Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Ajit Niranian discusses Europe's unprecedented spring heat wave which is putting large number of lives at risk, while Neha Bhatt reports on the even more extreme and dangerous heat engulfing India. And Seth Borenstein reports on new projections from the World Meterological Organization to the effect that there's far worse on the way in the next five years. 

- Susan Racine makes the case for oil companies to start compensating the world for the damage they've done to our living environment (while concealing or lying about it). 

- David Powell writes about the land grab which is seeing tech giants take over large and environmentally sensitive tracts of UK wilderness in order to slap up data centres. And Bradley Olson notes that the corporations who are supposed to represent the source of long-term revenue for AI providers are recognizing they're not seeing returns worth anything close to the actual price of artificial intelligence. 

- Robert Shpiner offers a reminder that the American health system model which Canadian conservatives are so determined to copy costs twice as much as the average for comparable countries while leaving large numbers of people without care. 

- Meanwhile, Andrew Gregory reports on a breakthrough research injection which has the potential to eradicate entire cancerous tumours in three doses.  

- Finally, Cory Doctorow discusses how Mark Carney epitomizes Third Way liberalism in the most derogatory of ways. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Thanksgiving reading.

- David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher write about the 1970s propaganda campaign used to normalize capitalist control in the U.S. And Luke Savage discusses how the neoliberal obsession with means-testing public services serves only to undermine the sense of community and solidarity needed to make the case for a functional society. 

- Andre Frappier highlights how corporate machinations - including ones involving prominent Lib insiders - are at the root of all the problems being used an excuse to slash and privatize Canada Post. And Joel Lexchin debunks neoliberal myths about pharmacare even as Mark Carney stops any further progress toward a promised national system of prescription drug coverage dead in its tracks.  

- Vipal Monga discusses Carney's transformation into a cheerleader and enabler for dirty fossil fuels, while Yrjo Koskinen writes that even a strictly economic analysis on a time frame beyond the expected receipt of an oil baron's political contribution would reach the conclusion that we need to be transitioning to clean energy now. And Nerilie Abram et al. examine how the oil and gas sector has been getting away with falsely claiming that individual fossil fuel projects shouldn't be treated as mattering in the fight against a climate breakdown.  

- Graham Redfearn reports on another new study showing that coral reefs and other crucial elements of our natural environment are in danger of succumbing to the climate collapse. And Nina Lakhani examines the reality that an already-alarming death toll from extreme heat in the U.S. likely represents a significant undercount of the cost of global warming. 

- Finally, Linda Geddes reports on new research showing that the dangers of microplastics include interference with our digestive systems. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Lurie writes about the Trump regime's Potemkin populism - as well as the increasing speed with which his fabrications are coming undone. Sarah Kendzior discusses the importance of finding meaning and purpose in ways that can't be undermined by a mafia state. And Sam Bagenstos highlights the importance of a plan for what comes after the civil service has been destroyed.

- Meanwhile, George Monbiot points out the continued failure of centrist parties and politicians to offer any hope when that's exactly what stands to motivate citizens who don't see anybody working toward anything better. And Andrea Houston talks to Linda McQuaig about Mark Carney's betrayal of voters who expected a defence of progressive Canadian values rather than a collaborationist Conservative government in Lib clothing. 

- Oliver Milman and Dharna Noor report on the work done by dozens of top climate scientists to refute the denialist propaganda of the Trump regime. And Alexandra Keeler warns that while our research system may not have been wholly hijacked for political purposes, it's still under threat from fake science. 

- Kevin Anderson, Chris Jones and Gaurav Gharde discuss the deep failures of climate policy in the UK which are only being exacerbated by a spate of dirty energy-based policies. Jonathan Watts highlights Tzeporah Berman's work on a fossil fuel phaseout treaty to stop every dirty energy producer from insisting it will be the last to stop. Russel Norman writes about the rise of insurance costs in New Zealand due to the ongoing climate breakdown. And Nina Lakhani reports on the rise of indoor heat deaths in Arizona as a result of extreme heat, while Marc Fawcett-Atkinson notes that tree-planting efforts which are pitched as emission mitigation measures haven't been able to keep up with the effects of wildfires.

- Josh Robertson, Michael Slezak, Jack Fisher and Mark Doman report on the decades-long cover-up of a massive methane leak from a major Australian gas project. And Martha Pskowski and Mark Olalde report on Texas' reflexive approval of greenhouse gas releases. 

- Finally, Richard Larouche discusses how the safety and freedom of children has been sacrificed in the name of prioritizing cars over bike lanes. Trevor Goodyear points out the UCP's attacks on the safety of LGBTQ+ children and other marginalized youth based on the theory that kids are nothing more than parents' property. And Dave Cournoyer writes that Alberta's teachers are standing up for children's well-being and education as the Smith government looks to undermine their classroom conditions and access to books.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Anne Appelbaum discusses how the rise of authoritarian politics making elections around the world into existential crises - though it's worth highlighting the role Stephen Harper and his Con/IDU connections have played in fighting against solidarity and democracy. Carole Cadwalladr writes about Peter Thiel's role in fusing extreme wealth and conscience-free political power. And Rebecca Solnit points out that it's a militarized state which bears responsibility for violence arising out of a draconian response to peaceful protests. 

- Michael Sainato reports on the International Trade Union Confederation's warning that the Trump regime is attacking workers' rights around the globe. And Sidney Blumenthal notes that at least some of the corporate forces typically aligned with Republicans are also recognizing they stand to suffer from Trump's corruption. 

- Garce Blakely's Ellen Meiksins Wood lecture points out how corporatism seeks to undermine democracy in order to prevent public action against corporate plans. Simon Enoch writes that neoliberal policy has served to weaken our democratic system, laying the groundwork for an authoritarian takeover. And Dale Smith warns that Mark Carney's first steps in office have continued down that same path, particular in undermining personal privacy and security in favour of further corporate control. 

- Meanwhile, Nick Pearce rightly argues that any plan to build Canada needs to involve both a clear budget and a focus on workers. And Charlie Angus notes that we're not going to save the country by allowing fossil fuel tycoons to torch our natural living environment. 

- Finally, Rebecca Burns reports on the success of a Kansas City tenants' union in stabilizing rents and securing repairs - signaling another area in which collective action can produce tangible benefits. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- A.R. Moxon discusses our role in observing and shaping the world around us with the help of the analogy of a submarine whose occupants choose not to surface when it's obvious we can't survive the loss of oxygen. And Jen Kostuchuk, Erik Steiner and Sean Lyons discuss the need for adults generally - and decision-makers in particular - to start paying attention to the concern children have for our planet's future. And Ariel Wittenberg reports on the dirty energy industry's lobbying to prevent any regulation which would protect workers from having to suffer through dangerously hot conditions.

- Luke O'Brien highlights how the U.S.' surveillance state has always been built for the purpose of targeting and controlling left-wing actors. Prem Sikka discusses how money wields power in the UK, turning facially neutral laws into a means to exacerbate inequalities. And Robert Reich writes that neoliberalism is far past salvaging or rehabilitating as an organizing economic principle.  

- Phoebe Weston reports on new research into the wide variety and dangerous quantity of harmful chemicals seeping into the UK's rivers.

- Finally, David Olive writes that along with the patriotic push to buy domestically, Canadians should be doing everything we can to avoid buying from the country trying to take us over.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way and Daniel Ziblatt discuss how the Trump regime has used the power of an authoritarian state to impose costs on any opposition - and how it's nonetheless essential for people to resist rather than going along to get along. Robert Reich writes about the need to build a populist progressive movement to ensure people know there's a viable alternative to Trump's corruption and corporatism. And John Baglow's review of new books by Alex Himelfarb and Denise Hearn/Vass Bednar examines how neoliberalism has come to dominate our economic and social foundation - and the difficulty countering the power of capital in trying to make change.

- Attracta Mooney reports on new data showing that global warming has exceeded the 1.5 Celsius threshold for nearly all of the past two years. And Andreas Sieber and Stela Herschmann discuss the futility of holding climate talks while skirting any discussion of the fossil fuels which are the cause of three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions.  

- Isaac Sevier and Winston Yau write about the impending summer of shutoffs as outdated infrastructure and worsening extreme weather events make it inevitable that dirty energy sources will shut down. Euronews Green examines new polling showing that Europeans recognize the need to transition to clean and secure energy sources rather than relying on fossil fuel imports. And Eleni Courea reports on England's requirement for solar panels on new homes as a key example of the transition in progress. 

- Mariah Blake discusses how untested synthetic materials came to be so ubiquitous as a long-term consequence of a corporate PR campaign. 

- Finally, Brint Milward examines how the hollowing-out of the U.S.' federal government will have disastrous effects on state- and local-level services linked to what DOGE is destroying. David Armstrong reports on how a cancer drug which can be produced for 25 cents per pill is being sold for 4,000 times that cost, resulting in people being unable to afford the treatment they need.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Francisco Ferreira discusses the collapse of the existing global economic order - and the need for countries other than the U.S. to take decisive steps to create any alternative which could improve on the flaws in the historical system. And Peter Crowley weighs in on the role a half-century of neoliberalism has played in laying the groundwork for dictatorship. 

- Dave Davies talks to Steven Levitsky about the dire state of U.S. democracy. And Brian Beutler discusses how Donald Trump courts disaster to force everybody else to use their resources preparing for the fallout from his whims. 

- Mark Olalde reports on the threats being made against U.S. civil servants that they face criminal prosecution for whistle-blowing or providing accurate information about the Trump regime's actions. Victor Tangerman reports on Elon Musk's similar pattern of threatening to arrange for the deportation of anybody at Tesla who dared to point out problems with the brakes in their vehicles. And Canada Healthwatch points out that the U.S. has deliberately set up a system for the reporting and intimidation of Canadian health care providers who dare to provide gender-supportive care, abortion, contraception or other care which runs afoul of Trump's ideology. 

- Jason Sattler discusses how Musk deliberately trashed the concept of verification at X - and how important it is to reinstate it through Bluesky and other social media. And Alex Himelfarb writes about the dangers of denialism in undermining the collective action needed to respond to a polycrisis. 

- Finally, Natasha Bulowski highlights how the Cons are flipping the bird to the concept of climate action. Nicholas Hune-Brown discusses how J.D. Vance has become a key focus of the election in Bowmanville-Oshawa North where his buddy Jamil Jivani is trying to take a place in a Con cabinet, while Michael Harris identifies the influence of the Trump regime as just one of several unusual aspects of the federal election campaign. And Justin Ling discusses how Pierre Poilievre is shutting out any but the most sycophantic of media outlets - making for just one more indication that he's following the Trump playbook to the letter. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Stephen Marche discusses how the overriding objective of the U.S.' corporate elite is absolute impunity. Ariella Markowitz writes about the decades-long astroturf effort to undermine the use of taxes both to raise revenue and rein in inequality. Bob Lord points out how the rich are lying about paying their fair share of taxes. And Alec MacGillis discusses how the Trump regime is waging war on public data generally to make sure people can't see how they're being affected by a fascist kleptocracy

- Meanwhile, Katya Schwenk and Luke Goldstein note that Trump is facilitating the use of surveillance pricing to enable price gouging. And Raymond Patterson, Emily Laidlaw and Jian Zhang discuss how the result is the imposition of higher prices on the people who can least afford them, with the result being the deliberate exacerbation of inequality. 

- Jim Stanford examines the problems with treating per-capita GDP as a proxy for well-being as it rewards profits on paper while punishing the presence of people. Daniel Horen Greenford writes about the need for Canada's election to include a reckoning with the failure of neoliberal economics - even as Mark Carney promises more of the same turbocharged by the use of AI. And Peggy Nash notes that we should be moving past merely buying Canadian to pursuing public ownership of the necessities of life and strategic resources.

- Armine Yalnizyan examines the major parties' plans when it comes to affordability and the cost of living. And The Narwhal sets out what's on offer for environmental policy and resource management. 

- Calder McHugh highlights how Pierre Poilievre's choice to pattern his every message and policy after Donald Trump has come back to bite him as voters recognize the dangers posed by the Trump regime. Andrew Coyne warns that Poilievre is planning to undermine Charter rights as an end in itself, rather than a means to any policy goal. And Charlie Angus examines what would stand to be lost if a Canada version of DOGE is imposed. 

- Finally, Sinead Campbell reports on new research showing that a sixth of the Earth's cropland is comtaminated by toxic heavy metals. And Rhian Lubin reports on a far-reaching E.coli outbreak in American produce which was concealed from the public.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Paul Krugman discusses how one of the top priorities of the second Donald Trump administration is to trash public health in the U.S. And CBC News reports that the Libs are cutting public health staffing even as COVID continues to circulate and new threats emerge while the U.S. vacuum undermines any international response.

- Hamilton Nolan writes that Trump's ascent makes for a painful political application of the Greater Fool Theory in action - and that the only path to reversing it is to engage in opposition rather than attempts to foist costs onto others. Thor Benson interviews David de Jong about the history of corporate oligarchs making common cause with fascists in order to entrench their wealth and power. And Nora Loreto writes that the rise of fascism can be traced to the displacement of democratic power by neoliberal capitalism.  

- David Climenhaga discusses Steve Verheul's recognition that Danielle Smith is looking to sell out Canada to benefit Trump, while Stephen Magusiak notes that Scott Moe and other right-wing politicians are joining the anti-Canada coalition. And James Magnus-Johnston writes that we can't take for granted that a US takeover is impossible when a substantial base of institutional power is perfectly willing to collaborate with it. 

- Noah Berlatsky writes about the need to support the people who dare to speak out against the abuses of the Trump regime, even as Parker Molloy points out the rage machine seeking to impose intolerable costs on anybody who does so. Grace Blakely discusses how only collective action will offer a viable alternative to the descent into authoritarianism, while Sam Pressler points out the dangers of thinking we can make progress without engaging people directly. And David Zipper notes that car-centric urban design has made it needlessly difficult for people to interact socially. 

- Finally, Jake Landau comments on the importance of providing refuge for trans people and others fleeing the U.S. But Emma Weller reports that the Libs are instead slashing our immigration resources while holding to the claim that there's no concern about anybody's safety. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Kathy Sheridan discusses why it's well past time to ensure billionaires pay their fair share of taxes, while Graeme Wearden and Heather Stewart report on a new poll showing that even a majority of millionaires view extreme wealth concentration as a threat to democracy. And Andrew Perez and Asawin Suebsaeng highlight how the U.S.' oligarchy is past putting even a facade of caring about anything other than its own concentration of wealth and power, while Filipe Campante and Raymond Fisman note that crony capitalism invariably produces worse results for everybody other than the few members of the regime's inner circle.  

- Meanwhile, Tom Parkin points out the stark difference between anti-tax rhetoric in theory and practice, as workers earning up to $150,000 pay less tax in British Columbia than Alberta while only the richest pay less under a right-wing government. 

- Nora Loreto discusses how our political and economic system has been designed to squeeze workers and remove supports in order to ensure people are easily exploited by the rich. And Emma Paling notes that the U.S. has been dictating the terms of Canadian politics for decades at the expense of our sovereignty and well-being. 

- Mihai Andrei writes about new research showing the connection between hard-right ideology and systemic misinformation even before the social media takeover by regressive forces. 

- Finally, Gordon Brown offers a warning to Donald Trump about the dangers of abandoning the World Health Organization when countries' interests in fighting disease are so closely aligned. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your mid-week reading.

- Jeremy Corbyn writes about the denialism involved in refusing to deal with the climate crisis with language and action proportionate to its dangers. Zoe Schlanger discusses how the breakdown we're experiencing goes far beyond what was projected even by the models which have told us we should be doing far more. Bill McKibben points out the stark difference between Jimmy Carter's leadership and forward thinking as to the value of renewable energy, and the oil-fueled anti-science of Ronald Reagan which shut down any prospect of cleaner energy which wouldn't serve to enrich a small set of oil tycoons. David Roberts discusses the work of Greenlight America in seeking to organize people to support renewable projects. And Andrew Lam reports on new research showing a correlation between proximity to Alberta oil and gas infrastructure and respiratory and cardiovascular difficulties - while noting that the province has gone far out of its way to avoid accurately assessing the harms of fossil fuels.

- Peter Bloom examines the growing body of evidence showing that neoliberal "saviors" can't protect against the spread of authoritarianism - particularly as they seek to exacerbate the concentration of wealth and power. And Matthew Green and Joseph Gubbels discuss how Justin Trudeau's abandonment of electoral reform reflects his blinkered view of democracy as entitling people only to select which representatives of the elite will control them, while Christo Aivilis rightly argues that the NDP should be loudly committing to follow through where Trudeau broke his promise. 

- Nora Loreto writes about the concerted effort to infantilize younger adults in order to prevent the exercise of collective action. Miles Klee highlights how slurs which had long been treated as unacceptable are being revived as part of the alt-right's assault on human decency. And Rafael Behr writes that Kemi Badenoch is continuing the UK Cons' descent into conspiracy theory and fascist rhetoric.

- Finally, Katie Surma and Nicholas Kusnetz discuss Bolivia's long road to extricating itself from ISDS  corporate control agreements. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Saul Elbein discusses the many ways in which the climate breakdown is affecting communities facing far more severe weather events than they've ever experienced before. And Mary Gilbert notes that the U.S. just faced one of the driest months on record, while Valerie Kipnis et. al examine the precarious state of water resources in central Asia.  

- Zoe Williams writes that the relentless hoarding of wealth by billionaires is warping democratic decision-making. And Mona Charen discusses how the wealthiest few are attempting to entrench a Trump-led oligarchy in the U.S. 

- Yushu Zhu and Hanan Ali write that Canada's housing crisis can be traced largely to the fetishization of homeownership and the assumption that property values must constantly be inflated.  

- Lucas Gutterman makes the case for regulation to ensure that consumer electronics aren't designed to be immediately turned to junk based on the manufacturer's whims or negligence.  

- Finally, Joan Westenberg warns of the shrinking of the Internet as non-corporate content becomes perpetually more difficult to find and share. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Melissa Hanson writes about life as a climate refugee from what was billed as a relatively safe area - making for a particularly painful position in the midst of an election where a major contender denies both the reality of climate change and the humanity of refugees generally. Andrea Thompson points out that a natural disaster such as Hurricane Helene will have continuing impacts on victims for years to come. Jonathan Watts reports on new research showing that wildfires are rapidly burning through humanity's carbon budget, while Benjamin Shingler charts how Canada's 2024 wildfire season was severe by any standard other than the unheard-of fires of the previous year. And Marko Hyvarinen et al. study how our climate is breaking down faster than many species can possibly adapt. 

- Katharine Hayhoe discusses how China is far ahead of the rest of the world in developing clean and cheap renewable energy. But Richard Murphy laments that UK Labour is joining far too many Western governments in throwing massive amounts of free money at the fossil fuel sector even while telling citizens they'll have to fend for themselves in an environment of austerity. And Karin Larsen reports on Burnaby's agreement not to criticize Trans Mountain after its pipeline was forced through the city at pblic expense. 

- Jon Milton interviews Nora Loreto about the decline of public services in Canada in the name of neoliberalism. And Linda McQuaig discusses how the Ford PCs - like their ideological cousins elsewhere - are undermining public health care in order to ensure donors can profit from needed health services. 

- Meanwhile, Angela Amato reports on the UCP's decision to facilitate corporate influence and control in municipal politics.

- Colin Lecher and Tomas Apodaca expose how Facebook profits from the environment of violent extremism which it promotes. And Alex Kierstein reports on Ford's patent filing seeking to eavesdrop on car users in order to foist ads on the occupants of vehicles.

- Finally, Fair Vote Canada fact checks Justin Trudeau's excuses for breaking his promise of a fair electoral system - while highlighting that its members and others who support a more proportional system were specifically targeted for misleading promises which Trudeau never planned to fulfil. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jonathan Watts reports on the Earth Commission's work showing how any path to avert climate breakdown needs to break down the concentration of wealth and power. And the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research notes that while the poorest people bear the most immediate existential risk from the climate crisis, wealthier people face substantial economic risks from climate impacts. 

- John O'Donnell reports on the Tax Justice Network's observation that the destructive extraction and burning of fossil fuels is largely financed through tax havens in order to further extract immediate wealth at public expense. And Jeremy Appel reports on Carbon Capture Canada's continued efforts to delay any transition to a cleaner energy supply. 

- Julia Simone-Rutgers reports on the Manitoba PCs' delayed public disclosure of the safety issues which caused the shutdown of Imperial Oil's main pipeline into the province - with a lack of regulatory capacity serving as a major factor in the lack of a response in the public interest. And Matt Simmons reports on the latest environmental violations by Coastal GasLink - even as the total fine amount for repeated violations  pales in comparison to the amount of public subsidies poured into the pipeline. 

- Bronwyn Bragg and Jennifer Hyndman report on the Alberta meat industry's exploitation of temporary foreign workers. Cas Mudde and Gabriela Greilinger call out the dishonesty of hard-right parties seeking to present a facade of concern for workers over policies intended to further entrench the control of capitalists. And Sophie Binet writes that France's recent elections provide an example as to how the promise to focus on local economic development can help win voters over to the left - though it should be noted that Emmanuel Macron's subsequent decision to appoint a hard-right prime minister also offers a cautionary tale as to how the corporate centre will favour the alt-right after running against it. 

- Finally, John Michael McGrath discusses how the Ford PCs are rejecting any options to build housing with any meaningful density (with the effect of favouring developer-friendly sprawl which does nothing to alleviate the housing crisis). 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Andrew Freedman reports on the extreme heat wave scorching the southwest U.S., while Costas Kantouris reports on Greece's unprecedented drought and water depletion. And Kang Jin-Yiu reports on South Korea's exceptionally hot summer, while Ian Livingston notes that Australia has seen summer temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius through what's supposed to be its winter season. 

- Josephine Lee interviews Greg Casar about the Biden administration's belated efforts to ensure workers have protection from extreme heat - while noting that it's an open question whether any rules will be allowed to take effect even next summer. And Shannon Waters offers a reminder of the health damage caused by wildfire smoke.  

- Hannah Daly suggests that we should treat carbon pollution like cigarette smoke in order to treat its reduction as a public health goal. But it's unfortunately far form clear that the corporate forces that be will allow the protection of public health to influence policy - as seen in Tess Finch-Less' plea to stop bullying people out of even the most basic of COVID-19 protection measures, and Julie Doubleday's comparison of the status quo to what an adequate response would look like. 

- Solomon Hughes discusses the cozy relationships between conscience-free corporate abusers and multiple brands of political party. Richard Murphy calls out neoliberalism as the key factor in the Grenfell disaster among other human catastrophes. And Adrienne Tanner highlights how nobody should trust the fakery of John Rustad and other avowed science denialists - even as British Columbia's business class has coalesced to try to install him in power. 

- Finally, Luke LeBrun reports on how the FBI's charges dealing with Tenet Media revealed Russian influence and funding behind dozens of alt-right propaganda videos in Canada. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Ian Welsh discusses how institutions under the thrall of neoliberal ideology are incapable of achieving any end other than the further enrichment of the wealthy. And Clement Nocos writes that affordability is ultimately an issue because of corporate price gouging and a lack of working-class organization to rein in business excesses.  

- Yushu Zhu, Hanan Ali, Meg Holden and Natasha Mhuriro examine the contributions that community housing can make which can never be replicated by for-profit developers. And Jessica Burgess reports on the particularly egregious example of a landlord who evicted vulnerable tenants to turn units into AirBNB profit generators even while putting on a show of hosting a charity event to combat homelessness. 

- Andre Picard writes about the snowballing crisis in caregiving - and the right-wing governments who are looking to hide the problem or turn it into a corporate cash cow. 

- But while the UCP for one neglects its own responsibilities, Dave Cournoyer examines how Danielle Smith is determined to micromanage every other institution in Alberta to prevent them from acting in the public interest. 

- Finally, Osita Nwanevu discusses how student protestors tend to have the most reliable moral compasses around - even if they can count on being treated with reactions ranging from dismissal to violent repression in their own time. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Cory Doctorow discusses the inherent impossibility of trying to build any public good on an economic system centered on selfishness:

This is the problem at the core of "mechanism design" grounded in "rational self-interest." If you try to create a system where people do the right thing because they're selfish assholes, you normalize being a selfish asshole. Eventually, the selfish assholes form a cozy little League of Selfish Assholes and turn on the rest of us.   

Appeals to morality don't work on unethical people, but appeals to immorality crowds out ethics.

- Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson points out that Canada's real productivity problem is its embrace of neoliberalism. 

- Adam King discusses how pay transparency produces better results for workers. Francesca Fionda notes that corporate mining operators are having difficulty finding workers due to the public's recognition of the industry's track record of abuse. And Zak Vescera reports on Simon Fraser University's use of public money to hire a fossil fuel-connected firm to spy on striking teaching assistants. 

- Clayton Page Aldern writes that the effects of a climate breakdown will foreseeably include a more violent world as well as a hotter and more parched one. Doug Cuthand highlights how Canada's shouting match over carbon pricing is keeping us from even talking about the scope of policy needed to actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And Chris Hatch reports on polling showing that the Cons have fostered a culture of denialism which renders them unwilling to even acknowledge the reality of climate change. And Darryl Greer reports that terminal operators are claiming the entitlement to hide their carbon pollution as a "trade secret". 

- Finally, Joel Dryden and Carla Turner report on the dwindling water resources in southern Alberta - which would represent a problem for any reality-based Saskatchewan government, particularly one planning to throw billions at an irrigation scheme which relies on water that's either disappearing or becoming polluted. And Fatima Syed points out that Ontario is rapidly burning through its available landfill space (due mostly to businesses and institutional dumpers). 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Geoffrey Johnston examines how the latest wave of COVID-19 is swamping Ontario's health care system while its cumulative effect is reducing life expectancies. Philip Moscovitch discusses the dangers of repeat COVID infections. And Zaki Arshad, Joshua Nazareth and Manish Pareek offer a reminder that the same vaccination, masking, and testing which have been vital to limiting the spread of COVID for the past three years remain so now even if they're being treated solely as individual choices rather than ongoing public health necessities. 

- Martin Lukacs interviews Eriel Deranger about what happened at COP28, with fossil fuel interests and their fully-owned politicians looking to block progress at every turn. And Binoy Kampmark points out that the end product is both non-binding, and ineffective even to the extent it were treated as having any effect (as also noted by the experts surveyed by Carolyn Gramling).

- Topher Sanders et al. expose the combination of bullying and bribery used by major rail companies to prevent the accurate reporting of worker injuries so they can avoid safety regulation and keep dangerous conditions in place. 

- Finally, Kenan Malik discusses how the hesitancy to challenge the class power of the wealthy has sapped politics of any meaningful effect. And while Rachel Cohen's interview with Brent Cebul rightly challenges the neoliberal view that the sole focus of policy development should be to gesture toward a given problem as cheaply and profitably as possible, it's worth noting the problem with trying to co-opt business interests by handing them even more money and power. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Crawford Kilian reviews Ryan Meili's A Healthy Future as an important account of the insufficient political response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while David Climenhaga calls out the absurdity of Preston Manning's prescription for disaster in pushing for even to be done to protect public health. And Andrew Nikiforuk discusses what we can learn - and what dangers we face - as COVID continues to circulate in deer and other animal populations. 

- Andrew Dessler writes about the scariest climate plot in the world - though it's all the more alarming for assuming that governments will take enough action to limit warming to a total of 3 degrees Celsius. On that front, A.L. Lee reports on research showing that a majority of the world's largest and richest companies are lobbying against effective climate policy. And Jake Johnson points out how the fossil fuel sector is planning massive expansion which would exacerbate our current course toward destruction.  

- Meanwhile, Martin Olzynski highlights how Danielle Smith and other petropoliticians are using their bully pulpit to goose the profits of the oil sector at public expense. And Oliver Haynes points out that the neoliberal attempt to treat consumer pricing as the only acceptable mechanism to change behaviour has made people vulnerable to that type of message. 

- Maria Farrell examines the tech sector's ideology of "libertarianism for me, feudalism for thee" - though for all of Silicon Valley's claim to innovation, it's hard to see that as representing any distinction from most of the corporate world. 

- Finally, Philip Bump discusses the rise of toxic masculinity and the normalization of political violence. And Amelia Hansford points out how the result of the right-wing project of using a culture of fear and hate to distract from material losses makes for a dangerous environment for trans women and other targeted out-groups. 

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.