Musical interlude

Birdy & Rhodes - Let It All Go

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg examines why seemingly healthy macroeconomic indicators - and even  positive personal expectations - haven't translated into public satisfaction with political economic leaders. But Dougald Lamont is setting out how our economic system has been torqued at the behest of corporate robber barons to exploit and extract wealth from everybody else for the benefit of the uber-rich. 

- As a particularly appalling example of the prioritization of corporate assumptions over human needs, Kumar Sambhav, Tapasya and Divij Joshi report on India's use of AI which simply presumes people to be dead in order to cut off their pension benefits. And Cory Doctorow discusses how tech giants are seeking to lock people into mandatory compliance with preferred business models to serve their own profitability at the expense of value to users. 

- Benjamin Shingler reports on new research showing that the dirty oil sector is polluting Alberta up to 60 times more than it reports. Sam Markert examines how plastics manufacturers have exploited massive loopholes in "extended producer responsibility" policies to dump waste where it's least regulated. And Judith Weis points out how textiles are an increasing source of microplastic pollution. 

- Jeff Berardelli offers a reminder that 2023 was by far the hottest year on record. Marshall Brain writes about the dangers of unfounded climate optimism when our current trajectory has us headed for disaster (and some of the most powerful forces on the planet are determined to make matters worse). And Eve Thomas discusses the IEA's recognition of the need for structural changes to try to limit the harm of a climate breakdown. 

- Luke LeBrun reports that the latest attack on the rule of law in Canada by the Cons' convoy buddies involves an attempt to coerce police into arresting political leaders. 

- Finally, David Climenhaga reports on Danielle Smith's choice to roll out the red carpet for Tucker Carlson rather than having any interest in responding to a shooting and firebombing in Edmonton. And Scott Dippel reports on the UCP's admonition that municipalities list any agreements in place with the federal government - signaling that the UCP isn't merely unwilling to bother providing housing or other vital services to Alberta's residents, but is determined to ferret out and block any attempt by other levels of government to do so. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Wide-eyed cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tim Murphy discusses the many similarities between Russia's oligarchs and the U.S.' - including how both take advantage of deliberate policy choices to facilitate the concentration of wealth in secret. And Kevin Kharas' interview with Bertrand Monnet includes the recognition that their shared addiction to accumulation is also at the root of Mexico's drug cartels. 

- Linda McQuaig points out the similarities between Pierre Poilievre, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro as strongmen determined to foment hate and rage to distract from the fact they have no plans to improve anybody's well-being (other than that of their cronies). 

- Jeremy Appel reports on the complete contempt for the law shown by Take Back Alberta in its refusal to cooperate with an investigation into its shady donors. And David Climenhaga notes that the most extreme and corrupt branch of the UCP is now trying to make a mockery of any form of democracy by attempting to take over the NDP.  

- Abdul Matin Sarfraz reports on Ian Burton's work to move us toward climate adaptation. But John Woodside highlights how Enbridge is trying to stop any transition to cleaner energy.

- Finally, Anne Rumberger interviews Anne Larson about the corporate media's systematic erasure of workers. And Matthew Stanley et al. find that workers' loyalty to bosses tends to turn into an invitation to increased exploitation. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- KFF Health News offers a reminder that the COVID pandemic is far from over, even if the highly effective public health measures which previously kept us relatively healthy have been discarded in favour of determined denialism. And Hayley Gleeson discusses what Australian scientists are doing at an individual level to make up for policy neglect. 

- Whizy Kim discusses how U.S. wealth is becoming both more concentrated and more nepotistic. And Joan Westerberg writes that the always-impossible admonition to people to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps is becoming all the more preposterous in a system designed to entrench wealth and grind workers. 

- Meanwhile, Patrice Bergeron reports on Quebec City's recognition that secure housing can serve as the base to address other problems.  

- Cory Doctorow examines the incestuous corporate connections which are making air travel both less safe and generally enshittified. And Morgan Grenfell calls out the Ford PCs for legislation designed to turn health care into a cash cow for private staffing agencies.

- Finally, Tyne Logan discusses how a spike in disastrous wildfires is both an effect and a cause of the climate breakdown. And Rochelle Baker reports on a new study showing how the dumping of microplastics is causing massive harm to marine life. 

Musical interlude

Kelela - Enough For Love

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Nathalie Grandvaux writes about the causes and impacts of a triple epidemic of respiratory viruses. And Erin Goerlich et al. study the cardiovascular effects of COVID-19, while Beth Mole reports on research showing that COVID vaccinations help protect against strokes and heart attacks which would otherwise be predictable results of infection. 

- Meanwhile, Alexander Quon reports on the Moe government's continued drug policy of harm maximization - and the expert outcry against the deliberate choice to exacerbate the risks of drug toxicity and unsanitary supplies. And Sandra Smiley, Preet Gandhi and Kathryn Haegedorn point out the social harm caused by "evictions to nowhere" - which of course represents an accurate description of the Sask Party's housing policy. 

- Adam Morton and Graham Redfearn highlight how 2023 was not just the hottest year on record, but the year when the visible signs of climate breakdown stunned even the scientists most familiar with the climate crisis. And Emma Garnett and Charlotte Kukowski discuss how inequality serves as an obstacle to meaningful climate action.

- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the need to stop treating the man-made technosphere as somehow more real and important than the natural ecosphere which is necessary to our survival. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Julia Doubleday offers a reminder that any remotely responsible definition of "living with COVID" would include doing everything reasonably possible to upgrade air quality. And Dylan Matthews discusses the prospect that UV light may help to reduce the spread of viruses generally - along with the need for more work to ensure that can be done without unintended consequences. 

- Gordon McBean writes that Canada saw some of the most extreme effects of climate change in the world in 2023, while Mitchell Beer reports on the connection between the climate crisis and an exceptionally warm December in particular. And CGTN reports on new research showing that ocean temperatures have been hitting record highs for several years in a row. 

- But Rachel Ramirez discusses the rise of new forms of climate denialism which are propagating on YouTube (as well as anywhere else the fossil fuel industry is propagandizing). 

- Emily Fagan reports on a new study showing no consistent correlation between police spending and crime rates. And Denis Campbell reports that the UK - like most Canadian jurisdictions - is spending massive amounts of money on temporary health care staffing which result in profits for well-connected labour brokers while doing nothing to contribute to sustainable patient care. 

- Finally, Robert Reich comments on the long-term destruction of the middle class by an oligopoly determined to extract everything possible from it. And David Moscrop highlights how Ed Broadbent's life's work consisted largely of organizing the working class to push back against the concentration of corporate wealth and power. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Curled-up cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Dharna Noor discusses how the U.S.' dirty fossil fuel industry is propagandizing against any transition to cleaner energy sources. And Benjamin Shingler reports on research showing that the forestry sector (like so many other industries) is causing far more damage to the climate than it officially reports. 

- Anne Toomey McKenna examines the Federal Trade Commission's complaint against data broker Kochava as a worrisome example of the information corporate behemoths are able to collect and use against the public. And Cory Doctorow writes that the constant stream of spam and scams online is the direct result of the mindset that the key to wealth is to extract money for nothing from a greater fool. 

- But in case there was any doubt that big business is able to avoid answering for its own unconscionable practices, Sarah MacMillan reports on Enbridge's regular pattern of sticking customers with massive bills without any forewarning or explanation. And Andrew Sampson and Aly Thomson report on Loblaws' decision to let more food go to waste rather than continuing to discount products which are about to expire. 

- Jacob Cerebrin reports that the consistent reactionary principle that "it's always projection" extends to a science-denying conspiracy theorist blaming the government for wildfires actually being a serial arsonist himself. 

- Finally, Marc Edge writes that the National Post - having itself been founded and operated as a shameless right-wing propaganda outlet - has no business shedding crocodile tears over media bias. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jamie Ducharme examines the realities of a COVID-19 surge in progress - as well as the reason to worry that avoidable illness and death is being treated as the new normal. Kailin Yin et al. highlight the harm caused by systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation in the course of infection, while Brian Imbiakha et al. find that mice without adaptive immune cells don't experience those effects. And Marti Catala et al. study the evidence showing that vaccination helps to prevent long COVID symptoms. 

- Oxfam's latest briefing paper on inequality highlights how wealth continues to concentrate in the hands of a privileged few - and will continue to do so unless we take drastic steps to challenge our corporate overlords. 

- Rachel Donald reports on new research documenting the human behavioral crisis underlying the climate breakdown. And Marc Fawcett-Atkinson discusses how the fossil gas sector is seeking to exacerbate that problem by locking us into decades of carbon pollution to come, while Stephen Stapczynski, Ruth Liao and Anna Shiryaevskaya point out the real-world effects of that propaganda. 

- Jorg Broschek discusses how reduced speed limits could significantly slash carbon pollution while also making communities far safer. 

- David Climenhaga writes that Danielle Smith's government which is fearmongering about federal policy leaving people to freeze in the dark has actually made that a real risk due to its own corruption and mismanagement. Yet even his list of examples omits the most jarring contrast between energy security as a goal and UCP policy, as it's actively pushed to bring in crypto miners to use as much energy as possible. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow writes about the need for solidarity among all kinds of workers - including tech and gig workers - to counter the accumulation and abuse of corporate power. 

Musical interlude

Flight Facilities feat. Broods, Reggie Watts & Saro - Stranded

 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Sara Moniuzsko reports on the World Health Organization's recognition that COVID-19 is still causing nearly 10,000 reported deaths per month (to say nothing of unreported deaths and disabilities). And Michelle Ghoussoub reports on research confirming that access to prescribed opioids results in dramatic reductions in overdoses and deaths. 

- Tim Bousquet discusses the normalization of a lack of housing which has led to the building of "temporary" pallet shelters being treated as progress rather than a sign of desperate need for change. And Drew Anderson highlights how Danielle Smith and the UCP have pushed to set a baseline expectation of increased pollution, sprawls and energy inefficiency just over the holidays.  

- Andrew Coyne writes that surrender to premiers who thumb their nose at the rule of law only encourages them. And Linda McQuaig points out how the Libs have chosen to serve big oil at the expense of any responsible climate policy (with a similar effect of emboldening its climate sabotage). 

- Karin Kirk notes that even at a time of relatively low oil prices, consumers are better served charging an electric vehicle than buying fuel at the pumps. 

- Finally, Jon Stone reports on Sadiq Khan's efforts to break the UK's culture of silence about the immense real costs of succumbing to the implausible promises of Brexit. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jon Henley reports on new research showing that adopting right-wing policies does nothing to help left-of-centre parties win votes (while producing disastrous effects in shifting the spectrum of political options). 

- Laura Weiss discusses why U.S. Democrats need to acknowledge and present a plan to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic rather than buying into denialism. Eric Topol calls out the decision-makers who are living in a fantasy world rather than responding to an immediate and important crisis. And Lindsay Clark highlights how the limited information now being made available shows that many countries are on the precipice of another devastating COVID wave. 

- Joy Buolamwini writes about the need for regulation to protect biometric privacy - and the dangers that either insufficient or corporate-friendly rules will leave citizens vulnerable. And David Moscrop points out the need to dismantle Canada's telecom oligopoly which had left consumers in provinces without Crown-sector alternatives to face deteriorating services and soaring prices. 

- Moscrop also writes about the continued concentration of wealth and erosion of standards of living for Canadian workers - together with the need for a policy response to end the new gilded age.

- Finally, the Eurasia Group's grim set of top risks for 2024 starts with the danger of a sharp U.S. slide away from democratic governance. And lest anybody think the spread of reality-averse politics stops at the border, Luke LeBrun exposes how the Cons are actively helping to shape and propagate outlandish conspiracy theories. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Crashed cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jessica Wildfire laments the great abdication of mutual responsibility which is resulting in countless preventable dangers being allowed to spread unabated. And Benedict Michael et al. study how COVID-19 is giving rise to sustained cognitive defects even as it's being treated as a non-issue. 

- Damian Carrington reports on a new analysis showing that 2023 temperatures just barely fell short of a 1.5 degree increase from the pre-fossil fuel period - with scientists warning that far worse is in store. 

- Naixin Qian et al. examine the effects of a high concentration of nanoplastics in bottled water. And Michelle Gamage reports on Canada's halting first steps to study and regulate the ingestion of "forever chemicals" through our food supply. 

- Charles Rusnell reports on the glaring conflicts of interest in Alberta's health care system, as profiteers are being allowed to steer patients to their own privately-owned clinics.  

- Finally Judd Legum and Tesnim Zekeria examine the fleecing of American workers to the tune of nine figures just in identified wage theft which hasn't been claimed. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Maura Hohman discusses how the U.S. is going through one of its most severe waves of COVID-19 (with very little attention), while Henna Saeed points out the spate of respiratory illnesses in Alberta. And Ashleigh Furlong reports that an attempt to work out a World Health Organization treaty on pandemics is stalling out as COVID minimizers and profiteers hijack any attempt to keep people healthy. 

- Les Leopold highlights how U.S. health care is increasingly being shaped to serve the interests of capital rather than the health of patients. And Susan Zielinski's report on Red Deer's patchwork ERs and Patrick Swadden's report on an Ontario newborn waiting 5 hours to be seen by a doctor serve as appalling examples of how Canada's public health care system is being grossly neglected to allow corporate operators to move in. 

- Graham Readfearn points out how the same types of "cranky uncles" who believe their ignorance to trump scientific fact (generally with prompting from businesses who profit as a result) have been major forces in spreading misinformation about COVID and the climate crisis. 

- Gregor MacDonald discusses how merely adding clean energy on top of continuing fossil fuel operations will fall far short of averting climate disaster. And Owen Jones calls out governments for responding to a climate breakdown in progress by persecuting the activists calling for desperately-needed action. 

- Finally, Mehdi Rizvi writes about the need for policy aimed at building social connections to counter an increasingly atomized and lonely world.

Musical interlude

The Ambientalist - Who We Are

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Brent Appelman et al. study how mental and physical exertion in the midst of a COVID-19 infection can cause long-term damage. Tom Scocca discusses the devastating health and professional effects of his bout of COVID. And Nathaniel Weixel reports on the tens of thousands of deaths traceable to the use of hydroxychloroquine arising out of the determination to find an easy answer to a complex public health emergency. 

- Angela Grace asks what Albertans want to see in their health care system - though it's well worth noting that it's governed by a party opposed on principle to the concepts of prevention and evidence-based decision-making which would actually leave a legacy worth praising. And Dayne Patterson reports on a closure at Saskatoon City Hospital's emergency room as the latest example of a health care system buckling under the weight of neglect. 

- Jonathan Watts reports on the grim conclusion of some scientists that will mark the year when we lost any plausible prospect of reining in the climate breakdown, while Damien Gayle notes that hostility to climate action and democratic governance are once again being treated as the main qualifications for the of the next COP conference. and Geoff Dembicki exposes how the fossil gas industry is engaging in a secretive propaganda campaign against climate action. 

- Meanwhile, Craig Watts reports on the reality that 2024 figures to be yet another year of previously-unheard-of wildfires. 

- Finally, David Climenhaga offers a warning about the UCP's plans to demolish any pretense of public service in favour of a fully weaponized partisan state apparatus. And Jeremy Appel exposes how the fringe group which has already taken over Alberta's governing party is now plotting to take control of the province's school boards. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Julia Conley reports that Massachusetts' referendum-approved millionaire tax raised substantially more income than projected, contributing both to greater equality and more funding for public priorities. 

- Charlotte Kukowski and Emma Garnett discuss the need to overcome multiple forms of inequality in order to ensure a just transition to clean energy. Which, needless to say, means that Scott Moe is handing  gobs of public money to the biggest polluters in Saskatchewan in order to keep greenhouse gases spewing, while threatening the modest rebates available to people living in poverty. 

- Gary McWilliams discusses how big oil companies accumulating even more wealth and power through consolidation, while Jack Marley notes that the fossil fuel industry got its way in hijacking global climate talks. Jillian Ambrose reports on the unconscionable dividend payouts and buybacks from the five largest oil companies. And Alex Mell-Taylor calls out Exxon-Mobil's well-funded but grossly dishonest greenwashing campaign as it continues to profit from the harm it does to our living environment. 

- David Climenhaga offers a grim set of expectations for the UCP, while Gillian Steward highlights how Danielle Smith's government is fully in thrall to anti-science loons. And Paula Simons calls out how Moe and other anti-trans right-wingers are using the notwithstanding clause to strip rights away from vulnerable people - while noting that it's the electorate that has the ultimate ability to hold them to account. 

- Finally, Mary Rehman explores the parallels between COVID diaries and Samuel Pepys' writings about the plague in the 17th century.