Thursday Night Cat Blogging

Observant cat.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Beth Kowitt discusses how the inequality and exclusion deliberately exacerbated by the wealthiest few are only ensuring that CEOs have no idea how angry the public is with them. David Higginbottom writes about the capital class' increasingly sophisticated and thorough extraction of labour and value from the rest of us. And Nora Loreto discusses how the Libs have always been on the side of capital rather than the environment. 

- Madison Mills notes that the businesses who have poured the most faith and funding into AI are starting to realize that they're not getting anything close to the value promised by its purveyors. And Patrick Galey delves into the lies which have been used to lure them in. 

- Raphael Satter reports that the U.S. government's neglect of personal privacy and data protection has reached the point where its own troops are being targeted thanks to information handed to unscrupulous data brokers.  

- Jonathan Liew rightly questions why anybody who considers themselves progressive would want to contribute content and eyeballs to a Nazi recruitment tool like X.  

- Finally, James Goldston and Natasha Arnpriester write that the Trump regime's dehumanization of refugees and asylum claimants is utterly intolerable - and needless to say the same should go for any other country's willingness to pretend that the U.S. is a safe landing place for immigrants. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Bill McGuire discusses what the next few decades figure to look like as what's currently considered extreme heat becomes all too normal. And Andrew Gregory reports on the growing recognition that the damage caused by the climate breakdown includes the accelerated spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  

- Stella Levantesi writes about the myth of "green oil" promulgated by Norway's oil industry - which applies equally to greenwashing in Canada's fossil fuel sector. And the Sierra Club points out that a strong plurality of Canadians want to see stronger climate action including a strengthened industrial carbon price - even as Mark Carney goes in the opposite direction. 

- Chris Hoffman discusses the problems with online age verification requirements even in the hands of well-meaning organizations and officials. And Matt Novak writes about new polling showing strong U.S. public opposition to surveillance pricing.  

- Nico Schmidt, Ella Joyner and Conor O'Carroll highlight how tech giants have lobbied to conceal basic facts about the environmental damage done by data centres. And Don Moynihan writes that the Trump regime's sense of entitlement to total secrecy and impunity has reached the stage of demanding a non-disclosure agreement from every single U.S. federal employee. 

-  Finally, Wes Streeting rebuts Blair's demand that human well-being be left entirely in the hands of distorted and irrational markets rather than being a crucial purpose of democratic government. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

This and that for your weekend reading.

- Genevieve Guenther and Michael Mann offer a reminder that climate denial - from Donald Trump or anybody else - won't avert the consequences we're already seeing as a result of carbon pollution. And Marta Serafinko reports on the threat climate change poses to biodiversity as natural habitats are eliminated. 

- Meanwhile, Gaye Taylor discusses how clean energy is replacing dirty diesel in remote Canadian communities. And Susanna Twidale reports on new data showing that wind and solar power contributed more to global power supply than fossil gas in April, showing that a transition is well underway even as we're told we have no option but a choice between fossil fuels. 

- Ken Collier discusses how Mark Carney's choice to wind down pharmacare threatens Canada's wider public health care system. And Bruce Campbell writes about the risks to the public interest posed by deregulation and privatization. 

- Thor Benson talks to Chris Hayes about the dangers of artificial intelligence - with the erosion of human intellectual development looming as an inescapable result no matter how many of the logistical problems are waved away. Don't Surveil Me is encouraging Canadians to take action to protect privacy online in the face of yet another "lawful access" bill intended to eliminate anything of the sort. And Mike Benson discusses how public opinion is turning against mass surveillance once its presence is identified. 

- Finally, Justin Briley writes about the need to defend and promote fair taxes as the price of community and civilization, rather than echoing anti-social talking points in pursuit of the false hope of temporary political gain. 

Musical interlude

Chromantis - Cold Like The Silence

 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Paul Krugman discusses how some of the wealthiest men on the planet have supplicated themselves before Donald Trump in the hope of stifling both economic redistribution and freedom of critical speech. And Karl Bode notes that the rightful popular outcry against artificial intelligence is connected to the unabashed dishonesty and greed of its main promoters and profiteers. 

- Rei Takver calls out TikTok for sponsoring climate deniers while claiming to hold to climate promises. And tante points out how Google is now declaring war on the distributed World Wide Web, while seeking to replace it entirely with its own AI slop (which may not include the ability to process basic English words, while bearing a suspicious resemblance to paid ads). 

- Matt Gurney highlights how forward-thinking countries are planning for a future freed of domination by an unstable and uncooperative American empire. But in case anybody was under the illusion Canada was engaged in that necessary planning Nessie Nankivell reports on the U.S.' Department of War's takeover of critical mineral resources in Canada (to no apparent objection from the Carney government). 

- Finally, in the face of imminent government crackdowns on labour, Felix Cauchy-Charest offers a reminder that labour rights have generally been won through activism rather than reliance on political systems. And Michael Sainato points out a new report documenting the billions of dollars spent every year by corporations to try to bust unions. But the AFL-CIO rightly celebrates a new International Court of Justice ruling confirming the right to strike in international law. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Judd Legum discusses how Donald Trump's corruption includes such blatant market manipulation as buying stocks then using speeches to promote the companies involved. 

- Meanwhile, Samantha Michaels reports on the Trump regime's "full-blown occupation" of Memphis - as well as the lack of attention it's received due to a compliant state government and a difference in spin as to the purposes for militarizing a major city.  

- Sarah Cox reports on the warnings of environmentalists that Mark Carney is going far beyond anything proposed by Stephen Harper in treating species' extinction as an acceptable price for extractive development. Harry Glasbeck writes that if anything, Carney is demonstrating just how predatory capitalism tends to be. And Rishika Paridkar points out the denial, misinformation and spin around dirty energy in India - including the attempt to create an identity out of being uniquely adapted to the harms of polluted air. 

- Barry Saxifrage highlights how Canada has made little progress in transitioning away from fossil fuel dependency (and is actively going backwards under the Carney Libs). And Leonard Hyman and William Tilles report that utilities are starting to recognize the folly of pouring money into fossil gas as renewable energy and storage become far more affordable as well as healthier. 

- Finally, Luke Savage discusses how the proliferation of gambling as the primary lens for analyzing sports is now giving way to the commodification and gamification of everything. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Curled-up cat.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Samantha Hancox-Li discusses the need to ensure the rampant violence and corruption of the second Trump term is met with prosecutions, rather than another round of calls to sweep criminality under the rug yet again as long as it's being committed from sufficiently powerful positions. Alan Elrod points out the need for the Democratic Party to lead that effort (no matter how much more comfortable its legislative leaders are trying to pretend that Republican fascists are their friends). 

- Jonathan Watts discusses the dangers of trying to keep countries addicted to fossil fuels by force even as cleaner and more affordable options become readily available. And Carl Meyer examines the similarities between the anti-regulation, pro-dirty energy structures put in place by the Trump regime and the Carney government. 

- Sophie Hurwitz weighs in on the reality that opposition to data centres is one of the few truly unifying issues across party lines in the U.S. And Tom Chivers points out that young voters are particularly skeptical of artificial intelligence.

- Joseph Cox reports on the FBI's plans to buy U.S.-wide license plate reading technology to effectively allow for total surveillance of anybody with their own vehicle. And Michael Geist writes about the Carney Libs' continued push to impose absolute online surveillance on Canadians. 

- Finally, Luke Savage calls out the small-c conservative demand that the plebes work until they drop (toward the purpose of further enriching the ruling class). 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Michael Mechanic examines the new depths of corruption being reached by the Trump regime in using public money to reward his violent supporters. But Bearly Politics points out the significance of an alt-right formation which relies on being paid off rather than on holding any principles or values. And Elizabeth Spears notes that even the billionaire class is engaged in a campaign of pitiful whining to proclaim its own lack of motivation as an excuse to avoid making the most modest of contributions to funding public services. 

- Althia Raj points out Mark Carney's new pesticide plans which involve multiple steps to give corporate interests precedence over public health and safety. And Lloyd Axworthy discusses how the Libs have moved into purely conservative territory under Carney. 

- Mark Gongloff highlights the massive global wealth transfer being used to paper over the known and avoidable costs of the climate breakdown. And Mitchell Beer writes about the path forward toward climate progress as federal and provincial governments alike have given up on the task in favour of petropolitics.  

- Dean Baker examines the realities and dangers of the artificial intelligence bubble. And Joe Wilkins reports on the plight of Lake Tahoe, where residents are having their power cut off so it can be diverted to data centres. 

- Finally, Andrew Coyne calls out Danielle Smith and the other separatists looking to destroy Canada. And Dale Smith rightly argues that a small, extreme minority even within Alberta shouldn't be able to hold our national agenda hostage. 

Musical interlude

Counterpoint - While The Universe Unfolds

 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Simon Mundy examines the growing recognition that the combination of solar power and batteries - both of which are plummeting in price - makes for a more reliable and efficient power supply than relying on fossil fuels. And Dan McCarthy zeroes in on the rapid installation of grid-scale batteries in particular. 

- Karl Nerenberg writes about Mark Carney's determination to subsidize dying industries rather than working toward a transition toward the energy sources of the future. And Jimmy Thomson calls out the Orwellian nature of the attempt to label export subsidies and emission deregulation as a climate policy. 

- Which isn't to say some windfall profits aren't being made while people are trapped in fossil fuel dependency. On that front, Amy Fan and Rebecca Elliott discuss the winners and losers of the oil price shock caused by Donald Trump's war of choice in Iran - with the U.S. and Russia emerging as the main profiteers. 

- Anna Bawden reports on an expert recommendation that the climate crisis be labeled and dealt with as a global public health emergency. 

- Finally, Charlie Warzel warns that the plan of AI carnival barkers is to overwhelm us so we can't resist reliance on it - even as he highlights the absurdity of its supposed benefits. And John Ainger reports on the sharp power price increases being inflicted on the public as AI data centres use far more energy than can manageably be spared. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Carl Meyer explains how the Carney Libs are looking to push resource extraction at the expense of social and environmental realities to an extent beyond even the Harper Cons. And Corporate Europe Observatory criticizes the European Commission for likewise trashing needed regulations and subsidizing fossil fuels. 

- Meanwhile, Keith Brooks calls Mark Carney out for managing to turn even an electrification strategy into a means of prolonging fossil fuel dependency. And Alex Ballingall reports that after scrapping nearly every other means of limiting carbon pollution other than the industrial carbon price, Carney is now allowing Danielle Smith to undermine that.

- And in case anybody was under the illusion that there aren't superior alternatives to fossil fuels already available, Ben Feshbach, Ellie Garland and Julia Meisel highlight how the U.S. (like Canada) has immense geothermal power potential which is going unused due to the policy choice to favour dirty energy. 

- Elizabeth Elder and Neal O'Brien study the polarization of health outcomes in the U.S., as the anti-science ideology of Republicans is systematically resulting in shorter and sicker lives. And Joe Vipond, Dick Zoutman and Kashif Pirzada warn that the scattered response to the ongoing hantavirus outbreak signals that we've utterly failed to learn necessary lessons from previous contagions. 

- Finally, Maximillian Alvarez discusses how the wealthiest few are using their riches to try to untether us from reality. And Atrios rightly notes that in the case of Donald Trump and his ilk, the only responsible media response is to preface any coverage with a warning about their history of lying. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Paper-pushing cats.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Nicholas Kristof rightly characterizes the Trump/Musk demolition of US foreign aid as reflecting the world's wealthiest and most powerful men attacking the world's poorest children. And David Dayen points out the childishness of the thinking of the financiers gathered at the Milken Global Conference on Iran and other serious issues. 

- Ross Macfarlane discusses how to end silence on the urgency and importance of addressing the climate crisis. And Chris Rapley rightly argues that we should treat our living environment with no less respect than astronauts - who would never think to voluntary pollute or destroy the life support systems they rely on. 

- Jan Rosenow examines how Spain's shift to renewable energy has given it some of the lowest power prices in Europe. And Allan Olingo reports on the shift toward electric vehicles in Ethiopia and other African countries as the combination of improved EVs and fossil fuel shortages makes a transition inevitable.

- Finally, James Hannay points out that the forces seeking to let corporate-friendly market forces dictate the availability and affordability of food are no more beneficial for agricultural producers than for consumers. And Gustova Indart discusses some of the advantages of publicly-operated grocery stores as a means of meeting people's needs.  

Musical interlude

Bob Moses - Leave Like This

 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Disheveled cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

 This and that for your Tuesday reading. 

- Olufemi Taiwo discusses how the political and corporate elite have declared that consequences for bad decisions will apply only to the plebes - even as events make clear that's not a viable strategy. And Rachel Louise Ensign and James Benedict point out the fifteen-digit wealth stash in the hands of older Americans - along with the reality that most of it figures to stagnate rather than being transferred or put to any positive use. 

- Natalie Donback reports on the efforts of cities to plan and rehearse for the most predictable climate disasters even as national governments subsidize their causes. And Oliver Milman reports on a new study finding that New Orleans for one will likely be swallowed up by the sea within a matter of decades. 

- Meanwhile, Jack Ewing reports on Costa Rica's success in fostering electric vehicle adoption by ensuring people have ready access to charging infrastructure.  

- Josh Taylor notes that public opposition to data centres is as strong in Australia as in much of the rest of the world. And Robert Walton writes that while the strain from power usage has drawn more attention so far, large data centres can be equally problematic in causing rapid load reductions which aren't accounted for in grid planning. 

- Finally, Erin Weir discusses how Saskatchewan is giving away its potash resources - and indeed incentivizing the shutdown of mines which pay more royalties. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Ian Bremmer highlights how countries around the globe are hedging their bets rather than risking being taken down as the U.S. collapses. And Karen Attiah comments on the "dying mall vibes" being given off by the country. 

- Paul Bledsoe examines what needs to be done to stop catastrophic climate change without resorting to dangerous geoengineering. 

- Cory Doctorow points out how the Trump regime is allowing less-wealthy countries to get the jump on technological development by forcing a transition to cleaner energy which he's determined to squelch in the U.S. And Adrienne Tanner comments on Alberta's similarly self-destructive blocking of solar power in a province which would otherwise be at an advantage in building it. 

- Rory White reports on the proliferation of online "groups" which in fact serve as nothing but corporate propaganda outlets. 

- Finally, Nora Loreto examines the history of fascism in Canada - including how it was able to rise as laissez-faire governments elected not to deal with people's needs as they went unmet.  

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Daisy Dunne examines the takeaways from the Santa Marta energy transition conference, which offered needed hope that it's possible to cooperate at a global level without dirty energy interests obstructing against any progress. And Daniela Gabor and Benjamin Braun write about the need for a transition to happen through careful planning rather than unmanaged shocks. 

- Curtis Williams and Helen Clark report that even in the midst of a fuel shock Woodside and other producers can't find viable markets for fossil gas. And Irina Slay points out how Asia is rapidly reducing its reliance on gas imports. 

- But Alex Cool-Fergus discusses Don Gillmor's observations on the degree to which Canada has been propagandized into equating the oil industry with the national interest in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Jon Auger highlights the pernicious role of low oil royalties in ensuring that Alberta remains dependent on oil extraction rather than being able to fund its own transition. And Abrahm Lustgarten exposes how oil tycoons are trying to influence U.S. judges to accept climate denialism as fact. 

- Naema Ahmed and Sarah Kaplan report on new research showing that the "more CO2 is good for plants!" spin of fossil fuel sycophants is false, as increase carbon dioxide instead results in the production of less nutritious food. 

- Finally, Ellen Cushing points out that emotional surveillance of individuals by employers and other powerful actors is one of the most worrisome outcomes of the proliferation of AI. Ben Beveridge highlights how the Sask Party's use of public resources to enrich Bell through a new data centre represents a prime example of how not to govern in the public interest. Arwa Mahdawi notes that beyond state-sanctioned abuses, the proliferation of police surveillance is also enabling law enforcement officials to use data or personal benefit. And Sam Freedman weighs in on the certainty that prediction markets will allow people to manipulate public events for the benefit of bettors.