Musical interlude

Vok - Waterfall

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Erica Frantz, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Joseph Wright comment on the global tilt toward strongman government as the U.S. abandons any pretense of being a democracy rather than a fiefdom. And Jonathan Last discusses the Trump regime's prioritization of performative violence over substantive action. 

- Justin Ling weighs in on the reality that we're best off not locking ourselves into new deals with the U.S. which result only in our making concessions for no enforceable gains, while Doug Nesbitt writes that our past EV strategy has been based mostly on corporate giveaways rather than real industrial development. And Lois Ross notes that Claudia Sheinbaum's Plan Mexico offers a needed blueprint to develop a sustainable economy and society which doesn't depend either on a capricious U.S. regime or on constant submission to capital. 

- Phoebe Weston writes about the parallels between the inner and outer layers of biodiversity which are both being undremined by corporate forces. James Dyke writes about the imminent derailment risk as cascading climate feedback loops eliminate our ability to adapt. And Andrew Wilkin highlights how COVID-19 minimization and other attacks on public health have maximized the social harm arising from preventable diseases. 

- Finally, Alex Caputo-Pearl and Jackson Potter discuss the need for the labour movement to unify to oppose the Trump regime, while Adam King notes that Alberta workers (along with students) are doing just that in response to Danielle Smith's negation of teachers' Charter rights. And Leah Gazan makes the case to rein in the federal Libs' reflexive anti-strike decrees. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Andrew Coyne recognizes that there's no point in pretending that trade negotiations with the U.S. under the control of a mad king can be expected to produce any meaningful results. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has plenty of proposals to build our economy away from dependence on the U.S. - both through the results of its Elbows Up Economic Summit, and through its Alternative Federal Budget. And Jeremy Appel discusses how tax loopholes for billionaires are both a fuel for inequality, and a revenue sink keeping us from investing in our own future. 

- John Ganz discusses how the Trump regime is actively staffing up with the worst possible thugs to beat the U.S. into submission, while Zach Everson points out the blatant corruption involved in the shoveling of public money to unqualified contractors who have handed no-work positions to Trump's sons. And Liz Dye highlights how Republicans are not only taking Trump's nonsensical ramblings as gospel in setting policy, but expecting courts to treat them as evidence as well. 

- Ian James reports on a new warning from scientists that we're headed for climate ruin - and need to work together to the extent possible even as the likes of Trump and his Canadian puppets stand in the way. Lisa Song reports that U.S. air pollution is far worse that previously acknowledged, and will only be exacerbated by Trump's interference with any regulation. And Nick Bowlin reports on Oklahoma's acceptance of the flow of toxic wastewater from oil fields, while Brandi Morin highlights the efforts of Alberta First Nations to avoid having tar sands tailings being released into water sources. 

- Finally, Samatha Edwards reports on new polling showing that Canadians are highly dubious about AI - confirming that it's only business elites hoping to profit from it at the expense of labour and consumers who have any interest in keeping its bubble inflated. And Rank and File examines how the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has amassed surpluses by under-compensating injured workers, with the benefits denied to workers then being gifted to corporate employers instead by the Ford PCs.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Donal Gill and Isaac Peltz discuss the need to strengthen Canada's democracy against a descent into nihilistic populism like the one looming in the UK. And Kelly Hayes emphasizes the particular need to maintain - and act on - a sense of decency when institutional forces are actively looking to destroy anything of the sort. 

- On that front, Sarah Kendzior discusses how the Republican government shutdown fits perfectly with their view that power exists only for self-dealing and vengeance. Mari Eccles reports on a new European Ombudsman investigation into secret meetings leading to regulatory giveaways to corporate interests. And Christopher White interviews Tzeporah Berman about the fossil fuel industry's hijacking of climate change policymaking. 

- Meanwhile, the newest Lancet Countdown report documents how millions of people are dying each year due to the fossil fuel dependence being forced on us by the people whose obscene wealth is tied to continued carbon pollution. 

- Rebecca Graff-McRae discusses how the Smith UCP has abandoned preventative public health to cater to conspiracy theorists. And Crawford Kilian rightly argues that vaccinations should be free to all Canadians - not restricted by geography, age, profession or other barriers which serve only to facilitate the spread of preventable disease. 

- Finally, Danyaal Raza makes the case for universal pharmacare as a nation-building project.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Keen cat.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman writes about the Trump Republicans' decision to impose hunger on tens of millions of Americans - with lasting consequences on people's health and development - in defence of pedophilia and arbitrary rule. John Collins offers a grim narrative as to the path of American collapse under a regime with no interest in governing. And Hamilton Nolan discusses the importance of solidarity as the alternative to oligarchy. 

- Ben Brubaker points out new research finding that algorithm-based pricing can be expected to force consumers to pay more. Lousie Matsakic reports on the likelihood that large numbers of AI users are seeing mental health crises exacerbated by the tendency to provide desired responses. And Joel Morris laments the loss of social media as a social hub rather than an exploitation device. 

- Jonathan Watts and Waja Xipai reports on Antonio Guterres' warning that we've likely missed the chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, but still have a desperate need to limit the damage to our living environment. And Dharna Noor reports on ExxonMobil's cynical efforts to avoid having to report on its massive contribution to carbon pollution, while Sylvain Amoros and Sylvain Senecal examine how Canada's banks are likewise trying to avoid answering for funding the climate breakdown (including by terminating their involvement in Mark Carney's voluntary reporting scheme). 

- Finally, Laura Doering discusses how mandatory return-to-office policies are likely to exacerbate gender discrimination. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jonn Elledge discusses how the right in the UK (like in the U.S. and Canada) is building its public messaging around explicit racism and bigotry. Progressive Magazine laments that U.S. Democrats are trying to appease Trump sycophants and attacking anybody who speaks up for human rights, rather than serving as an opposing force against the movement toward authoritarianism. And Brian Beutler points out what the Democrats could advocate for as part of a "No Kings" agenda, while John Nichols discusses how cities can Trump-proof themselves as much as possible. 

- Eva Roytburg reports on Diane Swonk's warning that the uber-rich are the only people benefiting in a U.S. economy that's otherwise on the precipice of disaster. 

- Andrew Macintosh et al. discuss (PDF) the fundamental flaws with carbon credits as a central climate policy. Jessica Green highlights the particular futility of trying to build "net zero" policies around the interests of oil barons who are structurally committed to continued carbon pollution, while Daisy Dunne examines how only a minority of countries' climate plans involve any transition away from dirty energy. Naveena Sadasivam reports on the Trump regime's intimidation tactics to prevent even a slight step forward in accounting for shipping emissions. And Tik Root examines how drought may overtake all other effects of the climate breakdown in its effect on local resources. 

- Meanwhile, Dana Drugmand reports on a new French court decision finding a major oil company to have misled the public about its climate policies as a matter of consumer protection. And Kristian Nielsen et al. study the factors which serve to influence consumer choices, with both accessibility and influence on well-being serving as important determinants based on the actions involved. 

- Finally, Jonathan Cohn writes about the CDC alumni who are working to stand up for public health even as the Trump regime undermines it at every available opportunity. And Charles Rusnell discusses how Alberta's health care system is overwhelmed, with the UCP's anti-vax policy choices serving as one of the three main factors in the developing crisis. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Thomas Zimmer sorts through the significance of a particularly arbitrary week from the Trump regime. Lauren Gambino reports on an assessment by former U.S. national security officials documenting the country's slide into authoritarianism. Will Bunch discusses the common through line of enforced conformity in the Trump administration's systematic dehumanization and abuse of out-groups. And Edward Luce writes about the cowardice of the wealthy and powerful who have chosen to bend the knee to a mad king. 

- Meanwhile, Harold Meyerson discusses a California ballot initiative to apply a wealth tax in order to fund health care - allowing for direct public choice as to whether people actually prioritize billionaires' offshore accounts over their own lives. 

- Joe Wilkins warns that Sam Altman has joined the list of capricious billionaires who has positioned himself to be able to crash the global economy. And Dan Gearino and Charles Paulin report on the citizen-driven effort to stop shoveling public money into resource-sucking data centres in Virginia. 

- Finally, Saima Desai points out how Doug Ford's attacks on cyclists and clean transportation fit into a corporatist mindset. And Shawn Micallef writes that any Ontario municipal leader interested in being able to serve their constituents should be planning to run against Ford's interference.