writes about the U.S.' appalling number of COVID orphans who have lost caregivers due to failures in public health policy - and the fact that they're now being left without alternative social supports as well. And the Decent Work & Health Network points out Ontario's worsening lack of protections for workers generally, while Alex Cosh asks why British Columbia has ended measures which are vital to alleviating spread and illness among migrant workers. 

- The Canadian Press reports that British Columbia is moving toward restoring card-check certification which will make it easier for workers to take collective action. But Catherine McInyre exposes how Amazon has skirted labour and employment laws to avoid collective bargaining with the workers who allow it to function. 

- Conor Curtis and Tzeporah Berman rightly ask why the Trudeau Libs would even consider allowing massive new offshore drilling while pretending to care about averting a climate breakdown, while Elaine Anselmi takes a closer look at how the Bay du Nord project came to be approved yesterday. Kate Aronoff similarly points out the folly of the U.S. Democrats' focus on pushing oil companies to drill more. Don Pittis is rightly appalled at the spate of fuel tax breaks which are serving as a carbon pollution subsidy and handout to a fossil fuel sector already swimming in windfall profits. And Emily Chung reports that researchers learning the effects of natural gas stoves in the home are shifting away from them as quickly as possible. 

- Meanwhile, Damian Carrington reports that microplastic pollution is beginning to be found even in people's lungs. 

- Finally, Sharon Blady discusses how investments in preventative medicine - including pharmacare and dental care - produces fiscal benefits as well as improved health. 

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Bagged cats.

#SKNDPLDR22 - The Race is On

I've previously noted the danger that the Saskatchewan NDP's leadership campaign - however unnecessary it should have been to begin with - might be particularly damaging to the party if it failed to produce some meaningful challenge to Carla Beck as the first entrant and front-runner. 

From that standpoint, it's great news that Kaitlyn Harvey is entering the race - and doubly so for the prospect that her entrance will highlight some of the most important issues which have been conspicuously absent both in Beck's campaign so far, and in the NDP's recent efforts in opposition. 

Just as Beck's campaign has focused on personality and endorsements rather than policy, Harvey's launch was exceedingly light on any specific policy proposals. But it may be understandable if the leadership campaign includes less policy specifics than usual in a context where the party's general policy-making apparatus is being revamped as a result of its post-election review. 

What Harvey has been willing to put front and centre, however, is her advocacy for climate justice and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Both reflect issues which should be touchstones for progressive activists and voters. But both have all too frequently been treated as taboo topics and obstacles to support rather than points of priority in the party's political decision-making. (And unfortunately, the otherwise justifiable focus on a 24/7/365 campaign has thus far led the party toward even more risk aversion and focus on headlines and news cycles, rather than any focus building deeper awareness and support on issues of principle.)

Presuming her campaign themes reflect that background, Harvey should thus at the very least ensure that the most important questions facing both the NDP and the province are subject to some meaningful thought in the course of the leadership race. And I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the opportunity to organize for climate justice through the leadership campaign helps propel Harvey to a far stronger result than would be expected based on the candidates' public profiles to date. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Rohan Smith reports on new research showing how little of the coronavirus needs to be passed from one person to another to result in infection, while CBC News reports on Quebec's belated but needed decision to hold off on lifting mask mandates. And William J. Barber and Liz Theoharis discuss how inequality and poverty have exacerbated the harm done by COVID-19 - particularly as the pandemic has dragged on and public health measures have been loosened. 

- Meanwhile, DT Cochrane examines how corporations have seen their profit margins soar in the midst of the pandemic. 

- Clarrie Feinstein reports on the CCPA's new research showing that increases in Ontario's minimum wage actually helped generate employment, while also reducing wage gaps based on race and gender. And Nicholas Keung highlights how international students are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. 

- Amy Westervelt discusses the IPCC's inescapable conclusion that the fossil fuel sector is the main barrier to averting climate breakdown - though it's certainly worth noting how that finding was downplayed in its summary. And John Lorinc points out the limited effects of electric vehicles in limiting carbon emissions if they simply lead to continued sprawl. 

- Finally, David Broockman and Joshua Kalla study how Fox News viewers can see their state of knowledge improve after agreeing to view less propagandistic news sources. But Kristin Nelson offers a reminder that many people are drawn toward authoritarianism - with that tendency mapping closely to people's views as to parenting and relationships to power. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Andrew Nikiforuk discusses how the pandemic denial of Boris Johnson, Jason Kenney, Scott Moe and others is only ensuring that more people suffer avoidable illness and death. And Merlyna Lim and Brandon Rigato examine how Canada's far right has become a fertile breeding ground for anti-science conspiracies around COVID and climate change.  

- Polly Toynbee writes that the UK Cons need to be held responsible for the damage they've knowingly inflicted on their public health care system. 

- David Macdonald finds that a substantial portion of the inflation being used as an excuse for austerity and neglect is in fact directly traceable to corporate profiteering. 

- Ole Hendricksen calls out the joint effort between governments and the corporate sector to conceal health and safety risks in the name of maximizing the extraction of short-term profits. And Brian Mann highlights how corporations use bankruptcy laws selectively to shed the liabilities arising from their past abuses while otherwise continuing business as usual. 

- Finally, Rebecca Laibor and Umair Irfan discuss the IPCC's conclusion that new fossil fuel infrastructure can't be reconciled with averting a climate breakdown. And Yasmine Ghania reports that the Moe government's response to even the insufficient plans of the Trudeau Libs is to thumb its nose at any action whatsoever. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Michael Marshall offers a reminder that even where it hasn't been able to achieve its ideal goal, a zero-COVID strategy has produced far better outcomes for people. The Ottawa Citizen's editorial board is rightly scathing in responding to Doug Ford's abandonment of his province. Emma Teitel writes that the building wave is the first where we're facing the explicit acknowledgment that we've been left to fend for ourselves, while the People's CDC is working on providing advice that isn't grossly biased toward keeping business open at the expense of public health. May Warren and Ghada Elsharif discuss why (even more than in previous outbreaks) it feels like COVID-19 is everywhere. Kayla Rosen reports on Joss Reimer's much-needed acknowledgment that the let-'er-rip strategy is setting up massive numbers of people to be afflicted with long COVID. 

- Fiona Harvey reports that scientists are warning that we need a rapid transition away from oil and gas dependency, while Seth Klein writes that the supply and confidence agreement between the NDP and the Libs falls well short of the mark. And Reuters reports on Ember's research showing that we can't blame a lack of renewable options for our continued reliance on dirty fossil fuels, as wind and solar energy are in fact growing at a fast enough pace to allow for a full transition in time to meet the 1.5 degree target. 

- John Michael McGrath writes about the Ford PCs' pitiful excuse for a housing bill in advance of an election where a lack of available homes and a propensity for catering to developers at the expense of citizens are major issues. 

- The Canadian Press reports on the push by Canadian jurisdictions to decriminalize drug possession in order to reduce the number of people dying of drug poisonings. 

- Finally, The Maple talks to Brent Patterson about the glaring lack of need (or use) for the F-35s fighter jets which the Libs are so eager to make the subject of a massive federal purchase.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ezra Cheung reports on research showing the increasing severity of the Omicron BA.2 variant for children in Hong Kong, while David Axe discusses the similar pattern observed in Europe. And Jesse Feith points out the connection between long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis - though while the frame of reference may be somewhat helpful, the lack of action to deal with chronic fatigue prior to the pandemic doesn't offer any great hope that governments who are already washing their hands of long COVID will put any effort into addressing it now. 

- John Harris writes that instead of focusing narrowly on inflation or costs of living, we should be recognizing that our economic and politics structures are set up to exclude increasing numbers of people from being able to obtain the necessities of life. Lori Fox discusses how Canada is falling far short of providing needed mental health care for working-class people.

- Jacques Poitras reports on Rod Cumberland's termination as a college instructor for heresy against corporations and the chemicals they want to spray around without consideration of public or environmental health. And Ilana Cohen and Michael Mann weigh in on the need to stop relying on fossil fuel money for climate research. 

- Burgess Langshaw-Power discusses how the Libs' plan to call tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the oil industry to lock in several more decades of carbon pollution is doomed to failure as a measure to help avert climate breakdown. And the American Lung Association points out that a shift to electric rather than combustion vehicles would have plenty of additional benefits to health and well-being beyond the displacement of greenhouse gas emissions. 

- Finally, David Moscrop writes that the Libs' belated and inflated purchase of F-35s represents the worst of all possible worlds, wasting even more money than planned without any consideration of whether burning billions on fighter jets actually serves a meaningful need. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- The Star's editorial board weighs in on the reality that wishful thinking isn't a substitute for responsible public health measures as another COVID wave builds up, while the Globe and Mail rightly criticizes the politicians acting like the pandemic is over as the carnage reaches new peaks. Jillian Horton writes that governments have used the language of individual empowerment to leave us powerless. And Nancy Hansen and Shannon Sampert highlight how the irresponsible elimination of protections and accommodations is leaving disabled people behind. 

- Jeremy Appel writes about the need to take profit motives out of long-term care in Alberta (and elsewhere). 

- Deborah de Lange discusses the need to stop pouring money into fossil fuels, including through the gigantic carbon capture and storage subsidies being demanded by Canada's corporate establishment. Graham Redfearn calls out the blatant and false astroturf campaign aimed at extending the lifespan of combustion engines rather than transitioning to electric alternatives. And Justine Calma reports that instead of acquiescing in that type of fossil-driven policy, the Biden administration is invoking emergency legislation to facilitate the development and manufacture of battery technology. 

- David Olive rightly contrasts the proven and efficient renewable energy already available to us against the long-term, high-cost delay tactic of demanding we keep using fossil fuels until nonexistent small modular nuclear reactors magically become viable. 

- Finally, the Broadbent Institute highlights Ed Broadbent's comments on how Canada has long neglected economic, social and cultural rights. 

Musical interlude

Kavinsky feat. Kareen Lomax - Cameo

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Nicola Davis writes about the large number of people getting reinfected with COVID in the UK, while Andrew Gregory reports on new research showing that vaccines offer protection to people who have had COVID before. Zak Vescera reports on the rising rate of hospitalizations since Scott Moe decided we shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about public health protections and community case levels. And Ibolya Rutkai et al. study the stark neurological effects of even cases which do not result in respiratory symptoms in non-human primates.  

- Meanwhile, Bob Hepburn warns that Doug Ford's Ontario PCs are among the right-wing governments looking to use the pandemic as an opportunity to privatize health care. And John Clarke discusses the need for social resistance to austerity which seems all to likely to be imposed to suppress wages which still haven't kept up to inflation. 

- Charles Pierce writes about a new Wall Street Journal report on the highly suspicious pattern of stock price changes which results in shareholders getting less for large sales based on information about trades getting revealed in advance. 

- Finally, Michelle Gamage examines how Canadian banks continue to pour money into destructive fossil fuel projects, while Carl Meyer discusses how the finance sector is secretly lobbying against any climate disclosure. Environmental Defence takes a look at the massive subsidies already enjoyed by the fossil fuel sector in Canada (even as it demands tens of billions of dollars more). Emily Atkin and Caitlin Looby examine the drastic consequences of a half-degree of global warming which is likely within our control to avoid. And Stan Cox writes that we can't drill our way out of the violence and upheaval caused by wars rooted in reliance on dictator-controlled oil and gas. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Phil Tank writes that the Saskatchewan Party has only reluctantly held off on eliminating even what little information it still provided the public about ongoing COVID-19 infections in the midst of a new wave, while Laura Sciarpelletti reports the Moe government is ignoring the science demonstrating the importance of additional booster vaccines.  

- Ian Sample reports on the UK's belated recognition that it allowed companies to profiteer off of the COVID pandemic. And Melanie Bechard and Jasmine Gite write that we shouldn't let the underfunding and mismanagement of our public health care system be used as an excuse for privatization which will only further undermine service provision. 

- Matt Phillips reports that corporations managed to rake in record profits in 2021, while Alex Henderson discusses how the Koch brothers' fortune continues to be used to secretly undermine any attempt at democratic decision-making. Josh Bornstein notes that structural attacks on organized labour have exacerbated inequality in Australia, while Robert Reich writes about the emergence of the particularly dangerous class of mega-billionaires thanks to the consistent upward redistribution of wealth. And Michael Hiltzik makes the case for the type of billionaires' tax being proposed by Joe Biden. 

- Natasha Bulowski reports on the glaring flaws with the federal government's plan to rely on carbon capture and storage as a substitute for a transition away from dirty energy, while Max Fawcett writes that an industry which actually wanted to live up to its own PR would be doing far more to meet its environmental responsibilities. And Damian Carrington reports on the continued prevalence of "ghost flights" spewing carbon pollution for no reason.

- Meanwhile, Clean Energy Canada finds that electric vehicles are already more affordable to own than their fossil fuel-dependent equivalents. 

- Finally, May Bulman reports on the stark increase in deaths among homeless people in the UK. Rogan Bowen-Harper highlights the connection between food insecurity and pain-related hospital visits. And the Canadian Press reports on Saskatchewan Children's Advocate Lisa Broda's call for desperately-needed mental health and addictions services in order to avert the suicide crisis among teens in particular. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jennifer Rigby and Julie Steenhuysen report on the latest COVID-19 wave and its direct connection to the elimination of public health protections. Eric Topol writes about the role additional boosters may play in somewhat mitigating the second Omicron wave, while Paulina Kaplonek et al. find differences in vaccine immunity, suggesting that a variety of vaccines may produce more effective protection. The Karolinska Institute discusses how even mild COVID cases produce inflammation in immune cells which may last for months. And Charline McCone rightly asks why we're still missing basic answers about long COVID two years after it became a reality for large numbers of people. 

- Meanwhile, Bruce Arthur looks into Doug Ford's apparent retaliation against doctors who dared to warn the public about the dangers people face and the failure of their government to respond with even a modicum of caring or competence. 

- Jamie Henn makes the case for the oil industry to pay a windfall profit tax as people are required to pay increasing prices which bear no apparent relationship to any factor other than profiteering. Mark Chediak discusses the reasons for skepticism about hydrogen blending as a substitute for displacing fossil fuels, while Nicola Seguin notes that electric vehicles won't accomplish anywhere near as much as ensuring people don't need individual cars to move around their communities. 

- Finally, Tom Parkin writes about the Cons' anger over the NDP-Lib supply and confidence agreement which both moves Canada in a more progressive direction, and takes away their plan for constant election threats. And John Cartwright discusses the work to be done in turning an improved Parliamentary environment into lasting change for the better. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Furnished cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Adam Kleczkowski examines the effectiveness of COVID-19 interventions two years into the pandemic, while noting the importance of applying the precautionary principle in the face of uncertain but severe risks. Jillian Horton discusses how our aversion to thinking about danger has been exploited by the forces seeking to eliminate any protection against an ongoing pandemic, while Umair Haque highlights the devastating effects of COVID on the brain which we're just beginning to understand. And Lisa Steacy reports on the recognition by British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender that the elimination of masking rules creates disproportionate and discriminatory risk for vulnerable populations.  

- Ketan Joshi reminds us of the role that oil and gas have played in building up Vladimir Putin's military threat to Ukraine. Richie Assaly reports on the reality that the best means of disempowering dictators is to stop relying on the non-renewable resources they control. And Greg Muttitt discusses the reality that all countries need to be working on phasing out fossil fuel extraction and use in order to avert catastrophic results. 

- Meanwhile, Matt Simon discusses the climate threat posed by the greenhouse gases which may soon be released by the melting of undersea permafrost. And Christy Climenhaga reports on the projections showing a future of increasingly widespread and severe droughts in Saskatchewan as another consequence of a climate breakdown.

- Finally, Robert Reich writes that raising interest rates won't help to avoid inflation caused by supply chain disruptions and corporate profiteering - but will ensure that working people are faced with wage stagnation and a recession along with all the other forces already arrayed against them. And Simon Enoch warns Newfoundland and Labrador against following the path of austerity and privatization which is making Saskatchewan and other conservative-controlled jurisdictions unliveable for so many. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Laura Spinney offers a reminder that the few places which actually made an effort at a COVID Zero strategy have fared far better than those trying to get a rightly-concerned public to accept COVID Unlimited. Nature points out the folly of eliminating the testing we need to know what risks we face in making both public policy and personal risk assessments. And Ariana Eunjung Cha reports on the similarities between long COVID and the brain fog associated with chemotherapy and Alzheimer's disease. 

- Nav Persaud points out that we won't make progress in improving prescription drug coverage without standing up to a sector making lucrative profits off of people's illnesses. 

- Paul Waldman and Greg Sargent discuss the connection between fossil fuel dependency and authoritarian politics - and the opportunities available to a political party willing to call it out. And the Economist's review of Eric Lonergan and Corinne Sawers' Supercharge Me discusses how carbon pricing alone won't get us where we need to go in order to avert climate breakdown. 

- Finally, Robin Sears is hopeful that the supply and confidence agreement between the NDP and Libs may hint at a more mature and cooperative political scene - though both the parties' history and the incentives created by a warped electoral system (which the Libs are unwilling to change) suggest we can't take that for granted.

Sunday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Sunday reading.

- Carly Weeks reports on the work being done to begin to understand and treat long COVID, while Erika Edwards reports on the profiteers directing people toward lucrative (if not necessarily effective) interventions where governments have failed to offer anything. Mario Canseco finds that more than half of Canadians are anxious about the political class' inexplicable decision to eliminate public health protections, while Bruce Arthur discusses the impossibility of mounting any effective fight against a pandemic while trying to pretend it's over. And Maiike Swets et al. find that in a particularly painful twist on attempts to minimize COVID as "no worse than a flu", the combination of the coronavirus and an actual flu produces particularly severe outcomes.

- Niki Ashton highlights how public ownership can serve as a level for effective climate action. John Vidal discusses Amory Lovins' work demonstrating that energy efficiency should be central to our carbon mitigation plans. And Maddelin McCosker and Danielle O'Neal report on the farce that is Australia's carbon credit scheme, as credits (and associated profits) have been handed out regardless of any contribution to emission reductions.

- Meanwhile, the National Post reports that the proliferation of plastics has reached the point where microparticles are contaminating human bloodstreams.

- Finally, Jon Queally discusses Joe Biden's laudable effort to ensure the wealthiest few in the U.S. contribute at least something toward funding a functional society.

On barriers to cooperation

It's for the best that the NDP and Libs have been able to come to terms on a supply and confidence agreement which should at least provide for substantial material gains for people who need them, and may go further in setting up core elements of a universal health care system which have long been lacking. And it's particularly gratifying to see at least some recognition of the leadership that requires. 

But while it's well worth celebrating what looks like a turn for the better, it's also worth a reminder as to what - and who - has prevented that type of cooperation from happening in the past.

Remember that Jagmeet Singh's message after the 2019 election was one of willingness to work with the Liberals on shared priorities. And Justin Trudeau's response was...to reject any systematic cooperation with a single party, as he preferred piecemeal politics and perpetual Parliamentary chicken to acceding to any NDP priorities in exchange for ongoing confidence.

After last year's election, Singh again floated the possibility of closer cooperation, while apparently seeing it as futile to even suggest a formal confidence agreement. But even with that lesser possibility on the table, the Libs expressed at most "not a closure" in response, with nothing coming of it until talks between the leaders this year. 

And lest there be any doubt, that disparity in interest in working together is all too familiar for anybody who has hoped that Libs would treat minority Parliaments as opportunities to achieve progressive outcomes. From Paul Martin sneering that Jack Layton was "two votes short" of being worth talking to, to Pierre Trudeau torpedoing a functional confidence arrangement to manufacture a majority for himself, the history of the two parties is rife with theoretical possibilities which fell victim to the Libs' hubris and/or self-interest. 

Needless to say, that leaves reason for concern that the same factors will affect both the length of time the current agreement figures to hold up, and the expectations as to what will be achieved while it does. And while the points of agreement may make some major achievements seem like real possibilities, there's a lot of work to be done to keep pushing toward actually bringing them to life before the Libs decide to go it alone.